PORTLAND, Ore.  Violence continued Sunday night near a contested federal courthouse, with local police temporarily detaining two people after a gunshot, and federal agents tackling and detaining at least six protesters before seizing weapons and shields from their encampment.

"Get off me, get off me!" a woman screamed as at least three federal agents swarmed over her, shoving her to the street and holding her down. Several of her fellow protesters tried to push the agents off, but were warned back by a camouflaged agent with a rifle.

A handful of other protesters were tackled, restrained and either frog-marched into the courthouse or loaded into marked police vehicles. Federal agents then searched the encampment that's sprung up in a city park across the street, looking through tents and containers before removing shields, gas masks and other protest supplies, including several sticks, chemical sprayers and an empty gas can.

It was unclear what precipitated the arrests around 1:20 a.m., but they came during an evening of tension heightened by a reported shooting around 7:30 p.m. in the protest encampment. Police briefly detained two people in connection with that incident, and later released pictures of loaded rifle magazines and two Molotov cocktails they found nearby. It remained unclear early Monday if the shooting was connected to the protest, and police said the magazines and firebomb "appear to be unrelated" to the shooting.

Federal agents detain a woman early on July 27, 2020, outside of the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, during a protest.

All last week the area was the scene of violent confrontations between activists and federal officers. Over the weekend, the Department of Homeland Security dispatched additional officers to the city to bolster the ranks of an existing force of about 114, an official said Monday. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, declined to provide the actual number of additional officers or their specific affiliation, but the group is at least several dozen. The new deployment was necessary, the official said, because the conflict has not abated.

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Videos posted to Twitter showed angry crowds confronting police investigating the shooting. Portland police have largely ceded the area to protesters for the past week but arrived quickly following the reported shooting.

"As police were securing the scene a person arrived at a hospital by private vehicle with an apparent gunshot wound, non-life threatening. That person seems to have been associated with the incident," police officials said in a statement.

Thousands of protesters have flocked to the streets surrounding the federal courthouse each night for nearly two months since the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day in Minneapolis, and while federal agents have been subjected to barrages of fireworks, bottles and flaming garbage, violence between protesters has been limited.

Federal agents form a defensive line and one fires a tear gas gun at advancing protesters outside the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, in the early hours of July 27, 2020.

Activists aligned with the Black Lives Matter social justice movement have said they are worried the focus on federal law enforcement and the courthouse risks diluting their efforts to overhaul the Portland police department. Protests have taken place every day since Floyd's death, but exploded in size last week after President Donald Trump ordered a heightened federal presence to protect federal buildings and restore order.

All that time, the protest area has largely been void of local law enforcement officials. Police no longer routinely patrol the streets in the area, mostly turning a blind eye to people spray-painting graffiti on surrounding buildings, setting small fires, destroying pedestrian walk signals, illegally camping in a park and urinating in doorways. In their place, self-appointed guardians manage traffic, provide meals and aid protesters hit with tear gas. And at night they clash with federal agents.

Early on Sunday night, activist and artist Donovan Smith, 28, climbed atop a pickup parked in the middle of the protest and told attendees the Black community must focus on more than just police reform.

Artist and activist Donovan Smith, 28, speaks to the crowd outside the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday, July 26, 2020.

We are doing worse today in Oregon than we were 50 years ago," he said, calling for the crowd to vote for Black City Council members willing to restructure the police department and examine issues of economic inequality.

Sunday's crowd was substantially smaller than the estimated 4,000 people who attended Saturday night and saw far less interaction between protesters and federal agents until about midnight, when the two sides exchanged a short volley of fireworks and glass bottles, answered by tear gas.

Saturday night, protesters screamed at officers to quit their jobs and a small number of protesters attached ropes to a fence encircling the courthouse building, pulling down a section. This prompted agents to swarm out into the street, firing tear gas, to push the crowd back.

Portland police declared the protest a riot just after 1 a.m. on Sunday morning and sent in police cars and officers to scatter participants, making six arrests. Federal agents made eight arrests for either assaulting an officer or failing to comply with officers' orders.

The Department of Homeland Security said 14 agents were hurt in confrontations with protesters Saturday night, variously referring to participants as "anarchists," "violent actors" and "rioters." Agents said they were hit with bottles and fireworks and blinded with lasers and high-intensity flashlights.

Trump, who sent in the federal officers more than a week ago, said journalists were not showing what's "really" going on. "They want the American public to believe that these are just some wonderful protesters, not radical left ANARCHISTS!" he tweeted Sunday. He then followed up by accusing hundreds of mothers protesting in Portland under the name "Wall of Moms" of being part of a scam.

Trump accused protesters  which have also included fathers, college students, doctors and nurses, scientists and military veterans  of being anarchists "who hate our country."

To appease protesters, city leaders have taken steps to reform the police department, cutting $15 million from what would have been a $245 million budget and disbanding three specialty units that patrolled schools and public transit and worked to reduce gun violence. City leaders also downsized the department's SWAT team, and allocated $5 million to pay for unarmed first responders to assist people experiencing homelessness.

But Tai Carpenter of the activist group Dont Shoot PDX said victory will come not only when the federal presence decreases in the city, but if major change happens within local government. To her, thats the disbanding of the Portland Police Bureau and the resignation of Mayor Ted Wheeler.

A man upset about federal agents detaining protesters threatens them with a baseball bat and dares them to shoot him during a protest outside the federal courthouse in Portland, Ore., early on July 27, 2020.

"Our resistance community is very strong. First, we had the Wall of Moms and then its the Wall of Dads, the Wall of Veterans. Theres a constant evolution here, and people are always finding more and more reasons to say, Im going out there, too, she said. "Hopefully, things change by November. Im feeling good about it, especially with so many youth leading. Theyre extremely inspiring, and theyre so organized.

Ameya Okamoto, 20, the lead organizer with Fridays4Freedom, said she is leery to use the word victory when discussing outcomes of any protest because we know were long-term. Shes hopeful there will be small milestones worth celebrating, like the unseating of a white, complicit mayor but recognizes overall that this fight is so much bigger than us.

The group was founded just before Juneteenth, and it has posted a list of demands on its Instagram page, including disarming Portland State University; the creation and implementation of ethnic studies programs throughout Portland Public Schools; and the complete abolition of the Portland Police Bureau

Wheeler, who was teargassed by federal officers late Wednesday night after spending hours at the demonstration trying to calm protesters, will face off in November against Sarah Iannarone, an urban policy consultant who also took on Wheeler in the 2016 mayoral race, finishing third in the primary. Shes been a regular at protests and has participated in the protests Wall of Moms.

"If youre going to decry the violence of Trumps feds, and say theyre not welcome here, you need to decry the violence in your own law enforcement," she told The Oregonian last week about Wheeler's leadership. "The mayor isnt willing to do that. He wont have the public trust until he does.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Portland protests: Police detain 2 suspects after shooting
Coronavirus testing in the German municipality of Mamming, where an outbreak saw 174 seasonal workers test positive Coronavirus testing in the German municipality of Mamming, where an outbreak saw 174 seasonal workers test positive (AFP Photo/Christof STACHE)

Berlin (AFP) - Germany will make coronavirus tests mandatory for travellers returning from at-risk areas, Health Minister Jens Spahn said Monday, as fears grow over rising case numbers blamed on summer holidays and local outbreaks.

"We must prevent returning travellers from infecting others unnoticed and thus triggering new chains of infection. I will therefore order compulsory testing for travellers from risk areas," Spahn wrote on Twitter.

The regulations will come into force next week, the health ministry tweeted, and tests will be free.

The debate around coronavirus testing intensified over the weekend after Germany's 16 states agreed on Friday for free tests for all returning travellers, but had stopped short of making the tests mandatory.

After a meeting with state officials on Monday, chancellery chief of staff Helge Braun said there was a "great willingness to move closer to such mandatory tests".

"The question of how this can be implemented must now be examined in detail and I believe that we will come to a solution relatively quickly," he said.

Bavarian premier Markus Soeder had earlier joined a growing chorus of voices calling for tests to become compulsory for returning holidaymakers.

"We are preparing everything so that if the federal government gives the go-ahead, we can implement it immediately," he said.

However, the move has also attracted criticism from those who believe too much reliance on tests could lead to complacency.

"One-off tests do not offer any security," Ute Teichert, the head of a national doctors' association, said in an interview with the Funke media group. "On the contrary: They can lead to a false sense of security."

- Bavarian farm outbreak -

Nevertheless, politicians are planning to ramp up testing in a bid to isolate infections early.

In Bavaria, Soeder said the southern German state will set up coronavirus test sites at its two biggest railway stations as well as key points on motorways.

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On top of existing test centres at Bavarian airports, tests will now be offered at the Munich and Nuremberg train stations, as well as on three major motorway routes near the Austrian border.

"We cannot completely prevent corona, so the goal must be to detect it in time to stop it from spreading," Soeder said.

Soeder said Bavaria will also be testing all seasonal agricultural workers in the state, following a mass coronavirus outbreak at a large farm.

Some 500 workers have been sent into quarantine over the outbreak, as at least 174 seasonal farmhands tested positive for the virus on the farm in the municipality of Mamming, most of them from Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

Workers wearing masks could be seen on Monday milling around on the steps of the containers used to house them at the isolated rural site.

Residents in the municipality of Mamming have been offered free coronavirus tests, with various improvised test centres set up in the area.

A woman who gave her name as Brigitte said she was coming to get tested so she could hold her baby grandchild without worrying about spreading the virus.

"I am not overly concerned because the workers were housed very separately," she said. "But I want to be sure."

To curb further outbreaks in farms, Soeder said the state will increase fines for farms that breach regulations to 25,000 euros ($29,400) -- five times the current penalty.

Germany has fared better than many of its neighbours in suppressing the virus, reporting just over 200,000 cases and 9,118 deaths to date, according to the Robert Koch Institute for disease control.

But the country has also been hit by repeated coronavirus outbreaks at slaughterhouses, keeping authorities on high alert.

"From what we have experienced in the last few days, with over 800 cases a day in some cases, we must get back into a situation where we are well below 500," Braun said.
New Delhi:

Amid protests and forced adjournments in both Houses of Parliament by opposition parties on demonetisation row, the Narendra Modi government on Tuesday found reasons to cheer as the Bharatiya Janata PartyA (BJP) managed to win all assembly and Lok Sabha seats it had won before the bypolls held on November 19 this year.A



According to reports of the bypoll results, the BJP has retained all the assembly and Lok Sabha seats it had secured before the elections.A



The BJP also snatched two assembly seats - one in Assam and one in Arunachal Pradesh - from the Congress party.

According to a tweet by psephologist Yashwant Deshmukh of CVoter, the Congress has got zero percent vote share in Arunachal Pradesh'sA Hayuliang seat and the party candidate was declared disqualified.



The Congress has managed to win just one assembly seat Nellithope, vacated for Chief Minister V Narayanasamy in Puducherry.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his series of tweets on Tuesday evening, thanked the people for showing faith in BJP.A



The PM tweeted from his personal Twitter handle @narendramodi-



# I thank people for the continued faith in BJP & in the BJP's unwavering focus on development and good governance.



# I appreciate @BJP4Bengal for the spirited performance. BJP is fully committed to diligently serving the wonderful people of West Bengal.



# Congrats to Tripura BJP Karyakartas for an impressive performance in the bypolls. Good to see BJP expanding its base in the Northeast.



# I congratulate all BJP Karyakartas & leaders for the impressive victories in Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. @BJP4India





Here's the details of vote swing and winning details of all seats inA Tuesday's bypoll results-A





Final Snapshot of #Bypolls.

Each State Gov has got thumping Victories to showcase them as Win in Favour/Against #DeMonetisation drive. pic.twitter.com/Vr3lTWhdVw a N33R4J (@_N33R4J_) November 22, 2016



1. Arunachal Pradesh

North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) candidate Dasanglu Pul of BJP won the Hayuliang Assembly by-poll after defeating her lone rival Yompi Kri, an Independent candidate, by 942 votes.

Pul, who was contesting on a BJP ticket, polled 5,326 votes while Kri could secure 4,384 votes in the by-poll held onA November 19.



The winner is the youngest of three wives of former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Kalikho Pul. The by-poll was necessitated due to his alleged suicide.



Hayuliang (Assembly) - vote share

INC: 0% (Swing:-78%)

BJP: 54% (Swing: +38%)

Others: 46% (Swing: +40%)





2. Madhya Pradesh

The BJP has retained the Nepanagar Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh with party candidate Manju Dadu defeating her nearest Congress rival Antar Singh Barde by a margin of 42,198 votes.



Nepanagar (Assembly) - vote share

INC: 35%(Vote Swing: - 4%)

BJP: 60%(Vote Swing: + 8%)

Others: 5%(Vote Swing: - 5%)



BJP's Gyan Singh has won Lok Sabha seat from Shahdol (Madhya Pradesh) by a margin of 60383 votes.



Shahdol (Lok Sabha)A - vote share

INC: 38% (Vote Swing: 9%)

BJP: 45% (Vote Swing: -9%)

Others: 17% (Vote Swing: 0%)





3. Assam

In Assam, BJP won both Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat and Baithalangso assembly seat.



Lakhimpur (Lok Sabha)A - vote share

INC: 36% (Vote Swing: +7%)

BJP: 55% (Vote Swing: 0%)

Others: 9% (Vote Swing: -7%)



Baithalangso (Assembly)A - vote share

INC: 41% (Vote Swing: +1%)

BJP: 54% (Vote Swing: +25%)

Others: 5% (Vote Swing: -26%)





4. Tripura

The ruling CPI-M in Tripura has won the two Assembly seats, Barjala (SC) and Khowai, by defeating Congress and TMC candidates respectively.



CPI-M candidate Jhumu Sarkar trounced his nearest BJP rival Shistamohan Das by a margin of 3,374 votes in Barjala (SC) constituency. CPI-M secured 15,769 votes, while BJP garnered 12,395 votes.



Barjala (Assembly)A - vote share

CPM: 45% (Vote Swing: - 3%)

INC: 3% (Vote Swing: - 46%)

BJP: 35% (Vote Swing: + 34%)



In Khowai constituency, CPI-M candidate Biswajit Datta trounced his nearest TMC candidate Manoj Das by a margin of 16,047 votes. CPI-M secured 24810 votes and TMC 8763 votes.



Khowai (Assembly)A - vote share

CPM: 68% (Vote Swing: +6.7%)

INC: 2% (Vote Swing: -35.3%)

BJP: 7% (Vote Swing: +6.3%)



The Congress' vote share has nosedived from 43% plus to just about 2% votes. The BJP makes huge gain in North East inroads. BJP formally replaces Congress as main opposition in Tripura.



Overall vote share

CPM: 57% (Vote Swing: +2 %)

INC: 2% (Vote Swing: - 41 %)

BJP: 21% (Vote Swing: +20 %)



5. West Bengal

Trinamool Congress has retained two Lok Sabha seats (Cooch Behar, Tamluk) and one assembly seat (Monteswar).



Cooch Behar (Lok Sabha)A - vote share

TMC: 59% (Vote Swing: +19%)

Left+: 6% (Vote Swing: - 27%)

BJP: 28% (Vote Swing: +12%)



Tumluk (Lok Sabha)A - vote share

TMC: 60%(Vote Swing: + 6%)

CPM: 22%(Vote Swing: -13%)

BJP: 15%(Vote Swing: +9%)



Monteswar (Assembly)A - vote share

TMC: 78% (Vote Swing: +34%)

CPM: 11% (Vote Swing: -33%)

BJP: 9% (Vote Swing: +1%)



Hailing the mandate for TMC in the by-elections in West Bengal as "people's revolt" against demonetisation, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee onA TuesdayA attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "failing" to bring back black money from abroad.



"The by-election result is a befitting reply against the anti-people demonetisation by the Centre. It's a people's revolt, rather than a mass revolt against the center. BJP should take lessons from this mandate," she told newsmen before leaving for New Delhi to join the protest rally by the Opposition.

However, according to tweets by Yashwant Deshmukh of CVoters, the BJP (21%) has pushed CPM+ (14%) to third place in overall vote share.



According to him,A in West Bengal bypolls of 2 Lok Sabha seats and one assembly seats; the BJP has polled 21% which is upswing of +10%. The CPM+ has managed 14%, downswing of - 21% total votes.





6. Tamil Nadu

The AIADMK has retained the Thanjavur Assembly constituency by a margin of over 25,000 votes and was surging ahead in two other segments in Tamil Nadu.



Thanjavur (Assembly)A - vote share

DMK: 40%(Vote Swing: - 6%)

AIADMK: 54%(Vote Swing: + 3%)

Others: 6%(Vote Swing: + 3%)



In Aravakkurichi, AIADMK's V Senthil Balaji won the election by a good margin over his nearest DMK rival K C Palanisamy.



Aravakuruchi (Assembly)A - vote share

DMK: 39%(Vote Swing: -11%)

AIADMK: 54%(Vote Swing: +7%)

Others: 7%(Vote Swing: +4%)



In Thirupparankundram Assembly segment, AIADMK candidate AK Bose won by a comfortable margin over his nearest rival, DMK candidate P Saravanan.



Thiruparankundram (Assembly)A - vote share

DMK: 35%(Vote Swing: -1%)

AIADMK: 56%(Vote Swing: +9%)

Others:9%(Vote Swing: -8%)



In Thanjavur, AIADMK candidate M Rengasamy won by a comfortable margin of over 25,000 votes against DMK candidate Anjugham Boopathy.



Thanjavur (Assembly)A - vote share

DMK: 41% (Vote Swing: - 5%)

AIADMK: 57% (Vote Swing: + 6%)

Others: 2% (Vote Swing: - 1%)





7. Puducherry bypoll 2016 results

Senior Congress leader and Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy has won the bypoll to the Nellithope Assembly constituency defeating AIADMK's Om Sakthi Segar, by a margin of 11,144 votes.



Nellithope (Assembly)A - vote shareA

INC: 70% (Swing: +1%)

ADMK: 28% (Swing: +4%)

Others: 2% (Swing: - 5%)



(Vote share data taken from Yashwant Deshmukh's tweets)

(With inputs from PTI reports/ANI Tweets)

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Pilgrims wearing masks began trickling into Makkah over the weekend. Upon arrival, they were subject to temperature checks, placed under quarantine, and given elaborate amenity kits that include sterilized pebbles for a stoning ritual, disinfectants, masks, a prayer rug and the ihram. Pilgrims were selected from a pool of health practitioners and military personnel who have recovered from COVID-19.

Riyadh (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Saudi Arabia will begin hosting the annual Hajj pilgrimage next Wednesday, dramatically downscaled due to the coronavirus pandemic that has barred millions of international pilgrims for the first time in modern history.

As a result, Muslims who do not live in Saudi Arabia will not be able to attend the event, which annually attracts around 2.5 million people. Last March, during the early stages of the pandemic, Riyadh said that it would suspend travel to sacred places, reserving the right to cancel the event or hold a smaller version with a symbolic number of faithful.

Saudi authorities initially said only around a thousand pilgrims from within the kingdom would be permitted to take part in the Hajj but local media reported that as many as 10,000 would be allowed. However, many deemed the selection process opaque with people from around 160 countries competing in the online selection process - that saw most applications rejected.

Saudi Arabia Hajj ministry said foreign residents would make up 70 per cent of all selected pilgrims.

The foreign press was also barred from this year's hajj, usually a huge global media event, as the government tightened access to the holy city of Makkah and put in place strict health restrictions to prevent a virus outbreak during the five-day pilgrimage, a key pillar of Islam.

So far, Saudi Arabia has reported more than 260,000 cases of the novel coronavirus, while the number of deaths tops 2,700.

Pilgrims wearing masks began trickling into Makkah over the weekend. They were subjected to temperature checks and placed under quarantine, the authorities said.

They were given elaborate amenity kits that include sterilized pebbles for a stoning ritual, disinfectants, masks, a prayer rug and the ihram, a seamless white garment worn by pilgrims.

Pilgrims are required to be tested for coronavirus before arriving in Makkah and will also have to quarantine after the pilgrimage.

The ministry said it has set up multiple health facilities, mobile clinics and ambulances to cater to the pilgrims, who will be required to observe social distancing.

The ministry has said the Saudi pilgrims were selected from a pool of health practitioners and military personnel who have recovered from COVID-19.

The attention of the authorities is concentrated on the major pilgrimage, which was the scene of epidemics and incidents in the past. In 2015, for example, hundreds of pilgrims died in a stampede.

Despite the pandemic, many pilgrims consider it is safer to participate in this year's ritual without the usual huge crowds crammed in the small religious sites, which represent a logistical nightmare and a health hazard. Even in a regular year, the Hajj leaves pilgrims exposed to a host of viral illnesses.

The virus has also badly affected pilgrimage-dependent businesses that support hundreds of thousands of jobs in Makkah, from travel agents to street barbers and souvenir shops.

Many have reported large-scale layoffs, pay cuts and delayed salaries.
In this episode, national editor Tory Maguire is joined by investigative journalist Adele Ferguson to discuss the joint investigation by The Herald, The Age and Four Corners into Australia's $60 billion workers' compensation system.

The investigation uncovered mismanagement of the state government scheme in NSW and "unethical" conduct in Victoria.

Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage.

Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Sydney Morning Herald or The Age.
Protesters on Sunday marched to the home of East Baton Rouge Parish School Board member Connie Bernard while calling for her resignation following comments she made defending Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and shopping for clothes during a meeting centered on renaming a high school bearing his name.

The demonstration Sunday evening saw only 20 protesters waving signs and chanting "Bye Bye Connie" as they stood in front of Bernard's south Baton Rouge home.

It was part of an effort to recall the embattled school board member from her District 8 seat as organizers gathered signatures from voters in Bernard's district, including some from her neighbors, on a petition to put the recall on the ballot.

"The mission of EBR schools is to create an inclusive and welcoming environment," said Katherine Thompson, who co-organized the demonstration. "Connie Bernard has not shown that."

Thompson, 19, a Baton Rouge native and University of Virginia student, does not live in District 8.

Recalling Bernard of her position would require gathering 8,000 signatures from registered voters in the district. So far, organizers said have collected just more than 760, including 40 on Sunday. They have until Dec. 22 to file the petitions with the parish Registrar of Voters Office, which will then verify the signatures.

+10 Lee High School to become Liberty High School after Baton Rouge School Board vote Following years of outcry over a Baton Rouge high school bearing the namesake of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, the parish school board on Th

Calls for Bernard to resign grew following comments she made about Robert E. Lee during a June 10 TV interview, in which she said people offended by the name of Lee High School in Baton Rouge should learn a bit more about him.

Those comments came as school leaders were debating changing the name of Lee High School, which the School Board earlier this month changed to Liberty High School. A majority of board members, including Bernard, approved the name change.

Shortly after apologizing for her comments, Bernard was accused of shopping for clothing during a school board meeting, allegations she denied and said were due to pop-ads.

A WAFB TV report, citing her web browser history, found Bernard had been surfing the web on her district-issued laptop for three hours during a tense school board meeting while officials and the public discussed renaming Lee High School.

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A handful of school board members joined the chorus of calls asking Bernard to step down, and some have vocally supported the recall push.

Bernard said she has no plans to leave office and vowed to serve out her third term, which ends at the end of 2022.

+3 School Board president calls for Connie Bernard to resign: Students 'will suffer the greatest' The president of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday called for the resignation of board member Connie Bernard, becoming the 

Critics have also pointed to past incidents involving Bernard that have provoked calls for her to step down.

She was charged with battery after a profanity-laced video showed her confront several young people having a party down the street from her home. At one point, the video shows Bernard grasping one young man at the base of his neck.

Authorities issued Bernard with a misdemeanor citation for entering and remaining after being forbidden and battery.

After the video of the incident was widely shared online, Bernard stepped down as the school board vice president, citing her husband's health. She apologized for the profanity but stopped short of mentioning any of her other actions that night.

Some protesters on Sunday also said they're displeased with Bernard's performance on the board, mainly touching on disappointments that no new public schools have been built in south Baton Rouge since the '60s.

"That's the platform she ran on to get elected. She wanted more schools and more choice, but we don't have any choice here," said Marcie Frazier, who co-organized Sunday's demonstration and who lives in District 8. "It's the comments but it's also everything else."

Bernard either didn't appear to be home during the protest or didn't come out to speak with protesters. She couldn't be reached by phone for comment after the protest.
After months of denying it had any coronavirus infections, North Korea has reported its first suspected case, blaming an alleged defector who had recently re-entered the country.

State media said a runaway who was suspected to have been infected with the vicious virus had left for South Korea three years ago but returned July 19 after illegally crossing the demarcation line that separates the two Koreas.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said an uncertain result was made from several medical checkups of the secretion of that persons upper respiratory organ and blood, but it did not say whether the patient had undergone a coronavirus test.

The person was put under strict quarantine as a primary step and all the persons in Kaesong City who contacted that person and those who have been to the city in the last five days are being thoroughly investigated, given medical examination and put under quarantine, it said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un convened a politburo meeting Saturday during which he acknowledged the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country, KCNA said.

Kim, the report said, declared a state of emergency in the affected area and took the preemptive measure of totally blocking Kaesong City and isolating each district and region from the other within July 24 afternoon just after receiving the report on it.

North Korea had long insisted it was coronavirus-free, even though a wide range of outside experts said that was practically impossible. The country shares a long border with China, where the virus originated. Although North Korea moved quickly to formally close the border, much of the interaction across that border is informal and hard to control.

An outbreak in North Korea would be extremely dangerous, since many parts of the country are impoverished and lack an adequate health care system.

International aid groups have sent medical supplies, including face masks and thousands of coronavirus test kits, to North Korea since the worldwide coronavirus pandemic began.

The delivery of that medical aid has been complicated by export controls, border closures and international sanctions on North Koreas nuclear program.

Since the coronavirus emerged last December in China, more than 200 countries have reported cases. Worldwide, nearly 16 million cases of coronavirus have been confirmed, and more than 640,000 people have died.
A "Now Hiring" sign is displayed outside a Papa John's International Inc. pizza restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky.

Papa John's on Monday announced it would hire 10,000 more workers as it tries to meet surging demand for its pizzas.

Consumers who are sheltering in place are ordering more Papa John's food during the coronavirus pandemic. During the three months ended June 28, the pizza chain's North American same-store sales soared 28%, according to its preliminary estimates.

The company recently added 20,000 employees. At the end of 2019, it had 16,500 employees, according to its annual report. Spokeswoman Lindsay English said that Papa John's has about 70,000 workers employed in its North American system, which includes its franchised restaurants.

Papa John's is not the only large restaurant chain to announce hiring plans amid widespread unemployment. Rival pizza chains Pizza Hut and Domino's announced plans to hire thousands to meet demand as lockdowns began across the U.S. Other large restaurant chains, such as McDonald's and Chipotle Mexican Grill, have also announced their own hiring sprees as their sales bounce back.

Papa John's also said it is expanding its college tuition program to include Southern New Hampshire University and University of Maryland Global Campus. Employees and their immediate family members can get reduced tuition.

Shares of Papa John's, which has a market value of $3.1 billion, have risen 48% so far this year.
On 21st July 2020, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) along with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has confirmed that it will launch auctions four offshore wind sites.

This announcement builds on the designations made in July 2019, which included the above sites as 'advanced sea areas' alongside a floating site off Goto City, Nagasaki Prefecture eaZcaaa.

The tender for the Goto offshore wind farm opened in June 2020 and will close on 24th December 2020. It is the first development to take place under Japanas offshore wind promotion law, which came into force April last year. A winner will be announced in June 2021. The wind farm will have a minimum capacity of 16.8 MW, with a feed-in tariff of 36 yen/KWh.

Earlier this month the government also designated a further 10 areas for future offshore wind development under general sea law. Of these areas four are considered to be 'promising areas' and wind and geological surveys are expected to start immediately as well as the formation of councils to conduct public consultations. The new promising areas include two off the coast of Aomori and one off Happo Town and Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture in northern Japan, and one off the coast of Nagasaki in the south.

The Japanese government currently has a target of 820 MW installed by 2030. However, last week, at a government dialogue event, the (JWPA) put forward proposals for long term offshore wind targets. The organisation is lobbying for 10 GW by 2030 and 30-45 GW by 2030, with an annual target of 2-4 GW.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah carried out an infiltration attempt along the Lebanese-Israeli frontier on Monday, disputing the Iranian-backed Shiite group's denial of any involvement in the incident.

In a televised address hours after the incident in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms region adjoining the Golan Heights, Netanyahu said: "We take a grave view of this attempt to infiltrate our territory. Hezbollah and Lebanon bear full responsibility for this incident and any attack from Lebanese territory against Israel. Hezbollah should know that it is playing with fire."

Netanyahu was sitting alongside Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, who warned that any operation against Israel would draw a powerful Israeli response.

Hezbollah, however, denied it carried out a raid over Lebanons southern border, insisting, in a statement, that the incident was "from one side only, from the anxious enemy" and that the Israel claim was absolutely not true".

Earlier Monday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said a group of three to five men armed with rifles crossed the Blue Line that divides the country in the disputed Mount Dov area, claimed by Lebanon, Syria and Israel as their own.

Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said spotters had tracked the group as they approached the border.

"Once they crossed the border, we engaged," he said.

"We confirmed visually that the terrorists fled back to Lebanon," he added.

There were no reported casualties among Israeli forces, Conricus said.

Monday's clash followed Israeli media reports of a looming possible retaliation attack from Hezbollah after one of its fighters was killed in an air strike in Syria that was blamed on Israel.

A Lebanese TV station loyal to Hezbollah said Israel had been shelling targets across the border.

An AFP correspondent reported Israeli artillery bombardment on the hills of Kfarchouba in the Shebaa Farms area near the Israeli position of Roueysaat al-Alam, and reported plumes of smoke rising above the area.

Story continues

Israel's army had initially ordered civilians on its side of the Blue Line to stay indoors but later lifted those restrictions.

'Maximum restraint'

The UN considers the Mount Dov area where the clashes occurred as part of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL called for "maximum restraint", adding that the firing had stopped.

Israel has in recent days placed its northern border on high alert and sent troop reinforcements to the area.

Lebanon-based Hezbollah has a substantial presence in Syria, where it is fighting in support of the Damascus government in the country's civil war.

Israel hit Syrian army targets late Friday after munitions were fired across the Syrian border into Israel.

Hezbollah's No. 2, Naim Qasim, said on Sunday: "If the Israelis decided to launch a war, we will confront it and we will respond."

"What happened in Syria is an aggression that led to the death of Ali Kamil Mohsen," he said about the strike in Syria.

The evening missile attack on July 20 hit weapons depots and military positions belonging to Syrian regime forces and Iran-backed militia fighters south of Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and REUTERS)
- Latest study revealed that lockdown measures don't curb the spread of coronavirus, but what matters most is the health of the nation before the pandemic

- One of the factors that raised coronavirus death rates was obesity

- The study found that whether a country imposed a lockdown, or not, death rates were unaffected

- Lower-average income among the population was another factor, which raised death rates, approximately per-million fatality up by three percent

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A new study revealed an unconventional aspect as it opposed the initial belief of many countries, especially in the approach used in curbing the spread of coronavirus.

The study conducted by experts from the University of Texas and the University of Toronto, showed that lockdowns don't work in curbing coronavirus.

In the said study as reported by Daily Mail, it compared the mortality rates of coronavirus cases in 50 different countries that were hit worst by the pandemic. The figures that they compared reached up to May 1.

According to the experts, among the nations that suffered greatly from the pandemic, only 33 out of one million people were killed by the virus.

The rate increased with Britain seeing 670 deaths per million.

Researchers created a model that measures the impact of the COVID-19 response of a country vis-a-vis the deaths and causes.

They found that the lockdown measures only succeeded in preventing the health care system from getting overwhelmed with coronavirus cases.

The lockdown, in general, had no significant impact on coronavirus deaths.

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Photo: jag2020/Pixabay

Source: Instagram

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The government faced problems when they imposed the initial community quarantine, which was elevated into enhanced community quarantine. It also suspended transportation causing massive problems with commuters.

Doctors have died after being infected by COVID-19. They are among the frontliners who attend to the patients rushing to hospitals amid pandemic.

The COVID-19 outbreak started out in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. Scientists believed that the virus came from an animal at one of Wuhan's wet markets. The Philippines has slowly eased quarantine measures and Filipinos are starting to adapt to the new normal.

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Source: KAMI.com.gh
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- State officials continued their crackdown on bars and restaurants over the weekend, including 40 liquor license suspensions.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a Monday press conference that the suspensions are included among 132 violations that were issued since Friday primarily in New York City, including Staten Island where five businesses received violations.

The state said Monday that a list of the Staten Island businesses affected by the State Liquor Authoritys enforcement actions was not yet available.

I want the establishments to know that we will continue to diligently enforce the law, Cuomo said. We accomplish nothing if we have to rollback some rules and regulations on bars and restaurants.

Businesses found in violation of COVID-19 regulations face fines up to $10,000 per violation, while egregious violations can result in the immediate suspension of a bar or restaurants liquor license.

The governor insisted that most of New Yorks bars and restaurants had been compliant regarding the COVID regulations the state put in place as part of its virus mitigation efforts.

Cuomo said state enforcement has been focused on the five boroughs because local governments outside the city have put more effort into compliance enforcement.

The state effort is supplementing the local effort, Cuomo said. We are seeing greater compliance by the local governments outside New York City.

The state issued 27 violations on Sunday, and they were all in New York City, according to the governor.

*** CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

While Mayor Bill de Blasio did not make mention of bar and restaurant enforcement during his Monday press conference, he said Friday that the city would be stepping up its efforts with a focus on areas around the city that have a high concentration of bars and restaurants.

We absolutely are planning to have a lot of people out, again, the civilian folks doing the education, the face coverings, a lot from the Sheriffs Office, (NYPD) as needed, the mayor said Friday. But we are very focused on getting the point across to people that everyones got to take this seriously and help each other by following the rules.

As the governor continued to raise concerns about a lack of social distancing particularly among young people and rising COVID-19 rates across the nation, he said New Yorks numbers remain low.

Of the approximately 57,000 tests conducted Sunday, only 608 returned positive results, which equates to an infection rate of about 1%, the governor said. A total 642 New Yorkers remained hospitalized with the virus, and 11 New York COVID-related deaths were recorded yesterday, according to the governor.

New Yorkers have to remember that where we are is a function of what we do, Cuomo said. The numbers are the numbers that we make happen.
Bird-watching is having a moment, thanks to the pandemic.

As non-essential workers adjusted to spending more time at home, their ears adjusted to the increasingly non-foreign sound of birdsong outside their windows.

Those sweet tweets are no doubt largely responsible for the record breaking turnout at this years Global Big Day, the Cornell Lab of Ornithologys annual birding event, held earlier this spring.





50,000 participants logged 2.1 million individual observations, and 6,479 species.

Apparently, there are even more birds in this world than there are sourdough starters

though for the immediate future, civic-minded birdwatchers will be confining their observations to the immediate vicinity, as a matter of public health.

We look forward to the day when bird enthusiasts residing outside of Belize, Mexico, or Guatemala can again travel to the Yucatan Peninsula in hopes of a face-to-face encounter with the Black Cat Bird.

Til then, the animated video above, in which a Black Catbird unwittingly duets with Belizes Garifuna Collective, makes a soothing place holder.

The catbird and the collective appear along with nine other electronic musician / endangered native bird teams on the fundraising album, A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean.

A Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager joins NILLO, a producer and DJ from Costa Rica who draws musical inspiration from the tribal communities around him.

Siete Catorce, a producer who helped popularize the popular border genre known as ruidosona mix of cumbia and prehispanic tribal soundsis paired with a Yellow-headed Parrot.

Jordan Time Cow Chung of Equiknoxx seamlessly integrates a Jamaican Blackbird into his unique brand of organic, experimental dancehall.

The album follows 2015s Guide to the Birdsong of South America, and as with its predecessor, 100% of the profits will be donated to regional organizations focused on birds and conservationBirds Caribbean, La Asociacion Ornitologica de Costa Rica, and Mexicos Fundacion TXORI.

Birds, as the projects founder, Robin Perkins, told Gizmodos Earther, are the most musical animals in the world:

Theres something really nice about focusing on endangered species and songs that are disappearing and not being preserved and to use music to raise awareness about the species. I believe music has a big power for social activism and social change and for environmental change.

Listen to A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean for free on Spotify.

Buy the album or individual tracks on Bandcamp to benefit the charities above.

Robin Perkins limited edition prints of the featured birds also benefit the bird-focused regional charities and can be purchased here.

via MyModernMet

Related Content:

Explore an Interactive Version of The Wall of Birds, a 2,500 Square-Foot Mural That Documents the Evolution of Birds Over 375 Million Years

The Bird Library: A Library Built Especially for Our Fine Feathered Friends

Cornell Launches Archive of 150,000 Bird Calls and Animal Sounds, with Recordings Going Back to 1929

What Kind of Bird Is That?: A Free App From Cornell Will Give You the Answer

Download 435 High Resolution Images from John J. Audubons The Birds of America

Ayun Halliday is an author, illustrator, theater maker and Chief Primatologist of the East Village Inky zine. Follow her @AyunHalliday.
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Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III has reached a settlement agreement with Medicaid Done Right following allegations that the company misrepresented itself as authorized by or affiliated with the government to assist with TennCare/Medicaid applications.

MDR is a company based in Clearwater, Fl. that contracts with nursing homes to provide Medicaid application assistance to patients and their families. At least two companies that operate several nursing homes in Tennessee have had such agreements with MDR.

In some instances, nursing home patients believed they were required to use MDRs services and that it was part of TennCare. MDRs webpage has featured text and illustrations that gave the impression the company was affiliated with Medicaid and that it approved Medicaid applications. This is not true; those tasks are done by the state, said officials.

MDR also failed to disclose that state Area Agencies on Aging and Disability can often perform TennCare/Medicaid application assistance for free. AAADs and their partners can also often help consumers with associated legal tasks free of charge.

It is understandable that patients and their families may need assistance applying for TennCare, said General Slatery. However, the state has resources to help. Any company that offers these services needs to be transparent about that. We appreciate MDRs willingness to correct its conduct and comply with consumer protection laws.

In the settlement, MDR agrees to the following:

MDR may not use text or images that could convey the false impression it is authorized by any government entity.

MDR cannot use language suggesting it processes and approves Medicaid applications or that it does so in a specific timeframe.

MDR will change its webpage so it does not link directly to government Medicaid sites in a manner that suggests it is part of that government entity.

MDR must inform Tennessee consumers that the state is the point of entry for Medicaid benefits and the AAADs can offer assistance with applications and associated legal issues fees.

MDR must provide restitution to Tennessee consumers with assets over the Medicaid income threshold who used MDR or attorneys suggested by MDR, and who requested repayment when contacted by this Office.

To read the Agreed Final Judgment, click here: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2020/pr20-29-complaint-afj.pdf






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FLINT, MI - The body of a 63-year-old man was recovered late Monday morning from a lake in southwest Genesee County.

Officers with the Argentine Township Police Department responded during the afternoon hours of Sunday, July 26 to McKane Lake for man whod gone under the water.

Ralph Roberts was swimming in the lake with family members when he went under the water, per a family member.

Members of the Genesee County Sheriffs Office Dive Team were called out Sunday evening to assist in an attempt to find Roberts.

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said the dive team was out until 8:30 p.m. Sunday when it became too dark and the search was discontinued for the night.

Dive team members were back out on the lake Monday morning, when Roberts was found shortly before 11:30 a.m. in approximately 22 feet of water.

Argentine Township Police Chief Dan Allen said Michigan State Police also assisted the department with the incident.

The incident remains under investigation.
Most folks will by now have heard of Alibaba, the giant Chinese conglomerate, with business interests that include retail, financial services, logistics, media, and digital branding and marketing. The technology backbone underpinning these business units, Alibaba Cloud, is the third largest cloud provider globally, behind Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. And while Alibaba Cloud provides broadly similar offerings to AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, it does have a few surprises.

A relative newcomer to the international cloud market, Alibaba Cloud has deep pockets, and a keen desire to get ahead of Amazon globally. In April of this year they announced plans to invest $28 billion in infrastructure over the next 36 months. Did I mention they have deep pockets? This investment will go to building data centers, custom operating systems, and semiconductors for hardware-accelerated solutions.

To quickly put Amazon and Alibaba in perspective, remember that Amazon is a reseller. They own inventory and the supply chain and sell directly to the customer. Alibaba is a marketplace, and merely connects buyers and sellers. This has a couple of consequences. First, Amazons supply chain and inventory management systems are considered competitive advantages, so you wont see them selling supply chain solutions that leverage their experience. Second, the profit margins are much higher for Alibaba (23.3 percent vs. Amazons 4.1 percent in 2019). This gives Alibaba Cloud a lot more cash to invest back into their offerings.

Here are six ways Alibaba Cloud beats or rivals the other leading cloud providers.

Highest number of services

Amazon Web Services has 175 services. In the last half of 2019 Alibaba announced 597 new products and 300 solutions to its portfolio. There is literally something for everyone here. So much so, the choice is overwhelming. Alibaba Cloud is targeting both enterprises and SMBs, and theres bound to be a solution, from pig farming (really) to finance that meets your needs, if you can find it. (Hint: Get a partner to help with this if youre setting up in Asia.)

Computational storage

Computational storage is an old idea whose time has finally come. Given the vast amounts of data being processed today, there is no choice but to optimize the hardware paths that the data takes from disk to application, and push down the computation as close to the storage as possible. A draft standard for computational storage was released in December 2019, but proprietary hardware for it also exists, mostly limited to high-end custom computers like the Nvidia DGX series.

Because Alibaba Cloud supports the ecommerce group of Alibaba, its used to process some truly outstanding volumes of data, with similarly impressive low-latency access. For example, during singles day Alibaba Clouds PolarDB database processed Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) worth $30 billion in 24 hours, with a huge spike in the first hour of $12 billion, as shoppers rushed to buy before merchants ran out of stock. With that much revenue at stake, you can see why Alibaba Cloud pays so much attention to the databases supporting the event  and one of the techniques they use is computational storage.

There is a lot to computational storage, and its rapidly evolving. At the most basic level, PolarDB uses FPGAs to perform transparent compression of the data, whereby the data is decompressed within the data path and the kernel driver doesnt know the difference. This can result in up to a 50% reduction in query times for some of the most common queries, and on average is about 30%. This is just with compression push-down, and theres still some performance to be extracted as additional firmware is developed.

Database compatibility and performance

PolarDB is the main database offering for Alibaba customers with high data throughput use cases. It uses InnoDB as the storage engine, the same as MySQL, but heavily modified for use as a cloud-native database. PolarDB was designed with hardware acceleration in mind, like the previously mentioned computational storage, and it uses RDMA to connect storage and compute nodes, removing the I/O bottleneck.

Alibaba takes a somewhat different tack to database migration. Rather than offer a proprietary database along with migration tools, theyve made PolarDB compatible with most of the databases used in commercial environments. There are versions that can run queries from MySQL, PostgreSQL, and a large subset of Oracle Database. By design you can probably run your application unchanged on PolarDB. This is a significantly easier path to the cloud than porting application logic.

Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN)

Alibaba Cloud operates their own inter-regional network, meaning that you can control latency and bandwidth between the parts of your application that operate in different regions. Other providers use the public Internet to connect regions, leaving you at the mercy of regional congestion.

Alibaba Cloud achieves this via their software-defined network offering, Cloud Enterprise Network, a global network for building a distributed business system and hybrid cloud. CEN is a fully meshed network connecting VPCs (Virtual Private Clouds) and VBRs (Virtual Bridging Routers). Its basically a region-to-region virtual networking solution. This is especially useful for operations in China, where the Great Firewall often introduces a great deal of latency. The CEN offers both latency and bandwidth guarantees, and is the same network infrastructure used by Alibaba for their ecommerce offerings.

You can dial bandwidth up and down in real-time via the web console or via an API.

Intelligence Brains

While Alibaba wont win any marketing awards for innovative naming, its Intelligence Brains solve some truly large problems. To me, this is one of Alibabas most exciting and innovative offerings, made possible, in part, by the comprehensive business and political environment they operate in. It shows what AI technologies can bring to the table when implemented at large scale.

While the technology pieces are available from the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, you need a systems integrator to design, build, test, and support the final solution. Alibabas offerings are turn-key solutions, or as turn-key as something so large can get, supported directly by the vendor.

The Alibaba Cloud ET Brains are designed to serve as intelligent platforms to solve complex business and social problems. There are Brains for Smart Cities, Medicine, Manufacturing, Aviation, Environment, and Finance. Each Brain is a complex solution that deserves a few pages to do it justice. Here Ill cover two, City Brain and Financial Brain, to give you an idea of the offerings.

The City Brain, currently deployed in Hangzhou, a city of 21 million in eastern China, manages traffic flow, public transportation, and public safety by integrating events and alarms from sensors located across the city. If an alarm detects a fire, ambulance and fire crews are dispatched, the fastest route through traffic computed, and traffic lights sequenced, accelerating their arrival time by up to 49%.

In version 2.0 the City Brain improves fire services by providing information on water pressure, the number and locations of fire hydrants in the area, and the locations of gas pipelines and other critical infrastructure.

The City Brain is also used to improve public transport by examining video, Wi-Fi signals, and telco carrier signals and computing optimal passenger throughput. Based on current capacity, it can reroute shuttles and busses, optimize taxi dispatch, and adjust bus frequencies to minimize delays.

This reads like a sidebar in a science magazine, but its a commercial offering from Alibaba Cloud. New York, are you reading this?

Out-of-the-box financial applications

In the highly regulated financial services industry, getting a start-up off the ground takes a lot of resources, not only to overcome the regulatory challenges, but also to set up and operate the IT machinery required to make it work.

Credit is a good business to be in, provided you can get the risk modeled properly, because there are so many unbanked people in developing countries. But given the low margins, how can you offer credit and still make a profit? The Finance Brain offers a solution.

Here, credit risk modeling is offered as a more or less out-of-the-box solution, with scorecard templates, a commonly used set of model variables, and a workflow for modelers ready to go. Just add your own data, tweak the models, and youve got an instant credit offering. I wouldnt use this for modeling large credit risks, but its perfect for micro loans. Models can be deployed as RESTful APIs in the PAI (Platform for AI) EAS service, so third parties (say, a department store or a local grocer) can integrate with your credit platform, enabling an ecosystem of partners.

This business model reminds me of MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators), who do not own or operate any network infrastructure, but instead lease it from a telecom provider. The MVNOs compete on efficient operations, customer service, marketing, and application usability. Similarly, using the Finance Brain, a start-up in the credit space could lease their operational infrastructure and focus on the value-add portions of the business.

Bring your own key

Alibaba Cloud recently announced the ability to bring your own key to provide end-to-end protection of data at rest. The other major cloud providers have had this for a while, but with trade tensions between China and the U.S. at an all-time high, this move brings a measure of security to companies considering Alibaba. Post-quantum cryptography aside (where China appears to have an advantage), your data should be safe wherever it resides in the Alibaba ecosystem.

Bottom line

Alibaba Cloud has an impressive set of offerings, uniquely tailored to the Asian markets. On many fronts, such as price, product breadth, and depth, they beat the competitions offerings. Their biggest shortcoming in my opinion is inexperience in selling to Western markets. Its all there, but their technical pre-sales, direct sales, support, and developer outreach/engagement are lagging well behind the likes of AWS, Azure, and GCP. Thats why you dont hear much about them.

If youre setting up in Asia, Alibaba Cloud is an obvious choice. If youre setting up elsewhere, and willing to put in the effort, the cost efficiencies might make Alibaba worth considering. Much of the cutting edge tech for data centers (e.g. computational storage) seems to be deployed here first and in greater numbers of products in order to support the cash cow of Alibaba e-commerce. Other customers (like us) get a free ride on the improvements made there.
Pradhyuman Maloo And Rushali Rai

Pradhyuman Maloo, a 30-year-old jewellery designer from Mumbai was looking for a partner to enjoy fine cuisine, mixology and his walk-in wardrobe with. While on the show, he went on to claim that he has rejected about 150 marriage proposals and met Rushali Rai, a model and an actor. Pradhyuman finally hit it off with model Rushali Rai as they enjoyed horseback riding together. However, according to reports, they are no longer together. Pradhyuman told LA Times, "We had different paths in life and we respected that and moved ahead," and added that he is "still looking for the right one."

Aparna Shewakramani And Jay

Aparna Shewakramani is a lawyer based in Houston and was branded as too picky by Simi Aunty. After a chat with an astrologer, she became open-minded to her dates as her romantic window was opening soon. Fans loved Aparna as an unapologetic South Asian woman and hoped she will find her match soon. After a few dates, she seemed to be getting along with Jay, but she is still single. Aparna revealed to the publication that she is still friends with the three men she met. She said, "They were all wonderful people. They just weren't the one for me."

Nadia Jagessar And Shekar Jayaraman

Nadia Jagessar who is an event planner from New Jersey met two prospective matches on the show. Unfortunately, Vinay Chadha stood up Nadia twice. However, he took to Instagram to share his side of the story and said that he is happy to have done the show. After Vinay, Nadia met Shekar Jayaraman and the two got along very well while on the show. However, Nadia told the publication LA Times that they are no longer in touch. "Being off-camera definitely changed the dynamic between myself and the matches that I had continued talking to, and obviously, the change was not positive," she said. While talking about the show she wrote on Instagram, "So many people asked if this was staged or scripted or fake in any way and I can assure you it wasn't (at least not from my end)!"

Akshay Jakhete And Radhika

Akshay Jakhete, a 25-year-old from Mumbai was the only client who went ahead with a pre-engagement ceremony on the show. Akshay and his family were looking for a flexible partner, however, fans were shocked to see the ceremony happening with Radhika, who was upfront about being a career girl. However, the alliance didn't last long and the duo called off the engagement. "I'd rather wait and be with the correct person than be stuck with the wrong person," he told LA Times.

Vyasar Ganesan And Rashi

Vyasar Ganesan was introduced as a school teacher from Austin, Texas. While on the show, Vyasar met two girls but hasn't found his right partner yet. By the end of the show Vyasar and Rashi, a veterinarian, had gotten fans' hopes up as they were seen deciding on their future. Talking about both women, Vyasar said, "Both people I was matched with were truly wonderful, inspiring individuals who I'm proud to call friends. Ultimately, things didn't work out, but I'm grateful for the memories I have from working with Sima."
Even though wearing a face mask has become the norm, with the Government making them mandatory while shopping, many will find themselves in a position where they've left their mask at home, or lost it.

It's these people and those that have not yet invested in a good quality mask that entrepreneur Adam Freeman is targeting with his business, Maskey.

In May, and in the midst of lockdown, he says he created Britain's first mask vending machines and has signed a deal with WHSmith where his company is providing its fashionable masks on the retailer's shelves in hundreds of outlets on the high street.

Founder of Maskey Adam Freeman (left) and Mike Witzenfeld (right), head of sales and a shareholder of Maskey, pose next to a Maskey vending machine

The business idea itself is not a unique one. Millions of masks are being made by DIY enthusiasts selling masks on the likes of Etsy and Britain has also been flooded with imported versions.

But, like most good business ideas, Adam's company was created from a need and an effort to find something better than what's on offer.

Like many at the start of lockdown, Adam went about trying to find a mask, but was disappointed with the quality.

'There were websites where people work from home and Amazon and there was a week to two weeks delivery time,' he tells This is Money.

'It came two weeks later, and the material looked like it came from scuba suit.

Maskey specialises in masks for adults and children

'There was just that in the box and no packaging in the box along with some Chinese instructions.

'I literally threw it in the bin at the peak of the virus  there was no way this was coming near my face.'

It was only a week later when Adam met a friend's boyfriend whose tailoring business was struggling under lockdown that he was inspired to create his own quality, fashionable masks.

Adam says: 'I asked if he could design masks and he then brought six masks from different pattern materials.

'I told him I could sell tens of thousands as there is such a demand. So that was it.'

Adam is no stranger to creating a business. He set up a finance company a decade ago and has 200 staff.

He says he didn't furlough anyone and they're all working from home.

'My office is quite big but empty. I got my development team who were still on site to build me a website and sell masks from the website guaranteeing 48 hours delivery.'

Good timing

The timing was right - in May, the Government announced it was compulsory to wear a face covering on public transport such as buses and trains.

This coincided with his decision to purchase a few vending machines to ensure that people could buy masks when and how they wanted when they were out.

Adam explains: 'About three or four days into it I realised people wouldn't want to wait even that long [48 hours].

'I wondered about how I could get them the product now. And then that's how the vending machines came into it.

I did some research and bought some second-hand vending machines blind and it started from there. Adam Freeman - Maskey

'I then did some research and bought some second-hand vending machines blind and it started from there.

'I had to find engineers and technicians to take the refrigeration out and ensure the packaging was right for the vending machines.'

Maskey expects to have 50 Vendamask machines around the country by the end of the week, in locations including London's Chinatown, Hamleys, Carnaby Street and Adam's home town of Chigwell, Essex.

The machines all accept contactless payments and some can hold up to 450 masks in each machine.

Those that own the premises upon which the Vendamask is placed can also enjoy some of the profits as the company pays them a percentage every time a Maskey is sold.

Maskey's are available from vending machies or online. Delivery costs 3.99 but if you spend over 25 delivery is free. Masks arrive within 48 hours

The machine makes use of real time reporting so once a certain percentage of stock is sold a Maskey rep comes out to refill it.

July has been a busy month with the business selling thousands of masks per week designed for adults and children through its vending machines and website.

He says the business can cope with demand as its London factory can produce around 25,000 Maskeys per week. Prices range between 6.99 and 11.99.

Shops without salespeople

Adam took the business one step further by creating Vendamask shops  five of which will be in operation by the end of the week.

These are stores containing his branding and vending machines but isn't managed by any sales assistants.

He explains: 'So there's a plc that owns a lot of properties and we've used those to create our Vendamask shop. This is where you can purchase something without a salesperson in there.

'We built the machine flush against the wall and can walk in and out without speaking to a salesperson.'

But if you prefer to deal with a person, Maskey has just struck a deal with WHSmith to distribute its masks.

Customers can personalise their own Maskey through the website maskey.uk

Adam says: 'We did a deal 800 WHSmith stores with the actual Maskeys on the shelves.

'Everyday we're growing with website sales increasing. We've employed 70 people in the space.'

It's not the first business that Adam has created.

He's also the founder of a company called Mr Lender, which specialises in short term loans of up to 1,000, which has been trading for ten years.

Adam is also an angel investor in tech businesses, which he does along with the shareholders of Mr Lender.

However, investing in start-ups has been put on hold for now.

Adam says: 'The plan is to invest in early start up companies in the UK and US, from concept to execution - mainly tech.

'We have got a few going but had to pause for a bit at looking at new companies because our own companies were too busy and Maskey happened.

'Hopefully, in August/September we are going to get going again with it.'

Being a serial entrepreneur has helped to jump start Maskey as Adam says he's been able to use some of the talented staff and resources of Mr Lender to help establish the Maskey business.

He adds: 'It's very well structured and there's a lot of people working for Mr Lender.

'We slowed it down a bit during Covid to 50 per cent of where we were before as we want to make sure that people are still in employment before we lend. But this was good as some of the people from Mr Lender help with Maskey.'

Customers can also opt to purchase their Maskeys from stores that have no salespeople. Founder Adam Freeman hopes to sell other items like trainers, T-Shirts and milk in the future

Funding Maskey

Maskey is funded out of Adam's own savings and he has no ambitions to raise extra cash to fund the business further.

Any money made from selling masks is invested directly back into the business.

Everything is manufactured locally with Maskey employing as many people as it can who have lost jobs in the fashion and retail sector.

Adam says: 'One of my close friends worked at a fashion company and he joined us about two months ago.

'He had a contact in North London where machinists were sacked and he got about 55-60 machinists now making about 25,000 Maskeys a week.'

I would rather break even and employ as many people as possible Adam Freeman, founder, Maskey

Business longevity?

It's not clear how long masks will be compulsory for  even Prime Minister Boris Johnson would not be pushed to add a timeframe to it this week.

However, Adam expects the rules to last at least till Christmas.

He also knows from experience that masks are still a staple accessory in many parts of Asia as a result of the SARS outbreak in 2002.

To ensure that the business diversifies, he's willing to consider other products that can be sold and distributed through his vending machines and Vendamask stores.

He says: 'We could put anything in our machines. We may have to rebrand the name.

'We're the only ones where you can walk in and there's no salesperson in sight. But I think that's the future of shopping.

Maskey's vending machines are also stationed at shopping centres

'You can put bread, milk, trainers  anything into them. Nike on one row, T-Shirts, underpants  whatever you want. It's a retail opportunity.'

His advice to others considering a business venture during these volatile times is to 'just do it' and to differentiate yourself from others who are doing the same.

While he's supportive of people making masks from home, he questions whether all are capable in ensuring hygiene and best practice.

Adam says: 'For me it's just the thought someone who's making one in the house with no control - do they care or do they want the money?

'With my business I know that no one goes near the masks without a face mask and gloves on.'

Adam is also keen to drive the message about supporting local businesses. 'Even now I could import from China or Turkey which would cost 30p.

'I wouldn't need to hire between 60 to 70 people, which is really expensive. But it's not about being super profitable.

'I would rather break even and employ as many people as possible. Why import it? At least you can make some good out of all the bad.'
COLUMBUS, OhioCuyahoga County and two southwest Ohio counties have been taken off the states watch list for the highest coronavirus alert status, Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday.

However, all three of those counties, as well as 19 counties in total, are now on red-alert for coronavirus, meaning that about 60% of Ohio residents are now required to wear masks in indoor public places and when riding public transportation.

Speaking during a televised briefing, DeWine said that even though Cuyahoga County is no longer on the cusp of reaching purple status, the county is still at a critical stage, averaging 179 new cases per day  up 49 additional cases per day since June 23.

The reason Cuyahoga was downgraded was because hospital admissions have not been increasing at the rate they have in the past weeks, according to DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney. However, the governor said during his briefing that the county is very close to meeting the threshold for new hospital admissions -- one of the factors that determine each countys threat level.

Some new cases in Cuyahoga are being driven by out-of-town travel and recreational activities, the governor said. Its critical the residents of Cuyahoga County remain vigilant and do all they can to reduce their risk and exposure to the coronavirus, he said.

Butler and Hamilton counties were also removed from the purple watch list, though  like Cuyahoga  they remain on red alert. Only one red-level county was downgraded: Trumbull County, which fell to orange, the second-lowest of the four alert levels.

Eight other counties have been elevated to red-alert status for the first time: Allen, Athens, Delaware, Licking, Lucas, Richland, Scioto, and Union counties, DeWine said. Athens County is now the only Ohio county on the purple alert watch list, the governor said.

Outbreaks at bars in the college town of Athens have resulted in the Southeast Ohio county logging more coronavirus cases during the last two weeks than the rest of the pandemic combined, he said.

The governor has said there is community spread of COVID-19 in all of Ohios 88 counties. Each countys color designation is determined by monitoring seven different data indicators, including recent increases in community spread, doctors visits, hospitalizations, and ICU visits, among other factors.

Counties are designated red if they trigger 4-5 of those metrics; counties that have six or all seven of the factors are designated purple.

Besides the mask requirement for both red and purple counties, the DeWine administration largely leaves it up to individual Ohioans to determine for themselves what the difference is between red and purple levels. In red counties, residents are encouraged to consider necessary travel and limit attending gatherings of any number. In counties under the purple, or Level 4, counties, people are advised to limit themselves to necessary travel and only leave home for supplies and services.

During a statewide address on Wednesday, DeWine urged all Ohioans to take immediate action to slow the spread of the virus, including wearing masks while in public. But he also didnt announce any new health orders, saying that discussion is for another time.

Dr. Andrew Thomas, chief clinical officer at Ohio State University Medical Center, said during DeWines Thursday briefing that the color-coded system is meant to be an alert in the same way a weather forecast is.

This is not a grade. This is a warning system, he said.

DeWine

In this case, we can do something with this information.

"

Read more Ohio coronavirus stories:

Ohio Democrats turn on Gov. Mike DeWine for not imposing sterner coronavirus rules

Gov. Mike DeWine implores Ohioans to take immediate action to slow coronavirus, but gives no mandates

Ohio travelers must now quarantine when visiting New York, New Jersey, Connecticut due to coronavirus spike

Ohios new color-coded coronavirus alert system guidelines leave a lot of room for interpretation

Gov. Mike DeWine cancels Tuesday coronavirus briefing, the first scheduled since the state hit a record number of cases
Osman Kavala, imprisoned in Turkey for nearly three years without ever being convicted of a crime, is a philanthropist and businessman who supporters say has tirelessly used his wealth to help society. The 62-year-old marked 1,000 days behind bars on Monday, prompting a fresh round of support on social media under the hashtag #FreeOsmanKavala. Little-known to the public before his arrest, he has become a symbol of what critics say is a crackdown on civil society under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, especially in the wake of a failed coup in 2016. Initially, Kavala was accused of fomenting the so-called Gezi Park protests in 2013, but when he was acquitted on those charges in February, he was immediately re-arrested over claims he was involved in the coup. He is now accused of seeking to overthrow the constitutional order and espionage. "We've had 1,000 days stolen from our life," his wife, Ayse Bugra, said during an online press conference on Saturday. "My husband's mother is over the age of 90 and she doesn't know whether she will ever see her son again," she added. The US State Department on Monday urged Kavala's release, with spokesman Cale Brown calling for "a just, transparent and speedy resolution" of his case. Kavala was excluded from a prisoner release in April in which thousands walked free as a safety measure against the coronavirus outbreak. In a message in English from his cell in Silivri prison on the outskirts of Istanbul on Monday, Kavala criticised "unlawful practices in politically motivated cases. "Despite all this, and despite being one of the individuals to feel the burden of this deteriorating situation, I have not lost my hope," he said. - 'Never patronised'- Born in Paris in 1957, Kavala graduated from the University of Manchester after studying economics. He took over his father's business after his death in 1982. He has supported art and social projects, and is seen as a bridge-builder between communities in a country that is often fiercely divided. His friends describe him as humble but stubborn, polite but direct, bossy but never patronising. "I would rather describe him as a colleague than a boss. Osman bey has never patronised us," Asena Gunal, director general of Anatolian Culture, told AFP, using an honorific title to show her respect for him. Kavala is chairman of Anatolian Culture, or Anadolu Kultur in Turkish, which promotes human rights through art -- including with neighbouring Armenia, with which Turkey has no diplomatic ties. "He has never boasted of his wealth but has a humble personality who feels embarrassed of whatever he owns," said Gunal at the Depo arts centre in Istanbul's upscale Tophane district, a former tobacco depot that Kavala inherited and restored. - 'Unfair'- Umit Kivanc, an author whose friendship with Kavala dates back over 40 years, dismissed caricatures of him as a wealthy bourgeois man. "Rich, bourgeois, businessman? No, Osman is a stubborn leftist," said Kivanc. "He's a man who works for justice in the world... (But) Turkey is a land that chips away at everything that is good." The court in February ruled there was no evidence showing that Kavala financed the Gezi Park protests in 2013, which began over plans to urbanise a rare green space in the heart of Istanbul before spiralling into widespread anti-government demonstrations. He was the only one of nine defendants kept in jail throughout the trial. Shortly after his acquittal, Kavala faced two fresh arrest warrants including espionage charges, which he deemed as "more ridiculous than the previous" accusations. "He is the last person to support any coup attempt and it is truly appalling to see him targeted as he has been and made the pawn in some incomprehensible political game," said Emma Sinclair-Webb of Human Rights Watch. Burhan Sonmez, a member of PEN International, recalled one touching moment when Kavala asked him to tell foreign supporters not to attend one of his key hearings on December 24, saying they should spend Christmas Eve with their families and friends.
Belarusian 'Fighting Girlfriends' Gladly Bear Burden For Their Men In Presidential Election

By RFE/RL's Belarus Service July 26, 2020

Belarusian presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed supporters for the first time at a campaign rally on July 25, speaking in Orsha, where she was joined by two other women representing imprisoned candidates.

Nearly 3,000 people attended the rally, held just two weeks ahead of the presidential election, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported.

Veranika Tsapkala, the wife of former presidential candidate Valery Tsapkala, and Maria Kolesnikova, a representative of the staff of the imprisoned presidential nominee Viktar Babaryka, joined her on stage. The women referred to themselves as the "fighting girlfriends."

"We all have a common goal -- new fair elections," Tsikhanouskaya said, noting that she is not a politician and would like to return to her former ordinary and happy life.

Tsikhanouskaya admitted she never thought she would run for office but said she had to do it for her husband, vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, who was arrested after he expressed his intention to run for president.

She said her husband and the other candidates ended up in the pretrial detention center only because they dared to tell people the truth and their opinion, which differs from the opinion of the authorities.

The authorities were afraid of their husbands, she asserted, and did not expect that their women would take their place.

"We women have to bear their burden," Tsikhanouskaya said, "We women need to lead Belarus into a bright, new, wonderful future. We are not afraid together, and together we will win."

Analysts say the August 9 election poses the most serious challenge yet to incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has been in office since 1994.

Kolesnikova said Babaryka, former Belgazprombank chief, is imprisoned on a fabricated charge, and the regime is cracking down on dissidents who are fighting for freedom. She called on officials not to be afraid of the authorities, but to "get close" to the people.

Veranika Tsapkala, whose husband is a prominent businessman, told the rally that the country has lost 750,000 citizens, who left in search of a better life, in the last decade and a half.

"I want my children and my family to live in this country," she said. "We are Belarusians, and we want to raise our children in Belarus."

Tsikhanouskaya, who has been endorsed by Belarusian author and Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich, held a second rally on July 25 was in Bobruisk, and more events are scheduled to take place on July 26 in Zhlobin and Gomel.

Alexievich told RFE/RL that Lukashenka faces a "new generation" that wants fair elections and responsible governance.

"Lukashenka thought that he could deceive this silent society, that he could tell tales, scare them with fear. Nothing like that happened," Alexievich said in an interview on July 22.

Another candidate, Andrey Dzmitryeu, held campaign events in Zaslavl and Baranavichy on July 25.

Two other candidates, Hanna Konopatskaya and Syarhey Cherachan, have not announced any events in the near future.

Some of the people who attended the rally in Orsha said they will vote for Tsikhanouskaya because they want more employment opportunities at home.

"Children do not see their parents because they are in other countries on wages," a 31-year-old man told RFE/RL. "Whoever comes in place of the current president will be better off, because now we are rolling into the abyss."

A 35-year-old man who came to the rally with his family said the government was good 26 years ago but no longer meets the requirements of the time because "the people have changed."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ tsikhanouskaya-belarus-election- lukashenka/30747016.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.

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COLONIE  Life in Colonie is good, and you don't have to take my word for it.

A Siena College poll a few years back found that 91 percent of town residents considered it to be a great or good place to raise kids, which is as close to universal agreement as you'll find. Other answers in the poll also found widespread happiness with life in the region's biggest suburb.

Oh, but sometimes there are annoyances that intrude even on suburbia's comfort. One of them is panhandling.

You see panhandlers quite a bit these days around town, including at the Wolf Road exit from the Northway or at the entrance to the nearby Target shopping plaza along Central Avenue. The panhandlers stand there, usually quietly, holding signs that request money.

Do I like seeing them? No, I do not.

But I try to remember that whatever small amount of discomfort they cause me pales in comparison to the discomfort of standing outside in the heat or cold or rain asking for money. When I drive away, they're still standing there, inhaling exhaust.

But officials in Colonie say they're receiving an increase in panhandling complaints from an annoyed citizenry, so they're proposing the solution favored by officialdom everywhere: A new law!

This particular new law targets "aggressive and unsafe panhandling" and supposedly is being proposed "to promote tourism and business and preserve the suburban quality of life"  as if any of that stuff were actually being threatened by the presence of a few poor souls asking for money.

Here's where I'll suggest that proposed law is mostly about some residents/snowflakes not wanting to see scruffy-looking dudes on the way to Whole Foods.

Gross! Can't we confine poor people and other unpleasantness things to cities? They're intruding on our suburban quality of life!

The law faces a huge hurdle, as do other laws against panhandling. Turns out that rulings from the freedom-loving nuts on the Supreme Court have been interpreted to say that asking for money is constitutionally protected free speech.

If the First Amendment means a town can't ban a person from standing on the side of the road with a "Black Lives Matter" or "Abortion is Murder" sign, then it can't ban someone from holding a sign that says "I Would Like Some of Your Money Right Now Please." Free speech is free speech, you see, no matter the content.

Town attorney Michael Maggiulli says he crafted the law with the freedom-loving nuts on the Supreme Court in mind (I'm paraphrasing), which is why the law doesn't target the act of asking for money but behavior that might follow.

"We're not trying to regulate the speech," Maggiulli told me. "We're trying to regulate the conduct."

Under the ordinance, aggressive and unsafe panhandling includes such things as touching, threatening, following somebody, or blocking their passage. And certainly, those are behaviors society should discourage  which is why we ALREADY HAVE LAWS forbidding such things, including ordinances that target harassment.

So is the new panhandling law necessary? I don't think it is.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The proposed ordinance, which is set for an Aug. 13 public hearing, also claims to be about the safe flow of traffic. It declares that "no person on a sidewalk or alongside a roadway shall solicit from any occupant of a motor vehicle."

But even there, there are constitutional questions. In fact, a federal judge in Arkansas in April ruled that a municipality could not ban panhandlers from physically interacting with cars. Such laws have free-speech implications, Judge Robert Dawson wrote, because interacting with people is a form of expression.

Besides, it isn't as though Colonie is a town of crowded sidewalks. It's built for cars, so if the town forbids panhandling directed at motorists, it is essentially banning panhandling altogether.

Sorry riffraff, but it's back to the city you go! Go bother some pedestrians!

Maggiulli stressed that the ordinance is a work in progress, and said the portion of the law forbidding soliciting toward vehicles could be dropped or changed. He also described the proposal as a good-faith attempt at addressing what some believe to be a serious problem in town.

"Our residents have rights, too," he said.

Indeed, they do. To be clear, nobody should feel threatened or harassed as they walk across a parking lot or pull up to an ATM. To the extent those things are happening, they can and should be addressed with existing laws against trespassing, harassment or disorderly conduct.

But Colonie residents don't have the right to be protected from poverty, homelessness or other unpleasant things. They don't have the right to be shielded from signs that ask for money or disheveled men standing with their hands out.

Life in Colonie is good. But the town isn't an island.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
Days after officials had scolded residents for excessive gatherings amid the coronavirus surge, Lake Merritt in Oakland was mostly quiet on Sunday afternoon, with police patrols dramatically increased.

Some people said safety messages were finally getting through on the heels of Alameda County passing 10,000 coronavirus cases this week, while others predicted that the unmasked partying will return as soon as the police presence dissipates.

The later it gets, the crazier it gets, said Joe DeVries, the assistant to Oaklands City Administrator. Long-term, we want to create a system that allows (people to sell food and drink) in a more streamlined way, where its spread out and doesnt have giant sound systems blaring. Well get there, but in the meantime, we need people to just stop. Otherwise, were all going to get sent home again.

City and county officials and public health experts warned Friday that Oakland accounted for 40% of the countys snowballing number of coronavirus cases. They cited unmasked and unregulated weekend gatherings at Lake Merritt as one of the possible causes.

On Sunday, law enforcement sport utility vehicles and horse-mounted police were visible on nearly every corner from The Pergola at the lakes northeast tip to the Lake Merritt Amphitheater to the south.

Although city officials outlawed un-permitted vendors and weekend parking at parks in May, they had not previously enforced the ban.

The area is also close to the swath of downtown Oakland that saw vandalism and window-smashing Saturday night following a large march against racial injustice and the tactics of federal officers deployed in Portland, Ore.

The 140-acre, man-made lagoon, which dates back to the 19th century and is the countrys first wildlife refuge, has become a weekend hot spot for parties and dozens of sellers of alcohol, cannabis, food and merchandise.

On Sunday, while some people were seen setting up for the possibility of evening parties at Cleveland Cascade, much of Lakeshore Avenue was coned off and some adjacent neighborhoods were completely blocked off to traffic.

Working south, more geese and seagulls than people were enjoying the grass at Pine Knoll Park and Athol Plaza. The area just east of the amphitheater, usually a haven for food and drink sellers, had only broken glass and empty beer case remnants as police monitored the area.

They used to have a bunch of street vendors right here. There was like a whole community going on, said Eric Barron, a 25-year-old chef from Walnut Creek. Everyone was just hanging out like a big family. It was just people hanging out, selling food and dancing. Now, its dead.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

DeVries said 60-plus vendors Friday had been reduced to 32 on Saturday as environmental enforcement officers and fire and police authorities swelled.

Much of the increased patrol is handing out masks, according to authorities. They say warnings are being issued, and people are being informed of increasing fines, from $250 for a first offense to $1,000 for third-time offenders.

The Oakland Police Department and city departments continue to work together to reduce the impact to the lake area, the Oakland Police said in a statement. It is important we work with neighborhood groups to improve the quality of life concerns. Our efforts are to educate and inform regarding COVID-19 and how we can all reduce the spread while social distancing.

Paul Wright used to train his workout group using the Cleveland Cascade, a 250-foot ornamental stairway near the northeast tip of Lake Merritt. On Sunday, he moved his boot camp to a quieter area just off the Lakeshore Avenue and East 18th Street intersection.

They might bring federal enforcement to Oakland, too, if this is considered a hot spot for coronavirus, and people are out here kicking it every weekend, said Wright, who had trouble sleeping for most of June because of the helicopters, police activity and fireworks near his Broadway home. Im trying to be conscious of the coronavirus, but I dont want that to scare me away from taking advantage of a changing world. I like that the world is changing, but I want people to be safe, too.

Rusty Simmons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rsimmons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Rusty_SFChron
Britain should use the economic upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic to make broad sweeping changes to the way the nation works, a new report suggests today.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said the UK was nearing a 'pivotal moment', when new working practices could be adopted across the economy, amid pressure from employees for a new way of working.

Many people have adapted to working from home, while even workers in industries like manufacturing are keen on more flexible working hours, even if it means being paid less, it said in a report.

However it comes amid fears that a reluctance to return to working in city and town centre offices is having a detrimental knock-on effect on service and hospitality industries.

Boris Johnson eased the lockdown with the aim of getting the UK economy up and running in August. But many businesses appear to be keeping staff at home, with deserted public transport and buildings.

The report made a number of recommendations, including a new bank holiday, in recognition of the contribution of key workers through the pandemic, as the first step in a longer-term plan to increase bank holiday and more flexible annual leave entitlements.

It noted: 'There is a risk that high unemployment will further embed a culture of insecure work and low pay in the UK labour market.

'But the experience of the pandemic may also hold lessons for how work could be arranged more effectively in future, with greater agency in the workplace, and with more time for the important parts of our lives outside of paid labour.'

Rachel Statham, IPPR senior research fellow, said: 'The way people work was already changing before Covid-19, but the past few months have shown how far and how fast innovation is possible - fewer hours, more flexible shifts, more flexibility all round.

Nearly one in three manufacturing workers said they would be willing to work fewer hours even if that meant less pay

It comes amid fears that a reluctance to return to working in city and town centre offices is having a detrimental knock-on effect on service, retail and hospitality industries

'It's not just people in professional and white-collar jobs working from home. Factories and engineering companies across the UK have also been operating differently, in ways that suit their workforce and have been designed with them.

'Even as we continue to support the economy to recover from the pandemic crisis, we need to capture those improvements and learn how to be more responsive to the changing needs of the UK's workforce, including in manufacturing industries, for the long term.'

Even before the virus struck, one in five manufacturing workers had some form of flexible arrangement, the IPPR said.

Now, as many as two in five workers in manufacturing industries said they would rather work fewer hours, a survey of over 1,100 adults suggested.

Nearly one in three manufacturing workers said they would be willing to work fewer hours even if that meant less pay.

The report said much of the innovation in working practices made necessary by Covid-19 - including, in manufacturing, more flexible shifts at different times of day, or staff working longer but fewer shifts to spread work between them over different days - have been helpful to workers, while maintaining production.
Abu Dhabi government has announced the disbursement of housing loans worth Dh2.78 billion ($757 million) to 1,976 citizens in the emirate, exempting retired low-income citizens from paying back the loans, as a special gesture on the occasion of Eid Al Adha.

HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi has ordered the disbursement of housing loans worth AED2.78 billion ($757 million) to 1,976 citizens in the emirate, exempting retired low-income citizens from paying back the loans.

This comes following the directives from President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan as a special gesture on the occasion of Eid Al Adha, reported state news agency Wam.

Under this arrangement, the second batch of housing loans for 1,500 citizens has been approved along with the loan payment exemption for 476 retired low-income citizens.

This gesture reflects the keenness of the UAEs leadership to maintain social stability and ensure decent living standards for citizens, as well as reinforce their role in the countrys development process, stated the report.

The royal directive also demonstrates the keenness of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to promote the Abu Dhabi government accelerator programme, Ghadan 21, and double housing loans for UAE citizens, it added.
Prime Minister Whitlam writes to SPA

Earlier this year [1975] a number of foreign policy points were placed before the Executive of the Central Committee Socialist Party of Australia (now the Communist Party of Australia  Ed.) in a report by National President P Clancy. After discussion of the draft points, it was decided to send the final document to all Federal Labor Party Members of Parliament. A copy of the letter was sent to Prime Minister EG Whitlam.

Because of the historical and political importance of the exchange we publish both letters in full on this page ...

Gough Whitlam.

Dear Mr Symon,

I refer to your letter of 12 May 1975, concerning Australias foreign policy. I have given close attention to your Partys policy proposals and you may be, interested in my comments below on each of them.

1. Detente

The Australian government welcomes and is firmly committed to the concept of detente and actively seeks to encourage the Great Powers to work to achieve this. It would, however, be short-sighted to base foreign policy on one single tenet. Foreign policy must embrace a number of ideals, expectations and hopes, including of course, support for detente.

The government is also firmly committed to the objective of a reduction of armaments, both conventional and nuclear, and has sought to promote this in a number of ways. It has welcomed the talks on the limitation of strategic armaments between the United States and the Soviet Union, and has impressed upon, the, two superpowers the need to strive for more rapid progress towards nuclear disarmament.

2. World Disarmament Conference

The Australian government supports in principle the concept of a World Disarmament Conference. As you are no doubt aware, in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 3183 (XXVIII), which was supported by Australia, a preparatory committee has been established to consider the question. So far the work of this committee has been rather disappointing, particularly as two of the nuclear powers have declined to participate.

In view of the protracted debates and discussions on disarmament which have gone on in various bodies of the United Nations over the years, it is essential that a great deal of preliminary work be done before a World Disarmament Conference is held. The active participation of all the nuclear powers in such a conference is also an essential prerequisite to its success.

On the question of the withdrawal of military bases from Australian soil as part of the disarmament program, I have stated the governments position a number of times. On April 3 1974, in answer to a question in the House of Representatives, I said:

The Australian government takes the attitude that there should not be foreign military bases, stations, installations in Australia. We honour agreements covering existing stations. We do not favour the extension or prolongation of any of those existing ones.

3. Aid to Indo-China

The Australian government has pledged itself to give generous aid to Indo-China, and is in the process of consultations which would enable it to draw up a program. In the financial year 1974-75, as an initial response to immediate needs, government aid to international organisations for humanitarian aid in Indo-China totalled $3,400,000.

4. Nuclear Free

Peace Zones In my address to the United Nations General Assembly last year I expressed the governments view that the concept of nuclear-free zones was one that deserved the most serious exploration. As you will be aware, Australia has supported the concept of a Zone of Peace in the Indian Ocean as a long-term objective, and is an active participant in the 18-nation United Nations ad hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean. At the recent meeting of the South Pacific Forum, Australia joined its South Pacific neighbours in commending the idea of establishing a nuclear-free zone in the South Pacific.

So that all concerned may have a greater understanding of the problems associated with such zones, and to see how they might effectively supplement efforts to stem the proliferation of nuclear weapons, a 21-nation study group, of which Australia is a member, has been established under the auspices of the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament (CCD) to examine the concept of nuclear-free zones in all its aspects. This groups deliberations will be relevant to the further consideration of nuclear-free zone proposals for the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific.

5. SEATO and ANZUS

The present government has always been conscious of the deficiencies of the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (now disbanded ... Ed.), and soon after coming to office played a leading part in having its structure modified. The government is continuing to examine the need for further changes. On the other hand, it is not contemplating withdrawal from the ANZUS Treaty.

The government is naturally prepared at any time to examine any proposal for any form of international co-operation between countries in the Asian region which might serve a practical purpose in promoting peace and progress in the region. The government has itself taken initiatives designed to assist fulfilling this purpose.

6. Socialist Countries and Third World

The government believes in the universality of international relationships, regardless of ideological differences, and has actively pursued this course by, for example, establishing diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic of China, the German Democratic Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam. It was also among the first countries to recognise the new government in Cambodia.

The government is already actively pursuing a course of developing and expanding links in the political, trade, scientific and cultural fields with all countries. For example, during my visit to the Soviet Union in January this year, the first by an Australian Prime Minister, I signed two new agreements, one on Science and Technology, and one on Cultural Exchanges. I also discussed with President Tito and Prime Minister Bijedic of Yugoslavia, and Mrs Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, Australias interest in the Third World, and expressed the governments desire to attend future meetings of the nonaligned group of countries, either as a guest or as an observer.

7. The Middle East

The Australian government supports all peaceful moves, whether through a reconvened Geneva Conference, further bilateral negotiations, or other avenues, to bring about the earliest possible solution to the Middle East dispute. It supports implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 242 of 1967 which, among other things, calls for an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories. It also supports the realisation of the national rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people, including their right to establish a State alongside Israel if they so choose.

8. European Security Conference

The Australian government welcomes detente and any moves such as the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE), which support international negotiation, conciliation, co-operation and peaceful development.

9. Nuclear Non-Proliferation

Australia has taken and continues to take a strong stand against the testing of nuclear weapons in all environments, and in this regard you will recall the action that the government took against the government of France in the International Court of Justice over the atmospheric testing of nuclear devices. At the 28th and 29th session of the United Nations General Assembly the Australian delegations played an active role in drafting resolutions condemning nuclear weapons testing and stressing the dangers associated with the proliferation of all nuclear explosive devices. The government has firmly and consistently supported the achievement of a comprehensive test ban.

One of the first acts of the present government on coming to power was to ratify the Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This is the most important international instrument in existence to control nuclear proliferation and the government believes that support for the principles of the Treaty should be the cornerstone of all international endeavour towards this objective.

Australias contribution to the successful outcome of the recent NPT Review Conference was recognised by all depositary powers and other participants as significant, responsible and constructive.

Yours sincerely, EG Whitlam

THE SPA LETTER

Peter Symon.

Dear Sir,

Recognising that the end of the war in Indochina was a defeat for the policy of foreign intervention and that this development is the occasion for a substantial review of Australias foreign policy, I wish to submit the following views to yourself and your Parliamentary colleagues.

We believe Australias foreign policy should be based on a declaration that our country will seek a peaceful world and will respect the right of all people to political and economic freedom and independence.

In practical terms we propose the following policies be adopted:

1. A declaration that detente is the basis of Australias foreign policy and that Australias representatives will promote this policy in all ways possible, seeking to consolidate it and extend it to military disarmament.

2. That the Australian government renew support for a world disarmament conference which will provide for withdrawal of all military bases from Australian soil as part of a disarmament program.

3. Development of a full program of aid to assist in the rebuilding of Indochina with immediate provision of food, medical supplies, clothing and building materials.

4. Australia to initiate proposals for, and agreement between, all nations of the Pacific-Indian Ocean area to make the whole area a nuclear-free peace zone.

5. Withdrawal from the SEATO and ANZUS Pacts (SEATO has been disbanded since the letter was sent ... Ed.) and their replacement by non-aggression or collective security pacts between all countries (excluding none) in the Asian region.

6. The further extension of contacts (political, trade, cultural) with the socialist nations and the countries of the Third World.

7. The Australian government to make a call for the early reconvening of the Geneva Conference on the Middle East and that a settlement be sought on the basis of the full implementation of the UNO decisions of 1967 and 1973 which call for an Israeli withdrawal from all lands occupied in the 1967 war, respect for the right to existence of all States in the Middle East and restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people.

8. A declaration of support for a meeting of the Heads of State of Europe to conclude the proposed European Collective Security Conference (since concluded ... Ed.).

9. A call for all nations to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, ban all nuclear weapons and destroy all existing nuclear weapons stocks.

We believe that the adoption of these policies would open a new era of peace and progress for Australia, whereas, a policy based upon the preparation of a new war of intervention in Asia can only fail and lead to even greater disaster for all the peoples in our region.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Symon General Secretary,

Socialist Party of Australia

SPA Executive to discuss PMs reply

An SPA letter formally acknowledging Mr Whitlams letter commenting on SPA foreign policy points has been forwarded to the Prime Minister. His letter will be discussed by the SPA Executive at its forthcoming meeting. The SPA also expressed support for the Federal Labor Government in its current battle against reactionary attempts to gain power.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh is seeking a delay on evictions and debt collection actions until Jan. 31, providing additional time for the General Assembly to enact emergency legislation to help residents struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Frosh, a Democrat, sent a letter on behalf of the Covid-19 Access to Justice Task Force to Court of Special Appeals Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barber and District Court Chief Judge John Morrissey asking them to extend a moratorium that ended on July 25.

"If eviction and debt collection proceedings are allowed to move forward, many Maryland families will be forced out of their homes, with no place to go and no income to obtain new housing," Frosh said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Barber and Morrissey confirmed Monday that they had received the letter but declined to comment further.

Adam Skolnik, executive director of the Maryland Multi-Housing Association, called the request "fundamentally unfair" to landlords, who also have suffered during the pandemic.

"We disagree . . . to a forever, ongoing moratorium," said Skolnick, whose group represents 115 companies that own 215,000 rental units statewide.

He said the association would like to see more rental assistance for tenants so landlords can still get paid: "I don't see anyone clamoring to let people go into Giant and Harris Teeter [grocery stores] and get food and not have to pay for it."

Federal and state eviction moratoriums put in place at the start of the pandemic are starting to expire, along with enhanced unemployment benefits, though Congress and the White House are debating how to extend those payments.

The letter from the Maryland task force is at least the third request made in the state in the past month to extend the court's moratorium - which exists alongside a separate moratorium ordered by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan that will last as long as the existing coronavirus state of emergency.

Concerned about how remote eviction hearings could impact due process for renters, a group of advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Maryland Legal Aid and the Public Justice Center, sent a joint letter to the courts asking for a moratorium extension. The two chairs of the housing committees of the state legislature made a similar request.

A report from the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank, estimates that about 20 million renters across the country and about 330,000 in Maryland are at risk of eviction. African American and Hispanic residents are expected to be hit hardest.

Under the federal moratorium, evictions proceedings were halted between March 27 and July 25 from "covered properties," which included public housing, federally subsidized housing and residential property subject to a federally-backed mortgage. Landlords were barred from charging late fees and penalties. Because the moratorium requires a 30-day notice of evictions, tenants wouldn't start being evicted until Aug. 25.

The Maryland moratoriums were not limited to federally-backed properties, a spokeswoman for Frosh said. But the governor's eviction moratorium applies only to tenants directly impacted by the coronavirus.

The court moratorium lifted July 25 for launching some kinds of evictions, but others cannot be launched until Aug. 31. No one who can prove that they are directly impacted by the coronavirus can be forced to leave until the governor's moratorium is lifted.
The 200-euro ($23) fixed fine will reduce to 150 euros if paid within 15 days.

The roll-out of fines follows tests in cities such as Rennes and Marseilles, the BBC reported.

Paris, July 26 (IANS) French authorities will introduce on-the-spot fines nationwide for drug users, particularly targeting cannabis, from September, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced.

Castex made the announcement on Saturday while on a trip to Nice, which has seen weeks of drugs-related violence, including in its Moulins district, where shots were fired in broad daylight outside a supermarket this week.

He said the system would come in at the start of the beginning of the school year after the summer break.

A part of Castex's plans to strengthen security, the Prime Minister said he wanted to "put an end to the violence of everyday life" .

He said the drugs measure would simplify police procedures by "inflicting punishment without delay".

France, one of the leading consumers of cannabis in Europe, already have laws that allow for up to a year in prison and fines of up to 3,750 euros for the use of illicit drugs, without specifically distinguishing drug types, the BBC report said.

But the laws, dating back to 1970, seldom lead to prison sentences, with magistrates preferring alternative punishments, often warnings.

Although there is the reduction for early fine payment in the new system, if an offender fails to pay up in time it increases to 450 euros.

--IANS

ksk/
The Covid-19 pandemic, which is spreading across the globe, having originated from Chinas Wuhan has left diamond traders and buyers at sixes and sevens.

Traditional diamond tenders were cancelled around March as governments imposed travel restrictions in a bid to curb the spreading of the novel coronavirus.

Global rough sales were down some 80-90% in value in the second quarter compared to the previous year, according to Paul Zimnisky, an independent diamond industry analyst and consultant.

He told Rough & Polisheds Mathew Nyaungwa in an exclusive interview that the biggest impact on the rough market is an acceleration of a multiyear production decline forecast.

Zimnisky said his 2020 global production forecast is now almost 20% lower than it was prior to the pandemic, which would be the lowest output since the late-1990s.

His global natural rough diamond production forecast for the year was 139 million carats.

Kimberley Process data shows that the global rough output stood at 130,3 million carats in 2019, although Zimnisky had projected an output of 141 million carats for the year.

NB: Zimnisky publishes a monthly subscription-based industry report called "State of the Diamond Market" (http://www.paulzimnisky.com/products). The next edition will be out the first week of August.

Below are excerpts from the interview:

What is the current state of the rough diamond market?

The rough diamond trade continues to resume with a handful of producers hosting sales in recent weeks for the first time since the lockdown. That said, given the global nature of the trade, international travel restrictions continue to significantly impede business-to-business diamond commerce. For context, I am estimating that global rough sales were down some 80-90% in value in Q2 compared to a year ago.

What measures have been put in place by diamond companies to sell their rough as covid-19 continues to wreak havoc?

I think travel restrictions are the biggest challenge for the rough trade at the moment, with boarder closures and strict quarantine requirements still in place in most of the primary jurisdictions where rough sales are held. To work around this, some of the major producers have sent goods to the buyers local trading hubs for viewing, which I believe is an unprecedented measure. Some of the majors have also provided buyers with the option to view and buy good digitally via portals which include high definition images of the stones along with in depth descriptions of the stones characteristics. Another approach, which some of independent producers have taken, is to sell goods to private parties via direct sale, versus the traditional route of selling via tender. While these workarounds have helped, rough sales are still down significantly in recent months. For trading to resume at more normal levels I think we will need to see borders reopen, which will likely happen once an approved vaccine finally becomes wide available or herd immunity is reached.

Why are diamond juniors registering better rough tenders compared to majors such as De Beers and ALROSA?

The independent producers that have sold during the lockdown most likely did so out of necessity to generate cash flow. These sellers have been at the mercy of a very illiquid market and have seen prices at significant discounts to early-2020 levels. The majors, which may not be under pressure to force sales in this market have been pretty firm with prices and have consequently seen very limited value of goods sold. Those fortunate enough to be in a position where they can hold off selling their inventory until conditions improve will help support prices to the benefit of the market as a whole in the medium and longer-term I think.

What is the long term impact of covid-19 on both the rough and polished diamond markets?

I think the biggest impact on the rough market is an acceleration of a multiyear production decline forecast. For instance, my 2020 global production forecast is now almost 20% lower than it was prior to the pandemic, which would be the lowest output since the late-1990s. I think, the implications of production curtailments and suspensions this year will be felt for years to come as I think we will see some permanent mine closures and modifications to producers longer-term strategies. Regarding polished, I think the lockdown accelerated the transition to more diamonds being sold to consumers via ecommerce and other digital means. Some of the largest luxury conglomerates in the world with exposure to diamonds and jewelry are now selling upwards of 20% of their merchandise online, which was unthinkable just a few years ago. Its pleasantly surprising how many retailers have shown to be quite nimble in transitioning to digital sales during the lockdown.

What has been the appetite for diamonds in the United States and China during this time of a global pandemic?

With China the first market to reopen it provided the first indication of what consumer pent-up demand looked like after two to three months of being locked-in, and it didnt disappoint. Multiple major jewelers saw really encouraging sales figures starting in April and May. For example, Tiffany said May sales in Mainland China were up almost 100% year-over-year. My expectation is that sales in the rest of the world post-reopen wont be as strong as seen in China, but anecdotes in recent weeks point to consumers still buying diamond jewelry, sometimes at rates that have exceeded expectations. Looking forward, this will be an especially important holiday season for the industry.

How is the synthetic diamond industry faring this era of covid-19?

I think man-made diamond demand has taken a hit with the global swath of retail store closures globally, as have natural diamonds and most all other luxury items for that matter. My understanding was that the consumer response to man-made diamonds was mixed in the most recent holiday season. Relatively speaking, this is still a very new product category so it will take some time to fully determine how it is received by consumers. That said, there is certainly initial consumer interest for the product but I am not sure how much of that is a result of it being a fad. Longer-term, it is my prediction that man-made diamonds will ultimately settle in as a unique product class from natural diamonds, with the most prominent characteristic being a much lower price point than natural diamonds. I think the most compelling application of man-made diamond will be for use in high-tech application, which I think has very exciting market potential.

What are the chances of lab-grown diamonds eroding the market share of natural diamonds during this pandemic and beyond?

It is certainly a possibility that man-made diamonds take a large share of the market, but for that to happen I think the man-made diamond industry would really have to be successful with marketing its product and the natural diamond industry would have to drop the ball in that area. I think without a doubt marketing is really the key here, for both man-made and natural. The coming year should be an important one for this space as De Beers man-made diamond jewelry line Lightbox is expanding its footprint with the opening of a new manufacturing facility that will increase the companys supply by ten-fold. The Lightbox price point is very competitive and I think widely available man-made diamonds at a much lower price point will really change the way consumers see this product.

We recently saw the Diamond Producers Association rebranding to Natural Diamond Council. Was this a recognition of the threat posed by lab-grown diamonds?

In part for sure. I think part of the natural diamond marketing strategy is to distinguish its product from man-made diamonds, other gems and other luxury items as a whole. I think the key to all of this is getting to a point where natural diamonds come with a source of origin verification at the point of consumer sale. By doing this the consumer knows that the diamond is in fact a real natural diamond and they know it is not a conflict diamond. In addition, knowing the provenance of a diamond increases the emotional appeal in that it makes the diamond more interesting, it enhances its story. Especially when buying say a higher-end diamond, like an engagement ring diamond, that can cost thousands of dollars, I think consumers want that detail, they want that information. In addition, this gets a consumer thinking about the relative rarity of the diamond: the long and difficult exploration process, the complex production process, the idea that it came from a very remote part of the world if it is a Canadian Arctic diamond or Russian Siberian diamond or Namibian South Atlantic diamond, but also if the diamond financially supported social programs like public healthcare and education in Botswana.

Zimbabwe recently said that it is planning to sell a stockpile of more than 1 million carats. Is this the right time to conduct diamond tenders?

They have been talking about selling this inventory for a few years now. I think they have been waiting for an opportune time to sell these goods and have recently indicated that they have been presented with buyer interest. My guess is that this will be sold in multiple lots over the next year or so and will not likely have a significant impact on global supplies.

The country said it is expecting to realise up to $100 million from a stockpile of 1 million carats. Is this wishful thinking given that it last year produced 2.1 million carats valued at $141.4 million or $ 67.09 per carat?

That figure is possibly attainable if the quality of goods justifies it, however, it is very difficult to analyze this without seeing the goods.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough & Polished
Amy Dong launched a 30-day Indiegogo campaign on July 19 for preorders of her book with an initial fundraising goal of $5,000 and a reach goal of $8,000.

Within 24 hours the 21-year-old Bellaire native and graduate of St. Johns School had eclipsed even her reach goal for her collection of personal essays, Twenty-One Years Young.

Hometown star encourages reading: Texans Deshaun Watson launches Ashley HomeStore summer reading program challenge

Twenty-One Years Young is a collection of personal essays that examine the uncertainty, unpredictability, and beauty of growing up. This essay collection explores such subjects such as recovering from a near-death experience, debating politics at the dinner table, the value of rejection, and the significance of traveling alone, reads the description on the campaign page. With honest, intimate, and vividly descriptive prose, twenty-one-year-young Amy Dong articulates how even the most unexpected moments of life can be meaningful because they are our own.

She has taken a non-traditional route to publishing her book because she wanted to retain the creative rights to the book after it was published, but that route requires her to pay for her own publishing costs.

Dong had been wanting to become an author for a while. She has a popular blog and has always been writing in journals and has a particular taste for personal essays.

She said that sharing so many personal details so publicly was not that big of a struggle for her, as she has considers herself having been a pretty open person for the past couple years.

She does not shy away from her struggles.

Ive been really cognizant of what I value in my life, and also was very scared to share anything about that experience when it happened, Dong said of one particular challenge she went through, which she discusses in the book. But I found out that the only way for me to really cope with it was writing, and I realized after sharing it on my blog that so many other people were struggling with the same issues, and almost from there it became a personal therapeutic device but also a means to connect to people who may be feeling the same thing. I think thats what all writers tend to do, is just write about their feelings and hope that someone else clicks with them.

Dong cried after seeing the amount of support that her campaign had raised in only its first day.

She keeps in touch with a lot of her former teachers, many of whom she counts among her best friends and with whom she frequently texts, and they all shared their excitement and their willingness to help edit the book.

She attributes the books success with preorders partially to her openness and vulnerability, particularly on her blog as well as the commonality of many of the themes which she explores.

My audience is exactly the people that I have grown up with. Its young adults who are just now learning what the real world is like, Dong said. Were all sort of struggling to figure out our purpose and the kind of people that we are and the kind of people that we want to be. Thankfully, I happen to have a great audience; its just anyone like me, sort of curious about where their life will be heading.

Trying to survive: Houston independent bookstores embrace Bookshop.org

As far as where her life may be heading, Dong, the valedictorian from the New York University class of 2020 and a Fulbright Scholar, plans to head to a rural province in Taiwan in January to teach English to middle schoolers.

She has no future project in the works, per se, but acknowledged one is likely to come from that experience (if the conditions of the pandemic allow it to happen)

I am definitely going to be armed with a journal and pen and paper in hand because I would not be surprised by an upcoming book of a few more essays about what its like being a Fulbright Scholar or what its like connecting with my Asian heritage.

After surpassing her reach goal for preorders within 24 hours of launching her campaign, Dong decided to donate half the money from all future pre-orders of Twenty-One Years Young to charity.

After extensive research, she settled on the Houston Food Bank and the United Way of Greater Houston as the charities that she would be giving that money to.

She has seen how Houston has been one of the hardest hit areas in the country by the COVID-19 pandemic and she chose those two organizations because she thinks they are serving some of the most vulnerable people and communities.

She recognizes her privilege of being able to sit at home and write and not worry about being able to put food on the table and sees this move as a way to pay her good fortune forward.

The Indiegogo campaign runs through Aug. 17, and Dong is hoping that the preorders continue to come in so that she can help more people.

After that, she is looking to appear on podcasts and has begun speaking to local bookstores about getting space when her book comes out in December.

Twenty-One Years Young is a nonfiction book that particularly speaks to young adults in their teens and 20s who are just beginning their search for a purpose, a good life, and a career, as well as parents who are looking for a reminder of what growing up truly entails, the description on the campaign website concludes.

As of the morning of July 24, the campaign had raised over $10,200 from 240 backers.

Check out Amy Dongs Indiegogo campaing for Twenty-One Years Young at www.indiegogo.com/projects/twenty-one-years-young-by-amy-dong#.

elliott.lapin@hearst.com
OnePlus Nord pop-up sale starts in India on July 27. The company is hosting a special pop-up sale for customers who wish to have early access to its latest mid-ranger, OnePlus Nord.

Users who had registered for the pop-up sale will receive the OnePlus Nord invite code. The Nord pop-up sale website states that OnePlus will begin sending out invite codes starting July 27 between 9 am and 10 am. The code must be used on the same day as you receive it.

OnePlus will be hosting the first two rounds for its Red Cable customers starting July 27. Regular customers can try and get the OnePlus Nord on July 29 and July 30 after having received the invite.

First 100 participants are guaranteed to receive an invitation code. Others can sign up for the newsletter to get notified if they have won the invitation code. The company has also said that those who miss out on getting the invite code will get something special from OnePlus.

The first OnePlus Nord pop-up sale date is scheduled to be July 27, whereas the second sale is on July 28. As mentioned earlier, the first two sales are exclusive to Red Cable members. The last two sales on July 29 and July 30 are for regular customers who have the invite code.

Customers who get the Nord at the pop-up sale will get a special OnePlus Nord box with a Nord Creator Case and a Nord Brave Bottle or Nord Determined Tote Bag. OnePlus has further confirmed that it would offer something to everyone who registers for the OnePlus Nord pop-up sale.

Users who cannot get access to the invite code can purchase the Nord starting August 4 on Amazon India and OnePlus India website.
The Pakistani government on Monday presented in Parliament an ordinance for approval to allow former Indian Navy commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is facing a death penalty for alleged espionage, to file a review petition against his sentence.

The opposition opposed the International Court of Justice (Review and Reconsideration) Ordinance when Prime Minister Imran Khans adviser Babar Awan presented it. The government defended it insisting that they were bound by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in July 2019 that ordered Pakistan to provide consular access to Jadhav and review his death sentence.

The Opposition likened the proposed legislation to the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf issued NRO in 2007 to granted amnesty to politicians, and bureaucrats facing cases. The countrys Supreme Court declared NRO unconstitutional in 2009.

India on Thursday accused Pakistan of blocking all avenues for an effective review of the case and said it reserved its rights to avail of further remedies.

The Pakistan government a day earlier petitioned the Islamabad high court to appoint a lawyer to represent Jadhav for filing the review petition against his death sentence. According to the petition, Jadhav has refused to file the petition. Jadhav cannot appoint a lawyer in Pakistan without Indias assistance, while New Delhi is also reluctant to avail the facility under the ordinance, the petition said.

The government, in the petition, has asked the court to appoint a legal representative for Jadhav so that Pakistan can fulfil its responsibility to see to the implementation of the ICJs decision.

India has said Pakistan has not provided documents related to the case and violated ICJs order.

The Pakistani government promulgated the ordinance on May 20 to give foreign citizens convicted in the country the right to file review petitions in courts. The ordinance was aimed at complying with ICJs order for effective review and reconsideration of Jadhavs conviction and sentencing by a Pakistani military court.

In the absence of unhindered consular access to Jadhav and the documents, the Indian side tried, as a last resort, to file a review petition in Islamabad high court on July 18.

Indian officials had walked out of a meeting with Jadhav on July 16 after Pakistan breached assurances about providing unimpeded consular access.

Jadhav, 50, was arrested by Pakistani security agencies in Balochistan in March 2016 and charged with involvement in spying. In April 2017, Pakistan announced he had been sentenced to death by a military court.

The ICJ ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan had violated Jadhavs rights under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and stayed his execution while calling for an effective review and reconsideration of his sentence.

India has rejected the allegations against Jadhav and said he was kidnapped by Pakistani operatives from the Iranian port of Chabahar, where he was running a business.
New Delhi, July 27 : External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday flagged off 10 broad guage diesel locomotives to Bangladesh Railways under its "neighbourhood first" policy.

These 10 diesel locomotives were handed over from Gede station of Sealdah Division of Indian Railways to Darshana station of Bangladesh Railways.

After flagging off the locomotives virtually from Delhi, Goyal said, "These locomotives will be useful in handling the on-going freight train operations between India and Bangladesh." The event was also attended by Bangladesh's Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen, Railway Minister Mohammed Nurul Islam Sujon via video conferencing.

Goyal said that to ensure the usability of these locomotives in Bangladesh, they have been modified. "We have taken huge strides forward in our respective efforts at achieving development and growth," he said.

The Railway Minister also said that India and Bangladesh have come a long way in the last few years. "Our bilateral relationship today is at its very best. Our neighbourhood policy follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'sabka sath, sabka vikas'," he said.

Hailing the leadership of Modi, the Minister said, the leaderships of both, India and Bangladesh, are committed to reviving the pre-1965 railway connectivity between the two countries. "Out of the seven rail links that existed then, four are functional now," Goyal said, adding that to further strengthen rail connectivity in the region, one new rail link, between Agartala in India and Akhaura in Bangladesh is being constructed.

The Railway Minister also said that during Covid-19 pandemic, both Railways have shown exemplary foresight in managing the crisis and maintained the supply chain by stepping up transportation of essential commodities.

"Parcel train and container train services have been introduced via Benapole in Bangladesh. Both these services started in July. These have enabled us to move a wide range of products from both sides," he said.

"Railways have ensured that the two countries can continue bilateral trade without any disruption and health risk. Both Railways are ensuring a better future for the people," Goyal said.

Talking about the economy, he said that the Indian economy is coming back on track under Modi's inspirational leadership. "I am sure Bangladesh will also continue to make rapid strides under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. We share the common vision of developing connectivity and infrastructure," he said.

Gioyal also assured Bangladesh of India's complete, unstinted and unlimited support in the development of Bangladesh rail network. "I commit, on behalf of Modiji and the people of India, that we will always accord the highest priority to Bangladesh and its needs. We will be a showcase of regional cooperation to meet the aspirations of the people of both nations," Goyal added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 25)  Thirteen employees of the Presidential Communications Operations Office have tested positive for the coronarivus disease, prompting the extended suspension of physical work.

It started with one employee being diagnosed with COVID-19 early this week, but Communications Secretary Martin Andanar announced Saturday that 12 more personnel have contracted the viral illness.

Work was supposed to resume on July 27, the day of President Rodrigo Dutertes fifth State of the Nation Address.

As office disinfection will continue to be carried out at the New Executive Building (NEB), we are extending the physical work suspension until further notice in order to ensure our personnels safety against the virus, Andanar said in a statement.

Andanar said he was also tested last Thursday with results coming out negative.

He stressed that the PCOOs coverage of Dutertes SONA will proceed as planned. Its attached agency, the Radio Television Malacanang, will be deploying personnel who were not in contact with the COVID-stricken employees, Andanar said.

Rest assured that the delivery of essential and timely information to the Filipino public will remain unhampered and unchanged as we have adopted a work-from-home arrangement. All programs and briefings done at NEB will be undertaken remotely and/or virtually, Andanar said.

He added that all health and medical protocols are being followed, including contact tracing and testing of personnel to prevent further spread of the virus. The PCOO is also providing assistance to the infected workers and their families, Andanar said.
Saudi-based Trteeb.co, an online marketplace with the biggest pool of tailors to make the thobe buying and stitching experience easier, faster, trackable and transparent, today announced the launch of its new app for iOS and Android mobile devices.

The trendy new app will help customers maintain social distancing and enable them to provide details to tailor bespoke thobes to fit their size perfectly.

The new user-friendly app once installed on the mobile smartphone guides every customer to record his measurements with ease, choose the type of fabric, the style of cufflinks, their favourite tailor, make payment and have their stitched thobes delivered at their doorstep.

We are delighted to launch our new app which is a market-fit that will transform the tailoring industry in the current day situation. With the onset of Covid-19, lockdown announcements globally and in Saudi Arabia, particularly, brought our business to almost a standstill. It was then that the 500 Falcons team advised us to develop our product as an app that would help solve the challenge and adapt to the new normal. The team quickly started work on the app, said Sultan Baysoni, CEO of Trteeb.co.

Today, we are very proud of our achievement. I would like to thank my team for the dedication and hard work in coordinating the development of this new product. We have carefully considered every element that will make the customer journey seamless and easy.

From measurements to fabric to payment to delivery we want our customer to have their thobes that perfectly fit them, delivered easily and quickly at the comfort of their homes or offices, he continued.

By introducing this tool, Trteeb.co takes the lead in Fashion-tech and we are confident that we will be able to deliver an enhanced customer experience which is easier, faster and efficient on their smartphones. We have plans to further enhance our product and are eagerly looking forward to its launch in the near future, he added.

Customers can now place their orders by downloading the app on their mobile phones. To assist the customer to provide the right measurements there are a few cool and quick videos that will teach them how to record the measurements. For those who do not want to go through this process, are free to just pop the perfect thobe in a bag and inform the Trteeb.co team, who will pick it up and deliver it to the tailor of their choice to take the required measurements.

Trteeb.co is well connected and has a pool of highly skilled tailors. Each customer can view the location map of Riyadh on the app to choose his favorite tailor. Besides, the app provides the tailor with a dashboard which displays orders, the log measurements and status of the order.

The dashboard also has several other features that will help them run more efficient tailor shops while hopping on the e-commerce bandwagon with zero investment.

Trteeb.co was founded by Sultan Basyoni, in 2019 to cater to the tailoring needs for thobes in Riyadh. Previously Trteeb.co customers just had to fill in a form and submit their orders on their website. The rest of the operations such as measurements, fabric picking, delivery and logistics were all done manually. Thus, it was a huge challenge to transition to an e-commerce website.

Trteeb.co was one of the companies which was hand-picked to participate in Misk500 Accelerator programme Batch 2 held in Riyadh. This programme was managed by 500 Startups in partnership with Misk Innovation to support and empower startups in Saudi Arabia and the Mena region.-- Tradearabia News Service
" " This artist's concept shows the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE spacecraft, in its orbit around Earth. NASA/JPL-Caltech

If you grew up in the era of the Apollo program, the space shuttles and the Hubble telescope, you're probably accustomed to thinking of space exploration as involving pieces of hardware with astonishing price tags, single, narrowly focused missions and short life expectancies. But in an era in which NASA is under increasingly tough budgetary pressure, today's space scientists no longer have a blank check to explore the cosmos. Instead, they've got to use their ingenuity to make the most of limited resourcesfor example, by bringing a mothballed satellite out of hibernation and repurposing it for a new mission.

That's exactly what NASA is doing with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE.

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When the $320 million orbital telescope was launched in December 2009, its original mission was to search for infrared radiation coming from distant objects  from asteroids to exotic brown dwarf stars  that were too faint to be observed within the visible light spectrum [sources: Chow, Klotz]. Over the 13 months that followed, WISE did a bang-up job at that task, cataloging 560 million celestial objects. In addition to stars and galaxies, WISE discovered 19 previously unseen comets and more than 33,500 asteroids [source: Chow]. Eventually, after WISE completed its work, NASA scientists powered down most of the satellite's electronics and left it in orbit in hibernation in February 2011 [source: Space.com].

But as it turns out, WISE isn't through yet. In August 2013, NASA announced that it was re-activating the satellite for a new, three-year mission. Instead of probing the distant reaches of space, WISE will search for and study near-Earth objects (NEOs) space rocks that can be found orbiting within 28 million miles (45 million kilometers) of our planet's path around the sun, which scientists say is close enough for them to pose a danger of colliding with us. In addition, WISE will help NASA identify asteroids that might be good potential destinations for astronauts, as part of U.S. President Barack Obama's goal of sending humans to visit a captured asteroid by 2025 [source: NASA].

In its new role, WISE has the potential to make some very important discoveries  and to do it cheaply, at a cost of just $5 million for each additional year of operation [source: Klotz].

In this article, we'll talk about WISE's exciting new job, as well as some of the amazing things that the satellite has already accomplished.
Parents, financial literacy is a way of life, and while teachers integrate some key money concepts into the various math and humanities curriculums (bravo, by the way, for this effort in the education system) its not up to them to make your kids financially savvy. Its a team effort.

I get it. Youre stretched for time. You might not feel like youre a shining example of good financial choices. And the pandemic has shifted your priorities. But having regular, positive and simple conversations about money can go a long way toward empowering your kids and teens to make smart financial choices when the time comes. It will also give them a head start in the classroom when their teachers teach this subject in the fall.

Here are three simple principles you can share with your kids and teens. And obviously, youll want to integrate age-appropriate examples.

Saving early has major advantages

Who doesnt want the freedom to do what they want, right? Well, having savings allows for that flexibility.

Young people have the most important ingredient in saving success: time.

The earlier your kid or teen starts saving, the greater the time their money has to benefit from the power of compounding. It works like this. Money earns interest and returns, which are reinvested into the original amount. Then that larger sum earns interest and returns. Repeat.

Its like a snowball rolling down a hill of fresh snow. It picks up more snow as it rolls and, by the time it hits the bottom, that once tiny snowball is much larger than the original size. The longer the hill, or time, the greater that snowball will grow.

All your child has to do to benefit from the time value of money is start saving.

Thus, the best thing you can do with this money principle is instill the habit of saving small regular amounts early on; even a small amount like $1 per day or $5 per week. And, if you really want their eyes to light up, plug their savings into a compound interest calculator online so they can see just how huge their money will grow.

The savings habit is whats most important. How the money gets invested is bonus material for when your child is a teen and is ready to go with you to meet your financial adviser.

Its OK to spend within your means

Kids and teens need to know that its OK, and normal, to spend money on what matters to them. This helps to form positive money psychology, rather than approaching spending from a place of scarcity and fear.

The money principle underpinning this is to spend what you have and nothing more.

It can be extremely effective to focus on the benefits of planning out spending  a.k.a. budgeting  and how good it feels to be able to afford their purchases. The most basic of a budget for a young person has three parts:

Saving  20 per cent

Spending  70 per cent

Giving  10 per cent

The older your kid, the further they can break their budget down. For example, if they are heading off to college they will need to incorporate spending categories for meals and books. This level of basic budgeting is reinforced in most provincial curriculums.

Certain debts are good; choose these

By the time your child is a teen they will have a basic understanding of debt. For obvious reasons you will want to steer them away from ever carrying a credit card balance, which is bad debt; but this is your opportunity to make clear to them that not all debt is bad. Specifically, they need to know that its OK to take on student loans to fund formal education so that they can have better future income opportunities. In fact, its one of the best investments they can make: education. Certainly, paying it back will feel a bit burdensome, but statistics continue to show that the payoff far outweighs the cost of the student loans.

This money principle can be extended further; good debt (mortgages, for example) helps build up assets. Bad debt (credit card balances and car loans, for example) has a near-zero payoff. So use good debt when you need it and avoid bad debt.

For your kids to really be great with their money, these three money principles need to be a way of life and not just a one-and-done conversation. My advice is to talk about them often, demonstrate them, learn more about them, help your kids with their financial homework (when school resumes) and have some fun in the process.
Evening Standard

The Covid self-isolation period has been cut to five days, following an announcement by Health Secretary Sajid Javid. The announcement, on January 13, means people can leave isolation at the start of day six, subject to two negative lateral flow tests taken a day apart, with the first of these tests being no sooner than day five. It comes after changes which means Britons who are asymptomatic who return a positive lateral flow test will no longer need to get a confirmatory PCR test.
Disputes long have been battled out determining if demons are real, but according to the Bible they are. Yet, they are not something talked about too frequently among Christian circles. Demons are spooky and scary, so some shy away from the topic. The Bible has a lot, though, to say about the creatures and the powers they can have over people.

Before fully being able to understand the powers of demons, we must learn what they are. Many people believe a demon is Satan himself, but that is not quite true. A demon is a fallen angel like Satan. They are separate spiritual entities created by God, that then became part of Satans army of rebellious, turned angels. In Jude 1:6 it says, And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling - these He has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great day." In this verse, Judas is referring to the angels that rebelled against God, or the demons. They are charged with leaving their assigned role in Heaven. As many as one third of the angels left with Satan. Satan did this because he wanted greater authority than God.

Demons can enter animals and humans.

There are several important verses that discuss the powers that demons have. Mark 5:8,11, and 13 says, "For He had said to him, 'Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!' Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding; So He gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea. In this verse, we can see Jesus is demoing demons away from the human being. They then entered the herd of pigs, and the pigs then ran off into a steep bank where the drowned at sea. In this verse, we learn that they can enter both humans and animals.

More than one demon can enter a person.

In some instances, more than one demon can enter the same victim. Luke 8:2 explains, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out. This verse shows that heaps of demons can go inside the human body, as seven were pushed out of Mary Magdalene.

Demons can inflict mental illness.

Demons can inflict mental disease. One of the Gadarene demoniacs was described in Mark 5:4-5, which says: "For he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he tore apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones." They have the ability to invade someone mind.

The demons can also cause us to act in strange ways we wouldn't normally. Matthew 17:15-18 states, "and said, 'Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.' Jesus answered, 'You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.' And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly".

Demons can alter physical properties.

Demons are capable of imposing many different physical controls over humans. This includes muteness. In Matthew 9:33 it says, And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, 'Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.'" Demons can also cause blindness. In Matthew 12:22 it says, Then they brought to Him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and He cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see.

Jesus told us that a woman suffered a physical deformity caused by an evil spirit. In Luke 13:11 it says, And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. Additionally, Luke wrote and emphasized that the woman was suffering because of Satan. He said, And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this on the sabbath day? (Luke 13:16).

Demons have the power to deceive nations.

In Revelation 16:14 it says, These are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. Entire nations can be taken down by the work of demons. It is important that we realize that demons can work together to achieve greater goals.

Demons can control non-believers.

Many non-Christians do not stress out over the existence of demons, because they do not believe in the God or the devil. However, scripture gives us an example of unbelievers being harmed by demons. In Acts 19:13-16 a story is told: "Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, 'I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.' Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit said to them in reply, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?' Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded".

Jesus has power over demons.

It is scary to think that demons can have so much power, but as a believer you do not need to worry. It must be understood that the work of demons is limited. They cannot do anything they wish, and the ability to do evil is kept under the control of the Lord. Jesus Christ has power over demons. He can demand demons to veer away from us in an instant. That is why it is important that we follow Jesus Christ and believe and be faithful to Him so that we can easily fight off demons if they come near us.

The influence of demons can be seen by several things which they do. They can enter people and animals, inflict mental and physical infirmities, cause people to behave erratically, and even deceive entire nations. Though their power is far-reaching, it can only be exercised within limits. While the power of demons is very evident in scripture, with God by our side we can fend off their tricks.
Charles Shuemate had enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal before turning in for the night somewhere between the Yalu and Chongchon rivers, where his 2nd Infantry Division was bivouacked in the winter of 1950.

An infantryman, Shuemate sealed himself in a sleeping bag as Siberian winds howled down snow-covered mountains in North Korea, plunging temperatures to 36 degrees below zero. A large and mostly undetected Chinese army waited in those mountains, intending to annihilate the Americans  a goal they would almost achieve.

Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News

We were laying out in a field in our sleeping bags when they came through, believe it or not, and I had a heck of a time getting out of my sleeping bag, the now retired San Antonio accountant recalled.

By the time I did, there was rifle fire, tracers that came out of the machine guns were all over the place, and here I was out there in the middle of the field with no place to go. Thats when I really began to believe in a higher power, because I had to go all the way across that field through that fire, and that happened to me twice over there without ever getting a scratch.

Seventy years ago this summer, Shuemate had finished training at Fort Riley, Kan., thinking hed head to Fort Sam Houston for surgical technician school.

Then North Korea sent its 135,000-strong Inmun Gun, or Peoples Army, seven infantry divisions backed by 150 medium tanks, into the south at 4 a.m. June 25.

Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News

Seoul fell in three days. U.S. and South Korean troops were defeated and pushed into a small pocket at the tip of the peninsula but counterattacked with an amphibious landing at Inchon. The North Korean communist forces collapsed and were driven out of their own capital. The Americans went all the way to the Chinese border.

But the Chinese hadnt waited for that to happen. They had moved troops into North Korea by night. The attack, when it came, enveloped entire U.S. divisions. The war, about to wrap up after less than six months, would go far longer, and Shuemate was on the ground floor.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio veteran says his unit went back to the Stone Age to survive Korean War rout

He did two tours there, carrying the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, more commonly known as the BAR, which provided a platoons extra firepower and was pronounced by its initials rather than the acronym.

The see-sawing fight for Korea, grim and bloody, drew in U.N. troops from a number of countries. It sputtered to a halt with an uneasy armistice 67 years ago today, on July 27, 1953, but was never formally ended.

More Information The Korean War Started: June, 25, 1950 Ended: July 27, 1953 Casualties U.S.: 33,739 battle deaths; 2,835 other deaths China: 600,000 estimated deaths North and South Korea: More than 2 million estimated deaths Source: Veterans Administration, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency See More Collapse

San Antonio historian T.R. Fehrenbach, in a classic analysis of the conflict called This Kind of War, said it was a test of wills, not power, that grew from monstrous miscalculations. Neither side employed all the power it possessed, including nuclear weapons.

The war showed that the West had misjudged the ambition and intent of the Communist leadership, and clearly revealed that leaderships intense hostility to the West, he wrote. It also proved the Communists erred badly in assessing the response its aggression would call forth.

The war drew in 1.8 million Americans, one of them a kid from Poplar Bluff, Mo. And yes, Charles Absolum Shuemate, now 87, was a kid then  just 16 when he enlisted.

He quit high school and lied about his age, intending to join the Navy with a cousin whod been a sailor and wanted back in. Shuemate had lied before to get into the Missouri National Guard, and he briefly trained as a medic at Fort Sam. The Navy had all the sailors it needed, so the two walked down the street and joined the Army.

Shuemate had just finished infantry school when the war broke out and felt no foreboding while in Poplar Bluff for 10 days leave before heading out.

I felt fine about it. I didnt have any problem, he said. I was a 16-year-old that had been raised in the Ozark hills out there in Missouri. I didnt have enough sense to be scared.

New arrivals to Korea were asked who had experience with the BAR, a 19-pound weapon that could fire up to 500 rounds a minute. Most didnt. Shuemate had a little.

His unit joined the counteroffensive launched Sept. 16 against the Inmun Gun, pushing north to the Yalu River with Company C of the 2nd Infantry Divisions 23rd Infantry Regiment. It was under Col. Paul Freeman, one of the best leaders in the war, wrote historian and retired Army Lt. Col. Conrad Crane.

Shuemate was the lowest man on the totem pole  a green replacement soldier.

Disaster loomed. Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his commanders had chosen to disregard warnings, including intelligence suggesting large numbers of Chinese massing for an attack.

China had moved 260,000 soldiers into Korea more than a month earlier, as MacArthur stretched his men and supply lines closer to the Yalu, a violation of orders from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On Oct. 20, the 1st Cavalry Division took Pyongyang. Comedian Bob Hope gave a show there.

In his book The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War, historian David Halberstam wrote that Col. Perry Johnson, the G-2, or intelligence officer, for the divisions 1st Corps, knew the Chinese were in North Korea because of prisoners taken in an Oct. 25 battle.

Maj. Gen. Frank Shrimp Milburn immediately reported that fact to 8th Army headquarters. From there it went to Brig. Gen. Charles Willoughby, MacArthurs G-2, a man dedicated to the proposition that there were no Chinese in Korea, and they were not going to come in, at least not in numbers large enough to matter, Halberstam wrote.

That was what his commander believed, and MacArthurs was the kind of headquarters where the G-2s job was first and foremost to prove that the commander was always right.

An Army history said the first major battle, which began at dusk Nov. 1, saw large numbers of Chinese pour out of the hills near Unsan. As the Americans learned, battles would start with the blowing of bugles at night.

The Chinese seemed to come out of nowhere as they swarmed around the flanks and over the defensive positions of the surprised United Nations troops, destroying two U.S. battalions, the history stated. But the Chinese withdrew into the mountains and stayed hidden for weeks, and U.S. intelligence officials still werent convinced that it was a full-scale intervention.

Shuemate expected to head north the day after his Thanksgiving meal and replace soldiers who had held the line at the Yalu. He was fast asleep when the Chinese assault began Nov. 25. Fellow soldiers ran to nearby rock walls for protection while he wrestled with the sleeping bag.

I think that was the last time I was in a sleeping bag until I got back to the United States, he said.

Before the offensive closed, an estimated 19,000 to 30,000 Chinese were killed. American losses were roughly 2,500 killed, 5,000 wounded and nearly 8,000 injured by frostbite.

Shuemate fought into the next year. He didnt worry much about his safety until getting ordered to Heartbreak Ridge, an area of high mountains around a punch bowl near the 38th parallel.

The first battle there ran Sept. 13 to Oct. 15, 1951, with the 2nd Divisions 23rd Regiment suffering 3,700 casualties, the most of any unit, said historian Crane, chief of analysis and research with the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center.

The lines by then were static. Troops paid dearly for even meager gains.

The day he was to fight at Heartbreak Ridge, a troubled Shuemate was approached by a jeep.

We were getting ready, already geared up, and one of the units had already gone onto Heartbreak Ridge, he recalled. I was ready to start up the hill, and that is when the jeep came through from company headquarters and someone said, Get up here, youre going home.

On ExpressNews.com: After Texas GI vanished in battle, his mom and sister never gave up hope

When the armistice came, 36,574 U.S. troops were dead and 7,577 were unaccounted for, most of them missing soldiers whose remains continue to be found and returned home for burial. Even today, a state of war technically exists between the two Koreas.

For Shuemate, the jeep was the first leg back to Poplar Bluff and, in time, his marriage to Evelyn and the births of two children, Charles Steven and Debra. Armed with an accounting degree, he ditched thoughts of making the Army a career and brought his family to San Antonio, working as a CPA.

Shuemate developed a strong faith in God after his close calls, one of which came while relieving himself in a rice paddy.

How could I run holding my pants up? Running across the rice paddy to get back to the tanks, and there was a couple of enemy machine guns up there on the ridge shooting at you, and you dont even get a scratch? If that wont make a believer out of you, he said, laughing.

Some of these things that happened over there, it convinced me that there was somebody looking out for me.

Sig Christenson covers the military and its impact in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Sig, become a subscriber. sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe
Britain and several other European countries have imposed measures to limit travel to Spain, fearing the spread of the coronavirus. Following are some of the main restrictions and advice on taking holidays in Spain:

BRITAIN - The British government announced late on July 25 it was imposing a 14-day quarantine on travellers returning from Spain, with the move coming into effect just hours later. It also advised against all but essential travel to mainland Spain.

FRANCE - The government advised citizens on July 24 not to travel to Catalonia. The border with Spain remains open, but Prime Minister Jean Castex said he was in talks with the Spanish government to reduce traffic flows.

NORWAY - Norway announced a 10-day quarantine on July 24, to take effect the following day, for people arriving from Spain.

IRELAND - The government announced a green list of countries on July 22 for whom a 14-day quarantine requirement for travellers was lifted, but it did not include Spain, so the quarantine requirement still stands for travellers from there.

BELGIUM - Under the governments latest measures on July 24, the whole of Lleida province in Catalonia and Huesca province in Aragon are on a red list of areas where travel is prohibited and that require a quarantine for returning travellers.

Belgium also has an orange list of regions, travellers from which are recommended to take a test and self-quarantine. As of July 24 that includes Catalonia, Aragon, La Rioja, Estremadura, Navarra and the Basque country.

GERMANY - As of July 24 the government has advised people against travel to a few areas designated high-risk in Spain, but has not imposed a ban or quarantine. The areas are part of Lleida province including the city of Lleida, and the city of Zaragoza.

NETHERLANDS - The government advised citizens on July 25 not to travel to the city of Lleida and surrounding areas except when absolutely necessary. For the rest of Spain it says travellers need to be acutely aware of health risks, but has not imposed restrictions.

POLAND  As of July 26, the government recommends avoiding non-essential travel to Catalonia.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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Detained journalist, Hopewell Chinono  who was arrested last week on allegations of inciting public violence  filed an appeal for bail at the High Court on Monday, his lawyers said.





Chinono, who is thought to be one of the people at the centre of plans by the opposition and some civic groups to hold street protests on July 31, was denied bail at the Harare magistrates court on Friday last week.

Magistrate Ngoni Nduna remanded Chinono in custody to August 7 this year, citing that he was a danger to the public and would violate the law if released.





Our lawyers Beatrice Mtetwa, Gift Mtisi and Dough Coltart today (Monday) filed a bail appeal at (the) High Court seeking the release from prison of journalist Hopewell Chinono who is currently detained in remand prison, his legal representatives, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights tweeted.





The bail appeal will be heard on Wednesday 29 July, 2020.





A freelance journalist, Chinono has been allegedly using social media to incite the public to engage in street protests on July 31, under the guise of fighting top-level corruption.





Another activist, Jacob Ngarivhume was also arrested on the same charges and denied bail. He was remanded in custody to August 6.





Authorities are also concerned that the planned demonstrations would put the lives of people at risk as there are no guarantees that protesters would observe Covid-19 restrictions such as social distancing.





Zimbabwe is experiencing a spike in Covid-19 cases, particularly local transmissions which have now overtaken imported ones.

New Ziana




BANGOR, MI - A woman died Sunday evening when she could not escape her burning home in Bangor, officials said.

Seven fire departments responded to the multi-alarm fire at 20 Cass Street at 5:10 p.m. on July 26. A woman living in the home was trapped and pronounced dead at the scene, according to a South Haven Area Emergency Services news release.

Fire crews from South Haven, Columbia, Covert, Hartford, Lawrence, and Watervliet assisted the Bangor Community Fire Department at the scene.

No additional information on the victim has been released.

The Michigan State Fire Marshal, Van Buren County Medical Examiner and local and state police also were at the scene of the fire, which was described as fully encompassing the home, officials said.

No injuries were reported among the firefighters.

Read more on MLive:

Protesters, counterprotesters sing and sometimes clash at controversial west Michigan Civil War monument

Police arrest Kalamazoo man suspected in shooting and sexual assault

Michigan reports spike in coronavirus deaths after records review finds missed cases
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Fashion is appealing to President Donald Trumps administration  again  for more leadership in taking on forced labor in China.

Even as the dire plight of minority Muslim Uyghurs in the autonomous and far western region of Xinjiang has become clearer with growing accounts of forced labor and abuse under the guise of reeducation, the big and complex issue has been met with a variety of responses and, at times, confusion.

And the stakes are high.

Nearly one-fifth of all cotton is produced in Xinjiang, giving the global fashion industry a vested interest in what happens in the region.

A successful solution for all involved, above all the workers themselves, will require state-to-state engagement and collaborative partnerships across government, industry, labor advocacy groups, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders, said a group of five key fashion-industry trade groups in a joint statement last week. We again urge our nations leaders to immediately establish a multi-stakeholder working group to develop and deploy a collective approach that accurately assesses the problem, identifies constructive solutions to increase transparency, and protects both the rights of workers and the integrity of global supply chains.

In the language of Washington, thats a plea for help from an industry facing an issue that is well above its pay grade. (The groups signing on to the statement included the American Apparel & Footwear Association, the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America, the National Retail Federation, the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the United States Fashion Industry Association).

The Xinjiang issue cuts right across several key fault lines  the internal politics of China, the countrys touch-and-go trade relationship with the U.S. and just how much control fashion companies have and should have to have over their supply chains. The trade groups statement last week also came at a time when U.S.-China tensions increased even further as the U.S. forced China to close its consulate in Houston and China responded by forcing the closure of the U.S. consulate in Chengdu. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave a speech in California calling China a totalitarian state and saying that U.S. engagement with China had failed to change it.



Story continues

Meanwhile, the fashion groups lobbyists  who have shown they at least can get together  are arguing that the issue of Xinjiang requires more coordination, a state-to-state response that would see the U.S. and other governments as well as businesses and non-governmental organizations approach China collectively and holistically.

The industry groups are pushing Washington to take the reins, going beyond its recent steps to address forced labor in Xinjiang, which included a business advisory this month by the U.S. departments of State, Treasury, Homeland Security, and Commerce.

The advisory warned businesses with supply chains that reach into Xinjiang that they might face the reputational, economic, and legal risks of involvement with entities that engage in human rights abuses, including but not limited to forced labor.

According to the advisory, Specific abuses include mass arbitrary detentions, severe physical and psychological abuse, forced labor and other labor abuses, oppressive surveillance used arbitrarily or unlawfully, religious persecution, political indoctrination, forced sterilization, and other infringements of rights.

A spokesperson with Chinas Ministry of Commerce said the advisory was a severe distortion of facts, according to Xinhua, the countrys official news service.

The nature of the Xinjiang-related issues is not the so-called human rights problems as smeared by the United States, but an issue of counter-terrorism and anti-secession, the Xinhau report said.

Thats a geo-political knot that fashion cant untie, but clearly the many brands and merchants that ultimately make, buy or sell material or goods in the region can do something.

The Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region, a group of civil society and trade unions, released a call for action last week, warning, There is grave risk that brands and retailers across sectors are benefiting from human rights violations Fabric made with cotton or yarn from the Uyghur Region is used by apparel factories across China and across the world. Almost every major apparel brand and retailer selling cotton products is potentially implicated.

The coalition said, the only way corporations can ensure they are not unwittingly bolstering the governments repression isto fully extricate their supply chains from the Uyghur Region.

Fashion lobbyists contend that for many, that might be more easily said than done, arguing that cotton can be difficult to track through the supply chain and, for instance, could be mixed with cotton from other regions, including the U.S.

In general, activists and experts push companies to engage rather than pull out when it comes to worker abuse issues since the loss of business can further hurt the people already in trouble. And once businesses leave, they no longer have any influence to improve conditions.

Then again, the situation in Xinjiang is not a single bad actor or rogue factory, but a regional policy with motivations beyond a few extra bucks on an order. As the U.S. advisory noted, Laborers are sometimes transferred directly from camps to factories, are forced to attend patriotic education and Mandarin studies, and are subjected to constant surveillance.

Penelope Kyritsis, assistant research director at the Worker Rights Consortium, which is part of the coalition that called for fashion companies to stop working in Xinjiang, said the group typically asks brands to stay when there are troubles with working conditions and use their leverage to help fix the problems.

In this case, thats simply not possible because of the Chinese governments total control of the area, pervasive surveillance and just the general climate of terror, Kyritsis said. Any attempts to provide due diligence are not possible.

Workers are simply not free to tell an inspector that their labor is coerced, but brands are free to walk away and not feed into the situation, she said.

If a brand or retailer claims they dont know where their cotton or yarn is coming from, its a choice not to know, Kyritsis said. Brands are very much able to assess who they have relationships with and end those relationships.

Nate Herman, who is senior vice president, policy at the AAFA, said 84 percent of the cotton grown in China comes from Xinjiang, accounting for about 18 percent of global production.

There is very little apparel production in the region, but for the industry, most of the forced labor concerns are centered in the processing of cotton and in textile mills.

Herman argued that it can be difficult to determine just where cotton used in a brands supply chain comes from and that the trade group has been looking at methods to trace cotton  including the use of DNA and biomapping  over the past two years.

Weve spent a lot of time exploring these and seeing if any of them really work and none of them are quite there yet in terms of technology, Herman said. Theres a lot of promise, but not something that we can implement today or tomorrow.

Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the NRF, said retailers are evaluating their supply chains and working with their vendors to tackle the problem, but that they need government support  and more clarity as to just what the official U.S. strategy on the issue is.

This cant be an effort just by the business community to fix this situation, thats not going to work. There needs to be a three- or four-legged stool, Gold said, pointing to businesses, governments and other stakeholders. Weve got to come up with a coordinated effort where were all working from the same page. We would love to know what [the U.S. government] is doing so we could help amplify [that]. Whats their strategy?

Pointing to the long list of government power players signing onto the business advisory  from the State Department to the U.S. Trade Representative  Gold said, Theres too many chefs in the kitchen.

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WORCESTER, Mass.  Four Clark University students, including recent alumnus Casey Bush, formerly of Middletown, earned prestigious awards and fellowships to support their academic work this summer and beyond.

Bush won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to the Czech Republic, but ultimately declined the award for her dream job, according to a press release.

Receiving such an honor was bittersweet, Bush said in a prepared statement. While I was proud to be considered for the prestigious award, I ultimately had to turn down the opportunity, as I had already accepted a job offer at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, in my dream role as museum educator, she said.

Bush said hers was a difficult decision. She plans to apply for a Fulbright again in the future, the news release said.

Bush received her bachelor of arts degree in 2018 and her masters degree in 2019, both from Clark. She studied abroad in the Czech Republic in 2017, and interned at the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes in Prague, where she researched Holocaust education in Czech schools and created materials teachers could use in their classrooms.

She later interned at the Buchenwald Memorial, the concentration camp in Weimar, Germany, and at the Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. Bush earned a masters degree in history with a focus on the Holocaust and genocide studies, the release said.

The Fulbright program at Clark has been growing tremendously, according to Jessica Bane-Robert, director of Prestigious Fellowships & Scholarships. In the past two years, approximately 10 students applied for awards. This fall we are slated to easily triple those numbers, which is exciting, she said.

More than 400 students visited our office this year, according to Bane-Robert. Clark students have expanded their outreach to include many new awards, such as the Goldwater, Paul and Daisy Sorros, Harry S. Truman, and Knight-Hennessy scholarships.

The students extolled Bane-Roberts ability to support them through the application process for their prestigious awards and fellowships.

Clark has many serious students challenging convention and changing our world, Bane-Robert said in the statement. It is my honor to support them as they reflect on their experiences and stories and articulate their future aspirations.
Spanish Navy Assists USS Porter with MEDEVAC

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS200726-01

Release Date: 7/26/2020 8:36:00 AM

From U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa / U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

BLACK SEA (NNS) -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) was assisted by the Spanish Navy in a non-emergent medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) to help a Sailor in need of medical attention for a non-life-threatening injury, July 22, 2020.

Porter is participating in U.S.-Ukrainian cohosted exercise Sea Breeze 2020 alongside partners and allies, including the Spanish Navy, and does not have an embarked helicopter. Nearby Spanish frigate Alvaro de Bazan (F101) assisted in the MEDEVAC.

"Alvaro de Bazan's assistance once again demonstrates the strength of our NATO Alliance," said Capt. Joseph A. Gagliano, commander, Task Force (CTF) 65. "No matter where we are, even in the distant waters of the Black Sea, our allies always stand side-by-side with us."

The Porter Sailor was transported to nearby Odesa, Ukraine, in a Spanish Navy helicopter for a non-life-threatening injury. The Sailor is in stable condition and awaiting further medical treatment in Porter's homeport of Rota, Spain.

"We are very appreciative of the Spanish Navy's quick response and assistance in caring for our Sailor," said Cmdr. Craig Trent, commanding officer of Porter. "This is a great example of allies and partners working together towards a common goal. We stand stronger together."

Sea Breeze is an annual exercise designed to enhance interoperability among participating nations and strengthen regional security. The exercise began in 1997, bringing Black Sea nations together to train and operate with NATO members to build interoperability and increase capability.

Sea Breeze 2020 is occurring exclusively at sea. This precaution allows units to enhance multinational operational cooperation, while ensuring that crews remain healthy and ready to provide continuous regional security.

Porter, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.

All participating nations have carefully considered participation in the exercise and have taken appropriate measures to ensure the safety and health of participating military personnel.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

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Measures to support members of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) in COVID-19 response were discussed aside from specialised issues at the online 55th meeting of the ASOSAI Governing Board on July 27.

General Auditor of the State Audit Office of Vietnam Ho Duc Phoc (centre) chairs the online 55th meeting of the ASOSAI Governing Board on July 27 (Photo: VNA)

In its report, the State Audit Office of Vietnam (SAV), Chair of ASOSAI for 2018-2021, said the world has been undergoing an unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The role of supreme audit institutions in assisting authorities, businesses and people to cope with the COVID-19 crisis is now more important than ever, the SAV noted, adding that depending on the situation in each country, supreme audit institutions will proactively devise suitable solutions to ensure timely response to the pandemic that remains complex at present and is forecast to linger on.

The SAV cited a recent report on the website of the 23th International Congress of Supreme Audit Institutions (INCOSAI) as saying that supreme audit agencies worldwide have been auditing public spending on the implementation of anti-coronavirus measures and the procurement of food and essential goods for social activities. They have also been assessing fiscal stimulus mechanisms and policies.

Though it takes some time to make qualitative assessment on the effectiveness and efficiency of governments public policies, many supreme audit agencies have obtained initial encouraging results, the SAV noted.

The office said facing complex developments of COVID-19, the SAV has made timely decisions to ensure its normal operations so as to fulfil this years plan, including reducing face-to-face audits and further applying technology to auditing activities.

In particular, it noted, it has proposed the National Assembly and the Government build an audit plan for this year that matches the current context and supports ministries, sectors, localities and businesses to overcome the crisis.

The SAV has focused on assessing the governance of the State budget for 2020 and the measures to support affected people and businesses like promoting public investment disbursement, extending land tax and land use fee payment deadlines, and reducing corporate income tax for small firms. It has also stepped up auditing the aid packages targeting affected groups, along with the procurement of medical supplies for COVID-19 prevention and control.

The SAV suggested ASOSAI organise a workshop to share experiences, good practices and effective solutions that global supreme audit institutions have been implementing so as to further clarify their role in responding to COVID-19, as well as urgent issues of countries and regions./.VNA
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday thanked the Government of Afghanistan for facilitating the safe return of 11 people belonging to the Sikh and Hindu minority community.

Eleven members belonging to the Sikh and Hindu minority community of Afghanistan, including Nidan Singh Sachdeva (60), who was kidnapped by the Taliban last month and was released from captivity on July 18, arrived in Delhi on Sunday. Sachdeva was abducted from a gurudwara in Paktia province a month ago. The Indian Embassy in Kabul granted short-term visas to for their return.

"India has granted an appropriate visa and facilitated their travel to India. We appreciate the efforts of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in extending necessary support for the safe return of these families," the MEA said in a statement.

Approximately 700 Hindu and Sikh Afghanistan nationals have registered with Embassy of India in Kabul and are seeking immediate evacuation after the Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara was attacked on March 25.

READ | First Group Of 11 Sikhs From Afghanistan Land In Delhi

Sufferings faced by Sikhs at Taliban's hands

Speaking on his return, an emotional Sachdeva, said he was glad to return to 'Hindustan'. Sharing his harrowing tale in captivity of the Taliban, he said, "I was abducted from the gurudwara and 20 hours later, I was covered with blood. I was tied to a tree as well. They used to beat me and ask me to convert. I repeatedly told them that why should I convert, I have my own religion," he said while describing

Nidan Singh thanked the Government of India for bringing him back his homeland. Singh said he was short of words to describe his feelings. I arrived here after much struggle. The atmosphere of fear prevails there. Gurudwara is where we can be safe but a step outside the Gurdwara is fearful, he added.

"They used to beat me every day and every night," he said further and added, "It is because of sheer happiness, I am speechless. I am very grateful to them."

READ | Afghanistan Exposes Pakistan At UNSC; Complains About Pak's Violations Of Its Territory

India extends help to minorities in Afghanistan

Ministry of External Affairs recently announced that India has decided to bring back members of Hindu and Sikh community facing security threats in Afghanistan. The decision came four months after terrorists killed at least 25 members of the community at a gurdwara in Kabul. India condemned the "targeting and persecution" of minority community members by Afghan terrorists at the behest of their external supporters.

READ | Like India, Congressman Seeks Refugee Status For Afghan Sikhs And Hindus

Afghan Sikh community leaders have often reached out to the government of India to provide accommodation to the community members from Afghanistan and grant them legal entry to India with long term residency and multiple entry visas.

Once a community of nearly 250,000 people, the Sikh and Hindu community in Afghanistan has suffered years of discrimination and violence from extremists, and the community now comprises of less than 100 families across the country.

READ | Afghan Taliban Calls UNSC Report 'False Intelligence', Refutes Ties With Terror Groups

(With inputs from agency)

(Image credits: PTI)
The Australian share market finished session higher on Monday, 27 July 2020, as risk sentiments boosted up by the New South Wales Government's decision to pause stamp duty for first-home buyers. However, market gains capped amid Victoria's continuing surge in COVID-19 cases and China stand-off.

At closing bell, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index added 20.18 points, or 0.33%, to 6,044.17. The broader All Ordinaries climbed 21.59 points, or 0.35%, to 6,169.60. Communications, property stocks, tech firms and consumer discretionary all finished ahead while the energy and utilities sectors dragged.

Market sentiments boosted by the the New South Wales Government's decision to pause stamp duty for first-home buyers. The pausing of stamp duty in New South Wales for first-home buyers of new homes under $800,000 is credit positive for the construction sector.

Uncertain investors flocked to safe-haven assets in the shadow of diplomatic tensions between China and the US, and the continued spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter to the United Nations over the weekend, Australia declared that China had no legal claim to disputed islands in the South China Sea.

A Chinese Government mouthpiece, The Global Times, called Australia's move a reckless "provocation", and warned it could lead to trade sanctions against Australian beef and wine. Also causing investor anxiety was China's decision to evict US diplomats from their consulate in Chengdu. That was in relation for the US ordering China to close its consulate in Houston, Texas over alleged intellectual property theft and threatening America's national security.

Australia recorded its highest number of daily infections for the pandemic so far while Spain and South East Asia are also reporting dire numbers.

A new all-time for gold at $US1944 an ounce buoyed the materials sector - in particular miners such as Newcrest, Northern Star, and Evolution. Major mining group BHP ended up 0.9% to A$37.4 and Fortescue Metals added 0.5% to A$16.37, while shares in rival Rio Tinto fell 0.03% to A$102.89. Rare earths miner Lynas was up 12% to A$2.43 after announcing a contract with the US Department of Defence for Phase 1 funding of a proposed processing operation in Texas.

Shares of major banks ended lower, with Westpac stock falling 0.2% to A$17.72, while Commonwealth Bank declined 0.5% to A$72.49. ANZ closed the day down 0.3% to A$18.23 and NAB dipped by 0.2% to A$17.95.

CURRENCY NEWS: The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7138 following its rise from levels below $0.702 last week.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Centus Biotherapeutics Announces Positive CHMP Opinion for FKB238, Biosimilar Bevacizumab

Details Category: Antibodies Published on Monday, 27 July 2020 12:19 Hits: 3783

LONDON, UK and TOKYO, Japan I July 27, 2020 I Centus Biotherapeutics Ltd., a joint venture between Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics Co., Ltd. and AstraZeneca PLC (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN), today announced that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion for the Marketing Authorization Application of Equidacent (Product Code: FKB238), the company's biosimilar to Avastin (bevacizumab), for indications including metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum, metastatic breast cancer, unresectable advanced, metastatic or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer, advanced and/or metastatic renal cell cancer, epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer, persistent, recurrent, or metastatic carcinoma of the cervix.

The decision of the European Commission (EC) on the approval is expected in September 2020, which would grant Centus the marketing authorization in 27 European Union (EU) member states, the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Economic Area (EEA) member states of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Centus President Hiroshi Ohashi, Ph. D. commented, We are happy to receive a positive CHMP opinion toward the approval of Equidacent, our bevacizumab biosimilar. We will continue to make every effort to obtain the approval for Equidacent, which could help patients and healthcare professionals.

Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics President and CEO Atsushi Matsumoto, Ph. D. said, I am delighted that CHMP decided to recommend the approval of the proposed biosimilar bevacizumab. We will continue our efforts to bring high quality and affordable biosimilars to patients throughout European countries.

Centus was established in 2015 as a joint venture between Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics and AstraZeneca. Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics has granted an exclusive license to Centus for the development, manufacture and commercialization of Equidacent on a worldwide basis. Centus has been promoting clinical development of Equidacent.

Data submitted as part of the Marketing Authorization Application for Equidacent included similarity assessment in analytical testing, preclinical and clinical studies that demonstrated biosimilarity to the bevacizumab reference product, Avastin. The phase 3 clinical study, AVANA, conducted by Centus, demonstrated no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety, efficacy and immunogenicity compared with the reference product, Avastin, in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

About Bevacizumab

Bevacizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody that blocks angiogenesis by inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A). It reduces growth and metastasis of several solid tumors.

About Centus

Centus Biotherapeutics (Centus) founded in 2015 is a joint venture between AstraZeneca, a global pharmaceutical leader, and Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics, a Japanese biopharmaceutical company focused on biosimilar development.

With the unique coupling of world class biologics expertise, global commercial infrastructure and deep biosimilar development experience, Centus is well positioned to win the trust of doctors and serve the needs of patients worldwide.

For more information please visit: https://www.centusbiotherapeutics.com

About Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics

Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics was established by FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Kenji Sukeno; Fujifilm) and Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Masashi Miyamoto, Kyowa Kirin) on March 27, 2012 as a company for developing, manufacturing, and marketing biosimilars. Its pipeline includes Equidacent and Hulio, an adalimumab biosimilar (Product Code: FKB327), a drug used to treat a range of inflammatory diseases.

By merging the technologies in advanced production, quality control and analysis which Fujifilm has developed over many years through its photographic film business, with the proprietary technologies and know-how which Kyowa Kirin has accumulated through its biopharmaceutical R&D and manufacturing, Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics creates revolutionary production processes and reduces costs for the production of biosimilars. Through this partnership, the company will develop and manufacture reliable, high quality, cost-competitive biosimilar products and commercialize these products in a timely manner. With this strategy, Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics aims to hold a leading position in the expanding biosimilar market.

You can learn more about the business at: fujifilmkyowakirin-biologics.com

SOURCE: Centus Biotherapeutics
Jitendra Gogi, one of the most dreaded gangsters of Delhi, has demanded a ransom of Rs 5 crore from a renowned businessman of the national capital from inside Delhi's high-security Tihar jail.

Police raided the jail premises after receiving complaint of ransom call and has seized 3 mobile phones from Gogi, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail. It may be recalled that Gogi was arrested by Delhi Police Special Cell in 2019.

Gogi, who is lodged at cell number 8 in Tihar Jail, has demanded the money from well-known businessman from Rohini in Delhi. According to police, the notorious gangster threatened to kill the businessman if he failed to pay him the money.

Delhi Police has taken Gogi in custody and is questioning him in connection with this matter. Delhi Police had kept a reward of Rs 4 lakh on Gogi's head, while Rs 2 lakh reward was announced by Haryana Police. Gogi and his henchmen are also accused of killing a local leader Virendra Mann in Delhi's Narela. Gogi had committed Mann's murder in broad daylight by pumping 26 bullets inside his body.
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Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 13:13 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066992fd6 1 National terrorism-victims,compensation,victim-protection,LPSK Free

The government is set to grant protection and compensation to people were impacted by past acts of terrorism at home and abroad.

The move  stipulated in Government Regulation (PP) No. 35/2020 on the amendment of PP No. 7/2018 on compensation, restitution and support for victims and witnesses  entails wide-ranging state support, which also includes the protection and psychological rehabilitation of children of victims and witnesses.

Presidential expert staff member Dini Shanti Purwono said the regulation, issued on July 8, was proof of the governments commitment to ensuring the welfare of Indonesian citizens affected by terrorism.

The government understands the difficulty and pain experienced by the families of terrorism victims. Therefore, the regulation has been amended to alleviate their financial burden, Dini said in a statement on Monday.

Read also: Victims of Sibolga terror attack to receive Rp 1.7b in compensation

Terror victims, witnesses and survivors  or their inheritors  may apply for financial compensation through the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK).

The application may be submitted at the start of the investigation of the terror case at the earliest, or prior to sentencing at the latest. The sum granted to the victims will be determined by the LPSK, according to Dini.

State support for terror victims was legally stipulated also prior to the issuance of the latest regulation.

Law No. 5/2018 on Terrorism stipulates an obligation for the state to provide compensation to victims of acts of terrorism.

The regulation requires that the LPSK apply for compensation on behalf of victims even if the victims do not request it in the first place.
She is celebrating her 26th birthday on Monday.

And Winnie Harlow was celebrating as she shared her jaw-dropping physique as she posed up a storm on Instagram.

The model looked incredible in a skimpy navy bikini as she made the most of her Mexican birthday getaway.

Party time: Winnie Harlow was celebrating her 26th birthday as she shared her jaw-dropping physique as she posed up a storm on Instagram

The beauty accessorised with a silver watch, sunglasses and large hoop earrings which had 'love' written inside.

Winnie later shared a fun snap from a hot tub as she enjoys her holiday with her friends.

She captioned the post: '6pm poolside v 1am hot tub.'

Posing: The beauty accessorised with a silver watch, sunglasses and large hoop earrings which had 'love' written inside

Relaxing: Winnie later shared a fun snap from a hot tub as she enjoys her holiday with her friends

Earlier this month, Winnie was seen travelling in lavish style, as she kicked back on a private jet while heading away with a male pal.

Winnie passed the time on the flight by colouring in a picture book, as she chose a graphic called 'dream big' to colour in. She captioned the clip: 'Big kids buy colouring books!'

Last month TMZ reported that Winnie and Kyle Kuzma had been dating since April and had gone into joint lockdown amid the pandemic.

Earlier this week, the model proved they're going from strength to strength as she posed for a racy shot with him, who stared into the camera while embracing Winnie.

Luxury travel! Earlier this month, Winnie was seen travelling in lavish style, as she kicked back on a private jet while heading away with a male pal

The raunchy pose caught the attention of Winnie's celeb pals, including Kylie Jenner who commented 'oh ok!' while Kyle himself posted 'Goals.'

Winnie has previously dated race car driver Lewis Hamilton, as well as rapper Wiz Khalifa, whom she broke up with late last year.

Meanwhile this January before the coronavirus shutdowns began Kyle was seen enjoying a dinner out with Vanessa Hudgens.
A federal grand jury indicted nine people on a slew of federal sex trafficking and obstruction charges related to an Ohio child sex trafficking ring that allegedly bartered illegal drugs to drug addicts in exchange for access to their children.

A 10th person was also taken into custody in connection with the case, according to an arrest warrant unsealed in early July.

The child sex trafficking ring investigation first grabbed headlines in March, when Larry Dean Porter, 69, of Wheelersburg, Ohio, and several others, including three local mothers, were arrested in connection with allegedly sexually molesting several children between the ages of 3 to 13 years old.

Larry Dean Porter, 69, is among nine people facing federal charges stemming from allegedly participating in or trying to cover up a child sex trafficking ring that Porter supposedly ran

Home of Larry Dean Porter, on Lick Run-Lyra Rd, Wheelersburg, Ohio, who is charged with molesting children

According to a Department of Justice announcement, Larry Porter was arrested - with the help of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office - after a sting in which he allegedly offered, via Facebook messages, to pay $80 to get access to a seven-year-old girl.

During the sting's pre-arranged meeting, the DOJ said, Larry Porter allegedly said that he would be 'be done around midnight' and could return the girl at that time.

The DOJ said that the FBIs Child Exploitation Task Force first began investigating Larry Porter in April 2019, after receiving reports from sources alleging that he gave parents of male and female children illegal drugs in exchange for receiving their consent to sexually abuse their children.

Authorities said that victims and additional sources told the FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) that Porter had sexually abused children and produced child pornography, which he supposedly kept on flash drives and 'used extreme methods to conceal.'

In addition to supposedly providing drugs to the underage, sexual abuse victims' parents in exchange for their consent, Larry Porter was alleged to have told the parents to participate in the abuse of their own children so that he could record it to use as blackmail.

Following his arrest, the DOJ said in its June release, that Porter - while in jail - made numerous phone calls and sent three letters to relatives and associates in an attempt to have them lie under oath, convince other witnesses to lie to authorities or tell sources not to give information to police.

Larry Porter's cousin, Erroll Wayne Porter, Sr., 69 (left), is charged with obstructing the investigation and conspiring to witness tamper. Charity Ann Rawlins, 41 (right), is accused of bringing a child to Larry Porter's home on a regular basis in exchange for pills

Authorities allegedly found child porn videos matching files on Larry Porter's computer at the home of Frank E. Andrews, 68 (left). W. David Cole, 62 (right), allegedly removed and destroyed evidence from Larry Porter's home and discussed victims with him

Among the nine people charged in connection with Larry Porter's alleged child sex trafficking ring were two of his daughters, Denna Sue Porter, 32, and Crystal D. Porter, 39.

The DOJ said that it was alleged that in the days following their father's arrest, Denna and Crystal were seen making multiple trips to Larry Porter's property and digging holes in the ground of it.

When authorities searched the grounds where the women were digging, they found an SD memory card buried inside a glass jar.

The DOJ said court documents allege that the memory card contained child pornography images that were shot in Larry Porters bedroom.

Authorities said that two of Larry Porter's associates - Frank E. Andrews, 68, of Wheelersburg, Ohio, and W. David Cole, 62, of Portsmouth, Ohio - were also seen making trips to his property.

The DOJ said that agents searching Andrews' home found multiple child pornography videos with file titles matching those found on Larry Porter's computer.

Cole, meanwhile, allegedly removed and destroyed evidence from Larry Porter's home. Authorities said that Facebook messages allegedly showed Cole and Porter discussing child sex trafficking victims.

Three people who allegedly made children available to Larry Porter were also among the indicted.

Tasha Stringer, 37, allegedly recruited another woman to bring her children to Larry Porter and told police that she performed sex acts on the kids at his request

Kathryn McMullen, 36 (left), allegedly brought her two children to Larry Porter's home and also sexually abused them while there. Magan Richmond, 32 (right) allegedly allowed Porter to abuse her daughter in exchange for drugs

Joshua David Aldridge, 36, of South Webster, Ohio, allegedly transported minor victims to Larry Porters home in exchange for illegal drugs. Authorities did not reveal the relationship between Joshua Aldridge and the children.

Charity Ann Rawlins, 41, of South Webster, Ohio, and Ronnie L. Rawlins, 47, of Oak Hill, Ohio, allegedly took a seven-year-old child to Larry Porter's home on a regular basis, so the child could be sexually abused in exchange for pills.

Authorities didn't specify what the relationship between the couple and the child is, but noted that the abuse had occurred multiple times a week for up to five years.

Another one of Larry Porter's relatives was charged in the trafficking ring - his cousin, Erroll Wayne Porter, Sr., 69, of Wheelersburg.

Authorities said that during recorded jail calls, the cousins talked about somebody they thought might've been the law enforcement's source.

According to the DOJ, Erroll Porter said during one call that he 'got some things working there, trying to take him down.'

During another call, Larry Porter allegedly told Erroll Porter to 'Go out and make sure that idiot dont do something. If you have to put a slug in that son-of-a-b***h.'

In early July, an unsealed arrest warrant revealed that a 10th person was also arrested in connection with the trafficking ring, although he was not part of the group that was indicted by the grand jury.

On July 1, authorities took Larry Porter's son-in-law, Ralph Albert Aldridge, of Columbus, into custody, according to The Daily Independent, which obtained the arrest warrant.

Ralph Aldridge is Crystal Porter's husband and Joshua Aldridge's brother.

Authorities said that during their investigation into Larry Porter, they received information stating that Ralph Aldridge would travel to see Larry Porter at least once a month to deliver a least a pound of marijuana to him.

The information also indicated that Ralph Aldridge might've been delivering heroin as well.

An informant also gave authorities a secret recording which featured Ralph Aldridge talking about going to Larry Porter's home after his March arrest to search for something in a strawberry patch, which would later be revealed to be the glass jar containing the aforementioned SD memory card with child pornography on it.

Authorities said that the women had taken multiple children to a home - later said to be Larry Porter's home (pictured)- where they then traded sexual access to the children for drugs and money

Authorities said that Ralph Aldridge told an informant to lie and tell police that they were searching for money and also told an associate of his that he was going to get a gun to 'take care of business.'

Witnesses told federal investigators they believed Ralph Aldridge intended to kill one of the informants.

Court records also showed Ralph Aldridge allegedly asking friends to hold his phone so that his whereabouts couldn't be tracked.

The DOJ said that several adult women allegedly involved in the trafficking ring were also charged locally.

In March, ABC 6 reported that three women were arrested on accusations of sexually molesting several children between the ages of three to 13-years-old.

The women were named as: Magan Richmond, 32, of Portsmouth, Ohio; Tasha Stringer, 37, of Wheelersburg, and Kathryn McMullen, 36, of South Webster, Ohio.

All three were charged with felony rape and had bonds of $100,000.

Authorities said that the women had taken multiple children to a home - later said to be Larry Porter's home - where they then traded sexual access to the children for drugs and money.

Stringer allegedly admitted to authorities that she had participated in sex acts with the children at Larry Porter's request, Oxygen reported.

She was said to have claimed that Larry Porter asked her to recruit her friend, McMullen to 'bring her kids' over so they could be assaulted. Stringer allegedly said that she performed sex acts on McMullen's children.

The police incident report alleged that while at Larry Porter's home, McMullen also engaged in sexually abusing her own three-year-old daughter and her son, who was six or seven years old, or allegedly watched as they were being molested.

Stringer also allegedly told police that she had watched Larry Porter molesting Richmond's five-year-old, naked daughter, while the woman was there during a drug deal.

One of the FBI sources that started the spring 2019 investigation into Larry Porter and his associates was 'someone who 'had direct access to children and family in the Scioto County community where Porter resided,' according to court documents, Fox 19 reported.

The informant told the FBI that they saw people who were believed to have been abused by Porter when they were children, grow up and take their own kids to him in exchange for drugs and money.

According to the affidavit, the informant provided specific examples of children who had been taken to Larry Porter's home. The informant also provided examples of kids observed with signs of physical abuse after the local child protective services agency began investigating the abuse allegations.

In early March 2020, a confidential source told detectives that Larry Porter had called her several years prior, offering her drugs in exchange for allowing her to 'babysit' her partner's two-year-old child.

The source said that Larry Porter used the term 'babysit' as a euphemism for the time he would spend with children, either sexually abusing them or taking sexually-explicit pictures of them.

Among the evidence presented in the unsealed affidavit were Facebook messages Larry Porter allegedly wrote to the mother of two girls, as well as to a third daughter of his.

'They good and horny?' Larry Porter allegedly wrote to the girls' mother in April 2019.

To his third daughter, who was not charged in the trafficking ring and was not named, he allegedly sent a picture of one of his underage victims calling the child 'my girlfriend' and asking his daughter not to 'show anyone ok.'

According to the Facebook message exchange, Larry Porter's third daughter wrote 'really,' to which he replied, 'isnt she pretty.'

The daughter then allegedly blasted her father with the message: 'I told u not to talk to me about that s--- u realize ur granddaughter is probably the same age.'

'lol, but she not my granddauther (sic). I couldnt b with my own family,' Larry Porter allegedly replied.

'I know but shes young dad s--- theres still good looking ones thats over 18,' the daughter supposedly wrote back.

'thats true but this 1 is stoned dead in love,' Larry Porter apparently replied.

Larry Porter is charged in a 13-count indictment with conspiring to sex traffic children (15 years up to life in prison), attempting to sex traffic children (15 years up to life), producing child pornography (15 to 30 years), possessing child pornography (up to 10 years), conspiring to obstruct a child sex trafficking investigation (up to 25 years) and conspiring to witness tamper (up to 20 years).

His two daughters, Denna Porter and Crystal Porter, are both charged with conspiring to obstruct a child sex trafficking investigation (up to 25 years), destroying or removing evidence (up to five years), and making false statements to law enforcement (up to eight years).

His associate, Frank Andrews is charged with conspiring to sex traffic children, possessing child pornography involving a prepubescent child (up to 20 years), conspiring to obstruct a child sex trafficking investigation, and destroying or removing evidence.

Larry Porter's other associate, Cole, is charged with conspiring to sex traffic children, conspiring to obstruct a child sex trafficking investigation, and destroying or removing evidence.

The people who allegedly delivered children to Larry Porter - Joshua Aldridge and the Rawlins couple - are each charged with conspiring to sex traffic children and sex trafficking children.

Larry Porter's cousin, Erroll Porter, is charged with conspiring to obstruct a child sex trafficking investigation and conspiring to tamper witnesses.

All of those are federal charges.

It's unclear what charges Larry Porter's son-in-law, Ralph Aldridge, is facing.

It's thought the sex trafficking ring could date back 'potentially for decades,' according to court records.

Chris Hoffman, special agent in charge of the FBIs Cincinnati division said that 'The alleged criminal activity in these indictments are some of the most disgusting, perverse and repulsive acts that I have ever heard of in 32 years of law enforcement,' according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Anyone with additional information about this child sex trafficking ring or who thinks they may have been a victim of it is asked to call the FBI at (614) 315-4923 or Scioto County Sheriffs Office Detective Jodi Conkel at (740) 351-1091.
A man walks on Times Square in New York, the United States, July 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

The best thing for the nation is not to reopen as quickly as possible, it is to save as many lives as possible, over 150 prominent U.S. medical experts and health professionals have said in an open letter addressed to the Trump administration, members of Congress and state governors.

WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States has neared 150,000 with daily deaths continuously passing 1,000, while some health experts are calling for a shutdown to contain the surging pandemic.

The best thing for the nation is not to reopen as quickly as possible, it is to save as many lives as possible, over 150 prominent U.S. medical experts and health professionals have said in an open letter addressed to the Trump administration, members of Congress and state governors.

Reopening before suppressing the virus is not going to help the economy, they added.

Visitors pose for photos with the Statue of Liberty on the cruise to Liberty Island in New York, the United States, July 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

The United States has reported more than 4.1 million COVID-19 cases with over 146,000 deaths, which are far higher than those in any other country or region, according to the latest tally by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

According to the CSSE, New York state has reported the highest death toll of 32,608 in the country. California, Florida and Texas emerged as new epicenters of coronavirus infection in the country, as the death toll rose to 8,408, 5,777 and 4,990, respectively.

Other states with more than 5,000 fatalities include New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, the CSSE data showed.

"Hospitalization data was highly erratic this week, but what we did see is alarming," according to a new report of The COVID Tracking Project.

Deaths are rising three weeks behind cases, which suggests a very difficult few weeks ahead for the United States, said the report.

Healthcare workers wheel a patient into the emergency room at Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York, the United States, April 14, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

"Of all the nations in the world, we've had the most deaths from COVID-19. At the same time, we're in the midst of 'reopening our economy,' exposing more and more people to coronavirus and watching numbers of cases -- and deaths -- skyrocket," the experts said in the letter.

"Right now we are on a path to lose more than 200,000 American lives by November 1st. Yet, in many states people can drink in bars, get a haircut, eat inside a restaurant, get a tattoo, get a massage, and do myriad other normal, pleasant, but non-essential activities," said the letter.

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump urged schools across the country to reopen as long as they can practice good hygiene and social distancing.

The White House is asking Congress to pledge 105 billion U.S. dollars to schools as part of the next coronavirus stimulus bill, he said.

A woman walks past a building of New York University in New York, the United States, July 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Trump and his administration are pressuring schools to reopen in the fall, threatening to withhold federal funding from schools that do not comply.

However, few Americans want to see their local schools reopen for in-person instruction as usual or even with minor adjustments, said a new poll released on Wednesday.

Eight percent of Americans say their local K-12 schools should open for in-person instruction as usual and 14 percent think schools can reopen with minor adjustments, the survey, conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, showed.

People enjoy meals at the outdoor dinning area of a restaurant in New York, the United States, on June 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

According to the poll, 46 percent of Americans believe major adjustments are needed and 31 percent say schools shouldn't open at all, while a majority of adults are concerned that sending students back to school would cause a surge in new infections in their community.

Over 20 states have paused or partially reversed reopening efforts, raising uncertainty over the prospect of economic recovery.

Noting that the premature reopening of the U.S. economy has exacerbated the pandemic, Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at accounting and consulting firm RSM US LLP said, "it has become increasingly clear that there will not be a meaningful domestic or global economic recovery until an effective coronavirus vaccine regimen is in place."
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

After Stephanie Nickolas learned that a co-workers husband tested positive for COVID-19, she decided to get tested to see if she had the disease or antibodies that might reveal whether she ever had the infection.

Nickolas, 45, went to CityMD, an urgent care chain near where she lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., which she found listed as a free testing site through New York Citys government website.

Nickolas, a high school science teacher, was relieved when both tests came back negative. But about a month later, Nickolas was surprised when she got a $300 bill from CityMD. She went to her insurers website to look up the claim and saw that the company had already paid CityMD. When she contacted CityMD to ask about the bill, she was told it was a mistake and to ignore it.



I was so mad when I got the bill, says Nickolas, who is teaching summer school remotely. The government tells everyone to get tested and has kept saying it was no cost. I did the right thing and made sure I was healthy to be out in public. I felt like CityMD was using the pandemic to make a bunch of money.

CityMD didnt respond to Consumer Reports request to comment on Nickolas billing problem, but on its website it says it is not collecting copays for COVID-19 testing and does not bill for lab testing.

Billing problems like Nickolas the one had arent supposed to happen. Congress mandated free COVID-19 testing as part of two coronavirus aid packages signed into law in Marchthe Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

Those laws require health insurers to cover medically appropriate COVID-19 and antibody testing without any cost to consumers. According to the law, that means no copay, coinsurance, or need to meet a deductible as well as no charge for the testing itself or the related doctors appointment. Congress also set aside a pool of money to cover people who are uninsured.

Story continues

But because of loopholes in the law, mistakes by insurers and healthcare providers and confusion about what is covered, some consumers like Stephanie Nickolas are getting hit with surprise medical bills for COVID-19 testing that can be hundreds or thousands of dollars. Nickolas says she worries that some people wont realize coronavirus testing is free or just wont have time to fight the bill.

The problem is likely to get worse as COVID-19 cases rise sharply in parts of the U.S. and the push for testing grows, says Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) who has co-authored several reports on the financial impact of the pandemic.

Its yet another healthcare issue that hits communities of color harder. Thats because these groups account for a higher share of cases and deaths relative to their population, in particular in states experiencing a spike in coronavirus infections and deaths. A recent KFF analysis forecast that as the COVID-19 pandemic intensifies in the South and West, its likely to affect Hispanic and Black people especially, because they are also at higher risk of experiencing more serious symptoms and have more barriers to accessing healthcare.



The Cost of Getting Tested

The charges for COVID-19 testing can be substantial. While a recent analysis by KFF of the two largest hospitals in every state and Washington, D.C., found that about half of healthcare providers that posted list prices for COVID-19 tests charge $100 to $199, 19 percent charged $200 or more. Meanwhile, of the hospitals that posted prices for antibody tests, almost 60 percent of those tests cost $50 to $149 while 16 percent were $150 or more.

But in many cases, according to the KFF, that appears to just be for the test itself and doesnt include the cost of related services that go along with testing, such as specimen collection and the office visit to get the procedure done.

All these costs are supposed to be covered by your health insurance, according to federal law, but when mistakes happen or consumers find themselves in a situation where insurance doesnt cover the cost, they can find themselves with big medical bills, says Jeanne Pinder, founder and CEO of ClearHealthCosts, which tracks healthcare pricing around the U.S. and has helped patients untangle medical billing problems.

When ClearHealthCosts looked into the issue, it found several cases of people who received bills from urgent care centers, free-standing test sites, or hospitals that ranged from $125 to $3,000 for COVID-19 testing. In three of the four cases, the bills were resolved after ClearHealthCosts investigated, and the people didnt have to pay for testing.

The healthcare providers and insurers ClearHealthCosts contacted cited various reasons for the incorrect billing, including providers using the wrong billing codes and a patient who lacked insurance and wasnt guaranteed coverage under the law.

What Can Trigger a Surprise Medical Bill

There are a number of situations in which COVID-19 and antibody testing can trigger a medical bill, says Pollitz at the KFF. Here are circumstances to watch out for.

You go out of network. If you go to a doctor or hospital not in your insurance companys network for your test, insurers are supposed to pay the full price the provider charges. But in a loophole in the law, the KFF found that if the price isnt publicly posted and the insurer and healthcare provider cant agree on a price for the testing, you could end up with a bill for what the insurer wont cover. Also be aware that not all healthcare providers that offer tests take insurance. In those cases, youll have to pay up front, then submit the bill to your insurer to get reimbursed.

You get evaluated for COVID-19 but dont get a test. Not everyone who goes in for a COVID-19 test will necessarily get the test. A healthcare provider might order a test for other health problems first, such as pneumonia or the flu, and if one of those is positive, a COVID-19 test might not be needed, which could leave you with a bill for the tests you did get.

Kaiser reported one case in which a woman who had COVID-19-like symptoms got a bill after going to the emergency room for a test but was charged for the visit even though the hospital didnt have any testing kits available.

You dont have comprehensive insurance. Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance plans must adhere to federal laws on free coronavirus testing. But if you have short-term health insurance, which doesnt meet regulations set by the Affordable Care Act for minimum essential coverage, federal requirements for insurance to cover COVID-19 and antibody tests dont apply.

You dont have any insurance. People without health insurance dont have the same guarantee as those with coverage to get free testing, though Congress did try to address that. Under the coronavirus relief laws passed earlier this year, the government set up the Provider Relief Fund. Instead of billing you, hospitals or healthcare providers who provide testing services to the uninsured can submit claims to the fund.

But not all hospitals or doctors are aware of the fund or want to go through the paperwork hassle to apply for reimbursement, says Pinder from ClearHealthCosts. Its easier to bill you, Pinder says. In that case, you should appeal the bill. (See below for advice on how to do that.)

Your employer requires a test. Federal law applies only to individual diagnostic testingsuch as when you seek treatment for COVID-19-like symptoms or think you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. But another category of testing, known as surveillance testing, which may be done to assess how prevalent the disease is in a particular area or by employers who want to screen workers returning to the office, isnt covered under the federal law.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, insurers are not required to pay for testing for general public health assessments or workplace screening for COVID-19. Employers who do require workers to get periodic testing can pay for the tests, but their health insurer plan doesnt have to cover that cost, which can lead to confusion over who is responsible for the bill.

You get treatment for COVID-19. While the doctor visit and the test itself are covered, there are no federal laws that require health insurance companies to cover the cost of treatment related to COVID-19 health problems if you are insured. If you end up testing positive for the coronavirus and get treatment or are admitted to a hospital, you can expect to be charged for your care, and have to pay your normal deductibles and copays and, if your provider is not in your network, possibly higher out-of-network fees, too.

How to Protect Yourself

Confirm coverage. To avoid surprise medical bills, the onus is on the patient to do advance work. Talk to your insurer to find out how your coverage works and whether it will cover the test at the healthcare provider where you plan to get tested. Then call the healthcare provider to confirm you wont be charged.

Check government resources. Some states, such as New York and New Jersey, that were hit hard early in the pandemic this spring invested a lot of money in setting up testing sites that offer free tests regardless of whether you have insurance, Pollitz says. Check to see whether your state offers similar services.

You can look up contact information for your state department of health on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. The Department of Health and Human Services as well as some states and local governments are also partnering with pharmacies and retailers, such as CVS and Walmart, to provide free testing. You can find retail sites in your state at HHS website. If you dont have insurance and go to a place that wants you to pay out of pocket, ask the facility or healthcare provider whether it will bill the governments Provider Relief Fund instead of you.

Appeal the bill. If you have insurance and you receive a bill that you dont think you owe, like any surprise medical bill, dont pay it right away, Pollitz says. Itll be harder to get reimbursed after youve forked over the money. Contact your insurer and healthcare provider to make sure a mistake hasnt been made. If that fails, file an appeal with your insurance company. For more information on how to file an appeal, use this free guide from the Patient Advocate Foundation.

Beware of scams. People seeking COVID-19 and antibody tests are being targeted by scammers via telemarketing calls and social media and could end up paying for bogus test kits, according to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

In one scheme, fraudsters are offering COVID-19 tests to Medicare beneficiaries in exchange for personal details, including your insurance information. The personal information collected can be used to bill Medicare. If Medicare denies the claim for an unapproved test, you could be responsible for the cost. Only go to a physician or trusted healthcare provider to get tested.





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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2020, Consumer Reports, Inc.
A White House official told reporters that OBriens daughter also has the virus, and that is how he was likely to have been exposed

Washington: US president Donald Trump's National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien has tested positive for the coronavirus  making him the highest-ranking official to test positive so far.

That's according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss it by name. The White House confirmed that O'Brien has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site."

Officials did not respond to questions about the last time the president and O'Brien had contact, but the White House insisted that, There is no risk of exposure to the President or the Vice President" and that the "work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters Monday morning that OBriens daughter also has the virus, and that is how they think he was exposed.

O'Brien is the highest-ranking White House official known to have contracted the virus and the first since May, when a personal valet to the president and the vice president's press secretary tested positive for the virus that has now infected more than 4 million people nationwide. Numerous U.S. Secret Service agents and Trump campaign staffers have also tested positive, including national finance chair Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is the girlfriend of Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr.

Senior White House staff and anyone who comes into close contact with the president and vice president are tested for the virus daily, but mask-wearing remains lax across the White House complex.

Trump, who has long dismissed the severity of the virus and claimed wrongly earlier this month that 99 percent of cases are totally harmless," said in a recent interview on Fox News Channel that he had personally lost five people, probably six, actually, as of this moment, I think, pretty soon to the virus.

O'Brien is Trump's fourth national security adviser, having been named in September to replace John Bolton, who was ousted over policy disagreements and went on to write a scathing tell-all book about his time at the White House. The national security adviser oversees the National Security Council and is the administrations point person on national security issues.

OBrien had previously served as Trumps top hostage negotiator and successfully worked for the release of several Americans, including pastor Andrew Brunson, who spent two years in a Turkish prison. Since taking on his new role, O'Brien has worked to establish an amiable relationship with the president, who has been drawn to OBriens low-key California vibe and style.

The Republican lawyer, who also worked in the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, is generally seen as a jovial presence, frequently stopping by to chat with reporters traveling aboard Air Force One.

The news about O'Brien's positive test was first reported by Bloomberg News.
Dr. Ernest Addison, Governor of BoG

27.07.2020 LISTEN

The public debt stock increased to GH258.0 billion as at the end of June 2020.

This was made known by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) on Monday, July 27, this year, during the 95th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) press conference.

Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Ernest Addison, addressing the media, says Ghanas elevated fiscal deficit path has impacted the stock of public debt which rose to 67.0 percent of GDP (GH258.0 billion) at the end of June 2020 compared with 62.4 percent of GDP (GH218.2 billion) at the end of December 2019.

He noted that of the total debt stock, domestic debt was GH122.1 billion (31.7 percent of GDP) while external debt was GH136.3 billion (35.4 percent of GDP).

According to him, the execution of the budget for the first half of the year has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through a combination of revenue underperformance and fast-paced spending.

He stated that half-year results indicate an overall budget deficit of 6.3 percent of GDP, against a target of 3.0 percent of GDP.

Revenue sources such as, taxes on income and property, taxes on goods and services, international trade taxes and non-tax revenue all underperformed, according to him.

On the expenditure side, he said, employee compensation, and other COVID- related expenditures have been the main sources of pressure.

The mid-year budget review has therefore revised upwards the overall budget deficit target to 11.4 percent of GDP by end year, from the earlier target of 4.7 percent of GDP, reflecting an additional 6.7 percent of GDP attributable to both direct and indirect COVID-19 impact, the Governor said.

This means that total revenue and grants for the year 2020 have been revised downward to GH53.7 billion (13.9 percent of GDP) from the initial target of GH67.1 billion (16.9 percent of GDP) while expenditure and arrears clearance is projected to rise to GH97.7 billion (25.4 percent of GDP) from the earlier target of GH86.0 billion (21.6 percent of GDP).

The primary balance is also projected at a deficit of 4.6 percent of GDP from the initial target of a surplus of 0.7 percent of GDP, he said.

---Daily Guide
By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan and Ukraine have discussed cooperation in the field of ICT and economics during the meeting between Azerbaijani Ambassador to Ukraine Elmira Akhundova, Consul of Azerbaijan in Kharkov Afgan Salmanov and First Deputy Mayor of Kharkov Igor Terekhov on July 27.

During the meeting, the sides discussed perspective direction of cooperation between Ukraine and Azerbaijan.

Terekhov noted that the expansion of cooperation with Azerbaijan is very important for Kharkov. He stated that after the quarantine, the Kharkov- Baku flight should be resumed, as the demand for this flight has always been quite high.

Moreover, he stressed the importance of creation of a system of popular diplomacy that develops economic and political relations at the interregional level.

Furthermore, it was noted that one of the largest organizations of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Ukraine is in Kharkov, where the number of Azerbaijani students is about 3,000 people.

In turn, Ambassador expressed her wish of Kharkov and Baku to sign a memorandum on cultural and economic cooperation.

Earlier, on July 24, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Ukraine Elmira Akhundova met with head of Kharkov Regional State Administration Aleksey Kucher. During the meeting, the parties discussed prospects for cooperation between the two countries, including in the field of industry.

Kucher noted that following the meeting the regional administration will prepare relevant investment proposals for representatives of business fields in Azerbaijan.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Like anyone who's paid the slightest bit of attention during this pandemic, you've probably noticed how the narrative regarding cloth face masks has evolved. Back in March and April, the surgeon general assured Americans that masks are "NOT effective in preventing the general public from catching #Coronavirus," so people should "STOP BUYING MASKS!" The pre-eminent Dr. Fauci similarly assured us that there's no reason for Americans to be wearing masks, because they offer a false sense of security, they cause people to incessantly touch their faces to adjust them, and most people don't wear them correctly, anyway. The World Health Organization concurred, saying the general public should not be wearing masks.

An interesting theory has emerged to explain how this once-government-sanctioned, sage advice evolved to become "everyone must wear cloth masks in all public settings or others will die," followed by statewide mandates to have everyone wear masks in public places. It has been openly asserted by Dr. Fauci, and genuinely believed by many, that all of these public health officials and organizations actually knew that wearing masks is an effective way to slow the spread of COVID-19 back in March and April, but they engaged in a coordinated conspiracy to deliver the opposite advice, in unison, because they wanted to avoid a public frenzy that would disrupt supply chains for medical masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers.

You'd have to climb out onto a pretty weak, thin limb to believe that's true. I've seen an awful lot of people wearing masks around since the beginning of the pandemic, and few of them are wearing anything resembling medical equipment. Many of them are wearing nothing more than ordinary pieces of cloth. If Dr. Fauci had actually believed, as he seems to believe now, that loosely wearing any common rag over your face might be effective in preventing COVID-19 spread, there would have been nothing to prevent him from saying so.

If masks truly work, how many millions were infected before he advised Americans to wear them? How many died as a result of his lie?

Inescapably, we must conclude that either Dr. Fauci was lying to the American people back in then, as he now says he was, or, much more likely, he's lying to us now by telling us he was lying to us back then. I'm not sure which is worse, but it really doesn't matter  the chief public health official in the United States government lying to the American people is a breach of public trust that should be unforgivable, and there is absolutely no reason to believe anything else he says with regard to public health.

The truth is likely simpler than the fiction Fauci would have you believe. Fauci, like most scientists for the last century, probably just generally agreed with the consensus that masks do little to stop the spread of a virus that is transmitted in the manner of influenza or COVID-19. As John M. Barry writes in his book on the Spanish flu pandemic, The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, there was also massive political and social pressure to promote masking back in 1918. "Through the attempts to make masks seem normal, positioned at stores alongside everyday things such as tobacco, mustache grooming and dancing, the grim truth persisted," he writes, unequivocally concluding that "the masks worn by millions were useless as designed and could not prevent influenza," because "only preventing exposure to the virus could."

"Preventing exposure," not useless masking, was understandably the strategy Fauci adopted when we decided to discontinue our social and economic lives for "two weeks to flatten the curve," if you remember. Masks likely weren't part of that discussion because it was generally assumed that after Americans spent two weeks "preventing exposure to the virus" and ensured that hospitals wouldn't be overrun with a massive initial surge of patients, the virus would then spread to others.

In other words, the virus was always expected to be spreading in these summer months. Every day that we see a rise in cases while hospitalizations are manageable and deaths are trending downward, you could argue that this is actually good news, because the COVID hospitalization and fatality rate is plunging to new lows every day that happens, and we are nearer to the end of the pandemic.

But that's not what you're hearing in the news, because this stopped being about science long ago.

You'll hear a lot of talk among the pro-mask crowd about viral loads in a sneeze being captured by a cloth mask in some controlled environment as evidence that masking works, or some other talking point that they parrot in an effort to assign scientific credibility to their position. But if masks truly worked in the real world, where, as Dr. Fauci once noted, people don't wear them right and constantly touch surfaces and then their faces to adjust them, we'd logically see some evidence that they work, wouldn't we?

Now's as good a time as any to point out that there are various reasons that this place or that one might fare better than another when it comes to dealing with COVID-19, but masks don't seem to be a significant factor. Among the countries with the lowest observance of masking are the Nordic nations of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, all of which have populations in which 80 percent or more "never" wear masks in public. Spain and Italy are on the other end of the spectrum, where more than 80 percent "always" wear their masks in public, and yet both have fared far worse than the Nordic countries.

There's a reason why Sweden, in particular, is an inconvenient comparison for progressives everywhere, and that's because it bucked the E.U. technocrats' hypothesis that social and economic lockdowns and masks were the appropriate response to the threat of COVID. Interestingly, for all the progressives' talk about their devotion to science, they are openly against the one thing that science most requires  variables to test hypotheses.

Sweden was certainly taking a risk, and it appears to have paid off. Daily new cases in Sweden are nearing zero. Are they also nearing herd immunity? It's likely too early to say, but while we certainly can't say most Swedes refusing to wear masks in public has led to this outcome, we can safely say this outcome had nothing to do with widespread adoption of masks.

The mask mandates we are seeing are social experiments, not sound judgment based upon evidence, and the politicians supporting them are doing so out of cowardice. You see, back in March, not only were mask mandates understood to be useless placebos by the world's top health officials like Fauci, but in America, they were politically untenable, too. Outside a few far-left strongholds like Los Angeles and New York, a mask mandate was viewed as an imposition upon individual liberty that was a bridge too far for most Americans just a few short months ago.

Today, the science on masks hasn't inverted, despite what you've heard. What has changed is that in our desperate hope for a solution to our national misery, we've become conditioned to find comfort in the promises of mask routines, despite our knowing that they are little more than theatrics.

As such, mask mandates have become the politically safe option for politicians.

For example, consider the political decision involved in Texas governor Greg Abbott implementing a statewide mask mandate, despite having overruled 29-year-old Harris County Judge Lena Hidalgo's county-wide mask mandate only a few months before. If circumstances get better in Texas, he can claim that it was the masks that helped toward that outcome. If it gets worse in Texas, he can claim that it would have been even worse if it hadn't been for his mask mandate. This is not a move rooted in science, but a move rooted in political cowardice and nothing more.

The opposite is the political courage shown by Brian Kemp in Georgia, who has stood nearly alone in refusing to issue a statewide mask mandate. If it gets worse in his state, critics will cite the lack of a mask mandate. If, despite his bucking the technocrats' recommendation, circumstances improve in Georgia, we can expect that its success, much like Sweden's, will be ignored as inconvenient and dangerous noise.

That's a significant risk to take. But then, doing the right thing often is.

Image: MSNBC via YouTube.
Hook: Lifting Arms Embargo On Iran Will Intensify Conflicts In Syria And Elsewhere

Radio Farda July 26, 2020

The United States Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook says conflicts in Syria and elsewhere will escalate if the United Nations arms embargo on Iran is lifted.

Meanwhile, Hook added that the Islamic Republic of Iran has constantly continued to violate the terms of the arms embargo.

Based on the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran the UN Security Council will lift the arms embargo imposed on Iran more than a decade ago by October 18. However, the United States has started an initiative to extend the embargo beyond the deadline, what seems to be part of its maximum pressure campaign.

The United States believes lifting the arms embargo against Iran would be dangerous. Washington has prepared a draft resolution it has submitted to the UNSC members.

Hook said that ending the embargo will seriously compromise peace and security of the Middle East.

"No one believes Iran should be able to buy and sell conventional weapons," he said, adding that "Conflicts in Syria and elsewhere will intensify if arms embargo on Iran is lifted."

Russia and China have opposed the idea of extending the embargo, but the United States is still trying to convince the two countries to vote for an extension.

U.S. President Donald Trump has earlier discussed the matter in a conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but Russian officials appear to be adamant not to change their position.

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/hook-lifting- arms-embargo-on-iran-will-intensify-conflicts-in -syria-and-elsewhere/30748114.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.

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(Corrects typographical error in headline)

By Alun John, Scott Murdoch and Anshuman Daga

HONG KONG/SINGAPORE, July 27 (Reuters) - Japan, Australia and some other nations are readying incentives to attract banks and asset managers in Hong Kong that are worried about the new security law imposed by China, but finance sector experts said even if they move, it will be to Singapore.

High taxes and costs, bloated bureaucracies and cultural differences in some of these Asia-Pacific nations present formidable challenges for the Hong Kong financial institutions to relocate even partially, while Singapore's similarities to Hong Kong give it an advantage, they said, though the Southeast Asian city-state has not actively been seeking such business.

Beijing imposed a tough national security law from July 1 on Hong Kong, regional home to many global financial groups, prompting companies to reassess their operations there.

Hong Kong's financial regulators said last week they had been approached by institutions concerned about the law, but they said it would not affect operations.

Nonetheless, rivals hope to benefit from the concerns.

"The political upheaval in Hong Kong has created an opportunity for Australia and Sydney to become a stronger regional financial centre," Senator Andrew Bragg wrote to Australia's Treasurer this month, proposing policy changes.

Japan included attracting excellent human resources to form a global financial centre in an economic policy roadmap earlier this month, following official remarks they could win business from Hong Kong.

Ruling party draft proposals include visa support and streamlining approvals for investment management licences.

Smaller financial centres are also trying their luck.

Busan in South Korea is offering tax breaks and rent free offices to financial firms, while Taiwan's top regulator told Reuters he hoped the island's rule of law and democratic values would attract business.

Story continues

UPHILL STRUGGLE

However, the mooted reforms do not move the dial enough, say some sector professionals.

"Tokyo will, frankly, struggle to steal significant market share from, let alone replace, Hong Kong," said Steven Tran, a partner at law firm Mayer Brown in Hong Kong, who was previously based in Tokyo for four years.

Tran said Japanese taxes, together with a perceived greater level of bureaucracy, higher labour costs and less English language fluency, would make it harder for financial institutions to operate regional hubs from Tokyo.

Hong Kongs corporate tax rate of 16.5% is a little over half that of Japan's and Australia's, and among the lowest in the region.

Convincing senior staff to give up an international lifestyle in Hong Kong is another challenge.

"Typically, when expatriates move to Japan they need much more hand-holding than when moving to Hong Kong," said Jeremy Laughlin, a Tokyo-based business development manager at Santa Fe Relocation.

Language and cultural difficulties as well as the absence of adequate financial infrastructure could scupper South Korea and Taiwan's efforts too.

Cultural issues are less difficult for Australia, but Financial Services Council CEO Sally Loane said Australia needed to implement greater tax reform and make regulatory changes to align its fund management industry with other Asian jurisdictions to attract Hong Kong business.

SINGAPORE, OR STAY?

Institutions have not made any major moves from Hong Kong as yet, but they are being circumspect even about discussing contingency plans as the topic is sensitive and many hope to expand in mainland China.

Lawyers and advisers say Singapore is the most likely beneficiary of any relocation, thanks to its corporate tax rate of 17%, a business friendly environment, and its standing as a financial centre.

"Everyone is competing for talent but in terms of population, economic profile, and ease of doing business, Singapore is the most similar to Hong Kong," said Jason Salim, a Singapore-based analyst at risk consultancy Control Risks. (Reporting by Alun John and Scott Murdoch in Hong Kong, Anshuman Daga in Singapore; Additional reporting by Takashi Umekawa in Tokyo and Cynthia Kim in Seoul; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Bill Guide, who has owned the bar since 2003, said Monday that the investigators got the wrong picture during the second visit, and that all the people in the bar were employees who were cleaning after the bar had closed. However, a spokesperson for BACP said the people sitting and standing around the bar were drinking, and only some were able to prove they worked there. The fact that the Sunday incident occurred less than 24 hours after the first citation this weekend prompted BACP Commissioner Rosa Escareno to close the business, according to the BACP.
SANTA CRUZ, CA  Santa Cruz County has officially joined the state's watch list.

Santa Cruz County is officially on the state's monitoring list Friday after state officials flagged it Wednesday. When counties are added to the state monitoring list, it means state health officials are eyeing troubling COVID-19 statistics and offering targeted support to help counties make progress.

Numerous businesses must now close for indoor operations, as of Tuesday. That includes hair salons and barbershops, fitness facilities, worship services, ceremonies such as weddings and funerals, office buildings for nonessential workers, nail salons, malls and other businesses.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Santa Cruz County continues to climb. There were 920 cases as of Sunday, the most recent day for which data was available Monday, including 573 active cases and four deaths. That's an increase of 171 cases since the previous Sunday.

Don't miss updates about the coronavirus in California as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.



Watsonville remains the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Santa Cruz County. There are 521 known cases in South-County, 199 cases in Mid-County, 128 cases in North-County and 72 cases still under investigation.

Here's the breakdown by city:

Capitola: 34

Santa Cruz : 157

Scotts Valley: 21

Watsonville: 460

Unincorporated: 168

Under Investigation: 80

California's average daily number of cases over the last 14 days now sits at 9,316 while average daily coronavirus deaths over the same 14-day period sit at 95. Health officials across the state have confirmed a total of 460,550 coronavirus cases and 8,445 deaths.

Most Santa Cruz County residents who have contracted the virus have been sickened by close, person-to-person contact, with people who are closer than six feet to each other for more than 15 minutes. Usually, those people are not wearing masks, said county Health Officer Gail Newel Thursday.

Story continues

Most of the county's total cases have been reported in recent weeks.



"Our staff is overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases that are increasing every single day," Newel said.



Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know

This article originally appeared on the Santa Cruz Patch
WASHINGTON - Gathered in the small assembly hall in Little Rock, Arkansas, their chairs spaced 6 feet (1.83 metres) apart, the business leaders listen admiringly to the nations chief law enforcement official.

They ask Attorney General William Barr about elder fraud. They ask about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, about protection of federal monuments. And each thanks Barr for his devotion and service, praising him as a patriot who is working tirelessly to protect America and restore order.

But there are those who disagree. Outside, Black Lives Matter protesters approach the doors, screaming, chanting and banging on the windows. The business leaders strain to be heard over the din.

Weve been here an hour and now we all understand what you go through every day, a middle-age banker tells Barr, so thank you.

Barr can expect this kind of praise when he appears Tuesday for the first time before the House Judiciary Committee -- but only from its Republicans. To them, he is a conservative stalwart, an unflappable foe of the left and its excesses, and -- most importantly -- a staunch defender of President Donald Trump.

The reception from the Democrats will be closer to the hostility of Little Rocks demonstrators.

In the course of roughly 18 months in office, the 70-year-old Barr has become inexorably linked to a norm-busting president with sagging popularity and uncertain reelection prospects.

His actions, including the investigation he launched into the Russia probe, have deepened criticism of him as Trumps faithful protector. Democrats have suggested he should be impeached and are holding hearings into what they say is the politicization of the Justice Department under his watch.

He came to the job with the reputation of an establishment Republican, and the expectation, by some, that he would temper the behaviour of an impulsive and iconoclastic president. He has not, leading some to believe he has tailored his principles to conform with Trumps views on politics and the law.

In fact, for decades Barr has made no secret of his commitment to law and order and his support for expansive presidential power. Those views have married neatly with a president who has repeatedly tested the limits of executive authority, a pairing that has benefited both men and perhaps allowed Barr to let down his hair more than ever before.

The people who know him insist that Barr is just being Barr  that he is not motivated by ambition or anything other than the opportunity to put his heartfelt beliefs into practice.

He doesnt have anything to prove from a professional or career standpoint, said his longtime colleague and friend, attorney Chuck Cooper. Hes been at the apex of the legal profession for a long time. And so, in that respect, hes unlike any other attorney general. Hes already ascended to that pinnacle once before.

___

Only one other attorney general has served two non-consecutive terms -- John J. Crittenden, who held the job under presidents William Henry Harrison and John Tyler and later Millard Fillmore in the 19th century. Barrs first stint was from 1991 to 1993, under President George H.W. Bush.

He first encountered Bush, then director of the CIA, when Barr was working for the intelligence agencys legislative counsel while attending law school. Bush was testifying before Congress against a proposal to notify people whose mail had been read by the CIA.

Barr would recall, in an oral history for the University of Virginia: Someone asked him a question, and he leaned back and said, How the hell do I answer this one? I whispered the answer in his ear, and he gave it, and I thought: Who is this guy? He listens to legal advice when its given.

Clearly, he liked having the ear of the powerful.

Devoutly Catholic son of the headmaster at a tony prep school, Barr had an upper-class, New York City upbringing: parochial elementary school, then storied Horace Mann prep school, and on to Columbia University and George Washington University for law.

He was conservative from a young age. It is often noted that as a kindergartner, he gave a speech for Dwight Eisenhower. He announced he was supporting Richard Nixon in his Roman Catholic elementary school and a nun took him aside and promised to pray for him. He told a high school counsellor he wanted to run the CIA.

But he did not stay at the CIA. He held a clerkship with a U.S. Court of Appeals judge on the D.C. circuit, then went into private practice  though he kept a toe in the political world, working on candidate vetting, among other things. He served in the Reagan White House for more than a year.

Then, when Bush was elected, Barr joined the Justice Department  first as assistant attorney general of the Office of Legal Counsel, then as deputy attorney general, and finally as attorney general.

Even then, his views of executive power were expansive: He advised George H.W. Bushs administration that congressional authorization was not needed to attack Iraq but said a resolution of support would be helpful, nonetheless. He blessed Bushs desire to pardon Reagan administration officials in the Iran-Contra scandal as within the presidents authority, and provided legal justification for the Bush administration to invade Panama and arrest Manuel Noriega.

His post-government career included a string of lucrative private-sector legal jobs  including general counsel for Verizon Communications and attorney for the Caterpillar construction equipment company  until he answered Donald Trumps call to replace Jeff Sessions as attorney general.

___

Barr arrived at his confirmation hearings with credentials as a member of more mainstream, and conventional, Republican circles than Trump. He was seen as a reasonable choice to restore normalcy to an agency riven with tumult, including an attorney general whose recusal from the Russia investigation left him openly and publicly despised by the president.

Despite early indications of an askance view of the Russia investigation  he authored a memo months before his nomination critical of special counsel Robert Muellers efforts  he struck a soothing note at his confirmation hearing.

Mueller would of course be permitted to finish his work, he said. A president who offered a pardon in exchange for the concealment of incriminating information may well be committing obstruction, Barr said. And a nominee who had proposed names other than his own for the job reassured the Senate that, as someone already near the end of his career, he had no need to curry favour with the president.

He was confirmed 54-45, mostly along party lines.

But that support began to erode weeks later after he cleared Trump of obstruction of justice allegations even when Mueller and his team had pointedly declined to do the same, and after he produced a summary letter of Muellers investigation that painted a more flattering portrait for the president than the special counsel had done.

Hes since initiated an investigation of the Russia probe that Trump supporters have embraced, but that Democrats see as vindictive and backward-looking.

In his confirmation hearing, I came in with an open mind, especially because a series of people whod previously served with him in the DOJ, a long time ago, had reached out to me to say they believed he was committed to the rule of law and would be a good attorney general, said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. But I have become more and more concerned about his priorities, and his leadership as the months have gone on.

Barrs supporters and friends describe him as unmoved by the criticism, committed to actions that he sees as appropriate and proper regardless of what anyone thinks.

Nobody likes criticism, but Bill is one of those folks who follows his own path and is self-confident enough that he believes hes doing the right thing in each case. I think hes less affected by public criticism than some. I would compare him to someone like Justice Scalia, said Andrew McBride, a Washington lawyer and longtime Barr friend.

Which is a good thing for Barr, because in his second term as AG he has faced far more criticism than he did in his first. And as Barr often jokes, hes far more recognizable now than he was in the 1990s; hes even been stopped in European bars for selfies.

He sought leniency in the sentencing of Trump ally Roger Stone  his idea alone, he insists, and a righteous decision based on the merits. The move promoted angry dissent in the Justice Department and the swift resignation of a well-regarded prosecutor, and though the judge did impose a sentence shorter than what the trial team had sought, Trump commuted the sentence anyway.

He also moved to dismiss the prosecution of former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn, a request the Justice Department expected would be simple but that has instead produced a pitched fight before a federal appeals court.

He tried to fire the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, but that didnt go precisely as planned when U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman refused to step aside, leaving Bermans deputy in his place instead of the prosecutor Barr had selected to replace him.

The actions have resulted in open letters signed by thousands of Justice Department alumni who have demanded Barrs resignation.

Theyve also reinforced criticism that he is facilitating the vision of a president who has shown little regards for the historic norms that have for decades guided the relationship between the White House and the Justice Department, chief among them that law enforcement operates independent of politics when it comes to cases and matters.

Trump and Barr have broken on occasion: Trump wanted a full-on prosecution of players in the Russia probe, like Andrew McCabe, and bristled when Barr asked him to stop tweeting about Stone, saying that the tweets were making it impossible to do his job.

But largely, Barr has delivered, Trump has told confidants, including when he moved to drop the Flynn prosecution and ousted Berman.

And it was Barr, acting on the presidents law and order pledge, who stood in Washingtons Lafayette Square last month before law enforcement cleared the street of demonstrators at the height of the George Floyd protests. A short time later, he stood just a few feet away as the president held a Bible aloft outside St. Johns Church, creating one of the defining  and, as it turned out, politically damaging  moments of his presidency.

___

Barr fancies himself a lawmans lawman. While sheriffs and even many rank-and-file officers adore him, after all these years he doesnt quite fit in with the blue-collar world of the working-class cop.

Just before Christmas, Barr visited New Yorks One Police Plaza to meet with New York Police Department brass after a series of suicides among New York police officers. Later that night, he hosted a thank-you dinner for hundreds of officers. The NYPD sent two officers from each precinct, along with some chiefs, the NYPDs commissioner and his chief deputy.

As the officers streamed into the Queens catering hall, bagpipes played in the background. (Barr is a competitive bagpipe player, though he also rocks out to Shakira.)

The officers were offered drinks. But they were in uniform  Barr didnt realize that they were not allowed alcohol. Barr apologized and told them to eat up. He paid the bill  well over $10,000  out of his own pocket, handing the owner his credit card.

Barr has devoted numerous speeches to discussing restoring the rule of law in America. A signature line: There is no more noble profession than being a law enforcement officer. Even as the nation engages in a growing conversation about police reform, Barr has loudly cautioned that going too far  allowing the pendulum to swing all the way  would be detrimental.

Earlier this month, Barr flew to South Carolina and Arkansas to meet with police officials and community leaders. At a predominantly African American church, community leaders told him they didnt want to defund the police. The officers in their communities needed more training and better resources. Police officials shared the same views.

Barr has said he recognizes there is racism in the U.S., and that theres reason for some communities to be more suspicious of law enforcement than others, but he doesnt think that the system is systemically racist.

Like all power, it can be abused. And people just sort of act like it is an either-or situation, its all about abuse or, you know, beat the Iron Fist, Barr said in an interview.

Instead, he believes it is incumbent upon the government to ensure there are adequate policies in place to protect against abuse and that officers have proper training. But going too far and pushing to defund or disband police departments or moving quickly to bring criminal charges against police officers without robust investigations is likely to lead to a mass exodus of officers, he argues.

The demonstrations happening across the country arent a totally new phenomenon for Barr, and George Floyds death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer is reminiscent of a major civil rights investigation he handled in his first stint as attorney general  the beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles in the early 1990s.

When a state jury acquitted three officers, and failed to reach a verdict on a fourth, it was the Barr Justice Department that brought federal charges in the case, leading to convictions of two officers.

___

Barr is one of the most hands-on attorneys general the nation has ever seen. He often digs into the minutia of cases or pressing investigations and demands briefings, sometimes every half hour.

But Democrats on Capitol Hill have accused Barr of acting more like Trumps personal lawyer than Americas chief law enforcement officer. For Barr, thats a criticism easily shrugged off.

I dismiss it because like many other talking points these days, theres never any actual particular matter presented to support it, so I ignore it as just part of the general background noise, Barr said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

But the criticism isnt limited to congressional Democrats. Many former federal prosecutors have puzzled over actions that they see as breaking against Justice Department convention and tilting in the favour of Trump allies, including his push to drop the prosecution of a former adviser, Michael Flynn, who had already pleaded guilty.

Like Trump, he believes there must be a thorough investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation that shadowed Trumps presidency, even as Democrats decry those probes as politically motivated. What seems to upset them is that I am dead set on making sure we get to the bottom of what happened during the 2016 election period, he said.

He points to the Justice Department inspector generals report that found flaws in how the FBIs Russia investigation was conducted. Despite the problems the watchdog office identified, it nonetheless determined that the FBI had a legitimate basis to launch a full investigation  a finding Barr disagrees with  and that the probe was not motivated by political bias.

At the end of the day, Barr insists his most controversial decisions have been right and just.

I think the only way to handle this kind of job, especially in the kind of environment we are in, is to just put one foot in front of the other, and every time a decision is brought to you, you make a decision and walk away with a clear conscience, Barr said.

___

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington and Jonathan Lemire in New York contributed to this report.
One day in December 1989, Eddy Willems got a floppy disk that changed his life. His boss gave it to him after finding the label intriguing: AIDS Version 2.0, a disease that was new and strange at that time. The company, based in Antwerp, Belgium, sold medical insurance among other things, and some AIDS statistics might prove lucrative, the boss thought. So, he asked the 27-year-old Willems to test the software.

A jack-of-all-tech-trades, Willems put the 5.25-inch black plastic diskette into his PC. He ran the program, filling out a whole survey meant to tell if someone could be infected with AIDS or not. And that was it, Willems says. I thought: okay, nothing really special here. Im probably going to throw it away. Soon, he switched off the computer and went home.

When he turned on his computer the next day, Willems noticed it had fewer folders, but he didnt put a lot of thought into it. On the third day, however, when he booted up his computer, something strange happened. "There was a message on the screen asking me to pay," Willems says. It was asking me to mail $189 to a PO Box in Panama, or I couldnt use my computer anymore. I thought, 'What is this?'

Willems switched off the computer and used a bootable floppy to restart it. He saw that his directories were still there, but they were hidden, and the names of the files were changed to strings of random characters. Luckily, the contents of his files were unaltered, only their names looked weird.

I thought: This was encryption, he says. But it was completely ridiculous. The program wasnt created by a real IT guy. An analysis of the malware published a month later in the Virus Bulletin January 1990 edition said pretty much the same thing: While the conception is ingenious and extremely devious, the actual programming is quite untidy.

Eddy Willems The original AIDS Version 2 floppy disk

Willems wrote a small script to restore the names of the files. It took me actually ten minutes to solve the bloody thing, he says. Then, he went to his boss again and told him that there was possibly a bug in the AIDS program. I said the diskette is of no use to us, and Im throwing it away.

AIDS Trojan the first ransomware

Little did he know that the AIDS Trojan, also known as PC Cyborg, was wreaking havoc all over the world. It is believed that 20,000 computer enthusiasts, medical research institutions, and researchers who attended the WHOs international AIDS conference in Stockholm received diskettes like the one Willems got. This sneaky software was attributed to American evolutionary biologist Dr. Joseph Popp, who held a Ph.D. from Harvard. Popp was arrested for spreading the computer virus, charged with several counts of blackmail. He was, however, declared mentally unfit to stand trial.

When Willems saw the names of his files encrypted, he didnt think it was a security issue. Only a few days later he watched a report on a Belgian TV station explaining the magnitude of what was happening. He was interviewed by journalists and soon his decryption method was used not only in Belgium, but also in faraway countries such as Japan. The bloody thing made him famous and, without him realizing it, it paved the way to a successful career. Willems is now a security evangelist at G DATA.

I never thought ransomware would become such a trend.

During that crazy week in December 1989, Willems did one more thing right: He didn't throw away the diskette after all. He proudly keeps it on display at his home because its one of the only AIDS floppies left in the world, he says.

The floppy foreshadowed a new type of attack that cost companies billions of dollars in total each year. I never thought ransomware would become such a trend, Willems says.
At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with travel restrictions in place worldwide, we launched a new series  The World Through a Lens  in which photojournalists help transport you, virtually, to some of our planets most beautiful and intriguing places. This week, Tony Cenicola, a New York Times staff photographer, shares a collection of images from a remote island in Michigan.

Tucked away in the northern reaches of Lake Superior, far closer to both Ontario and Minnesota than to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, lies one of the countrys least visited national parks: Isle Royale.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines Life)  Amid the heat and the threat of COVID-19, various civil rights groups staged the #SONAgKAISA protests at UP Diliman in time for President Dutertes SONA. It is reported that the crowd estimate is around 10,000.

The program ran from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., with a lineup of civic leaders, actors, musicians, and lawmakers lending their voice to the protest. Speakers brought up issues such as the ABS-CBN shutdown, governments response to the pandemic, passage of the Anti Terror Bill, and the welfare of laborers, frontliners, and disenfranchised jeepney drivers.

Senators Risa Hontiveros and Kiko Pangilinan sent their messages through video, Senator Leila De Lima had a poem called Ang Trayador, read by actress Angeli Bayani, journalist Ces Drilon spoke about the importance of press freedom (Hindi ito isang pribilehyo na tulad ng sinasabi ng ating presidente, she said). Former Chief Justince Maria Lourdes Sereno discussed the implications of charter change.

Rey Salinas of Bahaghari and one of the arrested Pride20, closed the program and said, Di kami natinag sa pang-aaresto, pagbabanta ng pasasabugin ang ulo namin, at sekswal na harassment na naranasan namin sa kulungan para sumama ngayon sa protesta ng mamamayang galit na sa kanilang mga pang-aabuso.

During the protests, several people were also roving around to remind people of physical distancing.

Here are a few scenes from the protests.

Groups from the agriculture sector join the SONAgKAISA rally. Photo by JL JAVIER

The "Roletalsik," which depicts four reasons why the Duterte administration should end, according to the protesters. Photo by JL JAVIER

Rey Valmores-Salinas of Bahaghari and Pride20 closes the program. Photo by JL JAVIER

Transport sector groups protest the continued disenfranchisement of jeepney drivers. Photo by JL JAVIER

Lawyer Chel Diokno at the SONAgKAISA rally. Photo by JL JAVIER

A member of AMIHAN, an organization of peasant women protesting the Terror Law and peasant killings. Photo by JL JAVIER

Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc in their colorful and elaborate SONA garb. Photo by JL JAVIER

ABS-CBN workers at the protests. Photo by JL JAVIER

Groups also call for mass testing. Photo by JL JAVIER

Mae Paner dresses up as Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a rash guard, a swim cap, and some inflatable dolphins. Photo by JL JAVIER
Wikimedia Commons

A top Obama administration health official has said the United States could virtually eliminate the coronavirus any time we decide to if the country were to take universal steps in controlling the virus.

Andy Slavitt, the former acting administrator of the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services under President Barack Obama, shared a 38-tweet thread about what the country could be doing during the pandemic.

We can virtually eliminate the virus any time we decide to, Mr Slavitt wrote. We can be back to a reasonably normal existence: schools, travel, job growth, safer nursing homes & other settings. And we could do it in a matter of weeks. If we want to.

Charts from other countries were then shared by the health official to show how other places were able to control the spread of the novel virus.

He used the examples of Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and Spain to show how each country has given the US tools against the pandemic.

Dont tell me the US cant take action if we want to, he wrote.

A six-step kitchen sink plan was recommended by the health official. If the US implemented the six steps immediately, Mr Slavitt said it could be with the goal of being open for business in October  meaning schools, in person voting, sports, everything.

The plan would involve a 90 per cent lockdown instead of a 50 per cent lockdown, which is what the country implemented in March into April. It was only 50 per cent lockdown because not all states shut down and there were still a lot of essential employees going to work that would instead stay home.

COVID Update July 26: We can virtually eliminate the virus any time we decide to. 1/  Andy Slavitt @  (@ASlavitt) July 26, 2020

Other steps involved universal mask wearing, prohibiting interstate travel, prohibiting travel between countries, keeping all hot spot locations closed like bars and restaurants, and using hotels to house people with Covid-19 symptoms away from their families.

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Mr Slavitt admitted this plan would mean the economy would take a several week hit and extended unemployment insurance would be necessary to address how many Americans would lose their jobs.

But the plan would still allow for people to go outside and gather safely with friends.

So what would happen? At first, absolutely nothing, Mr Slavitt wrote, Cases would still grow from the prior weeks & the incubation period. Hospitals would still be full. We would still see people die.

He added: The COVID truthers would have a field day, tweeting every day the same routine.

So lets define the kitchen sink:

1. start with universal mask wearing. We didnt do this in Mar-April and lets chalk it up to faulty instructions. But we know better now.

2. Keep the bars & restaurants & churches & transit closed. All hot spots.

3. Prohibit interstate travel10/  Andy Slavitt @  (@ASlavitt) July 26, 2020

By the end of the eight weeks, Mr Slavitt said the US would not be at zero cases, but instead there would be embers of the virus left behind. These embers, though, would be controllable by health officials in every area, as they would be able to quickly test, isolate, and trace the virus in each individual impacted.

It also would give healthcare professionals a chance to catch their breath, and create an excess of ventilators and PPE for people to use.

Whether we do this or not, lets not pretend this isnt an option, Mr Slavitt said.

We will do this. There is no other way. The question is when. The question is who will convince us. The question is the leadership it takes, he added at the end of his thread. But theres not much question if we should.

More than 4.2 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus and the US was nearing the 150,000 death toll mark with 147,253 deaths as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

At his first coronavirus press briefings in weeks, Mr Trump appeared to change tones by admitting the problem would get worse before it got better. He even cancelled the in-person Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, for a virtual option in North Carolina.

But the Trump administration has not indicated if it would consider a kitchen sink plan that would shut down a majority of the country.

Read more

Couple wearing swastika face masks insist they arent Nazis

Trump took Covid-19 seriously after warnings of spikes among base

Congressman John Lewis to lie in state in US Capitol Rotunda

Trump criticises Reagan Foundation over image complaints

Kathie Lee Gifford recounts last time she saw Regis Philbin
The flood situation remained grim in Assam and Bihar on Sunday with five more deaths and nearly 4 million people affected in the two states.

According to a bulletin issued by Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the five fresh deaths raised the flood-related toll in the state to 102.

Besides deaths due to drowning, 26 more people have died across the state since May due to landslides caused by heavy rain, as per ASDMA.

As on Sunday, nearly 2.5 million people in 2,265 villages in 23 of the states 33 districts were still affected by floods. Goalpara (4.70 lakh) was the worst affected district followed by Barpeta (3.95 lakh) and Morigaon (3.33 lakh).

Nearly 46,000 people uprooted due to floods were taking in 457 relief camps in 16 affected districts.

Union minister for development of north eastern region Jitendra Singh spoke to Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and assured him help from the Centre and the North Eastern Council to restore and repair the infrastructure damaged in floods.

Meanwhile, the situation continued to deteriorate in Bihar, with the water level of the Ganga river breaching the danger mark at Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur and overflow from the Gandak flooding more areas on Sunday.

According to the water resources department (WRD), the rise in water level of the Ganga in Patna and Munger has affected Diara and low-lying areas on its course. Rivers such as Bagmati, Burhi Gandak, Kamla, Adhwara and Mahananda are also flowing above the danger level, putting pressure on embankments at different places.

Champaran and Mithilanchal region are among the worst-hit areas, with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force on standby for rescue operations.

According to news agency PTI, a 25-year-old woman gave birth to a baby girl on board an NDRF rescue boat plying on the swollen Burhi Gandak river in flood-affected Bihar on Sunday, officials said.

The woman was being rescued from her marooned house in Gobari village of East Champaran district when she developed severe labour pain and later delivered the baby around 1:40 pm, they said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was accompanied by an ASHA (accredited social health activist) worker who helped in the childbirth, an NDRF spokesperson said in Delhi.

So far, about 1.50 million people residing in 625 panchayats of 86 blocks across 11 districts have been affected due to the recent spell of floods in north Bihar. WRD officials said that the situation might worsen as the meteorological department had predicted heavy rains in the Himalayan region in Nepal and planes of north Bihar in the next 72 hours.

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If your phone takes amazing photos, chances are its camera has been augmented by artificial intelligence embedded in the operating system. Now videos are getting the same treatment.

In recent years, smartphone makers have been gradually transforming their cameras into devices that capture data for AI processing beyond what the lens and sensor pick up in a single shot. That effectively turns a smartphone into a professional camera on auto mode and lowers the bar of capturing compelling images and videos.

In an era of TikTok and vlogging, there's a huge demand to easily produce professional-looking videos on the go. Like still images, videos shot on smartphones rely not just on the lens and sensor but also on enhancement algorithms. To some extent, those lines of codes are more critical than the hardware, argued Andreas Lifvendahl, founder and chief executive of Swedish company Imint, whose software now enhances video production in roughly 250 million devices -- most of which come from Chinese manufacturers.

"[Smartphone makers] source different kinds of camera solutions -- motion sensors, gyroscopes, and so on. But the real differentiator, I would say, is more on the software side," Lifvendahl told TechCrunch over the phone.

Smart video recording

Imint started life in 2007 as a spin-off academic research team from Uppsala University in Sweden. It spent the first few years building software for aerial surveillance, just as many cutting-edge innovations that find their first clients in the defense market. In 2013, Lifvendahl saw the coming of widespread smartphone adaptation and a huge opportunity to bring the same technology used in defense drones into the handsets in people's pockets.

"Smartphone companies were investing a lot in camera technology and that was a clever move," he recalled. "It was very hard to find features with a direct relationship to consumers in daily use, and the camera was one of those because people wanted to document their life."

Story continues

"But they were missing the point by focusing on megapixels and still images. Consumers wanted to express themselves in a nice fashion of using videos," the founder added.

Source: Imint's video enhancement software, Vidhance

The next February, the Swedish founder attended Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to gauge vendor interest. Many exhibitors were, unsurprisingly, Chinese phone makers scouring the conference for partners. They were immediately intrigued by Imint's solution, and Lifvendahl returned home to set about tweaking his software for smartphones.

"I've never met this sort of open attitude to have a look so quickly, a clear signal that something is happening here with smartphones and cameras, and especially videos," Lifvendahl said.

Vidhance, Imint's enhancement software suite mainly for Android, was soon released. These days, it can enhance precision, reduce motion, track moving objects, auto-correct horizon, reduce noise, and strengthen other aspects of a video in real-time -- all through deep learning.

In search of growth capital, the founder took the startup public on the Stockholm Stock Exchange at the end of 2015. The next year, Imint landed its first major account with Huawei, the Chinese telecoms equipment giant that was playing aggressive catch-up on smartphones at the time.

"It was a turning point for us because once we could work with Huawei, all the other guys thought, 'Okay, these guys know what they are doing,'" the founder recalled. "And from there, we just grew and grew."

Working with Chinese clients

The hyper-competitive nature of Chinese phone makers means they are easily sold on new technology that can help them stand out. The flipside is the intensity that comes with competition. The Chinese tech industry is both well-respected -- and notorious -- for its fast pace. Slow movers can be crushed in a matter of a few months.

"In some aspects, it's very U.S.-like. It's very straight to the point and very opportunistic," Lifvendahl reflected on his experience with Chinese clients. "You can get an offer even in the first or second meeting, like, 'Okay, this is interesting, if you can show that this works in our next product launch, which is due in three months. Would you set up a contract now?'"

"That's a good side," he continued. "The drawback for a Swedish company is the demand they have on suppliers. They want us to go on-site and offer support, and that's hard for a small Swedish company. So we need to be really efficient, making good tools and have good support systems."

The fast pace also permeates into the phone makers' development cycle, which is not always good for innovation, suggested Lifvendahl. They are reacting to market trends, not thinking ahead of the curve -- what Apple excels in -- or conducting adequate market research.

Despite all the scrambling inside, Lifvendahl said he was surprised that Chinese manufacturers could "get such high-quality phones out."

"They can launch one flagship, maybe take a weekend break, and then next Monday they are rushing for the next project, which is going to be released in three months. So there's really no time to plan or prepare. You just dive into a project, so there would be a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up in four or five weeks. You are trying to tie hundreds of different pieces together with fifty different suppliers."

High-end niche

Imint is one of those companies that thrive by finding a tough-to-crack niche. Competition certainly exists, often coming from large Japanese and Chinese companies. But there's always a market for a smaller player who focuses on one thing and does it very well. The founder compares his company to a "little niche boutique in the corner, the hi-fi store with expensive speakers." His competitors, on the other hand, are the Walmarts with thick catalogs of imaging software.

About three-quarters of Imint's revenues come from licensing its proprietary software that does these tricks. Some clients pay royalties on the number of devices shipped that use Vidhance, while others opt for a flat annual fee. The rest of the income comes from licensing its development tools or SDK, and maintenance fees.

With a staff of around 40, Imint now supplies its software to 20 clients around the world, including the Chinese big-four of Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo as well as chip giants like Qualcomm and Mediatek. ByteDance also has a deal to bake Imint's software into Smartisan, which sold its core technology to the TikTok parent last year. Imint is beginning to look beyond handsets into other devices that can benefit from high-quality footage, from action cameras, consumer drones, through to body cameras for law enforcement.

So far, the Swedish company has been immune from the U.S.-China trade tensions, but Lifvendahl worried as the two superpowers move towards technological self-reliance, outsiders like itself will have a harder time entering the two respective markets.

"We are in a small, neutral country but also are a small company, so we're not a strategic threat to anyone. We come in and help solve a puzzle," assured the founder.
Agriculture officials in multiple states including North Dakota issued warnings Monday about unsolicited shipments of foreign seeds and advised people not to plant them.

North Dakota's Department of Agriculture and State Seed Department have received several reports of state residents receiving unsolicited seed packets in the mail that originated in China, Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said.

Were not sure why these seeds are being sent or what the motives are behind this, he said. Unsolicited seeds may be invasive and introduce diseases harmful to plants or livestock.

People in several states have received packets of unknown seeds. Agriculture officials around the country say they don't know if the seeds are a hoax, a scam or an act of agricultural bioterrorism, according to The Associated Press

North Carolina's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said the shipments could be the product of an international internet scam known as brushing, the AP reported.

According to the Better Business Bureau, foreign, third-party sellers use your address and Amazon information to generate a fake sale and positive review to boost their product ratings, said Phil Wilson, director of that state's Plant Industry Division.

Any North Dakotan who receives unsolicited seeds in the mail should keep them and the mailing label and contact the agriculture department by calling 701-328-2391 or by emailing doa-phytos@nd.gov. The agriculture and state seed departments will work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to identify and destroy the seeds.

Individuals who receive unsolicited seeds should be concerned, said Jason Goltz, regulatory manager of the State Seed Department. The introduction of a noxious weed or new disease can have devastating effects on agriculture and our food supply.

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The holiday plans of families across Northern Ireland have been thrown into chaos after Spain was dropped from the so-called green list.

Holidaymakers at resorts across Spain and the Balearic and Canary Islands now face 14 days of self-isolation after returning home.

Meanwhile, people with holidays booked in mainland Spain and islands including Tenerife and Majorca in the coming weeks may now lose thousands of pounds as a result of the dramatic U-turn.

The Department of Health announced the updated position on Saturday evening and it came into force just hours later.

There are also fears that France and Germany could join Spain on the quarantine list after recent spikes there.

Health Minister Robin Swann last night said that even those travellers who test negative for Covid-19 immediately after returning home must self-isolate, as they could still be infected. He called for the Executive to meet to discuss the matter.

The removal of Spain from the list of countries exempt from the strict 14-day quarantine period has been described as the "latest nightmare" by a travel agent.

Coleraine-based Briege McAuley from independent travel company Travel Counsellors warned anyone planning on visiting Spain to check with their insurer before leaving.

It comes after the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said it is "likely" that travel insurance will remain in place for holidaymakers already in Spain until they return home. However, those attempting to travel to countries against official advice would invalidate their travel insurance.

The ABI said people who booked a trip or took out travel insurance after Covid-19 was declared a pandemic may not be covered for travel disruption or cancellation.

In either circumstance, travellers should check with their insurer, said Ms McAuley.

"This is the latest nightmare for holidaymakers and for our industry," she said.

"There really was no clue that this was going to happen, the first we knew about it was when it was announced on the news on Saturday evening.

"To be honest, I have been advising customers against booking anything this year because everything is so uncertain, I've actually been turning business away."

Ms McAuley said she hopes the development will not further damage the already fragile industry. She recommended that anyone planning on booking a holiday for the coming months and even next year uses a travel agent to ensure they are protected in the event of companies going bust.

Fiona Dalzell, a Travel Counsellors travel agent based in Maghaberry, Co Antrim, said: "It's the last thing the industry needed. I think we're the only industry that has been working through all of this and we're now having to hand money back.

"I'm just thankful that a lot of my customers had already decided to rebook for 2021. I do think because of the speed at which the decision has been made, the official websites have been quite slow to update with information, so a lot of people have spent today on the phone trying to speak to their travel provider.

"Different companies are dealing with it differently too. For example, TUI were happy to change a booking to mainland Spain or the islands free of charge for anyone travelling up to August 9.

"However, Jet2 were only changing bookings free of charge for holidays to mainland Spain.

"Of course the situation is changing so quickly, so that might change. I would also advise anyone thinking of travelling to check their insurance policy first. If your insurance is void then it means that if something happens, even if it isn't related to Covid, if it is a broken arm, then you will have to pay.

"A lot of people might not realise their insurance is void because flights are still going."

There was growing uncertainty last night over the impact of the situation on travellers.

No explanation has been provided over why the Balearic and Canary Islands have been removed from the green list despite the fact they have not seen a spike in cases. It is also not known how the 14-day isolation period will be enforced.

There has also been criticism at the speed at which the change in policy was enforced from the point at which it was announced.

However, Mr Swann said the countries covered by quarantine regulations are kept under continual review and are liable to change.

"There is no ideal time to make such a decision. A phased introduction would not have made sense. Public health considerations must take priority," he said.

"The decision was taken after consideration of the latest data. Covid-19 prevalence in Spain has increased in recent weeks - a trend which accelerated rapidly in the latter half of the past week. I appreciate that people returning from Spain and its islands will now be faced with an unexpected period of quarantining.

"I will be requesting a meeting of the Executive to consider what support or advice measures may be needed for employees, employers and the self-employed, and what other actions may be needed.

"The advice from the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser is that a negative Covid-19 test immediately on return from Spain would not exclude infection - so a period of self-isolation would still be required. It has to be reiterated that Saturday night's decision was not taken lightly."
China on Monday reported its highest number of coronavirus cases in three months, part of a worrying swell of second and third-wave infections that are hitting Asia and Europe.

Australia has been rocked by its deadliest surge since the start of the pandemic, Hong Kong is experiencing record daily numbers and Spain's caseload has tripled in the last fortnight.

Meanwhile, other regions are still battling their first waves after never getting the virus under control: the US alone has recorded almost 4.23 million cases of COVID-19, while infections in Latin America and the Caribbean surged on Sunday to briefly overtake North America's total for the first time.

Worldwide the confirmed case count has passed 16 million, although experts believe that figure is vastly short of the true number. One study in New Delhi found a quarter of people tested had contracted the virus, amounting to 4.7 million in the Indian capital alone.

China -- where the coronavirus was first reported in December last year -- recorded 61 cases on Monday, the highest daily figure since April.

Graphic highlighting the countries with the largest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the past week.. By (AFP)

The second-wave surge was propelled by clusters in separate regions, and authorities have declared "wartime mode" lockdown measures to combat the spread of the deadly contagion.

Most of the 57 new domestic cases were in the far northwestern Xinjiang region, where an outbreak in the regional capital Urumqi occurred in mid-July.

A second programme of mass testing was launched Sunday in the city of 3.5 million people to check residents who had previously tested negative, with 2.3 million people screened so far.

Chinese authorities have also rolled out mass testing for hundreds of thousands in the northeast port city of Dalian where a fresh cluster broke out last week.

Deadly new waves

Australia on Sunday suffered its deadliest day since the pandemic began, with 10 fatalities and a rise in new infections despite an intense lockdown effort.

Australia has seen a surge in cases, with dozens of infections linked to a home for the elderly in Melbourne. By William WEST (AFP)

And on Monday the country recorded its highest number of daily cases of at least 549, more than Wednesday's high of 501 with some states still to report their numbers.

Daniel Andrews, premier of Victoria state where the latest outbreak is centred, begged anyone sick to stay at home.

In Hong Kong, which seemingly had a lid on local transmissions for weeks, new infections have snowballed sparking fears the latest outbreak is spreading out of control.

More than 1,000 infections have been confirmed since early July -- more than 40 percent of the total since the virus first hit the city in late January. Eighteen people have died.

Hong Kong will from Wednesday stop most ships from changing crews in the city after quarantine exemptions were blamed for a surge in local cases. By ISAAC LAWRENCE (AFP/File)

The city said it will stop most ships from changing crews in the densely populated territory from Wednesday to cut back on quarantine exemptions blamed for causing a third wave of cases.

And Spain, where more than 28,400 have lost their lives, has also witnessed a recent surge in cases with nearly 1,000 on both Thursday and Friday, although the government insisted the country was safe to visit and was not experiencing a second wave.

Spain has seen a recent surge in cases with nearly 1,000 on both Thursday and Friday, although the government insists the country is safe to visit and not experiencing a second wave. By Pau BARRENA (AFP)

"Like other European countries, Spain has new outbreaks," Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told reporters on Sunday, adding: "It's not unusual."

London sparked a spat with the Iberian country, hugely popular with British holidaymakers, after it announced passengers arriving from Spain should spend a fortnight in isolation.

However, Britain defended its decision with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab telling Sky News: "We can't make apologies for doing so... We must be able to take swift, decisive action."

Cases pass 16 million

As worldwide infections passed 16 million, Latin America and the Caribbean totalled more than 4.34 million, according to an AFP tally, briefly surpassing North America, where the United States remains the hardest-hit country in terms of both caseload and death toll.

Customers sit with a teddy bear used to keep social distancing measures at a restaurant in Mexico City. By PEDRO PARDO (AFP)

But North America soon moved ahead again, as the US recorded more than 55,000 new cases in 24 hours for a total of nearly 4.23 million.

Combined with Canada's 116,000 cases, North America now has more than 4.34 million infections.

In Latin America, Brazil is the worst-hit country with almost 2.42 million cases and more than 87,000 deaths.

There have also been increases in infections in Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Argentina, all of which are trying to resume economic activities.

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A boy fills a plastic bottle with water in Hayran district of Hajjah province, Yemen, July 10, 2020. In northern border villages of war-torn Yemen, children ride donkeys for long journeys of kilometers to fetch water for their families. (Photo by Mohammed Alwafi/Xinhua)

HAJJAH, Yemen, July 27 (Xinhua) -- In northern border villages of war-torn Yemen, children ride donkeys for long journeys of kilometers to fetch water for their families.

Many wells in Al-Sada village of Hayran district in the northwestern province of Hajjah had dried up.

"We are suffering from a water crisis, as getting water is not an easy task. It requires long-distance travel and I need to wait for hours among the crowds. In the end, I get undrinkable water," 12-year-old Yahya Ahmed told Xinhua, in front of the only well in the arid area.

"This water is not clean and we want a solution to the water problem in our villages," Yahya said after filling his cans strapped on the back of the donkey.

"I know this is contaminated water but we have no choice," he said while starting his long trek home along with other dozens of children.

The collected water could only cover the needs of Yahya's eight-member family for one day, including drinking. But during the hot summer, he sometimes has to head to the well twice a day.

According to the residents, the new wells drilling projects in the district had stopped because of the war.

Even in bigger cities, residents have to go long distances to fetch water from charity tanks, which lack periodic sterilization. Projects of drilling new wells in the northern cities had also stopped too due to the war.

According to the UN aid agencies, more than 17 million people in Yemen don't have access to safe water.

The contaminated water has caused the spread of many diseases across Yemen, where more than five years of war have destroyed over half of the country's health system and caused the collapse of its economy.

The epidemics have killed thousands and sent millions to the hospitals.

Since April 2017, cholera and acute watery diarrhea epidemic in Yemen have caused an estimated 2 million suspected cases and 3,500 associated deaths, mostly children, according to a recent joint statement by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund.

The outbreak in Yemen remains the largest cholera in the world, they said.

Yemen has been mired in war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of much of the country's north, forcing the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in the Yemen conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government.

The war has since killed tens of thousands of people, mostly children, displaced 3 million, destroyed the country's agricultural industry and pushed over 20 million to the brink of starvation. Enditem

A boy fills plastic bottles with water in Hayran district of Hajjah province, Yemen, July 10, 2020. In northern border villages of war-torn Yemen, children ride donkeys for long journeys of kilometers to fetch water for their families. (Photo by Mohammed Alwafi/Xinhua)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced at a Monday press conference that $52 million in federal grant funding will be allocated for a unified, coordinated response to the coronavirus pandemic in eight of the hardest-hit Central Valley counties.

Newsom said essential workers and the Latinx population have been disproportionately impacted in this region.

While the statewide positivity rate is about 7.5%, counties in the Central Valley are seeing rates between 10.7% and 17.7%. The governor didn't specifically list the eight counties that will receive funding as part of a $499 million grant from the CDC, but said Fresno, Tulare and Stanislaus are among them.

California Health and Human Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said this region of California is seeing "an inordinate number of cases" with some areas reporting 250 cases per 100,000 residents and others "all the way north of 450 cases per 100,000 residents."

The allocation will help fund everything from increased testing and contact tracing to medical supplies. Housing for the Harvest is a new program that will offer temporary hotel housing to farm and food processing workers who need to isolate due to COVID-19.

The Newsom administration is also deploying three strike teams to the Central Valley, similar to the state's effort in Imperial County. The teams will include administration officials and community groups who will work to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Newsom said.

In his daily briefing, Newsom went over the state's coronavirus numbers; California implemented 128,439 coronavirus tests Sunday and 6,891 of those came back positive.

Twenty-nine deaths were reported on Sunday, and the states current daily average is up from 91 a day last week to 109 this week, Newsom added.

Hospitalization numbers are continuing to rise, but at a more modest rate than they were three weeks ago when hospitalizations were up 50%. The 14-day hospitalizations rate was up 3% on Monday.

There are now 37 counties on the monitoring list for increased infection and hospitalization rates, with Santa Cruz County being the latest addition.

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Aged care staff are still working across multiple residential facilities, with some also working in hospitality or retail, as providers wait for the federal government's promised workforce support funding after seven elderly residents died in the pandemic's deadliest day.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth said there was still "a lot of travel between facilities" in Victoria's aged care sector, a week after the government announced support to help providers restrict each worker to one centre to reduce the risk of COVID-19 being transferred.

Clinical waste removalists at the St Basil's Homes for the Aged in Fawkner. Credit:Penny Stephens

"We want to try and minimise that, because an infected individual is likely to spread the virus," Dr Coatsworth said on Sunday.

The sector has spent months lobbying for the funding, which operators say is needed to restrict its largely casual workforce to a single centre each, where they may only get one shift per week.
US President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders to massively lower prescription drug prices and widen Americans access to life-saving medications, including insulin.

The American Presidents latest orders are aimed more at bringing transparency and cutting the role middlemen play in the trade. At the same time, the order will have some impact on Indian generic pharmaceutical companies, especially those selling speciality and biosimilar drugs.

The orders, signed on July 25, included allowing certain drugs to be imported from Canada and ensure that the discounts negotiated by middlemen, who are known as pharmacy benefit managers, are passed on to Medicare patients. The other most radical proposal is to cap the prices of Medicare Part B drugs to the lowest price available in countries economically comparable to the US.

Medicare is a US federal health insurance programme that covers people who are above 65 years, people with permanent disabilities, and end-stage renal patients.

Burgeoning healthcare costs, especially prices of prescription drugs, have always been a politically sensitive issue for Americans. The orders come just months before the US Presidential elections in November, in which Trump will seek a second term.

What the orders say

There are four executive orders. The first one talks about federally qualified health centres passing along massive discounts received from drug companies on insulin and epinephrine to certain low-income Americans. Epinephrine is used to treat allergic reactions.

The second order will allow State plans for safe importation of certain drugs from Canada. The third order will prohibit secret deals between drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers (middlemen), ensuring patients directly benefit from available discounts at the pharmacy counter.

The fourth and final order ensures that the US pays the lowest price available in economically comparable countries for Medicare Part B drugs.

Impact on Indian pharma

India exported about $6 billion worth of drugs in fiscal year 2019 to US, more than one-third of its total pharmaceutical exports.

But the executive order that allows the US government to pay the lowest price available in economically comparable countries for Medicare Part B drugs could have an adverse impact on Indian companies.

The Trump administration has been saying that it pays 80 percent more for drugs than other developed countries. So, it is proposing the creation of an international pricing index that will seek to cap pricing of drugs under Medicare Part-B to the maximum price in any of the OECD countries.

However, Trump said he is giving the pharmaceutical industry until August 24 to make a deal with him before he implements it.

While the prices of most commonly prescribed generic drugs are the same across the developed world, there are drugs such as biosimilars and speciality drugs that are much cheaper in Europe, compared to the US.

Companies such as Sun Pharma, Biocon, Lupin, Cipla and Dr Reddys, among others, which are betting on speciality drugs and biosimilars, may be impacted if the order is implemented.

This is the most contentious proposal among the executive orders, and has been put on hold until August 24, and is unlikely to be eventually implemented, in our view, said HDFC Securities in its report.

This has a bearing on specialty drugs, particularly, biologics and consequently biosimilars, though, critically, as per the industry, it will also stifle biotech innovation in the US, the report added.

Pricing pressure

The order, if implemented, is likely to be a problem for Indian generic companies, which are already facing pricing pressure in the lucrative US market.

Prescription drugs in the US saw their largest annual price decrease in over half a century in 2018.

The White House press release says that the Trump Administration has approved generic drugs at historic rates, saving patients $26 billion in the first 19 months of the Trump presidency.

None of the points in the executive order has a large bearing on the generics pricing environment in the US, which remains fiercely competitive, with pricing for several commodity oral solids such as statins, prils, etc. already at a lower price point than most developed countries (in several cases, even India). We see limited impact from a price cap, except that it will restrict price gouging, HDFC Securities said.
WASHINGTON - The body of the late Rep. John Lewis has arrived in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state as lawmakers pay tribute to the long-time Georgia lawmaker and icon of the civil rights movement.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a delegation Monday to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to greet Lewiss flag-draped casket. Lewiss motorcade stopped at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House as it wound through Washington before arriving at the Capitol, where the late congressman becomes the first Black lawmaker to lie in state in the Rotunda. As with others afforded the honour, Lewiss casket was rested atop the catafalque built for President Abraham Lincolns funeral in 1865.

Pelosi and others will attend a private ceremony in the Rotunda before Lewiss body is moved to the steps on the Capitols east side for a public viewing, an unusual sequence required because the COVID-19 pandemic has closed the Capitol to the public. Inside the Rotunda and outdoors, signs welcomed visitors with a reminder that masks would be required.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who served in Congress alongside Lewis, is expected to visit the Capitol to pay his respects. The pair became friends over their two decades on Capitol Hill together and Bidens two terms as vice-president to Barack Obama, the nations first Black president who awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Notably absent from the ceremonies was President Donald Trump, who publicly jousted with Lewis. Lewis once called Trump an an illegitimate president and chided him for stoking racial discord. Trump countered by blasting Lewiss Atlanta congressional district as crime-infested. Trump said he would not go to the Capitol, but Vice-President Mike Pence is scheduled to pay his respects later Monday.

Just ahead of the ceremonies, the House passed a bill to establish a new federal commission to study conditions that affect Black men and boys.

Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Reps. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Karen Bass of California, were seen sporting Good Trouble face masks, a nod to one of Lewiss favourite pieces of advice.

Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic, Lewis tweeted in 2018. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.

The tributes Monday were the latest in a series of public remembrances for the 80-year-old Alabama native who helped lead the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the peak of the civil rights era.

The son of sharecroppers, Lewis was among the original Freedom Riders, a group of young activists who boarded commercial passenger buses and travelled through the segregated Jim Crow South. They were assaulted and battered at many stops along the way, by both citizens and authorities. Lewis was the youngest and last-living of the featured speakers for the March on Washington in 1963, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his I Have a Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

In Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, Lewis suffered a beating at the hands of an Alabama state trooper that became one of the defining moments of his life. He was at head of hundreds of civil rights protesters who attempted to march from the Black Belt city to the Alabama Capitol to demand access to the voting booth.

The marchers completed the journey weeks later under the protection of federal authorities, but then-Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace, an outspoken segregationist at the time, refused to meet the marchers when they arrived at the Capitol. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on Aug. 6 of that year.

Lewis spoke of those critical months for the rest of his life as he championed voting rights as the foundation of democracy, and he returned to Selma many times for commemorations at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where baton-wielding officers had brutalized Lewis and other marchers.

The vote is precious. It is almost sacred, he said again and again. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.

Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the last time Sunday on a horse-drawn carriage before an automobile hearse transported him to the Alabama Capitol, where he lay in repose, becoming one of the few citizens who wasnt a former governor to have such an honour. He was escorted by Alabama state troopers, this time with Black officers in their ranks, and his casket stood down the hall from the office where Wallace had peered out of his window at the voting rights marchers he refused to meet.

Lewis already has had a public funeral in his hometown of Troy, Alabama. He will have a private funeral Thursday at Atlantas historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, which King once led.

___

Barrow reported from Birmingham, Alabama. Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Darlene Superville contributed to this report from Washington, DC.
Innovative commercial VR solution to be adapted for AF Global Strike Command Security Forces

Security forces defend Airmen, nuclear assets

(photo credit: U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Daniel Brosam)

(photo credit: U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Daniel Brosam)

NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Street Smarts VR, whose virtual reality (VR) training platform is used across U.S. military and law enforcement organizations, announced today a contract with U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) Security Forces that deepens their commitment to maximizing readiness for Airmen through more realistic training.



The contract, secured under the AFWERX Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program, supports the adoption of innovative commercial technologies for military use. With the initiative, Street Smarts VR (SSVR) will adapt training scenarios to the requirements of AFGSC Security Forces, to be delivered via a VR training system secured under an existing contract.

AFGSC Security Forces have a mission set that is unique and distinct from other Security Force units  namely the protection and defense of the nations nuclear missiles and bombers. The Air Force Global Strike Command provides strategic deterrence, global strike, and combat support. It is responsible for the nations three intercontinental ballistic missile wings, the Air Forces entire bomber force, the Long Range Strike Bomber program, Air Force Nuclear Command, Control and Communications systems, and support to organizations within the nuclear enterprise.

The New Reality in Training

Compared to legacy solutions, Street Smarts VR allows Defenders to maximize readiness with the most realistic training experience availablewith scenarios informed by motion capture technology and mission-relevant data, plus real-world replica weapon loadouts. SSVRs ability to tailor training scenarios, coupled with the platforms ease-of-use for instructors, will enable AFGSC Security Forces to train anywhere, efficiently, for both individual and multiple users.



The adoption of VR training aligns with the Security Forces Enterprise Plan 2020, which aims to exploit new and emerging technologies that modernize equipment and make Defenders more proficient, helping ensure that Security Forces can protect the Nations Air and Space Combat Power and Strategic Nuclear Mission.

Story continues

Street Smarts VR is honored to bring all the advantages of tailored content and leading-edge commercial VR to the training requirements of AFGSC Security Forces, said Oliver Noteware, co-founder and CEO. As a team of veterans, we understand both the importance of the mission and the demands of the training to support it. Were dedicated to providing accessible, realistic, and affordable training that develops the decision-making and tactical skills required to maintain the absolute highest level of readiness.

The contract work, valued at just under $1 million dollars, will be performed at AFGSC Security Force headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, Louisiana. Deployment locations of the training system are yet to be disclosed.

About Street Smarts VR:

Street Smarts VRs immersive virtual reality training technology brings out the best in people who protect and defend others. Designed to recreate high-risk scenarios safely and facilitate de-escalation and conscious use of force, Street Smarts VR is trusted by military and law enforcement organizations of every size to train like they are therewherever the mission might be.

For more information please visit: www.StreetSmartsVR.com



Media Contact:

Joel Greenberg

DCPR

Joel@dcpr.com

202-363-1065 | 202-669-3639 cell

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f0bdfa2e-e664-4833-98e8-bccc8bcff126

MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, MT, UNITED STATES

341st Missile Wing Public Affairs

Airman 1st Class Dillan Caceres, 341st Missile Security Forces Squadron response force leader, stands in front of a missile alert facility. Caceres job is to deny unauthorized access to missile alert facilities and launch facilities, and to defend the nations nuclear assets.

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/3725926/security-forces-defend-airmen-nuclear-assets

PUBLIC DOMAIN




TOKYO, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Telix Pharmaceuticals Japan K.K., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX, Telix, the Company) is pleased to announce it has entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ATOX Co., Ltd. (ATOX), the exclusive Japanese sales agent for Belgium company IRE ELiTs 68Ge/68Ga-generator. Under the terms of the MOU, ATOX will provide the 68Ge/68Ga-generator for use in a Phase I clinical study of Telixs 68Ga-PSMA-11 kit for prostate cancer imaging in Japanese patients.



Telix Pharmaceuticals Japan President Dr. Shintaro Nishimura stated, Although the clinical utility of PSMA-11 for prostate cancer imaging is well understood worldwide and included in clinical practice guidelines1, to date no meaningful clinical research involving PSMA-11 has been undertaken in Japan. Hence, as Telix Japan plans the first clinical trial of PSMA-11 for prostate cancer imaging in Japan, we are delighted to have established this partnership with ATOX for the provision of the IRE ELiT 68Ge/68Ga-generator. We believe this is a great first step not only for both our companies, but also for prostate cancer patients in Japan.

ATOX President Mr. Toshikazu Yaguchi, added that, I believe that Telix recognizes ATOX's longstanding contributions to Nuclear Medicine in Japan. ATOX looks forward to working with Telix Japan to ensure the realization of this important clinical trial and to improving the lives of Japanese patients living with prostate cancer.

About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited

Telix is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of diagnostic and therapeutic products using Molecularly Targeted Radiation (MTR). Telix is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with international operations in Belgium, Japan and the United States. Telix is developing a portfolio of clinical-stage oncology products that address significant unmet medical needs in prostate, kidney and brain cancer. Telix is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: TLX). For more information visit www.telixpharma.com

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About ATOX Co., Ltd.

By leveraging the business experience of investigational PET drug manufacturing in Kobe from 2011 to 2017, ATOX has been expanding its playing field to a nuclear medicine industry including the development of the Head PET device, import and sales of IRE ELiTs 68Ge/68Ga generator and development of 224Ra/212Pb generator for alpha radionuclide therapy. For more information, visit https://www.atox.co.jp/en/

Telix Japan Contact

Dr. Shintaro Nishimura

President & Chief Operating Officer

Telix Pharmaceuticals Japan K.K.

E: shintaro.nishimura@telixpharma.com

W: www.telixpharma.com

ATOX Contact

Shusaku Tazawa

Manager, Business Development Department

ATOX Co., Ltd.

E: shusaku_tazawa@atox.co.jp

W: https://www.atox.co.jp/en/



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1 Trabulsi EJ, et al. Optimum Imaging Strategies for Advanced Prostate Cancer; ASCO Guideline. J Clin Oncol 38: 1963  1996 (published online January 15, 2020).




Prospective police officers will have to pass the civil servant exam, followed by a two-year training programme.

New Minister for Police Henri Kox presented the new recruitment modalities this Monday morning. Practical training will be given greater weight during the two-year programme.

The new modalities will come into effect in 2022. Luxembourg police will seek to recruit 607 police officers and 240 civilians until 2022.

General police director Philippe Schrantz explained this Monday morning that staff shortages are causing internal unrest. The public, he said, also believes that the police service is currently not good enough. He outlined several points that the police will work on. Police will for instance evaluate ongoing missions and determine whether or not certain missions could be taken over by other (non-police) civil servants. This would allow police to focus on its core missions.
With a student population of over 3,000, Rockhurst shut down its campus in mid-March, the lawsuit said. The complaint added that it has since refunded $2.2 million to students in room, board, and fees.

Maryville  with more than 10,000 students  also shut down in mid-March. According to the lawsuit, the university has similarly refunded over $2 million to students.

The universities claim in their lawsuit that Factory Mutual informed them that it would limit payments for pandemic-related claims to communicable disease provisions in their insurance policies. The lawsuit added that those payments are far lower than their expected losses.

The insurance industry  and this defendant in particular  appears to be taking a uniform approach to the current pandemic: deny coverage even when the policy they drafted and offered to insureds, and the policy paid for by the insureds, does not contain an exclusion for pandemic- or virus-related losses, the suit alleges.

Obviously, COVID-19 has had a devastating financial impact on colleges and universities, Pat Stueve, a lawyer representing both universities, told KCUR. Theyve shut down dorms and dining halls, reimbursed students for unused room and board. For many universities, thats in the millions of dollars. And obviously, theres the future impact because of the increasing spread of the virus.

Stueve added that he believes the Rockhurst/Maryville lawsuit is the first of its kind to be filed by a university in America for non-payment of pandemic-related claims.

A spokesperson for Factory Mutual told KCUR that the company could not comment because of the legal nature of the matter.
Growing Chinese investment to Vietnam could turn the Southeast Asian country into a transshipment point for China to reroute its exports to a third country.

With complicated trade relations between China and other countries, Vietnam should remain cautious about growing Chinese investment in the country, according to the Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR).

Vietnam should remain cautious about growing Chinese investment capital to the country.

This could turn Vietnam into a transshipment point for China for later to reroute its exports to a third country, not to mention the issues of environmental pollution, infringement of labor rights and low technologies often associated with Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) projects, stated VEPRs quarterly economic report issued on July 21.

Among 45 countries and territories having fresh projects in Vietnam in the first six months of 2020, Singapore remained the largest investor with US$4.3 billion, or 51.3% of the total newly registered capital; followed by China with US$950.1 million, or 11.3%, and Taiwan with US$775.2 million, or 9.2%.

On the other hand, while Vietnams imports of the majority of goods and products during the first six months declined compared to the same period last year, those of computers, phones and parts increased sharply.

Such a trend, combined with a surge in exports of computers, phone and parts to China, raises the question of whether Vietnam is being used for goods temporarily imported for re-export to China, said Nguyen Duc Thanh, the VEPRs former director, at a workshop on July 21.

As a result, Vietnam is facing the risk of sanctions from its trade partners, especially the US, as the latter is tightening the export policy of high technological products to China.

During the six-month period, China remained Vietnams largest import market with US$34.92 billion, down 2.2% year-on-year.

Foreign investors more committed to Vietnam

Meanwhile, the VEPR suggested the FDI inflows to Vietnam has not been as severely impacted as other nations, as the country has been successful in containing the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the second quarter, newly FDI to Vietnam declined 18% year-on-year to US$2.94 billion, but the capital injected to existing projects jumped 64% year-on-year and 139% quarter-on-quarter to US$2.62 billion. During this period, actual FDI stood at US$4.75 billion, up 22% quarter-on-quarter, which is higher than the growth rate of 20.8% recorded in the same period last year.

Overall, the FDI for new projects in the first six months of this year stood at US$8.43 billion, up 14% year-on-year and additional capital for ongoing projects grew 28.4%.

VEPR noted foreign capital is flowing into existing projects, instead of new ones, and this is an uncommon trend for FDI in Vietnam.

This could be explained by the fact that foreign investors are more committed to projects under development in Vietnam.

The decline of fresh FDI to Vietnam in the second quarter was mainly due to Covid-19 impacts, but with strong commitments of foreign investors to Vietnam, it would return to the growing trend once the pandemic is contained globally, stated the VEPR report.

According to the VEPR, this is the right time for Vietnam to review its incentive tax policies for foreign-invested companies to ensure a fair and healthy business environment. Hanoitimes

Ngoc Thuy

Will US investors head for Vietnam after leaving China? US businesses are seeking Vietnamese partners in various business fields, according to the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC).
India Bans 47 Additional Chinese Mobile Apps

The Indian government has banned 47 additional Chinese social media applications, following a ban of 59 mostly Chinese apps last month, according to several local media.

The fresh action involves clones and variants of apps that were targeted at the end of June. Citing an unidentified source, Press Trust of India said the ban for all Indian users went into effect on July 24.

India Today, citing its own unidentified sources, also reported on the expanded ban and added that the list would be released soon.

Several local media outlets identified some of the newly banned apps, such as TikTok Lite, a lite version of the popular video-sharing app TikTok, as well as Helo Lite, SHAREit Lite, Bigo Live Lite, and Cam Scanner Advance.

TikTok, Helo, SHAREit, Bigo, and Came Scanner were among the 59 Chinese apps initially barred. According to a press release by Indias Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, these apps engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state, and public order.

The June ban, which also included popular Chinese messaging app WeChat and social media platform Weibo, was issued amid heightened tensions between China and India after a deadly clash in a disputed border region on June 15 that left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

On July 25, disengagement at some locations in the eastern Ladakh region, where the clash took place, had been complete, India Today reported.

The Indian government said in a statement on July 4 that one of the reasons for banning the 59 apps was because some apps have been stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data to servers based outside India.

Without naming China, it warned that companies may hand over users data to foreign governments, damaging Indias national interests.

On July 10, the Indian government published on its website the names of alternative Indian apps to the 59 banned apps, saying the ban was an opportunity for India to become reliant on its own tech capabilities.

Lawmakers, officials, and experts in the United States have also expressed concerns about Chinese apps collection of user data, particularly by TikTok, which was rolled out by the Beijing-based tech firm ByteDance in 2016.

A U.S. proposal to ban TikTok on government-issued devices was unanimously approved by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs on July 22, clearing the way for a vote by the full Senate. Two days earlier, House lawmakers voted 33671 to pass a similar bill. If approved by the Senate, any differences between the two versions will then be negotiated.

Meanwhile, the Indian government has prepared another list of over 250 Chinese apps that it will examine for violations of user data and national security, India Today and The Economic Times reported on July 27.

The Economic Times reported that it had reviewed the list, which includes AliExpress, developed by Chinese tech giant Alibaba, and Tencents PubG.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte appealed to landlords and banks in the country to help in the recovery of small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, Duterte said that lessors should come up with amenable arrangement and to not drive their tenants away. He reminded them that prior to the pandemic, these tenants were their source of income.

Commercial establishments are requested to give grace period to allow deferment of payments especially for MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises] that they are forced to close during the quarantine period, he said.

As for the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and banks operating in the country, Duterte ordered them to provide MSMEs with regulatory relief and to allow loan payment extension without incurring penalties and charges.

Prior to this, Duterte has directed the extension and delay of payment of loans and rent of businesses and tenants with the implementation of community quarantine in the country mid-March, which forced many businesses to close down either temporarily or permanently.

In June, the Department of Labor said more than 3,000 establishments across the country have permanently closed or cut back workforce due to the pandemic.

The global crisis also led to the unemployment of 7.3 million Filipinos, which brought unemployment rate to 17.7 percent, an all-time high.
Embraer boosts Phenom maintenance to 800 flight hours. Image: Embraer

The revision extends the intervals between stops from 600 flight hours and/or 12 months and multiples to 800 flight hours or 12 months and multiples. Most of the tasks with double intervals were also optimised to the longest period.

This is a 33% maintenance interval improvement, which is almost double the industry average. To Phenom series customers, this significant improvement equates to less downtime, lower maintenance costs, a long economic life, and more time in the air.

The improvement was only made possible by the performance of the Phenom fleet over the last decade. More than one year of engineering analysis confirmed that the customers of these aircraft can fully benefit from the high availability of the fleet for their even better convenience and greater flexibility.

Conceived as clean-sheet designs to be the best in their respective classes, the Phenom 100 and 300 series aircraft were built for high utilisation. Now, eleven years after the first delivery, with a fleet of over 900 jets in operation, our customer support and engineering team can reaffirm, once again, that our products are even better than the initial specification, said Johann C. Bordais, President & CEO, Embraer Services & Support.

The Phenom fleet has accumulated more than 1.7 million flight hours and 1.4 million cycles since the first delivery of the Phenom 100 in December 2008.
Chandigarh Religious bodies are demanding that all Sikhs and Hindu families living in Afghanistan be brought to India at the earliest.

The reaction came a day after 11 members of the Sikh and Hindu minorities in Afghanistan, including a community leader who was recently abducted by terrorists, arrived in New Delhi on Sunday after the Indian embassy in Kabul facilitated their travel.

Why in small groups, bring all of them in one go, said Gurpreet Singh, who heads Chandigarh-based Global Sikh Council.

Nidan Singh Sachdeva, who was kidnapped from Paktia province last month and was released on July 18, was among part the 11 Afghan nationals who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday.

As per data with the Indian authorities, there are at least 575 Sikhs and Hindus living in Afghanistan of which 350 have valid Afghan passports and majority of them have the Indian visa.

Concerns among Afghanistans dwindling Sikh minority have increased after a terror attack on a Sikh place of worship in Kabul in March that left 25 people dead and many others injured.

The attack was claimed by the Islamic State, though Indian and Afghan security officials believe the assault was planned and executed by Pakistan-based Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Today I met the officers in the ministry of external affairs and have requested them to bring all of them (Sikhs and Hindus) to India. Those who dont have passports, Indian consulate in Kabul should help them in procuring valid travel documents, said Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjinder Singh Sirsa. In the next batch, 70 Sikhs and Hindus are expected to reach Delhi in the first week of August.

Sirsa said he had offered the Indian government that DSGMC would pay for the travel expenses of all those coming from Afghanistan. We will also provide them lodging and food during their initial days and gradually help them find work to earn a livelihood.

According to reports in the Afghan media, there were some 2.2 lakh Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Their numbers dwindled to 15,000 when the Taliban took control. Now, as per an estimate, the number of Sikh and Hindu population is less than 600.

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New Delhi: IndiGo on Monday (July 27) said it is implementing deeper pay cuts of up to 35 per cent for its senior employees in order to reduce its cash outflow amid the coronavirus pandemic.

From May onwards, IndiGo had implemented pay cuts of up to 25 per cent for its senior employees.

"I will increase my personal pay cut percentage to 35 per cent. I am asking all senior vice presidents and above to take a 30 per cent pay cut, all pilots will see their pay cut percentages increased to 28 per cent, all vice presidents will take a 25 per cent pay cut and associate vice presidents will take a 15 per cent pay cut," IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta told employees in an e-mail on Monday.

These increased pay cuts will come into effect from September 1.

The 'deeper' pay cuts came announcement from the airlines comes barely a week after it announced that it would lay off 10 per cent of its workforce due to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.

Before Monday's announcement, IndiGo CEO Dutta took a 25 per cent cut in salaries. For senior vice presidents the pay cut was 20 per cent, for vice presidents it was 15 per cent and for associate vice presidents it was 10 per cent.

In May, IndiGo had also cut the salaries of Band D employees and cabin crew members by 10 per cent, and of Band C employees by 5 per cent. Salaries of employees in Band B and Band A were not touched. Majority of the employees of the airline are in Band B and Band A.

The company had also implemented a compulsory leave without pay (LWP) scheme for its employees for up to five days per month in May to deal with the economic crisis.

The aviation sector has been significantly impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries in view of the coronavirus pandemic. All airlines in India have taken cost-cutting measures such as pay cuts, leave-without-pay and lay-offs in order to conserve cash.

India resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the airlines have been allowed to operate only a maximum of 45 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic flights.
Clive Palmers legal challenge to bring down Western Australias hard border commenced in the Federal Court on Monday, with WA's Chief Health Officer conceding there was little public health justification for keeping the state closed to the five other jurisdictions who had eliminated COVID-19.

Mr Palmer, who was denied access to WA in May, claims the closure is unconstitutional as it restricts the rights of Australians to move freely between states.

Clive Palmer  who has a mining company based in WA  says the border was "destroying the economy".

WA Premier Mark McGowan closed the border on April 5 to prevent undetected coronavirus cases from entering the state. WA has not had a case of community transmission in more than 100 days.

He labelled Mr Palmer a menace to Australia and criticised the federal government for supporting the legal challenge.
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
Bret: The same fear spins around in my head like a scene in a horror movie  the one in which the evil ax murderer has a knife in his back and seems to be dead, but you know hes coming back for one last terrifying chop.

Gail: I hate when that happens.

Bret: I can think of all kinds of things that could derail a Biden bid. He stumbles really badly in an interview. Police officers get massacred at a protest, as they were in Dallas in 2016. His veep pick is too far to the left. China shoots down an American surveillance plane. Fed-up parents start a movement to send their kids back to school, and Biden opposes them to take sides with the teachers unions. Covid-19 fatality rates reach a plateau and then fall, unemployment comes down, crime shoots up.

In other words, a lot can happen. On the flip side of this is the likelihood, or at least the prayer, that most Americans have really soured on Trump, and theyre just waiting for Biden and his V.P. pick to give them a sense of reassurance that theyll be the right mix of harmless and hopeful.

Gail: Well, things look so good for Biden now there are only two possible worries. Yours is the classic Joe Screws Up, and I am not going to try to convince you thats impossible.

Mine is a suspicion of polls. Ive always suspected that when people get called by a poll taker, they want to say something they think will make them look good. There was a period in which some Black candidates did better in the polls than they did in the actual votes on Election Day, and one thought was that respondents just wanted to seem tolerant.

Bret: I think youre referring to the Bradley effect, after the African-American L.A. mayor Tom Bradley, who lost a governors race in California to a white opponent even though pre-election polls had him ahead.

Gail: Ive wondered if the polls showing Hillary way ahead four years ago were the product of people not wanting a stranger on the telephone to know they were a Trump kind of voter. And now were back again, except supporting Trump is even more embarrassing. Could we be seeing the same thing?
Doctors at the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation-run Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (PCMC) staged a protest at the hospital premises on Monday morning after they alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator Sandip Waghere verbally abused a doctor after one patient died under treatment on Sunday night.

Following a symbolic protest, doctors resumed duty on Monday afternoon after they met PCMC mayor Usha Dhore.

Police protection will be provided to doctors and municipal commissioner Shravan Hardikar will take a decision soon. The incident will be inquired and no FIR has been lodged. The demands of medical staff like salary, special Covid allowance have been met, said Dhore.

Waghere, corporator of ward number 21, denied any wrongdoing and claimed that he was present at the hospital as the patient was his friends grandmother.

When I reached the hospital at 11:05 pm, the patient had already died. The doctor on duty said that the patient will be shifted to the ICU ward even though she had died half an hour before. So, I just asked them questions on the treatment given to the 62-year-old Covid positive woman, said Waghere.
The first batch of five Rafale jets will reach India from France on Wednesday. On arrival, the aircraft will be officially inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet in Haryana's Ambala. Before the jets took off from France, the Indian ambassador to France interacted with the Indian pilots. "Bon Voyage: Indian Ambassador to #France interacts with the Indian pilots of the Rafale. Congratulates and wishes them a safe flight to India with a single hop," the Indian embassy in France tweeted.

In September 2016, India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 Rafale jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore. The purchase was made with an intent to further strengthen the Indian Air Force's combat capabilities. According to the deal, the delivery of the jets was to be completed in 67 months from the date the contract was signed between the two parties.

In total, twelve IAF pilots and engineering crew members have received complete training on the Rafale fighter jets.

France had recently clarified that the timeline finalised for the supply of the fighter planes will be strictly respected amid speculation over delay in the delivery of Rafale jets due to coronavirus pandemic. French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain had said that there

will be no delay in delivery of Rafale jets to India.

The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of these jets.

Of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and will nearly have all the features of the fighter jets.Also read: Coronavirus update: COVID-19 tally crosses 14 lakh-mark; nearly 50,000 fresh cases in 24 hours

Also read: Coronavirus crisis: PM Modi to launch 3 'high-throughput' COVID-19 testing facilities today
***If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org***

Love Island's Dr Alex George has said that he is trying to find strength as he mourns the death of his younger brother Llyr.

The grieving star, 30, also emotionally revealed that he and his family are going through the 'hardest' and 'darkest' times.

Dr Alex announced to Instagram on Friday that he had lost his 'beautiful little brother to mental health'.

Heartache: Love Island's Dr Alex George has said that he is trying to find strength as he mourns the death of his younger brother Llyr

Taking to his Stories on Monday, the Love Island star thanked his followers for their support as he candidly discussed his grief.

He wrote: 'These are the hardest times I could ever have imagined.

'The kindness and love our family has received has been incredible and I am so grateful.

'In the darkest times we must pick ourselves up, find strength and be there for our family and friends. That is exactly what I will do.'

Emotional: The grieving star, 30, also emotionally revealed that he and his family are going through the 'hardest' and 'darkest' times

Distraught: Dr Alex announced to Instagram on Friday that he had lost his 'beautiful little brother to mental health' (posted on Instagram in 2018)

Dr Alex also took to his stories on Saturday morning, thanking his followers for their support and said that he needs to time to take in the tragic news.

He wrote: 'Thank you for all the messages of kindness here and to my phone. I am incredibly grateful of the support and it means so much.

'I am sorry that I can't reply yet. I need to try and process what has happened somehow.'

In the emotional tribute announcing Llyr's death, the A&E doctor wrote: 'I can't believe I am actually writing this post.

Devastated: Dr Alex also took to his stories on Saturday morning, thanking his followers for their support and said that he needs to time to take in the tragic news (pictured last month)

'I have lost my beautiful little brother to mental health. I love you so much Llyr. The kindest and most caring soul.

'I was so proud of you starting medical school next month, you would have been the most incredible doctor. We are hurting so bad. No words can explain.

'As a family we are devastated. We love you and miss you so much. Please rest in peace x Our boy.'

Moving: In his emotional post on Friday, he said 'I was so proud of you starting medical school next month, you would have been the most incredible doctor'

It is believed Dr Alex's brother would have been 19 at the time of his death. MailOnline has contacted his representatives for comment.

In 2018, Dr Alex competed on ITV's Love Island, the popular reality dating series which has seen former contestants Sophie Gradon, 32, and Mike Thalassitis, 26, as well as 40-year-old host Caroline Flack kill themselves.

Many of Alex's Love Island co-stars rushed to pay tribute to his late brother in the comments of his post, with Rosie Williams writing: 'Oh no Alex! This is so awful.

'I'm so so sorry from the bottom of my heart. Sending you all the love in the world. Thinking of you and your family through this terrible time.'

Charlie Brake penned: 'So, so sorry mate. Here if you need anything. Devastating,' Frankie Foster wrote: 'Sending my love to you and family mate.'

Samira Mighty wrote: 'Stay strong,' and Wes Nelson added: 'So sorry to hear this Alex! Stay strong I love you mate!'

Josh Denzel also commented: 'Brooo here if you need me.'

Emotional: It is believed that Dr Alex's brother would have been 19 at the time of his death, which came after he'd been accepted to medical school

Sympathies: Many of Alex's Love Island co-stars rushed to pay tribute to his late brother in the comments of his post

Dr Alex is currently working on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic at the University Hospital Lewisham in south-east London.

Originally from Carmarthen, Wales, he studied medicine at the University of Exeter before he set his heart on finding romance on Love Island.

He struggled to find his dream girl in the villa, though he did enjoy a brief fling with Alexandra Cane and started dating Amelia Bath in December 2018.

Dr Alex admitted finding his recent split with Amelia Bath 'really tough' after being forced to spend lockdown apart while he worked on the frontline.

Challenging: Just two weeks ago, Dr Alex admitted he was finding it 'really tough' in an emotional post after splitting from girlfriend Amelia Bath

The reality star said: 'The last few days have been really tough but I am so grateful for the love and support I have received, it means the world to me.

'Life happens. Being able to pick yourself up and move forward with positivity and an appreciation for life is what matters.'

Dr Alex said in a statement announcing his split from Amelia: 'Guys just want to let you know, Amelia and I have decided to go our separate ways.

'As you know, we've been apart for most of lockdown which has been hard on us both and we both agree this is for the best.

'We will remain good friends and I have nothing but respect for Amelia. Thank you for the love and support always.'

Amelia shared a similar statement to her own social media, as she thanked fans for their messages of support. The former flames had reunited briefly, after spending 102 days apart during lockdown.

If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
While we all try to understand the new reality imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, many look to the past for historical precedents such as the Spanish flu of 1918 and the Black Plague of the 14th century. The first historically attested wave of what later became known as the Black Plague (caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis) spread throughout the Byzantine Empire and beyond, in 541 CE. Known as Justinianic Plague, after the emperor Justinian who contracted the disease but survived, it caused high mortality and had a range of socio-economic effects. Around the same time, an enormous volcanic eruption in late 535 or early 536 CE marked the beginning of the coldest decade in the last two thousand years (another volcano of similar proportions erupted in 539 CE). However, scholars disagree as to just how far-reaching and devastating the mid-6th century epidemic and climate change were. This scholarly debate is unsurprising considering that even today, leaders and policymakers around the world differ on the severity and correct response to COVID-19, not to mention climate change. One reason that hindsight is not 20/20 when it comes to ancient plagues is that ancient reports tend to exaggerate, or underrepresent, the human tolls, while archaeological evidence for the social and economic effects of plague are very hard to find.

Recently, a team of Israeli archaeologists discovered new and compelling evidence for a significant economic downturn on the fringe of the Byzantine Empire in the aftermath of a major pandemic in the mid-6th century CE. The research, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reconstructs the rise and fall of commercial viticulture in the middle of Israel's arid Negev desert.

Daniel Fuks, a PhD student in the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University, led the study as a researcher in Prof. Ehud Weiss' Archaeobotany Lab, and as a team member of the Negev Byzantine Bio-Archaeology Research Program, "Crisis on the Margins of the Byzantine Empire", headed by Prof. Guy Bar-Oz of the University of Haifa. This project seeks to discover when and why the agricultural settlement of the Negev Highlands was abandoned.

Agriculture in this arid desert was made possible through rainwater runoff farming which reached its peak in the Byzantine period, as seen at sites like Elusa, Shivta and Nessana. At Negev Highland sites today, the ruins of well-built stone structures attest to their former glory, but Bar-Oz's team, guided by field archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), Dr. Yotam Tepper and Dr. Tali Erickson-Gini, discovered even more compelling evidence about life during that period in an unexpected place: the trash. "Your trash says a lot about you. In the ancient trash mounds of the Negev, there is a record of residents' daily lives - in the form of plant remains, animal remains, ceramic sherds, and more," explains Bar-Oz. "In the 'Crisis on the Margins' project, we excavated these mounds to uncover the human activity behind the trash, what it included, when it flourished, and when it declined."

The study of seeds found in archaeological excavations is part of the field known as archaeobotany (aka paleoethnobotany). The Bar-Ilan University Archaebotany Lab in which most of this research was conducted is the only lab in Israel dedicated to the identification of ancient seeds and fruits. Prof. Ehud Weiss, the lab's head, explains that the task of archaeobotany is to "get into the pantry - or, in this case, the trash - of ancient people and study their interactions with plants. Archaeobotany reconstructs ancient economy, environment and culture, but the way there is not easy. Grain by grain must be sorted through endless sediment samples, looking for seeds, identifying them and counting each one, as it is written '...if one can count the dust of the earth, then your seed too can be counted' (Genesis 13:16)." For the present study, nearly 10,000 seeds of grape, wheat and barley were retrieved and counted from 11 trash mounds at three sites. "Identifying seed and fruit remains is a unique capability of our lab," says Weiss, "and it relies on the Israel National Reference Collection of Plant Seeds and Fruit held in our lab, and on years of experience in retrieving, processing, and analyzing plant remains from sites of all periods in Israeli archaeology."

One of the researchers' first observations was the high numbers of grape seeds in the ancient trash mounds. This fit well with previous scholars' suggestions that the Negev was involved in export-bound viticulture. Byzantine texts laud the vinum Gazetum or "Gaza wine" as a sweet white wine exported from the port of Gaza throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. This wine was generally transported in a type of amphora known as "Gaza Jars" or "Gaza Wine Jars", which are also found in sites throughout the Mediterranean. In Byzantine Negev trash mounds, these Gaza Jars appear in high quantities.

Daniel Fuks, the Bar-Ilan University PhD student, sought to determine whether there were any interesting trends in the relative frequency of grape pips in the rubbish. In a Ted-style talk hosted by Bet Avichai last year, he said, "Imagine you're an ancient farmer with a plot of land to feed your family. On most of it, you plant cereals like wheat and barley because that's how you get your bread. On a smaller part, you plant a vineyard and other crops like legumes, vegetables and fruit trees, for your family's needs.

"But one day you realize that you could sell the excellent wine you produce, for export, and earn enough cash to buy bread and a bit more. Little by little you expand your vineyard and move from subsistence farming to commercial viticulture.

"If we look at your trash and count the seeds, we'll discover a rise in the proportion of grape pips relative to cereal grains. And that's exactly what we discovered: A significant rise in the ratio of grape pips to cereal grains between the 4th century CE and the mid-6th century. Then suddenly, it declines."

Meanwhile, Fuks and Dr. Tali Erickson-Gini, an expert in ancient Negev pottery, took this to the next level. They checked whether there were similar trends in the proportion of Gaza Wine Jars to Bag-Shaped Jars, the latter being much less suited to camelback transport from the Negev Highlands to the port at Gaza. Indeed, the rise and initial decline of Gaza Jars tracked the rise and fall of the grape pips.

The researchers concluded that the commercial scale of viticulture in the Negev, as seen in the grape pip ratios, was connected to Mediterranean trade, attested to by the Gaza Jar ratios. In other words, a novel archaeological testimony to an international commercial economy from some 1,500 years ago was discovered!

Like today, this situation brought unprecedented prosperity, but also greater vulnerability to shocks. In the mid-6th century, there were a few such shocks that could explain the decline. One of them was Justinianic plague, which had a high death toll in Byzantium and other parts of the empire. In the article, the authors explain that the resulting "contracting market for Gaza products would have detrimentally impacted the Negev economy, even while trade at nearby Gaza may have continued... If the plague reached the Negev, it could also have harmed the local production capacity and supply of agricultural products in general by inducing a shortage of agricultural laborers."

A different shock of that period was a volcanic eruption of global proportions in late 535/early 536 CE, which covered the Northern Hemisphere's atmosphere with dust and caused decade-long global cooling (another eruption of similar magnitude occurred in 539 CE). This led to drought in Europe, but may have increased precipitation, possibly including high-intensity flash flooding, in the southern Levant, causing detriment to local agriculture.

The Sisyphean task of sorting and counting seeds may not appear to be the most exciting, but the research on archaeological plant finds is innovative and influential, while also demonstrating the ingenuity and insightfulness involved in ancient peoples' interactions with plants. Guy Bar-Oz, of the University of Haifa, states,: "The discovery of the rise and fall of commercial viticulture in the Byzantine Negev supports other recent evidence unearthed by the 'Crisis on the Margins' project for major agricultural and settlement expansion in the 5th to mid-6th century followed by decline. It appears that agricultural settlement in the Negev Highlands received such a blow that it was not revived until modern times. Significantly, the decline came nearly a century before the Islamic conquest of the mid-seventh century."

Two of the most likely triggers for the mid-6th century collapse - climate change and plague - reveal inherent vulnerabilities in political-economic systems, then and now. "The difference is that the Byzantines didn't see it coming," explains Fuks. "We can actually prepare ourselves for the next outbreak or the imminent consequences of climate change. The question is, will we be wise enough to do so?"

###
With Advanis exit, will there be an end of poll road to BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi?

Governor rejects Gehlots proposals for assembly session again

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 27: The request by Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot to hold an assembly session has been rejected by the Governor for the second time.

Rajasthan crisis: Speaker CP Joshi withdraws SC plea against team Pilot | Oneindia News

Governor Kalraj Mishra has returned the proposal by Gehlot for an assembly session from Friday. It may be recalled that an earlier proposal had also been rejected by Mishra.

Last week after sending a proposal, the CM had protested for five hours outside the Raj Niwas. On Saturday, Gehlot submitted a fresh proposal, but the same has been now been returned by the Governor.

Coronavirus cases have tripled in Rajasthan since July 1: Governor

While rejecting the proposal for the first time, the Governor had listed out six reasons, including the fact that the matter is in the courts and the fate of the rebels is still being decided.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said his party wants a floor test in the state Assembly and is "begging" for it, but the governor is not convening the House and "delaying" the trust vote allegedly at the behest of the central government.

He also cited Supreme Court judgements and several precedents including those of Rajasthan Assembly with regard to the convening of the Assembly session to assert that the Governor cannot act of his own and can only do so with the advice of the Cabinet.

"Such superficial, clearly motivated, digressive and extraneous queries establish beyond doubt that they are coming from the highest authorities of the central government and being parroted without change as His Master's Voice from Raj Bhawan, Jaipur.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, July 27, 2020, 10:45 [IST]
(Natural News) A former Facebook employee who questioned his former employers corporate culture in the past has now been de-platformed by the social media giant after posting videos critical of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Patrick Shyu, the ex-Facebook and Google employee who posted the video, quickly found himself banned from Facebook after his video went viral. In addition, he also claimed that he was shadowbanned from YouTube as well.

For 10 years I said all great things and then one time I say something that you may not necessarily like, you disable my entire account and I lose access to all the past 10 years information and theres no explanation, no customer service, and not much an appeals process, Shyu said.

Shyu has been critical of Facebook before

This isnt the first time that Patrick Shyu has butted heads with Facebook. Last August, Shyu was apparently fired from the company because he ran a YouTube channel that the latter didnt like.

Immediately after he was fired, Shyu posted multiple videos about his firing on his YouTube channel. This culminated in a video called Day in the Life of a Facebook Software Engineer, where Shyu presents a satirized version of the day of his sacking.

As part of that video, Shyu criticized the corporate culture inside Facebook, calling it a popularity contest where projects and ideas are driven more by likes and positive comments than logic.

Imagine receiving multiple notifications every day where people are just telling me what theyve accomplished, how great they are, Shyu said in the video.

In a following video, Shyu later detailed how Facebook employees have to always boast about their mundane accomplishments on the companys internal social network  called Workplace  for them to get ahead.

Its kind of this game for people to get as many likes and comments on their posts, he explained. If youre into popularity contests, if you thrive in that type of environment then youll probably do really well.

Banned over BLM scam video

While Shyu remained critical of Facebook after his firing, the company didnt really do anything against him until now. According to Shyu, this may have to do with the content of his latest viral video.

In that video, posted on his second YouTube channel last week, Shyu talked about the Black Lives Matter movement and how there were some potential scams around it. Specifically, Shyu pointed out how donating to the movement resulted in money being sent to the Left-leaning nonprofit ActBlue.

Shyu pointed out that ActBlue is basically a fundraising arm for the Democratic party. As part of this, Shyu points to a tweet by Candace Owens that says that money sent to the BLM movement and ActBlue actually goes to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Bidens campaign. (Related: Facebook smoking gun: Conservatives targeted for censorship because of their political beliefs Facebook rigging elections.)

According to Shyu, he believes that Facebook did not like his stance on the matter, which resulted in him getting banned from the platform.

Loss of content and access to other sites

In regards to his ban, Shyu talks about how he has now lost over 10 years worth of content, posts, contacts and more, that hes shared on the platform. He mentions that hes now lost the ability to contact distant friends and relatives for whom Facebook was his only means of doing so.

In addition, he also points out that hes lost access to other accounts since he used Facebook login to get into them. He specifically points to his TikTok account that, while rarely used, he has now lost access to since he cant access his Facebook.

Following his ban, Shyu made a second Facebook account and sent in an appeal for his old account. However, Shyu stated that his second account has now also been banned and that his appeal has not moved forward.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

CNBC.com
Job Title: Together for Inclusion (TOFI) Project

Coordinator

Organization:

Stromme Foundation

Unit: Stromme

Foundation Regional Office for East Africa (SFEA)

Duty Station:

Kampala, Uganda

Reporting to:

Regional Programmes Manager

About US:

Stromme Foundation

(SF) is a Norwegian International Non- Governmental Organisation. From its Head

Office in Kristiansand, Norway, SF works through a field structure comprising

of Regional and Country Offices in Asia, West Africa and East Africa, to

implement projects in the areas of promoting Inclusive Education (IE), job

creation and strengthening the capacity of local communities. SFs field

structure works closely with local partners in implementing projects and

programmes.

About the Project:

In line with the

efforts to leave no one behind, SF strives to promote the inclusion

of particularly marginalised groups in programmes and in the community. such as

people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and /or other minority groups.





Job Summary: The Together for

Inclusion (TOFl) Project Coordinator position is based in the Stromme

Foundations Regional Office for East Africa (SFEA) in Kampala. Uganda. The

coordinator will also work closely with the Norwegian Agency for Disability

(NAD) Country Manager. He/she will be accountable for managing, coordinating,

implementing and monitoring the TOFI strategy and associated activities both in

Uganda and South Sudan. The TOFI Coordinator will report to the Regional

Programmes Manager at SF regional office in Kampala, Uganda..

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

 Using Rights-Based and inclusive approaches

to programming, the TOFl Coordinator, will provide leadership to the TOFI

project in the areas of Inclusive Economic Empowerment [IEE), Inclusive

Education (IE) and Teacher Training both in Uganda and South Sudan.

 In liaison with the thematic leads, the TOFl

coordinator will coordinate, plan and organize activities and operations of the

regions disability inclusion work in Uganda and South Sudan.

 The TOFI Coordinator will be responsible for

supporting partners at country level in their implementation of Inclusive

Education, Economic Empowerment, and Teacher Training projects with development

of plans, budgets, reports, the Identification of capacity gaps and provision

of technical support.

 The TOFI Coordinator will serve as the

technical lead on disability inclusion at the regional level by guiding and

coordinating engagements with Disabled Peoples Organizations [DPDs] from

national to grass roots level, in close collaboration with other stakeholders.

 The project coordinator will assist SF in

organising quarterly steering committee meetings for the Inclusive Education,

Inclusive Economic Empowerment and Teacher Training programmes both in Uganda

and South Sudan.

 In close consultation with relevant thematic

leads at the regional office, country office in South Sudan, departments in

SF-KRS, Norwegian Agency tor disability (NAB) and NUDIPU the TOFl Coordinator

will draft timely inputs to regular progress reports for submission to donors.

 Work closely with the PMEAL Specialist/ PMEAL

Officer to conduct the baseline studies, design inclusive M&E tools for IE,

IEE, Teacher Training and the monitoring and evaluation of the TOFl programme.

 Build and facilitate networks for the

promotion of community advocacy and lobbying for SFs target beneficiaries with

disabilities.

 Facilitate and participate in TOFI programme

reviews, evaluations etc. in liaison with the PMEAL Advisor to monitor all TOFI

activities and ensure they are implemented according to the annually agreed

work plans in meeting the set objectives.

 Active participation in disability inclusion

forums at regional and national levels.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

 The ideal candidate must hold a relevant

university degree within an applicable field such as, but not limited to;

education, international development, political science, or law (humanitarian,

social justice and for disability rights.

 Three to five years at a senior programme

level with similar work. including experience with project management,

facilitation, capacity building, and engaging civil society.

 Relevant personal experience with disability

or other relevant experience from rights-based advocacy is desirable.

 Three to five years of experience managing

donor-funded development projects, preferably experience being responsible tor

budgets.

 Three to five years of experience

coordinating complex projects involving many partners

 Experience managing staff and/or facilitate

and get results through others such as implementing partners

 Fluent in English, written and spoken

 Good interpersonal and communication skills

 Excellent analytical skills

 Creative, self-driven, problem solver

 Ability to work under pressure and to meet

strict deadlines

 Ability to work independently as well as a

member of a team

 Ability to work in a multicultural

environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non discriminatory behaviour

and attitudes.

 Budget and donor reporting

 Ability to travel frequently to the field

within the region

How to Apply:

All interested

candidates please send your application, Curriculum vitae, copies of academic

credentials and contacts of three references to:





The Regional

Director,

Stromme Foundation,

Plot1, Kololo Hill

Drive

P.O. Box 27200,

Kampala. Uganda





Or send by email to:

recruitmentsea@stromme.org or

recruitmentseastafrica@stromme.org





NB: Only shortlisted

candidates will be contacted. Canvassing will lead to automatic

disqualification.

Deadline: 3rd August 2020

For more of the latest jobs, please

visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or

find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
Malappuram, Jul 27 (UNI) Two persons, who were landed at the Calicut International Airport at Karipur near here on Monday have been arrested on charges of smuggling gold from Saudi Arabia.

Airport sources said, the duo, Muhammed and Abdul Jabbar, arrived at the Airport in a chartered flight from Saudi Arabia.

The market value of the total gold seized from the two passengers is estimated to be around Rs 60 lakh, the sources added.
Mistry family in talks with investors to raise Rs 4K cr, aims to cut debt The billionaire Mistry family is in talks with several investors to raise up to Rs 4,000 crore by selling part of its stake in Sterling and Wilson Solar (SWSL), and also with Canadian financial powerhouse, Brookfield, to raise debt against its Tata Sons shares. The proceeds of the funds raised will be used to reduce the groups debt and repay dues ...

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Sen. Chambers was right to stand up for himself when his image was used in a racist mailer to attack Sen. Slamas political opponent. Sen. Slama was appointed by the governor at age 22 after she had worked on his campaign staff. It is valid for Nebraskans to consider what her experience or qualifications were for her appointment. It is also valid for Nebraskans to consider Sen. Slamas outrage in the broader context of her voting record. I view Sen. Slamas outrage and claims of misogyny as a distraction from her dismal voting record on womens issues, her racist campaign mailer that she continues to defend, and the cronyism behind her appointment by the governor.

This is the root of the deeply ingrained structural problem of sexism. All men benefit from the ways our culture enforces sexist norms. Of course, we also see women uphold sexist institutions. I understand from experience that many women believe that to get ahead, they have to run with the boys  the ones with the keys to the club. Women sometimes align themselves with men in power to benefit from a system that would otherwise keep them out. Then they get to hold power and say they earned what they have, but they dont have to do anything to actually support opportunities for other women.
The devastated family of a pensioner killed by a hit-and-run cyclist have urged the person responsible to come forward.

Peter McCombie, 72, was struck by a biker in Bow Road, Tower Hamlets, east London, on July 3.

Mr McCombie was taken to hospital in critical condition and died eight days later with serious head injuries.

The Met Police, which has made no arrests, are still hunting the cyclist who ditched his bike and fled on foot and Peter's family have now issued a public plea for the person to come forward.

The family of Peter McCombie, pictured, have urged the cyclist who struck him in Tower Hamlets, London, earlier this month to hand himself into police as they share his picture

Christine, Peter's sister, said: 'It is hard to put into words the effect losing Peter has had on our family.

'It is incredibly difficult to process his death especially in these circumstances when we know that the person involved has not come forward.

'I would ask the cyclist personally, please speak to police. Please do the right thing, for Peter and our family. In our position I know you would want the same.'

Grainy photographs, released by the Met earlier this month, show a man with short dark hair wearing a black shirt, black shirt and white trainers.

The first picture shows him on the saddle of his bike, but the second shows him running away.

Scotland Yard released CCTV images of the biker who struck 72-year-old Peter McCombie

Grainy photographs show a man with short dark hair wearing a black shirt and white trainers

Detective Inspector Julie Trodden appealed directly to the cyclist to turn himself in to 'provide answers to the victim's family, who are grieving the tragic loss of a loved one'.

She also stressed the importance of finding the abandoned bike - a critical clue which could lead them to its owner.

DI Trodden said: 'This is an incredibly tragic incident that has left a family devastated and the person responsible has still not yet come forward.

'This man cycled off from the scene, but from photos we can see he abandoned his cycle and then ran off.

'If anyone knows the location of this bike please tell us, it is vital evidence. Any information you can give, even if it is just the street where you saw him, could be crucial.

'I am also asking anyone who in the area at around 5pm on Friday, 3 July and who witnessed this collision, or the events immediately prior to and after the collision to contact the police.

'Finally, I continue to appeal directly to the cyclist involved  please come forward to assist this investigation but, more importantly, to provide answers to the victim's family who are grieving the tragic loss of a loved one.'

Mr McCombie was struck in Bow Road, close to Thames Magistrates' Court, at about 5.05pm on Friday July 3

Mr McCombie was struck in Bow Road, close to Thames Magistrates' Court, at about 5.05pm on Friday July 3.

DI Trodden added: 'Peter was an active man who had continued to work beyond retirement age. As a result of this collision, his family, friends and colleagues are now mourning his loss.'

Any witnesses or anyone with dash cam footage is asked to call police on 020 8597 4874 or 101 or contact via Twitter @MetCC. Quote reference Cad 5779/03Jul.

To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Tesla accounted for almost half of government subsidies in Korea for electric cars in the first half of this year. Chinese electric bus makers also benefited significantly.

According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association on Sunday, EV sales during the January to June period increased 2.7 percent on-year to 16,359 cars.

Korean automakers' sales plunged 43.1 percent during that period due to the delayed release of new models, as well as reduced subsidies per car and increased recharging costs.

But sales of imported electric cars surged 564.1 percent. Tesla's aggressive marketing of its Model 3 resulted in sales surging from just 417 to 7,080 while its share of Korea's EV market rose to 43.3 percent in the first six months.

The U.S. carmaker benefited from W90 billion worth of subsidies or 43 percent of the total (US1=W1,203).

Chinese automakers also performed well thanks to their electric buses. Their sales of electric buses here rose 64.5 percent on-year to 181 as provincial government expanded subsidies for green vehicles. That meant Chinese electric bus makers Hifus and J Motors' sales doubled to 70 and saw their share of the Korean market rose to 38.7 percent.

They benefited from 35.1 percent of EV subsidies or W5.9 billion.

KAMA chairman Chung Man-ki said, "Subsidies come from taxpayers, so we need to revise the system to benefit Korean automakers."

According to KAMA, France in May overhauled its EV subsidy system to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to benefit Peugeot Citroen more, and Germany did the same so that Mercedes-Benz and BMW gain more. China offers subsidies only to EVs that use Chinese-made rechargeable batteries.


The work of the Henry Reeve Brigade

Henry Reeve was born in Brooklyn, New York on 4th April, 1850 to Presbyterians, Alexander Reeve and Maddie Carroll. In his youth, he was a drummer boy in the Union Army during the American Civil War, which ran from 1861 to 1865. Being a fierce abolitionist, and learning of the anti-Spanish uprising from Cuban revolutionaries in New York, he left home and became involved in the expedition of the Vapor Perrit, which landed 269 volunteer Cubans in Nipe Bay in 1869. He then joined Cubas Army of Liberation (Ejercito Libertador)  also known as the Ten Years War  which ran from (1868-1878).

Soon after his first skirmish against the Spanish, Reeve was captured and imprisoned, and along with other fighters faced, and miraculously survived, a firing squad. Once recovered he was appointed assistant to General Thomas Jordan, the Chief of the General Staff of the Liberation Army, and in 1870, as Captain, joined the first cavalry squadron of the northern brigade of Camague under the command of Brigadier General Cristobal Acosta. Reeve participated in over 400 engagements against the Spanish Army and received several injuries, amongst the most serious an abdominal wound in 1872 and in 1873, when Colonel, he received a serious leg wound, which disabled him for a year. After nearly six months convalescing, he was promoted to Brigadier General.

During an important campaign between the territories of Columbus and Cienfuegos in August 1876, his horse was killed and rather than be taken prisoner he shot himself in the temple. During his military service, Reeves bravery and care for his men produced a deep respect and love, with both Cubans and Spaniards knowing him as El Inglesito.

In his honour in 2005, Fidel Castro renamed the Cuban medical brigade of humanitarian doctors, the Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialised in Disasters and Serious Epidemics. Cuba had offered to send 1,586 doctors in response to Hurricane Katrina, but President George Bush, Jr had declined.

Castro maintained that the Henry Reeve Contingent could do more than just help the population in the event of a hurricane, flood and other similar natural disasters. Certain epidemics represent real natural and social disasters. Suffice it to mention, the Haemorrhagic Dengue, which is attacking a growing number of countries in Latin America, and whose symptoms are particularly fatal to children, and other old and new grave illnesses. We can and must find the most efficient ways to combat these diseases. There is a particularly terrible epidemic (lets call it that) which has the world in its grip: HIV-AIDS. It is threatening to wipe out entire nations and even vast continental regions. He went on to say: We are offering to train professionals who are prepared to struggle against death. We shall prove that there is a solution to many of the planets tragedies. We are proving that man can and must better himself. We are proving the value of conscience and ethics. We are offering life. Long live the protectors of life who graduate today; long live the doctors capable of defeating death. Long live the glorious Henry Reeve International Contingent!

In March 2020, 144 health workers from this Henry Reeve brigade were sent by Cuba to assist Jamaica in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. More than 3,000 healthcare professionals from the Henry Reeve Brigade, including doctors and nurses have been deployed to about 30 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In addition to the brigade in Jamaica other countries receiving Cuban assistance include South Africa, Italy, Andorra, Qatar, Mexico, Honduras, Venezuela and Haiti.

Cuban President Diaz-Canel observed If we had globalised solidarity as the market was globalised, the story would be different.

In 2015, Norwegian unions nominated the Henry Reeve Brigade for a Nobel Peace Prize, in the context of its presence in West Africa to confront Ebola, but it was not awarded.

Since March a movement, led by Cuba Linda (France), Codepink (USA) and the US chapter of the Network in Defence of Humanity, formed to propose the nomination of the International Brigade of Doctors Specialised in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics Henry Reeve from Cuba, for the Nobel Peace Prize 2021, in recognition of their solidarity work to save lives in many countries around the world, particularly in the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The Australian Solidarity movement has joined the movement for the nomination.

We call on Guardian readers to add their signatures to request the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to consider including the Cuban doctors in next years list of candidates.

To sign go to www.cubanobel.org/nobelcuba
There are fears further holiday destinations could see quarantine restrictions reimposed after the UK Government changed the advice for Spain on Saturday (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

There are fears more European holidays could be thrown into disarray during uncertainty this summer after UK holidaymakers in Spain were left fuming at being told they must quarantine when they return home.

The UK Government has stood by its decision to strike Spain off its list of safe destinations after it saw a spike in the number of coronavirus cases.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the Government cant make apologies for the decision made on Saturday  announced less than five hours before coming into force  that arrivals from Spain and its islands would have to self-isolate for 14 days.

Spain is a safe country for tourists and Spaniards. Arancha Gonzalez Laya

Mr Raab, speaking to Sky News Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, also refused to rule out rescinding further so-called travel corridors.

As weve found with Spain, we cant give a guarantee, he said, before adding that there was an element of uncertainty this summer if people go abroad.

The Telegraph reported that officials in both France and Germany have warned of possible new lockdowns as parts of Europe braced for a second wave of Covid-19 infections.

French health authorities said at the weekend that the countrys R-rate was up to 1.3 and that daily new infections on Friday had risen to 1,130  indicators resembling those seen in May, when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

The decision to reimpose restrictions on Spain left holidaymakers frustrated, with some saying they would not have travelled if they knew they would have to spend a fortnight self-isolating afterwards.

Close to 1.8 million holidays were likely to have been thrown into chaos by the move, according to travel company The PC Agency, which analysed the number of seats booked on flights leaving the UK for Spain between July 26 and August 31.

According to The Times, trips to France, Italy and Greece were being cancelled in large numbers following the ruling by ministers on Spain, a development likely to heap further pressure on an already under-strain travel sector.

Tour operator Tui said that, due to the change in the Governments travel advice, it was cancelling all holidays to mainland Spain up to and including August 9.

Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth criticised the Governments handling of the affair, labelling it frankly shambolic, and called for financial support for those now forced to shut themselves away after their arrival home.

Liz Samandi, 52, a business owner from Market Harborough, Leicestershire, is one of thousands of Brits currently on a family break in Spain and is due to return from Majorca on Thursday.

She told PA news agency: I just feel a bit angry actually that theyve done this and not considered the people that are already here.

Its the blanket approach which I think is wrong, it should have been a more targeted area I think.

Jill Witte, 53, arriving at Gatwick Airport on Sunday with her two daughters and husband, said: We were shocked, it didnt look like that was coming, otherwise we wouldnt have gone.

It was not just the public who were caught out by the sudden announcement.

The quick turnaround on the decision meant Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who is currently in Spain for his summer break, will join thousands of others in being forced to isolate for two weeks on his return to Britain.

Paul Scully, minister for London, will also have to quarantine after declaring on social media that he was on holiday in Playa Dorada, Lanzarote.

Following the unexpectedly rapid rise in Spain's #coronavirus cases, I held a video call with UK airlines + our Ambassador @HughElliottUK today in order to ensure close coordination to help UK nationals return from Spain. We will all need to quarantine for 14 days on arrival.  Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) July 26, 2020

Spanish ministers revealed they were in talks with the UK about exempting the Canary and Balearic islands, which include Ibiza and Majorca, from the requirement to self-isolate for two weeks due to lower infection rates in those regions.

The Foreign Office guidance advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain does not include the islands but ministers opted to apply blanket quarantine arrangements across the Spanish territories.

Foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya argued Spain had coronavirus outbreaks perfectly controlled after the European country recorded more than 900 fresh daily Covid-19 cases for two days running before Saturdays travel corridor suspension.

Ms Gonzalez Laya told reporters: Spain is a safe country for tourists and Spaniards.

Like in any other European country we are seeing outbreaks  the outbreaks in Spain are perfectly controlled.

Meanwhile, beauty salons and tattoo parlours are among the businesses which can reopen in Wales from Monday, but people are warned about the risks of offering eyebrow treatments and facials due to prolonged face-to-face contact.

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U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway of Midland talked in 2016 about the binary choice that conservatives in West Texas faced when it came to the race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

If Republicans remained fractured like 2008 and 2012, it would have provided an opportunity for Clinton, he said.

Conaway wasnt saying that some needed to hold their nose while casting a ballot but was offering a reminder that a non-conventional Republican was better for America than another Clinton in the White House.

RELATED: Trump set to collect campaign cash in Midland-Odessa like many before him

Four years later, President Donald Trump comes to Midland-Odessa with a resume that some local conservatives said is in line with the interests of West Texans. Ernie Angelo, a former national Republican committeeman, told the Reporter-Telegram last week that Trumps accomplishments with months remaining in the first term include being the most pro-life president we have had, a president who stands up for freedom of religion, a collection of judicial appointments that is as good as you can get and a record on deregulation that has been tremendous.

I dont think he could have done anymore to promote the philosophy that I would like to see promoted, said Angelo, a current board member with the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

It is enough for some people to look over his record on spending, the growth of the national debt under his watch and the attention he received for his use of Twitter.

(The tweets) dont amount to much when you get down to what is important, Angelo said.

Don Sparks has been happy with Trumps performance abroad, including confronting China. Sparks also cited the work Trump did on replacing NAFTA with the USMCA trade deal.

Sparks said his worry heading into Novembers presidential election isnt about what Trump is doing but about a media that is friendly to Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden. Sparks expects the media to challenge both presidential candidates but said that hasnt been the case.

Kirk Edwards of Odessa said there is such a stark difference in the policies of the Trump administration and Democratic Partys Green New Deal policies.

VISIT TO THE OIL PATCH: Trump to visit Double Eagle Energy rig in Midland

We had such a hard time during the Obama administration, just with the Endangered Species Act, Edwards said. Left-wing environmentalists tried to shut down drilling, which we were able to overcome at a cost of millions of dollars.

When it comes to support for Trump, conservatives in West Texas had few rivals, and the voters in Midland County came out for the president. When looking at the 30 counties with the largest populations in the state, only Johnson County (immediately south of Fort Worth) had a larger percent of voters back Trump in 2016 (77.5 percent to 75.7 percent in Midland County). Whether it is because of accomplishment or the binary choice Conaway spoke of four years ago, there arent many reasons why that support in Midland County should go down, conservatives said.

I have a real hard time for people that are still never Trump, Angelo said. I dont know what they want.

Backing Trump

The following were the highest percentages of voters supporting Donald Trump in the 30 largest counties in 2016.

Johnson County 77.5

Midland 75.7

Montgomery 74.0

Comal 73.1

Ellis 71.1

Smith 70.5

Source: Texas Tribune
WASHINGTON  Andrew Yang, the New York entrepreneur who became famous nationally thanks to an otherwise quixotic campaign for president, just might find a job in a Joe Biden administration.

Ive been talking to his team about taking on some kind of role in the administration, Yang told Yahoo News. Im on the record saying if I can help solve some of the problems I land on, then Id love to.

In the meantime, Yang has been hitting the virtual campaign trail for the former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee. Recently he hosted a phone bank for Biden in Wisconsin and appeared with Queer Eye co-host Jonathan Van Ness on an Instagram live stream in which they discussed their support for Biden. Yang has also been a guest on Bidens Heres the Deal podcast.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

He said its more fun to campaign for Biden than it was for himself.

When youre campaigning for yourself, you have to essentially talk about how awesome you are. Not that I really did that, but in Joes case I just talk about how awesome his administrations going to be. Its actually been a very positive experience.

Yang says he speaks to Biden fairly regularly, and that the two became friends during the primaries. Back in December, Yang told Yahoo News that he considered Biden his closest political ally. For its part, Bidens team has welcomed Yangs innovative contributions and ideas.

Biden has a particular interest in the impact of automation on jobs, Yang said, and the pair have discussed the topic at length. Theyve also discussed Yangs signature issue  universal basic income (UBI), which Yang proposed should take the form of monthly cash payments to every American.

Yang can be given a good deal of credit for popularizing UBI, which he touted at seemingly every opportunity, particularly in the Democratic debates he qualified for. But he says he wants Biden to think bigger than that and reimagine how we measure economic success.

The biggest idea that Ive been working on is really how we can help the economy function for more and more Americans who are being left behind right now.  The ambition we have to make is to start redefining how we measure economic progress and get away from our dated measurements, like GDP and the headline unemployment rate and stock market prices, which have no relationship to how most Americans are doing anymore, and moving forward our health and mental health and affordability of basic needs. Start using those as a measurement of economic progress, Yang said.

Story continues

Yang and Biden at a Democratic debate in Los Angeles last December. (Mike Blake/Reuters)

Ive been championing a shift of economic measurements, which would have a very profound impact, and thats one thing that Ive been saying to their team, he added.

Yang argues that Bidens long record as a moderate gives him the power to take offbeat ideas like the ones Yang ran on and make them mainstream.

If someone like Joe says, Hey, we need to do things differently on the economy or on climate change, that also becomes the mainstream. Its very powerful. I think Joe has those instincts where he doesnt try and chime in on every new issue. In part, that will help him move the entire center of gravity. If you look at his proposal on addressing climate change, it was very aggressive and very ambitious, rightfully so, but by being Joe, it becomes the new reasonable.

That ability to move the political center leftward, Yang said, makes Biden the ideal change agent to replace President Trump. Yang noted that Trump ran as a change agent in 2016, but now Biden represents a change from what people are currently suffering under.

Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Of particular interest to Yang was a recent survey by the American Psychological Association in which 72 percent of respondents said this was the lowest point in the nations history that they can remember.

That statistic, he said, is a terrible case for the incumbent. Similar to the case I was making, where I walked around saying, Look, the economys turning on more and more of us. We need to do things differently. If that message was something you heard, then its not clear why you would think four more years of Trump would be different from what youre seeing now.

Unsurprisingly, Yang is confident that Biden will win the presidency in November. And if he does, Yang argued, his administration will be remembered as a transformative one.

I think that Joes administration is going to be one of the most important administrations in decades, in terms of a need for a new New Deal, Yang said.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
CHENGDU, China - In the more than 40 years since China and the U.S. established formal diplomatic relations, accusations have been traded, tensions have risen and fallen and the two sides have come dangerously close to outright confrontation.

Yet the forced closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston and Chinas order in response to shutter the U.S. Consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu mark a new low point in ties between the worlds largest economies that cant easily be smoothed over.

Mistrust and rancour surrounding disputes over alleged technology theft, national security, human rights, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China Sea are now the main drivers in a relationship that had long sought to compartmentalize such issues to prevent them from impeding trade ties and co-operation in managing issues such as North Koreas nuclear program and conflicts in the Middle East and Africa.

Going forward, the prospects for reconciliation look dim, even if the U.S. elects a new administration in November.

Chinese authorities took control of the former U.S. Consulate in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, on Monday after it was ordered closed in retaliation for a U.S. order to vacate the Chinese Consulate in Houston.

A State Department statement expressed disappointment, saying the consulate has stood at the centre of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years.

We are disappointed by the Chinese Communist Partys decision and will strive to continue our outreach to the people in this important region through our other posts in China, it said.

Chinas foreign ministry issued a brief notice saying competent authorities entered through the front entrance and took over the premises after U.S. diplomats closed it at 10 a.m. Prior to that, the flag was lowered and workmen began removing plaques and other signs of U.S. sovereignty on the compounds exterior.

That conveyed a sense of permanent rupture not felt during previous crises, including the 1999 stoning of the U.S. Embassy in response to NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Serbia, along with the 2001 collision between a U.S. surveillance plane and Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea.

A day earlier, Chinas foreign ministry issued a statement of protest over what it called intrusions into the Houston consulate that violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the China-U.S. Consular Convention.

The Chinese side deplores and firmly opposes the U.S. move of forcibly entering Chinas Consulate General in Houston and has lodged solemn representations. China will make legitimate and necessary reactions, the statement said.

China maintains consulates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York in addition to its embassy in Washington.

The U.S. has four other consulates in China and an embassy in Beijing, keeping the sides in parity in terms of diplomatic missions.

On Monday, pro-China protesters were escorted away from the shuttered consulate as workers covered over the buildings exterior signs.

Long live the Chinese people! Long live the Communist Party of China! one man shouted before a SWAT team escorted him away.

Another briefly flashed a shirt reading SLING OUT USA! in English before being taken away.

Others expressed regret at the closure. An officer removed a bouquet of flowers that a woman had left at the curb across from the entrance to the consulate.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a daily briefing Monday that the shutdown was a legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable act of the closure of the Houston consulate and the entry of U.S. authorities into it.

We urge the U.S. to immediately correct its mistakes and create necessary conditions for the relationship between the two countries to return to the normal track, Wang said.

The Chengdu consulate briefly came to prominence when the police chief of the nearby city of Chongqing fled there in 2012, precipitating the downfall of Chongqings politically ambitious leader Bo Xilai in Chinas biggest political scandal in decades. It also played host to former Vice-President Joe Biden during a visit when the current prospective Democratic Party presidential candidate was accompanied by Chinas now-leader Xi Jinping.

Police closed off a two- to three-block area around the consulate on Monday morning, cutting off virtually any view of the property including the flag. A few vehicles were allowed through after police checks, and others could be seen moving in the distance.

Officers kept a close watch, even after re-opening the area in the afternoon, determined to prevent any sign of unrest.

Workers covered over the consulate signs on the wall outside shortly after the property was vacated. They included a bronze plaque near the entrance that a worker had tried to pry off the previous night, but without success.

Moving activity on Sunday continued well beyond midnight, with flatbed trailers entering the complex and emerging later carrying large shipping containers.

The impending closure of the consulate drew a steady stream of onlookers over the weekend as Chengdu, like Houston, found itself in the limelight of international politics.

People stopped to take selfies and photos, some waving Chinese flags in a show of patriotism and others just capturing the moment. A man who tried to unfurl a large placard late Sunday that he called an open letter to the Chinese government was quickly escorted away.

The U.S. alleged that the Houston consulate was a nest of Chinese spies who tried to steal data from facilities in Texas, including the Texas A&M medical system and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. China said the allegations were malicious slander.

___

Associated Press photographer Ng Han Guan in Chengdu contributed to this report.
The outage disrupted Garmins online services for millions of users including Garmin Connect that helps sync users data to the cloud and other devices.

Garmin went down recently leading to its fitness devices being left disconnected for nearly a day and affected the companys wearables, apps and their call centers. According to two sources who have direct knowledge of the outage, the outage was caused by a ransomware attack.

Garmins outage began on Wednesday and carried on through the weekend. It has disrupted Garmins online services for millions of users including Garmin Connect that helps sync users data to the cloud and other devices. The attack also took down flyGarmin which is the aviation navigation and route-planning service of the company. Portions of Garmins website also went offline.

Garmin has said very little about the incident and there is only a banner on the site that states that the company is currently facing an outage that affects Garmin Connect, Garmin.com, their call centers etc. The company says that they are unable to receive calls, online chats and emails for now and are working on resolving the issue.

The company added a brief update on Saturday stating that users data in any form has not been affected by the outage.

The two sources spoke to TechCrunch on condition of anonymity, since they have not been authorised to speak to the press, and said that Garmin was working on bringing its network back online. One of the sources confirmed that it was the WastedLocker ransomware that caused the outage. A forum on BleepingComputer.com also confirms that the outage was caused by WastedLocker.

What is WastedLocker?

WastedLocker is a new ransomware that is operated by a hacker group that calls themselves Evil Corp. Detailed by security researchers at Malwarebytes, WastedLocker, like other file-encrypting malware, infects computers and locks users files in exchange for ransom, ideally cryptocurrency.

According to Malwarebytes, WastedLocker does not appear to have the capability to steal or exfiltrate data before encrypting victims files, unlike other new ransomware. So that essentially means that companies with backup may be able to escape paying the ransom demanded.

Companies without backups have ended up paying ransom of upto $10 million in certain cases.

Evil Corp, the hackers behind WastedLocker, have a long history of both malware and ransomware attacks. Allegedly lead by a Russian national called Maksim Yakubets, the group has used Dridex, which is a powerful password-stealing malware that is known to have stolen more than $100 million from hundreds of banks over a decade. The group also used Dridex later to deliver ransomware.

The Treasury has imposed sanctions on Evil Corp along with Yakubets and two other alleged members, for their involvement in the decade-long hacking campaign.

Thanks to this imposed sanctions, its going to be near-impossible for Garmin, which is a US-based company to pay the ransom even if they wanted to. As per the Treasury statement, US nationals are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
Australian watchdog alleges that Google did not get explicit consent for a 2016 change to how it handles personal data.

Australias competition regulator has launched court proceedings against Alphabets Google for allegedly misleading consumers about the expanded use of personal data for targeted advertising.

The case by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in Federal Court said Google did not explicitly get consent or properly inform consumers about a 2016 move to combine personal information in Google accounts with activities on non-Google websites that use its technology.

The regulator said this practice allowed the Alphabet Inc unit to link the names and other ways to identify consumers with their behaviour elsewhere on the internet.

Google did not immediately respond to a request by the Reuters news agency for comment.

The move by the ACCC comes amid heightened attention in much of the world on data privacy. Policymakers in the United States and Europe have recently stepped up their focus on how tech companies treat user data due to privacy concerns.

We are taking this action because we consider Google misled Australian consumers about what it planned to do with large amounts of their personal information, including internet activity on websites not connected to Google, ACCC chairman Rod Sims said in a statement.

The regulator alleges Google used the combined data to boost targeted advertising  a key source of income  and that it did not make facts about changes in its privacy policy clear to consumers.

The regulator did not say what it wanted the court to do, adding that it has filed the claim on a confidential basis pending claims by Google.

Revenue sharing

The accusations follow a push by Australia to force Google and Facebook to share revenue they earn from content generated by domestic Australian media outlets.

In June 2018, the ACCC launched an investigation into claims by local media companies that Google and Facebook were generating huge profits from advertising revenue on news they had not produced.

In December 2019, the ACCC delivered its finding and recommended a voluntary code of conduct should be formulated and gave the parties 11 months to make a deal.

But after the ACCC signalled negotiations had stalled, the government decided to act in April.
Ten people were killed, approximately 11 were seriously injured and five homes were burnt down during an attack by armed assailants of Fulani extraction on Zikpak, the seat of the Fanstwam Chiefdom in Jema'a Local Government Area (LGA), southern Kaduna state, at around 7pm on 24 July.

The victims have been named as Cecilia Audu (65); Joel Cephas (5); Madam Dakaci (52); Matina Dauda (70); Yanasan Dauda (70); Luka Garba (75); Victor Ishaya (22); Katung Kantionk (60); Kingsley Rapheal (28), and Rev Kuyet Shamh Ishaya (25), who had recently graduated from the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Theological Seminary and was soon to be married. The attackers also attempted to burn down the local ECWA Church building, but rain extinguished the flames. Six of the injured survivors are reportedly in specialist hospitals. According to local sources, security agents arrived at the scene well after the assailants had left. Zikpak is less than 2km away from the Joint Task Force (JTF) base.

This was the second assault on communities around Zikpak within two days. In the immediate aftermath of the attack Governor Nasir el Rufai of Kaduna State extended a 24-hour curfew, which has been in place in Zangon Kataf and Kauru LGAs since 11 June, to cover Jemaa and Kaura LGAs. Nevertheless, according to the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), on 25 July militia men attacked Zikpak for the third time, opening fire on its inhabitants at around 6am, but were driven away by local youth.

On 23 July, a militia attack on Agwala Magayaki in Doka Avong, Kajuru LGA, which occurred at around 8pm, claimed the lives of Thaddeus Albarka (32), Luvinus Danmori (52), Hannatu Garba (55), John Mallam (80), Albarka Mallam (85), Daniel Mukadas (70), and Jumare Sule (76). Prior to this attack Fulani assailants had descended on Takau Gida, Ungwan Masara on 22 July, but had been driven back by local youth. On the same day an attack on Kizachi-Chawai village in the Chawai Chiefdom claimed the lives of Kefas Monday (17), Lydia Monday (14), Giwa Thomas (14), and Living Yohanna (27).

The attacks on Zikpak are the latest in a sustained campaign of violence targeting farming communities in southern Kaduna which has been ongoing since January 2020, and which has seen a particular surge during July. Neither a COVID-19 lockdown nor the June curfew have inhibited perpetrators from attacking seemingly at will. CSW Nigeria has calculated that from 25 March, when the COVID-19 lockdown came into effect, until the morning of 15 May, 16 armed attacks were launched across five LGAs, claiming 59 lives. In addition, 155 homes were burnt down, and hundreds of people were displaced. Meanwhile, villagers deemed to have violated the lockdown were arrested and fined, and in Zangon Kataf Atyap youth who attempted to tend farms were detained for breaching the 24-hour curfew.

Despite recent assurances by the Presidency of comprehensive security coverage in southern Kaduna, at least 80 people have been killed in July alone. 48 of these victims died in attacks launched between 19 and 24 July, yet no perpetrators have been intercepted or arrested. In a letter to Nigerias Inspector General of Police (IGP) dated 22 July the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) stated that 300 southern Kaduna Christians had been killed in militia attacks in the 200 day period from 1 January to 20 July, and called for even-handed interventions on the part of law enforcement agencies. According to the group 620 Christians have been killed in the area in the last 18 months.

The seeming inability of the government of Kaduna State to end the killings in southern Kaduna is increasingly receiving local criticism. Terming the killings unimaginably cruel and unspeakably evil, former senator for Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, said the north has lost its conscience and the nation has lost its will and spirit. Terrorists have turned southern Kaduna into a mortuary and a graveyard. Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chidi Odinkalu accused the Kaduna State government of normalising the slaughter of its own people by describing the deaths as reprisals.

In a television interview aired on 24 July Bishop of Anglican Communion in Zaria, Kaduna State, Rt Rev Abiodun Ogunyemi stated that Until the government is ready to do something, the problem will continue. The bishop described the campaign of violence as genocide, attributing a perceived lack of concern on the part of the international community in general, and the United Nations in particular, to the fact that the area is almost 99% Christian.

Nigeria is currently ranked the 14th most fragile state in the world and the ninth most fragile in Africa. The country also ranks third, behind Afghanistan and Iraq, among the countries most impacted by terrorism, including from Fulani extremists. According to the US Holocaust Memorial Museums Holocaust Encyclopaedia common risk factors and warning signs of Genocide include large-scale instability; the prevalence of an ideology whereby leaders believe certain people are inferior or dangerous due to their race, religion, or national or ethnic origin, and the pervasiveness of acts of discrimination, persecution, and violence against people belonging to a certain group.

CSWs Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said: The decision by the Kaduna State government to extend an unsuccessful curfew to cover more areas is deeply perplexing and must be reviewed as a matter of urgency. Events have already illustrated that the curfew does not deter the perpetrators of the violence. Instead, in conjunction with the continuing security vacuum, it has made law-abiding villagers easier targets for the killers. Following her 2019 visit to Nigeria the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions described the nation as an injustice pressure cooker. CSW calls on the international community to make strong representations to the government of Kaduna State and the Federal government, apprising them of the urgent need to address the situation in southern Kaduna in an unbiased and effective manner while it is still salvageable, and to assist genuine efforts by these authorities to counteract the multiplicity of armed non-state actors currently terrorising Nigerian citizens.
By Ayya Lmahamad

Some 2,220 citizens were fined during the period of July 24-26 across the country for violating the strict quarantine regime, the main traffic police department under the Ministry of Interior reported on July 27.

All 2,220 were fined according to Article 211.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences. Of them 2,007 were drivers who failed to follow the quarantine regime requirements and 212 were citizens not using facial masks in the public transport. One citizens was subjected to administrative liability.

In the meantime, 1,575 cars, which had sought to leave these territories were stopped, and returned back during the reporting period.

Earlier, it was reported that 41,030 citizens were fined in the period of June 21 and July 23 for violating the quarantine regime, 635 drivers were fined during June 14-16 lockdown, while 2,524 drivers were fined during June 6-7 lockdown.

Azerbaijan first introduced quarantine regime on March 24, and on July 17 decision was taken to extend special quarantine regime until August 31.

On July 17, Cabinet of Ministers announced decision to prolong a strict quarantine regime till August 5.

The new lockdown imposed on July 20 to August 5 include Baku, Jalilabad, Ganja, Masalli, Sumgayit, Yevlakh cities and Absheron district, and Goranboy, Goygol, Mingachevir, Barda, Khachmaz, Siyazan and Sheki.

There is a change in the SMS permit system to control the citizens movement. According to the new rules, the duration of the permits have been extended from two to three hours.

The work of beauty salons and barber shops have also been resumed under the new rules.

The work of transportation, will remain suspended over the weekends  on July 25-27 and August 1-3.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
AUSTIN, Texas - Police have identified an armed protester who was shot and killed by a person who had driven into a crowd at a demonstration against police violence in the Texas capital.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said Garrett Foster, 28, was shot and killed Saturday night as demonstrators marched through downtown Austin.

Manley said officers heard two separate volleys of gunfire and made their way to the crowd where they found Foster suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Foster was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Manley said a vehicle turned onto the block where protesters stood and honked its horn. Police declined to say why the driver was there at that time or whether his intent was nefarious.

Witness Michael Capochiano told the Austin American-Statesman that the car sped through the protesters before it apparently hit an orange barrier and stopped.

In video that was streamed live on Facebook, a car can be heard honking before several shots ring out and protesters start screaming and scattering. Police can then be seen tending to someone lying in the street.

Manley said the driver and several witnesses told police Foster approached the driver side window of the vehicle and pointed an assault rifle at the driver.

The driver said they shot Foster and drove off, police said.

Manley said the driver called 911 and reported the incident. That person was taken into custody but later released. The drivers name wasnt immediately released.

The second round of shots was fired by protesters who witnessed the shooting, Manley said. The shooter fired at the car while it drove away. That person was also taken into custody but later released, Manley said.

In an interview with ABCs Good Morning America, Sheila Foster said Garrett was her son and he had been a regular at the protests with his fiancee.

Theyve been participating in these protests almost every day for the past 50 days, she said.

Sheila Foster said she was told her son was pushing his fiancee, who uses a wheelchair, through an intersection when the suspect was driving erratically through the crowd. She said she was told the driver shot her son three times.

The shooting happened during a night of protests and unrest in several U.S. cities.
A week has passed since Kanye West went into a Twitter rampage, just after his first presidential rally at South Carolina, where he discussed aborting their first child.

When the 43-year-old rapper announced that he would be running for US president a couple of weeks ago, many big personalities voiced their support.

Musk backed his presidential bid since the beginning, even persuading Kanye to run for president in 2024 instead of 2020.

One of them is SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who expressed his concerns about his friend saying that the "Jesus is King" hitmaker had "a lot of issues."

When Kanye was on his outburst, the 49-year-old space engineer texted the musician to check if he was okay.

Although the Tesla CEO confirmed that Kim Kardashian's husband seemed to be "fine on the call," he already doubts that he was not subtle.

Elon Musk spoke to the New York Times and said, "When he was about a third of the way through the tweeting rampage, just to see if he was doing okay, I sent him a text saying, 'Just checking on you, a lot of people are worried, just wondering if you're okay.'"

"He called me back, and he seemed fine. He video FaceTimed me and was in Wyoming with a bunch of friends."

He added, "He seemed fine on the call. But it sounds like things are, you know, not fine. There seem to be a lot of issues."

Kim Kardashian came to her husband's defense and shared a statement that addressed bipolar disorder.

The KKW Beauty mogul described her husband as a "brilliant but complicated person" who is pressurized because he's a black man and artist.

"Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not alight with his tension," Kim wrote in her Instagram Stories.

She asked the public and the media for "compassion and empathy."

Last week, Kanye West went on a tweeting spree and told his millions of followers that he has been trying to divorce Kim Kardashian for two years since she met with co-rapper Meek Mill to discuss prison reform at the Waldorf Astoria hotel.

On Saturday, the "Jesus Walks" rapper posted an apology to his wife on Twitter, acknowledging that he knew he hurt her.

"I did not cover her as she has covered me. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me," Kanye tweeted.

An insider told Us Weekly that the SKIMS Creator was "distraught with Kanye for talking about their personal life and making matters that are personal to them and their family public."

Another source told the publication that the Kardashian-Jenner family and some of their close friends were concerned about Kanye.

After apologizing to Kim, TMZ reported that Kanye West went to a Wyoming hospital but stayed inside for 10 minutes.

According to reports, many people were waiting for the rapper and was immediately put off by the crowd and left abruptly.

READ MORE: Kanye West Axed? Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian Worry Rapper May Ruin Their Empire
MANZINI  The Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) wants government to scrap all debts of blacklisted people.



The trade union seeks that government removes the records of people who have poor credit history so that they could have better prospects of seeking credit and or loans as means to deal with the impact of the coronavirus.

Blacklisting is a term often thrown around by credit providers to threaten or coerce people with outstanding debt to pay up.



Blacklisting is, in essence, an informal term used to indicate negative information on someones credit report.

Secretary General of TUCOSWA Mduduzi Gina said his union wanted government to relieve the citizenry of their financial burden by scrapping all debts of blacklisted people as the coronavirus had led to an increase in unemployment.

He said the country was not only facing high numbers of unemployment but some people were still on unpaid layoffs and this period had already exceeded three months.



Worth noting is that a fortnight ago, government had reported that the cumulative figure of people on unpaid layoffs was 14 048.



Intervention



The unionist said they viewed the intervention of government in this quagmire faced by the masses as essential. He said people were caught between a rock and a hard place as some had lost employment and or were on unpaid leave while in arrears with different credit facilities.



Such a situation means that the person who lost employment while blacklisted cannot seek any financial assistance anymore. If they seek assistance, records reflect them as people who are not trustworthy in terms of paying back what they owe, Gina said. Despite government requesting financial institutions to engage people who were indebted to them, Gina claimed that the challenge was not just what had happened in the past four months of the national emergency. The challenge, he said, was that many people in the country had been losing employment while they had commitments to credit facilitators and this affected their prospects of getting any financial assistance in other institutions.



Lifting the debts of those blacklisted would mitigate the situation as they would be able to access money. People are currently broke, with no food and cannot borrow money, he said.

He said the situation was worse for those in the hospitality industry as about 7 700 people were affected by the partial lockdown in the country.

According to Gina, such people were bound to be living in debt already as the money set by government to benefit the masses barely scratched the surface.

This assertion was supported by the Federation of the Eswatini Business Community (FESBC).



Deputy President of FESBC, Hezekial Mabuza, said the call by the union was something that they were in support of and could be engaged on at the social dialogue before being taken to the Labour Advisory Board (LAB). He said there was a general feeling that some institutions did not take COVID-19 seriously and that this was seen by the fact that people were still blacklisted despite the challenging times.

Mabuza claimed that lifting the names of people who were blacklisted could be a solution to many.



For example, he said, there were entrepreneurs whose establishments had gone under and or were not breaking even, yet they were blacklisted for failing to service their loans as the economy had not been doing great leading to the outbreak of the pandemic.

He said such entrepreneurs were not accessing bridging finance to assist them sustain their businesses in such a frustrating time.

Due to this, he said, the only option they had was to minimise staff.



Effects



The only solution is to get rid of the human resource and when you do that, there are trickle down effects as many people depended on your operations. These people are set on a whirlpool of debt as they had lived from pay cheque to pay cheque while also having debts they serviced. So, lifting their names from credit facilities as bad debtors would change their lives, Mabuza said.



He mentioned that the coronavirus was an act of God and nobody should be faulted for it as people lost their means of earning a living. He said government should also engage the relevant stakeholders to offer a fair opportunity to all.

At this instance, it would be proper to absolve all people who cannot service their previous debts and those who were blacklisted before the country went into a partial lockdown to be lifted from the list of bad debts. Everybody needs a fresh start after such a disaster.



He said legislators should look into amending the Financial and Credit Act to allow people who became bankrupt due to natural disasters to be absolved. Mabuza said no member of the citizenry deserved being thrown into the dustbin as this was an experience that would yield negative results for the citizenry in years to come.
Much in the same way that a young person today might know, say, J.K. Rowling as a controversy-courting public figure first and a childrens author second, Alan Dershowitzs stature as lawyer has been gradually overshadowed by his second career as a soundbite machine. Hes become a reliable source of indelible quotes in recent years, his eyebrow-raising statements outside the courtroom every bit as defining to his person as the high-profile cases hes taken. Earlier this month, he tweeted in response to a Page Six item that claimed that the 81-year-old has been absent from his favored Marthas Vineyard nude beach out of a desire to keep a low profile as the Jeffrey Epstein pedophilia scandal continues to unfurl.

I hope Epstein made videos, Dershowitz wrote. There have been suggestions that Epstein made secret videos of all the men who had sex in his houses and planes. I hope he did and they are all revealed, because they will prove I am not among them. I hereby waive any right of privacy in Epstein videos. (His previous tweet consists of a stream of gibberish that we may safely presume was supposed to be a link to the Kindle edition of his book about the failings of the #MeToo movement.)

Though designed to promote an image of transparency, this missive raises just as many questions as it quells, chief among them the extent of his involvement in the alleged pedophilic ghastliness that transpired on Epsteins properties. The Dersh has confessed to receiving a massage at Epsteins mansion, but maintains that the masseuse was an adult woman and, harrowingly, that I kept my underwear on during the massage. I dont like massages, particularly. This clashes with Dershowitzs chilling advice doled out in the film No Safe Spaces  If you want to feel good, get a massage  but thats neither here nor there. His point is that however things may look, we do not know for sure what did or did not happen, a notion driven home by Dershowitzs on-the-record characterization of a woman accusing him and Epstein of sexually exploiting her as a teenager. Shes an admitted prostitute and a serial liar, he said during an interview with WPLG last year.

Dershowitz thrives on that not-knowing, using the legal wiggle room it creates to chart escape routes for such infamous clients as O.J. Simpson, Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump and now, himself. This has been his modus operandi since the 80s, when he took on the first of the most-hated-man-in-America cases that he would make his stock-in-trade. But the place to revisit El Dershos origin story and the often damning insights into his psyche that it reveals may well be the 1990 film Reversal of Fortune, released in theaters 30 years ago, just five after the fact of Claus Von Bulows widely publicized retrial.

A brief primer on the sordid tale of Sunny and Claus von Bulow, for those unschooled on the tabloid classics: he was the son of a Nazi collaborator who made his nut as the protege to oil baron J. Paul Getty; she was the socialite heiress with a fortune that far exceeded his. They married, things grew reputedly icy, and one evening in December 1980, she slipped into a diabetic coma from which she would never awaken. Sunnys relatives fingered Claus, and though a 1982 trial found him guilty, he immediately sought an appeal. Though he was reviled far and wide as a rich creep who did away with the wife hed grown weary of, he insisted on his own innocence.

Thats where Reversal of Fortune begins, with Alan Dershowitzs introduction into the story. (The script adapts his 1985 book, which rehashes his time working on the headline-grabbing trial. By the projects very nature, were getting everything through Dersh-colored glasses.) He had already established himself as a formidable law stylist by that point, having made his bones on a 1976 free-speech case defending pornographer Harry Reems. Dershowitz stirred up the sort of media spectacle that now dots his resume, learning how the influence of TV and news could be used to exercise sway over an outcome. In their coverage of the Reems trial, the New York Times described the young Harvard law professor as the countrys most impressive legal talent. It was this reputation that drew a desperate von Bulow to contact Dershowitz for defense in his hopeful retrial.

Barbet Schroeders award-winning film offers us a more intimate, human perspective on Dershowitz. (Jeremy Irons scooped up the Oscar for Best Actor as the archly off-putting Claus, presaging the following years win for another captivating villain whos really a supporting character  Hannibal Lecter.) With rolled-up denim shirt sleeves and an Isro mop of curly hair, Ron Silver portrays Dershowitz, a skeptical, intrepid everyman. We first see him taking the call from von Bulow while sharing a tender moment with his son, a scene that ends with a hair tousle right out of a Jewish version of Leave It to Beaver. He likes to unwind with his team by playing some casual B-ball. Hes a guys guy. Hes the Dersh.

The film consistently conflates his Judaism with middle-class bona fides, like the scene in which he takes everyone out to a dingy Chinese restaurant for dinner, a marked contrast with the haute cuisine to which von Bulow treats Dershowitz at their first meeting. Before that lunch, the self-styled Euro-aristocrat makes an awkward overture: I have the utmost respect for the intelligence and integrity of the Jewish people. An unwitting viewer in 1990 would have had only the faintest inkling that Dershowitz was by that point a handsomely wealthy man at the head of a sizable practice, and no idea that hed eventually come to have more in socioeconomic common with von Bulow than any of his colleagues.

But Schroeder and screenwriter Nicholas Kazan mostly define Dershowitz by his principles. In the films most pivotal scene, he addresses the elephant in the room by explaining his reasoning for taking von Bulows case to a room full of his students. One young woman (a pre-fame Felicity Huffman, lending this whole thing a tinge of irony) says that the case and the defendant stink, an assertion against which Dershowitz argues with the studied ferocity of a trial lawyer:

He adopts the classic I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it pose of the objective moralist. He doesnt claim to know Claus is innocent, and what he says suggests that he considers that much to be none of his business. He first offers the oily rationalization that If lawyers only defended innocent clients, there would only be 10 defense lawyers in the country, and when Huffmans character presses onward, he lands on the sturdy-sounding platitude that everyone gets a defense. She points out that hed had a defense already, and yet Dershowitz remains undeterred, dubious that the trial was fair. By that logic, anything could be subject to re-litigation, but all the same, were supposed to get some whiff of valiance from this moment.

Dershowitz suspects that the verdict has been sullied by the general I did it vibes that Claus put out during the first trial, that hes a victim of the kangaroo court of public opinion. The more dangerous conviction is the absolute certainty of the American people that Claus is guilty, he announces to his team. This scene would seem to place him in a tradition with the heroes of great legal thrillers past, upstanding citizens like To Kill a Mockingbirds Atticus Finch or Twelve Angry Mens Juror No. 8. Like them, he stands up for a man widely presumed guilty, squinting at the evidence until all assumptions have been upended. However, the overall tenor of this scene draws a false equivalency, assigning the same heroic aura as a white man using his privilege to advocate for a person of color to one rich guy defending an even richer one. The casting of Uta Hagen also seems like a metatextual comment, likening her baseless blacklisting from Hollywood for supporting Communists to the persecution suffered by Bulow.

(Because movies tend to operate under a simplified moral calculus, we also learn that the Dersh only accepts von Bulows case and the hefty fee that comes with it so that he can finance his pro bono cases clearing the names of Black kids on death row. A pair of teenagers set to fry get mentioned often, though always in such vague terms. Theyre never seen, though in the series of title cards closing out the film, we learn theyre still scheduled for execution while von Bulow walks free. What little presence they have is purely functional, one of the dead giveaways to the films deep cynicism.)

Things take a turn for the procedural as Dershowitz goes about assembling his case against Sunny von Bulows relatives, a defense reliant on craftiness and rule-bending. He openly states that their mission is to undermine the key evidence brought against Claus, an insulin needle alleged to have delivered the coma-inducing dose to Sunny. He first sets out to prove that the relatives collected their evidence in such a manner that should render it inadmissible, a gambit made possible by introducing new evidence to a settled case  an unorthodox, semilegal move that only works because Dershowitz tricks his opponent into engaging with it.

He tugs at the threads of the case against Claus until everything has been boiled down to the veracity of one physical item. In the same way that Dershowitz turned the question of O.J.s innocence into whether he could fit a glove on his hand, he hangs Claus appeal on that needle. The point had been found to be encrusted with dried insulin, which indicates that it had been dipped in the substance after injection. In other words, tampered-with. Claus walks!

The final scene, in which Claus makes a cat-that-ate-the-canary face as he jokingly asks a pharmacy clerk for insulin, confronts us with the unsettling notion that he may have exploited Dershowitzs ethical flexibility. By the lawyers own code, however, Clauss goodness has been affirmed by the verdict. Because hes gone through a trial uncolored by perception, the question has been settled. (This philosophy is rich coming from Dershowitz, who has long used witness-smearing as a go-to tactic, whether thats painting Sunny to be an out-of-control drug addict or denouncing Weinsteins accusers as attention-seekers out for a payday or career bump.)

Dershowitzs entire weltanschauung as a lawyer hinges on the notion that we cannot cast judgment on anyone without access to all the hard evidence of their wrongdoing, which is to say that in most instances, with their he-saids and she-saids, we cannot cast judgment on anyone. Its an echo of a sentiment voiced by none other than Louis C.K. in his unreleased film I Love You Daddy, in which he declares that no one really knows what goes on in the interior of anyones relationships, and so they should mind their own business. Thats the cornerstone of the Dershowitz doctrine: that no matter how clear things may seem, we do not know the private moments between Sunny and Claus, or Nicole and O.J., or between Trump and his advisors. If it cant be proven, it doesnt exist.

Leona Helmsley and Alan Dershowitz, 1990 (Photo by Joe McNally/Getty) Getty Images

Dershowitz won the battle for Claus, but it would seem as if hes increasingly losing the war. The proliferation of so-called cancel culture should be the Dershs worst nightmare come to life: a system of judgment in which consequences are determined not by whichever side gets away with more expert legal maneuvering, but by the Occams razor logic of every American. Theres an easy counter to be made against this: the notion that courts exist in the first place because many cases are not what they seem and require close inspection by highly trained professionals. While thats true, the public has taken matters into their own hands specifically because the courts have failed again and again. The legal system is very easily gamed, a fact of life Dershowitz knows all too well, and when outraged citizens see no other recourse, they will speak out and seek justice on their own terms.

In a 2018 op-ed for The Hill, Dershowitz referred to Californias recalling of Judge Aaron Persky (he who let rapist Brock Turner off with six months and a slap on the wrist) as a self-inflicted wound to judicial independence. Its easy to see the Turner trial and its fallout as a repeat of the Claus case, and as such, an existential threat to Dershowitzs entire way of practicing law. Reversal of Fortune clarifies that he helped create the climate against which hes been raging, a culture that now has him in its crosshairs. Spending so many years getting men like Claus off while turning a willful blind to their presumptive guilt pushed the public to any available alternative. In the film, the tangle of unsureness about Claus makes for a beguiling thought experiment, and leaves a lionized version of Dershowitz to wrestle with it. In the real world, with the stakes that much higher, hes been all too happy to equivocate.

The post The Greatest Case Alan Dershowitz Ever Built Was His Own Mythology appeared first on InsideHook.
Tamandani Nazimera, a phenomenal and passionate woman of faith, recently joined the team at AE Malawi in a voluntary capacity as Health Programs Officer. Originally from Blantyre, Tamandani studied nursing and midwifery at the University of Malawi.

After working for eight years as a nursing officer with Malawis Ministry of Health, Tamandani served as a family planning coordinator in the rural district of Neno. However, she recently resigned from this position, in order to focus on her family and the ministry that she feels called to.

Her long-term vision, together with African Enterprise, is to open faith-based primary healthcare clinics and youth development centres, in underserved urban districts in Malawi. In these areas, poor health outcomes are exacerbated by poverty, and simple health interventions have the potential to save countless lives. Healthcare for pregnant women and young children, as well as family planning services, will be the main focus of these clinics.

Tamandani laughingly describes that it was the uniforms that first attracted her to nursing, and explains that her mother had always encouraged her to become a nurse. Raised in a middle-class family, Tamandanis parents modelled entrepreneurial skills for their four children. Her dad was a manager, and her mum a teacher, and they also ran several businesses.

As a result, Tamandani learnt from a young age how to embark on small business ventures, and is currently the managing director of LAWTANA investments. She is also founder of Women of Faith, a non-profit organisation that sponsors underprivileged students at Nenos Chikonde secondary school.

Tamandani grew up in a Christian family, but describes how she first encountered Christ and began her own life with God after a Campus Crusade in her first year of college. Together with her family, she attends Calvary Family Church in Lilongwe.

Tamandani met her husband, Lawrence, at a youth fellowship event in 2011, and they were married in 2014.

Lawrence is a doctor, and currently works as the national coordinator for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. (Gavi is a global health partnership which increases access to immunisations in low-income countries.) They have three beautiful daughters, aged 4, 2 and 1. They named their first daughter Kuwala (Light), as she brought light in our lives after we suffered from a miscarriage. Ungwiro (Integrity) and Watipatsa (The Lord has provided) are Kuwalas two younger sisters.

Currently, at AE Malawi, Tamandani is assisting with COVID-19 sensitisation for staff and volunteers in preparation for the upcoming mission in Zomba. She is also conducting COVID-19 education programs in churches (which are not currently under lockdown in Malawi), where she provides COVID education for young children in Sunday schools.

As part of the upcoming Zomba mission, Tamandani hopes to assist the team in hosting pop-up medical clinics. Some of her former colleagues, who are also Christians, have already volunteered their time for this effort. AE Malawi is also getting involved with an Adopt-a-ward program at the Burns Unit at Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe.

While working several shifts as a volunteer nurse in the unit, Tamandani plans to assess the best way for AE to partner with the unit in relieving the suffering of burns victims.

Tamandanis humility and servant-heart are so evident in her unassuming manner, and we look forward to partnering with her, and the team of AE Malawi, to see the love of Christ shared in both Word and Deed, in this nation.
Some commercial drivers at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region have defended the need to maintain the current transport fares, although they have been directed to load at full capacity now as part of the phased easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the transport sector.

In an interview with Citi News, the drivers attributed the decision not to reduce the fares they charge to the increment in fuel prices and not the earlier reduction in the number of passengers.

Reducing transport fares will not help us at all so we prefer to maintain the existing fares. The reason we increased the lorry fares was because of the increment in the fuel prices and not because of the number of passengers, one of the drivers explained.

Road Transport Operators in consultations with the Ghana Private Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council, in March, announced some measures to ensure social distancing among passengers in commercial vehicles.

This move was among others aimed at ensuring that the precautionary directives given by President Nana Akufo-Addo on social distancing were observed on all public transport vehicles and terminals to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Commercial vehicle drivers, following this directive, lamented the low level of revenue gotten from the business due to the reduced number of passengers in the vehicles demanding an increase in transport fares to make up for the losses made while obeying the order to ensure social distancing in their vehicles.

Since Saturday, 11 July 2020, however, commuters have been paying 15% more in transport fares following approval by the government for commercial transport operators to hike fares.

President Akufo-Addo in his latest COVID-19 update to Ghanaians announced that the government has taken the decision to  lift the restrictions in the transport sector , and allow for full capacity in our domestic airplanes, taxis, trotros, and buses.

With this in mind, it is the expectation of passengers that the recent rise in the lorry fares will be further reduced to bring relief to them.

But the drivers say they will only reduce lorry fares if the government reduces the price of fuel.

It will worry us if we reduce the fare despite the increase in the number of passengers. Our roads are not good and the car parts are expensive. Fuel is now expensive and so reducing the fare it will affect us.

Another said, if we are to reduce transport fares, then the government must also watch the fuel prices for us because it is killing us. The government has to do something about it for us.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) wants commercial transport operators to reduce their fares immediately as they return to taking passengers at full seating capacity.

We are, by this statement calling on some of our major stakeholders in the transport sector including the GPRTU, Concerned Drivers Association, Committed Drivers Association and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council to immediately without fail, ensure that transport fares are reversed by close of day today [Monday], COPEC urged in a statement.

---citinewsroom
Tight Security Presence Outside US Consulate in Chengdu, China

By VOA News July 26, 2020

There was a tight security presence outside the U.S. consulate in the city of Chengdu, China Sunday, as the American staff prepared to leave the premises.

Three moving trucks were seen entering the building compound, while uniformed and plainclothes police lined both sides of the street, which were lined with metal barriers.

The editor of China's Global Times tabloid tweeted that the U.S. consulate in Chengdu was given 72 hours to close, or until 10 a.m. (0200GMT) Monday, July 27.

China charged that some personnel at the Chengdu consulate were "conducting activities not in line with their identities."

Without giving any details, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Wang Wenbin said such activity had interfered in China's affairs and harmed its security interests.

China's order to close the consulate in Chengdu was issued Friday in retaliation for a U.S. order to close the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas.

Washington ordered China to close the Houston office "to protect American intellectual property and Americans' private information."

As Chinse consulate closure in Houston took effect on Friday, a group of men who appeared to be U.S. officials were seen breaking-in to the facility through a back door.

Wang said on Saturday that violated international and bilateral agreements and China would respond, without specifying of how.

The tit-for-tat closures further escalated the tensions between the two countries over issues from trade and industrial espionage to human rights.

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The next generation of Australian university students will be educated in conditions reminiscent of a Charles Dickens novel if international students remain locked out of the country, a Queensland parliamentary inquiry has heard.

Without the revenue of international students, universities will not be able to afford new buildings, quality academics and groundbreaking research, the vice-chancellors of the state's two biggest tertiary institutions - the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology - have warned.

Professor Peter Hj AC has been Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of Queensland. Credit:Fairfax Media

A trial set to welcome some foreign students back to Queensland has stalled as the second wave of coronavirus lashes Victoria, casting more doubt over the financial future of the state's universities.

Earlier this month, UQ was in the final stages of a plan to bring international students back to the state and was ready to spend $2000 per student to help cover the cost of flights and hotel quarantine.
TORONTO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Battle North Gold Corp. (TSX: BNAU) (OTCQX: BNAUF) ("Battle North" or the "Company") reports initial assay results from the confirmatory drilling program at the Peninsula zone ("Pen Zone"), a mineralized target area located within 550 metres ("m") of the F2 Gold Zone and related existing underground infrastructure at the Company's Bateman Gold Project in Red Lake, Ontario (the "Project").

Pen Zone

The Pen Zone is one of the three high-priority targets just north of the Project, along with the CARZ and Island zones (collectively referred to by Battle North as the "String of Pearls"). The Company has encountered high-grade mineralization in the String of Pearls from historical drilling (see Diagram 1) and is focussed on advancing exploration of the String of Pearls as potential sources of incremental mill feed. This year, the Company has completed approximately 2,100 metres ("m") of a 2,700 m drilling program at the Pen Zone. Battle North has conducted drilling from the 244 m Level exploration drift of the Project, targeting the high-titanium basaltic units ("High-Ti Basalt Units") which are the main host rock of gold mineralization in this zone. The information gathered from the 2020 Pen Zone drilling program is expected to further advance the Company's understanding of the lithological and structural controls on the gold mineralization in the zone. Please see Tables 1 and 2 for the summary of the assay results from the 2020 Pen Zone confirmatory drilling program and drill hole coordinates, respectively.

Historical drilling at the Pen Zone demonstrated high-grade mineralization and initial assay results from the current drilling program appear to confirm those historical results. Current modelling of the Pen Zone High-Ti Basalt Units has this zone potentially extending at depth, which warrants further exploration drilling. Please see Diagrams 1 and 2 below for a plan view of the historical drilling from the String of Pearls and a section view of the 2020 Pen Zone drilling (with historical intercepts), respectively, and Tables 3 and 4 for the historical Pen Zone drill results and drill hole coordinates, respectively.

Table 1: 2020 Pen Zone Drilling Program1 Summary of Assay Results (as of July 27, 2020).

Drill hole

number Type Elevation Total

Depth

(m) Vertical

depth

(m) From

(m) To

(m) Width

(m) True

width

(m) Grade

(a/t Au) Notes 244L-20-01 Explore 244 m Level 500.00 264.0 397.00 399.00 2.00 1.99 4.46 High-Ti

Basalt Units





















244L-20-02 Explore 244 m Level 484.50 174.00 403.32 404.07 0.75 0.74 4.22 High-Ti

Basalt Units







173.00 410.35 411.69 1.34 1.32 6.49 High-Ti

Basalt Units





















244L-20-03 Explore 244 m Level 550.00 228 377.45 380.52 3.07 3.07 1.44 High-Ti

Basalt Units







228 401.05 404.00 2.95 2.95 2.44 High-Ti

Basalt Units







228 410.88 411.43 0.55 0.55 2.06 High-Ti

Basalt Units





















244L-20-04 Explore 244 m Level 549.00 Assays Pending























244L-20-05 Explore 244 m Level 525.00 Drilling in Progress



________________________________ 1 The 2020 Pen Zone Drilling Program (244 m Level), which commenced in early 2020 is focused on confirming historical drill hole results and expanding the geology dataset for the Pen Zone which could potentially result in a mineral resource estimate in 2021 (see more details in the "Qualified Persons and QA/QC" section below).

High-Ti Basalt Units are also the main host rock of gold mineralization at the Project's F2 Gold Zone where, as recently announced, the Company has delineated Measured and Indicated mineral resource estimates of 979,000 ounces of gold and Inferred Mineral Resource estimates of 283,000 ounces of gold ("Updated 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate")2.

_____________________________ 2 For more details, please refer to the Company's news release dated July 8, 2020 and the current Technical Report for the Project, described further below under "Technical Report for the Bateman Gold Project", both of which are available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and on its website at www.battlenorthgold.com.

CEO Comment

Battle North President and Chief Executive Officer George Ogilvie, P.Eng., stated, "With the Feasibility Study for the Bateman Gold Project on track to be completed in the second half of 2020, we began confirmatory drilling programs at the Pen Zone and McFinley zone with the goal of providing NI 43-101 mineral resource estimates from these zones, which are in close proximity to the Bateman Gold Project. Similar to the 2019 Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA")3 for the Project, we anticipate that the Feasibility Study mine plan will not fully utilize the Project's 1,800 tonne per day milling capacity, allowing room for incremental mill feed that could potentially be sourced from the String of Pearls and the McFinley Zone."

"We had an encouraging start to the 2020 Pen Zone drilling program. The drill results appear to confirm historically identified areas of mineralization. More importantly, the drill results support the geological model that was produced from historical drill data in the targeted areas. Gold mineralization at the Pen Zone is mainly hosted in the High-Ti Basalt Unit, similar to the F2 Gold Zone at the Bateman Gold Project. This similarity is also encouraging from a mineralogy perspective and the possibility for the Project's mill to process any potential mineralized material from the Pen Zone. We are in the early stages in understanding the potential extension of the High-Ti Basalt Units at the Pen Zone at depth, which warrants additional drilling."

________________________________ 3 For a summary of the PEA, please see the current Technical Report for the Project described further below under "Technical Report for the Bateman Gold Project", a copy of which is available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and on its website at www.battlenorthgold.com.

Technical Report for the Bateman Gold Project

Today the Company filed a new technical report for the Project reflecting the Updated 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate, in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (the "Technical Report"). The Technical Report, effective May 5, 2020, was prepared by T. Maunula & Associates Consulting Inc., which is independent of Battle North. The Company issued a news release on July 8, 2020 announcing the Updated 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate, which is reflected in the Technical Report. A copy of the July 8, 2020 news release and the Technical Report can be viewed online under Battle North's profile at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.battlenorthgold.com.

U.S. Ticker Symbol Changed to BNAUF on the OTCQX Best Market ("OTCQX")

Battle North's common shares are now trading on the OTCQX under the new ticker symbol BNAUF. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for Battle North on www.otcmarkets.com. The Company will continue to trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol BNAU.

Qualified Persons and Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC)

The content of this news release has been reviewed, verified, and approved by Michael Willett, P.Eng., Director of Projects for Battle North, and Isaac Oduro, P.Geo., Manager of Technical Services for Battle North, who are Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

Underground drilling was conducted by Boart Longyear Drilling of Haileybury, Ontario and was supervised by the Battle North Gold exploration team. All assays reported are uncut unless otherwise stated. Samples reported herein were assayed by SGS Mineral Services of Red Lake, Ontario and Activation Laboratories Ltd., Dryden, Ontario, both of which are independent of Battle North. All NQ core assays reported were obtained by fire assay with AA-finish or using gravimetric finish for values over 10.0 g/t Au.

Intercepts cited do not necessarily represent true widths, unless otherwise noted, however drilling is generally intersecting interpreted mineralized zones at angles between -30o and +30o. True width determinations are estimated at 65-80% of the core length intervals for the 305 m Level drilling, and estimated at 75-95% of the core length for the 610 m and 685 m Level drilling. Battle North Gold's quality control checks include insertion of blanks, standards and duplicates to ensure laboratory accuracy and precision.4

About Battle North Gold Corporation

Battle North is a Canadian gold mine developer led by an accomplished management team with successful underground gold mine operations, finance, and capital markets experience. Battle North owns the significantly de-risked and shovel-ready Bateman Gold Project, located in the renowned Red Lake gold district in Ontario, Canada and controls the strategic and second largest exploration ground in the district. Battle North also owns a large gold exploration land package on the Long Canyon gold trend near the Nevada-Utah border in the United States. Battle North's shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the OTCQX markets. For more information, please visit our website at www.battlenorthgold.com.

BATTLE NORTH GOLD CORPORATION

George Ogilvie, P.Eng.

President, CEO, and Director

________________________________ 4 For more information on applicable QA/QC procedures, see the current Technical Report, described further above under "Technical Report for the Bateman Gold Project", a copy of which is available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and its website at www.battlenorthgold.com.

Table 2: 2020 Pen Zone Drilling Program  Drill Hole Coordinates

Drill hole

number Drill Hole Location Azimuth Inclination Easting

(Mine Grid) Northing

(Mine Grid) Elevation

(Mine Grid) 244L-20-01 10197.9 50308.5 5133.6 313.0 -3.0 244L-20-02 10199.0 50307.6 5133.6 320.6 10.0 244L-20-03 10198.5 50307.6 5133.6 311.6 -0.2 244L-20-04 10198.6 50307.5 5133.5 315.3 -9.7 244L-20-05 10199.0 50309.0 5132.0 303.0 1.0

Table 3: Historical Pen Zone Drill Results (prior to 2020). Information on true widths and vertical depth not available.

Drill Hole

Number Drill Hole Length

(m) Type From (m) To (m) Width (m) Grade (g/t Au) 84-76 212.45 Explore 56.39 57.03 0.64 10.270





62.48 63.95 1.47 3.060 F2-96A 918.00 Explore 819.00 821.10 2.10 3.196





824.90 825.50 0.60 3.120 MF-03-16 350.00 Explore 19.45 21.05 1.60 6.045 including 20.40 20.75 0.35 20.900





91.35 93.65 2.30 3.147





163.40 164.60 1.20 6.745





185.00 185.30 0.30 4.050





190.40 191.55 1.15 10.182





213.20 214.20 1.00 46.000





322.25 322.75 0.50 17.650 MF-03-19 176.00 Explore 52.35 52.75 0.40 3.960





68.65 68.95 0.30 33.160





71.15 71.50 0.35 4.540





89.55 89.85 0.30 3.170





113.40 113.80 0.40 3.410 MF-03-30A 326.00 Explore 92.80 94.47 1.67 13.129 including 93.70 94.00 0.30 66.100





240.70 241.10 0.40 8.280





263.50 264.00 0.50 7.930 MF-03-34 107.00 Explore 49.10 52.40 3.30 4.522





70.30 72.62 2.32 8.363 including 70.80 71.20 0.40 38.200 MF-03-36 107.00 Explore 34.80 35.10 0.30 6.430





46.00 47.20 1.20 3.029





61.90 62.35 0.45 11.350





78.50 79.00 0.50 13.150 MF-03-41 392.00 Explore 14.30 14.80 0.50 3.150





33.70 34.10 0.40 5.120





90.10 91.10 1.00 6.462





174.10 174.70 0.60 11.750





264.90 265.20 0.30 4.330 MF-03-46 358.00 Explore 116.00 116.50 0.50 3.190





118.10 118.50 0.40 4.790





191.30 191.90 0.60 6.870





329.80 330.55 0.75 6.480





350.50 351.00 0.50 9.330 MF-03-47 368.00 Explore 44.30 44.70 0.40 4.340





337.20 337.90 0.70 3.310 MF-03-50 198.00 Explore 150.10 150.40 0.30 3.400 MF-07-202 984.00 Explore 180.20 181.20 1.00 9.930





208.80 209.55 0.75 4.300





253.60 254.50 0.90 28.070





320.15 321.65 1.50 10.460





324.50 325.45 0.95 4.410





366.00 366.60 0.60 4.010 MF-07-203 528.00 Explore 70.58 71.00 0.42 5.950





97.70 98.39 0.69 17.950





309.33 310.62 1.29 5.399





331.27 331.60 0.33 3.580





354.00 356.00 2.00 3.400





367.85 369.22 1.37 3.383 MF-07-204 372.00 Explore 84.40 84.90 0.50 4.340





289.25 296.50 7.25 5.320 including 290.10 290.62 0.52 33.800





308.00 309.22 1.22 3.485





327.00 328.80 1.80 4.689 including 328.50 328.80 0.30 16.300 MF-07-205 588.00 Explore 81.48 82.24 0.76 3.380





326.24 327.33 1.09 6.850





396.64 396.95 0.31 4.000





419.34 420.00 0.66 3.050 MF-07-209 474.00 Explore 77.40 78.50 1.10 3.520





95.40 96.70 1.30 4.437





293.70 295.27 1.57 9.682





301.00 301.67 0.67 4.430





340.35 341.35 1.00 21.825 MF-07-210 463.00 Explore 97.70 99.85 2.15 5.943 including 98.70 99.35 0.65 12.750





333.40 334.25 0.85 3.110 MF-07-211 486.00 Explore 8.20 9.00 0.80 14.650





326.50 327.50 1.00 4.230 MF-07-212 566.00 Explore 77.55 78.20 0.65 5.650





248.65 249.65 1.00 9.190





345.95 346.45 0.50 3.410





388.00 388.60 0.60 5.070 MF-07-213 525.00 Explore 78.25 78.80 0.55 4.290





308.90 309.90 1.00 9.490 MF-08-224 513.00 Explore 124.30 125.20 0.90 11.900 NPZ-08-02 834.00 Explore 282.00 283.00 1.00 4.630 NPZ-08-03 864.00 Explore 322.00 323.00 1.00 8.490 PR-10-02 728.50 Explore 132.50 134.00 1.50 6.320 PR-10-03 606.00 Explore 131.70 132.70 1.00 7.250





157.00 158.00 1.00 3.300





176.00 178.00 2.00 4.555 PR-10-04 579.00 Explore 244.00 246.50 2.50 5.942





261.00 262.00 1.00 8.030





273.00 274.00 1.00 10.400





287.00 291.00 4.00 4.105





297.00 301.70 4.70 5.069 including 298.00 299.00 1.00 14.480





303.00 303.60 0.60 3.960 PR-10-05 684.00 Explore 146.00 147.00 1.00 9.090





117.00 117.50 0.50 4.260





120.00 121.00 1.00 4.110 PR-10-10 432.00 Explore 257.00 260.00 3.00 4.923 including 257.00 258.00 1.00 10.920





318.00 320.00 2.00 4.505 PR-10-11 456.00 Explore 329.00 331.00 2.00 5.320 PR-10-12 435.00 Explore 314.00 315.00 1.00 3.040 RP-09-03 807.00 Explore 154.00 155.00 1.00 3.390





646.00 647.00 1.00 3.470





659.00 660.00 1.00 4.200





787.00 789.00 2.00 5.520

Table 4: Historical Pen Zone Drill Coordinates (prior to 2020).

Drill Hole

Number Location X (Mine

Grid) Location Y (Mine

Grid) Location Z (Mine

Grid) Azimuth Inclination 84-76 9804.83 50438.61 5360.36 91.9 -52.0 F2-96A 9799.88 50409.62 5363.28 92.4 -50.9 MF-03-16 9567.95 50727.82 5355.00 60.0 -45.0 MF-03-19 9785.74 50450.63 5359.25 60.0 -45.0 MF-03-30A 9671.89 50606.90 5355.00 55.0 -55.0 MF-03-34 9706.54 50627.41 5355.00 55.0 -70.0 MF-03-36 9705.13 50630.24 5355.00 60.0 -53.0 MF-03-41 9550.27 50717.21 5355.00 60.0 -55.0 MF-03-46 9598.35 50572.96 5356.23 60.0 -62.0 MF-03-47 9565.12 50607.61 5357.59 40.0 -45.0 MF-03-50 9618.15 50514.98 5362.32 60.0 -40.0 MF-07-202 9785.74 50450.63 5359.25 35.0 -70.0 MF-07-203 9785.74 50450.63 5359.25 35.0 -62.0 MF-07-204 9785.74 50450.63 5359.25 36.0 -53.0 MF-07-205 9785.74 50450.63 5359.25 42.7 -76.6 MF-07-209 9804.83 50399.01 5363.00 37.0 -63.6 MF-07-210 9804.83 50399.01 5363.00 35.9 -70.6 MF-07-211 9804.83 50399.01 5363.00 41.7 -55.1 MF-07-212 9607.55 50543.97 5353.00 65.0 -70.0 MF-07-213 9757.45 50416.69 5359.25 31.1 -78.2 MF-08-224 9830.99 50801.36 5355.00 40.0 -71.6 NPZ-08-02 9773.72 50406.08 5365.00 45.0 -80.0 NPZ-08-03 9707.25 50420.23 5363.00 45.0 -85.0 PR-10-02 9954.74 50482.45 5355.00 54.2 -64.5 PR-10-03 9954.74 50482.45 5355.00 62.3 -85.6 PR-10-04 9835.24 50494.47 5355.00 43.7 -63.5 PR-10-05 9910.19 50826.81 5355.00 42.9 -67.0 PR-10-10 9817.56 50582.86 5355.00 50.4 -60.2 PR-10-11 9817.56 50582.86 5355.00 36.9 -75.9 PR-10-12 9782.20 50622.46 5355.00 42.3 -61.5 RP-09-03 9756.04 50826.81 5355.00 91.0 -71.3

Cautionary Statement regarding Forward-Looking Statements and other Cautionary Notes

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained or incorporated by reference in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" and "forward looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate", "appear", "assumption", "conceptual", "contingency", "demonstrate", "encouraging", "estimate", "evaluation", "expect", "exploration", "factors", "feasibility", "focus", "forward", "future", "goal", "may", "model", "on track", "PEA", "planned", "possibly", "potential", "preliminary", "priority", "project", "prospect", "risk", "strategic", "study", "target", "upgrade", "viability" and "will", or variations of such words, and similar such words, expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results can, could, may, should, will (or not) be achieved, occur or result in the future. In some cases, forward-looking information may be stated in the present tense, such as in respect of current matters that may be continuing, or that may have a future impact or effect. Forward-looking statements reflect current expectations and assumptions, and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to statements regarding mineralization and mineral resource estimates (including the Updated 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate and any potential future mineral resource estimates at the Pen Zone or any other proximity target (including the String of Pearly) or otherwise); the ongoing Feasibility Study for the Project (including timing of delivery, and the mine plan and other potential results to be disclosed in such study); the results of the Pen Zone drilling program, including assay results, confirmation of historical drill results or areas of mineralization and potential extension of the zone at depth; proximity targets including the "String of Pearls" (including the Pen Zone) and the McFinley zone, and any future or other exploration drilling of such proximity targets; the PEA (including its results); and the potential to source incremental mill feed from proximity targets including from the Pen Zone and McFinley zone.

Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, estimates, expectations and opinions, which are considered reasonable and represent best judgment based on available facts, as of the date such statements are made. If such assumptions, estimates, expectations and opinions prove to be incorrect, actual and future results may be materially different than expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. The assumptions, estimates, expectations and opinions referenced, contained or incorporated by reference in this news release which may prove to be incorrect include those set forth herein, and in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 (the "Q1, 2020 MD&A") and the accompanying financial statements, and the Technical Report, all available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on its website at www.battlenorthgold.com.

Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Battle North to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and factors include, among others: gold price fluctuations; possible variations in mineralization, grade or recovery or throughput rates; uncertainty of mineral resource estimates; inability to realize exploration potential, mineral grades and mineral recovery estimates; actual results of exploration activities including their impact; delays in completion of exploration and other drilling or plans, and any studies, including the ongoing Feasibility Study for the Project, for any reason including insufficient capital and other risks, uncertainties, contingencies and factors identified herein; labour issues at the Company or third parties, such as government and regulatory agencies, suppliers and service providers, including labour shortages and/or work curtailments or stoppages as may result from COVID-19; conclusions of economic, geological or structural evaluations and models including those reflected in mineral resource estimates, or included in the January 2020 Technical Report and the ongoing Feasibility Study, and any other studies for the Project; changes in Project parameters as plans continue to be refined; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents and other risks of the mining industry; delays and other risks related to operations; the ability to obtain and maintain permits and other regulatory approvals (as well as the timing and terms thereof) and to comply with such permits, approvals and other applicable regulatory requirements; the ability of Battle North to comply with its obligations under material agreements including its current loan facility and other financing agreements; the availability of financing for proposed programs and working capital requirements on reasonable terms and in a timely manner; the ability to meet, repay, or refinance, or replace, or renegotiate current and future debt obligations on reasonable terms and in a timely manner including the current loan facility and closure and reclamation surety bond; the ability of third-party service providers and other suppliers to deliver on reasonable terms and in a timely manner (including those working on the ongoing Feasibility Study for the Project); risks associated with the ability to retain key executives and key operating personnel; cost of environmental expenditures and potential environmental liabilities; relations with local communities including First Nations; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; cost of supplies; market conditions and general business, economic, competitive, political and social conditions; our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations or obtain adequate financing to fund our capital expenditures and working capital needs and meet our other obligations; the volatility of our stock price, and the ability of our common stock to remain listed and traded on the TSX; epidemics, pandemics and other public health crises, including COVID-19 or similar such viruses; and the "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated March 27, 2020 ("2020 AIF") as well as the risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors identified in the Technical Report and Q1, 2020 MD&A and accompanying financial statements, all of which are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on its website at www.battlenorthgold.com. The foregoing assumptions, risks, uncertainties and other factors is not exhaustive; readers should consult the more complete discussion of the Company's business, financial condition and prospects that is provided in the 2020 AIF.

The forward-looking statements referenced or contained herein are expressly qualified by these Cautionary Statements as well as the Cautionary Statements in the Q1, 2020 MD&A, the 2020 AIF and the Technical Report. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release (or otherwise expressly specified) and Battle North disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

Cautionary Note Regarding Preliminary Economic Assessments

The Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Project (or "PEA") referenced in this news release and summarized in the Technical Report is only a conceptual study of the potential viability of the Project and the economic and technical viability of the Project has not been demonstrated. The PEA is preliminary in nature and provides only an initial, high-level review of the Project's potential and design options; there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Mineral Resources

Until mineral deposits are actually mined and processed, mineral resources are estimates only. Mineral resource estimates that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimation of mineral resources is inherently uncertain, involves subjective judgement about many relevant factors and may be materially affected by, among other things, environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors described in the foregoing Cautionary Statements, as well as those described in the Q1, 2020 MD&A and accompanying financial statements, the 2020 AIF and the Technical Report. The quantity and grade of reported "Inferred" mineral resource estimates are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define "Inferred" mineral resource estimates as an "Indicated" or "Measured" mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading (or converting) "Inferred" mineral resource estimates to an "Indicated" or "Measured" mineral resource category. The accuracy of any such estimates is a function of the quantity and quality of available data, and of the assumptions made and judgments used in engineering and geological interpretation, which may prove to be unreliable and depend, to a certain extent, upon the analysis of drilling results and statistical inferences that may ultimately prove to be inaccurate. Mineral resource estimates may have to be re-estimated based on, among other things: (i) fluctuations in mineral prices; (ii) results of drilling, and development; (iii) results of test stoping and other testing; (iv) metallurgical testing and other studies; (v) results of geological and structural modeling including stope design; (vi) proposed mining operations, including dilution; (vii) the evaluation of mine plans subsequent to the date of any estimates; and (viii) the possible failure to receive required permits, licenses and other approvals. The mineral resources estimates referenced in this news release were reported using Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators ("NI 43-101").

Cautionary Statement to U.S. Readers

Information concerning descriptions of mineralization and mineral resources estimates contained in this news release may not be comparable to information made public by United States companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") under applicable United States securities laws. Canadian reporting requirements for disclosure of mineral properties are governed by NI 43-101. The definitions used in NI 43-101 differ from the definitions under applicable United States securities laws. For example, this news release uses the terms "Measured" and "Indicated" mineral resources and "Inferred" mineral resources which, while defined by NI 43-101 and recognized and required by the Canadian Securities Administrators, are not recognized by the SEC. The estimation of "Measured", "Indicated" and "Inferred" mineral resources involves greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic feasibility than the estimation of a "Reserve". The estimation of "Inferred" mineral resources involves far greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic viability than the estimation of other categories of mineral resources. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of a "Measured", "Indicated" or "Inferred" mineral resource estimate will ever be upgraded (or converted) to a higher category.

It should not be assumed that any part or all of a "Measured", "Indicated" or "Inferred" mineral resource estimate exists or is economically or legally mineable. Under Canadian securities laws, estimates of "Inferred" mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility studies, pre-feasibility studies or other economic studies, except in prescribed cases, such as in a preliminary economic assessment under certain circumstances. The SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "Reserves" as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "Reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the "Reserve" determination is made.

The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release

SOURCE Battle North Gold Corporation

Related Links

http://www.battlenorthgold.com/


The Northern Ireland Executive is set to meet later to discuss a decision to introduce quarantine for those arriving in the region from Spain.

Health Minister Robin Swann announced the measure on Saturday night following similar moves across the rest of the UK.

The Ulster Unionist minister has requested a meeting of the Executive to discuss what support or advice may be required for those facing the 14-day quarantine.

The meeting is expected to take place by video conference on Monday afternoon.

It ruined the whole holiday Aleksanda Sabalina

Travellers continued to fly to and return from Spain at Belfast International Airport on Monday.

Edith Mikutenaite and Aleksanda Sabalina, from Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, were among those who returned from Barcelona.

They described the news of having to quarantine following a three-night trip as horrible.

It ruined the whole holiday, said Ms Sabalina.

We did not expect that at all, we thought the announcement would be made on Monday or at least some sort of notice for people who had already left without knowing there was going to be a quarantine to ensure they had any work issues sorted out.

Ms Mikutenaite said: It is totally unfair  we only went away for three days and now we are going to be stuck for 14 days at home.

Mr Swann said his decision was not taken lightly, and was made to keep people safe.

There is no ideal time to make such a decision. A phased introduction would not have made sense. Public health considerations must take priority, he said.

The decision was taken after consideration of the latest data.

Travellers on their way to Turkey arriving at Belfast International Airport for their flight (Liam McBurney/PA)

Covid-19 prevalence in Spain has increased in recent weeks  a trend which accelerated rapidly in the latter half of the past week.

I appreciate that people returning from Spain and its islands will now be faced with an unexpected period of quarantining.

The advice from the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser is that a negative Covid-19 test immediately on return from Spain would not exclude infection  so a period of self-isolation would still be required.
He continued: Were still pushing in the next week or two to get the federal help [on testing capacity]. Thats our first priority, to try to get the federal government to do their own job. But the contingency plan is, how do governors, maybe in collaboration with each other and with the private sector, do the job for them once again.
NEW HAVEN  The city is responding to an increase in opioid overdoses that have hit the region with a number of actions, including hiring an outreach worker.

Mayor Justin Elicker early in the weekend issued a statement warning that there had been a spike in overdoses from heroin laced with fentanyl, one of the potent opioid combinations known as Gray Death, which is extremely dangerous.

A spokesman for the city said Saturday that 21 overdoses took place within 24 hours ending early Saturday morning. An estimated 10 to 12 took place in New Haven, mainly in Fair Haven, city Health Director Maritza Bond said.

Bond on Monday said there were eight more on Sunday and three more by Monday afternoon.

Dr. Gail DOnofrio, head of emergency medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital, said Monday she was alerted about 6 p.m. Friday that there were four people in the Emergency Department suffering from overdoses.

It does appear that some of them didnt know they were taking fentanyl and some did know, DOnofrio said.

Some of those who overdosed may have known they were taking fentanyl, but didnt realize how strong the drug was, she said.

It was highly unusual to get so many at one time, she said.

Bond said the city just closed out applications for the outreach position and soon will be interviewing candidates.

The public health director said the new worker will use the community health van to provide awareness and education to people about using dangerous opioid combinations.

The director said there also will be training on the use of Narcan, a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose and restore normal respiration. She said the city plans to put a repository of local resources on its website for addicted persons and those trying to help them.

We want people to know what is available to them, specific to New Haven, so they dont have to figure out how to navigate all these other outlets, Bond said.

She said the city also would work on peer education, in which individuals who have recovered from opioid addiction will talk to those still struggling.

The director said she and Community Services Administrator Dr. Mehul Dalal want to put together a dashboard to standardize data collection on overdoses. She said a single standard will allow the city to identify the hot spots in New Haven so staff can target areas of greatest need.

What is important is that we want to make sure people know that this is an illness; this is a disorder, Bond said. This is not for us to stigmatize or judge. This is a time for us to extend our hand as a community.

She said if anyone witnesses an overdose they should call 911 to get help.

Elicker, in his statement issued Saturday, said, The increase in overdoses is deeply concerning, and we are tracking it closely. Substance Use Disorder is impacting many in our community. Please look out for each other and seek support if you need it.

Dr. Suzanne Lagarde, CEO of the Fair Haven Community Health Center, said her staff would be among those notified of such a large spike, as a matter of information. She said Dr. John McDonaugh, who oversees the clinics addiction services, was told about it last week, but she said he had not heard of any additional cases.

The city had a spike in overdoses in 2018, with emergency personnel responding to a total of 76 K2 overdoses on Aug. 15  with 72 people taken to the hospital and four refusing treatment  over the span of 24 hours, authorities said at the time.

The city in 2018 received the assistance of state agencies and then-Gov. Dannel Malloy said several services would be added to those already available.

The city has advised the public not to share injection equipment and that clean supplies are available at the Community Health Van, which can be reached at 203-823-0743.

According to the city, Narcan is also available at a pharmacy without a prescription. The city said most insurance providers, including HUSKY, cover the cost of Narcan.

For treatment options or to find a treatment provider, go to https://portal.ct.gov/DMHAS/Programs-and-Services/Opioid-Treatment/Medication-Assisted-Treatment.

mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577
FLINT, MI - McDonalds announced theyll be hiring more than 10,000 people across Michigan, including hundreds in the Flint area. The company is also investing more than $700,000 in tuition assistance this year for crew members across the state.

Local McDonalds owner/operators Sam Cox and Robert Spangler joined Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley, State Sen. Jim Ananich, Mott Community College President Beverly Walker-Griffea and COO of the Flint and Genesee Chamber of Commerce Kristina Johnston virtually to discuss the importance of this announcement as well as McDonalds Archways to Education program, which offers employees working 15 hours a week or more the chance to earn up to $3,000 in tuition assistance per year.

This is a great opportunity for people to start off their career at a great corporation with great vision and great investments into local communities, said Neeley, who worked at McDonalds as a college student. Im so excited about the opportunity to be here speaking on behalf of Flint residents and being so thankful that these opportunities are coming by way of jobs at a very, very critical time.

Ananich said the 10,600 new jobs being created for the state is exactly the kind of news Michigan needs right now. Walker-Griffea said Mott Community College is thankful for being a part of McDonalds tuition assistance program.

We are just pleased that we are a part of the investment that McDonalds has put into this community, into each one of our students lives and the families that we serve, she said. McDonalds is really creating, I would say a flagship approach to successful business and educational partnerships. Were just excited to be a part of this because we know that the excellent students success and the financial tuition support means that were going to have great, great outcomes for Flint and Genesee County.

Johnston said McDonalds has been a great partner with the Flint and Genesee Chamber of Commerce over the years, especially with putting many teens to work through the TeenQuest program and Summer Youth Initiative.

These investments are beyond just jobs and dollars, these are enriching programs that McDonalds has invested into communities much like Flint throughout the state of Michigan and investing in lives, Neeley said. Those things that are invested now, as a perpetual motion, are making sure that we grow as a community, as a society and as a country.

Read More on MLive

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Trauma, community resilience are focus of Flint grants to local nonprofits
With the anticipation of the Ontario governments release of its return to school plan this week, local education administrators, teachers and parents have concerns.

In June, the Ontario government requested school boards prepare for three possible return to school models: online only, full-time in-school with smaller classes and strict hygiene protocols, or a mix of the two.

The province has requested that we provide them with a detailed plan that outlines three scenarios on how we could return to the class, said District School Board of Niagara chair Sue Barnett. We have done that, plus some.

Weve been told by the Ministry of Education that teachers will return to the classroom on Sept. 1 with students following a week later, but given the uncertainty and the unknowns of what the Ministry of Education will do, I cant say for sure that school is starting in September.

Not knowing is not what concerns Barnett the most.

My biggest concern is how we will ensure the safety of our staff and students with our current budget.

On June 19, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said every school board in Ontario will receive funding increases ... Were investing in grant for student needs, an additional $730 million to ensure our restart is safe for kids.

However, Barnett said the provinces grants for student needs doesnt include money for safety, and I am not willing to reallocate funds.

I am happy to push this through to the minister.

Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario Niagara member Brian Barker expressed similar concerns.

My concerns are for the safety of all stakeholders, he said. Having people go back to school without a real commitment of funding from the government to increase cleaning protocols, provide PPE (personal protective equipment) and keep classes small enough to maintain physical distancing, would put the health and safety of everyone at risk. Seven cents a student wont cut it.

Barker is also frustrated with how long it has taken the province to release its plan.

The province not having a tangible plan to share with staff, teachers, parents about four weeks before the start of school is highly problematic.

Parents in Niagara are also vocal about their concerns.

From an Indigenous perspective it triggers us from the emotional and mental perspective, said Jillian Issacs, a resident of Fort Erie and mother two children.

Our children are longing for those friendships and relationships. How are the school administrators going to enforce that? How are they going to enforce social distancing with the young ones? How are they going to teach our children about COVID-19? If I was given the choice. I would prefer the hybrid model that is currently being considered.

Robyn Bourgeois, associate professor of womens and gender studies at Brock University, said she is not sending her children back to school in the fall.

I dont think any form of education is worth the risk. I do not want my children to be guinea pigs, she said.

In the three years, theyve been in school, theyve been sick every year and when you add the complexities of COVID-19 it adds additional risks. I dont see how any model being presented would alleviate my concerns. I am considering homeschooling or online.

Premier Doug Ford and Lecce have said the province will release its direction to school boards this week. Barnett is anticipating the announcement will be made Tuesday.
Representative image

The Centre is reportedly pushing business-to-business (B2B) travel to boost trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) as it looks to steady the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

With the world gradually opening up for business, the government thinks that there should perhaps be some measures to allow easier travel for people who wish to do so," a source told Mint.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

In line with this, the Centre is considering allowing into India people other than Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders, the source added. It is also looking to allow Indians who wish to travel abroad to do so on condition that the countries they go to do not have travel embargoes, the report said.

The government believes that restrictions on international travel need to be eased and the Ministry of Civil Aviation is already working on bilateral air bubbles to attract investments. These so-called bilateral air bubbles will be arrangements with carriers of the United States and France to operate international flights, they added.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been vocal about urging foreign countries to consider the trade opportunities in the country. India also took centre stage after bagging close to $17 billion FDI from US technology firms Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook.

Analysts, however, told the paper that easing of travel norms should come with updated safety protocols as people would be cautious about coming to India given the high number of COVID-19 cases.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Who is Larry Householder, and what makes him tick?

Were talking about the Speaker of the House and the unfolding corruption scandal on This Week in the CLE.

Listen online here.

Editor Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour coronavirus news podcast, with Jane Kahoun and me, answering many of the questions youve sent through our text message platform.

Youve been sending Chris lots of thoughts and suggestions on our from-the-newsroom account, in which he shares once or twice a day what were thinking about at cleveland.com. You can sign up for free by sending a text to 216-868-4802.

And youve been offering all sorts of great perspective in our coronavirus alert account, which has 13,000-plus subscribers. You can sign up for free by texting 216-279-7784.

Here are the questions were answering today:

1) Who is Larry Householder, the man at the center for the $60 million FirstEnergy bribery scheme Householder, a Republican farmer from Appalachia and former insurance salesman from rural Perry County, is on his second stint as speaker of the Ohio House. He served from 2001 through 2004, then left amid another FBI investigation that never produced any charges.

2) Why is FirstEnergy in danger of losing a lot more than the $1 billion it received to bail out its two nuclear plants in what federal prosecutors now say was a corrupt bribery scheme? The company could get sued, in two ways. The stock crashed after Householders arrest, and those who bought stock in a company while its employees engage in wrongdoing that is later exposed can sue. Shareholders can also sue individual employees who executed misdeeds.

3) Why is a small key symbol showing up on some cleveland.com stories, and what do I need to do to read them? Those stories are exclusive, and to read them, you need to subscribe.

4)Why is Cleveland Schools CEO Eric Gordon taking the bold and possibly heroic step of keeping students learning at home for the first nine weeks of the new school year? Because hes listening to parents. More than two-thirds of Cleveland schools parents felt not at all comfortable or only slightly comfortable with beginning school in-person this fall, one reason the Cleveland Metropolitan School District decided to start school remotely for the first nine weeks.

5) Who are the likely candidates to replace disgraced Larry Householder as Speaker of the Ohio House, and does it really matter? At least two candidates have emerged as possible replacements for Householder as speaker. One is Bob Cupp, a former Ohio Supreme justice from Lima who has served in the Ohio House since 2015. Another potential candidate is state Rep. Rick Carfagna, a Delaware County Republican, in office since 2017.

6) Do we finally have a better understanding of why Discovery Tours, which has provided class trips to countless students in Northeast Ohio, went under in a scandal last year? The vice president of the now-defunct educational tours company faces more than a dozen criminal charges, as the FBI said he embezzled more than $600,000 from the business started by his father and used it to buy vehicles and renovate his Hudson backyard.

7) Has Ohio hit a plateau on coronavirus cases, or are things getting worse? What about Cuyahoga County? We might be on a plateau. Ohio reported 889 new coronavirus cases on Sunday and 10 deaths, with both the new daily cases and deaths are below the states 21-day rolling average of 1,282 cases and 19 deaths. Its the first time in 18 days the number of new cases dipped below 1,000.

8) Why is the guy suspected of looting Colossal Cupcakes on the night of the Cleveland police protest and riot charged in federal court for what was basically a robbery? Is robbery a federal crime? The Garfield Heights man is charged with interference of commerce by means of robbery and tampering with evidence.

Want more? You can find all our past episodes here.

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Photo: The Canadian Press

Prince William infuriated Prince Harry when he told his younger brother he should move slowly in his relationship with the former Meghan Markle, fearing that he was being blindsided by lust, a new book on the Windsors says.

The second installment of a serialized version of the book Finding Freedom, which appeared in the Sunday Times, claimed that Harry was angered by what he perceived as Williams snobby tone in a discussion about the American actress when they were dating. Royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote that Harry disliked Williams advice to take as much time as you need to get to know this girl."

The authors quote a source close to William as saying he didnt want Harry to be blindsided by lust. The authors wrote that Harry no longer felt as though he needed looking after, and took it badly.

In those last two words, this girl, Harry heard the tone of snobbishness that was anathema to his approach to the world, the excerpt said, noting that Harry has spent 10 years in the military and outside the royal bubble.

Also, to remove Meghan from the equation, Harry was tired of the dynamic that had become established between him and his older brother, the authors added.

In announcing the book's publication, Harper Collins U.K. said the book by Scobie, royal editor of Harpers Bazaar and Durand, Elle magazine's royal correspondent, would aim to capture the real Harry and Meghan." The publisher said the authors have been given unique access and the co-operation of those closest to the couple.

Ahead of the books release, Harry and Meghan issued a statement denying taking part in the publication.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom, it said. This book is based on the authors own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.

The book described how the rest of the family and the Royal Household also didnt know what to make of Meghan. One senior courtier is said to have told a colleague: Theres just something about her I dont trust. Another called her Harrys showgirl.

The excerpt is even harsher when it comes to the Duchess of Cambridge, suggesting she hardly rolled out the red carpet for Meghan, despite the similarity of challenges both would face.

Though it was not necessarily her responsibility, Kate did little to bridge the divide. She was fiercely loyal to her husband and his family, the authors wrote. Once Harry and Meghan were married, the gap between the brothers only widened.

William and Kates feelings seemed obvious to the Sussexes that summer and beyond. Among all the friends and family Harry and Meghan hosted at their house in Oxfordshire between May 2018 and March 2019, the Cambridges failed to visit,'' the excerpt said.

The book excerpts have focused on the months of palace intrigue surrounding the decision to step back from senior royal duties. The couple surprised the Royal Household in January by making public their plans to be more independent.

The couple wished to be part-time royals, but the idea fell apart during talks with the family. In January the queen outlined how the couple would step away from royal duties in March, at least for a while, but always remain part of the royal family.

Harry is sixth in the line for the throne, behind his father, Prince Charles, his brother William, and Williams three young children, George, Charlotte and Louis.

The couple have re-located to North America with their 14-month old son, Archie.
Sure, it might be warm Wednesday, but what about the rest of the week?
Naagin 5 has been creating a lot of buzz these days, especially regarding the cast. Recently, the makers revealed new naagin in Naagin 4. Although they didn't reveal the actress' face, many speculated it to be Hina Khan. Also, recently, Kundali Bhagya actor Dheeraj Dhoopar confirmed that he will be a part of the supernatural show. Now, it is being said that Mohit Malhotra will be joining Naagin 5 cast.

Mohit confirmed the report to Mumbai Mirror and said that it is a pleasure working with Ekta Kapoor again, but revealed that he hasn't seen the show much.

The actor was quoted by the leading daily as saying, "But Naagin is India's favourite show and I have always experimented with different genres."

Mohit Malhotra, who was last seen in Vikram Bhatt's Hacked opposite Hina Khan, further confirmed that Hina is the new naagin. When asked about the buzz that Hina is new naagin, he said, "Yes, that's true," and further added that he is excited to revive their chemistry. "She and I are good friends, so it feels great to get back with Hina," said Mohit.

Meanwhile, Hina, Mohit and Dheeraj will be seen in a cameo for the show and kickstart the story. Earlier, there were reports that Ishqbaaz and Sanjivani 2 actress Surbhi Chandna will be seen as new naagin. There were also reports that Tashan-E-Ishq actor Sidhant Gupta and Ragini MMS Return's Varun Sood were approached for the show, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

Also Read: Naagin 5 Makers Drop A Hint About New Naagin With Season 4 Promo; Is The New Naagin Hina Khan?

Also Read: Dheeraj Dhoopar Joins The Cast Of Ekta Kapoor's Naagin 5, Will Be Seen As Shape Shifting Snake
MOSCOW (AP)  Azimzhan Askarov, a human rights advocate in Kyrgyzstan who was serving a life term on charges of involvement in ethnic violence that were widely criticized as trumped-up, has died in a prison clinic. He was 69.

The U.N. Human Rights Committee and leading international human rights organizations had repeatedly urged the Central Asian nations authorities to release Mr. Askarov, noting his deteriorating health.

Kyrgyzstans state penitentiary service said Mr. Askarov died Saturday in a prison clinic, a day after he was hospitalized with pneumonia. It noted in a statement that Mr. Askarov was also suffering from a heart condition and other chronic illnesses.

His lawyer, Valeryan Vakhitov, said Mr. Askarov had a bad cough and experienced breathing difficulty when they last met recently, the Interfax news agency reported.
Toward the end of his show, host Eric Bolling interviewed Judy Mikovits of the conspiracy theory video Plandemic and her attorney Larry Klayman about their plans to sue Fauci. He introduced the prerecorded interview by referring to her as "an expert in virology" who previously "worked with Dr. Anthony Fauci." [] Bolling immediately followed this interview with an interview of Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier to respond to these claims  despite her own record of misleading audiences about the coronavirus. Saphier labeled those who believe Fauci created the coronavirus as "conspiracy theorists," saying "it's highly unlikely" and that she thought "Dr. Fauci in no way, shape, or form has been involved in the manufacturing of this virus." But in the same breath, she also suggested it's likely that the virus was "man-made within a laboratory." Bolling proposed his theory that China "accelerated the virus" while researching a vaccine and "it somehow leaked out of a laboratory."

On the show, Mikovits and her lawyer, Larry Klayman, announced their plans to sue Dr. Anthony Fauci for personally manufacturing the coronavirus, which he then shipped to China. The hate-group tracking Southern Poverty Law Center describes Klayman as a "pathologically litigious attorney and professional gadfly notorious for suing everyone from Iran's supreme leader to his own mother."

Sinclair initially defended their decision to give a platform to a demonstrably false conspiracy theory as a principled action based on free speech:

We also interviewed a medical expert who debunked Dr. Mikovitz's claims as conspiracy theories. We're a supporter of free speech and a marketplace of ideas and viewpoints, even if incredibly controversial.  Sinclair Broadcast Group (@WeAreSinclair) July 25, 2020

Four hours later, they buckled under pressure:

We would also like to clarify that at no point did we air the "Plandemic" documentary, nor do we have plans to. This documentary has been widely discredited and we as a company do not support the baseless claims that were rebutted during the original segment.  Sinclair Broadcast Group (@WeAreSinclair) July 25, 2020

There are surely some people who will decry this as bullying cancel culture, but I think that any rational human being could agree: a media conglomerate not using their power to spread malicious propaganda is, objectively, a good thing for society.

Sinclair gives "Plandemic" conspiracy theorists a platform to spread their lies about Dr. Fauci and the coronavirus [Zachary Pleat / Media Matters]

Local TV stations across US to air conspiracy theory on Fauci [Martin Pengelly and Oliver Milman / The Guardian ]

Sinclair Broadcasting Defends Giving 'Plandemic' Conspiracy Air Time: 'We're A Supporter Of Free Speech' [Jack Brewster / Forbes]

Image: Eden, Janine, and Jim / Flickr (CC 2.0)
After repeated requests, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra on Monday agreed to summon a session of the state assembly provided the government gives a 21-day notice.

The condition is part of three suggestions the Governor has made while returning Ashok Gehlot Cabinets recommendation that he should call a session of the Vidhan Sabha.

In the notification issued today, the Governor denied that he was delaying the summoning of the House session even though the Congress and the CM have accused him of being under pressure from the top.

This was the second time that Governor Mishra had returned a cabinet proposal on convening the assembly, amid the power tussle in Rajasthan.

The state government, the Governor said, should undertake to broadcast live the proceedings of a floor test, if it takes place.

CM Gehlot, who has been pressing for an assembly session, wants to prove his majority to end the political impasse created after the rebellion by Sachin Pilot, who has since been sacked as the deputy CM and head of the state unit.

It should also ensure precautions during the proposed Vidhan Sabha sitting against the spread of coronavirus, the Governors note said.

Citing the coronavirus situation, the Governor had earlier said it would be difficult to call all the members of legislative assembly (MLAs) at a short notice.

Governor Mishra, according to news agency ANI, had asked whether CM Ashok Gehlot wants a trust vote in the state assembly.

Do you want to move Motion of Confidence? It is not mentioned in the proposal but you have been speaking about it in the media, the governor was quoted as saying by ANI.

The Governor had earlier questioned the need for calling the session when the government already had the majority and the disqualification matter was pending in the Supreme Court.

In another development, assembly Speaker CP Joshi withdrew his petition from the top court challenging a July 21 order of the high court directing him to defer disqualification proceedings against former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 Congress legislators backing him.
A 70-year-old British biker has been killed and his brother-in-law monk seriously injured after the pair were hit by a pick-up truck in Thailand on Sunday.

The British expat has been named only as David, while the monk - who was sitting in the bike's sidecar - has been named as 59-year-old Phra Wasant Boonkham.

The side car was reportedly hit from behind by the pick-up-truck driven by a woman who told police that she was driving to visit her younger sister.

The accident occurred at around 8.30am on the Phimai-Chum Phuang road in Thailand's Phiami district.

Pictured: Rescue volunteers help 59-year-old Phra Wasant Boonkham - a monk - who was riding in a sidecar when it was hit by a pick-up in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand on Sunday

The British man - David - was killed in the crash, while the monk suffered two broken legs.

A photograph taken at the scene showed the monk lying on the ground while being treated by paramedics and rescue volunteers, as a crowd gathers on the side of the road.

Kanchana Boonkham, 41, David's wife, told local media that her husband was taking the monk, her elder brother, from their house back to Wat Suntarikaram temple at Ban Taban when the accident occurred.

The accident occurred in Thialand's Phimai district (pictured) at around 8.30am on the Phimai-Chum Phuang road

The temple is less than a mile away from where the accident occurred.

According to the New York Times in 2019, Thailand has the world's second highest rate of road deaths per-capita - second only to war-torn Lybia.

When it comes to motorcycle deaths per-capita, the country ranks number one.

The most recent WHO estimates from 2016 state that 32.7 out of every 100,000 people in Thailand die on country roads.
WE Charity began working on Ottawas student volunteer grant program weeks before the federal cabinet approved the deal, newly released documents reveal.

A copy of the contribution agreement between the government and the charity showed that WE officially began working on the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG) on May 5.

Federal cabinet met to discuss the program  and ultimately approve WE Charity  on May 22.

WE told the Star Monday that the charity made the decision to begin the work immediately due to the tight time frame to launch the program by the beginning of summer.

The decision was made with the full knowledge and co-operation of (Employment Social Development Canada) and WE Charity, and further the agreement by WE Charity that any costs incurred would be the sole responsibility of WE Charity if the program was not formally approved, the charity wrote in a statement.

The deal, which would have given young Canadians grants of between $1,000 and $5,000 for volunteering during the COVID crisis, has become a headache for the Liberal government after Trudeaus family ties to WE Charity led to questions about possible political favouritism. Finance Minister Bill Morneau, whose family also has ties to the charity, now face ethics investigations for approving the deal.

The document  combined with what is publicly known about the timeline leading up to WEs involvement with the program  indicates the charity was already well into the work before Trudeau was formally briefed about the $912 million grant program on May 21, one day before the cabinet meeting.

Thats unusual, according to former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page. However, Page said the decision to begin work on the program before cabinet signed off might be justified as an emergency measure  the decision was made at the height of pandemic fears.

Could the decision and the process to make the decision (including questions about conflict of interest have been) strengthened by a cabinet discussion and approval? Yes, Page said.

WE confirmed Monday afternoon that it had begun incurring eligible expenses for running the program on May 5, weeks before Trudeaus chief of staff, Katie Telford, stressed the need for due diligence on the partnership to senior public servants.

The deal with WE was finalized on June 23 followed by a government announcement on June 25. WE would have been paid up to $43.5 million.

But after the deal fell through in the face of public scrutiny on July 3, WE said it would return any public funds it had accepted to run the grant program.

The contribution agreement was one of a batch of documents released to the House of Commons Finance Committee, which is probing the governments now-reversed decision to partner with WE on the student volunteering grant program.

Trudeau and Telford are scheduled to testify before the committee on Thursday.

Included in the documents is an April 22 email from WE co-founder Craig Kielburger to Rachel Wernick, a senior public servant at Employment and Social Development Canada responsible for the CSSG program. Wernick had reached out to Kielburger three days before to gauge WEs interest in running the program.

In the email, Kielburger said that WE could have the program up and running and accepting students by late May.

I appreciate your outreach to inquire about my thoughts and whether we would be interested to be involved in such a national youth service program, Kielburger wrote.

Allow me to share with you a proposal informed by our conversation together, which seeks to address some of the concerns that we both share, and outlines a viable solution that can reach 20,000 young Canadians with opportunities for summer service and to earn income for post-secondary studies.

Kielburger went on to outline his proposal: a three-month program serving 20,000 Canadians aged 16 to 30 with digital service opportunities, training and support, and a system of tracking and reporting the volunteers accomplishments.

Kielburger also proposed a digital national celebration of service showcasing the accomplishments of young people  something akin to the organizations WE Day events retailored to the COVID-19 era.

WEs pitch was roughly in line with what became the CSSG program, and what has now become a significant political headache for Trudeau and the Liberals.

Trudeau now faces an ethics probe over his participation in that cabinet debate, despite his familys ties to the organization and his past participation at WE-hosted events. Morneau, whose family donated at least $100,000 to the charity since 2018 and has accepted free trips from WE, faces a similar probe.

The documents show that the government contacted or considered 20 other groups  including the United Way, Volunteer Canada, and the YMCA  before deciding that WE was the best and only organization capable of running the CSSG program.

The House of Commons finance committee will resume its investigation into the WE deal on Tuesday when the charitys co-founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger, are scheduled to testify.
TUPELO, Miss., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BXS Insurance, Inc., a subsidiary of BancorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS), has been named to Business Insurance magazine's 2020 Top 100 Brokers of U.S. Business list. The annual list ranks insurance brokers by revenue from U.S.-based clients in the previous calendar year.

In 2019, revenue increased by 3.5 percent to top more than $123 million, placing BXS Insurance at No. 35 on the national list. The organization is also the fourth-largest bank-owned broker in the country.

"We are honored to once again be named as one of the top insurance brokers in the country," said Markham McKnight, president and CEO of BXS Insurance. "Our ranking is not only a reflection of our strong market position but is also the culmination of more than 130 years of superior client service, decades of investment in technology and data-driven solutions and the hard work and dedication of more than 650 professionals."

For more information about the "Top 100 Brokers of U.S. Business" list, visit businessinsurance.com.

About BXS Insurance, Inc.

BXS Insurance, Inc. is a subsidiary of publicly-traded financial services company BancorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS). For more than 130 years, this large, nationally recognized firm has strategically grown to 31 offices across eight states. It operates globally as a member of the Worldwide Brokers Network, the fourth largest insurance network in the world. From small companies to organizations with more than 10,000 employees, BXS Insurance delivers the highest standard in brokerage services. It has become an industry leader in commercial insurance, surety, employee benefits and private client brokerage services by investing in technology and human capital to expand service offerings and create a competitive advantage for clients.

About BancorpSouth Bank

BancorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS) is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi, with approximately $23 billion in assets. BancorpSouth operates approximately 310 full-service branch locations as well as additional mortgage, insurance, and loan production offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas, including an insurance location in Illinois. BancorpSouth is committed to a culture of respect, diversity, and inclusion in both its workplace and communities. To learn more, visit our Community Commitment page at www.bancorpsouth.com ; "Like" us on Facebook; follow us on [email protected]; or connect with us through LinkedIn.



About Business Insurance

Business Insurance is the authoritative news and information source for executives concerned about risk and the impact on their business. With information for risk managers, insurers, brokers and other providers of insurance products and services, Business Insurance delivers in-depth analysis on new and emerging risks, case studies of successful programs, market intelligence on trends, and guidance on how to capitalize on opportunities and overcome challenges. In addition to a monthly print magazine, Business Insurance provides essential news via its website, BusinessInsurance.com; daily and weekly e-newsletters; and breaking news via email news alerts. To subscribe, please contact Business Insurance at [email protected] .

SOURCE BancorpSouth Bank

Related Links

http://www.bancorpsouth.com


US consulate in China prepares for closure

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/26 19:33:41

Foreign workers and diplomats left in succession from the US Consulate General in Chengdu over the weekend after China ordered its closure within 72 hours, in retaliation for the US ordering the closure of China's Consulate General in Houston.

All foreign workers at the US consulate in Chengdu must leave by Monday morning upon China's schedule requirement as China's Foreign Ministry announced on Friday the closure of the US consulate in the Southwestern Chinese city. The Ministry also made specific requirements on the ceasing of all operations and events by the consulate general.

Workers from the consulate removed the US official seal from the front of the consulate, leaving just the US flag flying on Saturday.

Cleaners were seen carting big black bags from the consulate in the early hours of the Saturday morning. One of the bags split and appeared to have contained shredded paper, AFP reported.

Police set up roadside railings outside the US consulate in Chengdu where many local residents gathered to take photos on Saturday to observe the historic closure.

Some foreign media reporters were also seen outside the US consulate.

The moving company's vehicles repeatedly entered and exited the US consulate in Chengdu, with some foreign workers also seen leaving with their luggage over the weekend.

Fire trucks were on standby on nearby streets.

The US consulate in Chengdu, covering consular affairs in several provinces and regions including Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, had attracted public attention on several occasions.

It was opened in October 1985 by then-US Vice President George Bush. Crowds protested in front of the consulate after the US bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade in 1999.

The consulate in 2012 also became a scene for an incident involving Wang Lijun, former vice mayor and police chief of Southwest China's Chongqing, who defected and entered the consulate but later left on his own volition.

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The letter comes on the heels of the White House announcing it would be sending an additional 150 FBI and other law enforcement agents to beef up existing operations here as violent crime ticks up. The letter reads in part: We DO NOT trust any promises that President Trump has made or will make about their deployment. We ask that you immediately cease any existing or planned city police and county sheriff cooperation with the federal agents that President Trump has pledged to send to Chicago. Read the full letter, including which elected leaders signed it, here.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 11:39:45|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, with the number of active cases in the country remaining at 21, according to the Ministry of Health.

It has now been 87 days since the last case of COVID-19 was acquired locally from an unknown source, according to the ministry.

The total number of confirmed cases remained at 1,206, a ministry statement said, adding there was no one receiving hospital-level care for COVID-19.

The ministry emphasized the effort to increase the amount of community-based testing for people with respiratory symptoms. "Testing remains an important part of our overall strategy to detect any community cases of COVID-19 as quickly as possible," it said.

The ministry continues to work with its counterpart in South Korea for more information about the infected traveler from New Zealand.

The individual left New Zealand six days ago on 21 July and arrived in South Korea on 22 July after transiting through Singapore, with no symptoms but returned a positive test on arrival.

According to South Korean authorities, they suspect the traveler was infected during the transit in Singapore airport based on their initial investigations.

Other causes, including infection in New Zealand, can't be ruled out at this stage and the ministry is in close contact with South Korea for further information, the statement said. Enditem


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NASA's Perseverance rover to return Martian meteorites to Mars



July 27, 2020  NASA is poised to launch its first Mars sample return mission, though not in the traditional sense of the term.



The U.S. space agency is preparing to send its next rover to the Red Planet with the tools needed to collect and cache samples for their later return to Earth by a future spacecraft. The samples may help answer if ancient life existed on Mars.



NASA describes the Perseverance rover as "the first leg of a round trip to Mars," but the six-wheeled vehicle is already equipped with everything it needs to carry out the first "Mars sample return," even before reaching Mars.



Perseverance is carrying pieces of Mars that were delivered naturally to Earth. Two small slices of Martian meteorites are on board.



"We figured this was a nice way of doing the sample return," said Luther Beegle, the principal investigator for the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) science instrument on the rover.



Perseverance is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on July 30, and land in Jezero Crater on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021.



Self calibrating



Perseverance's Martian meteorites are more than just hitchhikers that have found a ride home. They will play a role in fine tuning the rover's search for life.



Mounted at the end of the rover's robotic arm, SHERLOC uses a combination of a laser, a camera (called WATSON, or Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) and spectrometers to identify organics and minerals that have been altered by water, pointing to possible evidence for past Martian microbial organisms.



To ensure that the measurements that SHERLOC takes are accurate, its precision instruments need to be periodically calibrated, especially given where the readings are being taken.



"This is a very inhospitable environment. It has temperature swings. It has dust. It has UV [ultraviolet] radiation on the surface," Beegle told collectSPACE in an interview. "So what you have to do  and you have to do this in a laboratory [on Earth], too  is you have to calibrate your instrument so that what you determine you're looking at is really what you're looking at."



As such, Perseverance also carries a SHERLOC calibration target, a device about the size of a large smartphone that has 10 different material samples. The team operating SHERLOC will point the instruments at the "cal target" once every three to five months to check that the wavelengths and spatial scales they measure on Mars match the known properties of the Earth-sourced examples.



"We listed the things we had to measure and then we figured out how to measure them. That's where the calibration target came from," said Beegle.



One of the SHERLOC targets is the Martian meteorite slice, which will be used to determine how well the mapping spectrometer's scanning mirror is working.



"We decided to put a natural sample [on the target] and then somebody came up with a great idea, 'Hey, let's make it a Martian meteorite, right?'" Beegle recalled. "We can return a sample back to Mars because Perseverance is the first stage of sample return."



"Perseverance will be collecting samples that are 5 centimeters by 1 centimeter [2 by 0.4 inches], putting them in tubes, sealing them and then a future rover is going to come pick them up and bring them back to Earth," he said.



Another of Perseverance's instruments, its mast-mounted SuperCam, also has a Martian meteorite on its calibration device as a practice target and as an "inverse sample return."



Long-term loan



Technically, Perseverance is the second Mars mission to bring a Martian meteorite back to the planet. NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, which operated from 1997 to 2007, still carries an Earth-sourced piece of Mars  but as an orbiter, circles high above the surface.



Perseverance's meteorites will be the first to complete the full round trip.



"A lot of why we came up with what we did was because one of our co-investigators was a gentleman named Mark Fries. He worked at Johnson Space Center," said Beegle, who works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.



Fries works in the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science division at Johnson, the Houston office that is responsible for curating NASA's collection of extraterrestrial materials, including Apollo-recovered moon rocks, interplanetary dust samples and meteorites.



"So we went in to try to find a piece of Mars that we could use and we ended up contacting the Natural History Museum in London, which had an extra sample of material that they loaned us," Beegle told collectSPACE.



The museum provided a sample known as Sayh al Uhamiyr 008 (SaU 008), which was found in Oman in 1999 and has been in its care since 2000.



"The piece that we are sending was specifically chosen because it is the right material in terms of chemistry, but also it is a very tough rock," Caroline Smith, principal curator of meteorites at the Natural History Museum, said in a statement. "Some of the Martian meteorites we have are very fragile. This meteorite is as tough as old boots."



"In addition, studying this sample over the course of the mission will help us to understand the chemical interactions between the Martian surface and its atmosphere," she said.



The sample originally left Mars between 600 and 700 thousand years ago, making its journey aboard Perseverance a very long-awaited homecoming. It will also be a unique occurrence for the museum, said Smith.



"Every year, we provide hundreds of meteorite specimens to scientists all over the world to study," said Smith. "But this is a first for us: sending one of our samples approximately 100 million kilometers [62 million miles] away back home, to further our knowledge of Mars."



And though it is technically a loan, Beegle does not think the museum is expecting to get the meteorite back.



"If they want it back, we'll see what we can do," he said, laughing. "But I would not be holding my breath."



A Martian meteorite (inset) is part of the calibration target for the SHERLOC science instrument that is mounted to the front of NASA's Perseverance rover. The mission will search for evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars. (NASA/JPL / collectSPACE)







A slice of a meteorite scientists have determined came from Mars. A similar slice is being returned to Mars on NASA's Perseverance rover as part of the SHERLOC calibration target. (NASA/JPL)







Discovered in Oman in 1999, the Sayh al Uhamiyr 008 (SaU 008) meteorite was blasted off Mars 600,000 to 700,000 years ago. A slice from the meteorite is now returning to the Red Planet aboard NASA's Perseverance rover. (Natural History Museum, London)







An engineering model of SHERLOC, one the instruments onboard NASA's Perseverance rover. Located on the end of the rover's robotic arm, SHERLOC will help determine which samples to take so that they can be sealed in tubes and left on the Martian surface for future return to Earth. (NASA/JPL)





Artist's concept of the SHERLOC instrument (circled) located on the end of the robotic arm of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)



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Australia and the United States are set to conduct more joint military exercises in the South China Sea following Canberra's decision to brand China's territorial claims unlawful at the United Nations.

Australia will continue to resist any US offers to conduct freedom of navigation exercises in the disputed waterway, diplomatic sources say, but will look to increase the number of operations it conducts with the US navy.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Linda Reynolds arrive in Washington DC for the 2020 AUSMIN talks. Credit:Twitter/Linda Reynolds

The prospect of increasing joint naval exercises in the South China Sea will be a topic of discussion when Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds meet with their US counterparts in Washington over the coming days as part of the annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations.

Australia over the weekend followed the US in formally rejecting China's claim to key parts of the South China Sea, saying there was "no legal basis" for China to draw straight baselines connecting the outermost points of island groups including the Four Sha archipelagos, lay claim to the Paracel and Spratly Islands or maritime zones generated by low tides.
BRIDGEWATER, N.S.The mayor of a Nova Scotia town that was the scene of a days-long manhunt for a man accused of stabbing a police officer said Monday his community is relieved the suspect has been arrested and charged.

Its been a trying time, said Bridgewater Mayor David Mitchell, on the arrest of Tobias Charles Doucette, who evaded capture by police for nearly a week. Last week was a roller-coaster ... Its a big sense of relief in the community.

The 31-year-old suspect was officially charged Monday during a brief court hearing in Bridgewater, N.S., about 100 kilometres west of Halifax.

He is charged with attempted murder, assault, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, mischief, theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and wounding a law enforcement animal.

Doucette was arrested Saturday night after police responded to a call about an attempted vehicle theft in the village of Hebbville, N.S.

The suspect fled after allegedly striking an officer in the neck with an edged weapon as police responded to a domestic violence call at a hotel in Bridgewater on July 20. Doucette is accused of assaulting his common-law partner in the same incident.

He was spotted by an RCMP dog and handler last Tuesday in Conquerall Bank, N.S., but police said he escaped into nearby woods after allegedly stabbing the dog with a stick.

After going several days without finding any trace of Doucette, police responded to two possible sightings of him in Bridgewater on Friday.

He wasnt arrested, however, until the night after police received the call about the possible vehicle theft. At the time of his arrest, Doucette was wearing shorts but had no shirt or shoes.

Police had established checkpoints at various sites around the Bridgewater area in the past week, with one as far away as the Canso Causeway to Cape Breton, Doucettes home region.

Danny MacPhee, Bridgewaters deputy police chief, told reporters Monday he thinks Doucette never left the Bridgewater area. I believe he never broke our containment, said MacPhee. When he was escorted out of the woods (by police) he was compliant.

The next court hearing in the case is scheduled for July 30.

Read more about:
Float trips claim casualties every summer on Missouris waterways: jewelry, sunglasses, cellphones. But this time, it was a leg.

Mike Evans, of Woodson Terrace, said he began a 5-mile float trip on the Meramec River Saturday near Bourbon at Riverview Ranch. About 2  miles in, Evans and a friend decided to get out and walk in the water behind the raft. As the raft got farther ahead, the water got deeper so the men had to swim. It wasnt until he finally caught up with the raft and pulled himself on that Evans noticed his prosthetic leg was missing.

When I pulled myself onto the raft, I noticed immediately that my leg felt lighter, Evans said. Then I realized it was gone.

He and his group searched for it themselves but came up empty-handed. They asked other floaters on the water to keep an eye out as well, but the water was too deep and murky to see anything.

It was a coincidence Missouri state troopers even heard about the incident. While responding to a call at Riverview Ranch, one trooper was offhandedly informed by employees about the missing leg. He contacted Evans through social media about 11 p.m. Sunday asking for more information to send a dive team out to search.

The way it all happened was pretty amazing, Evans said.

Evans prosthetic cost him $27,000, and he doesnt have any spares. He is an avid floater, but this was the first time he had gone floating with his prosthetic since he had to have his leg amputated in October of last year.

This made me want to put a dog tag with if found return to on it, Evans said. He also is looking to build a makeshift brace that will keep the leg on in the water.

Lt. Collin Stosberg, a patrol trooper, said once divers knew the general area where Evans had lost his leg, it didnt take long for them to find it. The search started about 9:30 a.m. Monday and ended successfully around noon.

Dive teams get frequent calls to search, Stosberg said. Last year, the team got 37 requests, but theyre more often called to find vehicles, weapons and, yes, bodies. All 13 team members are troopers and divers, he said.

Evans prosthetic leg was returned to him Monday afternoon.

It was a happy ending to a stressful few days, Evans said.

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The American flag was lowered at the United States consulate in Chengdu on Monday, days after Beijing ordered it to close in retaliation for the shuttering of the Chinese consulate in Houston.

Footage on state broadcaster CCTV from outside the consulate showed the flag being slowly lowered early Monday morning, after diplomatic tensions soared between the two powers with both alleging the other had endangered national security.

Relations deteriorated in recent weeks in a Cold War-style standoff, with the Chengdu mission Friday ordered to shut in retaliation for the forced closure of Beijings consulate in Houston, Texas.

The deadline for the Americans to exit Chengdu has been unclear, but the Chinese consulate in Houston was given 72 hours to close after the original order was made.

On Saturday AFP reporters saw workers removing the US insignia from the front of the consulate.

Over the weekend, removals trucks entered the US consulate and cleaners were seen carting large black rubbish bags from the building.

Beijing says closing the Chengdu consulate was a legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States, and has alleged that staff at the diplomatic mission endangered Chinas security and interests.

Washington officials, meanwhile, said there had been unacceptable efforts by the Chinese consulate in Houston to steal US corporate secrets.
Data shows just one fine was issued by police over breaches of travel quarantine rules: Getty

The Foreign Office has warned British nationals against non-essential travel to the Canary and Balearic islands, in a move bringing the popular tourist destinations in line with mainland Spain.

It comes days after the UK announced holidaymakers in Spain would have to quarantine on return due to a spike in cases there.

Meanwhile, Jet2 has suspended all flights and package holidays to mainland Spain until mid-August.

Downing Street has warned no travel is risk-free during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Follow the latest updates
Officials, CDC epidemiologist slam smear over central govt's help in HK's fight against COVID-19

Global Times

By Liu Caiyu Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/26 14:27:33

The Chinese central government will provide anything Hong Kong needs to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and one possible way would be helping to build, staff and operate makeshift hospitals to treat patients, experts said Sunday after the city saw more than 100 cases for the fifth consecutive day.

Amid voices smearing aid from the Chinese government, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam, denounced as "outrageous" any action that tries to damage the relationship between Hong Kong and the central authorities, and spoke highly of the central authorities' latest assistance in retrofitting a makeshift hospital and boosting test capabilities.

Hong Kong reported 128 new cases on Sunday, bringing the total to 2,634.

The HKSAR government on Sunday also announced a halt to crew rotations for all passenger ships and freight ships that do not load or unload goods in Hong Kong starting Wednesday until the epidemic is under control.

Zeng Guang, a chief epidemiologist with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Global Times on Sunday that "Hong Kong is part of China. The central government will spare no efforts helping Hong Kong and providing anything the SAR requests in the fight against the virus."

Zeng said "There are opposition voices. But when the epidemic in Hong Kong continues to wreak havoc, politicizing public health problems is not a wise choice."

Amid mistrust and even opposition voices, Zeng said that medical staff from the mainland could staff and manage a makeshift hospital and treat patients there.

Lam said the central government has been very caring about the Hong Kong people, from offering medical supplies at the beginning of the epidemic to helping enhance testing capability and retrofitting the AsiaWorld Expo into a "mobile cabin hospital" upon her recent request.

It is "outrageous" that some people with ulterior motives are smearing and damaging the relationship between the two. They have spread rumors that medical teams from the Chinese mainland will sit in Hong Kong clinics and collect DNA samples from Hong Kong people, Lam said.

Lam made the comments in an article "Fighting the Virus for Six Months Battling Another Wave of the Epidemic Together" on the website of the chief executive's office on Saturday.

He Jing, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, said the central government will provide all necessary support in constructing temporary hospitals and improving nucleic acid testing capacity.

Hong Kong microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung also told the Global Times on Sunday that he supports any move that is good for the HKSAR to control the epidemic. BGI Genomics from the mainland, for example, with its high quality and low fees, is helping to deal with Hong Kong's gap in testing capacity.

Yuen believes that hospitals in Hong Kong have not yet reached their limit. Most patients have mild or no symptoms, and there are only about 30 severely ill patients, meaning the demand for intensive care units is not high. The AsiaWorld Expo will be able to provide 2,000 beds to treat mild cases.

Zeng said that there are multiple ways the central government and mainland can help Hong Kong.

Apart from taking over a makeshift hospital, Zeng listed two other options - patients in Hong Kong could be transferred to mainland hospitals for medical treatment or hospitals in Hong Kong would ask for help on their own if they need medical support.

Some forces claimed that mainland medical teams would be of little use due to language obstacles and different professional standards, but Zeng dismissed such claims, noting the view was politically driven.

Chinese medical teams have been to foreign countries including many in Europe, Asia and Africa. Language and the different medical operation systems have not become an issue, Zeng said.

The epidemic situation is "severe," Matthew Cheung Kin-chung Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR said on Sunday. If the epidemic gets worse, the HKSAR government will not hesitate to adopt more stringent control measures to further restrict business and reduce the space for citizens to go out, Cheung said.

However, at this stage, Cheung said that the government has no intention of introducing a "stay at home order" or a "mobility ban" to restrict citizens from outdoor activities.

"We can still observe for another week before considering more drastic measures. We have not even stopped dining out in eateries in mornings and afternoons," Yuen said. But the situation would be very different if a sudden super spreading event in a number of elder care homes or in a housing estate with a faulty sewage system occurs, Yuen warned.

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A father-of-two from Melbourne has shared his trick for turning leftover sandwich crusts into cinnamon scrolls, and parents across Australia have labelled it 'genius'.

George Georgievski has steadily built a following of more than 120,000 on social media over the past few years, mainly from sharing daily photos of the elaborate lunches he puts together for his two daughters.

'The number one comment I get is "what do you do with the leftover bread?"' George posted on Instagram.

'So here is one my many leftover crusts creations, this is called "Karen",' he added jokingly.

Scroll down for video

A father-of-two from Melbourne has shared his trick for turning leftover sandwich crusts into cinnamon scrolls, and parents across Australia have labelled it 'genius' (the scrolls pictured)

George Georgievski has steadily built a following of more than 120,000 on social media over the past few years, mainly from sharing daily photos of the elaborate lunches he puts together for his two daughters (George pictured with his kids)

To make the cinnamon scrolls, all you need to do is slice the crusts off a piece of bread, keeping them attached together carefully with your knife (left). Then roll up the crusts (right)

To make the cinnamon scrolls, all you need to do is slice the crusts off a piece of bread, keeping them attached together carefully with your knife.

Once you've done this, George said you need to do a 'bit of a twirl' by folding the crusts into a circle.

Secure the circle or 'scroll' with a skewer in order to keep it tight and together.

'Add some butter to a pan, add some cinnamon and then put your scrolls into the hot pan,' George said.

Leave them to soak up the butter and cinnamon for a few minutes, then enjoy the scrolls hot.

'Add some butter to a pan, add some cinnamon and then put your scrolls into the hot pan,' George said (the scrolls pictured)

'So here is one my many leftover crusts creations, this is called "Karen", George said (the scrolls pictured)

Thousands who saw the 'hack' on social media were impressed with it, with many writing comments like: 'This is so clever, good work'.

'Think of all the bread we waste, we have to try this,' one woman said, tagging a friend.

'You are so creative, I absolutely love this,' another added.

George previously shared how you can make the school lunchbox more exciting for your children, and his tips included using bright colours (pictured)

The father of two (pictured with his family) also recommends making your sandwiches less boring by putting twists on them

What are George's top lunch tips? * Do the grocery shopping on Sunday and plan ahead * Try and change the lunchbox up daily to get variety and different vitamins * Don't just do sandwiches - you can use wraps, pasta, rice and eggs if the school allows them * Use the colours of the rainbow in order to make it exciting for your kids * Avoid sugary treats, and instead opt for exotic fruits like dragonfruit or passion fruit * Chop your food with flare and colour co-ordinate different sections Advertisement

George previously shared how you can make the school lunchbox more exciting for your children:

'Bright colours in the form of fresh produce [are key], use the rainbow as a form of inspiration,' George told Daily Mail Australia.

The father of two also recommends making your sandwiches less boring by putting twists on them.

George regularly makes a 'ravwich', which is his take on the Italian ravioli, or the 'spring-wich', which is his take on a Chinese spring roll - for his two girls, and he said both make a fun alternative to a regular sandwich.

'A bento box is also a cool and easier way to pack school lunches,' he said.

'There is no cross contamination - which is often an issue for kids - and it's also leak proof, which means the food looks good.'

While you might think that preparing a lunchbox that is as good looking as George's takes hours, the 45-year-old said that in fact, it only takes him between five and ten minutes.

'I'm usually prepared, which helps,' he said.

'I spend one afternoon peeling, cutting and washing all the fruit and veggies. Then I can just keep them in airtight containers in the fridge ready to go.'

'A bento box is also a cool and easier way to pack school lunches,' he said - and kids like them (pictured) because there is no cross contamination

Typically his lunches are stuffed full of 'bite-sized vegetables' like mini tomatoes, carrots and cucumber (a lunch pictured)

Typically his lunches are stuffed full of 'bite-sized vegetables'.

Mini cucumbers, mini tomatoes and mini carrots are big hits in his household, while using a red capsicum as a cup for other food has also proven popular.

'Anything bite-sized is less daunting for children,' he said.

'They're more likely to pick it up and try it. Smaller pieces of fruit are fun to use for their bright colours also. Strawberries and grapes are my favourites.'

To find out more about George, you can visit his Instagram profile here.
WSOP Online "First of Its Kind"; Hear How Natural8 Ambassadors are Preparing

July 27, 2020

With the WSOP Online well underway across the GG Network, Natural8 Ambassadors sat down with PokerNews for a chat about all things World Series of Poker

Natural8 Ambassadors Danny Tang, Michael Soyza and Kitty Kuo talked about how they're missing Las Vegas, Tang's assault on a second bracelet as well as their advice for anyone playing during the WSOP Online.

Make sure to click here to check out the full schedule of WSOP Online Bracelet Events over the coming months.

How To Play: WSOP Online Bracelet Events on Natural8 Check out this guide on how to play WSOP Online Bracelet Events on Natural8 Click Here

PokerNews: How does it feel to not spend summer in Vegas at the World Series of Poker?

Danny Tang: It definitely feels kind of strange. Vegas is a stop where you get to hang out and catch up with everyone from the world."

Michael Soyza: Yeah, we all miss the 'Vegas Summer Camp' feeling and that time of year where everyone gets to congregate in Vegas to hang out together.

Kitty Kuo: The WSOP in Vegas is such a big thing for poker players. It's an unpleasant feeling not to be back there.

PN: What have you been doing away from the live poker scene to prepare for the WSOP Online on Natural8?

MS: I am actually enjoying my time away from live poker a lot as it has given me some extra time to work on other things and get into a healthier routine.

READ MORE: 8 Fun Facts About WSOP Bracelet Events

DT: I'm brushing up on my Hold'em; I've been playing a lot of Short Deck so I'm hoping my Hold'em game isn't that rusty.

MS: I think in the past, some of us may have took the freedom to travel for granted, myself included, and these times remind us to appreciate the opportunity even more. I look forward to the times when the live poker scene is back up and running full bore.

PN: Danny, you obviously won a bracelet in 2019. How do you feel looking back?

DT: It was the pinnacle of my poker career. It's annoying that I can't chase the second one this year, but I've been very much looking forward to the WSOP Online. It's good to be part of a team that is partnering with WSOP this year, GGNetwork and Natural8. I'll be playing most of the events, very exciting.

"It was the pinnacle of my poker career" - Tang on winning a bracelet in 2019

PN: And the WSOP Online will of course give you all a chance to grind in this first of a kind festival. How are you feeling about it?

KK: The live WSOP Schedule is really packed and normally Ill play less than 10 events as I dont enjoy playing 12 hours of poker every day. But for the WSOP Online, Im looking forward to it. I'm planning on playing several events including the Main Event, High Roller and the Shootout.

MS: The WSOP Online is the first of its kind, so yes, I am looking forward to witnessing history in the making. I am looking forward to the Main Event. I am curious how large the prize pool is going to be, given that its being held online for the first time ever.

PN: What advice would you give to players thinking about taking part and winning a bracelet from home?

DT: My advice is for other players is if you're not an online player, don't get sucked in and try opening too many tables, make sure they can play their A-game. Don't get distracted, try to have a good preparation coming up to the big schedule.

MS: I'd say only gamble what you can afford to lose comfortably. To the poker fans out there who have always dreamt about winning a bracelet but have never had the time or resources to travel to Vegas, now is your chance, so dont miss it!

READ MORE: Natural8 Welcomes Thai Ha as Their New Brand Ambassador

PN: Kitty, what tips do you have?

KK: Dont play every day, take some rest to keep it fresh and make sure you have enough sleep.

About Natural8

Natural8 is Asia's leading online poker room, aiming to make poker fun again. Players can look forward to exciting non-stop promotions, a fast and reliable platform, Fish Buffet loyalty program that offers up to 100% cashback, 24/7 live chat support and a safe, secure environment for all kinds of players.

Natural8 offers familiar favourites like Texas Holdem and PLO, as well as a range of specialty games like 6+ (Short Deck), All-In or Fold, fast-fold Rush & Cash, and Spin & Gold. With over $1M in guaranteed tournaments every day, new players can get a head-start with exclusive promos like the 100% First Deposit Bonus, $8 Extra Bonus, $500 Weekly First Deposit Freeroll and the Newcomers Honeymoon Challenge where you can win up to $300 in prizes.

Download the Natural8 app to get in on WSOP Online Series 2020!

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Sharelines PokerNews sits down with three members of the Natural8 Ambassador team to discuss the WSOP Online
A weapons depot at al-Saqr base belonging to Iraq's federal police force but also used by pro-Iran paramilitaries exploded on Sunday in Baghdad's southern suburbs.

Iraqs military blamed the explosion on high summer temperatures and poor storage, but given continuous tensions in the region some say it could have been a possible attack.

Pro-Iran militia sources claimed that United States forces bombed the base.

Multiple explosions could be heard in Baghdad on Sunday evening. Videos on social media plumes of smoke rising and a huge fireball erupting.

Security sources said the depot, which is part of a military base used by both the police and paramilitary forces, was one that had caught fire in August last year.

That fire also set off explosions heard across Baghdad, killing one person and injuring 29 others. There were no casualties reported immediately on Sunday.

Iraqi paramilitary groups with links to Iran last year blamed a series of blasts at their weapons depots and bases on the United States and Israel as tension escalated between Washington and Tehran.

The U.S. killing of Iran's Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone missile strike in Baghdad in January raised the threat that Iraq could become a battlefield in a conflict between Washington and Tehran.

With reporting by Reuters
DUBLIN, Calif., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TriNet Group, Inc. (NYSE: TNET), a leading provider of comprehensive human resources solutions for small to midsize businesses, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020. The second quarter highlights below include non-GAAP financial measures which are reconciled later in this release.

Second quarter highlights include:

Total revenues increased 1% to $0.9 billion and Net Service Revenues increased 45% to $335 million , as compared to the same period last year.

and Net Service Revenues increased 45% to , as compared to the same period last year. Net income was $126 million , or $1.87 per diluted share, compared to net income of $46 million , or $0.64 per diluted share, in the same period last year.

, or per diluted share, compared to net income of , or per diluted share, in the same period last year. Adjusted Net Income was $136 million , or $2.03 per diluted share, compared to Adjusted Net Income of $50 million , or $0.70 per diluted share, in the same period last year.

, or per diluted share, compared to Adjusted Net Income of , or per diluted share, in the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA was $199 million , representing an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 59%.

, representing an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 59%. Average Worksite Employees (WSEs) decreased 2% as compared to the same period last year, to approximately 314,000.

Total WSEs decreased 3% compared to the same period last year, to approximately 313,000.

Acquisition of Little Bird HR:

TriNet acquired Little Bird HR, a privately held PEO specializing in benefits and human resource solutions for the educational institution industry in the Greater New York area & East Coast regions.

"During the second quarter, we successfully executed our strategy while navigating the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on our customers," said Burton M. Goldfield, TriNet's President and CEO. "Our financial performance reflects the strength of our business model, strategy, execution, and, most importantly, the resilience of our customers. I am also pleased to announce the acquisition of Little Bird HR. This acquisition reflects our ability to identify attractive verticals and industries where our value proposition is particularly well-suited."

"I am very proud of the entire TriNet organization for their dedication, hard work and perseverance in helping our customers navigate through these unprecedented times," Goldfield continued. "I am equally proud of the many resilient customers we serve every day. As we partner with them in addressing the challenges ahead, we are committed to leveraging all of our resources to enable them to pursue their business goals and secure their future success."

TriNet's total revenues for the second quarter of 2020 increased 1% from the second quarter of 2019 to $0.9 billion, while Net Service Revenues (Total revenues less insurance costs) for the second quarter of 2020 increased 45% from the second quarter 2019, to $335 million. Net Insurance Service Revenues consisted of insurance service revenues of $827 million, less insurance costs of $613 million. Professional service revenues for the second quarter of 2020 decreased 5%, and Net Insurance Service Revenues for the second quarter of 2020 increased 106%, each as compared to the second quarter of 2019.

At June 30, 2020, TriNet had cash and cash equivalents of $637 million and total debt of $614 million.

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q

We anticipate filing our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q ("Form 10-Q") for the first half of 2020 with the SEC and making it available at http://www.trinet.com today, July 27, 2020. This press release should be read in conjunction with the Form 10-Q and the related Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in the Form 10-Q.

Earnings Conference Call and Audio Webcast

TriNet will host a conference call at 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. ET) today to discuss its quarterly and annual results for 2020 and provide quarterly and annual financial guidance for 2020. TriNet encourages participants to pre-register for the conference call. Callers who pre-register will be given a unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call and bypass the live operator. To pre-register, go to: http://dpregister.com/10145318 . For those who would like to join the call but have not pre-registered, they can do so by dialing +1 (412) 317-5426 and requesting the "TriNet Conference Call." The live webcast of the conference call can be accessed on the Investor Relations section of TriNet's website at http://investor.trinet.com . A replay of the webcast will be available on this site for approximately one year. A telephonic replay will be available for one week following the conference call at +1 (412) 317-0088 conference ID: 10145318.

About TriNet

TriNet (NYSE: TNET) provides small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) with full-service HR solutions tailored by industry. To free SMBs from HR complexities, TriNet offers access to human capital expertise, benefits, risk mitigation and compliance, payroll and real-time technology. From Main Street to Wall Street, TriNet empowers SMBs to focus on what matters mostgrowing their business. TriNet, incredible starts here. For more information, visit TriNet.com or follow us on Twitter.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to TriNet's financial results as determined in accordance with GAAP are included at the end of this press release following the accompanying financial data. For a description of these non-GAAP financial measures, including the reasons management uses each measure, please see the section of the tables titled "Non-GAAP Financial Measures."

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains, and statements made during the above referenced conference call will contain, statements that are not historical in nature, are predictive in nature, or that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions or otherwise contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, among other things, TriNet's expectations and assumptions regarding: its ability to execute its strategic operational plan, including its vertical strategy and process and common platform improvement initiative, its ability to successfully leverage its scale, and its ability to deliver profitable growth. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of words such as, but not limited to, "ability," "anticipate," "believe," "can," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "impact," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "seek," "should," "strategy," "target," "value," "will," "would" and similar expressions or variations. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, but are based on management's expectations as of the date hereof and assumptions that are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from our current expectations and any past or future results, performance or achievements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements include: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and financial performance, and on the business and financial performance of our clients and customers; the impact of our acquisition activities and out ability to successfully integrate any acquisition into our operations; our ability to mitigate the business risks we face as a co-employer; our ability to manage unexpected changes in workers' compensation and health insurance claims and costs by worksite employees; the effects of volatility in the financial and economic environment on the businesses that make up our client base; the impact of the concentration of our clients in certain geographies and industries; the impact of failures or limitations in the business systems we rely upon; adverse changes in our insurance coverage or our relationships with key insurance carriers; our ability to manage our client attrition; our ability to improve our technology to satisfy regulatory requirements and meet the expectations of our clients; our ability to effectively integrate businesses we have acquired or may acquire in the future; our ability to effectively manage and improve our operational processes; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; the effects of increased competition and our ability to compete effectively; the impact on our business of cyber-attacks and security breaches; our ability to secure our information technology infrastructure and our confidential, sensitive and personal information from cyber-attacks and security breaches; our ability to comply with constantly evolving data privacy and security laws; our ability to manage changes in, uncertainty regarding, or adverse application of the complex laws and regulations that govern our business; changing laws and regulations governing health insurance and employee benefits; our ability to be recognized as an employer of worksite employees under federal and state regulations; changes in the laws and regulations that govern what it means to be an employer, employee or independent contractor; our ability to comply with the laws and regulations that govern PEOs and other similar industries; the outcome of existing and future legal and tax proceedings; fluctuation in our results of operation and stock price due to factors outside of our control, such as the volume and severity of our workers' compensation and health insurance claims and the amount and timing of our insurance costs, operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements; our ability to comply with the restrictions of our credit facility and meet our debt obligations; and the impact of concentrated ownership in our stock. Any of these factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from our anticipated results.

Further information on risks that could affect TriNet's results is included in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and elsewhere in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are available on our investor relations website at http://investor.trinet.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov . Copies of these filings are also available by contacting TriNet Corporation's Investor Relations Department at (510) 875-7201. Except as required by law, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements in this press release, and any forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. In addition, we do not assume any obligation, and do not intend, to update any of our forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Key Financial and Operating Metrics

We regularly review certain key financial and operating metrics to evaluate growth trends, measure our performance and make strategic decisions. These key financial and operating metrics may change over time. Our key financial and operating metrics for the periods presented were as follows:



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30, (in millions, except per share and WSE data) 2020

2019

% Change

2020

2019

% Change Income Statement Data:

























Total revenues $ 948



$ 935



1

%

$ 1,996



$ 1,869



7

% Operating income 173



55



215





293



137



114



Net income 126



46



174





217



109



99



Diluted net income per share of common stock 1.87



0.64



192





3.13



1.53



105



Non-GAAP measures (1):

























Net Service Revenues 335



231



45





618



482



28



Net Insurance Service Revenues 214



104



106





341



219



56



Adjusted EBITDA 199



85



134





344



193



78



Adjusted Net income 136



50

172





235



120



96



Operating Metrics:

























Average WSEs 313,701



318,874



(2)

%

325,024



315,817



3

% Total WSEs at period end 313,104



323,957



(3)





313,104



323,957



(3)









(1) Refer to Non-GAAP Financial Measures section below for definitions and reconciliations from GAAP measures.

(in millions) June 30,

2020

December 31,

2019

%

Change

Balance Sheet Data:











Working capital 364



228



60

% Total assets 2,802



2,748



2



Debt 614



391



57



Total stockholders' equity 616



475



30







Six Months Ended June 30, (in millions) 2020

2019

% Change Cash Flow Data:











Net cash used in operating activities $ (130)



$ (162)



(20)

% Net cash used in investing activities (121)



(25)



384



Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 122



(77)



(258)



Non-GAAP measures (1):











Corporate operating cash flows 315



107



194









(1) Refer to Non-GAAP Financial Measures section in the following pages for definitions and reconciliations from GAAP measures.

TRINET GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited)



Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (in millions except per share data) 2020 2019 2020 2019 Professional service revenues $ 121

$ 127

$ 277

$ 263

Insurance service revenues 827

808

1,719

1,606

Total revenues 948

935

1,996

1,869

Insurance costs 613

704

1,378

1,387

Cost of providing services 60

63

124

127

Sales and marketing 45

52

91

98

General and administrative 35

36

68

72

Systems development and programming 9

13

18

25

Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets 13

12

24

23

Total costs and operating expenses 775

880

1,703

1,732

Operating income 173

55

293

137

Other income (expense):







Interest expense, bank fees and other (4)

(6)

(8)

(11)

Interest income 2

7

7

13

Income before provision for income taxes 171

56

292

139

Income taxes 45

10

75

30

Net income $ 126

$ 46

$ 217

$ 109

Other comprehensive income, net of income taxes 3

1

5

1

Comprehensive income $ 129

$ 47

$ 222

$ 110

Net income per share:







Basic $ 1.88

$ 0.65

$ 3.16

$ 1.56

Diluted $ 1.87

$ 0.64

$ 3.13

$ 1.53

Weighted average shares:







Basic 67

70

69

70

Diluted 68

71

70

71



TRINET GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)

(In millions) June 30, 2020

December 31, 2019 Assets





Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents $ 637



$ 213

Investments 76



68

Restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments 735



1,180

Accounts receivable, net 5



9

Unbilled revenue, net 352



285

Prepaid expenses, net 50



52

Other current assets 80



64

Total current assets 1,935



1,871

Restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments, noncurrent 204



212

Investments, noncurrent 128



125

Property, equipment and software, net 82



85

Operating lease right-of-use asset 46



55

Goodwill 289



289

Other intangible assets, net 13



15

Other assets 105



96

Total assets $ 2,802



$ 2,748

Liabilities and stockholders' equity





Current liabilities:





Accounts payable and other current liabilities $ 101



$ 31

Revolving credit agreement borrowings 234





Long-term debt 22



22

Client deposits and other client liabilities 146



44

Accrued wages 411



391

Accrued health insurance costs, net 145



167

Accrued workers' compensation costs, net 62



61

Payroll tax liabilities and other payroll withholdings 426



901

Operating lease liabilities 13



17

Insurance premiums and other payables 11



9

Total current liabilities 1,571



1,643

Long-term debt, noncurrent 358



369

Accrued workers' compensation costs, noncurrent, net 141



144

Deferred taxes 63



61

Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent 43



48

Other non-current liabilities 10



8

Total liabilities 2,186



2,273

Stockholders' equity:





Preferred stock 





Common stock and additional paid-in capital 719



694

Accumulated deficit (108)



(219)

Accumulated other comprehensive income 5





Total stockholders' equity 616



475

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 2,802



$ 2,748



TRINET GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)



Six Months Ended June 30, (in millions) 2020 2019 Operating activities



Net income 217

109

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:



Depreciation and amortization 32

27

Amortization of ROU 8

10

Accretion of discount rate on lease liabilities 1



Stock based compensation 20

20

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:



Accounts receivable, net 4

3

Unbilled revenue, net (67)

(36)

Prepaid expenses, net 2

(18)

Accounts payable and other current liabilities 69

(11)

Client deposits and other client liabilities 102

10

Accrued wages 20

25

Accrued health insurance costs, net (22)

9

Accrued workers' compensation costs, net (2)

(13)

Payroll taxes payable and other payroll withholdings (475)

(256)

Operating lease liabilities (10)

(9)

Other assets (32)

(30)

Other liabilities 3

(2)

Net cash used in operating activities (130)

(162)

Investing activities



Purchases of marketable securities (222)

(65)

Proceeds from sales and maturities of marketable securities 119

65

Acquisitions of property and equipment (18)

(25)

Net cash used in investing activities (121)

(25)

Financing activities



Repurchase of common stock (100)

(62)

Proceeds from issuance of common stock 5

6

Awards effectively repurchased for required employee withholding taxes (6)

(10)

Proceeds from revolving credit agreement borrowings 234



Repayment of debt (11)

(11)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 122

(77)

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents, unrestricted and restricted (129)

(264)

Cash and cash equivalents, unrestricted and restricted:



Beginning of period 1,456

1,349

End of period 1,327

1,085







Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information



Interest paid 7

9

Income taxes paid, net 6

33

Supplemental schedule of noncash investing and financing activities



Payable for purchase of property and equipment 2

8



Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to the selected financial measures presented in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), we monitor other non-GAAP financial measures that we use to manage our business, to make planning decisions, to allocate resources and to use as performance measures in our executive compensation plan. These key financial measures provide an additional view of our operational performance over the long term and provide information that we use to maintain and grow our business.

The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is used to enhance the understanding of certain aspects of our financial performance. It is not meant to be considered in isolation, superior to, or as a substitute for the directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Non-GAAP Measure Definition How We Use The Measure Net Service Revenues  Sum of professional service revenues and Net Insurance Service Revenues, or total revenues less insurance costs.  Provides a comparable basis of revenues

on a net basis. Professional service revenues

are represented net of client payroll costs whereas

insurance service revenues are presented gross of

insurance costs for financial reporting purposes.  Acts as the basis to allocate resources to different

functions and evaluates the effectiveness of our business

strategies by each business function.  Provides a measure, among others, used in the

determination of incentive compensation for management. Net Insurance Service Revenues  Insurance revenues less insurance costs.  Is a component of Net Service Revenues.  Provides a comparable basis of revenues on a net basis.

Professional service revenues are presented net of client payroll

costs whereas insurance service revenues are presented gross

of insurance costs for financial reporting purposes. Promotes an

understanding of our insurance services business by evaluating

insurance service revenues net of our WSE related costs which are

substantially pass-through for the benefit of our WSEs. Under GAAP,

insurance service revenues and costs are recorded gross as we have

latitude in establishing the price, service and supplier specifications.  We also sometimes refer to Net Insurance Margin (NIM), which is

the ratio of Net Insurance Revenue to Insurance Service Revenue. Adjusted EBITDA  Net income, excluding the effects of:

- income tax provision,

- interest expense,

- depreciation,

- amortization of intangible assets, and

- stock-based compensation expense.  Provides period-to-period comparisons on a consistent basis and an

understanding as to how our management evaluates the effectiveness of

our business strategies by excluding certain non-cash charges such as

depreciation and amortization, and stock-based compensation recognized

based on the estimated fair values. We believe these charges are either not

directly resulting from our core operations or not indicative of our ongoing operations.  Enhances comparisons to prior periods and, accordingly, facilitates the development

of future projections and earnings growth prospects.  Provides a measure, among others, used in the determination of incentive

compensation for management. We also sometimes refer to Adjusted EBITDA margin, which is the ratio of Adjusted

EBITDA to Net Service Revenue. Adjusted Net Income  Net income, excluding the effects of:

- effective income tax rate(1),

- stock-based compensation,

- amortization of intangible assets,

- non-cash interest expense(2),

- the income tax effect (at our effective tax

rate(1)) of these pre-tax adjustments.  Provides information to our stockholders and board of directors to understand how

our management evaluates our business, to monitor and evaluate our operating results,

and analyze profitability of our ongoing operations and trends on a consistent basis by

excluding certain non-cash charges. Corporate Operating Cash Flows  Net cash (used in) provided by operating

activities, excluding the effects of:

- Assets associated with WSEs (accounts

receivable, unbilled revenue, prepaid expenses

and other current assets) and

- Liabilities associated with WSEs (client deposits,

accrued wages, payroll tax liabilities and other payroll

withholdings, accrued health benefit costs, accrued

workers' compensation costs, insurance premiums and

other payables, and other current liabilities).  Provides information that our stockholders and management can use to evaluate our

cash flows from operations independent of the current assets and liabilities associated

with our WSEs.  Enhances comparisons to prior periods and, accordingly, used as a liquidity measure to

manage liquidity between corporate and WSE related activities, and to help determine and

plan our cash flow and capital strategies.





(1) Non-GAAP effective tax rate is 25.5% and 26% for the first quarter of 2020 and 2019, respectively, which excludes the income tax impact

from stock-based compensation, changes in uncertain tax positions, and nonrecurring benefits or expenses from federal legislative changes. (2) Non-cash interest expense represents amortization and write-off of our debt issuance costs.

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures

The table below presents a reconciliation of total revenues to Net Service Revenues:



Three Months Ended

June 30,

Six Months Ended

June 30, (in millions) 2020 2019

2020 2019 Total revenues $ 948

$ 935



$ 1,996

$ 1,869

Less: Insurance costs 613

704



1,378

1,387

Net Service Revenues $ 335

$ 231



$ 618

$ 482



The table below presents a reconciliation of insurance service revenues to Net Insurance Service Revenues:



Three Months Ended

June 30,

Six Months Ended

June 30, (in millions) 2020 2019

2020 2019 Insurance service revenues $ 827

$ 808



$ 1,719

$ 1,606

Less: Insurance costs 613

704



1,378

1,387

Net Insurance Service Revenues $ 214

$ 104



$ 341

$ 219

Net Insurance Service Revenue Margin 26 % 13 %

20 % 14 %

The table below presents a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA:



Three Months Ended

June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30, (in millions) 2020 2019

2020 2019 Net income $ 126

$ 46



$ 217

$ 109

Provision for income taxes 45

10



75

30

Stock based compensation 11

11



20

20

Interest expense and bank fees 4

6



8

11

Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets 13

12



24

23

Adjusted EBITDA $ 199

$ 85



$ 344

$ 193

Adjusted EBITDA Margin 59 % 36 %

56 % 40 %

The table below presents a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income per share

- diluted:



Three Months Ended

June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30, (in millions, except per share data) 2020 2019

2020 2019 Net income $ 126

$ 46



$ 217

$ 109

Effective income tax rate adjustment 1

(5)



1

(6)

Stock based compensation 11

11



20

20

Amortization of intangible assets 1

2



3

3

Income tax impact of pre-tax adjustments (3)

(4)



(6)

(6)

Adjusted Net Income $ 136

$ 50



$ 235

$ 120

GAAP weighted average shares of common stock - diluted 68

71



69

71

Adjusted Net Income per share - diluted $ 2.03

$ 0.70



$ 3.39

$ 1.68



The table below presents a reconciliation of net cash used in operating activities to Corporate Operating Cash flows:



Six Months Ended June 30, (in millions) 2020 2019 Net cash used in operating activities $ (130)

$ (162)

Change in WSE related other current assets 74

52

Change in WSE related liabilities 371

217

Corporate Operating Cash Flows $ 315

$ 107



SOURCE TriNet Group, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.trinet.com


OnePlus Nord will go on retail on August 4, but ahead of its first sale, the company will put the mid-range smartphone for purchase via a pop-up sale today. The company has already taken registrations for the pop-up event through its website, and now, those who have registered interest will get a chance to buy the phone over three rounds of pop-up sales.

OnePlus has revealed that the first and second pop-up sale rounds will be exclusive to the Red Cable Club members, with the third round taking place on July 29 also open to regular customers.

Users who had already registered for the pop-up sale will now receive the OnePlus Nord invite code. The company's website reveals that it will begin sending out invite codes starting July 27 between 9 am and 10 am. However, the code is for limited period and must be used on the same day as you receive it.

Additionally, OnePlus has also revealed that customers who buy the Nord during the pop-up sale will get be treated to a special OnePlus Nord box with a Nord Creator Case and a Nord Brave Bottle or Nord Determined Tote Bag. However, since only the first 100 users are guaranteed the Nord during the pop-up sale, OnePlus is also offering a little gift to everyone who registers for the OnePlus Nord pop-up sale.

For the uninitiated, OnePlus had recently launched the Nord in three variants in India -- as opposed to two in Europe. The entry variant of the device brings 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage at Rs 24,999.

The mid-level variant gets 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The price here is slightly higher at Rs 27,999. For the top-end one, OnePlus will charge Rs 29,999. This variant gets 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage. All three variants will be available in two colours -- BlueMarble and GrayOnyx -- and in India, they will go on sale from August 4. They will be sold through multiple channels, including Amazon.in, OnePlus' website and OnePlus stores.

For the price, the OnePlus Nord will come with a 6.44-inch AMOLED panel running at a refresh rate of 90Hz. The display is rated to provide 408ppi pixel density and 20:9 aspect ratio. For protection, the display is covered by a sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Beneath the surface, there's a rather powerful mid-range chipset in the Snapdragon 756G which has been paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of fast UFS 2.1 storage. This hardware is tasked to run a clean copy of OxygenOS 10 operating system based on Android 10.

For cameras, the phone is getting a quad-camera set-up that houses a 48-megapixel Sony IMX 586 sensor with an f/1.75 lens and Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) + Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS) support. This sits next to an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens with 119 field-of-view (FOV), a 5-megapixel macro lens with an f/2.4 aperture, and 2-megapixel depth sensor unit. The front camera is a 32-megapixel Sony IMX616 sensor.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- A Russian journalist whose collarbone was broken by a police officer was fined for failing to obey police as he reported during a national vote on a series of changes to the constitution, a charge he denies.

A court in St. Petersburg on July 27 fined Mediazona news website correspondent David Frenkel 500 rubles ($7) after finding him guilty of refusing to follow a police officer's instructions at a polling station on June 30.

Police said that during his detainment, in which an officer broke Frenkel's collarbone, the journalist "provoked a conflict situation" by resisting law enforcement officers, pushing them, using his feet and leaning against walls even though video presented at the hearing failed to show such a scene.

Additionally, the court ordered Frenkel to pay 2,000 rubles ($28) for "meddling" in the work of the election commission and warned him not to violate further the "self-isolation regime" that was in effect in St. Petersburg at the time of the incident to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Frenkel had gone to the polling station to check possible violations during the national vote on controversial amendments that among other things allows President Vladimir Putin the possibility to seek new terms in office after his current one expires in 2024.

Video of the incident posted on social media shows two police officers tackling Frenkel to the ground. A cracking noise can be heard, followed by Frenkel screaming out in pain.

He underwent surgery due to his injury on June 30.

Denis Dmitriyev, the police officer who detained Frenkel, said at the hearing that he detained the journalist at the request of the election commission's chairman because Frenkel "was interfering with the voting process," an accusation Frenkel denies.

Frenkel has filed a lawsuit against the police officer, accusing him of abuse of power.

A former city official, Dmitry Abramov, who said he was an observer at the polling station, testified at the hearing that Frenkel "most likely" broke his collarbone when he fell down on the floor and the injury was not inflicted by police.

During the incident, Abramov stepped on Frenkel's leg and pulled his arm, trying "to prove" that the journalist was faking injury.

However, the St. Petersburg Public Chamber said Abramov was not an accredited observer, Mediazona has reported, raising questions about why he was there.
BBC Radio DJ Emma Barnett has issued a powerful condemnation of grime artist Wileys string of antisemitic posts to social media.

Wiley, real name Richard Cowie, made a number of attacks on the Jewish community over the weekend, including a post that compared Jewish people to the Ku Klux Klan.

His comments are currently the subject of an investigation by the Metropolitan Police. Since his comments, Wiley has been dropped by his management company and handed a temporary ban from Twitter.

Barnett, who presents a morning show on BBC5 Live, opened her show on Monday 27 July by calling Wileys comments foul and reading her listeners a selection of those remarks.

Those words burn, she said. Theyre deeply dispiriting and they play on a very well-hidden fear a lot of Jewish people have, that some day antisemitism will rise up once more.

Antisemitism is so fresh and so raw for us, she added.

Barnett then recounted her own Jewish heritage, including her grandmother who escaped the Nazis in Austria, and found sanctuary as a housemaid in England. Her husbands grandmother was tortured in Auschwitz  a two hour flight from here.

Barnett said to this day, her husband is unable to visit, saying: He cant bear it.

Do you know how frightening that is? Barnett said, of seeing antisemitic abuse on social media. The one bit of abuse that always stops me in my tracks and makes me feel angry, and sad, and burned, is when I get antisemitic abuse.

Addressing the walkout that is taking place on Twitter in protest against the social media networks lack of immediate action over antisemitism, Barnett said something else must not be missed.

Why is a 41-year-old bloke from enlightened Britain attacking Jews, on a random Friday? she asked. And hes not alone.

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

Just in case you need something clarifying, she said. Jews dont run the law. Jews dont run the banks. Jews dont run, as you put it, the world. I hate to disappoint you and anyone else who got your antisemitic memo, but it aint true.

Prime minister Boris Johnson today (27 July) issued a condemnation of Wileys abhorrent comments and said Twitters response was not good enough.
Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu lauded Bollywood actor and philanthropist Sonu Soods effort to send a tractor to a farmer in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh to help him till the land. Naidu took to Twitter on Sunday evening and hailed Soods effort to help those in need.

Tomato farmer Nageswara Raos plight came to limelight after a video clip of him ploughing the land with his two daughters went viral on social media. They were seen carrying the yoke on their shoulders. Sood promised them a pair of ox but later said the family deserved a tractor. Rao used to run a tea stall before Covid-19 left him out of business. He returned to his village and was forced to take up agriculture for his livelihood.

So sending you one. By evening a tractor will be ploughing your fields. Stay blessed, Sood said in a tweet.

Spoke with @SonuSood ji & applauded him for his inspiring effort to send a tractor to Nageswara Raos family in Chittoor District. Moved by the plight of the family, I have decided to take care of the education of the two daughters and help them pursue their dreams pic.twitter.com/g2z7Ot9dl3  N Chandrababu Naidu #StayHomeSaveLives (@ncbn) July 26, 2020

Following suit, Naidu on Sunday announced that he will take care of the education of Raos two daughters and help them pursue their dreams.

Spoke with @SonuSood ji & applauded him for his inspiring effort to send a tractor to Nageswara Raos family in Chittoor District. Moved by the plight of the family, I have decided to take care of the education of the two daughters and help them pursue their dreams, Naidus tweet read.

This family doesnt deserve a pair of ox ..

They deserve a Tractor.

So sending you one.

By evening a tractor will be ploughing your fields 

Stay blessed  @Karan_Gilhotra #sonalikatractors https://t.co/oWAbJIB1jD  sonu sood (@SonuSood) July 26, 2020

Sood, who is known for his negative roles in the film industry, is being hailed as a real-life hero owing to his philanthropy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ghanaian Celebrated reggae/afro-Dancehall artiste, Livingstone Satekla, popularly known as Stonebwoy, has officially released a remix version of his Good Morning song featuring Sarkodie and UK-based German/Nigerian musician, Kelvyn Colt.

The remixed version of Good Morning is a mid-tempo danceable song and has authentic African rhythm fused with hip hop and afro beat to entertain music fans.

The remixed single is said to be quite different from anything the multitalented artiste has released in a while and is sure to take over playlists on the radio scene.

The song, BEATWAVES gathered, was a very good party song and a timeless danceable masterpiece fit for all occasions.

With Stonebwoy's creative style of play and stagecraft he has managed to gain the admiration of many music lovers.

Like they did in their previous works, both Stonebwoy and Sarkodie took turns to handle their lines in the song perfectly.

By far, Stonebwoy has proven to be one of the versatile reggae/dancehall artistes in the industry.

Since its release, fans of both artistes have been tweeting about the song saying it is one of the best collaboration the two ever produced.

Several fans of Stonebwoy have expressed joy over the release of the remixed song and are looking forward to more hits from the great lyricist.

The original Good Morning song featured Netherlands-based rapper Chivv and music producer Spanker, off his fourth studio album, Anloga Junction.

After the release of the remix, Twitter has been buzzing with praises for the two Ghanaian music exports.

Stonebwoy is expected to drop more singles before the end of the year.

---Daily Guide
University mourns loss of longtime math professor, advisor

Monday, July 27, 2020 1:00 PM

People and Society, Alumni, News

Pittsburg, KS

University alumni, faculty, and administrators past and present are mourning the death of longtime math professor Forrest Coltharp, who died July 24 in Frontenac, Kansas. He was 86.

Coltharp taught classes attended by countless elementary teachers in the area in the 31 years he spent in the Math Department and was an academic advisor to many, including PSU President Steve Scott, a math major.

We all recognize the role of an academic advisor is an important one, and we also know that relationship does not end upon graduation. The passing of Dr. Coltharp reminded me how true this is, said Scott, whose friendship with Coltharp began when Scott was a student and spanned 50 years.

Coltharp helped Scott navigate the deadlines and policies that can trip students up, and under his mentorship, Scott graduated in three and a half years.

His loss is first and foremost a loss to his family, but his loss is also a personal loss to me, Scott continued. It reminds me of the relationships being developed each and every day on our campus and the connections that are sure to last a lifetime. I am fortunate to have had Dr. Coltharp as an advisor, guide, mentor, and friend.

Coltharp inspired many by his commitment to being a servant leader to his country, his community, and in education.

After serving in the U.S. Army with occupation forces in Germany from 1954 to 1956, Coltharp earned his bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees  the first in his immediate family to earn college degrees  and taught for several years in public schools. He and his wife, Barbara Coltharp, moved to Pittsburg when he joined the faculty at PSU in 1964.

In addition to teaching and advising, he served as co-chair of the Annual Faculty/Staff Campaign and on numerous department, college, and university committees. He retired from PSU in 1995 as a professor emeritus.

But his commitment to education never waned: his sons and daughters-in-law earned 10 degrees from PSU, his grandchildren and grandchildren-in-law earned nine degrees, and a grandson who just completed his first year as a high school math teacher is working on his masters degree at PSU.

Both of his daughters-in-law, Hazel Coltharp and Judy Coltharp, are faculty members at PSU  Hazel in the Math Department and Judy in the Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing. Granddaughter Dr. Ashleigh Coltharp Heter is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing, and granddaughter-in-law Tracy Coltharp is an instructor there.

Of course, Forrest was there cheering everyone along, Hazel said. His legacy will, undoubtedly, reach tens of thousands of lives."

Coltharp also was active in his church, Habitat for Humanity, the Pittsburg Public Library Board, the Kansas Association of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and Kiwanis.

He will be cremated according to his wishes and a private family memorial service will be held at Brenner Mortuary, 114 E. Fourth St. Friends may call there at their convenience from 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday, July 31.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggest gifts to Countryside Christian Church, The PSU Math Departments Coltharp Family Mathematics Education Scholarship, or the PSU Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing. Memorials may be mailed to or left at the funeral home.




The value of Bahrains exports of national origin decreased by 9% to BD540 million ($1.42 billion) during second quarter 2020 (Q2), compared to BD595 million for the same quarter of the previous year, said the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) in a new report.



The top 10 countries in terms of the value of exports of national origin purchased from Bahrain accounted for 74% of the total value, with the remaining countries accounting for 26%, said the iGA in its foreign trade report of second quarter 2020, encompassing data on the balance of trade, imports, exports (national origin), and re-exports.



Saudi Arabia ranked first among countries receiving Bahraini exports of national origin, importing BD109 million from Bahrain. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates was second with BD51 million and the US third with BD43 million.



Unwrought aluminium (not alloyed) emerged as the top products exported during second quarter2020 with BD101 million, unwrought aluminium alloys was second with a value of BD100 million, and Agglomerated iron ores and concentrates alloyed third with BD66 million.



The total value of re-exports decreased by20% to reach BD143 million second quarter2020, compared to BD180 million for the same quarter of the previous year. The top 10 countries accounted for 93% of the re-exported value, while the remaining countries accounted for the 7%. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked first with BD61 million, the United Arab Emirates second with BD24 million, and China third with BD18 million.



Four-wheel drive cars emerged as the top product re-exported from Bahrain with BD30 million, parts for aero planes came in second place with BD14 million, and cigarettes containing tobacco came third with BD9 million.



The trade balance, the difference between exports and imports, recorded a deficit totalling BD485 million during second quarter 2020 compared to BD492 million for the same quarter of the previous year, an improvement of the trade balance by 1%.



The value of imports decreased by 8%, reaching BD1.168 billion during second quarter 2020 compared to BD1.267 billion for the same quarter the previous year. The top 10 countries accounted for 67% of the value of imports, with the remaining countries accounting for 33%.



According to the report, China ranked first when it came to imports to Bahrain, with a total ofBD194 million, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was second with BD79.1 million, and Brazil was third with BD79 million.



Aluminium oxide emerged as the top product imported into Bahrain with a total value of BD79 million, while non-agglomerated iron ores and concentrates was second with BD75 million, and four-wheel drive cars third with BD43 million.  TradeArabia News Service
Protests in Washington state, California and Virginia devolved into riots that sparked fires and property damage.

A protest through the streets of downtown Oakland, California, in support of racial justice and police reform turned violent when agitators among the demonstrators set fire to a courthouse, vandalized a police station and shot fireworks at officers, authorities said.

About 700 demonstrators participated in what started as a peaceful march Saturday night but then some broke from the larger group and smashed windows, spray-painted graffiti and pointed lasers at officers, the Oakland Police Department said on Twitter. Several tweets called for peace and asked organizers to help us provide safe spaces and safe places for demonstrators.

Several fires were set in the downtown area, including one at the Alameda County Superior Courthouse that was quickly contained. Police said protesters at one point were breaking windows and chanting racial slurs at residents. Photos tweeted by the department showed broken glass and paint splattered on the police headquarters building.

Video posted by police showed a man kicking down barricades in front of the building after an unlawful assembly was declared by police around 11:30 p.m. and officers asked the crowd to disperse. Police said they made several arrests but did not provide details. There were no immediate reports of injuries to protesters or officers.

The protest began earlier Saturday evening with groups such as the Wall of Moms, similar to a group that formed in Portland, Oregon, as protesters faced off with U.S. agents deployed to that city to guard a federal courthouse. President Donald Trump had sent the federal agents to clamp down on protests that have occurred nightly since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

Protesters in Seattle broke through a fence Saturday where a youth detention facility was being built, with some people setting a fire and damaging a portable trailer, authorities said.

Thousands of protesters ad gathered near downtown Seattle on Saturday in a show of solidarity with fellow demonstrators in Portland, Oregon, where tensions with federal law enforcement have boiled over.

Initially there was no sign of law enforcement near the march. Later, Seattle Police said via Twitter that about a dozen people breached the construction site for the King County youth detention facility. Also, police said protesters broke out windows at a King County court facility.

Police said they were trying to secure the construction site so fire crews could move in. Earlier this week King County Executive Dow Constantine, in response to long-standing demands by community activists, said he would work to eliminate youth detention centers in the county by 2025.

Seattles protesters had begun the rally and march over racial injustices Saturday afternoon peacefully.

Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best had announced officers would be armed with pepper spray and other weapons in a statement Saturday morning, promising officers would not use tear gas and urging demonstrators to remain peaceful.

In the spirit of offering trust and full transparency, I want to advise you that SPD officers will be carrying pepper spray and blast balls today, as would be typical for events that carry potential to include violence, Best said.

At an emergency hearing on Friday night, U.S. District Judge James Robart granted a request from the federal government to block Seattles new law prohibiting police from using pepper spray, blast balls and similar weapons.

The temporary restraining order now halts the law that the Seattle City Council passed unanimously last month after protests confrontations that have largely been peaceful but were occasionally marked by violence, looting and highway shutdowns. The law intended to de-escalate tensions between police and demonstrators was set to take effect on Sunday.

But the U.S. Department of Justice, citing Seattles longstanding police consent decree, successfully argued that banning the use of crowd control weapons could actually lead to more police use of force, leaving them only with more deadly weapons.

Robart, who is presiding over a 2012 consent decree requiring the city to address allegations of excessive force and biased policing, said the issue needed more discussion between the city and the Justice Department before that law could go into effect.

Best said Robarts order allows officers to use the less-lethal crowd management tools.

In Richmond, Virginia, a city dump truck was set on fire as protesters faced off with police in Virginias capital during a demonstration in support of protesters on the other side of the country in Portland, Oregon.

Virginia State Police and Richmond police worked to clear the crowd of a several hundred demonstrators late Saturday. City police declared an unlawful assembly around 11 p.m., and what appeared to be tear gas was deployed to disperse the group.

Protesters had been planning for days the demonstration that was called Richmond Stands with Portland, news outlets reported, in an apparent reaction to ongoing tensions between protesters and U.S. agents at the federal courthouse in Oregons largest city.

Weeks of nationwide unrest have struck several U.S. cities since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

Saturdays protest in Richmond started at a park and then demonstrators marched to police headquarters, according to news outlets.

Police tweeted a photo of rocks, batteries and other items the department said were thrown at its officers during the protest. A video also showed an officer extinguishing a mattress on fire in the middle of a road.

Glass windows were also shattered at a Chipotle restaurant and a Virginia Commonwealth University dorm, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

About the photo: A Citibank is vandalized during a protest on Saturday, July 25, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. Protesters in California set fire to a courthouse, damaged a police station and assaulted officers after a peaceful demonstration intensified late Saturday, Oakland police said. (AP Photo/Christian Monterrosa)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Harry Potter, the boy wizard who taught a generation of kids that reading is both a joy and a means to trick your parents into letting you hang at the local shopping mall past midnight. It seemed like an unimpeachable pop cultural juggernaut not unlike The Beatles or Star Wars; a franchise that would be passed on from generation to the next like a beloved heirloom tomato. But we're not sure that's the case anymore.

Okay, first off let's address the Hippogriff in the room; J.K. Rowling's comments about the trans community -- which we have to be careful in talking about because Rowling recently threatened to sue a children's news website for implying that her views were problematic. So if we, for instance, write that a self-described free speech advocate hiring libel lawyers to silence any publication is a massive self-own that only further invalidates her bigoted drivel, will we get sued?

As most of us are aware by now, Rowling recently fired off a series of Tweets that many (including other authors, several corporate partners, fan sites, and the lead actors from the Harry Potter movies) rebuked for their transphobic messaging. Then, presumably because some Potter fan wished on a monkey's paw that Rowling would publish more writing, she penned a lengthy blog post defending her views.

Rowling's essay is full of inaccuracies, including concerns that throwing "open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms" to trans women could lead to instances of abuse, which A) is a myth based on no actual real-world evidence, and B) pretty rich coming from someone who wrote an entire goddamn book about two heroic preteen boys who spend their evenings chilling in the girls' washroom.
North of Nashville, Sunday night the Clarksville (TN) Speedway hosted their second consecutive Hell Tour Summer Nationals UMP series event and Dennis Erb Jr (# 28) of Carpentersville, Ill. pocketed the $5,000 one night after running 3rd to neighbor Brian Shirley.

Shirley would finish second in the 40 lapper with Kentucky's Frank Heckenast (# 99) 3rd overall Sunday.

Chattanooga's Bobby Richey Jr. (# 4) a hired gun of Bob Gardner teamed race cars finished 14th overall.

The series takes a few days off before hitting upstate Illinois on Wednesday at LaSalle Speedway for another $5,000 race.
Their journeys began at about the same time, but California and New York immediately diverged down two very different paths during the coronavirus pandemic.

California started in January, with travelers from China carrying a new virus into the Bay Area. New York was probably only a few weeks behind, its virus arriving from Europe.

From there, Californias trajectory was a gentle upward bend in case counts, a long plateau, and then  the surge. New Yorks was the classic curve: a sharp climb in cases followed by a long and bumpy descent.

Last week, six months into this pandemic, their paths crossed. California passed New York with the most coronavirus cases in the United States.

That grim convergence occurred as the nation reached its own dark milestone: 4 million reported cases. California, as of Sunday, has about 452,000 cases, to New Yorks 412,000. Florida passed New York over the weekend and now has about 425,000 cases.

California and New York have gone through a role reversal of sorts, now that New Yorks terrifying outbreak from the spring appears to be over, while Californias summer surge is still swelling. In March and April, New York consistently reported 10 times as many cases a day as California. By the end of June, California was outpacing New York by about the same rate. Last week, California reported about 65,000 new cases to New Yorks 4,900.

But the numbers are more complicated than case counts. California has twice the population of New York, and its infection rate is half that of the Empire State  about 1,100 cases per 100,000 residents compared to 2,100 per 100,000. And New York has more than three times as many deaths  32,600 to Californias 8,400, an indicator of how hard-hit the East Coasts hospitals were early in the outbreak and how many more people died as a result.

Administrator

The numbers are even more nuanced when California and New York are parsed into regions. The Bay Area, for example, has experienced a different epidemic, and is in far better shape, than Southern California. Some rural northern parts of the state have barely been touched by the virus. In New York, it has been Manhattan, along with the other four boroughs and their suburbs, that make up the vast majority of the cases statewide.

The two states ended up in roughly the same place  400,000 known infections  at this moment in time. How they got there says as much about the nature of this new virus as it does about the culture of the East and West coast states and how they responded to the threat.

The relationship between behavior and virus spread is mathematical, and we see it in those curves, said Steven Goodman, a Stanford epidemiologist.

In the beginning. The initial trajectory of their curves are fairly well understood. California, the first state in the U.S. to enact widespread shelter-in-place orders in mid-March, shut down ahead of its outbreak. New York acted a little too late.

By the time New York shut down, a large portion of the population in New York City was already infected, public health experts now believe. In the two weeks after Gov. Andrew Cuomos statewide shelter-in-place order, confirmed cases doubled every three or four days, and the hospitals were overwhelmed. When the outbreak peaked in the second week of April, more than 10,000 cases were being reported a day and about 1,000 people were dying.

California successfully quashed its burgeoning outbreak. After a gentle uptick in March, daily cases seemed to settle at about 1,000 to 1,500 for a while. They climbed a bit more in May, hitting more like 2,000 cases a day, but still looked stable.

Gerardo Mora / Getty Images

The hospitals were never overrun. The state generally saw fewer than 100 deaths a day. Residents celebrated their California miracle. Early, aggressive action had saved the state from the fate of New York and countries like Italy that experienced disastrous outbreaks.

New York never had the chance to be data-driven and to build up their health care infrastructure and at least mitigate mortality, said Shannon Bennett, chief of science with the California Academy of Sciences. Even though weve flip-flopped in terms of the endpoint and daily new cases, its very different here. We were hearing in New York reports of bodies piling up, the social fabric was kind of crumbling. And I havent seen that here in California.

Were way better off than New York because we kind of saw it coming, she added. But wouldnt it have been nice if seeing it coming could have prevented where we are now?

New York: the bell curve. An advantage of having a sharp trajectory up is its fairly clear when the peak has arrived. In New York, it was in mid April, when the state reported 11,434 cases on what would have been Tax Day. California saw 1,197 cases that day.

From there, the cases fell far and fast in New York. The state reported a daily average of 7,600 cases in April, and 2,100 in May. The average dropped to about 750 cases a day in June and 700 this month.

New Yorks curve, now six months into this pandemic, is an elegant bell with a well-defined peak and a long, steady tail.

Theres no one reason why New Yorks case count fell so dramatically, but infectious disease experts point to a few most likely explanations. There were probably very few gaps in New Yorks shutdown, which primarily affected New York City, the driver of infections. Residents were scared  a few weeks into the outbreak almost everyone knew someone whod been infected  and therefore obediently quarantined.

Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle

Another possible explanation for the drop-off is immunity. By the end of May, one-fifth to one-quarter of people in New York City are believe to have been infected, according to antibody studies. Thats not enough for herd immunity, in which a large enough portion of the population is immune that a virus can no longer find traction to spread.

But if groups of people prone to infection had higher rates of immunity, that could have dampened the outbreak, infectious disease experts said.

That may have produced some blunting, said George Rutherford, an infectious disease expert with UCSF. And they may have just learned their lessons better than the rest of the country.

California: flattening the curve. California has never come close to that level of community disease. In the Bay Area, only about 1% of people were infected by the end of April, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. That was the result of flattening the curve.

The state averaged about 600 cases a day in March, then 1,400 in April and 2,000 in May. Thats an obvious increase with the benefit of hindsight, but at the time the numbers appeared flat, day after day. They were even steadier in the Bay Area. There is no doubt, public health experts said, that sheltering in place prevented the massive spike that New York had experienced.

Now Playing: Residents of San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood share how COVID-19 has impacted their lives. Video: Manjula Varghese

But when it looked like the numbers had plateaued, and as the rest of the country began to reopen the economy, Californians grew complacent and impatient. People in many parts of the state begged for a loosening of stay-at-home restrictions. They also began to socialize again  visiting friends and family they hadnt seen since March.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Cases began a notable uptick around Memorial Day, and then picked up speed. Californians thought theyd peaked in April, like New York  but it turned out the worst was still to come. The state reported an average of 4,000 cases a day in June  twice as many as May. And 8,500 a day so far in July.

We never really allowed the epidemic to reach a peak, said Lee Riley, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley. When they started seeing a slight flattening of the curve and what they thought was the peak, thats when they reopened. And then it kept going up. In New York, they waited well after the peak period of the epidemic to begin to reopen.

But Californias curve is deceptive, infectious disease experts say, because its taken different shapes in different regions. Los Angeless trajectory, which has been driving the state curve in recent weeks, was on a slow but steady ascent before a sudden spike in June. In the Bay Area, the curve was notably flat for a long stretch in April and May before trending up.

New Yorks pandemic may have been deadlier and more destructive, but it was also more easily contained because it was centralized, Rutherford said. When you talk about New York State, what youre really talking about is New York City and the suburbs, he said. That makes it simpler.

California held down its initial outbreak with a blanket shutdown on all 58 counties, but that wasnt going to be appropriate for the entire state in the long haul, public health experts said. The reopening was blundered, in part, because there was no one approach. Here, its like herding cats, said Riley.

Both states can learn lessons from the other, infectious disease experts said. California looked to New Yorks spike in March and April and knew to bulk up its hospital capacity while its case counts stayed manageable. That knowledge is paying off now as hospitalizations climb to new records.

Certainly we have learned from the New York situation how bad the pandemic can get and how rapidly it can get bad, said Grant Colfax, director of San Francisco public health, in a news briefing last week.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

And New York, perhaps, looked to Californias reopening and saw that a more conservative approach would be best.

What about Florida? One way to consider the curves of various states is to look at the space underneath - the total cases. New York, California and Florida are all within about 25,000 cases, but their curves are wildly dissimilar. It took California about three months to go from its first case at the end of January to 100,000, and then two more months to hit 400,000 cases. New York exploded from one case to 100,000 in about a month, then it also hit 400,000 in about two months. Florida was three and a half months into its outbreak before it hit 100,000 cases. It passed 400,000 cases a month later. New York's pandemic is defined by being caught off guard, and California's by being overconfident. The situation in Florida is political, said Shannon Bennett with the California Academy of Sciences. The state never fully locked down, and it reopened all at once, and with little guidance for social distancing. "Forget compliance. Any compliance with face coverings and social distancing means you're a Democrat," Bennett said. The death toll is climbing in Florida, too. The state is reporting more deaths per day than anywhere else in the country at the moment. And its 2,000 cases per 100,000 residents rival New York's. California's still at 1,100, and most of the Bay Area counties are well under 1,000 per 100,000 residents. - Erin Allday See More Collapse

The lessons that Gov. Cuomo talks about are the lessons of Memorial Day weekend, Rutherford said. Thats when it got away. And you dont want that to happen to New York.

Forecasting this pandemic has been notoriously difficult, so no one can yet say where the New York and California trajectories will go from here. The hope, of course, is that New York stays its course, and California manages to tamp down its current surge and wrestle back some control of its outbreak.

These curves represent only the first chapter of whats bound to be a very long story, infectious disease experts say. These months may end up being the worst of the United States epidemic, or simply the first rise in a dizzying roller coaster with many more swells to come.

We happen to be crossing these milestones, but were still very much in the early phases of this pandemic, said Nicholas Jewell, a biostatistician with UC Berkeley. This is a long haul. Lets try to be strategic, and learn what works and what doesnt. We need to be in better shape to live with this virus while we wait for a vaccine.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Mike Massa contributed to this report.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday
Time Is Running Out on Pandemic Stimulus Bill, Says Pelosi

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Republicans in Congress and the White House should act with urgency to negotiate with Democrats over the next pandemic stimulus package.

Democrats have stood ready to negotiate for more than two months. I call upon GOP congressional leaders [and] the Presidents team to join Leader [Chuck] Schumer & me within a half an hour of releasing their plan today to negotiate and get the job done, she wrote on Twitter.

Pelosi then alleged that Senate Republicans paused for 10 weeks in their response to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

It remains unclear whether they will release their plan today  even as working families struggle to make rent, children go hungry and unemployment is expiring, she wrote, referring to the end of the $600-per-week unemployment benefits that were passed under the CARES Act in March.

Pelosi has continued to push the sweeping $3 trillion HEROES Act passed by House Democrats in May, urging Republicans to pass the measure. Republicans have said the bill is too expensive and adds too many unnecessary provisions that arent related to the pandemic.

We have stood ready to negotiate for more than two months. Unfortunately, it still remains unclear if Republicans will produce a proposal today. If Republicans care about working families, this wont take long. Time is running out. Congress cannot go home without an agreement, Pelosi added in a longer statement on her website.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to the press after a meeting with Republican Senators in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, May 19, 2020 in Washington. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Top Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the GOP proposal, which will cost about $1 trillion, will be unveiled Monday. It came after McConnell on July 24 said the White House wanted to first review the proposal.

Over the weekend, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow and Mnuchin both said that $1,200 stimulus payments will be included in the Republican proposal. Kudlow also said that a federal eviction moratorium, which expired July 25, will be included, among other provisions.

Both Kudlow and Mnuchin, however, said they do not want to extend the expanded unemployment benefits, arguing that they create a disincentive for people to return to work. Democrats included an extension of benefits in their HEROES Act until January 2021.

The CARES Act provided Kentucky and our nation with the tools to endure the first phase of the coronavirus crisis, McConnell wrote. But Americas fight continues, so Congresss support for our people must continue as well. CARES 2 will focus on three things: Kids, jobs, and healthcare.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) noted there will be an epic battle between Republicans and Democrats over the language of the bill in the coming days, according to MassLive.

Its the epic battle of my career and its going to be over whether the federal government is going to provide help for families all across this country, Markey said. If they dont do it, theyre going to politically regret it.
Freedom for Simon Trinidad

On Simon Trinidads 70th birthday the solidarity movement around the world come together to demand his release from prison in the United States and repatriation to his homeland in Colombia.

The Colombian political prisoner and former FARC commander has spent sixteen long and unjust years in prison, many of them in solitary confinement.

His arrest in Ecuador in 2004 while trying to make international contact with a UN representative for the humanitarian exchange of prisoners of war made news around the world. He was deported to Colombia where the authorities entreated the United States to extradite him to the US on trumped up charges. Initially the US refused extradition as there were no charges against him in that country, however, at the insistence of the Colombian government, Simon Trinidad was taken from his homeland on 31st December 2004 and taken to the United States.

His defence went through a number of trials which found no case to answer. However, with the helped of paid witnesses he was tried on conspiracy charges to hold three American hostages and sentenced on 28th January 2008 to sixty years in a US prison. He remains at the super-max prison in Florence, Colorado.

During the peace process in Havana between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP), he was denied his right to participate in the negotiation talks as part of the FARC Peace delegation.

Today the people of Colombia and supporters around the world demand his release and repatriation to Colombia to contribute to the implementation of the Peace Accords signed by the former guerilla group and the Colombian government.

On humanitarian grounds the solidarity movement rally on his 70th birthday to ask for his freedom.

For more information on the international campaign for freedom of Simon Trinidad contact:www.simonlibertad.comcontactosimonlibertad@gmail.com

The Communist Party of Australia adds its voice to the international campaign for the release of Simon Trinidad and asks friends and supporters to join this demand.

Dignity is Freedom!
Ministers today insisted the requirement for travellers returning to the UK from non-safe coronavirus countries to quarantine for 14 days remains in place despite claims the self-isolation period could soon be slashed.

Reports overnight suggested the Government is considering reducing quarantine from 14 to 10 days in order to make family holidays abroad slightly more feasible.

The proposals would see returning travellers tested eight days after they land and if the check comes back negative they would be given the green light to leave their homes two days later.

It is thought that shaving four days off the fortnight quarantine period could be enough to persuade some holidaymakers to go ahead with their trips despite mounting uncertainty over foreign travel.

The Government fears its sudden decision to reimpose quarantine rules on Britons returning from Spain will prompt mass cancellations and kill the summer holiday season.

But local government minister Simon Clarke said this morning that 'the situation remains that the Governments advice is that you must quarantine for 14 days'.

He told Sky News: I wouldnt want to blur that message. That is the current position. Obviously, with all of this guidance, we continue to take advice on the science and on the best practice that is sensible.

But we wouldnt want to get any mixed messages today at all to the public: It is a 14 day quarantine.'

However, a source told MailOnline that trimming the quarantine period from 14 days to 10 is a 'live discussion' within the Government.

Tourists returning from Spain are worried the fortnight self-isolating could cost them paid work, particularly for those whose cannot work from home.

Local government minister Simon Clarke said this morning that the 14 day quarantine period remains in place amid claims it could be reduced to 10 days

Britons arrive at the Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport, and face quarantine on their return to the UK

Travellers could lose their holidays AND cash as airlines refuse to cancel flights to Spain Airlines are refusing to cancel flights to Spain  despite the Government advising against all but essential travel. The move means hundreds of thousands of British families are in limbo and at risk of losing thousands of pounds. It also puts the airline industry at odds with the Government because it is ignoring a public safety edict. The Government issued the travel warning after the emergence of a second wave of coronavirus in parts of Spain. Customers would normally expect travel firms to cancel the flights and offer refunds. But all the major carriers, which have suffered massive losses after the collapse of air travel, continue to offer the flights. This means families will potentially lose their holidays and their money. Advertisement

The speculation over quarantine comes after the Government extended travel restrictions to the Spanish islands and warned that other holiday destinations could follow.

The Foreign Office is now warning against 'all but essential' travel to the Balearics and Canaries, having already done so for the mainland.

Travel firm Jet2 responded to yesterday's diktat by cancelling flights to all Spanish destinations and told passengers not to go to the airport.

Downing Street warned: 'Unfortunately no travel is risk-free during this pandemic.' Sources said there were 'no immediate plans' to change travel and quarantine advice to other countries.

But Croatia and Belgium are thought to be of concern, and ministers are also monitoring France and Germany.

Last night Grant Shapps cut short his own holiday in Spain to deal with the crisis.

The Transport Secretary, whose wife and children will continue their holiday without him, will have to quarantine at home for two weeks.

He told the Mail he 'didn't feel right' continuing his holiday when others were having their plans wrecked.

The Spanish prime minister appeared to last night let slip that Mr Shapps has been holidaying in Ibiza.

In an interview, the journalist put it to PM Pedro Sanchez that: 'Two UK ministers are in Spain at the moment, one in Ibiza and the other in Lanzarote, something which is quite telling when it comes to the security situation in this country.'

It is known that Tory MP and business minister Paul Scully is in Lanzarote, and Mr Sanchez made no efforts to correct the interviewer over the whereabouts of Mr Shapps.

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove also cancelled a trip to the Balearics on Saturday.

Ministers were last night facing a backlash from travel experts and the airline industry over the 'chaotic' handling of the air bridges policy, which has been in place for only three weeks.

The Spanish government, international airline bosses, holidaymakers and travel firms said Britain had got it wrong on safety, science and economic impact.

Former Tory Cabinet minister Michael Portillo said it 'looked like a deliberate attempt to wreck the recovery'.

But a government source said: 'This was always a safety first policy. If we think there is a risk we will end up importing cases from overseas then we will act decisively to prevent it.'

The change in advice came as:

Britons began cancelling trips across Europe amid fears snap travel bans and quarantine rules will be imposed;

The boss of Tui, Britain's biggest travel firm, called for tax breaks for the industry as shares in the sector slumped;

The company last night cancelled holidays to the Balearic and Canary islands;

Health minister Lord Bethel said the Government was relying on holidaymakers to self-isolate voluntarily because it could not police the rules;

Downing Street acknowledged some returning Britons might have to sign on for benefits if their employers refused to pay them while they self-isolated;

There were fears that some British tourists could get locked down in Spain as case numbers rise;

The Spanish government said the UK had overreacted and should lift the quarantine rules on its islands immediately;

No 10 rejected calls to replace quarantine with a testing regime at airports.

The Government shocked the nation and travel industry at the weekend with new advice against all but essential travel to mainland Spain.

Tourists walk with their luggage outside the airport upon their arrival to Palma de Mallorca in Spain today

The Department of Health last night refused to be drawn on reports of an imminent reduction to 10 days, stating the government does not comment on leaks.

It insisted that anyone returning from Spain should go into a 14-day home quarantine. Breaking quarantine risks a 1,000 fine.

The decision was taken amid fears of a second wave of Covid in Spain after case numbers rose by 75 per cent in just 48 hours last week.

The rate of infection in Spain is 35.1 cases per 100,000 people, while the UK is at 14, according to the latest figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

The Balearic and Canary islands were included in the quarantine restrictions but excluded from Foreign Office warning against 'all but essential travel.'

The omission had led to hopes yesterday that the islands, where coronavirus cases are said to be lower, might be lifted out of the restrictions altogether, following intense lobbying from Spain.

Those hopes were dashed last night by the latest Foreign Office advice.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We have considered the overall situation for British nationals travelling to and from the Balearic and Canary Islands, including the impact of the requirement to self-isolate on return to the UK, and concluded that we should advise British nationals against all non-essential travel to the whole of Spain.'

It was claimed last night that the Chief Medical Officer had warned that ten Britons who had tested positive for coronavirus since July 1 had reported visiting Spain in the 14 days before their test.

The government's handling of the quarantine imposition will be under the microscope, after MPs accused the Foreign Office of failing to provide sufficient support to Britons stranded abroad early in the pandemic.

Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs committee, criticised the department for giving 'misleading and outdated' advice, which at times was 'entirely absent'.

The committee's report published on Tuesday offered a critical assessment of the Foreign Office's response to some 1.3million nationals becoming stranded as the crisis set in.

The Government's repatriation operation was criticised as 'too slow' and for having 'placed too much reliance' on commercial travel providers, unlike other nations who acted more swiftly with charter flights.

'Many UK citizens stuck abroad reported that they were unable to access the information that they needed, whilst others were not treated with the empathy and compassion that they should expect,' the report said.

Where next for quarantine? Travel firms on the brink as Britons pull out of trips all over Europe

By Sean Poulter and James Tozer for the Daily Mail

British holidaymakers are cancelling trips across Europe amid fears that snap travel bans and quarantine rules will be imposed.

Warnings from ministers that they could extend new controls on travelling to Spain to other nations has sent a shiver through the travel industry.

Both Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Health Minister Helen Whately have flagged the possibility that travel bans could be widened. It has been suggested that France, Belgium and Germany might join Portugal on the list of countries with restrictions.

Downing Street last night warned tourists 'no travel is risk-free' as the prospect of the Canary Islands and the Balearics being exempted from the quarantine ruling on Spain dwindled.

Britons in quarantine may have to sign on for benefits Holidaymakers returning from Spain may have to sign on for benefits if their employer will not pay them to quarantine, Downing Street said yesterday. The sudden change in travel guidance for Spain at the weekend means hundreds of thousands of British holidaymakers currently in Spain will have to self-isolate at home for 14 days when they return. Under the regulations they risk a 1,000 fine if they leave their home during this period. People asked to self-isolate after coming into contact with an infected person are eligible for statutory sick pay. But a loophole in the law means those asked to quarantine after returning from holiday are not. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said holidaymakers who miss out on pay or work because of the quarantine period may be eligible for Universal Credit or employment support allowance instead. He said the Government expected employers to be 'flexible' in allowing staff to work from home while self-isolating. Advertisement

The Prime Minister's official spokesman added: 'Anyone travelling abroad should be aware that our travel advice is under constant review.'

It came as tour operator Jet2 said it was calling off flights to Spanish destinations, along with Faro airport in the Algarve.

It demanded 'clarity' from the Government during this 'fast-moving situation'.

Industry expert Paul Charles, of public relations firm the PC Agency and a member of the Quash Quarantine pressure group, said the decision to re-impose restrictions on visits to Spain has 'almost cancelled the summer season'.

He said: 'A lot of people are fearful the Government will put quarantine in place for other countries. Companies won't be able to survive the winter.

'People are cancelling not just Spain but other short-haul bookings. We've heard of lots of cancellations for holidays to France, Italy and Greece.

'Not getting bookings throughout late summer means that there will be many more job losses in the travel industry and more businesses will go under.'

Former Tory cabinet minister Michael Portillo warned that leaks suggesting France or Germany might be next are causing 'chaos and a lack of confidence'.

Tim Hawkins, of Manchester Airports Group, said the impact on some holiday firms could be 'the final nail in the coffin'.

Mrs Whately said: 'We have to keep the situation under review and I think that is what the public would expect us to do.'

When asked about France and Germany being included, she said: 'If we see rates going up in a country where at the moment there is no need to quarantine  we would have to take action.'

Health Minister Lord Bethell added: 'Within individual countries there is no way for us to control intra-country transport, it is therefore very difficult to have a regional exemption list, and that is why we've not been able to give exemptions to the Balearics.'

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, who may have to cancel a trip to Ibiza, said: 'It's an inconvenience for me but it's as nothing compared to the importance of putting public health first.'

It is feared Belgium could be the next country to fall off the travel corridor list after drastic social distancing orders were imposed.
Facebook and Google are among the major US tech firms facing antitrust investigations, and whose CEOs will be testifying at an unprecedented Capitol Hill hearing Facebook and Google are among the major US tech firms facing antitrust investigations, and whose CEOs will be testifying at an unprecedented Capitol Hill hearing (AFP Photo/DENIS CHARLET)

Washington (AFP) - The four major tech firms whose chief executives are testifying at a congressional antitrust hearing face a variety of complaints about their dominance in the US and elsewhere.

Investigations are being led by antitrust enforcers at the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission and by authorities in US states.

Here is a summary of the main issues:

- Google -

The largest unit of parent holding firm Alphabet, Google has been facing antitrust probes in Europe related to its shopping and advertising operations as well as how it manages Android, the dominant mobile operating system.

The focus of US state and federal investigations remains unclear, but some analysts believe it may be based on its dominance of online search -- of which it controls about 90 percent -- to the detriment of rival services, or digital advertising, a market it dominates along with Facebook.

At a Senate hearing earlier this year, online review site Yelp was among those complaining it was harmed by Google's practices of favoring its own services. Google has countered that it seeks to deliver the best results for consumers.

- Apple -

The complaints against Apple center on its App Store, for which it collects 30 percent of subscription fees for most third-party services.

Some developers say Apple takes a disproportionate share of the revenue and maintains rigid policies that may impact services competing with those of the iPhone maker.

Streaming music giant Spotify filed a complaint with EU authorities alleging Apple has been using its platform to unfairly promote its own Apple Music service.

Apple has argued its App Store delivers billions to independent developers, and that its practices are reasonable compared with other digital marketplaces.

- Amazon -

Amazon is the undisputed leader in online commerce, accounting for some 40 percent of US e-commerce sales, according to research firm eMarketer.

Aside from Amazon's size, its relationship with third-party sellers on its marketplace platform is likely to draw scrutiny.

Story continues

At least one report suggests Amazon improperly used data from marketplace sellers to develop its own competing products -- a charge the company has denied.

Some critics of the company -- including Senator Elizabeth Warren during her presidential campaign -- argue that companies like Amazon and Apple should not be allowed to own the "platform" while competing with others in that space, but any such restriction would need legislation.

Amazon is also a leading cloud computing provider, in a market where it competes with Google, Microsoft and others. Its Amazon Web Services has been a key driver of revenue and profits even during periods when its online sales generated scant profits.

- Facebook -

Facebook is the leading social network, reaching close to three billion people worldwide with its core platform along with Instagram and messaging services WhatsApp and Messenger.

An estimated seven-in-ten US adults use Facebook and its reach allows it to play an outsized role in digital advertising and in delivering news and information.

While many of the complaints about Facebook are about how it handles content such as political misinformation and hate speech, some activists say Facebook was allowed to squelch competition by buying up smaller rivals, and that this could form the basis of an antitrust action.

A Federal Trade Commission review of acquisitions dating back to 2010 could potentially "unwind" some of the deals.
(Newser)  Johnny Depp's libel case in London lurched toward its end Monday, with a lawyer arguing that the actor's alleged assaults on Amber Heard were driven by "deep misogyny." Sasha Wass told the London High Court that Depp's claims to be a "southern gentlemen with respect for women" were undercut by texts in which he used misogynistic language about women including ex-wife Vanessa Paradis, whom he referred to as a "withering c---," the Guardian reports. Wass described Depp as a "hopeless addict" who was "literally out of his mind" during the 14 times when Heard said he assaulted her. Wass, who is defending the publisher of the Sun newspaper against Depp's libel claim, told the court that Depp had created a "misogynistic persona" of his ex-wife as the "stereotype of a nagging woman."

story continues below

Wass said Depp had "spent his life surrounded by a clique of ageing, male rabble-rousers with alcohol and drugs shared together" and there was "a clash of cultures and generations" when he got together with Heard, Sky reports. Wass told the court that while no witnesses had testified to seeing Depp hit Heard, the "days are long past when the courts in this country required corroboration before accepting the unsupported testimony of a female complainant." Page Six reports that Wass also read aloud an angry email that Heard drafted in 2013 but never sent to Depp. "Yesterday, I saw you pass out, amongst vomiting, three times," she wrote, calling him a "needy man-child" and adding, "I watch as other grown men have to wipe you." Lawyers for Depp, who is suing over the Sun's description of him as a "wife-beater," will make their closing arguments Tuesday. (Read more Amber Heard stories.)
Notes from Indian Country

Would there be a Native American Journalists Association without Bill Dulaney?

I was looking for some information on the Professor of Journalism from Penn State, Bill Dulaney , when I ran across this: "William Lee Dulaney was born on August 24, 1929 and passed away on March 31, 2019" . Needless to say, I was shocked.

I had been trying to reach him just to visit as we have for all of the years he was my friend. I knew he was ill with cancer , but the last time I spoke with him he said he was giving it a good fight and I knew him to be one helluva fighter. I knew something was wrong when I discovered his phone was disconnected.

Bill Dulaney came into my life in 1983 when he was a professor at Penn State. He had been bringing different journalism groups to Penn State so that his students could learn from them He had invited the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the National Association of Asian-American Journalists so far, but he was totally bewildered as to why he could not find a Native American group of journalists

Former faculty member Bill Dulaney, early in his career at Penn State (left) and then near retirement. Image: Penn State Photos

I was the editor and publisher of the Lakota Times back then and he had read the paper and really enjoyed it. He saw my phone number on the opinion page and called me. He invited me to come to Penn State and meet with him so we could talk about Native American journalism and discuss why we (Natives) did not have a newspaper association. With that invitation in hand, I and my managing editor, Adrian Louis (now deceased) flew to Pennsylvania to meet with Bill.

We spent two days discussing plans for a Native journalists association and finally decided to head back home, and with the professors help, we set about trying to contact every reservation in America to see how many Native newspapers were still out there and how many would come to a get acquainted meeting at Penn State.

A date was set, all of the calls and letters had gone out and on the set date Adrian and I flew back to Penn State and sat at an open air cafe on the campus with Bill waiting with trepidation and wondering if any Native journalists at all would show up. It was getting late and we were getting fearful when on to the campus came a dozen rez cars held together with bailing wire, filled with Indian journalists honking and waving. It was then, and only then, that we decided we were on to something good. Professor Dulaney, a visual journalist, never got this picture out of his mind.

The 30 Founding Members of NAJA, all of us "Co-Founders", at Penn State 1983. Ray Cook in middle w hat, me in dark t-shirt w big hair & moustache, Dan Thompson in between. Actual founder Richard LaCourse far right. Tim Giago & Adrian Louis elected first officers at next meeting. pic.twitter.com/ZFyPvzK2Dn  alexjacobs (@alexjacobs) July 20, 2019

We had our meeting to form the organization on the Choctaw Nation at Durant, Oklahoma. Thanks to the editor of their newspaper, Bishnick, the Choctaw let us used their camp grounds and facilities for our meeting. At the meeting Bill worked with us to draw up a Constitution and By-laws, and we elected our first Board of Directors.

I was lucky to be chosen as NAJAs first ever president, Loren Tapahe of the Navajo Times was our first vice president, and Anita Austin of the Native American Rights Fund Magazine was our first treasurer, and Mary Polanco, editor of the Jicarilla Chieftain was our first Secretary. Bill rubbed his hands together gleefully when he saw how much we accomplished in two short days.

It is sad to see what happens in some organizations when there is a change in leadership. When new leadership assumed control of NAJA after I resigned they decided to erase the history of the organization. Professor Dulaney was completely eliminated. Loren Tapahe stayed on board and tried to get the organization pointed in the right direction. My name was removed from all records as was that of Mary Polanco and Anita Austin.

When I found out Professor Dulaney was dying of cancer I notified the Board of NAJA and told them about his history with us and that it should be a major objective of NAJA to honor this man who was so instrumental in getting the organization moving and keeping us funded in the early days. My request went unheard.

Gerald Garcia, the founder of the National Hispanic Journalists Association said the same thing happened at NHJA when he resigned and we puzzled over it. But even to this day you will find no record of Professor Bill Dulaney at NAJA. And this is so sad because NAJA would never have been formed without his guidance and support. I hope that some of the early members of NAJA read this and help me point out Bills early leadership in forming NAJA.

In the early days NAJA was called the Native American Press Association simply because all of its members worked for newspapers. Maybe when the name was changed to NAJA it was assumed that all of the people from the early days did not matter. For whatever reason, it was wrong.

Tim Giago. Photo courtesy Native Sun News Today

I butted heads with NAJAs leaders for years just to get the names of NAJAs first Board of Directors listed on their history page. And I also tried my best to get Professor Dulaneys name mentioned as part of NAJAs history. They havent done that yet.

In any event, Bill Dulaneys role in forming NAJA is here for all to read. He has journeyed to the Spirit World now, but he will always be in the memory of those Native American newspaper editors and reporters who knew, loved, and admired him. Let this be our tribute to a true journalist.

Contact Tim Giago at najournalist1@gmail.com. Giago has been a newspaper publisher for 40 years and was the founder of the Native American Journalists Association.

Note: Content  Tim Giago

Join the Conversation
An Oshawa man is facing charges after two boats collided on Belmont Lake in Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township late Saturday night.

It happened at about 10 p.m. Saturday.

Paramedics took one passenger to hospital for treatment of minor injuries, Peterborough County OPP said.

Llewellyn Sheppard, 35, of Oshawa was charged with driving with more than 80 mg of alcohol in 100 mL of blood.

He is to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough on Oct. 8.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing its expansion of solar energy to deliver cleaner energy for customers, Duke Energy today announced it has begun construction on two major solar projects in North Carolina. The projects:

The 69-megawatt (MW) Maiden Creek solar facility, located on Didley Dadburn Road in the Catawba County town of Maiden

town of The 25-MW Gaston solar facility located on Neal Road in the Gaston County town of Bessemer City

The projects were selected as part of a competitive bidding process that was established from 2017's landmark solar legislation in North Carolina. The projects were among the most cost-effective and will deliver clean solar energy at the lowest possible cost.

"Catawba County applauds Duke Energy's efforts in partnering with the private sector to increase the use of cost-effective renewable energy," said Randy Isenhower, chair, Catawba County Board of Commissioners. "This project will bring jobs to our community during construction and generate clean energy for years to come."

Together, the projects will feature about 400,000 solar panels and generate enough energy to power approximately 20,000 homes and businesses. Both projects are scheduled to come online by the end of this year. At peak construction, a combined 380 workers will be employed at the two sites.

"Building more solar supports Duke Energy's strategy of lowering carbon emissions as we strive to meet our 2050 net-zero carbon goal," said Stephen De May, Duke Energy's North Carolina president. "We participated in a rigorous bidding process  competing with other companies to bring more renewable energy to the state."

On-site workers will fluctuate throughout the construction process. Duke Energy will ensure safe work practices by contractors meeting the highest expectations. Duke Energy will also provide proper traffic management support to ensure safe operations around the site at all times.

Under North Carolina's Competitive Procurement for Renewable Energy, proposed projects must be built where there is a need for energy capacity on the Duke Energy system in North Carolina or South Carolina. The bids can come from any company, including Duke Energy, and can be in the form of power purchase agreements (PPA), utility self-developed facilities or utility asset acquisitions.

Duke Energy maintains more than 3,300 MW of solar power on its energy grid in North Carolina, which could power about 700,000 homes and businesses at peak output. The company also operates 40 solar facilities in the state. North Carolina currently ranks No. 2 in the nation for overall solar power.

With nuclear, hydro and renewable energy, more than half of North Carolina's energy mix is carbon free.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.

Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states  North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6 million customers in five states  North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2020 "World's Most Admired Companies" list, and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Contact: Randy Wheeless

24-Hour: 800.559.3853

Twitter: @DE_RandyW

SOURCE Duke Energy

Related Links

http://www.duke-energy.com


Gabina VOA is designed to be an infotainment youth radio show broadcasting to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the Amharic language. The show brings varied perspectives on issues concerning young people in the Horn of Africa region. Gabina in the Amharic language is a front row taxi ridesymbolic of the shows content as a fun ride that takes audiences from point A to point B. Gabina VOAs main goal is Enlightening young people, introducing them to cutting-edge technological innovations, exposing them to new processes and ideas so they can be productive, informed and self-governing citizens.
New Delhi: - An Indian court has summoned technology company Alibaba and its founder Jack Ma over a former employee's claim he was wrongfully sacked after objecting to censorship and fake news on company apps.

The case comes weeks after India cited security concerns in banning Alibaba's UC News, UC Browser and 57 other Chinese apps after a clash between the two countries' forces on their border.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma is known for his extravagant company parties. Credit:AP

Following the ban, which China has criticised, India sought written answers from all affected companies, including whether they censored content or acted for any foreign government.

In court filings dated July 20 and previously unreported, the former employee of Alibaba's UC Web, Pushpandra Singh Parmar, alleges the company used to censor content seen as unfavourable to China and its apps UC Browser and UC News showcased false news "to cause social and political turmoil".
SCHENECTADY  Two men ended up at Ellis Hospital after being shot late Sunday night, according to Sgt. Jeff McCutcheon, a city police spokesman.

He said the men, one shot in the leg and the other in the ankle, showed up at the hospital around 9 p.m. Sunday.
Malaysian authorities said they found 26 Rohingya Muslims, including women and children, hiding on a northern islet after they were initially feared drowned after jumping off a fishing boat.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency launched a search for the group after one Rohingya migrant found on the islet off the northern resort island of Langkawi told investigators that at least 24 other Rohingya were missing.

Following further interrogation, the agency found 26 Rohingya refugees hiding on the islet on Sunday, said senior agency official Zawawi Abdullah.

The group included 12 men, 10 women and four children, officials said.

The Rohingya were believed to have been transported by local fishermen from a main vessel further out at sea and let off near Langkawi so they could sneak in undetected.

The Rohingya have been detained for further investigation and will be handed to the immigration department, he said in a statement.

Two other Rohingya migrants were also arrested for suspected trafficking.

A Maritime Rescue Sub-Coordinator (MRSC) boat searches for missing Rohingya refugees in Malaysian territorial waters (Maritime Rescue/AP)

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled Buddhist-majority Burma due to a military crackdown, and many live in densely crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Muslim-dominated Malaysia has been a common destination of boats arranged by traffickers who promise the refugees a better life abroad.

Last month, Malaysian authorities detained 269 Rohingya and found a body on board a suspected smuggling boat off Langkawi that they said had been intentionally damaged so it could not be turned back to sea.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency later said that the 269 were transferred from a larger vessel on which dozens of people were believed to have died and their bodies thrown into the sea.

Muhyiddin Yassin, the prime minister, said Malaysia cannot accept any more Rohingya refugees as it struggles with an economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

But he said those already in the country will not be sent back to sea.

Malaysia is home to over two million illegal immigrants as well as some 180,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including 101,000 Rohingya, who are registered with the UN refugee agency.
New Delhi, July 27 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on its 82nd Raising Day, saying the paramilitary force is at the forefront of keeping the nation safe.

"Greetings to all CRPF personnel on the 82nd Raising Day of this outstanding force. The CRPF is at the forefront of keeping our nation safe. The courage and professionalism of this force are widely admired," the Prime Minister tweeted.

He further wished the force achieve greater heights in the coming years.

The CRPF, mandated to provide internal security especially in Jammu and Kashmir and Maoist-affected states, came into existence as the Crown Representative's Police on July 27, 1939 under the British.

After Independence, it was rechristened the CRPF on the enactment of the CRPF Act on December 28, 1949 by the country's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

The 3.5-lakh strong Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) is the country's largest paramilitary force.

It is for the first time that the force is skipping its mega Raising Day event this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and physical distancing protocols.

The event involving marching contingents and display of combat skills in an open ground was scheduled for March 19 in adjoining Gurugram in Haryana but was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday visited the CRPF headquarters here on the occasion and addressed the CRPF personnel posted across the country through a video link.

He also unveiled three documentaries prepared by the CRPF depicting the role of its 'Corona Warriors', environment protectors and troops involved in internal security.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Passengers pictured returning from Palma, Spain at Belfast International airport where face covering are now mandatory for all travellers and a 14 day quarantine has now been imposed. Photo by Matt Mackey / Press Eye.

The NI Executive will examine measures to support those facing a 14-day quarantine after returning from Spain.

Health Minister Robin Swann said the subject was the only item on the agenda at a remote meeting of ministers on Monday.

Mr Swann said the Department for the Economy is engaging with employers to make sure there is flexible support for those in quarantine, and is also talking with travel insurers.

The UUP MLA also said the Department of Finance is exploring whether the furlough scheme can be used, while the Executive Office is updating advice on NI Direct.

He appeared before the Assembly following the meeting to answer an urgent oral question from health committee chairman Colm Gildernew on his decision to introduce a 14-day quarantine for those returning from Spain.

Mr Swann told MLAs that his decision was supported by the Executive and had been based on detailed scientific information.

"The evidence was considered so strong that delay was not feasible, the risk to the Northern Ireland population was too great to delay another day," he said.

"I will continue to make decisions based on scientific information to determine which countries may be removed or added to the exemption list, and will move quickly to remove any country when the evidence supports this.

"The health and safety of the people of Northern Ireland is my main priority."

The sudden introduction of the measure led to consternation among holidaymakers.

Read More

It comes after the Department of Health announced a 21 further positive cases of coronavirus had been diagnosed in Northern Ireland since the weekend.

No new deaths were recorded as a result of the virus, with 556 deaths recorded since the start of the outbreak.

To date, 5,912 people in Northern Ireland have been diagnosed with the virus.

Read More

Here's how Monday unfolded:
Two farmers have set out an online campaign with an aim to highlight the vital role of women in the British farming industry.

Ruth Parkes and Kathryn Taylor launched their #AgriWomen24 campaign in June which brought women together to celebrate their impact in farming.

Vencomatic UK has been supporting their mission and finding out more about the initiative, challenges in the industry and their stories so far.

Growing up on a Limousin beef and dairy farm, in Ireland, Ruth was born into a fourth generation of farmers.

However, it wasnt until she graduated with a Modern History Degree that she found her real love for farming again.

Resuming her former role on the farm, whilst working as Pharmacy Dispensary Assistant, she sparked her passion and became determined to have cattle of her own.

In August 2019, Parkview Shorthorns was created - now consisting of 12 heifers, 1 Shorthorn stock bull and 3 calves.

With her herd growing, Ruth decided to set up an Instagram account, to connect with more women in the industry.

Its a great platform to share your own farming tips/methods and to learn from others in all aspects of farming she states.

As she began to interact with others across social media, she soon became friends with a dairy farmer in Wales, Kathryn Taylor.

Through their shared love of farming, they decided to collaborate to voice their own different experiences of their work. As a result, #AgriWomen24 was launched.

On 26 and 27 June, Ruth and Kathryn shared their stories and gained huge support: I decided to pursue it further and created the hashtag #Agriwomen24, inspired by #Farm24," Ruth said.

"I wanted to get Women in Agri involved in what we ourselves are doing, showcasing the role many of us play within the Agri industry.

Ruth Parkes and Kathryn Taylor launched their #AgriWomen24 campaign in June which brought women together to celebrate their impact in farming

Using their hashtag, many women came forward to share their own pictures and opinions.

I wanted to give women the opportunity for their voices to be heard as more and more women are becoming involved in helping to provide food from farm to table and are thriving in doing so.

Looking towards the future, Ruth said: I want to continue raising the profile of women in agriculture and providing opportunities for their stories to be heard.

She encouraged all women and said you are capable, more so than you will ever know.

Initiating #AgriWomen24 with Ruth, Kathryn too shared her life on the farm: Coming from a non-farming background I had no idea where to start," she said.

"At the age of 11 an opportunity to volunteer on a dairy calf rearing unit came my way so I spent every summer holiday during high school helping out there.

"[This], then lead into an apprenticeship when I was 16. At the age of 18, I decided to move jobs to a dairy farm closer to home where I have a whole range of jobs and learnt to milk cows.

"Im now 20 years old and have been involved in farming for 9 years.

Voicing her own story through #AgriWomen24, she too believes this is an excellent way for women to connect. She said Agriwomen24 is about 'celebrating women in agriculture'.

"There are hundreds of women working in different sectors and AgriWomen24 is a great chance for us all to come together and share what we do.

She added: The response to Agriwomen24 was unbelievable, Ruth and I were amazed at how many people got involved with us.

"I think it shows that no matter what your background is, you can get involved with agriculture one way or another.

Ruth Parkes and Kathryn Taylor set out online to change that, launching their #AgriWomen24 campaign which brought women together to celebrate their impact in farming

Encouraging females both in and out of the industry, she said: Keep focusing on your goals. No matter what obstacles are thrown at you remember why youre doing it.

Although Ruth and Kathryns farming lives centre round dairy and cattle, it is clear that the message to celebrate women is widespread across the industry.

Ivory Arden, who works as a poultry manager and has been nominated as a finalist for the NEPA Young Farmer of the Year Award, engaged with the campaign and is eager to share her own experiences.

She said: My family has been in farming for generations, we have mainly been arable and storage but recently (5 years ago) diversified into poultry farming.

"I began managing our free range laying sites at 18 starting with a 32,000 hen unit which now, 5 years later increased to 3 32,000 hen units (96,000) in total.

Housed on a Vencomatic Veranda Gallery Double system, welfare is at the forefront: The birds move around the system a lot better and they seem to perch more making them more visible to observe.

"The [Prinzen PR100] packing equipment is fantastic speeding up packing time making it less labour intensive and more time to be in with the hens.

With her passion for poultry, she was delighted to see the #AgriWomen24 across her social media. I think the movement is a fantastic idea, as a lot of great farms have great women working behind the scenes.

She goes on to express challenges she has faced within the industry: I do feel sometimes I get treated a bit differently to the men on the farm, as people just assume that the men are in charge.

"I have been ignored a few times even after approaching them myself, I dont know if thats purely the fact Im a women or the fact Im young."

She added: If you put the work in you can achieve anything regardless of your age or gender.
As a result of the Sea Breeze 2020 international military exercise, its participants gained experience in remote planning and control of multinational forces, which showed a high level of interoperability and readiness to carry out common tasks, Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Naval Forces Captain of the first rank and head of the exercises from the Ukrainian side Oleksiy Doskato said.

"Unfortunately, this year the global pandemic has changed our plans. However, together we have overcome this challenge. We have changed the format of the exercises, leaving unchanged their main goal  to improve security in the Black Sea region. We also gained experience in remote planning and management of the use of multinational forces, which showed a high level of our interoperability and readiness to carry out common tasks," he said during a telephone briefing on Monday.

Doskato also said that the participants in the exercises successfully completed a wide range of tasks for tactical maneuvering, anti-submarine defense, universal defense of ships at sea crossing and operations to intercept and ensure the safety of operations at sea and resupply. They worked out the remote integration of headquarters, the conditional defeat of a naval target by the units of attack aviation, the destruction of the target by a unit of naval aviation, Mi-8 helicopters in 2020.

"In general, we conducted more than 100 naval combat exercises, the total flotation of the ships amounted to more than 1,500 nautical miles. The total flight time was more than 50 hours. The exercise plan was successfully done, there were no disruptions or changes in the plan. More than 2,000 personnel, about 23 surface ships and 19 aircraft took part in the exercise," the deputy commander said.

He also said that the Ukrainian-U.S. Sea Breeze series exercises, which have been held since 1997, are an important factor in strengthening interaction and regional security.

"The preparation measures we have taken have once again demonstrated the importance of security issues in the Black Sea region for the world community, our unity in views on ensuring peace and stability, protecting free shipping and the rule of international law," Doskato said.

According to him, this is especially important at the moment, when the situation in the region is tense, and Russia is carrying out aggression against Ukraine, occupied the Ukrainian Crimea and ignores all norms of international law.
By Laman Ismayilova

Throughout his life, Nadir Abdurrahmanov created masterpieces that resonate with many people. In his art, the Honored Artist of Azerbaijan brilliantly expressed Azerbaijani nature in all its beauty.

Since childhood, Nadir Abdurrahmanov had traveled to the mountainous regions near Lachin with his father.

The artist spent many years admiring the country's most beautiful parts and observing people living there.

The scenes of this peaceful life in the bosom of nature inspired Abdurrahmanov to create series of magnificent canvases.

The artist's paintings expressed the hard work of local people, grace and beauty of women.

His fascinating canvases have entered Azerbaijan art history as valuable works of art.

Nadir Abdurrahmanov painted large-format subject-themed paintings at an early stage of his work: "The View of Baku" (1954), "Industrial Landscape" (1954), "In the Highlands" (1957).

His other popular art works included such paintings as "The Arrest of 26 Baku Commissars", "Lenin's Word" (1953), "Mournful News" (1958) , "Industrial Landscape" (1954), "In the Highlands" (1957), "Morning in the Mountains" (1957).

Nadir Abdurrahmanov also went on trips to France, Italy, Norway, Bulgaria, North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.

His paintings "New Korea" (1959), "Burgas Port" (1961), "Mountains. Yugoslavia" (1964), "Venice. Bridge" (1966), "Bergen. Norway" (1966), "Baghdad" (1972), "Street in Mosul" (1972), "Afghanistan" (1971), "Afghans" (1972) inspired by his trips were successfully demonstrated at various exhibitions.

A large role in the artists work was played by a trip to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1958.

During his trip, the artist was impressed by the country's stunningly beautiful views, lifestyle of local people which, in turn, inspired him to dedicate a series of his art works to the Land of the Morning Calm.

The best paintings and sketches from this series, including such paintings as "Fishermen", "Morning on the bridge", "On the crossing", "New Korea", "In the agricultural cartel", "In Keson", "East Sea" were showcased at his personal exhibitions in Baku and Moscow.

In the early 60s, Nadir Abdurrahmanov made a trip to Lankaran and began work on the painting "Planting Rice".

The search for the courageously harsh, monumental language in painting was reflected in such paintings as "Constructions of the seven-year plan", "Builders of Ali-Bayramli State District Power Station" and others.

"Twilight in the Mountains", "Talysh Girl" (1970), "Spring in the Mountains"(1970), " Firuza's world", "People of our Mountains", "Talysh"(1967), "Lachin", "Lerik. Spring" (1964), "Lake in the Mountains", "Shusha", etc. are among his other famous art works.

His series of paintings dedicated to Iraq and Afghanistan inspired by his trip opened a new page in the artist's art life.

Characterized by deep emotional and aesthetic expressiveness, the painting "Twilight" is considered one of the best work in this series.

The harmony of lines and colors is expressed in such works as "Orange Grove", "Mosul", "Street in Baghdad", "Sunny Day", "Girl with Donkeys", "Ghazni", "Street in Kabul", "Students from Kabul", "Afghans", "Seller of pottery", "Portrait of the Artist Farad", etc.

Nadir Abdurrahmanov also actively participated in the country's public life.

He was elected a Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan, held the post of Chairman of the Union of Artists. The artist headed the creative laboratory at the Academy of Fine Arts.

For ten years, Abdurrahmanov headed the Union of Azerbaijani Artists and raised a generation of talented artists.

In the same years he was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Republic from the Lachin region.

Between 1960 and 1964, he was awarded with the titles of Honored Art Worker of the Azerbaijan SSR and People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR.

His 90th Anniversary Exhibition was successfully held in Baku in 2015.

Most of his masterpieces are now on display at Azerbaijan National Art Museum as well as other museums and galleries.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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U.S. President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, July 9, 2020.

President Donald Trump's lawyers on Monday doubled down on efforts to block Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. from obtaining his tax records and other financial documents from the president's accountants with a grand jury subpoena.

Their new filing in Manhattan federal court objecting to that subpoena came weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 decision that Trump did not have an unqualified immunity while serving as president to prevent a state prosecutor from obtaining his records as part of a criminal probe.

That July 9 ruling left the door open for Trump to argue that the subpoena should be thrown out, or limited, on other grounds.

Trump, unlike every other president since the mid-1970s, has refused to release his income tax returns to the public.

In an amended lawsuit filed Monday, Trump's lawyers said that the subpoena for Trump's tax returns and other records from the accounting firm Mazars USA "amounts to harassment of the President in violation of his legal rights."

Specifically, the lawyers are challenging the subpoena for being "wildly overboard," and "not remotely confined to the grand jury investigation that began in 2018" at the direction of Vance.

The filing said that "the subpoena demands voluminous documents that relate to topics and entities far beyond the District Attorney's limited jurisdiction under New York law."

"The Mazars subpoena is so sweeping that it amounts to an unguided and unlawful 'fishing expedition' into the President's personal financial and business dealings," the filing said.

Trump's lawyers also claim that the subpoena "was issued in bad faith."

They said that Vance "knew when he issued it  and he has since admitted  that the subpoena was not designed to meet the needs of the grand jury," but instead "was drafted by a congressional committee purportedly to investigate issues of national concern."

Vance thus "issued a grand-jury subpoena he knew was overbroad and sought irrelevant records," the lawyers wrote.

"That the District Attorney dubiously claims he did this for 'efficiency' reasons does not save the subpoena from invalidation," they wrote.

"It confirms that he lacked a good-faith basis and that the subpoena amounts to harassment of the President."

Vance is seeking Trump's tax records for an investigation of whether, at the least, the president's company improperly accounted for a hush money payment that Trump's then-personal lawyer Michael Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election.

Daniels claims she had sex with Trump one time more than a decade ago. Another woman who says she had an affair with Trump, Playboy model Karen McDougal, received a hush money payment in 2016 from the publisher of The National Enquirer, a Trump-friendly supermarket tabloid.

Trump denies having had sex either woman.

Cohe pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations for facilitating the payments to both Daniels and McDougal.

Records show that Cohen was reimbursed for the payment to Daniels by the Trump Organization and by Trump personally.
Coronavirus infections have risen slightly in recent weeks, likely as a result of several small clusters of cases officials have been closely monitoring linked to recent gatherings, Gov. Charlie Baker said on Monday.

The statewide positive test rate has increased from about 1.7% to roughly 2%, Baker said.

We are aware of some small clusters associated with gatherings, Baker said during his daily press briefing. Obviously we would prefer to see zero new cases of COVID, but we know thats just not going to be the case until we have a medical breakthrough like a vaccine.

Baystate Health on Monday reported an outbreak of new infections at Baystate Medical Center affecting 23 employees and 13 patients. Baystate Healths president and CEO Dr. Mark Keroack said the outbreak may be traced back to a single employee, who returned to work after visiting a state identified as a new virus hotspot.

Baker also alluded to the recent outbreak in the Cape Cod town of Chatham after it was reported that at least 10 people who attended a house party on July 12 tested positive for coronavirus. Cape officials announced on Sunday that they will offer pop-testing for anyone who attended the party, or is a close contact of someone who was there.

Baker said the states contact tracing program is working to trace the outbreaks tied to these events, and that officials are closely monitoring the public health data for any new trends.

Asked if he thought the state should reverse course on its reopening plan, Baker said he believes the small clusters, which officials believe to be driving the increase, are due in part to people letting their guard down, adding that residents need to continue practicing social distancing and wearing a face covering.

When we look at what the clusters are that have been created so far, many of them are the result of people not doing the things weve telling been everybody to do, which has a lot less to do with the nature of whats opened and whats not open, he said.

We can also assume there is simply a lot more mobility out there due to the increased economic activity, Baker added. Some of it is also just people being out and about. Its warm out; and people, generally speaking, are probably in more contact with people now than there were in the months of April, May and even June.

Baker on Monday announced that the state is expanding its free coronavirus testing program to eight more communities with slightly higher rates of infections, including Springfield and Worcester. The initiative, dubbed Stop the Spread, launched on July 10, and includes free testing at sites in Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Marlborough and New Bedford, where officials have observed higher rates of infection and lower testing levels.

The program will now expand into Agawam, Brockton, Methuen, Randolph, Revere, Springfield, Taunton and Worcester. These communities represent roughly 10% of the Massachusetts population, but roughly 15% of the states positive COVID-19 tests over the past week or so, Baker said.

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Amid border tensions with China in eastern Ladakh, the Indian Air Forces first five Rafale warplanes on Monday took off from Merignac in France and will reach their home base in Ambala on July 29 after a one-day stopover at the Al Dhafra airbase near Abu Dhabi, the IAF said in a statement.

The two-leg flight will involve the Rafales covering a distance of nearly 7,000 km. The five fighters landed safely at Al Dhafra after a seven-hour flight from France on Monday evening.

The new fighters will significantly enhance the IAFs offensive capabilities, senior IAF officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

India ordered 36 Rafale jets from France in a deal worth 59,000 crore in September 2016 as an emergency purchase to plug gaps in the IAFs capabilities. The delivery of 36 fighters will be completed by the end of next year.

Also read: IAF may deploy Rafale fighters in Ladakh sector amid border row

France handed over to India its first Rafale fighter during a ceremony attended by defence minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart, Florence Parly, in Merignac on October 8 last year. Air and ground crews of the IAF have been in France for almost three years for the management of the Rafale programme.

The French air force refuelled the Indian fighters --- three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft --- using its Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft on their way to Al Dhafra. Aerial refuelling support will be provided by the IAFs Russian Ilyushin-78 refuellers for the second leg of the journey from Al Dhafra to Ambala.

The jets are being flown by pilots who have undergone comprehensive training on the aircraft, the IAF said. The Rafales will be a part of the IAFs No. 17 Squadron, which is also known as the Golden Arrows. The aircrew bringing the Rafales to India is headed by Group Captain Harkirat Singh, a decorated fighter pilot, who is the commanding officer of the No.17 squadron.

Its a magnificent achievement to get a fighter of this class decades after the IAF inducted the Mirage-2000s from France in the mid-1980s, said Air Chief Marshal Fali H Major (retd), a former IAF chief.

Also read | Arrival of Rafale jets will send a clear message to Indias adversaries: Officials

The Rafales bring tremendous capabilities to the table. We should now wait and watch how the fighter evolves in the Indian environment. I am sure it will meet each and every qualitative requirement of the IAF, Major added.

India has taken a significant step in strengthening its air power and defence preparedness with the first five Rafale fighter jets, built by French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation, flying out from the Merignac airbase in Bordeaux, the Indian embassy in France said in a statement.

This also marks a new milestone in the strong and growing India-France defence cooperation, it said.

Indias Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf was in Merignac to see off the aircrews bringing the Rafales to the country. He said that the long-awaited and much-needed two squadrons of Rafale jets would add great strength to the IAF and the countrys defence capabilities.

The IAF could deploy its new Rafale fighters in the Ladakh sector as part of Indias overarching plan to strengthen its military posture in the region, where Indian and Chinese forces are locked in a tense border confrontation and disengagement has turned out to be a challenging process.

In accordance with the contract, IAF pilots and supporting personnel have been provided full training on the aircraft and weapon systems by Dassault. Further batches of IAF personnel will continue the training over the next nine months, the embassy statement said.

I am strongly impressed by the amazing efficiency and determination of the IAF and Indian Ministry of Defense, despite this unprecedented world health crisis, to master rapidly all aspects of the Rafale for Indian sovereignty and contributing to the protection and security of Indian people, said Dassault Aviation chairman Eric Trappier.

The IAFs air and ground crews have undergone comprehensive training on the aircraft, including its highly-advanced weapons systems and are fully operational. Efforts will now focus on swift operationalisation of the aircraft.

Acting on a special request by the IAF, France has accelerated the deliveries of Rafale fighters to India --- five jets are coming instead of four that were originally planned to be delivered in the first batch. According to the original delivery schedule, the first 18 jets (including the four in the first batch) were to be delivered to the IAF by February 2021, with the rest expected by April-May 2022. However, all deliveries will be completed by the end of 2021.
After negotiations with the Trump administration over the last several days, the next coronavirus stimulus package set to be unveiled Monday by Senate Republicans will reduce the weekly boost in unemployment insurance from $600 to $200.

Democratic lawmakers, in the $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act approved by the House 10 weeks ago, want the soon-expiring $600 supplemental benefit to extend through the end of the year. They argue the pandemic sparked Great Depression-level unemployment as businesses shuttered across the country, and that unemployed workers need a bridge in the next stimulus to get them through the next few months.

But many lawmakers have argued the $600 amount was too much, resulting in a disincentive for unemployed workers to head back to their jobs.

For more on the next coronavirus stimulus, including $1,200 checks to millions of Americans, read here.

Instead of $600, the plan introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday afternoon will include a $200 weekly federal benefit on top of whatever states provide to the unemployed, The Washington Post reported. Trump administration officials had floated extending the $600 benefit short-term, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and others have mentioned return-to-work bonuses as a replacement.

But Republican lawmakers, whose staffs discussed the reduced amount on an internal call Monday morning, according to The Post, are on the clock before the enhanced unemployment expires July 31 and before a month-long recess starts in less than two weeks. Many lawmakers have called for a compromise that wouldnt leave unemployed Americans waiting for several weeks, though Democrats are still holding out for the full $600.

After news of the reduction proposed by Republicans, U.S. Rep. Richard Neals office re-released a letter he and Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent to President Donald Trump last week describing the benefit cutoff on July 31 as catastrophic for our economy, deepening the recession and impeding its ability to bounce back.

Without income from unemployment benefits, landlords and banks will see a wave of defaults on rent and mortgages, American businesses will see a sharp drop in demand for goods and services, and market fears will likely do further damage to savings and retirement funds, Neal and Warren wrote.

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Fitch Ratings said on July 27 that the plans of state-owned banks to raise capital from private sources would not be sufficient to mitigate anticipated risks unless supplemented with more capital support from the government.

Several large state banks have recently announced plans to raise a total of $6 billion in fresh equity from the capital market.

Fitch said state banks already face significant execution risks in raising equity due to depressed stock market valuations and weak investor interest.

"Indian state-owned banks' plans to raise capital from private sources will not be sufficient to mitigate anticipated risks unless supplemented with additional capital support from the state," Fitch Ratings said.

It said a reduction in the state's majority shareholding in some of its banks may dent depositor confidence and potentially lead to negative rating action as their long-term ratings are anchored to state support.

It may also reduce investor appetite at a time when government capital support has stuttered, and an acceleration in new coronavirus cases is hampering a meaningful economic recovery and increasing risks for banks' balance sheets.

"We believe the proposed stake sales will be very challenging in the current economic climate and in light of the potential capital shortfalls we calculate at the state banks in our stress test. It could also require amendments to the banking company Acts, which currently prescribe a minimum government shareholding of 51 percent for the state banks, thus adding to execution risk," Fitch said.

The rating agency expects that state banks will remain reliant on fresh equity injections from the government as the proposed capital amounts, if raised fully, will likely add only around 100-150 basis points to state banks' existing common equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratios.

"We believe recapitalisation requirements will be substantially higher once pandemic-related asset quality deterioration starts manifesting on bank balance sheets when regulatory forbearance ends, in which case raising equity from the market will be more difficult," Fitch said.
Australia posts daily virus record, more deaths expected FILE PHOTO: Walkers wear protective face masks at St Kilda pier in Melbourne, the first city in Australia to enforce mask-wearing to curb a resurgence of COVID-19

By Byron Kaye and Renju Jose

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Victoria state on Monday reported the country's highest daily increase in coronavirus infections, prompting the authorities to warn a six-week lockdown may last longer if people continue to go to work while feeling unwell.

The second-most populous state reported 532 new cases of the virus which causes COVID-19, taking the national total to 549, the most new cases in a day since the pandemic arrived.

Victoria currently has more than 4,500 active cases after weeks of triple digits daily rises.

It reported six more deaths, taking the state toll to 77, almost half the total national death toll. Five of the deaths were in aged care facilities, which have been hit hardest in the state.

Australia has avoided the high COVID-19 casualty rates of other countries, but a wave of community transmission in Victoria has prompted a lockdown in Melbourne, the only Australian city to make it mandatory to wear a facemask in public.

"If you've got a sniffle, a scratchy throat, a headache, fever, then you can't go to work," said Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in a televised news conference.

"This is what is driving these numbers up, and the lockdown will not end until people stop going to work with symptoms and instead go and get tested because they have symptoms."

Melbourne, home to a fifth of Australia's 25 million population, is halfway though a six-week ban on movement other than for work, buying food, giving or receiving healthcare, or daily exercise. Andrews added that he may announce additional measures later this week.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the high number of new cases in Victoria showed how transmission of the illness among younger people, who were considered lower risk, could spread to aged care facilities through family members.

"In Victoria there is still a long way to go," Morrison told reporters.

"We are still seeing case numbers at elevated levels and ... when you get community-based transmission, it does take some time to get that down." Victoria has had a total of 8,173 cases.

Story continues

Neighbouring New South Wales (NSW) state, the country's most populous, is also grappling with several virus clusters that have sprung up at a hotel, a Thai restaurant and a club. NSW reported 17 new cases on Monday. NSW has had 3,496 cases in total, about 1,100 active.

Australia has recorded a total 14,935 cases and 161 deaths and authorities on Monday warned more lives would be lost as infections continued to rise.

"The tragedy of COVID-19 is that we know, with the number of new infections that we have seen today, that there will be many further deaths in the days ahead," Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd told reporters.

More than 16.13 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 644,836 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

($1 = 1.4077 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Byron Kaye and Renju Jose; editing by Richard Pullin and Michael Perry)
Netanyahu Says Won't Allow Iran's Military to Establish Itself Along Israeli Border

Sputnik News

10:42 GMT 26.07.2020(updated 11:40 GMT 26.07.2020)

Earlier this week, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the country's armed forces were stepping up security measures on the northern border on the heels of an escalation unfolding on the frontier with Lebanon and Syria.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday morning announced that Israel is "following a consistent policy that does not allow Iran's military to be established along our northern border".

"We cannot undermine our security and we cannot threaten our citizens. We will not suffer a blow to our forces. Along with the defence minister and the chief of staff, I am conducting ongoing situational assessments. The IDF is prepared to respond to any threat", Netanyahu stated.

Tensions between the two countries escalated earlier this month after reports emerged that Israel was behind a massive explosion at Natanz, Iran that destroyed a key factory producing centrifuges used in Iran's nuclear refinement industry.

However, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz deflected when asked about Israel's involvement, telling reporters on Monday that "everyone can be suspicious of us all the time. But not every event that happens in Iran is connected to us."

Israel and Iran have engaged in back and forth threats and claims that the other side was the region's "biggest threat to peace".

Tel Aviv claims that Iran seeks to acquire nuclear weapons and spread terrorism throughout the region to threaten Israel's national security, including through proxy forces operating along its borders.

Tehran, meanwhile, says Israel's illegal military actions in Syria, Lebanon, Palestinian territories, and Iraq, as well as its possession of an actual nuclear arsenal, make it the greater danger.

A Sputnik

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With the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) deploying close to 50,000 troops in Aksai Chin, the Indian Army for the first time has deployed a squadron (12) T-90 missile firing tanks, armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and a full troop brigade (4,000 men) at Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) to prevent any Chinese aggression from the Shaksgam-Karakoram pass axis, according to top military commanders familiar with the matter.

Indias last outpost at Daulet Beg Oldi DBO lies at a height of 16,000 feet just south of Karakoram pass and on banks of Chip-Chap river, north of the Galwan-Shyok confluence.

As some bridges on the Darbuk-Shyok-DBO road cannot handle the weight of a 46 ton T-90 tank, the Indian Army commanders sent the T-90 tanks after the June 15 Galwan flare-up by fording the rivers and rivulets using specialized equipment. The armoured personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry combat vehicles , M 777 155mm howitzers, and 130 mm guns had already been sent to DBO after Chinese aggression at patrolling points 14, 15, 16 , 17 and the Pangong Tso finger features.

Also Read: China tried to jab India with a new claim on Bhutan. Why it has boomeranged

While India and China have decided to first totally disengage and then de-escalate from the area, the Indian Army is not only matching troop strength but also keenly watching the PLA deployment of tanks, air defence radars and surface to air missiles in Aksai Chin.

The disengagement is work-in-progress with each side verifying the movements of the other, the commanders, who asked not to be identified said.

While the Indian military has also decided to black-top the advance landing ground at DBO, the main reason for deploying tanks in the area is to prevent any sudden Chinese move from the north, they added.

Also Read: Gratuitous: Indian officials acerbic retort on Chinas advice on foreign policy

Already China has built some 36 kilometres of road in the Shaksgam Valley (5163 square kilometres were illegally ceded by Pakistan to China in 1963), and Indian military planners fear that PLA will link the G-219 (Lhasa-Kashgar) highway to Karakoram pass through the Shaksgam pass.

Even though this will require tunnelling under the permafrost of Shaksgam glacier, the Chinese have the technical ability to complete the job.

Also Read: Twin naval exercises with US supercarriers signal QUAD has arrived

The fear is that once the link is completed, the PLA will put pressure on DBO from the north as it needs a buffer to prevent the Indian Army from targeting the road.

According to the military commanders, the main purpose of PLA aggression this summer was to clear all the friction points with the Indian Army along the 1147 km long line of actual control (LAC) in East Ladakh and impose the 1960 map claim. However, this attempt was forcefully repelled by the men of 16 Bihar who took on the 3 Mechanized Infantry of Xinjiang Military district on June 15 at Galwan.

This plan dovetailed into a larger plan of linking the G219 highway to G314 (Kashgar-Islamabad Karakoram highway) via Karakoram-Shaksgam pass axis in order to save not only time but distance.

A fruition of this plan would have made Indian army positions untenable not only at DBO but also at Siachen as the outpost is linked to Sansoma (crucial base on Nubra river before Siachen) via Saser la-Murgo axis.

In many ways, Pervez Musharrafs plan to interdict Srinagar-Kargil highway and starve Indian positions at Siachen during the 1999 Kargil war between India and Pakistan has a parallel in Chinas Xi Jinpings attempt to interdict the DSDBO road to cut off DBO 21 years later.

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San Antonio, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa Hill Country will be hosting the Ask Me Anything Legal Seminar, a board training event to be held on July 30, 2020, at 6 p.m. CT.

Due to the unforeseen circumstances of the COVID-19 health crisis, community associations are learning how to adjust their operations to best protect and serve their residents. Associa Hill Countrys virtual legal seminar is designed to help board members maneuver the challenges their associations are facing during these uncertain times. Led by Clint Brown, equity shareholder at law firm RMWBH, the training will examine the legalities behind reopening amenities, discuss continuing business amid the pandemic, and other ways to serve the valued members of each community. In addition, board members will also have the chance to participate in a virtual scavenger hunt with opportunities to win prizes.

As board members make critical decisions about the operations of their communities, Associa Hill Country is committed to providing them with up-to-date information and informative resources that help them make the best choices for their residents, stated Sandra Hybner Associa Hill Country vice president. The unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted our industry in ways never seen before, and our team is committed to providing guidance during this time.

With more than 200 branch offices across North America, Associa delivers unsurpassed management and lifestyle services to nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 10,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise and trailblazing innovation. For more than 40 years, Associa has provided solutions designed to help communities achieve their vision. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com.

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Alvin ISD students will see a phased reopening when the fall semester begins next month.

When school starts Aug. 24, all students will receive their lessons online. However, allowed the choice to be on campus at that time will be students who do not have internet access, special education pupils served primarily in a self-contained program and children of Alvin ISD staffers.

We will have several classrooms open for those (students that) come, said Renae Rives, Alvin ISDs communications director. They will (all) have a computer and will participate with the online classes.

CHANGE IN TONE: CDC updates school safety guidelines, strongly advocates for reopening campuses in the fall

Those students that need a computer will have one provided by the school district, Rives said.

Going online for the first week of school will allow students and teachers time to get acclimated to virtual learning.

This first week will be a wonderful opportunity to get students acquainted with our technology applications and give our teachers time to work directly with their students in a distance-learning environment, said Jennifer Valdez, Alvin ISDs deputy superintendent of academics. In this new normal, it is important that students and teachers feel confident learning in a virtual environment.

How phased approach will work

Schools will open for on-campus learning starting Aug. 31 and for the two weeks after that  through Sept. 11  students who elect to receive in-person instruction will be on campus on designated days that will be determined by grade level. On the other days, they will learn remotely.

The aim behind the phased approach is to give teachers an opportunity to work with small groups as they go over the safety procedures designed to stem the tide of COVID-19.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Other countries opened schools, so why shouldnt Texas? Outbreak severity, health experts say

The schedules for when pupils are on campus have not been finalized.

Finally, on Sept. 14, all students who have chosen in-person instruction will be in schools.

Many choose remote-learning option

For the students who do not wish to return to campuses, an online option is available.

However, to participate in the virtual learning experience, students will have to have access to a computer during the school day.

Our hope is that the added flexibility outlined in this plan will enable parents to make the best decision for their family and their children, Superintendent Carol Nelson said.

MORNING REPORT: Get the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com sent directly to your inbox

Having the option of learning remotely has proven popular. Of the districts 27,000 pupils, 9,000 have chosen to get their lessons via the internet.

Students have until Aug. 7 to register for online learning.

Students will also have a longer school day this year, as 15 minutes have been added to cover the time needed for washing hands and sanitation.

The longer day also allows the district to bank time so that the school year will end May 28 as originally planned.

John DeLapp is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at texdelapp@gmail.com.
In one of the best-known orations of all time, Mark Antony enters in Act 3 with the body of the assassinated Caesar to deliver a eulogy both personal and deeply political. My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and I must pause till it come back to me, he says at one point in the Friends, Romans, countrymen speech. It is surely a speech intended to spur the populace to rise up against Caesars enemies; the corollary on this occasion is the sentiment of Lewiss friends and admirers, reminding mourners of a movement with work still to be done.
China Development Bank (CDB) has boosted loan support to manufacturing companies in the first half of the year to facilitate transformation and upgrade of the sector.

In the first six months, CDB gave 277.7 billion yuan of loans (about 39.7 billion U.S. dollars) to the manufacturing industry, up 45 percent year on year.

Outstanding loans to the sector amounted to 864.8 billion yuan by the end of June, according to the CDB.

The lender said it had set up a targeted loan program of 250 billion yuan to promote quality development in the manufacturing industry and an aid fund plan measuring 50 billion yuan to offer efficient and low-cost finance to companies involved in industrial and supply chains.

Official data showed that business activities of China's manufacturing sector continued to pick up in June amid the country's efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector ticked up to 50.9 in June from 50.6 in May, according to data by the National Bureau of Statistics.
"We would put up signs all over the store, limit two on toilet paper," Massey said. "The trouble was that people would come in and get buggies full. You'd tell them, 'Hey, I'm sorry, two.' We learned pretty quickly that was the wrong thing to do."

Customers would claim to be purchasing two packs for several family members, Massey added.

Massey said he began to turn to other companies to keep products on the shelves.

"C&S is our wholesale supplier. We did everything we could to keep our shelves stocked," Massey said. "We used different companies to supply from. We used Performance Food Group that's right here in Florence. We bought bleach from them. We bought toilet tissue."

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At one point, the store even stocked restaurant toilet tissue.

"People were buying it by force because they couldn't find any," Massey added. "We bought paper towels. We bought soap. But we stayed in stock at the Florence Mall Piggly Wiggly."

The store used social media to advertise that it was "the best-stocked store in Florence," Massey added.

Once people came into the store, Massey said, they were going to continue to shop there.
The Chairman of the Diaspora Patriots in Ghana Foundation (DPG), Mr. Prince Ofosu Sefah on Friday, 23rd July 2020, donated an undisclosed amount of funds to the leadership of Abetifi and Nkawkaw Constituencies, after returning from a visit to support the Registration efforts in Bantama Constituency.

At Nkawkaw, the Chairman who doubles as the Deputy Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the PC together with other Constituency Executives were present to receive the donation.

The donation to Abetifi Constituency was received by the Chairman of the Constituency, Mr. Kwaku Addo, in presence of the Eastern Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Jeff Konadu Addo.

Mr. Sefah, also known as Chairman P.S. took the opportunity to visit a number of Registration Centres within Abetifi and Mpraeso Constituencies with the Regional Secretary and other Party Executives from the two Constituencies.

The Team extended its rounds to the main Bepong Market to encourage people who had not yet registered to go and do so.

At the Market, Chairman P.S. made it clear to the market folks that the NDC will collapse the FSHS if voted into power again, since their history is that of unbridled corruption, leaving little if any funds, necessary to support major social interventions such as NPP is able to offer and actualize.

He cited the collapse of NHIS, the cancelation of Teacher and Nurse Trainee Allowances, and the resort to IMF Economic Management Program under the last NDC government, as some of the evidence.

Chairman P.S. will be visiting two select Constituencies with a number of DPG Members and then head back to work in Kwahu, most especially in Nkawkaw and Mpraeso Constituencies.
As the coronavirus surges across the Deep South, my sixth-graders school has set a mid-August reopening.

Like so many other parents, Im dogged by uncertainty, wrestling with choices and consequences, trying to plot a path through a frightening thicket of unknowns: How vulnerable are children? Do pre-teens infect each other as easily as adults do? What if my child gets a mild case but passes the virus to me, and I get seriously ill?

At least I have choices. If I choose the brick-and-mortar alternative, I have the reassurance that my daughters school has the resources to sanitize frequently, to monitor students social distancing, to keep track of presumed infections and require those students to quarantine.

If I cant abide the risk, the school will also offer remote-learning alternatives.

Like many middle-class households, mine has several digital devices, and my daughter uses them with a familiarity I can only envy. If I choose not to send her back to the classroom, she will be miserable with many more months of isolation. But she wont fall behind academically, because I have the time and resources to make sure she doesnt.

So many households are not so lucky. As the pandemic has exposed other social, cultural and economic inequities, so it has laid bare the inequalities of the American educational system. While our mythology presents education as the great equalizer, schools are burdened by the same economic and social divides that beset most of our institutions.

Many schools simply cannot assure parents  or teachers  that they can reopen safely. But many parents dont have the academic skills or the financial resources to bolster their kids education at home. With remote learning, those students will fall further and further behind.

President Donald J. Trump, however, is incapable of acknowledging any of the extraordinary burdens that the pandemic has heaped on families. A deranged narcissist without the slightest hint of empathy, he cant imagine the fear, the anxiety, the helplessness that so many families are feeling.

He sees the pandemic only through the lens of its effect on his reelection chances, so he demands that schools reopen. They will then provide child care so parents can resume work, which, he believes, will prop up the economy and mitigate the dire unemployment reports. Thats all the president cares about.

He sees average American workers as pawns in his desperate campaign gambits, subjects who ought to obey his every command. Never mind that he and several of his allies wont risk their children and grandchildren to the caprice of coronavirus in crowded classrooms.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., for example, is among those pushing for schools to reopen, but his grandchildren wont be in them. He told Fox News recently that their parents are going to be more focused on distance learning right now to make sure their children are safe.

That sort of open hypocrisy is, well, bracing.

Many parents do, in fact, desperately need schools to reopen. Despite the slander of those such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who portray the unemployed as lazy grifters, many workers want to return to work. And many essential workers  mail carriers, grocery clerks, hospital housekeepers  havent been able to stay home.

But they dont want their children and grandchildren to contract a deadly virus.

If Trump were competent, he would have started to prepare public schools to reopen back in March. He would have urged Congress to set aside billions to help schools build temporary classrooms for social distancing, hire more custodians and employ nurses on site. School districts would have had more assistance for things such as transportation, so school buses wouldnt be crowded.

Instead, the president has insisted  with only fleeting acknowledgments of the seriousness of the crisis  that the coronavirus will just disappear.

And he is now bent on punishing those schools that wont follow his orders, threatening to withhold federal money from them if they dont reopen on their regular schedules.

Many Americans, though, are unwilling to allow the president to push them off a cliff. According to a new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 60% of parents with school-aged children said its better to open schools later and minimize the risk of infection. They know better than to trust Trump with their childrens well-being.

Hes already shown he doesnt care if they live or die.

Email Cynthia Tucker at cynthia@cynthiatucker.com
Comcast's SKY, utility A2A eye investment in Italy's single network: sources The Sky News logo is seen on the outside of offices and studios in west London

By Giuseppe Fonte and Elvira Pollina

ROME (Reuters) - Comcast unit SKY <CMCSA.O>, utility A2A <A2.MI> and state agency Invitalia are considering investing in an Italian single ultra-fast broadband network, two sources told Reuters, as Rome steps up efforts to close the digital gap with the rest of Europe.

Former phone monopoly Telecom Italia (TIM) <TLIT.MI>, partly owned by state lender CDP, has been in talks for months over a merger of its fibre assets with those of smaller rival Open Fiber, controlled by Italian utility Enel <ENEI.MI> and CDP.

But differences over issues such as governance and regulation have created a deadlock.

To end the stalemate, Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri asked TIM and Enel to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the end of July, Reuters exclusively reported on July 11.

Asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, one of the sources told Reuters "several Italian and foreign investors informally expressed interest in investing in the government-sponsored project."

He added infrastructure fund F2i and Poste Italiane <PST.MI> might also be interested.

SKY, which in June launched its own broadband service, declined to comment. Its CEO Maximo Ibarra at that time said a single fibre network could help boost demand for digital services but it should not be controlled by any operator offering services to retail clients, such as TIM.

A2A did not comment. Invitalia and F2i were not immediately available and Poste declined to comment.

Rome increased pressure for an agreement after TIM had started talks with U.S. private equity fund KKR about selling 40% of its secondary or last-mile copper and fibre network, which could become the embryo of a single network.

Sources told Reuters this month Rome would be in favour of CDP taking a stake in the secondary network to balance KKR's presence.

Australian fund giant Macquarie <MQG.AX> has in the meantime made an offer for all, or part, of Enel's 50% stake in Open Fiber that sources said valued the wholesale operator at almost 8 billion euros ($9.4 billion). Fund Wren House is also interested, sources said.

(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte and Elvira Pollina; editing by David Evans)
Authorities in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu on Monday escorted anti-U.S. protesters away from the former U.S. consulate in the city, as the American flag was hauled down and staff left the premises after Beijing ordered the facility to close.



One man shouted: "Long live the Chinese people! Long live the Communist Party of China!" before being led away by special police officers.



Another wore a shirt that read "SLING OUT USA!" in English, while officers removed a bouquet of flowers left outside the gates.



Security was tight in the streets around the building on Monday, with police cordoning off a wide area and preventing media organizations from approaching the area.



Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the closure of the consulate, which came after the Chinese consulate in Houston was given three days to evacuate amid allegations of spying, was a "legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable act."



"We urge the U.S. to immediately correct its mistakes and create necessary conditions for the relationship between the two countries to return to the normal track," Wang said.



After the building was vacated by staff and logistics companies, workers covered up the signs and a bronze plaque near the entrance.



Passers-by posed for selfies and waved Chinese flags outside the former consulate once the cordon was lifted.



The Chengdu consulate made headlines around the world in 2012, after former Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun fled there in an unsuccessful asylum claim that brought down Chongqing ruling Chinese Communist Party secretary Bo Xilai in the biggest political scandal in decades.



Spying allegations



The order to close the Chinese consulate in Houston last week came amid allegations from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump that the facility was a hub for espionage activities in Texas, which had targeted the Texas A&M medical system and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.



China has denied the allegations, but later made similar claims about the activities of U.S. personnel based in Chengdu.



The U.S. State Department said the consulate "has stood at the center of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years."



"We are disappointed by the Chinese Communist Partys decision and will strive to continue our outreach to the people in this important region through our other posts in China, it said in a statement on the closure.



Chinas foreign ministry said U.S. diplomats had closed the consulate at 10 a.m., as ordered.



Sophie Richardson, China director at the New York-based group Human Rights Watch (HRW), said the deteriorating bilateral relationship would seriously impact the flow of reliable information coming out of Tibet and Xinjiang about human rights abuses in those areas.



"This is a real problem, because that consulate really has been an important post for years in collecting first-hand information," Richardson told RFA's Tibetan Service.



"And it's not clear whether, or when, the State Department will be able to resume that operation."



China retains consulates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York in addition to its embassy in Washington, while the U.S. has four other consulates in China and an embassy in Beijing.



Fear-mongering



The closures of diplomatic missions came amid allegations of fear-mongering by local authorities in Beijing over the weekend.



Local authorities posted an air-raid warning poster in the capital's Haidian district on Saturday, according to video footage circulating on social media, prompting anxious comments about a possible U.S. attack.



A Beijing resident surnamed Wu said the fears were being deliberately stirred up by the local authorities.



"[They want to] stir up public anger; the fact that they [mention] preparations for war implies that the United States will go to war with us," Wu said.



"But the government knows very well that this is a war that they would lose immediately ... such propaganda from the government makes people very nervous," he said.



Officials at the Haidian district civil defense office had no response to a request for comment by the time of writing on Monday.



Chinese political scholar Sun Bin said he had seen similar propaganda in other parts of the country.



"It's not just in Beijing ... According to my information, such things have appeared in other places, including along the southeastern seaboard," Sun said.



"Retired naval and air force personnel are posting that they are being told to register with the local neighborhood committees, along with their family members, which means that they could be recalled to military service at any time," he said.



A notice issued by the Chongqing Shuiyun Road Community Neighborhood Committee on July 24 appeared to confirm Sun's report.



It called on the families of active border and coastal defense officers and soldiers -- especially those stationed in Xinjiang, Tibet, Yunnan, Guangxi, and Hainan -- to register with the neighborhood committee.



"They are whipping up this kind of tension across the country," Sun said. "The authorities often control the population by creating tension, and there is some resistance to this from some people, who may wear a shirt showing support for the U.S., for example."



Preparations for war



Hu Xijin, editor of the highly nationalistic Global Times tabloid, called via his Weibo account for an expansion of China's nuclear arsenal to counter any threat from the U.S.



On his Twitter account, he wrote: "Many people are asking whether there will be a war between China and the U.S. ... people dont know how crazy theTrump team can be and whether the US can control them."



Sources told RFA's Cantonese Service that military hospitals had been required to submit plans two days ago for stockpiling in the event of a nuclear conflict.



Repeated calls to the People's Liberation Army Central Theater General Hospital in the central city of Wuhan were cut off after connection during office hours on Monday.



Political commentator Zeng Zhi said such moves are in themselves a form of propaganda that is intended to send a signal to the U.S.



"[They are mentioning nuclear engagement] because it doesn't matter to Beijing if they lose one or two billion people, regardless of what ordinary people would want," Zeng said.



A journalist surnamed Zheng said that, in a similar vein, plans had also been recently released for the emergency evacuation of Shanghai's Songjiang district.



"Everything is such a mess; it's impossible to predict what will happen," Zheng said. "The more radical voices at Communist Party Youth League have been doing a lot of this kind of thing."



"All of them, including Xinhua and the People's Daily, as using the same strategy they always have, and are engaging in brainwashing and propaganda," he said.



An academic surnamed Tan agreed that the "war preparations" didn't indicate that Beijing was intended to launch a military conflict with the U.S.



"They wouldn't really dare to go to war," Tan said. "But there are people in the Communist Party who are clamoring for war because it suits their interests."



Repeated requests for comment to the ministry of defense had met with no response at the time of writing.



Beijing-based political commentator Zha Jianguo said a cold war between China and the U.S. had now begun in earnest.



He said the South China Sea could be a potential flashpoint for military conflict between the two sides.



"Misfires are possible, especially in the South China Sea," Zha said. "A misfire in that area could have a huge impact [on regional stability]."



Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, by Tashi Wangchuk for the Tibetan Service, and by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Sunday, July 26 marked the beginning of the first week in which 20 million American workers are deprived of a $600-per-week federal supplemental unemployment benefit that has served as a lifeline under conditions of Depression-era levels of joblessness triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

The benefit was terminated as a result of the failure of the White House and Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress to extend it beyond the deadline set in the CARES Act corporate bailout passed at the end of March. The cutoff was dictated by the corporate-financial elite that controls both political parties.

There is no cutoff of the trillions of dollars in handouts to giant corporations and banks enacted in a near-unanimous bipartisan vote, despite the fact that many of the same companies have announced massive permanent layoffs.

Hundreds of people wait in line for bags of groceries at a food pantry at St. Mary's Church in Waltham, Mass., Thursday, May 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Over the past four months, while the financial aristocracy has actually increased its wealth, the severe limitations in the benefits provided to working people under the CARES Act have become apparent. Some 53 million people filed new claims for unemployment insurance during that period, and at least 32 million are still out of work, but only 20 million are currently receiving the $600-per-week federal supplement.

Millions of workers lost their benefits when they were forced to return to work at unsafe workplaces. Many more lost their benefits because they refused to go back to work, fearing their health and lives were in danger. Many others never received the federal supplement in the first place because their state unemployment compensation systems were so decrepit they could not program the additional payments.

The federal supplement expires on July 31, but since state systems pay benefits on a full-week basis only, with the benefit week ending on a Saturday or Sunday, benefits stopped for nearly all eligible workers on July 26 or July 27, for the week that ends August 1 or August 2.

The consequences of this cutoff will be felt in mass impoverishment, hunger, foreclosures, evictions and a dramatic increase in homelessness. This in turn will provide additional fuel for the coronavirus pandemic, which has a hugely disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable sections of working people.

The cutoff comes as the number of jobless continues to climb, with 1.4 million workers filing new claims for unemployment compensation for the week ending July 17, a figure that is widely expected to rise even further in subsequent reporting periods.

In the month of July alone, dozens of mass layoffs and furloughs have been announced by major corporations, most recently by the oilfield services company Schlumberger, which said on July 24 it was cutting about 21,000 jobs and reported a second-quarter loss of $3.4 billion.

Other mass job cuts and closures were announced in July:

* Tailored Brands, the parent company of Mens Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, will cut 20 percent of its workforce and close 500 stores.

* LinkedIn is cutting 960 jobs.

* Southwest Airlines is offering incentive packages, already accepted by 28 percent of its workers, to quit or take extended leave.

* American Airlines will lay off 25,000 workers, 20 percent of its total.

* JC Penney, which filed for bankruptcy in May, announced this month it will close 152 stores and lay off 1,000 workers.

* PVH Corp, parent company of the Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands, will close 162 stores and cut 450 jobs.

* Walgreens announced a quarterly loss of $1.7 billion and said it will cut 4,000 workers.

* Wells Fargo bank is reportedly planning to cut unspecified thousands of jobs.

* United Airlines announced it will issue layoff and furlough notices to 36,000 workers, more than one-third of its workforce, to take effect October 1.

* Levis, the jeans manufacturer, said it will cut 750 jobs, about 15 percent of its workforce.

In the face of this social catastrophe, the policy of the multi-millionaire corporate politicians in Washington, including President Trump, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is to protect the capitalist system and block any revolt from below by the working class.

The two capitalist parties proceed in a complementary fashion. The Republicans emphasize the build-up of repressive forces and use the whip of unemployment and poverty to drive workers back to their jobs. The Democrats join in the back-to-work campaign while seeking to delude workers with promises of reform they know will never take place, in order to dissipate and diffuse popular resistance.

After McConnell failed last week to reach a consensus within the Senate Republican caucus on the outlines of an extension of the federal unemployment benefitmainly because of hard-line free market advocates like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, who want no extension at allthe White House sent out its spokesmen on the Sunday morning television talk shows to promise a Republican Party plan by Monday.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows are the lead negotiators on this issue for the Trump administration. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Mnuchin was asked about a projection by the Atlanta branch of the Federal Reserve Board that the US economy contracted by 33 percent in the second quarter. He demurred, suggesting the slump would be only 17 percent, which would still be the largest ever for a single three-month period.

Meadows, on ABCs This Week, voiced the complaint of employers and most Republicans that the original unemployment benefits actually paid people to stay home and actually a lot of people got more money staying at home than they would going back to work.

This statement is really an indictment of American capitalism, since it acknowledges that for many millions of workers, the combination of federal and state benefits, averaging about $980 a week, is more than the pittance they were being paid before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Meadows claimed there would be agreement among Senate Republicans Monday on a plan to extend the federal supplement, but limiting it to no more than 70 percent of previous wages. He did not address the fact that many state governments have complained that it would take many weeks, even months, to reprogram their systems to make such individualized payments, rather than an across-the-board supplement.

Both Mnuchin and Meadows said any extension of supplementary unemployment benefits would be linked to a liability waiver for employers, giving corporations and businesses blanket immunity against lawsuits if their neglect of safety precautions led to outbreaks of COVID-19 among their workers.

Another White House aide, economic adviser Larry Kudlow, speaking on CNNs State of the Union program, described the 70 percent cap as quite generous by any standard, adding that the Republicans would also propose a reemployment bonus, i.e., an incentive payment for workers to risk their lives by going back into unsafe workplaces.

The top Democrat in Washington, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, appearing on the CBS program Face the Nation, defendedin wordsthe $600-per-week federal supplement, although she declared, The reason we had $600 was its simplicity. In other words, an across-the-board payment was easier to administer than a percentage payment.

Asked directly if she would accept a much lower figure for the across-the-board figure, with some Republicans suggesting $200-per-week, Pelosi did not reject the suggestion, merely saying that she would not negotiate on television. Behind closed doors with White House aides and Senate Republicans, she will be more than willing to deal.

Another Democratic Party official, Representative Karen Bass of California, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, who is on former Vice President Joe Bidens short list for his running mate, agreed that the $600-per-week payment might be too high. It might be a problem in some places, she told CNN.

Senator Ted Cruz repeated the crudest version of this argument on CBS, declaring that for 68 percent of people receiving it right now, they are being paid more on unemployment than they made in their job. And I'll tell you, I've spoken to small business owners all over the state of Texas who are trying to reopen and they're calling their waiters and waitresses, they're calling their busboys, and they won't come back. And, of course, they won't come back because the federal government is paying them, in some instances, twice as much money to stay home.

Economist Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute noted, There are 14 million more unemployed workers than job openings, meaning millions will remain jobless no matter what they do. Cutting off the $600 cannot incentivize people to get jobs that aren't there.
Photo: (Photo : YouTube/Sign1News)

On July 18, Kimora "Kimmie" Lynum died of coronavirus with no known underlying health issues. According to the Florida Department of Health Records, she is the youngest person in Florida to die of COVID-19 complications.

Family spokesman Dejeon Cain said that her mother took her to the hospital because of a high fever. The nine-year-old girl had no underlying health issues. Cain said that after the hospital sent her home, she collapsed a short time later.

See also: Father who contracted coronavirus now in critical condition due to severe reactions

Not sure how the girl got infected

Cain, who is also the little girl's cousin, said that Kimmie was always happy and made everybody happy. He described her as "phenomenal." No one in the family knows how or where Kimmie contracted the coronavirus. Cain reported that the girl appeared healthy and spent her summer at home. He also said that the little girl did not attend school or camp.

Cain also said that Kimmie's mom got tested for COVID, but there were no results yet.

No close contact with anyone infected

According to state health department records, the child did not have any close contact with anyone who had the illness. Mary Garcia, Putnam County Health Officer, confirmed to CNN that fatality. She said that she was unaware of any underlying health medical issues.

See also: 2 Siblings die of coronavirus 11 days apart, devastated mom advises people to stay home

Five minors died of coronavirus

Based on the latest health records, Kimmie is the fifth minor in Florida to die of the deadly disease. Included on the top list is an 11-year-old boy from Miami-Dade County, an 11-year-old girl from Broward County, a 16-year-old teen from Lee County, and a 17-year-old teen from Pasco County.

Between Gainesville and St. Augustine is Putnam County. It is located in the northeastern part of the state. The county has had 11 deaths since April 1. 23,170 minors had tested positive for the virus last Friday. The rate at which children tested positive is 13.4 percent. The total number of confirmed cases in the state now stands at 379,619.

Florida has the second-highest number of cases

Passing New York, Florida is the second to the highest number of coronavirus cases. A few days ago, the biggest populated state, California, surpassed New York as the highest. Now, the states' most recorded cases align with their population rank. Florida is the third most populated state, while New York is the fourth.

See also: For a month, doctor cared for a baby whose parents are COVID-19 positive

Since the pandemic happened, Florida has already reported 414,511 cases, while New York has 411,200. Based on the data from the state's health care administration, since the Fourth of July, the number of hospitalizations has increased by 79 percent.

On Saturday, at least fifty of Florida hospital intensive care units reached capacity. Fourteen of them were from the hardest-hit counties in the state -- eight from Miami-Dade and six from Broward.
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is sending more federal agents to Portland, Ore., as officials consider pushing back harder and farther against the growing crowds and nightly clashes with protesters, vandals and rioters, The Washington Post has learned.

To strengthen federal forces arrayed around the city's downtown courthouse, the U.S. Marshals Service decided last week to send 100 deputy U.S. Marshals to Portland, according to an internal Marshals email reviewed by The Post. The personnel began arriving Thursday night.

The Department of Homeland Security is also considering a plan to send an additional 50 U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to the city, but a final decision on the deployment has not been made, according to senior administration officials involved in the federal response who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

Such moves would mark a significant expansion of the federal force operating at the courthouse - there were 114 federal agents there in mid-July - though it is unclear how many personnel there now would be relieved and sent home once the reinforcements arrive.

"The agency took steps to identify up to 100 personnel to send to the District of Oregon in case they were needed to relieve or supplement deputies permanently stationed in the district," Drew Wade, a spokesman for the Marshals Service, said in written statement. "They may also be used to rotate with personnel already sent there to support district operations during the civil unrest mission to insure the function and safety of judicial proceedings."

A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.

White House officials were expected to discuss the plans privately Monday afternoon.

Portland has been the scene of long-running protests over police mistreatment of minorities, with demonstrators' anger increasingly focused at a large federal courthouse downtown. Confrontations between the heavily armed federal agents and black-clad protesters have intensified in recent weeks, and Trump administration officials have pledged to defeat the "violent anarchists" who they say are trying to burn down the building.

As the nightly street battles in Portland have gotten more attention, they have triggered internal investigations into the conduct of federal agencies like the Marshals Service and CBP. Federal law enforcement officials have grown increasingly worried that they may be losing control of Portland's streets, and losing the public debate over their handling of the unrest, according to people familiar with the internal discussions who were not authorized to discuss those conversations with reporters.

There is growing concern among federal law enforcement officials that some individuals in the crowds outside the courthouse have gotten more aggressive in recent days, and the number of federal agents on site may not be sufficient to handle them. Protesters have injured federal agents with large commercial-grade fireworks while others aim lasers at their eyes, leading to several injuries, DHS officials said.

The decision to boost the size of the federal force is likely to anger local officials who have accused the Trump administration of making the situation worse, and called for the federal agents to leave the city. Congressional Democrats also have criticized the administration's response, accusing the president of using conflict as a rallying point for his reelection.

In an email last week to senior Marshals Service officials, Deputy Director Derrick Driscoll thanked the agency for their help with Operation Legend, a Trump administration initiative to investigate violent crime in a handful of other U.S. cities.

"I am again in need of your help," Driscoll wrote, saying that 100 deputy marshals were needed in Portland. "At this time we are unsure how long this assistance will continue," he wrote, though he indicated that the agency plans to relieve deputy marshals every three weeks for what he called the critical mission of guarding the courthouse, which has been "under assault for two months."

The potential deployment of 50 additional CBP personnel is in anticipation of possible larger clashes with protesters and rioters by the weekend, according to people familiar with the discussion.

The Marshals Service personnel previously sent to Portland were primarily members of the Special Operations Group, personnel that has some training in handling riots and crowds. The 100 law enforcement officers being sent there are being pulled from the ranks of deputy marshals who rarely have training in riot response or crowd control, according to law enforcement officials.

Another idea being discussed among federal officials is expanding the fencing perimeter around the courthouse, to create a second, more secure area where protesters could not bring certain items, such as gas masks, shields or weapons. As part of that scenario, a stronger secondary fence would be erected that would be more resistant to nightly efforts to move or dismantle it, according to people familiar with the discussions. It's unclear how seriously officials are considering this, however.
After finishing Mary Trumps memoir of growing up with her Uncle Donald, I close the book and look at it. It emanates disgust, as if it contains things so rancid theyre not even compostable.

Too Much and Never Enough, subtitled How My Family Created the Worlds Most Dangerous Man, is a classic of several genres: misery memoir, political history, case study, JAccuse. I read this kind of book often, feeling its my duty, but this one contains so much cruelty to children from tiny to adult, so much sulphur, that I have to COVID-scrub my hands afterwards.

Fred Trump, a malevolent, brutal, racist, scheming, tax-dodging real estate developer from Queens, N.Y., fathered five children, Maryanne, Fred Jr., Elizabeth, Donald and Robert, with his wife Mary. Fred was a sociopath and Mary was an absent damaged mother, writes his niece, also named Mary.

They ruled over a toxic American family home, punishing, taunting, manipulating, setting up each child against the others, breaking hearts and sending one boy, Fred Jr., to an early grave.

Fred Jr. was Marys father, intended as the heir to the family residential real estate empire. The problem was that he wanted to be an airline pilot rather than run apartment buildings in Queens. So his father set out to destroy him financially, mentally and emotionally, like a human being put on a lathe. The lathe turned and turned, and Fred Jr. became a destitute divorced alcoholic who died of torment and neglect.

And that was the kid Fred Trump liked.

Donald as a younger child watched his father bully Fred Jr., who would apologize and try endlessly to please an unpleasable man. Fred had no love in him, and any favour he bestowed was entirely conditional, Mary writes. You obeyed or you were humiliated and terrorized.

When the Trump siblings, nieces and nephews were invited to the White House in 2017 for an iceberg lettuce, meat and potatoes dinner, Maryanne told the table, Weve come a long way since that night when Freddy dumped a bowl of mashed potatoes on Donalds head because he was being such a brat to little Robert.

Everyone laughed, while Donald listened with his arms tightly crossed and a scowl on his face, just as he did when Obama mocked him publicly in 2011.

Trump hates humiliation because he has no inner core of strength to fall back on, but he loves to humiliate those beneath him. The role that fear played in his childhood and the role it plays now cannot be overstated.

Trump learned how to be cruel at his fathers knee, and added loud and brash to the mix. Why be cruel at all? one asks. The cruelty is the point, Mary writes.

Gems like that fill the book. And there are revolting scenes: Fred Jr.s post-divorce exile to a wretched apartment filled with pet snakes; Marys grandmother nearly choking to death at the table as Trumps ignored her (I call this one Sounds of the Heimlich Manoeuvre in Another Room); Fred burying his dead sons ashes despite the sons lifelong terror of burial; Maryanne so poor she begged her mother for Crisco cans of dimes and quarters.

Trump was a lousy businessman and a serial bankrupt. Brash carried him through, brash covered failure, and brash made his presidency more grotesque than was ever imagined. Brash Donald cheated his siblings out of their inheritance.

Fred developed Alzheimers and began wearing an obvious wig, along with dyed magenta eyebrows and moustache. Sound familiar? Donald began treating his once-greatest ally, his ailing father, with brutal contempt. Loyal Trumpers, sound familiar?

Trump remains a boy, a mean little boy. Mary writes that she wants to end the common practice of referring to his strategies or agendas as if he has an organizing principle. He does not. Again, he is hollow.

Whenever Trump says something is the greatest, the best, the biggest, the most tremendous, he is the same little boy who is desperately worried that he, like his older brother, is inadequate and that he, too, will be destroyed for his inadequacy.

Marys implication is that this will happen on Nov. 3. Trump may end up a gibbering, addled, enraged mess. So no change there.

Heather Mallick is a Toronto-based columnist covering current affairs for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: is a Toronto-based columnist covering current affairs for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @HeatherMallick

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Muzaffarnagar: A 16-year-old boy died after coming in contact with a high-tension wire in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Monday (July 27, 2020).

The boy was reportedly cutting a tree when the incident took place in Bhadod village under Sijheda police station limits on Sunday.

In another incident on Sunday evening, a 60-year-old farmer was also found dead in his agricultural field in Habibpur village here.

The farmer was identified as Puran Singh and the body has been sent for post-mortem, according to Police.
A 43-year-old man died after crashing a jet skit into a sailboat Sunday afternoon in Boston Harbor, according to police.

Authorities responded around 4:30 p.m. to a report of a jet ski crash off Malibu Beach in Dorchester, Massachusetts State Police said in a statement.

Curtis Raper had been driving a jet ski when he crashed into a stationary sailboat that was attached to a mooring, according to the statement.

He was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, state police said.

At the time of the crash, Raper was with three friends. A witness reported to police that the four men were taking turns riding two jet skis, according to authorities.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday drug offenders should be executed by lethal injection, in a fresh push for the death penalty as part of his anti-narcotics crackdown that has killed thousands. In a wide-ranging State of the Nation address, Duterte also admitted the government's response to the coronavirus epidemic had been "far from perfect" as the number of infections surged past 82,000, with nearly 2,000 deaths. Duterte had been expected to use the annual speech to lawmakers to lay out a roadmap for recovery after the economy contracted with millions of jobs lost during more than four months of a nationwide lockdown. But he provided few details. Instead, he took the opportunity to once again push Congress, which is dominated by his allies, to restore the death penalty -- an unrealised plank of the tough-on-crime platform that helped get him elected in 2016. It comes weeks after he signed an anti-terrorism law that critics and rights defenders fear will be used to target government opponents. "I reiterate the swift passage of a law reviving the death penalty by lethal injection for crimes specified under the Comprehensive Dangerous (Drugs) Act of 2002," Duterte told a drastically reduced audience of legislators, wearing face masks and sitting far apart because of the virus. The UN Human Rights Council called last month for an independent probe into the drug war that it said had unleashed widespread and systematic killing with "near impunity" for offenders. Butch Olano, section director for the Philippines of Amnesty International, said capital punishment was not a solution. "President Duterte's favourite solution to public clamour for safety, whether from drug-related or virus-related problems, has always been to make harsher laws that seek to instil fear among Filipinos," Olano said in a statement. A mainstay of the Philippine penal system during more than 300 years of Spanish colonial rule, capital punishment was outlawed in 1987. It was reintroduced six years later and then abolished again in 2006. Protesters were not allowed to march outside Congress this year due to virus restrictions and thousands instead held an anti-government rally at a university in the capital Manila ahead of Duterte's speech. President Rodrigo Duterte delivering his annual State of the Nation Address to congress in Manila in a picture provided by the Philippines' Presidential Photo Division
The Government was fearful of the cost implications of sanctioning a 3.20 work-from-home allowance during the pandemic.

Emails reveal some civil servants complained they were being hit with enormous mobile phone and broadband bills.

The Department of Public Expenditure had been contacted by the Revenue Commissioners asking whether employees could be reimbursed for costs incurred from having a home office.

"The type of expenses may include wi-fi, phonecalls, electricity, equipment costs [if equipment was purchased by them, accommodation etc]," a Revenue official said.

In emails discussing a response, Public Expenditure officials said it needed to be made clear there would be no standard allowance available for such costs. "Clearly, we won't be paying these in the crisis," said one civil servant in an email.

In a later email, the department said civil service staff should be reminded they were not authorised to incur any expenses without prior approval from their manager.

However, it said it was open for people to make a claim to Revenue at the end of the year for costs incurred in setting up a home office.

The Data Protection Commissioner also contacted the department saying it had been receiving a growing number of queries about extra costs and "limits on access" due to remote working.

The Central Bank also looked for clarity on payment of an allowance and also flexibility where parents were unable to work due to childcare arrangements.

Later emails reveal discussions were taking place over what would happen if employees had to buy specific equipment to allow them to work from home.

One senior official wrote: "We're clear that public service employers will not be paying the 3.20 daily allowance to staff.

"However, I think the question of reimbursing staff who make investments in equipment, have to use the data plan on their personal smartphone to carry out work, etc, is still open."

A colleague responded: "I think this is an issue we'll have to move carefully on given work from home arrangements are going to be the norm for the foreseeable."

A spokeswoman for the department said an FAQ had been published making clear a daily allowance would not be paid and how it was open for people to make claims to the Revenue.

"Any claim in this regard is solely a matter for the individual concerned," she said.

Meanwhile, unions have said workers should not be forced to carry the cost of working remotely for their employers.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions called for the voluntary payment that employers can make to staff working from home to be made mandatory.

Congress also wants the Government to commit to a review of employment legislation to ensure protections are fit for purpose for remote working in the post-pandemic world.

Thousands of people have been forced to work from home since March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Some may not be able to return to their former workplace for months.

Revenue allows people working from home to be paid 3.20 per day in expenses by their employer, if duties are being performed within normal working hours.

That works out at 16 a week. Over a year, it works out at close to 800. However, it is paid at the discretion of the employer.

Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) social policy officer Laura Bambrick said working from home suits some people, but for other workers the mass home-working experiment has been fraught.

Higher utility and broadband costs are among the most common complaints reported to trade union reps, she said.

Dr Bambrick said: Remote workers should not have to carry the cost of doing business, whether in the form of higher household bills or the daily desk charge at a digital hub.

ICTU is calling for a review of the adequacy of the 3.20 tax-free daily expense allowance paid by employers to homeworkers, and for payment of this allowance to be made mandatory.

More than 100,000 people already worked from home before the Covid-19 outbreak, but this number is thought to have spiralled since Covid-19 hit.

Employment legislation needs to be updated to protect remote workers, ICTU said.

Speaking ahead of the publication of the unions guidance for workers working from home, Dr Bambrick said: Workers hard-won rights must be preserved when working from home.

She said protections need to keep pace with changes in ways of working, and gaps in law closed.

What is urgently needed is a more ambitious public consultation on remote working than that recently launched by the Department of Business, she added

Many workers have expressed an interest to continue remote working.

However, unlike workers across the EU, in the UK and Northern Ireland, Irish workers have no legal right to work flexibly, including working from home. Under current law remote working is solely at the discretion of the employer.

Trade unions said that when implemented in the right way, flexible and remote working can really improve peoples working lives, make them happier and more productive.

ICTU said this is the reason it is calling for a change in the law to give every worker the legal right to request flexible working and for employers to be required to give the request serious consideration.

The union body said a statutory right to request flexible working would require bosses to deal with workers request in a reasonable and considered manner.

The working-from-home guide is at ictu.ie.
P olice have fined just one person for breaching quarantine rules after arriving from abroad, new figures from in England and Wales reveal.

The data comes after holidaymakers in Spain and its islands were told they would have to self-isolate for 14 days upon returning to the UK.

The findings, published today by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), do not include fines issued by UK Border Force.

The Home Office body had issued three penalties by July 10, when the Government eased restrictions for countries on its list of so-called travel corridors.

NPCC chairman Martin Hewitt said enforcement of the regulations, breaches of which can be punished with fines of between 100 and 1,000, is primarily a matter for Border Force and public health officials.

He said compliance with the rules had been good, but added its really difficult to understand how people will respond after Spain was removed from the UKs list of safe destinations over a spike in the number of coronavirus cases.

You would hope that people would come back and be responsible, he said.

I would hope they would be, but we will be in a position to carry out the role that we have in this, which is a secondary role to both the border force and Public Health England, as we are required to do so.

But I guess time will tell how that plays through.

And of course, you know its not inconceivable that this could happen with other countries as we move forward, and I think the Government has made clear about that as well, so we will monitor that and work through the process.

The single ticket for breaching quarantine rules, which was issued by Lincolnshire Police, was one of only eight fixed penalty notices handed out in England in the two weeks to July 20, with none in Wales.

Some six of the fines were handed to people who failed to wear face coverings on public transport, making a total of 32 under the regulations introduced on June 15.

Passengers caught not complying with the regulations can be fined 100 and removed from services.

The other fine in the latest two-week period was issued by Northamptonshire Police for a breach of rules around gatherings.

Figures are not yet available for breaches of regulations introduced on Friday making it compulsory for most people to wear face coverings in shops.

But Mr Hewitt said: I certainly, in my trawl around how the weekend has gone, have heard of no instances around particular issues in shops. Im not aware of any fines having been issued.

A total of 18,669 fixed-penalty notices (FPNs), including 16,029 in England and 2,640 in Wales, have been recorded by forces up to July 20.

The NPCC said the figures do not include fines issued during the local Leicester lockdown.
The Indian Embassy tweeted on Monday said the new Rafales would add strategic depth and strength to India's air combat capabilities. They fly out of France today to join the growing Indian fleet of aircraft.

In a long-awaited development, five Rafale fighter aircraft today took off for India from an airbase in France to join the Indian Air Force fleet in Ambala on Wednesday. The fighter aircraft were flagged off by the Indian Ambassador to France from an airbase in Merignac in France where the Ambassador interacted with the India crew flying it back to India. The new Rafales add strategic depth and strength to Indias air combat capabilities. They fly out of France today to join the growing Indian fleet of aircraft, the Indian embassy tweeted.

The five aircraft flying to India today includes seven Indian pilots including the commanding officer of the 17 Golden Arrows squadron. All the pilots have been trained on the aircraft by the French Dassault Aviation company as per the agreement signed for the biggest ever defence deal signed by India in 2016 for acquiring 36 Rafale jets for over Rs 60,000 crore.

The aircraft would make their first stopover at a French base in the United Arab Emirates on their way to India and would be refuelled by French Air Force tanker aircraft somewhere around Greece or Israel over sea before landing there.

Five Rafale jets taking off from France today to join the Indian Air Force fleet in Ambala in Haryana on July 29th. The aircraft will be refuelled by French Air Force tanker aircraft on their way to an airbase in the UAE before leaving for India. pic.twitter.com/oycLjrR8yE  ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2020

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After a stopover, they will then proceed towards Ambala from there and reach by July 29 morning. The delivery of the aircraft was earlier supposed to have been done by May end but this was postponed by two months in view of the COVID-19 situation in both India and France.

The trainers will have the tail numbers of the RB series in honour of the Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria who played a pivotal role in finalising Indias largest-ever defence deal for 36 Rafale combat aircraft. Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria was the Deputy Chief of Air Staff at that time and headed the Indian negotiation team for the deal which is the biggest ever in monetary terms in India. Armed with the long-range Meteor air to air missiles and SCALP, the Rafales would give India an edge over both Pakistan and China in terms of air strike capability.

Sources said the air to air and the air to ground strike capabilities of the Rafale cannot be matched by both China and Pakistan and the aircraft would give India an edge over both the rivals. To be made fully operational within days of landing here and able to undertake any type of operation, the Rafale is being fitted with the HAMMER missiles which can hit targets in the range of 60-70 kms.

Also Read: Nearly 50k cases in 24 hours, Indias Covid-19 tally crosses 14 lakh mark

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The COVID-19 should serve as a wake-up call for all those who advocate private sector's superiority over public sector.

The United States (US) is a good example to begin with.

COVID-19 exposes US's private sector-driven healthcare

Ever since the coronavirus pandemic hit, there has been a flood of reports, studies, and analysis saying why and how the US healthcare system largely driven by private providers (hospitals and health insurance) has failed spectacularly to protect the health and life of its citizens.

The best argument against its private healthcare system is the continued surge in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths when other developed countries have contained it. The US has repeatedly breached the 70,000-mark in new cases per day in recent days, and India crossed 49,000 new cases on Monday (July 27).

Also Read: Rebooting Economy IX: Why is private sector dependent on public money in times of crisis?

The US maintains its lead in both the number of cases and deaths month after month. As on July 23, the US accounted for 27% of total cases and 23% of total deaths. India is third in rank with a share of 8% and 5%, respectively. The total number of cases in both countries has crossed 4.3 million and 1.4 million as of date, respectively.

This surge is not entirely due to the inefficiencies of private healthcare for sure. The failure of political leadership is equally to blame but there is no disputing that a better healthcare system would have made a significant difference through access (inclusion) and affordability to quality healthcare.

The Commonwealth Fund's latest study published on January 30, 2020, says that the US spends the most on healthcare - 16.9% of its GDP or $3.5 trillion in 2018, which is nearly twice the OECD average - but is one of the worst when it comes to results.

It says, among the OECD peers, the US has the lowest life expectancy and highest suicide rates; it has among the highest number of hospitalisations from preventable causes and rate of avoidable deaths and its out-pocket spending second highest, next to Switzerland.

The US-based Brookings Institute's March 10, 2020 paper says the US healthcare is "largely consists of private providers and private insurance" and in 2018, the government insurance or direct provisioning (for poor and old) accounted only for 34% of citizens.

A joint study of Harvard, Cambridge, and London School of Economics, published in 2018, found 10% of the US citizens without any health insurance cover - the highest among high-income countries. It had the highest number of people, 55.3%, under private insurance.

The US is the only big developed country which doesn't have a universal healthcare system, its healthcare and insurance cost is prohibitively costly even for the young and since its private insurance is linked to employment, millions who lost their jobs to the lockdown are without protection.

Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz puts the blame on the US's higher cost with poorer outcomes to its profit-driven system in his 2019 book 'People, Power and Profits'.

India follows the US model of healthcare

The US experience should concern India, as it has been chasing the same model since 1991's liberalisation, cutting down public spending on health and promoting private care. India's public spending is one of the lowest in the world - a paltry 0.98% to 1.28% of its GDP during FY10-FY18 - lower than even the low-income countries (India is a low-medium country).

India's out-of-pocket expenditure is sky-high. At 62% in 2017 (the last year for which comparative data is available), it was 3.4 times the global average of 18% that year, driving 63 million Indians into poverty every year due to "catastrophic" health expenditure, according to official documents. (For more read ' Rebooting Economy VIII: COVID-19 pandemic could push millions of Indians into poverty and hunger ')

A comparative trend in out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of total expenditure for India, China, US, and world average is mapped in the following graph.

The following graph captures the latest official data of the National Sample Survey (NSS) of 2017-18, released in July 2020, showing how the average cost of hospitalisation in private sector is 6 to 8 times higher than government hospitals and out-of-pocket expenditure constitutes more than half of private hospitalisation cost.

India is perhaps the only country in the world where even public healthcare entails "catastrophic" out-of-pocket expenditure. The 2015 draft National Health Policy said "almost all hospitalisation even in public hospitals leads to catastrophic health expenditures" and that "there is no financial protection for the vast majority of healthcare needs.

Even the fully-paid government-run health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) entails out-of-pocket expenditure. (For more read 'Coronavirus Lockdown VI: How India's insurance-led private healthcare cripples its ability to fight COVID-19')

The Ayushman Bharat scheme was launched in 2018 to provide free healthcare to bottom 40% of the population. In January 2020, the Indian Medical Association, the apex body of medical professionals in India, issued a public statement which said: "Ayushman Bharat, the flagship of the current government, is a non-starter and operates more in government hospitals where treatment is already free. 15% of the money paid to hospitals, including government hospitals. is siphoned off by insurance companies..."

Dominant private sector on the fringe during crisis

India's private healthcare accounts for 70% of national healthcare needs and yet when the pandemic hit, almost all of private healthcare facilities shut down. Most of them remain shut even now. Those which have joined the fight have been forced under the emergency powers of the National Disaster Management Act of 2005, which provides for "compensation" for such work.

Also Read: Rebooting Economy VII: Where are the green shoots in Indian economy?

States like Maharashtra and Bihar have to repeatedly threaten private healthcare to provide non-COVID-19 treatment and yet there is little progress, forcing medical experts and civil society to issue almost daily appeals. (For more read ' Coronavirus Lockdown XI: Why India's health policy needs a course correction ')

The national crisis hasn't stopped private healthcare from profiteering either. Earlier this month, Karnataka's health minister threatened a private hospital for giving an estimate of Rs 9 lakh to treat breathlessness. This is for illustration purpose, for such cases abound.

Concerned citizens have approached the Supreme Court (SC) but that hasn't helped so far. In April, it did direct private path labs to test COVID-19 cases for free but quickly retracted. On that occasion, solicitor general Tushar Mehta and former attorney general Mukul Rohtagi had assured the apex court that the government was doing all that was needed to care for the vulnerable.

On July 14, the top court heard another petition seeking a cap on COVID-19 treatment cost in private hospitals because of frequent complaints of "exorbitant" costs. The court is reported to have said that their exorbitant costs "must not dissuade patients" and asked petitioners and representatives of private hospital associations to meet health ministry officials to resolve the issue of hospitalisation cost."

Two facts are relevant here.

One, solicitor general Tushar Mehta told the court that the government had already put a cost fixation mechanism in place which varied from state to state. This is true.

For example, on June 19, following complaints of fleecing by private hospitals in Delhi, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) slashed charges by one-third. The new rates ranged from Rs 8,000 (isolation bed) to Rs 18,000 (ICUs with ventilator) per day. On June 6, Tamil Nadu had already capped per day general ward cost at Rs 7,500 and ICU cost at Rs 15,000 for private hospitals.

It is unlikely the Supreme Court was unaware of this.

It is also unlikely that the court didn't know about the NSS's 2017-18 consumption expenditure survey, which revealed that 'real' monthly household consumption (MPCE) had fallen for the first time in four decades from Rs 1,501 in 2011-12 to Rs 1,446 in 2017-18. The report wasn't officially released for its critical findings but it did hit the headlines across media through a 'leaked' report.

The question that arises here is: If the average monthly household expenditure (MPCE) - a proxy for monthly average income level of households in India since India does not measure household incomes - is Rs 1,446, how many Indians can afford a daily healthcare cost of Rs 7,500 to Rs 18,000 - 5 to 12 times their monthly income?

Also Read: Rebooting Economy VI: Is Modi govt ignoring job crisis in India or unable to tackle it?

The amount of Rs 1,446 may be for 2017-18 but there is no credible evidence to say this has gone up in subsequent years. Secondly, loss of jobs and income has hit astronomical levels due to the prolonged lockdown, impoverishing millions of Indians. Thirdly, India's GDP growth has fallen from 8.1% in Q4 of FY18 to 3.2% in Q4 of FY20.

A global study suggests the lockdown could impoverish 352 million to 528 million Indians. The government is not even tracking job and income losses at this hour due to health and economic crises.

Should then "exorbitant cost" of private healthcare not provoke the Supreme Court to put breaks?

Pharmaceutical companies, patents and organised crime

There is another serious aspect to private sector in healthcare.

Private pharmaceutical companies are particularly notorious for profiteering from human misery. There is plenty of literature and historical evidence for this. Here are some lesser-known facts and information.

On May 27, Washington Post carried a news piece headlined "Taxpayers paid to develop remdesivir but will have no say when Gilead sets the price". Remdesivir is an antiviral drug which has emerged as a potential candidate for COVID-19 treatment and is being tested for efficacy. It has been found to reduce hospitalisation period by a few days. Gilead Sciences is the pharmaceutical company that makes it.

The report explained that several years ago when Remdesivir was being developed as an antiviral drug "three federal health agencies" provided "tens of millions of dollars of government research support" to it.

It further pointed out: "Despite the heavy subsidies, federal agencies have not asserted patent rights to Gilead's drug (Remdesivir), potentially a blockbuster therapy worth billions of dollars. That means Gilead will have few constraints other than political pressure when it sets a price in coming weeks. Critics are urging the Trump administration to take a more aggressive approach."

The report quoted Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.), chairman of the House Ways and Means health subcommittee saying: "Without direct public investment and tax subsidies, this drug would apparently have remained in the scrapheap of unsuccessful drugs."

Also Read: Rebooting Economy V: Why healthy environment is critical to fight COVID-19 pandemic

Gilead acknowledges it, but says "the original compound was discovered" by it and hence its proprietorial claim (to fix the price).

Here are a few other examples from Stiglitz's book, 'People, Power and Profits' for more light.

Taking about "stealth theft" by pharmaceutical companies in supplying drugs to the US government, Stiglitz writes: "The pharmaceutical companies put a little provision in the law providing the elderly with drugs under Medicare: the government, the largest buyer of drugs in the world, was not allowed to bargain on price. This and other provisions were put in at the behest of the drug companies to generate higher prices and profits."

He goes on to add: "It worked. Medicare drugs cost far more than those provided, say, by other government programs, like Medicaid for the poor or those for veterans. For the same brand-name drugs, Medicare pays 73 percent more. The result is that every year, taxpayers' fork over tens of billions of additional dollars to the drug companies."

Stiglitz narrates how big pharma companies use patent and other laws to keep cheap generic drugs out of market, often with the US government help, to make higher profits at the cost of consumers and government.

One method is to introduce a "time-release version" of an existing drug before its patent expires to extend the patent protection and prevent its generic versions to emerge. The "time-release version" (drug released in small amount over a time period) is not a new drug but by way of legal provisions called "data exclusivity" the relevant data on the original drug is restricted to prevent generic versions.

Also Read: Rebooting Economy IV: Is govt using environmental laws to protect polluting industries?

He cites some specific instances. For instance, Turing Pharmaceuticals increased the price of Daraprim, an out-of-patent drug, in 2015 from $13.5 a tablet to $750 a tablet. Another major company Valeant, the only FDI-approved manufacturer of the out-of-patent drug Syprine, a life-saving drug for a rare liver condition, "which sells for a dollar in some countries" so that a year's supply cost $300,000 by using its market power in 2015.

How allowing generic drugs helps can be revealing. Here is a case of India.

In 2012, Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma got "compulsory license" to make a generic version of anti-cancer drug Nexavar sold by Germany's manufacturer Bayer bringing down a month's cost of the drug from Rs 2,84,428 to Rs 8,800.

That could happen because (i) Bayer did not start producing the drug in India within three years of getting a licence as was required under the Indian Patents Act of 1970 but continued to import it and (ii) the WTO allows such a move on humanitarian grounds.

India's reverse journey: from self-sufficient to import-dependent

India's negligence of public sector pharmaceutical companies has turned it from self-sufficiency to important-dependent. India imports two-thirds of its active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and formulations from China (the trade war has disrupted it now).

Two key public sector companies, Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (IDPL) and Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd (HAL), have turned sick due to prolonged negligence. Last year the central government decided to close down IDPL and its subsidiary Rajasthan Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (RDPL) and sell off HAL and Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (BCPL).

Also Read: Rebooting Economy III: All that's wrong with India's environmental governance

Such negligence by the government and profit-driven operation of private sector has led to the disappearance of cheap and antibiotic wonder drug penicillin from India.

HAL was set up in 1950s to produce penicillin commercially. When, in late 2019, the Indian government wanted to produce it again, the HAL expressed its inability. While penicillin is a key element of treatment in the UK's healthcare system, it can't be found in India. No private sector pharma company is interested in producing cheap drugs, their usefulness notwithstanding.

India largely depends on China for the supply of Penicillin G to use it as a raw material for manufacturing antibiotics. (For more read ' Coronavirus Lockdown VII: What India can learn from COVID-19 hit nations ').

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London: A lawyer for British tabloid The Sun has told a court that Johnny Depp was "a hopeless addict" whose violence toward ex-wife Amber Heard was fuelled by misogyny and a toxic combination of drink, drugs, jealousy and anger.

Lawyer Sasha Wass was summing up at Depp's libel case against the newspaper over an article alleging he physically abused Heard  in a high-stakes celebrity trial in which the reputations of both former spouses are at stake.

Johnny Depp arrives at court in London last week. Credit:Getty Images

Depp is suing News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, and the newspaper's executive editor, Dan Wootton, at the High Court in London over an April 2018 article, which called him a "wife-beater". He strongly denies being violent towards Heard.

The case is due to end on Tuesday, London time, but judge Andrew Nicol is not expected to deliver his ruling for several weeks.
Saudi Arabia records lowest temperature in 30 years

Erdogan's visit to Ukraine scheduled for February 3

Russian peacekeeping contingent establishes order of passage through Lachin corridor

French Senate votes to ban hijab at sporting events

Armenian FM: All necessary conditions to be created for Demarcation Commission work

Olaf Scholz: Borders in Europe cannot be changed by force

Lavrov presents Armenian Ambassador to Russia, with the Order of Friendship

Bill Gates warns of pandemics far more serious than COVID-19

Macron: EU countries must work together on agreement for stability and security

Turkey Central banks and UAE sign agreement worth almost $5 billion

Blinken: Western countries need unity to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine

Iranian President performs evening namaz in Kremlin after talks with Putin

Turkish police detain women protesting price hikes in hygiene products

Delegation headed by Chief of the Cypriot National Guard General Staff has meetings in Armenia

Merkel refuses job in UN structure

Greece receives the first batch of French Rafale fighters

NEWS.am daily digest: 19.01.22

Azerbaijan hopes Pope to mediate in relations with Armenia

Talks between presidents of Russia and Iran start in Kremlin

Armenian FM: This is not first time Baku makes nonconstructive statements

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Armenian FM: Armenia passes a package of proposals to Azerbaijan

France names the main favorite of presidential election

Garo Paylan concludes address in Turkey parliament in Armenian

Russian Foreign Ministry believes there is no risk of large-scale war in Europe

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Sharmazanov: Armenia ex-President Sargsyan did not decide to hold press conference, he did not change his mind

Blinken: Russia has plans to increase force on Ukraine borders

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US official, Barzani are photographed against backdrop of Greater Armenia and Kurdistan map

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US selects Los Angeles to host Summit of the Americas in summer 2022

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All CSTO peacekeepers leaves Kazakhstan

Artsakh Foreign Minister: Unacceptable to bracket NKAO and NKR together

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Hovhannes Khachatryan is elected Armenia Central Bank Deputy Governor

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563 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

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Greek PM Mitsotakis threatens Turkey with sanctions

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Artsakh President meets representatives of non-governmental organizations

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Erdogan says he is pleased with decline in volatility of lira

NEWS.am daily digest: 18.01.22

Turkey and Azerbaijan to start laying gas pipeline to supply Nakhichevan

UK begins to supply Ukraine with anti-tank weapons

Armenian PM holds meeting on Armenia's Transformation Strategy until 2050

Nagorno-Karabakh: Remains of another Armenian soldier found in Jrakan region

Tehran to not accept any border change in South Caucasus

Dollar holding relatively steady in Armenia

Armenia special representative: Future process depends on Turkeys constructiveness degree

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Inecobank brings Apple Pay to customers

Parliament vice-speaker says he is familiar with Armenia proposals on border demarcation commission work

US Secretary of State to visit Kyiv

Russia, Iran and China to hold joint naval drills

OSCE Chairmanship on Aliyev statement: We reiterate our full support to Minsk Group Co-Chairs

Artsakh NSS denies rumors about penetration of Azerbaijanis into Karabakh villages

Indonesian parliament approves bill to relocate capital

Armenia PM to Bulgaria colleague: Our interstate relations are marked by continuous development of cooperation

Armenian President meets Abu Dhabi Crown Prince

Azerbaijan to ban foreigners from visiting Nagorno-Karabakh occupied part

European Parliament new speaker elected

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ECHR recognizes violation of Armenian PM's rights after 2008 elections

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Azerbaijan special services force Artsakh resident to intelligence work

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Minister of State: OSCE MG Co-Chairs must accept exercise of Karabakh people's right to self-determination

Armenia President, UAE Minister of State discuss possibilities of cooperation in science and technology
WASHINGTON D.C.  The position of U.S. representative will be on the ballot during the August 4 primary election

Two candidates are running on the Democratic ticket  Kimberly Bizon and Kelly L. Noland.

The Tribune recently sent a questionnaire to each of the contested candidates to give voters a better understanding of each candidate.

Here are the responses from each candidate:

Name: Kimberly Bizon

Age: 51

Incumbent? N

1. Why are you running for office? I am tired of the party politics. I believe that when you put people and communities FIRST, identity politics go by the wayside. I am the right person to represent you in Congress.

I take ZERO dollars from Big Corporations, or Super PACS, and I am not trying to buy this seat. I will work for YOU! I am the LEADER who has and continues to work on projects and problem solving across the aisle in my own community of Lexington. In addition, I have worked on climate change legislation in Washington D.C. and I know what it takes and how much collaboration is required to work toward and attain bi-partisan legislation that benefits us all.

In a time of political divide, we need a Representative who has plans and ideas that will move this District forward. I have the trust and endorsements from the AFL-CIO, UAW Region 1, Michigan, Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers and is a preferred candidate of The Michigan Education Association. I believe in equality and am an advocate for human rights.

2. What do you wish to accomplish? When elected, I will work in a bipartisan effort to fix the Affordable Care Act and make sure people with pre-exisiting conditions are covered; I will fight Big Pharma prices and stop the price gouging. We also need to expand our mental health care services and make sure people have access.

I will support Public Education  keeping funds in our public schools, supporting our teachers. Our teachers need a raise and the full resources that they need to successfully educate our children. I have earned the "2020 preferred candidate" for the MEA.

I will continue to fight climate change. I believe in science and have pledged the Green New Deal.

I am rolling out a plan called Rural Restoration and Renewal Act (RRR). This would bring incentives, rural broadband and support for our downtown small businesses.

I am a huge supporter of Hemp Farming. I think this will bring new manufacturing opportunities. I vow to write or co-sponsor a bill that eliminates oil-based single use products, hemp or corn would be a perfect fit for a new product.

I would like to offer student loans at 0% interest. and I will fight for equality and unity.

3. What background and skills do you have that would help you in this position? I am a community leader in Lexington. I am the president of the Huronia Heights Association and Chairwoman of Concerned Associations and I have served on these boards for over 15 years. We work on common issues such as speed limits, lake water testing and currently, we are working on Shoreline erosion. Weve met with Coastal Engineers, EGLE and the Army Corp of Engineers. Shoreline erosion is a big problem, not only for my own community, but Huron County as well. I will work with members of both political parties, because I focus on issues, people and communities, not identity politics.

I am also an International Climate Reality Leader for the Climate Reality Project, and an environmental lobbyist for CCL. I use the latest data on climate change to assess issues and I have gone to Congress many times to discuss green infrastructure and green opportunities for our nation. We need to secure a clean future for our children and grandchildren. It is a human right to have clean air and clean water.

Name: Kelly L. Noland

Did not return questionnaire.
There are lots of mysteries about what happens with the $739 billion American taxpayers spend on schools each year. You can get big spreadsheets that give a general sense of average salaries, spending on big initiatives, and which states and districts got whatbut it gets pretty vague and outdated after that.

Now, a key tucked into the Every Student Succeeds Act has unlocked a treasure trove of data that school finance experts predict will provide insights into the impact money has on academic learning.

Almost every state now has published school-level spending data, according to the Edunomics Lab, a think tank based at Georgetown University thats helped states comply with the ESSA requirement.

Having total spending by school for every school in the nation is a quantum leap forward, the Edunomics Lab authors, Director Marguerite Roza, Research Associate Elizabeth Ross, and Research Fellow Lucy Hadley wrote in a brief posted on their website .

But the data is not perfect, they warn.

Up until this year, most school spending was reported in average district per-pupil amounts.

This way of reporting data, civil rights advocates theorized, hid inequities within districts, especially large urban districts that had both high-flying and academically struggling schools. The shift to more detailed financial data gained widespread support from fiscally conservative Republicans and civil rights-minded Democrats.

The architects of the new ESSA rule intend for the new data to be exploited by school board members and principals, those most involved in determining the academic needs of individual schools within districts. For school finance researchers, that data, paired with school-level test scores, can help answer a question thats bedeviled the K-12 community: Where does money matter most in the classoom?

But district administrators predicted that school spending data would only reveal where the most experienced teachers within districts worked and would pit school board members and principals against each other, bringing further, unwarranted scrutiny to districts spending strategies.

In addition, state departments of education said they didnt have the technological tools or necessary staffing to compile school spending data. In 2017, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos extended the deadline to the end of the 2019-20 school year for states to meet this portion of the law.

Edunomics said that by the beginning of this month, more than 42 states and the District of Columbia have mostly complied with the law, with several other states set to role out school spending data in the coming months.

The data, they said, allows users to compare school spending numbers within districts. But it gets more difficult to compare school spending amounts across districts. Only nine states , they said, allow users to compare school spending amounts across districts on their websites.

In some states, weve counted up to nine clicks to get to the datanot exactly user friendly and seamlessly transparent, the authors wrote.

The data hasnt gotten much use so far , the organization found, pointing out that departments receive few inquiries from school board members or other constituents about the new websites. That could be, they theorized, because the pandemic has taken up so much of the publics attention.

But with budget cuts looming, the organization said the data is still relevant.

Its hard to think of a time when education leaders need financial data more as they grapple with tough financial decisions for schools, the authors said. These data can daylight schools that were shortchanged well before the pandemic so district leaders can prioritize their protection from cuts (or at least lessen the blow).

Read their entire report here . Find links to your states school spending data here .
French supermarket chain Carrefour (CRRFY) and Ubers (UBER) Eats unit are expanding their partnership for online shopping deliveries to the rest of France and will launch the service in Belgium.

Back in April, the two companies first launched the delivery service throughout the Paris region to meet demand for groceries and essential products during the nationwide coronavirus lockdown.

As of 20 July, the service is now available via 330 sales outlets and covers 91 major urban areas  that's 25% of the French population. Carrefour added that from the 130 products available at the start of the partnership, consumers can now choose from more than 250 essential everyday items, with the aim being to increase this to 500 by early September.

We are very pleased to be able to continue to bolster our strategic partnership with a specialist player like Carrefour and to make home delivery for shopping accessible to everybody in France in the form of a fast, reliable and affordable experience, said Stephane Ficaja of Uber Eats.

In September, Carrefour will start the delivery service with Uber Eats in Belgium, making it the third country after France and Taiwan. The service will be first launched in Brussels and Liege. Belgium will be testing a 30-minute shopping delivery service, as well as meal box solutions. This will increase the accessibility of ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to people's homes.

Carrefour said it expects to add more countries as part of the partnership over the next few months.

Uber has recently been focusing on ramping up its food delivery business as the demand for the service has been offsetting weak rides demand during the coronavirus pandemic.

Shares in Uber are trading 5% higher than at the start of the year. Looking ahead, the $42.13 average analyst price target implies shares may appreciate 35% in the coming 12 months. (See Ubers stock analysis on TipRanks).

Stifel Nicolaus analyst Scott Devitt last week reiterated a Buy rating on the stock with a $32.66 price target, citing the overall outperformance in the Eats segment. The analyst estimates that the Eats business contributes over a third of Ubers current total equity value.

Story continues

We remain cautious on the rate of ridehailing recovery given an uncertain trajectory for primary ridehailing use cases: leisure, commute, and airport rides, Devitt wrote in a note to investors. While ridehailing volumes will likely not fully recover until sometime in 2021, we remain constructive on Uber shares given food delivery exposure and Uber Eats outperformance.

The rest of the Street shares Devitts bullish outlook. The Strong Buy analyst consensus boasts 26 Buys versus 4 Holds.



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Uber Snaps Up Postmates In $2.65B Stock Deal- Report


MIAMI, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Dragon Capital has announced that Jesse Leeds has joined the private equity firm as Human Resources Manager. Founded by Louis Hernandez Jr., Black Dragon makes control investments in growth companies in digital commerce, financial services, and media technology.

Black Dragon's unique operationally oriented approach  whereby all investment professionals have deep domain expertise in the areas in which they invest and apply the proprietary performance enhancement tools  helps advance the enterprises of entrepreneurs committed to nurturing market-leading companies.

Leeds will head staffing, recruiting, training and performance management for the firm, which has been expanding significantly over the past year. He will also collaborate with senior executives and directors on global projects with an emphasis on people operations, as well as assist with acquisitions and support the firm's portfolio companies.

"We're thrilled to be continuing to bring on new and valuable members to the team, especially as we work closely with our portfolio companies and look to acquire other growth companies in industries disrupted by digitization," said Hernandez, Founder, CEO and Managing Director of Black Dragon. "We're delighted to be adding Jesse Leeds, who has a strong track record of providing strategic guidance, support and recruiting to companies in a range of fields, from SaaS and finance to AI and media."

Previously, Leeds led Human Resources for SalesRoads, a B2B demand generation and sales outsourcing company. Prior to that, he was VP of Human Resources and VP of Business Development for ecommerce digital marketing agency, Search Placement Marketing. Leeds earned his Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certificate in 2016 and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Florida Atlantic University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Said Leeds, "I'm eager to join Black Dragon Capital during an exciting time of fast growth and expansion. I'm honored to have the opportunity to work within a group of extremely talented and gifted people, and I look forward to recruiting highly accomplished, entrepreneurial-minded professionals. I hope to build upon the amazing culture at the firm while enhancing cultural and gender diversity and inclusion. It is my goal to consistently add value to the firm, its investors and portfolio companies by supporting the senior executives and partners."

Black Dragon also announced that Maria Kitmiridis has joined as an Executive Assistant to Hernandez.

Contact info:

Gina Rogoto

Black Dragon Capital, LLC

[email protected]

+1 (305) 539-9415

About Black Dragon Capital

Black Dragon Capital, LLC ("BDC") is a minority founder led private equity firm making control investments in technology companies. BDC was formed by technology operating executives with a track record of building market leading companies and providing above market investment returns. Learn more at https://blackdragoncap.com/ or follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/black-dragon-capital.

SOURCE Black Dragon Capital

Related Links

http://www.blackdragoncap.com


Google has extended the work-from-home order for its employees till July 2021 amid rising coronavirus cases around the world. This makes the internet giant the first US company to take such a decision.

The move will affect almost 200,000 employees, including contractors and full-time workers, across Google's parent firm Alphabet Inc. Earlier, the search engine major had said that employees should expect to return to offices by January 2021.

"To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that don't need to be in the office," Pichai said in an email to employees. "I hope this will offer the flexibility you need to balance work with taking care of yourselves and your loved ones over the next 12 months," Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in a mail to the employees.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai made the decision himself after debate among Google Leads, an internal group of company top brass that he chairs, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The United States, home country of Google, has been the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The nation has reported over 4.2 million cases and at least 146,900 deaths by Monday, according to data from John Hopkins University.
Captain Denny Palandro Sr. leads the South Philly String Band down South Broad Street in the Mummers Parade on New Year's Day, Jan. 1, 2020. Palandro's son, Dennis Palandro Jr., 31, was killed along with two others in a car crash hours after the 2019 parade. The Palandro-Ferry Memorial Foundation, which was set up a day after the crash, continues to provide monetary scholarships and goodwill among the Philadelphia Mummers community. Read more

William M. McSwain, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, is accusing Mayor Jim Kenneys administration of unconstitutional behavior. Separately, so are lawyers for some of the current and former Philly cops disciplined, forced to retire, or fired last year for their racist, homophobic, and otherwise deeply offensive social media posts.

This also follows the case of the Bellmawr, N.J., gym which also last week claimed Gov. Phil Murphys directives on business operations during the pandemic are trampling on their constitutional rights.

Among these claims, the more spectacular allegation: that cops whose messages or posts on Facebook included references to Black people as monkeys were victims of discrimination for privately expressing personal views protected by the First Amendment.

 READ MORE: 16 former and current Philly cops disciplined for offensive Facebook posts sue, saying they were victims of discrimination

Anyone familiar with Facebook knows that little on this platform is private in any real sense. So its ridiculous to argue that racist Philly cops seeking to share their appalling opinions with a few like-minded pals were penalized for being politically incorrect when their posts were exposed by the Plainview Project. Also ridiculous: that the lawsuits filed this month collectively demand $108 million in damages.

Genuinely private expressions of noxious views of all sorts may be protected in some circumstances. But theres no such thing as a constitutional right to be a Philly cop, let alone one who brandishes racial slurs online so that pretty much anyone with access to a computer can read them. The city has every right to limit certain sorts of speech or public expression by its employees  especially when at stake is viable working relationships between police officers and the community they serve.

 READ MORE: Canceling big parades but allowing protests is unconstitutional, U.S. Attorney McSwain tells Kenney

Similarly, and despite McSwains assertions to the contrary, the city is not discriminating against certain points of view by canceling scheduled events such as the Mummers Parade and the Broad Street Run. Kenney cited concerns about the potential spread of the coronavirus in large crowds; the events attract tens of thousands but can be rescheduled or resume in the future. McSwain claims that canceling these big events while allowing spontaneous and smaller public demonstrations to occur means the city is judging certain viewpoints as more worthy of protection than others.

Thats not what the city is doing. Prohibiting large public gatherings while enabling smaller, spontaneous protests to take place is an effort to protect protest, period. McSwain should know that, but hes never been afraid of getting attention  as witnessed by the publicly funded campaign to slap his face and name on billboards and elsewhere statewide.

 READ MORE: U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain spent more than $75,000 to slap his name and face on billboards

Meanwhile, McSwains patron, Donald Trump, is orchestrating an extraordinary deployment of special federal troops into cities such as Portland, Ore., and Chicago, and has identified Philadelphia as a potential target of this peacekeeping campaign. Most of the cities so targeted have progressive Democratic mayors opposed to the president.

Perhaps that explains why the U.S. attorney seems unfazed by the legitimate concerns in Philly and across the country about the militarized deployments into American cities. Unlike McSwains allegations about Phillys events ban, Trump troops raise constitutional issues that actually should be taken seriously.

Correction: This editorial was modified to clarify an assertion that parades such as the Mummers Parade are not protected by the Constitutional right to free speech, but civil protests are. The Supreme Court has made a number of rulings granting rights to parades as a form of expression.
Domestic abuse calls in New York more than doubled after the city went into coronavirus lockdown, experts have said.

Forcing partners to stay at home with their abusers combined with unemployment caused by the pandemic sparked the crisis, social workers explained.

Abusers also exploited the virus to torment their victims by refusing to give them PPE so they could leave the house, or by threatening to infect them.

Domestic abuse hotlines in New York said calls more-than doubled in the months after the city was forced into coronavirus lockdown (file image)

Sanctuary for Families, a not-for-profit in New York which helps abuse survivors, said they received between 70 and 100 calls in a typical month before the virus.

But in May this year they received 209 calls, while in June they had 259 - more than triple the number they received a year prior.

Meanwhile Met Council, a Jewish not-for-profit that also helps domestic violence victims, told the New York Post that calls to its hotline doubled in the same period.

New York went into full lockdown in mid-March as coronavirus swept the city, making in the epicentre of America's outbreak.

The following month Met Council said it fielded 135 calls, up from the typical 70, rising to 145 in May and 146 in June.

Workers said the lockdown also made it difficult to talk with victims of abuse, who typically make use of windows when they or their abusers are out of the house to contact support services.

Both Sanctuary for Families and Met Council ended up establishing text communication as a safer alternative to speaking on the phone.

Similarly, women who needed to leave home also faced difficulties in finding a safe exit with their abusers around them constantly.

Nechama Bakst, senior director of Met Council's domestic violence unit, said one woman ended up in a 'highly dangerous' situation with a partner who kept weapons in the house.

New York went into lockdown in mid-March (pictured), forcing victims into close quarters with their abusers and making it difficult to contact them or get them to safety, workers said

In order to get her and her children out, workers were forced to rely upon a 15-minute window where her partner was away.

Staff added that abusers are more likely to use violence and more likely to kill when unemployed - even as millions of people were laid off due to the shutdown.

Dorchen Leidholdt, director of Sanctuary for Families, said: 'It was a twin tsunami.

'On the one hand, abusers were unemployed, angry and more abusive than ever with more access to their victims than ever... and then victims were more economically dependent than ever before.'

New York suffered the brunt of America's first wave of coronavirus infections, at one point registering more than 6,500 cases in a day as the virus swept the city.

Following a strict lockdown, the city is now seeing just a few hundreds new cases logged each day.

To date the city has confirmed 223,761 cases of the virus and 23,485 deaths from the disease.

While New York has battled the virus to a standstill, cases are now running out of control across many other US states - including California, which now has the most cases of any US state, and Florida, which surpassed New York's tally last week.
No one can forbid our military from defending themselves and their brothers-in-arms in the event of open, armed aggression, Commander stressed.

Ukraine's Joint Forces will retaliate only in case of offensive actions on the part of the invaders or threats to the life of military personnel, says JFO Commander General Volodymyr Kravchenko.

"Anticipating the question of the possibility of returning fire, I emphasize: no one can forbid our military from defending themselves and their brothers-in-arms in the event of open, armed aggression," he told reporters at a briefing in Donetsk region on Monday, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

"This is guaranteed by international humanitarian law," the military chief said. "As Commander of the Joint Forces, whose main task is to preserve the lives of troops and civilians in the JFO zone, I assure you that if the adversary violates the truce and poses a threat to their lives, the response on the part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be instant and resolute," he said.

Kravchenko has stressed there is no ban on returning fire to enemy shelling, so the Ukrainian military will respond if a threat arises to their lives.

Read alsoRussian-led forces violate new truce in Donbas  JFO Commander

The decision to open fire in such cases, Kravchenko says, will be made by unit commanders on the ground. According to the agreements reached by the Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas settlement, parties are allowed to open fire in case of an enemy offensive.

Kravchenko also reported a "healthy atmosphere" in JFO units. "Without exception, all servicemen are ready to carry out orders, realizing the importance of political agreements reached, because now we are talking about a real possibility to cease the fire on both sides," he said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, participants in the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine, Russia, OSCE) on the peace settlement in Donbas on July 22 agreed on a complete and comprehensive ceasefire on the contact line from 00:01 on Monday, July 27.

The parties also agreed to apply measures to strengthen the ceasefire until a full settlement of the international armed conflict in the territory of the Ukrainian Donbas. These measures were agreed at the TCG by Ukraine and Russia, and supported by the OSCE.

On July 25, Joint Forces began preparations for a ceasefire. The Headquarters said that additional control over the ceasefire will be carried out by seconded Ukrainian servicemen with combat experience who had been directly engaged in the relevant efforts while participating in UN peacekeeping missions. The Headquarters explained that this would allow not to distract JF personnel from performing combat missions, and to prevent possible provocations, while not depriving Ukrainian soldiers of the opportunity for self-defense.

According to the Joint Forces headquarters, since midnight on July 27, a complete and comprehensive ceasefire has been in place along the contact line in the zone of the Joint Forces operation. However, two attacks on the part of Russia-led forces have already been recorded. Ukrainian military did not return fire.
DUBAI, UAE, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global non-destructive testing (NDT) inspection services market is expected to reach a value of US$ 28 Bn by the 2030, concludes Future Market Insights.

The market is spiking due to rising investments in infrastructure spending by governments worldwide. As urbanization peaks, the need for housing, railways, highways and airports is increasing. Due to their exhaustive usage, these infrastructures require regular maintenance and upgradation to ensure safety. The detection of faults and component failures help prevent major accidents and implement pre-emptive measures.

Recently, significant technological advancements in healthcare and pharmaceuticals has up-scaled NDT inspection services applications to prevent product recalls and ensure patient safety. The coronavirus pandemic has especially heightened its application due to a high number of patients being admitted to hospitals for treatment.

Based on these widespread application, the market is anticipated to enjoy an impressive growth rate in the coming years.

"Emerging economies such as China & India shall generate immense growth opportunities for NDT inspection service providers, attributed to burgeoning medical tourism and infrastructure development," says an FMI analyst.

Download a Sample Report with Table of Contents and Figures: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-11943

Key Takeaways from FMI's NDT Inspection Services Market Study

Ultrasonic testing shall occupy the highest seat in the global NDT inspection services market

The oil & gas industry extensively employs NDT inspection services to assess the degree of pipe faults to avoid spillage, leaks and accidents

Nuclear power generation emerges as a fertile ground for NDT inspection services market proliferation

Global NDT inspection services market to surge at over 6% CAGR from 2020-2030

NDT Inspection Services Market- Key Trends

Rail transportation shall services will employ a significant amount of NDT inspection services, attributed to increasing number of fatalities due to accidents

Growing demand for light-weight and flexible materials for attaining fuel efficiency spurs usage across the aerospace industry

Reserve engineering and preservation are the cornerstones of NDT service inspection services market proliferation

NDT Inspection Services Market- Region-wise Analysis

Europe to pivot the market in the railroad segment due to rising incidence of fatalities and accidents

to pivot the market in the railroad segment due to rising incidence of fatalities and accidents Growing investments in the hydrocarbon sector to push up demand in North America

Mushrooming healthcare and construction industries will generate immense growth opportunities in the Indian and Chinese markets

NDT Inspection Services Market- Competitive Landscape

Prominent market players in the NDT inspection services market are: Olympus Corporation, Sonatest Ltd, Nikon Metrology NV, Duemme SpA, Mistras Group, Industrial Radiographic Inspection Co., National Technical Systems, Inc., and Bureau Veritas to name a few.

These players concentrate on offering innovative products and technological solutions to expand their customer outreach. For instance, Nikon Metrology NV offers the MCT225 Metrology-CT Scanner for inside geometry, with an absolute accuracy of 9 + L/50 micrometers.

Collaborations are also helping market players expand their global outreach. For instance, in June 2020, Sonatest Ltd has announced an expansion of its partnership with MelcoNDT across Southeast Asia, especially across Thailand and Indonesia.

For any Queries Linked with the Report, Ask an [email protected] https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-the-analyst/rep-gb-11943

NDT Services Market Taxonomy

Offering Type

Non-destructive Testing Services

Non-destructive Testing Equipment

Test Method

Visual Testing

Magnetic Particle Testing

Liquid Penetrant Testing

Eddy Current Testing

Ultrasonic Testing

Radiographic Testing

Industry Vertical

Oil & Gas

Manufacturing

Aerospace and Defense

Construction

Automotive

Power Generation

Others

Region/Country

North America

U.S

Canada

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of Latin America

Europe

EU-5

BENELUX

Russia

Rest of Europe

East Asia

China

Japan

South Korea

Southeast Asia & Pacific

India

ASEAN

Oceania

Rest of Southeast Asia & Pacific

Middle East & Africa

GCC

Northern Africa

South Africa

Turkey

Rest of MEA

We offer tailor-made solutions to fit your requirements, request [email protected] https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-11943

More Valuable Insights on Global NDT Services Market

FMI's research on the global NDT inspection services provides an unbiased analysis of the prominent drivers impacting the long-term growth prospects for the assessment period 2020-2030. The report provides an incisive analysis of the revenue prospects, growth drivers, opportunities and constraints influencing the overall landscape. Moreover, a detailed section on key players' market strategies has been incorporated to paint a realistic picture in the forthcoming years.

Explore Extensive Insights on FMI's Industrial Automation & Equipment Domain

Image Based Barcode Reader Equipment Market: FMI's recently published report on the image based barcode reader equipment market sheds light on the prominent dynamics influencing the market's growth trajectory during the 2020-2030 forecast period. The report has been analyzed through six major segments across six key regions.

Bridge Bearings Market: FMI's bridge bearings market study explores future revenue prospects until 2028, across the following major segments: material type and design type. Both these segments are further analyzed across nine prominent geographical regions. This segmentation provides readers with a broad picture of the overall growth prospects.

Automated Sortation System Market: The automated sortation system market is expected to rise healthily at a robust growth rate, largely benefitting from growing e-commerce sales and the logistics industry, concludes FMI in its recently published report.

About Future Market Insights (FMI)

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMI's latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and take critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

Contact

Mr. Abhishek Budholiya

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Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/ndt-inspection-services-market

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Putin, Zelenskiy Speak By Phone Ahead Of Fresh Truce In Eastern Ukraine

By RFE/RL July 26, 2020

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have discussed the conflict in eastern Ukraine hours before a fresh cease-fire was due to enter into force.

Both expressed support for the truce between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists that is set to begin at midnight on July 27.

Zelenskiy's office said the Ukrainian president told Putin during the phone call on July 26 that further steps were needed to free Ukrainian citizens being held in eastern Ukraine, Crimea, and Russia.

The Kremlin said Putin told Zelenskiy that Ukraine's decision to hold regional elections in 2020 contradicts the Minsk peace accords aimed at resolving the conflict which broke out in 2014.

The leaders spoke shortly after Ukraine's military said their forces had "begun preparations" for the cease-fire.

If upheld, it would "pave the way for implementing other clauses" of the Minsk peace deal, the office of Ukraine's president said.

Zelenskiy was elected last year on promises to end the conflict in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Germany and France have mediated between Ukraine and Russia since a peace agreement was signed in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, in 2015, but efforts at implementation have faltered.

The leaders of the four countries met at a summit in Paris in December 2019 to revive the peace process, leading to Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists in the east of Ukraine conducting a series of prisoner exchanges.

Lingering issues remain over a timeline for local elections, control over borders in the separatist-controlled regions, the withdrawal of Russian military units and equipment, and disarmament of separatist groups.

Moscow denies it has troops in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine's relationship with Russia has been tense ever since protests in Kyiv led to the overthrow of pro-Russian leader Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014.

Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula shortly thereafter and backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, sparking a war that has resulted in some 13,200 deaths.

With reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and TASS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-zelenskiy- speak-by-phone-ahead-of-fresh-truce -in-eastern-ukraine/30748052.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.

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In the past four months, as the epidemic travelled from the biggest city in the Brazilian Amazon, Manaus, with its high-rises and factories, to tiny, seemingly isolated villages deep in the interior, the fragile healthcare system has buckled under the onslaught. Cities and towns along the river have some of the highest deaths per capita in the country  often several times the national average. Elen Ferreira do Nascimento is comforted as workers take the body of her mother, who died at home during the coronavirus pandemic, in Manaus. Credit:Tyler Hicks/The New York Times Photographer Tyler Hicks spent weeks on the river, documenting the spread of the virus. In Manaus, there were periods when every COVID ward was full and 100 people were dying a day, pushing the city to cut new burial grounds out of thick forest. Grave diggers lay rows of coffins in long trenches carved in the freshly turned earth. Down the river, hammocks have become stretchers, carrying the sick from communities with no doctors to boat ambulances that careen through the water. In remote reaches of the river basin, medevac planes land in tiny airstrips sliced into the lush landscape only to find that their patients died while waiting for help. The virus is exacting an especially high toll on indigenous people, a parallel to the past. Since the 1500s, waves of explorers have travelled the river, seeking gold, land and converts  and later, rubber, a resource that helped fuel the Industrial Revolution, changing the world. But with them, these outsiders brought violence and diseases like smallpox and measles, killing millions and wiping out entire communities.

"This is a place that has generated so much wealth for others," said Charles Mann, a journalist who has written extensively on the history of the Americas, "and look at what's happening to it". A medical team from Manacapuru travel the Amazon by boat to test residents for coronavirus in communities unreachable by road, in Ilha Marrecao, Brazil. Credit:Tyler Hicks/The New York Times Indigenous people have been roughly six times as likely to be infected with the coronavirus as white people, according to the Brazilian study, and are dying in far-flung river villages untouched by electricity. Even in the best of times, the Amazon was among the most neglected parts of the country, a place where the hand of the government can feel distant, even nonexistent. But the region's ability to confront the virus has been further weakened under President Jair Bolsonaro, whose public dismissals of the epidemic have verged at times on mockery, even though he has tested positive himself.

The virus has surged on his government's disorganised and lacklustre watch, tearing through the nation. From his first days in office, Bolsonaro has made it clear that protecting the welfare of indigenous communities was not his priority, cutting their funding, whittling away at their protections and encouraging illegal encroachments into their territory. Supporters pose for a selfie with infected Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday. Bolsonaro on the weekend said he has been cured. Credit:AP To the outsider, the thickly forested region along the Amazon River appears impenetrable, disconnected from the rest of the world. But that isolation is deceptive, said Tatiana Schor, a Brazilian geography professor who lives off one of the river's tributaries. "There is no such thing as isolated communities in the Amazon," she said, "and the virus has shown that."

The boats that nearly everyone relies on, sometimes crowded with more than 100 passengers for many days, are behind the spread of the virus, researchers say. And even as local governments have officially limited travel, people have continued to take to the water because almost everything  food, medicine, even the trip to the capital to pick up emergency aid  depends on the river. Scholars have long referred to life on the Amazon as an "amphibious way of being." A woman rests in a hammock on an overnight boat journey along the Amazon River to the remote city of Tefe, Brazil. Credit:Tyler Hicks/The New York Times The crisis in the Brazilian Amazon began in Manaus, a city of 2.2 million that has risen out of the forest in a jarring eruption of concrete and glass, tapering at its edges to clusters of wooden homes perched on stilts, high above the water. Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, is now an industrial powerhouse, a major producer of motorcycles, with many foreign businesses including Harley Davidson, Sony and Foxconn which manufacturers Apple products. It is intimately connected to the rest of the world  its international airport sees about 250,000 passengers a month  and, through the river, to much of the Amazon region.

Manaus' first documented case, confirmed on March 13, came from England. The patient had mild symptoms and quarantined at home, in a wealthier part of town, according to city health officials. Soon, though, the virus seemed to be everywhere. Loading "We didn't have any more beds  or even armchairs," Dr Alvaro Queiroz, 26, said of the days when his public hospital in Manaus was completely full. "People never stopped coming." Gertrude Ferreira Dos Santos lived on the city's eastern edge, in a neighbourhood pressed against the water. She used to say that her favourite thing in the world was to travel the river by boat. With the breeze on her face, she said, she felt free.

Then, in May, dos Santos, 54, fell ill. Days later, she called her children to her bed, making them promise to stick together. She seemed to know that she was about to die. Loading Eduany, 22, her youngest daughter, stayed with her that night. In early morning, as Eduany got up to take a break, her sister Elen, 28, begged her to come back. Their mother had stopped breathing. The sisters, in desperation, attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. At 6am, the sun rising above the city, dos Santos died in their arms. When men in white protective suits arrived later to carry away her body, the sisters began to wail.

Dos Santos had been a single mother. Life had not always been easy. But she had maintained a sense of wonder, something her daughters admired. "In everything she did," Elen said, "she was joyful." Her mother's death certificate listed many underlying conditions, including long-standing breathing problems, according to the women. It also listed respiratory failure, a key indicator that a person has died of the coronavirus. A family mourns their relative at a cemetery in Manaus, Brazil, where hundreds of COVID-19 victims have been buried. Credit:Getty Images But her daughters didn't believe she was a victim of the pandemic. She had certainly died of other causes, they said. God would not have given her such an ugly disease. Along the river, people said similar things over and over, reluctant to admit to possible contagion, even as the health of their siblings and parents declined. Many seemed to think their families would be shunned, that a diagnosis would somehow tarnish an otherwise dignified life.

Loading But as this stigma led people to play down symptoms of the virus out of fear, doctors said, the pandemic was spreading quickly. After Manaus, the virus travelled east and west, racing away from the region's healthcare centre. In Manacapuru, more than an hour from the capital, Messias Nascimento Farias, 40, carried his ailing wife to their car and sped down one of the region's few country roads to meet the ambulance that could carry her to a hospital. His wife, Sandra Machado Dutra, 36, gasped in his truck.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want," he prayed over and over until he handed her to health care workers. They were lucky. She survived. But for most people living along the river, hundreds of boat miles from Manaus, the fastest way to a major hospital is by plane. Even before the virus arrived, people in far-flung communities with a life-threatening emergency could make a frantic call for an aeroplane ambulance that would take them to a hospital in the capital. But the small planes turned out to be dangerous for people with COVID-19, sometimes causing blood oxygen levels to plummet as the aircraft rose. Very few of the air-lifted patients seemed to be surviving, doctors said.

Instead, physicians and nurses found themselves flying their patients to painful deaths far from everything and everyone they had loved. A COVID ward fit 50 patients into a space meant for 12 at a hospital in Tefe, a remote city of 60,000 in Brazil's Amazonas state. Credit:Tyler Hicks/The New York Times One morning in May, a white plane touched down at the airport in Coari, about 370km from Manaus. On the tarmac on a stretcher was Delgado, 68, the furniture maker, barefoot and barely breathing. Dr Daniel Sergio Siqueira and a nurse, Walci Frank, exhausted after weeks of constant work, loaded him into the small cabin. As the plane rose, his oxygen levels began to dive.

Delgado's daughter Isabel turned to the doctor in a panic. "My father is very strong," she told him. "He is going to make it." Loading When the Delgados finally reached the hospital in Manaus, Isabel was stunned by the scenes around her. Despairing relatives held up loved ones who had crumpled under the burden of disease, hurrying them in for treatment. At the same time, patients who had managed to survive COVID-19 staggered out, into the jubilant arms of family and friends. "I was just there," she said, "praying that God would save my father."

Delgado died a few days later. When Isabel found out, the doctor started crying with her. She had no doubt that the river her father loved had also brought him the virus. Soon, she and five other family members fell ill, too. When the coronavirus arrived in the Americas, there was widespread fear that it would take a devastating toll on indigenous communities across the region. In many places along the Amazon River, those fears appear to be coming true.

At least 570 Indigenous people in Brazil have died of the disease since March, according to an association that represents the country's indigenous people. The vast majority of those deaths were in places connected to the river. More than 18,000 indigenous people have been infected. Community leaders have reported entire villages confined to their hammocks, struggling to rise even to feed their children. In many instances, the very health workers sent to help them have inadvertently spread the virus. In the riverside hamlet of Sao Jose da Fortaleza, Chief Iakonero Apurina's relatives sent word, one by one, that they couldn't eat, that they heard voices, that they were too sick to get up. Soon, it seemed to the chief that everyone in her community was sick.

Apurina, 54, said her group of 35 Apurina families had survived generations of violence and forced labour. They had arrived in Sao Jose da Fortaleza decades ago, believing that they would finally be safe. It was the river, said the chief, that had sustained them, feeding, washing and cleansing them spiritually. Then the new disease came, and the chief was ferrying traditional teas from home to home. Soon came her own cough and exhaustion. A test in Coari confirmed that she had caught the virus. Apurina didn't blame the river. She blamed the people who travelled it. "The river to us is purification," she said. "It's the most beautiful thing there is."

Miraculously, she said in mid-July, not a single person among the 35 families had died. In Tefe, a city of 60,000 people more than 600 kilometres along the river from Manaus, the virus had arrived with gale force. At the small public hospital, where officials initially planned to accommodate 12 patients, nearly 50 crowded the makeshift COVID-19 unit. Dr Laura Crivellari, 31, the hospital's only infectious disease expert, took them in, doing what she could with two respirators, no intensive care unit, many sick colleagues  and no one to replace them. At one of the worst moments, she was the only physician on duty for two days, overseeing dozens of critically ill patients. The constant death pushed Crivellari to her breaking point. Some days she barely stopped to eat or drink.

At home, she shared her anguish with her partner. She was thinking of giving up medicine, she said. "I can't carry on like this," she told him. The pandemic has been brutal on medical workers around the world, and it has been particularly difficult for the doctors and nurses navigating the vast distances, frequent communication cuts and deep supply scarcity along the Amazon. Without proper training or equipment, many nurses and doctors along the river have died. Others have infected their families. Crivellari knew her city was vulnerable. It's a three-day boat ride from Manaus to Tefe, with ferries often carrying 150 people at a time. "Our fear was that an infected person would contaminate the whole boat," she said, "and that's what ended up happening."
Three Congress leaders, who have served as Union law ministers in the past, wrote to Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra on Monday, asking him to convene an assembly session as per the advice of the state cabinet which, they claimed, would be the correct course of action as per the legal principles laid down by the Supreme Court (SC).

Salman Khurshid, Ashwani Kumar, and Kapil Sibal, who are also senior advocates at the SC, said that the apex court judgments in Shamsher Singh v. Union of India (1974) and Nabam Rebia v. Deputy Speaker (2016) limits the powers of Governor, who is obliged to defer to the wisdom of an elected government.

Any deviation from the established constitutional position would be an avoidable negation of your oath of office and create a constitutional crisis, they said.

In the Shamsher Singh case, a seven-judge SC bench had held that a Governor has to exercise his powers as per the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers except in spheres, where he is required by the Constitution to exercise discretion.

In the Nabam Rebia case, a five-judge SC bench had specifically dealt with the question of whether the Governor could use his discretion to summon or dissolve the state assembly. In that case, the then Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa had initially summoned the assembly session on January 14, 2016.

But, he later advanced the session to December 16, 2015, and also laid down the agenda for the House proceedings.

The Supreme Court held that the Governor can summon or dissolve the House, only on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers and he cannot do so at his own discretion.

Having served as Union ministers for law and justice at different periods and as students of constitutional law, we are of the clear view that the established legal position obliges a Governor to call an assembly session in accordance with the advice of the state cabinet, the Congress leaders stated in their letter to Mishra.
He said that currently over 5 lakh tests are being conducted daily and efforts are underway to increase this capacity to 10 lakh in the coming weeks.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that it was imperative for India to develop coronavirus-specific health infrastructure at a fast pace and the country now has more than 11,000 COVID-19 facilities and more than 11 lakh isolation beds.

Launching the three new high-throughput labs of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at Noida, Kolkata and Mumbai through video conference, he said the country had only one COVID testing centre in January and there are almost 1,300 such labs now.

He said that at present, more than 5 lakh tests are being conducted in the country daily and efforts are underway to increase this capacity to 10 lakh in the coming weeks.

Noting that the country has has become the second-largest PPE kit manufacturer in the world, he said more than five lakh PPE kits and 3 lakh N-95 masks are being manufactured daily in the country. He said production capacity has been developed to manufacture three lakh ventilators every year.

"During the coronavirus epidemic, everyone is busy with only one determination that every Indian has to be saved. This resolution has given amazing results to India. What India has done, especially about PPE, mask and test kits, is a big success story," Modi said.

"At one time in India, not a single PPE kit was manufactured. India is now the world's second-largest manufacturer of PPE kits. Just six months ago, there was not a single PPE kit manufacturer in the country. Today more than 1,200 manufacturers are producing more than 5 lakh PPE kits every day. At one time, N-95 masks were also sourced from outside. Today more than 3 lakh N-95 masks are being made in India every day," he said.

He said there was a time when India was dependent on other countries for ventilators. "Now, production capacity has been developed to manufacture three lakh ventilators every year," he said.

Noting that there has also been a significant increase in the production of medical oxygen cylinders, he said this has not only helped save lives but has also converted India from an importer to an exporter of all these items.

He said apart from developing the physical infrastructure, the country has also managed to swiftly ramp up its human resources including paramedics, ASHA workers and Anganwadis, who have played a significant part in controlling the spread of the pandemic.

He also spoke about the need to work continuously, attaching new and retired health professionals with the health system so that fatigue does not set in among corona warriors.

"Another major challenge was to prepare the human resource in the country for the fight against coronavirus. It is unprecedented that our paramedics, ASHA workers, ANMs, Anganwadi and other health and civil workers have been trained in such a short time," Modi said.

Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also participated in the event.

An official release said that the chief ministers thanked the Prime Minister for the launch of the testing facilities.

It said Thackeray praised the leadership of the Modi in the tough circumstances. He spoke about the 'chase the virus' initiative in Mumbai and also discussed establishing permanent infection hospitals.

Banerjee appreciated the "cooperative attitude of the prime minister towards the states" and spoke about efforts to track cases, use of tele-medicine and also about the need to ramp up facilities in some of the existing labs in the state.

The release said that Yogi Adityanath expressed his gratitude towards the Prime Minister for "his untiring efforts in this fight against the virus".

He said that the labs launched on Monday will dramatically reduce testing time and referred to testing ability ramped up in the state and the plan to increase the number of daily antigen tests.

Modi noted that the Centre had announced a package of Rs 15,000 crore at the beginning of the battle to ramp up infrastructure.

"In the fight against coronavirus, we have come to the point where we do not lack awareness, scientific data is expanding and resources are also increasing. We have to create new health infrastructure and also need to make our existing government and private dispensaries and clinics in every village more efficient. We have to do this also so that the fight against coronavirus in our villages will not be weakened," he said.

Modi urged people to be cautious during the celebrations in the upcoming festivals to prevent the spread of the virus.

"There are many upcoming festivals. We have to take every precaution to avoid spreading infection among people. We also have to keep in mind that poor families do not face any problem during this time of celebration," he said.

He underlined that the benefits of PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna should reach the poor on time.

"Till the time a vaccine is not developed, do gaz doori (social distancing), wearing masks and hand sanitisation are the tools at the disposal of the people to be safe," he said.

Modi said due to timely decisions taken by the government, India is better placed compared to other countries in terms of deaths due to COVID-19.

"The recovery rate is also higher than in other countries and is improving on a daily basis. The total number of people who have recovered from the virus is about to reach 10 lakh," he said. He said citizens of the country were fighting the global pandemic very bravely.

"With the launch of the hi-tech state-of-the-art testing facility today, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are going to get more strength in the fight against coronavirus," he said.

He said Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Kolkata are major centres of economic activity where millions of youth come to fulfil their dreams and the new centres will add testing capacity of 10,000 per day.

These three high-throughput testing facilities have been set up strategically at ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida; ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Mumbai; and ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, and will be able to test over 10,000 samples in a day.

These labs will also reduce turnaround time and exposure of lab personnel to infectious clinical materials.

The labs are enabled to test diseases other than COVID as well, and post the pandemic, will be able to test for diseases including Hepatitis B and C, HIV, mycobacterium tuberculosis, cytomegalovirus, chlamydia, neisseria and dengue.
Immigration New Zealand and New Zealand Police welcome the jail sentence and substantial reparations order in a major human trafficking and slavery case.

Joseph Matamata, of Hastings, was sentenced to 11 years in jail at the High Court in Napier on Monday.

Hes also been ordered to pay $183,000 in reparations to his victims.

Matamata was convicted on 10 human trafficking and 13 slavery charges in March this year.

This result is the culmination of more than three years of work by Immigration New Zealand and New Zealand Police.

A joint investigation began back in 2017, when the first allegations of Matamatas offending were brought to INZs attention.

His offending relates to 13 Samoan nationals that he arranged to bring to New Zealand between 1994 and 2017, says a statement from Immigration New Zealand.

INZ General Manager of Verification and Compliance, Stephen Vaughan says the prison sentence recognises Matamatas actions and behaviour were "abhorrent and went against all basic human decency".

His breaches of trust, physical abuse, and flagrant disregard for the well-being of people he was purporting to help were unconscionable and must be condemned."



Detective Inspector Mike Foster, Eastern District Police says the case was one of the most complex joint investigations undertaken by Police and INZ, and the result is testament to the shared determination to see justice done for Matamatas victims.

Police, along with INZ, are committed to investigating human trafficking and slavery, supporting victims and making sure those responsible face justice, and are prevented from doing further harm."

Both INZ and NZ Police want to thank Samoan authorities for their help and co-operation.

Both agencies also wish to commend Matamatas victims for the part they played in bringing him to justice and holding him to account.

Their bravery and support were vital to securing these convictions. We know it was difficult for them over what was a protracted investigation and a lengthy trial.

Their decision to take a stand and share details about what they went through was the key to securing these convictions, says Stephen.

Mike says theyre keen to target this sort of offending and encourages anyone aware of such activities to get in touch with authorities.

Police and INZ will continue to investigate and respond to any allegations of this abhorrent crime."

Anyone with concerns for their safety or the safety of others should call Police on 111.

Alternatively, they can make a report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or via an online Crimestoppers form.
New Canaan Men's Club / Contributed photo

With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the country, the New Canaan Mens Club will hear from public health expert Dr. Pietro Marghella, a professorial lecturer in public health preparedness at The George Washington Universitys Milken Institute School of Public Health, during its next Zoom meeting July 31, at 10 a.m. For more information, visit https://newcanaanmensclub.org/.

In its most recent data, more than 4.2 million people in the U.S. had been infected with the coronavirus, resulting in at least 146,300 deaths, according to The New York Times database. While the disease has touched on all parts of the country, the brunt of it is now concentrated in sunbelt states. The incidence of the disease has diminished in Connecticut, with the state charting 883 cases over the most recent seven day period, based on Times data, about 25 per 100,000 population.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has collected soil from famous temples and places of pilgrimage spread across West Bengal as well as water from several rivers for the bhoomi pujan to be performed at the site of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone.

Though the Trinamool Congress government has clamped biweekly lockdown across the state and full or partial lockdown is in force in parts of several districts in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases, VHP workers have been travelling across the state to collect the holy soil and water.

We maintained social distancing norms during the exercise. Because of the pandemic only one man from Bengal will travel to Ayodhya with the soil and river water, said Sourish Mukherjee, head of the VHPs media cell in Bengal.

VHP workers have collected soil from a large number of sites such as the Madan Mohan temple at Cooch Behar district in north Bengal, the temple of Kapil Muni at Sagar Island in the Bay of Bengal, Dakshineswar temple near Kolkata where Ramkrishna Paramhans was a priest and Kalighat temple located near chief minister Mamata Banerjees residence.

Similarly, water has been collected from the confluence of Saraswati, Kunti and Hooghly rivers at Triveni in Hooghly district, the Hooghly river near the Iskcon temple at Mayapur and several other places.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust on Saturday issued an appeal to all saints across the country to perform puja in their respective temples and Maths from 11.30 am to 12.30 pm on August 5. Champat Rai, general secretary of the Trust, requested people to watch the live telecast of Bhoomi Pujan on television and light earthen lamps at home in the evening.

A similar call was issued by the VHP to saints and seers associated with the front. It said the Bhoomi Poojan day must be celebrated keeping in mind the guidelines issued by state administrations to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

We will follow the same rules in Bengal. People have been asked to stay at home and watch the ceremony on television. They will sing devotional songs and offer prayers at home, said Mukherjee.

Nabendu Kumar Bandopadhyay, a state leader of the Hindu Jagran Manch, said, Our organisation too will celebrate the day through prayers at homes and temples. There will be no public gathering.
Gregory Campbell has repeated his comments on the Irish language from 2014.

Veteran DUP MP Gregory Campbell has been accused of mocking the Irish language after posting what's been described as a "crass, offensive and despicable" comment on social media echoing his "curry my yoghurt" remarks from six years ago.

The East Londonderry MP made the remarks on his Facebook page on Sunday in relation to a BBC programme about a suspected Nazi spy who lived in Donegal during the Second World War.

He said: "I'm informed that BBC 2 NI had a programme on tonight about a suspected German spy who lived in the RoI during the war. The humourous bit was that he was supposed to have spoken Irish with a German accent.

"I vill not be tempted to ask vot is dis curried yoghurt mein herr."

In 2014 Mr Campbell was barred from addressing the Northern Ireland Assembly for a day after making similar remarks at Stormont.

He began an address to the assembly with "Curry my yoghurt can coca coalyer".

He was aping the Irish "go raibh maith agat, Ceann Comhairle," which translates as "thank you, Speaker" and is used by some MLAs in the chamber.

Mr Campbell refused to apologise for his words in 2014 and was criticised by then Speaker Mitchel McLaughlin for a "breach of standards".

He later joked about the comment at a DUP conference that year. He opened his conference speech saying it was always good to start the day with a healthy breakfast while holding a carton of yoghurt.

Expand Close Gregory Campbell posted the comment on his Facebook page. / Facebook

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There's has been anger over his latest comments on social media. While many under his post commented with laughing emojis others asked why he thought he should mock the language.

Sinn Fein MLA Emma Sheerin said Mr Campbell was attempting to mock the Irish language and identity with the post.

Comments posted on social media by DUP MP Gregory Campbell attempting to mock the Irish language and identity are crass, offensive and despicable," The Mid Ulster MLA said

Sadly, this is not the first time Gregory Campbell has insulted the Irish language community with his offensive anti-Irish mockery, these comments are reminiscent of 2014.

When the Assembly was restored in January, DUP leader Arlene Foster said identities should be respected. Perhaps Gregory Campbell needs to reflect on the words of his party leader.

It is long past the time that disrespect like this is allowed to go unchallenged and time the DUP genuinely embraced equality and respect.

The DUP has been approached for comment.

SDLP MLA Cara Hunter called for Mr Campbell to apologise for the comments.

This is not the first time that Gregory Campbell MP has made crass and offensive comments of this nature, which are intended to insult the Irish language community," the East Londonderry MLA said.

"It is not the first time and likely not the last time. However, as unsurprising as these comments are, it is important that they are challenged.

Gregory Campbell should remember that he was recently re-elected to serve the whole community, right across East Derry. He should apologise for these hurtful remarks and reflect on his tone going forward.
Capt. Dieudonne Kasereka, a military spokesman for operations in South Kivu, has said Congos army is doing everything possible to protect civilians. While there were no soldiers in Kipupu at the time of the attack, troops have since deployed nearby.
In Retrospect: News from the Jan. 20, 1922 and Jan. 19, 1972 Souderton Independent
A baby has been rescued after being abandoned in the backyard of a gym in southern China.

The girl's umbilical cord and placenta were still attached to her when a cleaner found her, doctors told reporters.

Her body was covered with mud, and her ears were filled with wiggling maggots, the medics added.

Footage released by Chinese video outlet Pear shows medical workers removing maggots from the baby's ears with cotton buds. The deserted girl is in stable condition after treatment

A nurse (right) said: 'I had never seen such a small baby being crawled on by so many maggots. My heart aches for her. I don't know why her father and mother would abandon her like this'

Ouyang Ting, who treated the baby, said the girl was 'dirty and stinky' when she was rushed to the hospital by a security guard.

'When we bathed her later, we discovered there were young maggots on her body,' the head nurse said.

'I had never seen such a small baby being crawled on by so many maggots.

'My heart aches for her. I don't know why her father and mother would abandon her like this,' Ms Ouyang told Pear Video in tears.

The girl (left) was discovered on Saturday morning in Nanchang in southern China's Jiangxi Province. A cleaner spotted her in the backyard of a gym (right) and alerted a security guard

The girl was discovered on Saturday morning in the city of Nanchang in southern China's Jiangxi Province.

It is said that a cleaner had heard 'cats' howling' from the yard the night before and noticed the child the next day.

'When the security guard brought the baby over, she was attached to her placenta. Her umbilical cord had not been cut, either, and she was covered in mud,' said Dr Li Huibin from the Jiangxi Provincial Children's Hospital.

The security guard immediately took the deserted child for medical attention after being alerted by a cleaner, Dr Li noted.

Footage released by Pear shows medical workers removing the worms from the baby's ears with cotton buds.

Police have reportedly arranged the baby to be looked after by an orphanage and were looking for her parents. The child is in stable condition.

'When the security guard brought the baby over, she was attached to her placenta. Her umbilical cord had not been cut, either, and she was covered in mud,' said Dr Li Huibin from the Jiangxi Provincial Children's Hospital. Dr Li is pictured (right) examining the baby in Nanchang

According to the latest statistics, around 100,000 babies are abandoned in China every year - an equivalent to more than 270 a day.

Under Chinese criminal law, any parents who desert their children can face imprisonment of up to five years.

However, in reality, few of them are given punishment due to a lack of law enforcement.

In June, a newborn boy was found stuck head down inside a plastic bag at a public toilet in north-western China's Gansu.

The baby was covered in blood with his umbilical cord and placenta still attached. He was found in a toilet bin, according to a previous report.
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Actress Spencer Grammer has spoken about being attacked with a knife in a restaurant after trying to stop an altercation from escalating.

The 36-year-old, who is the daughter of Frasier legend Kelsey Grammer, is best known for voicing the character Summer in cult animated comedy Rick & Morty.

The star was with friends at The Black Ant restaurant in New Yorks East Village when the altercation occurred.

Spencer Grammer and Kelsey Grammer attend the #IMDboat at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. (Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb)

She told Us Weekly: I sustained a laceration on my arm, and my friend was stabbed in the back, but thankfully he suffered no serious internal injuries.

Read more: Kelsey Grammer spotted carrying a Frasier script

We expect to recover quickly.

She added: My friend and I did what anyone else would do in the same situation.

Spencer Grammer attends the LA screening of Fox Searchlight's "Ready Or Not" at ArcLight Culver City on August 19, 2019 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/FilmMagic,)

She went on to explain how, as well as she and her friend, several other people were also attempting to prevent the altercation from escalating.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department.

Read more: Kelsey Grammer reveals there are 'six different ideas' for a Frasier revival

A statement from the departments spokesperson reads: On Friday, July 24, 2020, at approximately 2310 hours in front of 60 2 Avenue (9 Precinct), an unknown male stuck a 36-year-old female in the right arm with an unknown object causing a laceration and swelling.

FRASIER, Season 6. Moose as Eddie, Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane (Photo by Bill Reitzel/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

A 31-year-old male was also struck in the lower back causing a laceration. The complainants were removed to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.

The suspect fled the location on foot. He is described as a male black in his 30s, approximately 508 and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, black shorts and black sandals.

Spencer, who has also had a starred in US comedy Greek, is the eldest of father Kelseys seven children. Her younger half-sister, Greer Grammer, is also an actress.
Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 43F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 43F. Winds light and variable.
Shoppers buy coffee via the walk-up window at Highline Coffee Co., in the historic Worthington district of Columbus, Ohio, on July 11, 2020. (Seth Holehouse for The Epoch Times)

Small Businesses Picking Up the Pieces as Lockdowns Ease

Although grateful for any business right now, small businesses have a long road ahead to recoup losses

What began as a two-week closure for many small businesses in March has turned into permanent shutter for some, while others are barely squeaking by with no end in sight.

Coffee shop owner Christie Bruffy closed her doors for a weeklong renovation on March 15the first week of forced closures for bars and restaurants in Ohio due to the pandemic.

Bruffy owns Highline Coffee Co. located in a small-business district in the City of Worthington, a suburb of Columbus.

At the time, Bruffy said it made sense to continue with the renovation despite the cost, as some of the flooring needed to be replaced in any case.

Back on March 17, she told The Epoch Times: Our original plan was to reopen by the weekend. We still hope to do that, with carry-out only.

It wasnt until May 2, seven weeks later, that Highline was able to open for carry-out only. Bruffy installed a walk-up window with contactless servicewhich has had the unexpected bonus of attracting more business from dog-owners.

Im just grateful to have any business right now, and I think we are faring better than somecoffee just lends itself to the grab-and-go model, Bruffy said on July 6.

Sales are down by about 30 percent, but she has been able to bring back her six employeestwo of whom relied solely on their wages from Highline. During the hiatus, one received immediate unemployment assistance, and the other, a musician, got creative and made tips by playing weekly happy hour gigs on Facebook. The four others, part-time employees, werent eligible for unemployment but were able to make it through due to family support.

The cafes patrons are stepping up to fill the gaps. Employees are currently receiving a huge bonus on each paycheck thanks to the extremely generous tips we have been receiving, Bruffy said.

Bruffy had to take out a personal loan to carry her over while her Emergency Disaster Relief loan came through from the Small Business Administration. She said it was an easy application, and the money was deposited within four weeks.

I hope to have that repaid in a few months, she said. Everything else is caught up, theres just no wiggle room if this were to happen again.

Her landlord offered a rent deferral, but she declined, saying it would be more of a struggle to repay it in the long run. As long as the current sales trends continue, we can sustain, she said.

We will definitely be reluctant to hire or expand. All projects are being put on hold for at least the next year. I wish I could say that I was setting aside money to protect us against the unknown, but there is nothing to set aside. Were making it week by week.

Nationally, an estimated 100,000 small businesses had permanently shuttered nationwide by April, according to researchers for the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). A survey of 5,800 businesses found 43 percent were temporarily closed and owners had reduced staff by 40 percent compared to January.

Farmers Market Reopens

The Worthington Farmers Market, which used to give Bruffy a boost in sales every Saturday during summer, has been unable to reopen in its traditional format along the sidewalks of the business district. Its now held in a large parking lot.

The market organizers had to close the indoor, winter location on March 15, said Annina Parini, the executive director of Worthington Partnership, the markets umbrella organization. Even though were providing access to fresh food, its not the same as a supermarket, she said.

For the next 11 weeks, a system was set up in which customers could pre-order and pre-pay, and each Saturday theyd have a two-hour window to drive by and get their orders placed in their trunks. It worked for most, but not all, of the 60 to 70 vendors who rely on the market to sell their wares, ranging from fresh produce to honey, homemade soap, and organic meat. Some vendors dont take credit cards and others dont have an ordering system.

The second week of June provided the first foray back into a traditional farmers market format, with stalls being spaced out in a parking lot and systems for controlling capacity and social distancing implemented.

Some things are slightly different, like, vendors are not allowed to sample. Obviously, all the vendors have masks on, Parini told The Epoch Times on July 10. But you can go up and see the produce and choose it yourself and make that transaction in person.

Capacity is down from the 2,000 to 3,000 people during normal operations and is now at 1,800 to 1,900 people every week, Parini said. But its a marked improvement on the drive-thru model.

Parini said no vendors have completely shut down due to financial hardship, but the next few months will be telling.

Its exhausting trying to keep things going when you dont know whats going to happen next month or six months from now, she said.

Small businesses will likely be reluctant to hire or expand in the foreseeable future, she said, but she remains hopeful.

Once youve scaled down and really narrowed your margins, it will be hard to think about opening back up. But I think Americans are optimistic by nature, and hopefully our community will continue to support small businesses and well make a full recovery, she said.

Parini said her organization has helped Worthington businesses connect with local banks to access the federal Paycheck Protection Program relief funds and other resources. And the local community has also been extremely supportive.

When this first happened  there was a lot of outpouring of support, but the unfortunate thing is, as this continues to go on, peoples discretionary spending goes down, more people are losing their jobs. Its just hard to keep that level of support going, she said.

Its hard on everybody. No one is unaffected.
By The Associated Press Jul. 26, 2020 | 07:25 PM | WASHINGTON

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday assailed Republican disarray over a new pandemic relief package as the White House suggested a narrower effort might be necessary, at least for now.

The California Democrat panned the Trump administration's desire to trim an expiring temporary federal unemployment benefit from $600 weekly to about 70% of pre-pandemic wages. The reason we had $600 was its simplicity, she said from the Capitol.

The administration's chief negotiators  White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin  spent a few hours at the Capitol later Sunday to put what Meadows described as final touches on a $1 trillion relief bill Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to bring forward Monday afternoon.

Were done, Mnuchin said as he and Meadows left Capitol Hill after meeting with GOP staff.

Meadows said as the White House was looking for clarity on a handful of remaining issues ahead of Monday. We have an agreement in principle, he said.

Both Mnuchin and Meadows said earlier Sunday that narrower legislation might need to be passed first to ensure that enhanced unemployment benefits dont run out for millions of Americans. They cited unemployment benefits, money to help schools reopen, tax credits to keep people from losing their jobs, and lawsuit protections for schools and businesses as priorities.

Pelosi has said she opposes approving a relief package in piecemeal fashion.

We can move very quickly with the Democrats on these issues, Mnuchin said.

Separately, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said a federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units, due to expire at the end of the month, will be extended. We will lengthen it," he said, without specifying for how long.

Republicans have argued that federal jobless benefits should be trimmed because the combination of state and federal unemployment assistance left many people better off financially than they were before the pandemic and therefore disinclined to return to their jobs.

Many Democrats contend that a lot of people don't feel safe going back to work when the coronavirus is surging again around the country.

A former Republican congressman from North Carolina, Meadows said he is working with Mnuchin and Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia to address complaints that outdated state computer systems will make it difficult for the jobless to get their benefits in a timely fashion if the formula is changed.

Its our goal to make sure that its not antiquated computers that keep people from getting their benefits, Meadows said.

Pelosi criticized the hold-up on the GOP side. House Democrats passed a $3 trillion relief package a couple of months ago, with the aim of jump-starting negotiations. Republicans abruptly halted rollout of their bill last week amid differences between senators and the White House.

Theyre in disarray and that delay is causing suffering for Americas families, Pelosi said.

She declined to say whether she could accept 70% of wages in place of the now-expired $600 weekly benefit.

Why don't we just keep it simple?" she asked, referring to a flat dollar amount.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said he doesn't support the GOP legislation as proposed. He argued for lifting taxes and regulations he says are hammering small businesses. Cruz also argued for a payroll tax cut, which will not be in the bill. President Donald Trump had insisted on a temporary trim of payroll taxes, but both parties resisted the idea.

Cruz alleged that Pelosi isn't working to solve either the virus crisis or the economic one.

Her objectives are shoveling cash at the problem and shutting America down, he said. It's just shoveling money to her friends and not actually solving the problem.

The White House and Senate Republicans were racing to regroup after plans to introduce a $1 trillion virus rescue bill collapsed Thursday during GOP infighting over its size, scope and details.

It was expected to bring $105 billion to help schools reopen, new money for virus testing and benefits for businesses, including a fresh round of loans, tax breaks and a sweeping liability shield from COVID-19-related lawsuits.

The expiration of the $600 weekly jobless benefits boost had been propelling the Republicans to act. Democrats already approved their sweeping $3 trillion plan from Pelosi two months ago. But with millions of Americans about to be suddenly cut off from the aid, they were bracing to prevent social and economic fallout.

The White House floated plans to cut the additional aid back to $100 a week, while Senate Republicans preferred $200, with general GOP agreement about phasing out the flat boost in favor of one that ensures no more than 70% of an employee's previous pay.

Apart from jobless benefits, Mnuchin said Saturday that new $1,200 direct payments would be based on the same formula from the earlier aid bill. Then, people making $75,000 or less received the full amount and those making more than $75,000 received less, depending on their income. People earning above $100,000 did not qualify for the payment.

The jobless benefit officially expires July 31, but due to the way states process unemployment payments, the cutoff was effectively Saturday.
The vice chairman of ALEM sat down with RTL for an interview on Monday morning.

Many of Luxembourg's medical students will be able to return to university in September, which may cause a new shortage in staff in the national health sector. Even though infection numbers have been on the rise recently, there are currently no medical students employed to help fight the crisis, except within the large-scale-testing procedures.

The Grand Duchy is highly dependent on foreign doctors, and it is to be noted that about two thirds of active practitioners will retire within the next 15 years. Around 30% of Luxembourgish medical students decide to stay abroad after finishing university. According to Frederic Schwarz, the link to Luxembourg is then easily lost if a person decides to stay away for more than 10 years.

ALEM therefore regrets that there is still no Master's program at the university of Luxembourg for medical students. Schwarz had little understanding for the reasoning of Minister of Education Claude Meisch, who explained that such a program would endanger the privileged access to foreign universities. The vice chairman noted that most of Luxembourgish medical students would chose to study in Germany, where no privilege was in place anyways.
PORTLAND, Ore. - The tear gas started early Friday night, interrupting a line of drums and dancing, chanting protesters, an artist painting in oils underneath a tree in the park and a man with a microphone speaking about the issues of racial justice and policing at the center of these nightly demonstrations.

"Hey guys, don't panic, don't panic," the man said from the steps of the Multnomah County Justice Center, one block over from the federal courthouse in downtown Portland. "All you first-timers out here, it's just tear gas. Everybody just relax."

As if on cue, a brigade of orange-shirted men with leaf blowers descended on the cloud, revved their engines and blew the tear gas away. The crowd cheered.

"Thank you leaf-blower dads!" shouted a young woman.

Every night for more than a week, federal agents have been unleashing a barrage of tear gas on crowds of demonstrators, a small number of whom have lobbed fireworks at the federal courthouse, set fires and tried to tear down a tall, reinforced metal fence surrounding the building. The noxious fog burns and stings. Some people who get hit with the dense plumes of chemicals that cloud Portland's streets each night feel like they can't breathe, like their eyes are on fire, like they might vomit onto the asphalt.

Though some Portlanders have been able to get respirators, goggles and gas masks to protect themselves from the worst effects of the riot control agent known as CS gas, many others have turned to a familiar landscaping tool to blow the chemicals away: leaf blowers.

The loud, pressurized air machines typically used to clear grass, leaves and other lawn debris are surprisingly effective tools at clearing caustic chemicals from the air. They're so effective that on Friday night, federal agents frustrated at being caught in up in a redirected cloud of tear gas, showed up to the demonstration with their own handheld blowers.

The leaf-blower wars were on.

"I'm totally impressed with all the courage we're seeing from just normal people who have taken it on themselves to come out here and stand up for our right to protest," said Eddie, a 35-year-old Portlander who declined to give his last name out of fear of retaliation from federal officers.

Eddie, who wore a gas mask and leather jacket for protection from projectiles, said that although he's not a dad, he was inspired by the formation of the "Leaf blower dads group" to bring a blower to the demonstrations. He even fashioned a leather strap out of a belt so he could sling it over his shoulder and carry it around all night.

"You've got the moms out here on the front line and the dads backing them up with the leaf blowers," he said. "It's pretty amazing."

CS gas, or 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile, has been classified as a chemical weapon. Its use is banned on the battlefield by nearly every country in the world, including the United States. But it is legal to use domestically by police and federal agents to disperse crowds.

Typically, police fire the agent once or twice to clear crowds and encourage people to move away from an area, said Michelle Heisler, the medical director of Physicians for Human Rights. But in Portland, federal agents have been unleashing the chemicals repeatedly for hours. This sustained cascade makes it difficult for peaceful demonstrators to avoid being hit and runs the risk of ensnaring bystanders in the area, she said.

"The people here are not dispersing, so these federal officials are just launching massive amounts of it," Heisler said. "It can blind people. It can kill people through chemical burns - especially people who have asthma or other lung diseases. This is dangerous stuff."

Enter the leaf blowers.

A group of self-identified Portland dads, inspired by the "Wall of Moms" that forms a protective human shield at the front of nightly protests near the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse, set out to help clear the air at protests by arming themselves with leaf blowers. They are known collectively as "DadBloc" and "Leaf-Blower Dads" and turn up to the protests wearing orange shirts to compliment the moms' yellow ones.

Each night, their numbers have swelled.

On Friday, they were joined by other burgeoning groups - the veteran-led Wall of Vets, green-shirted Teachers Against Tyrants, the pizza-box carrying ChefBloc, health-care workers in scrubs and Lawyers for Black Lives, who turned up at the protest in suits and ties.

Tessa Terry, 30, and her husband, Leshan Terry, 31, are Navy veterans who helped organize the Portland "Wall of Vets" after seeing a video of federal agents beating a Navy veteran with batons so badly they broke his hand. On Friday night, they attended their first demonstration since President Donald Trump sent dozens of federal law enforcement officers to Portland - a move that Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who was tear-gassed with the crowd earlier this week, and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown have likened to a hostile occupation. Both Wheeler and Brown are Democrats.

Though the Terrys had been through military training that puts recruits in a gas chamber, where they have to take off their masks and breathe in the fumes, Tessa Terry said, the chemicals in the air on Friday were overwhelming.

"They're not just doing one or two - or even three or four - in a night," Tessa Terry said. "They're popping them off the entire night, and I've never seen anything like that."

Canisters found strewn about downtown streets indicate some of the gas may be expired, which experts said could make the chemicals feel more potent.

Human rights groups and health professionals have cautioned that tear gas could help spread the still-raging coronavirus because it irritates the lungs, makes people cough and causes a sensation that many react to by ripping off cloth masks they may be wearing to help mitigate the spread of the disease.

On their second night, the Terrys will be more prepared, they said. Lashan Terry, a former aviation mechanic, will be bringing his own blower.

Part of the reason the blowers are so effective against tear gas, experts said, is because despite the name, the chemicals in the canisters are actually an aerosol rather than a typical gas. That means tiny powder-like particles are dispersed into the air, where they hang and drift like a menacing fog.

Should a person be hit by the chemical substance, the particles stick to their body, clothes and any other surface they come into contact with, said Lewis Nelson, a Rutgers New Jersey Medical School professor who also works at the New Jersey Poison Center.

When the leaf blowers turn their blast of air on the chemical cloud, Nelson said, it sends the cloud in another direction. If the protesters push the tear gas back toward federal agents, the particles could latch onto their uniforms, helmets and other gear.

It makes sense then, Heisler said, that the agents would muster their own arsenal of blowers.

It was not clear where all these leaf blowers were coming from. They range in size and firepower. One man on a recent night held a tiny handheld blower above his head as a cloud of gas crept closer. The blower was about one foot from end to end. On Friday, several men carried large blowers powered by fuel packs strapped to their backs.

Hardware stores in the Portland area said they hadn't noticed a rush on leaf-blowers in recent weeks, but several managers noted that summer is typically a hot season for leaf-blower sales.

Just after midnight Saturday, a gas canister landed on the south side of the federal courthouse, just past a large banner that protesters had hung on the reinforced black fence around the courthouse with the letters BLM, an abbreviation for Black Lives Matter.

"Throw it back!" yelled the crowd. "Get rid of it!"

A man with a leaf blower strapped to his back snuffed out a lit cigarette and sighed.

"Well," he said to himself. "Time to get gassed again."

He revved up the machine, adjusted its straps and marched forward into the gathering fog.
TROY, MI  A naked Michigan man armed with an AR-15 was arrested after he allegedly broke into an apartment and tried to set it on fire.

Alexander James Raymond, 31, of Troy has been charged with third degree home invasion, fifth degree arson and three counts of restrictions and obstruction a police officer. Bond was set at $100,000.

The Troy Police Department arrested Raymond after they responded to an active fire alarm in the 1900 block of Somerset Road at approximately 8 a.m. on July 25.

Upon arrival, police found a bloody scene on an apartment deck, including a large, bloody kitchen knife and an open door with the screen ripped off. A trail of blood led to a nearby apartment building where officers discovered broken glass and the nude suspect.

The man was screaming and covered in blood with a towel wrapped around one of his hands, police said. He later became combative, charged at officers and eventually tried to escape, which led to him being tasered several times.

The mans thumb was injured prior to officers arrival. Due to behavior consistent with excited delirium, the man was sedated by paramedics and transported by Alliance Mobile Health to Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital, police said.

Officers later learned from witnesses that the man had been walking around the apartment complex grounds acting strangely and holding an AR-15.

Further investigation showed that the suspect earlier broke into the apartment and tried to set a fire by placing flammable items on a stove burner. Officers also located a bloody rifle in the apartment.

The resident was not home at the time and it was believed this apartment was chosen by the suspect at random, police said.

Raymond was arraigned Sunday at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital. He will be lodged at the Oakland County Jail.
Congress leaders and former Union law ministers Kapil Sibal, Ashwani Kumar and Salman Khurshid have written to Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra said that there has been "delay in convening the special session of the Rajasthan assembly" as advised by the council of ministers. In the letter written on Monday, the three Congress leaders said that any deviation from the established constitutional position in the present circumstances would be an avoidable negation of your oath of office.

Congress leaders and former Union law ministers Kapil Sibal, Ashwani Kumar and Salman Khurshid have written to Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra said that there has been delay in convening the special session of the Rajasthan assembly as advised by the council of ministers and it has resulted in an avoidable constitutional impasse.

In the letter written on Monday, the three Congress leaders said that any deviation from the established constitutional position in the present circumstances would be an avoidable negation of your oath of office and will create a constitutional crisis.

The delay in convening the special session of the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha as decided and advised by the council of ministers has resulted in an avoidable constitutional impasse. The position of the Governor, his role and limits, and circumscribed constitutional jurisdiction, have been elaborated by the Supreme Court by its seven-Judge bench judgment in the Shamsher Singh vs Union of India case in 1974 and more recently in the Nabam Rebia case in 2016, they said.

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Kumar alleged there was an abuse of constitutional powers.

To the best of my memory, there was not a single instance where the Governor refused to accept the recommendation of the state chief minister and the council of ministers, in a complete abuse of his constitutional powers. This will lead to the inter constitutional conflict, he said.

This undermines the basic parliamentary democracy and will raise issues arising out of breach of the Constitutional scheme and neglecting the constitutional morality for political purposes. Such kind of decisions by a high constitutional functionary does not auger well for our parliamentary democracy, Kumar told ANI.

He said it is an unprecedented case in the country that the Governor returned the recommendation of the Council of the ministers for convening the Assembly session for the second time.

The Congress will take this matter to the peoples court, he said.

The Governor said on Saturday that Raj Bhavan never had an intention not to call the assembly session and asked the Ashok Gehlot government to deliberate on three points including a 21-day notice period for convening session and maintaining social distancing norms.

A Raj Bhavan release also referred to certain other conditions to be followed if Gehlot government, which is facing a crisis due to differences in the state Congress, wants to seek a trust vote.

The Raj Bhavan said a proposal was received from the state government to convene assembly sessions from July 31 and the Governor has said that the session should be called according to the constitutional provisions.

The release said that the statements from the state government make it clear that it wants to bring a trust vote but there is no mention of it in the proposal sent for convening the session.

It also said that if the state government wants to bring a trust vote, there can be a basis to call the session at a short notice.

Also read: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan tests negative for Covid-19, discharged from hospital

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Whitney City Council Holds July Meeting

The Whitney City Council met in regular session Monday, July 20, and voted to move council meetings to the building recently vacated by the Lake Whitney Chamber of Commerce.



The chamber moved to its new location at 5516 FM 933 recently, freeing up the city building at 106 North Colorado Street next to the police station.



The decision was made based on more space being available in that building than at City Hall and more available parking nearby.



The council voted to rezone a building at the corner of Washington Avenue and Brazos Street in downtown Whitney to allow for a specific use permit. A wine tasting room is expected to open at the location.



A three-percent rate increase was also approved for Republic Services for commercial polycarts and dumpsters.



A start date was decided for the recent three-year contract that was approved for City Administrator/Police Chief Chris Bentley. The chief's new contract will begin October 1 at the start of the new budget year.



A number of updates and revisions were approved to the city's Code of Ordinances. Mayor Trey Jetton explained that city's attorney updated ordinances to bring them up to date and remove archaic language.



The council approved an amendment to its contract with Bureau Veritas North America, which performs building inspections for the city, to add an option to have the company perform certain fire inspections on an as-needed basis.



Bentley said that the agreement would assist the city with certain types of inspections, such as those performed on buildings with sprinkler systems, that city staff cannot perform.



In departmental reports, Library Director Denise Carter reported that things are going well at the library since the state permitted it to reopen to walk-in traffic with COVID-19 precautions in place.



Carter said that the library continues to offer a variety of online options for e-books and services, and a virtual story time and activities for teenagers have recently been added to the library website.



The library is also working to serve the community with curbside pickup in addition to allowing patrons to browse in person.



Carter said that everyone visiting the library has been willing to wear masks and take the necessary precautions without complaining. "I have been really proud of our community," she said.



Fire Chief Wayland Price said that the fire department had responded to 29 calls for service for the month, most of which were grass fires.



Most recent code enforcement activity has involved high grass, Price said.



Bentley said that three city employees, including two police officers and the public works director, have attended EMT school to assist with ambulance calls.



The city has placed a new stretcher on its second ambulance, which will help ensure one ambulance is in town to respond to calls if a transport is being made with another. Average ambulance response time is five minutes and 16 seconds.



The council's next regularly scheduled meeting is Monday, August 17, at 6 p.m.




With hundreds of Tests have authorities on a Corona outbreak in the popular upper Austrian resort town of St. Wolfgang is not responding. The number of confirmed cases rose to at least 50. Accordingly, many of the Infected young people in tourism enterprises, but also at least one vacation a guest was tested positive.

residents, guests, and tourism staff were asked to stay on Saturday night in their accommodation. The curfew was set at 23 hours. "Here and there there are Cancellations and cancellations" of reservations, said the head of the tourism Association of lake Wolfgang, Hans Wieser, of the dpa. Some guests had left early. St. Wolfgang is the main tourist resort in upper Austria, with more than 400,000 Nights in the previous year. In a normal season about a third of the guests are German.

On Friday, the first infections had become known to the public. The head of the district authority, Alois Lanz, defended on Saturday the behaviour of the trainees celebrated in several Local and could have. "We all did in our youth," he said on the Radio.

were closed on Friday, two Bars, in order to prevent further infection. The tourism Association has launched an information campaign to raise awareness among young employees to the dangers of Covid-19. As of Saturday were then tested hundreds of employees, travelers and Locals. In addition, all guests were contacted, in the ab 15. July in St. Wolfgang were.

The outbreak brings back memories of the Austrian Ski and party town of Ischgl in Tyrol, a center of Corona propagation in the whole of Europe was in the early stages of the pandemic. A total of more than 1500 people in Austria are currently infected with the Virus. Priorities for the new infections in Vienna and upper Austria.

Updated Date: 27 July 2020, 00:19
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched three state-of-the-art high throughput Indian Council of Medical Research labs in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Noida to further ramp up the countrys daily Covid-19 testing capacity by 10,000. Speaking on the occasion, he said over 500,000 tests were being conducted in the country daily, and efforts were underway to increase the capacity to a million in the coming weeks.

The tests are being conducted using both real-time reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and antigen-based testing. According to government data, at least 25% of the daily testing is antigen-based. It is quicker, cheaper, and easier to perform than the RT-PCR testing, which remains the gold standard for diagnosing Covid-19, experts say.

Modi said more tests will assist early detection and treatment, and thereby help fight the virus spread. These labs will not be limited to testing for Covid-19, but in future, will also be able to test for other diseases such as hepatitis B and C, HIV, dengue, tuberculosis among others, said Modi while launching the labs. Opening of these facilities will provide us the necessary strength required to scale up testing in states such as Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. These are also cities with maximum economic activity so there is a larger movement of people. With the help of these facilities, our teams will be able to process a larger number of samples in one go.

Modi cited the governments pre-emptive and proactive efforts and added it was due to these timely decisions that India is better placed as compared to other countries in terms of the Covid-related deaths.

Indias recovery rate is also higher than in other countries and is improving on a daily basis. The total number of people who have recovered from the virus is about to reach a million.

Modi said the Centre announced Rs 15,000 crore package at the beginning of this battle and that the country now has over 11,000 Covid-19 facilities and more than 1.1 million isolation beds. While the country had only one Covid-19 testing centre in January, there are almost 1,300 such labs now.

Modi said from not having even a single personal protection equipment kit manufacturer as recently as six months ago, India now has over 1,200 manufacturers now, who are producing more than 500,000 such kits daily. From being dependent on imports, now more than 3 lakh [300,000] N-95 masks are being produced in the country daily. The annual production capacity of ventilators has become 3 lakh [300,000] and there has also been a significant increase in the production of medical oxygen cylinders. This has not only helped save lives but has also converted India from an importer to an exporter.

Modi asked people to be careful during the coming festive season as chances of the virus spread are higher. till the time a vaccine is not developed, do gaz doori [distancing], wearing masks and hand sanitization are the tools at the disposal of the people to keep them safe.

Dr T Jacob John, a former virology department head at Vellores Christian College, said as the number of cases is rising, more samples need to be tested quickly. High throughput facilities can test a large number of samples as compared to a normal testing machine that can run a limited number of samples in one go. It is important to get early results for appropriate diagnosis, tracing, and treating those who are infected so that the disease spread is controlled effectively.

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The moment leading up to the fatal shooting of an armed Black Lives Matter protester in Texas over the weekend has been revealed in a newly surfaced photograph, hours after the suspect was released from custody having told investigators he shot the demonstrator in self-defense.

Garrett Foster, 28, was shot dead in Austin on Saturday evening after he confronted the driver of a car who had driven his vehicle toward a hundred-strong crowd of protesters marching in the city center.

Foster, who was carrying an AK-47, was shot three times by the driver who then fled the scene. The motorist later told police he fired his handgun at Foster after the activist pointed his assault rifle at his car.

A photograph circulating on social media on Monday shows Foster standing at the driver's window moments before the fatal shots rang out. The barrel of his AK-47 appears to be pointing towards the floor, however he is leaning towards the car with right arm raised and his hand seemingly placed around the weapon's grip.

Police, who declined to identify the driver, have released the suspect as they continue their investigation.

'We are heartbroken over the loss of Mr. Foster last night,' Austin Police Chief Brain Manley told reporters Sunday. 'It is actively being investigated and ongoing in conjunction with the Travis County district attorneys office.'

Officers also brought in a second gunman who shot at the car as it sped off. Both of the suspects' have a license to carry and both of their guns were seized for evidence, Manly said.

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A newly surfaced photograph shows Garrett Foster at the driver's window. The barrel of the rifle is pointed towards the ground, while his right arm is high with his hand seemingly placed on the grip of the weapon

Protesters say Foster (pictured left with Mitchell, and right together on the night he was killed) was trying to protect Mitchell after a car drove towards them - but the driver has claimed he shot in self defense after Foster pointed a rifle at him

First responders are seen preparing to transport Foster to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead

Whitney Mitchell, 28, led Black Lives Matter protesters in a vigil march for finace Garrett Foster, also 28, who was shot and killed during demonstrations in Austin, Texas, on Saturday night

Mitchell choked back tears as marchers held a moment of silence on the street where Foster was shot and killed as he approached the driver of a vehicle who opened fire

Mitchell - who had all four of her limbs amputated in 2010 after contracting a mystery virus - was supported by members of the crowd as she held a vigil on the spot where Foster died

Other members of the crowd embraced and some broke down in tears as protesters chanted 'say his name, Garrett Foster' during the Sunday-night vigil

Marchers carried signs reading 'Justice for Garrett' and laid them at the spot where he died along with candles and flower. Police have interviewed the man who shot Foster, but have released him pending further investigation

Protesters knee and raise their fists in a silent tribute to Foster, who was fatally shot in downtown Austin on Saturday night

Foster, who had been in the military for a time before becoming his fiancee's carer, had been participating in marches for more than 50 days when he was killed (pictured, protesters honor his memory with a silent tribute)

A protester carries a sign reading 'I can't breathe' with a noose around their neck during a vigil for Garrett Foster in Austin

Foster had been crossing 4th Street on Congress Avenue with his wheel-chair bound fiancee Whitney Mitchell, 28, and hundreds of other demonstrators when a motorist sped towards the crowd and began blaring its horn.

Protesters - who have been marching for 60 days - say the car swerved towards them and Foster has jumped in front of Mitchell, a quadruple amputee, fearing she was a target.

Police declined to say why the driver was where he was and whether his intent was nefarious. Witnesses told the Austin American-Statesman that the car sped through the protesters before it apparently hit an orange barrier and came to a stop.

The majority of the demonstrators scattered, however Foster, who was dressed in a military green T-shirt, baseball cap, bandanna, and wielding an AK-47, approached the driver's side window.

Within a matter of seconds, the driver of the car aimed his handgun out of the window and fired five shots before speeding away from the scene, leaving Foster to bleed out in the street.

The motorist called 911 as he fled, telling dispatchers he had 'just been involved in a shooting and driven away.'

Foster, who did not fire his weapon, received first aid at the scene before being transported to Dell Seton Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead around 10:30pm Saturday night.

Foster, who previously worked as a flight mechanic in the Air Force after enlisting as a teen, began dating Mitchell about ten years ago. The couple first met in an online chat room and became engaged a year later.

The following month, Mitchell was struck down by a mysterious illness and later had to have all four of her limbs amputated following sepsis.

Foster had to leave for basic training two months later but was discharged from the Air Force, aged 19, to become her full time carer.

'That time when he was gone [for basic training] was so detrimental to both of them, because they were very much in love, and he had cared for her so well,' his aunt Karen Sourber told USA Today. 'Hes been her primary caretaker ever since. He just loved her unconditionally and took care of everything.'

Hundreds gathered at the scene of the shooting on Sunday evening to mourn Foster's death in a vigil led by Mitchell.

Foster had been crossing 4th Street on Congress Avenue with Mitchell and hundreds of other demonstrators when a motorist sped towards the crowd and began blaring its horn. Cell phone footage captured the moment the fatal shots rang out

Whitney Mitchell chokes back tears as she takes part in a vigil for her fiance, Garrett Foster, who was shot dead in Austin

Marchers chanted 'say his name, Garrett Foster' and raised their fists in a silent tributes during the vigil, KVUE reported.

Mitchell, who had been engaged to Foster since she was 18, closed her eyes as she held back her emotions and was comforted by other members of the crowd.

Some people embraced and wept as marchers blocked off streets with bikes and cones, and began directing traffic away.

Others carried signs reading 'rest in power Garrett Foster' and 'justice for Garrett'. They were laid at the spot where he died, along with candles and flowers.

Following the vigil, the sea of protesters made their way to the Texas State Capitol to finish the march that had been disrupted the night before.

Foster was originally from Plano but had been living with Mitchell in Austin for the last two years. His mother Sheila said her son had been participating in the Black Lives Matter protests for more than 50 days in support of Mitchell, who is African-American.

She added: 'He was doing it because he felt really strongly about justice and he was very heavily against police brutality.'

Crediting her late son as 'one of the best young men you would ever know', Shelia also tearfully recounted the unconditional love Foster had for Mitchell.

'I saw my son at 19 years old brush this girl's teeth, comb her hair. He would put her on the toilet and clean her up, and he would make sure that she got bathed and make sure that she was able to get dressed and took her everywhere that she needed to go. And he's been doing that ever since,' Sheila told GMA.

'On top of grieving for my son, I worry about Whitney. Because who's going to do that for her now?' she continued. 'She just lost the love of her life, because somebody just randomly fired shots and killed my son. And I don't mean to say that anybody else's life is less valuable. I don't believe that. But I don't know why it had to be my son.'

Two attendees embrace at a vigil for Garrett Foster, who was shot and killed after a chaotic altercation with a motorist who allegedly drove into the crowd

A woman clutching flowers breaks down in tears during a vigil for Garrett Foster in downtown Austin

Protesters raise their fists and a sign reading 'I can't breathe' in tribute to Garrett Foster in downtown Austin, Texas

The couple were planning on getting married, but were waiting until Mitchell mastered her prosthetics before they walked down the aisle.

Mitchells mother, Patricia Kirven, told the Dallas Morning News she warned her daughter about going to the protests, because she was 'afraid something would happen.'

'She physically is OK, but mentally she is not. "Inconsolable" is the only word I can think of, because shell talk for a bit and then break down,' Kirven added.

Mitchell fell sick with what initially appeared to be flu in November 2010. However, her condition quickly worsened and she landed in intensive care, where the virus caused circulation to her limbs to shut down.

Doctors were able to save her, but only after amputating all of her limbs in order to stop them turning septic, the Dallas Morning News reported.

After the operation, Mitchell took up sewing as a form of therapy, before turning it into a career designing and making clothes. Foster worked full-time as her carer.

The couple had put the business on hold for the past several weeks, Mitchell's mother Patricia Kirven said, so that they could attend the protests.

Shelia Foster, Garrett's mother, said her son had previously served in the military and described him as a man committed to social justice, who had peacefully protested almost every night for the past 50 days with Mitchell

Foster often went armed, which is common at protests in Texas because it is an open-carry state.

Before he was fatally shot, Foster was seen speaking to local media about why he was carrying his AK-47.

In video shot by a local independent journalist, he says: 'They don't let us march in the streets anymore so gotta practice some of our rights.'

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley confirmed that Foster was carrying a rifle when he approached the vehicle that the person suspected of shooting him was in.

Manley said the suspect shot out of their car at Foster and then called 911 to report that they had shot someone who pointed a gun at their vehicle.

Investigators heard conflicting reports of what happened next, Manley told reporters on Sunday.

'His account is that Mr. Foster pointed the weapon directly at him and he fired his handgun at Mr. Foster,' Manley said of the motorist.

However, witnesses told police that Foster did not threaten the driver with his weapon, insisting he kept it pointed down before the fatal shots rang out.

'He was not aiming the gun or doing anything aggressive with the gun,' Michael Capochiano, a witness, told the New York Times. 'Im not sure if there was much of an exchange of words. It wasnt like there was any sort of verbal altercations. He wasnt charging at the car.'

Sheila Foster, Garrett's mother, said she was told her son was pushing his fiancee, who uses a wheelchair, through an intersection when the suspect was driving 'erratically' through the crowd.

His sister, Anna Mayo, said that her brother 'would have never, ever pointed a gun at somebody.'

'He always carried his guns with him. He had a license to carry in Texas  were an open carry state,' Mayo continued. 'He always would exercise his right to carry, but he would never threaten somebody. He was one of the most kindhearted people  that was the whole reason he was out there.'

Following the vigil, protesters continued to march on the Texas State Capitol to finish the demonstration which was cut short by Foster's death

Demonstrators march on the Texas State Capital in Austin as part of Black Lives Matter demonstrations which have now been ongoing for 60 days

Activists including Whitney Mitchell, the wheelchair-bound fiancee of Garrett Foster, take part in a sit-in demonstration in downtown Austin on Sunday night

People sit in the street at a vigil for Garrett Foster on July 26, 2020 in downtown Austin, Texas

Black Lives Matter protests have been taking place in cities across the US for weeks in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man who suffocated while being arrested in Minneapolis in May.

They have since expanded to call for wholesale reform of the US justice system, including defunding police services and reinvesting in struggling communities.

Tensions have been rising in recent weeks after the Trump administration deployed federal agents to try and force marchers off the streets, most visibly in Portland, Oregon.

Police are now investigating a shooting in that city which left one person wounded after witnesses said a fight broke out between several armed individuals.

The Portland Police Department confirmed that two people had been taken into custody following the incident and said one person was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

In Alexandria, Virginia, protesters flocked to the home of Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to decry the deployment of federal officers in cities including Portland, Seattle and Oakland.

The protest was organized by ShutDownDC, a group which considers Wolf to be responsible for the actions of the federal agents and is demanding that they be removed from every city in the US.

In Seattle, another city with a large presence of federal agents, thousands of people took to the streets of the Capitol Hill neighborhood on Sunday afternoon for largely peaceful protest.

Marchers carry a Back Lives Matter banner through the streets of Austin, Texas, during a march on Sunday night

People hold up signs outside Austin Police Department after a vigil for Garrett Foster on July 26, 2020 in downtown Austin

Protesters walk down 7th street in Austin after a vigil for Garrett Foster

Tensions between protesters and police officers reached a boiling point hours earlier as the latter group retreated into a precinct station after midnight following large demonstrations in the area surrounding the Capitol.

Some demonstrators lingered after officers filed into the department's East Precinct at around 1am, but most cleared out a short time later, according to video posted online.

Rocks, bottles, fireworks and mortars were fired at police during the weekend unrest, and police said they arrested at least 45 people for assaults on officers, obstruction and failure to disperse.

Twenty-one officers were hurt, with most of their injuries considered minor, police said.

Meanwhile hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Los Angeles for a march in solidarity with the people of Portland on Sunday.

The marchers carried signs attacking the actions of federal protesters on the ground in US cities, as well as repeated pleas to defund LA's own police department.

Sunday's march shut down a major roadway in the heart of the city but remained peaceful as police kept a safe distance.
This story was originally published by Undark and has been republished here with permission.

Editors note: The original version of this article failed to disclose that some of the critics of orthodontics quoted have financial ties to alternative, direct-to-consumer therapies. While the criticisms raised by these experts pre-date these financial ties by decades, and Undarks reportingboth prior to and after publicationsupports the storys premise that there is disagreement within the discipline over many of the purported medical benefits of traditional orthodontics, these relationships should have been included in the original article. They have now been added, along with a response from the individual experts involved.

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Peter Vig didnt go into orthodontics looking to take on the entire field. When he entered the profession in 1963 as an academic, he optimistically saw orthodontics as a way to apply his knowledge to benefit patients. He would go on to receive his Ph.D. in facial morphology at the University of London, conduct research at a number of universities, and earn 18 grants from the National Institutes of Health. These feats propelled him, in the eyes of other orthodontists, to the status of research legend. But as his career took off, he became more disillusioned. The more time he spent entrenched in orthodontic research, the more he questioned what he had been taught in dental school: that orthodontic treatment was necessary for health.

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Over the years, Vig submitted letters to academic journals, bemoaning a lack of strong evidence for the health benefits of orthodontic treatment and questioning what he calls the prevailing dogma of orthodontics. He once testified as an expert witness in a lawsuit against a fellow orthodontist. At one point, the American Journal of Orthodontics, now the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, for whom he was a reviewer, was set to reject Vigs own paper because editors feared that the results, which questioned the efficacy of diagnosis and variability in treatment, reflected poorly on the orthodontic profession. In response, Vig threatened to write an article about the ethics of orthodontic journals. (When contacted by Undark, the editor in chief of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics declined to comment.)

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Eventually, the editors did agree to publish the paper. But by that point, Vig had come to view the disagreement as yet another example of a lack of scientific integrity in orthodontics. Shortly after that, he said, I quit.

Vig is now semi-retired. Much has changed in the field of orthodontics since the height of his career. But according to him, orthodontic organizations havent stopped making claims unfounded in research. Orthodontics is largely considered a medical specialty, not just a cosmetic one. From small clinics to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), advertisements promise to prevent a host of ills ranging from cavities to jaw pain. Today, the AAO advises parents that all children should have an orthodontic consultation by age seven in order to identify potential problems and develop a treatment plan. According to the organizations website, a lack of treatment can lead to tooth decay, gum disease, broken front teeth, and loss of bone tissue that holds teeth in place. Many orthodontic clinics additionally warn of persistent jaw pain and headaches.

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A small group of dentists and orthodontists across the globe have looked carefully at the evidence underpinning these claims and found it lacking. Although some individual studies suggest that orthodontic treatment improves oral health, such studies are often fraught with bias and often dont control for variables like socioeconomic status. Further, when the results of multiple studies are analyzed together, they do not provide evidence that orthodontic treatment decreases ones likelihood of developing conditions such as gum disease and jaw pain.

Out-of-pocket spending on orthodontic treatments costs $5.4 billion per year.

Since the 1940s, there has been a steady increase in the percentage of children who receive orthodontic treatment. From 2010 to 2012, 16.8 percent of U.S. children between 10 and 14 years of age visited an orthodontist. And the proportion who see an orthodontist at any point throughout their childhood is likely much greater. Based on past data, its likely that around half of U.S. children today receive orthodontic treatment, according to Philippe Hujoel, an oral health epidemiologist at the University of Washington. Meanwhile, out-of-pocket spending on orthodontic treatments costs $5.4 billion per year. Private insurance and Medicaid cover an additional $4.2 billion of that care, and some nonprofits cover treatments for families in need when Medicaid deems treatment medically unnecessary.

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The American Association of Orthodontists declined to comment to Undark. But many orthodontists stand by the associations claims, and some have raised questions about the motives of some of the disciplines criticsincluding Vig, who recently joined the clinical advisory board of, and will accept money from, a direct-to-consumer teeth-alignment company that is marketed as an alternative to traditional orthodontics. (Vig acknowledged his relationship with the company but in an email noted that his academic work critiquing orthodontics precedes that relationship by decades.) Other experts, including Peter Greco, a clinical professor of orthodontics at the University of Pennsylvania and an associate editor of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, point out that orthodontic treatments are uniquely difficult to experimentally test, and so treatment decisions are often based on traditional knowledge and an orthodontists clinical experience, rather than on scientific evidence.

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Thats pretty much where the predominance of information is, Greco said. But, he adds, the field is becoming more evidence-based as time goes on.

Some orthodontists who question their fields claims about oral health do continue to treat patients. As they see it, clear communication of evidence  or lack thereof  is key. If you tell a lay person that a child has mandibular hypoplasia, or maxillary deficiency, or adenoidal facies  it sounds bad, said Vig. Parents dont necessarily know what theyre signing up for. That, he says, is a problem.

Since antiquity, dentists from Egypt to Greece have sought the perfect bite. Mummies have been found buried in tombs with bands around their teeth. Even the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder recommended that people file their teeth to bring them into proper alignment. By the early 18th century, French dentist Pierre Fauchard was strapping patients teeth to metal arches to wrangle crooked smiles into submission. Early in the 19th century, British dental surgeon Joseph Fox devoted four chapters of his book The Natural History and Diseases of the Human Teeth to the correction of crooked teeth and misaligned jaws.

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The end goal of these treatments, however, wasnt to prevent health problems, but to create a more attractive profile, said Marc Ackerman, an orthodontist and medical ethicist in Boston. Norman Kingsley, considered one of the early fathers of orthodontics, was a classically trained sculptor. During his day job as a dentist in New York, he applied his understanding of facial symmetry to the faces of patients, diagnosing what he referred to as irregularities and deformities.

It wasnt until the turn of the 20th century that an American dentist named Edward Angle transformed dentistrys obsession with straight teeth into the modern science of orthodontics. In his treatise titled Treatment of Malocclusion of the Teeth, Angle laid out the precise parameters of a perfect bite, down to the millimeter. He based this ideal on the relative positions of the upper and lower first molars, which he believed should fit cleanly into one another, the crest of the top tooth into the divet in the middle of the bottom tooth. Any bite that deviated from this proposed ideal Angle deemed a malocclusion  Latin for bad close.

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This was probably the cornerstone of the medicalization in orthodontics, said Alexander Spassov, an orthodontist and researcher in Greifswald, Germany. Angles criteria gave orthodontists a measure that could supposedly identify which bites needed treatment and which didnt. Still, the transformation of orthodontics into a medical specialty was gradual and hard to trace back to a specific moment in history, Spassov said. For example, although Angle did help establish the specialty by founding both the first orthodontic school and the American Society of Orthodontists (today the AAO), he made no mention of health benefits, Spassov added. It was only later, perhaps after World War II, that orthodontics began to be seen as a preventative treatment for various ills, Ackerman said.

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More than 120 years after he waxed poetic about the artistic harmony of properly aligned teeth, Angles concept of an ideal bite is still the basis used to determine whether patients need orthodontic treatment. Orthodontists measure the overlap between patients jaws, the width of their palate, the crowding of their teeth. These measurements are compared to the ideal, then categorized by how they deviate in measurement. Class I malocclusions are the least severe; Class II and III, the most.

This process of systematically measuring teeth and pointing out the way they diverge from ideal is essential in creating demand, said Anette Wickstrom, a medical anthropologist at Linkoping University in Sweden. Wickstrom studies medical procedures that normalize the appearance of children, such as gender-normalization surgeries performed on intersex children.

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Everyday orthodontic practices send a message that teeth should conform to a very narrow ideal.

Sometimes we see the medical domain as something that is neutral, just fixing problems. But at the same time, the medical domain is also enacting norms, Wickstrom said. From measuring patients bites to communicating treatment goals, everyday orthodontic practices send a message that teeth should conform to a very narrow ideal  and anything less is abnormal.

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According to a 2015 survey published in The Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, 57 percent of families seek orthodontic care primarily to give their child straight teeth. The same study also found that nearly 85 percent of parents who opted for treatment for their children did so due to a referral from the dentist. Dentists dont typically refer patients to the orthodontist to treat an existing medical condition. Instead, the assumption is that getting teeth straightened out will prevent future ills, writes Ackerman in an article for The Journal of Medical Ethics.

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For parents, this referral carries the implicit message that treatment is both necessary and worthwhile for their childs health, writes Bill Shaw, a professor of orthodontics and dentofacial development at the University of Manchester in the U.K., in an article published in the academic journal Seminars in Orthodontics. Shaw argues that a dentists referral to the orthodontist will initiate a conveyor belt of entry into orthodontic treatment, with little or no reflection or discussion.

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Similar to Peter Vig, Alexander Spassov began his career under the assumption that orthodontic treatment improves oral health. In dental school at the University of Greifswald, the evidence behind this assumption was never questioned. After completing his residency there, Spassov took a job as a clinical lecturer and researcher in the medical school. Immersed in an academic environment, he saw his colleagues in other disciplines spend each day combing through research literature. These colleagues were engaging in whats widely known as evidence-based medicine. Developed about 30 years ago, this medical paradigm emphasizes the use of high-quality research in medical decision-making, although in recent years, some experts have moved away from the term and has been much disagreement about what it means.

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Following the lead of his medical colleagues, Spassov delved into the orthodontics research. When he found little to support the use of orthodontics as a preventative treatment for oral health, he was deeply troubled. In fact, he began to feel that the lack of evidence presented a conflict with my professional and ethical principles.

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While continuing to teach orthodontics, Spassov began dialoging with colleagues in the universitys history, bioethics, and philosophy departments, sharing his concerns about offering treatment with weak evidence. In 2014, they published an article on the subject, in a prestigious German medical ethics journal. They pointed out that according to some estimates, fewer than 5 percent of the population fit Angles criteria for ideal occlusion (others estimate this proportion could be as high as 25 to 50 percent), and questioned the necessity of treatment, arguing that treatment decisions are often based on incomplete information provided to the patient, overemphasizing questionable benefits. The article cited studies demonstrating that simply brushing and flossing had a greater impact on oral health than orthodontic treatment.

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Views like Spassovs and Vigs are outnumbered by orthodontists who say their treatments are medically useful. And as with Vig, some orthodontists suggested to Undark that Ackermans views are conflicted, given that he also has financial ties to a direct-to-consumer alternative to traditional orthodontics, which falls under the broader and controversial field of teledentistry. in an email message, Ackerman insisted that his advocacy on these issues preceded his financial relationship to teledentistry by several years, with his earliest critiques of orthodontics dating as far back as 2004. Still, many orthodontists stand firm on the disciplines medical benefits. Dental health is definitely enhanced by orthodontic therapy, and I stand firm on that, said Greco, who added that he has seen the positive effects of orthodontic treatment in his own practice. As long as an orthodontist has received proper training and accreditation, Greco trusts them to make beneficial treatment decisions based on their knowledge and clinical experience.

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A dentists referral to the orthodontist will initiate a conveyor belt of entry into orthodontic treatment, with little or no reflection or discussion.  Bill Shaw, professor of orthodontics at the University of Manchester

Greco supports evidence-based orthodontics in theory, but putting it into practice takes effort, he said. The gold standard for research on humans is the randomized controlled trial, an experiment in which one group gets the treatment  say, braces  and the other gets a placebo, a varied duration of braces, or some other form of treatment. To eliminate bias, the groups are randomly assigned. At the end of the experiment, researchers compare the results for each group to see if the treatment really worked.

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According to Greco, these kinds of studies are uniquely difficult to conduct for orthodontic treatments. For one thing, its hard to gather a large enough pool of study subjects to generate meaningful results, and the variation between patients makes it difficult to standardize the procedures. Together, these characteristics make it very difficult to conduct clinical trials where variables are controlled and treatment groups are randomly selected, Greco said. As a result, the majority of research simply compares people receiving orthodontic treatment, without controlling for other variables.

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Clinical experience is one component of evidence-based medicine, said Hujoel, but alone its not enough. Clinical experience will tell you that a patient can come into the office with crooked teeth and walk out a few years later with a straight smile, Hujoel said. But to claim that changing tooth position has long-term health benefits? Thats a huge claim to make without clinical trials, Hujoel said.

Some individual studies do suggest that people with crowded teeth are more likely to have dental problems. For example, a 2000 study found that patients with crowded teeth had more plaque and pathogenic bacteria. And a study published in 2017 found that among nearly 15,000 participants, people who hadnt received orthodontic treatment were more likely to have a serious gum infection called periodontitis. But because neither study was randomized, its difficult to know whether variables like socioeconomic class  a well-known factor in oral health  swayed the findings.

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Further, when looked at as a whole, the research paints a troubling picture. Scientists from the University of Washington School of Dentistry carefully selected 12 studies on orthodontics and dental health. The groups research, published in 2008 in The Journal of the American Dental Association, found that the dental health of individuals who received orthodontic treatment actually worsened slightly over the long term. A more recent study published in the June 2020 issue of The American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics analyzed 7 studies on orthodontics and oral health. While this study didnt find any evidence for worsened oral health, it came to a similar conclusion: The authors couldnt find sufficient evidence in the scientific literature for the health benefits of orthodontic treatment.

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Treatments aside, its not even clear that malocclusion causes bad health outcomes. While some individual studies find risks associated with malocclusion  jaw pain, for example  analyses of the larger body of literature tend to come up short. The 2020 study published in The American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics also analyzed 87 studies on the effects of malocclusion on oral health and didnt find enough evidence to suggest that crooked teeth lead to poor health outcomes.

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Of course, not everyone visits the orthodontist to prevent cavities. Many go because they hope straight teeth will improve their life, said Stephen Richmond, a professor of orthodontics at Cardiff University in Wales. And there is some evidence to suggest that might be true  at least in children. In 2016, a team of orthodontists in the Netherlands analyzed the results of 40 studies and found that children with more crooked teeth tended to have a lower quality of life than those with straight teeth. However, the researchers didnt take into account whether the studies controlled for socioeconomic status  a potentially powerful predictor of both quality of life and likelihood of receiving dental health care.

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According to some orthodontists, this lack of objective evidence of health benefits is cause for concern. After all, treatment places a financial burden on families and the health care system, and it also poses some health risks. Even very small risks  from adverse reactions associated with surgical interventions to the long-term effects of X-ray exposure  are bound to impact a small but measurable number of patients if enough people are treated, Hujoel said. And millions of kids receive orthodontic treatment each year.

But others see things differently. The cost-benefit [ratio] there is so low, said Greco. If you can readily correct a problem as a patient develops, youd want to do that to give that patient every opportunity to develop normally, emotionally and mentally, physically, Greco said.

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No one is arguing that individual orthodontists are intentionally misleading patients. The problem is cultural, Ackerman said. Evidence just isnt valued as highly in orthodontics as tradition and clinical experience. Although the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation requires an evidence-based curriculum, It is largely paid lip service, Ackerman wrote in an email. (The ADA did not respond to requests for comment.) Instead, his residency experience emphasized the classical practice of orthodontics. At one point during residency, Ackerman challenged his chair on a recommendation given to a patient. He still remembers the response he received: AckermanDont confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up.

As a lecturer, Spassov was interested in incorporating a more critical discussion of evidence into his curriculum. However, he said that his colleagues dissuaded him. He says he was warned that incorporating evidence-based principles would confuse students. According to Spassov, it is easier and less confusing to just teach the same content each year. But that shouldnt justify avoiding the topic entirely, he said. Diverging evidence is at the core of science and research, he wrote in an email to Undark.

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Orthodontists need to rethink how they communicate treatment needs with their patients, said Richmond. Health professionals have to be careful what they say sometimes, he said. When they say, you may have an issue, that gets stuck in your mind.

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Ackerman agrees that patients deserve nuanced and accurate information. In 2007 and again in 2018, he challenged the American Association of Orthodontists about specific claims on its website: namely, that malocclusion can cause loss of teeth, speech impediment, and poor nutrition. When asked for evidence to support these assertions, they dismissed the complaint with no real investigation, Ackerman said.

Around a decade after his first complaint, they finally modified the site  and only slightly. Still, its a step in the right direction, said Vig.

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The website continues to list other risks of malocclusion without providing evidence. Thats what its like to fight back against a prevailing dogma with new evidence, said Vig  its wearying. In an ideal world, those making a particular claim should carry the burden of proof, he said. Instead, that burden of proof falls on that minority of orthodontists willing to challenge the status quo  orthodontists like Vig, Ackerman, and Spassov. Each time they publish a paper that risks painting the profession in a negative light, each time they demand evidence for a claim, they meet resistance, Vig said. It makes us pariahs in our profession.

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Linkedin Novan Iman Santosa (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 08:57 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066976e47 1 Opinion defense-equipment,procurements,Jet-fighters,Eurofighter-Typhoon,alutsista,Prabowo-Subianto,defense-ministry,#commentary Free

The Defense Ministrys plan to buy 15 second-hand Eurofighter Typhoons from Austria may provide a two-pronged benefit to Indonesia. Not only will the jet fighters increase the countrys military capabilities and deterrence, they will also open up opportunities for its defense companies, both state-owned and private.

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto sent a letter dated July 10 to his Austrian counterpart Klaudia Tanner offering to buy the heavy jet fighters, just four days after the United States cleared Indonesias purchase of Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors and related equipment worth some US$2 billion.

The ministrys spokesman, Brig. Gen. Djoko Purwanto, said the planned purchase had been thoroughly researched. Everything is studied and selected before the government issues a formal purchase offer, Djoko said during a press conference on Thursday.

Lawmakers and observers were quick to slam the plan, saying it would violate Law No. 16/2012, which says priority should be given to domestic defense companies in the procurement of tools for its primary weapons system (Alutsista). President Joko Jokowi Widodo also directed officials in November last year not to purchase obsolete and outdated weapon systems.

Should the plan materialize, it will not be the first for Indonesia.

In 1980, the country bought 32 Douglas A-4E and T-A4 H Skyhawk attack jets from Israel in cloak-and-dagger fashion. The official explanation was that Indonesia procured the jets from the US, which bought them from Israel after they were decommissioned. Indonesian pilots, however, were sent to an Israeli air force base codenamed Arizona for training.

More recently in 2011, Indonesia chose to buy 24 used F-16 C/D Block 25 jet fighters and upgrade the engines and avionics with a cost of some $600 million over six brand new F-16 C/D Fighting Falcon Block 52 jet fighters worth around $430 million.

The upgrades increased the Block 25s capabilities to levels closer to those of the Block 52.

The decision allowed the Indonesian Air Force to form a second F-16 squadron in Pekanbaru, Riau. The first squadron is located in Madiun, East Java, which flies the much older F-16 A/B Block 15.

Having a second squadron means there is more presence in the vast Indonesian airspace, as more F-16s are available and more pilots can fly to hone their skills.

Such an approach can be adopted for Austrias Typhoons, which originally belonged to Tranche 1 that focuses more on air defense missions. The consortium producing the Typhoon, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, has provided upgrades to tranches 2 and 3, which greatly improves the jet fighters ground attack capabilities.

If Indonesia receives approval from Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, which design and produce Typhoons, it could then request an upgrade package involving Indonesian companies and manpower.

The House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense, foreign affairs and information warned the plan could violate Law No. 16/2012 on the defense industry, which requires foreign acquisitions to include counter trade, local content and offset (IDKLO) provisions that account for 85 percent of the acquisition value.

The law defines local content as components (hardware and software), intellectual property rights, engineering, man hours, customer support and training provided by Indonesian individuals or companies. Offset is defined as an agreement to return some part of the contract value in the form of coproduction, joint ventures, buybacks, knowledge transfers or training.

The Typhoon purchase could fulfil the legal requirement so long as the Defense Ministry can negotiate hard for an upgrade package that not only greatly improves the Typhoons capabilities but also those of Indonesian defense industry.

The ministry, for example, could require a system for naval missions to be developed together, considering Indonesias vast exclusive economic zone.

In addition to state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) as the lead integrator, the upgrade package could also involve other companies, such as state-owned electronics maker PT LEN Industri and several private defense electronics companies.

Lawmakers also insist that the government should be more committed to the joint jet fighter production program with South Korea, in which Indonesia holds a minority share of 20 percent. Indonesia joined the $8 billion project in 2010.

Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) is working with PT DI to design and manufacture the jet fighter, with Indonesia projected to buy 48 aircraft and South Korea projected to buy 120.

A prototype of the jet fighter, however, will only appear in 2021 and its first flight is scheduled for 2022, The Korea Herald reported on July 8. Mass production is expected to start between 2026 and 2028, the Herald added.

The acquisition of Typhoons would, therefore, provide the Indonesian Air Force with increased capabilities until Indonesias first batch of KFX/IFX jet fighters arrive in the next decade.

The know-how acquired in upgrading the Typhoon systems would also provide great experience for Indonesian defense companies, thus preparing them to upgrade the KFX/IFX jet fighters once they are operational.

Typhoons will also provide much-needed capabilities until the $1.1 billion purchase of Russian Su-35 Flanker Es, which may enrage the US, materializes. Both Flankers and Typhoons are heavy jet fighters that perform similar roles.

With the Austrian Typhoons still having some 20 years left in their lifecycle, an expedient negotiation and delivery could greatly increase the Indonesian Air Forces capabilities and deterrence.

By providing support to local defense companies to upgrade the Typhoons, and by extension possibly supporting the KFX/IFX program, the government is making good on its own word to prioritize local defense companies.

-------

Staff writer at The Jakarta Post
Not delaying says Rajasthan Governor as he calls for assembly session

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 27: Rajasthan Governor on Monday acceded to the state cabinet's request for an assembly session.

Rajasthan crisis: Speaker CP Joshi withdraws SC plea against team Pilot | Oneindia News

The move came a while after Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot told reporters that he had spoken with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi informing him about the Governor's behaviour.

In the notification the Governor denied that he was delaying the summoning of the House Session. Earlier the Governor sought clarifications from the state government as he returned the proposal by the CM to summon the assembly session from July 31 onwards.

SC allows Rajasthan Speaker to withdraw petition

In another development rhe Speaker of the Rajasthan assembly has requested the Supreme Court to permit him to withdrawn his petition. The Supreme Court has allowed the Speaker to withdraw his plea.

The Speaker had challenged the decision of the Rajasthan High Court, which had directed him not to act against rebel Congress MLAs including Sachin Pilot.

The Speaker's decision to move the SC was meant to make the HC follow the 1992 Kihoto Hollohon verdict. However the HC has now restrained the Speaker from acting on the disqualification notices and this is in breach of the Hollohon verdict, according to the Speaker.

Senior counsel, Kapil Sibal told the court that the Rajasthan High Court had passed a detailed order relating to disqualification proceedings pending before the Speaker. We will contest it there and if the need arises, we will come again to the Supreme Court, he said while adding that the HC is not following the five judge Bench order of the SC.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, July 27, 2020, 16:01 [IST]
Mount Saint Dominic Academys veteran head of school, Sister Frances Sullivan, and new trustee Sandy Castor stood outside the main campus building, Rosary Hall, contemplating the cross that tops its neo-Gothic tower on a hilltop overlooking Caldwell.

We had this conversation the other day about Jesus, his inclusiveness, and I think thats what that symbolizes to me, said Sullivan. Whoever walks through that door is a viable, valuable person.

Castor, a 2001 graduate of the Mount, as the elite Catholic high school for girls is known, agreed with Sullivans interpretation of Christ as a uniter.

For me, the essence of god is an inclusionary god, Castor said. The essence of Jesus is an inclusionary Jesus.

In that sense, the need for Mount Saint Dominic itself to be more Christlike is something else that Castor and Sullivan agree on, and have vowed to work on together.

When the Board of Trustees convenes its July meeting via Zoom on Monday night, Castor, 37, will be one of two new members hoping to help usher in a new era of diversity, equity and inclusion at the 128-year-old Catholic high school for girls.

Castors appointment is a direct result of the calls for racial justice that have echoed across the country and through the hallowed halls of Mount Saint Dominic in the wake of George Floyds death in police custody in Minneapolis last May. The Mount was among elite prep schools where Black alumni petitioned for reforms and took to social media to share their experiences being demeaned by cruel or ignorant classmates, treated unequally by teachers, steered away from elite colleges by guidance counselors, and mistrusted by administrators.

Sullivan, an Irish Catholic in her late 70s, who graduated from Mount Saint Dominic in 1960, was just one of the school heads to express their contrition. She wrote in an open letter last month, We have made mistakes, and have been blind to what has been within our sight. For this, I sincerely apologize.

The Bloomfield Avenue entrance to Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell, which shares its hilltop campus with Caldwell University. Both are Catholic institutions controled by the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell. Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media

To support her reform efforts and further represent students of color on the 16-person board of trustees, Castor immediately recruited another alumna, the Class of 2008s Ghilianie Soto of Kearny.

Castor, a real estate developer from West Orange, is Black and of Haitian descent. Soto, 30, a publicist who lives in Kearny, is Latinx, her mother from the Dominican Republican and father from Puerto Rico.

The two are the first alumnae of color to serve as trustees since L. Grace Spencer of Newark, who only served a year on the board earlier this decade but had to step down due to other obligations.

As alumnae, Castor and Soto will bring their first-hand experiences of having been teenage girls of color and modest backgrounds among Mount Saint Dominics predominantly white and, for the most part, economically privileged student body.

It will help all of us on the board who happen to be Caucasian men and women to get to understand more about the issues were talking about, Sullivan said.

Castor said a long-term goal of hers is to increase representation of people of color among both students and faculty. For example, she would like to recruit from beyond the Catholic elementary schools in Essex and surrounding counties that have traditionally been MSDAs feeders.

Along with that recruitment effort, Castor hopes to increase fundraising for financial aid, which now accounts for about 10% of the $19,975 annual tuition and fees.

Sandy Castor, new trustee, Mount Saint Dominic Academy, Caldwell, NJ. 07/09/2020Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media

Its going to take time for us to achieve the diversity and also increase the amount of resources that were able to provide to folks who may be in different socio-economic positions than their peers, Castor said.

Soto said that because of her own working-class background, she felt more of a class divide than racial or ethnic lines at Mount Saint Dominic.

I was poor, said Soto, who went on to Syracuse University and a career in public relations. My goal is that every little girl that walks into that school who feels like an other, feels like and sees that she has a network of support of other women that look like her, and come from similar backgrounds.

At MSDA and other private schools, some alumni have distanced themselves financially and otherwise from their alma mater because they felt marginalized while attending. Soto, Castor and Sullivan all said a key reason MSDA must reform itself is to earn the loyalty of its alumnae of color and their financial support.

I dont think its a side-benefit, Sullivan said. I think its essential.

As the head of school, Sullivan has been the focus of pent-up anger among Black alumnae, some less conciliatory than Castor.

Mount Saint Dominic Academy alumnae and friends, Andie Kajouras, left, and Chelsea Greene. Greene has been a vocal critic of racial insensitivity at their alma mater who is unconvinced that its long-time head of school, Sister Frances Sullivan, will embrace meaningful reforms.Courtesy of Chelsea Greene

One of her critics is Chelsea Greene, a 2016 MSDA grad who was involved in the creation of a Black at MSDA Instagram page, where students and alumnae have recounted painful experiences of racial ignorance, insensitivity, or microaggression from white classmates and even faculty.

Greene was among 36 alumnae, along with Castor and Soto, who signed a June 11 letter to school administrators demanding reforms, including the appointment of a trustee of color. In spite of the pairs appointments, Greene remained skeptical that Sullivan would embrace and implement real reform at Mount Saint Dominic, where Greene said Sullivan had ignored pleas for reform in 2016.

Im very optimistic about these two women being added to the board, Greene told NJ Advance Media in an email. My biggest concern will always be with Sister Fran herself and her willingness to grow and receive these stories and make the changes.

Sullivan acknowledged that she had not reacted strongly enough to past calls to address racial bias on campus.

A lot of it is hard to hear, difficult to hear, Sullivan said. But I, as well as many people, need a wake-up call. And I think this is an opportunity for that. And the real hope is that we dont just let this die out, that we take this and we take positive steps and move forward.

Mount Saint Dominic Head of School Sister Frances Sullivan, taking care in the time of the coronavirus.Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media

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Zareen Khan says people still assume Salman Khan helps her find work: "I cannot be a monkey on his back"
A lady poker player was recently found dead this month that took friends and colleagues by surprise. The police have no official statement but calls it a homicide for now.

Best known as a professional poker player in high profile poker games, the victim was discovered badly burned in a parking lot. Authorities are in the process of investigation of the circumstance about why the victim was killed, reported Oxygen.

The murder victim has been identified as Susie Zhao, who moved back to Michigan to be near her parents. She has been living out of state, till she returned recently.

The corpse of Zhao, 33, was seen at a parking area close to the Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. The report of finding the body came after 8 a.m. last July 13, based on an official release from the White Lake Township Police Department. According to them, the official cause of death was not confirmed but will be considered as a homicide.

Sources said that no vehicle was parked on the area or nearby at the time of the discovery of Zhao's semi torched corpse, reported local station WDIV. The victim was last seen breathing at 5:30 p.m. when she was with her mother.

Speculations of her cause of death may be related to her gambling activities in other states. Another theory is whether the murder was done by an acquaintance or someone close who she met while in Michigan. This was remarked by the White Lake Township Police Det. Lt. Chris Hild in an interview by WXYZ.

Also read: Man Hides Decomposing Body Under Floor Board, Tries to Escape Authorities By Disguising as His Sister

Her former roommate, Yuval Bronshtein said an interview with WXYZ that her ex-roommate choose to go back to Michigan to sort out her life. Her pro-poker stint has her jetting from Los Angeles and Las Vegas regularly. Bronshtein added that she had no idea who would kill Zhao in such a gruesome manner.

The victim's roommate expressed surprise, confusion, and felt saddened by death, saying that it was hard to process that the victim had enemies at all.

When asked about the deceased, many of her pro-poker players said the same sentiments. Most wonder why anyone would want to kill the victim.

One of her friends and poker rival Bart Hanson told the media, that he does not know who would harm or even want to murder the victim. He knew her best as one of the better poker players.

An online poker database is known as the Hendon Mob stated that Zhao had all-time high earning that totals $224,671, as a professional poker player. One highlight of her pro career is winning a total of $73,805 and getting 90th spot in the World Series of Poker in 2012.

When reports of Zhao's killing came, one of her co-poker players is Clayton Fletcher tweeted the words "heartbreaking" on Twitter.

Feeling sad at the death of his deceased poker rival, he posthumously described Zhao as the bubbliest and most vivacious rivals he came against, adding that she was an excellent poker player but set apart by not being boring at the table.

The station WXYZ is asking anyone to give information to investigators and the FBI about the events between 11 and 13.

Related article: Jennifer Dulos Murder: American Writer Died of Violent Assault As Blood Were Found in Zip Ties, Garage

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A body modification enthusiast known as 'Dragon Girl' has unveiled the latest radical addition to her look.

NSW Central Coast woman Amber Luke has spent $120,000 on nearly 600 tattoos and extreme body modifications including a tongue split, breast augmentation, cheek and lip fillers, pointed implants placed in her ears and a Brazilian butt lift.

The 25-year-old took to Instagram on Friday to reveal her latest modification, wearing blue diamond earrings that stretch her earlobes out to a whopping 32 millimetres.

'Dragon Girl' Amber Luke (pictured) has unveiled the latest radical addition to her look

The 25-year-old took to Instagram to reveal her new stretched earlobes which reach 32mm

'Ear inspo,' Ms Luke captioned the post.

Amber Luke's $120,000 body transformation Tongue split

Pointed implants in ears

Pierced forehead, chest, lip, cheek, wrist and arm

Earlobes stretched

Breast augmentation

Cheek and lip fillers

Eyebrows, lip tattooed and eyeballs tattooed with blue ink

Nearly 600 tattoos, including on her chest, neck, stomach, arms, face, fingers, thighs, sternum, bottom and hands

Brazilian butt lift Advertisement

Ms Luke had vowed to stop body modification work after a procedure went terribly wrong.

Ms Luke had blue ink injected into her eyeballs during an excruciating 40-minute procedure last November that left her blind for three weeks.

'I can't even begin to describe to you what the feeling was like, the best thing I can give you is once the eyeball was penetrated with the ink, it felt like [the tattoo artist] grabbed 10 shards of glass and rubbed it in my eye,' Ms Luke told Barcroft TV.

'That happened four times per eye, that was pretty brutal. Unfortunately, my artist went too deep into my eyeball.

'If your eyeball procedure's done correctly, you're not supposed to go blind at all. I was blind for three weeks. That was pretty brutal.'

'I don't plan on getting any more body modifications that are extreme in that manner. So no more tongue splitting, no more eyeball tattooing.'

Ms Luke developed a fascination for tattoos at age 16 before she dabbled with extreme body modifications.

Her ideal image is to be 'fully covered' in tattoos.

Ms Luke has spent more than $70,000 on cosmetic procedures including a tongue split, breast augmentation, and pointed ear implants

Ms Luke (pictured in early 2017 before undergoing her transformation) said she thought she looked 'plain' and 'boring'

Before her transformation, Ms Luke said she never liked the way she looked.

'I see myself as very plain looking when looking at before and after photos, I absolutely hated the way I used to look. It wasn't me. I was boring,' she previously told Daily Mail Australia.

'But I've evolved myself over the years into what I want to be and look like, but in saying that, I still have a long way to go.'

Ms Luke said she has 'no regrets' over her 10-year transformation.

'I'm not worried what I'm going to look like when I'm older, I understand that everyone ages and I don't think anyone will be looking too "pretty" at 70 years old,' she said.

'At the end of the day, it's the only thing I can take to my grave with me.'

Since unveiling her new look, Ms Luke said she has been met with mixed responses.

'I gained a lot of support and positive vibes from complete strangers - there was always the few nasty opinionated ones who try to make you feel inadequate, but I never let them get to me,' she said.

'I'm not harming anyone in the process, I'm doing what I want to do and if it makes me get up in the morning and be a happy person, then so be it.'
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Native Sun News Today Columnist

The norms sustaining our political system in America as well as the State of South Dakota have never favored American Indians because they have been based to a large degree on racial exclusion.

Most Americans have a hard time believing that: we got rid of the Slavery of black people, didnt we? We passed Civil Rights Laws, didnt we?

But, most Indians know racial exclusion to be a real thing. History tells us that Americas democratic norms were born in a context of exclusion.

The prevailing parties we now know, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have had that history in common.

Elizabeth Cook-Lynn. Courtesy photo

I drove past a beautifully colorful parade of young Indian graduates from local high schools in the downtown of our city yesterday.Horns honked and people waved and young men and women smiled.

The norms we often speak of are checks and balances, our Constitution, mutual toleration, restraint, all of which started to be eroded in the Barack Obama period when Republicans questioned the legitimacy of his presidency. Americas notions about Race and Culture contributed to the difficult period confronted by Americas first black president.

Americas Democracy, then, rooted in the denial of destructive events concerning Race and Culture in Americas early thinking has resulted in the rugged polarization we are now recognizing. Suffice it say that there are differences of opinion between the parties which are largely historical and are embedded in the political strategies we are experiencing today. Democrats are no longer just political rivals, they are enemies. Republicans are no longer just conservatives. They are demagogues, fanatics. It seems that the so-called norms are coming home to roost and some say they are breaking down our ability to govern ourselves.

There are warning signs that Americas Democracy is at risk. Many writers like myself worry that a major principle embedded in all democratic societies like ours, THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS, has been under enormous stress for most of the 20thcentury and today, in this century, with the advent of a blossoming tech world, it is unraveling as a protective shield for the people of a very diverse society. The Press, most of us believe, has been a gatekeeper of the notion that civil society needs to be told the Truth and the freedom of the journalistic world has its responsibilities.

Today, we have normalized the election of a leader, Donald Trump, who claims to be a Republican, who calls the press the enemy. He threatens Democracy because he does not tell the truth, he pushes through voter suppression tactics by his party, threatens to jail journalists and considers using government regulatory agencies against anyone who blocks his intentions.

Contact Elizabeth ecooklyn@gmail.com

Copyright permission Native Sun News Today

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Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Visits Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

Pyongyang, July 27 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and supreme commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, visited the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery to pay noble tributes to the fallen fighters of the People's Army on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the Korean people's victory in the great Fatherland Liberation War.

Supreme Leader of our Party, state and armed forces Kim Jong Un was accompanied by Vice Marshal Pak Jong Chon, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, and other commanding officers of the KPA.

He laid a flower before the cemetery.

He paid humble tributes to the heroes of the great years who defended the fatherland with costly sacrifice and laid a foundation of our powerful state.

Saying that the undying feats of the defenders of the fatherland in the 1950s, who provided the valuable mental heritage of the revolution amid the flames of the hard-fought war, would shine long in history, he expressed belief that the heroic fighting spirit of the fallen fighters would be carried forward as the eternal soul of socialist Korea. -0-

(2020.07.27)

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Thought of the day: You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone  any person or any force  dampen, dim or diminish your light  Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.  John Lewis

Yesterday, Michigan reported 1,041 new COVID-19 cases. This brought Michigans total to 78,019 cases. The reason for the large number of cases reported yesterday is because there was a delay in processing laboratory result referrals from Friday evening through Saturday morning, according to the Health Department. Sundays report also includes cases that would have been included in Saturdays report but were not processed in time. This tells us two things: cases are still continuing in the wrong direction and testing is taking too long.

Tonight 6:00pm, you can join me and education leaders for a discussion on COVID-19 and school safety. Teachers, school staff, children, and families are all concerned about what the school year will look like in the fall. Its important we have an open discussion on what school in the fall should look like and what steps everyone can take to ensure everyone feels safe. Click on the image below to RSVP.

The cliff continues to approach for too many this week, and the Senate continues to play games on the next COVID-19 relief package. The Senate and the White House want to briefly pause negotiations with Democrats and pass a much narrower bill that prioritizes an extension a $600 federal unemployment benefit this week. This is something Democrats have said we are not interested in and let me explain why. There are many more things needed, like rent and mortgage relief, stimulus checks, direct aid to local governments and schools, food supply, testing and tracing programs, and so on. Funding for all of this was included in the House passed Heroes Act. What we need is the President and Leader McConnell to join Democrats in the House to support the work we did and help the American people.

Today, the worlds largest COVID-19 vaccine trial began with 30,000 people. The trial is being conducted by the National Institutes of Health and pharmaceutical company Moderna. These trials are incredibly important and help us learn important information about the potential vaccine: if it works, if it is safe, and what side effects there may be. We will provide you an update when we learn more on the trial.

So today we leave you with a shorter update and hope you can enjoy the Tigers game tonight for what will no doubt be the strangest opening day at Comerica Park. Go Tigers!

Team Dingell is here seven days a week and wants to listen and help. It isnt as smooth as we want on some issues, but we will never stop fighting for you. Call our office at 313-278-2936 or contact us through Facebook or our webpage.

New information becomes available every day. Below is a list of resources and information that can be helpful during this time. Please share this information with your family, friends, and colleagues. Remember, stay home, stay safe, save lives.

Coronavirus information

File for unemployment

Small Businesses can apply for low-interest disaster loans

Navigating Social Security Benefits

School Based Food Service Interactive Map

Food Banks and Kitchens in Michigans 12th Congressional District

Contact numbers for people looking for information are:

* Centers for Disease Control, cdc.gov/coronavirus, 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636).

* Michigan.gov/coronavirus, or 888-535-6136.
The highly anticipated Duke and Duchess of Sussex biography Finding Freedom is set to be released tomorrow, with extracts revealing alleged tensions within the Royal Family and the origins of the couples very public love story.

Written by royal reporters Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie, who stated the Sussexes were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom, extracts released ahead of the book's publication date have examined obstacles and tensions in the build-up to and aftermath of the couple's wedding in 2018.

Getty Images

Speaking to NPR, Scobie said of the book, "I think both Carolyn and I having long been on the royal beats, you know, we're aware of the narrative and the coverage that we had seen of Harry and Meghan for some time."

"And I think time and time again, we felt that there were sides to the story that were often missing. The mission here was really to paint a different perspective of a story that many feel that they already know," he continued.

The book also examines Meghans awareness of racist undercurrents in media coverage about her and how the Queen was "blindsided and hurt" after the couple announced their intentions to leave in a bombshell Instagram statement and is based upon Durand and Scobies years of reporting on the couple.

While the full book is yet to be released, here are some of the biggest takeaways released so far.

Prince Williams concerns over Meghan led to a rift between the brothers

/ PA

Theres no denying that Prince Harry and Meghans relationship moved incredibly fast, which is said to have alarmed Prince William and senior royals.

Sources claimed the Duke of Cambridge was being a snob, as an unnamed senior royal reportedly referred to Meghan as Harrys showgirl while another courtier said there was something about her I dont trust. It was also reported that Prince Harry cut out someone in his friendship circle who spent an afternoon gossiping about Meghan.

The book claims William was skeptical of Meghan and wanted to make sure Harry wasnt blindsided by lust." Sources said he told Prince Harry, Dont feel you need to rush this. Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl.

However, Harry was said to have been pissed off that his brother would ask such a thing and tensions between the brothers escalated. The brothers reportedly then saw each other less and less, leading to a frosty relationship.

Prince Williams reluctance to embrace Meghan was one of several factors which the book claims drove the brothers apart.

Meghan said she willingly gave up 'her life' for the Royal Family

Markle on her wedding day, May 19, 2018 / AFP via Getty Images

The book claims Meghan was keen to devote her life to royal duties and was saddened by how things turned out.

The authors write that Meghan told a friend: I gave up my entire life for this family. I was willing to do whatever it takes. But here we are. Its very sad.

Prince Harry had secret social media accounts

Getty Images

In an extract about how Prince Harry and Meghan began falling in love, authors Scobie and Durant wrote that Meghan began to follow a mysterious-looking Instagram account by the name of @SpikeyMau5.

Its said that the name was a reference to Prince Harrys favourite music producer Deadmau5, combined with one of Prince Harrys pseudonyms Spike Wells as Scotland Yard officers reportedly called the Duke the code name Spike.

Durand and Scobie claimed the account was Harrys private account and that he had set up other private social media accounts in the past - including a Facebook page where one of his profile pictures was of King Julien from the film Madagascar.

Meghan and Kates relationship was awkward not fraught

Kate and Meghan in 2018 / Getty Images

Reports about the nature of Meghan and Kates relationship circulated soon after the couple's marriage, with claims the pair were at odds and that Kate had even been reduced to tears after a bridesmaids dress fitting.

However, Scobie and Durands book claims the pair had barely any relationship to speak of and that instead it was an awkward one - which only grew more awkward as the Sussexes drifted from the family.

In fact, the biographers sources claimed a reported tense dress fitting was fine and without tears, with another calling the reports ridiculous and so false.

It was also reported that Meghan had initially hoped that Kate would potentially reach out to her and help guide her as somebody who had married into the institution, but the offer never materialised though they were cordial with one another.

Getty Images

One of Finding Freedoms sources also claimed that Kate felt they didnt have much in common other than the fact that they lived at Kensington Palace.

It was reported that Meghan had booked the first flight back to Canada after the service to return to Archie, with a friend claiming that she was emotionally bruised and exhausted.

Meghan said she willingly gave up 'her life' for the Royal Family

The book claims Meghan was keen to devote her life to royal duties and was saddened by how things turned out.

The authors write that Meghan told a friend: I gave up my entire life for this family. I was willing to do whatever it takes. But here we are. Its very sad.

Prince Harry was emotional about losing his military appointments

Getty Images

After the widely reported Sandringham Summit which saw senior royals gather to discuss the future of Prince Harry and Meghans roles in the Royal Family, it was announced that the pair would be stepping down as senior royals with a number of changes made to their titles and funding.

One of the biggest blows to the Duke of Sussex was reportedly the loss of his honorary military appointments.

Prince Harry in Afghanistan in 2008 / Getty Images

Prince Harry is a military veteran who has served in consecutive tours in Afghanistan, with a strong history of charity work, including the Invictus Games, aimed at supporting fellow veterans of the Commonwealth. According to a source, it was a tough pill to swallow.

That has been most painful to Meghan witness him go through, they said, Its the one that made Harry emotional.

Thomas Markle made nearly $40,000 off staged paparazzi photos

The Duchess of Sussex's father, Thomas Markle / Channel 5

Candid pictures of Thomas Markle reportedly preparing for his daughters wedding - being fitted for a suit, reading a book on British landmarks and scanning stories about his daughter at an internet cafe - appeared online shortly before the wedding. However, it would later emerge that the pictures were a joint effort between Meghan Markles father and paparazzo Jeff Rayner.

According to Durand and Scobie, Rayner reportedly made at least $130,000 through his photo agency while Thomas took a 30% cut. The Sussexes were reportedly blindsided when they received a tip that a story exposing Rayner and Thomas collaboration would run, leading Meghan to ask her father for the truth as she promised her team is going to try to stop this story - if you are telling me its fake.

Thomas Markle grabs a takeaway in Rosarito, Mexico last week / SplashNews.com

As she asked if her father had been victimised, Thomas is said to have lied to his daughter and told her of course. As later pictures would reveal however, Thomas was seen being directed by Rayner at an internet cafe staging the pictures on CCTV as a tailor in a reported suit fitting picture was actually an assistant at a party goods store according to the Mail on Sunday.

After that, a source claimed that Meghan had attempted to reach her father numerous times in concern for his safety and security (especially after she is said to have discovered he had a heart attack via TMZ) with her messages reportedly reading, Dad, I still love you. Nothing has changed. Were going to get you safely to London. Im sending a car to come and get you.

Its said that Meghan told a friend she believed her father was vulnerable and had been baited, with another friend claiming that Meghan wouldnt have mentally got through it without the support of Prince Harry, her mother Doria Ragland and her friends.
On Jul 24, gold price sprinted to a nine-year high as the coronavirus pandemic worsened and new data showed weaker-than-expected recovery of the global economy. As investors went into an overdrive, scurrying for safe-haven assets to counter economic uncertainty, gold price broke past the $1,900 mark.

The yellow metal also got a boost from escalating geopolitical tensions over the past three months that have been denting the confidence of risk-on investors.

Gold Price Nearing All-Time High

The price of the precious metal has been hovering around $1,850 for the past few days. On Jul 24, it finally crossed the psychological mark of $1,900, only for the second time in history.

Gold price had hit a record high of $1,920.70 in 2011, according to Comex futures, and it wont come as a surprise if that mark is breached in the coming days. Aside from the coronavirus-related uncertainly and geopolitical agitation, the other factor that pushed the price of the yellow metal was the manufacturing and services PMI report, which missed forecast, raising further concerns over the strength of the economy.

Fear Grips Markets

Gold has gained around 20% so far this year and is at its highest levels in almost a decade, making it one of the best-performing major asset classes of 2020. The surge is primarily due to investors' search for safe-haven assets.

Notably, golds dream run follows an impressive 2019, wherein it gained about 19%, its strongest annual increase since 2010. A weaker U.S. dollar index, technical buying, and increasing consumer demand from China and India have been fueling the bull run of the yellow metal. However, gold price had taken a hit in March as investors sold everything and piled into cash.

Things changed following the coronavirus outbreak as governments across the world unleashed unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus and yields started plunging. The ultra-easy monetary policy is another reason for the surging price of gold. The Fed has been acting super-dovish since March. It has cut rates to zero and launched an infinite QE policy. The Fed is also buying highly rated corporate debt as well as fallen angles. Such measures have kept the dollar's strength in check.

Story continues

Moreover, real U.S. treasury yields presently are negative from a five-year to 20-year term. This lowers the opportunity cost of holding a non-interest-bearing asset like bullion. The precious metal is also getting a boost from uncertainty around the U.S. presidential election and rising geopolitical conflict around the world that are making investors skeptical and making them go for safe-haven assets.

Our Choices

We thus believe that this is a good time for investors to add some gold stocks to their portfolio. We suggest five top-ranked gold stocks which have potential to outperform the broader market.

Equinox Gold Corp. EQX engages in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral deposits. It primarily explores for gold, copper and silver deposits. The company's principal properties include the Aurizona gold mine in Maranhao State Brazil and the Mesquite gold mine in California.

The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 62.5% over the past 60 days. Equinox Goldsports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited HMY is based in Randfontein, South Africa. The company conducts underground and surface gold mining. It is also engaged in related activities such as exploration, processing, smelting and refining.

The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 15.9.6% over the past 60 days. Harmony Gold Mining has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Asanko Gold Inc. GAU principally explores and develops gold fields. The company currently operates and manages the Asanko Gold Mine, located in Ghana, West Africa which is jointly owned with Gold Fields Ltd.

The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 114.6% over the past 60 days. The company has a Zacks Rank #2.

Gold Fields Limited GFI is one of the world's largest unhedged gold producers with operating mines in South Africa, Ghana and Australia.

The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 35.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 3.6% over the past 60 days. Gold Fieldscarries a Zacks Rank #2.

Eldorado Gold Corporation EGO and its subsidiaries engage in the exploration, discovery, acquisition, financing, development, production, sale and reclamation of mineral products, primarily in Turkey, Canada, Greece, Brazil and Romania. The company primarily produces gold as well as silver, lead, zinc, and iron ore.

The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 58%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 13.3% over the past 60 days. Eldorado Goldhas a Zacks Rank #2.

Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020

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U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a roadside stop in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., July 26, 2020. Tom Brenner | Reuters

The CEOs of some of the biggest companies in the United States have started ramping up their donations to Republican causes as concern grows about Joe Biden's plan to raise the corporate tax rate. Of the top 10 political donors among S&P 500 CEOs, a majority gave big to GOP groups in the second quarter, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. The development comes as the presumptive Democratic nominee has expanded his lead in the polls over President Donald Trump. As Trump and other Republicans slide in the polls, the idea that taxes could go up under a Democratic administration and Congress has forced GOP donors off the sidelines, according to people helping raise money for GOP organizations. Biden has said he wants to raise the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%. A Real Clear Politics polling average shows Biden ahead of Trump by close to 10 points. The Cook Political Report marks six Republican-held Senate seats in Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Montana and North Carolina as toss ups. Despite the increased support from CEOs, Biden and the Democratic National Committee outraised their opponents in the second quarter.

People helping raise money for these Republican organizations told CNBC that the idea of taxes going up has struck a nerve with GOP donors and forced them off the sidelines after being largely absent throughout the 2020 election cycle. Dan Eberhart, a longtime prominent Republican donor, told CNBC he senses that wealthy financiers are going to start lining up behind Trump. "After Biden released his economic plan, I would expect CEO donations to President Trump to accelerate. Raising the corporate tax rate is not exactly conducive to growing revenue or earnings," Eberhart said. He noted that the recent run of corporate executives giving to Republicans is a sign that the campaign is fervently calling these donors. There are just under 100 days until Election Day. "It's clear Team Trump needs to break the glass and pull the fire alarm. They are doing that, and there's still time," Eberhart said. Roy Bailey, a Texas businessman who is leading fundraising efforts for the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, explained that business leaders he speaks with says there is a concern that Biden will be influenced by more progressive leaders, such as as Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez if he became president. "Who do they want managing the economy: Trump (Mnuchin, Powell, Kudlow) or Biden (Bernie, Warren and AOC)?," Bailey said. A Wall Street financial advisory firm recently told their clients they don't expect Biden to lean too far to the left as the policy recommendations put together by allies of Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders didn't, they say, have many progressive ideas.

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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has warned she will not hesitate to shut the border with NSW if community transmission becomes more widespread.

It came as three more Sydney restaurants were forced to close on Sunday as the Thai Rock restaurant outbreak in Sydney's west continued to swell.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian providing an update on COVID-19 on Monday. Credit:Edwina Pickles

Meanwhile, Victoria recorded its largest daily increase in coronavirus cases, 532, and six more deaths. Previously, the highest daily tally in the state was on July 22 when 484 cases were recorded.

On Monday morning NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant confirmed there were 17 new cases of COVID-19, and said it was critical for the community to strictly adhere to social distancing and avoid large crowded gatherings.
The founder of the Duchess of Cambridge 's favourite label has given birth to her third child, sharing adorable photos of her now family-of-five.

Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs, 37, co-founder of ethical brand Beulah London, has named her new daughter India Grace Albertine and told Hello! magazine that she's 'loving the sweet newborn stage' again.

The socialite and businesswoman already shares daughters Georgia, five, and Cienna, three, with husband Rupert Finch and welcomed the couple's latest child on June 27, 10 days after her due date, with her baby weighing a healthy 8lb 8oz.

The founder of the Duchess of Cambridge 's favourite label Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs has given birth to her third child India Grace Albertine, with husband Rupert Finch

The socialite and businesswoman already shares daughters Georgia, five, and Cienna, three, with husband Rupert Finch, the pair are pictured at the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in 2018

'I love the newborn phase', said Natasha, 'It's so sweet. Not huge amounts of sleep, but it's nice. India is a pretty chilled baby.'

The well-connected couple have close royal links and are friends with Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank.

Mr Finch also briefly dated the Duchess of Cambridge while they were studying at St Andrews University in Scotland.

Beulah London, co-founded by Lady Natasha and Lavinia Brennan in 2010, has become a go-to label for Kate, who has stepped out in the designs on a number of occasions.

The socialite told Hello! welcomed she the child on June 27, 10 days after her due date, with her baby weighing 8lb 8oz

Natasha went on to insist her two elder daughters are thrilled to have a new addition to the family, and says the name for their newborn was inspired by her 'business and social mission', which has links to India.

Lady Natasha, daughter of the Marquess of Reading, used her high society connections to promote an anti-slavery charity t-shirt in October last year.

A host of celebrities including Lady Kitty Spencer, Lottie Moss and Paloma Faith have shared snaps of themselves sporting the brand's 'For Freedom' T-shirts, which were being sold to raise funds for anti-trafficking charity Justice and Care.

The charity aims to stop slavery in the UK and beyond, and the shirts retail for 60 with 100% of proceeds going towards the charity.

The founders of the luxury clothing range were inspired to start an ethical clothing label after working in the slums of Delhi in an aftercare home for women who had been trafficked into the sex trade.

It was there that they witnessed the power of employment to transform lives and in January 2013, founded The Beulah Trust.

Beulah London, co-founded by Lady Natasha and Lavinia Brennan (both pictured in 2016) in 2010, has become a go-to label for Kate, who has stepped out in the designs on a number of occasions

The trust was established with a clear goal of supporting projects and initiatives that create sustainable livelihoods for victims of trafficking.

The Duchess of Cambridge was recently seen donning a deep blue 525 Beulah London gown as she and Prince William , 38, paid a visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn to mark the 72nd anniversary of the NHS .

With it's striking white collar and blue polkadot pattern, the Duchess' bold shirt dress was extremely reminiscent of a similar outfit worn by Princess Diana in 1985.

Kate Middleton, 38, paid tribute to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana wearing a 525 Beulah London gown days after her birthday

The Duchess' bold blue gown with a large white collar was reminiscent of a look worn by Princess Diana in 1985

The fashion echo is particularly pertinent because it came just days after what would have been the late royal's 59th birthday on July 1.

Kate's gown in blue - a preferred colour of the fashion-forward duchess - was the same style as the red number by the same brand she wore for a minute-long mental health message released in May.

Princess Diana wore her take on the feminine look for photos taken in her living room at Kensington Palace in October 1985.
Avrupa Minerals Finally Secures Exploitation Permit For Alvalade, JV With MATSA Finalized, Preparing Drill Program

Posted by Publisher Internet

As gold stocks are getting all the attention at the moment with gold firmly in an upward trend it seems, one could almost forget the existence of base metal juniors. This is not entirely justified in my opinion, as for example copper has recovered completely from its March lows, as can be seen in this chart per pound Cu by Macrotrends

A tiny junior whose faith is closely intertwined with copper pricing is Avrupa Minerals (AVU:TSXV), as its flagship Alvalade brownfield copper-zinc project in Portugal is likely to contain significant amounts of the red metal. The other metal zinc has recovered as well and more, but follows a different pattern as can be seen in this Kitco chart, as it isn?t so directly connected to, for example Chinese demand fundamentals.

Despite the hype around precious metals, Avrupa managed to land a JV with MATSA (which is owned equally by Trafigura and Mubadala, two giants in the mining investment space) last year, and despite COVID-19, both Avrupa and MATSA worked diligently and quietly on permitting, and managed to recently receive the new Alvalade Experimental Exploitation License (EEL) from the Portuguese Mining Bureau. Despite the relatively limited delay of about 3 months due to COVID-19, President and CEO Paul Kuhn was obviously very happy, not in the least as this permit was a very important milestone for the MATSA JV to be finalized:

?We are extremely pleased to have the Alvalade 5-year Experimental Exploitation License (EEL) issued to the Joint Venture company, PorMining Lda.? With partner MATSA, we will be able to move forward using our joint, long-term Pyrite Belt experience and recent successes to potentially develop a world-class copper-zinc project within the Alvalade license boundaries. We plan to immediately start the necessary work programs leading to the next drill project later this year?.

The CEO of MATSA, Audra Walsh, was also excited, as MATSA is venturing into Portugal for the first time now, after having established itself in neighbour Spain with several operating mines and development projects:

?Obtaining the Alvalade exploration license opens up new opportunities for exploration in Portugal. Exploration is one of MATSA?s permanent objectives, as it is our future. The agreement with Avrupa Minerals is the beginning of our exploration in the Portuguese Pyrite Belt?.

The EEL covers an area of approximately 115 square kilometres, is valid for up to five years, and includes the Sesmarias massive sulfide discovery, the nearby historic Lousal Mine, the Monte da Bela Vista stockwork zone, and a number of other already-known massive sulfide targets noted on the map. Avrupa will operate the Project through a joint technical committee with full funding by MATSA for up to three years, subject to project milestones.

The market didn?t really seem to grasp the importance of the announcement, although the share price rose from a measly 2c to 4c. Avrupa and MATSA are targeting a large brownfield project, with potential tonnage ranging from 30 to 50Mt. Projects like this could result into NPVs of hundreds of millions of dollars very quickly.

As MATSA is funding all exploration work, like drilling and establishing resources, money isn?t the issue, as long as the project remains of interest for MATSA, of course. In this case, Alvalade being a brownfield project with a former mine and well-documented historic resources, the risk of proving up sufficient resources doesn?t seem to be a binary risk, like a greenfield exploration JV usually is. MATSA is very serious in expanding their footprint in the Iberian Belt, and also target early stage exploration, besides advanced, lower risk projects. They received two greenfields exploration licenses at the same time as the Alvalade licence issuance, and a third exploration license is coming. According to CEO Kuhn, they are in it for the long term in Portugal. ?

As MATSA is funding most costs, Avrupa already received 400,000 euros as part of the earn-in.? The first tranche came back in December, and the company has used it to pay bills and operate in a most basic manner, meaning CEO Paul Kuhn has been doing all work by himself, from home whenever possible.? With the second tranche, Avrupa continues to operate in a likewise careful manner.?

According to Kuhn, by doing this very carefully,?without fanfare, they have been able to obtain the coveted Alvalade EEL license during a very difficult time, with the COVID-19 pandemic slowing everything down.?

As the health situation in southern Portugal remains fairly open, Avrupa intends to start physical work at Alvalade in the next couple of weeks.? They have been meeting with MATSA at the coreshed recently to work out a 3-month budget to perform exploration work, predominantly focused on drilling as soon as possible. In the first year of the project, they are required to drill at least 5,000m according to the contract with the Mining Bureau. Reviewing and re-logging of core is also a vital part of this program, a full list of planned activities follows here:

Re-log historic Avrupa-drilled Sesmarias core with MATSA to integrate their knowledge of the Pyrite Belt into the overall understanding of the massive sulfide deposit (remember that they have three operating Pyrite Belt mines in Spain, and at least one new un-announced discovery in the same rocks).

Initial logging and possibly sampling of historic core prior to Avrupa?s involvement at Alvalade.? They have access to at least 10,000 meters of old core that has not be looked at for years.

Considering use of ionic leach geochemistry, to help identify and follow the trend of the Sesmarias mineralization.? This is a relatively new geochemical technique that utilizes ultra-trace detection methods to find ions of many different elements that may indicate the presence of buried massive sulfide mineralization.? We have done some orientation surveys over known mineralization at Sesmarias, and it seems to work quite well.

Review all of the old Lousal Mine data and geology in order to consider new drill targets.? It is reasonable to assume that Lousal and Sesmarias were all part of the same deposit a long time ago.? Are there more sulfide lenses out there between Lousal and Sesmarias (7 km apart)?? How much more of the remaining Lousal mineralization might be available for exploitation?? Possibly 30-35 million metric tonnes of massive sulfide remaining within the old Lousal workings

Review old core from the Monte da Bela Vista stockwork zone to see where the ore deposit may be hiding. MBV is located 1.5 ? 2 km north of Lousal, giving us over 9 km of strike length in this district.

Review the old Caveira Mine data and drilling.? Caveira is under-explored and is located only 9.5 km north of Monte da Bela Vista.? We only drilled one or two holes in the area when we were working with Antofagasta years ago.

Review and compile exploration data for the rest of the license, as there are lots of targets to be explored.

Drill targeting with the hope of starting drilling by the beginning of September

Furthermore, MATSA would like to do airborne geophysics over Alvalade and the rest of their new exploration properties in the region.? This will probably be done next year to help us with drill targeting for Sesmarias and for a number of other anomalies on the license.

For now, Avrupa has to put together a team in the next couple of weeks, find housing and safety equipment, clean out the coresheds, prepare for all the logging, etc.?To me the Sesmarias discovery combined with the Lousal historic resources/workings is the obvious target for MATSA, as it generates a 40-50Mt resource potential (Sesmarias 10 Lense is guesstimated to contain about 19-20Mt, Lousal a potential 20-30Mt, both guesstimated at 1% Cu or better). Avrupa and MATSA are looking to see if Sesmarias, Lousal and also Monte Da Bela Vista, all several kilometers apart from each other, could form a district scale system.

As a reminder, MATSA will look to have the 51% earn-in and the 85% earn-in completed in those five years.? If all continues to go well, Avrupa is fully carried to a production decision for MATSA to earn-in to 85%.? That could very well amount to 30-40 million euros (=C$45-60M) of NPV value for Avrupa. At that point, Avrupa can either choose to get a C$10M payment for their 15% stake, or fund capex pro rata. As capex? of such a project could easily run into a potential $300-500M range, 15% of this would mean raising $50-80M, which would be quite a future task for a tiny junior like Avrupa.

This can be calculated easily. When a construction decision would be made, Alvalade would have to be at FS stage and fully permitted, and roughly speaking, in a neutral to bull market sentiment, the enterprise value could be about 35-50% of the FS NPV value of Avrupa?s 15% stake, so about 5-7.5% of FS NPV. This would imply, at a roughly estimated FS NPV of around $500M, an estimated EV of $25-37.5M which is about C$32-50M, which in turn means without further dilution in the meantime, that the share price hypothetically could hover in the C$0.29-0.45 by then.

Raising $50-80M or about C$67-107M would mean tripling the outstanding share count if this was done all-equity, and I don?t see this being approved by any board soon. Maybe if they could sell a royalty (which is not part of the JV deal yet, besides this?the project already has a 5% state royalty) and attract some debt, things could get easier to digest. I would actually prefer renegotiation of terms, especially including a royalty, if metal prices advance further, as C$10M in cash seems to equal a rock bottom scenario for MATSA, calculated on the back of an envelope based on $2.35-2.45 copper and $0.90-1.00 zinc which seems to be a pretty safe downside scenario floor for them.

So much for my estimates here, let?s look at the plans at hand. According to Kuhn, MATSA works fast and expediently, as demonstrated by their 40Mt Magdalena Mine, which was developed and put into commercial production in less than three years.? The JV has 1.2 million euros to work with in the first year.? MATSA wants to do airborne geophysics and about 5,000 meters of drilling in the first year. It is estimated by Avrupa management that another 3,000-5,000m of drilling is needed in order to collect sufficient data for a maiden resource estimate. This is planned for H1 2021.

Also, as MATSA has been staking claims in the Pyrite Belt as mentioned, one of them adjacent to Alvalade. They will explore these licenses in their own time, concurrently with work at Alvalade.

CEO Kuhn is also busy with their Slivovo gold project. According to him, Avrupa?s 10% interest was diluted to a 2% NSR royalty last year. ?Partner Byrnecut International recently exited the project prior to expiration of the Slivovo exploration licenses.? By arranging timing on this, in a ?drop and apply? procedure, Avrupa was able to apply for the ?open? space at exactly the same time as Byrnecut dropped, giving Avrupa the best opportunity to acquire a new 7-year exploration license to cover the Slivovo gold project.? The cost of this agreement will be based on successes and milestones as the project advances, starting some two to three years from now.? And these costs would be borne by any partner that Avrupa might find to bring the project to mining stage.? Avrupa is actively soliciting new partnerships, even as the Kosovo mining bureau decides whether/when to issue a new license for Slivovo.

Conclusion

The granting of the Experimental Exploitation License is a very important milestone for Avrupa Minerals, as it finalizes the JV with MATSA on the Alvalade project. Now both parties can proceed with exploration on Sesmarias, and verification of the old Lousal workings, which could host reportedly 20-30Mt and potentially more. As with a typical prospect generator, MATSA funds all costs, although Avrupa is the joint venture operator, meaning they don?t have to sit on their hands and be completely dependent on the majority JV partner, which is a good thing as it provides much more transparency. As Alvalade is potentially a $500M project, I?m looking forward to milestones like the maiden resource estimate, which would mean a solid first indication of the size of Alvalade.

I hope you will find this article interesting and useful, and will have further interest in my upcoming articles on mining. To never miss a thing, please subscribe to my free newsletter on my website www.criticalinvestor.eu, in order to get an email notice of my new articles soon after they are published.

Disclaimer:

The author is not a registered investment advisor, and currently has a long position in this stock. Avrupa Minerals is a sponsoring company. All facts are to be checked by the reader. For more information go to www.avrupaminerals.com and read the company?s profile and?official documents on?www.sedar.com, also?for important risk disclosures. This article is provided for information purposes only, and is not intended to be investment advice of any kind, and all readers are encouraged to do their own due diligence, and talk to their own licensed investment advisors prior to making any investment decisions.
PHOENIX  This years wildfire season has been an extra challenging one for firefighters. Not only have crews had to battle some massive fires around Arizona, they have had to deal with changes in their routine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pre-pandemic firefighters had their own way of life including routine morning briefings, respectful handshakes and community meals, according to the Arizona Republic.

But now, every meal is pre-packaged and firefighters have to eat 6 to 10 feet apart, crew members wave at each other instead of shaking hands and they attend virtual briefs on their smart phones or radios instead of massive and crowded in-person ones.

On top of that, Arizona has had a tough wildfire season due to a wet winter and dry summer conditions which fed massive fires across the state.

This is the biggest impact that Ive seen to the wildland firefighting, Quentin Johnson, who has worked 30 years for the U.S. Forest Service, told the Republic.

Efforts to mitigate COVID-19 cases among firefighters have been successful so far, according to fire officials.

Arizona State Forestry spokesperson Tiffany Davila said that only one crew member tested positive for COVID-19 in May and has since quarantined and recovered.

The moment a firefighter gets symptoms for COVID-19, they are isolated from crews and tested.

Before the pandemic, firefighters had gatherings of hundreds of people for daily briefings where they discuss an operations plan, a weather forecast, fire behavior analysis and a safety message.

Now the briefing is recorded and broadcast on the internet, and firefighters get the link on their phone or device to watch it alone.

Firefighters are getting their temperatures taken every day before they get on the line.

I cant even describe how drastically different the environment is, as far as camp and how we do things, said Steve Best, a 33-year firefighting veteran who recently worked on a wildfire near Tucson that charred nearly 120,000 acres before it was fully contained.

Theres no salad bars or go get-your-own coffee or drinks or anything, Best added. Somebodys handing you stuff. Theyre constantly sanitizing, everybodys wearing face masks. Its just a very, very radically different environment than Ive ever seen.

This years fire season is also bringing a flood risk.

Many Pima County homes and businesses could face flood damage in the wake of the latest large wildfire in the Tucson area, according to authorities.

The lightning-caused Bighorn Fire started June 5 and charred about 187 square miles in and near the Santa Catalina Mountains before it was fully contained last Thursday.

The Arizona Daily reports close to 1,000 homes and businesses lying along a number of washes could be flooded during a 100-year storm.

Thats more than double the 431 landowners in those areas who got letters from the county in late June telling them their homes could be flooded during a big storm.

A county Regional Flood Control District hydrologist told the Star the risk to Tucson residents from monsoon flooding due to the wildfire could last up to five years because of the way the blaze altered the watershed.

It typically takes watersheds two to five years to recover from such severe burns.

County flood control officials used computer models to help calculate the risks to homes and businesses downhill of the fire.

They found 982 buildings facing flood risks including 834 in unincorporated areas of Pima County, 109 in Oro Valley, 38 in Tucson and one in Marana.

About the photo: The Bighorn Fire burns through the front range of the Santa Catalina Mountains, from Ventana Canyon, at left, into the eastern end of the range with the lights of eastern Tucson, Ariz., below, late Saturday, June 20, 2020. The fire has consumed nearly 52,000 acres and is only 19-percent contained. However, much of the fire has burned out of the rugged wilderness and down into Sonoran grassland where firefighters can attack it more directly. (Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Theres one question on the minds of Americans -- can I expect a second stimulus check?

Another round of payments has been on peoples minds as unemployment numbers hit a new high for the first time since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and increasingly in recent days as the $600 federal pandemic unemployment payments come to an end.

Senate Republicans say they will introduce a plan on Monday that would include details about a second stimulus check for Americans, among other plans, after confirmation last week that the federal government wants to help American families.

The delay over the second stimulus package has been, in part, due to the bills size  the initial bill was introduced as a second $3 trillion package, similar to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities (CARES) Act that was signed by President Donald Trump in March.

The new proposal is less, at $1 trillion.

We can move very quickly with the Democrats on these issues, Mnuchin told Fox News on Sunday.

Weve moved quickly before, and I see no reason that we cant move quickly again. And if there are issues that take longer, well deal with those as well.

He said over the weekend that checks would arrive in August, however, nothing has been made official as of yet. The Senates last day in session is Aug. 7  if a bill isnt passed by then it would be another month until theyre back in session, which would further delay stimulus payments.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR A CHECK?

Eligibility specifics wont be known until the bill is passed, however, Mnuchin previously said that provisions will be the same as last time.

Income qualifications for the first round of stimulus checks were:

Non-married filers with an adjusted gross income of up to $75,000 per year qualify for $1,200;

Married couples that file jointly and had a combined gross income up to $150,000 qualify for $2,400;

An additional $500 for dependent children, ages 17 and younger, up to three.

Martial status, age, and citizenship will also factor into eligibility.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING IN THE PACKAGE

The bill is likely to be introduced in several parts, or sister bills, that include funding for the reopening of schools, COVID-19 testing expansion, and more.

Democrats want to extend the supplemental insurance through the end of the year, but Republicans say its a disincentive for the unemployed to rejoin the workforce, and will instead target back-to-work bonuses or smaller increases to unemployment payments.

Trump administration economic advisor Larry Kudlow told CNN the bill would include back-to-work retention bonuses, as well as tax credits for struggling small businesses.

What wont be included is the temporary payroll tax cut that Trump had been pushing for; the tax cut didnt gain enough support on either side of the aisle.

FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER.
South Africa: Eye of the COVID-19 storm

The storm is here. It is with us now, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala warned on Sunday.

He said that given the rate at which COVID-19 infections are growing in the province, everything needs to be done to save lives. Zikalala emphasised the importance of COVID-19 patients being quarantined or isolated at government facilities to contain the spread.

This will help to ensure that patients are well monitored and less likely to transmit the virus to others unlike when one is at home.

Zikalala was speaking during the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Command Council media briefing on Sunday.

The province accounts for more than 27% of new reported cases and remains the fourth-worst hit countrywide.

New infections are increasing at a faster rate - at about 3 000 infections daily, he said.

Just a week ago, KwaZulu-Natal had 40 045 positive cases and that number had jumped to 64 061 infections on Sunday.

Zikalala said all areas, districts and sub-districts in the province were affected with eThekwini and the UMgungundlovu districts recording more than half of the daily cases.

No district has not reported deaths, he added.

That should send a message that the storm is here and all of us must take full responsibility, he said.

The province has 16 401 beds available of which more than 3 000 are for self-isolation.

Instead of building more quarantine facilities, the KwaZulu-Natal government has hired hotels, bed and breakfast establishments and lodges which have a capacity of 11 833 beds, while 1 162 quarantine beds are in public sector facilities.

The trends and analysis tell us that KwaZulu-Natal is now in the eye of the storm. The picture has dramatically changed and has arrived at a point where almost everyone knows somebody who has been infected with COVID-19, he said.

The storm is raging," he cautioned.

As of 25 July, the province has had 1 822 patients admitted in both public and private hospitals of which 272 patients required intensive care treatment and 57% were ventilated.

He urged people to be more vigilant and adhere to hygiene protocols, wear masks, wash hands with water and soap and practice social distancing.

The province raised concerns about the evidence showing that people rely too much on alternative treatment and are only visiting health facilities when it is too late.

Like any other ailment, time is of the essence, he stressed.

Were not against traditional or alternative medicines at all; rather were encouraging people to use an integrated approach in fighting COVID-19.

He also spoke about the stigma that some people hold towards going to the hospitals. Some have a false belief that if you go to the hospital, youll die, he said, adding that the clinicians are working tirelessly to help the sick.

Zikalala has hit out against those who flout funeral regulations.

Funerals have become larger. We want to plead to people to adhere to the regulation that regulates the number of people who can attend funerals and other ceremonies, which is no more than 50 people and a lesser number at the burial sites.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The revelations from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) that Russian-backed hackers targeted UK researchers working on a coronavirus vaccine is the latest instance of Russia being linked to cyber attacks.

Here is a look at some of the major cyber attacks the country has been accused of orchestrating in recent years.

 2016  Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton

In the run-up to the 2016 US presidential election, the Democratic National Committee was the subject of a cyber attack which saw hacked emails published linked to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

US intelligence officials would later determine that the hack was carried out by Russia as a means of interfering in the election with the aim of aiding the campaign of Donald Trump.

 2016  World Anti-Doping Agency

In September 2016, The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) revealed it had been the subject of a cyber attack, where hackers accessed the personal information of athletes.

Russian cyber espionage group Tsar Team (APT28), also known as Fancy Bears, is said to have accessed information concerning substances for which athletes have sought and received therapeutic use exemption.

The attack targeted high-profile athletes including Serena Williams and Simone Biles, and was said to be an attempt to smear clean athletes in the wake of the McLaren Report, a damning investigation into Russian state-sponsored doping in sport.

 2017  NotPetya ransomware

In June 2017, businesses and infrastructure across around the world, but predominantly Ukraine, were hit by a malware attack known as NotPetya.

The ransomware infected and encrypted computer files, locking out users and preventing computers from booting.

It crippled banks, airports, transport systems, power grids and energy companies, with both the UK and US blaming Russia and its military for carrying out the attack as tensions continued between Russia and Ukraine following the formers annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Story continues

 2018  Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

In October 2018, it was revealed a joint operation by UK and Dutch authorities had thwarted four Russian nationals who were caught attempting to hack into the chemical weapons watchdog investigating the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

The four men were expelled from the Netherlands after being found outside the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, with hacking equipment.

Details released in the wake of the operation linked the Russian group to its military intelligence service, the GRU.

It also linked the GRU of an unsuccessful cyber attack on the UK Foreign Office and defence laboratories at Porton Down, who were also investigating the Salisbury attack, another incident linked to Russia.

The OPCW operation also linked Russian operatives to a 2017 cyber attack on the Malaysian investigation into the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014.

 2019  Institute for Statecraft

The charity was the subject of cyber attack last year after having received Government funding for an initiative to tackle Russian disinformation.

An investigation was launched into the theft of data from the initiative, and there were reports that Whitehall sources had suggested the GRU was behind the attack.

The Institute for Statecraft said at the time that it believed the attack was an attempt to undermine its efforts to counter the treat of disinformation.

 2020  Coronavirus vaccine research

The NCSC, along with its cybersecurity counterparts in the US and Canada, revealed hacking group ATP29 had targeted organisations working on Covid-19 vaccines.

It said the hacking group was almost certainly linked to the Russian state.

The cyber security agencies added that they believe the aim of the attacks was to steal information about vaccine development, rather than trying to disrupt the UK and other countries own efforts to make a vaccine.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Residents of a home on Richmond Street NW told police that two burglars broke in early Monday, July 27, and fired a gunshot as they fled.

Grand Rapids police responded to a 2:17 a.m. report of a home invasion in the 700 block of Richmond.

The occupants of the home were outside when police arrived. A woman told police that two burglars left out the back door. She heard a gunshot as they fled, police said.

No injuries were reported and nothing was taken, police said.

A police tracking dog was unable to find those who broke in.

Read more:

Multiple gunshots hit Grand Rapids apartment overnight

Man killed, another seriously injured after being thrown from back of SUV at speedway

Woman, 23, killed, 5 children hospitalized in multi-vehicle crash
A Vietnam veteran protesting in Portland is sprayed by a federal officer: Twitter

Federal troops were filmed pepper spraying an elderly Vietnam War veteran who was attending a protest in Portland over the weekend.

The veteran, Mike Hastie, was standing several feet from a line of federal troops and shouting at them about his time in Vietnam when a troop rushed him from his side and sprayed pepper spray in his face.

Mr Hastie was rebuking the troops for following orders he believes are unlawful rather than upholding an oath to the US Constitution.

He continued yelling at the federal troops as they walked away despite having the pepper spray in his eyes. Eventually he breaks off his pursuit and wipes the spray out of his eyes.

"That was a direct spray," Mr Hastie says in the video.

The encounter was captured by journalist Andrew Kimmel, who has been on the ground in Portland covering the protest.

Mr Hastie is a member of the activist organisation Veterans for Peace.

Portland is ground zero for Donald Trump's federal invasion of cities run by Democrats, vowing to leave his troops in the cities until "law and order" is restored.

Feds pepper sprayed this Vietnam Veteran/photographer right in the face. His name is Mike Hastie. He was an Army medic. #PortlandProtests pic.twitter.com/CLZwKvuTxH  Andrew Kimmel (@andrewkimmel) July 26, 2020

The protests have only intensified since the federal troops arrived in Portland and began using disproportionate force against protesters.

Last week, United Nations spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell said the organisation has received reports that US protesters were being detained without reason and being beaten by police.

"There have been reports that peaceful protesters have been detained by unidentified police officers and that is a worry because it may place those detained outside the protection of the law and may give rise to arbitrary detention and other human rights violations," Ms Throssell said during a press conference.

Story continues

Ted Wheeler, the Mayor of Portland, has demanded Mr Trump remove the federal troops from his city. While visiting with protesters, the mayor was tear gassed by federal troops.

"We are standing firmly with our non-violent protesters," Mr Wheeler said during a CNN interview.

More than two dozen Senate Democrats sent Mr Trump a letter demanding he provide an explanation for sending federal troops into the city.

Read more

Police declare riot as demonstrators break through fence in Portland
New Delhi: The man who designed patches for pilots, who will fly the Rafale fighter jets, wanted to be an Indian Air force (IAF) pilot but could not because of medical reasons. Today, the patches designed by him, mostly worn on the flying overalls, make him proud as they are worn by his "heroes".

Speaking on this, Saurav Chordia said, "I always wanted to join airforce but could not due to medical reason. But I do this as a hobby and was passionate about the airforce. It gives me immense pleasure when I see them being worn by the heroes and motivates me to do more. Patches play a significant role in infusing morale. They may look simple but they contain things like aircraft type and some time unit name and motto."

Most of these patches are approved in the unit level. Explaining the design of the patch, he said, "Golden Arrows patch has got the motto written on the outer ring of the patch which means Arise Ever."

"Arise Ever" is written in Sanskrit. The patch was visible on the flying overalls worn by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in 2019 during his sortie and the Indian pilots who left France on Monday on the five Rafales which are coming to India.
" " Staff Sgt. Eric W. Jones/U.S. Army

You're interested in serving your country and working as a doctor, but you don't want to actually enlist in the Army. So can medical professionals who want to support the U.S. Army perform this work as a civilian? The answer is yes! In fact, there are hundreds of medical jobs available for civilians in a huge variety of geographic areas.

Those interested may consider the Civilian Corps of the United States Army Medical Command (MEDCOM). MEDCOM has approximately 30,000 civilian employees who care for more than 5 million active and retired soldiers and their families at medical treatment facilities around the world.

Advertisement

MEDCOM civilians work side by side with their military peers, but unlike Army personnel, civilian employees aren't required to go through boot camp, and they don't need to wear military uniforms. Joining as a civilian can be a great option for those with families, because MEDCOM civilians aren't deployed, and they'll never have to worry about mandatory relocation.

MEDCOM usually has an ongoing need for great workers, and a list of some of the organization's "hot jobs" includes everything from drug and alcohol counselors, social workers and psychologists, preventive medicine specialists, nurses, dentists, psychiatrists and pharmacists. If you're interested in applying, you can find a complete listing of MEDCOM career opportunities online.

And as a bonus, you'll find yourself working with some great people: The Army Medicine Civilian Corps falls under the Department of the Army, which was listed as one of the best places to work in federal government in 2009. And if you want to work overseas, there are different regional medical commands around the world that are in need of workers.

For more information on medicine and the Army, check out the links on the next page.
On Friday, the daily fresh COVID-19 cases came within a whisker of 50,000. The day also saw a record 757 deaths. Official data further showed that the daily cases in India have doubled since the beginning of July. In the midst of these grim numbers, two of Indias biggest political parties, instead of showing unity of purpose to jointly face the health emergency, are engaged in a bitter power struggle.

A fight between a young, restless and rebellious Congress leader and an old fogey of the party, fuelled in all probability by the BJP, has held the state to ransom even as the disease continues its relentless march. The political drama is such that politicians, hated figures already, have come to be detested by the public. With each passing day, the depths to which politics in this country sinks is something the entire political class, irrespective of party lines, ought to be ashamed of.

Gone are the days when BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee, after he was appointed the foreign minister during the Janata Party regime in 1977, ordered Jawaharlal Nehrus portrait to be put back in the corridors of the Ministry of External Affairs. Overzealous officials had ordered it to be removed after the fall of the Congress government. Gone also are the days when, displaying bipartisanship, the then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao handpicked political opponents such as Vajpayee and the National Conferences Farooq Abdullah and sent them to Geneva in 1994 to scuttle Pakistans plan to sanction India at the UN.

Today, as the country faces the triple challenge of the pandemic, the COVID-induced economic crisis and an expansionist China, the politicians should have closed ranks to meet the emergencies. They should have assured the public that during times of crises, they can put national interest above political ones. But instead, even as doctors and health workers go about treating patients with dedication and sincerity and soldiers, unmindful of their own lives, guard the borders in sub zero temperatures, all that the netas can do is to throw decorum and constitutional propriety to the wind to meet their petty political ends.
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Last week, Italys Coast Guard blocked the last ship operating for the migrant rescue organization SOS Mediterranee, citing administrative failures. In a statement, the organization said that the move was aimed at impeding our lifesaving work, and at discouraging other groups from doing the same. The Italian authorities also detained the vessel of another aid group, the Sea-Watch 3.

These organizations have carried out the bulk of rescue operations in the Mediterranean in recent years since, particularly after Italy signed a memorandum of understanding with Libya in 2017 that effectively delegated most of the operations to the Libyan Coast Guard.

In recent years, thousands of migrants have died while attempting the crossing. Two-hundred and seventy have drowned since January alone.

This year, the coronavirus pandemic has made the situation still more complicated. Italy and Malta have both declared their ports not safe for migrants because of the public health threat.

Malta, a tiny island nation, has been on the front line of the migration route for years. Its government has long been accused by migrant advocates of responding slowly  or not at all  to distress calls coming from their large search and rescue zone, and of allowing the Libyan Coast Guard to take back migrants who had already made it into their area of responsibility.

Now, with the onset of the virus, Malta says it is too overwhelmed to do rescues.

But it did secretly dispatch a fleet of private vessels in April to intercept migrants and return them by force to Libya, according to information provided by the captain of one of the boats, a senior commander in the Libyan Coast Guard, and a former Maltese official involved in the episode, who spoke to The New York Times earlier this year.

That same month, 12 migrants died in a shipwreck that occurred after their rubber boat had been left adrift for days. The 51 survivors were returned to Tripoli.
For more than a year, Attorney General William Barr has presided over some of the most consequential decisions of the Trump administration -- from prosecutorial moves in cases against the president's associates to pushing back on swelling national protests -- without ever having to face House Democrats.

That all changes on Tuesday.

Barr will walk into a virtual firing chamber when he sits down for hours of testimony in front of a Democratic-led committee that may not even have enough time to grill him on all the issues they want to address. Looming over the hearing will be Democrats' conviction that Barr has abandoned the Justice Department's political independence to back a president who demands nothing but strict loyalty.

"The sickness that we must address is Mr. Barr's use of the Department of Justice as a weapon to serve the president's petty, private interests," committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said in June in comments that previewed the tone of Tuesday's hearing.

Democrats are expected to pounce on issues such as how Barr has handled the prosecution of President Donald Trump's allies, including former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, as well as his recent abrupt decision to fire the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, and his role in using federal forces to suppress protests against racism and police abuse.

They'll want to know why Barr in February ordered prosecutors to reduce their sentencing recommendation for a longtime Trump associate, Roger Stone. Stone was convicted of lying to Congress and tampering with a witness in connection with serving as a conduit between Trump and WikiLeaks during the 2016 election.

Four career prosecutors working on the Stone case withdrew following Barr's order. Stone was eventually given a 40-month prison term, but Trump commuted the sentence this month.

Democrats will want to know what Barr thinks about that commutation. During his Senate confirmation hearing in January 2019, Barr said it would be a crime for a president to pardon someone in exchange for not incriminating that president.

Then there's Barr's decision to drop the federal prosecution of Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. Barr said there was no justification for agents to question Flynn. A federal judge overseeing the case has since challenged Barr's decision to drop it.

More broadly, Barr characterized the entire FBI and special counsel investigation into whether the Trump campaign conspired in Russia's interference in the 2016 election as "flimsy," "baseless" and a "complete sham," marred by "inexplicable behavior" and "gross abuse."

In a counter-punch that's helped rally the president's base, Trump and his allies have repeatedly said, with little evidence, that President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden spied on his 2016 campaign, discounting the findings and convictions obtained by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe, which concluded last year.

"In the past several months, we have learned shocking details about how the Obama-Biden administration used its Justice Department and intelligence community to target the Trump campaign," Representative Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the Judiciary panel, wrote in a letter to Nadler last month.

Barr's more recent move to fire the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman, raised questions about political interference because Berman's office has active investigations into Trump, his companies and people close to him. That includes the prosecution of Trump's former personal lawyer and "fixer" Michael Cohen, and a probe involving his current lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to secure political dirt in Ukraine on Biden.

Barr has also been criticized for his role in orchestrating the federal response to continuing protests against police abuse and racism, which has included sending federal police onto the streets of U.S. cities to confront largely peaceful protesters.

The attorney general played a key role in forcefully removing protesters from Lafayette Square outside the White House on June 1. Along with Department of Homeland Security personnel, Barr's forces have been involved in pitched battles with protesters in Portland, Oregon, over the objections of state and local officials.

Republicans, meanwhile, are expected to press Barr for details about a criminal investigation he ordered into whether FBI or intelligence officials illegally spied on Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and his associates: an investigation, led by Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham, whose results may be released before election day.

"I know we're looking to hear something about the Durham investigation," said Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and close ally of Trump. "Hopefully, there will be something to report. I suspect there will be."

In general, Republicans will be looking to bolster a key Trump adviser who embraced a muscular presidency and a tough law-and-order approach to social unrest since long before the current president got involved in politics. Barr, 70, is serving his second term as America's top law enforcement official, following a stint as attorney general in the George H.W. Bush administration in the early 1990s.

Lawmakers from both parties are also likely to question Barr about election interference and hacking by China and Russia, including efforts to steal coronavirus research from U.S. companies and institutions.

But for Democrats, the wave of controversial decisions Barr has made in recent months will be at the top of their agenda. And they may have the Justice Department's watchdog on their side for some of their queries.

The department's inspector general announced on July 23 it's opened an investigation into the department's response to protests in Washington, D.C. and Portland, including legal authorities and whether agents failed to properly identify themselves.
Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) is one of the only Walking Dead characters who has remained on the show since the first season. After 10 season in the zombie apocalypse, representing many more years within the series, Daryl is tired. Even though Daryl keeps stepping up, Reedus says hed rather just play with the kids.

Cailey Fleming and Norman Reedus | Jace Downs/AMC

Reedus was on the San Diego Comic-Con@Home panel for The Walking Dead on July 24. When asked whats coming up for Daryl, Reedus explained his characters desires. The original season 10 finale airs Oct 4 and six more episodes will follow in 2021.

Norman Reedus says The Walking Dead has taken a toll on Daryl

Daryl has said goodbye to a lot of people, including his brother Merle (Michael Rooker). Even the people who have stuck around, like Carol, have been frought. Thats on top of surviving zombies every day.

There was a lot of trust issues he was having, Reedus said. Hes watching a friend have these multiple nervous breakdowns and act on em but its also was putting certain members of the group in danger. We were losing people so there was that sort of heartbreak there.

Norman Reedus says Daryl just wants to fulfille his promise to Michonne

Michonne (Danai Gurira) left The Walking Dead with specific instructions for Daryl. Reedus says Daryl would be happy to honor her wishes of caring for the new generation, although other demands keep calling.

With Michonne leaving, he promised her he would take care of those children, Reedus said. So hes trying to paly daddy and do everything correctly there and watching his friend have a breakdown and trying to be there to support her and keep this group together while were being attacked. Different days were focused on different fights. Mentally, it was pretty exhausting having to go from all the different directions.

Norman Reedus | Jackson Lee Davis/AMC

RELATED: The Walking Dead: Why Danai Gurira Calls Playing Michonne One of Her Greatest Blessings

Demands like supporting Carol make playing daddy challenging.

It was a hard thing for Daryl to do to have to watch his friend go through that and have to be there for her but also try to keep up an appearance for Judith to see that hes there for her as well, Reedus said. You have to be in a lot of different places at the same time.

The Walking Dead wont leave Daryl alone

Daryl tried to become a recluse, but that didnt take. Reedus suggested its natural for Daryl to be a leader, no matter how hard he resists it.

Norman Reedus | Jackson Lee Davis/AMC

RELATED: Walking Dead Star Jeffrey Dean Morgan Regrets He Never Got To Film This Negan Scene From the Comics

He had basically said, Hey, leave me alone. Ive got a nice little house in the woods. Can you guys just leave me alone for a little while? Ive got this cool dog now. I think hes the kind of character thats always going to be there, I dont want to say reluctantly. I remember when Alpha first shows up, he was just kind of visiting Hilltop and she was at the door going, Whos the leader? Hes looking around and no ones saying anything and hes like okay, Ill go talk to her. Hes constantly being put in these situations. Norman Reedus, San Diego Comic-Con@Home The Walking Dead panel, 7/24/2020

If Daryl cant play daddy on The Walking Dead, at least he can be Uncle Daryl

Daryl is still looking for moments with the kids of the apocalypse, Reedus says. Even if he has to take charge, hell revel in any moment of levity he can find.

Norman Reedus and Cailey Fleming | Jackson Lee Davis/AMC

RELATED: Walking Dead Star Lauren Cohan Reveals Why It Took Her a Month To Get Back Into Character as Maggie

I think part of him likes being Uncle Daryl, Reedus said. You have those moments with scenes with Judith or like the snowball fight that we had when we came back to Alexandria that one season. I think those moments of kind hearted laughter and togetherness, I think he needs that as well. Hes never the guy who initiates them although I did throw the first snowball, so


More Outstanding Drill Results at Wiluna

Perth, July 27, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Wiluna Mining Corporation Limited ( ASX:WMX ) ( FRA:NZ3 ) ( OTCMKTS:BKHRF ) is pleased to report additional high-grade results from resource development and infill drilling at the Wiluna, Regent and Lake Way Mining Centres (Figure 1*). These results will enable the Company to complete detailed Mineral Resources and Reserves estimates as part of the Wiluna Stage 1 sulphides expansion project. At this stage, the Company intends to update Mineral Resource estimates in September 2020 and Reserves in December 2020.- Sulphide resource drilling at Calvert and East Lode produces excellent results- 76.5m @ 1.77g/t intersection at Calvert demonstrates large-scale gold system- Results continue to underpin Wiluna Mining's strategy to grow and increase geological confidence in the high-grade sulphide resources at Wiluna- Drilling at the Wiluna Mining Centre supports Stage 1 & Stage 2 expansion plans- Six rigs currently in operation at Wiluna; over 50 personnel directly employed with the drilling programme- The Company's Mineral Resource update is due in late September 2020; Reserves update in December 2020- Maiden drilling completed at Regent with oxide and Wiluna-style sulphide mineralisationMilan Jerkovic, Wiluna Mining's Executive Chair commented "These ongoing results from drilling 'under the headframe' are continuing to deliver into our Stage 1 sulphide strategy as we pursue shallow high-grade resource development targets. Our initial sulphide resource drilling programme commenced at the Wiluna Mining Centre at Bulletin and Essex and has progressed to Calvert and the East Lode. We have had exceptional drilling results from all these areas (see ASX announcements 17 March 2020, 26 May 2020 & 23 June 2020) and this has given us great confidence that Wiluna remains one of the largest undeveloped gold systems in Australia.Our plan to convert the large sulphide Inferred Resources at Wiluna into Indicated Resources continues to gather momentum and confidence with every new hole. These results will lead to new Resource and Reserves updates and mine planning work scheduled before the end of the calendar year.We believe that from these results we will add meaningful ounces to our already significant Mineral Resource, which is currently 6.4 Moz, and our Reserves which are currently 1.4 Moz. We aim to convert Resources to Reserves very economically at approximately $50-$60/oz, and to discover Mineral Resources at $15/oz".Mr Jerkovic continued, "Wiluna Mining is a development and growth Company currently focussed on Stage 1 sulphide development commencing by September 2021, while expanding our high-grade Mineral Resources and making new discoveries. This is the strategy and focus of the Company. It is important that we emphasise our current operations, until the commencement of Stage 1 concentrate production in September 2021, is purely to provide valuable operating cashflow to assist in funding this transition to Stage 1 and producing gold concentrates to achieve our goal to become a Tier 1 gold mine in a Tier 1 jurisdiction".The Company has completed 45,000 metres of drilling so far in 2020 at the Wiluna Mining Operation. This drilling aligns with the Company's Stage 1 expansion plan, with the primary focus on sulphide ore bodies in support of the proposed mine development sequence at the Wiluna Mining Centre aiming to:1. Significantly increase the confidence in sulphide resources from Inferred to Indicated category which will underpin the Stage 1 Reserve estimation.2. Add Reserve ounces in high-grade, shallow zones, close to existing mine development that can be rapidly brought into production at low cost.3. Find new, high grade shoots that will enhance the ounces per vertical metre and, more importantly, increase the grade. This will help consolidate Stage 1 and enhance the transition into Stage 2 which has the plan to increase production to +250kozpa of gold and gold in concentrate over a long mine life.These latest results relate mainly to Calvert and East Lode at Wiluna Central and Wiluna South (see Figure 2*), having already received excellent results from Essex and Bulletin located at Wiluna North.Along with the high-grade results released in March, May and June 2020 for the Bulletin and Essex programmes, these results are extremely encouraging and support the Company's plans to commence underground mining of sulphide ore at a rate of 750,000 tonnes of ore per annum for the Stage 1 processing sulphide expansion which is expected to produce circa 120kozpa in gold dore and gold in concentrate from September 2021.In the preliminary Stage 1 mining plan the average head grade of the underground ore at the Wiluna Mining centre is 4.7 g/t but historically the average grade mined was between 6 to 8 g/t, and the Bulletin shoot alone produced 900,000oz @ 8 g/t. These high-grade drilling results give confidence that it may be possible to increase the mined grade. The Company is targeting high-grade zones, because every 1 g/t increase in the grade in the sulphides should result in an additional 25kozpa of production in Stage 1 and 50kozpa in Stage 2.Drilling is ongoing with six rigs in operation at the Wiluna Mining Centre, and the Company intends to continue drilling at this rate for the foreseeable future. To support this rate of drilling, the Company has over 50 personnel employed with the drilling programme and our growth and discovery strategy.The ongoing drilling programme has five objectives:1. Increase sulphide Reserves at Wiluna for the Stage 1 expansion;2. Increase sulphide Reserves for Stage 2 expansion;3. Make a new discovery in the wider Wiluna Mining Operations;4. Reveal the true scale of Wiluna sulphide resource; and5. Extend the free milling Mineral Resources and Reserves.A Mineral Resource update is due to be released in late September 2020 with the Reserves update due to be finalised in December 2020. A Mineral Resource/Reserve conversion cost of approximately $50-$60/oz and Mineral Resource addition cost of $15/oz are expected.*To view the full report with tables and figures, please visit:About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd

Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Mayor Bill de Blasio was at it again last week, making Staten Island feel like its not part of New York City. At least not a valued part.

How many times have we felt that way since de Blasio became mayor in 2014?

This time it had to do with funding for New York City Housing Authority community centers.

Last Tuesday, de Blasio said that $22 million shifted from the NYPD would go to NYCHA centers in every borough.

Except, it turns out, on Staten Island.

City Hall at first had no explanation for the oversight. Later, the mayors office said that the funding was allocated based on vacant or shuttered NYCHA centers in need of renovation.

That took care of facilities in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. And a center in Queens was given expense money for programming.

City Halls justification changed nothing: It was a four-borough effort in a five-borough city.

All this is happening while a planned $5.7 million renovation to a community center in Mariners Harbor remains stuck in limbo.

Its the second time lately that the Island was left out of a City Hall initiative. De Blasio also neglected to include Staten Island in his cool streets plan, which added spray caps to hydrants around the city in an order to help New Yorkers beat the heat.

Streets on Staten Island were included only after the Advance highlighted the oversight.

Do the maps used by City Hall include all five boroughs? For an avowedly political animal, de Blasio can be positively clueless when it comes to simple political optics.

City Hall couldnt find an Island community center that needed some upgrading? He didnt think we needed any cool streets here? Just how do these decisions get made?

Sadly, were getting used to this kind of dismissive treatment during the coronavirus pandemic.

Back in April, as the worst of the pandemic was taking hold here, we learned that Staten Island would receive none of the military medical personnel sent to the city by the federal government.

De Blasio had asked the Trump administration for doctors, nurses and other medical personnel to help us deal with the growing virus problem.

But the personnel that the feds sent were ticketed for city Health + Hospitals facilities. Staten Island is the only borough without an H+H hospital, so we received none of those resources.

We were also left wanting when the city sent more of its own resources to stressed H+H hospitals. City hospitals got more beds, more personnel, and free COVID testing for staff.

But, again, Staten Island received nothing because we dont have a city hospital here.

You see how that keeps snowballing?

De Blasio and the city Department of Transportation also used the cover of the pandemic to cut back on overnight Staten Island Ferry service, even though service every 30 minutes is mandated by city law.

The schedule has been beefed up recently as the city has come back to life, but heres no telling when the full schedule will be returned to us. The city also took away lower-level boarding of the boats during the pandemic, even though that can cause more crowding when loading the boats.

If you didnt know any better, youd think that the city was using the pandemic to give the Island a final kiss-off. Although, yes, de Blasio did close streets to traffic here so that pedestrians and cyclists could use the roads. And we did get some personal protective equipment from the city. And the mayor did come here to help paint a Black Lives Matter tribute on the street near the 120th Precinct stationhouse.

So de Blasio does have his priorities. Its just that Staten Island isnt often among them.
The American flag at Chengdu consulate in southwestern China was lowered on early Monday morning in a tit-for-tat battle as Beijing retaliated against Washington's demand to shutter the Chinese consulate in Houston, the Chinese state media reported.

IMAGE: Security personnel walk in front of the US Consulate General in Chengdu, Sichuan province after China ordered its closure in response to US order for China to shut its consulate in Houston. Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters

As per CGTN's reports, a group of staffers at the US Consulate General in Chengdu were spotted leaving the consulate general around 6:00 a.m. (local time) before a US national flag was lowered at around 6:18 a.m. (local time) on Monday.

China during the weekend ordered the US to close its consulate in Chengdu within 72 hours in retaliation to the US demand for China to shut down its consulate in Houston.

The deadline for the US consulate's evacuation was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. (local time) on Monday, as per the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs.

Last week, the US government abruptly ordered the closure of China's consulate in Houston, Texas, claiming the mission had been involved in a larger Chinese espionage effort using diplomatic facilities around the US.

"Relevant Chinese authorities then entered from the main entrance and took over," the ministry said in the statement posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Over the weekend, hundreds of people had gathered outside the US consulate in the southwestern city of 16.5 million people, taking selfies and waving Chinese flags. On Saturday, the US insignia was taken down, while on Sunday removal work began on a plaque outside the embassy and shipping containers were loaded onto trucks, as staff prepared for the consulate to be closed, according to CNN.

The Chinese government had given the Americans the same time frame of 72 hours to close their Chengdu mission as Beijing had been afforded in Houston, where last Tuesday, Washington told China to "cease all operations and events."

The Chinese foreign ministry called that move an "unprecedented escalation" of ongoing tensions between the two countries.

"The current situation between China and the United States is something China does not want to see, and the responsibility rests entirely with the United States," the foreign ministry said in the statement.

As the deadline to close the Chinese diplomatic mission expired on Friday, US federal agents entered the compound of the Chinese consulate in Houston in black SUVs and white vans.

Relations between the US and China have rapidly deteriorated in the past two weeks, amid the reciprocal consulate closures and the guilty plea of a Singaporean national who admitted to spying for Beijing.
An international team of scientific institutions will join forces to preserve the future of the Lake Titicaca giant frog, an endangered species, Bolivia's natural history museum said. "In a coordinated effort, a cross-border team has been formed for the conservation and study of the emblematic Titicaca water frog (Telmatobius culeus) with the vision for the species' long-term future," the La Paz-based Museum of Natural History said in a statement sent to AFP. The team is made up of organizations from several countries, including Bolivia's Natural History Museum "Alcide d'Orbigny," Peru's Cayetano Heredia University and environmental NGO NaturalWay, the Denver Zoo in Colorado and the Zoology Museum at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador. The mission also has the backing of the United Nations and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The Lake Titicaca water frog is the world's largest aquatic amphibian, growing up to six inches long (145 millimeters). It can even grow as long as 20 inches, according to a 1970 report by legendary French scientist Jacques Yves Cousteau. The frog lives at depths of up to 109 yards (100 meters). It is characterized by its soft, loose skin that resembles a sack with detached folds, allowing it to breathe in the water of Lake Titicaca, which are more than two miles (3,800 meters) above sea level, as well as some surrounding waters in La Paz and Puno, Peru. The water frog is considered critically endangered, threatened by the overexploitation of the species for culinary purposes, ritual uses and the use of its skin for leather production. It is also threatened by high levels of water pollution in Lake Titicaca, which has produced infectious diseases that negatively affect amphibian populations. The Lake Titicaca water frog is the world's largest aquatic amphibian, growing up to six inches long (145 millimeters)
The Go-Yunnan platform features both a downloadable app as well as a website. The app is segmented into modules for Destination, Guide, Explore, Me, Lives, Translator and More. In the Destination module, the interested visitor can find information on 411 places of interest in 16 prefectures and cities across the province, The Lives modules comes loaded with live streaming of 1,400 Yunnan's most captivating locales. Together with Itineraries, Essentials, Transport and Weather, those characteristic functions are aiming at assisting the prospective travelers in pre-trip planning. In addition to the Translator, Exchange and other practical features, the Guide module provides route recommendations alongside spoken guided tours for some of the more popular attractions. All in all, the app is expected to make the prospective visit all the more rewarding for overseas visitors. Most appealing for all travelers from abroad, the app comes with a one-click Complaint button that can be accessed during the course of the journey or stay within the province in the event of finding oneself lost or in a confusing situation or needing to file a complaint due to bad service. The Go-Yunnan website, an extension to the app, acts as an international information platform for anyone planning a visit to the province.

https://www.ybsjyyn.com/en/

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tengyun.intl.yyn

https://apps.apple.com/app/id1484293598



As one of the most practical features, the Exchange function provides immediate exchange rate conversion between the yuan and 14 commonly used currencies, making it easy for travelers to understand what everything costs. The Essentials module lists practical information including the contact and location information of the nearest consulates, as well as current and updated information on visas, time zones, climate, money, water, electrical current adaptors and safety, assuring stress-free preparation for a smooth and enjoyable journey for anyone planning to spend time in Yunnan.

In the latest version update, the Transport function added train and bus time query feature with more than 100 train and 1000 bus lines within Yunnan Province. The Festivals and Activities section gives you a glimpse of Yunnan's colorful ethnic culture through 18 activities of 20 related ethnic groups.

Follow the Go-Yunnan social platform Twitter, YouTube, Facebook to learn more about and gain access to real time travel information on Yunnan province.

SOURCE Go-Yunnan
A young woman fell into a coma and died after taking an overdose - while her heartbroken mother believed she was just hungover from a night out.

Shannon Hewat, 20, was rushed to Lincoln County Hospital last Tuesday after she revealed she had taken an overdose.

Her mother Lorna had thought her daughter was vomiting because of a hangover as she had 'been out all weekend,' and tried to give her dried toast and crackers before Ms Hewat made the confession.

When the pair arrived at the Lincolnshire hospital, the 49-year-old mother was unable to be at her daughter's side due to restrictions in place amid coronavirus.

On Wednesday, Mrs Hewat was told her daughter had fallen into a coma as her organs had gone into complete failure.

She was then transferred to a hospital in Birmingham for an emergency liver transplant, but Ms Hewat died before she was able to undergo the surgery.

Shannon Hewat (pictured), 20, was rushed to Lincoln County Hospital last Tuesday after she admitted she had taken an overdose

Her mother Lorna said: 'We believe she took the overdose on Monday, she had been out all weekend and I thought she had a bad hangover and that is why she was being sick.

'I was trying to give her dried toast, biscuits and crackers and tried to get to sip water. I had no idea and her friend who was here also had no idea.

'She told me [what she had done]. I think she was frightened at that point because she was in a lot of pain.'

After her daughter made the confession, Mrs Hewat immediately called an ambulance and the claims advisor was rushed into Lincoln County hospital.

The worried parent was unable to be at her daughter's side due to coronavirus restrictions, and and instead pleaded with the hospital for regular updates.

She also sent texts to her daughter, but the messages got no response.

Doctors called Mrs Hewat the next morning and revealed Shannon was in a critical condition and had fallen into a coma.

Her organs had gone into complete failure and it was arranged that she would be transferred to hospital in Birmingham and taken in for an emergency liver transplant.

Despite their fears she wouldn't survive the journey, Mrs Hewat, her son Connor, 19, and two of Shannon's best friends headed to Birmingham.

The mother and brother were given 30 minutes with Shannon as doctors prepared her for the emergency surgery.

They then headed to a nearby hospital to rest, but were told later that night that Shannon had passed away.

Ms Hewat (pictured with her brother Connor) fell into a coma and was transferred to a hospital in Birmingham for an emergency liver transplant

Mrs Hewet said: 'I refused to believe it. I was shouting at the doctors to help her. I knew she wouldn't leave me.

'She was supposed to go for a liver transplant, she only had a couple of hours to hold on. I have just been in complete shock, I still can't believe it.

'I am just waiting for her to come through the door and every now and then again I can hear her voice in the house.

'I would do anything for her just to come in and chuck her stuff on the floor even though we have a coat-rack. '

Mrs Hewat explained how she and Shannon were 'very, very close': 'Even during the lockdown I said to my mum it was a full-time job just texting Shannon all day.

'I didn't text many people because my hands would be sore because Shannon would text me constantly all day even if she was in the house.

'We were very close. I have two boys, but mums and daughters are very close. It was like we were joined at the hip, we were best friends.'

Ms Hewat also shared a close-knit relationship with Connor and their older brother, Dominic.

Her mother said: 'She was dearly loved by her brothers. Connor is younger, he is about to turn 19 next week.

'Dominic is 30 and he felt more like a father figure towards both of them because of the age gap and there not being a father around.

'Connor and Shannon used to be inseparable. They used to top and tail in bed, they were as thick as thieves.'

Mrs Hewat explained how she and Shannon (pictured together) were 'very, very close': 'Even during the lockdown I said to my mum it was a full-time job just texting Shannon all day'

Paying tribute to her daughter, Mrs Hewat said she will always remember Shannon as the considerate and thoughtful person she was.

'She was very strong minded and bossy. When she was at nursery they said she was going to be the next prime minister because she could take charge of situations,' she said.

'She was very funny, she had a good sense of humour. She was very quick-witted - I don't know how she managed get these quick comebacks, she didn't get it from me, that's for sure.

'She was very loyal and a very loyal friend. Her friends have all messaged me and said how much a wonderful friend she was, a good listener and how she would help any of them out of dark places.

'She was very supportive but she was proud and stubborn so didn't like to share her own troubles.

'Shannon liked to appear strong. She was very energetic and had a lot of lust for life.'

Her mother, who hopes to bury her daughter with her uncle and grandfather in Scotland, has now set up a fundraiser to help pay for Shannon's funeral.

So far, more than 3,700 has been donated to the fund.

Mrs Hewat said: 'It's absolutely beyond words. I don't even know to express my gratitude.

'There are no words I can say to people to say thank you for their generosity and messages of support.

'Whether they have sent a donation or not, everyone has been unbelievable. The amount of friend requests I am getting from Shannon's friend is incredible.'
Since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. in full force in March, Krista Perry, who's been an intensive care nurse for eight years, has "seen more horrible things" this year than she had in her entire career.

Reflecting on those early weeks, she told TODAY, "It's like somebody flipped a switch, and we entered into this kind of alternative reality." Perry's new workflow at her Arizona hospital includes extensive infection control protocols, comforting end-of-life patients whose families aren't around and battling almost-constant short staffing, to name a few changes.

Krista Perry works as an ICU nurse in Arizona. (Krista Perry)

She's one of hundreds of thousands of nurses who treat cases of the coronavirus every day  and whose mental health is suffering as a result.

A recent survey from the American Nurses Foundation  the philanthropic arm of the American Nurses Association, a leading professional organization for nurses  found that more than half of nurses feel overwhelmed amid the pandemic, and 29% are depressed. Of the 10,000 nurses included in the research, almost three-quarters reported challenges with sleeping.

There have also been dozens of reports of health care workers dying by suicide since March, seemingly due to the stress of fighting on the front lines of an outbreak that's claimed more than 100,000 Americans' lives.

This phenomenon has shined a light on something Perry and her colleagues already knew: Nurses die by suicide more often than the general population. A recent study estimates female nurses are 58% more likely and male nurses are 41% more like to take their own lives.

"I have a very robust happy life, and to have every day feel like a struggle now I know is directly related to everything going on in the world," Perry said.

At work, she cares for a greater number of patients with more severe illness than she ever has.

"I use the analogy of watching somebody drown and doing everything you can to help them, and they still drown in front of you," Perry described. "And you're the one who communicates with their family about it, and then imagine if that happens to you every day you go to work and ... four or five times a day. That's what nurses and doctors are facing right now."

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At home, she said she's "terrified" of infecting her husband, 5-year-old son and mother, who lives with her and is almost 70. As the only health care worker in her family, Perry also plans their activities and errands, which now has the added "burden" of keeping everyone safe, she said.

"I have nightmares all the time. That's now a normal occurrence," she added.

Another registered nurse, Candice Cordero in Bradenton, Florida, is currently living through many health care workers' biggest fear. In late June, about 10 days after treating two patients in isolation because they'd been exposed to COVID-19, Cordero, whose son has asthma, tested positive.

Candice Cordero works as a nurse in a cardiac and stroke unit in Florida. (Candice Cordero)

She told TODAY that she wasn't provided with an N95 mask, and when she spoke up, her hospital threatened her with disciplinary action.

"To feel like you're not protected and then to be threatened on top of that is really demeaning," she recalled. "I kind of felt betrayed."

Cordero added that a primary source of stress has been her hospital's lack of transparency about personal protective equipment, changing policies and staff's coronavirus exposure.

"Most nurses would never have anticipated working during a pandemic," she said. "It's a lot of stress that I never thought I would have to go through."

Cordero said her hospital has had at least 33 employees test positive for the coronavirus, and almost 100 nurses have left since the beginning of the year.

Josh Deal, a nurse manager in North Carolina, told TODAY that he doesn't believe his own mental health has suffered as a result of the pandemic. But he worries about the at-home support systems of his emergency room staff, many of whom are voluntarily working overtime.

"As a supervisor, seeing the stress that goes on in your unit is very taxing," he said.

In Deal's personal life, which includes caring for a new baby and managing his type 1 diabetes, he struggles because of his line of work. His children can't go to daycare because of their father's risk of exposure to the coronavirus, and friends avoid seeing him for the same reason.

He understands why this is the case, but that doesn't always make it easier.

"People in the medical field don't like taking care of themselves because they're always taking care of others," he said. "We're getting to a point where we have to take care of ourselves."

For those who are running out of energy to do just that, he said he doesn't "know what the solution is."

When asked how she'll move forward when the pandemic is over, Perry said, "Whenever that is, I'll have some serious healing to do."
Botswana's government says it still doesn't know what caused the deaths of hundreds of elephants in recent weeks, but testing continues.

Poaching and anthrax have been ruled out as the likely cause. Other possibilities being examined include a novel virus and poisoning. The investigation involves help from laboratories in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Britain and the United States.

While there has not been any indication of fresh carcasses or signs that the mortality has spread beyond the initial area of concern, the district team on the ground will continue to monitor the situation, remove ivory from carcasses and take them to safe custody as well as destroy carcasses that are close to the villages and human settlements, the acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Oduetse Koboto, told diplomats Saturday.

The investigations, including an aerial survey, are expected to be completed this week.

Botswana's National Veterinary Laboratory has not been able to establish the causes of death despite examining 281 of the elephant carcasses found in the popular Okavango Delta area of the country's north.

This is one of the biggest disasters to impact elephants this century, and right in the middle of one of Africa's top tourism destinations, the director of conservation group National Park Rescue, Mark Hiley, has said.

Botswana has the world's highest population of elephants with more than 156,000 counted in a 2013 aerial survey in the north.
Moderna Inc said on Sunday it has received an additional $472 million from the U.S. government's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support development of its novel coronavirus vaccine. The U.S.-based drug maker said the additional funding will support its late-stage clinical development including the expanded Phase 3 study of Moderna's vaccine candidate.

In April, Moderna had received $483 million from the U.S. federal agency that funds disease-fighting technology, when the experimental vaccine was in an early-stage trial conducted by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. "Encouraged by the Phase 1 data, we believe that our mRNA vaccine may aid in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and preventing future outbreaks," Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel said in a press release.

BARDA's total funding for the experimental vaccine of Moderna, the first in the United States to begin human trials of a coronavirus vaccine, is now about $955 million. The vaccine uses synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA) to inoculate against the coronavirus. Such treatments help the body immunize against a virus and can potentially be developed and manufactured more quickly than traditional vaccines.

A Phase 3 study, conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will begin on July 27 and involve about 30,000 participants, according to the company. Moderna said it remains on track to be able to deliver about 500 million doses per year, and possibly up to 1 billion doses per year, beginning in 2021.

The announcement about further funding came two days after the drug developer said its formula used in developing the vaccine was not covered under patents owned by Arbutus Biopharma. Pfizer Inc, Novavax Inc, Britain's AstraZeneca Plc are other few drug makers that received funding from BARDA for coronavirus vaccine development.

Also read: Coronavirus treatment: Favipiravir leads to price war among pharma companies in India
COHOES  On June 6, State Police in Essex County responded to a call of a supposed gunfight between an off-duty Cohoes police officer and a Black youth in Elizabethtown.

When they arrived, they found Officer Sean T. McKown, whose 911 call had summoned the response, asleep in his summer home and highly intoxicated, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation. The 46-year-old McKown, who is white, told troopers that a Black youth had displayed a gun and fired at him, which had prompted him to fire his weapon four times while retreating up a hill before ditching the department-issued pistol out of fear the emptied gun would be used against him.

McKown, who allegedly told a neighbor he had suspected the young people of being in an Antifa group, went back inside and called 911.

The story, McKown would allegedly later admit, was false. State Police described his various statements as extremely inconsistent.

Seven weeks later, McKown has yet to be face discipline for the Essex County incident  nor has he returned to work. Instead, McKown is out on sick leave and expected to retire in August.

The Times Union spoke with multiple people briefed on the incident as well as Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler, who said State Police and the Cohoes Police Department have investigated McKowns conduct. The incident took place as protests were happening around the country following the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis. Essex County, which includes Lake Placid and Keene Valley, has not emerged as a hot spot for those protests.

Contacted at home on Monday, McKown declined to comment. In 2018, he was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence in rural Illinois. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was suspended without pay; McKown was also sentenced to a month of court supervision.

In a statement Monday, State Police said the investigation into the Essex County incident had been closed with no charges filed.

The mayor, who acknowledged McKown had allegedly fired his weapon, stood by the decision to not suspend the officer. A former State Police officer for more than 30 years serving his first year as mayor, Keeler told the Times Union that "the incident under investigation involved alleged behavior unbecoming of a police officer. If proven true  and in combination with a highly publicized DWI arrest two years ago  I would not entertain the idea of that officer patrolling the streets of Cohoes again.

Keeler said he conveyed that message on June 7, the day after the incident. He said McKown has used sick time since that date to deal with a health issue. McKowns retirement becomes effective in two weeks, the mayor said.

People familiar with the June 6 incident on Lincoln Pond Road in Elizabethtown said Troopers responded to McKown's 911 call. They arrived at McKowns summer home to find him asleep. They noticed that McKown smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes.

Awakened, McKown told the troopers he had returned home from a gathering and saw a number of Black youths in the road in front of his home. Some were lifting phones, apparently seeking cell service. McKown said he asked the group what they were doing, and asked them to get away from his home and neighborhood.

He said he approached the youths two more times, the third time after grabbing his service gun from his vehicle. This time, McKown claimed, a Black male lifted his shirt and displayed a silver gun in his waistband. McKown said he heard a pop, which he believed was a gunshot fired at him. He said he fired four shots out of fear for his life and, after running out of bullets, ditched his gun while retreating.

McKown later called State Police and acknowledged that he had given them false and inaccurate information. When they returned to Lincoln Pond Road, the officer allegedly admitted the young man had not shot at him and claimed he had not fired his weapon while retreating.

Instead, McKown claimed that while he was behind his home he had heard a pop, and fired shots into a tree stump to scare off whoever had made the noise. He said he had ditched his gun because he did not want the youths to find it and use it against him. He allegedly claimed he had told the false story because he did not want to appear scared, though he had been.

After viewing security video from a neighbors home, troopers told McKown their investigation showed that his weapon had been neatly laid down, not ditched in a panic. As their questioning continued, McKown allegedly asked the troopers why they were trying to jam him up.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The troopers said McKown claimed he had not been intoxicated, though he claimed he did not recall making the statements he had made on the 911 recording.

The two males and a woman in the group whom McKown approached spoke to State Police, people with knowledge of the case said. They said McKown had asked them where they were staying, and other questions they did not want to answer. They later heard him on the phone describing what they were wearing. They said they did not feel threatened by McKown or see his weapon, but did feel harassed. They did not want to press charges.

State Police notified Cohoes police and met with Essex County District Attorney Kristy Sprague. On Monday, Sprague declined comment.

Keeler said there were two avenues the city could take, one being immediate suspension for 30 days with pay. In that scenario, hearings and arbitration could be a good year-long process in which the city would pay out McKowns salary with no certainty of the outcome.

He said McKowns retirement provides a certain ending for the officer's two-decade career.

So if these facts are true, then that would be the desired goal  separation of service, the mayor said, and the most certain way to get there, the easiest way to get there, the least expensive way to get there is the retirement route.

Ive seen similar cases go both ways and, given the circumstances, taking that risk is not in the best interest of the people of Cohoes," the mayor said.

McKown, the nephew of former Cohoes Police Chief William Heslin, was hired in July 2000. At the time, the hiring  and the contemporaneous hiring of the chiefs son  was met with criticism because they were not the top scorers on a civil service qualifying test.

He has worked as the departments K9 or police dog handler. In 2015, former Mayor George Primeau honored McKown and his dog, Jeter, with a plaque for 10 years of service. Jeters son, Loky, replaced him as K9.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 21:56:05|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Russia plans to lift the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday to create "ballistic conditions" for the arrival of a manned spacecraft in October, Russian state space corporation Roscosmos said Monday.

The engines of Russia's Progress MS-14 cargo ship docked to the ISS will be switched on at 4:42 p.m. Moscow time (1342 GMT) on Wednesday and will operate for 336.3 seconds, Roscosmos said in a press release.

After that, the height of the ISS's orbit will increase by 1,100 meters to about 419.1 km above the Earth, it said.

Russia plans to launch its Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft in October from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, aiming to send one American and two Russian astronauts to the ISS. Enditem
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size When Joe Bullock became a Labor senator in 2013, he hoped his vote could make a difference. He hoped it would stop same-sex marriage becoming law. The Western Australian Labor powerbroker and former state secretary of the shoppies union was left disappointed. The party gave its parliamentarians a conscience vote for two terms of Parliament and then bound them to back same-sex marriage after what Bullock remembers as a 499 to one vote at the ALP national conference in 2015. "Mate, you start to feel youre in a bit of a minority," Bullock says. He quit the Senate that year, adamant "marriage is between a man and a woman, full stop". Then-senator Joe Bullock delivers his first speech in 2014. He said he found Parliament obsessed with "artificial" battles. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Bullock, who worked for the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, better known as the shoppies or SDA, for 38 years was one of the last of his kind in the unions. The type of people (usually committed Catholics) who used to put "anti-Communist" as their occupation in the census and built the SDA into a socially conservative, strike-averse union that has been at times Australia's largest and arguably most powerful. As other unions have declined, the SDA has retained its status as the biggest private-sector union with just over 200,000 members. It is a huge total at a time when unions represent about 15 per cent of the workforce, down from about half when Bob Hawke sat atop the movement throughout the 1970s. But critics accuse the shoppies of having won their membership through matey relationships with employers built on questionable pay deals and using their numbers to fight progressive views on everything from stem cell research to reproductive rights. Gerard Dwyer, the union's national secretary, has taken a different tack. In his first major interview since winning the position uncontested in 2014, he stands by the union's history. As an official since 1987, he has been a part of a lot of it. But he is equally determined to stay out of social fights and so-called "culture wars" debates. Asked whether the union has a view on any of the social issues that were so prominent in its agenda, Dwyer says it is for "individuals to make up their own position". Some SDA-linked politicians, including James Merlino, the Victorian Deputy Premier, and Greg Donnelly, a NSW Labor upper house member, have made their views clear. Merlino came to support same-sex marriage but was an opponent of voluntary assisted dying legislation, which passed in Victoria in 2017. Donnelly, who is the president of the NSW branch of the SDA as well as sitting in Parliament, campaigned against same-sex marriage and is a leading anti-abortion voice. Gerard Dwyer, SDA national secretary, has turned his union's public advocacy away from social issues. Credit:Nick Moir But Dwyer says he is more interested in "facts" than "hyperbole", something he credits to his upbringing in the small northern NSW town of Casino, where he was born in 1963 to a union family. His uncle once ran as a state ALP candidate and his grandfather was a union delegate at a butter factory but Dwyer studied education at the Australian Catholic University. After working as a teacher and social worker, Dwyer found himself picking up more hours at a bottle shop where he had a job when studying. He says he was looking for a job when he joined the SDA and worked his way up. At a time when the coronavirus has put more stress on workers than at any time since the Second World War, Dwyer is determined to focus on two watchwords: "dignity and respect".

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He will not comment on Bullock's decision to leave the Senate, short of saying it was "interesting" and does not see the union's transition from an organisation that did more than any other to forestall Labor's eventual support of same-sex marriage to one that has no public stance on the issue as a defining shift. "You might see it as a significant change," Dwyer says. "I think it's more of a changing context." That context is now COVID-19. The union has thrown its energy behind a push for bonus payments to workers keeping shelves stocked, paid pandemic leave for those who show symptoms of the virus and maintained some of its old objectives, like the fight against reduced penalty rates. So far, so traditional. But many in Labor see that as a marked change. One senior union leader from outside the Shoppies, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says there has been a "quiet revolution". Several federal Labor politicians, including some who have clashed with the union historically, agree. Even Josh Cullinan, Dwyer's chief antagonist and secretary of the rival Retail and Fast Food Workers Union, which numbers about 2500 members, concedes the SDA no longer pursues a socially-conservative agenda publicly, though he is suspicious of its longstanding leadership. "It didnt really have a choice anymore," Cullinan says. Whether the change is a rupture or evolution, the largest socially conservative voice among the unions has vacated the public square. SDA national president Joe de Bruyn stayed seated as ALP National Conference gave Senator Penny Wong a standing ovation after her speech on same-sex marriage in Melbourne in 2015. Credit:Andrew Meares Most Labor figures who spoke to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald attribute it to the departure of Joe de Bruyn, the union's national secretary of more than 30 years once branded the "Dutchman who hates dykes" by Gough Whitlam. De Bruyn, who retired as national secretary in 2014 and president in 2018, declined to comment. Dwyer has nothing but praise for his old boss. De Bruyn, he says, is "a very fair minded, compassionate individual with an incredible work ethic". Asked what he would like to see from the ongoing negotiations with businesses and the government over industrial relations reform, Dwyer says he would like enterprise agreements to be dealt faster by the Fair Work Commission, which is the industrial umpire. "If it's not up to scratch, make the decision and kick it out," he says. "Or if it is, give us a decision and let us get on with it." At stake in enterprise bargain decisions are the pay and conditions of tens of thousands of retail workers, and the profitability of some of Australia's largest companies. Dwyer points to the Kmart enterprise agreement, which was approved in 2019 after more than a year of legal battles, as one that took too long. The ambition is one employers and unions could both get behind but it also skirts territory that has prompted the SDA's critics to skewer it for having a "cosy" relationship with employers.

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One reason the Kmart agreement took so long to approve was the commission ruled its thin pay rise for employees  in some cases 1 cent an hour above the award  was not enough to compensate employees for the downside of being placed in the REST super fund linked with the SDA. In 2016 The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed retail workers at major chains including Coles and McDonald's were being underpaid millions a year compared with the award under deals struck with the union. Those revelations prompted criticism, including allegations the SDA had sold out workers. The commission, which is supposed to check whether the deals signed by unions and employers make workers "better off overall" (known as the BOOT test), ultimately struck down the Coles agreement and only approved the Kmart deal after the superannuation clause was removed. Loading Dwyer says the union believes its deals did make workers better off, but "we're not the union that gets bogged down in in fighting yesterday's battles". But he is voluble and detailed on industrial matters. Even as some chains have walked away from the enterprise agreement, including McDonald's, Dwyer points to several agreements the SDA has signed in recent years with businesses from Hungry Jack's to KFC that meet industrial standards. "Fully BOOT compliant," he says. He points to public holidays and safety measures the union has fought for too. The SDA has signed pay deals with companies including Hungry Jack's in recent years. Credit:Sahlan Hayes Cullinan, who has challenged many of the SDA's agreements, is not convinced. He argues the union's deals favour employers because they allow the SDA to recruit members at company inductions. "They are only implementing any changes and returning the billion dollars that was stolen because of RAFFWU action," he says. There are some indications the SDA claims victories it was not wholly responsible for. At least one employer, Bunnings, which paid workers a $1000 "thank you" payment in a "union win", said it did so of its own accord. Loading Bullock, retired and a Liberal Party member living in Tasmania, has no regrets. He argues that unlike militant unions like the CFMMEU, the SDA's mostly younger, often casual workforce meant the union did not have the "weapon" of strike action and had to rely on persuasion to convince employers. Still, he says, he had fun, and feels he improved working people's lives and would do it all again. The union is doing fine without him, he says.

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A Suitable Boy, adapted for screen by Andrew Davies, will soon release in India on Netflix.

The first episode of A Suitable Boy, an adaptation of Vikram Seth's novel of the same name, released on UK network BBC One on Sunday. The six-part series, set in post-Independence India, marks filmmaker Mira Nair's television debut. It will soon release in India and worldwide on Netflix.

The story centres around a 19-year-old university student Lata, portrayed by newcomer Tanya Maniktala, who struggles with her life being mapped out thanks to old traditions and an overbearing mother who wants to find her a suitable husband.

"A Suitable Boy is a modern classic about a time when a country is finding its feet after Independence. It is a massive yet intimate saga; an extraordinary tale of love and friendship across class and certainly across religion," Nair had recently said about the show.

Ishaan Khatter, Tabu, Rasika Dugal, Shahana Goswami, Ram Kapoor, Vijay Varma, Mahira Kakkar, Mikhail Sen, Danesh Razvi, Vijay Varma, Ranvir Shorey, Vinay Pathak, Randeep Hooda and Namit Das make up the rest of the show's cast.

The hefty novel has been adapted for screen by Andrew Davies, who has previously written the screenplays for BBC's Pride and Prejudice and War and Peace.

A Suitable Boy premiered to mixed reviews from critics, who lauded the show for its massive Indian cast and crew, but did point out its stereotypical portrayal of India.

Here is a compilation of the reviews so far

"For all its good intentions, this is still an orange-filtered fantasy version of India, where the characters speak English with the same mannered Indian accents and nobody can do anything without a sitar twanging," notes The Independent's Ed Cumming.

Livemint's Raja Sen makes a similar observation : "The show feels like an amateurish stage play, a high school-quality musical minus the music. This is partly because of the expository and entirely functional nature of the dialoguesYou are the Revenue Minister, I am the Home Minister," informs a man, as if politicians were gnatsbut more so because of cardboard accents. Not far removed from Apu of The Simpsons, here we have a cast of mostly talented Indian actors trying, bafflingly, to sound browner. The cadences are unforgivable as characters try to add weird Hindi-esque lilts to English sentences.

Chitra Ramaswamy of The Guardian writes that while the show is "beautiful, expensive and groundbreaking in its casting" it does feel "uncomfortably old school."

"This may be the first Indian period drama of its kind in British TV history, but it remains an India that a British audience is used to seeing. The cast mostly speaks English, with a smattering of Urdu and Hindi, and in India there has been some scoffing at the accents. These are the oddities of the genre: no one spoke Russian in Daviess War and Peace, either. It is just that in the midst of our cultural reckoning, the old ways are starting to look downright weird," she says.

Susannah Butler feels differently about the show, and writes for Evening Standard, "Nair has succeeded in creating a world with charm and drama. There are six episodes and I am looking forward to an Indian summer."
Seventy seven percent of Irish citizens believe automation would enhance the quality of service within the public sector. This is according to research from OpenSky, the digital transformation specialist for government organisations and large private enterprises.



The research  carried out by Censuswide and involving more than 1,000 citizens across Ireland  found that the majority of Irish people (55%) prefer to contact public service bodies and government agencies online (via app, web on smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.). Telephone is the second most popular method of communication, while less than a fifth of the Irish public would choose to contact these organisations in person.



Online or digital communication is the preferred method across public sector activities including collecting benefits, applying for visas, renewing passports and driving licences, filing or accessing tax records and accessing health records. It was also the channel of choice for private sector activities such as renewing insurance, making appointments and banking enquiries.

Furthermore, the research revealed what people see as the main benefits of online public services. More than half (56%) said it means they can do it at any time. Faster response times was the second top answer (52%) and increased efficiency was third (43%). Some 28% of respondents also said that not having to deal with unhelpful public servants was a main benefit.

The survey found that the most popular complaint when dealing with public services is the long waiting times (33%). A quarter of citizens also expressed frustration with poor customer service levels and some 22% cited rudeness or unhelpfulness of staff as one of their biggest criticisms.



Speaking about the findings, Technology & Commercial Director at OpenSky, William Flanagan said, "Our survey shows that Irish people think these can make a real impact in service delivery and efficiency. By digitalising processes and engaging with cutting-edge technologies, there is an opportunity for organisations and businesses to give people back more time  not just citizens but also workers. An online approach with people at the centre has the potential to improve how we as a nation work, across all facets of life, and benefit everyone."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
DALLAS, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Credera, a consulting firm focused on strategy, transformation, data, and technology, today announced it has acquired a majority stake in London-based DMW Group to expand its consulting and digital transformation capabilities into Europe. Credera is part of Omnicom Precision Marketing Group, the digital and customer relationship management specialist practice area within Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC).

DMW is a leading independent technology consultancy, specializing in the design, delivery, and implementation of data and digital transformation programs. Its people-first and outcome-focused approach drives success for some of the world's biggest brands, including Burberry, Google, and Lloyds of London, as well as for several U.K. government agencies. DMW's management team, led by CEO Chris Dean, will continue in their current roles.

"DMW's capabilities in managing and executing integral projects for C-suite leaders extend the depth and breadth of our data, digital transformation, and technology capabilities into Europe," said Justin Bell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Credera. "I want to welcome Chris and the entire team at DMW to the Credera and Omnicom family."

"We immediately saw the cultural and strategic alignment with the Credera team, along with the extensive global client relationships and services of the Omnicom network, as great opportunities for our people and our clients," said DMW's Chris Dean. "Credera and DMW are well matched in that we both genuinely care about achieving great outcomes for our clients with a hands-on style based on respect, integrity and professionalism."

"DMW adds outstanding strategic advisory and program leadership skills to our organization in Europe," said Luke Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of Omnicom Precision Marketing Group. "The cultural fit and complementary skillsets of Credera and DMW will meet our global clients' need for services at the intersection of business strategy, technology and transformation."

DMW is headquartered in London and has been recognized by Great Place to Work Institute as one of the best places to work in the UK for the past five consecutive years.

ABOUT DMW GROUP

DMW Group (DMWGroup.co.uk) is an independent technology consultancy headquartered in London with offices in Leeds and Manchester. We help our clients to deliver large-scale organizational and technology change initiatives. Our services include advisory, delivery management and engineering across Financial Services, Public Sector and Energy and Commercial sectors. We partner with our clients in solving complex problems and our pragmatic style together with our outcome-centric approach mean that we make a significant difference to our clients' success, helping them to realise business benefits more quickly.

ABOUT CREDERA

Credera (credera.com) is a consulting firm focused on strategy, transformation, data and technology. As a part of Omnicom Precision Marketing Group, our more than 400 consultants across the globe partner together with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to emerging industry leaders from strategy to execution to create tangible business results. Credera's deep business acumen and technical expertise, combined with a deep dedication to building trusted relationships, unlocks extraordinary business performance for our clients. Our mission is to make an extraordinary impact for our clients, people, and communities.

ABOUT OMNICOM PRECISION MARKETING GROUP

Omnicom Precision Marketing Group aligns Omnicom's global digital, data and CRM capabilities to deliver precisely targeted and meaningful customer experiences at scale. Using its universal framework of connected data, connected intelligence and connected experiences, OPMG provides services that include data-driven product / service design, adTech / marTech strategy and implementation, CRM / loyalty strategy and activation, econometric and attribution modeling and digital experience design and development. At the core of delivering these services is Omni, an advanced technology platform that combines a powerful cultural insights engine with massively scaled data insights from first-, second- and third-party sources, including several proprietary Omnicom data partnerships.

ABOUT OMNICOM GROUP

Omnicom Group (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 70 countries.

SOURCE Omnicom Precision Marketing Group

Related Links

http://www.omnicomgroup.com


BOSTON  In a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine today, researchers showed how analysis of data from the multigenerational Framingham Osteoporosis Study may in part explain why the incidence of hip fracture in the U.S. has declined during the last two decades. Douglas P. Kiel, M.D., M.P.H., and Marian T. Hannan, D.Sc., M.P.H., are among the authors. Dr. Kiel is Director, and Dr. Hannan is Co-Director, of the Musculoskeletal Research Center in the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife.

Led by Dr. Kiel, the Framingham Osteoporosis Study is an ancillary study of the Framingham Heart Study, which enrolled its first cohort of participants in 1948 and now includes a third generation of participants. Initially launched to understand the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease, the study has become a treasure trove of data for epidemiologists searching for factors that contribute to many conditions that impact public health, including hip fractures. An estimated 150,000 hip fractures occur each year in the U.S., with estimated costs of care between $10.3 billion and $15.2 billion.

The cause of the decrease in the incidence of hip fracture is unknown, but has been attributed to the treatment of osteoporosis  a disease that causes bones to become weak and brittle. However, in this study, researchers looked at factors beyond osteoporosis treatment that could better explain the dramatic decline in hip fracture in recent decades. For example, Framingham Osteoporosis Study data showed that in persons aged 85 to 89 years, the incidence of hip fracture was 759 per 100,000 person-years in the offspring group compared with 2,018 per 100,000 person-years in the original cohort. The decrease in fracture was too significant to be explained by osteoporosis treatment alone, especially since the decreases were occurring before the availability of effective treatments for osteoporosis.

Study researchers carefully looked at decades of hip fracture data, which allowed statistical differentiation of changes in the incidence of hip fractures arising from the year of birth, aging, and the time period in which the data was collected. They found that a reduction in smoking and excessive alcohol consumption explained some of the declines in rates, emphasizing that ongoing public health considerations help to prevent fractures.

As a result of this study, Dr. Kiel cautioned, While there is still a need to treat patients with osteoporosis, health care providers should continue to encourage public health interventions, specifically smoking cessation and preventing heavy drinking of alcohol.

Dr. Hannan added, There is a need to continue public health approaches along with treating osteoporosis to decrease fracture risk.

This study was funded by the National Institute of Healths National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

About the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research

Scientists at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity, and productivity into advanced age. The Marcus Institute carries out rigorous studies that discover the mechanisms of age-related disease and disability; lead to the prevention, treatment, and cure of disease; advance the standard of care for older people; and inform public decision-making. For further information on the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, please visit https://www.marcusinstituteforaging.org/.

About Hebrew SeniorLife

Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Based in Boston, the nonprofit organization has provided communities and health care for seniors, research into aging, and education for geriatric care providers since 1903. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org and our blog, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2020) - Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Inc. (TSXV: DWS) (the "Company" or "Diamond Estates") (http://www.diamondestates.ca), today announced that, effective July 24, 2020, the Company has entered into an amendment (the "Amendment") to its credit facilities agreement (the "Facilities Agreement") with Bank of Montreal (the "Lender") made as of September 29, 2017, as amended.

Under the Facilities Agreement, the Lender provides Diamond Estates and its subsidiaries with a total of up to $23 million, including a $13.0 million revolving credit facility (the "Revolver") and a $10.0 million non-revolving term loan.

The Amendment provides for an extension on maturity of the indebtedness under the Facilities Agreement to July 1, 2022, certain Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio relief in the second and third quarters of the Company's Fiscal year 2021, and deferral of principal payment obligations in the same such quarters.

As consideration for providing the Amendment, the Lender has been issued on the date of the Amendment, 750,000 non-transferable bonus warrants of the Company ("Bonus Warrants") pursuant to TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.1 - Loans, Loan Bonuses, Finder's Fees and Commissions. Each Bonus Warrant is exercisable into one common share of the Company (a "Bonus Share") at an exercise price of CDN$0.16 per Bonus Share. The Bonus Warrants expire on July 1, 2022 and the Bonus Shares are be subject to an initial four month plus one day hold period from the date of issuance of the Bonus Warrants.

About Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Inc.

Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Inc. is a producer of high quality wines and a sales agent for over 120 beverage alcohol brands across Canada. The Company operates two wineries, one in Ontario and one in British Columbia, that produce predominantly VQA wines under such well-known brand names as 20 Bees, EastDell, Lakeview Cellars, Dan Aykroyd, Fresh, McMichael Collection, Benchmark, Seasons, Serenity, and Backyard Vineyards. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Trajectory Beverage Partners, the Company is the sales agent for many leading international brands in all regions of the country as well as being a distributor in the western provinces. These recognizable brands include Josh wines from California, Fat Bastard and Andre Lurton wines from France, Kaiken wines from Argentina, Felix Solis wines from Spain, Blue Nun wines from Germany, Francois Lurton wines from France and Argentina, Waterloo Brewing and Amsterdam Brewery, both from Canada, Landshark Lager from the USA, Marston's beers from England, Social Lite vodka sodas from Canada, Edinburgh Gin from Scotland, Tamdhu, Glengoyne and Smokehead single-malt Scotch whiskies, Barcelo Rum from the Dominican Republic, C.K. Mondavi & Family wines including Charles Krug from Napa, Bols Vodka from Amsterdam, Koyle Family Wines from Chile, Pearse Lyons whiskies and gins from Ireland, Niagara Craft Distillers' beverages from Ontario, Fontana di Papa wines from Italy, and certain Heineken International beer brands, including Red Stripe and Dragon Stout from Jamaica, Tiger from Singapore and Gosser and Kaiser from Austria.

For more information, please contact:

J. Murray Souter

President & CEO

Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.

jmurraysouter@diamondwines.com

905.641.1042 Ext 234

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/60534
A man carries a Black Liberation flag through a Juneteenth celebration at the memorial for George Floyd outside Cup Foods in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 19, 2020.

Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Armed neighborhood patrols have been forming in Minneapolis in the weeks since George Floyd's death at the end of May.

Floyd's death has spurred a new surge in violence and crime. According to The Wall Street Journal, the number of shootings in June tripled from last year's number.

Residents in one neighborhood have even installed a gate on their street to keep crime out.

The Minneapolis city council voted late last week to cut more than $1 million from the police budget.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Minneapolis has seen a sudden rise in violence in the wake of the police-involved killing of George Floyd at the end of May.

In response, communities in the Minnesota city have started forming neighborhood patrols to deter crime, some of them armed, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Some Black Lives Matter movement leaders have proposed defunding the police as a means to prevent police-brutality incidents, taking taxpayer money from departments and funding other organizations that might be better equipped to deal with issues traditionally under the police's purview.

Late last week the Minneapolis city council voted to cut $1.5 million from the police department's $193 million budget, according to local outlets the Star Tribune and KSTP. A portion of that money will be diverted into the Office of Violence Prevention, which pays for civilian safety patrols across the city's neighborhoods.

While this figure makes up less than 1% of the department's entire budget, lawmakers expect to enact more changes to the department in the coming months, the outlets said.

The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) says violence in the city has risen in the city in the wake of Floyd's death.

Related video: What historians, activists think about the movement to remove statues

The number of shootings in May, June, and July have all risen compared to last year, The Journal reported, citing MPD data. June saw a total of 75 shooting incidents, compared to 24 in the same period last year, The Journal reported.

Story continues

The increase in crime is a pattern that has been seen in other cities where a police-brutality incident has happened, such as Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, the MPD said.

Police officers are still patrolling across the city, the MPD noted.

But with many residents wary of getting the police involved  out of a lack of trust in the police, or fear that the police would escalate tensions  some communities have started their own patrols, The Journal reported.

Tania Rivera, 30, told The Journal her neighborhood started to see a surge in shootings and drug-related crimes in late June, so they installed a gate on their road to keep outsiders out. The police signed off on the gate, so long as emergency responders could get through if needed.

"It got to the point where crime had no consequences," Rivera was quoted saying. "It was being done deliberately out in the open. Drive-through drug dealing, drive-through prostitution, everything from gunshots to assaults to sex out in the public. Everything you didn't want your neighborhood to look like."

Another group, the Minnesota Freedom Fighters, a group of Black gun owners that was formed during the immediate looting and violence that came after Floyd's death.

The group kept looters at bay without firing a single shot, and now they've formed their own firm to provide security at community events.

John Elder, a spokesperson for the MPD, told The Journal the department has "long supported neighborhood patrols" but noted that they should serve as a complement to, rather than substitute of, the police.

Read the original article on Insider
New Delhi, July 27 : Amid the border tension with China in eastern Ladakh, designated terrorist outfit and pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) has started targeting soldiers of the Sikh community in the Indian Army, threatening them to desert the force, intelligence agencies warned on Monday.

The agencies have alerted the armed forces and security establishments about the terrorist outfit's nefarious activities.

Pakistani ISI has been backing the malicious campaign launched by the SFJ.

The US-based proscribed outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is instigating Sikh defence personnel in the backdrop of the recent martyrdom of four Sikh soldiers in Ladakh sector during the recent clashes with Chinese troops at Line of Actual Control.

"Besides exploiting open social media platforms, the outfit is also using the encrypted chat platforms particularly WhatsApp for disseminating these inflammatory messages," intelligence agencies alerted.

The agency found that propaganda voice calls from an organsiation named Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) campaign are making the rounds on social media. "The call is a pre recorded one with the fwd number being+1 (617) 390-7018, likely to be belonging to Massachusetts, North America," the agencies stated.

The outfit members in the call are "motivating Sikh Indian soldiers not to get martyred for India". They are inciting people by saying that India has a history of "not supporting Sikh people that is why they should leave Indian Army".

As per the message, Sikh people are being asked to join the 'Sikhs For Justice' campaign wherein on joining they will get Rs 5,000 more than their present salary in Indian Army.

It was found that Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief protagonist of 'Sikhs for Justice', has uploaded a highly provocative video (duration 138 seconds) on June 18 instigating the Sikh soldiers of Indian Army to desert and join his secessionist outfit.

A similar audio message (115 seconds) of Pannun directly instigating the Sikh soldiers, was also sent to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) subscribers, in Punjab and nearby areas through the international telemarketing numbers the same day. The message was later also disseminated through social media.

Pannun, in the video, has falsely claimed that only Sikh soldiers were killed in the conflict and has accused India of using Sikhs in the Army as 'watchmen'.

"Pannun has also claimed that though the theatre of conflict was 'Kashmir' but the 'sacrifice' was made by Sikhs. He also stated that SFJ would pay salary plus Rs 5,000 to the Sikh soldiers deserting Indian Army.

In the audio message, Pannun has instigated the Sikh soldiers not to sacrifice their lives as 'India had twice attacked Akal Takht', the agencies stated.

Earlier, on June 17, Pannun forwarded a letter addressed to Chinese President (disseminated through social media), that accused India of being a 'violent aggressor' in the current border tension with China and reiterated his intention to send a delegation to Beijing in August this year soliciting support for 'Referendum 2020'.

After failing to carry out any activity on ground in Punjab on the 36th anniversary (June 6) of Operation Blue Star, the outfit was forced to postpone the commencement of so-called 'voters registration for Referendum 2020' in Punjab on July 4.

The outfit has fabricated another fake narrative that the Akal Takht was first 'attacked' by the security forces on July 4, 1955 during the agitation for 'Punjabi Suba'.

In the meanwhile, the outfit also attempted to exploit the controversial remarks on June 6 of Giani Harpreet Singh, Jathedar of Akal Takht, on Khalistan, however, its propaganda could not gain any traction.

Earlier, another inflammatory message was in circulation demanding greater 'power of making independent decisions' to Sikhs and the release of all incarcerated Sikh militants.

Another seditious message, again in circulation on WhatsApp, claimed that Pakistan and China have no rivalry with Sikhs and it is India which is the 'enemy of the Sikhs'.

Incidentally, Pakistan-based fugitive terrorist Gajinder Singh of Dal Khalsa has also shared a social media post along similar lines.

Similarly, UK based pro-Khalistan element Ravi Inder Singh, who runs the so-called charity 'Khalsa Aid', also posted a cryptic message -'Sons of Punjab have not been born to die for those who do not consider Sikhism as different religion', on Twitter.

"Pertinently, while Gajinder Singh is known Pakistan ISI proxy and associate of SFJ, recent inputs indicate that Ravi Inder Singh is also working closely with SFJ," the agencies flagged.

Punjab Police on June 18 had booked Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, of 'Sikhs For Justice' for sedition, unlawful activities and enticing Punjab youth for 'Referendum 2020' and attempts to spread dissatisfaction among the Indian armed forces.

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
An unprecedented decline

Like the global economy, the Swiss watch industry experienced an unprecedented crisis in the first half of the year, the consequences of which will affect it for a long time. The market was at a standstill for many weeks during this period and most trade was interrupted.

After a promising start to the year, as yet unaffected by Covid-19, Swiss watch exports began to fall sharply in March and then came to a halt in April and May. Although the decline in June was still very pronounced, there were signs that the initial shock had passed and that the expected recovery had begun, albeit timidly, and only due to China in the short term. In six months, the sector exported the equivalent of 6.9 billion francs, far from the 10.7 billion posted for the same period last year, a fall of 35.7% compared with the first half of 2019. The only real impact in the first quarter was a decline in China, resulting in a fall of 7.4%. The most severe consequences of the pandemic were felt in the second quarter, which saw watch exports plummet by 61.8%.

The end of the first half therefore marks not the end of a cycle, but a period of transition between an unparalleled shock and a slow return to normal. Apart from the figures at this specific point, an examination of the trend in the major factors influencing the watch market outlines how the situation might recover. The first point to note is a high level of uncertainty. Estimates of the scale of the final decline are still crude and the same is true of the time it will take to return to normal. Consumer confidence is a key element in the recovery. At a time when all eyes are on China, which is showing the first signs of a return to normal, there are still numerous factors affecting the recovery process. Hong Kong is practically at a standstill, suffering from both the consequences of the health crisis and its political situation. The United States are still being hit hard by the pandemic and Europe is suffering from the drastic reduction in international tourism, which is having a severe negative impact on the travel retail sector. According to those involved, international travel will take three years to return to normal, creating a long-term obstacle to sales of luxury goods, including watches. Similarly, the onshoring of consumption in China will accelerate, but will be spread over several years and will therefore not offset immediately the declines seen elsewhere.

Overall, the return to normal for Swiss watchmaking will be a medium- or even long-term process. Watch exports are likely to reflect a market contraction of around 30% overall in 2020, with certain marked differences between key players.

Products

Wristwatches generated 95% of export turnover between January and June, which fell by 35.3% in value compared with the first half of 2019. Switzerland exported 5.5 million watches during the first half of the year, compared with just over 10 million last year, a drop of 44.9%.

Falls were recorded in all price segments. The 200-500 francs (export price) range was most severely affected, falling by half. Watches priced at over 3,000 francs, which represent more than 70% of total value, performed slightly better than average, declining by 32.7%.

Markets

The decline in the first half of the year reflects more the disruption and stark overall reduction in movements of goods than a real change in demand. The breakdown of watch exports by region does not therefore provide any further information on market trends. Asia (-35.7%), Europe (-36.8%) and America (-32.9%) all experienced comparable declines at the end of the first half of the year.

All markets fell sharply between January and June. China was the exception, with a decline of only 14.6%. The fall in watch exports there was lower in anticipation of the recovery, which became a reality in June, with growth of 47.7%. For the moment, other markets are showing no real signs of recovery in terms of watch exports.
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BASKING RIDGE, N.J., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Affinity Federal Credit Union earned distinction as a "Great Place To Work" for the second year in a row as part of the annual certification list. This award displays the credit union's dedication, enthusiasm and commitment to its employees and their work environment.

"As an organization that prioritizes the wellbeing of both our members and staff, this employee-based recognition is an honor," said John Fenton, President and CEO of Affinity. "We've been able to successfully navigate this year's unforeseen circumstances due to the efforts of our highly motivated teams who are continually devoted to Affinity, their members and their community."

Along with this distinction, Great Place To Work conducted an Employee Trust Index survey to measure employee satisfaction. Key results from the survey include:

86% of employees say Affinity is a great place to work

92% of employees felt welcomed when joining Affinity

90% are proud to tell people they work at Affinity

90% feel good about how Affinity contributes to the community

Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture, leading the industry with the most rigorous, data-based model for quantifying employee experience.

About Affinity Federal Credit Union:

With more than 20 branches across the tri-state area, Affinity is the largest credit union headquartered in the state of New Jersey, proudly ranking in the top 2% of all credit unions in terms of asset size1. It is a member-owned, not-for-profit, full-service financial institution federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). For more information, visit affinityfcu.com.

1 Source: NCUA.gov. Using the "Credit Union & Corporate Call Report Data" found here: https://www.ncua.gov/analysis/credit-union-corporate-call-report-data

SOURCE Affinity Federal Credit Union

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It was the solid-brass, swan-shaped mixer tap that broke me. Try as I might, I couldnt make the lever handle work. Result: no water. In the end, I slunk back to my fellow diners, sticky with soap, hunting for wet wipes.

Never mind the vulgarity of designing a swan to spit out a plume of water so you can wash your hands, why do restaurant bathrooms make life so hard?

A bathroom should be a private place where a woman can comb her hair, remove lipstick from teeth and just, you know, chill for five minutes  especially now that Covid has made hand-washing an art form.

Liz Hoggard argues smart taps in restaurant and hotel bathrooms are the very devil (file image)

But, instead, smart taps in restaurant and hotel bathrooms are the very devil. No two are the same. Designers love to turn them into gizmos in a high-tech environment. There are levers that swivel side to side for temperature, and up and down for pressure. Some have foot pedals (which you end up climbing under the basin to locate). Others have motion sensors that never seem to work. You stand there passing your hand under the tap feeling like a fool.

There arent many things I miss about the 1970s, but, oh, the sweet joy of individual taps

Several times Ive ended up with a handbag full of water because Ive accidentally knocked a hidden lever on the sink.

And the ultimate embarrassment is when the stream doesnt actually stop. Do you call a waiter or, like a coward, leave the bathroom to flood?

Please stop this madness. I dont want a bathroom designed as a Japanese lacquer cube with a waterfall basin, opaque mirrors (hopeless for make-up) and a trickle of rainwater, operated by motion sensor.

I want taps. Normal bloody taps. There arent many things I miss about the 1970s, but, oh, the sweet joy of having individual hot and cold taps. Cant we bring them back?
(Bloomberg) -- Colleges are rolling out new technology for a mostly online semester that begins next month, but these efforts are unlikely to impress students paying tens of thousands of dollars for in-person instruction.

The University of Michigan will provide stronger Wi-Fi and new cloud storage accounts to help students learn on campus while maintaining social distance. The University of Southern California plans virtual 3-D labs for some science courses, while the University of California at Berkeley is giving laptops, webcams and headphones to thousands of students in need.

As the Covid-19 pandemic rages across the U.S., many schools are making permanent plans to conduct classes virtually this fall. Administrators heeded complaints about lockdown learning during the previous semester and are tapping technology to try to improve the experience. Students doubt e-learning will pass what is shaping up to be the industrys toughest test yet.

Online classes kinda suck and theres no technology that can fix that, said Annie Tsan, a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Without technological updates that make the online classroom more accessible and enjoyable, theres no guarantee students will stay at their institutions. Some are considering a gap semester or two, withholding tuition payments or transferring. This risks another blow to a higher eduction sector that was already struggling financially before the pandemic.

70% of our revenue comes from tuition, room and board, said Zach Messitte, president of Ripon College in Wisconsin. If 30% of our students decide not to come back, thats just an enormous revenue hit. This will impact the revenue of schools across the country.

The University of Michigans new Wi-Fi shows the potential and the pitfalls of this technology push by colleges. There will be more bandwidth and the Wi-Fi signal will be extended through additional routers, so even without in-person classes, Michigan hopes students will come to the campus. One proposal even encourages students to park at the college and turn their cars into makeshift study halls.

Story continues

I dont think its going to be as impactful as they think, said Nicholas Silk, a senior at Michigan. Most people who live on or off campus already have Wi-Fi in their residences. Plus, I dont even have a car. I wont be sitting outside of a building just to use campus Wi-Fi.

Read more: Pandemic Pods Frenzy Reveals Failures of Education Tech

Michigan is also partnering with Zoom Video Communications Inc. and Canvas, a learning-management system from Instructure Inc., to enable automated transcription during video conferencing classes. This will help students follow lectures more easily in real time and let them refer back to material after the class ends. Students will also have access to cloud storage from Dropbox Inc. and Adobe Inc.s Creative Cloud software for video and sound editing.

The University of Southern California in Los Angeles is teaming up with startup Labster ApS to provide virtual-reality science labs for students. The labs will function similarly to flight simulators, but be accessible remotely via laptop. Students can use Facebook Inc.s Oculus VR headsets to access the labs, though this device is not required. Labsters 3-D labs focus on biology and cover dissections, medical diagnostic procedures, field sampling and other processes. Chemistry students will use VR software from startup Beyond Labz.

Since the pandemic began, Labster said it has partnered with dozens of colleges, including George Washington University, Fordham University and San Jose State University.

Schools are also using technology to keep less wealthy students connected. The University of California at Berkeley set aside more than $4 million to provide about 3,300 laptops, 800 Wi-Fi hotspots, webcams and headphones in August to those who qualify for a new Student Technology Equity Program.

The University of California at Irvine has sent almost 300 students laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots. Almost 40% of those who attend the college qualify for Federal Pell grants that are given to low-income candidates. Tom Andriola, chief information officer for the University of California System, hopes the effort brings equity in terms of the ability to access the internet and to watch a live stream lecture, or be able to access systems.

However, schools are often chosen based on physical resources, such as residence halls, research labs and media-production studios. For students counting on these assets, faster Wi-Fi, a free laptop and virtual reality may not be enough. Although some universities, like Princeton, have provided tuition discounts, many schools still expect students to pay the full amount. Some schools, like USC, even announced tuition increases before they released plans to go online.

A number of students are still deciding if it is worth it to attend classes at all this fall. If I do not have access to the resources that make USC, USC, there is no reason as to why I should be paying full price to essentially now attend school in my living room, said Casey Gardner, a senior studying theater at the school.

(Updates to add more colleges working with Labster in 11th paragraph. A previous version of this story was corrected to show which colleges are offering tuition discounts.)

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Ayodhya is getting its glory back with new grand Ram Mandir: PM Modi

Time capsule to be placed 2,000 feet under Ayodhya Ram Mandir

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Jaipur, July 27: A time capsule will be placed around 2,000 feet underground at the Ram Temple construction site in Ayodhya.

Kameshwar Chaupal, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said that the time capsule will help anyone in the future who wishes to study the history of the Temple.

A time capsule will be placed about 2,000 feet underground at the Ram Temple construction site. This would help anyone who wishes to study the history of the Temple.

We will make Ayodhya the pride of India: Yogi Adityanath ahead of mega Ram Temple ceremony

The person will only get facts related to the Ram Janmabhoomi, Chupal said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Bhumi Pujan at the site for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5. This would be telecast live on Doordharshan, India's public broadcaster.

At 12.30 pm on August 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

{quiz_259}

The schedule was finalised as per the suggestions made by several astrologers.

The Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be 161 feet tall, the architect of the Temple said. He also said that original design prepared in 1988 mentioned the height as 141 feet.

India bans 47 Chinese apps| More Chinese apps under fire | Oneindia News

The earlier design was prepared in 1988 and over 30 years have passed since. People are also very enthusiastic about visiting the Temple. Hence we through its size should be increased. As per the revised design, the height of the Temple has been increased from 141 feet to 161 feet, Nikhil Sompura, architect and son of C Sompura, the chief architect told news agency ANI.

He also said that two mandaps have been added and all the pillars and stones that were carved based on the earlier design will still be used, he also said. He also said that the construction of the Temple will take 3.5 years.

Ayodhya temple: Frontline leaders of Ram Mandir to be invited for 'bhumi pujan'

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra has decided that there will be not more than 200 people, including 150 invitees to ensure maximum social distancing.

Swami Govind Dev Giri, Treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra said that it has been decided that there will not be more than 200 people including 150 invitees at the event.

Before laying the foundation stone, PM Modi will offer prayers to Lord Ram at the Temple and Lord Hanuman at the Garhi Temple in Ayodhya. All chief minsters from different states will be invited for the programme.

Veteran BJP leader, L K Advani will also be invited for the ceremony. There are elaborate arrangements on for the programme. The rituals will begin on August 3 and end with a brume pujan on August 5, following which the construction of the Temple would commence.
The Reds have claimed infielder Robel Garcia off waivers from the Cubs, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Garcia had been designated for assignment by the Cubs on Thursday. He has been optioned and assigned to the Reds alternate training site

The 27-year-old made a name for himself with his hot hitting in the upper levels of the Cubs minor-league system. In 98 games between Double- and Triple-A last year, Garcia hit .284/.369/.586 and slugged 27 home runs. He forced his way into the Cubs Major League plans, appearing in 31 games and making 80 plate appearances.

His hitting slowed down some at the MLB level, and he struck out in a whopping 43.75% of plate appearances. Nonetheless, he managed a respectable .775 OPS, thanks to his 5 home runs and a passable 8.75% walk rate. Primarily a second baseman, Garcia also played both corner outfield positions during his rookie season.

With an already crowded outfield mix in Cincinnati, he figures to see most of his playing time at second base, which is currently something of a toss-up with Mike Moustakas hitting the injured list; Josh VanMeter occupied that spot this afternoon. VanMeter, a left-handed hitter, could form a platoon with the switch-hitting Garcia, though the latter fared considerably better as a lefty in his first taste of big-league action (to be fair, he got just 20 plate appearances against southpaws).
NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. ("Gol Linhas" or the "Company") (NYSE: GOL). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Gol Linhas and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

In mid-June 2020, Gol's auditor, KPMG, raised significant concerns about Gol during the accounting firm's first annual audit of the Company after being hired in 2019, stating that it had an "adverse opinion" on the strength of Gol's internal controls regarding the preparation of financial statements, adding that there was "substantial doubt" about the airline's ability to exist a year from now." KPMG's adverse opinion prompted Gol to carry out a review of its financial reporting procedures. Then, on July 23, 2020, Gol announced the termination of KPMG as its external auditor.

On this news, Gol's American depositary receipt ("ADR") price fell $0.65, or 7.05%, to close at $7.25 per ADR on July 23, 2020.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

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The former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Adams Oshiomhole, has said he regrets supporting Godwin Obaseki to become the Governor of Edo State in 2016.

Oshiomhole said this on Sunday in Benin while addressing some members of the APC.

He said he supported the governorship aspiration of Obaseki in 2016 to ensure the continuity of his projects and programmes.

I have made my honest mistakes. Only God is perfect. I am now 68 years. I have come to apologise for the mistake of supporting Obaseki in 2016.



I am in Edo to repair my mistakes. God had a reason for what happened to Ize-Iyamu in 2016. Leaving as the National Chairman of APC is to give me enough time to correct my errors.

Obaseki pretended for almost eight years, while he did not believe in what I was doing as the governor.

In 2007, Ize-Iyamu stepped down for me. In 2012, he was the Director-General of my re-election campaign organisation and we won in all the 18 local government areas of Edo. I will work for the election of Ize-Iyamu.

The former governor urged the governorship candidate of the APC in Edo to keep to his promises.

He expressed optimism that Ize-Iyamu would emerge victorious in the September 19 governorship election in the state.

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It is unlikely that removing a provision that has been endorsed in some form by both chambers of Congress will be easy. The provisions were adopted in each chambers Armed Services Committee with bipartisan support before the bills were passed on the floor.
Much remains a mystery about COVID-19 antibodies.

How much immunity do antibodies confer? How long does that immunity last? Should people be getting antibody tests? Does a positive test result mean someone is immune from coronavirus?
Two violent criminals who escaped a juvenile correctional center in Virginia have been recaptured in Michigan.

According to the U.S. Marshal Service, Rashad E. Williams, 18, and Jabar Ali Taylor, 20, fled through a hole that was cut in a perimeter fence at the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center in Chesterfield County, Virginia on July 13.

A correctional officer was assaulted during the escape which was made with the help of a getaway vehicle staged outside of the detention center.

Taylor was serving a sentence for convictions on two counts of second-degree murder and aggravated malicious assault while Williams was previously convicted of malicious wounding and robbery.

Since the escape, U.S. Marshals pursued numerous leads in several states, showing that the pair was traveling together and had initially fled to Pennsylvania. The nearly two-week fugitive investigation came to an end at a home in the 5700 block of Beckley Road in Battle Creek on July 25, about 700 miles away from the scene of the escape.

U.S. Marshals led a fugitive task force made up of the Michigan State Police, Battle Creek and Grand Rapids police departments and the Michigan Department of Corrections during the arrest. The FBI also provided significant assistance throughout the fugitive investigation, according to a news release.

This complex investigation and arrest is yet another example of the tenacity and the never give up attitude displayed by Deputy U.S. Marshals and our state and local law enforcement partners all over this great country, said Nick E. Proffitt, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Hours of dedicated investigative work by our law enforcement team ensured the safety of the public by getting these very dangerous escapees back into custody quickly and safely. I hope the efforts of these law enforcement professionals will in some way allow our citizens in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and elsewhere, to rest more comfortably tonight.

Both Williams and Taylor will be held at the Calhoun County Jail in Battle Creek.
At least 60 people were killed and 60 others wounded after armed conflict broke out in Sudans Darfur region on July 25, UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. In recent weeks, fights in the area have increased prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency of July 13.

Revealing further details, UN, in a statement, said that "the attack in Masteri village in the West Darfur state was one of the latest of a series of security incidents reported over the last week that left several villages and houses burned markets and shops looted, and infrastructure damaged. Following the attack, the Sudanese government has said that they would deploy joint forces from various state security services in Darfur, Susans state news agency reported.

Security forces deployed

These forces would reportedly be deployed in Sudans five states to protect people in there as well as secure them during the agricultural season, countrys PM Abdalla Hamdok said during a meeting. Meanwhile, condemning the attack, the UN said that the recent escalation of violence in different parts of Darfur Has led to increased displacement, killings, the annihilation of agricultural land and driving growing humanitarian needs.

Read: Ethiopia, Egypt And Sudan Agree To Resume Dialogues Over Disputed Nile Dam

Read: UN Says Over 60 Killed In Renewed Violence In Sudans Darfur

This comes as talks over Ethiopia's controversial dam have resumed. The dam has been a major source of tension between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan which have recently decided to resume talks over the project after initial disagreements. However, following a virtual summit, the three nations have agreed to resume talks after the last dialogue on the subject broke down a week ago.

According to reports, Ethiopia sees the Nile dam essential to its economic growth as well as a reliable source of energy, while Egypt and Sudan that are located further downstream worry the dam will greatly limit their water access and give too much control over the River Nile to Ethiopia. The two countries fear that Epothia might not release water from the dam during months of prolonged drought.

Read: Sudan Armed Group Attacks Darfur Village, Killing At Least 7

Read: South Sudan Activist Flees To US, Says Kiir Wanted Him Dead

Image credits: AP
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Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020

A group of 57 Catholic priests from across Papua Island have demanded that the government put a stop to the forced continuation of special autonomy [Otsus] in Papua.

The spokesperson of the group, John Bunai, a Catholic priest from the Papuan capital Jayapura, urged the government, policymakers and local administrations in a press conference last week to evaluate how the Otsus Law is enforced and to assess whether it has helped improve the lives of Papuans.

The law on special autonomy in Papua and West Papua provinces was passed in 2001 during the administration of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri to guarantee Papuans the right to manage their own region politically, economically and culturally. It also stipulates the allocation of special autonomy funds, valid for 20 years.

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PHILADELPHIA, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- While argument is scheduled to be heard on July 30, 2020, before the Panel for Multi-District Litigation, Richard M. Golomb, Esquire, with co-counsel from Levin, Sedran & Berman and Beasley Allen, have today filed their opposition to Admiral Insurance Company's Motion to Dismiss in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania before The Honorable Timothy S. Savage. The law firms are representing River Twice and Chop's, two Philadelphia eateries that are the lead cases in the first filed Petition seeking multi-district coordination.

The defending insurance company  Admiral Insurance  filed a motion to have the lead cases dismissed according to attorney Richard M. Golomb, who is acting as counsel for both plaintiffs. He is joined by Attorney Arnold Levin of Levin, Sedran & Berman and Dee Miles from Beasley Allen in filing opposition against the motion to dismiss.

The plaintiffs are seeking business interruption benefits after the coronavirus pandemic triggered nationwide lockdowns that were enforced by the government and that forced the closure of their businesses. Insurance companies have leaned heavily on virus exclusions in policies to deny their claims. However, Attorney Golomb and his legal team have argued that Covid-19 did not shut down the businesses but rather government orders did. "Civil authority provisions found routinely in these policies demand coverage," Attorney Golomb was quoted as saying. "These motions are ill advised under the law and premature given the status of the cases."

SOURCE Richard M. Golomb
A miller from Rubinmuhle Vogtland GmbH monitors a flaking roller mill in Saxony's largest oat mill. Photo: Jan Woitas/picture alliance via Getty Images

Companies in Germany are feeling increasingly optimistic about the coming months, according to the latest survey from the Munich-based IFO Institute for Economic Research.

The IFOs Business Climate Index climbed to 90.5 in July, from 86.3 in June, as Europes largest economy expects to start recovering from the effects of coronavirus. The business sentiment reading has now climbed for the third month in a row.

The German economy is recovering step by step, said IFO President Clemens Fuest in a statement.

Germanys federal statistics office will publish the preliminary GDP figures for the second quarter later this week, which will reflect the fallout from the nationwide social and business shutdowns in April and May.

Germanys federal economy minister Peter Altmaier said earlier this month that he expects the countrys economy, currently in recession, to start picking up again from October at the latest.

All in all, the German economy will shrink by 6% in 2020, Altmaier told Bild newspaper. For 2021, I expect growth of over 5%.

The business climate in the manufacturing sector has improved significantly this month, according to the IFO. The service sector also showed a strong surge in optimism looking ahead at the coming months, as did retail. Companies in the construction sector were also happier with their current situation in July, and less pessimistic about the future.

READ MORE: Germany considers compulsory coronavirus tests for returning holidaymakers

This economic optimism depends on Germany avoiding a second wave of coronavirus infections. The country recorded its highest daily new-case tallies since mid-May on Friday and Saturday of last week, which has prompted the government to looking into compulsory testing for all travellers arriving back in Germany.
Pune, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global bath and shower products market is projected to gain traction from the increasing awareness about maintaining personal hygiene. The trending aromatherapy is also set to propel the need for bath and shower products. As per a recent report by Fortune Business Insights, titled Bath & Shower Products Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Product Type (Bath Soaps, Body Wash/Shower Gel, Bath Additives), By Form (Solid, Gels & Jellies, Liquid), By End User By Distribution Channel, and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027, the value of this market was USD 41.33 billion in the year 2019 and is expected to reach USD 59.72 billion by the end of 2027, thereby exhibiting a CAGR of 4.7% between 2020 and 2027.





Browse Summary of this Research Report with Detailed Table of Content:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/bath-and-shower-products-market-103302





The coronavirus pandemic has created a devastating impact on the whole world. The healthcare sector is still struggling to provide adequate medical aid to infected COVID-19 patients. Besides this, the other industries are facing major economic losses as lockdown is being followed across the world to control the spread of coronavirus. However, we soon hope to overcome this pandemic with government support.

We, at Fortune Business Insights, are offering special reports on various markets that are impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. These reports are made after thorough consideration of all the facts and figures and will help investors make strategic decisions for better revenue generation in the coming years.



Get Sample PDF Brochure with Short-Term and Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 on Bath and Shower Products Industry,

Please Visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/covid19-impact/bath-and-shower-products-market-103302







The report answers the following questions:

What is the nature of the market?

Who are the key players of this market and what are the major strategies adopted by them?

What are the key industry developments and the current trends of this market?

What is the future of this market?

Drivers & Restraints-



Increasing Popularity of Fragranced Bath Products to Aid in Expansion

The rising awareness about personal hygiene and cleanliness and the increasing demand for soap and soap products stands as a major factor promoting the bath and shower products market growth. In addition to this, the rising cases of coronavirus have accelerated the demand for these products in the market. This, coupled with the rising popularity of scented shower products such as gels, creams, scrubs, and others are also aiding in the expansion of the market. Furthermore, the increasing adoption of bath and body care products by the healthcare sector for taking care of bedridden patients who are deprived of taking care of personal hygiene themselves will also bolster growth.

On the contrary, the presence of toxic ingredients in some bath and shower products may result in allergic reactions or skin rashes, thereby posing a major restraint to the market in the coming years. In addition to this, the high cost of some products such as body washes, bath salts, and additives are likely to hamper the overall market growth.

Nevertheless, the introduction and increasing preference for organic and vegan bath and shower products will create lucrative growth opportunities for the market in the coming years.

Segment

Bath Soaps Category Gaining Highest Share Owing to Affordable Pricing in Developing Nations

Based on segmentation by product type, the global market for bath and shower products is dominated by the bath soaps segment. This segment earned 39.5% share in 2019, attributed to their efficient pricing that makes it affordable for the people in the developing nations.





Speak to Analyst: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/bath-and-shower-products-market-103302







Regional Analysis-



Asia Pacific Covered Major Share Attributed to Increasing Awareness about Hygiene

Regionally, Asia Pacific earned revenue of USD 15.29 billion in the year 2019 and emerged dominant. This is attributable to the increasing awareness about personal hygiene, presence of warm climatic conditions that propels the need for frequent body cleansing, and the increasing popularity of fragranced shower products that usually attract the young population.

On the other side, the markets in North America and Europe are likely to attract significant revenue on account of the rise in hygiene standards, availability of various premium quality products, and increasing popularity of bath bubbles and bath bombs.

Competitive Landscape-



Companies Focusing on Innovative Packaging of Products to Gain Traction

The nature of the market for bath and shower products is highly fragmented on account of the presence of many players. Major players functioning in this market are focusing on the development of innovative aromatic bath products such as gels, scrubs, and others to gain a competitive edge in the market. The other players of the market are investing massively on product packaging and marketing, thereby intensifying the overall market competition.

Major Industry Developments of this Market include:

January 2020  One of the famous beauty care products brands, Avon was acquired by Natura and Co. for expanding its overall brand presence. This company also adopted the Body Shop Brand in 2017.

May 2018  Three new products, namely, Citrus Verbena, Mint Verbena, and Icy Verbena were introduced by the LOccitane Group into the categories of body gel, shower gel, body foam products, and others.





List of the Key Companies Operating in the Bath and Shower Products Market include:

LOccitane International S.A (Geneva, Switzerland)

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (Slough, U.K.)

Unilever (London, U.K.)

Johnson & Johnson (New Jersey, U.S.)

Natura &Co. Holding S.A. (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Procter & Gamble Co. (Ohio, U.S.)

Lion Corporation (Tokyo, Japan)

Colgate Palmolive Co. (New York, U.S.)

Henkel AG & Co. KG aA(Dusseldorf, Germany)

Beiserdorf AG (Hamburg, Germany)

Others



Quick Buy  Bath and Shower Products Market Research Report:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/103302





Table of Content

Introduction Research Scope Market SegHouseholdtation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Emerging Trends

Key Insights Overview of the Parent/Related Markets Industry SWOT Analysis Regulatory Analysis Recent Industry DevelopHouseholdts - Policies, Partnerships, New Product Launches, and Mergers & Acquisitions

Global Bath and Shower Products Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecast By Product Type (Value) Bath Soaps Body Wash/Shower Gel Bath Additives Others By Form (Value) Solid Gel & Jellies Liquid Others By End-user (Value) Men Women By Distribution Channel (Value) Hypermarkets/Supermarkets Convenience Stores Online Stores Others By Region (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa



TOC Continued!!!







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Soap Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product Type (Bath & Body Soaps, Kitchen Soaps, and Laundry Soaps), Form (Solid and Liquid), Application (Household and Commercial), Distribution Channel, and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027

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Makeup Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Products (Powder, Gels, Lotions, and Others), Application Area (Lips, Eyes, Face, and Others), By Distribution Channel (Supermarkets/Hypermarkets, Exclusive Brand Stores, Online/e-commerce Channels, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026



Hair Care Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Products (Hair Colorants, Shampoo, Conditioner, Hair Oil, and Others), By Distribution Channel (Supermarket/Hypermarkets, Specialty Stores, Online Stores, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019  2026



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The ambassador says he heard only positive feedback about this candidate.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Volodymyr Yelchenko says that new U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ukraine Keith W. Dayton may become U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations.

His appointment could take place right after the presidential elections in the United States in November, Yelchenko told the RBC Ukraine news agency.

Read alsoZelensky's visit to U.S. may happen before presidential elections in that country  Ambassador

The Ukrainian Ambassador says that now there is really a lack of a person who would oversee the Ukrainian-U.S. relations, and also restore the active participation of the United States in the negotiation processes around the conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

"We need such a person and I hope such a person will be appointed after the November elections. They do not speak directly about this, but there are hints that someone will be [appointed]. At a certain stage, there were expectations that new U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Keith Dayton might become such a person but, unfortunately, the process of his approval in the Senate was delayed, not for political reasons, absolutely," he said.

The ambassador said that he had heard only positive feedback about this candidate, and "there is no doubt that he will be approved as soon as the Senate meets."

"But due to the pandemic, the Congress schedule is broken down, they have been in quarantine for several months. Sometimes they gather, but they have many pressing medical and economic issues," Yelchenko said, adding that Dayton's candidacy will most likely be approved before the November elections.

Keith Dayton, a retired lieutenant general, was a strategic adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. In May, U.S. President Donald Trump nominated him for the post of the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine.

As UNIAN reported earlier, former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker said that he advised that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Steve Biegun could be tapped to succeed him on this post.
By Robert B. Engel

Amazon is one of the few companies that has been profiting in greater measure through the pandemic. But this is likely due in part to new evidence that the company reportedly has been scraping data from third-party sellers to improve its own private-label products  a direct violation of its own stated policies. While the allegations against Amazon for abusing its marketplace position have been growing louder in recent years, they are even more troubling now, considering the thousands of small businesses struggling and going out of business in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

That is why Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro needs to launch an investigation into how Amazon treats third-party sellers and examine whether the e-commerce giant is unfairly using third-party seller data to help inform its decisions on its own product creation, promotion and pricing.

For small businesses in Pennsylvania, Amazons deceitful practices can be devastating. Pennsylvania is among the states with the most Amazon third-party sellers nationwide, with more than 2 percent of U.S.-based sellers, out of the estimated one million across the country. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to batter brick and-mortar small businesses, many may be looking to move even more of their operations online as a way to sustain business.

It is critical that leading platforms like Amazon are not able to abuse their market position and further hurt these struggling small businesses.

Sharing these same concerns, the California Attorney General Xavier Becerra recently launched an investigation into how Amazon treats third-party sellers on its online marketplace, examining how Amazon promotes and sells its own products. While the investigation is just in its beginning stages, the massive scope of the company shows just how important it is to ensure a fair playing field for all businesses.

This inquiry is a step in the right direction, toward greater accountability. It ensures that Amazon cannot further solidify an unfair advantage over its competitors and helps foster a more even playing field. Pennsylvania officials should stand up for businesses across the Keystone State and join in the investigation.

Third-party sellers have warned that Amazon engages in these unfair practices, as their brands are routinely pushed to the bottom of search results pages on the platform. For example, a recent investigation revealed that Amazons private-label products for common consumer goods often are placed in the most lucrative position on the platform  even if these private-label brands fail to hit enough sales that would justify a center stage appearance.

These monopolistic strategies have come to light as Amazon battles antitrust allegations both here in the United States and overseas. Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee later this month. Meanwhile, European Union officials are preparing antitrust charges against Amazon on the grounds that it is using third party data to boost its own product offerings.

A formal inquiry launched at the state level is vital in ensuring that all third-party sellers from the Keystone State have a seat at the table and are not stifled by Amazons anti-competitive behavior. Given that Amazons decisions directly impact many Pennsylvania businesses, action is desperately needed.

Amazons dual role in maintaining an online store and selling its own goods means that it must not unfairly leverage data from small businesses to help it achieve a better position in its marketplace.

Shapiro should investigate these dishonest practices and guarantee that Amazon is following the law  not merely playing by its own rules.

Robert B. Engel is the chief spokesperson for the Free & Fair Markets Initiative.
AstraZeneca agreed to pay as much as $6 billion to buy into Daiichi Sankyo Co.'s promising medicine for lung and breast cancer, the drugmakers' second potential blockbuster oncology deal in two years.

The U.K. drugmaker will pay Japan's Daiichi $1 billion upfront to jointly develop and bring to market a cancer therapy in early clinical tests called DS-1062, the companies said Monday. As much as $5 billion in additional payments could follow, subject to regulatory and sales milestones.

AstraZeneca is forging ahead to become a global oncology powerhouse, even as it works on a vaccine for the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, the company committed to pay Daiichi as much as $6.9 billion for another cancer medicine, which marked its biggest deal in more than a decade. For the Japanese company, the deal is the latest in what has turned into a transformative partnership. Besides the cancer deals, Daiichi is in talks to make Astra's Covid-19 vaccine in Japan.

The Daiichi treatment, an antibody-drug conjugate that targets tumors that express a protein known as TROP2, is "extraordinary," Jose Baselga, Astra's head of cancer research, said in an interview. He described it as an "agent that could transform and will transform the therapy landscape."

AstraZeneca shares were little changed in London, trading at 8,617 pence. Daiichi shares rose 3% to 8,666 yen in Tokyo before the announcement.

The Japanese drugmaker pivoted to oncology treatments only a decade ago, after being mired for years in litigation over data fabrication at its Indian subsidiary. A key turning point came when the Tokyo-based company hired Antoine Yver, who ran the oncology unit at AstraZeneca, in 2016, paving the way for the British giant to take notice of Daiichi's groundbreaking work in cancer.

"We had a number of potential collaborators who met with us," about the therapy, Yver said in an interview. Astra was picked because "of their experience, because of their strength in oncology, because of our past collaboration."

Since the first Astra deal last March, Daiichi's stock has soared 70% and it's now the second-biggest pharmaceutical company in Japan by market capitalization, edging past Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.

AstraZeneca will pay cash for the latest deal in three stages: $350 million this month when the deal closes, $325 million after 12 months and again a year later. Daiichi will manufacture and supply the cancer drug, and keep exclusive rights to the medicine in Japan.

Data from early trials points to strong activity in lung cancer, but also high toxicity with two deaths, said Sam Fazeli, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.

Baselga said the drugmakers are working to mitigate the toxicity and the patients had received the highest doses of the drug, which are unlikely to be those retained for broad use.
New Delhi/Washington, July 27 : The US Consulate in Chengdu was closed on Monday after China asked it to be shut down last week as a retaliatory move against Washington's decision to close the Asian giant's mission in Houston.

A US State Department statement said that the Consulate suspended operations at 10 a.m. on Monday.

China had given the US till July 27 to close the Consulate.

Even as the US closed the Consulate, it expressed disappointment at China's decision.

The State Department said the US would try to continue its outreach to the region through its other missions in China.

The Chengdu Consulate "has stood at the centre of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years", it added.

The US-China tensions have escalated since President Donald Trump's administration renegotiated terms of trade with the regime of his counterpart, Xi Jinping.

The two countries entered into a cold war like situation after China withheld information about the coronavirus pandemic, resulting into a global crisis.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
After I spent months prepping three meals a dayand many, many snacks in betweenin my apartment kitchen, things started to feel a little bit tedious. Okay, things started feeling tedious a few weeks into quarantine cooking. But Im not one of those New Yorkers on a first-name basis with their Seamless delivery drivers. Ive always spent a lot of time cooking and prepping. So when I had the opportunity to try the new Snack Set from Material, which includes their brand-new (mini) reBoard as well as a gorgeous little paring knife, it immediately became clear to me how much a small change to my cooking setup could make a differenceand how much love had been lost between me and my old bamboo cutting board.

The (mini) reBoard in Pink Salt

$25.00, Material

BUY NOW

Meet the (mini)

Materials first cutting board, the reBoard, launched last year and sold out within three days. It went on to sell out five more times. The board is made out of renewable sugarcane and recycled plastic generated from kitchen manufacturing scraps. It is dishwasher safe and comes in a variety of really nice colorsdeep blue, coral, seafoam.

The (mini), launched just last week, is 25 percent smaller, a response to user feedback requesting a downsized version of the original. Its still made of the same stuff, just in a more compact size, which, for me, is a huge win. I can even rest it comfortably on the usually precarious counter space between the sink and the part of my hips that somehow always gets wet (?) when Im washing my dishes. I find it super lightweight and easy to clean, and the smaller size means it takes up less space in my perpetually filled dish rack.

The Snack Set in Moss + Cool Neutral

$65.00, Material

BUY NOW

Meet the Snack Set

So the Snack Set, which comes equipped with the Almost 4" Knife and the (mini) reBoard, is designed to provide everything you need to put together what might not necessarily constitute a full meal. (Though I have to say, as someone cooking for one, the (mini) offers plenty of space for my cooking purposes.) The knife feels well made, which makes sense since its crafted from Japanese steel, and it cut through my probably one-day-too-old tomatoes with no problem. It also has a matte handle, which felt like a nice change.

Story continues

If youre feeling like your food-prep situation could use a little pick-me-up, Id recommend trying the Snack Set. I definitely wasnt expecting any sort of therapeutic experience when I set out to try these products, but its further proof how much one small change to your routine (and some high-quality manufacturing) can brighten the mood.

Material has also partnered with chef Auzerais Bellamy, founder of Blondery, on the launch35 percent of profits from The Snack Set through July 31 will go to Equal Justice Initiative, a criminal-justice-reform organization founded by Bryan Stephenson. In their words, EJI provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. We challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment and we provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
Inside his parked SUV, with head bowed, eyes closed and hands clasped, Pastor Michael Steve Brown prays for patients suffering from sicknesses and the novel coronavirus.

At the edge of the parking lot at Mission Trail Baptist Hospital, the pastor of True Vision Church prayed with his wife, Joy, for the wellbeing of everyone in the building.

Motorists pulled into parking spaces near the couple as they prayed aloud for families unable to be with their sick loved ones and those who had lost relatives to the disease. They prayed for the doctors, nurses, health care professionals and first responders who put themselves at risk to help those with the disease.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

And they prayed for a vaccine to end the deadly, world-wide pandemic.

Lord we bless you and give it over to you, Brown, 50, said, behind tinted windows that reflected the sunlights glare. This is a supernatural thing that is beyond our hands.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio single mom overcomes years of struggle with hard work, dedication at University Hospital

Browns visits are part of a ministry called Pull Up and Pray that churches and individuals are practicing across the country. The couple said sister churches in Georgia, New York and West Virginia have also taken up the mini-vigils.

His call to action was prompted by support for members of his congregation who have been affected by the virus.

Since a virtual service in June, the pastor has asked his congregation to take a few minutes out of their day to stop, park and pray at local hospitals and medical centers when they are out on city streets in their vehicles. Now the church is asking the public to join them in their ongoing prayer campaign.

There is a scripture that says the effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much, Brown said. The more passionate our prayers are, the more God is in tune to them.

The prayer stops were sparked by something that took place before the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Brown and a group of ministers went to pray for an individual at a downtown hospital. He said as the ministers walked through the emergency room area, he asked people waiting area whether anyone was in need of prayer. To the pastors surprise, most of the people stood. So the group stopped, held hands with those waiting in the ER and prayed.

Browns wife said that in their 22 years of marriage, he is always asking people around him if theyre in need of prayer. In restaurants, he asks servers if they need a blessing.

Prayer is just a part of who he is, said Joy Brown, 56. He is a man of prayer.

On ExpressNews.com: Protecting family from spread of coronavirus chief concern of San Antonio woman

True Vision congregation members began posting their stops on Facebook.

Tori C. Washington stopped at Methodist Hospital, University Hospital, Audie Murphy VA Medical Center and Christus Santa Rosa Hospital.

It doesnt cost you anything to pray, she wrote in her post. And you dont have to get out of the car.

Tashonne Davis visited three hospitals on her prayer stops.

On July 2, Kamilah Love Premier Antoine posted a video after she prayed outside a local medical center.

This virus requires a whole other level of faith, she said, sitting in her car. It means getting out of your bubble and routine to do something different. It makes a difference.

Pastor Brown said being at a hospital campus and praying brings a balanced focus between those in need of prayer and those doing the praying.

All prayer matters, he said. If its a one-minute prayer or a two-second prayer, it matters.

vtdavis@express-news.net
The United States Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Response (PEPFAR) has identified stigma and discrimination as its biggest setback to its HIV/AIDs epidemic control efforts in Ghana.

These disclosures came to bear when the United States Embassy, PEPFAR and its partners opened a virtual training for journalists in health reporting

The Aid program which made Ghana the hub of its West Africa Regional platform in the year 2018, has for the past seventeen years, pumped some $85 billion into saving some 18 million persons living with the virus and prevented millions of infections.

PEPFA which has been supporting Ghanas shared goals towards HIV/AIDS epidemic control chose the Western Region to launch a blueprint on successful protocols that can be replicated nationwide to ensure success in infection prevention and control.

According to PEPFAR, From October to March, a total of 1,791 new positives have been identified, and of those who are on treatment and received a viral load test, 73% were virally suppressed. As of June, 96% of new positives are being linked to treatment.

However giving his opening address PEPFAR Coordinator and Country Director, Centre for Disease Control (CDC-Ghana), Dr. Michael Melchior indicated that stigma and discrimination have hampered PEPFARs efforts at identifying new positives, putting patients on treatment and ensuring viral suppression.

Dr Michael Melchiorunderscored the need for the media to use all its professional communication tools and wide reach to transform the erroneous perception of the wider society about HIV/AIDs.

He was positive making strides in this direction will greatly support the UNAIDS global targets at ensuring that 95% of all people know their HIV/AIDs status, that 95% of persons who know their status are on sustained antiretroviral therapy and 95% of all persons on treatment have suppressed viral loads.

Globally state and non state actors working in the fight against HIV/AIDS are working towards the Undetectable equals Untransmittable goal code named U=U.

It is premised on scientific studies which have proven that HIV cannot be transmitted sexually when viral load is below 200 copies/ml.

The vice president of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) Madam Linda Asante-Agyei beckoned journalists in the training to be deliberate in using responsible language and reportage that does not injure the sensibilities of persons infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

She warned, Stigma can undermine social cohesion and prompt possible social isolation of groups, which might contribute to a situation where the virus is more, not less, likely to spread. This can result in more severe health problems and difficulties controlling a disease outbreak.

The training being held together with PEPFAR partners; Media Health Link and the African Centre for Development Reporting will also have a bearing on the COVID-19 epidemic as it looks at addressing stigma against persons infected by the global pandemic.
A man shoots at a Jeep driving on I-225 in Aurora, Colo., on July 25, 2020. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

Police Identify Man Who Opened Fire on Jeep During Black Lives Matter Protest

Driver and shooter both could be charged, officials say

Police officers in Colorado said on Monday they identified the man who opened fire on a Jeep as it drove on a highway through protesters who were trying to block the road.

Two photographs released by the police showed a white male with thick, shaggy hair, a short boxed beard, black-rimmed glasses, and a bandana-style item around his neck.

The man, who was wearing all black clothing, was positively identified with assistance from members of the public, the Aurora Police Department (APD) said.

Thank you for all the tips submitted to us. We have been able to positively identify this male. More information should be released this afternoon, police officials said in a statement.

The man is a person of interest in the July 25 shooting on I-225, which unfolded amid violence in multiple cities as leftist groups gathered to protest against alleged racial injustice.

Protesters started walking northbound on the interstate at approximately 6:35 p.m. About 25 minutes later, a Jeep traveling northbound was spotted through aerial footage heading toward the group. The driver of the Jeep then drove into the crowd, according to APD.

A protester hurls an object at a Jeep as the driver passes by a protest after protesters scattered, in Aurora, Colo., on July 25, 2020. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

A man shoots at a Jeep speeding on a highway in Aurora, Colo., on July 25, 2020. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

While the Jeep was being driven through the crowd, multiple shots were fired by a protester, it said in an incident summary.

Two adult males were struck by gunfire. Both were taken to the hospital. One was hit in the leg while a bullet grazed the others head.

The Jeep did not appear to strike any protesters, police said.

The man driving the Jeep continued driving north before eventually exiting the interstate, locating officers, and explaining what had happened.

The suspect in a shooting in Aurora, Colo., on July 25, 2020. (Aurora Police Department)

The driver told officers that his vehicle was surrounded by protesters, who were yelling and striking his vehicle. The reason he kept driving was because he was scared and wanted to leave the scene, he said.

After the interview, the driver was released, pending an investigation. The Jeep was impounded for evidentiary purposes. The roadway was temporarily closed while detectives searched for evidence.

Detectives are in contact with the shooting victims, one of whom remained hospitalized as of Sunday.

I not only find great concern with someone making the decision to drive their vehicle toward protesters on the interstate but that someone in the protester group opened fire, recklessly shooting two people, Interim Police Chief Vanessa Wilson said in a statement.

We will be working with our District Attorney to discuss appropriate charges for the driver as well as working tirelessly to identify the shooter(s) on the interstate.

Protestors stand in shock on the side of the highway after a shooting in Aurora, Colo., on July 25, 2020. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

Paramedics tend to a man who was shot during a protest that was blocking I-225 in Aurora, Colo., on July 25, 2020. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

Mayor Mike Coffman, a Republican, said he was wanted police officials to brief him about what happened.

I would like the APD to address the nature of the injuries resulting from the incident, safety precautions taken by the APD knowing that the intent of the protesters was to temporarily shut down I225, the multiple gunshots that were fired, and whether any arrests were made, Coffman said in a statement.

In a separate bulletin, the mayor said the city cannot become Portland, where rioters have gathered nightly since late May.

About 150 people stayed behind after a protest outside Auroras municipal complex ended Saturday evening before damaging city property, city officials said. Coffman accused police officers of showing weakness by refusing to use nonlethal munitions to try to disperse the crowd.

In his initial statement about the rioting, Coffman called the group domestic terrorists. He deleted the statement before issuing a new one without that description.
Members of Bangladeshs elite Rapid Action Battalion police unit stand guard at the scene of an operation to storm an alleged militant hideout in Dhaka, April 29, 2019.

Bangladesh police have tightened security at airports, foreign embassies and minority houses of worship after an intelligence report warned that militants could try to carry out attacks this week, authorities said.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam confirmed the authenticity of a letter issued July 19 by police headquarters, seen by BenarNews, warning that militant groups could mount suicide attacks or remote-controlled bombings.

We have already enhanced security according to the instructions of the police headquarters and the counter-terrorism and transnational crimes unit. The security at night has been beefed up. We are inquiring about new tenants at every locality, Shafiqul Islam told BenarNews.

Citing intelligence, the letter states that the so-called Islamic State group has announced a new unit called Bengal Ulawat, or Bengali-speaking branch, in time for Eid-ul-Adha, the Muslim holy day that falls on Aug. 1 this year in Bangladesh.

This could inspire local groups to mount attacks, it said.

Potential targets include police facilities and personnel, airports, foreign embassies  especially of the United States, India and Myanmar  and houses of worship of minority faiths, including mosques of the Shiite and the Ahmadiyya communities, shrines, temples, churches and pagodas.

Yes, they have been informed, Abdul Malek, joint commissioner of police in charge of protection and diplomatic security, told BenarNews when asked whether the foreign missions had been made aware of the threat.

Militants across the globe think that carrying out attacks ahead of the Eid-ul-Adha is pious work, said M. Maniruzzaman, a police counter-terrorism official. The police have been directed to remain alert.

But another police official and a military analyst expressed skepticism about the continued existence of Islamic State (IS) and its ability to carry out attacks.

The threat is not so worrying. At the same time, we should not be indifferent, Saiful Islam, a deputy commissioner of the counter terrorism and transnational crimes unit, told BenarNews.

The militants always look for opportunities to carry out attacks. But they cannot do it, lacking strength, he said.

An analyst, meanwhile, pointed out that militants have been stymied.

IS has lost its territory in Iraq and Syria. Most possibly, the Bengal Ulawat has no connection with the IS, retired Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Shikder, a security analyst, told BenarNews.

After the Holey Artisan cafe attack, the militants could not carry out major attacks due to the counter terrorism activities of law enforcers, he said.

The 2016 attack at a cafe in Dhaka that left 29 people dead including 20 civilians was carried out by Neo-JMB, a faction of a domestic terror group that had declared allegiance to the IS.

Kamran Reza Chowdhury in Dhaka contributed to this report.
Google Maps

San Antonio police are searching for the person responsible for shooting two people at a Southeast Side park Monday morning.

Police said a 42-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman were walking a trail at South Side Lions Park, near the 3100 block of Hiawatha Street, around 6 a.m., when they were approached by a man brandishing handgun.
A surge of infections has prompted countries to reimpose some travel restrictions.

Bans on international travel cannot stay in place indefinitely, and countries should do more to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus within their borders, the World Health Organization has said.

A surge of infections has prompted countries to reimpose some travel restrictions in recent days.

Only with strict adherence to health measures, from wearing masks to avoiding crowds, would the world manage to beat the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organizations director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said at a virtual news briefing on Monday.

Where these measures are followed, cases go down. Where they are not, cases go up, he said, praising Canada, China, Germany and South Korea for controlling outbreaks.

WHO Emergencies Programme head Mike Ryan said travel bans were not sustainable.

It is going to be almost impossible for individual countries to keep their borders shut for the foreseeable future. Economies have to open up, people have to work, trade has to resume, he said.

What is clear is pressure on the virus pushes the numbers down. Release that pressure and cases creep back up.





Tedros also said that the UN health bodys emergency committee would convene to re-examine the declaration that the outbreak constituted a public health emergency of international concern.

A so-called PHEIC declaration, which marks the highest level of alarm under international health rules, must be re-evaluated every six months.

Prior to COVID-19, WHO had only made such declarations five times since its International Health Regulations changed in 2007, for swine flu, polio, Zika and twice for Ebola outbreaks in Africa.

Of those, the current pandemic is easily the most severe, Tedros said.

There is little doubt that the emergency committee will consider that the pandemic still constitutes a global public health emergency, but it could potentially alter some of its recommendations on how the WHO and the world should respond.

The situation has shifted dramatically since the declaration was made.

When I declared a public health emergency of international concern on the 30th of January  there were less than 100 cases outside of China, and no deaths, Tedros said.

But since then, the case numbers have soared past 16 million, with close to 650,000 deaths around the world.

COVID-19 has changed our world. It has brought people, communities and nations together, and driven them apart, Tedros said.

The WHO has faced criticism from certain quarters for its response, with some charging it acted too slowly  something the organisation itself strenuously denies.

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Over the past six months, WHO has worked tirelessly to support countries to prepare for and respond to this virus, Tedros said.

I am immensely proud of our organisation, WHO, and its incredible people and their efforts.

Tedros himself has for months faced relentless attacks from US President Donald Trump, who has accused WHO of being a puppet of China.

Earlier this month Trump made good on his threat to begin withdrawing the US  traditionally WHOs largest donor  from the organisation.
Todays Outlook celebrates the accomplishments of the recipients of this years Women in Business awards.

This impressive collection of talented, driven and successful professionals is a tribute to how far women have come in the workplace in recent years and decades.

Its hard to fathom how drastically the landscape has shifted, but really, it wasnt that long ago that, as a relative recently told me, most women had three general options for careers: teacher, nurse or secretary. Challenging careers, absolutely, and rewarding  but what a difference a half-century makes in terms of choice.

I remember a conversation with an older relative where I mentioned in passing that Id never been to see a male doctor, with the exception of dentists and ophthalmologists. How funny, she responded, Ive actually never been to a female doctor.

Just peruse the list of this years honorees, and youll see representatives from industries as wide-ranging as lending, media, law and medicine.

The winners of this years four major awards  for Excellence, Leadership, Vision and Development  cite passion and work ethic as the keys to their success (page 10).

And several other award-winners shared on this page how mentorship from other women has helped shape their careers  lessons for all women in leadership to take to heart when considering how to support younger generations.

The roles of the women listed here have perhaps never been more important than today, as New Mexicos economy is taking a battering from the ongoing pandemic. In each of their industries and in each of their roles, this years New Mexico Women in Business are part of the way forward  and well need every ounce of drive, ingenuity and passion they have to move past this difficult chapter.

So sincere congratulations to this years award recipients  and please keep forging ahead, for all our sakes.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un placed the city of Kaesong near the border with South Korea under total lockdown over coronavirus concerns and declared a state of emergency to contain a potential outbreak, the North's state media reported Sunday.

The step was taken Friday afternoon after a person was found with suspected Covid-19 symptoms in the city, the Korean Central News Agency said. It said the person is a runaway who had fled to South Korea years ago before illegally crossing the border into the North early last week.

If that person is officially declared a virus patient, he or she would be the North's first confirmed coronavirus case. North Korea has steadfastly said it has no single virus case on its territory, a claim questioned by outside experts. During an emergency Politburo meeting Saturday, Kim also declared a state of emergency in the Kaesong area, KCNA said.

It quoted Kim as saying that there was a critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country. Kim said he took the preemptive measure of totally blocking Kaesong City and isolating each district and region from the other within July 24 afternoon just after receiving the report on it, according to KCNA.

Describing its anti-virus efforts as a matter of national existence," North Korea earlier this year shut down nearly all cross-border traffic, banned foreign tourists and mobilized health workers to quarantine anyone with symptoms. But the Kaesong lockdown is the first such known measure taken in a North Korean city to stem the pandemic.
Oakland Mayor Condemns Agitators After Weekend Rioting

Oakland, California, Mayor Libby Schaaf called the people responsible for damaging a courthouse and other buildings over the weekend agitators, while urging demonstrators against becoming violent.

Vandalizing our downtown gives Donald Trump the images he wants and the justification he seeks to send federal troops into American cities, Schaaf said in a statement sent to news outlets on July 26. We cant be fooled and play into his twisted campaign strategy.

We celebrate passionate protest but Oaklanders need to know that when they attend protests after dark, they may be providing cover for agitators who are more intent on stoking civil unrest than advancing racial justice.

Oakland police officials also said that agitators within the crowd of demonstrators were the ones who set the Alameda County Superior Courthouse on fire on July 25.

A police station, the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building, and a Citibank branch were among other buildings damaged by rioters.

Demonstrators watch a flare inside a federal building during a riot in Oakland, Calif., on July 25, 2020. (Christian Monterrosa/AP Photo)

Some within the crowd of 100s of demonstrators vandalized the police station. Breaking windows, spray painting, shooting fireworks and pointing lasers at officers and helicopters, the Oakland Police Department said in a separate statement. The crowd hurled projectiles at officers.

Photographs of the aftermath of the rioting showed the outside of the courthouse sprayed with graffiti, including anarchist symbols, kill judges and prosecutors too, and ACAB, which stands for all cops are [expletives].

A set of glass doors was also smashed.

Some 700 people took part in the gathering, which police called a protest. Several people were arrested.

Because of the continuing violence in urban areas, the federal government has moved officials and agents to try to protect federal buildings and crack down on criminal elements.

A man looks toward wooden boards and graffiti outside of the Alameda County Courthouse in Oakland, Calif., on July 26, 2020. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)

President Donald Trump, a Republican, mentioned Schaafs city while speaking with reporters last week.

Well, Im going to do somethingthat, I can tell you, he said, when asked about the spike in crime in cities. Because were not going to let New York and Chicago and Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore and all of theseOakland is a mess. Were not going to let this happen in our country. All run by liberal Democrats.

Along with the Democratic mayors of the other cities singled out by the president, Schaaf said she doesnt welcome federal assistance.

Trump on July 22 announced he was sending assets to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico. As many as 75,000 federal officers and agents could be moved to cities to combat violence, he said later.

Federal agents have already deployed in Seattle and Portland, Oregon.

Rioting took place in a number of cities over the weekend. Many of the gatherings were organized by groups linked to Antifa, a far-left, anarcho-communist group, or to Black Lives Matter, a group thats pushing to defund or abolish police departments across the nation.

Jack Phillips and Janita Kan contributed to this report.
After a fatal attack with a samurai on the open road, the culprit in Stuttgart, has been sentenced sword to 14 years in prison for murder. In addition, the regional court ordered on Monday the placing of a man in a psychiatric hospital. The judge spoke of a "terrible and deeply despicable act".

According to the defenders of the man was at the attack in July last year, debt is unable to, therefore, they had demanded acquittal. In addition, the defendants must be housed in a psychiatry. The prosecution had argued in addition to a therapy to 13 years in prison for murder.

During the evidence for the murder of the 31-Year-old, among other things, due to cell phone videos, clearly, remained the subject even after the testimony is unclear. An appraiser had placed the accused due to delusions as diminished capacity.

Updated Date: 27 July 2020, 10:19
Walker Greenbank PLC's (LON:WGB) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 9.2x might make it look like a buy right now compared to the market in the United Kingdom, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios above 16x and even P/E's above 29x are quite common. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

While the market has experienced earnings growth lately, Walker Greenbank's earnings have gone into reverse gear, which is not great. The P/E is probably low because investors think this poor earnings performance isn't going to get any better. If this is the case, then existing shareholders will probably struggle to get excited about the future direction of the share price.

View our latest analysis for Walker Greenbank

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If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Walker Greenbank.

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/E?

Walker Greenbank's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the market.

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 15%. The last three years don't look nice either as the company has shrunk EPS by 39% in aggregate. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the twin analysts covering the company suggest earnings growth is heading into negative territory, declining 2.2% per annum over the next three years. Meanwhile, the broader market is forecast to expand by 9.4% per year, which paints a poor picture.

In light of this, it's understandable that Walker Greenbank's P/E would sit below the majority of other companies. However, shrinking earnings are unlikely to lead to a stable P/E over the longer term. Even just maintaining these prices could be difficult to achieve as the weak outlook is weighing down the shares.

Story continues

What We Can Learn From Walker Greenbank's P/E?

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

As we suspected, our examination of Walker Greenbank's analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking earnings is contributing to its low P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Walker Greenbank, and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

If you're unsure about the strength of Walker Greenbank's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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.
Vietnam Citi country officer Natasha Ansell

Following the reopening of the economy, what is your view on Vietnams economic outlook?

While growth in Vietnam is expected to decrease to 2.4 per cent in 2020, the economy is gradually showing signs of recovery with an expected rebound in 2021.

Tourism, hotel, retail, and transportation industries, which account for 20-25 per cent of GDP, are showing steady improvements although it will require a significant rebound in international tourism to boost these sectors back to pre-COVID levels.

Oil prices too have a significant impact on government revenue. Outside of Vietnam, global demand cutbacks are also having an impact. Shoes and garment exports of $46 billion, which account for 18 per cent of Vietnamese exports, have been affected by sluggish demand from the US and EU markets, where nearly half of these products go to.

Despite various points of pressure, Vietnam has been duly applauded for the way the country has handled the COVID-19 pandemic. By taking aggressive steps in early February, the country has kept its overall infection numbers to around 400, with zero casualties.

This has helped to prop up the domestic economy and travel as well. While we continue to monitor the health crisis and the ongoing uncertainty within the broader region and globally, we remain confident on Vietnams future prospects.

Supported by a growing middle class, consumer spending, and fiscal policies that encourage public spending, we expect to see further GDP growth.

This is a strong endorsement of the governments ability to keep the pandemic under control while continuing to attract foreign direct investment into the market, despite an understandable slowdown in capital inflows during this time overall.

What are the levels and activities around banking and lending in this period?

Lending levels and other banking activities have varied during this time, depending on whether companies were managing supply-side or demand-related shocks.

In the initial stages of the pandemic, around February and March, many companies faced a bottleneck in the supply of raw materials due to factory shutdowns and border restrictions across multiple markets. This led to a reduction in loan demand.

As the pandemic progressed to other parts of the world, factories in the region, including in China, began to resume production. While supply chains are gradually normalising, activity did not return to full capacity given demand shocks from export markets such as the US and the EU.

With a focus on maintaining liquidity to support business growth, companies started to deploy loans with longer tenors during this period. We continued to use our balance sheet and strong liquidity position to support our clients, the majority of whom are foreign-invested companies, with strong fundamentals and support from their parent companies.

We are also seeing an increase in new loan facilities and requirements from corporates in the region that are expanding their supply chains to Vietnam and, as a result, expanding their production capacity here. We are partnering with our clients to facilitate these plans in the country while ensuring we are lending prudently and in line with our risk management policies.

What impact is COVID-19 having on supply chains and what implications does have for Vietnam?

COVID-19 is accelerating supply chain relocation plans for companies. The pandemic has exacerbated trends that were already visible due to geopolitical developments and the demands of changing business models.

With the pandemic, we expect supply chain shifts to occur at a quicker pace than previously anticipated. Vietnam stands to benefit from these shifts given an increasing interest in the country from companies which are keen to expand manufacturing capacity.

In recent years, a number of multinational firms have relocated parts of their supply chains to Vietnam as part of their diversification strategies. South Korea was the largest investor in Vietnam last year, pouring close to a fifth of the $38 billion in new foreign direct investment (FDI) into Vietnam. Hong Kong, Japan, and China were also amongst the top investors.

Vietnam represents a pro-business and liberal investment environment, with competitive cost structures and a wide range of tax incentives and tariff benefits resulting from multiple free trade agreements. This includes the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and more recently, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement that aims to encourage new trade flows and, consequently, supply chains.

We believe that Vietnam has a significant potential to prosper from this opportunity, supported by government policies and interest in attracting FDI into the market.

What are the hurdles that may prevent supply chains from moving to Vietnam and what more can be done to take advantage of the trend?

To capitalise on the opportunity of shifting supply chains, Vietnam will need to continue to develop its infrastructure and build up its capacity. Relative to other markets, Vietnams GDP is small and, on a per capita basis, it is still below many developing countries. Labour supply is moderate and the logistics, as well as transportation infrastructure, needs to be further developed.

Focus on further developing the road network, port infrastructure, industrial parks, and utility supply would be critical for Vietnam to continue being competitive in attracting FDI.

Specifically on infrastructure, Vietnam must develop its infrastructure more quickly, especially in Ho Chi Minh City and its surrounding areas.

According to the World Economic Forums Global Competitiveness Report 2019, Vietnam ranks 67th out of 141 in terms of overall quality of infrastructure, 103rd in quality of roads, and 83rd in quality of port infrastructure.

The government must further emphasise the improvement of industrial zones, transportation networks, and power projects. To solve traffic congestion problems in large cities, the government should facilitate major public transportation projects.

Those actions would be very important for the country to continue to establish Vietnam as a prominent regional manufacturing hub in Asia.
Leaders of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) have called on the 31 parliamentarians holding controversial seats to resign.

This was one of the resolutions reached by the ECOWAS leaders at the end of their extraordinary meeting held virtually on Monday morning.

The Heads of State and Government ask all political parties to endeavour to obtain the immediate resignation of all the 31 Members of Parliament whose election is contested.

These resignations will pave the way for by-elections. Pending these by-elections, the Parliament will operate with the 116 remaining Members, the leaders said in a communique issued at the end of their meeting.

The communique was read by Nigerias minister of state for foreign affairs, Zubairu Dada.

The West African leaders, however, did not agree with the oppositions call for the resignation of President Ibrahim Keita. Instead, they demanded the formation of a unity government and called on the opposition to be part of the unity government.

The Crisis

A resistance group in Mali, M5, is insisting that the Constitutional Court must be dissolved, and the president resigns, before peace can return to the country.

Crisis erupted after the court nullified results of 31 parliamentary seats in the polls held recently, awarding victory to some other contenders, which the resistance group said was at the instigation of President Keita.

Riots on July 10 led to the killing of some protesters by security agents, causing the crisis to spiral out of control, hence the intervention by ECOWAS.

But the Special Envoy of ECOWAS to Mali, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who earlier paid a peace mission to Mali last two weeks, said: ECOWAS felt that the violent protest should not continue, so I should lead a special team to go again and engage them (protesters).

Mr Jonathan, who described the outcome of their mission to Mali as partially successful, expressed the hope that normalcy would soon be restored to the troubled country.

Read the communique from todays meeting below.

1. The Heads of States and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held and extraordinary Summit by Visio conference on July 27th 2020. They examined the current socio-political situation in Mali, characterised by demonstrations initiated early June 2020 by a group which includes political parties, civil society organisations and various religious associations. This group is called the June 5 Movement Group of Patriotic Forces (M5-RFP).

READ ALSO:

2. This socio-political situation is taking place in a difficult context for Mali, characterised by a serious security threat with recurring terrorist attacks, inter-community tensions in the Central part of the country, a social tension marked by a long strike of school teachers, a health crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic and its economic and financial consequences.

3. This current crisis is quite similar to the 2012 one when violent demonstrations led to a military coup on March 22, 2012. It is useful to recall that this 2012 military coup plunged the Republic of Mali into uncertainty and favoured the expansion of terrorist jihadist groups in the country.

4. In order to avoid the repetition of this situation, an ECOWAS Ministerial Mission was deployed to Bamako from June 18 to 20th by the Chairperson of ECOWAS to help resolve the crisis. The Ministerial Mission established the diagnostic of the crisis, and proposed solutions along with some recommendations. Unfortunately these recommendations were not implemented and demonstrations continued. They were particularly violent on July 10th, 11th and 12th and led to numerous deaths, and casualties, with public and private property destructions.

5. With the deterioration of the situation, ECOWAS appointed H.E. DR. GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN, GCFR, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as a Special Envoy to lead a Mediation mission to reduce tension. The Mediator conducted a mission to Bamako from July 15th to 19th 2020 and after meeting all stakeholders, formulated a Roadmap for a way out of the crisis. This roadmap was accepted by most stakeholders with the exception of the Strategic Committee of M5-RFP which maintained its demands, namely: The resignation of the President of the Republic of Mali; The establishment of a transitional regime; The establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the deaths on July 10th, 11th and 12th, and the release of the Honourable Soumaila Cisse, head of the Parliamentarian Opposition, abducted during the legislative elections.

The M5-RFP has also announced that they will resume demonstrations.

6. To curb this spiral of violence and reach a lasting solution, a Mission of five (5) Heads of State went to Bamako on Thursday 23July 2020. This mission comprised of H.E. Mahamadou IssoUFOU, President of the Republic of Niger, current Chairperson of ECOWAS Authority; H.E. Nana Akufo ADDO, President of the Republic of Ghana; H.E. Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic of Cote dlvoire H.E. Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; H.E. Macky SALL, President of the Republic of Senegal. The Mission met the President of the Republic of Mali, H.E. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, as well as the main stakeholders such as the M5-RFP Strategic Committee with their Spiritual Leader, the Presidential majority in Parliament, and civil society leaders. The mission indicated to all the stakeholders its vision for a necessary and quick way out of this crisis.

7. Given the seriousness and the urgency of this situation, the Heads of State and Government suggested to hold an Extraordinary Summit with a view to examine the situation and take the necessary decisions to restore peace and stability in Mali.

8. Following this Extraordinary Summit, the Heads of State and Government express their condolences to the grieving families and wish a prompt recovery to the wounded. They express deep concerns on this situation likely to increase instability in Mali, and in the sub-region. They reiterate their call to all Malian stakeholders to avoid violence and resort to dialogue for the resolution of dispute in a context marked by the multidimensional difficulties that Mali is facing.

9. They congratulate the Mediator and the ECOWAS Commission for the Work done and express their support to all proposals put forth by the Mediation and included in the Roadmap.

10. The Heads of State and Government insisted on the importance and the need to respect the Institutions of the Republic, especially the Constitutional means of ascending to power in conformity with the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

11. The Heads of State and Government noted that the main Malian Institutions are inoperative. It is therefore paramount to re-establish as quickly as possible, these sovereign Institutions necessary for the proper functioning of the State and the management of all issues raised by demonstrators.

12. The Head of States and Government therefore took the following decisions

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a. The Parliament: The Heads of State and Government ask all political parties to endeavour to obtain the immediate resignation of all the 31 Members of Parliament whose election is contested. These resignation will pave the way for by-elections. Pending

these by-elections, the Parliament will operate with the 116 remaining Members.

b. The Constitutional Court the Heads of State and Government ask all the relevant Institutions to facilitate its immediate recomposition according to legal provisions in Mali. The Parliament will propose its representatives after the resignation of the 31 members whose election is contested and the installation of the new bureau. In case of difficulty for the various bodies in designating their members to the Constitutional Court, the President of the Republic will use the exceptional power provided by Article 50 of the Constitution of Mali to nominate the 9 members.

C. The Executive Branch: A National Unity Government will be established rapidly in line with the recommendations of the Mediator. The Heads of States and Government encourage the opposition, in particular, the M5-RFP, to participate in this National Unity Government. The main task of this National Unity Government will be to deal with the consequences of the demonstrations, and to implement all reforms and recommendations issued from the Inclusive National Dialogue and to improve governance. In particular the implementation of the Algiers Agreements will need to be accelerated. Given the numerous challenges facing the country, Some

members of Government will be nominated before the National Unity Government is formed. These are the ministries in charge of Defense, Justice, Foreign Affairs, National Security and Finance.

d. Inquiries: the Heads of State and Government ask the relevant authorities to conduct quickly those inquiries to determine and identify those responsible for the violence that led to deaths and casualties as well as public and private properties destruction on July 10th, 11th, and 12th 2020

Finally, the Heads of State and Government:

Reiterate their solidarity with the Honourable Soumaila CISSE, Leader of the Opposition, abducted since March 25 2020. They insist on the Malian Authorities to intensify efforts for his release.

Ask the ECOWAS Commission to put in place a Monitoring Committee for the implementation of all the above measures. This Committee will include representatives from Government, Parliament, the Judiciary, Civil Society, M5-RFP, women, the youth, with the participation of the local Representative of the African Union the Uritet YatishanEtaiet by ECOWAS.

Ask all stakholb to implement all the above decisions and measures within 10 days. The ECOWAS Heads of State and Government request the commission to consider sanctions against all those who act contrary to the normalization process of the crisis.

Done by Video Conferencing on July 27th 2020

For the Summit
A young boy has cheated death after being sucked into a subterranean cave while swimming in a river in eastern China.

The trapped seven-year-old was spotted by rescuers after he stuck out his hand through a tiny gap on the ground.

Footage captures the heart-pounding moment one of the rescuers gripped onto the childs hand while others tried to dig up a hole to save him.

The trapped seven-year-old was spotted by rescuers after he stuck out his hand through a tiny gap on the ground. He was saved by local firefighters in China's eastern province Zhejiang

The incident occurred on July 22 in Yongjia county of Zhejiang province when the boys grandfather took him to swim in a local river, according to the local fire brigade.

The grandparent said that the child suddenly disappeared from the water when he wasnt paying attention.

While desperately looking for his grandson, the man and other villagers suddenly saw a small hand sticking out through a tiny hole on the ground.

They immediately called the local firefighters for help after locating the child who was trapped in the underground cave.

Footage released by the authorities shows the youngster grabbing a rescuers hand while the firefighters attempting to open a hole.

Within less than ten minutes, the boy was successfully rescued after he was pulled out of the tunnel through a gap.

The grandfather and other local residents immediately called the local firefighters for help after locating the child who was trapped in the underground cave in China's Zhejiang province

The local authorities said that they were unaware of the underground cave before the terrifying incident occurred.

It was said to be a culvert that diverts river water into an underground cave system.

The tunnel will be sealed to prevent such accidents from happening again, according to the officials.

Footage captures the heart-pounding moment one of the rescuers gripped onto the childs hand while others tried to dig up a hole to save him in China's eastern province Zhejiang

It comes after Chinese authorities have warned parents about the danger of children swimming in rivers and reservoirs.

In June, eight children drowned in a river in south-western China after one of them fell in it by accident and the others jumped in to help.

The victims, all primary school pupils, had gone to play at a beach by themselves on Sunday on the Fu River in Chongqing, reported state broadcaster CCTV citing local officials.

Their bodies were discovered after rescuers searched for the youngsters overnight.
CONTACT: Pamela D. Wilson 303-810-1816

Email: Inquiry_For_Pamela@pameladwilson.com

Golden, Colorado  July 27, 2020

The Caring Generation Radio How to Become a Legal Guardian

Golden CO - Caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson hosts The Caring Generation family talk radio program for caregivers and aging adults this coming Wednesday, July 29, on the Bold Brave Media Network. The program airs live at 9 p.m. EST. The Caring Generation aired initially from 2009 to 2011 on 630 KHOW-AM in Denver, Colorado.

How to Become a Legal Guardian

Adult children caregivers responsible for the care of aging parents often ask how to become a legal guardian? Pamela D Wilson, the caregiving expert who served as a professional guardian for the elderly and disabled, shares practical information about the guardianship process. Becoming a legal guardian for an elderly parent, spouse, or another adult is a serious responsibility.

Court appointed guardians, whether family or professional, are held to high standards of care that include developing a care plan and an annual budget for care costs and living expenses. Many family members become guardians, knowing little about the legal role or the expectations of the court system.

Becoming Court Appointed Guardian for Elderly Parents

Becoming a court appointed guardian for elderly parents can be an overwhelming experience, especially if elderly parents with dementia or Alzheimer's are refusing care and lack an understanding of the need for involvement by an adult child. Family disagreements may also happen over which child should be appointed.

While some families proceed through the guardianship process without an elder law attorney, there are many situations where legal advice is beneficial. During her career as a professional fiduciary, Wilson supported families through the steps for how to become a legal guardian. She also served as guardian in family situations where disagreements or qualifications resulted in the court appointing a professional.

In this radio program for caregivers, Wilson clears up the question some family members ask about the requirement of a guardian being an attorney. Wilson's extensive background in care management, working with adult protective services, and attorneys led to a twenty-plus year career that included being a professional guardian.

Wilson no longer serves as a court appointed guardian, however, she remains a member of the Colorado Bar Association Elder Law Section. She holds certifications as a national certified guardian and a certified senior advisor. Her focus today is on education for caregivers through corporate and group programs.

Guest Interview: What is Sepsis with Dr. Bernardo Reyes

Bernardo Reyes, MD, CMD., is a board-certified Internist and Geriatrician. He is an Assistant Professor of Geriatrics at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University where he serves as the Director of the Geriatric and Palliative Rotations and Associate Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program. In this role, Dr. Reyes oversees the learning experience of our Internal Medicine Resident Physicians. Dr. Reyes is also the attending physician for our Inpatient Geriatric Service at Delray Medical Center and preceptor at our Residents Outpatient Clinic in Boca Raton.

His scholarly activity includes seven chapters in textbooks, editorials, and letters to the editor in different journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, original peer-reviewed research publications, as well as multiple posters and oral presentations in regional, national and international venues. His research portfolio focuses on safe transitions of care of at-risk older adults and early identification of sepsis in the post-acute setting. In addition, he designed and implemented an international exchange program between FAU and Universidad de Navarra for FAU students to learn Medical Spanish and the differences between the health care systems in Europe and the US.

Join Pamela on The Caring Generation to learn how to become a legal guardian for an elderly parent. The Caring Generation radio program airs live at 6 p.m. Pacific, 7 p.m. Mountain, 8 p.m. Central, and 9 p.m. Eastern every Wednesday night. Replays of the weekly programs are available in podcast format with transcripts on Pamela's website and all major podcast sites. More information about onsite and online video conferencing, virtual training and development, and online education and support are available on Wilson's website.

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The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has deployed an intervention squad to Southern Kaduna as part of efforts at restoring law and order there.

The squad comprises the Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU), Police Special Forces, Detectives/Intelligence Operatives as well as personnel of the Kaduna State Police Command, the military and other security agencies.

In the past weeks, there have been reports of killings, especially in the southern part of Kaduna State with the most recent massacres at Kukum Daji and Gora Gan put at 33 deaths.

Also, PREMIUM TIMES learnt that scores of people are in hospitals receiving treatment from various degrees of gunshots.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai had said insecurity in the state is being perpetrated by criminal elements who have been killing, kidnapping people and rustling cattle in the entire North-west region. He said it was not appropriate to label the killings as ethnic or religious as the perpetrators committed their crimes against people of all backgrounds and beliefs. President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier expressed a similar stance and warned against reprisals.

The state governor last Thursday imposed a 24-hour curfew on the flashpoints in Southern Kaduna. He extended the 24-hour-curfew to Jemaa and Kaura local government areas on Friday.

READ ALSO:

The killings in the region have been met with concerns from civil society organisations and human rights groups, calling for the intervention of the federal government.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Frank Mba, the police boss directed the Commissioner of Police (CP), Kaduna State Police Command, to ensure full enforcement of the curfew imposed by the Kaduna State Government.

According to him, the commissioner is equally to ensure optimal deployment of both human and material assets of the Intervention Squad currently on the ground in the state to safeguard the lives and property of people in the communities.

The CP is to personally coordinate the operations of the Intervention Squad in carrying out collective and holistic tasks of ensuring peace and safety in the communities. The Squad comprises: the Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Police Special Forces, Detectives/Intelligence Operatives as well as personnel of the Kaduna State Police Command, the Military and other security agencies.

The IGP commiserates with the people of Kaduna State, particularly those who have lost their loved ones and property as a result of the crises. He assures that the Force will do everything within its powers and means to ensure that peace is restored in the affected areas, the statement read.

Meanwhile, the police chief enjoined the people of Kaduna State to cooperate with the police, the military and other law enforcement agencies as they carry out the full enforcement of the curfew amongst other measures directed at ensuring their safety.
The changes were a 'betrayal' of the trust reposed by the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah, former chief minister of the erstwhile state, said

As the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status is set to complete one year on 5 August, former chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday called for restoration of its statehood and hoped the Supreme Court would render "justice" by striking down the repeal of Article 370 provisions.

In his first media interview after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution that ended the erstwhile state's special status, Abdullah, 82, said that his party would continue to contest the changes through all democratic means.

These changes were a "betrayal" of the trust reposed by the people of Jammu and Kashmir when the state acceded to the Union of India, he said.

The Centre had abrogated the special status on 5 August, saying Article 370 had stalled the development of Jammu and Kashmir, prevented proper education, health care and growth of industries besides not helping in curbing terrorism.

The National Conference (NC), of which Abdullah is the president, has mounted a legal challenge in the Supreme Court to the abrogation of Article 370 and carving out of two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh from the erstwhile state.

The legislation passed by Parliament and the subsequent orders issued by the President were "unconstitutional", it has submitted in the apex court which has set up a five-member bench to hear the matter.

"As a political party it is but natural that we will keep the people informed about what we are doing to get justice. We are very clear that we do not accept the changes forced on us and will continue to oppose them," said the veteran leader who was arrested hours before Article 370 provisions were scrapped on 5 August and spent over seven months in detention.

Abdullah, who has served three terms as the border state's chief minister, said, "We will fight for our rights, campaign for our rights within democratic means. We have never used guns, we have never used methods which are not constitutional. We are a democratic mainstream party and will use all democratic means at our disposal."

Describing the changes as "vishwasghat" (betrayal of trust) reposed by people of Jammu and Kashmir at the time of accession, he said, "The trust we had reposed in Delhi has come to nought."

"There is a loss of trust and Delhi has to rebuild the trust. That trust will come only when the statehood is restored and other changes are reversed. That has to be done," Abdullah, a sitting member of Lok Sabha, said.

"What happened is unfortunate. They (Centre) said Jammu and Kashmir will progress once this thing (Article 370) is removed, militancy will disappear. I would like to ask those people, has militancy disappeared? It has increased rather than decreased. Any development? Zero development. Whatever we had we have lost even that," he said.

Explaining his party's decision to move the Supreme Court, Abdullah said, "We are seeking justice from the highest court of the land because of our faith in the judiciary. We are hopeful that justice will be rendered to us."

He emphasised that full statehood should be restored to Jammu and Kashmir and that all other changes should be reversed. "We are looking up to the Supreme Court."

Abdullah said people of Jammu and Kashmir had suffered for decades due to militancy before the "trauma of 5 August", followed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We desperately need peace but also restoration of our honour and dignity taken away without consulting the people most affected by the drastic changes," he added.

Asked if his party would participate in elections to the Assembly likely to be held next year, the NC president said it was not for him to decide but the call would be taken by the party's working committee. "When the situation comes, we will sit together and see what is happening."

Abdullah was sharply critical of the new domicile laws for Jammu and Kashmir, and said the NC had always feared there would be attempts to change its demography. "Now our fears are coming true. We are going to fight it," he added.

About the delimitation commission set up recently to re-draw the Assembly constituencies, Abdullah said the NC had boycotted it alleging that the intentions of the BJP-led government at the Centre were not good.

"The delimitation exercise was to be done in 2026 along with the rest of the country. What was the necessity of doing it now? This is where we fear that their intentions are not good," he said.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) on Monday wrote to Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri requesting for an urgent meeting stating that he was 'grossly misinformed' about the current state of affairs of Air India by the officials who briefed him.

The letter with the subject line "Request for an Urgent meeting", stated, "It is evident from the Press Conference dated July 16 that the officials briefing you have Grossly Misinformed you about the Current state of affairs at Air India. The pay cut is NOT across the board and you are being misled."

"Basic Pay, HRA and DA constitutes 80 per cent of Gross pay for General Category employees. Basic Pay, HRA and DA constitutes 20 per cent of Gross pay for Pilots. Allowances form 80 per cent of Pilots Gross Pay in Air India," the letter from the ICPA read.

"The current industry standard in India is a cut of 15-23% on gross salary i.e cost to company. However, the Air India management is trying to show cost cutting by slashing cherry picked allowances instead of a fair cut on gross wages (the true cost to company of an employee)," it said.

The association further said, "They have safeguarded their perks, privileges and entitlements while shifting extreme financial burden on the pilots. This deliberate and unethical agenda of creating Industrial Disharmony reeks of a vested interest and a conspiracy to sabotage the National Carrier and derail the process of privatization."

"Sir, we request you to kindly grant us an Urgent Meeting so we may brief you on the ground reality and prevent this travesty. Rest assured we have the best interests of Air India at heart," the letter added. (ANI)
A Senate bill would make it much easier for religious institutions to build affordable housing on their land. (Los Angeles Times)

Rabbi Noah Farkas has a vision for how Valley Beth Shalom can use the synagogues giant parking lot to live out its values and fulfill its mission: Cover it with new affordable housing units for senior citizens.

That would allow aging members to stay close to their families and faith community, provide much-needed affordable apartments for the elderly in pricey Encino, and, since there is a preschool on the site, foster intergenerational connections between seniors and young students.

His challenge is that, like a lot of religious institutions, Valley Beth Shalom is land rich and cash poor. The cost of constructing affordable housing is staggering, and getting permission to build is time-consuming and expensive. Thats why Farkas is supporting Senate Bill 899, a proposal in the state Legislature that would make it much easier for religious institutions and nonprofit colleges to build affordable housing on their land.

The legislation is being carried by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who introduced it in March after the demise of Senate Bill 50, his ambitious effort to override local zoning to allow bigger apartment complexes near transit hubs and four-unit buildings in single-family neighborhoods. While that bill proved too controversial for Wieners fellow lawmakers, SB 899 passed the Senate last month on a near-unanimous vote, even though it would also override local control. The bill now heads to the Assembly.

The idea of encouraging faith communities to put housing on their land has been gaining support for a number of reasons. Many churches, synagogues and mosques are sitting on large, underutilized properties. As fewer people choose to participate in organized religion, many congregations have seen their membership shrink along with their budgets. Yet religious leaders want to continue the mission to serve their almighty and their community.

So why not encourage them to use their land to help ease one of Californias most pressing problems, which is the crushing shortage of affordable housing?

Story continues

Roughly 38,800 acres of land in California  roughly the size of the city of Stockton  are used for religious purposes and could be developed for housing, according to an analysis by UC Berkeleys Terner Center for Housing Innovation. Nearly half of those acres are in so-called high-opportunity neighborhoods that have low poverty and greater economic, educational and environmental amenities. These are communities where it can be particularly difficult to build affordable housing because of the price of land, zoning and neighbor opposition.

But although religious institutions may have the land, they rarely have the resources or real estate expertise to navigate the bureaucracy and politics of development approvals, which can drag on for years and add millions of dollars to a projects price tag.

SB 899 would streamline the process by allowing 100% affordable housing projects to be built by right  meaning they wouldnt need planning commission or city council approval  if the projects are on land owned by religious institutions or nonprofit colleges, and the institutions partner with nonprofit developers to build the housing.

The idea is to create a new supply of land for nonprofit developers who build housing for low-income residents, while letting religious institutions better use their property and generate a small income from rentals. For nonprofit colleges, it would make it easier for campuses to add affordable housing for employees and students.

For a housing development bill, SB 899 has generated surprisingly little NIMBY opposition. The most vocal opponents are labor groups pushing to require the projects to hire union construction workers and apprentices, which would drive up costs and could make some affordable housing projects too expensive to build.

Throughout the contentious debate over SB 50 and state housing policies, there has been almost universal agreement that California desperately needs more affordable housing to provide stability for the states working poor and vulnerable residents. But when it costs, on average, $500,000 to build a low-income apartment in the state, it should be abundantly clear that California needs to make it much easier, faster and cheaper to build affordable housing. SB 899 can help houses of worship turn their buildings, offices and even parking lots into homes.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT)-appointed Yamuna Monitoring Committee has asked the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to submit a report on the dumping of waste, including material used for manufacturing face masks, and construction debris at two sites on the Yamuna floodplains that could be constricting the flow of the river.

The waste has been dumped underneath the Signature Bridge and the Sarai Kale Khan flyover. NGT asked for the report after an NGO, South Asian Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), posted pictures and videos of the dump on the floodplains.

As per an NGT order of 2015, any kind of dumping of waste or construction and demolition debris in and around the floodplains is prohibited. Anyone who is found violating the order is liable to pay an environmental compensation charge of up to 50,000 under the polluter pays principle.

A team of DPCC environmental engineers inspected the two sites on Monday. We are inspecting the sites for the violations both on the floodplains as well as the river bed. We may continue till Tuesday, after which we will be able to submit a report, said a senior DPCC official, who did not wish to be named.

According to activists who flagged the issue, discarded material used for making face masks was dumped on the floodplains beneath the Signature Bridge.

Besides, there is a 3-4 foot tall mound of debris on the floodplains, some of which has toppled into the river bed underneath the Sarai Kale Khan bridge. There is so much debris that an active river channel is now disconnected from the main river. The debris was dumped recently by government agencies, which have been engaged in construction activity around the river, said Bhim Singh Rawat of SANDRP.

He added that the situation regarding bridges on Yamuna river in Delhi is alarming as so far 25 road bridges, including three barrages-cum-bridges, four Metro bridges and two railway bridges have come up on the river while the debris has continuously been dumped on the floodplains. It is cleared after much effort and resurfaces with every new construction.

The two-member Yamuna Monitoring Committee comprising former Delhi chief secretary Shailaja Chandra and retired expert member BS Sajwan said it has ordered an inspection and a detailed report is awaited. We have asked DPCC to examine the issue in detail and submit a report to us, a member of the committee said.

Earlier this year also, debris had been dumped underneath the Nizamuddin Bridge and the committee had asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which is the primary custodian of the floodplains to clear the floodplains of the debris. DDA is responsible for preventing any kind of dumping on the floodplains. They had earlier told us that CCTV cameras have been installed and security personnel deployed to prevent such violations, the member said.

The DDA spokesperson did not respond to request for comment.

In April 2019, the NGT committee had questioned the public works department (PWD), the Delhi Tourism department and Transport Development Corporate Ltd (DTTDC), the government agencies responsible for the construction and management of the Signature Bridge, about the dumping of construction debris into the river, affecting its flow. The agencies were also fined for the violations.

Manoj Misra, the convenor of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, said that dumping of construction debris has been continuing unabated despite NGT orders and needs to be stopped immediately to save the river. Unfortunately, government agencies have been dumping debris on the floodplains time and again, which is capable of altering the flow of the river. NGT must take a strong view in the matter and ensure dumping is prevented at any cost, said Misra.

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The U.S. lowered its flag over the American Consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu, the latest historic milestone marking the deterioration in relations between Washington and Beijing.

American diplomats were expected to depart the consulate by Monday, two days after the U.S. government forced their Chinese counterparts out of their mission in Houston. The security cordon around the consulate, which has ebbed and flowed since China announced its decision Friday to expel the diplomats, tightened Monday morning local time, with police preventing pedestrians from getting within a block of the facility.
Activists in Seattle have condemned Donald Trumps decision to send federal agents to the city, after dozens of demonstrators were arrested while protesting the presidents actions.

On Saturday more than 40 people were detained and two dozen police officers reportedly injured, after law enforcement broke up a large and largely peaceful protest in the citys Capitol Hill neighbourhood. There were a number of clashes. Earlier, some protesters broke through a fence where a child detention centre was being built and set fire to a cabin. Police said they were also investigating "possible explosive" damage to the walls of one of its buildings.

Though the arrests were made by Seattle Police Department (SDP), demonstrators were protesting the dispatch to cities including Chicago, Portland and Seattle, of federal law enforcement officers.

Mr Trump has defended the presence of the federal officers in the largely Democratic-run cities, by claiming there had been a shocking explosion of shootings, killings, murders and heinous crimes of violence.

The move became increasingly controversial after it emerged unidentified federal agents had grabbed and detained protesters in Portland, Oregon, triggering fears about safety and accountability.

Black Lives Matter: London protests Show all 25 1 /25 Black Lives Matter: London protests Black Lives Matter: London protests Actor John Boyega speaks in Hyde Park at a Black Lives Matter protest. Demonstrations broke out across the US and world after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a white police officer Rex Black Lives Matter: London protests Getty Black Lives Matter: London protests Getty Black Lives Matter: London protests Reuters Black Lives Matter: London protests AP Black Lives Matter: London protests AP Black Lives Matter: London protests AP Black Lives Matter: London protests Rex Black Lives Matter: London protests AFP via Getty Black Lives Matter: London protests EPA Black Lives Matter: London protests EPA Black Lives Matter: London protests AP Black Lives Matter: London protests EPA Black Lives Matter: London protests AFP via Getty Black Lives Matter: London protests AP Black Lives Matter: London protests EPA Black Lives Matter: London protests EPA Black Lives Matter: London protests EPA Black Lives Matter: London protests EPA Black Lives Matter: London protests AP Black Lives Matter: London protests EPA Black Lives Matter: London protests AP Black Lives Matter: London protests AFP via Getty Images Black Lives Matter: London protests Getty Images Black Lives Matter: London protests PA

On Sunday, protesters in Seattle condemned the presidents decisions, denouncing them as the actions of a fascist. People said while the presence of the federal officers made them more wary, they were also determined to be present.

Trump wants control, said a man known as Dragon, who delivered an impassioned speech close to the polices East Precinct building. But he cannot control us. He is doing this to please his ego.

One organiser, Nait, who has been a regular at the protests, said that because the federal law enforcement officers had not yet been used in Seattle  both the citys mayor and the governor of the state have criticised their intended deployment  some may not yet have woken up to the implications.

To me, its a different menace, she said. They get to act as they like.

A 22-year-old woman who asked not to to be named said that knowing the federal agents were in the city was making people adopt a low profile.

But were also more determined than ever to stay here and protect each other, she said.

 Nurse wearing scrubs pepper sprayed by police in Seattle

Kristin Mowery said she felt driven to be part of the protest because so much had gone wrong in the country.

She said she sought to put herself in front of non-white protesters in the belief she would be less likely to be beaten or hit by police. I am trying to weaponise my whiteness, she said.

At the beginning of July, police cleared a protest site, established in the aftermath of the killing by Minneapolis police of George Floyd, which had occupied a half-dozen blocks in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood.

When they cleared the site, known variously as the CHOP and CHAZ, they detained dozens of protesters.

On Saturday, police declared a riot following large demonstrations in the same neighbourhood, and deployed stun grenades and pepper spray.

The Associated Press reported police as saying that rocks, bottles, fireworks and other missiles had been thrown at officers as they attempted to clear the area over the course of several hours.

Many protesters were also hurt, including a military veteran and a nurse.

Critics of Mr Trump have dismissed his deployment of federal forces to various cities as an attempt to revive his flagging re-election campaign.

The president said he had no choice.

In recent weeks, theres been a radical movement to defund, dismantle and dissolve our police departments. Extreme politicians have joined this anti-police crusade and relentlessly vilified our law enforcement heroes, he said last week.

To look at it from any standpoint, the effort to shut down policing in their own communities has led to a shocking explosion of shootings, killings, murders and heinous crimes of violence.

On Sunday night Mr Trump engaged in a retweet spree, promoting messages from people who supported his tactics.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
BEIJING, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sogou Inc. (NYSE: SOGO) ("Sogou" or "the Company"), an innovator in search and a leader in China's internet industry, today announced that it will report its second quarter 2020 unaudited financial results on Monday, August 10, 2020, before U.S. market hours.

Sogou's management team will host a conference call at 6:30am U.S. Eastern Time, (6:30pm Beijing/Hong Kong time) on August 10, 2020, following the quarterly results announcement.

The dial-in details for the live conference call are:

U.S. Toll Free: +1-888-317-6003 Mainland China Toll Free: 4001-206115 Hong Kong Toll Free: 800-963976 Hong Kong Local Toll: +852-580-81995 International: +1-412-317-6061 Passcode: 9971291

Please dial in 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin. When prompted, ask to be connected to the Sogou Inc. call and provide the passcode.

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following number until August 17, 2020:

International: +1-412-317-0088 Passcode: 10146698

A live webcast and archive of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of Sogou's website at http://ir.sogou.com.

About Sogou

Sogou Inc. (NYSE: SOGO) is an innovator in search and a leader in China's internet industry. With a mission to make it easy to communicate and get information, Sogou has grown to become the second-largest search engine by mobile queries and the fourth largest internet company by MAU in China. Sogou has a wide range of innovative products and services, including the Sogou Input Method, which is the largest Chinese language input software for both mobile and PC. Sogou is also at the forefront of AI development and has made significant breakthroughs in voice and image technologies, machine translation, and Q&A, which have been successfully integrated into our products and services.

For investor enquiries, please contact:

Jessie Zheng

Sogou Investor Relations

Tel: +86 10 5689 8068

Email: [email protected]

For media enquiries, please contact:

Serena Liu

Sogou Marketing

Tel: +86 10 5689 9999 (61958)

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Sogou Inc.

Related Links

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The next round of coronavirus stimulus will include $1,200 checks and an extension of the federal eviction moratorium, promised White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow on Sunday.

The $1,200 stimulus check is part of the relief plan. The bill worth $1 trillion has been finalized and will be introduced on Monday.

Other than stimulus checks, it will also give temporary and reduced extension of unemployment benefits, businesses protections and funding for school restart, reported CNBC.

Forbes reported that the eviction moratorium just expired Friday after four months of shielding renters from getting evicted. With the extension, the eviction moratorium can still help around 28 million Americans, data from Eviction Lab shows.

Talking about the new relief bill, Kudlow said, "The check is there, the reemployment bonus is there. The retention bonus is there."

The relief bill will also have a $16 billion new funding for testing and tax incentives so that companies will be more inclined to hire their employees again. Kudlow called it a "well rounded" and "well targeted" package.

Kudlow's comments came a week after the Congress shot down the White House's hopes of payroll tax cuts, something that even Kudlow would have wanted, Fox News reported.

"I would have preferred a payroll tax cut, on top of that check," he said to CNN's Jake Tapper. "But, be that as it may, politically, it doesn't work."

Surge of Evictions

Cities all over the U.S. have been setting up for a big increase in evictions with the Friday expiration date. But lawmakers and housing advocates have called for a ban on eviction all over the U.S.

They also asked to cancel rent on top of other forms of housing relief.

There is no official announcement of a deal but Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows have met on Capitol Hill to talk about the details of the new relief bill with congress leaders.

Reducing Unemployment Bonuses

On the subject of unemployment bonuses, the $600 amount is likely to be lowered due to concerns of too much payment that have discouraged people from going back to work.

To replace this, the stimulus will have enhanced unemployment benefits in it. Kudlow said the plan to have benefits on about 70% wage replacement is "quite generous by any standard."

Since Congress talks on the bill are still in progress, it is not yet clear when the lower benefits for laid off workers will take effect.

In the midst of the pandemic, above the U.S. unemployment rate has surged to higher than 10%, with nearly 32 million getting unemployment benefits, based on the Labor Department's data.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi believes a more streamlined approach to the benefit would be a better way to go. "The reason we had $600 was its simplicity," she said, asking why they aren't keeping it simple.

As cases surge across the South and West parts of America, Kudlow stays hopeful about the economy's chances of bouncing back. He said the odds "favor" more jobs that will then lower unemployment.

The GOP relief plan will be introduced on the day marking 100 days before the election.

Want to read more? Check these out!

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"Our recent results in pre-clinical studies show the potential of colchicine to reduce the inflammatory storm and lung damage also seen in patients with COVID-19," said Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, Director of the Research Center at MHI, Professor of Medicine at the University of Montreal, and COLCORONA principal investigator. "We are committed to including a large number of patients worldwide in this robust study to determine the ability of colchicine to keep patients out of the hospital, off ventilators and ultimately save lives."

Results from a recent study of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in animals have shown that colchicine reduces lung injury and lung edema, and markedly improves blood oxygenation. Mortality in COVID-19 patients has been linked to the cytokine storm, where the body produces excessive pro-inflammatory molecules (cytokines) that eventually lead to ARDS and potentially death. Therefore, the results of this study strongly support the clinical development of colchicine to fight the complications of COVID-19. Full study results are available in preprint and support the continuation of the COLCORONA trial.

"At the moment, there is no available, FDA-approved treatment that can be given to patients at home to prevent them from worsening illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19 complications. It is very important for us to find therapies that we can offer to patients now," said Dr. Norman Lepor, Director of Clinical Research for Westside Medical Associates of Los Angeles and COLCORONA primary investigator for Los Angeles.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized COLCORONA trial featuring a generic immunomodulator (colchicine) passed its futility analysis in June 2020 with an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board, allowing for continued enrollment. Colchicine, which is already available for treatment of gout, pericarditis, and Familial Mediterranean Fever, would be an affordable orally administered treatment option if results prove positive.

What Patients Need to Know About the COLCORONA Trial to Enroll

Unlike most other studies, this study does not involve leaving your home. The study staff will contact you directly via phone or video-visits for follow-up. Medication or a placebo (a pill with no active ingredients) will be delivered to your home at no cost.

If you are interested in joining, the study staff will determine if you are eligible to join. This study is one of the few enrolling newly diagnosed patients with mild to moderate symptoms who are not hospitalized and over the age of 40 (and recruits patients past the age of 70).

Participation in the study lasts 30 days. When the study is completed, the results will be announced, but will not include your identifying information.

Patients and physicians interested in COLCORONA can call the study hotline at 1-877-536-6837, 24/7 or visit www.colcorona.net. If you have recently been diagnosed with COVID-19 and you are interested in participating in the COLCORONA trial, do not delay calling the hotline number.

About the COLCORONA Trial

COLCORONA is a contact-free, at-home, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study run out of several regions in Canada, the United States, Europe, South America, and South Africa. COLCORONA is coordinated by the Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center (MHICC) and funded by the Government of Quebec, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Sophie Desmarais Montreal philanthropist, daughter of the late business mogul, Paul Desmarais Sr., Pharmascience, CGI, and DACIMA are also collaborators of COLCORONA.

For more information about the study, visit www.colcorona.net.

About the Montreal Heart Institute

Founded in 1954, the Montreal Heart Institute constantly aims for the highest standards of excellence in the cardiovascular field through its leadership in clinical and basic research, ultra-specialized care, professional training, and prevention. It houses the largest research center in Canada, the largest cardiovascular prevention center in the country, and the largest cardiovascular genetics center in Canada. The Institute is affiliated with the University of Montreal and has more than 2000 employees, including 245 physicians, as well as 650 people working in its Research Center.

About the Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center (MHICC)

The Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center (MHICC) is a leading academic clinical research organization and an integral part of the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI). The MHICC possesses an established network of collaborators in over 4500 clinical sites in more than 40 countries. It has specific expertise in precision medicine, low-cost high-quality clinical trials, and drug repurposing.

SOURCE Montreal Heart Institute

Related Links

http://www.colcorona.net


Five major airlines will resume flights in and out of Kenya from Tuesday, July 28.

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala on Sunday said the five airlines are British Airways, KLM, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air France.

Of the five, Emirates will be the first to resume operations by offering a repatriation flight on Tuesday from Nairobi to Dubai departing at around 4:15 pm.

British Airways will resume on August 1, 2020, operating four flights weekly on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

KLM and Qatar will both resume international travel into and out of Nairobi on August 3, 2020, with the former also offering four weekly flights on the same days as the British Airways.

Qatar Airways said it will offer 14 weekly flights subject to regulatory approval, further advising passengers to check the information published by the government of their destination country before traveling.

Air France, will resume operations on August 6, 2020 with just one flight to Paris every Friday.

This comes after President Uhuru Kenyatta on July 6, restored both domestic and international flights as part of the phased re-opening of the economy following engagement with aviation stakeholders.
Centre should clear West Bengal's dues to effectively tackle COVID-19: Mamata Banerjee

India

pti-PTI

Kolkata, July 27: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday asked the Centre to clear all financial dues of the state to help it fight the COVID-19 pandemic effectively.

Banerjee, during an online programme where Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated new testing facilities in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, also sought the creation of a separate fund for the combating the disease. She also said that the money from the state's disaster relief fund was being used for rehabilitation work after cyclone Amphan.

Conduct last rites of COVID-19 suspects without waiting for test report: Odisha govt

Unlock 3: Centre mulling over opening cinema halls and gyms with some curbs | Oneindia News

"I would request the central government to clear the financial dues of the state immediately. We are yet to get our dues of Rs 53,000 crore. If we utilise all money from the state disaster relief fund for post-cyclone restoration works, how are we supposed to fight the pandemic," the CM said during the online programme.

Cyclone Amphan had struck West Bengal on may 20, leaving behind a trail of destruction "There is a need for a separate fund to fight the pandemic. I would request you (the prime minister) to look into it," she added.
$24 million

That's the cost to build the Seaway Guardian, the first new American-built tugboat to join the U.S. Department of Transportation's Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. since the seaway opened 61 years ago. The vessel's primary missions will be buoy maintenance and ice management, according to SLSDC.
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Linkedin Sam Reeves (Agence France-Presse) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Mon, July 27, 2020 11:15 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066986df9 2 SE Asia Malaysia,Najib-Razak,1MDB,scandal,corruption-case,corruption Free

A Malaysian court will hand down its verdict in Najib Razak's first corruption trial on Tuesday, nearly 16 months after it began probing the former prime minister's role in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal.

Najib and his inner circle are accused of plundering sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad in a mind-boggling fraud that stretched around the world.

Stolen cash was allegedly used to bankroll Hollywood hit "The Wolf of Wall Street", starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and US investment titan Goldman Sachs also became embroiled in the scandal.

Anger at the looting played a large part in the shock loss by Najib's coalition in elections two years ago after six decades in power.

He was subsequently arrested and hit with dozens of charges over the fraud.

Najib is currently facing three separate, 1MDB-linked trials, and the first finally reaches its climax this week in the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

The case centers on the transfer of 42 million ringgit ($9.9 million) from former 1MDB unit SRC International into Najib's bank accounts.

He denies any wrongdoing, and his lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told AFP ahead of the verdict: "I feel good about the defense."

The ex-leader, who is facing four charges of corruption and three of money-laundering in the case, insists he was ignorant of the bank transfers.

His defense team has portrayed Najib as a victim and instead sought to paint financier Low Taek Jho, a key figure in the scandal who has been charged in the US and Malaysia, as the mastermind.

Low, whose whereabouts are unknown, maintains his innocence.

Political turbulence

Prosecutors insist Najib was in control of the 1MDB unit and that they have a solid case, but observers believe recent political upheaval could affect the outcome of the trial, which began in April last year.

Najib's scandal-mired party returned to power in March as part of a coalition after a reformist administration collapsed.

Since then, 1MDB-linked charges were unexpectedly dropped against the ex-leader's stepson Riza Aziz, one of the "Wolf of Wall Street" producers, in exchange for him agreeing to return assets to Malaysia.

Prosecutors also dropped dozens of charges against Najib ally Musa Aman, the former leader of Sabah state.

If Najib -- currently free on bail -- is convicted on Tuesday, he could be sentenced the same day.

Each charge of corruption carries a maximum jail term of 20 years, and each money-laundering count is punishable by a term of up to 15 years.

But the 67-year-old is likely to appeal, and may not be jailed straight away.

If he is found guilty and the conviction is upheld, then he would also be barred from political office for several years.

Bridget Welsh, a Malaysia expert from the University of Nottingham, said a conviction would be viewed positively by many for bringing "some accountability on the scandal of 1MDB".

By contrast, an acquittal "will do serious damage to Malaysia's international reputation", she added.

Authorities in several countries are investigating the 1MDB theft, which funded a global spending spree that included the purchase of high-end real estate, artworks and a superyacht.

The amounts involved in Najib's first case are small compared to those in his second and most significant trial, which centers on allegations he illicitly obtained over $500 million.

US authorities, who are investigating the fund as money was allegedly laundered through the American financial system, believe $4.5 billion was looted from 1MDB.

Malaysia had charged Goldman Sachs and a string of its current and former staff as the investment bank had helped arrange bond issues worth $6.5 billion for 1MDB.

Prosecutors had claimed that large amounts were misappropriated during the fundraising.

But on Friday, Malaysia agreed to a $3.9 billion settlement with Goldman in exchange for dropping all criminal proceedings against the Wall Street titan.
As the alleged fraud case against Ramon Abbas proceeds to Los Angeles in California, Gal Pissetzky, his attorney, will be supported by another top rated lawyer, Vicki Podberesky, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

Mrs Podberesky of Andrues/Podberesky law firm based in Los Angeles, specialises in representing individuals in both state and federal criminal matters, as well as companies and individuals in administrative and in-house investigations.

Mr Abbas, popularly addressed as Hushpuppi, is a Dubai-based Nigerian Instagram celebrity facing wire fraud charges in the United States.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation accused him of being part of a network that made hundreds of millions of dollars from business email compromise frauds and other scams.

The 37-year-old was formerly held in the Metropolitan Correction Centre in Chicago, United States but now, has been transported to Los Angeles by the U.S. Marshals Service, following a court ruling in the Northern District of Illinois.

This newspaper gathered that Mr Pitsetssky, a top criminal defence lawyer, who is only licensed to practice in Chicago, has applied to appear Pro hac vice on behalf of the alleged fraudster in California.

Pro hac vice refers to apractice whereby a lawyer who has not been admitted to practice in a certain jurisdiction is allowed to participate in a particular case in that jurisdiction.

The out-of-jurisdiction attorney is required to provide the court with a statement from his local bar association indicating that he is a member in good standing.

In most jurisdictions, the attorney appearing pro hac vice must continue to associate with a locally licenced attorney, also referred to as local counsel. However, the degree to which the local counsel is required or expected to participate in the matter varies.

Documents obtained by this newspaper showed that Mr Pitsetssky applied for Pro hac vice on July 22 with an attestation letter from the Attorney Registration and the Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court in Illinois.

More so, Mrs Podberesky has been hired as the local counsel to work with Mr Pitsetssky.

The order for Mr Pissetzky to appear pro hac vice with Mrs Podberesky was granted by a judge, Pedro V Castillo, of the U.S court in California on Friday.

The notice of appearance was also filed on the same date.

Gal Pissetzky, the top Chicago lawyer hired to defend Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi. [PHOTO CREDIT: Instagram page of Gal.]

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday evening, Mr Pitsetssky noted that the case is far from being set to go to trial as the U.S. government is yet to turn over all the evidence.

He said the date for the next appearance has not been released yet.

Mr Abbas, who is currently in detention, might spend the next twenty years in prison if convicted of the crime.
Creighton graduates find the DNP opens many opportunities within the wider nursing profession.

Lisa Johnson, DNP12, who currently serves as assistant professor at the Creighton College of Nursing, was among the Universitys second graduating DNP class. In 2017, she received a grant through the Creighton Global Initiative that allowed her to build three educational modules dealing with violence across the human lifespan.

Those modules, which deal with child maltreatment, domestic violence and human trafficking, are now taken by students across health disciplines through Creightons Center for Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research (CIPER).

Johnson had been a nurse since 1983 when she decided to pursue her doctorate.

I chose to go for my doctorate because I anticipated that it would be the entry level for advanced practice nurses in the future, she said. Creightons program was the first in the state, and I had been quite impressed with the experience while I was earning my masters there, so I chose to stay with Creighton for my DNP.
All over-40s could be asked to pay more tax to help fund the cost of their care in later life under radical plans being discussed by ministers.

Boris Johnson is examining a string of proposals for tackling Britains social care crisis, the cost of which is expected to soar by an extra 7billion a year.

The Prime Minister is under pressure to come forward with a solution to the issue he first pledged to fix once and for all more than a year ago.

He wants to end the injustice in which thousands of older people are forced to sell their homes to cover the cost of their care because they are deemed too wealthy to qualify for council-funded care.

Boris Johnson is examining a string of proposals for tackling Britains social care crisis, the cost of which is expected to soar by an extra 7billion a year

He has asked officials to devise a scheme that shares out the costs which fall on those who need expensive care, which can exceed 1,400 a week, with the wider population.

Under one proposal, everyone over 40 could be asked to pay an additional levy, either through tax, national insurance or a private scheme in which they were compelled to insure themselves against the cost of care.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is promoting the idea, which is modelled on schemes in Japan and Germany, The Guardian reported last night.

In Japan, people start paying an additional tax for social care at the age of 40. In Germany people pay 1.5 per cent of their salary into a ring-fenced fund when they start work, with employers making matching contributions.

However, there are said to be vast differences of opinion within government about the idea, with the Treasury thought to still be opposed.

Under one proposal, everyone over 40 could be asked to pay an additional levy, either through tax, national insurance or a private scheme in which they were compelled to insure themselves against the cost of care (stock image)

The Department of Health last night declined to comment on whether Mr Hancock was championing it. But a source close to the minister denied the claims and said the Treasury would lead on decisions about how a new care system should be funded.

The move came as councils, charities and health organisations called for a reset of the social care system.

In a joint intervention, the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England, together with more than 30 organisations including the Alzheimers Society and NHS Confederation, urged major changes.

They said the Government needs to publish a timetable for a reformed social care system before Parliament returns from its summer recess in September.

LGA chairman James Jamieson said: For too long we have been promised a plan to fix the social care crisis but people who use and work in these vital services are still waiting. The Covid-19 crisis has proved we need a complete reset, not a restart, when it comes to the future of social care.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte is seeking a number of reforms on his last two years in office, and he needs the help of Congress to get things done.

He spent a big chunk of his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday enumerating the many bills he wants passed to carry out his loaded reform agenda, which stretches beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here's a list of the measures which the President wants lawmakers to tackle and approve as they resume regular sessions beginning Tuesday:

- the sequel or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, which will supplement funds for COVID-19 recovery and response measures

- Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises or CREATE Act, which cuts the corporate income tax to from 30 percent to 25 percent followed by subsequent reductions in the coming years, and lengthens fiscal incentives for foreign firms operating here

- Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer or FIST Act, which allows banks and financial firms to transfer or sell soured loans so they can open up new credit lines

- Bill reviving death penalty through lethal injection for people convicted of violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002

- National Housing Development bill and Rental Housing Subsidy bill to allow Filipinos to acquire decent, low-cost homes

- Amendments to Republic Act No. 10912 or the Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016 to do away with the requirement of attending seminars especially during the pandemic

- Advanced Nursing Education Act to level up the practice of the profession in the country

- A law instituting the Medical Reserve Corps

- A Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension of the Military and Uniformed Personnel, which will overhaul the expensive pension system for retirees from the service

- Bills modernizing the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Bureau of Immigration

- A National Land Use Act for the equitable distribution of natural resources

- The creation of the Coconut Farmers Trust Fund that will use the coco levy fund collected during the reign of former President Ferdinand Marcos

- A Rural Agricultural and Fisheries Development Financing System Act to push agriculture and food security

The President also wants to put up new government agencies, namely:

- Department of Overseas Filipinos to tackle concerns of Filipinos abroad, particularly migrant workers

- National Disease Prevention and Management Authority for better response to future outbreaks

- Department of Disaster Resilience to handle the creation of evacuation centers in every city, province and municipality and to take charge on disaster response

- Boracay Island Development Authority to oversee the popular tourist spot after its rehabilitation.
By PTI

KOLKATA: The family members of an elderly COVID-19 patient have claimed that his body lied unattended at their residence in south 24 Parganas for more than 14 hours, and neighbours or the local councillor did not respond to their distress calls, despite repeated attempts.

The man, in his mid 60s, died around midnight on Sunday, the family members -- three of whom have also tested positive for the disease -- said.

"My elder brother, his wife, daughter and sister-in- law had tested positive for the disease. Dada (brother) died around 11.55 pm on Sunday. Since then we had tried contacting councillor Ashoka Mondal several times, but all calls went unanswered. We also contacted the state health department, but no one helped," the deceased's brother said.

None in the neighbourhood, too, came to the aid of the hapless family, he said.

It was only after the state minister and local MLA Partha Chatterjee intervened, arrangements were made to take the sexagenerian's body for cremation, he added.

Behala Paschim MLA Partha Chatterjee, when contacted, said the matter was being looked into.

"I have spoken to the Behala police station officer- in-charge and the brother of the deceased. If the councillor has not responded to calls then that wasn't the right thing to do. I, being the MLA, have certain responsibilities and will do whatever is needed. I am personally overseeing things," Chatterjee said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un takes part in a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 11, 2020.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un placed the city of Kaesong near the border with South Korea under total lockdown after a person was found there with suspected COVID-19 symptoms, saying "the vicious virus" may have entered the country, state media reported Sunday.

If the person is officially declared a coronavirus patient, he or she would be North Korea's first confirmed case. The North has steadfastly said it has had no cases of the virus, a claim questioned by outside experts.

The lockdown was declared Friday afternoon. The North's official Korean Central News Agency said the suspected virus patient is a runaway who fled to South Korea three years ago before illegally crossing the border into the North early last week.

KCNA said respiratory secretion and blood tests showed the person "is suspected to have been infected" with the coronavirus. It said the person was placed under quarantine. People who had been in contact with the suspected patient and those who had been to Kaesong in the last five days were also quarantined.

Describing its anti-virus efforts as a "matter of national existence," North Korea earlier this year shut down nearly all cross-border traffic, banned foreign tourists and mobilized health workers to quarantine anyone with symptoms. But the Kaesong lockdown is the first such known measure taken in a North Korean city to stem the pandemic.

Foreign experts say a coronavirus outbreak in North Korea could cause dire consequences because of its fragile public health care infrastructure and chronic lack of medical supplies. They are also skeptical about North Korea's claim of having had no infections because the country shares a long, porous border with China, its biggest trading partner, where the world's first known virus cases were reported in December.

Kaesong, a city with an estimated population of 200,000, is located just north of the heavily fortified land border with South Korea. It once hosted the Koreas' jointly run industrial complex, which has been shut since 2016 amid nuclear tensions. Last month, North Korea blew up an inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong to protest a campaign by South Korean activists who have been sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.

During an emergency Politburo meeting Saturday, Kim also declared a state of emergency in the Kaesong area and "clarified the determination of the Party Central Committee to shift from the state emergency anti-epidemic system to the maximum emergency system and issue a top-class alert," KCNA said.

It quoted Kim as saying there was "a critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country." Kim said he took "the preemptive measure of totally blocking Kaesong City and isolating each district and region from the other" on Friday afternoon after receiving the report on it, according to KCNA.

Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea said a thorough lockdown in Kaesong would make it difficult for a potential virus outbreak to spread beyond the city. But he said virus fears would engulf North Korean leaders.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 23:13:52|Editor: huaxia

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MAPUTO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The first marine conservation area in Mozambique, Bazaruto Archipelago National Park (BANP), has been registering major financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said the local authorities on Monday.

The administrator of the touristic spot, Armando Ngoenha, told Radio Mozambique that in the first half year of 2020, the park collected only 110,000 U.S. dollars, way below the expectation of about 400,000 U.S. dollars.

The administrator said that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the closure of many touristic resorts and the cancellation of some 10,000 hotel reservations in the region.

A change in the activity plan is said to be under consideration to reverse the scenario.

"These new strategies would make the park more attractive to visitors and guarantee that as soon as the conditions are created, the park will receive a larger number of visitors, most of which will be here to relieve the stress of months of COVID-19 related confinement," said Ngoenha.

BANP is off the coast of the Vilanculos and Inhassoro districts in the southern province of Inhambane.

The park was established in 1971 to protect marine wildlife species such as dugong, marine turtles and dolphins. Enditem
A Muslim man has begun 800-km long walk from Chhattisgarhs Chandkhuri, the village where Kaushalya, mother of Lord Rama was born, to Ayodhya, the venue for the ground-breaking ceremony of Ram temple that will be conducted on August 5.

Mohammad Faiz Khan, who has reached Madhya Pradeshs Anuppur, told ANI, I am a Muslim from my name and religion but I am a devotee of Lord Rama. If we find out about our ancestors, they were Hindus. Their names might be Ramlal or Shyamlal. We all have Hindu origin whether we go to church or mosque.

Our main ancestor is Lord Rama. Allama Iqbal (Pakistans national poet) had tried to explain in a way in which he said that the one who has perfect sight, will consider Lord Rama as lord of India. With this reverence, I am taking soil from Kaushalyas birthplace at Chandkhuri to Ayodhya for dedicating it during the ground-breaking ceremony, he said.

Asked about people criticising his initiative, he said, Some people in Pakistan have created fake IDs with Hindu and Muslim names and are abusing each other to show that all communities are fighting in India.

He claimed that he has walked 15,000 km to various temples and even stayed there.

This is not the first time I am walking to the temples. I have walked 15,000 km and stayed in temples and mutts. Nobody said a word against me. This journey is only 800 km, Khan said.

Pakistan is trying to create communal tension in India on the occasion of Ram temple construction, he added.

(The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text, only the headline has been changed)
Three Swedish residents living in Almunecar were thanked last week by the town's councillor for Social Services, Maria del Carmen Reinoso, for raising over 4,300 euros to help vulnerable families during the coronavirus lockdown.

The initiative started in March when translator Felicia Sanchez Hermansson offered her services to the town hall as information was published in Spanish. "Many of the foreign residents didn't understand what the rules were or what was going on, so I translated what the town hall published into Swedish and English and made sure it went onto local social media," she told SUR in English.

From there, Felicia, who recently took over the Almunecar.se website, which has local information in English and Swedish, came up with the idea of asking fellow Swedes to raise money to help vulnerable families in Almunecar and La Herradura.

Bosse Essen and Ann-Marie Bonstrom came on board and between them raised 4,370 euros with donations from 236 Scandinavian residents living in the two towns.

The money helped 54 families, providing clothes, food and school resources.

Supporting local businesses

"We bought everything from local shops, so we supported the local community that way too," Felicia confirmed. "In fact the owner of the clothes shop is a single mother with three children and was struggling due to the coronavirus crisis."

Thanking Felicia, Bosse and Ann-Marie, Reinoso said, "Having lived in Almunecar for a number of years all three have been getting more and more involved in local life. They have also been involved in other activities such as beach and river cleanups. They keep their website, almunecar.se, and the Facebook page up to date, offering tourist, cultural and other information about the towns in several languages."
More Anti-Kremlin Protests In Russia's Khabarovsk

By Current Time July 26, 2020

Hundreds of people took to the streets of the Russian Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk on July 26 to demand the release and return of the region's governor.

Sergei Furgal is now in jail in Moscow on charges of attempted murder and ordering two contract killings some 15 years ago. Supporters say the charges are politically motivated. Furgal, who denies the allegations, beat a pro-Kremlin candidate in an election nearly two years ago.

Demonstrations have rocked the city of 600,000 for more than two weeks and have grown to include calls for the resignation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On July 25, a crowd estimated at up to 50,000 turned out despite officials urging people to stay away due to concerns over the coronavirus. Officials put the turnout on July 25 at some 6,500.

The man appointed by Putin to replace Furgal addressed protesters for the first time in public on July 26.

As the demonstration was ending, Mikhail Degtyaryov told a small group that a council would be created to allow the protesters to communicate with him on the Furgal matter.

Degtyarov said he thinks any proceedings against Furgal should be open to the public.

"If there is undeniable evidence, then the people should be allowed to see it," he said.

After Degtyaryov left, a scuffle took place on the square where he had addressed the crowd. Police detained one activist.

Degtyarov is a member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, as is Furgal, but he has never lived in Khabarovsk.

Such sustained demonstrations are unusual for Russia's regions, as is the fact that the authorities have not yet moved to break them up.

They follow on the heels of a controversial nationwide vote that set the stage for Putin to remain in power until 2036. The protests have unnerved Moscow.

Khabarovsk Krai residents overwhelmingly voted for Furgal in the 2018 gubernatorial elections. His surprise victory was a blow to the ruling United Russia party.

Furgal, who was arrested in Khabarovsk on July 9 and transferred to Moscow, is charged with attempted murder and ordering two murders in 2004-2005. He denies the allegations.

With reporting by dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/more- anti-kremlin-protests-in-russia-s- khabarovsk/30748117.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.

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Mitch McConnell unveiled Monday afternoon that Republicans' $1 trillion coronavirus relief package will cut weekly unemployment benefits from $600 to $200 and include a second round of $1,200 direct checks.

'Republicans want to continue a federal supplement to state unemployment insurance,' the Senate majority leader said.

'In fact, we'll propose a weekly dollar amount that is eight times what Democrats put in place when they controlled the White House and Congress in the Great Recession,' he said of the reduced benefits.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, however, pushed back during an interview with MSNBC following the bill's unveil.

'Why are you quibbling over $600 when people need that to buy food, pay rent,' the California Democrat lamented.

McConnell said from the Senate floor Monday afternoon that U.S. economic recovery has been 'promising' so far - claiming there is one foot in the pandemic and one foot in recovery.

'American people need more help, they need it to be comprehensive and they need it to be carefully tailored to this crossroad,' McConnell said during his prepared remarks. 'Our economic policies have to acknowledge both sides of that coin.'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled Republicans' latest coronavirus relief package Monday afternoon

McConnell detailed that the package includes reducing a boost in weekly unemployment benefits from $600 per week to $200 and another round of $1,200 direct checks. 'American people need more help... Republicans want to continue a federal supplement to state unemployment insurance'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed back during an interview with MSNBC following the bill's unveil: 'Why are you quibbling over $600 when people need that to buy food, pay rent'

Earlier in the day Monday, McConnell and Pelosi sat side-by-side as they honored the late Democratic Representative John Lewis' life as he lied in State in the Capitol Rotunda

The proposal to reduce unemployment benefits comes after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Mark Meadows announced over the weekend that the White House wants to cap the relief at 70 per cent of initial wages.

This is intended to be an interim measure until states are able to implement a program where workers would be paid 70 per cent of the income they collected pre-coronavirus.

McConnell also touted a measure that would send a second round of $1,200 relief checks to Americans like was included in the sweeping stimulus package earlier this year.

'Chairman Grassley will introduce another round of direct checks for households with the same amount as before, with even more support for Americans who care for vulnerable adult dependents,' McConnell detailed.

The Republican bill comes after Mnuchin and Meadows spent the weekend on Capitol Hill negotiating with GOP leaders over the details of the legislation.

The duo initially said this weekend that the 70 per cent wage compensation program would be in the phase four coronavirus relief package.

The $600 boost in benefits is set to expire in the next few days, meaning if a compromise is not reached, Americans who lost their job during the pandemic could lose thousands of dollars every month.

Democrats, on the other hand, have proposed extending the $600 weekly jobless benefit until January, arguing that the unemployment rate remains unnaturally high due to the health and resulting economic crisis.

The bill, McConnell revealed Monday, also included bolstered Payment Protection Program funds to prevent layoffs and small businesses from closing.

He also said it would allocate $100 billion to reopen schools as the White House pushes for schools and universities to resume in-person classes in the fall.

'We're talking about more than $100 billion more for an education fund than House Democrats put aside in a bill that spent multiple-trillions,' he said.

The unveil comes after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin proposed over the weekend that unemployment be capped at 70 per cent of individuals' pre-coronavirus wages  a measure that Republicans still want phased out following a bridge of $200 payments

If passed, it would also protect employers from facing lawsuits over transmission.

Mnuchin also vowed over the weekend that the second round of direct checks would be administered in August.

Even with significantly decreasing the weekly unemployment benefits, the latest bill could be dead on arrival as it is still unclear if Republicans will approve another $1 trillion economic stimulus package.

Senator Lindsey Graham said during an interview with Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures that at least 50 per cent of Republican lawmakers will vote against whatever package leadership unveils.

'Half the Republicans are going to vote no to any phase four package,' the South Carolina senator told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo Sunday morning. 'That's just a fact.'

'And a lot of Democrats are going to insist on $3 trillion, which would be way too much,' he continued. 'It would be wasted money.'

Graham's comments, however, came ahead of the latest in a series of meetings between White House officials and Senate Republican leadership at the Capitol Sunday afternoon.

The $200 payment is likely serve as a bridge as states could likely face unknown complications when trying to implement the 70 per cent cap unemployment insurance program.

The lessened payment would be administered on top of whatever unemployment benefits states already pay those who have lost their jobs.

While benefits vary by state, it generally replaces about 45 per cent of a worker's original wages.

Republicans are looking to incentivize individuals to go back to work, claiming the currently bolstered unemployment benefits are exacerbating unemployment levels by paying many Americans more to sit at home than to go back to their jobs.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, however, said that at least 50 per cent of his Republican colleagues will vote against any phase four package presented

'Half the Republicans are going to vote no to any phase four package,' the told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo Sunday morning. 'That's just a fact. And a lot of Democrats are going to insist on $3 trillion, which would be way too much'

'I'm confident that President Trump will lead us to a solution where we have money for kids, jobs, and health care. We need to stimulate the economy. We need a phase four. And I think we will come together before August the 5th to get this done,' Graham said.

His signal that the negotiations could drag out into the first week of next month come as the bolstered unemployment benefits are set to expire within days.

Despite several meetings between administration officials and Republican lawmakers, the White House has not made any further contact with congressional Democrats since Friday  meaning the package presented Monday could be very different from what the opposition party is expecting to see.

'No discussions with Democratic leaders on the substance of what we're discussing today,' Meadows told reporters at the Capitol when asked if he has spoken with them.

Mnuchin and Meadows returned to Capitol Hill Sunday afternoon to continue negotiations over the $1 trillion bill.

The duo claim the package will include a cut back in unemployment benefits from a flat $600 bonus to up to 70 per cent of individuals' pre-coronavirus wages  they also said it will include a second round of stimulus checks.

Mnuchin says the new stipulations for unemployment insurance is a concerted effort from the GOP to incentivize individuals to go back to work.

'We're not going to use taxpayer money to pay people more to stay home,' Mnuchin told reporters outside the Capitol following a meeting Saturday.

'I think workers and Americans understand the concept that you shouldn't be paid more to stay home than to work,' he reiterated during an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace Sunday morning  ahead of another Capitol Hill meeting.

'The fair thing is to replace wages,' he continued.

Mnuchin also vowed there will be a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks sent out in August.

The negotiations with Senate Republicans over the specifics of the bill was an effort to gain a solid position before talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Pelosi refused to say Sunday morning whether she would accept a proposal that did not include the boosted unemployment benefits, which are set to expire in a few days.

'You don't go into a negotiation with a redline but you do go in with your values,' the California Democrat told CBS News' Margaret Brenner during an interview on Face the Nation Sunday.

She also said the $600 figure was agreed upon because it was simple, in contrast to the Republican proposal of 70 per cent of wages, which she said would be much more difficult to figure out and organize.

While speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Saturday, Mnuchin explained: 'We were in an emergency last time, so we instituted this quickly.'

He also acknowledged that Republicans knew this was a 'fundamental issue' when it made it into the previous relief package.

'In certain cases, people were paid more to stay home than they were to work,' the Treasury secretary lamented. 'And I think that's something the American public understands.'

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Sunday that the Republican bill will not extend the $600 in unemployment benefits.

'The original benefits will not [be extended],' Meadows told ABC News' This Week host George Stephanapoulos. 'The original unemployment benefits actually paid people to stay home, and actually a lot of people got more money staying at home than they would going back to work.'

The $600 per week unemployment benefits end this week, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says Republicans have no intention of renewing it in the next coronavirus relief bill

Mnuchin (left) and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (right) told reporters at the Capitol Saturday: 'We're not going to use taxpayer money to pay people more to stay home. In certain cases, people were paid more to stay home than they were to work'

Mnuchin told Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace that the administration gave up on getting a payroll tax cut into the legislation because 'in our conversations with Pelosi and Schumer, it was very clear that the Democrats were not going to give us a payroll tax cut'

Meadows detailed to ABC News' This Week host George Stephanapoulos Sunday that the new benefits would give people up to 70 per cent of the wages they were making before they lost their job

Some of Republicans' biggest complaints about the last sweeping stimulus bill is that it incentivizes people to stay home and collect a check rather than go back into the workforce.

Mnuchin and Meadows detailed that the new legislation would transition to a 'wage replacement' unemployment insurance system.

'We talked about approximately 70 per cent wage replacement,' Mnuchin said  meaning those who lost their job or are unable to work in the midst of the pandemic would be given up to 70 per cent of their usual earnings.

Mnuchin detailed that Republicans will roll out the next coronavirus relief package on Monday, also promising that along with the aide will be another round of $1,200 direct checks for Americans in August.

He also assured following meetings with Meadows that the bill has backing from the White House.

Mnuchin also detailed in an interview with Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace that the administration swiftly gave up on trying to get in a payroll tax cut because it was clear Democrats would not budge on the issue.

'Well, in our conversations with Pelosi and Schumer, it was very clear that the Democrats were not going to give us a payroll tax cut,' Mnuchin told Wallace Sunday morning. 'So that's something the president will come back and look at later in the year '

Wallace cut into Mnuchin's answer, pushing him on if there was Republican support for the measure Trump has been pushing.

'There are other Republicans that supported it, and let me just say  again, we know we need bipartisan support. We have tax credits that we put in here to incentivize people to get back to work and small businesses to hire people. We have the direct payments,' he said.

Mnuchin also assured: 'As you know, the direct payments are much quicker way of effectively giving everybody a tax cut and it's much quicker than the payroll tax cut.'

Meadows and Mnuchin met with Republicans and GOP staff on Capitol Hill to salvage the $1 trillion proposal  and the secretary told reporters there one of Trump's biggest concerns is extending but reducing the expiring unemployment benefits.

Mnuchin called the $600 weekly aid 'ridiculous' and a disincentive for people to go back to work.

'We want to move forward quickly. The bill will be introduced Monday and we're prepared to act quickly,' Mnuchin said of the bill, adding the president would 'absolutely' support the emerging Republican package.

'This is all about kids and jobs,' he continued. 'This is our focus and we want to make sure something gets passed quickly so that we deal with the unemployment and all the other issues.'

Mnuchin also vowed Saturday that the next round of $1,200 coronavirus stimulus checks will be sent out in August

Mnuchin (right) said Republicans are 'moving quickly' to get the $1 trillion measure passed after he and Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (left) met with GOP lawmakers at the Capitol

Trump's push for another coronavirus aide bill comes as he has continued to slip in public polls, especially over his handling of the pandemic.

But the president has denounced the poll numbers as 'fake,' assuring he has a high amount of enthusiasm for his reelection in November.

'The Trump Campaign has more ENTHUSIASM, according to many, than any campaign in the history of our great Country - Even more than 2016,' Trump tweeted Sunday morning. 'Biden has NONE!'

'The Silent Majority will speak on NOVEMBER THIRD!!!' he touted. 'Fake Suppression Polls & Fake News will not save the Radical Left.'

Mnuchin's optimistic assessment of the new legislation came before Democrats weighed in publicly on the updated proposal, which remained only a starting point in negotiations with House and Senate Democratic leaders.

He said he recently called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ahead of shuttle negotiations next week on the broader deal.

Since the COVID-19 threat hit the U.S., Mnuchin has acted as the liaison between the White House and Congress, specifically with Democrats.

But while Mnuchin, who is friendly with Democrats and has donated to them in the past, is making efforts in Congress  Trump continues to bash Pelosi, and other opposition leadership, for their responses to coronavirus.

'Crazy Nancy Pelosi said I made a mistake when I banned people from infected China from entering the U.S. in January,' Trump reminded in a tweet Sunday.

'Tens of thousands of lives were saved, as she danced in the Streets of Chinatown (SF) in late February,' he continued. 'Biden agreed with her, but soon admitted that I was right!'

Trump is pushing for another sweeping relief package with stimulus checks attached as his poll numbers continue to slip in regards to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. But he instead deflects to touting the 'enthusiasm' for his reelection

The White House and Senate Republicans are racing to regroup after plans to introduce another $1 trillion rescue bill collapsed Thursday amid GOP infighting over its size, scope and details.

The original bill measures were expected to bring $105 billion to help schools reopen in the fall, new money for testing and benefits for businesses  including a fresh round of loans, tax breaks and a sweeping liability shield from COVID-related lawsuits.

But as Republicans struggled over the details, the White House team downplayed the differences with the GOP senators as overblown and said Trump was focused on providing relief.

'The president has been very clear. He wants to make sure that the American people have what they need during this unprecedented time,' Meadows said, 'to make sure not only the money is there but the programs.'

The expiration of the $600 weekly jobless benefits boost had been propelling the Republicans to act. Democrats already approved their sweeping $3 trillion plan from Pelosi two months ago. But with millions of Americans about to be suddenly cut off from the aid starting Saturday, they were bracing to prevent social and economic fallout.

The White House floated plans to cut the additional aid back to $100 a week, while Senate Republicans preferred $200, with general agreement about phasing out the flat boost in favor of one that ensures no more than 70% of an employee's previous pay.

Mnuchin also said the $1,200 direct payments would be based on the same formula from the earlier aid bill. Individuals making $75,000 or less, for example, received the full amount and those making more than $75,000 received less than $1,200 depending on their income. Individuals earning above $100,000 did not qualify for the payment.

'We'll get the majority of them out in August and those will help people,' Mnuchin said.

Unemployment levels skyrocketed as coronavirus hit the U.S. and states were forced to go on lockdown  effectively closing for months all restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, shops, malls and other brick and mortar public commerce

Millions of Americans were left either laid off, furloughed or temporarily laid off and instead began collecting the increase unemployment benefits of $600 extra per week upon the passage of the first emergency relief package

The administration officials said the overall package remained at $1 trillion, apparently on par with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's original draft.

Democrats had warned time was running out, saying Republicans were in disarray.

The jobless benefit officially expires July 31, but due to the way states process unemployment payments, the cutoff was effectively Saturday. Other aid, including a federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units, also expires at month's end.

The GOP plan was not expected to come to a vote but serve as a counter-offer to Democrats. That strategy enabled McConnell, who did not have full support from his GOP majority, to avoid having to endure a failed outcome. But it also gave Democrats some leverage in insisting on their priorities as part of any final deal.

McConnell, who spent time over the weekend in his home state of the Kentucky, said Friday he hoped a package could be agreed on 'in the next few weeks.'
A man who said he was at Buzz Box Lounge, 1800 Massachusetts St., claimed the incident started when a man bumped into a second man in the crowded bar, scuffing the second man's shoe. An argument broke out between the two, and the man, who declined to give his name, said he left for another club near where Rice and the other man were found after the shooting.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27

Trend:

The Armenian Defense Ministry spread information about death of an Armenian soldier Ashot Mikaelyan, who served in the military unit in the north-east of Armenia, from a bullet wound, Trend reports on July 27.

As earlier noted by military experts, the Armenians hide the losses suffered in the battles in the Tovuz direction on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, and over time they will report them.

Following continuous ceasefire violations of Armenia's armed forces, the country launched another military provocation against Azerbaijan on July 12. Grossly violating the ceasefire regime, Armenian armed forces opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district.

As a result of the appropriate measures, the Armenian armed forces were silenced. The tensions continued on the border, July 12 night. During the night battles, by using artillery, mortars and tanks, the Azerbaijani armed forces destroyed a stronghold, army vehicles.

As a result of the shelling, many houses in the Tovuz district's border villages were damaged.

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.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Old-school pharmacies with soda fountains and pharmacists who hand out their personal phone numbers to customers are few and far between.

And now Albuquerque will have one fewer. Model Pharmacy is preparing to close its doors after more than 70 years in business.

Its (been) a good run, and Ive enjoyed 99.9% of the time, owner Jack Lerner said.

While the pandemic has shut many stores prematurely, Lerner had been toying for a while with the idea of retiring. When the store was forced to close temporarily in March, he decided it was the perfect time to retire.

Its going to be interesting not having to get up and go to work, he said.

Lerner has been at the helm of the iconic institution on Carlisle and Monte Vista since he took it over in 1986 from the original owner, Del Swindle.

And in those nearly 35 years, he has helped cement Model Pharmacy as a beloved local shop that is more than just a place to fill prescriptions. In fact, the shop ended the pharmacy side of its business five years ago.

We havent filled prescriptions in a while, but when we did all of my customers had my home phone number, and if they needed a prescription Id come up and take care of them, he said.

Even without pills being counted behind the counter, the shop remained popular with both neighbors and tourists.

For decades, the Nob Hill hub was home to a bustling lunch counter and soda fountain reminiscent of the pharmacies of the 1950s, complete with classics such as malts and fruit cobblers.

Lerner said he still remembers when people were lined up waiting to come in and have lunch.

It was the stores gift shop that allowed Lerner to bring the international to the 505.

Lerner made purchasing trips abroad to source unique fragrances from Europe. The buildings neon sign hints at the selection: We Have No Common Scents.

Lerners desire to bring big city products to Albuquerque came from childhood visits to New York City, where he saw pharmacies with merchandise stretching beyond Tylenol.

I would go into these drugstores in New York and see all of these wonderful products, and I always knew thats the kind of pharmacy I wanted to have, Lerner said. And it worked out.

Besides being one of the few places a Burqueno could track down a French perfume, the shelves and glass cases at Model Pharmacy held everything from luxury shaving cream to silk headbands.

People really liked the different things that we had, he said.

The shop also allowed Lerner to form the types of lasting bonds with customers that are increasingly rare.

Most of my favorite memories were the people I met.  I really look forward to coming to work to see my friends who are also my customers, he said.

He hopes that the extra free time will give him the opportunity to travel to visit friends and family and maybe even do some open-water swimming in Croatia.

Model Pharmacy will stay open for the next few weeks while the remaining merchandise is sold off, but the building wont remain empty for long.

It has already been purchased by another local business, which has plans to keep the soda fountain and cafe intact.

While the closure is somewhat bittersweet, Lerner said the time is right.

Its time for a new adventure. Im looking forward to it.

Still time to visit

Model Pharmacy is open 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday
Dr. Michael Klein, Prosthodontist in Cedarhurst, NY, Broadcasts Dental Implant Webinar Series A renowned prosthodontist, Dr. Klein is well-known for his education efforts related to dental implants and is widely considered an authority on the topic.

Dr. Michael Klein, a prosthodontist in Cedarhurst, NY, has adapted to quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic by offering new courses online via webinars. Designed to educate other dental clinicians, these courses focus on new ideas about bone and soft tissue treatments in the context of dental implants as well as how to effectively harness the advantage of emerging dental tools and techniques.

One webinar, titled Creating Predictable Outcomes: Optimizing the Bone and Soft Tissue Response at the Implant Abutment Interface, was available across North America and facilitated by the Keystone Vanguard educational platform as a continuing education (CE) credit course. In addition, the Paltop Academy platform broadcast a two-part technology-focused webinar made available internationally. Titles included Creating Predictable Outcomes: A New Generation of Tools Part 1 and Creating Predictable Outcomes: New Tools and Techniques Part 2.

A renowned prosthodontist, Dr. Klein is well-known for his education efforts related to dental implants and is widely considered an authority on the topic. He co-authored the book The Atlas of Oral Implantology, contributed many book chapters and articles about implant dentistry, and has become an in-demand lecturer internationally on oral implantology and other surgical and restorative subjects. His latest webinars enable him to continue his educational mission in spite of current limitations stemming from the pandemic.

Dr. Klein practices as a prosthodontist at Advanced Implant Dentistry and Oral Restoration, a practice he shares with acclaimed general dentist Dr. Allon Waltuch. Together, the two doctors provide comprehensive dental implant and related services with a combination of experience, advanced technology, and an array of sedation options. Raising the standard of implantology, this state-of-the-art practice also includes an on-site dental lab offering patients trusted restorations and predictable results that will last for years to come.

Patients in Cedarhurst, NY seeking reliable dental implant treatment are encouraged to contact Dr. Klein and Dr. Waltuch. They can be reached at Advanced Implant Dentistry and Oral Restoration by visiting http://www.advancedimplantdentistry.com or by calling 516-665-1249.

About the Practice

Advanced Implant Dentistry and Oral Restoration has provided cutting-edge dental care to Cedarhurst, NY since 1989. Dr. Michael Klein is the Director of Advanced Implant Dentistry and Oral Restoration in Cedarhurst, New York and has pioneered the technology used in computer-guided dental implant surgery. A prosthodontist, Dr. Klein completed specialized training in restoring complete function and esthetics to patients smiles. Dr. Allon Waltuch received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery, his fellowship in Oral Implantology, and his certification for Esthetic Dentistry from New York University. Drs. Klein and Waltuch value state-of-the-art technology that allows them to treat patients with precision, accuracy, and the highest quality results. As a result, Advanced Implant Dentistry and Oral Restoration has an in-house lab offering the most innovative technology in dentistry and providing patients with the ability to complete treatment in just one day. To learn more about Drs. Klein and Waltuch and the services offered at Advanced Implant Dentistry and Oral Restoration, call the office at 516-665-1249 or visit their website at http://www.advancedimplantsli.com.
Pandemic in the eyes of children

By:Wu Jiaqi, Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-07-27 16:24

The fifth International Children's Creative Art Exhibition opened in the Shanghai Art Collection Museum from July 23rd.

With the central theme of battling the effects of Covid-19 with art, the exhibition received over 500 works from 20 different countries, including China, Japan, Slovakia, Pakistan, Egypt, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Holland and Venezuela. Ultimately, 200 diverse pieces of art are being exhibited, representing the childrens efforts to defeat the pandemic as well as their hopes for a brighter future.

From the start of the year, the abrupt outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has brought people all around the world together. China has been an active member in trying to spread experience about handling the virus to other countries. This years exhibition was organized on the hope that it could be a gesture of unity and friendship for people all around the world, asserting our confidence that we will prevail over Covid-19.

(An innovative piece inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic)

To eliminate the audience space limitation due to the pandemic, the exhibition has a VR version alongside the physical one, allowing people around the world to appreciate the works online.

An auction is also being held, the proceeds of which will be donated to the Shanghai Childrens Foundation and the Shanghai Educational Development Foundation in order to help children in need.

The one- month exhibition is expected to be an event that evokes innovation amongst the young generation, as well as resonate the sense of unity around the globe- an effort for a better, more integrated future.
On the morning the North Koreans came for Hong Kyoon An, his mother stuck to the plan. She dragged the 18-year-old from his bed and hustled him to the backyard of their Seoul house.

It was a few weeks after the June 25, 1950, North Korean invasion of South Korea. An was a high school senior and the Communist army was hungry for conscripts.

"I didn't want to fight on the wrong side," An told me, remembering that day 70 years ago.

And so An raced to the woodpile behind the house. His mother, Okhee Kang, removed a few logs, and An crawled into the space she had created earlier. He compressed his body as best he could as his mother covered the hole, the sharp pine pushing into his flesh.

"Where is your eldest son?" he heard someone shout in a North Korean accent.

Gone to find food weeks earlier, his mother explained, and missing ever since.

"I hope that dirty Yankee pilots did not kill my son," she said.

An recounts the story in a new anthology called "Five Boyhood Recollections of the Korean War, 1950-1953." The Amazon book includes essays from five Washington-area writers and was edited by Yearn Hong Choi.

Choi, 79, a retired college professor who lives in Fairfax Station, Va., assembled the book to mark the 70th anniversary of the start of a war about which he feels most Americans - and many Koreans, for that matter - know little. Choi was 9 when North Korea invaded and remembers the war's early days with the eyes of a child excited by fighter jets in the sky and tanks in the streets.

But then came the fear, the hunger and the death. Refugees streamed down from the north. Every day became a search for rice.

The book sketches some of the dark absurdity of war. Jai Won Choi lived in Daegu, 150 miles south of Seoul. Five days after the invasion, his homeroom teacher ordered students to take their desks home. The building was needed by the U.S. 8th Army.

The 12-year-old Choi was too small to carry his desk very far. He wound up ditching it behind the house of a family friend.

For An, the visit by North Koreans hunting for (BEG ITAL)euiyonggun(END ITAL) - or "war volunteers" - was an indication that his house was not safe. He tried to stay away from home, one day boarding a tram that crisscrossed Seoul.

"I was the only passenger," he said. "The driver was operating the tram car quietly without even looking at me. I could sense he was also trying to dodge the volunteer recruits. Without a single word we rode that tram car the whole day back and forth, back and forth. He shared his meager lunch with me, without even saying a word."

After three months, U.S. troops led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur helped push the Communists back north. An joined the South Korean army and was sent to the front. The war continued until July 27, 1953. Of the 150 men in his Officer Candidate School class, a third were killed, a third were wounded and a third, like An, came home unscathed.

"I was one of the very lucky ones," he said.

After eight years in the military, An went to Wisconsin for college. He eventually settled in the Washington area and worked for the House Ethics Committee during the "Koreagate" scandal and later served as a lobbyist before a stint with the FBI. He's now 88 and lives with his wife, Jung An, in Ashburn. They have two children and two grandchildren.

Today, South Korea is a modern democracy, a place of glittering skyscrapers and factories that churn out cutting-edge products.

"What they have done over the last 70 years is almost shocking, the achievement," An said. "I'm very proud of it."

But An is also concerned. He thinks there is a "peace mood" afoot in South Korea that underestimates the ruthlessness of the North.

"I don't think North Korea has changed even an inch," he said.

His American-born grandchildren have no idea what he and others went through seven decades ago in Korea.

"I give my story to my granddaughters," he said. "I don't want to pressure them to read it. Some other time, we may talk about it."
He told me, The less you know about me, the better, she said. He told me that its better that way in case the police come storming into our house someday asking all kinds of questions.

One man who recalls Piccolo and his celebrity status in Buffalo is Ronald M. Fino, the former labor leader and organized crime associate who left Western New York in 1989 after 17 years as a secret informer for the FBI. Now working as an author and private investigator in Virginia, Fino has assisted federal agents as an expert witness in many mob prosecutions.

Peter had a bad drug habit and I understand he was into the mob for a lot of money, Fino said. No question in my mind, it was a drug hit.

The Piccolo case has not been on the front burner of law enforcement for decades, but Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn said unsolved murder cases always remain open files.
A protest through the streets of downtown Oakland, California, in support of racial justice and police reform, turned violent when a small group of demonstrators wearing helmets and goggles and carrying large signs that doubled as shields set fire to a courthouse, vandalized a police station and shot fireworks at officers, authorities said.

About 700 demonstrators participated in what started as a peaceful march Saturday night but then some broke from the larger group and smashed windows, spray-painted graffiti and pointed lasers at officers, said Officer Johnna Watson, an Oakland Police Department spokesperson.

Several fires were set in the downtown area, including one at the Alameda County Superior Courthouse that was quickly contained. Demonstrators hurled rocks, ceramic paint-filled balls and frozen water bottles through windows at the courthouse, federal building and police building in a raucous night that was unlike peaceful marches that have taken place in the city in recent weeks, Watson said.

This was different, Watson said. This group of protesters had specific intentions to participate in one way or another whether that's carrying backpacks in with clearly very heavy items, and the smaller group would actually be engaged in doing the damage there is a nexus with all of the attendees.

Police made several arrests but did not provide details. There were no immediate reports of injuries to protesters or officers or immediate cost estimates of the vandalism, Watson said.

The protest began earlier Saturday evening with groups such as the Wall of Moms, similar to a group that formed in Portland, Oregon, as protesters faced off with U.S. agents deployed to that city to guard a federal courthouse. President Donald Trump had sent the federal agents there to clamp down on protests that have occurred nightly since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

As the night wore on in Oakland, Watson said police called on demonstrators to disperse and little by little they did, but said they would be back.

The city is here to provide safe places and safe spaces for demonstrations, for marches, for protests," Watson said, adding that many area businesses were likely spared damage because they were already boarded up following earlier demonstrations. "However, when there is violence against the police or first responders, this makes it dangerous for everyone.

On Sunday, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf warned in a statement that the vandalism could be used by Trump to justify sending federal agents to the city a proposal that she has rejected.

We celebrate passionate protest but Oaklanders need to know that when they attend protests after dark, they may be providing cover for agitators who are more intent on stoking civil unrest than advancing racial justice, Schaaf said.
Singapore celebrates 55 years of independence this year. It is an important occasion that we traditionally celebrate with a big National Day Parade. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parade elements will be decentralised and streamed live on television and the internet.



Indeed, the pandemic has caused major disruptions all over the world. This once-in-a-generation crisis has changed the way we live, work and play. To tackle the pandemic, Singapore imposed a circuit breaker from April 7 to June 1, 2020, consisting of stringent restrictions on large-scale social gatherings. Having controlled the spread of the virus over the last two months, we have started gradually opening up our economy and society. Retail stores and restaurants have re-opened, while international passengers can transit through Changi Airport. At the same time, safety remains a top priority, with safe distancing requirements and restrictions on social gatherings in place.



A key pillar of our COVID-19 strategy is taking an active and rigorous testing approach. We are increasing our testing capacity from around 8,000 tests per day currently to 40,000 tests per day by the end of the year. We are proactively testing population groups that are deemed vulnerable or have a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19, including foreign workers in dormitories, pre-school staff, and staff and residents of residential homes for seniors. While this has led to more cases being detected, it enables us to identify and ring fence new cases early, thereby preventing further spread of the virus. We are also strengthening our contact tracing capabilities by leveraging on technology. As a result, the number of new cases in the community has declined. Most importantly, we have kept the mortality rate low at less than 0.1 percent  among the lowest in the world. This reflects the high quality of Singapores healthcare system. Looking ahead, we are building up our vaccine manufacturing capacity by investing heavily in research and development.



Through these efforts, Singapore remains a safe hub for business, investment, and trade. We remain committed to keeping our seaports and airports open, and to continue our critical role in facilitating global trade in essential goods and services. We are also looking to progressively reopen our borders with the necessary health safeguards in place.



During this challenging period, Vietnam has been a valuable partner and friend to Singapore  a testament to the close ties built over the years. We are very grateful to the Vietnamese government agencies and private organisations that donated medical equipment to Singapore. Despite the pandemic, we are continuing to strengthen the Vietnam-Singapore Strategic Partnership. For instance, we are actively collaborating to keep markets open and supply chains connected. Agri-trade is increasing, with deepening cooperation on rice and other food products. Notwithstanding the global economic gloom, Vietnam remains an attractive market for Singapore. Singapore is Vietnams third largest foreign investor, with cumulative investment of more than 47 billion USD in more than 2,000 projects.



Our bilateral trade has also steadily grown to reach US$22.7 billion in 2019. Singapore companies are keen to partner with Vietnam in new areas such as the digital consumer and lifestyle sector, high-tech manufacturing, digital start-ups, renewable energy, and sustainable urban solutions. To facilitate these growing trade and business links, Vietnam and Singapore are discussing how to reopen borders for essential business travel safely and gradually, when the time is right.



Singapore and Vietnam also cooperate extensively in ASEAN. As the Chair of ASEAN during this time of unprecedented challenges, Vietnams theme of Cohesive and Responsive is most fitting. With all ten ASEAN member states affected by COVID-19, battling the pandemic has become a key priority. Even as the pandemic has disrupted physical ASEAN meetings, Vietnam has successfully hosted key summits virtually, including the Special ASEAN and ASEAN Plus Three Summits on COVID-19 and the 36th ASEAN Summit.



These meetings produced concrete recommendations for collective action, including dealing with the pandemic, enhancing regional economic integration and ensuring supply chain connectivity. Singapore will continue our steadfast support for Vietnams ASEAN Chairmanship. We are confident that under Vietnams leadership, ASEAN will make further progress this year. In particular, amid the regional economic downturn, it is important for ASEAN to show the world that we are open for business, with a stable and integrated economy conducive for foreign investment. We therefore hope the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will be signed this year. This will send a resounding message of ASEAN unity and centrality, while boosting confidence in the stability and integration of the regional economy. It will also aid ASEANs economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19.



As we navigate these uncharted waters, Singapore will continue to work with Vietnam to pursue further cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally, to accelerate our recovery from the pandemic and ultimately improve the lives of the people of both countries.
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Seldom you see an actor spend time with a fan in a day, especially in these trying times. Any act of kindness is reciprocated with love and gratitude. "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" is currently one of the most admired dramas, and Oh Jung Se just gave us one more reason why we should.

In this hit tvN and Netflix series, Oh Jung Se plays the role of a person with intellectual disability. On July 25, his fan and also a cellist Bae Boum Joon got to spend time with him. They met at the Lotte World, a massive recreational complex situated in the heart of Seoul.

Bae Boum Joon saw Oh Jung Se as he played Moon Sang Tae in the drama "It's Okay To Not Be Okay." He was touched when Sang Tae had tantrums during the fan sign meet of Go Moon Young at the bookstore.

Bae Boum Joon's sister took the initiative to contact the actor since his brother wanted to comfort Sang Tae after watching the dramatic scene. To her surprise, Oh Jung Se accepted their invitation and they all met at the said amusement park!

On the day of their meeting, Oh Jung Se arrived and showed up in character as Moon Sang Tae. The actor dressed like Sang Tae and bonded with Bae Boum Joon the way Sang Tae does in the drama.

ALSO READ: In Focus: 2020 Best Supporting Actor (TV) Oh Jung Se in "It's Okay To Not Be Okay"

Bae Boum Joon's sister shared her gratitude and happiness to the actor in her Instagram, saying:

"I am amazed, the whole day Oh Jung Se was with my brother, I was touched. The whole day, Oh Jung Se was Moon Sang Tae the whole time he was with my brother. He ensured to focus on my brother's needs and pay attention to the smallest detail. Oh Jung Se talked and walked like Moon Sang Tae to make sure my brother would believe it. Oh Jung Se must have understood and known about my brother before coming to see him. Though he is busy he made an effort to be with us. Oh Jung Se was kind and considerate, I am speechless."

She added, "I am happy and grateful for what Oh Jung Se did to my brother and understand people with intellectual disabilities. I am happy to know that there are people like him who exist in this world. I am no longer a fan of Moon Sang Tae but a fan of Oh Jung Se."

As the day ended and they parted ways, Oh Jung Se surprised Bae Boum Joon with a green dinosaur doll from the series. More pictures were posted on his account that appeared to be run by Bae's mother. A heartfelt caption said, "If you meet an angel? They're dazzling. Looking at them directly was hard, you may end up crying both before and after you meet them. It was such a memorable time that I'll look at the pictures one by one."

Oh Jung Se received has been receiving lots of praises from netizens for this kind deed. Not only he is a good actor with plenty of recognitions under his belt, but he is truly a good-natured fellow. Bae Boum Joon made an artwork of Oh Jung Se and shared it on his IG account as well.

Meanwhile, watch Sang Tae showing his care to his younger brother Gang Tae (Kim Soo Hyun) in "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" below!
Armed with parliamentary approval for cross-border military action, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has full authority to intervene in neighboring Libya, a prospect that could lead to a conventional military confrontation between regional rivals Egypt and Turkey, which back opposing sides in Libya's proxy war.

Strategic planning in Ankara focuses on a three factors: Egypts ground, air, naval and proxy capabilities, its actual willingness for intervention and the international context.

Ankara believes Egypts land forces are too weak for a large-scale ground operation and security sources interviewed by Al-Monitor unanimously dismiss the prospect. Egypts shortcomings in the fight against the Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula, Ankara reckons, show that its land forces lack much capacity in low-intensity conflicts as well. Another prevailing view is that the Egyptian army is haunted by a strategic trauma around foreign ventures after its failed intervention in Yemen in the 1960s, often referred to as Egypts Vietnam. In sum, Ankara seems to confidently rule out a comprehensive ground operation by Egypt in Libya.

The lessons from the Arab-Israeli wars in 1967 and 1973 and military trends since the 1990-1991 Gulf War show that any large-scale military operation in a terrain with vast deserts like Libya would need a certain degree of air superiority and close air support. Hence, Ankara is preoccupied with whether Egypt will receive open or covert air support from the United Arab Emirates, its chief ally in Libya, and Russia.

Security problems in Sinai and rows with neighbors may be weighing on Cairo, but a limited Egyptian-Emirati air campaign is possible to stop the Turkish-backed Tripoli forces from taking the strategically crucial coastal city of Sirte and Libyas largest air base, al-Jufra.

The attack on the Turkish-controlled al-Watiya airbase in early July was arguably a prelude to a struggle for airspace dominance in Libya.

Turkish air operations in an offensive to seize Sirte and al-Jufra, which Ankara and its allies have declared as their next targets, could theoretically unfold on three main legs. The first would be the deployment of warplanes in Libya or in a third country such as Malta, from which the jets could reach Libya without air refueling, to provide close air support to ground forces. The second would be the use of air defense systems, including surface-to-air missiles, and electronic warfare means to prevent opposing forces from accessing the route of the offensive. The third would focus on securing aerial and naval logistical corridors between Turkey and Libya. Likewise, those three areas would be the main targets of Egyptian and Emirati air forces.

Judging by the attack on al-Watiya, Ankara sees a strong likelihood that Emirati jets would try to prevent an offensive on Sirte, backed by Egyptian logistical support and Russian airspace control.

Military databases indicate that the UAE has about 160 fighter jets and multi-role warplanes, mainly US-made F-16Es and F16F Block-60s, but also French-made Mirage jets. According to open-source intelligence, the UAE has stationed Mirage jets at Egypts Sidi Barrani base, not far from the Libyan border, and reinforced the al-Khadim base in eastern Libya with hangars and infrastructure suitable for sophisticated jets. Less advanced aircraft such as AT-802 light attack planes and Chinese-made Wing Loong drones have been deployed at the base so far, probably because of operational risks and the lesser harm to bear if they are shot down, both financially and in terms of media impact.

The use of al-Khadim and Egyptian bases would provide a significant sortie advantage to Emirati aircraft even if Egypts air force is not actively involved in combat. Such an advantage could turn up pressure on the Turkish-backed Tripoli forces and facilitate deep-strike attacks on Tripoli, which apparently lacks a proper air defense. Of note, the Emirati air force possesses the smart, long-range ammunition required for such missions.

Likewise, Egyptian and Emirati forces might try to disrupt the aerial and naval logistical routes between Turkey and Libya, which are 2,300 kilometers (1,430 miles) apart. Continued supplies, troop transfers and evacuations would be a tough logistical task for Turkey on such a long route.

In short, the air power dimension is the most challenging for Ankara.

How willing Egypt is for a military intervention? Ankara believes that Cairos posturing is mostly for domestic consumption, intended to divert attention from its failure to deter Ethiopia in a water dispute on the Nile and poor handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Ankaras assessment, an Egypt struggling to cope with a few terrorist groups in the Sinai could hardly take a major risk in Libya and even if it does, its likely defeat could precipitate the end of the Sisi regime.

Also, unlike Yemen and Syria, Libya remains the focus of global attention and Turkeys ally, the Government of National Accord, enjoys international legitimacy, boosted by a series of recent military victories that, in Ankaras thinking, virtually preclude a Sisi-backed intervention with potentially extensive bloodshed.

Furthermore, Ankara believes, Sisis willingness alone is not enough. Sisi may be eager for an intervention, hoping to boost his popularity in the Arab world and sustain the UAEs financial backing, but Ankara doubts the Egyptian military shares his eagerness. According to Turkish assessments, Egypts military would be reluctant to engage in a cross-border campaign with ambiguous military goals and risk losses that might damage its credibility and fuel internal rifts.

In short, Ankara largely sees Sisi as bluffing.

In the international context, Ankara is well aware that it needs European political backing, especially from Italy, Germany, Britain and Spain, and logistical support from Malta and Maghreb countries to move on Sirte as well as US support to balance Russia in Libya. It has stepped up diplomatic efforts, seeking to capitalize on discords among EU countries on Libya and the US militarys concerns over Russian presence in the country.

In Ankaras view, Libyans would perceive an Egyptian intervention as an invasion. Neighboring countries such as Algeria and Tunisia, which have stayed out of the conflict thus far, would also be averse to an Egyptian intervention due to the security risks and the prospect of migration waves.

Above all, however, Ankara believes that Egypt cannot intervene without a nod from Washington  something it sees as a distant possibility due to Egypts alignment with Russia.

In terms of proxy warfare, Egypt appears to be quite active. Since early June, it has reportedly stepped up efforts to arm Libyan tribes. This activity speaks of a plan to organize armed resistance on a local level to impede the advance of the Tripoli forces should they attempt to march on Sirte and al-Jufra.

It is not hard to guess that an Egyptian military intervention would rely on Emirati financing. Yet Cairo might face other downsides in terms of capacity. The distance between Egypt and Libya, the duration, endurance and continuity of the intervention and the need to win public and international support all have to be factored in. Sisis efforts to bolster Egypts military capabilities have relied on foreign purchases, an important downside. Any sanctions by Western countries or Russia could impair the endurance and continuity of the intervention.

All in all, Ankara believes an Egyptian intervention would be an irrational endeavor, given Cairos handicaps and international conditions, although the Egyptian military has the capacity for such a move. If Sisi is determined to go ahead, he would be undertaking a venture with a fragile military rationale and unforeseeable consequences for both Libya and Egypt.
A friends outing in western Mexico ended in tragedy when an armed gang killed a man and kidnapped the rest of the group, Jalisco state authorities reported Saturday.

The group was just completing a nearly five-hour ride from Guadalajara to the Pacific resort of Puerto Vallarta when they were ambushed by suspected members of an organized crime gang.

Jalisco state prosecutor Gerardo Octavio Solis said the incident happened July 18 in a residential area of the city.

He said 13 or 14 people from the central Mexico state of Guanajuato had split up into two groups after arriving in Puerta Vallarta and then met up in the residential area, where they were confronted by attackers.

The dead victim was identified as Joaquin Miguel Alba Bustamente, the owner of a construction company in the Guanajuato city of Leon.

Authorities in Jalisco, Mexico have not provided an update on the group of 13 to 14 men who were kidnapped in the Pacific resort town of Puerto Vallarta by an armed gang on July 18. Some of the men who were kidnapped are pictured above

Joaquin Miguel Alba Bustamente, the owner of a construction company in the Guanajuato city of Leon, was killed by the kidnappers

'There was a series of shots,' Solis said. 'One person was left wounded at the place, others managed to flee - some on foot, others in vehicles.'

Local media outlets reported Bustamante was found conscious by paramedics. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Solis said there has been no news about the others in the group. Several off-road vehicles are also missing.

The prosecutor called the news conference hours after the newspaper Reforma published a front page story on the attack, saying the visitors had been kidnapped.

Solis didn't rule that out.

'It's part of the investigations in conjunction with the murder and theft, and we're going to continue along this line,' he said.

However, he stressed there are no formal allegations of abduction. He said the prosecutor's office has had no contact with relatives of the apparently missing people and has no knowledge of ransom requests.

Solis said everything points to the attack being perpetrated by a 'high-danger crime cell' linked to some organized crime group.

The western state is the base of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which is one of the most violent crime organizations in Mexico and has been blamed for the recent failed attack on Mexico City's police chief. It is engaged in a bloody fight over territory with other groups, including a local gang in neighboring Guanajuato known as the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel.

The prosecutor said none of the attacked visitors was linked to any criminal activity, but added that fear of cartels might be why no witnesses have appeared.

Reforma said some of the visitors were business people and that their family members were contacted by the purported kidnappers who were seeking a ransom.
Sabodala-Massawa



First 5-year average annual production of 384,000 ounces at all-in sustaining costs of $671/oz (1)(2)

First 5-year average net cash flow of $215 million per year at $1,600/oz gold*

First 5-year total net cash flow of $1.1 billion at $1,600/oz gold*

Proven and probable reserves increase 120% to 4.8 million ounces at $1,250/oz gold

Mining activities at Massawa now underway

$10-million exploration and drill program is ongoing at Massawa

Company-Wide

Proven and probable reserves increase by 70% to 6.4 million ounces of gold

Average annual gold production expected to increase by 40% to ~500,000 ounces(3)

(All amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated)

TORONTO, July 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Teranga Gold Corporation ("Teranga" or the "Company") (TSX: TGZ) (OTCQX: TGCDF) is pleased to announce the results of its preliminary feasibility study (the PFS) for the Sabodala-Massawa Gold Complex (Sabodala-Massawa), located in Senegal, West Africa.

Earlier this year, Teranga completed the acquisition of the Massawa gold project (the Massawa Project), one of Africas highest grade undeveloped open-pit gold projects, from Barrick Gold Corporation (Barrick). The PFS focuses on an initial concept to mine the Massawa Projects deposits leveraging the existing plant at Terangas flagship Sabodala Gold Operations (Sabodala).

The PFS demonstrates that Sabodala-Massawa is a top-tier mine with a large proven and probable reserve (2P Reserves) base of 4.8 million ounces (75.79 Mt at 1.98 g/t Au at $1,250 gold), with low all-in-sustaining costs (AISC)(1)(2) of $749 per ounce, and net cash flows of over $2.2 billion* at $1,600/oz gold over a 16.5-year mine life. In addition, the PFS outlines the strong potential for growth through further exploration and discovery.

Sabodala-Massawa: Base Case Highlights at $1,600/oz Gold

(Includes refractory ore treatment plant in 2023)

First 5-years

(2021-2025) First 10-years

(2021-2030) Life of Mine

(2020-2036) Annual average gold production(4) 384,000 oz 315,000 oz 260,000 oz Average mill grade 2.71 g/t 2.26 g/t 1.98 g/t Average AISC per ounce(1)(2) $671 $715 $749 Average annual plant throughput 5.0Mtpa 4.9Mtpa 4.6Mtpa Average annual net cash flow(2)* $215 million $166 million $134 million Total net cash flow* $1.07 billion $1.66 billion $2.21 billion

*Net cash flow after minority interest



The PFS announced today confirms that the Massawa acquisition is truly transformational for Teranga and repositions the Company as a leading mid-tier gold producer with one of the lowest all-in sustaining cost profiles in the industry, stated Richard Young, President and CEO.

Mr. Young continued, The integration of Sabodala and Massawa is perhaps the best example in mining of the greater than the sum of its parts concept. The sum of Massawa, one of the highest grade open-pit deposits in Africa, and our flagship Sabodala mine is more than simply adding one large gold reserve to another. Integrating Sabodala and Massawa yields significant synergies, with the combined entity expected to generate net cash flows of $1 billion(2)* over the first five years and deliver a net present value of $1.6 billion(2) compared to less than a billion dollars for the two assets on a standalone basis.

Project Return Sensitivity Analysis(2)

Gold Price $/oz $ 1,500 $ 1,600 $ 1,700 $ 1,800 After-tax NPV 0% $ millions $ 2,133 $ 2,438 $ 2,742 $ 3,046 After-tax NPV 5% $ millions $ 1,550 $ 1,777 $ 2,004 $ 2,231 After-tax after minority interest NPV 0% $ millions $ 1,936 $ 2,210 $ 2,484 $ 2,758 After-tax after minority interest NPV 5% $ millions $ 1,416 $ 1,622 $ 1,827 $ 2,033

Now that a base case technical concept has been established with the PFS, Teranga will continue the technical work in support of a definitive feasibility study (DFS), anticipated to be completed in 2021, to further de-risk and increase the Massawa Projects value. Management believes that the current capital estimate is conservative and leaves room for engineering trade-off studies to optimize areas such as mill sizing, power distribution and process design, while the current drill program is expected to result in an increase in mineral resources and reserves.

Teranga expects to file a technical report pursuant to National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (the NI 43-101) in respect of the PFS on the Sabodala-Massawa complex on or before August 31, 2020. A DFS, anticipated in 2021, will include further trade-off studies for the process flowsheet to potentially reduce capital and improve project economics, as well as focus on unlocking additional value through exploration drilling. An updated mineral resources and reserves estimate is expected to be included in the DFS based on results from the Companys significant exploration program currently underway at the Massawa Project.

Bringing the Massawa and Sabodala projects together builds on and amplifies the strengths of the two assets  infrastructure is largely in place, labour and contractors are trained and available, and exploration and mine investments can be better leveraged over a longer period of time, stated Paul Chawrun, Chief Operating Officer.

Mr. Chawrun added, Building a separate processing stream for the refractory ores will add higher than anticipated capital costs but offers many advantages throughout the life of mine. Early processing of high-grade refractory ore enhances project economics, increases production, reduces processing risks and improves operating flexibility. Furthermore, we believe in the great potential of this project and are conducting an aggressive drilling campaign for both refractory and free-milling ore, with a goal to sustain Sabodala-Massawas gold production between 350,000-400,000 ounces per year beyond 2026.(5)

Exploration Upside at Massawa Project

The Massawa Project is comprised of a mine license of 320 km2 and a regional exploration land package of nearly 286 km2. The opportunity for additional resource delineation on the property is well known to Teranga and the previous owner Randgold Resources Limited, which merged with Barrick in 2019. Teranga has drilled more than 27,000 metres since March 2020 at Massawa, as part of an ongoing $10-million exploration program. Exploration drilling programs are ongoing at the three initial primary deposits  Sofia, Central Zone (CZ) and North Zone (NZ), with along-trend and internal drilling gaps being evaluated.

In addition to the compelling resource expansion targets within or immediately along trend of the three primary deposits, considerable opportunity exists to explore and add refractory and non-refractory resources elsewhere within the Massawa Project area. There are several satellite deposits and prospects, which have only been subject to shallow drilling, all of which show potential for additional mineralization at depth that can be added into the overall project resources, regardless of whether they are refractory or non-refractory mineralized bodies. Examples of such satellite deposits and prospects that will be aggressively explored in preparation of the DFS and beyond include Tina, Delya and Samina.

Additionally, a number of prospects will be pursued along a structural corridor that exists between two major regional structures. These include the Bakkan Corridor and Bambaraya prospects. The Company anticipates that a comprehensive exploration program across the entirety of this broad area, bounded by the two regional structures within the Massawa Project area, holds significant potential for the long-term addition of resources for the project.

Significant Synergies Expected from Mining Sabodala-Massawa

The existing mine operating fleet currently used at Sabodala will also be used for the combined Sabodala-Massawa deposits, applying an integrated mine sequencing plan to optimise the combined 2P Reserves base. The ability to use the existing long-haul ore contractor, mining mobile fleet, and operating team provides significant value to the combined project, as identified with the synergies outlined at the time of the acquisition.

Metallurgy and Processing

Phase 1: Free-Milling or Non-Refractory Whole Ore Leach (WOL)

Mined non-refractory ore will be processed in the existing Sabodala processing plant. Modifications are in progress to increase the capability for overall gold production and increase efficiencies to process the high-grade oxide ore at CZ. These additions include a gravity recovery circuit for the coarse gold, an additional leach tank to increase residence time, and upgrades to the elution circuits due to the higher gold content in the feed. These upgrades are expected to be installed throughout the first half of 2021 as Phase 1 of the Sabodala plant upgrades.

Phase 2: Refractory Ore Treatment (ROT)

For processing the deposits that contain refractory gold ore, a separate ROT plant with a nominal capacity of 1.2 Mtpa will be installed adjacent to the existing Sabodala plant, with processing expected to begin in 2023. The ROT design is based on the use of bacterial oxidation (BIOX technology) to expose the gold that is occluded within sulphide minerals, which then allows for gold extraction using a standard CIL process. This technology is well proven and is currently operating in multiple plants around the world.

Sabodalas existing plant will be modified to allow primary crushing of the refractory ore feed with the existing crushing circuit, prior to feeding into a separate circuit comprising grinding, flotation to recover sulphides and free gold to a concentrate, regrinding, followed by oxidation of the slurry in two stages of BIOX reactors. The slurry product is then neutralized and processed in a separate carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit to recover the gold.

The Company expects to modify its existing tailings storage facility (TSF) and the design of its second permitted TSF to accommodate the processing of refractory ores.

Industry-Leading Operating Costs Expected at Sabodala-Massawa

Operating costs(2) include all direct costs for the production of gold dore. The estimates are based on annual rates determined in the mining schedule with ore delivery from the Sabodala and Massawa Project pits.

Mine operating costs(2) were determined using the current Sabodala fleet and personnel assumptions, with incremental costs included for the expanded footprint, additional ore haul and additional dewatering costs for some of the Massawa Project pit areas.

Processing costs(2) are based on current operating plant assumptions, metallurgical test results, quotations from suppliers in the existing price environment and consultant recommendations. For WOL processing, the throughput rate is expected to average 4 Mtpa. For ROT processing throughput, a rate of 1.2 Mtpa was estimated based on the PFS design criteria.

Unit LOM average cost Mining(2) $/tonne mined 2.56 WOL processing(2) $/tonne milled 10.23 ROT processing(2) $/tonne milled 36.07 General & Admin(2) $/tonne milled 4.00



General and administrative costs(2) consist of site office costs, insurance, financial costs (banking charges, legal fees, etc.), refining and transportation costs and personnel costs.

Life of Mine Capital Costs

Life of mine sustaining capital(2) for Sabodala-Massawa total $241 million, which equates to approximately $15 million per annum, and includes mobile fleet upgrades and replacements, road construction, TSF lifts, and general sustaining capital in support of mining, processing and general and administrative functions.

Life of mine development capital(2) for Sabodala-Massawa totals $409 million. Massawa Project phase 1 totals $37 million and phase 2 totals $219 million. The balance of development capital is for the Sabodala village relocation as well as underground development, not scheduled until 2027 under the current LOM (see tables in the Appendix for more detail).

Q3 2020 Milestones

Teranga has recently accessed the Sofia deposit, the first of the Massawa deposits to be mined, mining operations have begun, and processing the Massawa Projects free-milling high-grade ore through Sabodalas existing operating plant is scheduled to begin shortly.

Other milestones this quarter include:

filing the Sabodala-Massawa NI 43-101 technical report;

a revised life of mine production schedule for the Wahgnion gold mine, where the plant is exceeding initial performance expectations;

updated company-wide production and costs guidance for 2020, as well as new five-year (2021-2025) production and cost guidance;

technical report for the Golden Hill property; and

exploration results from the Massawa Project and Afema.

Conference Call & Webcast Details

Teranga will host a conference call and audio webcast on July 27, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. (ET) to discuss the PFS in more detail. Those wishing to listen can access the live conference call and webcast as follows:

Date & Time: Monday, July 27, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. ET Telephone: Toll-free +1-877-291-4570 Local or International +1-647-788-4919 Please allow 10 minutes to be connected to the conference call. Webcast: Available on Terangas website at www.terangagold.com/Sabodala-MassawaPFS Replay: The conference call replay will be accessible for two weeks after the call by dialling +1-416-621-4642 or toll-free at +1-800-585-8367 and entering the conference ID 8870643. Note: The slide presentation will be available for download at www.terangagold.com for simultaneous viewing during the call.

Teranga Competent and Qualified Persons Statement



The PFS was prepared by technical consultants and Teranga Qualified Persons (QPs) (as defined under NI 43-101). Technical consultant QPs are independent of Teranga and have reviewed and approved the information in this press release that pertains to the sections of the PFS for which they take responsibility. The affiliation and areas of responsibility for each of the QPs involved in preparing the PFS, upon which the technical report will be based, are provided below.

Independent Technical Consultant Qualified Persons

Sindy Ka Man Cheng, P.Eng., Mineral processing, metallurgical testing, process design and process plant costs

Manochehr Oliazadeh, P.Eng., Process plant costs

James Christopher Lane, RpGeo AIG, RPEQ, MAusIMM, CGeol., Tailings storage facility

Graham E. Trusler, MSc, Pr Eng, MiChe, MSAIChE, Environmental studies, permitting and social or community impact

Teranga Qualified Persons

Patti Nakai-Lajoie, P.Geo., Property description, location, accessibility, climate, local resources, infrastructure, physiography, history, geological settings, mineralization, deposit types, exploration, drilling, sample preparation, sample analyses, sample security, data verification and mineral resources

Stephen Ling, P.Eng., Mineral reserves, mining methods, project infrastructure, market studies, contracts, mining costs, general site costs, economic analysis

Technical Report

An NI 43-101 compliant technical report for the Sabodala-Massawa Project will be filed on the Companys website and on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) on or before August 31, 2020.

Data Verification

The QPs responsible for the preparation of the PFS and the technical report in respect thereof have verified the data disclosed in this press release, including sampling, analytical, and test data underlying the information contained in this press release. Geological, mine engineering and metallurgical reviews included, among other things, reviewing mapping, core logs, and re-logging existing drill holes, review of geotechnical and hydrological studies, environmental and community factors, the development of the life of mine plan, capital and operating costs, transportation, taxation and royalties, and review of existing metallurgical test work. In the opinion of the Qualified Persons, the data, assumptions, and parameters used to estimate mineral resources and mineral reserves, the metallurgical model, the economic analysis, and the PFS are sufficiently reliable for those purposes. The technical report in respect of the PFS, when filed, will contain more detailed information concerning individual responsibilities, associated quality assurance and quality control, and other data verification matters, and the key assumptions, parameters and methods used by the Company.

Endnotes

(1) The Company has included non-IFRS measures in this document, including total cash costs, total cash costs per ounce, AISC, and AISC per ounce. The Company believes that these measures, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, provide investors an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Company. The non-IFRS measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. These measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers.Total cash costs figures are calculated in accordance with a standard developed by The Gold Institute, which was a worldwide association of suppliers of gold and gold products and included leading North American gold producers. The Gold Institute ceased operations in 2002, but the standard is considered the accepted standard of reporting cash cost of production in North America. Adoption of the standard is voluntary and the cost measures presented may not be comparable to other similarly titled measure of other companies. Total cash cost per ounce sold is a common financial performance measure in the gold mining industry but has no standard meaning under IFRS. The Company reports total cash costs on a sales basis. We believe that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Companys performance and ability to generate cash flow. Accordingly, it is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The measure, along with sales, is considered to be a key indicator of a Companys ability to generate operating profits and cash flow from its mining operations.



Beginning in the second quarter 2013, we adopted an AISC measure consistent with the guidance issued by the World Gold Council (WGC) on June 27, 2013, of which Teranga became a member on November 27, 2018. The Company believes that the use of AISC is helpful to analysts, investors and other stakeholders of the Company in assessing its operating performance, its ability to generate free cash flow from current operations and its overall value. This measure is helpful to governments and local communities in understanding the economics of gold mining. AISC is an extension of existing cash cost metrics and incorporate costs related to sustaining production. The WGC definition of AISC seeks to extend the definition of total cash costs by adding corporate general and administrative costs, reclamation and remediation costs (including accretion and amortization), exploration and study costs (capital and expensed), capitalized stripping costs and sustaining capital expenditures and represents the total costs of producing gold from current operations. AISC excludes income tax payments, interest costs, costs related to business acquisitions and items needed to normalize profits. Consequently, this measure is not representative of all of the Companys cash expenditures. In addition, the calculation of AISC does not include depreciation expense as it does not reflect the impact of expenditures incurred in prior periods. Therefore, it is not indicative of the Companys overall profitability. Life of mine total cash costs and AISC used in this press release are before cash/non-cash inventory movements and amortized advanced royalty costs, and exclude any allocation of corporate overheads. Other companies may calculate this measure differently.



For more information regarding these measures, please refer to Terangas Managements Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2020 accessible on the Companys website at www.terangagold.com.



(2) Life of mine assumptions include:

Gold price: $1,600 per ounce

Heavy fuel oil (HFO): $0.35 per litre

Light fuel oil (LFO): $0.65 per litre

Euro to USD Exchange Rate: 1.10:1

(3) This production target is based on proven and probable minerals reserves for the Sabodala-Massawa Project and the Wahgnion Gold Operation as at December 31, 2019 as disclosed on the Company's website at www.terangagold.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The estimated reserves underpinning this production target have been prepared by a competent and qualified person or persons (see Competent and Qualified Persons Statement in this press release).

(4) Production profiles are based on proven and probable minerals reserves for the Sabodala-Massawa Project as at December 31, 2019 as disclosed on the Companys website at www.terangagold.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The estimated reserves underpinning these production targets have been prepared by a competent and qualified person or persons (see Competent and Qualified Persons Statement in this press release).

(5) Over the past several years more than twelve million ounces of measured and indicated resources have been identified within the south eastern Senegal region, including the Massawa, Golouma, Makabingui and Mako projects, along with the Companys own Sabodala gold mine. With exploration work completed to date and the prior exploration success seen in the area, Management believes there is a reasonable basis to anticipate future resource to reserve conversion.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"), which reflects management's expectations regarding Terangas future growth opportunities, results of operations, performance (both operational and financial) and business prospects (including the timing and development of new deposits and the success of exploration activities) and other opportunities. Wherever possible, words such as "plans", "expects", "does not expect", "scheduled", "trends", "indications", "potential", "estimates", "predicts", "anticipate", to establish, "does not anticipate", "believe", "intend", "ability to" and similar expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will", or are "likely" to be taken, occur or be achieved, have been used to identify such forward looking information. Specific forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, the results of the PFS and the anticipated capital and operating costs, the timeline for completing a DFS, sustaining costs, net present value, process capacity, average annual gold production, average process recoveries, anticipated mining and processing methods, proposed PFS production schedule and gold production profile, anticipated construction, anticipated mine life, expected recoveries and grades, anticipated production rates, infrastructure, future financial or operating performance of the Company and its projects, estimation of mineral resources, exploration results, opportunities for exploration, development and expansion of the Massawa Project, its potential mineralization, the future price of gold, the realization of mineral reserve estimates, costs and timing of future exploration, and the timing of the development of new deposits. Although the forward-looking information contained in this press release reflect management's current beliefs based upon information currently available to management and based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, Teranga cannot be certain that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions, opinions and analysis made by management in light of its experience, current conditions and its expectations of future developments that management believe to be reasonable and relevant but that may prove to be incorrect. These assumptions include, among other things, the closing and timing of financing, the ability to obtain any requisite governmental approvals, the accuracy of mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates, gold price, exchange rates, fuel and energy costs, future economic conditions, anticipated future estimates of free cash flow, and courses of action. Teranga cautions you not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements.

The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements include, among others: the inherent risks involved in exploration and development of mineral properties, including government approvals and permitting, changes in economic conditions, changes in the worldwide price of gold and other key inputs, changes in mine plans and other factors, such as project execution delays, many of which are beyond the control of Teranga, as well as other risks and uncertainties which are more fully described in Teranga's 2019 Annual Information Form dated March 30, 2020, and in other filings of Teranga with securities and regulatory authorities which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Teranga does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements should assumptions related to these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions change. Nothing in this document should be construed as either an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy or sell Teranga securities. All references to Teranga include its subsidiaries unless the context requires otherwise.

About Teranga

Teranga Gold is transitioning into a mid-tier gold producer operating long-life, low-cost mines and advancing prospective exploration properties across West Africa, one of the worlds fastest growing gold jurisdictions. The top-tier gold complex created by integrating the recently acquired high-grade Massawa Project with the Companys Sabodala mine, the successful commissioning of Wahgnion, Terangas second gold mine and a strong pipeline of early to advanced-stage exploration assets support the continued growth of Terangas reserves, production and cash flow. Through its continued success and commitment to responsible mining, Teranga creates sustainable value for all stakeholders and acts as a catalyst for social, economic, and environmental development.

Contact Information

Richard Young

President & CEO

T: +1 416-594-0000 | E: ryoung@terangagold.com Trish Moran

VP, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications

T: +1 416-607-4507 | E: tmoran@terangagold.com





APPENDIX





Table A  Open-Pit and Underground Mineral Resource Estimate as at December 31, 2019

Deposit Domain Measured Indicated Measured and Indicated Inferred Tonnes Grade Au Tonnes Grade Au Tonnes Grade Au Tonnes Grade Au ('000s) g/t Au '000s ('000s) g/t Au ('000s) ('000s) g/t Au ('000s) ('000s) g/t Au ('000s) Sabodala Open-Pit 8,663 1.32 369 5,975 1.61 310 14,638 1.44 678 2,453 1.24 98 Underground 1,631 3.65 191 1,631 3.65 191 460 3.60 53 Combined 8,663 1.32 369 7,606 2.05 501 16,270 1.66 870 2,913 1.61 151 Masato Open-Pit 2,458 0.69 55 22,212 1.16 829 24,670 1.11 884 Underground 1,163 2.75 103 1,163 2.75 103 1,984 2.85 182 Combined 2,458 0.69 55 23,375 1.24 932 25,833 1.19 987 1,984 2.85 182 Gora Open-Pit Underground 274 4.92 43 274 4.92 43 56 4.87 9 Combined 274 4.92 43 274 4.92 43 56 4.87 9 Golouma Open-Pit 354 0.75 9 3,497 2.93 329 3,851 2.73 338 55 2.79 5 Underground 2,136 4.09 281 2,136 4.09 281 851 3.66 100 Combined 354 0.75 9 5,634 3.37 610 5,988 3.21 619 906 3.61 105 Kerekounda Open-Pit Underground 499 4.88 78 499 4.88 78 235 5.70 43 Combined 499 4.88 78 499 4.88 78 235 5.70 43 Maki Medina Open-Pit 115 0.78 3 1,053 1.21 41 1,168 1.17 44 42 1.00 1 Underground 179 2.73 16 179 2.73 16 90 2.56 7 Combined 115 0.78 2,874 1,232 1.43 57 1,347 1.38 60 132 2.06 9 Niakafiri East Open-Pit 4,776 1.37 210 14,140 1.14 516 18,916 1.19 726 4,515 0.93 135 Underground 224 2.72 20 224 2.72 20 514 2.70 45 Combined 4,776 1.37 210 14,364 1.16 536 19,140 1.21 746 5,030 1.11 180 Niakafiri West Open-Pit 3,061 1.02 100 3,061 1.02 100 673 0.86 19 Underground 74 2.67 6 74 2.67 6 71 2.84 6 Combined 3,135 1.06 107 3,135 1.06 107 744 1.05 25 Goumbati West - Kobokoto Open-Pit 2,678 1.35 116 2,678 1.35 116 498 0.81 13 Underground 131 3.25 14 131 3.25 14 79 2.90 7 Combined 2,809 1.44 130 2,809 1.44 130 577 1.09 20 Golouma North Open-Pit 170 1.32 7 170 1.32 7 295 1.42 14 Underground 14 2.64 1 14 2.64 1 19 2.93 2 Combined 184 1.42 8 184 1.42 8 314 1.51 15 Diadiako Open-Pit 178 1.27 7 Underground 663 2.89 61 Combined 841 2.54 69 Kinemba Open-Pit 24 1.06 1 24 1.06 1 91 0.95 3 Underground 56 2.52 5 Combined 24 1.06 1 24 1.06 1 147 1.55 7 Kourouloulou Open-Pit 96 11.51 36 96 11.51 36 22 6.71 5 Underground 59 9.15 18 59 9.15 18 86 13.58 38 Combined 156 10.61 53 156 10.61 53 108 12.18 42 Kouroundi Open-Pit 67 0.93 2 67 0.93 2 42 0.74 1 Underground Combined 67 0.93 2 67 0.93 2 42 0.74 1 Koutouniokolla Open-Pit 85 1.58 4 Underground 22 2.54 2 Combined 108 1.78 6 Mamasato Open-Pit 560 1.45 26 560 1.45 26 305 1.25 12 Underground 42 2.32 3 Combined 560 1.45 26 560 1.45 26 347 1.38 15 Marougou Open-Pit 1,198 1.41 54 Underground Combined 1,198 1.41 54 Sekoto Open-Pit 485 0.89 14 Underground 25 2.11 2 Combined 510 0.95 16 Soukhoto Open-Pit 550 1.46 26 Underground Combined 550 1.46 26 Sofia Open-Pit 9,881 2.46 782 9,881 2.46 782 1,302 1.68 70 Underground Combined 9,881 2.46 782 9,881 2.46 782 1,302 1.68 70 Massawa CZ Open-Pit 494 4.57 73 11,654 3.52 1,319 12,148 3.56 1,391 2,747 3.12 276 Underground Combined 494 4.57 73 11,654 3.52 1,319 12,148 3.56 1,391 2,747 3.12 276 Massawa NZ Open-Pit 5,748 4.79 885 5,748 4.79 885 185 5.30 31 Underground 2,582 4.50 373 Combined 5,748 4.79 885 5,748 4.79 885 2,767 4.55 405 Delya Open-Pit 760 4.46 109 760 4.46 109 95 3.76 12 Underground Combined 760 4.46 109 760 4.46 109 95 3.76 12 Tina Open-Pit 1,929 1.05 65 Underground Combined 1,929 1.05 65 Bambaraya Open-Pit 537 2.15 37 Underground Combined 537 2.15 37 Total Open-Pit 16,860 1.32 717 81,578 2.06 5,409 98,438 1.94 6,127 18,285 1.53 902 Underground 6,384 3.75 771 6,384 3.75 771 7,836 3.72 938 Combined 16,860 1.32 717 87,962 2.19 6,180 104,823 2.05 6,897 26,120 2.19 1,840

Notes to Table A above:



CIM definitions were followed for Mineral Resources. Open pit oxide Mineral Resources are estimated at cut-off grades ranging from 0.35 g/t Au to 0.50 g/t Au. Open pit transition and primary rock Mineral Resources are estimated at cut-off grades ranging from 0.40 g/t Au to 1.20 g/t Au. Underground Mineral Resources are estimated at a cut-off grade of 2.00 g/t Au at Sabodala, and at 2.84 g/t Au at Massawa. Measured Resources at Sabodala include stockpiles, which total 4.3 Mt at 0.75 g/t Au for 104,000 oz. Measured Resources at Masato include stockpiles, which total 2.5 Mt at 0.69 g/t Au for 55,000 oz. Measured Resources at Maki Medina include stockpiles, which total 0.1 Mt at 0.78 g/t Au for 3,000 oz. Measured Resources at Golouma include stockpiles, which total 0.4 Mt at 0.75 g/t Au for 9,000 oz. High grade assays were capped at grades ranging from 1.5 g/t Au to 340 g/t Au. Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves. Open-pit shells were used to constrain open-pit resources. Mineral Resources are estimated using a gold price of $1,450 per ounce. Sum of individual amounts may not equal due to rounding.





Table B  Sabodala-Massawa Mineral Reserve Estimate as at December 31, 2019

Deposits Proven Probable Proven and Probable Tonnes (Mt) Grade (g/t) Au (Moz) Tonnes (Mt) Grade (g/t) Au (Moz) Tonnes (Mt) Grade (g/t) Au (Moz) Sabodala 1.88 1.64 0.10 2.75 1.41 0.12 4.63 1.50 0.22 Masato 17.77 1.13 0.64 17.77 1.13 0.64 Golouma West 2.10 2.01 0.14 2.10 2.01 0.14 Maki Medina 0.84 1.19 0.03 0.84 1.19 0.03 Niakafiri East 4.49 1.34 0.19 9.43 1.14 0.34 13.92 1.20 0.54 Niakafiri West 1.13 1.10 0.04 1.13 1.10 0.04 Goumbati West and Kobokoto 1.39 1.33 0.06 1.39 1.33 0.06 Stockpiles 7.22 0.73 0.17 7.22 0.73 0.17 Subtotal Open-Pit with Stockpiles 13.59 1.06 0.46 35.40 1.21 1.38 48.99 1.17 1.84 Golouma West 1 Underground 0.62 6.07 0.12 0.62 6.07 0.12 Golouma West 2 Underground 0.45 4.39 0.06 0.45 4.39 0.06 Golouma South Underground 0.47 4.28 0.06 0.47 4.28 0.06 Kerekounda Underground 0.61 4.95 0.10 0.61 4.95 0.10 Subtotal Underground 2.15 5.01 0.35 2.15 5.01 0.35 Total Sabodala Mine Lease 13.59 1.06 0.46 37.55 1.43 1.73 51.14 1.33 2.19 Sofia Main 5.47 2.66 0.47 5.47 2.66 0.47 Sofia North 2.76 1.87 0.17 2.76 1.87 0.17 Central Zone 0.54 3.94 0.07 9.40 3.52 1.06 9.94 3.54 1.13 North Zone 5.60 4.23 0.76 5.60 4.23 0.76 Delya 0.88 3.56 0.10 0.88 3.56 0.10 Total Massawa Mine Lease 0.54 3.94 0.07 24.11 3.30 2.56 24.65 3.32 2.63 Total Reserves 14.13 1.17 0.53 61.67 2.16 4.29 75.79 1.98 4.82

Notes to Table B above:



CIM definitions were followed for Mineral Reserves. Open pit oxide Mineral Resources are estimated at cut-off grades ranging from 0.35 g/t Au to 0.50 g/t Au. Mineral Reserve cut-off grades range from 0.41 g/t to 0.61 g/t Au for oxide, 0.47 g/t to 0.79 g/t Au for fresh rock and 1.39 g/t to 1.41 g/t Au for refractory ore, based on a $1,250/oz gold price. Underground Mineral Reserve cut-off grades range from 2.3 g/t to 2.6 g/t Au based on a $1,200/oz gold price. Mineral Reserves account for mining dilution and mining ore loss. Proven Mineral Reserves are based on Measured Mineral Resources only. Probable Mineral Reserves are based on Indicated Mineral Resources only. Sum of individual amounts may not equal due to rounding. The Niakafiri Main deposit is adjacent to the Sabodala village and relocation of at least some portion of the village will be required which will necessitate a negotiated resettlement program with the affected community members.





Table C  Life of Mine Plan

LOM 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 Sabodala Ore Mined Mt 4.6 1.0 0.6 0.2 2.5 0.4 Ore Grade g/t 1.50 1.36 1.31 1.06 1.64 1.49 Contained Oz Moz 0.22 0.04 0.03 0.01 0.13 0.02 Waste Mt 35.9 9.4 1.6 14.4 9.5 1.0 Golouma Ore Mined Mt 2.1 2.1 Ore Grade g/t 2.01 2.01 Contained Oz Moz 0.14 0.14 Waste Mt 8.3 8.3 Maki Medina Ore Mined Mt 0.8 0.8 Ore Grade g/t 1.19 1.19 Contained Oz Moz 0.03 0.03 Waste Mt 3.6 3.6 Niakafiri Ore Mined Mt 15.1 1.5 4.7 2.1 3.5 3.2 Ore Grade g/t 1.19 1.25 1.24 1.03 0.99 1.43 Contained Oz Moz 0.58 0.06 0.19 0.07 0.11 0.15 Waste Mt 59.8 4.5 9.8 15.9 25.0 4.6 Goumbati West

Kobokoto Ore Mined Mt 1.4 0.1 0.4 0.9 Ore Grade g/t 1.33 1.34 1.74 1.17 Contained Oz Moz 0.06 0.00 0.02 0.03 Waste Mt 11.8 0.6 3.5 7.6 Masato Ore Mined Mt 17.8 0.5 1.5 5.6 4.9 3.3 1.8 Ore Grade g/t 1.13 0.80 0.95 1.12 1.24 0.95 1.41 Contained Oz Moz 0.64 0.01 0.05 0.20 0.20 0.10 0.08 Waste Mt 114.0 13.1 28.4 24.4 25.0 21.6 1.5 Sofia

(North/Main) Ore Mined Mt 8.2 2.0 1.3 3.0 0.2 1.6 0.1 Ore Grade g/t 2.40 2.50 2.84 2.54 1.39 1.82 1.77 Contained Oz Moz 0.63 0.16 0.12 0.24 0.01 0.09 0.01 Waste Mt 45.0 9.2 12.3 13.9 1.2 7.6 0.8 Central Zone Ore Mined Mt 9.9 2.0 1.6 1.7 4.4 0.2 Ore Grade g/t 3.54 2.54 2.89 3.77 4.07 5.36 Contained Oz Moz 1.13 0.16 0.15 0.21 0.57 0.04 Waste Mt 33.9 6.1 6.7 7.4 13.2 0.5 North Zone Ore Mined Mt 5.6 0.6 1.0 1.5 0.9 1.6 Ore Grade g/t 4.23 3.83 4.70 3.32 4.04 5.12 Contained Oz Moz 0.76 0.07 0.15 0.17 0.12 0.26 Waste Mt 67.2 10.8 10.7 23.0 15.5 7.3 Delya Ore Mined Mt 0.9 0.9 Ore Grade g/t 3.56 3.56 Contained Oz Moz 0.10 0.10 Waste Mt 6.8 6.8 Underground Ore Mined Mt 2.1 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.2 Ore Grade g/t 5.01 5.00 4.95 4.63 4.33 4.39 5.55 5.36 5.52 4.76 Contained Oz Moz 0.35 0.02 0.05 0.05 0.04 0.01 0.03 0.06 0.07 0.02 Summary Ore Mined Mt 68.6 6.0 4.9 5.6 3.5 5.3 5.8 5.0 4.5 4.0 4.9 1.9 5.9 5.0 3.5 2.2 0.4 0.2 Ore Grade g/t 2.11 1.94 2.57 3.02 3.42 4.07 2.96 1.25 1.36 1.14 1.52 1.63 1.26 1.30 1.17 2.07 5.52 4.76 Contained Oz Moz 4.65 0.37 0.40 0.54 0.38 0.69 0.55 0.20 0.20 0.15 0.24 0.10 0.24 0.21 0.13 0.15 0.07 0.02 Waste Mt 386.4 31.2 34.3 31.4 31.5 28.7 26.7 25.0 25.4 26.0 25.3 28.4 24.4 25.0 21.6 1.5 0.0 0.0 Movement Mt 455.0 37.2 39.2 36.9 35.0 34.0 32.4 30.1 30.0 30.0 30.2 30.3 30.2 30.1 25.1 3.7 0.4 0.2 Summary Stockpile Ore Balance Mt 9.1 9.7 11.0 9.0 8.8 9.1 8.7 7.9 7.2 7.9 5.6 7.3 8.1 7.4 5.4 1.7 0.0 Stockpile Grade g/t 0.91 0.87 1.16 1.16 1.97 2.25 1.47 1.01 0.90 1.02 0.93 0.91 0.88 0.70 0.69 0.69 0.00 Contained Oz Moz 0.27 0.27 0.41 0.33 0.56 0.66 0.41 0.26 0.21 0.26 0.17 0.21 0.23 0.17 0.12 0.04 0.00







LOM PROCESSING PLAN LOM 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 Mill Production

Sabodala

WOL Ore Ore Milled Mt 51.1 3.1 1.1 0.6 1.5 0.9 1.8 2.8 4.0 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.0 1.9 Head Grade g/t 1.33 1.89 1.45 0.89 0.73 0.71 1.17 1.52 1.38 0.94 1.40 1.42 1.43 1.42 1.43 1.44 1.15 1.02 Contained Oz Moz 2.19 0.19 0.05 0.02 0.03 0.02 0.07 0.14 0.18 0.13 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.15 0.06 Oxide % 15 % 12 % 35 % 40 % 49 % 50 % 63 % 27 % 28 % 7 % 22 % 10 % 4 % 11 % 4 % 0 % 0 % 0 % Produced Oz Moz 1.97 0.17 0.05 0.02 0.03 0.02 0.06 0.12 0.16 0.11 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.13 0.06 Mill Production

Massawa

WOL Ore Ore Milled Mt 18.2 1.0 3.2 3.7 2.8 3.4 2.4 1.4 0.2 Head Grade g/t 2.44 2.67 3.42 3.25 1.75 2.06 1.68 1.76 1.23 Contained Oz Moz 1.43 0.09 0.35 0.39 0.16 0.23 0.13 0.08 0.01 Oxide % 48 % 71 % 56 % 39 % 65 % 33 % 44 % 47 % 33 % Produced Oz Moz 1.25 0.08 0.31 0.34 0.14 0.18 0.12 0.07 0.01 Mill Production

Massawa

ROT Ore Ore Milled Mt 6.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 0.5 Head Grade g/t 5.77 6.82 5.83 6.42 5.99 4.44 4.24 Contained Oz Moz 1.20 0.26 0.23 0.25 0.23 0.17 0.07 Oxide % 0 % 0 % 0 % 0 % 0 % 0 % 0 % Produced Oz Moz 1.06 0.23 0.20 0.22 0.20 0.15 0.06 Total Mill

Production Ore Milled Mt 75.8 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.4 5.4 4.7 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.0 1.9 Head Grade g/t 1.98 2.08 2.92 2.92 2.57 2.68 2.55 2.57 2.05 1.29 1.40 1.42 1.43 1.42 1.43 1.44 1.15 1.02 Contained Oz Moz 4.82 0.28 0.40 0.40 0.46 0.47 0.45 0.45 0.36 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.15 0.06 Oxide % 22 % 27 % 50 % 39 % 47 % 28 % 41 % 27 % 22 % 7 % 22 % 10 % 4 % 11 % 4 % 0 % 0 % 0 % Produced Oz Moz 4.28 0.24 0.36 0.36 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.32 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.13 0.06





Table D  Life of Mine Capital Expenditures







Sustaining Capex









Unit





LOM

5-Year

Average

2021-

2025

10-Year

Average

2021-

2025





2020





2021





2022





2023





2024





2025





2026





2027





2028





2029





2030





2031





2032





2033





2034





2035





2036





2037 Mining Equipment US$M 74 8 6 15 7 11 6 10 4 4 2 1 5 6 3 - - - - - - Processing US$M 46 3 3 3 2 2 4 5 4 4 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 - G&A and Other Sustaining US$M 49 5 4 7 9 4 4 8 2 3 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 - TSF1 and TSF2 US$M 53 9 5 4 13 24 7 0 - - - - - 3 - - 2 - - - - Pit Dewatering US$M 19 4 2 - 5 4 4 4 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - Total Sustaining Capex US$M 241 29 19 29 37 45 25 27 12 11 8 6 9 12 6 3 5 3 2 1 -

Capital Projects & Development



Underground Development US$M 102 - 6 - - - - - - - 24 23 9 2 1 9 18 10 4 1 - Massawa - Phase 1 US$M 37 2 1 29 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Massawa - Phase 2 US$M 219 44 22 - 71 148 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Community Relocation US$M 50 8 4 8 30 12 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Total Projects and Development US$M 409 54 33 37 109 160 - - - - 24 23 9 2 1 9 18 10 4 1 -

Notes to Table D above:

(1) Sum of individual amounts may not equal due to rounding







Table E  Life of Mine Operating Costs

Operating Costs



Unit



LOM





5-Year

Average

2021-

2025 10-Year

Average

2021-

2030 2020



2021



2022



2023



2024



2025



2026



2027



2028



2029



2030



2031



2032



2033



2034



2035



2036



2037



Open-Pit Mining US$/t mined 2.6 2.8 2.6 2.8 2.5 2.9 2.7 3.0 2.9 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.4 3.1 - - - Underground Mining US$/t milled 72.2 - 74.3 - - - - - - - - 76.3 74.9 73.3 77.3 79.7 76.5 66.5 64.4 78.1 - Processing WOL US$/t milled 10.2 10.4 10.1 10.7 10.5 10.8 9.7 11.2 9.7 9.9 9.7 10.0 9.9 10.0 10.1 10.0 10.1 10.1 11.0 10.8 - Processing ROT US$/t milled 36.1 36.1 36.1 - - - 36.1 36.1 36.1 36.1 36.1 36.1 - - - - - - - - - General & Admin. US$/t milled 4.0 4.4 4.2 5.0 5.3 5.2 3.9 4.0 3.9 4.0 3.9 3.7 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 3.6 3.1 2.7 2.3 - Mining US$M 1,158 100 85 103 100 107 94 103 95 71 68 72 67 71 72 66 59 10 - - - Underground Mining US$M 155 - 5 - - - - - - - - 7 22 26 20 7 13 24 25 12 - Processing WOL US$M 709 44 43 44 45 47 42 47 42 42 41 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 44 20 - Processing ROT US$M 234 26 23 - - - 43 43 43 43 43 18 - - - - - - - - - General & Admin US$M 304 22 21 21 22 22 22 22 22 22 21 18 18 18 18 18 15 13 11 4 - Total Operating Costs US$M 2,560 192 177 168 167 176 201 215 201 178 174 156 148 156 152 133 129 90 79 37 - Capitalized Deferred Stripping(1) US$M (13 ) - - (13 ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Royalties(2) US$M 373 34 27 21 29 29 34 41 39 33 26 14 15 14 17 17 15 15 11 4 - Total Cash Costs US$M 2,921 226 205 177 196 205 235 257 240 210 200 170 163 171 168 149 144 105 90 41 - Total Cash Costs(3) US$/oz 681 590 648 715 545 569 587 641 601 525 623 984 941 986 971 863 834 607 677 742 - Sustaining Capex US$M 241 29 19 29 37 45 25 27 12 11 8 6 9 12 6 3 5 3 2 1 - Capitalized Deferred Stripping(1) US$M 13 - - 13 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Regional Admin US$M 34 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 - All-In Sustaining Costs (AISC) US$M 3,209 258 226 221 234 252 262 286 255 223 210 178 173 185 176 155 151 110 95 43 - AISC(3) US$/oz 749 671 715 893 652 699 655 715 637 558 656 1,028 1,003 1,069 1,017 894 875 633 711 779 - Development Capex US$M 409 54 33 37 109 160 - - - - 24 23 9 2 1 9 18 10 4 1 - Franco Nevada Stream US$M 140 12 12 14 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 9 - - - - - - Franco Nevada Stream US$/oz 33 31 37 55 33 33 29 29 29 29 37 68 68 68 51 - - - - - -





Table F  Life of Mine Cash Flows

Unit LOM 5-Year

Average

2021-2025

10-Year

Average

2021-2030



2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 Production Koz 4,285 384 316 245 359 360 400 400 400 400 320 173 173 173 173 173 173 173 133 56 - Gold Price $/oz 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 - Revenue US$M 6,859 614 505 395 575 576 640 640 640 640 512 277 277 277 277 277 277 277 213 89 - Total Cash Cost (3) US$M 2,921 226 205 177 196 205 235 257 240 210 200 170 163 171 168 149 144 105 90 41 - Capex US$M 254 29 19 41 37 45 25 27 12 11 8 6 9 12 6 3 5 3 2 1 - Regional Administration US$M 34 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 - All-in Sustaining Costs (AISC) US$M 3,209 258 226 221 234 252 262 286 255 223 210 178 173 185 176 155 151 110 95 43 - All-in Sustaining Costs (AISC) (3) $/oz 749 671 715 893 652 699 655 715 637 558 656 1,028 1,003 1,069 1,017 894 875 633 711 779 - Development Capex US$M 409 54 33 37 109 160 - - - - 24 23 9 2 1 9 18 10 4 1 - Franco-Nevada Gold Stream (4) US$M 140 12 12 14 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 9 - - - - - - Cash Flow Before Taxes,

Mine Closure and Other US$M 3,101 291 235 124 220 153 366 342 374 405 266 64 83 78 91 114 107 157 114 45 - Taxes, Mine Closure, and Other (5) US$M 664 61 57 41 41 70 65 68 61 68 73 47 11 12 9 10 16 13 15 43 1 Net Cash Flow US$M 2,438 230 183 83 179 83 301 275 312 337 193 17 71 65 82 104 91 144 99 2 (1 ) Minority Interest US$M 228 16 18 - - 10 8 30 27 31 34 19 2 7 7 8 10 9 14 10 0 Cash Flow After Minority Interest US$M 2,210 215 166 83 179 73 293 245 285 306 159 (2 ) 70 58 76 96 81 135 84 (8 ) (1 )

Notes to Tables E & F above:

(1) Excludes any capitalized deferred stripping adjustments beyond 2020

(2) Royalties include Government of Senegal royalties on total production

(3) Total cash costs per ounce and all-in sustaining costs per ounce are non-IFRS financial measures and do not have a standard meaning under IFRS. Total cash costs per ounce and all-in sustaining costs per ounce are before cash/non-cash inventory movements and amortized advanced royalty costs, and excludes allocation of corporate overheads. Please refer to non-IFRS Performance Measures.

(4) The Franco-Nevada Gold Stream assumes a fixed number of gold ounces payable each year until third quarter 2031.

(5) Taxes, mine closure and other includes income taxes paid to the Government of Senegal, government social fund, initial $15 million payment in 2020 related to an advance royalty for future Massawa production, working capital, closure cost payments, and plant residual value. Sustainability costs and exploration costs are not included.

(6) Sum of individual amounts may not equal due to rounding.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a660c8e4-963a-429e-be80-4b40b82fb5fb
Military members and veterans can get up to four free months of Apple Music through the Apple Music military discount -- but...
1000 La Trobe Docklands, Melbourne - Poly Global

1000 La Trobe Docklands, Melbourne - Poly Global

1000 La Trobe Lobby, Docklands, Melbourne - Poly Global

1000 La Trobe Lobby, Docklands, Melbourne - Poly Global

Melbourne, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Poly Global has finalised an Agreement For Lease (AFL) for all four retail tenancies at its Melbourne flagship commercial development, 1000 La Trobe, Docklands.

The agreement with Bourgeois 380 Pty Ltd confirms four unique food & beverage retailers, including a proposed boutique supermarket on the ground floor.

An experienced retailer throughout Melbourne CBD and fringe business districts Bourgeois 380 will provide a holistic hospitality offering to tenants and visitors. Each tenancy will offer fresh, wholesome and nourishing produce and brews tailored to suit the anticipated tenant profiles at 1000 La Trobe.

Poly Global Senior Asset Manager Ronnie Moe said the company is committed to delivering a well-rounded development that facilitates vitality within its community.

Tagged as a smart destination, were devoted to creating a location that empowers the people that work in and visit 1000 La Trobe. This extends to an all-inclusive health and wellbeing offering enabling the community within the building to reach their greatest professional potential.

Tenants are seeking a one-stop destination which serves all lifestyle needs, creating balance for their employees. The health and wellness revolution continues. People want to eat well, exercise regularly and reduce time lost travelling to and from the gym, childcare centre or the grocer. Simple accessibility to these positive lifestyle choices and needs reduces employee stress, fostering a happier and higher achieving workforce, he said.

Two tenancies, Milk and Honey, and Blavk Truffle (pronounced Black Truffle), will be casual chic in style. Both will provide high quality grab-and-go healthy eats between normal business hours Monday to Friday.

Additionally, Rush Lane & Co, will meet high end corporate clientele expectations providing a sophisticated and relaxed space for meetings, dining or after work drinks. The bar will offer an ala carte menu from breakfast onwards and will operate beyond normal business hours on Thursday and Friday evenings.

Story continues

Bourgeois 380 Founder and Director Ricky Marcelo said he looks forward to introducing a combination of revived hospitality within the Digital Harbour precinct.

After long and successful operations catering for exceptional corporate clientele in Docklands, St Kilda Road and Melbourne CBD we are extremely excited to extend our success to 1000 La Trobe, he said.

The health and wellness focused hospitality package contributes to the companies broader placemaking strategy for the 23-storey office tower.

Steered by BlueRock, the placemaking strategy considers health and wellness for tenants and the broader community through multiple facets in an effort to lead the rejuvenation of the Docklands and Digital Harbour precinct.

The approach motivated the adoption of a healthy hospitality portfolio, gymnasium, childcare centre, sophisticated end-of-trip facilities, smart building technology, public art, and open space design.

Attachments

CONTACT: Jen Reynoldson Poly Global +61385952800 jen.reynoldson@polyglobal.com




Over the past many years, l have had doubts about the credibility and worth of some Ghanaian PhD holders. Most of them do glorify themselves in the mere possession of their paper qualifications than what they can do to benefit Ghanaians and their country or humanity at large unlike their white contemporaries.

Some of them, especially those living in Ghana, love to intimidate, directly or indirectly, the less educated people they come into contact with, both outside and in workplace. They relish in, and prefer, being addressed as Doctor or Doc even if they cannot do anything tangible to alleviate the socio-economic suffering of the Ghanaian.

Following President Nana Akufo-Addo's genuine directive to Auditor General Daniel Yao Domelevo to exhaust his accrued paid annual holiday by going on leave, many a Ghanaian PhD holder has come out to criticise the president. Some have said he has absolutely no constitutional right to direct the Auditor-General Domelevo to take his accumulated annual leave because the Auditor-General is a constitutional entity. Others have argued that the president is scared of the anti-corruption nature of Mr Domelevo. The president feels uncomfortable about Mr Domelevo exposing the NPP's malfeasances hence directing him to take his leave.

I have read some of them quote all the constitutional articles and the relevant Ghana Labour Act, 2003, and the Audit Service Act, 2000, but interpreting them to suit their narrow-minded interests. The wording of the articles is in plain English but not in jargons that are only to be understood by PhD holders or Legal luminaries yet, my fellow learned Ghanaians would like us to understand it differently or according to their interpretations.

A few days ago, one of them was asking the president to 'eat the humble pie' by recalling Mr Domelevo from his leave. He explained Mr Domelevo is an anti-corruption czar who is fighting the NPP's alleged corruption so to direct him to start his leave in an election year makes one become suspicious of the president's motive. He goes on to say that such action by the president will cost NPP collateral effect.

What I don't understand about all these PhD holders is their difficulty or lack of knowledge to explain why for the fact the Auditor-General Domelevo being a Ghanaian, a public servant and an alleged anti-corruption person should never go on leave.

Do his qualities make him so special to infract the laws of his own office? Should he be allowed to accumulate his annual paid holidays without ever proceeding on leave or to finally forgo his leave contrary to the laws in place?

He is an incorruptible Auditor-General the kind of whom has never been seen in the history of Ghana so he must be allowed to do as he likes when he wants? The NPP are corrupt so he should never move an inch but to stay put keeping eagle an eye on them, is it?

The argument that he can decide not to go on leave is neither here nor there when one considers the Ghana Labour Act, 2003, Section 31. Everyone public officer in Ghana except those exempt by law of which category the Auditor-General is not included, must go on paid annual leave.

Is the Auditor-General not a public office? Does that office not have rules and regulations to guide its operation? Do such rules and regulations be stringently abided by, and if yes, by who?

There is the Audit Service Act, 2000. Does Mr Domelevo respect and conform to the rules so contained in the Act? Why does he see himself so special to conclude that without him being permanently in office Ghana cannot function? Why do other people, highly educated ones of course, give the false impression that without Mr Domelevo in office Ghana cannot function well and the NPP will corruptly empty the coffers of the country?

Instead of our PhD holders explaining to Ghanaians what the laws state before adding their opinions, they are rather letting Ghanaians believe their opinions for the law. This is where I have a problem with them and begin to see their irrelevance in the advancement of Ghanaians as a people and a country.

Why have they anticipated Daniel Domelevo's directive to start his accumulated leave for his sacking? Why are they reading further into it if their conscience serves them right? Why is Mr Domelevo on the other hand resisting not to go on leave to exhaust his accumulated leave? Has he a hidden motive for that?

How and why did he come to accumulate his paid annual holiday leave? What law authorises him to do that and when did he intend to take his leave? We have to probe deeper into his intentions for not wanting to take his accumulated annual paid holiday.

Honestly, should Ghanaian PhD holders continue on that tangent of using their qualifications to deceive people by portraying themselves as authority but when actually being petty with the truth and facts, then my little respect left for them will be completely evaporated into the thin air.

So far, my research has proved that it is so deserving for Auditor-General Domelevo to start his leave as directed by the president. It is just fair to him and all public offers to have their decent paid annual holiday rest.

Please, don't read your political beliefs into interpreting the laws or else, you will always get them wrong only to expose yourself to public ridicule.

Could the Ghana Supreme Court please come out to clarify the hullabaloo about the Auditor-General Domelevo's saga in case anyone has filed a complaint with you against the president?

Please, some of you Ghanaian PhD holders, stop making a mockery of yourselves by your actions often influenced by your political persuasions and what you hope to gain as an individual. Do explain laws as they are intended for; by facts and what the laws expressly state.

Mr Domelevo, please enjoy your leave and come back when all is done. You are on leave but not sacked so please take it easy.

Rockson Adofo

Sunday, 26 July 2020
India and Indonesia on Monday agreed to expand strategic cooperation in a range of areas including defence industries and technology sharing, as the two maritime neighbours looked at injecting a new momentum to their security partnership.

The possible areas of further expansion of defence and military ties were discussed during talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Indonesian counterpart General Prabowo Subianto, officials said.

Reflecting the importance Indonesia attaches to its strategic ties with India, Subianto arrived here on Sunday for the talks, notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic.

Sources said the issue of possible export of BrahMos cruise missile to Indonesia by India and ways to further deepen maritime security cooperation figured prominently in the talks.

"Both the ministers agreed to further enhance the bilateral defence cooperation in mutually agreed areas. Potential areas of cooperation in the field of defence industries and defence technology were also identified by the two countries," the defence ministry said in a statement.

It said both Singh and Subianto committed themselves to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in these areas and take the defence ties to the "next level of deliverables." "The meeting ended on a positive note with a commitment to further strengthen and widen the scope of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries," the ministry said, without giving details.

India and Indonesia have robust cooperation in the area of defence and security. The two countries inked a new defence cooperation agreement in 2018 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Indonesia. The pact was aimed at reflecting the elevation of relationship between the two countries to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

In Monday's talks, Defence Minister Singh reiterated the long history of mutually beneficial interactions between the two countries with a tradition of close political dialogue, economic and trade linkages as well as cultural and people-to-people interactions.

Officials said both sides explored a range of areas to further expand the strategic cooperation including in the field of defence industries and technology sharing.

It is understood that China's aggressive posturing in eastern Ladakh and South China Sea figured in the talks, but there was no official confirmation about it.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff Gen M M Naravane, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar were among the key officials who were part of the Indian delegation.

Earlier, General Subianto was given a ceremonial guard of honour on the lawns of South Block when he arrived for the defence dialogue.

The Indonesian defence minister also visited the National War Memorial and laid a wreath as a mark of respect to the fallen soldiers.

(Photo Credit: Twitter/rajnathsingh)
Bacteria in space grow more lethal and antibiotic-resistance according to experiments. Science Alert reported that a rocket holding an orbiter, rover, and lander was launched by China's Tianwen-1 mission to Mars earlier this week from the country's Hainan province. China expects the mission to deploy the rover on the Red Planet's surface by early 2021.

They found something alive - traces of a bacteria called Streptococcus Mitis. This should be impossible. At the time, it was believed nothing could survive in space, and yet apparently bugs on Surveyor 3's lens lived through two years of lunar radiation.  Greg Chivers (@defnotscifi) February 20, 2020 How? pic.twitter.com/3t5FWsbYTB

Also Read: Astronomers Unveil Mysterious Photo of Sun-Like Star Surrounded by Pair of Exoplanets

Also Read: Astronomers Unveil Mysterious Photo of Sun-Like Star Surrounded by Pair of Exoplanets

Another space mission took place on Sunday, July 26, after the Arab World began its interplanetary space travel by launching the Emirates Mars Missions. The report also stated that NASA's Mars Perseverance rover will also be launched from Florida on July 30. For other updates on future space missions, check the latest news of TechTimes.

Also Read: Astronomers Create Largest 3D Map of the Universe That Resolved a 'Troublesome Gap' About the Outer Space

It was also explained that although space is becoming the ultimate frontier for many countries and nations, the ability gained to travel faster and smarter into space, doesn't currently provide enough knowledge to understand the effects of space on biological substances, such as bacteria. Since these microorganisms live in the people's body and surroundings, it can also latch itself wherever people go, including into space.

Scientists concluded that since people are affected by space's unique environment, it can also impact the microscopic organisms. Earth's life has not yet adapted to spend time in space since all living organisms on the planet have evolved with the ever-present force of gravity. However, it is not yet fully understood how minimal gravity, liquid surface tension, and capillary forces affect different lifeforms.

How does microgravity make bacteria more deadly and lethal?

According to the research from space flight missions, microgravity, a state when only tiny gravitational forces are present, affects the growth of bacteria, making them more deadly and resilient. A study published by Springer Link stated that bacteria in space seem to become more lethal and antibiotic-resistant.

The microorganisms can also stay this way for a short period after returning to the planet, unlike other bacteria that never went to space. These microscopic organisms also mutate faster in space, but, the report clarified that the mutations are mainly used by the bacteria to adapt to the new environment.



That lack of gravity causes the bacteria to become more resistant to antibiotics since space's microgravity promotes the biofilm of the microorganisms. Bacteria can stick to each other and stationary surfaces, because of the biofilms, which are densely-packed cells that produce a matrix of polymeric substances.



It improves bacteria's ability to survive and cause infection by increasing their resistance to antibiotics. The study said that biofilms can attach and grow on space stations' equipment, causing it to biodegrade.

Are you looking for more interesting stories? Check out the latest news updates of TechTimes!

Also Read: China's Ambitious Tianwen-1 Mars Rover Rockets Away From Earth; Will it be Successful?

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Professor Kwamena Ahwoi, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) stalwart, has been recounting some key points of his fraught relationship with ex-President Jerry Rawlings ahead of the launch of his new book, Working with Rawlings.

In his book, he confirms that Mr. Rawlings, ahead of the 2008 elections, did try to get him to undermine Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, who had been the NDCs flagbearer on three occasions after the end of the Rawlings administration.

Mr. Rawlings was also a fierce critic of Prof. Mills and his administration when he became President.

It was one of the low points in the relationship between myself and President Rawlings because I didn't expect him to do something like this, Prof. Ahwoi said on the Citi Breakfast Show.

Prof. Ahwoi served as Minister of Local Government and Rural Development from 1990 to 2001 under Rawlings administrations.

He also acted as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1997.

Despite the falling out, Prof. Ahwoi still had high praise for Mr. Rawlings, who was Ghanas first President of the Fourth Republic after heading a military junta for over a decade.

Rawlings was a fantastic leader and there was a time that I would have died for him. As at the time we left office in 2001, the relationship between us was just fantastic.

But the relationship started deteriorating when we left office and especially when Mills became president.

Prof. Ahwoi felt he could not turn against Prof. Mills, despite some pressure from Mr. Rawlings.

I personally was responsible for bringing Prof. Mills into his government. Therefore, I felt a certain personal responsibility towards his success as President.

But when President Rawlings started turning against him in the manner that he did, it really upset me and I think that is when deterioration in the relationship began.

Ahead of the launch of his book on Thursday, July 30, 2020, Prof. Ahwoi said he does not expect Mr. Rawlings at the launch.

But he said he was open to a surprise.

Knowing Rawlings as I do, he might surprise everybody and put in an appearance.

---citinewsroom
Rioting continues to rage in Seattle, with property, construction sites, and cars being torched by anti-American radicals posing as anti-racism, social justice protesters. Beginning with Saturdays organized mayhem, there were dozens of arrests and at least 59 police officers injured attempting to quell the violence.

Could it have been worse? Could it get worse? These are questions raised by a temporary restraining order issued Friday night by a federal district court, which suspended a Seattle ordinance that bars police from using tear gas, blast balls (essentially, rubber-coated grenades), and similar non-lethal anti-riot measures (e.g., pepper spray).

It is often observed that the best way to get a foolish law repealed is to apply it faithfully  or, if you prefer, the old H. L. Mencken snark that Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

In that spirit, as violence and chaos took hold in the Pacific Northwest last month, Seattles ultra-progressive City Council unanimously enacted this law barring the textbook non-lethal police response. It is an inane policy because, stripped of standard non-lethal tactics, police are left with only lethal tactics, such as firearms, and such non-lethal weapons as tasers and batons, which necessarily bring them into close contact with violent subversives. That is, instead of numerous injuries sustained by police and rioters, we could be talking today about numerous deaths.

Realizing that, at the end of an emergency court hearing on Friday night, Judge James Robart issued a temporary restraining order against enforcement of the ban, to expire in two weeks. He did so at the Justice Departments urging. Judge Robarts order seems to be long on hope of preventing fatalities and of getting the interested parties to reconsider their position  particularly the lawmakers, there being no hope for the rioters.

Regrettably, the TRO seems to be short on law.

Story continues

I am not as convinced as is the estimable Jonathan Turley that Robarts order is indefensible. But Im close. As Professor Turley points out, judges are not supposed to do policy  thats for lawmakers. Federal courts are only supposed to step in if a state law violates the Constitution or some federal law that legitimately trumps the state (because it involves some matter on which the Constitution makes federal law supreme). Our Constitution, however, undergirds a federalist system in which the states are generally supreme in exercising police powers. At least on the surface, there is nothing in federal law that bars a city or state from enacting an ordinance that limits the kind of weaponry its own police force is permitted to use against its own citizens. The Constitution does not make stupidity illegal.

So what is the Justice Departments theory  the one Judge Robart adopted, at least temporarily? Well, the Seattle Police Department is under a consent decree. I wrote about these several times during the Obama era. The Obama strategy (which will be the Biden strategy if the former vice president is elected president) was to remake police departments across the country by (a) having the Justice Department sue the relevant city for a pattern or practice of discriminatory law enforcement, and then (b) convincing the city to sign a consent decree agreeing to adopt Obama-approved policing and accept federal monitoring. Not much convincing was necessary with a city such as Seattle, which is controlled by progressive Democrats.

On Friday night, the Trump Justice Department appears to have creatively leveraged the 2012 Seattle consent decree to the unlikely advantage of the citys police. If the ban went into effect, the feds argued, the police would be put into the position of inexorably violating the citys consent decree with the Justice Department. That is, unable to use non-lethal riot-control measure, the police would be reduced to lethal and other more perilous riot-suppression methods; such methods would necessarily run afoul of the decree, which was intended to prohibit unduly harsh policing.

Its a clever argument, but ultimately not convincing. Plainly, the police also have the option of either doing nothing and allowing the rioters to run rampant, or using the more harsh methods that are not banned by the ordinance  and then arguing, if there are deaths or injuries, that the use of force was commensurate with the risk of death, destruction and serious injury caused by the rioters.

That is a terrible choice. It is, nevertheless, the choice made by the lunatic legislators democratically elected by the oh-so-progressive people of Seattle. And it is a choice they are entitled to make. Unless one accepts the premise that, by signing a consent decree with the Justice Department, a city or state government entirely forfeits its police powers to the federal government, Seattle retains the authority to limit the arsenal available to its law enforcement officers.

The law is a ass  a idiot, yelped Dickens Mr. Bumble. For the next two weeks, at least, Judge Robart has decided an asinine law will not be enforced. He may not have had authority, but he had his reasons. Dark as they are, the news accounts from Seattle could otherwise have been much worse this morning.

More from National Review
As Congress and the White House resume their efforts to agree on a new economic aid package, evidence is growing that the U.S. economy is faltering. And so is concern that the government may not take the steps needed to support hiring and growth.

Were in a pretty fragile state again, warned Nancy Vanden Houten, lead economist at Oxford Economics, a consulting firm. The economy needs another shot in the arm.

With unemployment still at a high 11.1% and hiring potentially slowing in July, the economy is likely to weaken further without more government aid, economists say. Few agree with White House economic adviser Larry Kudlows assertion on Sunday that the nation is on a V-shaped recovery path, in which the sharp recession that began in February would be followed by a quick rebound.

Whats needed, most economists say, is continued extra aid for tens of millions of unemployed Americans, along with more funding for state and local governments and more grants for struggling small companies, many of which could go out of business.

Yet even with the viral outbreak intensifying and nearly half of Americans whose families have endured a layoff saying they fear those jobs are lost forever , Congress isnt anywhere close to agreeing on the outlines of a package even as a $600-a-week federal payment to the unemployed has expired.

The debate coincides with worrisome signs about the job market and the economy. The number of laid-off workers who have applied for unemployment benefits has topped 1 million every week for 18 straight weeks. Before the pandemic, that figure never exceeded 700,000. Real-time data shows that Americans visits to shops and restaurants have leveled off after having grown in May and June. Air travel fell last week compared with the week before.

As Congress struggles to reach a compromise on a new financial rescue plan, the main sticking point is the supplemental federal unemployment aid, which provides $600 a week on top of whatever benefit each state provides.

The White House wants to replace the enhanced benefit with a payment that would vary by state but would combine with a state unemployment benefit to replace 70% of recipients previous income, likely with some cap for high-income earners. On average, state benefits are equivalent to 45% of workers former incomes.

Senate Republicans favor reducing the $600 to a flat payment of $200, possibly as a bridge to a 70% replacement system. The flat payment had been adopted in March because most states unemployment systems use antiquated software that cannot adjust individual payments using a percentage formula.

The Democratic-led House has already approved legislation that would extend the $600 through January. Research has shown that, counting the $600 a week in federal aid, roughly two-thirds of those out of work are receiving more money from their jobless benefits than they earned at their previous jobs. That conclusion has fueled Republican concerns that the extra aid has discouraged some of the unemployed from returning to work, potentially slowing the recovery.

Many small businesses have said the $600 weekly federal benefit has made it harder for them to fill jobs. But some unemployed people are reluctant to return to work because they fear becoming infected. And others have tried and failed to find any work.

One new finding suggests that the federal jobless benefit hasnt broadly kept people from going back to work. In a paper released Monday , a group of economists and doctoral students at Yale University found that unemployed people with larger percentage gains in their benefits were no less likely to return to work than those with smaller increases.

When the unemployment rate is as high as it is now, economists generally worry less about disincentives, because so few jobs are available. Its when unemployment is low and people who are out of work know that jobs are widely available that the disincentive to work would more likely apply.

William Spriggs, chief economist at the AFL-CIO, argued that the 7.5 million jobs that the economy added in May and June suggest that most of the unemployed will take a job offer when unemployment is high, because they know another opportunity may be hard to find.

This is the last lifeboat leaving, and if you dont get on it, youre toast, Spriggs said. Most workers also prefer the security of a job over a temporary, if generous, benefit, he said.

Jeremiah Spelts is among those who would like to find new work. Spelts, 41, earned more money from his diesel mechanic job, which he lost in June, than on unemployment. He worked in the oil fields in Wyoming until his employer of two years ran through their Paycheck Protection loan from the government and oil prices fell.

Still, the extra $600 has made it possible for him to cover all his bills.

If that goes away, I would literally start losing things, he said. The first to go would be my apartment and utilities.

On other issues, Senate Republicans have indicated that they oppose further aid to state and local governments, though they support more money for schools. The House Democrats bill provides $1 trillion for state and local governments. Both parties support additional funding for small businesses, but Senate Republicans are considering limiting new grants to businesses whose revenue has shrunk at least 50%.

Michael Strain, an economist at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, says he supports reducing the extra benefit to roughly $200 a week. But says that the money saved from that cut should be pumped back into the economy. He favors more aid for state and local governments to prevent them from making any further layoffs, and more funds for small businesses.

The goal is to support the economy and support consumer spending, without disrupting work incentives, Strain said.

But Scott Shane, an economics professor at Case Western Reserve University, said he thinks aid should focus more on the unemployed than on small businesses, because many companies may not survive, particularly those involved in in-person services such as restaurants, bars and hotels.

The benefit of keeping a restaurant open, for example, is limited, even if it pays all its employees, Shane said. It wont order food or new equipment from its suppliers, which, in turn, have to cut jobs. And theres no way to know at this point when restaurants and other in-person businesses will reopen.

In fact, the potentially open-ended nature of government aid keeps Shane up at night. Congress approved a $2 trillion package in March. The aid Congress is considering now will likely top $1 trillion.

Are we going to do this twice more every six months going forward? he asked. You cant just borrow forever.
The Private Newspaper and Online Publishers Association of Ghana, (PRINPAG) has waged into the impasse between the Communications Ministry and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) over the reduction of the state broadcaster's channels on DTT from six to three.

Following backlash from several Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the intervention of the National Media Commission (NMC) and finally, President Akufo-Addo who ordered the Communication Ministry to suspend its directive.

PRINPAG, the latest to speak against the matter says it sees the position of the Minister and her Ministry as a wrong move that could have dire consequences and impact negatively on media freedom and independence in the country.

This is because, we are of the view that, for such a critical decision that was to affect the right of the entire workforce of the state broadcaster, it was important for the Minister to have engaged both the management and the leadership of the union of GBC and to make them understand the position of the Ministry, instead of the manner in which the decision was made in a seemingly autocratic manner, a press release from the group has explained.

It adds, We in the media in Ghana, will henceforth resist any attempt by any external forces, to attempt to infiltrate our ranks and to engage in practices that will go a long way to negatively affect output and by extension, negatively affect professionalism and its attendant lowering of standards, and the GBC example, is a test case of our resolve to stand up against anybody, no matter his or her stature in society, whose acts could oppress and suppress media practitioners and the media in general.

PRINPAG however commends the NMC, President Akufo-Addo and all patrons of media freedom and independence in Ghana, particularly CSOs, whose interests in the matter, have succeeded in dowsing the blazing fire that had the tendency of courting disaffection for Ghana.

Read full press statement below:
Are Bikepark:

For The Thrill:

Yusuke Yamamoto - Cypress Mtn:

Simon Johansson Slips:

Sundays In The Park S2 E1 - Dirt Jumpers In The Park:

Cludio's Bla Bla Runs - Chur:

Caleb Holonko - Down Days:

Into The Woods:

Pedal Through:

Massive Backyard Pumptrack:

Nathan Williams - Why Not? Trailer:

Nathan Williams - Why Not Leftovers?

Nathan Williams - 'Still United' Full Part:

Nathan Williams - Ender Ender:

Ryan Sheckler - Being:

Braydon Szafranski Full Street Part:

My War - Sammy Buca:

Huck Yeah! - Official Trailer:

Natalie Panek - Wild Space | The Problem Solvers:

The Weight Of Gold:

Are segment of the film ''Just Be.'' Featuring: Monet Adams, Tina Gerber, Hanna Jonsson, and Samantha Saskia Dugon.A mysterious mood. All "for the thrill." - Julian Clauss.Yusuke Yamamoto slaying some of the best North Shore DH trails.Filmed by Peter Eriksson.Back at it with the dad cam videos. This time were at Panorama Bike Park riding with the dirt jump kids. We filmed two laps down Lookout and Punisher. Featuring: Paul Harrop, Stephane Pelletier, and Liam Gould. Enjoy!Chasing Nino Schurter again on this third Blabla run of the day, still in the bike park of Nino's home town of Chur. He's not scared of jumping that XC bike, is he?!?I don't care about your short attention span.Charlie Flynn in Wharncliffe Woods.Pedal Through invites us into the world of director-lead Analise Cleopatra as she discovers the healing and joy of mountain biking. Analise had never camped or ridden a bike off the pavement when she decided to plan a week-long mountain biking adventure with an all Black female team: her best friend and fellow newcomer to the sport, DeJuanae Toliver, and professional mountain biker Brooklyn Bell. Together, they traverse the Oregon backcountry on an adventure full of exploration, curiosity, waterfalls, old growth forest, sparkling starscapes, and deep healing. With raw authenticity, Analise shares all the intimate foibles, fear, fun, and beauty of discovering her place in the outdoors. The landscape opens to greet her as she learns to lean into uncertainty, accept support and trust herself on this wild ride.Right about the time Covid-19 was hitting Arizona I had made plans to build a massive pump track in my new backyard. Luckily the shut down didn't affect our backyard dream build. My wife and I wanted a blend of fun freestyle jib features to ride BMX and MTB's ons. A project this big took some long days to get done before the spring heat settled in, even after it was ridable it needed some love. I learned a lot during this build, and no doubt have lots more to learn. The end result is a massive "fun track" that's a good layout for future add ons and endless ideas. Thanks for watching, hope you liked it - Adam."With no deadline in sight 'Why Not' featuring Nathan Williams is an independent video project shot in three years from California to Texas. With the idea of creating a new platform for a rider and filmer to produce their own content, we wanted to try something different and really take our time to create something special! Shot entirely in 4k/5k 'Why Not' features some of the most progressive riding BMX has ever seen in the highest resolution for your eyes to enjoy/ Please help us in spreading the word and supporting this project. Any and all proceeds will go back into creating more original content like this for everyone to enjoy! Click here to pre-order. Only Nathan Williams would consider a nollie switch pegs on El Toro a leftover. Two and half minutes of everyone else's bangers are what's left on the cutting room floor for Nathan's upcoming nine-full-minute video part, "Why Not." The film drops on 8/7/2020.A classic.Our DIG Ender Ender series returns! KINK's 'Champagne' full length video was one of the most anticipated releases of 2019, and for good reason - it turned out to be an instant classic. Needless to say, Nathan Williams put out an epic section full of hammers, but his ender really blew everyone's socks off. Here's the full story behind the massive pegs hard three, from the man himself.Considered the first modern child star of skateboarding, Ryan Sheckler was competing at a pro level by the time he was 13, followed by his own reality television show, scores of pro accolades and the trappings of fame at a young age. Rather than burn out, Sheckler adjusted his focus and returned to his true love of skating. Now with the gift of perspective, hes enjoying a new life of Ryan.On October 31, 2016, we posted Braydon Szafranski's latest part - a two-song testament to clear-eyed focus. The part was knocking around in Braydons mind for years, but one traumatic experience in South Africa transformed the languishing project from an abstract goal into a very real opportunity to recapture that little kid feeling again.Baca got broke off going big for Baker 4, but no words can describe his dedication quite like this video. Twenty-seven bus trips from Vegas paid off in the end.Featuring the incredible skills of Mark Abma, Michelle Parker, Sam Kuch, Eric Hjorleifson, McKenna Peterson, Chris Rubens, Arianna Tricomi, Karl Fostvedt, Lucas Wachs, Lucy Sackbauer, Connery Lundin, Bobby Brown, The Blondes, Tonje Kvivik, Emily Childs, and Janelle Yipper.Rocket Scientist, Space Junk Crusader, backcountry and extra-terrestrial Leave No Trace advocate - Natalie Panek uses her passion for space and genius for aerospace robotics to combat pollution in outer space.In a typical year, more than 3.6 billion people globally tune in to watch the Olympic Games. What most of these viewers dont know is that just like one in five Americans, many of these Olympic athletes similarly face serious mental health challenges and struggle to find the necessary support and resources. The Weight of Gold seeks to inspire discussion about mental health issues, encourage people to seek help, and highlight the need for readily available support. It features accounts from Olympic athletes who share their own struggles with mental health issues, including Michael Phelps, Jeremy Bloom, Lolo Jones, Gracie Gold, Bode Miller, Shaun White, Sasha Cohen, David Boudia, Katie Uhlaender, and, posthumously, Steven Holcomb and Jeret "Speedy" Peterson (via his mother, Linda Peterson).Photo: Jarrett Lindal
District 229 will hold a town hall session starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, with a link to the meeting available at www.olchs.org. The single-school district said families have until Friday to decide on the blended or fully remote option at Oak Lawn Community High School. About half the desks are being pulled from each classroom, and students wont be permitted to use hallway lockers while monitors will be posted in bathrooms to ensure social distancing.
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The Black Lives Matter movement co-founder called on Democrats Monday to make "sea changes" to their party platform to more boldly address police brutality and racial injustice, just three weeks before the summer convention starts.

Why it matters: There's growing internal pressure on the DNC and Joe Biden from Democratic activists who want them to enact bold policies and transform the Democratic Party into a political force that they feel meets the political moment.

Over 300 delegates (most of whom support Sen. Bernie Sanders) have signed a pledge to reject the 2020 party platform if it doesn't endorse "Medicare for All," per Politico.

Driving the news: Patrisse Cullors, BLM co-founder and activist, spoke at the DNC's virtual party platform meeting today with a searing message about the Democrats' agenda, based on Rep. John Lewis' original "March on Washington" speech.

"Without the sea changes our movement recommended for the 2020 Democratic platform, any claims to allyship and solidarity with our work to fight for Black liberation are for naught," she said.

In a call after her remarks, Cullors told Axios she had proposed "about 10" amendments spanning criminal justice, reforms to the legal system, policing, education, the environment and reparations. All of her amendments were rejected without a vote.

"Without making the necessary recommitments and revisions, can any of you here truly stand up and say, 'My party is the party of principles? she asked her fellow platform committee members at the virtual event.

Between the lines: In addition to the other amendments proposed, Cullors was advocating for the BREATHE Act, which includes defunding the police  something Biden and several other Democrats in Congress don't support.

Yes, but: Cullors and other activists are playing the long game. "Even if we get Trump out in November we will still be having this same conversation about police violence with Biden in office," she told Axios.

Cullors and other activists are playing the long game. "Even if we get Trump out in November we will still be having this same conversation about police violence with Biden in office," she told Axios. She added that the Movement for Black Lives policy team met with folks from Biden's campaign earlier this month to discuss the BREATHE Act.

"Im calling the Democratic Party to the table  not casting them to the side. A unified party is one that will listen to the people on the streets," Cullors said.

The big picture: The convention is supposed to be a unifying event for the party where Democrats from all factions come together to support the presidential nominee.

The division between Sanders and Hillary Clinton was on clear display at the 2016 convention in Philadelphia, when Sanders' supporters booed at the mention of Clinton's name and staged sit-ins during some of the programming.

Each presidential election, DNC members and delegates vote on the party platform at the summer convention.

Go deeper: How Elizabeth Warren is shaping Biden's policies
No violations of the ceasefire have been reported.

Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters (JFO HQ) has updated on an ongoing truce in Donbas.

"In pursuance of a Trilateral Contact Group decision dated July 22, 2020, the Joint Forces Command announces that the Commander of the Joint Forces on July 26, 2020, issued an order to observe a full and comprehensive ceasefire," the JFO HQ said on Facebook on July 27.

Read alsoUkrainian UN peacekeepers arriving in Donbas to monitor ceasefire

The Joint Forces Command confirms the ceasefire order is in line with the current measures, which were determined by the Trilateral Contact Group and which came into force at 00:00 on July 27, 2020.

As UNIAN reported earlier, a new ceasefire regime, which had been agreed upon by the Trilateral Contact Group during Minsk peace talks, began to operate in Donbas from 00:01 Kyiv time on July 27.

Before the new agreements came into force, President Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Senior military officers and President Zelensky say the new truce does not mean that the Ukrainian military will not be able to return fire in response to enemy attacks.
The UAE had come up with a request to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for making maritime fraternity a field where gender equity is maintained.

This move is to ensure that women also get equal work opportunities as men in the industry.

The IMO passed a resolution on "Preserving the legacy of the World Maritime theme for 2019 and Achieving a Barrier-Free Working Environment for Women in the Maritime Sector."

The decision strives towards achieving the fifth goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030. UAE based Aries Group of Companies CEO, Dr Sohan Roy, welcomed the resolution and assured his full support.

He commented that the gender imbalance seen in the marine world today is mainly due to the lack of unawareness of women's opportunities available in the field.

He has always pitched in for treating women in his organisation equally. "As far as I know, the industry is willing to absorb females, but very few come forward to accept it. If a certain%age of slots are optionally reserved for females, it will definitely create awareness about the opportunities.

Personally speaking, we provide equal status to all female employees in our organisation. I have twin daughters, and both are Naval Architects. They never faced any kind of difficulty in getting absorbed by the Maritime Industry. In fact, the one working in the UK and was the first to get selected through campus interview," mentioned Dr Roy. He also added that it is the outlook of the people towards the maritime sector that really needs a change.-- Tradearabia News Service
Up to 10% of medicines available on the Ukrainian market are counterfeit, according to the WHO.

Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov says the ministry and pharmaceutical companies discussed the introduction of 2D coding of medicines.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 10% of medicines available on the Ukrainian market are counterfeit, he told a briefing on July 24.

Read alsoUkraine's health minister elaborates on hospitals' readiness for possible second wave of COVID-19

Stepanov added that Ukraine would label not only medicines of domestic production, but also imported ones.

"This [counterfeit medications] pose a big risk for patients. The first thing we discussed with pharmaceutical companies is the introduction of 2D coding of drugs, all those that are used and registered in Ukraine, that is both Ukrainian-made and imported ones. This is international practice," he said.

2D coding will be carried out during the production of medicines, while their codes will be immediately entered into a single system, so that they could be tracked from their production to pharmacies.

Stepanov says in such a way the availability of counterfeit products in Ukrainian pharmacies could be under control.

It may take between two and two and a half years to implement 2D coding, as some pharmaceutical manufacturers need to retrofit their production lines. Those medicines that are part of the government's Affordable Medicines program will be the first to be switched to 2D coding.

As reported, 77 out of 256 medicines may be obtained in Ukraine free of charge under the Affordable Medicines program. The program included 187 medicines for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, 43 for type II diabetes, 15 for the treatment of bronchial asthma and rheumatic diseases. Noteworthy, Ukrainians will be able to get 256 medicines free or with a small surcharge in more than 8,000 pharmacies, which are located in different regions across the country.
(Newser)  A couple who flaunted their swastika masks at a Minnesota Walmart has been banned from Walmarts across the US for at least a year, BuzzFeed News reports. A video of the couple taken Saturday was posted to Facebook, where it went viral (you can watch it here, but be warned it has graphic language). In it, the woman can be heard arguing with onlookers who ask her to remove the mask. She and her companion were reportedly offered disposable masks, but refused. Police were called, and upon the store's request, issued trespass notices to the 59- and 64-year-olds, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. No charges were filed.

story continues below

The couple was reportedly protesting Minnesota's mask mandate, which had just taken effect that day. "I'm not a Nazi. I'm trying to show you what's going to happen in America," the mask-wearing woman can be heard saying in the video. "If you vote for Biden, youre going to be living in Nazi Germany. That's what it's going to like." Adds her companion, "We're living under a socialist state." (Read more Walmart stories.)
A missed delivery notice is attached to the door of an apartment in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, belonging to a North Korean defector who is suspected of having fled to the North while police were investigating rape allegations made against him earlier this month. Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



The South Korean military and police are facing criticism for failing to notice that a North Korean defector had returned to the North, only becoming aware after the situation was reported by North Korean state media.



The military failed to prevent the border crossing, and the police neglected to properly manage the defector, whose identity has not yet been confirmed. However, both the police and the military believe the defector in question is a man surnamed Kim, 24, who has been under police investigation following sexual violence allegations against him.



"The combat readiness inspection office of the JCS is checking the military's overall readiness and other conditions including if surveillance equipment and video recording were operating correctly," the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, hours after the defector's return was known, Sunday.



The military is currently investigating the details of the incident, including the specific route of Kim's return to the North. The military suspects he swam across the border from Ganghwa Island in Incheon to the North after going through a drain under barbed wire fences.





The Han River is seen from Ganghwa County, Incheon, Monday. A North Korean defector who fled to the North is suspected of having swum across the river. Yonhap




Cuba July 26, 1953

The beginning of freedom

Although this initial uprising failed in its bid to dislodge the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, it was the beginning of a movement that changed the world forever. Sixty-seven years ago, a small band of courageous young Cubans stormed the Moncada Barracks in the city of Santiago, in Eastern Cuba.

Batista had ruled Cuba since 1933 when hed taken power in whats been called the Sergeants Coup. He remained behind the scenes for a while, but became self-proclaimed president in 1940. To begin with he carried out relatively progressive pro-worker policies, supported by the Cuban Communist Party and the unions, but in 1944 after leaving power and living in the United States for a while, he returned to Cuba running for president again in 1952. However, when it became clear he was going to lose, he organised an armed coup detat, and proceeded to dismantle his former relatively progressive policies and became the corrupt tool of both the Cuban and US elite, as well as friend to the Meyer Lansky wing of the Mafia. Thousands of political opponents were murdered, leaving Cuba at the mercy of exploitation and vice.

Fidel Castro Ruz organised 174 young Cubans  138 to carry out an assault on the Moncada Barracks, and twenty-seven to attack a smaller outpost in nearby Bayamo  with the intention to seize the military barracks and secure its arms before rousing the rest of the population against the Batista regime. Several cars were organised in the early morning of 26th July to pick up the rebels but, despite meticulous organisation, the operation was beset with problems and discovered almost immediately.

Seeing that the attack was doomed, Castro ordered a retreat and the remaining rebels quickly scattered. Batistas henchmen murdered about seventy rebels captured at the scene or later, with many others tortured, or put on trial and sentenced to various prison terms: Fidel Castro and his brother Raul received sentences of thirteen years each.

At his trial, Fidel in what became known as his History will Absolve me speech, laid bare the crimes of the Batista dictatorship, the illegitimacy of its legal procedures, and the responsibility of all people of conscience to oppose such a regime in Cuba and, by implication, anywhere. Closing his speech to the court, he said: I cannot ask freedom for myself while my comrades are already suffering in the ignominious prison of the Isle of Pines. Send me there to join them and to share their fate. It is understandable that honest men should be dead or in prison in a Republic where the President is a criminal and thief. [...] But I do not fear prison, as I do not fear the fury of the miserable tyrant who took the lives of seventy of my comrades. Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me.

Today the Isle of Pines is now the Isle of Youth (Isla de la Juventud), a centre of high quality education for Cuban and international youth.

A public outcry led to an early release for Fidel and Raul, who then exiled in Mexico to organise an expedition to invade Cuba, and in November 1956 they invaded on the motor yacht Granma in another attempt to oust Batista. Although that attempt also went seriously wrong, with only twelve men surviving, the movement grew, taking on the name of the 26th of July Movement in honour of the Moncada barracks event.

Eventually, on New Years Day 1959, the rebels were triumphant and insurgent troops headed by Ernesto Che Guevara seized the city of Santa Clara in central Cuba. However, Batista managed to escape and go into exile in Portugal where he died in 1973.

Ever since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, Cubans have suffered both military and economic attacks by the United States and some of its allies, in an attempt to overturn it and restore the old regime to power. They have not succeeded. Cuba has implemented socialist policies of great benefit not only for its workers and small farmers, but especially for its women and minorities. Beyond that, Cuba punches above its weight with international health projects that have improved the lives of millions in the poorest countries in the world.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has condemned President Muhammadu Buharis visit to Mali on a peace mission describing his move as hypocritical following his inability to visit states that are incessantly attacked by armed bandits and various forms of unrest particularly in the North-East region.

According to the party the President receives regular briefing on the worsened security and economic situation in the country and ought to take these issues as priority not travelling to quench a fire when your own house is also burning.

In a a statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of the party Kola Ologbondiyan, he said the presidents choice of a photo-op trip to troubled Mali while failing to find solution to the myriads of political, economic and security crisis ravaging our nation has once again called to question his determination to face the challenges of our country under his incompetent watch.

The party is of the opinion that since President Buhari has shown that he can leave the comfort and safety of the Presidential Villa, he should respond to the distress calls by Nigerians and immediately visit Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Taraba, Benue, Borno, Adamawa, Sokoto, Yobe and other states of our nation being daily pillaged by bandits, insurgents, kidnappers and marauders.

The party described the Presidents prioritization of the situation in Mali over the worsening political and economic instability, festering corruption as well as escalated banditry, killings and bloodletting in various parts of our country as a misplacement of governance urgency as well as an inexcusable dereliction of statutory responsibilities vested on the person and office of the President and Commander in Chief of our nation.

The statement reads, The PDP laments that a President and Commander-in-Chief who cannot live up to his statutory governance responsibility at home but is always preoccupied with seeking photo opportunity abroad, leaves much to be desired.

While the PDP has nothing against Nigerias participation in seeking peace in the troubled Mali, it is however depressing that, upon re-opening his doors, President Buhari had Mali as his priority destination and could not demonstrate the littlest solidarity with Nigerians, even if it is a whistle stop at any of our military posts in the fronts or any of the distressed states.

Our party believes that Mr. President receives regular briefing on the worsened security and economic situation in our country and ought to take these issues as priority.

Indeed, Mr. President must be receiving regular briefing on the daily ravaging of communities and mindless killings in Katsina, his home state; Kaduna, Zamfara, Taraba, Benue, Borno, Adamawa, Sokoto, Yobe states, among others in addition to the reported challenges facing our gallant soldiers in the fronts, yet upon reopening of his doors, he chose to jet away to Mali instead of addressing these critical issues at home.

Mr. President has taken no decisive steps to address the worsening economic situation in our country, which is daily plummeting in his hands, the accumulating foreign debts, plundering of foreign reserves, frightening unemployment rate, devaluation of our naira, high cost of living and issues of reduced life expectancy in Nigeria.

He has also failed to forcefully confront the widespread corruption that has become a hallmark of his administration in which officials and leaders of his party have been engaging in unbridled treasury looting as being exposed in the investigative hearings at the National Assembly.

Moreover, under the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC), our nation has experienced the worst form of division and instability in the polity due to the unchecked violation of our constitution, disregard to principles of separation of powers and federal character; manifest arrogance of government officials, abuse of human rights, nepotism, disobedience to court orders, stifling of free speech, harassment of opposition and violation of extant statutory regulations.

Nigerians therefore wonder what President Buhari has to present on the table in Mali alongside other West African leaders when his administration has failed to demonstrate the required commitment to confront our domestic political, economic and security challenges, which escalated due to its incompetence and seething corruption.

The expectation of Nigerians is for President Buhari to invite other African leaders home and attract a synergy to find solutions for our own challenges.

The PDP therefore urges the Buhari Presidency to stop ridiculing the President with showboating trips outside the country while governance is failing at home.
Prince Harry was left angry at the start of his relationship with Meghan after his brother William referred to her as "this girl".

New extracts from a book about Harry and Meghan's split from the Royal Family claim to reveal details of a conversation between the brothers.

"Don't feel you need to rush this," William told Harry, according to sources quoted in the book, Finding Freedom. "Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl."

The extracts - quoted in The Sunday Times - explain how Harry heard a "tone of snobbishness" that was "anathema to his approach to the world" in the words "this girl".

The new claims also include the supposed reaction of the wider royals when Meghan first came onto the scene.

"Meghan had often been the topic of conversation and gossip among them. When she arrived in the prince's life, one senior royal referred to the American actress as 'Harry's showgirl'," the book says.

"Another told an aide, 'She comes with a lot of baggage.' And a high-ranking courtier was overheard telling a colleague, 'There's just something about her I don't trust.'"

When describing Meghan's relationship with Kate, the authors say that the pair never really spent much time together before Meghan and Harry's wedding and they never got any closer afterwards - despite Meghan becoming a senior royal.

But the book adds that while there were some "awkward moments", the duo never had a falling out.

It says: "Meghan would agree with the assessment that the duchesses were not the best of friends. Their relationship hadn't progressed much since she was Harry's girlfriend.

"But they were not at war with each other, either. There were awkward moments, such as the day the women happened to cross paths at Kensington Palace (in early 2017, when Harry and Meghan were still only dating), and although both were heading out to go shopping - in the same street - Kate went in her own Range Rover."

The Sussexes, who married in 2018, now live in Los Angeles with their 14-month-old son Archie after stepping down from royal duties in March.

Story continues

While the media speculated that Meghan was behind the decision for the couple to step back, the book says she was "willing to do whatever it takes" to make it work.

Meghan is said to have told a friend in March: "I gave up my entire life for this family. I was willing to do whatever it takes. But here we are. It's very sad."

A previous extract of the book, published on Saturday morning, alleges that the relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex was extremely bitter by March this year, and they didn't even speak during a service at Westminster Abbey.

"While Harry and Meghan both greeted William and Kate with smiles, the Cambridges showed little response," the book says. "It was the first time the two couples had seen each other since January."

The book claims William nodded at Harry to acknowledge him, but ignored Meghan.

"Although Meghan tried to make eye contact with Kate, the duchess barely acknowledged her," the book adds.

But, according to the authors, the rift stemmed from Harry feeling suffocated by his brother, rather than the "duelling duchesses".

The authors wrote: "The truth was that Meghan and Kate just didn't know each other that well."

But rumours that Meghan made Kate cry during a bridesmaid's dress fitting for Princess Charlotte are false, the book insists.

Those present were "puzzled" at reports Meghan's "strict demands" had left Kate in tears and a source who was there said: "Some of the children weren't co-operating, and there was a lot going on.

"Everyone tried to help where they could, but it's never easy with kids at fittings. There were no tears from anyone.

"And in the end, the fitting was fine. Kate and Meghan were both a little stressed but professional in the room, and there were other people there."

The book also claims Meghan felt sorry for her estranged father, wanted him at her wedding, and blamed the media for "corrupting" him.

Meghan felt let down when Thomas Markle lied to her by denying he helped the paparazzi stage photos of him going about his life in a Mexican resort town before the royal wedding, but she and Harry were also angry with the media for persisting until he gave in.

According to an unnamed "trusted confidant" of the duchess, Meghan had said: "My dad never sought this out. I really believe that he's the victim, and now I feel sad because I believe he's been fully corrupted."

Mr Markle did not attend the wedding in the end, partly due to a heart attack days beforehand which he blamed on the stress.

"As much as she was hurt and humiliated, she wanted him to be there and was willing to move on," an unidentified friend of Meghan's is quoted as saying.

"Plus, she was worried about him; she honestly wasn't sure if he was actually OK. His behaviour was bizarre."

A spokesperson for Meghan and Harry said: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom."

"This book is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting," the statement added.

Finding Freedom is due to be published in August and is being serialised in The Times and The Sunday Times.

Analysis: Brothers' distance 'troubling and upsetting'

By Rhiannon Mills, royal correspondent

"Revenge is sweet, Rhiannon, revenge is sweet," was Prince William's reply when I asked him in 2018 what it was like to be asked to be Prince Harry's best man.

It was the usual banter I'd come to expect from the brothers and at that point there were no real signs of the rift now being laid bare in this book.

Certainly we've heard rumours that they weren't getting on, so it's not exactly a surprise, but this does give us uncomfortable details about what was going on, at least from the Sussexes' perspective.

Words like snobby don't look good for an institution that's worked so hard to be relatable.

But I think there'll be many who'll just see this as incredibly sad.

There's been a huge fondness in this country for the two brothers.

We've seen them grow up and they couldn't have seemed closer, so to think that bond has broken down after everything they've been through is troubling and upsetting.
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WATERLOO REGION  Kitchener is getting another high school, long planned off Fairway Road near the bridge over the Grand River.

It will be run by the Waterloo Catholic District School Board for 1,400 students between grades 7 and 12.

The provincial government announced funding Monday, delighting a board that has been pitching a new high school in east Kitchener for years.

The expanding Catholic board is also getting a new elementary school in the southeast Galt section of Cambridge for 354 students, and an expansion to 650 students for a Kitchener elementary school that was previously approved but is not yet built.

We are extremely pleased, said Loretta Notten, education director for the Catholic board.

These announcements will benefit not only the students who will attend these new schools, but also a number of our existing schools where populations are swelling.

When the new Kitchener high school opens on almost seven hectares, it will help take enrolment pressure off St. Marys High School thats packed with portable classrooms.

The Waterloo Region District School Board is getting a new public elementary school in south Kitchener for 591 students.

The funding is part of a $500-million-plus announcement to build 30 new schools in Ontario and upgrade 15 existing facilities. Four projects in this region will accommodate almost 3,000 students while adding eight child-care rooms.

We are investing in our students and giving them every tool to achieve their full potential, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in a statement.

The public school board also wants a new high school in southwest Kitchener. But without provincial funding and without a chosen site, the board plans instead to shuffle future students among three high schools to balance overcrowding in the next decade.

Enrolment at local school boards has surged by 12,300 students since 2013, reversing a decade-long slide that saw enrolment drop by 2,100 students. The smaller Catholic board has added 4,870 students in the past seven years, accounting for 40 per cent of school growth over this period.
New Delhi, July 27 : A delegation of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) led by Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Monday met J.P. Singh, in-charge of Afghanistan and Pakistan desk at the Ministry of External Affairs.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Sirsa said, "We have taken up the issue of repartition of Hindu and Sikh families from Afghanistan and the ministry has assured us that 600 persons will be given visas within a week." Sirsa said that those who are left out can apply for visa and will get the same as soon as they apply, and the ministry has assured to issue long-term visas.

"We will ensure that Hindu and Sikh families stranded in Afghanistan are brought back to India," Sirsa said, as he thanked the Indian government and Union Cabinet Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal in particular.

The delegation also took up the issue of the conversion of Shaheedi Asthan of Bhai Taru Singh Ji in Lahore which is a gurdwara turned into a mosque. He said the ministry has assured to take up the matter with the Pakistan government at the earliest and ensure that the pious place remains a gurudwara.

Sirsa said that he was also assured that no damage will be allowed to the structure and action will be taken keeping in mind the sentiments of the Sikh community worldwide.

He said the ministry also assured that it will ask the Pakistan government to ensure that no damage is caused to any other religious place of the Sikhs in future.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) officials who were allegedly abused by the followers of ruling party MLA Danam Nagender, lodged a complaint with the Banjara Hills police on Sunday.

A video of the MLA arguing with the bank staff, and that of his followers pushing one staffer went viral on social media. According to sources, IOB officials had auctioned a plot belonging to former union minister Kavuri Sambasiva Rao as he had pledged the land for raising a loan.

As he had failed to repay the loan, officials auctioned the land and sold it to another person. While they were handing over the land documents to the new owner, the MLA rushed to the place and argued with the officials. He alleged that the land belonged to the government and not to any private individual. The police said that they would look into the issue.
Mumbai:

The NIA carried out searches at the premises of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, his NGO and a few associates for the third consecutive day on Monday. It also blocked the website of outlawed Islamic Research Foundation founded by him.



The anti-terror investigation agency is also set to summon Naik, who is abroad ever since his name crop up linking terror activities following the Dhaka terror attack on July 1.



Search operations were carried out by the National Investigation Agency at the offices of IRF, premises of Naik as well as that of Harmony Media Pvt Ltd, from where the programmes were being aired on Naiks Peace TV.



The NIA also blocked the website of IRF, which was allegedly promoting hate speeches of Naik.



As part of investigation, all actions that need to be taken against a proscribed organisation, including banning of its online activities, are being undertaken, an NIA spokesperson told PTI.



Last week, the central government banned the IRF and declared it as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for five years.



If the Islamic preacher fails to respond to the NIA summon, a red corner notice will be issued against Naik through Interpol by it.



The NIA is still trying to block Naiks Facebook page, Twitter account and YouTube videos that contain alleged objectionable material and may seek help from authorities in the US where the servers of Internet giants like Google and Yahoo are located, officials.



The agency is expected to examine cases relating to 50 individuals who were allegedly drawn to extremism after listening to Naiks sermons.



Naik has been booked along with unnamed IRF officials under section 153-A of IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) beside various sections of UAPA.

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Large explosions rock arms depot of Iraqi forces at military base near Baghdad

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 July 2020 5:53 PM

Large explosions have struck an arms depot belonging to the Iraqi Federal Police forces and Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha'abi, at a military compound southwest of the capital Baghdad.

The Security Media Cell said in a statement that the two consecutive blasts occurred at al-Saqr military base, which lies in the Saydiya neighborhood of Rashid district and close to the highway linking Baghdad to the city of Hilla, at 6:40 p.m. local time (1540 GMT) on Sunday, the official Iraqi News Agency reported.

The statement added that the ammunition warehouse exploded due to high temperatures and "faulty storage." It made no mention of any casualties.

However, a security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Arabic-language Baghdad Today news agency that three explosions had taken place at the military site.

Huge clouds of black smoke billowed over Baghdad after the blasts.

General Director of the Civil Defense Major General Kazem Salman Buhan also said 15 fire brigades have been dispatched to al-Saqr base to contain the blaze.

Later in the day, the Iraqi Interior Ministry announced in a brief statement that firefighters have largely brought the blaze under control.

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You may get another $1,200 stimulus check, and perhaps a bonus if you go back to work. You wont immediately face eviction if you cant pay the rent. But if there is no job for you to return to, you likely will see a cut to your unemployment benefits.

Those are the provisions in the Senate Republicans $1 trillion stimulus bill to be proposed Monday with White House support, two months after House Democrats passed their own $3 trillion package to respond to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Theres a $1,200 check coming. That is going to be part of the new package, White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Sunday on CNNs State of the Union. The check is there. The re-employment bonus is there. The retention bonus is there. There will be breaks for small tax credits for small businesses and restaurants. Thats all going to be there.

In addition, the White House supports extending the four-month eviction moratorium that is scheduled to expire at the end of July, Kudlow said.

Whats not going to be in the Republican proposal, however, is aid for state and local governments, which the Democrats set aside $875 billion for.

Nor will there be a continuation of the full $600 federal unemployment benefit under the plan.

Because the expanded benefits are scheduled to expire this week, administration officials suggested that an extension be approved quickly, as well as a few other areas such as protecting businesses against coronavirus-related lawsuits.

We can move very quickly with the Democrats on these issues, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Fox News Sunday. Weve moved quickly before and I see no reason why we cant move quickly again. And if there are issues that take longer, well deal with those as well.

But broad liability limits, a long-sought goal of the business community, are anathema to congressional Democrats, though they have not ruled out some targeted protections.

You dont go into a negotiation with a red line, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said on CBSs Face the Nation. But you do go in with your values.

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White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said that the Republican bill, instead of offering $600 a week in extra unemployment benefits, would ensure that workers get 70% of their regular pay. In N.J., the state currently pays out benefits at 60% of an employees salary, and unemployed workers have been receiving the $600 added benefit since late March.

The original unemployment benefits actually paid people to stay home and actually a lot of people got more money staying at home than they would going back to work, Meadows said on ABCs This Week. So the president has been very clear, our Republican senators have been very clear, were not going to extend that provision.

House Democrats voted in May to keep the $600 payments through Jan. 31, 2021, but President Donald Trump has threatened to veto the legislation.

Theyre resenting $600 for single moms to be able to put food on the table, for dads to maintain the dignity of keeping their families intact, and with unemployment insurance, with assistance for rent, with food, Pelosi said on CBS. This is an emergency that maybe they dont understand. I dont know what they have against working families in America.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll released last month said 58% percent of Americans supported extending the $600 benefit, while only 35% said they should end at the end of July.

Kudlow said that the other benefits in the Republican bill would offset the loss of any unemployment insurance payments.

We want to pay folks to go back to work, he said on CNN. And, incidentally, we are going to have, on top of the cap of wages, 70 percent, which is quite generous by any standard, on top of that, we will have a re-employment bonus and a retention tax credit bonus for going back to work. So thats going to more than offset any of this.

Pelosi said the $600 across-the-board figure was designed to make it easy to provide the extra benefits.

The reason we had $600 was its simplicity, Pelosi said. And figuring out 70 percent of somebodys wages. People dont all make a salary. Maybe they do. They make wages and they sometimes have it vary. So why dont we just keep it simple?

Indeed, state unemployment offices have struggled to handle the deluge of claims theyve received during the pandemic, let alone take on the extra burden of calculating each recipients extra federal benefit based on his or her salary.

Meadows said the federal government would step in if necessary.

Its our goal to make sure that its not antiquated computers that keep people from getting their benefits, he said.

Theres been a debate on whether the expanded unemployment insurance dissuaded workers from returning to their jobs.

There are a lot of people who are not going back to work because they know its not safe, said Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., on CNN. Theres also an awful lot of people that dont have the jobs to go back to. So, I think that this is all about, essentially, a state of denial, that we should just get the economy back and everything is going to go away.

In addition, the $600 payments helped prop up an economy that went into recession as a result of the coronavirus.

A study by the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive research group, said cutting the extra payment to $200 from $600 would cost New Jersey 98,607 jobs over the next year, as unemployed workers have less money to spend.

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Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has started interrogating former IT Secretary M Sivashankar at Kochi as part of its probe into the smuggling of gold using diplomatic baggage addressed to a diplomat in UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.

This for the second time, NIA is interrogating the top bureaucrat in this regard while the Customs also had questioned him earlier.

Sivashankar started from his residence at Thiruvananthapuram at around 4.30 am and directly reached NIA office at Girinagar in Kochi at around 9:20 am. The chauffeur-driven car did not stop in between as local TV channels chased him from Thiruvananthapuram onwards. Additional policemen were deployed at the gate of NIA office to prevent any kind of rush on the arrival of the bureaucrat.

The interrogation will be crucial for the CPM-led LDF government in Kerala. It will be on backfoot if its IT secretary, who was removed from the post after the case came up, is arraigned as accused or arrested in the gold smuggling case. Similarly, this will also bring in scope for a CBI probe under Prevention of Corruption Act.

The NIA had interrogated Sivashankar for five hours at Thiruvananthapuram last Thursday. Later, a notice was served to appear for interrogation at its office in Kochi. NIA also has received CCTV visuals of Sivashankar's office from Secretariate in Thiruvananthapuram.

Earlier, when the Customs which is also conducting a probe quizzed Sivashankar, he admitted he personally knows the prime accused Swapna and Sarith. However, he said that he was unaware of their smuggling activities.

NIA and Customs in their probe found that conspiracy to smuggle gold was hatched at an apartment next to an apartment taken on rent by Sivashankar. Swapna Suresh also was appointed in an IT project following the recommendation of the bureaucrat.
John Oliver said Sunday's Last Week Tonight was going to be about eyelashes, and that was mostly just to set up a TikTok video. Its creator "is right," he said: "A lash-curler is a vital tool in anyone's beauty arsenal, and there's an ethnic group in China being systematically surveilled and imprisoned in an attempt to essentially wipe their culture off the map." Oliver started with the basics: "The people in question are the Uighurs. They're mostly a mostly Muslim minority in a region of China called Xinjiang, and the Chinese government has been treating them absolutely terribly."

"If this is the first time you're hearing about an estimated million people who've been held in detention camps  mostly Uighurs but also Kazakhs and other ethnic minorities  you are not alone," Oliver said. "And it's probably because China has done its level best to keep this story from getting out." That may be harder now, because some of the face masks and other PPE used in America is likely made by forced Uighur labor, making us complicit, he added. "And while there is clearly nothing new about horrific practices being hidden deep in the supply chain of global capitalism, what is happening to the Uighurs is particularly appalling. So tonight let's talk about them: Who they are, what's been happening to them, and why?"

Oliver ran though a bit of the historical enmity between Uighurs and Beijing, the 2009 riots, and China's crackdown with President Xi Jinping's 2014 Strike Hard Against Violent Terrorism law  "think of it as the Patriot Act on steroids"  and current Minority Report-like pre-emptive arrests and Chinese excuses: They are "simply being proactive" and sending them to helpful "vocational training facilities," among other euphemisms for "cultural erasure."

"Whenever pressed on this, the Chinese government has been quick to use whataboutism," Oliver said. "They responded to U.S. criticism by invoking atrocities ranging from he genocide of Native Americans to George Floyd's death." Those "are fair hits, those are fair points right there," he said, "but it's also completely possible for two things to be wrong at the same time." What can you do? Pay attention, he said. Watch below.

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The widow of a movie actor who died of cancer is fighting for 800,000 compensation, claiming he was poisoned by deadly asbestos dust while filming BBC shows as a child.

Graham Fletcher-Cook - the older brother of Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher - had roles in acclaimed films including Bugsy Malone, Sid and Nancy, Cry Freedom and The French Lieutenant's Woman.

He died in May 2019, aged 55, after developing the asbestos-related lung cancer mesothelioma.

Widow Jeanette Monero (pictured right) is suing the BBC for 800,000 compensation claiming her husband actor Graham Fletcher-Cook (left) died from asbestos-related cancer

Mr Fletcher-Cook had an acting career spanning more than 40 years working in film and television. He is pictured here in a 1986 episode of the BBC medical drama Casualty

Now his widow, film SFX artist Jeanette Monero is suing the BBC for 800,000 damages, claiming her husband was exposed to hazardous asbestos fibres while working on BBC sets from the time he was a young actor.

But BBC bosses are denying liability and suggest that any exposure may have occurred while Mr Cook was a pupil at Creighton Comprehensive School, in Muswell Hill, north London, during the 1970s.

They are also disputing the 800,000 compensation claimed by Ms Monero at the High Court.

Mr Fletcher-Cook had an acting career spanning over 40 years, with his first film role being in Alan Parker's classic musical Bugsy Malone in 1976 and one of his last being an appearance in the Dexter Fletcher directed biopic Eddie the Eagle in 2015.

In his later years, he also directed movies in his own right, before he was diagnosed with mesothelioma in February 2018 and died just 15 months later.

His family say his death was caused by inhaling potentially fatal asbestos dust decades back while working on BBC sets at Television Centre, in White City, and at other locations.

Asbestos is notorious for the way it infiltrates the lungs over a long time span, proving fatal many years down the line.

Ms Monero's legal team say her husband began working for the BBC as a child actor and was based in a number of locations including White City, BBC Bristol, and Shepperton.

'During the course of his work with the BBC, he was regularly brought into contact with substantial quantities of asbestos dust,' his widow's QC Michael Rawlinson claims in court papers.

'The sets were often constructed from fireproof insulation board containing asbestos dust,' he continued.

During filming, sets were often 'modified' or moved by technicians while Mr Fletcher was close at hand.

'Cutting of the boards in particular would create a heavy exposure,' the barrister added.

Despite the risks, Mr Fletcher was not warned of the hazards or provided with a face mask by the BBC, who were negligent in failing to keep safe his place of work, it is alleged.

Ms Monero says the BBC was on notice that there was 'no safe level of exposure to respirable asbestos dust.'

'The BBC specifically knew this, since it had broadcast at least one programme on this topic prior to the commencement of Mr Fletcher's work with them,' claimed Mr Rawlinson.

Ms Monero's legal team say her husband, pictured here in Bugsy Malone (left) and Sid and Nancy (right, began working for the BBC as a child actor and was based in several locations

The BBC accepts that Mr Fletcher worked for it as a child and then young actor between 1974 and 1986, but insists that he was self-employed and that his roles were 'irregular'.

He acted in a variety of productions during that period, ranging from Survivors in 1974, to Nicholas Nickleby in 1977 and Play for Today in 1980.

But defence lawyers say Mr Fletcher only worked for around 15 days 'in studio', and with relatively little time spent on set.

They also insist that sets were almost all made of wood and timber, with asbestos in minimal use for items such as log fires.

'In general, if there was any extended break for scenery to be fabricated Mr Fletcher would have been stood down to the Green Room,' argues defence QC David Platt in court documents.

Mr Fletcher, who also had a role in his brother's Elton John biopic Rocketman, had run an acting workshop for over 20 years before his death.

He also took up directing alongside his acting career, creating the documentary Shakespeare v Jack the Ripper and the drama Blood and Carpet.

Part of his widow's 800,000 case is based on claims that he would have carved out a highly successful directing career from the age of 55, turning out a movie every three years.

The case reached court for a brief pre-trial hearing last week, pending a full trial of the claim at a later date.
Stoney Creek resident Jennifer McIntyre could barely believe her eyes when she realized shed won $2 million.

The 65-year-old retired bingo caller was a big winner in the Instant 200X Multiplier game, from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).

The winning ticket was purchased at Avondale on Paramount Drive in Stoney Creek.

She visited the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto recently to pick up her cheque.

My hands were shaking but I managed to grab my phone and use the OLG Lottery App to check, McIntyre said in a news release. I saw the Big Winner message and then I restarted my phone and checked again, she recalled.c

When I got up the next morning, I had to recheck the ticket before I went to the store to make sure I wasnt dreaming. When I saw the validation slip at the store, it hit me. I was absolutely vibrating with excitement, McIntyre added.

The mother and grandmother hasnt made any decisions just yet.

I have plenty of time to think about it, but my priority will be to help my loved ones and community. I just need some time to absorb this, she said.

The OLG Prize Centre in Toronto is now accepting in-person prize claim appointments for winning-ticket holders of $10,000 or more.

Appointments for prizes of this value will be granted if requested, however prizes up to $49,999.90 do not have to be claimed in-person and customers are encouraged to continue to mail in these claims when possible.

To best protect customers and staff, OLG has put in place appropriate health and safety protocols in accordance with guidelines from public health officials, which include physical distancing measures, the mandatory use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the pre-screening of visitors before granting entry.

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Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - More than 100 illegal immigrants from Libya and Tunisia have arrived on the island of Lampedusa in Italy, Libyan newspapers reported on Monday, illustrating an increase in the flow of illegal migration operations via the Mediterranean as climatic conditions improve with the onset of the summer season
The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has asked its member publications not to publish any PSU advertisements at DAVP rates.

In an advisory issued by the Bureau of Outreach and Communication (DAVP), the Bureau stated that various PSUs and Autonomous Bodies have complained that some newspapers have been refusing to publish the ads of PSUs, Autonomous Bodies and Societies of Government of India at BOC rates.

BOC said that this violated Clause 3 of the Print Media Advertisement Policy 2016 and hence would attract penal action, including suspension of the newspaper from the BOC panel with immediate effect.

According to Clause 3, PSUs, Autonomous Bodies and Societies of Government of India may issue all advertisements directly at DAVP rates to empanelled newspapers.

In a letter to Satyendra Prakash, Director General, Bureau of Outreach & Communication, INS President Shailesh Gupta, wrote INS sees no justification in PSUs and autonomous bodies engaged in commercial activities getting the benefits of DAVP rates, which are structured for social service and public education campaigns. He also highlighted the newspaper industrys deep concern about the impact of the BOC directive on its economic viability.

He reiterated, We have stated time and again that if DAVP wishes to get into commercial advertising for various commercial ventures, it should be on commercial rates of the publications, in public interest. The publishing industry agreed to give very competitive rates to share the governments burden in spreading its messages of social and cultural reforms.

He added that while some publications might, under pressure, accept the PSU ads through agencies on DAVP rates, but it was always under protest. He stressed that the application of highly subsidised DAVP rates caused a serious threat to the viability of the industry and added that the PSUs should be free to advertise in a manner which fulfilled their objectives and missions.

Needless to point out that DAVP release order is only an offer and the newspapers always have an option of accepting/ refusing Release Orders, Gupta pointed out.

Meanwhile, INS noted that despite its directives not to publish ads at DAVP rates, some member publications were taking such advertisements at negotiated commercial rates. On enquiry it was found that the negotiated commercial rates were, in fact, at par or around DAVP rates.

The newspaper body further said that this has emboldened the Government to put greater pressure on us, at a time when we are reeling under the effects of the lockdown which has drastically reduced advertisement spend on both the commercial as well as government side.

It also noted that unlike television channels, which by and large remain united, newspapers rarely come together to fight a common cause. Therefore, unless we unite, it is a battle lost even before it begins.

INS sought the support of all its member publications to comply with INS directives, and not to publish PSU ads at DAVP rates. It also warned that failure to adhere to this request would weaken the industry, which is already looking at a bleak future.
PITTSBURGH, July 27, 2020 - A study published today in The Lancet Digital Health by UPMC and University of Pittsburgh researchers demonstrates the highest accuracy to date in recognizing and characterizing prostate cancer using an artificial intelligence (AI) program.

"Humans are good at recognizing anomalies, but they have their own biases or past experience," said senior author Rajiv Dhir, M.D., M.B.A., chief pathologist and vice chair of pathology at UPMC Shadyside and professor of biomedical informatics at Pitt. "Machines are detached from the whole story. There's definitely an element of standardizing care."

To train the AI to recognize prostate cancer, Dhir and his colleagues provided images from more than a million parts of stained tissue slides taken from patient biopsies. Each image was labeled by expert pathologists to teach the AI how to discriminate between healthy and abnormal tissue. The algorithm was then tested on a separate set of 1,600 slides taken from 100 consecutive patients seen at UPMC for suspected prostate cancer.

During testing, the AI demonstrated 98% sensitivity and 97% specificity at detecting prostate cancer -- significantly higher than previously reported for algorithms working from tissue slides.

Also, this is the first algorithm to extend beyond cancer detection, reporting high performance for tumor grading, sizing and invasion of the surrounding nerves. These all are clinically important features required as part of the pathology report.

AI also flagged six slides that were not noted by the expert pathologists.

But Dhir explained that this doesn't necessarily mean that the machine is superior to humans. For example, in the course of evaluating these cases, the pathologist could have simply seen enough evidence of malignancy elsewhere in that patient's samples to recommend treatment. For less experienced pathologists, though, the algorithm could act as a failsafe to catch cases that might otherwise be missed.

"Algorithms like this are especially useful in lesions that are atypical," Dhir said. "A nonspecialized person may not be able to make the correct assessment. That's a major advantage of this kind of system."

While these results are promising, Dhir cautions that new algorithms will have to be trained to detect different types of cancer. The pathology markers aren't universal across all tissue types. But he didn't see why that couldn't be done to adapt this technology to work with breast cancer, for example.

###

Additional authors on the study include Liron Pantanowitz, M.B.B.Ch., of the University of Michigan; Gabriela Quiroga-Garza, M.D., of UPMC; Lilach Bien, Ronen Heled, Daphna Laifenfeld, Ph.D., Chaim Linhart, Judith Sandbank, M.D., Manuela Vecsler, of Ibex Medical Analytics; Anat Albrecht-Shach, M.D., of Shamir Medical Center; Varda Shalev, M.D., M.P.A., of Maccabbi Healthcare Services; and Pamela Michelow, M.S., and Scott Hazelhurst, Ph.D., of the University of the Witwatersrand.

Funding for this study was provided by Ibex, which also created this commercially available algorithm. Pantanowitz, Shalev and Albrecht-Shach report fees paid by Ibex, and Pantanowitz and Shalev serve on the medical advisory board. Bien and Linhart are authors on pending patents US 62/743,559 and US 62/981,925. Ibex had no influence over the design of the study or the interpretation of the results.

To read this release online or share it, visit https://www.upmc.com/media/news/072720-dhir-prostate-ai-lancet [when embargo lifts].

About UPMC

A $21 billion health care provider and insurer, Pittsburgh-based UPMC is inventing new models of patient-centered, cost-effective, accountable care. The largest nongovernmental employer in Pennsylvania, UPMC integrates more than 90,000 employees, 40 hospitals, 700 doctors' offices and outpatient sites, and a 3.8 million-member Insurance Services Division, the largest medical insurer in western Pennsylvania. In the most recent fiscal year, UPMC contributed $1.4 billion in benefits to its communities, including more care to the region's most vulnerable citizens than any other health care institution, and paid more than $500 million in federal, state and local taxes. Working in close collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, UPMC shares its clinical, managerial and technological skills worldwide through its innovation and commercialization arm, UPMC Enterprises, and through UPMC International. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside on its annual Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals and ranks UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh on its Honor Roll of America's Best Children's Hospitals. For more information, go to UPMC.com.

About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

As one of the nation's leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1998. In rankings recently released by the National Science Foundation, Pitt ranked fifth among all American universities in total federal science and engineering research and development support.

Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region's economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see http://www.medschool.pitt.edu.

http://www.upmc.com/media
The Indian Army on Monday killed at least one Pakistani soldier and injured eight others in retaliatory fire along the Line of Control (LoC) after Pakistan resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in several areas of Jammu and Kashmir, said sources.

The Pakistan Army started firing and the Indian Army retaliated strongly in Hajipir, Poonch, Chhamb and Rakh Chikri sectors. The Pakistani soldier was killed in Bhimber while one soldier each was injured in Hajipir, Rakh Chikri and Padhar. Five Pakistani soldiers were injured in a retaliatory fire in Poonch.

Pakistani resorted to small arms firing and mortar shelling along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, news agency reported quoting PTI officials. This is the seventh day in a row that Pakistan has violated ceasefire, they said.

"Around 1030 hours today, the Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and shelling with mortars along LoC in Mankote sector of Poonch district," a defence spokesperson said.

Pakistani troops have been targeting forward areas along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts for many weeks.
The developers of the Old Sawmill District in Missoula have been gently rebuffed in their attempt to seek Tax Increment Financing help from the city for the construction of a tech campus.

Last Monday, staff members of the Missoula Redevelopment Agency, members of the Agencys board and Mayor John Engen told Old Sawmill District developers Ed and Leslie Wetherbee that as it stands, the city will not be spending TIF to build new public infrastructure. The money would have been used to defray the cost of constructing buildings to house tech company ATG-Cognizant.

Chris Behan, the assistant director of the MRA, told the board that the Wetherbees were in the initial stages of putting in an application to request TIF, since the Old Sawmill District on Wyoming Street is in an Urban Renewal District. Behan noted that the MRA board and staff had in the past expressed the sentiment that the city was done using public tax dollars to assist in Old Sawmill District developments and he wanted direction from the board on how to proceed.

Ed Wetherbee said that the District is in the process of plans to break ground on a new tech campus on the north side of Wyoming Street. He said the estimate for installing streets, water mains, sewer pipes and electricity on that side is about $8 million.

Just as a matter of context, we just opened bids a couple days ago on these new buildings, and Ill share with you costs came in dramatically higher than estimated, Wetherbee said. That puts more burden on being able to get some assistance. I will also tell you whatever assistance will be passed on directly to our tenants. Its a combination of a cost-sharing kind of thing.

Wetherbee said Old Sawmill District has spent $75 million so far of a planned $250 million in redeveloping the site.

We are in desperate need of some help, he said. I can assure you the two new buildings that are being worked on right now are very much a positive addition to the core of Missoula.

But Ellen Buchanan, the director of the MRA, said that the city has already made a large investment in the 45-acre site, including using TIF to build Silver Park, a portion of Wyoming Street and associated infrastructure needed for the buildings that are in place in the Old Sawmill District.

We went for a number of years and even had to suspend sidewalks in URD (Urban Renewal District) II because resources were tied up in the mill site or OSD, she said. Were back to where we can start investing in other parts of the district. Youve seen that. (The OSD) is a great project. Its getting attention around the state and the Northwest, but theres also an equity question here. We have a large district that has a lot of needs and were in the process of trying to prioritize how to spend as this district winds down and its winding down pretty quickly.

Old Sawmill District Tech Campus block An architectural rendering of what the new Tech Campus buildings will look like.

The district was created in 1990 and will sunset in 12 years. In the citys six Urban Renewal Districts, the property taxes generated from new development after the district is created does not go to the citys general fund and instead is spent inside the district on public infrastructure or other community benefits in the form of Tax Increment Financing.

I dont know that you would find many projects in the urban core that would put the burden of having to build their own streets and infrastructure onto the cost of projects and make them work, Wetherbee said. Without a Cognizant that comes to Missoula with a perspective of paying the kind of money they might have to pay in Denver or Dallas, these projects dont go anywhere. You cant take on a $250 million revitalization effort and stop halfway. I certainly appreciate what has happened in the past and more is needed.

Wetherbee said he wished the Old Sawmill District had been included in the federal Opportunity Zone program, but instead the local Opportunity Zone was placed on the Northside and Westside neighborhoods.

The mayor sent the Wetherbees a letter stating that the public has already invested $14 million in getting the Old Sawmill District to its present point. That includes $3.6 million in Tax Increment Financing spent in 2006 and $5.75 in bonds spent in 2013 to build that portion of Wyoming Street, build the railroad trestle that allowed the road to go through and the construction of Silver Park.

I also recognize that the Millsite Revitalization Project has made significant investment in the site and dont mean to diminish that investment in any way, Engen said in his letter. But I also know that many developers in Missoula have purchased land at higher square-foot prices than MRP paid at the millsite, invested in necessary infrastructure internal to their subdivisions or townhome-exemption projects, built and sold projects, presumably at a profit, so its very difficult to understand why that model would not work in the Old Sawmill District.

Engen said the city would be willing to work with the Old Sawmill District to develop parking that would invite high-density housing, or would be willing to cooperate on traffic-calming on Wyoming Street. Engen noted that the URD II has a long list of projects that would benefit the entire community, including a pedestrian bridge over the Clark Fork River at the MRL trestle connecting the Bitterroot Trail north and south of the river. Engen said the city also wants to install sidewalks on California Street.

In addition, there are significant redevelopment opportunities on the Broadway and Russell Corridors, all of which meet public goals and significantly increase the tax base, Engen continued.

Karl Englund, the MRA board chair, said hes appreciative of the fact that the Wetherbees were able to redevelop a brownfield site through the last recession and noted that theyve brought a good development to the community.

Its simply a matter of priority and where we go from here in whats actually a little bit of time remaining, Englund said. Its a matter of being equitable and spreading work around on other valuable projects in other parts of the district.

Board member Nancy Moe also said she was opposed to using TIF for a request from the Wetherbees.

The MRA has been clear in the past it has invested what its going to invest in this area, she said. Board member Ruth Reineking agreed.

Behan noted that there would be concrete examples of tradeoffs if the MRA was to commit TIF to the tech campus. He said there are opportunities for affordable housing and public infrastructure to be built to the west and north of the Old Sawmill District, particularly on Broadway and west of Russell Street.

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Israeli surveillance drones violate Lebanese airspace over two dozen times

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 July 2020 9:39 AM

Lebanon says Israeli reconnaissance drones have entered the country's airspace and flown over the southern parts of the Arab country more than two dozen times in flagrant violation of a UN Security Council resolution.

The Lebanese Army said in a statement that the unmanned aerial aircraft crossed into Lebanese skies at around 5:50 a.m. local time (0250 GMT) on Friday and left at around 12 p.m. They hovered over southern Lebanon and conducted 20 missions.

The statement added that Israeli aircraft violated Lebanese airspace 9 times on Saturday.

All violations were in a circular flight format and are being monitored in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), it said.

"Enemy forces have flown unmanned air vehicles with observational purposes, and flown them over the southern Hula province," Lebanon's official National News Agency reported.

Lebanon's government, Hezbollah resistance movement and UNIFIL have repeatedly condemned Israel's overflights, saying they are in clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the country's sovereignty.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brokered a ceasefire in the war Israel launched against Lebanon in 2006, calls on Tel Aviv to respect Beirut's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In 2009, Lebanon filed a complaint with the UN, presenting over 7,000 documents pertaining to Israeli violations of the Lebanese territory.

On August 24 last year, two Israeli drones crashed in the southern neighborhood of the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Hezbollah said at the time that the first drone had fallen on a building, housing Hezbollah's media office in Dahiyeh suburb.

The second drone, which appeared to have been sent by Israel to search for the first one, had crashed in an empty plot nearby after exploding in the air, it added.

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the following day that his fellow fighters would counter any further violation of Lebanese airspace by Israel's unmanned aerial vehicles, warning the Tel Aviv regime to immediately cease such breaches.

"Hezbollah will endeavor to down all Israeli drones, which may violate Lebanon's airspace," he said in a televised speech at the time.

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(TNS)  One of the countrys most important technology trade groups has tapped Dr. Alex Garza, head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, to lead a new committee on the use of technology  from flying drones to curing data disasters  to combat future public health emergencies.Garza, chief medical officer at St. Louis-based SSM Health hospitals, joins executives from some of the largest U.S. companies and organizations, including Microsoft, CVS Health, Facebook and the Brookings Institute. The committee, convened by the Consumer Technology Association, is charged with reviewing the use of technology during health crises and expects to consider topics such as thermal maps, artificial intelligence, wearables and robotics.If you look at all the technologies to mitigate some of the worst consequences of this pandemic  they exist, said Rene Quashie, vice president of digital health of CTA. But we want to make sure that theyre used to their fullest potential.Drones, for example, could have been used to fly over crowds and read temperatures.But Garza, who helps set the committees agenda, has his eyes set on a different facet of technology: streamlining data flow. Over the past few months, he has witnessed firsthand the data inconsistencies and lags that have hampered public health officials ability to adequately respond to the novel coronavirus.Its been difficult to get a whole picture idea of whats going on with the pandemic from a regional, statewide, and national perspective, said Garza. Its a data presentation and aggregation problem.With COVID-19 testing, Garza said that there are many steps between sample collection and when the results are reported. The data has to make its way through many governmental bodies, and there are multiple failure points, he said.For example, President Donald Trumps administration last week directed hospitals to change how they report data to the federal government, leading the Missouri Hospital Association to lose access to the data it uses to guide state coronavirus mitigation efforts , just before Missouri COVID-19 caseloads began breaking records Garza also faulted the archaic nature of case reporting in Missouri. We were laid bare with this pandemic, he said. Missouris reporting system was decades old, difficult to use and difficult to get data out of.Some technologies have worked. Everyone agrees that telemedicine and remote patient monitoring have worked during this pandemic, said Quashie. If you look at telemedicine use statistics prior to pandemic, they were pretty low. The problem was getting people to try it.The committee, which began meeting in June, aims to produce a white paper by the end of the year. Quashie hopes it will guide state health departments as well as federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security. He also hopes the findings will be publicly available to showcase the full menu of technologies in dealing with a public health emergency. Picking Garza to co-chair the committee was a no-brainer , said Quashie.He is an important player in the COVID-19 response in St. Louis, he brings previous government experience, hes a clinician, and hes served in public positions, he said. And he also has Army experience.While an emergency medicine resident in 1997, he joined the U.S. Army Reserves and served as a battalion surgeon and public health team chief. He deployed to Iraq in 2003 and was awarded the Bronze Star and a Combat Action Badge.In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Garza as assistant secretary to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. He immediately went to work on the nations response to the H1N1 flu pandemic, which killed more than 12,000 people. After four years, he came back to St. Louis with his wife and three sons and became associate dean for public health practice and an associate professor of epidemiology at St. Louis University College of Public Health and Social Justice.Garza joined SSM in 2016 as vice president for medical affairs, and he became chief medical officer in 2018.I would like to hope that we will be more prepared for the next pandemic, he said. Weve learned a lot of valuable lessons in the way we do business, but it was through necessity rather than by choice. It was an experiment developed at warp speed to see what would happen.Microsoft Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Rhew will co-chair the committee, formally called the Public Health Tech Initiative.
New Delhi, July 27 : Amid the political crisis in Rajasthan, the Congress is pinning its hopes on President Ram Nath Kovind intervening in the matter and instructing Governor Kalraj Mishra to perform his constitutional duty, after the governor again returned the file sent by the government on Monday for convening an Assembly session.

Addressing a press conference, former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said, "I sincerely hope that honourable President of India will instruct the governor to perform his duty." The Governor has no "discretion" in the matter. The questions that the Governor had raised to stall the request were irrelevant and beyond his authority, Chidambaram said.

"Governor's current stand that the law gives him a 'discretion' to summon the assembly or not is a complete distortion of the law declared by the Courts," asserted Chidambaram.

The former Union Minister said governors appointed by the BJP since 2014 have repeatedly violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution of India.

"In the process, they have gravely impaired parliamentary democracy, its conventions and traditions," said Chidambaram.

He cited three landmark judgements of the Court when the Governors concerned acted in gross violation of the Constitution, in Arunachal Pradesh (2016), Uttarakhand (2016) and Karnataka (2019).

"Despite these judgements and the statements of law, the Governor of Rajasthan has stalled and "continues to stall" a perfectly valid request of the Council of Ministers of Rajasthan to convene a session of the Legislative Assembly," alleged Chidambaram.

"We are astonished and anguished by the attitude of the Governor of Rajasthan. We are therefore protesting today before all Raj Bhavans in the country to highlight the gravity of the issue and draw the people's attention to the violations of the Constitution," he said.

The Congress leader said that it is a settled law that the Governor shall act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.

"The fundamental basis of a parliamentary democracy is a functioning legislature. If the executive government wants the legislature to meet, it has the absolute right and authority to call a session. The Governor is only a formal instrument to sign and issue the summons to the MLAs. If a chief minister who is accused of not enjoying a majority wants to prove his majority, he is entitled to call a session at the earliest to prove his majority. No one can stand in his way. Placing any obstacle to calling the session would undermine the fundamental basis of a parliamentary democracy.

"We sincerely hope that the Governor of Rajasthan will obey the law and only the law, He must remember that he has no other masters except the Constitution and the law. He must immediately grant the request of the Council of Ministers and summon a session of the legislative assembly," Chidambaram said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The Winneba High Court has annulled the election of Professor Andy Ofori-Birikorang as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW).



Prof Ofori-Birikorang, who was the then Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages Education and Communication was elected on November 21, 2019, as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the UEW.



The university organised the election after the Winneba High Court on November 18, 2019, dismissed a suit filed by Dr Frimpong Kaakyire Duku, a senior lecturer and former President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) UEW Chapter who challenged the matter in court.



High Courts decision



The court presided over by Justice Aboagye Tandoh in its ruling Monday, July 27, 2020 ruled that the Vice-Chancellor, Rev Fr Professor Anthony Afful-Broni did not have the right per the statutes of the university to nominate only three preferred individuals to contest in the election, thereby restricting it to a chosen few.



Again, the court quashed the November 2019 election which gave the green light for the election of Prof Ofori-Birikorang as the Pro VC of the UEW as the earlier election had been declared null and void.



The court further ordered the management of the UEW to re-run the election to elect a new Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the university.

Source: GNA









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Campaigning for Egypt's first Senate election kicked off on Sunday and runs through 8 August

Lasheen Ibrahim, head of the National Elections Authority (NEA), announced on Sunday evening that the papers of 787 candidates for the 9 August Senate elections were accepted.

"This is the final number once appeals filed by rejected candidates were settled by courts on Sunday," said Ibrahim, adding that "an official list will be published by two state-owned newspapers this week."

Ibrahim said candidates are prohibited from raising religious slogans or using mosques and churches for campaigning.

Ibrahim stressed that the media should refrain from spreading rumors or showing bias to parties. "The media should provide fair coverage and deal with all candidates on equal footing," Ibrahim said.

Yasser El-Hodeibi, deputy chairman of the Wafd Party, said campaigning will be limited to posters of candidates in streets and squares in addition to online campaigning.

"Each poster or banner will include the candidate's name or party list, and the election symbol," said El-Hodeibi, indicating that "no public rallies will be held due to the coronavirus. Candidates can only hold personal meetings with voters or conduct door-to-door missions."

Semi-final tallies show that Mostaqbal Watan, or the Future of the Homeland Party, which holds the majority in the House of Representatives, has fielded the largest number of candidates, with reports indicating that 95 members will be contesting the 100 individual seats.

This makes Mostaqbal Watan the leading political party to field candidates for individual seats, followed by the Wafd Party, with only 20 candidates. There are 24 political parties fielding individual candidates.

Mostaqbal Watan also dominates among the 11 political parties running under the umbrella "The National Unified List" with the slogan "For the Sake of Egypt," fielding 59 candidates.

The other parties on the list include the People's Republican (10 candidates), the Guardians of the Nation (10 candidates), the Wafd (eight candidates), the National Movement (two candidates), the Reform and Development (three candidates), the Tagammu (two candidate), the Conference (one candidate), the Egyptian Freedom (one candidate), the Egyptian Democratic Socialist (three candidates), and Modern Egypt (one candidate).

There are two other party lists, the Ittihad and Long Live Egypt coalitions, which include candidates from a mix of low-profile political parties.

The fact that Mostaqbal Watan is the only party which fielded candidates for almost all seats led political analysts to speculate that the party will achieve an easy and landslide win.

Al-Ahram political analyst Amr Hashem Rabie said he expects that the Mostaqbal Watan-led Unified List will win almost uncontested.

"It is clear that the party has a lot of money and a big network of offices in all of Egypt, two factors which pushed most political parties to join its Unified List rather than run on their own," said Rabie, adding that "Mostaqbal Watan looks like a new ruling party though it is not the party of the government or the regime."

Mostaqbal Watan is a fervent supporter of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's economic and security policies.

Rabie fears that the lack of serious competition in the coming Senate election and the spread of the coronavirus will dissuade citizens from participating in the poll.

"I am afraid that the turnout will be low, also due to the fact that everyone knows that the Senate does not have significant powers," said Rabie.

Hossam El-Khouli, deputy chairman of the Mostaqbal Watan, however, believes that the Senate election will be a step forward in the direction of activating Egypt's political life.

"The Mostaqbal Watan-led list includes candidates from across the political spectrum in Egypt," said El-Khouli, adding that "the list includes candidates from radical leftist parties like the Egyptian Socialist Democratic Party, moderate leftist parties like the Tagammu, radical liberal parties like the Guardians of the Nation, and moderate liberal ones like the Wafd Party."

El-Khouli agrees that competition in the upcoming Senate poll will be limited to individual seats.

"There are 24 political parties fielding candidates for individual seats and this promises a lot of competition," said El-Khouli.

As for the party list seats, El-Khouli indicated that major political parties agreed that it is better for them to run on one unified list.

"This will ensure that the coming Senate comprise representatives from all political parties with diverse platforms and ideologies, and this is good for democracy," said El-Khouli.

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OTTAWA - The law extending the federal government's emergency wage subsidy for employers hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown made it through the Senate Monday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/7/2020 (541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises during a sitting of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic in the House of Commons Wednesday July 22, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - The law extending the federal government's emergency wage subsidy for employers hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown made it through the Senate Monday.

The package passed by the House of Commons last week also includes one-time payments for people with disabilities facing higher expenses, and extensions to legal deadlines for some court matters the pandemic has made hard or impossible to meet.

Bill C-20 passed on a voice vote without changes.

The extension to the wage subsidy program is the core of the Liberal government's plan to help the economy get back into shape through the fall, assisting employers with labour costs so they can operate even if business is slow.

The bill increases the maximum support available to the hardest-hit employers, but starts scaling back subsidies before ending them in December.

The special sitting was also a chance for Conservatives and other senators critical of the Liberal government to criticize its handling of the months-long crisis.

They cited the possibility of fraud in the signature Canada Emergency Response Benefit, a commercial rent-subsidy program merchants have complained is geared to landlords instead of them, and the complex formula underlying the extended wage subsidy.

They especially noted the aborted deal that handed management of a student-volunteering program to the WE organization.

"The Canada Student Service Grant is the proverbial icing on the cake on this series of government fiascos," said Conservative Sen. Thanh Hai Ngo. "Who designed this program? Did they truly believe that paying students to volunteer was preferable to them actually working?"

Conservative Sen. Larry Smith carried out a dramatic reading of the bureaucratic wage subsidy language, thundering through percentages of revenue declines and maximum top-ups to show how complex the program is.

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"Many people in small businesses, they don't have the technical capabilities, nor the money, nor, I'm not going to say the experience, to be able to do something like this," Smith said.

"I've got a headache, trying to understand this."

Others were more generous. Sen. Scott Tannas, an Alberta senator who was appointed as a Conservative but is now the interim leader of the mixed Canadian Senators Group, said he commended the government for its work, then paused and joked that he was waiting for lightning to strike him.

The extended wage subsidy provides "a bridge" from pandemic panic to recovery, he said.

"We have lots of opportunity to criticize, but I think this is an important step," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2020.
A high-level team of researchers from Israel, working with Indian experts to develop rapid testing kits for COVID-19 which can give the result within seconds, arrived here on Monday and is set to jointly carry out final stages of research to determine the effectiveness of advanced technologies developed for the rapid diagnosis of coronavirus infection.

The unique cooperation between Israel and India will enable the Israeli delegation to collect tens of thousands of samples in only 10 days, and to analyse them using computer systems based on artificial intelligence, a statement issued by Israel's defence and foreign affairs ministries said. This massive sampling will shorten processes and advance the approval of effective technology, it said.

The delegation will carry out the final stages of research in India to determine the effectiveness of advanced Israeli technologies developed for the rapid diagnosis of COVID-19, it said. The statement underlined that all the necessary Israeli and Indian approvals were acquired in preparation for this joint activity.

Dozens of sophisticated ventilators also arrived on board the special flight which arrived in Delhi Monday morning with a mission, code-named Operation Breathing Space, to work with Indian authorities in the fight against the pandemic. "Israel went out of its way to approve the export and transfer of these ventilators to India, while both countries continue to fight against the spread of the virus," Gilad Cohen, Deputy Director General for Asia and the Pacific at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in an article for 'The Times' of Israel.

"Israel's exceptional gesture today was a welcome 'thank you' to India, which, just a few months ago, sent medicine and other essential diagnostic equipment in severe global shortage at the time to Israel," he said. Israel's Ambassador to India Ron Malka, who led the delegation, said if a testing kit is developed that can give a result within seconds, it could be a "game changer" in the battle against COVID-19.

The Israeli defence ministry research and development team has been working with Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India K Vijay Raghavan and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop rapid testing for COVID-19 in less than 30 seconds, the Israeli Embassy had said last week. The special flight also brought with it breakthrough emerging Israeli technologies for combating COVID-19, Malka said.

Latest medical equipment developed in Israel to fight COVID-19 has been brought on the special flight, he said. "We also brought on this flight advanced respirators that are banned for export in Israel but a waiver was given to bring them to India," he added.

The joint statement issued by Israel's defence and foreign affairs ministries said that Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi spoke with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Sunday and updated him on the aircraft's status and equipment on board. The two ministers also discussed the importance of cooperation between the countries in the fight against coronavirus, it said.

The delegation comprises about 20 experts in various fields from Israel's Ministry of Defense, the Israel Defense Forces, the Isareli Ministry of Health and the industries who partnered in the development of the diagnostic solutions. Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have held three telephonic conversations in which they promised mutual assistance in dealing with the virus and committed to joint technological and scientific research between the two countries.
Scientists have created a blood test which diagnoses prostate cancer and identifies what stage the disease is at with 99 per cent accuracy.

Nottingham Trent University medics and clinicians developed the method in a bid to reduce invasive biopsies needed to confirm prostate cancer.

Scientists believe around 12,000 British men will die from prostate cancer in the UK this year.

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Scientists believe around 12,000 British men will die from prostate cancer in the UK this year. Nottingham Trent University medics and clinicians developed a blood test in a bid to reduce invasive procedures needed to confirm prostate cancer(stock)

Building on previous work the scientists found changes in the immune system can be identified in the blood of a patient.

The signals for the cancer are identified predominantly due to alterations in the white blood cells.

After blood is extracted, computers analyse the sample for signs of the disease and categorise it as either low, intermediate or high-risk.

These methods are 99 per cent accurate, according to the researchers who created the test.

Current blood tests for prostate cancer look for an elevated level of a 'prostate specific antigen' (PSA) and if the test is positive then a patient is sent for a biopsy.

After blood is extracted, computers analyse the sample for signs of the disease and categorise it as either low, intermediate or high-risk. These methods are 99 per cent accurate, according to the researchers who created the test (stock)

Prostate cancer death rates are predicted to fall this year by 9.5% Prostate death rates are expected to fall this year because of better diagnosis and treatment, research suggests. British death rates will be 9.5 per cent lower for 2020 than in 2015, according to a study. Scientists at the University of Milan, who assessed prostate cancer fatalities across the EU, said improved diagnosis and interventions are behind the shift. They forecast there will be 11.99 such deaths per 100,000 men this year in the UK, against 13.25 in 2015. Across the EU there will be a 7 per cent drop, according to projections published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The number of prostate deaths in the UK has increased in recent years  partly due to the growing population. But even with the number of people increasing, the cut in fatality rates will equate to a plateau in the total death figures, the research suggests. Advertisement

However, this method can be flawed as not all patients have elevated PSA levels, and some men who do not have the cancer have naturally high PSA levels.

This leads to either unnecessary investigations or missed diagnoses.

The new method would be administered to men who received a positive diagnosis from the PSA test and benefit men who are showing no symptoms but have a slightly elevated PSA level.

'New interventions for more accurately detecting the presence of prostate cancer are urgently needed,' said Professor Graham Pockley, Director of Nottingham Trent University's John van Geest Cancer Research Centre.

'Our approach not only identifies presence of the disease, but also  crucially  its clinical significance.

'We can also do this with higher accuracy than current approaches.

'This will spare men from having unnecessary invasive procedures and help clinicians to decide whether to 'watch' or 'actively manage' patients, even when they are asymptomatic but have mildly higher PSA levels.

'Due to the reduction in unnecessary biopsies, this would also result in significant savings for the NHS.'

Professor Masood Khan, consultant urologist at University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust and Visiting Professor at Nottingham Trent University, said: 'Improving our ability to detect men harbouring clinically significant prostate cancer will not only reduce the burden on the NHS but also avoid the unnecessary psychological impact of being diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer.'

The research is published in the journal eLife.
A pet cat has fallen ill with corornavirus in the UK after apparently catching Covid-19 from a human (RSPCA/PA)

A pet cat has fallen ill with coronavirus in the UK after apparently catching Covid-19 from its owners.

The infection was confirmed following tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha) laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey, on July 22.

Downing Street said the pet had shown symptoms of a respiratory infection with a nasal discharge and some shortness of breath.

The cat and its owners have all made a full recovery.

Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England (PHE), said: This is the first case of a domestic cat testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK but should not be a cause for alarm.

The investigation into this case suggests that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round.

At this time, there is no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans.

In line with the general advice on fighting coronavirus, you should wash your hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals.

A private vet initially diagnosed the pet with feline herpes virus, a common cat respiratory infection, but the sample was also tested for Covid-19 part of a research programme.

The case has been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health in line with international agreements.

There have been a small number of confirmed cases in pets in other countries in Europe, North America and Asia.

There is no evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans Christine Middlemiss, chief veterinary officer

The UKs chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, said: Tests conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency have confirmed that the virus responsible for Covid-19 has been detected in a pet cat in England.

This is a very rare event, with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within a few days.

There is no evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans.

We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will update our guidance to pet owners should the situation change.

A team of scientists at the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research are behind the programme to screen hundreds of samples for Covid-19 infections in the UK cat population.

Researchers at the CVR have now completed a full genome sequencing of the virus found in the infected cat.

The cat and its owners have since made a full recovery and there was no transmission of the virus to other animals or people in the household Professor Margaret Hosie

Professor Margaret Hosie, who works on the project, said: There have been sporadic reports of cats from Covid-19 households in Hong Kong, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the US that tested positive for (coronavirus) and were presumed to be infected from their owners, but this is the first report of an infected cat in the UK.

All available evidence suggests that the cat was infected from its owners, who had previously tested positive.

The cat and its owners have since made a full recovery and there was no transmission of the virus to other animals or people in the household.

Professor William Weir of the University of Glasgows School of Veterinary Medicine, said: The factors that govern why one species is susceptible to the Covid-19 virus while others are more resistant are currently unknown, but will likely reveal more about how this virus spreads and causes disease.

At present, there is no evidence that cats, dogs or other domestic animals play any role in the epidemiology of human infections with (Covid-19).

He said cats and dogs with reported infections usually recover and there has been no evidence of transmission occurring between cats or dogs.
Sometimes the culture wars are a distraction from the problems facing America. Sometimes they illuminate the underlying causes of those problems. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has offered an example of the latter phenomenon.

Last week, Cotton introduced a bill to prohibit federal funds from being used in schools to teach "The 1619 Project," which posits that slavery was embedded in the country's very foundation. Over the weekend, the senator explained his thinking to the Arkansas Democrat, a newspaper in his home state: "We have to study the history of slavery and its role and impact on the development of our country because otherwise we can't understand our country," Cotton conceded. But, he added: "As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction."

It is breathtaking in the year 2020 to hear a United States senator use the term "necessary evil" to describe slavery. But it is important to note that Cotton's comments came in a context: Millions of Americans are waiting on Congress to pass another economic relief package, lest they lose their homes and ability to feed their families. But Senate Republicans haven't taken action yet  in part because some of them worry that unemployment benefits are too generous.

There is a direct link between Cotton's comments and this execrable present state of affairs.

Let us back up, first, and examine what he said more closely. Rather ominously, Cotton's comments echoed America's original enslavers, who justified themselves by saying slavery was needed to build the south's economy  and to maintain white supremacy. Cotton, however, seemed to argue on Sunday that he meant only to refer to the Founders' views that the actual process of making a union  that is, bringing the states together under the Constitution to form the United States  required northern states to compromise in order to bring southern slave states into the fold. (Twitter pundits spent Sunday parsing Cotton's grammar to understand his statement.)

Story continues

Even viewed in that light, Cotton's statement is troubling, because it endorses the notion that the lives, bodies, and freedom of Black slaves were an acceptable down payment to build this country. The idea is abhorrent  and, for many Americans, was abhorrent at the time the time of the founding.

The antifederalists rejected the idea that it was worth accommodating slavery in order to achieve the union. Some recognized America's leaders wouldn't be willing to endure the evil they deemed necessary to inflict on others. "Where is the man, who under the influence of sober dispassionate reasoning, and not void of natural affection, can lay his hand upon his heart and say, I am willing my sons and my daughters should be torn from me and doomed to perpetual slavery?" a trio wrote for a Massachusetts newspaper in 1788. "We presume that man is not to be found amongst us: And yet we think the consequence is fairly drawn, that this is what every man ought to be able to say, who voted for this constitution."

There are some necessary evils in the world. Life can be messy. But all too often  and certainly in the case of slavery  such evils are a burden to be suffered by minorities, the poor, and other disadvantaged people, while a privileged few derive the benefits. Whenever the term "necessary evil" is used, it should be questioned: Necessary to whom? Evil for whom? And for what purpose? Is the evil truly justified, or merely convenient?

These questions are pertinent now. One reason the next round of stimulus is still in limbo is that some Republicans are opposed to extending the extra $600 a week in unemployment insurance that Congress originally approved to help Americans get through the pandemic. Republicans haven't deployed the term "necessary evil," but they are making the case it is more important to get people back to work than to pay to let them stay home.

"The original unemployment benefits actually paid people to stay home and actually a lot of people got more money staying at home than they would going back to work," White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said over the weekend. "So the president has been very clear, our Republican senators have been very clear, we're not going to extend that provision."

If the aim is to take care of Americans during the pandemic, then the solution is relatively easy: keep giving them money. If Republicans won't do so, it is worth asking why not. To ensure that existing businesses continue to have a cheap labor supply? To reduce unemployment rates to goose President Trump's election prospects? Why is it necessary to force Americans back to work? And is it truly worth the cost of endangering their health and safety  or is it just convenient for a few people at the top of the heap?

Low-wage work in a pandemic is certainly not the same thing as chattel slavery. Modern-day Americans still have a choice, technically, about whether to work or not. But a similar justification undergirds the viewpoints of elites in both cases: Humans are a means to an end  a better economy, efficient production, beating another country at war  instead of having value in and of themselves.

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The voter registration exercise which commenced a few weeks ago is gradually moving to an end but not without chaos, controversies, accusations and counter-accusations between the two major political parties; the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

It is surprising to see Ghana which is regarded as an icon of democracy on the continent and has gone through several successful elections since the beginning of the fourth republic in 1992 degenerate into chaos in a voter registration exercise for the December 2020 general elections.

This particular voter registration, unlike the previous ones, has recorded the unfortunate murder of a final year teacher trained at Banda who was mistaken for a party agent for NDC by an alleged NPP vigilante and knife attack on members belonging to both parties among others.

Another issue of very much concern to CEGA is the reported seizure in the Ajumako-Enyan Esiam constituency in the Central Region of arms and munitions in two vehicles; a silver-coloured Lexus SUV with registration number GG1000-20 and an unregistered pickup moving around the constituency. Upon a tip-off, these two vehicles together with others involved in the monitoring of the voter registration exercise in the region were searched by a Police mobile team, and quantities of arms and munitions were discovered in the two vehicles allegedly belonging to NPP party members. The occupants were arrested with their vehicles and taken to the Ajumako Police station for further investigations.

The CEGA views this development as very disturbing especially coming off the heels of a gun-fire incident by a Minister of State for Special Development Initiatives Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson and MP for Awutu Senya East at a registration center, Kasoa in Awutu Senya-East also in the Central Region. This has been highly condemned by a cross-section of the society and CEGA shares their concern.

As we congratulate the Central Regional Police for the swift action in arresting the people and seizing their deadly weapons, CEGA calls on the police to continue to show professionalism, be fair and firm in dealing with all the voter registration-related cases brought before them for action, and this will increase the trust of the people in the police as well as guarantee the safety of Ghanaians in the December 2020 elections.

Signed :

Prof. Ohene Adjei Executive Director 0208124706

Dr Justice Moses Aheto Executive Secretary 02425 27292

Mr George Yank ah

Communications Director 0242161111

Cc:

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A Hudson Regional Hospital security guard has been charged with stealing from three patients, including one who had died of COVID-19, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said.

Danny Rivera, 40, of Jersey City, a security guard at the Secaucus hospital, was charged on July 22 with three counts of theft and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, Miller said.

The thefts occurred on April 28, May 29 and July 15. Miller said more than $500 in cash and $20,000 in jewelry was taken in the three incidents. When the Secaucus Police Department Detective Bureau determined Rivera was the culprit, they searched his home and recovered some of the proceeds from the thefts, Miller said.

The criminal complaints said each of the three patients had stored their cash and valuables in a secure hospital safe, but Rivera had access to that safe and stole the items.

We are fully cooperating with authorities on the recent arrest of a former member of our security staff, said Hudson Regional Hospital spokesman Ron Simoncini. Out of respect for the investigation, we cannot comment further except to say that for an employee to steal from patients under our care insults every principle of Hudson Regional Hospitals existence and we deeply regret the incident."

Rivera was taken to Hudson County jail, but the offenses have been remanded to municipal court.
They've been enjoying quality time together since the end of lockdown and recently jetted to Saint-Tropez amid easing travel restrictions.

And Delilah Belle Hamlin couldn't stay away from her Love Island star boyfriend Eyal Booker on Sunday as they packed on the PDA during their romantic trip to the South of France.

American beauty Delilah, 22, highlighted her enviable model frame in a purple bikini as she soaked up the sun at the luxury Hotel Barriere Majestic Cannes.

PDA: Delilah Belle Hamlin couldn't stay away from boyfriend Love Island's Eyal Booker on Sunday as they packed on the PDA during their romantic trip to the South of France

The eldest daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin accentuated her narrow midriff and slender pins with aplomb in the PrettyLittleThing two-piece.

The runway star opted to keep her accessories to a minimum and complemented her beach attire with a pearl necklace and a pair of oversized shades.

Making the most of the idyllic weather, she swept her blonde locks into a low chignon as she enjoyed her tanning session.

Following his other half's lead, Eyal, 24, showcased his toned physique in a pair of the cream-coloured swimming shorts while his curl brown locks were swept off his face in a wet style.

Suit you: Delilah highlighted her enviable model frame in a purple bikini as she soaked up the sun alongside her love at the luxury Hotel Barriere Majestic Cannes

Sea-sational: The pair couldn't keep away from one another during their beach day

Cosy: The couple looked happier than ever during their romantic beach day

The couple looked happier than ever during their romantic beach day as Eyal leaned in for a series of kisses with his striking other half.

Earlier this month, the couple hit the beach at Camber Sands in East Sussex with their beloved pooch Benji.

The model showed off her impressive physique in a tiny yellow bikini, while the Love Island star wore blue and white checked swimming trunks.

The couple packed on the PDA during their day out, with Delilah leaning over her beau for a selfie as they both beamed into the camera.

Relaxed: The runway star complemented her beach attire with a pearl necklace

Seas the day: The eldest daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin accentuated her narrow midriff in the PrettyLittleThing two-piece

No shade: She also sported a pair of oversized shades while she relaxed on a sunlounger

In another picture, Eyal snapped his love as she braved a frolick in the English sea with their dog.

Delilah showed off her toned abs and beachy hair style during the day out and accessorised with a collection of summery necklaces.

The reality star captioned the images: 'Benji's first time at the beach & our first time going to the the english coast together. Really missing the sunshine I forget how much it effects my mood. Sunnier days are coming!' (sic)

The couple confirmed their romance in May last year and have since been seen packing on the PDA on a number of occasions.

Leaning in: Eyal leaned in for a series of kisses with his striking other half throughout their day out

Helping hand: Eyal appeared to help apply suncream to Delilah's back

Snap happy: The style maven made sure to capture their romantic day on the beach as she snapped photos in between topping up her tan

Last month, Eyal took to Instagram to share a number of sweet throwback snaps of the couple, where he also penned a gushing message in which he declared he was 'So proud to call you my girlfriend.'

Having been kept apart during their long distance relationship amid the pandemic, Eyal turned to social media to shower his model girlfriend with praise.

He penned: 'Happy 22nd Birthday My Love. Thank you for bringing so much love & happiness into my life.

'Watching you grow over the past year makes me so proud to call you my girlfriend. Thank f*$k you slid into my DMs. Never stop shining. I Love You.'
A stern warning for consumers of an increased risk of staycation scams as fraudsters exploit current travel restrictions and the demand for domestic holidays following the latest Government advise to holiday at home, has been issued today.

FraudSMART, the fraud awareness initiative led by Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI), made their comments following the latest research from Failte Ireland showing that 60% of people are now planning a break in Ireland in the next six months.

They are urging consumers to take extra caution as they go about booking their holiday and to avoid falling victim to what can be very sophisticated scams that can dupe an unsuspecting person or family. This can, in some cases, put that same family out of pocket, by thousands of euros.

Keith Gross, Head of Financial Crime & Security, BPFI in warning about the risks said: In light of the recently published Green List and Government advise on non-essential foreign travel and holidaying at home this summer there has been a surge in demand for staycation holidays as people opt to stay in Ireland. We know that in June alone the number of people searching for holiday homes around the country was up 112% on the same time last year*.

As a result of this pent-up demand, we are warning consumers of an increased risk in holiday purchase scams as fraudsters take advantage of this. The types of scams we anticipate include copycat websites offering holiday accommodation which will look almost identical to the legitimate site. We are also warning consumers to be on the lookout for fake emails and ads on social media offering holiday deals which appear to be offering bargain prices but are in reality too good to true.

Today we are warning consumers to take extra caution when they are booking domestic holidays and are outlining the key advice holidaymakers should follow to avoid getting caught out and risk loosing their hard earned cash along with their holiday. This include simple checks and tips such as ensuring any website that you use to book a holiday is genuine, never clicking through to a sellers website via an email link or social media advert and never forgetting that if an offer looks too good to be true is usually is.

Top tips and checks when researching and booking staycation accommodation

* Thoroughly research any on-line offer. Check website/web address is genuine and only purchase through an official website.

Type the URL of the company/seller directly into your browser rather than clicking on it from an e-mail or social media post which could take you to a fraudulent site.

* Avoid cheap on-line deals or super deals youll find on social media ads. If the price of your holiday is considerably cheaper that the average cost elsewhere you should be suspicious. Remember if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.

* Check out whether the website offering the deal has been reviewed online across different trusted sources.

Use a reputable company and make sure the web address for the reputable company is legitimate.

* Independently verify the property if possible by using Google maps/Street view.

* If renting private /self -catering accommodation, call the owner or agent directly to ensure that it is a real listing also look out to see if the company/firm/owner is a member of a recognised travel/accommodation authority

Most listings are genuine and legitimate but watch out for fake listings. Popular and well known holiday booking websites such as Airbnb, booking.com and FiveStar.ie are reliable places to find accommodation.

* Fake Websites and Fake Social Media Accounts  scammers and criminals will use the opportunity of holiday offers and deals to set up fake websites offering cheap on-line deals which are used to obtain your money and personal information. Websites may look like that of a genuine organisation but subtle changes in the web address indicate that it is fraudulent. Beware of lookalike domain spelling errors in emails and websites addressed.

* Be vigilant. Scammers and criminals do contact people by social media scam ads and posts, phishing e-mails, texts and via calls to scam them. The links contained in the posts ultimately take you to fake websites requesting your personal and financial information.

* Be wary of unsolicited promotional emails, pop-ups and other online adverts offering deals or cheap offers. Never click or follow on an embedded link or weblink that arrives in an e-mail. Instead use your browser to find your holiday booking and check their official website

* Warning sign if you are being pressured. You are rushed and pressured into making a decision there and then, last chance to book or avoid missing this booking is constantly referenced.

As with any on-line offer, pay particular attention to the Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) and always read the small print in such offers.

* Be wary of paying a private individual by bank transfer. Paying by direct bank transfer means your money will be difficult to trace in the event of something going wrong and if it is a scam, it will be very difficult to get your money back.

Genuine suppliers/sellers traditionally have a merchant portal.

Further information on holiday scams and other fraud types can be found on the FraudSMART website www.fraudSMART.ie
Cairo:

An Egyptian appeals court on Tuesday quashed one of the two life sentences handed down to ex-president Mohamed Morsi and ordered a retrial in connection with an espionage case.

The court also quashed life sentence of 15 other Muslim Brotherhood leaders. The defendants were accused of spying with foriegn organisations, including the Palestinian military movement Hamas, funding terrorism and disclosing national security.

The court also cancelled death sentences against 16 defendants, including leaders Khyrat el-Shater, Mohamedel-Beltagy Ahmed Abdel Aty. Thirteen of the 16 were sentencedin absentia.

Last week, Egyptian court quashed the death sentences given to 65-year-old Morsi and Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie and 25 other Brotherhood leaders. The court also cancelled life sentences for 21 others inthe same case.

Last month, an Egyptian Court confirmed a 20-year prisonsentence against ex-president Mohamed Morsi for taking part in citing violence near Ittihadeya presidential palace in 2012, juridical sources said.

Morsi was sentenced to life in prison in two othertrials. He was convicted of spying for Iran, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

Morsi is still in prison in other cases, including spying and handing documents of national security importance to Qatari intelligence through a news channel. Morsi came to power after Egypt's long-time President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in 2011. He was toppled by the current President Abdel Fattahal-Sisi following mass street protests.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Strong commercial dynamic

Order entry up +9.4% year-on-year, Book to bill ratio at 112% (Q2 at 121%)

Revenue at  5,627 million, -2.8% organically (Q2 at -4.8%)

Cost actions leading to an Operating margin at  450 million, 8.0% of revenue

Working capital timing effects leading to a Free cash flow at  -172 million

Normalized diluted EPS at  2.93

Cybersecurity and Decarbonization acquisitions announced today

All 2020 objectives confirmed

Paris, July 27, 2020 - Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announced its financial results for the first half of 2020.

Elie Girard, CEO, said: During the first half of 2020, in the very specific context of the pandemic, we prioritized the health and safety of our people, while ensuring business continuity to our customers by delivering critical services supported by our resilient business model. We also started early in the semester to prepare our customers for the post-Covid times through our Future-Ready portfolio of offerings.

Thanks to this timely strategy and the unique profile of the Group, Revenue only declined by -2.8 % organically, with the bottom of the curve reached in Q2. While taking care of our customers in this very special period, our close to 110 000 colleagues around the world have achieved an outstanding commercial performance, with an Order Entry increased by close to 10% year-on-year. We signed in Q2 several large contracts encompassing Digital, Cloud and Security. Last but not least, the pipeline strongly increased by  1.2bn, with customers progressively focusing on front-end transformation, Full Stack Cloud migration and Employee Experience while the demand also accelerates in Business Critical Applications, Digital Security as well as Decarbonization. In the latter domains, the acquisitions announced today will reinforce further our capabilities.

This strong dynamic also reflects the fast progress in the implementation of our SPRING program driving Industry specific offerings and go-to-market approach while enhancing our culture of customer obsession. With these first results of the Groups pivoting, we are definitely very well positioned to deliver all our objectives this year as an important step towards our mid-term targets disclosed at our 2020 Analyst Day last month.

Story continues

H1 2020 performance by Industry

Revenue was  5,627 million, down -2.8% organically. In the context of Covid-19 crisis, Group revenue decreased only slightly thanks to its solid positioning in most of the Industries.





Revenue Operating margin Operating margin % In  million H1 2020 H1 2019* Organic

evolution H1 2020 H1 2019* H1 2020 H1 2019* Manufacturing 1,037 1,142 -9.2% 13 81 1.2% 7.1% Financial Services & Insurance 1,077 1,126 -4.3% 126 147 11.7% 13.1% Public Sector & Defense 1,216 1,146 +6.1% 116 97 9.5% 8.5% Telecom, Media & Technology 836 885 -5.6% 84 55 10.0% 6.2% Resources & Services 804 827 -2.8% 43 73 5.3% 8.9% Healthcare & Life Sciences 657 665 -1.2% 68 71 10.3% 10.7% Total 5,627 5,792 -2.8% 450 525 8.0% 9.1% * At constant scope and exchange rates

Manufacturing reached  1,037 million of revenue, down -9.2% at constant scope and exchange rates. The Industry was impacted by a significant decrease of its activity mainly in Q2 due to Covid-19 in the Automotive and Aerospace sectors, especially in Southern Europe, North America and Central Europe. The Industry was also impacted by lower volumes with Siemens, mainly in North America, and the base effect of contracts ended in 2019 in Northern Europe. Operating margin reached  13 million, representing 1.2% of revenue, due to some one-offs on difficult contracts and as a consequence of the revenue drop, and impacted by the ability to reduce the costs only partially within the first semester.

Financial Services & Insurance revenue was  1,077 million, down by -4.3% organically. The Industry was impacted mainly in Q2 by a decrease of activities as several banking institutions have postponed and reduced discretionary expenses in the context of Covid-19. This was more particularly the case in North America and Central Europe while sales performed last year in Growing Markets were not repeated. Operating margin was  126 million, representing 11.7% of revenue, decreasing by -130 basis points compared to last year, mainly impacted by revenue decrease in North America.

Public Sector & Defense revenue was  1,216 million, up +6.1% organically, accelerating in Q2 2020 to reach +9.0%. The growth was driven by a strong demand in High Performance Computing activities, mainly in Northern Europe with a weather forecast institution and in Central Europe with a research center, while projects delivered last year in Southern Europe were not repeated. All other businesses were very resilient; this was particularly the case with higher volumes with European Union Institutions in Cloud solutions in Northern Europe and new SAP Hana deals in Central Europe. Operating margin reached  116 million, representing 9.5% of revenue, an improvement by +100 basis points, led by the growth of the activity, a better business mix and strong costs reduction initiatives.

Telecom, Media & Technology reached  836 million, down -5.6% organically. The Industry was impacted by application projects postponed and some contracts ramped down in most of the geographies, as well as legacy activities of Unified Communication & Collaboration, more particularly in Central Europe. On the opposite, a strong performance was recorded in North America led by Digital Workplace offerings, the ramp-up of a contract signed in Q1 with a major engineering company, new businesses and extensions with large tech and media companies, and finally organic growth from newly acquired Maven Wave. Operating margin was  84 million or 10.0% of revenue, up +380 basis points, led by positive one-off transactions and effective cost measures.

Revenue in Resources & Services reached  804 million, down by -2.8% organically. The business was strong in Energy & Utilities but more challenging in Retail & Transportation due to the high exposure to the pandemic. The project activities were impacted by less discretionary expenses mainly in North America and Southern Europe. Legacy Unified Communication & Collaboration activities remained challenging particularly in Central Europe. Conversely, the business was strong in Big Data & Cybersecurity with new projects in Energy & Utilities in Southern Europe, Growing Markets, and Central Europe. Operating margin reached  43 million, representing 5.3% of revenue, down -350 basis points, coming from the revenue decrease, which actions on costs could only partly compensate, and a lower margin in the start-up phase of some new contracts.





Healthcare & Life Sciences revenue was  657 million. The revenue decrease was limited to -1.2%, as the Industry delivered +2.6% organic growth in Q2. Application projects were postponed particularly for hospitals in North America, while Southern Europe recorded a strong activity in Digital projects. Conversely, the business segments based on multi-year contracts were resilient and achieving a global stability in revenue over the semester with an acceleration during the second quarter. Operating margin was  68 million, representing 10.3% of revenue, broadly stable compared to last year.

H1 2020 performance by Regional Business Unit

Revenue Operating margin Operating margin % In  million H1 2020 H1 2019* Organic

evolution H1 2020 H1 2019* H1 2020 H1 2019* North America 1,355 1,423 -4.8% 208 193 15.3% 13.5% Northern Europe 1,360 1,368 -0.6% 101 134 7.4% 9.8% Central Europe 1,370 1,372 -0.1% 42 86 3.1% 6.3% Southern Europe 1,143 1,229 -7.0% 86 85 7.5% 6.9% Growing Markets 399 399 -0.0% 54 65 13.4% 16.4% Global structures - - - -40 -38 -0.7% -0.7% Total 5,627 5,792 -2.8% 450 525 8.0% 9.1% * At constant scope and exchange rates

The first half of 2020 and more particularly the second quarter were impacted by lockdowns and restrictions which affected application project activities and fertilization on existing contracts, while businesses such as Digital Workplace, Cloud transformation, Big Data and Digital Security either continued to grow or were very resilient. Revenue was the most affected in Southern Europe where public measures were the most stringent. In North America, while the Covid-19 pandemic hit later than in Europe, customers took drastic reduction actions earlier.

In North America , revenue reached  1,355 million , decreasing by -4.8% organically mainly coming from project postponements and volume reductions in several Industries. The Business Unit achieved growth in Telecom, Media & Technology as well as in Public Sector & Defense thanks to the ramp-up of the NG911 contract in California. Conversely, Manufacturing faced non-repeated product sales performed last year as well as volume decrease with Siemens;

In Northern Europe , revenue was roughly stable at  1,360 million . Strong business was recorded in Public Sector & Defense mainly led by the continuation of the new contract with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast, and with European Union Institutions. The situation was more challenging in Telecom, Media & Technology, impacted by application projects postponed and some contracts ramped down, as well as in Manufacturing due to the base effect of contracts ended in 2019;

In Central Europe , revenue was stable at  1,370 million , led by Big Data platforms in Public Sector & Defense, as well as new Digital Workplace contract with a global Life Sciences company and healthcare provider. The geography was impacted by application projects postponed particularly in Manufacturing (aerospace and automotive industries) and in Telecom, Media & Technology, as well as the legacy activity of Unified Communication & Collaboration. Conversely, the geography performed new sales with a large German manufacturer, new SAP Hana projects with Siemens, and increasing volumes with BASF and Rheinmetall;

In Southern Europe , revenue reached  1,143 million , decreasing by -7.0% organically. The geography was impacted by application projects postponed particularly in Resources & Services and Telecom, Media & Technology, as well as non-repeated sales in High Performance Computing activities performed last year both in Public Sector & Defense and in Manufacturing;

Growing Markets was stable year-on-year at  399 million revenue. APAC and Middle East & Africa were roughly flat, the activity in South America was growing particularly in Resources & Services, while Major Events was impacted by the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.





Operating margin reached 8.0% of revenue representing  450 million, down -110 basis points compared to last year. The strong cost actions implemented end of Q1 have partly mitigated the revenue effect in most of the geographies. The situation was more challenging in Central Europe, more particularly in Germany due to a lack of flexibility in labor costs and some one-offs on difficult contracts.

Commercial activity

During the first semester of 2020, the Group order entry reached  6,280 million, representing a book to bill ratio of 112%, of which 121% in the second quarter.

Book to Bill ratio was particularly high in Public Sector & Defense at 148%, Telecom, Media & Technology at 127%, and Financial Services & Insurance at 120%.

The main new contracts signed over Q2 included notably a large outsourcing contract in Financial Services & Insurance in Northern Europe, a Server and Cloud Management contract with a Belgian grid operator in Resources & Services, an application modernization contract with a student loans group (Financial Services & Insurance), and a new contract with a customs and fiscal union (Public Sector & Defense), as well as a large contract with a German specialized manufacturer in Central Europe (Manufacturing).

Contract renewals in Q2 included large signatures with notably the European Commission (Public Sector & Defense) in Northern Europe, a large American financial services company (Financial Services & Insurance) and Texas Department of Information Resources (Public Sector & Defense) in North America, and a large French electricity and gas supplier (Resources & Services) in Southern Europe, as well as a German banking institution (Financial Services & Insurance) in Central Europe.

In line with the commercial activity, the full backlog at the end of June 2020 amounted to  22.5 billion, compared to  21.9 billion at the end of December 2019, representing 1.9 year of revenue. The full qualified pipeline was  8.6 billion, compared to  7.4 billion at the end of December 2019 and representing 8.8 months of revenue.

Operating income and net income

Operating income for the first half of 2020 year was  362 million, resulting from the following items.

Staff reorganization costs amounted to  -80 million with the acceleration of the adaptation of the Group workforce in several countries, in particular in Germany. Rationalization costs were  -22 million resulting from the closure of office premises and data center consolidation, mainly in North America and France. Integration and acquisition costs amounted to  -20 million and were mainly related to the integration costs of Syntel to generate synergies as well as migration and standardization of internal IT platforms from previous acquisitions.

Purchase Price Allocation amortization was stable at  -78 million in H1 2020. Equity-based compensation plans also remained stable at  -35 million in H1 2020. In the first half of 2020, other items amounted to  147 million, compared to  -24 million in the first half of 2019. The H1 2020 amount included the net gain, before tax, on the disposal of the Worldline shares which occurred in February 2020 for  120 million. Additionally, the remaining 3.8% Worldline stake is no longer accounted for under the equity method and was therefore valued at the fair value at the disposal date, leading to a profit of  54 million.

Net financial expenses amounted to  -1 million for the period compared to  -79 million for the first half of 2019. The variation mainly came from the decrease of the cost of debt from  -36 million to  -21 million as a consequence of the successive debt reimbursements in H2 2019 and in H1 2020 thanks to the disposals of Worldline shares, as well as the net variance for  +41 million related to the part of the Optional Exchangeable Bonds which is treated as a derivative from an accounting standpoint and the underlying Worldline shares.

The tax charge for the first half of 2020 was  -34 million corresponding to an annualized projected Effective Tax Rate (ETR) of 18.5% (excluding the tax effect of the Worldline transaction).

As the 3.8% remaining stake in Worldline is no longer accounted for under the equity method, Share of net profit of associates accounted for under the equity method is not significant and amounted to  3 million in the first half of 2020. Non-controlling interests amounted to  -1 million.

As a result, the Group reported a net income of  329 million for the half year ended June 30, 2020, representing 5.8% of Group revenue, compared to  180 million for continuing operations in H1 2019. Both basic EPS Group share and diluted EPS Group share were  3.02 compared to  1.68 for both (for continuing operations) in H1 2019.

The normalized net income was  319 million, representing 5.7% of Group revenue, compared to  343 million for continuing operations in H1 2019. Both normalized basic EPS Group share and normalized diluted EPS Group share were  2.93 compared to  3.21 for both (for continuing operations) in H1 2019.

Free cash flow

Group free cash flow during the first half of 2020 was  -172 million, compared to  +23 million in the first half of 2019. The variation results mainly from c.  -60 million less Operating Margin before Depreciation and Amortization (OMDA) and from several working capital effects which will be recovered for a large part in the second semester.

OMDA was  774 million representing 13.8% of revenue, compared to 14.5% of revenue in June 2019, reflecting the decrease of the operating margin, partly compensated by an improvement of the margin quality.

Capital expenditures totaled  -186 million, representing 3.3% of revenue, 30 bps higher than the same period last year. For the full year, capital expenditure will be in line with 2019, below 3% of revenue.

Change in working capital was  -407 million compared to  -269 million in the first half of 2019 due to reduced sales of receivables variation over the semester for c.  -65 million, timing effect of third party payments which became due in the first semester for c.  -50 million, as well as increased work in progress on large deliveries of High Performance Computing for c.  -25 million. All these effects will be caught up by year end. As of June 30, 2020,  795 million of trade receivables were sold, compared to  873 million as of December 31, 2019.

Cash out related to taxes paid amounted to  -55 million, Cost of net debt represented  -21 million, decreasing by  15 million due to the full reimbursement in November 2019 of the $ 1,900 million term loan related to the Syntel acquisition and the early redemption of a  600 million bond in April 2020.

Reorganization, rationalization and associated costs, and integration and acquisition costs amounted to  -97 million in the first half of 2020. A larger portion of reorganization costs was pulled forward into H1 to maximize the impact on the full year operating margin.

Finally, Others amounted to  -7 million in first half of 2020. An improvement of  19 million versus H1 2019 due to a decrease of one-time impacts.

Net cash evolution

Net acquisitions/disposals in H1 2020 amounted to  1,239 million mainly relating to the disposal of the Worldline shares which occurred in February 2020 and the acquisition of Maven Wave.

In H1 2020, the impact of share buy-backs was  -45 million compared to  -76 million in the first half of 2019. These share buy-back programs are related to the delivery of shares under long-term incentive plans and aim at avoiding any dilution for the shareholders.

In the first half of 2020, no dividends were paid by Atos SE due to the exceptional circumstances linked to the Covid-19.

Foreign exchange rate fluctuation determined on debt or cash exposure by country represented an increase in net debt of  62 million mainly in U.S. dollar, Indian rupee and Brazilian real.

As a result, Group net debt position as of June 30, 2020 was  779 million, compared to  1,736 million as of December 31, 2019. As a reminder, assuming the full conversion of the Optional Exchangeable Bonds, net debt would be  279 million.

Human resources

The total headcount of the Group was 106,980 at the end of June 2020 compared to 108,317 at the end of December 2019. The Group welcomed 374 new employees from Maven Wave and Miner & Kasch acquisitions.

Excluding this scope effect, the staff decreased by -1.6% taking into account Covid-19 crisis and accompanying and anticipating the effect of automation and robotization. During the first semester of 2020, the Group hired 7,176 staff, compared to 9,165 in H1 2019. Hiring has been mainly achieved in offshore/nearshore countries such as India and Poland. Attrition rate was 11.8% at Group level (15.1% in H1 2019) with a strong reduction in Q2, of which 16.7% in offshore/nearshore countries.

2020 objectives

The Group confirms all its objectives for 2020, still based on the macroeconomic scenario of a progressive recovery over H2 2020 and 2021, as well as the managements daily discussions with Group customers:

Revenue organic evolution: between -2% and -4%;

Operating margin rate: 9% to 9.5% of revenue;

Free cash flow:  0.5 billion to  0.6 billion.

Mid-term targets

On June 24, 2020, at the occasion of its 2020 Analyst Day, the Group presented its mid-term ambition to become the Leader in Secure and Decarbonized Digital, as well as its mid-term targets:

Revenue growth at constant currency: +5% to +7%;

Operating margin rate: 11% to 12% of revenue;

Free cash flow: an operating margin conversion rate to free cash flow above 60%.

Two strategic moves announced today in the field of Cybersecurity and Decarbonization

In line with its mid-term ambition including Decarbonization and Cybersecurity, Atos announced today that it has:

signed an agreement to acquire EcoAct , an internationally recognized carbon reduction strategy consulting firm based in France with over 150 employees and climate experts worldwide. The closing of the transaction is expected to take place in H2 and is subject to the final approval of Atos and EcoAct governance bodies;

entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire digital.security, a leading independent player in Cybersecurity in France and BeLux with 250 cybersecurity consultants and specific IoT knowledge. The closing of the transaction is expected to take place before the end of the year and is subject to the consultation with employee representative bodies of both companies.

For more details, please see the two separate press releases issued today.

Appendix

Revenue and operating margin at constant scope and exchange rates reconciliation

In  million H1 2020 H1 2019 % change Statutory revenue 5,627 5,744 -2.0% Exchange rates effect 14 Revenue at constant exchange rates 5,627 5,758 -2.3% Scope effect 32 Exchange rates effect on acquired/disposed perimeters 2 Revenue at constant scope and exchange rates 5,627 5,792 -2.8% Statutory operating margin 450 529 -15.1% Scope effect -6 Exchange rates effect 1 Operating margin at constant scope and exchange rates 450 525 -14.4% as % of revenue 8.0% 9.1%

Scope effects amounted to  +32 million for revenue and  -6 million for operating margin. They are mainly related to:

the acquisition of Maven Wave, consolidated as of February 1, 2020 (5 months for  +44 million for revenue and  +2 million for operating margin);

other acquisitions (Miner & Kasch, IDnomic, X-PERION) for a total amount of  +13 million for revenue and a neutral combined effect on operating margin;

the disposal of some specific Unified Communication & Collaboration activities mostly in H1 2020 as well as former ITO activities in the UK beginning of H2 2019, and the disposal and decommissioning of non-strategic activities within CVC, for a total amount of  -25 million for revenue and  -7 million for operating margin.

Currency exchange rates effects positively contributed to revenue for  +15 million and to operating margin for  +1 million mostly related to the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Euro which has more than compensated the depreciation of both the Argentinian peso and the Brazilian real against the Euro over the period.

H1 2020 revenue performance by Division

Revenue In  million H1 2020 H1 2019* Organic

evolution Infrastructure & Data Management 3,101 3,179 -2.4% Business & Platform Solutions 1,963 2,128 -7.7% Big Data & Cybersecurity 563 485 +16.0% Total 5,627 5,792 -2.8% * At constant scope and exchange rates





Q2 2020 revenue performance by Industry

Revenue In  million Q2 2020 Q2 2019* Organic

evolution Manufacturing 499 588 -15.2% Financial Services & Insurance 550 584 -5.9% Public Sector & Defense 632 580 +9.0% Telecom, Media & Technology 393 446 -11.9% Resources & Services 386 411 -6.1% Health & Life Sciences 334 326 +2.6% Total 2,794 2,935 -4.8% * At constant scope and exchange rates

Q2 2020 revenue performance by Regional Business Unit

Revenue In  million Q2 2020 Q2 2019* Organic

evolution North America 674 724 -6.9% Northern Europe 662 672 -1.5% Central Europe 704 712 -1.2% Southern Europe 549 620 -11.4% Growing Markets 205 207 -1.0% Total 2,794 2,935 -4.8% * At constant scope and exchange rates

Conference call

Today, Monday July 27, 2020, the Group will hold a conference call in English at 08:00 am (CET - Paris), chaired by Elie Girard, CEO, in order to comment on Atos first half 2020 results and answer questions from the financial community.

You can join the webcast of the conference:

on atos.net, in the Investors section

by smartphones or tablets through the scan of:

by telephone with the dial-in, 5-10 minutes prior the starting time: France +33 1 70 70 07 81 code 4691846 Germany +49 69 2222 2625 code 4691846 UK +44 844 481 9752 code 4691846 US +1 646 741 3167 code 4691846 Other countries +44 2071 928338 code 4691846



After the conference, a replay of the webcast will be available on atos.net , in the Investors section.

Forthcoming events

October 22, 2020 Third quarter 2020 revenue

Contacts

Investor Relations: Gilles Arditti +33 1 73 26 00 66

gilles.arditti@atos.net

Media: Sylvie Raybaud +33 6 95 91 96 71

sylvie.raybaud@atos.net

About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 110,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of  12 billion. European number one in Cloud, Cybersecurity and High-Performance Computing, the Group provides end-to-end Orchestrated Hybrid Cloud, Big Data, Business Applications and Digital Workplace solutions. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos|Syntel, and Unify. Atos is a SE (SocietasEuropaea), listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index.

The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.

Disclaimer

This document contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including references, concerning the Group's expected growth and profitability in the future which may significantly impact the expected performance indicated in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are linked to factors out of the control of the Company and not precisely estimated, such as market conditions or competitors behaviors. Any forward-looking statements made in this document are statements about Atos beliefs and expectations and should be evaluated as such. Forward-looking statements include statements that may relate to Atos plans, objectives, strategies, goals, future events, future revenues or synergies, or performance, and other information that is not historical information. Actual events or results may differ from those described in this document due to a number of risks and uncertainties that are described within the 2019 Universal Registration Document filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF) on March 3, 2020 under the registration number D.20-0096. Atos does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation or responsibility to update or amend any of the information above except as otherwise required by law. This document does not contain or constitute an offer of Atos shares for sale or an invitation or inducement to invest in Atos shares in France, the United States of America or any other jurisdiction.

Revenue organic growth is presented at constant scope and exchange rates.

Industries include Manufacturing (Aerospace, Automotive, Chemicals, Consumer Packaged Goods (Food & Beverage), Discrete Manufacturing, Process Industries, Services and Siemens), Financial Services & Insurance (Insurance, Banking & Financial Services, and Business Transformation Services), Public Sector & Defense (Defense, Education, Extraterritorial Organizations, Public Administration, Public Community Services and Major Events), Telecom, Media & Technology (High Tech & Engineering, Media, and Telecom), Resource & Services (Energy, Retail, Transportation & Hospitality, and Utilities) and Healthcare & Life Sciences (Healthcare and Pharmaceutical).

Regional Business Units include North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico), Northern Europe (United Kingdom & Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Sweden), Central Europe (Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Switzerland), Southern Europe (France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy) and Growing Markets including Asia-Pacific (Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand), South America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay), Middle East & Africa (Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Qatar, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey and UAE), Major Events, Global Cloud Hub, and Global Delivery Centers.

Attachment




Federal police have charged a man with bribing a Malaysian official in order to secure the sale of a multi-million dollar apartment complex in Melbourne's south-east.

Boon Lye Teen, also known as Dennis Teen, was charged on July 9 with bribing a foreign official and four counts of false accounting relating to the sale in 2013 of a student accommodation block called Dudley House in Melbourne's south-east to a Malaysian government entity.

The student accommodation block Dudley House in Caulfield East.

The charges come five years after an investigation by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald which revealed the price of the Caulfield East property had allegedly been inflated by $4.75 million to provide kickbacks to a group of Malaysian officials.

Mr Teen, 68, has been charged with bribing a foreign public official on March 8, 2013 in Vermont South.
London, July 27 : Manchester United and Chelsea have sealed their spots in the UEFA Champions League next season after both earned victories that kept them in the top four on the final day of the 2019/20 English Premier League campaign.

In a direct battle for a UEFA Champions League spot at King Power Stadium on Sunday, Bruno Fernandes's penalty and Jesse Lingard's stoppage-time strike were enough for United to secure a 2-0 victory over Leicester City, meaning the Red Devils finish above Chelsea in third on goal difference.

Leicester finished fifth after their defeat and will compete in the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League.

On the other hand, first-half goals by Mason Mount and Olivier Giroud gave Chelsea the win they needed as they defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Wolves' loss meant they missed out on sixth position and a guaranteed place in the Europa League, after Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 at Crystal Palace to edge ahead of Nuno Espirito Santo's side on goal difference.

Wolves will now hope that Chelsea beat Arsenal in Saturday's FA Cup final so they can claim the final Europa League spot, in the second qualifying round.

But they can also reach the Champions League if they win this season's Europa League.
Chief Minister on Monday launched a job portal and appealed to traders, businessmen, industrialists and people to join hands to revive the city's economy.

The portal -- jobs. gov.in -- will serve as a "Rozgar Bazar" for recruiters and job aspirants, Kejriwal said.

"There are people who want jobs and there are traders, businessmen, professionals, contractors who are not getting the right people for their work. This portal will fill this gap by bringing them together on one platform," the chief minister said in a virtual press briefing.

He also said that due to the pandemic many people have lost their jobs and businesses have been affected.

The website attracted a "massive" response in the first six hours after its launch, with 51,403 job-seekers registering. Also, 1,071 employers posted 18,585 vacancies, said a government statement.

Many migrant workers left Delhi during the lockdown and they have now started returning, Kejriwal said, adding that a special order is being issued to allow street vendors to start work immediately.

The people of Delhi have successfully fought the in the last three months. Now the need is to move to the next stage of reviving the economy, he said.

Due to the pandemic, people lost their jobs, and shops and factories were shut down. People suffered huge losses, and many faced hunger, the chief minister said and added that the Delhi government had arranged for food for people during the lockdown.

Now people need jobs and business. Shops and factories should be reopened, he said.

"I want to appeal to the people of Delhi to please come together and take steps to improve the condition of the economy of Delhi. I want to appeal to traders, industrialists, professionals, industry associations, market associations, business associations, and NGOs, media organizations and government organizations in Delhi, let's come together and take all measures to improve the economy of Delhi," Kejriwal said.

He said that he was happy that Delhi managed to bring the situation under control without going back to imposing a lockdown, unlike some cities and states that have imposed it again to spread the check of the

The chief minister said that at a time when cases of are increasing in the country and the world, Delhi is registering a sustained reduction in cases.

The recovery rate of Delhi has gone up to 88 per cent, positivity rate has dropped from around 35 per cent in June to currently five per cent, deaths are also lower as compared to June, and only 2,850 hospital beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients while 12,500 beds are empty, he said.

"Now we all have to work together to improve the economic situation of Delhi. The COVID-19 situation is improving in Delhi, and businesses and shops have started reopening. I would like to appeal to all migrant workers to come back to Delhi. Industries, shops, and construction activities, that were shut down want to reopen, but there is no manpower," Kejriwal said.

Delhi's Labour minister Gopal Rai said that the services of the job portal will be free and an applicant need not pay any money to anyone for registration.

"Any person can apply to this platform. Job seekers will log in with their mobile number and then they will get the option to select the category of job. One person can apply for one job or more it is an open platform," Rai said.

People should help construction workers register on the portal as most do not have access to internet, he said.

The portal connects job-seekers to employers via phone or Whatsapp. In the first six hours, 26,722 connections were initiated.

The top five job categories with vacancies posted by employers were sales and marketing, 11,367;construction, 1,298; accountants,1,051; delivery services, 1,030, andcustomer service and tele caller 1,007 vacancies, the statement said.

The top jobs attracting the highest number of applications were backoffice and data entry, 17,527; teaching , 7567; sales, marketing and businessdevelopment ,7429; customerservice, tele caller, 7036; and accountant,6379 applicants, it added.

(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.)
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 07/27/2020



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[ Spoiler Warning: This report includes spoilers that reveal if Deavan and Jihoon are still together or if the couple have broken up.]

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Did Jihoon turn things around and win Deavan back or did they split -- is the couple still together now?

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Jihoon Lee is regretful of his actions and wants to fix his relationship with Deavan Clegg on Season 2 of : The Other Way, so was he successful or did the couple split -- or are Deavan and Jihoon still together now?Deavan was a 22-year-old from Salt Lake City, UT, when she met Jihoon, a 29-year-old mobile phone dealer from Seoul, South Korea, on a dating app.Jihoon gushed about how Deavan was his "fantasy" girl and he was blown away by her modeling photos, and the couple used translating apps to communicate with each other.Deavan and Jihoon talked to each other every day for three months, and then Jihoon traveled to America to meet Deavan in person as well as her young daughter Drascilla, who was three years old at the time and will turn five this August.Deavan and Jihoon clicked right off the bat and had sex during Jihoon's stay, which resulted in a surprise and unplanned pregnancy with Jihoon's first child.Jihoon and Deavan found out they were expecting after six positive pregnancy tests confirmed their suspicions on the day he was leaving to return to South Korea in 2018.After Jihoon returned home to South Korea, the couple had every intention of getting married and being a family.So after Deavan won the approval of Jihoon's parents -- which wasn't an easy task -- Jihoon proposed marriage during a lunch at a Las Vegas restaurant. He planned to come back only two months later for Deavan's scheduled C-section.However, Deavan learned the baby had to be delivered early because her blood pressure was really high, and unfortunately, Jihoon said it would be too expensive to cancel his booked flight and buy a new ticket to the United States.Deavan therefore welcomed her son Taeyang in April 2019 without Jihoon by her side, and Jihoon admitted he was "a very bad father" at first.Jihoon eventually made his way to the United States to meet his son, but he had a lot of learning to do, like changing diapers. He also revealed to Deavan he had lost his job.Jihoon's "lack of financial responsibility" really worried Deavan, especially since he had nine months while she was pregnant to save for a baby.Jihoon told Deavan not to worry and their future would be bright, but Deavan was sick of hearing "trust me" and said she needed things to actually happen.The time then finally came for Deavan to move to South Korea and start a new life in a completely different world. She chose not to bring Drascilla with her right away in order to make sure Jihoon had all of their affairs in order and that they'd be okay and supported.Deavan expected Jihoon to have landed a full-time job and an apartment for them, but he was still living in his parents' house and broke the news they'd continue living there for a few months.Deavan said it was "unacceptable" to be stuck sharing a one-bedroom apartment with a newborn and Jihoon's parents.Jihoon admitted to Deavan it was hard for him to save money because he was financially in debt.Jihoon apparently owed $30,000 (which included interest on a loan he had taken out to pay the original $15,000 fine) due to illegally selling used and lost phones, but at the time of their conversation, he said he had his debt down to $5,000."That's not the ideal life or dad I wanted for my children," Deavan said in a confessional.Despite the major red flags, Deavan and Jihoon still filed marriage papers so she could reside in Jihoon's country permanently. And three weeks later, they had a traditional Korean wedding ceremony.Deavan documented her relationship with Jihoon in Summer through Fall 2019 on social media and started a small T-shirt business with Jihoon that was doing well at the time.But Deavan unfortunately suffered a miscarriage with her third child. She announced on Instagram in October 2019 she had lost a baby.On Season 2 of : The Other Way, Deavan lamented how she was exhausted and overwhelmed raising two children by herself.Deavan therefore flew back to South Korea with the intent of living there permanently. Deavan packed condoms because she said she didn't want to get pregnant again, and her mother Elicia joined her for the trip to help with Drascilla and Taeyang.Deavan rented her family an apartment for one month until Jihoon could get them settled in a new place, but Deavan was in for a rude awakening.Deavan said if Jihoon couldn't provide, he wasn't ready for a family and she'd have to return to America. She hoped that he was going to have "his sh-t together.""He lied to me last time, so I'm really worried that he's lying to me again," Deavan said in a confessional. "I really hope Jihoon is ready for what's coming for him."Jihoon later admitted to his friends he had "exaggerated" about how much money he was making when talking to Deavan over FaceTime."I don't really have a job," Jihoon admitted to the cameras. "I have a side job doing deliveries and it goes by the hour. It's a part-time job. I lied to Deavan because if I not have money, then Deavan's not come to Korea."Jihoon's friends even thought Jihoon was making Korean men look bad.Deavan then arrived in South Korea, which marked her second attempt to move there permanently. Jihoon hadn't seen Deavan in two months, and he said he was very excited to see her.Jihoon and his parents picked Deavan, Elicia, Drascilla and Taeyang up at the airport, and Jihoon became increasingly more nervous because Elicia was allegedly "an angry person."Deavan just traveled for 22 hours with two kids and so she was admittedly exhausted and ready for bed. Everyone piled into a yellow van, and Elicia immediately started yelling and "freaking out," according to Deavan.Once they saw the apartment they'd be living in, Elicia appeared disgusted, and Jihoon's mother scolded her son for not checking the apartment before Deavan and her family traveled.The place was broken down in a bad neighborhood, and Elicia vented she was "totally losing [her] sh-t."Deavan described the apartment building as "the ghetto of Korea" and said it wasn't even on a street -- it was in an alley and surrounded by trash and even toilets.Elicia pulled Jihoon aside and gave him a piece of her mind by saying she had expected him to behave like a man and find a safe place for her daughter and grandkids to live.Elicia appeared to be on the verge of tears and complained, "I am extremely disappointed in Jihoon," and Deavan was also "extremely angry" at her husband.Deavan soon discovered the apartment was tiny, there was no stovetop or living room, and she barely had room for her suitcase. Deavan yelled at Jihoon, saying it was his fault because he should've been the one to find them an apartment to live in prior to her arrival."It just feels like I'm doing all the heavy lifting in this relationship and he has done nothing so far," Deavan noted in a confessional.Deavan wasn't willing to stay in that apartment for a month, and she vented, "It's just to the point where I can't do it anymore."Deavan was clearly tired of Jihoon's empty promises, and Jihoon acknowledged the situation was a mess and he had failed to earn back Deavan's trust. He called himself a total "idiot."Jihoon also confessed to Deavan he had no money, and Deavan vented, "All the things I was worried about were true."The pair tried to communicate through a language-translating piece of technology but it wasn't translating correctly and so the pair couldn't have a clear conversation."If I would have known you didn't have money, I wouldn't have came here," Deavan said. "Why do you keep lying to me?""To be honest, I wanted you to come here fast," Jihoon said. "If you're worried about money, you can leave here."Jihoon asked Deavan to stay for a few months and give him another chance, but she threatened to leave when her mother was scheduled to leave. Deavan cried because she had nothing at home to go back to but she didn't have a good reason to stay in South Korea either.Deavan was furious Jihoon had lied to her again, and Jihoon apologized for being selfish. Jihoon said he was working as a delivery driver part-time so he could rest when he wanted to rest.He said he earned around $2,000-3,000 a month, but Deavan had been working 17 hours a day while raising two kids. She thought Jihoon working a part-time job so he could "take more naps" was "ridiculous."Jihoon's mother apparently managed his money so he couldn't spend it on himself, and so he told Deavan that he was saving for a new house."It sounds like you didn't want to spend your money so you let me spend all my money, and now we're here and I don't have anything. I don't have money, I don't have a car," Deavan told Jihoon."I gave up everything for you, but you couldn't give up some time to work harder to help. My life is not a game. I have sacrificed a lot and you've sacrificed nothing, and I at this point, have lost all trust. If you loved me and the kids, you would've helped."Jihoon replied, "You're right, I am so sorry. But I do love you.""I don't think I want to be together anymore after this," Deavan noted. "I am going to get a hotel tonight with just my mom so I can be alone with the kids and think."Jihoon realized it was probably "game over" for him.Jihoon later returned to his parents' home feeling "sad and desperate" that Deavan, her mother and the two kids were going to be staying in a hotel.Jihoon's mother said that young people can be reckless and he should tell Deavan that all Korean guys are like that before they get married in that they lie about this or that."If a man likes a woman, he will use white lies, not malicious ones," Jihoon's mother said.Jihoon insisted the situation was serious and this seemed to be "the last straw" for Deavan, who threatened to return to America alone and single.But Jihoon's mother could tell Jihoon and Deavan loved each other, and so she hoped Deavan wouldn't give up on her relationship so easily. Jihoon vented about how he had been living his life "all wrong" and felt like "a loser."Jihoon broke down crying at the idea he might lose Deavan and was still in debt of about $30,000. Jihoon called his circumstances "embarrassing," especially because he kept borrowing money from his parents.Jihoon's mother said she was giving her son money under the impression he would pay her back, and then she scolded her son for crying, saying "a man doesn't cry."Jihoon said he should have saved money after getting Deavan pregnant but didn't, and his mother advised him to "snap out of it and change." She told him to cease the opportunity and be better for the sake of his son, Taeyang.Jihoon acknowledged he was going through a difficult time but Deavan was in an even worse situation and deserved better than what he was giving her.At the beginning of : The Other Way's second season, Deavan was shown dealing with the coronavirus pandemic while living in South Korea.The footage filmed earlier this year, around February or March, and was seemingly intended for TLC's : Self-Quarantined spinoff.Deavan shared how COVID-19 was "very serious" where she was staying in South Korea. She said South Korea was the second country with the most infected people and so she and Jihoon were in quarantine.Deavan admitted her daughter Drascilla was going stir crazy and her son Taeyang couldn't play outside."They're predicting 60 percent of the country could get the virus, and that's really scary. Everyone is in panic mode, and I don't know what to do," Deavan told her Diary Cam.( : The Other Way then flashed back to seven months earlier, when Deavan was preparing for her move to South Korea with her two kids.)Although Deavan and Jihoon were just together a few months ago, Deavan's mom Elicia revealed in late July that Deavan had returned to the United States and was quarantining separately from Jihoon.Elicia posted a photo of her granddaughter Drascilla on Monday, July 20, and in the comments section, she wrote Deavan has been "stuck" in America with her two kids while Jihoon remains in South Korea, according to In Touch Weekly."She is visiting here, but the travel restrictions have forced her to be here longer," Elicia wrote, adding, "[Deavan and Drascilla] are stuck here until travel restrictions are lessened because of the virus."Elicia saying Deavan is "visiting," "stuck" and "forced" to be in the U.S. longer that anticipated suggests Deavan is trying to get back to South Korea to be with Jihoon again, so it appears the couple is still together despite the distance between them right now.And Jihoon seemingly misses his wife and children, as he took to Instagram on July 19 with an image that read, "If love is deep, longing becomes pain."Earlier this month, Jihoon seemingly gave away he and Deavan are still together when he lashed out at trolls on Instagram, saying is in his past and he now has a job that supports his family, meaning Deavan and her two kids.After posting several hashtags, Jihoon wrote, "To people who ask me to get a job, I'm always so kind to people who are kind to me first. But to those who are rude to me, I'm an assh-le to them. Distinguish between show and reality. And the show is in the past."Jihoon continued, "I've said countless times that I have a job. My job is to deliver food. I earn enough money to take care of my family. If you read this and you tell me to get a job, from now on, I'm thinking of you as a goldfish with a memory of three seconds.""I'll just ignore it and block it," he added. "Cuz I don't want to talk to fish, yeah think about it how crazy huh?! Bye."Jihoon's post served as the caption to a screenshot of him slamming a hater."I'm working right now... You need to be logical. Don't be so old. I have a job. And my side job blocks a b-tch like you."There was also evidence in June on social media that Deavan and Jihoon were still going strong, at least at the time.On June 17, Jihoon posted a funny picture of Deavan holding a large box of condoms, and Deavan commented, "Jihoon knows how to work it whoot whoot."Given the box said the condoms were "small pecker condoms," Deavan clarified, "Hahahahaha haha everyone knows it was a joke."And a few days earlier, Deavan posted a selfie of herself modeling in a really nice home or apartment."Loving this dress. Super cute. #90dayfiance #90daytheotherway #fashion #tattoos #morningvibes," Deavan captioned the June 14 photo.One follower commented, "Omg she's back in the states!!??"And then Deavan confirmed, "Just visiting," suggesting her permanent residence is still South Korea.Deavan also confirmed in the comments section of her post she is "definitely not pregnant" again.In addition, Deavan often adds the hashtags #southkorea and #deavanandjihoon to her Instagram posts.Going back to early June, Deavan conducted an interview with Access in which she said she was really excited for fans to see more of her relationship with Jihoon on Season 2 of : The Other Way."It's very exciting. I'm so excited to continue my journey and share my journey. I'm really, really excited that people get to see me and Jihoon and more of that aspect, because I think on Season 1 people didn't get to see too much of us," Deavan said."But this time, everyone will get to see that and this beautiful journey. You guys are going to see definitely some of our lowest points and some of our highest points, so it's going to be worth the watch."Deavan assured Access that Jihoon "loves [being a father].""It's definitely a life-changing thing for him and I think he's very happy with it, even though it was a surprise to both of us. But he absolutely loves both kids," Deavan shared.Despite the ups and downs in her relationship with Jihoon, Deavan called starring on the with him "a great experience" that was "life-changing."Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
The World Health Organization has launched its first digital health worker, Florence. The digital health worker was created by a company in New Zealand, Soul Machines.

Because Florence is a robot, there is no potential health-related judgment involved.

Greg Cross, co-founder of Soul Machines, said in a video that The lack of human judgment actually makes our digital people more approachable and potentially more helpful.

SMOKING DURING THE PANDEMIC: Does smoking/vaping put you at a higher risk of coronavirus?

The primary purpose of the WHO initiative help convince one billion tobacco users to quit smoking. Florence uses artificial intelligence to dismiss myths around COVID-19 and smoking, and helps people develop a personalized plan to quit tobacco.

According to Bloomberg, "1.3 billion tobacco users are at higher risk during the global COVID-19 pandemic." According to the WHO website, around 60 percent of tobacco users worldwide say they want to quit, only 30 percent of them have access to the tools they need, such as counselors, to take action.

The new program enlists the help of Johnson & Johnson, Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google. Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud support the Soul Machines technology for its widespread use in this project. The program includes nicotine patches provided by Johnson & Johnson, and artificial-intelligence-fueled support to tackle both the physical and mental obstacles to quitting at once.

The medical device company has already donated 37,800 Nicorette patches worth about $750,000 to help more than 5,000 people in Jordan quit smoking.

The program will begin with a pilot in Jordan, which has some of the highest tobacco use rates in the world, at 40.45 percent.

FLORENCE IN ACTION: Digital health worker to help quitting tobacco

The program comes at a time when health organizations have warned that smoking can increase the severity of the novel coronavirus.

The digital health worker will be on the World Health Organization's website and can be accessed around the world. You can interact with her via video or text.
SAN DIEGO  Chuck Beckner begged his 71-year-old mother not to drive for Uber and Lyft during the pandemic. She didnt listen. Then COVID-19 took Billie Sue Matchkes life.

She didnt deserve that. She was such a good person, such a good mother, Beckner said, looking at her Toyota Prius still parked in front of the mobile home they shared in El Cajon.

She didnt want to be on any life-sustaining equipment, he added, fighting back tears. The COVID gave her too much brain damage, so we had the feeding tube taken out.

The pandemic has dramatically raised the stakes in the years-long fight over what protections Lyft, Uber and other gig-economy companies should be required to provide workers.

Adding to longstanding wage and benefit gripes, Matchkes fate is now the nightmare scenario facing rideshare drivers everywhere. Some have recently gone beyond just wearing masks and wiping down door handles to also installing makeshift partitions in their vehicles to shield themselves from potentially infected customers.

Advocates have argued that drivers shouldnt be forced to risk death just to make ends meet, and have blasted Uber and Lyft for making it nearly impossible for drivers to collect state unemployment pay.

The companies are notoriously greedy, said Terri Beilke, a San Diego-based driver and volunteer organizer with the advocacy group Rideshare Drivers United. They have plenty of money, and yet they want to keep risking their drivers lives because, I guess, were expendable to them.

Lyft and Uber have long maintained that their drivers should be classified as independent contractors, largely because of the freedom workers have to set their own schedules. As such, the companies have argued that workers have no legal right to protections such as unemployment, overtime and sick leave.

Instead, they have rolled out a variety of programs and policies aimed at quelling health concerns. Those have included everything from offering temporary sick pay for those who test positive for the virus to doling out masks and other personal protective equipment, albeit often at the drivers expense.

As people continue to turn to rideshare throughout the COVID-19 crisis, the health and safety of our driver and rider community is our priority, Lyft said in a statement.

Uber offered a similar response, adding: The reports of the drivers passing are heartbreaking and our thoughts are with her family and everyone suffering from this pandemic.

Matchke worked for more than three decades at the North Island Naval Air Rework Facility on Coronado before retiring. Still, she routinely needed money and had suffered a recent bankruptcy.

At first, driving for Uber and Lyft seemed like the perfect gig to help the sociable Matchke supplement her pension. However, her diabetes complicated the situation when the coronavirus started spreading throughout California.

I told her, Please, mom, stop. People are dying, Beckner recalled.

Matchke quit driving for a few weeks after the state issued its first lockdown orders in March, but it wasnt long before she was back behind the wheel. She had applied for unemployment insurance, but like so many rideshare drivers had trouble securing the benefits.

Then around mid-June, Matchke fell ill. First she had a sore throat, but it quickly progressed into coughing and a fever. A few days later, her daughter drove her to the hospital, where it was soon confirmed that she had COVID-19.

Doctors quickly put her on heavy medication and ventilator, marking the last time Beckner would have a fully coherent conversation with his mother.

I talked to her on the phone, and I told her, Mom, I love you, he said. Youre going to pull through this. Youre a strong woman.

She didnt get better. Eventually, doctors told Beckner that the virus had caused considerable brain damage, and she died in early July.

It just got worse and worse, he said, weeping. She got whats called COVID brain.

Carol Butler said she was crushed to hear about her longtime friend. The last time they had gotten together was just a week before Matchke went into the hospital.

She was walking her dog and she came over to my house, and we talked for like five minutes. Thats the last I saw of her, Butler said. I knew about the dangers. You hear about it all the time, but you feel it a lot more when you have somebody close that dies.

Beckner said the county conducted contract tracing, reaching out to friends and family, but nobody else in their immediate circle was identify as having the virus.

Uber and Lyft have refused to pay into Californias unemployment fund, making it very difficult for the states roughly 500,000 drivers to secure such payments in recent months.

The pandemic has put in stark relief how essential those protections are to workers, said Ken Jacobs, chair of the Labor Center at UC Berkeley, whos been closely following the issue.

They are trying maximize earnings, minimize costs, he said of gig-work employers. Its what they do as businesses, and its up to society and our public institutions to set the parameters within which they work.

Top state officials have attempted to draw those lines, passing Assembly Bill 5, which went into effect in January. The law puts significant legal pressure on companies to reclassify their workers as employees and provide the associated benefits.

Gig employers have refused to comply. Uber and Postmates challenged the constitutionality of the law in federal court, while Uber, Lyft and others have spent millions on a ballot initiative campaign to sidestep the new law in favor of a suite of industry-designed labor standards.

Proposition 22 will appear on the November ballot; a yes vote would exempt the companies from AB 5.

In response, California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and the city attorneys of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego in May sued the rideshare giants in San Francisco Superior Court. If the plaintiffs win, the companies would not only have to classify workers as employees but potentially pay out hundreds of millions of dollars in back wages and penalties.

Im outraged, said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, who authored AB 5. I feel like these companies have been playing a game for years, using delay tactics and courts to put off the inevitable.

In the meantime, many drivers are struggling to secure unemployment insurance. Gig workers have reported that navigating the states bureaucracy can drag on for months, often with no resolution in sight.

To qualify, a driver must first apply for state unemployment insurance. Then the Employment Development Department sends a determination letter of zero dollars based on paperwork filed by Uber and Lyft. Finally, the worker files an appeal and waits for the state to set up an audit to verify proof of income, usually through bank and tax statements.

EDD caseworkers have reportedly encouraged drivers to abandon the process and apply for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance instead. Its been easier for drivers to qualify for that emergency program, but its unclear how long it will last.

This has frustrated labor advocates, who argue gig employers should be footing the bill for such protections, not federal taxpayers. They also point out that state unemployment insurance is often more generous for gig workers because of how benefits are calculated.

Beckner is one of those former drivers trying to navigate the states system. He said hes been waiting for an audit from the state since April.

I feel that Uber and Lyft should be paying for it because Im an employee, he said. They definitely owe it to me.



Joshua Emerson Smith of The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote this story.

2020 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Visit The San Diego Union-Tribune at www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
SANTA ROSA, Calif., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Miller Mendel welcomes the first law enforcement agency in Sonoma County, California to its eSOPH background Investigation software system. The Santa Rosa Police Department joins over 60 other public safety agencies across the nation that have transitioned pre-employment background investigations to the eSOPH system. The Santa Rosa Police Department plans to use eSOPH to conduct at least 100 pre-employment background investigations in their first 12-months.

eSOPH, which stands for electronic Statement of Personal History, has been used by city, county and state police agencies to conduct over 60,000 pre-employment public safety background investigations. It is specifically designed for the public safety pre-employment background investigation process, with public safety agencies using the system estimating a time savings ranging from 30 percent to 60 percent per investigation, and a significant reduction in the use of costly administrative resources such as paper, ink, postage and filing space. By transitioning to eSOPH, the Santa Rosa Police Department joins the California Highway Patrol, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, Orange County District Attorney, Sacramento County District Attorney and many other public safety agencies in the eSOPH network.

In addition to taking advantage of eSOPH's industry-leading standard functionality, the Santa Rosa PD is also utilizing the optional, integrated smart fax service. eSOPH's fax service automatically reads and then routes documents received via fax from other law enforcement agencies to the correct applicant file, attaches the received documents to the correct reference within the applicant file and notifies the investigator. Background Investigators no longer have to manually scan and upload faxes received in hard copy.

Santa Rosa PD will also be using eSOPH's interface specifically designed in consultation with California Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) to offer their POST law enforcement consultants a more efficient and streamlined method to review the background files of hired Peace Officer and Dispatcher applicants.

ABOUT THE SANTA ROSA POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Santa Rosa Police Department, located in Sonoma County, California, serves over 177,000 residents across 42+ square miles. Known for its vast wineries, Sonoma County is roughly 50 miles north of San Francisco. Santa Rosa is Sonoma County's largest city in California's Redwood Empire. The Santa Rosa PD comprises 256 personnel organized into four divisions: Administration, Field Services Division (Patrol), Special Services Division (Investigations), and Technical.

ABOUT MILLER MENDEL

Miller Mendel, Inc. ("MMI") creates, sells and supports its software technology solutions for local, state and federal public safety agencies, and is the holder of two patents (U.S. Patent No. 9070098 and U.S. Patent No. 10043188) related to the features of its flagship product, eSOPH. Our primary focus is to turn past practices used by city, county and state government into efficient and cost-effective electronic solutions. MMI is known for creating category leading systems and providing responsive, exceptional support to all our clients. We place great pride in straightforward and transparent operational practices that foster a high level of respect and praise from our government clients.

Miller Mendel Contact:

Tyler Miller

[email protected]

SOURCE Miller Mendel, Inc

Related Links

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Finally, the long-awaited, the multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, in which Goldman Sachs GS is engulfed, was resolved last week. Notably, the U.S. bank reached an agreement in principle with the Government of Malaysia, resolving all the criminal and regulatory proceedings in Malaysia. The settlement also included pending criminal proceedings against Goldmans subsidiaries, and certain of their current and former directors.



The settlement agreement includes the payment of $2.5 billion as penalties to the Government of Malaysia. Also, Goldman has guaranteed that the Malaysian government would receive $1.4 billion from the proceeds of assets, which have been seized globally as those were related to the 1MDB scandal. Notably, the guarantee on these assets does not expose Goldman to any significant risks.



It is being anticipated that the bank might increase its provisions for litigation and regulatory proceedings recorded for the second quarter, which is likely to be notified in the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended Jun 30, 2020.



Goldman has noted, We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the Government of Malaysia to resolve outstanding charges and claims against Goldman Sachs. Todays settlement is an important step towards putting the 1MDB matter behind us and will help enable the Malaysian government to move forward with additional recovery efforts and to execute on its economic priorities. There are important lessons to be learned from this situation, and we must be self-critical to ensure that we only improve from the experience.



Nevertheless, other pending governmental and regulatory investigations, including the U.S. government, would continue on Goldman related to the 1MDB scandal.

Background

Goldman has been scrutinized for playing a role in raising funds through bond offerings for 1MDB, the fund entangled in corruption and money-laundering probes in roughly six countries. Per the DoJ, misappropriation of funds, worth $4.5 billion, from 1MDB by top officials of the fund and their colleagues from 2009 through 2014, included funds raised through Goldman as well.



Therefore, regulators of around 14 countries, including the United States, Malaysia, Singapore and others, have probed Goldman for its role as an underwriter and doings during the transactions.



Further, in November 2018, criminal charges were levied against two former bankers  Tim Leissner and Roger Ng of Goldman by U.S. prosecutors, as well as on Low  a Malaysian financier, who effectively had the control of the state-owned investment 1MDB. Low has been accused for routing the money out of 1MBD, and paying bribes and purchasing real estate, art, and jewelry. Nevertheless, the bond proceeds were meant for strategic investments for the state.



Per DoJ, roughly $600 million was earned by the bank, including three bond offerings in 2012 and 2013, which raised $6.5 billion. In addition, huge bonuses were earned by Leissner, Ng and others. Nevertheless, Goldman claimed Leissner and Ng were working to hide criminal activities from management.



In 2018, Leissner accepted the act of conspiracy for laundering money and plotting the violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He made profits from the scheme and had contracted to pay up to $43.7 million. Nonetheless, the other employee has not come with a plea yet and is facing a case in Brooklyns federal court.



Remarkably, criminal charges against Goldman and 17 executives had been filed by prosecutors in Malaysia, who were demanding a multibillion-dollar penalty seeking fines of more than $2.7 billion. This was believed to be allegedly misappropriated from the proceeds, and the return of $600 million of fees taken by Goldman.



Malaysian politics was adversely impacted by the scandal and lifetime bans were imposed on Goldman bankers, including Andrea Vella and Tim Leissner, by the financial industry.



Notably, the case which involved the banks three units had been on hold due to restrictions imposed by Malaysia since March to contain the coronavirus pandemic. This February, the case got transferred to the High Court, and advanced with the proceedings of the criminal charges first announced in December 2018.

Story continues

Bottom Line

Although Goldman has resolved quite a few litigation issues, it still faces probes and queries from a number of federal agencies, and a few foreign governments for the banks businesses conducted during the pre-crisis period. As a result, the companys legal expenses are expected to remain elevated, which might partially impede its bottom-line growth in the near term.



Goldman currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of the company have lost 15.4% in the past six months compared with the 12.6% decline registered by the industry.

Stocks to Consider

TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation AMTD has witnessed upward earnings estimate revisions for fiscal 2020 over the past 60 days. Moreover, this Zacks #1 Ranked (Strong Buy) stock has lost 21.9% over the past six months. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



GAIN Capital Holdings, Inc.s GCAP current-year earnings estimate moved north in 60 days time. Further, the companys shares have surged 57.8% over the past six months. At present, it holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy).



Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. IBKR has witnessed upward earnings estimate revision for the ongoing year in the past 60 days. This Zacks #1 Ranked stock has gained 5.1% in six months time.

Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020

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Two dozen Jersey Shore lifeguards tested positive for COVID-19 after they were out partying, said local officials.

Lifeguards from beach patrols in Harvey Cedars and Surf City on Long Beach Island, a popular barrier island community and tourist destination south of Ocean County on the New Jersey Shore, were reported to have tested positive for the coronavirus last week and have been ordered to quarantine.

Harvey Cedars Mayor Jonathan Oldham said the borough clerk was notified of the coronavirus cluster Thursday by the Long Beach Island Health Department, which is operated by the Ocean County Health Department.

Oldham said he wasn't sure how the lifeguards became infected.

Pictured are members of the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol. Health officials said a dozen lifeguards from Harvey Cedars and Surf City tested positive for COVID-19 and are now under quarantine orders

An unidentified member of the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol is pictured watching over the surf in an image taken before 24 lifeguards tested positive for COVID-19

Harvey Cedars Mayor Jonathan Oldham said the borough clerk was notified of the coronavirus cluster Thursday by the Long Beach Island Health Department, which is operated by the Ocean County Health Department. Beachgoers are pictured on the Jersey Shore

An aerial photo of the Jersey Shore with beach goers enjoying the sand and surf. Harvey Cedars Mayor Jonathan Oldham said he wasn't sure how the lifeguards became infected

'I just heard that they were together, exactly where they were or what it was, I'm not sure, but I'm under the understanding that they were together at an event,' Oldham told NJ.com Friday.

The affected lifeguards on LBI will not return to their jobs until cleared by doctors, local officials said.

LBI Health Department Director Daniel Krupinski provided a few more details about the lifeguards when he spoke to radio station WHYY.

'The health department started receiving reports of COVID-19 activity among Surf City lifeguards on Saturday, July 18 and Harvey Cedars lifeguards on Sunday, July 19,' Krupinski said.

'We have reason to believe the case activity stems from common social gatherings outside of work on July 12 and 14.' he explained in an interview with the NPR station on Friday.

New Jersey has had more than 181,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, which has been blamed for more than 15,000 deaths. That's the second highest death total after New York, where the total is more than double.

LBI Health Department Director Daniel Krupinski said his agency started receiving reports of 'COVID-19 activity among Surf City lifeguards on Saturday, July 18 and Harvey Cedars lifeguards on Sunday, July 19'

Despite the staggering number of people lost to the deadly virus, New Jersey has has made significant progress combatting the coronavirus outbreak, with its daily transmission rate below a key benchmark of 1 and fewer people being hospitalized, NJ.com reported.

Gov. Phil Murphy also noted on Friday that the state has seen its number of new cases drop for a full two weeks.

Beaches, boardwalks, lakes, and lakeshores in New Jersey have been allowed to reopen, as restrictions imposed to contain the pandemic have been relaxed, but only as long as social distancing is enforced.

Ocean County, where LBI is located, has had more than 10,000 cases and more than 1,000 deaths.

Despite the quarantined lifeguards, LBI beaches will still be fully staffed with lifeguards, according to officials. Visitors stroll a boardwalk along the Jersey Shore after beaches were reopened with COVID-19 restrictions

Others who learned about the cluster among Long Beach Island's lifeguards last week included Surf City Borough Councilman Peter Hartney.

Hartney said that a dozen beach patrol members testing positive for COVID-19 was not a concern, NJ.com reported. The two beach patrols combined have about 100 members.

'My concern is just the general outbreak of the virus,' he said.

Beaches are still expected to be fully staffed with lifeguards, according to officials.

Beach patrol members are 'instructed to follow a strict protocol of social distancing, and were each staffed with a Personal Protection Fanny Pack, including ample disinfectant wipes and face coverings,' the borough of Harvey Cedars explained on its website.

'Lifeguards' according to the site, sit in separate chairs, six feet or more apart, 'with their own equipment, and with a perimeter of at least 6 feet between the Lifeguard chairs and beachgoers.'
Canadas AI advantage: open immigration policies Canada's immigration policies are providing a pathway to attract and retain the best international AI talent Alexandra Miekus Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Anyone with experience in artificial intelligence and information technology may want to take a look at Canada, where immigration policies provide clear pathways to permanent residence and entry into the workforce.



A study released in June by the Center for Security and Emerging Technology examined how immigration policies help support the competitiveness of the AI sector in five countries: Canada, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and France.

The study shows that, compared to the other four countries with which Canada competes, its immigration system appears to be the most versatile, flexible and particularly well-suited to support efforts to attract highly skilled foreign workers and, ultimately, to compete for AI talent.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

What makes Canada more accessible than other countries to new AI talent from abroad?

The study examines several key immigration policies that are significantly more advantageous than those of other countries and therefore place Canada in an excellent position to attract highly skilled workers and to earn a reputation as a world leader in artificial intelligence in the years to come.

First, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and France all have work visa duration limits ranging from three to six years and a cap on the number of renewals. In Canada, there is no limit on the length of stay of temporary foreign workers, as the duration of work permits is determined by the workers employer.

Second, compared to the other four countries where processing times for work permits or temporary visas are typically several months, in Canada, the process generally takes between two and eight weeks, depending on the country from which the worker is applying and the position the worker wishes to hold. In addition, Canada issues work permits throughout the year, unlike, for example, the United States, where those applying for an H1-B visa must wait for the annual lottery.

Third, among the five countries analyzed, Canada is the only one that allows foreign workers who hold a visa or work permit to apply for permanent residence right away. In all other countries, the wait time is contingent on quotas and can vary between three and five years.

In addition, Canada offers a wide range of immigration pathways for highly skilled workers. The latest count conducted by CIC News found that there are now more than 100 such options.

Immigration policies pave the way for those who wish to settle in Canada on a permanent or temporary basis

The main route to permanent residence in Canada is to apply through Express Entry  a management system that is used to process applications for permanent residence from foreign workers. The process generally takes six to nine months and is based on a point system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

The system ranks workers based on factors such as age, work experience and education, among others. Candidates applying through Express Entry do not need a job offer to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

Canadian immigration candidates can also seek permanent residence through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which allows provinces to nominate workers with skills and qualifications specifically required in the province.

AI and tech experts who are considering their options in Canada could consider looking at provinces like Ontario, or British Columbia which have a focal point of Canadas technology sector.

The Ontario Tech Pilot is for workers who have experience in one of six tech occupations. B.C.s Tech Pilot invites immigration candidates with a job offer in one of 29 tech occupations to apply for a provincial nomination.

In 2017, Canada also created an immigration program called the Global Talent Stream which provides work visas for eligible international workers in as little as two weeks.

Canada is home to several of the worlds most advanced AI organizations and companies, operating across the country from Montreal to Vancouver. These companies continue to push the boundaries of what can be accomplished by a country in the field of artificial intelligence, and help secure Canadas position as a leader in the industry.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved
YPSILANTI, MI - Ypsilanti Community Schools and the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office have jointly canceled their contractual relationship after the districts Board of Education voted to end staffing its buildings with school resource officers.

The Board of Education voted unanimously to end the districts contract with the sheriffs office, as well as its contract for a school resource officer with the Ypsilanti Police Department.

Ypsilanti Community Schools Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross said the decision to terminate the contract was based on the districts financial constraints and its changing values related to having resource officers physically in its schools.

Zachery-Ross said the decision does not reflect the level of service previously provided or take away from the great relationship the district has with the sheriffs office.

Although the School Resource Officer will no longer be assigned to the district, the sheriffs office noted the deputy position will be reassigned, rather than eliminated. Both the sheriffs office and Ypsilanti Police Department will still respond to any calls for service to district buildings, she noted.

We know we are facing some possible budget reductions, Zachery-Ross said. At this time, we need every single dollar to be utilized to meet the social-emotional needs of our learners.

The contract with the sheriffs office provided the district with one school resource officer, who worked out of Ypsilanti High School. Another officer was provided under contract at Ypsilanti Community Middle School by the Ypsilanti Police Department.

The decision came after calls from the community to eliminate the resource officer positions in June, amid nationwide protests over police brutality.

Board members were in agreement last week that eliminating the school resource officer positions was a necessary step in moving forward with an alternative plan to provide security within its buildings.

Particularly with the civil unrest and the climate of our country right now, I certainly appreciate the steps administration have taken to look at this issue and come back to the board with a recommendation to end the contracts, Ypsilanti Community Schools Board of Education President Celeste Hawkins said.

Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton said he fully supported the boards decision to cancel the contract, given the current climate and budget implications.

I am extremely proud of the partnership between YCS and WCSO - a relationship built on trust, mutual respect and a commitment to creating a nurturing and safe environment for our young people to learn, live and prepare for bright futures, Clayton said in a statement. Despite the ending of our contractual relationship, we will continue to partner in support of the families and employees of YCS.

Board member Gillian Gainsley reiterated she was in support of the work resource officers had done within the district in the past, stressing she was against the concept of having the officer housed within a district building.

They have done absolutely everything that they can and are wonderful people, Gainsley said. Its a question of the policy of having officers in schools and the message that sends to our students.

Zachery-Ross said she will formulate a plan in the coming months to come up with an alternative for staffing the buildings with social-emotional supports for students as an alternative to the school resource officers. That could include behavior specialists, more counselors, social workers or volunteer hall monitors from the neighborhood.

READ MORE:

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The High Court has begun hearing closing submissions in Johnny Depps defamation case against The Sun newspaper, as one of the most high-profile libel trials in British legal history draws to a close.

Lawyers for the tabloids publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN) started their closing remarks on Monday morning on the penultimate day of a court battle which has gripped the worlds media and Hollywood.

Depps legal team will deliver their final submissions on Tuesday. The actor is suing NGN and The Suns executive editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article which described him as a wife beater.

The Pirates Of The Caribbean star has attended every day of the trial at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, which has heard allegations of domestic abuse as well as intimate and embarrassing details of Depps relationship with ex-wife Amber Heard, the actor and model.

In her closing remarks, NGN barrister Sasha Wass told the court it had been presented with overwhelming evidence of domestic violence of wife-beating behaviour, catalogued over at three year period between 2013 and 2016."

She said Depps drug and alcohol-fuelled lifestyle provided the backdrop to violence and terrifying behaviour which put Ms Heard in fear of her life.

Both Depp and Heard given evidence during the three-week trial, where they have been greeted each morning by photographers and fans.

Depp has denied 14 allegations of domestic violence on which NGN is relying in defence against his defamation claim.

Heard, 34, claimed her ex-husband threatened to kill her many times, especially later in our relationship, and would blame his actions on a self-created third party he called the monster.

In a witness statement, she accused Depp of verbal and physical abuse, including screaming, swearing, punching, slapping, kicking, headbutting and choking, as well as extremely controlling and intimidating behaviour.

Depp, 57, has insisted the claims are a choreographed hoax. He told the court his tempestuous relationship with Heard was a crime scene waiting to happen and accused her of being violent towards him while building a dossier very early on in their relationship to align herself with the #MeToo movement.

In a written outline of the actors case, Depps barrister David Sherbourne said the 2018 article made defamatory allegations of the utmost seriousness.

Amber Heard arrives at the High Court in London for a hearing in Johnny Depps libel case against the publishers of The Sun (PA)

The claimants position is clear  Ms Heards allegations are complete lies, said the barrister.

Ms Wass told the court the NGNs defence was one of truth, namely that Mr Depp did indeed beat his wife.

She added: For the defence of truth to be substantiated, the defendants need to prove on a balance of probabilities that Mr Depp assaulted Ms Heard on at least one occasion.

During the last two weeks, the defendants have established that many more than one incident of wife-beating took place over the course of the relationship between the claimant and Amber Heard.

Trial judge Andrew Nicol is to reserve his judgment until a later date.
A top bureaucrat in the Bihar health ministry was moved out amid reports of growing differences between him and the state health minister even as the Covid-19 situation in the state is getting grimmer.

Principal secretary (health) Uday Singh Kumawat has been replaced by Pratyaya Amrit, who is also the principal secretary of Energy and disaster management department.

Kumawat is the second principal secretary to be removed from the health department in the last two months.

Earlier on May 21, Sanjay Kumar was removed from the post and transferred to the tourism department.

The number of positive cases reached 41111 on Monday in the state.

A notification about Amrits posting to the health department was issued by the general administration department late Monday evening.

Kumawats removal had become imminent after health minister Mangal Pandey lodged a complaint with chief minister Nitish Kumar in the presence of all other ministers after the cabinet meeting on Saturday.

Pandey openly took on Kumawat and said, The officer doesnt listen to me and only does what he wants to.

The Bihar CM reprimanded Kumawat and said: Every day at least 20,000 RT-PCR tests should be done else I will take action. If you cannot handle the department, please leave it. If Delhi can conduct 38,000 tests every day than why cant Bihar?

CM Kumar, facing flak for his handling of the Covid situation, went on to say that he had never faced a situation like this in the past 14 years of his government.

I will soon review the health department working and will not spare the people who are indulging in wrong practices, he said.

Kumawat has been facing criticism ever since he joined the department. There were complaints against him that he would not pick calls from officials of the health department and not even meet anyone in his chamber.

Other changes

The state government also effected some reshuffling in the administrative set up of some departments.

Additional chief secretary, labour resources department, Sudhir Kumar has been made the chief advisor of the Bihar State Planning Board while Uday Singh Kumawat has been made the advisor in the Board.

Mihir Kumar Singh, who was waiting for posting after his return from central deputation, has been made the principal secretary of the labour resources department, while development commissioner Arun Kumar Singh has been additional charge of director general Bihar Public Administration and Rural Development Institute.

In addition to this, S Siddharth, principal secretary (industry) has been given the additional charge of industry department while Sanjeev Hans, secretary water resources department has been made the secretary-cum-CMD, Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited.
DENVER, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MG Stover, the largest digital asset fund administrator, finalized an agreement with Coin Metrics this month, giving clients the option of a trusted secondary pricing source.

MG Stover's Head of Blockchain and Digital Assets, Seth Altman, says that "As more institutional investors evaluate the space, we go above and beyond to support institutional measures. One part of that is utilizing and collaborating with other service providers that share that same mission."

Tim Rice, CEO of Coin Metrics, agrees and adds "Given price variability across crypto exchanges, having a reliable whole-market fixed price is important for the proper valuation of institutional portfolios. MG Stover's move brings greater rigor to the space."

Coin Metrics is a comprehensive financial data provider for digital asset institutions. Their CM Reference Rates platform streams USD price benchmarks and provides transparent, reliable pricing for more than 200 digital assets. Rates are produced either hourly with human review or automated in real-time every second. The technology adheres to IOSCO Principles of Financial Benchmarks and all calculation methodologies are governed by an oversight committee.



MG Stover is a third-party administration firm that services hedge, private equity and venture capital funds. Since entering the space in 2014, the firm is now the largest digital asset administration firm by both AUM and number of funds. With separately dedicated teams and technologies in place, they provide the full suite of administration services for both open and closed end cryptocurrency and blockchain funds.

SOURCE MG Stover
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is in final preparations to launch NASA's Mars 2020 mission with the Perseverance rover. The launch is on track for July 30 at Space Launch Complex-41 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Launch is planned for 7:50 a.m. EDT at the opening of a two-hour launch window. The live launch broadcast begins at 7 a.m. EDT on NASA TV and at www.ulalaunch.com.

ULA has a significant history launching to the red planet. ULA and its heritage rockets have launched every U.S. led mission to Mars, beginning in the 1960s. The launch of this mission will mark ULA's 20th trip to Mars. Mars 2020 will be the fifth mission to Mars launched by the Atlas V rocket, following the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2005, the Curiosity rover in 2011, the MAVEN orbiter in 2013 and the InSight lander in 2018.

"We are proud to launch the Mars 2020 mission to orbit," said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. "The discoveries from the Mars 2020 mission will provide crucial science and research that will help inform NASA's future plans to put humans on the Moon and Mars. We look forward to continuing the Mars mission legacy with our NASA partners."

One of the most powerful rockets in the Atlas V fleet, the 541 configuration, with four solid rocket boosters, provides optimum performance to precisely deliver a range of mission types. In addition to three national security and two weather satellites, an Atlas V 541 rocket launched NASA's Curiosity rover on its 10-month, 354 million-mile journey to the surface of Mars.

This Atlas V 541 configuration vehicle includes a 5-meter payload fairing (PLF) and stands 197 ft. tall. The Atlas booster for this mission is powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne provided the four AJ-60A SRBs and RL10C-1 engine for the Centaur upper stage.

NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida selected United Launch Alliance's (ULA's) proven Atlas V vehicle for this mission and is responsible for management and oversight of the Atlas V launch services. LSP selected this rocket because it has the right liftoff capability for the "heavy weight" requirements for NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launch.

To date ULA has launched 139 times with 100 percent mission success.

With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA is the world's most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully launched more than 135 missions to orbit that provide Earth observation capabilities, enable global communications, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, and support life-saving technology.

For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321). Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch.

SOURCE United Launch Alliance

Related Links

http://www.ulalaunch.com


The analysts covering Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AHT) delivered a dose of negativity to shareholders today, by making a substantial revision to their statutory forecasts for this year. Revenue and earnings per share (EPS) forecasts were both revised downwards, with analysts seeing grey clouds on the horizon.

Following the downgrade, the consensus from four analysts covering Ashford Hospitality Trust is for revenues of US$702m in 2020, implying a concerning 51% decline in sales compared to the last 12 months. Per-share losses are expected to explode, reaching US$35.14 per share. Yet before this consensus update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$795m and losses of US$31.62 per share in 2020. Ergo, there's been a clear change in sentiment, with the analysts administering a notable cut to this year's revenue estimates, while at the same time increasing their loss per share forecasts.

Check out our latest analysis for Ashford Hospitality Trust

Another way we can view these estimates is in the context of the bigger picture, such as how the forecasts stack up against past performance, and whether forecasts are more or less bullish relative to other companies in the industry. We would highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with the forecast 51% revenue decline a notable change from historical growth of 4.8% over the last five years. Compare this with our data, which suggests that other companies in the same industry are, in aggregate, expected to see their revenue grow 5.3% next year. It's pretty clear that Ashford Hospitality Trust's revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to note from this downgrade is that the consensus increased its forecast losses this year, suggesting all may not be well at Ashford Hospitality Trust. Unfortunately analysts also downgraded their revenue estimates, and industry data suggests that Ashford Hospitality Trust's revenues are expected to grow slower than the wider market. After a cut like that, investors could be forgiven for thinking analysts are a lot more bearish on Ashford Hospitality Trust, and a few readers might choose to steer clear of the stock.

Story continues

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. We have estimates - from multiple Ashford Hospitality Trust analysts - going out to 2023, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Of course, seeing company management invest large sums of money in a stock can be just as useful as knowing whether analysts are downgrading their estimates. So you may also wish to search this free list of stocks that insiders are buying.

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.
MIDDLETOWN  It may be hard to believe, but the month of August begins this week in Middlesex County and throughout our great nation.

While the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce calendar continues to be packed with events and activities, I want to focus this weeks column on our COVID-19 response. The chamber is a dynamic business organization with over 2,150 members in and around our service area. We represent businesses from all industry sectors and of all sizes, from Fortune 500 companies to micro businesses.

Throughout this COVID-19 crisis, we have worked extra hard to be a resource not only for business owners, but the community at large.

It was important for us to make sure that our online presence was adapting to the difficult times we are all facing. Under the leadership of Vice President Johanna Bond, we created a coronavirus tool kit with the motto, Plan, Prepare, Dont Panic. This provides a single online location where businesses can monitor the crisis while accessing a host of resources from a variety of different sources.

Whether it is accessing PPE for your employees, finding information about emergency planning or relief funds available, information on best practices for employers, or accessing the many webinars that the chamber has conducted over the past several months, the tool kit has it all. This important resource will continue to be updated on a regular basis as we move forward.

On the government relations front, the chamber has worked constructively with public officials at all levels of government throughout the pandemic. Examples include weekly community forums with elected officials and regional stakeholders, weekly virtual meetings with emergency management and public health officials, and assisting municipalities with PPE distribution to the local business community.

It also works with municipalities on regulatory issues, such as zoning and curbside pickup; and hosts legislative forums with members of the Connecticut General Assembly. We have also held several key town hall-style discussions, through virtual means, with various government leaders from the federal, state and local levels. The chamber values its relationships with our partners in the public sector, and we will continue these efforts.

On the technical assistance front, we have held several virtual sessions with professional business advisors from the Connecticut Small Business Development Center throughout this crisis. These sessions covered important topics, such as best practices for applying for relief funds, the differences between the relief packages available, how to access forgiveness, and how you can best position your business moving forward.

We also developed the Tuesday Tips campaign, a new weekly workshops series featuring a versatile team of attorneys from various fields of law. These professionals have helped cut through some of the confusion regarding the business communitys response to COVID-19, and have provided a valuable legal perspective on a number of fronts.

I continue to appreciate the support of Pullman & Comley, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, and Reid and Riege, who have all provided this critical content from the legal community to our membership.

With respect to social media, the chamber continues to be active on all platforms, and we are working hard every day to make our online presence more effective and more dynamic. Beyond the chamber platforms, our staff has created a special social media campaign, called Shout It Out!, which provides the opportunity for local businesses to share the creative ideas they are employing to stay operational and helpful to their fellow community members.

From the outset, our goal has been to show support for the restaurants, retail establishments, and the business community as a whole to demonstrate that we are all in this together. This program is ongoing and continues to grow on a daily basis. As it stands, we have over 1,300 followers that have shared over 4,000 specialty posts highlighting business hours, services and specials from across the state, along with job opportunities.

Before closing, I want to remind everyone that the chambers reLAUNCH Campaign is officially underway. ReLAUNCH serves as a catalyst to assist the Middlesex Chamber community with recovering and emerging from COVID-19 through innovation, communication and collaboration.

Visit middlesexchamber.com to view what is essentially a resource guide which covers everything from communications and public relations to marketing, human resources, workforce development, best business practices, signage, access to financing, and much more. This will be a living guide that will grow as more information comes in and more restrictions are lifted.

Finally, I thank our dedicated chamber leadership and my terrific staff for their unbelievable work throughout this process. From our Chairman Tom Byrne to our immediate past chairman, Don DeVivo, and our entire Executive Committee, everyone has stepped up to the plate to support our chamber and community.

Our Strategic Planning Committee, led by Teresa Opalacz, meets on a weekly basis to review our strategic objectives and continue our efforts to move the chamber forward. Chamber vice presidents Jeff Pugliese and Johanna Bond, our controller Steve Ciskowsi, and our entire staff have worked very hard throughout this crisis. I am so grateful for their effort and their dedication.

There is no doubt this COVID-19 situation has caused major damage to public health and to our economy. However, it has also brought out the best in our community, and, for that, I am immensely proud.

We are blessed to be a part of a wonderful community here in Middlesex County. It is inspiring to see people coming together to reach a common goal, get through this crisis healthy and stable, and ready to come back stronger than ever. We hope you will join us in this effort.

The sun always shines in Middlesex County!

Larry McHugh is president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce in Middletown.
A few days ago, we had reported that Bigg Boss Kannada 3 fame Jayashree Ramaiah shocked everyone by hinting of dying by suicide in an 'I Quit' post on Facebook. On July 22, she shared the post which read, "I quit. Goodbye to this f*****g world and depression." Soon after the post was shared on the internet, her fans and followers started worrying about her. But thankfully, Sandalwood superstar Kiccha Sudeep came to her rescue.

Jayashree Ramaiah had come live on Facebook and requested for 'Mercy Killing'. In the video, the diva mentioned that she is not doing this for publicity and not expecting any financial help from Kiccha Sudeep who was the host of Bigg Boss Kannada 3. Jayashree admitted that she is in depression and expecting death as she is unable to battle the mental illness. The actress in the video confirmed that she is financially strong but depressed and has been going through a lot of personal issues.

Surprisingly, she later deleted the post and shared a new update saying, "I'm Alright and safe!! Love you all." Well, this act of Jayashree Ramaiah indeed left everyone relieved yet perplexed. But many didn't know it then that it was Kiccha Sudeep who came to her rescue and saved her from dying by suicide. After learning about Jayashree's video, the actor immediately pressed his staff into action to rescue her.

Jayashree later thanked Kiccha Sudeep for saving her life. In a Facebook post, she wrote, "Thanks a lot Sudeep Sir for ur care and you saved me along with his team members and my loving friends and fans love u all!! Sorry for making u guys panic I am back to form..Thanks media for the support am grateful to u all!!"

Also Read : Kiccha Sudeep Adopts Four Government Schools In Karnataka For Betterment Of Students

Kudos to Kiccha Sudeep for rescuing Jayashree Ramaiah! Notably, the actor has also made his fans proud by adopting four government schools in Karnataka for the betterment of students. He is also providing scholarships and digital training to the students.

Also Read : Kiccha Sudeep On KGF 2: I Wouldn't Have Done What Sanjay Dutt Sir Is Capable Of

On the professional front, Kiccha Sudeep will next be seen in Kotigobba 3 and Phantom.
Wise investment in health care is one of the factors leading to Vietnams spectacularly effective COVID-19 response, said an article published on the Japan Times on July 26.

Spraying disinfectants at Da Nang hospital

The articles author, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore, Kishore Mahbubani highlighted differences between East Asia and western countries in the fight against the pandemic, saying that the most striking disparity is death tolls.

Japan has so far reported 7.8 deaths per million, followed by the Republic of Korea (5.8), Singapore (4.6), China (3.2) and, most remarkably of all, Vietnam with zero deaths. By contrast, Belgium now has 846 confirmed deaths per million, and the UK has 669, followed by Spain (608), Italy (580) and the US (429).

Explaining Vietnams success in the fight, Mahbubani said between 2000 and 2016, its per capita public health expenditures increased by an average of 9 percent per year. This enabled Vietnam to establish a national public health emergency operations centre and surveillance system in the wake of the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic.

According to him, Vietnams track record is all the more astonishing given the countrys low starting point. When the Cold War ended three decades ago, and Vietnam finally stopped fighting wars after almost 45 years of near-continual conflict, it had one of the worlds poorest populations. But by opening up to foreign trade and investment, Vietnam subsequently became one of the worlds fastest-growing economies.

As then-World Bank President Jim Yong Kim pointed out in 2016, Vietnams average annual growth rate of nearly 7 percent over the previous 25 years had enabled the country to leapfrog to middle-income status in a single generation. And during the same period, Kim noted, Vietnam had managed the especially remarkable achievement of reducing extreme poverty from 50 percent to just 3 percent, he said.

Speaking highly of Vietnams global economic integration policy, the author said after the Soviet Union collapsed, Vietnam integrated itself into many of East Asias existing regional bodies, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. There, the country learned quickly from its neighbours. More recently, Vietnam joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the 11-country trade pact spearheaded by Japan./.VNA

Vietnam aims to become healthcare destination K.V., a 53-year-old foreign sailor who became sick from anthrax while at sea, recovered within just a week of treatment for the infection in Vietnam.
YEREVAN. As a result of the work of the last two years, it was obvious that during all their business trips, the MPs are able to correctly present all the emphases in the interests of Armenia, as well as to establish partnership relations that would allow at this time to reflectthrough a rapid responseon Azerbaijan's aggression. Lilit Makunts, the leader of the majority My Step faction of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia, mentioned this Monday during a meeting with journalists.

Referring to the anti-Armenian resolution passed in the US House of Representativesand which states that the US Secretary of State together with the Secretary of Defense must submit a report on the status of internally displaced persons in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Azerbaijan, and which must contain information on the number of people who were deported from and killed in those countries illegally occupied territories by foreign forces ever since 1991Makunts said: "Several countries were mentioned in the initial version [of the aforesaid resolution], and at the last moment, the name of Azerbaijan was also included in the resolution due to the Azerbaijani lobbying; I believe also in connection with the [recent] events in Tavush [Province in Armenia]. Of course, this includes emphases that are not in our best interests. It is a complicated resolution, () the House of Representatives has already adopted the resolution. Let's see how it plays out in the Senate."

Makunts also stressed that she heads the NA Armenian-American friendship group, which has rather limited powers to take any action. "But we are in touch with the staffs of individual Congress members; we are also in direct contact with some Congress members. Of course, we have presented to them our concerns related to certain wording, ideas. Our suggestion was whether there was any way to revise some of the wording [in this resolution]."
Some scientists feel that the current Covid-19 pandemic, which has already infected more than 16-million and killed more than 600,000 worldwide, is only a dress rehearsal for an even bigger pandemic.

More pandemics might be on the cards

Origin of SARS-CoV-2 and other diseases

Learning from past pandemics

Knowing the animals involved

Research in the fight against Covid-19

Professor Robert Bragg, researcher in the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, and Professor Aliza le Roux, assistant dean: natural and agricultural sciences and associate professor: zoology and entomology at the University of the Free State (UFS), warn about future pandemics, saying that humans interaction with animals and lack of learning from the past are the reasons for this.Another researcher, Dr Martin Nyaga, senior lecturer/ researcher: next generation sequencing (NGS), agrees with Bragg and Le Roux about new viruses and says viruses will keep emerging due to their general nature.There is a feeling among some scientists that this could just be a dress rehearsal for the real big pandemic. Many virologists, including me, have been predicting an influenza pandemic for many years. Mankind has been warned about the coming pandemics for many years, but people seem to want to listen only when they are in the midst of a pandemic.The bird-flu virus, Influenza H5N1, has a mortality rate of around 60-65%, but it has not yet developed human-to-human transmission. If it does, we could be in for a really serious pandemic," says Bragg.Humans need for affordable meat on a regular basis is creating the perfect breeding ground for more diseases like this. This means our demand for meat is driving cheaper and less controlled agricultural practices, cramming more animals into smaller spaces, feeding them less and less natural fodder.Remember mad cow disease? Have you seen chicken batteries? We should not blame exotic eating practices, but look at our own. If we could see eating meat as a treat and not a daily right, we can reduce pressure on the environment and reduce the speed at which another zoonotic virus can evolve, says Le Roux.Nyaga says that more viruses are possible in other organisms as well. In as much as research on viral particles continues, more outbreaks are possible within not only the coronavirus domain, but also any other class of organisms. The ever-changing nature of viruses, mainly due to mutations and other mechanisms of genetic diversity, could occur through chain of transmission, including via the intermediate hosts. This kind of antigenic mutations could make the general population vulnerable due to lack of immunity against the new strains of emerging strains or completely novel viruses."According to Bragg, the previous coronavirus that led to SARS and caused major concerns, also started in a wet food market in China  just like Covid-19. That virus was traced to a civet cat meat. This virus had a very high mortality rate but could only be transmitted when a person showed clinical signs. Therefore, measuring the temperature of people was useful and beneficial.There are many other examples of serious human pandemics which was spread from animals to humans. Another good example is the Ebola virus, which has also been traced to people eating bats in Africa. Yet another example is HIV, which is believed to have spread to man as a result of the consumption of chimpanzee meat.The most serious has been the 1918 Spanish flu, which started off in pigs and spread to man. All of these have to do with the mistreatment of animals by man."Le Roux says past pandemics can teach us how to respond from a public health perspective. If we found treatments that worked before, we can use that as a starting point for current treatments. But if we cant even control human behaviour (learning from past mistakes), think of how much more challenging it is to develop a vaccine against a virus that is so adaptable.Prof Bragg adds: Mankind should also have learned lessons from the 1918 pandemic, but man is notoriously slow at learning lessons from the past. Each generation wants to make their own mistakes. One can only draw parallels from the people who defined lockdown regulations in 1918 to celebrate the end of the First World War and the demonstrations currently underway in the USA.The celebrations in 1918 caused more deaths than have occurred during the four years of the First World War. I predict that within a week or two, the number of cases and mortalities in the USA (and around the world) are going to skyrocket, says Bragg.Nyaga explains that identification of the source (reservoir hosts) and the intermediate host(s) is crucial in devising strategies, including palliative measures and designing drugs or vaccines against a potential pathogenic agent such as SARS-CoV-2. This will help in understanding the genomic dynamics and likely immunological responses that could be triggered along the chain of transmission to humans, and more importantly, how the compounds in the therapies can terminate the different stages of viral replication.Le Roux says she is not sure if a vaccine would be developed based on knowledge of a host species, but there is the possibility that (depending on the species) we can use some of the hosts antibodies to develop our own antibody therapies. But generally, the knowledge can help more long-term planning on how to avoid future host shifts to humans. If we know where the virus originated, we can study that species or group of species better, and understand how the mutations occurred, etc. It would help us with future prevention more than current mitigation, I think.According to the experts, various research efforts are afoot on the control of the disease. These range from the development of a vaccine, development of antiviral drugs, and the development of monoclonal antibodies or antibody fragments. Research is also needed on improved, faster, and cheaper diagnostic tests to test for the presence of the virus as well as for the detection of antibodies against the virus in people. This last test is needed to demonstrate the efficacy of vaccines as well as people in the population who have recovered from the virus.Bragg says research on the epidemiology of the virus is also needed. How far it can spread and how long it can survive are critical questions, particularly when talking about social distancing. Much of the current information is based on guesswork. Worldwide, research efforts are gaining an understanding of the virus and how it is causing disease in humans. If you think that this virus was unknown before December 2019, mankind has very quickly learned a lot about this virus and there are many very interesting articles coming out on what receptors the virus binds to and how the virus causes damage to the host and overcomes the host defence mechanisms."Nyaga says while the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19 is still in its infancy, results are already emerging on the molecular dynamics and immunological perspectives of the virus. With the characterisation of the genomic sequences of the virus, it has been possible to design several vaccines, including the inactivated virus, viral vectors, nucleic acid-based and protein-based vaccines. A good number of them are currently under clinical trials for possible WHO qualification towards global use. Just recently, a clinical trial on one of these vaccines, called the South African Ox1Cov-19 Vaccine VIDA-trial, was on schedule locally to be championed by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg,."According to him, effective prevention essentially requires an in-depth understanding of the clinical severity of Covid19, the extent of transmission and infection, and the efficacy of treatment options in order to accelerate the development of diagnostics and treatment options.Bragg says that the socio-economic impact of the virus is very serious at this stage. The final number of human cases and fatalities are still a long way from completion. This virus is going to be with us for quite some time and the mortality rate in some countries with high levels of HIV and TB could become very high.
Togbe Tatse Ahunubobrem V, Divisional Chief, Kpando Tsakpe has said the change in siting of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) Advisory Centre to the District Assembly grounds was necessitated by encroachment by some individuals.



He said the original site was the Kpando Fest enclave, but illegal human development activities on the parcel of land on the blind side of the Assembly facilitated the encroachment.



He said the land, which was acquired a decade ago by the Assembly for the project near the Art Gallery of the Centre for National Culture (CNC) was left unprotected by the Assembly, which led to the encroachments.



Togbe Ahunubobrem, speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) about seeming disagreements on the site of the project said the encroachment meant the project needed to be shifted to get the required land size for the utility of the building.



He said shifting the site means the edifice would be built behind the CNC building, which would not favour the purpose for the project.



He said an agreement reached between the Municipal Assembly and the Chiefs of the Akpini Traditional Area was for the sod-cutting to be performed be at the forecourt of the current Assembly premise, but the eventual construction would stick to its originally designated site at Kpando Fesi.



Togbe Ahunubobrem said they were shocked by the massive encroachment of the parcel of land during inspection, after the sod-cutting ceremony, culminating in the change of venue.



Mr. Theophilus Ernest Quist, Municipal Chief Executive said rumours that the Assembly tricked the Chiefs into agreeing for the sod-cutting to take place at the forecut of the Assembly in order for the construction to take place at the designated site afterwards was false.



He said the agreement as signed between the Assembly and the NBSSI by his predecessor obliged them to implement it to the latter.



Mr. Quist said the land for the Assembly at Fesi could be used for other projects that would also benefit the Municipality, but the Business Advisory Centre edifice needed to be at the capital of the Municipality, which is Gabi for the people to gain easy accessibility of doing business or seeking financial advisory help.



He said the edifice would beautify the Municipality after completion and that such a huge and important edifice should not be sited behind the CNC building at Kpando Fesi.



Mr. Quist said shifting the project to another site might cause the agreement to be cancelled by the other party so they had to build at the Assembly ground adjacent the Divisional Police Station, to avoid losing the opportunity as the project was undertaken in only two Districts in the Region, Kpando inclusive.



A youth group calling itself Concerned Kpando Youth in the Municipality was against siting of the project at the heart of town as they believed that decentralisation was the way to go saying the original site should have been maintained.



Mr. Isaac Newton Nyagbe, a member of the group and also Independent Parliamentary Candidate in the Constituncy, said the land acquired for the project at the outskirts of the capital of Kpando would encourage decentralisation and for all other towns in the Municipality to enjoy their share of the national cake.



He said the project would be best sited at Fesi to expand infrastructure and beautify other part of the Municipality.

Source: GNA









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TROY  While touring the Unity House of Troy Monday morning, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul called on federal officials to provide additional support for daytime child-care facilities.

The visit from the senator and lieutenant governor comes as industries and workers across New York are forced to grapple with a new coronavirus-related reality: with the reopening of in-person schooling still uncertain, many people who otherwise would have been able to return to work may instead have to stay home and take care of their children this fall.

The Center for American Progress in April reported that the pandemic could lead to the permanent loss of 4.5 million child-care slots throughout the country. More than 175,000 of those lost spots could come from New York, amounting to about 50 percent of the state's child-care capacity.

In a letter to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Robert Redfield, Gillibrand and Rep. Joseph D. Morelle (D-Rochester) urged the CDC to consult day care providers before making decisions that could impact how they operate.

"In our discussions with the child care community in New York State, providers and stakeholders have consistently expressed confusion around the disparities between the CDC guidance for providers and the state enforced guidance," Gillibrand and Morelle wrote. "Providers have requested that there be additional clarification and coordination between federal and state guidelines for child care to ensure providers are in compliance with all best practices to protect children, families, and staff."

Gillibrand and Morelle said that there are disparities between local, state and federal guidelines on how to safely operate child-care facilities.

One issue brought up: mandatory face masks or shields when caring for children and toddlers. The letter said child-care providers have expressed concern that a lack of eye contact, physical touch and speech could hinder children's earliest stages of development.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated racial, social, and gender-based inequalities that already existed in our society. Nowhere is that more present than with the child care crisis that we have struggled with for far too long, Hochul said. To get our economy back firing on all cylinders, the stress and cost of the child care burden on families and providers must be addressed. It is no longer an individual familys problem, its a problem for our economic recovery, and its finally part of the national conversation."

Gillibrand is also urging Congress to create a child-care fund as part of the Child Care is Essential Act. Gillibrand's proposal would create a $50 billion fund that day care providers can use for operating expenses, staff pay and tuition assistance for families.
Disciplinary records from the New York Police Department have been published in a database by ProPublica this week that discloses complaints lodged against nearly 4,000 officers - days after a federal judge paused the public release of city police records.

The explosive database, published as The NYPD Files, showed the previously shrouded disciplinary records for 3,996 active officers that encompasses 12,056 complaints.

ProPublica said it excluded allegations that investigators deemed unfounded from the material it published, and only included officers who've had at least one substantiated allegation.

Deputy Managing Editor Eric Umansky said ProPublica requested the information from the citys police watchdog agency, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), soon after last month's repeal of the 50-A law that for decades had prevented the disclosure of disciplinary records.

ProPublica released the disciplinary records for nearly 4,000 New York Police Department officers and more than 12,000 complaints

Unions representing police officers and other public safety workers sued the city on July 15 to block Mayor Bill de Blasio from making good on a pledge to start posting misconduct complaints on a government website.

The unions argued that allowing the public to see unproven or false complaints could sully officers reputations and compromise their safety.

A state judge who first handled the case had issued a narrower restraining order that temporarily blocked the public disclosure of records concerning unsubstantiated and non-finalized allegations or settlement agreements.

'We understand the arguments against releasing this data. But we believe the public good it could do outweighs the potential harm,' ProPublica Editor-in-Chief Stephen Engelberg said.

'The database gives the people of New York City a glimpse at how allegations involving police misconduct have been handled, and allows journalists and ordinary citizens alike to look more deeply at the records of particular officers.'

Residents have long fought against the 50-A law, which protects disciplinary records, personnel files and related materials of law enforcement from the public, over a lack of transparency

Pictured: Black Lives Matter protesters scuffle with an NYPD officer on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York during a demonstration

The expansive database covers a range of complaint categories, including 7,636 allegations of force, 20,292 allegations of abuse of authority, 4,677 allegations of discourtesy and 753 allegations of offensive language.

Under the 'force' category, the top three allegations types are physical force, gun pointed and pepper spray - which amassed to 5,800 allegations.

The highest allegations type under abuse of authority are 'stop,' 'frisk' and search of a person.

The majority of offensive language complaints with 307 related to race and discourtesy were 'word' allegations at 3,942.

For example, disciplinary records for Detective Jean Louis with the 81st Precinct Detective Squad showed he had nine total complaints, 24 allegations and nine substantiated allegations.

It's noted that a complaint received from a civilian can include multiple allegations.

When an allegation is substantiated, the alleged misconduct occurred and violated department rules.

In a complaint filed in May 2010, a civilian accused Louis of abuse of authority with a gun drawn.

In that instance, the CCRB exonerated Louis of any wrongdoing.

But in a complaint filed May 2006, it found that four allegations made against Louis were substantiated.

Explicit details of the instances were not provided, but the allegations included discourtesy: word; abuse of authority: threat of force (verbal or physical); abuse of authority: Refusal to provide name/shield number; and abuse of authority: stop.

Within the database, there are 7,636 allegations of force, 20,292 allegations of abuse of authority, 4,677 allegations of discourtesy and 753 allegations of offensive language.

The database indicated that the substantiated discourtesy and three abuse of authority allegations resulted in charges.

In another section, Officer Numeal Amador was hit with three complaints, nine allegations and six substantiated allegations.

Two of the substantiated allegations the CCRB determined true were complaints over chokeholds.

Two complaints were made in January 2018, one from a 48-year-old Hispanic male and the other from a 47-year-old White male.

The database indicates that the CCRB conclusion resulted in charges.

Other substantiated allegations included abuse of authority: retaliatory summons and abuse of authority: threat of arrest.

The judge's ruling Wednesday blocked the CCRB, the police department and other entities from disclosing disciplinary records until at least August 18, when shell hear arguments in the case.

In issuing the temporary restraining order, the judge also barred the New York chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union from publicly releasing records it had already obtained.

The ACLU of New York on Friday sought to fight the gag order and filed a motion in federal court to challenge the ruling.

'Were fighting the gag order barring us from releasing NYPD police misconduct data. 50-A was used for years to hide disciplinary records  with 50-A now repealed, the police unions are still trying to keep the public in the dark,' ACLU of New York wrote on Twitter.

The organization said it requested officer misconduct complaints from the CCRB under the states open records law and received them before the unions lawsuit was filed.

Like ProPublica, the NYCLU argued it was not a party to the lawsuit.

'The federal court has no authority to bar us from making it public, and we will contest this unprecedented order as quickly as possible,' NYLU legal director Christopher Dunn said.

The ACLU in New York filed a motion in federal court to end a gag order of the public release of NYPD disciplinary records

50-A came back into public conversation after Mayor Bill de Blasio (pictured) announced that he supported reforming the law and would be defunding the police

The most recent legal debate around the 50-A law happened after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio promised police reform following a nationwide reckoning of law enforcement.

He revealed he supports the reform of provisions in 50-A to ensure 'transparency' among law enforcement.

50-A was a New York state law that protects disciplinary records, personnel files and related materials of law enforcement from the public.

Critics have long argued that 50-A shields police officers from facing accountability.

In recent weeks, amid Black Lives Matter and police brutality protests, a number of NYPD officers have been blasted for what people perceive as excessive force.

In one incident that went viral in May, a woman who was reportedly shoved by a NYPD officer suffered a seizure, a concussion, bruising and lacerations as a result of the incident.

Video showed the cop had called Zayer 'a stupid f***ing b***h' and shoved her with such force that she flew out of her shoes and slammed her head on to the pavement.

She could be seen cradling her head immediately after as the officer walked off.

She later shared videos from her hospital bed saying she required treatment after the attack.

Similar complaints have been made at law enforcement around the country and resulted in defunding, or the full out abolition, of police departments.

In fact, the Minneapolis City Council voted to fully abolish its police force and replace it with a community-led public safety system.

According to the resolution, the city council will now begin a year-long process of engaging 'with every willing community member in Minneapolis' to come up with a new public safety model.

It added that the process would center on 'the voices of Black people, American Indian people, people of color, immigrants, victims of harm, and other stakeholders who have been historically marginalized or under-served by our present system'.

'Together, we will identify what safety looks like for everyone,' the resolution said.

New York state legislature scraps controversial 50-a law that hid disciplinary records from the public - including that of the cop who put Eric Garner in a chokehold - in 'watershed moment' against police brutality

New York's state legislature has voted to scrap the controversial 50-a law that keeps police disciplinary records secret and passed a bill that bans the use of chokeholds while making arrests after widespread protests against police brutality that were sparked by the killing of George Floyd.

The State Senate passed the bill on Tuesday with a majority of 40-22 and Governor Cuomo says he will sign it into law this week. All the Republicans in the Senate voted against it.

The bill not only repeals 50-a, which means police disciplinary records will become public, but it also bans chokeholds and allows prosecutors to charge cops with a Class C felony if they cause serious injury or death while putting someone in a chokehold.

Mayor Bill de Blasio touted the move on Wednesday as a 'historical, watershed moment' that leads the charge in national reform on policing.

The 50-a law is what the NYPD cited to keep secret the misconduct records of Daniel Pantaleo, the cop who put Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold in 2014

'Now there will be the ability to have the openness and transparency to see what's really going on,' he said.

Police unions have long argued that releasing officers' records would put them at risk of harm. Under the new bill, their phone numbers and addresses will be redacted but details of complaints against them will become public.

The law has existed since the 1970s but was never enforced by the NYPD until 2016, after the 2014 death of Eric Garner who died after being held in a chokehold by Daniel Pantaleo.

It means Pantaleo's record never became public and the outcome of his administrative trial was also shielded from the media and public.

New York Sate Assemblywoman Diana C. Richardson, D-Brooklyn, speaks in favor of new legislation for Police Reform during a Assembly session at the state Capitol Monday, June 8

It is unclear if people will now be able to access historic records, like that of Pantaleo who was fired in August.

New York Senate majority leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said in a statement: 'The legislation that will be passed over the coming days will help stop bad actors and send a clear message that brutality, racism, and unjustified killings will not be tolerated.'

Police unions are fighting back against the move and say it is further proof that cops are being attacked.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Pat Lynch, the president of the Sergeant's Benevolent Association, fumed at a press conference against the 'rhetoric' politicians were using.

He said cops were being sacrificed while risking their own lives by politicians who were bending to the social movement against police brutality.
Diamond Mining in Angola

Diamond mining in Angola dates back to 1917 when a consortium of Belgian, English and Portuguese investors established Companhia de Diamantes de Angola, or Diamang. In 1961, a civil war broke out in Angola against the Portuguese colonialism. In 1975, Angola gained independence. In 1981, ENDIAMA, Angola's state-owned diamond company, was set up based in Luanda, the capital of Angola. In 2002, Angola joined the Kimberley Process Certification System. At the end of July 2020, the annual report for 2019 was released. Table 1 shows Angolas diamond production figures in 2006-2019.

Table 1

Diamond production in Angola, 2006-2019





The table is based on the Kimberley Processs annual reports, 2006-2019

Sociedade Mineira de Catoca

ALROSA has a stake in Sociedade Mineira de Catoca producing diamonds in Angola at the Catoca deposit. The first production facilities were commissioned in 1997. At present, Catoca has two beneficiation plants with a total capacity of above 10.0 mn tonnes of ore per year. The Catoca kimberlite pipe development programme involves continuing its opencast mining to a depth of 600 m during 2012-2034. Catoca was the first mining company in the Angolas history to launch large-scale mining at one of the largest primary diamond deposits - the Catoca kimberlite pipe ranking fourth in the world (Lunda Sul Province).

It is owned by a consortium of international mining companies including ENDIAMA (Angola's state-owned mining company with a 41% stake), Russia's ALROSA (41%), LL International Holding B. V. owned by China-SONAGOL International Holding Ltd. (18.0%). ENDIAMA, Angola's state-owned diamond mining company receives significant dividends in accordance with its share in the authorized capital of the company.

The Catocas diamond production figures in 2006-2019 are given in Table 2.

Table 2

Diamond production in Angola, 2006-2019



The table is based on the Catocas annual reports, 2006-2016.

The diamonds mined by Sociedade Mineira de Catoca have become a sales leader in Angola. In 2019, production at the mine amounted to 7.8 mn carats by volume and $700 mn by value. Catocas management is actively expanding the mines production. The average value of diamonds produced at the mine is $90 per carat. The inferred reserves are 50 mn carats.

Angola's diamond industry outlook

1. In 2020, the pressure from the lab-grown diamonds will increase, so the beneficiation in Angola, as in other African countries, does not play a significant role in the diamond industry.

2. The global crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic will lead to a decrease in the diamond production by 25-30 percent.

Yury Danilov, Ph. D., independent expert and analyst






27.07.2020 LISTEN

MAIDEN STATEMENT BY PROF. NAANA JANE OPOKU-AGYEMANG, NDC RUNNING MATE TO H.E. JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA FOR ELECTION 2020 ON THE OCCASSION OF HER OUTDOORING AT UPSA ON 27TH JULY, 2020

My Boss, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, Leader of the NDC and soon to be reinstated as President of the Republic,

Thank you for your kind words.

Thank you Chairman Ofosu Ampofo ;

Comrade Asiedu Nketiah, the one and only General Mosquito  Thank you.

My Brothers and Sisters,

The past three weeks have been interesting and sobering for me.

It has been a humbling experience.

Ebenezer, this is how far you have brought your handmaids; this is how far you have brought Ghana; we thank you for all that is past; and trust you for all that is to come.

I wish to express sincere gratitude to the Founder, H.E. J. J. Rawlings, the Council of Elders, members of the National Executive Committee, the Functional Executive Committee, the entire rank and file of the NDC and the general public for their incredible support and many, many words of encouragement, those pronounced publicly and those spoken in private.

We are all aware that this is the first time in our history that a major party has nominated a woman on its ticket to become Vice President. I assure the leadership and rank and file of the party that I come to this position with the mindset of a team player. I belong to you all and will always count on your support and guidance.

Your Excellency John Mahama, your singular decision to select me as your running mate has generated a whole web of responses and debates. But importantly, it is a new focal point for girls and women; you have respected women; the women of Ghana will not forget; the youth will remember; generations to come will commit your decision to memory and make it a reference point; we will partner with our men and youth, as we have always done, and work hard to achieve peace in our land, because that is the best way to respond to this high recognition.

Making history is gratifying; but what really matters is not to be first through the door. What matters is to hold the door open for those behind us and create other avenues for self actualization for many more. That is the work of the next four years.

Many are those who are now more energized to vote, thanks to the momentous decision of JM. I urge them to do just that. We do not intend to disappoint you.

My Boss JM, by your choice, you have turned the struggles of so many women who have come before this moment into a probability. We- men, women, our youth and children- we all have a chance to finally make real our dreams of serving this country at high levels, of removing doubts and proving once again that we are capable.

This is the time we have been waiting for. Aloo nyemi yei mimale? Nse yebetum aye? Nyame nye hen boafo.

Yes, it gets emotional sometimes, for which we will not apologize; emotions only confirm our humanity.

After serious reflection , consultations, prayers, and encouragement of colleagues, friends, and family, I am happy to have accepted the nomination to be the running mate of the presidential candidate of the great National Democratic Congress. This is an act of faith I do not take lightly, at all. I do not underrate the huge responsibilities and expectations that come with the call. I call on us all to translate our excitement into action for the benefit of the good people of our beloved country.

I accepted the nomination because it is an opportunity to serve my country once again, albeit at a higher level. In God do I continue to trust, that I may never be confounded. The Methodists know where this line is coming from.

I am deeply humbled by the trust of our party and nation and I am excited to make the case to the good people of Ghana as to why the J&J ticket is best poised to confront the daunting challenges of our time and usher Ghana into recovery and prosperity.

It will be my mission to ensure that the voices and concerns of our children, our youth and our aged, and our persons with disabilities are reflected in critical decisions.

Together, we can strategize to solve long-standing problems of needless and unproductive discrimination, and thrive as valued citizens.

I want you, all of us in whatever demographic category to know, that I will carry your voices forward.

Together, we can make it happen.

This, I pledge to you.

I wish we could meet again in same fashion as we did in the process of framing our manifesto, and listen to your concerns, challenges and hopes for the future.

It would have been my joy to sit with you in the market, your shop, on the farms and at the beaches, by the roadside, and in the institutions, and think and plan together, argue and laugh at each other.

But these are not normal times. COVID-19 is real; no doubt about it. However, we will find safer ways to meet and talk and plan, and strategize for the good of our country. We will collectively work out the way forward.

Men and women together have accomplished fantastic things in our history. But I must also acknowledge that today, I stand on the shoulders of many giants who came before me. Throughout our history, women have always played pivotal roles in the advancement of our country. When duty called, our women too, responded. We all have in mind great heroines who, by their actions, shattered the concept that women alone must be restricted by ceilings and limitations.

I salute those many known women who have made such great contributions to the advancement of our country. And just as importantly, I pay homage to those many, many unknown women, the silent and invisible and unacknowledged women, who also played and continue to play critical roles in building what we now call our country.

Now, do allow me to tell a little bit about myself.

I am Naana Jane. I was born in Cape Coast, a town with rich and intriguing connections to the Ghanaian story. My parents come from the holy city of Komenda. Kofi Nyame nna Aba Atta- you blessed the earth, and are blessed of God and man forever. One of my beloved mothers, biological mother of my oldest sibling, and a great friend comes from Alavanyo, but she spent a great deal of her life in Kpando. Mama Rose, hede nyuiee.

Growing up as a little girl, I didnt dream of standing in this position; not that I knew it even existed. However, what I knew and believed then was that if I studied and focused enough, that if my actions benefited others before they benefited me; there was nothing impossible to achieve in our great country. I still believe in these values, that others matter, too.

My parents believed that good, quality education and hard work would open for me a world of possibilities. My parents conviction made me believe in my own ability to pursue any goal, and in the rewards of grit and determination.

Becoming the first female Vice Chancellor of a Ghanaian university was - for me - the most tangible testament to this fact. And here let me once again congratulate Prof. Rita Dickson, recently appointed Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Congratulations as well to Dr. Koryoe Anim-Wright, who becomes the first female Registrar of UPSA, where this event is taking place.

This country has given me the opportunity to live out that promise and to aspire to the limits of my own potential. It has continuously rewarded a life of hard work, and offered me the privilege to give back through service.

It is precisely because of where my story began, that I know what is possible in this country and what the individual can achieve. These are the same lessons I passed on to my students, and of course to my own children and grandchildren - the joys of my life.

But it is also because of where my story began that I know it takes more than just good grades or good work ethic. I had good opportunities too. That made a difference in my life because my origins and upbringing are not unique.

Villages and towns across our country are full of stories like mine.

They are full of parents making untold sacrifices for the sake of their children and their futures. They are full of market women, fisherwomen and farmers toiling in the sun to feed the children on their backs and those they have left behind at home. They are full of young mothers and fathers who are balancing family life, work obligations, and entrepreneurial ambitions: the young mother and yes, the young father who often has to manage family life, employment or entrepreneurship seamlessly. We are a people who jump over many hurdles.

Walking that road is an act of courage. That experience is a forge of character.

Villages and towns across our country are full of brilliant young people with great ambitions and boundless energy. They are full of young people who rightly aspire to a better life than their parents had, and to bring their own children into a better Ghana than their parents did.

Throughout the years, I have been blessed to meet and interact with numerous Ghanaians in every region of our country whose experiences echo mine. I have taught and mentored thousands of youth from all walks of life over the course of my career. And I have always been inspired by their passion, by their positivity, and by their desire to succeed.

But without good, meaningful opportunities, all of that toil and resilience and determination sum up to nothing but frustration and all of that youthful energy amounts to yet more wasted potential.

Far too often in this country, that is how the story ends.

And so clearing the hurdles in their path; giving them a hand up and not just a hand out; and offering them plans and not just promises - these must be the immediate priorities of our national agenda.

In todays turbulent political and economic climate, there are four crucial factors to consider in tackling issues relating to youth and gender.

First, we must be mindful of the fact that 60% of our population will be under the age of 30 in a few years. That is why it is so critical that we systematically reform all our systems to effectively address the aspirations of our youth and country.

Second, we need meaningful, quality and comprehensive education that goes beyond access and responds to the future we can actualize

Third, we must leverage on vocational and technical training to equip many into meaningful and fulfilling work.

Fourth, we must provide opportunities that transcend political patronage, connection and the practice of whom- you- know. Equal and fair opportunities based on merit are an imperative for sustainable economic growth. The time for that shift is now

Truth be told, despite all our challenges, Ghana remains a special place where any dream is possible, where every aspiration matters, and where anyone - be it a little boy from Bole or a little girl from Komenda - can grow up to be anything they want to be. Even President. Even Vice President. This is why we love this country so much. We must continue to make it a place we cherish and are proud to belong to, and a place of opportunities.

In the past and more so very recently, I have had extensive discussions with H.E. John Mahama about issues confronting our country and his vision for the coming years. These have been broad, passionate and engaging. In John Mahama you find a person who is thoughtful, visionary, makes no claim to perfection and admits to mistakes or missteps and valuable lessons learnt. Our society will be better served with such down-to-earth, considerate and reflective leadership.

We have chosen the path of peace, inclusiveness, self-reliance and belief in ourselves. It is an important avenue through which to turn our current circumstances into opportunities that yield great dividends for us all. And us includes generations unborn. Their lives also matter.

It is clear that with the right direction and resolve, with all of us being part of the forward march, our country is destined for greatness. We can and must right the course of our country. We all admit that we can put our country on a firmer, more sustainable path, a path of peace, in order to move forth in ways that are meaningful and clear.

At this time, may I say to the SHS students who are in school taking your final exams: I have children your age in same situation too, even if not biological. I understand the difficult situation you are going through and, especially, the anxiety that you have as some of your colleagues and staff got infected by COVID-19. There are also, sadly, reports of deaths of students. The partisan nature of our politics today makes it difficult to even ask the most basic questions about the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic without triggering a political brawl. This is unhelpful.

All the same, my condolences to the families; many of us share in your loss.

I ask all of us to be very disciplined about following the World Health Organization Guidelines and the Government Directives and taking good care of yourselves. Some of you will understand these protocols better than others; share the knowledge; lets save lives, regardless.

Countrymen and women,

All we are doing right now is what has always been a very simple exercise of registration. What is not so simple this time is that the exercise is taking place in a time of a dreadful pandemic that is still evolving, and our case numbers still rising.

As if this is not bad enough, the level of violence, brute force, blood-letting and sheer breakdown of law and order in an otherwise straightforward act of registering to vote is unbefitting of this nation that was until recently, a fulcrum of democracy in our region.

How did we descend into this situation?

The answer is simple: when there appears to be selective justice; when some offenders are not even placed on the hook but are hailed and promoted for being nasty and violent, the logical outcome is what we see. This situation of people dying, being harassed, because they have decided to register to vote, is not a story we can tell any child in the future, especially when the curriculum is hinged on tolerance. What will be our response if they pose their favorite question: Why or if they add a few words and ask the storyteller: So what did you do? Or,  and what did you say to that? 

We need to show up and vote come December 7th. Each one of us must jealously guard our sacred right to vote and reject the attempts by some to disenfranchise millions of voters. We are all Ghanaians, and we love this country deeply. Do not let anyone make you feel otherwise.

The choice we have in this election is clear: we can either build a Ghana where every citizen regardless of background is afforded equal opportunity to become their best selves. Or we can continue on a path where a few people attempt to control and dictate the destiny of the people who have given them the privilege to govern.

Let our politics deviate from this unproductive path of injustice and non-peace. Ghana does not belong to any select few. We The People, all of us, are the protectors and owners of this country for our collective good and for that of generations unborn.

What makes Ghana so special is that - despite our various ethnic groups, religions, and diverse backgrounds - we all come together as one people under one flag, inspired by the sacrifices of our ancestors to create a great country. And everyones ancestor has been a worthy contributor to this space now called Ghana, whose artificial borders, sadly, we seek to make even more artificial, as if our continent has not suffered enough from the initial assault. Everyone matters. We have come too far as a nation to still cling to our primordial tribal bigotries.

Diversity is a source of great strength. Whether you are GA, MFANTSE, SISALI, EWE, GONJA, ASANTE, NZEMA, MAMPRUSI, or any other ethnic group, you are valued as a Ghanaian. You have every right to walk with confidence, with a high resolve to make huge contributions to this nation. Let nobody, let no one question your identity or patriotism. It is time to put all these needless, unproductive and backward distractions behind us and get on with the serious business of nation building. The time is now.

The 21st century is nearly 20% over. We shouldnt be here, as a country, living with inexcusable insanitary conditions, with our babies still dying of malaria; our women delivering on the bare floor, our youth bewildered and unable to see their way ahead, parents confused about the future their children face and the quality of education they are getting. If we choose to be anywhere as a country, the destination should not include a place where a 90 year old woman, Akua Denteh, is stoned to death because someone has decided that she is a witch. I call on our security agencies to convince us that she has not died in vain.

As indicated, the 21st Century is nearly 20% gone and we shouldnt be here, the very foundations of our democracy is so threatened by unimaginable levels of arrogance, intolerance and violence; humans playing God; our economy is struggling; our tongues tied to the roof of our mouths; our citizens feeling unsafe; our farmers unsure of when to plant crops due to climate change; our environments under severe threats; our youth perishing on their way to find better lives; our institutions to which we should run for succor rapidly losing credibility; children who should be in school becoming unwitting brides, when we all know that marriage is not a childs business.

At a time of a growing number of cases and deaths arising from the pandemic of COVID-19, with their attendant fears and uncertainties; at a time when some of our children are leaving school not any more literate than when they entered; others graduating into unemployment; the vulnerable uncared for, none of us should be here, behaving as if the best antidote to all of these is to flex muscles, turn aspects of our protective institutions into agents of intimidation; and arrogate to ourselves the right to alienate people who have always lived on this part of our continent, long before some did, and who have served our country with distinction.

We can spend all those resources on ways to confront our artificial borders and work towards the inclusion that solidifies our continent.

Let me assure our youth, that we have not always been like this. I have had endless conversations with many of you, and I can understand your frustrations and sense of despair. But, as I keep assuring you, we have not always been like this. No, as you also know, Ghana has not always been like this.

Giving up is not an option. Stay the course. As a people, we have survived many unspeakable atrocities. Read and know your true history. We just celebrated the Year of Return. Read that history, very, very carefully. It has not been a nice cup of sobolo.

This is a bad phase; it will only pass with our collective determination, plain honest, hard work and willingness to put in practice those values of integrity, meritocracy and inclusiveness. Lets re-ignite the Ghanaian spirit of caring, sharing, of kind hospitality and sincerity. We know we can, all minds linked; God our helper.

I wish to assure our Muslim brothers and sisters that as our Leader, John Dramani Mahama has consistently done in the past, going forward, there will be none of the unwarranted discrimination directed at you, and indeed no Ghanaian will feel alienated due to religion or ethnicity.

This coming Thursday is the great day of Arafa, and as the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon Him) admonished you to fast, please remember to pray for us, especially for the peace of this country and for Allahs bountiful blessings. I wish you all Eid Mubarak in advance.

To all the little girls and boys across our country, always dream big; remain focused. You can grow to become anything you want to be. Believe that only you can stop yourselves. It is not going to be about your parents, rich or poor; not the region you come from and whether it is endowed with resources or not. Remember that natural endowment is what it is; it did not come from the effort of anyone. It is nature that placed those resources there. That is why we call them natural resources. It is rather about a system that works; a functioning country that respects all its citizens and provides opportunity to all, regardless. The time is ripe for change.

The time is now.

To my daughters and sisters: We are in this together; you know as I do that it has not been and will not be an easy walk; but, as we all know, it is possible; actually it is probable; we can do it.

I know too well and have also lived some of the unspoken and unspeakable weight of responsibilities and concerns we bear as women  much more so, at these incredibly difficult times. What we have always shown however is that when we have the opportunity, many choose to bring on our best game. We earn our seat at the table and we excel. Our results transform our families, communities and country; and sometimes, go beyond our borders, porous or otherwise.

Our democracy has come a long way. Yet it remains fragile. It calls on all of us to exercise our civic duty against any obstacles and machinations. I urge each of us to show up and participate in the ongoing voter registration exercise, but please observe all the necessary health protocols. Please look out for each other. Politely remind people to use their face masks correctly, offer your hand sanitizer to someone in need. If you see a disabled person or an elderly person or pregnant woman, offer help. For THAT is the Ghanaian spirit.

I extend a hand to everyone, no matter how disappointed you have become; no matter the depth of your frustration, your anger, your despair. Come! Lets chart a path for our country built on the values of integrity, merit, trust, responsible citizenship, caring, putting others first, simple polite language.

Come let us link effort and thoughts, to re-build our institutions; lets build a truly independent, inclusive nation that is not afraid to respect views that differ from ours; a country confident enough to accept other ways of seeing; of respecting everyone, regardless.

Come, men, women, our youth, our children- together, let us build the Ghana we can have which must belong to us all, and which must pay special, working and workable attention to the vulnerable.

We must bring back the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality that seems locked down if not quarantined. We must ease restrictions on the Ghana we know that respects, tolerates, liberates.

The time is now.

As a country, Ghana has been poised for far too long. Ghana must be in full flight towards sustainable development, to a destination of peace, inclusion, self-confidence, plain honesty and where good old hard work matters. We call on all our country women and men who believe that our country can once again travel the path of hope to come join us. The time is now. Forth in the name of our country we will go.

We will not be intimidated

Our resolve to serve this country remains strong

No shaking

We will stay the course

We will not be distracted

We will remain focused

We will raise high the Flag of Ghana

The time is now

And Insha Allah, we will succeed

May God bless you all. May God bless you JM! May God bless our determination to serve our country and may God bless our homeland

I thank you for your kind attention.

Good night.
QUEBEC-A member of the Quebec legislature representing the popular tourist region of Gaspe is calling on the province to send police and money to help locals deal with rowdy vacationers.

Meganne Perry Melancon with the Parti Quebecois said in a news release today Gaspe doesnt have the resources to ensure out-of-towners respect their surroundings.

Quebecers staying closer to home this summer because of COVID-19 are being accused of arriving in the region without reservations and camping anywhere they find space, harming the environment and upsetting locals.

Perry Melancon is calling on Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault to visit the region and issue a public call for civility.

The PQ member is also requesting more money from the provincial government to allow for increased provincial police patrols and the hiring of security agents to enforce bylaws.

Gaspes authorities have said they are worried about the risk of COVID-19 transmission inside crowded camping areas.
The bullion metal lost Rs 2,562, or 4.68 percent, for the week on MCX as investors booked profit (Image courtesy: Reuters)

India Gold MCX August Futures rose over 1 percent on July 27 tracking international Gold that hit a fresh record high as consulate closures in China and the United States rattled investors, boosting the allure of safe-haven assets.

Gold rose 1 percent to a record high above $1,920 per ounce, surpassing a peak touched in September 2011, as Sino-U.S. tensions boosted the allure of safe-haven assets, especially those not tied to any specific country, said a Reuters report.

On the Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX), August gold contracts were trading higher by 1.4 percent at Rs 51,782 per 10 gram at 0920 hours. September futures for silver were trading 0.05 percent higher at Rs 61,223 per kg.

Gold and silver prices hit record highs last week in international markets amid a flood of stimulus from developed economies. Gold prices crossed $1900 per troy ounce on Friday, the first time since 2011.

India Gold gained more than 5 percent last week and settled at 51035 and it gained the seventh week in a row. Silver is also following gold and crossed $23 per troy ounce on Friday and reached seven years high.

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We expect both the precious metals remain firm and expected to test fresh highs in the coming days. Gold prices sustained above $1900 per troy ounce could extend the gains towards $1914-1925 per troy ounce, $1872 act as a major support on a closing basis, Manoj Jain, Director (Head - Commodity & Currency Research) at Prithvi Finmart told Moneycontrol.

At MCX, Gold prices sustained above 51100 could extend the gains towards 51,330-51500 levels; 50800 act as a major support on a closing basis. Silver prices sustained above $23 per troy ounce could extend the gains towards $23.20-23.55 per troy ounce, $22.66 act as a major support on a closing basis, he said.

Track live gold price here

Trading Strategy

Expert: Sriram Iyer, Senior Research Analyst at Reliance Securities

International gold surged higher on Friday and technically broke above the $1900/ounce mark as a worsening U.S.-China row added to fears over the hit to a global economy already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

Silver has a stellar week gaining by 17% supported by a recovery in industrial activity and safe-haven appeal.

Technically, the MCX Gold October contract had a volatile session in the range of 50900-51425 levels where it is trading at an all-time high level.

Moreover, it ended above 51200 levels indicating volatility to continue in the coming sessions. Resistance holds at 51500-51700 level and Support is at 50985-50600 levels.

MCX Silver September made a high of 61828 levels where it has bounced back from 60510 levels however it ended on a flat note forming a Doji Candlestick pattern which could be a sign of Bearish Reversal, therefore, indicating some exhaustion at higher levels.

Prices are likely to trade on high volatility where it could trade in a range of 60200-61900 levels in the coming session.

Expert: Ravindra Rao, VP- Head Commodity Research at Kotak Securities

COMEX gold trades near $1935/oz which is an all-time high. Supporting gold price is weaker US dollar, increasing virus cases, strong ETF inflows, US-China tensions, and hopes of additional stimulus measures.

Gold has breached the pivotal $1900/oz level and we may see extended gains unless there is a sharp rebound in the US dollar.

Expert: Anuj Gupta, DVP- Commodities and Currencies Research, Angel Broking:

Today, again we saw that gold has touched the life time high at Rs 51,833 levels and in international market it touched the life time high to $1944.50 per ounce levels. Silver also touched the 8 years high of Rs 64,849 levels.

Geopolitical tension between US & China and weakness in dollar supports the bullions. Dollar is weaking against all major currencies at 93.80 levels. US Bonds yields is also low which supports safe heaven demand for bullions.

We expect this rally in bullion will continue and gold and silver will move further upside. Gold may test Rs 52500 levels and silver Rs. 66000 levels soon.

: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Press Release

27 July 2020

Singapore Set Aside SGD45 Million to Boost Domestic Tourism

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The Enterprise Singapore (ESG), Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) have jointly announced the launch of SingapoRediscovers, a nine-month, SGD45 million (USD32.5 million) campaign to drive local spend on tourism and lifestyle offerings. Beginning at the end of July, the campaign focuses on partnering local communities to help locals discover hidden gems, curating attractively-priced Singapoliday staycation packages to create authentic experiences for locals, and collaborating with hotels, tour operators, attractions and precincts to develop quality experiences and attractive promotions. For a start, around 40 businesses have come on board to offer some 80 promotions. The offers will be housed on the VisitSingapore app and the newly-launched SingapoRediscovers microsite. Starting from August, consumers can enjoy upcoming virtual events such as Singapore Food Festival. Various F&B campaigns and promotions will also be launched to drive footfall and attract more diners to outlets in different parts of the country. The campaign will spread its budget across direct marketing for attractions, grants under schemes

such as the Marketing Partnership Programme and the SG Stories Content Fund, and partnerships with industry partners, such as airlines, e-commerce platform and online travel agencies.

Myanmar Reveals Plans to Boost Domestic Tourism

Deputy Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, U Tin Latt, is planning to boost domestic tourism in Myanmar as the nation has closed its international borders until 31 July 2020. The plans include lifting all quarantine measures between states and regions, gradually opening tourism destinations in the country with safe distancing measures, establishing destination management organisations to enforce the measures, launching domestic travel campaigns with the media, requesting for funds from the COVID-19 Economic Mitigation Committee to launch incentive programs offering travel coupons to healthcare personnel and volunteers, and providing tax rebates and reliefs to tourism operators. Aside from the short-term plans, according to U Myint Sein, Deputy Director at the Directorate of Hotel and Tourism (Magwe), an ecotourism zone on 60 acres of land one mile away from Man Shwe Settaw Pagoda near Hlay Tin Bridge is being developed by the Magwe Region government. The project is expected to cost K2 billion, and upon approval, the development will commence in 2021 and take two years to complete. Another initiative to boost domestic tourism is by Myanmar National Airlines. The national flag carrier is offering a 20% discount on local flight tickets in celebration of the company's 70th anniversary this year.

Thailand Launched "We Travel Together" Stimulus Package to Drive Domestic Tourism

To boost domestic travel, Thailand launched "We Travel Together" campaign, and it has generated over 3.6 million in hotel room bookings. Participants of the campaign must be a Thai citizen who will travel outside of their hometown province. For accommodations, the government will subsidise 40% of the standard room rate or up to THB3,000 per night for a maximum of five nights. On 21 July, the government has extended the campaign to the unlicensed hotels to provide tourists with more options. The government will loosen restrictions on three groups including hotels in the process of obtaining a licence, hotels whose licenses expired less than one year ago and small boutique hotels that do not meet the hotel license criteria. The campaign also covers other trip-related expenses, including food and transportations. The government will subsidise 40% of the expenses or up to THB600 per day. Domestic airfare can be subsidised for 40% of the ticket price or up to THB1,000, with a cap of 2 million seats. All the transaction from the government will be done through "Pao Tang" application.

India Forms 'Air Bubbles' with the US, France and Germany

India has established special bilateral arrangement or 'air bubbles' with the US, France and Germany as it gradually resumes scheduled international flights for the first time since they were stopped in March 2020. Similar arrangements with the UK and other countries are expected to be announced soon. Travel under these air bubbles will be regulated as per the entry requirements of each country, including India. As of now, entry is restricted to Indian nationals, Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders and some foreigners such as diplomats.

Six Senses Properties in Singapore to be Rebranded into Marriott's Autograph Collection

Opened in 2018, the management agreement for the two colonial properties in Singapore, Six Senses Duxton and Six Senses Maxwell, ended in June 2020. The hotels' owner, Chile-based The Garcha Group, has announced that the properties will be rebranded under the US-based Marriott International flag. The former Six Senses Duxton will reopen as The Duxton Reserve Hotel, Autograph Collection while the former Six Senses Maxwell will relaunch into The Maxwell Reserve Hotel, Autograph Collection. While the hotels will open to guests in 2021, food and beverage offerings will be available earlier, at the end of 2020. There are currently no plans to renovate the two properties. The Maxwell Reserve Hotel, Autograph Collection property will get a new flagship restaurant and bar - SHIKAR.
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fannie Mae (OTCQB: FNMA) today announced that it issued its latest Single-Family Green Mortgage-Backed Security (MBS) transactions under its Green Bond Program as part of the company's ongoing commitment to be a leader in green finance. Fannie Mae's Single-Family Green MBS program recently received a Light Green Second Opinion from CICERO Shades of Green, a leading global provider of green ratings for bonds. CICERO Second Opinions are independent, research-based evaluations of green bond investment frameworks to determine the environmental robustness of green bonds and offer investors better insight into the environmental quality of these bonds.

"We are proud to be a driver of innovation in green mortgage finance," said Hugh R. Frater, Chief Executive Officer, Fannie Mae. "Our new Single-Family Green MBS issuances further our commitment to sustainability in our business, the homes we finance, and the communities we serve. These transactions are the latest step in a journey  begun a decade ago when we introduced green finance to the multifamily market  that increasingly ties Fannie Mae's business activities to measurable Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) outcomes."

Fannie Mae has issued over $40 million in Single-Family Green MBS since the first bond was issued on April 22, 2020 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

"We are excited about the Single-Family Green MBS program and look forward to increasing our issuances backed by green, energy-efficient mortgage loans," said Renee Schultz, Senior Vice President, Capital Markets, Fannie Mae. "These offerings have attracted investor interest and serve to enhance liquidity in the single-family mortgage finance market."

Fannie Mae Single-Family Green MBS transactions include only mortgage loans backed by newly constructed single-family residential homes with ENERGY STAR certifications that meet or exceed the national program requirements for ENERGY STAR Certified Homes. Future Single-Family Green MBS issuances may include other energy-efficient new construction standards that meet or exceed those of ENERGY STAR Certified Homes, Version 3.0.

ENERGY STAR Certified Homes are at least 10% more energy efficient than typical single-family homes built to code. On average, these homes are 20% more efficient than single-family homes built to code.

In addition to these transactions, Fannie Mae has issued $75 billion of Multifamily Green MBS since 2010 backed by either green-certified properties or properties targeting a reduction in energy or water consumption. As the world's largest green bond issuer since 2017, Fannie Mae is dedicated to improving environmental sustainability in the homes the company finances. Every year since 2015, Fannie Mae has received the EPA's ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award.

For details regarding our Single-Family Green MBS program, visit www.fanniemae.com/GreenMBS. To learn more about Fannie Mae's commitment to ESG, visit www.fmesg.com.

About Fannie Mae

Fannie Mae helps make the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and affordable rental housing possible for millions of Americans. We partner with lenders to create housing opportunities for families across the country. We are driving positive changes in housing finance to make the home buying process easier, while reducing costs and risk. To learn more, visit:

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President Donald Trump will shift his focus to American energy dominance during a stop in Texas later this week that will include his first visit to an oil rig.

During the stop Wednesday at Double Eagle Energy in the west Texas city of Midland, Trump will discuss how the US is achieving energy dominance by cutting regulations, simplifying permitting and encouraging private investment in energy infrastructure, the White House said.

Trump will also tour an oil rig in Midland, the city where former President George W. Bush was raised and where he met his wife, Laura, who was born there.

While in Texas, Trump will raise money for the Republican Party and his reelection campaign at a fundraising luncheon with supporters in nearby Odessa.

It will be Trumps 16th visit as president to Texas, the White House said. He won the state in 2016 by 9 percentage points over Democrat Hillary Clinton, and Democrats are hoping for a more competitive race this year against Biden  if not an outright Biden win.

Double Eagle Energy says it is one of the largest operators in the Permian Basin, covering parts of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico.

The White House said Trump has taken steps to help the energy industry recover after the coronavirus outbreak caused demand for energy  and prices  to plummet as people stayed home to avoid becoming infected.

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The Working Group appointed by Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to assess the current status of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals presented their report to the Minister on Thursday, 23 July 2020.

Presenting the Report, the Chair of the Working Group Ahmed A. Jawad, Additional Secretary, Multilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Relations observed that high-level leadership would be crucial for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals since these Goals are of a cross cutting nature, coming under the purview of multiple agencies and therefore the supervision at the highest possible political level becomes absolutely important.

The Minister of Foreign Relations appreciated the deliberations of the Working Group to produce the Report in a short period of time given the situation concerning COVID-19 and stated that this report would be important at this juncture with regard to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for the Development.

The Working Group on 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was chaired by Ahmed A Jawad, Additional Secretary, Multilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Relations and comprised Anton Perera Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister and Co-Secretary, Presidential Task Force for Economic Revival and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Lloyd Fernando, Member, Board of Studies Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayawardhanepura and Chairman, Gamani Corea Foundation, Dr C.S. Weerarathne, former Professor of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna and University of Rajarata and Chamindry Saparamadu, Attorney-at-Law/ Development Sector Professional and Lecturer in Sustainable Management.

The report underscores the importance of a strong institutional mechanism that could integrate the economic, social and environmental dimensions of Sustainable Development in a balanced, holistic and pragmatic manner across all levels of government and society and recommends creation of an institutional framework for effective coordination of the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. One of the recommendations is that the composition of such a framework needs to cut across all sectors given the interconnected nature of the Sustainable Development Goals. Meaningful engagement of the businesses, academia, civil society, trade unions, women and youth as well as indigenous groups in the process of planning, target setting, implementation and monitoring has been identified as a critical factor underpinning success of implementation.

The report also emphasises that Sustainable Development Framework is a transformative Agenda which requires stewardship at the highest level having both convening power and the ability to foster multi-stakeholder engagement to transform it towards a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach and proposed number of actions for donor coordination, planning, SDG alignment, policy coherence, national SDG indicator framework, integrated monitoring and reporting mechanism, capacity building, use of alternate data sources, development of a financing framework, domestic resource mobilization, prioritise and support public sector innovation and establishment of a National Innovation Agency.

"Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by the Heads of State and Government and high level representatives, including Sri Lanka, met at the United Nations Head Quarters in New York from 25-27 September 2015. This framework is to achieve sustainable development by the year 2030, building upon the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals. The Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals accompanied by 169 targets and indicators under each target. Sri Lanka has taken number of steps to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including the enactment of the Sustainable Development Agenda Act No. 19 of 2017 and establishment of the Sustainable Development Council. The last decade of the framework, the "Decade of Action" 2020  2030 began this year.

Ministry of Foreign Relations

Colombo

24 July 2020

Read More: www.mfa.gov.lk
Dr Kalam continues to live in the imagination of the people of this nation and remains a role model for the youth and missile and space scientists who are diligently following his vision to achieve new laurels for India, notes S M Khan, who served as President Kalam's press secretary.

IMAGE: Then President A P J Abdul Kalam at the European parliament in Strasbourg, April 25, 2007. Photograph: Vincent Kessler/Reuters

On this day, five years ago, the country lost one of its most popular Presidents, the 11th President of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, popularly known as the 'People's President', which resulted in an outpouring of grief and sorrow throughout the country.

Dr Kalam was an outstanding scientist, a person of integrity, commitment and dedication.

He breathed his last doing what he loved best -- teaching students and propagating his mission 'Developed India by 2020.

A staunch nationalist, a prolific writer, a matchless motivator, he always believed in leading by example.

He came from a very modest background and educated himself working hard to rise against the odds.

His main aim in life was to make India a developed nation by 2020 for which he worked tirelessly in different capacities first as scientific advisor to the Government of India, then during his Presidency from 2002 to 2007 and post the Presidency till he took his last breath in Shillong.

As now we are in 2020, it is imperative on us to ponder upon as a nation whether we have been able to achieve Dr Kalam's vision, have we become a developed nation or we are still struggling as a developing country with about 25% people living below the poverty line.

IMAGE: School children shake hands with former President Kalam at Children's Day celebrations in Chandigarh, November 14, 2008. Photograph: Ajay Verma/Reuters

Dr Kalam worked diligently towards building a strong and self-reliant India, he was always keen to alleviate the plight of the oppressed and marginalised.

He always believed that the children of India are the future of the country and took a keen interest in their development.

Dr Kalam had given concept of PURA (Providing Urban Opportunities in Rural Areas) for developing rural areas with a view of bridging the urban- rural gap to make India a developed nation.

Dr Kalam stressed on bridging the urban-rural gap by providing urban opportunities to the rural population of the country so that the rural population does not feel the need to flock to big urban cities for a dignified life.

He used to tell Parliamentarians that for the development of the nation employment generation, improving connectivity in rural areas, activating the public health system and enriching the education system was very necessary for which effective leadership from our Parliament and legislative assemblies was required.

Akin to Dr Kalam's concept of PURA, the government has very recently announced a scheme, Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan, in 116 districts of the country aimed at providing more employment opportunites in rural areas.

IMAGE: President Kalam at the inauguration of the Swaminarayan Akshadham temple in New Delhi, November 6 2005. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/Reuters

Dr Kalam always made frontal attacks against corruption, communalism and criminalisation of politics.

In various meeting with parliamentarians during and post presidency he told the MPs that he would like to visualise a situation in which political parties perform and contest elections in an environment of developmental politics.

He always used to say that the country requires inter-faith dialogues and mutual understanding between our religious leaders to combat communalism.

He was also of the view that these efforts should be made by the common people at all levels including local neighborhood.

He believed secularism is embedded in Indian ethos and it has to be promoted by all means.

According to him, the unique feature of Indian civilization was an emotional open heart and tolerant mindset.

He always emphasised that our country is fortunate to have all the six major religions of the world and we need to have a good connectivity between them to defeat communalism.

He used to give an example of his early childhood in Rameshwaram, where he while growing up saw two best friends each in their traditional attire, his father Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen, who was the imam of the local mosque, and the chief priest of the Rameshwaram temple Shir Pakshi Lakshmana Shastrigal conveying to the people the complex spiritual concepts of both the religions in simple Tamil together.

The present situation in the country also requires that ordinary citizens combined with political and religious leaders should tackle the menace of communalism unitedly by addressing their people to create a sense of togetherness in the country.

IMAGE: President Kalam addresses a seminar in Shillong, September 23, 2005, a city where he passed away 10 years later. Photograph: Reuters

Dr Kalam wanted a media movement to create an enlightened society based on education with value system, transforming religion into a spiritual force and building economic prosperity of the nation relying on core competence of various states.

Dr Kalam used to advise the media that they should resist from sensational reporting and to ensure that reporting is done after analysing and evaluating facts.

He always stressed that the media is a partner in national mission.

It is incumbent on the media to fulfil Dr Kalam's aspirations and to review and assess the role the media has played in the development of the nation so far.

IMAGE: President Kalam inquires about an invention by Filipino students during his visit to the Philippine Science High School in Manila, February 6, 2006. Photograph: Cheryl Ravelo/Reuters

During these unprecedented times of coronavirus the country would have benefitted from Dr Kalam's services.

He would have been in the frontline in the fight of the country against COVID-19 as he always worked in the innovation of vaccines for all kinds of diseases which were drug resistant.

He had a number of interactions with scientists to continuously promote the vaccine development programs for HIV AIDS and tuberculosis and to create a better health infrastructure particularly in rural area.

The world is seeing a new trend of video conferencing due to coronavirus now, Dr Kalam was an avid user of technology as President.

He used to frequently interact with students, scientists, and academicians through a video conferencing facility setup in Rashtrapati Bhavan, in a room which was named by him as the 'Intellectual Room'.

IMAGE: President Kalam on a visit to the historical village of Sultanpur Lodhi in Punjab, August 17, 2006. Photograph: Munish Sharma/Reuters

Though in the worldly sense, Dr Kalam did not leave anything behind for he had acquired nothing, built nothing, possessed nothing, but he has left a vast ocean of knowledge and inspiration for youngsters to work on his vision to develop India.

Dr Kalam continues to live in the imagination of the people of this nation and remains a role model for the youth and the missile and space scientists who are diligently following his vision to achieve new laurels for India in space and missile technologies.

India, no doubt, is on the path of development and of becoming a self-reliant nation but there are still many obstacles in the path to become a developed nation.

The biggest tribute to Dr Kalam would be to achieve the goals set up by him in the coming years.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
c Britons stranded abroad by the oronavirus pandemic did not receive sufficient support from the Foreign Office, an influential group of MPs has said.

They said the FCO treated citizens with a lack of "empathy and compassion.

Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs committee, criticised the department for giving "misleading and outdated" advice, which at times was "entirely absent".

The committee's report published on Tuesday offered a critical assessment of the FCOs response to some 1.3 million nationals becoming stranded as the crisis set in.

The Government's repatriation operation was criticised as "too slow" and for having "placed too much reliance" on commercial travel providers, unlike other nations that acted more swiftly.

"Many UK citizens stuck abroad reported that they were unable to access the information that they needed, whilst others were not treated with the empathy and compassion that they should expect," the report said.

"Though there were notable successes, the FCO was outpaced by events, leaving many seeing it as out of touch with the needs of those in difficulty.

"Too many UK citizens were not provided with the support that they should reasonably expect to receive."

An FCO spokesman said the "large-scale" effort undertaken by the department came during an "unprecedented" crisis, which at its peak saw officials deal with nearly 15,000 calls a day.

But the MPs said that "little was done" to provide financial support for citizens facing hardship while stuck abroad.

And they criticised the department for only spending 40 million of the 75 million allotted for repatriations, in a move Mr Tugendhat said could "only be explained as cost-cutting".

He said the inquiry concluded there had been "clear failings".

"For many of those Britons stranded, the advice they received from the FCO was confusing, inconsistent and lacking in compassion, at other times misleading and outdated, and, in the worst cases, entirely absent," he said.

"The lack of accurate, helpful information meant many felt forgotten and as though they had been left to fend for themselves. The FCO was at times too slow to recognise and respond to issues with their communication, and going forward must adopt a more agile and adaptable approach."

The MPs said France and Germany were among countries to have placed greater focus on charter flights early on in the crisis and were able to repatriate their citizens "more quickly".

The UK chartered 186 flights to support the 1.3 million nationals travelling abroad, whereas Berlin chartered more than 260 flights for 260,000 citizens, they said.

The FCO was criticised for only offering emergency loans as a "last resort" and MPs said they were "disappointed" the department considered it was "acceptable advice" to tell citizens to crowdfund for help returning home.

They said the unspent money should be "kept aside" for anyone stranded during a potential second wave of Covid-19 and should be used to help Britons who permanently reside overseas to return to the UK.

The FCO spokesman said: "Against the background of local lockdowns and international flight bans, the team worked tirelessly to keep commercial routes open as long as possible, while bringing stranded Brits home on 186 charter flights from 57 countries and territories.

"Although the immediate crisis has ended, we have retained a repatriation team for the remainder of the year and boosted investment in our consular services and crisis management to ensure we are further prepared to support Brits caught up in the pandemic."
Courtesy photo/Getty Images

A 12-year-old boy has been arrested in the shooting death of a woman at a Greater Greenspoint apartment after, police said, he lied to investigators.

The child, who was not identified because he is a minor, has been charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Every so often, the world of tennis is thrown into the spotlight for reasons that have littl
The Supreme Court (CSA) has adjourned indefinitely the contempt application against Bernard A. Mornah, the Chairman of the Peoples National Convention (PNC) because there was no proof of service on him.



Before adjourning the matter, the court subjected Mr. Bright Kuwornu, a Chief State Attorney (CSA) to series of questions as to why Mornah had not been served to appear in court.



According to the court there was no indication on the case docket that Mornah has been served.



The panel further asked Mr. Kuwornu whether the AG had also been served with affidavit in opposition to the contempt application, and whether he personally knew Mornah.



The court further demanded to know why after 25 days of filing the contempt application, the state with its numerous machinery had not taken steps to ensure that Mornah was served in such a serious matter.



In his response, Mr. Kuwornu admitted that he has not been served with any affidavit in opposition and he could not tell whether or not Mornah had been served.



The CSA in spite of the lack of service on the respondent wanted to move the application for contempt against Mornah contending that the PNC Chairman has been evading service on him by bailiffs.



On what basis are you making those wild claims, the SC, however quizzed.



The seven member panel then adjourned the matter indefinitely.



Mornah was cited for contempt after he allegedly encouraged Ghanaians to disregard a Supreme Court order for the Electoral Commission to compile a new voters register pursuant to C.I 126, which excluded the old voters ID cards as a basis for identification.



The PNC Chairman, who is the convener of a body styled as the Inter-Party Resistance Against the New Voters Register (IPRAN), is said to have called for a resistance against the decision of the EC to compile a new register for the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.



He reportedly called on Ghanaians to go out with their old voters cards if it is the only form of identification they have and demand their right to be registered.



The court on June 25, this year, affirmed the ECs independence in deciding not to accept the old voters cards and birth certificates as a proof of eligibility of an applicant for the compilation of the new voters register, which has since begun.



The panel presided over by the Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, in a unanimous decision, also ordered the EC to compile a new register pursuant to Constitutional Instrument 126 (C.I. 126), which was passed by Parliament.



The Court, subsequently, ordered all stakeholders and Ghanaians eligible to vote to comply with Articles 42 and 45 of the Constitution and C.I 126 for the exercise.



The Attorney General (AG), however, held that the comments by Mr. Mornah contradicted the expressed orders of the apex Court for the old cards to be excluded from the list of documents for identification.



The AG avers that Mornah, by that comments admonished Ghanaians to act in disobedience of the explicit orders of the Supreme Court of Ghana.



The AG, per this application is urging the Court to commit Mornah to prison to serve as a deterrent and also maintain trust and dignity in the highest court of the land.



Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame, a Deputy Attorney General, avers that Mornah by virtue of his statement accused the Supreme Court of denying Ghanaians of their right to citizenship and their inalienable right, thereby courting contempt and disaffection for the court.



He said the act by the respondent is calculated at bringing the authority of a court of competent jurisdiction into disrepute, and in the event, ultimately interfere with and obstruct the due administration of justice.



The conduct of the respondent was clearly intended to subvert the judgment of this honourable court and same was out of disrespect for the courts authority under the Constitution, Mr. Dame stated.



He said The respondents willful conduct, as aforesaid, was calculated at bringing the authority of a court of competent jurisdiction into disrepute, and in the event, ultimately interfere with and obstruct the due administration of justice.



That respondents disregard of the authority of this court makes him liable to be committed to prison in order to vindicate the undoubted authority of the court.

Source: GNA









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Another approach would be to use the transaction tax as a bargaining chip to try to get closer to true fiscal harmonization in the EU, which would be far better for European unity than 3.5 billion euros in the blocs coffers every year. Creating a single corporate tax base for Europe, whereby all large companies used the same rules to calculate due tax, would be a huge step toward closing much-abused loopholes. Thats all the more urgent after Apple Inc.s successful appeal against a 13 billion-euro fine over its favorable tax treatment in Ireland.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) - President Rodrigo Duterte urges Congress to pass the second version of the Bayanihan Law to speed up the countrys recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

In his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, Duterte thanked lawmakers of both chambers for the immediate passage of Bayanihan 1 or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act which gave him special powers to realign the national budget in response to the pandemic.

The President is now asking Congress to give Bayanihan 2 or Bayanihan to Recover as One Act the same treatment and priority as the first law.

This health emergency stretched the governments resources to its limits, said Duterte. I hope that they can [give] the same treatment of clarity, purpose, and the fastness to support the passage of Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, which are supplement funds for recovery and response against the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.

Bayanihan 2 would earmark P140 billion for various socioeconomic and health programs as part of the governments recovery plan amid the pandemic.

The Senate already assured recently that it would approve Bayanihan 2 on third and final reading after Dutertes SONA.

Moreover, Duterte also asked lawmakers to fast-track the passage of economic measures such as the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act and the Financial Institution Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act to help provide aid to the economy.

CREATE Act, formerly known as Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA), reduces the corporate income tax rate from the current 30 percent to 25 percent.

Meanwhile, FIST allows banks and other financial institutions to transfer bad loans to asset management companies.

In an interview with CNN Philippines Rico Hizon on Monday, Senator Richard Gordon guaranteed there will be enough funds allocated for the Bayanihan 2 Bill.

The problem is in the implementation. Are people receiving the money? said Gordon, implying the social amelioration program should be given to those in the vulnerable sector who truly deserve such emergency aid.

Gordon added he hopes the Bayanihan 2 Bill will be clearer in implementing the governments response to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as equal distribution of test kits and priority for those who needed to be tested of the virus.

Its kind a hazy right now, the senator noted how the government acts on the pandemic.
In his 67th edition of Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, July 26 Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Suriname President Chandrika Parasad Santokhi and added that it was 'a matter of pride' for Indians that Surinames President took the oath of office holding the Vedas.

While taking the oath of office on July 16, Santokhi repeated the Sanskrit verses chanted by the priest and concluded his oath with 'Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti'. In his statements that went on air, PM Modi praised the gesture and said that India has a very close relationship with Suriname.

Read: Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi Takes Oath In Sanskrit Holding Vedas In Hand

Speaking about Suriname, PM Modi said, More than a hundred years ago, people from India went there and made it their home. Today, the fourth or fifth generation is there. Today in Suriname more than one-fourth of the people are of Indian origin. 'Sarnami' one of the common languages there is a dialect of Bhojpuri. We Indians feel very proud of these cultural relations.

He added, Holding the Vedas in his hand he said, I, Chandrika Prasad Santokhi, and, further what did he say in his oath? He recited a hymn from the Vedas itself."

Read: Israeli Research Delegation Leaves For India, Will Work On COVID-19 Testing Technologies

Wishes on behalf of 130 crore Indians

Moreover, PM Modi lauded the cultural ties of the South American nation with India that recently out voted former military strongman Desi Bouterse to elect Santokhi from the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) Parliamentary Conference, according to reports.

I congratulate Chandrika Prasad Santokhi, and, wish him the best on behalf of 130 crore Indians, for serving his nation, Prime Minister Modi said on Mann Ki Baat.

As per reports, Santokhi, a former chief of police, was born in 1959 and grew up in the countryside as the youngest in a family of nine children. He studied at the Police Academy of the Netherlands in Apeldoorn for four years and returned to Suriname in September 1982 to work for the police. In 1991, Santokhi was appointed chief commissioner of police.

(With ANI inputs)

Read: Kargil Vijay Diwas: France Pays Tribute To Indian Army; Cites Indo-France Defence Ties

Read: Coronavirus LIVE Updates: India's Tally Stands At 13,85,522; Recovery Rate At 63.92%
Taking part in the Congress' online campaign to "expose" the "BJP's designs to violate" constitutional and democratic norms, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot claimed that "democracy is in danger" and the entire country is "worried by the way elected governments are being toppled".

The party on Sunday carried out the "SpeakUpForDemocracy" online campaign to back Gehlot amid the political crisis in Rajasthan, and plans for nationwide protests to ramp up the pressure. "Today, the entire country is worried because democracy is in danger. The 'SpeakUpForDemocracy' programme has its own message. Common people will have to understand and those in the government also will have to understand... the atmosphere in the country is worrisome," Gehlot said in a statement.

About his government demanding the governor to call an Assembly session, the chief minister said, "The ruling party is always reluctant to call a session and the opposition always demands for it. But here, we are demanding. Till now, we have not received a reply." The Congress on Sunday accused the Rajasthan Governor of resorting to the "worst kind of obstruction of democracy" by raising "superficial and motivated" queries on Ashok Gehlot government's demand for convening a session of the state assembly.

Gehlot, however, said the governor is an amiable, and tactful person who has great dignity for his office. "This is a constitutional post. He will order us soon, we will call the assembly session." The governor is concerned about the coronavirus pandemic and has praised the arrangements made by the state government in the fight against the viral disease, the chief minister said, adding that discussion on the state's economic situation as well on political issues will be held in the Assembly.

Targeting the BJP, he said, "The coronavirus crisis is not over. Instead, it is aggravating. You have started moving towards Rajasthan after Madhya Pradesh. What is happening? The whole country is worried and I am hopeful that they will understand this.

Also read: Rajasthan crisis: BSP issues whip to 6 MLAs to vote against Gehlot govt in trust motion
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Linkedin (Reuters) London  Mon, July 27, 2020 13:05 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669909ee 2 Entertainment Wiley,United-Kingdom,Twitter,anti-Semitic,Instagram Free

British interior minister Priti Patel said on Sunday she had asked Twitter and Instagram for a full explanation of why anti-Semitic comments made by rap artist Wiley remained on the social media platforms for so long.

Wiley is facing a police investigation after comments appeared on his social media accounts on Friday asserting that Jews systematically exploited Black artists in the music industry.

"The anti-Semitic posts from Wiley are abhorrent," Patel said on Twitter.

"They should not have been able to remain on Twitter and Instagram for so long and I have asked them for a full explanation. Social media companies must act much faster to remove such appalling hatred from their platforms."

The antisemitic posts from Wiley are abhorrent.



They should not have been able to remain on Twitter and Instagram for so long and I have asked them for a full explanation.



Social media companies must act much faster to remove such appalling hatred from their platforms.  Priti Patel (@pritipatel) July 26, 2020

A company spokesperson for Facebook, which owns Instagram, said: "There is no place for hate speech on Instagram. We have deleted content that violates our policies from this account and have blocked access to it for seven days."

Twitter has deleted some anti-Semitic statements on Wiley's Twitter account. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wiley, 41, whose real name is Richard Cowie, released a number one single in Britain in 2012 and had several other top 10 hits as a leading figure in grime music, a British genre of rap. He received a UK government honor for his contribution to music in 2018.

John Woolf, of A-List Management, has said he would no longer represent the artist.
Cleanup crews in Oakland swept up shattered glass, boarded up broken windows and removed graffiti at police headquarters and several other locations Sunday after a peaceful protest against racism and police misconduct ended in chaos and arrests Saturday night.

The damage drew criticism from Mayor Libby Schaaf, who said Sunday that vandalism gives Donald Trump the images he wants and the justification he seeks to send federal troops into American cities.

The Trump administration has threatened to send federal law enforcement agents into Oakland and other U.S. cities to respond to the ongoing protest movement, sparked by the killing of George Floyd, in Minneapolis.

Oakland police said agitators spray-painted and smashed windows at multiple properties, including the Alameda County Superior Courthouse, Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building, bus stops and an apartment building near Lake Merritt. A fire was also set at the courthouse.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

On Sunday, an overturned dumpster blocked off traffic from the curved driveway in front of the courthouse. Vans from Belfor Property Restoration filled official parking spots on two sides of the courthouse. Dozens of workers were trying to get rid of the graffiti that almost completely covered the outside of the courthouse from the ground to 6 feet up the walls on two sides.

Everything that could be considered governmental, from mail trucks to bus stops, was damaged the length of 12th Street. Most of Broadway, from 12th to Seventh streets, was spared, and by noon, there wasnt much obvious damage at the police station (at Sixth and Seventh and Broadway). The entire block around the station is protected by an array of concrete, plastic and metal barricades.

Officer Johnna Watson, a department spokeswoman, said four men were arrested Saturday night. Two non-Oakland residents were cited and released, while a 56-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault for throwing rocks at officers and a 30-year-old man was taken into custody for failure to disperse and resisting or delaying a peace officer, according to police.

The Police Department declared an unlawful assembly shortly before midnight, writing on Twitter, Some in the crowd are throwing projectiles and pointing illegal lasers at officers. We are using signs and giving vocal commands to the crowd if the assaults continue chemicals will be deployed.

Reports and photos from the scene showed protesters projecting images like defund police onto the police building, and using graffiti as well as flares and fireworks.

Earlier Saturday evening, thousands marched peacefully from Frank H. Ogawa Plaza along Broadway, protesting systemic racism and police brutality in solidarity with protesters in Portland, Ore.

Federal law enforcement officers descended on protesters in Portland earlier this month  at the direction of the president  to protect federal monuments and statues, sparking an intense standoff between protesters and the officers.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

President Trumps threat to send in federal agents has drawn sharp rebukes from city and state leaders, as well as local residents.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

We celebrate passionate protest but Oaklanders need to know that when they attend protests after dark they may be providing cover for agitators who are more intent on stoking civil unrest than advancing racial justice, Schaaf said in a statement Sunday.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Joaquin Palomino and Rusty Simmons contributed to this report.

Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez
Powerful winds from Hanna knocked over at least three 18-wheeler trucks and a recreational vehicle, with tow trucks trying to right the toppled vehicles on Sunday, shutting down a 2-mile (3.2-km) stretch of U.S. Route 77 in Sarita, Texas, near the Mexican border.

Hanna came ashore on Padre Island on Saturday afternoon as a Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity and later made a second landfall in Kenedy County, Texas. It swept through a part of the state hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. By Sunday, it had weakened to a tropical depression.

Hanna, the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season, left a trail of destruction along the Texas coast on Sunday, downing power lines, flooding streets and toppling 18-wheeler trucks as torrential rains threatened the area.

A satellite image shows Hurricane Hanna in the Gulf of Mexico and approaching the coast of Texas, U.S., July 25, 2020.

In Port Mansfield, 150 miles (240 km) south of Padre Island, winds flattened sugarcane fields and leveled trees. Deer roamed the streets, stopping to nibble downed branches in the yards of homes, some that lost their roofs.

Heavy downpours of more than a foot (30 cm) of rain flooded roadways and swelled streams and rivers across south Texas, the National Weather Service said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

"You could hear the wind blowing and the rain blowing and you looked outside you could see sheets of water blowing down the street," said Sharon Pecce, 75, a resident of Port Mansfield, whose roof was ripped off her house on Saturday night.

"It's scary to go through this at my age, a lot could have happened ... we could have been killed," added Pecce, who was at a friend's home with her 70-year-old husband when the damage occurred. "We are lucky we weren't there."

Roderick Kise, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the Rio Grande Valley, told the Caller Times newspaper in Corpus Christi that his agency was looking into a report that winds toppled a newly constructed portion of the border wall built between the United States and Mexico.

At one point, more than 283,000 homes and businesses were without electricity. But that figure fell to 98,000 by Sunday night, according to poweroutage.us.

The storm was not expected to affect offshore oil-and-gas production. Energy companies have not evacuated workers or shut down production from their Gulf of Mexico platforms because of Hanna.

Some residents took advantage of the wild weather, with Alejandero Carcano, 16, and Jesse Garewal, 18, both of Galveston, surfing the high swells whipped up by Hanna.

Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement on Sunday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared the storm a federal emergency and would help fund evacuation and shelter efforts.
Ukraine will consider the issue of building a hydrogen production plant, acting Minister of Energy Olha Buslavets has said.

"Ukraine must move with the entire progressive world within the framework of modern technologies and their use, and calculate its capabilities several steps ahead," Buslavets said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said earlier that Ukraine could become a reliable supplier of hydrogen to the EU, in particular to Germany.

As reported, in July, the European Union adopted Hydrogen Strategy. It involves the addition of an integrated energy system with a massive industrial production of renewable hydrogen. It can serve as a source of energy where the use of electricity is difficult. In the future, it will be produced mainly using wind and solar energy.
BOSTON, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- HaulHub Technologies , the Boston technology firm powering the heavy construction industry with state-of-the-art, mobile- and web-based solutions, announced today the latest addition to its innovative construction performance platform: JOBslip.

Lindy Paving's field team accepting delivery of materials electronically.

The JOBslip app was developed with insights from experts across the construction materials industry to provide a world-class digital ticketing experience for the customers of asphalt, aggregate, and ready-mix producers. JOBslip is already in use with materials producer's customers across the US and Canada, from some of the world's largest producers to smaller regional companies.

With JOBslip, producers and contractors can easily share digital tickets with their customers and crews to provide a safer, more efficient, and cost-effective way of transferring key project data to all stakeholders. The JOBslip app creates a fully digital version of the traditional paper slip and allows producers to easily invite their customers to participate in the electronic ticketing process.

JOBslip is the companion app to DOTslip, the innovative e-ticketing solution used by Transportation Departments throughout the U.S. and Canada. HaulHub's JOBslip app enhances innovations in e-ticketing functionality by allowing real-time insights into material flows on construction projects and reduces transactional friction between producers and consumers. HaulHub's suite of ticketing apps provides the industry's best way to rapidly communicate quality control, production, productivity, and quantity data amongst project stakeholders.

"We saw an overwhelmingly positive response from Transportation Departments across the US and Canada for our e-ticketing solution," says HaulHub Technologies' Founder and CEO Joe Spinelli. "The next logical step was to provide producers and their customers with a tool that would allow them to safely and seamlessly exchange ticket data immediately once the material leaves the scale. Over the past several months since the release of DOTslip, we have seen the pace of change in the industry rapidly accelerate, and producers, DOTs, and contractors are more willing to adopt new technologies as the industry looks towards a new normal post-COVID-19."

"With JOBslip, we can offer our customers a simple, intuitive, and elegant tool to view their ticket data on the web and mobile devices," says Lindy Paving's VP of Operations Dan Ganoe. "Paper can be eliminated from our ticketing process with all of the information now available in the cloud. HaulHub's e-ticketing solutions have helped our teams streamline communications and provide a safe way to handle materials tickets"

JOBslip is now available in the Apple App Store, and via the web. A new implementation can be launched within days for full digital ticket integration.

About HaulHub Technologies

Founded in 2015, HaulHub Technologies is the premiere performance platform for the heavy construction industry. Based in Boston, HaulHub builds technology that powers transportation, digital materials ordering, customer management, and digital ticketing for producers, contractors, and DOTs nationwide. HaulHub powers thousands of jobsites and plants nationwide with its innovative, industry-leading products. Learn more at haulhub.com .

Media Contact:

Matthew Valle | 603.273.2382 | [email protected]

SOURCE HaulHub Technologies
New Delhi, July 27 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday had a word of caution for his fellow Indians, given that the festival season is just around the corner.

While unveiling three Covid-19 testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata via a video conference, the Prime Minister said, "Festivals are around the corner. We should be careful that the festivals remain a cause for happiness, and not become the reason for the spread of the virus." He added that the "only solution" till a vaccine comes is basic health hygiene like "2 gaaj ke doori", wearing masks and using hand sanitisers, among others.

The Prime Minister also assured that India's talented scientists are working continuously to develop a vaccine that can kill the dreaded virus.

The Prime Minister said that India has taken the uphill challenge to create a mammoth health infrastructure to fight the Covid-19 pandemic head on.

Meanwhile, he also heaped praise on the "foot soldiers" while adding that Indians by now are fully aware of the pandemic.

Modi on Monday launched three high throughput Covid-19 testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata via video conferencing in the presence of Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and the three concerned Chief Ministers -- Yogi Adityanath, Uddhav Thackeray and Mamata Banerjee. The three centres will be able to test over 10,000 samples a day.

As on Monday, India's Covid-19 tally stood at 14,35,453, as per the Health Ministry data.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
CLIFTON PARK  Hundreds of parents are demanding that officials at Shenendehowa Central School District find a way to provide fully remote learning opportunities to students in the fall.

Shenendehowa Superintendent Oliver Robinson unveiled the district's reopening plans last week in a series of live-streamed events. Like many districts, Shenendehowa  which serves students in Clifton Park and Halfmoon among other southern Saratoga County municipalities  is offering a full-day schedule for K-6 students, while middle and high school students will have a hybrid of online and in-person classes.

Shenendehowa has not offered a fully remote option for students at any grade level and has not released a plan to educate students who are medically fragile and cannot safely be in school.

Parents concerned about returning their kids to the classroom while the COVID-19 threat still lurks were dismayed to learn that their only alternative was to homeschool their children.

Sharon Bragg, who has a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old in the district, started a Facebook group pushing for a remote options because she felt that parents weren't sufficiently involved in the planning process and there was a "conspicuous gap" between families' needs and what the district was offering.

"When I listened to the plan ... there was not an option in there that I felt could fit my family, " Bragg said. "It felt like the district was saying, 'send your kids to school or unenroll.'"

She notes that similarly situated suburban districts in the Capital Region, like North Colonie, Saratoga Springs and Guilderland, have indicated that they will be offering a fully online option to any family that is uncomfortable sending their children into school buildings.

Bragg said there is widespread concern among parents regarding both online and in-classroom offerings at Shenendehowa. Members of the group met with the school board of education over the weekend and were told that district officials will address some of the questions raised at a board meeting Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, hundreds have signed a Change.org petition lobbying the school district to consider offering a fully remote program to K-12 students.

"Shenendehowa is a diverse community and a one-size-fits-all approach will not work during a global pandemic with serious health risks ... An option takes nothing away from in-person learning. Instead it increases the safety of all students and educators by cutting down on the numbers in the classrooms each day as well as ensuring each student can continue to receive the high-quality education Shenendehowa offers," the petition states.

New York's more than 700 districts, which closed schools down in March to prevent the spread of COVID-19, are required to submit a reopening plan to the state for approval by the end of July.

Whether districts can reopen school buildings at all will depend on the regional rate of infection over a 14-day period in the first week of August, according to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's office.

The Shenendehowa Teacher's Association has also penned a letter supporting the creation of a fully remote option for students.

Heidi Stinebrickner, an 8th-grade math teacher and president of the Shenendehowa Teacher's Association, said faculty and staff learned of the district's plans at the same time that parents did. She noted that there are at least 35 vulnerable teachers who cannot return to the clasr0om who are available to be paired up with vulnerable students.

"You have a workforce that can work remotely," she said. "Shen teachers want to teach Shen students. We are dedicated professionals and there is no 0ne better suited to teach and accommodate the needs of Shen students than our teachers."

Since elementary classes will be split into smaller cohorts that will be based in makeshift classrooms throughout the school buildings, officials have floated the idea of broadcasting lessons into other classrooms so that students don't have to move around the building for instruction.

Parents and teachers question why the district would require students to be in school if the technology to broadcast classes on a wide scale is available. They also are requesting more detail about the health and safety measures in place during in-person instruction.

A spokeswoman for the school district did not respond to a request for comment.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 17:32:18|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government has released a long-term strategic recovery plan, backed by 51.6 million NZ dollars (34.4 million U.S. dollars) investment from the COVID-19 recovery and response fund to help stabilize New Zealand's international education sector.

"The government is acutely aware of the challenges the sector is currently facing," Education Minister Chris Hipkins said in a statement on Monday.

"We are sensitive to the impact the unexpected loss of revenue will have had on international education providers and the investment announced today will help cushion the blow," Hipkins said.

The three parts of the recovery plan will run concurrently and include stabilizing the international education sector, strengthening the system by ensuring the regulatory settings, policies and practices to support the recovery and rebuild, and accelerating the transformation of the sector.

"Ultimately, we want an international education system that's mutually good for students, providers, and benefits New Zealand economically and socially," he said.

"While the pandemic is still raging overseas, our borders are our first line of defense against COVID-19. Given the current global situation, I would expect providers to plan for no international students for the rest of the year," the minister said, adding the government will allow international students to return when it's safe to do so. Enditem
The Electoral Commission (EC) has warned persons who are charging fees as guarantors in the procurement of voter registration cards to desist from such practice.

The activities of such persons according to the Commission are illegal and must not be tolerated.

Speaking at its Let the Citizen Know forum on Monday, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, said eligible persons who do not have the requisite proof of identity have other options open to them.

The guarantor system has been been in our laws to ensure that, eligible citizens who do not have a form of documentation are not left out of processes such as the voter registration exercise. As such, a person who does not have the requisite documentation to prove their eligibility has the window of physically presenting two guarantors to vouch for them. The Commission is picking up information to the effect that, a number of individuals in our society are offering their services as guarantors for a fee. This is illegal and we call on the security agencies present at our registration centres to arrest such persons.

We emphasize again that guarantors must know the person they guarantee for; therefore it is illegal to offer your services to guaranteeing for persons they do not know. We are encouraging our security agencies to pick up such persons at the registration centres. We have also informed our registration officials to be on high alert to prevent this from happening going forward, she added.

The Public Election (Amendment) regulation, 2020 (C.I. 126) amended C.I 91 changed the current identification requirements for registering to vote.

Aside from the National Identification Card (Ghana Card) or the Ghana passport being acceptable documents for registering onto the voters register, two persons who have already been captured on the new register can vouch for others to register.

Critics have noted that the exclusion of the existing voter ID and birth certificates could lead to some citizens being disenfranchised.

Despite these concerns, the popularity of the guarantor system should mitigate these fears, Mrs. Mensa noted.

Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission says it is impressed by the high turnout of persons with disabilities and first-time voters at the ongoing mass voter registration exercise.

According to the Commission, over 46 thousand persons with disabilities have registered in all four phases of the exercise. While a little over 52% of the total registered are women, 47% are men, and close to 8% are 18 and 19-year-olds.

As of Friday, July 24, 2020, the Commission had registered over 11.6 million voters with the Greater Accra Region recording the highest number of registered voters.

---citinewsroom
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 23:30:41|Editor: huaxia

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BERLIN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Bavaria's Minister-President Markus Soeder on Monday called for mandatory and free of charge COVID-19 tests at German airports.

The southern German state Bavaria would also set up voluntary COVID-19 test facilities at several motorway border crossings as well as at the main railway stations in Munich and Nuremberg, according to Soeder.

Soeder said he was "very worried" about travelers returning from holidays. The summer holidays in Bavaria are just beginning this week.

On Friday, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) warned that the number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Germany was "significantly higher than in the previous weeks."

Many scattered COVID-19 outbreaks had been recorded across Germany after family celebrations as well as among employees at meat processing plants. In addition, COVID-19 cases were "increasingly identified among people returning from traveling," according to the RKI.

Returnees from holidays abroad could make a voluntarily COVID-19 test at several airports in Germany, after Minister of Health Jens Spahn and the health ministers of Germany's states agreed on Friday that all travelers from risk areas could get a coronavirus test free of charge upon their return to the country.

A "legal obligation" for COVID-19 tests for returnees from risk areas would be also reviewed, Spahn told the German radio station Deutschlandfunk on Saturday.

Spahn said that Germany recorded many small outbreaks but the question now was "whether this would become a wave." In order to "quickly" identify infection chains, "extensive testing" was required. Enditem
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  The Senate and the House of Representatives opened the second regular session of the 18th Congress on Monday morning, hours ahead of President Rodrigo Duterte's fifth State of the Nation Address.

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III banged the gavel at 10 a.m., indicating the official resumption of the session.

In the Senate, only 17 out of 24 senators were physically present. Acrylic dividers have been positioned between the seats and tables of each lawmaker to ensure physical distancing at the session hall. Six others were present virtually, via Zoom teleconferencing app, while detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima is unable to participate in the proceedings.

Eight of the senators chosen to attend President Rodrigo Duterte's SONA  all allies of the President  were required to undergo swab test on Sunday. They will also undergo a rapid test before entering the Batasang Pambansa Complex in the afternoon.

They are Sotto, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senators Pia Cayetano, Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, Sherwin Gatchalian, Christopher "Bong" Go, Bong Revilla, and Francis Tolentino.

The House opened session a few minutes late due to the rapid testing for congressmen and their staff. A total of 27 congressmen, mostly allies of the administration, were chosen to grace the plenary in keeping with the ban on mass gathering.

However, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, one of the chosen attendees, revealed that he had tested positive for the virus after taking the swab test.

READ: Surigao lawmaker tests positive for COVID-19 ahead of attendance at SONA

Only 21 lawmakers were declared present in the plenary in the morning, while 280 monitored the proceedings virtually.

Legislative plans amid pandemic

The heads of both chambers emphasized their respective agenda amid the crisis, with actions that will revolve around economic recovery and development.

In his speech, Cayetano emphasized the need to strengthen agriculture, tourism, and infrastructure to assist Filipinos who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

He also renewed his call to establish the Department of Arts and Culture to instill "'Filipino creativity and artistry" which can be a source of economic recovery.

Cayetano earlier bared that the lower chamber will prioritize the passage of the national budget for 2021 and the road map for the COVID-19 recovery in its agenda.

House lawmakers and Senators are slated to tackle the Bayanihan to Recover as One or the Bayanihan II bill to aid the administration in addressing the pandemic.

The Senate will also start a probe into the death of high-profile inmates in the New Bilibid Prison and the alleged corruption at the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, among others.

Sotto said that through their chamber's oversight powers, they will ensure that COVID-19 programs are being handled properly, with full transparency in the use of government funds.

"The world is on fire. The more our nation reflects this reality, the more earnest government must be in protecting each and everyone in our community," Sotto added.

Cayetano also took the time to sing praises anew for the President, claiming the nation will endure the crisis, with Duterte's "firm but fatherly hand."

Both chambers will hold a joint session at 4pm to hear Duterte's address.
NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, as a key component of its "Pivot to Win" campaign, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce launched the "Indicators of Progress" dashboard to track the city's reopening by monitoring more than a dozen key metrics of economic and business activity.

The dashboard uses weekly data on the number of flights in and out of the city, foot traffic as compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic, employment numbers, and other statistics to track the city's progress toward economic recovery. It also captures building permits, restaurant dining, home buying activity, and disbursal of federal Paycheck Protection Program funds, among other indicators, all of which are presented in simple and easy-to-navigate charts and infographics that cover a wide variety of sectors and economic activity.

"If we are going to truly pivot to win, having a timely and accurate picture of New York City data is critical to help businesses and government alike navigate the city's reopening," said Jessica Walker, President and CEO of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. "By analyzing these indicators, we can better understand what more needs to be done to get the city's economy safely back on track and quantify the ongoing impact of the pandemic to inform smart policy decisions."

Major findings of latest the dashboard data (updated on 7/24/20) show:

Foot traffic in the city increased only 4.1% last week despite entering the fourth (and final) phase of reopening. Overall, foot traffic remains down 46% in the city as compared to before the Covid crisis began.

Even with the city's expansion of outdoor dining options, the number of seated diners at restaurants is down 94% as compared to this time last year.

The number of air travel passengers coming into and out of our regional airports is down 98.4% over last year.

Unemployment in the city increased substantially after the Covid crisis took hold. The positive news is that employment numbers are now trending upward. But the number of job postings remains flat in many key industries, suggesting that some businesses are rehiring former employees but few new jobs are being created or new employees being sought.

The number of page views of Zillow real estate listings, which fell drastically in March and April, has since exploded and is now up 76% over this same time last year. There could be many reasons why New Yorkers are suddenly interested in finding new living spaces.

The dashboard, which was created for the Manhattan Chamber by eIMPACT using open source data, will be updated on a weekly basis to share the latest data and trends with businesses, policymakers, and residents.

The Indicators of Progress dashboard is sponsored by MWWPR, one of the nation's largest independent public relations firms.

"It's critically important that we have accurate, comprehensive data on hand to guide and monitor key factors for the city's reopening," said Michael Kempner, Chairman of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and Founder and CEO of MWWPR. "With the launch of our critical 'Pivot to Win' strategy, we are providing resources to help businesses survive  and thrive  during the pandemic."

In addition to the Indicators of Progress dashboard, the Chamber continues to provide best practices, webinars, networking, and other essential support for businesses facing unprecedented disruption during the pandemic through its Pivot to Win resources.

To view the Chamber's Indicators of Progress dashboard visit www.NYCindicators.com.

About the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce

The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization that represents and supports the local business community across the borough. We do this, primarily, by fostering "game-changing" connections for our members and by working with government to ensure that the business climate is supportive and responsive to their needs. Through our foundation, we also host educational events for small business owners and conduct outreach to help them thrive.

The Chamber's Pivot to Win Initiative provides hands-on, customized support to small and medium-sized businesses to help them recalibrate and succeed in a post-Covid economy.

Learn more at www.manhattancc.org.

About eIMPACT

eIMPACT is the leading provider of data storytelling dashboards for economic development organizations, chambers and industry associations nationwide. A combination of software and expert data services, eIMPACT is unique in its ability to deliver a fully customized solution for each client, focusing on the specific needs and objectives sought. Learn more at www.eimpact.report.

SOURCE Manhattan Chamber of Commerce
Russia exported more LNG to China in June than the United States did, at 396,000 tons versus 340,000 tons, Russias Sputnik reports, citing data first quoted by Bloomberg.

According to the data, from Chinese customs authorities, Russia LNG imports were 20.7 percent higher than a month earlier, while U.S. imports of LNG were just 2.4 percent higher.

Separately, Natural Gas World reported that Chinas liquefied natural gas imports in June were 29 percent higher than a year ago, at 5.79 million tons. January to June imports of LNG were also higher. The data refutes earlier reports suggesting that Chinas LNG imports in June were down 7 percent on the year as the heating season ended, reducing demand.

China recently became the largest LNG importer in the world, turning into a battleground for producers amid tanking prices driven by an oversupply similar in gravity to the oversupply in crude oil markets.

In fact, prices are so low that, according to a Reuters report, at least one state energy giant is looking for long-term LNG import deals. Sinopec wants to contract 1 million tons of liquefied gas for a period of 10 years, starting in 2023, industry sources told Reuters last week.

LNG prices on the spot market are now hovering near all-time lows because of the influx of supply from new projects and the slump in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The International Energy Agency last month published a new report on gas and LNG in which it said that natural gas is expected to experience its largest demand shock on record in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic hits an already weakened market.

This weakened market is a buyers market, so the competition on price is more intense than ever. Due to geographical reasons, Russian LNG--for--now tends to be cheaper than U.S. LNG, which could explain the difference in imports into China.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Hon. Razak displaying one of the spraying cans used in the fumigation exercise

26.07.2020 LISTEN

The Assemblyman for the Hot Coffee Electoral Area has promised to make the area the best amongst the eleven Electoral Areas within the Ayawaso East Metropolis.

The Assemblyman, hon. Abdul Razak Ismail, made the promise when he led a team to fumigate/disinfect ten different mosques within his Area.

The disinfection exercise, has among other things the objectives to rid the mosques off diseases and viruses especially during this era of Covid-19 pandemic.

It also forms part of the Assemblyman's sanitation and health priorities, which he promised the electorates during his campaign for the newly created Electoral Area's bid.

Hon. Abdul Razak Ismail noted that the fumigation was to also prepare the grounds for the forthcoming Muslims Eidul Adha eid prayers, in response to the National Chief Imam's call for the eid prayers to be observed at homes and within smaller mosques in the respective communities.

Some of the mosques hon. Ismail Abdul Razak and his team fumigated included the Mallam Fofana, Buza 11 , Old Alaska and the Wuro Abdullai Mosques respectively.

Apart from the disinfection, hon. Razak, popularly referred to as Ember, has also distributed nose masks, sanitizers, veronica buckets to people within his electoral area as part of efforts to fight the COVID - 19 pandemic.

The nose masks according to the Assemblyman were mostly distributed to voting registration centers during the ongoing voters registration exercise.

Hon. Razak Ismail has since his assumption into office as the Assemblyman also organised clean up exercises, conducted some drainage works as well as fixing of faulty street lights in the community.

The Assemblyman promised to continue to do the work for which he was given the mandate by the people. He mentioned sanitation, health as well as other social issues that are bedeviling the people as some of the things he will be tackling.

According to the Assemblyman, it is an obligation for all citizens to keep our communities clean and also adhere to the protocols for Covid 19.

He therefore advised the people, particularly the youth to strictly adhere to the advise of health experts. "We must always wear our nose masks, wash our hands with soap under running water and sanitise our hands and other valuables whenever we return home."

He cautioned the youth of the area to desist from engaging in anything that has the tendency of disrupting the peace and stability of the area and Ghana at large.

"As citizens, we must be law abiding, hard working and patriotic and always endeavour to contribute our quota to the socio economic advancement of Ghana.

"We don't have to fight each other just because of politics," hon. Razak added must not divide us but rather unite us as agents for development for the betterment of our communities and Ghana, at large.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  War zones can be too far from operating rooms, preventing soldiers from receiving the surgery they need fast enough.

A Purdue University-led study is the first to show medics successfully performing surgery in life-like simulations of these war zones by receiving guidance from surgeons through an augmented reality headset. The work is joint with Purdue's School of Industrial Engineering and the Department of Computer Science.

The headset transmits a recorded view of the operating site to the surgeon, who can then use a large-display touch screen to mark up the recording with drawings of how to complete the surgical procedure. Augmented reality helps the first responder see the surgeons annotated instructions directly on their view of the operating field.

Researchers at Purdue and the Indiana University School of Medicine have been developing this technology, called System for Telementoring with Augmented Reality (STAR), since 2015.

Operating rooms across the U.S. have already started using augmented reality telementoring to virtually bring in the expertise of other surgeons on how to use a new instrument or better perform a particular procedure.

But this technology hasnt made it to austere settings, such as a battlefield or forest thousands of miles away from a hospital, where a first responder could be treating injuries far too complex for their level of expertise, said Juan Wachs, Purdue Universitys James A. and Sharon M. Tompkins Rising Star Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering.

Augmented reality telementoring doesnt usually operate well in extreme scenarios. Too much smoke can prevent visual sensors from working, for example, Wachs said.

Researchers from Purdue and the IU School of Medicine tested STAR with first responders and surgeons at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Virginia. The work is published in NPJ Digital Medicine, a Nature Research Journal.

The study evaluated first responders using STAR to perform on a patient simulator a common procedure that opens up a blocked airway, called a cricothyroidotomy. Even the responders with no or little experience performing this procedure prior to the study successfully operated after receiving instructions from surgeons through STAR.

The simulations took place both indoors and outdoors, including smoke and sounds of gunshots, explosions and helicopters. The researchers found that first responders more successfully performed the cricothyroidotomies with STAR than with just hearing a surgeons voice for each of these scenarios. If smoke made the visualization too unreliable, the responders could still do the operation when STAR automatically switched to audio-only telementoring.

STAR would need more durable materials before its used on a real battlefield, Wachs said, but the software is now proven to work in extreme conditions.

Wachs has recently formed a company, AI-Medic, that is working on artificial intelligence solutions to address communication disruptions that might occur while using augmented reality telementoring systems in the field.

STAR is protected by patents filed through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization. This study was financially supported by Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (Award No. W81XWH-14-1-0042) and the National Science Foundation (Grant DGE-1333468).

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

Writer, Media contact: Kayla Wiles, wiles5@purdue.edu (working remotely, but will provide immediate response)

Sources:

Juan Wachs, jpwachs@purdue.edu

Edgar Rojas-Munoz, emuoz@purdue.edu

Journalists visiting campus : Journalists should follow Protect Purdue protocols and the following guidelines:

Campus is open, but the number of people in spaces may be limited. We will be as accommodating as possible, but you may be asked to step out or report from another location.

To enable access, particularly to campus buildings, we recommend you contact the Purdue News Service media contact listed on the release to let them know the nature of the visit and where you will be visiting. A News Service representative can facilitate safe access and may escort you on campus.

Wear face masks inside any campus building. Wear face masks outdoors when social distancing of at least six feet is not possible.

ABSTRACT

Evaluation of an augmented reality platform for austere surgical telementoring: a randomized controlled crossover study in cricothyroidotomies

Edgar Rojas-Munoz1, Chengyuan Lin 2, Natalia Sanchez-Tamayo1, Maria Eugenia Cabrera3, Daniel Andersen 2, Voicu Popescu2,

Juan Antonio Barragan1, Ben Zarzaur4, Patrick Murphy4, Kathryn Anderson4, Thomas Douglas5, Clare Griffis5, Jessica McKee6,

Andrew W. Kirkpatrick6,7,8 and Juan P. Wachs 1,4

1School of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA. 2Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.

3Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.

4Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA.

5Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, VA, USA.

6Department of Surgery, and the Regional Trauma Services, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.

7Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. 8Canadian Forces Medical Services, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

DOI: 10.1038/s41746-020-0284-9

Telementoring platforms can help transfer surgical expertise remotely. However, most telementoring platforms are not designed to assist in austere, pre-hospital settings. This paper evaluates the system for telementoring with augmented reality (STAR), a portable and self-contained telementoring platform based on an augmented reality head-mounted display (ARHMD). The system is designed to assist in austere scenarios: a stabilized first-person view of the operating field is sent to a remote expert, who creates surgical instructions that a local first responder wearing the ARHMD can visualize as three-dimensional models projected onto the patients body. Our hypothesis evaluated whether remote guidance with STAR could lead to performing a surgical procedure better, as opposed to remote audio-only guidance. Remote expert surgeons guided first responders through training cricothyroidotomies in a simulated austere scenario, and on-site surgeons evaluated the participants using standardized evaluation tools. The evaluation comprehended completion time and technique performance of specific cricothyroidotomy steps. The analyses were also performed considering the participants years of experience as first responders, and their experience performing cricothyroidotomies. A linear mixed model analysis showed that using STAR was associated with higher procedural and non-procedural scores, and overall better performance. Additionally, a binary logistic regression analysis showed that using STAR was associated to safer and more successful executions of cricothyroidotomies. This work demonstrates that remote mentors can use STAR to provide first responders with guidance and surgical knowledge, and represents a first step towards the adoption of ARHMDs to convey clinical expertise remotely in austere scenarios.
In a new study by WalletHub, Massachusetts ranked as having the best school systems in the country.

The study said it took a comprehensive approach, rather than focusing primarily on academic outcomes or school finance. The website states that this study accounted for performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials.

Massachusetts was first in quality rank and safety rank, leading to the first overall. Connecticut was second and New Jersey, Vermont and New Hampshire were in the top 10.

Massachusetts also scored the highest in math test scores, reading test scores and lowest percentage of threatened or injured high school students. And it was in the top five for the highest median ACT score and lowest bullying rate.

The top-5 indicators in evaluating the best and worst school systems, according to Kathryn A. Welby, Director of K-12 Teacher Preparation Program and Assistant Professor of Practice, Education & Community Studies at Merrimack College, should include teacher quality, the achievement of high needs students, rate of high school completion, school and community partnerships, and leadership retention.

Welby also talked about the difficulties the coronavirus pandemic has had on education.

When schools are forced to educate students remotely, there are some significant discrepancies in access and attainment throughout the country. Not all communities have equal access to resources, such as technology, resulting in educational inequalities. Consequently, not all students have a parent and guardian that can support them while remote learning, she said. Resource disparity is going to be tough to overcome without additional funding to the districts in need.

This is true for communities across Massachusetts. In Worcester, thousands of students didnt have internet access at home, according to a Worcester Regional Research Bureau report.

To address these technology gaps the state recommended that, districts should ensure that every individual student and educator has access to an appropriate device (such as a laptop, Chromebook, or tablet) and adequate internet (such as through household broadband or a wireless hotspot) to use for remote learning.

School districts are also working on three different plans to address various ways to handle reopening in the fall.

Related Content:
Explore the shadowy world of swamp monsters and mythical beasts with the premiere of Into the Unknown, tonight, July 27, at 11 p.m. ET on Travel Channel. You can also livestream the new adventure program on fuboTV (7-day free trial).

Longtime explorer, survivalist and military vet Cliff Simon hosts the new six-part series, combining his longtime fascination with the paranormal with his experience in dangerous conditions. Simon talks with scientists, shamans, historians and witnesses to learn about hair-raising legends around the world, then ventures into the wild in search of legendary devils and demons.

In Episode 1, Simon heads to the largest and deadliest swamp in the Louisiana bayou to hunt for the lair of the legendary Rougarou, a werewolf-like monster with a taste for human flesh. Along the way, he meets a Cajun family that shares video footage of a strange beast they saw in the swamp, meets a First Nations chief who had a terrifying encounter with a shapeshifter and uncovers a giant nest strewn with bones. Is it the lair of the Rougarou? Find out tonight.

What channel is Travel Channel on?

You can find Travel Channel by using the channel finders here: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV and Dish.

Where can I watch Into the Unknown if I dont have cable?

Fans can live stream it on fuboTV (7-day free trial, then $54.99/month). FuboTV is a streaming service that offers access to your favorite TV shows, live sports events and much more.
The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Park Agrotech Ghana Limited, to ensure the cultivation of enhanced sugarcane for full scale sugar production for the Komenda Sugar Factory in the Central Region.



The Vice Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Joseph Ghartey-Ampiah appended his signature on behalf of the university, while the Managing Director of Agrotech Ghana Limited, Lalit Mishra, signed for the company.



Mr Mishra said that the agreement was a start towards a brighter future and indicated that, the company would invest about $21 million into the factory for the four-year period.



He noted that, the deal with UCC was very crucial as the company required quality planting material to produce sugarcane to feed the factory.



Under the terms of the MoU, the university is expected to provide strategic technical and human resource support to produce sugarcane planting materials for the company and its out-grower to sustain sugarcane production and processing.



Additionally, UCC would provide land space to establish sugarcane field gene bank and conserve eight most relevant genetic resources of the crop in consultation with the company to serve as a source of explants for vitro propagation.



Park Agrotech Ghana Limited on the other hand, would provide infrastructure for the production of sugarcane planting material and breeding.



The company is also expected to provide funding for research, material and equipment in critical areas such as Biotechnology and Tissue culture, disease and pest control, soil fertility, agriculture engineering, food science among others.



It would also contribute in the establishment of a commercial Tissue Culture laboratory for the production of sugarcane plantlets.



In his remarks, the Head of Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the School of Biological Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Prof. Aaron Asare, explained that the UCC in 2015, had carried series of research on how the country could produce high yielding sugarcane planting material.



That, he noted, was to help address the huge feed-stock deficit associated with the Komenda Sugar Factory to enhance sustainability.



The university, he said, was determined and committed towards coming up with innovations in ensuring the running of the factory.



Prof. Asare, further said that, the full operations of the Komenda Sugar Factory was the concern of every Ghanaian and underscored the need for all to contribute in making the operations of the factory a reality.



The revival of the factory would drastically reduce the importation of sugar and create indirect jobs for people in the sugar industry in the country, he said.



He noted that the universitys collaboration with Park Agrotech would facilitate the process of ensuring that the factory was revamped with the availability of sustainable sugarcane.



For his part, the Vice Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah expressed optimism about the Komenda Sugar factory moving into full scale production with the measure being put in place.



Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah (second from right) and Mr Lalit Mishra, Managing Director of Agrotech Ghana Limited (left) signing the MoU.

Source: The Ghanaian Times









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Students in grades 5 and 8 who fail the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR test, in the 2020-21 school year will not be held back, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday.

Typically, students in those grades who do not pass the test are sent before a promotion committee, which determines whether they can move on to the next grade level the following school year.

In a statement, Abbott said while the testing data will be important for parents and educators to gauge how much students learned, there is no benefit in holding students back because of a test administered during such a tumultuous time as the coronavirus pandemic.

This will be a uniquely challenging school year, therefore, this year is about providing students every opportunity to overcome the disruptions caused by COVID-19, Abbott said. By waiving these promotion requirements, we are providing greater flexibility for students and teachers, while at the same time ensuring that Texas students continue to receive a great education  which we will continue to measure with high-quality assessments.

The announcement comes as a growing chorus of school leaders and politicians call on the governor and the Texas Education Agency to cancel the standardized test all together, citing ongoing learning deficits caused by pandemic-related school closures. The tests were canceled this past spring after campuses across the state were shut down in a bid to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, making it impossible to compare student performance on any potential tests this school year with the previous year.

Only students in grades 5 and 8 can be held back due to poor marks on the STAAR exams. TEA officials said Abbotts decision will not affect high school students, who still must pass a certain number of standardized end-of-course exams to graduate.

The STAAR tests also are used by the TEA to assign A-through-F accountability ratings to campuses and school districts. Campuses and districts that do not meet the states academic standards can be sanctioned. Houston ISD, for example, is fighting a state takeover of its school board triggered by one campus that received seven consecutive failing grades.

Shortly after Abbotts announcement, Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina released a statement saying that waiving the promotion requirements didnt go far enough. She called on Abbott and state education leaders to suspend the A-through-F accountability system and teacher appraisal system, which is also heavily tied to STAAR scores.

And while he is at it, he should just suspend STAAR testing for 2020-21, period, Molina wrote. It is a distraction that students and teachers dont need while they learn a new education delivery system, and it is an expense that taxpayers can ill-afford.

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Superintendent Mark Henry at a board meeting last week said judging campuses and districts by students test scores during a global pandemic would be unfair.

I just cant believe our state leaders are that blind to think that, in a year like this, to do the STAAR test, Henry said. I think cooler heads will prevail and we wont take those, or at least they wont have an effect.

Conroe ISD trustees voted unanimously last week on a resolution asking the state to cancel the STAAR test. In an interview before the vote, Trustee Scott Moore, who wrote the resolution, said that any accountability rating based on the test will be unreliable because the calculation formula relies heavily on comparing students academic progress from one year to the next. Along with that, he said, students likely will spend much of the year catching up and will have less time to learn new material than in previous years.

However, Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, State Rep. Dan Huberty and Sen. Larry Taylor issued statements saying students should be shown some grace, but schools must remain accountable for student performance.

Not only will this approach do a great deal to reduce the high-stakes burden of testing in a school year already complicated by this pandemic, it will hold schools accountable for providing a high-quality education while equipping teachers and parents with the information they need to make certain students are learning and remain on the path to educational success, Bonnen said.

shelby.webb@chron.com
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Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, one of Africas renowned scientists, has underscored the need for the continent to be determined, aggressive, ambitious and passionate about her affairs.



As a people, we should not be afraid of breaking new ground. The world may want to intimidate us; that we are so far behind, that we cannot catch up.



No! We dont have to run after them. However, we can learn from the achievements and mistakes of others whilst charting our path and preserving our cultural heritage and our time-tested value systems, he said.



Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, in a speech delivered at the investiture of Prof. Mark Appiah as President of the CSIR College of Science and Technology (CCST), at a ceremony at Fumesua near Kumasi, indicated that Africas poverty gap was a technological gap.



We all have to understand that the real difference between the developed countries of America, Europe, Asia, and the Far East and the underdeveloped countries of Africa lies in their technological capability, he stressed.



According to the scientist, who is Ghanas Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation: The economy of our modern world is knowledge-based and science and technology-driven.



Consequently, clean, affordable and safe energy, agriculture, medicine and health, clean air and water, transportation, sanitation, management, utilization and conservation of natural resources are all propelled by science and technology.



Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said it had become obvious that to be a part of that world, there must be science and technology elements in the development processes of countries on the continent.



Africas contribution to world trade is one percent and 25 of the worlds bottom poor countries are in Africa, he noted, adding that the continents development depended on her ability to understand, interpret, select, adapt, use, transmit, diffuse, produce and commercialize scientific and technological knowledge.



This must be done in ways appropriate to the continents culture, aspirations, and level of development.



The Minister quoting data from the World Health Organization (WHO), said it was estimated that 300 to 500 million Africans were infected with malaria each year, causing 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths.



More than 90 percent of these deaths occur in children under five years of age.



This means that in Africa, a child dies every 45 seconds of malaria, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng stated.



These development challenges, he said, could be addressed through the permeation of science and technology into the life of nations on the continent.



This is the way to go to also overcome other development challenges endemic in the society - mass poverty and illiteracy, sexually-transmitted diseases, food insecurity, HIV/AIDS, environmental and sanitation challenges



The programme coincided with the maiden congregation of CCST, and in all, 20 students graduated with Masters of Philosophy in various fields, including climate change and integrated resource management, food science and technology, plant breeding and biotechnology.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 23:53:44|Editor: huaxia

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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) and Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zakharieva greet each other at the Prime Minister's Office in Athens, Greece, on July 27, 2020. Zakharieva visited Athens on Monday. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Greece and Bulgaria discussed on Monday a series of common challenges including the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zakharieva paid a one-day working visit to Greece to discuss with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and other Greek officials issues concerning bilateral relations and European affairs, according to the Greek foreign ministry.

The visit coincided with the 140th anniversary of the establishment of Greek-Bulgarian diplomatic relations.

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Zakharieva stressed the need to open a second border checkpoint to avoid the long queues of cars formed at the land borders.

So far, the Promachonas-Kulata border with Bulgaria is the only crossing that has been open for non-essential travel after lockdown measures were eased.

"Prime Minister promised to address the issue and examine opening the Nymphaea border crossing," Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said during joint statements to media with Zakharieva after their meeting.

Dendias also said he is optimistic that the implemented health protocols will contribute to the full restoration of the cross-border traveling.
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday backed an additional $10 billion in assistance for airports that face a dramatic shortfall in revenue because of a travel falloff due to the coronavirus.

The Republican proposal also calls for $75 million to maintain essential air service to rural communities and $50 million for the Federal Aviation Administration's administrative costs related to air traffic control tower cleanings, janitorial services and supplies.

Earlier this month, U.S. airports asked for a new $13 billion bailout after Congress in March approved $10 billion in government assistance for airports.

The Republican summary said the nation's airports "are facing a record drop in passengers."

The spending bill does not have additional funding for U.S. airlines or other industries that sought assistance, such as restaurants.

In June, six unions representing aviation workers told top lawmakers another $32 billion in payroll aid is needed to keep hundreds of thousands of workers employed through March 31 after Congress in March approved $32 billion for the aviation industry to keep workers on payroll through Sept. 30, including $25 billion for passenger airline payroll costs.

U.S. airports collectively held $100 billion in debt at the end of 2018 and some previously warned they might not be able to make debt payments without the initial $10 billion.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler and Matthew Lewis)
People planning a staycation are being warned about the increased risk of being targeted by fraudsters exploiting the current travel restrictions.

FraudSMART, an awareness initiative from the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI), is urging consumers to take extra caution when booking domestic holidays.

It comes as the latest research from Failte Ireland shows that more than half of people are planning a break in Ireland in the next six months as the demand for holidays at home increases.

The scams fraudsters are carrying out include using copycat websites to offer holiday accommodation, and fake emails and ads on social media offering bargain prices.

Keith Gross, head of financial crime and security at the BPFI, said there had been a surge in demand for staycation holidays following the publishing of the Government's green list and advice on non-essential travel.

"We know that in June alone the number of people searching for holiday homes around the country was up 112pc on the same time last year," said Mr Gross.

As a result of this pent-up demand, we are warning consumers of an increased risk in holiday purchase scams as fraudsters take advantage of this.

"The types of scams we anticipate include copycat websites offering holiday accommodation which will look almost identical to the legitimate site," said Mr Gross.

"We are also warning consumers to be on the look-out for fake emails and ads on social media offering holiday deals which appear to be offering bargain prices but are in reality too good to be true.

"Today we are warning consumers to take extra caution when they are booking domestic holidays, and are outlining the key advice holidaymakers should follow to avoid getting caught out and risk losing their hard-earned cash along with their holiday.

"This includes simple checks and tips such as ensuring any website that you use to book a holiday is genuine, never clicking through to a seller's website via an email link or social media advert, and never forgetting that if an offer looks too good to be true, usually it is," Mr Gross said.

People booking staycations are being warned to avoid "super deals" on social media and should inquire whether websites offering a deal have been reviewed across different trusted sources.

Consumers should also pay attention to terms and conditions by always reading the small print in such offers.

"They are also advised to be wary of paying a private individual by bank transfer, which means your money will be difficult to trace in the event of something going wrong - and if it is a scam, it will be very difficult to get your money back," said Mr Gross.
Treasury yields fell slightly on Monday as investors searched for so-called safe havens amid concerns over the global economy, the spread of Covid-19 and geopolitical tensions.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell marginally to 0.5815% and the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond dipped one basis point to 1.2215%. Yields move inversely to prices.

The move in yields came as gold prices soared to a new record high.

Recent growing Covid-19 infections in certain parts of the world have raised concerns over the prospects for the global economy. India, Hong Kong, as well as certain regions of Europe, have seen spikes in recent days.
Local Sikh organizations to take the case of New Zealand youth trapped in India due to corona: Advocate Dhami
NEW YORK - President Donald Trumps lawyers filed fresh arguments Monday to try to block a criminal subpoena for his tax records, saying it was issued in bad faith, might have been politically motivated and calling it a harassment of the president.

Lawyers filed a rewritten lawsuit in Manhattan federal court to challenge the subpoena by a state prosecutor on grounds they believe conform with how the U.S. Supreme Court said the subpoena can be contested.

They asked a judge to declare it invalid and unenforceable.

The high court ruled earlier this month that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. could subpoena tax records from Trumps accountant over his objections.

But the court said Trump could challenge the subpoena as improper just as anyone else can.

Trumps lawyers had argued that the president could not be criminally investigated while he was in office.

In their new court papers, Trumps lawyers said the subpoena of his tax records was wildly overbroad and amounts to harassment of the President.

They said it was issued in bad faith, copying a Congressional subpoena.

Whether the District Attorney photocopied a congressional subpoena for political reasons, for efficiency reasons, or for both, he knowingly and intentionally issued a wildly overbroad subpoena for the Presidents records, the lawyers said.

They said the subpoena seeks detailed information about all of Trumps assets in the U.S. and abroad for a 10-year period.

Simply put, it asks for everything, the lawyers wrote.

Vance sought the tax records in part for a probe of how Trumps then-personal lawyer arranged during the 2016 presidential race to keep the porn actress Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal from airing claims of extramarital affairs with Trump. Trump has denied the affairs.

Vance, a Democrat, has requested eight years of the Republican presidents personal and corporate tax records.

Danny Frost, a spokesperson for Vance, declined comment Monday.

The Supreme Court had returned the case to a federal judge in Manhattan who has arranged for both sides to finish filing their legal arguments over challenges to the subpoena by mid-August.

Last year, the same judge ruled against Trump in a written opinion that was upheld by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

In their new court filing, Trumps lawyers said the tax subpoena demands voluminous documents related to every facet of the business and financial affairs of the President and numerous associated entities  from the banal to the complex, from drafts and memoranda to formal records, from source documents to summaries.

They said it was wrong for Vance to seek records dating to 2011 when he was primarily investigating events that took place in 2016.

The lawsuit said the subpoena concerns entities in California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. It said other affected entities are located outside the U.S., including in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Dubai, India, Indonesia, Ireland, the Philippines, Scotland, and Turkey.

Taken together, the subpoena demands an accounting and analysis of every single asset and liability of the President, including each one of the listed entities, the lawyers wrote, calling the request an overreaching demand designed to pick apart the President.
On the night of February 28, a hacker operating from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), connected a computer to the universitys network and began a cyberattack on the website of PREMIUM TIMES. With a mobile phone as his backup, the attacker continued the operation for the next five days.

At about 8:00 p.m., he started with a reconnaissance scan of the newspapers website using a web fuzzer popular with low-grade hackers.

The following morning, at about 6:15 a.m., the attacker returned with another open-source vulnerability scanner  WPScan, free tool bloggers use to test for security vulnerabilities on their sites.

About 90 minutes later, he ran his final probe  a custom script.

The following morning, Sunday, the attacker continued his attacks  a series of distributed denial of service, DDOS, attacks that lasted until that evening. On this day, it appeared his goal was simply to shut down the newspapers operations by overwhelming its servers.

He began the day  at about 9:28 a.m  with an attack that exploited the very old Character Generator Protocol found in many obsolete internet-enabled devices like printers.

He ended the day with another DDOS attack exploiting the publicly-accessible Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers. NTP is one of the oldest protocols used by internet-enabled devices to synchronize their clocks.

On that day, he launched a total of seven DDOS attacks.

On Tuesday, March 3, he returned with his final attempt for the campaign.

The attacker failed in all attempts to bring down Nigerias foremost investigative newspaper as the mediums security expert, as well as external security consultant, Qurium, worked round the clock to fend off the attacks.

The attacks happened days after PREMIUM TIMES ran a story detailing a power tussle between the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, and the then Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari. It had also published other investigations as is customary with the newspaper.

Insiders at FUTA told this newspaper that some experts at the university were hired to identify vulnerabilities on the PREMIUM TIMES website with a view to bringing down the platform, an allegation the university management rejected. The university claimed the attacks were executed by an unnamed student of the institution.

I am told someone asked FUTA to break into PREMIUM TIMES server, bring the site down and possibly find the sources talking to its journalists, one insider said.

PREMIUM TIMES as attackers customers

PREMIUM TIMES is one of Nigerias most respected investigative newspapers. Since its establishment in 2011, the medium has remained a consistent victim of cyber attacks from both government actors and others at the receiving end of its reporting.

But according to the newspapers Editor-in-Chief, Musikilu Mojeed, this is the first time the newspaper was experiencing this magnitude of cyber attacks outside an election season.

Federal University of Technology, Akure

In the lead up to the announcement of the 2015 general elections that saw the first victory of an opposition party in a presidential election in Nigeria, the newspaper struggled to sustain its live coverage of the elections. It was bombarded by DDOS attacks sourced locally and others originating from Russia and Ukraine.

The newspaper reported that the Goodluck Jonathan government, through a contract with an Israeli security firm, had an active programme to obstruct the online presence of newspapers considered unfriendly to the reelection campaign of the administration. Mr Jonathan lost that election.

His successor, Muhammadu Buhari, largely seen as a corruption buster at the time, has since continued and in some areas, expanded many of Mr Jonathans cyber attack and surveillance strategies.

READ ALSO:

The most recent salvo of cyber attacks on PREMIUM TIMES heralds a new direction in efforts to shrink media space in Nigeria.

This is also the first time an attack on the newspaper is sourced from a local university utilising public infrastructure outside the security circle.

The attacks were launched from the server network of FUTAs Computer Resource Centre (CRC), the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) nerve centre of the University.

On March 5, PREMIUM TIMES security consultants, Qurium, reached out to FUTA to inform it of the attacks. Emails were sent to Oronti Adewale (Senior Network Engineer), Adegbenro Adebanjo (university spokesperson), the CRC Director and the vice-chancellor of the university. There was no response.

On March 6, an email was sent to Professor Boniface Alese, a professor of cybersecurity and board member of the Computer Resource Centre, on the matter. Mr Alese responded the following day saying a male student who stole the CRC identity carried out the attacks to test his skills.

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He then asked for more information about the Denial of Service Attacks. Logs were forwarded with evidence of attacks from the university infrastructure. Mr Alese then refused to provide more details about the student or how he was found in such a short time.

Further emails were sent to the university between March 7 and 10 asking for further details about the attacker and how he was found. The university declined to answer the requests.

FUTAs response to PREMIUM TIMES

PREMIUM TIMES then wrote an official letter to the universitys vice-chancellor, Joseph Fuwape, complaining about the attack on its platform by the institution.

In a letter to PREMIUM TIMES, FUTA acknowledged the attacks and said it had established the identity of the attacker. It also denied endorsing the attacks saying it abhors unethical cyber practices like attacks or any such ignoble acts.

FUTA vice-chancellor, Joseph Fuwape

As at the time of filing this report, the attackers motivation was still unclear. While he reportedly told university investigators it was a bounty adventure, the school authorities believed the attacker had an external influence and said it was pursuing this line in further investigations.

We state categorically from the onset that FUTA, as an institution, is not involved in and abhors unethical cyber practices like attacks or any such ignoble acts, states the response from the university, signed by the Head of the institutions Directorate of Corporate Communications and Protocol, Adegbenro Adebanjo.

It also does not encourage its member of staff or any students to do so. Therefore, the attack did not emanate from the premises of the Computer Resource Centre but from one of the academic buildings using CRC connectivity.

FUTA further noted that in response to PREMIUM TIMES inquest, the institution discovered that the attack against PREMIUM TIMES website indeed emanated from the identified source but had no official or institutional backing on input.

On the motive behind the action, he initially told the university officials that he was doing it for pleasure. However, our initial conclusion was that he could have some other motive probably with some external influence other than just random cyberattack for pleasure, the institution also noted.

This line of investigation is still ongoing to determine the actual motive and if he has some external backers and collaborators.

In its response, FUTA, however, failed to provide logs to support its claim. It also did not explain why its Professor Alese was able to find within 12 hours the random student it said executed the attacks.

And more than three months after, FUTA is yet to update PREMIUM TIMES on its findings regarding its own suspicion that the attacker acted with some external influence.

The university has also declined to disclose the identity of the so-called student just as it rebuffed requests by this newspaper to interview the attacker.
World Health Organization has warned of a possible acceleration of COVID-19 cases in the African continent, particularly in the sub-Saharan regions. The situation in Africa has reversed in the past weeks. The continent which was comparably untouched by the virus has now reported over 851,133 cases and 17,821 deaths.

Acceleration of disease in Africa

Speaking at a press conference, WHO emergency operations chief Mike Ryan expressed concerned about the spread of the infection adding that many of African nations existed in fragility and conflict. I am very concerned right now that we are beginning to see an acceleration of disease in Africa, and we need to take that very seriously," he added.

Read: South Africa Jailbreak Caught On Camera, All 68 Inmates Recaptured After Escaping Prison

Read: Mixed Reaction To School Closures In South Africa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reputedly expressed worries about the rapid spread of coronavirus, the situation has now intensified. According to the latest tally, by John Hopkins University, South Africa alone accounted for 61 per cent of Africas pandemic burden. Cases in South Africa has risen by 30 per cent in past weeks, in comparison, numbers in Kenya have increased by 31%, in Madagascar by 50%, in Zambia by 57% and in Namibia by 69%.

Meanwhile, WHO experts have opined that might be a precursor and warning for the rest of Africa. Ryan said that what people are witnessing in South Africa is a  continued acceleration of transmission in a number of countries. "This isn't just a wake-up call for South Africa ... We need to take what is happening in Africa very, very seriously," he warned. South Africa has reprted over 445,433 positive cases.

Read: Turkey Agrees To Free 2 Czechs Jailed On Terror Charges

Read: Jonty Rhodes Turns 51: South African Superstar Wished On Twitter By Fans, Mumbai Indians

Image credits: AP
HK economy to fare worse due to new wave of COVID-19 outbreak

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/26 17:17:56

The economy of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) might need a longer time than expected to recover, the HKSAR's financial secretary said Sunday, citing the abrupt worsening of political, economic and trade ties between China and the US, and an intensified escalation of geopolitical tensions that add to an uncertain global economic outlook.

These factors, in addition to the region's recent reccurence of COVID-9 outbreak, will subject Hong Kong's economy to a longer recover time, financial secretary Paul Chan Mo-po wrote in a blog post.

The city is currently facing a new round of attacks by the virus, with a high number of newly confirmed cases. This will impact on the social activity of residents and slow the economy, Chan wrote, noting that a series of coronavirus containment measures have been enforced by the local government to stop the spread. However, the measures create inconveniences in daily life and travel as well as subjecting stores and businesses to more pressure, but tough choices must be made between a short-term struggle and a long-term pain.

The city logged another daily record of 133 new infections Saturday, bringing its total number of confirmed cases to 2,506.

The city was estimated to have seen a tough second quarter, although its economic decline seems to have eased. Local retail sales fell 33.9 percent in May, but they improved slightly compared to plunging 37.5 percent in April and 44 percent in March.

The city's sales in June have yet to be announced, but a continued improvement is expected, according to Chan.

In relation to the city's exports, the external situation remains difficult as most major economies are mired in a deep recession. A swift rebound in the Chinese mainland economy, nevertheless, provides support for the city, partially offsetting a sudden drop in global demand, he went on to say.

Local exports of goods were down 9.1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, but the decline eased to 4.8 percent in April and May. What's more, a freeze has continued to hit the tourism sector, while local services exports and investment activities continue to be sluggish due to a hazy outlook.

Despite this, the city's course of development indicates that in every crisis hides a new opportunity, and every difficulty holds the keys to future development, the financial secretary commented, calling for efforts to push for the application of innovative technologies for the local economy's future reform.

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Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne is highlighting his identity as a Black man and his familys roots in the Civil Rights Movement after protesters came to his house for the second time in a month Saturday, this time demanding that charges be dropped against two Black men and calling Ozanne a racist.

Ozanne said Sunday that scores of protesters with speakers, generators and a bullhorn showed up around 7:30 p.m. Saturday and stayed for about six hours blasting music, shouting profanity, chanting slogans, and calling him and even his family a racist  all in the name of pressuring Ozanne to drop charges against Kelsey Nelson and Gregg James.

Nelson, 30, is charged in the looting of Goodmans Jewelers during the first night of protests in Madison on May 30 over the death George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody five days earlier. James, 23, is one of three men accused of making threats at a State Street bar in June.

When you talk about the need for a criminal justice system that understands the impact of racism, I hear you. When you talk about the need for change so that people of color are treated equitably, I hear you, Ozanne said in a statement.

But, he added, Your protest was about you trying to intimidate me into not doing my job unless I do it the way you think I should do it. You are not going to be successful.

Other than the disruption, Ozanne was not aware that protesters came onto his Madison property or caused any damage. During an earlier protest at his home July 1, someone used permanent marker to write anti-police and other slogans on his garage, he said.

A flier distributed at the Black Out Block Party Saturday does not name the group sponsoring it, but was instead aimed at letting Ozannes neighbors know hes the DA and urging them to call his office to demand that charges against Nelson and James be dropped. Its similar to a call to action put out on July 3 by Sawyer Johnson, a leader in the Madison chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, that identifies Nelson, James and two others recently arrested as Black revolutionary activists.

Johnson responded to requests for comment via Facebook on Sunday night with derogatory memes.

Ozanne said the group at his home Saturday has not asked to meet with him, which is something hes willing to do, just not at his Near West Side home outside of work hours.

I dont know if this group is realistic about meeting me, he said in an interview Sunday night, but in his statement said hes willing to speak with protesters about how to reduce incarceration, address the root causes of crime, reduce shootings and other issues.

He said much of what protesters want, his office and other county officials are already doing or trying to do, including focusing on diversion programs rather than incarceration and reducing prosecutions for nonviolent misdemeanors.

With activists questioning the cash bail system or claiming people are being held in jail simply because they cant make small bond amounts, Ozanne said, we release about 82% of people on signature bonds.

He also pointed to training his office has received in racial disparities in the criminal justice system  a topic he said he requires prospective employees to address in their cover letters and interviews.

Ozanne said he, his wife and two daughters, ages 11 and 12, were home during Saturdays protest. He said his daughters are aware of what the recent protests in Madison have been about and understand that people will not always be happy with some of his decisions.

He said one of his daughters asked him why the protesters came to their house to make her feel unsafe, when protesters claim that they want everyone to feel safe.

Ozanne, who said his mother registered Black voters in Mississippi in 1964, said he and his daughters didnt talk about people trying to claim Im a racist.

Ozanne, a Democrat, is running unopposed in the Nov. 3 election for a third full four-year term. He was appointed DA in 2010 by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle.

Police protests: How Madison answered the police killing of George Floyd

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MasterChef star Dani Venn's marriage with husband Chris Burgess is over.

The 34-year-old revealed to Woman's Day on Monday that time away from Chris on MasterChef: Back To Win, who she first met in 2007 while holidaying in Sri Lanka, gave her perspective and time to reflect on their relationship.

'It [eventually] became clear to me that my husband and I had outgrown each other and we were more friends than anything else,' she said.

'We have outgrown each other': MasterChef star Dani Venn has revealed that she and husband Chris Burgess have split

The chef explained that after 13 years together, they both changed a lot and separating was the best option.

'In retrospect, I guess I saw that Chris and I were stronger with some space between us and that we are just really good friends, nothing else,' she said.

Dani added that the pair are dedicated to raising their two children, daughter Harlow, five, and son Oscar, two.

'Stronger with some space between us': The chef explained that after 13 years together, they both changed a lot and separating was the best option

The brunette beauty also insisted she is not interested in getting involved in a new relationship and is instead focusing on self-care, motherhood and her career, including her new Sri Lankan-style simmer sauce range with Coles.

'I definitely feel a sense of renewal - I'm focusing on things that make me happy like listening to songs from musicals and dancing around the lounge room with the kids being silly,' she added.

Dani and Chris' shock split comes after they were nearly left homeless after hackers steal their $250,000 settlement on a house they had bought.

The then-couple told the Sydney Morning Herald that 'hackers stole $250,000 from the proceeds of their home sale' while it was being settled via an online property transfer system.

Self-care: The brunette beauty also insisted she is not interested in getting involved in a new relationship and is instead focusing on self-care, motherhood and her career, including her new Sri Lankan-style simmer sauce range with Coles

They had sold their home in Victoria's Smiths Gully, and unknowingly transferred the $250,000 proceeds into the account of a 'sophisticated hacker' while using a new electronic property transfer system run by Property Exchange Australia (PEXA).

Their money was eventually returned and new security measures were put in place by PEXA.

In another interview with Woman's Day this year, Dani urged her fans: 'Protect your identity online, make sure you have a virtual private network (VPN), which you can easily put on your computer for a few dollars a month'

Fans will remember Dani impressed Gordon Ramsay with her pineapple curry and won the only immunity pin on MasterChef: Back To Win.
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Tanzania's former President Benjamin Mkapa (right) speaks with Sudan's Foreign Minister Ali Karti during a meeting in Khartoum, October 11, 2010.  REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply saddened at the passing of former President of the United Republic of Tanzania Benjamin W. Mkapa. During his tenure as President between 1995 and 2005, Tanzania became host to the highest number of refugees on the African continent, after more than 700,000 fled to the country from Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi.

President Mkapa showed the world the generosity of the Tanzanian people by welcoming families forced to flee their homes, said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. In addition, he was instrumental in peace-building efforts across the region, leading to thousands of refugees being given the chance to safely return home.

UNHCR joins Tanzania in mourning the loss of Former President Mkapa, and reaffirms our continued support to the government and citizens of Tanzania in upholding the institution of asylum for people fleeing war, violence and persecution.
As the coronavirus pandemic ravaged New York, the subway and bus system became the lifeline for the citys emergency response.

Train and bus operators moved doctors and nurses to and from hospitals. They delivered grocery clerks and pharmacy technicians to and from their posts.

But as they served a city under siege, their ranks were battered.

When the coronavirus engulfed New York, it pummeled the transit workforce: So far, 131 transit workers have died from the virus and over 4,000 have tested positive, making the Metropolitan Transportation Authority one of the hardest-hit government agencies in New York.

For many, the pandemic has left an indelible mark. Pan Chan, a bus driver, moved out of his familys home for months to shield his wife and children. Sally Lutchman, a train conductor, worried that she might have infected her husband, who was hospitalized with Covid-19 for months. Cesar Torres Jr., a second-generation bus operator, watched his father die.

Now, as riders trickle back, these workers are facing the prospect of a second wave  even as they are coping with the trauma from the peak of the outbreak.

Chapter 1 Sally Lutchman, 48, is a train conductor. When her husband was hospitalized with Covid-19, the life they had built shattered.

930-ish, the hospital called  because I have it on my phone. I saved the number and everything. He said, Well, we just had to administer your husband C.P.R. When he was on the ventilator and they said that he was in a coma, the induced coma, I went on my knees and I started praying. I dont think I got up. I think, that night, I couldnt sleep, looking at pictures, going through memories in my mind. Just to see, and hoping and praying that the news tomorrow is going to be better.

Before the coronavirus, Sally Lutchmans life read like a love story.

The tale began one Friday night in 2006, when a handsome, smiling stranger caught her eye at a club in Queens. She was 35 and jumping from job to job, but was a regular at this particular joint. That night she and the man, Kris Knight, shared a dance-floor dalliance that left them both breathless.

Three weeks later, they went on a proper date. Before long, they fell in love and sunk into a new life together. She found stable work at the M.T.A. and his business installing garage doors grew. Soon they had two boys, Scott and Logan, and a bustling home on Long Island.

The first signs of the illness arrived on March 11, when Kris, an otherwise healthy 49-year-old, came home complaining of a splitting migraine and chills. He developed a fever that worsened over the next 11 days before he was admitted to Long Island Jewish Medical Center and placed on a ventilator.

In the weeks that followed, the virus ripped through Sallys family. On the same day that Kris was admitted, Sallys mother was also hospitalized with Covid-19. Then her sisters parents-in-law both died from coronavirus complications, one after the other. Even Sally had tested positive, raising a guilty fear that she had unknowingly spread the virus to her family.

To stop and absorb any one of these events could crush a person. So Sally lived in a state of constant motion: She sped through underground tunnels in her trains operating booth, sprinted to keep up with her children and ran her husbands business on the weekends.

Every day, she called the hospital to check in with her husbands doctors and pleaded with God in 20 minutes of prayer. Oh, St. Joseph, hear my prayers, she murmured while kneeling on cold floor tiles, a bible sprawled open in front of her. Oh, St. Joseph, pray for me.

Then on April 20, around 9:30 p.m., the hospitals number flashed across her phones screen. A doctor explained that Kris had gone into cardiac arrest and had been resuscitated through C.P.R. Her sisters parents-in-law had both received C.P.R. at the hospital, she thought. Days later, they were dead.

The hours that followed were murky: She remembers falling to the floor. She remembers calling her sister. She remembers a flood of tears, gasps for breath and her heartbeats reverberating through her chest. I literally felt like I was trapped in a dark tunnel without any light, Sally said.

The next morning, Kris was put on a ventilator for a second time. Because pandemic precautions barred relatives from the hospital, Sally video-called him whenever she could, often with their two boys.

After battling the virus for three months, Kris finally recovered. At home, Sally prepared for an uncertain chapter in their life: Kris would need a chair to use in the shower, a toilet seat with arm rails and months of physical therapy.

But as she drove to pick him up from a recovery center where he spent a month after being released from the hospital, the stress seemed to fade. Over FaceTime, Kris coyly asked Sally if she was dressed up to go meet someone important. Yeah, Ive got a date with this guy, she said, smiling. Sally stifled tears the moment the two reunited. Embracing his thin frame, she whispered, I love you.

Chapter 2 Cesar Torres Jr., 34, is a second-generation bus driver. His father was one of the first transit workers to die from the virus.

The last thing he texted me was, No matter what happens, just do whatever it takes to keep me alive. That was the last text I got from my dad. And later in the afternoon, I got the call that he had a heart attack. And they tried to revive him, and they couldnt. Figured Id do something nice for my grandmother in his memory. Shes 100 percent Puerto Rican. Shes always cooking. I want to make the knife for my grandmother in honor of my father.

Cesar Torres Jr. described the chance encounter like a miracle. For two years, he and his father, also a bus operator, had dreamt of crossing paths on the road. Then driving along Queens Boulevard one day in early March, Cesar Jr. glanced at his left-side mirror and saw his father waving his arms wildly from the bus behind him. Pulling up next to each other at a red light, his dad shouted, Finally, we meet!

A minute later, the two men parted. A week later, his father fell sick. A month later, he was dead. We really didnt think the virus would affect us like that, the way it has, Cesar Jr. said. We were wrong.

Since Cesar Jr.s childhood, he had seen his father behind a wheel, first as a yellow-cab driver and then as a bus operator. For years, Cesar Sr. urged his son to join him at the transit agency until finally, in 2018, Cesar Jr. became a bus operator.

The training was arduous, like the military, Cesar Jr. said. But entering the world of public buses brought him closer to his father. They talked by phone almost every night, sharing stories of odd on-the-job encounters and workplace gossip. Cesar Jr. often asked for advice about navigating the famously bureaucratic M.T.A.

In March, as the first coronavirus cases were confirmed in the city, that role reversed. As the agency scrambled to issue safety guidelines for workers, Cesar Sr. called his son to ask if he should block the front seats of his bus to better distance himself from passengers. They both should, Cesar Jr. said  it would be safer that way.

Less than two weeks later, Cesar Sr. started feeling sick. His breath was labored. A fever came and went, then spiked again. After a week, he called an ambulance, but the medics who came to his house said he would be better off at home. Two days later, he called his son around 1 a.m. and could only utter a few words before pausing to gasp for air. Cesar Jr. called another ambulance.

The medics rushed his father to Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens. Cesar Jr. paced outside the emergency room door, frantically text messaging with his father to see if the oxygen the doctors had given him was helping.

When his fathers condition worsened the next morning, Cesar Jr. received another text: No matter what happens, do whatever it takes to keep me alive. That night, Cesar Sr. was intubated. The next day, his kidneys started failing. Less than 24 hours later, he suffered a heart attack and died.

After his fathers death, Cesar Jr. stayed home alone for weeks trying to understand how the jubilant man he saw waving on Queens Boulevard just a month before was gone. Heartbroken, he pushed everyone close to him  his sister, his girlfriend, his grandparents  away.

As he grieved, Cesar Jr. spent hours outside with a belt sander and angle grinder, carving a handle and welding a blade to turn into a kitchen knife for his grandmother who loves to cook. The knife, he hoped, would become a relic in memory of his father.

He was gone too soon, Cesar Jr. said. There is no reason why he should be forgotten.

Chapter 3 Pan Chan, 44, drives a bus in Queens. Since March, he has isolated himself from his family for fear he may bring the coronavirus home.

This Covid was really a hard hit for me because I moved down to the basement. Its a privilege, but yet its not a privilege. Not a lot of families or operators are given this privilege  to move out of their house and just go somewhere. But yet I feel like because I have this, it also puts me in this stage where I have to suffer, to be by myself, to go through hard times by myself. This is not what I thought life would be like, at all.

Ninety days are crossed off a calendar hanging below a windowsill. Above it, a faint light filters into the basement apartment. The space is sparse, but signs of the pandemic abound: There are stacks of soap, toothbrushes to scrub fingernails and a table with water bottles and ginger to make immune-boosting tea.

When Pan Chan, a bus operator, moved into the basement of his home in April, he assumed he would live there for a few weeks. The fear of becoming infected on the job and spreading the virus to his parents, wife and five children consumed him. Living apart from them would help to keep them safe.

Without his usual family life, Mr. Chan kept busy to stave off the loneliness: He drove a B38 bus between Brooklyn and Queens, worked overtime cleaning the bus depot, bought groceries for his family and delivered the food in a socially distanced routine that he and his wife mastered.

But each night, he was back in the basement. Days bled into weeks that melted into months. The strokes of a black pen on his calendar  made diligently at each days end  offered the only contours to his self-imposed isolation. Relaxation is not part of my life anymore, Mr. Chan said.

None of this was close to the life Mr. Chan imagined when he took a job at the M.T.A. eight years ago. After a decade of long days managing his parents Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn, he wanted a job that would let him spend more time with his wife, Winnie, and their children.

Working the morning shift at the depot made that possible for years  until the pandemic hit. He recounted the months that followed in three phases, each a new low of a seemingly bottomless decline.

It began on March 9  eight days after the first case was confirmed in New York  when he decided to move into the basement. He had heard stories about the virus from relatives in China and was hoping to keep his family insulated.

About two weeks later, after some of his colleagues fell ill, Mr. Chan entered his Phase 2: He stopped ordering takeout lunches for fear they could be contaminated. Instead, Winnie cooked him noodles and walked them a couple of blocks to where he stopped along his bus route. The ritual became a rare moment of intimacy between them.

His third  and worst  phase began in early April, on a day so grim he wrote Challenging Day! on his calendar. By then, dozens of his colleagues had fallen sick. One bus operator had died. Then the yellow strap on his M.T.A.-issued N95 mask broke, and his supervisor refused to give him a new one. Youve got to deal with it, Mr. Chan recalled the bus dispatcher telling him.

Arriving home that night, he was unable to shake the sense that he was more at risk than he had realized. He told Winnie that he now had to move into the basement of a rental property they owned nearby. It was the only way to fully protect the family, he said. Still, it crushed him when his daughter asked if he had moved out because he was angry with her, and if it would last forever.

In June, as New Yorks outbreak subsided, Winnie had to return to work and the issues of self-isolation grew more complex. Eventually, she and Pan decided to live together in the basement of their familys home.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said that the State government has taken cognisance of the United Nations report on terrorism, and the presence of the Al Hind outfit in the region.

Bommai told TNIE, The government has taken serious note of the report. Based on operations in the past couple of years, an Al Hind module was busted in January 2020, while a Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) module was busted in 2018-19. The NIA handled both cases, in which about 50 people were arrested.

The UN report also analyses operations of terror modules operating in South India, including Karnataka.

Karnataka is in touch with central agencies and neighbouring states, and is keeping vigil on suspects and their sympathisers, Bommai said. Terror modules keep changing identities and their sympathisers too change. Yet, in spite of this challenge, Karnataka has been able to identify and bust these new entities continuously. The government is working on it as there are several cases which point to links across borders. More steps are being considered to strengthen internal security mechanism and communication system with other states and central agencies, Bommai said.
Ranjani Madhavan By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: At a time when citizens are keen to get more information from the state government on its handling of COVID-19, a key information source, the Right to Information (RTI) website, is not functioning.

The website, RTIonline.karnataka.gov.in, is down since the last week of June, and activists are at a loss. On the website, we can file RTI applications, check their status and file first appeals. It is best to have online platforms in these COVID times to prevent physical contact, said Ajay Merchant, an RTI activist.

The website was functioning in mid-June, but the payment gateway was not, rendering it useless. This amounts to lack of transparency and accountability and will give room for unchecked corruption. These are indirect, backdoor strategies to obstruct RTI in Karnataka. How can people from other districts, towns and villages come to Bengaluru to file RTIs physically, Merchant asked. Citizens and RTI activists mostly do not receive acknowledgments of applications.

Umapathy S, an advocate and RTI activist, said that the website has not been working properly since its launch, unlike the central government website that works smoothly. The website has not been planned well. This is to avoid information and transparency, as RTI applications would force them to give details, she said.

Only 10 percent of the departments were available. For instance, BBMP, BDA and KIADB are not accessible, he added.

A source in the Karnataka Information Commission said, We have informed the e-governance department about the technical issues. We dont know whether they are doing it intentionally. They are aware of the issue but are not rectifying it. It is a bureaucratic mindset.
Publishers have argued for years that they should be compensated by Google and Facebook for use of news content, but the tech giants have downplayed the value it brings to their platforms. After months of discussions about the creation of a voluntary code to manage commercial relationships, the Morrison government announced in April that it would be made compulsory . It is expected to be legislated as early as August.

Antony Catalano's Australian Community Media is the latest publisher to agree to a licensing deal with Google, while Facebook has started to discuss the local launch of its 'News' product with a range of publishers. It comes as both companies wait for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to release a draft code of conduct, which is expected to be made public later this week.

Google and Facebook are pushing ahead with plans to strike licensing deals with local publishers as Australia's competition regulator prepares to unveil a compulsory code that will force the tech giants to pay for use of news content.

Industry sources have indicated the model is likely to include a collective bargaining agreement based on certain guidelines, and an opportunity for one-on-one negotiations. News Corp has advocated for bilateral discussions, but other publishers including Nine have proposed that the money be put in a pool and distributed. Nine also said that if a digital platform wants to use news content in a more "sophisticated" way, bilateral negotiations should occur.

Google and Facebook still argue that they do not receive a large amount of direct or indirect value from news content. Google closed its news service in Spain in 2014 after legislation was introduced requiring it to pay publishers. When France attempted to make Google pay for publishers content last year, the tech giant said it would change the way articles appear in search results.

Sources said that in its submission, Google argued that search engines should not have to pay for indexing or displaying links or extracts of websites.

But the tech giants are still looking at ways to work with publishers. Google announced last month it would pay some publishers for news content, which was considered a major strategic shift by the search advertising giant. At the time it announced it had secured local licensing deals with Solstice Media, Schwartz Media and Private Media and that it was in advanced discussions with ACM. Industry sources familiar with the arrangement said that deal had since been signed. ACM declined to comment.

Sources familiar with Google's licensing deal, known as Publisher-Curated News, previously told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that there is a loophole in its agreement that allows the tech giant to terminate a deal if there is a change in law or if a code of conduct is established in Australia.
The Rajasthan high court dismissed on Monday Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Madan Dilawar's writ petition questioning the Speaker's inaction on his complaint against the merger of six Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs with the Congress.

The petition was filed on Friday and was taken up for hearing by the court on Monday.

After hearing, the high court dismissed the petition as the Speaker had passed the order on Dilawar's complaint.

Dilwar had filed the complaint to the Speaker in March seeking disqualification of the legislators.

In the writ petition on Friday, he challenged the 'inaction' of the Speaker for not taking decision on his complaint.
LONDON - Prince William infuriated Prince Harry when he told his younger brother he should move slowly in his relationship with the former Meghan Markle, fearing that he was being blindsided by lust, a new book on the Windsors says.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/7/2020 (542 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018 file photo, Britain's Prince William, left, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, second left, Meghan Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, right, arrive to attend the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in Norfolk, England. Prince William infuriated Prince Harry when he told his younger brother he should move slowly in his relationship with the former Meghan Markle, fearing that he was being blindsided by lust, a new book on the Windsors says. The second installment of a serialized version of the book Finding Freedom, which appeared in the Sunday Times, Sunday, July 26, 2020 claimed that Harry was angered by what he perceived to be as Williams snobby tone in a discussion about the American actress. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file)

LONDON - Prince William infuriated Prince Harry when he told his younger brother he should move slowly in his relationship with the former Meghan Markle, fearing that he was being "blindsided by lust, a new book on the Windsors says.

The second installment of a serialized version of the book "Finding Freedom," which appeared in the Sunday Times, claimed that Harry was angered by what he perceived as Williams snobby tone in a discussion about the American actress when they were dating. Royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote that Harry disliked Williams advice to "take as much time as you need to get to know this girl."

The authors quote a source close to William as saying he didnt want Harry to be "blindsided by lust." The authors wrote that Harry "no longer felt as though he needed looking after," and took it badly.

"In those last two words, this girl, Harry heard the tone of snobbishness that was anathema to his approach to the world, the excerpt said, noting that Harry has spent 10 years in the military and outside the royal bubble.

"Also, to remove Meghan from the equation, Harry was tired of the dynamic that had become established between him and his older brother, the authors added.

In announcing the book's publication, Harper Collins U.K. said the book by Scobie, royal editor of Harpers Bazaar and Durand, Elle magazine's royal correspondent, would aim to capture "the real Harry and Meghan." The publisher said the authors have been given "unique access" and the co-operation of those closest to the couple.

Ahead of the books release, Harry and Meghan issued a statement denying taking part in the publication.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom, it said. "This book is based on the authors own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting."

The book described how the rest of the family and the Royal Household also didnt know what to make of Meghan. One senior courtier is said to have told a colleague: "Theres just something about her I dont trust." Another called her "Harrys showgirl.

The excerpt is even harsher when it comes to the Duchess of Cambridge, suggesting she hardly rolled out the red carpet for Meghan, despite the similarity of challenges both would face.

"Though it was not necessarily her responsibility, Kate did little to bridge the divide. She was fiercely loyal to her husband and his family, the authors wrote. "Once Harry and Meghan were married, the gap between the brothers only widened.

"William and Kates feelings seemed obvious to the Sussexes that summer and beyond. Among all the friends and family Harry and Meghan hosted at their house in Oxfordshire between May 2018 and March 2019, the Cambridges failed to visit,'' the excerpt said.

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The book excerpts have focused on the months of palace intrigue surrounding the decision to step back from senior royal duties. The couple surprised the Royal Household in January by making public their plans to be more independent.

The couple wished to be part-time royals, but the idea fell apart during talks with the family. In January the queen outlined how the couple would step away from royal duties in March, at least for a while, but always remain part of the royal family.

Harry is sixth in the line for the throne, behind his father, Prince Charles, his brother William, and Williams three young children, George, Charlotte and Louis.

The couple have re-located to North America with their 14-month old son, Archie.

______

Follow all AP coverage of the royal family at https://apnews.com/Prince Harry.
At the beginning of the month, Iowas Matthew Michmeister Mich had just $3,344 in live tournament earnings, nearly half of which came from two small WSOP cashes, one in 2018 and the other in 2019.

What those paltry numbers dont reveal is his experience and success online, which was on display in the 2020 WSOP online bracelet events early on as he cashed in all three of the first events right off the bat. It started when he took 19th in Event #1: $500 NLH Kickoff, and on Thursday he final tabled Event #2: $1,000 NLH 8-Handed Deepstack for $15,628. In Event #3: $400 NLH, he placed 298th for a $602.20 min-cash.

Since then, he's added three other cashes and is hoping for a seventh, and his first bracelet, in this event.

Mich, a former poker dealer, traveled to Las Vegas with Taylor Howard, a Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) champ who finished in 26th place in the aforementioned kickoff event.

He was only planning on being out here a couple weeks, but now I think he might stay with me and chase the leaderboard, Howard said of his friend.

Mich previously sent PokerNews these photos of him at his grind station.
American warplanes have approached the Chinese mainland, with one reaching within 76.5km of Shanghai, one of the closest passes in recent years, a media report said on Monday amid deepening tensions between the two nations following the tit-for-tat closure of consulates.

A United States P-8A (Poseidon) anti-submarine plane and an EP-3E reconnaissance plane entered the Taiwan Strait, flying near the coast of Zhejiang and Fujian on Sunday, according to the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, a Peking University think tank. It first tweeted about the operation on Sunday morning, later adding that the reconnaissance plane was flying back after approaching Fujian and the southern part of the Taiwan Strait.

The think-tank tweeted again at night, saying the US Navy P-8A was operating near Shanghai, with the USS Rafael Peralta, a guided-missile destroyer, following a similar route, asking might be a joint operation?, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported. According to a chart from the think tank, the P-8A came within 76.5km of Shanghai, the closest any US planes have come to mainland China in recent years, while the other plane came within 106km of Fujian's southern coast, the report said.

It was the 12th day in a row that US military planes have approached the mainland coast, it said. The US move comes amid an escalation in the diplomatic feud between the two nations.

China on Monday said it took control of the US consulate in Chengdu after it was formally closed as per Beijing's directive in retaliation to America's move to shut down the Chinese diplomatic mission in Houston. Last week, the US government ordered the closure of China's consulate in Houston, Texas, claiming the mission had been involved in a larger Chinese espionage effort using diplomatic facilities around the US.

The closures were the latest in a series of confrontations ranging from areas such as trade and technology to diplomacy and the South China Sea. On Monday, the institute tweeted that "it seems" a US air force RC-135W -- another reconnaissance plane -- had entered Taiwan's airspace and asked if anyone could confirm it. The Taiwanese defence ministry declined to comment on the claims.

But in the late afternoon, the institute tweeted again, saying an EP-3E was conducting close-in reconnaissance of Guangdong less than 100km from the coast. On Thursday, the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative released a scratchy audio recording of what appeared to be a warning from the Chinese navy to a US military plane to change course or be intercepted. The think tank said the audio had been captured by a radio amateur that morning.

It remains unclear which aircraft was involved but it was said to be flying close to the southern Chinese coast, north of the Taiwan Strait. It is unknown whether any subsequent aerial encounter took place. According to the think tank, US air force E-8C surveillance planes have come within 185km or less of the southeast coast of Guangdong province on four separate occasions in the past week.

"At the moment the US military is sending three to five reconnaissance aircraft each day to the South China Sea," the think tank said, adding the US military planes have come unusually close to mainland airspace several times since April, the Post report said. "In the first half of 2020  with much higher frequency, closer distance and more variety of missions -- the US aerial reconnaissance in the South China Sea has entered a new phase," it said.

According to its statistics, US planes made a record 50 sorties over the South China Sea in the first three weeks of July  a time when both countries' armed forces were conducting training exercises. The project's director Hu Bo said the frequent encounters between the US and Chinese ships and planes raised the risk of a clash, although he said the chance of this escalating into a large-scale conflict was small.

In 2001, a US navy signals intelligence aircraft collided in mid-air with a Chinese interceptor near Hainan province, killing a Chinese pilot. "Although the US has been trying to decouple with China in other areas, they are still closely connected," the Post quoted Hu as saying.

"So the chance of a large-scale conflict happening is small. But a medium or small-scale conflict is possible, such as two warships hitting each other or occasional crossfire since the two countries' warships and aircraft encounter each other every day," he said. The Chinese state media has reported that aviation units from a navy brigade are currently undertaking live-fire drills in the South China Sea while a nine-day exercise is also being held off the Leizhou peninsula in Guangdong.

Earlier this month, two US aircraft carriers USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Groups conducted dual carrier operation in the disputed South China Sea amid China's drills. Beijing claims almost all of the 1.3 million square miles South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

This is the first time the two US aircraft carriers visited the area in recent time to challenge China's claim over almost all of the South China Sea.
Passengers in Palma de Mallorca airport in the Balearic Islands line up for a flight to the UK on Sunday.

Britains sudden decision to require travelers from Spain to self-isolate for 14 days, effective since Sunday, represents the final blow for the struggling Spanish tourism industry.

Shortly after the UK announced its decision to remove Spain from its travel corridors exemption list due to a surge in coronavirus cases, Britain and Irelands biggest tour operator, TUI, canceled all flights from the UK to mainland Spain until August 9  although the company confirmed that flights to the Balearic and Canary Islands would resume on Monday.

The Spanish tourism industry was already dealing with thousands of cancellations after emerging from a prolonged lockdown during which the number of international visitors was close to zero. Hotel industry leaders from Spain are now offering free coronavirus tests to foreign tourists leaving the country so they will not have to self-isolate back home. The industry is also asking European authorities for urgent measures including testing in the countries of origin and destination, to ensure the safety of visitors but also of industry workers and local residents.

Right now it is safer to be in the Canaries than it is to be in Britain, and we are fighting to get the islands off the list Jorge Marichal, president of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife hotel and accommodation association CEHAT

While August is traditionally the busiest month of the year for the sector, business has been affected by a new jump in coronavirus numbers. The rate of cases per 100,000 people has risen to 39.4, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), representing the fifth highest incidence in Europe.

Although Spains Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya on Sunday stated that Spain is a safe country, countries have started to react. Besides the UKs decision to reintroduce quarantine requirements, Belgium has recommended not traveling to six Spanish regions and banned travel to the provinces of Huesca and Lleida.

Meanwhile, France is urging its citizens to avoid travel to Catalonia, which is normally the top destination for French tourists in Spain. Norway has also introduced a 10-day quarantine for all travelers from Spain, and Germanys Foreign Ministry is advising against travel to Catalonia, Aragon, Navarre and the Balearic Islands.

Passengers traveling to Manchester in Lanzarote airport in the Canary Islands. Javier Fuentes Figueroa (EFE)

Over 18 million tourists visited Spain in 2019, and each one of them spent an average 995, for a total of 17.98 billion. Of these, British tourists accounted for 56.5 million overnight stays. In July of last year there were 2.16 million British visitors, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE). By comparison, only an estimated 1.5 million British tourists are visiting Spain these days.

The British tourism industry is also warning about the effects of the UK governments decision to reintroduce quarantine requirements. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) is asking British officials to exclude from this list the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and the Costa del Sol, all of which are popular destinations for British travelers. These areas, they note, have lower coronavirus incidence than the UK.

The British media has been reflecting the confusion and helplessness felt by UK holidaymakers caught by surprise by the governments sudden announcement to take Spain off its travel corridor list. Thousands or tens of thousands of Britons would not have taken their flights if the decision had been announced before Friday, said Rory Boland, director of consumer rights magazine Which?

The decision to reimpose quarantine was so abrupt that it even caught one member of the British government, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, on a holiday in Spain. Shapps and his family, who flew to Spain on Saturday morning, before news of the decision emerged, will have to self-isolate upon their return.

The UKs quarantine requirement on travelers from Spain will not affect citizens of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula, as long as citizens have not been on Spanish territory in the last two weeks, the Gibraltarian government said in a statement on Monday.

Regional authorities in the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Valencia and Andalusia have asked to be excluded from the UKs quarantine requirement

EasyJet and British Airways said they are not cancelling their Spanish flights and were very critical of the UK governments action. The Association of Airport Operators (AOA) said the move will further damage the fragile recovery of the airline sector.

Authorities in the Balearic Islands, which welcomed 3.7 million British visitors last year, said they were very concerned about the quarantine decision, and already working to exclude their region from the list. The rate of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people is eight, compared with 14.1 in Britain and 39.4 in Spain as a whole.

In the Canary Islands, the tourism sector described the UK action as the final blow for a destination that was already expecting a 66% drop in arrivals and losses of 10 billion compared with 2019, according to the regional government. British travelers account for a third of all tourists to the Canaries, and in the case of Tenerife and Lanzarote, this figure rises to 40%.

Its really bad news, because the situation in no way justifies a decision of this type, said Jorge Marichal, president of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife hotel and accommodation association CEHAT. Right now it is safer to be in the Canaries than it is to be in Britain, and we are fighting to get the islands off the list.

A tourist in Benidorm in Valencia, a popular destination for British visitors. Manuel Lorenzo (EFE)

In Malaga, on Spains Costa del Sol, the most often heard word to describe the new reality is disaster. British tourism was expected to drive a partial recovery during what is left of the summer season, but the weekend announcement has triggered a flood of cancellations, said industry sources. In a radio interview on Monday, the deputy premier of Andalusia, Juan Marin, said the region has asked for the region to be exempted from the new quarantine measures.

And in the Valencia region, another popular destination for British tourists, the regional premier Ximo Puig has asked for the area to also be excluded from the UKs quarantine requirement. In the city of Benidorm, where British nationals account for 40% of tourism, everything was ready for them. A source at Hosbec, an industry association from Valencia, said the UKs decision pours cold water over the sectors recovery prospects.

In Catalonia, tourism chief Angels Chacon called the French governments advice not to travel to the region a tough blow for the sector. In August 2019, there were 709,000 French visitors in Catalonia, representing 30% of all visitors. British tourists account for 11.3%.

With reporting by Lucia Bohorquez (Palma), Guillermo S. Vega (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), Nacho Sanchez (Malaga), Patricia Tubella (London), Dani Cordero (Barcelona) and Enrique Muller (Berlin).

English version by Susana Urra.
The early voting period for the November general election, expected to draw record turnout, will be extended by six days, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered on Monday.

Abbott in a TV interview in late May had said he would make the move but hadnt specified how much extra time hed allow. Early voting for the Nov. 3 election was originally set to start Oct. 19 and end Oct. 30, but it will now start Oct. 13.

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

As we respond to COVID-19, the State of Texas is focused on strategies that preserve Texans ability to vote in a way that also mitigates the spread of the virus, Abbott said. By extending the early voting period and expanding the period in which mail-in ballots can be hand-delivered, Texans will have greater flexibility to cast their ballots, while at the same time protecting themselves and others from COVID-19.

The order also expands the period during which marked mail-in ballots can be delivered in person to the elections office. The deadline for an application to vote by mail to be received, not postmarked, in Texas is Oct. 23.

For the July 14 primary runoff elections  originally scheduled for May but postponed over pandemic concerns  Abbott had also extended the early voting period to make the environment safer and less crowded, he said.

PREPARING FOR BATTLE: Wealthy donors pour millions into fight over mail-in voting

Meanwhile, the battle over whether Texas will expand mail-in voting continues. A federal court case launched by the Texas Democratic Party and voters seeks to allow all Texans to vote by mail during the pandemic. The U.S. Supreme Court in mid-June declined to issue a stay to allow statewide mail-in voting for the July primary runoff; the high court also declined to expedite the case.

The case is now before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which could rule some time in August.

The Texas Democrats on Monday criticized Abbotts order extending early voting as a bare-minimum decision that wont help enough Texans vote safely during the pandemic.

We need expanded mail voting for Texans under the age of 65, more money for county clerks to carry out elections, and leadership from our state leaders that supports voters instead of disenfranchising their rights, said state party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa.
After banning 59 Chinese apps, the Indian government could ban over 200 other apps in the country. As per reports, the government will scrutinize around 275 apps for national security violations and users' privacy and if any security breach is found in any of the apps, it will most likely be banned by the government.

Last month, 59 Chinese apps including TikTok and UC Browser were banned in India. The government had alleged that the 59 banned apps were engaged in activities that were "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state and public order."

As per an ET report, the new list consists of 275 apps that can face the wrath of the government. So here are 5 things you need to know about the 275 apps:-

The list includes PUBG which is backed by Tencent, Zili by Xiaomi and AliExpress, an online shopping portal by AliBaba group. Apps including Resso and ByteDance's ULike could also be examined by the government for security violations."Some of these apps have been red-flagged due to security reasons while others have been listed for violation of data sharing and privacy concerns," ET quoted a spokesperson from the union home ministry as saying.

There are fourteen apps by Xiaomi and some lesser-known apps including Capcut, FaceU, Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games and Yoozoo Global. The list also includes Helsinki-based Supercell, that have investments by Chinese tech companies. Tencent, which backs PUBG, bought a major stake in the gaming company.

A senior government official has also told ET that the government has formed a process for such bans and the ministry in concern has been asked to frame a law for the constant examination of the apps in India."A set of rules or defined procedures may take time but is the correct process to go about it in the future," the source told ET.

The report also reveals that the government will follow a process before banning any of the apps. An official from the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) had told the publication, "There is a process involved, there is a committee in place for such ban orders. If there is such an order, then it will act."

When India banned the 59 Chinese apps, there were speculations that the popular gaming app, PUBG will be banned too but it didn't happen at that time. There are quite of a lot of PUBG users in India and as per Sensor Tower, PUBG has its largest user base in India with around 175 million downloads.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte openly admitted flaws in the government's battle against COVID-19 in his fifth State of the Nation Address, his newest enemy that came four years into his term.

Duterte promised to fight the pandemic with the same passion he puts in the war on drugs, a formidable enemy yet to be vanquished since his promise to eradicate the illegal substance trade in his first three to six months in power.

"Together, we shall fight this pandemic with the same fervor as our campaign against illegal drugs, criminality, insurgency, and corruption in high places," Duterte said during his speech that lasted 1 hour and 41 minutes.

Cabinet officials earlier claimed that Duterte will zoom in on the country's pandemic strategies and the roadmap to recovery during the address, but he took numerous detours as he waged a word war against other enemies in his penultimate speech.

He did thank health frontliners, including military and police, food supply workers, security guards, and the national and inter-agency task forces as he recognized those who risked their lives to serve the people. He said an additional 20,000 health workers will be hired going into 2021 to boost presence in rural areas, especially at the barangay level, and dubbed them as heroes.

Duterte started on time, removing his face mask and taking the podium at 4:04 p.m. by acknowledging the "troubled" time the country is facing. Still, he told Filipinos not to live in fear.

"Let us not despair, the vaccine is around the corner. Sooner and not later, the virus that gobbled up thousands of lives will itself be laid to rest," the President said.

He later on bared that he sought the help of Chinese President Xi Jinping to allow the Philippines to be among the first to receive the supply of vaccines in case Beijing makes them first, along with a credit line to fast-track access to the cure.

RELATED: Duterte changes mind on face-to face classes, only to happen when vaccine becomes available

Duterte asked the help of Congress in passing key bills which will provide additional support to businesses, particularly small-scale firms hardest hit by lockdowns from March to May which paralyzed the economy. Among those he pushed were the Bayanihan 2 Act, the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises or CREATE Act that cuts income taxes for firms, and the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer or FIST Act that lets banks sell their soured loans to make way for new credit lines.

The road ahead

However, the Chief Executive left little hints as to what lies ahead, save for an abstract pledge that the government will not rush into easing quarantine rules and reopening the economy.

"To open up the economy to pre-COVID-19 levels at this time is not an option because whatever good it can produce will only be gobbled up or be outweighed by the bad it will generate," Duterte said.

RELATED: PH economy may not return to 6% growth post-pandemic  analyst

"Buhay muna bago lahat [Lives above all]," he added, saying that current infections were much lower than initial projections which run as high as 3.5 million cases locally.

He pointed out that the global battle against the pandemic will take longer than expected, adding that there were issues with the distribution of cash aid to the country's poorest. "I must admit that our actions have been far from perfect  totoo iyan, I admit it. There could be improvements here or there, but all of us in government, including myself, assure you that we will not stop until we get things right and better for you," he added.

Among his other requests include pleas for rent and loan payment deferrals from property owners and banks; additional funding for micro, small, and medium enterprises; and skills training programs for thousands of overseas Filipino workers who returned home.

Duterte went on to admit that the state response was bumpy at the start, saying there were initial "difficulties" in ramping up COVID-19 testing. There are now 93 laboratories, which should help the government towards its goal of running 1.4 million tests by end-July.

Critics of the government's COVID-19 response have called for mass testing, wherein anyone  not necessarily all 100 million Filipinos  needing to get checked for the disease can get tested for free.

RELATED: Efficient mass testing, contact tracing New Zealands secret in containing COVID-19

As he was delivering his speech, the Department of Health reported another 1,657 new infections, bringing the case count to 82,040. Some 26,446 patients recovered while 1,945 died.

Duterte came by helicopter to the Batasan Complex in Quezon City to deliver his fifth SONA in front of a limited audience of lawmakers and government officials, where he laid out his priorities for his last two years in office. He mostly stuck to his prepared speech, although at one point admitted in jest that he doesn't understand what he has been reading.

The venue was almost changed just hours before 4 p.m. after swab tests revealed that a few lawmakers and security personnel supposed to join Duterte in the plenary hall tested positive for COVID-19.

War on oligarchs, telcos

Duterte quickly dove into criticizing the Lopez family behind ABS-CBN Corporation barely five minutes into his speech, as he called out Senator Franklin Drilon for supposedly blasting the President's political dynasty and dubbing it a form of oligarchy.

"I am a casualty of the Lopezes during the 2016 elections," he boldly claimed, saying the billionaire clan used the media network, which lost its franchise bid earlier this month, to "battle with political figures."

Duterte had a personal issue with the Kapamilya network over the airing of a smear ad against him during the 2016 elections, but said he has accepted the firm's apology. He then alluded that the network's now unused frequencies will be used by government to broadcast remote-learning lectures, as he took back his earlier order to allow face-to-face classes in low risk areas, saying it was a big gamble on public health.

RELATED: Duterte claims victory in dismantling oligarchy in PH

The President went on to shame private businesses, namely telecommunications firms Smart and Globe, as well as water concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water and all other providers of public utilities. He even accused Drilon of crafting the Manila Water concession deal as a private lawyer back in the 1990s, which Duterte earlier deemed "onerous."

He dropped just three curse words during his entire speech  quite a feat for the tough-talking president  and all were directed towards the telco firms as he gave them a December ultimatum to fix their "lousy" service, threatening that they too could be out of the picture in the next two years.

He was generally friendly to other companies, even pledging that rules cutting red tape and improving the ease of doing business are on the table, with the promise to put an end to "over-regulation."

Drug woes remain

Duterte candidly admitted that drug trafficking remains rampant, claiming that operations have moved into the country's biggest jail facility which made it harder to track.

He made this as the basis of his renewed call to bring back the death penalty, preferring lethal injection to execute those convicted of violating the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

He also warned that crimes will increase as more people fall into poverty due to the pandemic, but said he will keep the country "relatively peaceful."

"'Pag bumalik kayo sa dati, kagaya noon, patung-patong na naman ang patay dito. Sigurado, hahanapin ko kayo [If you go back to your old ways, bodies will pile up again like before. I will certainly hunt you down]," Duterte added, telling them to just look for jobs.

The administration has been repeatedly criticized for thousands of extrajudicial killings under its Oplan Tokhang program.

In the same speech, he vowed that the Philippines will not dodge its international commitments to uphold human rights. He argued that "freedom from illegal drugs, terrorism, corruption, and criminality" is part of such liberties. The President then vowed to uphold the rights of children and likewise called for an anti-discrimination law.

No aggression towards China

Duterte acknowledged anew how powerless he was in standing up against China on the West Philippine Sea.

"We have to go to war and I cannot afford it. Maybe some other President can, but I cannot. Inutil ako diyan, sabihin ko sa inyo [I am inutile regarding this, I can tell you that] and I'm willing to admit it," the President said, as he addressed critics of how his administration is handling the territorial row.

He insisted that the Philippines continues to enjoy an independent foreign policy, just as he blasted the supposed plan of the United States to set up military bases off Subic as he feared for another World War.

Other paths to growth

Duterte likewise batted for sustained infrastructure spending, greater support to agriculture via its "Plant, Plant, Plant" initiative, the creation of new departments and agencies to support various sectors, reforms in military pension, and the activation of the coco levy trust fund, to name a few.

LIST: Stimulus bills, new departments top Duterte's Congress wish list

The pandemic forced Malacanang to scale down the annual SONA, including its long queue of VIP guests who walk down the red carpet at the North and South entrances of the House of Representatives plenary in their designer wear.

Even media personnel were not allowed inside the Batasan premises, as they tapped into the broadcast feed of state-run Radio Television Malacanang for their coverage.
When U.S. scientists launch the first large-scale clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines this summer, Antonio Cisneros wants to make sure people like him are included.

Cisneros, who is 34 and Hispanic, is part of the first wave of an expected 1.5 million volunteers willing to get the shots to help determine whether leading vaccine candidates can thwart the virus that sparked a deadly pandemic.

"If I am asked to participate, I will," said Cisneros, a Los Angeles cinematographer who has signed up for two large vaccine trial registries. "It seems part of our duty."

It will take more than duty, however, to ensure that clinical trials to establish vaccine safety and effectiveness actually include representative numbers of African Americans, Latinos and other racial minorities, as well as older people and those with underlying medical conditions, such as kidney disease.

Black and Latino people have been three times as likely as white people to become infected with COVID-19 and twice as likely to die, according to federal data obtained via a lawsuit by The New York Times. Asian Americans appear to account for fewer cases but have higher rates of death. Eight out of 10 COVID deaths reported in the U.S. have been of people ages 65 and older. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that chronic kidney disease is among the top risk factors for serious infection.

Historically, however, those groups have been less likely to be included in clinical trials for disease treatment, despite federal rules requiring minority and elder participation and the ongoing efforts of patient advocates to diversify these crucial medical studies.

In a summer dominated by COVID-19 and protests against racial injustice, there are growing demands that drugmakers and investigators ensure that vaccine trials reflect the entire community.

"If Black people have been the victims of COVID-19, we're going to be the key to unlocking the mystery of COVID-19," said the Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative, a coalition of 150,000 African American churches.

Evans and his team met in mid-July with officials from Moderna, the Massachusetts biotech firm that launched the first COVID vaccine trial in the U.S., to discuss a collaboration in which NBCI would supply African American participants. But that was less than two weeks before the start of a phase 3 trial expected to enroll 30,000 people, and Evans said the meeting was his idea.

"It's not that the industry came to me," he said. "I went to the industry."

Blacks make up about 13% of the U.S. population but on average 5% of clinical trial participants, research shows. For Hispanics, trial participation is about 1% on average, though they account for about 18% of the population.

When it comes to trials for drug treatments and vaccines, diversity matters. For reasons not always fully understood, people of different races and ethnicities can respond differently to drugs or therapies, research shows. Immune response wanes with age, so there's a high-dose flu shot for people 65 and older.

Still, the pressure to produce an effective vaccine quickly during a pandemic could sideline efforts to ensure diversity, said Dr. Kathryn Stephenson, director of the clinical trials unit in the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

"One of the questions that has come up is, What do you do if you're a site investigator and you have 250 people banging on your door  and they're all white?" she said.

Do you enroll those people, reasoning that the faster the trial progresses, the faster a vaccine will be available for everyone? Or do you turn away people and slow down the study?

"You're accelerating development of a vaccine, and if you hit a milestone, what is the meaning of that milestone if you don't know if it's very safe or effective in [a given] population? Is that really hitting the milestone for everyone?" she said.

Including people who are elderly or have underlying medical conditions is vital to the science of vaccines and other treatments, even if it's more difficult to recruit patients otherwise healthy enough to participate, advocates said.

"We have to admit that older adults are the ones who are likely to develop side effects" to treatments and vaccines, said Dr. Sharon Inouye, director of the Aging Brain Center and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "On the other hand, that is the population that will be using it."

People with kidney disease, which affects 1 in 7 U.S. adults, have been left out of clinical research for decades, said Richard Knight, a transplant recipient and president of the American Association of Kidney Patients. Nearly 70% of more than 400 kidney disease patients the organization surveyed in July said they'd never been asked to join a clinical trial.

Excluding from the vaccine trial such a large population vulnerable to COVID doesn't make sense, Knight contended. "If you're trying to manage this from a public health standpoint, you want to make sure you're inoculating your highest-risk populations," he said.

New guidance from the federal Food and Drug Administration, which regulates vaccines, "strongly encourages" the inclusion of diverse populations in clinical vaccine development. That includes racial and ethnic minorities, elderly people and those with underlying medical problems, as well as pregnant women.

But the FDA does not require drugmakers and researchers to meet those goals, and will not refuse trial data that doesn't comply. And while the federal government is rushing billions of dollars to fast-track more than a half-dozen leading candidates for COVID vaccines, the pharmaceutical firms producing them are not required to publicly disclose their demographic goals.

"This is business as usual," said Marjorie Speers, executive director of Clinical Research Pathways, a nonprofit group in Atlanta that works to increase diversity in research. "It's very likely these [COVID] trials will not include minorities because there's not a strong statement to do that."

The vaccine trials are being coordinated through the COVID-19 Prevention Network, or CoVPN, based at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. It draws on four long-standing federally funded clinical trial networks, including three that target HIV and AIDS.

Those trial networks were chosen in large part because they have rich relationships in Black, Latino and other minority communities, said Stephaun Wallace, director of external relations for CoVPN. The hope is to leverage existing connections based on trust and collaboration.

"Our clinical trial sites are prepped and ready to engage diverse people," Wallace said.

Wallace acknowledged, however, that attracting a diverse population requires investigators to be flexible and innovative. There can be practical problems. Clinic hours may be limited or transportation may be an issue. Older people may have problems with sight or hearing and require extra help to follow protocols.

Distrust of the medical establishment also can be a barrier. African Americans, for instance, have a well-founded wariness of medical experiments after the infamous Tuskegee Study and the exploitation of Henrietta Lacks. That extends to suspicion about recommended vaccines, said Wallace.

"Part of the consideration for many groups is not wanting to feel like a guinea pig or feel like they're being experimented on," he said.

Moderna, which plans to launch its phase 3 trial Monday, said the company is working to ensure participants "are representative of the communities at highest risk for COVID-19 and of our diverse society."

However, results of the company's phase 1 trial, released in mid-July, showed that of 45 people included in that safety test, six were Hispanic, two were Black, one was Asian and one was Native American. Forty were white.

Phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials aim to test the best dose and safety of vaccines in small groups of people. Phase 3 trials assess the efficacy of the drug in tens of thousands of people.

Investigators at nearly 90 sites across the U.S. are preparing now to recruit participants for Moderna's phase 3 trial. Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean at the Emory University School of Medicine, will seek 750 volunteers at three Atlanta-area sites. Half will receive the vaccine; half, placebo injections.

Del Rio has had marked success recruiting minorities for HIV trials and expects similar results with the vaccine trial. "We're trying to do our best to get out to the communities that are most at risk," he said.

Meanwhile, vaccine volunteers like Cisneros just want the advanced trials to start. He signed up for the CoVPN trials. But earlier, he also signed up for 1 Day Sooner, an effort to launch human challenge trials, which aim to speed up vaccine development by deliberately infecting participants with the virus. Such trials can be completed in weeks rather than months but risk exposing volunteers to severe illness or death, and federal officials remain leery.

Cisneros is willing to take that risk to help halt COVID-19, which has killed 143,000 Americans. He said it's a way to take action at a time when the U.S. government has failed to protect minorities, the elderly and other vulnerable people.

"Government is supposed to help those who can't protect themselves," he said. "It appears to me the only thing they want to protect is people with money, people with guns  and not brown people like me."
Some 120 new jobs will be created in Laois at the new Portlaoise Plaza opens on Junction 17 just off the busy M7 Limerick Cork Dublin motorway this week which is spearheaded by Supermac's boss Pat McDonagh.

The jobs will be announced at the site this morning, Monday, July 27, by Laois Offaly TD and the Minister for State at the Department of Finance, Sean Fleming and The Plaza Group's owner, Pat McDonagh.

The Portlaoise Plaza, which opens on Friday, July 31, is part of the Supermacs Group and will be the largest Plaza in the country. The opening of The Portlaoise Plaza means that Supermacs will now have three outlets in Laois  at Manor Stone in Ballacolla, off the M8 and Supermacs Portlaoise in the centre of the town, which was opened on June 2, 1995.

The group also owns the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise town. Originally, the Portlaoise Plaza was due to open in May but that date was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Work had re-started on the Plaza in recent weeks and, when open and fully operational, it will employ 120 full and part-time staff. The Plaza will be accessed off the M7 motorway at Junction 17 and can also be accessed from Portlaoise town.

Minister Fleming said that the jobs were a timely boost for the region.

As we deal with the effects of the global pandemic on a national level it is very encouraging to see that jobs are being created to this extent despite the difficult circumstances, Minister Fleming said. Pat and Una McDonagh are now one of the biggest employers in the county through the Portlaoise Plaza, Supermacs and the Killeshin Hotel and their commitment to the region is to be commended. It is an example of the positivity that is emanating from the great work that is being done to promote the region as a place to work, live and visit, he concluded.

The owner of The Plaza Group, Pat McDonagh, said that there has been a huge amount of excitement over the opening of the Plaza because it is a significant investment in the locality at a time when the country is experiencing some of its biggest challenges in decades.

Many customers have expressed great anticipation and weve employed a lot of local staff which is a real boost for the area, he said. In these challenging times, the way we operate has changed completely. We have listened to staff, customers and the relevant authorities and we have put in place a plan that allows us to open gradually with the safety of our staff and customers as our main focus. It is important that we remain positive and we work together to get over these challenges.

Supermac's say the new centre brings the number of people employed by the group throughout the country to over 4,000. The group consist of Supermacs, So Hotels and The Plaza Group.

Supermacs says it is Irelands largest indigenous quick-service restaurant chain. There are 116 franchise outlets across the country. Supermacs also operates the Papa Johns brand and SuperSubs.

The Portlaoise Plaza opens for business on Friday, July 31.

The Portlaoise Plaza and will join the Barack Obama Plaza, the Galway Plaza, the Kinnegad Plaza, the Tipperary Town Plaza and the Mallow Plaza as part of The Plaza Group of motorway and national route service stations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many of us to cancel cherished summer vacations and group activities we relish during every normal year. For months on end weve stayed home, cooped up indoors more than we ever imagined or wanted. Each July, Latino Conservation Week should be a reminder to everyone in New Mexico to get outdoors and experience the stunning scenery, nature and unique heritage of cultures that is our Land of Enchantment. For the sake of our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health, the outdoors are more important now than ever.

Since its beginnings in 2014, Latino Conservation Week  an initiative of the Hispanic Access Foundation and now celebrated July 18-26  has supported the Hispanic and Latinx communities in getting outdoors and participating in activities that protect our natural resources. Hundreds of programs and special events go on nationwide and here in New Mexico, celebrating the deep connection and contributions of the Latinx community to conservation of our public lands. It also gives younger generations new opportunities to engage and learn, and helps encourage the tradition of conservation that is part and parcel of Hispanic culture.

We are lucky to have groups in New Mexico working to elevate Hispanic voices, along with those of indigenous people and all people of color who have not always been equally represented in the past, in the enjoyment and management of our public lands. Groups like Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, New Mexico Wild, Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and New Mexico Wildlife Federation are just a few of the organizations working alongside the administration of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Together we seek to ensure a healthy future for our public lands, the communities that depend on them and the generations that will inherit them from us.

Collectively our work has led to really significant recent victories. Just last week, Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a historic investment in outdoor spaces, including those in New Mexico.

At the state level the governor, supported by groups like the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project and others, established an Office of Outdoor Recreation to promote the health and wellness of residents through greater access to outdoor recreation and also protection, appreciation and good management of our public lands. When communities are fully engaged in decisions around lands, it means a stronger and healthier future for New Mexicos people, our unparalleled public lands  places like Chaco Culture and White Sands National Parks, and Rio Grande del Norte, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks and Gila Cliff Dwellings national monuments  and the local economies that depend on them.

We continue our work to see unmatched places like the Gila River near Silver City get federal protection as a Wild and Scenic River. The Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act, sponsored and championed by New Mexicos Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, recently passed in the U.S. Senate. Our representatives in Congress, Deb Haaland, Xochitl Torres Small and Ben Ray Lujan, will urge colleagues to join them in voting the legislation into law so that the Gila will continue to flow freely and benefit New Mexicans and visitors for generations to come.

Latino Conservation Week was a good time to focus on the importance year-round of guaranteeing that irreplaceable public lands and cultural sites are protected, engaging more people from underrepresented communities in outdoor recreation and public lands management and getting outside ourselves to enjoy our state and national parks safely and responsibly. We thank everyone for joining in to celebrate and for the ongoing work that organizations and volunteers are doing on all our behalf. For more information, visit: latinoconservationweek.com or nuestra-tierra.org.

Angel Pena is a first-generation American and archaeologist who lives in Las Cruces with his wife and two daughters. Howie Morales was raised and lives in Silver City.
Priya Murugappan, the mother of a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee family imprisoned on Australian-controlled Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, was denied proper medical treatment for more than a month, according to the familys lawyers and friends.

After suffering more than two weeks of severe abdominal pain, Priya was finally transported nearly 2,700 kilometres from Christmas Island to Perth, Western Australia, on July 19. Even then, Priyas familyher husband Nades, a meatworker, and two daughters Kopika, 4, and Tharunicaa, 3were not allowed to leave with her.

Priya Murugappan with her family

Despite widespread support for the working-class family in the central Queensland rural town of Biloela, where they were seized from their home before dawn more than two years ago, Prime Minister Scott Morrisons government has continued to detain, vilify and try to deport them.

The Liberal-National governments denial of urgent medical care to Priya is another indictment of the reactionary anti-refugee policy it has vehemently enforced, like the previous Labor government before it. Successive governments have deployed the military to repel refugee boats and detained all asylum seekers on remote islands.

Carina Ford, the familys lawyers, told Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) News that Priya had been in pain since mid-June and urgently required a CT scan, which the hospital on tiny Christmas Island could not provide.

There was a discussion as early as that [mid-June] as to whether this scan was needed, Ford told SBS, but that a decision was made by the department not to do it early and she has got increasingly unwell.

Priya told SBS the symptoms reached the point of constant vomiting and unrelenting pain. In recent days, I was even vomiting via my nose as well, she said Priya. Doctors on Christmas Island hospital demanded that the International Health and Medical Services (IHMS), a private company that overseas medical treatment of detainees, give Priya the proper treatment.

It is because of the doctors at Christmas Island hospital fighting with the IHMS doctors that ensured I got this treatment urgently. Priya said. Every time I got unwell, the IHMS doctors never tried to identify what was wrong with me, they just gave me Panadol and painkillers.

Priya said the governments Australian Border Force was now preventing her from even making video calls to her daughters. Her family was denied access to Wi-Fi, so she could only make phone calls. If Border Force gave permission, then I should be able to speak to my daughters on a video call and at least I could look at my childrens faces and see them while I talk to them.

Angela Fredericks, a family friend and a leader of the campaign waged by the people of Biloela for the familys freedom, told the media a doctor insisted on Priya being flown to the Australian mainland.

What it boiled down to was an amazing doctor on Christmas Island who actually refused to discharge her back to the detention centre, Fredericks said. The doctor made this decision after seeing her four times and was not satisfied with the care she was getting and insisted she had to get to the mainland.

Fredericks describe the emotional toll on Priya. Shes now on the mainland all by herself with just SERCO guards for company little Tharunicaa, the three-year-old, is incredibly distressed being separated from her mum, not understanding whats happening.

Last Thursday, the governments direct backing for this cruelty was exposed. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton personally denounced the family on 2GB radio. He bemoaned the fact that the federal government provided the charter flight to Perth for Priya and claimed her tests revealed no medical issues.

Blaming Priya and Nades for the appalling conditions the family faces, Dutton said: This is a situation of their own making, it is ridiculous, its unfair on their children, and it sends a very bad message to other people who think they can rort the system as well.

Dutton accused the family of playing funny games through the courts, saying they are not refugees and they have used every trick in the book to make sure they can stay. This is an open attack on the basic legal rights of asylum seekers to challenge the governments decisions to deny them refugee status.

Duttons attack also directly prejudices the familys current court case. A Federal Court judge ruled in April their deportation must remain on hold because Tharunicaa, the youngest daughter, was denied procedural fairness in her application for a protection visa.

The family is still waiting, in detention, for an appeal hearing. The government is appealing against the April ruling, while the family is appealing against the courts simultaneous ruling that Tharunicaa had no right to have her visa application automatically assessed.

Duttons tirade against the family turns reality on its head. In truth, the government has tried to use every trick in the book to deny the family the right to asylum and force them back to Sri Lanka.

Priya and her family have been imprisoned on Christmas Island since last August, after a last-minute court injunction halted their immediate deportation to Sri Lanka. Priya and Nades arrived in Australia at different times, in 2013 and 2012 respectively, fleeing persecution by the Sri Lankan government.

Biloela residents have waged a sustained campaign in defence of the family, generating national and international support. More than 200,000 people have signed a petition demanding that they be allowed to remain in Australia, and many thousands have attended protests across the country.

This popular response has refuted the incessant claims of the major parties, and the corporate press, that the bipartisan assault on asylum-seekers is supported by ordinary people. Significantly Nades fellow workers at the Biloela meat plant and other immigrant workers in the town are among the familys strongest supporters.

In 2012, the last Labor government barred all asylum-seekers who had previously arrived by boat from even applying for refugee visas. This placed them in a legal limbo, still permitted to live and work in the community, but always with the threat of deportation hanging over their heads.

In July 2017, the current National-Liberal government moved to deport, en masse, the approximately 7,500 asylum seekers stuck in this position. Dutton, then immigration and border protection minister, labelled them all fake refugees.

As a result of this poisonous atmosphere, the family had their applications rejected and, in a pre-dawn raid in March 2018, they were arrested and detained. Their treatment is particularly inhumane and politically vindictive. They have been ripped away from their home and their main source of support in Biloela. Christmas Island is nearly 5,000 kilometres from their home town and there are no other asylum-seekers presently detained there, isolating them from human contact.

This punitive treatment is part of the international assault on refugees worldwide. In Europe, tens of thousands languish in prison camps facing barbed wire and truncheons. In the US, COVID-19 deaths are continuing among the more than 23,000 immigration detainees. Workers internationally must come to the defence of refugees as part of the fight against the capitalist profit system and its division of the world into competing nation-states.

The author also recommends:

Deaths in ICE custody rise as pandemic rages across the United States

[20 July 2020]

Stop the deportation of the Biloela refugee family from Australia!

[4 September 2019]
Representative image

Uma Purushothaman

Rarely in international politics do we see two countries, who are also neighbours, rising together in influence and power. Rarer still is for them to have good relations during this transition. The India-China conflict and competition, in which the Ladakh standoff is the latest crisis, only reflects these maxims.

The nature of the international system forces states to increase their spheres of influence, even encroaching on that of others, to achieve maximum security. Other states will naturally resist this. As India and China see each other as potential threats, their rivalry is inevitable. Given this situation, what are Indias medium- to long-term options for dealing with China?

Theoretically, there are two major policy options for India: to bandwagon i.e. align with China, and the other is to balance China. The first obviously cannot be exercised by India given its own aspirations and capabilities. The second involves two elements: internal balancing, i.e. to build up economic and military capabilities, and external balancing, i.e. to align with other countries against China.

Internal balancing is what India should concentrate on in the long term: rebuild the economy, pursue aatmanirbharta, provide jobs, utilise Indias demographic dividend, build a robust defence-industrial base, modernise its nuclear weapons arsenal and operationalise its fledging nuclear triad, thereby emerging as an economic and military power which can match China. However, this is no easy task and will take decades.

In the meantime, India should attempt external balancing, not in the classic alliance format, but through more flexible arrangements. Perhaps it could take a leaf out of the 1971 India-Soviet friendship treaty which allows for mutual consultations in the case of a threat. This will give India flexibility while also staying away from the dreaded word: alliance. These arrangements need not be confined only to the United States, but could also be extended to other like-minded countries, thus allowing for multi-alignment.

Indias first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru once said that security is protected by policies and a deliberate policy of friendship with other countries goes further in gaining security than almost anything else. So, India needs to multiply its diplomatic efforts at winning more friends. For this, India should focus on enhancing the capacity of its foreign service: at present, it is too small to deal with Indias increasing interests and the challenges posed by China.

At the regional level, New Delhi should emphasise on rebuilding its relations with its neighbours, who seem to be increasingly enamoured of China. This might mean that India has to loosen its purse strings and be more accommodative and respectful to their concerns. New Delhi must also continue to engage with its extended neighbourhood. South East Asia, which shares concerns about China, should be focused on by strengthening economic and security ties, and enhancing physical connectivity.

At the global level, though it might sound a bit far-fetched given the current optics, India should try, behind the curtains, to mend relations between the US and with Russia. This would be a win-win situation for all three countries. A rapprochement between the US and Russia gives more manoeuvrability for Indias foreign policy. For the US, normalising ties with Russia will allow it to concentrate on its greatest threat (China) and tilt the balance of power towards the US in a striking reversal of the US-USSR-China triangle after US President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972. As for Russia, it has always looked westward for recognition and a rapprochement will give it access to technology required to diversify and modernise its economy.

However, for all this to work, India needs to remain a cohesive political unit with robust economic and military capabilities. Those countries which today hint at aligning with India will quickly dump it if it does not come through on its promise of becoming a strong power. So, India should understand the big picture and concentrate on building its military, diplomatic, political, and economic capabilities to manage China. In the long run, that is the only sustainable way to deal with a powerful neighbour.

Finally, Indian policymakers need to check if India can turn the Ladakh crisis into an opportunity to resolve the border issue permanently. History tells us that nationalist leaders can reach out to enemy states and sell it to their domestic audience because no one can question their nationalism. Given his popularity and nationalist credentials, can Prime Minister Narendra Modi take a leap of faith and resolve the border issue once and for all, and create a lasting legacy for himself?
The Mercy Heart Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organization and a member of the Caroline Group of companies has donated various assorted items to the Nsawam Female Prison.



The items, worth thousands of Ghana cedis included 1,000piece of sanitary pads, packs of Bel Aqua mineral water, washing powder, bathing soaps, toiletries, amongst others.

The donation which took place on Saturday, July 25, 2020, is in fulfillment of the promise of the CEO of the Caroline Group, Miss Caroline Esinam Adzogble to support inmates of the prison with Sanitary pads and other items.



According to the Mercy Heart Foundation, the donation is part of its Freedom of Women From Prisons project which is aimed at donating various items to all-female prisons across the country annually. The project will also include paying fines of women who are in prison due to their inability to pay their fines



Women in some prisons in the country sometimes resort to the use of clothing and tissue paper during their monthly due to their inability to buy sanitary pads.



In addressing the issue, the Mercy Heart Foundation Ceo indicated that as part of the Freedom of Women Prisons project, sanitary pad banks will be installed throughout the country which is an interesting initiative to free women from using clothes, tissues, etc. for their monthly periods as well as ensure some innocent once get freed.



Speaking to the media during the donation, Miss Caroline Esinam said she was hopeful the initiative would touch the lives of the inmates.



In this regard, we hope to touch lives by ensuring the women we pay fines for are innocent and have stories that can inspire others out there. Miss Caroline indicated that she and her team are working closely with officials on cases that deserve bail payouts. The project will be an annual event across all prisons in Ghana every year by stocking the pad bank with 1000 pieces of sanitary pads, water, beauty kits etc. to enable our mothers and sisters in prisons have a comfortable life whiles they serve their term.



The CEO also encouraged the inmates to keep being strong and not to give up.

Caroline Esinam Adzogble.



Caroline Esinam Adzogble, 28, who hails from Dzodze in the Volta Region is a seasoned educational consultant and a champion for better educational opportunities across Africa.

Shes known for her 1M scholarship to 120 African students across the globe as well as one laptop per student initiative.



Her company, the Caroline group, which is one of the best educational groups around the world is changing the face of education.



The Group currently has six subsidiaries which include; Potters International College, Caroline University, International boarding school services, International university services, Mercy heart foundation, and every day travels and tours.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare is pleased with the Nana Addo-led administrations way of handling the novel Coronavirus since the country recorded its first case.



He said some drastic measures taken by government at the early stage of the pandemic have helped yet it was difficult from the beginning to implement.



That is how we manage a pandemic to control the rise of cases, he said in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie.



Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare's commendation follows President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos address to Ghanaians on Sunday, July 26 on the measures being taken to fight the spread of the Coronavirus.



According to the President, the safety and good health of the people are paramount to government  hence, his administration will do its possible best to keep the citizenry safe.







President Akufo-Addo during his address announced that all tourist sites across the country and drinking spots will be open to the public as the country eases COVID-19 restrictions.In consultation with the Ghana Tourism Authority and the health experts, I am announcing the reopening of our nations tourist sites and attractions, so they can begin to receive visitors.Open-air drinking spots can now function. The management of these facilities are tasked to enforce enhanced hygiene and social distancing protocols.Adding that, Beaches, pubs; cinemas and nightclubs remain closed until further notice.President Nana Addo also said effective from August 1, 2020, there will be no restrictions on the number of congregants worshiping at a time in churches and the mosques  but, the time during will be two hours.Commercial vehicles and domestic airlines will operate to full capacity as the country as government takes steps to ease COVID-19 restrictions.Government has taken the decision to lift the restrictions in the transport sector and allow for full capacity in our domestic airplanes, taxis, trotros, and buses, the President said.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Relatives of protesters killed during the 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan and supporters of former President Levon Ter-Petrosian have deplored the Armenian governments choice of a candidate to replace one of the three Constitutional Court judges controversially dismissed last month.

The government formally nominated Vahram Avetisian, a senior law professor at Yerevan State University (YSU), to the court last week and expects the Armenian parliament to confirm him in the coming weeks. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians My Step bloc enjoys a comfortable majority in the National Assembly.

Eight relatives of the unrest victims and 50 current and former activists imprisoned during the 2008 crackdown on the Ter-Petrosian-led opposition issued at the weekend a joint petition urging the government to withdraw Avetisians nomination.

In particular, the signatories, among them several senior members of Ter-Petrosians Armenian National Congress (HAK) party, argued that his father, Davit Avetisian, upheld prison sentences handed to opposition members and supporters when he served as a senior Court of Cassation judge from 2008-2016.

They said that Vahram Avetisian cannot act independently and impartially also because he has never publicly condemned Armenias former ruling regime and its use of force against protesters who challenged the official results of the February 2008 presidential election in which Ter-Petrosian was the main opposition candidate.

One of the signatories, Grigor Voskerchian, is a member of the HAKs governing board who was arrested in 2008 and spent 18 months in prison. My personal interest is to see an independent person elected to the Constitutional Court, he said.

If [Avetisian] is appointed a Constitutional Court judge he will definitely deal with some issues related to his father, Voskerchian told RFE/RLs Armenian service on Monday. If he doesnt want to bear responsibility for [decisions made by] his father he should make a statement.

Avetisian dismissed the objections to his candidacy on Sunday, saying that they are fuelled by individuals motivated by their parochial and factional interests. In a Facebook post, the nominee said he finds it pointless to argue with them.

Responding to the criticism, Pashinians press secretary, Mane Gevorgian, said the governments decision to pick Avetisian was based on his professional background and track record. Mr. Avetisians candidacy will be discussed in the National Assembly, and deputies will have a chance to ask all questions preoccupying the public and receive answers to them from Mr. Avetisian, said Gevorgian.

Lilit Makunts, My Steps parliamentary leader, said she and other pro-government lawmakers will likely meet Avetisian next week and ask him to set the record straight. Makunts stressed at the same time that Avetisian has no direct connection with any of the politically motivated court verdicts stemming from the 2008 bloodshed and arrests.

Pashinian played a key role in Ter-Petrosians 2007-2008 opposition movement and was among the ex-presidents political allies imprisoned in the post-election crackdown. He fell out with Ter-Petrosian after being released from jail in 2011.

President Armen Sarkissian and an assembly of Armenias judges are due to name two other nominees for the Constitutional Court.

The parliament approved last month constitutional amendments calling the gradual resignation of seven of the courts nine members installed before April 2018. Three of them are to resign with immediate effect. Also, Hrayr Tovmasian must quit as court chairman but remain a judge.

Tovmasian and the ousted judges have refused to step down, saying that their removal is illegal. They have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to have them reinstated.
The Congress on Monday welcomed the Rafale aircraft in the country, saying the party has nothing against the fighter jet, but reiterated there were issues in the way the contract was handled.

"There is no issue with the Rafale aircraft. The Rafale aircraft was evaluated and approved by the UPA. We welcome the Rafale aircraft," senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said when asked about five Rafale jets arriving in the country soon.

The Congress had made the purchase of Rafale fighter jets by the Modi government a major poll issue during the 2019 Lok Sabha election, alleging corruption in the deal. The charges were vehemently denied by the BJP.

"Why should we protest against Rafale aircraft? Remember from day one, we said that it is a good aircraft. In fact, it was chosen by the UPA government.

There is nothing wrong with the aircraft. There are other issues in the way the contract was handled," he said at a virtual press conference, when asked about it.

The first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft on Monday took off from France for India, nearly four years after the two countries inked an inter-governmental agreement to supply 36 of the multi-role jets to the Indian Air Force under a Rs 59,000-crore deal.

The aircraft flew out from the Merignac airbase in the French port city of Bordeaux and will cover a distance of nearly 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates before arriving at Ambala airbase on Wednesday, officials said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 22:20:42|Editor: huaxia

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RAMALLAH, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Monday said it had turned down money transferred by Israel, despite its critical financial crisis.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye said it refused to accept the tax revenues from Israel, in line with the leadership's decision to cut off all forms of coordination.

Ishtaye told reporters that his government refused to accept the tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, which make up more than 60 percent of the general Palestinian revenues, at the weekly cabinet meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"We continue with a total suspension of all ties with Israel, and we will not allow it to blackmail us. Therefore, we will not receive the clearance funds from this month," he said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has suspended all ties with Israel since May 19 after the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is planning to annex a large part of the West Bank, which is considered a violation of signed agreements and international laws and resolutions.

Palestine stopped receiving around 200 million U.S. dollars of tax revenues Israel collects on its behalf.

The Palestinian Prime Minister called on the public servant to be patient in facing the current financial crisis as they receive only half of the salaries for two consecutive months.

Israel collects taxes on behalf of the Palestinians from trade that comes into the Palestinian territories through Israeli controlled border crossings, under a bilateral economic agreement signed in the 1990s. Enditem
When will holidaymakers have to self-isolate?

The measure came into effect from midnight on Saturday, meaning that from yesterday all travellers arriving in Northern Ireland will have to quarantine themselves for 14 days.

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What is the self-isolation advice for travellers returning to Northern Ireland?

If you are required to self-isolate, you should head straight home or to your accommodation and remain in the one place for the full 14 days. You should not go to work, school or public areas.

You should only use public transport if you have no other option and if you do, you should wear a face covering that covers your nose and mouth and stay two metres away from other people.

You should not go shopping - ask relatives or friends to collect groceries and medication for you.

If you're travelling to Northern Ireland for less than 14 days, you will be expected to self-isolate for the length of your stay. The people you're staying with do not need to self-isolate with you if they have not travelled from outside the UK or have been in the CTA for longer than 14 days before coming to Northern Ireland - unless you or a member of your household develop symptoms of coronavirus. Anyone who develops symptoms of a cough, fever or loss of taste or smell must self-isolate.

What happens at the end of the 14-day isolation period?

If you do not have any coronavirus symptoms after 14 days, you can stop self-isolating.

What should people do if they are already in Spain?

People currently on holiday in Spain have been encouraged to follow the local rules, return home as normal and check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) travel advice pages on gov.uk for further information. The FCO is not advising those already travelling in Spain to leave. Abta - the UK's travel trade association - has advised customers in the country to continue their holidays.

Does quarantine apply if the holidaymaker has been to a Spanish island?

Quarantine measures will apply to those returning from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands (Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa) and the Balearic Islands, such as Majorca and Ibiza, the Department for Transport confirmed.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A 63-year-old ex-convict from New Brighton, accused of pulling a gun on a female acquaintance last year, has racked up another felony conviction.

Lawrence Spruill has pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree criminal weapon possession stemming from the incident last Dec. 16. It was the top charge against him.

The defendant was busted around 6:50 a.m. inside a home in the vicinity of Harbor Road and Continental Place in Mariners Harbor, said police.

The victim told officers Spruill had displayed a handgun during an argument, according to police and the criminal complaint.

Authorities allege Spruill racked the slide of a silver, .25-caliber, semi-automatic Lorcin pistol with a black handle.

Spruill who stands 61 tall and weighs 200 pounds, pointed the gun at the woman and hissed, Im gonna pop you n----, the complaint said.

Police recovered the defaced firearm loaded with eight bullets from a bathroom in the home, said the complaint.

In exchange for his plea, Spruill will be sentenced on Aug. 10 in state Supreme Court, St. George, to a year in jail. A full order of protection will be issued in the victims favor.

His lawyer did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the case.

The defendant was previously convicted of a felony in Brooklyn in 1984, show online records of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

The charge was third-degree robbery, and he was sentenced to three to six years in prison, said those records.

More recently, Spruill was convicted in Criminal Court of attempted petit larceny in 2010 and sentenced to four days behind bars, said the complaint.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 18:51:10|Editor: huaxia

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SHANGHAI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The balance of domestic and foreign currency loans in the Yangtze River Delta region stood at 41.79 trillion yuan (about 5.97 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of June, up 14.8 percent year on year, official data shows.

According to the Shanghai head office of the People's Bank of China, as of the end of June, the balance of RMB loans was 40.64 trillion yuan, up 14.8 percent year on year, registering an increased growth of 0.1 percentage points compared to the same period last year.

In June alone, new RMB loans in the region hit 557 billion yuan, an increase of 83.7 billion yuan year on year, while new foreign currency loans stood at 2.5 billion U.S. dollars during the period.

Meanwhile, the balance of domestic and foreign currency deposits in the region was 52.98 trillion yuan as of the end of last month, up 12.8 percent year on year, with the balance of RMB and foreign currency deposits in the region standing at 51.09 trillion yuan and 266.8 billion U.S. dollars, respectively.

Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui come under the ambit of the Yangtze River Delta region. Enditem
By Express News Service

RANCHI: Jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, currently admitted to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi due to deteriorating health conditions, was tested negative for coronavirus on Sunday. Yadav, however, will be re-examined as all his three aides, whose swab samples were taken for testing along with his on Saturday, tested positive.

Doctors claimed that the RJD chief was put to test as a precautionary measure after COVID-19 cases soared up in the last few days all over the State.

Lalu ji has been tested negative for COVID-19, but the three aides, whose swab-samples were taken for examination, tested positive. The RJD chief will be put under observation for a week following which he may be put to test once again if the COVID task force feels so, said Dr. Umesh Prasad, who is leading the team of doctors deployed for Lalu Yadav. There must be a gap of at least 4-5 days between two tests, he added.

The doctors said that the RJD chief has not shown any symptoms of COVID-19 so far. Meanwhile, all precautions are being taken to protect Yadav from coronavirus. Restriction has been put on people meeting him, he said.

The RJD chief, a heart patient with kidney ailments, had undergone a fistula operation at Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai.

Notably, after being convicted by a Special CBI Court in Ranchi on December 23, 2017, in the second fodder scam case involving the illegal withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury, the 72-year-old Yadav was lodged in Birsa Munda central jail in Ranchi.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand registered 86th COVID-19 fatality with 587 new positive cases on Monday. A total of 8479 new cases of COVID-19 have been registered in the state out of which 3704 people have already recovered and discharged from hospital.
U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy refueled a familiar fire before Sunday nights debate with Sen. Ed Markey even began, with the congressmans campaign sending out a news release labeled Missing Markey, including several bullet points alleging minimal appearances or legislative wins by Markey in dozens of Massachusetts communities.

The Kennedy team made the case that a digital map released by Markey highlighting communities where hes delivered as a lawmaker actually demonstrated the longtime progressive has been absent in Massachusetts for the last several decades.

It clearly matters where an elected official resides, Kennedy said Sunday night, after NBC10 Bostons Alison King asked Markey about critique that he spends more time in his Chevy Chase residence than his Malden home in non-election years. The reason why it matters is because, particularly now, we need to have elected officials that are in fact hearing the concerns across our commonwealth and advocating for those voices. You have to be present to hear them. You have to listen, not dictate. Thats why I got in this race. That is the change that we need.

As he did during a June 1 debate, Kennedy alleged that after he entered the race in September and called local officials in places like Chelsea, Springfield and Worcester, officials there told him they hadnt seen (Markey).

Markey fired back as he did last month, saying that if he hadnt gotten the job done in so many Massachusetts communities for decades, he wouldnt be backed by a majority of mayors and state legislators.

Markey noted that 19 state representatives backed him, while only four, from Kennedys own district, supported his primary challenger.

Theyve all endorsed me because they know I stand up and fight for those communities, he said. Dont say Im not doing the job if those people with whom Im partnering are endorsing me in this race. Theyre not with you  theyre with me.

Kennedy argued it was Washington-think to believe endorsements translated to credibility  or victory.

Markey maintained that he brings the values that he learned from his kitchen table in Malden  and his understanding of Massachusetts families struggling to pay the bills  to the floor of the Senate every day.

Markey also said his campaign would provide travel information so it will be out there for the public to be able to see.

I dont just fight for Massachusetts. I deliver for Massachusetts, he said, noting his leadership on climate change, health care, telecommunications and other issues.
India on Monday lodged a strong protest with Pakistan High Commission over attempts to convert the Gurdwara Shahidi Asthan in Lahore into a mosque.

The gurdwara at Naulakha Bazaar in Lahore is the site of martyrdom of Bhai Taru Singh Ji but has been claimed as the place of Masjid Shahid Ganj, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.

In response to a media query, Srivastava said, "A strong protest was lodged with the Pakistan High Commission today on the reported incident whereby Gurdwara Shahidi Asthan, site of martyrdom of Bhai Taru Singh ji at Naulakha Bazaar in Lahore, Pakistan has been claimed as the place of Masjid Shahid Ganj and attempts are being made to convert it to a mosque."

Gurdwara Shahidi Asthan Bhai Taru Ji is a historical gurdwara where Bhai Taru Ji made supreme sacrifice in 1745. The gurdwara is a place of reverence and considered sacred by the Sikh community. This incident has been viewed with grave concern in India.

There have been calls for justice for the minority Sikh community in Pakistan. India has expressed its concerns, in strongest terms on this incident and called upon Pakistan to investigate the matter and take immediate remedial measures.

Pakistan was also called upon to look after the safety, security, well-being of its minority communities including protection of their religious rights and cultural heritage.

There are several historical Sikh gurudwaras in Pakistan which are either in a dilapidated condition or they are occupied by the land mafia and locals. The Sikhs are facing persecution across Pakistan. There are many instances of Sikh girls being kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam and married to Muslims.

On July 26, news agency ANI reported that an activist of Dawat-e-Islami (Beraillwi), who is also a caretaker of Mazar of Muslim prophet Hazrat Shah Kaku Chesti in Lahore has threatened the minority Sikh community saying that Pakistan is an Islamic nation that belongs to Muslims.

In a video, Sohail Butt, who also runs a shop in Landa Bazar, along with some local activists have occupied the land of Gurudwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh and has threatened Gopal Singh Chawla, the former chief of Pakistan Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (PGPC) who hoisted Shri Nishan Sahib (a Sikh symbol) at the gurudwara 2019, ANI reported.

Sohail claims that the land on which Gurdwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh and its adjoining 4-5 canals of Gurdwara land belong to Mazar of Muslim prophet Hazrat Shah Kaku Chesti and adjoining Masjid Shaheed Ganj, ANI reported.

ANI sources said that Sohail Butt did this on the direction of some land mafia and one ISI officer namely Zain Saab. He said in a video that Pakistan being an Islamic nation only belongs to Muslims. He said, "Duration the creation of Pakistan in 1947, some 20 lakh Muslims sacrificed their lives. And these Sikhs are showing hooliganism. This is an Islamic nation, how can they show hooliganism. Historical records show that this site belongs to us."

In his video, he spoke against Sikh community leader Gopal Singh Chawla and one Fauja Singh, a former Sikh militant residing in this Gurdwara, ANI reported. Replying to a statement made by Gopal Chawla about the treatment of Sikhs in Pakistan, Sohail Butt said, "Gopal Singh Chawla had accused Pakistan while standing at the premises of this mazar last year. Why they (Sikhs) are turning out to be evil men? What is the reason behind the emergence of Sikh gurudwaras in the past 10-15 years? Pakistan was created on two-nation theory. This is intolerable as when Chawla threatens us that he will come with a group of Sikhs and occupy the land belonging to mazar".

He added, "Pakistan is our country and we are faithful to this country, our religion and this holy site. Gopal Singh Chawla is a liar and he threatened us at our site. He was showing his hold on this land but he must show some proof that this site belongs to the Sikhs".
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has announced that the HPE Digital Life Garage, the first in a series of its worldwide innovation hubs focused on transforming technologys impact on society, has started operations in Dubai.



The innovation centre is now geared to roll out initiatives from its new state-of-the-art Dubai facility in the coming months, reported state-run news agency Wam.



''Both the UAE and Dubai have a clear focus on being at the forefront of shaping the future of the global economy by accelerating the adoption of innovation and path breaking technology through meaningful government - private sector cooperation," said Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.



"The start of the first HPE Digital Life Garage in Dubai demonstrates our efforts to bring together global innovation leaders to develop new initiatives that contribute to realising Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoums vision to foster an innovation-driven economy,'' he added.



"The HPE Digital Life Garage supports this objective by providing the technology tools and knowledge to increase productivity and business innovation, which are critical to economic sustainability and future readiness," Sheikh Maktoum explained.



Located in the Innovation Hub of Dubai, the new multi-million-dollar HPE Digital Life Garage consists of four pillars: The Digital Innovation Showcase, the Digital Life Lab, the Digital Knowledge Centre, and the HPE Global Network.



 The Digital Innovation Showcase provides the opportunity to see demos and introduces participants to various new technologies;

 The Digital Life Lab is where interactive workshops will take place to create innovation concepts and transform them to pre-production demonstrations;

 The Digital Knowledge Center is the place where ideas are transformed to reality to advance the way people live and work;

 The HPE Global Network provides access to international programmes and communities and brings together a broad ecosystem of institutions, researchers, inventors, entrepreneurs, corporations, government entities, universities, service providers, and system integrators.



The HPE Digital Life Garage will benefit various UAE stakeholders. For UAE governmental bodies, it will serve as a hotbed for scientific research and homegrown high-tech solutions that can result in ground-breaking technology innovations for citizens. Local businesses will also be able to benefit from this initiative as it will provide them with solutions that will give them competitive differentiation and a fast route to production.



Finally, innovators from small start-ups to large scale corporations, focused on creating new technologies and solutions will be able to get access to real data to achieve success and reward.



"The Digital Life Garage in Dubai is an example of how HPE is delivering on our purpose to advance the way people live and work. We chose Dubai to be the location for our initiative as it aligns closely to the UAE Centennial Plan 2071 which centers on the betterment of the communities and society at large by leveraging technology. Our initiative aims to provide organizations of all shapes and sizes with access to cutting-edge technology, digital innovation expertise and useful tools to accelerate their digital agendas," said Antonio Neri, President and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise.



The HPE Digital Life Garage will be used by the entire HPE Middle East and South Africa, MESA, team and its sponsoring partners as a place to collaborate and identify ways to advance the way people live and work.



While the world is starting to recover from COVID-19, the HPE Digital Life Garage is launching "return to work" initiatives together with its partners. One example is the development of COVID-19 symptom detection kits that will help organisations track and trace potentially infected individuals, supporting their efforts to return employees to their offices safely.



"Our partners played a vital role in achieving the goals set out by this initiative and in the success of the Digital Life Garages co-innovation model. Since the launch, we have been working closely with over a dozen partners, including start-ups, universities and service providers, to bring different customer aspirations to life," added Ahmad Alkhallafi, Managing Director for UAE, HPE.
BEIJING - They have the largest economies in the world. They spend more than anyone else on their militaries. From high-tech chips to control of the high seas, their interests are closely intertwined.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/7/2020 (541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Chinese policemen march past the former United States Consulate in Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan province on Monday, July 27, 2020. Chinese authorities took control of the former U.S. consulate in the southwestern Chinese city on Monday after it was ordered closed amid rising tensions between the global powers. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

BEIJING - They have the largest economies in the world. They spend more than anyone else on their militaries. From high-tech chips to control of the high seas, their interests are closely intertwined.

The ongoing sharp deterioration in U.S.-China ties poses risks to both countries and the rest of the world. In the latest escalation, a U.S. consulate in Chengdu in southwestern China shuttered Monday, ordered by China to close in retaliation for the U.S. shutting down its consulate in Houston last week.

With the U.S. presidential campaign heating up, all bets are that relations with China will only get worse. A look at what's at stake:

TRADE

Both countries already have suffered heavy losses in a tariff war that erupted in 2018 over Beijings technology ambitions and trade surplus. If talks on ending the dispute fail, the world could face downward pressure on trade at a time when the global economy is already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

The United States is China's biggest single-country export market, even after President Donald Trump imposed punitive tariffs on Chinese goods. And China is the No. 3 market for American exporters, as well as a huge market for goods and services produced in China by U.S. companies ranging from General Motors Co. to Burger King.

Chinese purchases of American farm goods, semiconductors and other goods declined 11.4% last year but still exceeded $100 billion. Exports to China support just under 1 million American jobs, according to the U.S.-China Business Council, though that was down 10% from 2017s peak.

A worker tries to remove the plaque from the United States Consulate near a Chinese paramilitary policeman on guard in Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan province on Sunday, July 26, 2020. The ongoing sharp deterioration in U.S.-China ties poses risks to both countries and the rest of the world. In the latest escalation, a U.S. consulate in Chengdu in southwestern China shuttered Monday, ordered by China to close in retaliation for the U.S. shutting down its consulate in Houston last week. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

China is the biggest export market for Iowa and other American farm states, which were slammed when Beijing suspended imports of soybeans and raised tariffs on pork and other goods.

That briefly boosted sales for soybean exporters in Brazil and Argentina, though China resumed buying lower-priced American beans under the "Phase 1" trade truce signed in January.

But if the two can't resolve broader differences on trade, it will be a blow not only to their exporters but also to other Asian economies that supply Chinas factories with raw materials and components.

___

TECHNOLOGY

U.S. and Chinese producers of telecom, computer, medical and other technology and their markets are tightly interwoven. Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and others rely on Chinese factories to assemble most of their smartphones, computers and other consumer electronics. Those factories need processor chips and other components from the United States, Japan, Taiwan and Europe.

The disruption caused by moves including the Trump administrations curbs on Chinese tech giant Huaweis access to U.S. components and technology threatens to disrupt those flows and cost suppliers, including Silicon Valley companies, billions of dollars in lost revenue.

China is also a top market for Apple and other U.S. tech brands, and is increasingly becoming a technology competitor with its own brands in smartphones, medical equipment and other fields.

The United States often is the top market for China's highest-value-added goods. Beijing has been urging exporters to find other markets, but many say Asian and even European markets wont buy such high-value goods.

___

SECURITY

While the U.S. has long been the predominant military power in the Pacific, China now has two operational aircraft carriers and an arsenal of missiles seen as a threat to U.S. vessels and bases in the region.

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Military tensions have largely focused on the South China Sea, a crucial waterway that is the subject of overlapping territorial claims by China and several smaller Asian nations.

In 2018, a Chinese destroyer came perilously close to colliding with a U.S. destroyer, the USS Decatur, while executing what the Navy called an "unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvr" in the South China Sea.

A Chinese fighter jet collided with a U.S. Navy surveillance plane in international airspace over the South China Sea in 2001, leading to major diplomatic incident after the U.S. plane made an emergency landing on a Chinese island.

Taiwan is another potential flashpoint. China claims the self-governing island as its territory, to be taken by force if necessary. The U.S. is bound by its own law to ensure the island has a credible defence and has approved military sales to Taiwan under Trump.

Taiwans foreign minister said last week that Chinese military flights near the island have been taking place on a near-daily basis, more frequently than previously reported.

Washington upped the ante earlier this month by declaring that it did not recognize most of Chinas maritime claims in the South China Sea, a break with its previous policy of not taking a stance on the sovereignty disputes.
Members of various organisations, including 'Friends of India', came together to hold massive anti-China protests for atrocities in Tibet, Hong Kong, and arrest of Canadians near Chinese Consulate in Vancouver on Sunday.

Members of various organisations in Vancouver, including those from Tibetan diaspora and Indian origin, staged a protest against Beijing near the Chinese Consulate Office at Vancouver Art Gallery on July 26.

The organizations which joined the protests included Canada Tibet Committee and the Tibetan Community, Friends of Canada and India Organization, Global Pinoy Diaspora Canada, Vancouver Society of Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights in China, Vancouver Society in support of democratic movement (VSSDM), and Vancouver Uyghur Association.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions each society was allowed to bring a maximum of 50 people only.

Meanwhile, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police urged the protestors not to travel in Chinese Airlines especially those going through Hong Kong.

Also read: China is using CPEC to take over Paks politics: Report

Also read: Xinjiang likely another Bangladesh waiting to happen, says activist

Protestors, majorly belonging to the Vancouver-based Friends of India organization, had previously gathered outside the Chinese consulate here on July 4, calling for the release of detained Canadians  Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig  in China.

The protestors were of the view that their group is getting bigger and societies from other communities have also started joining them as well.

Also read: China funding North-East insurgent groups along Myanmar-Thailand border: European think-tank

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The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission suspended liquor permits at 18 bars over the weekend, including six in Houston, as part of an enforcement sweep after several hundred owners said they would open in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbotts closure orders.

A spokesman for the commission said Monday the agency still investigating whether the violations were related to the protest, known as Freedom Fest, which was organized by a Fort Worth bar owner. The commission conducted 1,600 inspections over the weekend, about twice as many as normal.

Each of the 18 citations will result in at least a 30-day liquor license suspension.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Chris Polone, the owner who organized the protest, told the Fort Worth Star-Tribune that about 800 bar owners had promised to participate. They agreed to follow recommended safety measures, such as maintaining social distancing and taking customers temperatures before entering. Some did not serve alcohol.

In Beaumont, Bobby Parham Jr., the owner of the Soggy Bottom Saloon, confirmed Monday that his bar was among those hit with a temporary suspension after he opened Saturday.

I expected it, he said. Im totally fine with it. I understand I was in violation of the GA-28 order. But Ive done it to make a statement and hopefully get things changed.

Parham said he doesnt agree with Abbotts opinion that opening his bar amounts to a threat to the public welfare.

Squeezes in Beaumont was also cited as were five bars in the Houston area: Lazy H in Liberty, Stetsons Night Life in Humble, Down on Main Street in Baytown, This Bar in Crosby and The Jailhouse Saloon in Spring.

After allowing bars to open in May, Abbott closed them again in late June amid a statewide surge in COVID-19 cases. He has acknowledged having opened bars too soon as part of the states reopening.

A spokesman for Abbott, who bar owners are suing over the closures, did not respond to a request for comment. The Republican governor has not said when he plans to allow bars to reopen.

Thomas Scott contributed reporting from Beaumont.
The Israeli Hermes 900 UAV is now available in a version (Hermes 900 StarLiner) that is equipped to operate in commercial (civilian) airspace. The StarLiner is equipped with sensors and communications that comply with NATO STANAG 4671 rules covering what a UAV must be capable of to operate in the same airspace as commercial aviation. Achieving this has long been possible but it is expensive and the acceptance tests for a UAV model are also exhaustive, grueling and expensive.

STANAG 4671 is currently the most exacting standard and enables a compliant UAV to operate over European commercial air space. Meeting that standard is usually acceptable to most other nations and this makes StarLiner even easier to sell to export customers. To meet STANAG 4671 StarLiner had to be equipped with a radar that has RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) DAA (Detect and Avoid) capability. This means the UAV must be able to avoid commercial aircraft that are aware of the UAVs presence or not (non-cooperative DAA). The most common problems are with single or twin-engine turboprop general aviation (privately owned) aircraft piloted by certified but non-professional pilots. These aircraft account for a disproportionate number of inflight accidents and near-misses. Commercial pilots are well aware of this problem and are less concerned about STANAG 4671 compliant UAVs.

Problems most often arise in congested airspace where less experienced amateur pilots, flying aircraft equipped with fewer sensors and collision avoidance equipment are a known danger. STANAG 4671 compliant UAVs have to be able to detect and get out of the way of these amateur pilots without causing problems for any other aircraft. What it comes down to is that STANAG 4671 compliant UAVs need triple redundancy in all systems having to do with its ability to avoid collisions. Israel is trying to get out in front of this need and become the world leader in producing STANAG 4671 compliant UAVs.

Hermes 900 has been in service since 2012 but it wasnt until August 2017 that it finally completed all its acceptance tests. With the Israelis, an aircraft can be in service for years before it is able to take and pass all of the tests for the capabilities and equipment it was designed to use. This allows the new aircraft to get operational experience, often in a combat zone, so that the design can be tweaked and different accessories tried out under realistic conditions. This enabled the StarLiner to achieve STANAG 4671 compliance in a relatively short time.

Currently over a hundred Hermes 900s are operational or on order for the Israeli Air Force and at least six export customers. Hermes 900 officially entered Israeli Air Force service in 2015. Hermes 900, like other large Israeli UAVs, is also made available, via a British company, for lease and they are popular peacekeeping operations. For example, three of them arrived in Mali (Africa) during 2017 to serve with a UN peacekeeping force. The 900 is popular for maritime patrol and can even carry automatically-inflating life rafts that can be dropped to survivors of a maritime accident.

Israeli aircraft manufacturer Elbit conducted the first flight test of the Hermes 900 in 2009 and it saw heavy use during the 2014 war with Hamas in Gaza. This Hermes 900 is similar in size (and appearance) to the American Predator (both weighing 1.1 tons), but the Israeli UAV is built mainly for endurance. The Hermes 900 can stay in the air for 36 hours and has a payload of 300 kg (650 pounds). This means that, with its cruising speed of 125 kilometers an hour, the Hermes 900 has a max range of 4,500 kilometers and a max ceiling of 9,100 meters (30,000 feet). That last bit is important, because one of the export customers is Switzerland and the good high-altitude performance was a key reason for the sale.

The Hermes 900 has a wingspan of 15 meters, length of 8.3 meters and max speed to 220 kilometers an hour. The 900 is basically a stretched and bulked up Hermes 450, which is a 450 kg (992 pound) aircraft, with a payload of 150 kg. It can also carry Hellfire missiles. The Hermes 450 is 6.5 meters (20 feet), long and has an 11.3-meter (35 foot) wingspan. It can stay in the air for up to 20 hours per sortie and fly as high as 6,500 meters (20,000 feet). The Hermes 450 is the primary heavy UAV for the Israeli armed forces and has been in service since the late 1990s.

The Hermes 900, like most UAVs, is sold as system package. Each Hermes 900 system consists of three UAVs, ground control and maintenance gear. Depending on accessories and (for export) the maintenance and training package each Hermes 900 system costs $15-20 million, with the StarLiner costing more.
Google employees can continue to work from home until July 2021, making it the first major tech company to extend its remote-work arrangement into next summer in response to the global coronavirus pandemic.

In an email to employees Monday morning, Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote: "To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that don't need to be in the office."

The announcement extends the company's previous arrangement that workers would return to offices by January 2021.

According to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, the extension will affect "nearly all" of parent company Alphabet's 200,000 employees, including contractors and full-time workers, across the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, and major offices in the U.S., U.K., India, Brazil and elsewhere.

The company has already reopened 42 offices around the world, CNN Business reports, including smaller offices in countries less affected by the pandemic, such as Australia, Greece and Thailand.

Per the Journal, Pichai came to the decision after discussing plans with an internal group of top executives. He was reportedly swayed to extend the voluntary remote option after considering employees whose families must plan for an uncertain academic year that may involve home-schooling, as well as renters needing to determine their next 12-month lease agreements.

"I know it hasn't been easy," Pichai wrote in the staff memo, after the Journal reported the impending extension. "I hope this will offer the flexibility you need to balance work with taking care of yourselves and your loved ones over the next 12 months."

Google was one of the first large companies to recommend employees work from home in early March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The company has previously said workers with special considerations, such as those taking care of family members, will be given more time to return when offices reopen.

In May, Pichai told Wired that Google doesn't plan to go fully remote in the future. Given this stance, Mehul Patel, CEO of the tech jobs site Hired, says Google's work-from-home extension is a "fairly predictable alternative."

"I'm not surprised by this since [Pichai] previously made it clear he had no intentions to allow employees to work from home permanently," Patel tells CNBC Make It. "It also makes sense when you consider how much hardware development Google does. We tend to immediately associate Google with online search, Google maps and other software products, but there's a whole lot of hardware development going on over there that's very difficult to do in a remote setting, so I think that likely played a role in their decision to keep their physical offices."

Meanwhile, Twitter made headlines early May when it announced employees could work from home "forever" if they wish, even after the risk of the pandemic subsides. Shortly after, Facebook announced eligible employees can request a permanent remote-work arrangement, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg estimates half of the organization will continue to work remotely within the next five to 10 years.

Other major tech companies including Amazon and Apple have asked workers to return in January 2021. But Patel says he's "absolutely" certain more major tech companies will push their return-to-office dates farther into 2021 as well.

"A lot of companies tend to wait and see what these tech giants will do and then use those signals to inform their own strategies," Patel says. "Whether they follow Google's lead or Facebook's will really depend on their own businesses' unique needs, as remote work will mean something different to every company. Some might be 100% remote, others might have distributed teams but keep a central office, some might choose to have teams work from home but only in the same time zone  there are myriad ways to approach it, but I firmly believe that remote work will remain a key business initiative for the foreseeable future."

He says Google's announcement of a return-to-office date, albeit a delayed one, might be a blow to tech workers hoping fully remote arrangements will become the norm, particularly in Silicon Valley.

"Google's announcement is one of the first signals that if you do leave [the Bay Area], you could forfeit certain professional opportunities  such as the chance to work at Google," Patel says. "On the employer side, if you're a company based in Silicon Valley and you decide to embrace permanent remote work, you could use that as a selling point to attract tech talent who have already decided to leave the Bay Area.

"Without a doubt," Patel says, "embracing remote work gives employers access to a much broader talent pool, and in turn opens the doors for great candidates who live outside the Bay Area to land jobs at companies they were previously geographically restricted from."

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ELKINS PARK, Pa.  A man has been charged in the shooting deaths of his wife and mother-in-law in a home near Philadelphia in which two small children were also present, authorities said.

The Montgomery County district attorney's office said Sunday police called to a Cheltenham Township home shortly after noon Saturday found 41-year-old Latiya Clea and 74-year-old Mekenda Saunders deceased in the living room.

County and township detectives allege in an affidavit of probable cause that 57-year-old Frederick Clea told officers he "went too far" and shot the victims. Two children, ages 5 and 10, who came to the door of the Wyncote home appeared to be unharmed, investigators said.

Township and county detectives allege that the defendant told them he began arguing with his wife over a misplaced magazine for the firearm, and at a certain point he "just started shooting."

A gun was recovered and an autopsy indicated the younger woman had been shot five times and the older woman once, authorities said. Both deaths were ruled homicides. Authorities said police had been called to the home twice before due to domestic disputes.

Authorities said Clea was to be charged with murder and related counts. He was taken to the county prison pending an Aug. 6 preliminary hearing. Its unclear whether he has an attorney; listed numbers for him werent in service Sunday.
Cancel culture alert: Target these racist organizations

By Mark Alexander



Amid all the woke "cancel culture" desecration and destruction of our nation's history, it's apparent that our "higher educational institutions" have succeeded in dumbing down most of the Millennial generation of privileged white leftists. The latest targets of these oh-so-woke BLM "Burn, Loot, Murder" cadres of black supremacists and their white frontline agitators are organizations with any remote connection to long-past racist or racial insensitivity.

Demonstrating their monumental ignorance, they've gone after iconic brands like the NFL's Redskins, the Broadway hit "Hamilton," those universities founded by racists, and so much more. Dennis Prager adds: "Uncle Ben, Aunt Jemima, Ulysses Grant, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, 'whitening' agents, meritocracy, Western culture and Christianity."

In order to avoid resistance to their agenda, these fascist leftists would especially like to cancel cops.

But in their effort to cancel America, they've missed some prime targets. In Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals, he declared, "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules."

In that spirit, here are a few additional organizations that require immediate cancellation  but won't receive it. As it turns out, leftist "cancel culture" is very selective, and when it comes to their political advocates and Leftmedia propagandists, they get a pass.

For example, it's time to cancel The New York Times.

The Times is the epicenter of Leftmedia print propagandists, the true "enemy of the people." So corrupt has the Gray Lady become that, earlier this month, a highly regarded contributing editor and writer, Bari Weiss, resigned in protest. Apparently, she'd finally had enough of being called a Nazi, a racist, and a bigot by her own colleagues.

In other words, the cancel-culture crowd loves the Times. And what's not to love? Having received a Pulitzer puff trophy for staff racist Nikole Hannah-Jones's shoddy 1619 pseudo-history, last week the editors announced they would further appease the "anti-racist" racists by capitalizing the "B" in black whenever making the racial distinction.

Now that's white privilege!

It's interesting that this decision came in the same week that New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin published this inconvenient truth: "The family that owns the New York Times were slaveholders."

Oops. Turns out that Bertha Levy Ochs, mother of Times founder Adolph Ochs, was an advocate for slavery and her family owned slaves. Ochs, who started the Chattanooga Times before he bought the failing New York Times, wrote in 1900 that the racist Democratic Party "may justly insist that the evils of negro suffrage were wantonly inflicted on them." He funded Confederate monuments, including the Stone Mountain Memorial to Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson, and Robert E. Lee. Regarding his mother's affinity for the latter, he wrote, "Robert E. Lee was her idol."

Cancel 'em, or at least distribute the company stock to their former slaves' descendants. After all, the Times's 1619 Project asserts that the nation was founded on the backs of slaves.

And how about that other paragon of journalistic objectivity, The Washington Post?

I was amused to see that the WaPo ran a column on Washington and Lee University recently, asserting, "Both namesakes of Washington and Lee University perpetrated racial terror. The school should be renamed." That would be George Washington and Robert E. Lee. So I guess if one's organization includes just one name of a person who "perpetrated racial terror"  like, say, the WASHINGTON Post  then it's OK to keep the name?

WaPo is owned by one of our nation's four Archenemies of Liberty, billionaire leftist Jeff Bezos, who also owns Amazon. When the cancel crowd is done with WaPo, they can start with Amazon!

On to bigger racist targets  the cancel-culture mob should go after Planned Parenthood, which has, for almost a century, targeted millions of preborn black babies "to create a race of thoroughbreds" and keep America white!

As you might recall, the atheist social activist and leftist icon Margaret Sanger, who founded the American Birth Control League in 1921, which changed its name to Planned Parenthood in 1942, was an abject racist. Sanger blamed ministry to the poor, a fundamental tenet of Christianity, for excessive numbers of "unwanted" ethnic breeds.

According to Sanger: "Those vast, complex, interrelated organizations aiming to control and to diminish the spread of misery and destitution and all the menacing evils that spring out of this sinisterly fertile soil, are the surest sign that our civilization has bred, is breeding, and is perpetuating constantly increasing numbers of defectives, delinquents, and dependents. My criticism, therefore, is not directed at the failure of philanthropy, but rather at its success. These dangers are inherent in the very idea of humanitarianism and altruism, dangers which have today produced their full harvest of human waste."

Ah, yes, "human waste." She advocated policies that ensured "more children from the fit, less from the unfit" in order to "to create a race of thoroughbreds." Of black people, Sanger wrote, "We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members."

That explains why the PP abortion mills end the lives of a grossly disproportionate number of black babies. In fact, more than 20 million black children have been aborted, which is more than the entire black population in America during the 1960s Civil Rights movement. But don't let "any of their more rebellious members" know about it.

No small irony that its most vociferous defender, The New York Times, announced last Tuesday that [Planned Parenthood is officially trying to distance itself from its racist history. That only took 99 years!

Too late. Cancel 'em!

And what about the right of women to vote? What, you say?

After the War Between the States, the Suffragettes turned on Frederick Douglass for daring to suggest they should support the 15th Amendment, which gave black men full citizenship and equal rights under the law, including the right to vote.

In 1869, Susan B. Anthony let her racist sentiments shine, chastising Douglass: "If you will not give the whole loaf of justice to the entire people ... then give it first to women, to the most intelligent and capable portion of the women." But certainly not to black women...

In fact, Anthony and her Suffragette partner, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, also refused to support the 14th Amendment. Stanton wrote Douglass, "Think of Sambo who does not know the difference between a Monarchy and a republic, who never read the Declaration of Independence or Webster's spelling book, making laws for educated refined women ... the daughters of Adams and Jefferson." Stanton's position was that the black woman would be better off as an educated white man's slave than be free with a black man.

In the 1913 Great Women's Suffrage Parade in Washington, Alice Paul, the organizer, decreed the parade must be segregated and insisted that black women in attendance march at the rear. Declared Paul, "I believe a large part if not the majority of our marchers will refuse to participate if negroes in any number form part of the parade."

Time to cancel women's right to vote!

Finally, no cancel-fest would be complete without noting the granddaddy of all racist organizations  the Democrat Party itself!

Recently, Demo candidate Joe Biden came up out of his basement and declared: "White supremacy should be rooted out and relegated to the pages of history  not promoted by the President of the United States."

Given the violent racist history of the Democrat Party, shouldn't any and all references to it be "canceled" and stricken from history  and anyone associated with this racist party tarred and feathered?

Democrats were, are, and will continue to be the party of black oppression.

Republicans emancipated black people in the 19th century. After the War Between the States, Democrats became the party of racist oppression for the next century. And in the 55 years since the beginning of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, the abject policy failure of the Democrats' so-called "Great Society" is still enslaving black people on what amount to socialist urban poverty plantations.

And, no, the old racist Democrats didn't "switch" to the Republican Party.

The Democrat Party is still run by wealthy white leftists, and their policies still oppress black people. Arguably, the Democrat Party is now, simultaneously, the author and beneficiary of generations of "systemic racism."

Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post.
A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has told the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, to address the al...

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has told the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, to address the allegations of corruption against him.





Dogara said this while waving aside claims by the state government that he was being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.





Dogara dismissed the claim as nothing but components of a smear campaign sponsored by state government and its minions.





Recall that the former Speaker had in his letter of resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, published on Sunday raised numerous corruption allegations against the Governor.

In a statement signed by his Spokesman, Turaki Hassan, and made available on Monday, Dogara pointed out that it has been over a year since he left office as Speaker with an unblemished record of service.





If there is any evidence of corruption against the former Speaker, it should be published by those who make claim of its existence or forever keep their peace, the statement added.





It is public knowledge that Dogara, other than for official purposes as Speaker of the House of Representatives, did not and still does not have any business with the EFCC or Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), unlike Bala Mohammed and his children who were regular guests at EFCC and Kuje Prison for months.





Governor Bala should take this as a challenge to activate his contacts acquired while in detention at the anti-graft agency to make public any evidence of fraud or corruption against Dogara or any report indicting him.





The statement further challenged the Governor to make public the purported appreciation letter for the gift of any vehicle received by Dogara.





Governor Mohammed, rather than hiring paid minions to hurl insults and make false allegations against the person of Hon Dogara, would do well to scrap up bits of honour left in him by addressing the charges of corruption and self-enrichment listed in the resignation letter of Dogara as hiring paid minions to whitewash him will make no impact on Nigerians and indeed Bauchi people.





The former Speaker challenged the Governor to address the allegations of corruption against him with 48 hours if he has nothing to hide, advising him to begin with records that he (Mohammed) used a company in which he was a director to execute a N4.6 billion vehicle purchase contract.




Most real estate agents will tell you that home inspectors are essential to closing a deal. Inspectors are hired to thoroughly examine a house and point out any flaws. Everything from cracked and shifting foundations to HVAC problems will be listed in the inspection report. It is also not unusual for inspectors to find water damage, aging roofs and nonfunctioning ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) reset buttons. In older homes, especially in rural areas, the wiring is often a problem. Other common issues include:

 Poor grading and drainage

 Inadequate gutters

 Faulty plumbing

 Substandard ventilation

 Poor upkeep

I recently talked with two San Antonio home inspectors about some of the typical  and not so typical things they've come across while inspecting properties.

Mustafa Aktepe, a franchise owner with National Property Inspections (NPI) Northwest San Antonio, said one issue he's seen a lot since he began inspecting homes in San Antonio this year is penetrations through wall siding. Insufficient insulation, missing smoke alarms, loose faucets and P-trap problems also top his list. Among the oddest things he's seen was a house where the panel used to disconnect the air conditioning was mounted between an outside column and an exterior wall. "Whoever installed this was a genius, I don't know why he put it there," said Aktepe. "I've seen plumbing leaks and stuff like that, but this kind of stuff is very odd."

Odd doesn't begin to describe some of the things Reginald Turk, president of Forensic Home Inspections, has seen in his 15-year career. His company inspects homes in San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. Turk said he often sees older homes that have been renovated for flipping and look great on the outside but have many structural problems such as galvanized piping that rusts from within.

When asked about the most unusual thing he's seen during an inspection, Turk had more than one story to tell. Early in his career before coming to San Antonio, he inspected properties in Chicago, Detroit and Georgia. "I have discovered two dead bodies in a basement, one in Detroit another in Chicago," Turk said. "Of course, I was shocked." He said it was winter in both cities at the time of the inspections, so the vacant properties were very cold. After calling the authorities and explaining why he was there, in both cases, Turk was able to complete the inspection at a later date.

While examining the sub-basement of a historic property in McDonough, Georgia, Turk said he saw chains and locks used for slaves still attached and embedded into the walls. "Initially, when I saw it, it didn't dawn on me what they were there for," he said. "Being Black, it was rather sad; it was a feeling where, Oh my gosh! This really happened." Turk said he has no doubt that the chains and locks he saw were used to restrain slaves.

Not nearly as shocking, but still surprising was the time Turk ran into squatters living in a house that had recently been sold. And while on the job in Atlanta, he quickly figured out that the large, old house he was inspecting had once been a funeral home. Again, he found something unexpected in the basement; this time, it was several rotted caskets and morgue tables. Turk said he recognized the morgue tables because his family had owned funeral homes. He thought he might have to call the authorities, so he opened the caskets  but this time no corpses. "These were properties that were not ordinary inspections," he said. "We kind of do the extraordinary things."

While homes in the San Antonio area generally don't have basements, some do have crawl spaces. Turk said all he's ever found in a crawl space is a snake or raccoon.

For more information about Forensic Home Inspections, go to https://www.forensichomeinspections.com/

For NPI Northwest San Antonio, visit npiweb.com/nwsanantonio.

Lisa.harrison@express-news.net
A popular resort town in Austria has imposed a curfew and urged people to avoid going out as it grapples with a possible second-wave of the coronavirus.

The dpa news agency reported Sunday that hundreds of people have already been tested in the town of St. Wolfgang, east of Salzburg, after the outbreak was first detected Friday. At least 44 of those have tested positive, many of whom are interns working in the tourism industry.

Theyre thought to have become infected while partying in the towns bars, two of which have now been temporarily closed to prevent further spread. A curfew of 11 PM has also been imposed until further notice.

Austria had relaxed many coronavirus restrictions in recent weeks, but has seen a rise in the number of infections lately. Summer festivals including The Verbier Festival in Switzerland was cancelled, as was the prestigious Ojai Festival in California. Salzburg cancelled its Whitsun festival in mid-April. The Salzburg festival, one of the worlds most prestigious summer platforms for classical music, opera, and theatre, kept their plans in place in accordance to pandemic safety guidelines.

The Austrian government declared in June that 100 people were allowed to gather, then 250 in July, and up to 500, even 1,000, in August, depending on the venue of the festival. Salzburgs directors announced they would put on an abbreviated program, with 90 performances spread over 30 days, according to a Bloomberg report.

Austria, which briefly had a spike of 1,000 cases a day in March, has now crushed its infection rate: Just 12 people in the entire country tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, according to a report by the World Health Organization.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz last week announced that Austria was reintroducing mandatory face masks again in supermarkets, smaller grocery stores, post offices and banks.

In an unrelated outbreak across the border, a large farm in the German state of Bavaria has been put under quarantine after 174 farmhands tested positive. Authorities say the outbreak in Mamming is not believed to have spread outside the farm.

-- with inputs from Associated Press

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(Natural News) China has created an Orwellian surveillance state that monitors and oppresses religious communities and other minorities living within its borders, a report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has said.

The USCIRF, in a virtual hearing, noted that the Chinese government under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using surveillance and advanced data analytics technology to oppress religious groups. They referenced the hundreds of millions of surveillance cameras the government has installed across the country, as well as the facial and voice recognition systems it allegedly uses to distinguish and track cultural and religious minorities such as Uyghurs, Tibetans, and now, Christians.

Authorities have systematically installed cameras in churches to identify and target anyone who attends services, USCIRF chairperson Gayle Manchin said. She added that religious freedom in China has only gotten worse under the leadership of President Xi Jinping.

Technology has made the CCPs religious persecution worse

In her statement during the hearing, Manchin noted that while the USCIRF has observed rampant religious persecution in China since its inception in 1998, nothing has come close to what they are seeing now under Xis iron-fisted rule.

Throughout the country, Chinese authorities have raided underground house churches, arrested Christians who refuse to join the state-run churches, and banned children younger than 18 years old from attending services, she explained. (Related: Google now colluding with Communist China to crush freedom of religion by rigging religious freedom search results.)

According to Manchin, while advancements in technology are often expected to be harnessed for the greater good and the advancement of society, the exact opposite is whats happening in China.

The Communist Party is deliberately using technology to undermine religious freedom and other fundamental rights.

Commission Vice-Chair Tony Perkins, meanwhile, noted that the CCP is actively using artificial intelligence systems to combine important data from different sources such as surveillance footage, facial and voice recognition software, GPS tracking, and others, all in a bid to track the movements of certain religious communities.

According to Perkins, this has gone to such an extent that state forces have even installed cameras on the pulpits of churches and other places of worship, in order to allow the CCP to identify and monitor anyone who attends religious services.

Chris Meserole, Deputy Director of Brookings Institutions Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative, agrees, adding that the CCP has harnessed digital technologies in order to make its repression of religion more effective.

Meserole stated that, while the CCP had long been able to repress public forms of religious organizations, practices, identities and beliefs in urban areas, privately-held religious rites such as the ones held in ones residence, were, until very recently, difficult to monitor.

Digital technology has changed all of that.

As processors, sensors, and cameras have proliferated, the extent of religious life that the CCP can surveil has expanded dramatically, Meserole said, adding that Washington must start pushing back against the Partys religious persecution against minorities, which is part and parcel of its dangerous and repressive brand of digital authoritarianism.

We owe it to the victims of religious repression in those regions to ensure that their experiences remain an exception rather than a normalized form of social and political control.

China: An incubator for religious persecution

This is not the first time that Beijing came under fire for its repressive stance on religion.

Two years ago, the Partys cadre in Jiangxi province launched a campaign urging those who live in the countys sprawling urban poor communities to take down religious imagery in their homes and replace them with portraits of Xi Jinping. Doing so, authorities said, will allow them to benefit from the Partys poverty-relief efforts.

Qi Yan, the person in charge of the poverty-relief drive, said the campaign was meant to serve as a reminder for Christian families about the efforts and sacrifices of the Party as well as the concern that Xi has for their well-being.

Many rural people are ignorant. They think God is their savior  After our cadres work, theyll realize their mistakes and think: we should no longer rely on Jesus, but on the party for help, Qi explained, adding that the removal of the images was voluntary and that they can still hang up images of Jesus inside their private rooms.

They still have the freedom to believe in religion, but in their minds, they should [also] trust our party, Qi said in an interview with the South China Morning Post.

A member of the Three-Self Church  the CCPs official Protestant denomination  has confirmed that this practice is still happening today.

Impoverished religious households cant receive money from the state for nothing  they must obey the Communist Party for the money they receive, the Three-Self member, who wished to remain anonymous, said, noting an incident wherein several families were told to hang up posters featuring Mao Zedong, who ruled China for 27 years as the head of the Communist Party.

As part of its mandate to Sinicise all religions to ensure their faithfulness to the state, the Party has also ordered the bulldozing of several churches, such as the one in Henan Province, which was razed to the ground by over 200 Party officials using heavy machinery.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has since condemned China for its ongoing war on faith, citing the mass detentions of Uyghurs and the repression of Tibetans and Buddhists and Falun Gong and Christians as pertinent examples.

The Chinese Communist Party is now ordering religious organizations to obey CCP leadership and infuse communist dogma into their teachings and practice of their faith, Pompeo said, citing the 2019 International Religious Freedom Report.

According to the report, Chinese government officials were found to have subjected members of religious groups to torture, abuse, illegal arrests and detentions, forced indoctrination and harassment due to their participation in activities related to their religious beliefs and practices.

Follow Tyranny.news to learn more about how Chinas oppressive regime suppresses dissent.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

SCMP.com

CatholicNewsAgency.com

OpenDoorsUSA.org

ChinaAid.org

FoxNews.com

State.gov
To help restart the economy and pay it forward, Liberty Two Degrees (L2D) launched its #CreateTomorrow campaign late last month across its retail portfolio, which includes Sandton City, Nelson Mandela Square, Eastgate Shopping Centre, Liberty Midlands Mall and Liberty Promenade, co-owned alongside Liberty Group Limited, and Pareto Limited in the case of Sandton City.

Amelia Beattie, chief executive, Liberty Two Degrees

Paying it forward

"From providing small business with a platform to trade, to paying it forward to those most vulnerable, how we rebound is in our hands."

Individual shopping centre initiatives include:

Sandton City has partnered with the Rays of Hope to provide work for unemployed members of the Alexandra community. It has also partnered with SA Fashion Week to sell designer masks where proceeds go to seamstresses, pattern-makers, designers and fashion students impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.



Eastgate Shopping Centre, in collaboration with its Farm District, has launched the buy one, donate one fresh produce box project. For every mixed box of fresh produce bought, one is donated to the centres local soup kitchen.

L2D's five building blocks that guide the organisation's thinking are:

Smart Spaces  Creating smart environments that integrate technology to enhance customer and tenant experience.



 Creating smart environments that integrate technology to enhance customer and tenant experience. Immersive Spaces  Creating lively human-centric spaces that bring together customers and experiences to create memorable stories.



 Creating lively human-centric spaces that bring together customers and experiences to create memorable stories. Inclusive Spaces  Creating a feeling of common ownership through sharing of social values and promoting happiness, health and wellbeing.



 Creating a feeling of common ownership through sharing of social values and promoting happiness, health and wellbeing. On-demand Spaces - Reimagining the physical network.



- Reimagining the physical network. Good Spaces - Embracing an agile operating model.

Other #CreateTomorrow initiatives include:

Liberty Midlands Mall is hosting a collection drive in support of Community Chest, a Pietermaritzburg-based charity which enhances communities and restores hope amongst them.



Liberty Promenade is uplifting local organisations and schools with outreach programmes to the vulnerable in the Mitchells Plain community.

"#CreateTomorrow is very much an ongoing campaign, because we know rebuilding will take time, and we are in it for as long as it takes.

As part of the campaign, shopping centre co-owners have committed to donating 50% of all shopping centre parking revenue to the OnePeople Fund, an initiative which provides food to vulnerable communities countrywide. Each shopping centre has also embarked on individual impact initiatives within their respective regions."#CreateTomorrow is focused on rebuilding, recreating and forging a new economy while uplifting communities in need," says Amelia Beattie, chief executive of L2D, explaining the goals of the campaign."Taking a look at the way life has changed during these unprecedented times and knowing that retail is being greatly affected, we wanted to instil a sense of community and upliftment by collaborating with our shoppers and tenants to #CreateTomorrow and rewrite our objectives," says Beattie."This campaign was designed to assist our tenants transition into a new normal, and support them and they, too, endeavour to rebuild tomorrow. It was designed as a platform to listen, to collaborate and to pay it forward.""We are excited about all of them, naturally," says Beattie, "as all are focused on upliftment and align to our Inclusive Spaces building block which aims to create a feeling of ownership among our communities through sharing social values and promoting health, happiness and well-being.""Our building blocks are all underpinned by Safe Spaces," says Beattie. "Safe Spaces is our focus on the safety of our customers, tenants and service providers in our mall environments. Safe Spaces has never been more relevant, given the current circumstances, and our malls have put various safety measures in place to ensure that our mall environments remain open and trading.""Every activation/project/campaign we will be embarking on during the Covid-19 pandemic will be rooted in rebuilding, reimagining and upliftment," says Beattie."The emergence from the lockdown allows us the opportunity to reset, rebuild and redefine what tomorrow looks like. To us, 'Create Tomorrow' means co-creating this new tomorrow filled with new connections, different experiences, refreshed conversations and a restored pride, appreciation and care for our communities, stakeholders and country, while incorporating new and exciting technologies to bring this to life."
August Service Changes and East Village Opening There are two big improvements for RideKC service starting the first week of August. On Sunday, Aug. 2, the East Village Transit Center will open for bus service. Also starting in August, several routes will restore weekday service, or add trips where crowding has been happening due to current schedules.

Here's a hopeful review of a gathering spot for po'folk of all sorts and a rest stop for human misery that will consume a great deal of police resources in the very near future . . . Take a look:
As many as 136 fresh cases of Covid-19 were detected in the district on Monday out of which 121 patients belong to Ludhiana district, while 15 are from other districts. It is the sixth consecutive day that the district has reported more than 100 positive cases.

With this, the total number of positive patients from Ludhiana has gone up to 2,687. Meanwhile, five casualties were also reported from the district on Monday including three male and two female patients, taking the total toll to 65.

The casualties include a 65-year-old woman from Chander Nagar, a 60-year-old man from Halwara village, an 80-year-old woman from Karnail Singh Nagar, a 50-year-old man from Tajpur road and a 74-year-old man from Bal Singh Nagar.

MC JOINT COMMISSIONER RESUMES OFFICE

Joint commissioner of the municipal corporation (MC), Kulpreet Singh, has resumed office after getting cured on Monday. Singh was home quarantined after additional deputy commissioner Amarjit Singh Bains tested positive on July 7. Kulpreet Singh had tested positive July 10.

COUNCILLOR SUKHDEV SHEERA TESTS POSITIVE

Councillor of ward number 42, Sukhdev Singh Sheera, tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday. Sheera got himself tested on Sunday, and samples of his family members were also sent for testing. Earlier, councillors Rakesh Prashar (ward number 64) and Manpreet Grewal (ward number 88) had also tested positive.

GYM COACH OF LODHI CLUB TESTS POSITIVE

Panic gripped Lodhi Club members after the clubs gym coach Rakesh Kumar, deputed at the reception, tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday. Earlier on July 18, a driver of the club had tested positive.

Clubs general secretary Nitin Mahajan said, The driver who tested positive on July 18 had not visited the club since July 7 as he was asked to get his test done. The club is getting the tests of the entire staff done and during this process, the gym coach tested positive on Sunday. The entire staff wears masks and all the precautions are taken. Sanitiser dispensers have been put in place and arrangements have also been made to sanitise the shoes of visitors.




A South Korean study shows a jump in the number of online stock traders seeking help for gambling addiction.

The number rose 200 percent during a two-month period as COVID-19 restrictions and working-from-home gave South Koreans more time to trade stocks during the day.

Individual investors who buy stocks online are known locally as ants. These retail investors were partly responsible for a 50 percent increase in share prices after concerns about the coronavirus led to a sharp price drop in March.

Between the sell-off in March and May, a total of 214 people sought help for trading-related addictive behavior. That information comes from the Korea Center on Gambling Problems. It said that number was part of an overall 16 percent increase in callers seeking help for gambling.

The problem could be a sign of things to come if work-from-home requirements and social distancing become part of normal life, experts warn. Individuals living alone have even fewer ways to get support from friends to control addictive behavior.

Compulsive stock trading also lacks the social pressure that may act to keep people away from more traditional games of chance. However, experts note that the forces driving the two activities are similar.

South Korea has not enforced any stay-at-home measures, even when the virus was spreading quickly through the country in February and March. However, people and businesses have largely followed government guidelines. Many South Koreans have avoided social gatherings and are working from home.

One individual who sought help was a 35-year-old bank employee whose family name is Lee. He had been trading stocks online for over one year. He became an active trader after talking with a friend who claimed to have earned a lot of money buying and selling stocks.

Lee had some success as an online trader. Once he made a profit of several hundred thousand dollars on a single trade. But increased trading time because of Lee working from home resulted in him losing $1 million over five days.

Lee said his wife insisted that he seek help from an expert on gambling addiction.

We tend to see an influx of people seeking help after a huge market dive, said Kim Yeon-su, a treatment manager at the Korea Center on Gambling Problems help center in Seoul.

The number of active investment accounts rose to 2.8 million from the middle of January through mid-July, compared to 1.6 million in the same period last year, records show. Most of these accounts were retail investors or day traders.

One example of the increased activity was the July listing of stock for SK Biopharmaceuticals. Each of the companys shares on offer for retail investors had 323 possible buyers. Their total down-payments, money offered for buying the stock, totaled about $26 billion. Reuters news agency notes that successful buyers saw their investment increase in value by 400 percent in four days.

Investor message boards on South Koreas main internet search engine have high traffic throughout trading hours. Usual posts include I want to become a king ant and I was robbed today as usual.

Mental health experts said trading can become high-pressure gambling. They say there is little to hold back traders when they can trade easily online at home and often using credit.

Shin Young-chul is a mental health expert at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. He said gambling pushes the brain because of immediate, electrifying results.

Some of these people are buying, selling, buying, selling...Invest in stable things, wait three months - they dont do this, Shin said.

Im Mario Ritter, Jr.

Joyce Lee reported this story for Reuters. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

gambling n. games involving risking money for a chance to win more

addiction n. a strong harmful need to regularly do or have something

retail adj. related to the sale of goods to the public in relatively small amounts

overall  adj. general

compulsive adj. not being able to stop or control doing something

influx n. the arrival of large numbers of people or things

account  n. a report or description of an event

stable n. a state of being not easily changed, not gaining or losing value quickly
The app is also being investigated by the Trump administration, with a decision expected within weeks on a US ban, while the Indian government blocked the platform this month. Such moves come at a time of growing anti-Chinese sentiment, from the US-China trade war to Australia's sanctions on Huawei and a recent spate of cyber attacks blamed on the Asian superpower. TikTok has been fiercely campaigning to fix its reputation, with media advertising and letters sent to federal MPs from TikTok Australia's general manager, Lee Hunter. TikTok does not share information of our users in Australia with any foreign government, including the Chinese government, and would not do so if asked, Hunter wrote. TikTok Australia user data is stored in Singapore. 'Its not just a bunch of kids dancing on an app'

Caught in the middle of this geopolitical clash are the young users. Trans advocate and model AJ Clementine, 24, is sceptical and cant see how TikTok's data collection could be any worse than Facebook's or Instagram's. Its no different to other platforms, she says. I feel like everyone is pointing fingers at TikTok just because its a Gen Z-based app  and there are kids on the app and thats the scary part of it for the older generation. Melbourne-based model and trans advocate AJ Clementine says TikTok is a place where young people feel safe. Credit:Johnny Diaz Nicolaidis AJ's following surged last year when she began posting about her experience of gender correction surgery, with each video getting millions of views. She says if TikTok goes, shell just move her content elsewhere, but not without regret. She explains that for her generation, the app is a powerful educational tool that celebrates diversity and inclusivity  and it has been a lifeline for many people grappling with loneliness and mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its not just a bunch of kids dancing on an app  its much deeper than that, she says. But even that in itself, the dances make people feel good  and help young people feel like theyre part of something. TikToks algorithm works by learning what your interests are and showing you more videos of that nature, made by anyone from anywhere. [So] a LGBTI kid will scroll and feel theyre reaching so many people in their community and its really special. It will be hard for another platform to create that, AJ says. Its a place where lots of young people can feel safe  If it does go, its been taken way too soon.

Zachery Dereniowski, 27, is a medical student in Sydney who uses his TikTok account, @mdmotivator, to advocate for mental health. He worries what losing TikTok would mean for those who feel seen on the app. Some messages or comments I see are literally you saved my life or Ive been battling with this for years and Im finally seeking support, he says. I think no other platform can provide this kind of community and love. Loading

'There needs to be a better conversation taking place' Swinburne University senior lecturer Dr Belinda Barnet says the value TikTok holds for young people should not be dismissed. She says while its similar to how previous generations have valued Facebook or MySpace, the way TikTok is used to engage with current events is unique. There are a lot of videos by young people on TikTok commenting on what lockdown is like or how they feel about the Premier and Trump, Barnet says. Its a platform for their voice, which we may not always understand given we have grown up using different platforms.

She says governments and businesses need to be clearer on communicating the importance of privacy and how data is used in a way that makes sense to teenagers. Theyre not understanding the fury over it and I suspect theyre not understanding why the Chinese Communist Party would care why theyve watched 50 Katy Perry spoofs, she says. Musician Abbey Hansen, who went viral on TikTok when she recreated Julia Gillards infamous 2012 misogyny speech, believes the messaging around the app's issues has been poor. If they could actually explain to us, talk to the Australian public about why its dangerous, then maybe it wouldnt come across as so racist [against China], says Hansen, also known as Minorfauna.

The 17-year-old high school kid doing the savage dance isnt going to understand why their content is a security breach. There needs to be a better conversation taking place. We all signed up to Facebook over a decade ago and have been giving away our information for years now. Explain to us why its OK for Mark Zuckerberg to have our information [and not TikTok]. TikTok creators 'concerned and confused' Clare Winterbourn is the founder of agency Born Bred Talent and represents about 70 TikTok influencers, many of whom were panicked by the recent news. Loading

There was a flurry of really concerned and confused young content creators, Winterbourn says. There were also huge amounts of concerns from parents and from brands. She says her business is working off the information provided by TikTok. I have no immediate concerns. Winterbourn says TikTok is an income source for some young people, with creators able to earn $1000-$5000 per sponsored post. However she says she continues to encourage influencers to diversify and not rely on one platform. Twenty-one-year-old Jasmine TXO has turned her full attention to her TikTok career since graduating from RMIT last year. She now has 1.4 million followers on her account, where she makes comedy and dance videos. But on Instagram, she has 20,000. For her, the thought of a TikTok ban was upsetting.

When I first heard the news, I was pretty shocked and nervous, she says. The 'extra layer of concern' with TikTok ANU National Security College senior adviser Katherine Mansted acknowledges that a lot of the conversation about the app has been happening at a really abstract level by a bunch of adults who have never used TikTok and the people affected by this are the creators. But Mansted stresses there are several reasons to be concerned, the first being that all social media companies treat their users as products and collect huge amounts of data from their devices.

Loading She adds that platforms can be exploited by certain groups for unethical purposes. She points to the Cambridge Analytica data breach, which led to private information being used to influence votes in the 2016 US election. Data is so precious. Economically, its the new oil ... And you dont want [social media] manipulating you in dark and silent ways we dont understand. Mansted warns that TikToks Chinese ownership makes these issues more problematic. The extra layer of concern with TikTok is that China views its tech platforms as a way to get control and advance political objectives.

The Chinese version of TikTok, called Douyin, is also owned by ByteDance. It regularly censors content in accordance with Chinese Communist Party regulations. Mansted says the Chinese government can compel their nations social media companies to provide data for political reasons and without legal oversight. TikTok is the first Chinese tech giant to have a truly international user base. Mansted believes the Australian government needs to be clearer with the public on what the perceived threats are, and she says reform of the social media industry is long overdue. Now, as some TikTok users dabble with other video-based apps such as DubSmash and Byte (made by a Vine creator), Mansted says the problem of privacy and data protection needs to be fixed at its root.
Australia on Monday posted its highest number of new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, even as officials expressed hope outbreaks in locked-down Melbourne may have peaked. A day after Australia reported its highest daily death toll, authorities confirmed at least 549 new COVID-19 infections -? almost entirely driven by an outbreak in the southeastern state of Victoria. Authorities admitted a second wave of clusters in Melbourne was taking longer to suppress than hoped. But the state's top health official voiced optimism that a partial lockdown of five million people, now in its third week, was working. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said modelling showed "today should be the peak" even if the number of new cases continues to fluctuate and new daily records could yet be set. The number of daily new cases has passed the March peak of 459 at least three times in the last week, according to data compiled by AFP. Sutton indicated any future increase would likely be driven by closely monitored outbreaks at care facilities for the elderly. Australia had dodged the worst ravages of the pandemic, logging around 15,000 cases in total -- fewer than many hard-hit countries see in one day. But the second outbreak is still proving deadly, with the nation's death toll rising to 161 on Monday. "The outbreaks are really volatile," Sutton said pointing to some virulent clusters. "In aged care settings the numbers can increase very significantly in a very short period of time." Officials around the country are eyeing the situation in Victoria nervously, as neighbouring New South Wales monitors several clusters sparked by a Melbourne traveller to Sydney earlier this month. "Whilst we are holding the line ... we only have to tragically look at what is happening in Victoria to realise that could be us in a few weeks," New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian said. Almost all of New South Wales' cases have been traced to a specific source or cluster, making management much easier. Nevertheless the chief minister of the Northern Territory, which like most of Australia has effectively suppressed the virus, delayed plans to open travel with Sydney until at least late August. "In recent weeks I think the entire nation got a reality check, any hopes that we'd be through this crisis in a few short months have been dashed," Michael Gunner told media in Darwin. Australia has seen a surge in cases, with dozens of infections linked to a home for the elderly in Melbourne
The owners of Atilis Gym were arrested Monday morning in the latest chapter of the New Jersey gyms repeated defiance of the states coronavirus protocols, the Camden County Prosecutors Office announced.

The arrests came just days after a judge ruled the the owners were in contempt of court and could begin facing fines for keeping their gym open, despite Gov. Phil Murphys order that gyms cannot be open as the state continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

Ian Smith, 33, of Delanco Township, and Frank Trumbetti, 51, of Williamstown, were charged with one count of fourth-degree contempt, one count of obstruction, and one count of Violation of a Disaster Control Act.

The men were transported to the Bellmawr Police Department, where they were charged and then released.

Authorities said they observed a number of people entering and using the gym throughout the weekend after Judge Robert T. Lougy issued a court order Friday for Trumbetti and Smith to vacate the gym and cease operations.

Police said both owners refused to leave the gym when asked Monday and were subsequently arrested.

Smiths attorney, James Mermigis, said the gym was boarded up by authorities Monday and the owners do not have access to get inside.

He said he is unsure what Smith and Trumbettis next step would be, but he remained adamant that Murphys order to have gyms still shutdown is unconstitutional when activities like gymnastics and martial arts have re-opened at certain capacity limits.

I do believe the governor is overreaching and I do believe this has gone too far, Mermigis said.

After Judge Lougys ruling Friday, Smith told NJ Advance Media they will do whatever we possibly can to fight the decision, and he planned to remain in the gym until authorities removed him.

We will not leave this building under any circumstances unless they take us out in handcuffs, Smith said.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com.
With FLUXUS F721 XLF, FLEXIM presents a non-intrusive flowmeter for applications where every drop counts. The new ultrasonic flow measuring system is designed to provide precise measurement of flow rates as low as 1 gph and below in small pipes with diameters from 3/8 to 2 inches. As the clamp-on transducers are mounted on the outside of the pipe, meter installation and commissioning without any pipework modifications and therefore causing no interruption to the process.

BERLIN, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FLEXIM's new FLUXUS F721 XLF is a non-intrusive flowmeter for applications where every drop counts. The new ultrasonic flow measuring system is designed to provide precise measurement of flow rates as low as 1 gph and below in small pipes with diameters from 3/8 to 2 inches. As the clamp-on transducers are mounted on the outside of the pipe, meter installation and commissioning can be done without any pipework modifications and therefore doesn't interrupt the process. Furthermore, the external flow measurement works independently of the pipe wall thickness and pressure ranges and does not cause pressure loss. As the measuring device does not come in direct contact with the flowing media, it is not subject to wear and tear. Drift readings and high maintenance efforts are therefore a thing of the past. This results in lower operational costs and increased safety due to the risk of leakage being ruled out.

The high accuracy and reproducibility of the FLUXUS F721 XLF is achieved by the matched and temperature-compensated transducers (acc. to ANSI/ASME MFC 5.1-2011), highly sensitive electronics and intelligent signal processing, and a highly precise and traceable wet flow calibration (acc. to NIST standards) at FLEXIM's low flow calibration facility.

The measuring transmitter is available in both aluminum and stainless-steel housing and is certified for use in zone 2 hazardous areas. In addition, explosion-proof transducers are available for use in ATEX-zone 1. Transducers for continuous operation that submerge underwater (IP68) are also available.

Typical applications of FLUXUS F721 XLF are e.g. chemical injection of scale and corrosion inhibitors in the Oil & Gas industry, chemical dosing in wastewater treatment, measurement of low flow spray paint lines in the automotive industry, and many more.

FLEXIM GmbH / [email protected] / www.flexim.com

Related Files

Press Release - FLEXIM F721XLF_US TD.doc

Related Links

https://www.flexim.com/us/news-exhibitions/news/new-fluxus-f721xlf-non-intrusive-measurement-liquid-low-flows

SOURCE FLEXIM GmbH
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President Donald Trump is scheduled Monday to hold a coronavirus briefing at the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Morrisville, North Carolina.

Fujifilm is helping to work on a coronavirus vaccine by Novavax, which was awarded $1.6 billion by the federal government to help develop the vaccine. The award was made as part of "Operation Warp Speed," the White House program aimed at accelerating access to vaccines and treatments to fight the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

On Sunday, Moderna announced that it received an additional $472 million from the U.S. government to support the development of its potential coronavirus vaccine. That brings the total amount of U.S. funding for Moderna's vaccine efforts to about $955 million.

The U.S.-based biotech firm also announced Monday that it was beginning its phase three trial with at least 30,000 participants. White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said results will likely be available by November.

Trump has recently sought to reinvigorate his messaging around the coronavirus, which has infected more than 4.2 million people in the U.S. and killed at least 147,200, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Last week, he resumed hosting coronavirus briefings at the White House, where he encouraged Americans to wear masks when unable to socially distance and cautioned that the U.S. outbreak will probably "get worse before it gets better."
Israeli military says its drone crashed in Lebanon

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 July 2020 11:14 PM

The Israeli military says one of its drones has crashed inside the Lebanese territory "during operational activities" along the border.

The Israeli military said in a Sunday statement there is no concern that any information was leaked from the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Israeli media claim that the drone crashed after it experienced a technical failure.

Earlier in the day, Lebanon said Israeli reconnaissance drones have entered the country's airspace and flown over the southern parts of the Arab country more than two dozen times in flagrant violation of a UN Security Council resolution.

The Lebanese Army said in a statement that the unmanned aerial aircraft crossed into Lebanese skies at around 5:50 a.m. local time (0250 GMT) on Friday and left at around 12 pm. They hovered over southern Lebanon and conducted 20 missions.

The statement added that Israeli aircraft violated Lebanese airspace 9 times on Saturday.

The latest incursions into the Lebanese airspace come as Tel Aviv has reinforced its troop presence on the northern borders of occupied territories in what Israeli media outlets claim was a response to an increased threat from Hezbollah, whose fighter was recently killed in an Israeli airstrike on Damascus.

Terrified of Hezbollah's retaliation, Israel has sent a message to the Lebanese resistance movement saying that it didn't intend to kill the group's member Ali Kamel Mohsen in its recent aggression.

Israel's overflights have been repeatedly condemned by Lebanon's government, Hezbollah resistance movement and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Beirut says they are in clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the country's sovereignty.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brokered a ceasefire in the war Israel launched against Lebanon in 2006, calls on Tel Aviv to respect Beirut's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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The finance ministry on Monday clarified that there is no decision taken to reintroduce the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017 (FRDI Bill). The ministry has clarified this following certain media reports about the reintroduction of FRDI Bill, a statement said.

The government had first introduced the FRDI Bill in Parliament in August 2017 and subsequently referred it to a Parliament joint committee for examination. In August 2018, the Bill was withdrawn by the government following reconsideration.

Why is it important?

The Bill had a controversial bail-in clause which essentially meant cancellation of all liabilities of a financial institution including that of depositors in the event of it falling into financial stress. In other words, the failure of a bank or other deposit-taking financial institution could wipe off the savings of depositors to save the company itself. Such a scenario is not in the interest of the depositors.

There was huge protest by opposition parties in 2017 after the introduction of the FRDI Bill on account of the bail-in clause provision.

The clarification from the government on FRDI Bill is good news to depositors. Depositors got another relief early this year when, in the 2020 Union budget, the government increased the deposit insurance guarantee scheme amount to Rs 5 lakh from Rs one lakh.

This scheme is provided by Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), which accepts a premium from banks to offer the cover. In the event of a bank collapse, the DICGC compensates the customers providing the agreed amount.

A higher insurance cover is a big relief for customers, especially depositors of co-operative banks, which are lightly regulated by the central bank when compared with bigger commercial banks.
THE PRISON Service has defended the staging of a behind bars karaoke party days after a similar event caused a Covid-19 virus outbreak in Limavady.

Sources say staff and inmates who crooned at the Hydebank competition shared the same microphone - the exact way 37 people ended up infected following a house party in the north-west town two weeks ago.

But the Department of Justice stressed the outdoor event met the latest Covid-19 safety requirements.

But Hydebank sources raised concerns.

"Staff and prisoners were sharing a microphone and singing and shouting, it was as if the recent outbreak never happened," said a source.

Read More

"The new prison officer recruits were told to come along in non-uniform to support the event. You could tell that a lot of them were nervous given dozens of people contracted Covid-19 in Limavady because they shared a microphone at a karaoke party."

A spokesman for the Prison Service defended the Hydebank sing-along, stressing that it was held outdoors and the governor ensured it met the latest Covid-19 requirements.

He said: "As part of the work to support the people in our care during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hydebank Wood College held an open air event earlier last week.

"This was carefully organised and was held in accordance with public health guidelines, including social distancing and hygiene control.

"The governor and his team at Hydebank are to be commended for the innovative ways they are keeping people safe, both physically and mentally, in very challenging circumstances," added the spokesman. "Hydebank Wood College remains free of Covid-19, with no staff or prisoners testing positive."

Ulster Unionist MLA and justice spokesman Doug Beattie (below) questioned whether the karaoke event should have gone ahead.

He said: "Is it really a sensible idea to have an open mic karaoke where both prisoners and staff share the same mic? The fact that the event was outdoors means little if everyone is speaking and breathing into the same mic, spreading both natural germs and possibly the Covid-19 germ."

Mr Beattie commended the Prison Service for keeping the virus out of Northern Ireland's three jails but warned against complacency.

Most of the 37 people who tested positive for Covid-19 following the Limavady outbreak did not attend the karaoke party. They were infected after coming into contact with those who did.

Around 150 people were subsequently tracked down by the Public Health Authority and checked for coronavirus.




The United Kingdom extended its advice against all non-essential travel to Spain to include the Canary and Balearic Islands as well as mainland destinations on Monday afternoon.

The British government said in a statement that the advice was "based on evidence of increases in cases of Covid-19 in several regions, but particularly in Aragon, Navarra and Catalonia (which include the cities of Zaragoza, Pamplona and Barcelona)".

The statement comes two days after London announced a 14-day quarantine requirement for anyone arriving in the UK from Spain and advised against all non-essential travel to the mainland.

Anyone already on holiday in Spain however has been advised to continue with their stay and quarantine on return.
The Montclair Film Festival was supposed to happen May 1 to 10, a month and a half into the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.

At the time, restaurants werent allowed to offer outdoor dining, salons and barber shops remained closed and summer camps hadnt yet been permitted to open.

Now, organizers of the postponed festival are getting ready for an adapted, rescheduled version of the event this fall.

The 2020 Montclair Film Festival, set for Oct. 16 to 25, will be a hybrid of drive-in screenings and virtual fare.

In the months since we were forced to postpone the Montclair Film Festival, our team has been working hard to research and prepare for the opportunity to bring the festival back, said Tom Hall, executive director of Montclair Film, in a statement.

The festival was officially postponed with an announcement in March.

It is critically important to us that our festival represents the best possible experience for our filmmakers, patrons, and sponsors, because we will need their full support as we try new things together, Hall said. Back in March, we intentionally postponed the festival and did not cancel, because we knew then that, with a little time and patience, we could explore new opportunities and learn from the changes taking place in the industry and our community. As the festival continues to take shape, were confident we can deliver an exciting, vibrant event. We look forward to sharing our full plans soon.

A scene from "The Pine Barrens," a 2019 film being screened at the virtual New Jersey Film Festival this fall. David Scott Kessler

This is the ninth rendition festival and will be Montclair Films first to offer any kind of drive-in programming, an increasingly popular option for both movies and performances during the pandemic.

A full lineup, which will include the festivals usual in conversation events, often hosted by Montclairs own Stephen Colbert (Colberts wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, is the president of the festivals board of trustees), is set to be announced Oct. 2. Tickets will go on sale to the public Oct. 8.

Last years festival featured a Colbert-hosted conversation with Mindy Kaling and a screening of her film Late Night. The stars of Tolkien, Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins, also appeared at the festival, as did Olympia Dukakis and Ben Stiller.

Colbert hosted a conversation in December with Julia Louis-Dreyfus at NJPAC for Montclair Films annual fundraiser.

The Montclair festival joins many other film festivals that have gone digital since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The New Jersey Film Festival is axing its in-person screenings in favor of virtual screenings for its fall 2020 lineup.

The festivals usual home, the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers University, is not hosting any public events this fall. The festival will run from Sept. 13 to Oct. 25 through Eventive. Films will be available to watch for 24 hours on each screening date, with some including introductions from filmmakers and Q&A sessions. Here is the full lineup.

For more on the New Jersey Film Festival: njfilmfest.com. Montclair Film Festival: montclairfilm.org.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Send a coronavirus tip here.
One of the oddest complaints of coronavirus patients is that they are suffering from long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms that are lingering for months. It indicates a puzzling condition that pre-exists that had many researchers confused.

An estimated number of 4 million COVID-19 patients in the United States are complaining of long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms including fatigue and breathing problems which result in mental turmoil lasting for months.

How lasting symptoms plague COVID-19 survivors

These health conditions are not making it easy for patients, who are sometimes doubted by their families, friends, superintendents at work, and even physicians too. According to USA Today, lasting and persistent COVID-19 symptoms have led not only to physical suffering, but to mental unrest as well.

Experts identify them as 'long haulers,' as termed by the New York City's Mount Sinai hospital that established the first post-COVID-19 treatment facility in the US.

In a study done on 143 patients in Italy this month, according to the JAMA Network, about 87% of coronavirus survivors experience something peculiar even after they tested negative. They reported that patients are experiencing fatigue and difficulties in breathing.

According to Natalie Lambert, an Indiana University associate research professor, about 1100 responses investigated in the poll showed concerning post-COVID-19 symptoms. The subjects are 81,000 members of a Facebook Survivor corps, with half of them having one of six symptoms. Many of the Facebook group members had fatigue and hard breathing complaints as well.

One of the bothersome symptoms for 'long haulers' are their physical weakness. Most cannot resume physical exercise and concentrating can be hard for them. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those listed COVID-19 symptoms are yet to be considered as something serious.

Also read: COVID-19 Might Be Linked to Brain Complications, But Study Needs Verification

'Long hauler' patient describes persisting effects of coronavirus

One of them is Karyn Bishof, who is afflicted by lingering COVID symptoms. On Saturday, the suffering Florida resident has reached the 133rd day of experiencing symptoms including excessive thirst, overheating with no fever, rash, sleep apnea, chest pain and tinnitus, cough, chronic fatigue, heart palpitations, reflux, nausea, dizziness, vertigo, rapid hot flashes, joint paint, full-body itchiness, tremors, mild fever, dry mouth, chest heaviness, and other symptoms.

Bishop began a poll amongst the survivors to see if there were patients COVID-19 'long haulers' who are also going through the same situation. About 1,500 said they are long haulers as well, and added that most were having symptoms that persisted for more than ninety days straight.

The creator of the group, Diana Berrent, says that half or more are better and have tested negative but are still having these bothersome COVID-19 symptoms.

Lambert stressed that these patients are being doubted, especially with claims of mental side effects. Most doctors dismiss it and just account the symptoms to stress/ As many as 40% of those who polled said their doctors were mostly dismissive of their complaints.

While some doctors do not take this seriously, Dr. Maja Artandi understands the suffering of COVID-19 'long haulers.'

She is the medical director of an outpatient COVID-19 clinic connected to Stanford University hospital, who has kept an open mind to this lingering COVID-19 symptoms. She acknowledged that there is a valid reason for all these complaints, but added that it might be due to the inflammation, which eventually heals itself over time.

Related article: Blood Clots Fill Lungs of Black Coronavirus Victims, Study Finds

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Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) is expected to release the MP Board Class 12th Result 2020 on Monday, i.e. on July 27. The results will be released on the official websites of the board - mpbse.nic.in and mpresults.nic.in.

According to the Principal secretary of school education Rashmi Arun Shami, the MPBSE class results was to be released in the third-week of July, which for some reasons, has got delayed. This year around 8.5 lakh students appeared for MP class 12 exams..

According to reports, the results are expected to be out at 3 pm on Monday.

Students can also check their scorecards on - mpbse.mponline.gov.in, results.gov.in, examresults.net and indiaresults.com.

Students are advised to keep their admit cards safe so as to fill their board details when the results are declared.

Here's how you can check the MP Board 10th Result 2020:

1. Visit the official website at mpbse.nic.in

2. Click on the MP Board 12th result 2020 link on the homepage

3. Key in your login credentials like roll number etc and submit

4. Your MP Board 12th Result 2020 will be displayed on screen

5. Download and take its printout.

Students can also check their MP Board class 12 results through mobile apps:

1. MPBSE Mobile app, MP Mobile app, and Fastresults app available on Google Play Store.

2. MP Mobile App on Window App store

The MPBSE board class 12 exam was scheduled to be held from March 2 to 31. However, the board had to postpone some exam papers that were scheduled between March 20-31 due to Coronavirus-induced lockdown.

The board later announced told exam for important papers, which were necessary for students to get admission to higher education institutions.

In 2019, almost 7.5 lakh students had taken the MP Board class 12 exam out of which 76.31 per cent students passed.
Former shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott has questioned the actions of armed Metropolitan Police officers after a 12-year-old boy was cuffed over a toy gun they thought was real.

The Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, said their actions did not fall in line with 'community policing' and followed up her comments with the Black Lives Matter hashtag on Twitter.

Her criticism comes after a team of officers with sniffer dogs stormed the home of 12-year-old Kai Agyepong in Camden, north London, on the evening of July 17.

Labour MP Diane Abbott has hit out at the Met Police after Catholic schoolboy Kai Agyepong, pictured, was dragged out of his Camden home at night and arrested at gunpoint

Alice, who also has two daughters living at home aged 16 and 23, told the PA news agency: 'In my mind there was no question they were going to shoot us'. Alice pictured with her son Kai, above

Former shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott has questioned how the Met can justify their actions and linked her comments with the Black Lives Matter movement on Twitter

The schoolboy was arrested at gunpoint and put in the back of a police car while officers searched his home.

The force said they had received a call from a member of the public claiming to have seen a black male holding a firearm and yesterday issued a statement justifying their actions because of a number of shootings in London recently.

In reality, Kai was holding a BB pellet gun that had been fitted with a blue slider to distinguish it from the real thing.

Speaking on Twitter this morning, Diane Abbott said: 'How can the Met Police possibly justify arresting a 12 year old at gunpoint, handcuffing him & putting him in a police van?

'This after dozens of armed police officers raided his home at 11.00 at night. All over a toy. Is this what they call community policing? #BlackLivesMatter'

Kai's mother Alice criticised the police, saying her family felt 'utterly violated' by the incident.

Alice, who also has two daughters living at home aged 16 and 23, said: 'In my mind there was no question they were going to shoot us.

'Their guns were drawn in such a way they were aiming their rifles at me and my kids.'

The schoolboy was playing on a laptop while sat on the sofa with his mum Alice when the gun cops stormed in.

A passer-by claimed he had seen a black male with a gun inside their home and reported it to police.

In fact he had just been playing with a BB pellet gun in the living room.

Scared Kai had red laser-guided guns aimed at him as he was handcuffed and put in a police car outside.

But he was de-arrested after cops realised it was just a fake gun and cops were forced to apologise.

Mother-of-three Alice, of Somers Town, Camden, north London - had fallen asleep - and woke up to see cops holding assault rifles.

'They had visors on and sniffer dogs and there was commotion and barking. Kai was immediately handcuffed.

'My daughter noticed he was so distressed and was saying: 'Kai, calm down.'

'They took him away and I didn't know if he had been taken to a police station.

The boy's mother Alice, pictured, has accused the Met of racially profiling her family

'It was so surreal - my initial reaction was utter disbelief because I had gone from being asleep on a normal Friday night to having the cavalry dressed at my door with very big guns.

'I went from utter disbelief to trauma because my children were at significant risk of being shot.

'I knew none of us were safe because if they got spooked or felt threatened they're going to shoot us and when one starts shooting they all start.

'They had proper killing machines and they were aiming at us. I looked at the kids and could see the lasers on their bodies.'

Once Kai had been taken away, Alice and her daughter were moved out into the street so cops could search the house.

Alice added: 'When we went outside it was like a scene from Terminator.

'All I saw was flashing lights and so many police vehicles. I felt like the entire police station was there.'

Alice said the Met had thrown 'every single resource except a helicopter' at the incident, adding that in addition to the armed officers and dog unit, there were two vans of ordinary PCs and an ambulance.

Even after being shown the BB gun, the police still conducted a full search of the premises lasting more than an hour.

Alice said her son had 'undoubtedly' been racially profiled.

She said the Met had explained the incident by saying senior gang members often leave knives and firearms with younger boys in the hope they will be less likely to be discovered.

Yesterday, a senior Met police officer issued a statement to justify the actions of the firearms team.

Commander Kyle Gordon, the Met's lead for firearms, said: 'There have been a number of well-publicised shootings in London in recent months where members of the public have been injured.

'As the public would rightly expect, we take every report of a firearm seriously in order to protect our communities.

'Officers attending reports such as this must treat them as genuine until they can verify whether or not an actual firearm is present.

'Based on the information at hand, the officers acted in line with their training and my expectations, enabling the incident to be concluded as quickly and safely as possible.'

In reality, the 'firearm' was a BB pellet gun that had been fitted with a blue slider to distinguish it from the real thing

Commander Gordon said he had watched the body-worn video of the incident and said he was 'content' with the officers' professionalism and how they had explained to residents what was going on.

'The reporting member of the public was right to call us and we would encourage others who see similar weapons to do the same,' he said.

'We are committed to bearing down on violence and we rely on our communities to help us do this.'

He added that Kai had been immediately dearrested as soon as officers had established the only weapon in the house was the BB gun.

Ms Agyepong said Kai had been left traumatised by the incident, becoming anxious if she even leaves him just to nip to the shops.

'It was very, very humiliating but more than that, for me and my kids it was terrifying.'
France on Monday announced it will provide India 120 ventilators and 50,000 test kits to counter the Covid-19 pandemic, the move coinciding with the first five of 36 Rafale combat jets ordered by New Delhi flying out from a French airbase for the country.

A team of French personnel who are experts in inter-hospital transfers by military means is also being sent to India. France acquired expertise in this field as it organised numerous transfers between hospitals.

A French Air Force aircraft will fly in the equipment and personnel on Tuesday. The Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft is equipped with a Morpheus kit that enables the transport of critically ill patients.

The donation of the medical equipment and provision of technical expertise is in line with a recent announcement by President Emmanuel Macron, the French embassy said in a statement.

Also read | Coronavirus: France to grant special aid for most vulnerable in India, says Macron

The medical assistance package includes 50 Osiris-3 ventilators, which are portable and easy to use, and 70 Yuwell 830 ventilators with bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP mode), which are non-invasive hospital ventilators for mild Covid-19 patients.

The Osiris ventilators are useful for emergency transport, intra-hospital transfer and recovery, and have different modes, including non-invasive ventilation. The Yuwell 830 ventilators use BiPAP to supply oxygen to lungs without intubation.

France will also donate 50,000 high-quality serological IgG/IgM test kits and 50,000 nose and throat swabs and modes of medical transport.

As longstanding strategic partners, France and India are working together closely on the international response to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as providing reciprocal assistance according to the needs of the two countries, the statement said.

In a letter dated July 24, Macron thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Indias support to France with medical supplies earlier this year.

Macron wrote: When France was going through a critical phase of this public health crisis earlier this spring, India was by our side. It played a very important role with regard to medicines. I wish to thank you once again for having authorised the export of medicines essential for the treatment of critically ill patients. This gesture reflected the exceptional nature of the partnership between our two countries.

Also read: In Covid-19 crisis, France to aid Indias most vulnerable with 200 million euros

He added, India, in turn, is going through a difficult phase of the crisis. In these painful times for your nation, I desired France to stand fully by your side. To this end, I directed that we be able to respond to the needs identified by your administration by extending aid that is exceptional in its scope and modalities.

I believe that it is during tough times that historic ties are forged and strengthened between nations.

The announcement of the medical assistance coincided with the five Rafale jets leaving a French airbase for the 7,000-km journey to India with air-to-air refuelling and a stop en route in the United Arab Emirates. They are scheduled to reach India on July 29. France has completed the delivery of 10 jets on schedule, and five will stay back for a training mission. The delivery of all 36 jets will be completed by the end of 2021.

French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain will hand over the medical equipment to RK Jain, secretary general of the Indian Red Cross Society, on Tuesday.

France had earlier extended financial support of 200 million euros to India through the French Development Agency (AFD) to boost social welfare systems and protect vulnerable people. The credit financing agreement was signed on June 22, with the programme designed by the World Bank already being rolled out.

French companies have contributed more than six million euros (Rs 48 crore) to Indias national relief funds as part of their Covid-19 crisis response. Several companies have also supplied essential medical equipment and others are providing help to vulnerable sections of society.
Washington today called on Turkey to release Osman Kavala, a Turkish businessman and philanthropist who has spent 1,000 days in detention despite widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.

The United States underscores the importance of respecting international obligations and commitments, State Department Spokesperson Cale Brown said in a statement. We call upon Turkey to comply with its own commitment to justice and rule of law and to release Osman Kavala from detention, while pursuing a just, transparent and speedy resolution to his case.

Why it matters: Amnesty International and several other human rights groups have launched an online campaign calling for Kavalas release under the hashtag #CrimeNotFound. Kavala was first accused of supporting the anti-government Gezi Park protests and arrested in 2013. The European Court of Human Rights last year ruled his detention without a trial was a violation of human rights law. While he finally received a trial and was acquitted in February, he was not released and now faces espionage charges. Ankara now claims he helped support the 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, even though he was in prison at the time.

Whats next: It remains to be seen whether Ankara will yield to international pressure and release Kavala. For now, he remains incarcerated in Turkeys Silivri prison.

Know more: Diego Cupolo has the full story on the campaign to release Kavala.
Today, we know Prince Charles and Princess Diana were in an unhappy marriage. They may have had one of the most popular royal weddings but their relationship was rocky from the start.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles in South Korea | Jayne Fincher/Getty Images

Nearing the total breakdown of their marriage, they stopped pretending to be a happy couple. Keep reading to check out photos that suggested they were headed for divorce.

They went to Canada in 1991 and didnt look happy at all

A decade after their royal wedding, Charles and Diana embarked on a trip to Canada. Part of a royal tour, they visited various cities throughout the North American country.

By that time, Dianad already been well aware of Charles affair with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Just a few years earlier in 1989, Diana confronted Camilla about it, telling her not to treat me like an idiot.

In October 1991, Charles and Diana arrived in Canada. The tension between them is obvious is photographs.

The guests of honor at a welcome ceremony in Toronto, Canada, to kick off the start of their tour, they both looked miserable. Sitting next to each other appears to be the last thing either of them want to do.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana in Ottawa, Canada | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

On the same tour, Diana and Charles visited Ottawa, Canada. And the same thing happened again. Appearing in photos together, they look as if they want nothing to do with each other. They avoid eye contact and dont engage in conversation.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles attend a welcome ceremony in Canada | Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images

RELATED: Prince Charles and Princess Dianas Body Language Proves They Werent Right for Each Other

Prince Charles and Princess Diana looked miserable on their final royal tour

Shortly before they announced their separation, Charles and Diana went on one last royal tour. Traveling to South Korea they looked as if they couldnt stand to be in the same room with each other.

For instance, at a banquet where Diana wore a tiara and Charles a tuxedo, they sat as far away from each other as possible.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana in South Korea| GARCIA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

The same evening photographers famously captured pictures of them standing next to each other looking miserable. Again, they didnt make eye contact. Definitely not the picture of the two people in love.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana attend a banquet in South Korea | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

RELATED: Princess Diana and Prince Charles: Their Relationship in Photos

And somehow it got even worse. Visiting a temple in South Korea, they didnt walk down the same set of stairs together.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana visit a temple in South Korea | Jayne Fincher/Getty Images

RELATED: Princess Diana Spent Royal Engagements Laughing and Smiling More to Reportedly Annoy Prince Charles

Instead, they exited the temple with a little wall between them. It seems theyd do anything to stay away from each other.

Not long after their royal tour of South Korea, Charles and Diana would announce their separation.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles divorced in 1996

Diana and Charles continued raising their sons, Princes William and Harry while being separated. Theyd also attend some royal engagements together. It wasnt until August 1996, they made their split official with a divorce. Per the terms of their divorce, Diana lost her title of Her Royal Highness but remained the Princess of Wales.

Barely a year after her divorce from Charles, Diana died in a car crash. Charles later married Camilla in a small ceremony in April 2005.

RELATED: Princess Diana and Prince Charles in Forgotten Photos From Their Marriage
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) - Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he believes the resignation of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) anti-fraud legal officer Thorsson Montes Keith is an opportunity to dig deeper into the alleged widespread corruption within the agency.

Sotto, along with Senator Panfilo Lacson, on Monday filed Senate Resolution 475 which also calls for an inquiry into the alleged incompetence and inefficiency at PhilHealth that supposedly led to the resignatiom of Keith and two other officials last week.

Baka blessing in disguise na makita natin once and for all kung ano ang kasagutan sa mga tinatanong nating problema sa PhilHealth na hanggang ngayon ay hindi nasasagot at di naliliwanagan, said Sotto in a press conference.

[Translation: This might be a blessing in disguise that we see once and for all the answers to our questions about PhilHealth, which until now remain unanswered and unclear.]

Last time na pinag-uusapan itong mga isyu ng PhilHealth, puro alegasyon na walang ebidensya, he added. Ang inaasahan ko sa imbestigasyon ngayon ay makukumpleto ang ebidensya.

[Translation: Last time we discussed the issue on PhilHealth, they are all allegations with no evidence. Im expecting that this investigation will give us complete evidence.]

Sotto said the inquiry at the chamber will most likely happen on Monday next week, but the earliest date could be on Friday this week.

Aside from corruption, Keith cited in his resignation letter that his salary and hazard pay have been delayed when he began investigating some PhilHealth officers. He also said that the promotion process in the agency was unfair.

Keith also opposed the contributions imposed by the agency on overseas Filipino workers.

PhilHealth president and CEO Ricardo Morales flatly denied the allegations.

Meanwhile, Sotto said the upcoming investigation will not only have Keith as a witness.

There will be three or four other witnesses," the Senate President said. "I am now receiving issues from different groups and associations against the way PhilHealth is being run. 'Yung mga nagrereklamo, nananawagan tayo na lumantad at ibigay sa amin ang ibang ebidensya (To all the complainants, I request that you come forward and give us evidence).

Kung matibay ang ebidensya, yung mga taong mananagot ay papapanagutin natin," Sotto said. "Nakakaasa ako na ang Pangulo, hindi niya pababayaan yun."

[Translation: If there is a strong evidence, those who are liable should face the consequences. Im sure that the President will not condone it.]

Duterte has ordered Undersecretary Jesus Melchor Quitain to start the investigation.

Quitain, an official from the Special Assistant to the Presidents Office, presided over the controversial virtual meeting that PhilHealth and other Cabinet officials attended.

Despite the allegations, Senator Bong Go, a close presidential ally, said Duterte still trusts the integrity of Morales.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III will meet with the board members of PhilHealth within the week to sort out issues in the agency.
New Delhi, July 27 : In the absence of any further funds allocation by the Finance Ministry, the online module for the Merchandise Export from India Scheme (MEIS) for exporters has been blocked from last week by the Directororate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

The blocking of MEIS, due to lack of allocations beyond the sanctioned Rs 9,000 crore, will be a blow to exports and exporters, already reeling under the disruption in global trade due to Covid-19 and the weak economic sentiment.

The MEIS is meant to encourage exports and subsume part of the taxes in India. Now, the Commerce Ministry says that cap is at Rs 9,000 crore because the Department of Revenue under the Finance Ministry is not releasing more funds.

The Commerce Ministry has written to the Finance Ministry on the matter but since the route has now been blocked, it may require intervention of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had written to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 21 asking her to ask the Revenue Department to review the decision on allocation for MEIS as the cap of Rs 9,000 crore for 2020-21 has been reached.

Since the allocation for MEIS stands at Rs 9,000 crore for 2020-21 and any additional allocation has not been conveyed by the Revenue Department, the DGFT, under the Commerce Ministry, has blocked the online MEIS module from July 23 from accepting new applications for shipping bills with Let Export Orders (LEO) dated April 1, 2020 onwards to limit issuance of any more scrips.

The DGFT has also asked the Revenue Department and the CBIC to take steps in this situation and also ask Customs, ports and field formations to stop registration of MEIS scrips.
Towards the fire With San Antonio hospitals still filled with COVID-19 patients, doctors are working to preserve bed space as the city dances on the edge of disaster.

Towards the fire With San Antonio hospitals still filled with COVID-19 patients, doctors are working to preserve bed space as the city dances on the edge of disaster.

July 27, 2020

Dr. Corey Harrisons plastic gown crinkled as he sat on a stool across from one of his first patients of the shift, a 40-year-old woman infected with the coronavirus.

Melissa Paez-Villarreal had only known she had COVID-19 for a few days before she showed up at the emergency room at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in the South Texas Medical Center. She had all the classic symptoms  fever, fatigue, a loss of smell, body aches, dropping blood oxygen levels. Even though she was wearing a cloth mask, she reflexively covered her face with her hand as her body was wracked by a coughing fit.

Harrison, the medical director of the emergency department, was harried, busy since the moment he walked into the hospital that evening. But it didnt show on his face or in his voice as he kindly questioned Paez-Villarreal about her symptoms and medical history.

Hed been in the room for less than 5 minutes when he began to wrap up. Hed prescribe an inhaler for her cough and daily aspirin to ward off the tiny blood clots known to form in COVID patients. She could continue to self-monitor her oxygen saturation at home with a pulse oximeter.

Were really starting to get worried when you get down to 90 percent or below, he said. Thats when we need to see you back.

Harrison normally would have devoted more time to Paez-Villarreal, establishing a rapport with her, delving deeper into her symptoms and drawing up a plan for how she could better manage them at home.

That evening, there was no time for that. And the hospital didnt have room for a patient like her, someone who was sick but not in immediate distress. Someone who had a good chance of recovering on her own.

Yes, you have COVID. No, youre not hypoxic. Youre leaving, Harrison said of patients like Paez-Villarreal. We cant admit you, no matter how uncomfortable you are. I cant care for you, because we have no room.

As San Antonios coronavirus cases have surged, decisions about which patients to admit have taken center stage in Harrisons ER, where about half of the people coming through have symptoms consistent with COVID. Triaging has become critical as hospitals seek to preserve limited bed space.

Santa Rosa is sending some patients home whom it would admit under normal circumstances, Harrison said, including those with mild hypoxia, or lowered oxygen levels throughout the body. Assisted by social workers in the ER, they are given supplemental oxygen or instructions to track their oxygen saturation.

I cant care for you, because we have no room.

Dr. Harrison

Throughout July, the volume of COVID patients streaming into San Antonio hospitals has remained high, pushing facilities to about 90 percent capacity. But lately, hospitalizations have leveled off and begun a gradual decline, from a high of 1,267 in mid-July to 1,044 on Sunday. Its something of a reprieve compared to June, over the course of which coronavirus hospitalizations shot up by nearly 940 percent.

Local officials, hospital administrators and health care workers are hopeful that this period could signal the peak of San Antonios surge, which has logged more than 30,000 cases since the start of June. But they caution that it is still too early to say for certain.

Rita Espinoza, head of epidemiology for the Metropolitan Health District, said the declining hospitalizations could be from a combination of people dying, recovering enough to go home or being discharged to other facilities for further care.

But San Antonio hospitals are still filled with COVID patients, about 420 of whom are critically ill. Half of the patients at Santa Rosa are being treated for COVID, and coronavirus infections account for about 1 in 3 people being cared for in area hospitals. And Bexar County continues to record hundreds, sometimes thousands, of new cases each day.

Trish Trevino, a nurse in the emergency room at Christus Santa Rosa, wheels a COVID-19 patient to a hospital room on July 14, 2020. A surge in coronavirus patients in June and July has brought hospitals in San Antonio close to full capacity. less Trish Trevino, a nurse in the emergency room at Christus Santa Rosa, wheels a COVID-19 patient to a hospital room on July 14, 2020. A surge in coronavirus patients in June and July has brought hospitals in San ... more Photo: 2020 San Antonio Express-News Photo: 2020 San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close How long can you sprint?: As COVID-19 hospitalizations plateau, San Antonio hospitals tread water 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

With fewer than 450 staffed beds available, another spike in people with COVID seeking medical care could send San Antonio hospitals over the edge. For now, they are holding steady as the city dances on the edge of disaster.

This is such an infectious disease that a small relaxation in our precautions can lead to explosions in the number of patients, said Dr. Ian Thompson, president of Santa Rosa. A simple weekend of people going to the coast and taking off their mask can exceed the capacity of the hospitals.

COVID deaths have become a regular occurrence in San Antonio, with more than 200 succumbing to the virus since the beginning of July. During one of Harrisons recent 12-hour shifts, four people died.

Ive never seen a hospital this sick, he said.

Stress remains high for health care workers, who have already been treating pandemic patients for months and have no way of knowing when this wave of infections will abate.

You can jog for a long way, but how long can you sprint? Everybodys been sprinting, Thompson said. The question is, how long can you continue to do that?

Nonstop running

In mid-May, when Corey Mokry went on paternity leave, the influx of pandemic patients into Santa Rosa was manageable. Across the city, fewer than 100 patients were hospitalized for COVID. Mokry, a nursing director who oversees ER operations with Harrison, enjoyed a month at home, getting to know his newborn son.

When he returned to work in mid-June, the coronavirus surge was in full swing.

In the ER, the staff was struggling to manage the flow of patients, who were increasingly showing symptoms of coronavirus infections. Because of the addition of protective equipment, it took more time and effort to see those patients.

At one point, 60 to 70 percent of the hospital was devoted to the treatment of COVID patients.

It was nothing but nonstop running, Mokry said.

Over time, the hospital has adjusted to the crisis. Staffing was increased, and the hospital has nearly tripled its intensive care capacity, from 18 beds to 51, allowing ER staff to transport patients upstairs more quickly. Within the past two weeks, an area normally used for gastrointestinal procedures at the hospital was converted into a COVID ICU.

Such changes have dramatically changed the landscape of the hospital. At times, when Harrison has been responding to codes for patients in need of resuscitation, he has needed someone to steer him to the persons bedside.

Im going places that weve never gone before, he said.

To staff those beds, relief came from hundreds of critical care nurses and other medical specialists sent to San Antonio by the military, state health department and contract agencies.

In mid-July, Mokry welcomed a half-dozen military personnel in camouflage uniforms who had arrived for orientation at the hospital. Such staff hasnt yet been needed in Santa Rosas ER, but they have helped the hospital care for the most critically ill COVID patients.

The Childrens Hospital of San Antonio, Christus freestanding pediatric facility, has sent nurses and other staff to treat adult COVID patients at Santa Rosa and its sister hospital in Westover Hills.

The childrens hospital, which has seen patient volumes drop during the pandemic, has developed contingency plans for turning one of its floors over to the treatment of adult COVID patients, should it be needed, said Dr. Charles Hankins, the hospitals president.

Hospital systems are having to learn to be flexible in how they staff and manage the ebb and flow of a pandemic, basically a rolling mass casualty event that turns on and turns off intermittently, Harrison said.

In the emergency department, almost every staff member now wears a respirator, a more durable option than medical grade masks, which are designed to be discarded after use. Some wear goggles. The staff was acutely aware that anyone walking through the door could be a carrier of the virus.

At the bottom of his face shield, Mokry neatly wrote Bible verses in permanent marker: Psalm 23, Daniel 6:16-23, James 1:2. The passages are a reference to what his work has become: walking through the valley of the shadow of death, going into the lions den, persevering in the face of obstacles.

Along one wall, a boxy air filtration machine hums, scrubbing any virus that could be in the air. It sits outside an internal waiting room that ER staff now use to sequester potentially infected patients.

Its been very challenging, very exhausting, Mokry said. Everyones tired.

Even so, he said, the staff runs towards the fire.

I still got it

The day that Paez-Villarreal visited the hospital, her oxygen levels had dropped to 93.

Her sister had cried as dropped her off outside the ER, terrified that this could be the last time she would see her. Those fears were shared by the rest of Paez-Villarreals family, including her husband and teenage daughters.

Her aunt, who was in her 70s and also had contracted the virus, was on a ventilator at another San Antonio hospital.

During the pandemic, Paez-Villarreal, who has an autoimmune condition, had been careful. She followed all the public health guidance about masking and hand washing. She has no idea how she caught the virus.

Its kind of scary, she said. You try your best, and your best is still not enough. I still got it.

Shortly before Paez-Villarreal arrived at the hospital, there was a flurry of activity in the ERs second trauma bay. A half-dozen nurses and paramedics were suiting up in protective gear, readying the room for a patient arriving by ambulance.

Minutes later, emergency medical technicians wheeled in an older man on a stretcher, a mask from a BiPAP machine strapped to his face. He was in respiratory distress, his chest heaving.

Mokry stood outside the room, acting as a runner, fetching supplies for staff. A flurry of nurses worked on the patient, one briefly removing the mans breathing mask so she could insert a long swab up his nose for testing. Mokry cracked the door to hand them alcohol wipes, syringes and labels.

88 percent, a nurse said to Mokry as he exited the room, referring to the patients low oxygen levels.

After about 45 minutes, only one nurse was left in the mans room. They had removed fluid from the mans lungs, stabilizing him enough so that, for the time being, he didnt need to be intubated.

Across the ER, a technician wheeled an X-ray machine from Paez-Villarreals room. On the screen, her lungs were clear.

Your vitals look really good, except for your heart rate. Its a little bit fast, and thats probably just dehydration, which we can help you with for sure, Harrison told her. He listened to her lungs and heart with a stethoscope.

In his hospital bed, the other patient sat upright, but he was slumped to one side, his eyes closed. His breathing was shallow, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Paez-Villarreal would go home that night. He wouldnt.

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

Design by Chris Quinn
American rapper, Kanye West paid a visit to a hospital in Wyoming after publicly apologising to his wife, Kim Kardashian, for going public with their private matter.

KanyiDaily recalls that the 43-year-old rapper had last week caused an uproar in the Kardashian family during his first presidential rally over the weekend, when he dropped a nombshell that his wife Kim wanted to abort their first child, North West.

The rapper also claimed that his wife Kim tried to get doctors to lock him up amid fears hes in the middle of a serious bi-polar episode.

In another now-deleted tweet, Yeezy claimed that he has been trying to end his marriage with Kim after she cheated on him with Meek Mill at a hotel under the pretence of prison reform.

Kanye also described his wifes mother, Kris Jenner, as Kris Jong-Un while accusing the pair of white supremacy.

On Saturday night, Kanye returned to social media and said that he was sorry for airing their private business and admitted he knew it had hurt his wife:

I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter. I did not cover her like she has covered me. To Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me.

I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter.

I did not cover her like she has covered https://t.co/A2FwdMu0YU Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me.  ye (@kanyewest) July 25, 2020

According to TMZ, Kanye issued the apology after visiting the Cody Regional Health to treat his anxiety on Saturday.

The rapper visited the hospital and stayed for about ten minutes, but got uncomfortable by the crowd and left before he could get any treatment done.

After returning to his ranch in a private jet, an ambulance with EMTS later arrived on the property to check his vitals  heart rate and blood pressure and determined he was not in danger.

A source told Us Weekly that the rapper has been experiencing a lot of anxiety lately, and after being surrounded by various people amid his presidential campaign, its made him feel really overwhelmed.

Kanye decided to go to the hospital to get checked out, the source added. Upon his arrival, Kanye decided hed rather be seen at home.

He headed back to his home  an ambulance followed. Kanye was treated and his doctor says his vitals are normal. Hes feeling much better, the source said.

KanyiDaily recalls that on July 4, 2020, Kanye West had announced that he would be running for the US presidency  a decision that was backed by Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla.
Actor Michael B. Jordan is leading the charge to change Hollywood through an initiative that offers a roadmap for investing in Black talent and anti-racist programming.

This week, Jordan, who grew up in Newark and has starred in hit films including Creed and Black Panther, announced a collaboration with Color of Change, a racial justice organization.

Hollywood has a history of racism, Jordan tweeted. Excluding Black talent, silencing Black voices, derailing Black careers, and propping up policing and injusticesHollywood, break the pattern its about that time !! #ChangeHollywood.

Jordan, 33, said the initiative involves creatives on the inside, advocates on the outside. He called for a multi-pronged approach that includes divesting from police and investing in Black talent, careers, communities and anti-racist content.

Hollywood has a history of racism  Excluding Black talent, silencing Black voices, derailing Black careers, and propping up policing and injustices



Hollywood, break the pattern its about that time !! #ChangeHollywood  Michael B. Jordan (@michaelb4jordan) July 23, 2020

Our goal is to provide a roadmap for action: concrete steps that individuals and organizations in Hollywood can take to move the industry toward racial justice, Jordan and Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, said in a statement.

Collaborations like ours  between an actor/producer on the inside, and a racial justice advocate on the outside  can demonstrate the change thats possible and also provide resources that support a wide range of individuals and organizations to take action, they said. Together, we aim to rally people across the industry, educate decision makers, and secure institutional commitments to changes that matter.

In June, Jordan marched at a Los Angeles protest organized by the Big 4 Hollywood agencies in support of Black Lives Matter after George Floyd was killed at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

#ChangeHollywood is an initiative @ColorOfChange. The collab we launched today  creatives on the inside, advocates on the outside  illuminates a roadmap to change.



And we'll build resources to help it happen. Just reach out w/ what you need or want to do #ChangeHollywood pic.twitter.com/STndfaRZMJ  Michael B. Jordan (@michaelb4jordan) July 23, 2020

I want us to invest in Black staff, Jordan said at the time, addressing the crowd. Im proud to have an inclusion rider and all that good stuff and I use my power to demand diversity, but its time the studios and agencies  all the agencies, all these buildings that were standing in front of  to do the same.

Jordan pledged in 2018 that he would apply an inclusion rider  a measure that makes diversity among cast and crew a stipulation of contracts  to all projects from his production company, Outlier Society.

You committed to a 50/50 gender parity in 2020, where is the challenge to commit to black hiring? Jordan said at the protest. Black content led by Black executives, Black consultants, Are you policing our storytelling as well?

Last month, Warner Bros. made Just Mercy, a film in which Jordan stars as civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, free to stream in light of protests against racial injustice and police brutality.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Send a coronavirus tip here.
The Nationals placed left-hander Roenis Elias on the 60-day injured list due to a flexor strain in his left elbow, manager Davey Martinez told MASNsports.coms Byron Kerr and other reporters. The placement is retroactive to July 13, when Elias was initially placed the 10-day IL for unspecified reasons, though Martinez said the current injury emerged when Elias was throwing a bullpen session at the Nationals minor league training camp.

He threw yesterday and he didnt feel right. Got an MRI today and it was a flexor strain, Martinez said. Because of the backdated placement, Elias will be eligible to return in 45 days rather than 60, though Martinez noted that we are going to be cautious with bringing the southpaw along.

Injuries have plagued Elias since he came to Washington as part of a deadline day trade with Seattle, as a hamstring injury limited him to four appearances for the Nats and he then wasnt included on their postseason roster. It put a sour ending on what had been a pretty solid 2019 season for Elias, as he posted a 3.64 ERA, 2.65 K/BB rate, and an 8.6 K/9 over 47 innings with the Mariners. Elias, who turns 32 later this week, is under team control via arbitration through the 2021 season.
Punitive taxes cannot solve housing speculation



It should be noted that protestors against strong punitive housing taxes have gathered for the third consecutive week now. On Sunday, slightly more than 1,000 gathered in downtown Seoul to loudly object to what they see as unfairly strong mortgage tightening and higher property and capital gains taxes.



The protest comes in the wake of the government's strong measures  dubbed by some as the "June 17," and "July 10" measures. The former tightens mortgage rules in much of Seoul and its surrounding area while the latter entails levying higher punitive taxes for owners of two or more houses, all with an aim of curbing speculative increases in housing prices.



Then on Monday, civic groups took more definitive action by filing a complaint with the Constitutional Court against the government's measures as infringing on people's property rights.



The fast pace of these government measures has touched off confusion and anger, not to mention soaring housing prices. In addition, the government and ruling party's move to revise three related laws on leasing and renting, including a 5 percent cap on rent increases, have hiked up deposits for rental homes. This because landlords, who claim that extending the right to renew contracts to existing tenants smacks of retroactive application, are asking for higher deposit sums before the lease-related revision takes effect.



There is also discontent about the simultaneously increasing both the property and capital gains taxes.



The slogans that the protestors held up Sunday quintessentially summed up their sentiment: "They are not taxes but fines," and "Landlords too are citizens of Korea." And that sentiment has led to the suit filed with the Constitutional Court.



The government should face the reality that its 22nd round of measures has produced side-effects of further heating up the real estate market amid concerns about the increased tax burden.



The government is soon expected to announce its plan to increase the housing supply. Alternatives reportedly under discussion are partially lifting restrictions governing the reconstruction of dilapidated apartments. The public's ill-confidence in the administration is already causing skepticism about its forthcoming plan however.



Another idea the administration has rushed to revisit is relocating, or rather completing the relocation, of the administrative capital to Sejong, in a bid to rein in housing prices while promoting balanced national development to reduce the population and business concentration in Seoul.



But a recent Realmeter survey showed that 54.5 percent of respondents do not see how this will stabilize housing prices.



Housing is a complex issue. What the administration has done to date has only brought about unexpected developments, which it should address through public hearings and debates rather than a unilateral push to rein in speculation punitively.










A ll hopes of a jaunt to Ibiza this summer were thwarted over the weekend as holidaymakers were blindsided when the government announced it would remove Spain from its travel corridor list almost immediately.

This meant all British travellers returning to the UK from July 27 would have to partake in the mandatory 14-day quarantine or risk a fine of up to 1,000.

TUI has cancelled all of its holidays to mainland Spain for the next two weeks, but airlines like Ryanair and Jet2 have said they do not plan to reduce the capacity of their flights meaning travellers may not be eligible for refunds.

To make sense of what this means for your Spanish holiday, we spoke to Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, who decoded what the options are for British tourists and if we can expect the government to follow suit with other European countries.

What are the options for travellers currently in Spain?

Boland says: Travellers currently in Spain, including the Canary and Balearic islands, will have to self-isolate for 14 days upon arriving back to the UK, or face a fine of between 100 and 1,000. However, holidaymakers already in Spain do not need to cut their holidays short to return to the UK, and if you travelled to Spain before the warning was announced on July 25, your insurance will remain valid.

What are the options for travellers who have flights and holiday packages book to Spain in the coming weeks?

The most important thing to remember is not to cancel your flight or holiday yourself. Package holiday providers have already begun cancelling holidays in Spain as a result of the FCO advising against travel to Spain and the Canary and Balearic islands, meaning customers with holidays booked will be legally entitled to a full refund. Others are allowing customers to rebook their holiday fee-free for a later date, which may suit some holidaymakers. If you have appropriate travel insurance cover that was purchased before the coronavirus outbreak, you may be able to cancel and claim the costs back from your insurer  but always check the small print on your policy first.

Best off-grid Spanish towns to visit - in pictures 1 /16 Best off-grid Spanish towns to visit - in pictures Villajoyosa Click through the gallery to see the best alternative Spanish towns to visit ... Shutterstock Cudillero Unsplash Toledo Unsplash Salamanca Unsplash Pamplona Unsplash Bubion Shutterstock Caceres Unsplash Girona Unsplash Logrono Shutterstock Covadonga Unsplash Estepona Unsplash Almunecar Shutterstock

If airlines refuse to cancel flights to Spain, how can holidaymakers get a refund?

If your airline does not cancel your flight but you are no longer able to travel, you wont be able to claim a refund from the airline. Depending on your airlines policy, you may be able to rebook your flight for another date without paying a fee, however not all airlines are waiving their flight change fees for affected passengers.

If I decide to go ahead with my Spanish holiday, will my travel insurance be void?

As the FCO is advising against all non-essential travel to Spain and the Canary and Balearic islands, going ahead with your holiday would invalidate your travel insurance. Its important to keep an eye on the FCOs travel advice if you have a holiday coming up, to ensure it is safe to travel.

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How likely is it that other European countries like France and Germany will also be added to the government's quarantine list?

There are a number of questions being asked about whether other European destinations like France and Germany may also be added to the governments quarantine list in the near future, so travellers should keep a close eye on the government advice if they have an upcoming holiday. We would advise anyone considering a foreign holiday in the coming weeks or months to be cautious, ensure they are booking with an operator that has shown it can be trusted with their money while operating during the pandemic, and that they have appropriate travel insurance cover should anything go wrong in the run up to their holiday or while they are abroad.
A day after his abduction, the dead body of a youth was found on Monday from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, the hometown of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

In a similar incident a few days back, a youth was kidnapped and murdered in Kanpur.

Balram Gupta, a student of Class 5 and a resident of Pipraich area, was kidnapped and a ransom of Rs 1 crore demanded from his family. After the police were informed, the Special Task Force (STF) was also roped in to look for the child along with the Pipraich Police and the Crime Branch.

Since the incident, police forces of many stations have been deployed as a precautionary measure in the village.

The police on Monday recovered from a canal near the village the body of the boy, acting on information given by the accused. It was sent for post-mortem.

After the murder, four youths from the same village had demanded ransom. The police have arrested five people of which three are accused in the kidnapping and murder while the others are involved in selling the phone's SIM card to the accused.

Gorakhpur SSP Sunil Kumar Gupta said an FIR immediately registered after they received information about the kidnapping and ransom call on Sunday. "On analysis of call details, we picked up a few people and after interrogation we received inputs about the dead body being dumped in a sack near the canal. The body has been sent for post mortem.

Gupta said the kidnappers first demanded Rs 1 crore in ransom and later asked for any amount of money that was available. "Dayanand, Ajay Gupta, Nikhil and two more people have been arrested till now, two more culprits are still on the run and will be nabbed soon. Prime facie it seems that the culprits gave some sedative before killing the boy, however post mortem report is awaited, he added.

The father of the victim has demanded strict action against the culprits.

Again slamming the BJP-led state government over law and order, Samajawadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav described the news of the murder of the kidnapped child as "very painful and tragic".

"Despite the constant kidnappings and murders, the shameless silence and inaction of the BJP government is in question, said the former chief minister in a tweet.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Brig. Gen. Hidai Zilberman said this afternoon that Israeli troops thwarted a Hezbollah attack near the border with Lebanon. According to reports, a Hezbollah cell of three to five operatives crossed the Blue Line border a few meters into sovereign Israeli territory. The troops then opened fire at the group with machine guns and tank shells.

It was reported earlier in the day that IDF and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire today in that area. According to reports, Hezbollah launched an attack on Israeli troops on the frontier, apparently in retaliation for the death of Hezbollah operative Ali Kamel Mohsen Jawad, who was killed in a July 20 airstrike south of Damascus. Israel did not take responsibility for that strike, but Hezbollah was quick to blame Israel and promised to react. The IDF has in recent days increased deployment of forces in the north and has also increased the deployment of Iron Dome anti-missile batteries in the region. It was published this morning that the IDF now estimates Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah wont settle for anything less than hurting Israeli soldiers as retaliation for the killing of Jawad.

Todays exchange of fire took place in the contested Mount Dov, also known as Shebaa Farms  an area Israel, Lebanon and Syria each claim as its own. Residents in the region reported sounds of gunfire and explosion and huge clouds of smoke rising in the air. According to Hezbollah-affiliated media outlet al-Mayadeen, Hezbollah militants fired a Kornet anti-tank guided missile at an IDF tank. Hezbollah-affiliated TV station Al-Manar reported on Israeli artillery fire in the region.

Following reports on the escalation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short the weekly Likud faction meeting and is set to meet now with Defense Minister Benny Gantz and senior security officials for an emergency meeting.

This afternoon, IDF instructed residents in localities near the border, including the towns of Kiryat Shmona and Metula, to stay home, and blocked the access to some of the main transportation axes in the north. Already this weekend, the army has blocked some of the roads near the border for passage of civilian vehicles, and farmers were prevented from reaching fields close to the border fence. On July 24, shrapnel hit a building and a vehicle in the Druze village of Majd al-Shams, but no injuries were reported. IDF fired at some Syrian military targets in the southern Quneitra region after the shrapnel incident.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet meeting July 26, Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that Israel wont allow Iran to entrench militarily on our northern border. Lebanon and Syria are responsible for any attack from its territory against Israel. We will not allow anyone to upend our security or threaten our citizens. We wont tolerate any attack on our forces.

Visiting the north of Israel on Sunday, Defense Minister Gantz issued a clear threat to Hezbollah, saying Israel was prepared to take harsh action against anyone who tests us. Gantz added, "We acted against the entrenchment of Iran in Syria. If someone involved in Irans activities in Syria  which we will continue to act against  this is liable to happen. We take that into account."

Also on Sunday, IDF said one of its drones had crashed in southern Lebanon. The army said the drone went down over Lebanese territory during operational activities along the border, stating there was no concern that any information was leaked.
Arkansas senator Jason Rapert reciting Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address: (Arkansas PBS - YouTube)

An Arkansas state senator who shared an article that described the coronavirus pandemic as a hoax has contracted Covid-19.

Republican state senator Jason Rapert, who unsuccessfully introduced a bill to ban gay marriage in the US in 2017, was hospitalised with coronavirus and pneumonia on 24 July.

Earlier in the year, as many states were beginning to take social distancing measures to attempt to control the spread of the virus, Mr Rapert shared an article on Facebook that called the pandemic the biggest political hoax in history.

He has been critical of policies taken to stop the spread of Covid-19 in various social media posts over the last few months and was filmed last week not wearing a face mask at a church service, according to Raw Story.

Although the state senator has been pictured wearing a mask previously, he has also been critical of Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinsons executive order that made wearing a face covering mandatory in the state when people are outside and when social distancing is not possible.

Mr Rapert described the mandate as an overreach of executive power without consultation with the members of the Arkansas legislature, in a social media post last week.

The state senator added: I understand the governor has expanded authority during a declared state of emergency, but with most people already complying where necessary and the death rates, hospitalisation rates and positivity test rates all hovering just below 1% in our state  I believe this mandate was ill timed and not necessary.

Speaking about the mandate, Mr Hutchinson said: We believe this is important from a public health standpoint, and added: It is something that is necessary in Arkansas with the cases weve had.

Following his hospitalisation, Mr Rapert released a statement, where he wrote that this is a difficult time for my family, but we know that God is with us always. Were sincerely grateful for the many prayers of love and support that have been expressed on our behalf.

Story continues

We have all been doing our best to wear a mask, social distance and be careful like everyone else. This virus is serious and can attack anyone regardless of age or general health.

Arkansas recently saw a rise in coronavirus cases and last week recorded its second and third highest daily totals since the pandemic began, with 10,013 on Wednesday and 990 on Thursday, according to AlterNet.

On Sunday, the state recorded another 642 new positive test results, which took its overall total to 38,623 cases and 401 deaths.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, in the US as a whole, some 4.2 million people have tested positive for coronavirus. The death toll has reached at least 146,935.

Read more

Trumps national security adviser tests positive for coronavirus
Nev. church fighting state limits on worship gatherings not imposed on casinos, gyms

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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.
New Delhi, July 27 : As India increases the scrutiny of Chinese companies and their products over the national security concerns, a top executive of Swedish gear maker Ericsson said on Monday that it has a process in place to meet the security, privacy and regulatory requirements of its customers for the 5G era in the country.

The auction of 5G spectrum in India was earlier expected to be held in April, but the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed back the deadline.

Late last year, the government decided that it will give 5G spectrum for trials to all vendors and operators who applied, including Huawei and ZTE.

However, India's border tensions with China has renewed calls for barring Huawei and ZTE from bidding for India's 5G network by certain groups in India, including the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).

Earlier this month, the traders' body even sent a letter to Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in this regard.

Asked if an increased scrutiny of Chinese companies will give the company some extra mileage in terms of capturing the 5G market, Ericsson India's Managing Director Nitin Bansal said the company focuses on providing competitive solutions making its customers win in the market.

"We do not base our business plans on things which we cannot control. We believe our promise to the customer is based on our technology leadership. As is evident globally, we have been winning business and customers based on our technology capabilities and leadership," Bansal told IANS in an interview.

Ericsson said it has close to 100 commercial 5G agreements or contracts globally with unique service providers, of which 54 are live networks.

"Pioneering customers select us as their 5G partner and we were first with commercial live networks in four continents. This includes multiple service providers in the United States, South Korea, Europe as well as in Australia and Middle East," Bansal said.

In India, Ericsson has been working with operator partners as well as the academia community to test and develop various 5G use cases which are relevant for the country.

The Swedish gear maker last year announced that it was selected by Vodafone Idea Limited to deploy 5G-ready equipment across select markets in India.

Later in that year, Ericsson announced a memorandum of understanding with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to work together on developing new 5G use cases, knowledge sharing on 5G technology concepts, industry and innovation trends including 3GPP standardisation progress.

Amid calls for barring Chinese companies from 5G in India, there has also been a concern that even non-Chinese companies may use Chinese equipment in 5G network given the nature of global supply chain, thereby rendering such a possible ban ultimately meaningless.

Ericsson said that the telecom equipment that the company supplies to Indian telcos is made in India and it is also exporting 5G radios to other markets from its facility in Pune.

"We manufacture telecom equipment, including 4G, 5G radios and microwave products at our Pune facility," Bansal noted.

"We have processes in place to ensure the development, production, shipping and deployment of our products, solutions and services to meet the security, privacy and regulatory requirements of our customers," he said.

Ericsson said it has a global software development strategy, with engineers working with software for new products, including 4G and 5G radios and baseband, on several sites across the globe.

"All Ericsson's software is verified, signed and distributed centrally from Sweden, and, when so required, under Swedish export licenses. In all our manufacturing and software development facilities globally, Ericsson ensures that strict security controls are in place," Bansal mentioned.

"In addition, we undertake close quality controls, tests and verifications to ensure compliance to our security standards and overall specification of our network solutions," he added.

A recent Ericsson Consumer Lab survey done amid the Covid-19 crisis has shown that 62 per cent of consumers in India wished 5G had been rolled out much faster to help them deal with the current crisis.

(Gokul Bhagabati can be contacted at gokul.b@ians.in)
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By Laman Ismayilova

Medeniyyet TV has launched its next patriotic project "I am a soldier too" aimed at raising patriotic spirit among young people.

The project is open for everyone, including talented composers, musicians, sculptors, artists, actors and directors.

Speaking about the project, director of Medeniyyet TV Ramil Qasimov noted the cross-border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

As you know, the events that have taken place in recent days on the contact line, especially in the direction of Tovuz, once again showed the whole world the determination of our people to fight. The project is open for young talents. All creative people have a chance to call young people for patriotism through art...," he said.

After the completion of the project, the participants will take part in the television festival, organized by Medeniyyet TV. More details are provided on official website.

Medeniyyet TV is a cultural television channel, operating under the Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting Closed Joint-Stock Company (AzTV). The channel started broadcasting on February 14, 2011.

The main goal of the Medeniyyet TV channel is to promote Azerbaijani rich cultural heritage on a global scale. Medeniyyet TV has the exclusive right to broadcast all projects related to cultural events organized in the country.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Bhopal, July 27 : If the Covid-19 pandemic is sweeping through the country and the world, then Madhya Pradesh is also not untouched by it. Now its direct impact is visible on the state's politics.

The number of corona infections in the state is continuously rising and has crossed 28,000. Many ministers and top leaders, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, have been infected with the virus as a result of which many leaders have isolated themselves. Even the BJP's virtual rallies have not been happening.

Many prominent politicians including the Chief Minister, state BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma, general secretary (Organization) Suhas Bhagat and Minister Arvind Bhadoria had recently visited Lucknow to mourn the death of Governor Lalji Tandon.

After that, first Bhadoria was found coronavirus positive, then the Chief Minister also turned out to be Covid-19 positive, while the sample reports of two other leaders -- Sharma and Bhagat came negative but they are in self-quarantine as a precautionary measure for the next ten days and will not participate in any event.

Chouhan, who is undergoing treatment at Chirayu Hospital, a dedicated Covid-19 facility in Bhopal, has appealed to the people not to panic and has advised them to maintain social distancing while going out.

Several members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) also tested positive for the virus in Jabalpur recently. Of these, Yoginder Singh Yogi, head of the state unit, died due to Covid-19 when he was being brought to Bhopal for treatment.

The state cabinet meet is scheduled for Tuesday via video conference. Home Minister Narottam Mishra has not yet ruled out the cabinet meeting.

While the BJP is not holding any party meeting or other events, the Congress is also doing the same.

In the absence of party events and meetings, the state's politics is being limited to the social media. Various social media platforms are being used for sending out statements and putting views across.

Political analyst Arvind Mishra says politicians have been advising the citizens to use face masks and maintain social distancing to ward off coronavirus, but the leaders themselves do not follow these guidelines.

He said politicians are themselves responsible for the spread of the coronavirus in the state.
July 13

At 3:49 a.m., Officer Schwausch was patrolling the 5400 block of Bellaire Blvd. when he observed a vehicle driving without lights when required and failing to maintain a single lane. Officer Schwausch initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and found the driver to be in possession of marijuana and driving while intoxicated. The suspect was transported to and booked into the Bellaire Jail without incident.

At 6:45 p.m., Officer Baylis was dispatched to 4914 Bissonnet St. in reference to a criminal mischief call. Upon arrival, Officer Baylis met with the Victim who stated an unknown person(s) slashed the front right and rear left tires on her vehicle. Officer Baylis completed the report.

July 14

At 12:32 a.m., Officer Schwausch observed a motorcycle traveling SB in the 7500 block of IH610 SB that crossed over the painted traffic control markings to unsafely re-enter the highway. Officer Schwausch conducted a traffic stop and found pills in a plastic baggie in plain view on the motorcycle. The pills were identified as oxycodone and hydrocodone. The suspect was placed into custody for possession of a controlled substance and booked into the Bellaire Jail without incident.

At 11:21 a.m., Officer Quimby met with the victim in the Bellaire Police Department Lobby in reference to debit card abuse at 5002 Bellaire Blvd. The victim stated an unknown suspect(s) used the victims debit card number to withdraw cash from the ATM at the above location.

At 3:59 p.m., Officer D. Norman was dispatched to a major accident in the 5200 block of IH 610 northbound. Upon arrival, Officer Norman asked the at fault driver for her drivers license and proof of financial responsibility. The female stated she did not have her drivers license on her but began reading her drivers license number off of a card in her wallet. Officer Norman observed the card to say Texas Drivers License on the top and requested to see it. Officer Norman observed the card to be a fictitious drivers license. A to be warrant will be filed at a later date.

At 10:42 a.m., Officer Ortega was dispatched to a theft that just occurred at 5130 Bellaire Blvd. The suspect was described as a Black female wearing a red shirt, blue jean skirt, and a white face mask had entered the above location and took several items and exited the store. The suspect was located and placed in custody for theft.

July 15

At 12:39 p.m., Ofc D. Rocha was dispatched to the HEB store (5106 Bissonnet St.) in reference to a shoplifting in progress. Ofc Rocha located the suspect walking into the nearby Subway and made contact with the suspect and located the stolen items on his person. Ofc. Y. Ortega (badge #306) assisted on this incident. Suspect was arrested and charged with theft with previous convictions.

At 3:01 p.m., Officer Bailey was dispatched to 5406 Bellaire Blvd. in regards to a burglary of motor vehicle. Officer Bailey arrived at approximately 1518 hours and made contact with the victim. Sometime between the hours of 1440 hours and 1445 hours on 07/15/2020, an unknown suspect(s) followed the victim from Bank of America and broke into the vehicle while it was parked.

At 2:37 p.m., Officer D. Norman was dispatched to a death investigation in the 5500 block of Little Lake Street. Upon arrival, Bellaire Medic 41 made entry and confirmed the death. The male was pronounced deceased and a death investigation was completed. Officer R. Bellard assisted with this case.

At 3:59 p.m., Officer Bailey was dispatched to a burglary of a motor vehicle at 8200 Ferris St. Officer Bailey arrived and made contact with the victims of the incident who stated unknown suspect(s) shattered the driver side window and stole a handgun from his center console and another handgun from the glove compartment.

At 6:33 a.m., Officer S. Salinas was dispatched to the 4500 block of Birch Street in reference to a credit card abuse report. Upon further investigation it was determined the victim's credit card information was utilized to purchase digital gift cards without his consent.

July 16

At 4:49 p.m., Officer Bailey was dispatched to the 4800 block of Welbord Drive in regards to a burglary of motor vehicle. Officer Bailey made contact with the victim who advised sometime between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., an unknown suspect(s) stole a black Smith &Wesson 9mm handgun from the victims unsecured vehicle.

July 17

At 8:50 a.m., Officer Quimby was contacted via phone call by the victim in reference to identity theft in the 100 block of Ferndale Street. The victim stated an unknown suspect(s) used his identifying information to obtain unemployment benefits.

At 9:22 a.m., Officer Quimby received an online report and contacted the victim via phone call in reference to identity theft in the 4400 block of Effie Street. The victim stated an unknown suspect(s) used his identifying information to obtain unemployment benefits.

At 12:44 p.m., Officers were dispatched to Randalls Grocery Store at 5130 Bellaire Blvd. concerning a theft. Officer Jenkins met with the victim who stated he was selling a watch on Let Go Website. The suspect agreed to buy the watch for $300. The suspect gave the victim $200 of counterfeit money. The suspect took the Apple Watch and drove off.

At 3:50 p.m., Officer Liccketto was dispatched to the 4600 block of Holt Street to a possible death investigation. Upon arrival, Officer Liccketto observed the victim to be not breathing and have no signs of life. Detective Andrade and Sergeant Kerr assisted with the case.

July 18

At 12:39 a.m., Officer Schwausch observed multiple cars obstructing the flow of traffic to drag race on IH610. Officer Schwausch initiated a traffic stop on the vehicles after they began racing. Two of the vehicles took off at a high rate of speed evading Officer Schwausch. One of the vehicles became disabled and was forced to stop. The driver was taken into custody without incident and charged with evading in a motor vehicle. Charges on the second driver are pending further investigation.

At 11:09 p.m., Officer Schwausch was patrolling the 7500 block of IH610 SB when he observed a vehicle traveling 90mph in a 60mph zone. Officer Schwausch conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and further investigation found the driver to be driving while intoxicated with an open container in the vehicle. The driver was charged with driving while intoxicated and booked in the Bellaire Jail without incident.

July 19

At 2:10 a.m., Officer Younger initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle for speeding near the 7500 block of IH 610 northbound. During the traffic stop investigation, a firearm was seized, and the driver was released with citations. Later it was discovered the firearm was confirmed as stolen. A report was completed for the stolen firearm.

At 4:50 p.m., Officer Liccketto was dispatched to the Bellaire Police Department in reference to an identity theft in the 4300 block of Effie Street. Officer Liccketto met with the reportee who stated and unknown person had used their identifying information and was successful in opening an account with Verizon.
UK & Ireland Sunday Briefing: Romanello Completes Triple Crown

July 27 2020

Its been a long time coming but Roberto Romanello has completed pokers coveted triple Crown, becoming only the ninth player in history to win a WSOP bracelet, World Poker Tour Main Event and a European Poker Tour Main Event.

The popular Welshman and member of Team partypoker, won the EPT Prague Main Event in December 2010. The WPT Bratislava title came Romanellos way in March 2011 but a WSOP bracelet continued to elude him.

That was until July 26 when Romanello outlasted 921-opponents in the WSOP #39: $1,500 No-Limit Holdem [Asia] event at GGPoker.

The United Kingdoms Paul Barnes came close to winning this tournament but ultimately had to make do with the $113,866 third-place prize. Barnes exit left Romanello and Swedish legend Nikas Astedt heads-up.

Romanellos pocket sevens held against Astedts king-queen with the assistance of a seven on the flop to gift him a 22,600,000 to 370,000 chip lead. Astedt doubled on the next hand but it was all over very soon after.

With blinds of 150,000/300,000/35,000a, Astedt was all-in for 740,000 with queen-nine. Romanello held jack-six. A jack on the flop gave Romanello the advantage, but Astedt picked up a club flush draw on the turn. The eight of hearts river was a brick, but a brick that sent Astedt home in second place with $156,905 to show for his efforts. Romanello scooped the $216,213 top prize, and his first WSOP bracelet.

Some of the other big GGPoker scores included:

AndrewMc1954  first-place in the High Rollers Blade Prime $5K for $120,755

kid1591  second-place in the Bounty Hunters Main Event $210 for $35,049*

Wayneo  seventh-place in the High Rollers Blade Prime $5K for $22,007

SetoKaiba  third-place in the High Rollers Battle Royal $525 for $19,011*

sabor_de_mar  fifth-place in the Sunday Special $250 for $13,473

brynkenneyAA  seventh-place In the Bounty Hunters Main Event $210 for $6,895*

Relive Romanello's amazing WSOP bracelet victory

Beresfords PokerStars Brace Weighs in at $38K

Conor 1_conor_b_1 Beresford saw his bankroll swell by more than $38,000 on July 26 thanks to winning a PokerStars Sunday Major and chopping a second.

Beresfords victory came in the $1,050 Sunday Supersonic 6-Max, a tournament that saw 105 players buy in. Some of the worlds best known players reached the top 11 finishing positions where the $106,655 prize pool was awarded.

Matas bebaimis777 Cimbolas was the first player to cash. His 11th place exit secured the Lithuanian $3,077. Others who saw a return on their investment included Ivan Negriin Luca (10th - $3,077), Niklas C. Darwin2 Astedt (9th - $4,007), Mikita fish2013 Badziakouski (8th - $4,007), Peter Belabacsi Traply (6th - $6,799), and Aliaksei ale6ka Boika (3rd - $15,024).

Beresford sent Max goodeh99 Silver to the showers in second-place, which saw Silver bank $19,569. Beresford scooped the $25,489 prize and the title of champion.

The talented Brit wasnt done there because he chopped the $1,050 Sunday Warm-Up when heads-up. The deal saw Beresford finish in second place and win $12,545, which left Netherlands Teun tinnoemulder Mulder to collect $15,855 and add yet another first-place finish to his poker CV.

Check out these other scores from British and Irish players at PokerStars on July 26.

penguy2  second-place in the $109 Bounty Builder for $21,988*

HarryLime87  third-place in the $215 Sunday Warm-Up for $12,262

Sean MonkeyBudg Prendiville  third-place in the Bigger $109 for $7,873

TakiToRivers  fifth-place in the Bigger $109 for $4,070

cigonas100  eighth-place in the $215 Bounty Builder for $3,666*

summuNNN  third-place in the Hotter $162 PKO for $3,603*

Tyler wonderboy222 Goatcher  seventh-place in the $215 Sunday Warm-Up for $3,401

clucaspoker  sixth-place in the Bigger $109 for $2,926

ZINCC61  seventh-place in the $109 Sunday Cooldown for $2,714*

Jaime Ship It 2010 OConnor  seventh-place in the Bigger $109 for $2,104

Fintan easywithaces Hand  third-place in the $109 Sunday Starter for $1,859

mrbradleyy  seventh-place in the $109 Sunday Kickoff for $1,819

*includes bounty payments

$96,000 Score For Team PokerStars Lex Veldhuis

Victory at 888poker

888poker was a happy hunting ground for RustyFish44 who took down the $25,000 Sunday Challenge. Some 253 entries ensured the $25,000 guarantee was beaten by $300 and RustyFish44 got their hands on the largest slice of the pie, namely $5,439.

They defeated Irelands R3veng35 heads-up, leaving the Irish grinder to collect the $3,921 consolation prize. Michael RipCheader Rosaman finished seventh and won $1,012.

There was a British player at the final table of the $100,000 Sunday Mega Deep. thevaletor ran out of steam in ninth-place and scooped $1,500. The prize was boosted slightly because only 812 players bought in so 888poker added $18,800 to the prize pool to make up for the shortfall in the guarantee. This is still one of the best value tournaments each Sunday.

Finally, for this weeks Sunday Briefing at least, is the seventh-place finish in the $20,000 A Good Tournament by shadow147. This saw them turn their $215 buy-in into $714.

Earn rakeback when you register early for 888poker MTTs
We cannot speak to what Iran hopes to gain by building this mockup, or what tactical value they would hope to gain by using such a mock-up in a training or exercise scenario, Rebarich told The Associated Press. We do not seek conflict, but remain ready to defend U.S. forces and interests from maritime threats in the region.
SAN MATEO, Calif., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As a leader in substitute teacher placement, Swing Education is answering the need of families seeking in-home teachers to help their children with distance learning during school closures with its new ' Bubbles ' service. This new service is in response to families wanting to create small in-home learning groups called "pandemic pods" or "learning pods" where students complete distance learning assignments at home with the support of an in-person teacher. Swing Education is utilizing its extensive network of classroom teachers to match families with a qualified K-12 educator.

"Whether students are getting instruction in a classroom or remotely at home, we want to make sure they have the best teachers possible," said Mike Teng, CEO of Swing Education. "With many schools adopting distance learning this fall, we're seeing a new demand for teachers to staff in-home learning pods that supplement the district curriculum, in fact we're receiving hundreds of requests a day. Bubbles helps parents provide their children with the supportive environment needed to continue their education and succeed with distance learning."

Parents can request a teacher for a learning pod of anywhere from two to eight students. Using a comprehensive, white-glove matching process, Swing Education then quickly matches the best-fit teacher with the learning pod. All educators are W-2 employees, and undergo and complete an extensive screening, including fingerprinting, background checks, and health screens.

Swing Education handles the teacher and pod agreements, as well as weekly teacher payroll, to make the process as easy and streamlined as possible for families. All participating families have ongoing access to Swing Education's learning pods support team.

"While schools provide so much more than childcare that is also one of the gaps that we're now trying to close for families," said Teng. "This impacts almost all working mothers as childcare so frequently falls disproportionately on women. As schools close physically for safety reasons, the last thing the country needs right now is for women to leave the workforce."

Swing Education is also working with funders to provide "scholarships" for students from low-income families or children of teachers in order to make Bubbles accessible to as many families as possible.

The Bubbles service is currently available for families in California, Arizona, Texas, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Swing Education's network of 8,500-plus quality educators has served more than 250,000 classrooms, to date. The company comprehensively recruits, screens, and certifies educators, then effectively matches them with schools through Swing Education's online marketplace. The company also recently launched Swing Tutors , an online tutoring service for students in grades K-12. This service matches Swing Education's educators with students based on their grade level and subject area to provide students with extra real-time, one-on-one support in a secure online learning environment.

To learn more about Bubbles and Swing Education, visit https://swingeducation.com/bubbles .

About Bubbles by Swing Education

Bubbles by Swing Education will match parents with a qualified, experienced K-12 teacher to provide in-home education for a learning pod of two to eight students. Founded in 2015, Swing Education provides educators for K-12 schools. The company comprehensively recruits, screens, and prepares educators to fill teacher and support staff absences. To date, Swing Education has helped more than 2,500 school partners and over 5 million students. To learn more about Swing Education, visit www.swingeducation.com .

SOURCE Swing Education

Related Links

http://www.swingeducation.com


With the success of Hamilton, and the Disney+ filmed adaptation, Daveed Diggs has become a household name once and for all playing Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson. While around for quite some time on stage and in a few movies, some think he should join a franchise to soar even higher.

If others might think this is selling out too fast, it would still be a major coup to have Diggs play a superhero at say the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans are starting to suggest this on social media, despite him having plenty of work of late.

After all, he is starring on the TNT series adaptation of Snowpiercer, not including voicing Pixars Soul soon. What MCU superhero could he play?

Daveed Diggs | Amy Sussman/Getty Images

The wish for Daveed Diggs to become Brother Voodoo

On Reddit recently, someone started a thread asking for fan wish lists of actors to play future MCU superheroes. Names like Gillian Jacobs came up to play Sue Storm, or Giancarlo Esposito to play Norman Osborn.

Daveed Diggs name showed up as well to play none other than Brother Voodoo. Others piped in and said: Daveed Diggs as Brother Voodoo isnt something I didnt know I needed. All told, it really was a good choice, if maybe leaving some casual Marvel fans at a loss on who Brother Voodoo is as a superhero.

To know more, you have to turn back the dial on Marvel comic book history to the early 1970s. More Black superheroes were starting to become a reality at Marvel then thanks to Stan Lees sense of inclusion.

Otherwise known as Jericho Drumm, the character comes from Haiti with an ingrained ability to do voodoo. He eventually joins The Avengers and also befriends Doctor Strange. At another point, he even replaces Doctor Strange to become Sorcerer Supreme (or Doctor Voodoo), according to CBR.

This new Avengers team includes Wolverine, Venom, Punisher, Elektra, Brother Voodoo, andConan the Barbarian. https://t.co/3MpwbHwmGw pic.twitter.com/DBwiOv4NJ3  IGN (@IGN) February 15, 2019

Would Daveed Diggs agree to be in the MCU?

RELATED: Adam Driver in the MCU? Fans Say the Role Will Be Hard to Pull Off

With the MCU seemingly recruiting everyone, it might not appeal to everyone that Diggs would become a part of a superhero franchise. Then again, it would make him an even bigger international star playing Brother Voodoo.

Some rumors have already popped up the character would be present in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel, The Multiverse of Madness. As reported by Screen Rant, the graphics used to depict Brother Voodoo look quite a lot like Diggs. Even the hairstyle is near identical.

The only difference is that Brother Voodoo is clean-shaven in the comic books, something Diggs could easily do after sporting a beard over the last few years. His presence could also be compelling based on his stage and screen persona playing Thomas Jefferson in Hamilton.

What it ultimately comes down to is whether Diggs wants to devote extra time to a franchise when he already has so many TV/movie/stage irons in the fire.

Will Brother Voodoo take over for Doctor Strange eventually?

Everyone knows the MCU does not follow the comic book stories all that closely. Going by the comic book story of Brother Voodoo taking Doctor Stranges place, it was already as revolutionary as Sam Wilson becoming Captain America in the upcoming Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Should Diggs join the MCU as Brother Voodoo, would he become the equivalent of a new Sam Wilson in taking over Doctor Strange? Perhaps this would happen if Benedict Cumberbatch wants to move on from the role after the sequel.

If so, whoever wins the role of Brother Voodoo could very likely follow in the good docs footsteps. Should it be Diggs, it would be his first foray into anything fantasy/superhero-related other than voicing the role of Norath Kev in the animated Star Wars Resistance. Or, maybe playing Thomas Jefferson really was a bit of a taste at being a superhero.
German prosecutors want to take charge of the investigation of an Algarve rape linked to Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner.

They have requested the court files and evidence held in Portugal relating to the unsolved 2004 rape of Irish woman Hazel Behan.

Investigators want to do their own work to see if they can prove Brueckner committed the vicious sex attack on holiday rep Ms Behan at her home in Praia da Rocha, a half-hour drive east of Praia da Luz.

DNA samples, including blood and semen collected from the crime scene by Portuguese police at the time, have been destroyed, leaving question marks over whether a successful prosecution can be mounted.

Paedophile

However, a DNA profile is understood to have been obtained before the shock destruction of the potentially crucial samples on the orders of Portuguese prosecutors.

Mother-of-two Ms Behan waived her right to anonymity last month to say she believed the masked man who targeted her in her Algarve apartment could have been Brueckner.

She said the intruder had a distinctive mark on the top of his right thigh like the German paedophile.

The sex attacker removed her clothes with scissors and gagged her with cloth.

Brueckner was convicted late last year in Germany of raping an American OAP in September 2005 in Praia da Luz, the same resort Madeleine vanished from in May 2007 as her parents ate in a restaurant nearby.

A hair found at the villa, said to have been taken from the bedclothes Portuguese investigators failed to test, helped secure his conviction and remains on file.

Last week Sky News reported Portuguese police had reopened their investigation into Ms Behan's unsolved rape following its mothballing years ago.

However, well-placed sources say the current state of play is that Portuguese authorities have been asked to consider an official request from Germany to send the case files, including any DNA evidence, to prosecutors there so they can mount their own investigation and see if Brueckner is the mystery rapist. No decision would be made until September after the judicial recess.

"Any ruling to let Germany take the lead in this case would have a closely-related legal precedent," a source said.

"The Praia da Luz rape Brueckner was convicted of was a crime committed in Portugal but prosecuted in Germany because of Portugal's statute of limitations.

"The time limit applies to the earlier rape Brueckner has been linked to.

"There is a time limit in Portugal on the prosecution of even the most serious crimes, including homicide and kidnapping."

Respected Portuguese website Observador echoed news of the German push to move the Ms Behan case forward on Saturday by claiming: "Sources have confirmed to us that, just like in the American OAP rape case, they are going to forward the evidence they have in the Hazel Behan rape case to German police.

"That's because their hands are tied as it's too late to investigate in Portugal. It's going to be the Germans who will investigate whether Brueckner could be responsible."

The McCanns' family lawyer Rogerio Alves spoke about the 15-year time limit on Portuguese prosecutions in a documentary on Thursday, saying police had just 22 months to nail the prime suspect in Madeleine McCann's abduction.
John Oliver has criticised Donald Trump amid the US presidents widely condemned deployment of Federal officers to anti-racism demonstrations in Portland, Oregon.

Investigators at the Justice Department and Homeland Security are launching probes into the Trump administrations decision to send in the officers, amid complaints over the use of force on protesters.

Speaking on his HBO topical comedy series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the British-American comedian said: The protests in Portland have actually been going on daily for nearly two months now, since the killing of George Floyd.

But the deployment of Federal agents was a sharp escalation of questionable legality, and yet, to hear the president tell it, he had no choice, and it was a terrific idea.

He continued: Its never good when Trump says hes doing a great job given he thinks that the administration is doing a great job dealing with the coronavirus and he once proclaimed Ben Affleck would do a great job as Batman. Clearly, this man has no sense of what a great job actually looks like.

Oliver also noted that Trump has been threatening to use Federal force in other cities as well, describing the suggestion as outrageous.

He noted that it was troubling that the president appeared to be using the Portland demonstrations as a staging ground for an authoritarian show of force.

The Community star has been an outspoken critic of the president throughout his time in office.

Earlier this year, Oliver quipped that the president has the spirit, brain, appetite, temper, patience and wit of a child that you hate.
The speed at which COVID-19 test results are being received by health departments is hindering the ability of case investigators and contact tracers to help slow the virus community spread in a timely and efficient manner.

Oakland County Medical Director Russell Faust said the time it takes for the county health department to receive a positive COVID-19 test result could take upwards of a week. Hes calling that a public health risk and a public health nightmare, one which has proven to be a significant barrier to the countys efforts in conducting case investigations and contact tracing.

Case investigations and contact tracings are being performed by hundreds of trained volunteers and paid public health officials at the state and local level.

Local public health workers perform the case investigations, which involves reaching out to recently-confirmed COVID-19 patients to gather information, including phone numbers for close contacts. The contact tracing, performed by trained volunteers, involves calling those close contacts to warn them that they may have been exposed to the virus while providing information about steps they should take to monitor their health.

Laboratories across the U.S. are buckling under a surge of coronavirus tests, creating long processing delays that experts say are actually undercutting the pandemic response. Some labs are taking weeks to return COVID-19 results, exacerbating fears that asymptomatic people could be spreading the virus if they dont isolate while they wait.

Test results that come back after two or three days are nearly worthless, many health experts say, because by then the window for tracing the persons contacts to prevent additional infections has essentially closed.

Faust said the painful problem nationally and locally is that labs conducting COVID-19 tests are aking on customers and accepting more samples beyond their capacity to be able to push results out to state and local health departments within 24 to 48 hours, or even a week in some cases.

Right now, the county health department is getting test results back from these outside labs, on average, within 5-7 days.

The delay in test results getting back to us has a great potential negative impact on the spread of COVID-19, he said. By the time (the county) contacts a confirmed case, they may have been walking around for a week or two. We still have tests with outstanding results that we tested over two weeks ago from some of the labs we work with. The labs are just overwhelmed. For those instances, I just throw my hands. Ive got to retest those people.

The testing delays in the U.S. come as the number of people confirmed to be infected globally passed a staggering 15 million on Wednesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. leads the world in cases as well as deaths, which stand at more than 142,000 nationwide. New York, once by far the U.S. leader in infections, has been surpassed by California, though that is partly due to robust testing in a state with more than twice the population of New York.

Faust said health departments need to receive positive COVID-19 test results in a timely manner so that case investigations and contact tracing can begin in order to truly keep people safe. Oakland County has over 200 county workers and volunteers trained to conduct contact tracing.

Ideally, youd like to be able to have a test result back within 24 hours and pull those positive people out of the general population so they dont continue to spread the disease, he said.

Statewide, there are 1,000 public health employees and trained volunteers deployed to conduct case investigations and contact tracing on any given day, according to Jonathan Warsh, chief of staff for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). There are more than 10,000 other trained volunteers on hand if contact tracing efforts need to be ramped up.

The vast majority of case investigations are done at the local health departments. There are more than 300 case investigators currently deployed while 100 state employees remain on standby to provide support for the departments if needed on case investigations.

In May, the state entered into contracts with Rock Connections, LLC, for volunteer management and Deloitte for technology integration in support of COVID-19 contact tracing statewide.

Christie Clement, an Oakland County public health nurse and chief of public health programs, oversees the countys case investigation and contact tracing teams.

She said the timeliness of receiving test results is really important for case investigations and contact tracing so confirmed cases can become aware of their diagnosis as soon as possible and close contacts can be reached in time without spreading the virus further.

Overall, the confirmed cases have been cooperating with public health officials when notified of their diagnosis, says Clement. Its the close contacts that tend to be less cooperative, another barrier to slowing the spread of COVID-19.

As public health departments continue to wait longer to receive test results, it becomes more difficult to conduct effective case investigations and contact tracing, Warsh said.

As of July 22, statewide tests totaled more than 1.6 million, or about 17% of the population. The positivity rate has declined from a high-point of 41.69% on April 4 to 3.53% on July 22.

The positivity rate is now hovering between 2% and 5% in Oakland and Macomb counties. As of July 22, 108,500 tests have been conducted in Macomb County (11,614 positive) while 160,087 tests have been conducted in Oakland County (13,185 positive).

Right now, the state is receiving test results from in-state labs in about two days while out-of-state labs are taking upwards of a week to input results into the states surveillance reporting system.

Those national labs are the bigger issue, he said. Once we reach the contact, they may have an incubated virus and may have been spreading it asymptomatically. Getting the time that it takes to return the test result back to the health departments down is critical to make sure that contact tracing can be as effective as possible.

The state is encouraging those people who are tested and symptomatic to be cautious, self-isolate, and to operate under the assumption that they have the virus.

For those who are asymptomatic, waiting on test results, and considered non-essential workers,the state is also encouraging those people to self-isolate if possible.

According to MDHHS data compiled from June 10 through July 17, case investigation interviews were successfully completed for 6,988 of the 9,435 attempted calls (74%) within 24 hours of receiving a positive test result. During that time period, 13,099 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed statewide.

In order to conduct contact tracing, the confirmed cases must provide valid phone numbers for their close contacts. From June 10 through July 17, MDHHS reports that 6,804 of the 13,099 confirmed cases had one or more close contacts with a valid phone number.

The total number of close contacts provided to case investigators statewide was 23,660. MDHHS says this number most likely includes duplicates with the same person named as a contact to multiple cases. Among that total number of close contacts, 10,561 of the 15,279 contacts (69%) attempted to be reached within 24 hours of receiving a positive test result were successfully reached.

Todd Wolney, lab manager for McLaren-Macomb, said the McLaren Health system is testing around 300 specimens per day, down from a high-point of over 700. Since March, McLaren-Macomb has tested over 12,000 specimens for COVID-19 with test results getting back to state and county health departments in about 72 hours.

He said the health system cannot run more tests without an increase in the supply of reagents, the chemical that reacts with the specimens to yield a result. As other states, particularly in the south, have seen more significant spikes in cases than Michigan in recent weeks, reagent manufacturers have been prioritizing distribution.

Nationwide, 700,000 Americans are being tested per day, up from less than 100,000 in March.

Trump administration officials point out that roughly half of U.S. tests are performed on rapid systems that give results in about 15 minutes, or in hospitals, which typically process tests in about 24 hours. But last month, that still left some 9 million tests going through laboratories, which have been plagued by limited chemicals, machines and kits to develop COVID-19 tests.

Faust points to the continued lack of supplies, specifically the reagents, as another major barrier in performing case investigations and contact tracing in a timely manner.

At the Macomb County Health Department, any delay in getting test results impacts the countys ability to quickly communicate with confirmed cases and to work to slow the community spread of COVID-19.

Kevin Lokar, the health departments medical director, said its critical to be able to quickly communicate with close contacts who need to get tested and self-isolate if symptomatic, or self-quarantine if not symptomatic to help stop further spread of the virus as quickly as possible.

If the test result takes a week or more to come back, the person has likely infected others before we even know they have the infection, he said. Delayed test results can also impact individuals who had symptoms that need a negative test to go back to work or school.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

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Horn professor has maintained very active performance schedule that has taken him around the world

In addition to his many duties at Bowling Green State University as an instructor and mentor for numerous undergraduate and graduate musicians and his service on more than 60 graduate student committees, Dr. Andrew Pelletier has maintained a very active performance schedule that has taken him across the country and around the world.



He has been the Principal Horn with the prestigious Michigan Opera Theatre for the past dozen years, and as one of the most respected composers and performers of the horn, he averages 110 concert-style appearances each year.



Pelletier, professor of horn in the College of Musical Arts (CMA) and a Grammy Award-winning performer, recently received the 2020 Professorship of Creative Arts Excellence Award from the University.



Pelletier, who arrived at BGSU in 2004, holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California, graduating with highest honors. He has performed more than 1,600 times and is in demand as a chamber musician, a specialty that had him sharing the 2005 Grammy award for Best Classical Recording, Small Ensemble, for the performance of Carlos Chavezs Sonata for Four Horns with his colleagues from Southwest Chamber Music in California.



In her letter recommending that Pelletier be honored with the Professorship of Creative Arts Excellence, Dr. Susan Nelson, assistant dean of undergraduate studies in CMA, cited his remarkably active schedule as a performer at major international venues and his innovative approach to composing music for the horn.



In the music profession, Dr. Pelletier is a recognized advocate of new music for the horn with many annual commissions and premieres, she said. A number of these commissions have been for works outside of the traditional format for classical pieces, showcasing music composed in a modern style for the instrument. This type of music elevates the horn by bringing it to the cutting edge of innovation in both composition and performance practice.



In addition to his teaching, student mentorship and his heavy performance schedule, Pelletiers reputation in the professional ranks has brought him much acclaim. He is the president of the International Horn Society, was the top prize winner at the American Horn Competition in 1997 and 2001 and he has been featured as a solo artist at numerous symposia. His commitment to new music is evident in the more than 50 works he has commissioned and premiered for the horn as a solo voice.



When endorsing Pelletiers nomination for the Professorship of Creative Arts Excellence honor, Dr. William Mathis, dean of CMA, said Pelletier has elevated the Universitys standing in the musical arts world while also providing an ideal role model for his students.



Dr. Pelletiers national and international reputation as a horn performer and pedagogue is well established, Mathis said. He provides a wonderful and inspiring example to his students of hard work, dedication and, most of all, his musical expression and insistence of high quality in performance.
A law enforcement official stands guard on 32nd Street near an active New York City crime scene on Sept. 15, 2016. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

NYC Shootings Up 220 Percent From a Year Ago

Shootings in New York City logged a staggering 220 percent increase in the week ending July 19 compared to the same week a year ago, while monthly shootings have surged by 194 percent compared to the same 28-day period in 2019, police figures show.

According to a report by the New York Police Departments CompStat Unit (pdf), which covers the week of July 1319 and provides percentage change statistics across a range of time frames, both the number of shooting incidents and the number of shooting victims have spiked.

The most pronounced surge is visible in the week-to-date figures for the week ending July 19, with 77 shooting victims and 64 shooting incidents this year, compared to 25 shooting victims and 20 shooting incidents last year. Thats a 208 percent increase in shooting incidents and a 220 percent increase in victims, relative to the comparable week in 2019.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki said in a July 26 radio interview that the surge in crime in the city is a fallback to dark days when crime in the Big Apple was rampant.

When I took office, New York was the most dangerous state in America. People got used to safety over the last 20 years, he told John Catsimatidis on 770 AM, the New York Post reported.

They dont remember the time back when we were so dangerous. What we are seeing now is a regression to those dark days when criminals ruled the streets, Pataki added.

When parents were afraid to send their kids to school. And when tourists knew better than to come to New York. Im worried about the future of New York.

Gun crime was worse in New York City 10 and 27 years ago, NYPD figures show. Ten years ago, there were 11 percent more shooting incidents and victims, while 27 years ago, the city reported 74 percent more shooting victims and 76 percent more incidents.

Pataki blamed city leaders for allowing radicals to stoke anti-police sentiment.

In a short period of time, the radicals have taken over, Pataki said.

The NYPD has repeatedly complained that last years bail reforms let criminals stay out of jail even after repeated arrests. Another contributing factor could be that as the city was hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak, many city services were curtailed or shut down, with courts adjudicating only the most pressing cases. Others, such as those involving gun possession, have piled up.

We have over 1,000 people that have been indicted on a gun possession charge, where the cases are open, and they are walking around the streets of New York today, Michael LiPetri, NYPD chief of crime control strategies, told the NY Post in June.

A monthly comparison, which looks at the number of shooting victims and shooting incidents in a 28-day period in 2020 relative to a comparable period in 2019, shows a 199 percent rise in shooting victims and a 194 percent increase in shooting incidents. The yearly comparison, which looks at year-to-date numbers of shooting victims and incidents between 2020 and 2019, shows a 78 percent and 69 percent rise, respectively.

Were going backward. Its tragic, Pataki said in the interview. Weve got to change it.

Meanwhile, the City Council, at Mayor Bill de Blasios recommendation, recently slashed the NYPD budget by $1 billion amid a massive budget shortfall caused by the pandemic lockdown, as well as calls from some politicians to defund the police completely.

Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik called the move to cut funding to the police ludicrous.

It defies common sense, it defies logic, and it defies sound management, he told The Epoch Times.

Petr Svab contributed to this report.
Two condo buildings demonstrate that the trend in transitional to contemporary design continues in Houston.

The Revere, a boutique condo building in the River Oaks area bucks the trend on size and height, with only 30 units in a nine-floor building, but aims for a modernized lifestyle.

Over in the Museum District, the 35-story Parklane is getting a classic, modern update from its original design in 1983. Construction began in January with some units already finished, getting all new modern cabinets and counters, stainless steel appliances and hardwood floors.

Still owned by Tema Development, The Parklane is getting its overhaul  inside and out  by Mirador Group. Its 195 condos, ranging from an 825-square-foot one-bedroom to a 2,470-square-foot three-bedroom, are expected to be finished in December 2021.

Our design approach is to stay true to the roots of this contemporary building and incorporate timeless elements, said Jerry Hooker, principal of Mirador Group, of work underway at The Parklane. The material palette is warm, very classic and all stone. The lobby renovation is going to be quite impressive as well. It is a unique space, especially for Houston, given the scale of the space, and the height of the ceiling.

In The Revere, Pelican Builders president Derek Darnell said they were hoping to achieve a classic, big-city look that blended with the neighborhood.

The neighborhood has these nice, high-end townhomes with almost a London-inspired look, Darnell said of the surrounding homes and three- to four-story townhomes. So when we engaged Kirksey (Architecture), we said we think it ought to be a building thats classic and complements whats already here. Thats why you see stonework and brass  sort of a classic Park Avenue feel.

Workers wearing masks were moving through the lobby on a recent Friday, but Darnell said the lobby will be finished and open in three weeks, and some of the first condo-owners ready to move in. Of the buildings 30 units, already 21 are sold.

Pelican Builders hired Houston interior designer Chandos Dodson Epley of Chandos Interiors to design and furnish a model unit, and its recent unveiling will likely set the tone for whats to come in other units.

Epley furnished the home with velvet upholstery on sofas and bedroom headboards to warm the space, placing furniture to show how to use an extra flex room, how to turn a niche off the dining room into a sophisticated bar and how to get the most of the units very long living room.

That open space has room for a big dining table and two more intimate seating areas in the living room. One includes a pair of gray velvet sofas in front of a contemporary style fireplace and the other has a long banquette, a pair of chairs, a coffee table and a round pedestal table as an alternate seating area where you could sit with a cup of coffee.

The bar off of the dining room was finished by Epley, who used Phillip Jeffries wallpaper in a black/gray geometric pattern with brass-glass, wall-mounted shelves for barware, all over gray cabinets with slabs of quartz for the counters and backsplash.

Dramatic contemporary lighting was chosen for rooms throughout the 2,900--square-foot model unit, since they all have 11-foot ceilings  a foot or two taller than most high-rise units.

When Derek came to me, we talked about bringing a New York feel to the setting. We just wanted it to feel warm and inviting and transitional so that anybody who was looking at the unit could appreciate how it could be furnished with antiques or modern furnishings, Epley said. We went with an updated classic look.

diane.cowen@chron.com
Joey King, Joel Courtney and the rest of the cast of The Kissing Booth 2 reunited on a live stream to promote the movie, where they revealed a third movie is coming next year.

King and Courtney were joined by Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Meganne Young on the live stream, where the revealed The Kissing Booth 3 is not only happening, but it's already been filmed and slated for release in 2021.

The Kissing Booth 3 was filmed back-to-back last summer with The Kissing Booth 2, with the stars revealing they would sometimes film scenes for both movies on the same day, with Netflix releasing a new clip for the movie.

Third movie: Joey King, Joel Courtney and the rest of the cast of The Kissing Booth 2 reunited on a live stream to promote the movie, where they revealed a third movie is coming next year

The cast revealed the sequel news by playing a game of Incoherent, where they had to jumble a group of random words to come up with a new phrase, which spelled out, 'The Kissing Booth 3.'

After making the big reveal, King, who plays Elle in the trilogy, said, 'I want to thank the fans for their tremendous support.'

'From the first movie, to the second movie just coming out just on Friday, the explosion of love has been so real. Its because of everyone on here that all of this has happened,' King added.

Guessing game: The cast revealed the sequel news by playing a game of Incoherent, where they had to jumble a group of random words to come up with a new phrase, which spelled out, 'The Kissing Booth 3'

Courtney added that, 'We love you so much and all the support is just great,' while King added that, 'The Kissing Booth 3 will be released in 2021.'

Courtney also said he wasn't sure if he was allowed to say this, 'But we are actually done filming already,' adding they 'filmed 2 and 3 at the exact same time.'

King added, 'It was the hardest secret to keep ever,' filming both movies at the same time and not telling anyone about it.

All the love: Courtney added that, 'We love you so much and all the support is just great,' while King added that, 'The Kissing Booth 3 will be released in 2021'

Filming: Courtney also said he wasn't sure if he was allowed to say this, 'But we are actually done filming already,' adding they 'filmed 2 and 3 at the exact same time'

Perez added that writer-director Vince Marcello would say on set, 'All right, this just happened and remember, this is the third one.'

Young also confirmed that Marcello came back to write and direct the third movie, like he did with the first two movies.

Perez also confirmed that Molly Ringwald returns as Mrs. Flynn, while Richardson-Sellers added that she 'can't wait for you to see it.'

Can't wait: Perez also confirmed that Molly Ringwald returns as Mrs. Flynn, while Richardson-Sellers added that she 'can't wait for you to see it'

King then asked her cast mates if they should show them a clip from The Kissing Booth 3, adding that she hadn't 'asked Netflix for permission' but she did have a clip on her computer, which was later showcased on the Netflix YouTube.

In the second movie, Elle (King) and Noah (Jacob Ellordi) spend the rest of their summer together before Noah goes to study at Harvard, encouraging Elle to apply to the Ivy League school.

While Elle tells her best friend Lee (Courtney) that she's been 'waitlisted' by every school she applied to, with Lee going to study at UC Berkeley.

Clip: King then asked her cast mates if they should show them a clip from The Kissing Booth 3, adding that she hadn't 'asked Netflix for permission' but she did have a clip on her computer, which was later showcased on the Netflix YouTube

It's revealed at the end that she lied to Lee, and she actually got accepted to both UC Berkeley AND Harvard, ending on a cliffhanger, leaving fans to wonder if she'll go to Berkeley with Lee like they had always planned, or Harvard with her boyfriend Noah.

The clip for the third movie starts with Rachel (Meganne Young) bringing out drinks for Elle and Noah while they hang out by the pool.

Elle gets a phone call from the Harvard Admissions Office but she ignores the call, with Noah asking if 'everything is OK.'

Clip: The clip for the third movie starts with Rachel (Meganne Young) bringing out drinks for Elle and Noah while they hang out by the pool

Harvard: Elle gets a phone call from the Harvard Admissions Office but she ignores the call, with Noah asking if 'everything is OK'

Elle says she's fine and then whispers something in Noah's ear, with Noah saying, 'Yes I'd like that very much,' as Elle says, 'Yeah, I thought you might.'

They go inside while Lee comes out and asks where they're going, as Elle is forced to try and come up with something on the spot.

'Noah is going to read me poetry and tell me all about his feelings,' but Lee isn't buying it, saying,'Really? Is that what you wanna go with?'

The clip ends with Noah running into the door as Lee and Rachel laugh it off.

Whisper: Elle says she's fine and then whispers something in Noah's ear, with Noah saying, 'Yes I'd like that very much,' as Elle says, 'Yeah, I thought you might'

Where: They go inside while Lee comes out and asks where they're going, as Elle is forced to try and come up with something on the spot
Areas of NSW have recorded more than 300 millimetres of rain since Saturday as wild weather leaves thousands without power and flooding creates dangers on the road.

A severe weather warning for damaging winds and damaging surf remains in place for the South Coast, Illawarra and Snowy Mountains, after previously being in place for much of the NSW coast. However the state's wild weather is expected to subside on Tuesday afternoon.

A truck partially fell through the road after a water main collapsed at Double Bay. Credit:Dylan Coker

A truck partially fell through the road after a water main collapsed at Double Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs early on Tuesday morning.

The front wheels of the truck, which belonged to a Sydney Water contractor who was delivering an excavator to assist with repairing the main, were submerged after a sinkhole opened up about 6am in a section of Bay Street, near Guilfoyle Avenue. Road closures are in place in the area.


Looks like love in times of Corona is surely possible. South actor Nithiin got hitched to his girlfriend Shalini Kandukari after dating for eight years. Pictures of the newly married couple in their traditional avatar have gone viral on the internet and are currently serving as couple goals.

Nithiin got married in Taj Faluknama Palace Hotel in Hyderabad amidst much grandeur. The actor had a destination wedding planned on April 16

. But due to the novel coronavirus, their plans had to be canned and the date had to be pushed.

Now that the unlockdown is on, the two families decided to get married in Hyderabad and call less people to follow the safety amidst the celebrations.

South actors like Varun Tej, Sai Dharam Tej, Kartikeya were clicked attending the wedding. Few pictures from the ceremony have been leaked online.
A protest took place in Kings Beach, California, last Tuesday at Sweet Tahoe Time, an ice cream shop, after its owner posted violent comments online directed towards a Black activist in Reno.

According to a story by This Is Reno, the owner, Beth Moxley, wrote comments in response to a Facebook post of a Black Lives Matter protest showing demonstrators surrounding vehicles on a freeway, where she wrote Who let the ANIMALS out of their cages??? and Oh lookMOVING TARGET PRACTICE.

Lily Baran, a Black activist in Reno, commented in response asking Also you just threatened to shoot me? to which Moxley responded, WE are law abiding citizens. Apparently you have no respect for the law, and as well as, Kill or be killed. Thats what the world has come to.

Last weeks protest was organized in part by Barans friends after she protested outside the shop alone a few days earlier, which resulted in the local police being called on her.

Calling the police on a Black person who was unarmed and has not harmed you is unacceptable and should be illegal. It directly threatens my life, Baran told This Is Reno. Not to mention its terrifying, you know, fiddling with their guns, not wearing a mask while speaking with me as well, directly harmful. I feel traumatized for sure from the situation.

RELATED: Viral video: SF man fired after refusing to let Latino resident enter his own apartment building

After eight hours of protesting, Moxley came outside, approached the protesters, and asked What do I do?

Baran then asked her to make a donation to Color of Change, a racial justice organization, and explained to her how calling the police on unarmed Black people is dangerous, which she did by referencing the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Moxley apologized and said, Black lives matter.

Read the full story here.

Fernando Martinez is an editorial assistant at SFGATE. Email: fernando.martinez@sfgate.com | Twitter: @fernan_dough
Amid the growing Chinese movement in the South China Sea, Vietnam has agreed to pay around a billion dollars to two international companies after cancelling their drill operations following pressure from Beijing, The Diplomat reported.

To maintain its presence in the South China Sea region, China, for several years, continued its efforts to prevent the Vietnam-based companies developing oil and gas resources in the area.

Citing a well-placed oil industry source, Bill Hayton, author of the article, said, Vietnams state-owned energy company PetroVietnam will pay the money to Repsol of Spain and Mubadala of the United Arab Emirates in termination and compensation arrangements.

Meanwhile, Russian energy company Rosneft has been forced to suspend its plans for drilling offshore even as China Coast Guard vessels continue operating in the area where the drilling was supposed to place.

In another instance, a drilling rig standing in the Vietnamese port of Vung Tau for two months has been stood down. Its owners, Noble Corporation, noted that the contract includes a termination payment. This is likely to cost Vietnam several million dollars more, the author said.

Similarly, Repsol, once one of the largest players in Vietnams offshore industry and owning rights in 13 blocks of the seabed, had to cancel its planned exploration drill in July 2017 and again on March 2018.

Hayton said, With minimal interests in China, Repsol appeared ready to withstand political pressure from Beijing. Two of its best development prospects were particularly bold: located at the far edge of Vietnams claimed exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and well within the U-shaped, nine-dashed line drawn on Chinese maps since 1948...

Repsol executives were reportedly informed that the cancellations were a political decision, ordered by top Vietnamese leadership, following extreme pressure from China, Hayton said.

The author said, China had assembled a flotilla of 40 naval ships off the coast of Hainan Island, about two days sailing from the drill site, and it appeared to be ready for confrontation.

As compensation for the investments made by Repsol and Mudabala, Vietnam is paying USD 800 million for their rights in the blocks and a further USD 200 million, Hayton quoted a regional oil industry source with knowledge of the settlement as saying.

This will be a billion dollars that PetroVietnam would otherwise have paid into the Vietnamese governments budget.

As Chinas pressure on Vietnam continues, recently, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said, The United States rejects any PRC maritime claim in the waters surrounding Vanguard Bank (off Vietnam), Luconia Shoals (off Malaysia), waters in Bruneis EEZ, and Natuna Besar (off Indonesia). Any PRC action to harass other states fishing or hydrocarbon development in these waters - or to carry out such activities unilaterally - is unlawful.

Extending help to Vietnam on the matter, he said, America stands with our South-East Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law.
The third instalment of Netflix's popular rom-com franchise was shot quietly alongside Kissing Booth 2 in South Africa.

The third instalment of Netflix's popular teen romance franchise, The Kissing Booth, has already been shot and will premiere on the streaming platform next year.

The news comes days after the sequel for the rom-com debuted on the streaming service.

According to Deadline, actors Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Meganne Young and Molly Ringwald are all set to return for the third movie.

"We filmed two and three at the exact same time," Courtney shared during a YouTube live with the cast.

"It was the hardest secret to keep ever," King added, saying that filming was tricky because "in one day we'd be filming both."

Netflix also announced the third instalment in the franchise on Twitter

It's official! The Kissing Booth 3 is coming in 2021. pic.twitter.com/e5O4iGofAQ  Netflix (@netflix) July 26, 2020



The first The Kissing Booth, which came out in May 2018, was based on the Beth Reekles self-published coming-of-age novel. The film, directed and adapted by Vince Marcello, became Netflix''s most rewatched movie in 2018.

It followed Elle (King), a teenager whose romance with high school senior and bad boy Noah (Elordi) puts her lifelong friendship with Noah's younger brother, Lee (Courtney), at risk.

The sequel picked up with Noah at Harvard and Elle in her senior year of high school.

The film sees Elle taking care of a long-distance relationship, enrolling into her dream college with best friend Lee, and a close friendship with a good-looking new classmate Marco (Perez). But as Noah becomes close to a college girl (Richardson-Sellers), it is a test of trust for the couple.
Alphabet Inc. has reportedly made a very forward-thinking decision for its employees around the world.

Google's parent company has decided its employees won't return to the office until at least next July as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, The Wall Street Journal reports. The decision will apply to Alphabet's nearly 200,000 full-time and contract employees across its major offices in th U.S., U.K., India, Brazil, and beyond, a person familiar with the matter said.

Before last week, Google had told employees to expect a return to the office in January. But Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai decided to change that guidance after talks with other top executives, and started letting other Google employees know about it soon after, the Journal reports. Uncertainty over school reopenings was reportedly a big factor in Pichai's decision. An official announcement may come as soon as Monday.

Fellow tech giant Twitter decided in May to let its employees work from home forever, save for those who have to come into an office on occasion to maintain servers or do other in-person tasks. Twitter will also extend a work-from-home allowance to employees to upgrade their workspaces, likely treading a path other companies will follow not just to stop the spread of coronavirus but to cut office costs as well. Facebook has similarly said many of its employees will start working from home more regularly.

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Seven initiatives of Brahma Kumaris to be flagged off by PM Modi today

PM Modi to address grand finale of Smart India Hackathon on August 1

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, July 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the grand finale of Smart India Hackathon on August 1 during which over 10,000 students will compete to solve 243 problem statements from government departments and industries, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' announced on Monday.

The HRD minister chaired a high-level meeting to give final shape to the plan for the finale of the hackathon event scheduled from August 1-3. Smart India Hackathon is an initiative to identify new and disruptive digital technology innovations for solving the challenges faced by our country.

Due to 'right decisions taken at right time' India better placed in COVID-19 fight, says PM Modi

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the grand finale of the largest ever online hackathon in the world from 7 pm onwards on August 1 through video-conference. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the finale shall be organised online by connecting all the participants throughout the nation together over a specially built advanced platform," Nishank said.

"This year, we will have more than 10,000 students competing to solve 243 problem statements from 37 central government departments, 17 state governments and 20 industries. Each problem statement carries a prize money of Rs 1 lakh except the student innovation theme which will have three winners, 1st, 2nd and 3rd, with prize money of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively," he added.

Unlock 3: Centre mulling over opening cinema halls and gyms with some curbs | Oneindia News

Hackathon is a non-stop digital product development competition, where problems are posed to technology students to suggest innovative solutions.

"Students would have the opportunity to work on challenges faced by government departments and private sector organisations for which they can offer outside-the-box and world-class solutions," a senior HRD Ministry official said.

"The first level screening of students' ideas has already taken place in January through a college level hackathon and only the winning teams at the college level were made eligible for the national round. Again at national level, ideas were screened by experts and evaluators and only the shortlisted teams will compete in the grand finale," he added.

This is the fourth edition of the hackathon organised by HRD Ministry. "As outcome of Smart India Hackathons till date, around 331 prototypes have been developed, 71 start-ups are under formation, 19 start-ups are successfully registered.

Further, 39 solutions have already been deployed at various departments, and around 64 potential solutions have been funded for further development," the official said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 01:59:28|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, July 26 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli military drone crashed on Sunday inside Lebanon during a operation along the Israel-Lebanon border, Israel's military said, amidst rising border tensions.

"There is no risk of breach of information," a military spokesperson said in a statement.

Israel's Kan TV news reported that the drone apparently crashed due to a malfunction.

The incident came amidst tensions along Israel's borders with Lebanon and Syria after a fighter with Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group, was killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Syria last week.

Last Thursday, Israel began to boost infantry forces along its northern border.

On Sunday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Lebanon and Syria that Israel will hold them "accountable" for any hostility emanating from their territory.

"We are not looking for unnecessary escalations but those who will test us will meet a very high level of operational capability," he said. Enditem
Sabry has been detained since April 2018 on charges of operating a news website without a licence, joining the banned Muslim Brotherhood group, and publishing fake news

Egypt's supreme state security prosecution ordered on Monday the release of Adel Sabry, the editor-in-chief of the independent news website Masr Al-Arabiya, pending investigations after his two-year precautionary detention ended, head of the Egyptian Press Syndicate Diaa Rashwan announced.

Sabry has been detained since April 2018 on charges of operating a news website without a licence, joining the banned Muslim Brotherhood group, and publishing fake news.

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Five Rafale jets built by Dassault Aviation took flight from France for India on July 27 as part of the two countries' 36 fighter jet deal that was signed by the two countries in September 2016.

The twin-engine fighter jets took off from Dassault Aviations facility in Merignac, France.

The fighter jets will be refuelled on the way by a French Air Force tanker aircraft and take a stopover at UAE Al Dhafra airbase after which India will receive them on July 29.

The jets will join the Indian Air Force fleet at the Ambala airbase in Haryana.

The Indian government had inked a direct deal with the French government to purchase 36 new Rafale fighter jets for 7.87 billion euros.

The fleet is expected to significantly boost the IAF's combat capabilities at a time when India is locked in a tense border row with China in eastern Ladakh.

Indian Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf interacted with IAF pilots before they took off from France.

As many as 12 IAF pilots and support crew have been fully trained for the aircraft so far. More personnel are being trained, reports suggest.

On October 8, 2019, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had officially received IAFs first Rafale in France.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Singh said that Rafale aircraft would add to the strength of the IAF.

All 36 jets were expected to arrive in India by September 2022, for which the IAF has been reportedly undertaking preparations, including readying required infrastructure. However, this could be delayed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

How does the Rafale help the Indian armed forces?

The Rafale weapons package outguns all other weapons systems in the region giving India the ability to note enemy jets from a distance without being tracked.

Here's a video of the jets flying off from France towards India:

The air-to-ground SCALP missile will be able to take down virtually any target with dead accuracy. It also has a range of much over 300 km, giving it the ability to take out targets with extreme accuracy. The Indian jets would not have to cross the Line of Actual Control and conduct strikes from within their own airspace.

The manufacturer describes it as a fully versatile aircraft that can carry out all combat aviation missions to achieve air superiority and air defence, close air support, in-depth strikes, reconnaissance, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence.

The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

Meteor is the next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden.

The Meteor is powered by a unique rocket-ramjet motor that gives it far more engine power for much longer than any other missile, said an official.

Besides the missile systems, the Rafale jets will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low-band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems, among others.

The fighter jet deal, that has had its share of controversies, ballooned to become a 2019 general election campaign flashpoint between the government and the opposition-led by Congress.
The crash in oil prices triggered by the pandemic will almost halve tax revenues from the North Sea, according to the Treasury watchdog.

The taxman will receive 400m from oil and gas projects in 2020-21, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said in its latest outlook.

But this is down from a forecast of 700m in the March Budget  which was released days after prices had started to nosedive. The recent crash is expected to wipe off 400m from North Sea revenues every year on average until 2025.

This means the taxman will bring in 2.6billion between now and 2024-25  down from 4.5billion predicted in March. The forecasts will deal a blow to campaigners for Scottish independence.

North Sea revenues have always been touted as a key strength for Scotland's economy  with the slogan 'It's Scotland's oil' used during campaigning in the 1970s.

In 2019, the OBR estimated revenues would reach 1.4billion this year, which was halved in March 2020 and has now been halved again. Oil started the year at close to $70 a barrel. But prices started to slide in January when China  the world's largest oil importer  locked down Wuhan. Within weeks, much of the Western world had also introduced restrictions that grounded flights, took cars off the road and closed factories.

At its lowest point, Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell to $19 a barrel, while US oil even traded in negative territory. The shock has left oil companies scrambling to cut costs and prompted Royal Dutch Shell to cut its dividend for the first time since the Second World War. Analysts believe BP could soon follow suit.

Prices are more stable now at about $40 but it could take years for demand to match the amount being pumped out every day  particularly if there are further lockdowns in the US or a second virus wave in other countries.

Some analysts even think there could be permanently lower demand for fossil fuels and that the pandemic will fuel a green revolution.

In its most recent outlook, the OBR said: 'Our central scenario assumes that oil and gas revenues are lower in every year by 400m on average relative to our March forecast  an overall reduction of around 50 per cent. This reflects lower oil prices and lower production, partly offset by the effects of sharp cuts to expenditure.'

The OBR warned in March its calculations of 700m in revenues had been made when oil prices were expected to average $56 a barrel in 2020. Prices are now predicted to be around $37 this year and reach around $42.50 in 2025.

Falling prices had already prompted downward revisions of oil and gas revenues. The Treasury's oil and gas revenues are made up of offshore corporation tax and petroleum revenues tax.
A leading charity has called for the re-establishment of the Dublin Lord Mayor's Forum on homelessness after five people died in homeless services in the capital in the last seven days.

Inner City Helping Homeless said that it was a "particularly difficult and saddening week" and added that garda inquiries were needed for three of the deaths.
Lucknow:

Rashtriya Lok Dal, Janata Dal(U) and a local outfit BS-4 on Monday announced their alliance for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, a move which comes after SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav ruled out entering into any alliance.



RLD chief Ajit Singh, JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav and BS-4 leader Bachan Singh Yadav held a joint press conference to announce their alliance which will contest on all the 403 Assembly seats.



There is no name of this alliance as of now but it will be an honest alliance. Though this is an alliance of three parties, talks are on with other smaller outfits, they said.



Attacking Mulayam, Ajit Singh said during Bihar Assembly polls all Lohia wadi and Charan Singh wadi parties had agreed for an alliance with SP but then SP declined.



Now when alliance talks were on with SP, Mulayam talked about merger, he said, wondering, Why Mulayam does not want any alliance against communal forces.



JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav said they were trying for unity for a long time and Mulayam was projected as a leader but it did not materialise.



I would have merged my party with SP on Mulayams call but no time is left for this, he said.



The SP supremo had recently ruled out any alliance for the UP Assembly polls, but had said mergers with his party could be considered.
India is mulling the further easing of restrictions on business-to-business (B2B) travel from select countries as the countrys focus on reviving livelihoods gradually gathers momentum.

With growing global interest in India, especially since the country received about $17 billion in foreign direct investment from tech majors including Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft, the government believes the current restrictions on international travel need to be eased.

With the world gradually opening up for business, there is a thinking in the government that perhaps there should be some measures that will allow easier travel for people who wish to do so, said a person familiar with the matter.

Against this backdrop, the government is looking at the possibility of allowing a wider cross section of people into Indianot just those related to Indians or people with Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards, Mint has learnt.

The government is also considering allowing Indians who wish to travel out of the country to do soon the condition that the countries they are travelling to do not have embargoes on incoming travel.

The ministry of civil aviation has already announced the establishment of the so-called bilateral air bubblesan arrangement through which carriers of two countries can operate flightswith France and the US. International flights were stopped for more than three months after the coronavirus outbreak in India.

As part of the plan, the government is exploring the possibility of allowing easier access to businessmen into Indianot just those related to Indians or people with OCI cards, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity.

The moves come against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging foreign firms to look at India as an investment destination as many countries look to move their supply chains out of China after the covid pandemic highlighted the scale of global dependency on the worlds second-largest economy.

In a speech to the US-India Business Council last week, Modi said: The rise of India means a rise in trade opportunities with a nation that you can trust, a rise in global integration with increasing openness, a rise in your competitiveness with access to a market which offers scale. And a rise in your returns on investment with the availability of skilled human resources.

According to a recent Reuters report, the US is pushing to create an alliance of trusted partners dubbed the Economic Prosperity Network, that would include companies and civil society groups operating under the same set of standards on everything from digital business, energy and infrastructure to research, trade, education and commerce. Some of the countries in the so-called Economic Prosperity Network include Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Vietnam.

Analysts, however, point out that along with the easing of travel norms, the government would need to revise its safety protocols.

People will be cautious about travelling to India given the number of cases of covid-19 here, said Biswajit Dhar, a professor on trade relations, at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University. He was referring to India touching 1.4 million cases this month though the number of deaths was lower and the recovery rate was higher than many countries in the world.
London: A resurgence of coronavirus cases in several European countries is rattling confidence that the hard-hit continent can stave off a second wave.

Spikes have been recorded in Spain, France and Germany as summer travel gathers pace and governments try to strike a balance between managing fresh outbreaks and allowing the economy to recover from the crushing impact of the first deadly wave in March and April.

Tourists enjoy the beach in Cadiz, Spain, amid a spike in coronavirus cases. Credit:AP

In France, officials declared all progress since the country's strict lockdown was eased had been lost amid a "clear increase" in the number of cases over recent days.

"We have returned to levels comparable with those at the end of the lockdown period," the country's health department said in a statement.
CHICAGO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Global announced today that it will again provide two more scholarship opportunities for students that live within the Little Village community in Chicago, IL. The Hilco Scholarship Program called "Hilco Scholars," is open for applications immediately at www.HilcoScholars.com. Qualified candidates who are attending or are planning to attend one of the City Colleges of Chicago can start the application process immediately. The application process runs now through August 23, 2020, and the scholarship will be awarded prior to start of the Fall 2020 semester.

"We are pleased to continue the Hilco Scholars program again this year. The local real estate projects that Hilco Redevelopment Partners takes on means that we are closely connected to surrounding communities and we take that connection very seriously and look for opportunities to help support our neighbors in many different ways," said Roberto Perez, Chief Executive Officer of Hilco Redevelopment Partners. "The Hilco Scholars college scholarship program is an initiative we are extremely proud of and seeing the success of these local students fills me with joy."

"The Hilco Scholars program was an opportunity I couldn't turn down," said Rudy Cordero, a former Hilco Scholar recipient. "When I started applying to college, I was worried about the financial strain on my family. Since receiving the scholarship, I've gone on to pursue further education at Yale, and I couldn't have done it without this program."

The 2020 scholarship will be awarded to two students living in the Little Village neighborhood who are pursuing a degree in a skilled trade program at one of the seven City Colleges of Chicago. It will be awarded each academic year and is renewable for up to two years, provided that the students continue to remain in good academic standing and meet eligibility criteria. The scholarship award can be used for education-related expenses including tuition, fees, books, and equipment needed to complete the degree program.

About Hilco Scholars Program: The Hilco Scholars program will be available to students for the Fall 2020 semester.

Candidates must reside in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood (60608 or 60623 zip codes)

Little Village neighborhood (60608 or 60623 zip codes) Candidates must reside in the City of Chicago and be eligible for in-district tuition rates.

and be eligible for in-district tuition rates. Preference will be given to candidates interested in pursuing an associate degree in a skilled trades area of their choice at any of the seven colleges including manufacturing and engineering; construction management; transportation, distribution, and logistics; and information technology.

Candidates must be high school graduates or have received their GED.

The program is being managed by OFIC and along with Hilco leadership, will make the final selection of the scholarship recipients. Please visit the Hilco Scholars landing page at www.HilcoScholars.com for more information and to start the application process.

About Hilco Global : Hilco Global (www.hilcoglobal.com) is a privately held diversified financial services company and the world's preeminent authority on maximizing the value of assets for both healthy and distressed companies. Hilco Global operates as a holding company comprised of over twenty specialized business units that work to help companies understand the value of their assets and then monetize that value. Hilco Global has a 30-year track record of acting as an advisor, agent, investor and/or principal in any transaction. Hilco Global works to deliver the best possible result by aligning interests with clients and providing them strategic insight, advice, and, in many instances, the capital required to complete the deal. Hilco Global is based in Northbrook, Illinois and has 600 professionals operating on five continents.

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Flula Borg voices yodelling troll Dickory in 'Trolls World Tour'. (Credit: Amanda Edwards/WireImage/Universal)

Trolls World Tour voice actor Flula Borg has admitted he was terrified when Universal opted to release the film on-demand rather than in cinemas.

The studio opted not to delay the film in the early days of the coronavirus lockdown and instead used the animated sequel as a guinea pig for the new premium video-on-demand model.

Fortunately for all involved, the move proved a money-spinning success story  albeit one that sparked conflict with cinema chains.

Borg, who played yodelling troll Dickory in the colourful musical, told Yahoo Movies UK he was concerned about those who devoted years to working on the movie.

Read more: Films streaming early because of coronavirus

As you know, I didnt have a huge role, but there are people who have spent thousands of hours on this film, said the 38-year-old musician and internet star.

'Trolls World Tour'. (Credit: Universal)

He added: Thats whats wonderful with animation, that you have these big teams who dedicate their lives for years to these projects. I was very afraid that this would not work.

But I think its safe to say that it was good that it was this first, you know, hamster-pig into the world.

It was wonderful for parents to have something to entertain children during a very strange time in our history. So I think it worked out.

Read more: Disney boss says movies could skip cinemas

Borg, who has made his name with high-energy performances as a musician and comedian, said he brings that energy to the recording booth, with many glucoses the key to his style.

Flula Borg speaks at the 71st Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards on Saturday, July 27, 2019. (Photo by Phil McCarten/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images)

Its something where its very difficult to make a mistake, he added.

And if you do, no one cares because youre just burning MP3 files. No one cares. Wear what you like, say what you like. Its great.

Read more: Onward director discusses releasing just before lockdown

As well as his role in Trolls World Tour, Borg has also voiced characters in Ralph Breaks the Internet and Ferdinand, while appearing in animated superhero show Teen Titans Go.

His next major performance will be as part of the new ensemble for James Gunns secretive and unusual DC movie The Suicide Squad.

Story continues

Read the full interview with Flula Borg in which he discusses his love for sequels, the secret to going viral and whether hed return to yodel again in another Trolls movie...

Yahoo Movies UK: Congratulations on Trolls World Tour. I thought the film was loads of fun!

Flula Borg: Thank you very much. It was fun to be in it. I love the variety and I was just glad to be included  like a child playing kickball.

A few times now, youve come in for the sequel of something. You did it with Pitch Perfect and with Wreck-it Ralph and now with Trolls. Do you find it difficult joining something with the sequel or do you enjoy coming into a world that already exists?

My friends have been teasing me about this sequel thing, youre right. Again, I am just very happy to be included. I love it when someone gives me a tiny box to play in, which I have received in all of these films. Then, at the end, I get to eat the box, which is always very tasty.

And this box contains yodelling!

Yes, its my speciality  kind of, but not really.

Did you do your own yodelling?

Of course, every day! Its how I begin my mornings as a German, you know.

Sam Rockwell and Flula Borg in 'Trolls World Tour'. (Credit: Universal)

Its a small role in this movie, but a fun one. Whats it like to actually go into the recording booth and get into the mind of a yodelling troll?

Its very fun. I must tell you that my favourite roles are tiny and confusing. Youll be watching them and then youre like whats just happened? and then something new has happened. Its my favourite thing and my desire in life to be a confusing German spy.

Youve done a lot of voice work in your film career so far. What is it that draws you to voice work?

Well, its something where its very difficult to make a mistake. And if you do, no one cares because youre just burning MP3 files. No one cares. Wear what you like, say what you like. Its great.

Read more: Julia Sawalha claims she was dismissed from Chicken Run sequel

Is that something youre able to do then, to improvise in these movies?

Exactly. They kick me out. This is what happens. If you watch me do it, theyre like okay, thats too much, please leave and Im like okay cool, am I fired?

Did you have any fun ad libs that did make it into the movie?

Absolutely! It was both nice and confusing because I usually forget everything I say and do, not just in life but in these recording sessions too. Oftentimes, you are very pleasantly surprised or confused, both of which I think are very important emotions.

Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake in 'Trolls World Tour'. (Credit: Universal)

I always like to ask people who do animated films whether they got to spend any time with any of the other cast members?

As you probably know, the way these films go in my experience is that you go in and youre lucky if youre ships passing in the night or a human passing in the hall. Its a very weird, but lovely experience. In the end, all the ingredients are separate but then you get to eat and watch a nice sandwich  but only at the end, two years later.

This film became a guinea pig for this new way of releasing big films in the midst of the pandemic. What was it like to be at the centre of that experiment with this film?

I was terrified. As you know, I didnt have a huge role, but there are people who have spent thousands of hours on this film. Thats whats wonderful with animation, that you have these big teams who dedicate their lives for years to these projects. I was very afraid that this would not work.

Read more: Digital purchases overtook physical media during lockdown

But I think its safe to say that it was good that it was this first, you know, hamster-pig into the world. It was wonderful for parents to have something to entertain children during a very strange time in our history. So I think it worked out.

And one of the things with kids films is that children want to watch films again if they like them, which you can do at home.

Thats correct, yes. And unlimited pee-pee breaks, which I think is also very important.

Especially with the amount of sugar people will be consuming watching this film.

Oh yes, exactly. So many glucoses!

Flula Borg accepts the award for Best Comedy Series, at VH1's 5th Annual Streamy Awards on September 17, 2015. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Dick Clark Productions)

I imagine it was a bit like that recording it as well?

As you can tell by my energy levels, thats how I begin my day. Its like sugar, caffeine and sprints.

We talked about this films online release and obviously the internet has been very good to you through your career. Is there a secret to going viral and making the internet work for you?

Well I can tell you, no. I have tried 350 videos on YouTube and I think there are 320 nobody has seen. I think its just a volume game. Make a lot of things, throw them into the sky and see what happens. I can tell you that after these years of doing this, I perhaps know less about what will work and what will not work.

If they were to make a Trolls 3 and to invite you back, would you be up for it?

Oh, I would be up for it, down for it, left for it, right for it. Please, count me in.

Maybe Trolls 3 will just be the yodelling trolls and nothing else?

Yes, Troll-delling. Im totally in. It would be so fun, I love it. Its a genre of music that not enough people, I think, have exposure to. Lets increase it.

Barb (Rachel Bloom) in 'Trolls World Tour'. (Credit: Universal)

You moved over from Germany to the USA. Have you had any problems in the industry because you dont sound like everybody else, or does that help?

I think its both. I think there are 99 projects where people would be like lets call Flula and everybody else would be like that is the stupidest, most terrible idea in the world. But then there will be one project where people would be like oh, I think Flula is the only person who can do this job. So its both wonderful and confusing. And listen, Im very excited for my occupations any time I receive one.

One of the things with the release of this film is that it has, in some ways, been quite controversial with cinema chains upset about the release. Do you think this film represents a struggle between the internet and cinemas and did you ever expect it to be so important to the industry?

No, and thats what I was saying earlier. I was terrified at what this would do for the people making the movie. The future of cinemas is a really weird area. Im 900 years old, but I dont know how things are going to look and how theatre-going is going to look in the future. I have no idea.

Read more: Cinema First announces movies heading to reopened multiplexes

I really want all of these things to continue to be exciting. Lets go to the theatre and watch a movie or lets stay home and eat all of the popcorn and have unlimited urine breaks. Im very much hoping both can exist in happy times.

Flula Borg speaks onstage at The 8th Annual Shorty Awards on April 11, 2016. (Photo by D Dipasupil/Getty Images for The Shorty Awards)

I hope so too. One of the things I think is really interesting about you is the way you have spread yourself across so many media  films, music, stand-up, internet videos, DJing. Do you have a favourite area to work in?

When youre a German Ziploc bag, youre happy to hold a piece of raw chicken. Anything your container can hold, you should do it. Youre a container, so just do whatever will work for the industry. That has always been my strategy. Youre a Ziploc bag, just do it.

Do you have any other exciting things on the way?

Theres a few animated projects that I dont think Im allowed to announce yet. Then, as always, Im creating my own things. Im doing childrens music now, which is very fun. I have a song with a band called Go, Banana, Go. Theyve allowed me to do a song with them about German lessons, which features very inaccurate and confusing lessons about German.

Then I have a weird DJ character, who I think is a time traveller whos shirtless and wears a strange helmet who I think Im related to. Hes coming out with music soon as well. Its a confusing life I lead. Can I say this?

Absolutely! I think everyone else is just going to have to keep up.

Trolls World Tour is available on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK from 27 July.
A wildfire that began in Oleiros, Portugal on July 25 has now spread to two neighbouring municipalities. As per reports, the fire has forced the evacuation of all the people in the region as hundreds of firefighters continue to battle the blaze

According to reports, a 21-year old firefighter has died battling the flames and several more have reportedly been injured. Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Costa sent a message of solidarity, encouragement, and thanks to over 700 firefighters battling the blaze.

Commander of the Castelo Branco district, Luis Belo Costa, while speaking in a news conference, stated that several isolated houses were still at risk and added that it was too early to tell how long it would take to get the flames under control.

Read: Portugal Heat Wave Heightens Risk Of Wildfires

Read: Bolsonaro Faces The Heat From Foreign Investors, Pressurised To Protect Amazon Rainforest

Bolsonaro pressurised into protecting Amazon

Meanwhile, wildfires in Brazils Amazon forest reached a 13-year high during the month of June. According to reports the fires in the rainforest rose by almost 20 percent. Experts and conservationists believe that these forest fires could be worse than the disastrous fires that occurred in the year in 2019.

As per reports, foreign investors have urged Brazillian President Jair Bolsonaro to check the rate of deforestation as well as get the rising number of forest fires in the Amazon rainforest under control.

Bolsonaro, who has been criticised for his inadequate response to Amazon conservation, now finds himself in a tight spot as Brazil hopes to rely on foreign investments from Europe, Asia, and South America to help boost the country's economy which is in turmoil because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read: Brazil Records 14th Consecutive Month Of Rise In Amazon Deforestation

Read: Amazon Fires At An All-time High In Brazil Due To June Spike; 'Covid Laxity To Blame'
The strongest storm in the world, Hurricane Douglas, is said to be approaching Hawaii. However, the forecast shows that the hurricane may weaken before it even reaches Hawaii this weekend.

Strongest hurricane

On July 24, the storm peaked as a Category 4, but the storm began to weaken as the days progressed. According to the report of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu.

The hurricane is steadily weakening and it is expected to weaken more this weekend as it slowly approaches Hawaii. When Hurricane Douglas reaches Hawaii, it will be Category 1 hurricane or it would fall under strong tropical storm, according to the forecasters.

The hurricane center said on July 24 that the Hawaiian Islands should monitor the progress of the storm and that there is an increasing chance that strong winds, heavy rainfall, and dangerous surf could affect portions of the state this weekend.

Hurricane Douglas is currently a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph that extend 25 miles from the center of the storm. A massive hurricane is any storm that is ranked Category 3, with winds from 111 to 129 mph or stronger.

Also Read: Could Future Pandemics Come From Space?

A hurricane watch has been issued for the Big Island of Hawaii and for Maui County, which includes Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Kahoolawe. The hurricane center forecasts the rain to be 6 to 10 inches and the force winds are expected to arrive on portions of the islands this week with isolated maximum totals of 15 inches.

The hurricane is also said to create massive swells that can cause life-threatening damages and it can also damage current conditions for several days.

The hurricane is currently running on 725 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii. The hurricane is now moving west-northwest toward the island. There are some forecast models that show that the hurricane is heading over the island of Hawaii.

Some forecast predicts that the hurricane is heading between the islands, another forecast predicts the hurricane will land around the north of the island.

It is important to note that people should not focus on the center of the track because the hurricane could hit anywhere within the predicted cone that is issued by the Hurricane Center.

Hurricane landfall

Phil Klotzback, a research scientist at Colorado State University stated that hurricanes do track towards the islands of Hawaii, but the hurricanes usually weaken before it even reaches the islands, so the impact is not as strong as expected. Examples are Hurricane Olivia and Hurricane Lane that impacted Hawaii in 2018.

Also in 2016, Hurricane Madeline and Hurricane Lester threatened Hawaii. Even though a hurricane's effects on the island can be disastrous, it is rare for massive hurricanes to reach the island chain's shores.

The islands in Hawaii consist of small plots of land, which are then located in the largest ocean basin on the planet. This means that the probability of a direct hurricane landfall is very low.

Around 6,423 square miles of land is covered by Hawaii, and it is divided up among 6 islands, making a direct landfall rare. To compare the square miles of land, Florida, a state that is also often hit by a hurricane, is easier to target because it covers more than 50,000 square miles.

Related Article: Americas 'Oldest Hotel' Is a Mexican Cave Inhabited 30,000 Years Ago

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(Natural News) More than half of nursing home residents in Maryland that have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) did not have any symptoms at the time of testing.

According to a report by the The New York Times, more than 40 percent of coronavirus-related fatalities in the United States have come from long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, memory care facilities, assisted-living facilities, rehabilitation centers and retirement and senior communities.

Because these facilities have emerged as coronavirus hotspots, a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) set out to determine how the deadly virus was able to spread largely undetected through these institutions.

My thought in doing this is that we had an opportunity in the nursing home setting to be South Korea  to provide widespread testing, really identify the burden of disease and then try to isolate based on that, said Morgan Katz, one of the authors of the study and an assistant professor of medicine at JHUs School of Medicine.

Katz and her colleagues decided to study nine nursing homes and two assisted-living facilities in Maryland that had confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Initially, these facilities had 153 cases that were identified through targeted, symptom-based testing. When the researchers tested the remaining 893 residents, they found an additional 354 cases of COVID-19, which meant that more than half of the residents in these 11 long-term care facilities had the coronavirus.

According to the study, around 55 percent of all the infected residents were asymptomatic at the time of testing. Many of these positive residents developed serious illnesses soon afterward.

Katzs team followed up on seven of the facilities after two weeks and found that 20 of the 154 then-asymptomatic patients required hospitalization, while seven passed away due to COVID-19 complications.

Katz believes their research highlights the necessity of following the guidelines set by the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which require all residents and staff members of nursing homes to be tested if even one positive case is found. Unfortunately, the federal government only requires facilities to report infections and deaths and does nothing but offer recommendations on how often they should conduct COVID-19 tests on their residents.

Many states have different policies on testing nursing home workers, and some states like California are beginning to reopen even their nursing homes to allow visitors to come and go. Katz believes that this policy reduces the efficacy of one-time baseline testing, and what these facilities need are on-site tests with rapid turnaround times so they really can respond immediately to any potential outbreaks. (Related: Cuomo claims nursing home outbreaks spread by workers, not his directive that FORCED facilities to bring in more coronavirus patients.)

Watch this episode of Brighteon Conversations with Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he has a very engaging and illuminating discussion with Dr. Paul Cottrell about a new strain of the Wuhan coronavirus known as D614G, which spreads a lot more easily than older variants of COVID-19.

One Maryland nursing home able to repel the coronavirus by acting quickly and locking down the facility

While many long-term care institutions in Maryland have to deal with rising COVID-19 cases within their facilities, the Maryland Baptist Aged Home in Baltimore has not reported a single case of infection since the beginning of the outbreak in America.

The head of the facility, Rev. Derrick DeWitt, said that the key to his nursing homes success was early mitigation, and the application of proactive protocols that prevented the coronavirus from entering. Back in February when the U.S. only had around 15 cases, the nursing home sprung into action before the rest of the country even began locking down.

On March 1, the nursing home went into a full lockdown. Visitors were not allowed to enter the facility, and they instituted a very thorough, rigorous screening process for their employees, which included providing the facility with the details of where the workers were during their time off, the regular taking of body temperatures and the wearing of protective gear  masks, gowns and gloves  whenever they had to come into contact with any of the homes residents.

Maryland Baptist also benefited from the fact that DeWitt hired a full-time quality assurance and infection control nurse who set up many of the anti-coronavirus measures the facility greatly benefited from.

Lastly, DeWitt cared for the emotional well-being of his residents by bringing in extra activity staff who made sure that the residents had visitors to interact with on a daily basis. He even hired a chef who came to help his staff prepare the residents meals and make them more pleasing.

The story of Maryland Baptist and Rev. DeWitts quick response to the pandemic shows how institutions can keep the coronavirus outside of their walls.

Maryland Baptists success is a bright spot in the otherwise bleak events that have affected nursing homes all across the country. According to The New York Times, at least 296,000 residents in long-term care facilities have contracted the coronavirus, and 55,000 have died.

If long-term care facilities learn from Maryland Baptists example and apply Katzs recommendation to conduct regular and rapid COVID-19 testing on nursing home employees and residents, future fatalities in many nursing homes could be prevented.

Learn about how other institutions are fighting back against the coronavirus by reading the articles at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NYTimes.com 1

USNews.com

NYTimes.com 2

BeckersHospitalReview.com

PBS.org
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A FirstEnergy customer on Monday filed what could become a class-action lawsuit in an effort to make the electricity company refund customers for rate hikes that resulted from a billion-dollar nuclear bailout now at the center of a corruption scandal.

The lawsuit filed by Jacob Smith, a North Royalton homeowner, accuses the Akron-based utility of committing civil racketeering by bribing law Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder to introduce House Bill 6 and then illegally bankrolling a dark-money campaign to pressure legislators into supporting the bill and fending off a ballot initiative to repeal it.

The goal of the scheme was to deprive ratepayers of money through the law that required them to pay a monthly surcharge on power the company delivered, the lawsuit says.

The 34-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus also asks a federal judge to grant class-action status, a move that would allow hundreds of thousands of customers from across the state to join as plaintiffs and seek refunds.

House Bill 6 required every Ohio customer to pay a new monthly surcharge that ranged from 85 cents for residential customers to $2,400 for operators of large industrial plants. It also stripped requirements that traditional utility companies generate a certain percentage of the power they provide from renewable energy, which supporters said would result in a net savings for consumers.

Sandusky-based attorney Dennis Murray Jr., a former Democratic state representative who represented what was then District 80 from 2009 to 2013, filed the suit on Smiths behalf. He said that lawmakers plans to repeal the bailout law and pass new legislation in its place are not enough.

[FirstEnergy] hijacked Ohios democracy, Murray Jr. told cleveland.com Monday. Repeal and replace is likely, but theyre not entitled to keep the change in the meantime. They have to give it back.

FirstEnergy was referred to as Company A in the 81-page FBI affidavit that charged Householder, an aide and three lobbyists, two of whom had been hired by FirstEnergy to work on the nuclear bailout legislation. No FirstEnergy executives or employees have been accused of any wrongdoing, and company CEO Charles Jones said last week that he believed the company acted ethically.

A FirstEnergy spokeswoman said Monday that she could not comment on the lawsuit, but noted that FirstEnergy Corp., which is named as a defendant in the suit, receives no money from the bailout legislation. The nuclear plants are owned by Energy Harbor, the company that emerged from bankruptcy court proceedings earlier this year after the former FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary FirstEnergy Solutions filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The lawsuit seeks damages equal to the amount of money FirstEnergys ratepayers have already paid, plus interest, as well as treble damages equal to three times that amount. It also asks a judge to order the company to pay Smiths attorneys fees.

Rate disputes generally fall under the jurisdiction of the Ohio Public Utilities Commission, but Murray said he believes ratepayers can bring the action in federal court on the grounds that the scheme laid out in the FBI affidavit amounted to a violation of the ratepayers rights that is enforceable in federal court.

Federal investigators say FirstEnergy, identified only as Company A in court records unsealed last week, agreed to back Householders 2016 election campaign to the state legislature and resume the house speaker role,l in exchange for the passage of a bill to make the companys nuclear power plants outside Cleveland and Toledo solvent.

Investigators say lobbyists working for FirstEnergy helped the company passed more than $60 million through a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization called Generation Now to secretly support the campaigns of Householder and those who would vote for him to become speaker in 2018, as well as the efforts to pass the bill and defeat a contentious referendum.

The announcement of the arrests on Tuesday caused a sharp drop in FirstEnergy stock that legal experts told cleveland.com is likely to lead to lawsuits filed against FirstEnergy on behalf of some of its shareholders.

Read more stories

Federal investigators seek records for nuclear bills introduced before Larry Householder became Ohio House speaker

FirstEnergy connections are widespread in Gov. Mike DeWines administration

Gov. Mike DeWine calls for repeal of House Bill 6, reversing his position from the day before

FirstEnergy should expect shareholders lawsuits over stock losses tied to Householder corruption charges, legal experts say

Who is Team Householder, the candidates Larry Householder recruited to help him become Ohio House Speaker?
Time is running out to claim one of the luxurious units at Pendry Residences Park City, an exclusive enclave in Utah conceptualized by San Franciscos own SB Architects.

Of the 152 condos available, roughly half have already been sold.

Drawing inspiration from the natural beauty surrounding the resort, SB Architects created a bold, contemporary design defined by its refined material palette, sophisticated finishes and inspiring views.

While the units are ski-in and ski-out during snow season, Pendry Residences Park City offer plenty of outdoor activities when the sun is out. Mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, hot air ballooning and fishing are among the adventures awaiting.

Simply put, SB Architects looks to raise the standard for refined mountain living with Pendry Residences Park City. Delivered fully furnished, the luxury residences range in size from studios to four-bedroom penthouses. Natural materials and neutral tones highlight interiors featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and private decks.

Hues of silver and navy complement the walnut cabinetry and hardwood flooring, while textured fabrics, aged leathers and metallic accents adorn the interior. Fireplaces with concrete tile surrounds warm the living room, white quartz countertops finish the kitchen. Artisan light fixtures illuminate the spaces.

Pendry Plaza, the resorts communal space, will be a hub for culinary delights and cultural exploration. Only 30 minutes from Salt Lake Citys airport, Pendry Residences Park City provides convenient access for those looking to unwind soon after departing the plane.

To top it off, a heated, rooftop pool will crown the Pendry Residences Park City. This oasis will allow guests and residents a place to enjoy a beverage while marveling at the alpine surroundings. The resorts ski bar will revolve around a fire pit and plans are in place for a high-speed ski lift that will deposit riders on some 7,000 acres of skiable landscape.

Learn more at www.pendryresidencesparkcity.com.

More Information Pendry Residences Park City. Address: 3720 North Sundail Court, Park City, Utah. Features: Designed by San Francisco's SB Architects, Pendry Residences Park City will feature 152 fully furnished luxury condos with alpine views and superlative finishes. The resort will include a rooftop heated pool, ski-in/ski-out access and plans are in place for a high-speed chair lift. Summer activities include hiking, fishing, horseback riding and hot air ballooning. See More Collapse

Contact: Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, 855-678-7772, inquiry@pendryresidencesparkcity.com.
Basanite Industries, LLC Announces Award of a $50 Million+ Five-Year Exclusive Supplier Agreement with MEP Consulting Engineers, Inc.POMPANO BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2020 / Basanite Industries, LLC (hereafter referred to as "Basanite") ... Basanite Industries

Basanite Industries, LLC Announces Award of a $50 Million+ Five-Year Exclusive Supplier Agreement with MEP Consulting Engineers, Inc.

POMPANO BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2020 / Basanite Industries, LLC (hereafter referred to as "Basanite") today announced that it has entered into an Exclusive Supplier Agreement with MEP Consulting Engineers, Inc., to be the exclusive provider of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer ("BFRP") Reinforcing Bar (Composite Rebar) and other BFRP products to the Florida-based construction engineering and design community.

BasaFlex Rebar

Hurricane Bar

"We have worked really hard to get to this point - our first truly significant supply agreement" said Simon R. Kay, Acting Interim President and CEO of Basanite. "MEP is a great company with an excellent brand name and a top-level team. MEP is also an industry leader in promoting the use of sustainable composite products, especially Basalt fiber products, in the engineering and construction industry. We believe this agreement is key to unlocking Basanite's growth potential in all the markets we serve and should allow us to begin to accelerate the construction industry's move towards BFRP products as we become fully operational."

Under the terms of the five-year agreement, MEP (a member of the US Green Building Council) will exclusively utilize Basanite to manufacture and supply BFRP Rebar products, including Basanite's BasaFlex and other proprietary products. Basanite will also exclusively manufacture Hurricane Bar, an MEP-designed BFRP Rebar product, designed and engineered specifically for structural applications. Additionally, Basanite and MEP will work together to design, develop and certify advanced, solutions based BFRP products for the construction industry during the term of the agreement.

Story continues

Rey J. Rubio, Vice-President and Senior Engineer of MEP stated: "Both MEP and Basanite are focused on the future of the construction industry, with the application of advanced composites and innovative technologies. These new, ultra-efficient building materials will allow MEP to bring the highest standards of innovation, sustainability and safety to every project. Vertically integrating and combining the strengths of MEP and Basanite via this agreement will enable us to begin to change the way the world designs and constructs buildings and structures."

MEP will employ its construction engineering expertise to design building structures focused on the use of BasaFlex, Hurricane Bar, and other Basanite manufactured BFRP products, advancing the use of high strength, eco-friendly, alternative reinforcing materials for the construction industry. MEP will also employ its sales and marketing expertise to distribute Basanite manufactured materials to the construction industry worldwide. The total value of the agreement is expected to exceed US $50 million over the five-year term although there is no guaranteed minimum value, and assuming Basanite is able to successfully execute its business plan.

Basanite has begun the process to expand its current operational capacity and expects to be fully staffed for full single shift operations by mid-August. Because of strong market demand indications, the company is planning for two-shift operations prior to the end of 2020. Further, with impending major orders led by MEP, Basanite is working towards a significant plant capacity expansion for early in 2021.

BasaFlex: is an enhanced basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) rebar, engineered to add intrinsic value in a concrete structure by eliminating corrosion problems associated with typical steel reinforcement - saving both time and money over the lifecycle (or extended lifecycle) of a concrete structure. BasaFlexTM: has a 50-year design life; is non-corrosive; is just 25% of the weight of steel but has a strength to weight ratio 2.5 times greater than steel; is transparent to magnetic fields, radar frequencies and other high electro-magnetic fields; is both electrically and thermally non-conductive; and is easy to use and much safer to handle on the job site.

About MEP: MEP Consulting Engineers, Inc. is a forward-thinking construction engineering firm based in Miami, FL. MEP's focus is designing efficient building structures that impact communities in a positive way, by using sustainable building materials and standards. To that end, MEP is engaged in advanced research and development projects and works in conjunction with the University of Miami to assist their research efforts. The primary focus of this R&D effort is to advance the use of unique, sustainable and unconventional materials, especially products using Basalt fiber reinforced polymers.

About Basanite: Basanite Industries, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Basanite, Inc. (OTCQB:BASA), a publicly traded company with primary interests in the manufacture of composite reinforcement products made from Basalt fiber reinforced polymers. Basanite Industries is positioned to become the industry leading supplier of engineered BFRP composite products for the concrete industry.

Forward-looking statements: This release contains the company's forward-looking statements which are based on management's current expectations and assumptions as of July 27, 2020, regarding the company's business and performance, its prospects, current factors, the economy, and other future conditions and forecasts of future events, circumstances, and results and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "believe," "goal," "feel," "may," "plan," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release reflect Basanite's current analysis of existing trends and information and represent Basanite's judgment only as of the date of this press release. Actual results may differ materially from current expectations based on a number of factors affecting Basanite's business. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Basanite (including the risk of us continuing as a going concern), please see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, including but not limited to the discussion under "Risk Factors" therein, which we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 6, 2020 and may be viewed at http://www.sec.gov .

For more information:

Dave Anderson, EVP/COO

(954) 532-4653 Ext. 102

SOURCE: Basanite Industries





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/599018/Basanite-Announces-Multi-Million-Dollar-Supply-Agreement




Wearing a face mask does not instill a false sense of security against coronavirus, scientists have concluded.

The World Health Organization warned in April that masks may make people think they didn't need to wash their hands as much or stick to other disease-fighting measures.

However, researchers led by University of Cambridge have found no evidence this 'risk compensation' behaviour occurs.

They looked at evidence from 22 studies on wearing masks to control the spread of respiratory viruses.

In some cases, groups allocated to wear masks washed their hands more often than those who did not.

Scientists have debunked the theory that wearing a face mask against the coronavirus instills a 'false sense of security'. Pictured, shoppers wearing face masks on Oxford Street, London

The World Health Organisation warned masks would make people think they didn't need to use other essential measures. Pictured, a shopped on Oxford Street

Officials made it mandatory for people to wear face coverings in shops in England last Friday and public transport since June 15.

The Department of Health says that coverings are 'strongly encouraged' in other enclosed spaces not covered by the law.

Some experts believe wearing a face mask will leave people thinking they do not need to worry about catching the coronavirus at all.

Early in the pandemic, the WHO warned masks can 'create a false sense of security that can lead to neglecting other essential measures such as hand hygiene practices'.

THE TRUTH ABOUT FACE MASKS: WHAT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN Research on how well various types of masks and face coverings varies but, recently, and in light of the pandemic of COVID-19, experts are increasingly leaning toward the notion that something is better than nothing. A University of Oxford study published on March 30 concluded that surgical masks are just as effective at preventing respiratory infections as N95 masks for doctors, nurses and other health care workers. It's too early for their to be reliable data on how well they prevent infection with COVID-19, but the study found the thinner, cheaper masks do work in flu outbreaks. The difference between surgical or face masks and N95 masks lies in the size of particles that can - and more importantly, can't - get though the materials. N95 respirators are made of thick, tightly woven and molded material that fits tightly over the face and can stop 95 percent of all airborne particles, while surgical masks are thinner, fit more loosely, and more porous. This makes surgical masks much more comfortable to breathe and work in, but less effective at stopping small particles from entering your mouth and nose. Droplets of saliva and mucous from coughs and sneezes are very small, and viral particles themselves are particularly tiny - in fact, they're about 20-times smaller than bacteria. For this reason, a JAMA study published this month still contended that people without symptoms should not wear surgical masks, because there is not proof the gear will protect them from infection - although they may keep people who are coughing and sneezing from infecting others. But the Oxford analysis of past studies- which has not yet been peer reviewed - found that surgical masks were worth wearing and didn't provide statistically less protection than N95 for health care workers around flu patients. However, any face mask is only as good as other health and hygiene practices. Experts universally agree that there's simply no replacement for thorough, frequent hand-washing for preventing disease transmission. Some think the masks may also help to 'train' people not to touch their faces, while others argue that the unfamiliar garment will just make people do it more, actually raising infection risks. So what about cloth coverings? Although good quality evidence is lacking, some data suggest that cloth masks may be only marginally (15 per cent) less effective than surgical masks in blocking emission of particles, said Babak Javid, principal investigator at Cambridge University Hospitals wrote in the BMJ on April 9. He pointed to a study led by Public Health England in 2013 which found wearing some kind of material over the face was fivefold more effective than not wearing masks for preventing a flu pandemic. The study suggested that a homemade mask 'should only be considered as a last resort to prevent droplet transmission from infected individuals, but it would be better than no protection'. Advertisement

This behaviour has been described as 'risk compensation' or 'moral licensing'  and people do it for all kinds of reasons.

For example, a cyclist may wear a helmet but only so they can cycle at a riskier, faster speed, rather than to protect them at their usual pace.

Professor Dame Theresa Marteau and colleagues at Cambridge wanted to see if the same applied to people's attitudes against catching the coronavirus while wearing a face mask.

The paper, published in the journal BMJ Analysis, found 22 systematic reviews which have assessed the effect of wearing a mask on transmission of respiratory virus infections.

However, none looked specifically at Covid-19.

Of the six studies that also looked at whether people still washed their hands, 'wearing masks did not reduce the frequency of hand washing or hand sanitising'.

In two studies, people reported washing their hands more often when wearing a face mask.

The studies all used self reporting, which is not the most reliable measurement used in science. And none were designed specifically to look at risk compensation.

The researchers found three studies, none of which had been peer reviewed, that assessed the effect of mask wearing on the behaviour of others around them.

All showed that people moved away from those wearing a mask, which in theory would be a move to protect them from catching the virus.

The paper said that the idea of risk compensation used as an argument to discourage the wearing of face masks was 'unfounded'.

Experts may say that an intervention that causes people to relax their other control measures is worse than promoting it.

'There is, however, no compelling evidence that such risk compensation exists at a population level,' Professor Marteau and colleagues wrote.

Instead, wearing a face mask could do the opposite and drive people to uptake other associated behaviours, like handwashing, because it acts as a cue to remind people of the risk of the coronavirus.

The team backed their claims that risk compensation does not exist by looking at other realms of health, finding weak evidence.

For example, being vaccinated against HPV, a group of viruses passed through sex, was not found to lead to riskier sexual activity.

The researchers concluded: 'Evidence is growing that wearing face covering reduces the spread of SARS-CoV-2, and the limited evidence available does not support concerns that their use adversely affects hand hygiene.

'In 2016, Pless (Barry Pless, a scientist at McGill University in Canada) argued that risk compensation theory "is a dead horse that no longer needs to be beaten".

'We would add that this dead horse now needs burying to try to prevent the continued threat it poses through slowing the adoption of effective public health interventions.'

But other experts disagreed and pointed out that evidence in this area was still limited.

Susan Michie, a health psychologist at University College London, told The Telegraph: 'The authors rightly point to evidence that "risk compensation" is not a universal phenomenon but, as they themselves recognise, there may be contexts in which it can occur.

'So the idea of "burying it" is as potentially dangerous as assuming that it will occur.'

Robert Dingwall, a social scientist at Nottingham Trent University, said: 'The authors do us all a service by bringing together a body of work in a convenient form.

'Merely piling up fragile evidence does not, though, necessarily make it any stronger.'
Countries around Asia are confronting a second wave of coronavirus infections and are clamping down again to try to contain the disease, with Australia recording a record daily rise in cases and Vietnam locking down the city of Danang.

Mainland China is battling the most aggressive return of COVID-19 in months, confirming 57 new locally transmitted cases on Sunday, the highest level since early March, driven by fresh infections in the far western region of Xinjiang.

In the northeast, Liaoning province reported a fifth straight day of new infections and Jilin province reported two new cases, its first since late May.

Hong Kong is expected to announce further restrictions on Monday including a ban on restaurant dining and mandated face masks outdoors, local media reported.

The measures, which are expected to take effect from Wednesday, would be the first time the city has completely banned dining in restaurants.

Australian authorities warned a six-week lockdown in parts of the southeastern Victoria state may last longer after the country registered its highest daily increase in infections.

Most of Australia is effectively virus-free but flare-ups in the two most populous southeastern states have authorities scrambling to prevent a wider national outbreak.

"The tragedy of COVID-19 is that we know, with the number of new infections that we have seen today, that there will be many further deaths in the days ahead," Australia`s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd told reporters.

In Japan, the government said it would urge business leaders to ramp up anti-virus measures such as staggered shifts, and aimed to see rates of telecommuting achieved during an earlier state of emergency.

"At one point, commuter numbers were down by 70 to 80%, but now it`s only about 30%," Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said late on Sunday. "We really don`t want to backtrack on this, so we have to explore new ways of working and keep telecommuting high."

Japan has avoided mass infections but a record surge in cases during the past week in Tokyo and other urban centres has experts worried the country faces a second wave.

Vietnam is evacuating 80,000 people, mostly local tourists, from the central city of Danang after three residents tested positive for the coronavirus at the weekend, the government said on Monday.

The Southeast Asian country is back on high alert after the government on Saturday confirmed its first community infections since April, and another three cases on Sunday, all in Danang.

In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to focus on COVID-19 and the economy in his annual State of the Nation Address on Monday.

Manila is weighing whether to re-impose stricter lockdown measures after easing them saw a dramatic surge in infections and deaths, with 62,326 cases reported since the first lockdown was relaxed June 1.

Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is expected to announce new measures to contain the outbreak as authorities struggle to contain more than a dozen new clusters that have appeared since curbs were lifted last month.

Indonesia is expected to report its 100,000th case on Monday, having surpassed China with the highest number of cases and deaths in East Asia.

North Korean state media reported on the weekend that the border town of Kaesong was in lockdown after a person who defected to South Korea three years ago returned this month with symptoms of COVID-19.

If confirmed, it would be the first case officially acknowledged by North Korean authorities.

South Korea has reported more than 14,000 cases and 298 deaths from the pandemic. Saturday`s 113 infections were the highest on a single day since March 31.

Papua New Guinea halted entry for travellers from Monday, except those arriving by air, as it tightens curbs against infections that have more than doubled over the past week.

Traditional border crossing were suspended from July 23, police chief David Manning said in a statement distributed on Monday. PNG has fluid borders with Indonesia, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Solomon Islands with people regularly crossing on foot or in small boats.

While much of Asia is reimposing lockdowns and other curbs on movement, India continues to ease restrictions despite a relentless rise in infections. India has a total of 1.4 million cases, behind only the United States and Brazil.

More than 16.13 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 644,836? have died, according to a Reuters tally.
Placing any obstacle to calling the assembly session would undermine the fundamental basis of a parliamentary democracy, he said

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday expressed hope that the President will intervene and instruct the Rajasthan governor to convene a session of the state assembly.

The former Union minister alleged that BJP-appointed governors have violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution and have in the process "gravely impaired" parliamentary democracy, its conventions and traditions.

"I sincerely hope that the President will take note of what is happening - the erosion of parliamentary democracy, the erosion of the Constitution, the violation of the Constitution and do what is right in the circumstances," he told a virtual press conference. Chidambaram said the President has the absolute authority to tell the governor that what he is doing is wrong and ask him to call an assembly session.

"I still believe that the President of India can intervene and instruct the governor to convene an assembly session," he said when asked whether the president can directly intervene in the matter.

"I hope better counsel will prevail and wise people can instruct the governor that he must summon a session of the assembly," the Congress leader said, noting that the governor has no discretion of his own in the matter.

Chidambaram said if the chief minister, who is accused of not enjoying a majority, wants to prove his majority, he is entitled to call a session at the earliest to prove it. "No one can stand in his way," he said.

"Placing any obstacle to calling the assembly session would undermine the fundamental basis of a parliamentary democracy," he said.
Charlotte was left with agonising first and third degree burns across buttocks

Charlotte was left with agonising first and third degree burns across buttocks

Charlotte Beeton, 27, suffered an epileptic seizure while she was washing hair

A young woman was left with excruciating burns on her derriere after a radiator pipe exploded.

Charlotte Beeton, 27, from Southampton, suffered an epileptic seizure while washing her hair and landed on a radiator pipe, covering her lower body in boiling water.

Thankfully her fiance, David Channel, 28, heard the commotion and was able to move Charlotte to safety before she was scolded any further.

But the finance worker was left with first and third degree burns across her bottom - something that required five hours' worth of skin graft surgery, with skin being taken from her thighs.

Charlotte Beeton (pictured), 27, from Southampton, suffered an epileptic seizure while washing her hair and landed on a radiator pipe, covering her lower body in boiling water

The finance worker was left with third degree burns across her bottom. Pictured, burns from the radiator pipe

After recovering from her ordeal in hospital for three weeks, Charlotte was allowed home and has been learning to adapt to her new appearance ever since.

She has decided to share her images for the first time in a bid to raise awareness of the severity of injuries that can be sustained during an epileptic seizure.

The finance worker, added: 'I was washing my hair one minute and the next I was looking up at several paramedics.

'As I had damaged all the nerves in my bum due to the extent of the burns, I didn't feel any pain at first.

Charlotte's fiance, David Channel, 28, heard the commotion and was able to move Charlotte to safety before she was scolded any further. Pictured, together

Charlotte required five hours' worth of skin graft surgery, with skin being taken from her thighs. Pictured, her burns slowly healing

After recovering from her ordeal in hospital for three weeks, Charlotte was allowed home and has been learning to adapt to her new appearance ever since. Pictured, the third degree burns from the radiator pipe

The radiator pipe Charlotte fell on wasn't faulty but as her unconscious body fell on it, it moved and began spraying out water. Pictured, third degree burns

Charlotte was diagnosed with epilepsy aged 13 but had never suffered burns before. Pictured, Charlotte's third degree burns from the radiator pipe

'I was transferred from Southampton General Hospital to Salisbury District Hospital as they have a specialist burns unit.

'Once I realised that I needed surgery I began to panic, I was diagnosed with epilepsy aged 13 but had never suffered burns before.

'After the skin was taken from my thighs and placed on my burns, I spent a further three weeks in hospital which were some of the worst weeks of my life.

'I was in agony even though I have a high pain threshold, it was nothing like I had experienced before.

Charlotte (pictured) said she was 'very lucky' that she was moved to safety as it could have been a lot worse

Charlotte decided to share her images for the first time in a bid to raise awareness of the severity of injuries that can be sustained during an epileptic seizure. Pictured, third degree burns from the radiator pipe

Some of Charlotte's skin was taken from her thighs and placed on her burns (pictured left, and right)

The 27-year-old damaged all the nerves in her bum due to the extent of the burns, so didn't feel any pain at first. Pictured, the third degree burns

Charlotte spent three weeks in hospital which she says were 'some of the worst weeks of my life.' Pictured, Charlotte's bottom bandaged up

'I couldn't lie on my back and needed the bandages to be changed regularly which was excruciatingly painful.'

Thankfully Charlotte didn't need any further skin grafts after first surgery but says the impact of the accident in May 2018 still affects her day to day life now.

She added: 'It affected my mental health as it took a while to accept the scars across my lower body.

'I have never shown anyone, other than my close family and friends, the graphic images of my accident before.

'But I have decided to share them now to show others the severity of injuries caused by epileptic seizures can be.

The 27-year-old said she was 'in agony' and described it as nothing like she had experienced before. Pictured, Charlotte's third degree burns from the radiator pipe

Charlotte has been left with scars (pictured) - and hopes her story raises the profile for epilepsy

'The radiator pipe I fell on wasn't faulty but as my unconscious body fell on it, it moved and began spraying out water.

'I'm very lucky that I was moved to safety as it could have been a lot worse.'

Charlotte is on medication for her epilepsy but still has clonic tonic seizures every three to four months.

She added: 'I don't know what triggers my seizures but I have them every few months.

'I'm so grateful that my fiance, David, is so supportive as I cannot live independently as I'm too high risk of injuring myself.

'I hope my story raises the profile for epilepsy as even though it's not uncommon in the UK, there's not enough research into medications.'
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The excessive consumption of vitamins could lead to kidney problems and reduces the effectiveness of medications in treating infections

Egypts health ministry is warning the public against taking excessive amounts of vitamins and medications as an anti-coronavirus measure without medical supervision .

Health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said in a statement on Sunday that the use of vitamins and medications should be under medical supervision and for a specified period.

The excessive consumption of vitamins could lead to kidney problems and reduces the effectiveness of medications in treating infections, Megahed said.

The warning by the health ministry comes weeks after the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) said that taking excessive amounts of medications and vitamins without prescriptions has grave side effects.

The EDA issued the warning following shortages of medications including vitamins C, D, and zinc in pharmacies. The shortage took place after some social media users  including doctors and pharmacists  recommended these vitamins as a way to boost the immune system against coronavirus.

The drug authority reiterated the health ministrys appeal to not hoard immune-system medicines, nutritional supplements and vitamins, particularly those included in the Egyptian treatment protocol for the coronavirus.

In March, the Egyptian medical syndicate called on its members to not prescribe any drugs through social media or without conducting a medical examination.

Prescribing treatment for COVID-19 on social media could lead to undesirable consequences and cause shortages in drugs that are important in treating other diseases, the syndicate said.

As of Sunday, Egypt has recorded a total of 92,062 coronavirus cases since the outbreak began in February, including a death toll of 4,606 and 33,831 recoveries.

Egypt has been recording less than 1,000 coronavirus cases per day for more than two weeks now as it continues a gradual reopening of the country.

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A nixed student grant program that was to be administered by WE Charity is the centrepiece of a scandal thats plagued the Liberal government for weeks and resulted in ethics investigations for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

Under a contribution agreement thats now cancelled, WE could have received upwards of $43.5 million to administer the governments student grant program. Those who were involved with its development have been appearing before Parliaments finance committee to testify.

WE Charity founders Craig and Marc Kielburger will testify Tuesday, Trudeau on Thursday.

Here are key moments in the scandal:

Read more about:
Kanye West has reportedly taken himself off to hospital after a spate of outbursts that had his family and fans worried for the rappers mental health.

The 43-year-old was seen entering a hospital in Cody, Wyoming, via the emergency department door on Saturday, TMZ reports, but apparently didnt stay long.

Kanye West took himself to hospital. Photo: Getty

Only 10 minutes passed before Kanye was reportedly seen leaving the hospital again to return to his ranch. The publication claims there were a lot of people waiting in the ER which put Kanye off.

So he left abruptly, but his people then arranged for an ambulance to come to the ranch instead, where medical staff determined he was not in danger.

His brief trip to hospital - like to treat his reported anxiety - comes after Kanye publicly apologised to his wife Kim Kardashian for discussing their personal issues in public.

He said he regretted going public with something that was a private matter.

I would like to apologise to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter, Kanye posted on Twitter, hours after he was visited on his ranch by Justin Bieber.

I did not cover her like she has covered me. To Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me.

Photo: Twitter/kanyewest

Kanye did not explain which comments he was specifically apologising for, but he's recently made a string of allegations about various high-profile people in his life, and even claimed he wanted to divorce Kim, 39, after she met rapper Meek Mill at a hotel.

I been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek at the Warldolf for 'prison reform', he said in a since deleted Tweet.

RELATED:

Kim Kardashian broke her silence last week and issued a public statement discussing her husbands mental health, in the wake of the hurtful comments he made about her and their family.

Kim took to Instagram to speak of her brilliant and complicated husbands struggle with bipolar disorder, which he was diagnosed with in 2016.

Story continues

As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar disorder, wrote the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, who married Kanye in 2014.

Kim broke her silence on Kanye last week. Photo: Instagram/kimkardashianwest

She revealed that shes currently powerless in helping him during his reported bipolar episode, until he himself wants to be helped, and calls for compassion and empathy as they try to get through this.

Before his latest visit by medical staff, another group of the stars loved ones had flown to the ranch to be with Kanye and worked to get him professional help, according to Us Weekly.

Kanye was evaluated by a doctor on [Monday], who determined that he did not need immediate hospitalisation and that he was in a stable mental state at the time, a source told the publication last week.

Those close to Kanye are taking this very seriously  their top priority is to make sure that hes safe and getting the necessary attention and treatment he needs.

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Chennai: Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Monday gave away an appointment order to daughter of Jayaraj, who died following alleged police torture at Sathankulam in southern Tamil Nadu recently.

The order, appointing her as a junior assistant in the revenue department on compassionate grounds was given by Palaniswami to Percys, the eldest daughter of Jayaraj at the Secretariat, an official release said.

Speaking to reporters, Percys said the Chief Minister expressed grief over the death of her father and younger brother Bennicks and assured her family of justice.

"A CBI probe is on and it is our belief that the judiciary will do justice and the government will stand by us in getting justice," she said and appealed for an expeditious probe.

The appointment comes days after the government provided a solatium of Rs 20 lakh to the family.

Jayaraj and his son Bennicks of Tuticorin district werearrested on June 19 for allegedly violating prohibitory ordersby keeping open their shops beyond the permissible time limit.

The duo were allegedly tortured by policemen in Sathankulam police station and were lodged in Kovilpatti sub- jail.

Bennicks died on June 22 and his father the next day following their admission to a government hospital in Kovilpatti.

The alleged police brutality led to an outrage, and the matter was taken up by the Madras High Court's Madurai Bench.

While CB-CID initially investigated the alleged excesses and arrested 10 police personnel, the case is now probed by the CBI.
The ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh on Monday accused the BJP of trying to topple the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan by "murdering" the Constitution.

A delegation of the Congress under state president Mohan Markam submitted a memorandum, addressed to the President, to Governor Anusuiya Uikey, said Shailesh Nitin Trivedi, head of media wing of the Congress.

The Congress has requested the President that a special session of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly be immediately convened, and has sought his intervention to prevent undemocratic acts, Trivedi said.

In Rajasthan, the way a plot is being hatched with the support of BJP to topple the democratically-elected government is equivalent to the act of murdering democratic and constitutional values, the memorandum said.

After Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya, an adverse situation is being created by the BJP in Rajasthan which is dangerous for the country, its people and democracy. It is highly condemnable, it said.

Meanwhile, the opposition BJP slammed the Congress, saying the crisis in Rajasthan is the outcome of infighting within the grand-old party.

"The Congress has reached on the brink of collapse due to internal conflict. Struggling with infighting, the party will have to face the same crisis in other states like Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh," said Sanjay Shrivastava, state BJP spokesperson.
The ministry of IT and Electronics has come out with a fresh list of 47 Chinese apps that are banned in the country. The reports suggest that these apps are 'cloned versions' of the 59 apps that were previously banned by the IT ministry in late June. Although it seems rather odd that it took government nearly a month to figure out that there are security risks with the cloned copies as well. Nevertheless, the ban has been extended to cover more apps even as the border tensions between India and China seem to have softened a bit.

So far, the list of these 47 apps is not known. Some reports suggest that the names include TikTok Lite, Helo Lite, SHAREit Lite and others who have infringed the Section 69A of the IT Act.

Sajai Singh, partner at law firm J. Sagar Associates said that as Indian use of smartphones heads towards 442 million in 2022, with wide availability of cheap data plans, India is recognising the risk to personal data of its citizens. "In China, many large companies, including telecom, OTT and others, are closely linked with the state. This obviously raises red flags for nations when it comes to data of its citizens," he said after today's ban. Singh also said that the time will only tell whether India was the first mover or the only country taking such a decision.

Even as the experts and citizens are jumping over each other praising the government's move, it's important to face the hard truth. Despite its hugely popular base in India (over 200 million users), TikTok, which is one of the apps blacklisted in June, doesn't contribute much to the tech economy. ByteDance, the parent of TikTok, employs about 2,000 people in India, and generates income for a few thousand popular users. The video platform reports revenues of about Rs 25 crore in a quarter. The other banned apps contribute even much lesser.

In comparison, companies like Xiaomi, Huawei, Vivo, and others have a significant presence in India in every sense. Take Xiaomi, for instance. The Beijing-headquartered company controls 30.9 per cent of the $8-billion smartphones market. In fact, Chinese smartphone makers together controlled three-fourth of the total Indian smartphones market in the June quarter, as per Canalys. While the overall smartphones market has shrunk in this quarter, the share of Chinese brands has only gone up - from 66.1 per cent in Q2 of 2019 to 75 per cent in Q2 of 2020.

This is quite sobering especially since in this period, the anti-China rhetoric has grown stronger. Let alone their market shares and revenues/profits, as per some estimates, the advertising budgets (over Rs 2,500 crore) of Chinese smartphone makers such as Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and OnePlus are far bigger than the earnings of all banned apps.

Then, there are Huawei and ZTE which together control over 60 per cent of the telecom equipment market. Even as countries like US and UK have literally banned Huawei from their telecom infrastructure, Indian government continues to sit on the fence. Is that because the government still hasn't figured out an alternate to Huawei which seems to be leading the global race on 5G tech?

To be honest, the progress on creating a parallel ecosystem of indigenous 5G telecom equipment - led by firms like Reliance Jio and Tech Mahindra - remain quite opaque. Although RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani recently launched the complete homegrown 5G solutions, in the absence of details like exact capabilities on the hardware and software sides, his announcement cannot be interpreted further. Forget about developing an advanced tech like 5G, it takes years to even secure its patents. Huawei reportedly owns over 13,000 5G-related patents.

If the government is serious about weeding out Chinese products from India, it should start with the elephant in the room. By tackling the bigger challenges early on, the government can ensure that ban of the Chinese apps is just a preview of what comes next. It's an all-or-nothing sweepstakes that require efforts on all fronts. By failing to take bold and timely actions, the goal of achieving an Atmanirbhar Bharat would remain a pipe dream.

Also Read: AI can add 2.5% to GDP with policy push, investment: NASSCOM

Also Read: 4G auction: Private telcos may not be allowed to buy equipment from Chinese vendors

Also Read: Ex-Gov Urjit Patel explains his early exit from RBI, differences with govt in new book
International

N Koreas Kim marks war anniversary amid virus concerns

In this July 26, Kim Jong Un is surrounded by senior military officials holding AuPaektusan Au commemorative pistols they received from Kim during a ceremony in Pyongyang. (AP)

SEOUL, JUL 27 (AP) | Publish Date: 7/27/2020 1:08:36 PM IST

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a national cemetery and handed out commemorative pistols to army officers, state media reported Monday, as he pushes to muster public support for efforts to contain a potential coronavirus outbreak.

On Sunday, North Korea said that Kim had put a city near the border with South Korea under lockdown and declared a state of emergency after a person with suspected COVID-19 symptoms was recently found there.

If the person is diagnosed with the coronavirus, it would be North Koreas first officially confirmed case, though many outside experts believe the virus has already spread to the country.

The Norths official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim visited a cemetery on the outskirts of Pyongyang where Korean War dead are buried to mark the 67th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 war.

Kim laid a single rose and bowed before a big monument at the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery, according to KCNA.

It didnt say exactly when Kim went there.

A 1953 armistice that ended the war has yet to be replaced with a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula in a technical state of war.

North Korea considers the armistice signing as a victory and often uses the anniversary as a chance to promote nationalism.

KCNA also reported that Kim gave Paektusan commemorative pistols, named after the sacred peak on the peninsula, to senior military officials during a ceremony Sunday marking the war anniversary.

State media photos showed a beaming Kim, clad in his trademark dark suit, sitting while surrounded by army officers holding black pistols.

The participants held high the pistols and made firm pledges to fight for Kim Jong Un at the cost of their lives, KCNA reported.

Kim is in need of stronger internal unity as he struggles to withstand crippling U.S.-led sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic, which forced him in January to close the Norths border with China, its biggest trading partner and aid benefactor.

While announcing the Kaesong city lockdown, North Koreas state media reported that the suspected virus patient was a runway who had fled to South Korea three years ago before illegally slipping back to the North early last week.

Some experts say North Korea was aiming to hold South Korea responsible for a virus spread and apply more pressure on its rival. Others say the North may be trying to find an excuse to win anti-virus aid items from South Korea.

South Korean officials said their investigation into who crossed the border into the North has been narrowed to a single person. Without identifying who that person is, military spokesperson Kim Jun-rak told reporters Monday that a bag belonging to the person was found on a South Korean border island.

Health official Yoon Taeho separately said that the person has never been listed as a virus patient in South Korea.

KCNA on Sunday quoted Kim as saying the vicious virus may have entered the North while urging the North Korean public to rally behind him to overcome the present epidemic crisis.
Satanic Temple scholarship asks students to detail how they upheld atheist group's mission

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An atheist group that calls itself The Satanic Temple has created an educational grant called "The Devils Advocate Scholarship" for high school students seeking higher education.

The Satanic Temple is proud to announce its scholarship that awards students who champion individualism, free-thought, empathy, and other noble aspects of The Satanic Temple's mission to better society as they pursue higher education, reads The Satanic Temple website.

To apply for the scholarship, applicants must be 2020 high school graduates and answer either one of two questions. The first question asks what initiatives they have undertaken that are consistent with the group's tenets and mission. The second question asks students to discuss and describe in detail any one of the teachers who crushed your spirit, undermined your self-confidence, and made you hate every minute you were forced to be in school.

Malcolm Jarry, co-founder of the Massachusetts-based group, told CNN that the scholarship was created after a high school student sent an email requesting a letter of recommendation for a religious scholarship her school was offering.

"I was disappointed that she did not receive the scholarship and saw that moment as an opportunity to offer our own scholarship that reflects our values," Jarry told CNN.

"In addition to promoting our values by honoring those who engage in pro-social rugged individualism, the scholarship allows students a rare opportunity to be critical of an institution that only rewards sycophantic adulation."

Jarry told CNN that the group has already received at least 50 applications for the two $500 scholarships.

"Students are often expected to praise their schools in spite of the fact that many students endure unconscionable abuse at the hands of faculty, administration, and their peers," Jarry said.

"It is common to hear a successful person talk about a teacher who inspired them, but they never acknowledge that after 13 years of schooling they were quite fortunate if they came across just one."

Founded in 2013, The Satanic Temple has 15 chapters in the U.S. and one in Canada. Symbolized by a goat-headed symbol linked to Satan, the group is known for its activism on church and state issues and objects to exclusively Christian religious displays on public property.

In April, The Satanic Temple announced the Internal Revenue Service had granted its request for tax-exempt status, making it comparable to a church. The Satanic Temple explains in a FAQ page that its members do not believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural.



The organization has repeatedly petitioned to have a massive Baphomet statue in the Oklahoma state Capitol, which was home to a Ten Commandments statue.

In 2018, the Chicago chapter of The Satanic Temple forced officials to display its "Snaketivity" statue next to a huge Christmas tree in the Illinois Statehouse rotunda.

In 2016, the group announced the launch of After School Satan Clubs for elementary schools in response to the presence of evangelical Christian Good News Clubs at public schools.

At the time, Douglas Mesner, spokesperson and co-founder of The Satanic Temple who goes by the name Lucien Greaves, told The Christian Post that the Christian clubs being at public schools "created the need for a counter-balance in the extracurricular options."

Graves claimed that "while the Good News Clubs teach children shame, guilt, and fear  that they will die and be tormented in Hell  the After School Satan Clubs will focus on art projects and education with no religious opinion inserted."

"The program is merely created and operated by The Satanic Temple. There is no attempt to indoctrinate the children, he said.
Some smokers might rationalize continuing to smoke because of lower body weight often associated with the habit. However, Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have determined that even with a lower body mass index (BMI), smokers have a higher risk of depositing fat in and around organs and tissues compared to those who never smoked.

This is concerning because excess fat, also known as adipose tissue, deposited in the abdomen and around organs such as the liver and non-adipose tissues including muscles, may disrupt their normal functions and cause health problems. This disruption is associated with a higher risk for health complications such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Investigators used computed tomography (CT) body scans to measure abdominal fat deposited just below the skin's surface (subcutaneous fat), around organs including the intestines (visceral fat) and abdominal muscles (intermuscular fat), and inside the muscles (intramuscular fat) in 3,020 middle-aged participants in the federally funded Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.

"We found that current smokers had abdominal muscles that were significantly higher in fat," said lead author James "Greg" Terry, research programs manager in Radiology and member of Vanderbilt Translational and Clinical Cardiovascular Research Center (VTRACC). "Smokers also had a higher proportion of visceral fat, the fat around their internal organs, compared to never smokers, whereas those who had quit smoking had intermediate levels of visceral and intramuscular fat. This might contribute to the higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease and age-related physical deconditioning and disability that is well-documented among those who smoke."

Co-author David Jacobs, PhD, professor of Public Health at the University of Minnesota and one of the founding CARDIA investigators, said he considers "cigarette smoking as a weight-loss tool to be a risky strategy. Our data show that the fat deposition pattern apparent in smokers is associated with metabolic damage."

The longitudinal CARDIA study was begun in 1985 with the recruitment of young adult participants (aged 18-30), equally balanced by male and female sex and black and white race, at four locations in the United States. The CT measurements were taken at the 25-year mark. The investigation is published in the online, open access journal PLOS Medicine.

###

The CARDIA study is supported through National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI awards to University of Alabama at Birmingham (HHSN268201800005I & HHSN268201800007I), Northwestern University (HHSN268201800003I), University of Minnesota (HHSN268201800006I), and Kaiser Foundation Research Institute (HHSN268201800004I), and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (R01-HL098445) and NIA an Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and an intra-agency agreement between NIA and NHLBI (AG0005).
The teacher union in Nashville does not want in-person school to start until there have been 14 days of no new coronavirus cases.

The Metropolitan Nashville Education Association (MNEA), in conjunction with Tennessee Safe Return to Campus, said it will be leading a mock funeral procession through downtown Nashville in protest called Dead Students Cant Learn, Dead Teachers Cant Teach on Monday.

According to the event page on Facebook, the protest will be a funeral procession honoring the death of safe opening policies.

Educators, parents, and allies will form a car caravan starting at the Nashville Farmers Market Parking Lot (Rosa L. Parks side) at 5 p.m.

Coronavirus infections are continuing to spike in Tennessee. While we are fortunate to have a district that is committed to starting the school year online to keep everyone safe, we are the exception, states Amanda Kail, president of MNEA. Educators, students, and parents in many districts across the state have largely been left to fend for themselves. As a result, there are no consistent protections in place for safely reopening schools in Tennessee. We are saying to Governor Lee and State Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn more must be done to guarantee the safety of our educators, students, and our families across the state.

"We arent just worried about the health and safety of teachers. We need to make sure bus drivers, paraprofessionals, and cafeteria workers are also safe, as they work in conditions that make staying safe very difficult. And our students families are also at risk. One in ten Tennesseans doesnt have health insurance. Exposing our families to so much risk when there is no safety net to support them is a recipe for disaster."

Other demands in addition to keep schools online until there are no new cases of COVID-19 for 14 consecutive days are to provide additional funding for schools to provide PPE, ensure facilities are healthy and clean, and make sure all students have the support they need to access online learning.

The group said similar actions are planned to occur simultaneously in Memphis and Knoxville on Monday.
Biranchi Seth By

Express News Service

For last five months, schools across the State are shut in view of the COVID-19 health pandemic. While students and teachers in urban areas have shifted to online learning in virtual classrooms, their counterparts in rural pockets are a disadvantaged lot as they do not have the luxury of smartphones or internet connectivity.

To bridge the learning gap rising out of the pandemic, a group of teachers of Dhenkanal has come forward voluntarily to teach children by visiting their houses while adhering to social distancing and other COVID- 19 safety norms.

In Dhenkanal town, Dr Anupama Mishra of BB High School has been reaching out to children residing in three km radius of the school. When the first phase lockdown was implemented, the Sanskrit teacher asked the students to call her if they have doubts in the subject.

After the first phase of lockdown was lifted, Mishra began calling up five children a day, gave them assignments and asked for doubts. After interacting with the students over phone in the morning, she sets out to their houses to clear doubts and evaluate their assignments.

"In the lockdown, the only thing these children could do was to play. To keep them connected with the Sanskrit syllabus, I decided to interact with them over phone about the chapters that they studied every day. I visit at least five students daily," she said.

Similarly, Rekha Sahu who is the headmaster of Government Primary School at Paikadahikore visits children residing in the village daily to teach them. "Online teaching is not feasible here because many do not have smartphones. Besides, children are used to classroom teaching," said Sahu, who resides in Dhenkanal town and travels 10 km every day on a two-wheeler to reach the village.

She covers all her students within one week and inquires about what they studied during the period. Besides, the teacher gives them lessons in dos and donts to keep themselves safe from coronavirus.

An assistant teacher of Paikadahikore Government School Babita Nayak accompanies Sahu. Nayak moves around villages adjacent to Paikadahikore and keeps the children of primary standards engaged in basic learning every day. "Children tend to forget easily. The only way to keep them connected with the syllabus is to teach them something everyday," Nayak said.

The three teachers believe that learning should not stop under any circumstances. They also advise other teachers to start helping children in their own areas. "One does not need to wait for the lockdown to end for imparting education to children," Mishra said.

Sabita Behera, a student of Paikadahikore Government School, is grateful to Sahu for lessons in English that she learnt during the lockdown. "She sat outside our house for one hour to clear all my doubts in the subject. She gives us weekly assignments to keep us connected with the syllabus," Sabita said.
Rats have taken advantage of the lockdown of many Melbourne businesses, dining at empty restaurant tables, nesting in a closed pilates studio and some even leaving the city altogether.

The protracted COVID-19 shutdown of many of Melbournes restaurants and cafes has deprived the citys rats and mice of many of their usual sources of food and pest controllers are seeing a surge of vermin in the suburbs.

Rats are moving out of the CBD and into the suburbs. Credit:iStock

Tim Clinnick, owner of Pest Control Empire, said rodents had been forced further afield as city eateries shut down.

Cafes and restaurants is where they usually get their food from," he said. "But with the bulk of them closed down or restricted to take away, its a bit light on for food at the moment. So they are pushing into suburbia."
SBS has announced a date for its new local drama Hungry Ghosts which follows four families that find themselves haunted by ghosts from the past.

Filmed and set in Melbourne during the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival, when the Vietnamese community venerate their dead, this four-part drama series event from Matchbox Pictures premieres over four consecutive nights in late August.

The cast features Catherine Van-Davies (Going Down), Jillian Nguyen (The True History of the Kelly Gang), Ryan Corr (Bloom, Holding the Man), Bryan Brown (Bloom, Sweet Country), Clare Bowen (Nashville), Ferdinand Hoang (Rake, The Quiet American), Gabrielle Chan (The Commons), Suzy Wrong (Crownies), Gareth Yuen (LA Confidential, Party Tricks), Justine Clarke (Dead Lucky, Love My Way), Oakley Kwon (Neighbours), Lap Phan (The Quiet American), Haiha Le (Back to the Rafters), Susie Porter (Wentworth, Seven Types of Ambiguity), Gary Sweet (House Husbands, Janet King) and Hazem Shammas (Safe Harbour).

SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald said: Hungry Ghosts is a bold, genre-bending cinematic thriller unlike anything weve ever seen in Australia. Its a suspenseful ghost story with heart, humour and scares. It continues SBS commitment to making diverse and thought-provoking drama, bringing a diverse cast and screen practitioners to the forefront of Australian storytelling, and providing audiences with an opportunity to discover more about our Vietnamese-Australian community. We cant wait to share it with audiences next month.

Catherine Van-Davies said: Playing May Le was an extremely significant experience as a second-generation Vietnamese actor. When youre second generation, you tend to exist between two worlds  particularly being mixed race. Expressing that uncertainty and the feelings of being an imposter and an outsider is not often conveyed in conventional dramas. So, to play someone coming into their power through a mystical journey was a real revelation to me. Not to mention with great jackets and an excellent best friend. Ive loved being a part of Hungry Ghosts alongside other brilliant actors we dont often see on our screens. Hungry Ghosts is a very human and universal story of trauma, grief, guilt and survival that spans a number of generations; its about connecting to our past, in the hope for our future.

Director Shawn Seet said: I feel like I have been waiting my whole career for a project like Hungry Ghosts which profoundly celebrates the inclusion of Asian culture in Australia and is a showcase for the wonderful Asian talent we have here. Its a big step towards us telling our stories.

Directed by AACTA award-winning Shawn Seet (Deep Water) and produced by Stephen Corvini (Safe Harbour), Timothy Hobart (Wanted) and executive producers Sue Masters (The Hunting, The Family Law) and Debbie Lee (The Family Law, Barracuda). The series is written by Timothy Hobart, Michele Lee, Alan Nguyen, Jeremy Nguyen and John Ridley.

When a tomb in Vietnam is accidentally opened on the eve of the Hungry Ghost Festival, a vengeful spirit is unleashed, bringing the dead with him. As these spirits wreak havoc across the Vietnamese-Australian community in Melbourne, reclaiming lost loves and exacting revenge, young woman May Le (Van-Davies) must rediscover her true heritage and accept her destiny to help bring balance to a community still traumatised by war.

Hungry Ghosts reflects the extraordinary lived and spiritual stories of the Vietnamese community and explores the inherent trauma passed down from one generation to the next, and how notions of displacement impact human identity  long after the events themselves. With one of the most diverse casts featured in an Australian drama series, Hungry Ghosts comprises more than 30 Asian-Australian actors and 325 Asian-Australian extras.

Produced by Matchbox Pictures for SBS, with major production investment from Screen Australia and financed with support from Film Victoria. International sales are being handled by NBCU International Distribution.

Hungry Ghosts will be subtitled in Simplified Chinese, Arabic and Vietnamese and will be added to the subtitled collection on SBS On Demand, available immediately following its premiere on SBS. The series will also be available with audio description for audiences who are blind or vision impaired.

9:30pm Monday 24 August  Thursday 27 August on SBS.
An 18-year-old woman was fatally stabbed at the Meadowbrook SEPTA Regional Rail Station early Monday. Her alleged killer was arrested by police in Philadelphia not long after. Read more

Morgan McCaffery broke off her yearlong relationship with Gilbert Newton III last month. But the 18-year-old agreed to meet her ex-boyfriend early Monday at a SEPTA station in Abington Township to talk.

There, police said, the discussion turned violent. Newton, also 18, stabbed and slashed McCaffery more than 30 times, and left her next to her idling car in the parking lot.

Not long afterward, Newton was arrested at his home in Philadelphia, and was charged late Monday with first- and third-degree murder, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele.

A young woman with her whole life ahead of her, just graduated from high school, was brutally stabbed to death, Steele said. This murder is a tragedy for her family, her friends, and for everyone who loved her. Sadly, we are seeing relationship violence and domestic violence far too often in this pandemic.

Newton remained in custody at the county prison, with no bail due to the nature of his charges. He faces a preliminary hearing on Tuesday.

Passersby found McCaffery about 8:15 a.m. Monday, according to Abington Police Chief Patrick Molloy. She had been attacked after parking her car in a secluded, wooded area near the Meadowbrook Regional Rail station.

Witnesses told police they saw a white Jeep fleeing the scene. About an hour later, police in Philadelphia were called to Newtons house, where a matching vehicle was parked outside.

Newtons mother called 911 after he had returned home in blood-stained clothes and with injuries to his hands, according to the affidavit of probable cause in his arrest. The teen then confessed to the officers that he had stabbed McCaffery in the parking lot.

McCafferys current boyfriend later told detectives that Newton had been texting her the night before, and had asked to meet at the station to discuss their breakup, the affidavit said.

A friend of McCafferys separately told police that Newton had been abusive to her during their relationship, and had been recently attempting to patch things up with her, promising to fix things, according to the affidavit.

McCaffery recently graduated from Nazareth Academy, an all-girls Catholic school in Northeast Philadelphia. She was planning to attend Manor College in the fall to pursue a career in dental hygiene, according to a post on the high schools Facebook page.

Her killing came two days after another fatal domestic assault in Montgomery County. Frederick J. Clea, 57, shot his wife and mother-in-law Saturday at their home in Cheltenham, according to police. Clea faces two counts of first-degree murder and related offenses.
The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, is requesting from the states House of Assembly, an amendment to the states emirate law 2019 to include two emirate officials earlier sacked by two former emirs.

The speaker, Kano House of Assembly, Abdulaziz Gafasa, during plenary last Wednesday, announced Mr Gandujes request. The lawmakers are expected to deliberate and decide on the request, possibly before the end of July 2020.

The sacked officials are Aminu Babba-Danagundi Sarkin Dawaki Maituta and Sanusi Ado-Bayero Chiroman Kano. Both men were dismissed by late emir Ado Bayero and dethroned emir Muhammadu Sanusi, respectively, for alleged insubordination.

Mr Babba-Danagundi challenged his removal by late Mr Bayero in court. However, 17 years after, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the late emir, upholding the emirates resolution.

Following the reappointment of Mr Babba-Danagundi as Sarkin Dawaki Babba by the current Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado-Bayero, Mr Ganduje specifically requested the states assembly to amend the emirate law 2019 to include the officials as Kano kingmakers. The junior Ado-Bayero, deposed by Emir Sanusi, is now the new Wamban Kano, also a kingmaker, if the assembly formally agrees to Mr Gandujes request.

How the officials were sacked

In 2003, the then emir, Ado Bayero, dismissed Mr Babba-Danagundi as District Head of Gabasawa and Sarkin Dawaki Maituta, following alleged insubordination and political interference.

The dismissed traditional leader, Mr Babba-Danagundi, allegedly declined to honour an invitation to appear before a committee set up by late Mr Bayero, to investigate his excesses.

Mr Babba-Danagundi challenged his removal at the states high court where the court ordered for his reinstatement. The Kano emirate appealed the judgement. However, the appeal court also ruled in favour of the dismissed emirate official.

The Kano Emirate Council, under deposed Mr Sanusi, again, appealed the ruling of the lower courts to the Supreme Court, where the apex court ruled against Mr Babba-Danagundi.

On June 5, the Supreme Court affirmed late Emir Bayeros decision for dismissing Mr Babba-Danagundi as District Head of Gabasawa and as Sarkin Dawaki Maituta.

The apex courts judgment was delivered six years after Mr Bayeros death and seventeen years after the dismissal of the embattled Mr Babba-Danagundi.

Other dismissed official

The former Chiroman Kano, Sanusi Ado-Bayero, was also stripped of his traditional title following his alleged refusal to accept and pay homage to the then newly crowned emir Muhammadu Sanusi.

The Emir, Mr Sanusi, following his appointment in June 2014, sacked the Chiroman Kano, the junior Ado-Bayero, for refusing to accept him as the new emir of Kano.

Mr Ado-Bayero went on self-exile. He was later appointed as Managing Director, Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) by the former president, Goodluck Jonathan.

He has now been appointed as the new Wamban Kano, also a designated kingmaker. He has since paid homage to his brother, Emir Aminu Ado-Bayero.

We respect Supreme Courts verdict  Govt

The states Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, defended Mr Gandujes decision for considering Mr Babba-Danagundi as a Kano kingmaker, despite the Supreme Courts verdict against the embattled official.

Mr Garba said due to the influence of the traditional title of Sarkin Dawaki Babba that was just created, the government viewed the imperative of including the officials as Kano kingmakers in the Kanos emirate council.

READ ALSO:

The official said contrary to the public perception of disrespect to the Supreme Courts judgement by recognising Mr Babba-Danagundi as a kingmaker, the state respects the ruling.

Mr Garba told BBC Hausa that the government decided to include Mr Babba-Danagundi as a kingmaker through a different title. Before the courts judgement, he was the Sarkin Dawaki Maituta but now referred to as Sarkin Dawaki Babba, the official said.

Concerned parties have warned that political interference might likely erode the influence of Kano traditional institutions following controversial appointments, as well as dethronement of Emirs, allegedly being influenced by political interest.
The US ambassador to South Korea has shaved off his mustache to stay 'cool' during the hot summer, months after his facial hair drew unusual criticism from anti-American activists who likened it to those of former Japanese colonial leaders.

The US embassy on Saturday posted a video on Twitter of Harry Harris visiting a classic local barbershop in Seoul to remove his mustache, which he said together with a face mask makes him feel too hot and uncomfortable.

'I haven't seen this face in years,' Harris told the barber after the shave. 'I feel so much cooler now.'

Scroll down for video

Harris (pictured on the left on Monday and on the right in January) was born to a Japanese mother and an American father. He long resisted shaving his mustache, saying he was being criticized for his Japanese heritage

In the video, Harris is seen going to a barber shop in Seoul to have his mustache shaved off

'Glad I did this. For me it was either keep the 'stache or lose the mask. Summer in Seoul is way too hot & humid for both. #COVID guidelines matter & I'm a masked man!' he said in a separate tweet.

Early this year, his mustache became a source of criticism from some politicians and anti-US activists who compared it with those of Japanese officials during their 1910-45 colonial rule.

Some even linked it to his Japanese-American heritage, as Harris was born to a Japanese mother and an American father.

Last year, Harris, 63, said that he has been criticized due to his ethnic background.

According to the Guardian, he said: 'My mustache, for some reason, has become a point of some fascination here.

'I have been criticized in the media here, especially in social media, because of my ethnic background, because I am a Japanese-American.'

Harry Harris, the American ambassador to South Korea, posted a video to the official Twitter account of the embassy in Seoul

The American ambassador removed the facial hair, which was a sensitive issue for anti-American Koreans who said it reminded them of Japan's occupation of the peninsula between 1910 and 1945

During his 40-year military career Harris was clean-shaven. His facial hair and Japanese heritage angered some South Koreans after he assumed his role as ambassador in 2018

During the nearly 40 years Korea was ruled by Japan, all eight Japanese governor-generals wore mustaches.

Harris has faced more intense criticism over the issue due to his American-Japanese heritage, leading to accusations he favors Japan over Korea.

Because of this historical facial hair link, Harris has often has been ridiculed for not being an ambassador but a governor general, according to local media.

Harris was born in Yokosuka, south-west of Tokyo, to a US Navy officer and a Japanese mother.

The Korean peninsula became a Japanese protectorate in 1905 and part of the Japanese empire from 1910 until the end of the Second World War in 1945.

Before becoming ambassador, Harris was clean-shaven when he served as an admiral in the US Navy, but decided to grow a mustache to mark his career change after 40 years of military service.

Harris told Korea Times: 'I wanted to make a break between my life as a military officer and my new life as a diplomat.

'I tried to get taller but I couldn't grow any taller, and so I tried to get younger but I couldn't get younger. But I could grow a mustache so I did that.'

He went on to point out that many Korean independence leaders also had mustaches.

'There are many Korean independence leaders that have mustaches, but no-one seems to focus on that,' Harris said.

'All I can say is that every decision I make is based on the fact that I'm the American ambassador to Korea, not the Japanese-American ambassador to Korea.'

In December activists joined a performance ridiculing Harris's mustache in central Seoul by vandalizing a portrait of the ambassador.

During the Japanese occupation of Korea, all of the governors-general wore mustaches. Yoshimichi Hasegawa was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and Japanese Governor-General of Korea from 1916 to 1919

Protesters angry over American demands South Korea pay more for defense destroyed portraits of him stuck on blocks of tofu outside the US embassy.

The groups had planned to behead an effigy of Harris but instead smashed up the blocks of traditional Korean food after a police warning.

The controversy came as the allies have been at odds over a raft of issues in recent years, including South Korea's desire to restart inter-Korean economic cooperation.

Relations between North and South Korea have been dogged by stalled nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, as well as by international sanctions imposed over the North's weapons programs.

Harris, who took office in July 2018, has been accused of having a 'disrespectful and even coercive' approach to the country by anti-American protesters.

Harris has urged Seoul to seek US consultations before pursuing any initiatives with the North to avoid any 'misunderstandings' that could trigger sanctions.

The envoy has said privately he does not plan to stay on beyond the November US presidential election, regardless of whether President Donald Trump wins another term.
VITAS has provided innovative, patient-centered hospice care to patients in Florida since its inception 40 years ago. The new VITAS office in Panama City serves as a home base and expansion in Florida for interdisciplinary teams that care for patients in their homes, nursing homes, assisted living communities and inpatient units.

Overseeing services for the Panama City program is General Manager Kenn Wallace, a Lynn Haven native and proven leader with extensive experience in healthcare operations, partnerships and customer care.

"The entire VITAS team is proud to expand our signature services to residents of the Panhandle so we can best address the growing need for high-quality hospice care," said Wallace. "We look forward to increasing access and overall awareness around end-of-life care services amongst patients, families and healthcare partners, all while creating employment options for the local community."

To commemorate the grand opening, Commissioner Kenneth Brown and Tamara Barnes of Bay County Chamber of Commerce joined the VITAS team for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and virtual celebration on July 23. Panama City Mayor Greg Brudnicki paid tribute to the event by virtue of a proclamation.

Hospice-eligible patients, their families and providers in Panama City and Northwest Florida will benefit from VITAS Healthcare's unique services and specialized therapies, modalities and programs. These include offerings such as a nationally recognized veterans' program, specialized bereavement services for children, Paw Pals visits from loving animals, and music, massage and art therapy.

Unique VITAS services for hospice-eligible patients include:

Admissions personnel available 24/7/365at the convenience of the family or upon the request of the physician

Physical, emotional and spiritual care provided by a hospice team that visits the patient via telehealth or safely in the comfort of their home, nursing home or assisted living facility, an average of five-plus times per week

24/7 access to trained clinicians who can send a team member to the patient's home when necessary

Continuous care at home for up to 24 hours when needed

In addition, VITAS is committed to providing several key community benefits:

Improved access to care for over 32,000 veterans , who comprise nearly 30% of the region's 65+ population

, who comprise nearly 30% of the region's 65+ population 42 new full-time employment positions created across a wide range of disciplines

created across a wide range of disciplines Volunteer opportunities equivalent to at least 5% of all direct-care hours

equivalent to at least 5% of all direct-care hours Grants to local food, housing and medical assistance programs, caregiver education and support, as well as scholarship opportunities

Healthcare professionals may contact the Panama City office at 877.515.1932 for 24/7 referral information or download the VITAS mobile app for one-touch referrals, VITAS locations and interactive hospice eligibility guidelines.

For more information about VITAS in Panama City and available career opportunities, visit VITAS.com/PanamaCity. Interested volunteers can learn more and sign up at VITAS.com/Volunteer.

About VITAS Healthcare

Established in 1978, VITAS Healthcare is a pioneer and leader in the American hospice movement. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs) operates 48 hospice programs in 14 states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin) and the District of Columbia. VITAS employs 12,262 professionals who care for patients with advanced illness, primarily in the patients' homes, and also in the company's 27 inpatient hospice units as well as in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living communities/residential care facilities for the elderly. At the conclusion of the first quarter of 2020, VITAS reported an average daily census of 19,215. Visit www.vitas.com.

Media inquiries contact: [email protected], 877-848-2701

SOURCE VITAS Healthcare

Related Links

https://www.vitas.com


Donetsk region's police did not report the fire.

A field in the village of Zaitseve, Donetsk region, reportedly caught fire after shelling by Russian-led forces, then the fire spread to adjoining houses.

"According to eyewitnesses, at least 10 houses with the yards are on fire," the Ukrayinska Pravda online newspaper reported citing RFE/RL's Donbas.Realii. "[Ukraine's] State Emergency Situations Service and the Armed Forces of Ukraine are involved in extinguishing the fire."

Read alsoRussia-led forces mount 15 attacks on Ukraine positions in Donbas, one day before agreed ceasefire

Responding to journalists' request, the headquarters of the Joint Forces Operation said they were "investigating" the situation and could neither confirm nor deny the reports on the fire.

Donetsk region's police did not report the fire.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the State Emergency Situations Service on July 24 reported that the forest fire that broke out on July 22 as a result of shelling in Luhansk region's Novoaidarsky district had completely been extinguished. It began as a result of shelling near the village of Lopaskyne in Luhansk region's Novoaidarsky district and further ignition of dry grass and trees.
Three directors worked on the film, stars Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable were far more connected on screen than off and the fourth featured performer, Leslie Howard, was openly indifferent to the role of Ashley Wilkes, Melanie's husband. But de Havilland remembered the movie as "one of the happiest experiences I've ever had in my life. It was doing something I wanted to do, playing a character I loved and liked."

The 1939 epic, based on Margaret Mitchell's best-selling Civil War novel and winner of 10 Academy Awards, is often ranked as Hollywood's box office champion (adjusting for inflation), although it is now widely condemned for its glorified portrait of slavery and antebellum life.

De Havilland was among the last of the top screen performers from the studio era, and the last surviving lead from "Gone With the Wind," an irony, she once noted, since the fragile, self-sacrificing Wilkes was the only major character to die in the film.

Olivia de Havilland, the doe-eyed actress beloved to millions as the sainted Melanie Wilkes of "Gone With the Wind," but also a two-time Oscar winner and an off-screen fighter who challenged and unchained Hollywood's contract system, died Sunday at her home in Paris. She was 104.

During a career that spanned six decades, de Havilland also took on roles ranging from an unwed mother to a psychiatric inmate in "The Snake Pit," a personal favorite. The dark-haired De Havilland projected both a gentle, glowing warmth and a sense of resilience and mischief that made her uncommonly appealing, leading critic James Agee to confess he was "vulnerable to Olivia de Havilland in every part of my being except the ulnar nerve."

She was Errol Flynn's co-star in a series of dramas, Westerns and period pieces, most memorably as Maid Marian in "The Adventures of Robin Hood." But De Havilland also was a prototype for an actress too beautiful for her own good, typecast in sweet and romantic roles while desiring greater challenges.

Her frustration finally led her to sue Warner Bros. in 1943 when the studio tried to keep her under contract after it had expired, claiming she owed six more months because she had been suspended for refusing roles. Her friend Bette Davis was among those who had failed to get out of her contract under similar conditions in the 1930s, but de Havilland prevailed, with the California Court of Appeals ruling that no studio could extend an agreement without the performer's consent.

The decision is still unofficially called the "De Havilland law." De Havilland went on to earn her own Academy Award in 1946 for her performance in "To Each His Own," a melodrama about out-of-wedlock birth. A second Oscar came three years later for "The Heiress," in which she portrayed a plain young homebody (as plain as it was possible to make de Havilland) opposite Montgomery Clift and Sir Ralph Richardson in an adaptation of Henry James' "Washington Square." In 2008, de Havilland received a National Medal of Arts and was awarded France's Legion of Honor two years later.

She was also famous, not always for the better, as the sister of Fontaine, with whom she had a troubled relationship. In a 2016 interview, de Havilland referred to her late sister as "Dragon Lady" and said her memories of Fontaine, who died in 2013, were "multi-faceted, varying from endearing to alienating."

"On my part, it was always loving, but sometimes estranged and, in the later years, severed," she said. "Dragon Lady, as I eventually decided to call her, was a brilliant, multi-talented person, but with an astigmatism in her perception of people and events which often caused her to react in an unfair and even injurious way."

De Havilland once observed that Melanie Wilkes' happiness was sustained by a loving, secure family, a blessing that eluded the actress even in childhood. She was born in Tokyo on July 1, 1916, the daughter of a British patent attorney. Her parents separated when she was 3, and her mother brought her and her younger sister Joan, to Saratoga, California. De Havilland's own two marriages, to Marcus Goodrich and Pierre Galante, ended in divorce.

Her acting ambitions dated back to stage performing at Mills College in Oakland, California. While preparing for a school production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," she went to Hollywood to see Max Reinhardt's rehearsals of the same comedy. She was asked by to read for Hermia's understudy, stayed with the production through her summer vacation and was given the role in the fall.

Warner Bros. wanted stage actors for their lavish 1935 production and chose de Havilland to co-star with Mickey Rooney, who played Puck. "II wanted to be a stage actress," she recalled. "Life sort of made the decision for me."

She signed a five-year contract with the studio and went on to make "Captain Blood," "Dodge City" and other films with Flynn, a hopeless womanizer even by Hollywood standards. "Oh, Errol had such magnetism! There was nobody who did what he did better than he did," said de Havilland, whose bond with the dashing actor remained, she would insist, improbably platonic. As she once explained, "We were lovers together so often on the screen that people could not accept that nothing had happened between us."

She did date Howard Hughes and James Stewart and had an intense affair in the early '40s with John Huston. Their relationship led to conflict with Davis, her co-star for the Huston-directed "In This Our Life"; Davis would complain that de Havilland, a supporting actress in the film, was getting greater and more flattering time on camera.

De Havilland allegedly never got along with Fontaine, a feud magnified by the 1941 Oscar race that placed her against her sister for best actress honors. Fontaine was nominated for the Hitchcock thriller "Suspicion" while de Havilland was cited for "Hold Back the Dawn, a drama co-written by Billy Wilder and starring de Havilland as a school teacher wooed by the unscrupulous Charles Boyer.

Asked by a gossip columnist if they ever fought, de Havilland responded, "Of course, we fight. What two sisters don't battle?" Like a good Warner Bros soap opera, their relationship was a juicy narrative of supposed slights and snubs, from de Havilland reportedly refusing to congratulate Fontaine for winning the Oscar to Fontaine making a cutting crack about de Havilland's poor choice of agents and husbands.

Though she once filmed as many as three pictures a year, her career slowed in middle age. She made several movies for television, including "Roots" and "Charles and Diana," in which she portrayed the Queen Mother. She also co-starred with Davis in the macabre camp classic "Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte" and was menaced by a young James Caan in the 1964 chiller "Lady in a Cage," condemning her tormenter as "one of the many bits of offal produced by the welfare state."

In 2009, she narrated a documentary about Alzheimer's, "I Remember Better When I Paint." Catherine Zeta-Jones played de Havilland in the 2017 FX miniseries about Davis and Joan Crawford, but de Havilland objected to being portrayed as a gossip and sued FX. The case was dismissed.

Despite her chronic stage fright, she did summer stock in Westport, Connecticut, and Easthampton, New York. Moviemaking, she said, produced a different kind of anxiety: "The first day of making a film I feel, 'Why did I ever get mixed up in this profession? I have no talent; this time they'll find out.'"
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Tunisia appoints new prime minister

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 July 2020 5:01 AM

Tunisia's president has appointed Interior Minister Hichem Mechichi as the new prime minister of the country to form a new government and end months of political deadlock.

President Kais Saied on Saturday designated Mechichi to succeed Elyes Fakhfakh, who resigned over allegations of a conflict of interest.

The new prime minister has one month to form a government capable of winning a confidence vote in parliament by a simple majority. If he fails, the president will dissolve parliament and call for another election.

Mechichi, 46, an independent, was not nominated for the position by any party. He served as the president's adviser and also a member of the National Commission of Investigation on Corruption founded in 2011.

Analysts say he has no economic background at a time when international lenders are asking Tunisia to make painful reforms.

Prime Minister Fakhfakh resigned this month after a hundred lawmakers pushed for a no-confidence vote over suspicions of corruption.

Last month, an independent member of the Tunisian parliament published documents indicating that Fakhfakh owned shares in companies that had won deals worth 44 million dinars (15 million dollars) from the state.

Fakhfakh himself had been sworn in in February following four months of post-election deadlock.

Tunisia is also facing an economic crisis, which has left many Tunisians frustrated with a decline in living standards and a decay in public services amid the coronavirus pandemic. Investment Minister Slim Azzabi said earlier this month that the Tunisian economy was expected to shrink by 6.5 percent this year due to the pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic has badly hit the country's tourism sector, which contributes nearly 10 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and is a key source of foreign currency.

Tunisia has been beset by violence since the 2011 uprising that ousted the country's dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and that inspired revolutions and uprisings in a host of Arab dictatorships across the Middle East and North Africa.

But Tunisia was the only among those Arab countries that enjoyed a smooth, peaceful transition to democracy.

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Origins of White Australia

Many Labor supporters believe the White Australia policy is the result of Labors efforts to protect living standards, but the truth is, that the policy was first advocated by the employing classes of Britain and Australia.

The Mongolian Octopus  His Grip on Australia.

Why have the employers supported a White Australia?

When the settlement of Australia was first mooted at the end of the Eighteenth Century, British imperialism saw a safety-valve for the unrest in England  an agricultural community that could absorb the tens of thousands of agricultural labourers pauperised by the great land enclosures, and the poor that overcrowded her jails and hulks, under sentence of the harshest penal code in Europe.

At this stage, Australian employers were not averse to using cheap coloured labour if insufficient convict labour was available. In the 1830s, W C Wentworth used Indian labourers and some pastoralists employed up to as many as forty Indians on their farms.

What caused a change of heart in Australian employers was the growth of the sheep industry, and particularly the discovery of gold. No longer could Australia be regarded only as an agricultural dumping-ground. Her future as a capitalist state began to be recognised.

Chinese influx

There was a great influx of Chinese into the gold-fields during the 50s. By 1858 Chinese comprised one in sixteen of the population in New South Wales and the following year there were 42,000 in Victoria alone.

The Chinese often did not come as free gold-seekers. They were employed by wealthy Chinese in China, came under an overseer, and the gold they found was sent back to China. Even those who came independently usually had no intention of settling. So from Victoria alone, in 1857 over 116,903 ounces of gold were sent back to China, representing over 500,000.

Moreover, the Chinese on the diggings lived so frugally that they scarcely patronised the shops. Business interests became most vigorous in protest against their presence, since they did not benefit as they did from the lavish spending of the European diggers.

In the eyes of Australian capitalists, the great crime of the Chinese was that they were taking the gold out of their hands.

When Chinese coolies were introduced about the 50s for pastoral work at 1 a month, many of them, on discovering that their rate of pay was much lower than that generally given, refused to work, and absconded, or forced the pastoralists to enter into new contracts raising wages and conditions.

To keep Australias riches for themselves, then, the various Australian States passed restrictive legislation, requiring a capitation fee before Chinese could land. The need for some uniform laws for all States was shown when about 14,000 Chinese evaded the Victoria laws by landing in South Australia and walking overland to the gold-fields.

The hostilities of Britain with China about this time added fuel to the fires of race hatred, and hooligan elements among the workers drove the Chinese from the diggings, burning and pillaging their possessions.

Most Chinese in Australia had no intention of settling here, and most returned to China. The only real threat to working conditions was when, in 1878, the Australian Steamship Company attempted to introduce Chinese firemen at 2/15/- a month in place of European firemen who were paid at the rate of 8 a month.

Unique strike

The significance of this strike lies in the fact that it is the only strike in Australian working-class history until Morts Dock, in which the employers as a class wholeheartedly supported the strikers.

The workers know from bitter experience that employers do not support strikes against wage-cuts for the love of the workers. What was their reason ? It was that the ruling class of Britain was fully conscious of the role Australia was expected to play as junior partner to to British imperialism in the Pacific.

It is true that there was need for an immigration policy that protected living standards, and prevented Australia from being flooded by immigrants when there were native-born unemployed. Because the workers recognised this need they supported immigration restriction. But because they were at this time still backward, without a scientific theory, they were used by the employers to support a policy of racial superiority that was opposed to their real interests.

The racial chauvinism that infiltrated through their ranks made them support the policy of imperialism, the police force of the Pacific. So Australians went to put down the Boer farmers uprising. Australians took part in the campaigns on the North-West Frontiers of India. In Fiji and New Guinea and in Australia itself the native populations have been exploited.

Perverted theories

So deep-rooted have become these perverted theories of race superiority that there is antagonism even to white immigrants who are of non-British stock. Insulting nick-names are given to Italians and other Europeans.

Although the development of Australia has taken place largely through the work of British settlers, yet people of non-British stock have contributed much that is important to Australian history.

Rich grazing lands around the Gulf of Carpentaria and in Northern Queensland were opened up as the result of the exploration of a young German, Leichhardt, whose name is also commemorated in a Sydney suburb.

One of the richest districts of Australia  Gippsland  was discovered and named by the Polish explorer Strzelecki, who was also the first to find gold.

The leaders of Eureka included not only the Irish Peter Lalor, but also Raffaello the Italian, and Vern the German.

The war against German and Japanese fascism has brought clearly before many Australians, the unity of purpose that exists among working people of every country.

The White Australia Policy, by creating false barriers between the peoples of different nations, is a menace to Australian security, a violation of the spirit of the Atlantic Charter.

The quota system of immigration, as proposed by the [Communist Party of Australia], would ensure that internally our living standards receive full protection: while in the international sphere, it would protect Australia by removing a grave barrier to co-operation with the other powerful nations of the Pacific.

For fuller information on the Communist attitude to White Australia, read Immigration and the White Australia Policy by R Dixon.

This article originally appeared in Tribune July, 1945.
I am lucky to be here in Vietnam, which is very safe and has coped with the pandemic so well, since now I can resume a normal life and work routine, Deputy Ambassador of Israel to Vietnam Shirel Levi told VietNamNets Thai An.

Deputy Ambassador of Israel to Vietnam Shirel Levi

Q: The Covid-19 pandemic broke out shortly after you took office in Vietnam. Can you tell us about your experiences during this special period?

A: When acquiring a new post, it takes a few months to pick up everything, learn about your country of posting, and plan activities.

We had many activities planned after Tet, and then the pandemic broke. So of course it was quite disappointing for me not to be able to conduct all the activities we had on the table. However, this pandemic is a global crisis and we are all in it together.

I am lucky to be here in Vietnam, which is very safe and has coped with the pandemic so well, since now I can resume a normal life and work routine.

I cannot say the same for my colleagues around the world. So despite the fact many activities were cancelled, I feel lucky and safe here, and I have even more motivation to continue and work towards enhancing the relations between Israel and Vietnam.

Q: What were your feelings during the period of social distancing in Vietnam?

A: During these days, Vietnam saw the people wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

The Vietnamese people have shown great responsibility and have taken all the instructions of social distancing and mask wearing very seriously. I felt very safe from the beginning and I can see that there is a lot of awareness about the situation. Due to the cautiousness of the Vietnamese people and the actions taken by the Vietnamese government quickly, we can now see the situation in Vietnam is very good.

Q: You said that when the pandemic broke out, your family was very worried and told you to return to Israel, and you decided to stay here. Why did you make that decision?

A: Parents, no matter where they are from or how old their children are, always worry about their childrens well-being. At first the pandemic began in Asia, so it seemed safer if we returned home.

Nevertheless, from the beginning we had the feeling that everything will be okay. The schools in Vietnam closed quickly and I could tell that the situation was being taken seriously in Vietnam.

Moreover, especially in times like this, it is important that embassies remain in their host countries, to provide consular services to their citizens and help them return home, as well as to stay by the side of the host country and assist if possible.

Our embassy, for example, donated rice in Hanoi as part of the Rice ATM initiative. My family understands all this, and is hoping to be able to visit here soon.

Q: What do you think about Vietnams prevention of the Covid-19 epidemic? The pandemic seems to be defeated in Vietnam right now. Do you plan to discover famous tourist destinations in Vietnam?

A: I find that Vietnam reacted to the crisis very quickly and effectively, and the results speak for themselves. I have so many places in Vietnam that I wish to visit as soon as possible: Phong Nha, Hue, Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Dalat are all on my to do list!

Thai An
The coronavirus pandemic is 'easily the most severe' emergency that the WHO has ever declared, the agency said today as global cases surged past 16million.

The global tally has risen by a million in just four days, led by massive outbreaks in the United States, India and Brazil which are each piling up tens of thousands of new cases per day.

South Africa is also seeing more than 10,000 new cases a day while places such as Spain, Belgium and Hong Kong are facing second waves of the disease.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of cases had doubled in just six weeks as he warned today that 'the pandemic continues to accelerate'.

However, while cases have been surging at record levels, global deaths have remained stagnant at around 30,000 to 40,000 per week.

The global tally of coronavirus cases has reached 16million after rising by one million in just four days, led by massive outbreaks in the United States, India and Brazil

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (pictured) warned today that the global number of coronavirus cases had doubled in just six weeks

Speaking nearly six months after the WHO first declared a global health emergency, Tedros said scientists were 'still learning' about how to tackle the virus.

'This is the sixth time a global health emergency has been declared under the International Health Regulations, but it is easily the most severe,' he said.

'Almost 16million cases have now been reported to WHO, and more than 640,000 deaths,' he said before cases did cross the 16million threshold.

'And the pandemic continues to accelerate. In the past six weeks, the total number of cases has roughly doubled.'

When the health emergency was declared on January 30 there were fewer than 100 cases outside China, Tedros said.

According to WHO figures, the world passed one million confirmed cases on April 4, by which time much of the West was in lockdown.

The world reached five million cases on May 23 - 114 days after the declaration of the health emergency - but the next five million took only 36 days until June 28.

The jump from 10million to 15million took only 26 days until July 23, and the latest million cases have been recorded in the space of only four days.

The United States, India and Brazil - the three countries with more than a million confirmed cases by themselves - are taking the brunt of the latest surge.

India today set a new record of 49,931 cases in 24 hours, while Brazil has averaged nearly 46,000 cases per day over the last week.

Elsewhere in Latin America, countries including Mexico, Colombia and Argentina are all piling up thousands of new cases per day, with Mexico's death toll now nearly as high as Britain's.

Hong Kong is among the places suffering a second wave of coronavirus cases (pictured, an elderly person is transferred from a nursing home in the Chinese-controlled city on Friday)

Some European countries have seen a rise in cases in recent days, including Spain which has seen Britain, France and Norway impose new travel restrictions towards it

Tedros praised countries such as Germany and South Korea for keeping their outbreaks under control because social distancing measures were followed - but warned that 'where they are not, cases go up'.

He added: 'Covid-19 has changed our world. It has brought people, communities and nations together, and driven them apart.

'It has shown what humans are capable of  both positively and negatively. We have learned an enormous amount, and we're still learning.

'But although our world has changed, the fundamental pillars of the response have not: political leadership, and informing, engaging and listening to communities.

'And nor have the basic measures needed to suppress transmission and save lives: find, isolate, test and care for cases; and trace and quarantine their contacts.

'Keep your distance from others, clean your hands, avoid crowded and enclosed areas, and wear a mask where recommended.

'Where these measures are followed, cases go down. Where they're not, cases go up.'

Among the places suffering a new wave of coronavirus cases is Hong Kong, with more than 1,000 new infections since early July.

New cases been above 100 for the last five days and the city of 7.5million now has more than 2,700 infections with 20 fatalities, threatening to overwhelm hospitals.

Tough new measures include mandatory masks, a ban on more than two people gathering in public and restaurants only being allowed to serve takeaway meals.

The government has already shut a number of businesses including bars, nightclubs and gyms, and rules have been tightened for freight vessels and air crews.

In Europe, Spain, France and Germany have all seen week-on-week increases in their numbers of new cases.

Belgium (where a healthcare worker is pictured administering a coronavirus test in Brussels today) is among the countries facing a second wave of virus cases

Spain has seen Britain, France and Norway impose new travel restrictions after adding 12,166 new cases to its tally last week, up from 6,347 the week before.

In Germany, which has been widely praised for its handling of the crisis, officials say the rising numbers are 'very concerning'.

Last Friday's 815 new cases were the highest since May 15, and the Robert Koch diseases institute (RKI) says cases are growing in several of Germany's 16 states.

'A further worsening of the situation must be avoided at all costs. This will only succeed if the entire population continues to be committed,' the RKI said.

Belgium is also seeing a 'worrying' rise, health authorities warned today, with almost half of the new infections recorded around the port city of Antwerp.

There have been 1,952 new cases around Belgium over the past week, up more than 70 per cent on the previous week, officials announced.

'The rapid growth in the number of cases is worrying,' said Frederique Jacobs, professor of infectious diseases and a spokeswoman for Belgium's virus taskforce.

Local measures have been taken to try to contain the spike in Antwerp, but Jacobs warned that 'the number of infections is also rising considerably in the rest of the country'.

'Most infections are still coming among the active population, that is to say people aged between 20 and 59,' Jacobs said.

Belgium was one of the countries with the highest per capita rates of infection at the height of the crisis in Europe.

A three-year-old girl with severe pre-existing health problems became Belgium's youngest known coronavirus victim last week.

Tougher rules on wearing masks came into force on Saturday amid growing fears of a second wave of the pandemic.
Photo: WireImage

Veteran actor John Saxon, of Nightmare on Elm Street and Enter the Dragon, died Saturday. Per the Hollywood Reporter, Saxon died of pneumonia in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Saxons career spanned 60 years in film and television. He was 83.

Well-known for his work in genre film, Saxon starred as a police chief in the 1974 cult slasher film Black Christmas and later as police officer Donald Thompson in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Saxon also acted opposite Clint Eastwood in the western Joe Kidd, and opposite Marlon Brando in The Appaloosa, for which he won a Golden Globe nomination in 1966. His role in Enter the Dragon saw him fight alongside Bruce Lee in Lees last film before his death in 1973. Saxon also had a prolific television career, appearing in Dynasty, Fantasy Island, and The A-Team. He is survived by his wife and son.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27

By Ilkin Seyfaddini  Trend:

Uzbekistans Central Bank of Uzbekistan has announced new exchange rates, which will be valid starting July 28, Trend reports with reference to the bank.

The US dollar rate fell to 10,207 soum per US dollar, euro rose to 11,896 soum, and Russian ruble increased to 142,3 soum.

Deposits in foreign currency increased by 8.1 percent during the first six months of 2020 compared to the same period of 2019 and amounted to 30.8 trillion soum (more than $3 billion).

During first half of 2020, the money supply in the national currency of Uzbekistan grew by 14.2 percent to 71.6 trillion soum ($6.9 billion).

Earlier, the Central Bank believes Uzbekistan's GDP will grow by 1.5 - 2 percent in 2020. In spring, the regulator was more optimistic and projected growth of 1.5-2.5 percent.

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
TOKYO  Rieko Kawanishi is the first to admit that the pearl-laden mask she designed is not the most effective defense against the coronavirus. Its full of holes, she said with a laugh.

But her handmade face covering, which she recommends wearing over a regular mask, reflects a sudden burst of creative attention in the worlds of fashion and technology to a humble product that had been largely unchanged for decades.

After the pandemic, there were so many more places where, for the first time, you absolutely had to wear a mask, said Ms. Kawanishi, a jewelry designer in Tokyo. I just thought, I want to make something elegant.

As the virus continues its relentless spread, with rules on mask-wearing being tightened in many places around the world, consumers are starting to demand more of the coverings that will guard their public breaths for the foreseeable future.
IndiGo on Monday said it is implementing deeper pay cuts of up to 35 per cent for its senior employees in order to reduce its cash outflow amid the coronavirus pandemic.

From May onwards, IndiGo had implemented pay cuts of up to 25 per cent for its senior employees.

The deeper pay cuts came after the airlines announcement on July 20 that it would lay off 10 per cent of its workforce due to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.

In an e-mail on Monday, IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta told employees, I will increase my personal pay cut percentage to 35 per cent. I am asking all senior vice presidents and above to take a 30 per cent pay cut, all pilots will see their pay cut percentages increased to 28 per cent, all vice presidents will take a 25 per cent pay cut and associate vice presidents will take a 15 per cent pay cut. These increased pay cuts will come into effect from September 1, he added.

Also read | It may take 18-24 months to recover from crisis: IndiGo CEO

The aviation sector has been significantly impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries in view of the coronavirus pandemic. All airlines in India have taken cost-cutting measures such as pay cuts, leave-without-pay and lay-offs in order to conserve cash.

Before Mondays announcement, IndiGo CEO Dutta took a 25 per cent cut in salaries. For senior vice presidents the pay cut was 20 per cent, for vice presidents it was 15 per cent and for associate vice presidents it was 10 per cent.

In May, IndiGo had also cut the salaries of Band D employees and cabin crew members by 10 per cent, and of Band C employees by 5 per cent.

Salaries of employees in Band B and Band A were not touched. Majority of the employees of the airline are in Band B and Band A.

Duttas Monday announcement does not affect the cuts instituted in the salaries of Band D employees, Band C employees and cabin crew members in May. Moreover, no cuts were announced on Monday for Band B and Band A employees.

Also read: IndiGo lays off 10% of their total employees, says impossible to keep flying without making sacrifices

IndiGo in May had also implemented a compulsory leave without pay (LWP) scheme for its employees for up to five days per month. In August it was increased to 10.5 days per month.

Dutta said on Monday, We are not making any changes for August LWP and from September each department will decide on the LWP for each month based on workloads and staffing levels. You can expect a direct communication from your department head on LWP each month. It is my earnest hope that the environment is conducive enough for us to add capacity back quickly and reduce LWP to zero, he added. India resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the airlines have been allowed to operate only a maximum of 45 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic flights.

Occupancy rate in Indian domestic flights has been around just 50-60 per cent since May 25.

Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23.
T ravellers returning from holidays in Spain vented their frustration today, complaining their plans had been "ruined" by the Government's new quarantine rules.

As of midnight on Saturday, holidaymakers were told they must self-isolate for 14 days upon their return to the UK from Spain after the European country recorded a surge in coronavirus cases.

Initially the the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advised only against "all non-essential" travel to mainland Spain, but this advice was updated to include the Balearic and Canary Islands on Monday evening.

The latest travel advice reads: "The FCO advise against all non-essential travel to Spain, including the Balearic and Canary Islands, based on the current assessment of Covid-19 risks in the country."

People who had just left the country for Spain or had plans to travel have expressed shock and confusion at the new rules.

One traveller shared footage of long queues at Luton Airport as people arrived in the UK from Spain.

The social media user implied that there were too many passengers for social distancing to take place. "Bring on the quarantine," he said in a Twitter post.

Joe Allen, a TV producer from London who visited Madrid and returned on Sunday, described Spain's removal from the safe countries list as a "knee-jerk" decision from the Government.

Travellers joined long queues at Luton Airport as they arrived in the UK from Spain on Sunday / @edleonklinger

We waited for the appropriate time and I specifically waited for the quarantine to have been lifted from Spain, and I absolutely wouldnt have gone with a quarantine," Mr Allen said.

We all sort of resigned ourselves in fact pretty quickly that there was nothing we could do about it, we just have to follow the rules and we get that, but I think were all frustrated.

The 32-year-old said he had not had any official communication from the Government about the quarantine but understood its importance.

He added: I was expecting perhaps at border control thered be some big old posters or digital screens  or people with megaphones perhaps saying Dont forget you need to isolate.

Travellers from Spain to UK react to new quarantine rules

What would have been useful is for someone who made it clear in advance  There is a real possibility that you could get stopped from coming home.

You can argue that I was naive for not knowing that, but I think it might have been helpful.

Laura Wood, 41, from Oxfordshire, flew from Gatwick to Spains Costa Blanca with her family for a two-week holiday. She returned on Sunday, shortly after the measures took effect.

It was a bit of a last-minute disappointment to the end of the holiday but were going to get on with it," said Ms Wood. "There has to be a cut-off, I guess, and we were just on the unlucky side of it.

Travellers wear face masks as they make their way through Heathrow Airport / PA

It was a different type of holiday than weve had, you dont kind of expect to be walking along the seafront wearing a mask in 30-degree heat, she added.

Mrs Wood said she had experienced some smug responses from people at home and online after the measures were announced.

I think it works both ways; I dont think people can complain about the quarantine necessarily because we knew we were taking risks, but I think peoples joy at other peoples misfortune is a bit sad.

Sophia Fadil, from Brighton, 32, works in retail after being made redundant during lockdown from her job in the travel industry.

People wear protective face masks as they arrive in Barcelona / REUTERS

She is currently on holiday in the Alicante region with her partner and son.

She said the measures are a slap in the face for the travel industry.

I think this was outrageous that the Government finally confirmed it three hours before it was implemented so that didnt give anyone enough time to travel home if they needed to, she said.

Craig Cowgill, from Bury, said he may lose out on pay in his role as manager of a small business due to the Governments decision to reimpose a blanket quarantine requirement for arrivals from Spain.

Mr Cowgill, who is due to fly to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands on Thursday, said he will have to still come in or not get paid upon his return to the UK.

The World on Coronavirus lockdown 1 /60 The World on Coronavirus lockdown Getty Images A UK government public health campaign is displayed in Piccadilly Circus Reuters Chinese paramilitary police and security officers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they stand guard outside an entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing AP A usually busy 42nd Street is seen nearly empty in New York AFP via Getty Images Bondi Beach, Australia Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images View of the illuminated statue of Christ the Redeemer that reads "Thank you" as Archbishop of the city of Rio de Janeiro Dom Orani Tempesta performs a mass in honor of Act of Consecration of Brazil and tribute to medical workers amidst the Coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic Getty Images Rome AFP via Getty Images An Indian man paddles his bicycle in front of a mural depicting the globe covered in a mask, as India remains under an unprecedented lockdown over the highly contagious coronavirus Getty Images Aerial view of the empty 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires in Argentina AFP via Getty Images A view of an empty Grand Canal Reuters Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Central cemetery in Bogota, Columbia AFP via Getty Images The facade of the Palacio de Lopez (seat of the government palace) AFP via Getty Images Miami, Florida AFP via Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Simon Bolivar park in Bogota AFP via Getty Images An LAPD patrol car drives through Venice Beach Boardwalk AP Venice Beach, California Getty Images Los Angeles, California Getty Images Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images Many shops stand shuttered on the Venice Beach boardwalk Getty Images Empty escalators are seen at a deserted train station during morning rush hour after New South Wales began shutting down non-essential businesses Reuters A nearly empty Times Square in New York AFP via Getty Images Caracas AFP via Getty Images Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador AFP via Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Midland Park in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Civic Square at lunchtimein Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A policeman rides his motorcycle wearing a face mask in front of a closed shopping mall in Buenos Aires, Argentina AFP via Getty Images Florida Keys AP The historic Channel 2 Bridge closed to fishermen, bikers and pedestrians in Florida Keys AP The Beach on Scenic Gulf Drive near Seascape Resort in south Walton County, Florida sits empty of tourists AP Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images A deserted Rajpath leading to India Gate in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images Empty roads are pictured following the lockdown by the government amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kathmandu, Nepal Reuters An empty New York Subway car i AFP via Getty Images The empty pedestrian zone is seen in the city of Cologne, western Germany, AFP via Getty Images Place de la Comedie in the city of Montpellier , southern France AFP via Getty Images An empty street in Kuwait city AFP via Getty Images A building is covered by the Portuguese message: "Coronavirus: take precaution" over empty streets in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, AP A general view shows an empty street after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Parliament of Canada is pictured with empty street during morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images A near empty beach on Southend seafront in England PA Near empty Keswick town centre in Cumbria, England PA

I dont know what to do at this moment. Im hoping Jet2 will offer a refund or the Government change the quarantine from the islands, he said.

I can understand about Spain, but they say its safe where we are going, so why quarantine us then? Its either one or the other  (you) cant send people, then ask them to quarantine and not offer refunds.

Passengers continued to fly to and return from Spain at Belfast International Airport on Monday.

Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann said those returning from Spain must observe a 14-day quarantine, following similar moves across the rest of the UK.

On Sunday evening, Mr Swann said the decision was not taken lightly, and was made to keep people safe.

Passengers arrive at Son Sant Joan airport on the Spanish Balearic island of Palma de Mallorca, Spain on Sunday / AP

There is no ideal time to make such a decision. A phased introduction would not have made sense. Public health considerations must take priority, he said.

The decision was taken after consideration of the latest data."

Edith Mikutenaite and Aleksanda Sabalina, from Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, who returned from Barcelona on Monday, described the news of having to quarantine following a three-night trip as horrible.

It ruined the whole holiday, said Ms Sabalina.

We did not expect that at all, we thought the announcement would be made on Monday or at least some sort of notice for people who had already left without knowing there was going to be a quarantine to ensure they had any work issues sorted out.

Ms Mikutenaite said: It is totally unfair  we only went away for three days and now we are going to be stuck for 14 days at home.

Government defends Spain quarantine move

They said they have informed their employers that they travelled but need to discuss further their quarantine arrangements.

We dont know how this is going to affect work, Ms Mikutenaite said.

Our children now have nothing to do and nowhere to go for the next two weeks just because we went on a short trip, Ms Sabalina added.

Christopher Halliday, from Belfast, was visiting his mother in Barcelona.

Everything in Barcelona was very safe, everyone was wearing face masks, to be honest I think they are ahead of us in terms of safety, so I just dont understand this decision they have made, he said.

We were over for a week, we hadnt seen my mother in over a year. We were going to stay an extra week but we werent sure what the situation was going to be so we came home today.

Easyjet runs the current flights which operate between Northern Ireland and Spain.

A spokeswoman said it is too early to say whether passenger numbers have been affected by the quarantine announcement, but added the airline will continue to operate its full schedule in the coming days while monitoring the situation closely.

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We are disappointed that the Government has decided to impose a quarantine requirement for those travelling from the whole of Spain since the increased occurrence of coronavirus is regional rather than nationwide, the airline said in a statement.

We plan to operate our full schedule in the coming days. Customers who no longer wish to travel can transfer their flights without a change fee or receive a voucher for the value of the booking.

Additional reporting by the Press Association
Major banking institution, First Bank of Nigeria has offered financial backing to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the education sector to mitigate the effects of the COVID -19 pandemic in the country.

Speaking during the Banks SMEConnect webinar on Thursday, Bankole Adediran, Head, transaction banking products, said the banks intentions are to help enterprises in the sector sustain their businesses.

According to him, First Bank, as an institution, is very passionate about education, and is willing to continue efforts to support the sectors growth.

Further explaining that the bank has an array of financial products that could be accessed by SMEs in the sector, Adeniran said SMEs can apply for the FirstEdu loan targeted at private nursery, primary and secondary schools to help schools achieve their medium and long-terms goals.

According to Adediran, FirstEdu will provide funding advancement of up to N20 million for schools with a minimum of 100 students with school fees collection domiciled at FirstBank.

Recently launching an e-learning initiative aimed at reaching out to one million students across the country, FirstBank further donated 20,000 e-learning devices to the Lagos state government to promote online learning for students in public schools.

Folasade Adefisayo, commissioner for education, Lagos state, who was a panellist at the webinar, commended the bank for the donation.

Further bewailing the suddenness of the Coronavirus pandemic, Adefisayo said schools were not prepared for the situation.

This pandemic has been a terrible thing, and one lesson from it is that we have not invested enough in solutions we can deplore at a time like this, Adefisayo said.
Arkhbum-Pack Plans to Build Paper Bag Plant in Western Russia The new plant's equipment will include flexographic printing presses, as well as several converting lines for the production of paper bags. July 27, 2020 - Arkhangelsk Pulp and Paper Mill JSC (Arkhangelsk PPM) announced that its subsidiary, Arkhbum-Pack, and the Government of the Kaluga Region (western Russia) on July 22 signed an Agreement of Intent for the construction of a plant for the production of consumer packaging such as paper bags. The planned investment will be about 2 billion rubles and Arkhangelsk PPM expects the new plant to create about 200 jobs. According to the signed document, the land plot required for the project will be located within the boundaries of the Kaluga SEZ on the territory of the Borovsky District of the Kaluga Region, respectively. Vladimir Krupchak, a member of the Board of Directors of Arkhangelsk PPM, explained that the new plant will expand the company's product line, based not only on the market situation, but above all, guided by new environmental trends. "The paper bag is a green alternative to plastic package," he said. Krupchak also noted that the new plant's equipment will include flexographic printing presses, as well as several converting lines for the production of paper bags. The raw materials for the production will be white kraft paper and board produced by Arkhangelsk PPM. SOURCE: Arkhangelsk Pulp and Paper Mill JSC
HOUSTON - (July 27, 2020) - Materials scientists at Rice University and the University of Pennsylvania are calling for a collective, global effort to fast-track the mass production of 2D materials like graphene and molybdenum disulfide.

In a perspective article published online in Materials Today, journal editor-in-chief Jun Lou and colleagues make a case for a focused, collective effort to address the research challenges that could clear the way for large-scale mass production of 2D materials.

Lou and fellow Rice materials scientists Ming Tang, Jing Zhang and Fan Wang joined Penn's Vivek Shenoy in describing the potential transformation in 2D materials technology that could result from a systematic, communitywide effort to map the shapes of the 2D crystals that are being grown in labs worldwide via a process known as chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

"Like snowflakes in nature, 2D crystals exhibit a rich variety of morphologies under different growth conditions," they wrote.

Mapping these unique crystal patterns and compiling the maps in a global database, alongside the recipes for creating each pattern, could unlock a wealth of information "for understanding, diagnosing and controlling the CVD process and environment for 2D material growth," the researchers wrote.

CVD is a commonly used process for creating thin films, including commercially important materials in the semiconductor industry. In a typical CVD reaction, a flat sheet of material called a substrate is placed in a reaction chamber and gases are flowed through the chamber in such a way that they react and form a solid film atop the substrate.

One goal of the field is developing computer software that can accurately predict the properties of a thin film that will result from the mixing of specific reactant gases under specific conditions. Creating such models is complicated by both an incomplete understanding of the physical and chemical processes that take place during CVD and by the existence of dozens of CVD reactor formats.

Cataloging the shape of crystals produced by CVD experiments could provide materials scientists with important information about their synthesis, in much the same way that mineralogists retrieve valuable clues about the history of Earth based on examination of naturally occurring crystal structures, Lou and colleagues suggested.

"Take the beautiful snowflakes as an example," the authors wrote. "A perhaps surprising fact to many is that snow crystals can exhibit many different categories of shapes, which depend on the temperature and water supersaturation of the atmosphere in which they are formed."

The Japanese scientist Ukichiro Nakaya, through extensive observations of snowflakes in both nature and the laboratory, developed a figure known as the Nakaya diagram to help decipher the information in snowflakes. By examining the shapes in a snowflake, and seeing where those shapes lie on Nakaya's diagram, scientists can determine the exact atmospheric conditions that produced the snowflake, which Nakaya poetically referred to as "a letter from the sky."

Inspired by Nakaya's work, Lou and colleagues created a Nakaya-like diagram of 2D crystal patterns that have been produced via CVD and demonstrated how it and other morphology diagrams could be used to infer clues about process variables like gas flow rates and heating temperatures that produced each pattern.

Thanks to advances in real-time imaging and in automated systems that can produce large datasets of crystal structures, the authors said there is "real potential for morphology diagram development to become a common practice and serve as a cornerstone of crystal growth."

###

Lou, Tang, Zhang and Wang are members of Rice's Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering. Lou is a professor and associate department chair. Tang is an assistant professor. Zhang is a postdoctoral research associate, and Fang is a graduate student. Shenoy is Penn's Eduardo D. Glandt President's Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering.

The research was supported by the Welch Foundation (C-1716), the National Science Foundation (IIP-1539999) and the Department of Energy (DE-SC0019111).

Links and resources:

The DOI of the Materials Today paper is: 10.1016/j.mattod.2020.06.012

A copy of the paper is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2020.06.012

High-resolution IMAGES are available for download at:

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/07/0723_MORPHOLOGIC-dia-lg.jpg

CAPTION: Inspired by the work of Japanese snowflake researcher Ukichiro Nakaya, materials scientists from Rice University the University of Pennsylvania created a Nakaya-like diagram of 2D crystal shapes of molybdenum disulfide produced via chemical vapor deposition (left) and a complete morphology diagram of molybdenum sulfide (right). (Image courtesy of MSNE/Rice University)

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/07/0723_MORPHOLOGIC-shapes-lg.jpg

CAPTION: An array of crystal shapes of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides as imaged with a scanning electron microscope. (Image courtesy of MSNE/Rice University)

This release can be found online at news.rice.edu.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies Co has cut its India revenue target for 2020 by up to 50 per cent and is laying off more than half of its staff in the country, the Economic Times reported on Monday, amid calls to boycott Chinese goods.

Huaweis India unit said the report suggesting layoffs of more than half of Huawei staff in the country was untrue, but did not elaborate.

The newspaper said the company was targeting $350-500 million in revenue for 2020, compared with roughly $700-800 million it was aiming for earlier in Asias third-largest economy.

READ: China will face consequences of misplaced aggression: Expert

The Economic Times said the company was cutting 60-70% of its Indian staff, excluding those in research and development and the global service centre.

Huaweis India unit said it continues to work closely with all customers in the country.

Our India operations and resources, backed by robust local talent are designed to meet any customer requirements.

The Economic Times report comes amid a rise in anti-China sentiment in India following the killing of 20 Indian soldiers by Chinese forces in a Himalayan border dispute last month.

India has also told two state-run telecoms firms to use locally-made rather than Chinese telecom equipment to upgrade their mobile networks to 4G.
Dikshit hit out at Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot, asserting that the fight was between the 'usurpers' and those persevering through hard work

It is "high time" that the Congress appoints a full-time president by "selection or election", party leader Sandeep Dikshit said on Sunday, asserting that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) comprising senior leaders should have settled the leadership issue earlier, dealing with it on priority.

There is a "sense of drift" and a feeling that "we need to get on with the job" in the party with an interim president at the helm, Dikshit said.

In an interview to PTI, the Congress leader said that for him, there was no "particular fixation" with any person, and Rahul Gandhi or anyone else could be appointed by "selection or election", but the important thing is that the party needs a full-time president.

Dikshit's remarks assume significance as Sonia Gandhi nears completion of one-year as interim Congress president in early August and the party is abuzz with hectic parleys on the way forward.

He also hit out at Jyotiraditya Scindia for switching to the BJP and Sachin Pilot for his rebellion in Rajasthan, asserting that the fight was not between the young and the old in the party, but between the "usurpers" and those persevering through hardwork.

"Much as I would say that Mrs (Sonia) Gandhi is doing a very able and commendable job (as president), one of the reasons that she left earlier was that she felt that it is time for her to take to the background and for other people to take over. In her case, it was Mr (Rahul) Gandhi," Dikshit said.

"Here's an interim arrangement. Interim is a very iffy word because you know if you are interim you won't take long-term decisions for the Congress. So, it is high time we get a full time president, whoever it is," the 55-year-old former MP said.

Whether it is through "selection or election" there is no issue, he said.

"We should have a full-time president, whether it is Mr A or Mr B or Mr Gandhi that is not an issue at all. Party ideology and collective leadership make a party," Dikshit said.

He said initially it was thought that the CWC, the party's highest decision making body, will come together and select a president or maybe among themselves elect one, but that has not happened.

It is not a bad idea to leave it open to the All India Congress Committee (AICC), where one can also have an election to the working committee, he said.

"It (appointment of full-time president) should have happened earlier. I constantly maintain that here is the place where I point towards the inability of our senior leaders (CWC members) to have risen to the challenge, got together and got this thing done," Dikshit said.

"Mr Gandhi very clearly made a statement that I am not coming back, then what were you (senior leaders) busy doing running around and not being able to decide," he said, adding that they should have got the process done.

Noting that the CWC could not agree on one name and so it decided Sonia Gandhi should become interim president, Dikshit also pointed towards Scindia and Pilot for not taking a stand then as CWC members and enable a decision either then or later, whenever the party's top decision-making body met.

"All these people (in the CWC), including the Scindias and Pilots, why couldn't they have fought for and enabled selection or election of a new president at that time. These people can do a revolt when it comes to personal ambition, but they could not risk their careers when it came to the party," he said.

Asked if Rahul Gandhi should come back as party chief in the prevailing circumstances, Dikshit said whoever comes will do well for the Congress.

"If it is Mr Gandhi, I will follow him, if it is someone else, I will follow that person. No particular fixation with any particular person. I am an AICC member, I have one vote, which if needed, will be cast on my conscience," he asserted.

Earlier this year, Dikshit, son of three-time Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, had voiced his opinion that the leadership issue must be settled and had asserted that the senior leaders must step up.

His remarks come amid the crisis being faced by the party in Rajasthan with Pilot openly rebelling against the Ashok Gehlot government which comes close on the heels of Scindia toppling the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh by switching over to the BJP with MLAs supporting him.

Talking about the back-to-back Scindia and Pilot episodes that have rocked the Congress, Dikshit said there is no such thing as the "young vs old" and these were the result of personal ambitions. "Basically it is their calculation, their self assessment and what they think they are. I don't know about Mr Pilot, because we do not know what he is going to do. I think it is a little premature to say anything," he said.

Dikshit, however, added that both have shown all the weaknesses that political beings can have.

Asked if Rahul Gandhi's stepping down as party chief had heightened insecurities among the younger leaders in the party, he said it heightened the insecurities only of those who wanted to "climb on his tailcoat".

On why Gehlot or Kamal Nath were selected as chief ministers over their younger colleagues, he said that this question should not be asked of Rahul Gandhi or anyone else, but to the party MLAs in the respective Congress legislature parties. "More MLAs are with Kamal Nath than with Scindia. More MLAs are with Gehlot than with Pilot. So it is the MLAs' decision," Dikshit asserted.

Criticising Scindia, Dikshit said that despite the royal scion losing the Lok Sabha, he was offered the post of state party chief and a nomination to the Rajya Sabha.

For someone who claims to be a people's leader, he should have accepted people's verdict in the Lok Sabha and had the ability to remain without the trappings of power, fought for the party on the field and won back his seat for the party.

"Mrs Gandhi offered him to become PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) chief in November last year. Scindia never came back with a yes. So what did he want, we couldn't have put him in place of Mr (Narendra) Modi," Dikshit quipped.
Employers expect the proportion of people working from home on a regular basis to increase to 37% after the pandemic, a survey found. Photo: Getty

Since lockdown was enforced in the UK on 23 March, people across various different sectors have had to adapt to new working environments, with many people having to get used to working from home.

Now restrictions are lifting, the government has urged people to consider returning to the workplace. Many people are reluctant, however, fearing contracting coronavirus and sparking a second wave of infections.

Office workers have also expressed hope that they will be offered the option of more flexible working, with some having found a better work/life balance while home-working. According to research by CIPD, employers expect the proportion of people working from home on a regular basis to increase to 37% after the pandemic, compared to 18% before.

Some employers are open to flexible working, having successfully trialled it during the pandemic. But others are still keen for staff to return to their workplaces as soon as possible. Even if your contract allows flexible working, your boss may not.

READ MORE: Should remote workers' salaries differ based on their location?

Although remote working has been around for many years, it tended to be seen as a benefit, desired by many but only available to a select few and when accompanied by some years of experience, says Yvonne Smyth, director of Hays Human Resources. It was certainly nowhere near a standard way of working for the vast majority of professionals.

COVID-19 has put these assumptions and the stigma associated with them to the test. In just a few months, traditional office-based jobs have been successfully done from home with the right technology.

So what should you do if your boss has a problem with remote working?

As we plan a return to offices, there may be an explicit or implied expectation that everyone will return to the office full time, social distancing permitting, Smyth says. If you think you work in this type of environment and believe you and your role have benefitted from working remotely, I recommend now is the time to have a discussion about a more permanent working arrangement.

Story continues

Firstly, remember your rights. At the moment, employees in the UK with at least 26 weeks continuous service have the legal right to request flexible working for any reason. This can be to request a change to full-time or part-time work, job-share, work from home, or a change of working days or hours. Employers are legally obliged to consider flexible working requests in a reasonable manner.

READ MORE: What is permalancing  and what are the pros and cons?

When bringing this up with your boss, you should come prepared with evidence to demonstrate your performance and achievements while working remotely.

Be front-footed and assured in showing that you can successfully deliver what is required of you, even if youre not based in the office all the time, Smyth says.

Note however that most roles will still require you to be in the office, some of the time. Remember also that there is likely to be some negotiation to make a remote working arrangement work for both parties and importantly that negotiations are two way.

Even if you work in a large organisation with good written policies, some managers may still be unsure about allowing flexible working. They may resist change, lack experience of managing flexibility or have too few responses. However, their reasons for refusal must be fair.

Finally, prepare a fall-back position too. There may be genuine reasons why your boss has initial reservations against remote working, Smyth says.

READ MORE: Why we shouldn't feel guilty about having a sick day when working from home

Come prepared to your discussion with a solution that provides assurance that the agreed essential elements of a role will be delivered as a minimum. Pilot and then review the agreement. As with the wholesale flip to remote working, where theres a will theres a way.

If your employer has refused your statutory request for flexible working, they should allow you to discuss their refusal with them, according to Citizens Advice. There are steps you can take if you feel you are treated unfairly, including raising a grievance.
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo speaks during a meeting of the central disaster and safety countermeasures headquarters at the government complex in Sejong, Monday, to discuss measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Yonhap





By Bahk Eun-ji







The government has been drawing criticism for its belated move to charge incoming foreign COVID-19 patients amid soaring number of new infections have been detected among them over the last six weeks.







On Sunday, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters decided to revise the current law that mandates the government cover treatment and in-hospital care costs for non-residents testing positive for the virus on arrival or during their two-week quarantine period, regardless of their nationality.







As critics pointed out that the surge in incoming patients has put pressure on the nation's medical system, the government made the decision to stop paying medical expenses for the non-citizen patients. But the critics said the move is long overdue.







Regarding the capacity of the medical system in response to the pandemic, the medical community has been appealing for months to prevent travelers from abroad from intentionally entering the country to benefit from free medical treatment.







"It is unfair for Koreans to cover the medical expenses for non-Koreans (who decide to come here only for free COVID-19 treatment), who would otherwise never come here," said Kim Yoon, a professor at Seoul National University of Medicine.







"There were some foreign nationals from abroad who said they came to Korea only to receive treatment," Peck Kyong-ran, chairman of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, wrote on Facebook in March. "But we don't have enough space to treat them in this prolonged virus situation."







In the meantime, the number of patients arriving from abroad has increased significantly, and there have been cases of secondary infections spreading into the community from them. The decision came as new virus cases surged Friday to an almost four-month high of 113, of which 86 were reported from overseas.







Staff check foreign nationals arriving at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap





During a press briefing Sunday, Park said the health ministry will be in charge of revising regulations to stop covering costs for incoming foreign patients who know they are infected with the virus yet travel to Korea and those who end up confirmed during their two-week mandatory quarantine period.







The ministry said it will review expanding the scope of charges on incoming patients depending on the pandemic situation, while taking into consideration the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations.







However, Park said the government plans to charge coronavirus-infected inbound travelers for hospitalization and medical costs but not testing. He stressed that virus tests will remain free for all nationalities. Also, the government will still cover the costs for foreign residents who are infected domestically.







Although the country's new coronavirus cases fell under 30 again, Sunday, as imported cases declined from the record high the previous day, the health authorities remain cautious over another wave of cases coming in from overseas.







The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Monday that the country added 25 new cases Sunday, taking the nation's total caseload to 14,175. The tally marked a significant fall from 58 new cases detected the previous day, and last Friday's four-month high of 113.







Of the newly reported cases, nine were local infections, the KCDC said. Six cases were reported in Seoul, followed by two in Gyeonggi Province and one in the southeastern city of Busan.


From trade to technology to security, deteriorating US-China relations pose risks to both countries and the world.

They have the largest economies in the world. They spend more than anyone else on their militaries. From high-tech chips to control of the high seas, their interests are closely intertwined.

The ongoing sharp deterioration in United States-China ties poses risks to both countries and the rest of the world. In the latest escalation, a US consulate in Chengdu in southwestern China shuttered on Monday, ordered by China to close in retaliation for the US shutting down its consulate in Houston last week.

With the US presidential campaign heating up, all bets are that relations with China will only worsen. A look at what is at stake:

Trade

Both countries already have suffered heavy losses in a tariff war that erupted in 2018 over Beijings technology ambitions and trade surplus. If talks on ending the dispute fail, the world could face downward pressure on trade at a time when the global economy is already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

The US is Chinas biggest single-country export market, even after President Donald Trump imposed punitive tariffs on Chinese goods. And China is the third biggest market for American exporters, as well as a huge market for goods and services produced in China by US companies ranging from General Motors Co to Burger King.

Chinese purchases of American farm goods, semiconductors and other goods declined 11.4 percent last year but still exceeded $100bn. Exports to China support just under 1 million American jobs, according to the US-China Business Council, though that was down 10 percent from 2017s peak.

China is the biggest export market for Iowa and other American farm states, which were slammed when Beijing suspended imports of soybeans and raised tariffs on pork and other goods.

That briefly boosted sales for soybean exporters in Brazil and Argentina, though China resumed buying lower-priced American beans under the phase one trade truce signed in January.

Soybeans being harvested in Indiana. In the US, some farm states were slammed when Beijing suspended imports of soybeans and raised tariffs on pork and other goods [File: Bryan Woolston/Reuters]

But if the two cannot resolve broader differences on trade, it will be a blow not only to their exporters but also to other Asian economies that supply Chinas factories with raw materials and components.

Technology

US and Chinese producers of telecoms, computer, medical and other technology and their markets are tightly interwoven. Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and others rely on Chinese factories to assemble most of their smartphones, computers and other consumer electronics. Those factories need processor chips and other components from the United States, Japan, Taiwan and Europe.

The disruption caused by moves including the Trump administrations curbs on Chinese tech giant Huaweis access to US components and technology threatens to disrupt those flows and cost suppliers, including Silicon Valley companies, billions of dollars in lost revenue.

China is also a top market for Apple and other US tech brands, and is increasingly becoming a technology competitor with its own brands in smartphones, medical equipment and other fields.

People wear protective face masks as they walk near a Huawei store in a shopping complex in Beijing [File: Thomas Peter/Reuters]

The United States often is the top market for Chinas highest-value-added goods. Beijing has been urging exporters to find other markets, but many say Asian and even European markets will not buy such high-value goods.

Security

While the US has long been the predominant military power in the Pacific, China now has two operational aircraft carriers and an arsenal of missiles seen as a threat to US vessels and bases in the region.

Military tensions have largely focused on the South China Sea, a crucial waterway that is the subject of overlapping territorial claims by China and several smaller Asian nations.

In 2018, a Chinese destroyer came perilously close to colliding with a US destroyer, the USS Decatur, while executing what the Navy called an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre in the South China Sea.

An F18 fighter prepares to take off from the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt while transiting the South China Sea, a crucial waterway that is the subject of overlapping territorial claims by China and several smaller Asian nations [File: Karen Lema/Reuters]

A Chinese fighter jet collided with a US Navy surveillance plane in international airspace over the South China Sea in 2001, leading to a major diplomatic incident after the US plane made an emergency landing on a Chinese island.

Taiwan is another potential flashpoint. China claims the self-governing island as its territory, to be taken by force if necessary. The US is bound by its own law to ensure the island has a credible defence and has approved military sales to Taiwan under Trump.

Taiwans foreign minister said last week that Chinese military flights near the island have been taking place on a near-daily basis, more frequently than previously reported.

Washington upped the ante earlier this month by declaring that it did not recognise most of Chinas maritime claims in the South China Sea, a break with its previous policy of not taking a stance on the sovereignty disputes.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Another Ann Arbor school will start the school year remotely when classes begin in September.

Greenhills School, a private college preparatory school serving grades 6-12, made the decision to begin the school year remotely, citing social distancing requirements and concerning trends in the number of COVID-19 cases in our community, Greenhills Head of School Peter B. Fayroian said.

We are ready for (in-person instruction) and our faculty and staff are willing and ready to lean into in-person learning and teaching on our campus, but it doesnt mean we should, Fayroian said. All of the planning weve done has been in hopes that things have improved by September, but they have not improved - in fact, theyve gotten worse.

Greenhills is committed to reevaluating its model as the school year progresses, including any time Michigan shifts to a new phase in the Michigan Safe Start Plan, Fayroian said.

Greenhills is leaving the door open for some middle school students, however, to participate in supervised on-campus learning, if necessary. That includes students of parents who have no other family member available to supervise their child during the day and those who are at risk of losing their job if they stay home to supervise their child, Fayroian said.

About 34 families surveyed by Greenhills have indicated they need a place for their middle school student to be supervised while doing remote learning, Fayroian said.

While he expects more families to respond to the survey as the academic year approaches, Fayroian said he is confident the school will have more than enough space to accommodate students that require in-person instruction oversight.

In its most recent survey to parents, Fayroian said 39% of families cited medical concerns as a factor that would impact their students ability to attend in-person activities on campus, while the remaining 60% report there are no barriers to returning their students to in-person activities.

Since weve announced the decision to begin remotely for September, many families have expressed relief and appreciation, some have expressed disappointment but understanding and a smaller group wishes we had made a different decision and are eager for us to resume in-person teaching and learning as soon as we are able, Fayroian said.

Starting the school year in virtual classrooms: Parents react to Ann Arbor Public Schools decision

Remote classes will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. every other day with an extended lunch. The schedule is the same the school will implement when it returns to campus under a hybrid model later in the year, school officials noted, allowing for consistency in the transition back.

The school will require students to have a laptop for daily instruction, whether remote or in-person. Classes will primarily rely on Zoom for video conferencing.

Greenhills, which enrolls around 525 students, will continue to follow guidance from medical advisors, public health experts, NAIS, and Michigans Safe Schools Road Map as it makes future decisions about what instruction will look like in 2020-21, Fayroian said.

Teaching and learning will look dramatically different at every school this year, he said. Despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, I look forward to the fall - as different as it may be.

Greenhills joins Ann Arbor Public Schools in its decision to begin the school year remotely. AAPS laid out a plan for a remote-learning start to the 2020-21 academic year during a virtual meeting on July 22, with a vote for formal adoption at this weeks board meeting.

Under the plan, the district will offer three different enrollment programs called A2 Student Link, A2 Classroom Connect and A2 Virtual+ Academy.

READ MORE:

Ann Arbor Public Schools plans fully virtual start to new school year

Starting the school year in virtual classrooms: Parents react to Ann Arbor Public Schools decision

Kalamazoo schools cant open safely, must be remote, teachers union says
Members of the group Horseracing Wrongs and their supporters hold a "Requiem March for the fallen horses," in Pasadena, Calif., on Nov. 30, 2019. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

Renewed Scrutiny of Race Horse Welfare Centers on Los Alamitos Track

ORANGE, Calif.Twenty-nine horses have died this year at Los Alamitos Race Course in Orange County, California, triggering a 10-day probation at the track and a new safety plan for horse welfare.

These animals are seen as nothing more than running piggy banks, Heather Wilson, a local activist, told The Epoch Times. Its magnificent watching these horses run, but when you know whats actually behind itI mean, these horses are in their stalls, their 12-by-12 stalls, 23 hours a day. Theyre confined most of their lives.

Alan F. Balch, executive director of California Thoroughbred Trainers, disputes that characterization.

Horses are not in their stalls all day, Balch told The Epoch Times via email. Active horses are likely to be out of their stalls more of the day, whether for walking, turning out in a larger outdoor space, grazing, and their daily planned exercise either on the track or around the barn.

He added that the 12-by-12 standard stall size has come to be the norm all over the world, because its large enough for a horse to be very comfortable moving around, taking a siesta lying down, getting back up, putting his head and neck outside to look around.

Trainer Bob Baffert holds a sign as he joins horse racing industry workers in the call to reopen Santa Anita Park in front of the offices of the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles on April 28, 2020. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Of the deaths at Los Alamitos this year, 19 occurred during racing or training, according to the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB). The other 10 were from gastrointestinal issues and other types of illnesses.

CHRB declared a 10-day probationary period starting July 10, during which Los Alamitos management was ordered to come up with an action plan to address horse welfare concerns. CHRB would then decide whether to suspend the tracks operations.

There has to be a serious review of policies and procedures at Los Alamitos, said CHRB chairman Gregory L. Ferraro at a July 10 emergency meeting. I think there is a culture there amongst the practicing veterinarians and trainers that are pushing the envelope when it comes to the safety of the horses.

During the 201819 season, 144 racehorses died statewide, according to CHRB. The previous three seasons saw 138, 205, and 206 horse deaths, respectively.

About 30 miles from Los Alamitos is Santa Anita Park, where 23 horses died between December 2018 and March 2019. A CHRB investigation at Santa Anita found no illegal medications or procedures. A concurrent Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office investigation did not find evidence of criminal animal cruelty or unlawful conduct connected to the deaths.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill last June granting CHRB the authority to suspend racing events due to inclement weather or dangerous track conditions.

Horses race at Golden Gate Fields with no fans in attendance due to COVID-19 concerns in Berkeley, Calif., on March 19, 2020. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

What happened last year was unacceptable, Newsom told The New York Times in October. We own that going into the next season, and were going to have to do something about it.  Incredible abuses to these precious animals and the willingness to just to spit these animals out and literally take their lives is a disgrace.

New Safety Plan at Los Alamitos

Los Alamitos announced a new Equine and Rider Safety Enhancement Plan on July 20, the final day of its probation. CHRB accepted the plan and has allowed the track to continue its operations.

An additional veterinarian will be on duty each morning, acting as a roving observer of all activities.

The idea is to have another set of eyes on the track and in the barn area, Mike Marten, public information officer for CHRB, told The Epoch Times.

A new security steward will monitor veterinary and barn practices. All tracks already have a safety steward, a similarly titled position, Marten said. But the addition of a security steward will close some gaps in stewardship at the track.

The difficulty at Los Alamitos has been the practice of training in the mornings and racing at nights, making it difficult for the safety steward to do both tasks, Marten said. The addition of a security steward will mean a qualified individual will be assigned to monitor compliance with Los Alamitoss protocols in the stable area.

The plan also establishes an Entry Review Panel of three experts who have the power to dismiss, or scratch, horses that are deemed unfit to run in races. In addition, any future death on the grounds will trigger a fatality review conducted by the Los Alamitos Quarter Horse Racing Association.

The CHRB is committed to reducing fatalities at California racetracks and training facilities, Marten added. To that end, the CHRB, in conjunction with the California racing industry, has implemented and is in the continuing process of implementing dozens of safety initiatives to protect horses and riders.

Blood Sport

Wilson said these measures wont fix the problems.

Lets be honest, its window dressing, she said. Horse racing cannot be reformed. It cant be fixed. It cant be made safe. There will always be fatalities.

People that are pro-racing are so convinced that these horses are so well cared for, Wilson said. Theyre well cared for  just to get them through the next race. Horses are herd animals, they graze, theyre social animals. And when you race them, you strip all of those instincts and desires.

She called horse racing a blood sport.

Horse racing industry workers call to re-open Santa Anita Park in front of the offices of the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County on April 28, 2020. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Balch, who is based at the Santa Anita race track, said, No horse anywhere gets better care than a horse at the race track. In fact, race track care sets the standard for any horse in any activity, and that includes in nature, where a horse is a prey animal whose principal defense is flight.

Horses are properly cared for and treated in exemplary fashion, he added. The tracks and the regulatory authority set rules and standards which have been continually improved and enforced in California since the early 1930s.
Scarlet Witch very nearly took Thanos apart all by herself in Avengers: Endgame, but some fans are wondering if Elizabeth Olsen can be that strong outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some fans are skeptical. Those fans forget or dont realize that Olsen was a rising talent long before she became Wanda Maximoff in the MCU. And it wasnt just because she had two famous older sisters.

How did Elizabeth Olsen get famous?

Elizabeth Olsen | Dominik Bindl/Getty Images

Its not entirely unfair to say that Elizabeth Olsen became at least a little famous thanks to her very famous sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who dominated the 90s with their appearances on Full House and a seemingly endless series of movies and videos. Elizabeth appeared in a few of these, including one lovingly titled Butt Out. She told Jimmy Fallon in 2018, I know it, Ive seen it. But the actual experience of it I really dont remember so much, she said. She only recalled the direction she got: Pout, youre sad.

As her sisters became multi-millionaires, Elizabeth became determined to forge her own path and not ride her siblings coattails. She enrolled in the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, honed her craft, and made her first big splash in the movie Martha Marcy May Marlene, where she played a woman caught up in a cult.

Boosted by strong reviews, she gained attention for strong work in movies like Silent House, Liberal Arts, Very Good Girls, and In Secret. Even in that stretch of movies, she got more notice for her acting than her sisters ever did  and that was before Marvel entered the picture. She even had blockbuster experience with the 2014 Godzilla, opposite Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who would co-star with Olsen in her first major Marvel appearance, Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Does Elizabeth Olsen have a future beyond Wanda?

RELATED: Age of Ultron: The Scarlet Witch Was Nearly Played by an Oscar-Nominated Actor

Elizabeth Olsen has gone on to appear in the MCU in films such as Captain America: Civil War and of course, the two-hander of Avengers: Infinity War, where she was one of the victims of Thanos snap, and Endgame, where she almost brought down Thanos single-handedly. At least one fan on Reddit didnt even know about the connection to her sisters.

I honestly didnt know she was related to MK&A until like Infinity War. I knew her full name, knew their full name, but didnt realize they had a younger sister. Saw no resemblance (especially since I had only seen MK&A on Full House as little little kids) so I didnt even believe it when I was first told she was related to those Olsens. She really has done a great job making her name big on its own. Big thanks to Sarah Halley Finn of course, but still, good on you third Olsen sister.

In a second Reddit thread, another fan raved, She is the perfect girl. even when I see her on the talk show circuit, she has such a cute persona and seems humbled all the time. She made her own career and not ride the coattails of her sisters. Cant wait for WandaVision.

Still, other fans expressed doubt about her longevity, especially compared with other actresses in her age group. One fan said, Shes in the same age group as Jennifer Lawrence, Brie Larson, Emma Stone, Margot Robbie etc. And ScarJo and Gal Gadot are 3-4 years older. But these actresses are all better known than Elizabeth Olsen and are just bigger in terms of star power and popularity. And they all have films outside of the MCU and DC where people know them from and have better acting chops.

Shell be acting as long as she wants to

Fans who doubt Elizabeth Olsens staying power probably havent seen many films where shes not Scarlet Witch. After making herself known to wider audiences with the MCU movies, the movies and shows Olsen pursued afterward continued to have an indie bent, with titles including Ingrid Goes West, Wind River with Jeremy Renner, and the web series Sorry for Your Loss, on which Olsen was a producer. One could argue Marvel needs her more than she needs Marvel. She told the New York Times:

I really love working for Marvel. But the time part of it requires you to not be available for certain things, and thats been heartbreaking. I think work is exciting as I get older. Ive never really felt like a 20-year-old onscreen, and Ive always felt excited to age. But when it comes to a career trajectory, I also really admire people who have lived many different lives in a lifetime, and I do want to play around with that.

Soon, Olsen will have the best of both worlds by being both in a MCU project and the center of attention in the Marvel series WandaVision, which has her and Paul Bettany navigating various TV tropes as Wanda struggles to keep her powers under control in the wake of Visions death. At least thats what the show appears to be about.
The two owners of a New Jersey gym were arrested on Monday morning for continuing to operate their business in defiance of Gov. Phil Murphy's COVID-19 orders for indoor workout facilities to remain closed.

Ian Smith, 33, and Frank Trumbetti, 51, owners of Atilis Gym in the Camden County town of Bellmawr, were taken into custody at their business, where they have been staying since last week, officials said. They were arrested when they attempted to open their doors again.

Smith of Delanco Township and Trumbetti of Williamstown were each charged with fourth-degree contempt, obstruction and violation of a disaster control act, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer. Both were released with disorderly person summonses, Mayer said in a statement to ABC News.

After being released, Smith issued a statement on Facebook saying, "Welcome to America 2020, where feeding your family and standing up for your Constitutional rights is illegal."

"They took Frank and I away and boarded up our private place of business," Smith said, adding a video of him and Trumbetti being handcuffed outside the gym. "This is gonna be fun in court. If this doesnt alarm you, youre part of the problem. Please share and repost, lets make these idiots answer for their power trip."

The arrests come after New Jersey Superior Court Judge Robert T. Lougy issued a court order on Friday for Trumbetti and Smith to vacate the gym and cease operating in defiance of Murphy's executive orders intended to blunt the spread of the coronavirus.

PHOTO: A police officer issues Atilis Gym co-owners Ian Smith, left, and Frank Trumbetti summons outside their gym in Bellmawr, N.J., May 18, 2020, for defying a state order that shut down nonessential businesses. (Matt Rourke/AP, FILE)

But Mayer said the men allegedly defied Lougy's order within hours of its being issued.

"From July 24 through July 27, a number of individuals were observed entering and using the gym, a direct violation of the court order," Mayer's statement reads.

Smith and Trumbetti were arrested and taken to the Bellmawr Police Department for processing when they refused a request by police to voluntarily leave the gym, according to Mayer.

Story continues

MORE: Health officials shut down New Jersey gym that defied COVID-19 stay-at-home order

Lougy's order authorized the state health department to not only put locks on the gym's doors but to also erect barriers over the entrance to ensure compliance with Governor Murphy's order.

Following Lougy's decision, Christopher Arzberger, an attorney for the gym owners, told reporters that Smith and Trumbetti were "disappointed that this motion for contempt was granted."

"However, we do respect the judge's decision and will be taking all necessary steps to see if there is an issue of appeal here," he said. "We understand our clients' concerns. Small businesses have been under fire lately and we want to make sure all small businesses have an opportunity to be heard."

PHOTO: A man walking his dog reads notices outside of Atilis Gym below a placard stating 'KEEP SOCIAL DISTANCE WEAR A MASK' on May 20, 2020 in Bellmawr, New Jersey. (Mark Makela/Getty Images, FILE)

In a video posted on Facebook on Friday evening, Smith said he and Trumbetti planned to stay inside the gym in defiance of the order.

"We will not be backing down under any circumstances," Smith said while wearing a ball cap reading "Lions Not Sheep" and a T-shirt with the words "Make America Lift Again."

He said Lougy's contempt of court order was based on the prosecution's "extremely weak" case.

MORE: Coronavirus lockdowns spark acts of resistance despite warnings of health consequences

"It was based on circumstantial evidence and had nothing directly tying us to a violation of Murphy's executive orders," Smith said. "However, it still went through because that's what Murphy wants and that's what Murphy gets."

Since mid-May, Atilies Gym has become a rallying point for people against Murphy's orders, which were issued in March. More than 200 people showed up to support the first attempt to reopen the gym on May 18, waving American flags and chanting "U.S.A! U.S.A.!" as the doors opened. At the time, police issued the first of several $2,000 citations for violating the rules.

Smith and Trumbetti said they had taken precautions prior to opening by limiting the number of members allowed inside to work out, implementing social distancing rules and asking members to wear protective face masks.

What to know about the coronavirus:

How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained

What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms

Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map

New Jersey gym owners arrested after repeatedly defying COVID shutdown orders originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Dubey's execution gave the Opposition an opening, which the BSP and the Congress are trying to exploit.

That is in the perceived 'persecution' of the Brahmins in the regime of Adityanath, a Rajput, accused of pandering to his caste's interests.

Radhika Ramaseshan reports.

IMAGE: Congress workers led by UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu perform a symbolic pind daan, a post-death ritual, as a mark of protest over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, at the party headquarters in Lucknow. Photograph: PTI Photo

The Opposition in Uttar Pradesh inhabits two spheres: The virtual and the real.

The two worlds rarely intersect because the aggression displayed on Twitter and in Facebook posts hardly translates into action on the ground, while the rare street protests and demonstrations theme micro issues that never figure on social media.

"What can we do when a pandemic is raging on and we are told to stay indoors?" asked Anand Bhadauria, a Samajwadi Party legislative council member, who is part of party president Akhilesh Yadav's core political team.

The only time when the SP recovered its form was about a fortnight ago.

Its activists congregated at Lucknow's arterial Hazratganj to protest the Yogi Adityanath government's 'failures' on various fronts, including law and order.

The city's political observers pointed out that by the SP's standards, the demonstration lacked bite because Pooja Yadav, a local student leader and spearhead of such shows, took a backseat after her several arrests in the Bharatiya Janata Party's regime.

Even in the pre-pandemic period, the Opposition, comprising the SP, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress, was not exactly up and about.

"Shell-shocked by the defeat in the (2017) Assembly and (2019) Lok Sabha polls, the Opposition never got its act together," said a BSP source.

The appointment of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as Congress general secretary in charge of UP signalled a change not just in the Congress but also the Opposition because she never passed up any chance to attack the Adityanath dispensation on social media and occasionally on the ground.

The gunning down of Vikas Yadav, Kanpur's felon, by the state police in an 'encounter' executed in questionable circumstances, has apparently re-ignited the Opposition.

Akhilesh, a major presence on Twitter despite adhering to the politically straight and narrow on the day's issues, became belligerent.

He chastised the government for allowing Dubey to shoot eight cops and called it the 'most shameful incident in criminal history'.

On July 10, after Dubey's 'encounter' that was reportedly preceded by his attempt to escape when a car in the police convoy had overturned, Akhilesh tweeted: 'If the car hadn't turned turtle, secrets would have tumbled out and the government might have capsized.'

It was the first insinuation that Dubey had high-level connections whose reputations he would have compromised had he squealed in custody.

"The encounter gave us a fillip," said Sanjay Lathar, a Jat leader in the SP.

"We decided to have sit-ins at district headquarters against the governments dictatorial ways and its bad law and order management on the 22nd of every month."

Sunil Singh Yadav, a member of the SP's state executive, said: "There's a time to be confrontational and that has arrived."

The state votes in early 2022 but the political ambience gets intense when the jousts begin a year ahead.

The biggest challenge before the Opposition is breaching the pan-Hindu vote bank the BJP constructed before 2014.

It includes nearly every caste and sub-castes, barring historically committed sections, such as the Yadav (largely with the SP), the Jatav (with the BSP), and the Muslims (who coalesce around the party/coalition best placed to defeat the BJP).

"The BJP polarises the polity along Hindu-Muslim lines. Other issues recede into the background. When the elections come, Babaji (Adityanath) will do the round of temples and win over the hearts of the people upset with him now," said Santosh Yadav Sunny, an SP MLA from Gorakhpur.

Dubey's execution gave the Opposition an opening, which the BSP and the Congress are trying to exploit.

That is in the perceived 'persecution' of the Brahmins in the regime of Adityanath, a Rajput, accused of pandering to his caste's interests.

Dubey was a Brahmin. Although no community leader openly opposed his killing, social media is replete with posts suggesting that the next battle in UP will be waged between the 'descendants of Parshurama' and the 'killer Rajputs' because oddly Dubey suddenly personifies the Brahmins.

Mayawati, the BSP leader who avoided criticising the government, noted in a tweet: 'The UP government shouldn't do anything because of which the Brahmin community is terrorised.'

"In 2007, we brought Brahmins on our side. We can do it again if we project ourselves as a winner and shed the notion that we are the BJP's B-team," a BSP source said.

Jitin Prasada, a former Congress MP and minister, recently launched the Brahmin Chetna Parishad, although its unclear if it is a party project.

"Besides the targeted killing of Brahmins, theres discrimination in every nook and corner. Brahmins are not heard in police thanas," alleged Prasada.

A Lucknow political observer pointed out, the problem is the politicians playing the 'Brahmin card' have no concrete evidence to buttress their charge of 'discrimination', except for citing stray murders.

On the other hand, the upper caste representation in the UP legislature increased from 32.7 in 2012 to 44.4 per cent in 2017.

The BJP gave roughly half its tickets to savarna candidates.

Of the 48 ministers in Adityanath's government, 28 are from the upper castes, as against 19 from the backward castes, and seven from the scheduled castes.

Of the 28, eight each are Brahmins and Rajputs. These are hard facts for which the Opposition has no answers.
Having an accessible and reliable health care plan can be hard especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Americans also do not have a universal health care program, compared to other countries.

This means that the government rarely provides its citizens any health benefits. Anytime you need medical care, you will have to spend money on it. Not to mention prescription drugs.

This might all change with President Donald Trump's four newly signed executive orders on Friday.

This aims to lower the prices Americans pay for prescription drugs.

The first Order wants qualified health centers to enforce huge discounts on insulin and epinephrine to low-income Americans, the White House statement said.

The second Order will allow State plans for the safe importation of specific drugs, as well as authorize the re-importation of U.S. made insulin products.

The third Order prohibits secret deals between manufacturers and pharmacies to ensure patients directly benefit from the discounts available.

The final Order ensures that the U.S. pays the lowest price available.

Trump also signed legislation ending gag clauses that allows pharmacists not to inform patients about the best prices for the medications they need.

White House counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway has dubbed Trump as "the health care president," a report says.

Trump said officials of top pharmaceutical companies have requested a meeting to discuss how they can implement the order in their practice.

"We will see what those discussions indicate but the agency is prepared to move forward," Medicare chief Seema Verma was quoted in a Reuters report.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said the orders were "a reckless distraction that impedes our ability to respond to the current pandemic - and those we could face in the future."

Wall Street analysts said that the orders would hugely affect the pharmaceutical industry and will be difficult to put into practice.

RBC Capital Markets biotech analyst Brian Abrahams said that the move was more likely towards "deriving campaign talking points" rather than producing material effects.

The White House statement said the president has always promised to protect patients with preexisting conditions.

It added that Trump has empowered patients with more choices in healthcare through increasing the accessibility of lower-priced health insurance plans.

Drug Price Reform

Trump has repeatedly called for lower prices of prescription drugs. The Congress, however, has not yet passed any major drug price reform.

Many of the Trump administration's efforts to lower drug prices, as well as the implementation of rebates have been delayed due to industry pushback.

"Reviving a rebate reform proposal now does not address the underlying flaws - that it will drastically increase Medicare premiums for America's seniors and most vulnerable," the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association was quoted in a report.

Trump also signed an executive order last year, aiming to fight kidney disease and expand the number of kidney transplants.

He also extended telehealth medicine during the pandemic to ensure that medical care is accessible while decreasing the risk of COVID-19 exposure for both patients and health workers.

Check these out:

Trump Health Care Agenda Might Not Work. Here's Why

Telehealth Clinics As An Alternative To Conventional Health Care

Understaffed and Underfunded, Mexican Health Care Workers Race to Protect Others and Themselves
Jade Mine Disaster Moves Gospel for Asia to Call for 'Compassionate Prayer'

Local GFA World-supported pastor comforts bereaved families after horrific mudslide kills more than 160 at Myanmar jade mining site

More than 160 people were killed in a horrific mudslide at a jade mining site in northern Myanmar. Mission agency Gospel for Asia (GFA World, www.gfa.org ) has called for "compassionate prayer" as local Christians at the scene comfort the bereaved.

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Gospel for Asia

July 27, 2020

WILLS POINT, Texas, July 27, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- One of the world's leading mission agencies has called for "compassionate prayer" after more than 160 people were killed by a horrific mudslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar earlier this month.

Several Christians living in a nearby village work at the jade mine, but fortunately no one from the local church was reported missing or dead, Gospel for Asia (GFA World, www.gfa.org) said.

The pastor said several of his church members were late going to work and missed the landslide. Now he's ministering to bereaved families, comforting them and praying for them, GFA World said.

According to news reports, a massive river of mud and rock triggered by heavy rains swept into the mining site, burying workers and people scavenging for precious stones. A state official described it as "like a tsunami."

Graphic images showed rescue workers pulling bodies from the debris and laying them in rows under tarp.

'Compassionate Prayer'

"Our heartfelt prayers are with the families of all the workers who died in this terrible disaster as well as the injured," said GFA World founder Dr. K.P. Yohannan. "The people of Myanmar are among the most kind-hearted and loving on the planet. Right now, we can lift them up to our Lord Jesus in compassionate prayer."

The disaster -- which occurred on July 2 in the Hpakant area of Kachin state -- was captured on video, showing the mudslide pouring into the mining site.

On a typical day, hundreds of people gather at the site to sift through rubble looking for precious jade stones. Myanmar -- formerly known as Burma -- is the world's biggest source of jade.

Right now, heavy monsoon rains are lashing parts of northeast India -- another area prone to disastrous flooding and potentially deadly landslides. Since May, catastrophic floods have killed more than 80 people in the region, and 2.5 million have been forced to flee their homes.

The deadly flooding comes as India faces a spike in COVID-19 cases. The South Asian nation -- the second most populous country in the world -- now has more than 1.1 million recorded COVID-19 cases, the third highest after the U.S. and Brazil.

GFA World provides emergency aid, clean water, education, vocational training, and spiritual support to millions of South Asia's poorest and most vulnerable families.

Gospel for Asia (GFA World, www.gfa.org) is a leading faith-based mission agency, helping national workers bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across Asia, especially to those who have yet to hear about the love of God. In GFA World's latest yearly report, this included more than 70,000 sponsored children, free medical camps conducted in more than 1,200 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 260,000 needy families, and spiritual teaching available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry. For all the latest news, visit our Press Room at https://press.gfa.org/news.

SOURCE Gospel for Asia

CONTACT: Gregg Wooding, 972-567-7660, gwooding@inchristcommunications.com

Related Links

www.gfa.org

https://press.gfa.org/news
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The results showed that the variants of the TLR7 gene in the patients had a loss of function, which lead to immunodeficiency. The study stated,Normally, TLR-genes help produce a family of protein receptors on the surface of human cells which play an important role in the recognition of pathogens. These receptors are called interferons. According to the study,Interferons are signaling proteins released by host cells in response to virus attack, which causes the nearby cells to increase their anti-viral defense. They are is a critical element in fighting COVID-19 as they activate the immune system.The new finding suggests that TLR7 plays an important role in protection from coronavirus.The findings may help doctors and scientists understand the virus better and further helping in the treatment of severely ill COVID-19 patients.Co-author of the study, Geneticist Alexander Hoischen, said,says Dr Anoop Misra, Chairman, Fortis C-Doc.In India, though COVID-19 fatalities were mostly seen in people in older age groups above 45 years, as many as 43% deaths have taken place in the relatively younger population of age of 30-44 and 45-59, according to latest health ministry data.Source: Medindia
In Augusta, local authorities receveid a report of a vehicle submerged in a pond containing dead bodies of a mother and her twin sons.

Watery grave

The Richmond County Sheriff's Office and the Augusta Fire Department received a report of the submerged vehicle found in a pond on Friday afternoon, as reported by USA Today.

The woman and her two boys were discovered inside the vehicle after rescue personnel removed the car from the water. Mark Bowen, the Richmond County Coroner, said that all three of the victims were pronounced dead at 8:00 p.m.

Authorities identified the three as 25-year-old Shaquia Philpot from Hephzibah, and her 10-month-old twin sons, Caysen and Cassius Williams.

Bowen noted that a witness who was fishing in the area was the one who found the vehicle and reported it to authorities. The coroner said the three bodies would be sent to the Bureau of Investigation of Georgia for an autopsy.

According to WSBTV, local authorities are unsure of how long the three deceased were submerged in the water as an investigation is still ongoing. It is also unclear if foul play was involved in the incident.

Also Read: Fact Check: Is Spongebob Squarepants' Home Located on Jeffrey Epstein's 'Pedo Island'?

Similar incidents

Another similar incident took place when a teen from Gainesville drowned while he was swimming in Lake Lanier on Friday afternoon, stated authorities.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said the dead body of 17-year-old Cristofer Acosta-Farias was discovered on Friday just before 5:00 p.m.

Game Wardens, as well as the Hall County Sheriff's Office and Hall County Fire Services, received a report of a drowning teen at 4:00 p.m. at Balus Creek.

A few weeks ago, a Georgia man drowned in Clearwater Beach while attempting to rescue two of his family members.

Officials of the city said that at around 2:30 p.m., the victim, Thanh Nguyen saw his niece and son struggling to get out of the water near a Lifeguard Tower 3 and rushed in to rescue them, as reported by Fox 13.

However, once he was in the water, 55-year-old Nguyen started having problems himself. Lifeguards on duty at the beach quickly responded and discovered the man floating in the water.

Lifeguards attempted to resuscitate the man and performed CPR until medical experts arrived at the scene. Nguyen was then transferred to Morton Plant Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after.

Another similar incident occurred when a 41-year-old woman from Georgia was found dead after drowning in a lake in east Alabama.

The victim was discovered after witnesses called in a report to the Lee County Sheriff's Office of a possible drowning in Lake Harding.

Authorities arrived at the scene and discovered the body of Natasha Renee Summerlin out of the boat she was riding and in the water. A friend of Summerlin stated they tried to save her but were not able to locate the body and immediately called 911 for assistance.

Related Article: 3-year-old Dies After Accidentally Shooting Himself

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Tech Mahindra, a subsidiary of the Mahindra Group, on Monday reported 1.36 per cent year-on-year (YoY) rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 972.30 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, as against Rs 959.30 crore in the same period last year. On quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis, the profit rose 20.94 per cent from Rs 803.90 crore in March quarter of FY20.

The Pune-headquartered company's consolidated revenue from operations increased 5.23 per cent on annual basis to Rs 9,106.3 crore in Q1 FY21 as compared to Rs 8,653 crore in Q1 FY20. On sequential basis, the consolidated revenue from operations fell 4 per cent from Rs 9,490.2 crore in Q4 FY20.

Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: Tech Mahindra brings back 210 employees, family members from US

In dollar terms, Tech Mahindra's net profit rose 18.2 per cent QoQ to $128.8 million, while revenues were down 6.7 per cent to $1,207.5 million during the June quarter of this fiscal over the March quarter, Tech Mahindra said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Commenting on Q1 earnings, CP Gurnani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tech Mahindra, said, "We are witnessing a wave of new age technologies being adopted by the customers as businesses across the globe are actively pursuing digital transformation. We are well positioned to capture such spends and our endeavour is to be back on the growth path amid increased signs of demand normalisation."

Also Read: Mindtree Q1 profit more than doubles to Rs 213 crore, revenue up 4%

At the operating front, EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation) declined 3.5 per cent quarter-on-quarter to Rs 1,301 crore, but margin grew by 10 bps to 14.3 per cent.

During the quarter under review, Tech Mahindra's active client base stood at 981, while it added eight new clients during April-June period.

Also Read: Wipro Q1 consolidated profit flat at Rs 2,390 crore, revenue rises marginally

The information technology services provider had 1,23,416 employees as of June 30, 2020, down 1,820 compared to March 2020.

"Despite demand uncertainty and volume reduction, we have been able to demonstrate operational resilience through cost optimisation. Cash conversion has been strong, while we aim to improve profitability margins as demand normalises," said Manoj Bhat, Chief Financial Officer, Tech Mahindra, said.

Ahead of Q1 earnings announcement, shares of Tech Mahindra settled at Rs 664.05, up 1.73 per cent, against the previous closing price of Rs 652.75 on the BSE on Monday.
(Photo : Ghost of Tesla Phx @Ghost_TeslaPhx/ Twitter) Is white oxide a thing? (Photo : REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke) Cranes and first pillars for the future Tesla Gigafactory are seen on the construction site in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany, July 24, 2020. Picture taken with a drone.

Tesla Cybertruck is all muscle with its steel body and huge wheels. Those who are wishing for any pop of color on this all-electric pickup truck may find a gleam of hope as CEO Elon Musk agrees that heating the steel can give different colors.

You will be able to wrap it in any color or pattern  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 14, 2020

In April, Musk replied to a question about Tesla Cybertruck color options via Twitter saying that buyers "will be able to wrap it in any color or pattern." This left more questions as to whether the manufacturer will provide a wrapping service while Tesla fans speculate it would be the buyers' choice whether to wrap the vehicle or not.

While Cybertruck's body is comprised of exposed steel, dents and corrosion are limited, as well as color options. However, as Elektra noted, heat can be applied to steel to trigger chemical reactions and get certain colors, depending on the temperature applied. Of course, fans were quick to assume the same process can be applied to the Cybertruck. Twitter user @flcnvhvy sent a photo showing a glare of color, then asked, "Would look pretty sick/unique if Cybertruck could be torched using not-a-flamethrower," which Musk directly confirmed on Sunday, July 26.

Some types of steel change color when tempered, does that apply to cold-rolled stainless too? Would look pretty sick/unique if Cybertruck could be torched using not-a-flamethrower ... pic.twitter.com/IT5PqxqCif  Viv (@flcnhvy) July 26, 2020



Earlier, another Twitter user asked: "Is white oxide a thing?" with photos of a white Cybertruck. Tesla CEO replied to @Ghost_TeslaPhx that his suggestion is "not impossible."

However, another user replied that the oxidizing process "is not durable" because it would simply rust while it does not stay permanently. He also said that a white ceramic coating may scale off while a Teflon coating is quite expensive, but it is durable, flexible, and white.

Instead, @EV_stevee suggested that burnishing the steel would be more durable or consumers may just have the wrapped.

Twitter user @Kristennetten asked Musk if steel can be tempered to get some colors. However, @RuberKelevra said that while it is possible to temper steel, it "would impact the brittleness/hardness" of the steel, so he would not recommend applying it on the truck.

The future Cybertruck gigafactory in Texas

Although it is unclear if Tesla could offer its solution or if it would be done aftermarket, having color on the Cybertruck would make it even more interesting to the greater consumer before its planned release in late 2021.

With two higher-end versions to hit the market first, it is much better to offer the rich with more color options. Regardless of whether Tesla would release trucks in different colors or if consumers need to shell out more money for it, it is nice to know that it is possible.

Indeed, Cybertruck with its bare body will create a great market of aftermarket accessories and modification, just like how people personalized their Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.

On July 22, Tesla announced that the Cybertruck production will be done in its gigafactory in Austin, Texas with its construction already began last week. According to The Verge, the 2,100 acre-factory is located east of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The company would hire up to 5,000 workers with a starting salary of $35,000. It plans to invest at least $1 billion for this factory, which will make Texas' economy one of the strongest across the United States.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement that he looks forward to "the tremendous benefits that Tesla's investment will bring to Central Texas and the entire state."

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 11:49:31|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The central government will provide all necessary support for the anti-epidemic fight in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) at the request of the HKSAR government, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR said.

As long as the HKSAR has the need, the central government will provide great assistance in medical materials, facilities and equipment at any time, a spokesperson of the office said in a statement on Sunday night, promising to help Hong Kong improve its virus testing capability and assist in the construction of makeshift hospitals.

Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection reported 128 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the fifth straight day when the daily additional cases surpassed 100.

The spokesperson stressed the central government pays high attention to the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong.

The National Health Commission held an online meeting last Friday with governments of Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong HKSAR and the Macao SAR to improve exchanges and experience sharing.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak at the beginning of this year, the central government has helped arrange shipments of face masks and other anti-disease materials to Hong Kong, spared no efforts to ensure the supply of daily necessities to Hong Kong, and also helped Hong Kong residents stranded in the mainland and overseas return home, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the central government will continue to watch the epidemic development in Hong Kong and maintain close contact with the HKSAR government, and urged concerted efforts of the entire Hong Kong society to fight COVID-19.

In the statement, the spokesperson also opposed a slander campaign on the central government's support. Some rumormongers claimed that genetic samples of Hong Kong people will be sent to the mainland, and medical institutions from the mainland will aggravate the coronavirus spread in Hong Kong.

The slanders are politically-motivated, the spokesperson said, condemning those behind the slander campaign for creating a political split and putting personal gains above the life and health of Hong Kong residents. Enditem
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Linkedin Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 09:39 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406697ba90 2 Business HP,executive-column,work-from-home,COVID-19 Free

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way people work. With social restrictions in place to prevent the virus from easily spreading, many businesses have applied work-from-home policies for their workers.

This new way of working has created challenges for companies, and workers, in regard to adequate home office appliances and maintaining cybersecurity. Data from the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) showed that Indonesia recorded more than 88 million cyberattacks during the first four months of the year, with March seeing the highest average of daily attacks.

The Jakarta Posts Eisya A. Eloksari interviewed HP Indonesia president director Fiona Lee on July 6 to learn more about how people can leverage technology for a better work-from-home experience with enhanced cyber safety measures, while also discussing how HP Indonesia is dealing with the current pandemic.

Question: Has HP Indonesia seen any observable changes in market trends during the COVID-19 period in Indonesia and the Southeast Asia region?

Answer: We recognize the current pandemic and the upward trend in working from home have created an increased need for technology, especially in Indonesia  a key growth market for HP Inc. We are seeing higher demand for technology and services that enable customers to work and learn better from home such as noise cancellation on our laptop speakers or privacy and security features.

Our home printer portfolio and original ink and toner supplies have seen improving demand as people work in their homes and kids take on learning and creative projects at home. Consumers are also still purchasing laptops during this time.

Our study on small businesses in Southeast Asia showed that 70 percent of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia are still dependent on their printers to cater to their business needs. Even though businesses advertising budgets have gone down, we still find banners and posters at stations.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected HP Indonesias business?

As a business, our teams at HP will continue to work from home as we prioritize employee health and safety. We took swift action to ensure compliance with guidance for operations, which include the deployment of business continuity plans across all functions, enhanced safety and health protocols as well as strict access and physical-distancing procedures.

We have moved quickly to address these changes by making a proactive shift by, for example, enabling our retailers to grow their online business across the archipelago for HP PC and print devices. This was to ensure our customers have access to our products no matter where they are in Indonesia.

We have also ramped up our customer support with 24/7 virtual agents, contact center access via phone and WhatsApp, and self-service features. HP Inc. also provides pick up, repair and return services for cities where our service centers are not available.

Can you share with us HPs initiatives for its customers to enjoy a safe and productive workspace at home?

Security threats evolve and disrupt business every day especially with the recent surge in remote working. We found that over 80 percent of home office routers are vulnerable to potential cyberattacks. Emails also pose a significant risk to organizations with over 90 percent of PC infections originating from attachments and 96 percent of security breaches are not discovered until months later.

HP Inc. recently announced its newest security solutions to help protect businesses and their remote workforces. One of our products is HP Sure Click Pro, which allows users to contain potentially harmful documents and destroy malware. We are making it free for download on HP and non-HP devices through September 30 given the unique circumstances companies are experiencing right now.

What will become the new normal for how people work after the pandemic?

The Jakarta government has said more than 1,500 companies, with more than half a million employees, have shifted to work remotely. As a result, companies are now being challenged to maintain productivity and security while being nimble enough to continue adjusting to a new micro-mobile workplace that is more dynamic than ever before.

The new normal is not necessarily a business world without working in an office, it is a world where we focus on work instead of the office. Going back to the office after this situation will be followed by changes on how people interact and work, and companies need to equip their employees with reliable tools.

In this unique work environment, technology will continue to play a major role in Indonesias response to the new normal as it supports the business continuity, delivery of public and social services and education, all while keeping communities and families connected, even though they are far apart.

And finally, how have you as an executive responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and guided your team during this unprecedented event?

I see leadership as a team effort and not the result of one individual. At HP Indonesia, it is all about our HP family coming together to build our business, understanding our customers needs and challenges ahead. Together, we embrace changes with resilience and grit.

During this time, leaders should also be proactive in ensuring that employees are well equipped to be productive such as advising them to set working hours at home, set breaks to also allow them some down time and setting clear expectations for your team.

Editor's note: The article has been updated to include a correction on HP Indonesia company name.
The Supreme Court Monday asked the Centre to consider the viability of expeditious trial against nine foreigners who were allegedly involved in the Tablighi Jamaat activities and have not pleaded guilty on the purported charges of violation of visa norms.

A bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar said this while hearing the petitions filed by 34 foreigners who have challenged the Centre's orders blacklisting more than 2,700 citizens of 35 countries from travelling to India for 10 years for alleged involvement in Tablighi Jamaat activities.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench, also comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna, that out of the 34 petitioners, trial against 23 is over as they had pleaded guilty while two of them have filed pleas in the apex court out of misconception.

Mehta said trial against nine of them remains as they have decided to contest the case. The bench asked Mehta in how much time, the trial was expected to be over and whether it can expedited.

"Nine people are saying that they will contest the case. Charge sheet has been filed. We can request the trial judge to expedite the trial," Mehta said, adding, "I can seek instructions by tomorrow. I will ask the investigating officer to make an application before the trial court for day-to-day trial." Senior advocate C U Singh, appearing for some of the petitioners, told the bench that 23 of them have pleaded guilty under plea bargaining and they have been released.

Singh said that directions should be issued for release of their passports. He said pleading guilty under plea bargaining has ramification as the countries, from where these people belong to, views conviction in a serious manner.

He referred to the order of Madurai bench of the Madras High Court which had asked such foreigners to furnish affidavit of apology that they have violated visa conditions and after that, police has filed closure report in those cases.

The bench, which posted the matter for hearing on July 31, asked Mehta to take instructions regarding expeditious trial of these nine persons.

During the hearing conducted through video-conferencing, the bench expressed its displeasure that an application was filed earlier in the matter which complained that petitioners' lawyers were not being heard properly during the proceedings.

The bench said there are logistical issues but there should not be an application on the judicial side in this regard.

Problems are there and we are trying to sort it out. We are pained to see this. We have taken note of the problem, the bench said while making it clear that physical hearing will have to wait for two weeks at least weeks.

Medical experts have advised us against physical hearing for now. This has been decided, the bench said.

The Centre had earlier sought dismissal of the pleas and informed the top court on July 2 that it has issued individual orders on a case-to-case basis for cancellation of visas and blacklisting of 2,765 foreign nationals.

As per the information available, 205 FIRs have been lodged against the foreign Tablighi Jamaat members by 11 states and 2,765 such foreigners have been blacklisted so far, the Centre had said in its affidavit.

Of these, visas of 2,679 foreigners (including 9 Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders) have been cancelled, it had said, adding that remaining 86 include Nepal nationals who do not require visa.

The top court was also informed by the Centre that 1,906 Look Out Circulars (LOCs) were issued against foreign Tablighi Jamaat members and 227 left India before the issuance of LOCs/Black Listing.

The foreign nationals had on July 2 informed the top court through their advocates that around 1,500 one-liner e-mails were sent to them with regard to cancellation of visas but there was no show cause notice for blacklisting from travel to India for 10 years.

The apex court had asked the petitioners to file a rejoinder affidavit to the Centres reply and make appropriate representation with the competent authority with regard to deportation.

On June 29, the top court had asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to clarify its stand about the status of visa of these citizens from 35 countries.

Four petitions have been filed by 34 individuals, including a Thai national who is seven months pregnant, challenging the Centre's orders of April 2 and June 4 by which 2,765 foreigners in India were blacklisted.

The petitions, filed through advocate Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi and drafted by advocates Ibad Mushtaq and Ashima Mandla, have contended that the en-masse blacklisting of foreigners without any opportunity to defend themselves is a blatant violation of Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) of the Constitution.

(Photo Credit: PTI)
WASHINGTON  A federal judge in California ruled over the weekend that her previous order to release migrant children from ICE custody by Monday is now "unenforceable."

Judge Dolly Gee of the Central District of California said Saturday that the conditions she laid out in June as prerequisites for releasing the children from detention over COVID-19 concerns had not been met. Namely, the children's parents had not agreed to release them, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had not agreed to release parents with their children, and another court with jurisdiction over the parents had not ordered their release.

Gee's previous order to release the children from ICE custody had raised the possibility that children would be separated from their parents, since the lawsuit Gee oversees does not give her the authority to rule on the parents' release.

After the federal judge in D.C. declined to release the parents and ICE had not agreed to release parents and children together, Gee said her order is now "unenforceable by its own terms."

Health Care Professionals Call On ICE To Release All Immigrants During COVID-19 Pandemic (Joe Raedle / Getty Images file)

"Of course, nothing in the Court's prior order precludes ICE from continuing to promptly release eligible Class Members," Gee said in court on Saturday, referring to the 100 children who are being held in ICE custody.

Gee warned that ICE is prohibited from separating families without the consent of the parent, per a court order in the wake of the Trump administration's 2018 "zero tolerance" policy.

"The Court urges all involved in this matter to pause, take stock, and stop disseminating the fiction that families will be separated as of the Court's July 27, 2020 deadline," Gee said.

Meanwhile, lawyers for the government and the children continue to negotiate on a document that could be given to parents in custody, which may include an explanation of their rights to release their children to live with a sponsor if they should choose.

Jacob Soboroff reported from Los Angeles.
US consulate in China's Chengdu making final preparations for closure

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 July 2020 6:47 AM

The US consulate in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu has been making final preparations for its closure, which was ordered in retaliation for Washington's move last week to shut down the Chinese consulate in Houston.

A bus pulled out of the US consulate compound in Chengdu on Sunday morning. It was unclear how many passengers were on board. The bus had arrived at the consulate on Saturday afternoon along with two vans.

The American national emblem in front of the office area of the consulate, where some 50 American and 150 locals had been employed, was also removed.

Security measures were tightened outside the consulate and police imposed traffic control on the main street.

Police urged bystanders holding Chinese flags and taking photos on the street in front of the consulate gates not to gather and move on.

On Tuesday, Washington abruptly informed Beijing to close its consulate in Houston, Texas. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Chinese employees at the Houston consulate of espionage. Pompeo also said the consulate staff had been "stealing" intellectual property.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry reciprocated on Friday by ordering the closure of the Chengdu consulate on Monday 10 am local time (0200GMT).

Some personnel at the Chengdu consulate were "conducting activities not in line with their identities," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

The US and China have been at odds over a range of issues; but recently, Washington has significantly ratcheted up the tensions.

Pompeo has called for regime change in "Communist China."

"If the free world doesn't change Communist China, Communist China will change us," Pompeo said, adding that the "mission of our time" was to exert pressure to bring about such change.

Washington's aggressive posturing against Beijing comes shortly before the US presidential election in November.

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British tourists visiting Spain will now have to self-isolate for two weeks upon their return to the UK, raising questions over refunds and sick pay.

The quarantine measure, introduced on Saturday with four hours' notice, includes anybody from the UK's four nations returning from mainland Spain and the country's Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.

Sky News looks at what travellers should do if they are going to Spain or are in Spain already, and whether you will be covered by statutory sick pay during quarantine.

What should you do if you have a Spanish holiday booked?

The Foreign Office (FCO) is advising against all non-essential travel to mainland Spain, but not to the islands - although the quarantine applies from everywhere in the country.

Abta, the UK's travel trade association, has advised customers due to travel to the country imminently to contact their travel provider and for those with future bookings to keep checking the travel company or airlines' websites.

Britons travelling to mainland Spain should be able to get a refund or credit note from their travel company as most insurers will not provide cover if you go.

Those going to the islands will most likely be charged normal cancellation charges because the FCO is not advising against travel there, and holidaymakers should check their travel insurance to see if they can make a claim, Abta said.

Package holidays to the islands may be able to be refunded, depending on the operator, or you can transfer the holiday to another person.

Holiday operator TUI has cancelled all planned holidays to mainland Spain up to and including 9 August, but all those going to the Balearic and Canary Islands can still travel as planned from Monday.

All TUI customers due to travel to all areas of Spain until then are able to cancel or amend their holidays and will receive a full refund or the option to rebook.

Are the airlines still flying to Spain?

British Airways is still operating flights so will not be offering refunds if you cancel because of the quarantine, but will offer vouchers for future travel.

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EasyJet will continue to run full schedules and customers no longer wishing to travel can transfer their flights without a fee or receive a voucher.

WizzAir is continuing to operate flights "for the time being" but could reschedule them and if they do cancel flights passengers can rebook for free with 120% of the fare in credit, or get a full refund.

Jet2 flights are also continuing as normal, with the company saying it only flies to destinations in the Canary and Balearic Islands - not covered under the FCO's travel advice - so usual terms and conditions apply.

Ryanair will continue to fly between Spain and the UK and will not reduce the number of flights.

What should you do if you are already on holiday in Spain?

An Abta spokeswoman said the FCO has advised people already in Spain to continue their holiday as planned, so if holidaymakers decide to come back early they are not entitled to a refund.

For those on TUI holidays, managing director Andrew Flintham said Britons already in Spain will be able to return on their intended flight home but will have to quarantine.

BA, easyJet, WizzAir and Jet2 are not planning to cancel flights but passengers should keep an eye on their websites for changes as fewer flights may be running.

Will you be eligible for the government's coronavirus sick pay during your two weeks in self-isolation?

No. The law states those who are self-isolating because they have returned to the UK from a country not exempt from quarantine, do not qualify.

That's in contrast to people in the UK who have to self-isolate having picked up symptoms in the UK, who are eligible for statutory sick pay.

Speaking to Sky News, health minister Helen Whately urged people to work from home when they return from Spain and asked employers to "be supportive".

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Shanghai boosting first-store economy with 320 new stores

By:An Ranran | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-07-27 10:57

In the first half of 2020, 320 new brands set up storefronts in Shanghai. After the toughest period caused by the outbreak, Shanghai is boosting its so-called first-store economy.



According to a report from Dataquest, in the second quarter there were 259 new store openings in Shanghai, roughly the same level for the same period last year. With 61 new stores in the first quarter, Shanghai has a total of 320 new stores in the first half of the year, leading the development of the first-store economy in China.

The data the Ministry of Commerce released shows that Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu have the most newly opened stores in China with Shanghai ranking the highest among them. Up to 17.5 percent of new stores in Shanghai are set up by overseas brands, while nearly 70 percent of newly opened stores are located in such business areas as Lujiazui, Zikawei and Wujiaochang.

More new stores are expected to come to Shanghai in the second half of this year including Loft from Japan, Tom Dixon from England and Tim Ho Wan from Hongkong.

Zhao Ping, director of the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade mentioned that the prosperity of the first-store economy shows that Chinas market contains tremendous business opportunity and market potential. More and more cities are expected to follow Shanghai to attract international and reputable brands to set up flagship stores that can be considered first in the country.




HALIFAX - People are gathering at a Halifax park today to demand a public inquiry into the Nova Scotia mass shootings.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/7/2020 (541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A couple pays their respects at a roadblock in Portapique, N.S. on Wednesday, April 22, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX - People are gathering at a Halifax park today to demand a public inquiry into the Nova Scotia mass shootings.

The gathering at Victoria Park comes less than a week after the province unveiled a plan for a panel review into the massacre.

Organizers say a 22-minute general strike will begin at noon local time to honour the 22 victims who were killed last April.

Protesters gather in Halifax's Victoria Park to demand a public inquiry into the deadly mass shootings that claimed 22 lives in Nova Scotia last April, on Monday, July 27, 2020. The federal and provincial governments have announced a review of the massacre that will not be able to compel witnesses or testimony, no power to subpoena evidence and won't be able to make binding recommendations to the government. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Several local women's rights advocates, as well as Dartmouth South MLA Claudia Chender, of Nova Scotia's New Democrats, are expected to speak at the rally.

Many of the victims' families have called for a public inquiry into what happened during the shootings on April 18 and 19 and what led to the rampage.

Activists, lawyers, Nova Scotia opposition parties and federal senators from across Canada have also joined that call over the past several months.

But the federal and Nova Scotia governments said last week that a three-person panel would be set up to review the massacre.

That review body will be led by Michael MacDonald, a former chief justice of Nova Scotia, and includes former federal Liberal cabinet minister Anne McLellan, and Leanne Fitch, the former chief of police in Fredericton.

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Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil said that he believes the panel will be able to get the answers that the victims' families are demanding.

He also told reporters that the panellists will be able to ask his government for assistance should they need it.

But critics have criticized a perceived lack of transparency and say the panel does not have enough power to lead an in-depth investigation.

The organizers of Monday's rally expressed hope that they will be able to pressure Ottawa and Halifax to reverse course and ultimately order a public inquiry.

"We need systemic and structural change to come from this," Martha Paynter, one of the event organizers, said in an interview on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2020.
MIAMI - A pet dog that jumped out of a car window on a South Carolina highway has been found two weeks later, nearly 600 miles (966 kilometres) away in Miami, according to a relative of the owner.

The dog named Belle escaped from the moving car near Charleston on July 15, according to Tim Whitfield, whose 90-year-old mother owns Belle.

Whitfield put out a call for help on Facebook at the time and said that he bought the puppy for his mother after her dog of 16 years recently died. She was heartbroken after hearing the dog was lost, Whitfield added.

After nearly two weeks of searching, Whitfield learned over the weekend that a car of Florida residents grabbed Belle out of traffic after spotting the animal while travelling through Charleston to Miami, WCIV-TV reported Sunday.

The rescuers said they saved Belle because they were afraid she was going to be hit by oncoming cars, the station reported. They then tracked down Whitfield through social media posts.

Whitfield thanked all the people who helped share Belles story in a message posted to Facebook on Sunday.

A great reminder that when all seems lost, hope must be the constant thought, he said.
Portland hit 100 degrees Sunday, making it the first 100 degree day of 2020. That high temp broke the previous record of 99 set in 1998 at the airport.

Sunday was also the first 100 degree day Portland has seen in just over two years. The last time PDX hit 100 was July 15, 2018.

If you like it hot, you're going love inland temperatures this afternoon and again tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/36u3DA85bv  NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) July 26, 2020

The heat advisory issued by the National Weather Service is still in effect through 9 p.m. Monday. Except for some high clouds increasing later in the afternoon, skies will be mostly clear and temperatures will again reach up to 100. Some metro locations could even see temps a degree or two above 100 by late afternoon.

Some mid level moisture and instability will move into the central Cascades creating the possibility of thunderstorms in Lane and Linn counties. Chances for rain are slight, so most lightning strikes will be the dry kind which can spark wildfires.

Central and southeastern Oregon are under a red flag warning through 10 p.m. Tuesday as a combination of high winds, low humidity, and warm temperatures create elevated fire danger. Dry thunderstorms are possible. Residents are asked to keep an eye out and report any spot fires.

Much of western Oregon is under a heat advisory. A red flag warning is in effect in central and southern Oregon. NOAANOAA

Portland will see a quick drop in temperatures Tuesday as marine clouds are expected to fill in at the coast. Cooler air will make its way into the metro area, according to the weather service. Skies should remain mostly clear, but the high temperatures will likely top out at 88 degrees.

Onshore flow continues Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. At the same time, high pressure will also be building into northwest Oregon. Skies should remain mostly clear Wednesday. The high temp will reach around 91 degrees.

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Rating Action: Moody's assigns A2 to Wellstar Health System's (GA) new Series 2020A and 2020B bonds; outlook stable

Global Credit Research - 27 Jul 2020

New York, July 27, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned A2 ratings to Wellstar Health System's (GA) (Wellstar) proposed $75.72 million Revenue Bonds (WellStar Health System, Inc. Project), Series 2020A issued by Development Authority of Fulton County, GA; $97.7 million Revenue Anticipation Certificates (WellStar Health System, Inc. Project), Series 2020A; and $77.725 million Revenue Anticipation Certificates (WellStar Health System, Inc. Project), Series 2020B issued by Cobb County Kennestone Hospital Authority, GA. At the same time, Moody's affirmed Wellstar's A2 existing revenue bond ratings. The outlook is stable. This rating action affects approximately $906 million in rated debt (excluding the newly rated debt).

RATINGS RATIONALE

The assignment and affirmation of Wellstar's A2 rating reflect an expectation that the system will likely be able to sustain strong pre-COVID operating performance and will see ongoing improvement in balance sheet measures. This will be supported by management's good track record of attention to cost management. Based on significant cost-cutting measures and the receipt of CARES Act and stimulus funds, Wellstar expects fiscal 2020 operating cash flow margins will come in slightly below fiscal 2019's but remain at double digit levels. Balance sheet measures will remain below average for the rating category. However, management anticipates that absolute levels of cash and cash to debt measures will meaningfully improve beginning in fiscal 2021 as capital spending declines. A return to pre-outbreak volume and cash flow will be supported by the current pace of reactivation of electives, which, through June, has been better than anticipated. That said, with the current rise in COVID cases in Atlanta and Wellstar's implementation of its surge plan, there is uncertainty regarding the ability for Wellstar to stay on track with its elective recovery. Key factors that could affect recovery include inpatient capacity and in particular, staffing constraints, as well as patients' concerns regarding returning for health care services.

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Wellstar will continue to benefit from its position as a large regional system in the greater Atlanta area, which enjoys favorable demographics including high growth and a diversified economic base. Wellstar's track record of exceeding margin expectations due to strong volume growth and cost savings initiatives will help support future performance. As part of its resiliency plan to address the outbreak, management will freeze its defined benefit plan in November. However, the system's sizeable existing pension liability will contribute to its overall debt burden. In addition, Wellstar will contend with ongoing losses at one of the acquired hospitals, high reliance on its key legacy facility, ongoing state-wide consolidation opportunities, as well as a highly competitive market.

The most immediate social risk is the coronavirus outbreak, which resulted in the suspension of non-essential services and has significantly reduced revenues. There is a high degree of uncertainty around the full effects of the suspension, the reactivation of elective services and the recovery period. The ongoing effects of the coronavirus outbreak, deteriorating global economic outlook, and financial market declines are creating a severe and extensive credit shock across many sectors, regions and markets. The combined credit effects of these developments are unprecedented.

RATING OUTLOOK

The stable outlook reflects Moody's expectation that sustained attention to expense management will continue to result in operating cash flow margins in the 10% to 11% range. The outlook also reflects Moody's view that Wellstar will stay on track in bringing balance sheet measures more in line with pre-2016 levels. Specifically, the outlook reflects Moody's expectation that absolute cash and cash to debt measures will meaningfully improve beginning in fiscal 2021 as capital spending levels decline.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OF THE RATINGS

- Material improvement in balance sheet measures, including evidence that improvements would be sustainable amid any potential additional M&A or capital plans

- Maintenance of very solid cash flow margins and improved debt service coverage

- Ongoing ability to realize cost efficiencies and system wide integration benefits

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS

- Inability to sustain good operating margins, representing a lower level of earnings for the longer-term

- Inability to realize sustained improvement in absolute cash and days cash and meaningful improvement in cash to debt metrics as anticipated

- M&A, incremental debt or capital projects that impede improvement in or dilute balance sheet or operating performance

- Loss in overall market share or persistent losses at one of its acquired hospitals

- Additional outbreak-related disruption especially amid rising COVID cases

LEGAL SECURITY

New and existing bonds fall under Wellstar's 2017 Amended and Restated Master Trust Indenture. Terms include pledged revenues of the obligated group which includes Wellstar Health System (the parent) and the eleven hospitals that comprise Wellstar's acute care operations, each of which are separately incorporated.They include the acquired hospitals and Wellstar West Georgia.There is a negative mortgage lien with permitted encumbrances.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Proceeds will be used to refinance an existing bank loan and Wellstar's Series 2011 bonds.

PROFILE

Wellstar Health System (Wellstar) is an 11 hospital, $3.56 billion (fiscal 2019) not-for-profit health system headquartered in Marietta, GA. In 2016, Wellstar acquired five for-profit hospitals (1,149 beds across five campuses) from Tenet and executed a member substitution of West Georgia Health Services d.b.a. West Georgia Medical Center (276-beds).

METHODOLOGY

The principal methodology used in these ratings was Not-For-Profit Healthcare published in December 2018 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1154632. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.

The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

Diana Lee Lead Analyst PF Healthcare Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 7 World Trade Center 250 Greenwich Street New York 10007 US JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Daniel Steingart Additional Contact PF Healthcare JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653

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By PTI

MUMBAI: The Mumbai civic body has neither paid salary nor special daily allowance to 209 newly-hired nurses, who were recruited to strengthened the fight against coronavirus in the metropolis, a labour union has said.

The Municipal Mazdoor Union (MMU) said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) hired these nurses under a special recruitment drive in April-May after the coronavirus outbreak in the city.

However, the BMC has neither paid them salary nor Rs 300 per day special allowance promised to them, since the past three months, said MMU, one of the largest trade unions in the civic body which is spearheading Mumbai's COVID-19 fight.

When contacted, a BMC health department official said salary disbursal got delayed due to the ongoing roster (appointment) verification process, but assured the nurses will be paid their wages soon.

"I joined the BMC's duty in the first week of May. Since then I am working at a jumbo COVID-19 facility and staying in a hotel where the BMC has arranged food and accommodation, but I haven't received salary or Rs 300 per day special allowance," said one of the nurses, who did not wish to be identified.

She said prior to joining the BMC, she was working at a private hospital, and since the civic body had issued advertisements to appoint nurses on a permanent basis, she decided to switch job.

However, now she regrets the decision due to financial troubles she is facing.

"It's difficult to survive without salary for three months, especially when you have financial liabilities," she said.

In a letter written to municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on July 25, MMU demanded that these 209 newly- hired nurses be paid salary and allowances immediately.

The union also asked the civic administration to consider theirappointments on vacant posts at BMC-run hospitals from the date they joined duty.

Pradeep Narkar, secretary, MMU, said that all these nurses were trained at the BMC's nursing college and they were asked to join immediately in April-May when coronavirus cases had started rising sharply.

"Most of them were working in private hospitals and they quit their jobs to join the BMC which required their services urgently. But now they are deprived of salary and allowances, making survival difficult for them," he said.

Narkar said the BMC administration told the union that the delay in salary disbursal was due to the ongoing roster (appointment) verification process, which it has assured to fast-track.

Dr Varsha Puri, an official in the BMC Health department, said, "The file (related to salary) has been already sent to another department (personnel).

"Once the file is cleared, we will process it within a day and inform establishments (where nurses are to be posted) from where salary disbursal will start."

The first case of coronavirus was found in Mumbai on March 11 and currently, the city has nearly 1.10 lakh cases, while the death toll stood at over 6,000.
Tehran, July 26, 2020 (AFP) -

A priest from the minority Zoroastrian community who lived in the United States has been killed on a visit to Iran, state news agency IRNA reported Sunday.

The website of the Amordad weekly paper on Zoroastrian affairs said the body of Arash Kasravi was found alongside those of his bodyguard and a nurse who also did domestic work.

They were discovered at a house in the southeastern province of Kerman, the area's prosecutor Dadkhoda Salari told state television, saying the triple murder could have financially motivated.

"Three bodies were discovered in a villa in Mahan city and they were apparently murdered," Salari told state television.

"Investigations showed that one of them was Arash Kasravi, a member of the Zoroastrian religious minority."

The prosecutor did not disclose the identity of the two other victims or say how they were killed.

But he added that $10,000 (8,500 euros) were found in one of their cars.

Amordad said that Kasravi, who was born in 1967, was a US resident who had been living in California with his family for the past 10 years.

He had returned to Iran in recent months to attend his father's funeral and stayed for inheritance proceedings, but disappeared days ago.

Before his disappearance, he had been "threatened with death on several occasions" in relation to a row over land ownership.

The nurse and the bodyguard whose bodies were also found on Sunday were not members of the Zoroastrian community, Amordad said.

Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion in Persia prior to the arrival of Islam. According to government figures it counted around 23,100 members in 2016, mostly in Kerman and central Yazd province.

Iran officially recognizes "Iranian Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians" as religious minorities.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the central bank said on Monday.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka can make drawals of US Dollar, Euro or Indian Rupee in multiple tranches up to a maximum of $400 million or its equivalent under a currency swap agreement, the RBI said in a release.

The agreement signed under the SAARC Currency Swap Framework 2019-22 would be valid till November 13, 2022.

The SAARC currency swap framework came into operation on November 15, 2012, to provide a backstop line of funding for short term foreign exchange liquidity requirements or short-term balance of payments stress till longer term arrangements are made.

In November last year, the RBI, with the concurrence of the Government of India, had decided to put in place a revised framework on currency swap arrangement for SAARC countries 2019-2022 with an aim to further financial stability and economic cooperation within the SAARC region.

The framework is valid from November 14, 2019 to November 13, 2022.

Based on the terms and conditions of the framework, the RBI would enter into bilateral swap agreements with SAARC central banks, who want to avail swap facility.

Under the framework for 2019-22, RBI will continue to offer swap arrangement within the overall corpus of USD 2 billion. The drawals can be made in US Dollar, Euro or Indian Rupee. The Framework provides certain concessions for swap drawals in Indian Rupee.

The facility is available to all SAARC member countries, subject to their signing the bilateral swap agreements.

Besides India, the other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries are - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre shared a photo of her new hairdo on Monday as she enjoyed a day out in the sun, and revealed that she is about to undergo surgery on her neck.

The 36-year-old former blonde, who lives in Cairns, Queensland, Australia, shared an image of herself in front of crystal blue waters this week to show off her darker new look.

She added a few positive words about the nice weather, but also said that thew makeover comes just before a mysterious neck surgery she has planned.

Changing: Virginia Roberts Giuffre shared a photo of her new look on Sunday

Much-needed: The 36-year-old former blonde, who lives in Cairns, Queensland, Australia, said she was 'soaking up the suns rays and taking time out to chill'

Revealed: She also said she was getting surgery on her neck, but didn't reveal any further details

'My new look before neck surgery  soaking up the suns rays and taking time out to chill,' she wrote on Twitter.

'Life isnt all that bad ALL the time. Todays one of those days! Tropical paradise and me have a meeting about to begin.'

She added the hashtags #TimesUp #hope #mondaythoughts.

In a follow-up tweet, she added: 'Fingers crossed the surgery is a success and I can continue on my path for justice.'

Roberts hasn't shared details about the upcoming surgery or its purpose.

However, in June she was hospitalized for bacterial meningitis and tweeted from her hospital bed, saying she'd been ill for three days after returning from a trip to the rainforest.

She wrote: 'Back in the hospital  again. This time bacterial meningitis. Went to the rainforest for the weekend with the fam and came back with something from the jungle.

Epstein accuser Roberts is pictured with Prince Andrew and Maxwell and Ghislaine Maxwell. The photo has been widely circulated since 2001

'Day 3  just had to get a spinal tap  talk about pain! Pls send me some love vibes from all my friends on Twitter.'

She later replied to well-wishers on Twitter saying her immune system may be out of whack 'with so much going on and add some stress into that.'

'I bought a dog hoping it would help with my stress but with some of these a-holes I'm up against it's definitely a challenge,' she said.

Bacterial meningitis is the inflammation of the spinal cord typically caused by an infection. Although infections are rare, it can be life-threatening and requires immediate attention.

Patients are generally treated with antibiotics and penicillin or corticosteroids.

Just two months earlier, she had taken another trip to the hospital to get tested for COVID-19 after she developed symptoms of the virus.

In April, she told Twitter followers she had been having trouble with breathing, as well as fever and a cough and was 'praying' the test wasn't positive.

She later revealed she tested negative and was battling an upper respiratory infection after she was diagnosed with pneumonia.

Roberts was hospitalized for bacterial meningitis in June and shared a picture from her hospital bed

She wrote: 'Back in the hospital  again. This time bacterial meningitis. Went to the rainforest for the weekend with the fam and came back with something from the jungle'

'Now back to what really matters- the take down of perps!' she tweeted.

Roberts is among the slew of women who have accused billionaire Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse when they were underage, and has spoken publicly about being his 'sex slave.'

She has also claimed she had sex with Prince Andrew at the behest of his friend Epstein three times: once at Epstein's New York apartment, once in the Caribbean, and once at the London home of Ghislane Maxwell, the American financier's alleged madam, in March 2001.

Speaking about her first alleged encounter with Prince Andrew in London, Roberts said she was taken to Tramp Nightclub where she recalls dancing with the 'sweating' prince when she was 17.

After leaving the nightclub, Roberts said: 'In the car Ghislaine tells me that I have to do for Andrew what I do for Jeffrey.'

A photo that shows Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Maxwell in Ghislaine's apartment taken in 2001 has been widely circulated.

Prince Andrew has strenuously denied all of Roberts' allegations. The prince says he doesn't even remember meeting her.

Last week, it was revealed Prince Andrew is preparing to fight back against the possible disclosure this week of further damaging allegations about his friendship with Epstein and alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

In April, Roberts shared photos from the hospital after she was tested for coronavirus, but left because doctors tried to put her in a ward with COVID-19 positive patients, she said

She later revealed that she tested negative for the virus

US District Judge Loretta Preska ordered the release of 80 secret legal documents, running to hundreds of pages, relating to Maxwell and Epstein.

The publication of the vast tranche of papers would be a blow for Maxwell, 58, as they feature large sections of testimony she gave to lawyers in 2016, including what her legal team said was intrusive questioning about her sex life.

They could also heap pressure on Prince Andrew because one of the documents includes communications between Maxwell and Epstein from January 2015, when Roberts, an alleged victim of the shamed US financier, claimed in court papers that she was forced to have sex with the Prince on three occasions.

A leaked email from 2015 that was revealed last year by the BBC appears to suggest that Andrew asked for Maxwells help in dealing with Robertss claims.

In it, he told the socialite: Let me know when we can talk. Got some specific questions to ask you about Virginia Roberts.

Maxwell replied: Have some info. Call me when you have a moment.

On Friday, a source close to Andrew said: The Duke of York has done nothing wrong, so we are relaxed about the unsealing of any court documents. As the US courts have been at pains to point out, just because an allegation is included in court papers does not make them true.

The US courts have urged the media and public to treat any allegations contained in court papers with extreme caution. We entirely concur. We have no doubt the Duke will be completely vindicated in the weeks ahead.
MONTREAL, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- An Arlington Independent School District site, Bowie High School, partners with PAPER , the leader in personalized online learning, to help support AVID students in a remote learning environment.

This grants freshman students in the AVID program access to 24/7 one-to-one academic support paid for by the school for the 2020-21 school year.

"Our district and our school have had tremendous success with the AVID program. This partnership with Paper comes at a vital time with such a heavy emphasis on virtual learning. To be able to get this tool in the hands of our freshmen AVID students is vital. We know now more than ever how important access is and to provide this kind of academic support with ease is huge for our Bowie community. It will be great to see that equity in action," said Bowie High School Principal Reny Lizardo.

The AVID program is designed to help students with high academic potential prepare for entrance to colleges and universities, regardless of their background.

The program at Bowie High School empowers students to succeed in a rigorous academic curriculum through homework, tutorials, and projects.

Partnering with Paper seamlessly integrates into the program to provide additional academic assistance for students.

With students at Arlington ISD having the option to enroll for either in-person or online instruction, the need for flexible and personalized online supports for students has only increased. In partnering with Paper, Bowie High School is helping close the divide between those who can afford private tutoring and those who cannot.

Through Paper's remote learning platform, available in both English and Spanish, students are provided unlimited 24/7 access to online tutoring in any subject from a fully vetted Paper educator, and essay review with annotated feedback within 24 hours. Using Socratic instruction methods, students are guided through concepts to find the answers on their own.

Teachers in Paper's partner organizations have reported seeing an increase in students' grades since using Paper, and many students have reported feeling more confident with their school work.

About Paper

Founded in 2014, Paper is an Educational Support System (ESS) providing students with 24/7 live help & essay review, and teachers with real-time feedback and intervention tools. Paper partners with districts across North America to close the achievement gap and support educational equity.

- ENDS -

Further information about Bowie High School is available here .

For further information, please contact:

Jacob Geller

Director of Partnerships

PAPER

1-438-523-2350

[email protected]

SOURCE Paper Education Company Inc.

Related Links

http://www.paper.co


Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  At least 34 people have been arrested in Metro Manila hours before the fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday.

Metro Manila Police Chief Debold Sinas said five members of progressive transport group PISTON were arrested near Quezon Memorial Circle for violating the rule against the use of traditional jeepneys amid community quarantine restrictions. Five persons carrying protest materials were also apprehended in Caloocan City for riding a jeepney.

Sinas also reported that 24 persons on board a van were apprehended in Marikina City for violating physical distancing rules.

The PISTON members were apprehended near Quezon Memorial Circle and immediately brought to Camp Caringal, where complaints are being prepared against them, Sinas said.

"Hindi namin sila basta-bastang pakakawalan nang walang kaso para at least maramdaman nila that we mean business," he said in a media briefing.

[Translation: We will not release them without a case, so they see that we mean business.]

The city government did not grant permits for any public assembly, in line with the national governments ban on mass gatherings.

Rallyists are only allowed to hold their protests inside the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City. Groups of various advocacies are set to converge and hold a protest action dubbed "SONAgKAISA" inside the UP Campus from 10 am to 12 pm. Police thanked the protesters for following minimum health protocols and for holding a peaceful protest action.

PNP said security forces will exercise maximum tolerance, but discouraged other rallyists nationwide from gathering as coronavirus remains a threat. The PNP said it will arrest protesters if the activities become too "extreme."

Duterte will hold his penultimate address before the nation at 4 p.m. at the Batasang Pambansa, the traditional venue for the constitutionally mandated SONA.

The Metro Manila police chief said they have deployed personnel in civilian clothes to closely monitor the vicinity of Commonwealth Avenue.

"Kapag may makita, pagsasabihan, at huhulihin kaagad. Wala nang usap-usap pa diyan sa kalsada. Kapag may grupo, sisitahin bakit grupo-grupo. Kapag may ilalabas na placard, automatic huli sila," he said.

[Translation: They will be apprehended and arrested. There will be no discussions. Those who converge in groups will be apprehended. Those who will bring out protest placards will be automatically arrested.]

Over 6,000 police personnel are deployed along Batasang Pambansa and Commonwealth Avenue to secure the venue and its perimeters to ensure President Rodrigo Duterte's fifth State of the Nation Address will run safely and smoothly on Monday afternoon.

Nearly 2,000 security personnel are on standby for possible augmentation in case protests get too rowdy.
Vietnam will suspend all flights and public transport into and out of a city of 1.1 million people where the country's first coronavirus cases in months were recently detected, authorities said Monday. Until the weekend it appeared that the Southeast Asian country had managed to stub out the virus -- and with lockdowns lifted since late April, domestic tourists had flocked back to the coastal city of Danang. But fresh restrictions on movement, including stopping buses and taxis within the city, were announced following the discovery of Vietnam's first locally transmitted COVID-19 infection in nearly 100 days. The transport ministry made the order on Monday evening, just hours before it goes into effect at midnight (1700 GMT Monday). After a 57-year-old retired Vietnamese man in Danang was confirmed to have the disease on Saturday -- the first community transmission since April 16 -- more than a dozen new infections have been found. Danang is a popular tourist destination and its beaches and restaurants have been packed with local visitors. From Monday until the end of the week, the city was scheduled to receive around 80,000 passengers on domestic flights, according to the country's civil aviation authority. Earlier in the day, the body said some airlines would increase outbound flights to ferry fearful passengers out. But by nightfall, the transport ministry announced all routes in and out of the city would be suspended. Trains, boats to islands, buses, taxis and tourist vehicles in Danang will also be halted for 15 days. Most of the new cases in Danang were linked to three hospitals, which will be "put under lockdown from 12am on July 28 until further notice", according to an announcement on the city's website. Meanwhile, residents in most of the city's districts were advised to stay home unless absolutely necessary, with a ban on gatherings of more than two people in public. So far Vietnam has reported a total of just 431 virus cases -- including the new patients in Danang -- and no deaths, winning praise for its handling of the epidemic. Communist authorities were quick to lock down the country after the virus emerged in neighbouring China, with a rigorous state quarantine and contact-tracing system. Vietnam is still closed to foreign tourism, and international flights remain strictly limited with a two-week mandatory quarantine for repatriated citizens. Vietnam's transport ministry announced all flights in and out of Danang would be suspended
Kansas City Po-Po Training Day Considered

KCPD Regional Police Academy constantly evolves training As the men and women of the 169th class of the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department's Regional Police Academy continue training that began in February, 41 Action News was granted a peek into the process for preparing hopeful law enforcement officers for their careers.

Kansas All-In Against Increasingly Incumbent

4 Republicans running for Kansas' 3rd District Hide Transcript Show Transcript THE KANSAS 3RD DISTRICT. THAT'S MUCH OF THE KANSAS METRO. WE HAVE COMMITMENT 2020 COVERAGE ON THE RACE. THE THIRD DISTRICT DEBATE HOSTED BY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. REPORTER: IN PERSON CAMPAIGNING IS RARE BECAUSE OF THE VIRUS. SO THIS WAS AN IMPORTANT DEBATE .

Show-Me Corona Contd

Missouri health officials call for 'aggressive actions' as COVID-19 cases rise On Sunday, the state had its sixth straight day of more than 1,000 new cases. Missouri health officials are urging residents to take "aggressive actions" following nearly a week in which daily COVID-19 cases have reached four figures. On Sunday, the state had its sixth straight day of more than 1,000 new cases, with 1,218.

Panties Sell Out Across Pond

Next in final stages of buying UK arm of Victoria's Secret Next is finalising a deal to take on the UK arm of the lingerie brand Victoria's Secret, which fell into administration last month. The brand, once renowned for its controversial fashion shows featuring models known as "angels", would give Next access to a potentially younger consumer.

Biden Stays In Bunker

Biden campaign declines 'Fox News Sunday' interview, 1 week after Chris Wallace's Trump sitdown During his interview with Chris Wallace last week, President Trump questioned whether the Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee, Joe Biden, could handle the barrage of questioning that Wallace posed to Trump. The answer to that question - at least for now - we may never know.

The Wall Falls

Trump's 'indestructible' border wall collapses amid Hurricane Hanna A video that went viral on Twitter on Sunday shows a section of the border wall toppling to the ground amid fierce wind and rain The clip became the target of widespread ridicule as critics likened the collapse to President Donald Trump's re-election campaign Some users pointed out that last

Holy Land Hot Mess Fight Over Worsening Corona

Coronavirus infections reach 60,000 in Israel as protests continue Israel's coronavirus cases topped 60,000 infections over the weekend as thousands of people took to the streets across the country to protest the government's handling of the pandemic and demand the resignation of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mueller Mulls Comeback

Republicans and Democrats want Mueller to testify again. They may regret it. "I'll believe it when I see it," Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a Judiciary Committee member, said in a brief interview. "I have seen nothing since that leads me to think [Graham] is actually going to call Mueller." Despite the public bipartisan agreement, there are real obstacles and risks to securing Mueller's testimony.

Royal Lady Fight

Kate Middleton Felt She 'Didn't Have Much in Common' With Meghan Markle and Never Pursued a Deep Friendship Excerpts from royal reporter Omid Scobie and ELLE.com royal contributor Carolyn Durand's upcoming book Finding Freedom have been running in all this weekend, and they've given the most insight yet on what led to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's decision to step back from their senior royal family roles.

Kansas City Super Bowl Repeat Hype Reopened

Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid discuss high expectations in Kansas City The stars of the Kansas City Chiefs have been very outspoken lately regarding the team's bright future. The comments from Tyreek Hill and Chris Jones regarding multiple titles have put the ultimate target on the franchise heading into the 2020 season.

Sporting Stays Winning

Sporting KC denies Vancouver's upset bid, advances on PKs LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) - Tim Melia made two saves during the penalty shootout, Gianluca Busio scored the deciding penalty and Sporting Kansas City beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on penalties after the sides played to a 0-0 draw in regulation early Monday morning.

Monday Starts Soggy

Your Storm Track 5 Daily Forecast The cold front is still on schedule and will bring rain to northern Missouri and northeast Kansas this evening. There is a chance for a few thunderstorms to make it into the metro by 10 or 11 tonight. The better chance of rain comes overnight and off and on Monday as the cold front slowly settles through the area.

We prep for an important week and offer aat pop culture, community news and info from across the nation and around the world . . .is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . .
A grand jury determined Friday that a 52-year-old man acted in self defense when he stabbed and killed another man earlier this month.

Stephen Bache, 52, was arrested and initially charged with second-degree murder July 8 after the stabbing in Southeast Portland. Prosecutors said they filed a motion Friday for Baches release based on the grand jury finding.

Portland police said officers responded to reports of a stabbing on Southeast Water Avenue between Madison and Main streets the afternoon of July 8. They arrived and found one person with stab wounds, officers said.

That person, Cody Nicholas Vickers, 32, died at a local hospital, according to police. The Oregon State Medical Examiners Office determined Vickers died of homicidal violence.

Police have not said whether the two men knew one another or disclosed any other details about what happened and court documents do not explain any other details about their connection. The district attorneys office also said it would not release any additional information.

-- Celina Tebor

ctebor@oregonian.com

@CelinaTebor
Local government expert, Professor Kwamena Ahwoi has written extensively about his working relationship with former President Jerry John Rawlings.



Born on born October 13, 1951, at South Suntreso in Kumasi, Professor Ahwoi served as Minister of Local Government and Rural Development from 1990 to 2001 in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, during former President Jerry John Rawlings' era.



He also briefly served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1997 and was an acting minister in that department during much of the 1990s.



In 2005, he resigned as director of research for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) political party.



The yet to be launched book titled, "Working with Rawlings" according to Professor Ahwoi is not a book about Jerry John Rawlings neither is it about Kwamena Ahwoi or the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) which led Ghana's governance from 1981 to January 6, 1993.



Rather, Professor Ahwoi talks extensively about his working relationship with Jerry John Rawlings, their ups and downs, and their joint commitment to building a "better Ghana".



He explains in the book that somewhere along the line, they drifted apart and also talks about the political history of Ghana between 1979 to 2010.



He expressed the hope that Ghanas leaders of today and in the future will learn some lessons from his account in the book, leaving out the negatives and accentuating the positives.



Up until this time, Dr Obed Asamoah's book - The Political History of Ghana (1950-2013): The Experience of a Non-Conformist - had been the main reference point for that period.



Asked whether Professor Ahwoi saw it as an opportunity to filling some of the gaps in Dr Asamoah's book, he said "no, this is an independent work. Obed's book you know, because of the length, and the period it covered from about 1951 to about 2010 or thereabout, it is very difficult for many people to read."



"You really must be interested in reading before you are able to go through it, it is over 600 pages. This is the short, precise account of the Rawlings period between 1979, how I got involved and then the period where both of us exited government and the short period that we found ourselves in opposition, so it is a complementary story to Obed's but it does not fill in any gaps, that Obed might have left behind," Prof Ahwoi said in a radio interview on Accra based Citi FM, Monday morning, July 27, 2020.

He spoke about the book in the radio interview with Citi FM.



Asked about whether he tried to offer a clarification in Dr Asamoah's book where he stated that when the Swedru declaration was made, he saw the Ahwoi brothers and Totobi Kwakye essentially so excited, Prof Ahwoi said he took sometime to clarify that "because it was [email protected]



"We were surprised by the declaration as he himself (Obed) might have been and he knew Rawlings as well as we did, so he could think that Rawlings could not do something like that without our involvement, i find it very surprising. If he was not involved how could we have been involved and the truth of the matter is that, we were not involved, we did not know and we were very surprised when the declaration was made."





more to follow...

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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After a lull of four years, the Land Rover Defender is back with us once again. Despite the many niggles that often accompanied owning one, the vehicle built up a tremendous reputation over the decades.

Much of that legacy rests on its ability as a workhorse and it was rather a wonder that the company didn't immediately capitalize on this at its launch.

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However, that has all been rectified now with Land Rover announcing the new 'Hard Top' versions which will become available towards the end of this year.

In addition to re-introducing the Hard Top name for the commercial range, the company has also retained the 90 and 110 monikers for the short and long-wheelbase variants.

The much loved coil suspension is also there as is an air suspension option for the 110 along with all the techie stuff which coordinates the whole. We are also promised "Tough materials and clever storage solutions to ensure it surpasses the capability of any previous Defender Hard Top", which at least indicates that something has been done about the rather awkwardly shaped load area of the previous chassis-based types.

Also pledged is a new focus on long haul comfort which may not be the immediate concern of every farmer but it is certainly welcomed by anyone who has endured driving any distance in its forebears.

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The company stresses that the latest incarnation of the vehicle will retain all the ruggedness and durability of its predecessors claiming a 900mm wade capability and a maximum ground clearance of 291mm.

Of particular interest to farmers is the 3,500kg towing capacity and what the company dubs an 'Advanced Tow Assist' feature which allows the driver to independently steer a trailer while reversing. In addition, there will be available an all-round camera system giving a clear view of the vehicles immediate surroundings, handy for tight spots and positioning prior to loading we are happily informed.

The cab is designed primarily for two with an optional jump seat allowing the carrying of an extra passenger. Naturally, it will be equipped with all the connectivity a heart could desire and even the dependable rearview mirror is supplanted by a camera. As yet Land Rover has not released the full technical specifications, including payload, but it has indicated a starting price of around 35,000 before VAT in the UK.

From a purists point of view though there is one small fly in the ointment and that is thanks to its monocoque body a pickup version is not presently available. It was the open-backed 'Landie' that lent itself to many adaption's and conversions during its model life and it is one feature that is quite conspicuous by its absence.

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Hopefully, the company will work out a way of redeeming this omission but there appears to be no suggestion of doing so at present.
New approach refines the Hubble's constant and age of universe

EUGENE, Ore. - July 27, 2020 - Using known distances of 50 galaxies from Earth to refine calculations in Hubble's constant, a research team led by a University of Oregon astronomer estimates the age of the universe at 12.6 billion years.

Approaches to date the Big Bang, which gave birth to the universe, rely on mathematics and computational modeling, using distance estimates of the oldest stars, the behavior of galaxies and the rate of the universe's expansion. The idea is to compute how long it would take all objects to return to the beginning.

A key calculation for dating is the Hubble's constant, named after Edwin Hubble who first calculated the universe's expansion rate in 1929. Another recent technique uses observations of leftover radiation from the Big Bang. It maps bumps and wiggles in spacetime - the cosmic microwave background, or CMB - and reflects conditions in the early universe as set by Hubble's constant.

However, the methods reach different conclusions, said James Schombert, a professor of physics at the UO. In a paper published July 17 in the Astronomical Journal, he and colleagues unveil a new approach that recalibrates a distance-measuring tool known as the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation independently of Hubble's constant.

"The distance scale problem, as it is known, is incredibly difficult because the distances to galaxies are vast and the signposts for their distances are faint and hard to calibrate," Schombert said.

Schombert's team recalculated the Tully-Fisher approach, using accurately defined distances in a linear computation of the 50 galaxies as guides for measuring the distances of 95 other galaxies. The universe, he noted, is ruled by a series of mathematical patterns expressed in equations. The new approach more accurately accounts for the mass and rotational curves of galaxies to turn those equations into numbers like age and expansion rate.

His team's approach determines the Hubble's constant - the universe's expansion rate - at 75.1 kilometers per second per megaparsec, give or take 2.3. A megaparsec, a common unit of space-related measurements, is equal to one million parsecs. A parsec is about 3.3 light years.

All Hubble's constant values lower than 70, his team wrote, can be ruled out with 95 percent degree of confidence.

Traditionally used measuring techniques over the past 50 years, Schombert said, have set the value at 75, but CMB computes a rate of 67. The CMB technique, while using different assumptions and computer simulations, should still arrive at the same estimate, he said.

"The tension in the field occurs from the fact that it does not," Schombert said. "This difference is well outside the observational errors and produced a great deal of friction in the cosmological community."

Calculations drawn from observations of NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe in 2013 put the age of the universe at 13.77 billion years, which, for the moment, represents the standard model of Big Bang cosmology. The differing Hubble's constant values from the various techniques generally estimate the universe's age at between 12 billion and 14.5 billion years.

The new study, based in part on observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope, adds a new element to how calculations to reach Hubble's constant can be set, by introducing a purely empirical method, using direct observations, to determine the distance to galaxies, Schombert said.

"Our resulting value is on the high side of the different schools of cosmology, signaling that our understanding of the physics of the universe is incomplete with the hope of new physics in the future," he said.

###

Co-authors on the paper were Stacy McGaugh of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and Federico Lelli of Cardiff University in the United Kingdom.

The research was supported by NASA funds issued through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, and separate grant from NASA and the National Science Foundation.

Source: James Schombert, professor of physics, 541- 346-5214, jschombe@uoregon.edu

Links:

About James Schombert: http://abyss. uoregon. edu/ ~js/

UO Department of Physics: https:/ / physics. uoregon. edu

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Attorney General William Barr will testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, and is expected to field questions on everything from his intervention in the prosecutions of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and longtime Republican operative Roger Stone to his role in sending federal agents to cities where protesters are demonstrating against racism and police brutality.

Barr last testified in front of Congress in May 2019, and has never appeared before the House Judiciary Committee. The panel has 41 members, and each person will have five minutes to question Barr.

Democratic lawmakers believe Barr is doing the bidding of President Trump, and Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) told The New York Times she wants to know if Barr is "the A.G. for the country, or are you the A.G. for the president? Do you represent the American people, or is it your job to protect, to cover up, and to facilitate corruption?"

Republicans will take a different approach, likely asking for details on U.S. Attorney John Durham's investigation into the origins of the FBI's probe of Trump and Russia. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told the Times Barr is rightfully using federal law enforcement to protect property, and overall is doing "an outstanding job."

More stories from theweek.com

Trump: 'Nobody likes me'

American Federation of Teachers supports strikes if schools don't reopen safely

Even mild coronavirus cases can cause lasting cardiovascular damage, study shows


Click here to read the full article.

Luxury Mens Apparel Group, the Montreal-based owner of the Samuelsohn brand and licensee of Hickey Freeman, has created a new division to produce personal protective equipment for medical professionals and high-end face masks for the general public.

The company started making PPE at the beginning of the pandemic to fulfill the high demand by health care workers in North America. It has now made it an official business by forming a new manufacturing division in Montreal dedicated to PPE, which will create 85 jobs and produce 25,000 gowns a week. The division, called Samuelsohn Medical, has received an order from the Canadian Department of Health for 2 million medical gowns. It has already delivered 200,000 gowns to the Province of Quebec and will add automated surgical mask-making capabilities in the next several weeks.

We are experts with deep artisanal and technical knowledge in the niche business of high-end custom clothing, said Stephen Granovsky, chief executive officer of LMAG. The unexpected, overnight disruption to our business due to the coronavirus pandemic led us to find ways to apply our highly skilled manufacturing knowledge to new business opportunities and mitigate the effects of a volatile global marketplace. The need for domestically produced PPE remains unabated in order to replenish stockpiles and prepare for the coming fall and winter and beyond. We intend to be a leader in this field.

Alan Abramowicz, president and chief operating officer of LMAG, said the company was able to find a location, hire workers and outfit a facility in four weeks. Our swift action is providing an important revenue stream while the North American retail landscape slowly rebuilds to pre-crisis levels.

In addition to the facility in Montreal, the companys factory in Rochester, N.Y., will devote a floor in the building to the newly created Hickey Freeman Medical division.

The masks, which are for non-medical use, are manufactured from excess 100 percent Egyptian cotton fabric from the companys shirt collection that was woven in Italy. They are washable and an interior pocket holds a replaceable SMS filter. To take pressure off the ears, the masks are sold with matching fabric extenders that can be placed behind the head. A pack of two retails for $50 and is available for sale on the Samuelsohn web site.

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Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Iran will continue peaceful nuclear activities with the International Atomic Energy Agency according to the regulations agreed with the IAEA, Trend reports citing IRNA.

In an article published in a special issue of Polish Magazine 'Politika Polska' on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of JCPOA, he added that whenever Iran's interests are served under the deal, the country is ready to return to its commitments.

Iran has always been seeking to exploit nuclear knowledge to meet its development needs, both in the years before the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and in the years after, he said.

Criticizing deal-bashing policies of the western states, Araghchi said that it seems that their general perception was that with the departure of technical experts and investments made, Iran's nuclear activities in line with development of the country would stop.

Araghchi also slammed monopolistic policies of the owners of nuclear technologies, saying that they have adopted contractionary policy against any request.

Referring to Iran's continuous adherence to cooperation with IAEA, he said that despite political propaganda by elements affiliated to the Western and Israeli security services, Iran has never cut off cooperation and dialogue with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

As a responsible and accountable country to the international community, Iran responded to all ambiguities and misinformation about its peaceful nuclear activities and made it fully transparent to the competent international body, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the senior diplomat said.

Finally, the massive news propaganda against Iran's peaceful nuclear program was thwarted by providing information, conducting numerous inspections, installing cameras, and presence of IAEA inspectors at all nuclear sites and related activities, he said.

The use of peaceful energy is an inalienable right of the Iranian people, and Iran will not surrender this right to the US bullying, he said.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
South Korea warned that Japan risked reigniting tensions if it didnat acknowledge past forced labor abuses, saying Seoul was prepared to build a regional coalition to hold Tokyo to account for its colonial behavior.

South Korean Culture Minister Park Yang-woo said in an interview Thursday that international criticism would be aunavoidablea without public recognition by Japan that human rights abuses occurred at the Hashima industrial site off the coast of Nagasaki. While Park declined to elaborate on the countries South Korea would lobby for support, China has long been among the most vocal critics of Japanese efforts to explain its wartime past.

aIf Japan keeps distorting the history, Korea will respond with other Asian countries with other issues, as well,a Park told Bloomberg News in Seoul. aWe will also rightfully support those countries that face circumstances similar to what we are facing right now.a

Any South Korean appeal to Beijing could concern Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has seen his rapprochement efforts with Chinese President Xi Jinping stall amid the coronavirus outbreak and disagreements over territorial claims and Hong Kong. It could also complicate U.S. efforts to bolster its Asian alliance network to counter Chinaas rise.

The decades-old forced-labor dispute has reemerged since Japan opened an information center in Tokyo last month that included materials suggesting conscripted workers at Hashima were paid and well-treated. South Korea considers the display a breach of its 2015 agreement to support Japanas ultimately successful bid to get the 19th century industrial incubator listed as an Unesco World Heritage Site. They want Tokyo to change the exhibit or have the heritage status rescinded.

The disagreement could undermine a truce that ended an unprecedented trade war between the two U.S. allies last year after South Korean courts upheld a series of forced-labor claims against Japanese companies. The courts could as soon as next month rule on whether to liquidate corporate assets to compensate victims, something Tokyo would consider an escalation.

Shigeki Takizaki, a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official, dismissed complaints about the Hashima exhibit as aunacceptablea in a call with his South Korean counterpart last month. Japan will abide by its commitment to United Nations agencies, said Takizaki, the ministryas director general of Asian and Oceanian Affairs.

Asked to further explain Japanas response, the foreign ministry in Tokyo said it wasnat prepared to comment immediately. The Japanese Embassy in Seoul didnat respond to a request for comment about Parkas remarks on Thursday, a Japanese public holiday.

aWe will continue to endlessly discuss this issue, and we believe that this will also have an effect with our future exchanges with Japan, as well,a Park said. aTo deny that is also being dishonest.a

The walled 6.3-hectare (16-acre) Hashima -- sometimes called Battleship Island -- was a site of undersea coal-mining in the 1880s and became a symbol of both Japanas rapid Meiji modernization era and its subsequent colonial abuses. The conscription of hundreds of thousands of laborers from China, South Korea and other areas occupied between 1895 and 1945 remains a contentious issue with many of the countryas neighbors, with some surviving victims still pursuing claims.

Although most South Koreans believe Japan hasnat sufficiently apologized for its actions, many Japanese see past statements of regret as sufficient. Japan has taken in issue with South Koreaas description of the laborers as forced, preferring aformer civilian workers from the Korean Peninsula.a

South Korea endorsed Hashimaas inclusion on the heritage list after Japan agreed to convey an aan understanding of the full history of each site.a But the information center in Tokyoas Shinjuku district makes no mention of forced labor, instead citing one ethnic Korean and former Hashima resident saying there was no discrimination. The center also displays a wage stub of a conscripted worker from Taiwan, suggesting that such laborers had received payment.
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Getting close to the magnificent wild animals of the African bush is what a safari trip is all about...but maybe not this close.

A pair of cheetahs decided the roof of a safari truck was the best place to survey their territory, providing a wonderful, if a little nerve-racking, opportunity for photographers aboard the truck.

One of the big cats also strolled along the roof to take a closer look at the tourists.

Photographer Paul Mahagi, said: I was watching them for more than 15 minutes  this is not something that happens all the time.

Cheetahs are not normally dangerous to humans, but could bite if alarmed.

The amazing moment a pair of friendly cheetahs decide to climb on the roof of a car and join the safari tour is caught on camera at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya

One of the big cats also strolled along the roof to take a closer look at the tourists while its companion rests on top of the jeep

Tourists catch a photograph of the Cheetahs as they sit proudly on the roof of the jeep at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya

One of the big cats prowls along the roof of the car at Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya, as the tourists take photographs through the sun roof

One of the inquisitive cheetahs peers down through the sun roof of the jeep at the tourists below at Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Cheetahs are not normally dangerous to humans, but could bite if alarmed. Each year, there are only a few attacks, most of which are non-fatal. Almost all attacks are the result of aggravated cheetahs in captivity
Amber Turner has unveiled her impressive body transformation in a series of before and after snaps shared to Instagram on Monday.

While many celebs have admitted they've put on weight in lockdown, the TOWIE star, 27, managed to lose one stone and five pounds (8 kg) by following her new fitness plan Active With Amber.

The blogger - who has always boasted a slender figure - stripped down to grey underwear by Calvin Klein to showcase her more toned and ripped frame as she enthused she feels 'better than ever'.

Wow-factor! Amber Turner has unveiled her impressive body transformation in a series of before and after snaps shared to Instagram on Monday

Going make-up free in the throwback picture, the blonde beauty still looked slim as she posed against a white wall.

The media personality placed the flashback images alongside recent shots of herself to highlight her sculpted abs and perkier bottom.

Detailing her lifestyle overhaul, Amber captioned the images: 'Girls its here! My Brand new @activewithamber_ : THE TONED BODY PLAN, is now LIVE.

'Whether you did the first plan or this is your first one, you are going to love it! It changed my body so much and I feel the best Ive ever felt!

Slimmed down: The TOWIE star, 27, has managed to lose one stone and five pounds (8 kg) by following her new fitness plan Active With Amber

Incredible: The blogger stripped down to grey underwear by Calvin Klein to showcase her more toned and ripped frame as she enthused she feels 'better than ever'

'Ive felt so self conscious & really didnt want to post my before pics because i was very unhappy with my body, but wanted to show you guys the power of my plan!' (sic)

Revealing she lost weight without the help of a personal gym, the girlfriend of TOWIE co-star Dan Edgar added: 'Its b****y amazing, i did it in my own home, no gym, no PT - Just a set of 4KG adjustable dumbbells! Ive lost 1 stone 5 pounds!

'So in my new plan youll find 10 brand new workouts and new styles of training. Brand new healthy recipes, Plus my 5k Kickstart...4 mp3 workouts that you can download to your phone and listen to while youre running.

A couple that stay fit together... The online influencer had been using her time in lockdown to engage in a series of home workouts with her partner Dan Edgar (L)

'Ill be in your ears, alongside some motivating music, guiding you through interval training sessions....and you get all of this for just a one-off payment.

'Whether youre a beginner or a total fitness enthusiast you can do this plan and get so much out of it. Click the link in my bio to get yours!' (sic)

The online influencer had been using her time in lockdown to engage in a series of home workouts with her partner Dan, 30.

The former electrician celebrated his girlfriend's birthday in style by treating her to a trip to Paris earlier this month.
By ANI

WASHINGTON DC: Amid the growing Chinese movement in the South China Sea, Vietnam has agreed to pay around a billion dollars to two international companies after cancelling their drill operations following pressure from Beijing, The Diplomat reported.

To maintain its presence in the South China Sea region, China, for several years, continued its efforts to prevent the Vietnam-based companies developing oil and gas resources in the area.

Citing a well-placed oil industry source, Bill Hayton, author of the article, said, "Vietnam's state-owned energy company PetroVietnam will pay the money to Repsol of Spain and Mubadala of the United Arab Emirates in 'termination' and 'compensation' arrangements."

READ| Australia backs US in declaring Chinese claims over South China Sea 'illegal'

Meanwhile, Russian energy company Rosneft has been forced to suspend its plans for drilling offshore even as China Coast Guard vessels continue operating in the area where the drilling was supposed to place.

In another instance, a drilling rig standing in the Vietnamese port of Vung Tau for two months has been stood down. "Its owners, Noble Corporation, noted that the contract "includes a termination payment. This is likely to cost Vietnam several million dollars more," the author said.

Similarly, Repsol, once one of the largest players in Vietnam's offshore industry and owning rights in 13 blocks of the seabed, had to cancel its planned exploration drill in July 2017 and again on March 2018.

Hayton said, "With minimal interests in China, Repsol appeared ready to withstand political pressure from Beijing. Two of its best development prospects were particularly bold: located at the far edge of Vietnam's claimed exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and well within the U-shaped, nine-dashed line drawn on Chinese maps since 1948..."

READ| India calls for demilitarisation of South China sea

Repsol executives were reportedly informed that the cancellations were a political decision, ordered by top Vietnamese leadership, following extreme pressure from China, Hayton said.

The author said, "China had assembled a flotilla of 40 naval ships off the coast of Hainan Island, about two days' sailing from the drill site, and it appeared to be ready for confrontation."

As compensation for the investments made by Repsol and Mudabala, Vietnam is paying USD 800 million for their rights in the blocks and a further USD 200 million, Hayton quoted a regional oil industry source with knowledge of the settlement as saying.

"This will be a billion dollars that PetroVietnam would otherwise have paid into the Vietnamese government's budget."

As China's pressure on Vietnam continues, recently, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said, "The United States rejects any PRC maritime claim in the waters surrounding Vanguard Bank (off Vietnam), Luconia Shoals (off Malaysia), waters in Brunei's EEZ, and Natuna Besar (off Indonesia). Any PRC action to harass other states' fishing or hydrocarbon development in these waters - or to carry out such activities unilaterally - is unlawful."

Extending help to Vietnam on the matter, he said, "America stands with our South-East Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law."
Americans from various states have been receiving unsolicited mails containing seeds coming from China that people claim are sent with malicious intent.

Invasive Chinese seeds?

In July, several social media users posted that they were receiving unsolicited emails, some of which were labeled as jewelry but contained seeds instead. According to Snopes, the Washington State Department of Agriculture released a warning that cautioned Americans about the deliveries.

Several other government agencies issued similar warnings to citizens including the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) that tells people to avoid planting the seeds as their origins are still unclear.

The warning also notes that several invasive species of plants cause severe damage and chaos to the environment and potentially displace or outright destroy native plants and insects.

One resident from Utah, Lori Culley, expressed her confusion and surprise when she received a package that was labeled as earrings only to find the seeds.

Culley, thinking it was only a mistake in the shipping address, posted on social media about her experience and was surprised to find she was not the only one who has had the same experiences and discovered there were at least 40 other people that received similar packages.

Utah imposes regulation that controls which plants and seeds are legal to be imported and sold in the state. After Culley received the delivery, a representative from the Utah Department of Agriculture collected the seeds to have them tested.

Also Read: Chinese Consulate in Houston Closed After Suspicions of Harboring Spies

The DailyMail reports that the president of Better Business Bureau's Utah chapter, Jane Rupp, stated the packages might be a form of scam known as "brushing," an e-commerce fraud where companies attempt to boost their ratings by creating fake orders.

Despite her statement, Rapp noted that the incident with the seed packages was somewhat random as she has never heard the scam use seeds beforehand.

A new form to an old scam?

The scam is known to be used by disreputable sellers on sales sites, including Amazon, to build up a false reputation to attract their victims into falling for their fraud.

The CEO of ID Agent, Kevin Lancaster, said Amazon is continuously upgrading and developing its algorithm to detect fraudulent vendors and protect its consumers reliably.

The difficulty of finding some of the scammers lie in those that steadily build up their reputation through legitimate sales, acting as reputable and trustworthy sellers. Lancaster stated the scam could get the money of the buyers who are still waiting for their products while the scammers have already dashed off with their victims' hard-earned cash.

Commissioner Mike Strain said that as the nature of the seeds inside the package remains unknown, the agency is urging anyone who receives the mails they did not order to call the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry immediately.

The real intent behind the mailings remains uncertain as social media users speculated that it is an attempt at smuggling drugs. In contrast, others state the senders are trying to trick Americans into planting invasive species of plants.

Related Article: High Stakes Poker Player Found Dead and Burned in Parking Lot

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LONDON, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EY today releases findings from a global survey finding significant differences in how the public and private sectors view the future of ethics, governance, privacy, policy and regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. According to the Bridging AI's trust gaps report, developed in collaboration with The Future Society, AI discrepancies exist in four key areas: fairness and avoiding bias, innovation, data access and privacy and data rights.

In the survey of 71 policymakers and more than 280 global organizations, respondents ranked ethical principles by importance for 12 different AI use cases, and sentiment was measured around the risk and regulation of AI.

Policymakers align around specific priorities, while private sector lacks consensus

Policymakers' responses show widespread agreement on the ethical principles most relevant for different applications of AI. For example, on the use of AI for facial recognition policymakers rated "fairness and avoiding bias" and "privacy and data rights" as the two top concerns by a wide margin. Yet private sector priorities on the same question were relatively undifferentiated. In fact, the private sector responses across use cases and principles were more evenly distributed, with narrow margins defining the top choices. And the private sector's top choices were principles prioritized by existing regulations, such as GDPR, rather than emerging issues such as fairness and non-discrimination.

Disagreement about the future direction of governance poses risks

While both policymakers and companies agree a multi-stakeholder approach is needed to guide the direction of AI governance, results show disagreement on what form it will take: thirty-eight percent of organizations surveyed expect the private sector to lead a multi-stakeholder framework, and only 6% of policymakers agree. This disconnect poses potential challenges for both groups in driving governance forward, and it also presents market and regulatory risks for companies developing AI products while governance approaches are still under discussion.

Overcoming differences through collaboration

The survey results found that each stakeholder group has blind spots when it comes to the implementation of ethical AI, with 69% of companies agreeing that regulators understand the complexities of AI technologies and business challenges, while 66% of policymakers disagreed.

These findings suggest greater collaboration between both groups will be critical to overcome knowledge gaps. Policymakers should take a consultative and deliberate approach with input from the private sector, particularly on technical and business complexities for which policymakers lack expertise. Similarly, the private sector should work to reach consensus around AI governance principles, so the regulation requirements of both parties are taken into account.

Nigel Duffy, EY Global Artificial Intelligence Leader, says:

"As AI transforms business and industries, poor alignment diminishes public trust in AI and slows the adoption of critical applications. For efforts to be fruitful, companies and policymakers need to be aligned. Coordination between both sets of stakeholders is critical to developing pragmatic policy and governance approaches that are informed by constraints and realities on the ground."

Gil Forer, EY Global Markets Digital and Business Disruption Leader, says:

"As AI scales up in new applications, policymakers and companies must work together to mitigate new market and legal risks. Cross-collaboration will help these groups understand how emerging ethical principles will influence AI regulations and will aid policymakers in enacting decisions that are nuanced and realistic."

To access the Bridging AI's trust gaps report, click here.

Note to editors

About the report

The EY web-based survey was conducted between 2019 and early 2020. It obtained responses from 71 policymakers and 284 companies across 55 countries.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation is available via ey.com/privacy . For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com .

This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients.

About The Future Society

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-28 06:19:24|Editor: huaxia

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TUNIS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Tunisian Interior Ministry announced on Monday that a suspected Islamic State (IS) militant was arrested in the norther province of Ariana.

"The terrorist element was trained in the manufacture of explosives for assassinations," said a ministry statement.

The suspect admitted to communicating through coded channels with IS members abroad, according to the statement.

Tunisia has started to witness terrorist acts since 2011, with dozens of security and military agents, civilians and foreign tourists having been killed. Enditem
At age 11, I moved from a suburb in Dublin to Kenmare, Kerry. My mother, a single parent, was too ill to care for me so while she resided in The Royal Hospital, Donnybrook, I was fostered by my aunt, uncle and five cousins.

Kenmare was a different place in 1983. It didn't have the beautiful galleries, high-end hotels, bijou jewellery, clothes and book shops or the cosmopolitan cafe and gourmet restaurants back then but nestled between mountains and the bay, a triangle of streets, leading on to a square, with a small park and a view dominated by a stunning church steeple, it had a quiet, unbridled beauty.

The place in town that means most to me is a restaurant called Packie's, named after a beloved man who ran it as a general store back in the day. Even from the outside, its dark mustard walls, arched windows, delicately painted signage and window boxes brimming with colourful flowers captured me.

I remember my first visit to Packie's, all of 18 and armed with a fat paycheck in my pocket from a combination of two summer jobs, as a chambermaid in a local hotel by day and a pot-washer in a restaurant by night. I followed my friends into the small hallway and through the dark wooden door and into a room with exposed rock and limestone-plastered walls, dark rich wood, contemporary artwork, low lighting, candles, and dotted with pottery lamps, vases filled with fresh wild flowers and house plants, some of which climbed toward the rafters.

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Packie's wasn't just about food, it was about a lifestyle, and I was instantly sold. That night we ate, drank and laughed, and despite standing out from the rest of the worldly clientele, we were made to feel more than welcome. The owner and chef at the time was Maura O'Connell Foley, a petite, attractive woman, always perfectly groomed and possessing a thousand-watt smile. She wasn't just a culinary genius, she was, and still is, a true force of nature.

The first time I placed a potato pancake with garlic and herb butter into my mouth and it melted on my tongue, I just about died and went to heaven. The crumbed scallops with lemon butter make my mouth water even thinking about them.

The sides were always generous and to share: string fries, colcannon and perfectly roasted veg, always enough, if not excessive, no matter how many people were seated at the table.

I've never been too interested in dessert, which is a good thing because even without it, I'd have to be rolled out of the place. I know this is an article about a special place and instead it's reading like a food porn blog - but Packie's Kenmare isn't just about magnificent food, it's about the understated beauty of the place and the welcome and the warmth that exudes within those walls.

Soon after that first meal, I left Kenmare to begin college in Dublin. Over the years, I'd return to reunite with my family. All of us kids had found ourselves in different parts of the country or abroad and so these reunions were always emotional - and always held in Packie's. I wasn't alone in my passion for the place. It was where we'd catch up and meet with old friends and neighbours. There was always someone eating at the next table that you'd be more than happy to see. It was the first place I'd bring friends and work colleagues from Dublin and I can honestly say, no one was ever disappointed. Many made the trip back to Kenmare time and again just for the Packie's experience.

That's what it was, an experience. From the warm greeting at the door to the chat about the town and who was doing what and where, to the laughs, to the delicious food and the perfect wine and the offer of a glass of something on the house at the end of the night just because we were local. It was deeply touching to be still treated as local years after I'd made the move back to Dublin.

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When Maura retired, she left Packie's in the more than capable hands of her protege, Martin Hallisey. Nothing changed, he kept everything, including the menu, the same. He treated the place with the reverence it deserved, staying true to the legacy and still managing to carve out one of his own.

Martin was a worthy successor, his talent as exceptional as Maura's and he offered that same warm welcome. His staff was as loyal to him as they were to his predecessor. I looked forward to seeing Siobhan Cronin, who was always there with a greeting that often included a hug and I was ever grateful that after a night spent behind a hot oven, Martin never failed to appear with a story to tell.

Over the years and one by one, my family emigrated to New Zealand, culminating in my aunt and uncle following their kids and making a new life on the other side of the world. I was the only one to remain in Ireland; married to a man who couldn't bear the idea of living more than 10 miles from his Ma.

After a year or so, they sold the family house and so when I returned to the place I grew up in, I rented with pals or stayed in hotels. It was weird and for those first few years I felt slightly adrift. I found I missed the family more profoundly when in Kenmare but in Packie's, I still felt I had a home.

The girls in our family all had favourite items on the menu. One year I had a real dilemma when deciding whether to have the garlic pancakes or the prawn and spinach pastry with mousseline sauce. After pained deliberation, Siobhan Cronin, possibly losing the will to live, insisted I mixed it up and so the prawn with spinach pastry won the day. Magic! After that I'd order the prawn and spinach pastry every time and Martin would add a course of pancakes on the house and it meant the world.

My cousin/foster sister Brenda loved the lamb, Caroline, the lemon sole with tomato and caper salsa. Aisling was mad for the seafood sausage. Our Siobhan couldn't pass on the Dover sole stuffed with Atlantic prawns. We'd all be giddy at the prospect of an evening in Packie's.

I've had the best laughs, brightest conversations and made all sorts of plans and decisions there. I resolved to write my latest novel after discussing the pros and cons at length with my pal Valerie. I was nervous of writing a sequel to The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes, despite its success and the many requests I've had from readers to continue the story of the Hayes family.

I desperately wanted to write it because my mother-in-law Terry McPartlin inspired the character and matriarch, Molly Hayes. We lost her a few years ago.

Writing a sequel was an opportunity to spend some time with an imagined version of a woman I loved and mourned but I was torn because I wasn't quite sure how to guarantee the work would stand alone as a novel. We tossed around ideas from the starter through to our main courses and by the time we enjoyed a drink on the house, I knew what I had to do to please the dedicated Rabbit Hayes' fans. I've made plenty of resolutions within those walls; I've celebrated anniversaries, weddings, christenings, homecomings and reunions. I've eaten my own body weight and drank with abandon. I've loved every second of it as I relished every mouthful.

Then earlier this year, I heard that Maura O'Connell Foley was bringing out a cookbook, My Wild Atlantic Kitchen, a collection of recipes including all of our Packie's favourites and recollections too of her time there. I had everyone I knew on alert, my Uncle Paudie in Kenmare, my pal Valerie, I was desperate to be first in the queue. When I finally got my hands on it, it was everything I'd hoped and more. This book is to me what the lost scriptures are to a scholar, no joke. It's beautiful - but then again, it would be, filled with charming illustrations, stunning photography and Pauline Bewick prints.

Last year I celebrated finishing the manuscript for Below The Big Blue Sky, at one of my favourite tables with my old school friends. It was one of those nights filled with banter, great food, copious wine followed by a little Irish coffee and a meet with Martin's lovely mum in the back. A perfect night.

Martin Hallisey departed earlier this year. The premises is refurbished and it will soon reopen under a new name, Anois, with Thos Foley at the helm. He's keeping some of the locals' favourites on the menu and with support from Maura his mum, I have no doubt it will be a roaring success.

I was due to visit Kenmare this summer to celebrate the release of Below The Big Blue Sky with a slap-up meal but Covid has a way of changing plans. I'm no chef but I'm an enthusiastic home cook so for now I'll be practising my very own menu to serve my pals (socially distancing, of course). It won't be a patch on an evening in Packie's but it will be special - the restaurant's essence within the pages of a cookbook; my home away from home.

For opening hours, contact Anois on (064) 664-1508.

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The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) is urging the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) to ignore the directive from President Akufo-Addo on the easing of social distancing in commercial vehicles.

The President announced on Sunday, July 26 that the government has eased the restrictions in public transport which initially barred drivers from taking passengers at full capacity.

The restriction was issued in March to help stop the spread of the deadly Coronavirus (Covid-19) disease which still remains in existence.

A statement signed by Executive Director for ASEPA, Mensah Thompson has said the new directive from the President was not backed by science or data and should not have been given because of the nature of the countrys public transport system where passengers sit close to each other.

Now Ghana is recording an average of 840 cases a day with a number of backlogs of tests, we believe this number could go up tremendously if the ban on social distancing in public transports is lifted.

We are therefore appealing to GPRTU, other Transport Unions, Transport Owners, and Drivers to please put their safety and the safety of the General Public first and Ignore this directive by the President, the statement added.

Read the full statement below:

27-07-2020

IGNORE PRESIDENTS EASING OF SOCIAL DISTANCING IN CARS-ASEPA APPEALS TO GPRTU

Yesterday during the Presidents address to the Nation, one of the things that caught our attention was the easing of Social Distancing in transport services thereby paving way for drivers and transport owners to operate at full capacity.

Considering the Nature of our public transport system and how close passengers sits to each other, we believe this decision by the President was not backed by Science or data.

Now Ghana is recording an average of 840 cases a day with a number of backlogs of tests, we believe this number could go up tremendously if the ban on social distancing in public transports is lifted.

We are therefore appealing to GPRTU, other Transport Unions, Transport Owners and Drivers to please put their safety and the safety of the General Public first and Ignore this directive by the President.

We are contacting the Ministry of Transport as soon as possible to open talks on how a comprehensive support plan can be put in place to support Drivers,Transport Owners and the Unions to augment the losses occasioned due to the adherence of the social distancing protocols in cars.

Mensah Thompson

Executive Director, ASEPA

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A surfer takes on a wave generated by Hurricane Douglas at Laie Beach Park on July 26, 2020, in Laie, Hawaii. (Eugene Tanner/AP Photo)

Hurricane Douglas Gains Strength; Skirts the State of Hawaii

HONOLULUHurricane Douglas gained some strength and began to spin away from many of the Hawaiian Islands as it skirted the state late Sunday.

Forecasters said a hurricane warning was canceled for Oahu but remained in effect for Kauai County, including the islands of Kauai and Niihau, which could still be hit by the system with strong wind gusts and rough surf.

Its still not out of the realm of possibilities. So we want people to really remain vigilant and stay prepared, at least for tonight, Eric Lau, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu said Sunday.

Late Sunday, Douglas was 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Honolulu. It had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph), making it a Category 1 hurricane.

The Keo family assisted the Aubrey family with sandbagging for the preparation of Hurricane Douglas in Hauula, Hawaii on July 26, 2020. Pictured from left-right are, is Keonaona Keo, 17, Aaron Keo, Malu Keo, Amy Aubrey, and Hiwa Keo, 12. (Cindy Ellen Russell/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP)

Heavy rain and wind gusts battered Maui during the morning, downing a small tree on the Hana Highway.

Gentle rain fell and blustery winds swayed trees on Oahu, home to the states biggest city, Honolulu. Sand and debris washed ashore on a two-lane coastal road.

Despite the dangers, surfers rode waves and residents took selfies at a lookout point next to the ocean.

Lau said Douglas would have been a lot worse had its track been 20 or 30 miles (32 to 48 kilometers) to the south.

One reason is that this path put Douglas to the north of the state and not directly over the islands. Another is that this path mostly put the island chain near the southwest quadrant of the storm, which is often less destructive than the northeast and the right side of a hurricanes eye, Lau said.

We were really playing with a really fine line, a razor thin line between what weve experienced today compared to what we could have experienced, he said.

A police officer with the Honolulu Police Department inspects the sand and debris washed onto a closed portion of Kamehameha Highway on July 26, 2020, in Kaaawa, Hawaii. (Eugene Tanner/AP Photo)

Hurricane Douglas is seen from space miles on July 25, 2020. (NOAA via AP)

Duke Stevens, who lives in Hana on Mauis eastern tip, said by early afternoon there was no longer any wind and the light rain that fell persistently through the night had subsided.

Ive seen a lot worse, said Stevens, who has lived on Maui since 1987.

Antonia Hall of Kihei in west Maui said the storm avoided her area, although she and others were prepared for the worst.

Maui has skirted so many hurricanes, she said. This is just kind of something we go through here.

She brought her porch furniture inside, bought nonperishable food and filled her bathtub for an emergency water supply. Hall also made an early recording of her weekly podcast and gave it to a friend in case she was unable to broadcast from home.

About 300 people evacuated to the Hawaii Convention Center on the edge of Waikiki. On Maui, 22 people were at five shelters around the island.

Evacuees wait to be screened prior to entry into the Hawaii Convention Centeran American Red Cross shelter set up in advance of Hurricane Douglas on July 26, 2020, in Honolulu. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP)

Evacuees were told to bring masks and hand sanitizer along with the usual emergency supplies of food and water. People will have to wear face coverings to be admitted, and will have to wear them unless they are eating, drinking or sleeping.

State health department officials contacted each of the 625 people who were currently in isolation or quarantine as of Friday because they are either COVID-19 positive or have been in contact with someone who is. Every one of those indicated they would shelter-in-place and not seek refuge at a hurricane shelter.

Hawaii has some of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the nation, but COVID-19 numbers have been rising in recent weeks. For three consecutive days through Saturday, Hawaii reported record highs of newly confirmed cases.

President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Hawaii because of the hurricane, directing federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts.

Hawaiian Airlines canceled all Sunday flights between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland and also between the islands.

Rainfall was expected to be between 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters), with locally higher amounts possible.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Portions of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument from Nihoa to French Frigate Shoals to Maro Reef.

By Audrey McAvoy
Supporters celebrate as President Trump signs an executive order on lowering drug prices on Friday. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press)

If the Trump administration succeeds in lowering the prices of some popular prescription drugs this year, you can apparently thank the Supreme Court and its decision to restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

This was the bizarre and disturbing position that President Trump advanced Monday when chatting briefly with reporters on the White House lawn. The president signed four executive orders last week that aim to slash the premium prices that Americans pay for insulin and other medications, a laudable goal that has met with stiff resistance from elements of the pharmaceutical industry. Although all of these proposals have been in the works for years, they have foundered in the face of industry objections and, more notably, serious implementation challenges.

Which is not to say that the ideas are bad. The goals are solid, even if the means to reach them are debatable. The issue is the legal basis Trump is citing for them.

One order aims to force insurance companies to pass along to consumers the rebates their agents negotiate with drugmakers, addressing one of the thorniest problems in the effort to hold down drug costs. The problem is finding a way to do so without ending the rebate system that, according to some analysts, lowers insurance premiums  particularly in the Medicare Part D program for seniors. Thats the main reason the administration abruptly pulled the proposal from consideration last year.

Other orders would allow drugs to be imported if theyre produced in countries with regulatory systems deemed safe by the U.S., or reimported from foreign countries if they were produced here; permit low-income Americans to buy deeply discounted insulin and injectable epinephrine from federally supported health centers; and require certain drugs to sell for the same price in the U.S. as they sell for in other major developed nations (although drugmakers would have a month to negotiate an alternative way to lower prices).

Story continues

Ill just note here that the distance between these proposals and the usual free-market-centric Republican approach is vast. So vast, in fact, that the Wall Street Journals editorial board, which spends much of its time apologizing for Trumps policies, blasted the executive orders Monday in a piece titled Trumps Drug Price Panic. Although I don't share the Journal board's abundant faith in free-market forces to cure the manifest ills in the healthcare industry, I do share its skepticism about the effectiveness of price controls.

But even if you think these four orders are the best thing Trump has ever done on healthcare, you have to be disturbed by Trumps explanation for why hes moving ahead now.

Commenting on how he had the authority to control those prices unilaterally, without Congress passing a law or an agency completing a formal rulemaking process, Trump said, I was given that right because of the DACA decision. The DACA decision allowed me to do things that some people thought the president didnt have the right to do. I was given that right. Drug prices will be coming down very, very substantially. No other president has been allowed to do that. No other president has been able to do that.

Yeah, no. Trump has tried to snatch victory out of the jaws of the courts DACA ruling, but hes dreaming. Granted, its a dream shared by some influential conservative thinkers, but theres no basis for it in the ruling.

The court found that DACA was more than just an administrative decision not to enforce immigration law against a group of people brought into this country as children by their parents. It also offered these Dreamers benefits, such as the ability to obtain work permits. Ending DACA, therefore, required reversing a substantive policy that had been in place and relied upon by hundreds of thousands of Americans for years. That sort of policy change is governed by the Administrative Procedures Act, which bars actions that are arbitrary, capricious and procedurally deficient. Because the Trump administration did not follow the APA in rescinding DACA, as in so many of its actions, its decision was invalid.

Trump turns the courts reasoning on its head. Because the court focused on the legality of Trumps reversal of DACA instead of President Obamas adoption of the program, he seems to believe he can issue whatever orders he wants, and any future president attempting to undo what hes done will have to jump through months or years of procedural hoops under the APA.

Thats hogwash. As Harry Litman ably explained in The Times, executive orders that launch substantive new programs have to comply with the APA, and anyone damaged by a Trump order can sue to stop it under that law. Again, this administration has lost countless APA lawsuits; you would think that it would know by now what the law requires.

Trump has suggested several times that he'll use the imaginary shield he sees in the DACA ruling to do all sorts of things. Cutting drug prices is a noble purpose, and the president was right to make it one of his key goals. But he should pursue it in a legal way that can survive the test of time.
On the sidelines of the construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said that India should prevent moves that could hurt its historic ties with the neigbouring country.

According to Bangladesh commentators, the August 5 inauguration of Ayodhya temple construction could give a new political opportunity to the opponents of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Referring to the temple construction, Momen said that both countries will not let it destroy their relations, however, India should refrain from any development that could hurt its "deep" ties with Bangladesh.

Quoting Momen, The Hindu reported, "We will not allow this (temple construction) to hurt ties but I would still urge that India should not allow any development that can fracture our beautiful and deep relationship. This is valid for both our countries and I would say both sides should work in such a way so that such disruptions can be averted."

The minister also reportedly said that all sections of the society in both the countries had an obligation towards fostering a good relationship and ensuring that the ties remained intact as the government alone cannot deliver on such matters.

The Minister also defended a telephonic conversation between Sheikh Hasina and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan last week and said that there was nothing unusual that took place in the discussion and reiterated that the call was merely a matter of courtesy.

Experts in Bangladesh are of the opinion that India was moving towards a "two-nation theory" and that the temple construction, though an internal matter concerning India, will have an emotional impact on the people of the neighbouring country.

However, the foreign minister blamed "vested interests" in trying to create a rift between the two countries by highlighting a series of developments in Dhaka. He said that Bangladesh was in support of regional peace and expects dialogue with all.

Referring to Sheikh Hasina's conversation with her Pakistani counterpart, Momen asked that why should there be any problem if Pakistan called Bangladesh, and further went on to accuse the media of exaggerating reports on the call.

He said both the leaders discussed the Covid-19 pandemic, whereas Pakistan said that Imran Khan had raised the Kashmir issue during the call. However, Bangladesh has maintained silence over the Kashmir issue.
'For us it is important that the spirit of this great monument of Hagia Sophia is maintained'

Spain's foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said on Monday it was important that Turkey's Hagia Sophia remains part of humanity's shared global heritage, after it was reconverted into a mosque from a museum last week.

"For us it is important that the spirit of this great monument of Hagia Sophia is maintained," she said at a joint news conference with her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara.

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Nepal's Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli (center R) reviews a military honour guard with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 21, 2018. (GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas Ambassador Intervenes in Nepals Leadership Struggle

Chinas ambassador to Nepal has emerged as a major dealmaker in the political duel happening between Nepals prime minister and the co-chairman of the Nepalese Communist Party, which both represent.

China wants the Nepalese Communist Party [NCP] to continue in power for its benefit, Dr. S. Chandrasekharan, director of the South Asia Analysis Group, told The Epoch Times over the phone from New Delhi. According to him, after China, North Korea, and Vietnam, Nepal is the country with the largest number of Communist Party members.

Problems appeared in the Nepalese government because of a stalemate between the co-chairman of the Nepalese Communist Party, P.K. Dahal, and Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, and in the first week of July, 31 of the 45 members of the Communist Partys standing committee members had asked Oli to step down.

The Nepalese Communist Party, an alliance between Nepals former Maoist rebels and the liberal Communist Party of Nepal UML (Unified MarxistLeninist) came to power in May 2018 after defeating the pro-India Nepali Congress Partya first majority government in 19 years in a nation plagued by unstable coalitions.

Due to infighting, this coalition was about to meet the fate of the older coalitions when in the second week of July, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi held consultations with the leaders of both the factions and prevented a split, according to various Indian media.

The Chinese Embassy in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, described the meetings as part of regular communication, though experts think otherwise.

This isnt the first time Hou has intervened in the persisting problems of Nepals ruling alliance. She had earlier on July 5 also talked with senior NCP leader and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, and on the same day, she called Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari, whom Indian media link with the current political crisis.

Bhandari, the first woman president of Nepal, joined the Communist Party of Nepal UML in 1980.

We do not know whether it was the lure of incentives or threat of vulnerabilities that settled the round [in mid-July]. But what is definitely known is that the Chinese had a major role to play in avoiding the bust-up, a Western diplomat based in Kathmandu said, according to the Indian national newspaper Hindustan Times.

For @IndiaToday, I assess Chinese ambassador Hou Yanqis tenure:

1) Recent Chinese ambs. more visible in Nepal, part of global push

2) China wants NCP to remain united

3) As @akhileshU said, China had been seen as non-interefering, unlike India. No longer the case. pic.twitter.com/1sXXf7vPcD  Amish Mulmi (@amish973) July 18, 2020

While under pressure to step down from power, Oli managed to recommend the prorogation (shutting down) of the parliament session on July 2, and his recommendations were approved by Bhandari. Nepalese experts called this move unconstitutional, according to The Kathmandu Post.

Chandrasekharan, who served as an Indian diplomat in Nepal for four years, said Hous role was decisive in reaching a deal between the two leaders, and it has enabled the government to survive.

The active role of the Chinese Ambassador, who met the individual leaders more than once to ensure that the party does not split at any cost due to differences within the top leadership, was decisive. Her approach of unity through continuous dialogue won the day and perhaps that a final outcome should be through a consensus was also her idea, he wrote in an analysis published on July 23 on the South Asia Analysis Groups portal.

Hou, who according to the Hindustan Times has a PLA intelligence background, is set to play a greater role in Nepalese internal politics as the alliances standing committee meets on July 28 to decide on the cabinet reshuffle.

Another Indian political analyst, Harsh Pant, told The Epoch Times over the phone from New Delhi that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may get some leverage in South Asia by the role its playing in Nepals internal politics, but there could likely be pitfalls.

The CCP does get some short-term advantage, but whether it will give it any strategic advantage is not readily evident, as an explicit role in government formation in Nepal might make Beijing unpopular in Nepal, said Pant, who works with the Observers Research Foundation.

Pant said that Hou is also interested in Nepals internal politics because the CCP and the NCP share a close connection.

In 2019, before Chinese leader Xi Jinping made his two-day trip to the Himalayan nation, the NCP organized a symposium on Xi Jinping Thought and invited CCP leaders to share the doctrine with 200 members of the NCP, reported the Kathmandu Post, which said the activity was part of a Chinese move to export its ideology.

The communist Nepalese regime also recently voted in favor of the CCPs draconian security law in Hong Kong at the UN Human Rights Council.
During the meeting held on Saturday, Kim also said he took "the pre-emptive measure of totally blocking Kaesong" after the "runaway" returned to the border city on July 19 after crossing the military demarcation line, three years after fleeing to the South, Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Seoul, July 26 (IANS) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convened an emergency meeting of the ruling Workers' Party and adopted a "maximum emergency system" against the COVID-19 pandemic after a defector returned from South Korea with symptoms of the virus, state-media reported on Sunday.

"To tackle the present situation, he declared a state of emergency in the relevant area and clarified the determination of the Party Central Committee to shift from the state emergency anti-epidemic system to the maximum emergency system and issue a top-class alert," Yonhap News Agency quoted KCNA as saying.

The meeting unanimously adopted the "maximum emergency system" decision, it said.

Meanwhile, the South Korean military said it was trying to confirm related facts over the alleged border crossing, while a Unification Ministry official added that along with other government agencies, it was working to verify Pyongyang's claim.

The KCNA said that the suspected patient was put under strict quarantine as a primary step after several medical check-ups of the upper respiratory organ and blood showed "an uncertain result" that can be defined as a suspected case.

It added that "all the persons in Kaesong City who contacted that person and those who have been to the city in the last five days are being thoroughly investigated, given medical examination and put under quarantine".

"Despite the intense preventive anti-epidemic measures taken in all fields throughout the country and tight closure of all the channels for the last six months, there happened a critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country," Kim was quoted as saying in the KCNA report.

In January, North Korea declared the launch of a national emergency system against the new coronavirus, shutting down its borders and tightening quarantine measures, reports Yonhap News Agency.

North Korea is yet to report a case of coronavirus but has intensified its preventive efforts across the country, calling its fight against the virus is a "political matter" that will determine the fate of the country.

--IANS

ksk/
New Delhi:

Wedding card, copies of advance payments made for booking marriage hall and caterers will be required for withdrawing Rs 2.5 lakh from own accounts, as per stringent conditions imposed by RBI on either of the parents to meet wedding expenses.



Four days after the government announced special dispensation for meeting wedding expenses, RBI on Monday issued detailed operating guidelines for banks for dealing with such requests.

Here are the highights:



#Withdrawals will be allowed only from balance available before November 8 decision of the government to demonetise 500 and 1,000 currency notes.



#Funds can be withdrawn only for th marriages solemnised on or before December 30.



#Banks have also been asked to keep records of all disbursals and drawers will have to submit a list of persons to whom payments will be made out of the funds. People getting married need to maintain a detailed list of persons to whom the cash withdrawn is proposed to be paid, together with a declaration from such persons that they do not have a bank account. The list should indicate the purpose for which the proposed payments are being made.



#Withdrawals can be made by either of the parents or the person getting married. (Only one of them will be permitted to withdraw).



#RBI also said banks should encourage families to incur wedding expenses through non-cash means through cheques or drafts, credit or debit cards, pre-paid cards, mobile transfers, Internet banking channels, NEFT/RTGS and the like.



#Banks have been asked to keep a proper record of the evidence and produce them for verification by the authorities in case of need.



#The scheme will be reviewed based on authenticity or bona fide use thereof, RBI said.



The special dispensation was given to ease the cash crunch faced during the ongoing wedding season due to imposition of cash withdrawal restrictions on all bank accounts in the aftermath of the demonetisation decision.



Restrictions were placed as banks are grappling with cash shortage.

(With PTI Inputs)

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Muslim leaders are expressing their support to keep the Hagia Sophia in Turkey open to people of all faiths.

Judge Mohamed Abdel Salam, the general secretary of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, a religious committee representing Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, contended that any decisions regarding the Hagia Sophia be not for creating divisions but rather as a place that encourages "mutual respect and understand among all religions."

"HCHF calls on everyone to avoid any step that could undermine interfaith dialogue and cross-cultural communication, and that could create tensions and hatred among the followers of different religions, confirming the humanity's need to prioritize the values of coexistence," Judge Abdel Salam wrote to Dr Ioan Sauca, interim general secretary of the World Council of Churches.

Respectively, Dr Sauca urged the Turkish President Recep Erdogan to reconsider the decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque in a letter, "By deciding to convert the Hagia Sophia back to a mosque you have reversed that positive sign of Turkey's openness and changed it to a sign of exclusion and division."

Dr Sauca added that the conversion to a mosque will put religious tolerance at risk in a statement, "The decision to convert such an emblematic place as Hagia Sophia from a museum back to a mosque will inevitably create uncertainties, suspicions, and mistrust, undermining all our efforts to bring people of different faiths together at the table of dialogue and cooperation."

Director of the Muslim Foundation de I'Entre Connaissance in Geneva, Hafid Ouardiri, supported Dr Sauca's assertion by also writing to the World Council of Churches.

"As a Muslim, like many others around the world, we pray that Hagia Sofia, in Turkey we love with all our heart, remains what she has always been since 1934, namely a crossroads of knowledge, of light, wisdom and peace for all humanity,"

Hagia Sophia was initially built as a Christian Cathedral under Constantinople of the Roman Empire before it was claimed as a Roman Catholic Cathedral and then an Ottoman mosque in 1453 when the Ottomans conquered the city, Constantinople, which they renamed as Istanbul. Hagia Sophia endured as a mosque until it became a museum in 1935 under the decree of the founder of the Republic of Turkey and also secularist, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. On July 10, 2020, the Turkish court annulled a 1934 presidential decree that made it a museum and soon after, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ordered the Hagia Sophia to be converted back into a mosque and announced the opening of Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia on July 24 in a televised speech.
The state's top court has dismissed an appeal against a ruling that a planned Black Lives Matter protest in Sydney on Tuesday is a prohibited assembly, but protesters have vowed the march will proceed.

Police took court action seeking a prohibition order for the rally organised by the family of David Dungay jnr, a Dunghutti man who died in custody in 2015 after he was held down by Corrective Services officers while gasping "I can't breathe".

Protest organiser Paddy Gibson outside the Supreme Court on Sunday. Credit:Edwina Pickles

A plan submitted to police by organiser Paddy Gibson said an estimated 500 people would walk from Town Hall to Parliament House to present a petition calling for the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions to consider criminal charges against the prison guards who restrained Mr Dungay.

Inquest findings last year did not recommend criminal charges. Tuesday's rally is planned to coincide with the first sitting day of the NSW lower house this month.
In recent weeks, Slow Burn, the hit history podcast from Slate, has broadcast its fourth season, on the political rise of David Duke, the far-right extremist and former Klansman, in Louisiana. In last weeks final episode, Josh Levin, the host, focused in part on the kingmaking power of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Dukes local paper. Initially, Levin reported, the Times-Picayune skirted serious coverage of Duke, for fear of giving him oxygen. After Duke was elected to the state House of Representatives, in 1989, the paper assigned a reporter, Tyler Bridges, who covered Duke aggressivelybut it remained wary of being seen to treat him unfairly.

That changed in 1991, when Duke ran for governor of Louisiana, and made the runoff. (He lost.) The paper, Levin said, held a staff meeting and decided to treat Duke less as a politician than as a threat. Subsequently, it assigned dozens of journalists to scrutinize Dukes campaign, and ran a series of prominent editorials excoriating his views. This was a major moveto be taking such a profound moral position against bigotry, against racism, Keith Woods, then an editor at the Times-Picayune, told Levin. The paper, Woods said, had reached a tipping point in its approach to coverage: We are not going to pretend that were covering an ordinary thing.

ICYMI: The problem with Captain Americas new both sides website

Nearly 30 years later, outlets across the country find themselves in an analogous moment. Since a white police officer in Minneapolis killed George Floyd, a Black man, in May, news organizations have faced calls, from outside observers and from their own Black staffers and their allies, to speak clear moral truths about racism, tyranny, and human lifeall in the context of a looming, high-stakes election in which those truths are on the ballot. Yesterday marked 100 days until election day. When you take into account early voting, the countdown is even shorter.

In recent weeks and months, media critics have argued that the political press needs to do something similar to what the Times-Picayune did in 91take a breath, and examine whether its election coverage is up to the moment. In CJRs recent magazine on the election, Kyle Pope, our editor and publisher, wrote that the twin crises of the pandemic and systemic racism are an opportunity for the press to reset its work, and focus more consistently on structural injustice. Over the weekend, Margaret Sullivan, of the Washington Post, argued that the 100-day marker is the last chance to get 2020 right. In 2016, Sullivan writes, much of the political media did things the same old way, when something quite different was demanded, with disastrous results. Sullivan suggests five improvements for 2020: a greater focus on voting rights (there is no bigger story); more context around polling, to avoid giving the impression that one candidate is inevitable; more critical distance from Trump; the rejection of the narrative, pushed by Trump and his boosters, that Joe Biden is senile; and a better appreciation of the role of social media.

Sullivans adviceespecially around the centrality of voting rightsis spot on. Other specific pieces of advice also come to mind. In recent weeks, cable chatter, in particular, has obsessed over the idea that Trumps Sleepy Joe nickname for Biden hasnt cut through in the same way as Trumps 2016 nicknames (Crooked Hillary, Lyin Ted, Little Marco)but as Ive written before, the best way to handle Trumps nicknames is to ignore them, not to goad him into coming up with better ones. Theres been much recent talk, too, of negative public perception around Trumps handling of the coronavirus and race; approval numbers can be instructive, but theyre no substitute for reporting hard factsand hard facts are the only metric by which we should judge whether Trumps handling of these key issues improves. And while we shouldnt assume that Trump will definitely lose, we also shouldnt assume that hes an electoral genius wholl pull out a 2016-style comeback when it counts. In fact, lets not assume anything at all.

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Ultimately, none of these tips matters more than the press clearly and truthfully framing the moral choices facing Americanot just in editorials and opinion columns, nor just in investigative features, but in the nuts and bolts of our day-to-day political reporting. Much recent coverage, including of the 100-day marker, has traded in lazy tropes: the horse race, meaningless optics, the strategic framing of moral issues. (George Stephanopoulos on Trump sending federal agents into Portland and elsewhere: Can that work for an incumbent president?) Fairness should be central to election coveragebut we need first to understand that fairness requires highlighting systemic failures, not offering fig leaves to bad actors.

If possible, those responsible for election coverage should take a moment to ask themselves how theyd like history to assess their work, at this moment that history is sure to remember. We cant see the future. But we already know how history views our coverage of the 2016 election. If we continue to repeat the mistakes of 2016 this year, we shouldnt expect a kinder verdict.

Thanks to Slow Burn, we know, too, how history views coverage of the rise of David Duke. In addition to assessing the Times-Picayunes better-late-than-never change of direction, Levin spoke with Norman Robinson, a Black New Orleans TV anchor who moderated a debate in 1991, and decided to confront Duke about his bigotry. I am a journalist, Robinson told Duke. But first and foremost, I am a concerned citizen. As Levin put it, Robinson proved he could be both a human being with an inseparable stake in Dukes ascent, and a journalist capable of interrogating and exposing it. Following the debate, Robinson received racist abuse, and his bosses fielded complaints about his lack of objectivity. In the light of history, his approach looks courageous. In the eyes of many observers, of course, it looked that way at the time. As Woods told Levin, of the debate, Ive never been prouder of somebody than I was of Norman.

Below, more on the election:



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: How Esquire lost the Bryan Singer story

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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- COOKIES, the leading international lifestyle and cannabis brand , is proud to roll out the newest addition to its family of brands, RUN THE JEWELS , a collaboration between LEMONNADEa sister brand to COOKIES that represents the top sativa-focused cannabis collection on the U.S. marketand the widely acclaimed hip-hop supergroup RUN THE JEWELS , aka RTJ, who today are releasing a new lyric video for their song, JU$T , featuring Pharrell Williams and Zack de la Rocha.

This potent partnership between Berner, the Bay Area rapper and entrepreneur who built COOKIES into one of the largest cannabis brands in the world, RTJ rapper Killer Mike, and rapper-producer El-P developed organically, stemming from a longstanding mutual admiration, a shared passion for music, cannabis and advocacy.

"Berner is a longtime friend and we have watched him build his empire," said Killer Mike.

"Yeah," adds El-P. "We have huge respect for Berner and what he's accomplished and we fucking love weed so this is very exciting for us."

"Killer Mike & El-P are legit cannabis enthusiastsevery time I see Mike, we get high together. Him and I go back more than a decade, and I've always felt we could open a new dimension in cannabis," said Berner. "After working with him on The White Album (2011), I knew we'd have to collaborate again. I have a lot of respect for RTJ's work ethic. Creating the RUN THE JEWELS brand is a natural progression."

RUN THE JEWELS launches with its first branded strain, Ooh La La  named after the lead single from RTJ's latest album, RTJ4. This hybrid strain delivers a sensory-heightening head high and a light body feel. Ooh La La merges LEMONNADE's sativa focus with Killer Mike and El-P's Indica appreciation for the ideal hybrid strain with an aroma of spice cake and frosting and flavor of sweet fruit cake with an herbal tea chaser.

In addition to top-shelf flower, the RUN THE JEWELS line includes pre-rolls, vapes, extracts and blunts. The full line of Ooh La La products is coming soon at COOKIES dispensaries throughout California, including locations in Merced, Modesto, La Mesa / San Diego, Oakland, Redding and Hayward (coming soon), as well as the LEMONNADE retail store in Sacramento. The full line is also available in Detroit, Michigan, at the COOKIES store operated by Gage Cannabis Co. Ooh La La flower and pre-rolls will drop in additional dispensaries across Michigan, Washington (Hash Agency), Colorado (Veritas Fine Cannabis), Oregon, Oklahoma (Electraleaf), Arizona and Illinois later this year.

About COOKIES

COOKIES is more than a premiere cannabis company, it is a lifestyle. Founded in 2012 by Berner, the prolific Bay Area rapper and entrepreneur, and his partner Jai, Bay Area cultivator and breeder, the company built its identity by seamlessly combining new, top-tier genetics, the internet, and music. Backed by the music industry, social media, and the brand's growth and breeding projects, COOKIES quickly built a grassroots cult following while remaining loyal to its brand promise; authenticity and innovative genetics.

Today, COOKIES is one of the most well-respected and top-selling cannabis brands in the United States. The company and its product are recognized globally and offer a stable of over 50 cannabis varieties and product lines including indoor, outdoor and sungrown flower, pre-rolls, gel caps and vape carts. COOKIES' overall vertical integration and seed-to-sale business allows for complete quality control at every stepfrom cultivation and production to retail experience.

About LEMONNADE

Voted the #1 sativa menu in the world, the team of industry legends behind LEMONNADE are proud to deliver a menu of truly unique sativa-leaning, flavor-forward cannabis productsthe result of meticulous genetics and expert breeding.

The sister brand to COOKIES, LEMONNADE is the highest form of the grower's art. A sativa focused family of strains and products created for those in search of an upbeat and euphoric experience. Offering over 15 cannabis varieties and product lines including indoor, greenhouse and sungrown flower, pre-rolls, extracts and vape carts, LEMONNADE was founded in 2015 by Berner and Brett Wilson (aka Growing Passion).

About RUN THE JEWELS

RUN THE JEWELS is the Grammy-nominated powerhouse rap duo of El-P and Killer Mike, two of the most distinctive and celebrated names in rap music. Though they might have seemed like an unlikely pairing on paper when they teamed up in 2013, the duo tapped into a creative synergy that subverted and pulverized all expectations, resulting in the largest, most fervent fanbase either had experienced in their individual careers. Across four classic albums RUN THE JEWELS has cemented their musical alliance with a set of uncompromising, forward thinking hip-hop, garnering endless critical and fan accolades for their unique ability to straddle the worlds of pointed social commentary and raw, boisterous fun.

SOURCE COOKIES

Related Links

https://cookiescalifornia.com


New Delhi:

An elderly man in Kerala allegedly ended his life amid fears that he would not be able to withdraw money deposited in a cooperative bank due to the ongoing demonetisation drive and another collapsed and died while standing in a queue in a bank, police said on Tuesday.

73-year-old Omanakuttan Pillai from Cheruvillayil in Pamba valley in Kottayam district committed suicide by hanging in his bedroom yesterday, they said.

Pillai had deposited Rs five lakh in a service Cooperative bank and following demonetization he grew apprehensive that he would not be able to withdraw his money, they said. In another incident, Chandrasekharan (68) collapsed and died while he was standing in a queue at a bank in Kollamdistrict.

The retired BSNL employee was waiting in the queue atNallila branch of State Bank of Travancore during a secondvisit to the branch when he collapsed, police said.

He had visited the branch in the morning, but onseeing the long queue, he returned after lunch to withdrawcash from his account.

While waiting to collect his token, he is said to have collapsed. Though he was rushed to the hospital, his life couldnot be saved, they added.

On November 11, a 75-year-old man, standing in a queueat a branch of the State Bank of Travancore, collapsed anddied, while another died while filling forms to deposit hisscrapped high denomination notes in the state.

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Serbian President Says Balkan Nation Seeking More Warplanes

July 26, 2020

The president of Serbia says the Balkan nation is seeking to purchase more warplanes.

Aleksandar Vucic accused the United States and other Western countries of arming Serbia's NATO neighbors and Kosovo, a former province of Serbia.

"The Americans, Turks, and Germans are taking care of their beloved child," Vucic said on July 26, referring to Kosovo. He said Washington recently delivered a number of armored vehicles to Kosovo's security forces.

Vucic did not say what Serbia intended to buy, but pro-government media have reported that Belgrade has officially requested 20 unspecified military aircraft. Reports have said that, if Washington does not deliver the fighters, Belgrade will likely turn to Russia for Sukhoi-25 military jets.

Serbia has recently received a sophisticated antiaircraft system from Russia, which has also provided fighter jets, attack helicopters, and armored vehicles. Another Serbian ally, China, has delivered military drones.

U.S. officials have in the past spoken openly about introducing sanctions against Serbia if Moscow sends more arms to the country, especially those that could jeopardize the security of neighboring NATO-member states.

Based on reporting by AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbian- president-says-balkan-nation-seeking- more-warplanes/30747961.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.

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Bangladesh: Flood likely to worsen in Dhaka

July 27,2020 | Source: New Age BD

The official estimate showed 97,104 more people got freshly marooned in the last 24 hours until Sunday afternoon as flooding mostly worsened with Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre announcing that the situation might remain more or less the same throughout the month. According to the latest special 10-day flood forecast, flooding would get worse in Dhaka over the next seven days and the situation in Kurigram, Bogura, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Tangail and Manikganj districts would not improve until early next month. The disaster management departments daily flood report said that 43,78,732 people have been affected in 31 districts since the flood began on June 27 while 35 got killed.



The health emergency control room, however, said that 119 people died because of flood-related causes since June 30. Eastern part of Dhaka city such as Demra, Khilgaon, Shabujbagh, Mugda, Badda and Satarkul might see water engulfing parts of them over the next seven days, FFWC executive engineer Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan told New Age. Dhaka district relief and rehabilitation officer Mohammad Hossain said that they have been warned about a rapid deterioration in flood situation from today.



Over 98,000 people have been affected by flood until in 128 villages on Sunday and over 200 sought refuge at shelter homes, he said. Water has been increasing over the last three days. We could see the situation gradually worsening, said Khairuzzaman, councillor of ward No 71, Dhaka South City Corporation. He said that over 1,000 families were already stranded in Dakkhin Manda, Mugda as the River Balu is flowing above its danger mark. DSCC ward No 70 councillor Mohammad Atikur Rahman said that flood started wreaking havoc in his area washing away roads and inundating many market places in Demra. Over 700 families and many businessmen got affected by floods, said Atik.



The FFWC special flood forecast Turag River in Mirpur, Dhaleshwari at Rekabi Bazar and Balu might continue swelling causing floods in parts of Dhaka over the next seven days. The River Padma at Rajbari, Munshiganj and Shariatpur may keep swelling through Monday. A daily FFWC flood report said that 18 rivers flowed above their danger levels at 28 points until Sunday morning. It said that the Jamuna and Padma rivers might keep swelling until Monday morning. New Age correspondent in Lalmonirhat reported that situation remained unchanged in the flood affected eight northern districts in Rangpur division.



Lack of food, clean water and sanitation created a humanitarian condition in the affected northern districts where over half a million stayed on embankments or at shelters with their houses either submerged in floodwater or washed away. Water-borne diseases also spread fast in the flood shelters with a very limited number of medical teams providing healthcare services. New Age correspondent in Munshiganj reported that flooding worsened in the district with the Padma swelling up by seven centimetres over the last 24 hours until Sunday afternoon. Over 30,000 families got stranded in four upazilas with 366 families taking shelter at 54 shelter centres in Munshiganj.



The flood damaged fishes in 1,702 fish farms causing loss worth Tk 9 crore in Munshiganj. The Jamuna continued to swell wreaking havoc in Sirajganj, reported New Age correspondent in the district. The FFWC said that the Jamuna might reach its peak by Monday and then stay steady until July 31. Several villages were at risk of being washed away as water started seeping through at least three embankments in Sirajganj. Jamalpur emerged as the worst hit area with hosting nearly a million of flood victims alone, showed the official flood report. The weather seemed growing dry inside Bangladesh with the Met Office saying that only a few places at Rangpur, Mymensingh and Sylhet might witness rains until Monday morning. India Meteorological Department predicted widespread to fairly widespread rains at Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim and Bihar until Thursday.
Bhubaneswar, July 27 : The number of COVID-19 cases in Odisha rose to 26,892 with the detection of 1,503 new infectees in the last 24 hours, informed the health department on Monday.

The death toll rose to 147 as seven more fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours.

Three deaths were reported from Ganjam, and one each from Cuttack, Khordha, Malkangiri and Sundargarh districts.

Out of 1,503 positive cases, 1,002 are from quarantine centres and 501 are local contact cases.

Hotspot Ganjam district reported highest 491 cases, followed by Khurda (223), Cuttack (136), 73 each from Kandhamal and Gajapati, Rayagada (68), Sundargarh (57), and Jajpur (51).

With this, the active cases in the state are now 9,919 while the recoveries stand at 16,792.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
iStock/KuzmaBY: MEREDITH DELISO, ABC News



(GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan) -- Two fugitives who allegedly escaped a Virginia juvenile correctional center with the help of two of the facility's employees were caught in Michigan after nearly two weeks on the run, officials said.



Following a "complex investigation," the Grand Rapids Fugitive Task Force arrested Rashad E. Williams, 18, and Jabar Ali Taylor, 20, without incident Saturday evening at a hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan -- 700 miles from the scene of the alleged escape, the U.S. Marshals Service said.



According to the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, the pair escaped the 284-capacity Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center in Chesterfield County in the early morning hours of July 13. The duo allegedly used a cord to choke a security staff member until he lost consciousness, then allegedly used the employee's keys to exit the unit. They then escaped through a hole cut in the facility's perimeter security fence and left in a getaway car, officials said.



U.S. Marshals had initially believed the two would travel north, where they "both have significant ties." The two first fled to Pennsylvania, authorities said, where they were spotted at a hotel and seen on surveillance footage at a nearby Turkey Hill market in Lancaster County. The Lancaster County District's Attorney's Office had warned the public that they are "dangerous fugitives" who should not be confronted.



U.S. Marshals pursued leads in several states until their arrest in Michigan, officials said. Michigan State Police, Battle Creek and Grand Rapids police departments and the Michigan Department of Corrections assisted in the arrest. The FBI also helped with the investigation.



"Hours of dedicated investigative work by our law enforcement team ensured the safety of the public by getting these very dangerous escapees back into custody quickly and safely," Nick E. Proffitt, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement.



Both Williams and Taylor will be held at the Calhoun County Jail in Battle Creek, authorities said.



Taylor, of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and aggravated malicious assault stemming from the 2015 stabbing deaths of two men. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2016. In May, a judge denied an attempt by his legal team to reduce his sentence.



Williams, of Washington, D.C., was convicted of malicious wounding and robbery and sentenced to 18 years in 2019.



Both were due to be transferred to an adult Department of Corrections facility when they turned 21, officials said. Taylor turns 21 on Aug. 25.



Three people have been arrested so far in connection with the escape, police said, including two Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice employees who worked at Bon Air. Destiny L. Harris, 23, of Chesterfield County, was charged with two counts of aiding with the escape of a juvenile on July 14. The next day, Darren Briggs, 42, of Lawrenceville, Virginia, was charged with one felony count of providing a cell phone to a prisoner. Both are no longer employed by the agency, Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice Director Valerie Boykin said.



A relative of Williams' -- Gerald Thornton, 33, of Philadelphia -- was charged with two counts of aiding in the escape of a juvenile, according to ABC Richmond affiliate WRIC.



This was the first escape at Bon Air in over 20 years, according to Boykin. The director said she was launching a "full security analysis" of the "old campus."



"DJJ had been working for years to replace it with a more modern facility with state-of-the-art security and treatment design components," she said in a statement on July 17. "While those efforts are ongoing, we are committed to determine if security enhancements are needed."

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
" " HowStuffWorks/ YouTube The U.S. government was created by the founders to have three co-equal branches, each designed to provide checks and balances to the other two branches.

If you're a person who isn't a hardcore political junkie, you may find yourself bewildered by how the three main parts of the U.S. government continually seem to be butting heads instead of working together on solutions to the nation's problems. But, as we'll see, the government was structured in three parts for a reason. The three branches are:

The executive branch , which includes the president and the agencies he controls;

The legislative branch , consisting of the two houses of Congress, which are the House of Representatives and the Senate; and

The judicial branch, which includes the Supreme Court and all the nation's federal and state courts.

In the abstract, here's how the system sort of works. The president might press Congress to pass legislation on some issue that he made a campaign promise to enact. After lots of arguing and finagling, legislators pass a bill, which sometimes turns out to be very different from what the president asked for. If he doesn't veto the bill, he may issue a signing statement that spells out how the federal agencies he controls are going to enforce the law in a different way than Congress intended. Then, the executive branch draws up regulations for how to enforce the law and it takes effect. Congressional committees may hold hearings to scrutinize what the executive branch is doing.

And to top it all off, the U.S. Supreme Court might step in and smack down both the president and Congress, by ruling that some part of the law is unconstitutional, forcing them essentially to start over.

Crazy as it seems, that's how the nation's founders actually intended the system to work, because they didn't want any one part of the government to have too much power. To that end, they filled the U.S. Constitution with checks and balances that each branch could impose upon the others. The idea was that those three branches eventually would hammer out compromises that everybody could live with.

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Where the Founders Got the Idea

The idea of the three branches of the U.S. government isn't a totally American one. "The idea of separate branches and mixed government went all the way back to antiquity and Aristotle's "Politics," something the framers were well aware of," Nicholas Mosvick explains via email. He's a senior fellow at the National Constitution Center, a museum and civil education organization in Philadelphia.

James Madison, the future president who was lead author of the U.S. Constitution, and the other founders also were influenced by John Locke, the late 17th-century British philosopher.

But the most prominent influence may have been French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, author of the 1748 treatise "The Spirit of the Laws," who described what should distinguish Republican self-government from monarchies and despotic countries. The republican government, he believed, needed to have separate and independent executive, legislative and judicial branches, in order to prevent one another from abusing their various powers.

The system devised by the founders, which is described in Articles I, II, and III of the U.S. Constitution, wasn't quite as cut-and-dried as Montesquieu's, Mosvick says. Instead, they allowed some overlap.

"The easiest examples are in the Senate and Article II," says Mosvick. "The Senate clearly holds executive functions, as they perform a role in advice and consent for treaties, the appointment of judges and executive officers. The president holds a veto power, which gives him a role in legislation, and he has the power to give advice to Congress, typically in the form of a State of the Union and recommendations on legislation."

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How the Three Branch System Evolved

To make things more complicated, some of the president's powers aren't precisely spelled out in the Constitution, Mosvick explains. "Neither executive orders nor signing statements come from the Constitution's text. Executive orders were a power derived from the implied 'executive power,' 'commander in chief,' and 'faithfully execute' language of Article II, along with the power to command the opinions of executive officers, which led Washington to create the cabinet."

"Signing statements are of significant constitutional debate," Mosvick continues. "Many scholars do not believe that they are constitutional precisely because they violate the separation of powers in that they take on the legislative power by determining the letter of the law when 'faithful execution' merely means to follow the law according to Congress."

The concept of how the three branches work together  or against each other  also has evolved over the centuries.

"The most significant change to separation of powers is likely the rise of the administrative state since the New Deal and the 1930s," Mosvick says. "The Supreme Court was heavily involved in the 1930s in determining the boundaries of what we call delegation  the granting of one branch's powers to an independent body or as part of the executive branch. Some delegations were initially struck down under the non-delegation doctrine. Scholars debate whether or not the non-delegation doctrine flows from the understanding of the founders, but the idea is simply that Congress cannot delegate its core power from the vesting clause  to make all laws  to another body, any more than it can grant non-Article III courts Article III powers or jurisdiction."

"This too is where recent questions about removal of directors of administrative agencies by the president comes from  it too is a separation of powers question, but one that flows from modern innovations that the founders could not entirely envision."

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How the Three Branches Push Back Against One Another

Bruce Peabody is professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University and author of "Where Have All the Heroes Gone? The Changing Nature of American Valor," as well as a 2019 article in The Conversation on the separation-of-powers concept. He explains in an email that the checks and balances baked into the three-branch system have prevented abuses of power in the past.

"One of the classic examples is the push and pull associated with the congressional investigation into the Nixon campaign's trespass and bugging of the Watergate building and the Democratic National Committee's headquarters," he says.

"Congress rightfully investigated, the president pushed back, claiming that the White House recordings which implicated the president were covered under the legal protection of 'executive privilege,' and the Supreme Court helped navigate the dispute, ultimately ruling that the president did have the unwritten constitutional power of the executive privilege, but noting that it was not an unlimited power  and setting out some of the rules for its use.

"In the process of this dramatic example of checks and balances, each branch arguably served its own political and institutional interests as well as the nation's," he says.

But the three-branch system isn't some sort of government machine that can run on autopilot. In order for the democracy to work, the people in the three branches need to have personal qualities that go beyond the architecture of the system, Peabody and other scholars say. In recent years, we've seen the system become less effective in working out conflicts and taking effective action. The increasingly acrimonious stalemate over the nation's immigration policy is a prime example.

"I would probably attribute our logjam and chronic inaction most directly to hyperactive partisanship. But, yes, this development is tied up with a decline in our belief in republican virtue, a somewhat old-fashioned idea that our leaders should be expected to act for the public good, not just personal interest, and that they should achieve honor while serving in government," Peabody says. He cites the example of George Washington, who agreed to serve as president of both the constitutional convention and as the first U.S. president out of a sense of duty, even though he was eager to return to his slave-supported estate in Mount Vernon.

Peabody cites the work of scholars Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, whom he says have identified basic norms that are necessary for enabling our government to function. One of their key principles, Peabody explains is "mutual toleration"  the idea of accepting your political opponents as legitimate, even if you vehemently disagree with them. Another important ingredient is "forbearance," which basically means that you self-impose limits on how far you'll go in using your powers of government to advance your interests and those of the political party to which you belong.

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Why It Doesn't Work as Well as It Should

Nevertheless, America's three-branch system also is highly susceptible to developing imbalances, in part because the founders chose to create a strong chief executive. That leader has broad authority and can't easily be removed from power before his certain number of years are up. (In the U.K., by contrast, political conflict can lead to Parliament calling an early election that can lead to the prime minister being kicked out of power.)

To exacerbate the problem, over the years we've seen a gradual expansion of presidential power. Peabody says that the U.S. government has become increasingly president-centric for a variety of reasons, from changes in our media environment and political campaigns that focus on candidates rather than ideas, to the growth of what's sometimes called the administrative state  the vast, permanent bureaucracy of executive branch agencies.

"This, combined with both parties' post-FDR success in placing their candidates in the White House (and the close competitiveness of many presidential races) have made both Democrats and Republicans complicit in increasing executive power," Peabody says. Both the Trump and Obama administrations, he says, "illustrate that we look to our chief executive to solve problems and wield authority when Congress isn't able to cooperate, lead or assert itself."

After years of infighting in Congress over immigration, for example, President Obama in 2014 decided to issue an executive order deferring the deportation of "dreamers," the children who entered the U.S. illegally with their parents and grew up here, as this National Public Radio story details. The constitutionality of that action was upheld in a narrow 5-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2020. (That ruling is compelling the Trump administration, which had wanted the courts to overturn Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood [DACA] program, to decide whether or not to take the politically unpopular step of dismantling it through a similar executive order.)

But even so, the three-branch system has an amazing amount of resilience. As Peabody notes, the Constitution still enables Congress and the courts to push back against presidential power.

" " The legislative and executive branches worked together to accomplish meaningful change which resulted in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Civil Rights bill into law on July 2, 1964. The bill was a joint effort by both parties in Congress and was also signed by House Speaker John McCormack and President Pro Tempore of the Senate Carl Hayden. Bettmann/Getty Images

"Despite having a majority of Republican appointees, the justices of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts have provided some checks to presidential overreach," Peabody says. Additionally, "Congress retains the so-called power of the purse, which it can exercise to re-direct national priorities."

Current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has fought to protect Congress's power in the system, by arguing that the Constitution is focused on the procedures and authority of the legislative branch.

"While extremely difficult in our hyper-partisan era, one could at least imagine a nimble Speaker asserting him or herself against an overstepping president and consistently making the case for what political value an engaged Congress provides," Peabody says.

HowStuffWorks may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article.

Now That's Interesting In this 2017 Politico essay, former Congress member Mickey Edwards (R-Okla.) argues that we no longer actually have three branches of government, because Congress members increasingly see themselves as not as a separate branch, "but as arms of their respective political parties."

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Originally Published: Jul 27, 2020
The Government has been urged to introduce smarter measures at the border after holidaymakers in Spain were told they must quarantine when they return home.

Labours shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said there are serious questions about the blanket self-isolation requirement.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: The first is why we are still employing the blunt tool of the 14-day quarantining rather than smarter measures, and secondly the chaotic nature of the decision-making which certainly hasnt bred confidence in the Governments approach.

Mr Thomas-Symonds added: I think you need a smarter set of quarantine measures at the airport. Ive suggested this test, trace and isolate regime but you can also have temperature checking and other things  you look at a range of measures.

Spain has been removed from the UKs list of safe destinations after it saw a spike in the number of coronavirus cases.

The decision was announced on Saturday night, less than five hours before it came into force.

Andrew Flintham, managing director of TUI UK and Ireland, called for a more nuanced policy to include rules based on regions as well as countries.

He noted that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not advising against non-essential travel to Spains Balearic Islands, but the quarantine requirement covers arrivals from both mainland Spain and its islands.

(PA Graphics)

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Flintham said: If the Balearics are still OK to go to  and clearly the travel advice says you can travel  should we have a different quarantine or no quarantine for those and not lump it all together, as in one big total Spain quarantine?

Were really after a little bit of a nuance because, being honest, going forward, with something like the United States, it could be theres a problem in Florida but not in California, and you wouldnt want to close the whole of the United States to tourists.

Story continues

Tui has cancelled all holidays to mainland Spain up to and including August 9.

The Governments decision to reimpose restrictions on Spain left holidaymakers frustrated, with some saying they would not have travelled if they knew they would have to spend a fortnight self-isolating afterwards.

A passenger arrives at Gatwick Airport, following the Governments quarantine ruling on Spain (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Close to 1.8 million holidays were likely to have been thrown into chaos by the move, according to travel company The PC Agency, which analysed the number of seats booked on flights leaving the UK for Spain between July 26 and August 31.

There are fears more European holidays could be thrown into disarray.

The Telegraph reported that officials in both France and Germany have warned of possible new lockdowns as parts of Europe braced for a second wave of Covid-19 infections.

French health authorities said at the weekend that the countrys R-rate was up to 1.3 and that daily new infections on Friday had risen to 1,130  indicators resembling those seen in May, when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

Health minister Helen Whately said so-called air bridges to other countries are constantly under review.

She told Today: What we said throughout the time when weve put in place the policy on the travel corridors, the air bridges, is that we would need to keep those under review, that we would need to monitor the rates in other countries.

That is exactly what weve done in Spain, so we are enacting the policy that we committed to doing.

The rate was going up very rapidly in Spain and we had to take very rapid, decisive action.

Meanwhile, beauty salons and tattoo parlours are among the businesses which can reopen in Wales from Monday, but people are warned about the risks of offering eyebrow treatments and facials due to prolonged face-to-face contact.
A plane of Bamboo Airways (Illustrative photo: VNA)

Hanoi  The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) will soon grant permission to airlines to maximise number of flights leaving the central city of Da Nang amid new developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, head of the CAAV Dinh Viet Thang has said.

As one of the most favoured tourist attractions of the country, Da Nang has been receiving a large number of tourists after Vietnam lifted social distancing measures and bolstered domestic air travel.

Given that the city confirmed new infections in the community, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has proposed restricting vehicles of public transport from/to Da Nang and only allowing two flights per day from domestic airports.

Once approved by the Prime Minister, the proposal will take effect at the stroke of July 27, Thang said.

The Da Nang International Airport is temporarily closed to international flights that carry foreign experts and Vietnamese citizens in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Vietnams newest carrier Bamboo Airways said it will increase number of flights departing from Da Nang on July 26-27 to meet passengers demand.

It also planned to add four flights linking Da Nang with Hanoi and HCM City on July 26. Passengers are advised to update latest information on the airlines website and official fanpage.
Jaipur, Jul 27 (UNI) Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra here on Monday morning returned another proposal of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot led-Congress government for bringing Assembly in session, citing certain objections over due purpose and COVID-19 situation.

The Governor in a statement said in the proposal, the Chief Minister has reasoned the urgency in calling the Assembly citing discussion of more relief measures for the people hit by COVID-19 crisis and passage of some important bills.

However, in press, Mr Gehlot has repeatedly stated that he wants a floor test to be conducted as soon as possible to claim his majority.

"If you (Gehlot) want a floor test, then why not mention it in the proposal," Mr Kalraj asked in a statement written in Hindi.

The Governor highlighted that time and again the chief minister has highlighted that as per Article 174 of the Constitution, it is obligatory for the Governor to accept the proposal by the state Cabinet.

"But, the said Article also says that during unprecedented times, the Governor has to ensure that calling a session should be as per rules, at appropriate time, without any external pressure and with everyone's will," Mr Mishra remarked.

Mr Mishra said as per rules, minimum 21 days of advance notice has to be given to the Governor before calling a session. "Disobeying such rule, is violation of Article 14 which calls for equality before law," the Governor said.

He also brought to the notice of Mr Gehlot that matter is sub judice if he is mulling to conduct a Floor test.

The Governor underlined that the Floor test, if conducted, has to take place in the presence of principal secretary of Vidhan Sabha. Also, it has to be ensured that the entire exercise is video-recorded as well as telecast live and the voting panel should have only "Yes or No" option.

He asked the Chief Minister how mandatory social distancing norm laid down by the Union Health Ministry will be followed in the Assembly.

The Governor reminded that the House has 200 members and more 1,000 staff. "Is the gathering of more than 1,200 people safe during COVID-19 situation and if anyone gets infected, how can the virus be prevented from infecting others, " Mr Mishra further asked.

Mr Mishra said as per his knowledge, the Assembly does not have adequate infrastructure to maintain at least two-feet distance between any two persons.

"Is it necessary to put the lives of more than 1,200 people in danger," the Governor questioned.

The Governor suggested that viewing COVID-19 situation, discussion can also take place at other constitutional bodies like Supreme Court, High Court as well as through online medium.

Rajasthan has plunged into political crisis after former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLA rebelled against Mr Gehlot and left the state.

Mr Gehlot is seeking a Floor test urgently to reclaim his majority before any other political twist or turn.

The Governor is however, dissatisfied with the proposal for calling the House.

UNI PS SB 1912
A 59-year-old man died over the weekend after he stopped breathing at a Fairhaven beach, authorities said.

It is unclear whether Brian Breton died from drowning or from a medical emergency he suffered in the water of Pope Beach, the Bristol District Attorneys office said in a statement.

Police responded to a 911 call around 3 p.m. on Saturday after Breton stopped breathing and was pulled from the water, according to the prosecutor.

The Fairhaven man was rushed to St. Lukes Hospital in New Bedford, where he died shortly before 4 p.m., the district attorneys statement said.

Breton had gone into the water after he and a friend parked their vehicle at the bottom of Hacker Street, according to the statement.

A witness who was already in the water told police he saw the victim swim about 30 feet out into the shallow water, the district attorneys office said. After about 15 minutes, the witness said he noticed that the victim was face down in the water.

The witness initially through the victim was just floating or watching marine life but realized something was wrong after about 45 seconds passed and Bretons friend headed toward the Fairhaven man, the prosecutor said.

The witness and Bretons friends pulled him from the water, which was about 3-feet deep, and immediately called 911, according to authorities.

An autopsy will be conducted, but no foul play is suspected, the district attorneys office said.
On April 1, a mistrial in the quadruple-murder trial of James White in Rensselaer County marked the end of the last jury trial in the Capital Region for nearly four months and counting amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The wait to resume trials is ongoing but signs are pointing to a possible end to the delay. Grand juries, the panels that meet behind closed doors and decide whether to charge people with crimes, recently began convening again in every county in the state outside New York City. And in parts of the state, including New York City, trials that already had empaneled juries and were delayed due to the coronavirus are continuing.

The full resumption of jury trials will apparently depend, in large part, on the health of the participants at the grand juries and continued trials. Grand jurors are now meeting once a week. If that limited exposure results in lots of positive COVID-19 test results, the delay for jury trials will surely continue.

If those grand juries and few trials are free of COVID-19 infection, the time frame could be far sooner.

The answer to the looming question is, for now, a big unknown.

As you know we have been taking a very deliberative and measured approach in resuming in-person appearances in courthouses, said Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration. We are closely monitoring and will be evaluating how that goes before making any final decisions on (civil and criminal) juries. Most likely we will initiate civil jury trials first, but we are still exploring all our options.

Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney sounded prepared for jury trials. He said the number of cases awaiting trial in his county could exceed 35, including some homicide trials.

We impaneled new grand juries last week and so far have adjusted to the resumption of those activities smoothly, the longtime district attorney told Law Beat. We are using a courtroom instead of our grand jury room because we cannot socially distance 23 people, witnesses, attorneys and a court reporter in that space where chairs are three-and-a-half-feet apart. I am sure when the time comes we will be ready to conduct trials with similar social distancing and masking. The jury will not be confined in a jury box but will undoubtedly be spread out through the courtroom.

Last spring, the murder trial of White before Rensselaer County Judge Debra Young began right as the coronavirus was starting to spread. The court system took steps for safety. For instance, jurors were separated a seat apart. Alternative jurors were in the gallery. Hand sanitizer was aplenty. At the time, masks were not yet mandatory. Much more is known now and policies have changed. Anyone entering a courthouse now will have their temperature taken and have to answer questions.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Chalfen provided Law Beat with a photo of one of the jury trials that will be resuming Tuesday, a murder trial in the Bronx. Everyone in the photo wore a mask. The courtroom was outfitted with Plexiglas barriers.

Expect this to be the new normal when trials do eventually resume. Expect other changes too, such as longer periods of jury selection. Expect lawyers to express concerns over the scheduling of witnesses from out of state if the person is from a state requiring quarantine.

And expect that trials will face the possibility that the proceedings may end in mistrials, just like the White case did. That trial ended after a juror fell ill. At least two others jurors were reluctant to come to court out of fear they could contract COVID-19. The judge declared a mistrial saying she believed she had no other choice. The jury had bee deliberating the case at that point for more than 16 hours over four days.

White, charged with the 2017 stabbing murders of Brandi Mells, 22: Shanta Myers, 36, and Myers' two children: Jeremiah, 11, and Shanise, 5, will likely be among the first cases to be tried when trials resume. And his trial won't be alone.

The only question is when.
A major public inquiry in Britain will examine Australia's involvement in an international health scandal in which victims were historically infected by blood contaminated with deadly hepatitis C and HIV.

The Herald and The Age can reveal that leading Australian infected blood campaigner Charles MacKenzie will today be announced as a core participant in the long-running UK inquiry and is due to give evidence later this year.

Campaigner Charles MacKenzie will give evidence on behalf of thousands of Australians infected by contaminated blood. Credit:James Alcock

It comes amid fresh questions over whether contaminated blood exported from Australia went on to cause harm overseas, after a UK survivor alleged he was diagnosed with hepatitis C after being treated with blood products manufactured in Perth.

Thousands of Australians became severely ill or died after being infected with blood containing Hepatitis C or HIV between the 1970s and early 1990s, before proper screening procedures were introduced.
NEW BERLIN, Wis., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 10th consecutive year, United Heartland has been named to the list of Top Workplaces in southeastern Wisconsin by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. United Heartland was selected in the midsize workplace category.

"It is truly an honor to be recognized as a top workplace for 10 consecutive years," said Steve Cooper, president of United Heartland and Third Coast Underwriters. "We are so proud of our exceptional employees. We have a culture of openness and honesty that allows us to grow and learn from each other. The result is a work environment that helps us provide the kind of service to our customers and agents that separates us from the competition."

Licensed in 50 states, United Heartland is a leading regional workers' compensation carrier with a customized approach to loss control, claims management and underwriting. The company focuses on six key business segments  education, health care, long-term care, manufacturing, non-profits/social services and wholesale/retail.

The Top Workplaces Award recognizes 25 large companies with 500 or more employees, 50 midsize companies with 150 to 499 employees and 75 small companies of 50 to 149 employees.

About United Heartland

United Heartland is the marketing name for United Wisconsin Insurance Company, a member of AF Group. Insurance policies may be issued by any of the following companies within AF Group: Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, Accident Fund National Insurance Company, Accident Fund General Insurance Company, United Wisconsin Insurance Company, Third Coast Insurance Company or CompWest Insurance Company.

Contact:

Bob Lapinski

(312) 443-9819 or (517) 331-4890

[email protected]

AFGroup.com



SOURCE AF Group; United Heartland
HOOSICK FALLS  A local police chief expressed remorse to the family of a missing World War II Navy veteran who died before searchers could find him.

Edward Taylor, 94, was found dead Saturday night, nearly 24 hours after he was last seen.

In a Facebook post, Chief Bob Ashe wrote that he was proud and grateful for the collaborative effort to find Taylor.

"To the family of Mr. Taylor, I wish we could have located your loved one sooner," Ashe wrote. "Each individual that participated in the search did such with the determination, strength and hope that the outcome would be different."

Taylor was seen at 11:30 p.m. Friday in Hoosick Falls.

Hoosick Falls police were assisted by over 30 agencies in their search for Taylor, who had Alzheimer's disease. The search began around 9 a.m. Saturday, and included the use of search-and-rescue dogs.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Police also asked Hoosick Falls residents to check cameras set up around their homes for potential footage of Taylor between 2 and 6 a.m. Saturday.

Taylor's body was found by members of the Rensselaer County search-and-rescue team around 10:30 p.m., though police did not disclose the location.

Taylor served on the USS Hancock aircraft carrier in the Pacific. In August, the veteran was awarded the New York State Medal for Merit with a Gold shield, and the New York State Cold War Certificate.
Photo: Contributed

The antelope bounded across the open field and loped toward our vehicle, which was stopped beside the highway, near Moose Jaw.

The impala ran back and forth, while we snapped pictures with the digital camera.

We were quite surprised to see it, as my then husband, (now ex) grew up in that area and had never seen antelope, and certainly not one running around by itself  that was not usual behaviour either.

We had been visiting his family and decided to go for a drive, when we came across the lone antelope. After driving around, we headed back to the city and attended another family function.

I took a lot of pictures of his grandchildren and looked forward to downloading the photos on the computer when we got home.

It came as quite a shock to see the pictures of the family before and after seeing the ungulate, but there were no antelope photos.

We were baffled at how the camera took images of the grandchildren, but stopped working while photographing the antelope, and worked fine again after.

Was it a ghost antelope seen by us, but not something a camera could identify?

Perhaps we were looking into another dimension, a parallel universe, the twilight zone between life and death.

According to Indigenous North American mythology, a solitary antelope will show up in a human settlement as a messenger from the spirit world.

Hence, the antelope sighting had spiritual meaning to my ex-husband, who was of mixed race, First Nations descent. His ancestry apparently was from the Orion tribe, a special group of warriors, a secret wolf clan.

A few years earlier, we had had a similar encounter with a lone grey wolf, when we came across it lying sleepily behind a boulder in the Alberta Foothills, west of Sundre.

The wolf slowly got up and glared at us, pinning us with its eyes. It didnt move, but rather stood its ground, silently demanding that we leave. We took the cue and backed away, but took a few photos with a regular film camera first.

Interestingly, our akitas, which were normally aggressive, didnt make eye contact with it. They seemed to know that this animal was the king of canines, not to mess with, or perhaps the dogs didnt see it. Was the wolf there in spirit only?

Moments later, we came across a badly injured wild stallion, which had been in a fight with another stud and was mortally wounded, just waiting to die.

While taking a picture of the horse, the camera suddenly jammed and we were unable to use it any more.

The thing was irreparably and inexplicably damaged and the film inside, a gnarled mess. It seemed that we werent supposed to photograph the canis lupus and equine.

Stranger things have happened with cameras, and also, far more sinister.

July 17, 1981, 14-year-old Stacy Ann Arras disappeared from the Yosemite National Park where she rode horse back with family and friends. Stacy travelled alone on foot a short distance later to photograph a lake. She was never seen again; only her camera lens was found.

In a number of North American national parks, some 1,600 people have mysteriously gone missing and not a trace of them found.

In some cases, tourists have ventured into areas that were ancient routes used by Indigenous tribes, in which an elderly or dying person deliberately took a trail to lead them on their final journey, never to be seen again.

The unwitting vacationers some 200 years later went on that same path and disappeared too.

Sometimes when search and rescue parties came in using trained dogs to find them, the canines were unable or unwilling to perform their duties.

Occasionally, missing people are found mysteriously many miles from where they disappeared and it wasnt physically possible to have travelled that far on foot. They had no idea how they got there as amnesia had set in.

Other times, the ending is not a happy, when human remains are found.

In my 10 years of horseback riding in the foothills with my ex-husband, we were, on many occasions in peril when the land itself tried to swallow us in bogs or muskeg, or wild animals stalked or charged us.

We, too, could have easily vanished without a trace, and who knows whether it would have been by natural or supernatural forces.
Defiant Britons eager for a summer holiday say the government's mandatory 14-day quarantine won't stop them travelling to sunny Spain.

The quarantine was imposed with just five hours' notice on Saturday causing chaos for the roughly 600,000 British holidaymakers who were in Spain or had booked to go.

But lockdown-weary sunseekers said the rules won't stop them travelling.

Defiant Britons eager for a summer holiday say the government's mandatory 14-day quarantine won't stop them travelling to sunny Spain. Pictured: Britons arriving at the Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport on Monday

The quarantine was imposed with just five hours' notice on Saturday causing chaos for the roughly 600,000 British holidaymakers who were in Spain or had booked to go. Pictured: Britons arriving at the Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport on Monday

Their defiance came as the government heaped further agony on holidaymakers by officially advising Britons against all 'non-essential' travel to the Balearic and Canary Islands - including Ibiza, Majorca and Lanzarote.

This is on top of the same advice already issued for the Spanish mainland.

But there had been confusion because the islands were already alongside mainland Spain in having arrivals from them subjected to 14-day quarantine in the UK because a spike in coronavirus cases.

Responding to the 14-day quarantine, one Twitter user wrote: 'Going to Spain soon, gonna have a great time couldn't care less about the quarantine rules.

'Laughing at all the morons panicking over nothing thinking about cancelling their holidays. This is nothing but another a*** covering exercise from the government.'

Defiant Britons took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the sudden mandatory 14-day quarantine

Lockdown-weary British sunseekers said the rules won't stop them. Pictured: Britons arriving at the Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport on Monday

Britons arriving at Palma de Majorca on Monday after the 14-day quarantine was imposed

Tourists walk with their luggage outside the airport upon their arrival to Palma de Majorca

Tourists can be seen waiting with the luggage in the airport in Palma de Majorca on Monday

What compensation will holidaymakers planning on travelling to Spain receive now there is a 14-day quarantine on landing? Support from the government: British holidaymakers who miss out on work due to the newly-imposed quarantine period may be eligible for Universal Credit or employment support allowance of up to 74.35 a week, but not statutory sick pay. Workers who lose their jobs because they are quarantining after returning from Spain could appeal to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). Ryanair and British Airways: Flights are still operating but travellers may be offered a voucher to the value of the ticket or a chance to re-book if they wish to cancel - but customers should check the policy with the airlines. EasyJet: Flights are still running. Those who don't want to travel can transfer their flight with no admin fee or can get a credit voucher for the cost of their booking. Jet2: Flights to Spanish mainland and Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza are not running. The airline has previously offered the option to rebook with no admin fee or a refund cancelled flights. Tui: Cancelled all holidays to the Spanish mainland between July 26 and August 9. They have also cancelled all holidays to the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands from July 28 up to and including July 31. All customers due to travel to Spanish destinations between July 26 and August 9 will be able to cancel or amend their holiday and will be able to receive a full refund or the option to rebook their holiday with a booking incentive. Customers with holidays to Balearic Islands and Canary Islands from August 1 and mainland Spain from August 10 will be updated on Friday 31st July. Advertisement

Rich Oliver said as long as his flights are going ahead he would still travel to Spain.

He wrote: 'I was going to go regardless of UK quarantine anyway. I booked as soon as Spain relaxed.

'Obviously, I'd rather not have to quarantine but I've a feeling that by this time next week it may have been lifted.'

Michael Garvock said the regulations won't stop him as his 'work pays for quarantine anyway' or he could work from home.

Downing Street said British holidaymakers who miss out on work due to the newly-imposed quarantine period may be eligible for Universal Credit or employment support allowance of up to 74.35 a week, but not statutory sick pay.

Travellers may be offered a voucher to the value of the ticket or a chance to re-book if they wish to cancel - but customers should check the policy with the airlines.

EasyJet will operate its full schedule of flights. Those who don't want to travel can transfer their flight with no admin fee or can get a credit voucher for the cost of their booking.

A Jet2 spokesperson said: 'Following the latest government advice regarding travel to the Balearic and Canary Islands from the UK, we are advising customers who are due to travel to the following destinations (Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza) not to go to the airport tomorrow (Tuesday 28th July) as we are not operating flights to these destinations. This advice also applies to customers travelling to any of our destinations in Mainland Spain.

'We will be operating our scheduled programme of flights back to the UK from these destinations tomorrow.'

But employers are under no obligation to pay staff while they are in quarantine, self-employed workers will be forced to give up jobs and some people could even face the sack if they have to isolate when returning home.

The Government also warned 'no travel is risk-free' - and said workers who lose their jobs because they are quarantining after returning from Spain could appeal to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).

Individual airlines appear to have differing policies on flights to Spain that have already been booked.

Ryanair and BA will continue to run their flights to Spanish airports.

Tui has cancelled all holidays to the Spanish mainland from July 26 up to and including August 9.

They have also cancelled all holidays to the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands from July 28 up to and including July 31.

British tourists walk with their luggage outside the airport in Palma de Majorca. They arrived the same day the government heaped further agony on holidaymakers by officially advising Britons against all 'non-essential' travel to the Balearic and Canary Islands - including Ibiza, Majorca and Lanzarote

British Citizens arrive at the Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport in spite of the newly-introduced 14-day quarantine they will have to complete when they land

British holidaymakers wearing protective face masks arrive at the Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport on Monday

Jet2 has suspended flights and holidays to Costa de Almeria, Alicante, Malaga and Murcia from July 28 up to and including August 16. Pictured: A woman clutching a Jet2holidays board outside the Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport

All customers due to travel to Spanish destinations between July 26 and August 9 will be able to cancel or amend their holiday and will be able to receive a full refund or the option to rebook their holiday with a booking incentive.

Customers with holidays to Balearic Islands and Canary Islands from August 1 and mainland Spain from August 10 will be updated on Friday 31st July.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'The FCO is not advising those already travelling in Spain to leave at this time. Travellers should follow the advice of the local authorities on how best to protect themselves and others, including any measures that they bring in to control the virus.

'If you are returning from Spain you will be required to self-isolate on your return to the UK, but the FCO is not advising you to cut short your visit. You should contact your tour operator or airline if you have any questions about your return journey.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 12:14:44|Editor: huaxia

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SINGAPORE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The United States has never been a good example of upholding international law, with its demand for closing the Chinese Consulate General in Houston as another proof, Singaporean scholar Zheng Yongnian told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"While pretending to be the embodiment of the international law, it only demands other countries to abide by the international law," said Zheng, a professor of the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore.

For instance, the United States often cites the case of the so-called arbitration of the South China Sea against China, even though itself is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea yet, Zheng added.

On Tuesday, the United States abruptly demanded China close its Consulate General in Houston. Such a move is a "serious breach of international law and basic norms governing international relations as well as bilateral consular agreement," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular press conference.

The excuses behind the demand, such as the infringement of the property rights, don't have much to do with the foreign affairs between the two countries. Instead, they resemble those excuses the United States used to launch the trade war against China, which aim to "demonize China in an attempt to justify its hegemonic actions," Zheng said.

Commenting on a recent speech by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during which he maliciously attacked the Communist Party of China and China's social system, Zheng said this was a clear demonstration of a lack of basic knowledge about China and a sign of identity politics where people are divided according to their ideologies.

He pointed out that there are some politicians behind Pompeo in Washington who are engaged in ideological prejudice against China.

"Building a country's foreign policies upon the hatred of the few politicians is not sensible nor in accord with its national interests," Zheng said.

Besides the abrupt closure of the Chinese consulate general, some Chinese scholars and students in the United States are also unfairly treated.

The United States has largely revised its strategy towards China as it began to view the latter as the top competitor, and taken concrete steps to contain its rise.

However, aggression and invasion are not in the nature of the Chinese people, as manifested by the history of the Ming Dynasty hundreds of years ago, when China was the most powerful maritime nation in the world and forged friendly relations with other countries, Zheng added.

Unfortunately, this seems beyond understanding for the United States, he noted.

Considering that the United States is the world's largest developed nation while China is the largest developing one, maintaining a good relationship between the two big powers so as to prevent the world from falling into a bipolar scenario is beneficial not only to the citizens of both sides, but also to people worldwide, he concluded. Enditem
Kathmandu, July 27

The government has almost finalised the investment modality of the ambitious Bheri-Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project. As per an understanding among the stakeholders, the project will adopt a company model, in which 49 per cent of the shares will be given to the public.

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barsha Man Pun held a meeting with Karnali Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi among others recently and proposed the modality in which government agencies at federal, provincial and local levels, those affected by and benefitting from the project, and other members of the public have opportunities to invest in the project. The ministrys Secretary Rabindra Nath Shrestha says stakeholders attending the meeting consented to the proposal.

The ministrys Joint Secretary Madhu Prasad Bhetwal, also the project coordinator, says the federal government will contribute 26 per cent investment, Karnali provincial government 20 per cent and local units of the affected region five per cent, making the government investment 51 per cent in total.

Likewise, among the public shares, 29 per cent will be left open for all citizens of the country whereas 10 per cent will be reserved for citizens of the Karnali province, and 10 per cent for the locals of the affected region.

So far, only the federal government was investing in the project.

The project has been developed with the objective of utilising the water of Bheri and Babai rivers in western Nepal for hydropower generation and irrigation.
I remember the thrill of discovering that dictionary trick you all know: how the headings give the first and final words of the page. It was in primary school and, turning the pages handfuls at a time, I raced to find the print equivalent of the sound the teacher had left hanging in the air  Later, my hot-cheeked and giggling little group furtively found every "taboo word" we could name.

That's how the dictionary and I began our long relationship. At one uncharacteristically diligent stage of life, I used to make lists of new vocabulary from whatever I was reading. Sometimes, prompted by the International Phonetic Alphabet, I mouthed the sounds of marks on the page.

Noongar words such as quokka leap from the Macquarie. Credit:James Alcock

When I was training as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language, the dictionary was asked to resolve disagreements over pronunciation and vocabulary. We international English-speaking students often differed on such things and, before the Macquarie, speakers of Australian English were at a disadvantage. Not that there was complete agreement even among us.

What, for example, is the appropriate word to use for that scanty clothing we wear while swimming? Someone even claimed to pack their travelling clothes in something called a "port''. You'll find many varieties of Australian vocabulary in this dictionary of Australian English, even some examples  sista girl  from Aboriginal English.
Sara Ali Khan will now be seen with Akshay Kumar and Dhanush in her next. Titled Atrangi Re, the film is directed by Aanand L Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma of Tanu Weds Manu fame. The second shooting schedule of the film will begin in October this year.

Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared a still from the film on Twitter and wrote, UPDATE... #AkshayKumar, #Dhanush and #SaraAliKhan... #AanandLRai to commence second shooting schedule of #AtrangiRe from Oct 2020 in #Madurai... Music by #ARRahman... Heres a glimpse from the film... The still shows Sara in a suit and nosering and Dhanush in a striped shirt in the middle of a market. A portion of the film was shot in Varanasi in March before the lockdown and the still seems to be from the same schedule.

According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, the film will be shot in Madurai, Mumbai and Delhi. The portal quoted Aanand as saying, During the lockdown, I got a lot of time to prep for the upcoming schedule. We will be filming outdoors but it will be a very organised shoot. We will try to wrap up in the minimum time possible.

Aanand had told IANS last month, I try to challenge myself with each and every film and bring something new to the table which the audiences can take back with them.

Sara will reportedly be playing dual roles in the film. It is scheduled for a Valentines Day release next year. Sara saw her last release Love Aaj Kal on February 14 this year but it failed to impress the audience.

Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs sister Shweta shares their chat from June 10, reveals story of his birth: Wish Ill wake up to see my Bhai

Sara had earlier shared a throwback picture from the set of the film while missing work during lockdown. Sharing a collage of her pics holding the clapperboard of her films, she wrote, Missing being a #working #woman on a #working #wednesday But for now- Im a cook, cleaner, binge tv watcher, nerdy reader, annoying sister, needy daughter, responsible citizen and hopeful human #stayhome #staysafe #staypositive.

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India bans 47 Chinese apps and 250 more under scanner, PUBG could be next



The Indian government has banned 47 more apps of Chinese origin in the country. Te 47 banned Chinese apps were operating as clones of the earlier banned apps. The list of the 47 Chinese applications banned by the Indian government will be released soon. India has also prepared a list of over 250 Chinese apps, including apps linked to Alibaba, that it will examine for any user privacy or national security violations, government sources told India Today TV. The list also includes Tencent-backed gaming app PUBG.



There are fourteen apps by Xiaomi and some lesser-known apps including Capcut, FaceU, Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games and Yoozoo Global. The list also includes Helsinki-based Supercell, that have investments by Chinese tech companies. Tencent, which backs PUBG, bought a major stake in the gaming company. PUBG has its largest user base in India with around 175 million downloads.



Read More...


Facebook Inc has taken the European Union to court for invading the privacy of its employees, the social media company said today.

The social media company claims EU regulators have asked broad questions beyond the scope of two ongoing antitrust probes, and it has requested that the General Court in Luxembourg intervene.

Facebook has been under EU competition enforcers' scrutiny since last year, with one investigation focused on its trove of data and the other on its online marketplace launched in 2016 and used by 800 million Facebook users in 70 countries to buy and sell items.

European Union flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters, ahead of an EU leaders summit at the European Council headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium July 16, 2020

The company has since then provided 315,000 documents equivalent to 1.7 million pages to the Commission.

'The exceptionally broad nature of the Commission's requests means we would be required to turn over predominantly irrelevant documents that have nothing to do with the Commission's investigations, including highly sensitive personal information such as employees' medical information, personal financial documents, and private information about family members of employees,' Facebook general counsel Tim Lamb said in a statement.

'We think such requests should be reviewed by the EU Courts.'

The Commission said it would defend its case in court.

Pictured: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2018. Facebook has been under EU competition enforcers' scrutiny since last year, with one investigation focused on its trove of data and the other on its online marketplace launched in 2016 and used by 800 million Facebook users in 70 countries to buy and sell items

EU regulators comb through documents looking for about 2,500 search phrases which include 'big question', 'shut down' and 'not good for us', said a person familiar with the matter.

The person said such search terms could be found in employees' health information, performance evaluation and even job applications to the company which are not relevant to the EU investigations.

In addition to the two lawsuits against the Commission, Facebook is also seeking interim measures at the Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe's second-highest, to halt such data requests until judges rule, according to a court filing
Saudi Arabias Communication & Information Technologies Commission (CITC) has signed an agreement with Dutch-based Reseaux IP Europeens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) to support development of the Internet.



The memorandum of understanding (MoU) highlights collaboration in the areas of capacity building for the development of Internet infrastructure through training courses, meetings, and workshops and also includes Internet measurements using RIPE Atlas, the RIPE NCC's global Internet measurement platform.



The agreement was formalised via a first-of-its-kind online signing ceremony attended by Dr Mohamad Tamimi, Governor, CITC and Hans Petter Holen, Managing Director, RIPE NCC.



The agreement formalises the existing relationship between the RIPE NCC and the CITC, demonstrating both parties commitment to further collaborate and promote Internet coordination activities in the Kingdom.



Dr Tamimi said: The CITC is confident that the new agreement will allow us to strengthen our partnership to achieve a more stable and resilient Internet, by sharing know-how and best practices. We are truly proud of being one of the major organisations in the region that the RIPE NCC has partnered with to realise our common vision of developing the Internet.



Dr Tamimi further explained that this MoU aims at strengthening current partnerships and opening new avenues of collaboration with the RIPE NCC in other sectors, especially with academics.



Hans Petter Holen said: We are proud to announce the signing of a new strategic partnership agreement with the Saudi CITC, applauding its efforts to bring in world-class Internet infrastructure and best practices. Our partnership seeks to support our members and the Internet community by sharing expertise through trainings, meetings, and workshops. We remain fully committed to developing the Internet, a common goal that we share with CITC.



Holen also revealed that both parties will focus more on e-learning especially during and post COVID-19 through the RIPE NCC Academy and RIPE Academic Cooperation Initiative, allowing students to learn about the latest technology and at the same time bridging the gap between universities and industrial needs.



Both the RIPE NCC and CITC will cooperate for enhanced Internet measurements using RIPE Atlas and work together to further its deployment in Saudi Arabia.



RIPE NCC provides the administrative support needed to the RIPE community including facilitating the holding of RIPE meetings and providing administrative support to working groups.



The RIPE NCC is an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation, which act as a Regional Internet Registry (RIR), providing Internet number resources (IPv4, IPv6 and AS Numbers) and related services to its members.  TradeArabia News Service
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 23:14:43|Editor: huaxia

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KHARTOUM, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Sudan on Monday exported two tons of gold in a bid to provide foreign currencies for the Central Bank of Sudan and improve the status of local currency.

"We have general economic plans based on improvement of the economy and provision of decent livelihood for the citizen," Sudan's Acting Minister of Finance and National Economy, Hiba Mohamed Ali, said at a ceremony in Khartoum.

Last week, Sudan exported two tons of gold to the United Arab Emirates worth 120 million U.S. dollars.

Sudan is planing to export 2 tons of gold each week to provide foreign currencies for the central bank of Sudan after the reforms made by the higher committee for health emergencies on gold exports and prevention of monopoly.

After losing around 75 percent of its oil resources due to separation of South Sudan in 2011, Sudan started to focus on gold production to compensate for the loss of oil revenues. Enditem
Property developer HDC Hyundai Development has asked Asiana Airlines to conduct another due diligence, saying the cash-strapped carrier failed to live up to its end of the acquisition deal.

HDC on Sunday said it sent a notice to Asiana and parent Kumho Industrial to launch a 12-week due diligence review on its assets in mid-August.

The ominous demand comes a week after Jeju Air reneged on a deal to acquire rival budget carrier Eastar Jet, raising jitters that the HDC-Asiana deal may also fall through.

HDC said it requested the fresh study based on an external auditor pointing out Asiana's unsound fiscal status because the carrier's debts increased by W2.8 trillion even as it intends to borrow another W1.7 trillion to stay afloat amid the coronavirus epidemic (US1=W1,203).

HDC also said it is worried about Asiana's financial support for struggling affiliates and losses from a private equity fund.

It added that it sent 15 separate reminders to Asiana since early April informing the carrier of new areas of concern that need to be addressed but Asiana failed to provide adequate documents.

Asiana accused HDC of deliberately delaying the acquisition, which HDV dismissed as "distorting the truth." Main creditor Korea Development Bank is to discuss the matter on Monday.
Shark Week returns this year with a slate of new programming that includes a reality show bit, celebrity appearances, and plenty of shark-centric greatness.

The Discovery Channel is sparing no chum or ocean floor pebble to bring audiences its flagship summer event. Mike Tyson, Will Smith, and Snoop Doog are part of the lineup, as well as scientific expeditions, survivor tales, and local legends.

Heres a look at whats to come during Shark Week 2020, which kicks off on Aug. 9.

Great White shark | Brad Leue/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Sunday, Aug. 9

8 p.m. EST: Air Jaws: Ultimate Breach Off  Researchers hunt for sharks that jump from the ocean.

9 p.m. EST: Tyson vs. Jaws: Rumble on the Reef  Mike Tyson goes underwater to face off against the oceans toughest predators.

10 p.m. EST: Shark Lockdown  Scientists research great whites off the coast of New Zealand where they grow up to 20 feet.

Monday, Aug. 10

8 p.m. EST: Great White Double Trouble  Researchers head to Australia to learn about two groups of great whites behind shark attacks.

9 p.m. EST: ShaqAttack  Shaquille ONeal joins a mission to study the hunting methods of various sharks.

10 p.m. EST: Jaws Awakens  Its the hunt for the largest great white shark in the world, and its suspected hes in New Zealand.

Tuesday, Aug. 11

8 p.m. EST: Extinct or Alive: Land of the Lost Sharks  Its a quest to find three shark species that havent been studied for 100 years.

9 p.m. EST: Will Smith: Off the Deep End  Will Smith faces his fear of water while in coming face-to-face with sharks.

10 p.m. EST: Great White Serial Killer Extinction  To curtail attacks on sea otters, a decoy is launched to find out which shark(s) is causing mayhem off the California coast.

Wednesday Aug. 12

8 p.m. EST: Monsters Under the Bridge  Is there a hammerhead in the Florida Keys? Find out if Big Moe is really chilling under the Old Seven Mile Bridge.

9 p.m. EST: Jaws in America  Snoop Dogg traverses Americas waters with experts to check out shark encounters and great white shark behavior across the country.

10 p.m. EST: Mega Predators of Oz  Are mega sharks real or legend? Head to Australia where scientists employ DNA testing and other special methods to find out.

Thursday, Aug. 13

8 p.m. EST: Air Jaws 2020  Its another celebration of flying sharks.

9 p.m. EST: Adam Devines Secret Shark Lair  Devine and a team of marine biologists explore an underwater tiger shark lair where the party seems to be nonstop.

10 p.m. EST: Sharks of Neptune  Scientists study the impact of COVID-19 on shark behavior since there hasnt been any human contact in months.

Friday, Aug. 14

8 p.m. EST: Alien Sharks: First Contact  Divers are hoping to catch a glimpse of oddity sharks who have rarely been seen.

9 p.m. EST: Lair of the Great White  Great white sharks in a cave in Australia seem to be more aggressive than others. Learn why.

10 p.m. EST: Tiger Shark King  No Joe Exotic here, but something is attacking tiger sharks in the Caribbean. It could be a mega tiger shark or another cannibalistic beast.

11 p.m. EST: I Was Prey  Two survivors share their harrowing experiences of being attacked by sharks.

Saturday, Aug. 15

8 p.m. EST: Sharks of Ghost Island  A shark expert sails to a shark hot spot in the Bermuda Triangle region to learn why so many congregate there.

9 p.m. EST: Wicked Sharks  Sharks are studied from first-person point of view in Cape Cod to better understand attack behavior.

10 p.m. EST: Sharks Gone Wild 3  Reviews viral shark videos and examines science surrounding sharks.

11 p.m. EST: I Was Prey: Terrors from the Deep  Four survivors share what it was like to encounter one of the oceans top predators.

Sunday, Aug. 16

Naked & Afraid of Sharks 2

At 8 p.m. EST, fans can watch Naked & Afraid alumni Matt Wright, Jeff Zausch, Serena and Amber Shine, and Alex Maynard try to survive on an island surrounded by hungry sharks. And guess what? Theyre close to the Bermuda Triangle. Mark your calendars for Shark Week 2020.

RELATED: Mike Tyson Might Be a Fearsome Fighter, But Even He Cant Overpower a Great White Shark
The Duggar women all seem to share one hobby in common: shopping. Whenever the Duggar daughters and daughters-in-law get together for a girls day, it almost always involves a trip to the store for either home decor or new clothes. Over time, fans have asked where the women make most of their clothing and decor purchases. And it turns out they tend to shop in the same places.

The older Duggar sisters | D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Extra

The women turn to big-name stores for home decor

While some people love to shop boutiques for home goods, its also well-known that smaller stores tend to be more expensive. Since the Duggar daughters were raised to shop without spending much, they seem to gravitate toward bigger, more affordable places such as Amazon and Target. The have also done several ads for Ruggable, a washable rug company.

When Jessa Duggar posted a photo of her family room, fans were curious to know where she purchased the decor. It turns out the majority of the items, such as her rocking chair and rug, were from Amazon. When the women spent the day shopping together back in April, they could be seen carrying bags from Target. Jill Duggar has also vocalized that she loves WalMart.

RELATED: Counting On: What Prompted Jinger Duggars Wardrobe Metamorphosis?

Most baby clothes come from Amazon, but there are a few boutique brands

The Duggars are no stranger to babies, and they tend to get their baby clothes mostly from local thrift stores and Amazon. Jessa hasnt been shy about purchasing some of her sons clothing from thrift stores, though it seems that for babies, Amazon is the way to go. John and Abbie Duggar recently dressed their daughter in an Amazon outfit for her six-month photo, and Lauren Duggar always had cute maternity outfits and loves purchasing headbands and bows from the site for her daughter.

Lauren is also a big fan of Tennessee boutique Little Josies, and shes done several Instagram videos to highlight their products.

RELATED: Is Jessa Duggar Changing Her Style? She Called Jinger Duggars Wardrobe So Classy

The women love supporting friends, family, and local businesses

When it comes to their own clothing, the women love boutiques. Though they were raised shopping at thrift stores, many of them have moved on to support local businesses  especially those owned by family and friends. The Duggars cousin, Amy Duggar, owns 3130 Clothing, and the sisters have posted many photos wearing dresses from the shop. The sisters also love Bates Sisters Boutique, which is owned by the women in the Bates family, who are close friends with the Duggars.

Kendra Duggar has been spotted wearing earrings from Ashlynn Mikay, a jewelry designer from Northwest Arkansas. Jill Duggar has highlighted local boutiques owned by friends as well. For the most part, the women are reserved with their spending, though Jinger Duggar recently sprang for a staple piece and spent $300 on a blazer.

The sisters seem to care a lot about supporting locally owned businesses when it comes to their own style, but when it comes to decorating their homes, they choose to go with bigger names.
President Donald Trump is seeking a second term in the White House in Novembers vote but is currently trailing challenger Joe Biden in most polls.

Murtice Sherek says she is not excited about Mr Biden, the former vice president under Barack Obama, but admits she will do what she can to ensure the presidents defeat.

The Minnesota Democrat, a 79-year-old retired nurse, said: I dont really give a damn what I have to do.

If I have to carry signs on the streets, if I have to carry my old friends to the polls, Ill do it, Ms Sherek said.

This just cant be. Trump is a sick man.





Roughly three months before Election Day, a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research finds that Mr Bidens supporters are less enthusiastic than Mr Trumps, both about the campaign itself and about their candidate, although the Democrats coalition may be equally motivated by anxiety.

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Still, the poll reveals an American public at odds with Mr Trump on wearing masks, on balancing restrictions to stop the virus with efforts to help the economy and on fully reopening schools.

And voters give Mr Biden higher marks on many positive traits that apply to leadership in the age of the coronavirus, including honesty, capability and caring for Americans.

In 100 days, were going to make Donald Trump a one-term president. pic.twitter.com/vTrPRrHhwm  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 26, 2020

Ms Shereks assessment of the candidates highlights the nuanced motivations underlying the so-called enthusiasm gap, which has raised concerns among Mr Bidens allies who worry the deficit could undermine his candidacy once voting begins.

While interest in the presidential campaign is high across the board, just 31% of Biden supporters say they are excited, compared with 42% of Trump supporters.

Mr Bidens coalition is fuelled by more negative emotions: 72% of Biden supporters, but 52% of Trump supporters, say they feel anxious about the 2020 campaign.

The same disparity exists for frustration with the election, 65% for Biden supporters and 45% for Mr Trumps.

Anya Kumar, an 18-year-old recent high school graduate from Columbia, Missouri, vowed to vote for Mr Biden this autumn but conceded many of her young friends who oppose Mr Trump do not feel much passion for the former vice president.

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Many are not even registered, she said.

For the most part, people I know really just dont want Trump, Ms Kumar said, acknowledging that she is motivated more by anxiety about Mr Trumps reelection than genuine excitement about his Democratic rival.

If Biden doesnt win, that would suck.

Mr Bidens team largely dismisses the idea of an enthusiasm gap.

It says that with Mr Trumps level of support shrinking, a greater share of energised supporters is left behind in the diminished pool.

Indeed, Mr Trumps job approval in the new poll sits at 38%, within the narrow range that has endured throughout his presidency but down from relative highs earlier this year.

Just 32% of voters approve of the way Mr Trump is handling the pandemic, a low point that follows a steady decline from the outset of the crisis.

While Mr Trumps supporters almost unanimously approve of his performance overall, two in 10 disapprove of his response to the pandemic.

Stacey Rogus, 43, a Republican from Glendale, Arizona, who works in the medical industry, admitted some concerns about Mr Trump.

She says the president is narcissistic, does not act as presidential as she would like and does not think before he speaks.



He (Donald Trump) didnt make the virus

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But Ms Rogus is determined to vote for him a second time because of his economic policies and support for the US-Mexico border wall.

She also suspects that Mr Trumps political opponents are exaggerating the threat of the coronavirus pandemic to hurt his reelection.



The worst president (Donald Trump) we've ever had, period

She finds the timing of the outbreak a little odd.

He didnt make the virus, Ms Rogus said.

If anything, maybe the Democrat Party created it just to make him look bad.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has ruled out the virus being human-made and noted that is the scientific consensus as well.

The poll also found that voters generally prefer Mr Bidens character and values.

About six in 10 registered voters say that values like cares about people like you, honest and strong leader do not describe Mr Trump well.

By comparison, roughly the same majority say those characteristics describe Mr Biden at least somewhat well.

And in considering whether the two are capable, a question that likely reflects voters views of each mans mental acuity and ability to govern, fewer say that describes Mr Trump than Biden at least somewhat well, 43% vs. 56%.

Mr Trump, who is 74, and his allies have made attacks against Mr Bidens age and cognitive ability a centrepiece of their message.

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Mr Trump has an advantage on standing up for what he believes.

Seventy percent think this describes Mr Trump at least somewhat well, including 54% who think it describes him very well.

Sixty-three percent think standing up for his beliefs describes Mr Biden at least somewhat well, but just 36% think it describes him very well.

Mr Trumps supporters are much stronger in their positive descriptions of Mr Trump than Biden backers are of their candidate.

For example, wide majorities of Trump supporters think stands up for what he believes (87%), strong leader (75%) and capable (76%) describe the president very well.

Fewer Biden supporters think standing up for what he believes (63%), strong leader (50%) and capable (56%) describe Mr Biden very well.

For Mr Biden, a significant age gap within his coalition drives the lukewarm ratings.

Older Biden supporters are much more likely than those under 45 to say such traits describe Mr Biden very well.

Terrance Berinato, a 72-year-old Democrat from Front Royal, Virginia, who said he will definitely vote for Mr Biden and describes Mr Trump as the worst president weve ever had, period.

He acknowledged that Trump supporters may be more excited about their candidate, but he predicted it would not matter given that Mr Trumps overall support is shrinking.

Im sure Trump supporters, the 30% or 40% of people who would follow him to hell, are very enthused, Mr Berinato said.
MOSCOW -- Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) says it has killed a person from Central Asia who "planned a terrorist attack" in Moscow.

The FSB said on July 27 that the man, whose identity was not disclosed, was killed after he opened fire at security officers as they sought to detain him in the city of Khimki near Moscow.

According to the FSB, the man planned a shooting spree in a public place in the Russian capital.

In a video distributed by the FSB, a man introduced as the killed suspect's brother says that he informed Moscow law enforcement about his brother's association with an unnamed terrorist group in Syria.

The FSB said that officers found an assault rifle and grenades at the site where the shooting took place, adding that "evidence, proving the suspect's links with an international terrorist group banned in Russia," had been found.

On July 17, the FSB said it had prevented "a terrorist act" in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk, where people have been protesting for more than two weeks over the arrest of the regional governor, Sergei Furgal.

The FSB said at the time that an alleged terrorist who planned a shooting spree in "the place of large gathering of people" in Khabarovsk had been apprehended.
Photo: (Photo : unsplash/Luigi Pozzoli)

A wedding ring symbolizes love and commitment to your spouse. It has been a part of a tradition that couples wear wedding rings to signify that the wearer is married. Even those who have not gotten married probably know that it is worn on your fourth finger, but do you know why?

Here are some fun facts about wedding rings that you probably did not know.

Wedding ring history

The first recorded use of wedding rings dates back to Ancient Egypt. The wearing of circles symbolizes eternity, and represent the sun and moon deities.

The wedding rings, being round, are a symbol of eternity. Like a circle, marriage should have no end.

Men gave rings adorned with a small key in ancient Rome. It is a symbolic key to his heart.

People in England, France, and the US wear their bands on their left hand. India, Russia, and Germany wore them on their right hand.

See also: 15 Meaningful wedding ring tattoo designs

In some parts of India, brides wear toe rings (bichiya) instead of wearing them on their fingers.

During WWII, men started wearing wedding bands to remember their wives who are left at home. It was when the tradition of both couples wearing rings started.

Historically, one reason for having wedding rings is for a man to prove his financial stability to support his wife.

People believe that the rings are ways for lovers to show their intent to the receiver.

See also: Love languages quiz: Understand how to make your family feel loved

Wedding ring traditions

In Romania, when couples reach their silver wedding anniversary (25th year), they exchange silver rings. They have to wear it along with their gold wedding rings.

Tradition has it that if the groom drops the ring during the ceremony, the marriage is doomed.

The US sees 17 tons of gold turned into wedding rings yearly.

About 70 percent of married women wear their wedding rings on the fourth finger of their left hand. The tradition dates back to the Roman times when they believed that the vein of love, or vena amoris, is in the fourth finger.

The most commonly engraved phrase on wedding rings would be the groom's name.

The first recorded diamond ring was in 1477, when Maximilian I, the King of Germany, proposed to Mary of Burgundy.

Diamond comes from the word "adamant," a Greek term that means untamable or invincible, as many linguists believe.

The most famous diamond shape is a brilliant round cut.

Traditionally, wedding rings were made of gold, which is the purest and most valuable metal. It perfectly symbolizes marriage.

See also: 9 Royal baby traditions you probably did not know existed

Seventy-three percent of rings are made up of white gold. Platinum ranks the second most popular metals for wedding bands.

To date, the most expensive ring costs $16.26 million.

Also, a wedding ring saved a man's life. During a robbery shootout, a man deflected the bullet going to his face with his wedding ring.

Some cultures consider wedding rings the finale in the wedding gift series.
A view from Wrexhams Member of Parliament

This article is old - Published: Monday, Jul 27th, 2020

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Members of Parliament and Assembly Members to write a monthly article with updates on their work in their respective Parliaments and closer to home  you can find them all here.

Today, Wrexhams MP Sarah Atherton writes

This month we celebrated the NHS 72nd birthday, allowing us to pay tribute to all the lives that have been saved by the hard work and dedication of our NHS workers.

https://twitter.com/AthertonNWales/status/1279790304531447808?s=20

During this pandemic I have had the privilege of working alongside some of the fantastic men and women at the Maelor, and have seen first-hand their dedication and compassion. Despite being faced with the biggest health crisis of a generation and being under unfathomable pressure, their commitment and sacrifice to caring for our community has been truly heart-warming.

It has been a pleasure to work alongside some of the fantastic men and women at #Wrexham Maelor Hospital during this pandemic. https://t.co/IVDPdQHRJC  Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) July 23, 2020



Thanks to your sacrifices over the last few months, coronavirus cases have fallen, and weve seen a significant relaxation of restrictions here in Wales. Ive met with local businesses to discuss their experiences of re-opening and the challenges faced.

It was fantastic to see more people out and about in #Wrexham and supporting local businesses today! #ShopLocal pic.twitter.com/xXtfyTZm8W  Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) July 2, 2020

Many thanks to our local Wrexham MP @AthertonNWales for catching up with @205samr our Chair and Joe from @NthEastWales this morning to talk about help for our tourism sector and how businesses can be supported to salvage the 2020 season. #tourism pic.twitter.com/epybMbb2R6  This Is Wrexham (@ThisIsWrexham) July 20, 2020



Earlier this month the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced his plan for jobs; supporting, creating and protecting jobs across the whole of the UK as we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

Measures such as the new Eat Out to Help Out scheme, giving people up to 50 per cent off their meals out, will provide a much needed boost to our hospitality industry, whilst schemes such as the Job Retention Bonus, will encourage employers to retain staff who have been furloughed. These schemes will provide stability to our economy in the months ahead.

https://twitter.com/AthertonNWales/status/1280851914721288192?s=20

More recently, the UK Government has announced that the Welsh Government will receive a minimum of 1.1 billion in additional funding this year, on top of 2.9 billion confirmed since March to help provide support following the coronavirus pandemic.

This announcement will take the total amount of coronavirus funding guaranteed to the Welsh Government to a minimum of 4 billion for 2020/21, on top of their Spring Budget funding, giving the Welsh parliament the certainty and financial flexibility to plan for the months ahead.

https://twitter.com/PaulDaviesPembs/status/1286585328699154433?s=20

In the House of Commons, landmark bills have passed through the House this month. I am particularly proud to have supported the Domestic Abuse Bill, which ensures greater protection for victims of domestic abuse, whilst ensuring that perpetrators will be faced with the full force of the law.

https://twitter.com/AthertonNWales/status/1280257919188185088?s=20

I was pleased to meet with the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on his visit to London to discuss shared security challenges, and our special relationship.

https://twitter.com/AthertonNWales/status/1286060542378024966?s=20

In my role on the Defence Select Committee I asked the Chief of the Defence Staff at the MoD, Sir Nick Carter, about the representation of female and BAME service personnel in the British Armed Forces.

During yesterdays evidence session I asked about the representation of female and BAME service personnel in the British Armed Forces https://t.co/L7dOUTBBIV https://t.co/JsJdWfmaju  Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) July 8, 2020



Ive also been working with the Fawcett Society on their national Equal Power campaign to encourage more women, from a variety of backgrounds into politics.

Proud to support #EqualPower, a national campaign to encourage more women, from a variety of backgrounds into politics. Take part in online training on community organising & leadership, getting into politics & using your voice online https://t.co/cufB5BzzKs  Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) July 6, 2020

During Prime Ministers Questions, I raised the story of my constituent, beautiful and brave Eva, who is fighting DIPG, an inoperable brain tumour. I am proud of Wrexham residents for rallying around Eva and helping to raise money for experimental treatment aboard. I asked the Prime Minister to work with the family for ways that Eva could access this treatment.

https://twitter.com/EvaUnbeatable/status/1283368166165487616?s=20

The last few months have showcased our resilience as a nation, and Id like to thank everyone across Wrexham and the whole of the UK for the part they played in defeating this virus. The crisis is by no means over, but I am confident that we will overcome whatever obstacles come our way.

As always, if I can be of any assistance please dont hesitate to get in touch.

Email: sarah.atherton.mp@parliament.uk

Phone: 020 7219 4885

Post: 65 Regent Street, Wrexham, LL11 1PF



Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Welsh and UK Parliament representatives to write a monthly article with updates on their work and closer to home  you can find them all here.
Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on July 27, congratulated PM Modi for his government's decision to swap currency with Sri Lanka at a time of critical need. He suggested that India's help would remove Sri Lanka from a tight spot and all of Sri Lanka will thank PM for it.

On Friday, July 24, Sri Lanka signed a $400 million currency swap agreement with India's Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in order to meet their short-term international liquidity requirements amid the looming COVID crisis.

Read | Sri Lanka signs $400 MN currency swap with India to meet financial needs amid COVID

I am impressed with the Modi Government decision to swap currency to the extent of $ 400 millions with Sri Lanka. I had brought to the notice of PM that SL has legacy issue of financial debt and needs India to help out. Whole of SL now says to PM: Dhanyavad! This the way to go.  Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) July 27, 2020

The RBI's move follows a series of technical discussions that happened on July 22 about drafting a rescheduled plan for bilateral debt repayments. The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo has stated that they reached an agreement with the Ceylon neighbour and that the currency swap will act as a relief measure for Sri Lanka during its COVID recovery days.

The High Commission in its statement after the discussion explained that this gesture is an example of India's strong commitment to maintaining mutually respectable relations with Sri Lanka and asserted that India and Sri Lanka will work closely in the post-COVID-19 economic recovery period.

Read | PM Modi likely to convene meeting with all State CMs on July 27 as Unlock 2 deadline nears

Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy noted that the idea to help Sri Lanka in its time of critical need was his suggestion, stating that he had brought to the notice of PM Modi about the 'legacy issue' of Sri Lanka's financial debt and that India needs to help its neighbour at this juncture.

He further added that India's timely help will be greatly received by the people of Sri Lanka and everyone from across the border will now say 'Dhanyavad!'

According to news agency ANI, The Indian delegation that took part in the discussion comprised of senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the EXIM Bank which interacted with representatives from the Department of External Resources of Sri Lanka via a video link.

Read | Sri Lanka seeks $1.1B currency swap facility from India as pandemic batters forex kitty

Earlier, PM Modi engaged in a telephonic conversation with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his counterpart PM Mahinda Rajapaksa on May 23 and May 27 respectively to discuss and assess the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of people and the country's economy. PM Modi assured the Sri Lankan President and Rajapakse that India will offer all necessary support to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and that both countries will continue to work towards the betterment of each other as well as the region.

Had an excellent talk with President @GotabayaR. Sri Lanka is fighting COVID-19 effectively under his leadership. India will continue to support our close maritime neighbour in dealing with the pandemic and its economic impact.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 23, 2020

Read | Sri Lanka has successfully curbed community spread of coronavirus, says task force head
The first batch of five Rafale jets have started their 7000-km long journey to India from the airbase in France. The two-day journey of the much-awaited Dassault-made fighter jets will conclude in Ambala, Haryana, where they will officially join the Indian Air Force on July 29.

The fighter jets will have a stop over at UAE's Al Dhafra Air Base and there will be air-to-air refueling on the way before the twin-engine multi-role, nuclear capable fighter aircraft reach their final destination.

India has been long awaiting these advanced Dassault Rafale jets to enhance their firepower exponentially, especially after the Balakot episode.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Indo-French joint Air Exercise Garuda-VI, Indian Air Force Air Chief Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Then Vice Air Chief) warned enemies, including Pakistan of deadly combination of Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Rafale MMRCA fighter jets.

The first 5 #IAF #Rafales have taken off from Dassault Aviation Facility, Merignac, #France today morning. These 5 include 3 single-seater and 2 twin-seater aircraft. The ferry is planned in two stages & is being undertaken by IAF pilots. 1/2#RafaleJet pic.twitter.com/0TWU5zlgvQ  Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) July 27, 2020

"Once the Su-30MKI and the Rafale start operating together, it will be a potent combination against our adversaries, be it Pakistan or anybody else. It will be a potent capability. Any adversary would be worried about such a combination," said Bhadauria during the Garuda exercise. Bhadauria was the head of the Indian team that negotiated with France for the deal to acquire 36 Rafale jets in 2016. "For any such (February 27-type) operation by Pakistan, they would have losses much more. We would have larger weapons and we would have better weapons. The attrition that we will inflict would be very very high," Vice Chief added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said that Rafale could have inflicted more damage on the terror camps had Rafale been in the force. In March 2019, PM said that the entire country is feeling the absence of Rafale fighter jet aircraft. The Russia-made Sukhoi Su-30MKI is currently the most potent fighter jet in the IAF's arsenal and experts believe that combined with the Rafale, India's airpower will be increased exponentially. Here's a brief look at both the aircrafts:

#WATCH Rafale jets taking off from France to join the Indian Air Force fleet in Ambala in Haryana on July 29th. pic.twitter.com/6iMJQbNT9b  ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2020

Dassault Rafale

India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore. The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons and missiles and the first squadron of the aircraft will be deployed at Ambala air force station, considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF. The Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from there. The second squadron of Rafale will be stationed at Hasimara base in West Bengal. The Rafale is a modern fighter jet known for its agility, speed, weapon holding capacity and attack capability. The Dassault Rafale has a delta wing design and is capable of g-forces as high as 11g (in case of emergency). The Rafale is available in both single and dual seating cabin (India ordered 28 single and 8 dual seater Rafale).

Image for representation. (Image: Reuters)

Sukhoi Su-30MKI

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is the most advanced fighter jet in operation with the Indian Air Force and is the primary air to air and air to ground strike machine. Also known as Flanker (NATO), the Su-30 MKI is built in India by HAL under a license agreement with Russias Sukhoi. The Su-30MKI is exclusively used by India and theres an estimate that IAF has 290 operational units of 30MKI till now. The first unit was inducted in 2002. The Sukhoi Su-30MKI has a top speed of Mach 2 (2120 kmph) and has a maximum takeoff weight of 38,800 kg. The jet can carry a wide range of equipment from radars to missiles, bombs and event rockets.
New Delhi: China has mastered the art of copying and it has now become part of its culture. Contrary to the Indian value system, China rather takes pride in this criminal enterprise of counterfeit products. Forbes magazine has surveyed that counterfeit goods worth over Rs 127 lakh crore are sold annually across the world and it is more than the economy of Canada, Russia, South Korea, and Australia.

Surprisingly, 80 percent of these counterfeit goods sold globally are made in China, which sells 60 to 80 percent of these products merely in countries like America, thereby, weakening the economy of those nations from where it actually copies the products.

The DNA analysis delves deep into China's criminal enterprise of counterfeit products to unearth the facts. China has evolved itself to produce a copy of any product from coffee to cars.

By the year 1985, the total number of cars in China stood at 5200 as the majority of Chinese people did not possess a car. They were not allowed to own a private car, according to the Communist culture of China, but now the number of vehicles in China is more than 270 million. This number is more than the number of cars present in Europe.

Now, several top auto companies manufacture their vehicles in China, which allegedly copies the designs of these companies and to produce an exact replica of these vehicles and sold them in the market. You will also be surprised to see some examples of this:

The Maruti 800 used to be India's most famous car until a few decades ago. This was called India's first Family Car. Today, this car is not produced in India but its replica or duplicate model is still very famous in China. In China, the Maruti 800 is known as Jiang-Nan TT, which resembles Maruti 800 with an 800cc engine besides flaunting all other features.

The famous Toyota car Innova, which comes with a starting price tag of Rs 25 lakh in India, a replica of this car, sold in China under the name Linmax, is available for just Rs 7.5 lakh.

Similarly, Jaguar Land Rover's famous car Range Rover Evoque has been replicated in China and is sold as Land Wind X7. The price of the original car is around Rs 55 lakh while Chinese vehicle is available for merely Rs 15 lakh. Notably, Jaguar Land Rover is owned by Tata Motors of India.

Another big car manufacturer Audi's famous model Audi R8 is being produced in China as CH Lithia. The original Audi R8 costs around Rs 1.25 billion, while in China this car is available for a much lower price.

One of the most expensive and luxurious vehicles in the world is Rolls Royce Phantom, which is available at a starting price of Rs 9 crore in India, but the Chinese replica is sold under the name of Geely GE, which costs merely Rs 32 lakh.

In China, you can roam around in a fake luxury car, wearing fake clothes as well as shoes of expensive brands. Not only this, but you can also shop for fake branded products and drink even fake coffee.

The production of these counterfeit goods in China, however, has hurt the world economy. For example, the US alone suffers an annual economic loss of Rs 14 lakh crore.

Even canned food items in India have also become a victim of Chinese products. It is believed that 22 percent of this industry is dominated by counterfeit products from China, affecting several big Indian brands. According to a FICCI report, this has caused an annual loss of Rs 6000 crores to Indian firms.

China has earned profit by making these fake products but has hit the economies of other countries. The question arises as to how China has done this. It has adopted three methods:

1. Firstly, it has surreptitiously entered into the supply chain of original goods and stolen the real goods to sell them illegally at cheap prices.

2. Secondly, it creates a replica of original goods as most of the world's products are made in China itself. Already aware of the designs of these products, China, therefore, takes advantage and fits fake parts and launches counterfeit goods in the market.

3. The Third way is to create a copy of big international brands. The names of these products are also similar to the original so that customers fail to understand the difference between the fake and the real. For example, on the pattern of famous Coffee Chain Star Bucks, a coffee chain called SunBucks is famous in China.

Copying in China is neither considered a moral offence nor the laws there try to stop this practice.
Read what is in the news today.

Society

 Vietnam logged no new case of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Monday morning, with the national tally remaining at 420 infections. The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control reported that the health of the 416th and 418th patients, two of the latest local transmission cases in the country, has turned worse.

 Nguyen Van Hai, director of Quang Nam Provinces Department of Health, on Sunday evening said that 25 people who are being quarantined in Hoi An City for being in close contact with the 416th and 418th COVID-19 cases in the central city of Da Nang had all tested negative for the coronavirus.

 A Chinese national has been arrested in Da Nang for helping people enter Vietnam illegally, said Major General Vu Xuan Vien, director of the Da Nang Department of Police.

 The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) will soon grant permission for airlines to maximize the number of domestic flights from and to Da Nang to quickly bring tourists back to their hometown amid new developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, head of the CAAV Dinh Viet Thang has said.

Business

 Grab Vietnam announced on Sunday evening that the ride-haling company will suspend GrabRent and inter-provincial services in Da Nang from Monday over COVID-19 concerns.

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade has applied anti-dumping measures on some products with biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film originating in China, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Lifestyle

 Hundreds of photos highlighting the landscape and locals' daily life in Sierra Nevada, a famous tourist destination in the north of Colombia, are being displayed at a photo exhibition themed A Window into Colombia: The Black Line in Hanoi, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Education

 The Da Nang Department of Education and Training on Sunday decided to close preschools, language centers, and life skill classes from 1:00 pm on the same day, with students being asked to stay home until further notice.

Sports

 The Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF) on Sunday officially announced the suspension of the country's tournaments V-League 1 from July 29 and V-League 2 from July 30 owing to renewed risks of COVID-19.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Hong Kong: 1 more COVID-19 death recorded

Queen Elizabeth Hospital today announced that a 76-year-old female COVID-19 patient passed away on July 26, taking the number of COVID-19 patients who have died in public hospitals to 19.

The patient, who had chronic disease, was admitted to the hospital on July 21 due to cough and abdominal pain. Her condition continued to deteriorate and she eventually succumbed.

The hospital said it would offer necessary assistance to her family.

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The following year, Makula got his question on the ballot, but the Niles Village board also presented its own term limits question to voters. Both questions were approved at the ballot box and the village ended up adopting the provisions of its own referendum, which allows trustees to serve no more than three four-year terms and the mayor to serve no more than two four-year terms.
Implicated but not charged.

Thats how Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan was described in news story after news story since federal prosecutors and Commonwealth Edison entered into a plea deal.

In a nutshell, ComEd, the humungous utility serving Chicago and much of northern Illinois, has admitted to bribing a public official, and has agreed to pay $200 million and to cooperate with federal investigators for at least the next three years.

But no Commonwealth Edison executives are going to prison.

When I see a prosecutor choose not to nail a guilty executives pelt to the wall, theres a reason and it is usually because they are aiming higher.

And by now, it should be obvious U.S. Attorney John Lausch wants to take down Madigan, the longest-serving state House speaker in U.S. history.

Madigan, through a spokesman, said he is innocent.

For decades, Madigan has been the most powerful person in the state. But assertions of wrongdoing have swirled around the speaker like flies buzzing around a carcass.

Despite this, hes always been able to claim the two words synonymous with the Illinois version of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval: Never indicted.

Mike Madigan is the glue that holds the Illinois Democratic Party together. If we lose him, we are in big, big trouble. But I think Mike Madigan is a whole lot smarter than those going after him. When this is over, hes going to stick it right up their fannies, said Denny Jacobs, a Democrat and former state lawmaker from East Moline.

I began covering Madigan in 1987 and Ive watched his power and arrogance grow decade by decade.

Its never been a secret in Springfield that House Speaker Mike Madigan helped his supporters get jobs with Commonwealth Edison. Its been going on for years.

Prosecutors would have us believe that ComEd did this to curry favor with Madigan, who in turn would support the utilitys legislative agenda.

At the heart of the utilitys lobbying practices is the way in which it bestowed contracts and subcontracts on Madigans supporters between 2011 and 2019. The feds contend Madigan allies were paid handsomely but often did little to no work for the power company.

Much is at stake when the utility asks Madigan for help.

For example, in 2016, the Madigan-led House gave the green light for ComEds corporate parent, Exelon, to hit its customers with as much as a $2.3 billion, 10-year rate increase to subsidize two of Exelons financially struggling nuclear plants just north of the Quad Cities.

Several years ago, a former federal prosecutor shared that it is difficult to investigate Madigan because he doesnt use email and often uses long-time aides as intermediaries.

When the former fed shared this with me over lunch, I couldnt help but remember a quote from long-ago Louisiana governor, Earl Long: Dont write anything you can phone. Dont phone anything you can talk. Dont talk anything you can whisper. Dont whisper anything you can smile. Dont smile anything you can nod. Dont nod anything you can wink.

Charles Wheeler III, a long-time statehouse reporter and Illinois political observer, has known Madigan since the 1960s. He is skeptical that Madigan will be charged with any wrongdoing.

My take is the prosecutors have thrown this out there without actually charging Madigan to see what shakes loose, he said.

But Jim Nowlan, a long-time statehouse political observer, said what sets this scandal apart from others is its size and the level of arrogance involved.

A document released by prosecutors alleges that Madigan successfully sought to name a board member to ComEds board of directors.

Who is so arrogant as to think they can name someone to the board of a corporation like Commonwealth Edison? The size of this is big, federal prosecutors had to do something, Nowlan said.

But Wheeler anticipates Madigan will weather the storm.

Short of a conviction, Madigan will likely continue to be elected speaker, he said.

Wheeler said this despite more than a dozen Democratic House members reportedly saying the speaker should resign if the allegations are true.

Thats a pretty big caveat they have given themselves  if the allegations are true. Unless something like that were to be proven in court against Madigan, I expect he will be reelected.

Scott Reeder is a veteran statehouse journalist and a freelance reporter. He can be reached at ScottReeder1965@gmail.com.
Iran Unofficially Accuses Jordan Of 'Role' In Interception Of Iran Airliner

Radio Farda July 26, 2020

A website close to Iran's security council has said "most probably the two American F-15 fighter planes" that intercepted an Iranian airliner on July 23 flew out of al-Azraq airbase in Jordan.

This is the first time Iran unofficially blames Jordan as having had a role in the interception of the airliner.

Nour News also claimed that American "warplanes and drones" involved in the targeted killing of Qassem Soleimani in January flew out of al-Azraq.

The commander of Iran's Aerospace force in the past had blamed Jordan for having been the launch pad for American drones that killed Soleimani, but Amman had denied the accusation.

A Mahan Air Airbus was intercepted over Syria "for identification" by at least one U.S. jet, leading to controversy over it s flight path, destination and whether the U.S. action endangered the passengers.

The U.S. military said it had to identify the plane which could have posed a danger to its base at Tanaf in Syria.

Iranian reports all along have spoken of two fighter planes, while the U.S. military in a statement has said only one aircraft was involved.

Nour News also threatened Jordan that its support for U.S. military operations can have "consequences" and demanded Jordan's charge d'affaires in Tehran be summoned.

Iranian officials and media have presented the incident as a sign of American threatening behavior and recklessness and its hardliner Judiciary has demanded the foreign ministry resort to international legal action.

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran- unofficially-accuses-jordan-of-role-in-interception -of-iran-airliner/30747627.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.

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Vineet Upadhyay By

Express News Service

DEHRADUN: Amid ongoing border tensions between India and Nepal near Uttarakhand's Tanakpur, Nepalese residents have reportedly set up a barbed wire fence in the 'no man's land' zone.

The villagers completed the task on Sunday, when Nepal government officials visited the site in Brahmdev.

Chief district officer and superintendent of police of Nepal's armed forces visited Kanchanpur district to talk to locals and survey the area.

Indian authorities on the other hand, registered their protest on the issue and a meeting between the officials of the two countries is likely to take place this week.

"We have spoken to the Nepalese authorities and they told us that they will provide us the date of next meeting soon. We are keeping an eye on the ground," SN Pandey, district magistrate of Champawat told The New Indian Express.

Forces on ground patrolling the border also revealed that the locals could not have completed the fencing work without funding, other support from the administration.

"It is almost impossible for residents of border area to erect such structures and then build up barbed wire fences without any support from government authorities of Nepal. We are keeping an eye on every development in the area," said an SSB official on the condition of anonymity.

According to reports, Nepalese residents built around 23 wood and concrete structures in the 'no man's land' zone on Indian side of the border last week, which turned into a contentious issue.

The Nepalese have laid claim to the land spanning over 150 square meters, which according to India, belongs to neither and is a 'no man's land' zone.

According to the Indian officials, Nepalese nationals had encroached upon area near Pillar 811 and Tanakpur barrage in Uttarakhand's Champawat district and laid claim over it.
Civilians in Afghanistan were less likely to die in the first six months of this year than at any time since 2012.

But the reduction is not because of a lull in Taliban attacks, nor the performance of Afghan security forces. Rather, US-led international forces have tempered their offensive operations and the threat from Isis has beaten back, according to the latest United Nations report from the country.

Military operations by international forces accounted for only 3 per cent of civilian casualties while Isis attacks totalled 9 per cent. The Taliban and related groups made up for nearly half of all civilian attacks and government forces about a quarter, according to the UN report.

While civilian casualties are down 13 per cent, Afghanistan remains one of the deadliest conflicts in the world for civilians, said the report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Afghanistan civilian war casualties, January to June, 2009 to 2020 (UNAMA)

Afghanistan is at a crossroads. It has been in armed conflict for more than 40 years, with US-led international forces backing a shaky Kabul government for nearly two decades.

The US and the Taliban are edging towards a possible deal that would presage a withdrawal of international troops and the recasting of the extremist group, rooted in the countrys ethnic Pashtun plurality, as part of the Afghan political scene.

A halt to attacks on US forces and an overall reduction in violence are among the preconditions for peace. But bloodshed continues. On 13 July, the Taliban launched a multi-pronged attack on a government intelligence compound in the northern city of Aybak, southeast of Mazar-i-Sharif, killing nearly a dozen people. Government forces on 22 July killed 45 people, including civilians, in airstrikes on suspected Taliban fighters in the western province of Herat.

At least 1,282 civilians were killed in bombings and shootings between 1 January and 30 June of 2020, a rate of at least seven people a day, compared to 1,422 for the same period last year and 1,729 in 2018, a peak year of violence. Another 2,176 civilians were wounded in the same period, down from 2,551 a year earlier.

Analysts say protecting civilian lives is the key factor in bolstering the credibility of the Kabul government, preventing the continued migration from Afghanistan of the middle class and bringing a measure of stability and prosperity. But over the last six years, over 10,000 civilians have been killed in the country.

The governments inability to protect much of its population from the impact of war, even with foreign assistance, has long been as much of a driver as it is a result of the conflict there, said Andrew Watkins, senior analyst for the Crisis Group, a Brussels-based advocacy organisation.

Do casualties and violence need to come down, in order to achieve peace? he said, The atmosphere in Kabul is terrible for peace talks now, and a serious reduction in violence would go a long way to assuaging Afghans fears about the process.

Adding to the countrys misery, it is also suffering through a burgeoning outbreak of the novel coronavirus. At least 36,157 people have been infected and 1,259 people have died of Covid-19, including 53 healthcare workers, according to the health ministry statistics cited by the World Health Organisation.

Prospects for peace in Afghanistan remain fragile. Talibans political chief warned Sunday that the Taliban would resume attacks on US forces if the government in Kabul refused to release thousands of prisoners or if Washington reneges on removing troops.

The Afghan national flag is waved during Independence Day celebrations in Kabul in 2019 (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

If the foreign forces do not leave Afghanistan on schedule, the Islamic Emirate will make the necessary decisions, Abdul Ghani Baradar said in an interview with an Iranian news agency. The release of all 5,000 Taliban prisoners is the precondition for the start of intra-Afghan negotiations.

Washington dispatched Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on a diplomatic mission late last week to Afghanistan, Qatar, and Pakistan in an attempt to press for direct talks between the Taliban and the Kabul government of President Ashraf Ghani.

International officials have urged both Kabul officials and the Taliban to hammer out a deal to end the war, which has been ongoing since the Taliban formed in the 1990s and took over almost all of the country before being toppled by US-led forces and Afghan militias that now make up the government.

At a time when the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban have a historic opportunity to come together at the negotiating table for peace talks, the tragic reality is that the fighting continues inflicting terrible harm to civilians every day, Deborah Lyons, the UN special envoy to Afghanistan, said in a statement.
The cloud kitchen market in India will hit $1.05 billion by 2023.

Just 13% of the total market has been utilised so far.

Veer Arjun Singh and Dhruv Munjal report.

IMAGE: A waiter with a protective face mask and shield sets a table at the Biswa Bangla Gate restaurant in Kolkata, June 25, 2020. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters

The doors have reopened and the tables laid -- albeit six feet apart-- but there are no guests.

In a raging pandemic that affords no room for either revelry or quiet dining, restaurants, ordinarily sites of cool conviviality, are now cold, empty, arid shells.

The restaurant industry has been one of the biggest casualties of the coronavirus crisis worldwide.

But in India, where the food service sector employs over seven million people and is estimated to be worth Rs 4.2 lakh crore, the distress has been particularly acute.

For one, the lockdown here was among the longest and most stringent in the world.

Two, the industry has found no mention in the five instalments of economic relief announced by the government.

IMAGE: Customers study a menu card at a restaurant in New Delhi, June 9, 2020. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters

The projections are painful.

In May, the National Restaurant Association of India said that two million people in the industry were expected to lose their jobs.

Credit rating agency Crisil predicted that revenues were likely to plunge 40 to 50 per cent in FY21.

And worst: 30 per cent of all restaurants in the country, according to the Federation of Hotel and Restaurants Association of India, may fold up permanently.

Gurugram-based Lite Bite Foods, a major F&B company that operates brands such as Punjab Grill, Tres and Zambar, isn't hopeful of a turnaround anytime soon.

"The overall revenue is down to about five per cent," says its director, Rohit Aggarwal.

Rental agreements have been redrawn and landowners -- in markets, corporate buildings and malls -- have turned into revenue-sharing partners till the end of the financial year.

Given the grim scenario, the company has announced it will invest Rs 24 crore over the next three years to open 35 cloud kitchens in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

The revenue target is set at Rs 100 crore by 2023.

The Carnival Group has made a similar investment: in the next two years, it plans to make use of its empty cinemas and use Rs 15 crore to set up 100 cloud units.

IMAGE: A chef at work at Cross Border Kitchens. Photograph: Kind courtesy crossborderkitchens/Instagram.com

Cloud kitchens, also known as dark or ghost kitchens, have been around for a while but have flown under the radar.

These are essentially low-cost models where kitchens in places with cheap real estate are rented out, and from which deliveries are fulfilled mostly through an aggregator.

Since they are not attached to a proper restaurant, there are no overheads like lighting, decor, front-of-the-house salaries, and so on.

Low capital cost is why cloud kitchens with curious names (Bhookemon, for one) are quickly scaling up to deliver the same menu at different pin codes with consistency.

Apart from low rentals, the sourcing of ingredients is centralised, the R&D happens at a base kitchen and once a recipe is finalised, it can be easily replicated at different locations.

"Earlier, the growth and demand for delivery was due to people not wanting to cook at home -- mostly the office-going crowd. But now, with people not going out, cloud kitchens will also cater to the restaurant segment," says Pawan Raj Kumar, co-founder at Hoi Foods, whose brands include Deez Biryani, Ketofy and Smoodies.

A report from Datalabs by Inc42 estimates that the cloud kitchen market in India will hit $1.05 billion by 2023, adding that just 13 per cent of the total market has been utilised so far.

Even though food delivery aggregators like Zomato and Swiggy have their own cloud kitchens -- Zomato Infrastructure Services and Swiggy Access, respectively -- the report suggests that a large chunk of the pie is still up for grabs.

"A kitchen can be opened for as little as Rs 10 lakh," says Ashish Tulsian, co-founder of POSist technologies, a company that provides restaurants and cloud kitchens with point-of-sale, or POS, systems that allow them to run large, integrated operations.

It's also the system that Lite Bite Foods plans to use for its cloud kitchen operations.

Tulsian adds that a revenue-sharing model with an aggregator helps individuals start their business at a low risk.

IMAGE: CBK offers everything from momos to Mughlai. Photograph: Kind courtesy crossborderkitchens/Instagram.com

Metrics aside, much of the hype around cloud kitchens is being driven by changing preferences.

For long, delivery was synonymous with pizza, or Chinese.

Now, with cloud kitchen companies rapidly expanding their portfolios, customers have a bigger plate to choose from.

Kumar has noticed that more people are now choosing 'health' foods.

Ola Foods is betting big on Khichdi Experiment>/strong>, an in-house brand that sells 16 varieties of the rice dish.

At Cross Border Kitchens, gourmet burgers -- sold through its own brand, AIM Burger -- are popular.

"The last few months have made people believe that they can enjoy a great food experience even at home," feels Karan Tanna, founder of Ghost Kitchens, an investment and incubation venture for start-ups keen to enter the cloud kitchen space.

All the leading cloud kitchens have burgeoning portfolios.

CBK offers everything from momos to Mughlai.

Similarly, Ola Foods has mixed it up with Paratha Experiment and Bowlsome.

Successful restaurants always brandished their brand value.

Now, by launching distinct brands of their own, cloud kitchens are looking to upend that.

"India is a diverse country and we have a large food palette. So we set out to redefine comfort food," says Anshul Khandelwal, head of marketing, category and revenue, Ola Foods.

IMAGE: A Swiggy delivery executive en route to a customer. Photograph: Kind courtesy Swiggy.com

Ola Foods, in fact, is a study in why cloud kitchens hold enormous potential.

In December 2017, Ola acquired Foodpanda in an all-stock deal that saw the ride-hailing company pledge an infusion of $200 million.

But it soon realised that it couldn't compete with Zomato and Swiggy and moved away from the delivery business last May, instead focusing on setting up its own network of cloud kitchens.

Led by Khichdi Experiment, Ola Foods currently operates 40 state-of-the art cloud kitchens across six cities.

The target is 200 by the end of next year.

The stagnation in revenue has meant that even high-street restaurants, once dismissive of cloud kitchens, are willing to change tack.

Massive Restaurants' Zorawar Kalra, who runs Farzi Cafe and Pa PaYa, among others, says that while dining will inevitably recover, the Covid era has made food delivery more important: cloud kitchens have become his top priority.

"We will come up with multiple delivery-only brands and make products around the brand's core strengths, which are Indian and Asian," he says.

Kalra, too, sees an opportunity in the premium segment.

"Our plan is to bring out a gourmet line-up."

Tanna, however, advises mainstream restaurants to tread with caution: "Operating cloud kitchens requires a different DNA from running a high-street restaurant. So making a desperate pivot into the business without changing the company's culture might not be such a good bet."

IMAGE: A CBK cloud kitchen setup. Photograph: Kind courtesy crossborderkitchens/Instagram.com

A major reason is the unique specialisation that a cloud kitchen setup demands, of which standardisation, enabled by cutting-edge technology, is a core ingredient.

Mumbai-based Rebel Foods, founded in 2011, is the biggest cloud kitchen company in India, valued at more than $500 million.

It runs more than 2,000 internet restaurants through 317 cloud kitchens in 35 Indian cities, with popular brands that include Faasos and Behrouz Biryani.

Such large-scale operations have been made possible because of the consistency of its food -- of which automation is a crucial part -- and the trust that it has built over the years.

Leveraging the technology available, Rebel Foods has developed its own equipment, such as biryani-making machines, and can remotely monitor the temperature of any equipment through the integration of artificial intelligence.

"The biggest reason for food safety issues is temperature violation. If any equipment in any of our kitchens has a temperature deviation for more than 10 minutes, an alarm is raised and the kitchen automatically goes offline," explains Jaydeep Barman, founder and CEO, Rebel Foods.

"A lot of people can develop food expertise. But the challenge is to get it right over and over again," says CBK Co-founder Mayank Singh Negi.

"That's why the first person we hired was not a chef, but a tech guy."

IMAGE: Safety and hygiene have become a huge part of the food discussion. Photograph: Kind courtesy crossborderkitchens/Instagram.com

Naturally, safety and hygiene have become a huge part of the food discussion.

They acquire an altogether different importance in the context of cloud kitchens, many of which are faceless entities without complete addresses.

Zomato claims that it inspects the kitchens listed on its platform.

"We, along with our restaurant partners, are making sure that our kitchens are fully equipped, and follow all safety and hygiene protocols," says Mohit Sardana, Zomato's COO, food delivery.

Swiggy echoes the response.

"Our delivery and restaurant partners are of utmost importance, and we're doing everything in our capacity to ensure that they are not compromised at any stage," says Vishal Bhatia, CEO, new supply, Swiggy.

Despite the opportunity, cloud kitchens must overcome a range of challenges to morph into successful ventures.

For starters, demand remains tepid, and margins slim.

Small cloud kitchens have been hit hardest -- volumes have plummeted 60 per cent, according to industry sources.

"Even in good times, if a cloud kitchen is operating at a profit of 10 per cent (much less than restaurants), I would say it's reasonably successful," says Tulsian, adding that many shut down within two to six months of inception.

The only silver lining is that, given their low operating costs, cloud kitchens will be the first to recover.

IMAGE: A delivery worker at Zomato waits to collect an order from a restaurant in New Delhi, May 21, 2020. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters

Another issue is the overreliance on Zomato and Swiggy -- which have turned the market into a duopoly.

Since discounting is omnipresent on these platforms, the cost of acquiring customers is high.

"For a cloud kitchen, the unit-level economics are tighter than a restaurant. To improve margins, kitchens will have to start delivering on their own," explains Tanna.

On the delivery front, however, Negi refuses to be critical of aggregators.

"We must understand that millions in cash have been burnt for these companies to acquire the kind of logistical expertise we're now seeing. It doesn't make sense for any cloud kitchen, however big, to compete with them in that space."

Even so, many are hoping that with Amazon making a foray into food delivery, that equation will change.

Discounting remains a contentious issue.

The Times of India reported that restaurants had asked Zomato and Swiggy to change commission structures and cut discounts.

That perhaps explains why Riyaaz Amlani of Impresario (Smoke House Deli and Social), has always held a contrarian view about working with aggregators.

Even in the current situation, he plans to scale up deliveries only through his existing restaurants -- which includes DIY cocktails (add alcohol to taste) from Social -- and not invest in cloud kitchens.

The company has launched its own online platform (piloting in Mumbai) to deliver food across its brands.

"Restaurants that people have been to and trust have seen a significant uptake in online orders compared to cloud kitchens," reckons Amlani.

He, like Tanna, says that for restaurants to survive, they will have to build their own technology platforms, take advantage of the existing database and encourage people to order directly.

Either way, there is no denying that delivery will take precedence over dining out in the coming months.

And if there is an industry that has the skill and inventiveness to adapt to the latest crisis, it is the food business.

Like the evolution of dishes itself, consumption is also set for an overhaul, one made possible by the cloud experience.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
Plague and climate change triggered a severe economic downturn on the fringe of the Byzantine Empire 1,500 years ago, a study of ancient grape pips has revealed.

Researchers from Israel examined thousands of grape pips and cereal grains, as well as ceramic sherds from waste heaps in the Negev left behind in the mid-6th Century.

They found evidence for the rise and fall of wine-making  with the latter likely linked to an outbreak of bubonic plague, as well as global cooling and local flooding.

Plague and climate change triggered a severe economic downturn on the fringes of the Byzantine Empire some 1,500 years ago, a study of ancient grape pips (left, with barley, middle, and wheat grains, right) has revealed

In their work, archaeologist Guy Bar-Oz of the University of Haifa, Israel, and colleagues focused on Byzantine agriculture in the Negev Highlands  where farming was made possible in the desert through the runoff from rainwater.

While the former glory of the study sites of Elusa, Nessana and Shivta is attested to by the remains of well-built stone structures, the researchers instead turned to a little dumpster diving to shine a light on what life in the settlements was really like.

'Your trash says a lot about you. In the ancient trash mounds of the Negev, there is a record of residents' daily lives  in the form of plant remains, animal remains, ceramic sherds and more,' explained Professor Bar-Oz.

'We excavated these mounds to uncover the human activity behind the trash, what it included, when it flourished and when it declined.'

Archaeobotany  the study of ancient seeds  can reconstruct past 'economy, environment and culture, but the way there is not easy,' said paper author Ehud Weiss of Isreal's Bar-Ilan University.

'Grain by grain must be sorted through endless sediment samples, looking for seeds, identifying them and counting each one.'

In total, the team retrieved almost 10,000 grape seeds, barley grains and wheat grains in total from 11 different trash mounds unearthed at the three sites.

'Identifying seed and fruit remains is a unique capability of our lab,' says Weiss,

'This capacity, he explained, 'relies on the Israel National Reference Collection of Plant Seeds and Fruit held in our lab, and on years of experience in retrieving, processing, and analysing plant remains from sites of all periods.'

Researchers from Israel examined thousands of grape pips, cereal grains and jars from waste heaps in the arid Negev desert left behind in the mid-6th Century. Pictured, archaeologist Lior Weissbrod of the University of Haifa studies excavated rubbish mounds at the Elusa site

The researchers noted that the ancient refuse sites contained unusually high numbers of grape seeds  a finding consistent with previous theories that Byzantine-era farmers in the Negev were engaged in export-bound wine-growing.

In fact, texts dating back to the period laud 'Gaza wine', or 'vinum Gazetum', as a sweet white that was exported by sea out across the Mediterranean and beyond.

The amphorae used to transport this beverage  so-called 'Gaza Jars'  have been found in dig sites throughout the Mediterranean  and are also particularly abundant in the rubbish mounds of the Byzantine Negev.

Amphorae used to transport Gaza wine  so-called 'Gaza Jars', pictured left  have been found in dig sites throughout the Mediterranean  and are also particularly abundant in the rubbish mounds of the Byzantine Negev. Pictured right: a so-called 'bag-shaped' jar, whose frequency in the ancient waste mounds fell as the wine jars became more common

Next, Bar-Ilan University archaeobotanist Daniel Fuks analysed the relative frequencies of the grape pips that had been deposited in the rubbish pits over time.

'Imagine you're an ancient farmer with a plot of land to feed your family,' he said.

'On most of it, you plant cereals like wheat and barley because that's how you get your bread. On a smaller part, you plant a vineyard and other crops like legumes, vegetables and fruit trees, for your family's needs.'

'But one day you realise that you could sell the excellent wine you produce, for export, and earn enough cash to buy bread and a bit more. Little by little you expand your vineyard and move from subsistence farming to commercial viticulture.'

'If we look at your trash and count the seeds, we'll discover a rise in the proportion of grape pips relative to cereal grains.'

At the Negev sites, he added, 'that's exactly what we discovered  a significant rise in the ratio of grape pips to cereal grains between the 4th century CE and the mid-6th century. Then suddenly, it declines.'

At the same time, the team also found that the trend in grape pips was matched by a similar rise and fall in the proportion of Gaza Jars versus the so-called 'bag-shaped' jars that were less suited to be carried by camel from the Negev to the port at Gaza.

At the three sites, the team discovered 'a significant rise in the ratio of grape pips to cereal grains between the 4th century CE and the mid-6th century. Then suddenly, it declines,' explained archaeologist Daniel Fuks. Pictured, the relative frequencies of grape pips (blue) and sherds of former Gaza Jars (orange) found in the ancient waste heaps

Given that viticulture in the Negev appears to have been linked with the export of wine into the Mediterranean markets  as attested to by the grape pips and the jar styles, respectively  the finds give unique insights into ancient commerce.

'The discovery of the rise and fall of commercial viticulture in the Byzantine Negev supports other recent evidence [...] for major agricultural and settlement expansion in the 5th to mid-6th century  followed by decline,' said Professor Bar-Oz.

'It appears that agricultural settlement in the Negev Highlands received such a blow that it was not revived until modern times.

'Significantly, the decline came nearly a century before the Islamic conquest of the mid-seventh century.'

In their work, archaeologist Guy Bar-Oz of the University of Haifa, Israel, and colleagues focused on Byzantine agriculture in the Negev Highlands  where farming was made possible in the desert through the runoff from rainwater. While the former glory of the study sites of Elusa, Nessana, Shivta (pictured) is attested to by the remains of well-built stone structures, pictured, the researchers instead turned to a little ancient dumpster diving to shine a light on what life in the settlements was really like

According to the researchers, there were various events in the mid-6th Century that could have caused economic shock and the demise of wine-making in the Negev.

These included the Justinian plague  the first wave of what would eventually be dubbed the 'Black Death'  which spread throughout the Byzantine Empire and beyond in 541 AD.

Named for the Roman Emperor who contracted, but survived, the bubonic plague  which is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis  the infection is thought by historians to have had a high mortality rate and significant socio-economic effects.

According to the researchers, the Justinian plague would have shrunk the market for Gaza products and 'detrimentally impacted the Negev economy.'

'If the plague reached the Negev, it could also have harmed the local production capacity and supply of agricultural products in general by inducing a shortage of agricultural labourers,' they added in their paper.

Meanwhile, the period also saw two large-scale volcanic eruptions with global effects  one in late 535/early 536 AD, thought to have occurred either in Iceland or the tropics and another in 539, which experts have linked to Ilopango in El Salvador.

These events  which covered the Northern Hemisphere in dust  triggered global cooling and the coldest decade in the last 2,000 years, resulting in droughts in Europe but likely flash-flooding in the southern Levant, devastating agriculture.

Given that viticulture in the Negev appears to have been linked with the export of wine into the Mediterranean markets  as attested to by the grape pips and the jar styles, respectively  the finds give unique insights into ancient commerce. Pictured, the mosaic of Kissufim near Gaza, which depicts the camel driver Orbikon with both grapes, left, and Gaza jars, right

The team noted that both likely triggers for the economic collapse in the mid-6th Century served to reveal the inherent vulnerabilities in the politicaleconomic systems of the time  a phenomenon that can also be seen in the present day.

'The difference is that the Byzantines didn't see it coming,' commented Mr Fuks.

'We can actually prepare ourselves for the next outbreak or the imminent consequences of climate change.'

'The question is, will we be wise enough to do so?'

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Experts from Israel examined grape pips, cereal grains and as ceramic sherds from ancient waste heaps at the sites of Elusa, Nessana and Shivta in the arid Negev desert
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Former deputy state secretary of the Belarusian Security Council, Andrei Vtyurin, was sentenced on Monday to 12 years in a high-security prison as part of a large-scale criminal investigation into bribery related to telecommunications equipment deliveries into the country, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the courtroom

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th July, 2020) Former deputy state secretary of the Belarusian Security Council, Andrei Vtyurin, was sentenced on Monday to 12 years in a high-security prison as part of a large-scale criminal investigation into bribery related to telecommunications equipment deliveries into the country, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the courtroom.

The prosecution requested 14 years in a high-security prison for Vtyurin, who pleaded guilty in court but did not fully confirm his connection to the charges.

Back in March, a Belarusian court started proceedings in the case on bribery during telecommunications equipment imports to the republic. There are 16 defendants in the case, including bankers and businesspersons. Vtyurin is accused of taking around $190,000 in bribes and inciting people to give bribes.

The Belarusian State Security Committee has seized $1.65 million, 62,000 Euros ($72,592) and over one kilogram of gold from the bribe-takers.
By Associated Press

LONDON: Lawyers began their closing arguments Monday at Johnny Depp's libel case against a British tabloid that accused him of abusing ex-wife Amber Heard- a high-stakes celebrity trial in which the reputations of both former spouses are at stake.

Depp is suing News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, and the newspaper's executive editor, Dan Wootton, at the High Court in London over an April 2018 article, which called him a "wife-beater."

He strongly denies being violent to Heard. Summing up for The Sun, lawyer Sasha Wass said the newspaper's defense "is one of truth -- namely that Mr. Depp did indeed beat his wife."

Wass said there was "overwhelming evidence of domestic violence or wife-beating behavior, cataloged over a three-year period."

Depp, 57, and Heard, 34, met on the set of the 2011 comedy "The Rum Diary" and married in Los Angeles in February 2015.

Heard filed for divorce the following year, and the divorce was finalized in 2017.

The former spouses have both been in court during three weeks of testimony at the grand neo-Gothic court building.

Lawyers, journalists, and members of the public have heard lurid details of the couple's tempestuous relationship, including prodigious drinking and drug consumption, furious arguments, hurled objects, and a deposit of excrement left in a bed - whether by dog or human is disputed.

The Sun's defense relies on 14 allegations made by Heard of violence by Depp between 2013 and 2016, in settings including his private island in the Bahamas, a rented house in Australia "where Depp's finger was severed in contested circumstances" and the couple's downtown Los Angeles penthouse, which was trashed during the couple's altercations.

Depp denies all the allegations and claims Heard was the aggressor during their volatile relationship, which he has likened to"a crime scene waiting to happen."

Several current or former employees gave evidence backing his version of events, and former romantic partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder gave witness statements saying he had never been violent to them.

During four days in the witness box last week, Heard stood by her allegations, claiming Depp flew into jealous rages and became a 'monster' under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

She accused him of slapping and hitting her and throwing bottles at her 'like grenades,' and claimed that she often feared for her life during their relationship.

Heard's evidence was backed by witnesses including her sister Whitney Henriquez, who said she had seen Depp hit Heard "multiple times" during a fracas at the couple's Los Angeles apartment in March 2015.

On Friday, Depp's lawyers played a video, filmed years before Heard and Depp met, that showed a friend of Henriquez saying "I can't believe Amber beat your ass."

Depp's lawyers said that was evidence of Heard's violence, but her sister said they had only had a verbal altercation.

The case is due to end Tuesday, but judge Andrew Nicol is not expected to deliver his ruling for several weeks.
Sudan's newly-appointed civilian state governors on Monday took the constitutional oath.

The state governors expressed commitment to improving citizens' living conditions in the presence of Chairman of Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Chief Justice Nemat Abdallah.

On July 22, Hamdok appointed 18 civilian governors for the states, including two women for the first time.

The appointment of state governors had faltered for about 10 months amid differences over the structures of Sudan's transitional authority.

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The Fire Department called off its search around midnight, a spokesman said. Sometime before 1 a.m., a Coast Guard boat from Wilmette Harbor found the teenagers about four miles offshore, according to officials. The teens told their rescuers that Sunday nights storm had pushed the group out into the lake, and they were struggling to paddle back to shore when they were rescued, according to the Coast Guard release.
New Delhi, July 27 : The Delhi High Court, here on Monday, restricted the police from issuing any press note regarding Devangana Kalita or any other accused in connection with the Delhi riots cases till the trial started.

The directions were issued to the Delhi Police by Justice Vibhu Bakhru, who said the cases concerning communal violence and riots were "sensitive".

Kalita, currently in the judicial custody in the Tihar Jail in a Delhi riots case, had earlier moved the court, seeking direction to the Delhi Police to prevent any leak of allegations pertaining to the petitioner to the media pending investigation, and thereafter, during the trial.

Refuting the allegations, the Delhi Police said the press note released to the media was "not a selective leak" and was done to "save the people's faith in the public institution." "It wasn't a selective leak. The reason behind issuance of the press note was not to prejudice or harm the reputation of the accused (Kalita), but to save the people's faith in the public institution (the Delhi Police)," Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi told the court.

The nature of the case and allegations against Kalita were not revealed by the police, but members of a certain group that disclosed said details on social media platforms, Lekhi added.

The court had pulled up the police over their recent affidavit, saying "this wasn't the kind of affidavit the court expected." "It can't be allowed to go on record unless someone takes responsibility of what is being said in this," said Justice Bakhru. If the same affidavit remained, we would be testing averments made in it, he added.

Pujari, representing the petitioner, had also raised questions over sharing of the said affidavit with the media.

Recently, the Delhi Police in the affidavit, filed by Amit Mahajan and Rajat Nair -- special counsels appointed by the Delhi L-G Anil Baijal for Delhi riots cases, said Kalita herself had been guilty of frustrating a fair trial and impeding the probe against her by starting a media campaign to gain sympathy and create public opinion.

On June 11, the court restrained the Delhi Police from circulating information. "The respondent is restrained from issuing any such statements or circulating information regarding allegations and evidence allegedly collected against the petitioner or other accused, to any person, including the media or on social media platforms," Justice Bakhru had said.

Initially, Kalita was arrested in connection with Jafrabad, north-east and Daryaganj violence cases. The Delhi Police filed a charge-sheet against her and co-accused Natasha in the Jafrabad case on June 2. Natasha and Kalita were involved in hatching the conspiracy to cause riots near Jafrabad Metro Station in Delhi, it said.

"They, also part of a larger conspiracy, were found to be connected to the 'India Against Hate' group and Umar Khalid. The message, found in the phone of an accused, on Whatsapp chat, reveals the conspiracy and the extent of preparation for causing riots," the police said.
Kochi, July 28 : After questioning him for nine hours in the gold smuggling case, NIA officials on Monday night asked suspended senior IAS officer M. Sivasankar to appear before them on Tuesday too.

He was let off at 7 p.m. from the NIA office here.

This is the second time in four days that Sivasankar has been questioned by the NIA, in the case that has rocked Kerala this month.

Sivasankar was a former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Information Technology Secretary before he was removed from the post after the racket came to light.

When media persons raised the ongoing questioning of his former close aide, a peeved Vijayan shot back by saying that this is not a cause for worry for the government and this had been stated before also.

The NIA had questioned Sivasankar in Thiruvananthapuram for five hours on Thursday and put him on notice to appear at its Kochi office for further questioning on Monday.

The case first surfaced when P.S. Sarith, a former employee of the UAE Consulate here, was arrested by the Customs on July 5 when he was allegedly facilitating the smuggling of 30 kg gold in a diplomatic baggage from Dubai to Thiruvananthapuram.

The case became more murky when the name of Swapna Suresh, a former employee of the UAE Consulate and later employed with the IT Department, surfaced in the case. Her links with Sivasankar came up later during the investigation.

Another accused, Sandip Nair of Kochi, was arrested on charge of direct involvement in the smuggling.

Sivasankar arrived in his own vehicle at the NIA office here around 9.20 a.m. after a nearly five-hour trip from the state capital.

Security at the NIA office was beefed up and no one except the media was allowed to stay put in front of the premises.

Police officials took the IAS officer inside the NIA office and after the mandatory Covid test, he was escorted to a special room for questioning. Sivasankar was also served breakfast before his questioning began.

A woman IPS officer from the NIA has arrived from Hyderabad to lead the agency officials in questioning Sivasankar, while other officials will be linked online from various offices during the process.

The Customs had first quizzed Sivasankar for nine hours, after the case surfaced and they arrested Sarith. Swapna and Sandip were arrested by the NIA from Bengaluru.

Sivasankar would be questioned from a prepared list of questions by the NIA. His statements are given to the Customs as well.

Sivasankar has maintained during his earlier questioning that his relations with Swapna were personal and not linked to their activities.
Dublin, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Hypotension Pipeline Research Monitor, 2020 - Drugs, Companies, Clinical Trials, R&D Pipeline Updates, Status and Outlook" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



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The Hypotension pipeline Research Monitor, 2020 report is an analytical research study on the progress achieved by pipeline companies during the year along with its historical development, current status, and outlook.



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Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, already facing rebellion from his former deputy Sachin Pilot, spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi informing him about Governor Kalraj Mishras behaviour - the delay in convening an assembly session despite repeated requests and a sit-in on the Governors lawns. The CM said he will also petition President Ram Nath Kovind and inform him about the situation in the state.

I spoke with the Prime Minister yesterday and told him about the behaviour of the Governor. I spoke with him regarding the letter I had written to him seven days back, said Gehlot, adding that the Governor has sent them a six page prem patr (Love letter).

The Governor this morning sought clarifications from the state government as he returned the proposal by CM Gehlot for the convening of the assembly session from July 31. Citing the coronavirus situation, the Governor said it would be difficult to call all the members of legislative assembly (MLAs) at a short notice.

Gehlot, who has been pressing for an assembly session to prove his majority on the floor of the House, has alleged that the Governor is under pressure from the top. The Governor denied the Congress charge, saying he will follow constitutional norms to convene the House.

As per established conventions of the Constitution, principles of parliamentary democracy, the relevant articles of the Constitution and authoritative pronouncements of the Supreme Court, the Governor is duty bound to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers in the matter of convening the state assembly, three former law ministers from Congress party wrote to the Governor.

The Congress leaders drew upon the Supreme Court judgments in the Shamsher Singh case in 1974 and the more recently Nabam Rebia in 2016 on the role of the Governor.

In the Nabam Rebia case, the top court held that a Governor cannot employ his discretion and should strictly abide by the aid and advice of the of the cabinet to summon the house.

Last week, Gehlot had written to PM Modi regarding the attempts to destabilise the elected Congress government in the state and alleged poaching of Congress MLAs by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Gehlot had also named Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in his letter to the PM.

Earlier, Gehlot had said he was ready to go to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the Presidents official residence at Delhi, and even the Prime Ministers house to defeat the BJP conspiracy, exhorting his MLAs to stand firm like a rock.
A team of researchers from LIH discovered a molecule that could help kickstart immunotherapy.

Even though most researchers have been focusing on Covid-19 over the past months, the Luxembourgish cancer research team has reported a significant new discovery. Immunotherapy is considered a new and promising treatment for cancer patients, but unfortunately only about 30% react to the method.

Dr Guy Bercham and Dr Bassam Janji have spent the last three years investigating the immune system and looking for ways to kickstart it. Dr Berchem notes: "Immunotherapy is a crucial method, since it does not attack tumours the way chemotherapy does and is not accompanied by as many side effects. What we are trying to do is help the immune system identify the tumours for what they are."

In 60 to 70% of cases, the therapy method does not show any sign of progress. This is mostly due to the difference between "cold" and "warm" tumours, the former not containing any immune cells which could be activated.

Cancer cells usually hide from the immune system through the mechanism of autophagy. Both researchers managed to deactivate this process across numerous experiments with the use of a specific molecule, leading to a major discovery. Dr Janji explains: "By blocking autophagy, a process long-known to scientists, we can transform cold tumours into warm ones."



The project was supported by the cancer foundation and the national research fund, the results being published in the scientific journal "ScienceAdvances". Currently, scientists are testing whether or not the methodology has any toxic repercussions for the human body. If not, human trials on cancer patients could begin in the not too distant future.
Description

 27 July 2020:

The European Union (EU) is a privileged partner of Mauritius in the protection of the environment and the fight against climate change, affirmed the Minister of the Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano, today, at the opening ceremony of the 2nd High-Level Policy Dialogue on Climate Change between Mauritius and the EU, in Port Louis. The Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the EU to the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Vincent Degert, was also present.

In his opening address, Minister Ramano highlighted that Mauritius, due to its geographical position and topography, is among the most vulnerable countries in the Indian Ocean. This vulnerability means that we must be aware of the situation and be proactive in our willingness to collaborate with the EU and the friendly countries that support us," he stated. In addition, he pointed out that this Dialogue underlines the whole cross-cutting issue that environment and climate change represent, which is shown by the participation of representatives from several ministries.

Moreover, the Environment Minister underscored that Government has the responsibility to come forward with the Nationally Determined Contributions to showcase all actions taken in terms of mitigation of the effects of climate change on the Mauritian territory. He also dwelt on several projects being implemented by Government concerning environment protection and climate change, before recalling that the EU has been assisting Mauritius in the implementation of environmental projects since the 1980s.

For his part, Mr Degert emphasised that this High-Level Policy Dialogue is timely and highly strategic because the world is facing a climatic and environmental emergency. As such, the EU, he says, is also willing to share its experience, its regulatory frameworks, technical solutions and financial support with Mauritius in areas related to climate change, namely biodiversity and the circular economy. He added that the EU and Mauritius have the motivation and common interest to bring, at regional and international levels, the issue of the fight against climate change, which is seen as an emergency for humanity.

The High-Level Policy Dialogue on Climate Change aims to further strengthen the Mauritius-EU partnership and to respect the commitments of the Paris Agreement ratified by Mauritius in 2016. EU representatives in Mauritius, the Ministry of the Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, the Ministry of Agro-industry and Food Security, as well as the Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning, among others, are participating in the Dialogue. It also provides an opportunity to take stock of the progress on the implementation of measures outlined in the Joint Monitoring Framework (JMF). It is recalled that the JMF comprises of targets, indicators, on-going key projects/programmes, and also of proposed project activities to be supported by the EU and its Member States.
Maharashtra registered 7,924 fresh cases of Covid-19 on Monday taking its tally to 3,83,723, the state health department said.

Out of the new cases, 1,021 were from Mumbai.

The death toll mounted to 13,883 with 227 casualties during the day.

Thirty-nine of the casualties were in Mumbai where the death toll climbed to 6,132.

A total of 8,706 patients were discharged during the day, taking the number of

The total number of recovered cases in the state went up to 2,21,944 after 8,706 people were discharged on Monday.

ALSO WATCH | In 6 weeks, cases doubled: WHO chief says Covid pandemic accelerating

The number of active cases of Covid-19 in Maharashtra now stands at 1,47,592.

A total of 19,25,399 people have been tested so far for the virus in the state

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray during an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union health minister Harsh Vardhan at the virtual launch of the ICMRs Covid-19 testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata, sought support from the Centre for setting up an infectious disease hospital and research facility near Mumbai.

We are trying to live with the coronavirus crisis. But this is not the last outbreak of a virus. There have been indications of possible virus outbreak in the world in the last 10 years, but we all remained self-centred. It is the time to make some preparations for similar future challenges, Thackeray said.

He also sought extension of the ongoing supply of PPE kits and N-95 masks to the state from the Centre beyond September to deal with the rising cases of Covid-19.
New Delhi/Vancouver, July 27 : Canadian Tibetans, Uyghurs and Indians led a major protest against Beijing outside the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver.

Sources said the three diaspora communities came together on Sunday to protest the atrocities committed against their people by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime.

People wearing masks and holding placards saying "China Against Democracy", "Boycott China" "Free Michael Spavor" and "Back Off China", were seen outside the Consulate.

The Organization which participated in the protests include Canada Tibet Committee and the Tibetan Community, Friends of Canada and India Organization, Global Pinoy Diaspora Canada, Vancouver Society of Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights in China, Vancouver Society in support of democratic movement (VSSDM) and Vancouver Uyghur Association.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions each society was allowed to have only 50 protesters.

While Tibetans and Uyghurs are under Chinese occupation, China is aggressively engaging with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.

Twenty Indian soldiers were killed along the LAC in Galwan valley in a face-off with Chinese troops on June 15.
Aviation regulator DGCA has directed Indian airlines to inspect the Boeing B737 aircraft in their fleet after the US aviation regulator FAA issued an emergency directive on this matter on Friday, officials said.

Three Indian airlines  SpiceJet, Air India Express and Vistara  have Boeing B737 aircraft in their fleet.

The emergency directive was "prompted by four single-engine shutdowns" that happened due to compromised air check valves in the engines of the certain B737 aircraft, said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in its emergency directive.

The FAA asked the airlines to inspect their B737 aircraft that have not flown for seven days or more and the ones that have operated not more than 10 flights after return to service.

A senior DGCA official said the Indian regulator has asked Indian carriers SpiceJet, Vistara and Air India Express to inspect their B737 aircraft as directed by the FAA.

Another Directorate General of Civil Aviation official said inspection of some of the Indian aircraft has already been done by their owner airlines.

Boeing, in a statement, said, "Out of an abundance of caution, Boeing has advised operators of 737 Classic airplanes (series -300 to -500) and Next-Generation 737s (series -600 to -900) to inspect an engine valve for corrosion. With the airplanes being stored or used infrequently due to lower demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, the valve can be more susceptible to corrosion."

Also Watch:

Boeing is providing inspection and replacement information to fleet owners if they find an issue, it added. SpiceJet spokesperson said the FAA airworthiness directive (AD) applies to a small number of 737s in its fleet that has not yet completed 10 cycles on the return of aircraft to service.

"They are being inspected. The majority of our planes have completed 10 cycles already and are not affected by this AD," the SpiceJet spokesperson added.

On this matter, Vistara spokesperson said, "Vistara is in compliance of the directive. The inspection of the engines of all six of our B737 aircraft has already been completed."
Press release

July 27, 2020

First-half 2020 results

Edenred shows good resilience in the first half and a strong capacity to rebound thanks to its technological leadership

Good resilience shown by the Group in the first half and a strong rebound in June, as lockdown measures were gradually lifted in Europe







2020 outlook



***







Bertrand Dumazy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Edenred, said: "Throughout the first half of 2020, Edenred demonstrated its ability to generate double-digit growth up to mid-March, then its resilience during the toughest period of the health crisis and finally its strong capacity to rebound following the gradual reopening of Europes economies. In this respect, the crisis has highlighted the robustness of our business model and the relevance of our specific-purpose payment solutions. Our agility and digital leadership have enabled us to develop new earmarked funds programs within very short timeframes, thereby helping to provide targeted stimulus to the economy. Edenred is better positioned than ever to help companies, merchants and public authorities transition into the world of tomorrow.

FIRST-HALF 2020 RESULTS

Story continues

Due to the current situation in Venezuela, the like-for-like performance and the currency effect are temporarily calculated excluding the country. Changes are calculated based on 2019 pro forma figures, which reflect the change in the breakdown between operating revenue and other revenue within total revenue in Brazil, effective since fourthquarter 2019 and with no impact on full-year 2019 total revenue. See the appendices, page 17.

At its meeting on July 24, 2020, the Board of Directors reviewed the Groups consolidated financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

First-half 2020 key financial metrics:

(in  millions) First-half 2020 First-half 2019 % change (reported) % change

(like-for-like) Operating revenue 675 751 -10.2% -4.6% Other revenue (A) 21 26 -18.4% -9.2% Total revenue 696 777 -10.4% -4.8% EBITDA 255 310 -17.8% -12.8% Operating EBIT (B) 171 223 -23.4% -18.7% EBIT (A + B) 192 249 -22.8% -17.7% Net profit, Group share 100 146 -31.4%

Total revenue: 696 million

Total revenue for first-half 2020 amounted to 696 million, down 4.8% like-for-like compared with first-half 2019. The figure was down 10.4% on a reported basis, reflecting unfavorable currency effects (-6.1%) and a slightly positive scope effect (+0.4%) during the period. Total revenue for the second quarter dropped by 15.5% like-for-like and 23.6% as reported, and included a negative currency effect (-8.3%) and a positive scope effect (+0.3%).

Operating revenue: 675 million

Operating revenue for the first six months of 2020 came to 675 million, down 4.6% likeforlike. On a reported basis, an unfavorable currency effect (-6.0%) and a slightly positive scope effect (+0.4%) resulted in a decrease of 10.2%. On a like-for-like basis, operating revenue rose by 6.6% in the first quarter before retreating by 15.4% in the second quarter.

This performance reflects double-digit growth in the first two months of the year, prior to the implementation of lockdown measures, which led to a steep decline in business starting in midMarch. June (down 9% like-for-like after declines of 19% and 18% in April and May, respectively) saw a sharp upturn in business as lockdown measures were gradually lifted in most European countries, while the epidemic was yet to reach its peak in Latin America and the United States.

Thanks to its highly digitalized offering and multi-local organization, Edenred has demonstrated good resilience in the face of this crisis. With digital solutions representing more than 86% of business volume, the Group was able to take swift action to continue serving its clients and meet the specific challenges associated with the crisis. Widespread adoption of homeworking arrangements and the implementation of public health measures accelerated Edenreds transition to digital solutions. The crisis also led to the increased use of earmarked funds programs by companies and governments alike.

Operating revenue by business line

(in  millions) First-half 2020 First-half 2019 % change (reported) % change

(like-for-like) Employee Benefits 412 473 -12.9% -8.7% Fleet & Mobility Solutions 173 194 -10.7% -1.4% Complementary Solutions 90 84 +6.1% +11.0% Total 675 751 -10.2% -4.6%

The Employee Benefits business line, which accounted for 61% of the Groups business, generated 412 million in operating revenue in firsthalf 2020, representing a like-for-like decrease of 8.7% (-12.9% as reported), including a 20.6% like-for-like decline (-26.6% as reported) in the second quarter. The business lines performance reflects strong growth through to mid-March  illustrating the effectiveness of the business drivers deployed under the Next Frontier plan  and then the impact of the lockdown measures implemented first in Europe and subsequently in Latin America:

- Employees subject to short-time working arrangements only receive their benefits pro rata to the days worked, leading to a decline in issue volume and therefore in revenue.

- Additionally, as stores were closed, employees were temporarily using less of the benefits they continued to receive, resulting in a delay in revenue generated by Edenred with partner merchants.

During the crisis, Edenred has accelerated the digital migration of its Employee Benefits, with the share of digitalized business volume expanding by 9 points in Europe compared with firsthalf 2019. The Group has also seen the adoption rate for its app-to-app payment solutions sharply increase, with close to 30% of Ticket Restaurant card holders in France now able to pay for their meals on delivery platforms. In Brazil, where this service was launched in March, more than 600,000 transactions have already been carried out via Uber Eats, iFood and Rappi.

As lockdowns are lifted one by one across Europe, the Group has observed a gradual return to normal for its clients  with short-time working arrangements being brought to an end  and for employee users as restaurants reopen.

In the Fleet & Mobility Solutions business line, which accounted for 26% of the Groups business, operating revenue inched down 1.4% over the period on a like-for-like basis (-10.7% as reported) to 173 million, and by 14.3% in the second quarter (-27.0% as reported). The heavy fleet segment proved more resilient than light fleets during the lockdown, gradually returning to normal as restrictions were eased in the different countries, while the light vehicle business saw a more pronounced rebound. The Group pursued its innovation strategy during the period, with the launch of a fleet management portal in Europe (UTA Fleet Manager).

The Complementary Solutions business line, which includes Corporate Payment Services, Incentive & Rewards and Public Social Programs, generated operating revenue of 90 million for the period, versus 84 million for first-half 2019, representing an increase of 11% like-for-like and an increase of 6.1% as reported. Like-for-like growth came to 9.9% in the second quarter.

This strong rise was notably driven by the launch of new specific earmarked funds programs designed notably to help public authorities effectively combat the impacts of Covid-19. For example, one program saw Edenred digitally distribute funds earmarked for food to 1.3 million British school children who usually receive free school lunches. In Italy and Brazil, food aid was provided to the disadvantaged in the form of meal vouchers in partnership with local authorities and NGOs.

Corporate Payment Services were heavily impacted by the decline in platform-based transactions, particularly in the hospitality, travel and media sectors. However, the crisis has sparked a growing interest for these innovative and secure digital payment solutions as an alternative to conventional payment methods.

Operating revenue by region

(in  millions) First-half 2020 First-half 2019 % change (reported) % change

(like-for-like) Europe 411 422 -2.6% -3.5% Latin America 203 269 -24.5% -8.1% Rest of the World 61 60 +1.0% +3.5% Total 675 751 -10.2% -4.6%

In Europe , operating revenue totaled 411 million, slipping by 3.5% like-for-like versus firsthalf 2019 (-2.6% as reported), including a 13.1% contraction in the second quarter. The region represented 61% of Group operating revenue.

In France, operating revenue amounted to 111 million, a decrease of 13.5% like-for-like and as reported. In the second quarter, operating revenue was down 31.3% like-for-like. After having been one of Europes hardest hit countries in terms of lockdown and short-time working measures in April and May, France saw a strong rebound in business in June, with client orders for all solutions up compared with the same month in 2019. In Employee Benefits, government measures to revive the catering industry are beginning to deliver results. On June 12, the standard daily limit on the use of Ticket Restaurant in food outlets was doubled, triggering a 50% increase in employee users average digital basket. At end-June, a portion of the funds allocated to employees and accumulated during lockdown had not yet been spent, representing a pool of revenue for Edenred that will be realized as the funds are spent in the merchant network over the coming months.

Operating revenue in Europe excluding France totaled 300 million in first-half 2020, up 0.8% like-for-like (+2.1% as reported). In the second quarter, operating revenue contracted by 5.9% like-for-like. In Employee Benefits, conditions improved to varying degrees from one country to another in the second quarter, with the strength of the recovery largely depending on the timing of lockdown easing. Regarding Fleet & Mobility Solutions, business in continental Europe started regaining ground, while in the United Kingdom, TRFC continued to be impacted by the lockdown measures still in place at end-June. Operating revenue for Complementary Solutions expanded during the period, notably thanks to the new specific funds program launched in April for British school children on behalf of the UK Department for Education.

Operating revenue in Latin America amounted to 203 million, down 8.1% like-for-like in the first half (-24.5% as reported), with a 20.4% like-for-like decrease in the second quarter. The health situation in the region, which represented 30% of the Groups operating revenue, remains poor, with the Covid-19 epidemic yet to reach its peak at end-June.

In Brazil, operating revenue fell by 8.2% like-for-like (-26.2% as reported) in the first six months of the year, including a 22.2% like-for-like decrease in the second quarter. In Employee Benefits, a business line impacted by temporary restaurant closures, app-to-app payment solutions for meal delivery platforms have enjoyed a fast adoption rate since they were launched in March. In Fleet & Mobility Solutions, the heavy fleet segment proved more resilient than light fleets, notably reflecting a good harvest season. In addition, fuel prices had a negative impact in the period.

In Hispanic Latin America, operating revenue decreased by 8.0% like-for-like over the period (20.6% as reported), with a 16.0% like-for-like decline in the second quarter. Within the region, Mexico felt the impact of the crisis in its two business lines, with Fleet & Mobility Solutions weighed down by the drop in fuel prices during the period.

In the Rest of the World , operating revenue amounted to 61 million, up 3.5% like-for-like and up 1.0% as reported over the period. In the second quarter, operating revenue shrank by 9.8% like-for-like. The digital coupon business in Taiwan enjoyed strong growth, while activity in North America continued to be strongly impacted by lockdown measures.

Other revenue: 21 million

Other revenue for first-half 2020 came to 21 million, down 9.2% like-for-like and down 18.4% as reported. In the second quarter, other revenue decreased by 14.7% like-for-like and by 27.9% as reported. During the first six months of the year, despite the increase in the float as a result of the temporary extension of the retention time for allocated funds, interest rates decreased across the board worldwide, notably in non-eurozone countries. On a reported basis, other revenue was also impacted by unfavorable changes in exchange rates, notably in Latin America.

EBITDA: 255 million

EBITDA amounted to 255 million in first-half 2020, versus 310 million in the prior-year period, down 12.8% like-for-like and 17.8% as reported. The EBITDA margin came in at 36.7%, down 3.3 points yearonyear.



EBIT: 192 million

In the six months to June 30, 2020, EBIT, which comprises operating EBIT plus other revenue, came to 192 million, a contraction of 17.7% like-for-like. The currency effect reduced EBIT by 7.5%, while the scope effect increased it by 2.4%, resulting in a 22.8% reduction in EBIT as reported.

Operating EBIT retreated by 18.7% like-for-like, and by 23.4% as reported, to 171 million.

Operating EBIT by region

(in  millions) First-half 2020 First-half 2019 % change (reported) % change

(like-for-like) Europe 114 130 -11.9% -11.9% Latin America 57 94 -40.0% -23.4% Rest of the World 0 7 -97.9% -121.2% Holding & Other 0 (8) -96.9% -47.7% Total 171 223 -23.4% -18.7%

In Europe, operating EBIT declined by 11.9% like-for-like and as reported. In Latin America, the contraction in operating EBIT came to 23.4% like-for-like and to 40.0% as reported.

The Groups operating EBIT margin came out at 25.3% for first-half 2020, down 4.4 points versus 2019, both like-for-like and as reported. During the first quarter, the Groups expenses rose in line with the sharp increase in revenue, before falling due to a double-digit decline in business from mid-March. In response to the crisis, the Group launched a plan at the end of the first quarter to save 100 million in costs compared with the 2020 budget while preserving its technological innovation and development capabilities. The effects of the plan will be felt to a greater extent in the second half and, combined with the gradual recovery in business, will have a positive impact on operating leverage compared with the first half.

Net profit: 100 million

Net profit, Group share totaled 100 million for first-half 2020. This figure takes into account other income and expenses for a net expense of 13 million, as well as a net income tax expense of 57 million, a net financial expense of 15 million, and 13 million attributable to non-controlling interests.

Strong cash flow generation

Edenreds resilient business model generates significant cash flows, delivering funds from operations before other income and expenses (FFO) of 207 million in first-half 2020, down 15.1% like-for-like and 21.5% as reported.

After falling by 256 million in first-half 2019, the float2 rose by 313 million over the period, primarily due to a temporary increase in the retention time for prepaid funds. The Group expects retention time to return to normal levels by the end of the year as stores and restaurants reopen.

Recurring capital expenditure totaled 53 million in the first half, versus 37 million in the prior-year period. In particular, this increase reflects the continuous development of the Groups technology assets, notably in terms of IT security and compliance.

Thanks to the high level of cash generated from operations, combined with an increase in the structurally negative working capital requirement, the Group generated 113 million in free cash flow in the first six months of the year, while continuing to invest in its technology assets.

The Group had net debt of 1.50 billion at June 30, 2020, versus 1.63 billion at end-June 2019. This change takes into account 526 million in free cash flow generation and an amount of 151 million returned to shareholders over the past 12 months. Net debt also includes the negative 222 million impact of changes in exchange rates and non-recurring items3.

A robust financial position

Edenred enjoys a robust financial position with a strong cash position and a solid balance sheet. In May 2020, Standard & Poors confirmed the Groups BBB+ Strong Investment Grade rating with a stable outlook.

OUTLOOK

In the second half of 2020, Edenred expects the gradual recovery in Europe to continue, and lockdown measures to be maintained in the Americas region during the third quarter, resulting in a still uncertain environment. In Employee Benefits, the Groups performance will be boosted by the delayed revenue generated with merchants and the impact of faster digitalization. Fleet & Mobility Solutions performance will reflect the recovery in Europe and the impact of ongoing lockdown measures in the Americas region. In Complementary Solutions, new specific-purpose programs will make a positive contribution to growth in the business line, which will continue to be weighed down by lower transaction volumes in Corporate Payment Services.

On this basis, the Group estimates, at this point in time, that the second half should bring a return to year-on-year organic growth in operating revenue, on a monthly basis.

The gradual recovery in the second half, combined with the ongoing implementation of the Groups cost savings plan, will have a positive impact on operating leverage. In light of this, Edenred has set an EBITDA target for 2020 of between 540 million and 610 million4.

Based on a return in the second half to the normal float retention time, strongly negative currency effects, a smaller recurring capital expenditure budget than in second-half 2019 and limited projected spending on acquisitions, Edenred estimates that its net debt at end-2020 will be below 2.8x EBITDA.

Underpinned by strong fundamentals, the Group is weathering the crisis with resilience. Its technological expertise and agile organization make it well positioned to seize new opportunities in markets undergoing digital transformation.

Thanks to its resilient business model, strengthened digital leadership and the increased demand for earmarked funds programs, Edenred has everything it needs to ensure all of its business lines rebound quickly, and to pursue its strategy of sustainable and profitable growth with a focus on product and technology innovation.

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR

Edenred ties social and environmental criteria to one of its financing instruments for the first time

In February 2020, Edenred renegotiated its syndicated credit facility, increasing it to 750 million, extending its maturity to February 2025  with extension options to February 2027  and improving the financial conditions. For the first time, Edenred introduced environmental and social performance criteria into the calculation of the financing costs:

- promoting healthy and sustainable eating habits  Edenred aims by 2030 to reach an 85% nutrition awareness rate among merchants and employees using its solutions (versus 30% in 2018);

- combating global warming  Edenred is targeting a 52% cut in greenhouse gas emissions intensity5 by 2030 compared with 2013 (26% reduction in 2018).

Edenred expands its Fleet & Mobility Solutions offering in Europe

In February 2020, Edenred finalized the agreement signed in September 2019 to acquire EBV Finance, a Lithuanian company specialized in tax refunds for European transportation companies.

Appointment to the Executive Committee

In March 2020, Patrick Rouvillois was appointed Executive Vice President, Marketing, Strategy & Asia-Pacific of Edenred, and became a member of the Group Executive Committee. Patrick will be in charge of driving the Groups strategy, transformation and innovation in line with the roadmap set out under the Next Frontier plan for 2019-2022.

First measures taken by the Group in response to the consequences of the Covid-19 epidemic

On March 25, due to the uncertain environment resulting from the Covid-19 epidemic, the Group suspended its targets for full-year 2020 until it had better visibility of the financial impacts of the epidemic.

On April 6, in response to the unprecedented scale of the crisis, Edenred launched the More than Ever relief plan, through which the Group pledged to commit up to 15 million to mitigate the consequences of the Covid-19 epidemic on its ecosystem, and in particular to:

- protect Edenred employees, notably the most vulnerable, in countries with little or no healthcare coverage or social safety net;

- support partner restaurant owners, who have been severely impacted by strict stay-at-home orders in the various countries where the Group operates.

The More than Ever plan is notably financed through:

- the 20% decrease in the dividend for 2019, to 0.7 per share;

- the reduction in the Chairman and Chief Executive Officers compensation in line with AFEP recommendations;

- the reduction in the compensation of the members of the Groups Executive Committee and Board of Directors.



Edenred strengthens its position in the Brazilian market with the acquisition of employee benefits operations from Cooper Card

On May 8, 2020, Edenred signed an agreement to acquire Cooper Cards client portfolio for food-related employee benefits (170,000 active users) in Brazil. With this acquisition, Edenred is consolidating its integration into the economic fabric of Parana, one of the countrys most populous and dynamic states.

The transaction has been approved by the Brazilian antitrust authority and is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Brazil. It is expected to be finalized before the end of 2020.

Edenred extends its financial resources via a NEU MTN program and successfully issues 600 million in bonds

On June 4, 2020, the Group extended its financial resources by submitting a Negotiable EUropean Medium Term Note (NEU MTN) program to Frances central bank. Under the program, the Group will be able to issue up to 250 million of medium-term negotiable debt with maturities beyond one year. The medium-term program complements the 750 million Negotiable EUropean Commercial Paper (NEU CP) program for debt with maturities of one year or less.

On June 10, 2020, Edenred successfully issued 600 million worth of nine-year bonds paying a coupon of 1.375%. The bond issuance enabled the Group to extend the average maturity of its debt under more favorable financial conditions than ever previously obtained for Group bonds and to finance its upcoming debt repayments in the second half of 2020 and in 2021.

Edenred now owns 100% of UTA

On May 15, 2020, Edenred acquired all the remaining outstanding shares that it did not already own in its UTA subsidiary, Europes second-largest issuer of multi-brand fuel cards and a leading provider of value-added services, such as toll settlement, maintenance and VAT recovery solutions.

The transaction followed the exercise of a put option on an additional 17% of outstanding shares by the Eckstein family, co-founders of UTA. The option, which was scheduled to expire in July 2020, was already accounted for in the Groups net debt. The transaction will be accretive to net profit, Group share as of 2020.

UPCOMING EVENTS

October 22, 2020: Third-quarter 2020 revenue



Edenred is a leading services and payments platform and the everyday companion for people at work, connecting 50 million employees and 2 million partner merchants in 46 countries via more than 850,000 corporate clients.

Edenred offers specific-purpose payment solutions for food (meal vouchers), fleet and mobility (fuel cards, commuter vouchers), incentives (gift vouchers, employee engagement platforms) and corporate payments (virtual cards). These solutions enhance employee well-being and purchasing power, improve companies attractiveness and efficiency, and vitalize the employment market and the local economy.

Edenreds 10,000 employees are committed to making the world of work a connected ecosystem that is safer, more efficient and more user-friendly every day.

In 2019, thanks to its global technology assets, the Group managed 31 billion in business volume, primarily carried out via mobile applications, online platforms and cards.

Edenred is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and included in the following indices: CAC Next 20, FTSE4Good, DJSI Europe and MSCI Europe.

For more information: www.edenred.com

The logos and other trademarks mentioned and featured in this press release are registered trademarks of Edenred S.A., its subsidiaries or third parties. They may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written consent from their owners.

Edenred is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2020.



CONTACTS



Communications Department







Marie-Laurence Bouchon

+33 (0)1 86 67 20 08

marie-laurence.bouchon@edenred.com







Media Relations







Matthieu Santalucia

+33 (0)1 86 67 22 63

matthieu.santalucia@edenred.com Investor Relations







Solene Zammito

+33 (0)1 86 67 23 13

solene.zammito@edenred.com







Loic Da Silva

+33 (0)1 86 67 20 67

loic.dasilva@edenred.com













APPENDICES

Glossary and list of references needed

for a proper understanding of financial information

Main terms

Like-for-like, impact of changes in the scope of consolidation, currency effect:

Like-for-like or organic growth corresponds to comparable growth, i.e., growth at constant exchange rates and scope of consolidation. This indicator reflects the Groups business performance.

Changes in activity (like-for-like or organic growth) represent changes in amounts between the current period and the comparative period, adjusted for currency effects and for the impact of acquisitions and/or disposals.

The impact of acquisitions is eliminated from the amount reported for the current period. The impact of disposals is eliminated from the amount reported for the comparative period. The sum of these two amounts is known as the impact of changes in the scope of consolidation or the scope effect.

The calculation of changes in activity is translated at the exchange rate applicable in the comparative period and divided by the adjusted amount for the comparative period.

The currency effect is the difference between the amount for the reported period translated at the exchange rate for the reported period and the amount for the reported period translated at the exchange rate applicable in the comparative period.



Business volume:

Business volume comprises total issue volume of Employee Benefits, Incentive and Rewards, Public Social Program solutions and Corporate Payment Services, plus the transaction volume of Fleet & Mobility Solutions and other solutions.

Issue volume:

Issue volume is the total face value of the funds preloaded on all of the payment solutions issued by Edenred to its corporate and public sector clients.

Transaction volume:



Transaction volume represents the total value of the transactions paid for with payment instruments, at the time of the transaction.

b) Alternative performance measurement indicators included in the June 30, 2020 Interim Financial Report

The alternative performance measurement indicators outlined below are presented and reconciled with accounting data in the Annual Financial Report.

Indicator Reference note in Edenreds 2020 condensed interim consolidated financial statements Operating revenue



Operating revenue corresponds to: Other revenue



Other revenue is interest generated by investing cash over the period between:



The interest represents a component of operating revenue and as such is included in the determination of total revenue. EBITDA



This aggregate corresponds to total revenue (operating revenue and other revenue) less operating expenses. EBIT



This aggregate is the "Operating profit before other income and expenses", which corresponds to total revenue (operating revenue and other revenue) less operating expenses, depreciation, amortization (mainly intangible assets, internally generated or acquired assets) and nonoperating provisions. It is used as the benchmark for determining senior management and other executive compensation as it reflects the economic performance of the business.







EBIT excludes the net profit from equity-accounted companies and excludes the other income and expenses booked in the Operating profit including share of net profit from equity-accounted companies. Other income and expenses See Note 10.1 of consolidated financial statements Funds from operations (FFO) See consolidated statement of cash flows (Part 1.4)











c) Alternative performance measurement indicators not included in the June 30, 2020 Interim Financial Report

Indicator Definitions and reconciliations with Edenreds 2020 condensed interim consolidated financial statements Operating EBIT



Corresponds to EBIT adjusted for other revenue.







As per the consolidated financial statements, operating EBIT as of June 30, 2020 amounted to 171 million, comprising:

192 million in EBIT

minus 21 million in other revenue. Free cash flow Free cash flow corresponds to cash generated by operating activities less investments in intangible assets and property, plant and equipment.





Operating revenue

Q1 Q2 H1 In  millions 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 Europe 228 213 183 209 411 422 France 70 69 41 59 111 128 Rest of Europe 158 144 142 150 300 294 Latin America 121 129 82 140 203 269 Rest of the world 34 28 27 32 61 60 Total 383 370 292 381 675 751 Q1 Q2 H1



In %



Change reported Change L/L Change reported Change L/L Change reported Change L/L Europe +6.9% +5.9% -12.3% -13.1% -2.6% -3.5% France +2.0% +2.0% -31.3% -31.3% -13.5% -13.5% Rest of Europe +9.3% +7.8% -4.7% -5.9% +2.1% +0.8% Latin America -5.6% +5.2% -41.9% -20.4% -24.5% -8.1% Rest of the world +18.9% +18.4% -15.0% -9.8% +1.0% +3.5% Total +3.5% +6.6% -23.4% -15.4% -10.2% -4.6%





Other revenue

Q1 Q2 H1 In  millions 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 Europe 4 4 4 4 8 8 France 2 2 1 1 3 3 Rest of Europe 2 2 3 3 5 5 Latin America 7 7 4 7 11 15 Rest of the world 1 1 1 2 2 3 Total 12 13 9 13 21 26 Q1 Q2 H1



In %



Change reported Change L/L Change reported Change L/L Change reported Change L/L Europe +2.7% +2.4% -15.1% -14.2% -6.5% -6.2% France -5.8% -5.8% -1.8% -1.8% -3.9% -3.9% Rest of Europe +9.0% +8.5% -22.8% -21.4% -8.2% -7.7% Latin America -11.3% -3.2% -29.3% -7.4% -20.3% -5.3% Rest of the world -24.0% -20.1% -54.6% -48.2% -40.1% -34.9% Total -8.4% -3.4% -27.9% -14.7% -18.4% -9.2%





Pro forma 2019 operating revenue and other revenue by quarter following the classification change for revenue related to merchants fast reimbursement in Brazil

Group

Operating Revenue Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY Actual 2019 369 379 377 445 1 570 Pro forma 2019 370 381 379 440 1 570 Group

Other Revenue Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY Actual 2019 14 15 16 11 56 Pro forma 2019 13 13 14 16 56





Latin America

Operating Revenue Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY Actual 2019 128 138 137 156 559 Pro forma 2019 129 140 139 151 559 Latin America

Other Revenue Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY Actual 2019 9 9 10 4 32 Pro forma 2019 7 7 8 9 32





Total revenue

Q1 Q2 H1 In  millions 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 Europe 232 217 187 213 419 430 France 72 71 42 60 114 131 Rest of Europe 160 146 145 153 305 299 Latin America 128 137 86 147 214 284 Rest of the world 35 29 28 34 63 63 Total 395 383 301 394 696 777 Q1 Q2 H1



In %



Change reported Change L/L Change reported Change L/L Change reported Change L/L Europe +6.9% +5.9% -12.4% -13.1% -2.7% -3.6% France +1.8% +1.8% -30.5% -30.5% -13.3% -13.3% Rest of Europe +9.3% +7.8% -5.1% -6.1% +2.0% +0.7% Latin America -5.9% +4.7% -41.3% -19.7% -24.3% -8.0% Rest of the world +16.8% +16.5% -17.0% -11.7% -1.0% +1.6% Total +3.1% +6.3% -23.6% -15.5% -10.4% -4.8%





EBITDA, Operating EBIT and EBIT





In  millions



H1 2020 H1 2019 Change reported Change L/L Europe 154 168 -8.3% -8.9% France 28 42 -33.3% -33.3% Rest of Europe 126 126 -0.1% -0.8% Latin America 86 129 -33.3% -16.6% Rest of the world 11 18 -40.6% -47.0% Holding and others 4 (5) -170.9% -99.0% EBITDA 255 310 -17.8% -12.8%









In  millions



H1 2020 H1 2019 Change reported Change L/L Europe 114 130 -11.9% -11.9% France 15 28 -48.4% -48.4% Rest of Europe 99 102 -1.8% -1.8% Latin America 57 94 -40.0% -23.4% Rest of the world 0 7 -97.9% -121.2% Holding and others 0 (8) -96.9% -47.7% Operating EBIT 171 223 -23.4% -18.7%









In  millions



H1 2020 H1 2019 Change reported Change L/L Europe 122 138 -11.6% -11.5% France 18 31 -43.8% -43.8% Rest of Europe 104 107 -2.1% -2.1% Latin America 68 109 -37.3% -20.9% Rest of the world 2 10 -79.3% -93.5% Holding and others 0 (8) -96.9% -47.7% EBIT 192 249 -22.8% -17.7%





Summarized balance sheet

In  millions June 2020 Dec. 2019 June 2019 In  millions June 2020 Dec. 2019 June 2019 ASSETS LIABILITIES Goodwill 1,495 1,604 1,604 Total equity (1,207) (1,043) (1,338) Intangible assets 661 706 606 Property, plant & equipment 151 169 139 Gross debt and other financial liabilities 3,832 3,163 3,237 Investments in associates 64 69 64 Provisions and deferred tax 222 239 244 Other non-current assets 188 169 144 Float (Trade receivables, net) 1,758 2,142 2,158 Vouchers in circulation (Float) Working capital excl. float (assets) 316 290 277 Working capital excl. float (liabilities) 4,935 5,161 4,908 Restricted cash 2,295 1,864 1,574 1,477 1,366 1,112 Cash & cash equivalents 2,331 1,873 1,607 TOTAL ASSETS 9,259 8,886 8,173 TOTAL LIABILITIES 9,259 8,886 8,173 June 2020 Dec. 2019 June 2019 Total working capital 4,338 4,095 3,595 Of which float: 3,177 3,019 2,750







From net profit, Group share to Free cash flows

In  millions June 2020 June 2019 Net profit attributable to owners of the parent 100 146 Non-controlling interests 13 14 Dividends received from equity-accounted companies 11 9 Difference between income tax paid and income tax expense (7) 6 Non-cash impact from other income and expenses 90 89 = Funds from operations before other income and expenses (FFO) 207 264 Decrease (Increase) in working capital 448 (108) Recurring decrease (Increase) in restricted cash (489) (132) = Net cash from (used in) operating activities 166 24 Recurring capital expenditure (53) (37) = Free cash flows (FCF) 113 (13)













1 Calculated based on an assumption of an average Brazilian real/euro exchange rate for the second half of 2020 equal to the closing spot rate on June 30, 2020.







2 The float corresponds to a portion of the operating working capital from the preloading of funds by corporate clients.







3 This amount does not include the 157 million fine issued by Frances antitrust authority, which will be paid in first-quarter 2021.







4 Calculated based on an assumption of an average Brazilian real/euro exchange rate for the second half of 2020 equal to the closing spot rate on June 30, 2020.







5 Targets calculated using the Science Based Targets initiative methodology in line with the Paris Agreement goals.







Attachment




The first large-scale American trial to test a potential COVID-19 vaccine began about 6:45 Monday morning in Savannah, Georgia, when the first participant received a shot in the arm.

To test for safety and effectiveness, 15,000 people will get two shots of the candidate vaccine a month apart. Another 15,000 will receive a placebo on the same schedule.

The first trial is a collaboration between the National Institutes of Health and a biotechnology company called Moderna, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, partnering with German vaccine developer BioNTech, announced late Monday that it had also launched an equally-sized late-stage trial of its candidate vaccine, which is based on a similar technology. Several other trials of different candidate vaccines are expected to begin in the next two to three months.

The trials are being supported by more than $6 billion in public spending intended to speed vaccine development by manufacturing hundreds of million of doses before clinical trials determine whether each candidate is safe and effective. The at-risk manufacturing approach has never been tried before. If a candidate vaccine fails this so-called Phase 3 testing, the doses will be thrown out, federal officials have said.

In a telephone briefing Monday to herald the start of the first Phase 3 trial, several people leading the effort described it as a milestone in the development of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

This is a truly historic event in the history of vaccinology, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is leading the governments vaccine development as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

'No compromise' on vaccine safety

Fauci and NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins emphasized that although vaccine development is moving at unprecedented speed, these large Phase 3 trials will ensure that a vaccine is safe and effective.

There is no compromise at all with regard to safety nor scientific integrity, Fauci said.

Story continues

Officials will use each trial to see if a candidate vaccine is at least 60% effective against SARS-CoV-2. About 150 to 160 people must become infected in each trial in order to prove a candidate vaccine is effective.

Fauci said results from the trials arent likely before November or December, but he did leave open the possibility of stopping a trial early if results quickly show a vaccine is effective.

Nurse Carolyn Grausgruber gives volunteer Ithaca firefighter Wade Bardo, of Erin, N.Y., an injection as the world's biggest study of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., gets underway July 27, 2020, in Binghamton, N.Y.

One concern  that there would not be enough infections in the United States to prove effectiveness  is unfortunately not likely to be a problem, Fauci said.

We do believe we have enough activity in our own country to be able to get the answer from the sites in our own country, he said. Sites in other nations, including Brazil and South Africa, could be used if the infection rate is too low here.

The U.S. government is pushing to get a diverse group of trial volunteers, Collins said, particularly from groups that have been hard-hit by the virus: African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, older adults and people with chronic illnesses.

More than 150,000 people have expressed willingness to volunteer for the clinical trials, but not all of them will qualify or will be part of target groups. To volunteer, go to coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org.

Only people who are not currently infected will be eligible for the trials. Viral testing will be part of the sign-up protocol, Fauci said.

The speed of the trials will be determined by how quickly people sign up, Fauci said, though he hopes they will all be fully enrolled by the end of the summer. The sites are open and theyre ready to go, Fauci said, specifically citing those in Florida and other COVID-19 hot spots.

Hopefully, there will be a lot of people who will be vaccinated today and over the next couple of months.

All of the coronavirus vaccines in development use new technologies that have never been approved for a vaccine. None is grown in eggs, as many current vaccines are, so egg allergies won't be a problem. None contains the whole, live virus  many vaccines use a weakened form of a virus  so they cannot transmit SARS-CoV-2.

Three other possible vaccines soon to enter large-scale testing

The other three companies slated to soon enter Phase 3 trials with federal funding are: Novavax of Maryland, Johnson & Johnson of New Jersey, and AstraZeneca, whose American headquarters is in New Jersey. AstraZeneca is working with a vaccine developed at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

Pfizer has said it will accept $2 billion in federal funding only if its vaccine is approved and it delivers 100 million doses. The federal government could buy 500 million more.

In a news release issued Monday afternoon, Pfizer and BioNTech said they had launched a Phase 2/3 study, which would include 30,000 participants from 120 locations, including 39 states, Argentina, Brazil, and Germany.

If the trial is succesful, the companies said they will seek regulatory review as soon as October. Up to 100 million doses will be available by the end of the year, and approximately 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021, according to the companies.

Early trial results of the Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines were published in recent weeks. Pfizer has also released early results. All three were shown to be safe and triggered an immune response that could mean they would be effective, although that can only be shown with a Phase 3 trial.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel promised during Mondays conference call that his company would be able to produce 500 million doses of its candidate vaccine in this fiscal year, and potentially another 1 billion doses next year.

The federal funding guarantees that most of these doses will first go to Americans, though some vaccine developers are also manufacturing doses for others around the world.

All the vaccine candidates in or close to Phase 3 trials will likely require two doses a month apart, although the trials should be able to confirm that, Fauci said.

Scientists have estimated that at least 60-70% of the roughly 328 million people in the U.S. would need to be protected either through natural infections or vaccines to stop the widespread transmission of the coronavirus.

Since not everyone will be able to get a vaccine the day a candidate is approved, the government, with help from the independent National Academies, will decide who will get priority, Collins said.

Trial participants will be monitored for a year to check for vaccine safety

Moderna's Bancel said he expects his companys vaccine will be shown to be safe during the Phase 3 trial. In an earlier trial, most people who received the same dose had typical vaccine side effects, including fever and sore arms.

The vaccine does not get into a cells nucleus, Bancel said, so the chance of it integrating with human DNA is very low. It has a half-life of only six to 10 hours, so it does not hang around long in the body.

We have the belief that there is a very low chance of long-term safety (problems), he said, though all trial participants will be followed for a year to make sure they don't have reactions later. The FDA can add longer-term safety requirements as part of the approval process.

Vaccine trial participants are typically followed for two years, Fauci said, to determine if their protection continues that long. Because SARS-CoV-2 is a newly discovered virus, no one knows how long people are protected after being vaccinated or infected.

Overall, Collins said, the trials are a big American opportunity for people to come on board as our partners, to try to take part in what has been a historic effort to bring to an end the worst pandemic our world has seen in over 100 years.

Contact Karen Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com

Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Large-scale trials of possible COVID-19 vaccines begin
Police in Richmond, Virginia arrested six men for unlawful assembly Saturday night into Sunday morning after hours of violent protests in which fires were set and windows were broken; and officers were assaulted with batteries, rocks, water bottles and other objects.

Democratic Mayor Levar Stoney and Police Chief Gerald Smith said in a news conference on Sunday afternoon that white supremacists, antifa activists and boogaloo boys, a far-right anti-government extremist movement, staged or participated in the demonstrations. Black Lives Matter activists did not join them, Mr Stoney said.

Mr Smith said the six men were charged with unlawful assembly. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that the men are between the ages of 26 and 36, and that one was also charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer and rioting. Mr Smith said they already had in custody people who are accused of damaging property; they also could face charges.

A Richmond police spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

The police declared the event unlawful at around 11pm on Saturday, after officers were hit with projectiles outside their headquarters, according to the agencys Twitter account. Police used chemical agents to disperse the crowd.

The violence ends the citys streak of nonviolent protests in recent weeks, Mr Stoney and Mr Smith said, as they blamed the demonstration on outsiders.

Richmond has seen protests on an almost nightly basis since late May, many of them centred around issues of racial justice and police brutality, and demands that the city remove statues honouring the Confederacy.

Police Chief William Smith resigned in mid-June after two nights of tense demonstrations that involved chemical gas and rubber bullets outside the citys police headquarters.

The earlier protests also included some arrests. At one point, a police SUV drove through a crowd of protesters and bumped several people, though there were no serious injuries.

Washington Post
The Capital recorded 613 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday -- the lowest in 62 days. Though the number was impacted by fewer tests conducted (testing usually comes down by close to half on Sundays), it tells a story of how Delhi has managed to wrest control of the epidemic.

A comparison of testing and case numbers recorded on all the Sundays this month makes evident the fall in cases and positivity rate at seven-day intervals.

The new cases this Sunday were almost half of what was seen on the first Sunday of the month (July 5) when there were 1,379 positive cases out of 13,879 tests for a positivity rate of 9.94%. This went up marginally to 10.24% on July 12 (1,246 cases; 12,171 tests), but then came down to 8.32% on July 19 (954 cases, 11,470 tests) as cases stabilised, and was at just 5.32% this Sunday.

It is a suitable like-for-like comparison because, while the number of tests varies on the other days of the week, they always come down on Sundays since government-run dispensaries from where officials carry out outreach are closed and there is lower lower manpower deployment.

Our recovery rate is 88% and the [overall] rate of active cases in Delhi is only 9%, which means that out of 100 Corona infected people in Delhi, only nine people are currently infected and 88 people have recovered, and around 2-3% people have lost their lives. The most important thing is that the number of people who lost their lives has seen a drastic decline. Yesterday, there were just 21 deaths, and this figure used to be more than 100 in June, said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal during a video address on Monday.

Delhi has a total of 131,219 infections and 3,853 fatalities due to the outbreak. On Sunday -- the data for which was released on Monday -- 26 people succumbed to the disease.

The improvement is also evident in active cases and hospitalisation data. Only 8.38% of Delhis total cases, or 10994, are now active (as compared to 25.41%, or 25620, on July 5). And only 2,835 beds are occupied (as compared to 5,250 on the months first Sunday).

Experts said the numbers represented things were under control for now. Although the number of cases could be lower because fewer people were tested, even then Delhi has been showing a declining trend for about two weeks now. The positivity rate is also going down, below 5% would ideally indicate that things are under control, said Dr Lalit Kant, the former head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), who added a cautionary note of the possibility that there could be a resurgence at any time.

The good thing is, with doctors learning more about the disease and how to manage patients and people having oximeters reaching hospitals on time, the mortality has gone down, he said.

A second expert, too, cautioned that unless people keep up the sort of attention they have paid on precautionary measures such as social distancing and wearing masks, a resurgence might be inevitable. There have been several instances where the number of cases have started going up after being controlled, like in Kerala, said Dr Shobha Broor, former head of the department of microbiology at AIIMS, Delhi.

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The National Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammi Awuku has reaffirmed his partys commitment to ensuring free and fair 2020 general elections.



According to him, the NPP will make sure nothing compromises the credibility of the new voters register.



Sammi Awuku said this during a tour to the Volta Region with Deputy Minister for Youth & Sports, Perry Okudzeto.



They visited Ho Central, Ho West, Afadzato, Kpando, North Dayi, and South Dayi in the Region.



They were accompanied by Deputy NPP Director Of Communications, Kofi Agyepong, Volta Regional Chairman, Makafui Woanya and other Regional executives.



The NPP National Organizer and the Deputy Minister urged the youth to support President Nana Addo and the NPP in the upcoming elections.



They stated that the current administration has made tremendous interventions and introduced policies to enhance the growth of every sector of the economy, hence the need for them to be retained in government.



Kudos to our Party leadership in Regional and constituency executives for their extraordinary performance in ensuring that only qualified Ghanaians get registered. Their resilience and determination is simply admirable, he said.



We can only continue to enjoy the Free SHS if we still have an NPP government in place. Support another 4 more years of Nana Addo to do more, he added.



Perry Okudzeto further commended the youth on their resolve to support Nana Addo and the NPP Parliamentary Candidates in the various constituencies.



He was also impressed with the ongoing developmental projects of the government.



The NPP National Organizer and Deputy Minister took the opportunity to engage various communities in the Region, educating them on the need to observe the COVID-19 safety protocols.





Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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On Saturday, the California Highway Patrol said that its units were on a traffic stop near the area of 4400 Woodward Avenue in the city of Manteca when they heard several gunshots and then saw several people running, reports Xinhua news agency.

San Francisco, July 26 (IANS) Seven people were injured in a shooting incident in central California, authorities said.

San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies responded to the shooting soon afterwards.

"There had apparently been a large party and someone had showed up and started shooting into the crowd," the office said in a statement.

"The suspect is described as a black male, thin, wearing a black hoodie and armed with a semi-auto weapon," it said, adding the motive for the attack is still unclear.

Two of the victims were in critical condition and five others treated and released.

Two of the victims were minors and everyone else adults, the office said, adding that an investigation was ongoing.

--IANS

ksk/
S Guru Srikanth By

Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: The months from April to June is the harvesting season for fish and prawn in the State as the temperatures are conducive for processing, packing and export. But unfortunately, with the COVID-19 crisis, the aquaculture sector was badly hit and the damage is yet to be assessed, but experts say that significant losses could not be ruled out.

Aqua farmers say though they are producing enough, there is a lack of market for their produce due to COVID-19 crisis and subsequent worker shortage. Further, market transactions across the country have slowed down, which has resulted in price drop.

Shrimp and fish farming is extensively taken up in twin-Godavari districts (East and West), Krishna, Prakasam, Nellore and to an extent in Guntur districts. Situation is not so good in any of the districts and all the aqua farmers are doing now is to pray for the return of normalcy.

Of the fish produced in Andhra Pradesh, 75 to 80 per cent of Indian major carps (Catla, Rohu and Mrigal) are consumed in Eastern India and in North India, while 90 per cent of Pangasius is consumed in North India. A majority of the shrimp produced is exported to the US, European Union, China and Japan. Local consumption of the fish and shrimp is less. In other other words, the domestic market is not the main income generation avenue for the aqua farmers.

In Nellore district, aquaculture is taken up in 11,400 hectares in all 12 coastal mandals. Mostly it is shrimp, which is marketed to other countries. However, during the first half of the lockdown -- from the last week of March to June first week  aqua exporters are facing twin-pronged problems, shipping to other countries has been restricted and lack of manpower for packing. Exports of aqua products to other countries have dropped in April and May by 30 per cent this year when compared to last year.

In Prakasam, shrimp/pisciculture is taken up in 29,000 acres and the harvest was good this year. Though the farmers supplied shrimp to processing plants, shortage of workers has proved to be a stumbling block.

Since lockdown restrictions are in force, we are facing shortage of skilled labourers as most of the aquafarm caretakers are from Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Odisha, West Bengal and other places. They went to their native places in April-end and havent returned yet. Somehow we are pulling through. Usually, we sell our produce to the local processing unit agents and they, in turn, export it to China, UK, America and the like. But due to ongoing stand-off between India and China, exports to that country were hit and taking it as pretext, export agents are not offering a good price for our produce, K Suresh Kumar, an aqua farmer from Ongole said.

Speaking to TNIE, Suryamitra Group of Companies managing director Surya Rao Irrinki said shortage of workers is the major problem.  Due to shortage of workers, 300 tonnes of produce in the company unprocessed. It is perishable and if it is not processed in time, we will suffer heavy losses, he said. Only 150 out of 1,000 workers are coming to the company, though it is taking all protective measures. Owing to huge demand from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and other places, fish farmers in Nellore harvested the crop, but owing to restrictions, the prices have dropped.

Krishna district fisheries department jointr director Sk Lal Mohamed said due to dip in the demand, there has been a fall in fish exports. About 350 to 400 truckloads of fish used to be exported to other States earlier; it has reduced to 150 and 200 trucks now.

(With inputs from D Surendra Kumar, Nellore and IVNP Prasad Babu, Ongole)
By PTI

MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the central bank said on Monday.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka can make drawals of US Dollar, Euro or Indian Rupee in multiple tranches up to a maximum of USD 400 million or its equivalent under a currency swap agreement, the RBI said in a release.

The agreement signed under the SAARC Currency Swap Framework 2019-22 would be valid till November 13, 2022.

The SAARC currency swap framework came into operation on November 15, 2012, to provide a backstop line of funding for short term foreign exchange liquidity requirements or short-term balance of payments stress till longer term arrangements are made.

In November last year, the RBI, with the concurrence of the Government of India, had decided to put in place a revised framework on currency swap arrangement for SAARC countries 2019-2022 with an aim to further financial stability and economic cooperation within the SAARC region.

The framework is valid from November 14, 2019 to November 13, 2022.

Based on the terms and conditions of the framework, the RBI would enter into bilateral swap agreements with SAARC central banks, who want to avail swap facility.

Under the framework for 2019-22, RBI will continue to offer swap arrangement within the overall corpus of USD 2 billion.

The drawals can be made in US Dollar, Euro or Indian Rupee.

The Framework provides certain concessions for swap drawals in Indian Rupee.

The facility is available to all SAARC member countries, subject to their signing the bilateral swap agreements.

Besides India, the other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries are -- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
MARSHALL, Minnesota  A man and woman have been banned from a Walmart store after they each wore red masks with a swastika on the front while shopping, reports say.

The couple said they were wearing the swastikas as a form of protest against an order from state Gov. Tim Walz requiring that masks be worn in public places because of the coronavirus pandemic, KSTP Channel 5 reports. Other shoppers became upset because of the masks, however, and tried to get the couple to take them off. Both refused in an incident was recorded in a video posted on social media.

If you vote for (Democratic presidential candidate Joe) Biden, youre going to be living in Nazi Germany, thats what its going to be like, the woman with the swastika mask says in the video as her husband, who was wearing a shirt in support of President Donald Trump, loaded bags of groceries into a shopping cart.

Police were called to the store and the the 59-year-old man and 64-year-old woman were issued trespassing notices, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. They were told if they return to the store for at least a year or they would be arrested.

Raphaela Mueller, a vicar of a southwest Minnesota parish who posted a video on Facebook, tells the Star Tribune she was born and raised in Germany and that she was nauseated by the couples masks.

Its been shown that, biologically, trauma passes down through the generations in your DNA, she said. My immediate physical reaction was nausea and wanting to cry, so I cant imagine what that must feel like for other people who lost family members in the Holocaust.

Local and state political leaders, as well as groups such as the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, condemned the couples actions, KSTP reports.

The JCRC condemns ongoing comparisons to Nazis, and the misuse of the Holocaust, to measures being taken to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, which has already killed over 145,000 Americans, the JCRC said in a statement. Such comparisons are as reprehensible as they are historically inaccurate. They insult the memory of the Holocausts victims and survivors and are deeply hurtful to most Jews and others whose communities were victimized.

Walz, the governor, said in a statement: Disgraceful, plain and simple. Thank you to the bystanders who stood up to this unacceptable, hate-fueled behavior.
The promoter of the Canadian GP has hit out at local authorities for not supporting his push to bring Formula 1 to Montreal amid the corona crisis.

After F1 announced that all races on the American continent - the US, Canada and Mexico - have been scrapped for this year, Francois Dumontier called it a "missed opportunity" for Montreal.

"What I find unfortunate is that we worked for weeks to flesh out a plan, after consulting with American and European organisations, but we did not receive any local support," he told La Presse.

"What I really regret is that as of today, no one called me back to tell me that the plan was good or not, or to make any recommendations or not," Dumontier added.

He also told Le Journal de Montreal that the "very comprehensive health plan" was jointly compiled with Formula 1 and the FIA and tipped the scales at 100 pages.

"I don't want to blame anyone in particular, but I think our plan was not even read. I had no feedback from public health. No one called us back," said Dumontier.

He said Montreal desperately needs a boost amid the pandemic, making the "missed opportunity" of a Formula 1 race hurt even more.

"There are no activities in downtown Montreal, the hotels are practically empty," he said. "I believe a race in October could have put us back on the map."

Dumontier is now hoping Montreal will resume its place on the 2021 calendar with a June date.

"I hope the situation will improve with a vaccine or a drug," he said. "Yes, it's for 2021, but everyone will have to work together.

"If the borders remain closed for a year, we would be in the same situation and that is not what we want."

Reports suggest organisers in Brazil are furious with F1 for cancelling their race, but Dumontier said the sport needed the plans for all three American races to come together.

"It was not worth it for F1 to come to this side of the Atlantic for just one race," he said.

(GMM)
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced a second phase of easing of restrictions in the country.



According to him, "after further extensive consultations, Government has taken the decision to embark upon the implementation of Phase Two of the easing of restrictions in the following sectors of our national life."



Addressing the nation on the measures his government is taking to fight the spread of the novel Coronavirus in Ghana, the President said the limitation on church and mosque attendance has been lifted.



The duration which was an hour, has now been increased to 2 hours, effective next Sunday.



"I am, therefore, very happy to announce that, in consultation with our Church leaders, from 1st August, 2020, the restrictions on the number of congregants worshipping at a time in Church will be lifted, with the length of worship extended from one (1) to two (2) hours per service. Church leaders, who are desirous of implementing this enhanced easing directive, must ensure that congregants wear face masks at all times, and the one (1) metre social distancing rule is scrupulously applied. These same guidelines apply to worship in our Mosques. With greater numbers of congregants likely to return for worship, I would, respectfully, ask the religious leaders to pay even greater attention to the fresh air ventilation of their premises, rather than relying on the use of air conditioners," President Akufo-Addo announced.



Tourism



In what could possibly pass for a way of promoting domestic tourism since the country's borders are still closed, the First Gentleman gave the leeway for tourist sites and open-air drinking spots to function. He, however, declared that "beaches, pubs, cinemas and nightclubs, remain closed until further notice."



"In consultation with the Ghana Tourism Authority and the health experts, I am announcing the reopening of our nations tourist sites and attractions, so they can begin to receive visitors. Open-air drinking spots can now function. The management of these facilities are tasked to enforce enhanced hygiene and social distancing protocols. Beaches, pubs, cinemas and nightclubs, however, remain closed until further notice," the President stated.



Trotro operating in full capacity



The President has also given the go-ahead for public transport workers to operate in full capacity.



"In consultation with the Ministries of Transport and Aviation and the leadership of transport operators, Government has taken the decision to lift the restrictions in the transport sector, and allow for full capacity in our domestic airplanes, taxis, trotros and buses. The wearing of masks in vehicles and aircrafts, and the maintenance of enhanced hygiene protocols, remain mandatory" he indicated.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Captain D's, the nation's leading fast casual seafood restaurant, announced today the opening of its newest franchised location in Champaign, Illinois. Located at 1409 North Prospect Ave., the new restaurant marks Captain D's first Central Illinois location and seventh overall in the state. Following the opening of a new restaurant in Carbondale just last year, Captain D's expansion into Champaign reinforces the brand's focus on Illinois growth, with additional restaurants planned for the Chicago metro area in the near future.

The new Champaign location is open for drive-thru and carry out only; the dining room will remain closed for the immediate future to help ensure the safety of guests and team members. Contactless curbside pick-up is available for guests that want to place orders by calling ahead or via online ordering at captainds.com. Captain D's also offers third-party delivery through Uber Eats. Additionally, Captain D's has enhanced its standard employee food safety protocol to now include single-use dining items, sanitation procedures deployed every 30 minutes, the installment of plexiglass barriers between guests and cashiers, employee health screenings, among other measures.

Captain D's in Champaign is owned by first-time franchisee Sunil "Sunny" Modi. Sunny immigrated to the United States from India in 1988 and went on to become a multi-unit franchisee of Dunkin', bringing the brand's first five stores to the Champaign area in the late 1990s and early 2000s before retiring in 2016. A few years later on a trip to Nashville, Sunny tried Captain D's for the first time which immediately reinvigorated his passion for restaurant franchising. With more than 20 years of industry experience  specifically with bringing new concepts into untapped markets  Sunny's expertise in multi-unit restaurant operations and extensive knowledge of the Champaign area help to position Captain D's for tremendous success as it enters Central Illinois. Joining Sunny in this new venture is his nephew, Nirav Modi, who will oversee the day-to-day operations of the new restaurant.

"Following the success of my Dunkin' locations and being a Champaign resident myself, I know what brands will resonate most with the community here and have the best opportunity to thrive. When I was first introduced to Captain D's only a few years ago, I instantly saw unlimited potential for the brand in Central Illinois and knew I found the next concept I wanted to franchise with," said Sunny Modi. "I'm excited to finally open my first Captain D's restaurant and introduce another brand I'm passionate about to the residents of Champaign."

Since 2018, Captain D's has experienced a surge in franchise development across the Midwest fueled by its unique proposition in the fast casual space, strong unit-level economics, flexible prototype options and a compelling development incentive program. As a result, the brand has opened numerous new restaurants in states like Ohio, Wisconsin and Missouri, and entered Michigan just last month. Looking ahead, Captain D's plans to continue growing its Midwestern footprint with a restaurant slated to open in Doniphan, Missouri later this year.

"Captain D's development success in new and existing territories is made possible by our trusted franchisees who dedicate themselves to excellence in all they do and have extensive knowledge of the markets they operate in. Sunny's past experience of ushering new concepts into Champaign and helping them grow gives us every confidence that our brand will do very well here," said Brad Reed, chief development officer of Captain D's. "As we map out future development plans across the Midwest and beyond, we welcome multi-unit operators and first-time franchisees alike to join our leading fast casual brand."

The Captain D's in Champaign is open Sunday  Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Friday  Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Call ahead orders can be placed by calling 217-954-0015.

With more than 530 restaurants in 23 states, Captain D's is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. The company is currently seeking single and multi-unit operators to join in the brand's rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit http://www.captaindsfranchising.com or call 800-314-4819.

ABOUT CAPTAIN D'S

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Captain D's has more than 530 restaurants in 23 states. Captain D's is the nation's leading fast casual seafood restaurant and was named the #1 seafood chain in the QSR 50, ranked by AUV. Founded in 1969, Captain D's has been offering its customers high-quality seafood at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere for more than 50 years. Captain D's serves a wide variety of seafood that includes freshly prepared entrees and the company's signature batter dipped fish. The restaurants also offer premium-quality, grilled items such as shrimp, Tilapia and Salmon, as well as hush puppies, desserts and freshly brewed, Southern-style sweet tea, a Captain D's favorite. For more information, please visit www.captainds.com.

Contact:

Shana Rosenthal

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

[email protected]

SOURCE Captain D's

Related Links

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Ryanair today revealed losses of 168million during the coronavirus pandemic but insisted it will continue flying to Spain after UK tourists were told not to travel there.

The low-cost airline, like its competitors, was forced to ground its fleet as Covid-19 wreaked havoc on timetables with travel bans and lockdowns introduced worldwide.

Ryanair said it suffered the 'most challenging' quarter in its 35-year history after carrying 500,000 passengers from April to June compared with 41.9million in the same period last year. Its share price fell 8 per cent in early trading this morning.

Meanwhile revenue collapsed from 2.1billion to 113million, with the Dublin-based carrier saying said a second wave of the disease was now its 'biggest fear'.

But chief financial officer Neil Sorahan told BBC Radio 4 today that it would not cut flights to Spain, saying: 'As things stand, the market remains open, the schedules remain in place and we continue to operate in and out of Spain as normal.'

Ryanair said it suffered the 'most challenging' quarter in its 35-year history (file picture)

Speaking about the UK government advising against non-essential travel to Spain due to coronavirus, he told Reuters: 'I think it is regrettable, very disappointing.

'I have no doubt that we will see other localised outbreaks and we need to be flexible enough to deal with them as they arise over the next number of weeks and months.'

European shares slump with travel and leisure leading today's falls European shares fell today as travel stocks slumped in early deals after Britain imposed a quarantine on travellers returning from Spain because of a surge of coronavirus cases. The pan-European STOXX 600 fell 0.5 per cent this morning after recording its first weekly fall in four on Friday. Travel & leisure slumped 3.2 per cent, with UK-based airlines and tour operators such as TUI, easyjet and British Airways-owner IAG falling between 8 per cent and 13.5 per cent. Europe's biggest holiday company TUI said yesterday it had decided to cancel all holidays to mainland Spain up to and including Sunday August 9. Spanish stocks fell 1.2 per cent, while the Irish stocks benchmark dropped 1.4 per cent after airline Ryanair said it was impossible to say whether it might turn an annual profit due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Advertisement

He added that the Spanish government has made clear that the country remained open for tourists, with infection levels low in much of the country.

A Ryanair spokesman said: 'The past quarter was the most challenging in Ryanair's 35-year history.

'Covid-19 grounded the group's fleet for almost four months (from mid-March to end June) as EU governments imposed flight or travel bans and widespread population lockdowns.

'During this time, group airlines repatriated customers and operated rescue flights for different EU governments, as well as flying a series of medical emergency/PPE flights across Europe.'

Flights were resumed on July 1, and the company said it aimed to operate around 40 per cent of its normal July schedule, increasing to 60 per cent in August and 70 per cent in September.

Ryanair Holdings plc said it expected air travel to be depressed in Europe for the next two to three years, adding: 'This will create opportunities for Ryanair to grow its network, and expand its fleet, to take advantage of lower airport and aircraft cost opportunities that will inevitably arise.'

It added that it could not provide any guidance for profits in this financial year, but added that it expected to carry 60million passengers this year.

It said: 'FY21 will be a very challenging year for the Ryanair Group of airlines.

'It is impossible to predict how long the Covid-19 pandemic will persist, and a second wave of Covid-19 cases across Europe in late autumn (when the annual flu season commences) is our biggest fear right now.

'Hopefully EU governments, by implementing effective track and tracing systems, and EU citizens by complying with recommended face masks, rigorous hand hygiene and other measures, will avoid the need for further lockdowns or restrictions on intra-EU flights.

A man stands at a Ryanair check-in desk at Barcelona-El Prat Airport yesterday

'It is vital that European economies begin the process of recovery this summer to minimise the damage arising from the Covid-19 pandemic and this recovery can only be led by intra-EU air travel which is the engine of EU growth and economic activity.'

Over the weekend, Britain - a significant market for Ryanair - decided to re-impose a quarantine on flights from Spain, which is experiencing a surge in infections.

With effect from yesterday, passengers arriving in Britain from Spain must now self-isolate for two weeks.

In response to the coronavirus-induced downturn, Ryanair is seeking to axe 3,000 jobs and has not ruled out further cutbacks.

Last week it outlined plans to close its Frankfurt-Hahn base in Germany - and has stated that other hubs could follow.

The carrier meanwhile aims to reach agreements with major trade unions to lower its wage bill and limit the number of job cuts.

Ryanair said that it hopes that European Union citizens comply with recommendations to wear face masks and practice other measures to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Travellers stand in front of baggage drop-off desks at Madrid-Barajas Airport yesterday

It added that it hoped governments develop effective tracing and quarantining measures to avoid the need for another wave to restrictions on intra-EU flights or lockdowns.

'It is vital that European economies begin the process of recovery this summer to minimise the damage arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and this recovery can only be led by intra-EU air travel which is the engine of EU growth and economic activity,' said the airline.

Ryanair's four divisions comprise its main Irish operations, Austrian-based Lauda, Polish unit Buzz, and Malta Air.

Julie Palmer, partner at Begbies Traynor, said today: 'Quarantines, falling consumer spending and anxieties about being in a confined space with others have all caused the airline sector to take a nose dive.

'While these heavy losses are to be expected the real issue is what's to come. Several airlines can survive a number of months due to high cash stocks, but the mass disruption to travel caused by countries experiencing waves at different times will have this sector tied in knots for months.'
Ranchi, July 27 : Cultivation of lemongrass has not only earned praise for women in many villages in Gumla district of Jharkhand, but also make them economically self-reliant.

No less than Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised these women in his monthly Mann ki Baat radio programme.

At least 30 women self-help groups are involved in the cultivation of lemongrass in Bishnupur block, who have been roped in under the aegis of Sakhi Mandals to cultivate medicinal plants. Lemongrass is one of the main medicinal plants grown here.

The women growers, with the help of Kisan Seva Kendras, are doing value-addition to their yield and earning good profits in big markets.

Officials said members of around 500 Sakhi Mandals were working with the help from Kisan Seva Kendra and earning in lakhs from the cultivation of lemongrass.

Lemongrass or citronella is a tall, stalky plant with a fresh, lemony aroma and a citrus flavour. It is a common ingredient in Thai cooking. It is also a bug repellent, and has antimicrobial properties. It also aids in digestion and is beneficial in controlling cholesterol and weight loss. Its essential oil is used in aromatherapy to freshen the air, reduce stress, and uplift the mood.

Rehkooba Toli resident Sumati Devi started lemongrass cultivation on 60 dismil (one dismal equals 435.6 sq feet) of land after taking a loan from the self-help group. She said: "We had never heard of lemongrass before. But after our experience with its cultivation, we recommend it to others as well. Lemongrass grows wonderfully in infertile land." A visibly confident and happy Sumati Devi said that she took training from the Kisan Seva Kendra before getting into lemongrass cultivation in January. She said that despite the lockdown, she had earned Rs 1.10 lakh as against an expenditure of Rs 20,000 only.

Navagarh Seerka resident Roopmurti Devi was happy with the praise earned from the Prime Minister. She said she had earned Rs 1.45 lakh through lemongrass cultivation on 50 dismil, adding that there has been a marked improvement in her family's economic condition after this endeavour.

Her co-villager Basanti Devi said that they came to know about the cultivation of lemongrass after connecting with the Sakhi Mandal in the area.

"The very idea of growing the medicinal plants on infertile and 'taddh' land was an added attraction. We are earning good money from the initiative," she added.

Benty village resident Sushanti Devi said she got into lemongrass cultivation in 2018 on a 10-acre farmland. She said she has harvested lemon grass slips (leaves) worth Rs 25 lakh till date.

She pointed out that lemon grass could be grown on less fertile soil as well. Once planted, one could harvest the leaves four or five times a year for the next five years, she pointed out.

Under the aegis of the Rural Development Department and Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society, the lemongrass cultivation has been taken up in 31 blocks of 16 districts of Jharkhand by more than 16,500 farmers.

An official said that 1,150 staff has been deployed to offer technical help and advice to farmers taking up lemongrass cultivation.
Lilongwe (Malawi) (AFP) - School closures in Malawi due to the coronavirus pandemic have led to an alarming increase in child marriages and early pregnancies, child rights activists and government officials warned on Monday.

The Malawian government announced the closure of all schools on March 20, even before a single coronavirus case had been reported in the landlocked country.

However, over the past four months, infections have surged with a total of 3,664 cases registered so far, including 99 deaths.

Civil Society Coalition on Education director Benedicto Kondowe told AFP that the coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed the course of young women's lives.

He pointed out that before the pandemic struck, Malawi already had one of the highest rates of child marriages in the world.

But now "COVID-19 has led to a surge in underage unions", Kondowe said.

"Ever since schools closed to help combat the spread of COVID-19, remote areas have reported an increase in child marriages," he said.

Kondowe's organisation has reported 5,000 cases of teenage pregnancies in the southern Phalombe district, while over 500 girls have entered into early marriages since the onset of the pandemic.

"What the figures show is that girls lack the needed protection as they get plunged into the margin of life," Kondowe said, adding that increases in gender-based violence, exploitation and other forms of abuse against adolescent girls had also been noted.

In an interview with local radio station Capital Radio, the district education officer for the southern town of Nsanje, Gleston Alindiamawo, said Monday that over 300 girls in the district were nursing unwanted pregnancies since schools closed.

Alindiamawo blamed parents and guardians for failing to provide proper guidance to their children during the period in which they have been out of school.

In the eastern district of Mangochi, meanwhile, at least 7,274 teenage girls have become pregnant from January to June this year.

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The figure is 1,039 more compared with those who became pregnant during the same period last year, the district's youth health services coordinator Peter Malipa said.

That figure included 166 girls aged between 10 to 14 years old.

Habiba Osman, a United Nations Women specialist for the elimination of violence against women and girls, told AFP that the long period of idleness as a result of coronavirus restrictions was resulting in pregnancies and child marriages across Malawi.

Osman called on community leaders to monitor and assist young people from engaging in "risky behaviours".
Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE:RHI) last week reported its latest second-quarter results, which makes it a good time for investors to dive in and see if the business is performing in line with expectations. Revenues were US$1.1b, approximately in line with whatthe analysts expected, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) crushed expectations, coming in at US$0.41, an impressive 21% ahead of estimates. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. With this in mind, we've gathered the latest statutory forecasts to see what the analysts are expecting for next year.

See our latest analysis for Robert Half International

Following the recent earnings report, the consensus from twelve analysts covering Robert Half International is for revenues of US$5.07b in 2020, implying an uncomfortable 11% decline in sales compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are forecast to crater 26% to US$2.38 in the same period. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$5.15b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$2.33 in 2020. The analysts seems to have become more bullish on the business, judging by their new earnings per share estimates.

The consensus price target rose 5.4% to US$50.69, suggesting that higher earnings estimates flow through to the stock's valuation as well. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. The most optimistic Robert Half International analyst has a price target of US$63.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$33.00. There are definitely some different views on the stock, but the range of estimates is not wide enough as to imply that the situation is unforecastable, in our view.

Story continues

Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. We would highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with the forecast 11% revenue decline a notable change from historical growth of 4.0% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 6.0% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Robert Half International is expected to lag the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing here is that the analysts upgraded their earnings per share estimates, suggesting that there has been a clear increase in optimism towards Robert Half International following these results. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply revenues will perform worse than the wider industry. We note an upgrade to the price target, suggesting that the analysts believes the intrinsic value of the business is likely to improve over time.

Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have forecasts for Robert Half International going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here.

We also provide an overview of the Robert Half International Board and CEO remuneration and length of tenure at the company, and whether insiders have been buying the stock, 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.
Kanpur : , July 27 (IANS) Even after five days of search in the Pandu river, the Kanpur police have failed to recover the body of lab technician Sanjeet Yadav, who was kidnapped on June 22 and then killed.

Five persons arrested in connection with the case had confessed that they killed Sanjeet on June 26-27 and dumped his body in the Pandu river.

The family of the deceased alleged that the accused were trying to mislead the police and have demanded that all five of them be subjected to a narco analysis test.

They have also sought a CBI inquiry into the matter.

Ruchi Yadav, sister of Sanjeet, told reporters, that the river has only knee-deep water despite onset of monsoon and it is likely the body may have been dumped elsewhere to wipe out evidence.

Sanjeet's mother Kusuma Yadav said, "On July 24, policemen came and informed that my son has been killed. When we asked them to give his body, they said search is on in Pandu river. We demand a CBI investigation into the case." Teams of police and PAC divers have been searching up to eight kilometres downstream of the river connecting Fatehpur Gohi and Uriyara villages.

Circle Officer Govind Nagar, Vikas Pandey, said. "We will resume search on Monday morning, and hope to find the body." Sanjeet, a lab technician, was kidnapped from Barra area on June 22, and murdered by his abductors.

The kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 30 lakh from the family and on the advice of the local police, the family gave the ransom on July 13.

The kidnappers decamped with the money in the presence of the police that remained a silent spectator.

On July 23, five accused Gyanendra, Kuldeep, Neelu, Ramji and Preeti were arrested. They revealed they had taken a room on rent at Ratan Lal Nagar to keep the captive and had killed him on July 26-27.
The city of Birmingham is holding a virtual vigil to remember civil rights leaders the Rev. C.T. Vivian and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who both died on July 17. Vivian was 95. Lewis was 80.

The virtual vigil will be held on the City of Birmingham Facebook page. Heres the event link.

Organizations participating in the vigil include Woke Vote, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the City of Birminghams Office of Social Justice and Racial Equality. The event will begin at 6 p.m.

The Rev. C.T. Vivian was an early and key advisor to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He organized pivotal campaigns in the civil rights movement, staging sit-ins and demonstrations as early as the 1940s.

President Barack Obama honored Vivian with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, saying that time and again, Reverend Vivian was among the first to be in the action: In 1947, joining a sit-in to integrate an Illinois restaurant; one of the first Freedom Riders; in Selma, on the courthouse steps to register blacks to vote, for which he was beaten, bloodied and jailed.

Vivians funeral was held Thursday, July 23.

Lewis was a native of Pike County, Alabama and best known for leading hundreds of marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965 -- a day now known as Bloody Sunday. Lewis met King when Lewis was seeking support to become the first Black student at Alabamas segregated Troy State University.

He began organized sit-in demonstrations at whites-only lunch counters and volunteering as a Freedom Rider, enduring beatings and arrests. He also helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Lewis was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 1981 and elected to Congress in 1986, where he served 17 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgias 5th District. Obama awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

In December 2019, Lewis announced he had been diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer.

Lewis is set to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington D.C. today.
I am scared to return to work in schools.

Now, before judgments start coming, hear me out.

There are many workers who are nervous, and at times scared, to go to work right now. Education workers are no different. However, we have an opportunity right now to plan what a fully funded safe return to schools may look like, for students, education workers, and their families.

I am the lead guidance/student services in a high-needs area of Toronto. When the schools first closed, I led a team of volunteer education workers in calling every student in our school (often repeatedly, because we could not get a hold of them) simply to check in on how they were doing, their emergency living needs, and their access to electronic devices.

Distance learning is disproportionately affecting Black and racialized students, students from low-income neighbourhoods, and students from other already marginalized communities. I heard every day from students that they wanted to be back in a classroom to learn.

This pandemic has also brought about a whole slew of socioemotional concerns and emergencies that needed, and still need, to be financially supported on a systemic level.

I am passionate about supporting my students. I am also a human being with a Latinx family with elders who want to see the newest member of my family, my child.

I dont want to be the reason anyone in my family dies. I dont want to die.

These conflicting feelings are shared amongst many educators, some who are at much higher risk than I am in fatally contracting this disease, or have members in their household, including their children, who are at high risk.

But we care about our students. We want to support them and we understand how this is negatively impacting their academics and socioemotional state.

Its this duality that keeps me up at night. It shouldnt. At times like these, our elected leaders need to step up to the plate. Unfortunately, that has not been happening.

School boards have been getting mixed messages about school reopening. Parent groups like the Ontario Parent Action Network have brought attention to the fact that school reopenings are currently being funded at the low-rate of 7 cents per child, per day. Education worker groups like Ontario Education Workers United have been advocating for an independent panel of professionals to create a plan on how to reopen schools. Unions like the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation have released frameworks for A Safe Return for All.

Our governments empty words are triggering anxieties and panic. Instead of legislation that supports school reopening, we see bills that prompt scrutiny and criticism for abusing emergency powers.

Education workers are not alone in this. The Doug Ford Progressive Conservative government repealed paid sick days and minimum wage increases, PSW workers died because of the lack of support during the pandemic, health care workers are still dealing with inadequate PPE, daycare workers were asked to open with no provincial plan, essential front-line workers were praised for working but thats as far as provincial support went, migrant workers were told to work even if positive for COVID-19.

Now the government wants schools to reopen with no plan, penny funding, and no support for our students and education workers.

Imagine if our government came out with a comprehensive school reopening plan that is fully funded so the safety and well-being of students, educators and families are not jeopardized; a plan that takes into account various student and family equity needs, such as English as a second language, special education and accessibility, transportation, housing, socioemotional well-being, post-secondary planning, health and safety, parent/caregiver work contexts, etc.

With a plan taking all this into account, developed by collaborating with all the many stakeholders, Ontarians would be feeling much more confident about schools reopening in the fall.

Its time for our government to step up, listen to parents and education workers, and put their money where their mouth is.
DENVER, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness announced today the launch of a new and improved website at wilburellisagribusiness.com. Grower focus groups, feedback sessions and much more went into developing a website that better fits growers' needs with easier navigation, better search functions and an overall improved user experience.

The website features a fresh, updated look to help drive Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness into the future of agriculture. Customers and other visitors will see firsthand the results of a strong focus on the user experience, allowing them to find and discover the exact products and services their operation needs. The addition of a new, streamlined locations page allows users to find their nearest Wilbur-Ellis branch, contact representatives near them and fine-tune their solutions even further.

Navigation took the front seat, as menus and submenus were implemented to more intuitively access the wealth of knowledge available at wilburellisagribusiness.com. Once users discover product pages, they'll even be able to see firsthand the field results for the product in the form of testimonials, comparison content and more. This, of course, is in addition to product descriptions, features and benefits, labels, SDS, sell sheets, product bulletins and pages dedicated to the services and technology that help put the product to work. To summarize  it's easier than ever to find what you need.

"We are focused on the experience we create for those coming to our website and want it to be as easy as possible to research products or find the information they are looking for," said Wilbur-Ellis Director of Marketing Chad Steiner. "The site is very dynamic and will continually be updated with the latest news, products and information, so it is a place anyone can come to for their agricultural needs."

And as Wilbur-Ellis approaches its 100th anniversary on June 29, 2021, the launch of this new website will help serve customers as we move into the next 100 years of business. The story starts in 1921 when three young men took a leap of faith and launched a company that has captured opportunities, weathered the storms and continues innovating, giving and evolving to grow the business for the next 100 years. Learn more at https://www.wilburellis.com/100th-anniversary/

This press release is intended for informational use only and cannot be used as a replacement for product label. Any products mentioned in this press release may only be sold in states where they are registered or where registration is not a factor. Please contact your local Wilbur-Ellis Representative for more information.

About the Wilbur-Ellis Companies

Founded in 1921, the Wilbur-Ellis companies are leading international marketers and distributors of agricultural products, animal feed and specialty chemicals and ingredients. By developing strong relationships, making strategic market investments and capitalizing on new opportunities, the Wilbur-Ellis companies have continued to grow the business with sales now over $3.3 billion. wilburellis.com

Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness generates more than $2.1 billion in sales revenue annually and has over 160 branch locations throughout the U.S. wilburellisagribusiness.com

SOURCE Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness

Related Links

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Notwithstanding the transient declines in numbers reported over weekends, the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is demonstrating its tenacity in wreaking havoc on the inhabitants of this planet. On Saturday, the number of cases sped past 16 million, bringing the global per capita rate to 2,089 cases per a million population, or 0.21 percent. Even if the number of undiagnosed cases was five to 10 times higher, in absolute terms, the pandemic remains very much in its initial stages of development.

The prospect of natural herd immunity in the foreseeable future is remote, and, by all accounts, the introduction of a viable vaccine will be a geopolitical fiasco that will make the US testing debacle seem like childs play. Many industries, assisted through lucrative deals from their governments, have quickly adapted to enrich themselves on the scourge.

The seven-day average of new cases has risen to 253,089 per day. More than 650,000 deaths have been tallied, with a seven-day average of 5,655 fatalities per day. One concerning statistic that has seen a sudden jump is in the category of people with serious or critical infections. After reaching a peak of 59,817 cases on April 29, it declined to 44,583, after which it began climbing again. It has now reached 66,170 cases. The mortality rate for these patients varies from 30 to 50 percent, suggesting that the number of daily deaths will continue to trend higher for some time.

Funeral at Olifantsvlei Cemetery in South Africa (Credit Michele Spatari)

Three countriesthe US, Brazil, and Indiahave more than 1 million cases. Twenty other countries have reported more than 100,000 cases. Countries where the pandemic is sustained at a high rate or surging include South Africa, India, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and the United States. Despite a steady number of cases, the fatality rate in Iran, at more than 200 deaths per day, has climbed higher than in March, during the initial surge. Developing countries that fly under the radar of mainstream COVID-19 reports, where outbreaks are bringing the healthcare infrastructure to near collapse, include Indonesia, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

South Africa, entering its winter season, has now become the epicenter of the African continent for the COVID-19 pandemic, ranking fifth in the world in the number of cases reported. As of this writing, there have been 445,433 infections, with half of these cases confirmed since July 7. There have been 6,769 deaths, with a rising seven-day average of 244 fatalities per day. On Saturday, there were 312 deaths.

Schools that opened in June are closing again for at least four weeks to help stem the rising tide of infections. Several thousand students and teachers tested were found to be infected with the coronavirus. Epidemiological modeling indicates that the peak of the present surge will extend into September. Like many countries that moved to reopen large swaths of their economies in June, South Africa is now facing the repercussions of choosing the health of its population or its economy.

Shite cleric praying over a COVID-19 victim in Iraq. (credit AP)

According to the Wall Street Journal, 25 percent of all tests in South Africa are returning positive. The South African Medical Research Council said that from the period of May 6 to July 14, they calculated there were 17,090 extra deaths compared to previous years. With hospital beds running short in Gauteng province, Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria, field hospitals are being built to support the influx of new cases.

A nurse at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital painted a picture for the media far too reminiscent of events in Italy, Spain, and New York City: Our hospital is overloaded already. There has been an influx of patients over the last two weeks. More and more colleagues are testing positive, even people who are not working in COVID wards. More than 8,000 health care workers across Africa have been infected, and in South Africa, it has been estimated that between 4,000 to 5,000 have tested positive. Hospital beds are expected to be full by the end of the month, according to the health minister. A shortage of medical oxygen poses a dire concern.

South Africas economy had been in recession, with unemployment running at 30 percent before the pandemic. The strict lockdown imposed on the country saw the gross domestic product plummet 33 percent. The central bank expects the economy to contract by 7.3 percent for the year. More than 25 percent of workers have lost their wages, and half of all households have run out of money to buy food.

Iraqs decades of sanctions, wars, and corruption have decimated its health system. Now it is facing a surge in COVID-19 with total cases running over 110,000 and 2,459 new cases just yesterday. Half of all cases and deaths have been from July. With less than 1 million tests conducted in a country of 39 million people, the real toll on the nation is far higher than those numbers would indicate.

Kashmiri man selling bread (credit Mukhtar Khan)

Given the mistrust among people, health care workers are facing abuse and violence. Abdulameer Mohsin Hussein, the head of the Iraqi Medical Association, speaking to Al-Monitor, said, many doctors are subjected to triable threats that compel them to waive their personal rights and complaints in the courts. Little is being done by the government to ensure the safety and security of medical workers. Although the Health Ministry is following WHO guidelines and protocols, that was only ink on paper, and it is a media show. There are few hospitals to contain the growing number of patients, and there is a scarcity of diagnostic tools and therapeutic devices.

Corruption runs rampant as supplies, especially oxygen, runs low. Many doctors are fleeing the country, making a desperate situation appear untenable. A gravedigger told CNN that they are receiving 70 to 80 bodies a day. They conduct their work in the night when the blistering temperatures of the day fall enough to allow them to tend to their strenuous duties.

The annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj, being held from July 28 to August 2, usually sees several million people from around the world flock to the holy city. However, Saudi authorities, who are grappling with the second-largest outbreak in the Middle East after Iran, have curtailed the event to less than 10,000 people who are already within the borders of the country. The Hajj produces billions of dollars in revenue.

India, with 1.44 million cases of coronavirus, is the epicenter of the pandemic in the South Asian subcontinent. The daily cases of COVID-19 are accelerating, and the death toll is climbing. Yet, Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi, delivering his monthly radio address to the country, had the audacity to state, The way Indians came together to fight against the coronavirus in the last few months, we have proved the world wrong.

In Delhi, the countrys hardest-hit city, the Indian CDC estimates that one in four residents have been infected. The per capita rate of testing remains insufficient. A virologist, Dr. Shahid Jameel, explained to the BBC that the government continues to deny the country was in the community phase of transmission, meaning it was broadly entrenched geographically. He urged that it is critical that these officials listen to doctors and experts and acknowledge the evidence being provided.

Field hospital in Kyrgyzstan (credit Vladimir Pirogov)

After a brutal lockdown that lasted more than two months, restrictions were eased on May 30 when India had less than 200,000 cases. Over 80 percent of all employed persons in India work in the informal sector, which includes street vendors, small-scale service, and agriculture. This is poorly regulated by the government and requires workers to congregate in makeshift stalls, crowded markets, and with numerous people. As such, these workers are often overlooked by the state and now bear the brunt of the pandemic and its economic woes.

Similarly, in South America, countries like Colombia (with over 8,000 new cases yesterday), Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Guatemala are facing a similar health crisis and economic distress among the working class and poor. Latin America has, for the first time, surpassed the combined number of cases from the United States and Canada, representing close to 27 percent of global cases.

Many of these countries now devastated by the rising tide of COVID-19 infections are also facing the debt juggernaut owed to banks and fund managers in Europe and the US. With debt servicing depleting revenue and health care costs soaring, the monies needed to fund necessary programs like utilities, infrastructure development, and education are being lost. This further exacerbates the indirect health and social crises that arise from the impact of the pandemic.

According to the World Bank, The blow is hitting hardest in countries where the pandemic has been the most severe and where there is a heavy reliance on global trade, tourism, commodity exports, and external financing. While the magnitude of disruption will vary from region to region, all EMDEs [Emerging Markets and Developing Economies] have vulnerabilities that are magnified by external shocks. Moreover, interruptions in schooling and primary healthcare access are likely to have lasting impacts on human capital development. Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, warned, a series of countries in insolvency might trigger a global depression.
School nurses say vague guidelines, budget constraints and a lack of resources could create a perfect storm when schools reopen that could lead many students and staff members to become ill with the coronavirus.

The combination of the lack of contact tracing infrastructure in schools, the delay in test results and the lack of community buy-in creates a public health perfect storm of outbreaks among our school communities throughout New Jersey, Robin Cogan, a school nurse in the Camden City School District, said last week during a remote legislative hearing.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 15:24:29|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Australia's prime minister called for patience and said "all of the options" were on the table to fight against coronavirus on Monday when the country reported the largest number of cases in a single day.

When asked whether Victoria need to go even harder lockdown in the press conference on Monday, Scott Morrison said that "all of the options" to contain the virus were on the table.

"We are several weeks in, now to a six-week lockdown period in Victoria. The advice to me is it is premature at this point to be making those calls, but it's also important to keep all of the options on the table," he told reporters.

"We need to be patient. There has been significant community transmission in Victoria. That will take some time to get on top of and that is what the actions are directed to addressing right at this very moment."

Michael Kidd, the Australian Government Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said in an update on Monday afternoon that the number of new cases in the last 24 hours is 549, which is the single largest daily number of diagnoses of COVID-19 in the country.

As of Monday afternoon there had been 14,935 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, according to him.

Victoria has confirmed 532 new cases of the virus, a new record-high daily increase for any state or territory, with another six deaths, taking the national death toll to 161.

"The tragedy of COVID-19 is that we know with the number of new infections that we have seen today, that there will be many further deaths in the days ahead," said Kidd.

Morrison said that the outbreak in Victorian aged care, which has grown to 683 active cases, was a reminder that community transmission threatened the elderly. Enditem
Mike Madigan has been speaker of the Illinois House for most of the past four decades. During that time, he has accrued almost dictatorial powers. He can block any legislation any bill whatever  with the wave of his pinkie finger. By the way, during those four decades, Illinois has built up so much debt, obligations and unpaid bills that we have the worst credit rating of any state in the nation, and another tax increase is on the ballot this fall.

A utility regulated by the state of Illinois, ComEd supplies electricity to 70 percent of our states households. It simply has to have Madigans blessing to increase electric rates and buck up its bottom line.

Bruce Rauner failed as governor (2015-2018), yet he was spectacularly successful in using his millions in TV ads to paint Madigan across the state as the wanted poster caricature of the evil, corrupt Chicago political boss.

Affiliation with Madigan was already costly. Candidates associated with Madigan must spend more than would otherwise be needed, the cash generally provided by Madigan, in order to counter attacks about their Madigan connections. This past week, these costs just shot up.

As a result of the federal prosecutors bribery revelations, 15 members of Madigans House Democratic caucus publicly asked Madigan to step down as speaker, if the allegations are true. Except for pinning the tail on the donkey  Madigan  how can the allegations not be true? ComEd has stipulated that they are true!

Why in the world would ComEd ever put itself at risk of bribery charges if the company werent pressured to do so by Madigan?

And think of the excruciating dilemma for all Democratic candidates in Illinois. Can they afford to accept campaign contributions from Madigan, who controls almost all the partys campaign cash hoard of $22 million? If they do, they will be pilloried by GOPers. But what do they do without it? Will billionaire Gov. J. B. Pritzker replace the money? After all, he has also called for Madigan to step down.

My insider friends say that Madigan will, yet again, be able to weather this storm; that Dems will back him, and the feds may not be able to prove that Madigan personally benefited from the millions spent by ComEd to earn his blessing for their legislation. I disagree about the speaker weathering the storm.

The optics of the ComEd bribery and Madigan shakedown scheme are breathtaking, at least an order of magnitude more brazen that your typical corruption. ComEd continued to pay the best man at Madigans wedding (lobbyist Mike McClain) hundreds of thousands annually, even after the company declared he was no longer lobbying for them.

Madigan even demanded  talk about brassy  that ComEd place one of his political friends on their board of directors. And they did. Think of the chill that must send down the spines of CEOs who might want to set up shop in Illinois.

Any legal actions against Madigan are in the future, yet I predict the court of public opinion will indict, try and send Madigan packing in the coming year. Even Dems, certainly the younger ones, want to put the speaker, who is also chair of the state party, behind them after half a century and move on.

Republican leaders dont want Madigan to go away anytime soon. They want him  and Dem candidates connected with him  to twist in the wind. If voters cant connect the dots between ComEd bribery money and Madigan power, GOP candidates will do so for them.

Assuming Madigan is elected to a 26th term (!) in November, he would seek the support of his caucus to be elected speaker yet again. Without those 15 lawmakers who asked Madigan to step down  and more likely to follow suit  he would not receive a majority vote of the House. Think how awkward it would be for House members to backtrack in the caucus on their demand that he step down.

I predict Madigan will resign in December, rather than be denied the speakership. This will give Gov. J.B. Pritzker an open field to take over leadership of the Illinois Democratic Party.

Jim Nowlan is a past professor, government worker and newspaper publisher.

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The account of National Guard Maj. Adam DeMarco challenges the Trump administrations explanation that vicious attacks by protesters led federal forces to turn on what appeared to be a largely peaceful crowd June 1 in the square in front of the White House. Law enforcement and security officers that night clubbed and punched protesters and unleashed mounted officers and chemical agents against them in one of the most controversial confrontations at the height of this years nationwide protests over the killing of Black people at the hands of police.
The worlds biggest COVID-19 vaccine study got underway Monday with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers helping to test shots created by the U.S. government -- one of several candidates in the final stretch of the global vaccine race.

Theres still no guarantee that the experimental vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., will really protect.

The needed proof: Volunteers wont know if theyre getting the real shot or a dummy version. After two doses, scientists will closely track which group experiences more infections as they go about their daily routines, especially in areas where the virus still is spreading unchecked.

Unfortunately for the United States of America, we have plenty of infections right now to get that answer, NIHs Dr. Anthony Fauci recently told The Associated Press.

Moderna said the vaccination was done in Savannah, Georgia, the first site to get underway among more than seven dozen trial sites scattered around the country.

Several other vaccines made by China and by Britains Oxford University earlier this month began smaller final-stage tests in Brazil and other hard-hit countries.

But the U.S. requires its own tests of any vaccine that might be used in the country and has set a high bar: Every month through fall, the government-funded COVID-19 Prevention Network will roll out a new study of a leading candidate -- each one with 30,000 newly recruited volunteers.

The massive studies aren't just to test if the shots work  they're needed to check each potential vaccine's safety. And following the same study rules will let scientists eventually compare all the shots.

Next up in August, the final study of the Oxford shot begins, followed by plans to test a candidate from Johnson & Johnson in September and Novavax in October -- if all goes according to schedule. Pfizer Inc. plans its own 30,000-person study this summer.

Thats a stunning number of people needed to roll up their sleeves for science. But in recent weeks, more than 150,000 Americans filled out an online registry signaling interest, said Dr. Larry Corey, a virologist with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute in Seattle, who helps oversee the study sites.

These trials need to be multigenerational, they need to be multiethnic, they need to reflect the diversity of the United States population, Corey told a vaccine meeting last week. He stressed that its especially important to ensure enough Black and Hispanic participants as those populations are hard-hit by COVID-19.

It normally takes years to create a new vaccine from scratch, but scientists are setting speed records this time around, spurred by knowledge that vaccination is the world's best hope against the pandemic. The coronavirus wasn't even known to exist before late December, and vaccine makers sprang into action Jan. 10 when China shared the virus' genetic sequence.

Just 65 days later in March, the NIH-made vaccine was tested in people. The first recipient is encouraging others to volunteer now.

We all feel so helpless right now. Theres very little that we can do to combat this virus. And being able to participate in this trial has given me a sense of, that Im doing something, Jennifer Haller of Seattle told the AP. Be prepared for a lot of questions from your friends and family about how its going, and a lot of thank-yous."

That first-stage study that included Haller and 44 others showed the shots revved up volunteers immune systems in ways scientists expect will be protective, with some minor side effects such as a brief fever, chills and pain at the injection site. Early testing of other leading candidates have had similarly encouraging results.

If everything goes right with the final studies, it still will take months for the first data to trickle in from the Moderna test, followed by the Oxford one.

Governments around the world are trying to stockpile millions of doses of those leading candidates so if and when regulators approve one or more vaccines, immunizations can begin immediately. But the first available doses will be rationed, presumably reserved for people at highest risk from the virus.

Were optimistic, cautiously optimistic that the vaccine will work and that toward the end of the year there will be data to prove it, Dr. Stephen Hoge, president of Massachusetts-based Moderna, told a House subcommittee last week.

Until then, Haller, the volunteer vaccinated back in March, wears a mask in public and takes the same distancing precautions advised for everyone -- while hoping that one of the shots in the pipeline pans out.

I dont know what the chances are that this is the exact right vaccine. But thank goodness that there are so many others out there battling this right now, she said.
Key Highlights

FISME has demanded to differentiate between 'Indian-owned Indian companies' and 'foreign-owned Indian companies' to further tighten the screw on Chinese firms

Finance Ministry last week amended the General Financial Rules 2017 to impose restrictions on bidders in public procurement from countries which share a land border with India on grounds of national security.

Earlier, the government had banned 59 mobile apps, mainly with origin in China, such as TikTok, UC Browser, Shareit.

Amid concerns over Chinese takeover of Indian companies, Modi government had in April this year changed FDI rules to put Chinese investments under heightened scrutiny.

Days after the government raised the Great Wall against China to keep their companies out from public procurement, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have demanded a rule to differentiate between 'Indian-owned Indian companies' and 'foreign-owned Indian companies' to further tighten the screw.

Besides elbowing out Chinese companies, the demand is also aimed at eliminating competition from other foreign companies thus providing MSMEs more business opportunities.

Anil Bhardwaj, Secretary General at Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) said that the industry body has written to the government in this regard noting that many Chinese companies have set up their units in India and they call themselves Indian companies.

"In China, Chinese-owned Chinese companies and foreign-owned Chinese companies are distinguished in public procurement and allow only the former. One of FISME members had tied up with a Taiwanese company which had a factory in China but they were not allowed in public procurement. Given this we have requested the government to add similar provision in public procurements in India," Bhardwaj said.

In a late night development on Thursday, Finance Ministry amended the General Financial Rules 2017 to impose restrictions on bidders from countries which share a land border with India on grounds of national security.

The Department of Expenditure has issued a detailed order on public procurement to "strengthen the defence of India and national security."

While the amended procurement rule covers all public sector banks and financial institutions, autonomous bodies, Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects receiving financial support from the government or its entities, the Centre has written to the Chief Secretaries of the state governments invoking the provisions of Article 257(1) of the Constitution of India for the implementation of the order.

As per the order, any bidder from countries sharing a land border with India will be eligible to bid in any procurement whether of goods, services (including consultancy services and non-consultancy services) or works (including turnkey projects) only if the bidder is registered with the Competent Authority.

The latest government order is touted to be yet another economic attack on China in the wake of tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. Earlier, the government had banned 59 mobile apps, mainly with origin in China, such as Tik Tok, UC Browser, Shareit.

Amid concerns over Chinese takeover of Indian companies, Modi government had in April this year changed FDI rules to put Chinese investments under heightened scrutiny.

Also Read: US-China rift over Hong Kong suits India's gems and jewellery sector; exports to see rise

Also Read: Mukesh Ambani's RIL in final-stage talks to buy Future Group's retail business

Also Read: Kotak Mahindra Bank Q1 profit falls 8.5% to Rs 1,244 crore; asset quality declines
If youve watched The Americans, Rhyss breakout show, youll realize how rare a sight this is. As the deep-cover Soviet spy Philip Jennings, Rhys made restraint his watchword, rarely raising his voice even in matters of life or death. In much the same way that Lena Dunham cast him as a gleeful sexual harasser in her show Girls  giving him an opportunity to revel in villainy, something he never did even while portraying a professional killer  the makers of Mason are drawing forth exciting new emotional tones for this phenomenal actor to play.

Indeed, this episode is full of gratifying surprises. Shea Whighams Pete Strickland, for example, is a cynical, wisecracking delight as always  but he meets his match in the form of a secretary named Betty, played by Stephanie Hodge, who has a mouth so foul he can only express admiration for her creativity. Characters like hers are often little more than the dramatic equivalent of Styrofoam packing peanuts, their purpose merely to transport a main character from Point A to Point B; what a pleasure to see such a role turned into something funny and memorable.

Then theres the division between the murderous Sgt. Ennis and his partner, Detective Holcomb. Holcomb, as it turns out, was not in on Enniss meddling in the Dodson case, and throughout the episode we see him get angrier and angrier at his partner for his malfeasance. But in the end, he reveals that his aim isnt to see Ennis punished for his crimes (I got hired to do a thing; that thing went a little off, as Ennis describes it), but to kill anyone who could finger Ennis for doing what he did. Its a fascinating study in how cops go crooked, and the actors Andrew Howard and Eric Lange play it powerfully.

Meanwhile, sociopolitical issues bigger than any single case affect the fortunes of our investigators and their allies. Perry, for example, could have hung the beat cop Paul Drake out to dry with the shattered piece of Gannons dentures the officer procured from the crime scene but kept covered up at Ennis and Holcombs behest. But he keeps his word to Drake so as not to land him in hot water with his white superiors in the police force.

This in turn prompts Drake, who is fed up with the racist abuse he incurs every day to help Mason introduce the dentures into evidence anyway  a not-quite-legal workaround that the judge in the case shoots down but which shows the lengths to which Mason will go to exonerate his client.
As remote learning continues in summer-school programs and remains a possibility for the upcoming school year, parents of children with disabilities call the system a disaster that fails to provide students with services they are legally entitled to and desperately need.

My children have both lost skills, they have had behavior issues, bed wetting, self-injurious behaviors since this started, said Tracey Ruscil of New Milford, the mother of two 10-year-old boys with autism.

Many children with disabilities attend school with an individualized education plan (IEP) that outlines the services they must receive in order to access a free and appropriate education (FAPE). It is designed by a students special education team with input from their parents. During a normal school year, an IEP will include services like speech language pathology, special education, occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT). While these specialists have often done their very best to provide meaningful virtual services throughout the pandemic, parents of children with IEPs attest that virtual learning does not work for their children.

Since schools closed in March, special services like OT, PT and speech have been provided virtually in various ways. In many cases, the provider would send the parent some ideas of activities to work on at home. For example, a PT may suggest passing a ball to practice motor skills. An OT may provide fine motor activities via email. In other cases, the therapist will meet with the child on a video call.

However, this puts the responsibility of coordinating  and even providing  the therapy on parents since the provider is not there to assess how the child is performing the task, if it needs to be modified or if they are even doing it.

While Ruscil said she is trying her best to attempt the activities that the therapists and teachers suggest, she feels that her efforts are not rewarded with learning.

I have a sheet of paper that says, Ask questions about what, when and where, Ruscil said of speech therapy assignments. I can ask them, but I dont know any strategies that a teacher would know. For PT and OT, I can tell them to jump rope and do sit-ups but I dont know what I am doing.

For Ruscil, the start of the pandemic has taken a massive toll on her kids and on her mental health.

I am terrible, Ruscil said. I had to up my anti-anxiety medicine. Ive had to halfway quit my job. Im a Realtor and I cant work as much, so I am going to lose money and its awful. I had to become a full-time teacher.

Ruscil is not alone. Parents across the state and the country have expressed frustration about virtual learning along with fear that their kids are falling behind. But for children with special needs, these concerns are exacerbated.

Nanfi Lubugo, co-executive director at PATH Parent to Parent/Family Voices of Connecticut, a parent support group that Ruscil is involved in, acknowledged that the past several months of virtual learning were difficult for every family but emphasized that the families she works with face a unique struggle.

It was not adequate for any child, it was grossly inadequate for kids with disabilities, Lubugo said.

Carmela Mangini, a parent of two children with IEPs said that her son, who has autism, was on a downward spiral even before COVID-19 hit Connecticut. Closing schools made matters worse because the virtual workload was piling up. A provision in his IEP allowed for reduced workload.

We reduced the workload, Mangini said. That didnt work. He needs one-on-one. I am not going to sit here and force him to be on the computer all day long if he is not doing the work. These teachers need to get online and do the work with him.

Mangini made a schedule in which his teachers met with him one-on-one virtually, which drastically improved his performance, but Mangini still calls the distance learning experience a disaster.

The support just wasnt there until I pushed for the support he needed for distance learning but also needs when hes back at school, Mangini said.

Verna Killian, whose son suffered a stroke at birth leaving him with physical, speech and learning challenges, said that educating her son at home has made her want to do more to support teachers.

They do deserve more than people give them credit for, a raise for starters, Killian said. I have trouble with just my son. They handle over 20 kids, get them in routines and on task. I dont know how they do it.

During distance learning, the state department of education required that all special education services outlined in a childs IEP be provided to the greatest extent possible in a format compatible with virtual learning. The proposed modified plan was documented by the IEP team on the Student Continued Education Opportunity Plan form which supplements but does not replace the childs regular IEP.

For a student receiving specialized services, the form would list each service and the modified plan, as well as who is responsible for creating the plan. For example, the service could be physical therapy which would correspond to a goal number from the childs regular IEP. The method of instruction could be emails with exercise suggestions and one weekly Zoom meeting. The person responsible for developing the plan is listed as the physical therapist, but what the form fails to reflect is that the burden falls on the parent to make it happen.

Making it happen is easier said than done. Ruscil said that even audio feedback on a video call with a teacher can upset her sons, making the well-intentioned session a bust.

With sensory issues, if theres a reverb, theres an echo it can throw the entire thing off course just because of a sound, Ruscil said. One of them might scream and the other might get up and run away. To try and keep them seated myself is difficult.

The disconnect for parents is that the state does not document what and how much was actually accomplished in the modified virtual format. Each service on the IEP may have a virtual counterpart, but parents question its effectiveness. According to parents, computer-based activities are a frustrating substitution for individualized instruction.

Those providing the virtual services know they arent perfect. At Clifford Beers Clinic in New Haven, Dr. Naomi Libby, a psychiatrist, said that working with kids with autism often requires hands-on support.

It requires a moment-by-moment response to behavior, Libby said. Thats why those services were often done in the home. That has been much more difficult to do virtually. A lot of that has focused on parents and helping the parents address the behavior.

Lubugo said that virtual education demands too much of parents.

Were not teachers, we are parents, Lubugo said. We can assist our children but when you ask us to start educating them and supplementing their education, we just dont have the training for that.

In addition to lack of training, many parents just dont have the time due to jobs, medical appointments and other kids. Ann Smith, executive director of AFCAMP (African Caribbean American Parents of Children with Disabilities), has been reaching out to parents in her network to understand what they are feeling during this time.

Anxiety, frustration, being overwhelmed, Smith said. These are the experiences that our families are having. These are intense, challenging times and being able to manage that and juggle all of these balls at the same time when you dont have all of the resources available to you  that is what we are hearing from parents.

Killian said she has been feeling many of these same emotions, but she also sees the stress reflected in her son.

Im scared he will lose what hes learned but I want him to be able to progress and I dont know what the next step is, Killian said. I dont want to push too hard because we both end up crying if I do, and thats not healthy for either of us.

For some kids, the issue isnt that the IEP goals arent being met  its that they arent able to access virtual learning at all. Jennifer Strychalsky has a daughter who has autism and is completely non-verbal.

She does not attend to a computer screen, Strychalsky said. Whether it is someone live or not. It didnt work.  It took a couple of months before she would even come to the computer and wave to her teachers.

The school Strychalskys daughter attends offered her virtual speech therapy, OT and PT but she declined because she knew it would not work virtually.

She has had zero instruction, Strychalsky said.

In her daughters IEP, Strychalsky said her daughter is required to receive two hours of speech, an 90 minutes of OT, some PT and one-on-one training with an applied behavioral analysis trainer as well as time in class with her special education teacher. She also spends time working on life skills like ordering at a restaurant using her adaptive speech device.

We worked on all of those things, but there was no instruction, Strychalsky said. I know the teachers would have come to our house if they could because they knew she needed services but there was nothing they could do.

Summer school

Depending on the school district one attends, plans for summer school vary. Many children with an IEP attend summer school as an extended school year (ESY) program.

Gov. Ned Lamont decided that in-person summer school could resume on July 6, but some districts decided to continue with virtual education only.

Lubugo said that months of virtual education this spring led many parents she works with at PATH to opt out of the ESY program.

For the most part, they are not comfortable sending their children to camps or (in-person) summer school, Lubugo said. Some families were so exhausted doing tele-education and when summer time came they said were done we need a break. It was too stressful. They opted out of that and are scared to send their children on buses and to school.

State Child Advocate Sarah Eagan said it is crucial that school districts and state departments use the summer to collect data on ESY programs that service children with IEPs.

Its hard to gauge without seeing the information from the State Department of Education how many districts are providing in-person and how many they are providing virtual to, Eagan said.

Peter Yazbak, director of communications at SDE, said the department will be reaching out to superintendents to collect data on participation rates for summer school as well as ideas for planning for a fall reopening.

The decision to send ones child with special needs to school is a difficult and personal one.

Regardless of the decision her school district makes about the fall, Killian said her son will not be returning to school in person because of high-risk family members that live with them, so there is no end in sight.

Without being around friends and other children he doesnt have the chance to practice the skills he has learned over the years, Killian said. Not to mention, he misses his friends. I have to be extra careful and cautious with him due to his health but our house is labeled high-risk. Not just because of Owen but also now my grandmother living with us. So friends werent allowed to come to our house nor was Owen allowed to leave the house unless a medical necessity.

Like many parents, Ruscil is scared about the school year ahead because of the dangers of COVID-19. Nonetheless, she said she is even more scared about what keeping her kids home again would mean.

You are looking at a bunch of people in a difficult time willing to risk their kid get COVID because the imminent danger is losing skill and self-injurious behaviors, Ruscil said. That is happening whereas COVID probably wont because its a (small) chance. It is a 100% chance that my son is hitting himself.
Jovy Rockey stressed her experience as a local business owner and entrepreneur during last weeks public forum for candidates for mayor of Winona.

Presented by the League of Women Voters of Winona, each participant was asked what they would bring to the mayors office if they were elected. Questions ranged from their first priorities, affordable housing, health and safety during COVID-19, business, leadership and more.

This story highlights Rockeys responses. Highlights from Ted Hazelton will be published on Tuesday, July 28, plus an upcoming story posing the same questions to candidate Michelle Alexander.

Primary elections will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

If you are elected, what are the first priorities you would like to address?

My first priorities would be to address whats happening with COVID-19. My main concerns with recovering (from) that would be making sure our citizens have access to food and that they have access to shelter. I would be making public health a priority. I would certainly be (ensuring), if there is a continued mass ordinance, we are proactive and getting masks into the hands of our citizens.

I would also work towards making sure we have programs in place to support our small businesses so that they can move forward and continue on.

Affordable housing in Winona is a known issue. What goals would you propose to council and staff to make progress on finding cooperative solutions to helping both investors and buyers?

I believe that we need to create some opportunities for unique developments, but those developments need to take into consideration neighborhoods first and design in mind. I know that there is a need for the missing middle housing and affordable housing, whether thats for our workforce, for our single families (or) for individuals, but I do believe we can be creative about it. I think that we can draw a comprehensive plan (and) look at ways to be creative with our zoning, to allow for accessory dwelling units, to make it easier to have twin homes, duplexes, triplexes, whether they be rental or owner-occupied, to really provide multiple options for multiple incomes.

Considering the current pandemic and its significant social and economic effects on our community, what advantages do you think Winona has to ensure peoples health and safety? What needs to be a priority in the actions of our citys elected leaders?

I believe some of the advantages that we have for health and safety are certainly in organizations that exist here in Winona, such as Winona Health, Winona Volunteer Services and other organizations and volunteer groups who are certainly concerned about the welfare of our citizens here, especially our most vulnerable.

Our budget is well-balanced and I feel like our staff and council do a great job of making sure that were doing what we need to do to pay the bills and create infrastructure and work on the projects that we have at hand. I think the priorities need to be that we keep that in mind.

Public health should be our first and foremost priority and what we can do to support our citizens, especially the most vulnerable, as well as our small businesses.

Being a mayor is being a leader of a team. Provide an example of a team that you have worked on and describe your personal strengths and areas for improvement when working on a team?

A recent example is my work in collaboration with the Main Street program for Third Thursday Night Out. ... It was an event that involved collaboration with Main Street businesses. It involved input from those businesses, as well as from the retail committee arm of Main Street. I believe that, for those collaborations, we really were creating momentum around an event that was driving interest for people to come downtown and spend money, enjoy and play and be present there. I feel like my skills that I have garnered over the years working on various committees, and working with artists in collaboration efforts, really set me apart and allowed me to do those things.

Winona has a unique mix of public and private education institutions. What type of partnerships with the school district should the city have, if any?

I do believe there should be partnerships with the school district. I think that our youth need to be involved, specifically in engaging with our city. I would like to see some opportunities for mentorships  more collaboration in that aspect  by getting involved with maybe input sessions or where were really getting the perspective of students who are growing up here, who are living their experiences here in a variety of ways, and creating leadership opportunities for them, especially with high school students, and really creating an understanding for them on how our city works and what that looks like.

I also think there are real opportunities in our parks and recreation departments to collaborate, especially with COVID-19 and the restrictions put on schools, but we dont know what those plans might look like. But when I think of the possible collaboration of (physical education) and parks and recreation, I think there could be a great relationship there.

What newer development requirements for future city land expansion do you think should have a high priority?

I think our priorities should definitely be on the environment and stewarding the land and how we are caring for it and being very mindful of those expansions, as well as making sure all parties truly benefit from all this and it isnt just one-sided.

I also feel like there needs to be a priority on understanding what the true costs for the city will be for those types of expansions, especially for areas that dont already have water and sewer, because that kind of infrastructure, if it doesnt already exist, is very costly. It needs to be intentional  what are we developing? What are we going to allow there? Is there going to be a benefit and a return on that large investment?

What skills do you bring to the table to be able to evaluate budgets and make recommendations?

I believe my experience as a small-business owner gives me an advantage to evaluate these budgets. I realize they are long and vast, but I would certainly take the time to look at every line item and make sure that what is being proposed is necessary and see where we can make cuts or where we need to expand, depending on the benefits and the needs of the city at that time. Much like a business, those financials ebb and flow, and they do change, and we need to be willing to really evaluate and look at them mindfully.

Do you believe that racism in Winona is a problem that should be addressed?

I know racism exists in our community and it absolutely should be addressed. As city leaders, we should be having discussions about this amongst ourselves. There should be accountability within every level of government to make sure we are not guilty of our own systemic racism. We need to be going out into the community and talking with folks who are in these marginalized communities, who dont experience Winona the same way as others, who are living traumatic experiences and carrying that trauma with them. I believe we need to create a city that is equitable for all and that we need to be collaborating with all organizations to provide training and resources for our small businesses, our large businesses or anyone who is interested in being in a coalition against racism.

Closing remarks

In the coming years, especially as we try to recover economically and physically from the COVID-19 pandemic, Winona needs a leader who demonstrates the ability to bring people together from every corner of our community to work on projects that benefit our city and residents. I am that person. As an entrepreneur, and as someone who came from humble beginnings, I know what hard work is and Im ready to do it for Winona. I dont want to be mayor for a status symbol or an illusion of power; I want to be Winonas mayor because we need to get things done, and I have the ideas, the passion and the experience and the know-how to bring people together to lead that effort. Please vote for me on Aug. 11.

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Spotifys ever-growing podcast empire got another boost today: The company announced that Mark and Jay Duplass have signed on with the company to create exclusive podcasts. If you dont know them, the Duplass brothers are actors, writers and producers whove had their hands in many high-profile projects over the last few years, though summing up their influence isnt easy. Most recently, Mark has appeared in The Morning Show on Apple TV; he also wrote and starred in the Netflix film Paddleton last year. Jay, meanwhile, was a regular on Transparent on Amazon for its entire run and has also been writer and executive producer on multiple recent TV series and films.

As for what content the brothers will be producing under their Duplass Brothers Productions banner, its unclear outside of both scripted and unscripted podcasts. If youre a fan of their work and arent using Spotify to listen to podcasts, though, youll need to switch over as these will be exclusive to the platform. Fortunately, you can get Spotify and listen to podcasts for free, but its just another example of how the medium has been fragmenting lately.

Spotify has largely been responsible for that, becoming a heavyweight in the podcast world. Between its purchase of Gimlet Media (known for StartUp, Reply All, Crimetown and The Pitch) in 2019 and the recent acquisition of The Ringer (which produces The Bill Simmons Podcast, Binge Mode, The Dave Chang Show and The Rewatchables), Spotify owns some of the biggest podcasts out there. Adding more exclusive content from well-known names like the Duplass brothers only helps to solidify that advantage.
Sahaya Novinston Lobo By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Surendra Natarajan who ran the Karuppar Koottam YouTube channel and SJ Gopal, coordinator of the Hindu Tamil Peravai, have been detained under the Goondas Act by the Chennai police days after their arrest.

A senior police officer said that the action was initiated as both of them were cyber law offenders. The Chennai City Police Commissioner issued the order on Monday.

Surendra Natarajan surrendered to the Puducherry Police on July 16, a few days after a case was registered against the channel by the state unit of BJP claiming that their videos were derogatory in nature against Hindu gods and hurting the sentiments of the religion.

He was arrested under IPC Sections 153 (attacks upon religion), 153(A)(1)(a) (disharmony / feelings of enmity under grounds of religion), 295 (defilement of place of worship), 505 (1)(b) (fear among the public to commit offence against the state) and 505(2) (publishes rumour to create fear).

The next day, on July 17, the Cyber Wing of the Central Crime Branch arrested SJ Gopal, the coordinator of the Hindu Tamil Peravai, for making a video against Islam and its beliefs, linking it to the Karuppar Koottam YouTube channel.

He was arrested on charges of IPC 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), IPC 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and IPC 505(i) (with intent to cause, fear or alarm to the public).
By Nancy Lapid

(Reuters) - The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

New heart problems seen in recovered COVID-19 patients

More than three-quarters of recently recovered COVID-19 patients had heart muscle problems show up during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests, German doctors reported on Monday in JAMA Cardiology. In some patients, the heart may be "in serious trouble as a part of COVID-19 disease," Dr. Valentina Puntmann of University Hospital Frankfurt told Reuters. Among 100 patients ages 45 to 53, "a considerable majority" - 78 - had inflammation in the heart muscle and lining. Sixty-seven had recovered at home while 33 had required hospitalization. Half of the former patients were more than two months out since their diagnosis at the time of the MRI. Thirty-six patients reported ongoing shortness of breath and general exhaustion, and 71 had blood markers of heart muscle damage. Compared with similar people who had not had COVID-19, the recently recovered patients' hearts pumped more weakly and displayed other risk factors for heart failure. Puntmann suspects the abnormalities are signs of permanent problems. "While we do not have direct evidence for late consequences yet, such as the development of heart failure ... it is quite possible that in a few years, this burden will be enormous based on what we have learned from other viral conditions that similarly affect the heart," she said. (https://bit.ly/304omz1; https://bit.ly/3g5PDGH)

Mutation may have made virus more vulnerable to vaccines

A genetic mutation that made the new coronavirus more infectious may also make it more vulnerable to vaccines, researchers believe. The mutation, designated D614G, increases the number of "spikes" on the surface of the virus and makes them more stable, allowing the virus to more efficiently break into and infect cells. The mutation will not pose problems for vaccines now in clinical trials, however, because the extra spikes retain the targets for the "neutralizing antibodies" the vaccines are designed to induce. Those targets, called receptor-binding domains, or RBDs, are the places where the spike attaches itself to the cells it infects. With more spikes, there are more RBDs for the antibodies to bind to in order to neutralize the virus. "The gain in infectivity provided by D614G came at the cost of making the virus more vulnerable to neutralizing antibodies," the researchers wrote in a paper posted on medRxiv on Friday ahead of peer review. (https://bit.ly/39vmRNr)

Story continues

Do-it-yourself masks should have several layers

Do-it-yourself face masks are far more effective at blocking virus-containing droplets if they are made with two or three layers of fabric, researchers advised on Friday in the journal Thorax. Using high-speed video and special lighting, they saw that when masks have multiple layers, fewer droplets generated by speaking, coughing and sneezing escape, and droplets that do escape do not spread as far. There is a tradeoff between protection and breathability as the number of layers increases, but "three layers is quite comfortable," study coauthor Raina MacIntyre of UNSW Sydney, in Australia, told Reuters. For their experiments, her team compared masks made from a single or double layer of T-shirt fabric, which had a thread count of 170/inch. They also tested a surgical mask. Freeze frames from the video showed that while the surgical mask was most effective, the two-ply cloth mask did a fairly good job at limiting the distance droplets traveled. Even the one-ply mask was helpful. "The effectiveness of a mask depends on several factors other than filtration, which is what we tested," MacIntyre added. "For example, the outer layer should be made of a water-resistant fabric such as polyester," she said. "It is also best to use fabrics with high thread count and fine weave." (https://bit.ly/3hzumFE)

Pandemic may increase children's risks for eating disorder

Pediatricians in Australia report a dramatic increase in severe cases of the eating disorder anorexia nervosa during the pandemic and are concerned that the same thing might be happening among vulnerable young people worldwide. People with anorexia have a pathological fear of becoming fat, and as a result they can become severely malnourished and suffer life-threatening heart damage. At Perth Children's Hospital, the number of children with anorexia nervosa requiring hospitalization for nutritional rehabilitation since the start of the pandemic has more than doubled compared with the three previous years, researchers said in a paper published on Friday in Archives of Disease in Childhood. Lockdowns may have "disconnected patients from protective factors" like school routine and peer relationships, they speculate. Also, they warn, many patients have additional mental health issues like depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder, which may be worsened by the increased focus on hand hygiene and fear of contracting COVID-19. "We all urgently need to better understand the reasons why young people with eating disorders have been hospitalized at very high rates during COVID-19, to know how to best help and ensure their physical health safety," study leader Dr. Yasheer Venay Haripersad told Reuters. (https://bit.ly/301mEyj)

Open https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/yxmvjqywprz/index.html in an external browser for a Reuters graphic on vaccines and treatments in development.

(Reporting by Nancy Lapid and Linda Carroll; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
A 28-year-old Peterborough man is facing charges after a city police cruiser was struck and a cell at the Peterborough Police station was later damaged early Monday morning following an arrest.

City police were called to the Lansdowne Street West and Clonsilla Avenue area at about 5:30 a.m. after a witness spotted a suspected impaired driver and then followed the driver to the area of Cherryhill Road and Redwood Drive while providing regular updates to police, police said.

An officer arrived and saw a vehicle mount the curb as it attempted to make a right hand turn onto Redwood Drive, police said.

The officer stopped the vehicle on Redwood Drive, police said, and during the traffic stop the driver of the vehicle failed to put the vehicle in park and it rolled backwards striking the cruiser, police said.

An arrest was made and a drug recognition expert determined the driver was impaired by a drug, police said. Investigation also revealed the driver was a suspended driver.

The driver then caused damage to the cell area at the police station, police said.

Willan Roy Dunbar, 28, of Park Street North was charged with impaired driving, mischief under $5,000, driving while suspended and two counts of failing to comply with a release order.

His vehicle was automatically impounded for seven days.

He was released from custody and is to appear in court Sept. 22.
A Milwaukee mom was charged with first-degree reckless homicide after she shot and killed her own daughter last Tuesday.

A cash bond of $100,000 was set to a Milwaukee mom who shot and killed her own daughter. She first offered different stories about how her daughter was killed by a black man then another story blaming his own son. However, the prosecutor said that she admitted the crime.

In a criminal complaint about the shooting incident, witnesses heard a gunshot at around 7:30 p.m. They saw Daniel, 22 years old and the mother of the child, ran outside their house while carrying her 2-year-old child who had been shot.

Responders were called and witnesses helped to perform the CPR while waiting for the Paramedics to arrive. Unfortunately, the 2-year child died while they were on their way to Children's Wisconsin. It was first alleged that the child was shot by an unknown black man

During the investigation, the prosecutors assigned on the case found out that Daniels gave different stories to the police and the investigators. At first, she told the police officers that her 2-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son were in her basement apartment while she was outside then she heard three to four rounds of gunshots.

In another story when she was asked again she said that she was with her son and daughter in the basement of their apartment. She heard a gunshot when she looked away for two minutes. She said that she saw her son crying and said that he did not mean to do it. She blamed her son in her second story.

The speculation started when the investigators asked for consent to search the house for the gun. According to the prosecutors, Daniels refused and told the investigators that the gun would not be located inside the residence.

Following it, Daniels was taken into police custody for obstruction. During the search, the following items were found according to a published article in Fox News:

A black digital scale

A package of suspected cocaine knotted in a clear baggie on the floor by a couch

Sergeant major munitions box with four unspent cartridges

Multiple cellphones

A black Glock magazine (loaded with multiple different brand 9mm cartridges)

A plastic baggie containing three nickel 9mm Luger cartridges

A pill bottle containing suspected cocaine

A fired brass bullet located on the drywall

On July 22 during the additional question, she gave another story She said that she found the gun at the park one week before the incident. She also said that she did not check the gun if it was loaded with bullets or not.

Moreover, the prosecutor said that Daniels remained uncooperative during the interview and refused to identify the persons who lived in the upstairs portion of their house. She claimed that there were only three of them who lived in the basement.

In a fourth interview, the prosecutor said that Daniels admitted she lied to the police. She said that her 3-year-old son did not shot her daughter. Daniels explained that she was in the basement when an unknown black man came and sat on the couch.

The unknown black man started cleaning the gun even though her two children were playing in the same room. She also admitted that she did not bother that an unknown person was in her residence cleaning a gun. According to the complaint, she heard a gunshot five minutes later.

However, the surveillance camera that investigators recovered did not show a black male entering or leaving the residence during the time frame. Additionally, Daniels also denied that her boyfriend and the father of her children was at their residence at that time.

On July 23, she attempted to make another story on how the child was killed. However, this time the police officers told her that no person matches the description in the surveillance video. Then Daniels started crying and said, "I accidentally did it."

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President says Govt determined to create balance to thwart pressures

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, July 26, IRNA -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that the Government is determined to create a balance in terms of satisfactory supply of the fundamental needs of the people and thwart all pressures imposed by the enemies as well.

The government will keep the forex market in balance, President Rouhani said at an economic session with participation of members of the cabinet in Tehran.

State bodies should be pioneer in the fight against moves which may lead to increase in prices, the president said.

Along with boost in production, the government plans to set proper prices for different products, he noted.

The president stressed the importance of controlling the prices in order to ease the pressure caused by the [US] economic war and the coronavirus pandemic on the people.

Under the current difficult circumstances amounted to a record in the history of the country, the Government has managed economy to be independent from oil income thanks to domestic exporters, entrepreneurs and producers, the president stated.

In the today meeting, the Governor of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnasser Hemmati, presented a report on forex as well.

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Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Dramani Mahama, officially outdoored his running mate; Naana Opoku-Agyemang for the 2020 elections, at the UPSA in Accra on Monday.



In her maiden address, Jane Naana described her appointment as a "new focal point for girls and women" adding "this is the time we have been waiting for".



"Making history is gratifying; but what really matters is not to be first through the door. What matters is to hold the door open for those behind us and create other avenues for self-actualization for many more. That is the work of the next four years...It will be my mission to ensure that the voices and concerns of our children, our youth and our aged, and our persons with disabilities are reflected in critical decisions."



Registration related violence



Prof Jane Naana also condemned pockets of violence recorded at some registration centres nationwide, blaming it's ascendancy on the lack of political will on the part of officialdom to crack the whip on offenders.



"As if this is not bad enough, the level of violence, brute force, blood-letting and sheer breakdown of law and order in an otherwise straightforward act of registering to vote is unbefitting of this nation that was until recently, a fulcrum of democracy in our region.



How did we descend into this situation?



The answer is simple: when there appears to be selective justice; when some offenders are not even placed on the hook but are hailed and promoted for being nasty and violent, the logical outcome is what we see. This situation of people dying, being harassed, because they have decided to register to vote, is not a story we can tell any child in the future, especially when the curriculum is hinged on tolerance," Prez Mahama's running mate stated.



Read full Speech below



MAIDEN STATEMENT BY PROF. NAANA JANE OPOKU-AGYEMANG, NDC RUNNING MATE TO H.E. JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA FOR ELECTION 2020 ON THE OCCASSION OF HER OUTDOORING AT UPSA ON 27TH JULY, 2020



My Boss, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, Leader of the NDC and soon to be reinstated as President of the Republic,



Thank you for your kind words.



Thank you Chairman Ofosu Ampofo ;



Comrade Asiedu Nketiah, the one and only General Mosquito  Thank you.



My Brothers and Sisters,



The past three weeks have been interesting and sobering for me.



It has been a humbling experience.



Ebenezer, this is how far you have brought your handmaids; this is how far you have brought Ghana; we thank you for all that is past; and trust you for all that is to come.



I wish to express sincere gratitude to the Founder, H.E. J. J. Rawlings, the Council of Elders, members of the National Executive Committee, the Functional Executive Committee, the entire rank and file of the NDC and the general public for their incredible support and many, many words of encouragement, those pronounced publicly and those spoken in private.



We are all aware that this is the first time in our history that a major party has nominated a woman on its ticket to become Vice President. I assure the leadership and rank and file of the party that I come to this position with the mindset of a team player. I belong to you all and will always count on your support and guidance.







Your Excellency John Mahama, your singular decision to select me as your running mate has generated a whole web of responses and debates. But importantly, it is a new focal point for girls and women; you have respected women; the women of Ghana will not forget; the youth will remember; generations to come will commit your decision to memory and make it a reference point; we will partner with our men and youth, as we have always done, and work hard to achieve peace in our land, because that is the best way to respond to this high recognition.



Making history is gratifying; but what really matters is not to be first through the door. What matters is to hold the door open for those behind us and create other avenues for self actualization for many more. That is the work of the next four years.



Many are those who are now more energized to vote, thanks to the momentous decision of JM. I urge them to do just that. We do not intend to disappoint you.



My Boss JM, by your choice, you have turned the struggles of so many women who have come before this moment into a probability. We- men, women, our youth and children- we all have a chance to finally make real our dreams of serving this country at high levels, of removing doubts and proving once again that we are capable.



This is the time we have been waiting for. Aloo nyemi yei mimale? Nse yebetum aye? Nyame nye hen boafo.



Yes, it gets emotional sometimes, for which we will not apologize; emotions only confirm our humanity.



After serious reflection , consultations, prayers, and encouragement of colleagues, friends, and family, I am happy to have accepted the nomination to be the running mate of the presidential candidate of the great National Democratic Congress. This is an act of faith I do not take lightly, at all. I do not underrate the huge responsibilities and expectations that come with the call. I call on us all to translate our excitement into action for the benefit of the good people of our beloved country.



I accepted the nomination because it is an opportunity to serve my country once again, albeit at a higher level. In God do I continue to trust, that I may never be confounded. The Methodists know where this line is coming from.



I am deeply humbled by the trust of our party and nation and I am excited to make the case to the good people of Ghana as to why the J&J ticket is best poised to confront the daunting challenges of our time and usher Ghana into recovery and prosperity.



It will be my mission to ensure that the voices and concerns of our children, our youth and our aged, and our persons with disabilities are reflected in critical decisions.



Together, we can strategize to solve long-standing problems of needless and unproductive discrimination, and thrive as valued citizens.



I want you, all of us in whatever demographic category to know, that I will carry your voices forward.



Together, we can make it happen.



This, I pledge to you.



I wish we could meet again in same fashion as we did in the process of framing our manifesto, and listen to your concerns, challenges and hopes for the future.



It would have been my joy to sit with you in the market, your shop, on the farms and at the beaches, by the roadside, and in the institutions, and think and plan together, argue and laugh at each other.



But these are not normal times. COVID-19 is real; no doubt about it. However, we will find safer ways to meet and talk and plan, and strategize for the good of our country. We will collectively work out the way forward.



Men and women together have accomplished fantastic things in our history. But I must also acknowledge that today, I stand on the shoulders of many giants who came before me. Throughout our history, women have always played pivotal roles in the advancement of our country. When duty called, our women too, responded. We all have in mind great heroines who, by their actions, shattered the concept that women alone must be restricted by ceilings and limitations.



I salute those many known women who have made such great contributions to the advancement of our country. And just as importantly, I pay homage to those many, many unknown women, the silent and invisible and unacknowledged women, who also played and continue to play critical roles in building what we now call our country.



Now, do allow me to tell a little bit about myself.



I am Naana Jane. I was born in Cape Coast, a town with rich and intriguing connections to the Ghanaian story. My parents come from the holy city of Komenda. Kofi Nyame nna Aba Atta- you blessed the earth, and are blessed of God and man forever. One of my beloved mothers, biological mother of my oldest sibling, and a great friend comes from Alavanyo, but she spent a great deal of her life in Kpando. Mama Rose, hede nyuiee.



Growing up as a little girl, I didnt dream of standing in this position; not that I knew it even existed. However, what I knew and believed then was that if I studied and focused enough, that if my actions benefited others before they benefited me; there was nothing impossible to achieve in our great country. I still believe in these values, that others matter, too.



My parents believed that good, quality education and hard work would open for me a world of possibilities. My parents conviction made me believe in my own ability to pursue any goal, and in the rewards of grit and determination.



Becoming the first female Vice Chancellor of a Ghanaian university was - for me - the most tangible testament to this fact. And here let me once again congratulate Prof. Rita Dickson, recently appointed Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Congratulations as well to Dr. Koryoe Anim-Wright, who becomes the first female Registrar of UPSA, where this event is taking place.



This country has given me the opportunity to live out that promise and to aspire to the limits of my own potential. It has continuously rewarded a life of hard work, and offered me the privilege to give back through service.



It is precisely because of where my story began, that I know what is possible in this country and what the individual can achieve. These are the same lessons I passed on to my students, and of course to my own children and grandchildren - the joys of my life.



But it is also because of where my story began that I know it takes more than just good grades or good work ethic. I had good opportunities too. That made a difference in my life because my origins and upbringing are not unique.



Villages and towns across our country are full of stories like mine.



They are full of parents making untold sacrifices for the sake of their children and their futures. They are full of market women, fisherwomen and farmers toiling in the sun to feed the children on their backs and those they have left behind at home. They are full of young mothers and fathers who are balancing family life, work obligations, and entrepreneurial ambitions: the young mother and yes, the young father who often has to manage family life, employment or entrepreneurship seamlessly. We are a people who jump over many hurdles.



Walking that road is an act of courage. That experience is a forge of character.



Villages and towns across our country are full of brilliant young people with great ambitions and boundless energy. They are full of young people who rightly aspire to a better life than their parents had, and to bring their own children into a better Ghana than their parents did.



Throughout the years, I have been blessed to meet and interact with numerous Ghanaians in every region of our country whose experiences echo mine. I have taught and mentored thousands of youth from all walks of life over the course of my career. And I have always been inspired by their passion, by their positivity, and by their desire to succeed.



But without good, meaningful opportunities, all of that toil and resilience and determination sum up to nothing but frustration and all of that youthful energy amounts to yet more wasted potential.



Far too often in this country, that is how the story ends.



And so clearing the hurdles in their path; giving them a hand up and not just a hand out; and offering them plans and not just promises - these must be the immediate priorities of our national agenda.



In todays turbulent political and economic climate, there are four crucial factors to consider in tackling issues relating to youth and gender.



First, we must be mindful of the fact that 60% of our population will be under the age of 30 in a few years. That is why it is so critical that we systematically reform all our systems to effectively address the aspirations of our youth and country.



Second, we need meaningful, quality and comprehensive education that goes beyond access and responds to the future we can actualize



Third, we must leverage on vocational and technical training to equip many into meaningful and fulfilling work.



Fourth, we must provide opportunities that transcend political patronage, connection and the practice of whom- you- know. Equal and fair opportunities based on merit are an imperative for sustainable economic growth. The time for that shift is now



Truth be told, despite all our challenges, Ghana remains a special place where any dream is possible, where every aspiration matters, and where anyone - be it a little boy from Bole or a little girl from Komenda - can grow up to be anything they want to be. Even President. Even Vice President. This is why we love this country so much. We must continue to make it a place we cherish and are proud to belong to, and a place of opportunities.



In the past and more so very recently, I have had extensive discussions with H.E. John Mahama about issues confronting our country and his vision for the coming years. These have been broad, passionate and engaging. In John Mahama you find a person who is thoughtful, visionary, makes no claim to perfection and admits to mistakes or missteps and valuable lessons learnt. Our society will be better served with such down-to-earth, considerate and reflective leadership.



We have chosen the path of peace, inclusiveness, self-reliance and belief in ourselves. It is an important avenue through which to turn our current circumstances into opportunities that yield great dividends for us all. And us includes generations unborn. Their lives also matter.



It is clear that with the right direction and resolve, with all of us being part of the forward march, our country is destined for greatness. We can and must right the course of our country. We all admit that we can put our country on a firmer, more sustainable path, a path of peace, in order to move forth in ways that are meaningful and clear.



At this time, may I say to the SHS students who are in school taking your final exams: I have children your age in same situation too, even if not biological. I understand the difficult situation you are going through and, especially, the anxiety that you have as some of your colleagues and staff got infected by COVID-19. There are also, sadly, reports of deaths of students. The partisan nature of our politics today makes it difficult to even ask the most basic questions about the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic without triggering a political brawl. This is unhelpful.



All the same, my condolences to the families; many of us share in your loss.



I ask all of us to be very disciplined about following the World Health Organization Guidelines and the Government Directives and taking good care of yourselves. Some of you will understand these protocols better than others; share the knowledge; lets save lives, regardless.



Countrymen and women,



All we are doing right now is what has always been a very simple exercise of registration. What is not so simple this time is that the exercise is taking place in a time of a dreadful pandemic that is still evolving, and our case numbers still rising.



As if this is not bad enough, the level of violence, brute force, blood-letting and sheer breakdown of law and order in an otherwise straightforward act of registering to vote is unbefitting of this nation that was until recently, a fulcrum of democracy in our region.



How did we descend into this situation?



The answer is simple: when there appears to be selective justice; when some offenders are not even placed on the hook but are hailed and promoted for being nasty and violent, the logical outcome is what we see. This situation of people dying, being harassed, because they have decided to register to vote, is not a story we can tell any child in the future, especially when the curriculum is hinged on tolerance. What will be our response if they pose their favorite question: Why or if they add a few words and ask the storyteller: So what did you do? Or,  and what did you say to that? 



We need to show up and vote come December 7th. Each one of us must jealously guard our sacred right to vote and reject the attempts by some to disenfranchise millions of voters. We are all Ghanaians, and we love this country deeply. Do not let anyone make you feel otherwise.



The choice we have in this election is clear: we can either build a Ghana where every citizen regardless of background is afforded equal opportunity to become their best selves. Or we can continue on a path where a few people attempt to control and dictate the destiny of the people who have given them the privilege to govern.



Let our politics deviate from this unproductive path of injustice and non-peace. Ghana does not belong to any select few. We The People, all of us, are the protectors and owners of this country for our collective good and for that of generations unborn.



What makes Ghana so special is that - despite our various ethnic groups, religions, and diverse backgrounds - we all come together as one people under one flag, inspired by the sacrifices of our ancestors to create a great country. And everyones ancestor has been a worthy contributor to this space now called Ghana, whose artificial borders, sadly, we seek to make even more artificial, as if our continent has not suffered enough from the initial assault. Everyone matters. We have come too far as a nation to still cling to our primordial tribal bigotries.



Diversity is a source of great strength. Whether you are GA, MFANTSE, SISALI, EWE, GONJA, ASANTE, NZEMA, MAMPRUSI, or any other ethnic group, you are valued as a Ghanaian. You have every right to walk with confidence, with a high resolve to make huge contributions to this nation. Let nobody, let no one question your identity or patriotism. It is time to put all these needless, unproductive and backward distractions behind us and get on with the serious business of nation-building. The time is now.



The 21st century is nearly 20% over. We shouldnt be here, as a country, living with inexcusable insanitary conditions, with our babies still dying of malaria; our women delivering on the bare floor, our youth bewildered and unable to see their way ahead, parents confused about the future their children face and the quality of education they are getting. If we choose to be anywhere as a country, the destination should not include a place where a 90 year old woman, Akua Denteh, is stoned to death because someone has decided that she is a witch. I call on our security agencies to convince us that she has not died in vain.



As indicated, the 21st Century is nearly 20% gone and we shouldnt be here, the very foundations of our democracy is so threatened by unimaginable levels of arrogance, intolerance and violence; humans playing God; our economy is struggling; our tongues tied to the roof of our mouths; our citizens feeling unsafe; our farmers unsure of when to plant crops due to climate change; our environments under severe threats; our youth perishing on their way to find better lives; our institutions to which we should run for succor rapidly losing credibility; children who should be in school becoming unwitting brides, when we all know that marriage is not a childs business.



At a time of a growing number of cases and deaths arising from the pandemic of COVID-19, with their attendant fears and uncertainties; at a time when some of our children are leaving school not any more literate than when they entered; others graduating into unemployment; the vulnerable uncared for, none of us should be here, behaving as if the best antidote to all of these is to flex muscles, turn aspects of our protective institutions into agents of intimidation; and arrogate to ourselves the right to alienate people who have always lived on this part of our continent, long before some did, and who have served our country with distinction.



We can spend all those resources on ways to confront our artificial borders and work towards the inclusion that solidifies our continent.



Let me assure our youth, that we have not always been like this. I have had endless conversations with many of you, and I can understand your frustrations and sense of despair. But, as I keep assuring you, we have not always been like this. No, as you also know, Ghana has not always been like this.



Giving up is not an option. Stay the course. As a people, we have survived many unspeakable atrocities. Read and know your true history. We just celebrated the Year of Return. Read that history, very, very carefully. It has not been a nice cup of sobolo.



This is a bad phase; it will only pass with our collective determination, plain honest, hard work and willingness to put in practice those values of integrity, meritocracy and inclusiveness. Lets re-ignite the Ghanaian spirit of caring, sharing, of kind hospitality and sincerity. We know we can, all minds linked; God our helper.



I wish to assure our Muslim brothers and sisters that as our Leader, John Dramani Mahama has consistently done in the past, going forward, there will be none of the unwarranted discrimination directed at you, and indeed no Ghanaian will feel alienated due to religion or ethnicity.



This coming Thursday is the great day of Arafa, and as the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon Him) admonished you to fast, please remember to pray for us, especially for the peace of this country and for Allahs bountiful blessings. I wish you all Eid Mubarak in advance.



To all the little girls and boys across our country, always dream big; remain focused. You can grow to become anything you want to be. Believe that only you can stop yourselves. It is not going to be about your parents, rich or poor; not the region you come from and whether it is endowed with resources or not. Remember that natural endowment is what it is; it did not come from the effort of anyone. It is nature that placed those resources there. That is why we call them natural resources. It is rather about a system that works; a functioning country that respects all its citizens and provides opportunity to all, regardless. The time is ripe for change.



The time is now.



To my daughters and sisters: We are in this together; you know as I do that it has not been and will not be an easy walk; but, as we all know, it is possible; actually it is probable; we can do it.



I know too well and have also lived some of the unspoken and unspeakable weight of responsibilities and concerns we bear as women  much more so, at these incredibly difficult times. What we have always shown however is that when we have the opportunity, many choose to bring on our best game. We earn our seat at the table and we excel. Our results transform our families, communities and country; and sometimes, go beyond our borders, porous or otherwise.



Our democracy has come a long way. Yet it remains fragile. It calls on all of us to exercise our civic duty against any obstacles and machinations. I urge each of us to show up and participate in the ongoing voter registration exercise, but please observe all the necessary health protocols. Please look out for each other. Politely remind people to use their face masks correctly, offer your hand sanitizer to someone in need. If you see a disabled person or an elderly person or pregnant woman, offer help. For THAT is the Ghanaian spirit.



I extend a hand to everyone, no matter how disappointed you have become; no matter the depth of your frustration, your anger, your despair. Come! Lets chart a path for our country built on the values of integrity, merit, trust, responsible citizenship, caring, putting others first, simple polite language.



Come let us link effort and thoughts, to re-build our institutions; lets build a truly independent, inclusive nation that is not afraid to respect views that differ from ours; a country confident enough to accept other ways of seeing; of respecting everyone, regardless.



Come, men, women, our youth, our children- together, let us build the Ghana we can have which must belong to us all, and which must pay special, working and workable attention to the vulnerable.



We must bring back the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality that seems locked down if not quarantined. We must ease restrictions on the Ghana we know that respects, tolerates, liberates.



The time is now.



As a country, Ghana has been poised for far too long. Ghana must be in full flight towards sustainable development, to a destination of peace, inclusion, self-confidence, plain honesty and where good old hard work matters. We call on all our countrywomen and men who believe that our country can once again travel the path of hope to come join us. The time is now. Forth in the name of our country we will go.



We will not be intimidated



Our resolve to serve this country remains strong



No shaking



We will stay the course



We will not be distracted



We will remain focused



We will raise high the Flag of Ghana



The time is now



And Insha Allah, we will succeed



May God bless you all. May God bless you JM! May God bless our determination to serve our country and may God bless our homeland



I thank you for your kind attention.



Good night.















Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the current political situation in the state, while the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has submitted a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind. Gehlot had also written a letter to the prime minister on the matter a few days ago.

CLP members in the memorandum claimed that horse-trading of MLAs was taking place in Rajasthan to topple an elected government. Governors of many states are "defying" the Constitution at the behest of the ruling party at the Centre without worrying about the dignity of the post, they alleged.

"The chief minister told that he has spoken to the prime minister and apprised him of the current political situation in the state," a Congress leader said after a meeting at a hotel where MLAs are holed up following rebellion by Sachin Pilot against the Gehlot government.

Pilot has been stripped of his position as deputy chief minister and Rajasthan Congress chief.

The chief minister addressed the MLAs at the meeting after a Prarthna Sabha andit was attended by senior Congress leaders.

In the memorandum to Kovind, the CLP members demanded that the President intervene and give permission to the state government to call an assembly session.

India is battling the COVID-19 pandemic and the Rajasthan government wants to call the assembly session to discuss with all members the economic problems facing the state along with the coronavirus situation so that people get relief. But the state government is not being allowed to call the session, they said in the memorandum.

Without taking any names, the CLP members said that despite prima facie evidence of horse-trading and corrupt practices by Union ministers, not removing them from the cabinet is a "blot" on democracy.

With a feeling of political vendetta, the use of investigative agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax Department to weaken and intimidate democratically elected governments and public representatives is highly condemnable, the CLP members said.

Recently the ED had raided Ashok Gehlot's elder brother Agrasen Gehlot's house in Jodhpur in a fertilisers scam case.

The CLP members in the memorandum urged the President to intervene in Rajasthan and wherever efforts are being made to undermine democracy through undemocratic methods and corrupt practices.
The City of Dearborn is committed to maintaining its tree canopy by protecting trees where possible and providing new trees as needed.

Property owners need a City permit to remove trees that are diseased or dying or that are in the way of a private construction project.

Homeowners are prohibited from removing any tree that is at least four feet tall and 16 inches in diameter without first contacting the City. Removing such a tree without City approval is punishable by a $500 fine and up to 93 days in jail as a misdemeanor.

A Tree Removal Permit Application can be found at www.cityofdearborn.org or at the Permit Office at the Dearborn Administrative Center, 16901 Michigan Ave.

Submitting a tree removal permit application is free, but must be accompanied by a report from a certified arborist.

For more information about tree permits, call 313-943-2688.

Report suspicious tree cutting

If you suspect that a property owner has not obtained permission from the city of Dearborn to cut down a tree, call 313-943-2688. If it is the weekend, call the police non-emergency number at 313-943-2241.

Providing trees

City residents can also order trees almost any time for planting on their easement. Trees will be planted in the fall.

More information about tree ordering and the online order form are also on the City website, or by calling 313-943-2107.

For neighborhoods that lose trees due to public construction projects, the City will replant trees on every property for free once the project is complete, even if there was not a tree on that site before.
An Offaly GAA club has taken to social media to express its disappointment at an act of vandalism at its ground.

Rhode GAA posted pictures of the damage caused by vandals in a late night drive at its ground, Fr Dowling Park which is just outside the village.

The pictures show extensive damage to the playing surface with the vandals driving right through the goals.

A statement from the club to accompany the pictures reads:

"Its very disheartening to have to post these photos but it's important that we highlight the inconsiderate nature of whomever thought it was their right to drive onto our third pitch in Fr Dowling Park last night and disrespect the great work that has been done up there. Could you stop and think of the people that this pitch and all our pitches facilitate, they are probably members of your own family and will definitely be someone you know. Our pitches and walking track are for the benefit and enjoyment of our members and we are so lucky and so proud to have such a great facility in our small village we only ask that they are respected and appreciated."

READ NEXT: OPINION: Take a bow people of Offaly!... County doing its part to stop spread of Covid-19
Massachusetts health officials on Monday announced another seven coronavirus deaths, bringing the statewide death count to 8,317.

Officials also confirmed another 182 cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases across Massachusetts to at least 108,562. Thats based on 10,291 new molecular tests reported on Monday, according to the Department of Public Health.

There are currently 350 people hospitalized with the virus, 57 of whom are in intensive care.

Officials said there were 107 new probable cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of probable cases to 7,364.

Since April 15, theres been a 93% decrease in the rate of positive infections, according to a seven-day weighted average. Hospitalizations have declined by up to 90%, and coronavirus-related deaths have decreased by 91%, according to a three-day average. No hospitals are using surge capacity as of Monday, according to the DPH data.

The latest numbers come amid a small uptick in new infections, which officials believe is the result of several small clusters of cases linked to recent gatherings, Gov. Charlie Baker said on Monday.

On Monday, Baker statewide positive test rate has increased from about 1.7% to roughly 2%, Baker said.

We are aware of some small clusters associated with gatherings, Baker said during his daily press briefing. Obviously we would prefer to see zero new cases of COVID, but we know thats just not going to be the case until we have a medical breakthrough like a vaccine.

Baystate Health on Monday reported an outbreak of new infections at Baystate Medical Center affecting 23 employees and 13 patients. Baystate Healths president and CEO Dr. Mark Keroack said the outbreak may be traced back to a single employee, who returned to work after visiting a state identified as a new virus hotspot.

There was also an outbreak in the Cape Cod town of Chatham after at least 10 people who attended a house party on July 12 tested positive for coronavirus. Cape officials announced on Sunday that they will offer pop-testing for anyone who attended the party, or is a close contact of someone who was there.

Baker also on Monday announced that the state is expanding its free coronavirus testing program to eight more communities with slightly higher rates of infections, including Springfield and Worcester.

Free COVID-19 testing will soon be available in Agawam, Brockton, Methuen, Randolph, Revere, Springfield, Taunton and Worcester. These communities represent roughly 10% of the Massachusetts population, but roughly 15% of the states positive COVID-19 tests over the past week or so, Baker said.

Coronavirus in Mass.: See cases, maps, charts and resources

Here are the cases listed by county:

Barnstable County: 1,698

Berkshire County: 645

Bristol County: 8,907

Dukes County: 64

Essex County: 16,990

Franklin County: 396

Hampden County: 7,309

Hampshire County: 1,095

Middlesex County: 25,396

Nantucket County: 31

Norfolk County: 10,013

Plymouth County: 9,000

Suffolk County: 20,914

Worcester County: 13,140

Unknown location: 328

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Twitter on Monday faced a temporary boycott by some critics in Britain and a backlash from the government over its handling of a series of anti-Semitic posts by a high-profile rapper.

The social media giant, along with photo sharing site Instagram, on Friday banned grime artist Wiley from their platforms for seven days after he posted messages described as "abhorrent" by interior minister Priti Patel.

But some see the punishments as too soft and that the US companies took too long to remove the messages, prompting politicians, celebrities and other high-profile figures to launch a 48-hour Twitter boycott from Monday.

Patel has written to the firms asking why some of Wiley's posts were visible for more than 12 hours before being removed, and the government has said it expects a full response.

"The message is clear: Twitter needs to do better on this," Prime Minister Boris Johnson's official spokesman told reporters on Monday.

"Social media companies need to go much further and faster in removing hateful content such as this."

Police are now investigating the comments made on the Instagram and Twitter accounts of Wiley, who is considered a pioneer of the UK's popular grime music scene.

Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis on Monday accused the two platforms of lacking "responsible leadership" in their response to the posts.

"This cannot be allowed to stand. Your inaction amounts to complicity," he said in letters sent to the heads of both firms.

Lisa Nandy, the main opposition Labour Party's foreign affairs spokeswoman, businessman Alan Sugar and television presenter Rachel Riley were among those to join the two-day boycott of Twitter.

Johnson's spokesman said he would continue to use the site for "important public health messages".

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Ardern and Hipkins told media the funding would help "cushion the blow" and set out a path to recovery for the sector.

"International education is our fifth-largest export earner and contributed nearly $5 billion to our economy in 2018 ... that's why today the government is investing $51.6 million from the COVID recovery fund to help stabilise the sector," Ardern says.

Some $20m would be invested in state and state-integrated schools for the remainder of the year, $10m would go to private training establishments including English language schools, and $10m would be invested to develop new products and services. The latter would include allowing students to learn from their home country before coming to New Zealand to complete their studies.

The remainder of the funding would allow providers to continue to provide pastoral care for the international students still living in New Zealand, and on marketing campaigns.

"We are looking to the prospects for this sector in the future, where we can manage them as part of quarantine, but that is not something we can safely do immediately," Ardern says.

"That is going to take some time and we will need to continue working with the sector on that."

Hipkins says the funding would not help save every job in the sector but, using the same words as the Prime Minister said it would cushion the blow.

He says the government was already providing support to universities and polytechs, as they were part of the "Crown's balance sheet".

"The investment that we're announcing today builds on the work that the government has already been doing to support providers and students such as enabling PTEs to hibernate, establishing an international student hardship fund and removing the requirement for providers to pay an ... education levy both this year and next year.

"I know much of the recovery will be dependent on when New Zealand is able to reopen our borders to international students, as we've noted many times, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage overseas, and we'd be expecting providers to plan for no additional international students for the rest of this year," Hipkins says.

Hipkins says the government was "actively looking" at opening the borders to international students, and would be looking at how to bring in "low-risk" cohorts of international students first.

He says the government "absolutely" would not be subsidising managed isolation and quarantine costs for incoming international students however.

Ardern says whenever you start doing something at scale, there would be associated risks.

"We're just not willing to jeopardise our health response by scaling up to something that we just can't do well. We have to constantly make sure we balance all of these decisions and that our primary focus is the health and safety of New Zealanders. And that's how we guard our economy."

She says the government has been working closely with airlines to manage the flow of passengers arriving in the country.

The Cabinet was understood to be discussing plans today for the first relaxation of the borders of New Zealand and Cook Islands, but announcement of any details has again been delayed.

The Ministry of Health today says there were no new cases of COVID-19, after a weekend of no new cases.

However, testing numbers have continued to fall short of the 4000 tests per day scientists recommend for monitoring of the virus in New Zealand.

-RNZ
SPRINGFIELD  Baystate Health on Monday reported an outbreak of coronavirus infections at Baystate Medical Center affecting 23 employees and 13 patients.

Dr. Mark Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health, said the outbreak last week appears to be related in part to an employee returning to work after visiting another state identified as a hot spot for COVID-19.

In addition, the hospitals extensive review also traced the outbreak to employees who gathered in break rooms and had removed their masks, Keroack said.

The outbreak is deeply disappointing, Keroack said.

This event reinforces that COVID-19 is highly contagious and requires vigilance in order to contain its spread, Keroack said. We remain committed to high quality safe care and environments, and to transparency with all in our community who count on us each and every day.

Baystate Health is not revealing the specific hospital area where the outbreak occurred, but it was not a COVID-19 unit, a spokesman said.

Patients treated in the affected hospital unit July 15-23 are being contacted so they can be tested for COVID-19 and take part in contact tracing, Keroack said.

All employees working in that area of the hospital are being tested for the coronavirus, as well as any employees who entered that area for more than 15 minutes, Keroack said.

Prior to the new outbreak, there were no documented transmissions of the virus between patients and employees, Keroack said.

Our culture of safety is our number one priority, Keroack said.

The hospital system has communicated with its staff to reinforce the requirements for COVID-19 safety, including frequent hand hygiene, wearing of masks and social distancing, as well as not coming to work when sick.

Baystate Health is also assessing all break areas and making alterations as needed, Keroack said.

A new policy, in alignment with Massachusetts travel restrictions taking effect Aug. 1, will require quarantine for any Baystate employee returning from a COVID-19 hot spot, Keroack said.

The hospital system already has a ban on corporate travel and meetings.

From the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March, Baystate Health has cared for more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients at its four hospitals, Keroack said. The hospitals are in Springfield, Westfield, Palmer and Greenfield.

Baystate Health has approximately 12,000 employees, including about 6,000 employees at Baystate Medical Center. The system has not released numbers of employees known to have contracted the virus during the pandemic.

As of Monday, there were 16 COVID-19 patients at Baystate Medical Center, including three patients in intensive care. The number of hospitalizations was also in the teens a week ago, with 13 hospitalized July 20.

The virus will remain a real threat for many more months, and we must stay focused on taking appropriate precautions to prevent future instances of its reintroduction and spread, Keroack said.
Famous US burger chain Five Guys is set to open its first stores in Australia and New Zealand.

The franchise - renowned for its made-to-order burgers with 15 different toppings and American-style milkshakes - is expected to open its first Australian branch in Sydney in early 2021.

Following years of rumours Five Guys would be heading Down Under, Sydney-based Seagrass Boutique Hospitality announced it has secured the rights to the brand's master franchisee in Australia.

Famous US burger chain is set to expand Down Under after Australian company Seagrass Boutique Hospitality acquired the local master franchisee rights

The franchise is renowned for its made-to-order burgers with 15 different toppings and American-style milkshakes

A spokeswoman for Seagrass said the company was in the process of finding a suitable venue for the first Australian Five Guys store.

'We are looking to open our first store in early 2021,' the company said in a statement.

Seagrass - the company behind The Meat & Wine Co, Ribs & Burgers, Italian Street and Kitchen and Hunter Barrel - said they would then look at expanding to sites across Australia and New Zealand, starting with Melbourne and Brisbane.

Five Guys has more than 1,500 locations worldwide and counts the UK and Hong Kong as its major successes outside the US.

The moves follows American burger joint In-N-Out Burger teasing Australians with its one-day pop-up stalls in Sydney.

But in 2016, the fast food giant confirmed it was not considering open a permanent outlet Down Under.

Five Guys has more than 1,500 locations worldwide, with branches in the UK and Hong Kong

Pictured: A Five Guys burger joint in New York. Customers can choose from 15 different toppings included in the price

'We do these pop-ups in various countries to get our name out there and familiarise people with the brand so they know about us when they visit the US,' an In-N-Out Burger spokeswoman previously told Nine News.

'This pop up is no indication that we are going to open a store in Australia. We are a family owned business and we only operate in six (US) states right now and all the produce we use needs to be delivered fresh from our distributors.

'We have been approached by other areas regarding franchises but it's just not something we would do.'
There are three main things new farmers generally need, one is land . . . and they need financing, sometimes those are two sides of the same coin, because if you have financing, you can get land, but most beginners cant get enough financing to outbid their neighbors, Frass said, So there are two separate parts to that. The other piece is experience, even if they get a lot of book learning from school and study resources that are out there, it takes some hands on working experience to know whether the information they have gotten off of a farm will actually work on a farm.
Iran has moved a mock 650ft US aircraft carrier to the strategic Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with the United States.

Satellite photographs released on Monday show the aircraft carrier being towed by a tugboat, likely signalling the Islamic Republic soon plans to use it for live-fire drills.

An image from Maxar Technologies taken Sunday shows an Iranian fast boat speed toward the carrier, sending waves up in its wake, after a tugboat pulled her out into the strait from the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.

Iran has moved a mock aircraft carrier to the strategic Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with the United States. Above, the refurbished mockup aircraft carrier is seen towed by a tugboat near Bandar Abbas

A mockup aircraft carrier built by Iran is seen at Bandar Abbas, Iran, on February 15 before being put to sea

Iranian state media and officials have yet to acknowledge bringing the replica out to the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil passes. However, its appearance there suggests Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is preparing an encore of a similar mock-sinking it conducted in 2015.

The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, which patrols Mideast waterways, remains 'confident in our naval forces' ability to defend themselves against any maritime threat,' said spokeswoman Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich when asked about the faux carrier's movements.

'We cannot speak to what Iran hopes to gain by building this mockup, or what tactical value they would hope to gain by using such a mock-up in a training or exercise scenario,' Rebarich told The Associated Press.

'We do not seek conflict, but remain ready to defend U.S. forces and interests from maritime threats in the region.'

An Iranian fast boat, top left, approaches a mockup aircraft carrier built by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Satellite photographs released Monday, July 27, showed Iran has moved the aircraft carrier out to sea likely for naval drills amid heightened tensions between Tehran and the U.S.

A mockup aircraft carrier, center left, built by Iran is seen at Bandar Abbas, Iran, before being put to sea

The replica resembles the Nimitz-class carriers that the U.S. Navy routinely sails into the Persian Gulf from the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the waterway. The USS Nimitz, the namesake of the class, just entered Mideast waters late last week from the Indian Ocean, likely to replace the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Arabian Sea.

It remains unclear when or if the Nimitz will pass through the Strait of Hormuz or not during its time in the Mideast.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, deployed last year as tensions initially spiked, spent months in the Arabian Sea before heading through the strait. The Eisenhower came through the strait early last week.

The replica carries 16 mock-ups of fighter jets on its deck, according to the satellite photos taken by Maxar Technologies. The vessel appears to be some 200 meters (650 feet) long and 50 meters (160 feet) wide. A real Nimitz is over 300 meters (980 feet) long and 75 meters (245 feet) wide.

The mock-up strongly resembles a similar one used in February 2015 during a military exercise called 'Great Prophet 9.' During that drill, Iran swarmed the fake aircraft carrier with speedboats firing machine guns and rockets. Surface-to-sea missiles later targeted and destroyed the fake carrier.

That drill, however, came as Iran and world powers remained locked in negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program. Today, the deal born of those negotiations is in tatters.

President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in May 2018. Iran later responded by slowly abandoning nearly every tenant of the agreement, though it still allows U.N. inspectors access to its nuclear sites.

Last summer saw a series of attacks and incidents further ramp up tensions between Iran and the U.S. They reached a crescendo with the Jan. 3 U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport that killed Qassem Soleimani, head of the Guards expeditionary Quds, or Jerusalem, Force. Iran retaliated with a ballistic missile attack that injured dozens of American troops stationed in neighboring Iraq.

The drill targeting may be a direct response from Tehran over an event involving a U.S. F-15 fighter jet approaching a Mahan Air flight over Syria. Flight pictured above

Given the timing of Iran moving the replica to sea, with satellite photos showing it being tugged out of port on Saturday, a drill targeting it may be a direct response from Tehran to an incident last week.

That event involved a U.S. F-15 fighter jet approaching a Mahan Air flight over Syria, which saw passengers on the Iranian jetliner injured.

Asked about the fake aircraft carrier, Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, told journalists on a conference call from Kuwait it was part of an 'ongoing problem with the regime.'

'We would like to see the Iranian regime spend more time on diplomacy and less time on military stunts,' Hook said. 'Much of its foreign policy relies on intimidation and threats.'
By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijans national carrier Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) airlifted 117 citizens from Almaty to Baku by a charter flight on July 24, AZAL reported in its official Facebook page.

Passengers with certificate of negative COVID-19 test result issued within 48 hours before departure were allowed to the flight.

All passengers arriving by this flight undertake obligations for self-isolation for two weeks upon arrival.

AZAL operates charter flights to return compatriots to the country in accordance with the plan defined by the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers.

Azerbaijan has so far repatriated over 25,000 citizens from different countries over COVID-19 pandemic. The citizens have been repatriated from Moscow, Istanbul, Kyiv, Minsk, Iran, Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Riga (Latvia), Warsaw (Poland), Berlin (Germany) among others.

Azerbaijan first introduced special quarantine regime on March 24 and the fourth stage of quarantine regime easing came into force May 31. However, the borders remain closed.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Express News Service

KOCHI: In a proud moment for Kerala, 'Aditya', Indias first solar-powered ferry which commenced operations three years ago in Vembanad backwaters, has won the prestigious Gustave Trouve Award for Excellence in Electric Boats and Boating.

"The Aditya, from Navalt Boats, is a sun-powered commuter ferry that is one of the great stories of the future of electric marine propulsion. Every day, she makes 22 trips with 75 people on board  thats 5,80,000 people a year  and the charging cost to top up the batteries is $2.60 a day  preventing the burning of 58,000 litres of diesel and saving $4,612,000- $65,000 a year," reads the citation.

Aditya won the award, instituted in memory of French electrical engineer and pioneer in electric cars and boats Gustave Trouve, after besting five other finalists from European countries in the public transport category.

"It is a proud moment for the state. Aditya was the only ferry from Asia among the 12 vessels from across the globe shortlisted for the award. It entered the finals with five other contestants in the first week of July through public voting. We are thankful to the state government for giving us the opportunity to build Aditya. We are also in the process of making five more Adityas, which will be handed over to the government by the end of this year," said Sandith Thandasherry, Founder CEO, NavAlt Solar and Electric Boats.

The ferry operates service between Thavanakadavu in Alappuzha and Vaikom in Kottayam district. It is equipped with ultra-modern facilities like eco-sounder, GPS, hydraulic steering, automatic pump to remove water from the haul and many other facilities.

The ferry was designed by Navalt team. Department of Ship Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology was part of the technical committee that did a feasibility study and approved the project at various stages during design and construction.

Meanwhile, Aditya's achievement has created a positive sentiment, giving a leg up to startup companies. "A proud moment for the Kerala startup ecosystem as the Aditya Solar Ferry has won the First 'Gussies' electric boat awards, the world's only international award exclusively for electric boats," tweeted Kerala Startup Mission.
New Delhi:

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday said there was no comparison between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and late Indira Gandhi and rejected suggestions that the party did not have leaders to take him on.



She also made it clear that she was not troubled by comparisons between Modi and Gandhi and that her party was taking on the Modi government.



Every era in politics or history has its own problems, its own leaders and its own opposition. I think the Congress party is taking on the present dispensation, Sonia Gandhi told a TV news channel.



She was replying to a question whether her party needed to be competitive unlike the 60s and 70s when it was dominant and that it did not have a leader to take on Modi.



Asked whether she was troubled by the fact that Modi was being compared with the late Prime Minister as a strong personality, Gandhi said, It does not trouble me because I do not believe in it. I have my own clear views about it. There is no comparison. Absolutely not.



To another question that her party did not have a tough and competitive leader like Modi, she said, I do not agree with that.



She recalled that Indira Gandhi was ridiculed, insulted and made fun of from within even more than outside when she entered politics, became a Congress president and later Prime Minister.



There was nothing that she did was right. She was able to overcome that, Gandhi said.



The photo exhibition, Sonia said, was consciously housed in Swaraj Bhavan which was the place of Indira Gandhis birth and where she met the leading lights of the freedom movement.



The event is part of Congress commemoration of Indira Gandhis birth centenary that started November 19.



It was here at Swaraj Bhavan that Indiraji took her first lessons in politics. Her mortal remains after her martyrdom were also brought here. Thats why this exhibition has been opened here. From here it will be taken to other places, said Sonia who, along with her children, dressed in pure whites, interacted with Congress leaders and workers asking them to prepare hard for the upcoming assembly polls.



Sonia and Priyanka stayed overnight at Swaraj Bhavan, which was recently refurbished.



Congress leaders were keen to get themselves clicked with the Gandhis, who also inquired about them and the preparations ahead.



Rahul also shared his thoughts on demonetisation with Congress leaders present there.



Sonia, 69, who briefly stopped her speech for the azaan, also remembered the emotional bond she shared with Indira saying, Indiraji was not just my mother-in-law. She was like my mother. For 16 years we shared a house and also shared joys, sorrows and emotions.



The Gandhis refrained from making any comments on when Priyanka will formally launch her UP election campaign.



No politics today, was their refrain.

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Bangladesh on Monday thanked India for providing 10 broad gauge diesel locomotives, with its Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen saying it would help bring both sides even closer and further take the "rock solid" bilateral relations to new heights.

"This would help bring our two peoples even closer," the foreign minister said at the handing over ceremony of locomotives which was conducted online in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

Momen thanked India for offering Bangladesh the diesel locomotives as a mark of enduring friendship, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper said.

This is in line with India's commitment during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas visit to New Delhi in October 2019 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's renewed focus on neighbourhood first policy.

"Over the last few years, India and Bangladesh have scripted a golden chapter in partnership under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Momen was quoted as saying by the paper.

Bangladesh Railway Minister Md. Nurul Islam Sujan and Foreign Minister Momen, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das attended the online ceremony. From Indian side, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal attended the event.

"We are indeed enjoying the best of relations," Momen said, mentioning that last week, for the first time, 50 containers loaded with FMCG cargoes and fabrics arrived in Bangladesh from India through Benapole-Petrapole rail link.

Last week, the first transshipment of goods (iron and pulses) from Kolkata to Indias North-East took place through Bangladeshs Chittagong port.

"India-Bangladesh relationship is rock solid and is based on shared values, principles and confidence; touching almost every sphere of our lives, including politics, culture, trade, investment, water, energy, power, transportation, logistics, security, and much more," Momen said.

"I am sure we would be able to further lift our relations to new heights in the coming days," he said. Connectivity in the region will unpack numerous opportunities for the people of South Asia, said the foreign minister.

Officials in New Delhi said all locos have residual life of 28 years or more and they are designed for speed of up to 120 km per hour.

In the recent times, the MEA said, India and Bangladesh have stepped up cooperation between their railways in mitigating the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic as trade via land border faced disruptions.

(Photo Credit: Twitter/RailMinIndia)
A $241 billion Department of Veterans Affairs funding bill passed by the House on Friday requires VA to buy prosthetics designed to fit women veterans and conduct research on medical devices more suitable for the female frame.

The issue has been a priority for Reps. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who sponsored legislation to solve the issue of female veterans who have encountered pain and mobility limitations by being fitted with prostheses made for men.

The face of our military has changed, and so have the needs of the VA, Pappas said in introducing his original legislation. It is incumbent upon us to ensure that women that have answered the call to service have access to the same quality care as their male counterparts.

Read Next: Air Force Veteran Shot and Killed in Austin Protest Remembered for Devotion to Fiancee, Racial Justice

The proposed legislation includes $840 million for medical research that must also address military toxic exposures such as burn pits, radiation, depleted uranium, chemicals and cancer-causing agents. At $241 billion, it would give VA the second largest pot of discretionary spending funds of any federal government organization.

This year's Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill makes critical and serious investments in veterans and military families and reinforces our national security infrastructure," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies subcommittee.

The VA funding bill, which must be reconciled with the Senate before it moves to President Donald Trump for signature, includes other provisions to improve the lives of former service members, including funding to ensure that veterans unable to have children as the result of severe combat injuries have access to adoption services or advanced reproductive technologies.

It also contains a measure that restricts the VA's use of dogs for medical research.

The bill, which passed the House 224-189, fully funds the administration's fiscal 2021 budget request and represents a 13% increase in funding for the VA above current levels.

But it also also contains measures that may delay or sink its passage. It includes language that prevents Trump from transferring funds to build a wall along the southern border with Mexico and a provision that designates money for renaming military bases currently named for Confederate officers.

Trump has threatened to veto any legislation that seeks to change the names of at least 10 military installations that honor officers who served the Confederate States of America.

The legislation also includes appropriations for military construction. Under the proposal, military housing projects would receive $1.5 billion, a nearly 9% increase from the president's budget request.

For veterans in southwestern South Dakota, the bill would preserve the place where they receive their medical care: it prohibits the department from shutting its historic Battle Mountain hospital in Hot Springs, South Dakota -- a facility that has been targeted for reconfiguration or closure since at least 2009.

A circa-1907 facility that cared for Civil War veterans of Gettysburg and Antietam, as well as those with tuberculosis, Battle Mountain, part of the VA Black Hills Health Care System, has been seen as outdated and too expensive to maintain. In 2017, the VA announced plans to downsize it to a clinic and shift inpatient services to Rapid City, an hour away.

But veterans and community leaders pushed back, saying the closure would cause the loss of 300 jobs and force veterans to either seek treatment at civilian providers or face long drive times for care. And earlier this year, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie pledged to review the decision, saying it was "vital that we maintain this place," after touring it.

I think we have a unique, fabulous situation here with a facility that is uniquely situated, both in terms of the geography of the Black Hills but also maintains a lot of the features of these buildings of the past, and a place where our veterans can really come to heal," he said in March.

House lawmakers moved Friday to ensure Battle Mountain's preservation, at least until the VA furnishes a comprehensive report on plans to realign its medical facilities, to include a cost-benefit analysis and an assessment of the impact on veterans in rural areas.

A market assessment of VA real estate assets and services is underway, ahead of an investigation by an Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission, slated to begin in 2022. The commission will make recommendations on closures and selloff of VA facilities, as well as reconfiguring the department to serve the growing veteran population in some parts of the country, particularly the South.

Lawmakers, including South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune, have included language in legislation every year since 2014 prohibiting the VA from closing Battle Mountain until it produces that national realignment strategy.

Protection for the Battle Mountain Sanitarium, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011, is not the only prohibition in the bill on a VA facility closure -- the legislation also restricts the VA from closing the Bainbridge, New York, community clinic until a market assessment can be conducted.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: Senate Approves New Agent Orange Presumptive Diseases, Tees up for House Showdown


High Grade Results Returned from Diorite Sampling Programme

Perth, July 27, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Torian Resources Limited ( ASX:TNR ) is pleased to release the results of its June 2020 rock chip and soil sampling programme on its 100% owned Diorite Block. Excellent high grade gold results have been returned from soils and rock chip samples.Highlights:- Diorite rock chip sampling program returns high grade results including:o 21 g/t gold and 2.10 g/t silver from the historic Unexpected mine dumpo 9.04 g/t gold and 9.59 g/t silver from the historic Unexpected mine (in-situ)o 6.09 g/t gold from the historic Unexpected mine (in-situ)o 7.49 g/t gold and 0.96 g/t silver from the historic Diorite King shaft (in-situ)- Diorite soil sampling program returns high grade results up to 5.52 g/t gold from the Kiora/Meteor historic mine area- High grade results found in the vicinity of the historic 73 g/t Diorite King mine- Prospective areas to be followed up during the upcoming drilling campaign- Drilling across the Mt Stirling Gold Project to begin in Q3 2020- Desktop work on the Mt Monger project is ongoing- Drilling scheduled to commence at Zuleika by the end of JulyTorian Executive Director Mr Peretz Schapiro said, "Our recent reconnaissance soil and rock chip sampling programme has now produced a cluster of large gold anomalies within the Diorite Block. Of particular encouragement, is the fact that most of the higher-grade rock chip and soil results were sourced in the vicinity of the historic 73 g/t Diorite King mine [grade sourced from Mindat.org] and other adjacent historic producing mines.These assays increase our confidence that we are looking in the right areas, with our next task to vector in on the zones that contain higher grade gold.The collation of the current programme; geological reconnaissance and mapping recently completed and historic soil and rock chip samples; now provide Torian's geological team with a pathway forward to define exploration targets and commence an exploration drilling programme once permits are granted. We aim to begin drilling at the Diorite Block in Q4 2020.With almost 13 Moz in resource located within our immediate neighbourhood and across Red 5's King of the Hills, St Barbara's Gwalia and Saracen's Thunderbox mines, all , we are confident that this Leonora region is a great location to be pursuing new major discoveries. We intend to undertake a systematic exploration approach across the entire project area.To view tables and figures, please visit:About Torian Resources Limited

Torian Resources Ltd (ASX:TNR) is a gold exploration and development company with an extensive and strategic land holding comprising eight projects and over 400km2 of tenure in the Goldfields Region of Western Australia.

Torian's flagship project, Zuleika, is located along the world-class Zuleika Shear. The Zuleika Shear is the fourth largest gold producing region in Australia and consistently produces some of the country's highest grade and lowest cost gold mines. Torian's Zuleika project lies north and partly along strike of several major gold deposits including Northern Star's (ASX:NST) 7.0Moz East Kundana Joint Venture and Evolutions (ASX:EVN) 1.8Moz Frogs Legs and White Foil deposits.

Torian's other projects include the strategically located Mt Stirling and Malcolm Projects in the Leonora region (near Red 5's King of the Hills Project), where it recently completed updated Mineral Resource Estimates and preliminary scoping studies, and a suite of other projects in the Kalgoorlie region including Credo Well JV Zuleika JV, Bonnie Vale, Gibraltar and Mount Monger/Wombola.
Even as New Delhi attempts to draw an old friend closer, Beijing has been playing the long game by investing over $31 billion in Dhaka as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.

News of India making a renewed push for its 'Neighbourhood First' policy amid a stand-off with China by giving Bangladesh 10 broad-gauge diesel locomotives is unlikely to set off alarm bells in Beijing.

Because comparing India's offerings to China's massive investments in Bangladesh's infrastructure, including in its railway network, is akin to a peashooter being rolled out to counter a cannon.

Hindustan Times reported that the handover of the locomotives is part of a commitment made during Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasinas October visit.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal are slated to attend the event  coming after the first cross-border container train reached Bangladesh on Sunday with 50 containers of FMCG goods and fabrics  along with their counterpart AK Abdul Momen and Mohammed Nurul Islam Sujon, as well as envoys and other senior officials, as per the report.

As per PTI, 72 percent of Bangladesh's locomotives have already crossed their economic life. Till last May, the Bangladesh Railway had 178 metre-gauge (MG) locomotives, of which 139 have crossed their 20-year economic life. Of its 90 BG locomotives, 55 have completed their economic life.

India pushes rail connectivity

As per a report in The Times of India India and Bangladesh are jointly working to enhance rail connectivity by developing some crucial railway projects as well as by restoring some old rail links. "A total of 17 railway sector projects have been included in LoC (line of credit) assistance extended by India to Bangladesh, with a commitment of $2.44 billion," said an official source, adding India had offered all credit to Bangladesh at a rate of interest of one percent per annum and repayment over 20 years with a moratorium for five years.

The railway projects which are being implemented with a line of credit assistance include the Kulaura-Shahbazpur railway line at a cost of $78 million, likely to be completed by end of this year, and the Khulna-Mongla railway line project worth $389 million, includes a railway bridge, is likely to be completed by June 2021.

Apart from these, a 12-km cross-border rail link is being built under grant-in-aid between Agartala and Akhaura town on the Dhaka-Chittagong trunk line. This is likely to be completed by March 2021 and will further enhance freight and passenger connectivity between India and northeastern states, a source told The Times of India.

Beijing plays a long game

Even as New Delhi attempts to draw an old friend closer, Beijing has been playing the long game by investing over $31 billion in Dhaka as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, mainly in infrastructure and energy, vowing that it would be a 'top priority' in receiving any developed coronavirus vaccine and excluding 97 percent of its products from tariffs.

Not to mention the not-so-small matter of overtaking India as Dhaka's top trading partner in 2015.

Coming specifically to the Bangladesh Railway, as per The Financial Express, four of the 17 projects recently selected by the government for 'priority investment' by China are from its railway: the Joydevpur-Ishwardi double line project at a cost of $1045.59 million, conversion of Akhaura-Sylhet metre gauge line to double gauge line at a cost of $1272.9 million, construction of Joydevpur-Mymensingh-Jamalpur double gauge line for $581.26 million and construction of new inland container depot near Dhirasram Railway Station at a cost of $200 million.

The list of priority projects has been prepared in line with the decision taken at the first meeting of the Bangladesh-China Investment Cooperation Working Group, held recently, a senior official of the country's finance ministry told the newspaper.

And China isn't letting the COVID-19 outbreak get in the way of stopping work on existing projects. The Global Times at the end of May boasted about how the construction of the Padma Bridge (Bangladesh's largest) was underway despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Dewan Md Abdul Kader, manager of Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project from the Bangladeshi government's Bangladesh Bridge Authority told Xinhua that with the installation of the 150-meter span, 4.5 km of the bridge was now visible. Kader said engineers of the Major Bridge Engineering Group Co, Ltd (MBEC) were continuing their relentless efforts to ensure the project was completed despite the COVID-19 outbreak.

Hasina has claimed that the bridge could bolster the country's GDP by an estimated two percent. The 168 km-long rail line, linking Dhaka and western district Jessore, will be a major freight and passenger transport line.

A possible Bangladesh tilt?

There have also been disturbing indications of Dhaka possibly tilting towards Beijing. A recent report that Hasina did not meet Indias High Commissioner despite repeated requests over the past four months is bound to make bureaucrats and politicos in Delhi a little uncomfortable.

Bangladeshi daily Bhorer Kagoj reported that all Indian projects have slowed down since the Hasina was re-elected in 2019 and that Chinese infrastructure projects have been receiving more support from Dhaka.

Despite India's concern, Bangladesh has given the contract of building an airport terminal in Sylhet to a Chinese company. Indian High Commissioner Riva Ganguly Das tried for four months to get an appointment with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh but did not get it. Bangladesh has not even sent a note of appreciation to India in response to Indian assistance for the COVID-19 pandemic, said the newspaper's editor Shyamal Dutta in an article on the recent tilt of Dhaka towards Pakistan and China.

And there's more bad news. As per The Tribune, the Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) was awarded the contract to build a new terminal in Sylhet's MAG Osmania Airport. Sylhet borders India's northeast, which is a sensitive region, and would only further aggravate New Delhi.

Not to mention a reported strain in ties between India and Bangladesh over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) last year despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hasina publicly calling the ties between India and Bangladesh a shonali odhyay (golden chapter).

Bangladesh is India's best friend in the neighbourhood and remarks about pushing back infiltrators and lumping Bangladesh in the same league as Pakistan has generated a lot of worry among the public, a senior Bangladeshi official, speaking on condition of anonymity while referring to the CAA, had told Hindustan Times.

Closer relations between Beijing and Dhaka would be most unpleasant for India, which is already facing an openly hostile Islamabad.

As this op-ed makes the stakes clear in chilling detail: "China is no longer a possible partner; it is a clear adversary. The military threat is real; the prospects of global cooperation with Beijing are limited; the competition in the neighbourhood is a zero-sum game where China is seeking to erode Indias influence.

"The neighbourhood has become more fragile. Political elites in neighbouring capitals, driven by nationalism and Chinese attention and investment, are open to undermining India. And, most critically, the economic growth that drove the Indian story is today in jeopardy, with a likely contraction in the economy, unemployment, demand deficit, and an unpredictable policy environment."

Since India cannot compete with Beijing based on the size of its cheque book, it would be better served by emphasising in its relationship with Dhaka its deep cultural ties and shared values.

With inputs from PTI
The Northern Regional Executives and members of the Governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) have described Chairman Mohammed Baantima Samba, affectionately called "Chairman "Do All", as the best regional chairman so far in the history of the party in the region.

Chairman Samba donated an amount of GHC10, 000 each to All constituencies in the Northern Region to help in the monitoring of the voter registration exercise.

This donation came after the Chairman's observation of the hard work of Constituency executives and party members in ensuring that people came out to register in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

Addressing journalists at the Northern Regional Office of the NPP in Tamale, Chairman Do All observed that leaders and party members in the Northern Region exhibited a high level of dedication to retain the party in power, and supporting his vision of winning 15 parliamentary seats in the region for the NPP in the upcoming December 7 polls hence his personal support to them.

Chairman Mohammed Baantima Samba, since the beginning of the voter's registration exercise, has been monitoring the process keenly with his Regional and constituency executives.

The gesture by the Chairman has been described as unprecedented by the Northern Region NPP Executives and therefore urged all part faithful to emulate Chairman Samba by putting in their best for the party for victory in December.

The recipients of the support promised to put it to good use in the interest of the party.
Lt. General Mohamed Mohamed Farid inspected the combat readiness under a plan to follow strict procedures to safeguard the states borders and regional security on all strategic fronts by land, sea and air

The Egyptian Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Lt. General Mohamed Farid inspected on Monday the combat readiness of the Armed Forces in the western military region, a statement by the armed forces said.

Farid inspected the combat readiness under a plan to follow strict procedures to safeguard the states borders and regional security on all strategic fronts by land, sea and air.

Farid was briefed on the procedures undertaken to raise combat readiness and the coordination between the ground forces and other main branches of the Armed Forces to ensure that all missions are carried out in a strict and timely fashion.

Several military leaders and officers also discussed the execution of planned missions and the response to rapid changes during combat operations, the statement said.

The chief of staff conveyed to the troops President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki's appreciation and greetings.

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Christian Dior shows good resilience in the first half of 2020

Paris, July 27, 2020

The Christian Dior group recorded revenue of 18.4 billion euros in the first half of 2020, down 27%. On an organic* basis, revenue declined 28% compared to the same period in 2019. The Group has proven its ability to be resilient in an economic environment severely disrupted by the serious health crisis that has led to the suspension of international travel and the closure of its stores and manufacturing sites in most countries over a period of several months. The Christian Dior group's priority has been and remains the safety of its employees and customers. The Group teams have demonstrated their strong commitment in dealing with this unprecedented situation and efforts to adapt to the current environment are actively underway in order to control costs and ensure a more selective investment policy.

In the second quarter, revenue was down 38% on an organic basis compared to the same period in 2019. Although there were encouraging signs of recovery in June across several of the Group's activities, revenue was notably down in the United States and Europe during the quarter. Asia, however, has seen a marked improvement in trends, with a strong rebound in China in particular.

Profit from recurring operations amounted to 1 669 million euros for the first half of 2020 and current operating margin stood at 9%. The profitability of Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Moet Hennessy remained at a high level. Group share of net profit amounted to 202 million euros.

Highlights of the first half of 2020 include:

Good resilience, notably from the major brands, in an economic environment disrupted by the global health crisis,

Absolute priority placed on the health and safety of our employees and customers,

Direct support in the fight against the epidemic,

Impact of the crisis on revenue worldwide, with however a strong recovery in the second quarter in China,

Significant acceleration in online sales, only partially offsetting the impact on revenue of several months of store closures,

Destocking by retailers for Perfumes & Cosmetics and Watches,

Suspension of international travel, severely penalizing travel retail and hotel activities.





Story continues

Key figures





Euro millions First half 2019 First half 2020 % change Revenue 25 082 18 393 - 27 % Profit from recurring operations 5 291 1 669 - 68 % Group share of net profit 1 317 202 - 85 % Cash from operations before changes in working capital 7 394 4 417 - 40 % Net cash from operating activities 4 268 840 - 80 % Net Financial debt 3 435 8 319 - Total equity 37 890 34 860 - 8 %

Revenue by business group:

Euro millions First half

2019 First half

2020 % change

Reported Organic* Wines & Spirits 2 486 1 985 - 20 % - 23 % Fashion & Leather Goods 10 425 7 989 - 23 % - 24 % Perfumes & Cosmetics 3 236 2 304 - 29 % - 29 % Watches & Jewelry 2 135 1 319 - 38 % - 39 % Selective Retailing 7 098 4 844 - 32 % - 33 % Other activities and eliminations (298) (48) - - Total 25 082 18 393 - 27 % - 28 %

* With comparable structure and constant exchange rates. The currency effect for the Group was + 1% and the structural impact was almost zero.

Profit from recurring operations by business group:

Euro millions First half

2019 First half

2020 % change Wines & Spirits 772 551 - 29 % Fashion & Leather Goods 3 248 1 769 - 46 % Perfumes & Cosmetics 387 (30) - Watches & Jewelry 357 (17) - Selective Retailing 714 (308) - Other activities and eliminations (187) (296) - Total 5 291 1 669 - 68 %

Wines & Spirits: good resilience in the United States and encouraging recovery in China

The Wines & Spirits business group saw its organic revenue decline by 23% in the first half of 2020. Profit from recurring operations was down 29%. Despite recent improvement, the decline in volumes was noticeable in the second quarter, particularly for the Champagne business. After a start to the year supported by advance orders from distributors, the United States showed good resilience in the second quarter thanks to Hennessy cognac, which saw a strong rebound in June in this market as well as in China. The Chateau d'Esclans and Chateau du Galoupet acquisitions, made in 2019, were integrated in the first half of the year, strengthening Moet Hennessy's position in the growing market for high-end rose wines.

Fashion & Leather Goods: remarkable resilience from Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior

The Fashion & Leather Goods business group recorded a 24% decline in organic revenue in the first half of 2020 in an environment marked by the closure of stores in many regions across the world. China recorded a very strong recovery in revenue in the second quarter and there has been a gradual improvement since May in Europe and the United States. The brands strict cost management made it possible to limit the decline in profit from recurring operations to 46%. Louis Vuitton illustrated its creative force more than ever through its many new products. The Maison is strengthening its ties with its customers through several digital initiatives and maintained its profitability at an exceptional level. Christian Dior, which showed remarkable resistance, has just inaugurated a new boutique on rue Saint-Honore in Paris. New collections were unveiled online through a portrait by a Ghanaian artist who inspired the Men's Spring-Summer 2021 collection, and a Cruise 2021 show behind closed doors in Lecce, Italy, showcasing the ancestral know-how of local artisans and artists. The other fashion brands, which have been more impacted, continue to strengthen their creativity in order to take advantage of the gradual return to normal.

Perfumes & Cosmetics: pursuing innovation and rapid growth in online sales

The Perfumes & Cosmetics business group recorded a 29% decline in organic revenue in the first half of 2020. Profit from recurring operations amounted to (30) million euros. The big brands showed good resistance and high reactivity in a sector marked by the decline in makeup, the reduction in retailer stock levels and by a strong increase in parallel distribution channels in which our brands did not wish to participate. Online sales are growing steadily. Parfums Christian Dior maintained strong momentum for innovation with the very promising launches of Miss Dior Rose NRoses and the new edition of Dior Homme, as well as the success of Capture Totale anti-aging skincare. Guerlain continued its rapid growth in skincare, thanks to Abeille Royale, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and Orchidee Imperiale. The emblematic lines of Parfums Givenchy have been resilient. The Fresh skincare brand is enjoying strong momentum in China.

Watches & Jewelry: rebound in China and growth of e-commerce

The Watches & Jewelry business group saw its organic revenue decline by 39% in the first half of 2020. Profit from recurring operations came to (17) million euros. Confronted in January with the decline of the Chinese market, then with the closure of other markets from mid-March, Bvlgari quickly took advantage of the recovery in China in the second quarter. After the launch of the B.Zero1 Rock collection, the Maison unveiled a new line of Barocko fine jewelry through an augmented reality experience. After a year of renovation, Chaumet inaugurated its historic address on Place Vendome in Paris and strengthened its presence in China. After a good start to the year, TAG Heuer and Hublot were impacted by the decline in orders from retailers. The new TAG Heuer smartwatch, which was one of the major innovations of the first half, has been a great success.

Selective Retailing: Sephora market share gains and strong impact of the suspension of international travel on DFS

In Selective Retailing, revenue declined 33% on an organic basis in the first half of 2020. Profit from recurring operations amounted to (308) million euros. Sephora has demonstrated good resistance during the health crisis, which led to the closure of almost all of its stores around the world for nearly two months. Sephora gained market share in its main countries, illustrating its inventiveness and the effectiveness of its omnichannel strategy. Online sales grew very strongly over the period. DFS saw a significant decline in its activity in most destinations due to the suspension of international travel. A series of cost reduction measures have been undertaken. Its digital strategy has strengthened the relationship with its customers, particularly in China.

Outlook 2020

In a very turbulent context, the Group will maintain a strategy focused on preserving the value of its brands, based on the exceptional quality of its products and the responsiveness of its teams. In the current situation, the Group will further strengthen its policy of controlling costs and being selective in its investments. The impact of the epidemic on revenue and annual results cannot be precisely assessed at this stage without knowing the timetable for the return to normal business in the different areas where the Group operates. After a second quarter severely affected by the crisis, we can hope that the recovery will materialize gradually in the second half.

Our strategy of focusing on the highest quality across all our activities, combined with the dynamism and unparalleled creativity of our teams, will enable us to reinforce Christian Diors global leadership position in luxury goods once again in 2020.

The closing date of the planned acquisition of Tiffany & Co depends on the receipt of the final regulatory approvals.

The proposed merger between Christian Dior and its subsidiary Financiere Jean Goujon has been approved, subject to customary closing conditions.

The decision to pay an interim dividend will be discussed by the Board of Directors in October and announced, as appropriate, at that time.

This financial release is available on our website www.dior-finance.com.

Limited review procedures have been carried out, the related report will be issued following the Board meeting.

ANNEX

The condensed consolidated financial statements for the first half of 2020 are included in the PDF version of the press release.

Christian Dior group  Revenue by business group and by quarter

Revenue first half 2020 (Euro millions)

2020 Wines & Spirits Fashion & Leather Goods Perfumes & Cosmetics Watches & Jewelry Selective Retailing Other activities and eliminations Total First quarter 1 175 4 643 1 382 792 2 626 (22) 10 596 Second quarter 810 3 346 922 527 2 218 (26) 7 797 First half 1 985 7 989 2 304 1 319 4 844 (48) 18 393

Revenue first half 2020 (organic growth compared to the first half of 2019)

2020 Wines & Spirits Fashion & Leather Goods Perfumes & Cosmetics Watches & Jewelry Selective Retailing Other activities and eliminations Total First quarter -14% -10% -19% -26% -26% - -17% Second quarter -33% -37% -40% -52% -38% - -38% First half -23% -24% -29% -39% -33% - -28%

Revenue first half 2019 (Euro millions)

2019 Wines & Spirits Fashion & Leather Goods Perfumes & Cosmetics Watches & Jewelry Selective Retailing Other activities and eliminations Total First quarter 1 349 5 111 1 687 1 046 3 510 (165) 12 538 Second quarter 1 137 5 314 1 549 1 089 3 588 (133) 12 544 First half 2 486 10 425 3 236 2 135 7 098 (298) 25 082





This document is a free translation into English of the original French financial release dated July 27, 2020.

It is not a binding document.

In the event of a conflict in interpretation, reference should be made to the French version, which is the authentic text.





Attachment




Guest Column Hate Speech Threats Proliferate in Myanmar, Southeast Asia

A nationalists' protest in Yangon in 2012. / The Irrawaddy

Southeast Asia and Myanmar are experiencing new forms of hate speech that are increasingly being played out over social media. But updated measures to tackle new forms of hate must move away from outdated policies focused on narrow definitions of hate speech. Instead, such measures must be expanded and evenly applied for the protection of all.

Although regulation of hate speech is intended to protect the victim, when narrowly framed and selectively deployed such regulations can be weaponized against vulnerable populations and threaten democracy itself. Furthermore, governments themselves have instigated hate speech that has led to genocide and crimes against humanity in the region.

Bangkok-based think tank Asia Centres 40-page report released on July 22, 2020, Hate Speech in Southeast Asia: New Form, Old Rules, discusses these matters.

Hate speech has no universally accepted definition.

The UN has noted that in all its forms, hate speech essentially comprises of any kind of communication in speech, writing or behavior, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender or other identity factor.

Governments in the region have traditionally sought to regulate hate speech along ethnic, racial and religious lines. In Myanmar, hate speech relating to religion remains a particular concern. Article 295(a) of the Penal Code criminalizes speech with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelingsin essence, insulting religion. While Article 295(a)s text does not favor one religion over another, it has been exclusively deployed to target alleged insults against Buddhism, rather than to protect religious minorities from harassment.

This spring, three artists in Kachin State who painted a mural to raise COVID-19 public health awareness were charged under Article 295(a), because its depiction of death allegedly resembled a Buddhist monk. After more than 12 court hearings over three months, the artists were eventually freed by a court in the Kachin State capital, Myitkyina, on July 17, having managed to persuade the court that the image in the mural of the Grim Reaper carrying a pot was not supposed to be a monk.

The law has also repeatedly been used to target and imprison critics of Buddhist nationalism and religious extremism. On the flip side, even clear hate crimes against religious minorities arent always prosecuted. In the recent murder of 17-year-old Muslim Ko Ko Zaw, the perpetratora monkwasnt charged with a hate crime, although he made statements about the victims ethnicity and religion before the murder.

It has also been well documented that the Myanmar military and its agents actively utilize social media to express and stir up hate speech against the Rohingyaand to some extent against Muslims in general. In 2018, military personnel caused a surge of online hatred by posting incendiary comments about the Rohingya and Muslims on Facebook posing as celebrities and influencers.

Additionally, newer forms of hate speech have emerged in Southeast Asia directed at foreign nationals such as refugees and migrant workers, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex (LGBTI) community and those holding differing political values.

Hate speech against foreign nationals, including refugees and migrant workers, recently spiked amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Migrant workers in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have been stigmatized for posing threats to health and even national security. In Malaysia, negative perceptions of Rohingya refugees have emerged in response to news of their rising numbers, undocumented entry into the country, and alleged community health risks. And here in Myanmar, Rohingya are vilified as Bengali foreigners and Muslims generally are sometimes perceived as not native. Recently, advocates have asserted that use of the term Bengali constitutes hate speech against the Rohingya.

Incidents of hate speech aimed at the LGBTI community are also growing. In Myanmar, LGBTI community members and women have been targets of hate speech, and have inadequate access to protections from it. Myanmar law expressly discriminates against LGBTI persons. Consensual sexual contact between same-sex individuals is a crime. Myanmar has no laws prohibiting discrimination against a person based on sexual orientation or gender identity. In May 2011, a Myanmar transgender woman was sentenced to five years in prison. Even though anti-LGBTI laws are rarely enforced as it was in this instance, their continued presence legitimizes ongoing hate speech toward sexual minorities.

Finally, serious societal divisions over ideology and political values are exacerbated by the weaponization of hate speech. Myanmar has seen its fair share of hate speech in this area. For example, UN personnel in Myanmar have faced hate speech aimed at suppressing their work. UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee has been personally insulted and repeatedly threatened publicly for speaking out against discrimination targeting the Rohingya minority.

In order to address hate speech, a mixture of legal measures have been adopted.

Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore have either revised or drafted dedicated harmony bills aimed at securing social, racial or religious harmony. Since 2016, Myanmar has been drafting a harmony bill, the Protection Against Hate Speech Bill, in order to manage religious hate speech. The current draft is with the Ministry of Home Affairs. However, in late April, following hate speech targeting and stigmatizing religious minorities for allegedly spreading COVID-19, Myanmars President signed Anti-Hate Speech Orders requiring state officials to monitor and report online hate speech to the central government and to denounce and prevent all forms of hate speech.

To date, most hate speech laws in Myanmar and throughout the region disproportionately focus on race and religion. They do not adequately recognize the new forms of hate speech described above, which are targeted at an expanded range of identity groups. Further, Southeast Asian domestic legal frameworks concerning incitement to hatred do not provide the underlying civil and human rights required or encouraged under international law.

Additionally, the broad and vague wording of some hate speech regulations allow them to be used to selectively oppress vulnerable communities and political opponents. In addition to Article 295(a) of the Myanmar Penal Code, which targets religious blasphemy and incitement, Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law penalizes actions causing undue influence or threatening any person using a telecommunications network. It has mostly been used to prosecute social media posts deemed offensive.

Also, Section 505 of the Penal Code bans statements that cause fear or alarm, disturb public tranquility, or cause someone to commit an offense against the State. Section 505 has been used to punish a wide range of political speech, including peaceful assembly and protest, and the distribution of political writings and media.

Hate speech regulationsespecially those imposing criminal consequencesmust be clear, precise and targeted at specific behavior. Otherwise, like these Myanmar legal provisions, they can be manipulated to selectively oppress dissent and target the disenfranchised. The net result is to hamper freedom of expression and consequently threaten democracy.

Dr. James Gomez is the regional director of Asia Centre, a not-for-profit organization working to create human rights impact in the region. Hate Speech in Southeast Asia: New Form, Old Rules is Asia Centres latest report. Khin Mai Aung is an Asia Centre associate and has practiced American civil rights, immigrant rights, and education law for over 15 years. She was born in Yangon, and immigrated to the United States as a child.

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At the beginning of this month, the Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok and UC Browser, saying they were prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity, and security of the country.

Days later, media reports suggest that the government may be considering banning 275 more mobile applications in the country.

The government is examining 275 Chinese apps for any violation of national security and user privacy, according to a report in The Economic Times. The list of apps reportedly includes PUBG Mobile, Ludo World, 14 Mi apps by Xiaomi, AliExpress, Resso, and ULike. The government may ban some or all of these apps after its investigation.

Another report by News18 reveals that the list of 275 apps not only includes apps by Chinese technology firms like "Xiaomi, Tencent, Alibaba, and Bytedance, but also developers and companies such as Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games, and Yoozoo Global."

The Economic Times report also suggests that the Indian government is looking to establish a process for bans like these so that there is a regulation for continuous scrutiny of apps operating in the country.

Meanwhile, the Indian government recently sent out a list of 77-questions to the previously banned 59 apps, including whether they censored content, worked on behalf of foreign governments or lobbied influencers. The deadline, for the companies that own these apps, is coming to an end.

The news of app bans has come following a border clash between soldiers from Indian and China, which left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

Last week, the Department of Telecom (DoT) also asked all government web portals and websites to conduct a security audit and submit a compliance certificate as soon as possible. The government officials reportedly said that since the 15 June clash and India banning 59 Chinese apps, instances of cyber attacks have increased to up to 10,000 per day.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 20:48:29|Editor: huaxia

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People attend a meeting of the exhibitors' association of the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, July 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- While the world economy struggles in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising protectionism, preparations are in full swing for the third China International Import Expo (CIIE), a strong message that China is committed to an open world economy and global efforts for the post-pandemic recovery.



As the world's first import-themed national expo, the CIIE has set up a broad platform to boost international trade. Scheduled to open in Shanghai in early November this year, the third CIIE will provide a precious opportunity for enterprises across the world to showcase their products and services and expand their markets in China amid the pandemic.

The total planned exhibition area for enterprises at the third CIIE is 360,000 square meters, 60,000 square meters larger than the second edition. The average exhibition area for the world's top 500 companies and industry leaders will increase by 14 percent from last year. Many companies are planning the world debut of their products at the event.

This impressive scale reflects the broad international recognition of both the CIIE and the Chinese market. More importantly, it demonstrates the world's urgent need for a "stabilizer" of industrial and supply chains amid the increasing uncertainty of global economic and trade development.

While some countries are turning away from economic globalization and even politicizing economic and technological issues, China, the world's second-largest economy with a market of 1.4 billion consumers, continues to promote openness and cooperation to restore world economic growth.

A visitor looks at exhibits during a supply-demand matchmaking meeting ahead of the 3rd China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, July 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

The world has every reason to believe in China's dedication to expanding imports and promoting openness. This pursuit is motivated by a long-term approach to meeting the people's demands for higher-level consumption, unleashing the potential of the domestic market and promoting reform, development and innovation. It also fulfills China's commitment to achieving common development with the rest of the world.

As one of the first major economies to have achieved an economic rebound, China is naturally seeking ways to accelerate the global economic recovery through free trade and investment.

The country will remain resolute in following a win-win strategy of opening-up, advocating openness at the global level and acting as a stable engine of global growth.

When companies from around the globe gather at the upcoming CIIE, sharing information, exchanging views and signing cooperation agreements, their latest products will not be the only thing on display -- the true power of international cooperation to overcome any difficulties will be on show for all the world to see. 
Yet another option for Sebastian Vettel may have emerged for 2021.

Ralf Schumacher believes the quadruple world champion could move to Red Bull's second team Alpha Tauri.

Earlier, with Red Bull Racing saying it has no room for the Ferrari refugee, the 33-year-old German was believed to be close to signing for Aston Martin.

"I am firmly convinced that Sebastian will still be in Formula 1 in 2021," Schumacher, who worked closely with Alpha Tauri boss Franz Tost throughout his own career, is quoted by RTL.

He said Red Bull's second team could be a good option for Vettel.

"Sebastian started his career there," Ralf said. "Franz Tost is a big fan of his, just like Dr Marko. Maybe something will develop there."

Schumacher thinks Vettel could even have a fully competitive Alpha Tauri car for 2021, especially if Racing Point's 'pink Mercedes' is given the green light by the FIA.

"Red Bull could bring four equal cars to the start next season," said the former Williams and Toyota driver.

However, if Vettel does end up signing with Aston Martin for 2021, it would almost certainly be in Sergio Perez's place.

Perez, in turn, is being linked with Alfa Romeo.

When asked about that, Alfa boss Frederic Vasseur told Auto Hebdo: "We are in the middle of six races in a row and our priority is to get back in shape rather than discussing the drivers for 2021.

"We focus on the job we have to do, and we will see later," Vasseur added.

(GMM)
The first five of 36 Rafale fighter jets purchased by New Delhi have left an airbase in southern France on an accelerated delivery schedule. India's military said they would be deployed at an airbase some 200 kilometres from the borders China and Pakistan.

The five jets, built by Dassault Aviation, took off from Merignac in southwest France on Monday, piloted by officers from the Indian Air Force (IAF).

After several midair refuellings and a stopover at a French airbase in Al Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates, the jets were to arrive at Ambala airbase in northern India, some 200 kilometres from the borders with Pakistan and China, by Wednesday.

Indian pilots trained in France

After many years of negotiations clouded by corruption allegations denied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, France and India signed a deal worth an estimated 7.87 billion euros for 36 Rafale fighter jets in September 2016.

Delivery began in October, with the planes staying in France for training of the pilots and mechanics, and should be completed in 2022.

I am strongly impressed by the amazing efficiency and determination of the Indian Air Force and Indian Ministry of Defence, Dassault Aviation chief executive Eric Trappier said in a statement.

Despite the Covid-19 epidemic, the pilots were able to master rapidly all aspects of the Rafale for comforting Indian sovereignty and contributing to the protection and security of Indian people, Trappier said.

Operational as early as possible

The IAF has said that efforts will focus on operationalisation of the aircraft at the earliest, following the planes' arrival in India.

Indian military officials told RFI last week they were expediting the deliveries of the jets.

India purchased the jets to update its ageing fleet at a time of high tensions with both China and Pakistan.

Fighting with Chinese forces in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh last month left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

Tensions are also high with Islamabad after New Delhi scrapped the semi-autonomous status for the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir and imposed a major security clampdown last year.

(with AFP)
Christian charity asks Rep. Ted Yoho to resign over alleged profanity against AOC

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Bread for the World, a bipartisan Christian organization committed to alleviating hunger and poverty, announced Saturday that it asked Florida Congressman Ted Yoho to resign from its board after New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez alleged that he called her a dangerous, disgusting, crazy, f*****g b***h. He has denied the claim.

As a bipartisan Christian organization committed to alleviating hunger and poverty through sound public policies, Bread for the World upholds the values of respect, dignity, and compassion that Jesus calls us to when engaging decision makers from across the political spectrum. We believe that Rep. Ted Yohos recent actions and words as reported in the media are not reflective of the ethical standards expected of members of our Board of Directors, Bread for the World said in a statement.

Bread for the World met with Rep. Yoho on Friday and he has resigned from the board of Bread. During that conversation, we reaffirmed our joint commitment to expanding opportunity for men, women, and children around the world and thanked Rep. Yoho for his commitment to foreign aid effectiveness and transparency. Despite these areas of agreement, Bread sought his resignation as an action that reaffirms our commitment to coming alongside women and people of color, nationally and globally, as they continue to lead us to a more racially inclusive and equitable world.

The announcement came a day after Yoho denied the claims made by Ocasio-Cortez in a Fox News interview where he noted that he directed criticism at her policy positions and not her personally.

Everything was directed at policy and yeah, she thought it was right for people to go ahead and shoplift if you're hungry. I said, 'seriously, as many social programs and faith-based programs and all these food kitchens around, the best that you can do is to offer people in your district to go ahead and shoplift  while you're calling at the same time to defund the police? Those are just absolutely the most frickin crazy policies you've ever had'  and I said 'your policies are disgusting' and I turned around and walked away," Yoho recalled.

When questioned about his use of profanity, Yoho said he only muttered to himself that Ocasio-Cortez's comments to him were "such frickin B.S."

"She's making hay out of this, she's fundraising off of this, out in front of the Capitol wearing her COVID mask, playing [music], making fun of this. Yet she's on the floor crying saying how bad this is but yet she's out there saying the same thing. You know, it's disingenuous, Yoho added.

Yoho previously offered an apology on the House floor on Thursday, for the abrupt manner of the conversation I had with my colleague from New York.

The offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues, and if they were constructed that way, I apologize for their misunderstanding, he said.

Responding in a speech of her own to Congress last Thursday as well, Ocasio-Cortez said that Yoho accosted her and called her crazy and dangerous. Shortly after that encounter, she said he called her a f*****g b***h in front of reporters.

These are the words Representative Yoho levied against a congresswoman, Ocasio-Cortez said from the House floor.

Mr. Yoho mentioned that he has a wife and two daughters. I am two years younger than Mr. Yohos youngest daughter. I am someones daughter too, she noted. Having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man. And when a decent man messes up, as we all are bound to do, he tries his best and does apologize.

Ocasio-Cortez argued that it was clear Yoho did not want to apologize.

In its statement on Saturday, Bread for the World said it hoped political leaders would be able to engage in civil dialogue that can lead to real structural change in the U.S. and around the world.

During this critical time in our nation in which millions depend on U.S. government leadership and improved public policies that center on those most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, it is our hope and prayer that government leaders will find the moral courage and political will to foster healing and civil dialogue that leads to real structural change in our country and globally, the organization said.
WASHINGTON  Lawmakers of both parties said that when moral clarity was needed, they sought guidance again and again from the late Rep. John Lewis.

They marveled at the gentle spirit of the Democratic congressman from Georgia and wondered why the abuse he suffered as a civil rights leader hadn't made him bitter. Their own spirits were lifted as they marched with Lewis on the anniversaries of Bloody Sunday or watched him spend countless hours talking to young people about the lessons of the past and the work that still needs to be done.

Lewis, who died July 17 from pancreatic cancer at 80, crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma for the final time Sunday. A horse-drawn carriage carried Lewis' flag-draped casket across the bridge where he suffered a skull fracture when he and other peaceful marchers were beaten with clubs by state troopers on Bloody Sunday in 1965.

Lewis will lie in state on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Monday and Tuesday.

Here's what members of Congress said they will most remember about him.

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla.: `He just stood out.'

Wilson remembers the three-piece suits Lewis used to wear, no matter how stifling the weather, as he carried a briefcase to project a serious image during the civil rights movement.

That was during the years of the hippie time, Wilson said. He just stood out.

Wilsons brother, a friend of Lewis at Fisk University, was a fellow protester whose neck got infected when a Ku Klux Klan member used it to grind out a lit cigarette.

When Wilson arrived on campus, her father instructed her to stay in her dorm. He worried she didnt have the temperament to be trained as a nonviolent demonstrator.

I listened to my father, because I didnt think I could really take that, she said. Through the years, Ive created my own civil rights movement.

From left, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and others gather on Capitol Hill on June 18, 2015, in prayer to mourn the shooting victims of Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C.

Lewis was a big supporter of 5000 Models of Excellence, the mentoring program Wilson started.

When she brought participants to Washington each year, Lewis would take them through the books, photos and other memorabilia of the civil rights movement in his office.

Story continues

He would cry, and they would cry, she said.

At a program event one year in Miami, Wilson planned to distribute 600 copies of Lewis book March. Lewis, a speaker at the event, wanted to sign the books so Wilson offered to ship them to Washington where he could do so at his leisure.

`He said, `Oh no, Freddie. I cant do that. I cant leave them like that, Wilson remembers. Instead, Lewis sat up all night. When the driver arrived to take him to the airport, Lewis said: The books are ready.

I couldnt believe it. But thats John Lewis, Wilson said. He invested every single, solitary moment of his time trying to make the world a better place, especially for the children and the next generation to follow.

Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.: The humble celebrity

If Bishop, who was often on the same flights between Washington and Atlanta as Lewis, would walk through the airport with him, it always took twice as long as if Bishop had been alone.

"Everyone wanted to say hello to John, take a picture with him, or get his autograph," Bishop said in a statement. "John always spoke with the service workers at each airport and made sure to check in with them, ask them how they were doing. Despite his celebrity status or whether he was pushed for time, he always made himself available to anyone who wanted to speak with him."

Another Georgian, GOP Rep. Austin Scott, always got a kick out of the fact that constituents on plane that both he and Lewis were on would sit down next to him and say: `Did you see John Lewis on the plane? And, by the way, what do you do?"

Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.

Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., was walking with Lewis to the Capitol one day when passengers in a cab driving along Independence Avenue spotted Lewis.

They literally jumped out of the cab, in the middle of the street, and cars were honking, Clark remembers. John was saying, `I love you, brother. I love you, sister. But youve got to be safe!

Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass.

Wilson, who used to sit next to Lewis on the House floor, said aides were always coming up to tell Lewis there were children outside from Africa, Australia, New York, Chicago and elsewhere hoping to get a picture with him.

Wilson worried that Lewis might miss a floor vote, but hed slip away, telling her: Come and get me if Im too long.

Republicans also showed their esteem for Lewis, said Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., even as they might fiercely oppose him during a policy debate.

Those very same Republicans, when they had young people with him, they would bring that young person over to meet John Lewis, Kelly said. He had such respect from everybody.

Protests continued leading up to the March on Washington in Aug. 1963. Lewis sits in the street, in protest of Nashville police arresting Lamar Richardson, a Fisk University student. The group was having a sit-in demonstration in front of the B & W Cafeteria.

Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas: `I know who you are.'

Hurd, the only Black Republican in the House, met Lewis on his first day in the chamber in 2015.

Hurd said he walked over to Lewis on the House floor, meaning to introduce himself, when Lewis cut him off  "I know who you are, Hurd. The CIA guy from Texas and San Antonio, specifically."

"Yes, sir. That's me," Hurd recalled saying, and Lewis responded, "Y'all down there in San Antonio have the largest MLK march in the country." Hurd laughed and replied, "Sir, I do know that."

Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas

Hurd said he considered Lewis a mentor.

"I would always go to him be like, 'Man, I want your perspective on whatever issue of the day is' and say, `How would you handle this back in the day?'" he remembers.

"It wasn't some specific advice," Hurd said. "He always gave perspective, and what's wild to me is that he is, literally, like the nicest guy. For all the things he went through, he was still the nicest guy and always had time to talk and give perspective."

Despite sitting on different sides of the aisle, they never "crossed swords," Hurd said.

"I'm just lucky," he said, "that I got to say that I was friends with John Lewis."

Reps. Katherine Clark, Robin Kelly and Judy Chu: A sit-in for gun control

In June 2016, after a gunman killed dozens of people at a nightclub in Florida, Clark was among the lawmakers frustrated with what she saw as Congresss inability to respond.

I was distraught that the House of Representatives, one of the greatest legislative bodies in the world, just gave eight seconds of silence, the Massachusetts Democrat told USA TODAY. I went and sat with Mr. Lewis and I saidI felt like we had to do something better.

Lewis suggested a sit-in to demand votes on gun control measures.

"It was John that said, `Enough is enough,'" Chu said.

It started with a small group of Democrats going to the well of the House for the portion of the morning when lawmakers are allowed to speak on any topic.

He went down on his knees and I went down on my knees, said Kelly, another instigator. And the rest is history.

Democrats counted 170 of their members who eventually joined the more than 24-hour protest that broke House rules and halted regular floor activities. Republican leaders shut off the cameras to the floor and eventually adjourned the House early for their Fourth of July recess. But Democrats broadcast their protest through social media.

"They turned off the cameras, the House cameras, but we just held up our iPhones anyway," Chu said. "And the nation tuned in, transfixed."

At one point, Lewis laughed when Clark asked him how the demonstration compared with his other sit-ins.

The conditions were pretty much the best hed ever seen, she said. Nobody was in fear of bodily harm and we had people delivering doughnuts and pizzas to us from around the country.

The measures Democrats pushed for have not become law. But Clark said gun violence has risen higher on voters list of concerns.

I think it connected with the American people in a profound way, she said. When you combined John Lewis powerful voice with the voices of the young people that came out of March For Our Lives, it turned it into a potent political force for good and for peace.

Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I: `The voice of God'

When Cicilline was strategizing how to advance protections for the LGBTQ community, he faced a potentially big hurdle within the Democratic Party. Some in the African American community were concerned about opening up the Civil Rights Act they had fought so hard to enact.

Lewis, however, immediately agreed to back Cicillines bill to prohibit discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in both the public and private sectors.

More significantly, Lewis spoke out during a crucial meeting Cicilline had with civil rights leaders to discuss how to approach the legislation.

Rep. David Cicilline, R-R.I.

It was me and John on one side of the table and five people on the other side, skeptical about whether or not we should move forward with a single bill with all of the civil rights protections or whether amending the existing Civil Rights Law was really the best way to move forward, Cicilline told USA TODAY. John stood up and pounded his fists on the table and said, 'This is exactly what they told me when we were planning the March on Washington. But we have to be bold.

Cicilline said Lewis comments arrived like the voice of God.

That critical moment, he said, helped lead to the House passage last year of the Equality Act.

There was no one who could speak with more integrity and more conviction and who had a better right to speak about it than someone who nearly gave his life for the passage of the Civil Rights Act, Cicilline said. Even at this stage in his life, he was willing to get in the fight and to be active in making the case about why equality for the LGBTQ community mattered.

Rep. Karen Bass, D-Ca.: He was always 'Mr. Lewis'

Bass, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, treasures the memory of Lewis addressing an organization she started for young African American and Latino activists.

"It was such a memorable experience because...I wanted him to hear directly from young people who he had impacted and the older people who know of him and saw him through the Civil Rights movement," Bass told USA TODAY.

After Lewis watched performances from members of her Community Coalition, Bass recalled, he encouraged "them to stay involved, to talk about the change that he has seen happen and how much more work we needed to do."

CBC Chair Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif.

Despite their camaraderie, Bass was never able to address him the way he preferred, as just "John."

"I told him I couldn't do that," Bass said. "I always referred to him as 'Mr. Lewis.'"

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.: `Never become bitter'

Scott, the first African American senator from South Carolina, was in awe when he met the "the living legend" after Scott was elected to the U.S. House in 2010.

"I remember walking into his office and looking around at what was almost a photography gallery, with lots of pictures from the '60s and the challenges and the struggles that he had faced to really make it easier for people like me to become a United States senator," Scott said.

John Lewis is pulled off a stool during a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter in Nashvillle in the 1960s.

Contemplating the sacrifices Lewis made and the pain he endured, Scott said he also sensed from Lewis a joy that "came from his faith and his resilience about who he was and who this country would live up to be one day."

Lewis, perhaps thinking about the challenges Scott faced as an African American Republican, and "knowing that it might be kind of challenging and sometimes hard," passed on some advice.

"He said to me, 'As life challenges you, and as you struggle with some of the decisions that you're going to have to make there, never become bitter. Do not let bitterness find a home with you,'" Scott recalled. "And that has really paid dividends for my entire time in Washington."

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass.: Lessons in healing and forgiveness

Neal sat next to Lewis for 25 years on the House Ways and Means Committee and got a full tutorial on the civil rights movement. Neal learned that, after Lewis and others were brutally beaten while trying to cross Edmund Pettus Bridge, there was only one hospital in Selma, Ala., that would treat them. It was a small Catholic hospital staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

In 2015, Neal asked Lewis if he would accept an honorary degree from Elms College, a school in Massachusetts run by the same order. Lewis agreed. When he received the honor, he embraced Sister Maxyne Schneider, president of Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield.

It was as powerful a moment as I've seen as the two of them broke down in tears, Neal said. It was really a very powerful moment for the thousands of people that were in the arena.

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass.

Neal recounted the scene while looking at his framed copy of the 1965 Life magazine cover story of the walk across the bridge. Lewis gave him the signed copy of the magazine, which now hangs on Neals office wall.

Many years later, one of the men who beat Lewis on the bridge, visited him in Washington to seek his forgiveness.

When Neal and Lewis attended an event at which Archbishop Desmond Tutu talked about Nelson Mandela's forgiveness of the prosecutor who'd sought his death sentence, Neal confided that he couldn't imagine being able to do that.

That just means," Lewis responded, "I have to work with you."

Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La.: `Larger than life'

Scalise, the second-highest-ranking Republican in the House, said meeting Lewis was like encountering a "larger than life" figure who nonetheless was surprisingly gentle and warm.

He called Lewis invitation to march arm and arm with him in Selma for the 2016 commemoration of Bloody Sunday one of the great honors of his time in Congress.

We walked from the church down the street and around the corner, and then you're staring down the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and he was pointing out different landmarks and meeting placesand `This is where some of the people that were taunting us,' Scalise told USA TODAY. And it was just riveting."

Scalise said Lewis could have left that painful part of his past behind.

And yet, Scalise said, he still wanted to show other people what happened."

Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa.: Making time for a boy

Kelly, who was Lewis GOP counterpart as the leader of a House Ways and Means subcommittee, brought along his eight-year-old grandson when Kelly participated in the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in 2015.

Lewis, Kelly said, made sure to tell the grandson how glad he was that he marched.

Rep. John Lewis speaks to the crowd at the Edmund Pettus Bridge crossing reenactment marking 55th anniversary of Selma's Bloody Sunday on March 1, 2020, in Selma, Alabama. Lewis marched for civil rights across the bridge 55 years ago.

"President Obama was there. President Bush was there. All these people who were there, and he took time out of that whole event to come over and talk to a little boy," Kelly told USA TODAY.

Lewis, Kelly said, was his usual patient self in explaining what happened 50 years ago and why we had to keep working on changing things in America."

Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa.

Kelly said hell remember Lewis, not as much for the work they did together on the committee, but "just that the fact that he had time to spend with people.

And they didn't have to be some celebrity or somebody in front of a TV camera, Kelly said. That speaks in great, great words about just how gracious he was."

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC: Flummoxing the police

Holmes Norton, who served alongside Lewis in the House for thirty years, told USA Today that her memories of him were "not really centered on Congress," but rather, their time together on the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

"There, all of us as youngsters got to know him by his leadership," she said. "Not by what he said, but by what he did, which was taking risks that I think many of us would not have."

Holmes Norton emphasized that Lewis' commitment to non-violent forms of protest was especially surprising given the unique climate of the South in the 1960s.

"Mississippi was the last place, as we called it, to be opened up by the Civil Rights Movement," Holmes Norton said. "It's important to know the difference between confronting the police in Washington and in confronting police in the deep South.

The police in the South, she said, were at the leadership of white mobs. They didnt know what to do when confronted with people who, instead of fighting back, knelt down or started to pray.

Those tactics threw what were really vicious police way off, she said. "If you think about John's life... it really would be quite impossible for John to do more in Congress than he had already done for the country when he was a leader of the civil rights movement.

John Lewis, national chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, second from left, marches with other students in Nashville.

Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga.: The power of his words

Johnson knows the power just a few words from Lewis could have.

In 2006, Johnson was a county commissioner in Georgia when he decided to take on a popular Democratic incumbent in his congressional district.

Most of the old guard Atlanta civil rights leaders were openly united behind the incumbent, Johnson recalled in a tribute he recently published in The Hill. But the day before the election, Lewis was quoted as saying that he thought Johnson would make a great congressman.

"This singular statement  uttered at an event at Manuels Tavern, Atlantas epicenter of progressive thought and politics  propelled me to a run-off and helped tip the balance in my favor in winning the 4th District seat, Johnson wrote. And I have been getting into `good trouble with John Lewis ever since.

Georgia Reps. Hank Johnson and John Lewis

Rep. John Larson, D-Conn.: Passing Obamacare

As House Democrats fought to pass the Affordable Care Act in 2009, some Capitol Hill protests against the bill turned ugly. Lewis and other Black lawmakers were spat upon and called racial slurs, Larson recently recounted on the House floor.

When Democrats gathered on the day of the vote, Larson asked Lewis to speak.

He said: 'Pay no attention to what went on yesterday. We have to learn, as we did in the civil rights movement, to look past this and keep our eyes on the prize. So I ask you to stay calm and stay together, Larson said.

Lewis suggested that Democrats emulate his march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge by locking arms as they walked across the Capitol grounds to go vote.

And we did, Larson said. We marched across the street, through the protesters and passed the bill.

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif: Giving up staff for Lewis

Lee was used to working closely with Lewis, comparing notes on tough votes. But Lewis took it a step further one day when he hired away one of her aides.

Now, members (of Congress) know how we get agitated when our colleagues poach our staff members, Lee said during a floor tribute to Lewis. When he told me about it, believe it or not, for the first time, I was thrilled that one of my staff members had been poached by John Lewis. What an honor.

Lewis, center, walks with fellow members of Congress in Selma, Ala., on the Edmund Pettus Bridge to mark the 40th anniversary of the march on March 6, 2005. From left are Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.; Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif.; Lewis; Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md.; Rep. Arthur Davis, D-Ala., and Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

Reps. Tony Cardenas and Denny Heck: 'I love you, brother'

Lewis reminded Cardenas, who grew up in a strict household, of how much he missed the rare occasions on which his mother or father would say, I love you.

So whenever Cardenas, D-Calif., got the chance to talk with Lewis, he would say, I love you, brother, knowing that Lewis would say it back, and with all his heart mean it.

I selfishly relished the opportunity to hear him say it  `I love you too, brother, Cardenas recounted on the House floor.

Heck, D-Wash., initially thought Lewis called his colleagues brother and sister because he didnt know everyones name.

But that wasnt it. He knew, Heck said on the floor. It was more a sign of respect and affection and mutuality.

Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif.: Still protecting the chickens

The legendary story of Lewis preaching to the chickens on his familys farm as a young boy entertained his colleagues, especially when it took on new dimensions, as Matsui recounted in her floor tribute to Lewis.

During a visit to California State University in Sacramento, Lewis learned that a group of students were advocating to keep some chickens on campus. The university president was adamant that the chickens had to go.

And John said: `No way are you going to get rid of those chickens. I learned to preach by preaching to chickens, Matsui said. That is the part of John that I really loved, too, that humorous part, the part you can laugh with.

The body of civil rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis is carried via horse-drawn carriage across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., on July 23, 2020.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass.: Brought to tears

When the New England Patriots faced the Atlanta Falcons in the 2017 Super Bowl, Moulton and Lewis made a friendly wager. The loser had to visit the winners district.

The Patriots won. But as a Lewis trip to Massachusetts got harder to schedule with conflicts and his age, Moulton offered to instead visit some of the civil rights sites in Lewis hometown.

Through all the turmoil of the last few years, there are only two times I have cried in Congress: visiting the prison in Hanoi with John McCain and visiting Atlanta with John Lewis, Moulton said in his floor tribute to Lewis. I found myself wondering if I would have had the courage to join in those protests to be a freedom fighter, to change a nation. That is what John Lewis did."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Lewis: Lawmakers remember friendship, advice of civil rights icon
Hyderabad: Ninety per cent of the demolition of the state secretariat was over and as many as 4,500 truckloads of debris is expected to be generated out of it, the Telangana government said on Monday.

The K Chandrashekhar Rao-led government began razing to the ground the secretariat building complex on July 7, days after the Telangana High Court dismissed a bunch of PILs challenging the state's decision to construct a new secretariat complex by demolishing the existing one.

The official information on the demolition came after some writ petitions were filed in the High Court challenging the restrictions on media by the State Government at the Secretariat demolition site.

"The government has taken up demolition of the old buildings and removal of debris of the Old Secretariat to pave way for a new building complex. Ninety per cent of the demolition works are over. It is estimated that there would be 4500 Truck-loads of debris. So far 2,000 truckloads of debris was removed," the release issued by the Chief Minister's office said.

Other works are going on. As a preventive measure, the government did not allow anyone into the premises, as there is a danger of accidents happening while demolishing the high-rise buildings. As part of this, media is also not allowed, it said.

As there were requests from the media representatives to allow them to report the demolition works, the government decided to allow them into the Secretariat premises to cover the news reports on the demolition works and clearing of the debris, the release quoted Roads and Buildings Minister Vemula Prashanth as saying.

The minister further said the City Police Commissioner will take the media around the secretariat premises, the release said.

The demolition of the buildings had to be suspended for a few days following the court's stay order which was lifted on July 17.
It wasnt exactly two sides of the same coin, but the Thursday special session of the state House of Representatives gave a pair of political veterans a rare chance, in this age of the coronavirus, to showcase their leadership skills for public consumption in an election year.

And with it, a glimpse at Connectcuts likely political scene over the next few years.

House Minority Leader Themis Klarides of Derby used protracted debates on a pair of bills as a platform to show off her philosophy, and her availability for the 2022 race for governor. Now, two years after Republicans chose a political neophyte, millionaire Bob Stafanowski, Klarides is exiting the General Assembly and doing nothing to dispel widespread speculation shes running for the top job.

House Majority Leader Matt Ritter of Hartford, whose post by tradition gives him the last word during debates, used his time refuting Klarides to reinforce for fellow Democrats why hes the easy choice to become the next speaker of the House, following the retirement of Speaker Joe Aresimowicz of Berlin.

Klarides, who answers reporters questions about her future by saying shes not finished with public service, delivered broad ideas on where Connecticut should be heading as she managed two contentious bills: an expansion of mail-in balloting for the Nov. 3 presidential election, and police reforms amid the Black Lives Matter movement.

Toward the end of the eight-hour debate on police accountability, a rare tie vote killed a GOP amendment that would have stripped civil immunity from some police officers who brutalize people. Klarides tried to offer a bipartisan vision for the legislature, and the state.

We unfortunately lost people we loved, she said of the coronavirus at about 9 a.m. Friday, 22 hours after the House convened, with most rank-and-file lawmakers sequestered in their private offices in the Capitol complex. We saw people get sick. We saw people lose their jobs. We saw people who lost businesses, their livelihoods, she said in halting, teary-eyed emotion.

Then her voice broke.

On top of this pandemic, we came face-to-face with our evil past, Klarides said. A past that many people in this state and this chamber live every day, and Im sorry for that. Like many of you I was shaken by what happened in Minnesota. I was because Im as sure as all of you, I am proud to be an American. I am proud to live in the best country in the world, where we are allowed to say what we want and feel what we want and support who we want, and love what we want. To see things like that happen, makes me ashamed. I dont know what its like to be Black in America. I dont. Thats just a reality. But I want to listen and I want to learn.

She used her hand to wipe tears pooling on her upper lip, then state Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, the co-chairman of the powerful Appropirations Committee, handed Klarides a box of tissues. Thank you, she said, in response to the across-the-aisle gesture, then blotted her face.

We cannot fix problems in this state of this magnitude, without doing it together, she said shortly before the 86-58 final vote in favor of police reforms.

Union raises vs. absentee ballots

During the House discussion on universal absentee ballots for the presidential election in November, Klarides, 54, made what could be interpreted as the opening salvo of the 2022 Republican primary campaign for governor  which could include Stefanowski, as the Madison Republican has maintained a high profile since his respectable 2018 loss to Gov. Ned Lamont.

These bills were chosen, but why wasnt other bills chosen that also could have helped 3.5 million people in this state?

She criticized the recent contractual raise of $300 million for unionized state employees. We have a financial crisis in this state now, she said, pointing at Lamont and the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. If the governor was not willing to do it, this legislature should have been willing to do it.

This set off Ritter, who had spent hours battling Republican attempts to water down the expansion of mail-in balloting for the Nov. 3 election  and seemed eager to paint that issue broadly.

I dont know of anything that surpasses in my mind how important it is to be allowed to vote in this country, Ritter declared. Generally speaking, all the things we talk about that you could have added to the special session, flow from having elections and sending people up here. So the 151 people who sit here cant vote on any bill if they arent elected. Having fair, safe elections, to me, is the cornerstone of our democracy.

He said next year Democrats will focus on approving a constitutional amendment for universal mail-in balloting, echoing the executive order by Lamont for the Aug. 11 primaries, and the bill the House passed for Election Day this year, which now goes to the Senate on Tuesday.

Let democracy exist

By 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Ritter  whose father Thomas D. Ritter, a Hartford lawyer, was a three-term speaker of the House in the 1990s  and Aresimowicz knocked on the door of Klarides Capitol office to say they would soon, finally, introduce the entire police accountability bill, which the legislative Black and Puerto Rican Caucus insisted be debated intact.

Cornered by reporters a few minutes later outside his Capitol office, the majority leader admitted he didnt know how the vote would go. Thats a rarity for bills that reach the floor. Ritter said he expected powerful stories from members of his caucus.

I cant sit here and tell you if we vote at 2 oclock in the morning exactly where it lands and were okay with that, Ritter said, stressing that the overall bill would pass but it wasnt clear that the immunity section would survive.

Joe and I have sort of said to the caucus this is one where its such an important issue for people and people have worked hard that its going to get a vote and people are going to vote the way they feel, said Ritter, 38, whose mother, longtime Judge Christine Keller, was nominated to the state Supreme Court last week by Lamont.

As a Hartford Democrat, he has a safe seat for re-election, but his goal to become the next speaker depends on a vote of the entire caucus on January 6, 2021, the opening day of the next legislature. In the race to become the next majority leader, Rep. Robyn Porter of New Haven and Jason Rojas of East Hartford are drumming up support.

I will tell you that the longer Ive been here, sometimes youve got to let democracy exist out on that floor, and there are just some issues that a governor, a speaker, a majority leader, cant always resolve, Ritter said, bowing to the fractured Democratic caucus. Thats not a sign of weakness of leadership. Its the sign of the difficulty of the issue. And so sometimes, and maybe in the future, that needs to happen more. Politics always comes and plays a role.

While the summer of 2020 is still two full years from the 2022 governors race, Lamont, 66, a multi-millionaire who doesnt take a paycheck from the state, hasnt indicated whether hell stick around and run for a second term.

Stefanowski won the 2018 GOP endorsement by front-loading his campaign with millions of dollars in self-financed TV ads that essentially swiped the party nomination over Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who emerged first as the traditonal primary candidate in the May party convention.

So Klarides, a lawyer, will likely have to spend much of 2021 staying in the public eye if she intends to run, perhaps against Stefanowski, who has not stated his intentions.

And Ritter, another lawyer, will likely be keeping in touch with, and helping re-elect, his majority caucus.

But first there will be one more special House session in September to approve school funding projects, when Klarides and Ritter will again showcase their leadership skills.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
An 83-year-old woman with dementia has received 115,000 and an apology from the Government in a second shocking case of a widow being underpaid state pension for two decades.

The payment to Barbara Cornish, a former doctor's receptionist from Essex, is the latest to emerge in the scandal of elderly women missing out on state pension uncovered by This is Money.

Her son Paul, whose phone call to the Government questioning her state pension was not responded to until we intervened, tells us that his mother will not know she has received the massive sum, and it will go towards paying her care bills.

John and Barbara Cornish: The DWP failed to increase her state pension when he died in 2000

She will also receive an increase in state pension from around 82 to 222 a week, because she should have inherited basic and second state pension from her husband.

Mr Cornish contacted us and the Department for Work and Pensions on the same day, after reading our story about a 96-year-old widow with dementia who received more than 117,000 after being underpaid for 20 years.

Rosemary Chattell lives in a care home and was also unaware she had received the money, after her son managed to alert DWP staff to her suspiciously low payments on his fourth attempt.

Some widows and widowers can claim up to a full basic state pension, currently 134.25 a week, but this depends on their ages and the strength of their late spouse's National Insurance record.

See below to find out if you or a loved one might be underpaid state pension.

The payout to Mrs Cornish dramatically demonstrates the 'monumental injustice' done to thousands of women, according to the Labour Party, which has called on the Government to ensure all who are being shortchanged are found and paid the correct pension.

Labour has also forced the Government to answer a string of questions, and established that sums owed to those now tragically deceased would be paid to their heirs, and that women will be shielded from unfair income tax bills on their backpayments.

We understand an official investigation is now under way into the huge blunder, which has left women unwittingly owed a fortune in lost state pension.

This is Money has reported on underpayments owed to married women totting up to around 112,00 in the past few months.

The DWP confirmed that Mrs Cornish will receive arrears of 106,908.61 and 8,532.45 interest, because she should have inherited state pension from her late husband after he died in 2000.

A spokesperson said: 'We are very sorry that Mrs Cornish's state pension review was not processed correctly.

'We have amended this, paid the arrears owed with interest and apologise unreservedly for the inconvenience caused.'

Paul Cornish, 54, an IT consultant from Essex, said he was shocked and pleased with the news about his mother's payout and increased state pension.

His late father John was a manager in the telecommunications department of a major bank.

He said: 'My mother was lucky to have a good pension from my father. She was quite lucky in that respect.'

But regarding her state pension backpayment, he added: 'That money would have made a difference in what she was able to do. She would have enjoyed having it.'

He went on: 'She will have no idea this has happened. It will go to help funding her care. She is fairly well set up but it enables us to plan long term. You can fund it for more years if you have to. It's peace of mind.'

Mr Cornish, who has power of attorney for his mother, rang the DWP on 10 June to question the size of her pension.

He emailed This is Money on the same day, and now admits of that second step: 'I nearly didn't do it.'

When he gave his parents' details to the DWP, staff told him they would respond within 14 days, but failed to do so.

In the call to the DWP, he wrongly put a digit instead of a letter at the front of his father's National Insurance number.

This is Money noticed this when he sent it to us, and when we contacted the DWP gave it the corrected version.

Mr Cornish expressed a hope that other people who don't currently realise they are underpaid state pension will also receive what they are owed in future.

He told us: 'You think of the other people who really need the money.'

How many other widows have been underpaid for years, asks Steve Webb

Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb initiated the state pension investigation with This is Money after a reader question to his weekly column about a 13-year underpayment.

He spotted Mr Cornish's email among responses to our previous stories, and thought that if his father had a full National Insurance record it was likely his mother was not getting a big enough pension.

Now a partner at pension consultant LCP, Webb said: 'This is a shocking state pension underpayment and reflects how many years this mistake has been going on for.

'It also raises the question of how many other widows have been underpaid for years. As DWP investigates the issue of underpaid married women, it is vital that underpaid widows are included in their inquiries.'

The Shadow Pensions Minister, Jack Dromey MP, recently wrote in an article for This is Money that the Government must face up to the scale of the scandal, give women the money they are owed and consider what reforms are necessary to make sure such a failure never happens again.

On learning of Mrs Cornish's case, he said: 'The scale of the payout, 115,000, dramatically demonstrates the monumental injustice done to thousands of women who served our country well and who were entitled to look forward to security and dignity in retirement.

'An investigation is underway but too many have waited too long for what they are entitled to. The DWP have an obligation to ensure they get every last penny and the sooner, the better they do.'

Daniella Jenkins is an adviser to the Womens Budget Group, an independent network of researchers and campaigners which examines economic policy.

She says: 'This case of an 83-year-old widow speaks to the tragedy of women who are far too often left behind by the UK pension system.

'Older women rely on state pensions much more as they were less likely to have occupational or private pensions in their own right.

'Despite this, individual women are being asked to navigate a complicated system in order to access the state pension payments that they are entitled to with many more potentially losing out on thousands of pounds.

'It is incumbent on the DWP to investigate this issue fully and communicate with the women affected. More broadly the Government should look to learn lessons so that people can feel confident in the amount of state pension they should get.'

A spokesperson for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: 'Everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living and access to the benefits they are entitled to.

We know that the Governments current policy on pensions is already causing particular hardship to older women.

'We will continue to monitor this to make sure that future pension policy proposals are subject to detailed analysis and do not have a negative impact on protected groups.'
Spanish officials say they are in talks with the UK government about making the Canary and Balearic Islands exempt from newly imposed Covid-19 quarantine rules.

The UK government on Saturday announced that anyone entering the country from Spain would be required to self-isolate for 14 days.

The policy  announced just hours before it came into effect on Sunday - plunged the holiday plans of thousands of Britons into chaos.

Current guidance advises against all non-essential travel to mainland Spain, but the Canaries and Balearics are exempt from the de facto travel ban.

However, anyone visiting any part of Spain  including the islands  is currently required to self-isolate for a fortnight when they return to the UK.

There have been conversations since the weekend with the British authorities about dropping quarantine for those visiting the islands as soon as possible, Spains tourism minister, Reyes Maroto, said on Monday.

Maroto also said the government was providing the UK with epidemiological updates about each of Spains 17 regions, adding that six of them were currently in a better epidemiological situation than the UK.

Well be talking to all the Spanish regions to see what they propose, and any proposals will be brought to the British authorities, she added.

Spain has recorded 39.4 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 inhabitants over the past two weeks, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

For comparison, the UK and France both have a figure of 14.6 infections per 100,000 residents, ECDC figures show.

Jose Ramon Bauza, a Spanish MEP and former president of the Balearics, said the country does not understand the decision of the British government because the islands have far lower coronavirus rates than the UK.

Most areas of Spain have very good numbers and the situation totally under control, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

It doesnt make sense that in a country as big as Spain is that there is a total veto for the whole country when there are just some local problems in some specific regions, he said.

Health minister Helen Whately said the government was right to introduce the new rules and that more restrictions could follow.

What we said throughout the time when weve put in place the policy on the travel corridors, the air bridges, is that we would need to keep those under review, that we would need to monitor the rates in other countries, she told Today.

That is exactly what weve done in Spain, so we are enacting the policy that we committed to doing.

The rate was going up very rapidly in Spain and we had to take very rapid, decisive action.
(CNN)  The United States consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu officially closed Monday morning, amid worsening relations between Beijing and Washington.

The American flag over the building was lowered at dawn, according to Chinese state-run broadcaster CCTV, and onlookers were moved back by police surrounding the consulate as it prepared to shut.

Beijing ordered the US embassy to close on Friday in a tit-for-tat move, after Washington instructed China's consulate in Houston, Texas, to cease operations, claiming it had been involved in a US-wide Chinese espionage effort.

The Chinese government gave the Americans the same 72-hour time frame to close their Chengdu mission as Beijing had been given in Houston last week.

As that deadline expired, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Monday that the Chengdu consulate closed at 10 a.m. "Relevant Chinese authorities then entered from the main entrance and took over," the ministry said in a statement posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Over the weekend, hundreds of people had gathered outside the US consulate in the city of 16.5 million people, taking selfies and waving Chinese flags.

On Saturday, the US insignia was taken down, while on Sunday removal work began on a plaque outside the embassy and shipping containers were loaded onto trucks, as staff prepared for the consulate to be closed.

Chengdu, the capital of China's southwest Sichuan province, was an important diplomatic outpost for the US, covering a large swath of the country, including the controversial Tibetan Autonomous region.

A video posted to Twitter by the US Mission in China on Monday morning featured images of the Chengdu consulate being opened by then-Vice President George Bush in 1985, before listing the areas covered by the diplomatic mission, such as Tibet.

"Today, we bid farewell to the US Consulate General in Chengdu. We will miss you forever," the mission's official post said.

Espionage allegations

Last Tuesday, Washington told China to "cease all operations and events" at its Houston consulate, claiming that the mission had been coordinating espionage at a Texas research institution.

US officials told reporters Friday that staff at the Chinese consulate "were directly involved in communications with researchers and guided them on what information to collect."

According to a senior State Department official, the idea to close the Houston consulate emerged this spring after China interfered when US officials returned to the consulate in Wuhan to retrieve diplomatic materials.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry called the closure of the Houston consulate an "unprecedented escalation" of ongoing tensions between the two countries.

"The current situation between China and the United States is something China does not want to see, and the responsibility rests entirely with the United States," the Chinese foreign ministry said in the statement.

As the deadline to close the Chinese diplomatic mission expired on Friday, US federal agents entered the compound of the Houston consulate in black SUVs and white vans.

US-China tensions rise

Tensions between the US and China have been strained by the ongoing trade war, allegations over the coronavirus pandemic and US criticism of human rights abuses in both Hong Kong and Xinjiang, which Beijing denies.

But in the past two weeks, relations have deteriorated even further, amid the reciprocal consulate closures and the guilty plea of a Singaporean national who admitted to spying for Beijing in the US.

Experts have warned that the downsizing of diplomatic avenues available for engagement leaves both countries vulnerable to misunderstandings and a further escalation of tensions.

Speaking at the Nixon Library in California on Thursday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasted what he said were decades of failed policy toward China.

This story was first published on CNN.com "US consulate in Chengdu officially shuts in retaliation for Houston closure"
Seven believed part of Los Pelones drug cartel arrested in Cancun

Cancun, Q.R.  The alleged leader of a cell of the criminal cartel Los Pelones along with six others, were arrested during an operation by the FGE.

In a statement, the State Secretariat for Public Security reported that the capture of these alleged criminals was the result of a joint operation by the Quintana Roo Police and the states Attorney General.

According to the information provided, among the detainees is a subject identified as Aquilino N, who is considered the leader of a cell of the criminal cartel Los Pelones. Authorities say that the six men that have been detained are all from the state of Tabasco, while the lone female arrested is from Acapulco, Guerrero.

The seven were arrested with high-powered weapons and a large variety of drugs. They are believed active members of an organized crime group based in Cancun. Authorities also said they found a notebook with the names and phone numbers of varying people, leading them to believe the group could also be involved in extortion.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 26, 2020 / The Scheer Foundation announced today that it has partnered with the Nasuti Yange Orphanage Foundation to assist in the financing of the orphanage located in Nasuti Mosque, Uganda.

The Nasuti Orphanage is protecting 30 Children in a loving environment under the direction of Andrew Tibewolwa. "Protecting Children and helping them grow in a safe and loving environment is one of the pillars of our work. We are proud to be associated with this project which is in a very poor environment. We just hope that our contribution will bring them happiness and joy," said Frederic Scheer Co-Chairman of the Scheer Foundation.

The Orphanage is located in the Republic of Uganda. a landlocked country in East-Central Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The official languages are English and Swahili,

Uganda is one of the poorest nations in the world. In 2012, 37.8 percent of the population lived on less than $1.25 a day. Despite, making enormous progress in reducing the countrywide poverty incidence from 56 percent of the population in 1992 to 24.5 percent in 2009, poverty remains deep-rooted in the country's rural areas, which are home to 84 percent of Ugandans.

The Scheer Foundation is proud to expand its reach in Africa after its first project in Tanzania.

About the Scheer Foundation

The Frederic & Jocelyne Scheer Foundation is a US Private Foundation (501-c 3) dedicated to fighting malnutrition and children mortality in Africa by promoting local agricultural and industrial projects to build up local and regional employment. The Scheer Foundation promotes planting sustainable crops to enhance food supply and creating surplus to be used for industrial application thus, creating regional employment. The Foundation recently expand its field of activity to art & music and is now promoting and supporting young artists around the world.

Story continues

Learn more at: www.scheerfoundation.org.

Scheer Foundation

Contact: Frederic Scheer

frederic@scheerfoundation.org

Tel: 310 525 9037

SOURCE: Scheer Foundation





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President Donald Trump speaks to the press before departing from the White House in Washington on July 27, 2020, (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump Not Going to Capitol to See John Lewis Lie in State

President Donald Trump is not planning on traveling to the U.S. Capitol to see Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) lie in state.

I wont be going, Trump told reporters outside the White House on Monday.

Trump took several questions before boarding a helicopter to travel to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where he would board Air Force One to fly to North Carolina.

The presidents schedule had him touring the Bioprocess Innovation Center at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies on Monday afternoon before returning to Washington around 6 p.m.

Lewis died at age 80 on July 17. He is lying in state on Monday and Tuesday.

Asked if Trump would pay his respects on either of those days, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters last week that she didnt have any details on his plans.

The flag-draped casket of the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) lies in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 27, 2020. (J. Scott Applewhite/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

But John Lewis was a civil rights icon; we lowered the flag at the White House here to signify that. So I have no future announcements of the presidents plans, other than to make that one note, she said.

Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence planned to pay their respects, as did presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden.

The number of people visiting the Capitol this week was going to be lower than normal because of harsh restrictions imposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington police officials warned residents earlier Monday that some roads would be closed between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. while a funeral procession for the deceased congressman made its way to the building.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other members of Congress paid their respects to Lewis soon after the body arrived.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks as the casket of late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) lies in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 27, 2020. (Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)

Congressman John Lewis was the conscience of the Congress. Today, we say goodbye to our friend and colleague, honoring his legacy of advancing freedom and justice for all, Pelosi said in a statement.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) said in a remembrance of Lewis last week that the congressman was a great leader.

Its often said that, in the House, we sometimes walk with giants; we rarely walk with saints. John Lewis was a saint, he said.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called Lewis an extraordinary man who suffered for this nation, enduring what would have easily broken other men, so that future generations could enjoy the full blessings of freedom.
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on July 07, 2020 shows (L-R) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Paris on May 23, 2018, Google CEO Sundar Pichai Berlin on January 22, 2019, Apple CEO Tim Cook on October 28, 2019 in New York and Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 6, 2019.

The drumbeat to break up the biggest technology companies is getting louder, but Morgan Stanley Vice Chairman Robert Kindler isn't playing that tune.

Kindler, who is also Morgan Stanley's global head of mergers and acquisitions, told CNBC's A View from the Top that breaking up the biggest technology companies "doesn't make any sense." In particular, he says, Amazon's lower prices and same-day deliveries during the pandemic are clear consumer benefits that originated from the company's size and scale.

"I think companies like Amazon have been absolutely terrific for the economy and for the consumer," Kindler said. "What would we have done during this pandemic if we didn't have companies like Amazon? I just can't imagine that people don't think that these are fantastic things that all of these huge companies have brought."

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai will all testify Wednesday before the U.S. House of Representatives' antitrust subcommittee. The questions they'll receive could be a window into the thinking of 15 members of Congress, who will then make recommendations on potential remedies such as new competition laws or company breakups. The House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee has been looking into Silicon Valley's market share dominance in businesses including digital advertising and e-commerce for more than a year.

The subcommittee is expected to examine Facebook's market share of social media, including its ownership of WhatsApp and Instagram, along with its co-dominance of digital media advertising with Alphabet's Google. The subcommittee is also expected to probe Apple's control over applications through its App Store policies and Amazon's stifling of competition by leveraging third-party merchant data to champion its own products.

"There is growing evidence that a handful of gatekeepers have come to capture control over key arteries of online commerce, content, and communications," House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said when the committee announced its bipartisan investigation last year. "Given the growing tide of concentration and consolidation across our economy, it is vital that we investigate the current state of competition in digital markets and the health of the antitrust laws."

Politicians and technology executives have spoken up in the past two years about the growing dominance of the largest technology companies -- specifically Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google -- whose combined market valuation is nearly $5 trillion. Elizabeth Warren, a potential vice presidential choice for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, has repeatedly argued for the breakup of big tech. Ex-Facebook executive and venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya said last month he believes the world's largest technology companies will be broken up this decade.

"Are they going to get broken up? Yes. Will every single government go after them? Absolutely. State, local, federal  all around the world," Palihapitiya said. "First, they'll get taxed to death, then they'll get trust-busted."

But Kindler said breaking up companies like Facebook and Alphabet would serve little consumer benefit, and, in the case of Amazon, may actually harm consumers. He noted there are laws in existence to prevent price fixing and privacy issues but questioned the notion of a breakup based on size alone.

"I don't see the reason why you would break them up," Kindler said. "What are you going to spin out, Instagram? YouTube?...Do I think these companies have not served the consumer? Of course they have. I think it's been one of the great things that's happened to the consumer."

Read more from Kindler in this week's A View from the Top Q&A here.
Illinois State Universitys first attempt to articulate its vision for reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic this fall didnt sit well with everyone.

The plan, dubbed Redbirds Return after the central Illinois colleges mascot, drew swift criticism from faculty after it was shared in early June, prompting instructors to draft their own proposals and call for greater precautions when scores of students are expected to descend on campus next month. The facultys letter objecting to plan has been signed by more than 500 employees, students, parents and other community members.

Since releasing the plan, weve received a great deal of feedback, ISU President Larry Dietz said earlier this month. Many faculty and staff members have also made it clear they would like a greater voice formulating plans.

At the same time, Dietz announced modifications the faculty had been seeking: increased flexibility to work from home, through at least December, and to teach remotely if the subject matter allows.

With the fall term rapidly approaching, faculty members at Illinois colleges are escalating their complaints and have emerged as a leading force against the resumption of in-person instruction. Their concerns, aired in petitions and debates in academic senates, are taking on renewed urgency after reports that students returning to some college towns are spreading the coronavirus at parties and other gatherings.

Despite the risks, some students are eager to restart college experiences that were upended this spring and want to get their moneys worth, since most schools arent discounting tuition.

Public universities such as ISU have found themselves in an especially precarious position during the pandemic. In Illinois, theyd already suffered financial damage from the states three-year budget impasse -- and are now bracing for more damage, if fewer students enroll in fall classes or opt to live at home.

This spring, many schools shelled out millions of dollars in room and board refunds when students were asked to move home and classes abruptly shifted online. Some have also implemented furloughs or hiring freezes.

Stacy Otto, an education professor at ISU who was involved in drafting the faculty proposals, acknowledged the financial challenges but said she also worries about the societal cost of allowing up to 18,000 students to flood the community. As of Saturday, McLean County, where the schools campus in Normal is located, has recorded 453 cases and 15 deaths, according to its health department.

I see a disaster in the making, as many of my colleagues do, Otto said about the prospect allowing students to return. Our students largely come from the western suburbs of Chicago. They go home on the weekends a lot of times. Theres not much we can do to control student behavior, is the truth of the matter.

Like many other colleges, ISU plans to offer a mix of classes: some fully online, some in person and some that combine both. Otto said her department is conducting all of its classes remotely, except for a handful of undergraduate courses, and she expects to teach from her home.

Still, Otto said some department chairs are still mandating that faculty members teach in person. She also said graduate student instructors have less flexibility in choosing their preferred mode of instruction and could feel pressured to teach in person.

Eric Jome, an ISU spokesman, said school leaders share the same health and safety concerns raised by faculty members, knowing the pandemic can improve or worsen very quickly.

Almost without exception, all of the modalities that faculty members chose were adopted, Jome said. He also said the provosts office is developing a more complete picture of teaching assignments for graduate student instructors.

But since she suffers from an immunodeficiency condition and has other medical ailments, Otto said she sent a letter to ISUs president, provost and general counsel last week, saying she holds the university liable if she contracts the coronavirus while teaching in person.

Otto was granted an accommodation by ISU under the American Disabilities Act to teach at home for the fall semester. However, she still wants to ensure she wont be forced back to campus in the spring or required to travel for work.

This absolutely threatens my survival, said Otto, whos in her 50s. I dont go anywhere. Im a crazy hermit professor now.

Students, faculty members and visitors on campus must wear face masks and will be educated on the importance of avoiding large gatherings and the need to follow health and safety guidelines, Jome said.

But a recent uptick in statewide coronavirus cases has renewed concerns. On Saturday, Illinois announced the fourth straight day with more than 1,200 new cases, resulting in the highest seven-day rolling average since late May. In all, Illinois tallied about 170,000 known cases.

Under Gov. J.B. Pritzkers Restore Illinois plan, colleges can begin offering in-person classes in phase four, which the state entered June 26. Gatherings of 50 or fewer people are allowed in phase four, but college campuses likely wont return to pre-pandemic operations until the state enters the final phase, and that can happen only when theres a vaccine, an effective and widely available treatment, herd immunity or a sustained drop in cases.

Anxiety is running particularly high for professors who work at colleges in Chicago and Cook County, where the highest number of cases has been recorded. The nearly 5,000 deaths counted in Chicago and Cook County make up well more than half of all coronavirus-related fatalities in Illinois. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has scolded young residents for flouting precautions, as city data showed that people between 18 and 29 years made up the largest share of positive cases.

At Loyola University Chicago, faculty dissent also appears to have played a role in nudging the school to scale back this falls campus activities.

The school announced July 13 that it would limit face-to-face classes and shift most online -- a change from prior intentions to provide both on-campus and virtual instruction, depending on a students preference. The new decision followed a petition signed by more than 200 faculty members and graduate students calling on administrators to make online teaching the default option for everyone.

In a message to students, Loyola said feedback through faculty and staff surveys, scientific data and public health guidance factored into the change.

As COVID-19 infection rates and deaths continue to increase across numerous states, we share the concerns of our faculty, staff, and broader community, the message said.

Loyola students returning to live in campus dorms will have their own rooms, must wear masks and will be required to submit to frequent testing and contact tracing. The school was looking to acquire hotel space to accommodate all students who wish to come back. Only courses that involve labs, experiential learning and research will be available on campus.

Alyson Paige Warren, an English department adjunct instructor, applauded Loyolas decision to rely more on online classes this fall. She said the changes show that administrators listened to faculty concerns, but some issues remain unresolved.

We were incredibly heartened by the announcement ... yet we didnt feel like that answers all of our questions, she said. We are being told by the university that there are people who want to be on campus -- they say its only 10% (of the faculty) -- but we really want to make sure the people who are being asked to take on their courses are really doing so out of their own agency.

Another school in the Chicago, Columbia College, has not reversed its plans for a hybrid semester, despite strong faculty opposition. However, administrators have clarified the colleges position on the faculty accommodations process after union pushback.

Provost Marcella David initially told the faculty that requests for accommodations would be due last Friday, July 24. Diana Vallera, president of the colleges part-time faculty union, said she fought that deadline. David sent an email to faculty members on Thursday clarifying requests could be submitted anytime but encouraged them to submit before Friday to be better prepared for the school year.

College spokesperson Lambrini Lukidis said a little more than half of fall semester courses will be fully remote. The other half will be mostly hybrid, with some completely in person. She said this mix is designed to give students and their families options best suited to their needs and goals, and to address specific pedagogical needs.

Vallera called the current proportion of remote classes unacceptable. She and the union insist only classes that need face-to-face instruction, such as studio and lab classes, should be held in person.

At Columbia College, decisions about course formats were made by the provosts office and department chairs, Vallera said. However, she said, the faculty wants to see remote learning as the default with the flexibility to opt in instead of opt out of in-person teaching.

Vallera contended the current model of requesting accommodations from administration takes advantage of a situation where we are part-time faculty, as these instructors may feel pressured to teach in person because their job is not secured by tenure. Vallera also said some part-time faculty members worry about lacking access to health insurance or unemployment benefits if they dont meet the criteria for remote teaching but still decline to teach in person.

Valleras union, along with unions at several other Illinois institutions, held a news conference and released a statement Thursday calling for colleges to commit to remote learning with few exceptions. Vallera said the coalition plans to launch a petition and host a town hall with medical professionals soon.

Similar conversations are playing out at college campuses across the country. At the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, a requirement to submit medical documents in order to receive an exemption from in-person teaching has caused an uproar. On the other end of the spectrum, the University of Chicago has said it will allow instructors to teach in whatever mode they prefer.

The states largest university is also caught up in the debate. In May, an association of professors at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign issued a statement opposing plans to offer in-person instruction this fall, warning that welcoming students back could create a super-spreader event.

But the school forged ahead. Students begin moving into dorms next month, and more than a dozen saliva-based testing centers are supposed to be up and running by then. The school is also asking students to publicly pledge -- and share on social media -- that they are committed to acting responsibly on campus, including regularly undergoing testing.

More recently, a petition shared in the academic senate called for a debate about the dangers of UIUCs approach. The petition said the decision to allow up to 53,000 students to return was made in haste, without the benefit of a full public airing, and particularly the consent of the faculty, who will have to implement these changes. "

10 ways Illinois schools could look different this fall

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Amazon has announced that it is creating 1,000 new permanent jobs in Ireland over the next two years.

The move will bring Amazon's total permanent workforce in the country to 5,000 people.

The roles will be spread throughout the company's locations in Dublin, the Cork Airport Business Park, and at the Esk wind farm in North Cork, which is set to open in September.

The wind farm will be Amazons first operational renewable energy project outside the USA.

Mike Beary, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Ireland country manager, said that Amazon had a partnership with a developer who was able to secure the land and planning permission for the wind farm in Cork.

"It will help us reach our goal of getting to 100% renewable energy for all of our infrastructure by 2025," he said.

We were able to do it on a corporate power purchase agreement, which means [it was on] a purely commercial basis without taking any of the PSO levy. This will come on stream without any cost to other Irish energy users.

The Cork office will also grow.

"Cork was our original site," he said. "We opened there in 2004. That site started as a customer service centre and has evolved over the last 15+ years.

"There's now a significant number of people working with merchants who brought their businesses to the Amazon platform, there's teams working on [transaction security], and there are a lot of programme leadership teams down there.

"The Cork team have also invested in employees that can work from home. We have a significant number of people, even before Covid, who were in full-time roles working from home in Cork, Kerry, and Limerick. We anticipate we will have further roles like that."

There will also be new roles created in Dublin, and a new 170,000 sq ft campus will be built in Charlemont Square. The campus will be home to Amazon Web Service's growing cloud computing workforce, and is expected to open in 2022.

Mr Beary says that Amazon invested in Ireland because of the expansion of customer demand, as well as the talent.

"More and more people are shopping online ... in terms of the AWS side, many enterprises, small businesses, even government agencies, are moving onto the cloud because of the flexibility it gives ... Covid has accelerated the trends we have seen, with people making a transition to a digital company," he said.

"We have been fortunate with being able to attract great talent to our teams here, both from hiring people locally in Ireland and also encouraging people to move from other parts of Europe for a role. Because of that, we are pretty confident we will be able to extend our reach and add an additional 1,000 jobs here."

The new employment opportunities will range from software development engineers, network development engineers, systems development engineers, optical deployment engineers, database engineers, dev ops engineers, and support engineers.
Changing the last minute strategy of protests under 'Save Democracy-Save Constitution' campaign in Rajasthan, state Congress PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasara on Sunday announced that the party shall not be protesting outside Raj Bhawan in the state on Monday as proposed earlier, but the nationwide protest shall continue as per the earlier plan.

In his tweet, Dotasara said, "Tomorrow, under the Save Democracy-Save Constitution campaign, Congressmen will stage protests in front of the Raj Bhawans in all the states of the country, but we will not do anything like this in #Rajasthan. We have sent a revised Cabinet note to the Governor and hope that he will approve the calling of the session soon," he said in his tweet.

The Congress government in Rajasthan has requested the Governor to allow a special assembly session, however the Governor has not yet permitted for the same.

On Saturday late night, the Congress government sent a revised note to the Governor seeking permission to call a special assembly session on July 31 to discuss corona situation but not the floor test as the reason to call the session.

Meanwhile, Governor Kalraj Mishra met chief secretary Rajeev Swaroop and DGP Bhupendra Singh in which the duo apprised him of the security measures being taken by the administration in view of protest which was planned in front of Governor's House on Monday.

BJP state president Satish Poonia on the 'Speak up for Democracy' campaign of the Congress said how can a party wash away its old sins by launching this campaign when it itself dissolved elected governments 91 times by invoking Article 356 in the country.
Trainer Richard Moreau claimed victory in both $9,500 Preferred 3 events at Georgian Downs on Sunday (July 26).

Moreau first sent Oceanview Magnum to a 1:53 win in the Horses & Geldings Preferred 3 Pace. Driver Brett MacDonald placed the five-year-old Western Paradise gelding third as odds-on favourite Brodys Scrapper set an early clip of :27.1 and :56.3. MacDonald moved Oceanview Magnum for the front approaching three-quarters in 1:24.1 and cleared to command rounding into the final turn. Through the stretch Oceanview Magnum strolled to a one-length victory over Brodys Scrapper. Cool Rock took third.

Owned by Keith Cassell, Oceanview Magnum won his fifth race from 15 starts this season and his 25th from 75 overall, earning $163,370. He paid $7.70 to win.

In the other Horses & Geldings Preferred 3 Pace, Pro Beach gave Moreau and MacDonald another win with a wire-to-wire mile in 1:52.1. The five-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding took the field through fractions of :27.2, :57.1 and 1:24.2 and rolled to the finish while chased by Carsons Shadow, who sprinted a :26.4 final quarter to finish second by a half length. YS Lotus finished third.

Owned by Sylvain Descheneaux, GAAR Racing Stables and Gaston Bibeau, Pro Beach won his third race from 15 starts this season and his eighth race from 66 overall, earning $175,064. He paid $5.00 to win.

To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Georgian Downs.
Invest to Steal

In recent years, Amazon has invested in a lot of start-ups thus, gaining their proprietary information. This helps Amazon to crush smaller companies by launching similar products in the market that end up competing with the ones the start-ups launched.

This was initially reported by The Wall Street Journals Dana Mattioli and Cara Lombardo. The journalists spoke with many founders, investors, and advisers, of different start-ups who said Amazon met with or invested in their companies, only with the sole motive of later building its own products that directly competed with the smaller company.

Owing to the popularity of Amazon, the Amazon-made products often went on to crush the competition and the smaller companies.

LivingSocial, a deals website in which Amazon took a 30% stake says that it began requesting the access to companys data, it even hired away some of their employees and contacted LivingSocials clients offering them better deals.

Listing all that Amazon stole

The Echo Show, an Alexa-enabled device with a large video screen that Amazon launched was originally an idea of Nucleus. The Amazon Echo that was launched in the market was similar to products by DefineCrowd, Vocalife and Ubi.

Owing to this Amazon later resolved with Nucleus for $5 million but did not admit of doing any wrong.

Once crushed, the companies give up

As Amazon crushed the smaller companies, most of them gave up and closed.

We ended up burning through our cash and ended up having to downsize most of the company, Leor Grebler, the creator of the voice-operated speaker Ubi, an Echo predecessor, told The Wall Street Journal.

However, Amazon denied all of these claims saying that it does not use confidential information that companies share when Amazon invests.

For 26 years, weve pioneered many features, products, and even whole new categories. From amazon.com itself to Kindle to Echo to AWS, few companies can claim a track record for innovation that rivals Amazons. Unfortunately, there will always be self-interested parties who complain rather than build. Any legitimate disputes about intellectual property ownership are rightly resolved in the courts an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider.

Jeff Bezos to testify

The US House Judiciary Committee is holding an antitrust hearing on Monday at which Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and other prominent tech executives will testify.

The Federal Trade Commission is also looking into all the acquisitions by Amazon and other tech firms to reach the conclusion of this matter and determine whether Amazon really gained any unfair advantages by investing in nascent competitors.
The latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that 35 new cases of coronavirus were found yesterday. This brings the total number of cases to 6,321, while deaths remain at 112.

Note: overall, the number of confirmed cases has risen by 49, and the number of tests by 1,426. This means that today's report also contains tests carried out either earlier today, or prior to Sunday.

400,903 tests have been carried out in Luxembourg since the start of the outbreak, with 1,426 tests reported on since yesterday's update.

As a reminder, the Ministry of Health only communicates the number of new infections, tests, and virus deaths on weekends. As such, the numbers below are as compared to Friday, not yesterday.

Luxembourg currently has 1,382 (+317) active infections. Six people are currently in intensive care (-1), and 55 (+9) are in standard care. 1,015 (+25) patients have left the hospital since the start of the pandemic.

The effective reproduction rate (Rt_eff) remains at 1.01, while (Rt) reproduction rate is now at 1.24 (1.27 on Friday).

For the latest updates on the coronavirus both in Luxembourg and abroad, see our live ticker.




Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 10:49:09|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on late Sunday announced a further easing of coronavirus restrictions in the country.

Restrictions on the number of worshippers in churches and mosques will be lifted on Aug. 1, with an extension of worship time to two hours, Akufo-Addo said during his 14th COVID-19 televised address.

He urged religious leaders to organize activities strictly in accordance with COVID-19 protocols, including those regarding face masks, hand washing and a one-meter social distance.

Akufo-Addo also announced the easing of restrictions on the number of passengers on public transport and domestic flights, lifting a ban on tourist centers and open-air drinking spots.

"Life cannot be put on hold indefinitely, and Ghana can not remain in a never-ending crisis management situation. That is why we have been putting measures in place to gradually restore some normalcy in our social and economic lives, as we learn to cope with the reality of the virus," he said.

"Our borders, by air, land and sea, remain closed until further notice," the president said, adding that "a special dispensation" will continue to be granted to Ghanaian nationals who want to return home from abroad, with a mandatory quarantine.

Ghana's COVID-19 caseload reached 32,437 with 161 deaths on Sunday. Enditem
On July 17, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (commonly referred to as AMLO) announced that he was putting Mexicos military in charge of Customs operations at land and seaports of entry in order to root out corruption.

Illegal drugs, chemicals used to make illegal drugs, and contraband have been tied to violence in Mexico, mainly the ongoing drug wars fought by cartels. The situation has become so dire in some regions of Mexico that cartels are fighting over control of the ports of entry and the area that surrounds them. Control is usually obtained by either supplying mordidas (bribes) to Aduanas (Mexican Customs) personnel or using threats and violence to obtain compliance in illicit activities.

As with any industry, there are good and bad actors. In Aduanas, I have dealt with hard-working professionals who do their job correctly and in a patriotic spirit for their country. However, I have also encountered officials who rise every day with the goal of lining their pockets at the expense of others. This corruption happens not only in Mexico, but also in the U.S., as has been evidenced throughout the years by CBP officials who have been convicted of bribery and allowing drugs into the U.S. on their watch. Thankfully, corrupt individuals on either side of the border are in the minority.

Every day billions of dollars of goods cross the U.S.-Mexico border. In 2019, U.S.-Mexico trade totaled $614.5 billion or an average of $1.68 billion per day. When conducting cross-border trade, it is imperative to develop a good relationship with Mexican Customs officials in order to process shipments in an expedited manner and to resolve the inevitable problems that arise on a daily basis. The Mexican federal government frequently changes port directors with the objective of reducing corruption. This makes developing a strong working relationship even harder because they generally dont last long-term. By the time you have developed a good working relationship, that person is gone, and the building of trust and cooperation has to start from scratch.

How that development of trust and cooperation will occur with the military remains to be seen. In Mexico, it seems that when systems fail, the military is called upon to rectify and stabilize the situation. The military has been involved, sometimes controversially, in civilian policing in attempts to disrupt cartel activities and violence. Military checkpoints to verify identification and pertinent information are common across Mexico, as the government attempts to interdict illegal drugs and cartel members. However, the military also has been commandeered to operate heavy machinery that is being used to construct the new Mexico City Airport  not something you typically think of as a military duty.

On the positive side, AMLO is attempting to address corruption, a major theme in his presidential campaign. At an El Paso, Texas, speech during a campaign stop, I listened to candidate AMLO constantly return to the theme of eradicating corruption if Mexico was ever going to seriously address poverty and become a more prosperous nation. It would seem logical to attack corruption at ports of entry, where historically there has been documented corruption.

On the flipside of the coin, will the front-line soldiers administering the ports of entry have the requisite training and experience? Companies and nations compete globally based on productivity, in which getting supplies/components to producers, and the end product to the consumer, rely on logistical efficiencies. It is a big unknown whether the military running the ports of entry is going to hamper or slow down commerce. Nobody wants this to occur.

And the military is not without its own corruption. From the ground-level soldier to the highest general in the Mexican army, there have been publicly documented cases of corruption, involving bribes that allow drugs to pass without detection or the ability of criminals to act with impunity. The case of Gen. Jose de Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo, who in 1996 was appointed Mexicos first Drug Czar, comes to mind. By 1997, he was fired from his post for conspiring with the Juarez Cartel and receiving a substantial amount of money. He was tried and sent to prison for more than 30 years, where he eventually died.

Finally, I have to wonder, what image does it send to private and commercial crossers at Mexican ports of entry to have soldiers overseeing Customs operations? No matter how many times I see the military conducting checkpoints in Mexico or assisting the local police forces in times of crisis, I get this nervous feeling in the pit of my gut. I personally have never had any problems with any military personnel in Mexico, but it seems unnatural to be stopped at a highway checkpoint by soldiers with AK-47s slung around their shoulders.

At a minimum, AMLOs plan could work by signaling to corrupt Aduanas officials that the federal government is keeping on eye on them and will not stand for corruption at ports of entry. If it doesnt, we may begin hearing complaints of inefficiencies and delays that are slowing down commerce. Given our need to be as competitive as possible, this will not be acceptable.

Jerry Pacheco is the executive director of the International Business Accelerator, a nonprofit trade counseling program of the New Mexico Small Business Development Centers Network. He can be reached at 575-589-2200 or at jerry@nmiba.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 23:12:40|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The value of Hong Kong's total exports decreased to 305.6 billion HK dollars (about 39.35 billion U.S. dollars) in June, down 1.3 percent compared with the same month last year, the Census & Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government announced on Monday.

The value of imports of goods dropped 7.1 percent to 338.9 billion HK dollars year-on-year in the same month.

A trade deficit of 33.3 billion HK dollars, or 9.8 percent of the value of imports, was recorded for the period.

Comparing the second quarter of this year with the preceding quarter on a seasonally adjusted basis, the value of exports rose 5.8 percent while that of imports increased by 0.3 percent.

A spokesman for the HKSAR government said that looking ahead, the continued spread of COVID-19 in parts of the world is still a key threat to the global economic outlook.

In face of a challenging external environment, Hong Kong's merchandise export performance will likely remain constrained in the near term, said the spokesman. Enditem (1 U.S. dollar = 7.75 HK dollars)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 22:22:56|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Access to water critical to preventing COVID-19 spread in low-income and vulnerable populations, Zambian public health expert said on Monday.

Rhodah Nchinga said governments in developing countries like Zambia need to begin working at providing continuous access to sufficient water if the international community is to successfully contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Regular hand washing is key to combating COVID-19. There is, therefore, need to ensure that high-risk communities like slums have access to continuous water supply as that is one sure of beating the pandemic," Nchinga said in an interview with Xinhua.

She asserted that water forms one of the key components of COVID-19 prevention measures and that it is important that poor and vulnerable communities are provided with water at a very minimal charge or cost fee particularly during this period, noting that this would also serve as an incentive to encourage many to adhere to COVID-19 preventive measures.

"This would encourage residents of low-income areas and vulnerable populations to comply with the WHO recommendations of regular hand washing and to also to observe other measures regarding prevention of the further spread of COVID-19," she added.

Nchinga further appealed to governments in developing countries to prioritize the provision of water to people living in informal settlements as well as other vulnerable populations such the elderly and persons with disabilities, who according to her are the most affected.

During interviews, residents of both Kanyama and Misisi, slums located in Zambia's capital Lusaka bemoaned the lack of affordable water, indicating that the commodity still remains costly for the majority of them.

"We can barely afford to get water for drinking and for preparing our food. Water for frequent hand washing is a luxury we cannot afford," lamented Alice Kondowe, a resident of Kanyama compound.

She explained many cannot afford to buy the commodity at kiosks at a cost of about 0.03 U.S. dollars per 20 litres, pushing them to get it from shallow wells and dams that are often infested with disease-causing organisms.

And a manager of a water kiosk in Misisi compound, Grace Ngwira said most households use water from dams and wells for washing clothes, bathing and other household need, but they get tap water from kiosks for cooking and drinking.

"However, those in dire situations use water from wells and dams for everything, including cooking and drinking," said Ngwira, who manages a water kiosk run by Care International. Enditem
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Republic of Artsakh confirms its adherence to the commitments assumed to fulfill the agreements on the full cessation of fire and hostilities. At the same time, the authorities of Artsakh will continue to take all necessary measures to strengthen the country's security, and they are ready to suppress any attempt by Azerbaijan to launch a new aggression against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Artsakh. ARMENPRESS reports Artsakh's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of signing the trilateral document confirming the ceasefire commitments.

''26 years ago, on July 26-27, 1994, the Republic of Artsakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia, under the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen, signed a document, in which they confirmed their strong determination to continue to fulfill their ceasefire commitments and fixed the indefinite nature of the Agreement on the full cessation of fire and hostilities of May 12, 1994.

This trilateral document, as well as the agreement of May 12, 1994 and the agreement of February 6, 1995 on strengthening the ceasefire created the required conditions for finding a settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict through negotiations, and they serve as a basis for the peace process so far. Being the key elements of the process of not only settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, but also for ensuring regional security in the South Caucasus as a whole, these agreements are the best evidence of the efficiency of the trilateral negotiation format, within which they became possible.

Unfortunately, we periodically witness attempts by the Azerbaijani side to relinquish its commitments to maintain peace in the region and to endow itself with an imaginary right to unleash a war, as well as to undermine the agreements making the basis for the peaceful settlement process. However, such attempts have always met with a sharply negative reaction from the international community.

In 2016, in response to the situation that arose as a result of a new war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and the attempts by official Baku to denounce the Agreement on the full cessation of fire and hostilities of 12 May 1994, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing states - Russia, the United States and France, as well as the Secretary General of the United Nations, the OCSE Chairperson-in-Office and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe called for the strict adherence to the commitments to maintain the ceasefire, thereby recognizing the binding nature of the aforementioned agreements of 1994-1995.

Against the background of the direct armed aggression of Azerbaijan unleashed on the Tavush section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on July 12, 2020 and the subsequent targeted escalation of the situation, the need for the international community to take practical measures to ensure the impressibility of the peace process and to exclude the possibility of resumption of the hostilities becomes increasingly urgent. The escalation of tensions on July 12 serves as yet another reminder of the imperative nature of the immediate establishment of mechanisms for the international ceasefire control.

The Republic of Artsakh confirms its adherence to the commitments assumed to fulfill the agreements on the full cessation of fire and hostilities. At the same time, the authorities of Artsakh will continue to take all necessary measures to strengthen the country's security, and they are ready to suppress any attempt by Azerbaijan to launch a new aggression against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Artsakh', reads the statement.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA  As of Monday, Fairfax County has 15,455 cumulative coronavirus cases, 1,855 hospitalizations and 517 deaths. Because the county is Virginia's most populous jurisdiction, it's no surprise it leads the state in these coronavirus numbers. A closer looks at the data trends shows the situation has improved in Fairfax County over recent weeks.

We're taking a look at the week-by-week changes in cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Fairfax County. Data comes from the Virginia Department of Health's COVID-19 Daily Dashboard, which provides daily numbers of cases, deaths, and hospitalizations under the locality tab.

Cases

Looking at week-by-week changes in new cases, Fairfax County had a notable decline from early June to mid-June. New cases have remained stable in the weeks since the decline. The peak  over 2,000 new cases  happened between the weeks of May 24 and May 31.



New Coronavirus Cases In Fairfax County By Week

Source: Virginia Department of Health COVID-19 Daily Dashboard

Below, we've listed case totals at the beginning of each week and the case increases since the previous week.



Week of July 26: 15,304, increase of 426 cases

Week of July 19: 14,878, increase of 396 cases

Week of July 12: 14,482, increase of 329 cases

Week of July 5: 14,153, increase of 375 cases

Week of June 28: 13,778, increase of 359 cases

Week of June 21: 13,419, increase of 402 cases

Week of June 14: 13,017, increase of 562 cases

Week of June 7: 12,455, increase of 1,345 cases

Week of May 31: 11,110, increase of 2,121 cases

Week of May 24: 8,989, increase of 1,346 cases

Week of May 17: 7,643, increase of 1,751 cases

Week of May 10: 5,892, increase of 1,552 cases

Week of May 3: 4,340, increase of 1,451 cases

Week of April 26: 2,889, increase of 1,080 cases

Week of April 19: 1,809, increase of 801 cases

Week of April 12: 1,008, increase of 582 cases

Week of April 5: 426, increase of 329 cases

Week of March 29: 187, increase of 156 cases

Deaths

Deaths have been in the single digits in recent weeks. The peak week-to-week change of deaths was 89 between the weeks of April 26 and May 3.

Story continues

While there are cases in every age group in the Fairfax Health District, most deaths are in the 80 and up age group. There are 297 deaths in this age group, followed by 116 deaths in the 70 to 79 age group, 65 deaths in the 60 to 69 age group and 33 deaths in the 50 to 59 age group.

New Coronavirus Deaths by Week in Fairfax County

Source: Virginia Department of Health COVID-19 Daily Dashboard

Here are the death totals at the beginning of each week and the increases since the previous week.

Week of July 26: 515, increase of seven

Week of July 19: 508, increase of eight

Week of July 12: 500, increase of four

Week of July 5: 496, increase of 27

Week of June 28: 472, increase of 37

Week of June 21: 435, increase of 12

Week of June 14: 423, increase of nine

Week of June 7: 414, increase of 31

Week of May 31: 383, increase of 56

Week of May 24: 327, increase of 45

Week of May 17: 282, increase of 43

Week of May 10: 239, increase of 55

Week of May 3: 184, increase of 89

Week of April 26: 95, increase of 47

Week of April 19: 48, increase of 28

Week of April 12: 20, increase of 14

Week of April 5: six, increase of four

Week of March 29: two, increase of one

Hospitalizations



Like deaths, hospitalizations haven't increased much in recent weeks. The numbers of new hospitalizations by week have remained below 100 since mid-June. As with deaths, the peak week-to-week change of hospitalizations happened between the weeks of April 26 and May 3  230 new hospitalizations.

Source: Virginia Department of Health COVID-19 Daily Dashboard

Below, we've listed hospitalization totals at the beginning of each week and the increases since the previous week.

Week of July 26: 1,851, increase of 60

Week of July 19: 1,791, increase of 79

Week of July 12: 1,712, increase of 52

Week of July 5: 1,660, increase of 53

Week of June 28: 1,607, increase of 52

Week of June 21: 1,555, increase of 83

Week of June 14: 1,472, increase of 49

Week of June 7: 1,423, increase of 112

Week of May 31: 1,311, increase of 117

Week of May 24: 1,194, increase of 110

Week of May 17: 1,084, increase of 161

Week of May 10: 923, increase of 184

Week of May 3: 739, increase of 230

Week of April 26: 509, increase of 175

Week of April 19: 334, increase of 125

Week of April 12: 209, increase of 126

Week of April 5: 83, increase of 68

Week of March 29: 15, increase of 13

For more coronavirus data, including cases by ZIP code, see the VDH and Fairfax County Health Department's dashboards.



This article originally appeared on the Kingstowne-Rose Hill Patch
Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is facing questions over when she knew of allegations of sexual misconduct against her predecessor Alex Salmond.

The SNP leader told the Scottish Parliament she was informed of complaints against Mr Salmond on 2 April 2018, when he himself told her.

But new claims have emerged that she was informed during a meeting four days earlier, according to Sky News.

Mr Salmond has always denied the allegations against him.

Earlier this year he was acquitted of all charges of sexual assault in a criminal trial, prompting allies to suggest he was the victim of a witch-hunt within his own party.

At issue in the latest row is what Ms Sturgeon knew of a Scottish government inquiry into allegations against the former first minister and when.

One account of a meeting Ms Sturgeon attended on 29 March 2018, seen by Sky News, indicates the complaints against Mr Salmond were discussed then.

Also at the meeting was Geoff Aberdein, Mr Salmonds former chief of staff, as well as a government official.

Sky News reported that the account it had seen stated: The conversation was around the fact of the complaints, without discussing the specifics of them. There was discussion about the investigation, the process of it, the fact it was a civil service investigation being conducted by civil servants.

Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, said: What we have now are concerns about inconsistencies in what weve been told, and what we need is to know whether the first minister deliberately, or by mistake, misled parliament.

A Scottish government spokesman said that Ms Sturgeon stood by her statement to the Scottish Parliament.

Later this year a cross-party Holyrood committee will start calling witnesses to give evidence in its inquiry into the Scottish governments 2018 investigation.
By Rufiz Hafizoglu, deputy editor-in-chief of Trend News Agency

The more Armenia's policy fails in the region and in the world, the more aggressive this small but very ambitious country becomes towards neighboring countries, as well as to the peoples who are aware of the false Armenian policy.

Armenia, which claims to be the "defender" of the Christian values in the region, is hostile towards its neighbors, and considers the extermination of Turks and Muslims, as well as all other peoples that do not fit into the "Armenian dream" as the meaning of its existence.

The peoples of the region have already become witnesses of attempts to implement the Armenian chimera - the creation of "great Armenia" in 1915 and during the occupation of the Azerbaijani historical territories.

While the regional countries, namely, Azerbaijan, Turkey and almost all neighboring countries, followed the path of democracy by creating equal conditions for representatives of all nationalities living in their territories, the Armenian political elite still builds its ideology on the Nazi dogmas of the fierce enemy of all peoples of the former USSR, odious fascist Garegin Nzhdeh (1886-1955).

Taking Nzhdehs vicious ideological heritage as the basis, the Armenian political elite not only well mastered his fascist methods, rejected by the entire mankind, but also openly boasts of their real implementation.

At the same time, amid the global war against terrorism, Armenia and the majority of Armenians stubbornly regard the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) terrorists as national heroes, "builders of great Armenia".

Obviously, the statement terror has no nationality or religion does not apply to the Armenians, they finally lost their minds, intoxicated by the chimera of great Armenia, elevating terrorism to the rank of a national idea.

As it is known, more than a third of the ASALA attacks were committed at airports in various countries, a half of attacks were committed against diplomatic missions and diplomats. ASALA terrorists in some cases also attacked religious leaders and media representatives.

In total, the "record of service" of the notorious Armenian terrorist organization includes 110 terrorist attacks. Turkish diplomacy suffered from ASALA most of all - 42 people died.

ASALAs final "feat" is the explosion of a bomb in the Turkish embassy in Brussels in 1997, after which the Armenian national terrorist organization went "underground".

ASALA was established in 1975 in Beirut, during the civil war by Lebanese Armenian Hakob Hakobyan, who took part in the activity of the Palestinian armed organizations in the early 1970s.

However, some acts of terrorism were committed before its formal creation. That is, the armed conflicts in the Middle East have become fertile ground for the emergence of the Armenian terrorism.

Today, the end of peaceful life and political instability may become as a bitter surprise far beyond this troubled region if ASALA resumes its terrorist activity.

Actually, ASALAs menacing step is already visible in the West - during the provocations against the peaceful rallies of Azerbaijanis and Turks in several Western countries, including the US. The Armenians wear T-shirts with the inscription ASALA in an emphatic manner and chant the misanthropic slogans of terrorists.

This means that ASALA is being unchained.

Meanwhile, the obvious problem is that in response to the open aggression of the Armenians intoxicated with ASALAs ideas, the police of the Western countries did nothing to prevent violence against Azerbaijanis.

There is no doubt that the Armenian lobby and the Armenian authorities are behind the "resurrection" of ASALA, which poses a threat not only to Azerbaijan and Turkey, but also to the whole world.

The West must draw conclusions as a result of the recent provocations of Armenians against the peaceful rallies of Azerbaijanis till it is not too late as in addition to the vast diaspora, the active migration of Armenians to the West will inevitably entail the "flourishing" of the ideas of terrorism.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
VANCOUVERI love you, Im proud of you, Ill always be with you.

Those are the words Vancouver resident Mara Soriano would hear in the voice of her mother, who died of cancer last year, when she pressed a button on the paw of a custom teddy bear.

Soriano is pleading for the return of the bear after she says it was stolen while she was moving to a new apartment on Friday. The call gained volume after celebrities such as Ryan Reynolds and George Stroumboulopoulos each promised $5,000 rewards for its return.

Every time I missed her, I would hug the bear and I would listen to her voice and it made me feel a lot closer to her, Soriano said. Honestly, I feel a little silly, I know its just a bear to the guy who stole it, but it was everything to me. I feel like I lost her all over again.

Soriano said she was 18 when her mother Marilyn Soriano was diagnosed with cancer about 10 years ago. But medication was effective in keeping the tumour growth down and, for a long time, it seemed like everything was under control.

Her mother gave her the bear as a gift in December 2017 after she moved to Vancouver from Toronto. As the eldest of three, Soriano said she didnt get a lot of one-on-one time with her mother and it was her mothers way of reminding her that she was loved.

Soriano kept the bear, dressed in her mothers signature style dress and glasses, on her desk.

I saw it every day and it made me think of my family and made me feel a lot less alone, she said.

Soon after Soriano received the bear, doctors discovered the tumour was growing and her mothers health began to decline. After a year and a half of treatment, she died in June 2019.

By the end of her life, she wasnt the mom I had grown up with. Her voice had changed, it was much softer. The cancer had really eaten away at her and that bear was basically the last reminder of the mom that I knew  it was her voice that I remembered growing up.

Soriano said she was in the midst of moving to a new apartment when she got a call from a friend who had been on his way to help. The friend had been hit by a car and Soriano rushed to help him, accompanying him to the emergency room.

The friend is OK  no broken bones  but Soriano had left her backpack outside in the midst of her distraction.

Along with the bear, she lost an iPad with photos and video of her mother that hadnt been backed up.

Since Friday, Soriano said she hasnt eaten or slept properly and has been walking the streets and alleys of the neighbourhood hoping to find the bear discarded somewhere.

Restaurants and cafes in the area have shared security footage showing a man picking up the bag. Soriano was told she would have to wait until Monday to see if her building manager would also release footage.

In the meantime, she said shes been heartened by the support she has received, including from the celebrities who amplified her message.

After Reynolds offered the first reward, Stroumboulopoulos offered to match it, while actors Zach Braff and Dan Levy both retweeted calls for the bags return.

Soriano said she had considered offering a reward, but with all the moving expenses she was already facing, it would have been tough.

Im so, so floored by the response, she said.

Im blown away by everyones kindness and generosity.

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CNBC's Jim Cramer urged investors Monday to remain cautious about the length of time it takes to develop a successful coronavirus vaccine, saying that Massachusetts-based biotech firm Moderna may be painting too rosy of a picture.

"It's not a simple case. You don't just say, 'Hey, look at this. These people didn't get Covid over a couple weeks.' It's going to take a long time. I don't know if people are really ready for how long it's going to take," Cramer said.

Cramer's comments on "Squawk on the Street" came on the same day Moderna began Phase 3 study of its experimental vaccine to prevent Covid-19. This critical stage will involve 30,000 patients receiving the vaccine candidate, which has been developed alongside the National Institutes of Health.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said earlier Monday on CNBC's "Squawk Box" that late-stage results could be ready by October. But he cautioned that was a "really optimistic" scenario. He added, "It could be November. Again, at this stage, it's impossible for us to know precisely. It will depend on the event rate, the attack rate of infection."

Cramer took issue with Bancel's comments.

"I also don't like the idea that you can put any time frame on it. October optimistic? Then don't talk about October. Just say, 'Listen, we hope to have something by the first quarter,'" Cramer said.

"Moderna has been setting the pace of overoptimism," the "Mad Money" host added.

White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said later Monday that November would likely be the earliest time frame to know if Moderna's coronavirus vaccine works. He was speaking with reporters on a conference call alongside NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins. Fauci heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of NIH, an agency that rolls up to the federal government's Department of Health and Human Services.

Projecting too much confidence about the development timeline could impair certain aspects of the U.S. coronavirus response, Cramer said. In particular, he said it could cause a sense of complacency in Washington, where Congress is currently considering another coronavirus relief package.

Cramer said, "Don't set us up because ... people are going to say in the House and the Senate, 'Look we don't need to do another program. If we're going to get a vaccine by October, then let's just let the dice roll. Let's have the masks and social distancing play it out,' and I think that's not an optimum situation."

The race to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus, which has infected nearly 16.3 million people worldwide and more than 4.2 million in the U.S., is intensely followed by those on Wall Street to Main Street. However, creating a successful vaccine for widespread deployment is a complicated process that can sometimes take years.

The Trump administration has launched a program, called Operation Warp Speed, to accelerate development of a vaccine and potential treatments for Covid-19. It's already distributed billions of dollars to companies in the fight.

Moderna on Sunday said it received $472 million from the U.S. government to aid in its vaccine development, including the Phase 3 trial. In April, the firm received $483 million. Moderna was the first company in the U.S. to enter human trials for its Covid-19 vaccine candidate in March, with 45 participants in the Seattle area.

Some in the pharmaceutical industry have raised concerns about the pressures to develop a coronavirus vaccine. In an interview published earlier this month, Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier said people who are saying there could be ready-to-go vaccine by the end of this year are doing a "grave disservice to the public."

"If you're going to use a vaccine on billions of people, you better know what that vaccine does," Frazier said in an interview with Harvard Business School.

Cramer said he believes Johnson & Johnson has adopted the appropriate public-facing approach to its Covid-19 vaccine development process. J&J, which expects to begin its late-stage trial in September, has said it could produce 600 million to 900 million doses by April if the vaccine works well.

"I do think in terms of disclosure, J&J is getting some very good advice," Cramer said. "I just don't want false hopes."

Disclosure: Cramer's charitable trust owns shares of Johnson & Johnson.
- Kanye West was seen walking into a hospital's emergency room where he stayed for 10 minutes

- The health centre was in Wyoming close to the ranch he has been living in for one week

- Hours after that, an ambulance was seen driving into Kanye's compound

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

American rapper Kanye West has visited a hospital days after going on a social media rampage that targeted his wife Kim Kardashian.

The 45-year-old visited a treatment facility in Wyoming, USA near his ranch and stayed there for approximately 10 minutes before leaving, TMZ reported.

READ ALSO: Akua GMB puts her beautiful curves on display (photos)

Kanye had earlier said his wife tried flying in a doctor to his ranch. Photo: Kanye West

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Kyeiwaa wedding: Couple's 1st dance between Kumawood actress and husband pops up online (video)

It is understood an ambulance was later spotted in the Jesus is King rappers home moments later on Saturday, July 25.

This came a few hours after Kanye publicly apologized to the mother of his kids for embarrassing her on social media and airing their dirty linen for all to see.

Kanye was remorseful over his erratic actions and said he was sad he did not cover Kim like she always covered him.

READ ALSO: Now sing nonsense is the new normal  Shatta Wale

READ ALSO: McBrown speaks for the 1st time about Kyeiwaa's wedding

He admitted he hurt her with his piercing words and asked her to forgive him for his behaviour.

I would like to apologise to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter. I did not cover her like she has covered me. To Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me, he posted on Twitter.

The wealthy owner of Yeezy empire had met with 26-year-old musician Justin Beiber a day before issuing the apology and the two talked at length while chilling at his ranch.

Kanye had previously referred to Kim and her mother as white supremacists who wanted to forcefully have him committed in hospital.

READ ALSO: Tracey Boakye flaunts powerful car as she looks like a model (Photos)

The celebrity also said his wife had tried to abort their first daughter North West.

He accused her of frolicking with rapper Meek Mill and added that he wanted to divorce her after she met with Meek at a hotel.

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MIAMI, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fuel Venture Capital has entered into a co-investing partnership with IDC Ventures to expand its European presence, as the Miami fund, formerly called Rokk3r Fuel, undergoes an overhaul of its brand identity to cement its role as one of the largest and most active venture capital firms in the Southeastern United States. The partnership grows the Fuel Venture Capital portfolio to a total of 23 companies.

Companies added to the Fuel portfolio through the co-investing partnership with IDC Ventures are: Boatsetter, Curve, Bipi, Brandhouse, Tradeshift, Evrythng, Recargapay, Hastee, CookUnity, and Tomorrow. Prior to its partnership with IDC Ventures, Fuel led numerous fundraising rounds, including two of the largest in Florida this year: PredaSAR ($25M) and Bolt Mobility ($7.5M).

Fuel VC, founded in 2017 by former Merrill Lynch executive Jeff Ransdell, made its first foray into the European startup ecosystem in 2019, when it led the most recent fundraising round of Stockholm-based Soundtrack Your Brand, a leading B2B music streaming platform founded in 2013 by CEO Ola Sars as a joint effort with Spotify.

The partnership with IDC Ventures aims to increase the fund's exposure to Europe to ensure access to deal flow in the region's burgeoning tech ecosystem. European startups raised more than $110 billion between 2015 and 2019, compared to just $34 billion between 2010 and 2014, and of all VC deals across the continent in 2019, 40 were "mega rounds" (compared to nine mega rounds five years prior in 2014). Almost 150 startups in the region went public or were acquired between 2015 and 2019  a 49% increase in total exits compared to the period between 2010 and 2014.

IDC Ventures is the Madrid- and Copenhagen-based venture arm of Grupo IDC, a multinational bank that traces its roots as a dominant force in the Latin American economy to 1993. IDC Ventures was founded in 2018, and has made a name for itself for its fundraising prowess and successful investments in startups from all over the globe.

"We've always been a 'boots on the ground' kind of operation, and it's exciting to be taking that approach in Europe one step further alongside IDC, and to be doing it during a pivotal time in the evolution of Fuel Venture Capital," said Ransdell, Fuel Venture Capital Managing Director. "I'm extremely bullish on Europe, having seen firsthand the region's potential through our investment in Soundtrack Your Brand."

"Forging a co-investing partnership with a like-minded U.S. fund has been a major goal of IDC Ventures since our inception, and I can't imagine a better partner than Fuel, whose diverse portfolio, global LP network and leadership principles are among the best in this space," said IDC Ventures Managing Director Bobby Aitkenhead.

"Under Bobby's leadership, IDC Ventures has seized some of the most attractive deals on the market and shown envious aptitude in leveraging opportunities in emerging markets, like Brazil, where an understanding of culture and customs is paramount," Ransdell said. "I look forward to exploring opportunities across Europe, and beyond, alongside him and the entire IDC Ventures leadership team."

About Fuel Venture Capital

Fuel Venture Capital is committed to propelling groundbreaking ideas into world-changing companies and democratizing access to the creative economy to shape the future of society. The firm's "founder focused, investor driven" approach is led by a core team with more than 60 years of combined experience in investment banking, wealth management, executive leadership and entrepreneurship. The fund boasts a portfolio of more than 20 companies based around the globe across numerous sectors, bringing positive impact to virtually all corners of our modern economy. To learn more about Fuel VC, visit fuelventurecapital.com or follow Fuel VC on social media via Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Media Contact:

Debora Lima, Director of Public Relations

[email protected]

SOURCE Fuel Venture Capital
A mountain people in Uganda -- branded as selfish and loveless by an anthropologist half a century ago -- really is not, according to a study led by a Baylor University anthropologist.

The research debunks the assessment of the Ik ethnic group of hunter-gatherers set out in the book "The Mountain People," published by Colin Turnbull in 1972.

Baylor anthropologist Cathryn Townsend, Ph.D., formerly of Rutgers University, lived with and gathered data from the Ik in 2016 to 2018. She found that Turnbull's research, done during a severe famine in the mid-1960s, did not uncover typical behavior of the Ik, and that sharing and cooperating re-emerged once resources were plentiful enough.

"The Ik have been misrepresented by outsiders who gave far too much credence to Turnbull's flawed research," Townsend said. "The Ik people have not yet themselves had much of a chance to talk back to correct this misrepresentation of their culture, but our research shows that associating the Ik with selfishness is a myth and that it is simply wrong.

"Ik culture includes traits that encourage sharing with those in need and a belief in supernatural punishment of selfishness," she said. "The findings confirm the consensus among scholars that humans are remarkably cooperative."

The study, published in the journal Evolutionary Human Sciences, was conducted with co-researchers from Arizona State University, Vrige Universiteit in Amsterdam and Rutgers University.

Turnbull did his fieldwork between 1964 and 1967, going so far as to advocate that the group be rounded up forcibly regardless of age and gender and taken to remote parts of Uganda to stamp out culture traits. His depiction of the Ik attracted attention from such publications as TIME Magazine and The New York Times, inspired a play by Royal Shakespeare Company and was accepted by anthropologist Margaret Mead.

The Ik, who live in villages ranging from 50 to 250 people, believe that the landscape is inhabited by spirits with shadowy human forms. Their religion also incorporates Christianity and the idea of a creator or supreme god. They believe nature spirits bring misfortune to those who fail to share and reward those who are generous.

In the study, Townsend used an instrument commonly used in the human sciences to assess generosity. It includes a theoretical framework in which a person receives money and the opportunity to share some, none or all with an anonymous person in their community.

About 120 Ik individuals were divided into four groups and asked whether they would be willing to share a typical day's wages of 2,000 Ugandan shillings (equal to about 50 cents in the United States).

The scenarios, with varying details about needs and religious beliefs, included:

You will be given 2,000 shillings to decide how to share between yourself and another member of your community. You will not find out who this person is, and they will not find out who you are.

You will be given 2,000 shillings to decide how to share between yourself and another member of your community who is in need. For example, that person may be old and hungry. You will not find out who this person is, and they will not find out who you are.

What do you know of Earth spirits? Do they cause trouble for people who do not share? Do they bring good fortune to those who do? You will be given 2,000 shillings to decide how to share between yourself and another community member. You will not find out who this person is, and they will not find out who you are.

What do you know of Earth spirits? Do they cause trouble for people who do not share? Do they bring good fortune to those who do? You will be given 2,000 shillings to decide how to share between yourself and a community member in need. For example, that person may be old and hungry. You will not find out who this person is, and they will not find out who you are

Results showed participants were most likely to be more generous in the scenario that included both a needy recipient and supernatural punishment, as compared with the first scenario. The responses in Scenarios 2 and 3 also were more generous.

"People behaved, on average, very slightly more generously in Scenario 3 -- which referred to supernatural punishment -- than they did in Scenario 2, but the difference is negligible," Townsend said.

In the study, Townsend also observed the people's day-to-day sharing and asked what sharing meant to them. Sharing is based on need and ties of friendship, kinship or clan, but interviewees also talked about the importance of cultivating sharing. Said one man: "If you keep everything in your granary to yourself, you will still run out of food during the hunger season, and then you will suffer because no one will share with you."

In one case, the Ik even accepted a widow and infant who were refugees from a nearby and often hostile group.

In Townsend's interviews with 60 respondents, more than three fourths said Earth spirits caused trouble for people who do not share; nearly half said the spirits bring good fortune to those who do.

In a second analysis, researchers compared the Ik's sharing with generosity assessments of more than 20,000 participants, mostly in Western countries. They found the people's behavior similar to that of other societies.

"While the selfish behavior observed by Turnbull may have been at least partly real, we can conclude that this was due to a severe famine at the time in which people were starving to death, not culture," Townsend said. "The Ik people have experienced many extreme hardships since the famine that Turnbull witnessed in the 1960s, but the resilience of Ik culture traits of generosity should give us all hope that human cooperation ultimately overcomes adversity."

###

The research was supported by grants from the John Templeton Foundation, Rutgers' Center for Human Evolutionary Studies, Arizona State University's Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics and ASU's Interdisciplinary Cooperation Institute.
As one of the world's top tourist destinations, Spain was hoping to salvage the summer by billing itself as a safe haven from the pandemic but with infections surging, all bets are off. Britain's decision late Saturday to impose quarantine on all travellers coming from Spain represents a huge setback -- British tourists are the largest national group of visitors, with 18 million of them taking a Spanish holiday in 2019. "It's a very tough blow" given that the tourist sector "had hoped to be able to turn things around in August," Ximo Puig, the Valencian regional president told Cadena Ser radio. For some resorts like Benidorm, British tourists constitute 40 percent of visitors. The announcement was terrible news for the embattled sector, which had hoped the summer months would help it claw back some of the colossal losses incurred through months of lockdown. "We'd had a good feeling about the coming weeks with reservations picking up and although we were far from the norm for this time of year, we were hoping things would get back to normal by September or October," the HOSBEC regional hotels association said. "There have already been cancellations and more are expected. Nobody is going to come here for a week's holiday and then spend 14 days shut away when they get back home," said Emilio Gallego, secretary general of Spain's hotels association. The Exceltur tourism association estimates Britain's quarantine move could cost up to 8.7 billion euros in August and September, a major hit to a sector whose turnover had already been expected to halve this year. Conscious of the impact on a sector that accounts for 12 percent of GDP and 13 percent of employment, Madrid has sought to secure an exemption for the Canary Islands or the Balearic Isles. Although TUI, Britain's biggest tour operator, cancelled all holidays to mainland Spain, it has said it will continue holidays to the Canaries or Balearics where COVID-19 cases are markedly lower. "I don't think that we have uncontrolled transmission of the virus in Spain right now," said Fernando Simon, the health ministry's emergencies director, indicating there were areas "where it is hardly circulating" such as the Balearic and Canary Islands. From a health perspective, the quarantine "benefits us in a certain way because it discourages people from travelling from the United Kingdom" where the virus is also still circulating, he said. - 'A safe destination' - Spain worked hard to burnish its image as a safe destination, with resorts implementing widespread measures, among them social distancing on the sand and around pools, and safe spacing within bars and restaurants. But industry insiders have watched with concern as new infections have risen, with the figure tripling in two weeks, government figures show. Over the past 14 days, Spain has seen 40 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with 15 in Britain and France and eight in Germany, according to an AFP calculation based on official figures. In terms of deaths, however, Spain has recorded just 26 in the past fortnight, far behind Britain's 816. Michael Ryan, the World Health Organization's emergencies director, told reporters the situation in Spain was "nowhere close" to what it was before and that Madrid had developed a "very sensitive surveillance system". "It will take a number of days or weeks for us to see what is the future in Spain, but we trust that with this open approach, with this sensitive surveillance, with the sustained testing... we will see these clusters come under control in due course." The situation varies hugely between regions, with Aragon and Catalonia in the northeast counting the highest number of new cases, notably in agricultural areas, while in Andalusia and Valencia, new infections were far fewer. Although France on Friday advised against travelling to Catalonia, regional president Quim Torra insisted Monday that the Costa Brava and the Costa Dorada "remain unaffected and people can travel there safely". The situation in metropolitan Barcelona and Lerida, however, remains "critical", with residents ordered to stay at home. Denouncing the situation as "unjust.. and totally illogical", the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT) insisted its establishments had "the strictest protocols in Europe". It also asked that tourists be tested before travelling and again before going home to avoid the need for quarantine. The quarantine restriction imposed by Britain is a huge blow to Spain, which relies heavily on British tourists TUI, Britain's biggest tour operator has cancelled all holidays to mainland Spain, but not to the Canaries or the Balearic Islands, where COVID-19 cases are markedly lower
Police last night launched a murder investigation after a boy was stabbed to death in south Manchester.

Officers were called to the scene around 7.30pm after receiving reports of a disturbance on the street in the Moss Side area of the city.

A boy aged 17 was sadly pronounced dead at the scene

A 17-year-old boy was murdered and three others were stabbed during a fight in the Moss Side area of Manchester at 7,30pm yesterday

A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder following last night's stabbing in Moss Side, Manchester, pictured

Greater Manchester Police said: 'Enquires have established that three other males were also stabbed during the altercation.

'They have been taken to hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life threatening.'

A boy aged 17 was arrested at the scene. He remains in custody for questioning.

Superintendent Leon Jacobs of GMP's City of Manchester Division said:

'This is a dreadful incident and we are working hard to establish how this boy came to lose his life.

'Our specialist officers are supporting the boy's family and our thoughts are with them as they struggle to come to terms with their loss.

'We also wish those in hospital a speedy recovery.

'While our investigations are in their infancy, we have already made one arrest.'
Police have fined just one person over breaching quarantine rules for people arriving from foreign countries, new figures for England and Wales show.

Data released on Monday by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) comes after new rules were introduced meaning that visitors to Spain must self-isolate for 14 days on returning to the UK.

The data shows the number of fixed-penalty notice (FPNs) that police forces across England and Wales issued for breaches of lockdown rules, including those regarding the travel quarantine, between 27 March and 20 July.

NPCC chair Martin Hewitt said enforcement of the travel regulations, breaches of which can be punished with fines of between 100 and 1,000, was primarily a matter for the UK Border Force and public health officials.

The NPCC figures do not include fines issued by Border Force, which had given out three penalties by 10 July, when quarantine rules for people returning to or visiting the UK from a list of countries were relaxed.

Mr Hewitt said compliance with the rules had been good, but added that it's really difficult to understand how people will respond after Spain was removed from the UK's list of safe destinations over a spike in the number of coronavirus cases.

You would hope that people would come back and be responsible, he said.

I would hope they would be, but we will be in a position to carry out the role that we have in this, which is a secondary role to both the border force and Public Health England, as we are required to do so."

The lone fine for breaching travel quarantine rules was issued by Lincolnshire Police earlier in July.

A total of 18,669 FPNs were issued in England and Wales between 27 March and 20 July, the vast majority of which (14,015) were for breaches of guidelines regarding restriction of movement.

Men, particularly young men, received a disproportionate number of the total fines, with 70 per cent issued to men under 45, who make up 22 per cent of the population.

Additional reporting by Press Association
LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Once called "heaven on earth," the majestic Christian cathedral Hagia Sophia's conversion into a mosque in Istanbul is the most recent act of desecration by Turkey on the historic holy site.

On an unlucky Tuesday in May 1453, the envy of the world was first shamefully defiled when the Ottomans smashed the once invincible walls of Constantinople and massacred the Christian worshippers in the cathedral.

"Unlucky Tuesday" Jim Birakos

In his book, "Unlucky Tuesday," Jim Birakos describes the first assault of Hagia Sophia in 1453, then the world's largest building and an engineering marvel. For a thousand years it stood for peace and divine wisdom and was the center of Christian heritage.

Birakos' book will be the subject of a Zoom program conducted by UCLA and the Niarchos Foundation, along with the Hellenic American Council of California, on Saturday, Aug. 1, at 10 am.

"In these fragile times, one wonders what the world reaction would be if a stately and historic mosque was transformed into a Christian church," Birakos noted.

In his novel, relics are removed from the fallen Constantinople and buried in a cave in Greece's southernmost tip known as Mani, where they are uncovered by a Los Angeles professor. The secret Greek Fire formula, the napalm bomb of the Middle Ages, is included, and is sought by terrorists who plan to attack with it an unsuspecting American city.

To receive the Zoom link, please contact: [email protected].

Professional critics have praised "Unlucky Tuesday" for its depth and storyline. Disclosed in the book is the formula for Greek Fire, Constantinople's most devastating weapon for over seven centuries. It was a highly flammable, sticky liquid made of confidential ingredients and used both in catapulted incendiary bombs and sprayed under pressure to launch flames at enemy ships and fortifications. Water further infuriated the fire.

Dr. Birakos is a published author of books and short stories and this is his premier novel. He is the leading figure on the environment who led Los Angeles' successful battle against smog. The Los Angeles Times called him "the smog czar" of Los Angeles. He has a doctorate in environmental science and has advised some 30 nations and taught at American and European universities.

Published by Amazon, "Unlucky Tuesday" is available on Amazon.com. An electronic version is also available on Kindle.com.

Media Contact

Jim Birakos

310-617-9809

[email protected]

SOURCE Jim Birakos
Listing of Ant Financial Services to benefit all

By:Huang Qingyang, Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-07-24 17:23

On July 20, Ant Financial Services Group, which is the parent firm of Alipay, launched its plan to seek simultaneous listings on the Sci-Tech innovation board (STAR MARKET)of the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the main board of the Hong Kong stock exchange (SEHK).

Since its foundation in October, 2014, Ant Financial Services Group has experienced nine rounds of investment financing. Its pre-listing valuation based on investment is as high as 1.4 trillion yuan, while, post-listing, analysts believe it could reach 1.5 trillion yuan.

Jing Xiandong, chairman of Ant Financial Services Group, said that thanks to a series of innovative measures on the SSE STAR MARKET and SEHK, the company could have better access to the support of capital markets at home and abroad, which has helped pave the way for the companys listing.

As a top financial technology company in money market funds (MMF) and consumption credit, the company will become the first A-share listed Chinese internet giant. The listing will form an all-win market structure. For the company itself, the financial support will greatly promote its industrial development and globaldevelopment.

For the investors,they will have a chance to share the huge profits brought by the largest online payment platform in China.
China, Pakistan Reject Biowarfare Development Collusion

By Ayaz Gul July 26, 2020

Pakistan and China have refuted as "absurd" and "fabricated" media reports that the two close allies are jointly conducting secret research to develop biological weapons in breach of global treaties.

An Australian publication, The Klaxon, alleged in its investigative report last week that Beijing and Islamabad have entered a covert three-year deal "to expand potential bio-warfare capabilities, including running several research projects related to the deadly agent anthrax."

The report quoted multiple intelligence sources as saying that China's Wuhan Institute of Virology had "lent all financial material and scientific support" to set up the secret facility in Pakistan. "The Wuhan lab was providing "extensive training on manipulation of pathogens and bio-informatics" to Pakistani scientists "to help Pakistan develop its own virus collection database," it said.

"It is a politically motivated and fake story, composed of distortion of facts and fabrications that quote anonymous sources," said a Pakistan Foreign Ministry statement issued Sunday.

It insisted that "there is nothing secret" about the facility referred to in the report, saying the laboratory is being used for research and development on emerging health threats, surveillance and diseases outbreak investigation.

The ministry noted that Pakistan has been "strictly" abiding by its international obligations and has been sharing information about the laboratory in question with states parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). The international treaty forbids member nations from developing, producing and stockpiling biological agent or toxin.

"The attempt to cast aspersions about the facility is particularly absurd against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the need for better preparedness in the areas of disease surveillance and control and international collaborations in that regard," the Pakistani statement lamented.

The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan also denounced as "fabricated" the Australian media report.

"It is totally irresponsible, vicious-intentioned to smear China and Sino-Pak relations. As a responsible nation, China always lives up to its obligations to BWC," the diplomatic mission tweeted Sunday.

Pakistan and China have traditionally maintained close political, economic and defense relations. The two neighboring countries have over the past six years further cemented bilateral ties, with Beijing investing billions of dollars in major infrastructure and energy development projects in Pakistan.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk in an interview said he's not all concerned about his Twitter's direct messages (DMs) being released to the public.

This came in response to Twitter's recent announcement about account hackers having accessed Direct messages or private messages from some of the hacked accounts.

In an interview with the NYT Musk said, "I'm not that concerned about my DMs being made public. I mean, we can probably cherry pick some section of my DMs that sound bad out of context but overall my DMs mostly consist of swapping memes."

DMs are private messages that users send to other users in confidence in the form of texts, pictures, links, or videos. This means that hackers have had access to private information from those 36 accounts which they could use at a later point.

Twitter, however, had confirmed that none of the accounts from which the DMs were accessed were verified.

"We believe that for up to 36 of the 130 targeted accounts, the attackers accessed the DM inbox, including 1 elected official in the Netherlands. To date, we have no indication that any other former or current elected official had their DMs accessed," Twitter said.

Elon Musk also recently criticised Twitter by tweeting, "Twitter sucks" from his account. When one Twitter user replied to the tweet saying that Twitter is better than Facebook, Musk said, "Facebook? Haven't heard that name in years. "

Musk, who is known for his unapologetic tweets has deleted his Twitter account in the past and made an appearance on the platform again.

In another recent contentious tweet Musk said, "Pronouns suck." It was not just Twitter users who criticised his tweet but also his partner, Canadian musician Grimes. "I love you but please turn off ur phone or give me a dall [sic]," Grimes wrote in a Tweet that she has now deleted. "I cannot support hate. Please stop this. I know this isn't your heart."

Musk, in the interview, said that he has a secret Instagram account to check what people send to him.

Musk, who has been criticised in the past for downgrading COVID 19, said he may have had it in January. "I think the reality of COVID is that it is dangerous if you're elderly and have pre-existing conditions," he said in the interview. "It absolutely makes sense to have a lockdown if you're vulnerable, but I do not think it makes sense to have a lockdown if you're not vulnerable." Musk further said that he uses masks on the factory floor.
Chemicals used in cotton farming are the most likely cause of trees losing their leaves in parts of central western NSW and may pose a threat to human health, according to a government report that has been blocked from the public since it was circulated internally two years ago.

The report by a technical specialist within the NSW Department of Industry is the first official analysis of a phenomenon that has mystified and troubled graziers around Narromine, Trangie and Warren, as far south as Darlington Point near Hay and as far north as Bourke.

Bruce Maynard, whose grandmother and great aunt planted peppercorn trees on the Narromine Golf Course in the 1920s, believes they are dying from exposure to chemicals sprayed on nearby cotton farms. Credit:Janie Barrett

The peppercorn, which is an exotic evergreen, and certain species of eucalyptus drop their leaves annually at a time that coincides with cotton farmers using aerial spray to defoliate their crop, raising concerns about other potential harms caused by exposure to the chemicals.

But the notion that spray drift might be responsible for denuding the trees is contentious in the state's cotton belt. Narromine mayor Craig Davies, a former spray contractor, says leaf drop is caused by the drought.
Madan Dilawar, a sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker, is holding a sit-in protest inside the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha, as he has allegedly not been given a copy of the decision of assembly Speaker CP Joshi regarding the merger of the six Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislators with the ruling Congress.

A petition, filed by Dilawar, against the merger of the six BSP members of the Rajasthan legislative assembly (MLAs) with the Congress last year will be heard by a Rajasthan high court (HC) bench, headed by Justice Mahendra Kumar Goyal, on Monday.

The petition was filed on Friday against the Speakers decision to allow the merger that had increased the Congresss strength in the assembly.

Also read: Mayawatis BSP springs a surprise, heads to Rajasthan court to reclaim her 6 MLAs from Congress

Earlier in March, Dilawar had questioned the Speakers inaction for disqualification of the six BSP lawmakers under the Tenth schedule of the Constitution, which deals with anti-defection.

The BJP MLA is holding the sit-in protest in the room of Pramil Mathur, secretary, Vidhan Sabha, Rajasthan.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he had no choice but to treat disputes in the South China Sea as diplomatic endeavours because the alternative was to go to war with China.

Duterte was speaking in defence of his government's decision not to press a 2016 decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which went in favour of the Philippines in a case against China.

During his annual address to the nation, Duterte said China was in possession of territory that his country did not have the capability to challenge militarily, adding "we cannot go to war".
Being bigger and more indispensable sounds like a great position to be in. Yet that could also irk competition regulators, clients and governments that, amid a tech cold war, worry that one company may have become too powerful.The way that TSMC brushed off the pending loss of orders from Huawei Technologies Co. to raise its spending plan for the year is what had recently impressed me. Then last week, Intel Corp. revealed that its next, most-advanced chips would again be delayed, sending the American companys stock down 16%. As colleague Tae Kim noted, investors have seen this movie before. Intel has slipped up too many times in recent years, allowing rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. to take market share, and spurring Apple Inc. to drop Intel processors in favor of designing its own.
Nearly 60 workers and leaders were detained by police Monday when they marched towards the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar to protest against the BJP over the political crisis in Rajasthan.

president Amit Chavda and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Paresh Dhanani were among those detained.

The march was part of the Congress's nation-wide call for agitation to protect the Constitution and democracy and to show solidarity with the government in Rajasthan.

Before they were detained, workers and leaders marched towards the Raj Bhavan in the capital holding banners with the message "Save Democracy-Save Constitution," and shouted slogans against the BJP.

"We detained nearly 60 Congress workers and leaders as they did not have the permission to hold the protest," Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police Mayur Chavda said.

Talking to reporters ahead of the march, Congress president Amit Chavda accused the BJP central leadership of "murdering democracy and insulting the public mandate by dismantling democratically elected governments in its hunger for power."



Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra on Monday returned to the Ashok Gehlot-led government a cabinet note seeking an Assembly session and sought additional information.

The Rajasthan Congress government, which is facing a political crisis after a rebellion by the now sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident MLAs, says it wants to hold the session so that it can prove its majority.

Gehlot has alleged that the governor is facing pressure "from above" to stall the Assembly from meeting, hinting at the alleged involvement of the BJP government at the Centre in the tussle for power in the state.

Mishra has denied the charge.
Sushant Singh Rajputs swansong Dil Bechara is a tearjerker for more than one reason. Watching the late actors posthumous release has become an emotional experience for his fans, followers, and colleagues.

And the latest to have broken down watching the film is Sushants ex-girlfriend Kriti Sanon.

Taking to Instagram to share a scene from the film, the actress reveals that she could identify the scenes in which the actor would have given his all. Its not Seri! And it will never sink inThis broke my heart..againIn Manny, i saw YOU come alive in so so many moments.. i knew exactly where you had put in a bit of yourself in the character..And as always, your most magical bits were your silences.. those bits where you said nothing and yet u said so much (sic), wrote the actress.

The actress went on to congratulate Mukesh Chhabbra for his directorial debut. She wrote, Mukesh Chhabra, I know this film will always mean a lot more to you than what we had thought... you made us feel too many emotions in your first!
By Cesar Chelala

July 27, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - In 1999, Justin Kruger and David Dunning wrote a paper, Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing Ones Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments. The paper provided, with unparalleled accuracy, an explanation for Donald Trumps temperament and behavior.

What is known since then as the Dunning-Krueger effect is a cognitive bias in which people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. Because of this bias, they have a sense of superiority which is illusory and unrelated to their real capacity and are unable to recognize their own incompetence and shortcomings.

This cognitive bias was evident in the criminal case of McArthur Wheeler. On April 19, 1995, Wheeler robbed two banks with his face covered with lemon juice. He misunderstood its properties, and believed that because of its chemical properties, the lemon juice would make him invisible to the surveillance cameras in the bank. When the police told him how they had used the surveillance tapes to identify him he mumbled, But I wore the juice

Although an exaggerated estimation of their own importance and knowledge can have a minor consequence for a bad contestant on a show like American Idol, it can have disastrous consequences in the case of the President of the United States. Trumps exaggeration of his own knowledge and on the importance of the coronavirus pandemic has already cost tens of thousands of lives.

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Donald Trumps refusal to take precautions in the face of the pandemic continues to pose a significant danger to the population at large, who see in the Presidents behavior a justification for their own refusal to be mindful of catching and spreading the infection. Because of all weve done, the risk to the American people remains very low, he said, even as now there are almost 4 million infected people and well over 140,000 deaths in the country.

Of course, for a person of his tremendous achievements, a single psychological entity is unable to explain all his actions. Some uncharitable psychiatrists and psychologists have labeled him a narcissist, a sociopath, a paranoid and a pathological liar. According to The Washington Post, as of July 13, 2020, President Trump had made over 20,000 false statements. Because several of his statements are related to the coronavirus pandemic, they only exacerbate an already serious situation.

This capacity to overestimate their accomplishments and to ignore their limitations leads people with the Dunning-Kruger effect to overvalue their actions. Trump continues to insist that the U.S. has the lowest rates of coronavirus infection despite facts to the contrary, which show the U.S. among the countries with the most infected people. This doesnt stop him from saying, And again, weve had tremendous success tremendous success beyond what people would have thought.

On July 2, 2020, Trump said that the pandemic is getting under control as the countrys daily cases doubled to about 50,000 and continues to rise. Minimizing the risk of the infection can be counterproductive, leading people to be careless about taking precautions. On July 4, 2020 Trump asserted that 99% of COVID-19 cases are totally harmless. Dr. Anthony Fauci, his own scientific adviser, says that the evidence shows that the virus can make you seriously ill even if it doesnt kill you.

In the meantime, the U.S. continues to be behind many other developed countries in its handling of the infection. On July 6, 2020, Trump claimed, We now have the lowest fatality rate in the world. However, statistics show that as of July 13, 2020, the rate of deaths per confirmed COVID-19 cases was 41.33 deaths for 100,000 people, which is the worlds ninth-worst mortality rate, according to Johns Hopkins University.

What we now have is a world leader with serious psychological deficits. Although the Dunning-Kruger effect explains some of the Presidents actions, they need a broader interpretation. We are at a moment in history when a person with these characteristics does serious damage not only to peoples health but to the future of democracy in the country.
Governments urgently need to understand public priorities before they roll out track and trace, according to new research.

Governments urgently need to understand public priorities before they roll out track and trace, according to new research.

One of the earliest studies to look at mass acceptance of tracing apps suggests that privacy - the factor generally considered most important by governments in their approach to the new technology - is the top consideration for only a certain group of people. Others would place greater weighting on other considerations, such as how convenient it would be to use. Promoting the wider societal benefits of an app is also proven more effective than focusing on benefits to a user's own health - suggesting governments should focus on citizens' altruistic motives.

The different approaches and perceptions of apps means that the UK as a whole may not engage with the track and trace system being introduced in autumn in the same way, so the government may quickly need to gauge 'what' we all are thinking, before the design is finalised.

Professor Monideepa Tarafdar from Lancaster University Management School is one of the authors of the new study, published in the European Journal of Information Systems. She said: "More than half of the population must install and actively use the app in order for it to be effective. In light of the urgency of the situation, and the fact the government will roll it out voluntarily, getting a true understanding of how to get the masses to accept - and crucially, use - one single app, is the most important consideration for developers.

"Our study reveals that one app simply cannot fit all - so the government needs to understand what the majority of us think about the system in order for it to be successful."

The researchers led an experimental study in Germany with 518 participants* in April 2020, when a track and trace app had been announced by government, but before it was released. They presented different versions of a fictitious app to the individual participants, gauging responses to functionality and design. Results revealed that participants could be divided into three groups - Critics, the Undecided and Advocates** - each with differing propensities to use the app, and each valuing the app features very differently.

Professor Simon Trang from the University of Goettingen said: "For the critics and undecided amongst participants, privacy was a top consideration - but did not sway the advocates of a tracing app. Crucially, we found messaging around the app protecting the user's own health were either ineffective or, in some cases, counterproductive. To achieve mass acceptance, our results suggest that communication strategies should solely focus on societal benefits such as 'download the app and help to keep the population safe.' "

Participants that were undecided were more swayed to download and use the app if it was presented as something convenient to use, whereas this was not a strong consideration for other groups.

###

A video summarising the research findings can be found here: https://youtu.be/4SP6c0m_WLU

The paper, 'One app to trace them all? Examining app specifications for mass acceptance of contact-tracing apps' written by academics from the University of Goettingen, Lancaster University, Hong Kong Baptist University and Alfaisal University, is published in the European Journal of Information Systems.

https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2020.1784046

*Participants in the study were controlled for age, sex, education and efficacy in using technology. 47.5 percent of participants were female and the rest male.

**The study groups the participants and their characteristics as follows:

For the critics, societal-benefit appeals are superior to both self-benefit and self-societal-benefit appeals in driving installation intention. Furthermore, a high privacy design appears paramount for the installation decision, as it yields the second strongest effect. Convenience design elicits a rather negligible effect size.

For the undecided citizens, the effect pattern of societal-benefit appeal is comparable to the one for critics. Compared to self-benefit appeals and self-societal-benefit appeals, societal-benefit appeals increase installation intention. Although privacy design has a strong effect on app acceptance, convenience design elicits the strongest effect in this group

For the advocates of tracing apps, the effects of societal-benefit appeal (compared to self-benefit appeal and self-societal-benefit appeal), privacy design, and convenience design are approaching zero (see green marks). Hence, benefit appeal, privacy design, and convenience design play a subordinate role in the installation decision process for such citizens.

To arrange interviews with Prof Monideepa Tarafdar or for more information, please contact Lara Cowperthwaite: l.cowperthwaite@lancaster.ac.uk

To contact Professor Simon Trang :

University of Gottingen - Faculty of Business and Economics

Assistant Professor for Information Security and Compliance

Platz der Gottinger Sieben 5, 37073 Gottingen, Germany

Tel: +49 (0)551 39 29723 Email: simon.trang@wiwi.uni-goettingen.de http://www.infsec.uni-goettingen.de
Residents of the Vardashen suburb are protesting in front of the Yerevan City Hall, complaining that their building is of the 4th category of emergency.

According to them, it is dangerous to live there, but the authorities do nothing to solve the issue.

Mikael Manrikyan, a member of the Council of Elders of Yerevan from the Prosperous Armenia Party, approached the protesters and said that he is well aware of the issue.

According to him, residents of each such emergency building should be provided with new housing.
Click here to join the case



LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  The Portnoy Law Firm advises investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Guidewire Software, Inc. ("Guidewire Software" or "the Company") (NYSE: GWRE) investors that acquired securities between March 6, 2019 and March 4, 2020.

Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy , to determine eligibility to participate in this action, by phone 310-692-8883 or email , or click here to join the case.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of investors alleges that Guidewire Software through its executives misled investors concerning the demand for Guidewire's cloud products. Importantly the complaint alleges that demand for the Companys cloud products was weak and the Company's transition to the cloud was not going well because Guidewire's cloud-based products needed to be significantly improved to meet customer needs and catch-up with rival systems.

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Once word went around that face masks would become mandatory, a Melbourne husband and wife began threading the needle.

Janet Tesoriero pulled out her sewing machine and using left over material from around the house quickly whipped up seven masks.

Her husband Steve Tesoriero taped the bagged masks to the fence of their Albert Park home last Wednesday, offering them for free to those who needed them before the new rules kicked in within Melbourne and Mitchell Shire a day later.

'Knowing that we live in a neighbourhood with a slightly older population, we wanted to get masks to be accessible for people that couldn't maybe get to the store or afford them as easily as others,' Ms Tesoriero, who is an out-of-work musical theatre performer amid the pandemic, told AAP on Monday.

Janet and Steve Tesoriero (pictured) are sewing face masks from left over material from their Albert Park home

'I am a sewer and we have a lot of fabric in the house, so I thought it was an opportunity to take some of our time and help some people.'

Within minutes strangers snapped up the handmade masks and it was back to the tools for the Tesorieros to cut more fabric.

Then Mr Tesoriero decided to up the ante, building an old-style clothes line on the nature strip and pegging the masks to it along with signage advertising their colourful wares.

In just six days the couple has made about 500 masks - the first ones taking 30 minutes apiece before perfecting their technique and cutting it down to 20 minutes.

They are now producing up to 70 masks a day and the customers keep coming.

The couple hasn't been to bed before 3am since starting their cottage industry and have strangers knocking on their door just five hours later wanting the bespoke face coverings.

The couple are producing 70 face masks per day using donations of fabric and elastic from the Albert Park community

'Well considering musical theatre is probably going to be on the backburner as long as this is going on, we are going to be making them (masks) as long as people need them,' Ms Tesoriero said.

The local community has got on board donating fabric, elastic, bags and even care packages to sustain the crafty couple as they labour into the early hours.

People are even calling up to request different sizes.

As an added bonus the Tesorieros' generosity and community spirit has brought people out of the woodwork.

'We're hearing a lot from the neighbourhood - the neighbourhood just needed something like this right now, something to feel good about it,' Mr Tesoriero said.

'More than the masks themselves, it's just this camaraderie or spirit that we hadn't noticed in the neighbourhood until this happened.'

For those keen to support the project, masks can be ordered online for $10 a piece, with the funds raised going back into the cost of production.

Grab a reusuable mask at https://curiousand.co/masks.
Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said Monday that the prime minister and his wife had used a commercial flight on Saturday to travel to the island of Paros, and then traveled to nearby Antiparos, where Hanks and Wilson have a holiday home. They then used a military helicopter for a trip to the ancient theater of Epidaurus on Sunday to watch a performance of an ancient tragedy.
Kate Langbroek has urged Australians to wear protective masks as the coronavirus pandemic intensifies.

In an interview on Channel Ten's The Project on Monday, the 54-year-old radio host slammed people refusing to wear face masks and said it's important to take precautions.

'I don't understand why you would argue with wearing a mask. If you think it is an incursion into your freedoms, wait until you're in hard lockdown and you can't walk your dog for four months and see if wearing a mask is a big deal,' she said.

'I don't understand why you would argue': Kate Langbroek (pictured) has slammed Australians refusing to wear face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic as she revealed the harsh reality of Italy's lockdown on Monday

She added: 'It seems like a courtesy for people who have to work in shops and deal with strangers, they don't know what precautions we have taken or how healthy we are or where we have been. It about politeness, courtesy and practicality.'

Kate, who is currently based in Italy, with her husband Peter Lewis and their four children, went on to say it's important to wear a mask as it prevents Australia from being forced into lockdown.

'If you think you've had your freedoms denied, the hill that you're choosing to die on refusing to wear a mask is an odd hill because there are so many freedoms we have learned in Italy the hard way that can be denied,' she said.

Kate explained being in lockdown for four months in Italy was extremely difficult for herself and her family but the situation has improved now that she's living in Puglia in the south of the country,

Safety: The radio host slammed people refusing to wear face masks and said it's important to take precautions

'It is more relaxed, as if COVID never happened and I think that is a sense with the summer down here,' she said.

'Most people have abandoned themselves unto the summer and in anticipation of an autumn lockdown coming, they're making the most of it while they can,' she added.

The star and husband Peter Lewis initially relocated to Bologna, Italy with their four children, Lewis, 16, Sunday, 15, Artie, 12, and Jan, nine, in January 2019.

Reality: Kate explained being in lockdown for four months in Italy was extremely difficult for herself and her family but the situation has improved

During self-isolation, Kate and husband Peter suffered several run-ins with the local police in Italy.

She said Peter was 'interrogated' for 40 minutes after being caught on his bicycle as he collected supplies for the family, accused of breaking lockdown rules.

'They basically interrogated him and gave him a piece of paper even though it was in Italian, and he couldn't understand it,' she told Fox FM's Hughesy and Ed.

'It said he's being sued by the police. I laughed and said: "Good, I hope they deport us. It's the only way we can get out of here!'''
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Six Staten Island families that lost a loved one to the coronavirus (COVID-19) each received donations of $500, presented during a ceremony Sunday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St. Benedicta R.C. Church in West Brighton.

Donations were made to each family by Dr. Jessie Saverimittu, chief of quality and an Infectious Disease Specialist at Richmond University Medical Center; Dr. Kardiwal Iswara, director of Gastroenterology at Maimonides; Sadia Malik, a prominent Staten Island businesswoman, and El Centro del Inmigrante. Yousuf Sheikh presented the donation on behalf of his mother, Sadia Malik.

The ceremony was officiated by Fr. Hernan Paredes.

El Centro del Inmigrante, an immigration center on Port Richmond Avenue, offers employment services to day laborers, helping them find work, warm coffee, English-as-a-second-language programs, resume building, and work safety training.

The donations were made to families that are struggling financially after losing a loved one to the coronavirus -- who was usually the breadwinner of the family.

Michelle Molina, director of Health Care Initiatives at El Centro del Inmigrante, opened up the ceremony by explaining that Staten Island has lost more than 1,000 residents to the coronavirus.

As of Friday, coronavirus fatalities include 894 Staten Islanders with confirmed coronavirus cases and 180 fatalities in the probable category -- which means the total number of borough residents believed to have succumbed to the coronavirus is 1,074 as of Friday afternoon.

She explained that families have not only been affected through their finances, through employment, but they lost their family member, they lost their loved one, and in a lot of cases, it happened to be the breadwinner.

Unfortunately, the way they are impacted is very harsh because they have to pick up and continue without that loved one... Molina said.

We are very blessed we have doctors and a businesswoman that have gathered together funds to support and aid to give some type of relief to these families that have been affected...They have been affected in their home where they lost the breadwinner and loved one and they have to continue and they have to move on and this type of support will help them give relief.

She thanked Fr. Hernan Paredes for always opening his doors to support members of the community.

Dr. Kardiwal Iswara said he always feels good to give back to the community.

I always help the needy and I appreciate what the Spanish community has done for New York, said Dr. Iswara. They are so humble, hard-working, they never complain. I just felt like I had to give something back.

El Centro del Inmigrante has helped provide more than $300,000 in grants, funds, and assistance to help families during the coronavirus pandemic. The organization has also provided direct assistance to the community, such as helping people connect and apply for funds they are eligible for, providing free disposable and reusable cloth masks, and partnering with local programs.

Those seeking assistance or to offer support can email Michelle Molina at Michelle@elcentronyc.org.
City council will vote a final time Monday on a plan to allow a technology firm in Kitchener to test its new traffic-sensor cameras at up to 80 intersections in Peterborough.

The cameras from Miovision Technologies are designed to detect the movement of vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians at intersections and have traffic signals respond accordingly.

Theyre being tested in cities such as Toronto, according to a city staff report, and the firm approached Peterborough to be a test city too.

The cameras are being developed so streets can soon support self-driving vehicles, the report states. In the meantime, there are advantages to having the cameras installed now.

At a committee meeting on July 20, councillors gave preliminary approval to the plan; it still needs a final vote Monday.

City infrastructure and planning commissioner Cynthia Fletcher told councillors on July 20 that the cameras effectively reduce travel time (because they cut unnecessary delays, when traffic is light) as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions (because idling is minimized).

Only Coun. Lesley Parnell voted against the plan on July 20. She said citizens have been telling her they are concerned about cameras in public collecting personal data to track individuals.

Fletcher said the cameras would only detect traffic volume and movement, not collect license plate numbers.

Also on Mondays agenda:

Parkhill Road Reconstruction:

Council will vote a final time to pay nearly $204,000 more in unexpected engineering costs on a $26-million reconstruction of Parkhill Road West.

The reconstruction began in 2018 along Parkhill Road West from Wallis Drive to the west city limits  and its due to be done in October.

The work is expected to meet the October deadline, but the citys engineering firm, D.M. Wills of Peterborough, had to work overtime this winter.

Peterborough police:

Council will vote a final time to continue allowing Peterborough police to patrol both Cavan Monaghan Township and the village of Lakefield in Selwyn Township on contract.

City police have been patrolling both these areas on contract since the beginning of 2015, and both contracts are expiring soon.

In Lakefield the city wants to offer a new five-year contract, once the contract expires at the end of 2020. Selwyn Township council is interested, and city councillors have given it preliminary approval but must vote a final time on Monday. Then the police board must discuss it at a meeting on Tuesday.

Cavan Monaghan Township: The city wants to offer a one-year extension of the current contract to take effect when their current contract expires at the end of September.

Township council wants a short-term extension, since they are awaiting a costing from OPP to see whether OPP can make them an offer they may prefer.

The police board has agreed to it, and city councillors have given it preliminary approval but need to vote a final time.

John Howard Society

Council must vote a final time to allow the John Howard Society to convert a large two-storey house on Stewart Street from its administrative offices into a group home.

The house will accommodate seven to 10 men whove been released from jail as they transition back to community life, plus two staff supervisors who would be on-site 24 hours daily.

The plan previously got preliminary approval for a rezoning but needs a final vote.

Fields of Lily Lake

Council will vote a final time on some amendments to the draft plan of subdivision for the Trails of Lily Lake subdivision in the citys west end.

Construction of the new subdivision with more than 1,700 homes is expected to start soon.

The tweaks to the plan, approved in a committee meeting earlier this month, include adding a rear laneway for townhouses to take vehicular street access off the street.

 with files from Reg Watson, Examiner
Thai police opened an internal investigation on Monday after charges were dropped against the billionaire Red Bull heir in a fatal hit-and-run case as outrage boiled over a perceived culture of impunity for the rich.

Vorayuth 'Boss' Yoovidhya, the grandson of the co-founder of energy drink giant Red Bull, was accused of killing a police officer when he crashed his Ferrari in Bangkok in 2012.

One of the heirs to the family's multi-billion-dollar fortune, Vorayuth's case received renewed public scrutiny after news on Friday that all charges against him had been dropped in June.

The public has latched onto 'Boss' as an example of the kingdom's ultra-rich apparently enjoying different standards, and took to social media to vent their anger.

Following a weekend of vitriol on Twitter which led to trending hashtags like #BoycottRedBull and #BossRedBull, the police spokesman announced a change of heart.

'Police General Jakthip Chaijinda has set up an investigation team,' said spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen.

In April 2017, the international playboy was seen leaving a 6.5million home in Knightsbridge, West London, with his parents, before climbing into a vehicle with blacked-out windows. Thailand has now dropped criminal charges against him and his Interpol red notice will be withdrawn

The Ferrari that was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run accident during their investigation at Thong Lor police station in Bangkok pictured on September 3, 2012

The 15-day probe will 'find the facts and show transparency and justice to everyone to see whether the case followed police procedures,' he added.

Police initially defended the decision, saying the attorney-general's office had sent them a letter in June informing them they were dropping the charges.

One of the charges of reckless driving causing death had several more years before the statute of limitations was set to expire in 2027.

But by Sunday afternoon, under pressure, the attorney-general's office announced it would set up a committee to investigate its own decision.

Red Bull's maker TCP Group distanced itself from Vorayuth in a rare public statement on Sunday, saying he has never assumed any role in the company's daily operations.

Government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat also announced that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha was 'uneasy' about the decision to drop the charges, and has ordered all agencies involved to reinvestigate.

She added that the premier 'confirms he has never helped nor interfered in the justice process'.

Yoovidhya avoided the charges against him by claiming to be ill or working overseas whenever a hearing was scheduled. In what appears to be a nightclub, Vorayuth (second from right) was seen with friends in 2014

Yoovidhya is alleged to have driven his Ferarri into the back of a motorcycle killing a police officer. Pictured: The scene of the crash, with the damaged Ferarri and motorcycle in 2012

The investigation comes as Thailand is undergoing a burgeoning pro-democracy movement, with young Thais taking to the streets daily to protest against a government they see stacked with former military generals and royalist establishment.

Prominent senator Wanchai Sornsiri - who is seen as a pro-military establishment stalwart - took to Facebook to comment on Thais' growing anger over issues big and small.

He said Vorayuth's case would 'explode at the same time that student protests are escalating' around the kingdom. 'It is the last straw and the fire has been lit,' he wrote.

Thailand's decision to drop criminal charges against Yoovidhya sparked huge backlash in the country.

Police spokesman Col. Krissana Pattanacharoen talks to reporters during a press conference at police headquarter in Bangkok, July 24, 2020, when it was announced that charges against the Red Bull heir were dropped

Warrants for the arrest, including an Interpol red notice, of Yoovidhya, whose whereabouts are not known, were withdrawn, police said last week.

Porn-anant Klunprasert, brother of the dead police officer, expressed dismay over the decision of prosecutors to drop the charges.

'Many of my friends called to tell me that the state prosecutors have dropped the case,' he said. 'It hurts me a lot. It shows no justice for the poor. Thailand has a very wide gap between the rich and the poor in every aspect, and this case is a clear example.'

Vorayuth's current whereabouts remains unknown after he fled Thailand at the end of April 2017. He was last pictured leaving a 6.5million home in Knightsbridge, West London the same month.

'This case is over,' deputy police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen told a news briefing.

'In June, we received a final order from the attorney general to not prosecute Vorayuth on charges of reckless driving and causing death,' he said.

Police Lt. Col. Thanawuth Sanguansuk confirmed that all charges against Vorayuth Yoovidhya have been dropped, but the charge of causing death by reckless driving would not have expired for 15 years after the date of the crash.

The case attracted widespread attention because of perceptions that it showed the rich and well-connected have impunity in Thailand's judicial system, which in recent years has also been criticized for alleged political bias, as have other state institutions.

Thanawuth said prosecutors who handled the case informed police last month of their decision to withdraw the last remaining charge.

'Yes, they had informed us of their opinion to drop all charges. They are citing the fact the family members (of the police officer) have been compensated' by Vorayuth's family, Thanawuth said.

Vorayuth was allegedly racing down Sukhumvit Road, one of Bangkok's main drags, in his Ferrari on September 3, 2012.

It's believed he was at the wheel of the car that struck policeman Wichien Klanprasert on motorbike patrol on a main road in central Bangkok and dragged him under its wheels for dozens of metres.

Vorayuth, grandson of the late Chaleo Yoovidhya, creator of the Krating Daeng, or Red Bull, energy drink, had faced charges of speeding, hit-and-run and reckless driving causing death. Above, Vorayuth is taken by a plain-clothes police officer for investigation following the hit-and-run on Monday, September 3, 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand

After senior officers arrived, Vorayuth turned himself in, his cap pulled low, his father holding his arm, on September 3, 2012. Charges against the heir to the Red Bull billions have now been inexplicably dropped

Vorayuth's father Chalerm Yoovidhya, the oldest of 11 siblings, is Thailand's fourth-richest man. . Vorayuth is pictured above in March 2012

The car then sped off, leaving the officer to die at the scene. Police followed a trail of oil and brake fluid to the Yoovidhya's luxury family compound on a nearby side road.

Initially investigators said a chauffeur had been behind the wheel of the car, windshield now shattered, bumper dangling.

But after senior officers arrived, Vorayuth turned himself in, his cap pulled low, his father holding his arm.

Later that day, the Yoovidhyas put up $15,000 bail at the police station and went home.

Vorayuth's mother leaves the 6.5million home in Knightsbridge, West London with her son in April 2017

The scion, whose billionaire father is Thailand's fourth-richest man, never showed up for a formal indictment, allowing some of the charges against him to expire.

He avoided the charges against him by claiming to be ill or working overseas whenever a hearing was scheduled.

In total he missed eight summonses to appear in court in connection with the case before authorities issued a warrant for his arrest, five years after the accident.

Yoovidhya fled Thailand at the end of April 2017, just before authorities issued the arrest warrant after he repeatedly failed to meet with prosecutors.

Since the crash, an AP investigation showed he was continuing to enjoy a luxury lifestyle, globe-trotting in private jets, snow-boarding in Japan, going clubbing in London and partying on the Formula 1 grand prix circuit including posing for photos with the Red Bull team's stable of drivers.





In April 2017, the international playboy was seen leaving a 6.5million home in Knightsbridge, West London, accompanied by two female companions before climbing into a vehicle with blacked-out windows.

Later that day he, his parents and a cousin hurriedly left the address with a train of baggage.

An international request for the arrest of Vorayuth was made on August 28, 2017. The Red Notice went out to all 190 Interpol member countries.

Vorayuth (third from left) appeared with a group of all ages in traditional Japanese clothing on a trip to Japan in August 2015

Among other measures, it alerts border officials, in theory making international travel more likely to result in arrest. In May 2017, the authorities in Bangkok cancelled Vorayuth's Thai passport.

The handling of the case has led to bitter criticism of the police and prosecutors, and accusations that the wealthy, well-connected family has in effect been exempted from justice.

Previously, police spokesman Col. Krissana Pattanacharoen said his agency has done everything in its power to charge Vorayuth.

'I am not saying it is a case where the rich guy will get away with it.' Krissana said.

In December 2014, Vorayuth (second from left) was photographed smiling with a group of friends in Thailand

England, and specifically London, is a favourite haunt of Yoovidhya who was pictured at the same address with friends in 2016

'I can't answer that question. But what I can answer is, if you look at the timeline here, what we did, by far there is nothing wrong with the inquiry officers who are carrying out the case.'

Vorayuth's grandfather, Chaleo, was listed as the third richest person in Thailand at the time of his death in 2012, at the age of 88, with an estimated net worth of $5 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

Many Thais saw Vorayuth's treatment as lenient because of his family's wealth, stirring debate about impunity for the rich.

But Kissana dismissed any such suggestion on Friday.

'This is not a double standards,' he said, adding that the case could be reopened if there was new evidence.

'We are saddened by the loss of a fellow police officer,' he said.
ROCHESTER, MI - A Southeast Michigan school district is facing a civil lawsuit after one of its teachers was sentenced for sexually assaulting two students and drugging one of them.

The civil suit alleges that the district and its administrators did nothing to protect a 17-year-old student from his teachers sexual advances and assault, or from subsequent bullying and harassment by other students.

Kathryn Houghtaling was sentenced in March to 51 months in prison on six counts of criminal sexual conduct in the second-degree, which involves sexual contact. She was also charged with one count of delivering a controlled substance. The criminal case involved contact with two students.

The incidents occurred during fall 2018 when Houghtaling was a first-year special education teacher at Rochester High School. She was 26 and the victims were 16 and 17 years old at the time. The then-17-year-old is now suing Rochester Community School District, Houghtaling, district assistant superintendent Carrie Lawler, and high school principal Neil DeLuca.

The complaint was filed Monday, July 27, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan by law firm Marko Law. It includes claims for violations of the Fourteenth Amendment, equal protection rights, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title IX, and the Rehabilitation Act, as well as creating a sexually hostile educational environment, retaliation and discrimination.

The lawsuit alleges that while giving the plaintiff, who suffers from a learning disability and ADD/ADHD, a ride home, Houghtaling pulled over to the side of a road, rubbed his genital area and then performed oral sex on him.

News of the incident spread to students at the school, and they allegedly began bullying and harassing the plaintiff during school. When the incident and subsequent bullying was brought to the attention of the district, administration allegedly continuously failed to take responsibility and did not act to guard the students safety, according to the complaint.

During a meeting between DeLuca, Lawler and the plaintiffs guardians, DeLuca allegedly told the guardians, I am not doing anything. I am looking to the future, according to the complaint.

The student was forced to transfer to a different school months before the end of his senior year due to the bullying by other students, which took the form of text messages, Snapchats and memes edited in a lewd manner to include him and Houghtaling, according to the complaint.

Not only did Rochester Community School District breach its duty when it failed to protect our client from sexual assault, abuse and harassment by its employee, but it also failed to act or protect him from the incessant bullying and humiliation that he experienced daily as a result, Marko said. We have talked to the Rochester Community School District representatives who callously continue to avoid taking any kind of responsibility for what happened to our client.

The plaintiff is seeking punitive damages, and compensation for his injuries - emotional distress, loss of personal freedom and liberty, and pain and suffering - costs and attorneys fees, according to the complaint.

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Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images

From Harper's BAZAAR

It would seem that there is much we previously didn't know about Meghan and Harry's dating history. In the new royal biography, Finding Freedom, Bazaar's Royal Editor at Large, Omid Scobie, and royal correspondent, Carolyn Durand, discuss the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's very first meetings, and how they initially communicated with one another.



After a three-hour meet-up, followed by a "romantic dinner" the next day at Soho Houses Dean Street Townhouse in London in the summer of 2016, both Meghan and Harry were reportedly smitten with one another. And according to Finding Freedom, they quickly followed one another on social media.

According to Scobie and Durand, "although she shared much of her London visit on social media, Meghan knew she had to keep her dates a secret. But the clues were there. Around the time of their first encounter, she began to follow a mysterious-looking Instagram account by the name of @SpikeyMau5." The co-authors continued: "With no face visible in the profile photo, just a mouse-shaped helmet, it would have meant nothing to most people. But it was in fact Harrys private account."

Photo credit: YouTube

Explaining the unusual pseudonym, Scobie and Durand revealed: "A big house music fan, he crafted the pseudonym by using part of the name of one of his favorite DJs, DeadMau5. Spikey came from a Facebook alias that Harry used for an account he had under the name of Spike Wells. 'Spike' was a nickname sometimes used for the prince, particularly by Scotland Yard officers."

"Harrys Facebook account (before he shut it down) had a profile photo of three guys in panama hats taken from the back in an MGM Grand Las Vegas hotel suite," Finding Freedom revealed. "The account said he was from Maun, Botswana. Prior to that photo, Harry used the image of King Julien, the eccentric lemur from the Dreamworks movie Madagascar."

Story continues

Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

And while Meghan kept her dates with the prince under wraps, she used her Instagram account to send a public, yet still secretive, message to Harry. Scobie and Durand explained: "Much bolder was Meghans public Instagram post the same night of their first solo date: a photo of a Love Hearts candy with the inscription 'Kiss Me' and the caption "Lovehearts in #London." As the authors elaborated, "Whether it had meaning to anyone else, Harry got the message."

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Rents are set to soar in three-quarters of Australia's main towns as the COVID-19 pandemic encourages more people to seek a more laid-back life outside an overcrowded city.

Propertytology, a buyers' agent, found 39 out of 52 housing markets had an under supply of rental accommodation in June - even as apartments in downtown Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane remained empty.

Simon Pressley, Propertyology's head of research, said rents were set to soar after the coronavirus pandemic with 75 per cent of markets being under supplied.

'Mark my words, sharp rent price rises are inevitable,' he said.

Propertytology, a buyers' agent, found 39 out of Australia's 52 towns and cities had an under supply of rental housing in June - even as apartments in downtown Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane remained empty

'It's not as if the coronavirus dropped thousands of extra dwellings from the sky on to this land down under.'

Mr Pressley said that outside of inner-city Sydney and Melbourne, Australia had the tightest housing supply in more than a decade, as the coronavirus pandemic encouraged more people to leave overcrowded cities.

'There's something in that - affordability is one thing, congestion is another thing,' Mr Pressley told Daily Mail Australia.

'A segment of society, after a while, they get sick of things and they choose to do something about it.'

A rental vacancy rate of less than three per cent means tenants don't have the power to bargain for a cheaper lease.

A vacancy rate of less than two per cent signifies a tight rental market where median rents are rising while any vacancy of less than one per cent is regarded as ridiculously tight.

Byron Bay, on the New South Wales far north coast, has a rental vacancy rate of just 2.6 per cent but in nearby Ballina, it was even tighter at 1.5 per cent.

The NSW Mid-North Coast is an even more competitive market for tenants with Coffs Harbour having a rental vacancy rate of 0.9 per cent while Port Macquarie, a two-hour drive away, had a one per cent vacancy rate.

Byron Bay (pictured), on the New South Wales far north coast, has a rental vacancy rate of just 2.6 per cent but in nearby Ballina, it was even tighter at 1.5 per cent

Tasmania also had tighter rentals with Burnie in the state's north-west having a vacancy rate of just 0.4 per cent.

Mount Isa, a copper smelting town in north-west Queensland, and the surf and wineries area of Margaret River, south of Perth, both had equally tight rental vacancy rates of 0.4 per cent.

Smaller capital cities also had tight rental vacancies, ranging from 0.9 per cent in Hobart to one per cent in Adelaide, 1.5 per cent in Perth and 1.8 per cent in Darwin.

Five of Australia's eight capitals having a rental vacancy rate of less than two per cent.

The surf and wineries area of the Margaret River, south of Perth, had Australia's lowest vacancy rate of 0.4 per cent - a title it shared with Mount Isa in north-west Queensland and Burnie in north-west Tasmania

Smaller capital cities also had tight rental vacancies, ranging from 0.9 per cent in Hobart (pictured) to one per cent in Adelaide and 1.8 per cent in Darwin. Five of Australia's eight capitals having a rental vacancy rate of less than two per cent

At the other end of the spectrum, only four cities in Australia had an oversupply of rental accommodation with Sydney (3.8 per cent), Melbourne (three per cent), the Gold Coast (four per cent) and Geelong (3.5 per cent) in this category.

Sydney's central business district had Australia's highest rental vacancy rate of 12.7 per cent as national border closures put a stop to international students and COVID-19 shutdowns decimated the hospitality industry.

Central Melbourne (6.7 per cent) and downturn Brisbane (9.2 per cent) also had a high rate of empty rental properties.
NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The state of education in America is currently ambiguous. School districts are left to decide the fate of their students by choosing to send them back to campus, to continue with online learning, or a hybrid solution of the two. As certain school districts take the online learning route, parents, students, and especially teachers are left wondering  is this an effective way to teach children? Right Reason Technologies has been a part of the online learning industry for over 20years, paving the path for the rest of the nation to make the switch to online learning amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. In order to help prepare everyone for online learning this fall, Right Reason Technologies broadcasts live and on-demand Webinars that cover topics on the solutions for effective online and on-demand instruction to the successful use of their RightPath software to how to cope with distance learning in general.

Many school districts across the nation are starting to announce that they are continuing with online learning this fall. This may raise some eyebrows as some think that students and teachers alike are not fully prepared for this. However, Right Reasons Technologies has been sharing Webinars aimed at answering any and all questions about online learning. Plus, anybody interested can attend these Webinars  not just educators.

If a district chooses the online learning software provided by Right Reason Technologies, parents can rest assured knowing that their children will still be getting a high-quality education. Parents can tune into Webinars hosted by Right Reason Technologies to see how their software works and how it can be implemented to make online learning effective for their child.

Teachers who are used to in-person education have been forced to rapidly switch to an online education model with little-to-no formal training. Right Reasons Technologies thinks that teachers should not be expected to train themselves to be better online educators. When school districts use Right Reasons Technologies' RightPath, PlanBookPlus , and other software, teachers get the proper training they deserve. Plus, that training is not limited to just using the software, but how to be an effective online teacher overall, bolstering student growth and performance throughout the school year.

School districts that are partnering with Right Reasons Technologies to use their online learning software this school year can offer more to their community. Teachers and other educational staff are given access to training Webinars that cover everything the software offers. Right Reasons Technologies also offers PlanBookPlus, which is an online lesson planner that helps teachers be more organized while working in an online space. Plus, everybody involved in the school district can have a chance to learn about Right Reasons Technologies in their Webinars.

The software backed by Right Reasons Technologies offers a solution to the challenges that online learning has brought to the education community at large. With RightPath, teachers and students will be more successful when their school decides to continue with online learning. RightPath navigates students' success by incorporating Data Informed Instruction, Instructional Planning, Professional Performance, and Learning Resources and Programs. Right Reasons Technologies has found a way to make online learning the most effective, by putting everything a teacher would need in a traditional classroom online. Some of the tasks supported by the platform are  inputting grades, progress monitoring, creating and distributing assignments and assessments, contacting parents, lesson planning, and more. To learn about all that Right Reasons Technologies has to offer to the world of education, visit www.rightreasontech.com . To see a list of current and upcoming Webinars, visit https://www.rightreasontech.com/webinars .

Contact:

Doc Watson

(631) 909-2273

[email protected]

SOURCE Right Reason Technologies

Related Links

http://www.rightreasontech.com


Zelensky in phone talk with Putin says about the need to free Ukrainian citizens in ORDLO, Crimea, Russia, raises issue of release of Crimean Tatar Suleymanov

In a telephone conversation, Presidents of Ukraine and Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, discussed details of interaction in terms of mine clearance in Donbas, disengagement of forces and equipment and the opening of new checkpoints on the contact line, the activities of the OSCE SMM, as well as ensuring access of the International Committee of the Red Cross to detainees.

"Zelensky raised the issue of the release of Crimean Tatar Ruslan Suleymanov due to the tragic death of his three-year-old son. The President of Ukraine stressed the need for further practical steps in the issue of the release of detained Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea, as well as in the Russian Federation," the presidential press service said on Sunday.
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.

Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.

Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.





to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.





Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.





View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.

Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.

Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.




Current broad-based increase in metals prices provides an opportune time to consider a number of emerging strategic alternatives

Johannesburg, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2020) - Ivanhoe Mines' (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF) Co-Chairmen Robert Friedland and Yufeng "Miles" Sun confirmed today that the company has had, and is continuing to have, strategic discussions regarding its 100%-owned Western Forelands Project that adjoins its Kamoa-Kakula mining licence also in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as its Platreef palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-rhodium-gold project on the Northern Limb of South Africa's Bushveld Complex.

Executive Co-Chairman Robert Friedland said, "2020 has been an extraordinary year in many ways. In our industry, it has seen a remarkable rebound in metals prices. The weighted 'basket' of the prices for palladium, rhodium, gold and nickel, measured in South African Rand terms, is near all-time highs. Copper has hit two-year highs, silver is at seven-year highs, and gold has surpassed its 2011 peak to reach an all-time high above US$1,900 per ounce. Our tier-one projects in Africa will produce all of these metals."

"The unparalleled exploration potential for new high-grade copper discoveries on our wholly-owned, Western Foreland exploration licences that total more than 2,500 square kilometres; the recent progress toward putting our tier-one Platreef palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-rhodium-gold project in South Africa into production; and the unrivalled zinc, copper and silver grades in our Kipushi Project in the DRC, are each generating significant attention."

Mr. Friedland continued, "Not surprisingly in this environment, we have been receiving daily inquiries from companies across the industry and world, from the West as well as China, and from streaming companies and various bank and non-bank lenders, inquiring about investing in these great projects. That level of interest requires that we critically examine these opportunities, which we are now doing."

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A number of mining companies have expressed interest in advancing exploration activities at the wholly-owned Western Forelands copper project. In addition, the company is continuing to have strategic discussions regarding its Kipushi zinc-copper-silver-lead-germanium mine in the DRC. Finally, several expressions of interest have also been received from streaming companies interested in the Platreef palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-rhodium-gold project in South Africa. This is in addition to ongoing talks with a number of bank and non-bank commercial lenders.

Ivanhoe Mines will provide further comment only if a specific transaction or process is concluded, or if further disclosure is required or deemed appropriate. There can be no assurance that the company will pursue any transaction or that a transaction, if pursued, will be completed.

Project Studies Nearing Completion

Ivanhoe Mines also anticipates releasing its updated definitive feasibility study (DFS) for the Platreef Project this quarter, which will include a preliminary economic analysis (PEA) on the phased-development production plan for the Platreef Project. The DFS will take into account refreshed and improved metal prices and foreign exchange assumptions since the 2017 DFS.

Ivanhoe Mines indirectly owns 64% of the Platreef Project through its subsidiary, Ivanplats. The South African beneficiaries of the approved broad-based, black economic empowerment structure have a 26% stake in the Platreef Project. The remaining 10% is owned by a Japanese consortium of ITOCHU Corporation; Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation; and Japan Gas Corporation.

As well, work is progressing on the independent Kakula DFS and an updated Integrated Development Plan for the entire Kamoa-Kakula mining complex at the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project, which is expected to be finalized in August. The Integrated Development Plan will include details on the planned expansion phases for the greater Kamoa-Kakula mining complex, incorporating updates for mineral resources, production rates and economic analysis.

The Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines (39.6%), Zijin Mining Group (39.6%), Crystal River Global Limited (0.8%) and the DRC government (20%).

The Kipushi Project is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines (68%) and the DRC's state-owned mining company, Gecamines (32%).

Technical Reports

Ivanhoe has prepared a current, independent, NI 43-101-compliant technical report for each of the Platreef Project, the Kipushi Project and the Kamoa-Kakula Project, which are available under the company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com:

The Kamoa-Kakula 2020 Resource Update dated March 25, 2020, prepared by OreWin Pty Ltd., Wood plc, DRA Global, SRK Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd and Stantec Consulting International LLC, covering the company's Kamoa-Kakula Project;

The Platreef 2017 Feasibility Study Technical Report dated September 4, 2017, prepared by DRA Global, OreWin Pty. Ltd., Amec Foster Wheeler, Stantec Consulting, Murray & Roberts Cementation, SRK Consulting, Golder Associates, and Digby Wells Environmental, covering the company's Platreef Project; and

The Kipushi 2019 Mineral Resource Update dated March 28, 2019, prepared by OreWin Pty Ltd., MSA Group (Pty) Ltd., SRK Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd and MDM (Technical) Africa Pty Ltd. (a division of Wood PLC), covering the company's Kipushi Project.

These technical reports include relevant information regarding the effective dates and the assumptions, parameters and methods of the mineral resource estimates on the Platreef Project, the Kipushi Project and the Kamoa-Kakula Project, as well as information regarding data verification, exploration procedures and other matters relevant to the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release in respect of the Platreef Project, Kipushi Project and Kamoa-Kakula Project. Additional information regarding the company, including the company's Annual Information Form, is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About Ivanhoe Mines

Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three principal projects in Southern Africa: the development of new mines at the Kamoa-Kakula copper discoveries in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Platreef palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-rhodium-gold discovery in South Africa; and the extensive redevelopment and upgrading of the historic Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine, also in the DRC. Ivanhoe also is exploring for new copper discoveries on its wholly-owned Western Foreland exploration licences in the DRC, near the Kamoa-Kakula Project.

Information contacts

Investors

Bill Trenaman

+1.604.331.9834

Media

Matthew Keevil

+1.604. 558.1034

Website: www.ivanhoemines.com

Cautionary statement on forward-looking information

Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company, its projects, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to statements regarding possible strategic transactions involving its strategic discussions regarding its Kipushi zinc-copper-lead-germanium mine, its 100%-owned Western Foreland licences that adjoin its Kamoa-Kakula mining licence to the north and also in the DRC, and its Platreef palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-rhodium-gold project on the Northern Limb of South Africa's Bushveld Complex.

Forward-looking statements and information involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ

materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or information, including, but not limited to, the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the company's MD&A, as well as the inability to obtain regulatory approvals in a timely manner; the potential for unknown or unexpected events to cause contractual conditions to not be satisfied; unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with the company to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; and the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or operations.

This news release also contains references to estimates of Mineral Resources. The estimation of Mineral Resources is inherently uncertain and involves subjective judgments about many relevant factors. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The accuracy of any such estimates is a function of the quantity and quality of available data, and of the assumptions made and judgments used in engineering and geological interpretation, which may prove to be unreliable and depend, to a certain extent, upon the analysis of drilling results and statistical inferences that may ultimately prove to be inaccurate. Mineral Resource estimates may have to be re-estimated based on, among other things: (i) fluctuations in platinum, palladium, gold, rhodium, copper, nickel or other mineral prices; (ii) results of drilling; (iii) results of metallurgical testing and other studies; (iv) changes to proposed mining operations, including dilution; (v) the evaluation of mine plans subsequent to the date of any estimates; and (vi) the possible failure to receive required permits, approvals and licences.

Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the company believes are reasonable assumptions, the company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release.

The company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the factors set forth in the "Risk Factors" section and elsewhere in the company's MD&A for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 and its current Annual Information Form.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/60550
Half a year after launching the Galaxy Tab S6 5G, Samsung is preparing a new batch of flagship tablets, which will likely be unveiled at the August 5th Unpacked event alongside the Note20 duo. Theres a good reason to share the event as the new Tab S slates will feature enhanced S Pen support with the same upgrades as the Note phones.

There will be two models, the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+, which will use different screens, both of which will be larger than the 10.5 panel on the S6. These will be Samsungs first tablets with a high refresh rate screen, 120 Hz specifically.



Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ in Mystic Black

The Galaxy Tab S7+ will be the larger of the two with a 12.4 AMOLED display of 2,800 x 1,752 px resolution (and an in-display fingerprint reader). The Tab S7 will have an 11 LTPS LCD instead (2,560 x 1,600 px, side-mounted FP reader). The LCD will be slightly brighter than the AMOLED panel, 500 nits vs. 420 nits.

The two will have the same 9 ms latency to S Pen input as the Note20 Ultra. The fast response will allegedly make it feel like youre writing on paper. The decorative strip stretching out from the cameras on the back will be the magnetic attachment point for the stylus.

Both tablets will be powered by the Snapdragon 865+ chipset (the first tablets to use the new chip). It will be paired with high speed LPDDR5X RAM, starting at 6GB, plus 128GB storage. The 5G versions of the tablets will have 256GB storage, likely more RAM too (there will also be a microSD card slot).



Samsung Galaxy Tab S7  in Mystic White  in Mystic Bronze  USB-C and four speakers on the sides

The smaller Tab S7 will have a 7,040 mAh battery, while the S7+ will pack a larger 10,090 mAh power cell. Both will support 45W fast charging via the USB-C port, however, youll have to supply your own as the tablets are expected to come with only a 15W charger in the box.

The S7 will be lighter than the plus model, 495g vs 590g, but the S7+ will be thinner at 5.7 mm (compared to the 6.34 mm thickness of its sibling). Their metal bodies will be painted in Mystic Bronze, Mystic Silver and Mystic Black.

The tablets will have dual cameras on their backs  a wide cam with a 13MP sensor capable of 4K video recording at 30fps and a 5MP ultra wide-angle cam, plus an LED flash. The third and final camera on the tablets will be the 8 MP selfie cam.

The goal is to have the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ compete with the iPad Pro and Surface. To that end, Samsung will release a keyboard add-on with a large track pad for use in DeX mode.

For productivity, the tablets will come with an upgraded Samsung Notes app and deep integration with Microsofts OneNote and Outlook. The two Galaxy Tab S7 tablets will be great for multimedia consumption as they feature four AKG speakers on the side with Dolby Atmos support.

Theres no information about the prices and release dates for the new Tab S7 slates just yet.

Source (in German)
But the speed blindsided many Britons who had traveled to Spain assuming they could return home without restrictions  including the transportation secretary responsible for aviation policy, Grant Shapps, who was on vacation.

Travelers will now have to isolate themselves for 14 days when they return. As a result, many in Britain are rethinking their plans, and some airlines canceled flights to Spain.

The decision had been made after data received on Friday showed a jump in Spanish cases, the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said.

Details: Scotland, which had lifted its quarantine rules for Spain just a few days ago, said it would reimpose them. France on Friday also advised against travel to Catalonia, Spains northeastern region bordering France, where hundreds of thousands of residents were in temporary lockdown this month.

In the last week, Spains daily average has topped 1,700 cases  as many as Britain, France and Italy combined.
Commuters wear face masks to protect against the spread of coronavirus in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (AP Photo)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised five countries it says worked hard to prevent large-scale coronavirus outbreaks.

In a media briefing on Monday, director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus named five nations that followed social distancing advice to effectively stop the spread of COVID-19.

Dr Tedros said almost 16 million cases of coronavirus and 640,000 deaths have been reported.

And he issued a warning that the pandemic continues to accelerate, pointing out that the number of cases has doubled in the past six weeks.

He said the basic measures needed to suppress transmission and save lives have not changed.

Find, isolate, test and care for cases; and trace and quarantine their contacts, he said.

Keep your distance from others, clean your hands, avoid crowded and enclosed areas, and wear a mask where recommended.

Where these measures are followed, cases go down. Where theyre not, cases go up.

He praised five countries who followed this advice carefully and consistently to prevent large-scale outbreaks.

CAMBODIA

According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 225 confirmed cases of coronavirus and zero deaths in Cambodia.

While some health experts have questioned its reported zero death rate, Cambodia has helped keep coronavirus at bay because of a number of factors.

Firstly, many people in Cambodia already wore face masks before the coronavirus pandemic, and the custom of shaking hands is not common.

Watch the video below

Cambodia has also benefited from the early lockdowns introduced by neighbouring Vietnam and Thailand.

Cambodia didnt introduce strict restrictions until the middle of March, closing schools and nightclubs, but its experience with battling diseases such as malaria has boosted its response.

NEW ZEALAND

According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 1,556 confirmed cases and 22 deaths in New Zealand.

Hailed for its response to COVID-19, it closed its borders to non-residents on 19 March.

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Since 10 April, all New Zealand citizens returning from overseas have had to undergo managed isolation for two weeks.

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has won plaudits for her handling of the coronavirus crisis. (AP)

The country went into a nationwide lockdown on 25 March, before easing remaining restrictions  apart from border controls  on 8 June.

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern has been heavily praised for her cool-headed approach to tackling the spread of coronavirus.

While it has seen a number of clusters since its lockdown was eased, New Zealand is acclaimed as one of the worlds coronavirus success stories.

RWANDA

According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 1,821 confirmed cases and five deaths in Rwanda.

The country has been widely praised for its approach  people can be tested randomly while walking down the street, and anyone who tests positive is immediately put into quarantine at a COVID-19 clinic.

A worshipper washes hands with hand sanitiser at a church in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda. (Getty Images)

The country has used pool testing to examine nasal swabs from 20 to 25 people in one go, testing many more samples at once. If there is a positive result, all the swabs in that pool are tested individually to identify the infected person.

Rwandas lockdown was announced on 21 March and workers were sent home and borders closed.

Its police force delivered messages by drone to people on how to tackle the spread of coronavirus.

THAILAND

According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 3,295 confirmed cases and 58 deaths in Thailand.

It had its first reported case of COVID-19 on 13 January, making it the first country outside China to confirm the spread of coronavirus.

Thailand declared a state of emergency from 26 March and a curfew was introduced on 3 April.

People line up for a coronavirus test in Rayong province, Thailand. (AP Photo)

All international flights were suspended from 4 April.

The rate of new cases fell throughout April and reached almost zero in mid-May, allowing restrictions to be eased, although it has since tightened its borders over fears of a second wave.

Thailand plans to begin human trials in November for a potential COVID-19 vaccine that could be available by the end of next year.

VIETNAM

According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 420 cases and zero deaths in Vietnam.

It has been widely praised for its coronavirus response  it began closing schools in late January and introduced a widespread and sustained testing programme. It suspended all foreigners from entering its borders from 22 March.

Workers wearing protective masks in Hai Duong province, Vietnam. (Reuters)

Scottish pilot Stephen Cameron spent more than two months on a ventilator in a Vietnamese hospital, and was known as the countrys sickest coronavirus patient. He is now being treated in University Hospital Wishaw near Glasgow.

Vietnam had gone 99 days in a row without a new local infection until a 57-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.

On Monday, Vietnam announced it was evacuating 80,000 people from the city of Da Nang after 11 residents tested positive for coronavirus.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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While Berlin wont be pleading poverty any time soon, it still has to pay for one of worlds biggest fiscal responses to the coronavirus crisis  estimated at 1.5 trillion euros so far. Yet Germany is the country thats probably furthest behind in its debt issuance for the year, according to NatWest Markets strategist Giles Gale, who sees 10-year bund yields climbing into positive territory in 2020. The higher borrowing costs implied by that would have an impact.
Ariston, the leading and the most international brand in the Ariston Thermo Group, has premiered its global campaign The Ariston Comfort Challenge in Nigeria, which highlight its global mission of bringing sustainable comfort, even where it seems impossible to find.

The Ariston Comfort Challenge focuses on ensuring thermal comfort could reach anywhere in the world. Through this mission, Ariston has donated a warm shelter to a group of scientists from the University of Copenhagen involved in climate change studies in the remote and icy Island of Disko, in Greenland (Arctic).

The Ariston Comfort Zone, an innovative modular home, was shipped to and assembledfor the first time in Disko Island, Greenland.

Disko Island is one of the coldest regions in the world and before this time, it proved near impossible for the scientists to stay on the island for more than a few days due to the harsh weather conditions. This unfriendly weather becomes even more hostile during the winter months and interrupts research work.

Thanks to this mission, Ariston brand has also had the chance to give evidence to its product quality, which are able to work even in Extreme Conditions.

Speaking during a virtual media parley held in Lagos recently, Mr. Gaurav Bisaria, the Director, Central Africa, Ariston Thermo Group, explained that a safe and sheltered house, heated and provided with hot water for the maximum comfort even during Polar winters would have not been possible without our commitment to quality.

Bisaria noted that the success of the Ariston Comfort Challenge Greenland Mission is another proof of the companys core value of superior quality of Ariston products, which could be seen in the efficiency of the output of the product even in the extremely weather condition.

We are really glad about launching this amazing campaign on the 90th anniversary of Ariston Thermo. The Group is a is a global leader in thermal comfort solutions for domestic, commercial and industrial spaces and The Ariston Comfort Challenge  Greenland Mission is a campaign that makes us very proud as it testifies to commitment to product quality in the quest of bringing comfort to everyone, even where it seems hard or impossible to find. Our new breed of water heaters introduced into the Nigerian market will help us embrace a completely new and different way to bring our purpose and mission to you he said.

Bisaria explained that in order for the team of scientists to carry through their mission of collecting and examining samples in Disko Island, they needed an innovative infrastructure to act as a stable base against the icy island.

Ariston rose to the challenge and selected three of the best installers from all over the world, who accepted to dive together into the unknown to deliver and assemble a warm and innovative modular home specifically developed as an energy-efficient, sustainable solution able to endure the most extreme climate conditions.

He stressed further that through the Challenge, Ariston sought to demonstrate how through its dedication to product quality Ariston Products continue to meet the demanding expectation set them to even in the harshest conditions.

The Ariston Comfort Challenge  Greenland Mission has been entirely filmed from the beginning to end in the form of a web-series through challenges official website or available for viewing on YouTube.

The six-part documentary narrates the story of the three hero installers and their demanding trip to complete the challenge. It not only shows their adventures in reaching the destination but also the people and cultures that live in the stunning icy landscapes of Greenland.

#

About Ariston Thermo Group

Ariston is the leading and most international brand in the Ariston Thermo Group. Born in Fabriano, Italy, in 1930, Ariston is now the global expert of the heating and water heating sectors.

Ariston brings comfort to the homes of millions of families in the world every day, providing excellent quality products, characterized by advanced performance, everlasting quality and iconic Italian style. Thanks to these features, Ariston takes up the challenge to bring comfort to everyone, even where it seems hard or impossible to find it.
The tragically incompetent mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, appeared on CNNs State of the Union this weekend to deflect attention from the horror show unfolding in her city by blaming interlopers for its spiking murder rate: We are being inundated with guns from states that have virtually no gun control, no background checks, no ban on assault weapons  that is hurting cities like Chicago.

Although these accusations have leveled by Chicago politicians for decades now, they are a myth.

For one thing, there is no state in the nation with virtually no gun control or no background checks. Every time anyone in the United States purchases a gun from a federal firearms licensee (FFL)  a gun store, a gun show, it doesnt matter  the seller runs a background check on the buyer through the NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) database. In some cases, the FFL checks to see if the buyer has passed a background check via a state-issued concealed-carry permit. In states that allow individual private sales, it is illegal to knowingly sell to anyone who you believe is obtaining a firearm for criminal purposes.

Those who cross state lines to buy guns undergo the same background check, and the sale is processed by an FFL in the buyers home state. The exact same laws apply to all online sales.

The vast majority of Americans obtain their guns in this manner, and they rarely commit crimes. Around 7 percent of criminals in prison bought weapons using their real names. Fewer than 1 percent obtained them at gun shows. As the Heritage Foundations Amy Swearer points out, there have been around 18 million concealed-carry permit holders over the past 15 years, and they have committed 801 firearm-related homicides over that span, or somewhere around 0.7 percent of all firearm-related murders. Concealed-carry holders not only are more law-abiding than the general population as a group; they are more law-abiding than law enforcement.

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Studies of those imprisoned on firearms charges show that most often they obtain their weapons by stealing them or buying them in black markets. A smaller percentage get them from family members or friends.

On top of all this, federal law requires every FFL license holder to report the purchase of two or more handguns by the same person with a week to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This is one of the reasons straw purchasers  people with a clean record who buy for criminals  spread their operations to other states. This is not unique to Illinois or Chicago. It has nothing to do with strict or lenient laws. It has mostly to do with cities and states failing to prosecute straw purchases.

Lightfoot claims that 60 percent of the guns used in Chicago murders are bought from out of state. I assume she is relying on 2017s suspect gun trace report, which looked at guns confiscated in criminal acts from 2013 and 2016. Even if we trusted the citys data, most guns used in Illinois crimes are bought in-state. If gun laws in Illinois  which earns a grade of A- from the pro-gun-control Gifford Law Center, tied for second highest in the country after New Jersey  are more effective than gun laws in Missouri, Wisconsin, or Indiana, why is it that FFL dealers in suburban Cook County are the origin point for a third of the crime guns recovered in Chicago, and home to seven of the top ten source dealers? According to the trace study, 11.2 percent of all crime guns recovered in Chicago could be tracked to just two gun shops.

The only reason, it seems, criminals take the drive to Indiana is because local gun shops are tapped out. There is a tremendous demand for weapons in Chicago. Thats not Mississippis fault. And Lightfoots contention only proves that criminals in her city can get their hands on guns rather easily, while most law-abiding citizens have no way to defend themselves.

Lightfoot may also be surprised to learn that California borders on states with liberal gun laws, such as Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon. Yet no big city in California has quite the murder and criminality of Chicago. New York borders on states with liberal gun laws, such as Vermont, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. Yet NYCs murder rate is only fraction of Chicagos. Texas gets an F from Gifford Law Center, yet Houston and Dallas have murder rates that are half of that in Chicago. The rates in Austin and El Paso are tiny when compared to Chicago.

Then, of course, the assault-weapons bans that Lightfoot brings up have absolutely no bearing on Chicagos murder rate, even if such prohibitions actually worked. There were 864 murders in the state of Illinois in 2018 (the last year for which the FBI has full stats). Of homicides where the type of weapon is reported by law enforcement, 592 were perpetrated using handguns, 14 with rifles, and four with shotguns. Over 100 murders were committed using knives, other cutting instruments, hands, feet, and other types of weapons. And of the 14 rifles used, its almost surely the case that not all of them were assault weapons. Among the illegal guns recovered by Chicago law enforcement in 2018, 12,220 were handguns of some kind and 1,769 were rifles and shotguns.

In the states in Illinoiss neighborhood with no bans on assault weapons, the number of murders committed with a rifle is correspondingly small  ten in Indiana, eight in Tennessee, six in Kentucky, four in Wisconsin, and three in Mississippi.

Its also worth pointing out that gun homicides dropped sharply in most cities after the national assault weapons expired in 2004, even though the AR-15 would correspondingly become one of the most popular weapons in the country. The AR-15 is an excellent home-defense weapon, but long guns arent conducive to criminality, despite what we see in movies. Tragically, AR-15s are often favored by psychotic mass shooters, but rarely by the murderers who plague Lightfoots city.

It keeps getting worse. Nearly 400 people have already been murdered in Chicago this year, around 100 more than in the entire year of 2019. On the night of May 29, 25 people were murdered and another 85 wounded by gunfire, more than any day in 60 years. And yet the mayor is appearing on TV to blame Mississippi and Texas. It is far more likely that black-market guns find their way to Chicago because the place has been a poorly run criminal mecca for decades.

More from National Review
Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  Becoming a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has brought about great benefits to Vietnam in various fields, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung.

Dung, who is head of Vietnams SOM ASEAN, granted an interview to the media on the occasion of the 25-year ASEAN membership of Vietnam and important benefits that Vietnam has enjoyed from the ASEAN Community.

First of all, the ASEAN membership makes it possible for Vietnam to boost fast and sustainable growth thanks to a peaceful and stable environment for development, while helping Vietnam expand partnerships with more countries and territories in the word, widening the market and attracting more resources, he said.

Secondly, Vietnam has been supported to enhance its capacity to better integrate into the bloc and the world, as well as boost its reform and institution perfection towards the regional and international standards.

Thirdly, becoming an ASEAN member has increased the position and role that Vietnam plays in the international arena, while helping the country become more confident to join international playgrounds, he said.

Vietnam has become an active member of not only ASEAN but also the international community, he said, adding that from mere participation, Vietnam has been strong and confident enough to engage in international integration, making practical contributions to common work of the globe.

The Deputy FM said that the past 25 years witnessed great changes of ASEAN and Vietnam. The association has become a successful, dynamic and creative organisation and the fifth largest economy of the world.

Meanwhile, Vietnam, from a backward and subsidy economy has turned into a middle-income country with dynamic market economy and active regional and international integration.

Vietnam has been an active and responsible member of ASEAN with close coordination with other members to deal with emerging challenges as well as strategic issues related to peace, development and prosperity of the grouping, thus enhancing the position of both the association and Vietnam in the region and the world.

Regarding major contributions that Vietnam has made to the bloc, Dung said that Vietnam, ranking third in population and fourth in area in the Southeast Asian region, has helped ASEAN become stronger in resources, scale and organisation, contributing to putting an end to skeptics and conflicts, and opening a new development era of peace, stability, cooperation and development.

Moreover, Vietnam has actively engaged in and contributed to the building of growth orientation and major decisions of the ASEAN, including the ASEAN Charter, the ASEAN Community 2025 Vision and Master Plans, as well as the ASEAN Master Plan on Connectivity, and Initiative of ASEAN Integration, stated the Deputy FM.

He held that Vietnam has also made active and responsible engagement in the implementation of joint decisions of ASEAN.

Vietnam has fully and intensively rolled out cooperation activities in politics-security, culture-society and economy, while chairing many events.

Vietnam is among countries with a high ratio of realising economic connection programmes and measures, noted the diplomat.

He said that after only three years of joining the association, Vietnam successfully organized the sixth ASEAN Summit in Hanoi in 1998 and showed good performance as ASEAN Chair in 2010.

Besides, the country has also contributed to shaping, reinforcing and developing ASEAN-formed and -led institutions, including the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus. Vietnam also campaigned to become a representative of ASEAN at the G-20 Summits in the Republic of Korea and Canada.

Deputy FM Dung asserted that factors that lead to ASEANs success include consensus among members without interfering in each others internal affairs, along with mutual respect, and firm steps suitable to the capacity, ensuring the equality in both interest and obligation, and making sure that all members feel their voice in the decision-making process with no one left behind.

He highlighted the geo-strategic location of ASEAN at the centre of a massive region connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, which gives the grouping an important position in international relations in close connection with interests of many world powers.

With a population of over 650 million, ASEAN is a potential market and a bright spot in the world economic picture, he said, adding that in 2050, the association is forecast to become the fourth largest economy in the world.

The third factor for the associations success is its aspirations and efforts to build a neutral and peaceful region where all countries with different political systems, development levels, cultures and religions can cooperate with each other, ensuring security, stability and maintenance of economic growth, said Dung.

He also underscored the significance of the groupings success in building mechanisms and playgrounds that draw active engagement of countries, especially major ones, thus forming and sharing the regional architecture. More and more outside partners have shown their hope to establish partnership with ASEAN and join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), he added.

Mentioning the orientations for ASEAN development until 2025 and beyond, Deputy FM Dung said that amidst rapid, complex and unpredicted changes of the region and the world, ASEAN must be succeed in building a cohesive, self-resilient and strong community.

To this end, the grouping should enhance intra-bloc connections through common interests, renovation and reinforcement of current cooperation foundations and institutions.

ASEAN should reinforce and promote its central role in the region. An association with solidarity and unity is a key factor helping it maintain the role as well as balance its relationship with partners, said Dung.

He stressed that ASEANs development orientations are suitable to Vietnams policy. ASEAN is always among top priorities in Vietnams external policy, he stated, adding that Vietnam will enjoy benefits from the grouping and continue to give initiatives and orientations to contribute to the community building at the same time.

A strong and self-resilient ASEAN Community will be a firm back for Vietnam to overcome difficulties in the future, he concluded.
It is unclear when he was last in physical contact with Mr. Trump, although he joined the president on a July 10 trip to Florida.

Speaking to reporters before departing the White House on Monday afternoon, Mr. Trump said he had heard about Mr. OBrien but did not know when he had tested positive. I havent seen him lately, the president added.

Mr. OBrien also traveled to Paris in mid-July, where he met with several European security officials, visited an American war cemetery and attended a Bastille Day celebration. It was unclear whether he had become infected before or after that trip. The White House statement did not provide further details.

A photograph of Mr. OBrien in Paris with his counterparts from Britain, France, Germany and Italy shows the men standing nearly shoulder to shoulder without masks, and Mr. OBrien and others are not wearing masks in images of his ceremonial stops released by the White House.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Larry Kudlow, Mr. Trumps top economic adviser, said that Mr. OBrien believed he had contracted the virus from his daughter. Apparently its a light case, Mr. Kudlow said.
Protests took a violent turn in several US cities overnight, with demonstrators squaring off against agents outside a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, forcing police in Seattle to retreat into a station house and setting fire to vehicles during unrest in California and Virginia. A protester in Austin, Texas, who was apparently armed with a rifle was shot and killed after witnesses say he approached a car that had driven through a march against police violence.

And someone was shot and wounded in Aurora, Colorado, after a car drove through a protest there, authorities said. The unrest Saturday and early Sunday stemmed from the weeks of protests over racial injustice and the police treatment of people of color that flared up after the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd, who was Black and handcuffed, died after a white police officer used his knee to pin down Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes while Floyd begged for air.

In Seattle, police officers retreated into a precinct station early Sunday, hours after large demonstrations in the city's Capitol Hill neighbourhood. Some demonstrators lingered after officers filed into the department's East Precinct around 1 am, but most cleared out a short time later, according to video posted online.

At a late-night news conference, Seattle police Chief Carmen Best called for peace. Rocks, bottles, fireworks and mortars were fired at police during the weekend unrest, and police said they arrested at least 45 people for assaults on officers, obstruction and failure to disperse. Twenty-one officers were hurt, with most of their injuries considered minor, police said.

In Portland, thousands of people gathered Saturday evening for another night of protests over George Floyd's killing and the presence of federal agents recently sent to the city by President Donald Trump. Protesters breached a fence surrounding the city's federal courthouse building where the agents have been stationed.

Police declared the situation to be a riot and at around 1:20 am, they began ordering people to leave the area surrounding the courthouse or risk arrest, saying on Twitter that the violence had created a grave risk to the public. About 20 minutes later, federal officers and local police could be seen attempting to clear the area and deploying tear gas, however protesters remained past 2:30 am, forming lines across intersections and holding makeshift shields as police patrolled and closed blocks abutting the area. Multiple arrests were made, but it wasn't immediately clear how many.

In the Texas capital of Austin, a protester was shot and killed Saturday night after witnesses say he approached a car that had driven through a march against police violence. In video streamed live on Facebook, a car can be heard honking before several shots ring out and protesters start screaming and scattering for cover. Police could then be seen tending to someone lying in the street.

Michael Capochiano, who attended the protest, told the Austin American-Statesman that the slain protester had a rifle and that the car's driver fired several shots at him before speeding away. Police said the driver was detained and was cooperating with investigators. In Oakland, California, protesters set fire to a courthouse, damaged a police station, broke windows, spray-painted graffiti, shot fireworks and pointed lasers at officers after a peaceful demonstration Saturday evening turned to unrest, police said.

In Virginia's capital, Richmond, a dump truck was torched as several hundred protesters and police faced off late Saturday during a demonstration of support for the protesters in Portland. Police declared it to be an unlawful assembly at around 11 pm used what appeared to be tear gas to disperse the group.

In the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado, meanwhile, a protester shot and wounded someone after a car drove through a crowd marching on an interstate highway, police said. The wounded person was taken to a hospital in stable condition. Police didn't release many details about the shooting, inlcuding whether the person who was shot had been in the car.

Police said on Twitter that demonstrators also caused major damage, to a courthouse.(AP) RUP

.
Spring Branch ISD / Spring Branch ISD

The Spring Branch ISD school board is rethinking its calendar after Harris County and the City of Houston issued an order delaying reopening schools for in-person classes until at least Sept. 8.

The district had scheduled a special meeting for the afternoon of Friday, July 24, to vote on revising the district calendar, including the possibility of delaying the start of school until Sept. 8. That meeting was canceled after the county announced the executive order.
Dalio Education will work with towns and cities across the state to bring high-speed internet to people who dont have it, a crisis all the worse in the COVID pandemic because it prevents many students from participating on online learning.

The charity, part of Dalio Philanthropies, announced its latest effort jointly with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. Both groups said they will issue a plan at the end of August with specifics about money and the scope of the problem, with solutions.

The groups also said Dalio Education would announce projects with individual cities, though they did not name those cities.

The announcement comes almost exactly two months after Ray and Barbara Dalio pulled out of a $200 million, 5-year partnership with the state to address education gaps and target disengaged high school students.

That project, the Partnership for Connecticut, was disbanded in early June amid bickering over open government issues, with the Dalios blaming politics for their decision to end it. They pledged at the time to continue their financial commitment to state education initiatives, but would do so on their own.

As with the Partnershp for Connecticut, the internet initiative includes hopes to bring in other people and groups, and to raise awareness about the digital divide, as the division between connected and unconnected communities is known.

Its very exciting and its really the only way to really solve this problem, which is a big complex problem, but it is solvable, Barbara Dalio said Monday on an online announcement with CCM.

Dalio has worked closely with teachers and administrators in some Connecticut school systems for a dozen years. The Dalios  Barbara and her husband, Ray, founder of Bridgewater Associates in Westport, the worlds largest hedge fund  have given millions of dollars through Dalio Education.

The Dalios, the states wealthiest household estimated at $18 billion by Forbes, maintained their commitment to provide 60,000 laptops to high school students in poor performing high schools throughout the state. That effort was originally taken on by the now-defunct Partnership for Connecticut.

When COVID started, the problem of connectivity had existed for the past 20 years but it never came into the picture in such a strong way as when the teachers had to start teaching online, Barbara Dalio said. There are thousands of students that dont have the connectivity nor have the devices.

Dalio Education did not make a specific financial commitment to the effort, but will provide matching funds to communities for specific initiatives.

How can you talk about equity if all of the students are not able to join? So we thought we really have to do something, Dalio said. We were able to purchase the 60,000 computers, but the computers is not enough. The connectivity has to come too.

Andrew Ferguson, chief education officer for the Dalio Philanthropies, said the final tranche of laptops will be delivered by the end of this week.

Joe DeLong, executive director and president of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said he would not characterize the relationship between CCM and the Dalio Foundation as a partnership because it will in be a newly formed legal entity. Instead, he said it is a joint effort between the groups with a shared mission, and the goal to bring as many people into the effort as possible.

What this is about is people who share a common goal ... the belief that closing the digital divide is important in many ways to providing education and creating economic opportunity, DeLong said.

Speaking indirectly about the state partnership, he said, There are a lot of initiatives that find bumps along the way ... Our concern is finding creative collaborative ways with not just us, but other groups and other people who want to come into this movement. Things that happened in the past that maybe didnt accomplish what they hoped to accomplish. That happens all the time.

He added, of the Dalios, Their heart is into this, its not just their wallet. Barbaras passion about caring for these kids and doing things in the right way. We really believe that were going to find a way to make a difference in this issue.

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 26 (ANI): India's first-ever cargo container train for export to Bangladesh arrived at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in West Bengal's Petrapole from Kolkata's Majerhat Railway Station on Sunday, S S Guleria, the Deputy Inspector General, Border Security Force (BSF) of the South Bengal Frontier said in a statement.



According to the statement, the train is the first of its kind to export to Bangladesh passing through a Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) container freight station, Majerhat, Kolkata, and Petrapole in India to Benapole in Bangladesh. The train, with the engine number 16557R A/W, had 50 containers and halted for about 25 minutes on the zero line for train immigration formalities.

"The train is equipped with an electronic cargo tracking system (ECTS) and the containers are electronically sealed and tracked by the Transecur company. MGH Group Private Limited is involved in a contract with Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) to run this train," the statement said.

The statement further added, "Earlier, the wagons of the Good Trains could be tampered with for human trafficking as well as smuggling of contraband to Bangladesh through ICPs between India-Bangladesh by smugglers. The running of this container train will put a check on the smuggling activities at the border in the coming time. The electronic seal makes it impossible for smugglers to put illegal baggage in

it. This will make it a lot more convenient and efficient for the BSF to checking the train on the zero line."(ANI)


"Under New York law, it is a crime to possess a firearm," held the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in U.S. v. Sanchez-Villar (2004). This ruling was based on the state's ban on the possession of an unlicensed handgun. This Court also said that police officers who see a gun are "justified in seizing it because of its 'immediately apparent' incriminating character." This prohibition did not offend the Second Amendment, said this ruling, because "the right to possess a gun is clearly not a fundamental right."

Later rulings by the U.S. Supreme CourtD.C. v. Heller (2008) and McDonald v. Chicago (2010)begged to differ. These rulings held that the right to possess a gun is indeed a constitutionaland therefore fundamentalright. But the Second Circuit must not have gotten the memo, because in 2018 it upheld New York City's ban on taking a licensed handgun out of one's house to go to a range or second home outside the City.

A police official claimed doing that would endanger public safety. How? They claimed that a person who the police extensively vetted for the license might, alas, get road rage and somehow get access to their unloaded, locked and inaccessible handgun while traveling. That flimsy, insulting allegation somehow overrode the Second Amendment.

But, when the U.S. Supreme Court said it would review that decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association (NYSRPA) v. City of New York, the City, fearing an embarrassing loss, quickly tweaked the law and told the Court the case was moot. .....
COLUMBIA, Md., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Incorporating satellite observations in disease models has become a valuable component in informing public health policy and decisions. Twenty years ago, predicting a disease outbreak seemed like science fiction. But today, researchers can track when and where certain diseases will emerge and spreadfrom weeks to months beforehandwith the help of Earth observing satellites.

"Scientists can determine where disease-favoring conditions in the environment exist, and that can be done only by a global surveillance system that satellites provide," said Assaf Anyamba, a Universities Space Research Association scientist working in the GESTAR program at NASA GSFC, and the lead scientist on the Rift Valley fever Monitoring project.

Anyamba's team is one of several research groups worldwide that is developing predictive outbreak models for some of the world's most common but not well understood diseasesmany of which do not have a vaccine. Rift Valley fever, cholera, chikungunya, and dengue, are generally found in tropical regions around the world with poor water quality and sanitation, and in places with limited access to health care services.

With the access to advanced satellite observations, researchers who study these diseases have acquired better tools to observe the temperature, precipitation, and vegetation conditions (i.e. habitats and environmental conditions) that are linked with these vector-borne diseases. They have incorporated these data into models that assess the likelihood of disease outbreaks as a function of these conditions. By anticipating when and where these conditions might become favorable, researchers can help local governments and international health organizations focus their resources to mitigate and/or manage the outbreaks.

"Disease risk models involve a mixture of understanding of the biology of the organism that spreads the disease and changes in environmental and habitat conditions, plus the numerical tools to be able to put it all together," said Anyamba, who works with disease experts, biologists, and health officials across organizations and government agencies.

NASA satellites provide some of the inputs required by models: data on weather and climate, land-surface vegetation conditions, temperature and precipitation especially for geographical regions that lack such measurements on the ground, to monitor and model the conditions that precede an outbreak. But how do researchers know which environmental conditions play a significant part? To answer that question, researchers study past outbreaks and evaluate their models based on such historical events.

For example, Anyamba has studied various chikungunya outbreaks alongside his Rift Valley fever research. Chikungunya, a reemerging viral disease and illness is reported to have first appeared in 1952, but recently spread across the world and arrived in the US in 2015. It causes sudden fever, rash, and joint pain that could last for months sometimes causing victims to hunch over due to the aches.

Since 2016, Anyamba and his team have been working on a chikungunya risk mapping and forecasting system called CHIKRisk. The model incorporates air temperature and rainfall data from NOAA models; land surface temperatures from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments; humidity and soil moisture data from NASA's Global Land Data Assimilation System; human population density data from NASA's Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center; and chikungunya vector distributions from the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit's VectorMap. The model is correlated with ground-based surveillance systems (such as the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED) that identify disease activity. The project is supported by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the NOAA Climate Program Office - International Research and Applications Project (IRAP)

The CHIKRisk model provides monthly outlooks of where chikungunya risk is highest around the world. That information is used by the U.S. Department of Defense's Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS) system for situational awareness and protection of health of soldiers stationed overseas, and by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to help control cases in high-risk areas.

The same approach can be used for other vector-borne diseases, since the outbreak of these diseases is affected by meteorological conditions, which may evolve to anticipated change in climate conditions. Information sharing is key to prevention, mitigation and management of outbreak of such diseases. In 2020, Anyamba's team used the CHIKRisk model assess the risk for chikungunya in India, Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines. They found elevated risk for these countries/regions. Anyamba and his team using the same approach and working with researchers sponsored by the NASA's Health and Air Quality Applications Program, and local health departments in California , New Jersey, Utah, South Dakota , and Louisiana to assess the risks of West Nile and dengue fever for these States.

An increased understanding of the link between meteorological conditions as possible precursors of such diseases, and the combined use of satellite data and mathematical models, give us hope that the prediction skill for such diseases outbreak will continue to improve in the future. Such information will be invaluable for health authorities and citizens around the world to manage the risk of these outbreaks.

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Bengaluru:

The Income Tax department on Monday conducted raids in the offices of mining baron G Janardhan Reddy in Karnatakas Bellary city following the lavish wedding of his daughter earlier this month. The wedding is said to have cost Rs 500 crore.

The raids were conducted at the offices of Obulapuram Mining Company and Associated Mining Company, Reddys iron ore mining businesses.

Reddy faces charges of corruption over alleged illegal iron ore mining in the district.

On Monday, the Income Tax department also conducted surveys on at least ten locations of high-end event management firms, catering and multi-media service providers who were engaged for the extravagant wedding of daughter of Karnatakas former BJP minister G Janardhan Reddy.



Officials said that taxmen visited seven locations here and three in Hyderabad of those event management companies which were given contracts to give a blockbuster look for the wedding of Bramhani last week here. Reddy is also a mining baron.



They said the department, after receiving reports of high spending for the event, initiated the action and is checking the account books, payment receipts and contract portfolios of these firms who specialise in creating special ambience and customised display for high-end spending clientele during their special events like weddings.



The firms include those providing special Swiss tents, expensive cutlery, multi-cuisine food and pyrotechnic dealers who brought a lavish style to the event.



Under the survey action, tax sleuths visit business premises of the trader/operator and make analysis of the available stock and record it whereas under search operations both residential and business premises are visited by the taxman and seizure of cash and incriminating documents, if any, is effected.



Once the scrutiny of accounts and contract books is done, they said, further action of issuing notices to investigate tax evasion by both the contractor and the contractee will be undertaken.



The multi-crore wedding was in the spotlight recently for its sheer opulence and extravagance at a time when numerous people were facing a cash crunch and had to queue up outside banks and ATMs to withdraw their hard-earned money in the wake of the demonetisation of the two large currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000.



The five-day extravaganza was held at the Palace grounds here with ceremonies held against the backdrop of lavish settings.



The mining barons event presented almost a surreal picture as Bramhani entered into wedlock with Rajeev Reddy, a leading businessmans son from Andhra Pradesh, with rituals conducted by a battery of priests from the famous Tirumala temple.

The grandeur of the wedding was such that huge sets replicating Vijaya Vitthala temple of Hampi, the seat of the glorious erstwhile Vijayanagara empire, and Tirumala Tirupati temple were erected at the venue, along with the replica of the homes of both of bride and the groom.

(With inputs from PTI)

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By Jonathan Turley

July 27, 2020 " Information Clearing House " -The Washington press corps seems engaged in a collective demonstration of the legal concept of willful blindness, or deliberately ignoring the facts, following the release of yet another declassified document which directly refutes prior statements about the investigation into Russia collusion. The document shows that FBI officials used a national security briefing of then candidate Donald Trump and his top aides to gather possible evidence for Crossfire Hurricane, its code name for the Russia investigation.

It is astonishing that the media refuses to see what is one of the biggest stories in decades. The Obama administration targeted the campaign of the opposing party based on false evidence. The media covered Obama administration officials ridiculing the suggestions of spying on the Trump campaign and of improper conduct with the Russia investigation. When Attorney General William Barr told the Senate last year that he believed spying did occur, he was lambasted in the media, including by James Comey and others involved in that investigation. The mocking wow response of the fired FBI director received extensive coverage.

The new document shows that, in summer 2016, FBI agent Joe Pientka briefed Trump campaign advisers Michael Flynn and Chris Christie over national security issues, standard practice ahead of the election. It had a discussion of Russian interference. But this was different. The document detailing the questions asked by Trump and his aides and their reactions was filed several days after that meeting under Crossfire Hurricane and Crossfire Razor, the FBI investigation of Flynn. The two FBI officials listed who approved the report are Kevin Clinesmith and Peter Strzok.

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Clinesmith is the former FBI lawyer responsible for the FISA surveillance conducted on members of the Trump campaign. He opposed Trump and sent an email after the election declaring viva the resistance. He is now under review for possible criminal charges for altering a FISA court filing. The FBI used Trump adviser Carter Page as the basis for the original FISA application, due to his contacts with Russians. After that surveillance was approved, however, federal officials discredited the collusion allegations and noted that Page was a CIA asset. Clinesmith had allegedly changed the information to state that Page was not working for the CIA.

Strzok is the FBI agent whose violation of FBI rules led Justice Department officials to refer him for possible criminal charges. Strzok did not hide his intense loathing of Trump and famously referenced an insurance policy if Trump were to win the election. After FBI officials concluded there was no evidence of any crime by Flynn at the end of 2016, Strzok prevented the closing of the investigation as FBI officials searched for any crime that might be used to charge the incoming national security adviser.

Documents show Comey briefed President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on the investigation shortly before the inauguration of Trump. When Comey admitted the communications between Flynn and Russian officials appeared legitimate, Biden reportedly suggested using the Logan Act, a law widely seen as unconstitutional and never been used to successfully convict a single person, as an alternative charge against Flynn. The memo contradicts eventual claims by Biden that he did not know about the Flynn investigation. Let us detail some proven but mostly unseen facts.

First, the Russia collusion allegations were based in large part on the dossier funded by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. The Clinton campaign repeatedly denied paying for the dossier until after the election, when it was confronted with irrefutable evidence that the money had been buried among legal expenditures. As New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman wrote, Folks involved in funding this lied about it and with sanctimony for a year.

Second, FBI agents had warned that dossier author Christopher Steele may have been used by Russian intelligence to plant false information to disrupt the election. His source for the most serious allegations claims that Steele misrepresented what he had said and that it was little more than rumors that were recast by Steele as reliable intelligence.

Third, the Obama administration had been told that the basis for the FISA application was dubious and likely false. Yet it continued the investigation, and then someone leaked its existence to the media. Another declassified document shows that, after the New York Times ran a leaked story on the investigation, even Strzok had balked at the account as misleading and inaccurate. His early 2017 memo affirmed that there was no evidence of any individuals in contact with Russians. This information came as the collusion stories were turning into a frenzy that would last years.

Fourth, the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller and inspectors general found no evidence of collusion or knowing contact between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. What inspectors general did find were false statements or possible criminal conduct by Comey and others. While unable to say it was the reason for their decisions, they also found statements of animus against Trump and his campaign by the FBI officials who were leading the investigation. Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein testified he never would have approved renewal of the FISA surveillance and encouraged further investigation into such bias.

Finally, Obama and Biden were aware of the investigation, as were the administration officials who publicly ridiculed Trump when he said there was spying on his campaign. Others, like House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, declared they had evidence of collusion but never produced it. Countless reporters, columnists, and analysts still continue to deride, as writer Max Boot said it, the spinning of absurd conspiracy theories about how the FBI supposedly spied on the Trump campaign.

Willful blindness has its advantages. The media covered the original leak and the collusion narrative, despite mounting evidence that it was false. They filled hours of cable news shows and pages of print with a collusion story discredited by the FBI. Virtually none of these journalists or experts have acknowledged that the collusion leaks were proven false, let alone pursue the troubling implications of national security powers being used to target the political opponents of an administration. But in Washington, success often depends not on what you see but what you can unsee.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. You can find his updates online @JonathanTurley. - " Source " -

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- A dog identified as Cleo had to walk 57 miles when it got lost to find its owner's former home in Missouri

- When Micheal, the new owner of the home saw Cleo, he was amazed as he scanned the dog's chip to locate its family

- The miles the dog covered to the home was estimated to be over an hour drive and between 15-20 hours if one were to walk it

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

A dog that had gone missing travelled a whole 57 miles to the place its owner used to live. When the new owner of the home, Colton Micheal, saw the dog on Wednesday, July 15, on the porch, he was surprised.

Little did he know that the dog actually felt at home because that was where its owner used to live before they had to move, CBS News reports.

It should be noted that Micheal moved into the house in 2018 and had before that day never seen the dog (later identified as Cleo) before.

READ ALSO: AY Poyoo donates his first pay from YouTube to an orphanage

"We assumed she was a neighbor's dog that we hadn't seen around, or some simple explanation like that. No way we would ever guess she came from so far away, he said.

Another thing worthy of note is that Cleo had to walk a distance which is calculated at over an hour drive and between 15-20 hour walk from Kansas to the old home in Missouri.

To find the owner, Micheal guessed the dog must be wearing a microchip as most do. After scanning the chip, he got the owners contact and reached out to them on Facebook.

"She did seem very confused in a way that I can't say I've seen in another dog. You could see in her eyes that she didn't recognize or trust us, but as soon as the owners' car pulled up her ears perked up, and when she saw the young men, even though they were wearing masks, she changed her demeanour like flipping a switch," Michael said.

READ ALSO: Ghanaian dancing pallbearers perform at Nana Agyei Sikapa's funeral

See the video of the dog below:

Michael then advised that all dog should be chipped, saying he may not have found the people who own Cleon if not for the device.

Meanwhile, it was earlier reported that a kindhearted dog was dubbed a hero after helping a blind man walk without tripping over an obstacle that lay in his path.

A police commissioner from Pune City drove Twitter users to tears when he posted a video of the black, fluffy dog doing its act of kindness without caring who was watching.

The canine beauty was walking with someone who appeared to be its owner and at first, it minded its business until it spotted a blind man coming its way.

In other news, Deborah Vanessa Owusu-Bonsu, a Ghanaian celebrity popularly known as Sister Derby has announced that she desires to have a boyfriend.

According to a report by Ameyawdebrah.com, the 36-year-old television show host, model, musician, academic and graphic artist revealed this on Snapchat.

Sister Derby openly indicated that she is tired of being single and was dying to finally have a boyfriend after a long wait. In her own words, she has been 'gnashing' for long.

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The BBCs six-part adaptation of Vikram Seths 1993 tome A Suitable Boy that began on Sunday night put off some for its slow pace, but many applauded the effort that marks something of a milestone for the broadcaster: no white figure in a historic India series.

The series also reflects a feat by writer Andrew Davies to condense over 1,300 pages and nearly 6 lakh words into a script played out over six hour-long episodes. The lavishly produced series shot entirely in India is set in the 1950s but it is only now that Britain is ready a series with an all-non-white cast on mainstream television.

The British raj in India has been a major theme in British films and television in recent years and decades, depicting a certain narrative of the colonial project, but the Britain of 2020 is considered more receptive to non-white themes, actors and performances.

Most critics in British news outlets gave it a thumbs-up, so did Indophile Britons. But some took to social media even as the first episode was on air to express disappointment with its pace, acting and what seemed like a lack of connect with its content.

Wrote Chitra Ramaswamy in The Guardian: This may be the first Indian period drama of its kind in British TV history, but it remains an India that a British audience is used to seeingIt was a different time, and in spirit and tone A Suitable Boy is like a period drama from then. Except  and I guess this is the point  it would never have been made 20 years ago.

Starring Tabu, Ishan Khattar and Tanya Maniktala, the drama is directed by Mira Nair. One Twitter user posted a screen-grab of a watch worn by one of the actors, adding: (That) watch doesnt exactly look as if it belongs in 1951, does it.

Writer William Dalrymple tweeted: Very, very, very good opening episodelots of brave decisions & pitch perfect in a million ways. I watched with a room of people, half of whom knew India well & half of whom did not. All loved it. Tabu especially magnetic. A hit!

For Ed Cumming of The Independent, the first episode was Bright and comprehensible, but an orange-filtered fantasy version of India.

He wrote: For all its good intentions, this is still an orange-filtered fantasy version of India, where the characters speak English with the same mannered Indian accents and nobody can do anything without a sitar twanging.

While they cant resist the hoary old attractions of trains and temples  theres even a Holi festival thrown in  they build a semi-plausible world with a clear story. In this strange year, escaping to a made-up place will suit plenty of viewers just fine.

Gushed Christopher Stevens in the Daily Mail in a review titled Scandal, spice and splendour... its like an Indian Dynasty: There has never been a TV drama quite so kaleidoscopic, while Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph wrote: Andrew Davies has stripped away all the fat from Vikram Seths enormous novel and left us with a gorgeous TV drama.

The series, announced in 2017, tells the story of university student Lata (Maniktala), coming of age in north India in 1951 at the same time as the country is carving out its own identity as an independent nation and is about to go to the polls for its first general election.

Torn between duty to her family and the excitement of romance, Lata embarks on a journey of love, desire and heartache as three very different suitors vie for her hand. Her choice plays out against the tumultuous political backdrop of India in the 1950s.

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The Coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the U.S. and global economies, particularly as businesses and manufacturers shuttered their doors while employees were either told to stay home or outright furloughed. This damaged the global trade markets causing an 11-year low of 41.5% in the April report for the Institute for Supply Managements Manufacturing Index. However, the worst of the pandemic may be behind us as the Index climbed to 43.1% in April as reported recently1 in Marketwatch.

As manufacturers set to ramp back up to produce everything from automobiles, airplanes, and construction tools, they will begin to return to normal production cycles. This also means they will face their normal litany of production challenges, which includes dealing with a strained supply chain on certain critical raw materials, such as tungsten.

Tungsten: The Most Valuable Material Youve Never Heard Of

Tungsten is frequently used to make items that arent considered everyday products, but nevertheless are critical for almost everything thats important, such as core drilling bits and diamond drilling bits used by the mining industry.

Among the most durable elements found on earth, tungsten is also used in more everyday items such as lamps, transistors and alloys, as well as construction tools and components in airplanes and automobiles. It is one of the most important raw materials on Earth people rarely ever think about.

Tungsten is valuable because of its strength and durability, and it offers one of the highest melting points of all elements on the periodic table. There would be no rockets and aerospace propel systems without it.

However, sourcing Tungsten has been a great challenge since there are no mines in the U.S. that produce this precious raw material.

Chinas Domination of Tungsten Sourcing

China controls the market for nearly 35 precious minerals and metals that are important to the U.S. for production and manufacturing, and tungsten is among them. According to the USGS in its Mineral Commodity Summaries 2019 report2, World tungsten supply was dominated by production in China and exports from China."

Furthermore, the second largest tungsten supplier, located in Vietnam, had sourced 6 million metric tons last year. Other regions outside of the U.S. such as Russia, Austria and the United Kingdom are also known to have important tungsten sources.

The issue at hand is that China has limited the amount of tungsten exports that can be shipped to the U.S., and this has caused great concern about the overall supply chain of tungsten.



"China's government regulated its tungsten industry by limiting the number of mining and export licenses, imposing quotas on concentrate production, and placing constraints on mining and processing," according to the USGS report2.
Shoppers have been left stunned after discovering Aldi is selling prawns for human consumption which are banned as bait, but there's a very good reason why.

A shocked customer snapped a picture of label selling the packet of Ocean Royale Raw Peeled Prawns for $14.99, with the price tag reading: 'Not to be used as bait'.

One confused customer wrote in a Reddit post: 'Aldi prawns. Not to be used as bait. Huh?'

Shoppers have been left stunned after discovering Aldi is selling prawns for human consumption which are banned as bait

'I wonder how something like this can be even remotely enforced,' another questioned.

'My guess is that since they're crumbed the department of fisheries doesn't want local fish getting a taste for crumbed bait or they'll never go back to regular bait,' wrote another.

Ocean Royale Raw Peeled Prawns are imported from Malaysia.

An Aldi spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: Customers might notice a label on our Ocean Royale Raw Prawn Cutlets that states that the product is "not to be used as bait". The label is based on advice from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to uphold and protect biosecurity in our Australian waterways.'

Imported prawns are banned from being used as bait under the Australian government's environmental regulations, given such seafood could introduce diseases into the waterways.

Do not use prawns or other seafood from a supermarket or fishmonger as bait, these are often marked for human consumption only  this can introduce disease to your favourite fishing spot, the department of agriculture's website states.

In May, Woolworths was slammed for selling Thawed Green Prawn Cutlets which were imported from China.

A shocked customer snapped a picture of label selling the packet of Ocean Royale Raw Peeled Prawns for $14.99, with the price tag reading: 'Not to be used as bait'

'Woolies selling Chinese imported prawns, which are not fit to be used as bait but apparently ''ok'' for Australians to eat,' a social media post read.

A spokesman for the supermarket giant responded, telling 7news: 'Around three quarters of our Prawn range behind our seafood counter is either wild caught or farmed locally in Australia and we're always looking to source more.

'The importation of prawns are - quite rightly - subject to strict conditions and screening by the Department of Agriculture and we comply with these at all times.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Aldi for comment.
TORONTO and MUMBAI, July 27, 2020 /CNW/ - QYOU Media (TSXV: QYOU) (OTCQB: QYOUF) today announced that The Q India has received official governmental approval required to be included in advertising campaigns offered through the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP). This organization was created to provide various governmental agencies with media buying strategy and implementation with approved third parties via the Bureau of Outreach and Communication (BOC). The office currently manages approximately 1500 Crores ($270M CAN) of advertising annually, with this approval necessary for an agency or broadcaster to qualify for inclusion in the government's media campaigns. The Indian government has been especially active recently to help convey public service messages related to the Covid pandemic.

The BOC and its DAVP Division are designed to provide public media outreach and communication for a variety of ministries including The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, The Ministry of Finance and The Ministry of Railways. Among the various activities of the organization, a primary mandate is to disseminate information on schemes and programs for the Government of India via broadcast and online media.

Krishna Menon, Chief Revenue Officer of The Q India commented, "The BOC and DAVP are both essential organizations leveraging media to allow the government to effectively communicate with people in rural and urban regions of the country. Particularly in this time of critical public communication, we are thrilled to have access to this media budget to provide a creative and vibrant means for DAVP to reach our young and thriving viewers with critically important information".

The Q India now reaches over 550M Monthly Average Users via over 50M Television homes with partners including TATA Sky, Airtel DTH & SitiNetworks; over 355M OTT monthly users via platforms including MX Player, ZEE5 and Dish Watcho; and via over 150M users on mobile and digital platforms including JioTV, Airtel Xstream and SNAP.

About QYOU Media

QYOU Media is a growing global media company powered by creators and social influencers. We curate, package and market premium content from leading digital video creators and social stars for multiscreen & multi platform distribution. Founded and created by industry veterans from Lionsgate, MTV, Disney and Sony. QYOU's millennial and Gen Z-focused products include linear television networks, genre-based series, influencer marketing campaigns, mobile apps, and video-on-demand formats. QYOU Media content reaches more than 1 Billion consumers around the world. Experience our work at www.theqindia.com and www.qyoumedia.com

SOURCE QYOU Media Inc.

For further information: Nicole Kotyk, Paterson Partners, 647-693-7380, [email protected]

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http://theqyou.com/


The steel major's consolidated net loss stood at Rs 582 crore in Q1 June 2020 compared with net profit of Rs 1,008 crore in Q1 June 2019.

Consolidated net sales slumped 41% to Rs 11,454 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Rs 19,407 crore in Q1 June 2019. Pre-tax loss stood at Rs 643 crore in Q1 June 2020 compared with pre-tax profit of Rs 1,770 crore in Q1 June 2019. Current tax rebate was at Rs 33 crore in Q1 June 2020 as against a tax expense of Rs 483 crore paid in Q1 June 2019. The result was announced post trading hours on Friday, 24 July 2020.

Since the commencement of lockdown from March 2020, JSW Steel has faced significant supply chain constraints and shortage of worforce. The company adhered to the operating protocols to comply with all the safety and social distancing requirements, secured necessary approvals from local authorities to resume operations towards the end of April 2020. Since then, operations have gradually ramped up, and for the months of May and June, the facilities operated at an average capacity utilisation of 80%.

JSW Steel's saleable steel sales for the quarter stood at 2.79 million tonnes (MT). The firm enhanced exports to offset the loss of volumes in domestic market, liquidate inventory and improve cash flows. Export sales stood at 1.58 million tonnes for the quarter, a record high, with domestic sales at 1.21 million tonnes.

Consolidated operating EBITDA stood at Rs 1,341 crores with EBITDA margin at 11.4% during the quarter. The company's consolidated net gearing (Net Debt to Equity) stood at l.54x at the end of the quarter (as against 1.48x at the end of 4Q FY2020) and Net Debt to EBITDA stood at 5.74x (as against 4.50x at the end of 4Q FY2020).

During the quarter, the company spent about Rs 2,369 crore for capex, against a total planned capex spend of Rs 9,000 crore for FY2021.

In its outlook, JSW Steel stated that economic activities are picking up across the board, reflecting improved business sentiment on the back of easing lockdown restrictions. Large pockets of activity/industries are heading towards gradual stabilisation. However, localised lockdown driven by resurgence of COVID-19 cases remains a key risk to sustain the pace of recovery.

In rural Indian economy is performing well, aided by limited pandemic impact as compared to urban areas, good monsoons, and a large part of stimulus measures directly focussed on increasing rural income and consumption. Meanwhile, workforce remobilisation and constrained liquidity remain key challenges for the core sectors of the economy, even though there is signs of returning labour force driven by expectation of a higher income.

Overall, targeted access to credit and liquidity,favourable policies and measures to support global supply chain realignments are likely to aid steady domestic economic recovery, primarily in the second half of FY2021. Indian crude steel production declined 41.6% Y-o-Y (year-on-year) during the quarter and finished steel consumption fell 55% Y-o-Y due to nationwide lockdown in the month of April 2020 and subsequent gradual relaxations in May 2020. While domestic demand remained subdued during Q1 FY2021, India emerged as major steel exporter with export volumes of 5.54 million tonnes during the quarter, implying a 3x increase over the corresponding period last year.

The board on Friday approved the raising long-term funds through the issuance of secured/unsecured, redeemable, non-convertible debentures (NCDs) up to Rs 10,000 crore by the way of private placement. The fund will be utlised to replace short maturity loans, meet long term working capital requirements, capital expenditure/reimbursement of capex already incurred and/ or for general corporate purposes.

Shares of JSW Steel slipped 0.27% to Rs 204.35. JSW Steel is a flagship company of the JSW Group, an integrated steel manufacturer in India with an installed steel-making capacity of 18 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).

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W&M announces Healthy Together Community Commitment

Healthy Together: A chalkboard outside William & Mary's Integrated Science Center displays words of encouragement. The university released Monday a statement of expectations  and a commitment to each other  for everyone planning to live, work and study together on campus this fall. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Photo - of - Hide Caption

All students, faculty and staff required to affirm commitment for fall 2020

As William & Mary prepares for the start of the academic year during a pandemic, the university released Monday a statement of expectations  and a commitment to each other  for everyone planning to live, work and study together on campus this fall.

The Healthy Together Community Commitment outlines a set of community-wide actions that will be required to comply with COVID-19 related health and safety regulations. The commitment, required of all faculty, staff and students, mandates observance of all stated expectations for living, learning, gathering and working on campus and in the Williamsburg community. Provost Peggy Agouris, Chief Operating Officer Amy Sebring and Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler announced the commitment in a campus-wide message.

We have acknowledged from the beginning that our best hope for success this fall is to create a culture of care and compliance, Ambler said. As an institution, community is a vital part of who we are and what we value. This commitment is asking us all to lean in to those values.

In a recent text message survey administered through the W&M&You Climate App, current students identified their most significant COVID-19 related concerns for the fall. The top concern about getting sick was getting others sick (34.2%) followed by my health (31.5%).

Weve heard consistently from students, faculty and staff how important it is to be part of a culture where people around us show they have our best interests at heart, Ambler added. This sense of community and shared purpose improves not only our physical well-being, but our emotional well-being. The extent to which we show care and concern for others reduces collective strain, helps us manage stress and reminds us were not alone.

The Community Commitment contains three simple tenets, Ambler explained, mitigation of risk, concern for others and support for the universitys mission. The principles are as follows:

Mitigate risk of transmitting COVID-19, including by wearing a mask, by observing an appropriate social distance from others, by washing hands frequently, by participating in testing protocols and by staying home when sick.

Demonstrate care and concern for the physical and psychological well-being of others and create a supportive environment for hallmates, classmates, colleagues, teachers, students, staff members, neighbors and members of the wider Williamsburg community.

Support W&Ms mission by making it possible to convene great minds and hearts to meet the most pressing needs of our time.

By signing on to the Healthy Together Community Commitment, members of the W&M community acknowledge that there will be consequences for non-compliance, which may impact their ability to remain on campus and/or participate as a member of the community, Ambler explained.

Let me be clear, these expectations are non-negotiable, Ambler said. We are in the middle of a pandemic. If we are truly going to protect the health and safety of everyone in our community, we all need to do this without fail. Yes, it will be challenging, but it is essential.

Students will be asked to review and affirm the Community Commitment through a Personal Information Questionnaire, which was deployed Monday. All employees will receive a copy of the commitment along with their PPE kits, and they will be asked to affirm it as part of the required on-line COVID-19 training that will be made available by Human Resources.

The need to set clear expectations and develop shared norms was a motivating factor in creating the Community Commitment, said Sebring.

Its important to be clear about what is expected and have everyone agree to it together, she said. And we also need to equip people to be successful in meeting those expectations.

Thats why the university will be mandating safety training and education for all faculty, staff and students, Sebring explained. The online training modules, developed by William & Marys Office of Health Promotion and members of the COVID Response Team, will cover everything from best practices for physical distancing to strategies for how to talk with someone whose behavior might be concerning.

With this commitment, we're empowering the community, everybody in the community, to be actively engaged in the health, safety and wellness of their classmates and colleagues, Agouris said. This provides us a real opportunity to strengthen the already strong sense of community that defines William & Mary.
Weekly Technical USD/MXN Rate Forecast: Neutral

USD /MXN rates are testing critical near-term support, which very well could be the determining factor in the predominant trading trend through the end of the year.

While other currencies are benefiting from the US Dollar s (via the DXY Index) weakness, the reliance the Mexican economy has on the United States has left the Peso struggling relative to other global growth-sensitive currencies.

As a close proxy to USD/MXN rates, we can examine t he IG Client Sentiment Index for USD/CAD rates to gain intuition on how traders are positioning in the Peso.

Mexican Peso Week in Review

The Mexican Peso proved stronger versus the US Dollar last week, with USD/MXN rates dropping by -1.15%, marking just the second time in seven weeks that the pair retreated. But limited gains over the past near-two months have left the pair vulnerable for a significant technical breakdown. Outside of USD/MXN, the Pesos prospects appear limited: CAD/MXN rates continue to press higher, while other MXN-crosses against the majors are decidedly moving against the Pesos favor.

Heading South of the Border?

Theres an argument to be made that USD/MXN rates have been consolidating in a symmetrical triangle since the end of February, contextually proving to have a bullish bias given the preceding directional move. Yet price action in recent weeks has been discouragingly weak, with no follow-through to the topside at a critical moment: just as price action moved into the terminal vertex of the triangle.

USD/MXN Rate Technical Analysis: Daily Chart (July 2019 to July 2020) (Chart 1)

To this end, given that trading is a function of both price and time, USD/MXN rates have continued to move sideways, but in context of respecting resistance within said triangle all the while breaching triangle support. The bearish outside engulfing bar on the daily chart to end the week, occurring as a failed attempt to retake triangle support, is a bearish omen for USD/MXN rates.

Concurrently, bearish momentum is starting to accelerate. USD/MXN rates are fully below their daily 5-, 8-, 13-, and 21-EMA, which is in bearish sequential order. Daily MACD is turning lower just below its signal line, while Slow Stochastics have started to decline again towards oversold territory. The path of least resistance is emerging to the downside in the short-term.

USD/MXN Rate Technical Analysis: Weekly Chart (July 2019 to July 2020) (Chart 2)

The prospective triangle failure warrants a review of longer-term timeframes. The 2017 high comes in at 22.0385, coinciding neatly with the weekly 26-EMA, equivalent to a six month moving average. Ultimate failure below this area would bring into focus the June lows once more at 21.459.

Using a Proxy to Track USD/MXN Retail Positioning

With respect to the difference in performance between USD/CAD and USD/MXN rates in recent weeks, it should be noted that the Canadian economy is more independent from the US economy than is the Mexican economy. While the United States is both countries largest trading partner, over 80% of Mexicos exports go to the United States (compared to near 70% for Canada), while 30% of Mexicos GDP is derived from economic activities involving the United States (compared to 20% for Canada).

That said, the close proximity of both countries given their trade relationship with the United States also means that their currencies tend to trade in a similar fashion as well. To this end, the 20-day correlation between USD/CAD and USD/MXN rates is currently 0.65; one week ago, the 20-day correlation was 0.68.

IG CLIENT SENTIMENT INDEX: USD/CADRATE FORECAST (JULY 26, 2020) (CHART 4)

USD/CAD: Retail trader data shows 67.02% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 2.03 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 20.52% higher than yesterday and 39.44% higher from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 16.22% lower than yesterday and 27.60% lower from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests USD/CAD prices may continue to fall.

Traders are further net-long than yesterday and last week, and the combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a stronger USD/CAD-bearish contrarian trading bias.

--- Written by Christopher Vecchio, CFA, Senior Currency Strategist
Head of Psychology at the University of Ghana, Prof. Joseph Osafo has appealed to government to encourage COVID-19 recovered persons to share their experiences publicly.



According to him, the recovered persons' stories will help get rid of the stigma attached to COVID-19 patients.



President Nana Akufo-Addo, in his 14th nation address on COVID-19, advised Ghanaians to stop stigmatizing the people who contract the disease.



Speaking to sit-in host Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's 'kokrokoo', Prof. Joseph Osafo believed one best way to extinguish the stigmatization is for government to create a support group for the infected persons.



"We should create a support group for them so they can come out to tell their stories. That approach breaks the stigma. Their experiences will be a rich source for those who are treating this disease with unseriousness," he said.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 21:47:19|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Israel's army said Monday it had closed all roads in the north and instructed residents to immediately leave open spaces and remain indoors amidst a "security incident" along Israel-Lebanon border.

"A report was received regarding a security incident in the Mount Dov area," a military spokesperson said in a statement, without elaborating on the incident. Mount Dov, known in Arabic as Sheba'a Farms, is a disputed land at the intersection of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese armed group, exchanged fire along the border, with Israeli tanks firing artillery at the Kfarchouba area, near Mount Hermon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz have both been receiving updates on the escalation, according to statements issued by their offices.

"Lebanon and Hezbollah will be responsible for any attack emanating from Lebanon," Netanyahu said.

"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is prepared for any scenario," he added.

Tensions along Israel's borders with Lebanon and Syria have been on the rise since a fighter with Hezbollah was killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Syria last week. Enditem
Earlier this month, we received a report from the U.S. Department of Justice reviewing our policies and procedures in our Narcotics Bureau from 2013 through 2018. This review began prior to me being named acting and then permanent commissioner in 2019.

It recommended four specific actions, some of which we have already begun implementing. Our immediate goal is to meet these recommendations. The new leadership that U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling speaks of in this report includes me and my command staff, who will continue to hold our police officers accountable and continue these reforms we have been working on since my first day as commissioner.

We knew that some changes need to be made. To provide some context, our narcotics detectives, who in addition to getting illegal drugs and drug dealers off the street, are responsible for getting illegal firearms off the street as well. Often times they are one in the same. They deal with the most dangerous individuals in our city on a daily basis.

The report covered through 2018, but I wanted to provide an update. Since January 2019, I have made some personnel changes in the narcotics unit, including new supervisors and some younger detectives. In the last 18 months, the Narcotics Bureau has made 732 arrests, including executing 240 warrants. This unit alone has recovered 81 firearms and 2771 rounds of ammunition. They have also seized 650 grams of unpackaged heroin and more than 46,000 bags of packaged heroin as well as more than 1,300 grams of powder and crack-cocaine seized more than $240,000 from drug dealers. From the 732 arrests and additional countless interactions, there has not been a single citizen-initiated complaint against narcotics detectives in 2019 or so far in 2020.

When Mayor Domenic J. Sarno appointed me my objective was to turn around the Springfield Police Department, place the department in a better light in the public eye, work to regain the trust of the public, start to make the department more transparent and hold individuals accountable.

We cooperated fully as it stated in the report and gave the Department of Justice unprecedented access to hundreds of thousands of our records. We have been pro-actively addressing issues in policies, training, accountability and other functions of the department that the federal report addressed.

We have hired an accreditation manager who is reviewing and updating all our policies and procedures. We worked with a consulting firm, Police Executive Research Forum, and are implementing many of their recommendations as well. We are in the midst of obtaining a new records management system which will streamline many of the paperwork issues noted.

We believe giving our Community Police Hearing Board members subpoena powers, which Mayor Sarno has pushed for, will resolve any issue in our disciplinary process.

The immediate action I took after reading this report is ordering that our plain-clothes narcotics detectives will be wearing body cameras. As of the week of July 20 we have trained and outfitted 140 officers with body-worn Cameras. The training and implementation will continue throughout the summer.

 On July 10, officers Juan Taveras and John Ruyffelaert sprang into action when they spotted a fire on Sorrento Street. They called in the fire and were first on scene. The officers split up, respectively cleared buildings on Sorrento and Alderman streets, making sure that everyone was out safely, and officer Taveras also saved a dog. Their heroic actions undoubtedly saved several lives.

 Our Springfield police officers continue to perform their job in the most dangerous situations and as of last week seized their 70th firearm this year. More than 20 of those firearms were large capacity weapons, capable of firing an abundance of bullets in mere seconds.

I continue to be proud of our officers putting themselves in harms way to protect our community. Unfortunately, more than half of these arrested individuals with guns have been released prior to their trials on low or no bail, and some have already been re-arrested. Its increasingly difficult to protect our city and gain the trust of those willing to provide information when they see these violent repeat offenders out on the street within days or the same night they are arrested.

 I submitted testimony to the state House Ways & Means chairpersons for the police reform bill. Here is a portion of my testimony:

I can tell you that the women and men who report to work at the Springfield Police Department, willing to place themselves in harms way in defense of others, feel that they are unnecessarily under personal and political attack. The rush to pass legislation, without any public participation, will erode public safety. It will significantly increase the difficulties in recruiting and retention of our future police officers causing highly-qualified people to rethink the police career pathLife or death decisions need to be guided by training, perception, common sense consideration for the safety of all, and not in consideration of litigation.

 In lieu of the popular National Night Out held in August, which has been canceled due to COVID-19, we are planning to show our support for the community in a different way. If any of our neighborhood leaders would like to have input please contact our community liaison or attend a community beat management meeting. More details to follow!

Cheryl Clapprood is police commissioner for the city of Springfield. Her column will appear monthly.

Editors note: Information on the Springfield Police Departments community calendar is available on the departments website, springfield-ma.gov/police, and Facebook page, Facebook.com/SpringfieldPoliceDeptMA.
Rumor mill: As the next-gen console approach release, hype is beginning to build, and so are the rumors. Someone has supposedly played games on a white Xbox Series X and posted a picture of the controller to "prove" it. The picture and the poster mysteriously disappeared shortly after. Could this mean that users will have two color options?

It appears that Microsoft might have a white version of the Xbox Series X up its sleeve if a leak is to be believed. On Sunday, a Redditor posted a picture of a white Xbox-branded controller that looks to be the same design as the already revealed XBSX gamepad.

The poster going by "Wolfy_Wizzardo" has since deleted the post and his account. The Verge notes that the poster claimed to have taken the picture in Washington at a party. The host of the shindig was supposedly the child of a Microsoft employee. Before the account's deletion, Wolfy had made numerous posts indicating he lived in the Seattle area. Redmond is only a 20-minute drive from Seattle on the other side of Lake Washington, so his story is plausible.

It is also interesting that his entire account was deleted rather than just the post. Could it have been pressure from his friend or the parents that put the fear of God into him? Maybe the Men in Black got to him. Who's to say.

Regardless of whether the leak is a legit or a hoax, don't get your hopes up on getting your hands on a white Xbox Series X. Microsoft has a history of issuing white consoles exclusively to employees working on the project as a perk. White Xbox Ones started showing up on eBay starting at $1,800 back in 2014. So snagging a similar XBSX will likely cost you.

However, there is a sliver of hope if you would prefer a white next-gen Xbox. Sony recently revealed the PlayStation 5's mostly white design. This aesthetic is a departure from its standard black that has been the console's trademark since the original PlayStation's debut as a light gray box in 1994.

It's worth noting that the Xbox One S came in white. So who knows, maybe Microsoft has taken a cue and is ready to offer two color choices in addition to its rumored Xbox Series S (Lockhart). Just don't hold your breath.
NEZPERCE, ID - The Lewis County Sheriff's Office has issued a statement regarding a planned protest at their office in Nezperce on August 1. "The protest is in response to an officer involved shooting, involving two deputies from our office, a deputy of the Idaho County Sheriffs Office, and a Nez Perce Tribal Officer," says the statement.

According to Idaho State Police, the incident began with a traffic stop early in the morning of Saturday, July 18, when a Lewis County Deputy stopped a driver on Highway 12 at approximately 2:47 a.m. The driver initially stopped for the deputy but he then drove off which began a pursuit. Other local agencies, including a second Lewis County Deputy, an Idaho County Deputy and an Officer with the Nez Perce Tribal Police assisted in the pursuit. The driver, later identified as 52-year-old Sean L. Anderson, of Idaho County, eventually stopped in a residential area outside of Ferdinand in Idaho County where Anderson is accused of using a shot gun and firing it in the direction of a Lewis County Deputy after which the officers returned fire. None of the officers were injured. Anderson was treated at a Spokane hospital and released last Thursday to Spokane Police to await extradition.

The Lewis County Sheriff's Office says misinformation being spread about the upcoming protest, including that it is being led by Black Lives Matter and Antifa. "In reality the protest is being led by Mr. Andersons supporters and those of Ammon Bundy. To our knowledge neither BLM, nor Antifa have any relation to this protest. Furthermore it does not appear that this protest is being organized by either group," says the LCSO statement.

Ammon Bundy, who led the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, is promoting the August 1 "Justice Rally for Sean Anderson" on his Facebook account. In a video message, Bundy accuses the Lewis County Sheriff's Office of not having sufficient cause to initially pull over Anderson, and suggests that officers fired shots on Anderson first, and that Anderson was only firing his weapon in self defense.

"Lewis County Sheriffs Office supports citizens constitutionally guaranteed rights including that of peaceful protest/counter protest. We also are extremely grateful to the community for their continued support of our office. We do however ask that those on either side of the issue do so in a peaceful and lawful manner. During the protest on 8/1 there will be clearly marked barricades around our office as we must guarantee the continued security of our jail facility. Please do not move past these barricades unless asked to by a deputy," reads the Sheriff's Office statement.
At the Peak Vista Community Health Center on North Academy Boulevard anyone over 12 and symptomatic can be tested. Medical Assistant Georgina Hambly tests a patient at the drive-thru on Monday, April 27, 2020. El Paso County Public Health data shows the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 since July 13 is 8% up above the states goal of 5%. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
It's perhaps a bit early to start summarizing the lessons government should learn from the coronavirus pandemic. But one early lesson is clear, and it comes from a surprising direction.One of government's largest expenses is real estate: the costs of property acquisition, construction, leasing, operation and maintenance for the facilities that house government operations. These costs are usually buried within multiple departmental budgets, so most government officials and taxpayers have no idea what their governments spend on buildings and properties or what opportunities exist for cost avoidance. In Tennessee, real estate is our state government's fifth-largest expense, after health care, education, human services and public safety.Months ago, when the pandemic struck, many businesses and governments closed offices and sent workers whose jobs didn't require a physical presence home to work virtually. For most governments, the move has been seen as a temporary expedient to reduce the spread of COVID-19. But Tennessee had a three-year head start with a program that had already significantly reduced its real estate footprint while improving the efficiency of its operations.Since 2017, Tennessee has been implementing a program we call Alternative Workplace Solutions (AWS). By allowing employees to do their jobs wherever they can best meet their customers' needs  such as working from home, working from vehicles, and sharing remaining office workspaces  the state has improved customer service, boosted worker productivity and job satisfaction, and reduced its need for expensive office space.I became commissioner of Tennessee's Department of General Services in January 2019, and I quickly recognized the immense potential of the AWS program. That September, I detailed some of the program's results: In the departments where we had implemented AWS, we had reconfigured and reduced office space by a total of 375,000 square feet, saving $5 million in annual real estate costs. We had cut our need for office space to the point that we'd been able to sell one state office building and were preparing to sell another.Meanwhile, sick-leave usage was down, and valuable long-time state employees told us that the opportunity to use AWS had led them to delay their plans for retirement. We also knew that AWS was aiding recruitment: New hires were telling us that the flexibility offered by AWS in where and how work is done played a part in their decision to consider a career in state government instead of the private sector.At that time, 11 of the 23 cabinet-level departments had completely adopted AWS, and six were in progress. A total of 22 percent of the executive branch workforce of some 38,000 employees was using one of the three AWS work arrangements. Then, when the coronavirus pandemic struck, Gov. Bill Lee directed that all state employees with the capability of working from home begin doing so, and we realized that AWS could help us respond quickly to that previously unanticipated need.Tennessee requires that employees and their supervisors receive appropriate training to ensure they are prepared for the changes that AWS brings to their work. Our Department of Human Resources immediately streamlined the training process and reduced some requirements. Agencies partnered with the state's Strategic Technology Solutions division to source quickly the proper equipment (laptops, headsets, video and Web conferencing software) for employees beginning AWS. This effort helped us move an additional 35 percent of our workforce out of state buildings in four months. Today, some 57 percent of executive branch employees are working from home.The full results from our rapid expansion of AWS aren't in yet, but what we have done is anything but a temporary expedient. We're planning to build on the gains we've made and apply those lessons going forward to reduce our need for office space in the highly competitive Nashville market even more than we already have. Our TennCare department is planning to vacate a 100,000-square-foot building that we will refill with workers from other agencies. Many of our other departments, including Education, Transportation, and Commerce and Insurance, are planning significant reductions in their downtown office space as well. Altogether, state agencies are planning reductions in operational space that our real estate division predicts will allow us to vacate more than 337,000 square feet over the next two fiscal years.In coming months and years we'll better understand the longer-term financial implications of AWS, as we are able to sell unneeded buildings and property and delay or cancel construction projects that are no longer essential. But we know already that it will be good news for the state's budget and for our taxpayers. As our federal, state and local governments search for ways to recover from the devastating financial impact of COVID-19, AWS is a tool they should strongly consider.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, First Deputy Head of Ukraine's Delegation in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) Oleksiy Reznikov said that the Russian Federation does not want to take responsibility for observing a sustainable ceasefire in Donbas, but at the same time knows very well that is responsible for this, and is subject to sanctions for non-compliance with the Minsk agreements.

"This is an old story in a new way about the fact that they allegedly were not involved here. They are, in fact, afraid to take responsibility in any case, because they know very well that this is precisely the responsibility they bear. However, the sanctions concern them not only because of the occupation of Crimea or MH17, but also the failure of the Russian Federation to comply with the agreements, since they are a party to the Minsk agreements," he told Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

Reznikov said that there is clear information from the Ukrainian military and intelligence officers that all the armed formations currently in the occupied part of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine are part of the first and second army corps of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

"Therefore, of course, Russian officers are in command there, and they ensure the distribution of this command, this order [on ceasefire]. They simply will never show it, and will not formalize it by decisions of the armed formations of the ORDLO. I want to remind you that 'the armed formation of ORDLO" is the vocabulary of the Minsk agreements signed in 2014," he said.
Surfers like to think theyre cool. From Malibu King Miki Dora complaining about clones taking over to two-time World Champion John Florences habit of celebrating 10 point rides with only the subtlest body language, self-promotion is still, among many surfers, a dirty word.

Enter: Sydneys last mega-swell, during which a bunch of local surfers casually caught some of the biggest waves ever surfed in Sydney.

RELATED: Best Surf Beaches & Breaks In Sydney

One, ridden by Chris Lougher, stood above the rest, with Avalon filmmaker Spencer Frost capturing the moment, which later went viral, calling it hands down the best wave Ive ever seen ridden in Sydney.

As Coastalwatch reports, While a session for the ages was going down at infamous heavy Manly spot, Deadmans, the filmmaker camped up over a kilometre away on Queenscliff headland with a 1600mm lens to capture the action. And when underground local charger Chris Lougher pulled into the wave of the day, Spenny had the perfect shot.

The screenshot of the tube went viral overnight on Wednesday July 15, and had some calling it the best wave ever surfed in a city with a long storied history of waveriding.

When contacted by media, however, Lougher declined to feed the hype. This didnt go unnoticed. As Coastalwatch reported, One of the best things about the day, and this wave in particular, was the way in which the crew taking it on just shrugged off the chance to self-publicise.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Craig Brokensha (@craigbrokensha) on Jul 20, 2020 at 9:55pm PDT

When we asked Chris about it, Coastalwatch wrote, He pointed out the safety aspects of surfing the spot, but otherwise, politely turned down an interview: Ha ha cheers guys, Im holding back, not really my scene Im stoked everyone is frothin, surfing is about having fun.

Refreshing in a world where it sometimes seems half the population wants to be famous for doing nothing, (Coastalwatch).

While not a direct critique of Kardashian ~Couture~ from Coastalwatch, it got us thinking: Loughers cool response to this epic moment, in DMARGEs eyes, represents one of Australian surfings biggest cultural divides right now.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by @jayalvarrez on Sep 29, 2019 at 12:11pm PDT

As Hawaii spawns more vegan vloggers than top tier athletes and as Australian teenage prodigies see pro (and semi pro) surfers all around the world (think: Jamie OBrien, Tia Blanco; Ben Gravy) build lucrative followings on social media, more and more are seeing a career on Instagram or Youtube as a smart back up to the QS grind.

This isnt necessarily bad (nor unique to surfing). But when you get a blast from the past in the form of someone like Lougher, its a nice reminder theres more to surfing than Instagram presets.

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AFP via Getty Images

Asked at a coronavirus briefing about mounting criticism over the federal governments response to the pandemic and his plunging polls, Donald Trump noted that he created the Space Force, telling a reporter: What weve done has never been done.

A round of polls over the weekend show his Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead in three key battle ground states that the president won in 2016.

The president also refused to answer whether he addressed the Russian bounty scandal with Vladimir Putin during a short briefing in North Carolina on Monday before returning to the White House, which confirmed in a statement to The Independent that National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien has tested positive for coronavirus. The president claimed he had not recently met with the key official  whose office is positioned close to the Oval Office.

Herman Cain, a Trump ally and former presidential candidate, remains in a hospital three weeks after he tested positive on 29 June. He attended the president's Tulsa rally on 20 June and was hospitalised 11 days later. He is "being treated with oxygen for his lungs," according to a statement.

The president claimed on Monday that advancements towards a vaccine are "substantially ahead of schedule" as he urged states to reopen after a spike in new infections over the last month has thrust nationwide infections to more than 4 million.

"A lot of the governors should be opening up states that they're not opening, and we'll see what happens with them," he said.

More officers from a swath of federal agencies are expected to be deployed to Portland, Oregon amid a crackdown on protests in the city. The "surge" of federal agents across the US has been met with widespread blowback from city and state officials.

Portland protest groups including members from the Wall of Moms have sued the administration over allegations that federal agents tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed and injured peaceful demonstrators.

The body of civil rights giant and congressman John Lewis entered the US Capitol, where he will lie in state. The president told reporters he would not join other Washington officials to pay respects.

A group of senators on Monday also urged Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Committee chair Lindsey Graham to take up a vote on a measure that now bears Mr Lewis's name.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act seeks to restore key provisions in the landmark anti-discrimination law that were struck down by the US Supreme Court in 2013. Mr Lewis fought for full enfranchisement throughout his activism and career.

Senate Republicans meanwhile unveiled a $1 trillion coronavirus relief package as federal unemployment relief expires across the US for millions of out-of-work Americans. Democrats say the legislation does not go far enough, falling short of the threats to people facing evictions amid mass unemployment and rising infections. US Covid-19-related deaths are nearing 150,000.

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Melania Trump faces backlash over Rose Garden project

Trump 'took Covid-19 seriously' after warnings of spikes among base

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Trump sending more federal agents to Portland
T he stark divide in the way black and white Londoners experience the police is exposed today in a door-to-door survey conducted as part of an Evening Standard special investigation.

The pilot survey of 25 households  14 white and 11 black  on two randomly selected streets in Brixton revealed that:

More than 70 per cent of black households  but no white households  have been raided by the police

64 per cent of black respondents had experienced someone in their household being arrested, compared to just seven per cent of whites

Less than 10 per cent of black households said they had been helped by police compared with over 70 per cent of whites. And not a single black household we spoke to regarded the police as a force for good in the community, while an overwhelming 93 per cent of white households said they were.

The sample is too modest to extrapolate across London, but the clear implication of the difference in testimony between households  purely on the basis of colour and ethnicity  is that the white people we spoke to experience the Met as a beneficial police service, while the black respondents see it as an oppressive police force.

The majority of respondents who reported being raided said the reason most cited by the police was drugs. More than half said the raids, which usually occurred without warning in the early hours of the morning, had yielded nothing and resulted in no arrests  but had succeeded in terrifying the family, especially young children, whose experience of the police as enemies was formed early on. Police data obtained exclusively by the Standard reveals that 646 search warrants were authorised in June 2020, of which just 42 per cent led to an arrest. But the extent to which black or minority ethnic households have disproportionately experienced a police raid has not been documented.

In the wake of the killing of George Floyd in the US and the renewed focus on policing in London, these accounts of black households in Brixton comprise a powerful indication of the huge challenge faced by the Met if they wish to police London with the consent of the black community as well as whites.

Im a mild-mannered accountant but when it comes to the police, I hate them, I hate them

Amanda Pearson, deputy assistant commissioner for local policing at the Metropolitan Police, said: While it is difficult on a small sample to make a generalisation across London, the survey shows we need to do more with our communities. Were very conscious of that especially over the last few months. I want to make this really clear. We are here for all Londoners. Recently we have made great strides. We have young black men repeatedly stopped and searched by the police in Lambeth who now come into training sessions with our new recruits and share their experience. But we still have work to do in terms of building community relations and providing reassurance that we are a service for all Londoners.

Here is what the people we surveyed had to say.

The stories of black households

Victor, 68, retired chartered accountant, married father of four

Five years ago, they came at 3am and broke down the front door. I heard a loud bang and suddenly about 10 police in riot gear, holding guns, were inside our house. They said they were looking for my eldest son, that he had cannabis. We were herded into the living room while they searched the house. The children were holding their mum, trembling and crying. For two hours, they turned the place upside down but found nothing. They left the house a wreck.

They came a second time six months later. Same routine. Again, they found nothing and nobody was arrested. I had just returned from hospital after cancer surgery and was in my pyjamas with stitches in my stomach but they still handcuffed me. These police were from outside Brixton and were very aggressive. It seemed they thought they could get away with it because we are black. I am a mild-mannered accountant, but when it comes to the police, now, I hate them, I hate them, I hate them.

Janice, 45, married housewife with two children

We grew up with white neighbours and one day my brother and our neighbours son had an altercation and both our dads went to see what was going on.

The white boys father started going mental and it looked like he would attack my dad so my mum called the police  but when the police came, they immediately arrested my dad and put him in cuffs. It was only after my mum, a nurse, explained that they apologised for their error and uncuffed my dad. I was 12 and will never forget the impression it left that if a black and white person are in an argument, the police will assume the black person is in the wrong.

Trevor, 55, NHS practitioner and married father

My wife and I are university graduates, I work as a healthcare practitioner and my wife is a solicitor, and our son was three weeks from graduating with a 2.1 from university when the police raided for drug possession. Our son was held for 72 hours before being released without charge.

I have lived here 20 years. We have never been burgled. The only time we have been harassed is by the police

The police never shared the evidence which prompted their raid. We were distraught. My assumption that we lived in a fair society was shattered that day.

I have lived in Brixton for 20 years and we have never been burgled or assaulted  the only time we have been harassed is by the police. When the police see us, they see our colour, not us as individuals.

Malcolm, 21, university graduate, single, lives with parents and two siblings

My parents got raided in 2017. They came at 1am looking for a knife. I was already locked in a police cell when they came. I was a passenger in a car that got pulled over. They said, this car is known for an assault. They found nothing in the raid and I got NFA [no further action]. I was held for 23 hours. I have been stopped and searched so many times. Most police are prejudiced. If I was white, they would have treated me differently.

Dora, 45, married housewife with an older son and two young children

I have lived in Brixton for four years and we have been raided four times. They come early in the morning around 5am, no warning, next thing there is a light in your face. It was terrifying and my children were crying. The police said they were looking for my older son but he is 25 and has not lived with us for years. To this day, my son has not been arrested so I am not sure what their intelligence was. I used to think the police would protect us, but not now.

Gloria, 43, single mother of five children aged nine to 21

We have twice been raided by the police. It was for drugs. They bashed down the door. The police always quote intelligence but on both occasions nothing was found. Weeks ago, the police arrested a neighbourhood kid. A crowd formed and the officer called for back-up. A black boy was filming them and they grabbed him by the throat and said, youre coming with me. I get anxious when I see police. Uniformed officers from Brixton police station are friendly, but the undies [undercover officers] are a problem.

The stories of white households

Keith, 65, mechanical engineer living with his wife and son

One night when I was a lot younger I was staggering home after 14 pints of beer and a couple of shots, and somebody thought I was trying to break into cars and called the police. Police observed me. They were laughing and took me home. They said to the wife, does this belong to you? Would the police have been as friendly if I was black? I dont know.

Elaine, 72, corporate personal assistant and married mother of two

The police do a difficult job. Weve had a few incidents like thefts and they are always helpful. My only issue is that there is not enough of them. We need more police to be safe.

Sally, 43, legal assistant, single

I have lived in Brixton 40 years and my family and I have never had any trouble with the police. They are a force for good, though it might be different for my black neighbours.

Households survey

The Evening Standard knocked on 40 doors on two randomly selected streets in Brixton and did 25 interviews.

There were 11 black and 14 white respondents. Black respondents included black British, people of Caribbean or African descent and one mixed-race person who self-defined as black. White mostly included white British, but also Irish, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, Estonian and Ecuadorian, and one mixed-race person who self-defined as white.

Of 15 households not interviewed, nobody was home in 13 instances and two respondents declined to take part.

Each household was asked four questions: Have you ever been raided by the police and if so, what was the outcome? Has anyone in your household ever been arrested and if so, what was the outcome? Has anyone in your household ever been helped by the police? Do you think the police are a force for good in the community?

All names have been changed.

Results
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 18:42:46|Editor: huaxia

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-- Sunday marks the beginning of the 100-day countdown to the 2020 U.S. presidential election;

-- The pandemic continues to surge across the country, especially in some populous states, amid an economic recession;

-- Apart from the pandemic, the country has also been gripped by nationwide demonstrations against racial discrimination following the death of African American George Floyd in May.





WASHINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Sunday marks the beginning of the 100-day countdown to the 2020 U.S. presidential election while the country is still trapped in the raging coronavirus pandemic and nationwide protests against racial discrimination and police brutality.



With the clock ticking toward what may be the most complicated presidential contest in American history, both Democrats and Republicans are ramping up their push to get the keys to the Oval Office.

Nevertheless, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep the nation, protests over racial injustice in several U.S. cities turned violent over the weekend.

The Capitol is seen in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

MUTUAL ASSAULT

Sitting president and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, 74, didn't mention the milestone directly on Sunday but lashed out at polls that have showed him falling behind his Democratic opponent, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, calling them "fake."

"The Trump Campaign has more ENTHUSIASM, according to many, than any campaign in the history of our great Country -- Even more than 2016," he tweeted before claiming that battleground states, including Pennsylvania and Texas, will not vote for Biden, a 77-year-old moderate political veteran who has recently adopted several progressive policy proposals.

Biden, whose campaign is accelerating its staffing and television spending, tweeted "100 days" on Sunday.

"Folks, we have just 100 days until Election Day. Now, more than ever, we have to do everything we can to make Donald Trump a one-term president," he said.

In the RealClearPolitics average of national polls, Biden leads Trump 50 percent to 40.9 percent as of Sunday. Meanwhile, polls conducted in some key battlegrounds, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Arizona, also showed that Biden is ahead of Trump by at least several points.

Pedestrians walk past a social distancing notice on Times Square in New York, the United States, July 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

In an AP-NORC poll released Sunday, eight in 10 Americans said that the United States is heading in the wrong direction, the highest level during Trump's presidency, while only about a third of Americans approve of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Additionally, the majority of Americans have a negative view of how Trump is handling the economy, health care and education.

"This is a very unpleasant real-time look at what the future could be for President Trump," said Tim Malloy, a polling analyst at Quinnipiac University, after the Connecticut-based polling center released its latest survey earlier this month.

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, however, urged caution in using polls to make predictions, tweeting on Sunday that "numbers are sand castles not stone monuments."

Biden has seized the moment by sharply criticizing Trump's performance during the coronavirus pandemic as well as his ability to steer the country out of the crisis, while Trump has repeatedly questioned Biden's cognitive health, accused him of being a "puppet" of what he called the "Radical Left," and highlighted their ideological differences in a highly politically and socially divisive time.

A vendor waits for customers at a kiosk on Times Square in New York, the United States, July 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

PANDEMIC IMPACT

Nate Silver, founder and editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight, a U.S. website focusing on opinion poll analysis, politics and economics, said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that the coronavirus is "an extra complication" in this year's presidential election.

More than 4.2 million people in the United States have been infected with the coronavirus, with some 146,000 deaths, according to a dashboard run by Johns Hopkins University. The pandemic continues to surge across the country, especially in some populous states, amid an economic recession.

"We found historically when there are lots of major news events and economic disruptions, an election becomes harder to predict," Silver said.

"So while he's clearly in trouble, I do not buy that Trump's fate is sealed," he said. "A lot could change in the next one hundred days. Things could get worse still for the president. But a turnaround in the COVID situation by the fall could make the election more competitive."

The pandemic, which has plagued the United States for months, has forced the presidential and other campaigns to go virtual due to health and safety risks.

The Republican and Democratic national conventions, both scheduled for August, where Trump and Biden will formally receive each party's presidential nomination, will take place on a smaller scale.

Trump, who has relied on campaigns to build momentum, had tried to restart in-person activities in June. But his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the first of its kind in more than three months, met with a lower-than-expected attendance and led to coronavirus infections among campaign staff and Secret Service agents. Biden has said he won't hold rallies during the pandemic.

Apart from the pandemic, the country has also been gripped by nationwide demonstrations against racial discrimination following the death of African American George Floyd in May.

A total of 45 people were arrested and 21 police officers injured on Saturday after a protest in the western U.S. city of Seattle turned violent.

In the Texas capital of Austin, a protester was shot dead by a person who drove through a crowd of marchers. In Aurora, Colorado, a protester fired a weapon, striking at least one person who was taken to a hospital, police said.

People vote at a polling site in Brooklyn borough of New York, the United States, June 23, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

ELECTION PROSPECTS

As the general election approaches, three presidential debates between Trump and Biden are scheduled to take place between September and October. A vice presidential debate between Trump's deputy Mike Pence and whoever Biden chooses as his running mate will be held in early October.

Biden, who is considering a broad tier of candidates to be his running mate after pledging to pick a woman for the job, has said that he will announce his pick in early August.

Biden "holds a discernible -- though not insurmountable -- Electoral College advantage" over Trump, according to ABC News' initial ratings for the 2020 general election which will be held on Nov. 3.

The ratings place 279 electoral votes as either solidly or leaning Democratic -- slightly more than the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the presidency. Another 72 electoral votes are rated as toss-ups, while 187 are either solidly or leaning Republican.

In his race against Hillary Clinton in 2016, Trump secured 306 electoral votes, winning the presidency -- in part -- by taking longtime Democratic strongholds: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

In addition to the Trump-Biden race, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested on Nov. 3, along with 13 state and territorial governorships, as well as numerous other state and local elections.

In congressional races, Republicans will fight to defend their majority in the Senate, while Democrats are looking at expanding their seats in the House.

(Video reporters: Hu Yousong, Tan Yixiao; Video editor: Peng Ying)
The activists on Saturday danced and sang in the city centre, where police were deployed, the BBC reported.

Bangkok, July 26 (IANS) Hundreds of Thai gay activists raised rainbow flags in Bangkok during a pro-democracy rally in the capital, the latest in a series of youth-led protests calling for the government to resign, it was reported.

There were no reports of any violence.

In recent days Thai pro-democracy activists have been defying a government ban on public gatherings amid the ongoing COVID-19pandemic to protest against General Prayuth Chan-ocha seized power in a coup in 2014, and was later named as Prime Minister by the military-appointed Parliament.

Besides Bangkok, anti-government protesters, who called for a House dissolution, an end to intimidation of the people and the rewriting of the constitution, staged demonstrations in different parts of Thailand also on Saturday, reports The Bangkok Post newspaper.

In Kanchanaburi province, a group of about 50 young people comprising secondary school and university students gathered in Muang district.

The protesters held placards and banners with messages attacking the government and military dictatorship.

They called for the House of Representatives to be dissolved to make way for a new election, for the government to stop all forms of intimidation of the people and for the constitution to be rewritten.

In Samut Prakan near Bangkok, another group of students and people gathered at an open ground calling for similar demands, including Prayut's resignation.

In Phetchabun province, about 10 youths staged a brief gathering in front of the clock tower in Lom Sak district.

--IANS

ksk/
On Monday morning, the first 5 Rafale jets including three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft have taken off from the Dassault Aviation Facility in France. The ferry of the jets shall be undertaken by the Indian Air Force pilots, who have undergone comprehensive training on the aircraft. Subject to weather conditions, the jets are set to arrive at the Air Force Station in Ambala on July 29, 2020.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had received the first Rafale during his visit to the Dassault Aviation facility in Merignac, France on October 8, 2019. However, the arrival of the aircraft after being refitted with India-specific enhancements was postponed by two months in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Some of the India-specific modifications include radar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems.

Read: 'Beauty And The Beast': Watch India's Rafale's Takeoff For Delivery To IAF In Ambala

Read: In Massive Boost To IAF Firepower, Rafale Jets To Be Equipped With HAMMER Missile: Sources

Here are the distinct features of the Rafale fighter jets:

Speed

Being a Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), the Rafale jet is known for its speed, weapon holding capacity and attack capability. The Rafale is powered by two SNECMA M88 engines, which helps it attain a high speed of 1,912 km per hour and a range of more than 3,700 km. It also has a Martin-Baker Mark 16F zero-zero ejection seat, capable of operating at zero speed and altitude.

Attack ability

Having a top speed of 2223 km, it is equipped with laser-guided bombs weighing 900 kg. 2500 rounds per minute can be fired from its internal cannon. Furthermore, the presence of MICA beyond visual range missile, Hammer air-to-ground missile, Meteor, and the Scalp missiles give the IAF the ability to strike enemy targets 600 km away without having to cross the Indian air space. Additionally, the Rafale jets shall be equipped with the HAMMER missile having a range of 60-70 km. This lends India the capability to destroy bunkers, hardened shelters and other targets in all other terrains including the mountainous locations such as Eastern Ladakh.

4.5 generation aircraft

Equipped with the AESA radar, SPECTRA Electronic Warfare System and IRST system, Rafale is categorized as a 4.5 generation aircraft. This is invaluable as the IAF currently has only third and fourth generation fighter jets. At present, India has fighter jets such as Sukhoi Su-30MKI, MiG 29, Mirage-2000 and the indigenously built Tejas. However, its biggest advantage is its capability of delivering nuclear weapons.

Better than Sukhoi

The Rafale is fitted with 14 hard points. Its total external load capacity is more than 9 tonnes. Hence, it can lift the equivalent of its own empty weight in payloads. Its loitering capacity is 1.5 times that of the Sukhoi. The range is 780 to 1055 km as against 400-550 km of a Sukhoi jet. Similarly, the Rafale jet can engage in 5 sorties per 24 hours against 3 by the Sukhoi. Also, Rafale maintenance time per flight hour is 2.25 hours against 6-8 hrs for other fighters.

F-16 is no competition

While the dimensions of the Rafale and Pakistans Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon jet are similar, the latter is only a fourth-generation aircraft. Similarly, the Rafale aircraft can carry a weight of 24.5 tonnes as against 21.7 tonnes by the F-16. This implies that the Rafale can load more weapons. Also, the F-16 jets do not have the semi-stealth technology and the nuclear capability which the Rafale aircraft have. Thus, combined with the Sukhoi, the IAF will be in a comfortable position to handle the F-16s.

Proven ability

The Rafale has proved to be extremely vital in many conflicts over the last 13 years. The French Air Force was involved in multiple operations in Afghanistan and Libya, where the Rafale fighter jets were used. Similarly, they played a key role in Mali, helping destroy enemy infrastructure. By remaining airborne for 9 hours and 35 minutes in one such operation conducted by France, the ability of the Rafale aircraft clearly comes to the fore. Most recently, it was utilized in the peace-keeping operations in the Central African Republic.

Read: Stunning Pics: India's Rafale Jets Ready To Take-off From France & Join Indian Air Force

Read: IAF Holds Commander's Conference; Defence Min hails Covid Effort; Rafale Likely On Agenda
House Jonas and House Stark have produced an heir.

Yes, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner have welcomed their first child. TMZ was the first to report the baby news Monday, saying Turner, 24, gave birth July 22 to her first child, a girl named Willa, in Los Angeles.

People confirmed the news with Turner and Jonas representatives.

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas are delighted to announce the birth of their baby, they said in a statement.

Jonas, 30, grew up in Wyckoff alongside his brothers and bandmates in The Jonas Brothers. He and Turner have been quarantining together, starring in gender-swapped roles for the massive celebrity fan video remake of The Princess Bride for Quibi and leaving quarantine to attend a Black Lives Matter rally in June.

Turner, who played Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, stars in the Quibi series Survive and Jonas can be seen in the Quibi travel series Cup of Joe, which also features Turner.

News that Turner was pregnant surfaced in February. The couple got married twice in 2019  for the first time at an impromptu ceremony in May after the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas (broadcast on Instagram Live by Diplo), and again at a planned ceremony in front of family and friends in France that June. Turner and Jonas got engaged in 2017.

The Jonas Brothers canceled a Las Vegas residency this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Turner has appeared in music videos for the Jonas Brothers songs Sucker and What a Man Gotta Do.

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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Send a coronavirus tip here.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- The Wuling Hongguang MINI EV, the first-ever all-electric vehicle of Wuling brand, officially hit the market at the Chengdu Motor Show that kicked off on July 24. Prices of three variants range between only 28,800 yuan ($4,112) and 38,800 yuan ($5,540).

With dimensions of 2,917mm long, 1,493mm wide and 1,621 tall and a wheelbase of 1,940mm, the Hongguang MINI EV is positioned as a four-seater mini-sized car, a bit smaller than its competitor, the Chery eQ1.



The diminutive vehicle adopts a cute exterior appearance. The closed-off grille coupled with squarish taillights and the air intake stretching across the front with the fog lamps on the both sides add volume to the front's personality.



The brevity and power nature of the side profile is highlighted by two parallel character lines and a contrasting floating sunroof.



The spiffy cockpit offers four seats. The carmaker says it took inspiration from Japan's kei cars which are small on the outside yet quite spacious inside.

The rear bench seat is placed where the cargo compartment would have been, which indicates that the MINI EV can either seat four passengers without luggage or two passenger with luggage. This is the trick used to create a surprisingly roomy interior, because the rear bench seat can fold flat to add more than 740 liters of cargo space.

The vehicle also offers up to 12 storage compartments, including cup holders. At the rear seat, there are two buckles for child safety seats.

In the powertrain department, the Hongguang MINI EV will feature an electric motor that pumps out 20kW and deliver a peak torque of 85 Nm. The vehicle will consume 16kWh per 100 kilometers. Powering the vehicle is a 13.82kWh or a 9.2kWh battery pack, which renders NEDC-rated range of 170km and 120km respectively (Wuling Hongguang MINI EV, photo source: SAIC-GM-Wuling).
When you think about royal style icons Princess Diana, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are all likely to register highly on your sartorial radar. But for too long, another member of the royal family has remained underappreciated in the fashion stakes: Princess Anne.

It was perhaps the third season of The Crown that really woke up the world to the Princess Royals wardrobe. Kicking off in the mid-sixties along with a new cast, including Olivia Colman as Elizabeth and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, the series explored the coming of age of the Queens only daughter.

Erin Doherty, who portrays Anne in the series bears a striking resemblance to the royal, and her on-screen wardrobe also works as a perfect homage to her timeless style, which was often considered risque in comparison to her other family members.

Recommended Princess Anne jokes about The Crown star taking hours to perfect hair

Ingrid Seward, the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, once wrote: Princess Anne, as a teenager, enjoyed dressing daringly, choosing to wear very short skirts, much to the chagrin of her grandmother, the Queen Mother.

Princess Anne recently admitted to watching episodes of the hit Netflix show, saying she found the series, "quite interesting". The Princess Royal referred to an interview with Erin Doherty who portrays Anne in The Crown, in which Doherty commented that it could take as long as two hours for the stylists on set to perfect her Princess Anne hairstyle. Princess Anne joked about the comments, stating in an interview with upcoming ITV documentary, Anne: The Princess Royal at 70, "How could you possibly take that long? I mean it takes me 10 or 15 minutes.

So, hair aside, just how accurately did the series represent Princess Annes wardrobe?

Speaking about how fashion was used in the series to show the royal as the more independent one in the family, costume lead Amy Roberts said, as the youngest family member, Anne delivered the ultimate sixties silhouette with everything from mini skirts to polo necks.

I don't think she represented the wild sixties. But the mini-skirts  the short skirts  that she wore, represented the Sixties in a kind of posh-girl way, Roberts previously told Fashionista.

There's a little shot of her [in episode six], when she visits her brother, when he's performing the play and she's in the audience. She's got Sixties baker boy cap on, but there's nothing extreme about her. It's sort of sensible. It's getting that balance of that youthful brashness, but still she's a princess.

Here, we take a look at some of Princess Annes best looks from the series and how they were designed to match real-life moments, down to the colour and the detail.

Statement millinery

(Getty / Des Willie / Netflix)

Princess Anne attended the investiture of her brother, Prince Charles, as Prince of Wales at Caernarvon Castle, in Wales 1969.

For the occasion, the royal opted for an aqua blue skirt suit with a bejewelled brooch and large turquoise pillbox designed by John Boyd.

The outfit was recreated for an episode of The Crown in great detail, from the addition of a contrasting yellow blouse peeking through Annes jacket to the white ruffles and giant circle of turquoise that decorated the royals hat.

Balloon sleeves and retro prints

(Getty / Des Willie / Netflix)

This photograph of Princess Anne and her then-fiance Captain Mark Phillips attending the London premiere of the film Jesus Christ Superstar in 1973, appears to have inspired a similar version in the third series of The Crown.

While the original dress featured a ruffled high neck, balloon sleeves and a colourful floral print, the one worn by Doherty was given a much shorter hem and an oversized pointed collar.

Boat necks and bright colours

(Rex / Des Willie / Netflix)

During her early twenties, Princess Anne used fashion to make bold statements and often opted for bright colours.

In The Crown, the royal can be seen wearing a number of vivid colours, from duck egg blue, to canary yellow and scarlet red. The use of bright colours was often tempered with more polished silhouettes such as long sleeves, pleated skirts and boat neck collars, many of which are making their way back into fashion right now.

The skirt suit

(Rex / Des Willie / Netflix)

Over the years, Princess Anne has developed a signature look that involves a statement hat with a tailored skirt suit.

In one episode of The Crown, we see the first real signs of the signature ensemble as she dresses in a blush pink jacket that is decorated with floral embroidery and pearl buttons. The ensemble echoes a number of the royals real outfits that saw her defy traditional ideas of royal style.

Speaking of the pink floral skirt suit she wore while portraying Princess Anne in the hit series, Doherty said that Princess Annes outfit choices made her feel bangin.

There was this pink suit that was just gorgeous, she told Harpers Bazaar. I'm a suit girl, and Anne just rocks it. I just felt bangin'! I was like, this is great.
Russias Child Rights Commissioner and Statistics Service head sign cooperation agreement

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

10:59 27/07/2020

MOSCOW, July 27 (RAPSI)  Russias Child Rights Commissioner Anna Kuznetsova and Chief of the Federal State Statistics Service Pavel Malkov have signed a cooperation agreement, according to the ombudsmans website.

A subject of the agreement is deepening of cooperation in exchange of official statistics concerning population processes, evolution of family, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood in Russia, the statement reads.

According to Kuznetsova, the bodies are working together on the improvement of child policy statistics marks. Moreover, the Federal State Statistics Service renders assistance in the work of minors ombudsmen on their projects.
Korea and the U.S. have agreed to conduct a drastically scaled-down joint exercise in mid-August.

The decision came because large numbers of American troops cannot be sent from the U.S. mainland due to the coronavirus epidemic.

However, the drill will include some training to see if Seoul is ready to take over full operational control of Korean troops in wartime.

The two countries will stage the summer joint exercise on a smaller scale than before, a government official here said on Sunday.

The two sides will focus on checking if the Korean military has the ability to exercise full operational control and whether American troops could rapidly be dispersed to combat areas in a war on the Korean Peninsula.

A follow-up exercise could be staged if circumstances permit because Seoul is worried about a possible delay in the handover now slated for 2022.

Originally, the U.S. military wanted to focus on sharpening the combat readiness of the U.S. Forces Korea, but Seoul pressed for the operational control training.


The community alert describes the suspect as a Black man about 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-1 with a slender build and black hair in an Afro. He last was seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with a red design on the front, dark-colored pants, and dark-colored gym shoes with white soles. Bartoli did not say whether he had any other easily-identifiable characteristics such as scars, tattoos or birthmarks. He is approximately 20- to 35-years-old, she said.
Chris Hemsworth's wife, Elsa Pataky, was unprepared for the rain bomb that hit Byron Bay and other parts of New South Wales this week.

The 44-year-old Spanish actress, who has lived in the coastal town since 2014, found herself stuck when she tried to drive through a flooded roadway on Monday.

As the situation escalated, the mother of three had no choice but to escape through a passenger window and abandon the vehicle.

'Great job': Chris Hemsworth's wife, Elsa Pataky, had to escape through a car window on Monday after driving into a flooded road in Byron Bay

She was joined on the ill-fated road trip by her children and friend Luke Zocchi, who is her husband's longtime personal trainer.

Despite the perilous situation, Elsa managed to stay positive as she documented her escape on Instagram, where she has more than 3.8 million followers.

The Fast and the Furious star shared a video from the driver's seat which showed the murky water surrounding the car.

Oh, dear! The 44-year-old Spanish actress, who has lived in the coastal town since 2014, told her Instagram followers she was 'so sure I could cross'

'My only option': As the situation escalated, the mother of three had no choice but to escape through a passenger window and abandon the vehicle

Team work: She was joined on the ill-fated road trip by her children and friend Luke Zocchi, who is her husband's longtime personal trainer

Rescue mission: Luke (pictured) and several others prepared to tow the vehicle away after everyone had escaped

'A bit too optimistic? I was so sure I could cross,' she captioned the clip in Spanish and English, before adding: 'Help me!'

Elsa followed this up with another video in which she could be heard saying: 'I got stuck. Awesome. Oh god, oh god. What am I doing?'

She then uploaded a clip of herself clambering out a window and wading through the water to safety, adding: 'My only option... through the window.'

'Ready for the rescue?' Despite the perilous situation, Elsa managed to stay positive as she documented her escape on Instagram, where she has more than 3.8 million followers

Home turf: The footage was most likely recorded in Byron Bay, where the Hemsworths own a $20million home. The area has been hit by heavy rain recently. Pictured: Chris and Elsa in 2015

A final video showed Luke and several other men preparing to tow the vehicle away.

The footage was most likely recorded in Byron Bay, where the Hemsworths own a $20million mansion. The area has been hit by heavy rain in the past two days.

Chris and Elsa recently returned from a holiday in Rainbow Beach, Queensland, with their three children, daughter India, seven, and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, six.
Uttar Pradesh leads states in setting up plants to produce compressed bio-gas (CBG) as part of efforts to reduce Indias dependence on imported energy and to check pollution from stubble burning that chokes the National Capital Region every winter.

The state is followed by Maharashtra and Haryana, according to the petroleum ministry.

Of the 515 letters of intent (LoI) issued to entrepreneurs for setting up CBG plants across the country, 126 projects are located in Uttar Pradesh, 75 in Maharashtra, 59 in Haryana, 35 in Andhra Pradesh, 24 in Punjab and seven in Delhi, the official data showed.

Gujarat received the nod for setting up 32 plants, Karnataka 25, Madhya Pradesh 24, Chhattisgarh 22, Tamil Nadu 16, West Bengal 13, Bihar 11, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Telangana nine each, Jharkhand seven, Rajasthan five, and Goa, Jammu and Kashmir and Assam two each.

The estimated cost of the 515 CBG plants is Rs 18,000 crore.

A spokesperson of the petroleum ministry said, The SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) scheme is expected to have 5,000 plants across the country by 2023 that can produce 15 million metric tonnes of CBG and proportionately reduce our dependence on energy imports.

Biomass sources such as agricultural residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, municipal solid waste and waste from sewage treatment plants is used to produce bio-gas through the process of anaerobic decomposition. Bio-gas is purified to remove hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide and water vapour to produce and compress CBG, which has methane content of more than 90%, he said.

CBG has calorific value and other properties similar to compressed natural gas (CNG), and it can be used as green renewable automotive fuel. It can replace CNG in automotive, industrial and commercial areas, the spokesperson added.

The move will reduce pollution due to stubble burning. Bio-mass surplus in India is about 150 million tonnes. From late September through October each year, farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, burn an estimated 35 million tonnes of crop waste as a low-cost straw-disposal practice. CBG plants can curb this practice by giving an additional income option to farmers, he said.

India imports nearly 83% of the crude oil its processes. About 50% of its natural gas requirement is also imported. The government has set a target to reduce this import dependence by 10% in the next two years.

This is the first time an alternative to natural gas is being sold by oil marketing companies. Commercial sales of CBG from seven retail outlets of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) have already started. Two outlets are in Maharashtra  Pune and Kohlapur  and five are located in Tamil Nadu, including two in Salem and one each in Namakkal, Rasipuram and Puduchatram.

While inaugurating one such plant at Namakkal last month, petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the government has been promoting bio-fuels, including CBG, to increase the green energy mix, reduce import dependence, create employment, especially in semi-urban and rural areas, and reduce pollution.

Usage of CBG shall assist in achieving climate change goals of India as per the Paris Agreement 2015, he said, adding the project is in alignment with flagship schemes such as Swachh Bharat, Atmnirbhar Bharat and Make in India.

The business is lucrative for entrepreneurs as state-run oil majors such as IOC and GAIL India take off-take guarantee to such plants. Besides, the government is considering according it a priority sector lending tag for easy and cheaper finance. The government gives subsidy for setting up new CBG projects, which could be availed up to 2020-21, the spokesperson said.

According to Pradhan, the government is in the process of including bio-manure in the Fertilizer Control Order 1985 to make the project more lucrative. Bio-manure is a key by-product of CBG plants.

The move will make it easier for such plants to market bio-manure and provide an opportunity for organic farming. According to the oil ministry, 5,000 CBG plants are expected to produce 50 million metric tonnes of bio-manure.

The spokesperson said Western countries such as Germany, Italy, the UK, France and Switzerland too are promoting bio-gas. The number of bio-gas plants in Germany has doubled to nearly 9,000 plants from 4,136 plants in 2010. The total bio-gas production capacity of the plants is 8.98 billion cubic metres (BCM), which is equivalent to 6.6 million metric tonnes.
MUSC President David J. Cole, M.D., FACS, has announced the appointment of MUSC College of Medicine Dean Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., to the additional role as director for the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. Dean DuBois, an international leader in the cancer community, has led the College of Medicine for more than four years. He will assume the added leadership responsibilities effective Aug. 17. Hollings is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in South Carolina.

Dean DuBois is a nationally recognized oncology leader with an outstanding reputation in cancer research both across the country and internationally, Cole said. He is a highly respected leader at MUSC and has been a senior leader at two previous cancer centers, Vanderbilt and MD Anderson. He understands the operation of a cancer center and knows what it takes to be successful. With dual training as an M.D. and Ph.D. researcher, he commands the insight and experience required to fully support both the clinical and academic missions of the Hollings Cancer Center, he added.

DuBois brings more than 30 years of research experience to his new role at Hollings along with more than 20 years of concurrent experience in leadership at nationally renowned academic health systems. An MUSC Distinguished University Professor in the departments of biochemistry and medicine, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2019, which places him in the company of an elite group of internationally renowned scientists and doctors, including members who are Nobel laureates. With only 75 members elected each year across a broad range of medical disciplines, becoming part of the 50-year-old organization is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. He is also a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

MUSC College of Medicine dean elected to National Academy of Medicine Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the College of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, has been elected to the National 

Ray is a great choice for the Director of the Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, said Norman E. Ned Sharpless, M.D., Director, National Cancer Institute (NCI). I have worked with him closely during his service as chair of the NCI Board of Scientific Counselors and as a member of the Frederick National Laboratory Advisory Committee. He recognizes and promotes research excellence, has a proven track record, and strongly supports patient-centered cancer care. He will certainly elevate the Hollings Cancer Center as well as the whole cancer effort in the State of South Carolina.

DuBois currently serves as chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Cancer Institute (Clinical Sciences and Epidemiology) and on the Scientific Advisory Board for the NCI Frederick National Laboratory. He is vice chair for the Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) Scientific Advisory Board and currently serves as chair of the SU2C Catalyst Program, where he oversees the selection and management of several early phase clinical cancer trials examining unique drug combinations in collaboration with the leadership from BMS, Genentech and Merck.

We anticipate that Dean DuBois dual leadership roles will intentionally create a strong synergy between Hollings Cancer Center and the College of Medicine, said Lisa K. Saladin, PT, Ph.D., executive vice president for Academic Affairs and provost. The excellent, collaborative teams already in place in both the College of Medicine and Hollings Cancer Center are sure to enhance Rays ability to perform in these dual roles. Building a more integrated connection between Hollings and the College of Medicine is critical to realize optimal success and propel Hollings forward.

Prior to being named dean of the MUSC College of Medicine in March 2016, DuBois served as executive director of the Biodesign Institute in Arizona (ASU) and as the Dalton Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry with a joint appointment as professor of Medicine in the Mayo College of Medicine and Investigator at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. From 2007 to 2012, he served as provost and executive vice president at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and held the Ellen Knisely Distinguished Chair in Colon Cancer Research.

During his tenure at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (1991-2007), he served as director of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition as well as director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. He also was selected to hold three successive endowed chairs at Vanderbilt including the Mina Cobb Wallace Chair, the Hortense B. Ingram Chair and the Benjamin F. Byrd Chair. In 2015, DuBois was honored at Vanderbilt by inclusion as an honorary member in the Tinsley Harrison Society at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

DuBois is known for his research elucidating the role of inflammation and inflammatory mediators in the progression of cancer. His work and other studies led to a better understanding of the role of anti-inflammatory agents, like aspirin, in reducing cancer risk which led to clinical trials, showing how drugs that inhibit this pathway could prevent or intercept the process of cancer development.

He currently serves as president of the AACR Foundation, Chair of the AACR Foundation Board and is a past president of AACR, the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation, and the International Society for Gastrointestinal Cancer. He was named to the steering committee for the AACR Academy in 2018.

In 2019, he was awarded the AACR Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research. Other major awards for his cancer research include the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Research Award, the Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Cancer Prize and the Anthony Dipple Carcinogenesis Award.

He is also a Fellow in the Royal College of Physicians, a member of the American Clinical and Climatological Association, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He also serves as an editor-in-chief for Cancer Prevention Research, published by AACR.

As the Hollings director, DuBois will report to Saladin and Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., CEO, MUSC Health and vice president for Health Affairs, University.

DuBois will take on his added role from the cancer centers interim director, Denis C. Guttridge, Ph.D., who has served in the role since mid-January. Guttridge accepted the interim position when the previous Hollings director, Gustavo Leone, announced his intention to become director of the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center.

We want to thank Dr. Guttridge for his leadership, commitment and support of the Hollings mission and team, said Cawley. We appreciate all the insight and energy that Denis brought to this interim role and we know he will collaborate well with Dean DuBois as they execute a smooth transition. Guttridge will resume his dual role as director of the Charles P. Darby Childrens Research Institute in the MUSC College of Medicine, and associate director of translational sciences for Hollings.

With its singular focus on cancer and multidisciplinary approaches to patient care and team science, Hollings is uniquely positioned to pioneer cutting-edge breakthroughs. The MUSC Hollings Cancer Center was formally established in 1993 and named for the former U.S. Senator and South Carolina Governor Ernest Fritz Hollings, without whose support the formation and ongoing success of the center would not have been possible. Hollings Cancer Center continues to honor Senator Hollings legacy of public service, serving the entire state of South Carolina.
Saudi Arabia, mercs have looted 48 million barrels of Yemeni oil: Minister

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 July 2020 9:08 AM

The Yemeni minister of oil and minerals says Saudi Arabia and its mercenaries have looted some 48 million barrels of Yemen's crude oil over the past few years.

Ahmed Daress said Saudi Arabia and its allies stole 18 million barrels only in 2018, and another 29.5 million in 2019, the Arabic-language al-Masirah television network reported.

Along with the UAE, Saudi Arabia has been waging a destructive war on Yemen to restore former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to power.

Daress said the invaders continue to loot Yemen's oil, while the Yemeni people are in dire need of fuel and oil derivatives amid a crippling Saudi blockade.

The minister put the value of the loot in 2018 at $1.25 billion, saying some Yemeni traders are coordinating with Saudi Arabia and its mercenaries to plunder the impoverished country's resources.

According to Daress, the Sana'a-based government would have been able to pay the salaries of all civil servants in Yemen if the oil revenues had not been stolen.

"We have only the option of struggle in order to break the siege and pressure the forces of aggression into delivering oil derivatives to Yemen."

'500 patients to die daily if hospitals run out of fuel'

Separately, deputy director general of the emergency and ambulance sector at the Yemeni Health Ministry Abdulkarim al-Nahari warned on Saturday that some 500 patients a day will lose their lives if emergency departments in hospitals cease their operations due to lack of fuel.

He said emergency and ambulance departments in public and private hospitals use up 2.9 million liters of diesel per month, while ambulances consume 200,000 liters of gasoline.

If fuel shortages in hospitals are not resolved, emergency services will grind to a halt within the next two weeks, Nahari said.

"The Yemeni petroleum company has provided us with 50 percent of the supply needs and informed us that its diesel reserves are running out because of the coalition of aggression's continued seizure of oil tankers," he said.

On Saturday, Talaat al-Sharjabi, the spokesman for the Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, criticized the United Nations over Yemen's worsening humanitarian disaster.

He said the UN is pressuring Yemen by significantly curtailing fuel deliveries to the crisis-hit country, saying such measures are in line with the Saudi-led coalition's tactics.

"We have submitted our demands to relevant institutions, but have not received any response yet," Sharjabi said.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its allies have been waging a bloody military aggression against Yemen, and using arms supplied by their Western supporters.

The aggression, however, has faced a vigorous resistance from Yemeni groups which have developed an indigenous arsenal of missiles and drones, targeting sensitive oil installations and military sites deep inside the Saudi territory.

Over 100,000 people have lost their lives as a result of the military aggression in the past five years.

The war has also destroyed, damaged and shut down Yemen's infrastructure, including a large number of hospitals and clinics.

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By Anjali Mehrotra

A shooting at the North Brunswick home of a federal judge and a brief exchange of words on the steps of the Capitol, which ended with one member of Congress calling another a f**king b*tch  what could they possibly have in common? After all, one took place in New Jersey, the other in the District of Columbia and none of the players were connected. Upon reflection, however, these two seemingly unrelated incidents that took place a day apart reveal a pattern. They are both products of the toxic masculinity that permeates our society that lends men impunity  in their bad behavior, attitudes and actions toward women.

Earlier this month, a gunman posing as a Fed-Ex delivery driver rang the doorbell at the home of Judge Esther Salas and fatally shot her 20-year-old son who answered the door and injured her husband. By the time the judge, the first Hispanic woman to serve as a United States District Justice in New Jersey, arrived at the scene, the gunman had left. The suspected gunman, who later killed himself, is a self-described anti-feminist attorney who had appeared in the judges court last year.

His record on women was clear: he had filed lawsuits against nightclubs contending that discounted drinks on Ladies Nights are discriminatory and accused Columbia Universitys womens studies program of misappropriating government funds to propagate a religionist belief system called feminism. In 2017, he complained of living under Feminazi rule in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. But his hatred for women of color, especially Latinas, went even further. In writings he posted online, the suspect claimed that while older and Black female judges did not bother him because they seemed to understand their place in society, Latinas were usually a problem  driven by an inferiority complex. A Trump campaign-volunteer, he referred to Salas as an affirmative action case who was a lazy and incompetent Latina.

News media last week has repeatedly referred to the suspect as a mens rights activist. When will we come to grips with the fact that men dont need activism to secure their rights? We accept that white folk in this country do not face the same challenges as those of color because they have privilege. Men  have the patriarchy.

And the patriarchy was on full display at our nations capital this week. Last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York found herself on the receiving end of an unwarranted attack on the steps of the Capitol. In a heated exchange, Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida called the congresswoman disgusting and said she was out of your freaking mind for suggesting that a recent spike in crime in New York City may have been caused by economic hardships brought on by the pandemic. As the confrontation ended, Yoho used a misogynistic slur as he walked away. As bad as this was  it got worse.

The following day, Yoho offered a non-apology, refusing to acknowledge the congresswoman by name and denying the details as reported by the journalist who overheard it. Even as he confirmed the profanity, he alluded to a misunderstanding on who the words were directed at. Really?

In her brilliant response, Ocasio-Cortez addressed the pervasive culture of misogyny and harassment that breeds contempt toward women in our society, allowing men like Yoho to direct such words at a sitting congresswoman. She talked about the pattern of dehumanizing women, especially of color; of resorting to diminishing and disrespecting when you have no other tools. Violent language, she said, is about power.

In both scenarios, we have an older white male perpetuating hate and harm toward the object of their derision  a Latina. What starts with language, often gives permission for violent action. We must not forget that the suspect in the Jersey shooting started with words  until he decided it was time to take violent action. Men who cannot tolerate the ascent of women pose an actual threat. Representative Jayapal informed us that the use of the word b*tch as a derogatory term for women rose in response to women getting the power to vote. One hundred years later, we are still fighting the same war.

In normalizing the use of sexist language, we become desensitized to it. Men who see a competent woman in positions of authority as a menace are given liberty to project their own feelings of inadequacy onto the object of their scorn, putting them in danger. Let us remember that the Jersey shooter also ranted that women like Salas wanted to convince America that whites, especially white males, were barbarians, and all those of a darker skin complexion were victims.

Make no mistake  while this is a war that pits men against women, it is also about race, with a particular burden on those at the intersection  women of color.

Anjali Mehrotra is president of the National Organization for Women of New Jersey.

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After watching the intriguing trailer of Vidyut Jammwal starrer Khuda Hafiz, it seems that Akshay Kumar is in awe of the film. Akshay Kumar shared the trailer of the film on Twitter along with an appreciatory post where he expressed his excitement and eagerness to watch the film. In the post, the Houseful actor wrote that he has always intrigued to true stories which depict the common mans journey to save his love. At last, Akshay also wrote that going by trailer, he found the film promising and worth watching.

Akshay Kumar looking forward to watch Khuda Hafiz

The trailer of the film Khuda Hafiz which was released on July 26, showcases the journey of a husbands search for his missing wife, in a foreign country. The actor will be seen playing the role of Sameer Choudhary, while Shivaleeka Oberoi will essay the role of his missing wife, Nargis. Sameers search leads him to make some shady discoveries about human trafficking. The story further chronicles the life of the couple who decide to go work in a foreign land, things go wrong and Sameer, a common man, has to give it his all to make things better. The cinematography of the movie is done by Jitan Harmeet Singh while it is produced by Panorama Studios.

Read: Akshay Kumar-Paresh Rawal Starrer 'OMG - Oh My God!'s' Thoughtful Dialogues

Read: Vidyut Jammwal Speaks On The Bollywood 'hierarchy', Says Always Considered An Outsider

Im always intrigued by true stories. A common mans extraordinary journey to save his love....this looks very promising @VidyutJammwal , looking forward to #KhudaHaafizhttps://t.co/oPGWFTzySA  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 27, 2020

Sometime back, the Commando actor Vidyut Jammwal expressed his unpleasantness with OTT platform Disney+Hotstar's initiative to announce 7 films (including his). Vidyut wrote in a tweet that even though his movie Khuda Hafiz is a part of the seven 'BIG' films to be announced for OTT release, he didn't receive any invitation to be on the announcement panel. Vidyut had expressed his dismay in a tweet, and wrote, A BIG announcement for sure!! 7 films scheduled for release but only 5 are deemed worthy of representation. 2 films, receive no invitation or intimation. Its a long road ahead. THE CYCLE CONTINUES.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar will reportedly be heading to the United Kingdom to commence the filming for his upcoming film Bellbottom. The actor also revealed during an interview with a news portal that the makers have chalked out a plan to ensure the safety of the cast and crew amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from the actor, the team of Bellbottom including Huma Qureshi, Vaani Kapoor, and Lara Dutta will also be traveling to the United Kingdom in the month of August to complete the schedule.

Read: Vidyut Jammwal Teams Up With Scott Adkins, Shares Teaser Of 'X-Rayed By Vidyut'

Read: Akshay Kumar's 'Bellbottom' To Begin Shooting With Safety Precautions; Read Details
Shopee ties up with JCB to enhance payment options (Photo courtesy Shopee Vietnam)

HCM City - E-commerce platform Shopee has announced a tie-up with JCB International Company Ltd (JCBI) that will offer online merchants and shoppers enhanced payment options.

The partnership is launched in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam and will be followed by Singapore and the Philippines in the coming months.

JCB will offer year-round and seasonal discounts and an additional safe and secure payment method for shoppers; Shopee will also promote participating stores that support JCB.

Yoshiki Kaneko, president and chief operating officer, JCB International Company, Ltd said: JCB is proud to be working with Shopee as we further commit to supporting our customers in the fast-growing Southeast Asia region. In particular, as consumer shopping habits shift to online and businesses digitise their activities, we want to be able to further cater to these evolving needs.

Over the past 10 years Southeast Asia has been a growth market for JCB, and we are confident that together with Shopee we can provide high-quality payments services for businesses and consumers, and continue to grow together with the region.

Terence Pang, chief operating officer of Shopee, said: We are honoured to be a strategic business partner with JCB. As homegrown brands, both Shopee and JCB are deeply committed to supporting local Southeast Asian markets and businesses.

We believe that JCB will bring added value to our eco-system and look forward to accelerating the digital economy in Southeast Asia together.

In Vietnam, from now until March 31 next year Shopee users will be offered special promotions when paying with JCB cards such as a discount of 15 percent.

JCB started its overseas expansion in 1981 by building acceptance of travel destinations for Japanese card members. Since the early 2000s it has focused on expanding to Asian markets.

It has more than doubled its card members in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, and Singapore between 2017 and 2019.

A joint report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company, found that the Southeast Asia internet economy soared to 100 billion USD in 2019 after more than tripling in size over the previous four years.

By 2025 it is expected to grow to 300 billion USD.
Anti-colonial activists in France's overseas territory of Martinique in the Caribbean have torn down two statues of colonial-era figures, in acts condemned by public officials.

A video posted to social media showed several dozen people present the moment activists pulled down the statue of Josephine de Beauharnais in the La Savane park in Fort-de-France on Sunday.

The words death to colonialism are graffitied on a concrete block. A longer video shows activists smashing the pedestal with sledgehammers before bringing it down.

Josephine de Beauharnais, the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, was born on Martinique to a wealthy family that owned a sugar plantation.

Bonaparte's nephew Napoleon III commissioned the statue in 1859. It was decapitated in 1991 and the head has never been found.

Another video also shows activists pulling down a nearby statue of Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc, a trader who established of France's colony on the island in 1635.

The statue had been erected in 1935 to mark 300 years since the founding of the colony.

French condemns 'intolerable acts'

Activists had warned the previous week that they would tear down the statues if city officials did not remove them by Sunday.

City council was to decide Tuesday whether to remove the statue of Esnambuc in August.

State officials in Martinique said in a statement said they deplored what they called intolerable acts of a violent minority.

AFP agency cited a police source saying the state had instructed police not to intervene in the actions.

Activists target statues of abolitionist

On 22 May, the same group of activists tore down two statues of Victor Schoelcher, a French politician and writer who drafted the decree by which France abolished slavery in all of its colonies on 27 April 1848.

Activists opposed to Martinique's colonial heritage said they wanted black emancipation leaders to be honoured instead.

Last week on the neighbouring island of Guadeloupe, a statue of Schoelcher was removed and broken into pieces that were found 40 kilometres away. Police suspect it had been removed by anti-colonial activists.

I condemn this behaviour that does not come from ignorance, but is the deliberate will to minimise the role of a man who largely helped in the pursuit of freedom, Guadeloupean historian Raymond Boutin told radio RCI at a ceremony honouring Schoelcher on 21 July.

Debates over colonial roots of racism

The death of George Floyd a the hands of police in the United States on 25 May sparked public debates in countries with colonial histories on the foundations of contemporary racism.

Statues of figures linked to slavery or the oppression of minorities have been torn down in the US and the UK.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen reminded in a tweet that President Emmanuel Macron had promised, during an address in June, that no statues would be removed from public places in France.

The Republic will erase no trace and no name of its history, Macron said.

(with AFP)
The Congress on Monday stepped up political attack against Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra over the current impasse on the calling of an assembly session, with party leader P Chidambaram hoping that the President of India will intervene and instruct the governor to convene the session, and three former law ministers writing to Mishra, asserting that the delay in doing so will create a "constitutional crisis".

IMAGE: Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot meets gvoernor Kalraj Mishra in Jaipur . Photograph: ANI

The party on Monday also staged nationwide protests outside Raj Bhawans except in Rajasthan, where the party MLAs sat in a prayer meeting demanding that the assembly session should be called.

The Rajasthan Congress Legislature Party also sent a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind, seeking his intervention for convening the state assembly session.

Arguing that the governor is bound by the Constitution to act on the advice of the council of ministers in calling the session, the Congress accused him of acting at the Central government's behest.

In a letter to governor Mishra, senior Congress leaders and former law ministers -- Ashwani Kumar, Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid -- said the governor's office, as envisaged under the country's constitutional scheme, is above and beyond the constraints and compulsions of partisan politics, "so that its holder can act freely and fairly to uphold the Constitution".

"Having served as Union ministers of Law and Justice in different periods of time and as students of Constitutional law, we are of the clear view that established legal position obliges the Governor to call the assembly session in accordance with the advice of the state cabinet.

"Any deviation from established constitutional position in the present circumstances would be an avoidable negation of your oath of office and will create a constitutional crisis," the former law ministers said in the letter.

Addressing a virtual press conference, Chidambaram said,"I sincerely hope that the President will take note of what is happening - the erosion of parliamentary democracy, the erosion of the Constitution, the violation of the Constitution - and do what is right in the circumstances."

The Congress leader alleged that BJP-appointed governors have violated the Constitution and have in the process "gravely impaired" parliamentary democracy, its conventions and traditions.

Chidambaram said if the chief minister, who is accused of not enjoying a majority, wants to prove his majority, he is entitled to call a session at the earliest to prove it.

"No one can stand in his way," he said, adding placing "any obstacle to calling the assembly session would undermine the fundamental basis of a parliamentary democracy."

He also alleged that the Rajasthan issue has assumed "dangerous and monstrous proportions".

"A majority government cannot be pulled down and we will continue to resist in any way any attempt to pull down an elected government," he said.

Rajasthan is witnessing a political impasse with the Governor on Monday returning the state cabinet's proposal to convene an assembly session, and laying a condition of a 21-day notice period before calling one.

However, the governor indicated that the session can be called at a short notice if the state government says the agenda is to hold a floor test to prove its majority.

The suggestion figures in a note sent by Mishra while returning -- for a second time -- Ashok Gehlot Cabinet's recommendation to call a session.

The Congress government in Rajasthan is facing a crisis ever since Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs revolted against it own state government led by Chief Minister Gehlot.

The Congress plans to fight the issue politically and not in courts.

Rajasthan Speaker withdrew its petition before the Supreme Court challenging the earlier order of the state high court asking him to defer till July 24 the disqualification proceedings against sacked deputy chief minister Pilot and 18 dissident Congress MLAs.

Meanwhile, the Congress also held demonstration in several states, including in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal outside Raj Bhavans to protest the ongoing stalemate over the holding of the assembly session in Rajasthan.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte said he has instructed government agencies to look into complaints of some public transport drivers about not getting financial aid amid the COVID-19 health crisis.

During his fifth State of the Nation Address, Duterte mentioned the Pantawid Pasada Program that provided cash assistance to public utility vehicle drivers.

"There are complaints that some drivers did not receive any assistance at all. I have directed the DSWD and the DILG to look into this," he said on Monday, referring to the Social Welfare Department and the Interior Department.

Public transportation, including jeepneys and buses, was suspended during the implementation of quarantine protocols from March to June to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Without their source of income, some drivers were forced to beg for money on the streets to fend for their family.

Jeepneys restarted operations only earlier this month.
Australian oil and gas explorer Karoon Energy says a heavy discount in the upfront cost of acquiring an oil field off Brazil's coast highlights how the upheaval in the industry is forcing buyers and sellers to compromise.

Karoon last year struck a deal to buy the Bauna field from Brazil's state-owned Petrobras for $US665 million ($935 million), marking the Melbourne-headquartered explorer's first move into oil production. But following the coronavirus-driven oil market rout damaging its chances of securing debt for the deal, Karoon on Monday said it had renegotiated the terms to allow it to pay vastly less upfront and pay the remainder out to 2026, depending on the extent of the oil price recovery.

Australian oil producers have slashed their price forecasts in the wake of coronavirus. Credit:Rob Homer

Under the revised terms, Karoon will now pay an initial $US380 million consisting of a $US50 million downpayment already made, an upfront payment of $US150 million and the remainder payable in the following 18 months. A further $US285 million would be paid up to 2026, the companies said. But Petrobras would only receive the full pre-pandemic purchase price if oil prices returned to between $US50-$US70 a barrel.

Karoon's chief financial officer, Scott Hosking, said the revised terms were a reflection of the asset "not holding the same value that it did a year ago" and, crucially, meant Karoon would not have to raise debt to finance the deal.
A boat carrying Rohingya people from Myanmar arrives on the shorelines of Lancok village, in Indonesia's North Aceh Regency on June 25, 2020. (Photo: AFP)

Hanoi  A Rohingya migrant is said to be the only survivor from a boat carrying at least two dozen asylum seekers that is believed to have run into difficulty off the Malaysian coast near Thailand, a coastguard official of Malaysia said on July 26.

Mohamad Zawawi Abdullah, coastguard chief for the northern states of Kedah and Perlis, said the 27-year-old named Nor Hossain was detained by police after he swam to shore on the resort island of Langkawi.

The illegal Rohingya migrant had jumped off the boat that had 24 other people and he was the only one who managed to swim to the shore safely, Zawawi said.

A search and rescue operation has been launched, but no bodies or survivors have been found. It was not clear what happened to the boat.

Muslim-majority Malaysia is a favoured destination for Rohingya, who face persecution in their mostly Buddhist homeland of Myanmar.

But the Malaysian authorities have in recent months been trying to stop them entering the country over coronavirus fears.

Many of the 700,000-plus Rohingya who fled a military crackdown in Myanmar three years ago have attempted to leave overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district on boats headed for Malaysia and neighbouring Indonesia.

Malaysia has stepped up maritime patrols since the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic in a bid to stop Rohingya boats from landing.
US Ambassador to Iceland Jeffrey Ross Gunter (pictured) reportedly asked for permission to carry a gun due to 'irrational' fears for his safety in the country

The US Ambassador to Iceland reportedly asked for permission to carry a gun due to 'irrational' fears for his safety in the country that's known to be one of the safest in the world.

Jeffrey Ross Gunter became 'paranoid' about his security after he took the ambassador post in Reykjavik in May 2019, according to CBS News, which spoke to a dozen diplomats, current and former government officials and other individual familiar with the situation.

Gunter allegedly asked the US State Department to obtain special permission from the Icelandic government for him to carry a firearm, and to give him door-to-door armored car service and a 'stab-proof' vest.

US government officials said that Gunter - a California dermatologist and prolific GOP donor who had no foreign policy experience when he took the post - has been informed multiple times that he is at no extraordinary risk.

But the unnamed officials said they believe changes are being made to the ambassador's security to pacify his 'irrational' concerns - pointing to the fact that the embassy in Reykjavik recently put out an ad for full-time 'bodyguards' in Icelandic newspapers.

Gunter (pictured) became 'paranoid' about his security after he took the ambassador post in Reykjavik in May 2019, according to CBS News, which spoke to a dozen diplomats, current and former government officials and other individual familiar with the situation

The State Department did not immediately return DailyMail.com's request for comment but declined to say whether there was any credible threat to Gunter's safety when approached by CBS News.

'Protection programs for our leadership are standard features at most US facilities around the world,' a State Department official told the outlet when asked about the 'bodyguard' job listing.

'While the US government does not comment on specific security measures, our goal around the world has always been to be proactive with security measures.'

The State Department also did not directly address the claim that Gunter wanted to arm himself.

Personal handgun ownership is very rare in Iceland - which is ranked the most peaceful country in the world by the Global Peace Index.

Icelandic law is very strict on gun control, requiring a physical and mental assessment, a gun safety course, a written assessment and other provisions before a person can get a firearm license.

The Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs would not confirm whether the US officially requested permission for Gunter to carry a gun, saying that they 'generally do not comment on the security details of diplomatic missions'.

Three diplomatic sources told CBS News that Gunter was 'talked out of' getting a gun before any request could be made because self-armament would be viewed as an insult to Iceland.

Gunter is seen flanked by security at an event in Reykjavik. US government officials said the ambassador has been informed multiple times that he is at no extraordinary risk

Iceland is considered one of the safest countries in the world, ranking number one most peaceful by the Global Peace Index. The US embassy in Reykjavik is pictured above

Insiders say the controversy over Gunter's requests for unnecessary security came on the backdrop of persistent tensions within the embassy he leads.

Current and former diplomats said Gunter has created an increasingly 'untenable' working environment at the embassy since he took ambassador post last year, going through seven Deputy Chiefs of Mission in the past 14 months.

The first DCM tapped to serve as Gunter's second-in-command reportedly prepared for the post for more than a year and even learned Icelandic before the ambassador blocked his appointment because he 'didn't like the look of him', a State Department official told CBS News.

The second DCM held the post for just six months, after which Gunter reportedly tried to convince the European Bureau that he didn't need anyone in that role because he could handle it on his own.

The bureau pushed back on Gunter's suggestion and ultimately set up a rotation system until the DCM position could be filled permanently.

Gunter has gone through seven Deputy Chiefs of Mission in the 14 months since he took over as ambassador to Iceland. He is pictured with the latest DCM appointee, Michelle Yerkin

Gunter sparked renewed controversy last week when he referred to COVID-19 as 'the Invisible China virus!' on Twitter - a phrase that was perceived as offensive by many Icelanders

Over the first six months of 2020 the State Department deployed four experienced foreign service officers to serve short term assignments as Acting DCM 'to ensure continuity of support for Embassy Reykjavik while Ambassador Gunter selected a new, permanent DCM', a department spokesperson said when asked by CBS News about the high turnover.

'These temporary duty assignments were of short duration by design,' the spokesperson added.

However, three people familiar with the situation said Gunter clashed with the acting deputies on many occasions - including one when the ambassador allegedly 'flew into a rage' because a DCM left snow boots under their desk.

The sources said he accused other DCMs of 'various, unsubstantiated infractions, including trying to undermine him to Washington and being complicit with the "deep state"'.

Current and former State Department officials said the agency is aware of unrest within Gunter's embassy but has been reluctant to take action because of the ambassador's close ties with the White House.

The situation escalated earlier this year when Gunter refused to return to Iceland and took a personal leave of absence following a conference in the US in February - just as the coronavirus pandemic took hold across the world.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pictured) reportedly had to reach out to Gunter directly to force him to return to Iceland in May

Gunter reportedly asked to conduct his work remotely from his home in California and left a temporary in charge on the ground in Iceland for months in the middle of the health crisis.

A State Department spokesman said Gunter's personal leave was scheduled, and that his return to Iceland 'was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic'.

But accounts from sources in Washington and Reykjavik painted a much more contentious picture of the ordeal - saying that Gunter indicated he would not return to Iceland unless Secretary of State Mike Pompeo directly ordered him to do so.

The sources said that after increasingly high-ranking officials failed to force Gunter to return, Pompeo had to contact him directly.

Gunter eventually flew back to Iceland in May, and his new DCM, Michelle Yerkin, joined the embassy this month.

The ambassador sparked renewed controversy within the host nation last week when he referred to COVID-19 as 'the Invisible China virus!' on Twitter - a phrase that was perceived as offensive by many Icelanders.

Asked by CBS News if Pompeo still has confidence in Gunter, the State Department did nor respond.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the State Department and Gunter for comment about the concerns raised in the outlet's report.
The Chancellor has been urged to consider introducing financial support for the travel industry here after Spain was suddenly dropped off the air bridge safe list.

DUP MP Carla Lockhart said that she had written to Rishi Sunak in a bid to have the negative impact of the move on travel agents mitigated.

Holidaymakers in resorts across Spain were thrown into panic at the weekend after being told at late notice that they now face 14 days of self-isolation after returning home.

There are fears the move will put off families and employees who are unable to work at home from booking holidays during the rest of the summer.

On Monday evening the Balearic and Canary Islands were added to the list of areas where all non-essential travel should be avoided.

The move comes after Downing Street warned "no travel is risk-free".

A spokesman for the Prime Minister said decisions on border measures and travel advice "can be changed rapidly if necessary to help stop the spread of the disease".

Ms Lockhart said she had been contacted by travel agents in her constituency who expressed fears about the impact on business.

"Each holiday or work-related trip can represent a booking with an airline, accommodation reservations, car hire, train tickets as well as attraction tickets," said the Upper Bann DUP MP.

"Many of these will be booked using travel agents who handle the entire booking process.

"The consequence of the quarantine period on those returning from certain countries will have a significant negative impact on employers, and also travel agents who locally sustain hundreds of jobs.

"Already today I have spoken with travel agents in my own area who fear for the future of their businesses. We need Her Majesty's Government to recognise this.

"Whilst many travel agents will have already availed of the Job Retention Scheme as well as other Treasury and NI Executive reliefs, additional Treasury support will need to be considered if these businesses are to survive."

The Executive has indicated that it is looking at ways it can support employees who are required to self-isolate and cannot work from home.

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Health Minister Robin Swann said the Department for the Economy is engaging with employers to make sure there is flexible support for those in quarantine, and is also talking with travel insurers.

He said the Department of Finance is exploring whether the furlough scheme can be used to compensate those employees affected, while the Executive Office is updating advice on NI Direct.

Mr Swann said his decision to drop Spain was supported by the Executive and had been based on detailed scientific information.

Heather Fielding, who sits on the Association of British Travel Agents' Council of Regions for NI, told the Belfast Telegraph the development had hit the industry just as it was beginning to rebound from the pandemic.

"We were seeing 'green shoots' in that people were thinking about travel, looking forward to travel again, so that's put it on the back-burner for a while," she said.

"What we were hoping for was a resurgence at the end of the summer, and that's probably not going to happen now, unless things can be changed pretty rapidly.

"The travel industry makes its money through the busy summer period.

"Our quieter periods are October, November and December, with January getting busy again with bookings. So we've lost that summer business."

Ms Fielding, managing director of Gallagher Travel, insisted the move had ensured the industry as a whole was facing an uncertain and difficult period.

"There were businesses that were hoping to bring staff back, which may have to have them off longer or may have to make a difficult decision about what they do," she said.

"It's going to be a difficult few months. It it going to be a testing time for companies. The industry is struggling, there's no doubt about that, and this doesn't help."

Some travellers arriving from Spain criticised the sudden announcement and expressed concern about the potential impact on their employment.

Edith Mikutenaite and Aleksanda Sabalina, from Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, were among those who returned from Barcelona to Belfast International Airport on Monday.

They described the news of having to quarantine following a three-night trip as "horrible", insisting it had "ruined the whole holiday".

"We did not expect that at all," said Ms Sabalina.

"We thought the announcement would be made on Monday, or at least some sort of notice for people who had already left without knowing there was going to be a quarantine, to ensure they had any work issues sorted out."

Meanwhile easyJet, which currently runs flights to Spain, said it will continue to operate its full schedule while monitoring the situation closely.

On Monday the Department of Health announced that 21 more positive cases of coronavirus had been detected here, bringing the total to 5,912.

No new deaths were recorded, leaving the departmental total at 556.
Description

 27 July 2020:

There are many risks but also many opportunities linked to the reopening of Mauritiuss borders, thus the need to be cautious. It is a fact that Government is working every day on how to proceed with this reopening, said the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Mr Louis Steven Obeegadoo, this morning, at the Hennessy Park Hotel, in Ebene.

The DPM was speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day Communication Workshop on Financial Support and Schemes to the Tourism Sector targeting Tourist Associations and Operators of the industry. The event is organised by the Tourism Authority in collaboration with SME Mauritius Ltd. The objectives are to inform participants on the various schemes put in place and on the Green Financing mechanisms available; and address any queries with regards to the existing schemes and the procedure to follow.

The work agenda comprises presentations on the following: support schemes by the Mauritius Commercial Bank and the State Bank of Mauritius; financial support by the Development Bank of Mauritius; support initiatives by the Tourism Authority; and guidelines and schemes by the Mauritius Revenue Authority.

In his address, Mr Obeegadoo highlighted the importance of public-private partnership in the tourism sector and the need to work together in the interest of Mauritius to counter the Covid-19 threat. The priority of Government is to safeguard employment in all economic sectors, he further stated.

Speaking about the tourism industry, the DPM recalled that the sector employs 100,000 people, generates 40,000 direct jobs and contributes up to 8% of the GDP. The contribution peaks up to about 23% of the GDP with tourism activities in the formal and informal sectors. In 2019, tourist arrivals for Mauritius reached 1.4 million which generated Rs 63 billion. However, since the beginning of 2020, only 300,000 tourists visited Mauritius, he noted.

The Minister recalled that during the entire lockdown period, Government chose to safeguard employment. As such, employers from the formal sectors received Governments financial aid through the provision of an equivalent of half of a one months basic wage up to a cap of Rs 25,000 of assistance per employee. As for employees in the informal sector, they received aid amounting to more than Rs 5,000 in order to be able to support their families, he remarked.

According to Mr Obeegadoo, since the borders continue to remain closed, Government is supporting the tourism sector through the Wage Assistance Scheme which concerns, among others, hotels, guest houses, tourist residences and other accommodations which hold a tourist accommodation certificate issued by the Tourism Authority. From March to July 2020, Government has spent nearly Rs 2 billion to support this initiative, he indicated.

However, stated the DPM, the tourism sector will not be able to rely indefinitely on Governments assistance. Consequently, Government will proceed in phases to allow, first and as soon as possible, the return of all stranded Mauritians in the safest way possible to protect the country from a second wave, he pointed out. The second phase will entail allowing the arrivals of tourists as the borders will have to open one day and the tourism industry must restart its operations, said the DPM.

The Deputy Prime Minister also said that Government is fully aware of the concerns of tourism operators, and their wish to have an indicative date of the reopening of Mauritian borders. He reiterated that Government will continue to support the industry jointly with SME Mauritius Ltd, the Tourism Authority, the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, the European Union and all the partners, so as to be successful in this difficult transition phase in ensuring a safe reopening of the borders at the earliest and under the best of conditions.
In a nutshell: The Coronavirus pandemic means millions of people have suddenly found themselves leaving the office behind and working from home. Some might prefer the situation, but a new study has uncovered a few negatives: employees are working longer and often late into the night.

The study comes from Microsoft, which examined the effects of working from home on 350 of its employees. The results, published in Harvard Business Review, are quite an eye opener.

By looking at de-identified email, calendar, and instant messaging metadata, and comparing it to metadata from before the pandemic, the study found that people were "on" four more hours per week, on average.

It's believed that the reason behind these extra working hours is people taking personal time to care for children, walk the dog, have some fresh air, etc. To make up for these breaks, employees are starting work earlier and signing off later.

Another interesting finding is related to meetings. People are spending 10 percent more time in them, likely due to not bumping into colleagues at the office, but the length of meetings decreased. There were 22 percent more meetings of 30 minutes or less and 11 percent fewer meetings of more than one hour. According to employees, "Our flip to shorter meetings had come about organically, not from any management mandate."

Working from home means managers are communicating more with employees. They sent 115 percent more instant messages, compared to 50 percent more for individual contributors. Additionally, afternoon meetings have taken the place of early morning ones, and IMs saw a 10 percent reduction during the lunch hour, while before the lockdown it was 25 percent.

As people try to catch up on work, a new "night shift" pattern has emerged in which the number of IMs sent between 6 PM and midnight increased 52 percent. The study also showed people who previously worked the least amount of time on weekends saw three times their usual workload.

Other studies have also shown that working from home leads to an increase in the average workday length. Microsoft says it hopes to address this and combat the loneliness many feel by "normalizing manager one-on-ones to help employees gain clarity and connection, increasing small-group meetings to combat the isolation of remote work, and reducing late-night instant messaging to address burnout."

While many companies are now bringing workers back into the office, several tech giants have told employees to stay at home until at least next year. If youre in the latter camp, check out our Dos and Don'ts of working from home feature.
Lauren Spease, an incoming freshman at Winston-Salem State, wants to be nurse practitioner, so her first choice of schools was an easy one.

Spease, who is from High Point, loved everything about the nursing program. With a 3.8 grade point average and plenty of extracurricular activities, she was accepted last fall.

Then reality hit her and her family about the cost, even at a state-supported school such as WSSU.

Spease estimated that after her financial aid was given to her she would still be short around $2,000.

With her mothers job in the health-care field affected by COVID-19, Spease decided to try a GoFundMe page. With the help of her sister Raven, Spease started the page with a modest goal of $2,000.

We felt like it might help to see if I could raise the money through GoFundMe, Spease said. And we put the deadline for the end of August.

As of this past weekend, more than $2,000 had been raised.

Joel Lee, the assistant vice chairman for enrollment at WSSU, said in an email that Spease will be a student this fall. She is expected to be on campus on Aug. 7 with the other 1,000 other freshmen.
In early June, Tyresha McCoy and about 50 others gathered at the entrance to the historic Appomattox Court House to stage a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest, kicking off a wave of activism in the county McCoy said was a long time coming.

This has not happened in Appomattox before, she said. I was comparing it to what is going on around the world. Other cities and countries have [protests] every day and every night. In Appomattox, you have one, and the whole town is so disturbed and shaken, it is still being talked about.

Triggered by Lynchburg protests held in the wake of George Floyds death at the hands of Minneapolis police, McCoy, 25, said no one thought similar protests could be held in the county.

There are things that go unsaid in small towns, she said, and Black communities often dont have a voice.

She made a Facebook event page for the protest and watched the number of those interested climb to 500 in two days.

With it came a rush of rumors, whispers of planned violence or unrest, and on the day of the protest, counter-protesters stood across the street, and one individual combated protester chants of I cant breathe and Black Lives Matter, with echoes of I can breathe and white lives matter.

I just wanted the people to wake up, said McCoy, Appomattox born and raised. For me, Appomattox feels like a bubble. Things happen in the outside world, and we just keep going about our day.

McCoy said the protest had the support of Appomattox County Sheriff Donald Simpson, who made sure the protesters were able to peacefully carry out speeches and chants and provided a police escort for a march around the block.

The protest was just the beginning. Since then McCoy and others have formed Appomattox For Equality, which held the countys first Juneteenth Celebration  pulled together in a matter of days  and a town hall. Looking forward, they hope to continue to bridge the gap in the community and magnify the voices of Black residents in Appomattox.

Joetricia Humbles, 46, also is a part of the organization and said she hopes to see greater diversity among elected officials, and more programs to support youth and mental health in the area.

I think the protest started something bigger, Humbles said. It speaks volumes about the people who live here or grew up here. We want to work together. There are some obstacles, but there are people who are willing to listen.

In a place like Appomattox, McCoy said, where the Civil War ended and the country reunited, its crucial that this conversation continues, loudly and inclusively.

Black Lives Matter means to me that were not saying all lives dont matter, we are saying Black lives matter, too, she said. It means standing up for minorities, standing up for the Black community, for people who dont have a voice.

Sarah Honosky covers Appomattox and Campbell counties at The News & Advance. Reach her at (434) 385-5556.

Richard Chumney covers Liberty University for The News & Advance. Reach him at (434) 385-5547.

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Texas breweries struggled pretty bad when they were first forced to close their doors in mid-March to contribute to slowing the spread of COVID-19 in state. They found relief when Governor Greg Abbott allowed them to reopen, even though it was at limited capacity.

With the number of cases spiking yet again, breweries were forced in June to close their doors for a second time  and many of them don't know if it'll be temporary this go round.

Texas Brewers Craft Guild found that one out of every three craft breweries believe they will have to permanently close their doors within the next three months unless some kind of changes are made to the Governor's current mandate, according to Eater Austin. Two in three don't think they will last this beyond this pandemic packed year.

Eater Austin also reported that, since the start of the pandemic, TCBG has seen a decline of almost 55 percent year-over-year and has had to lay off or furlough 36 percent of its employees.

Under the Governor's current mandate and new guidance from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, breweries are only allowed to offer to go services . Locations with on-site restaurants are allowed to remain open thanks to their food components.

TABC describes a bar as any restaurant or similar establishment where alcohol accounts for more than 51 percent of its earnings.

"The economic and public health crisis brought on by COVID-19 and Governor Abbotts June 26th shutdown of 51% establishments threaten to decimate the Texas craft brewing industry," CraftPAC, a Political Action Committee founded by members of TCBG, states on their website.

TBCG's leadership team also disagrees with what the Governor is doing and is asking for a better resolution.

Craft breweries are not bars, but, as written, the majority of taprooms fall under the order and will therefore have to temporarily cease operating, once again leaving beer-to-go sales as a critical revenue stream, Charles Vallhonrat previously said in an email to Community Impact Newspaper. The health and safety of all Texans is paramount and we support taking the appropriate steps to stop the spread of coronavirus in Texas, yet we are disappointed ... that a more refined solution could not have been found.

According to CraftPAC, at least six breweries have already been forced to permanently shut down behind the fallout of COVID-19. Thus, #SaveTexasBreweries was born. The campaign gives residents, and Governor Abbott, tips on what they can do to make sure breweries get the help they need and are allowed to remain in business.

Residents can buy beer directly from breweries, purchase local crafts during grocery store runs (or during trips that are happening anywhere besides a brewery), snag a gift card or t-shirt from a brewery online store or just speak up for your local breweries.

As far as what Governor Abbott can do to help: "Amend Executive Order GA-28 to allow all Texas breweries and brewpubs to reopen for on-site service under the same strict health, safety, and social distancing policies as Texas restaurants regardless of whether alcohol makes up 51+% of sales," the website says.
With her child already interacting with other kids daily, Nurullah said she wouldnt consider play dates. She wants to keep Farazs exposure to others to a minimum and knows other parents are scared as well. She says interacting with children from different homes could be a health risk, and she hasnt heard of other parents who are doing it. I dont really see play dates happening. I see people who maybe live in the same apartment building, or know another familys patterns, or maybe cousins or relatives, Nurullah.
In the past it took nations three to 10 years to build nuclear bombs, yet 30 years since re-launching its nuclear program, Iran hasnt assembled a bomb. It aspires to be on the threshold





by Yossi Melman





July 13 marked the fifth anniversary of the nuclear accord between Iran and the major powers, which remains in effect until 2025. At about the same time, Iran experienced explosions and fires at missile sites, power stations, industrial plants and, most significantly, at the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz.





A handout satellite image shows a general view of the Natanz nuclear facility after a fire, in Natanz, Iran July 8, 2020. Credit: REUTERS

The blasts at several of the Natanz buildings were very powerful, badly damaging the advanced centrifuges. The sabotage has been attributed to a secret operation by Israeli intelligence, perhaps in tandem with American intelligence. Various reports say the damage to the centrifuges will delay their development and set back Irans nuclear program by about a year.





If the Mossad and Israeli Military Intelligence are responsible for the explosion as well as for other acts of sabotage and fires that may have originated in operations by underground organizations working with them, it is definitely an accomplishment for Israel. But it is a tactical, not a strategic, accomplishment.





Israel and the United States have been waging a covert and overt rearguard battle to disrupt and delay Irans nuclear program for decades. The toolbox used in this war, according to different reports, has included blowing up facilities and equipment, assassinating scientists, cyberwarfare, diplomacy, and sanctions that are badly hurting the Iranian economy. Yet despite all the difficulties in its path, Iran has not really been deterred and has continued to pursue its nuclear program, adjusting its pace to the circumstances.





Yet perhaps its time to change the concept that Iran aspires to assemble nuclear weapons at all costs. A glance at the history of nuclear weapons manufacture shows that all 11 countries that wished to build bombs did so within three to 10 years. These include the five major powers; Israel (according to foreign reports); India; Pakistan; and North Korea. Two countries, South Africa and Ukraine, voluntarily dismantled their nuclear weapons. Its hard to work out why Iran, which has extensive scientific knowhow, which surreptitiously obtained nuclear technology and whose scientists and universities are high level, has not been able to build a bomb in 30 years.





Maybe its time to infer that Iran could have assembled nuclear bombs long ago, but is not doing so  for reasons it is keeping to itself.





A year and a half after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power, Iraq invaded Iran. For the next eight years, Irans leaders were focused on this bloody war that caused a million casualties on both sides, and saw Iraq use chemical weapons against Iranian troops. Developing a nuclear bomb was not at the top of their agenda then. Some reports in Iran, which have not been solidly corroborated, say that Khomeini himself was reluctant to develop nuclear weapons, because he felt it would be counter to Islamic law, which calls to avoid harming innocents.





Whatever the truth may be, after Khomeinis death in 1989, the nuclear program was restarted by his successor Ali Khamenei. It has continued ever since, despite the attempts by Israel and the United States to obstruct it and despite opposition and condemnation from most of the international community.













When the Iraq war ended, a fierce debate ensued among Irans religious, political and military leadership as to what lessons should be drawn from it. The consensus answer was that since Irans cities had been bombarded by missiles, the country must develop all types of missiles for various ranges. It did so first with the aid of North Korea and later with its own impressive independent production. Another conclusion was that Iran should develop and produce chemical weapons (this is where the Israeli arms trader Nahum Manbar made his contribution, for which he went to prison) and the countermeasures to monitor and defend against them.





Another conclusion was that Iran should resume its nuclear program that had begun prior to the Revolution by the Shah regime.





In 2015, under pressure from the economic sanctions and under threat by Israel to bomb its nuclear sites, Iran signed the nuclear accord with the five major powers and Germany. The accord, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vehemently opposed, is in force for 10 years. It imposed drastic restrictions on Irans nuclear sites, technology and materials, and Iran upheld them.





When it was signed, Israeli intelligence believed Iran was three to six months away from producing its first nuclear bomb, and assessed that the accord pushed this capability three years down the line.





Since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the accord in May 2018 (the other signatories all still adhere to it) and forcefully renewed the sanctions, Iran has made some measured counter-moves, such as resuming development of advanced centrifuges. These are disturbing violations, but Iran has not withdrawn from the accord and is not breaking through and rushing to a bomb.





While the international and economic pressure, as well as the covert campaign, against Iran should continue, we must also acknowledge that Iran wants to become a nuclear threshold state, and for now is still extremely mixed over whether to build a nuclear bomb.





The Iranian dilemma is as follows: Irans leaders look to North Korea and see that a nuclear weapon is a guarantee for the regimes survival and a barrier against a military strike. But they also know that if Iran builds a nuclear weapon, it will incur the wrath not just of Israel and the West, but also of its friends Russia and China. The economic boycott of Iran will intensify and the general population will be hit even harder. Iran would become a pariah like North Korea and its rivals, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, will be spurred to develop their own nuclear weapons. And this Iranian uncertainty translates into a policy of walking on the brink: Staying a few months to a year away from building a nuclear bomb, but not actually assembling it.





Yet for Israel even a nuclear threshold is a nightmare and this is the reason why Israeli and U.S. intelligence will continue to try to sabotage Tehrans program.





Yossi Melman writes for Haaretz in Israel, where this piece first appeared


Princess Anne said it takes just 'ten or 15 minutes' to do her hair - as opposed to the two hours actress Erin Doherty spends getting hers styled to become the royal in Netflix's The Crown.

The Princess Royal admitted that she has seen the hit TV show documenting the life of her mother the Queen - played by Claire Foy and then Olivia Colman - and dubbed the earlier episodes 'quite interesting'.

But Anne said she doesn't watch The Crown any longer, and added: 'Actually I read an article the other day about the, I dont watch Netflix and The Crown, but the actress was talking about how long it took them to do their hair like I did.

'And Im thinking, "How could you possibly take that long?" I mean it takes me 10 or 15 minutes.'

Princess Anne (left) said it takes just 'ten or 15 minutes' to do her hair - as opposed to the two hours actress Erin Doherty (right) spends getting hers styled to become the royal in Netflix's The Crown

Anne made the comments in an ITV documentary by the Daily Mail's Robert Hardman marking her 70th birthday, and was quoted in The Times.

Anne (pictured) made the comments in an ITV documentary by the Daily Mail's Robert Hardman marking her 70th birthday

Actress Miss Doherty previously said in an interview with Town and Country that perfecting the Princess Royal's hair could 'take two hours' and dubbed it 'its own beast'.

Also in the documentary, Princess Anne has said she would not go on Twitter 'even if you paid me' as she discussed the pitfalls of trying to work through the lockdown.

Anne said she took part in virtual meetings online through the video-call app Zoom when public outings were banned but felt it was no substitute for face-to-face meetings.

'With online technology... being in touch is one thing but it's not quite the same,' she said. 'The ability to meet people, that's what makes the difference.

'I mean, I know what Twitter is but I wouldn't go anywhere near it if you paid me frankly.'

She suggested social media was adding to the pressures already faced by younger royals such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Sussexes.

She added: 'There was no social media in my day, so it probably has made it more difficult.'

In the documentary, the hard-working Princess Royal admitted she found lockdown tough but expressed sympathy with those she said had had it harder then herself.

Princess Anne and her then-fiance British Army Lieutenant Mark Phillips on the grounds of Buckingham Palace in 1973

Princess Anne's swipe at the use of social networking sites came as she discussed the pitfalls of trying to work through the lockdown

She was self-isolating at Gatcombe Park, her Gloucestershire residence, where she said there was 'plenty to do'.

But she added: 'It is frustrating... but it's not hard here  the idea of being stuck in a block of flats with small children, I can't imagine how difficult that would be.'

The documentary features unseen family footage and conversations with her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, and children Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, who told how their mother's decision not to give them titles had made them 'fight harder'.

Anne: The Princess Royal at 70 is on ITV1 at 9pm on Wednesday

She suggested social media was adding to the pressures already faced by younger royals such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Sussexes. Harry and Meghan are pictured above
27.07.2020 LISTEN

Son of the late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills, Samuel Atta Mills has revealed his love for former President John Dramani Mahama, leader and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress.

He said he is very close to the former president so much that they frequently call each other on phone.

Speaking on Power 97.9 FM with Mugabe Maase on the political talk show Inside Politics, monitored by Ghanapoliticsonline.com the late President's son revealed that he and the NDC leader stay near to each other, and with time he has become a father to him.

He also touched on the fact that John Mahama convinced him to come to Ghana and assist with the Atuabo Gas Project which has now become a sucess.

Sam Mills also shared memories of John Mahama calling him on his birthday asking him to come home for a celebration together.

He acknowledged the fact that John Mahama at any given time tries to emulate and follow the footsteps of his father John Attah Mills, which is also a good thing.

According to him, he has always believed in John Mahama because he has always shown the ability to achieve greater things and portrays a can do spirit.

---Ghanapoliticsonline.com
Ryanair Holdings Plc issued a stark assessment of the threat to airlines as they seek to rebound from the coronavirus crisis, saying its concerned that a series of local lockdowns followed by a second wave of infection will hold back the recovery from the pandemic.

Ryanair kicked off earnings season for European carriers Monday by posting a loss for the June quarter and saying it will lose money through the rest of the summer. While the restart of flights presents opportunities, the discount giant said its worried the virus could continue to roil demand for months to come.

A second wave of Covid-19 cases across Europe in late autumn, when the annual flu season commences, is our biggest fear right now, the Irish company said.

Britains surprise reintroduction of a quarantine for people arriving from Spain threatens to quell resurgent demand at carriers like Ryanair that are heavily reliant on holiday traffic, and shows how the industry is treading a tightrope as it resumes flying with the virus still raging. The company said the situation could be further compounded by adverse trading consequences if the U.K. completes its exit the European Union without a trade deal in January.

Shares of Ryanair, which deploys 4% of group-wide capacity on U.K.-Spain flights, according to Citigroup analyst Mark Manduca, fell 2.8% as of 8:01 a.m. in Dublin, while Luton, England-based EasyJet Plc, which has 5% of its seats in that market, was down 12%. Jet2 owner Dart Group Plc was 8.9% lower and package-holiday operator TUI AG was off 7.5%.

IAG SA, which owns British Airways Spanish network operator Iberia, lost 7.7%.

Ryanair, which predicted air travel will remain depressed for two or three years at least, had a loss of 185 million euros ($217 million) in the fiscal first quarter, when its jets were largely idled and the customer count fell 99%.

While thats better than the 200 million euro-loss that the company forecast in May, the International Air Transport Association, among other trade groups, sees the crisis persisting for longer than first forecast, with bigger overall losses.

Story continues

Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Daniel Roeska said in a note that Ryanairs numbers offer some comfort to investors and that the carrier is better-positioned than most to withstand negative shocks, but not immune.

Ryanair, Europes biggest low-cost airline, restarted timetabled flights on July 1 and said in the statement it will operate about 40% of the normal schedule this month, rising to 60% in August and  hopefully  70% in September.

Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan said the companys aircraft are currently flying 70% full, compared with 97% in July last year. Bookings are also coming very late amid the uncertainty surrounding the reopening of borders and lingering restrictions on travel, though that should be positive for fares.

Very Keen

There is a lot of pent-up demand, Sorahan said in an interview. Were seeing people, particularly those visiting friends and relations, very very keen to travel. Setbacks such as the U.K. quarantine on Spanish arrivals will however dent confidence for a period of time.

Ryanair had 3.9 billion euros in cash at the end of June, up from 3.8 billion euros at the end of March, after locking down operations and tapping a U.K. government-backed loan. While there are no immediate plans to raise further funds, it will consider some refinancing to repay the British facility in March, as well as a bond maturing next summer, Sorahan said.

The company, which has 135 Boeing Co. 737 Max jets on order, reiterated that it still wants to take them even after the model was grounded in the wake of two fatal crashes. Discussions on compensation are continuing, and the CFO said the airline is open to a follow-on order if priced appropriately.

More must-read international coverage from Fortune :

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Fears of flooding were back among residents of Dandekar bridge and adjoining settlements as Ambil Odha, an upstream, overflowed again with heavy rainfall in the city on Saturday.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the Shivajinagar centre recorded a rainfall of 36 mm during Saturday evening. Heavy rainfall led to the flooding of low lying areas of Bibvewadi, Sahakarnagar, Katraj, Dandekar bridge area from where Ambil Odha traverses. The administration had to stop traffic flow on Shaneshwar Temple bridge for some time as the nullah was overflowing with rainwater, eyewitnesses said.

Heavy rains lashed the city on Saturday and post lockdown many residents who stepped out for shopping were caught unaware in the hour of rain which led to flooding in several parts of the city. According to Bibvewadi-Sahakarnagar ward office, residents living in the adjoining area of Ambil Odha were shocked to see the nullah overflowing in just a span of one hour.

Nitin Kadam, area resident and NCP president of Parvati constituency said, We have been warning the residents and PMC about the impending floods for a long time. The PMC has not completed the fencing wall work and it is one of the main reasons that the low lying areas get inundated during heavy rains. Yesterday, the nullah overflowed and water was quite rough. We appeal to the PMC to install flood sensors and warning sensors for the citizens on a permanent basis.

Due to waterlogging, the ward officials, staffers and local residents stopped traffic flow at different spots as a precautionary move to prevent commuters from being washed away.

Kanhaiylal Harilal Lakhani, ward officer, Dhankawadi- Sahakar nagar ward office said, We had cleaned Ambil Odha pre-monsoon which led to the smooth flow of rainwater. The construction of the retaining wall work will be taken after monsoon season as per the policy decision. However, with heavy rains there are strong chances of flooding and commuters must be cautious while crossing the bridge.

Another resident Pradeep Raote from Parvati said, Heavy rain for an hour created a flood-like situation here. This rekindled last years flood memories among locals.

The PMC had appointed a private agency PriMove which identified 77 illegal constructions along the Ambil Odha (stream), which caused the flash floods on September 25, 2019 wherein 26 people died in the floods.

The Pune-based firm was given the task to carry out the survey of Ambil Odha and the reports were submitted to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) The PMC later issued notices to all the owners of these encroachments. According to PMC officials, PriMove has considered 20 metres as the width of the stream while conducting the survey.

According to the citys development plan of 1987, the width of the Ambil Odha was fixed at 18 metres and permission of construction was given accordingly.

The PMC Engineers department later demolished some illegal settlement but it was described as eyewash by citizen activists. A section of area residents also claimed that they had legal documents to prove property ownership and the PMC action was aimed at spreading fear amongst the poor slum dwellers.
Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of the vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII), has said his company would "keep more than enough" doses of the coronavirus vaccine for the Parsi community.

Poonawalla's statement came after producer Ronnie Screwvala tagged him on Twitter and said, "On a lighter note, Since Parsi's are to be Extinct race (Though the average age of Parsi's show otherwise) there is a lobby that as the vaccine does come in there will be a special quota under-saving from extinction race-& why not if a Parsi is at the forefront of it".

On a lighter note -since Parsi's are to be an Extinct race (though avg age of Parsi's show otherwise) there is a lobby that as vaccine does come in there will be a special Quota under saving from extinction Race-&why not if a Parsi is at the forefront of it @adarpoonawalla - Ronnie Screwvala (@RonnieScrewvala) July 26, 2020

On which, Poonawalla replied, "Yes, Ronnie Screwvala, we will keep more than enough for the community". Poonawalla added, "Our production capacity of just one day will be enough to cover every Parsi on the planet...given the size of our community!".

Yes, @RonnieScrewvala, we will keep more than enough for the community. Our production capacity of just one day will be enough to cover every Parsi on the planet...given the size of our community! https://t.co/qkCDrynMeW - Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) July 26, 2020

Meanwhile, Poonawalla's father Cyrus has reportedly agreed to set aside 60,000 vials of COVID-19 vaccine exclusively for the Parsi community to which he belongs.

Recently, Poonawalla said the SII aimed to manufacture 300 million to 400 million doses by the year-end, following the success of initial and licensure trials. The 39-year-old CEO also added that SII will be able to manufacture one billion doses for India and nearly 70 low and middle-income countries. The high prevalence of COVID-19 infections in Mumbai and Pune will help test the efficacy of the vaccine, SII said.

The SII has partnered with AstraZeneca for the manufacturing of the Oxford vaccine candidate for coronavirus. Last week, Oxford University announced satisfactory progress with the vaccine. According to a report by reputed medical journal Lancet, the initial trial results showed that the vaccine was safe and promoted a protective immune response.

Also read: Rafale jets' first batch to reach India this week; Indian pilots take off from France

Also read: Govt bans 47 more Chinese apps; 250 more, including PUBG, on radar
Earlier this year, as it became clear that the coronavirus pandemic was not going to pass quickly, the Japanese government delayed plans for what would be the first state visit by a Chinese leader to Tokyo since 2008.

Now, with Chinese military aggression rising in the region and Beijing cracking down on Hong Kong, Japan is considering canceling Xi Jinpingas visit altogether a but very gingerly.

aWe are not in the phase of arranging a concrete schedule nowa was how Toshimitsu Motegi, the foreign minister, put it this month.

While its top allies have taken a harder line on China a especially the United States, which dramatically escalated tensions this past week by closing the Chinese Consula ..

It has abandoned plans to purchase an American missile defence system, which in part had been considered a shield against China. And the government has continued to tiptoe around the issue of the state visit by Xi, even as polls show that most Japanese believe it should be scrapped.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan residents experience confusion and anxiety as businesses, schools, and organizations re-open. Leaders want to ensure a safe environment to stop the spread of COVID-19 but struggle to understand best practices. Customers and employees must be physically and emotionally safe on location.

Grand Rapids-based Safe Science is a science-driven, facility health service that enables people to confidently use buildings. The company applies a rigorous system to sanitize facilities and then enables employers and property owners to communicate why people can feel safe. Developed by sanitary scientists from leading food service companies, Safe Science combines highly effective sanitizing protocols with communication tools so people know why they can confidently use offices, schools, and stores.

"As companies re-open and COVID levels spike again, employees and consumers need to feel safe and comfortable to be productive," said Jan Lehman, board member at Safe Science. "Our science-based sanitization system helps prevent the spread of COVID-19, fulfills government guidelines and is environmentally healthy."

Scientists at Safe Science bring experience developing sanitary processes for leading multinational food processors. They have led large-scale disinfection initiatives remediating e. coli, listeria, and salmonella and are registered sanitarians with the State of Michigan. Their expertise makes Safe Science effective at limiting risk and ensuring compliance.

"We're combining safe and effective chemistry and medical-grade UV lighting with digitally tracking all activities for end-to-end traceability", said Jeremy Lehman, general manager. "The system protects people and equips our clients to make their customers and residents confident."

Board Member of Safe Science, Jan Lehman, is available to speak on:

How businesses can create a safe environment for their employees and customers.

What employees shouldn't do at their reopened workplace.

Sanitizers and disinfectants that are safe for human health and the environment.

Safety procedures at home, as we're returning back to work.

ABOUT SAFE SCIENCE

Safe Science uses a triple sanitation protocol to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other pathogens. To ensure safety, Safe Science verifies results with testing and provides a digital Safety Dashboard for clients to share with employees and customers. Safe Science also provides training and audit services to independently verify facility health. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Safe Science serves assisted living and schools with food service, food processors, offices, residential, and retail throughout Michigan. Visit SafeScience.com to learn more.

SOURCE Safe Science

Related Links

http://safescience.com


The Biberaj Foundation is proud to support this innovative and exciting program. Like countless other families that emigrated to the United States, our family is very appreciative of the opportunities that America has given us and the success we have achieved.

The competitive Biberaj Family Scholarship provides for a total of 40 scholarship awards, granted over four years, to students with strong academic records and demonstrating financial need. Thirty-six of the scholarship awards will be granted to students of Albanian descent from Tropoja, Plava, Gucia, Presheva, Tetova, Shkup, and rural parts of Kosova, and four to students from minority groups in Kosova. It is the goal of the Biberaj Family Scholarship to grant a minimum of fifty percent and up to seventy-five percent of the scholarships to women. Preference in receiving a scholarship will be given to students interested in Science, Engineering, Technology, Math and Journalism concentrations.

Mr. Ken Biberaj, a spokesman for the Biberaj Foundation stated that, The Biberaj Foundation is proud to support this innovative and exciting program. Like countless other families that emigrated to the United States, our family is very appreciative of the opportunities that America has given us and the success we have achieved. This scholarship aims to provide a truly global experience for these young people, with a strong emphasis on women and those prioritizing course work in science, engineering, technology, math and journalism.

RIT Kosovo (A.U.K.) will administer the scholarship and be responsible for recruiting the students. The College will provide Room and Board.

The RIT Kosovo (A.U.K) President, Dr. Kamal Shahrabi, upon establishment of the Biberaj Family Scholarship thanked the Biberaj Foundation by stating: I am very happy and appreciative that the Biberaj Foundation has selected RIT Kosovo (A.U.K) to be the institution of their choice to provide the education to the recipients of the Biberaj Family Scholarship. The generosity of the Biberaj Foundation will enable 40 youngsters of Kosovo and the region to receive an exceptional American education near home with the opportunity to get U.S. experience as well. The Biberaj Foundation generosity is a clear indication that the Biberaj family counts on our graduates for a better future in Kosovo and the region. Thank you for placing your trust and support in RIT Kosovo (A.U.K.) to turn the passion of the recipients of the Biberaj Family Scholarship into a career.

As requirements of the Biberaj Family Scholarship, each student will spend one month each summer between each academic year, working to support community service in their home region, and each student will be required to complete a Capstone project by the end of their fourth year. Additionally, each student will spend one academic semester studying in the U.S. under RIT Kosovo (A.U.K.) Global Scholar Program at the Rochester Institute of Technologys New York campus. To maintain his or her scholarship, each student will need to maintain a superior grade point average.

This merit-based financial need scholarship is open to anyone who meets the following requirements:



Is of Albanian descent from one of the following regions: rural parts of Kosova, Tropoja, Plava, Gucia, Presheva, Tetova, and Shkup, or is from one of the minority groups of Kosova.

Completes RIT (A.U.K)s application specifically for this program.

Able to demonstrate an outstanding academic record and achievements.

Has been active in extra-curricular activities.

Must have completed a High School Degree by the time of scholarship award.

Able to demonstrate financial need.

Proficient in spoken and written English at the time of application. The application, selection process, and interview are all conducted in English.

Able to demonstrate strong mathematical skills.

An announcement with more information and access to the online applications for the 2021-2022 academic year, will become available at https://kosovo.rit.edu/

About the Biberaj Foundation Inc.

The Biberaj Foundation Inc, founded as a not-for-profit in 2017, provides educational opportunities for qualified students of Albanian descent, living in the Balkans, to receive scholarship assistance for study in undergraduate and graduate programs leading to a degree at United States colleges and universities.

About RIT Kosovo (A.U.K)

Founded in 2002, RIT Kosovo (A.U.K) delivers an outstanding American education for students from Kosovo and the world through innovative curricular, experiential, and research programs in a student-centered culture. RITK is also supported by the U.S. public charity organization, The American University in Kosovo Foundation Inc,.

Contact: Visar Jasiqi, Chief Development Officer at RIT Kosovo (A.U.K)

+383 49 238 248 | +15854549142 | vjasiqi@auk.org | vxjcad@rit.edu
tech2 News Staff

A new study has found a connection between people with low levels of vitamin D and their development of coronavirus and their subsequent hospitalization.

The team of researchers studied vitamin D levels in 7,807 people  out of which 782 were tested COVID-19 positive and 7,025 were negative. They found that the average plasma vitamin D level was significantly lower among those who tested positive for COVID-19 as compared to those that were negative. Previous studies have shown that taking vitamin D supplements and spending 30 minutes in the sun could be helpful.

The study, authored by researchers from the Leumit Health Services (LHS) and the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University, Israel, has been published in the FEBS Journal.

Vitamin D, popularly called the sunshine vitamin, is produced naturally by the body when exposed to the sun. It is also present in certain foods like fish, eggs and fortified dairy products. Normal vitamin D levels reduce the risk of getting a range of diseases, including the flu, infections, multiple sclerosis, heart conditions, autoimmune diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity and age-related cognitive decline. Vitamin D is also helpful to prevent diseases linked to bone and calcium metabolism. The liver converts vitamin D into a useable form, Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (or calcidiol), which is also what most vitamin D blood tests look for, including the test used by the researchers in the study.

Dr Eugene Merzon, one of the study's lead researchers from LHS, told International Business Times that their main finding was a "significant connection between low plasma vitamin D level and the likelihood of COVID-19 infection among patients who were tested for COVID-19."

Researchers adjusted the data they collected for differences in age, gender, socio-economic status, and chronic, mental and physical disorders in the study patients. While the link was significant for the risk of infection, it was less significant in cases of hospitalisation.

"Low vitamin D level was associated with the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 infection, although this association wasn't significant after adjustment for other confounders," Merzon added.

"Our finding is in agreement with the results of previous studies in the field. Reduced risk of acute respiratory tract infection following vitamin D supplementation has been reported," Dr Ilan Green, Head of the LHS Research Institute said.

The study also found that there were two groups of people infected with the coronavirus  those who were in the twenties and older people in their fifties.

"Interestingly, the two-peak distributions for age groups were demonstrated to confer increased risk for COVID-19: around ages 25 and 50 years old," said Dr Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern told Israel National News. "The first peak may be explained by high social gathering habits at the young age. The peak at age 50 years may be explained by continued social habits, in conjunction with various chronic diseases."

The next step in this study will be to evaluate mortality due to COVID-19 in Israel.

Follow LIVE updates on coronavirus here

Also read: Some scientists think that Vitamin D may help protect people against COVID-19 but the results are inconclusive
ISTANBUL - Islamists in Turkey have launched a campaign calling on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to bring back the Caliphate, an institution of the Ottoman Empire that was abolished by the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The campaign comes on the heels of the Turkish government's controversial decision to convert Istanbul's symbolic Hagia Sophia monument, a former Christian basilica, back into a mosque following decades in use as a museum.

The strongest initiative came in Monday's edition of the weekly Gercek Kayat - tied to the ultraconservative, pro-government daily Yeni Safak - with a red front-page running the headline "Let's Rally for the Caliphate" and the subtitle "If not now, when, if not you, who?" The message also ran in English and Arabic, showing the intention of sending a message on an international scale to the Muslim world. Also on the cover was the phrase "Now Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) and Turkey are free". The cover is provoking strong debate on social media, where the hashtag "Caliphate" in Turkish is trending.

Meanwhile, the massive flow of Muslim faithful to the Hagia Sophia is continuing, following the opening for prayer last Friday. Thousands of people visited the mosque over the weekend and into Monday for ritual Muslim prayers. Tourists and the simply curious also turned out to look at the building's new look, with its nearly 2,000 square metres of marble floor covered in a Turkish carpet on which the faithful can kneel, as in every mosque; as well as Christian icons covered by curtains.



Many faithful are also gathering outside the building in the adjoining Sultanahmet Square. In recent hours, various Turkish experts have expressed concern over the risks tied to gatherings, after Erdogan said 350,000 people participated in the inauguration. Teams of technicians in the municipality of Fatih, where the Hagia Sophia is located, carried out several disinfections of the structure in the intervals between prayers.
"CSX worked closely with Operation Homefront to evolve our shared efforts to meet the needs of military families safely and effectively, as the nation continues to be challenged by COVID-19," said Bryan Tucker, Vice President of Corporate Communications at CSX.

As families nationwide prepare for the start of another  although arguably very different  school year, CSX will join Operation Homefront to distribute more than 1,000 backpacks and essential school supplies to military children in Jacksonville, Florida; Clarksville, Tennessee; and Fayetteville, North Carolina as a part of Operation Homefronts annual Back-to-School Brigade (BTSB).

"We are so grateful for the generosity of the CSX Corporation who has stepped up for another year, through their Pride In Service campaign, to help us serve these very deserving military families at a time when unexpected deployments, unemployment and reduced work hours, along with the other stresses of military life, have hit them very hard, said Margi Kirst, Chief Development Officer of Operation Homefront. These donated supplies will help our military children have a strong start to their school year, while easing the parents financial burden of the back-to-school season.

The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a huge toll on military families. This year, more than ever, these deserving families will benefit from a program that helps offset finances they would normally use for school supplies and allow them to apply their funds to other critical needs. As part of Operation Homefronts mission to build strong, stable, and secure military families, the Back-to-School Brigade program is supported by CSX and its Pride in Service initiative to ensure military families receive the support they need  when and where they need it.

"CSX worked closely with Operation Homefront to evolve our shared efforts to meet the needs of military families safely and effectively, as the nation continues to be challenged by COVID-19," said Bryan Tucker, Vice President of Corporate Communications at CSX. "We are proud to continue to positively impact military children through our Pride in Service initiative and these Back-to-School Brigades."

The BTSB is Operation Homefronts nationwide collection of school supplies and backpacks that are distributed to the children of military families as well as to all ranks of wounded, ill or injured veterans and their families. The annual program is sponsored by national partners Dollar Tree and SAIC and during this years campaign, Operation Homefront will distribute its 400,000th backpack since 2008, saving military families more than $50 million in back to school expenses.

This years Back-to-School Brigade events will have a different look relative to past programs to adhere to all federal, state and local COVID-19 guidelines. Events will be delivered in a drive-through format with volunteers following CDC guidelines.

About Operation Homefront: Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive  not simply struggle to get by  in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 91 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves Americas military families. For more information, visit http://www.OperationHomefront.org.

About CSX: CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier transportation company. It provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including energy, industrial, construction, agricultural, and consumer products. For nearly 200 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nations economic expansion and industrial development. Its network connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nations population resides. It also links more than 230 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and farming towns alike. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at http://www.csx.com.
A woman reportedly maced a couple having a picnic in a California park because they were not wearing face masks.

Ash OBrien and her husband Jarrett Kelley were eating a picnic at the Dusty Rhodes Dog Park near San Diego, when they were confronted by a woman wearing a black face mask.

Under governor Gavin Newsoms order, all California residents must wear a face mask when they leave their home and are unable to stand six feet away from others, to help prevent further spread of Covid-19.

California has been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic in the last month, and the state has recorded more than 459,000 cases, as at least 8,451 people have died after contracting the virus.

The woman told the couple that they needed to be wearing a mask and should be social distancing, but Ms OBrien told ABC. we were social distancing  there was no one near us.

She added: We were not wearing masks because we were eating. You cant wear a mask and eat at the same time.

Ms OBrien said that the woman left after the initial confrontation, but came back a few minutes later and maced Mr Kelley.

She just came up without saying anything and just stuck the Mace can right in front of my face, Ms OBrien said.

My husband, being a good guy, walked in front of her and was like, Hey, calm down please dont do this  and then she grabbed him and just starting macing him. She used the entire can on him, she added.

Ms OBrien said that her husband suffered injuries in the incident and added: we drove to the hospital. He got treated and everything.

The incident was filmed by a woman who was passing the area, and she shouted: Whats wrong with you, lady?!

As Ms OBrien could be heard crying in the background, the woman filming the incident added: What are you doing? You cannot be serious! You just Maced them!

The couple filed a police report and Ms OBrien told ABC: I want her to go to jail  she assaulted my husband, and Im angry about it.
The Supreme Court (SC) will decide today (August 28) at 10:30 am on a plea by Yuva Sena and others against the University Grants Commission (UGC) decision on final year university examinations amidst the Coronavirus outbreak.

Shiv Senas youth wing Yuva Sena had on July 18 filed a writ petition in the SC against the UGC decision to conduct final year examinations by the end of September.

It is not just Yuva Sena which has filed a petition but also several other individual petitioners who have moved the SC to seek relief against the mandatory holding of examinations for final year students. UGC is the apex body that takes all examination-related decisions for university students.

Why is the UGC decision being opposed?

In its statement, Yuva Sena said that the central government was ignoring the "physical and mental health and anxieties and safety of students" in conducting the examinations even as India remains the third worst-hit nation.

The organisation stated that there is a risk of transmission of COVID-19 since both the students and the exam invigilators will have to travel, and called for students to be promoted on the basis of aggregate of marks scored in this academic year.

Individual petitioners have also expressed concerns about examination centres being a potential safety hazard for students especially at a time when India has crossed 1 million positive COVID-19 cases.

Further, the proposal by UGC to either hold the exams online or offline or blended has not gone down well with students and institutions. Questions have been raised about how examinations will be held online in locations with poor internet connectivity and who would be responsible to provide laptop/computer to students who dont have access to such devices.

What was UGC's decision?

On July 7, UGC said that the end-term examination for all final-year students would have to be mandatorily held by the end of September 2020 in offline (pen & paper), online or blended mode.

Under a new UGC directive, in case a student is not able to appear for examinations, he/she would be given an opportunity to appear for a special examination by the institution at a later date.

Then, on many occasions, the UGC sounded a warning note -- that not accepting its decision would put the future of students at risk. The body also said that its decision would be binding on all universities.

In fact, UGC had said on July 15 that 640 universities have shared their status on the examinations so far. Of these, 454 have said that they will either be conducting them or have already held them while 177 have said that they are yet to take a decision.

What do the petitioners want?

Prior to the UGC's decision, state governments like that of Maharashtra had cancelled examinations for final year university students citing the Disaster Management Act.

On June 26, Maharashtra state government had allowed universities to pass final-year students based on the performance in past semesters and internal assessments. State chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had said that this decision had the backing of the vice chancellors of universities across Maharashtra.

The petitioners like Yuva Sena want the UGC to allow individual state governments to pass the final year students based on the candidates past performance and not insist on mandatorily holding examinations amidst the health crisis.

There is also a justification given by petitioners that when board examinations and first year/second year university examinations could be cancelled, then why not that for the final year students.

Moneycontrol had reported earlier how the uncertainty about conducting the examinations is affecting students.

SC is expected to give its final decision on the matter. UGCs decision to hold examinations has been taken after consultation with the Ministry of Education that has approved this.
Samsung could end up the biggest beneficiary of ongoing tensions over 5G equipment between the East and West. Thats according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, citing industry analysts.

The potential market upheaval stems from the fact that, as a South Korean company building, Samsung builds all of its 5G equipment at home. So the company isnt necessarily impacted by ongoing international sanctions against China. Or by potential sanctions coming from China.

How does its geographic location a benefit for Samsung in the 5G market?

The location of Samsungs business is important for several reasons. The US and UK have both banned Huawei 5G networking equipment. The EU is expected to follow in short order. Both of those decisions come down to the fact that US sanctions prevent Huawei from working with well-established, long-time partners. Instead, theyre being forced to search out novel solutions and lesser-known partners.

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The argument posited by most opponents of the use of Huawei equipment is that those third-parties are untested, unknown, and therefore untrustworthy. Many of those are also based in China.

If the EU does ultimately ban Huawei equipment, China may choose to impose similar bans on Ericsson and Nokia. That would leave Samsung in a position to potentially sell equipment on both sides of the conflict.

Industry analysts point out that Samsung has already made headway, even before the UK decided to ban Huawei. Market research firm DellOro Group notes that Samsung controls roughly a seventh of the overall market. Huaweis market share is twice that. But, as noted above, Huaweis market share could feasibly begin to slip if sanctions remain in place.

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Moreover, analysts note that Samsung is bolstering its 5G equipment offerings and has signed as many as four new deals on 5G equipment over the past eight months. Most notably in Canada and New Zealand.

The company has also been discussing deals with some European carriers. That includes in the UK if the opportunity presents itself, according to Samsung executive vice president Kim Woo-June, who has said as much in a recent discussion with a British parliamentary committee.

That position could improve with next-gen tech too

Currently placed in fourth globally in the industry, Samsung has obvious advantages in the 5G equipment space. And its ambitions on that front could help it to better compete directly with Huawei in regions where the latter company has been banned. But that isnt just for 5G. Samsungs ambitions for 6G have also already been laid out. And those align very well with Huaweis.

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That gives Samsung more potential advantages moving forward. Especially if it can get the pricing right and if tensions and sanctions continue beyond 5G.
Mayank Singh and Pushkar Banakar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Five Rafale Fighters left France on Monday for India which includes three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft.



Indian Air Force officially stated, The first five Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafales have taken off from Dassault Aviation Facility, Merignac, France, today morning.



The ferry of the aircraft is planned in two stages and will be undertaken by the pilots of the IAF, who have undergone comprehensive training on the aircraft. The Air to Air Refuelling planned during the first leg of the ferry will be undertaken by these pilots with dedicated tanker support from the French Air Force.



The aircraft are likely to arrive at Air Force Station, Ambala, on 29 Jul 20 subject to weather. No 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, is being raised at this base equipped with Rafale aircraft. The Air Force added.

The first 5 IAF Rafales have taken off from Dassault Aviation Facility, Merignac, France today morning. These 5 include 3 single-seater and 2 twin-seater aircraft. The ferry is planned in two stages & is being undertaken by IAF pilots: Indian Air Force pic.twitter.com/OVDfMtF9xc  ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2020

Indian Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf on oversaw the departure of Rafale fighter planes from France to India. Our Air Force pilots tell us these are extremely swift, nimble, very versatile and deadly aircraft. They are both beauty and beast. They are superb flying machines being flown by the best pilots in the world, the Indian envoy said in a video released by the Indian embassy in France.



These fighters will add up to the already low of 30 Combat IAF Squadrons against the 42 sanctioned strength. These fighters have unmatched missile package and electronic warfare capabilities thus will add to the combat effectiveness and overall deterrence.

READ| Rafale jets to give teeth to IAFs combat capability



As per sources the command of the first Rafale fighters Squadron is being given to Group Captain Harkirat Singh. Group Captain Harkirat Singh was awarded Shaurya Chakra in 2009 for his brave act that helped save his MiG 21 Bison that had developed engine complications. Group Captain Singh has also flown Su-30 as well.



Around seven Indian pilots are said to be flying Rafales to India. Till now around 15-17 IAF pilots have been fully trained on the fighter aircraft from last year. The Twin Seater trainers have their serial numbers starting with RB which stands for Rakesh Bhadauria, the Present IAF Chief and the single seater starts with BS for Birender Singh, in the name of former IAf chief ACM BS Dhanoa.



The Aircraft will traverse total air distance of 4,528.50 miles (7,287.92 km).
An image from a video on Saturday of two Walmart shoppers wearing face coverings showing the Nazi swastika flag.

Facebook/Raphaela Mueller

Two shoppers were barred from Walmart for a year after wearing face coverings with the swastika symbol at a store in Marshall, Minnesota.

Video footage shows the shoppers being confronted by other customers, including one who says: "You can't be American and wear that mask. You cannot. We literally had a war about this."

The woman responded by framing her actions as a protest against mandatory masks: "If you vote for Biden, you're going to be in Nazi Germany. That's what it's going to be like."

Walmart called the incident "unacceptable" and said it made face coverings mandatory for customers "for their safety and the safety of others."

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Two shoppers who prompted confrontations with others for wearing swastika masks in a Minnesota store over the weekend have been barred from Walmarts nationwide.

The two were filmed Saturday in a store in Marshall, Minnesota, wearing loose face coverings featuring a black swastika in a white circle on a red background  the flag of the German Nazi Party.

When confronted, one woman said "I'm not a Nazi" and argued that their masks were a protest at the prospect of a Joe Biden presidency.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that police officers gave trespass notices to the 59-year-old man and 64-year-old woman, who have not been named.

The notice said they would face arrest if they returned to the store. The police did not pursue any charges against them.

A Walmart representative told the local NBC station KARE 11 that the two customers had been barred for one year.

The shoppers appeared to be acting in protest against being made to wear a mask, which is both a Walmart policy and a Minnesota mandate. The state requires people to wear masks at indoor businesses.

BuzzFeed News reported that the video was filmed by Benjamin Ruesch, 29. It was then posted to Facebook by Raphaela Mueller, 24, the vicar of a parish in southwest Minnesota.

Story continues

The video shows Ruesch saying to the two customers as they purchase their groceries: "You're sick. You have an illness. You can't be American and wear that mask. You cannot. We literally had a war about this."

The woman responds: "I'm not a Nazi. I'm trying to show you what's going to happen in America. If you vote for Biden, you're going to be in Nazi Germany. That's what it's going to be like."

The man then says: "We're living under a socialist state."

Biden has backed the wearing of masks as a measure to control the spread of the coronavirus. President Donald Trump has been more ambivalent about masks but has at times has supported them and worn one himself.

You can watch the video here:

Mueller, the vicar who posted the video, wrote on Facebook: " I was born and raised in Germany, and I grew up hearing about my great-grandmother who fought in the underground against the first wave of Nazis in the 1930s and 40s."

"Let me make this abundantly clear once and for all - THE SWASTIKA IS A HATE SYMBOL AND YOU DO NOT FLY THE FLAG, YOU DO NOT WEAR THE SYMBOL ANYWHERE ON YOUR BODY, YOU DO NOT USE OR DEFEND THIS SYMBOL, EVER. END OF STORY."

BuzzFeed News reported that the two customers were offered other disposable face masks but refused them and that the police were called after they became belligerent when asked to leave by Walmart staff.

Retail employees across the US have described abuse from customers who don't want to wear masks, including being yelled at and assaulted.

Walmart has required customers to wear face coverings in its stores since July 20.

But the company is still instructing workers to allow people without face coverings to enter its stores. It says they should continue serving customers who are not wearing masks to try to avoid a "physical confrontation."

Shoppers in Walmart.

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

In its statement to KARE 11 on Saturday, Walmart called the incident in Minnesota "unacceptable."

"We strive to provide a safe and comfortable shopping environment for all our customers and will not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment in any aspect of our business," it said.

"We are asking everyone to wear face coverings when they enter our stores for their safety and the safety of others and it's unfortunate that some individuals have taken this pandemic as an opportunity to create a distressing situation for customers and associates in our store."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo: Rob Kruyt/Business in Vancouver

A recent BC Supreme Court decision on Hells Angels property seizures indicates companies wanting trademark protections should be more like the Hells Angels, a Toronto lawyer and trademark agent says.

The case centered on seizures of Hells Angels clubhouses in Nanaimo, Kelowna and Vancouver but a central issue was who owned what. It dealt with possible forfeiture of property owned by three chapters of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in British Columbia on the basis that they were allegedly acquired from the proceeds of unlawful activity.

Among the items for which forfeiture was sought was paraphernalia displaying trademarks owned by the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.

Justice Barry Davies said in his June ruling the Oakland, California-based Hells Angels Motorcycle Corp. is a not-for-profit entity with no issued shares.

Its only assets are various Hells Angels trademarks of which it is the registered owner. Its main purpose is to protect those trademarks.

The Hells Angels have existed since the 1950s and began organizing into clubs the following decade.

Over those years the symbol by which the Hells Angels identified themselves also evolved and by 1969 was a detailed skull with an aviators cap that became known as the Death Head worn on the back of vests or jackets, Davies said.

That insignia, together with other insignia located on the back of those jackets or vests, indicating the location of the chapter to which a member belongs, became known as the colours of the Hells Angels, the judge said.

The jacket or vest upon which the colours were worn became known as the members patch. At times the descriptors colours or patch are synonymously used to refer to the jackets or vests upon which the insignia are worn.

The judge said by 1987 the Death Head insignia evolved to include the sewn-up mouth still used by members today.

As of March 31, 2016, the ruling said, there were 462 chapters of the Hells Angels in 56 countries worldwide with an estimated membership of over 6,000 individuals.

There are nine chapters in B.C., Davies said.

Under Hells Angels rules, only members may possess Hells Angels paraphernalia. The insignia and name are licensed to each chapter by a written agreement by the corporation. Individual members of each chapter must also sign licensing agreements.

CPST Intellectual Property firm lawyer Antonio Turco said in a July 22 commentary that Canadas Trademarks Act provides that the use of a trademark by a licensee is deemed to have the same effect as use by the owner of the trademark, provided that the owner maintains and exercises direct or indirect control over the character or quality of the goods or services in association with which the mark is used.

Turco said the act preserves a licensed marks distinctiveness by attributing any use of it to its owner.

Control over the character or quality of the goods and services provided by a licensee is key to any proper trademark licence in Canada, he said. The failure to allow for, or maintain, such control may lead to invalidation or expungement of trademark rights within Canada.

So what does that have to do with the Hells Angels?

The court found substantial evidence supporting the proposition that the Hells Angels, as an organization, does not tolerate the use of its trademarks by those who are not authorized to use or wear them, Turco said. The loss of any trademarked items by a member will also have serious consequences for that member, who must take all necessary steps to regain their possession.

For example, Turco said, Davies decision noted at least one instance where an individual member was directed to take care of an individual whod stolen the members vest and wore it while engaged in criminal acts.

Davies found that when a member retires, or his chapter expels him, he must return all trademarked items he has been entitled to possess.

This includes modifying tattoos depicting a corporation trademark.

Indeed, the case indicates best practices of trademark uses in Canada.

Turco said those include having a written licence agreement; specifying standards under which the trademark must be used; retaining inspection rights to ensure the standards are complied with; exercising control over the goods character or quality of the goods or services, in addition to having such provisions in the licence agreement; and having consequences for noncompliance.




TUC

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has asked the federal government to reverse the new stamp duties on house rents.

This was made public in a statement jointly signed by its President, Quadri Olaleye and the Secretary General, Musa-Lawal questioned the timing of the new fiscal measure.

According to the new stamp duties released by the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) rent between 1-7 years is 0.78%; above 7 to 21 years is 3%; above 21 years is 6%.

The Union leaders said while other countries are giving palatives to their citizens, Nigerian government intends to further burden the citizens.

We are calling on the federal government to immediately order the FIRS to stay action if it does not want to incur the wrath of workers and Nigerians.

We read that Ghanaians will not be paying for power throughout this year. Why is our case always different? Why increase our burden now? The union queried.
Months after Gov. Henry McMaster closed South Carolina's nightclubs to control the spread of the coronavirus, nightlife venues that promote themselves using that term continue to operate because state law doesn't say what a "nightclub" actually is.

According to state laws and the regulators who enforce them, although the executive order singles out nightclubs, no business in the Palmetto State can be definitively categorized as such.

It's a loophole big enough to sneak a procession of sashaying bottle-service waitresses through, sparklers and all.

"Right now, with nightclubs being closed, an owner could easily just say they (ran) a bar or restaurant and choose to open," Brook Bristow, a West Ashley attorney specializing in beverage law, told The Post and Courier.

The term "nightclub" appears just twice in South Carolina's Code of Laws, and neither instance defines the business.

Because of that, Bristow said, individual establishments that brand themselves as nightclubs and boast all the oontz-oontz elements (DJ booths, pricey magnums marched to the table and the like) have a lot of latitude to keep the party going  even while featuring the term prominently in their advertising materials.

In mid-May, immediately following the states reopening, Trio  which advertises itself on its website as "Charlestons premier multi-level nightclub"  drew public criticism and scrutiny from city officials for videos on social media that depicted patrons apparently disregarding social distancing. It quickly closed with a promise to reopen when safe.

Since then, many of these nightlife businesses in the Charleston area have reopened, including Trio. On social media and websites, they continue to promote themselves as "nightclubs," replete with VIP tables, bottle service, and, in recognition of COVID-19, safety and sanitation practices.

What about licenses? Department of Revenue spokeswoman Bonnie Swingle said the agencys Alcoholic Beverage Licensing arm issues no special license designating the holder as a nightclub. Those businesses, she said, could operate under a few different ABL licenses.

"Most nightclubs will carry the exact same (alcohol) licensing as any bar or restaurant would," Bristow said.

Popular nightlife spots, including Deco, Mynt and Trio, hold "business liquor by the drink" licenses, which allow the service of full-proof booze so long as the operation is "primarily engaged in the preparation and serving of meals." Other businesses, like Faculty Lounge and Mr. B's, are licensed as "non-profit (private club) liquor by the drink" establishments, which allows them to pour liquor without serving food.

But neither categorization confers ironclad nightclub status upon a business.

"To my knowledge, neither the courts nor the general assembly have defined nightclub,' " Swingle said.

A spokesperson for the governor did not respond to a request for clarification on McMasters intended definition of the term.

Without a clear definition of what a South Carolina nightclub is, there's no way to say how many there are  or how effective the governor's order to close them has been.

The S.C. Secretary of States website lists 37 businesses with either nightclub or night club in their legal names. Still, as the DORs Swingle pointed out, that keyword search would omit nightclubs that dont include the term in their names.

Bristow, added that local ordinances may more clearly define nightclubs than the state rules do.

Not in Charleston County, though: A county spokesperson confirmed the jurisdiction has no specific definition of a nightclub.

City of Charleston spokesman Jack O'Toole was unsure whether the city had any particular zoning or permitting restrictions that would demarcate a business as a nightclub.

At the state level, it's up to the State Law Enforcement Division to determine whether a business is flouting the nightclub order.

A spokesperson for SLED did not respond to a request for clarification on the criteria agents were using to identify nightclubs.

Some say the gray area creates problems for both would-be partiers and those sent to police them.

We believe some clarification on the meaning of nightclub will be helpful to both licensees and enforcement agents, said Ken Allen, a Columbia attorney and member of the National Association of Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Attorneys.

Allen is representing a North Myrtle Beach business disputing the DORs temporary suspension of its beer, wine and liquor license. The suspension was spurred by a SLED violation report, issued on July 4, for the "violation of the governors executive order  operating as a nightclub."

The report did not spell out the operations that had drawn SLED's attention in the first place. But advertising certainly played a part: attached to the report was a screenshot from the business' Instagram page promoting it as "North Myrtle Beach's Best Rooftop Nightclub."
During the virtual event, Sarelli will lead an expert panel in discussing the current state of human trafficking across the globe and what people can do to identify trafficking and help end it. Featured speakers include Rosi Orozco, former Mexican congresswoman and current author and activist against human trafficking; Rachel Garcia, president of Reintegra USA and activist against human trafficking; and Rebecca Bender, human trafficking survivor, author, and founder of the Rebecca Bender Initiative.

Sarelli is a vocal advocate against bullying and human trafficking and has used her platform as Miss Connecticut Teen USA to raise awareness of these global atrocities. She currently hosts a video series on her social media platforms, "Human Trafficking: Victims Without Voices," through which she approaches this important topic, sharing interviews with victims of human trafficking and her insights on the matter.

"The work that the United Nations has done and continues to do to raise awareness of and put an end to human trafficking is critical work that we all must pay attention to," said Sarelli. "By becoming more aware of the signs of human trafficking and doing our part to alert the appropriate authorities when something doesn't look or feel right, we can save so many lives and so much human potential. I am proud to offer this event as part of the UN's World Day Against Trafficking Persons to help bring awareness to this global crisis."

Those looking to attend the forum can access the meeting using Zoom meeting ID 739 723 0310 and the password LOVE. To learn more about the event and to follow Samantha Sarelli, follow her on Twitter @missctteenusa.

About Miss Connecticut Teen USA

Eighteen year old Samantha Sarelli is the reigning Miss Connecticut Teen USA 2020. She is a rising sophomore at Trinity College who plans to double major in Economics and Political Science with a minor in Human Rights. After graduation, Samantha hopes to attend Yale Law School to pursue a career as a civil rights attorney. As a first generation Albanian American, she is proud of her Albanian family and heritage. Samantha speaks three languages. Her two main causes that she supports are Bullying and human trafficking prevention. She created the Instagram account "Spread Kindness with Sam" to share inspiring stories and spread awareness of people who have been bullied. Samantha also started a video series called "Human Trafficking: Victims without Voices" to shed light on this global phenomenon impacting women and children around the world. She is an avid activist against human trafficking.

Press Contact:

Alma Mekshi

(203) 461-4081

https://www.missconnecticutusa.com/currentmissctteenusa

SOURCE Miss Connecticut Teen USA

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A defector returning home from South Korea has been quarantined with COVID-19 symptoms. South Korean police is investigating the 24-year-old over rape allegations involving a North Korean female defector. Pyongyang and Seoul are investigating the incident. Until now, the North had always denied cases of contagion in the country.

Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies)  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has declared a state of maximum emergency against the coronavirus, state agency KCNA reported yesterday.

The decision was taken on Saturday at an urgent meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers Party after a defector returned from South Korea possibly infected with COVID-19.

The defector was spotted on 19 July in the border town of Kaesong. According to press reports, he swam across the border from the island of Gwanghwa, on the western coast. The 24-year-old allegedly evaded South Korean border controls by going through a drain that runs under a barbed wire fence, the same method he used in 2017 to escape from the North.

The man, who is now in quarantine, is under investigation by the South Korean police for allegedly raping a North Korean female defector last month.

The authorities of the two countries have launched an inquiry into what happened along the demarcation line, a heavily fortified area. North Koreas Central Military Commission has said the military unit responsible for the border crossing will face severe punishment.

Until Kims emergency statement over the weekend, Pyongyang had always denied any cases of contagion, a claim questioned by the international scientific community.

After the outbreak of the pandemic in China in January, the North Korean regime closed its borders, and adopted strict quarantine measures for imported goods.

For several observers, the spread of the infection in North Korea threatens to stretch an already-burdened health system, which has been negatively affected by years of isolation and international sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons programme.
JOHANNESBURG, July 27 (Reuters) - Ivanhoe Mines is in talks with companies interested in its Western Forelands project in Democratic Republic of Congo's copper belt and its Platreef project in South Africa, the company said on Monday.

The Canadian exploration firm said it had received several expressions of interest in the Platreef palladium, platinum, nickel, copper, rhodium and gold project from streaming companies.

Ivanhoe is also continuing strategic discussions over its Kipushi copper project in Congo.

Ivanhoe's executive co-chairman Robert Friedland said surging copper, silver, and gold prices have triggered interest from various companies and lenders wanting to invest in the projects.

"That level of interest requires that we critically examine these opportunities, which we are now doing," he said in a statement.

Ivanhoe's fully-owned Western Forelands exploration licences range over 2,500 square kilometres next to the company's Kamoa-Kakula project in Congo's copper belt.

Ivanhoe holds 64% of the Platreef project through its subsidiary Ivanplats.

The Kipushi project, which also contains zinc, silver, lead, and germanium, is owned 68% by Ivanhoe Mines, with the remainder held by the Congo's state-owned mining company, Gecamines.

(Reporting by Helen Reid; editing by David Evans)
The Management of the Bolgatanga Technical University in the Upper East Region has called on the government to grant the institution financial clearance to employ more staff in preparation towards admission of the first batch of Free Senior High Students for September this academic year.



The Chairman of the Governing Council of the institution, Professor Francis Abantanga and the Interim Vice Chancellor, Professor Samuel Alnaa, jointly made the call during the virtual congregation ceremony held at the universitys campus at Sumbrungu, last Saturday.



Whilst commending the government for granting the institution a full university status in April this year, the Chairman of the Governing Council and the Interim Vice Chancellor stressed that it would be very challenging to effectively handle the first batch of the Free Senior School students to be admitted this academic year with the current staff strength and infrastructure of the school.



The Bolgatanga Technical University is seriously constrained with lecture hall space and the anticipated increase in students numbers next academic year as a result of the graduation of the first batch of the free SHS will be challenging. We will also need to be allowed to employed more staff, especially lecturers to augment inadequate number on the grounds, the Chairman of the Governing Council indicated.



The Interim Vice Chancellor on his part further implored the National Council for Tertiary Institution (NCTE) to, as a matter of urgency, conduct the staff audit assessment as it had been done with the other public universities to pave way for the migration of the staff of the new university to also benefit from the Single Spine Salary Structure.



Professor Alnaa disclosed that from the beginning of the academic year in September 2020, the university would admit students to offer one- and- half- year new Bachelor of Technology top- up programmes.



He mentioned them as Bachelor of Technology in Computerised Accounting, Bachelor of Technology in Marketing, Bachelor of Technology in Secretaryship and Management Studies, Bachelor of Technology in Supply Change Management, Bachelor of Technology in Hospitality Management, Bachelor of Technology in Ecological Agriculture, Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering and Bachelor of Technology in Building Technology.



He stated that the technical university in addition would run four- year programmes of Bachelor of Technology in Hospitality Management, Bachelor of Technology in Ecological Agriculture, Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering, Agricultural Engineering and Bachelor of Technology in Building Technology.



This institution in the new academic year in September will also admit students to pursue Higher National Diploma Programmes in Medical Laboratory Technology, Banking and Finance, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Automobile Engineering, the Interim Vice Chancellor disclosed.



He admonished the 362 graduands not to rely on the government for employment, but to use the knowledge acquired at the school to create jobs to complement the governments efforts at job creation.

Source: The Ghanaian Times









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Vietnam Airlines airplanes which have been left idle because of Covid-19 could be used to carry cargo, offering benefits to both the air carrier and export companies.

The proposal was suggested by Choi Joo Ho, CEO of Samsung Vietnam, at a dialogue between the Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform and South Korean businesses in Vietnam on July 17.





Choi said many export companies in Vietnam are facing difficulties in importing materials needed for domestic production. As airlines have stopped providing international flights, including to Europe, the aviation logistics industry is facing big problems.



He proposed that Vietnam Airlines use its passenger airplanes to carry cargo.

Vietnam Airlines airplanes which have been left idle because of Covid-19 could be used to carry cargo, offering benefits to both the air carrier and export companies.

The South Korean business community has made a noteworthy proposal related to the loosening of entry conditions for businesspeople from the country.

According to Kocham, which represents South Korean businesses in Vietnam, businesspeople now have to spend big money and time on quarantine, two weeks in South Korea and two weeks in Vietnam, which makes it impossible for them to travel between the two countries.



Kocham asked the government of Vietnam to remove the policy or shorten the time of quarantine for businesspeople connected to investments and technologies. Investment projects need to be implemented quickly or opportunities will be missed.



Kocham also complained that specialists sent to Vietnam for short-term working courses are bearing double taxation. This explains why many businesses dont want to send specialists to Vietnam.



Under the current laws, when real investment capital is much higher or lower than the registered capital, investors must report this to appropriate agencies and change investment registration certificates. However, according to Choi, this takes investors a lot of time.



A subsidiary of Samsung had to spend money last year on these procedures and it almost missed an opportunity to make new products. Thanks to active support from state management agencies, the problem was finally settled. However, Choi is afraid that other companies may face the same problem.



Samsung is one of the biggest foreign investors in Vietnam. Its export turnover in 2018 was over $60 billion, which accounted for 25 percent of Vietnams total export turnover.



Meanwhile, Lotte Group of South Korea wants to get support from the Government Office in accelerating approval of the master plan for an amended waste water treatment project in the western part of HCM City.



The representative of the company said Lotte would start building the waste treatment plant soon after the master plan is approved.

Kim Chi

FDI relocation "wave" still unclear as Vietnam faces competition from India, Thailand, Indonesia Vietnam has a great opportunity to receive new FDI, but it has been warned of the the other side of the coin.
The tension between the US and China gets worse as the Chinese Consulate in Houston Closed when a spy was housed by the diplomatic personnel, which the embassy denied as untrue, even accusing the Trump Administration of creating a situation.

US officials order the embassy closed on Tuesday after allegations of Chinese spies and espionage activities using diplomatic institutions to steal information. The state department has long suspected the Chinese of taking advantage of diplomatic institutions as funnel points for their spying activities, confirmed CNN last Friday.

Enforcing the order of the US government were federal agents and police authorities who barged in the embassy in Houston, looking for evidence against the Chinese. One witness described seeing black SUVs, trucks, two white vans, with a locksmith in full view of the public and press at borders of the embassy.

According to US officials in a press brief with reporters, mentioned that the embassy in Houston has been caught red-handed and implicated in a fraud investigation. The Chinese officials in the embassy have been spying and directing the pilferage of data via the researchers hired by a Texas research institution. Chinese diplomats have been actively involved in harvesting information, but it is only now that the government has taken definitive action, mentioned The Straits Times.

One official in the US Justice Department explained that the embassy officials in Houston are only part of a larger network working to steal U.S. information, further stating that more than 25 cities were directed and controled by the Houston hub. The Chinese consuls and personnel are giving their moles and spies in all 25+ cities guidance on how to elude U.S. authorities probing their nefarious activities. This ring is existing nationwide in America.

Also read: Chinese Journalist Missing After Revealing Information on Real Wuhan Coronavirus Situation

A Chinese official has said that the U.S. has an ultimatum of 72-hours to stop all operations and events, in the Houston embassy exactly Tuesday. The Chinese Foreign Ministry official considers the move as an escalation that is not good. Efforts to paint the Americans move as illegal was hinted in the Chinese statement that was caused by the closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston.

The State of U.S. and China relations have sunk low during the past year. Reasons for it are the trade war, COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the harsh critique of human rights getting trashed in Hong Kong and Xinjiang province. One of their biggest problems is illegal Chinese annexation in the South China Sea.

Washington demanding the Houston embassy to shut down enabled a scenario to allow Federal agents to enter the building last Friday afternoon. Beijing retaliated by ordering the closing of the U.S. consulate in Chengdu.

On late Tuesday evening, Houston police got reports of smoke in the Chinese embassy courtyard that was captured by locale media and some residents nearby. Burning of the documents is alleged to be done by embassy officials and personnel.

Wednesday, the US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus order the consulate to close, stressing that this is to safeguard American intellectual property and Americans' private information, cited Al Jazeera.

The Chinese Consulate in Houston closed because of what China did when US officials were prevented from getting diplomatic materials. This spurred the decision to shut down the Houston embassy.

China blocking the retrieval of the satchels and upheld the Vienna Convention, irked Pompeo and result in the Houston spy hub close, cited Fox 40.

Related article: Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak Continues, China Government Under Fire

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The road to the November 2020 presidential election is already fraught with unprecedented crises and uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic has uprooted daily life and changed cultural norms, a reality that will remain for some time. A prevailing concern is that some in vulnerable populations will view the virus as too much of a risk, making them fearful of voting at polling stations.

These concerns have ushered in the debate over vote-by-mail. With some states preparing to institute full vote-by-mail systems, now is the time to identify the flaws that could make or break such systems come November.

COVID-19 is a legitimate concern. The appeal of vote-by-mail is understandable these days as it provides a way to practice civic duty while minimizing the risk of infection. In fact, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, almost 68% of American voters favor non-permanent changes to current voting rules to allow for a state-level option of vote by mail.

But the vote-by-mail system, like any other, has flaws, and fears of COVID-19 have only exacerbated the potential negatives. Potential issues include a lack of staffing for vote-by-mail systems, a lack of proper training for testing the new system, and problems with the overall delivery of absentee ballots. Although there is no such thing as a perfect electoral system, ignoring the myriad problems with past vote-by-mail elections would be foolish.

A common problem within multiple state primary elections this year has been a lack of staff or locations to thoroughly process votes, both in-person and via vote-by-mail. Due to the risk of COVID-19, many staffers who would ordinarily man polling stations or count absentee ballot requests opt out due to fears of infection.

For example, during Wisconsins primary on April 7, the city of Green Bay had only 17 poll workers out of a roster of 270 potential workers. That primary also suffered from a lack of polling stations in Green Bay and larger counties such as Milwaukee. Milwaukee had only five open polling stations compared with the usual 180. Green Bay had only two as opposed to the normal 31 stations.

Staffing shortages in clerk offices and local services that delivered or collected ballots led to counting errors in absentee ballots. In Wisconsin, more than 1.3 million voters requested absentee ballots but only 1,159,800 (88.9%) were returned and counted, 2,659 were sent back late and uncounted, 20,537 were rejected for other reasons, and about 120,989 were never sent back at all.

Then theres the problem with the postal system and municipal clerk offices finding and creating errors in the delivery of ballots. As a result, multiple local elections have seen absentee ballots continuously misplaced or falling prey to intentional fraud.

On May 26, a postal carrier in West Virginia was caught altering several mailed-in absentee ballots by switching the party affiliation of said ballots. The ballots had been mailed in the previous month, but the postal carrier switched about five of the ballots affiliations from Democrat to Republican. When asked about the incident, he said he did it as a joke.

In addition, during the week of May 21, 20 ballots from the state of South Carolina were sent to Maryland instead. Even back in Wisconsin, in an incident on April 8, three large tubs with multiple ballots from the cities of Oshkosh and Appleton were found unprocessed. These local errors might seem small, but without amending the process, the number and severity of errors will likely expand drastically in November.

New technology doesnt seem to be helping much. This year alone, elections have shown that several state systems have been riddled with mechanical and software errors. These issues combined have led to long lines, miscounted votes, and mistake-filled results in several states.

One example is the Dominion Voting Systems in Georgia, which has been a presence since it provided $107 million in voting machines for the state last year. During Georgias elections on June 4, those voting in person witnessed machine malfunctions and misread ballots, leading to long wait times of up to five hours in several counties. Similar software delivered mail-in ballots to wrong addresses, days after the election. Some ballots, requested months in advance, never arrived at voters homes.

Once again, the fear of COVID-19 is completely understandable and reasonable, as is a discussion of alternative voting measures. State and local governments should implement measures to enable people to perform their democratic duties without endangering their safety.

However, as we get closer to November, the absentee ballot systems desperately need improvement on every level to ensure accuracy and legitimacy. State elections earlier this year have already demonstrated that without proper change, the 2020 November elections will have significant accuracy problems. With the next election shaping up to be one of the most consequential of our lifetimes, every vote counts and we must therefore make sure every vote is properly counted.

Jonathan Harsh is a research intern at the Capital Research Center in Washington.
Police Repression Impacts Communities of Color and Workers

The more than 700 overwhelmingly nonviolent protests throughout the country in response to the killing of George Floyd and other unarmed Black women and men have triggered a long overdue debate on the role of the police in our country. What has also not been adequately addressed is another target of police repression: workers, especially those who stand up to demand livable wages and decent working conditions.

Thirty years ago, on June 15, 1990, members of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) violently beat a peaceful group of Latina/o janitors in Century City who were marching for better wages and working conditions. As a result, dozens of janitors were hospitalized, one woman suffered a miscarriage, and dozens more were arrested and jailed. By numerous accounts, this was a police riot. The LAPD paid a multimillion-dollar settlement in response to the injured janitors lawsuit.

The police attack in Century City took place the year before a more famous LAPD abuse case involving motorist Rodney King. Millions saw the televised video of the police beating Rodney King as he lay on the ground. When the police were acquitted by a mostly white jury, the verdict triggered the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest.

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The LAPD beating of the janitors is not an isolated case of police repression of workers. In the agricultural fields of California, farm owners have called in law enforcement agents to attack and beat striking farmworkers. During the 1992 Drywall Strike that paralyzed the home construction industry in five Southern California counties, law enforcement agents harassed and arrested the striking workers. Many were jailed for unrelated issues, like unpaid parking tickets or their undocumented immigration status. During the 2007 May Day march, the LA police used rubber bullets and tear gas on peacefully protesting immigrant workers; among the injured were families with young children and journalists.

The role of police repression directed against workers has a long and sordid history. The first state police force was established in Pennsylvania at the demand of factory owners who wanted to suppress striking coal miners and steelworkers. And for decades, private security guards known as Pinkertons infiltrated unions and notoriously worked hand in hand with law enforcement to crush strikes and attack workers.

During the 1930s, hundreds of workers were killed by law enforcement agents and the national guard during labor disputes. In one publicized incident known as the Memorial Day Massacre of 1937, police opened fire on striking steelworkers marching peacefully in Chicago. Dozens were shot, more than a hundred were beaten, and ten workers were killed by the police.

In the 1960s, law enforcement brutally suppressed peaceful protests during the freedom struggle in the South. Hundreds were beaten, many were killed, and thousands more were jailed. Congressman John Lewis nearly died after a savage beating by law enforcement on the Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama; fittingly, the bridge was named after a Confederate general. In 1968, police again violently attacked a march led by Dr. King in support of the Memphis Sanitation Workers strike. A few days later, he was assassinated while supporting the sanitation workers.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, The labor-hater and labor-baiter is virtually always a twin-headed creature spewing anti-Negro epithets from one mouth and anti-labor propaganda from the other mouth. Today another twin-headed creature resides in the White House; Donald Trump has made clear his animosity toward both people of color and labor.

On June 1, 2020, Trump directed the police to attack a thousand peaceful demonstrators in front of the White House. The federal police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disburse the crowd so Trump could hold a staged press event in front of a church. Trump held a bible upside down in one hand while directing violence against people peacefully protesting with the other. The church is located on the same block as the national headquarters of the AFL-CIO. Donald Trumps message was clear. He will not hesitate to mobilize law enforcement to attack communities of color and workers alike.

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Over the years, this country has witnessed a huge increase in police budgets. In Los Angeles, for example, prior to the proposed reduction, the LAPD had an annual budget of $1.8 billion, or 17% of the city budget. The U.S. has a higher incarceration rate than any other country in the world, with 2.3 million people in prison. Blacks are five times more likely to be in prison than whites.

Violence against women is also a pervasive problem within our society. Rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence are all forms of violence against women. Sexual violence, racial violence, and violence against workers are all interconnected and are a reflection of a violent culture that perpetuates and defends the status quo.

We need a massive investment in communities where working families and people of color live. We need to fund public education, health care, housing, transportation, and mental health and substance abuse services. This is what will secure the long-term safety and security of our communities. The system of violence and repression promoted by Donald Trump and law enforcement will never ensure equality, liberty and justice for all, nor will it promote the beloved community embraced by Dr. King.

Kent Wong is the director of the UCLA Labor Center. The two have been teaching a course on Nonviolence at UCLA for the past eighteen years.

Rev. James Lawson, Jr., is a nationally known nonviolence teacher and philosopher. He was a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rev. James Lawson Jr. was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement. Rev. Lawson played a historic role in integrating the philosophy of nonviolence in the Civil Rights Movement, and was a good friend and colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rev. Lawson was a leader of the Memphis sanitation strike, and called upon Dr. King to come to Memphis to support the sanitation workers. After moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s, Rev. Lawson served as pastor of the Holman United Methodist Church of Los Angeles. His influence in social justice movements extended from Tennessee to California, where he played a major role in the transformation of the Los Angeles labor movement. For the past 16 years, Rev. Lawson has taught a course on Nonviolence at UCLA in partnership with the Labor Studies program.
U.S. Envoy For Afghanistan On Five-Country Tour To Advance Afghan Peace Process

By RFE/RL July 26, 2020

The United States has dispatched its special envoy for Afghanistan on a five-nation tour aimed at advancing a fragile Afghan peace process.

The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, departed on a trip to Doha, Islamabad, Kabul, Oslo, and Sofia, the State Department said in a July 25 statement.

In Doha and Kabul, Khalilzad will "press for resolution of the remaining issues ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations, specifically final prisoner exchanges and reduced violence."

The Qatari capital has been the location of repeated rounds of U.S. talks with the Taliban.

The United States and Taliban struck an agreement in February intended to pave the way for intra-Afghan peace talks between the militants and the U.S.-backed government in Kabul.

Key preconditions for intra-Afghan talks are prisoner exchanges and a reduction of violence.

The Taliban is prepared to hold peace talks with the Afghan government next month straight after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the militants said on July 23, provided the prisoner swap has been completed.

However, on July 26, the Taliban accused Afghan security forces of rearresting insurgents who had been released, warning that Kabul would "bear responsibility for the consequences."

"They are incessantly raided, detained and put behind the bar by NDS (national directorate of security) of the Kabul (administration)," Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Twitter.

Javid Faisal, the spokesman for Afghanistan's National Security Council, said the claim was "incorrect."

"It's their way of sabotaging the peace efforts and the peace talks that should start," Faisal said.

Taliban militants control about half of Afghanistan's territory and they have continued to carry out deadly attacks since the U.S.-Taliban deal was signed.

"Although significant progress has been made on prisoner exchanges, the issue requires additional effort to fully resolve," the State Department said.

Khalilzad will also travel to Pakistan to seek its support in advancing intra-Afghan negotiations.

In Oslo and Sofia, the diplomat will update NATO allies on the Afghan peace process.

Khalilzad's tour comes amid soaring violence that has threatened to derail U.S.-backed efforts to bring Kabul and the Taliban to the negotiating table and seek an end to Afghanistan's nearly 19-year-old war.

The Afghan National Security Council said on July 25 that in the past week the Taliban has killed 46 civilians and wounded 93 others.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, dpa, and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-envoy-khalilzad- afghan-peace-process/30747042.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.

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Handover of Mobile Testing Units

Military support to the National Testing Programme will be handed over in coming weeks as the Department for Health and Social Care establishes a long-term plan to deliver Coronavirus tests.

26 July 2020

Since April, the world-renowned UK Armed Forces have deployed thousands of personnel at short notice to support Coronavirus Testing. They have worked alongside NHS staff and civilians at both Regional Sites around the country and in Mobile Testing Units, helping to deliver more than 6 million tests.

The Mobile Testing Units played a vital role in helping essential workers, who were most vulnerable to the virus, access tests. The unit was designed by British Army engineers in just 7 days. Since the programme began, more than 2,700 service personnel have run 218 mobile testing units, working nearly 1 million hours to conduct more than 700,000 tests around the country. Now the Armed Forces will train civilian contractors to continue this essential role.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

Thousands of our Armed Forces personnel - regular, reservists plus supporting civilians - stepped up to serve on the front line in the fight against coronavirus. The four month mission of those on the national testing programme helped to carry out more than six million tests, with 218 military Mobile Testing Teams deploying around the country as needed. This is an extraordinary effort. As those teams now train civilian contactors to continue the work I want to say a huge thank you to our Armed Forces for doing what they do best and supporting the nation's resilience in a time of crisis.

Maj Gen David Eastman MBE, Commander Standing Joint Command (UK),the headquarters who lead the Armed Forces' response to Covid-19, said:

I am incredibly proud of our servicemen and women who designed and deployed with the Mobile Testing Units across the United Kingdom and provided the public with professional and efficient testing facilities. We are delighted to be able to support and complement the testing centres established by the NHS and will continue to deliver on any request for assistance in the fight against the Coronavirus.

In Northern Ireland, mobile testing units have been civilian operated from the outset. The handover process has now begun in England, Scotland and Wales.

Key Facts Overall the National Testing Programme has conducted 6,211,703 tests at both Regional Testing Sites and Mobile Testing Units (as at 20 July). Military Mobile Testing Units have deployed 8,327 times, working 99,924 days or 999,240 hours, conducting 739,821 tests. 2,784 service personnel delivered 218 Mobile Testing Units with a daily testing capacity of 87,200 (as at 13 July).



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Ballarat, Australia, July 27, 2020 - (ABN Newswire) - White Rock Minerals Ltd's (ASX:WRM) Exploration activities during the Quarter at the Company's 100% owned Last Chance gold target, located in the Tintina Gold Province of central Alaska, has yielded highly encouraging results:-



- A sample of 77.5g/t gold and another of 4,580g/t (147 ozs/t) silver in rock chips.



- Up to 7.1g/t gold in soil samples.



- Gold-arsenic-antimony anomalism defined by systematic soil sampling has revealed an enormous system extending for over 6km strike east-west and up to 1.2km wide



- A first phase diamond drilling program is scheduled to commence prior to 1 August, 2020. The first drill holes will target the broadest and most developed zones of gold and pathfinder geochemical anomalism with the aim of testing the high grade clusters and developing a better understanding of the lithologic and structural controls of the hydrothermal system.



- The Tintina Gold Province is host to giant gold deposits including Donlin Creek (45 Moz Au), Pogo (10 Moz Au) and Fort Knox (13.5 Moz Au).



- During the Quarter, White Rock moved to secure a strategic regional tenement position surrounding the Company's Last Chance Gold Target including readily apparent strike extensions of the gold system. An additional 375 mining claims covering 240km2 (93 square miles) were staked. White Rock's Red Mountain project now comprises 1,298 mining claims over 798km2 (308 square miles).



- Dr. Quinton Hennigh was appointed as Technical Advisor to assist with the Company's exploration program in Alaska and its investor relations presence in North America.



- Completion of a $15.85 million capital raise subsequent to the end of the Quarter sees the Company well-funded to pursue a successful discovery.



*To view the report, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/067L0271





About White Rock Minerals Ltd:



White Rock Minerals Ltd (ASX:WRM) is a diversified explorer and near-stage producer, headquartered in Ballarat, Victoria. The Company's flagship exploration project is Red Mountain in central Alaska, where it has an earn-in joint venture arrangement with Sandfire Resources NL. At Red Mountain, there are already two high grade deposits, with an Inferred Mineral Resource of 9.1 million tonnes @ 12.9% ZnEq for 1.1 million tonnes of contained zinc equivalent. The Mt Carrington project, located near Drake, in Northern NSW, is a near-production precious metals asset with a resource of 341,000 ounces of gold and 23.2 million ounces of silver. White Rock Minerals is listed on the ASX:WRM.



Contact:



For further information, contact:

Matthew Gill or Shane Turner

Phone: +61-3-5331-4644

Email: info@whiterockminerals.com.au

www.whiterockminerals.com.au



For Media and Broker queries:

Peta Baldwin

Phone: +61-455-081-008

Cannings Purple

Email: pbaldwin@canningspurple.com.au



Source:



White Rock Minerals Ltd



Copyright (C) 2020 ABN Newswire. All rights reserved.
Turkey's top cleric has been attacked for comments deemed offensive to the modern republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk during a sermon at Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia which was reconverted to a mosque. Ali Erbas, head of the top religious body known as Diyanet, presided over prayers at the monument on Friday at a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and thousands of others. The prayers followed a court ruling to annul a 1934 decree making Hagia Sophia a museum under the new republic born from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Hagia Sophia was built as a cathedral during the Christian Byzantine Empire in the sixth century. It was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. But Erdogan signed a decree this month handing the building's control to Diyanet, so that it can operate as a mosque, a move which sparked criticism from the West. In his Friday sermon, Erbas said: "Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror endowed and entrusted this outstanding place of worship as the apple of his eye to believers on condition that it should remain a mosque until the last day. "Any property that is endowed is inviolable in our belief and burns whoever touches it; the charter of the endower is indispensable and whoever infringes upon it is cursed. "Therefore, from that day to the present, Hagia Sophia has been the sanctuary of not only our country but also of Prophet Muhammad's ummah," Erbas added, referring to the Muslim community. - 'Quit'- Opposition parties denounced Erbas, saying his comments clearly targeted Ataturk. Ozgur Ozel of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) said: "You cannot curse Ataturk while you sit at the chair of Diyanet founded by Ataturk. "Ali Erbas, I swear that you will pay the price of damning Ataturk," Ozel said on Twitter. The right-wing Iyi (Good) Party on Monday lodged a complaint against Erbas, accusing him of "violating the untouchable articles of the Turkish constitution". On social media, the hashtag "Ali Erbas, know your place" was a trending topic. One Twitter user, @yanikmehmetali, wrote: "When did you pray for Ataturk during your presidency? @DIBAliErbas, do not stay at Diyanet founded by Ataturk, quit." The Turkish government has long been accused by its secular opponents of forcing Islamic values on the predominantly Muslim but strictly secular country. Erbas however denied the claims, in an interview with Hurriyet daily. "I referred to the future, not to the past," he said. "Ataturk died 82 years ago. Prayers are said for anyone who dies, not curses."
By Online Desk

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has written to President Ram Nath Kovind and spoken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the current political situation in the state.

Gehlot had also written a letter to the prime minister on the matter a few days ago.

"The chief minister told that he has spoken to the prime minister and apprised him of the current political situation in the state," a Congress leader said after a meeting at a hotel where MLAs are holed up following rebellion by Sachin Pilot against the Gehlot government.

Pilot has been stripped of his position as deputy chief minister and Rajasthan Congress chief.

The chief minister addressed MLAs at the meeting after a Prarthna Sabha.

The meeting was attended by senior Congress leaders also.

Gehlot's comments come after Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra on Monday said he will summon state Assembly session only if state government agrees on giving 21-day notice.

The condition is part of three suggestions the Governor has made while returning Ashok Gehlot Cabinet's recommendation that he should call a session of the Vidhan Sabha.

Mishra also wrote that the state government should undertake to broadcast live the proceedings of a floor test, if it takes place.

It should also ensure precautions during the proposed Vidhan Sabha sitting against the spread of coronavirus, his note said.

Mishra on Monday returned to the Congress government a Cabinet note seeking an assembly session and sought additional information.

This is the second time that the Governor has returned the proposal and sought clarifications from the state government.

"The Governor has returned the file to the state government with some queries. The matter is being examined," government sources said.

The cabinet had sent a revised proposal to the governor for calling the assembly session from July 31 on Saturday, a day after he returned the government's first proposal.

Returning the first proposal, the governor had sought clarifications on six points, after Congress MLAs held a five-hour dharna on the lawns of the Raj Bhawan pressing for a Vidhan Sabha session.

ALSO READ | Delay in convening House session has led to constitutional impasse: Ex-law ministers to Rajasthan Governor

The Congress government, which is facing a political crisis after a rebellion by the now sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident MLAs, says it wants to hold the session so that it can prove its majority.

Gehlot has alleged that the governor is facing pressure "from above" to stall the assembly from meeting, hinting at the alleged involvement of the BJP government at the Centre in the tussle for power in the state.

Mishra has denied the charge.

Including the 19 dissidents, the Congress has 107 MLAs in the 200-member assembly and the BJP 72.

(With PTI Inputs)
Medical workers collect swab samples for residents at Tianshan District in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, July 20, 2020. Urumqi is carrying out free nucleic acid tests for all residents and people who are visiting the city, in a bid to screen for novel coronavirus infections and reduce the risk of the epidemic spread. Nearly 2,000 medical workers, distributed in residential communities, are conducting nucleic acid tests for residents in Urumqi. [Photo/Xinhua]

In a series of escalating confrontations with Beijing recently, Washington's broadsides against the Communist Party of China have become a daily occurrence. However, the more than 70 years of economic growth and social stability China has achieved under the leadership of the CPC are a testimony to the Party's success in ruling the world's most populous country.



When the novel coronavirus pandemic broke out, the CPC led the Chinese people to successfully contain the virus in a short time and restart economic activities. It has also actively worked with political parties of other countries to jointly uphold global public health security, providing medical supplies and expertise to affected countries to help them fight the virus.

Amid the global pandemic, politicians in the United States, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Attorney General Bill Barr, have kept ramping up their rhetoric against the CPC to slander its credibility. However, findings from a US research institute on governance point to the Chinese people's satisfaction with the government's performance.

A policy brief, released by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government earlier this month, finds that "Chinese citizens rate the government as more capable and effective than ever before" and the Chinese people's overall satisfaction with the central government exceeds 93 percent.

The report contains data from eight separate surveys between 2003 and 2016, and it records face-to-face interview responses from more than 31,000 individuals in both urban and rural settings. It said "the Party appears to be as strong as ever" and that "a deeper resilience is founded on popular support".

Zheng Yongnian, a professor of politics and director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore, said that the US administration is clinging to an approach of "identity politics" to demonize China, and under its narratives, the CPC takes the place of China when US hard-liners and elite conservative politicians vilify the country.

The purpose is to sever the connections between the CPC and the Chinese people, and to portray the confrontation between China and the US as a conflict between different systems, Zheng told Chinese social media platform Zhenghedao.

While seeking to drive a wedge between the CPC and the Chinese people, he added, the US also uses the approach to isolate China by demonizing the CPC in a bid to form a united front of Western governments to confront China.

When describing its relations with the people, the CPC always uses "the flesh-and-blood bond" to highlight that it comes from the people, relies on the people and works for the people. Serving the people wholeheartedly is the fundamental purpose of the CPC, as laid down in the Party Constitution and upheld by generations of its leadership.

During the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak, the CPC has upheld the belief of "people first "and mobilized all resources available to protect people's lives and health. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, acted as commander-in-chief in the war against the contagion, urging officials to give top priority to people's health and lives.

In the third volume of his book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, which was published at the end of June, Xi explained how strengthening the Party's leadership and upholding a people-centered philosophy have great relevance in realizing national rejuvenation.

"To ensure that the people enjoy a better life is the ultimate goal of all our work and is an important manifestation of our Party's fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly," Xi said in the book.

Yao Yang, dean of Peking University's National School of Development, said anyone trying to comprehend China from a Western perspective will find it difficult to understand what happened to the country.

Speaking during a recent online seminar on China's political system, Yao said that for many people in the Western world, if a country's system is not categorized as a "Western-style democracy", it will be "authoritarian".However, Yao said, it's incorrect to describe China's system as "authoritarian" as the CPC is actually different from political parties as defined by "Western-style democracy".

He explained that political parties in Western countries often represent a group of people, however, the CPC represents the whole Chinese people, and it boasts more than 90 million members from all walks of life throughout the country.

Original aspiration

Since it was founded in 1921, the CPC has made clear its mission of modernizing China and leading the Chinese people to live a better life, Yao said.

The CPC will be marking its centenary next year. It said, by that time, China will secure victory in completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. It also aims to eliminate absolute poverty throughout the country by the end of this year.

While seeking domestic development, the CPC has also led the country to evolve from a follower and learner into a champion and contributor of multilateralism and globalization. It is always open and inclusive and willing to share ideas and solutions to address common concerns, especially in the times of COVID-19 and world economic recession.

Martin Jacques, a senior fellow of politics and international studies at Cambridge University, attributed China's success to the CPC's constant reforms and its principle of "serving the people".

"One of the features of the Communist Party of China has been its ability to constantly reform itself, keep moving on and not getting stuck, and constantly responding to the latest situation in the country," Jacques said in a video interview with China Central Television.

The scholar said that the CPC has made remarkable achievements in leading China to be an influential player on the international stage, adding that the CPC's modesty in learning and self-reform will help it to cope with the problems on the way forward.
Its not every day that a monster lake trout is caught on Skaneateles Lake. Its even more unusual when a fish that big is a boys first-ever trout  and that it took him three strikes to finally hook and land the 42-inch fish, which approached state record size..

It happened Friday morning when Liam Baird, 16, of Stamford, Conn., went fishing with his father, Scott, and a friend. They were guided by Capt. Robert Buck Carter of Lucky Buck Fishing charters.

I asked the boy before we went out if hed ever caught a lake trout before, Carter said. I told him he would catch the biggest one his life. I felt that was a safe bet, considering hed never caught one before.

Carter said he started off the morning fishing for smallmouth bass midway down the lake on the eastern side. The bass fishing was slow, though, and as the boat started drifting away from shore it passed over a shelf. The water depth immediately dropped to about 106 feet.

I picked up that big guy (way down) on my depth finder and told the boy to switch his pole and lure. He then dropped a white, plastic, paddletail soft bait right down and starting jigging.

Capt. Robert "Buck" Carter, left, of Lucky Buck Charters, holds up the 42-inch lake trout caught by Liam Baird, of Stamford, Conn.

Watching the action on his depth find and watching the boy, Carter could see that twice the huge laker went after the boys lure. Twice, the teen missed it. The third time, Liam finally set the hook.

With Carter instructing him to keep the tension on the line and his pole tip up, Liam battled the fish for more than 18 minutes. Three times it had strong runs toward the bottom. Carter loosened the drag so the lure wouldnt pull out of the fishs mouth

When Carter finally netted it, the fishs weight bent the handle of the net, he said.

After a quick measurement and several pictures, the trio decided to release the fish to fight another day. Carter estimated its weight at about 24-25 pounds, noting it was slim for its size,.

It was bigger, though, than any laker Ive ever caught on this lake, he added.

The state record for a lake trout is held by Jesse Wykstra. It was set in 2003 on Lake Erie in Chautauqua County. Wykstras fish measured 42.75 inches and weighed 41 pounds, 8 ounces. Weight is the determining factor for a state record.

Wyksta caught that fish on a NK spoon, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation website.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 17:55:34|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Australia's peak medical body has declared that systematic underfunding has caused the rapid spread of COVID-19 in aged care facilities.

Tony Bartone, president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), said on Monday morning that the "real issues in aged care stemmed from before COVID-19."

There have been more than 550 cases of COVID-19 linked to aged care facilities in Victoria, with most of the state's deaths also coming from nursing homes.

"Underfunding, workforce issues, guidelines, accreditations, all the issues we have seen highlighted in the royal commission on this sector clearly underpin a lot of what's happening now," Bartone told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television.

"You can't really fix that in the middle of a pandemic."

A survey published by the United Workers Union (UWU) on Monday found that two thirds of aged care workers do not feel prepared to deal with a coronavirus outbreak.

One third of more than 1,000 respondents said they received no additional training and 75 percent said they did not have enough staff to provide high quality care.

Bartone said that moving aged care residents to different facilities could relieve stress on the sector.

"We need to remember these are mums and dads of children, or brothers or sisters of other family members around the country that are in these facilities, they need to be in the best care possible," he said.

"If that means transferred to a subacute facility, something between a hospital and the aged care either public or private sector, where there is the capacity to give such care we should look at that to relieve the possible stresses on the system."

Richard Colbeck, the minister for aged care, on Monday apologized for the situation at a nursing home in Melbourne's northern suburbs where families have been unable to ascertain if their relatives in the facility were still alive.

There have been nearly 80 cases of COVID-19 at St Basil's nursing home and several residents have died.

"We know that people are worried, we want to make sure that they get good information with respect to their loved ones, but it's a very, very complex situation inside," Colbeck said. Enditem
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday allows withdrawal of the petition by Rajasthan Speaker CP Joshi challenging the Rajasthan High Court's order on Sachin Pilot and 18 other rebel Congress MLAs

Senior advocate and Congress leader Kapil Sibal, representing the Speaker, said that they need to figure out their legal strategy and sought withdrawal of the plea.

While withdrawing the plea, Sibal told the bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Krishna Murari, that the appeal had become infructuous as the apex court did not stay the earlier high court order passed last Tuesday asking the Speaker to defer the disqualification proceedings till Friday.

"We will contest it there and if need arises, we will again come back to Supreme Court. Unfortunately High Court is not following the 1992 'Kihoto'," Sibal told the bench.

"The SLP (special leave petition) is withdrawn with liberty to file a fresh SLP and keeping all grounds open," advocate Sunil Fernandes, who also represents Joshi, said.

The high court had last week ordered status quo to be maintained in the disqualification case against Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident Congress MLAs.

With this order, the court barred the Speaker from acting on the July 14 disqualification notices.

In a major setback for Ashok Gehlot government, the apex court had on Thursday refused the request of Speaker CP Joshi to stay the High Court proceedings on the petition by Sachin Pilot camp against disqualification notice.

The top court had said the high court order would be subject to the outcome of petition pending before the apex court.

Observing that "voice of dissent" in a democracy cannot be shut down, the apex court had refused to accept Joshi's request to either stay the matter pending before the high court or transfer it to the top court.

The court had said that the issue raised in the appeal by the Speaker required "prolonged hearing" as it involved "larger question" related to democracy and how it would survive.

(With PTI Inputs)
AUBURN, Ala., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Salad Chick, the nation's only southern inspired, fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today its expansion along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi with its newest restaurant in Gulfport. Located at 10490 Highway 19, the Gulfport restaurant marks Chicken Salad Chick's eighth restaurant in the state and second along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, with an additional location in Madison slated to open later this year. The Gulfport restaurant will celebrate its grand opening on August 4 and will offer free chicken salad for a year to the first 100 guests. Those awarded will be properly distanced and will receive a designated return time upon arrival to spread out the number of guests at the restaurant throughout the day.

As Mississippi continues to reopen, Chicken Salad Chick is closely following state guidelines and will open the Gulfport restaurant at limited capacity with social distancing measures in place. Additionally, all employees will be wearing masks and gloves, as well as practicing proper handwashing and food safety protocol. For guests who prefer to take their chicken salad to-go, the Gulfport restaurant has a drive-thru for added convenience.

During grand opening week, guests will experience the southern hospitality that Chicken Salad Chick is known for, with modified giveaways and specials that include:

Tuesday, August 4  Free Chicken Salad for a Year  The first 100 guests will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for an entire year, with one of those lucky guests randomly selected to win one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week.* Any guest not part of the first 100 in line can make an in-store purchase and enter for a chance to win free chicken salad for a year.**

 Free Chicken Salad for a Year  The first 100 guests will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for an entire year, with one of those lucky guests randomly selected to win one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week.* Any guest not part of the first 100 in line can make an in-store purchase and enter for a chance to win free chicken salad for a year.** Wednesday, August 5  The first 100 guests to purchase the Chick will receive a free Chick Special redeemable on the next visit and a 2020 Giving Card, earning special offers each month for the remainder of the year.

The first 100 guests to purchase the Chick will receive a free Chick Special redeemable on the next visit and a 2020 Giving Card, earning special offers each month for the remainder of the year. Thursday, August 6  The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick tumbler.

The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick tumbler. Friday, August 7  The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick hat and a 2020 Giving Card, earning special offers each month for the remainder of the year.

The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick hat and a 2020 Giving Card, earning special offers each month for the remainder of the year. Saturday, August 8  The first 50 guests to purchase two large Quick Chicks will receive a free large Chick tote bag.

The Gulfport restaurant is owned and operated by multi-unit Chicken Salad Chick franchise owners Hudson Sandefur and Bruce Ratcliffe of S & R Poultry, LLC, who also owns and manages more than five Zaxby's locations across the Southeast. With more than 15 years of experience in the fast-casual space, the duo is well-versed in business management and skilled in delivering exceptional customer experiences. Sandefur and Ratcliffe's love for serving others led them to Chicken Salad Chick and in 2018, the partners opened their first location in D'Iberville, Mississippi and are thrilled to be expanding to Gulfport less than two years later.

"When Hudson and I opened our D'Iberville location, we quickly learned that owning a Chicken Salad Chick restaurant was about more than just operating a successful eatery. It was about cultivating an environment that makes guests feel comfortable and welcome, while sharing a fresh, flavorful meal with family and friends," said Ratcliffe. "We've been eager to share this dining experience with more residents across the Gulf Coast and look forward to opening in Gulfport, a community that has eagerly awaited our arrival and supported our development from the start."

The Chicken Salad Chick concept was established in 2008 by founder, Stacy Brown. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu offers a variety of options suitable for any guest. Under the leadership of CEO Scott Deviney and the Chicken Salad Chick team, the company now has more than 160 restaurants currently open in 17 states and remains a standout brand within the fast casual segment.

Chicken Salad Chick in Gulfport will be open Monday  Saturday from 10:00a.m.  8p.m. For more information, visit www.chickensaladchick.com. Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and trends.

*Guests should arrive between 7-10am to get checked in. The first 100 guests will be assigned a number and designated return time between 9:45-11:15am. Upon return, guests will make a purchase of "The Chick" or anything of greater value and scan the code '1st 100 Spot' on the CravingCredits app to officially secure your spot. If you are late, or miss return time, your spot will be awarded to next in-line. Guests much be 16 years or older, redemption begins 8/10.

**Eligible winners must be 16 years or older and are required to download the Craving Credits app. 10 winners will be drawn at the end of the day. Redemption will start 8/10.

For more information on giveaways and specials, visithttps://www.facebook.com/ChickenSaladChickGulfportMS/.

About Chicken Salad Chick

Founded in Auburn, Alabama, in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick serves full-flavored, Southern-style chicken salad made from scratch and served from the heart. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu is a perfect fit for any guest. Today, the brand has more than 160 restaurants in 17 states and is continuing its rapid expansion with both franchise and company locations. Chicken Salad Chick has received numerous accolades including rankings in Franchise Times' Fast & Serious and Fast Casual.com's top Movers and Shakers for the third consecutive year and Franchise Times' Dealmaker Awards and Franchise Business Review's Top Food Franchises in 2020. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information.

Contact:

Shana Rosenthal

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

[email protected]

SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick

Related Links

http://www.chickensaladchick.com


Public Procurement Regulatory Authority Board Chairman Andrew Musangi faced questions from members of the public via Nation.

In almost all the major corruption cases that have been reported, an accusing finger has always been directed at the procurement departments. This is despite the fact that there is the Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM), which should be disciplining its errant members. As PPRA Board chairman, what is your view on this? Francis Njuguna, Kibichoi

Undoubtedly procurement is the primary contact point between public resources and the various organisations supplying goods or services to public entities.

All over the world, the government is the single largest buyer in an economy. In this regard, public procurement is the tool for implementing the governments budget via which resources expended.

It is therefore not surprising that procurement is the most sensitive and vulnerable point when it comes to corrupt practices. KISM is an independent body that also operates within the legal framework of our Constitution and together with other State agencies, we all have the common mandate of realisation of functional, efficient and effective procurement management regimes that guarantees value for money and efficient service delivery to the public.

Beyond prevention, KISM is empowered to discipline errant members, the PPA Review Board can cancel an illegal procurement if detected by the appellate process, but the real deterrence lies in criminal sanctions.

Corruption must have earth-shattering consequences and as we have witnessed recently, this is the only way to convey a serious message in the fight against corruption. We must not only punish the corrupt severely but we must also disgorge the financial benefits from the perpetrators through hefty fines and aggressive asset recovery avenues.

A number of tenders at the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) have come under serious scrutiny and there are reports that the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) was also investigating some of them. What have been some of your findings? In what ways are you collaborating with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to ensure that those who abuse their positions at Kebs to enrich themselves and the beneficiary companies are severely punished? Ali Khamis, Mombasa

The authority has been conducting investigations on the tender for the Provision of Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) to Standards for Motor Vehicles, Equipment and Spare Parts at the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs). However, the investigations have been temporarily halted since a matter touching on the tender was filed before the High Court and evidentiary material is being reviewed by the court. It is now subjudice and the PPRA will comment on the matter at the appropriate time.

With regard to our collaboration with EACC, the PPRA has over the years been working very closely with the EACC and other agencies in the multi-agency task force investigating corruption in public procurement. In all these cases, we render expertise in evaluating procurement breaches and we work collaboratively to build solid cases for further action in accordance with the law.

PPRA is the body mandated to oversee the disposal of government and related agencies assets. What is your position regarding the disposal of hundreds of vehicles and machinery rotting in various county yards across the country? Bernard Kariuki Mbugua

Disposal of public assets should be done expeditiously to maximise the residual value of public assets and guard against loss of value due to depreciation and deterioration of the assets. The Act and attendant regulations have outlined clear procedures on disposal of assets, including ensuring timely disposal of the asset. The procurement law has vested in the accounting officer the responsibility of ensuring that the procuring entity fulfills its asset disposal obligations.

The procurement law has also provided guidance on asset disposal planning and how to unlock a disposal in the event the public entity fails to secure responsive bids in order to ensure timely disposal of assets. It is the responsibility of the respective accounting officers to execute these disposals and they bear responsibility for their failure to act in accordance with the law.

We have sensitised public officers on the need to exercise this responsibility and I can only attribute the failures to laxity. The legal sanctions breaches are as serious as those related to direct corruption because in both events public resources are going to waste.

The low number of youths turning up to take the 30 per cent government procurement tenders reserved for them indicates something is wrong on how this programme is operated that needs urgent attention. What strategy have you put in place to ensure government tenders benefit the youth? Raphael Obonyo, Nairobi

Whereas generally the uptake of the 30 per cent reserved tenders under the AGPO programme has been lower than expected, major strides that have been made. The low uptake is attributable to a number of factors emanating both from the youth and the implementers (procuring entities).

As an Authority, we continuously study AGPO to identify factors affecting the participation of the youth, women and people with disabilities in public procurement opportunities. This informs the necessary interventions and strategies to ensure that the AGPO programme attains its primary objective.

It is worth noting that during the 2018/2019 FY, youth owned enterprises were awarded a total of 12,522 contracts (39.6 per cent) of the aggregate 31,651 contracts awarded to AGPO target groups (Economic Survey, 2020).

In terms of value, the contracts awarded to the youth during the 2018/2019 FY were valued at Sh12.9 billion, equivalent to 42.9 per cent of the aggregate value of Sh30 billion awarded to AGPO target groups (Economic Survey, 2020).

The widespread violation of tender rules in county and national governments has been one of the major missing links in the ongoing purge on corruption. What are you doing to stem cases of procurement malpractices and widespread violation of tender laws? Raphael Obonyo, Nairobi

Through a participatory approach, we have influenced and ensured that the Act and regulations outline procedures that are concise with minimal discretion for accounting officers. Further, the procurement law has set out clear separation of roles and responsibilities within the internal operations of a procuring entity with detailed accountability requirements.

Further, the Authority has put in place measures to enhance and ensure regular compliance monitoring with targeted procurement assessments, reviews, audits and investigations coupled with extending technical support and advice to procuring entities.

Similarly, in addition to partnering with other government enforcement agencies, we have devised measures and interventions to partner with and involve non-state actors, communities benefiting from specific procurement projects and the general public to monitor and report any suspected procurement irregularities.

The people of Kimilili reported a case to your office and other departments concerning the rot at the Kimilili constituency office on procurement, among others. What action you have taken against the concerned individuals? Edward B. Wekesa, Kimilili

The review of the matter is ongoing alongside several other regular procurement audits. Commenting on a single matter publicly would be prejudicial and perhaps premature.

Across the world, governments have leveraged on advances in ICT to reduce pilferage of taxpayer funds and pass these benefits to their citizens through enhanced service delivery. For us, it seems we became allergic to this going by the outcomes of Ifmis and the reported losses at the NYS. How do you plan to use best practice in ICT in public procurement processes to save us these much-needed resources? Komen Moris, Eldoret

The use of ICT in public procurement has now been anchored in the existing legal framework, the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015 and the attendant Public Procurement and Disposal Regulations, 2020.

To this end, the government commenced the process of reviewing the existing ICT systems used in public procurement, including Ifmis, and has developed an e-Government Procurement Strategy and Road Map for delivery of a standalone, end-to-end and functional system that will facilitate realisation of the much-needed cost savings and efficiency in public procurement. Currently, all procurements, as per the presidential directive, are uploaded onto our web portal for transparency and we are on course to implementing 100 per cent e-procurement.

Sometimes back, President Uhuru Kenyatta suspended all procurement officers in all public institutions when he declared a national campaign to fight corruption in his government. What educational reforms can you propose to ensure procurement officers are well trained so as to serve with integrity and honesty? Dan Murugu, Nakuru

To ensure the realisation of functional, efficient and effective procurement management regimes that guarantee value for money and efficient service delivery to the public, there is need for empowerment and continuous capacity development for the procurement officers.

We are glad that KISM has been strong in regularly providing the necessary continuous capacity development for procurement officers. We are advocating for involvement of other enforcement agencies including EACC, ODPP and Asset Recovery Agency to offer sessions on law, ethics and integrity during trainings conducted for procurement officers.

I strongly believe this will enhance awareness among those charged with these responsibilities as they need to be acutely aware of the pitfalls attendant to falling foul of the law. We have seen many cases where junior officers comply with illegal directives unwittingly or under duress.

In terms of mandate, what is the difference between PPRA and the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board? At what point do the two converge? Aileen Ayuma, Kitengela

The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) is established under Section 8 (1) of the Act and is charged with monitoring, assessing and reviewing the public procurement and asset disposal system to ensure that they respect the national values and other provisions of the constitution. The broad functions of PPRA are detailed under section 7 of the Act.

On the other hand, the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB) is an independent body established under section 27 (1) of the Act as a central independent procurement appeals review board which is vested with the responsibility of reviewing, hearing and determining tendering and asset disposal disputes. The functions of PPARB are provided for under 28 of the Act.

As demonstrated above, PPRA and PPARB are separate bodies with specific roles that complement each other to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability in public procurement.

In terms of access to government procurement by the youth, women and persons with disability-owned enterprises under Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO), are you satisfied with the performance? What more can the government do to enhance participation by the named groups? Faith Awino Okumu, Kisumu

Every financial year the Government reserves at least 30 per cent of tendering opportunities for uptake by enterprises owned by youth, women and PWDs. For instance, in the 2018/2019 FY, contracts worth Sh30 billion (50.55 per cent of reserved tenders) were awarded to enterprises owned by youth, women and PWDs; and in the 2019/2020 FY, contracts worth Sh32.7 billion (50.84 per cent of reserved tenders) were awarded to the same group (Economic Survey, 2020).

A number of factors relating to availability of funds, level of performance of the awarded contracts by the groups and timely payment of performed contracts have affected implementation of the programme.

We continuously examine factors affecting the participation of the youth, women and PWDs. The findings of the study will inform the necessary interventions and strategies to ensure that the AGPO programme attains its primary objective which is to maximize on the potential of the disadvantaged groups and enhance socio-economic development of our country.
Treating yourself to an extra-large pizza every now and again is unlikely to harm your health. (Getty Images)

Our bodies cope remarkably well when we overindulge in fatty treats, research suggests.

While an all-you-can-buffet leaves most feeling sluggish, scientists from the University of Bath found that pigging out every now and again does not cause any immediate health concerns.

Fourteen men were told to help themselves to pizza until they felt comfortably full or could not eat another bite.

While overindulging caused the men to consume nearly twice as many calories, their blood sugar and fat levels remained surprisingly stable.

Read more: Eating chocolate more than once a week 'wards off heart disease'

We all know the long-term risks of over-indulgence with food when it comes to obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, said lead author Aaron Hengist, a PhD student.

Our findings show the body actually copes remarkably well when faced with a massive and sudden calorie excess.

Healthy humans can eat twice as much as full and deal effectively with this huge initial energy surplus.

This comes as the government works to tackle obesity in England, including banning buy one get one free deals on unhealthy food and adding calorie counts to menus.

Lethargy was the only immediate 'side effect'. (Getty Images)

The scientists were surprised similar research had not been carried out before, given how common overeating is.

We know people often eat beyond their needs, which is why so many of us struggle to manage our body weight, said study author Professor James Betts.

It is therefore surprising no previous research had measured the maximal capacity for eating at a single meal in order to understand how the human body responds to that challenge.

To learn more, a group of healthy men aged 22 to 37 took part in two experiments.

Read more: Herbs and spices lower dangerous inflammation linked to heart disease

In the first, they were told to eat pizza until they felt comfortably full, while the second test required them to eat until they could not manage another bite.

The second experiment saw them consume an average of 3,113 calories  more than the generally recommended 2,000kcal to 3,000kcal a day for a man.

Story continues

Even in the first experiment, they consumed an excessive 1,584kcal in one sitting.

Healthy men have the capacity to eat twice the energy content required to achieve comfortable fullness at a single meal, wrote the scientists in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Results revealed that the blood-sugar lowering hormone insulin was 50% times higher when the men ate until they could consume no more. However, glucose levels were the same between the two experiments.

High glucose levels can damage the blood vessels that feed the vital organs, leading to heart disease or strokes.

The scientists were surprised to find fat levels in the blood were only marginally higher when the men overindulged.

Those tested in this study were able to efficiently use or store the nutrients they ingested during the pizza-eating challenge, such that the levels of sugar and fats in their blood were not much higher than when they ate half as much food, said Professor Betts.

Read more: Just one fatty meal affects our concentration

The only marked difference was mood, with the men feeling significantly more lethargic four hours after they overindulged.

While the results suggest treating yourself every now and again is unlikely to do any lasting damage, the scientists stressed moderation is key.

The main problem with overeating is it adds more stored energy to our bodies (in the form of fat), which can culminate in obesity if you overeat day after day, said Professor Betts.

However, this study shows if an otherwise healthy person overindulges occasionally, for example eating a large buffet meal or Christmas lunch, then there are no immediate negative consequences in terms of losing metabolic control.

The scientists plan to investigate if the same applies to women, the elderly and people who are overweight.
Google has spent more on lobbying than any other firm in the last two years and it is having a massive effect on Washington. As reported by Wired Google is doing this in a variety of different ways whilst having a major impact on federal policy.

Over the past few years, Googles approach to influencing federal policy has kicked into overdrive. As calls for regulation on big tech companies have grown so has Googles attempts at Washington influence.

Some have claimed Google now has a blacklist of conservative news outlets. The company has also been called, amongst other big tech firms, to testify in an antitrust hearing this month. Google adopts a range of tactics to try and influence federal policy and here we will try to unpick just how the company does it.

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Google sponsors antitrust research

Indirectly, Google has been part of a group that sponsors research into big tech antitrust. Back in 2012, the company part-funded a research project which criticized the scrutiny of Google in this area.

As the antitrust debate continues to rage an increase in intensity it is worrying to see Google having its hand in the policy decision. However, indirectly this is.

Additionally, Google spent $21 million on lobbying to influence Washington federal policy in 2019. In 2017, it was the largest spending corporate lobbyist out there. Some estimates suggest the number of organisations that receive funding from google is around 350.

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This has led to a range of important organizations coming to Googles defence at key moments over the years. These include academics, think tanks, trade organizations, and advocacy groups. All of which are directly or indirectly funded by the company.

Google supported in news outlets

A number of right-wing news outlets have also leapt to the defence of Google over the years. This is in part due to their extensive lobbying programs.

Op-eds by antitrust and privacy experts tend to appear on sites or cable news outlets where they are sympathetic towards the company. It is not always the case the individuals express these views due to financial incentives caused by funding from Google.

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However, in many cases, regulators and the public are not informed about potential conflicts of interest. Take Larry Downes, for example, who is project director at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy. He co-authored an op-ed in The Washington Post in January about the tech backlash going askew.

After 10 days Google donation to the Georgetown centre was made public on its transparency page. Apparently, the company only updates this twice a year.

Plans to break up big tech monopolies being blocked

Elizabeth Warren, has released big plans to break up dominant tech platforms. However, just as she did this, she was met with reliable Google defenders thwarting the debate.

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Geoffrey Manne, head of the International Center for Law & Economics, a nonprofit research group that receives money from Google was one of these.

Manne has co-authored a number of papers defending Google. His conflicts of interest have come to light in 2015 but this has not stopped him from continuing to defend the company.

His rebuttal to Warren argued that Google may stop investing in improving its products if it is more regulated. This piece was shared positively but more individuals who are part of Google-backed institutions.

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Google stepped up Washington strategy almost a decade ago

Back in 2011 Google decided to put more of a focus on lobbying in Washington. The FTC investigated the company over exploiting its dominance in search. However, failed to bring charges as Google made some voluntary changes.

Google also began courting conservatives in 2013 to mitigate concerns over its close ties to the Obama administration.

As mentioned, Google also invests in donating to think tanks, academics and op-ed amongst other groups. This allows Google to steer the debate on certain issues towards policy positions that benefit the company.

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This is not an attempt to change the way the experts think or what they believe in. Instead, they invest in their time to research topics that will be of benefit to the company.

This strategy does not always work and has backfired on the company in the past. Its employees revolted against the companys sponsorship of the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Google then stopped sponsoring the conference in the future. However, it did sponsor eight think tanks at that were present at the conference.

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Googles approach to lobbying and federal policy is a complex one. It lies in subtle social capture which allows it to make seemingly minor impacts. However, when multiplied out and combined together have a wide-ranging impact.
Stylish, driven and altruistic, interior designer Kelly Finley finds meaning and purpose in beautifying living spaces.

Her design philosophy is simple.

Everyone deserves to live in a home they love which can only be achieved when the space is personal, functional, and comfortable, said the founder and principal designer of Joy Street Design, a four-person operation based in the East Bay.

Finley puts action behind her words. Since 2018 the Chicago native has operated the Joy Street Initiative a philanthropic arm of her design firm that arranges interiors for non-profits. Shes especially proud of the work shes done with Oakland Elizabeth House, an organization that offers transitional housing to women with children who have experienced homelessness, violence and addiction.

Finley also recently hosted a giveaway for an essential worker in Washington D.C. Her firm donated $5,000 to do an interior makeover, while securing in-kind donations of furniture to offset the overall costs.

Her interest in interior design blossomed later in life. For years, Finley, a graduate of Stanfords law school, worked as a litigator for a legal firm in San Francisco. She started Joy Street Design from her home in Bernal Heights in 2011, before moving to Los Angeles for her husbands work in 2012. Her first client in Los Angeles happened to be a colleague at the law firm in San Francisco, and Finley developed her portfolio from there.

She and her husband moved back to the East Bay in 2015 and since then she has attracted clients from across the country.

In this interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Finley talks about her favorite homes to decorate, why shes committed to charity and what its like being one of the few Black interior designers in the Bay Area.

Q: How did you start your firm, and how did you choose its name?

More Information Details Kelly Finley, founder and principal designer, Joy Street Design. Website: www.joystreetdesign.com. Phone: 510-817-4003. Email: info@joystreetdesign.com. See More Collapse

A: I started business while I was still practicing as an attorney, so I couldnt use my name. My husband and I owned a house in Bernal Heights on Joy Street. Its a quintessential San Francisco street. Its a one-block street thats literally stairs. I needed a name and my husband suggested I called it Joy Street. I loved it. Ive thought about changing it, but I love it too much to change the name now.

Q: How did you get involved in interior design?

A: I was a white-collar litigator for a law firm in downtown San Francisco for about six years. I liked what was doing, but it wasnt something I wanted to do everyday. While working at the firm I started taking night classes at Berkeley extension. I took class on drafting. Then I took another class, and another. Two years later I was taking three classes while working 60 or 80 hours a week.

Q: What made you decide to start the Joy Street Initiative?

A: I grew up in Chicago and everything I achieved is because I had people help me. My grandma raised me when she didnt have to. I had teachers and others who helped me. For years I was figuring out how to give back. Ultimately, I wanted to create a nonprofit that provides the same services we give to our paying clients to those who could never afford it.

I like to think we give dignity and hope. We furnish rooms with new items and have professional people paint their space. We do this by donating 10% of our profits to the initiative. Those donations pay for the labor and our design partners often provide furnishings.

Q: What made you join the Black Artist Design Guild?

A: I joined because there are very few Black designers in the Bay Area. The guild helped create more of a community for me through hosting events and meeting people. I had a desire to connect with other Black designers. Its been helpful, especially during pandemic, meeting weekly on Zoom, learning about Black makers and artists and people you can use in your spaces.

Its a great fellowship. Theres a great network of designers in the Bay Area, but its lacking in that type of diversity. Its been an amazing experience. Im very happy that I found it.

Q: What are your favorite types of homes to work on?

A: Love a variety of architectural styles, but I especially love an old Craftsman or Victorian. And there are a lot of them in the East Bay. I love them because they have all these challenges. Do you keep the wood? Do you paint the wood? Theres something really gratifying about taking a space that had a life before and modernizing it without losing its character. I love incorporating color, texture and wallpaper into my designs. Ill put wallpaper between wood paneling and make it work. Those are the spaces I enjoy. I prefer older homes to new construction because theyre more engaging from a design standpoint.
The Caucasus 2020 military drills are scheduled for September.

Deputy Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Serhiy Kryvonos says any Russian military drills, in particular in occupied Crimea, may turn into an "active phase of hostilities."

"When the headquarters and the mobilization base are prepared  and they are already prepared in Crimea, these forces, acting under the guise of reservists, may first arrive for training, and the training may then turn into an active phase of hostilities. This happens very quickly. It's still training this morning, and tomorrow morning, it's the beginning of aggression," he told the Krym.Realii news outlet, commenting on a possible incursion by Russia into Ukrainian territory.

Read alsoUkraine's JFO HQ updates on ongoing truce in Donbas

At the same time, Kryvonos assured Ukraine is ready for any threats.

"All the threats that may exist have been worked out by the General Staff long ago, and these issues are constantly being reviewed. And such plans exist. And our troops are also being trained to counter [the threats]," he said.

However, according to the official, Ukraine should clearly understand that in case of aggression it should rely mainly on itself.

"We must clearly understand we are alone on the battlefield and we do not have many countries that support us," Kryvonos said.

"We are supported by the Baltic states, Poland, since they understand the threat posed by Russia, and they understand we are now allies of them  we must support [each other]. We are supported by Great Britain, which understands such a threat from Russia, as well as [Ukraine is backed by] the United States, Canada, and Japan. Other European countries are dancing to Russia's tune," he added.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Caucasus 2020 military drills in Russia are scheduled for September.
The Company has secured a new U.S. distributor for Beyond Tobacco cigarettes by entering into a comprehensive distribution agreement with West Coast Vape Supply. Quickly following the Companys agreement with Texas-based Worldwide Vape as announced in Taats July 7, 2020 press release, the addition of WCVS represents Taats second distribution deal in the month of July. Based in Huntington Beach, CA, WCVS operates a flagship retail store, an online shop that ships more than 1,000 U.S. orders per day, and a wholesale distribution network that collectively reaches more than 20,000 U.S. retail stores.

Homepage of WCVS Website

Homepage of WCVS Website

Homepage of WCVS Website

LAS VEGAS and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TAAT LIFESTYLE & WELLNESS LTD. (CSE: TAAT) (OTC: TOBAF) (FRANKFURT: 2TP2) (the Company or Taat) announces that shortly after entering into an agreement with its first distribution partner for Beyond Tobacco cigarettes, it has added new distributorship with California-based West Coast Vape Supply, Inc. (WCVS) with a one-year comprehensive distribution agreement that took effect on July 24, 2020. WCVS has a flagship retail location in Huntington Beach, CA, in addition to an e-commerce platform with more than 300,000 customers, and a distribution network that ultimately reaches more than 20,000 retail stores across the United States. In anticipation of the planned Q4 2020 launch of Beyond Tobacco cigarettes, the Company has prioritized the procurement of distribution partners to maximize early-stage retail availability to the general public.



The Companys flagship brand Taat Herb Co. has created Beyond Tobacco, a tobacco-free and nicotine-free alternative to traditional cigarettes that is designed to closely emulate the experience of smoking legacy tobacco products. Between cigarette-style packaging and a cigarette stick format, a proprietary blend of tobacco flavouring, and an enhanced volume of smoke, Beyond Tobacco cigarettes have been carefully engineered to closely mimic each and every aspect of the experience of smoking a tobacco cigarette. To potentially assist users in transitioning away from smoking tobacco cigarettes, Beyond Tobacco cigarettes each contain at least 50mg of cannabidiol (CBD, a non-psychoactive derivative of hemp) per stick, which has been shown to mitigate tobacco withdrawals and reduce dependency. In the first phase of retail market testing finalized in June 2020, anecdotal responses from test subjects in more than 50 retail stores in California and Nevada generally reflected the sentiment that Beyond Tobacco cigarettes had no significant experiential differences compared to regular tobacco cigarettes. In addition to an Original version with tobacco flavouring, Beyond Tobacco cigarettes are also to be offered in a Menthol version which could appeal to smokers of menthol cigarettes, as detailed in the Companys July 3, 2020 press release.

Story continues

Founded in 2013, WCVS represents several dozen brands of products for the tobacco-smoking alternative known as vaping. Its product categories include vaporizer liquid (commonly referred to as vape juice) in regular and nicotine salt varieties, as well as a selection of premium vaping hardware. WCVS online store has a database of more than 300,000 customers, with an order processing volume in excess of 1,000 U.S. orders per day. Additionally, between direct and indirect relationships that comprise WCVS distribution network, WCVS has access to more than 20,000 retail stores throughout the United States. To offer a customer experience enriched by product knowledge, WCVS posts original expert reviews of vaping products on its blog, as well as video reviews which have accumulated hundreds of thousands of views.

To view an image of the homepage of WCVS website, please visit: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/634dc7b3-808f-4eaa-87a3-160553b4a4f3

As of this writing, the Companys production capacity for Beyond Tobacco cigarettes can yield up to one million sticks per day (approximately 4,800 cartons). Taat anticipates that between the focus groups in its recently-announced second research phase, existing and potential new distribution agreements, and finalized availability of production resources, the Company is positioned favourably for the planned Q4 2020 launch of Beyond Tobacco cigarettes.

Mike Ibrahim, Chief Executive Officer of WCVS commented, The vaping industry is built around the notion that many current cigarette smokers desire an alternative, whether that may be to switch from smoking to vaping out of preference, or to try vaping in an effort to quit smoking altogether. It is common for smokers to resist vaping because the user experience is so different from smoking a cigarette. This has created some white space in the tobacco alternatives category, which Taat has targeted with their Beyond Tobacco product. I anticipate that between the Original and Menthol varieties of Beyond Tobacco, this product can be appealing to much of our retail and online customer base, in addition to the clientele of our distribution partners. We are pleased to have made this agreement with Taat, and we look forward to the planned launch of Beyond Tobacco in Q4 2020.

Attaining both an online and retail presence is vital for any new product, said Joe Deighan, Founder of Taat. Partnering with WCVS gives us an edge through both of these channels. For online, they have achieved a first-page search engine ranking for many keyword phrases related to vaping, which has helped them to grow a customer base of more than 300,000 users. With respect to retail, they have a flagship storefront in Huntington Beach, CA, in addition to a distribution network that can avail Beyond Tobacco to as many as 20,000 U.S. stores. As we get closer to our planned launch of Beyond Tobacco, distribution is a high priority for us so that we can begin selling at retail at the earliest possible moment. We are excited to begin working with Mr. Ibrahim and his team at WCVS as a distribution partner upon the planned launch of Beyond Tobacco.

Amendment: In the Company's July 20, 2020 press release in which it announced the results of its full-scale production run of Beyond Tobacco with Hempacco Co. Inc. ("Hempacco"), it was incorrectly stated that Hempacco has a second facility in western New York State. This error was the result of an internal miscommunication regarding facilities available to Taat in which the facilities of Redwood Reserves Ltd. ("Redwood") were being discussed to include Redwood's facility in western New York. To provide greater clarity to the public, Hempacco's only production facility is located in San Diego, CA, and Redwood has facilities in both Oregon and western New York state. As the Company recently entered into an agreement to acquire Redwood (as announced in its July 13, 2020 press release), Taat does stand to benefit from facilities on both the west and east coasts of the United States. This clarification is being given for the benefit of Taat's investors and prospective investors, as well as for the benefit of Hempacco. Any questions regarding this misstatement may be directed to Taat's investor relations department.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,

TAAT LIFESTYLE & WELLNESS LTD.

Joel Dumaresq

Joel Dumaresq, CEO and Director

For further information, please contact:

Jamie Frawley

1-833-TAAT-USA (1-833-822-8872)

investor@taatusa.com

About Taat Lifestyle & Wellness Ltd.

Taat Herb Co., the flagship brand of Taat Lifestyle & Wellness, is an early-stage life sciences company based in Las Vegas, Nevada innovating nicotine-free and tobacco-free alternatives to traditional cigarettes. With a unique proprietary blend of all-natural ingredients and meticulous engineering of the user experience, Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes are designed to emulate every aspect of legacy tobacco products with no significant difference to the user. Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes provide benefits that include mitigation of tobacco withdrawals, and reduction of tobacco dependency. With an expert-led go-to-market strategy, the Company's objective is to position itself in the US $814 billion (2018) global tobacco industry to capitalize on the growing worldwide demand for better-for-you alternatives to traditional cigarettes.

For more information, please visit http://taatusa.com .

References

 British American Tobacco - The Global Market

Statement Regarding Effects of CBD on Smoking Cessation

The Beckley/Exeter research program (University of Exeter) carried out a pilot study that found after several weeks following cannabidiol ("CBD") treatment, CBD helped tobacco smokers to reduce the amount of cigarettes smoked by as much as 40%. A follow-on study is planned, which will include a brain imaging component to examine the brain activity patterns underlying the probable therapeutic effects of CBD.

Source: https://beckleyfoundation.org/cbd-for-smoking-cessation/

Link to Study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S030646031300083X

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, estimates, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur, or be achieved. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding the potential launch of Taat hemp cigarettes, in addition to the following: Potential outcomes from Taats comprehensive distribution agreement with WCVS. The forward-looking information reflects managements current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed timeframes or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) changes to the growth and size of the tobacco and CBD markets; and (iii) other factors beyond the control of the Company. The Company operates in a rapidly evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Companys management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Companys business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The statements in this news release have not been evaluated by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As each individual is different, the benefits, if any, of taking the Companys products will vary from person to person. No claims or guarantees can be made as to the effects of the Companys products on an individuals health and well-being. The Companys products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This news release may contain trademarked names of third-party entities (or their respective offerings with trademarked names) typically in reference to (i) relationships had by the Company with such third-party entities as referred to in this release and/or (ii) client/vendor/service provider parties whose relationship with the Company is/are referred to in this release. All rights to such trademarks are reserved by their respective owners or licensees.

Statement Regarding Third-Party Investor Relations Firms

Disclosures relating to investor relations firms retained by Taat Lifestyle & Wellness Ltd. can be found under the Company's profile on http://sedar.com .




Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra indicated Monday that an assembly session can be called at a short notice if the state government says the agenda is to hold a floor test to prove its majority.

The suggestion figures in a note sent by Mishra while returning -- for a second time -- Ashok Gehlot Cabinet's recommendation to call a session. The governor asked the state government to draft a fresh proposal, addressing three points.

His note said a session can be called if the government agrees to give a 21-day notice.

But it also made clear that the notice can be shorter if the agenda of the sitting is to hold a floor test, which the Congress has indicated that it wants but has not specified in its proposal.

Mishra's second point is that the state government should undertake to broadcast live the proceedings of a floor test, if it takes place. It should also ensure precautions during the proposed Vidhan Sabha sitting against the spread of coronavirus, his note said.

Earlier in the day, Mishra returned with queries a proposal from Gehlot for the assembly session to be held from Friday. This was a revised proposal sent to the Governor but it also did not cut ice with him.

The Congress has accused Mishra of acting under pressure from the BJP to stall a test of strength in the assembly.

The Supreme Court, meanwhile, on Monday allowed Rajasthan Speaker CP Joshi to withdraw his petition against the rebel MLAs led by now-sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot who engineered a revolt against the Gehlot government. The court on Thursday had refused to restrain the Rajasthan High Court from passing an order on the plea of the rebel MLAs challenging the disqualification notice against them and said it would be subject to the outcome of petition before the apex court.
More than 50 chauffeur drivers including several from Limerick will complete a 400km drive from Killarney to Donegal today to highlight their concerns over the loss of business as a result of Covid-19.

The Drive to Survive, organised by the Western Chauffeur Drive Association (WCDAI) left Killarney on Friday in convoy for the three- day road trip along the west coast stopping at visitor and heritage sites along the Wild Atlantic Way including Bunratty, the Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Salthill, Maams Cross, Leenane, Ballina, Sligo and finishing in Donegal.

The drivers say the Drive2Surive is an act of solidarity with all viable tourism businesses that would be otherwise open and trading at this time of year.

The organisation is calling on the Government to commit to key issues to support the sector affected badly by the Covid 19 pandemic;

WCDAI secretary Fergal Jordan, Troy Chauffeurs, Castletroy, Limerick added:

Our sector supports hundreds of jobs but we havent been able to work since March. We want to highlight how we act as a conduit to all the small tourism businesses in rural Ireland. We bring visitors from Irish airports to all the towns and villages in rural Ireland where SMEs like ours are now hurting and concerned for their futures.

We met in Killarney, Co Kerry the tourism capital of Ireland not to protest, but to show the Government and decision makers that we need our voices to be heard, to be listened to and to be supported.

For more on this story click here:
What happened

Shares of global cement giant CEMEX (NYSE:CX) rose 11% on July 27 following the company's second-quarter 2020 earnings update. Interestingly, the headline on the release didn't actually reference earrings, but that was for a good reason.

So what

The headline numbers here weren't particularly good. CEMEX saw its sales drop 10% year over year in the second quarter, with EBITDA lower by 6%. Earnings from continuing operations came in at just $0.01 per share, down from $0.06 per share in the second quarter of 2019, an 87% decline. It was a rough quarter no matter how you cut it. However, the results beat market watchers' expectations of a loss of $0.02 per share.

Of note, the company's cost-cutting efforts allowed it to improve its EBITDA margin by 70 basis points. (This, by the way, was the information that was used in the title of the earning announcement.) There was also a small bit of positive news at the business unit level, but you had to sort through a lot of ugly updates to see it. Specifically, revenue in Mexico (20% of first-quarter sales) was off by 10%, sales across the rest of South America (10%) were lower by 13%, and Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa (35%) saw a 13% top-line decline, too. However, the U.S. market, which accounts for 35% of revenue, saw a sales increase of 1% despite the headwinds posed by the COVID-19-related economic shutdowns. So, even in these difficult times, there's still a little bit of silver on the dark clouds.

Now what

It would be hard to call this a good earnings report for CEMEX, but it certainly wasn't terrible given the circumstances. That the company was able to beat Wall Street expectations was, in fact, a fairly notable achievement. And cost cutting clearly had a positive impact, too. Investors reacted positively, which makes sense. That said, long-term investors should probably tread with caution. The impact of COVID-19 is far from over and the extent of the damage still isn't clear.
After ban on TikTok and 59 other Chinese apps last month, the government has created a new list of apps to examine them if they pose any risk to national security or individual's privacy.

This time, the Centre has kept 275 Chinese apps on the radar, including PubG, Zili, Resso, AliExpress and ULike, according to a report in The Economic Times. Apps from other Chinese internet and tech majors like Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games, Yoozoo Global are also in the list.

Although PubG videogame has been developed by a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole, it is also backed by China's most valuable internet major Tencent. On the other hand, Zili is owned by Xiaomi, Resso and ULike by TikTok-owner ByteDance, and AliExpress by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

India is the largest market of PubG. According to estimates from app intelligence firm Sensor Tower, PubG has generated about 17.5 crore installs to date.

The daily said either there would be a ban on all 275 Chinese apps or none at all. Chinese internet companies have about 300 million unique users in India.

Citing a government official, the daily added the aforementioned apps have been red-flagged due to security reasons while others have been listed for violation of data sharing and privacy concerns. Additionally, the government is examining the alleged flow of data from these apps to China that poses a threat to the sovereignty and integrity of India.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has sent 77 questions to the 59 banned-Chinese apps. The Centre has asked questions like whether they censored content, worked on behalf of foreign governments or lobbied influencers, among others. The ministry has also given these companies three weeks to respond, i.e, first week of August.

On June 29, the Centre banned 59 apps with Chinese links, including TikTok, Shein, UC Browser, and BeautyPlus, saying they were prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity, and security of the country. Last week, MeitY wrote a letter to Chinese firms, warning the continued availability and operation of these banned apps, directly or indirectly, was an offence under the IT Act and other applicable Acts.

Also read: Coronavirus crisis: PM Modi to launch 3 'high-throughput' COVID-19 testing facilities today

Also read: Moderna receives further $472 million US govt funding for COVID-19 vaccine development
Web series shortlisted for Shanghai TV Festival

By:Huang Qingyang, Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-07-27 09:27

The 26th Shanghai TV Festival will be held in about 10 days while the shortlist for the Magnolia Awards which honors high-quality TV programmes has already been announced. The biggest change of the Magnolia Awards this year is that it includes web series in the category of awards. Four web series have been shortlisted for Best TV Series in China this year.

Despite the coronavirus epidemic, this year's TV Festival still has collected more than 800 shows from about 48 countries.The Internet has been developing rapidly in China in recent years. As a result,the broadcasting channels of TV programmes have been greatly diversified while the principle of this award that the best content wins has remained unchanged. Regardless of various broadcasting channels, a TV programme of high quality should be shortlisted, said Wang Ye, deputy director of the Shanghai International Film Festival Center.

In the past the web series in China lacked specific regulations and quite a lot of them were of poor quality. Supported strongly by government policies, more and more professional teams have devoted themselves to producing high-quality web series. The comparison between web series and traditional TV series has shifted from different themes to artistic qualities.

The web series Joy of Life has been nominated for Best TV series in China,Best Director,Best Adapted Screenplay,Best Leading Actorand Best Supporting Actor. Another web series The Longest Day In Chang'an has also been nominated for Best TV series in China and five other nominations. Besides, documentaries and animation broadcast onthe Internet have also been shortlisted for the Magnolia Awards for the first time.

Established in 1986, the Magnolia Awards always keeps up with new trends in the world of television. Nowadays the Internet has become an increasing popular broadcasting channel for TV series. Putting more emphasis on the development of Internet film and television and making awards criteria that adapt to this trend is the best way for this award to stay relevant in the fast changing world of television.
Horrifying security footage shows the moment a 50-year-old bicyclist in Utah was fatally hit twice by a car police say was driven by his roommate.

Lewis Ricky Yates Jr, 50, was riding his bicycle on July 19 when he was struck by a white Nissan sedan just before 7pm.

West Valley City police identified the driver as 40-year-old Shamil Marcus Bikul.

Horrifying security footage shows the moment Lewis Ricky Yates Jr (on the pavement, top left), 50, was fatally hit twice by a car (white car, top right) police say was driven by his roommate, Shamil Marcus Bikul

Yates (pictured in the street) is seen in pain in the middle of the street as the car makes a U-turn. The victim attempts to move out of the way, but he's unable to walk and falls to the ground. Within seconds, the vehicle strikes him again, dragging his body down the street

In the video, the impact of Yates being struck is heard moments before the car is seen dragging him down Market Street in West Valley City.

Yates is then seen agonizing in pain in the middle of the street as the vehicle makes a U-turn.

The victim attempts to get up to move out of the way, but he's unable to walk and falls back to the ground.

Within seconds, the vehicle strikes him again at a high rate of speed, dragging his body down the street.

By the time officers arrived to the scene, Bikul had already fled.

Officers found Yates' body in the middle of the road and his bike was just a few yards away.

By the time officers arrived to the scene, Bikul had already fled. Officers found Yates' (left) body in the middle of the road and his bike was just a few yards away. Authorities later located Bikul (right) who reportedly confessed to the crime

Authorities later located Bikul, who lives in the area. Police said Bikul confessed to the crime during his interview with investigators.

At the time, he told officers that he was full of rage after have issues with Yates who was his roommate.

Bikul also confessed to having problems with other tenants as well.

It's unclear what happened between the two men before Yates was killed.

Bikul has been charged with first-degree murder and he's being held at the Salt Lake County Jail.
New York:

A man in the US allegedly hurled verbal abuses at a Muslim cab driver calling him a "terrorist" and telling him that he will "get deported" now as Donald Trump is going to be the President. The man was recorded on video lashing out at the Arab-American Uber driver in a neighbourhood in New York.

The man, who was not identified, was driving a white sport-utility vehicle and can be heard calling another driver in a video an "Arab", a "terrorist" and a "loser", the Washington Post reported."

Trump is president! So you can say your visa goodbye, scumbag. They'll deport you soon. Don't worry, you terrorist," he said.

The recipient of the verbal attacks was Chris Cody's driver.The incident on Crescent Street in the Astoria neighbourhood in New York happened last week, just before the driver picked up Cody in Manhattan.

Cody, a St Johns University adjunct professor who speaks Arabic, said he found out about the incident after striking up a conversation with his Uber driver, whom he knows only by his first name, Mohammed.

He said his driver was surprised to meet an American who said "hello" to him in his language and does not have anything against Muslims."Right before I picked you up, I had a horrible incident," Cody recalled his driver saying.Based on Mohammed's account to Cody, he and the other driver ended up next to each other at a stop light.

The man can be heard abusing after seeing Mohammed, who recorded the incident with his phone."You're a loser. You're not even from here! You and your family you terrorist!," the man said.Cody said Mohammed told him the attack was unprovoked. "I could tell he was upset. He didn't tell me exactly why he decided to take a video.

I think he was just so shocked by what happened," he said."There's definitely some Islamophobic and anti-Muslim sentiment out there right now," Cody said."I don't blame him for being intimidated, especially with the stuff coming out of that guy's mouth."The video has gone viral on Facebook.

Cody said he sent it to his friend, who posted the clip to his Facebook fan page. The video had been viewed more than 3 million times and shared about 40,000 times as of Sunday.The Arab-American Family Support Center in New York also has publicly criticised the other driver, saying that "racism and anti-Muslim bigotry are real threats to our community".

Over 200 incidents of hateful harassment and intimidation across the US have been reported since Trump won the presidential election

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A mother and daughter who brawled with a stranger over a packet of toilet paper in a south-west Sydney supermarket have been handed conditional release orders, with a magistrate convicting the younger woman after saying she took the law into her own hands.

Treiza Bebawy, 61, and her daughter Meriam, 23, had placed eight jumbo packs of Quilton toilet paper into their trolley at Woolworths in Chullora on the morning of March 7 this year, when stores were experiencing shortages due to panic buying.

Tracey Hinckson, 49, grabbed one of the 36-roll packs out of the trolley, causing Meriam to give chase and "smash" the item out of her hands. Her mother then followed.

On Monday, magistrate Peter Bugden said a video of the confrontation showed Meriam, who works in healthcare, pursuing the woman "in rapid fashion" and then trying to retrieve the toilet paper, at which point in time "the affray commences".
Las Vegas police are searching for an armed suspect after a teenage boy was shot at a house party.

Lt. David Gordon says the shooting happened around 2:45 a.m. Monday at a home near St. Louis and Eastern avenues.

An altercation arose and thats when a suspect pulled out a handgun. Gordon says the suspect began shooting, hitting one teen in the arm as he was fleeing.

Investigators say the teen avoided suffering any life-threatening injuries but was transported to a hospital.

No arrests have been made.
The following are arrests the Danbury Police Department reported to have made last week:

A 26-year-old Moss Avenue man was charged with driving under the influence, failure to drive upon right and operating a motor vehicle in violation of license classification.

A 21-year-old Coalpit Hill Road woman was charged with sixth-degree larceny.

A 25-year-old Scuppo Road man was charged with breach of peace.

A 43-year-old Maple Avenue woman was charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

A 46-year-old Ball Pond Road man was charged with sixth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit larceny and second-degree failure to appear.

A 30-year-old Ball Pond Road woman was charged with third-degree criminal trespass, sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny.

A 33-year-old woman from New Fairfield was charged with violation of probation/conditional discharge.

A 21-year-old Spring Street man was charged with driving under the influence, improper use of a marker, license or registration, failure to meet minimum insurance coverage requirements and operating a motor vehicle in violation of license classification.

A 33-year-old Nabby Road woman was charged with disorderly conduct.

A 47-year-old man from New Haven was charged with fourth-degree larceny.

A 28-year-old George Street man was charged with threatening and disorderly conduct.

July 20

A 34-year-old Wooster Heights man was charged with driving under the influence, failure to drive upon right, driving the wrong way on a one-way street and operating a motor vehicle in violation of license classification.

A 25-year-old man from Brick, N.J., was charged with failure to respond to an infraction.

A 35-year-old woman from Brookfield was charged with assault on a public safety officer and breach of peace.

A 33-year-old West Street man was charged with second-degree strangulation, second-degree unlawful restraint, third-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

July 21

A 22-year-old man from Bethel was charged with traveling unreasonably fast, illegal operation of a motor vehicle under suspension, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, failure to meet minimum insurance coverage requirements and improper use of a marker, license or registration.

A 40-year-old Lawncrest Drive man was charged with second-degree failure to appear.

July 22

A 24-year-old man from White Plains, N.Y., was charged with driving a vehicle with the intent to harass or intimidate, evading responsibility, breach of peace, operating a motor vehicle in violation of license classification and violation of a protective order.

A 38-year-old Clairann Drive man was charged with disorderly conduct.

July 23

A 51-year-old woman from Hartford was charged with third-degree assault and breach of peace.

July 24

A 34-year-old Padanaram Avenue man was charged with third-degree burglary, first-degree criminal mischief and third-degree larceny.

A 29-year-old Boulevard Drive man was charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

A 24-year-old Prospect Street man was charged with risk of injury to child, third-degree assault and breach of peace.

July 25

A 20-year-old Mill Plain Road man was charged with second-degree unlawful restraint, threatening and disorderly conduct.

A 49-year-old Cedar Drive man was charged with evading responsibility, failure to drive at a reasonable distance and operating a motor vehicle in violation of license classification.

As of January 2019, Hearst Connecticut Media does not include n ames in online police blotters.
Civil rights attorney Connie Rice, center, worked with L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck to launch the Community Safety Partnership in 2011. The current police chief, Michel Moore, has praised the program. (Los Angeles Times)

As were reconsidering and overhauling American policing, lets be careful not to inadvertently make more warrior cops  police who are strangers to the communities they patrol, who burst into neighborhoods like they were enemy turf, bash heads, make arrests and retreat back into their patrol cars. This is 911 policing. This is the policing of "Dragnet," "Robocop," "The Thin Blue Line."

Over the years, citizens and their elected officials asked warrior cops to take on tasks that were once performed by an earlier generation of police who walked beats and knew the neighbors by name: Prevent crime. Maintain order. Make residents feel safe. Deal with the homeless, the mentally ill, the drunk, the addicted.

The problem was that there used to be places to take those suffering and down-and-out folks. There were psychiatric hospitals and cheap apartments. Now, cops who are trained in the art of steely confrontation are the ones dealing with social problems, which require a social workers skills. Things too often end poorly, with police aggression and with unarmed people dead.

In the two months since the killing of George Floyd, activists and politicians have advocated getting police out of the social work business and back in their patrol cars, limiting their duties to answering 911 calls. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti called for $150 million in cuts to the Los Angeles Police Department, and the City Council obliged, with little vetting and few details about how those cuts would manifest themselves in altered police duties.

Some shifts in resources make sense. Perhaps L.A.s unarmed Department of Transportation officers, who currently are tasked with writing parking tickets, should also deal with moving violations on city streets. That would get the LAPD out of much of the business of car stops, in which missed turn signals or broken taillights are used as pretexts for intrusive searches.

Meanwhile, there is a growing consensus, even among the police themselves, that they are not the right people to deal with the homeless and the mentally ill. There should be more mental health professionals available to deal with psychiatric patients, more housing and services experts to deal with the homeless. Fewer cops, fewer jail cells.

Story continues

But cut the police budget too deeply, or without sufficient forethought, and were left once again with invading, aggressive warrior cops, strangers to communities they patrol.

There is another way. A decade ago, the LAPD established the Community Safety Partnership program, in which police were essentially embedded in four public housing developments. The idea was to build trust and a sense of community safety, while also giving residents a large measure of agency. They would be the ones identifying community problems and would work with the police to solve them. It was not merely community policing, but something new. Advocates call it partnership policing. A recent program evaluation found that it works.

The program has since expanded beyond public housing to other communities and now serves nine sites. It fosters a policing ethos that could and should move beyond troubled neighborhoods.

Supporters sometimes see it as the polar opposite of broken windows policing, in which cops crack down on minor crimes to restore a sense of order, which in turn, the theory goes, prevents more serious crimes.

But just like partnership policing, the broken windows model was also meant to restore a sense of community safety. The problem was that that type of policing, while much studied and much discussed  and widely embraced, mostly by thinkers on the conservative side of the political spectrum  had few actual parameters. In many cities it quickly descended into zero tolerance  a style of law enforcement tailor-made for warrior cops.

There are also, as yet, few parameters for Community Safety Partnerships, so officers and commanders are inventing it as they go, and thats a problem. Without some structure it could easily turn into just another stab at old-style community policing, in which the cops still drive the public safety agenda, although in consultation with the neighbors.

Partnership policing can help transform the warrior cop ethos, but it needs a how-to guide, training and ongoing evaluation. It needs thought and care, without which L.A. and other cities may find that they have defunded themselves into smaller but more aloof and more aggressive ranks of warrior cops.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 18:17:00|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and Valdis Dombrovskis, executive vice president of the European Commission, will co-chair the 8th China-EU High-level Economic and Trade Dialogue on Tuesday.

Themed "Post-COVID-19 China-EU Cooperation, Promote Steady Recovery and Growth for Global Economy," the dialogue will be held via video link.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic relations. Started in 2007, the dialogue is a mechanism under which the two sides communicate and coordinate economic and trade policies and it has played an important role in promoting mutually-beneficial cooperation and addressing concerns of the two sides. Enditem
'Both the governments and people have to recognise that this is a long race, not a short sprint.'

Rashme Sehgal reports.

IMAGE: Barricades are seen at the Khadki cantonment in Pune district after seven family members of a COVID-19 patient tested positive. Photograph: PTI Photo

Maharashtra has been at the centre of the storm with COVID-19 cases steadily rising in that state.

On July 14, Pune overtook Mumbai in the number of Covid cases.

While Pune reported 1,416 positives that day, Mumbai reported 1,374 cases; on July 21, the number of cases reported in Pune was 2,600 while Mumbai had 2,538 cases.

On July 26, PTI reported that Pune city reported a big rise of 1,921 new cases with the death toll at 1,166.

This has seen Pune impose a severe lockdown with only milk vendors and pharmacy shops being allowed to open till July end.

The lockdown is very similar to the one imposed in March, except that at that time grocery and vegetable shops had permission to open.

Pune-based Hutokshi Doctor, co-director of the Centre for Communication and Development Studies, pointed out, "The rate of infection in Pune is as high as 4 per cent while in Mumbai it is 1.3 per cent."

"The entire focus of the Maharashtra government had been on bringing down COVID-19 cases in Mumbai forgetting that we in Pune also have a large slum population," adds Doctor.

"If 50 per cent of Mumbaikars reside in slums, 40 per cent of people in Pune also live in crowded slums. But there was very little outreach to them," says Doctor.

IMAGE: Family members take a COVID-19 positive relative's body from the Nalanda Medical College and Hospital in Patna, July 21 2020. Photograph: Aftab Alam/ANI Photo

Or take the case of Bihar which has been forced to declare a complete lockdown till the end of July.

Initially, the number of COVID-19 cases emerging from the state appeared to be less than compared to its neighbouring states.

One of the main reasons for this was Bihar's low testing rate at 316 per lakh population.

All other states have a rate of over 550 tests per lakh and the figure for the country overall is 979 samples per lakh.

The picture seems to have reversed dramatically as on Sunday, July 13, Bihar reported over 1.266 cases with a positivity rate of over 13 per cent.

On July 21, the number of new infections reported in one day were 1,026 cases.

On Juy 26, PTI reported Bihar had a total caseload of 38,919 with 2,605 fresh instances of the disease reported in a day.

Dr S K Shahi, who heads COVID-19 testing at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Patna, points out that the positivity rate in 14 districts around Patna had increased from 4 per cent to 15 per cent over the past two weeks.

"This is a very worrying sign and a source of concern," says Dr Shahi.

Experience has shown that states which combined a high positivity rate and low testing base have gone on to become major hotspots.

These include Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Telangana.

IMAGE: MG road in Bengaluru wears a deserted look during a strict lockdown imposed by the Karnataka government after a surge in COVID-19 cases, July 5 2020. Photograph: PTI Photo

Similarly on July 14, the people of Karnataka received a shock when they found that their state had overtaken Gujarat to become the state with the fourth highest caseload of coronavirus infections, having added about 2,500 new cases in one day.

On July 26, PTI reported that Karnataka on Sunday witnessed the highest single day spike in coronavirus cases with 5,199 additions, taking the aggregate in the state to 96,141 cases.

In the first two weeks of July, Karnataka had added around 29,000 new cases, an average of more than 2,000 per day whereas in June their detection rates were between 350 and 450 cases every day.

The state government's response was to put Bengaluru under a lockdown.

One week later, despite cases soaring, the lockdown has been just abruptly removed.

Another capital city to be put under a severe lockdown is Guwahati where even the grocery shops have not been given permission to open during this two-week period.

IMAGE: Citizens wait to be examined at a government hospital in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo

From mid-July, the non-hotspot states have been witnessing an increased surge of cases as compared to Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat which were considered 'hotspot' states.

Cases in India have crossed the 1.3 million mark and are expected to surge ahead with epidemiologists predicting India will cross the four million figure by end August.

India's death rate has also risen from 2.79% on June 1 to 3.37% on June 16.

During this period, Delhi's death rate has gone up from 2.5% to 4.11%, Tamil Nadu's from 0.79% to 1.09% while the death rate of Mumbai has gone up from 3.2% on June 1 to 5.25% on June 16.

Some of these stats increase, doctors point out, is because the number of deaths had been under reported earlier.

IMAGE: A specially-abled women holds a test kit as a municipal health worker (unseen) conducts her screening for COVID-19 at Dadar in north central Mumbai, July 25, 2020. Photograph: Mitesh Bhuvad/PTI Photo

Another state witnessing a surge is Goa which has also announced a complete lockdown.

On July 26, Goa reported 175 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total count to 4,861. With two more succumbing to the infection, the death toll has gone up to 35.

Goa resident Dr Vikram Patel, professor of global health at the Blavatnik Institute's department of global health and social medicine at the Harvard Medical School, feels it is not correct to describe this increase in corona cases as a second surge.

"A large number of people may believe this to be the case, but this is a continuation of the first surge only," says Dr Patel.

He maintains the state government's sudden imposition of the March 24 lockdown had unforeseen consequences.

"The stringent lockdown imposed from March to curb the virus led to panic migration which has contributed to the spread of the virus to the rural areas," explains Dr Patel.

He regrets that there is no clear and meaningful communication around the reasons for the lockdown in July as well as what the restrictions aim to achieve.

IMAGE: Medics applaud for a 98-year-old lady as she is discharged from the Government Medical College Hospital in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, after recovering from COVID-19, July 25, 2020. Photograph: PTI Photo

People remain unclear about why state governments suddenly decide to impose a lockdown.

Nitish Kumar's government in Bihar issued a directive that they were going ahead with a lockdown because of 'an alarming surge in COVID-19 positive cases.'

However, cases in Bihar have been surging for some time now.

The state government has not cared to inform the public as to whether they will use this lockdown period to increase testing numbers and ramp up contact tracing.

Is the lockdown simply intended to break the chain of transmission? There is no clarity on this.

Several health specialists reinforce this point of view.

Dr K Srinath Reddy, who heads the Public Health Foundation, believes, "Each state has to take decisions based on its threat perception and health system readiness. I do not think a state wide lockdown is needed, but a district wise assessment should be done to take situationally appropriate decisions."

When queried as to what a three day lockdown in Goa hoped to achieve, Dr Reddy replies, "This is probably intended to reorient the response while slowing down the transmission."

"The three-day lockdown will by itself not have the effect of stopping the epidemic," adds Dr Reddy, "but can give the administration time to scale up the public health preparedness for surveillance, testing and contact tracing. Both the governments and people have to recognise that this is a long race, not a short sprint."

Rather than use a top down approach with harsh containment measures, the government should involve the public in decision making, focusing on containments on a district wise basis, thereby making the public feel they have a stake in governance.

IMAGE: A woman devotee waits to offer prayers at a temple in Tezpur, Assam, July 20 2020. Photograph: Samir Kar/ANI Photo

Dr Reddy attributes this surge in cases to several factors.

"The sense of release from a prolonged but staged lockdown and the false perception that the virus was in retreat led to laxity in implementing public health measures of energetic containment and in public adherence to safety measures," he says.

"Inflow of travellers, slackening of contact tracing, social and religious gatherings, shopping sprees and regarding masks as optional in public places contributed to giving the virus a green flag to speed on," says Dr Reddy.

"Permission given to social and religious gatherings sent a wrong signal to the people," says Dr Reddy. "It was as though school students were celebrating the end of examinations even though the results are still some time away."

"Uniformity is unlikely for all of India. The big cities may show some degree of bunching if effective measures are taken everywhere. Smaller towns and rural areas are still largely unaffected. If they can be protected from transmission, as we must strive to do, small outbreaks may occur in some parts of India. If we fail, larger outbreaks will be seen at different periods," states Dr Reddy.

IMAGE: Family members shift a COVID-19 positive patient to another hospital from the Nalanda Medical College and Hospital in Patna, July 22 2020. Photograph: Aftab Alam Siddiqui/ANI Photo

India is yet to see the peak of the pandemic.

The Indian Council for Medical Research study says it will come around mid-November, almost one year after the COVID-19 outbreak started in China.

Other experts fear that winter may see an intensification of the disease.

On this also there is no uniformity of opinion.

"We still do not know about how this virus behaves seasonally. There is a likelihood of the virus becoming (more) active in winter, but people and health systems may be better prepared by then. We have to prepare for a possible surge. Not with fingers crossed but hands at the controls," says Dr Reddy.

Doctors believe these months of combating the contagion have taught them several strategies to combat the virus, leaving them better equipped to tackle the disease.

IMAGE: Recovered patients donate plasma at the ILBS hospital in New Delhi, July 18 2020. Photograph: Supreet Sapkal/ANI Photo

Being an unknown disease, question marks remain about different lines of treatment.

The Delhi government is strongly promoting plasma therapy while some state governments are promoting remdesivir.

Both Dr Patel and Dr Reddy believe that plasma therapy remains a largely unproven experimental therapy.

"Large trials are now being conducted which will give us a better understanding of its benefits and risks," says Dr Reddy.

Trials are being conducted on the drug remdesivir which has been reported to reduce the duration of clinical recovery, whether given for 5 days or for 10 days to hospitalised patients.

No benefit of reducing deaths has, however, been demonstrated in the trials held on remdesivir.

Medical experts believe as time goes by, Indians will be less willing to comply with sudden diktats of their respective state governments.

It is therefore important for state governments to abandon this top-down style of announcing lockdowns.

Rather district-wise strategies should be devised, especially since it is now obvious the disease is not going away in a hurry.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
China's indigenously-developed AG600 large amphibious aircraft succeeded in its maiden flight over sea on Sunday morning in Qingdao, east China's Shandong province, its developer announced.

The aircraft took off from the sea off Qingdao at 10:18 a.m. and completed the test flight after flying for about 31 minutes, said state-owned plane-maker Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

The successful maiden flight from the sea is a major step forward in the development of this large amphibious aircraft following its maiden flight in 2017 and first takeoff from a water reservoir in 2018, said the AVIC.

Special missions

The successful maiden flight paved the way for the aircraft to undergo the following phases of test flights over sea and verification of its performance as an amphibious aircraft.

The AG600, together with the Y-20 large transporter and C919 single-aisle passenger airplane, is part of China's key project of independently-developed "large aircraft family."

Codenamed Kunlong, the AG600 is a key aeronautical equipment in China's emergency rescue system, said the AVIC.

The AG600 is designed to meet the country's demands for forest firefighting, marine rescue and other critical emergency rescue missions.

It is also the first time that China's aviation industry has developed a special-mission large civil aircraft model.

To prepare for the maiden sea takeoff, the AVIC completed multiple test flights over sea so that crew members could become familiar with the air and marine environment, according to the developer.

The development team and test flight team have optimized the aircraft, trained test flight pilots and made preparations for test flights in a maritime environment.

Great potential

Starting in 2009, the AG600 amphibious airplane project has been designed with the potential to have multiple variants, seeking to continuously meet various demands of customers, said the AVIC.

The multi-tasking amphibious plane can take off and land on both ground and water, thus packing more potential for various missions.

With long-range and long-haul capabilities, the AG600 can efficiently shuttle between the fire site and water source, each time carrying as much as 12 tonnes and dropping water over an area of 4,000 square meters.

The AG600 is designed to operate in complex weather and environment conditions. In rescue missions, it can conduct low altitude water surface search and anchor for water and maritime rescue missions. The aircraft is capable of rescuing up to 50 people on each mission.

Besides roles in firefighting and water rescue, the AG600 aircraft can be modified or fitted with more facilities to meet customers' special mission requirements, according to the AVIC.

The AVIC will facilitate further development of the AG600 project. The development team will focus on the firefighting-type of AG600 aircraft, which is expected to be completed by 2023, said the Chinese plane-maker.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday asked Congress to pass a measure creating the Boracay Island Development Authority to sustain gains from the rehabilitation of the popular tourist destination.

We have shared the remarkable re-emergence of the island back to its former glory, I want this sustained, Duterte said during his fifth State of the Nation Address.

In 2018, Duterte ordered the six-month closure of the top beach destination, saying Boracay has become a cesspool.

Earlier in the speech, the President urged Filipinos to boost the economy by traveling locally "once necessary systems are in place."

Boracay was the first top tourist spot to reopen since lockdowns were enforced due to COVID-19, but only visitors from the Western Visayas are allowed to go there for now. Western Visayas is composed of the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental.
WeChat has reportedly suspended its services in India days after the popular chat app and 58 other Chinese apps were banned by the government. The WeChat users in India were logged out of the apps over the last weekend, followed by a formal notification sent by the company to its users. WeChat was primarily used by people to communicate with contacts roaming or living in China as apps such as WhatsApp, Hangouts, Messenger, and Telegram do not work there.

In the notification, WeChat wrote: "Pursuant to Indian law we are unable to offer you WeChat at this time. We value each of our users, and data security and privacy are of utmost importance to us. We are engaging with relevant authorities and hope to be able to resume service in the future." While the company did not say if this moratorium of services will be reversed, multiple reports have noted the company is calling it quits for the Indian market. Earlier, UC Web, the company behind UC Browser, was speculated to be shutting its business.

WeChat was officially launched in India in 2013 at a time when instant messaging was catching up with the country's internet populace. The Chinese chat app took a huge leap in the following years to garner a huge customer base in India. It even ran a campaign endorsing Bollywood actors Varun Dhawan and Parineeti Chopra back in its heydays, which the company states, brought in 20 - 25 million subscribers. However, the popularity of the chat app nosedived and it eventually succumbed to the increasing adoption of WhatsApp for its ease of access.

Although WeChat nearly went extinct from India's app charts, it was still primarily being used by people who would want to communicate with anyone who is in China. These include many key officials of tech companies headquartered in China. With WeChat now suspending its services in the Indian market, people are worried how they will keep in touch with their contacts for as instant as they would want (some email clients do work in China and can be used for communication).

Meanwhile, the Indian government has reportedly banned 47 more apps that were found violating privacy and security norms laid down by the Ministry of Information and Technology (MeitY). These apps include the lightweight versions of already-banned apps such as TikTok Lite, Vigo Lite, UC Lite. The government is also putting a total of 257 apps under scrutiny for their behaviour that will be accessed over time and if found detrimental to India's safety will be banned. The hit battle royale PUBG is a part of the second list of apps under surveillance.
New ceasefire in Donbas starts after Russia-occupation forces open fire on Ukrainian positions 13 times on Sunday, wounding one

A ceasefire began in Donbas on July 27 after Russia-occupation forces opened fire 13 times on Ukrainian positions, wounding one soldier near Mykhailivka and used prohibited anti-personnel mines, the press service for the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has said.

The JFO said on Facebook troops can fire back if they come under attack.

"A call center operates in the JFO. Servicemen in each military unit can call," the JFO said.

Russia-occupation forces on July 26 violated the ceasefire 13 times, attacking repeatedly using 120mm and 82mm rounds, infantry fighting vehicles, UAVs and small arms fire near Vodiane, Yuzhny, Shyrokyne, Pyschevyk, Opytne, Pisky and Lebedynske.

Not far from Schastia, the enemy used sniper weapons, and near Avdiyivka, three 122mm rockets were fired along with and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and heavy machine guns.

The headquarters noted that in five cases, JFO units opened fire from standard weapons.

"Over the past day, as a result of the shelling of the enemy, one Ukrainian defender was wounded. He was taken to a medical institution in a satisfactory condition and provided the necessary medical assistance," the message says.

Also, on the eve of a full and comprehensive ceasefire, the enemy made another provocation near Novomykhailivka and mined Ukrainian positions with POM-2 antipersonnel mines using anti-tank grenade launchers.

"Such mines are prohibited by the Ottawa Convention and are manufactured exclusively in Russia. The POM-2 mine is remote-controlled and has a self-destruction period of four to 100 hours," the JFO said.

"The insidiousness of the provocation lies in the fact that soon, already during the ceasefire, a mine can detonate and the explosion will be regarded as shelling from Ukrainian positions, or their use of mines. In any case, it can be used to undermine the ceasefire," the press center said.

Russia-occupation forces continued to fire not only at positions of the Ukrainian units, but at residential buildings. On July 26, 2020, the enemy fired 82mm towards Avdiyivka. Two rounds hit the roof of the country house, which led to the destruction of the building and a fire. Two craters were also found in the courtyard, probably from 82mm rounds.

"There are no casualties or wounded among the civilian population," the JFO said.
Aged care homes in Victoria have been forced to call in casual staff from interstate because so many of their regular workers are sick or in isolation as a result of the coronavirus.

Industry groups have told the national industrial tribunal they fear some staffing agencies might withdraw from the market and leave nursing homes without enough workers if they are forced to give staff paid pandemic leave.

Workers in protective gear at an aged care facility in Melbourne. Credit:Luis Ascui

The Fair Work Commission is considering whether the growing coronavirus crisis in Victoria's aged care homes means casual workers should be given paid pandemic leave to help stop the spread of the virus.

Concerns some casual aged care staff have continued going to work because they do not have access to paid leave prompted the Fair Work Commission to consider introducing paid pandemic leave for those workers.
She returned to work as a nurse after recovering from coronavirus.

And Rachel Fenton looked sensational as she swapped her scrubs for a leather midi dress that sculpted her enviable curves for a night in Mayfair, London, on Friday.

The Love Island star, 27, was unrecognisable from her usual attire as an orthopaedic clinical nurse specialist, as she showcased her assets in the plunging ensemble.

Wow factor: Rachel Fenton looked sensational as she swapped her scrubs for a leather midi dress that sculpted her enviable curves for a night in Mayfair, London, on Friday

Rachel wowed in the glossy leather dress which highlighted her hourglass figure and bronzed limbs.

And she kept all eyes on her outfit with minimal accessories including a rose gold watch and towering nude strap heels.

The Love Island 2016 star wore her blonde tresses in mermaid waves over her shoulders and chose a nude gloss and full lashes for the outing.

Long locks: The reality star wore her blonde tresses in mermaid waves over her shoulders and chose a berry gloss and full lashes for the outing

Smiles: The Love Island 2016 star chose a berry gloss and full lashes for the outing and her glossy leather dress highlighted her enviable curves

To complete her look, Rachel held a black leather Christian Dior saddle bag with gold detailing worth 2,450.

Rachel also posted a playful mirror selfie to her Instagram story with her tongue out as she showcased her cleavage in the plunging neckline.

And she later shared her post-night-out breakfast which featured a fried egg with avocado on toast, captioned: 'Heaven.'

In April, Rachel explained that she was thrilled to be able to return to work after recovering from COVID-19, but had be tested negative twice before she could resume her nursing job.

Stunning: To complete her look, Rachel held a black leather Christian Dior saddle bag with gold detailing worth 2,450

She said: 'They swabbed me straight away and came back positive so I then isolated, I needed two negative swabs before I could come back on the ward which I've got now.

'The patients that are coming to us, we are swabbing them for coronavirus and when they come to the ward so they usually have to wait for a day in the rooms before they can have the procedure so their swabs can come back.'

'Some of them have come back positive, and most of them negative luckily.'

The blonde beauty rose to prominence after appearing in the second season of Love Island where she met and embarked on an 18-month romance with Rykard Jenkins.

Playful: Rachel posted a playful mirror selfie to her Instagram story with her tongue out which showcased her cleavage in the plunging neckline (left) and her post-night-out breakfast (right)
First REIT: Not Out of the Woods Yet

Investors would naturally assume that some of the most resilient assets would be hospitals and clinics. Especially during a pandemic.

After all, countries are allowing essential services such as healthcare, food and beverage and data centres to continue operating, unlike many other businesses.

Many industries, such as hotels, travel and tourism, to name a few, have been adversely impacted.

That said, investors in First REIT (SGX: AW9U), an owner of Indonesian-based hospitals, have seen their investment shrivel by 40% year to date, as the REITs share price tumbled from S$1.00 to S$0.60.

The REITs portfolio comprises 16 properties in Indonesia (12 hospitals, two integrated hospitals and malls, one integrated hotel and hospital and one hotel and country club), three nursing homes in Singapore and one hospital in South Korea.

These assets were valued at S$1.34 billion as of 30 June 2020.

Being a healthcare-focused REIT, investors may assume that First REIT was not too badly impacted by the pandemic.

However, that assumption could be breaking down due to several recent events.

Rental support and property valuations

First REIT had to temporarily close its two shopping malls (integrated with its hospitals) apart from essential services for Lippo Plaza Kupang and Lippo Plaza Buton.

Both malls have resumed operations since 27 May.

For its two hotels, Hotel Aryaduta Manado and Aryaduta Country Club, these have been closed until further notice.

As a result of this financial stress, First REIT has granted rental relief of two months (i.e. May and June) amounting to S$19.6 million.

Further rental relief may be announced in the second half of 2020 depending on how the pandemic evolves.

The REIT issued a profit guidance due to these reliefs, warning that there will be material declines of 40% to 50% for distributable income and distribution per unit (DPU).

Also, the REIT manager highlighted that there may be uncertainty with regards to property valuations for the portfolio as valuations are only conducted once a year (at fiscal year-end).

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Carrying amounts of the assets have not accounted for the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic and could result in downward revisions in asset values.

Gearing ratio for the REIT stood at 34.9% as of 30 June 2020, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore had raised the gearing limit for all REITs to 50% in light of this crisis.

If the property values face a significant decline, it could bump up the gearing level and make it tougher for the REIT to undertake acquisitions (using debt) or to borrow more.

Looming lease expiries

The REITs weighted average lease expiry (WALE) as of 30 June 2020 is seven years.

However, around 22% of the portfolios master leases by gross floor area is set to expire in the second half of 2021.

The REIT manager continues to engage the tenants for the renewal of these leases, but with the pandemic raging, the rental rates may likely be negotiated downwards.

Potential rental restructuring

The biggest risk, though, to the REITs income stream is the potential rental restructuring process that PT Lippo Karawaci Tbk (IDX: LPKR) intends to initiate.

As a recap, the bulk of First REITs portfolio is operated by PT Siloam International Hospitals Tbk, a subsidiary of Lippo Karawaci.

In early June, Lippo announced that it was seeking to renegotiate its rental agreements with First REIT as COVID-19 has significantly impacted Siloams revenues and led to a drastic decline in patient volumes across Indonesia.

Siloams revenues fell by as much as 40% to 50% year on year in some hospitals, and the dire situation has forced Lippo to cough up additional rental support to guarantee a certain rental income level for the REIT.

Should the restructuring result in a significant decline in rental rates for First REITs 16 hospitals, it could materially impact the rental income for the REIT moving forward.

Get Smart: Not in the clear yet

First REIT announced in its first half 2020 earnings that rental and other income fell 33% year on year to S$38.6 million.

The distributable amount and DPU plunged by 46% and 46.5% year on year, respectively, in line with the REITs earlier profit guidance.

Unitholders looking for some respite may not be getting any anytime soon, as the above challenges continue to exert an overhang on the stock.

DPU will also continue to be under pressure in the near-term.

They should continue to monitor First REIT for material developments on the above issues.

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The post First REIT: Not Out of the Woods Yet appeared first on The Smart Investor.
India President Charles Peng said on Monday that the company is geared up to enter the India laptop market on July 31 with MagicBook 15 that will be priced under Rs 50,000 to define productivity as more and more people work from home.

Armed to give some competition to Xiaomi's recently-launched Mi Notebook 14, the MagicBook 15 offers a password-free login and comes with a two-in-one fingerprint power button, for effortlessly unlocking the device with just a tap.

"We are excited to enter a new category in the Indian market with our most popular laptop MagicBook 15 under the Rs 50,000 category. Currently, we are going to import them from China but in future we will manufacture them in India," Peng told IANS.

The executive said they are entering the laptop segment after "examining the market as well as customers' feedback".

Honor sells several notebooks under its MagicBook brand, including MagicBook 14, MagicBook 15 and MagicBook Pro.

The company recently launched two variants of Honor MagicBook 15 in China.

Equipped with a Type-C charger, MagicBook 15 supports fast-charging capability and claims 53 per cent charge in just half an hour.

Honor MagicBook 15 offers an upgraded version with multi-screen collaboration capability.

"With Magic-link 2.0, users can transfer images, videos and documents between Honor laptop and Honor phone instantly. Users can also share Honor phone screens on the laptop, and drag, drop and edit files using the same keyboard and mouse," said Peng.

The notebook market in India currently is around six-seven million unit sales per year -- 50 per cent consumer notebooks and 50 per cent commercial notebooks.

Consumer notebook accounts for around 3.3 million to 3.6 million units and one of the most popular segments is thin and lightweight devices and this is where Honor is aiming to make a great impact with MagicBook 15 .

Peng said that privacy protection is a cornerstone of the product design at the company.

"The pop-up webcam is discreetly hidden underneath the camera button on the keyboard, serving as a unique privacy safeguard. Users can simply tap on the button to make the webcam pop up when they want to use it. MagicBook 15 runs Microsoft Windows 10 Home, covering all the privacy concerns from a software viewpoint," Peng told IANS.

The company is also looking forward to launching Honor 9A and Honor 9S smartphones in India for under Rs 10,000 on July 31.

--IANS

wh/na

(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.)
Delhi govt passes order allowing street vendors, hawkers to operate from 10 am to 8 pm

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, July 27: The Delhi government on Monday issued an order allowing street hawkers and vendors in the city to operate from 10 am to 8 pm for an initial period of one week. The order issued by Chief Secretary Vijay Dev, however, said weekly bazaars were not allowed.

"...Rehri-Patriwallahs (street vendors) are allowed to work from 10 am to 8 pm, initially for a period of one week, in NCT of Delhi (except in containment zones), subject to all instructions guidelines issued by Government of India and Government of NCT of Delhi, to contain the spread of COVID-19, such as face-covering, social distancing, hygiene practice etc," the order stated.

Coronavirus crisis: Delhi CM Kejriwal launches job portal to revive its economy

Unlock 3: Centre mulling over opening cinema halls and gyms with some curbs | Oneindia News

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said order was being passed by the government to allow street vendors and hawkers to restart their work and businesses, as there was some confusion regarding it. The coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown triggered by it have hit both small scale and individual businesses, with street vendors being one of the most affected groups.

"A special order is being passed through which the street vendors and hawkers can restart their work and livelihood in Delhi," Kejriwal said in a virtual press briefing. Hawkers will be allowed to operate from 10 am to 8 pm every day, and they will have to ensure social distancing and all other precautionary measures to avoid the spread of COVID-19, the government said in a statement.

The district magistrates and deputy commissioners of police have been for strict compliance of the order and take action against offenders for not wearing face covers, violating social distancing norms and spitting.
(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)

By Clyde Russell

LAUNCESTON, Australia, July 27 (Reuters) - The ongoing flood of crude oil into China is obscuring the fact that demand in the rest of Asia remains weak, and that countries in the world's top-consuming region didn't join China is stocking up when prices slumped.

China's crude imports set consecutive records in May and June, and will remain at high levels in July and likely August too, as the massive volumes of oil bought during a brief price war in April enter the country.

China imported 12.9 million barrels per day (bpd) in June, eclipsing the prior all-time high of 11.3 million bpd in May, according to official data.

Imports for July may set a new record high, with Refinitiv Oil Research estimating 13.04 million bpd will be offloaded in the month.

Tracking China's imports has been made more tricky by the sheer volume of tankers heading to, or waiting at, ports. Delays in discharging cargoes mean that August's figures may get a bit of a boost from the earlier buying spree.

Crude prices plunged to the lowest in 17 years in late April after Saudi Arabia and Russia, the leading producers in the group known as OPEC+, disagreed on whether to extend and deepen output cuts in a bid to support prices.

The Saudis said they would sell as much oil as they could, and the sheer volume of oil being made available, coupled with the economic hit from the spreading novel coronavirus pandemic, saw benchmark Brent futures drop as low as $15.98 a barrel on April 22, some 78% down from this year's peak of $71.75 in early January.

While the price war didn't persist, with OPEC+ agreeing to extend and deepen output cuts, it did last long enough to give refiners an opportunity to stock up with bargain-basement crude.

However, it appears that only Chinese refiners took up the offer, and perhaps trading houses with access to storage tanks, with many Asian buyers apparently more worried about the demand hit from the coronavirus than they were tempted by the low crude prices.

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India, the second-largest crude importer in Asia behind China, is forecast by Refinitiv to have imported 3.68 million bpd in July, a recovery from June's 3.33 million bpd.

However, these levels are still well below the 4.1 million to 4.7 million bpd range of India's oil imports in the months leading up to the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan's appetite for crude is struggling to recover, with just 2.16 million bpd of imports expected for July, up slightly from June's 1.93 million. The weakness in Japan means that South Korea is overtaking its rival in crude imports, with Refinitiv estimating 2.47 million bpd of imports in July, up a touch from 2.45 million bpd in June.

However, both countries are still down by more than 10% from the import levels that prevailed prior to the pandemic.

SINGAPORE SLIPS

A further sign of Asia's struggles outside of China is Singapore, the island state that is home to three refineries with a combined processing capacity of about 1.4 million bpd, and which produce mainly for export markets.

Singapore is expected to import 580,000 bpd in July, down from 870,000 bpd in June, which was already down on the more normal level of 910,000 bpd in April.

The weakness in Asia outside China begs the question as to what happens when the surge of cheap crude that China bought during the price war comes to an end?

Is the economic recovery from the coronavirus enough to boost demand across the region, or will the risk of a second wave, and the ongoing first wave in countries like the United States and Brazil, serve to dampen demand?

The rebound in crude prices since OPEC+ acted to lower production is also perhaps a factor in limiting potential demand growth, with refinery margins weak in Asia outside of China.

A Singapore hydrocracker refinery currently has a profit margin of $1.15 a barrel, well below levels of around $2-$6 that prevailed in the first quarter of this year.

Refineries may be finding it challenging to pass on higher crude costs, given demand for refined fuels is still running well below pre-coronavirus levels. (Editing by Richard Pullin)
She's been on cloud nine ever since she announced she's expecting a baby girl with her partner of just over one year.

And Gianluca Vacchi's pregnant girlfriend Sharon Fonseca looked as radiant as ever as she showcased her baby bump during a boat trip in Sardinia on Sunday afternoon.

The model, 25, appeared in great spirits as she shared a kiss with the Italian playboy, 52, before she watched him enjoy a spot of snorkelling in the sea.

Oh baby: Gianluca Vacchi's pregnant girlfriend Sharon Fonseca looked as radiant as ever as she showcased her baby bump during a boat trip in Sardinia on Sunday afternoon

Catching the eye, the social media influencer soaked up the sun in a leopard print two-piece, which featured a plunging bralet and matching briefs.

The online personality proved less is more as she went make-up free and wore her tresses in a straight fashion.

Youthful-looking Gianluca, meanwhile, flaunted his ripped figure in a pair of fuchsia pink swimming trunks.

Smitten: The model, 25, appeared in great spirits as she shared a kiss with the Italian playboy, 52, before she watched him enjoy a spot of snorkelling in the sea

Glowing: Catching the eye, the social media influencer soaked up the sun in a leopard print two-piece, which featured a plunging bralet and matching briefs

Last month, Gianluca said his 27-year age gap with Sharon doesn't 'concern' him in a candid interview.

The businessman insisted he has the energy of a 15-year-old boy and revealed Sharon made him 'suffer' at the start of their relationship to win him over.

The pair spoke from their lavish mansion in Bologna which boasts three swimming pools and 38 acres of land, after returning from their penthouse in Miami.

Asked about whether their age difference is an issue to them, Gianluca told HELLO! magazine: 'Not at all, if it doesn't bother her. Even though I have this white beard, my enthusiasm is that of a boy of 15.'

Memories: The brunette took to social media to document her trip (L), before uploading an image of herself on a boat two years ago (R)

The brunette beauty echoed his comments: 'Gian is an open book, a man from whom I can learn something different every day. And then there's his spirit and energy [like a 15-year-old's].'

The couple met two years ago on the set of one of his music videos and the millionaire admitted he was struck by the 'incredibly sexy' Sharon.

Although the hunk revealed that she played hard to get at the start of their relationship, he joked: 'She made me suffer a lot, that's for sure. I thought that same night she would fall into my net, but I was wrong!'
If you had asked me before this year's lockdowns, I would have been hard pressed to think of a nastier week than that of the 2016 Republican National Convention. Not so much because of any particular incident (the worst thing that happened to me was ruining a pair of shoes), but because of the vibes. Cleveland, a city I have always loved, looked like the set of Children of Men  a maze of rent-a-gates and make-shift steel barriers; cops in video game armor, people in suits walking aimlessly muttering to their digital devices, drunks, teenagers in MAGA hats quoting dodgy-sounding crime statistics, crazed taxi drivers, Newt Gingrich looking pissed off, John Boehner emerging like Mephistopheles from the dark of a seemingly abandoned warehouse to light a cigarette.

As it happened, there were no real crowds except in the Quicken Loans Arena, no serious protests, and certainly no violence. But you could feel it. Heck, you could smell it: the burning rubber, battery acid, bloody metallic aromas. Something could have happened.

Excellent company (and a lot of drinking) made the 2016 RNC bearable. Four years later, many of our major cities look as if they are preparing to host the long-waited visit of the Padishah Emperor to their humble corners of the galaxy. The added element of masks somehow makes things even more menacing. Donald Trump was in his element in Cleveland back then, and it's hard not to think he would have been this time: a villain from a forgotten mid-'80s cyberpunk film, his face, pouting and grotesque, projected at 100 or 1,000 times the size on to some enormous screen, his voice, with its unmistakable undertone of relish, emerging unseen out of speakers as he denounces the implacable enemies of the Solar Federation over the sounds of laser fire and random explosions.

This is why I am so baffled by Trump's decision to cancel this year's convention, which had been scheduled to take place in Jacksonville just before Labor Day. (It was originally slated for the same week, but in Charlotte.) Holding the convention in the middle of a pandemic that has metamorphosed into the worst season of urban unrest since 1968 (which had its own memorable political convention) would have been a challenge of almost indescribable proportions, with distinct security, public health, and logistical dimensions to which I cannot imagine anyone being equal. The whole thing would have been a nightmare.

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Trump would have loved it. Especially if, as virtually everyone expected, there were going to be protests and counter-protests, antifa teenagers dressed in parodies of Spanish Civil War militia costumes duking it out with equally stupid-looking Reddit fascists, riots, fires, looting, constant sirens. It would have been his chance to make the pitch he is convinced the American people want to hear about "law and order."

I say "convinced" because it is clear that not everyone on Team Trump agrees with him. Instead he will address his supporters virtually in what one imagines will be the most widely viewed feedback-laden Zoom meeting of all time.

Why would he retreat from his would-be apotheosis at the convention when he remains willing to send federal agents to Portland and Chicago over the objections of local and state authorities? It makes about as much sense as his bizarre about-face on the subject of wearing masks in public. But this has been his pattern throughout the last two or so months: a curious admixture of indifference, fury, and exaltation worthy of his role as our postmodern senescent emperor.

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Sharon Capriccioso spent many years in the classroom teaching children. And all the while, she learned they were teaching her as well.

Capriccioso, who resides in Midland, is retired and spent the majority of her teaching career  20 years  at Blessed Sacrament School. Although she taught in other other school districts, some out of state, she says Blessed Sacrament is her "school of choice."

"After a few years in the classroom, I realized that the children were teaching me daily," she said. "Some lessons were light and fun, others were painful. I wanted to put their lessons into practice."

So, not wanting to forget them, she decided to write them down, early on with a notepad and No. 2 pencil.

"I wrote my lessons in the summers, many while on vacations. My notebook and pencils went with me everywhere! One essay (lesson) was written in Hawaii while sitting on the beach. My last few were done on the computer ... I didn't write my lessons in the order in which they happened, since that would have been a bit too organized for me. For many lessons, I simply wasn't ready yet. I have many more teaching experiences to write about."

The Daily News, beginning today, will publish Capriccioso's lessons monthly in the weekend Accent section.

"One of the first lessons I learned was to get to know and understand the 'human' inside the little child," she said. "They each have stories as a part of their daily lives. The better I understood their story, the more success I had spending my days with each of them and the more success they had while learning."

She also learned when to step aside while the children praised and appreciated one another.

"Kind words from peers worked wonders in our classroom," she said. "They showed me by example, that I was not always the 'teacher in charge.'"

She happily keeps in contact with many of her students. Some have found her on Facebook.

"I had two kindergartners friend me from my kindergarten class where I taught in the Upper Peninsula many years ago. What a surprise! I am also in touch with students from Virginia, but most are from Midland since this is where I taught the longest. Last week, I received a message from two of them. One suggested that we Facetime soon. Another student sent me a message reminding me to be careful and wear a mask while social distancing. She was explaining to me that she is in the midst of this pandemic since she is a nurse and working with the patients. I am grateful for that advice and am certainly following it. They all continue to teach me through the beautiful lives they are creating for themselves."

Capriccioso believes everyone can learn from children. Her advice, she says, is to let children know they are heard.

"It is to stop, look, and listen. When children have something to say to us, we need to stop what we are doing. That is, come to a full stop, no matter how busy we are at the moment or ask them to hold the thought until we can get to them."

And, if possible, look the children in the eye. And listen with undivided attention.

"The children know the difference," she said. "Oh, the lessons they will teach us with the most amazing words. Everyone is so busy and it is often difficult to find the time. However, that very moment will flash by and we can't capture it again. If we wait until later, the children have lost interest and we have lost a beautiful experience.

"Children are master teachers."
A groundbreaking ceremony has been performed for the construction of a modern office for the Ambulance Service in the Asante-Akim Central Municipality.



The GHC275,000.00 project being funded from the District Development Fund, is expected to be completed in six months.



The facility, which comes with accommodation for staff and garage, has become necessary due to lack of office and residential accommodation for the workers of the service in the Municipality.



Mrs. Susan Akomeah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said the project was critical to addressing the health needs of the people due to the essential service provided by the ambulance service.



She said due to lack of office accommodation, workers of the Ambulance Service had been operating in the facilities of the Ghana National Fire Service.



This, she noted, was not conducive for efficient delivery of emergency services in the healthcare system.



"We took the initiative as an Assembly to provide a decent office accommodation for staff of the Service to complement the President's effort of procuring a well-equipped ambulance for every constituency," she said.



It is our expectation that the completion of this project would enhance service delivery for the benefit of the people of Asante-Akim Central and beyond," she added.



Mrs. Akomeah said in line with government vision to provide quality healthcare at all levels for the people of Ghana, the assembly would continue to invest in health infrastructure.



She charged the contractor to engage some of the local youth in the execution of the project to enable them earn some income to boost the local economy.



Mr. Ishmael Ankomah, Chief Executive Officer of Santrofie Enterprise, the company executing the project pledged to work to specification and also complete on time.

Source: GNA









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(Photo : Photo by Lindsey LaMont on Unsplash ) New Call Scam Forces Chinese Students to Stage Their Own Kidnapping (Photo : Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash ) New Call Scam Forces Chinese Students to Stage Their Own Kidnapping

The cases of kidnapping are now increasing amid pandemic. In Australia, several Chinese students were reportedly kidnapped and paid a ransom. A total of millions of dollars were sent to the suspects from the parents of the victims. Here's the catch, though. Authorities found out that most of the Chinese students' cases were 'staged kidnapped.'

Is kidnapping Chinese students now a sick trend?

BBC reported that several Chinese students-- or anyone with Chinese surnames are now the targets of a virtual kidnapping scam.

In Sydney, Australia, eight kidnapping cases of all Chinese nationalities were reported. New South Wales police said that the kidnapping has been increasing in the country and was operating on an 'industrial scale.'

However, compared to other kidnapped victims, these Chinese students were not literally forced to enter a van or had their arms and feet tied up. It was intentional, made by themselves.

Chinese students now do staged kidnapping

NSW confirmed that the kidnapping cases were all 'staged.' This means students were the ones who tied themselves up and took pictures to send to their families.

In many cases, the victims have actually blackmailed themselves. Interestingly, a new call scam has been actively calling Chinese students in the country. Scammers pretend to be officials from the Chinese embassy or any government offices. Once they're introduced, they will call students to warn them about a possible case filed against them in China. To be acquitted or prevent deportation, they need to pay a sum of amount to the scammers, like a prison bail.

Once the victim said that they don't have money, the 'officials' will force them to pose a kidnapping scheme. By tieing themselves up, looking a bit stressed, and sending pictures to their families, the scammers will receive millions as ransom.

When the parents finally talked to real police authorities to find their children, the victims were always safe and unharmed, the next day.

One case states that a victim's father exactly paid $1.43 million for her daughter to be freed from the scammers.

NSW said that the scammers collected over $2 million, just by fake calling Chinese students in Australia.

Fake kidnapping isn't new

Most teens nowadays are the ones that pose kidnapping, either to extort money from their parents or simply rebel.

Last year, a 16-year-old teen from the Bronx staged her own kidnapping scene due to her 'overprotective' mother. The kidnapping crime was caught on CCTV cam, which went viral. She also admitted that the kidnappers, who put her to a van, were all her friends. Her mother didn't identify.

ALSO READ: Abducted Philadelphia woman found alive in Maryland, police nabs kidnapper

Published on Tech Times, written by Jamie P.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A school for meritorious students will be opened in Uttarakhand which will give free education to poor children, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat announced on Monday.

The candidates will have to clear a state-level entrance test for admission into this school which will have Classes 6 to 12, Rawat said addressing students as part of the state governments e-Samvad programme.

The school will charge fees from students with a good financial background and use the money for educating children from poor backgrounds for free, he said.

Reiterating the state governments commitment for quality higher education, the chief minister spoke about his plans to open a national law college, a residential science college for post graduate studies and research besides a skill development college in the state.

He asked students to work hard assuring them of all support from the state government.

Citing an example, he said a student from Chamoli was selected for admission in the London School of Arts and all arrangements for his education abroad were made by the government.

Asking them not to rest till they achieve their goal in life, he said they should draw inspiration from former president A P J Abdul Kalam who was not disheartened by his rejection at an interview held in Dehradun for a job in the armed forces.

He (Kalam) went to Rishikesh, took the guidance of a saint and grew up to become one of the countrys top scientists and later its president, Rawat said.

Citing another inspiring example, the chief minister said there is an IAS officer in Uttarakhand who was earlier working as a labourer.

Describing patriotism as the best of all human virtues, he said students can chose any career they want but doing something for the country should be their ultimate goal in life.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 21:03:45|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Five Taliban bomb experts were killed during the airstrikes conducted by the Afghan Air Force in two provinces, the command of Afghan Special Forces said on Monday.

"Three armed militants were killed in Nahri Saraaj district of southern Helmand province and two armed militants were killed in Shindand district of western Herat province during airstrikes Sunday," Afghan National Army Special Operations Corps said in a statement.

The targeted militants were planting Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to target innocent civilians and security force members, the statement added.

Militants in Afghanistan have been using home-made IEDs to make roadside bombs and landmines to target security forces, but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians.

A 12-year-old boy was killed when a pressure-plate IED detonated in Pul-e-Khumri, capital of northern Baghlan province earlier on Monday. Enditem
The United States will continue to sell Javelin missiles and patrol boats to Ukraine in 2021, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States Volodymyr Yelchenko has said in an interview with the RBC-Ukraine online news site.

"Purchases of Javelins will continue. They were included in the program of assistance for 2021. In addition, the units that will be sent to the area of the Joint Forces Operation will be armed with Javelins now. This is a completely different balance of power. Of course, we will deploy such weapons in accordance with the Minsk agreements," he said.

At the same time, he stressed that the modernization of the Ukrainian fleet should be put in the first place.

The diplomat recalled that last year Ukraine received two Island-class patrol boats, and the United States has recently agreed to sell 16 Mark VI patrol boats equipped with all the necessary equipment and even guns.

According to him, these are modern patrol boats, which the United States itself put into circulation only in 2015. The United States has not passed them to anyone so far, but now they will be in service with the Ukrainian Navy, Yelchenko said.

"The main goal of this is to end Russian domination in the Black and Azov Seas. The Americans recognize and understand this and therefore help us," he said.

Photo credit: @US_TRANSCOM

op
Wang Yuying holds a special souvenir air ticket commemorating her fight against COVID-19 at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport before her flight back to Beijing. [For China Daily]

With a 30-year career under her belt as an accomplished head nurse and a veteran of the 2003 SARS outbreak, Wang Yuying once again found herself donning protective gear for a mission to fight COVID-19 in Wuhan, Li Yingxue reports.

When Wang Yuying arrived in Wuhan, Hubei Province, on the night of February 1, it was only seven hours after she received the call that she had been assigned to help at the epicenter of the novel coronavirus.

She said yes to the call immediately and took just minutes to pack.

"I packed a small suitcase with three changes of clothes, and enough drugs to last me a month and a half for my hypertension, as well as sleeping pills and migraine medication," the 59-year-old head nurse recalls.

She didn't know how long she would be deployed to the virus-stricken city, so she estimated the amount based on her experience of fighting SARS 17 years ago-she worked for one month solidly before being relieved.

Wang was one of the 135 medical workers dispatched in three groups by Peking University First Hospital to help treat seriously ill COVID-19 patients at Tongji Hospital's Zhongfa Xincheng branch in Wuhan during the height of the outbreak.

The day after arriving, Wang started to take care of the patients. Four days later, she was assigned as the head nurse of the medical team from Peking University First Hospital, and their team was asked to start taking patients independently within two days.

"We have 102 nurses and 50 beds, and not only did we need to get the facilities in the special wards ready, which were transformed from regular wards, but we also had to train all medical workers on how to use the protective clothing," Wang says.

"The ventilators in our wards were all donated, so they were a mix of different brands and types, so we all needed to get familiar with using each one of them."

According to Wang, her team of nurses were all under 40 years of age with at least three years' experience, and they have all worked night shifts and rotated at the ICU before.

"The medical protective equipment was limited then, and the work was heavy and intensive, and many of the patients needed to be put on ventilators, so we required young but experienced nurses," Wang explains.

Wang Yuying (R) and a colleague form a heart shape with their hands. [For China Daily]

She organized the nurses into several multidisciplinary teams-in each shift, there were nurses familiar with intensive care, cardiology, neurology and infectious disease.

In the first few days, Wang noticed some of the nurses were nervous or worried about entering the wards.

"They would stop to look in the mirror several times before they would go in," Wang recalls.

To reassure the nurses, she offered to examine all of the nurses' protective gear every single time they entered the ward. Only if she said yes could they proceed.

"They are like my children, and I have the responsibility to ensure their safety. I would also tell them to be careful and double check when taking off the garments," she says.

Wang's eagle eye was not just reserved for her staff. She noticed the signs of worry in the patients, too. She would talk to them gently and comfort them.

"Some patients would just say a single sentence to you before staring intently at the monitor displaying their oxygen saturation, through which you could tell that they were nervous," she explains. "We would always call the elderly patients grandma or grandpa to create a bond with them."

Wang serves food to a COVID-19 patient. [For China Daily]

Wang thinks compassionate care and psychological nursing also played an important role in treating the COVID-19 patients.

She remembered a patient in his 70s refused to say where he felt discomfort. He just kept repeating: "I want to be discharged and go home".

The patient didn't have a phone with him since he only had a landline. And he couldn't remember any of his family members' numbers.

Wang asked the nurses on duty to dial the number every day. It took a few days, but eventually, somebody picked up. It turned out that the patient's wife had just returned from a two-week quarantine.

"I remember that he cried when he heard the voice of his wife, and he finally smiled. As his mood became better, he started to respond positively to the treatment and was soon discharged," Wang says.

Wang Xiaoyue, a 36-year-old cardiac-surgery nurse on Wang Yuying's team, says the head nurse is strict at work but amiable outside of the wards.

"She remembers the birthdays of all 100 nurses and she would surprise them with a cake or a letter from family," Wang Xiaoyue says.

Wang Xiaoyue says Wang Yuying is so observant that she could tell if a nurse was homesick from a mere facial expression or mention of a favorite food.

"She is so strict at work, and she asks us to monitor every detail of every patient's condition," Wang Xiaoyue says. "She would keep asking questions about the patients-why a certain thing might have happened or what a certain phenomenon reflects in their condition-and we would need to be quite familiar with our patients to be able to answer all her questions."

Li Haichao, vice-president of Peking University First Hospital, who was also a front-line doctor with the team in Wuhan, believes the nurses did an incredible job.

"Their work in the wards was quite heavy. As well as nursing, they also had to perform life care, and none of our patients got pressure sores," he says.

On April 4, the team finished their last day of work in Wuhan. Of all 115 patients they received, 100 of them were discharged and eight were transferred to other hospitals. Not one medical worker became infected.

Wang Yuying remembers the warmth of the Wuhan people, from the notes written on their takeaway meals to the volunteer drivers who picked them up and dropped them off every shift.

Wang Yuying (L), a head nurse of Peking University First Hospital, checks the condition of a COVID-19 patient at Tongji Hospital's Zhongfa Xincheng branch in Wuhan. [For China Daily]

"The windows of the residential building in front of our hotel were always closed. But on the day when we left, many of them were open and the people living inside looked out and said thanks," she recalls.

With 36 years' experience as a nurse in the thoracic surgery department, Wang Yuying asks all the nurses in her department to learn how to read chest radiography and also how to perform auscultation-the action of listening to sounds from the heart, lungs or other organs with a stethoscope.

"The relationship between doctors and nurses should be complimentary," she says.

Besides continuously learning postoperative care as the medical technology develops, Wang Yuying also asks her nurses to be innovative when taking care of the patients.

A dozen years ago, she developed a recipe for a nutrient solution to help esophagus cancer patients recover faster which is still used today. She asked advice from a nutritionist when she was creating the recipe and made it as affordable as possible so it won't be a financial burden on the patient.

Wang's name is written on her protective gear. [For China Daily]

"I always like to think about how I can help the patients recover as quickly as possible," she says.

In her wards, patients usually only stay three to four days after surgery before they are discharged.

"People may think nursing is a repetitive job, but I always tell my nurses to find the difference in each patient we take care of and explore how we can do better. That is the meaning of being a nurse," she says.

Wang Yuying has been a head nurse for three decades and is one year away from retirement. For her, the experience in Wuhan was also a chance to find and train those who will follow in her footsteps, the future head nurses.

Wang Xiaoyue still remembers the exacting standard Wang Yuying requires from her nurses. "Should you get hospitalized one day, if the nurse taking care of you is one you trained, you are in good hands," Wang Xiaoyue says.

(Source: China Daily)
Doubts have emerged over the planned pedestrianisation of Portlaoise's Main St with the recommencement of the initiative delayed further.

Laois County Council had provisionally set Monday, July 27 as the new date for the summer restrictions on the lower half of Main Street after suspending limited street closures in mid July.

However, cars continue to drive down the street on Monday. Signs erected to advise the public about the closures have been covered in black bin bags.

The initiative was introduced by the council on July 2 in an effort to assist local traders. The council had planned to have two phases. A second phase involved weekend closures of the entire street and some side streets.

However, business subsequently objected on the grounds that not all trades on the street were open.

"The rate at which some businesses are reopening is slower than anticipated. Largely in recognition of this and having consulted with key stakeholders, Laois County Council will pause the pedestrianisation of Lower Main Street with immediate effect and reintroduce pedestrianisation week commencing Monday, July 27," said a statement issued on July 10.

At the time it said further details would issue closer to July 27.

The council was unable to provide an update in the run-up to the proposed recommencement date but said further information would be provided on July 27.

The issue was raised at the July meeting of the Portlaoise Municipal District. The councillors said the next closure the street must come with better information to the public.

Cllr Mary Sweeney tabled a motion asking for Laois County Council to conduct a public information campaign on parking availability near Main Street in conjunction with the pedestrianisation.

All traders should be afforded an equal opportunity. I received reports of the negative consequences of the pedestrianisation. I ask the council to engage and give an update on the consultation to our September meeting, she said.

Cllr Willie Aird seconded the motion.

After all the discussion it had to be called off. I feel there wasnt enough consultation. I was born and reared here and Main Street was never from the courthouse to the old Shaws. I would have spread this onto the side streets, why make fish of one and flesh of another, he said.

The reply from the council was that the council as part of efforts to support reopening of local businesses, made recent modifications to existing parking near the Main Street to encourage customers to return and to shop safely with confidence.

These modifications include a number of short-stay spaces on Main St, Lower Square and Market Square. This was communicated as a requirement to local businesses and modifications carried out in consultation with them. Laois County Council also commenced a public consultation in relation to a proposal to temporarily close public roads on and in the vicinity of Main St. Following this consultation, a public information campaign will be embarked upon in respect of parking in the area, engineer Wes Wilkinson reported.

A number of local authorities around Ireland are using the Covid-19 to trial pedestrianisation in towns and cities.

Pictured first day of pedestrianisation initiative.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  The National Center for Mental Health Chief Roland Cortez was fatally shot on Monday morning, a police report confirmed.

Quezon City Police District said a witness saw two suspects alight a motorcycle then knocked on the windows of Cortez's vehicle along Tandang Sora Avenue before firing several shots.

The Department of Health condoled with their families following the "shocking and alarming" news. It vowed to pursue justice for their untimely deaths.

"Dr. Cortez was a respected leader who sought to treat clients with utmost dignity... The DOH denounces all violent acts committed against healthcare workers, especially during these difficult times," DOH said in a statement.

Cortez played an important role amid the COVID-19 pandemic as the mental health center has recorded a spike in the number of callers to its crisis hotline seeking consultation.
New Delhi: Amid simmering tensions between India and China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, Indias spy satellite EMISAT has reportedly gathered information about the positions of China's Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) troops by passing over Tibet.

The satellite that carries Kautilya which is an ELINT (electronic intelligence) package, passed over the positions of PLA troops in occupied Tibet near India's north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

The ELINT includes recordings and analysis of intercepted signals and helps create an RF signature of a radar which can, in turn, be used for locating and quickly identify the radar in subsequent encounters.

This satellite is operated by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and was successfully placed in its intended sun-synchronous polar orbit in April 2019.

EMISAT is India's first electronic surveillance satellite and is one of the powerful electronic intelligence/surveillance satellites.

The use of this satellite is the result of the violent face-off between the armies of India and China at the Galway Valley in Ladakh on June 15 night.

20 Indian Army personnel were killed in action, while China reportedly lost around 45-50 PLA troops.

The relations between the two countries have soured ever since and resulted in many strict actions from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.

Also read | China's claim over Galwan Valley 'exaggerated and untenable', asserts MEA

Talking about the EMISAT to Zee News, Major General (Retd) AK Siwach expressed that it's important to find out the build-up by the Chinese Army in Tibet.

He said, "As per previous intelligence information, the Chinese had gathered two MAC divisions and a motorized division in Tibet. So, it's important to know how they have been deployed and the number of formation China has gathered there."

"We can't find out China's purpose until unless we find out about their MAC and motorized divisions. How many troops they have deployed and what kind of weapons they are carrying," added Siwach.

He stated that the Indian Army has also increased its deployment considering this.

Major General Siwach also commented on the first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft that took off from France's Istres airbase on Monday, and said, "They are game-changers. They have advanced weapons and missiles. China and Pakistan don't have this kind of aircraft."

He added, "India's combat airpower has now increased after the induction of Rafale aircraft."

Meanwhile, these jets will land at the Ambala Air Force Station (Haryana) on July 29 after covering a distance of around 7,364 kilometres.

Earlier in October 2019, the first Rafale fighter was handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and ten aircraft have been delivered to date. All thirty-six aircraft are slated to be delivered by the end of 2021.

Also read | Here's why India's Rafale fighter jet is a better choice for dogfight than Pakistan's US-made F-16
TROY, N.Y.  The Troy Police Department has welcomed a new officer to its ranks. Youstina Aziz was recently sworn in as a rank of Patrolman during a ceremony at Troy City Hall.

Troy Police Chief Brian Owens spoke about the departments newest officer, as she and her family were in attendance.

This is an important day in our department in the city and an exciting day for you and your family, Owens remarked.

Your life experiences, character, and opinions will help make our department richer for the differences. Youstina was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and came to the United States at a young age with her family. After growing up in Queens, New York, she graduated from the State University at Albany and later the Zone 5 Regional Law Enforcement Academy, beginning her law enforcement career with the Albany County Sheriffs Department, Owens noted on Azizs diverse background of experience.

Owens also lauded Azizs choice to serve in the Collar City community.

We have been impressed by your choice to work in a busy urban environment. Having heard you share some of your life experiences, I have no doubt what you have faced in your life has prepared you to be dedicated, empathetic, and genuinely concerned for others well-being, Owens said.

You now have the opportunity to use that experience, your knowledge and skills to serve the people of Troy, Owens continued.

On a daily basis we are reminded of the dangers that police officers face but more so we are reminded of the need for law enforcement in our society, Owens added.

Troy Mayor Patrick Madden also thanked Aziz and her family for the sacrifice theyre making to serve the city, prior to administering the oath to her.

Officer Aziz welcome to the Troy Police Department, Madden said.

Being a police officer today is different that it was even a few short months ago and it will be different again a year from now and probably again two years from now. Today in this country we are standing on shifting ground without a clear and agreed-upon destination, Madden noted on new and different challenges facing police officers.

On behalf of the residents of Troy I thank you and your family for the sacrifice that you are about to make and I welcome you to the Troy Police Department, Madden added.
President Donald Trump greets the Walking Marine Terry Sharpe at the White House in Washington on July 27, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Trump Welcomes The Walking Marine to White House

President Donald Trump on Monday welcomed a Marine veteran to the White House as he completed his 300-mile walk to the nations capital to raise awareness about the problem of veteran suicide.

Terry Sharpe, 69, was met at the Washington Monument by second lady Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, for the final leg of his journey from Summerfield, North Carolina, to the White House grounds where he was greeted by Trump, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie, and the U.S. Marine Band.

President Donald Trump, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie, left, and Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, right, pose for photographs with Terry Sharpe, third from right, known as the Walking Marine as he arrives at the White House in Washington on July 27, 2020. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)

Sharpe makes the annual walk to Washington to spotlight the high rate of suicide among the nations military veterans. In 2017, the suicide rate for veterans was 1.5 times the rate for non-veteran adults, after adjusting for population, according to the 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.

Sharpe, along with fellow veteran Allen Brown, completed their first 300-mile walk to the White House in 2014.
Guests wear protective face masks as they stand inside the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel, which is under lockdown over the coronavirus outbreak in Adeje

LONDON (Reuters) - A trade association representing British airports called on the government to drop the need for holidaymakers to quarantine for two weeks after returning from Spain's Balearic and Canary Islands, warning of a further hit to the beleaguered sector.

A total of 15% of flights leaving Britain in August last year were destined for the islands, carrying just under 2.4 million people, the Airport Operators Association (AOA) said on Monday.

"The government must look urgently at introducing air bridges on a regional basis which would allow travel to islands such as Lanzarote, Majorca and Tenerife, where infection rates are lower, to continue," said AOA Chief Executive Karen Dee.

"UK airports have already lost around 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) since the start of the pandemic and this announcement reinforces the fragile nature of the industry," she said.

Last year, Britons made up over a fifth of foreign visitors to Spain, which relies heavily on tourism revenues, and the government there has said it is focussing its efforts on trying to persuade London to exclude the islands from its quarantine plans.

Britain has defended the decision as a response to a jump in infections.

($1 = 0.7756 pounds)

(Reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by William James)
Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Waitrose and Sainsburys have withdrawn sales of goat milk from the UKs biggest producer after The Independent revealed animals had been violently attacked at one of its supply farms.

The supermarkets  along with Co-op and northern chain Booths  said they were dropping products by St Helens Farm, after footage showed goats being punched, kicked and painfully slammed onto conveyor belts.

Hidden camera evidence also showed the animals  described by experts as gentle and sensitive  being shoved and handled so roughly that they were left crippled and in pain.

One worker was seen hitting a goat with a rod; in another case, a worker dragged a struggling animal by one leg across the ground.

Goats were also seen being pulled along by their ears, having their tails twisted and being held by their necks. Many were recorded crying out in pain as they were thrown down or had ear tags attached, causing them to thrash about.

St Helens has enjoyed a rise in demand for its goats milk, yoghurts and cheese in recent years.

The investigators handed the video footage to the Surge animal-rights group, which reported it to the RSPCA, which has prosecution powers for animal cruelty.

Lawyers at Advocates for Animals said the findings highlighted many serious issues.

A promotional video by St Helens Farms says: Our happy goats provide great-tasting milk.

The goat milk  and in some cases yoghurts, cheese, ice cream and butter  were stocked in the main UK supermarkets until The Independent revealed the shocking scenes of cruelty.

The cameras also captured farm workers slinging dead animals over fences in view of living goats, and corpses were seen around the farm.

Ed Winters, co-founder and director of Surge, said: These sentient beings are reduced to milk machines whose worth is solely dependent on how much money they can make for the farmer.

A goat is held up by its neck (Surge)

East Yorkshire-based St Helens buys milk from a number of other farms in Yorkshire and the midlands. A spokesperson confirmed the footage was taken at one of its supply farms, and as soon as the company was alerted by The Independent to the treatment of the animals, it cut off the supplier.

A spokesperson for M&S, which stocked the mature cheese, said: We want our customers to be confident that M&S food has been produced to the highest standards of animal welfare. As soon as we were made aware of these allegations, we removed from sale the one branded product that contained milk from this farm.

A Tesco spokesperson said: We require high animal-welfare standards from all brands sold at Tesco, so these claims are deeply concerning. We have immediately suspended supply whilst we investigate the matter further.

A Waitrose spokesperson said the chain was suspending St Helens after reading The Independents article.

A Sainsburys spokesperson said: All our suppliers are expected to meet our high welfare and ethical sourcing standards, and we have suspended supply whilst we urgently investigate.

The investigation findings caused an outpouring of fury from readers, with many calling for prosecutions or calling on the other supermarkets to suspend St Helens.

Goat farming in the UK is not covered by the Red Tractor scheme that aims to guarantee standards of animal welfare.

The RSPCA said it could investigate if the government agency responsible did not.

We were shocked and saddened to see what was happening to the goats in these videos and it is deeply concerning to think that these poor animals were being subjected to this kind of treatment on a daily basis, a spokeswoman said.

We pass information on complaints about farm animals to the Governments Animal and Plant Health Agency to investigate. However, if they decline to take the matter up we reserve the right to proceed with an investigation. We urge anyone with concerns about animal welfare to contact us on 0300 123 4999 as soon as possible.

St Helens Farm said it was supplied by other farms that were expected to comply with a rigorous code of conduct and that had several animal-welfare accreditations, adding: Today we have been made aware of allegations that one farm has infringed animal welfare standards, which we would find totally unacceptable if true.

We have immediately ceased all milk supply from this farm and launched a full investigation to determine the facts of this matter.

A spokesperson for the Co-op said: Co-op prides itself on high animal-welfare standards, both from our own-label products and the brands we stock in store. We have suspended the supply from St Helens Farm, whilst we investigate the matter further.

A spokeswoman for Booths supermarkets, which has stores around the north of England, said: At Booths we expect all of our suppliers to operate to the highest standards of animal welfare and food safety. Booths will immediately withdraw all St Helens products from sale and cease any further orders until we have fully investigated and reviewed the matter with the supplier.

The Independent has also asked Ocado and Morrisons to respond.
While India and China remain locked in a military face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, France has dispatched the first five Rafale fighter aircraft which are to arrive in New Delhi on Wednesday.

In a statement, the embassy of India in France said that the move has enabled India to take a significant step in strengthening its air power and defence preparedness. This also marks a new milestone in the strong and growing India-France defence cooperation, the French embassy said.

Built by Dassault, the Rafale fighter aircraft flew out from Merignac airbase in Bordeaux, France to India on Monday. India's Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf was there to see off the Rafale jets.

He said, "The long awaited and much needed two squadrons of Rafale would add great strength to Indian Air Force and India's defence capabilities." Ashraf met the Indian Air Force pilots and congratulated them on becoming the first Indian pilots to fly one of the world's most advanced and potent fighter aircraft.

Ashraf also thanked the French Air force for its support and Dassault for delivering the aircraft on schedule despite the ongoing pandemic crisis.

Eric Trappier, Chairman, Dassault Aviation and Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather, the Air Attache to France, were also present on the occasion apart from other officials.

The aircraft will cover a distance of nearly 7000 kms from France to India with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop en route in the UAE.

The first Rafale fighter was handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in October 2019 in a ceremony attended by the French Minister for Armed Forces Madame Florence Parly and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Delivery of ten aircraft has been completed on schedule. Five will stay back in France for training mission. The delivery of all 36 aircraft will be completed on schedule by the end of 2021.

In accordance with the contract, the Indian Air Force pilots and support personnel have been provided full training on the aircraft and weapon systems by Dassault. Further batches of Indian Air Force personnel will continue the training over the next nine months, the statement said.

India and France have a long history of cooperation in fighter aircraft, which includes India's acquisition of French Toofanis in 1953, then the Mystere, Jaguar and Mirage.

In a gesture of friendship, the government of France will send an aircraft with medical equipment and experts on July 26 to support India's efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh to the family of the boy who was kidnapped and then killed in Gorakhpur. The body of a class six student kidnapped for ransom was recovered from an area near a canal in Gorakhpur on Monday evening.

The CM has directed the officials to conduct a strict investigation against the accused. He has also directed to deliberate over the booking of the criminals under the National Security Act (NSA), besides determining the responsibility of the police in this case. He said that the state government will get the criminals sentenced through Fast Track court as soon as possible.

The 14-year-old son of a grocery and 'paan' shop owner, Mahajan Gupta, was kidnapped from Pipraich area on July 26. The son of Gupta, who runs his shop near his house at Jungle Chhatradhari area, was kidnapped in the afternoon and the family had also received a ransom call.

"After taking lunch on Sunday afternoon, my son had gone outside to play. In the evening I received a phone call from an unknown number and the person on the line asked me to pay a ransom of Rs one crore for my son," said Gupta, adding the matter was immediately reported to the police.

Gorakhpur SSP Sunil Kumar Gupta said soon after getting the information, the police swung into action and nabbed the kidnappers on July 26 night itself. On interrogation, the kidnappers disclosed that they killed the boy soon after kidnapping him. On the information provided by kidnappers, the boy's body was recovered, the SSP said.

Several police teams, including those of Crime Branch and STF, had been deployed to search for the boy, he added.
Michigan has had its first confirmed case of a rare but serious disease that affects the nervous system and can cause the muscles and reflexes in the body to weaken.

On Monday, July 27, the Department of Health and Human Services reported the states first case acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) in 2020. The confirmed case is a child from Macomb County.

Two additional suspected cases in Michigan remain under investigation.

Most patients report having a mild respiratory illness or fever consistent with a viral infection before developing AFM, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health, in a prepared statement.

AFM affects the spinal cord, according to the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Symptoms include sudden weakness in the arm(s) or leg(s), along with loss of muscle tone and decreased or absent reflexes. Some patients report pain, and in some cases AFM can affect the nerves controlling the head and neck.

DHHS officials said the cause or trigger for AFM is not yet known. Most children had a respiratory illness or fever consistent with a viral infection before they developed AFM.

Michigan had one known case of AFM in 2019, and five in 2018. As of June 30, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 13 confirmed cases across 10 states for 2020. Most known case are in children, though it can develop in adults.

The CDC estimates that less than one or two in a million children in the U.S. will get AFM annually.

Washing your hands often with soap and water, avoiding touching your face with unwashed hands, and avoiding close contact with people who are sick are ways to decrease the risk of getting viral infections.

MDHHS asks health care workers to report patients with suspected cases of AFM to the local health department.
Han River flows between South Korea's Gangwha Island and North Korea's Kaepung, Monday. A North Korean defector is believed to have swam across the border after going through a drain under barbed wire fences to evade South Korean border guards, military officials say. Yonhap



A North Korean defector is believed to have swam across the border from the western island of Gwanghwa after going through a drain under barbed wire fences to evade South Korean border guards, military officials said Monday.



The border crossing by the 24-year-old man was made known after North Korea revealed Sunday that a "runaway" returned home in the border city of Kaesong with coronavirus symptoms and leader Kim Jong-un blocked off the entire city and implemented a state of emergency to prevent the virus from spreading.






When the owners of Black Dog Salvage first signed on to do a reality television show, they didnt expect it would have a long run.

But Mike Whiteside and Robert Kulp figured the episodes, even if only a handful aired, would serve as commercials for their architectural salvage business and Roanoke, where their retail showroom is located.

We figured wed have five really good commercials. And then it picked up for another season, another season. Then it became apparent that we had something here, the chemistry between Robert and I and the rest of the crew and the format of the show really resonated, Whiteside said.

A networks decision to renew a show is based on ratings and revenue, he said. If Salvage Dawgs didnt deliver, it would have been canceled.

Instead, the show ran for 11 seasons, resulting in 143 episodes  three lifetimes in the reality world, said Christa Stephens, branding and promotions director for Black Dog Salvage.

But Whiteside and Kulp said the most recent season, which premiered on the DIY Network in November, would be the last.

After eight years of juggling the show on top of their other responsibilities, the duo was ready to wrap Salvage Dawgs. Plus, the DIY Network is transitioning to the Magnolia Network, meaning theres no longer a home for the show.

While the show helped to underwrite the business, Kulp said it was never about the money. Salvage Dawgs was an opportunity to get Black Dog Salvage national exposure and increase brand awareness, he said. Even though the show is coming to an end, more people are sure to be introduced to the business as long as previous episodes are available via reruns or streaming services.

The show brought attention not only to Black Dog Salvage, but to Roanoke. Many episodes featured local projects, showcasing the region.

Catherine Fox, with regional tourism group Visit Virginias Blue Ridge, said theres no way to measure the impact Salvage Dawgs had on local tourism, but the fact that Black Dog appears on so many lists of top Roanoke attractions is telling.

Whenever you have a unique and dynamic attraction like that, it starts to get the attention of visitors that might not have once looked at our area as a place to come but say, Oh thats pretty cool,  she said.

When the region is promoted to journalists or prospects are being courted by economic development officials, Fox said a visit to Black Dog Salvage often appears on the agenda.

Fox said Whiteside and Kulp are great ambassadors for the region. Though they are local celebrities, they dont act like it. Whenever she visits Black Dog Salvage, it seems the men are taking pictures with their fans.

Fox said shes grateful for the show, which highlighted other attractions in the region and introduced the DIY Networks audience to Roanoke.

It really did set us apart from all other destinations because we had this very unique story to tell about not just Salvage Dawgs, but this amazing warehouse, shopping extravaganza, she said.

Black Dog Salvage is among Roanokes top attractions on Tripadvisor, just behind the Mill Mountain Star. For some, the store is the reason they make a detour in Roanoke, or travel here at all.

And those visitors stay in hotels, eat in local restaurants, shop with other retailers.

The Grandin Village Business Association expressed gratitude for the Salvage Dawgs show.

As the show flourished, the employees at Black Dog sent many of their visitors to the shops and restaurants in Grandin Village. As a smaller, lesser known pocket of the city, the special ambiance of Grandin Village has been shared with a wider audience than was possible before the show, a statement from the association reads.

Linda Steadman, owner of Too Many Books, said Black Dog Salvage draws both tourists and locals to Grandin Village.

When Salvage Dawgs first became popular, Steadman remembers getting a group of customers from Austin, Texas. She asked what brought them to Roanoke, and they said theyd come to see Black Dog Salvage.

Its hard to gauge the impact of the show. Steadman said she believes tourism is growing in Roanoke in general, thanks in part to breweries and outdoor activities. Black Dog Salvage might not be the only reason someone chooses to come to Roanoke, she said, but its on everybodys list to do.

Whiteside said hes always been particularly amazed by the international visitors, who have come from countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia. Meanwhile, some Roanokers visit the store for the first time at the urging of out-of-town relatives who are viewers of Salvage Dawgs. Since the DIY Network isnt included in basic cable packages, Kulp said some locals probably didnt know about the show and never will.

The people two doors down dont know you, but the guy in California does, he said.

The show portrayed Roanoke in a positive light. It wasnt about crime or mean housewives. Its stars werent depicted as ignorant Southerners, Whiteside said, but instead were family-friendly, providing some education and laughs.

We get calls from all over the country, if not the world, of people who know this area and love seeing their hometown represented that way, Whiteside said.

Since they wont be filming another season, Whiteside and Kulp will have more time to dedicate to the salvage business that started it all. Theyre involved in two high-profile jobs in downtown Roanoke  the conversion of the Liberty Trust Building into a hotel and the renovation of the historic fire station on Church Avenue.

Kulp said both projects were featured in the last season of Salvage Dawgs.

We are still here, were still participating locally. The Roanoke community should be very proud that something like Black Dog Salvage had the staying power and the draw to help advertise this valley, Whiteside said. Were very proud of where we live.

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At least 42 attacks on Christians and their places of worship in 2021 in southern state as it mulls anti-conversion law.
Trumps National Security Adviser Robert OBrien Tests Positive for COVID-19

The White Houses top national security adviser, Robert OBrien, tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from the White House.

OBrien, 54, has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site, a White House spokesperson said on Monday.

The statement added that there is no risk of exposure to President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, adding that the work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted.

OBrien had recently traveled to France to meet with President Emmanuel Macron, and he was also at a family gathering in recent days. His office in the White House is near the Oval Office and the vice presidents West Wing office.

Photos released by the National Security Councils social media page showed OBrien meeting with journalists and other officials. He was accompanied by staffers, Secret Service agents, and reporters on the trip.

He is not the first member of the Trump administration to have contracted the virus, as Pences press secretary Katie Miller tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as the novel coronavirus, in May.

Two Secret Service members also reportedly contacted the virus after a Trump campaign event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June.

The incident comes as infections and deaths continue to rise in some U.S. states. Last week, Trump resumed regular briefings with reporters about the pandemic.

So far, more than 4 million cases of the CCP viruswhich emerged in Wuhan, China, late last yearhave been confirmed in the United States along with more than 140,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Trump also called off the Republican National Convention that was slated to be held in Jacksonville, Florida, in August over the CCP virus.

The president also began promoting the use of masks and posted a photo of himself wearing one on Twitter this month.

Trump hired OBrien, a former lawyer and hostage negotiator, as the National Security Adviser about a week after John Bolton left the administration in the midst of disagreements on various foreign policy issues.
An Oregon driver was killed in a three-car crash Sunday in Marion County, troopers say.

Scott Zadow of Portland was going east on Oregon 22 when he crossed into the opposite lane and sideswiped an SUV driven by Curtis Gagner of Canby, the Oregon State Police said, citing an early investigation.

Troopers said Zadow then hit a car driven by 50-year-old Turner resident John Berquist, who was fatally hurt.

Zadow, 43, was taken to a hospital. Hes expected to survive.

Troopers didnt say whether Gagner, 42, was hurt.

The crash closed the highway for about 6  hours, troopers said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Troopers ask anyone who has information to contact the Oregon State Police.

-- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
The teen rom com film, The Kissing Booth quickly shot up to number one spot within days of its release on Netflix in 2018. Therefore it comes as no surprise that the second instalment of this film rom-com was highly anticipated by its fans. The Kissing Booth 2 has recently been released on Netflix, and it did not disappoint.

The Kissing Booth 2 shot up to number 1 spot on Netflix again, within just a few days of its release. Young fans all around the world are swooning over the teen hunk Noah Flynn again. However, apart from its engaging story and a cast of extremely attractive young actors, The Kissing Booth 2 is also a treat to the viewer's eyes due to its breathtaking filming locations. Read on to find out, Where was Kissing Booth 2 Filmed?

Read | Is there going to be a Kissing Booth 3? Cliffhanger ending gives hints for the next part

Where was Kissing Booth 2 Filmed?

According to the reports of a media portal, The Kissing Booth has been filmed in South Africa. The lead actor of The Kissing Booth 2, Joey King confirmed this with an Instagram post as well. On August 17, 2019, The Kissing Booth 2 actor took to her Twitter to inform her fans that, the second instalment of the highly successful teen romcom film was being filmed in South Africa.

A pile of clothes, 5 deflated birthday balloons, a covered tattoo, a wig and my last day as Elle Evans in South Africa. Thanks for the memories  pic.twitter.com/jX2uajqB9w  Joey King (@JoeyKing) August 17, 2019

Read | Who plays Marco in Kissing Booth 2? Here are details about the actor

The parts of the film which were shown as California were actually shot in South Africa. Media reports also confirm that the University of Cape Town was a major Kissing Booth 2 filming location. Most of the college and school scenes were filmed at the University of Cape Town. Aside from South Africa and the University of Cape Town, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was also a Kissing Booth 2 filming location, Cameras were rolled here for shooting the popular Boston montage of Elle Evans and Noah Flynn as they were seen frolicking around the town.

Read | 'Kissing Booth 2' ending explained: Who does Elle end up with?

The Kissing Booth 2: The Plot

From its trailer, The Kissing Booth 2 looks as promising as its first instalment. The premise of the teen flick revolves around best friends Elle and Lee. Elle and Lee are now in their senior year of high school.

As fans saw at the end of the first film, Elle is now dating Lees brother, Noah who has now become a college hunk. Noah, who was infamous for skipping school and getting into fights has somehow managed to land an admission in Harvard. Naturally, Noah is meeting new people in college and also making acquaintances with new girls.

Read | 'The Kissing Booth 2' author Beth Reekles shares the secret behind the movies' success

This is making Elle who is still in her senior year of high school, extremely insecure. Luckily, Elle has a new boy at school who is keeping her busy as well. In The Kissing Booth 2, fans will get to witness the roller coaster ride that Elle and Noahs relationship has become as long-distance can be really hard of even the strongest of couples.
The blanket national ban is due to run out on Saturday, with Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien voicing concern about its legal basis.

The Minister has announced a new bill that will provide help until January to only those who have been financially impacted by the pandemic.

Renters will only be able to avail of the rent freeze and eviction ban if they prove to the Residential Tenancies Board they lost money due to Covid-19.

Legal advice received by the Simon Communities says the original ban was brought in as a response to a public health crisis, and given that regional spikes are anticipated, the crisis is not over.

Wayne Stanley from the Simon Communities says lifting the ban conflicts with what people are being told:

The legal advice we got was quite definitive. Its very clear that the public discourse that regional spikes are anticipated, second surges are anticipated.

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That means there should be sufficient jurisdiction available to the Oireachtas for legislation to be introduced to extend the powers on moratorium.

The legal advice outlines due to the threat of Covid-19 there is a basis for legislation to be brought to extend the ban further.

Legislation will be brought before the Dail on Friday, with the bill to be enacted from Sunday morning.
Longtime Standardbred horseman Michael Taub, 66, of Boynton Beach, Florida, passed away on Saturday, July 25, 2020. Taub had been struggling with health issues for the past seven months.

Taub was a successful trainer for nearly 50 years -- it was his entire world. Originally from Middletown, NY, Taub raced and won numerous races at all east coast tracks. A regular at the Meadowlands Racetrack from its opening in 1976, Taub's favourite horses were Fixed Assets, Franco Catapult N, Decafe, Ribb and many others.

He stabled in New Jersey for many years and his friends always referred to him as a great guy with a grand smile who always was willing to help others. He will be missed by all.

Taub is survived by his sisters, Lisa Bernstein and Susan Taub Hughes; nieces and nephew, Julie, Robert, Kaylie Hughes and Abbe Hughes; and grand-nephew, Antonio. He was preceded in death by his parents, Martyn and Ida.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Standardbred Retirement Foundation.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Michael Taub.

(USTA)
With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 41.8x Silver Lake Resources Limited (ASX:SLR) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Australia have P/E ratios under 15x and even P/E's lower than 9x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.

Silver Lake Resources certainly has been doing a good job lately as it's been growing earnings more than most other companies. It seems that many are expecting the strong earnings performance to persist, which has raised the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

View our latest analysis for Silver Lake Resources

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Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Silver Lake Resources will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The High P/E?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Silver Lake Resources would need to produce outstanding growth well in excess of the market.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 77% last year. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 159% in aggregate from three years ago, thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the five analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 49% per annum over the next three years. With the market only predicted to deliver 12% each year, the company is positioned for a stronger earnings result.

With this information, we can see why Silver Lake Resources is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.

The Bottom Line On Silver Lake Resources' P/E

Story continues

Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

As we suspected, our examination of Silver Lake Resources' analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Silver Lake Resources that you should be aware of.

If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly and trade on P/E's below 20x.

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.
Underworld figure Mick Gatto has had his day in court, but his defamation trial against the ABC was not the battle he had hoped for.

Closing arguments began on Monday in the matter of Domenic Gatto versus the national broadcaster, the culmination of a more than 18-month dispute over a 2019 story he claims crossed a line by depicting him as a murderer, hitman and one of the most violent men in Australia.

Mick Gatto Credit:Paul Jeffers

Mr Gatto wanted to argue that, despite his past, his reputation was worth something, and his history was not as black as it was painted. This was at the core of the testimony heard from witnesses called by his lawyers over the course of the trial.

On the stand himself, Mr Gatto made it clear it was his belief that having a serious criminal history and associating with murderers, hitmen and notoriously violent men did not make him one.
- Tundu Lissu left Tanzania three years ago for Belgium after he was shot by unknown gunmen

- He has since undergone over 20 surgeries to restore his health

- Lissu returned to the country and is set to vie for the presidency in October 2020

Tanzania Opposition leader Tundu Lisu has returned home after three years in Belgium where he went for exile after an assassination attempt on his life.

Lissu fled to Belgium after an attempt on his life in the capital, Dodoma, and has since undergone over 20 surgeries to restore his health. Interestingly, nobody has ever been arrested over the matter.

READ ALSO: UoN to remain closed until 2021, learning and graduation to take place online

Tanzania Opposition leader Tundu Lisu when he arrived Dar es Salaam. Photo: BBC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Kisii: Nurse diagnosed with COVID-19 gives birth in ICU

In a report by BBC, Lissu was received in the capital city by his supporters where he told them he was ready to vie for the country's top seat.

Ahead of his return to Tanzania, Lissu, as well as rights groups, had asked the government to guarantee his safety in the country.

He was a member of the Tanzanian parliament when he fled the country and was stripped of his position.

READ ALSO: Papa Shirandula spotted in video narrating how he was falsely killed online 7 times

In Dar es Salaam, Lissu's next step in his bid for top office would be to win the Chadema opposition party's nomination for the presidential race.

He is a staunch critic of President John Magufuli who is vying for a second five-year term at Tanzania's general elections in October 2020.

Magufuli who has been hailed for economic recovery in the East African nation but at the same time criticised for his strong stance against Opposition and media freedom.

Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Follow us on Telegram: Tuko news

Source: TUKO.co.ke
"Until a vaccine is widely distributed there are significant barriers to travel between countries which puts severe stress on economic recovery," says Professor Cather Simpson , an American-New Zealand physicist and chemist at the University of Auckland. "Rapid point-of-need testing for immunity can enable a return to safe and quarantine-free international travel," she adds.

Orbis Diagnostics, co-founded by Professor Simpson and Professor David Williams, a leading authority in electrochemistry and chemical sensors, has brought together an international team with significant depth in novel diagnostic development and deployment. Professor Williams, as Chief Scientist, led the development of Alere's globally leading Clearblue digital pregnancy and ovulation rapid strip tests and the first at-home fingerpick cardiac biomarker test.

The Orbis-designed platform will provide simultaneous and quantitative testing for large groups of people to deliver medical laboratory ELISA (enzyme-linked immunoassay) precision results in as few as 5-15 minutes. A small finger prick of blood is drawn from each traveler for on-the-spot testing. The goal is for COVID-immune individuals to bypass mandatory quarantine, with results authenticated to passports by identifying who is safe to travel without risk to themselves or others. The Orbis equipment is an automated centrifugal microfluidic system the size of a desktop printer. It can be deployed at entry points to key facilities such as airports, hospitals, and other locations critical to national and community infrastructure, and will provide a robust, portable, accurate immunoassay process. In addition, it was designed to be operated by non-technically qualified staff to allow its widespread deployment.

The WHO has expressed concern that the current rapid strip antibody tests are not able to reveal the extent of a person's immunity, because they only assess the presence of antibodies but do not quantify their levels. Quantitative determination of antibody levels is essential for assessing degree of immunity for an individual. Though accurate testing can be conducted in a medical lab, doing so is time consuming, expensive, requires experienced technicians, and is not scalable for use at locations such as airports, where timely mass testing is required. Furthermore, standards and methods can differ significantly from country to country

Orbis is seeking US$10 million to adapt its platform system for the quantitative detection of the COVID-19 virus and antibodies produced after infection, to productize its system, to conduct clinical studies and begin deployment. The system is expected to commence commercial manufacturing within 12 months.

The Orbis Diagnostics team has been joined by NYC-based Dr. Allan Goldberg who will serve as a Board member. He is a biotechnology CEO and entrepreneur, who is experienced in the foundation, management, financing, governance, and sale of start-up companies. Dr. Goldberg was a professor of virology at The Rockefeller University where his lab focused on viral oncology.

The scientific and management teams have been brought together by Pacific Channel, an early-stage investment and development firm focused on building successful deep-tech ventures from New Zealand. Pacific Channel is chaired by La Jolla, C.A.-based Dr. Gary Pace, an experienced serial entrepreneur in large-scale life sciences ventures in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.

Orbis is working with D&K Engineering, a San Diego-based global leader in the development of products and instruments that have a high innovation content and complex manufacturing requirements, to productize and manufacture its system. Biometric companies which operate at airport gates throughout the world are informing Orbis on design and deployment requirements.

The Orbis team draws strongly from New Zealand's world-leading agritech industry to apply expertise to the COVID-19 recovery efforts. Professor Simpson led Pacific Channel's microfluidics and photonics company Engender Technologies that successfully developed a microfluidic cell sorting livestock technology that was sold in late 2018 for a significant return to its investors. In addition to his pioneering work at Alere, Professor Williams has experience developing robust diagnostic methods and equipment for measuring the health of cow herds during milking. "The sample collection process is time-sensitive, and is carried out in a difficult environment requiring minimal intervention and the need for fast and highly accurate results  similar to the conditions in airports during a pandemic."

The tourism industry contributes approximately 10.3% of global gross domestic product and generates roughly one in four of the world's new jobs during the past five years, according to World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents private companies in the industry. An analysis by WTTC stated that the sudden halt in global travel due to the pandemic could result in more than 100 million job losses this year and an estimated $2.7 trillion decline in travel and tourism GDP in 2020.

"We all hope that vaccines are the long-term solution, however the first vaccines may only protect half of those who receive it, and for only 12 months," says Orbis CEO Brent Ogilvie, who also is managing partner of Pacific Channel. "Enabling freedom of movement is key to economic recovery, and we believe that the Orbis immunity testing platform can provide a solution for travel dependent industries desperate for a return to viability. Our platform system combines the accuracy, quantification, and robust repeatability of a medical laboratory with the speed and portability of a rapid test strip."

Brent Ogilvie added, "As an investor looking to create lasting impact, a key advantage of Orbis is the ease by which the system can be readily adapted to quantitatively measure the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 family of viruses, and in anticipation of further viral outbreaks, the presence of virtually any other virus and the antibodies it induces following infection."

Contact: Martin Elder Mobile 646-645-7108

Media Relations Director, SweeneyVesty New York [email protected]

SOURCE Orbis Diagnostics
Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education will declare the MP Board class 12 results today. The MPBSE officials will announce the class 12th results at 3 pm on Monday. Once the results are declared, students can check their scores at mpbse.nic.in. Students can also check their results on our HT Result portal at hindustantimes.com/examresults. Around 8.5 lakh students who have taken the exam will get their results today.

Students can also download MPBSE mobile app or MP Mobile app or Fastresults app from Google Play Store to check their results. The Madhya Pradesh class 12th results will also be available on MP Mobile App that can be downloaded from Window App Store.

Madhya Pradesh Board 12th Result 2020 LIVE Updates

Madhya Pradesh Board intermediate exam was scheduled to be held from March 2 to 31. However, MPBSE had to postpone some exams that were scheduled between March 20 and 31, due to Coronavirus outbreak. Later, the board decided to conduct the pending exams from June 9 to 16, only for important papers which are necessary for students to get admission to higher education institutions.

Click here to pre-register to get MP Board 12th result alert on SMS

In the year 2019, 7.5 lakh students had taken the MP Board 12th exam out of which 76.31% students passed. In the year 2018 the pass percent was 68% while in 2017 it was 67.8%.

MP Board Class 12th 2020: How to check the results on hindustantimes.com after it is announced

1) Visit the official website of Hindustan Times at hindustantimes.com

2) On the home page, go to the Education section and click on the Exam Results section

3) Go to the MP Board tab

4) Click on the link that reads MP Board 12th Result 2020

5) Key in your roll number in the rectangular box provided for the purpose and submit

6) Your MP Board class 12 result will appear on the display screen

Direct link to check MP Board 12th Result 2020 on HT Result Portal

How to check MP Board 12th Result 2020 on its official website after it is declared:

1. Students can visit the official website at mpbse.nic.in

2.C lick on the link that reads,  MP Board 12th result 2020 available on the homepage

3. Key in your credentials like roll number, etc and login

4. The MPBSE 12th Result 2020 will appear on the display screen

5. Download the MP Board class 12 results and take its print out for future references.

The author tweets @ NandiniJourno
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A French Air Force aircraft will bring ventilators, test kits and other medical equipments to India on Tuesday as part of COVID-19 assistance by France, its embassy said.

President Emmanuel Macron had recently announced the donation of medical equipment to India, as well as provision of technical expertise, according to a statement by the French embassy.

As part of this medical assistance package, France is donating to India 50 Osiris-3 ventilators and 70 Yuwell 830 ventilators with BiPAP mode, it said.

Osiris ventilators are particularly useful for emergency transport, intra-hospital transfer and recovery.

They have different ventilation modes, including non-invasive ventilation, it said.

The Yuwell 830 ventilators have bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) -- a non-invasive technique to supply oxygen to the lungs without intubation.

These high-quality ventilators meet the needs of Indian hospitals, the embassy said.

France will also donate 50,000 high-quality serological IgG/IgM test kits and 50,000 nose and throat swabs and modes of medical transport, the statement said.

The French embassy said an expert mission on inter-hospital transfers by military means was also being dispatched.

The French Air Force will deliver the equipment on Tuesday.

"The equipment and the personnel are being transported on a French Air Force A330 MRTT equipped with a Morpheus kit, which enables the transport of critically ill patients," it said.

Emmanuel Lenain, ambassador of France to India, will hand over the medical equipment to R K Jain, secretary general of the Indian Red Cross Society, at Palam Air Force Station in Delhi, the embassy said.
In San Francisco, a city where its difficult to move a bus stop without causing an uprising, the head of transportation has taken on a much greater challenge: He wants to reinvent the subway.

When Muni Metro restarts Aug. 22 after an unprecedented five-month shutdown, it will have modified rail routes and fewer trains running in the tunnels each hour. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency chief Jeffrey Tumlin hopes this leaner model will make the system more reliable. But hes also operating under intense pressure from COVID-19, a fickle public and the stop-start uncertainty of the economy.

Its a really big change that were doing very quickly, Tumlin said in an interview. The sort of change that would normally take five years.

Transit activists are excited. Some riders are wary. Tumlin is bracing for runaway success or possible disaster. Since Muni lost so much revenue during the pandemic, it has little to spend on repairs. The agency cant afford another subway meltdown.

When the lines reopen in August, one-car trains will no longer enter the subway. Officials will instead limit the underground portion of the system to trains with two or three cars, a strategy to relieve stress on the train control system and encourage social distancing.

That means the J-Church and K-Ingleside lines will run only on city streets, since the short platforms along their routes can accommodate only smaller vehicles. The subway will include two-car N-Judah trains, a combined T-Third and M-Ocean View to circle from the southeast to the west side neighborhoods, and a high-frequency S-Shuttle between the West Portal and Embarcadero stations.

Additionally, the agency will combine the L-Taraval and K-Ingleside into a west-side line from the San Francisco Zoo to Balboa Park, turning West Portal Station into a transfer point for riders heading southeast or downtown.

Todd Trumbull

The new configuration allows San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to do more with less, Tumlin tweeted this month.

Faced with drastic revenue losses and workers calling in sick as COVID-19 surged, agency staff had to redesign the system to support essential workers and people who dont own cars. Muni closed the subway when shelter-in-place orders clamped down, and staff spent weeks creating a plan to reopen  not knowing whether students would return to school or commuters would go back to the office.

Muni will also restore several bus lines on Aug. 22, including the 7-Haight-Noriega, the 45-Union-Stockton and the 48-Quintara, and the agency will extend other lines such as the 54-Felton.

Tumlin said at a board meeting Tuesday that the agency has begun enforcing parking meters and will soon start collecting transit fares, which it had waived through much of the pandemic. And the agency is adding new temporary transit lanes on various streets, designating space for buses to move faster.

The plan is ambitious and risky, already drawing applause from advocates and criticism from older riders who resent having to make transfers on Muni Metro.

We are cautiously observing and being optimistic, said Cat Carter, head of the grassroots advocacy group San Francisco Transit Riders, adding that she supports any solution to the meltdowns that historically plagued Muni  and no one wants to be stuck in a crowded subway with the ever-present threat of coronavirus.

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

Still, Carter warned that Muni riders have little patience for transfers, particularly if they have to wait outside in the cold.

Gwyneth Borden, who chairs the SFMTA board, acknowledged that people might have anxiety about returning to Muni Metro, given that operators cant open the train windows.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Yet people so far prefer rail service to bus service, she said. People are just more enamored of trains than they are of buses. Thats just the human psyche.

Tumlin said in an interview that the first couple weeks of the rollout might be rough.

Nonetheless, he said its time for Muni to think differently. For years, its antiquated train control system struggled to process five surface lines erratically arriving at three subway portals  Embarcadero, Duboce and West Portal  which left trains stalled for long periods outside the tunnels. When trains entered the streets and got tangled in traffic, they caused backups throughout the underground portion of the system.

Innovation comes with perils, especially on a system so critical to a functioning downtown. Tumlin noted that his predecessor, Ed Reiskin, got pushed out after an infamous breakdown choked the subway for 13 hours.

It could happen again. Although Muni staff took advantage of the five-month closure to fix and upgrade old equipment, the agency will have to defer maintenance for the next couple of years to cope with its financial losses. Tumlins budget staff expects to hemorrhage $568 million over four years and lose up to 40 bus lines unless it finds an outside revenue source.

For now, he said, Muni is paying rent with a credit card, which hasnt checked its aspirations.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
The Mumbai Police has summoned filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt to report to the Bandra Police Station on Monday. Bhatt has been called to record his statement in the case related with the suicide of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The actor had committed suicide on June 14 and Mumbai Police has been investigating the actor's death ever since.

Mumbai Police will also summon Karan Johar's production house Dharma Productions' CEO, Apoorva Mehta later today for questioning, according to India Today. Rajput's suicide has sparked a debate around favouritism, nepotism and bullying in Bollywood. These debates have been raging ever since.

Several Bollywood personalities have been questioned in connection with the case. Kangana Ranaut was recently summoned by the Mumbai Police to record her statement in the case. The Bollywood actor is currently residing in her hometown of Manali. In a recent statement, Ranaut had said that it is not possible for her to travel to Mumbai because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement was released by Ranaut's lawyers.

Ranaut had also asked the Mumbai Police if it is possible to send an officer to Manali to record her statement. The actor has also said that she can connect with the Mumbai Police via any electronic medium if possible so as to record her statement.

The statement concluded saying: "The entire nation is shaken by the mysterious death of Sushant Singh Rajput and we hope a thorough and transparent investigation will be done, in order for him to get justice."

Also Read: 'Please don't extend loan moratorium': HDFC's Deepak Parekh pleads to RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das

Also Read: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das highlights 5 bright spots in Indian economy
Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock attend the Netflix 2020 Golden Globes After Party on January 05, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images for Netflix)

Jennifer Aniston took to social media recently to share a photo of a social distance birthday celebration thrown for fellow actress Sandra Bullock.

The selfie, taken by Bullock, was posted to Anistons Instagram Story on Sunday and shows the pair celebrating with pals, including actresses Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor.

All ladies are sat apart and are wearing face masks. The snap is captioned: "Celebrating our girl properly distanced with so much love.

Read more: Makers of The Matrix offered Sandra Bullock the role of Neo before Keanu Reeves

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANDY WE LOVE YOU!!!"

Paulson worked with Bullock on Netflix horror Bird Box and has also had roles in 12 Years a Slave and Glass. she later reposted the shot to her own Instagram Story.

Sandra Bullock has socially distant birthday party with Jennifer Aniston. (Jennifer Aniston/Instagram stories)

Bullock and Anistons friendship goes back a number of years, originating from something of a shared interest.

Bullock interviewed Aniston for a cover feature for the March edition of Interview Magazine.

The candid and hilarious piece saw the pair explaining how they were first introduced by actor Tate Donovan, who Bullock and Aniston both dated.

Jennifer Aniston and Tate Donovan (The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)

Remembering meeting for the first time Bullock said: We were introduced by our former boyfriend. I say our because you and I both partook of this one human being.

Aniston responded: Yes, we did. Thats a beautiful way of saying it.

Actors Tate Donovan and Sandra Bullock (Time Life Pictures/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)

Talking of Donovan in the interview, Aniston said: "He seems to have a type," to which Bullock joked: "Talented. Funny. Kind. Introspective. Generous.

The interview also sees Bullock reminiscing about her first impression of Aniston.

Read more: Jennifer Aniston urges fans to wear masks as she shares photo of hospitalised friend

She said: Like almost everyones first impression of you, it was on the television. I remember the first thing I thought of you was, A beautiful woman who has extraordinary timing is almost impossible to find.

You allowed yourself to look foolish, heartbroken, clumsy, like an idiot. I think thats why everyone feels so comfortable in your presence.

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WASHINGTON - As Congress and the White House resume their efforts to agree on a new economic aid package, evidence is growing that the U.S. economy is faltering. And so is concern that the government may not take the steps needed to support hiring and growth.

Were in a pretty fragile state again, warned Nancy Vanden Houten, lead economist at Oxford Economics, a consulting firm. The economy needs another shot in the arm.

With unemployment still at a high 11.1% and hiring potentially slowing in July, the economy is likely to weaken further without more government aid, economists say. Few agree with White House economic adviser Larry Kudlows assertion on Sunday that the nation is on a V-shaped recovery path, in which the sharp recession that began in February would be followed by a quick rebound.

Whats needed, most economists say, is continued extra aid for tens of millions of unemployed Americans, along with more funding for state and local governments and more grants for struggling small companies, many of which could go out of business.

Yet even with the viral outbreak intensifying and nearly half of Americans whose families have endured a layoff saying they fear those jobs are lost forever, Congress isnt anywhere close to agreeing on the outlines of a package even as a $600-a-week federal payment to the unemployed has expired.

The debate coincides with worrisome signs about the job market and the economy. The number of laid-off workers who have applied for unemployment benefits has topped 1 million every week for 18 straight weeks. Before the pandemic, that figure never exceeded 700,000. Real-time data shows that Americans visits to shops and restaurants have levelled off after having grown in May and June. Air travel fell last week compared with the week before.

As Congress struggles to reach a compromise on a new financial rescue plan, the main sticking point is the supplemental federal unemployment aid, which provides $600 a week on top of whatever benefit each state provides.

The White House wants to replace the enhanced benefit with a payment that would vary by state but would combine with a state unemployment benefit to replace 70% of recipients previous income, likely with some cap for high-income earners. On average, state benefits are equivalent to 45% of workers former incomes.

Senate Republicans favour reducing the $600 to a flat payment of $200, possibly as a bridge to a 70% replacement system. The flat payment had been adopted in March because most states unemployment systems use antiquated software that cannot adjust individual payments using a percentage formula.

The Democratic-led House has already approved legislation that would extend the $600 through January. Research has shown that, counting the $600 a week in federal aid, roughly two-thirds of those out of work are receiving more money from their jobless benefits than they earned at their previous jobs. That conclusion has fueled Republican concerns that the extra aid has discouraged some of the unemployed from returning to work, potentially slowing the recovery.

Many small businesses have said the $600 weekly federal benefit has made it harder for them to fill jobs. But some unemployed people are reluctant to return to work because they fear becoming infected. And others have tried and failed to find any work.

One new finding suggests that the federal jobless benefit hasnt broadly kept people from going back to work. In a paper released Monday, a group of economists and doctoral students at Yale University found that unemployed people with larger percentage gains in their benefits were no less likely to return to work than those with smaller increases.

When the unemployment rate is as high as it is now, economists generally worry less about disincentives, because so few jobs are available. Its when unemployment is low and people who are out of work know that jobs are widely available that the disincentive to work would more likely apply.

William Spriggs, chief economist at the AFL-CIO, argued that the 7.5 million jobs that the economy added in May and June suggest that most of the unemployed will take a job offer when unemployment is high, because they know another opportunity may be hard to find.

This is the last lifeboat leaving, and if you dont get on it, youre toast, Spriggs said. Most workers also prefer the security of a job over a temporary, if generous, benefit, he said.

Jeremiah Spelts is among those who would like to find new work. Spelts, 41, earned more money from his diesel mechanic job, which he lost in June, than on unemployment. He worked in the oil fields in Wyoming until his employer of two years ran through their Paycheck Protection loan from the government and oil prices fell.

Still, the extra $600 has made it possible for him to cover all his bills.

If that goes away, I would literally start losing things, he said. The first to go would be my apartment and utilities.

On other issues, Senate Republicans have indicated that they oppose further aid to state and local governments, though they support more money for schools. The House Democrats bill provides $1 trillion for state and local governments. Both parties support additional funding for small businesses, but Senate Republicans are considering limiting new grants to businesses whose revenue has shrunk at least 50%.

Michael Strain, an economist at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, says he supports reducing the extra benefit to roughly $200 a week. But says that the money saved from that cut should be pumped back into the economy. He favours more aid for state and local governments to prevent them from making any further layoffs, and more funds for small businesses.

The goal is to support the economy and support consumer spending, without disrupting work incentives, Strain said.

But Scott Shane, an economics professor at Case Western Reserve University, said he thinks aid should focus more on the unemployed than on small businesses, because many companies may not survive, particularly those involved in in-person services such as restaurants, bars and hotels.

The benefit of keeping a restaurant open, for example, is limited, even if it pays all its employees, Shane said. It wont order food or new equipment from its suppliers, which, in turn, have to cut jobs. And theres no way to know at this point when restaurants and other in-person businesses will reopen.

In fact, the potentially open-ended nature of government aid keeps Shane up at night. Congress approved a $2 trillion package in March. The aid Congress is considering now will likely top $1 trillion.

Are we going to do this twice more every six months going forward? he asked. You cant just borrow forever.

___

AP Writer Thalia Beaty in New York contributed to this report.
Investigators at the National Archives have taken steps to make their research resources more available to federal and local law enforcement to deal with what they suspect is an uptick in "stolen valor" cases to obtain benefits or loans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We believe they're doing it," said Jason Metrick, assistant Inspector General for Investigations at the National Archives. "It's a matter of exposing or finding it."

The archives have jurisdiction over the nation's repository of military records at the National Personnel Record Center (NPRC).

Read next: Air Force Veteran Shot and Killed in Austin Protest Remembered for Devotion to Fiancee, Racial Justice

"We see lots of ID theft" by individuals seeking to claim a veteran's identity to get a credit card or a loan, Metrick said.

In an interview Monday, Metrick and Waleska McLellan, special agent in charge at the Office of Inspector General in the National Archives and Records Administration, said their initiative is focused on putting out the word their resources are there to help in stolen valor cases.

"We have a responsibility to protect these records" from misuse, McLellan said.

"We want to let folks know we're here," Metrick added. Some law enforcement agencies "may not know we exist."

McLellan and Metrick said the initiative is not intended to go after that 30-something blowhard at the end of the bar who just has to tell anybody who will listen about how tough he had it on Iwo Jima.

"Money or some type of tangible benefit is the key element in bringing federal charges against an individual falsely claiming valor awards," the fact sheet states.

Congress passed a bill in 2005 to criminalize false claims about military service and awards. But in the landmark 2012 case of U.S. v Alvarez, the Supreme Court ruled that the bill was an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights. In essence, the court ruled that lying in itself is not a crime.

Lawmakers went back to the drawing board and passed the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, making it a crime punishable by up to one year in jail to make false claims about military service and awards with the intent of seeking monetary gain, employment or other benefits available to veterans.

Metrick pointed to the recent case of Christopher Crawford, 31, who was sentenced in May on fraud and related charges to six to 12 years in jail for stealing at least $17,000 from American Legion Post 568 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Crawford allegedly used false claims to get the job as the post's executive director and misused the post's debit cards for unauthorized purchases, including trips to casinos.

He had claimed to be an Army combat veteran wounded in Iraq, but the charges showed that he had been discharged at Fort Benning, Georgia, under "less than honorable conditions" for going absent without leave during basic training.

In a statement when charges were filed in January, Lackawanna County District Attorney Mark Powell said, "The conduct alleged in this case -- masquerading as a combat veteran in order to infiltrate and steal funds from an American Legion post -- is breathtakingly brazen and unprecedented in my almost 30 years of practicing criminal law in Lackawanna County. It's an affront to every veteran."

The IG's office at NARA has put out a Facebook page with a stolen valor fact sheet -- @NARAOIGOfficeofInvestigations -- on the office's mission to expose false claims. NARA has also established a hotline -- 301-837-3500 -- for the public to report suspected cases of stolen valor.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Related: Fake SEAL Pleads Guilty to Stolen Valor, Stealing from VA
The "most significant" witness in the trial of the man accused of murdering Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe "might have had a lot of motives to make things up", a barrister has told the Central Criminal Court.

Michael O'Higgins SC for Aaron Brady told the jury of six men and seven women that the background to Daniel Cahill giving evidence was "shrouded in mystery" and that he may have been subjected to threats or inducement by Homeland Security before speaking to gardai. Mr Cahill has told the trial that he heard Mr Brady admit to killing a garda on three occasions. Mr Cahill also revealed that he spoke to gardai in New York after Homeland Security agents came to his home in circumstances where he had overstayed his 90-day visa waiver by several years.

In his closing speech to the jury Mr O'Higgins also criticized the garda investigation, accusing investigators of closing their eyes to evidence and burying their heads in the sand over evidence that his client was laundering diesel at the time Det Gda Donohoe was shot.

Aaron Brady (29) from New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe who was then a member of An Garda Siochana on active duty on January 25, 2013 at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth. Mr Brady has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbing approximately 7,000 in cash and assorted cheques on the same date and at the same location.

Mr O'Higgins said he wanted to start with Mr Cahill's evidence, which he said was the "most significant evidence in the case".

Counsel asked the jury to consider why, five years after Mr Cahill first claimed to have heard a confession from Aaron Brady, he "falls out of the sky with this evidence" on July 25, 2019 when he gave his first statement to gardai.

Mr O'Higgins reminded the jury that Mr Cahill told them that he gave evidence because he wanted justice for Detective Garda Donohoe, his family and for the Irish justice system. Counsel said: "The first thing I want to do is stress test that claim."

Mr O'Higgins said the witness had claimed to know nothing of the murder of Det Gda Donohoe even after he heard Mr Brady make his alleged confessions. Counsel said: "Maybe it's possible to ignore it the first time and not take it seriously, put it down to drunken rambling, but then there's the second time. In the internet age would you be mildly curious enough to even google the event. Daniel Cahill didn't. Didn't do it after the third or the fourth time. Does that sound to you like someone with a burning desire to do justice?"

Mr O'Higgins questioned why the witness didn't tell any of his friends in the New York police, who he practiced jiu jitsu with every week, his wife or anyone else.

In his testimony Mr Cahill said that he met a number of gardai on St Patrick's Day 2017 who were talking about Det Gda Donohoe and Aaron Brady. Mr Cahill said that he told the gardai present that Aaron Brady had admitted to him that he killed a garda. Mr O'Higgins suggested this was a lie told by Mr Cahill because he needed to explain why he hadn't spoken about the alleged confession for so many years.

Had the conversation taken place, counsel said, the gardai who heard it would have taken Mr Cahill's details, passed the information up the line until it got to the investigation team and a detective would have taken the next flight to New York to speak to Mr Cahill. "None of that happened," counsel said, "and it didn't happen because the conversation was completely invented."

Mr O'Higgins said the catalyst for Mr Cahill coming forward was "an early morning knock on the door" from eight or nine members of Homeland Security, including an enforcement and removal officer. When this happened, counsel said, Mr Cahill "had an unusual reaction. He took himself off to the attic, naked, and stayed there for a number of hours." Homeland Security found Mr Cahill and in their search discovered a cannabis plant and steroids. Mr O'Higgins questioned how, in those circumstances, no charges were brought against Mr Cahill in relation to the cannabis and steroids and, despite being a visa overstayer who had not filled out the paperwork to apply for status to remain, Mr Cahill was released. He reminded them of the evidence of Kerry Bretz, who said that in his 30 years as an immigration lawyer in the US he had never seen that happen.

Mr O'Higgins suggested that Mr Cahill "might have had a lot of motives to make things up".

Counsel further asked the jury to consider if it is normal that during the trial Homeland Security refused to answer questions about Mr Cahill's immigration status or what was said to him when he was detained.

Counsel reminded the jury that Special Agent Mary Ann Wade would not answer questions about Mr Cahill's immigration status or whether he was arrested. He questioned why the Director of Public Prosecutions allowed the witness to dictate what questions she would answer and asked the jury to imagine the gardai in similar circumstances, refusing to say if Mr Cahill was arrested and refusing to answer questions about his detention.

Mr O'Higgins suggested Mr Cahill was subjected to "inducement, and its Siamese twin, threat."

He added: "You have a situation which is unprecedented that witnesses will come in here and say, heres whats on and off the agenda." He said such an approach rewrites the rules of a criminal trial in a "radical and unprecedented" way and would be something you might expect to see in a "tinpot dictatorship".

He also asked the jury whether Mr Cahill was credible in his description of a walk he went on with members of the 32-County Sovereignty Committee during which he posed for a photo unfurling a banner with Vincent Ryan, a dissident republican who was shot dead in 2018. Mr Cahill described it as a community sponsored walk. Counsel asked the jury if, having heard that story, they would buy a used car from Mr Cahill. If they wouldn't, he asked: "How could you rely on him for something that is 1.000 times more important?"

Mr O'Higgins also reminded the jury that Mr Cahill was pictured with Dean Evans 16 days after Det Gda Donohoe was shot dead and 24 days before Mr Evans murdered Peter Butterly outside the Huntsman Inn in Gormanston, Co Meath. He said the photograph was introduced by the defence not to visit Dean Evans's bad character on Mr Cahill, but to call into question his claim that he did not follow the news and did not hear of the shooting of Det Gda Donohoe until years later. He said: "If you are hanging around that milieu of people committing those types of crimes, often in the name of Republican activities, the fact that a garda gets shot is a talking point."

Mr O'Higgins further questioned where Mr Cahill learned his court etiquette, asking: "Did it cross your mind that this was a witness who had been prepared? Who was well aware there would be questions about unfurling banners with the 32 County Sovereignty Committee." He asked whether Mr Cahill's statement that he was there for justice was a "prepared answer, a soundbite that would inhibit further cross examination." He urged the jury not to rely on Mr Cahill's evidence unless they are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he is telling the truth.

Molly Staunton told the trial that she was in Mr Brady's New York apartment where she heard him say he had "shot a cop" in Ireland and was one of the most feared men in Ireland.

Mr O'Higgins reminded the jury that under cross examination Ms Staunton gave a different account, saying that Mr Brady was upset that he was being linked with the shooting but not that he had carried it out. When prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan showed her a video of her statement to gardai, she went back to her original position, counsel said. Mr O'Higgins described Ms Staunton as a witness "who is swinging right to left to right" and said her testimony was unreliable.

Dealing with the defence case, Mr O'Higgins said there is evidence that his client was laundering diesel on the night Det Gda Donohoe was shot. Mr Brady had described his activities in text messages to his then girlfriend Jessica King and there was evidence that a trailer was brought from Dublin that day to Concession Road to be loaded with cubes of diesel waste. He also pointed to phone contacts between Mr Brady and two known fuel launderers and contacts those men had with two other known fuel launderers. He said it was a "no brainer" and a "self evident exercise" to investigate those links to fuel laundering and added: "Yet the State, for some reason or another, will not look, did not look, did not examine."

Counsel also questioned a prosecution suggestion that Mr Brady is a "psychopath", asking the jury to look at his text exchanges with Ms King. A psychopath, counsel said, is someone with no feelings, no moral qualms and who will do whatever they want. In that context he said the jury should look at how he interacted with his girlfriend. He also reminded the jury that Ms King and her family met Mr Brady in the hours after the shooting and said he seemed his normal self, cheerful, cheeky, "not a bother on him".

Mr O'Higgins accepted that his client had told lies and that lies can count against an accused person. But he also told them that people lie for different reasons and in this case, it was to hide his connection to diesel laundering. He asked the jury to consider that if Mr Brady was part of an organised gang who had committed this robbery, why his first false account to gardai the day after the shooting was so easily pulled apart and contradicted by one of his alleged accomplices. Counsel said an organised gang would have prepared a story before passing through the garda cordon within a short distance of where the robbery had taken place.

He asked the jury to consider Mr Brady's lies in the context of the "ambiance and atmosphere" of south Armagh and diesel laundering. He added: "It's against that background that those lies are told."

Counsel questioned the value of CCTV footage which the prosecution says shows a suspect for the robbery traveling to Clogherhead three nights earlier to steal a Volkswagen Passat that was used as the getaway vehicle. Mr O'Higgins said the CCTV is grainy and the times don't match up to the prosecution's claims.

He described as "flawed" the prosecution's suggestion that the fact phones belonging to Mr Brady and two suspects in the case went dead around the time of the robbery. Criticising the gardai investigation, Mr O'Higgins said gardai should have investigated his client's links to diesel laundering in 2013. They had, counsel said, evidence from Jessica King's phone that he was laundering diesel at the time, they had records that he was in touch with known fuel launderers and they had evidence elsewhere that the yard he mentioned in his statement was being used for diesel laundering.

Counsel accused gardai of closing their eyes to the evidence and putting their heads in the sand in relation to the site at Concession Road.

Mr O'Higgins will continue his closing speech to the jury tomorrow.
Gov't to assign official email addresses to Ukrainian citizens, businesses

18:35, 27.07.20 2803

Citizens will be able to receive an official email address along with their new IDs.
The rising number of coronavirus cases in Spain has raised concern in other European countries. Infections in Spain began to increase four weeks ago and jumped significantly in the past few days. Spain now has the fifth-highest incidence of Covid-19 in Europe, after Luxembourg, Romania, Bulgaria and Sweden. According to the latest data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), from July 25, Spain has 39.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (which is a 14-day cumulative number). This figure is higher than the 37.9 cases reported by the Spanish Health Ministry on Friday, July 24.

The spike in cases has led several European countries to introduce warnings against travel to Spain and quarantine measures on travelers from the country. On Saturday, the British government announced that all travelers from Spain would have to quarantine for 14 days as of Sunday, in a major blow to the Spanish tourism industry. The incidence of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom is 14.7  2.6 times lower than Spain.

Travelers on a flight to the United Kingdom line up to check in their baggage at Tenerife Sur airport on Sunday. Ramon de la Rocha (EFE)

Last Friday, the French government strongly urged French citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Spanish region of Catalonia, where several coronavirus outbreaks have been reported. Although the incidence of Covid-19 in France is similar to Britains (14.6), the country has also seen a rise in coronavirus cases, reporting 1,130 new cases on Friday. In a bid to control contagion, France has made it mandatory for travelers from 16 countries, including Brazil and the United States, to take a PCR test to show they are not carrying the disease.

Norway, like the UK, has introduced a 10-day quarantine for travelers from Spain (among other countries in the European Union), and has advised against non-essential travel to the country.

Ireland published a list of countries exempt from quarantine measures on July 22 but Spain was not included, meaning travelers from Spain must self-isolate for two weeks upon their return.

Belgium, which has seen a spike in Covid-19 cases in the 20-30 age bracket, went one step further and banned all non-essential travel to the Spanish provinces of Lleida and Huesca. Whats more, travelers from the Spanish regions of Aragon, Extremadura, Catalonia, La Rioja, Navarre and the Basque Country are also recommended to quarantine.

On Saturday, the Norwegian government warned its citizens against all non-essential travel to the Catalan province of Lleida, and on Sunday, Poland recommended against traveling to the entire Catalan region.

Uneven situation

The epidemiological situation in Spain is very uneven. In Aragon, for instance, there are 237.86 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 1.66 cases in Asturias. While the former has recorded several large outbreaks among seasonal workers, the latter has detected just two since the beginning of the governments national deescalation plan.

The Asturias government acted quickly and transparently to control these two outbreaks. After the last one was reported in a brewery in Oviedo, regional authorities informed the public, reported the name of the brewery and called on everyone who had been to the bar to call an emergency hotline. In just two days, health authorities had done 400 PCR tests to track down all possible cases among patrons.

In Catalonia, on the other hand, the regions contact tracing system has failed to control the outbreaks detected in the Barcelona metropolitan area, in the comarcas  a traditional administrative division  in Lleida province, and in an area of Girona province. This has led to community transmission, in other words, contagions that are unconnected to one another, meaning the chain of transmission cannot be traced. The 14-day cumulative incidence of Covid-19 in Catalonia is 115.57 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In a bid to curb contagion, the Catalan regional government on Friday shut down all nightclubs and party venues.

Fewer cases than the UK

Nine of Spains 17 regions have lower incidence of the coronavirus than Britain, including the Canary and Balearic Islands, with 5.8 cases and eight cases per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. The regional governments of the two archipelagos are hoping to be exempted from the quarantine measure due to their low incidence of the virus. The proposal is aimed at saving the summer tourism season on the islands, which rely heavily on the industry.

Las Americas beach in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, where many businesses are closed due to the coronavirus crisis. RAFA AVERO

Italy, with an incidence of 4.9 cases, has so far been able to keep the spread of the virus at bay. Only the Spanish regions of Galicia and Asturias have a lower incidence. But even Italy is worried about a possible second wave of the virus. After a month of reporting relatively low numbers of new cases, Italy recorded more than 300 infections in 24 hours last week. Italian virologist Roberto Burioni recently warned about the ongoing risk of Covid-19. The virus continues circulating and it is ready to begin again, like it has done in Spain, where the climate and lifestyle is not very different from ours.

Portugal, which was initially praised for its management of the pandemic, is now in a similar situation to Spain, with the cumulative incidence of the virus at 39 cases per 100,000 inhabitants  compared to 39.4 in Spain.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
Editorial

Palace letters a cover-up for truth

After a four-year legal battle instigated by historian Jenny Hocking, the National Archives of Australia have released the Palace letters  a series of letters between then Governor General John Kerr and Buckingham Palace.

The big scandal to arise out of the correspondence was the fact that Queen Elizabeth II was not informed in advance about the dismissal (despite evidence to the contrary). The revelations have produced public discussions about the nature of Australias relationship with Buckingham Palace. As a result, many independence advocates have used this as an opportunity to galvanise their position. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull stated the disclosure underlines why Australia should have an Australian head of state, with Opposition leader Anthony Albanese parroting much of the same rhetoric.

While the Communist Party of Australia advocates for an independent Australia (and the correspondence definitely strengthens this case), in reality, the letters at best provide nothing more than filler material for the historical details of one of Australias darkest chapters. At worst, they are an attempt to distract or re-orientate the narrative of the soft coup detat that took place. As Morrisons camp mounts its own claims of Chinese interference into Australian affairs, what better time to disguise the Whitlam dismissal, a real affair of international interference by Australias allies? Especially so, when Australia is experiencing political unrest not unlike that of the 70s over climate change, Black Lives Matter, and COVID-19.

Today, when revisiting the Whitlam dismissal, Australians are directing their anger towards the ill-conduct of our former Governor General in the form of his inability to follow protocol. Thus, we must remind those angry citizens to direct their anger not just towards the conduct itself but towards those who were truly at hand in undermining Australias democratic processes.

The work of John Pilger, in recent years, best shines a light on who was behind Whitlams dismissal and the reasons why. Pilger, while noting that Whitlam was not on the left of the ALP, assessed him to be a maverick social democrat of principle, pride and propriety  a fair assessment that can easily be corroborated by the direction of his policies. However, what was it that alarmed the ruling class of Australia, Britian, and the US so much that Whitlams removal was deemed necessary?

Under Whitlams leadership Australia was moving towards the Non-Aligned Movement which were a collection of nations taking a neutral stance in relation to the major power blocs in the second half of the twentieth century  namely the Western and Soviet Blocs. This direction in foreign policy meant that Australia, for the first time in its history, was making its own decisions about international affairs. This resulted in much consternation for the Western Bloc who were privileged to have a mineral rich continent squarely in their camp, located in the Asia-Pacific region. And their consternation was justified. Prior to Whitlam, Australia provided black teams to the CIA for usage in the Vietnam War. When Whitlam came into office, his ministers condemned the US bombing of Vietnam. According to Pilger a CIA station officer in Saigon said: We were told the Australians might as well be regarded as North Vietnamese collaborators.   this is how serious the US took our pivot. Perhaps even more alarming for the US was Whitlams desire to know about the activities happening in Pine Gap. Whitlam warned the Americans that any unsavoury conduct would lead Pine Gap to becom[ing] a matter of contention. The spine Australia had developed under Whitlam, particularly when it came to the affairs of US imperialism proved too much and risky to be allowed to continue. As Pilger recalls, Victor Marchetti, the CIA officer who had helped set up Pine Gap, later told me, This threat to close Pine Gap caused apoplexy in the White House  a kind of Chile [coup] was set in motion.

It is important to note that John Kerr was privy to all this. Kerr was a member of Association for Cultural Freedom  a CIA institution.

All that these letters show, in a roundabout way, is that Kerr was moving, and had every intention to, remove Whitlam in the service of US imperialism. We cannot forget that the US and the UK played major roles in undermining our sovereignty. This is the fundamental lesson we must take away from the removal of the Whitlam government. The ruling class will never accept the slightest of challenges to its power, and therefore, we must always remain vigilant against it.
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Advertising for software and hardware designed to stalk and spy on people will soon be banned on Google.

Promotion of products or services that are marketed or targeted with the express purpose of tracking or monitoring another person or their activities without their authorization will be prohibited on the platform starting Aug. 11, the company, which is owned by Alphabet, announced Friday in its ads policies center.

Under a change in the Google Ads Enabling Dishonest Behavior policy, the ban will include advertising for spyware or malware used to monitor texts, phone calls, or browsing history, as well as hardware, such as GPS trackers specifically marketed to spy or track someone without their consent, and surveillance equipment  cameras, audio recorders, dash cams, nanny cams  marketed with the express purpose of spying.

The ban doesnt include advertising for private investigation services or products designed for parents to track or monitor children.

Google noted that violators of the policy will receive at least seven days notice before their account on the platform is suspended.

Loopholes

Security blogger Graham Cluley pointed out that the exemption for software that allows parents to track their children could be a big loophole in the new policy.

To dodge the policy, he wrote in his blog, all a stalkerware company needs to do is pose as a family safety app, which helps you keep track of your young children.

Sadly, I doubt Googles ad ban will stop stalkerware apps from promoting themselves, its just they may no longer be able to be quite so explicit in their online adverts about how they are most likely to be used, he added.

There may be other loopholes, too.

Google is banning ads from app developers and about the apps themselves, but what about the ads about the blog with an article on the top 10 surveillance apps to download? asked Liz Miller, vice president and a principal analyst with Constellation Research, a technology research and advisory firm in Cupertino, Calif.

That isnt about an app. Its about content, she told TechNewsWorld. Is that going to be a loophole?

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

This is a great headline maker, she added, but the reality is I can still search for spy app and theyre still going to come up in my Google search results.

Limitless Capabilities

Miller maintained Googles new policy is looking beyond malicious persons.

What Google is responding to is the realization that these apps are being used not only by individuals who have malicious intent, but also criminal enterprises  especially when you start talking about apps that allow you to follow and track an individuals movements and see content on their devices without their knowing about it, she said.

Thats a very slippery slope into some very dangerous privacy territory that Google doesnt want anything to do with, she added.

Software for spying and stalking people is a very serious problem, observed David Ruiz, a blogger for Malwarebytes Labs, a cybersecurity software maker based in Santa Clara, Calif.

The capabilities of these types of apps are nearly limitless  they can pull text messages, emails, and call logs; reveal sensitive photos and videos; expose web browsing history; and pinpoint a persons GPS location, he told TechNewsWorld.

In the hands of an abuser, he continued, these types of apps could make safety planning for a survivor extremely difficult, dismantling their attempts to privately call a domestic abuse hotline, find help from a friend or family member, or to physically escape.

Industry Response

The damage caused by the spying and stalking software can be severe, added Chlo Messdaghi, vice president of strategy at Point3 Security, a provider of training and analytic tools to the security industry located in Baltimore, Md.

It gives someone the power to abuse a victim psychologically, which affects them physically and emotionally for years and years, she told TechNewsWorld.

And when victims go to the FBI and device manufacturers and carriers, more often than not, they get no response, she said.

Google should have done this years ago. Its illegal, she observed. A lot of us in the security space are astounded that companies still allow stalkerware to exist in their shops or their sites may carry ads for it.

The stalkerware problem has prompted an industry response.

To further improve the detection of such software in the cybersecurity industry, many organizations are joining the Coalition Against Stalkerware to share their knowledge and protect users against stalkerware, explained Tara Hairston, head of government relations for Kaspersky Lab North America, an information security software company located in Woburn, Mass.

Beyond detection, further research on the link between cyberviolence, physical violence, and the gendered nature of stalkerware use is crucial in order to develop a clearer picture and better understanding of this issue, she told TechNewsWorld.

Fall and Rise of Stalkerware

Hairston noted that Kaspersky saw a decline in stalkerware infections among its global mobile users during the first four months of 2020, to 8,163 in April from 11,532 in January.

It is our educated guess that this decrease may be related to the lockdown situation around the globe, she said.

Since most stalkerware is used to spy on an intimate partner, she continued, nowadays the need for this type of app should be declining. There is no necessity to spy on partners when theyre locked down together.

That trend may be changing, though, a report released by another cybersecurity company, Avast, found a 51 percent increase in the United States in the use of software for spying and stalking individuals from March to June, compared to the first two months of the year.

James McQuiggan, the security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, a security awareness training company located in Clearwater, Fla., noted that the pandemic has created a fertile environment for malicious actors intent on spreading bad apps.

Knowing that most people who use the Internet throughout the day are people at work, its become a target-rich environment for cyber criminals, he told TechNewsWorld.

End users are more exposed and vulnerable at home than inside a building with coworkers, IT support, and network protections, he explained.
The gunman in this countrys worst mass killing, builds fires and burns bodies, is a sexual predator and supplies drugs, one witness told police in the days following the April massacre.

The same witness told police the shooter had smuggled guns and drugs across the Canadian border from Maine, and that he had a stockpile of guns and a bag of 10,000 OxyContin and 15,000 Dilaudid  extremely potent opioid painkillers.

A Nova Scotia court on Monday released previously redacted information about the Portapique shooting rampage that left 22 victims dead  details that enhance the portrait that has emerged of the shooter as a secretive and paranoid man.

Newly released details in witness statements to police contain multiple accounts of the shooter having false walls and hidden storage rooms in his Portapique properties and his Dartmouth, N.S. residence.

The information comes from a series of information-to-obtain (ITO) documents, which are the rationale police put before a judge in order to get search warrants.

The documents were originally released in heavily censored form, and have been at the centre of a court battle as media outlets have fought for more details to be made public.

If the new details are anything to judge by, the shooter had few reservations about sharing his secrets with others. In several of the newly revealed portions of the ITOs, witnesses recounted him showing them or telling them of hidden compartments, false walls and secret rooms.

He showed one witness a hidden compartment in his garage underneath a workbench, where he kept a high-powered rifle, the documents say. He showed the same witness a false wall in the right-hand side of the shed at his residence in Dartmouth, which was attached to his denturist clinic.

Other witnesses told police about the killers secret hiding spots and secret rooms behind false walls, according to the ITOs.

Many areas of the documents remain redacted, including a puzzling passage in which police outline some of the evidence they planned to look for while executing their warrant.

The following items (things, or some part of them): a) Firearms, ammunition, explosives, chemicals, [REDACTED]; reads one passage in the ITO for search warrants for the shooters properties in Portapique and in Dartmouth.

Also still obscured are details about the type of weapons the killer possessed, as well as most of the witness statement from the killers common-law wife, who was assaulted by the killer before he began his rampage. She managed to escape and hide in the woods overnight.

A consortium of media organizations both national and local  including the Halifax Chronicle Herald and Halifax Examiner  have been before the courts for weeks, seeking first to have RCMP search warrant requests released, then to have redacted portions revealed.

Over a 13-hour period on April 18 and 19, Gabriel Wortman went on a rampage in Colchester County, N.S., in which he killed nearly two dozen people, shot pets and burned houses. He was finally spotted and killed by police at a gas station in Enfield, N.S., almost 100 kilometres away.

In a statement taken by Halifax Regional Police Det.-Const. Anthony McGrath, a witness said that, Gabriel Wortman builds fires and burns bodies, is a sexual predator, and supplies drugs in Portapique and Economy, Nova Scotia.

The same witness told police he was aware that (the shooter) had smuggled guns and drugs from Maine for years and had a stockpile of guns.

He also told McGrath: Gabriel Wortman smuggled drugs from Maine and had a bag of 10,000 oxycontin and 15,000 dilaudid from a reservation in New Brunswick.

The witness said he was aware of all the secret hides located in the building. There are two false walls in the back bathroom and two in the garage.

The RCMP has faced heavy criticism about its response to the massacre, including questions about the manner and timing of warnings to the public, most specifically its decision to use social media to communicate rather than the provinces emergency alert system.

Questions are also being asked about the Mounties apparent decision to decline an offer of help from the nearby Truro police force.

The RCMPs reticence to provide information has been cited in calls for an inquiry into the events surrounding the massacre.

On Thursday, federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and Nova Scotia Justice Minister Mark Furey announced an independent review of the matter.

The review falls short of the open process called for by families of victims, who have urged a public inquiry, in which witnesses could be compelled to testify under oath.

Those calls have been echoed by more than three dozen senators and almost as many members of Dalhousie Universitys law school faculty, both of whom wrote letters calling for a public inquiry.

Read more about:
Spain's National Court in Madrid is hearing testimony today from the lawyer who secretly had two children by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange while he lived in Ecuador's London embassy.

Stella Morris, a legal adviser to Assange and his fiance, revealed earlier this year that she had children with him during his seven years in the embassy, and is testifying today during the investigation into whether a Spanish company was hired to spy on Assange during this time.

The court is investigating whether David Morales, a Spaniard, and his Undercover Global S.L. security agency invaded the privacy of Assange and his visitors during the seven years the WikiLeaks founder spent in the Embassy.

The company is accused of secretly recording their meetings. The intelligence that Morales' company collected is suspected of being handed over to third parties, according to court papers.

Meanwhile in London the administrative hearing of Julian Assange's extradition case is also set to be held today ahead of his extradition hearing on September 7.

Stella Morris, pictured right, a legal adviser to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his fight against extradition, and his fiance since 2017, is testifying in court today in a case in which a Spanish company is accused of spying on Assange during his seven-year spell in Ecuador's London embassy

In addition to Morris, right, prominent Spanish lawyer Baltasar Garzon, pictured left, who is part of Assange's legal team, and former Ecuadorean consul in London Fidel Narvaez are testifying today in court. Staff of the Spanish security company are due to testify on Tuesday. Pictured: The pair arrive at the Audiencia Nacional court in Madrid, Spain, 27 July 2020

Among those set to face the court's questions Monday were prominent Spanish lawyer Baltasar Garzon, who is part of Assange's legal team; former Ecuadorean consul in London Fidel Narvaez; and Morris. Staff of the Spanish security company are due to testify on Tuesday.

Assange, whose lawyers filed a complaint at the court to trigger the investigation, is in a British prison after being removed from the embassy last year. He is fighting extradition to the United States, where he faces espionage charges over the activities of WikiLeaks.

The court is conducting an investigation, begun last year, before deciding whether there is evidence of wrongdoing that warrants a trial.

Undercover Global, also known as UC Global, was hired by Ecuador's government to provide security at the Ecuadorean embassy in London between 2015 and 2018. Its main task was to secure the property's perimeter, including the deployment of security staff, due to Assange's presence inside, court papers say.

South African-born lawyer Stella Morris, 37 (pictured above during a TV interview) fell in love with Assange, 48, in 2015 while visiting him to work on a legal bid to halt his extradition to America

Assange's lawyer filed a complaint at the court in Spain that triggered the investigation into the Spying allegations. Pictured: Assange in a prison van as he leaves Westminster Magistrates Court in January

According to the National Court summons seen by The Associated Press, the preliminary investigation has raised suspicions that, under the cover of his security work, Morales used bugging devices and video equipment to record Assange's meetings with visitors.

They included his lawyers, politicians, journalists, medical staff, Ecuadorean diplomats, the former head of Ecuador's National Intelligence Service, Rommy Vallejo, and longtime Republican congressman for California Dana Rohrabacher.

Morales passed on the recordings to third parties who are not yet identified.

However, the court papers note allegations that the intelligence was passed to Zohar Lahav, described by Assange's lawyers as a security officer at Las Vegas Sands Corp., a U.S. casino and resort company based in Nevada. The court says it has no contact information for Lahav.

The court refused a request by Assange's legal team to summon as witnesses Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson and the company's Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer Brian Nagel. The court papers gave no explanation for the refusal.

While the court in Spain heard testimony from Morris and others on Monday, a small group of protesters gathered outside Westminster Magistrates Court calling for Assange to be freed

Westminster Magistrates Court today held a case management hearing on Assange's extradition hearing, which will take place in London on September 7

Assange is currently being held at Belmarsh prison (pictured above) which has housed some of the UK's most notorious prisoners

Assange's legal team says the court has asked U.S. authorities to question Lahav and Rohrabacher on its behalf.

Morales also asked his company's staff to take Assange's fingerprints from a glass and is suspected of copying the ID documents of visitors, the summons says.

The court is investigating UC Global's bank accounts, international travel records, cellphone, email and Internet access records, and its online purchases of recording equipment.

Morales was arrested last year and granted conditional release.

Assange, who is currently serving time at a high-security prison in Britain, testified by videoconference before the National Court in December, and next week, the court has called another seven witnesses, including Garzon.

The lawsuit is key to Assange's efforts to fight an extradition request by the US Justice Department which put him on trial for leaking hundreds of thousands of secret US military and diplomatic documents in 2010.

He risks 175 years in prison if convicted.

His extradition hearing will take place in London on September 7.
Bengaluru is witnessing a rise in COVID-19 cases and at a critical time like this, rather concerning information has come to light.

As many as 3,338 people infected with the novel coronavirus are untraceable in Bengaluru and search is underway to find them.

"We could trace some of the positive patients with the help of police but 3,338 are still untraceable. Some of them provided wrong mobile numbers and addresses at the time of giving samples. They disappeared after getting positive results," Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner, N Manjunath Prasad, told NDTV.

Authorities said that currently they have no means of tracking the patients' activity, and could not ascertain if the individuals are in quarantine.

"We have to ensure that all the infected persons have to be traced and quarantined. We have prioritised it so that they could be traced and isolated," Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, Ashwath Narayan, was quoted as saying by NDTV.

BCCL

Almost half the COVID cases in the state of Karnataka, have been reported from Bengaluru alone.

Bengaluru continues to be a coronavirus hotspot, recording the highest number of cases daily, in the southern state.

On Saturday, the city witnessed 2,036 new cases, increasing Bengaluru Urban's total tally to 43,503, including 31,882 active cases.

Karnataka is observing a total Sunday lockdown - fourth of the total five - as part of Unlock 2.0, shutting everything except essential services, in an effort to fight the pandemic.

Karnataka reported 5,072 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, taking the state's total tally to 90,942, even as 72 more patients succumbed to the virus.
Rating Action: Moody's revises Energy Harbor Corp.'s outlook to negative; affirms Baa3 rating

Global Credit Research - 24 Jul 2020

New York, July 24, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") revised Energy Harbor Corp.'s (Energy Harbor) rating outlook to negative from stable and affirmed its Baa3 rating.

On Tuesday, 21 July, a criminal complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio by the U.S Attorney that alleges illegal activities were conducted with respect to House Bill 6, legislation that provides financial support for two nuclear power plants in Ohio with a total generating capacity of 2,176 MW.[1] Energy Harbor, along with a former parent holding company, FirstEnergy Corp, are included in the affidavit. Energy Harbor emerged from a 22 month bankruptcy reorganization in February 2020 and previously operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of FirstEnergy called FirstEnergy Solutions Corp.

This event can potentially increase the uncertainty around Energy Harbor's corporate governance structures, and potentially creates a more sustained overhang on the credit profile. We see Energy Harbor as more vulnerable to the investigation than FirstEnergy due to its lack of track record, small size and higher financial exposures to Ohio's nuclear subsidies. Should Ohio repeal HB 6, Energy Harbor will face a negative financial impact because it is the largest beneficiary of the program.

RATINGS RATIONALE

"The Criminal complaint may be a potential sign of higher corporate governance risk. We think the investigation may result in a more lasting negative impact on Energy Harbor's overall credit profile due to its concentration of nuclear assets in Ohio," stated Jairo Chung, Moody's analyst.

Energy Harbor receives approximately $150 million of ZEC revenue, representing approximately 9% of the company's total expected annual revenue. Energy Harbor's owns and operates two nuclear power plants in Ohio, the 908 MW Davis Besse and the 1,268 MW Perry nuclear power plants. Ohio is a deregulated state, where the generation business was separated from the transmission and distribution business. Given the low power prices in the regional markets environment and uncertainty related to the PJM capacity market formation, the absence of the ZEC revenue will put financial pressure and will negatively impact Energy Harbor's EBITDA.

Story continues

The Baa3 rating reflects Energy Harbor's stable cash flow generated from power sales and capacity revenue in PJM as well as the ZEC revenue for its nuclear power plants in Ohio. It also incorporates the Energy Harbor's very low leverage as it emerged out of bankruptcy with only $431 million of tax-exempt secured debt and our expectation that the company's leverage will remain low.

Rating outlook

The negative outlook reflects our view that there is growing uncertainty around Energy Harbor's corporate governance risk, and its lack of track record and small size could pressure on the company's credit profile. We expect Energy Harbor will continue to operate its nuclear power plants with high availability and capacity factors, thereby generating stable cash flow while maintaining low leverage.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATING

Factors that could lead to an upgrade

Given Energy Harbor's relatively small generation portfolio, regional and market concentration, and limited track record, a rating upgrade is not likely over the next few years. However, a rating upgrade could be considered if Energy Harbor is able to further improve its cash flow generation visibility through additional legislative-based payments; develops a consistent track record of operating its power plant portfolio, as well as demonstrates financial stability and strong liquidity management over time.

Factors that could lead to a downgrade

A rating downgrade could be considered if Energy Harbor's corporate governance risk is higher than we understood through the ongoing investigation of the criminal complaint filed on 21 July or the company is found to be engaged in illegal activities described, resulting in significant financial pressure. If Energy Harbor's cash flow decreases or if leverage increases significantly such that its CFO pre-WC to debt ratio falls to the low 30% range, or low 20% range on a nuclear fuel adjusted basis; or significant deterioration in its nuclear plant operations, increasing its operating costs, a downgrade could also be considered.

Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, Energy Harbor is an independent power producer in PJM, producing more than 40 TWh of power primarily from its three nuclear power plants: Beaver Valley, Davis-Besse and Perry. It also owns and operates two coal-fired power plants Sammis in Ohio and Pleasants in West Virginia.

The principal methodology used in this rating was Unregulated Utilities and Unregulated Power Companies published in May 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1066389. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

The rating has been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent (s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

This rating is solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

At least one ESG consideration was material to the credit rating action(s) announced and described above.

The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.

REFERENCES/CITATIONS

[1] United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Case No. 1:20-MJ-00526 17-Jul-2020

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

Jairo Chung VP-Senior Analyst Infrastructure Finance Group Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Michael G. Haggarty Associate Managing Director Infrastructure Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 /td>

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Knowing whether you are Type A, B, AB or O is most important in the event you need a blood transfusion. If you ever need blood, its simpler if you already know your type, he said.

But knowing your type may also help you understand more about your health, Christenson said.

Type O blood is known as the universal donor  meaning any blood type can accept O blood  because it has no antigens, Christenson said. Having no antigens on the red blood cells also makes people with Type O blood less prone to bacterial infections, he said.

Christenson said people with Type O blood are also at a lower risk for heart and vascular diseases, but are more likely to get norovirus.

The type of your blood is showing you what is happening in the rest of your body, Christenson said. The ABO antigens are everywhere. He said they can be found in blood vessels and gut lining.

Type A blood has a higher clotting factor, Christenson said, which makes for an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack and DVT. He said people with Type A blood may have more pronounced hangovers.

People with type AB are more predisposed to these clotting problems, Christenson said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Monday attacked the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh over the issue of rising crime, alleging "jungle raj" was growing in the state, but no action was being apart from some transfers.

The Congress general secretary has been attacking the Uttar Pradesh government over law and order and has slammed the state dispensation over the Vikas Dubey incident as well as the killing of Ghaziabad-based journalist Vikram Joshi, who was shot in the head by some assailants.

"Has the UP chief stopped watching the news? Do these reports not go before the people sitting in the Home Department?" Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

"New records of gunda raj are being set in UP. There has been a kidnapping incident in the CM's hometown and a massacre in Kasganj," she tweeted, tagging news reports on the two incidents of crime.

But, apart from a few transfers for the sake of formality, nothing else happens, she said.

"Jungle raj is growing," Priyanka Gandhi added.
" " A woman expresses her opinion of her current insurance. Alex Wong/ Getty Images

In the 1940s, the government implemented price controls and froze wages in an effort to curb wartime inflation. What remained unfrozen and untaxed were fringe benefits that a worker received, so employers, desperate for decent labor, offered health insurance as a workplace perk. As a result, the United States ended up with a system in which most citizens receive their health insurance through their employer. No other country relies on an employer-based system to the extent that the U.S. does.

This system works for many with full-time jobs; a 2009 CNN poll found that approximately eight in 10 Americans were satisfied with their health insurance [source: Steinhauser]. However, critics of the system would say that such an opinion is akin to "ignorance is bliss." Most workers likely have no idea of the full cost of their company's plan, and they may be unaware how much the cost of health insurance has been rising in the last few years. The money disappears before workers can even know it's gone, perhaps in the form of an increased premium withheld from a paycheck or by employers skimping on raises in order to make insurance payments.

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The unemployed, self-employed, part-time workers and those who work for companies that don't offer benefits probably have a better sense of how much health insurance truly costs. It's far more expensive for individuals and small groups to get health insurance because they constitute a small risk pool; a large company provides a large risk pool for the insurance company, which allows the company to charge smaller premiums. Liberal politicians since the time of Harry S. Truman have wanted to change the health care system in order to provide coverage to more people. These efforts have largely failed, with the notable exception of Lyndon B. Johnson's passage of Medicare and Medicaid, which provide health insurance for seniors and for those with low incomes, respectively. In 2009, about 47 million Americans lacked health insurance [source: Tumulty].

Liberals and conservatives could argue all day about whether it's the government's responsibility to provide health care for its citizens. But beyond the question of whether there's a mandate for health care, there's evidence that the system wasn't working as well as it should. In the U.S., we spend approximately $6,000 per person each year on health care, which is $2,797 more than any other industrialized country spends [source: Clifton]. While we do have state-of-the-art hospitals and the highest quality equipment, the United States also has higher rates of infant mortality and lower life expectancies than other countries that spend but a fraction of what we do.

Moreover, citizens with health insurance may find out just how little bang for the buck they receive when they get sick. In presenting the case for health care reform to the American people, President Barack Obama often used examples of people whose insurance was cut when they became terribly sick, such as a woman who was denied a double mastectomy because she had omitted declaring a pre-existing condition of acne [source: White House]. So what was his proposal for addressing such problems?
Iraq is instituting a total curfew for the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday.

The curfew will be in place from July 30 until Aug. 9, according to a statement today from the Iraqi government. Past total curfew orders in Iraq have mandated a ban on non-essential movement and business, meaning people could only go to local supermarkets and pharmacies.

Todays order also stipulated that security forces can impose fines and seize the vehicles of those who do not wear masks or practice social distancing, among other measures.

Eid al-Adha will begin in late July this year. The Muslim occasion commemorates Abrahams willingness to sacrifice his son on Gods command. The holiday typically includes large meals and gatherings of family and friends in addition to prayers at mosques and at homes. The social nature of the holiday is prompting governments in the region to institute health guidelines aimed at mitigating the spread of the pandemic.

Iraq has been registering historic highs of around 2,000 or more COVID-19 cases a day since late June. There were 1,927 cases recorded today, according to the Ministry of Health.

Iraqi authorities first imposed curfews, bans on domestic travel and business closures in March to stop the spread of COVID-19. In April, they began easing restrictions. The federal and Kurdistan Region governments have both reimposed and lifted anti-virus measures several times since then. Restrictions vary by governorate.

The virus and accompanying closures have created severe economic hardship in Iraq. The ban on international passenger flights that still applies in some airports trapped many jobless people in the country, including low-income workers from abroad. A report from the International Organization for Migration found that employment, salaries and sales dropped by tens of percentage points in April.

Iraq reached 100,000 total confirmed COVID-19 cases last week. There have been a total of 112,585 cases as of today, according to the Ministry of Health.

The Iraqi governments Eid al-Adha policy only applies to federal territory. The autonomous Kurdistan Region has yet to declare any restrictions for Eid.

Countries around the Middle East are beginning to issue guidelines for Eid al-Adha. Iraqs neighbor Kuwait is reducing its curfew and allowing prayers in mosques for the holiday. On the other hand, Oman instituted a new curfew and ban on domestic travel for Eid.
TDT | Manama

HRH the Prime Minister has allocated $200,000 for the Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Award for outstanding Bahraini doctors in medical and treatment research, as well as for celebrations of Bahraini Doctors Day, The awards launch and ways of celebrating Bahraini Doctors Day on the first Wednesday of November each year were discussed yesterday in a meeting held by HRH the Prime Ministers Court.

These are in implementation of HRH the Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifas directives. Attending the meeting were Shaikh Hossam bin Isa Al Khalifa, Minister of Health Faeqa bint Saeed Al Saleh, Bahrain Medical Society (BMS) president Dr Ghada Al Qasim, and other officials.

Shaikh Hossam stressed the importance of the initiative of HRH the Prime Minister, which, he said, reflects his visions and support for national professionals, as well as efforts made by the government, under HRH the Premiers leadership, to achieve sustainable development goals.

Shaikh Hossam indicated that the awards secretariat-general has begun to develop the necessary scenarios and the procedures required for its presentation, while noting that its basic system is set and a committee to choose the winners has been formed.

The committee consists of representatives from HRH the Prime Ministers Court and the Ministry of Health, the BMS president, the Arabian Gulf University president, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Bahrain president, an official from the World Health Organisation, as well as international experts in the field of medical research.

They will oversee all procedures for granting the award. The Health Minister expressed her sincere thanks and appreciation to HRH the Prime Minister for his patronage of Bahraini Doctors Day celebrations and the distribution of his award to honor outstanding Bahraini doctors in medical and treatment research.

She stressed that all medical staff members of the health sector in the Kingdom appreciate HRH the Premiers initiatives, which embody his enormous support for and appreciation of medical and health personnel.

On her part, the BMS president said that all workers in the health sector are always grateful to HRH the Premier for his appreciation and recognition of their efforts and contributions to the country. The first edition of Bahraini Doctors Day is to be organised on November 4 later this year.
Prism Digital, a leading digital marketing agency in Dubai has won the digital marketing services mandate for Vitane Pharma, the leading USA based Nutraceutical brand in the amongst a region-wide multi-agency pitch.

Prism Digital is a leading performance marketing agency in the Middle East will be using Al- Powered Bi-Lingual Voice, Video, and Search Marketing Campaign to garner sales and drive consumers to buy Vitane Pharma products from online e-commerce stores like Noon.com amazon.ae and Mumzworld.com as well as drive sales in all pharmacies around the UAE. Furthermore, the Campaign will be driven by voice search queries on Google Voice, Google Shopping and AI-Driven Google Search, Voice search on Alexa, Siri, Bixby on Youtube Bing Yahoo, and Gmail to interact with customers related to everything you need to know about Corona Virus.

Being one of the best digital marketing agencies in the middle east for over 15 years, and building on its formidable reputation as a leading PR and Pharmaceutical Marketing Agency to more than 20 pharma companies in the middle east and India for the last 20 years Prism Digital will be also organizing the Virtual Media Conference to announce the new suite of nutraceutical supplements designed to boost a persons immunity to viral diseases.

Speaking about the impending launch, Ms. Afrin, Operations Manager Vitane Pharma, commented  We are looking forward to the launch of these supplements which boosts your immunity and increase general wellness reducing your susceptibility to the virus. The Vitane brand enjoys very strong loyalty from its customers in the Middle East, and our other products have a very strong market share in their respective categories

 We are fully confident that Prism will be able to market our products and supplements effectively using extensive digital marketing techniques to our target audiences, as we have already worked with the Prism in the past for several product launches in the Middle East and they are experts in Digital Marketing for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry She added.

Elaborating on the partnership between Vitane Pharma and Prism Digital, Dr. Khalid Hussain, Managing Director, Peace World Group, the parent company of Vitane Pharma commented,  Prism was a natural choice due to our past relationships with the agency. They understand our brand and our target market. They will now be focussing on creating a brand awareness campaign to improve the recall of the product and encourage POS purchase at all pharmacies across the UAE and the Middle East. Their insightful understanding of the present-day UAEs digital landscape and efforts on delivering the best to clients is a great fit as we collectively aim to achieve scale and growth.

Commenting on winning the account, Mr. Lovetto Nazareth, Managing Director of Prism Digital, Vitane Pharma is a worldwide powerhouse brand in the world of nutraceuticals. We are using very innovative marketing strategies including Google Search Voice Search Strategies and Video search to pre-empt questions and guide the search queries on natural remedies for corona virus-related queries and using google location-driven local marketing to drive them to pharmacies to buy the product directly instore. We hope to create another Google case study with this project

Prism Digital blends real-world problems of connecting consumers with products through innovative digital marketing and AI-driven marketing solutions and advertising campaigns.
Malaysian authorities said Monday they found 26 Rohingya Muslims, including women and children, hiding on a northern islet after they were initially feared drowned after jumping off a fishing boat.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency launched a search for the group after one Rohingya migrant found Saturday on the islet off the northern resort island of Langkawi told investigators that at least 24 other Rohingya were missing.

Following further interrogation, the agency found 26 Rohingya refugees hiding on the islet on Sunday, said senior agency official Zawawi Abdullah. The group included 12 men, 10 women and four children, officials said.

Zawawi said the Rohingya were believed to have been transported by local fishermen from a main vessel further out at sea and let off near Langkawi so they could sneak in undetected.

The Rohingya have been detained for further investigation and will be handed to the immigration department, he said in a statement. Two other Rohingya migrants were also arrested for suspected trafficking.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar due to a military crackdown, and many live in densely crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh. Muslim-dominated Malaysia has been a common destination of boats arranged by traffickers who promise the refugees a better life abroad.

Last month, Malaysian authorities detained 269 Rohingya and found a body on board a suspected smuggling boat off Langkawi that they said had been intentionally damaged so it couldnt be turned back to sea. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency later said that the 269 were transferred from a larger vessel on which dozens of people were believed to have died and their bodies thrown into the sea.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said Malaysia cannot accept any more Rohingya refugees as it struggles with an economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But he said those already in the country will not be sent back to sea.

Malaysia is home to over 2 million illegal immigrants as well as some 180,000 refugees and asylum seekers  including 101,000 Rohingya  who are registered with the U.N. refugee agency.
Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has said he was disappointed by a comment made by the late renowned novelist, Prof Chinua Achebe, shortly after he (Soyinka) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986.



In a conversation with an American-based Nigerian novelist, Okey Ndibe, which was aired on Channels Televisions Book Club, Soyinka said he considered the particular remark by Achebe uncalled for and disappointing.



Ndibe had, during the conversation with Soyinka, recalled how Achebe, at one time, said, The Nobel Prize did not make one the Asiwaju of African Literature.



He then asked Soyinka how he took that statement at the time.



Responding, Soyinka said, The subject was not even literature when he (Achebe) made that statement and so I was disappointed that he created a nexus between my normal sociopolitical life and my normal way of articulating an opinion.



It was almost like because I won the Nobel Prize, I have no right to offer, to do what I used to do before all my life. I responded to it, even though I wanted to make light of it. I was a little bit disappointed and I didnt see the necessity; that particular subject, which was under contention, didnt relate to literature. So, it was like, oh, am I now to carry this burden for the rest of my life? That people will think I am doing what I used to do before simply because I now have a Nobel Prize.



Asked what he felt about how literary enthusiasts often segregate themselves into either Soyinka camp or Achebe camp, Soyinka said it boiled down to ignorance.



Everybody feels they have a right to pronounce authoritatively, not only on the products but on the producers of the products and their positions in society, he said.



The playwright said he would never speak about the works of other professionals, such as architects, musicians, doctors, lawyers. etc, the way people pontificate on literature.



Earlier, when asked what his experience had been after winning the Nobel prize, Soyinka said, It has bred demands, expectations; it has bred even envy in some areas  one can cope with that  antagonism where totally unnecessary, uncalled for. But thats part of human life; any kind of achievement does that.

Source: punchng.com









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Five Rafale fighter jets of the 36 ordered by the Indian Air Force (IAF) took off from Merignac in France and will reach their home base in Ambala on July 29 after a stopover at the Al Dhafra airbase near Abu Dhabi  a move that will boost rapid deployment of the jets to upgrade Indias ageing air power amid tensions with neighbouring China and Pakistan.

The two-leg flight will involve the Rafales covering a distance of nearly 7,000km. The five fighters landed safely at Al Dhafra after a seven-hour flight from France on Monday evening.

Real beauty and beast! Indian ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf said while the planes were being flagged off in Bordeaux. First five Rafale to India  swift, nimble, versatile, advanced and lethal, he added.

This also marks a new milestone in the strong and growing India-France defence cooperation, the Indian Embassy said in a statement.

The new fighters  the first imported jets to be inducted into the IAF in 23 years after the Russian Sukhoi-30 jets entered service in June 1997  will significantly enhance the offensive capabilities of IAF, which has for long planned to update its fighter jet force.

The jets -- the first of the 36 Rafale jets purchased from French firm Dassault in a government-to-governent deal worth Rs 59,000 crore in September 2016 -- have been specially tailored for IAF. India-specific enhancements on the Rafales include a helmet-mounted sight, radar warning receivers, flight data recorders with storage for 10 hours of data, infrared search and track systems, jammers, cold engine start capability to operate from high-altitude bases, and towed decoys to ward off incoming missiles. The twin-engine jet is capable of carrying out a variety of missions  ground and sea attack, air defence and air superiority, reconnaissance and nuclear strike deterrence. It can carry almost 10 tonnes of weapons on as many as 14 hard points.

The delivery of the remaining 31 fourth-generation-plus fighters will be completed by the end of next year.

The French air force refuelled the fighters  three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft  using its Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft on their way to Al Dhafra. Aerial refuelling support will be provided by the IAFs Russian Ilyushin-78 refuellers for the second leg of the journey from Al Dhafra to Ambala.

The jets are being flown by Indian pilots who have undergone comprehensive training on the aircraft, the IAF said. The Rafales will be a part of the IAFs No. 17 Squadron, which is also known as the Golden Arrows. The aircrew bringing the Rafales to India is headed by Group Captain Harkirat Singh, a decorated fighter pilot, who is the commanding officer of the No. 17 Squadron.

The first Rafales RB-001 tail number denotes the initials of the IAF chief: Rakesh Bhadauria. He led the complex negotiations for the Rafale deal. The Indian fighters will be equipped with Meteor missiles built by European defence major MBDA Missile Systems. The Meteors no-escape zone is touted to be three times greater than that of current medium range air-to-air missiles.

Its a magnificent achievement to get a fighter of this class decades after the IAF inducted the Mirage-2000s from France in the mid-1980s, said Air Chief Marshal Fali H Major (retd), a former IAF chief.

The Rafales bring tremendous capabilities to the table. We should now wait and watch how the fighter evolves in the Indian environment. I am sure it will meet each and every qualitative requirement of the IAF, Major added.

France handed over to India its first Rafale fighter during a ceremony attended by defence minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart, Florence Parly, in Merignac on October 8 last year. Air and ground crews of the IAF have been in France for almost three years for the management of the Rafale programme.

The deal for the warplanes became controversial over allegations of corruption levelled by the Congress in the run up to the 2019 general elections, though the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government rejected the charge. The NDA governments decision to buy 36 Rafales was announced in April 2015, with the deal signed a little more than a year later. This replaced the previous United Progressive Alliances decision to buy 126 Rafale aircraft, 108 of which were to be made in India by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited using parts imported from France. A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit tabled in February last year concluded that the new deal was 2.86% cheaper than the price negotiated by the UPA government. It did not disclose pricing details.

I am strongly impressed by the amazing efficiency and determination of the IAF and Indian Ministry of Defense, despite this unprecedented world health crisis, to master rapidly all aspects of the Rafale for Indian sovereignty and contributing to the protection and security of Indian people, said Dassault Aviation chairman Eric Trappier.

The IAF could deploy its new Rafale fighters in the Ladakh sector as part of Indias overarching plan to strengthen its military posture in the region, where Indian and Chinese forces are locked in a tense border confrontation and disengagement has turned out to be a challenging process, according to people aware of the developments.

A brutal clash at the Line of Actual Control in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh last month left 20 Indian and an unspecified number of Chinese soldiers dead. Tensions are also high with neighbouring Pakistan since India revoked the special status to Jammu & Kashmir in August last year.

IAFs air and ground crews have undergone comprehensive training on the aircraft, including its highly advanced weapons systems and are fully operational. Efforts will now focus on swift operationalisation of the aircraft, a person familiar with the matter said.

Acting on a special request by IAF, France has accelerated the deliveries of Rafale fighters to India  five jets are coming instead of four that were originally planned to be delivered in the first batch. According to the original delivery schedule, the first 18 jets (including the four in the first batch) were to be delivered to the IAF by February 2021, with the rest expected by April-May 2022. However, all deliveries will be completed by the end of 2021.

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Kuala Lumpur: After years of insisting on his innocence, former Malaysian leader Najib Razak learns his fate this week in his first corruption trial linked to one of the worlds biggest financial scandals  a verdict widely seen as a test for the rule of law five months after a new government took power.

Najib Razak, Malaysia's former prime minister, centre, will learn the outcome of his first trial on Tuesday. Credit:Bloomberg

Tuesday's ruling is being closely watched amid a stunning reversal of fortune for Najibs Malay party, which returned to office as a key player in the new ruling alliance. The partys return came less than two years after its shocking ouster in 2018 elections driven by public anger over the billion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state investment fund.

Najib faces a total of 42 charges  ranging from abuse of power to money laundering  in five separate trials linked to the 1MDB fiasco. The once untouchable 67-year-old former prime minister and scion of one of Malaysias most prominent political families faces years in prison if convicted in the first trial alone.

"This decision is a test of the independence of Malaysias political institutions and the rule of law in a country that has seen this fraying in recent months," said Bridget Welsh, honorary research associate at University of Nottingham Malaysia.
The Oakland County sheriffs deputies are investigating after shots were fired from a vehicle at an Oakland Township home.

Deputies were called to Cherry Drive shortly after 12:30 a.m. Monday, July 27, with a report of a suspicious vehicle and hearing shots fired. The area is southwest from Romeo and Rochester roads near Cranberry Lake.

A passerby had been driving on Cherry Drive and told dispatchers that he saw a vehicle with its lights off and heard six or seven shots being fired from the vehicle.

Deputies located several 9mm shell casings near the area of the reported shooting, the sheriffs office reported. The occupied residence that had been fired upon was not struck by bullets.

Investigators say a gold-colored Saturn Ion was seen leaving the area at a high rate of speed, though they dont know if the vehicle is the one involved.
Empowering people to take control of glaucoma  anytime and anywhere

HANNOVER, Germany, July 27, 2020 / B3C newswire / -- People suffering from glaucoma got bad news and good news from a clinical study published in the journal Ophthalmology (1) this month. Bad news: Clinical data prove, the current standard practice (applanation tonometry) for measuring IntraOcular Pressure (IOP) does not provide an accurate representation of an individuals real IOP over time. Good news: The clinical study concludes, continual monitoring via Implandatas EYEMATE System enables accurate IOP measurement and improved glaucoma care, to protect the patients eyesight.

What this means for people with glaucoma

Standard practice currently is to measure glaucoma patients IOP in a doctors office, typically 4x to 6x/year. For patients, this means a high risk of undetected disease progression, which can result in vision loss. Clinical studies show, the EYEMATE System enables safe, reliable, continual IOP monitoring, without necessitating regular office visits. EYEMATE enables patients and their doctors to be informed in real-time of disease progression, which means the therapy is adjusted without delay  before eyesight is permanently lost.

What glaucoma experts say

Prof. Kaweh Mansouri, MD, MPH, lead author of the study and ophthalmologist at Clinique de Montchoisi Lausanne/Switzerland, explains: "Our findings show that occasional IOP measurements, as are currently done in clinical practice, poorly reflect actual IOP behavior in patients. These data underline the importance of continual IOP monitoring for better management of glaucoma care."

Prof. Robert N. Weinreb MD, Chair and Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Diego states: "Our findings have important implications both for clinical glaucoma management as well as clinical trials. Although results from a single session of IOP monitoring have limited benefit for predicting IOP behavior, the current assumption of conserved IOP patterns over weeks and months is used at present in glaucoma management and underlies numerous glaucoma medication trials. The evidence for this premise, however, has always been weak, since few studies previously have addressed this issue."

Leading eye centers support EYEMATE

The CE-marked EYEMATE system is now offered to patients by leading eye centers in Germany, Switzerland and the UK. Further clinics are on the EYEMATE waiting list. The FDA Breakthrough Device approval process has been started, in preparation for launching the EYEMATE system in the USA.

For high resolution please click the image.

About Glaucoma  the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide

80 million people with the chronic eye disease glaucoma suffer the risk of going blind. Tragically, five million are already blind. Glaucoma results in high Intra-Ocular Pressure (IOP) that progressively damages the optic nerve  thus robbing people of their vision. IOP fluctuates significantly over time, influenced by many factors. Monitoring and controlling IOP are essential to protect patients eyesight.

About the EYEMATE System

The EYEMATE system continually monitors IOP via an implantable or injectable micro-sensor and cloud-based, AI-driven database. EYEMATE is the only clinically-validated system for 24/7/365 IOP monitoring. Patients and their eye doctor are informed in real-time of a crisis, enabling therapy adjustment in real-time before more vision loss occurs.

About Implandata Ophthalmic Products GmbH

Implandata is a digital health company dedicated to helping people with glaucoma to lead a full life  without going blind. Breakthroughs in biosensing, telemetry and data analytics led to the EYEMATE system. Ongoing research at Implandata is focused on enabling people to take control of glaucoma, anytime and anywhere. Founded in 2010, Implandata is headquartered in Hannover, Germany.

Contact

Implandata Ophthalmic Products GmbH

Max Ostermeier, CEO

Kokenstrasse 5

30159 Hannover

Phone: +49 511 2204 2581

Fax: +49 511 2204 2589

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

1. Mansouri K, Rao HL, Weinreb RN; ARGOS-02 Study Group. Short-Term and Long-Term Variability of Intraocular Pressure Measured with an Intraocular Telemetry Sensor in Patients with Glaucoma. Ophthalmology. 2020 Jul 11:S0161-6420(20)30678-3. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.07.016.

Keywords: Glaucoma; Intraocular Pressures; Pressure, Intraocular; Monitoring, Physiological; Patient Monitoring; Digital Health; Biosensors; AI, Deep Learning; Ophthalmology; Remote Monitoring; Telemedicine

Published by B3C newswire and shared through Newronic


China Floods Causing US Agricultural Export Boom

News Analysis

Despite U.S. agricultural exports to China falling one-third through May due to trade war retaliation, exports have surged above forecast due to the flooding of 433 rivers across China.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that pork, corn, wheat, cotton, rice, sorghum, and soybean exports to China from July 10 to 16 are trending above the Phase 1 annual rate of $32.9 billion negotiated in January by the Trump Administration.

Donald Trump ran for President promising to slash the $419.2 billion U.S. goods trade deficit by using tariffs to decrease Chinas $539.5 billion in exports to the United States and increase Americas $120.3 billion exports to China. At the time, Chinas average tariff on U.S. products was 8 percent; while the U.S. average tariff on China was 3.1 percent.

When the parties called a Phase 1 truce on Jan. 15, China had more than doubled its tariff rates on U.S. goods to 20.9 percent; but the Americans had spiked tariff rates on Chinese goods by seven times to 21 percent. The two-year deal required China to increase U.S. manufacturing, energy and service purchases by $120 billion, but it also mandated that China must increase annual U.S. agricultural imports from $24 billion in 2017, to $32.9 billion in 2020, and $44.8 billion in 2021.

However, China blamed the coronavirus pandemic for its failure to significantly increase U.S. agricultural imports that through the month of May were running at an $12 billion annualized rate, or about a third of the Phase 1 agreed level.

With most analysts predicting a resumption of its trade war, China was hit by the worst flooding since 1940. After 31 days of continuous torrential rain through July 2, Chinas Three Gorges Dam, the worlds largest hydroelectric dam with a 5-trillion-gallon reservoir capacity, was forced to open all its flood gates and send 28 acre feet of water per second careening toward Yangtze River downstream residents.

After estimating that 45.2 million Chinese have been already been affected by floods that ravaged 27 provinces along the Yangtze River, Huai River, and Yellow River, the China Meteorological Administration issued a No. 1 Flood warning as Southern China was hit with a record 16.8 inches of rain falling in a 30-hour period beginning on July 4.

With Chinas monsoon rainfall season running about 46 percent higher than normal, and 17 percent higher than the devastating floods of 1998, about 20 percent of the nations arable land is now submerged. This could lead to major crop loss this year, with rice, rapeseed and cotton being the most affected by the floods, according to market analyst firm Seeking Alpha. Furthermore, the African swine fever pandemic that caused the culling of 180 million infected pigs last year returned as floods unearthed shallow graves and contaminated groundwater.

With no alternative nation capable of addressing the scale of its potential food security crisis this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that China bought 1.365 million tons of American corn on July 10. The large transaction was followed on July 14 with a single-day record purchase of 1.762 million metric tons of corn.

The USDA added that China has quietly been buying substantial amounts of pork, sorghum, soybeans, and cotton since May.

The 14-day weather prediction for the Yangtze River valley forecasts a high probability of rain and the multi-day risks for severe thundershowers over the next two weeks.
A Democrat running for Congress against U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert says his campaign manager was assaulted by supporters of the East Texas Republican as protests in Tyler turned violent on Sunday.

Hank Gilbert, a Tyler cattle rancher running against Gohmert, organized a rally in Tyler to protest the illegal occupation of Portland by federal law enforcement.

Armed counter-protesters showed up and clashed with Gilberts supporters. Video from KETK news in Tyler shows about a half-dozen people involved in the scuffle, including a man in a Trump hat choking one of Gilberts supporters and pushing him into a sign. A local Democratic organizer who was there to register voters says she was punched in the chest, as well.

I REGRET NEEDING TO VOTE NO: Gohmert lone Texan to oppose anti-lynching bill, saying its not strong enough

Gilberts campaign manager Ryan Miller was attacked by at least four protesters, some of whom were armed, and sustained blows to the head and other parts of his body, as well as a large gash under his eye, according to the campaign.

Gilbert posted a photo of Millers injuries on Twitter, as well as pictures showing white pride tattooed on the arms of one of the counter-protesters.

Louie, you need to get your supporters under control, he tweeted.

Videos show some counter-protesters holding signs supporting Gohmert, but its unclear whether they were involved in any altercations. The videos show a large group of counter-protesters, many with Trump signs and some with Confederate flags.

Gohmert in a statement said it is difficult to tell, from what I understand today, who started what.

It is unfortunate that extremists wanted to bring the violent protests and riots weve seen around the country to our peaceable area here in East Texas, Gohmert said. I have no firsthand knowledge of what went on, because I was not there, did not organize it, didnt know about it until it was taking place, and I was going to catch a plane back to Washington. But what came to my mind is the violence Democrat leaders paid to create at Trump campaign events in 2016, followed by Democrats then claiming Donald Trump incited violence.

They created the mess, then blamed candidate Trump, he said. There are Democrats and Marxists doing the same thing this year as well.

Gilbert said in an interview that Gohmert is more committed to propagating nonsense and spewing hateful rhetoric, and chasing every black site conspiracy theory thats ever come down the pike, rather than working on behalf of the people.

The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported that three people involved in the incident said they were filing police reports and police confirmed they were contacted, though no arrests were made.

Gilberts campaign claims the police were idly driving around the square in their patrol cars, and waving at the counter-protesters who were heavily armed. Tyler police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Miller said in an interview he had met with detectives on Monday and plans to press charges.

Its pretty disappointing we cant even hold a peaceful protest without getting jumped because of the party we represent, he said. Its crazy to me to think now I have to watch my back whenever I walk downtown.

A TERRORIST ASSAULT? Just 3 arrests so far as Texas officials blame protest violence on Antifa terrorists

At least one of the protesters at the rally has disputed the Gilbert campaigns claims. Caroline Artmire wrote on her Facebook page that Miller tripped and was not attacked, the Morning Telegraph reported.

No he was not beaten, he got shoved and then tripped himself because he was trying to defend the stupid guy that called me a name, the post said. Dont let the dems fool you. All these men stood up for me, a young woman because I was disrespected by a 50+ year old.

Gilbert is a cattle rancher who has twice been the Democratic nominee for Texas agriculture commissioner, in 2006 and 2010. Now he is running a longshot campaign against Gohmert, who has won his last three reelection bids with more than 70 percent of the vote.

ben.wermund@chron.com
Chandigarh: A dozen farmer organisations took out a tractor march across Punjab on Monday, demanding the repeal of the three ordinances and the Electricity Act brought by the Centre besides a rollback of the fuel price hike.

In a release, All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordinating Committee Punjab convener Darshanpal said that members of 10 organisations, including Bhartiya Kisan Union (Dakonda), Kirti Kisan Union, Krantikari Kisan Union-Punjab, Punjab Kisan Union, Jamhuri Kisan Sabha, Kul Hind Kisan Sabha-Punjab, Kisan Sangharsh Committee Punjab, BKU (Ugrahan) and BKU (Krantikari), took part in the protest.

The farmer leaders said that the three ordinances, namely the Farmer Product Trade and Commerce (Promotions and Assistants) Ordinance 2020, Price Guarantee and Farmer Services (Empowerment and Protection) Ordinance 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) were aimed at handing over procurement of crops to corporate hands.

Just as these three ordinances pave the way for the marketing of crops to be handed over to corporate houses, the government will abolish the minimum support price, Darshanpal claimed, rejecting the Centres assurances.

The farmers protested outside the residences and offices of Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP MPs and MLAs, including SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and senior party leaders Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon, Sikandar Singh Maluka and Surjit Singh Rakhra.

The farmer union spokesperson said that Sukhbir was misleading farmers to save the seat of his wife Harsimrat in the Union cabinet. He said that by supporting the decisions of the BJP, the Badals had exposed their anti-Punjab and anti-farmer stand.

The leaders also criticised the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Congress government in Punjab for saving the Narendra Modi government from the wrath of the farmers by banning rallies under the guise of coronavirus.

COVID GUIDELINES FLOUTED IN MALWA

BATHINDA: Violating Covid guidelines on social distancing, farmers, including women, held protests in south Malwa on Tuesday. Riding on tractors, several of the protesters, gathered in large numbers, were seen without covering masks.

However, their plan to gheroa the residence and offices of senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Muktsar, Mansa and other districts were foiled by the police. Protesters were stopped near Kheowali village. Organisations took out protests in Bathinda city, with traffic remaining blocked for three hours in Mansa. No police case was lodged till the filing of this report.

1,000 PARTICIPATE IN AMRITSAR

AMRITSAR Around 1,000 farmers on Monday participated in a tractor march to protest against three agriculture-related ordinances introduced by the Central government. The protest, which was jointly organized by Kisan Sangharash Committee (KSC), Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI), Kirti Kisan Union (KKU), Border Area Sangharsh Committee (BASC), Jamhuri Kisan Sabha (JKS), was initiated from the Company Bagh here, and culminated at the deputy commissioner (DC) office after passing through localities of the city.

According to JKSs vice president Rattan Singh Randhawa, around 500 tractors had taken part in the march. He claimed they had been burning effigies of the Central government for the last six days over the introduction of anti-farmer ordinances.
By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan increased the volume of trade turnover with Mexico and Ecuador in the first half of 2020, local media reported the reference to the State Customs Committee on July 27.

According to the statement, during the reporting period, Ecuador, Mexico and Spain were top Spanish-speaking countries with which Azerbaijan conducted most trade transactions.

Trade turnover with Spain amounted to $158.9 million, with Mexico to $30.4 million and with Ecuador to $21.9 million. Thus, compared to the same period in 2019, the trade turnover with Spain has decreased, while with Mexico and Ecuador has increased.

Moreover, during the reporting period, the value of imports from Spain was $29.9 million, from Mexico - $30.3 million, and from Ecuador - $21.9 million. The cost of import operations with Spain has decreased, while with Mexico and Ecuador has increased.

Furthermore, during the reporting period, among Spanish-speaking countries, the largest amount of goods were exported to Spain from Azerbaijan worth $129 million.

Earlier it was reported that the countrys overall foreign trade turnover amounted to $9.8 billion in the first half of 2020. Out of this, the value of exported products amounted to $5.8 million, or 57.7 percent, and the value of imported products amounted to $4.2 million, of the trade turnover. The surplus amounted to $41.5 million.

---

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OKLAHOMA CITY - Scott Alls has been battling feral hogs for more than a decade.

As director of wildlife services for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, he and his staff spend most of their time trying to kill the wild pigs that terrorize the countryside.

"In the last 10 years, by far the majority of our work is aimed at pigs," Alls said. "The numbers are just exploding because of their reproductive capabilities. I would say we are well above a million pigs (in the state)."

When Oklahoma farmers, ranchers and landowners have a pig problem, they turn to Alls for help. It takes eradicating 70% of wild hogs in an area just to keep the population level, he said.

Featured gallery: Throwback Tulsa: Tulsa temperature hits 107 as drought ravages state in 2011

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Britain's Andy Murray is still feeling "apprehensive" about travelling to New York for the U.S. Open amid the COVID-19 pandemic but the former world number one says he is mentally preparing for the Grand Slam.

The United States has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world and reported over 50,000 cases daily during the last seven days.

The U.S. Open, which is due to start on August 31, will be held without spectators, and organisers are planning to set up a strict bio-security "bubble" around the tournament to mitigate the risk of contracting the virus.

"Four or five weeks ago, we were pretty sceptical about it," Murray told British media. "But mentally at some stage you need to start preparing and planning for that.

"If it wasn't happening, my schedule for practising, my rehab, would all be a bit different. Mentally I'm planning for it to go ahead."

Murray, a three-time Grand Slam singles winner, returned from a seven-month injury layoff last month at a charity event organised by his brother Jamie.

"The issue for us is the travel, so we'll probably be a bit apprehensive getting over there," he added. "Hopefully the U.S. Open can go ahead... but if not, I'm also OK with that.

"It's not like I'm saying it must go ahead. So long as it's safe for the players then we need to try to get back to competing."
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Linkedin Diego Urdaneta (Agence France-Presse) Madrid, Spain  Mon, July 27, 2020 08:20 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406696d65a 2 World Spain,coronavirus,coronavirus-effect,coronavirus-restrictions,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

The Spanish government insisted Sunday that despite a recent surge in coronavirus cases, the country was safe to visit.

Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya was moving to allay fears after some countries reimposed travel restrictions on Spain.

"Spain is a safe country," she told reporters. "Like other European countries, Spain has new outbreaks. It's not unusual."

Madrid is making "great efforts to control these outbreaks", she said after Spain reported nearly 1,000 new cases on both Thursday and Friday.

As well as killing more than 28,000 people, the coronavirus has dealt a major blow to Spain's tourism industry, which normally accounts for 12 percent of GDP.

The number of COVID-19 cases has tripled in two weeks, and the authorities are monitoring more than 280 outbreaks.

Passengers arriving from Spain to the UK must now spend a fortnight in isolation. Norway has reimposed quarantine on travellers from Spain.

And French Prime Minister Jean Castex "strongly recommended" Friday that the French avoid going to Catalonia, a region in northeastern Spain where the epidemic is particularly on the rise.

Earlier Sunday, a spokesman for the Spanish foreign ministry told AFP that the new outbreaks had been "located, isolated and controlled".

Madrid was "in contact" with London whose decisions it "respects", he added.

Spain suggests islands exemption

Gonzalez Laya said one possibility was to exempt Britons from the quarantine if they were returning from the Balearic or Canary islands, where cases has been limited.

The British government defended the quarantine requirement, which took effect at midnight on Saturday, just hours after it was announced.

"The data... showed a big jump right across mainland Spain," Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News. "We can't make apologies for doing so," he said, adding: "We must be able to take swift, decisive action."

Among Britons affected by the decision is Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, currently holidaying in Spain.

The health ministry is particularly concerned about the situation in Aragon and Catalonia, where the regional authorities have urged residents of Barcelona to stay at home.

They also decided on Friday to close nightclubs and bars, considered hotbeds of contagion.

Most regions have tightened the screws by reinforcing the compulsory use of masks, which must be worn at all times in the street under threat of a fine.

Some of them are limiting the number of people who can meet or banning visits to retirement homes.

But the central government insists that this is not a "second wave".

It has ruled out the possibility of a new state of emergency, like the one earlier this year, when Madrid imposed a strict lockdown in mid-March that was not completely lifted until June 21.

Spain, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic, has reported 272,400 cases and more than 28,400 deaths.
She and her boyfriend were spotted enjoying a romantic date night late last week.

Elsa Hosk and her boyfriend Tom Daly were back out in New York City on Monday as the two started their week off with some brunch together.

The 31-year-old Victoria's Secret Angel swapped out her usual haute couture looks for a casual black T-shirt for the 1997 blockbuster Titanic.

Day date: Elsa Hosk, 31, dressed down with a black Titanic T-shirt as she went out for brunch in New York City on Monday with her boyfriend Tom Daly

Elsa matched the long shirt, which featured Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio on the front, with a pair of short black leggings that showcased her toned legs.

She stayed comfortable with thick black sandals and had a brown Louis Vuitton hip bag casually slung across her shoulders.

The 5ft10in beauty blocked out the sun with a slim pair of black sunglasses, and her wavy blonde tresses cascade down her back.

Tom looked like a photo negative of Elsa with his plain white T-shirt and tiny white shorts that were covered with sombreros and other patterns.

Back in black: Elsa matched the long shirt, which featured the movie poster on the front, with a pair of short black leggings that showcased her toned legs, along with black sandals

Opposites attract: Tom looked like a photo negative of Elsa with his plain white T-shirt and tiny white shorts that were covered with sombreros and other patterns

One of the biggest hits: Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio starred in the 1997 classic

Both he and the Swedish catwalk star wore masks to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

After temporarily removing them to eat their food along the sidewalk, the couple covered back up.

On the way home, Elsa picked up a vibrant array of sunflowers, with Tom also walked with a bouquet.

Safety first Both wore masks to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, though they took them off temporarily to eat outside

Flower power: After dining, she carried multiple sunflowers home while he held another bouquet

Italian cuisine: Later on Monday, she showed a photo of her succulent Caprese salad and Tom's tasty-looking noodles

Later on Monday, the model posted a closeup of her meal to Instagram.

She appeared to have multiple vegetable-heavy plates, including a Caprese salad with a massive hunk of mozzarella, while Tom had tasty-looking noodles.

Elsa mixed in the hunger-inducing food post with some stunning photos of her in casual attire.

She played with her sun-dappled hair in photo while wearing a white Yves Saint Laurent sweatshirt.

'Missing the weekend already,' she captioned the set.

Casual: She mixed the foot photo in with stunning photos of her taken by the sea

Standing out: She played with her sun-dappled hair in photo while wearing a white Yves Saint Laurent sweatshirt and playful tie-dyed black and pink jeans

She spiced up the conservative look with playful tie-dyed black and pink jeans, along with crimson sandals.

Another picture featured a closeup of her knit floral print handbag, which had a thick burgundy metallic handle, and she also lifted up her skirt to show off a bit of her toned tummy.

Elsa has been dating Daly, a Danish entrepreneur who co-founded the sunglasses brand Running Vision, since 2015.

The stunning New York City apartment that they share is set to be featured in an upcoming issue of Architectural Digest.
Serum Institute of India (SII) on Monday said that the distribution of Covid-19 vaccine vials in India will be through a government network rather than private entities. The firm, known to be the largest vaccine manufacturer by volume across the world, said everyone will get the dose.

The clarification came a day after CEO Adar Poonawalla tweeted saying the company would keep more than enough doses of the Covid-19 vaccine for the Parsis, the community he belongs to.

It was just a casual and friendly conversation between two Parsis. Once the vaccine is made, everyone will be getting it. It is very early to talk about this, the SII said in a written statement. SII has been chosen by the Oxford and its partner AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine once it gets ready.

On the distribution part, SII said people will not have to purchase it in the market since the government will be distributing it. On distribution - once the vaccine trials are done and successful, it will be procured and distributed by the government so that people dont have to buy it directly, said the Pune-based firm.

Also read: Indias coronavirus epidemic is now the worlds fastest growing

Earlier on Sunday, Poonawalla was responding to a tweet from entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala in which the latter had proposed to have a special quota for Parsis, albeit on a lighter note.

Yes, @RonnieScrewvala, we will keep more than enough for the community. Our production capacity of just one day will be enough to cover every Parsi on the planet... given the size of our community!, Poonawalla tweeted.

In his tweet, Srewvala had said, On a lighter note, Since Parsis are to be an extinct race (Though average age of Parsis show otherwise) there is a lobby that as the vaccine does come in there will be a special quota under saving from extinction race..& why not if a Parsi is at the forefront of it.

On SIIs plan to start clinical trials in India for the vaccine for which it has partnered with AstraZeneca, the firm said, On trials - we are hoping to start the Phase 3 clinical trials in August post regulatory approvals.

SII has already made an application seeking permission from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for conducting phase II/III human clinical trials in India. The company plans to conduct trials in Pune and Mumbai which have seen high prevalence of Covid-19 infections that will help SII test the efficacy of the vaccine.

The SII in an earlier statement had said that by end of August, between 4,000 to 5,000 people in Pune and Mumbai will be injected with the vaccine as part of trials that are scheduled to last over two months.

The steps by SII on seeking application from the DCGA came after Oxford University reported satisfactory progress from the vaccines test results last week.
GREENWICH  Police received a report of someone entering vehicles on Sylvan Lane in Old Greenwich around 9 p.m. Thursday, police said.

Someone took a wallet out of a vehicle there, and a local resident then contacted authorities, police said. A 57-year-old man from New Rochelle, N.Y., was arrested in the case and charged with larceny and criminal trespass, police said. Bail was set at $500.



An 18-year-old man from Greenwich turned himself in at police headquarters Friday to face an arrest warrant, police said.

He was charged with assault and disorderly conduct for allegedly striking two other people on July 16, police said. Also, he was in possession of a fake identification when officers investigated earlier in the month, police said, and he was also charged with forgery. Bail was set at $500.



A 64-year-old man from Greenwich was charged with criminal trespass and violating a protective order Friday afternoon, police said.

The arrest report stated he had been at a property in the backcountry where he had been prohibited. Bail was set at $200.



Officers were called to a dispute and a 911 hang-up in the Byram section of town Saturday evening, police said.

A 53-year-old man was charged with disorderly conduct after police said he had become physically confrontational with another person.



A physical dispute in the backcountry around 9 a.m. Saturday resulted in two arrests, according to police. A 34-year-old woman from Greenwich was charged with assault and disorderly conduct, police said. She was released without bail.

A 57-year-old woman from Greenwich was charged with disorderly conduct in the incident, police said. She was released without bail.



Officers responded to Greenwich Avenue on Thursday afternoon on a report of a physical dispute, police said.

A 32-year-old man from Port Chester, N.Y., was accused of shoving another person into a door, causing a laceration, according to the arrest report. He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. He was released without bail.



A 62-year-old man from Cos Cob was charged with disorderly conduct and violating a protective order Thursday just after midnight, police said.

The arrest report stated he was acting in an aggressive manner, and officers determined that a restraining order had been issued against him, police said. Bail was set at $2,500.



A 21-year-old man from Stamford was arrested on a warrant July 19 and charged with driving while intoxicated, police said.

He was arrested in connection with an earlier incident, police said, in which he was parked improperly on Neil Lane in Riverside with the engine running on Feb 8. Bail was set at $250.
Five nuclear-weapon states issue first joint statement: N-war cannot be won, must never be fought

Move over Omicron, 'IHU' is the new Covid-19 variant with '46 mutations' detected in France

French Air Force aircraft to bring ventilators, test kits tomorrow

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, July 27: A French Air Force aircraft will bring ventilators, test kits and other medical equipments to India on Tuesday as part of COVID-19 assistance by France, its embassy said.

President Emmanuel Macron had recently announced the donation of medical equipment to India, as well as provision of technical expertise, according to a statement by the French embassy.

First batch of Rafales take off from France, to touch base in India on July 29

Unlock 3: Centre mulling over opening cinema halls and gyms with some curbs | Oneindia News

As part of this medical assistance package, France is donating to India 50 Osiris-3 ventilators and 70 Yuwell 830 ventilators with BiPAP mode, it said.

Osiris ventilators are particularly useful for emergency transport, intra-hospital transfer and recovery. They have different ventilation modes, including non-invasive ventilation, it said.

The Yuwell 830 ventilators have bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) -- a non-invasive technique to supply oxygen to the lungs without intubation. These high-quality ventilators meet the needs of Indian hospitals, the embassy said.

France will also donate 50,000 high-quality serological IgG/IgM test kits and 50,000 nose and throat swabs and modes of medical transport, the statement said.

The French embassy said an expert mission on inter-hospital transfers by military means was also being dispatched. The French Air Force will deliver the equipment on Tuesday.

Amidst tensions with China, Indias back-to-back diplomacy with France

"The equipment and the personnel are being transported on a French Air Force A330 MRTT equipped with a Morpheus kit, which enables the transport of critically ill patients," it said.

Emmanuel Lenain, ambassador of France to India, will hand over the medical equipment to R K Jain, secretary general of the Indian Red Cross Society, at Palam Air Force Station in Delhi, the embassy said.
THE GOAL: Improving the health and well-being of people experiencing marginalization during the pandemic by evaluating programs that support these populations, and figuring out how to make these services more effective.

THE TEAM: A group of 35 scientists, as well as community partners and people with lived experience of marginalization; the principal investigators are based at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michaels Hospital in Toronto.

THE TIMELINE: The project, which received funding from the University of Toronto COVID-19 Action Initiative, U of Ts faculty of medicine and the St. Michaels Hospital Foundation, launched in May. It has a budget of $450,000 and is slated to run for a year. The first phase, which will evaluate six programs that support marginalized populations, is underway now.

When the pandemic hit, and COVID-19 infiltrated Torontos shelter system, the city set up isolation centres in hotels, where those experiencing homelessness can safety self-isolate and recover.

But how well are these sites working? Are there any unintended harms? What can be done to improve them?

These are among the questions that a team of scientists and community partners is probing as part of a collaborative and urgent effort to improve the lives of those on the margins, who have been hit hardest by the pandemic.

What weve learned during the past few months is that the current context within the pandemic often makes people who are already marginalized even more marginalized, said Dr. Michelle Firestone, a scientist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, which is leading the project.

It exacerbates a lot of the pre-existing or systemic issues a lot of communities face.

Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi, a scientist at MAP and Firestones co-principal investigator of the project, said it grew out of the need to think broadly about how the pandemic response, in particular, was having an effect on the lives of people in the communities we work with.

We recognize that COVID is going to be with us for a while  certainly for the rest of this year and into next year, he said. Were looking at programs that have been initiated  to try and learn from that, in terms of how can we move forward to both improve current responses but also inform future responses.

Which programs are you evaluating?

Researchers are looking at several supports that have emerged during the pandemic for people experiencing homelessness. These include the COVID recovery hotels, a substance use harm-reduction program within those hotels, as well as a mobile outreach initiative serving the encampments that have sprung up in parks across the city.

At the same time, the team is evaluating the impact of the disappearance of programs due to the pandemic, such as a trailer located in the parking lot of the Toronto South Detention Centre, which provided reintegration supports to inmates after their release. The trailer closed because physical distancing wasnt possible.

Also on the list are services that provide counselling and transitional housing supports to women and children experiencing violence, and an initiative that was developed to guide the response to COVID-19 for people with developmental disabilities.

Additional programs will be selected for a second phase of the project, which is slated to start in the fall or early winter.

How will you measure the effectiveness of these programs?

Work is underway to develop a framework for evaluation, and to put together mini-teams to head the research into the six programs, Firestone said.

Were going to be asking, and kind of leaning on our academic and community partners, to help us with each of these evaluations, she said. We hope they will be sort of co-led by community and researchers, as well as people with lived experience and peer researchers as well.

Recommendations for improvement will be based on surveys and interviews with those who use these programs and deliver these services.

When will you share your recommendations?

The team plans to make public its recommendations for each program as soon as the evaluation is complete.

We dont want this to be an academic exercise where we come up with recommendations long after theyve been useful, Bayoumi said. So we are trying to work very fast, and to work closely with the communities in order to to make sure that the recommendations are potentially actionable.

Whats the biggest obstacle you face?

I think the biggest obstacle going forward is actually going to be how we think about moving those recommendations into practice or into policy, Bayoumi said. We want to make recommendations that are actionable, but sometimes the ability to act on those is so constrained by political and financial forces.

COVID: Front-line thinkers is part of a regular series highlighting COVID-19 research in Canada.
Associated Press

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki criticized U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday for moving too slowly to reverse all of the Trump administrations adverse policies against the Palestinians and not using Washington's special relationship to pressure Israel to abandon its rejection of a two-state solution and peace negotiations. Malki told the U.N. Security Council there were hopes that the end of Donald Trumps administration and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus government would be enough to pave the way for renewed momentum for peace.
WASHINGTON  Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by 7 points in the key swing state of North Carolina, according to a new NBC News/Marist poll, with voters also favoring Democratic Senate and gubernatorial candidates and saying by 2 to 1 that the state was right to balk at the Trump administration's Charlotte convention plans over concerns about coronavirus safety protocols.

Among registered voters, Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, got the support of 51 percent, compared with 44 percent who backed Trump. In March, Biden had a 4-point advantage in a head-to-head matchup, 49 percent to 45 percent.

Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham leads GOP Sen. Thom Tillis by 9 points, with the backing of 50 percent of voters, compared to Tillis' 41 percent.

And Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who spent much of the spring in a dispute with the Trump administration over its efforts to hold the in-person Republican National Convention in Charlotte despite the pandemic, easily led his Republican challenger, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, 58 percent to 38 percent.

Cooper, who recently paused the state's reopening plan and issued a statewide mask mandate in response to the rising number of coronavirus cases, had a positive approval rating from 59 percent of voters, compared with 35 percent who disapproved.

Related video: Breaking down Trumps strategy change as Biden leads in the polls

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Meanwhile, Trump's job approval rating among North Carolina voters stood at just 41 percent, with a majority  55 percent  disapproving. That's a net drop of 11 points since March, when 45 percent approved and 48 percent disapproved.

And just 32 percent of North Carolina voters say state leaders were wrong to insist on safety protocols for the convention. Republican officials ultimately dismissed the protocols as too strict and moved the president's nomination speech to Jacksonville, Florida. Six in 10 agreed that "the state was right to prioritize its health protocols for large gatherings over the objections of the president."

Story continues

The Jacksonville event would also be canceled. The poll was conducted July 14-22, before the president announced the cancellation late Thursday because of logistical and safety concerns.

Trump still leads on the economy; Biden has big leads on coronavirus, race relations

In a head-to-head contest, Biden leads among independents (49 percent to 41 percent), Black voters (86 percent to 8 percent), women (58 percent to 37 percent) and voters who dislike both major candidates (52 percent to 27 percent).

Trump maintains an advantage among white voters (54 percent to 42 percent), men (52 percent to 43 percent) and white voters without college degrees (69 percent to 28 percent).

Mirroring national polls, Trump also has an edge in the intensity of his support. Seventy-five percent of Trump voters in North Carolina say they strongly support him, while 64 percent of Biden voters say the same about their candidate.

Voters also still chose Trump over Biden when it comes to economic issues, with 52 percent saying Trump is the candidate better equipped to handle the economy, compared with 39 percent who chose Biden.

But in dealing with race relations, just 31 percent said Trump is the better candidate, while 53 percent chose Biden.

Trump had a similar deficit when voters are asked who would better handle the coronavirus, with just 34 percent selecting him, compared with 51 percent who chose Biden.

Overall, about half of voters in North Carolina  48 percent  say the pandemic is getting worse in the state. Just 14 percent say it is getting better, while 36 percent say it is staying about the same.

The share who say the pandemic is getting worse includes 66 percent of Biden voters but just 28 percent of Trump voters.

"Biden is in good shape in North Carolina as long as the coronavirus or race relations is top of mind," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. "His downside is if focus shifts to the economy, where Trump has the advantage."

What the poll's sample looks like

As Marist works to ensure that harder-to-reach voters are included in its samples, 20 percent of this poll's sample of registered voters live in the Raleigh-Durham area, 16 percent are from the Charlotte area, 25 percent are from the eastern part of the state, 21 percent are from the Piedmont region, and 17 percent come from the western part of the state.

Among registered voters, 19 percent live in major cities, 19 percent live in small cities, 14 percent are suburban dwellers, 28 percent are from small towns, and 20 percent are rural voters.

Thirty-five percent identified as Democrats, 29 percent as Republicans and 36 percent as independents.

Thirty-eight percent of voters were white voters without college degrees, while 30 percent were white voters with college degrees.

The NBC News/Marist poll of North Carolina of 1,067 adults, which was conducted July 14-22, has a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points. The margin of error among the 882 registered voters the poll surveyed is +/- 4.0 percentage points.
Mumbai, July 27 : Rising US-China tensions, along with a slide in stocks of financial companies, pulled the key domestic equity indices lower on Monday.

On account of global cues, investors were concerned about the rising US-China tensions and a suspected second wave of virus infections.

Similarly, the record number of new virus infections in India and a recent RBI report which expects a surge in bad loans this year unsettled investors.

In terms of sectors, top gainers included BSE IT, Metal and Oil and Gas indices, whereas the top losers were the BSE Bankex, Realty, Healthcare and CD indices.

Consequently, the NSE Nifty50 closed at 11,131.80, falling by 62.35 points or 0.56 per cent from its previous close.

The Sensex closed at 37,934.73, lower by 194.17 points or 0.51 per cent from the previous close of 38,128.90.

It had opened at 38,275.34 and touched an intra-day high of 38,275.34 and a low of 37,769.44 points.

"Technically, the Nifty seems to be consolidating in a range between the 11,056-11,240 levels for the last few sessions," said Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research at HDFC Securities.

"Further directional cues are likely to emerge on a move beyond this range." Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services, said: "Indian benchmark indices ended a volatile day in the red, following negative global cues and domestic uncertainties." "Global markets were impacted due to rising US-China tensions and suspected second wave of virus infections. Financials led the losses following an RBI report which expected a surge in bad loans this year. Record number of virus infections in India also added to the uncertainty."
India is in a much better position than other countries in the fight against COVID-19 as a result of "right decisions taken at the right time", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, asserting that the country has expanded its health infrastructure at a rapid pace to deal with the pandemic.

Speaking after virtually launching COVID-19 testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata, Modi said that in the fight against coronavirus, India has come to a point where it does not lack in awareness, its scientific data is expanding and resources are also increasing.

Due to the "right decisions taken at the right time" in the country, India is in a much better position than other countries in the fight against the pandemic, he said, adding the deaths in India are much lower than many big countries.

Noting that India's recovery rate is also higher than other countries and is improving on a daily basis, Modi said the total number of people who have recovered from the virus is about to reach the 10 lakh mark.

The virtual launch event was attended by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and the chief ministers of Maharashtra, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh - Uddhav Thackeray, Mamata Banerjee and Yogi Adityanath.

Modi said it was imperative for the country to develop corona-specific health infrastructure at a fast pace and pointed out that this was the reason that the Centre had announced a package of Rs 15,000 crore at the beginning of the COVID-19 battle.

The country now has more than 11,000 COVID facilities and more than 11 lakh isolation beds, he said.

"While the country had only one COVID testing centre in January this year, there are almost 1,300 such labs now," he said.

At present, more than five lakh tests are being conducted in the country daily, and efforts are underway to increase this capacity to 10 lakh in the coming weeks, he said.

Modi also noted that the country has become the second largest PPE kit manufacturer and has progressed from not having even a single PPE kit manufacturer as recently as six months ago, to having more than 1,200 manufacturers now, who are producing more than five lakh such kits daily.

Modi also highlighted that from being dependent on imports, now more than three lakh N-95 masks are being produced in the country daily, annual production capacity of ventilators has become three lakh and there has also been a significant increase in the production of medical oxygen cylinders.

This has not only helped save lives but has also converted India from an importer to an exporter, he observed.

Talking about efforts to contain the spread of the virus in rural areas, Prime Minister Modi said there is a need to develop new health infrastructure as well as boost the already existing health infrastructure facilities in the villages.

Apart from developing the physical infrastructure, the country has also managed to swiftly ramp up human resources including paramedics, ASHA workers and Anganwadis, who have played a significant part in controlling the spread of the pandemic, he said.

Modi also emphasised the need to work on continuously attaching new and retired health professionals with the health system in order to prevent fatigue from setting in "our corona warriors".

In his address, Modi urged the people to be cautious during the celebrations of upcoming festivals in order to check the spread of the virus. He underlined that the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna should reach the poor timely.

"Our scientists are working fast to develop a vaccine against coronaivrus. But, till the time an effective medicine or vaccine is not ready, 'do-gaz doori' (six feet distance), wearing masks and hand sanitisation are the only alternatives," he said.

Vardhan said that labs to test for COVID are now available all across the country. He also spoke about Union Home Minister Amit Shah working along with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in order to control the spread of the virus in the national capital, a PMO statement said.

The new testing facilities will give West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh more strength to fight COVID-19, Modi said.

Modi said these hi-tech state-of-the-art testing facilities will boost the testing capacity by almost 10,000 daily tests in each of the three cities. More number of tests will assist early detection and treatment, thereby helping fight the spread of the virus, he said.

These labs will not be limited to testing for COVID, but in future they will also be able to test for Hepatitis B and C, HIV, Dengue and several other diseases, Modi noted.

The three high-tech testing facilities have been set up strategically at ICMR institutions -- National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research in Noida, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health in Mumbai and National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases in Kolkata.

(With inputs from PTI)
Roy Den Hollander, 72, had a list of at least 12 other people who the FBI believe he may have been targeting

The misogynist lawyer who killed the son of a female New Jersey judge and a rival men's rights lawyer before committing suicide last weekend had a list of more than a dozen other targets, including three other judges and two oncologists.

Roy Den Hollander, 72, killed Daniel Anderl, 20, and wounded his father Mark, 63, on July 19 at around 5pm at their home in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

He'd gone looking for Daniel's mother, federal judge Esther Salas, who was in the basement of the home at the time.

It's unclear exactly why he wanted her dead but Hollander had written in hateful, women-bashing online ramblings that she was a 'lazy, Latina' judge and he hated that she had been appointed by Obama.

He is now also believed to have killed Marc Angelucci, a rival men's rights lawyer who was found dead in his home in California eight days before the shooting at Salas' home.

It has since emerged that Hollander - who was diagnosed with melanoma recently - had a list of at least 12 other targets in his car.

He was found dead on Monday July 20 in the Catskills after shooting himself.

New York State Chief Judge, Janet DiFiore (left) was on the list as was Judge Esther Salas (right), whose son was killed

Judge Janet DiFiore, New York State's chief judge, was on the list, as were multiple others including two oncologists and two other judges, according to The New York Times.

Their names have not been released.

The two oncologists treated Hollander, whose cancer was terminal. At the time of his death, he had claimed online to have been mistreated by two oncologists, Dr. Philip Friedlander and Dr. Sonam Sharma.

The FBI now believes Hollander killed Marc Angelucci

In a lengthy, self-published book where he complained about his life, he accused them of trying to give him 'snake oil remedies' and trying to rip him off.

He wrote of Friedlander: 'This guy was really turning into my number one enemy.'

It's unconfirmed if those were the two oncologists whose names were found on Hollander's list.

He referred to one other doctor unfavorably, Alfred Iloreta who is a surgeon at Mt. Sinai.

Hollander had dressed up as a FedEx employee to ring the doorbell of Salas' home in New Jersey.

Daniel, the judge's college student son, answered and was killed. His father was shot when he went to the door to see what was happening.

By the time Judge Salas got upstairs, he had fled.

Police sources now say he was dressed similarly when he attacked Angelucci in his home in California eight days earlier.

Hollander had complained of Salas: 'Just unbelievable, by now we should have been knocking on the U.S. Supreme Courts door, but lady unluck stuck us with an Obama appointee.

In his self-published book, Hollander had fumed over oncologists Dr. Sonam Sharma (left) and Dr. Philip Friedlander (right). It's unclear if they were the names on the list but in his book, he called Friedlander his 'number one enemy'

A second photo appeared to show Den Hollander departing the California train station on July 11, the same day of Angelucci's death

Authorities shared a photo of Den Hollander arriving at a California train station five days before Angelucci was murdered nine days before he allegedly attacked Judge Salas' family

Hollander is believed to have killed 20-year-old Daniel Anderl (left) and injured 63-year-old Mark Anderl on Sunday night in an as-yet unexplained attack on the family

'Female judges didnt bother me as long as they were middle age or older black ladies.

'They seemed to have an understanding of how life worked and were not about to be conned by any foot dragging lawyer.

'Latinas, however, were usually a problemdriven by an inferiority complex,' he fumed.

Later, he claimed she only became successful as a result of 'affirmative action'.

In one racist diatribe, he wrote: 'After Salas agreed to allow the DOJ its fourth motion to dismiss, I checked her bio.

'It was the usual effort to blame a man and turn someone into super girldaddy abandoned us, we were indigent, which means they lived off of the taxpayer, but we overcame all odds.

'Right, affirmative action got her into and through college and law school. Salas worked as an associate in an ambulance chasing firm doing basic criminal work. Left that firm to work as a public defender in the New Jersey District Court representing lumpen proletariat neer-do-wells. Joined 135 politically correct organizations trying to convince America that whites, especially white males, were barbarians, and all those of a darker skin complexion were victims.

'She did, however, have one accomplishmenthigh school cheerleader.'
Exclusive: Michael Pack Discusses Restoring Americas International Broadcasting

Michael Pack is a man on a mission.

Now head of the 4,000-employee strong U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees such organizations as Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia, Pack is tasking himselfand his agencywith restoring American public diplomacy through international broadcasting, in line with its original mission.

All the broadcasters  are committed by law to present fair, objective, balanced news  and I want to hold them to that, Pack said.

VOA, in particular, has come under criticism in recent years that it has bowed to pressure from countries such as China and Iran to present the views of their regimes rather than those of the United States.

On the contrary, balance means reflecting the range of opinions in the United States, Pack said.

When the VOA covers the election or covers the pandemic or covers the Black Lives Matters demonstrations, or riots, they need to cover them in a way that reflects a variety of U.S. opinions, he said.

Its a hard thing to achieve  in a polarized world, but these broadcasters are legally and morally required to ensure that their broadcasts reflect American viewpoints, he said.

The guiding principles for VOA emphasize the requirements to represent America and to present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively.

Standing for American Ideas and Institutions

In a wide-ranging interview with The Epoch Times, Pack also talked about allegations that Voice of America has been compromised by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP); his road to the top spot of American public broadcasting and the criticism leveled at him as an appointee of President Donald Trump; and who his real heroes are.

But key to his stewardship of USAGM, which broadcasts to 100 countries in 62 languages and boasts an audience of 350 million listeners around the world, is the overarching goal of the whole agency.

American taxpayers spend $800 million a year on the agency, Pack said.

That money has one purpose.

The agency must advance Americas broad foreign policy goals, [which] includes fighting for American ideas and institutions against  views from China and Iran, Pack said.

We need to  stand for American values, not [Democrat] values or Republican values, but American values like democracy and human rights.

The broadcasters also need to explain our system, particularly at a time when regimes such as Chinas are doing a very good job touting the Chinese system, Pack said.

We need to meet that challenge.

Pack referred to the demonstrations in Beijing in the spring of 1989 that led to a massacre of civilians in and around Tiananmen Square by the Peoples Liberation Army on June 4, 1989.

Tiananmen Square is a case where a vast amount of people were inspired by the American system, Pack said, so much so that the demonstrators erected their own statue of liberty, the Goddess of Democracy.

American ideals have been inspiring to the world since the country was founded. And rightly so. We should remain that beacon of freedom around the world and the agency is really part of that. So thats my overarching goal.

Everybody in this agency  actually knows what the mission is, and so Im holding them to that.

They believe in it, Pack said, though some may have wandered from it.

Their mission is different than the mission of a commercial broadcaster, so they know it, all of them know it, he said.

However, obviously, there are some bad actors who need to be pushed aside.

Countering Chinese Communist Party Influence

The Hoover Institution, in an October 2018 report on Chinese influence in America, highlighted the Voice of America as a media organization that has come under CCP influence since the early 2000s. The report details the collaboration of Voice of America Mandarin Chinese Service with the Chinese Embassy in Washington, suggesting that a cozy relationship existed between VOA Mandarin Service staff and embassy officials.

The report also states that VOA Mandarin Service staff have allowed the Chinese Embassy to voice their opinions about VOAs content.

Pack reiterated the position he laid out in his confirmation hearing.

Im going to look at all of these allegations, he said.

I am very concerned about these allegations about the VOA Mandarin Service and  I am totally committed to getting to the bottom of it.  Im shocked and appalled.

The CCPs influence over broadcasting targeting its citizens doesnt stop at its attempts to influence the broadcasters themselves, however. It extends to draconian control over internet access in China.

Chinas internet firewall is like the Berlin Wall: It has to come down, Pack said.

Chinas firewall effectively cuts off access to the world outside of China, giving the CCP virtually complete control over and access to all web traffic available inside Chinese borders.

Part of USAGMs mission is to circumvent that firewall so Chinese citizens have the unfettered ability to listen to Voice of America and Radio Free Asia broadcasts.

That is easier said than done, with controversy over what the best approach is.

The Open Technology Fund (OTF), a nonprofit that receives its funding through USAGM, is charged with developing internet-circumvention technologies. It has insisted on open-source applications, which have included Signal and Tor.

But critics say the OTF has been ineffective at breaching Chinas firewall.

The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice complains in a June 23 article on its website that OTF has had a lack of follow through on support for some of the most effective circumvention tools currently available.

In seeking effective tools, the Lantos Foundation urges the use of both open and closed source technologies. Lantos Swett, the president of the Lantos Foundation, has urged funding for the programs Freegate, Lantern, Psiphon, and Ultrasurf.

Pack, without specifying a particular preference, said he is open to considering the best firewall circumvention strategies available.

That could even include shortwave transmission, a technology that has seen a steep decline in usage with the ubiquitous rise of the internet.

But, said Pack, we have shortwave infrastructure that the United States has invested in.

We have the infrastructure, we have the towers, we have the knowledge base.

Shortwave can be a powerful tool. With shortwave you can broadcast at long distances without the host country supporting you, so shortwave has some real advantages, he added.

I think it would be a mistake to give it up. On the other hand, young people, especially  are past shortwave, so it varies, but Im certainly going to look into that.

Heroes at Voice of America

Asked about the intimidation that some VOA journalists and their families face in their home countries, such as China and Iran, Pack said that the courage of a lot of these journalists is very impressive.

That makes them, in my book, heroes, he said. Some VOA journalists or their families have even been imprisoned.

Recently, on July 15, VOA reported that Alireza Alinejad, the brother of New York-based VOA Persian TV host Masih Alinejad, was given an eight-year prison sentence by the Iranian regime.

The report went on to say that the sentence represents continued efforts by Iran to silence journalists who report the truth by punishing their family members.

Pack believes its his responsibility to help journalists who face the horrible process inflicted upon them by their regimes, referring to the self-censorship that many journalists from repressive regimes feel they must practice in order to keep both their families and themselves safe.

Those that are in our language services actually in-country, and those that have fled communist China or their families have fled, understand it in a deep way, deeper than I myself understand it, I would have to say, he said, referring to the depth of repression and threat of imprisonment risked by those who dont self-censor.

They want [us] to come back to [VOAs] true mission. Theres something fundamental there that I think will enable us to make progress.

Pack has come under recent criticism for reports that the agency may not renew visas for 100 of its foreign journalists, forcing their return to home countries whose regimes may punish them for their journalistic work in the United States.

An agency spokesman told The Epoch Times: This is not out of the ordinary. Visas are reviewed.  This is a regular process.

The VOA itself reported that VOA and other government agencies routinely scrutinize J-1 visa renewals, which are filed by the employer and submitted to the State Department, and that its unclear how the USAGM process this year differs from past practice.

Path to USAGM

Packs early beginnings didnt suggest an obvious career path toward conservative filmmaking, nor the role he holds today as CEO of Americas international broadcasting.

I grew up on the Upper West Side of New York City. My parents were liberal Jews. I assumed the politics of everyone around me were right, Pack said.

After attending Yale University and then University of CaliforniaBerkeley, he went on to attend one semester of film school at New York University.

Thats when his perspective began to change, Pack said.

My colleagues there were all making these radical films, he said.

Their films were  anti-American, anti-capitalist, very critical of America and its history and role in the world.

The 1970s and 1980s saw a spate of documentary films portraying America in overall decline, and critical of the U.S. role in Vietnam and Latin America. Such films included 1982s The Killing of America, 1974s Hearts and Minds, and 1982s When the Mountains Tremble.

I thought everything they were doing was wrong, he said.

Leaving film school, Pack partnered with a friend and founded Manifold Productions.

The idea was we would counter these anti-American, anti-capitalist films, he said.

I felt strongly in my 20s that it wouldnt take long. He also believed that taking a pro-America posture would give the company much greater access to resources, funds, and people than his opposition on the left.

So my partner and I naively thought that we would demolish the opposition in a matter of years, he said. Now you know many decades have gone by.

Today, however, theres nearly nobody on my side of the documentary film world.

Packs film company went on to produce such films as Hollywood vs. Religion, Inside the Republican Revolution, Rediscovering George Washington, The Fall of Newt Gingrich, and The Rodney King Incident.

We were a little group that thought, well, our group was correct, because we spoke for America. The election of Ronald Reagan seemed to suggest that he and his colleagues were on the right track, he said.

But in the documentary world and in the media in general, that did not happen.

Pack Answers His Critics

Asked about criticism that he will be a mouthpiece for the Trump administration and a tool of the Trump reelection campaign, Pack said that if Biden wins, then that person will be a Democrat political appointee. Thats what happens in politics.

Noting that there are people who accuse him of trying to turn this agency into Trump TV, Pack said the power of the USAGM and its broadcasters lies in its independence as a fair source of news and information.

I would never want to destroy that, he said. To bring it back to its mission is hard enough.

And to do what critics suggest may happenattempting to transform the agency and get journalists who arent sympathetic to Trump to write the Trump linewould be nearly impossible. It would be a superhuman task, he said, adding that even if he wanted to, I could never get away with it; the media would expose it as soon as I made a turn in that direction.

So, I feel that its sort of a way to attack me, but it doesnt have any plausibility to it.

Unbiased Perspective

Pack said he took the job at USAGM because he supports an unbiased perspective.

The law requires that these broadcasters not be biased either for or against Trump, he said. Its been a big struggle. I mean, I had a long and arduous confirmation process.

In fact, Packs confirmation came only after more than two years had passed from his nomination.

It took a long time, and if I wasnt committed to the mission, I wouldnt have gone through all that, he said.

Asked if he had ever considered withdrawing his name, Pack answered affirmatively. Yes, I considered withdrawing my name periodically. I did consider it, but I felt that it was worth it. This is a chance to do something that I think is of historic importance for the American people and for the world. You dont get that opportunity too much in life. At least I dont, he said.

I think that its really  more important than ever before to have these organizations. Were in another generational battle with other ideas.

Its important that the American world view  be fought for.

He said his goal is to bring the agency back to its original mission. I hope that in the end, people will recognize that thats what Im doing, including my critics. I hope that the proof will be in the actions, and that they will recognize those actions, he said.

I will clearly put this agency on a path that everybody recognizes  is in Americas interest.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

New Mexicos largest school district acknowledges it has dropped the ball in responding to requests for public records, a problem that has resulted in at least two lawsuits that could end up costing the district thousands of dollars in penalties and attorney fees.

An open government transparency group says Albuquerque Public Schools is clearly violating the Inspection of Public Records Act, a long-standing state law that ensures access to public information. The law spells out timelines, requirements and exemptions for public entities like APS on releasing records, including documents, audio and video.

It very clearly prohibits public bodies from ignoring these requests, said Melanie Majors, executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.

But that is what APS has done, according to court documents. APS has also failed to respond to most records requests from the Albuquerque Journal for months.

In an emailed statement, APS spokeswoman Monica Armenta said the Records Department acknowledges difficulties in responding promptly to Inspection of Public Records Act requests in the past several months.

Factors outside the custodian of records control have contributed to an unintentional and regrettable lapse in responses, Armenta wrote. She said some of the issues include an increase in requests, a loss of personnel in the department and office relocations prompted by the pandemic. A records custodian is an individual designated by a public entity to handle requests for records.

Albuquerque Public Schools apologizes for any inconvenience our current situation may have created and is aggressively seeking solutions to ensure faster IPRA compliance in the future, Armenta continued.

Taylor Smith, an attorney with Garrett Law, recently filed a lawsuit in 2nd Judicial District Court against APS and its records custodian claiming the district failed to comply with IPRA in multiple ways.

Our client was asking for information as it related to student-on-student violence, Smith told the Journal.

His lawsuit says requests for information were disregarded and there was no follow-up communication.

Smith added that the records request made in March was for a separate lawsuit concerning violence at James Monroe Middle School, but APS failure to fulfill the request or respond is preventing that case from moving forward.

To date, (the) plaintiff has not received any response to his request, or any follow-up phone calls or emails, the lawsuit says.

It also alleges that, as of the time of filing, APS has been in violation of the law for 90 days and counting. The lawsuit seeks statutory damages of $100 a day from March 26 until the district provides the records or denies the request, in addition to other costs and attorney fees.

Smith said IPRA is a crucial mechanism for getting information.

These kinds of laws provide us opportunity to shed light and make sure that we hold government officials accountable, he said.

Another case in 2nd Judicial District Court filed in June outlines a similar situation.

In February, a request was made for investigation documents within the district. But the lawsuit says that, aside from initial communication, APS went quiet and never fulfilled the request.

The lawsuit asks the court to order the district to turn over the records and seeks statutory damages of $100 per day from February 2, along with attorney fees.

Armenta declined to discuss the lawsuits, saying the district doesnt comment on pending litigation.

More than half a dozen records requests filed by the Journal  from as early as February and as recently as June  have also gone unanswered. The requested documents relate to investigations within the district, correspondence between Homeland Security and top APS officials, and remote learning after schools were shut down, among other issues.

While some of the Journals requests were made after the pandemic began, the Attorney Generals Office has warned public entities that they must still adhere to IPRA and all deadlines should be satisfied to the fullest extent possible.

The AGs Office has also advised public entities that if the state of emergency creates a problem in providing records, they should keep up with communication.

Its the publics information  There is no accountability if you dont have access to information, Majors said.

If they arent spending their time complying with the Inspection of Public Records Act, what are they doing with their time if they are still on the public payroll? Majors asked about record custodians.

The transparency advocate said IPRA is crucial to the community as a whole.

Records are part of what makes up our system of democracy, Majors said.
Works by Rembrandt, Miro and Picasso are being offered to entice life back to the auction world next week when Sothebys holds its first face-to-face sale since the coronavirus in London with a line-up from the Renaissance to the European Avant Garde.

With art collectors locked down from Moscow to Manhattan and some fortunes in peril from the worst economic hit in centuries, the art auction world is trying to bring back some sparkle after the gloom of the pandemic.

SEE PHOTOS: Rembrandt to Richter auction at Sothebys on July 28

Sothebys will on Tuesday hold its first face-to-face auction at its Bond Street salerooms since the outbreak, with 71 works spanning half a millennium of European art history, from Gerhard Richter to Rembrandt.

The Rembrandt is a self portrait of the artist as a young man, one of only three left in private hands. The Dutch master looks out with the slightly affected confidence of youth. Price tag: 12-16 million pounds ($15-20 million).

One of Miros dream paintings, Peinture (Femme au chapeau rouge), from 1927, shows a woman floating against striking blue, deliberately obscure like a wistful love poem. It is on offer for 20-30 million pounds.

Its fantastic to be back in the galleries here in Bond Street, Helena Newman, chairman of Sothebys Europe, told Reuters.

The Picasso is a seductive image of his lover, Marie-Therese Walter, Femme Endormie. In charcoal on primed canvas, her curved face, arms and lips are visible but her body is only hinted at. Price: 6-9 million pounds.

A statuesque and mysterious creature: a kind of goddess even, embodying youth and innocence and pure force of life, art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon said of the portrait.

Fast forward 40 years to Richters Clouds (Window), which evoke the Romantic landscapes of Constable and the light-effects of Turner. On sale for 9-20 million pounds.

Presale estimates for the auction range from 128.8 million pounds to 185.8 million pounds.

There will be limited attendance and bidders will be in a separate room to the auctioneer. Admittance is by ticket.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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Vitamin D is recognized as an important co-factor in several physiological processes linked with bone and calcium metabolism, and also in diverse non-skeletal outcomes, including autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity and cognitive decline, and infections. In particular, the pronounced impact of vitamin D metabolites on the immune system response, and on the development of COVID-19 infection by the novel SARS CoV-2 virus, has been previously described in a few studies worldwide.

The collaborative group of scientists from the Leumit Health Services (LHS) and the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University aimed to determine associations of low plasma 25(OH)D with the risk of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization. Using the real-world data and Israeli cohort of 782 COVID-19 positive patients and 7,025 COVID-19 negative patients, the groups identified that low plasma vitamin D level appears to be an independent risk factor for COVID-19 infection and hospitalization. The research was just published in The FEBS Journal.

"The main finding of our study was the significant association of low plasma vitamin D level with the likelihood of COVID-19 infection among patients who were tested for COVID-19, even after adjustment for age, gender, socio-economic status and chronic, mental and physical disorders," said Dr. Eugene Merzon, Head of the Department of Managed Care and leading researcher of the LHS group. "Furthermore, low vitamin D level was associated with the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 infection, although this association wasn't significant after adjustment for other confounders," he added. "Our finding is in agreement with the results of previous studies in the field. Reduced risk of acute respiratory tract infection following vitamin D supplementation has been reported," said Dr. Ilan Green, Head of the LHS Research Institute.

"According to our analysis, persons that were COVID-19 positive were older than non-infected persons. Interestingly, the two-peak distributions for age groups were demonstrated to confer increased risk for COVID-19: around ages 25 and 50 years old," said Dr. Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern, the leader of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine research group. "The first peak may be explained by high social gathering habits at the young age. The peak at age 50 years may be explained by continued social habits, in conjunction with various chronic diseases," Dr. Frenkel-Morgenstern continued.

"Surprisingly, chronic medical conditions, like dementia, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung disease that were considered to be very risky in previous studies, were not found as increasing the rate of infection in our study," noted Prof. Shlomo Vinker, LHS Chief Medical Officer. "However, this finding is highly biased by the severe social contacts restrictions that were imposed on all the population during the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, we assume that following the Israeli Ministry of Health instructions, patients with chronic medical conditions significantly reduced their social contacts. This might indeed minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection in that group of patients," explained Prof. Vinker.

Dr. Dmitry Tworowski and Dr. Alessandro Gorohovski. from the Frenkel-Morgenstern laboratory at Bar-Ilan University's Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, suggest that the study will have a very significant impact. "The main strength of our study is its being large, real-world, and population-based," they explained. Now researchers are planning to evaluate factors associated with mortality due to COVID-19 in Israel. "We are willing to find associations to the COVID-19 clinical outcomes (for example, pre-infection glycemic control of COVID-19 patients) to make the assessment of mortality risk due to COVID-19 infection in Israel," said Dr. Eugene Merzon.

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Authorities identified the victims of a Piper PA-32 plane crash that killed three people, among them a 9-month-old infant, and left three others critically hurt after the aircraft slammed into a residential neighborhood in Utah.

The pilot, Lee Wyckoff, 43; his infant daughter, Coral Wyckoff; and Milda Shibonis, 36, died when their plane crashed into the backyard of a home in West Jordan on Saturday.

Two of the other passengers on board the plane - the pilots wife, Rebecca Wyckoff, 36; and her two-year-old son, Cody Mitchell - were listed in critical condition as of Sunday, according to Deseret News.

Lee Wyckoff (left), 43, of Bumpass, Virginia, piloted a Piper PA-32 plane that crashed into a residential neighborhood in West Jordan, Utah, just seven miles southwest of Salt Lake City, on Saturday. He and two others, including his nine-month-old infant daughter, were killed. Milda Shibonis (right), 36, a divorce lawyer, was also killed in the plane crash on Saturday

Veda Sheperd, Shibonis 12-year-old daughter, was on board and managed to walk away from the crash without serious injuries. She was treated at a hospital and released a short time later. Veda is pictured right alongside her mother in this undated file photo

Shibonis was a highly regarded divorce lawyer who worked at a law firm in Salt Lake City, Utah. Milda is known for being a perfectionist in her work who fights for her clients and wont back down from a challenge, according to her bio.

Two of the other passengers on board the plane - the pilots wife, Rebecca Wyckoff, 36; and her two-year-old son, Cody Mitchell - were listed in critical condition as of Sunday. Wreckage of the plane is seen above on Sunday in West Jordan, Utah

Cody suffered burns to his legs and arms, according to police.

Veda Sheperd, Shibonis 12-year-old daughter, was on board and managed to walk away from the crash without serious injuries. She was treated at a hospital and released a short time later.

Mary Quintana, 72, the homeowner whose house was hit by the plane, was inside at the time of the crash. She was listed in critical condition as of Sunday.

According to her family, she is heavily sedated after suffering severe burns.

The plane crashed into the backyard of a home owned by 72-year-old Mary Quintana in West Jordan, Utah, on Saturday. Quintana was listed in critical condition after suffering burns to her body

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a small Piper PA-32 that took off from a local airport Saturday afternoon

Were getting through it, slowly but surely, Joe Murillo, Quintanas brother, said.

Shes a good person, a real good person and everything...Everything is good about her, and I hope she makes it through.

Murillo and other members of the family watched firsthand as investigators cleaned up the debris and charred remains of Quintanas home at 3847 Piccadilly Circle in West Jordan.

The police blocked traffic on the street after curious onlookers drove by to survey the damage, upsetting neighbors and local residents.

Murillo said his sister was on the deck of her home when the crash took place.

He believes that had she been inside, she would not have survived.

Thats Gods blessing, he said.

Murillo said neighbors came to his sisters rescue after they heard the crash.

That felt real good. She had the community, that was helpful and that was really good, he said.

Quintana's brother said neighbors ran into the burning home and saved his sister's life on Saturday

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the plane crash. Pictured: witnesses could see thick black smoke coming from the crash site on Saturday

Reports said the several medical helicopters were at the scene and carried injured civilians to local area hospitals

The aircraft had taken off from the South Valley Regional Airport and went down just 1.5 miles away around 1:30pm. Pictured: Fire rescue crews stand at the scene earlier Saturday afternoon

Authorities have not disclosed the cause of the plane crash. A preliminary report is expected to be released by the NTSB in a few months

Pictured: Photos taken by a West Jordan resident show several ambulances and emergency vehicles driving to the crash site around 1:30pm on Saturday

If it werent for her neighbors . . . she probably wouldnt have made it out.

Shibonis was a lawyer who focused on divorce and family law, according to her biography on the website for Intermountain Legal, a firm based in Salt Lake City.

Milda is known for being a perfectionist in her work who fights for her clients and wont back down from a challenge, according to her bio.

The family released a statement to Deseret News remembering Shibonis as truly unique.

As a friend, a daughter, a sister, an attorney and a mother, Milda was fiercely loyal and unendingly kind, the statement read.

Milda came from Lithuania as a child with her family, as refugees.

Life was not easy and only a spirit as strong and wild as Mildas could conquer it; and she did.

The above photo is a stock image of a Piper PA-32 single-engine aircraft - the same make and model that was piloted by Lee Wyckoff on Saturday, according to authorities

KUTV obtained a photograph from a flight school in North Carolina that was posted on July 17 showing Wyckoff standing next to an aircraft that looks like the same one that crashed into the home in West Jordan on Saturday

FlightAware indicates that the Piper PA-32 single-engine aircraft was owned by Wyckoff, who is listed as a resident of Bumpass, Virginia

It was scheduled to fly from South Valley Regional Airport near Salt Lake City to Page, Arizona, on Saturday at 1:37pm

She trained in mixed martial arts throughout her life and valued the people in that world as family.

Milda was an incredible family law and personal injury attorney, a statement read on a GoFundMe page.

She made an instant impression on colleagues and lifelong friends at every court appearance, mediation, and phone call.

Her adventurous and resilient spirit gave her the kind of stories that no one can ever forget - and there were so many stories.

The crowdfunding effort will pay for funeral expenses for Shibonis. Any leftover money will go toward helping Veda Sheperd, Shibonis daughter who survived the crash.

The investigation is now in the hands of the Federal Aviation Administration, according to KUTV-TV.

Data from the web site FlightAware indicates that the plane was piloted by Lee Wyckoff of Bumpass, Virginia.

The aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan, Utah, on Saturday afternoon

The plane arrived at South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan, which is located some seven miles southwest of Salt Lake City, on July 21

KUTV obtained a photograph from a flight school in North Carolina that was posted on July 17 showing Wyckoff standing next to an aircraft that looks like the same one that crashed into the home in West Jordan on Saturday.

The plane, a 1975 Piper PA-32, arrived at South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan, which is located some seven miles southwest of Salt Lake City, on July 21.

It was scheduled to fly from there to Page, Arizona, on Saturday at 1:37pm.

Data from FlightAware indicates that the plane had difficulty almost immediately after taking off.

According to the flight-tracking site, the plane reached 198mph before its speed dropped precipitously to 113mph just seconds later.

The crash site is 1.5 miles from the airport.

A preliminary report on the cause of the crash is expected to be released by the National Transportation Safety Board sometime in the next few months, according to KUTV-TV.
For more than three months, an $18 billion federal unemployment program has softened the crushing blow the coronavirus has dealt to New Orleans regional economy, providing a cushion that has helped residents pay their rent, keep their lights on and feed their children.

But that program more or less expired on Saturday. Though a deal is pending in Congress to revive it in some form, the $600 weekly check the government has written for residents since April could be slashed, and any cash that is approved could take weeks to show up in people's bank accounts.

That's caused some consternation among the public agencies and charity groups that have bankrolled local relief programs with limited resources, and that expect to have to turn away even more people in the coming weeks than they already have.

Here's a rundown of what's being considered in the next round of coronavirus aid WASHINGTON (AP)  Bipartisan Capitol Hill talks have only just begun on a sweeping renewal of coronavirus legislation, but areas of likely agr

"We have been leaning in to raise the money and get it out the door as quickly as we can," Greater New Orleans Foundation CEO Andy Kopplin said. "But its impossible for philanthropy to close the massive gap that would come from the expiration of federal unemployment assistance."

The philanthropic group has raised more than $3 million for low-income families and the nonprofits who serve them since the pandemic began, but Kopplin said that's a drop in the bucket compared to the need.

There were 111,056 jobless residents across seven New Orleans area parishes as of July 18, according to the state's unemployment rolls. New Orleans and Jefferson, the two largest parishes in the region, saw the highest numbers of unemployed workers.

Since mid-April, those who lost income due to coronavirus have received up to a maximum $247 state weekly benefit, one of the lowest jobless payouts in the nation, plus the $600 weekly federal benefit now in question. Republicans in Congress, angry that many Americans have been making more on unemployment than they were while working, are expected to announce a plan in the coming days that significantly drops that amount.

Louisiana members of Congress split on future of federal $600-per-week unemployment boost A major lifeline of federal aid to more than 300,000 laid-off Louisianans during the coronavirus crisis, the extra $600 federal boost to every

Democrats have pushed to hold it steady, arguing that staying home is increasingly the safest option and that most of the money gets pumped into the economy to the benefit of the businesses that are open. The negotiations will continue into this week, even though the current funding, officially set to end on July 31, effectively ended Saturday, due to the way states handle unemployment payments.

The payout Congress eventually approves is likely to be stalled by slow processing times in state unemployment offices, as was the case for the first round of federal aid, said University of Chicago economist Joseph Vavra, who has studied the unemployment boost's impact on the economy. That could cause peoples incomes to drop temporarily.

"First, the state will start programming their computers to take away the latest benefit, and then whenever new legislation is passed  if it is passed  they will have to reprogram their computers to do that ... The longer these delays take, the more likely it will negatively impact families, Vavra said.

That worries Second Harvest Food Bank CEO Natalie Jayroe, whose organization typically serves 2.5 million meals to south Louisiana every month, but has served double that amount since coronavirus restrictions and job losses began.

It really helps: This program gives cash amid coronavirus to formerly incarcerated in New Orleans When Shawn Bart came home to New Orleans after serving four-and-a-half years in state prison, he didnt have much more than the clothes on his back.

The loss of the federal benefit, coupled with strains on Second Harvest's food supply due to shifts in federal regulations and funding declines, could quickly overwhelm its operation and force it to ramp down distributions just when people need them most, Jayroe said.

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Just as people get this cut, we are going to have less food in our warehouse, she said.

At least one local meal-assistance program could have some additional capacity once people have less in their wallets to spend. An initiative Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration launched in late June to feed up to 30,000 residents a day had seen only 7,500 sign up by early last week.

Meant to feed needy residents and stimulate a restaurant industry that has seen revenue decline amid the restrictions, the program has restaurants waiting to provide meals for its participants, said Chef's Brigade founder Troy Gilbert, who is part of the group that manages the program. Anyone who becomes newly in need of food after benefit checks dry up should sign up, Cantrell spokeswoman LaTonya Norton added.

'We're panicking': Unemployed Louisiana workers to lose $600 benefit unless Congress acts About 435,000 unemployed Louisiana workers will receive their final $600 supplemental payment from the federal government next week, unless Co

Meanwhile the state's rental assistance program, which tapped out before the federal benefit expired, cannot bear the brunt of newly income-deprived people without more money, the agency that runs that program and the advocates who have criticized it agreed last week. They disagreed on where that cash should come from.

"We're very concerned," Louisiana Housing Corp. Executive Director Keith Cunningham said Friday. "I think the question that you are asking me is, 'How can the state of Louisiana get more resources?' The answer to that question is, Congress has to allocate those resources."

Cunningham's agency committed $24 million to help 10,000 renters, but had to shut its program down last week when 40,000 people applied. Advocates have said that closer to $250 million is actually needed, and that the state can pull a good chunk of that from other COVID-19 funds it has received. But Gov. John Bel Edwards has said the state is looking to get more money from Congress specifically for the purpose of rental housing in the coming months.

New Orleans opened applications for its own rental assistance program on Friday, though city officials warned residents that cash for it "is extremely limited, and will not meet the scale of demand that we know exists."

Anticipating cuts to federal unemployment, more New Orleans area residents have begun to turn to local aid programs for relief, often with mixed results.

Before the coronavirus ground his industry to a halt, Edward Bowdon was part of a team of emergency responders who airlifted injured offshore workers from oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and whisked them away for treatment.

+2 Louisiana's $24M program to help residents pay rent amid coronavirus not enough, housing advocates say Gov. John Bel Edwards unveiled a $24 million fund on Thursday to help Louisiana residents pay their rent, a move aimed at limiting the economi

Since COVID-19, the 55-year-old has relied on unemployment and other aid to stay afloat, and he was ecstatic when he was approved for a program Entergy New Orleans and the New Orleans City Council created to cover people's power bills over a four-month period.

But while he was told in early July the credit would appear on the bill he received a few days ago, it did not. An Entergy spokeswoman chalked it up to a processing delay and said the credit should show up next month.

Bowdon's benefits expired this week.

"This is really the bill where you could use some relief," he said. "To jump through the hoops and fill out the paperwork, and go through the process of getting approved, and then not get the credit, its frustrating."
Filmmaker Karan Johar has been summoned by the Mumbai Police and his statement will be recorded this week in the Sushant Singh Rajput case. Johar was at the centre of criticism ever since the nepotism debate reignited in the wake of Sushant's death.

Mumbai Police has so far recorded statements of around 40 people in connection with the alleged suicide of the actor. Police have issued summons to several film personalities in this connection, including Kangana Ranaut and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

On Sunday, there were reports that Karan Johar's manager had received a summon from Mumbai police in connection with Sushant's death case. However, it was later clarified that it's not Karan's manager but CEO of Dharma Productions, Apoorva Mehta, who has been summoned by the Mumbai police, reported IANS. The statement of Johar's manager, Reshma Shetty, was recorded earlier.

State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had announced on Sunday that Mahesh Bhatt will be called in for questioning "in a day or two". On Monday, the Sadak 2 director was spotted at the Santacruz police station.

The police are investigating allegations that professional rivalry, besides clinical depression, drove the actor to suicide.

Karan's last Instagram post was in June, the day Sushant died, saying, "I blame myself for not being in touch with you for the past year..." The filmmaker, and several other members of the film fraternity have faced backlash over alleged unfair treatment to actors who are not from film families or do not belong to a camp.

Sushant had starred in Dharma Productions' film Drive, which released on Netflix in October, 2019.
Washington  Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Sunday that as school districts weigh whether to reopen fully for in-person learning amid the coronavirus crisis, which continues to worsen in many states, the "presumption should be" that students return to school for the fall semester.

"Each community is going to have to make the determination about the circumstances for reopening and what steps they take for reopening," Azar said on "Face the Nation." "But the presumption should be we get our kids back to school."

Transcript: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on "Face the Nation"

With the academic year set to begin in the coming weeks, school districts are facing decisions on whether to allow students to return for classroom learning five days per week, switch to online learning or adopt a hybrid model that combines both approaches.

President Trump pressured schools earlier this month to be fully operational for the fall, and even threatened to withhold federal funds from those that are not. But he acknowledged last week that school districts in communities with high rates of infection may have to postpone their reopenings by several weeks.

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released long-awaited guidance for schools, which called for K-12 institutions to follow social distancing, break students into set groups to minimize contacts with other children and recommend students and staff wear face coverings, among other guidelines. But the health agency, which advocated strongly for schools to open their doors, did not provide a benchmark for when schools should consider closing should infections in their communities rise.

When pressed on why such a benchmark was not included in the CDC's guidance, Azar said the Trump administration does not "believe that there are uniform thresholds for school reopenings."

Story continues

"The steps that we can use that are data driven, informed by doctors, they're smart, sensible approaches that can get our kids back safely and our staff back safely to school," he said.

More than 30 states and the District of Columbia are experiencing a spike in coronavirus infections, and Azar said the nation is "facing a very serious situation with these outbreaks."

"It is serious but the good news is, thanks to the president's leadership, we have the tools to deal with it," he said. "We have health system capacity, we have personal protective equipment."

To mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, which has already claimed the lives of more than 146,000 people in the U.S., Azar advocated for Americans to wear face coverings and practice social distancing and good hygiene.

For areas of the country that are considered "hot zones," he said bars should be closed and indoor dining and home gatherings restricted.

"We know this works," he said. "The modeling shows those simple steps will lead to outcomes in terms of disease spread that are comparable to shutting down without all of the pain of shutting down. And if we comply as individuals if we don't wear our masks, we can avoid further shutdowns. But if we don't, that will be the consequence."

Still, testing delays have persisted, and Senate Democrats say that half of the $25 billion approved by Congress for testing and contact tracing has not yet been obligated.

But Azar said the Department of Health and Human Services has sent $11 billion to the states that they haven't yet used and called on public health labs to increase their capacity.

"We're certainly talking to the governors and telling them they've got to use this money to get up and running and get that happening," he said. "We're meeting every need they've got for supplies, for testing. But at the end of the day, our governors have to take that initiative and get their public health labs fully up and running even as we improve testing through, say, our commercial labs."

Hurricane Hanna makes landfall in South Texas, expected to dump several inches of rain

Millions face homelessness as eviction moratorium ends

Washington battles over coronavirus unemployment benefits
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-28 05:47:15|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Egypt expressed on Monday concern over Ethiopia's unilateral filling of its disputed Nile dam.

Ethiopia's move to start filling the dam's reservoir raised questions about the feasibility of negotiations to reach a fair agreement on the filling and operation of the dam, the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources said in a statement.

A meeting sponsored by the African Union between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which started on Monday, has been postponed to Aug. 3 for further domestic consultations, the ministry noted.

The three countries agreed during a video conference on July 21 to resume talks to narrow their differences.

Ethiopia started building the GERD in 2011, while Egypt, a downstream Nile Basin country that relies on the river for its fresh water, is concerned that the dam might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of the water resources. Enditem
And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.' But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen." - Matthew 22:1-14 (ESV, bold emphasis added).

The NIV translates the last line, verse 14, as For many are invited, but few are chosen. Who is Jesus talking to in this instance and what meaning should we attribute to the verse? In short, Jesus is reminding his hearers that though there is a general call to the gospel for all, there is a specific call to saving faith for the elect. But let's dive deeper and take a look at the wider passage. This verse is recorded in a section of Matthew, chapter 22, under the heading The Parable of the Wedding Feast or The Parable of the Wedding Banquet in the ESV and NIV respectively. What do we know about this verse at first glance?

The verse is recorded in one of the Gospel books, the Gospel of Matthew.

The verse is spoken by Jesus as recorded by Matthew.

The verse is shared by Jesus as part of a parable, in fact, it is the last line of the parable.

The parable is the parable of the wedding feast.

We know that Jesus often used parables to explain the Kingdom of God.

Crosswalk contributor Madison Hetzler describes parables in the article What Is a Parable and How Should We Read Them?:

Jesus used parables in giving instruction, and both revealing and concealing spiritual truths. The parables compared the story shared with the reality of the Kingdom of God. While the first is simple and relatable, the second is profound and consequential. The two together invite comparison that opens up windows of understanding. While some understood the parables, others did not. In Matthew 13:10-16, the disciples question Jesuss use of the parables. Why did he speak in parables? He responds that to some the truths of the kingdom had been given, but to others they had not been given. As Jesus was teaching large crowds, his true disciples heard and discerned the meaning of these stories. Those who heard but did not understand fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9-10.

Who Is Jesus Speaking to with the Parable of the Wedding Feast?

To know who Jesus is telling the parable of the wedding feast to, we need to look at the chapter prior. In Matthew 21, Jesus triumphal entry to Jerusalem is described; He is hailed as the Messiah but He arrived humbly on the back of a donkey. At this time, He also entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought there, turning over the tables of the money-changers. The sick and lame came to Him and He healed them; the chief priests and scribes witnessed these wonders and the praise being given to Jesus by the people in Jerusalem. When Jesus entered the temple again, the chief priests and elders of the people questioned His authority and challenged Him. But Jesus asked them a question first, and they could not answer it, so in response, He began to tell them parables: The Parable of the Two Sons and The Parable of the Tenants.

Matthew 21:45-46 describes the reaction of the chief priests and Pharisees to Jesus words: When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet. Matthew 22:1 starts by saying And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying So we know that in chapter 22 Jesus is telling the parable of the wedding feast to the chief priests and Pharisees. And since we know that the chief priests and Pharisees perceived that the previous two parables were about them, we can fairly conclude they would have also interpreted this parable as being directed toward them.

What Are These Parables About?

Before we discuss what the wedding feast was about, lets briefly look at the first two parables Jesus told them in chapter 21. The Parable of the Two Sons is brief and looks at a man and his two sons; the man asks the first son to go work in the vineyard, and after initially saying no the son does go to work in the vineyard. The second son immediately said he would go, but he never actually goes to the vineyard. Jesus tells the chief priests and scribes that the tax collectors and prostitutes will go to heaven before them because they believed John, while the chief priests and scribes did not.

The ESV Study Bible comments, The parable of the two sons demonstrates the religious leaders failure to respond rightly to John the Baptists prophetic ministry. They hypocritically did not live up to their talk. The fruit of ones life ultimately proves whether or not one is obedient to Gods message. A persons actions ultimately prove whether or not he is obedient to God.

The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible adds, The phrase entering the kingdom of God ahead of you (v. 31) leaves the door open for these religious leaders to come in, but at this point in Matthews account they remain outside.

The Parable of the Tenants briefly describes a master who planted a vineyard and leased it to tenants. When the fruit season arrived, the master sent servants to harvest the fruit. But the tenants beat the servants to death and eventually the mans son as well. Then Jesus, the priests, and scribes discuss what should happen to the tenants and what the master should do. Jesus also quotes Psalm 118:22,

Jesus said to them, Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lords doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?

Again Jesus declares that the kingdom of God will be taken from them and given to people who produce fruit. The ESV Study Bible states, The parable of the wicked tenants continues the vineyard metaphor to show that God is taking away the kingdom from Israel. The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible suggests the Jewish leaders will be replaced with obedient disciples of Jesus. Matthew tells us that the chief priests and scribes wanted to arrest Jesus after hearing this, but they feared the crowd who esteemed Jesus. So Jesus told them another parable, The Parable of the Wedding Feast.

The Meaning of The Parable of the Wedding Feast

The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible prefaces this parable in the study notes by explaining, If the parable of the two sons (21:28-32) indicts the Jewish leaders and the parable of the wicked tenants (21:33-44) announces their sentence, then this parable depicts their (spiritual) demise.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matt. 22:1-14) summarized:

A king is giving a wedding feast for his son, and his servants are sent out to call on those invited to the feast. However, the invitees do not show up so other servants are sent out to tell the people that dinner is prepared, the meat has been slaughtered, and all is ready. But they still do not go to the wedding; some go about their business, while others kill the servants. Angry, the king sends troops to destroy the city of murderers. Then the king tells more servants that they are to go out to the main road and find as many as they can to bring to the feast. Later, the king finds the wedding hall filled with guests, but one man did not have a wedding garment on. The man was cast into the outer darkness, which is described as a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. And the parable ends with, For many are called, but few are chosen.

This parable reflects the consequences that will befall the unrighteous religious leaders if they do not call upon the Lord in earnest. The ESV Study Bible notes that the feast represents fellowship with God in His kingdom, so coming to the feast represents entering the kingdom. And the additional wedding invitations sent out to others on the main road represents the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. However, the invitation alone does not grant eternal admission to the kingdom/banquet hall. True faith is still required. A guest with an invitation cannot clothe themselves in righteousnessthat is something only the King can do by His grace.

We know the Pharisees did not take kindly to the story as the next verse, Matt. 22:15, tells us Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words.

Note: There is also a similar parable in Luke 14:12-24, The Parable of the Great Banquet.

The Meaning of Matthew 22:14 - If Many Are Called, Why Are Few Chosen?

What does the last line of the parable mean then? If many are called why are only a few chosen? This verse is the last line of the parable and it occurs directly after the man without a wedding garment is discovered and thrown into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible relays that invited as used in the NIV translation of Matt. 22:14 can also mean called. But called does not reflect how Paul uses it in Romans 8:29-30, as in this instance the call can be rejected. Chosen in the context of verse 14 refers to those who accept the call on Gods terms.

The ESV Study Bible advises that not everyone invited to the wedding feast is supposed to be there since few are chosen. This is the doctrine of general calling explained by the ESV study notes:

The gospel is proclaimed to all people everywhere, both those who will believe and those who will not. However, Paul also mentions another kind of calling, an effective calling from God that comes powerfully to individuals and brings a positive response. When the gospel is proclaimed, only some are effectively calledthat is, those who are the elect, who respond with true faith (1 Cor. 1:24, 26-28). This is consistent with Jesus statement that few are chosen, for the ones chosen (Gk. eklektos, selected, chosen) are the elect, a term used by Jesus to refer to his true disciples (cf. Matt. 11:27; 24:22, 24, 31).

Many are invited or called via the general call of the gospel, which is presented through the Bible, churches, missionaries, and any type of evangelism. Few are chosen means that, of those invited, only the elect (true followers of Jesus) will remain at the wedding feast in the kingdom of God. Those without a wedding garment (the cleansing blood of Jesus righteousness to clothe them in salvation) will not be permitted to enter.

The Difference between an Internal Call and an External Call:

Guy Waters a contributor for TheGospelCoalition.org dissects the difference: In this parable, Jesus speaks of call in an external sense. It is the summons of God through the gospel message. This call bids men and women to come to Christ by way of repentance and faith. In other places the biblical writers speak of call in an internal sense. For instance, Paul speaks of this internal call in 1 Corinthians 1:24this is the effective, saving work of the Spirit of Christ in conjunction with the gospels outward call. This internal call powerfully and effectively turns the sinner from his sin to Jesus Christ. The external call goes to all people. But only the elect will, in Gods time, experience the internal call.

What Matthew 22:14 Does NOT Mean

Matthew 22:14 does not mean you can lose your salvation. Its very important to understand the difference between the type of calling used here in Matthew 22 (external calling) and the type of call used by Paul in Romans 8 (internal calling of the elect to salvation). The use of call in this parable in Matthew is one of general invitation to the good news of Jesus Christ. For the elect to accept that general call means that they must also have an internal call (prompted by the Holy Spirit) for specific salvation as offered by Jesus through the grace of His substitutionary sacrifice. John Piper summarized this in his desiringGod.org article,

There is a general call that goes out to everyone: Come. If you believe, you will be saved. And there is a call like the call that Jesus issued to Lazarus as he was standing before his grave when he said, Lazarus, come out (John 11:43). And the dead man was given life by the call.

Dr. Piper reminds us that just because two authors (Matthew and Paul) use the same word call does not mean that the meaning is exactly the same; to decipher what is meant we must examine the context of each verse. By examining the context of Matthew 22:14, we were able to glean that call is meant in the general sense of a gospel proclamation to the Jews and then the Gentiles. The invitation has been sent out, those who respond to the general call must also have an inner call (Romans 8:30) from the Holy Spirit. Jesus refers to those who have the inner call to true faith as the elect; they are the true followers of God. The elect is made up of Jews and Gentiles, full of diversity, spanning the age of the earth, and as John tells us in the Book of Revelation they will be a multitude that cannot be numbered (Rev. 7:9).

Give Thanks for the Elect

Let us praise God and give Him thanks that though many are called to the gospel, some are chosen and called to be the elect. And its good to note that even the few,' as stated in the parable, appear to be a multitude that cannot be numbered in Revelation. God is faithful and has been faithful since the beginning of creation to preserve a remnant of believers, a mixture of Jews and Gentiles, to be His elect people, saved by the grace of God the Son. It may be tempting to think that its not fair that only the elect enter the kingdom of God. But that perspective assumes that humanity is innocent and that everyone should be given a chance.

Scripture tells us that humanity is, in fact, not innocent. Humans became sinful after the fall, and every human born after the fall was and is born into sin and deserves death. As the Apostle Paul says, there is no one who is righteous, not one who doesnt deserve death, for all have fallen short (Rom. 3:23). So then it is by grace that there is an elect at all...and it is not unfair that only the elect are given entry to the kingdom, it is mind-blowingly merciful. But, if God is calling the elect, why should we still spread the gospel?

God delights in giving us kingdom work; He delights in allowing us to take part in spreading His truth. Gods followers are called to spread His good news, and God grows the elect and transforms their hearts. So let us not grow weary of talking about Jesus; the good news of the gospel is timeless and needed every day. Let us continue to spread the knowledge of Gods kingdom to many, and may we be amazed at how God works.

Sources

Photo credit: GettyImages/Dmytro Varavin

Liz Auld is the managing editor for Salem Web Network; she edits and writes content across the editorial sites (Crosswalk.com, Biblestudytools.com, iBelieve.com, Christianity.com). She has a B.A. in Religious Studies and has taken post-graduate classes in Theology and Global Studies. She enjoys reading books from a variety of genres, trying new recipes, and visiting family.

This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.

"Be Still and Know that I Am God"

"Pray Without Ceasing"

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"

"All Things Work Together for Good"

"Do Not Fear"


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As it stands at the time of this writing, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have the option of returning to the royal family if life in America doesnt work out. However, sources say that an upcoming tell-all book could lead to their permanent exile.

Titled Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, its a biography that details the resentment that built up between the Sussexes and their family before the pair made the ultimate decision to step back from royal life and spend time abroad.

Though Prince Harry and Meghan did not contribute to the book, sources told The Daily Mail that they have seemingly given it their blessing, and for that, there could be serious consequences.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at an event in October 2019 | Samir Hussein/WireImage

A quick explanation of Prince Harry and Meghan Markles decision to step back from the royal family

Amid rumors of infighting within the royal family and nonstop criticism from the press, the Sussexes announced in January that they were going to step back. In a statement posted to Instagram, the couple said that they intended to lead more independent lives and spend more time in North America while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.

They finished their duties in March and left the United Kingdom for Canada before settling in Meghans native Los Angeles. The couple is now said to be living in an $18 million mansion owned by Tyler Perry until they can find a place of their home.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex | Karwai Tang/WireImage

RELATED: The 1 Thing That Would Have Stopped Prince Harry and Meghan Markle From Stepping Down, According to a New Biography

The new biography on the couple makes damning claims about the royal family

In Finding Freedom, Scobie and Durand wrote that the Sussexes felt unsupported and decided to step back after other royals were repeatedly prioritized over them.

Increasingly Harry had grown frustrated that he and Meghan often took a back seat to other family members, the book explained. When the pair wanted to focus on a project, according to the book, they were told that a more senior ranking family member, be it Prince William or Prince Charles, had an initiative or tour being announced at the same time  so they would just have to wait.

RELATED: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Felt Overshadowed by Prince William and Kate Middleton Before They Stepped Down, New Biography Says

For months the couple tried to air these frustrations, but the conversations didnt lead anywhere, the authors explained. As time continued to pass without any resolution, according to the book, stepping back seemed to be the only option for the Sussexes.

Sources say Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could face permanent exile because of the books revelations

After excerpts of the book came out over the weekend of July 24, sources expressed their belief to The Daily Mail that the couple has torpedoed  any hopes of renegotiating their royal duties when Megxit is reviewed in 2021.

The door will always be open to them as much-loved members of the family. But its hard to see how they can now salvage the new role they wanted as hybrid royals, running commercial careers alongside royal duties from the US, a source said.

Meanwhile, another insider suggested the couple has ruined their chances of returning to the royal family altogether. The review period has not yet been discussed but it doesnt seem if there is any way of going back now, they declared. Some very private family matters have now been aired in public, seemingly with [Prince Harry and Meghans] blessing. That will be hurtful.

Whats even wilder is that there could be even more startling claims in the book than just that. You can get your hands on Finding Freedom when it releases on Aug. 11.
Central gov't to provide all necessary support for Hong Kong's fight against COVID-19: liaison office - Xinhua | English.news.cn

The central government will provide all necessary support for the anti-epidemic fight in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) at the request of the HKSAR government, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR said.

As long as the HKSAR has the need, the central government will provide great assistance in medical materials, facilities and equipment at any time, a spokesperson of the office said in a statement on Sunday night, promising to help Hong Kong improve its virus testing capability and assist in the construction of makeshift hospitals.

Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection reported 128 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the fifth straight day when the daily additional cases surpassed 100.

The spokesperson stressed the central government pays high attention to the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong.

The National Health Commission held an online meeting last Friday with governments of Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong HKSAR and the Macao SAR to improve exchanges and experience sharing.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak at the beginning of this year, the central government has helped arrange shipments of face masks and other anti-disease materials to Hong Kong, spared no efforts to ensure the supply of daily necessities to Hong Kong, and also helped Hong Kong residents stranded in the mainland and overseas return home, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the central government will continue to watch the epidemic development in Hong Kong and maintain close contact with the HKSAR government, and urged concerted efforts of the entire Hong Kong society to fight COVID-19.

In the statement, the spokesperson also opposed a slander campaign on the central government's support. Some rumormongers claimed that genetic samples of Hong Kong people will be sent to the mainland, and medical institutions from the mainland will aggravate the coronavirus spread in Hong Kong.

The slanders are politically-motivated, the spokesperson said, condemning those behind the slander campaign for creating a political split and putting personal gains above the life and health of Hong Kong residents.
SEBI CMD Ajay Tyagi (Reuters)

The government is in the process of selecting the candidate to take over as the next chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) from Ajay Tyagi, whose term ends on August 31, CNBC-TV18 has reported.

MS Sahoo, Chairperson of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India, is reportedly one of the shortlisted candidates.

Tyagi, who was given a six-month extension in February, may be asked to stay on longer, sources said.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

The candidates will be interviewed by a search panel headed by the cabinet secretary. The panel can also consider candidates who have not applied for the position, the report added.

According to the report, the search panel will also interview candidates for the role of deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India.

The government is also looking to appoint a new Comptroller and Auditor General. The term of Rajiv Mehrishi ends August 7.
A 26-year-old pedestrian has died in hospital after she was struck by the driver of a vehicle at a North York intersection Sunday night, police say.

Toronto police received a call for the collision at about 9:20 p.m. in the area of Sheppard Avenue West and Wilson Heights Boulevard, near Allen Road.

The woman was crossing Sheppard, police said, from the north side to the south side.

At the same time, a 25-year-old man driving a grey Acura RDX was travelling east on Sheppard Avenue West. He struck the woman in the eastbound curb lane, police say.

The woman was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead in hospital. Police said the driver remained at the scene of the collision.

Police are urging residents, businesses, and drivers who may have security or dash camera footage of the area or incident to contact investigators.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1900, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, online on their Facebook Leave a Tip page, or by texting TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637)

Including the latest victim, 10 pedestrians have been killed on Toronto roads this year. They are:

A 65-year-old man died on Jan. 4 after being struck by the driver of a vehicle near Jarvis Street and Gerrard Street East in a hit-and-run.

A 26-year-old woman was struck and killed by the driver of a tractor-trailer near Dufferin Street and Steeles Avenue West in North York on Jan. 21. The driver didnt stay at the scene but was located later in the day. The block is frequented by drivers of heavy trucks which bring goods back and forth to warehouses and manufacturing companies.

A 76-year-old man died on Jan. 28 after being struck by the driver near Dundas Street West and Scarlett Road.

A 63-year-old man died on Jan. 29 after being struck by a driver near Lawrence Avenue East and the Donway West. The pedestrian was crossing Lawrence, between The Donway West and Don Mills Road, when a 29-year-old man driving west in a BMW struck him, police said.

A 79-year-old woman died on Feb. 24 after being struck by a driver in the area of Victoria Park and Old Sheppard avenues.

A two-year-old boy died on March 24 after being hit by a 25-year-old driver reversing his car near Scarlett Road and Eglinton Avenue West in Etobicoke. The man was waiting to pick someone up in front of an apartment building on Saxony Crescent, when he backed up and hit the child just as the toddler and his mother got out of the building.

A woman was struck by a City of Toronto truck driver at Lawrence Avenue East and Fern Meadows Road, near Morningside Avenue, at around 10 a.m. May 13. She died at the scene.

Olivia Sarracini, 17, died and her 19-year-old sister Julie was hurt injured after they were struck on June 7 by a driver in North York in an overnight hit-and-run. The pedestrians were walking north on Keele Street, crossing on a green light at Calvington Drive, when they were struck by an SUV driver turning left. The driver fled the scene in his vehicle. On June 9, police arrested Shawn Ramsey, 46, of Toronto, and charged him with with failing to stop at the scene of an accident causing death, and failing to stop at the scene of an accident causing bodily harm. Sarracini was was an angel who departed too early who had just been accepted to study at Carleton University and was weeks away from graduating Loretto Abbey.

A 30-year-old man was struck by a cement truck driver on Hwy. 401 near Weston Road on the afternoon of July 15, says the OPP. Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said in a video posted to Twitter that the man had pulled over to the side of the eastbound lanes, and was outside his vehicle which was being hooked up to a tow truck.

According to statistics compiled by the Star using police and media reports, 42 pedestrians were killed on Toronto streets in 2019.

That is tied for the highest total since 2002, when 50 pedestrians were killed.

The Star began keeping its own count of traffic deaths in 2017 to fill gaps in police numbers, which dont include fatalities that occur on private property or provincially owned 400 series highways.

In June 2019, Mayor John Tory announced Vision Zero 2.0, a revamp of a three-year-old plan that has so far failed to reduce the citys rate of traffic deaths. The plan calls for lower speed limits, which Tory said he wants implemented quickly, with stickers over existing signs if need be.

The plan also calls for the implementation of short-term design changes using paint, bollards and other features, rather than waiting for crumbling streets to be routinely rebuilt with the citys complete streets system that includes pedestrian safety concerns.

With files from Ted Fraser

Margaryta Ignatenko is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @MargarytaIgnat1
A 26-year-old man was a passenger in a vehicle when he was shot three times in the back at 5 a.m. Saturday in the 200 block of North Wabash Avenue in the Loop, police said. A man on the street pulled out a gun and fired at the vehicle after those inside were arguing with the man. A friend drove the 26-year-old man to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was in serious condition. No arrests were made.
When the FBI was active in the county, no one griped about investigative help from the fibs. Just like nobody carped about President Eisenhower federalizing the Arkansas National Guard in 1957 to ensure integration of schools in Little Rock. Or, when federal forces were used to quell widespread riots in 1968. Or when G-man Eliot Ness and his famous Untouchables battled Chicago crime lords and bootleggers in the 1930s.
On July 21, by unanimous vote, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance to amend the city's existing health code to do away with two rules for sex clubs. These rules were put in place in 1984, at the height of the AIDS crisis. One was a requirement that the clubs could no longer have private rooms or locked doors in areas reserved for sex. The other was that management had to monitor sexual activity. The ostensible reason, believe it or not, was to help San Francisco's economy.

The meeting at which the supervisors voted is available online. It's notable for the fact that the clerk reading out the wording of the proposed ordinance could not stop herself from giggling as she read about the new requirement to stop monitoring patrons' sexual activities. The new ordinance was passed without discussion.

The proposed ordinance itself gives a little of the history behind the vote. The 1984 limitations on bathhouse conduct (i.e., no locked doors, supervised sex) meant that most bathhouses closed. New public health rules in 1997 put similar restrictions on all commercial sex clubs and sex parties. However, thanks to modern medicine, HIV is less transmittable and more treatable. (It is still transmittable and incurable, of course.)

The ordinance also says researchers think monitoring patrons does little to change their behavior. This makes sense. People who go to bathhouses for sex must have exhibitionistic tendencies. Having someone watch is a bonus, not a problem.

Rafael Mandelman, who sits on the Board of Supervisors, had the best interest of the city in mind when he proposed the new ordinance:

"What this ordinance will do is allow for adult sex venues to be a part of our economic and cultural recovery when it is safe to do so," Mandelman said in a July 9 meeting. "During the '70s and early '80s, bathhouses were a focal point of gay social life in San Francisco, and were important community meeting places for friends to gather to share stories, dance to the latest disco hits, or watch a live show."

Mandelman's age isn't listed in Wikipedia, so it's not immediately obvious, but I'd say he's no older than his late 30s, maybe his early 40s. In other words, he's too young to have had any personal experience with those bathhouses. That might explain his sweet, nostalgic view of the places.

Let me hasten to add that I don't have personal experience, either. However, I happen to know a lot about them because I worked for some virologists in the early 1980s, when AIDS was first making itself known. The researchers hadn't yet isolated HIV, so the disease was still quite mysterious. They did know one thing, though: this mysterious "gay disease" was running like wildfire through the gay community, especially in the bathhouses.

It was while working for the virologists that I learned what was going on in the bathhouses: these weren't little kaffee klatches of dancing, storytelling, and watching "live shows." Instead, men used poppers (isoamyl nitrite) so they could have some form of sexual contact with dozens of other men per night. The men weren't just trading HIV; they were trading every existing sexually transmitted disease. Moreover, the "live shows" weren't theatrical spectacles. They were orgies in which participants rested up while watching each other.

I won't go into more detail here. If you want to know what goes on in those bathhouses, you can read Surviving Gay...Barely. The author is Joseph Sciambra, a born-again Catholic who gave up the gay lifestyle he practiced during the late 1980s and 1990s when it destroyed his body and disgusted his soul. In addition to writing about the obsessive sexual contacts in anonymous venues, Sciambra describes the way his body rebelled against the realities of anal sex (warning: graphic, indeed stomach-churning, physical descriptions of the reality of gay orgies).

This video gives a little insight into the bathhouse scene:

Think about this: the City of San Francisco has been subjecting everyone to the most stringent shutdown requirements for months, destroying the city's economy and ruining people's livelihoods. Meanwhile, it's already getting its ducks in a row to enable gay men to engage in the type of behavior that spread a disease that has killed 692,790 Americans, almost all from the narrow demographic of gay men. (AIDS has killed around 32 million people worldwide since the early 1980s.) Currently, around 1.1 million people in America are HIV-positive, with 6,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2018 alone.

Re-opening the bathhouses will also see other sexually transmitted diseases ramp up. Chlamydia can lead to sterility for both men and women. HPV causes cancer. The medical world anticipates that gonorrhea is on the verge of becoming antibiotic-resistant. Even more scary, syphilis is heading that way, too. Gonorrhea is seriously unpleasant; syphilis is deadly.

It's not just diseases that kill. Political correctness and leftist panic kill, too.
Thousands of tenants are facing rent rises because the Government's new ban on increases will apply only to people deemed to have been financially hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The move has sparked fears that landlords, legally prohibited from increasing rents for the last five months, will now target tenants with significant rent rises.

Before his appointment, Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien publicly pledged to ensure the national rent freeze would remain in place until at least October.

However, legislation Mr O'Brien will bring before the Dail this week contains only measures to stop landlords increasing rents for people who self-declare that they have lost earnings due to coronavirus.

There are around 325,000 rental households in the country and it is unclear how many will be able to avail of the ban on increases.

To prevent rent increases, tenants must be in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme or another form of State-funded welfare.

The Covid-specific freeze on rent and eviction ban will remain until January 10.

However, tenants whose income has fallen for any other reasons will not be able to stop rent increases under Mr O'Brien's new legislation.

Yesterday, the minister also issued what has been described as a "disturbing" threat to renters, warning that he would have them prosecuted if they try to prevent rent increases by claiming they were affected by the virus when they were not.

In an interview with 'The Business Post', the Fianna Fail TD said: "If they're (renters) found to abuse it, we will have a certain level of audited checks on it and they will be prosecuted."

Labour housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan said she was very concerned about the minister's threat.

"Disturbingly, the minister plans to criminalise tenants for false declarations without doing the same to landlords availing of eviction exceptions. To do this to someone at risk of losing their home is really despicable," she said.

"The changes will only give protection from eviction until January to those who can prove they have been financially impacted by a limited set of circumstances and puts in place a complicated process to apply for that exception.

"The reality is that this will result in more people losing their home as they will have to navigate a technical system."

Sinn Fein housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin described the new legislation as "very worrying" and said it would lead to an increase in homelessness, which had fallen while the rent freeze and eviction ban were in place.

Mr O Broin said there were a disproportionate number of people who were not originally from Ireland living in rented accommodation.

He added that many of them do not speak English or have the necessary literacy skills to fill in a self-declaration form.

"The legislation is full of loopholes, the freeze will be cumbersome for those it does apply to and for many thousands of others the ordinary rules will apply which will allow landlords to issue rent increase notices," the Sinn Fein TD said.

The Government aims to rush the Residential Tenancies Bill through the Dail and Seanad this week before the start of their six-week summer recess.
The daughter and grandson of a 71-year-old woman who was earlier diagnosed with novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Da Nang have been put under quarantine in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Health Center of District 11 said its staffers had been dispatched to the Lac Long Quan Apartment Building in Ward 5 to trace people who were in close contact with patient No. 420, the moniker given to a female COVID-19 patient from the central city of Da Nang.

The woman visited her daughter at the apartment building from June 21 to July 8 before returning to Da Nang, where she lives with her husband, son, and daughter-in-law.

On July 12, she exhibited symptoms of a fever and chest pain. She was admitted to Da Nang C Hospital on July 22.

She was tested for the new coronavirus on Saturday and the result came back positive on Sunday.

The woman is being treated at Da Nang C Hospital.

Health officials in Ho Chi Minh City have quarantined her daughter and grandson, who were in contact with the woman during her visit to their apartment in District 11, pending testing results for the novel coronavirus.

Her grandson, a sixth-grader, is taking his summer vacation, but the health center decided to bring his case to his schools notice as a precaution.

As observed by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, residents entered and left the apartment building as usual on Monday morning. Stores on its ground floor were still open.

The shared walkway in the buildings Block D, where the elderly woman stayed with her daughter, has been disinfected.

Vietnam has reported four locally-transmitted infections since Saturday after nearly 100 days without one. The countrys COVID-19 tally was 420 on Monday afternoon.

Two of the new patients are in a critical condition and on life support in Da Nang.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
P eople quarantining for two weeks after returning to the UK are not entitled to statutory sick pay, the government has said.

All Brits returning from Spain must now quarantine for 14 days after the Government scrapped the country's 'air bridge'.

The strict new rule was suddenly re-imposed on Saturday after a rapid increase in coronavirus cases across the top holiday destination.

But those already in Spain will also have to quarantine upon their return - meaning many will not be able to work. Here's what it means for sick pay:

Getty

Can I claim statutory sick pay when I self-isolate after returning from Spain?

It has been revealed that people who are unable to work from home will not receive statutory sick pay [SSP] if they are self-isolating after a foreign trip with no other reasons.

The government said in guidance on its website: You cannot get SSP if youre self-isolating after entering or returning to the UK and do not need to self-isolate for any other reason.

From midnight on Saturday, people who arrive in the UK from Spain risk a 1,000 fine if they fail to self-isolate for two weeks.

However, you could claim statutory sick pay if you or someone you live with has symptoms of Covid-19, or if youve been notified by a public health authority that you have been in contact with someone infected by coronavirus.

People are also entitled to statutory sick pay  which is 95.85 and is paid by employers for up to 28 weeks  if they are shielding due to being at a high risk of severe illness from coronavirus.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab yesterday urged employers to be understanding to staff forced to quarantine after a trip abroad, telling Sophy Ridge: We are changing the rules  the law is changed in relation to holidaymakers and travellers  and of course we expect employers to show those employees who will have to quarantine because of the law the flexibility they need.

If someone is following the law in relation to quarantine and self-isolating the way they should, they cant have penalties taken against them.Labour criticised the Governments handling of the decision as frankly shambolic. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the u-turn over Spain quarantine rules had left travellers confused and distressed. He called for financial support for people now being made to quarantine upon their return home.

He told Sophy Ridge: The way in which this decision has been communicated is obviously causing anxiety.

TODO: define component type apester

"There are a whole raft of people who cannot afford to isolate because of the circumstances of their employment and if it comes to a choice between putting food on your table and feeding your family or losing your job, you're going to put food on your table aren't you?

"Even if that means you're spreading the virus."

Am I eligible for Universal Credit or employment allowance support if I'm in quarantine?

Despite not being eligible for SSP, Downing Street said holidaymakers who miss out on work because of the quarantine period may be eligible for Universal Credit or employment support allowance.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman reiterated that the Government expects employers to be flexible in allowing staff to work from home while self-isolating.

Where this isnt possible we would expect that many employers would have their own policies in place for quarantine and we know that some continue to offer full pay for all or some of the isolation period, he added.

But if there are people who need urgent support then they may be entitled to the new-style employment support allowance or Universal Credit.

What can you do if you lose your job due to quarantining after returning from Spain?

Downing Street said workers who lose their jobs because they are quarantining after returning from Spain could appeal to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: There are existing systems in place should a dispute occur between an employer and employee and that is the employee can take that dispute to Acas for settlement.
India's COVID-19 cases soared 49,931 in just one day, taking the country's coronavirus tally to 14,35,453 on Monday. This is the fifth consecutive day when COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 45,000.

The death toll climbed to 32,771 with 708 new fatalities in the last 24 hours till Monday at 8 am, according to the Union Health Ministry data. India's recovery tally stands at 9,17,568 and there are a total of 4,85,114 active cases.

As many as 31,991 patients have recuperated from coronavirus in a span of 24 hours, pushing the recovery rate to 63.92 per cent.

The total number of COVID-19 tests has crossed the 16 million mark in the country. According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 1,68,06,803 samples have been tested up to July 26 with 5,15,472 samples being tested on Sunday.

The country's COVID-19 numbers had surpassed 13 lakh three days ago. Since July 2, India added 8 lakh new cases of corona infections.

Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally has increased to 3,75,799 with 9,431 fresh cases. With 267 new deaths, the state's toll has climbed to 13,656. Coronavirus cases have reached 2,13,723 lakh in Tamil Nadu with 6,986 new cases. The state reported 85 fatalities in the past 24 hours, pushing the toll to 3,494.

Andhra Pradesh on Monday registered 7,627 cases in just a day, taking its total tally to 96,298. Karnataka recorded 5,191 COVID-19 cases in just 24 hours and its tally stands at 96,141, including 58,417 active cases.

With record one-day increase of 1,110, coronavirus case tally in Gujarat reached 55,822. The state recorded 21 new deaths, taking the tally to 2,326.

Meanwhile, Delhi has now reached the 10th spot in terms of active cases. The COVID-19 recovery rate reached nearly 88 per cent on Sunday. Delhi has 1,30,606 COVID-19 cases, of which 1,14,875 have either recovered, migrated or have been discharged, and has reported 3,827 deaths.

Here are state-wise coronavirus case tally

Andaman and Nicobar Islands -324

Andhra Pradesh- 96,298

Arunachal Pradesh -1,158

Assam- 32,228

Bihar-39,176

Chandigarh-887

Chhattisgarh-7,450

Dadra Nagar Haveli-914

Delhi-1,30,606

Goa-4,861

Gujarat- 55,822

Haryana- 31,332

Himachal Pradesh-2,176

Jammu and Kashmir-17,920

Jharkhand-8,275

Karnataka-96,141

Kerala- 19,025

Ladakh-1,285

Madhya Pradesh-27,800

Maharashtra-3,75,799

Manipur-2,235

Meghalaya-702

Mizoram-361

Nagaland-1,339

Odisha-25,389

Puducherry-2,786

Punjab-13,218

Rajasthan-35,909

Sikkim-545

Tamil Nadu-2,13,723

Telengana-54,059

Tripura-3,900

Uttar Pradesh-66,988

Uttarakhand-6,104

West Bengal-58,718

Also read: Govt plans ban on PubG, 273 other apps after action against 59 Chinese apps

Also read: Coronavirus crisis: PM Modi to launch 3 'high-throughput' COVID-19 testing facilities today
New Delhi, July 27 : Actor Akshay Kumar will soon be flying out of India on work for the first time since the Covid outbreak, and he is ensuring elaborate safety and precautionary measures for the entire crew.

Akshay is set to be in the UK soon, to start shooting for his upcoming film, "Bellbottom", along with co-actors Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Lara Dutta. The unit will be travelling to the UK in August for a start-to-finish schedule.

The producers are chartering a flight to fly the entire unit, along with medical facilities.

Along with medical-grade masks and face shields, the production house will also make it mandatory for all cast and crew to wear a wrist watch that will constantly monitor their oxygen levels, body temperature, blood pressure, stress levels and pulse. A centralised dashboard will constantly record the parameters of the entire unit.

Said Akshay: "The new normal has made us realise a different way of working that none of us could have imagined. As much as I'm happy to be back on the sets, it's also important for us to take care of everything around us." The on-set guidelines also include maintaining social distancing of at least six feet wherever possible. The set will have hand sanitising stations, and all surface areas and equipment will be disinfected frequently using alcohol-based sanitisers before and after every shoot.

"From a doctor on the set at all times to keeping the entire set disinfected at all times, safety first is our mantra. It's a challenge but it makes 'Bellbottom' even more special for all of us," said producer Jackky Bhagnani.

The retro-drama is one of the first films to announce resumption of its shooting schedule after the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

"Bellbottom" director Ranjit M Tewari said: "It is going to be a challenging shoot given the circumstances, but I am extremely confident of the health and safety protocols put in place. Every member of the 'Bellbottom' family is exhilarated and geared up to kickstart work." Producer Deepshikha Deshmukh added: "Medical waste is a big issue and we are taking all possible steps to make sure we are an environmentally conscious film unit." Production designers Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborty feel "it is a challenging time to shoot a film, but we look at it as a creative challenge".

The spot boy team for the film and the technical crew are in sync with the new on-set precautions.

Sushant, head of the spot boy team, said: "Hum sab ko samjhaya gaya hai ki set par jaane se pehle aur set par kya kya precaution lena hai. Sab log kaam par jaane kay liye utsuk hain (It has been explained to us what precautions we need to take before going on the set and on the set. We all are excited to go back to work)." Inspired by true events, the film is set in 1980s, the story is about one of India's forgotten heroes. It is written by Aseem Arrora and Parveez Shaikh, and scheduled to release on April 2, 2021.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
By Akbar Mammadov

Reports that Russia sent 300 units of military equipment to Armenia via Georgia does not reflect the truth, Irakli Chikovani, Adviser to the Georgian Prime Minister said on July 26.

Chikovani said that this false information was being circulated by media outlets of certain parties for their own propaganda.

Pointing out to Georgias strategic partnership with Azerbaijan, Chikovani said: Our position is irreversible: there is no alternative to peace in the Caucasus.

Unfortunately, this is not the first case when certain media outlets try to distort information and, consequently, present it in a way they are interested in," he noted..

On July 24, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia commented on the information regarding the delivery of military equipment to Armenia via Georgia.

"Georgia, of course, will not have a political problem because we are fulfilling our obligations in full compliance with international law. This information is merely unverified information disseminated by the media. It will become noteworthy when it becomes the subject of discussion between our two countries, Gakharia said.

The Georgian PM also stressed that nothing threatens the strategic partnership and fraternity between Azerbaijan and Georgia.

It is impossible for anything to threaten these relations, which are of the highest quality. If you have seen this photograph, it depicts an ordinary truck," he added.

On July 20, Georgia's Foreign Ministry denied as misinformation reports on the transportation of military ammunition from Serbia to Armenia via Georgia are.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan summoned Serbia's Charge d'Affaires Danica Veinovic to the Foreign Ministry on July 20 over the delivery of a large amount of military ammunition and mortar from Serbia to Armenia. Veinovic was informed that according to reliable and confirmed information, a large amount of ammunition was sent from Serbia to Armenia, including mortars and ammunition of various calibres.

The following day, Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic told the Nova.rs portal that the weapons were exported to Armenia by a private company that had permits from four ministries (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence and his own), as well as the countrys top civilian intelligence and security agency the BIA.
The Hypocrisy of Big Oil and API







hypocrisy

/hpakrse/ (alternate pronunciation /bi oil/)

noun 1.

the practice of claiming standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform.

synonyms: deceit, dishonesty, mendacity

ALERT... Prepare For A Shocking Information Discovery

By Marc J. Rauch

Exec. Vice President/Co-Publisher

THE AUTO CHANNEL







I came across a website titled "FillUpOnFacts.com." It's a website sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute (API) to bash ethanol. The hypocrisy begins with the website's name; the website is filled-up with lies.

This website lists 13 categories, and then links to details that API pretends are facts to support their bashing of ethanol. I provide a list of these categories below, along with my own previously published responses that explain why API is wrong on these issues.

However, without having to go through the 13 categories and my responses, there's a far easier way to prove the duplicity of Big Oil's attacks on ethanol.

For decades - while Standard Oil and other gasoline companies vehemently protested against ethanol fuels in the United States - Standard Oil, Cities Service (CITGO), and other American-based oil companies, sold ethanol-gasoline blends in Great Britain - where they marketed these fuels as being more powerful, cleaner, and cooler running.

In the 1920's, a consortium of scotch whisky distillers began producing and marketing an ethanol-gasoline blend for automobiles called "Discol." A few years later, the Discol name was licensed by another British company (Cleveland Petroleum Products) to sell an ethanol-gasoline blend, provided that Cleveland continued to use the alcohol produced by its distillers for the fuel blend. In the 1930's, Standard Oil (ESSO/Anglo-American Oil) purchased about half of Cleveland Petroleum Products. In 1958, ESSO purchased the remaining shares of Cleveland Petroleum.

The following are some of the print advertisements used to promote Cleveland Discol ethanol-gasoline fuel. The ads span the 1930's through the 1960's:

Here's a British television commercial from 1966 for Cleveland Discol ethanol-gasoline fuel:

Here's two British newspaper ads in the 1930's for Cities Service ethanol-gasoline blend called "Koolmotor."

As you see, the message told to the consumers in Great Britain about ethanol was far different than the story told to the American people, then and now. The benefits mentioned in the Discol ads include:



 Ethanol (alcohol) contributes to a brilliant performance and better mileage

 Engines run cooler and cleaner

 Ethanol has long been used to prevent icing in aircraft and car engines

 Amazing acceleration and smoother running

 More miles per gallon

 Highest anti-knock value

 It's thermal efficiency is higher than non-ethanol gasoline (BTUs are irrelevant)

 Less carbon is produced, ethanol actually removes carbon deposits

Great Britain wasn't the only place in Europe that sold ethanol or ethanol-gasoline blended fuels; alcohol was used extensively throughout Europe, South America, and Asia. Italy's brand was Benzacool, Hungary had Moltaco, Sweden had Lattybentyl, South Africa Natelite, Brazil's big brand was Alcool, and in the late 1930's America had an ethanol-gasoline blend called Agrol.

"The Forbidden Fuel," a book co-authored by William Kovarik, Hal Bernton, and Scott Sklar details the use of ethanol throughout the world. Bill Kovarik expands on all this through his Internet presentations, such as his History of Biofuels at Environmental history / biofuels.

In post-prohibition America, ethanol-gasoline fuels were often sold without all the boogeyman histrionics used by API members in recent years.

For example, in the 1970's, Texaco was producing an ethanol-gasoline blend and selling it in the United States. Here's a TV commercial from 1979 featuring Bob Hope promoting corn alcohol blended with gasoline.

Today, Canadians don't seem to know much about ethanol-gasoline blends. But here are 1984 and 1986 TV commercials from Mohawk gasoline stations in Canada. They sold an E10 ethanol-gasoline blend. It gave consumers "faster starts, more power, and cleaner emissions."

The great significance in all this is that prior to our modern Ethanol Renaissance (and production of vehicles with "ethanol-compatible components" starting in the 1990's) tens of thousands of vehicles... sorry, make that hundreds of thousands of vehicles... no, I mean millions of vehicles in Europe, the Americas, and Asia were powered by fuels that contained ethanol. On top of that, we have to assume other internal combustion engine devices (lawn mowers, chain saws, stationary machines) throughout the world used ethanol-gasoline blends at one time or another.

With all these millions of engines using ethanol-gasoline blends, where are all the newspaper/magazine reports of ethanol causing engine damage? Where are all the stories from the 1920's, 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's screaming about ethanol corroding engine parts? Where are all the stories about ethanol causing less power and fewer miles per gallon? How could there not be hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of published complaints that singled out ethanol as the evil-doer?

Of course, there wouldn't have been such stories sponsored by the oil companies since they were promoting the ethanol-gasoline blends as a superior fuel, but what about all know-it-all ethanol-haters who nowadays haunt and troll every publication and media outlet they can find with ethanol-horror stories. Surely there must have been empty-headed know-it-alls in those days insisting that because of ethanol's lower BTU values that it must deliver less power.

(Incidentally, in all the years up to the 1980's that the petroleum oil companies sold ethanol-gasoline they weren't "forced" to do it, there were no "ethanol mandates." They did it because it was the right thing to do. They did it because they knew that ethanol added power, cleaned the engines, emitted less pollution, and was the least expensive way to mitigate engine knock.)

A Remarkable Revelation

Well, a newly published report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) sheds some light on this subject, and at the same time throws some shade (as the young people say) on a possible suspect for the modern complaints against ethanol. Can you guess who that suspect is?

If you said "petroleum oil producers and blenders" you win a kewpie doll. Imagine, the oil industry causing the very same problems that they blame on ethanol; ain't that a kick in the head?

The report is titled, "Sulfate Salts in Gasoline and Ethanol Fuels  Historical Perspective and Analysis of Available Data." It was published in September 2017, and can be found at https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy17osti/69001.pdf.

Here's the thing, as I often say during my public speaking appearances, all liquids are corrosive, and one of the most corrosive liquids in the world is water. Water is so corrosive that if metals aren't treated or cared for, it could cause our largest aircraft carriers and biggest passenger jets to fall apart. Yet, we drink water, we wash in water, we even bathe new born babies in water. But because the corrosive characteristics of water can be overcome with appropriate materials, babies can go about 60 or 70 years before they start to corrode (yes, you're supposed to laugh at this point).

Gasoline is corrosive, too. Inhibitors are added to gasoline to reduce corrosion. Many, many people think that non-ethanol gasoline is some kind of benign fluid gently caressing engine components, and protecting the metal and rubber parts in some kind of an on-going mechanical love ballet.

Hah! Gasoline is a toxic, caustic, corrosive liquid.

Unbeknownst to most people, especially those ethanol-bashers who wouldn't want to learn any real facts, prior to the invention of leaded-gasoline ethanol was considered the best substance to put in your vehicle's engine during long periods of inactivity. That's right, it was recommended to fill your vehicle's fuel tank and fuel system with ethanol fuel. In his 1919 maintenance manual for the Ford Model T (the world's number one selling automobile for almost two decades), Victor Page wrote, "Denatured alcohol (ethanol fuel) is without doubt the best substance to use as it does not have any destructive action on the metals and rubber hose, will not form deposits of foreign matter, and has no electrolytic effect." No literature of the period was ever published to refute that recommendation.

You can find Victor Page's manual at https://books.google.com/books?id=dqEgAAAAMAAJ. The above quote is located on the top of page 156.

When tetra-ethyl lead was added to gasoline by the General Motors scientists in the early 1920's it worked like ethanol in quieting engine knock. However it was highly corrosive, so they had to add ethylene dibromide to the gasoline-tetraethyl lead fuel mixture. Now they had a poison (gasoline), mixed with another poison (tetraethyl lead) in order to stop the engine knock caused by gasoline, with yet another poison (ethylene dibromide) to stop corrosion caused by tetraethyl lead. It's like a triple-threat poisonous concoction unleashed on the public by a science-fiction madman - except it really happened.

The advent of leaded-gasoline also led to changes in the design and manufacture of engine components to help handle this fuel. These changes probably were at least part of the reason why ethanol may have gone from being the harmless substance described by Victor Page to a potential corrosive fuel.

However, the new report released by NREL introduces the distinct possibility that the modern complaints of ethanol corrosion are the result of intentional or accidental monkeying with the ethanol-gasoline blends by the oil industry (or cronies of the oil industry) to denigrate ethanol.

Could the oil industry or its minions be responsible for this? Would they stoop to doing this?

Of course they would, trillions of dollars are at stake. The petroleum oil industry colluded with the Nazis before and during World War II in order to insure their position of dominance after the war in case the Allies lost. They're responsible for unleashing terrible poisons into our air and water. Oil wars have killed millions of Americans, and untold tens of millions of people around the world. Oil industry carelessness has killed millions of non-human animals of all types.

On the other hand, perhaps it's all just a coincidence? Perhaps the sheer competitive desire by the oil industry to keep their engine fuels the dominant engine fuels, even though there is a superior fuel (ethanol) at hand, just lends itself to circumstantial conjecture?

I can go with circumstantial conjecture. I don't think I need to paint a picture of premeditated death and destruction... as long as everyone understands that everything else I've written here isn't coincidence or circumstantial conjecture. Ethanol was the best fuel to use in internal combustion engines; it was the safest fuel to use in internal combustion engines; it provided the most power for internal combustion engines; and that ethanol is still the best, safest, most powerful fuel to use in internal combustion engines (spark ignited and compression ignited engines).

And now I'll return to the lies posed by the API website

FillUpOnFatcts.com indexes the following 13 issues. My replies can be found under the headings

The RFS Needs Reform

'Reform' suggests an evil act has been perpetrated. No one has committed more evil acts than the oil industry. Read "Why Does AAA and Big Oil Feel They Must Lie to America?" by CLICKING HERE

The Cost of Mandates

The U.S. and our fellow citizens have been kept chained to oil for a century and a half via onerous taxation, an unpopular law of prohibition, military conscription, and never-ending tax-payer subsidies. Read all about oil subsidies in Part 4 of my full-length report "Truth About Ethanol" by CLICKING HERE

The Reality of America's Energy Revolution

API is complaining that cellulosic ethanol hasn't yet come to fruition. Their argument is a ruse. They looking for something to complain about, like Chico Marx' nonsensical add-on complaint in "Night At The Opera." He said, "Yeah, and your ice isn't cold enough."

It's not important that cellulosic ethanol isn't being used more, we have no shortage of ethanol or ethanol-crops. Here's my response to a Big Oil shill who complained that things are moving too slowly: CLICK HERE .

Outdated Supply and Demand Projections

API has built many of it's anti-ethanol arguments on outdated information and production techniques. The oil industry funded studies conducted by David Pimentel and Tad Patzek are rife with rotten data. Read all about the Pimentel-Patzek sham studies in Part 5 of my full-length report "Truth About Ethanol" by CLICKING HERE.

Disconnect Between EPA Mandate and Technology

Read about the real disconnect. Taking On EPA, CAL Air Resources Board, Obama, and Big Oil.

What is the Blend Wall?

The Figurative Ethanol Blend Wall is a Fictional Ethanol Blend Wall.

E15 and Your Car

Big Oil E15 horror stories show up in the most remote places. To read about the debunking I did of one story CLICK HERE.

Fairytale Thinking on E85 and Ethanol Mandates

The fairytale thinking is in believing that E85 is limited to certain vehicles. All gasoline-powered automobiles can use E85, not just flex-fuel vehicles. Consumers can 'splash-blend' their own blend levels to save money and get better MPG results. CLICK HERE to read "Using E85 in Non-Flex Fuel Vehicles Can Save Almost $1 per Gallon and Fight Terrorism."

The RFS is Bad Policy

We use as much corn for ethanol as we do because we grow it for ethanol production. If the ethanol market didn't exist farmers wouldn't grow as much corn as they do. Even with the amount of corn that used for ethanol, we have virtually as much corn for human consumption as we did in the past. There is no shortage of pop corn, corn-on-the-cob for picnics, tortilla chips, or canned corn. Read "Biofuels Are Worth Every Effort and Cost" for more details.

A Bumpy Ride for Motorcyclists

Motorcycles and Ethanol (E10) - The Shocking Truth.

Rising Ethanol Blends Don't Float All Boats

Mercury Marine, the world's largest manufacturer of marine engines likes E10 and thinks it's a better fuel than ethanol-free gasoline. To read/watch Mercury's ethanol webinar CLICK HERE.

Outdoor Equipment and the RFS

One of the oil industry's most pernicious myths about ethanol concerns small engines. To read my take on ethanol and small engines CLICK HERE .

How Has the RFS Evolved Over Time?

You want to know how the RFS has evolved over time? Go to Los Angeles Airport and look north. On many, many days you can see the Hollywood Hills. In Pasadena you can look to the west and south west and see the ocean. This wasn't true in the late 1980's and 90's.

 On February 14, 2018 I had the opportunity to present this paper in speech form at the Renewable Fuels Association NATIONAL ETHANOL CONFERENCE is San Antonio, Texas.

The following is the complete video of that presentation.
Page Content

In a press release issued late Friday the minister did confirm that three new cases were reported by the Collective Prevention Services (CPS) bringing the total active COVID-19 cases to 19. As of 4:00 pm on July 24 we have received reports of three new positive COVID-19 test results bringing the total number of confirmed cases on St. Maarten to 96 with 63 recovered cases and 15 confirmed deaths, the release stated.

Rumours circulating via WhatsApp voice note suggested that there were more cases which had resulted in persons rushing to shops to get groceries in anticipation of the closure of the island. However, Panneflek said CPS did test an additional ten cases on Friday which remain pending. Once the results are known, the information will be released to the public.

As part of the Ministry of Healths ongoing campaign to educate the community on the preventive measures that can be taken to avoid contamination, Minister Panneflek said I want to stress the importance of social distancing and adhering to all the safety guidelines set by tCPS. I urge everyone to remain vigilant and conscious about the measures one can take to protect themselves. These include but should not be limited to wearing a mask, observing social distancing of two meters, and frequently washing your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer with a 70 per cent alcohol base where possible.

Concerning the source tracing of the cases; of the 19 reported cases since July 1 to July 24 2020, there are four (4) independent cases that are not related to travel nor contact with a confirmed case. There also two clusters of nine cases four cases from Establishment number one and five cases from Establishment number two. Three of the nineteen cases were resulting from travel, (repatriation flight from the Dominican Republic), and the source of three additional cases is still pending completion of the CPS investigation.

While on Thursday there was only one COVID-19 case at the St. Maarten Medical Center, CPS now reports that three cases total are now admitted to SMMC one of which is a French St. Martin resident which does not count towards the numbers on Dutch St. Maarten as they are separately tracked.

The release stated that four health professionals who showed no signs of COVID-19 are amongst the 19 persons who have tested positive. These four professionals are self-isolating at their homes and are being monitored continuously by CPS.

CPS is still conducting contact tracing based on the nineteen cases that have been confirmed to determine where they have been and if anyone has been in contact with them. Once they can decipher these details, they will conduct tests to eliminate those who are not COVID-19 positive and isolate or quarantine anyone with signs of COVID-19 or who test positive for the virus.





Our discussion at this point is focused on how best to scale back on large gatherings on the island, particularly those where it is evident that persons are not adhering to social distancing protocols. Our health professionals continue to work hard and provide the government with regular updates and advice on the best course of action as we continue the fight against COVID-19. If for any reason you suspect that you or someone you know has been in contact with a positive case monitor your health for symptoms of COVID-19 and contact your family physician

I encourage you to remain safe and practice social distance. Remember wearing a mask is cool, and not wearing one is cruel. Wash your hands regularly and protect yourself and family, said Minister Panneflek.

Minister of Public Health Social Development and Labor (VSR) the honourable Richard Panneflek deflated rumours circulating on Friday of a pending lockdown of St. Maarten. I would like to make it clear that no decision to lockdown the island has been made contrary to the malicious voice note that circulated earlier today, said Minister Panneflek.
July 27 : In the second round, the Central government has banned 47 more Chinese apps in India. Earlier in June end, it had banned 59 apps including the hugely popular TikTok app that are developed in China. The apps are being banned after the Indo-China border dispute in Ladakh intensified last month and also due to security reasons.

These 47 apps have been banned as these Chinese apps were operating as clones of the earlier 59 apps that were banned. The list of the 47 Chinese apps has not been released yet. In order to protect national interest and security, the government took this decision.

India is also monitoring another list of over 250 Chinese apps, including apps that are linked to Alibaba for any user privacy or national security violations. The list also includes Tencent-supported gaming app PUBG. Besides PUBG, this list also includes other top gaming Chinese apps. These Chinese apps are allegedly sharing data with Chinese agencies.

Govt. bans 47 such apps which are clones of those #apps that have already been banned earlier pic.twitter.com/2tRBkAvfht  DD News (@DDNewslive) July 27, 2020

Among the 59 Chinese apps banned last month, big apps like SHAREit, UC Browser, Helo, Shein, Club Factory, Xender, and WeChat were included. Soon after the ban, government ordered the telcos to block access to all these apps and their related websites. It also asked Apple and Google to remove the banned apps from their respective app stores in India.
New Delhi: Students who had appeared in the Rajasthan RBSE Class 10 exams may be able to know the exam results soon. The Rajasthan Board Secondary Education (RBSE) is expected to release the Rajasthan RBSE Class 10 results 2020 in the coming days on RBSE's official websites - rajresults.nic.in and rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in.

It may be recalled that the Rajasthan Class 10 exams were scheduled to be held from March 20 to 24 but the exams were postponed due to coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country. The exams were later conducted between June 29 and 30.

Here's how to check Rajasthan Board Class 10th results online:

1. The students should first visit the RBSE's official websites

2. Click on the link showing class 10 results option

3. Now enter your roll number and put the required details

4. You can now see your result is being displayed on the screen

5. Check your scorecard carefully and download the result copy for future reference

Students can also check the RBSE 10th result 2020 via SMS: Type  RESULT (space) RAJ10A (space) ROLL NUMBER  and send it to 56263.

The passing marks for RBSE 10th Exam students is 33 per cent in all six subject namely Science, Social Science, English, Hindi, Mathematics and either of Sanskrit/ Urdu/ Rajasthani/ Music/ others.

The RBSE Class 12th Science results 2020 were declared on July 8 and the overall passing percentage was recorded at 91.96. The RBSE Class 12th Commerce results 2020 were announced on July 13.
According to the New Zealand press a new internet cable connecting New Zealand, Chile and Australia may be on the way, but plans to include China seem to have been abandoned.

Apparently the Chilean press has reported that the Chilean government plans to build a subsea cable linking Valparaiso in Chile, Sydney and New Zealand. This is significant because the original proposal was for a cable between Chile and China.

Remi Galasso, founder of Auckland firm Hawaiki cable, has apparently been in discussions with Chilean telecommunications agency SubTel about the idea of laying the cable south of New Zealand. He reportedly hopes to invest in a spur to New Zealand city Invercargill and Antarctica.

If Invercargill, a city in the far south of the country, has a realistic chance of being connected with a new fibre optic cable running between Sydney and Chile, this in turn would giving hopes of building a data centre industry in that region of New Zealand a huge boost.

Of course, the fact that plans to build a cable from Chile to China have been shelved may be welcomed by the New Zealand government as it no longer has to decide whether to give such a cable landing rights.

The Chilean press has apparently reported that the US had lobbied strongly against the China-Chile cable plan.
Pennridge to vote on one textbook; further review on other one
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Government Examinations (DGE) is expected to release Tamil Nadu SSLC results 2020 anytime soon. Although an official confirmation on the release date of results is awaited, it is being speculated that the board would release the SSLC class 10th results before July 31.

Once declared students will be able to check their Class 10 results on Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Government Examination (DGE) official websites - dge.tn.gov.in, dge1.tn.nic.in, tnresults.nic.in.

Over 9 lakh students appeared for Tamil Nadu Class 10 exam in 2020. The exams were scheduled from March 27 to April 13.

The DGE would announce the online on official websites and the students can check their score by filling required credentials asked on the website. The Tamil Nadu Class 10 exam in 2020were scheduled from March 27 to April 13.

Under the present circumstances, the Tamil Nadu Higher Secondary results 2020 will be made available in online mode only.

Here's how to check Tamil Nadu SSLC Class 10 results 2020 online:

1. Visit the official website- tnresults.nic.in

2. Click on the link of 'SSLC Exam - March 2020 Results'

3. Enter the registration number and date-of-birth

4. The result will appear on the screen. Check for any discrepancy

5. Save and download the result

6. Take a print copy of the same and secure it for future

Students can also access the Tamil Nadu SSLC Result 2020 via the app. They will need to download the TN SSLC Result app on their smartphone. To check their scorecard, visit the Results link in the app and enter credentials like Date of Birth and registration number and submit details. The Tamil Nadu class 10th SSLC Results 2020 will appear on the screen.

While 80% weightage will be given to marks in quarterly and half-yearly assessment tests, 20% weightage will be given to attendance. It is to be noted that DGE had released Tamil Nadu Board Class 12 Results 2020 on July 16.
Five men on board a Toyota Land Cruiser, which crossed into Ghana from Togo on Thursday evening in defiance of the closure of border, subjected two Customs officers to severe beatings at Vedome, near Kpetoe, in the Volta Region, and fled into Togo with a duty rifle they seized from the victims.



Three of the men, James Gatsi, Domenic Gatsi and Mensah Ahiakpatsi Gatsi, members of the same family, who later returned to their homes at Afetoryesukope on the Ghana side of the frontier that night, have been arrested by police and placed in custody.



The Kpetoe District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Benedicta Akpene Ansah, disclosed these to the Ghanaian Times at Kpetoe, at the weekend.



She said that after the incident, which occurred soon before sunset, the men fled into Togo on board the vehicle with the gun.



The police upon receiving report on the incident, acted swiftly together with some personnel of the Ghana Revenue Authority, and traced the three suspects to their homes and grabbed them in the night, according to DSP Ansah.



Meanwhile, the vehicle with registration number, GE 4753 Y, which was used for the operation, has been impounded and the sub-machine gun they seized has been retrieved with assistance from personnel of the Togolese security agencies.



DSP Ansah said the Customs officers, who were on patrol duties, spotted the vehicle entering Ghana from Togo, and signaled it to stop, on suspicion that the vehicle was unaccustomed.



As soon as the vehicle pulled up, DSP Ansah said, the five occupants came, pounced on the officers and disarmed the one who was in possession of the duty weapon, after brutally assaulting the victims.



The Kpetoe Police District Police Commander said that the suspects were all Ghanaians, and the other two were on the run, and were being sought by the police.



The assaulted Customs officers have since been issued with medical forms to report at the hospital.



When contacted later in Ho, the Volta Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Edward Oduro Kwateng corroborated the story, saying, We are processing the suspects for court without delay.

Source: The Ghanaian Times









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Azora has raised 680 million for the launch of a new fund, Azora European Hotel & Lodging, F.C.R., 80 million above the funds initial 600 million target.

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'Especially at a time when truth is being twisted and a new narrative is being manufactured.'

IMAGE: Security forces patrol a street in a riot-affected area in Delhi, February 26, 2020. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Zafarul Islam Khan retired as the chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission on July 19, 2020 after completing three years in office.

As the DMC chairman, Khan constituted a fact-finding committee, headed by M R Shamshad, advocate-on-record, Supreme Court of India, to look into the communal riots that engulfed north east Delhi between February 24 and 27, which led to the deaths of 53 people, mostly Muslims.

Just before his retirement, the 72-year-old journalist and author submitted a series of reports related to the welfare of minorities in Delhi, including the DMC Fact-finding Report on Delhi Riots 2020 to the government of Delhi and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, squarely blaming the Delhi police for aiding and abetting the rioters who roamed the streets in communally-sensitive pockets in north east Delhi.

"We do not entertain great hopes, but truth had to be told (about the Delhi riots) and placed on record," Khan tells Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore. The first of a two-part interview:

You retired on July 19 as the chairman of the Delhi Minority Commission after a stint of three years. How was the journey? Tiring, frustrating, satisfying?

It was a mixed bag. We were able to achieve a lot and this is shown in our three annual reports to the government of Delhi.

Hundreds of individual problems were solved by our intervention: some 14,000 OBC students got admission in Delhi university in 2018 when we intervened issuing an order that the university cannot ask students to produce fresh certificates if the applicants held valid OBC certificates at the time of application.

Erring police officers were punished; hate-mongers in media and social media were taken to task.

We started an awards scheme to honour exceptional achievers in minorities communities.

At the same we could not implement some plans and ideas due to stonewalling by the bureaucracy which thinks it is supreme while we think that the Act which created the (Delhi Minorities) Commission is supreme and it alone should be point of reference to decide the mandate and powers of the Commission.

We have asked the Delhi government to clarify this point.

What was your biggest challenge as DMC chairman?

The biggest challenge has been to get the government of Delhi to clarify who is supreme: The bureaucracy or the Commission's Act. This will solve many problems and let the Commission act according to its mandate specified in its Act.

Were you able to fulfill your mandate? Any incomplete project that you would have liked to complete before you retired?

We raced against time and despite the COVID-19 pandemic completed all our assignments and days before the end of our tenure presented to the government (of Delhi) four reports including our annual report for the last year and a fact-finding report on the north east Delhi riots.

You have stated that the Delhi police did not cooperate with the DMC's fact-finding committee on the riots that engulfed north east Delhi between February 23 and 27, 2020.

Why did the Delhi police refuse to heed your requests?

How did they try to scuttle this fact-finding committee under the chairmanship of M R Shamshad, advocate-on-record, Supreme Court of India?

They were asked by the Commission (the DMC) as well as by the fact-finding committee to provide certain details about the north east district riots, but they did not do so although they are duty-bound, as per the DMC Act, to supply the Commission with any information it asks for.

The DMC Fact-Finding Report on Delhi Riots 2020 has charged the Delhi police of aiding and abetting the rioters.

Nany, many, fact-finding committees before yours, like after the Delhi riots of 1984, the Mumbai riots of 1992-1993, the Gujarat riots of 2002 pointed out the same pattern of police involvement, aiding and abetment, no serious punitive action was ever taken against any policeman in any of these riots.

Can your committee's report buck this trend?

We do not expect that this report will change this trend because governments have their way in these matters where politicians are involved, but at least an official version is out and will remain a reference point for many years.

While you have submitted your report to the Delhi government, do you really believe any action will be taken against the actual perpetrators of the Delhi riots, their political masters? In this respect, what purpose do such fact-finding commissions serve?

We do not entertain great hopes, but truth had to be told (about Delhi riots) and placed on record especially at a time when truth is being twisted and a new narrative is being manufactured.

What kind of obstructions/challenges did you and your team face from government institutions right from February 27 when you asked the Delhi government's revenue minister to grant permission to constitute a fact-finding committee?

Why do you think the revenue minister refused to reply to your letter?

We do not know why the revenue minister chose not to reply.

In any case, from February 24 itself, our commission intervened forcefully to stop the riots and later to secure justice for the victims, details of which are found in our annual report for 2019-2020.

Why couldn't your fact-finding commission get any cooperation from the Delhi police? Under what powers did the Delhi police refuse to cooperate with this commission?

Ghe Delhi police has no legal power to deny us the information we asked for but, we think, when higher authorities are interested, the police can ignore Commission orders.

What are the commission's major recommendations that can help the riot victims get justice or give them hope that such a fate wouldn't befall them in the future?

These are mentioned in detail in the relevant section of the report. Broadly, it seeks to ensure justice for the victims, fair compensation to the victims and punishment of the planners and executors of the riots.

You have been booked under charges of sedition -- Sections 124A and Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code -- by the Delhi police and you have been granted reprieve from arrest till July 31 by the Delhi high court.

Are the Delhi police being vindictive against you?

Has your counsel got the status report from the Delhi police?

Do you, in hindsight, regret your April 28 tweet?

I think my tweet did not deserve all this attention, but since a political lobby was peeved at my actions as the head of the Delhi Minorities Commission and was waiting for an opportunity to punish me and deny me another term which was a foregone conclusion before this controversy.

The tweet gave them the handle they were waiting for.

With hindsight, I think that that tweet was unnecessary and thoughtless. I was acting as a writer and journalist who momentarily forgot that he was also head of a statutory body.

Only two days after this tweet, I said it was ill-timed and insensitive. But the powers that be were adamant to punish me and a very high level intervention ensured that a complaint against me be forwarded to the special cell of the Delhi police which looks after serious cases like terror and narcotics. The police are yet to file a chargesheet.

Earlier you said that the Delhi police did not give you the details that the fact finding commission sought from it. What reasons were put forward by the Delhi pplice?

They did not say anything. They simply did not reply to our request.

Could the DMC then not have take action against the Delhi police?

We could have taken action, but we did not.

Why? What happened?

We were too busy; too busy with many things. Then there was the lockdown and these people (the commission members) were also in a hurry to complete their report. Because of the lockdown they were already delayed too much.

We could have taken action, of course.

The Commission (the DMC) has powers, but we were too busy. The Commission also was not working properly because of this lockdown.

People were not coming (to the DMC office/em>); maybe for two-and-a-half months, we were closed and actually working from home. Those were extraordinary times.

Why do you think that the Delhi police refused to part with the details you needed? Under whose pressure?

I can't say anything. They should know better (under whose pressure did they refuse to heed our requests). I don't know, but this is what has happened.

Do you believe that this was because of political pressure?

I don't know under whose pressure, but of course, nothing happens in a vacuum. It must have happened and then things don't work in normal course.

Even in the case of an FIR registered against me, normally it should go to a police station closest to me (where I stay). That is what should have happened normally. But in my case it goes to the special cell of the Delhi police.

In my case there is somebody who is very much interested to make it a big issue.

So there must be people (who have pressurised the Delhi police from sharing details, records related to the north east Delhi district riots), but I don't know (who).

Don't the Delhi police work under the jurisdiction of the Union home ministry?

They are accountable to the Union home ministry and take their orders from there, but in Delhi, they are also accountable to the lieutenant governor of Delhi, which also (works) under the (Union) home ministry.
There are three criteria for assessing goods and services including prices, quality and customer service.

However, power consumers in Vietnam have no basis for assessment as there is only one electricity supplier in the market.

When many electricity suppliers are available at the same time, competition will allow consumers to make a choice easily - PHOTO: THANH HOA



With the Politburos Resolution 55-NQ/TW dated February 11, 2020 on the direction for the strategy for national energy development to 2030 with a vision to 2045, consumers are expecting to have a dynamic electricity market as is the case of the telecom market.

According to a draft by the Electricity Regulatory Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the competitive power retail market will start in 2021, with priority for big consumers first, those who are supplied power through the 110kV line. The expansion of the market, but with conditions, mainly for power retail to daily activities, will be carried out after 2025.

Still distant

According to the Prime Ministers Decision 63/2013/QD-TTg dated November 8, 2015, the road map for the establishment and development of the electricity market will cover three stages, including the competitive electricity generation market, the competitive electricity wholesale market and the competitive electricity retail market. The competitive electricity wholesale market has been developed for nearly two years, while the competitive electricity retail market, which is in the preparatory phase, is expected to start next year.

In general, two stages of the road map have been executed. However, it is not known when the last stage, the competitive electricity retail market, will reach consumers who are households and businesses, as this stage comprises four steps: The preparatory step (2020-2021), the participation of big consumers in the electricity wholesale market (2021-2023), the selection of electricity retailers by big consumers (2023-2025) and the expansion of the electricity retail market (after 2025) with priority for big consumers.

Under the consumer classification by the electricity sector, there are four groups of consumers including production, administration, daily activities and business. Consumers in the production group makes up the largest share, about 60%, with the lowest average price. The group of consumers for daily activities (households) accounts for only 30% of the total power consumption.

Like in many other countries, the number of outlets of household consumers is many times as much as that of consumers in the production group though their power consumption is lower. For example, power consumption for daily activities accounts for 35% of total power consumption in France but makes up 86.6% of the number of outlets. Therefore, the installation of new generation power meters takes up more time and resources.

More options for consumers

On the supply side, the electricity market has three main componentsnamely electricity generation, transmission and distribution. Except for transmission, with its own features of no competition due to natural monopoly, the two other components have been proven to get more effective with competition.

The shortcoming of the electricity retail market in Vietnam is the selection of power distributors by household consumers. Considering the proposal of the Electricity Regulatory Authority that the priority of selection is given first to big consumers who are producers while household consumers must wait until after 2025, it is not known when this group of consumers can get this option.

When the system of competitive electricity distributors is established, the market principle will force those distributors to compete in prices, quality and customer service, and the end-users will benefit. With prices, for example, distributors will have to make clear the pricing structure, such as the percentages of the price of production of one kWh, the transmission cost (which must be offered through bidding for using the State infrastructure), taxes and fees.

When many electricity suppliers are available at the same time, competition will allow consumers to make a choice easily. In France, there are 30 distributors of power for daily activities among 43 power distribution firms nationwide after the electricity market was opened in July 1, 2007. Consumers can make comparison and selection for their own needs, and make changes easily with some movements online or via phone calls. They can consider prices, quality and customer service. With prices, they can even weigh between the fixed prices over 1-4 years and the market prices, as there are differences between fixed prices (for monthly subscribers) and consumption based prices.

To better serve customers, power distribution companies have installed the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) so that consumers do not have to worry about the accuracy of the power meters. In addition, they allow consumers to make even monthly payments in a year, which means that the same payment is made for every month, and the surplus or deficit is calculated at the years end to help customers better manage their expenditures based on their consumption history. The distribution companies also often give advice on economical, effective power consumption, providing customers comparisons for power consumption between them and households of the same size and housing area so that they could know whether they are wasting power.

The road map which allows consumers to make more choices of power for daily activities in Vietnam is available, but it may be a long time to exercise this right as planned, and its also uncertain whether the plan can be carried out well. Vietnam has an advantage in solar power. If the Government has support for conversion to renewable energy as many countries do, households should think of installing solar panels for their own use. SGT

Khanh Binh

Ministry considers common retail power price The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is considering allowing households to choose a common retail power price for their electricity consumption, said deputy minister Hoang Quoc Vuong.
July 27 : To watch late actor Sushant Singh Rajputs last film Dil Bechara was quite heart wrenching for everyone. Actor Kriti Sanon got quite emotional and sentimental after watching Dil Bechara. The Luka Chuppi actor to express her feelings penned down a touchy note for Sushant on her Instagram. In her post she stated that watching Sushant in the movie was like seeing him coming alive and this broke her heart again.

Sharing a video of Sushants character from the film, Kriti on her Instagram wrote, Its not Seri! And it will never sink in...This broke my heart...again...In Manny, I saw YOU come alive in so so many moments...I knew exactly where you had put in a bit of yourself in the character...And as always, your most magical bits were your silences... those bits where you said nothing and yet u said so much!

About the movie, Sushant Singh Rajputs last release, Dil Bechara, will be available for streaming on Disney + Hotstar from July 24. The film marks the debut of Sanjana Sanghi as actor and casting director Mukesh Chhabra as feature film director. The film also features Saif Ali Khan and Swastika Mukherjee.

Dil Bechara is the official Hindi remake of 2014 Hollywood romantic drama The Fault in our Stars, based on John Greens book with the same name.

About Sushant Singh Rajput, he was reportedly found hanging in his Mumbai apartment. However, no suicide note was found in the house. The post-mortem report has proved that it is death due to suicide. It's no secret that Sushant was going through very tough times and was depressed from the last six months. No one in the industry stood up for him nor did they lend a helping hand. Many claim its because he was made to feel an outsider in Bollywood and was never welcomed as one of their own.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: The BMC on Tuesday said that a serological surveillance for COVID-19 infection was commissioned by NITI-Aayog, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

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The remote-work order issued Monday by Google CEO Sundar Pichai also affects other companies owned by Google's corporate parent, Alphabet Inc. It marks a six-month extension of Google's previous plan to keep most of its offices closed through the rest of this year.

Google has decided that most of its 200,000 employees and contractors should work from home through next June, a sobering assessment of the pandemic's potential staying power from the company providing the answers for the world's most trusted internet search engine.

Of the new infections, 57 were in the far western region of Xinjiang, six were in the northeastern province of Liaoning and one in Beijing, while the remaining four were imported cases, according to a statement by the National Health Commission. China reported 34 new asymptomatic patients, down from 44 a day earlier.

China reported 68 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for July 27, up from 61 cases a day earlier, the health commission said on Tuesday, reports Reuters.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam to review COVID-19 mitigation measures in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday decided to allow home quarantine of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients with no comorbidities, provided they can have a separate room for themselves in the house and download the Aarogya Setu app, officials said.

Seven more COVID-19 patients died in Assam on Monday, taking the toll to 86, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The state also reported 1,348 new cases, following which the tally climbed to 33,567.

Maharashtras Pune district reported 3,044 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking its count to 72,782 yesterday, a health department official said. The official said that the death toll rose to 1,737 with 38 more patients succumbing to the infection in the district.

Nearly 3,000 federal workers have filed compensation claims for having contracted COVID-19 on the job, a number that is expected to double by early next month, according to a Department of Labor review, reports AP. Through mid-June, families of 48 federal workers had filed death claims with the Division of Federal Employees'' Compensation.

The trials, both announced on Monday, are the first late-stage studies supported by the Trump administration's effort to speed development of measures against the novel coronavirus, adding to hope that an effective vaccine will help end the pandemic.

Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc launched two 30,000-subject trials of COVID-19 vaccines that could clear the way for regulatory approval and widespread use by the end of this year, the companies said on Monday.

More than 5 lakh COVID-19 tests conducted in a single day over two consecutive days. On 26 July, India tested a total of 5,15,000 samples and on 27 July, a total of 5,28,000 samples were tested, according to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

The World Health Organization said the coronavirus pandemic continues to accelerate, as the number of cases have doubled over the last six weeks. The global coronavirus count has now gone up to 1.64 crores while the toll has crossed 6.52 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University. More than 95.25 lakh people have recovered.

The Serum Institute of India is conducting phase III clinical trial of BCG vaccine candidate VPM1002 to evaluate its ability in reducing infection and severe disease outcomes of COVID-19 among high-risk persons of advanced age, comorbidities and high-exposure healthcare workers (HCWs), the Department of Biotechnology has said.

India registers 47,703 new cases and 654 fresh fatalities in the last 24 hours. With this, the countrys tally is now 14,83,156 and toll stands at 33,425.

According to the Government on India, the recovery rate among COVID-19 patients has increased to 64.23 percent. The recoveries/deaths ratio is 96.6%:3.4% now.

As per the latest date provided by the ministry on Tuesday, Maharashtra continues to be the worst-affected state from the infection with 1,48,905 active cases and 13,656 deaths due to Covid-19. Tamil Nadu has a total of 53,703 active cases and 3,494 deaths. Delhi has a total of 11,904 active cases and 3,827 deaths.

Vertical transmission takes place when the baby is in the uterus. If the mother is infected, the transmission of the virus takes place through the placenta- an organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy and provides oxygen and nutrients to your growing baby.

The Sassoon General Hospital in Maharashtra has claimed to have reported the country's first case of 'vertical transmission' of the coronavirus infection from a mother to her child through the placenta.

Out of the 1,610 new cases, 531 were from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) , followed by Ranga Reddy 172, Warangal Urban 152 and Medchal-Malkajgiri 113, a state government bulletin said on Tuesday, providing data as of 8 PM on July 27.

Telangana recorded 1,610 fresh COVID-19 cases and nine more deaths, pushing the tally of infections in the state to 57,142.

Odishas coronavirus caseload on Tuesday rises to 28,107 with 1,215 new cases, PTI reports. The states toll rises to 154 with seven more deaths

At least 23 fresh COVID-19 infections were reported in Mizoram on Monday, according to the Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Mizoram.

The Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine maker in the world, has been chosen by Oxford and its partner AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine once it is ready. Trials results for the first two phases were published earlier in July.

"This is an essential step because it is necessary to have data within the country before the vaccine is administered to Indians," Swarup told PTI.

Five sites across the country are ready for the third and final phase of human trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Department of Biotechnology (DBT) Secretary Renu Swarup said on Monday.

With 227 more deaths, the COVID-19 toll in the state has reached 13,883.

Maharashtra reported 7,924 new COVID-19 cases on Monday to take the state's total cases to 3,83,723. However, the surge was more than offset by a record-high discharge of 8,706 patients, as the cumulative number of recoveries rose to 2,21,944.

The bench, however, declined to pass any interim orders for now staying operation of the regulation as was sought by counsel for petitioner  Sonia Rana.

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan issued notice to the Delhi government seeking its stand on the plea by a lawyer, who has contended that imposing of a fine amounts to handing down a punishment which can only be awarded by a judge, not a police officer.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought response of the AAP government on a plea challenging a provision which empowers police officers of sub-inspector rank or above to impose fines on anyone violating COVID-19 regulations.

Two police constables, arrested in connection with the Thoothukudi custodial deaths, test positive for the coronavirus, ANI reports.

Eighty-one more people, including 14 BRTF and two Assam Rifles personnel, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the northeastern state's caseload to 1,239 on Tuesday, reports PTI.

Of the total 4,067 COVID-19 patients in the state, 2,467 have recovered and 18 migrated to other states. The number of active cases in the state stands at 1,565 and fatalities at 17, they said.

Tripura's COVID-19 caseload breached the 4,000-mark on Tuesday after 147 more people tested positive for the infection, reports PTI. West Tripura district reported 40 fresh cases, Sepahijala 41, Gomati 22, Khowai 12, North Tripura 18, Dhalai nine, South Tripura district three and Unakoti two.

Twenty-two Assam Rifles personnel posted at Zokhawsanga near Aizawl and a civilian who had recently returned from Nepal have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Zoram Medical College on Monday night, a statement issued by the State Information and Public Relation Department said.

Twenty-two Assam Rifles personnel are among 23 more people testing positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, officials said on Tuesday. The new infections have taken the northeastern state's caseload to 384, they said.

Besides, the SHO of Lalganj Kotwali Rakesh Bharati has also tested positive for coronavirus, the CMO said. So far, 268 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the district of which 155 people have been discharged after recovery. As many as 11 deaths have been reported so far, the CMO added.

The Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) of the district hospital here has tested positive for coronavirus, a senior officer said on Tuesday. CMS of the district hospital PP Pandey has tested positive, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) AK Srivastava said.

India has reported more than 30,000 recoveries per day for the fourth consecutive day today, as per data from the Union Health Ministry.

The Odisha government has asked all district collectors, SPs, municipal commissioners and health officials to conduct the last rites of coronavirus suspects without insisting on testing of swab or waiting for the report, an official told PTI.

Meanwhile, 141 fresh COVID-19 cases and four related deaths were reported in the Union Territory during the last 24 hours ending 10 a.m. on Tuesday, taking the tally to 3,011.

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, his cabinet colleagues and legislators of various political parties here tested negative for coronavirus on Tuesday.The results came negative after testing of the swabs collected from them at a special camp held on the premises of the Assembly Monday.

The country's toll due to the virus rose to 33,425 with 654 deaths being reported in a 24-hour span, data updated at 8 am showed. According to the data, the recovery rate among COVID-19 patients is 64.24 percent, while the fatality rate is 2.25 percent.

At least 60 inmates of Vadodara Central Jail in Gujarat have tested positive for coronavirus infection in the last two days, reports PTI. The jail authorities are in the process of setting up an 80-bed COVID-19 care centre inside the premises to ensure proper treatment for infected prisoners, the official said.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi Prisons stand at 221, reports ANI. Out of the 60 infected inmates, there are 55 recoveries, 2 active cases, 2 deaths while one inmate has been released and are under home quarantine. Out of 161 staff members, 122 have recovered and 39 active, a prison official told ANI

Mumbai Suburban districts minister Aaditya Thackeray has tweeted that the city has reported only 700 new COVID-19 cases today. "Dont let the guard down! Dont let your mask down! Only get numbers down!" he added.

Mumbai will see more testing with chase the virus initiative of the BMC, said Aditya Thackeray, adding that it is also the only city to have liberalised testing and allowed citizens to test at will.

138 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths were reported in the Maharashtra Police department in the last 24 hours. The total confirmed cases stand at 8,722, including 6,670 recoveries and 97 deaths in the police force.

Sharing his experience with his ministerial colleagues while chairing the cabinet meet from hospital through video conferencing, Chouhan said there is no need to panic about coronavirus and it can be controlled by remaining alert.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who tested positive for coronavirus, on Tuesday chaired the first virtual cabinet meeting from hospital and said if the infection is detected early, then it is not incurable and is like any other cold, cough and fever.

Tripura government on Tuesday launched a door-to-door COVID-19 survey, simultaneously with imposing three days total lockdown in the state. Health department staff along with local panchayat members are conducting the survey, ANI reported.

"We are extending the partial lockdown in the state, which was in force till 31 July, till 31 August," she said. However, the state government made an exception for 1 August, on the occasion of Bakri Eid.

Complete lockdown will be observed in the state on 2, 5, 8, 9, 16, 17, 23, 24, and 31 August, said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday.

Thakur and his family members were in self-quarantine after an aide tested positive for COVID-19.

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and his family members tested negative for the second time on Tuesday, a week after their first test also came negative.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that no death due to coronavirus was reported in the National Capital's COVID-19 dedicated hospital, LNJP, on Monday.

Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday said that only 700 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Mumbai on Tuesday, which was a "major relief" after three months.

"The medical equipment was handed over to the Indian Red Cross Society by French ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain at the Palam Air Force Station after the assistance material was flown here on board a French Air Force aircraft," the report said.

"In the first round, 6936 samples were collected from 3 wards in slum&non-slum areas. Systematically conducted study estimates around 57 percent sero-prevalence in slums and 16 percent sero-prevalence in non-slums, on an average, in the three wards that were studied," the statement said.

The BMC on Tuesday said that a serological surveillance for COVID-19 infection was commissioned by NITI-Aayog, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Total number of positive cases is now 3,91,440 including 2,32,277 discharged,14,165 deaths and 1,44,694 active cases. Recovery rate is 59.34 percent, the state health department said.

"We are extending the partial lockdown in the state, which was in force till 31 July, till 31 August," she said. However, the state government made an exception for 1 August, on the occasion of Bakri Eid.

Complete lockdown will be observed in the state on 2, 5, 8, 9, 16, 17, 23, 24, and 31 August, said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday.

Thakur and his family members were in self-quarantine after an aide tested positive for COVID-19.

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and his family members tested negative for the second time on Tuesday, a week after their first test also came negative.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that no death due to coronavirus was reported in the National Capital's COVID-19 dedicated hospital, LNJP, on Monday.

The good news: Only 700 cases today in Mumbai & that too with highest testing till date in Mumbai in a single day(8776).This is chase the virus in full capacity. A major relief after 3 months. Caution: dont let the guard down! Dont let your mask down! Only get numbers down!

Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday said that only 700 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Mumbai on Tuesday, which was a "major relief" after three months.

"The medical equipment was handed over to the Indian Red Cross Society by French ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain at the Palam Air Force Station after the assistance material was flown here on board a French Air Force aircraft," the report said.

"In the first round, 6936 samples were collected from 3 wards in slum&non-slum areas. Systematically conducted study estimates around 57 percent sero-prevalence in slums and 16 percent sero-prevalence in non-slums, on an average, in the three wards that were studied," the statement said.

The BMC on Tuesday said that a serological surveillance for COVID-19 infection was commissioned by NITI-Aayog, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Total number of positive cases is now 3,91,440 including 2,32,277 discharged,14,165 deaths and 1,44,694 active cases. Recovery rate is 59.34 percent, the state health department said.

- These results will be valuable to learn more about herd immunity. Although it is still unclear what level of prevalence leads to herd immunity, findings indicate that at least in slums this could be attained sooner than later, if the immunity exists and persists in a significant proportion of the population.

- Lower prevalence in non-slums could be due to better social distancing and access to better hygiene in addition to interventions by MCGM to stem the spread of infection.

- Taking together the current prevalence (estimated here) and records from BMC on reported deaths, the infection fatality rate (IFR) is likely to be very low (0.05-0.10%). Among others, this could be attributed to effective containment efforts and active measures to isolate symptomatic cases by MCGM.

- Higher prevalence in slums could be possibly due to population density and shared common facilities (toilets, water points etc.).

- Results suggest that asymptomatic infections are likely to be a high proportion of all infections.

A press release by the BMC on the sero-survey conducted in three wards of Mumbai listed the results as following:

Respecting the sentiments of the people we are withdrawing complete lockdown announcement for 2 August and 9 August(2/2)

Coronavirus LATEST Updates: The BMC on Tuesday said that a serological surveillance for COVID-19 infection was commissioned by NITI-Aayog, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

"In the first round, 6936 samples were collected from 3 wards in slum&non-slum areas. Systematically conducted study estimates around 57 percent sero-prevalence in slums and 16 percent sero-prevalence in non-slums, on an average, in the three wards that were studied," the statement said.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that no death due to coronavirus was reported in the National Capital's COVID-19 dedicated hospital, LNJP, on Monday.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced the extension of partial lockdown in state till 31 August.

"We are extending the partial lockdown in the state, which was in force till 31 July, till 31 August," she said. However, the state government made an exception for 1 August, on the occasion of Bakri Eid.

The Union health ministry on Tuesday said that Itolizumab, which was approved for emergency use by the Drug Controller General of India, "has not been included in the national treatment protocol," The Indian Express reported.

"According to a statement issued by the Health Ministry, the National Task Force on Covid-19 contended there was very little evidence in favour of this medicine," the report said.

India has reported more than 30,000 recoveries per day for the fourth consecutive day today, as per data from the Union Health Ministry, while the fatality rate is 2.25 percent.

Twenty-two Assam Rifles personnel are among 23 more people testing positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, reports PTI. The fresh infections have taken the northeastern state's caseload to 384.

Maharashtra reported 7,924 new COVID-19 cases on Monday to take the state's total cases to 3,83,723. However, the number of recoveries were higher with 8,706 patients being discharged. The cumulative number of recoveries rose to 2,21,944.

According to the Government on India, the recovery rate among COVID-19 patients has increased to 64.23 percent. The recoveries/deaths ratio is 96.6%:3.4% now.

India registers 47,703 new cases and 654 fresh fatalities in the last 24 hours. With this, the countrys tally is now 14,83,156 and toll stands at 33,425.

Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc launched two 30,000-subject trials of COVID-19 vaccines that could clear the way for regulatory approval and widespread use by the end of this year.

India registered a single-day jump of 49,931 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the overall caseload to 14,35,453. The toll rose to 32,771 with 708 fatalities being recorded in 24 hours, the Union health ministry's 8 am update showed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched three testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata through video conferencing and asserted that India is in a much better position than other countries in the fight against COVID-19 as a result of "right decisions taken at the right time".

Meanwhile, a human clinical trial of the indigenously developed Covaxin, a potential vaccine against the novel coronavirus, began at the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) and SUM Hospital in Odisha's Bhubaneshwar.

Amid rising numbers in many states across the country, the Chhattisgarh government decided to extend lockdown in COVID-19 hotspots in the state till 6 August. Nagaland where Kohima and Dimapur districts are already under lockdown imposed restrictions on Mon district, which has the third-highest number of active cases in the state.

India reports over 45,000 cases for fifth consecutive day

India reported over 45,000 new cases for the fifth consecutive day, propelling the total coronavirus cases in the country past 14 lakh, while the toll increased to 32,771, according to the Union health ministry's data.

The recoveries also increased by 31,991 to 9,17,567, pushing the recovery rate to nearly 64 percent, said the health ministry.

Separately, the ministry said that the case fatality rate has been progressively falling and currently stands at 2.28 percent which is among the lowest in the world. The focused efforts of the Centre, state governments and Union Territory administrations on early detection and isolation through aggressive testing and efficient clinical management of hospitalised cases have shown results with continuously falling case fatality rate and improving recovery rate, it said in a statement.

As a result of low mortality and more people recovering, the recovered cases exceed the active cases (4,85,114) by 4,32,453 as on Monday, it stated.

Narendra Modi launches three testing centres

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also remarked on the steadily improving recovery rate, adding that India has reported lesser fatalities than many big countries.

Speaking after the virtual launch of three "high throughput" testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata, Modi said that in the fight against coronavirus, India has come to a point where it does not lack in awareness, its scientific data is expanding and resources are also increasing. Reeling off the progress in the country's health infrastructure, Modi said that the country now has more than 11,000 COVID facilities and more than 11 lakh isolation beds.

"While the country had only one COVID testing centre in January this year, there are almost 1,300 such labs now," he said. At present, more than five lakh tests are being conducted in the country daily, and efforts are underway to increase this capacity to 10 lakh in the coming weeks, he said.

He also spoke about the country's progress in manufacturing equipment such as PPE kits, N95 mask, ventilators and oxygen cylinders, observing that this has not only helped save lives but has also converted India from an importer to an exporter.

He said that the new hi-tech testing facilities will give will boost the testing capacity by almost 10,000 daily tests in each of the three cities and will help West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh in the fight against COVID-19. These labs will not be limited to testing for COVID, but in future they will also be able to test for Hepatitis B and C, HIV, Dengue and several other diseases, Modi noted.

Covaxin human trials start in Odisha

Meanwhile in Odisha, human trial of BBV152 COVID-19 vaccine or Covaxin commenced at the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) and SUM Hospital in Bhubaneshwar one of the 12 centres selected by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for conducting phase one and two of the process.

Covaxin, which is being developed by Bharat Biotech, was administered to volunteers who were selected through a rigorous screening procedure, E Venkat Rao, principal investigator of the trial process, told PTI. Those who were administered the vaccine have been kept under observation and all of them are "absolutely fine", he said. The selected volunteers will be given two doses within a fortnight, Rao said.

Covaxin is the first indigenous vaccine developed by India against COVID-19 and is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune.

State-wise updates

Through the day, several states and Union Territories continued adding new infections to their overall case counts.

The COVID-19 tally in Maharashtra increased to 3,83,723 on Monday with addition of 7,924 new cases while the toll mounted by 227, including 39 fatalities in Mumbai region, to 13,883, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported its first COVID-19 death as a 49-year-old government employee who also had comorbid conditions,

lost his life on Monday, officials told PTI. The Union Territory also detected 34 new cases of COVID-19, taking the total to 324.

Goa saw a record single-day spike of 258, pushing the COVID-19 infection count to 5,119. With 133 people getting discharged during the day, the state now has 1,673 active cases, while 36 have succumbed to the infection.

Uttar Pradesh reported its biggest single-day jump of 3,505 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 70,493, while 30 more fatalities pushed the death count to 1,456. There are 26,204 active cases in the state as a total of 42,833 patients have been discharged after treatment, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.

The national capital recorded 613 fresh coronavirus cases on Monday, the lowest in the last two months. With 26 more fatalities, the toll climbed to 3,853 while the coronavirus count in Delhi reached 1,31,219. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the the situation has improved significantly due to hard work and prudence of Delhi people. He also claimed that the Delhi model was being widely discussed and appreciated across the country and the world.

However, the decline in fresh cases also coincided with lesser number of tests. According to Monday's health bulletin, which details information about the fresh cases registered in the last 24 hours, 11,506 tests (7,685-PCR, CBNAAT and True NAAT tests figures; 3,821 - Rapid Antigen), the second lowest in July.

In the south, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka crossed the grim milestone of one lakh COVID-19 cases while Tamil Nadu logged nearly 7,000 fresh infections for the third straight day, taking its case count to 2,20,716. Chennai accounted for 95,857 of the state's cases.

Telangana saw the total infection count breach the 55,000 mark while the cumulative cases rose to 2,872 in the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Kerala recorded 702 fresh cases, taking the total cases to 19,727. The state government however ruled out a complete lockdown, stating that it was not a solution to halt the spread of coronavirus. The common opinion during a Cabinet meeting was to strengthen the restrictions in clusters to check local transmission, said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, adding that Police will intervene and take strict action in case of violations. However, as a 'serious' situation continued in Thiruvananthapuram district the existing lockdown would remain in place there, he said.

Chhattisgarh extends lockdown in hostpots till 6 August

Many areas across the country have been punt under lockdown restrictions of varying degrees and durations. In Meghalaya's capital Shillong, a 72-hour-long shutdown kicked in on Monday. The lockdown in Shillong agglomeration  localities within the Shillong municipality and scheduled areas was announced after 56 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the last two days.

"The lockdown reimposed in the entire Shillong city agglomeration will continue till Wednesday midnight," the district's Deputy Commissioner Matsiewdor W Nongbri said. During this period, health workers will be working extra time to track all primary and secondary contacts of positive patients, and conduct random tests to break the chain of infection, she said.

Total lockdown has been extended to Nagaland's Mon district and will remqain in force till 2 August, said a notification. The lockdown protocol will be followed and all shops, business establishments, offices, schools will be closed except pharmacies and there will be total ban on movement of people barring medical emergencies, it said. However, trucks from Assam carrying essential commodities were permitted entry into the district only for Monday so that the general people can get them during the lockdown, officials said.

Mon currently has 132 cases out of the total 1384 confirmed cases in Nagaland. It also has 124 active cases, the third-highest number in the state, it said. State capital Kohima and commercial capital Dimapur are the other two places where total lockdown has been clamped.

The Chhattisgarh government decided to extend the ongoing lockdown in coronavirus- hit areas, including capital Raipur, Bilaspur and Durg, till 6August to check the spread of the infection. Briefing the media after a Cabinet meeting, Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey said, that instructions have been given to district collectors to ensure strict compliance with lockdown rules in coronavirus hotspots and take effective steps to check the spread of the infection.

Chhattisgarh, where the infection has spread in all the 28 districts, has reported 7,613 COVID-19 cases till Sunday night. The state has recorded over 5,000 cases in just the last one month. With 2,187 cases so far, Raipur district tops the case count in the state.

With inputs from PTI
Imprisoned journalist Azimjon Askarov has died in Kyrgyzstan, according to international human rights organizations.

Askarov was a brave, courageous, outspoken activist, noted Gulnoza Said of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The CPJ and Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced the death of Askarov, a 69-year-old ethnic Uzbek, on July 25. He was said to have died earlier that day.

Cause of Death Unknown

Both organizations said the government of Kyrgyzstan had not revealed the cause of Askarovs death. The CPJ called upon the government to resolve the matter.

HRW called for an effective, independent investigation into the journalists death.

According to the CPJ, Askarovs wife said he had been ill with the COVID-19 virus but prison authorities had not tested him despite his fever and extremely weak condition. The death of the journalist "could have been prevented," Said claimed.

The authorities in Kyrgyzstan were to blame for the death of Askarov, according to Mihra Rittmann, a researcher at HRW. "They intended for him to die in prison, and so he has," she said.

At 8 am today, Stockholm time, we received the sad news of Azimjon Askarovs death from his son. #Askarov passed away after spending ten years in a Kyrgyz prison serving a life sentence on dubious and what many believe to be politically motivated charges. https://t.co/bqQCtg288r  Civil Rights Defenders (@crdefenders) July 25, 2020

Defending Human Rights in Kyrgyzstan

As the director of a civil rights group in southern Kyrgyzstan, Askarov had reported on the conduct of local law enforcement and prison officials, HRW recalled.

On June 10, 2010, violence broke out between different ethnic groups in the area, Askarov covered the conflict and he was subsequently arrested following criminal accusations concerning the death of a police officer in Askarov's hometown of Bazar-Kurgan, HRW said. Askarov complained that he was tortured during his detention, but the complaints were brushed aside by the courts, HRW added.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

After Askarov was sentenced to life imprisonment on September 15, 2010, the United Nations Human Rights Committee called for the journalist to be set free but the Kyrgyzstan government simply gave him another trial and another sentence to life imprisonment, according to HRW. In May 2020, Askarov's last appeal was rejected by the Kyrgyzstan Supreme Court, the CPJ said.

The CPJ recalled that it gave Askarov its International Press Freedom Award in 2012. The organization also noted that Askarov was the only recipient of the award to die in prison.

Kyrgyzstan Defies International Pressure

During Askarovs imprisonment, unsuccessful diplomatic attempts to have him released were made by the EU and individual European countries as well as the US, the CPJ recalled.

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. It is surrounded by China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. According to the CPJ, Askarov had wanted his final resting place to be in Uzbekistan.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Great demonstration against immorality

Sunday, at the initiative of several organizations in the evangelical sector including the Protestant Federation of Haiti and the National Spiritual Conference of Pastors and Churches of Haiti, thousands of faithful and sympathizers as well as opposition activists, marched in the streets of Port-au-Prince against immorality and for the respect of family values and demand the withdrawal of the decree of the new penal code published by the Government. It is stressed that most of the demonstrators did not wear a mask and were unaware of the respect of the barrier measures to avoid the spread of the Covid-19...



120.32 Gourdes for 1 US dollar

As of July 24, the reference rate of the Central Bank for the purchase of one US dollar was 118.23 Gourdes (average acquisition rate 120.32). Purchase rate between 115.6 and 118.5 and rate selling between 116.5 and 120 Gourdes. For other currencies it took 140 Gourdes for the purchase of one Euro, 2.05 Gourdes for 1 Dominican pesos and 90 Gourdes for a Canadian dollar.



100,000 coffee seedlings already planted

The Ministry of the Environment welcomes the commitment of the Haitian Solidarity for the Development of Kenscoff (SOHADERK) which is an organization that has been campaigning for years to revitalize the coffee sector in the town of Kenscoff. In this sense, it has already planted more than 100,000 coffee seedlings in the municipal section of Sourcailles and Nouvelle Touraine. The end goal is to plant 1 million seedlings in 10 years.



Towards re-ignition of the headlights

As part of the efforts of the Maritime and Navigation Service of Haiti (SEMANAH) to relight the lighthouses of the various ports of the country, Eric Prevost Junior, the Director General of SEMANAH at the head of a delegation made a tour of 3 days Port-de-Paix, Ile de la Tortue and Mole St Nicolas which ended on Saturday July 25th. It was also to assess the work of a firm specializing in the repair of navigation aids, essential for the protection of ships.



Recreational day with the elderly

On Saturday, the Lorquet Foundation for a New Haiti joined forces with the Jeune Chambre Internationale Ouanaminthe as part of a recreational day with the elderly from the Bon Samaritain Reception Center in Ouanaminthe (North-East), on Saturday July 25, 2020 During this day, which coincided with the celebration of the 44th anniversary of the creation of the Reception Center, several volunteers dressed the elders' hair, washed them, shaved their beards A meal was served to them followed by conviviality sessions. took place before the end of the activity which lasted until 7:00 pm in the evening. Several local artists voluntarily participated in this socio-cultural activity coordinated by Mrs. Wilmene Denis Delmyr, notably the singers: Herns Pierre, Kiko the Musician, Obadiah Nonisant The animation was provided by Alex Lizier.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















KYIV -- Ukraine's military says Russia-backed separatists have breached a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine shortly after it went into effect -- a claim rejected by the separatists.

The cease-fire, which entered into force on July 27, had been agreed to last week by negotiators from Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

However, separatists violated the new truce near the town of Uzhivka, south of their stronghold city of Donetsk, and around Novomykhaylivka, southwest of Donetsk, according to Ukraine's military.

It said no casualties were reported despite attacks with small arms, grenade launchers, and heavy machine guns.

Ukraine's military insisted that it was continuing to observe the cease-fire.

Separatists in Donetsk rejected Kyiv's accusation, saying they were strictly following their commitments in the truce.

There have been more than 20 cease-fire attempts since the conflict in Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk erupted in 2014.

In Kyiv, several hundred people gathered on the evening of July 27 for a protest rally against the new cease-fire.

"We will not disarm our army and turn our soldiers into helpless targets. Our army protects us every day. Therefore, our duty is to support our army," the organizers said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the truce as "a significant step toward strengthening mutual trust and defusing tensions" and called on the parties to "fully adhere to their obligations and agreements."

Hours before the truce took effect, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, discussed the conflict in a phone call and expressed support for the cease-fire.

Zelenskiy's office said that if upheld, the truce would "pave the way for implementing other clauses" of the Minsk accords aimed at putting an end to the fighting in Donetsk and Luhansk.

The Ukrainian president told Putin in the call that further steps were needed to free Ukrainian citizens being held in eastern Ukraine, Crimea, and Russia, it said.

The Kremlin said Putin told Zelenskiy that Ukraine's decision to hold regional elections in 2020 contradicted the Minsk peace deals.

Zelenskiy was elected last year on promises to end the conflict.

Germany and France have mediated between Ukraine and Russia since a peace agreement was signed in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, in 2015, but efforts at implementation have faltered.

The leaders of the four countries met at a summit in Paris in December 2019 to revive the peace process, leading to Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists in the east of Ukraine conducting a series of prisoner exchanges.

Lingering issues remain over a timeline for local elections, control over borders in the separatist-controlled regions, the withdrawal of Russian military units and equipment, and disarmament of separatist groups.

Moscow denies it has troops in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine's relationship with Russia has been tense ever since protests in Kyiv led to the overthrow of pro-Russian leader Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014.

Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula shortly thereafter and backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, sparking a war that has resulted in some 13,200 deaths.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, UNIAN, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 19:26:42|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Explosion and assassination attempts were carried out against the government forces and pro-government people in the country's southern province of Daraa on Monday, a Britain-based war monitor reported.

In the city of Nawa in the countryside of Daraa, three Syrian soldiers were killed and five others wounded when an explosive device ripped through their vehicles, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

In another incident, unknown armed men stormed a house of an ex-rebel commander in the city of Sanamain in the countryside of Daraa, and opened fire, killing five former rebel commanders who had reconciled with the Syrian army.

Also, a cooperator with the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which is an ally with the Syrian government, was killed in his house in the village of Harak in the Daraa countryside, according to the observatory.

It has been reporting anti-government sentiment and operations in Daraa, which is the birthplace of the more than nine-year-long war in Syria.

A total of 589 assassination attempts and attacks have been carried out since June in Daraa, said the observatory, adding that 393 people have been killed, including civilians, Syrian soldiers, and rebels.

The Syrian army captured Daraa in 2018 following battle and deals for the rebels to flee to Idlib province in northwestern Syria. Enditem
(TNS)  Its a scary notification to get on your cellphone: Attention: You may have been exposed to COVID-19.That ominous warning is part of a new app called CombatCOVID that offers South Floridians a chance to see what has been invisible until now: whether theyve crossed paths with someone who has the new coronavirus The app was developed by Shield Group Technologies in Palm Beach County and recently debuted on the Google Play store and is coming to Apples App Store.But despite more than a million dollars in government support, the app still faces questions about how widely it will be accepted and whether it can truly make a difference in the battle against a raging disease.Backers, including government officials in South Florida, are not deterred. They say theyre open to any tool that might help stem the spread of the coronavirus Palm Beach County is paying $875,600 from its federal coronavirus aid to use the app, which the developer will maintain up to 2024. Miami-Dade plans to pay $775,000. Broward County Mayor Dale Holness said Broward may use the app, too, but that has not been determined.The app is free for users to download. Heres how it works:If a person tests positive, they must enter the information into the app. The app then uses Bluetooth to detect other phones that passed within 6 to 13 feet within the past 14 to 21 days.If the app determines the phones were in contact long enough to be a risk, it sends an alert warning that the person may have been exposed. The app will not reveal exactly when and where it happened, just that the person should get tested.You dont know who it was from. You dont know what day it happened, and you dont know where it happened, said Roger Koch, CEO of Shield Group Technologies. And there is a trade-off. In a perfect world, I think some people would love to have that information. But the trade-off is people will not download and use technology that does all of that in our country in this day and age.Koch was referring partly to privacy and security concerns that have plagued other apps used to battle the coronavirus.In North Dakota, an app transferred users information to Google and Foursquare for advertising purposes, and an app in South Korea allowed hackers to find the names and information of people in quarantine, said Sarah Kreps, a professor of government and law at Cornell University who has researched the challenges that contact-tracing apps face in the United States.Research has shown that apps are more effective when high percentages of the population use them, but skepticism may thwart them from gaining full traction, Kreps said.In Utah, for example, less than 2% of the states population had downloaded a contact-tracing app a month after its launch, after the state had paid nearly $3 million for it, Buzzfeed News reported Kreps cited research from Oxford University showing that about 60% of the population would need to use the app to slow the pandemic.You can see how theres this negative feedback loop where people say, Well were never going to hit 60%. Why should I download this? she said. And everyone starts thinking that, so no one downloads it. In fact, if you can get 10%, thats better than nothing.Developers of CombatCOVID have been mindful of security concerns, Koch said. The app doesnt store a users personal information in any list or database. It solely uses Bluetooth signals to communicate with other devices rather than GPS tracking, which could lead to privacy concerns.Though it is not possible to tell how many people will use the app, Palm Beach County plans to advertise it to residents, said Mayor Dave Kerner. The county has plans to send residents four masks in the mail, along with a pamphlet with instructions about how to download CombatCOVID.This is sort of developing, in-the-heat-of-the-moment technology that we think would be effective, Kerner said. And so the truth is, I dont know how widespread the use will be.Any technology that keeps the pandemic in the forefront of peoples minds is valuable, Kerner said.We are in the thick of it, 60 miles away from Miami, and we have our own struggles here locally, he said.Verdenia Baker, Palm Beach Countys administrator, said she discussed paying for the app with commissioners in May. As Florida continues to hit record-breaking numbers, Baker said CombatCOVID appeared to be a possible answer to slowing the virus spread.As this pandemic continues to impact us, were all looking for answers, some solutions on how we curb this spike that were in and start to curtail the spread of it, Baker said. This app will allow us to at least communicate to each other, know quicker when we have been in contact or near someone with it when its up and running. I think that is worth its weight in gold alone.Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the countys one-time payment of $775,000 will allow the county to use the app for up to five years.Were going to try to get as many people on it as possible, Gimenez said. I think its a great tool for people to know theyve been somehow exposed.About four other Florida counties and four states have expressed interest in using CombatCOVID, Koch said. He declined to identify which counties and states.For the app to make a difference in curbing the virus spread, the more users the better, Koch said.If we can help 100 people or 500 people or 1,000 people, then I think were successful, he said. We want to hopefully help a lot more than that.
The ongoing protests in Portland got more national TV attention Sunday night courtesy of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, as the host tore into President Donald Trumps deployment of federal troops, and Fox News the end of America as we know it portrayal of whats been happening in the Rose City.

Oliver began Sundays episode of his weekly HBO show by talking about whats been going on in Portland, which he called The Nature Valley Granola Bar of U.S. cities, in that its crunchy, messy, and, lets be honest, nobodys first choice.

The host went on to talk about how the news has recently been dominated by images from the protests, which began as a response to the killing of George Floyd and to systemic racism and police brutality. In recent weeks, the protests have become larger and more heated, following President Donald Trumps deployment of federal officers charged with protecting federal property in downtown Portland, where nightly demonstrations that generally begin in a peaceful manner have regularly become more chaotic in late-night and early morning hours.

Oliver took issue with Trumps claiming that local officials wanted the federal deployment, citing comments from Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, in which both stated exactly the opposite, and called on the federal forces to leave.

The host also alluded to a supposed pattern of federal officers throwing protesters in unmarked vans, though The Oregonian/OregonLive recently wrote: While reports of federal officers scooping up citizens and placing them in unmarked vans without probable cause has generated extensive headlines, lawsuits and national outrage, only one Portland protester, 29-year-old Mark Pettibone, has provided a first-hand account of this occurring. There is also a widely circulated video on social media of another, unidentified man dressed in black being approached by men in camouflage, being detained and walked to unmarked van and driven off.

The Portland protests have been mostly peaceful, Oliver said, though there have been some isolated chaotic incidents. Oliver also alluded to local protesters objecting to Portland police having used tear gas, and how Wheeler, as the mayor and police commissioner was also blamed, to the point where Wheeler actually became known as Tear Gas Teddy,' which I guarantee you, is set to be this Christmas worst-selling toy.

As The Oregonian/OregonLive has reported, the protests have most often been confined to a small area of downtown Portland. Oliver repeated this point, blasting Fox News and Fox Business channels for making it sound as if whats going on in Portland is the end of America as we know it.

Portland, Oliver said, seems to be being used as a staging ground by the president to put on an authoritarian show of force. And this could end very badly, especially as the administration talks about plans to send federal officers to other cities around the country.

More of our coverage:

-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - BetterLife Pharma Inc. ("BetterLife" or the "Company") (CSE: BETR) (OTCQB: BETRF) (FRA: NPAT) is pleased to provide an update on the proposed acquisition of Altum Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("Altum") and its upcoming clinical programs. A Special Meeting of Altum shareholders, more than 72% of whom have signed a Lock Up Agreement, is scheduled for July 29th 2020 to approve the merger with BetterLife. The results of the vote will be announced shortly thereafter.

Altum reports that in May 2020 management requested a pre-IND meeting with the FDA with the intent to discuss the planned development of AP-003 (Interferon Alpha-2b for inhalation) for the treatment of COVID-19. In a broad ranging interaction covering nonclinical, CMC and clinical aspects, the FDA has responded and provided clear and implementable guidance that can lead to a successful IND filing upon completion of one additional nonclinical study.

"We are pleased with the feedback from the FDA which provided guidance on non-clinical, CMC and clinical aspects of Altum's proposed plan to initiate an AP-003 COVID-19 development program," said Ahmad Doroudian, Chief Executive Officer of BetterLife and Altum. "The FDA also encouraged further interactions as we near the IND filing."

Dr. Doroudian added, "This guidance from the FDA clearly lays out the steps that we have to take to move AP-003 forward so that it reaches the clinic for the treatment of COVID-19, where we believe it holds tremendous promise. Our operations, regulatory and clinical teams are working towards initiation of clinical trials in the next 2 to 3 months."

Dr. Doroudian concluded by stating that the Company will release more detailed clarification on feedback from the FDA and on its planned human trials immediately after the vote on July 29th, 2020.

Cautionary Note

The Company is not making any express or implied claims that Altum's AP-003 or any other product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the COVID-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time. Further, the safety and efficacy of Altum's AP-003 are under investigation and market authorization has not yet been obtained.

About BetterLife Pharma Inc.

BetterLife Pharma Inc. is a science-based innovative medical wellness company aspiring to offer high-quality preventive and self-care products to its customers. For further information please visit blifetherapeutics.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical information, the matters set forth above may be forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, such as the failure to complete the transaction with Altum, the failure of Altum to hold a meeting of its shareholder, the failure of the shareholders of Altum approving the matters before them, the failure of Altum to complete clinical trials or to have success in such trials, the failure of Altum to secure and/or enforce patent protection for AP-003, the failure of Altum to secure exclusive rights from third parties, the failure of the Company to secure financing needed to carry out the plans set out herein, the failure to meet the conditions imposed by the CSE or other securities regulators, the competitive environment within the industry, the ability of BetterLife to commence and expand its operations, the level of costs incurred in connection with BetterLife's operational efforts, economic conditions in the industry, pandemics, and the financial strength of BetterLife's future customers and suppliers. Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, as they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the anticipated future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forward in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: our ability to obtain, on satisfactory terms or at all, the capital required for research, product development, operations and marketing; general economic, business and market conditions; our ability to successfully and timely complete clinical studies; product development delays and other uncertainties related to new product development; our ability to attract and retain business partners and key personnel; the risk of our inability to profitably commercialize our proposed products; the risk that our proposed clinical trials will not be launched in a timely manner (or at all) or if launched yield positive results or that we will not obtain regulatory market approvals for our products; the extent of any future losses; the risk of our inability to establish or manage manufacturing, development or marketing collaborations; the risk of delay of, or failure to obtain, necessary regulatory approvals and, ultimately, product launches; dependence on third parties for successful commercialization of our products; inability to obtain product and raw materials in sufficient quantity or at standards acceptable to health regulatory authorities to commence and complete clinical trials or to meet commercial demand;our ability to obtain patent protection and protect our intellectual property rights; commercialization limitations imposed by intellectual property rights owned or controlled by third parties; uncertainty related to intellectual property liability rights and liability claims asserted against us; the impact of competitive products and pricing; and future levels of government funding; additional risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control.

Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE BetterLife Pharma Inc.
Markets were in the red today, with airline and travel stocks topping the fallers' list amid fears of further travel restrictions after the Government's decision to impose a 14-day quarantine on travellers arriving from Spain.

The FTSE 100 closed down 0.3 per cent, or 18 points, at 6,104.88, with British Airways owner IAG one of the biggest fallers. The UK-focused FTSE 250 ended the day 0.6 per cent lower at 17,157.

In company news, Ryanair said it suffered the 'most challenging' quarter in its 35-year history as it reported a loss of 168million. The airline was forced to ground its fleet as Covid-19 wreaked havoc on timetables with travel bans and lockdowns introduced worldwide.

Meanwhile, the price of gold rose to a record high above $1,944 as worsening tensions between the USA and China spooked investors. The US closed its consulate in Chengdu after China ordered the closure.

Elsewhere, the UK economy may not fully recover its pre-Covid levels until 2024, according to accountancy firm Ernst & Young. It is also predicting that the country's economy will contract by a fifth between April and June.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is weighing up a new online sales tax to raise 2billion a year for the Treasury and to stop the high street from collapsing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27

Trend:

Armenia continues to make attempts to deflect attention of the world community away from the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, as well as those aimed at promoting the so-called "regime" created by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing the statement of the community.

Armenia, having recently sent a letter to the UN, along with attached piece of paper to it, related to the so-called "regime". The questions, outlined in it about the missing persons, are groundless and are primarily aimed at distorting various aspects of the conflict, said the statement.

As a result of the Armenian aggression, 3,889 Azerbaijanis, including 71 children, 267 women and 326 old people, went missing. This country is in no way interested in clarifying the fate of the missing Azerbaijanis. The reasons for this are perfectly clear. Irrefutable evidence suggests that most of these people have been killed or died from torture and diseases. Therefore, Armenia tries to hide its crimes against humanity, war crimes, and avoids cooperation within the humanitarian organizations, the statement noted.

We believe that the politicization of the issue of missing persons should not be allowed, but it should be viewed from a humanitarian point of view, to put an end to the suffering of hundreds of families in uncertainty," the statement said.

The fate of the people taken hostage is of utmost concern. Armenia still holds hostage Azerbaijani civilians Dilgam Askarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, who only visited the graves of their loved ones, the statement noted.

The fact that Armenia opposes the exchange of prisoners and hostages on the "all for all" principle is a clear manifestation of the inhuman essence of this country, of irresponsible behavior in relation to human fate, added the statement.

Azerbaijan, as a country suffering from conflict for many years, treats the provisions of international humanitarian law with special care and supports efforts in this area.

Every two years, Azerbaijan puts forward in the UN resolutions "Missing people" and "Release of women and children taken hostage during armed conflicts". The main purpose of these resolutions is all-round assistance in determining the fate of persons of this category, the statement said.

We declare that Armenia, which by any means seeks to distort the essence of the conflict, will not be able to hide the crimes it has committed, and will certainly answer for them, the statement noted.

In July 2014, during an operation carried out by Armenian special forces in the village of Shaplar of the occupied Kalbajar district, Azerbaijani citizen Hasan Hasanov was killed, and Shahbaz Guliyev and Russian citizen Dilgam Asgarov were taken hostage. They all wanted to visit their homes and the graves of their relatives. A criminal case was initiated against Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov.

Then, the so-called "court" sentenced Asgarov to life imprisonment, and Guliyev - to 22 years in prison.

Following continuous ceasefire violations of Armenia's armed forces, the country launched another military provocation against Azerbaijan on July 12. Grossly violating the ceasefire regime, Armenian armed forces opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district.

As a result of the appropriate measures, the Armenian armed forces were silenced. The tensions continued on the border, July 12 night. During the night battles, by using artillery, mortars and tanks, the Azerbaijani armed forces destroyed a stronghold, army vehicles.

As a result of the shelling, many houses in the Tovuz district's border villages were damaged.

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.
Big number: $60,997, the average household income in neighbourhoods in the Jane and Finch area of Toronto, well below the citywide average household income of $102,271. Last week, Metrolinx reneged on a deal to build a community arts hub in the neighbourhood.

Heres a quick list of things a public agency like Metrolinx needs to successfully build major transit projects. They need detailed plans. They need billions of dollars. They need various equipment to dig very big holes.

And they need trust.

Metrolinx needs neighbourhoods affected by the construction of new transit projects to trust them.

They need trust not only because theyre a provincial transit agency asking us to give them a continuous green light to spend an unfathomable amount of public money, but also because theyre asking people to buy into their vision for neighbourhood transformation. Metrolinx needs people to believe their transit projects will improve the lives of those that will live near them, and not just tear up streets and make way for high-price condos.

Metrolinx has not been great at this trust part. The latest example comes from Jane and Finch, where residents have long been told Metrolinx would donate land at Finch Avenue West and York Gate Boulevard for use as a community hub and arts centre.

Last week, the Stars Ben Spurr reported that Metrolinx had seemingly altered the deal, indicating instead that it would sell the land to the highest bidder. The move quickly provoked outrage. Community members had spent years advancing this plan  they had a business plan and even rendered images of what the community hub could look like.

It would have been a boon for a community that needs investment. The average household income in the neighbourhoods around Jane and Finch is $60,997, according to figures collected in the latest census. Thats well below the citywide figure of $102,721. By percentage of the population, more people living in this part of the city are under 25 years old than live in the rest of the city. Almost 60 per cent are immigrants. Nearly 80 per cent are non-white.

Metrolinx has tried to walk back and clean up its position in recent days. Metrolinx president and CEO Phil Verster issued a letter on Friday apologizing to Coun. Anthony Perruzza, who represents the area. In the letter, Verster says Metrolinx committed to the idea of a community hub a few years back without proper approvals. Whoops.

He also says Metrolinx remains committed to seeing a community hub built in the area, perhaps through its Transit Oriented Communities program that could see any sale of the land made contingent on the developer including a community hub in its plans.

That could be an acceptable outcome, but the damage has already been done. The Jane and Finch community will rightly regard any further promises from Metrolinx with a huge amount of skepticism. Maybe they could be more forgiving if this were the first time Metrolinx has screwed up like this, but its not.

Metrolinxs much-touted Presto smartcard technology was riddled with bugs and has been ridiculously slow to roll out promised features like the ability to pay fares with debit and credit cards. Davenport residents were promised the rail bridge built through their community would come with a super cool mural, but then the mural was cancelled. The Eglinton Crosstown has been delayed twice, devastating businesses along the route struggling with construction. The Finch West LRT, the precursor to the community arts hub, has also been pushed back twice from its original 2021 date  its now set for 2023.

With this track record, its no wonder some Leslieville residents are wary of plans for an Ontario Line project that is supposed to run as frequently as every 90 seconds on a narrow above-ground rail corridor through their community. And its no wonder that Scarborough residents, who have seen their promised transit improvements pushed all the way back to 2029 or 2030, are skeptical that Metrolinx will ever deliver them a better transit commute to work.

For Metrolinx, trust matters. Without it, it risks sabotaging the GTAs transit future. Theres no doubt more transit infrastructure is needed, but too many broken promises will make transit proposals politically toxic as neighbourhoods respond to all plans with fierce opposition. If that happens, it wont matter how good Metrolinx is at drawing up plans, spending money or digging holes. Their trains go nowhere without trust.

Correction  July 28, 2020: This article has been edited to note that household incomes cited are average incomes, not median.

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The symbolism was impossible to miss for both supporters and opponents of Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, whose manifesto had for decades included pledges to strip restive Kashmirs autonomy and to build a temple to the Hindu god Ram where the Mughal-era mosque once stood, a site in the city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh state that devotees believe to be Rams birthplace.
Authorities on Monday identified the 20-year-old victim of a fatal shooting that occurred outside of an ice cream shop near Revere Beach over the weekend.

Yaseen Butt was found shot around 10:10 p.m. on Sunday in front of the Twist N Shake ice cream shop on 82 Revere Beach Blvd., according to a statement from Massachusetts State Police.

The Revere man was conscious when police arrived at the scene and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he later died, the statement said.

The shooting followed an altercation, according to state police, and the person accused of killing Butt ran away from the scene.

Police are still investigating the identity of the suspected shooter and their whereabouts, authorities said.

The investigation into his homicide is ongoing, state police said.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Congress senior leaders Ajay Maken and Avinash Pandey take part in an MLAs meeting organised under the 'Save Democracy-Save Constitution, at hotel in Jaipur. PTI photo

The political tug-of-war in Rajasthan continued on Monday with governor Kalraj Mishra saying that an Assembly session can be called at a short notice only if the state government says that there needs to be a trust vote, otherwise MLAs should be given three-weeks, or 21-day notice in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Not one to mince words, chief minister Ashok Gehlot termed the governors response as a six-page love letter and said that he has written to President Ram Nath Kovind and spoken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi about Mr Mishra's "conduct".

Last week the governor had rejected the Rajasthan government's first proposal to call an Assembly session and on Monday he returned its second proposal suggesting a three-week notice because of the coronavirus outbreak, following which Mr Gehlot said this is the first time in 70 years that such a thing has happened.

He said he has asked the President to intervene and ensure that an Assembly session be called immediately, adding that it was the "constitutional right" of the chief minister.

Spoke to PM yesterday over governor's conduct The governor has once again sent us a six-page love letter. Governors are bound to approve when an elected government calls for an Assembly session Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan CM

The governor, in his response to the chief minister, asked, "Do you want to bring a confidence motion? As it is not mentioned in the proposal but in public you (Mr Gehlot) are making statements that you want to bring a confidence motion.

Mr Gehlot's second proposal  submitted on Saturday  mentioned July 31 as the date of the Assembly. The agenda was discussions on the coronavirus outbreak and the economy.

On Monday morning, the Rajasthan Speaker dropped a petition in the Supreme Court involving his powers to disqualify rebel MLAs. The move was aimed at outmanoeuvring the governor, who had earlier cited the court case for not clearing the Assembly session request.



The Congress also mounted an all out attack on the governor for his decision. Senior Congress leader and former Union minister P. Chidambaram alleged that BJP-appointed governors have violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution and have, in the process, gravely impaired parliamentary democracy, its conventions and traditions.

"I sincerely hope that the President will take note of what is happening  the erosion of parliamentary democracy, the erosion of the Constitution, the violation of the Constitution and do what is right in the circumstances," he said adding that the President has the absolute authority to tell the governor that what he is doing is wrong and ask him to call an assembly session.

"I still believe that the President of India can intervene and instruct the governor to convene an Assembly session".

Meanwhile, Congress workers held demonstrations outside state Raj Bhavans across the country. In many states, including Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, they courted arrest.
Express News Service

BENGALURU/TIRUCHY/BHUBANESWAR/PATNA: while the rest of the country is trying to beat the coronavirus pandemic with lockdowns, physical distancing norms and personal hygiene, Indias crowded prisons are staring at the prospect of becoming the next big virus clusters.

It is impossible to maintain social distance among the prisoners inside the cells, said a senior prison official at Bengalurus Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, which houses 4,600 inmates. The jail has reported 51 infections, including six among jail staff. In all, 157 inmates and 24 staff tested positive across nine Central prisons in the state.

In neighbouring Tamil Nadu, 150 prisoners and 92 jail staff have contracted COVID. Indias worst-hit state, Maharashtra, has reported the largest number of positive cases among prisoners at over 800, followed by Assam at 481.

The horrendous state of affairs in jails caught public attention after the Assam Human Rights Commission issued notices to Assam Chief Secretary and the IGP (Prisons) last week, in response to complaints of violation of COVID-19 protocol in jails.

ALSO READ | Over 70 inmates at Nellore Central Prison test COVID-19 positive

According to experts, the situation in prisons is explosive and the actual infections could be much higher than reported. Many cases go unnoticed due to lack of tests as a large number of patients turn out to be asymptomatic.

It is not that prisons are not doing their bit to contain the virus spread. Thousands of prisoners across the country were released on parole or bail to decongest jails. Most prisons have also taken possible measures to contain infections among inmates and jail staff, but the pandemic is reportedly spreading fast in these high-security zones. Kerala, for instance, dont send remand prisoners to jails directly. Instead, they are taken to first-line treatment centres, where their swab samples are collected.

Focus on containing COVID spread in prisons

If they test positive, they are taken to isolation wards of allotted hospitals, where they will be under observation of prison wardens. If negative, they are taken to any of the nine special jail quarantine centres in the state, where they will be in quarantine for 14 days. After that, they will be sent to their respective district jails, said S Santhosh, DIG (Prisons). Kerala is relatively better off as it has reported only 15 cases so far.

ALSO READ | COVID-19 breaches Kollam district jail, 57 inmates test positive

Andhra Pradesh has gone a step further by arranging special jails for remand prisoners, where they will be lodged till their COVID test results turn negative. Acting on similar lines, Karnataka keeps even new inmates who have tested negative under quarantine for three weeks in a separate block. Tamil Nadu has responded to the crisis by ramping up the screening process. Madurai Central Prison, where 28 persons including 15 prisoners have tested positive, now allows prisoners inside only after mandatory tests including thermal scanner. Till the test results were out, the prisoners were kept in separate blocks inside the prison, said an official from the prison department.

Odisha, which had 17,812 prisoners as of March 20, has shifted 1,162 inmates to less-crowded jails. Now, under-trial prisoners are initially lodged in isolation wards. It has reported 37 cases among prisoners. Maharashtra has released 10,000 prisoners with imprisonment term below seven years. Assam released 5,767 under-trial prisoners, Uttar Pradesh 18,000 while 6,000 inmates walked out of Chhattisgarh jails.

West Bengal, which has released 12,000 inmates out of 27,000-odd prisoners in phases, has now decided to extend the parole of 3,000-odd convicts by two more months. Plus, the government will not oppose the appeals of 9,000 under-trial prisoners who will seek extension of interim bail. 55 persons, including jail officials, have tested positive.

In Bihar, 31 prisoners have tested positive while four persons succumbed to the virus. 46 jail officials have also tested positive. Tamil Nadu reported one COVID-related death in prison. Punjab, where 70 prisoners tested COVID positive, has started random testing among inmates as well as jail officials. Plus, each prisoner is provided with at least two masks. To keep the further spread of contagion under check, personal visits are suspended while video calling through mobile phones and ePrisons software is allowed.

In Chhattisgarh, jail authorities claim only two inmates have tested positive  one in Bilaspur and another with travel history at Dongarhgarh jail. Both have been admitted in hospital. The jail premises are routinely sanitised and the health department promptly responds to calls from ailing patients across any jail, said K K Gupta, DIG - Prisons. In Uttarakhand, six inmates had tested positive but all of them recovered. The state government has released 855 inmates on parole for six months to avoid overcrowding of jails. PVK Prasad, Inspector General of Prisons, said, We are following safety norms and outsiders entry has been prohibited for now. [With inputs from our bureaux in Chennai, Kochi, Vijayawada, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Dehradun]
Shimla, July 27 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday launched the online 'Chhinmastika prasad' of the famous Hindu shrine Mata Chintpurni in Una district through video conference from Shimla.

He said the Covid-19 pandemic has forced the state to close all temples and religious shrines to prevent the spread of the virus.

He said although most of the shrines were providing online 'darshan' to the devotees but it was for the first time that the facility of providing 'prasad' to the devotees was launched in the state with the cooperation of India Post.

Thakur said the temples of the state drew lakhs of devotees particularly during the Shravan Ashtami festival but this time the temples have been closed.

He appreciated the efforts of the local administration in providing home delivery service of 'prasad bhog' to the devotees.

The Chief Minister said the state was committed to develop Himachal Pradesh as the best destination for religious tourism.

He said all major temples were being developed and maintained to attract devotees and religious tourists.

He said the Mata Chintpurni temple was one of the most sacred religious places in the region.

Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Virender Kanwar said the road leading to the Mata Chintpurni temple was being upgraded and maintained at a cost of Rs 16.15 crore.

Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar said the devotees would be able to get 'prasad' by visiting the official website of the temple at www.matashrichintpurni.com/online-prasad
The ministry hopes to develop a bilateral negotiation process with Tehran.

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Yenin has said the Ukrainian side is considering three scenarios in case of Iran's possible refusal to cooperate in the investigation of the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight PS752 crash.

Speaking on Ukraine 24 TV channel, he said the ministry hopes to develop a bilateral negotiation process with Tehran.

Read alsoPreliminary analysis of PS752 flight recorders in France completed

If the negotiations with Iran do not succeed, Ukraine will be forced to use additional safeguards. In particular, these are tools provided for by international conventions.

 The first scenario is the procedure of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (the Chicago Convention), which suggests a unilateral or multilateral negotiation process with the country where the incident occurred.

 The second scenario is when the issue is handled through to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council.

 The third scenario is arbitration or litigation through the International Court of Justice.

According to Yenin, Ukraine will have to take steps if the Iranian side refuses to conduct a fair investigation and hinders communication.

As UNIAN reported, Iranian forces say they downed the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) jet, a Boeing 737, on January 8 after mistaking it for a missile at a time of high tensions with the United States. All 176 people aboard Flight PS752 were killed.

It became known on July 18 that Iran had handed the black boxes of the UIA plane over to France.

The process was conducted with an Iranian investigator present and observed by Canadian, U.S., Swedish and British experts and representatives from the airline, Boeing Co, and engine maker Safran SA.
Shooting at Louisville Militia Protest Was Negligent Discharge, Police Say

Three people were wounded

The gunfire that rang out at a protest in Louisville, Kentucky, on July 25, striking three members of an armed militia, was a negligent shooting, police officials told The Epoch Times.

Criminal charges are possible as officers probe whether the discharge was avoidable.

At this time, no charges will be issued, but the investigation is ongoing, Sgt. Lamont Washington, a Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) spokeswoman, said in an email on July 27.

A gun belonging to a member of the black militia named Not [Expletive] Around Coalition, or NFAC, discharged around 1 p.m. on July 25.

All three victims were transported to a hospital; one suffered a minor injury, another is in serious but stable condition, and the third was moved to an intensive care unit but will survive, Washington said.

Police officers, fire department personnel, and emergency medical responders quickly rendered aid to the victims, LMPD Deputy Chief LaVita Chavous told reporters in a virtual briefing later July 25.

Without their quick response, this could have been a much worse situation, Chavous said.

Members of the Louisville Metro Police Department in Louisville, Ky., on July 25, 2020. (Jeff Dean/AFP via Getty Images)

Video footage and photographs showed NFAC members kneeling after the discharge. Louisville Division of Fire Lt. Col. Bruce Himes praised people at the scene for allowing emergency responders to quickly access the victims.

Kentucky is an open-carry state.

One of the groups members fired their weapon by accident, NFACs leader, a DJ and rapper named John Grand Master Jay Johnson, told WHAS.

During one of our safety checks, one of our individuals accidentally fired their weapon, he said.

NFAC had gathered in Louisville as part of a push to get Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican, to complete an investigation into the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. Apart from the discharge, no violence occurred.

Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was shot during a no-knock raid on her home in March. One of the officers involved in the raid was fired last month while the two others were reassigned; so far, none have been charged.

In an aerial view from a drone, a large-scale ground mural depicting Breonna Taylor with the text Black Lives Matter is being painted at Chambers Park in Annapolis, Md., on July 5, 2020. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The NFAC leader spoke with Metro Council President David James and Cameron, demanding a conclusion to the Taylor probe within four weeks; if not, he said his group may return to Louisville.

A spokeswoman for Cameron said the conversation between Johnson, James, and the attorney general was productive. But, she said in a statement to news outlets, James did not comment on any specifics related to the timeline of the investigation.

Cameron said in a separate statement before the rally: We continue to work diligently in pursuit of the truth by conducting an independent investigation into the death of Ms. Taylor.

Police officials said theres no set deadline for when the probe might be concluded.

Armed members of the NFAC march in Louisville, Ky., on July 25, 2020. (Timothy D. Easley/AP Photo)

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, a Democrat, referred on July 26 to a recent update he gave on the investigation being conducted by Camerons office.

I have no control or influence over that process, or the additional independent investigations being conducted by the Department of Justice and FBI, and I am as frustrated as you are by how long its all taking, the mayor said in a video message.

Meanwhile, Fischer pointed to his signing of a law that banned no-knock warrants and his hiring of an independent firm to review the Louisville Metro Police Department.

NFAC members came bearing guns, and Johnson set guidelines before the march and subsequent rally at Jefferson Square Park.

Supporters of the Kentucky Three Percenters militia during a rally by NFAC in Louisville, Ky., on July 25, 2020. (Jeff Dean/AFP via Getty Images)

Do not point your gun at anyone unless they point their guns at you, Johnson said, local media reported. Then kill them, do not shoot them, kill them.

One other militia also showed up July 25, the Three Percenters. One member told WHAS that the group wanted to make sure protesters stayed safe. The militias were separated by police barriers.

Johnson told reporters earlier this month that he wants America to declare every black descendant of slaves a political prisoner before the United States cedes some land to them.

Every member of the NFAC was once part of the U.S. military and theyre all very disciplined and expert shooters, he said.

We dont want to talk no more. We dont want to negotiate. We dont want to bring signs to a fight. Were an eye-for-an-eye organization. So when they decide to act right, well decide to act right, he said, in an apparent reference to the police. And we do it all legally, just like they do.
In a tell-all Op-ed piece, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed his displeasure over the Centres move to downgrade his state to a Union Territory.

Evidently still anguished, he said on July 27 that he will not contest assembly elections till full statehood is restored. However, he promised to continue working for his National Conference (NC) party and the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

He wrote, "I am very clear that while J&K remains a Union Territory I will not be contesting any Assembly elections. Having been a member of the most empowered Assembly in the land and that, too, as the leader of that Assembly for six years, I simply cannot and will not be a member of a House that has been disempowered the way ours has."

Last year on August 5, in a historic move, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status. The state was also split into two Union Territories  Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Hundreds of politicians, including Omar Abdullah, were detained thereafter, possibly to ensure there is no organised resistance to the move. In an Op-ed for Indian Express, Abdullah said he had met the Prime Minister only days before he and his father, Farooq Abdullah, were detained.

He wrote that some senior office-bearers of the J&K National Conference had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi only days before the August 5 developments. The former CM added: "It is not a meeting I will forget in a hurry", as they had left the meeting with a very different idea of what was going to happen over the next 72 hours.

Abdullah, who was a Union minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, further said he would never come to terms with what happened. He added: The nominated representative of the Union government usurped powers to change the constitutional relationship J&K shared with the rest of India for the past 70 years.
In the early stages of the pandemic, doctors and scientists focused on how COVID-19  an acute respiratory disease  attacks the lungs. Two new studies out of Germany suggest that even if patients escape hospitalization, the virus can damage the heart.

Its too soon to determine if the damage is permanent, but the findings are not encouraging.

The first study, published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association Cardiology, looked at the cardiac MRIs of 100 relatively young patients who had recovered from COVID-19 and compared them to MRIs of 100 similar people who had not contracted the disease. Two-thirds of the patients recovered at home.

Two months following their recovery, 78 infected patients were found to have structural changes to their hearts. A biomarker indicating myocardial injury similar to that occurring in heart attacks was found in 76 patients. Sixty patients suffered inflammation of the heart.

The average age of the infected patients was 49. None had previous heart issues or other pre-existing conditions; in fact, many were skiers returning from vacation.

The second study, also published in JAMA Cardiology on Monday, examined autopsy reports from 39 people, 78 to 89 years old, who died in April. Analysis of cardiac tissue revealed the virus had infiltrated the hearts of 24 of the patients.

The studies results appeared to validate concerns expressed earlier this month by John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology in the the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program.

There is evidence now that the virus can directly attack heart muscle cells, and theres also evidence that the cytokine storm that the virus triggers in the body not only damages the lungs, but can damage the heart, Swartzberg told Berkeley News. We dont know what the long-term effects of that may be, but it could be that we will have a population of people who survive COVID-19 only to go on and have chronic cardiac problems.

Among those problems are chronic heart failure, a progressive illness in which the heart slowly becomes less able to pump blood throughout the body.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, 27, on Sunday confirmed that he was suffering from myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, attributed to his coronavirus infection earlier this summer. Rodriguez had been cleared to pitch after testing negative, but the new diagnosis sidelined him.

Symptoms of myocarditis, according to the Mayo Clinic, include disruption of your heart muscle and your heart's electrical system, reducing your heart's ability to pump and causing rapid or abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). The condition can lead to heart failure.

The Boston Globe's Stat News was a source for this article.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

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 California woman allegedly pees on floor of Verizon store after being asked to wear a mask

 Trump says virus in US will get worse before it gets better

 White House, GOP in disarray over spending plan as benefit expiration nears

 How long should you isolate if you test positive for the coronavirus? New CDC guidance says 10 days, not 14

 How Taiwan's COVID-19 response saved lives without wrecking the economy



Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate
For just $10, you can wear a face mask with Trump's 2020 campaign slogan on it, one with the coiled rattlesnake from the Gadsden flag and the words Dont cough on me" or one that shows Trump as a machine-gun-clutching Rambo (whatever that is).

Don Caple will happily sell you one of those masks, the Los Angeles Times reported, but he refuses to wear one himself.

Theyre a hot-ticket-selling item, Caple told the Times. I dont agree with it. But if they want to buy them, Im not gonna argue.

He sells the masks from a Trump-themed trailer in Amarillo, which is about a nine-hour drive from Houston.

NEED TO KNOW: WHO introduces alternatives to handshakes, hugs and high fives in the wake of COVID-19

Most companies including Starbucks, Walmart and Best Buy are now requiring some sort of facial covering to enter their stores. Here in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has mandated all Texans to "wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces" in any county with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says "cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus  particularly when used universally within a community setting."

So, regardless of how many people hate to wear them, masks can't be avoided.

Caple, on the other hand, doesn't feel like anyone in the Lone Star State is actually enforcing the July 2 mandate. He told the Times the only problem he's had with refusing to mask up was when he visited a local gas station by the name of Toot'n Totum and was asked to leave. He didn't care too much though, because he visited a different location and had no problems.

Even Trump, who was previously against masks and taunted others for wearing them, is now calling on Americans to mask up after witnessing the spike in cases nationwide. He tweeted a photo of himself on July 20 wearing a mask with the presidential seal, writing many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you cant socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President!

David Aronoff, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, told the Times that anything that gets people to wear a mask is a good thing, even if it feels like a fashion statement for the ones who don't want to mask up.

"And every little bit of money that can be made in this pandemic-wrecked economy is important," he said.

The latter may be worthy motivation for Caple; he said he sells anywhere from 50 to 250 masks a day from the Trump trailer.

Caple told the Times he thinks masks, and orders mandating they be worn, are pointless. But as a salesman? Im gonna sell them.
KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Kansas City Life Insurance Company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share on July 27, 2020. The dividend will be payable on August 12, 2020, to stockholders of record on August 6, 2020.

Kansas City Life Insurance Company (OTCQX: KCLI) was established in 1895 and is based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Company's primary business is providing financial protection through the sale of life insurance and annuities. The Company operates in 49 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, please visit www.kclife.com.

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The government has reportedly banned 47 more apps over national security concerns. The ban comes a month after around 59 popular Chinese apps, including TikTok and SHAREit, were barred from operating in India over issues of data privacy and national security. The apps banned today were clones of the apps banned previously and were operating despite the government warning.

Besides, India has also prepared a list of over 250 Chinese apps, including apps linked to Alibaba, that it will examine for any user privacy or national security violations, government sources told India Today TV, adding that the list also includes Tencent-backed gaming app PUBG. Although PubG videogame has been developed by a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole, it is also backed by China's most valuable internet major Tencent.

Apps from other Chinese internet and tech majors like Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games, Yoozoo Global are also in the list.

The full list of banned apps will be released soon, multiple media reports suggest, but the government has neither confirmed or denied any such report. On June 24, it was reported that the government had decided to ban more Chinese origin apps, including Helo Lite, ShareIt Lite, Bigo Lite and VFY Lite. These apps were also taken down by Google Play Store and Apple's App Store after they were found to be operating despite the ban. MeitY last week wrote a letter to Chinese firms warning the continued availability and operation of these banned apps, directly or indirectly, was an offence under the IT Act and other applicable Acts. It said a serious action would be taken if they did not comply with the order

The Centre had banned 59 apps with Chinese links, including TikTok, Shein, UC Browser, and BeautyPlus on June 29, saying they were prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity, and security of the country.

Also read: Govt warns 59 Chinese apps of serious action if found operating despite ban

Also read: 'Helo Lite, ShareIt Lite, Bigo Lite': Govt to ban more Chinese apps
The workers compensation line is unlikely to generate a profit this year and may not recover in 2021, an insurance industry economist said during a webcast Thursday.

Steven N. Weisbart, senior vice president and chief economist for the Insurance Information Institute, said carriers did not factor in the cost of COVID-19 claims when they filed this years rates because the disease did not exist. The National Council on Compensation Insurance said the first full quarters data on COVID claims costs wont be available until the end of September, and workers compensation rates in many states will be set before then.

We are talking about a really difficult year, Weisbart said. We are working with rates that were essentially generated a year ago or the year before. The rates may not be sufficient.

Weisbart gave his grim prognosis during a panel discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on workers compensation along with NCCI Senior Actuary Sean Cooper and Senior Division Executive Jeff Eddinger. Insurance Information Institute communications director Mark Friedlander moderated.

One Insurers Early COVID-19 Workers Comp Experience In taking what it said is a cautious approach to recognizing the impact of COVID-19, The Travelers Cos. last week reported a manageable $114 million in overall coronavirus-related losses. The losses were primarily in workers compensation along with some management liability claims. There were offsetting factors, resulting in a net charge overall of $50 million due to COVID-19 related activity. Some industry observers have speculated about the aggregate level of insured and investment losses arising out of the pandemic, CEO Alan Schnitzer told analysts. We dont doubt the losses will be significant, but they wont be borne evenly across insurers. In workers compensation, Travelers said most of its COVID-related claims have been from healthcare workers and first responders, which are not a significant part of its book of business. Also, Travelers noted that the frequency of those claims stabilized during the quarter. Beyond the healthcare sector, data from some state workers comp systems suggest that the COVID-related claim rate is low relative to the infection rate, which could reflect that many of the older workers most seriously affected by COVID-19 are not in the workforce. At the same time as it is watching the COVID-19 claims stabilize, Travelers has seen a lower volume of non-COVID-19 claims as workers have stayed home. The insurer expects this trend could change as employees return to the workplace and it is taking into account that severity could be adversely affected by injured workers delaying treatment due to the stay-at-home work environment. Finally, the insurer noted that there tends to be a low level of workers comp claim activity during economic recessions as workers tend to be more motivated to stay at their jobs and the workforce tends to be more seasoned. As for workers compensation pricing going forward, Schnitzer said that while the line has been profitable for several years and prices have been going down, prices may be at or near the bottom now.

Cooper said at this point, NCCI has data on COVID-19 claim costs only for the month of March. That claims data is being excluded when employers experience modifications are calculated, so insurers wont be able to recover any increased costs.

NCCI said it started this month filing next years loss cost rates and experience ratings. Those rates will take effect beginning late this year and into mid-2021.

NCCI said in a July 16 memorandum that next years rates will not be adjusted to include the impact of COVID-19 claims. Whats more, the organization said it has no plans to submit updated law-only rate filings if state legislatures change workers compensation laws to make more virus claims compensable.

As the COVID-19 pandemic is still in its early stages, projections of key assumptions for current and future time periods (e.g., infection/report/fatal rates) are wide ranging or not available, the memo says.

During the webinar, Eddinger noted that several states have issued executive executive orders or passed legislation that creates a presumption that COVID-19 claims are compensable for employees who worked away from home. California, Illinois and Michigan have expanded coverage for the disease. Vermont became the latest to create a COVID-19 presumption when Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill into law on July 13.

Weisbart said the rush by lawmakers to ensure benefits are paid for workers who contract COVID-19 reminds him of their approach to business-interruption claims. Attorneys are pressuring policymakers to expand coverage for a risk that was not contemplated when the insurance contracts were signed.

On the other hand, there are offsetting factors. Telecommuting has become the new normal, Weisbart said. Eddinger said employees who telecommute are less injury prone than workers in offices. Weibart said the pandemic is also hastening automation, which will reduce worker injuries.

Still, Weisbart said uncertainty about claims costs combined with dismal investment returns because of the economic contraction caused by the pandemic will challenge workers compensation carriers for the time being.

It looks like it will be challenging for this line to break even for this year or even in future years, especially in light of the fact that for the past six years this has been a profitable line of insurance, he said.

Eddinger said until the novel coronavirus arrived, workers compensation insurers would never expect to suffer a catastrophic loss from a pandemic. But since 2003, the world has seen the emergence of the SARS, H1N1, Ebola, and Zika viruses.

Eddinger said the time may have come for NCCI to develop a pandemic catastrophe risk factor that can be added to rates, similar to how a terrorism risk factor was added after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He said NCCI has hired a catastrophe risk modeling firm to develop the risk factor.

Topics Carriers COVID-19 Claims Workers' Compensation Talent
Jordanian Prime Minister Omar Razzaz's comments to a British newspaper that the Hashemite Kingdom could view positively a one-state democratic solution to the Israel-Palestine dispute has created a stir at home, raising questions on whether the kingdom was abandoning its decadeslong commitment to the two-state solution as the only path to ending the conflict. British newspaper The Guardian quoted Razzaz in an interview published July 21 as saying that Jordan could view favorably the creation of a single Palestinian-Israeli state, provided it gave equal rights to both peoples.

You close the door to the two-state solution; I could very well look at this positively if were clearly opening the door to a one-state democratic solution, Razzaz said. But he added that he was ready to challenge anybody from Israel to say yes, lets end the two-state solution, its not viable. But lets work together on a one-state democratic solution. But closing one and wishful thinking about the other is just self-deception.

Razzaz also said Israels annexation policy would be ushering in a new apartheid state that could be a radicalizing force and could further destabilize the region.

This was the first time a senior Jordanian official has praised the single-state solution as an alternative to the two-state solution. King Abdullah II has been an ardent critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus plan to annex major parts of the occupied West Bank, including the Jordan Valley. He has defended the two-state solution as the only path to ending the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Razzazs comments have raised eyebrows among Jordanian pundits. Jordanian columnists noticeably avoided commenting on the topic in the local press. An abridged version of the interview was released by the official news agency, Petra, on July 22 that did not mention his approval of the single state as an alternative to the two-state solution. Anything short of a viable two-state solution is going to push not just Jordan, not just Palestine, not just Israel, but the region and the world into chaos, Razzaz was quoted as saying.

We are against unilateral actions and the annexation plan, Petra quoted Razzaz as saying, adding that Jordan also opposes any steps that do not lead to the envisioned two-state solution, according to the agency. He said the kingdom will not accept the transfer of Palestinians, nor will it be an alternative homeland [to the Palestinians], underscoring that Jordan will not give up its custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. These three are clear for us, he was quoted as saying.

The official version of the interview was perceived as an attempt to deflect attention from the controversial comments on the single state. The initial comments had triggered an uproar on social media as activists wondered if Razzaz was testing reactions to a possible shift in policy.

But the pandemonium quieted down just as it started when, on July 22, King Abdullah flew to Abu Dhabi to meet with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss bilateral ties, according to The Jordan Times. The paper said the king reaffirmed that the two-state solution is the only way to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and achieve just and comprehensive peace, leading to the establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967, lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

But in an interview with National Public Radio aired July 23, Razzaz once more alluded to the single state when he said, If the two-state solution becomes not viable because of this annexation, then my question is what is the alternative? What is the other option to the Israelis? Is it  are they thinking of a one-state democracy for two people? Or is it going to be a state of apartheid, which the world was glad to not have in its membership since the end of the South African apartheid state. He added, And by undermining the two-state solution, we need to know what is the plan that does not undermine long-term peace and stability in the region? And I don't think there is one.

The idea of a single democratic state had been proposed by the Palestinians and left-wing Israelis at one stage or another in the past five decades. Opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus proposed annexation have recently revived it as an inevitable outcome. But Jordans position has been solidly behind the classic two-state solution.

The head of Al-Quds Center for Political Studies Oraib al-Rintawi believes Razzaz was testing the waters by speaking positively about a single democratic state. He told Al-Monitor the public no longer believes the two-state solution is viable. Its behind us, and if the demand for an independent Palestinian state has been crushed by Israeli settlements and apartheid, then what is the alternative? he said.

Rintawi believes Razzazs comments aimed to underline the fact that the majority of Israelis do not support the creation of a Palestinian state, nor do they accept a single state with equal rights, which means Israel is heading toward an apartheid system. For the Palestinians, the struggle will shift from demanding a state of their own to resisting apartheid and eventually to calling for equal rights in a single state, he said. Razzazs comments could have been a slip of the tongue or a test balloon, but in any case, we have to be ready for the worst, he concluded.

For some Jordanians, Razzazs comments were not only controversial but were tantamount to heresy. The largest bloc in the Jordanian parliament, Al-Islah, issued a statement July 23 calling for the dismissal of the prime minister who has irresponsibly departed from the Jordanian, Islamic and nationalist stand  by giving legitimacy to the occupier and recognizing their right to exist in Palestine through the single state that equates between the occupier and the people who have the legal right to the land.

Political science professor at the University of Jordan Hassan Barari told Al-Monitor he was not sure if Razzaz was speaking as a political analyst or as a prime minister who should have offered policy statements rather than hint at a shift in Jordans position. The single democratic state is no option. It is a romantic dream that ignores the true mentality of Israeli leaders regardless of their political differences, he said.

The single state option will destroy the goal of a pure Jewish state, so it will not be accepted. We should use that as leverage to force the two-state solution, Barari concluded.
Graphene, an atomically thin hexagonal structure of carbon atoms is a potential candidate for electronic and optoelectrical applications such as transparent electrodes and interconnect for integrated circuits. Yet, it is one thing to possess such useful properties and to induce an intended characteristic from this "wonder material" is another. In the face of the end of the "Moore's Law", chip makers have set their sight on multi-layered graphene for its scaling ability of integrated circuits to smaller physical dimensions and the electric-field induced bandgap, which is not affordable in monolayer graphene. Furthermore, owning to exotic physical properties controlled by its stacking orders (the arrangement of graphene layer along vertical direction) such as superconductivity and quantum Hall effect to name a few, multi-layer graphene is an interesting material for condensed matter physicists. Still, the unknown growth method for uniform single-crystalline multilayer graphene growth in a wafer scale presents a challenge.

Led by professor LEE Young Hee at the Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics, the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea, an IBS research team reports a novel method to grow multi-layered, single-crystalline graphene with a selected stacking order in a wafer scale. They obtained four-layered graphene using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) via Cu-Si alloy formation.

There have been several approaches to control the number of graphene layers. Conventionally, the monolayer graphene, which is easily grown on Cu-substrate, can be detached from the Cu-substrate and transferred onto insulator substrates such as SiO2/Si. Therefore, the simplest method to make multilayer graphene is to stack them layer-by-layer via the transfer process. However, this transfer process may cause tearing, wrinkles, and/or polymer residues. Though such issues can be avoided via a direct method, i.e. CVD on Cu substrate, the low solubility of carbon (C) in copper (Cu) hampers the controlling of the number of graphene layers with high uniformity in a large area. By depositing Ni or Co to form Cu-Ni/ Cu-Co alloys or employing oxygen-rich Cu substrate, C solubility in Cu is boosted and thus stacks more layers of graphene. Nevertheless, a small portion of inhomogeneous multilayers occurs. Controlling the crystallographic stacking sequence of graphene films thicker than two layers with high uniformity has not been demonstrated to date.

Dr. Van Luan Nguyen, the first author of the study (now at Samsung Advanced Institute Technology) proposed to use silicon carbide (SiC) on the surface of Cu substrate alloy, via the sublimation of Si atoms at a high temperature. They controlled the C solubility in the Cu film by introducing Si content on Cu surface by heat treatment of Cu substrate with a constant H2 gas flow inside the quartz tube of CVD chamber. "The formation of a homogeneous Cu-Si alloy, as a role of catalyst, was critical to control the number layers of graphene film in a wafer scale with methane gas. With the presence of Cu-Si alloy, SiC can be formed when methane gas is injected and the following sublimation process of Si atoms leaves C atoms behind to form multilayer graphene. Si amount is fixed at 28.7 % for uniform multilayer graphene film. Depending the concentrations of argon (Ar)-diluted methane gas, the number of graphene layers varies," says Dr. Van.

Growing in a large scale of this much-hyped graphene has seen much progress over a decade, but building multi-layered graphene is just in its early stages. Our study offers a novel approach to upgrade the conventional CVD method by introducing an intermediate process of in-situ formation of SiC film," notes Dr. LEE Sang Hyub, coauthor of the study. Importantly, this study provides a new platform to synthesize graphene multilayer towards the uniform large-area single-crystalline layer-tunable multilayer graphene as well as graphite thin film. This is an initial step to incorporate multilayer graphene to display panels and integrated circuits such as via-holes and replacement of Cu electrodes as well as photoelectronic and photovoltaic devices.

"Deposition of Si by conventional methods at low temperatures such as thermal evaporation or sputtering does not work for uniform multilayer graphene growth. The key in our new approach is to form uniform Cu-Si alloy on quartz tube chamber in which Si is sublimated at high temperature of 900 ? with H2 gas flow in a controllable manner," explains Director LEE Young Hee, the corresponding author of the study. Although the substantial achievement has been demonstrated in our current work, Director Lee cautions that the method to deposit Si at high temperature during the growth process is not practical and can be harmful for the quart tube for long-term use. They are searching for a solution to replace the current one for mass product.

###
The animal is legally protected by wildlife conservation laws.

The species begun spreading across Europe about thirty years ago, the two biggest movements being traced back to the Alps and Poland.

Officially, the last wolf in Luxembourg was shot dead in a forest in Olingen in 1893. The animal was only declared a protected species in Europe much later in 1992.

Since 2017, several wolf packs have returned to Germany and France, although it is to be noted that the population in the former country is twice as high as that in the latter one. Wolves also made it back to Switzerland about three years ago.

The first confirmed return of the animal in Luxembourg could be noted in Garnich in 2017. Half a year later, another trace was found in Fouhren. The most recent case occurred this year in April in Niederanven, where a wolf from Hannover could be identified, which had moved more than 450 km to arrive in the Grand Duchy.

The species is important for a diverse and balanced ecosystem. It is noteworthy that wolves do not possess any natural enemies in our region.
China on Monday urged Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan to forge four-party cooperation to overcome the Covid-19 crisis and continue work on projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Presiding over a virtual meeting with his counterparts from the three countries, Chinas foreign minister Wang Yi said the four states should work together to extend CPEC to Afghanistan.

The video conference, organised by Beijing ostensibly to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, was held against the backdrop of the months-long India-China border standoff. Given Indias currently strained ties with Nepal, the meeting is unlikely to go down well with the foreign policy establishment in New Delhi.

ALSO WATCH | AK-47 magazines, Chinese grenades seized from LeT hideout in Shopian

Wang, one of Chinas senior-most diplomats with the rank of state councillor, said the four states should give full play to geographic advantages, strengthen exchanges and connections between the four countries and Central Asian countries, and maintain regional peace and stability, according to a statement in Mandarin issued on Monday night.

Also read: India will resist Chinas economic imperialism |Opinion

The four countries should also actively promote the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the trans-Himalayan three-dimensional interconnectivity network, support the extension of [CPEC] to Afghanistan, and further release the regional interconnection dividend, he said.

Even for China, it is rare to call for four-party cooperation in South Asia without involving India. But the move fits Beijings current narrative.

The statement from Chinas foreign ministry indicated Beijing is looking at a more permanent cooperation mechanism with the three South Asian countries than just working together to counter the pandemic.

The meeting added to Beijings own narrative that it is ready to play a bigger role in war-torn Afghanistans peace process. For Nepal, it was an opportunity to send out a message about its increasingly snug ties with China amid the strained relations with India.

Also read: In Chinas troop movements in Ladakhs depth areas, a hint about its real plan

As for Pakistan, Wang himself cited the example of iron brother ties between Islamabad and Beijing. Emphasising that having good neighbours is good fortune, Wang called on Nepal and Afghanistan to follow the example of Sino-Pakistan cooperation to fight the pandemic.

Wang said learning from the Sino-Pakistan cooperation, Afghanistan and Nepal should expand four-nation joint prevention and control of Covid-19 and make arrangements for epidemic prevention, resumption of economic activity and personnel exchanges.

He said under the principle of anti-epidemic cooperation, the four countries should open up fast channels and green channels for personnel and logistics as soon as possible.

They should also strengthen joint prevention and control in border areas, and frame jointly recognised standard operating procedures for epidemic notification, prevention, management and control, he said.

Also read: US warplane flew less than 100 km from Shanghai, says China think tank

As part of post-pandemic recovery and economic development, Wang said, the other countries should firmly promote the joint construction of BRI, promote the resumption of key cooperation projects, maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains, and create new economic growth points in the digital field.

The online meeting was joined by Pakistans foreign and economic ministers, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Khushro Bakhtiar, Nepals foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali and Afghanistans acting foreign minister Hanif Atmar.
<! Oshiomhole says he regretted making Obaseki governor in 2016 >

By Igbaugba Ehigimetor/Benin

The former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Adams Oshiomhole, said he regretted supporting Mr Godwin Obaseki to become the governor of Edo in 2016.

Oshiomhole said this on Sunday in Benin while addressing some members of the APC.

He said he supported the governorship aspiration of Obaseki in 2016 to ensure the continuity of his projects and programmes.

I have made my honest mistakes. Only God is perfect. I am now 68 years. I have come to apologise for the mistake of supporting Obaseki in 2016.

I am in Edo to repair my mistakes. God had a reason for what happened to Ize-Iyamu in 2016. Leaving as the National Chairman of APC is to give me enough time to correct my errors.

Obaseki pretended for almost eight years, while he did not believe in what I was doing as the governor.

In 2007, Ize-Iyamu stepped down for me. In 2012, he was the Director-General of my re-election campaign organisation and we won in all the 18 local government areas of Edo. I will work for the election of Ize-Iyamu.

The former governor urged the governorship candidate of the APC in Edo to keep to his promises.

He expressed optimism that Ize-Iyamu would emerge victorious in the September 19 governorship election in the state.

Ize-Iyamu, while earlier speaking, stated that the incumbent governor has not done well in almost four years and has lost focus.

He urged the people of the state to massively vote for him on September 19.

Related
The Saudi foreign minister said during the meeting that his country holds the same stance as that of Egypt with regards to political settlements being the solution to the regions crises

Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Monday the latest developments in Yemen, Libya, Syria and Iraq with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Cairo, the Egyptian presidency said.

During the meeting, President El-Sisi stressed that political solutions are the basis for solving all the crises in the regions conflict-stricken countries.

El-Sisi also said that Egypts consistent position on Libya calls for an end to the foreign interventions in the country and for fighting radical and terrorist groups in order to restore security and stability.

The president added that Libya should not be allowed to turn into a base for extremist and terrorist groups, which would threaten security in the region and in Africa.

El-Sisi also stressed that Arab solidarity, unity and a consistency in positions are the most effective ways to combat external risks that face the Arab world.

The Saudi foreign minister said during the meeting that his country holds the same stance as that of Egypt with regards to political settlements being the solution to the regions crises, and that the two countries shared a joint national security.

He also expressed Saudi Arabias appreciation for Egypt's strategic and pivotal role in defending Arab national security under the guidance of President El-Sisi.

Bin Farhan praised Egypt's continuous efforts to ensure security, stability and development on the regional and international levels.

The meeting was also attended by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and the Saudi Ambassador to Cairo.

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A man has been accused of sharing a video containing child pornography with members of a WhatsApp group at a business in Dublin.

Shane Carberry (28) was granted bail and had the case adjourned when he appeared at Dublin District Court.

Mr Carberry, of Howth Road, Killester, is charged with possession of child pornography at premises in East Wall Road on January 17 last year.

Intimate

The charge alleges it was one video showing for sexual purposes intimate parts of a child or person depicted as a child.

Mr Carberry is also charged with knowingly distributing child pornography at the same location.

Garda Emma Ryan said she charged the accused before the court sitting and he made no reply to either count. He was handed copies of the charge sheets.

Gda Ryan said there was no objection to the accused being granted bail.

The DPP was consenting to the case being dealt with summarily at district court level, subject to a judge accepting jurisdiction.

Judge Ann Ryan asked for an outline of the allegations so she could consider this.

Gda Ryan said it was alleged a video was sent in a WhatsApp group of four members and contained child pornography.

Judge Ryan asked the garda if it was alleged to have contained "what the charge sheet outlines". The garda replied: "Yes, judge."

Judge Ryan accepted jurisdiction, which means the case can remain at district court level instead of going for trial to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, which has greater potential sentencing powers on conviction.

Disclosure

The judge ordered disclosure of prosecution material to the defence at the request of Mr Carberry's solicitor, Luke Staines.

The court heard this would be furnished in due course.

Judge Ryan granted bail in the accused's own bond of 200, with no cash lodgment required.

Gda Ryan confirmed no bail conditions were required.

The judge remanded Mr Carberry on bail to appear in court again on a date in November to indicate how he intends to plead to the charges.

The accused was not required to address the court during the brief hearing and left after signing his bail bond.
In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat who has repeatedly clashed with Mr. Trump, had said she welcomed the presidents intervention on enacting gun control and investing in community programs.

Any other form of militarized assistance within our borders that would not be within our control or within the direct command of the Chicago Police Department would spell disaster, she said in a letter to the president last week.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico on Sunday called the administrations decision to send law enforcement agents to the state  a measure the administration has sought to distinguish from the agents sent to guard federal property in Portland  as a bit suspect.

They have not provided the federal funding that was promised to Albuquerque for police and crime interventions, she said in an appearance on ABCs This Week. She said that the state would work with federal agents if they folded into existing efforts to address violent crime. But, she said, If were going to incentivize unrest, then thats something altogether different.

Portland has been the epicenter of the most recent protests. After the initial mass demonstrations in the aftermath of Mr. Floyds death, protests in the city continued each night, although in smaller numbers. Police have said there was persistent vandalism, people pointing lasers at law enforcement agents, and protesters who threw objects such as commercial-grade fireworks at officers, including those protecting the federal courthouse.

Mr. Trumps campaign has sought to capitalize on the unrest to reassure voters that he will bring an end to the turbulence. If there is a danger for Democrats generically, it is if the Republicans are able to define them as being on the side of the anarchists in Portland, said Scott Jennings, a veteran Republican strategist. But he said that Mr. Trumps heated and broad-brush rhetoric has made the Republican cause harder. The bottom line is its a situation that requires nuance and its a presidency that has not engaged in a lot of nuance.

Democratic strategists and Biden officials expressed confidence that Mr. Trumps attacks posed little immediate political risk even as street protests escalated. For one, they said, the presidents warning of a dark Democratic-run future is in stark dissonance with the reality that the unrest is happening under his own administration. They said the police issue was being treated by many voters as a distraction by Mr. Trump from his faltering coronavirus pandemic response and the struggling economy.
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration closed its consulate in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu on Monday, reducing America's diplomatic footprint in the world's second-largest economy as relations between Washington and Beijing hit a boiling point.

The U.S. Consulate in Chengdu opened 35 years ago and up until Monday employed 200 people, of which 50 were U.S. diplomats and 150 were local hires, according to the consulate website.

U.S. Marines lowered the American flag that once flew over the consulate and a covering was placed over the plaque marking its entrance as the U.S. diplomatic staff left its mission in compliance with a Chinese order. The U.S. now has five remaining consulates in Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Hong Kong-Macau as well as its embassy in Beijing.

Relations between the world's two largest economies have plunged to their worst point in years over a variety of issues, ranging from trade and cybersecurity to the Covid-19 pandemic, to China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and its growing clampdown on Hong Kong's autonomy.

On Friday morning, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs directed the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to cease operations at its consulate in Chengdu, a city in southwest China's Sichuan province.

"The consulate has stood at the center of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years. We are disappointed by the Chinese Communist Party's decision and will strive to continue our outreach to the people in this important region through our other posts in China," a Department of State spokesperson said.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, said some U.S. Chengdu consulate personnel were "conducting activities not in line with their identities" and had harmed China's security interests, but would not elaborate.

"The current situation in China-U.S. relations is not what China desires to see and the U.S. is responsible for all this. We once again urge the U.S. to immediately retract its wrong decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track," he added.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is standing by the state-government owned insurer icare, after it emerged thousands of injured workers had been underpaid millions in compensation.

Mr Perrottet said concerns about icare's financial viability and performance, including the systemic underpayment of NSW workers, were "not new", as he distanced the government from the need to conduct a fresh inquiry into the organisation.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said concerns about icare's underpayment of injured workers were "not new" and the issues were "being resolved". Credit:Edwina Pickles

"They are matters that are not new. There are matters that have been, I believe, resolved, or on track to being resolved," Mr Perrottet said.

"In relation to the underpayments issue, that was raised some time ago. It was self reported by icare and it pre-dates icare's existence. But obviously, as a responsible minister, where there are issues of misconduct, I take that very seriously and we'll look into it if that is deemed appropriate."
P resident Donald Trump has denounced protesters demonstrating in several US cities over the weekend amid continued unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd as "radical left anarchists".

Rallies fuelled by widespread anger over racial injustice and the police treatment of people of colour that flared up after the May 25 death of Mr Floyd in Minneapolis turned violent on Saturday in Portland, Seattle and Oakland.

Commenting on the unrest, Mr Trump on Sunday evening described those taking to the streets as "radical left anarchists" and accused US media outlets of failing to accurately report on the protests.

"The Lamestream Media, including @FoxNews, which has really checked out, is refusing to show what is REALLY going on in Portland, Seattle, and other places," he wrote in a post on Twitter.

"They want the American public to believe that these are just some wonderful protesters, not radical left ANARCHISTS!"

In a later Tweet, Mr Trump also suggested those demonstrating "hate our country".

The US President's outburst came after thousands of people gathered on Saturday evening in Portland for another night of protests over Mr Floyds killing at the hands of a white police officer and the presence of federal agents recently sent to the city by Mr Trump.

Protesters breached a fence surrounding the citys federal courthouse building where the agents have been stationed.

Police declared the situation to be a riot and at around 1.20am began ordering people to leave the area surrounding the courthouse or risk arrest, saying on Twitter that the violence had created a grave risk to the public.

About 20 minutes later, federal officers and local police could be seen attempting to clear the area and deploying tear gas, however protesters remained  forming lines across intersections and holding makeshift shields as police patrolled and closed blocks abutting the area.

Multiple arrests were made, but it was not immediately clear how many.

President Trump ordered US federal security agents into Portland at the start of July / AP

In Seattle, police officers retreated into a precinct station early on Sunday, hours after large demonstrations in the citys Capitol Hill neighbourhood.

Some demonstrators lingered after officers filed into the departments East Precinct at around 1am, but most cleared out a short time later, according to video posted online.

Rocks, bottles, fireworks and mortars were fired at police during the weekend unrest, and police said they arrested at least 45 people for assaults on officers, obstruction and failure to disperse.

Twenty-one officers were hurt, with most of their injuries considered minor, police said.

Meanwhile protesters in Oakland, California set fire to a courthouse, damaged a police station, broke windows, spray-painted graffiti, shot fireworks and pointed lasers at officers after a peaceful demonstration on Saturday evening turned to unrest, police said.

Demonstrators in Oakland broke windows, spray-painted graffiti, set off fireworks and pointed lasers at police officers, local authorities said / AP

A protest against police violence in Austin, Texas, turned deadly when police said 28-year-old protester Garrett Foster was shot and killed by a person who drove through a crowd of marchers.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said a car turned onto the block where protesters stood and honked its horn.

The driver and several witnesses told police that Foster approached the driver and pointed an assault rifle at them.

In video streamed live on Facebook, a car can be heard honking before several shots ring out and protesters start screaming and scattering for cover.

US election - 100 days to go: Trump polling six points behind Biden

Police could then be seen tending to someone lying in the street.

Mr Manley said the driver called 911 to report the incident and was later taken into custody and released.

Police did not immediately identify the driver.

Sheila Foster, Garretts mother, said she was told her son was pushing his fiancee, who uses a wheelchair, through an intersection when the suspect was driving erratically through the crowd. She said she was told the driver shot her son three times.

In the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado, meanwhile, a protester shot and wounded someone after a car drove through a crowd marching on an interstate highway, police said. The wounded person was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

Police did not release many details about the shooting, including whether the person who was shot had been in the car.
"More than enough" doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca will be reserved for the Parsi community, Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of the vaccine's local manufacturer Serum Institute of India, has said.

Poonawalla, however, did not specify the quantity of the doses that will be kept for the community, which is grappling with a shrinking population.

Replying to producer Ronnie Screwvala on Twitter, Poonawalla on Sunday said, "Yes @RonnieScrewvala, we will keep more than enough for the community. Our production capacity of just one day will be enough to cover every Parsi on the planet... given the size of our community."

Screwvala in his tweet, wherein he had tagged Poonawalla, said, "On a lighter note, Since Parsi's are to be extinct race (Though avg age of Parsi's show otherwise) there is a lobby that as the vaccine does come in there will be a special quota under saving from extinction race... & why not if a Parsi is at the forefront of it."

Poonawalla last week said the company aims to manufacture 300 million to 400 million doses by the year-end, following the success of initial and licensure trials.

He said as part of the agreement with AstraZeneca, SII can manufacture one billion doses for India and nearly 70 low and middle income countries.

There are no challenges in manufacturing of the vaccine doses and the company will be starting by making 60 to 70 million doses per day, he said.

The high prevalence of COVID-19 infections in Mumbai and Pune will help test the efficacy of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, SII said last week.

By end of August, between 4,000 to 5,000 people in Pune and Mumbai will be injected with the vaccine as part of trials that are scheduled to last over two months, it said.

The Oxford University has reported satisfactory progress from the vaccines test results and is conducting bigger field tests in the UK.

In India, it has chosen SII as the manufacturing partner, which has to conduct field trials before getting the final nod to ensure they are safe and effective for Indians.
Following the detection of its first omicron case Saturday in Haidian district of Beijing, the Chinese capital locked down certain communities and office buildings just weeks before the Winter Olympics and the Lunar New Year holiday. The city opened 30 emergency testing points in Haidian on Monday as it rushes to contain the spread

Jan 19, 2022 05:37 PM
A federal appellate court has cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit to proceed against State Farm Fire and Casualty Insurance Co. that may force the insurer to correct underpayments paid to some 65,000 policyholders.

A 6th Circuit Court of Appeals panel affirmed a district court ruling that certified a class of plaintiffs who may proceed with breach-of-contract claims against State Farm. A key issue in the case has already been decided in 2018, when the 6th Circuit affirmed a trial court ruling that insurers cannot include labor costs when calculating depreciation to determine a propertys actual cash value (ACV) under Kentucky law.

The improper handling of ACV obligations has been a problem for insureds across the country and has been an obstacle for people who have suffered catastrophic losses, and this is a positive step in the right direction, said Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders.

Susan Hicks, one of two lead plaintiffs in the case, is a widow whos husband died when the couples home in Owingsville, Kentucky burned down in 2014. State Farm deducted more than $60,000 for depreciation when it determined the actual cash value of the home. The Xactimate calculator that it used included depreciation for both materials and labor.

State Farm deducted more than $40,000 for depreciation of lead plaintiff Don Williams house in Monticello, Kentucky after it was damaged by fire. Williams chose not to repair the home and hasnt recovered the depreciated labor costs that were withheld from payment, the suit alleges.

The appellate court decision continues a long losing battle for State Farm. The U.S. District Court for Eastern Kentucky ruled in 2015 that under Kentucky law, insurers cannot include depreciation of labor costs when calculating actual cash value. The 6th Circuit affirmed that ruling in 2018.

State Farm changed its method of depreciation about three months after the district court ruled it was improper to deduct for labor costs. The plaintiffs attorneys say that the insurer needs only to unclick one of the boxes used within the Xactimate software to come up with the correct actual cash value.

The plaintiffs filed suit in 2017 seeking to certify as a class of plaintiffs 65,575 policyholders who received payouts where labor costs were improperly calculated from Feb. 28, 2004 to July 25, 2015.

Wystan M. Ackerman, with the Robinson & Cole law firm in Hartford, Connecticut, said the law on determining actual cash value isnt consistent across all jurisdictions. While the 6th Circuit has ruled that insurers cannot include labor costs when deducting for depreciation in some instances, such deductions may be proper in states where statutes allow insurers to present broad evidence to support their valuations.

Ackerman filed an an amicus brief supporting State Farms position on behalf of the American Property and Casualty Insurance Association. He said the 8th Circuit has ruled that insurers can deduct for depreciation of labor costs under Missouri law.A federal district court reached a similar conclusion in Ohio.

In any case, Ackerman said that most insurers have stopped including depreciation of labor costs in their actual cash value calculations. Some jurisdictions, such as California, strictly forbid the practice, he said.

The 6th Circuit ruling moves the case back to trial court, which must calculate the damages owed. The amount may far surpass the amount that was underpaid because of the Xactimate calculations. The plaintiffs are also seeking pre-judgment interest on the amount that was underpaid, which in Kentucky is percent a year under Kentucky law.

The scope of the class of defendants may also change as the case moves forward. Circuit Justice McKeague dissented to a part of the ruling. He said the district court judge certified an overly broad class of plaintiffs that includes claims by homeowners who were paid more than the cost of repairs, even after labor costs were depreciated.

McKeague said State Farm did not breach the terms of its policies in instances where it paid more than the actual cost of repairs or replacement.

In other words, State Farm was contractually obligated to be a good neighbor, not a great one, McTeague wrote in dissent. He said he expects the trial court to address that question before a final order is issued.

Topics Lawsuits Carriers Legislation Kentucky
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan speaks after touring Coastal Sunbelt Produce with Senior Adviser to the President Ivanka Trump, in Laurel, Md., on May 15, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Maryland Governor Not Sure Whether to Vote for Trump

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said he may vote for President Donald Trump, depending on what the president does between now and the November election.

Like everybody else, I get to go into the voting booth and pull the lever for the person that I think is going to do the best job. And were going to figure that out in the next 100 days, Hogan said during a Sunday interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt.

You know, Im going to try to make that decision like everybody else in America. I think weve got a long way to go. And I think right now, if the election were held today, the president would be in real trouble. But hes certainly got time to turn things around. And Im hoping that hes able to get some of these things taken care of, Hogan said.

Hogan, 64, is a Republican but has regularly criticized Trump.

Hewitt, a conservative, expressed disbelief that Hogan might choose former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, over the de facto leader of the Republican Party.

President Donald Trump greets the Walking Marine Terry Sharpe at the White House in Washington on July 27, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Hogan said he could choose to vote for neither man, referring to what he did in the last presidential election.

I mean, theres, there are other choices. I didnt make that choice between Hillary and Donald Trump the first time. I did a write-in for my dad, who I had a lot of respect for, he said.

Former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016.

Marylands executive branch chief said he feels like he and Trump have in common coming from the private sector and never holding office until launching political bids and ending up in their current positions.

Were both, you know, guys from the private sector, real estate guys, whove never held elective office and got elected and tried to come in to make a difference and change things, Hogan said.

The real difference the governor sees is in tone in tone and style, and the ability to get things done working across the aisle. Hogan presides over a state that is filled with Democrat officials, from the major cities to U.S. officials representing congressional districts.

Hogan is promoting a new book called Still Standing that delves into his time in office and battle with cancer. Hes considered a potential 2024 presidential contender.
Photo: Contributed

The Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIO BC) is now investigating whether police actions contributed to a man's injury after an incident in Campbell River.

Shortly after 12 a.m. on July 26, Campbell River RCMP attended a residence that was the subject of a noise complaint.

When officers arrived, they found three intoxicated individuals. One man became "combative" during the interaction and a "physical altercation" took place, despite attempts to calm him down.

Officers later handcuffed the man and transported him to cells.

Emergency Health Services were called to assist but refused to deal with the man due to his aggressive state.

About two hours later, he complained of pain and was transported to hospital where doctors determined he had a possible fractured arm.

The matter is now under independent investigation by the IIO BC and no further information will be released by police.
Is your retirement plan safe? No, I dont mean from the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus. I mean from the political whims of self-serving investment managers and environmental activists.

Theres a growing trend in the financial community, driven by boisterous public shaming campaigns, towards environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing  meaning giving more funds to companies who talk the right talk on issues like climate change, instead of to companies that offer the highest return on investment. The ESG movement wrongly bullies corporations into ignoring their duty to provide profitability for shareholders, in order to appease a vocal minority of progressive activists. And some major firms, like BlackRock, are capitulating.

A new Department of Labor proposal aims to shore up safeguards for some workers and retirees from politically motivated investing. But many others would remain unprotected, and the consequences of investing based on the hot topic du jour instead of on financial security could be devastating.

Efforts to divest from fossil fuels would yield no significant environmental benefits but come with an extreme economic cost.

Many of us take it for granted, but energy underpins everything we do. We owe our quality of life, vast economic opportunity, public health, and even environmental quality to the availability of affordable, reliable energy.

Denying financing to American energy producers based on political pressure kills good-paying jobs, increases our cost of living, and reduces the capital available to invest in the energy technologies of the future  while giving a leg up to less responsible energy producers. The less energy the United States is free to produce, the more we and our allies are forced to rely on hostile, unstable nations with lax environmental and labor standards.

And the climate change doomsday narrative, however popular it may be, ignores decades of vast improvements in both human flourishing and environmental quality  and it doesnt align with climate science, either.

Eliminating all carbon dioxide emissions nationwide by 2030, as called for in the Green New Deal, would result in a less than two-tenths of a degree temperature change by 2100, according to data models used by the United Nations, the EPA, and most global climate-focused organizations. Meanwhile, severe weather patterns remain stable and humanity is becoming more and more resilient, with natural disaster deaths down dramatically. And in the United States, weve cut emissions of air pollutants by a remarkable 77% since 1970  making us a world leader in clean air  while growing our economy, population, and energy use.

With its myopic focus on reducing carbon dioxide emissions at any cost, the ESG movement fails to consider the negative human and environmental impacts, especially the land and wildlife destruction, of renewable energy.

Ultimately, the best science suggests that our climate is likely to remain mild and manageable while technology and innovation continue to improve our resiliency, environmental protection, and overall well-being.

None of this means individual investors shouldnt be free to allocate their money however they choose, or even that investment managers must choose fossil fuels. Private businesses and individuals should be allowed to exercise their best judgment.

The ESG movement wouldnt just endanger retirees depending on their investments for survival, but it would force all of us into higher energy prices and fewer choices. This would hit distressed and vulnerable communities, who spend the largest share of their income on energy, particularly hard.

ESG is less an investing strategy than a movement towards mob rule. In the words of finance expert Rupert Darwall at the RealClear Foundation, its the biggest threat to American capitalism since the 1930s. When conformity and cancel culture take the place of logic, reason, and fiduciary responsibility, our entire financial system stands in jeopardy.

The Honorable Jason Isaac is senior manager and distinguished fellow of Life:Powered, a national energy initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. He previously served four terms in the Texas House of Representatives.
Not-for-profit or for-profit?

Its the question McMaster University professor Andrew Costa kept seeing play out in the media after long-term care facilities became inundated with COVID-19 outbreaks.

But there was more at play than just facility status in determining what homes were most susceptible to an outbreak, and Costa wanted to prove it.

For those of us that have been working in the sector, we got the sense that there were a lot of big issues, he said. For me, personally, this wasnt the biggest issue.

So, Costa and a team of researchers used data from the Ministry of Health, coupled with public health information on regional outbreaks, to get a better picture of the aggravating factors involved in long-term care facility outbreaks.

The findings show how the province can safeguard the industry from future waves, focusing on design upgrades and increased monitoring in areas experiencing outbreaks.

The study looked at all of Ontarios 623 long-term care homes and their 75,676 residents from March 29 to May 20.

About 30 per cent, or 190, of long-term care homes in Ontario experienced outbreaks during the study period, with 110 occurring in for-profit homes, 55 in non-profit homes and 25 in municipal homes.

But if you look at just the outbreak status, which is defined as having one or more positive COVID-19 case in residents or staff, Costa said the likelihood of a facility having an outbreak was not related to its for-profit or not-for-profit status. Instead, it was related to the case count of the surrounding community and the size of the facility itself.

Its kind of like flooding in your basement, explained Costa. So, you could have wonderful protections around your home, but if theres water outside, its going to get in.

And the virus doesnt walk itself through the door, he said. So, the more residents a facility has, the more staff it needs, which increases the probability of it getting inside.

Outbreaks worse in for-profit homes

However, the study found that once a facility registered its first case, for-profit outbreaks were about twice as large as outbreaks in not-for-profit facilities. And when looking at fatalities, for-profits had a 178 per cent increase in the number of resident deaths compared with homes with non-profit status.

Why the stark difference?

Costa said about half of for-profit facilities have outdated designs dating back to 1972 standards. This is only true in about 10 per cent of not-for-profit facilities, he said.

These outdated designs feature four-bedroom ward-style accommodations with centralized common spaces, whereas new standards dictate a maximum of two beds per room.

These standards are from 1972, its appalling, he said. Weve had a lot of governments since 1972, and not a lot of change on this issue. Its a funding problem.

Its also a space problem.

Costa estimates it would eliminate about 10 per cent of the provinces current bed capacity  about 7,500 beds  if all the four-bed rooms were downgraded in Ontario.

In a province where there is a wait-list of 30,000 seniors for long-term care beds, much of the focus has been on increasing capacity, not decreasing it.

Its significant, but I think given how bad COVID has been in these overcrowded facilities, and how consistent and universal that is, we dont have a choice, said Costa. Its a mess we have to clean up now.

Province pledges new funding model

The provincial government is hoping a new funding model may be the starting point.

The province recently announced a $1.75-billion investment in long-term care facilities, rolling out a new funding model that is designed to increase upfront funding and cover key development charges.

In Waterloo Region, there are currently 4,151 long-term care beds, a wait-list of 1,910 vulnerable seniors, and a median wait time of 136 days for admission.

It allows us to look at different regions in the province in different ways, said Kitchener SouthHespeler MPP Amy Fee.

In Kitchener, the funding has already been earmarked to upgrade 207 beds between AR Goudie and Schlegel Villages The Village of Winston Park. On top of the upgrades, The Village of Winston Park will also add 97 beds.

Funding will also be used to update 209 beds between St. Lukes Place and Cambridge Country Manor. St. Lukes will also add 51 beds to the facility.

We knew before COVID hit that long-term care was in desperate need of upgrades and adding beds to be able to support families, Fee said. This will help us get there a little bit faster.

This comes on the eve of an in-house provincial commission set to assess the current landscape of the provinces long-term care facilities in the face of the pandemic.

Ontario was the first jurisdiction in North America to voluntarily and proactively announce this kind of review into the impact of COVID-19 in long-term care, said Ministry of Long-Term Care spokesperson Mark Nesbitt.

Details of the commission including terms of reference, membership, leadership of the commission and reporting timelines will be announced shortly.

More regulation needed to invest funding into care

Waterloo Region Health Coalition co-chair Jim Stewart said the long-term care sector has been on a race to the bottom in terms of saving costs, a major component in for-profit homes electing not to upgrade their designs.

He questions whether the current provincial funding model, which he says greatly subsidizes and incentivizes for-profit business owners, is investing enough into direct care.

When we finally wake up to the reality that public health is disappearing quickly, it could be too late, he said. So, its about time for people to say no to this ideological movement toward privatizing something we all have high regard for and cherish.

For Costa, taking into consideration the financial burden moving to a wholly public long-term care system would require, he said the province needs to focus on proper regulation as it moves toward reform.

If there is going to be more funding to the sector, and more for-profit facilities, then I just think there needs to be more regulations so that there are strictly enforced standards that all the extra funding goes toward care and not toward additional profits.
Weather Alert

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST THURSDAY... * WHAT...Mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations of one inch with localized higher amounts and ice accumulations of a light glaze. * WHERE...Portions of western Kentucky, generally along and south of a Paducah to Owensboro line, and Massac, Pope, and Hardin counties in southern Illinois. * WHEN...Until 6 AM CST Thursday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions overnight, potentially into the commute on Thursday morning. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Freezing of residual moisture on roads could also cause icing of roads and walkways. Black ice issues could linger through the early morning hours on Thursday. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. &&
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 23:44:47|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday warned of an increase in COVID-19 infections during Eid al-Adha holiday in Iraq, while the Health Ministry reported 2,553 new COVID-19 cases in the country.

"Iraq is not yet out of the danger phase, and a wave of high infections is inevitable unless there is a commitment to preventive health measures and social distancing to limit the spread of the virus," Wael Hatahit, head of the WHO's emergency team in Iraq, said in an interview with the official al-Sabah newspaper.

Hatahit highlighted the need to focus on preventing social gatherings during the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday, which is expected to start on July 31, according to the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry reported 2,553 COVID-19 cases during the past 24 hours, bringing the total infections in the country to 112,585.

It also reported 96 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 4,458 in the country, while 1,927 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 77,144.

Earlier, the Health Ministry frequently attributed the increase of COVID-19 infections to the lack of public compliance to the health instructions and the stronger testing capacity with the increase of labs in Baghdad and other provinces.

On Sunday, the Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed by the Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, decided to extend the weekly full curfew from July 30 to Aug. 9, including the Eid al-Adha holiday.

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
Sensex slipped more than 194 points to end at 37,935 in a see-saw session on Monday, tracking heavy selling in banking stocks. The 30-share index fell over 500 points from the day's peak, even as it managed to recover some lost ground to settle at 37,934.73, a loss of 194.17 points, or 0.51 per cent. NSE Nifty closed 62.35 points, or 0.56 per cent, lower at 11,131.80.

ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank and Bajaj Finance emerged as the major laggards. Asian Paints, HCL Tech, Infosys, TCS, Ultratech Cement and Tata Steel were among the top gainers.

"Hopes for more stimulus measures in major economies and data showing that China's industrial profits rose in June for a second straight month helped offset worries about rising US-China tensions and the surge in coronavirus cases worldwide. European markets declined marginally on Monday morning as investors continue to watch rising diplomatic tensions between the US and China, while travel stocks tumbled after the UK imposed quarantine measures on people returning from Spain," said Deepak Jasani, Head Retail Research, HDFC Securities.

"We expect a breather in the index, after rising for six successive weeks. Meanwhile, earnings announcements from select Nifty majors and upcoming derivatives expiry of July month contracts will keep the participants busy. Globally, the US Fed meet scheduled this week and key economic data announcements will also be on their radar. We suggest limiting leveraged trades and preferring index majors over others," said Ajit Mishra, VP - Research, Religare Broking.

Here are 7 things to know before Tuesday's opening bell

Global bourses

Asian shares ended on a mixed note on Monday amid concerns over growing US-China friction and fresh coronavirus cases in China and South Korea. European markets fell marginally in the early trade.

Shaktikanta Das' assurance

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Monday assured the industries that the central bank was closely monitoring the economic situation. He also said that the central bank will not hesitate to take appropriate action, as he highlighted the need for stepping up investment in the infrastructure sector to reignite growth hit by the coronavirus crisis.

Bank, financial stocks

After RBI's Financial Stability Report last week, bank and financial stocks took a beating. The report had estimated that gross NPAs of scheduled commercial banks can rise to 14.7 per cent of the total loans by March 2021 (8.5 per cent in FY20) in a worst-case scenario. The GNPAs could rise to 12.5 per cent in the base case scenario.

Rural unemployment rate rises

According to fresh data from Center of Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), rural unemployment rate climbed to 7.66 per cent in week ended July 26 as against 7.1 per cent in the week to July 19 on account of fall in agricultural activities.

Earnings

Marico's June quarter net profit saw a 23 per cent year-on-year jump to Rs 388 crore, while revenues fell to Rs 1,925 crore in Q1. Havells India reported a 64 per cent on-year fall in net profit to Rs 63.3 crore in the given quarter while revenue fell to 1,479.1 crore. Kotak Mahindra bank reported an 8.5 per cent on-year decline in standalone net profit to Rs 1,244.4 crore, while net interest income rose to Rs 3,723.9 crore.

Coronavirus cases

Number of coronavirus cases worldwide has crossed 1.6 crore and the deaths are more than 6.5 lakh. In India, the death toll due to the disease is nearing 33,000-mark and the number of infections has topped 14 lakh, official data showed.

Technical insights

"The short term trend of Nifty is range bound with weak bias. The momentum in the market could expand only a sustainable move beyond the range of 11,250 and 11,050 levels in the short term. Upside breakout could pull Nifty towards 11,550 and a downside breakout of the range open lower target of 10,900-10,850 in the near term," said Nagaraj Shetti, Technical Research Analyst, HDFC Securities.

"Technically, Nifty formed a bearish candle today. Overall while declines are being bought, follow up is missing at higher levels. It requires a decisive range breakout for the next leg of rally. Stock specific action is likely to continue with a lot of heavyweights reporting their earnings over the next few days. Investors would also watch out for commentary from the US Fed monetary policy meeting on Wednesday," said Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Retail Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Service.

Also Read: 'Please don't extend loan moratorium': HDFC's Deepak Parekh pleads to RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das

Also Read: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das highlights 5 bright spots in Indian economy
The US Department of State confirmed that the US consulate general in Chinese city of Chengdu ceased operations Monday, AP reported.

The Department of State announced that the mission closed at 10am local time.

According to the AP report, the US diplomatic agency expressed its regret in regards to closure of the consulate, adding that other missions in China will continue to operate.

On July 21, Washington demanded China to close its consulate general in Houston, citing alleged theft of US technologies, improper use of the student exchange system, and what it called an employee behavior, incompatible with a standard practice of diplomatic behavior. The same day, Beijing demanded that the US close its consulate general in Chengdu.
RTL had a chat with Sebastian Beyenburg, who works as a mentor for "Project Access." The initiative helps prospective students hoping to study in England or in the US.

Sebastian Beyenburg obtained his international baccalaureate from the Athenee secondary school in Luxembourg City. He received support from his parents and his English teacher when he tried to apply for a university degree but quickly realised that the whole application and enrollment procedure were rather complicated. For tis reason, he decided to become Luxembourg's first mentor for pupils hoping to study in England or in the US.

He told RTL that he is currently trying to build his own team. "I'm currently the only one but the goal of the project is to have a full team dedicated to finding secondary school pupils that will enroll at their dream university thanks to the 'Project Access'."

To apply for mentoring, pupils need to prove that, at their school, they do not have access to information about universities and degrees to the same extent than pupils at private schools or international schools.

Phoebe Maton is one of Luxembourg's pupils relying on "Project Access" for mentoring. She will graduate from secondary school next year and her goal is to study Business Management at King's College in London. Her mentor is from Finland and already a student at King's College. Phoebe told RTL that the mentor can for instance be extremely useful when it comes to drafting a personal statement.
The federal government has lifted the ban placed on the Executive Jets Services following months of COVID-19 lockdown.

The private airline was suspended indefinitely by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, for violating the licence given to it to operate a flight from Lagos to Abuja and back to Lagos.

The company had conveyed musician, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, and ex-BB Naija housemate, Kim Oprah, to Abuja for a concert.

The flight at the time was approved for a different purpose  to convey a serving judge from Lagos to Abuja and back, on official assignment.

Speaking at the bi-weekly Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing on Monday, the aviation minister said the ministry decided to lift the ban following the compliance of the airline with sanctions imposed on it.

Today, we lifted the ban on Executive Jets Air Services Limited. They have complied substantially with all of our imposed sanctions.

They have paid parts of the fine and they have brought out a payment plan for the balance. So, we lifted the ban and they will continue to do their business. These kind of things are not punitive, they are things to make our industry work better and keep all of you safe, he said

The minister also said that he has not received the report of the investigation into alleged violations of the COVID-19 protocols by dignitaries.

Many Nigerian elites including presidential aides are believed to have violated the ban on air travels using private and official planes.

As to the VIP offenders which are undergoing investigation, the report will be on my desk this week hopefully and we will keep you posted, the minister said.
Note that all across America, violent left-wing terrorists are now assaulting vehicles, often targeting vehicles driven by White people.

You can hear the exchange of gunfire in the following video, taken Saturday night in Austin. First, youll hear the five rounds of AK-47 rifle fire, followed by a roughly six-second pause, followed by three handgun rounds from the vehicle driver.

Amazingly, no one else appears to have been injured in the exchange of gunfire. (AK-47 rounds, in particular, have a real problem with overpenetration)

Over the weekend, a left-wing rioter in Austin, Texas was carrying an AK-47 when, for reasons still unknown, he decided to fire five rounds into a passenger vehicle in the middle of a busy downtown street. All five rounds missed the driver, once again demonstrating that Leftists have no rifle skills, even during close range engagements. The driver of the vehicle promptly returned fire and killed the assailant with three rounds from a handgun .

About the author: Mike Adams (aka the Health Ranger) is a best selling author (#1 best selling science book on Amazon.com called Food Forensics), an environmental scientist, a patent holder for a cesium radioactive isotope elimination invention, a multiple award winner for outstanding journalism, a science news publisher and influential commentator on topics ranging from science and medicine to culture and politics. Follow his videos, podcasts, websites and science projects at the links below.

Mike Adams serves as the founding editor of NaturalNews.com and the lab science director of an internationally accredited (ISO 17025) analytical laboratory known as CWC Labs. There, he was awarded a Certificate of Excellence for achieving extremely high accuracy in the analysis of toxic elements in unknown water samples using ICP-MS instrumentation. Adams is also highly proficient in running liquid chromatography, ion chromatography and mass spectrometry time-of-flight analytical instrumentation. He has also achieved numerous laboratory breakthroughs in the programming of automated liquid handling robots for sample preparation and external standards prep.

The U.S. patent office has awarded Mike Adams patent NO. US 9526751 B2 for the invention of Cesium Eliminator, a lifesaving invention that removes up to 95% of radioactive cesium from the human digestive tract. Adams has pledged to donate full patent licensing rights to any state or national government that needs to manufacture the product to save human lives in the aftermath of a nuclear accident, disaster, act of war or act of terrorism. He has also stockpiled 10,000 kg of raw material to manufacture Cesium Eliminator in a Texas warehouse, and plans to donate the finished product to help save lives in Texas when the next nuclear event occurs. No independent scientist in the world has done more research on the removal of radioactive elements from the human digestive tract.

Adams is a person of color whose ancestors include Africans and American Indians. He is of Native American heritage, which he credits as inspiring his Health Ranger passion for protecting life and nature against the destruction caused by chemicals, heavy metals and other forms of pollution.

Adams is the author of the worlds first book that published ICP-MS heavy metals analysis results for foods, dietary supplements, pet food, spices and fast food. The book is entitled Food Forensics and is published by BenBella Books.

In his laboratory research, Adams has made numerous food safety breakthroughs such as revealing rice protein products imported from Asia to be contaminated with toxic heavy metals like lead, cadmium and tungsten. Adams was the first food science researcher to document high levels of tungsten in superfoods. He also discovered over 11 ppm lead in imported mangosteen powder, and led an industry-wide voluntary agreement to limit heavy metals in rice protein products.

In addition to his lab work, Adams is also the (non-paid) executive director of the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center (CWC), an organization that redirects 100% of its donations receipts to grant programs that teach children and women how to grow their own food or vastly improve their nutrition. Through the non-profit CWC, Adams also launched Nutrition Rescue, a program that donates essential vitamins to people in need. Click here to see some of the CWC success stories.

With a background in science and software technology, Adams is the original founder of the email newsletter technology company known as Arial Software. Using his technical experience combined with his love for natural health, Adams developed and deployed the content management system currently driving NaturalNews.com. He also engineered the high-level statistical algorithms that power SCIENCE.naturalnews.com, a massive research resource featuring over 10 million scientific studies.

Adams is well known for his incredibly popular consumer activism video blowing the lid on fake blueberries used throughout the food supply. He has also exposed strange fibers found in Chicken McNuggets, fake academic credentials of so-called health gurus, dangerous detox products imported as battery acid and sold for oral consumption, fake acai berry scams, the California raw milk raids, the vaccine research fraud revealed by industry whistleblowers and many other topics.

Adams has also helped defend the rights of home gardeners and protect the medical freedom rights of parents. Adams is widely recognized to have made a remarkable global impact on issues like GMOs, vaccines, nutrition therapies, human consciousness.

In addition to his activism, Adams is an accomplished musician who has released over fifteen popular songs covering a variety of activism topics.

Click here to read a more detailed bio on Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, at HealthRanger.com.

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Dr. Pham Quang Vinh, managing director of Siemens Energy Ltd

Siemens AGs energy business Siemens Energy has just taken shape, paving the way for the establishment of an independent company rigorously focused on the energy sector. Can you share more about this critical change?

On that day we experienced a pivotal moment in the companys 172-year history. It was a day to present our vision and take the next step towards a more sustainable world  a day for launching a new and independent company: Siemens Energy. Once separated, Siemens Energy will have its own direct access to the capital market and as an independent, listed company, will be able to sharpen its profile in the competitive environment. As a global leader in products, solutions, and services for the generation and transmission of energy, Siemens Energy will help customers throughout the world master the necessary task of achieving a socially and economically responsible energy transition.

Siemens Energy will become independent at a time characterised by major changes. The buzzwords of climate change, decentralisation, digitalisation, and coronavirus describe a constellation of unprecedented challenges that confront all of us worldwide. At the same time, energy systems around the world are undergoing fundamental changes  the balance of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources is shifting. In addition, around 850 million people are still living without access to electricity. And according to studies, global demand for energy could even increase by around 25 per cent by 2040.

Siemens Energy will be able to deliver answers for the central question of how we can meet the rising demand for energy worldwide and at the same time protect the climate  and do so in an economically sensible way. We are pursuing a clear objective: we energise society around the world and thus enable successful and sustainable growth  that is our promise and our purpose.

Siemens has a very strong footprint in Vietnam, especially in the energy sector. So will this change cause any impact on the companys operation and its Vietnamese customers?

Siemens AG will remain strongly committed to this business and to supporting our customers, including honouring all existing guarantees and financial commitments, and offering continued support on an arms-length basis going forward.

In Vietnam, we officially became Siemens Energy Limited in March. Were running business as usual. We continue to render our best support to our Vietnamese customers and remain highly committed to supporting the vigorous development of the countrys energy sector, especially in power generation and power transmission.

Can you reveal some of the major strategies that will be implemented by Siemens Energy, and the plans going forward in Vietnam?

Deeply understanding our customers needs and focusing on meeting them is at the core of our being. Our entire portfolio of goods and services has to offer a clear customer benefit. To do that, we need to understand whats important to our customers, how they make their decisions, and precisely what they need.

Via more intensive dialogue and by bringing the right people together on both sides, we pool our strengths and act as partners, on an equal footing and in a shared ecosystem.

Innovative technologies and business models as well as intelligent service models are prerequisites for success. Thats why were focusing all our activities clearly on the transformation of energy systems.

With our technologies, we are responding to the global megatrends in the energy world: digitalisation, decentralisation, and decarbonisation. We are concentrating on how to best manage the transformation of energy systems while making the systems as resilient and reliable as possible.

We are systematically putting these strategic priorities into action. We want to become the most valued energy technology company in the world and the trustworthy partner for our customers. To achieve this, we will build on our strengths and further develop Siemens Energy into a product-based service company that consistently uses the sustainably generated funds from the service business to develop our technology further. At the same time, we will change our structures, processes, and operating models so that they are customer-oriented and effective. In Vietnam, as of 2019 Siemens large gas turbines have contributed nearly 9 per cent of the countrys total electricity output with a high availability of more than 95 per cent, thus helping to stabilise national energy security.

And going forward, we would like to introduce the SGT-9000HL gas turbine to Vietnams market. It is our latest generation gas turbine with evolutionary design based on the well proven architecture of H-Class and F-Class. In combined cycle mode it can achieve net 63 per cent efficiency, which makes the use of natural gas more efficient and contributes to reducing CO2 emissions. A combined cycle power plant using SGT-9000HL with multi-shaft configuration with two separate generators on different shafts will ensure the plants flexible operation, high reliability, and convenient maintenance as well as contributing to better grid stability.

Well be ready to shape the future of energy by making real what matters. Thats what we stand for, and thats what we mean when we can proudly say: were Siemens Energy.
Like with any industry, the information security industry, more commonly referred to as cybersecurity, for all its raging debates, has rallied around a small corpus of best practices.

One of the highest on this list is full-disk encryption, which security experts regard as sacrosanct, a no-brainer that everyone should use at the barest of minimums. This is the encryption that ensures that someone who snatches your device wont be able to know everything youve got saved on it.

Im here to make the case that most of you are better off not using it. I know this might sound crazy, since Im kind of the security guy here, but hear me out.

I am in no way about to talk you out of using encryption  without it, the digital tools that we rely on every day would be unusable. Thats why Im not arguing against encryption, period; but specifically against full-disk encryption, and only for certain users.

What I contend is that, for most people facing the overwhelmingly most common use cases, full-disk encryption is overkill. These users enjoy no measurable gain in security compared to alternative data at rest encryption, yet they pay for it with a measurable performance hit. This isnt just a matter of efficiency or load times, but literal increased cost to users, too.

Alternatives exist which afford normal everyday users, with normal everyday security concerns, a level of protection commensurate with what full-disk encryption offers. They are admittedly a bit off the beaten path, as most consumer tech companies have adopted full-disk encryption, but theyre out there.

There Has to Be Another Way

Today, full-disk encryption is by far the most common kind of encryption scheme for data at rest. Think of data at rest as the data you keep on some kind of storage medium (like a hard drive) for use later, not the kind of data that is moving over some communication channel like the Internet (that would be data in transit).

In general, full-disk encryption is implemented on a level of computer complexity that deals with how raw bytes, decoupled from the context of information representation, are organized on the hard drive. We will refer to this as the block device level, since the full-disk encryption is applied to the block device that is a hard drive partition (just a fancy name for a large segment of your hard drive).

This level is higher than the electrical signal level, but below the filesystem, the latter of which is the point at which your computer sees bytes as files instead of just bytes. The filesystem serves as a kind of org chart that tells your computer how to tell what bytes go together to make up files, and how to tell files and file types apart.

So what exactly is this disk encryption that isnt full-disk encryption?

The answer is filesystem-level encryption. Under filesystem-level encryption, also called file-based encryption, a system encrypts certain directories (i.e. folders) and all the files and directories within them, recursively down to everything that the uppermost directory ultimately contains. Filesystem-level encryption can also encrypt an entire filesystem, automatically protecting everything that gets saved on it. For our purposes, though, we will consider the kind of file-based encryption that lets users choose which files and directories to encrypt, leaving the rest alone.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

To be precise, the model I have in mind is one which encrypts only the user documents, media, and other files which on Unix systems would end up in the users subdirectory under the /home directory. This way, the core system files and software binaries for running programs are left alone, and only your actual personal data is guarded.

This, as the name implies, occurs at the level of the filesystem, which is one level up from where full-disk encryption is operative. This yields some important implications. To start with, all your encrypted files are already understood as being files, meaning they can be decrypted individually.

It also allows users to augment file encryption with file permission controls. Because the full disk is encrypted under full-disk encryption, a user who knows the disk decryption password has to enter it before anything else can proceed. But along with the user files, all the files the OS needs to run are also locked. A successful boot requires the whole block device to be unlocked, and once the disk is unlocked, its all open.

With file-level encryption, your full OS enforces the distinctions for what gets decrypted and when. Each user can define which of their files are encrypted, and with which passwords. So, with file-based encryption, one user could decrypt their files and still leave another users data locked up. You dont have to decrypt an encrypted directory if you dont want to  if you dont intend to open any of your document or media files, you can use the computers programs while leaving your personal files locked up where, for instance, malware cant infect them.

Show Me What Youve Got

I wouldnt go to the trouble of putting forward file-based encryption if it didnt have some real advantages over full-disk encryption. To that end, file-based encryptions greatest strength is that its speed leaves full-disk encryption in the dust. Thats because file-based encrypted systems read and write to the disk more efficiently.

To understand why that is, lets get into how encrypted block devices (like a flash storage) work. Just as a refresher on terminology, ciphertext is the encrypted form of information, which is unreadable without the correct key, while plaintext is the information in its original, comprehensible form.

When you decrypt encrypted data at rest, your computer isnt literally changing all the bits on the storage hardware from ciphertext to plaintext. That would take too long, and it would fry your drive in no time from writing to the entire drive every time you booted and shut down your device. Instead, the physical bits on your drive stay as they are, but they are read and written through a buffer that exists in memory after the correct key is applied. The buffer applies a decryption operation as the information is read, and an encryption operation as it is written, to the drive. While your data is decrypted and read, the plaintext is held in memory so it can be easily referenced until you are done with it.

Adding this many extra steps slows things way down compared to unencrypted reads and writes, by as much as a factor of ten. For full-disk encryption, every single thing you do on your computer has to be read through this decrypting buffer, because your entire block device, and its contents, is encrypted. Crucially, this includes all the binaries that run the OS itself and all the software on it.

But with our chosen configuration of file-based encryption, only your user document and media files need decryption. Most of the software you use on a daily basis isnt among these files. There are plenty of computing tasks that wouldnt need to decrypt anything at all. As just one example, we live in our web browsers so much that you can probably count on one hand the number of user files youve opened in the last 24 hours.

Obviously, your computer will have to decrypt some data some of the time, but even then, because the encryption is implemented at the filesystem level, your file-based encrypted OS can do so more efficiently than the full-disk encrypted analog would.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Ultimately, all disk access, whether to a fully encrypted or filesystem encrypted disk, requires approval from the core of the operating system, the kernel. However, because the encryption in full-disk encryption is managed at the system administrative privilege level, the kernel has to get involved for reading the block device through the decryption buffer, too.

File-based encryption doesnt face this obstacle, because it only requires unprivileged user rights to decrypt the users own files. As a result, full-disk encryption has to get an additional permission from the kernel for reading or writing to the disk, compared to the same process under the file-based model.

More Efficient With Less Wear and Tear

Another major upside to filesystem encryption is that it cuts way down on wear to your drive. For every individual write operation, a system with file-based encryption simply writes less data than one with full-disk encryption.

Again, the encryption at work for full-disk encryption is on the block device level, which sees only blocks, uniformly sized units, of bytes. Not all data takes up an entire block, though. In fact, a lot of it doesnt. So encryption at the block level actually thwarts the computers built-in efficiency mechanism that is only changing the parts of a file that actually changed. Without full-disk encryption, a computer can compare the updated version of a file in memory to the previous version on the drive, determine which parts are now different, and write those new different parts to the file.

Your computer can achieve a similar economy of writes with file-based encryption, too: when the plaintext version of your file in memory is updated, the file is filtered through the encryption buffer and held in memory temporarily, and then the OS compares the new encrypted version against the previous encrypted version on your drive to determine which bits actually changed, and only writes those.

Full-disk encryption is another story.

Under that model, the OS knows what parts of the file changed, but because the encryption is by block and not by file, the OS now has to translate files into blocks, encrypt the block, and write those blocks to the block device. Revisions in a file that dont add up to a blocks worth of data can span multiple blocks, all of which must then be filtered through the encrypted buffer and written in their entirety back to the block device. Even if all the altered data is stored in one block, the whole block is rewritten, resulting in significant write overhead.

By its very nature, filesystem-level encryption yields flexibility where the full-disk alternative does not. As noted above, full-disk encryption is all or nothing. It encrypts your whole system, the core files and all user data. That means that non-sensitive data that you want to load faster (e.g. video or audio media for editing) gets hit with the read-write slowdown.

Full-disk encryption also isnt ideal for multi-user systems, such as a shared household device. Anyone who wants to use the device has to know the full-disk decryption passphrase, or the device cant even boot into the OS. And unlocking the device for any one user unlocks the data for all users. That also means you cant enable features like unprivileged guest accounts that can use the OS with access to user files blocked.

Finally, file-based encryption is more reasonable for what most people need. Ive said it myself that security involves inconvenience, and this is true. But when designing a set of security practices, taking on more inconvenience than necessary to mitigate the risk of attack doesnt help. In fact, it only hurts: if a users security procedures are too onerous, that user will eventually cut corners.

Simply put, full-disk encryption is overkill for the use case you most likely have. The two encryption configurations weve been juxtaposing protect you in different ways. The main difference in the degree of security between them is that file-based encryption only protects your user document and media files. By contrast, full-disk encryption encrypts those plus core OS files.

Some Potential Downsides

As you might easily guess, there are drawbacks to not encrypting everything the way full-disk encryption does. In theory, an attacker with physical access to your device employing file-based encryption could alter the unencrypted OS data. From there, the attacker either boots your machine to run the code they just put there, or they wait until you boot your machine so that their malicious code does something to snag your data.

That sounds bad, and it is, but it also probably wont happen to you. Really, most or none of your adversaries will even attempt it. They are either so primitive that filesystem-level encryption is enough to thwart them, or so sophisticated (i.e. powerful) that they have more efficient methods for obtaining your data.

For the overwhelming majority of users, the problem that data-at-rest encryption solves is keeping thieves who physically steal your device from getting your data. Thats why smart thieves dont count on getting your data, and instead resort to fencing the device for money. File-based encryption and full-disk encryption both work equally well in this scenario.

Conversely, if your adversary is a government authority (e.g. law enforcement), neither file-based encryption nor full-disk encryption will save you. Depending on the jurisdiction, they can legally order you to unlock your device. Almost everywhere else, governments can issue orders to services that store your data in their cloud to just hand over what they want  and under repressive regimes, lets just say they have more direct and painful ways of getting you to comply.

Lets say, for the sake of argument, you are staring down a government actor, and all the aforementioned techniques havent worked. Full-disk encryption would only work if the government did not have a more sophisticated way of attacking your system. This is not an issue for most of the worlds powerful governments, as they are advanced enough that they can brute force or sidestep the encryption in some way.

So, there arent that many cases where full-disk encryption will really save you: when your enemy is a government and you can withstand physical torture, but the government isnt capable of the really cool action movie hacking that basically every G20 nation can do.

Thats not to say that, depending on your adversary, there is nothing to be gained from making things difficult for your attacker  making your attackers life as hard as possible is a time-honored security strategy  but just realize that thats all full-disk encryption can guarantee you. But, again, thats not what almost any of you are looking at.

Practical Encryption, Impractical Implementation

Those of you who are convinced and want your read-write performance and SSD longevity back are probably wondering where you can get your hands on this sweet file-level crypto. Well, thats where things get complicated. You see, its hard to set it up in practice.

The main reason for this is that major consumer OSes are already full-disk encrypted. Apple and Google have configured their mobile devices for full-disk encryption, and deny users the ability to disable it. Apple and Microsoft also enable full-disk encryption by default, but both offer ways of disabling it for the intrepid.

For Linux-based desktop OSes (my personal preference), installing your system with filesystem-level encryption used to be as easy as checking a box, but this is quickly going the way of the dodo. Ubuntu recently deprecated this installation option in their graphical installer, leaving Linux Mint as the only distribution I know of which still offers it. Even DIY distros like Arch Linux discourage you from trying to configure file-level crypto. Instead, they steer you toward block encryption, for which documentation is much more thorough.

If you are willing to go to the required lengths to turn off your full-disk encryption, there are some options available to you. One of the more robust options is VeraCrypt. Born of the desire to don the defunct TrueCrypts mantle, VeraCrypt is a graphical tool for creating encrypted directory structures on top of an existing filesystem. It boasts options for read-write speeds on par with unencrypted filesystems, and even super-spy features like deniable encryption, where your encrypted data will just look like normal unused space on your drive. An exploration of even basic VeraCrypt capabilities would be beyond the scope of this already lengthy piece, but perhaps it has the makings of a future article.

So why did I take all this time to tell you about something that is not the most (though certainly not the least) accessible? Fundamentally, its important to know whats possible so you can make the most informed choices, to create the computing experience that is most responsive to your needs. Computers are infinitely customizable, so there is no reason a user should be denied the setup that is best for them  not knowing your options is the worst such reason.

Appreciating whats possible is about more than living your best digital life, but about providing the support, even if its just usership, to the developers making it possible. If this sounds like something that could make your life better, I say to you, go forth and tinker!
To the Editor

Thank you Mark Cavitt and the Press and Guide for your article What you need to know for Michigans primary election, July 26.

I would urge voters who are voting with an absentee ballot and have not sent them in yet to avoid the mail if you can. As the article stated, ballots received after 8 p.m. on Election Day will not be counted. Ballots received too late is the biggest reason absentee ballots are not counted. There is a drop box on the east side of the parking lot behind the Administrative Center in Dearborn and there is a Night Deposit slot next to the front door of the Dearborn Heights City Hall in Dearborn Heights which you can use to deposit your ballot.

The second biggest reason that ballots are not counted is the lack of an official, legible signature on the ballot envelope.

Voters who still need to complete their ballot need to make sure that they select candidates from one political party only, that they completely darken the oval opposite each choice using a black or blue pen, and that they do not vote for more candidates than indicated under each office title. In an in-person voting setting at the precinct, voters making these mistakes would have their ballot rejected by the voting machine and they would have a chance to correct them. Obviously, absentee voters do not have that chance.

Lastly, voters undecided on how to vote are urged to visit the League of Women Voters nonpartisan online voter guide www.VOTE411.org.

Voters with questions about the process should call the City Clerks at 313-943-2021 (Dearborn) or 313-791-3432 (Dearborn Heights). You may also want to ask about working as a poll worker, even at this late date. The need is great due to so many of the traditional poll workers being in the vulnerable group of older Americans. City Clerks are working hard with their communities and the Secretary of State to ensure safe elections. Poll workers need to be registered voters but 16 and 17 year-olds can also apply. Voters may also call the LWV office at 313-278-6476 or email info@lwvddh.org. VOTE SAFE.

Mary Jo Durivage, President

League of Women Voters Dearborn-Dearborn Heights
She's been making the most out of her summer weekends.

Charlotte McKinney sizzled in a skimpy two-piece during a day at the beach in Malibu with her beau Nathan Kostechko on Sunday.

The leggy 26-year-old beauty left little to the imagination as she took a dip in the crashing waves of the chilly Pacific Ocean.

Summer time: Charlotte McKinney sizzled in a skimpy two-piece during a day at the beach in Malibu with her beau Nathan Kostechko on Sunday

Charlotte showcased her slim frame and taut abs in a black string bikini with a triangle top and a cheeky bottom.

Her platinum highlighted beachy waves were twisted up in a black claw clip with some face framing tendrils left out in the ocean breeze.

She protected her eyes from the bright southern California sunshine with a dark pair of slim black sunglasses.

McKinney kept her cover-up simple and opted for a retro looking pair of high waisted white linen short-shorts.

Bikini body: Charlotte showcased her slim frame and taut abs in a black string bikini with a triangle top and a cheeky bottom

Stunner: The 26-year-old model left little to the imagination in the skimpy swimsuit that put her model curves on full display

Happy place: Charlotte, who starred in Baywatch, looked totally at home in the Malibu locale

The actress has been a frequent beach bum over the last few months and declared on social media that a day in the sand and sun is 'what every weekend looks like' these days.

The Baywatch star appeared perfectly at home stepping into the sea, which was a bit cold, despite it being July.

As she waded into the waters, the temperature was a shock to her system and she wrapped her arms around herself while trying to get her body used to the cold.

Determined to get in a swim, Charlotte looked frigid while forcing herself into the icy waters

Brr: Charlotte was determined to take a dip in the ocean, despite the water temperature being very chilly

So cold: As she waded into the waters, the temperature was a shock to her system and she wrapped her arms around herself while trying to get her body used to the cold

Rest and relaxation: The actress has been a frequent beach bum over the last few months and declared on social media that a day in the sand and sun is 'what every weekend looks like' these days

Charlotte eventually got more comfortable and was seen frolicking in the shallows.

Her tattoo artist boyfriend showed off his impressive collection of ink, which covers his arms, torso and legs, as he joined the stunner in the ocean.

The couple has been together since 2017 and they keep their relationship totally low-key, with Charlotte never featuring him on her popular Instagram page.

Recently, Charlotte spoke about her changing opinions around social media while putting her bikini body to work on the cover of the August issue of Hamptons Magazine.

Too much: The Orlando, Florida native is used to much warmer waters and her face showed just how uncomfortable the Pacific can be

Love birds: During her day at the beach, Charlotte was accompanied by her long term boyfriend Nathan Kostechko

Looking good: The tattoo artist showed off his impressive collection of ink which covers his arms, torso and legs

Charlotte stated that she grew up with Instagram when she used to just post modeling pictures, but now fans want so much more.

'They dont care just about pretty pictures - they want to see everything. What Im eating, what Im doing, me looking perfect and also me not looking perfect,' she said.

'I am trying to adjust because now its not just about a pretty Instagram picture. Im trying to grow with how the internet is growing, which is kind of scary, and I definitely have trouble with it,' she added.

She also opened up about life during the pandemic, explained that she's now looking more at the 'bigger picture.'

Cover girl: Charlotte recently told Hamptons Magazine that she is struggling to adjust to the demands of Instagram and how much of her life her followers want to see

'Its really made me understand less is more, and that you dont need that much to be happy. Ive simplified my life over the last few months, and Ive taken this time to learn how grateful I am,' she added.

McKinney added she is still doing her best to stay active and fit, turning her guest room into a 'hot yoga studio' and picking up a mini-trampoline for 'indoor cardio.'

Charlotte starred in a 2015 Super Bowl XLIX Carl's Jr ad, which kicked off her successful model career.

Aside from her work as a model, McKinney has starred in a number of films such as Baywatch, Flatliners and most recently Fantasy Island, with The Argument, starring Danny Pudi and Maggie Q coming soon.
(Newser)  A pet dog that jumped out of a car window on a South Carolina highway has been found two weeks later, nearly 600 miles away in Miami, per the AP. The dog named Belle escaped from the moving car near Charleston on July 15, according to Tim Whitfield, whose 90-year-old mother owns Belle. Whitfield put out a call for help on Facebook at the time and said that he bought the puppy for his mother after her dog of 16 years recently died. She was "heartbroken" after hearing the dog was lost, Whitfield added.

story continues below

After nearly two weeks of searching, Whitfield learned over the weekend that a car of Florida residents grabbed Belle out of traffic after spotting the animal while traveling through Charleston, WCIV-TV reported Sunday. The rescuers said they saved Belle because they were afraid she was going to be hit by oncoming cars, the station reported. Once back in Miami, they tracked down Whitfield through social media posts. A reunion was expected to take place Monday.

(Read more dogs stories.)
Wendy Liberatore/Times Union

SARATOGA SPRINGS - AIM Services, the nonprofit that is dedicated to servicing those with disabilities, kicked off its Croquet Off the Green fundraiser with a ceremony recognizing the 30th anniversary of Americans with Disability Act.

State Sen. Daphne Jordan (R-Halfmoon), Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (D-Round Lake) and Saratoga Springs Supervisor Matthew Veitch took part in the event under the Adelphi Hotel tent to honor AIM, by offering up proclamations. June MacClelland, senior director & chief compliance officer, also accepted proclamations from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Congressman Paul Tonko and Mayor Meg Kelly who were not present.
Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party on Sunday evening dived headlong into the Ashok Gehlot versus Sachin Pilot playing out in Rajasthan, declaring that the party would also approach the high court to reclaim the partys six lawmakers who merged the legislative party with the Congress last year.

The six legislators had asked Speaker CP Joshi to consider the BSP legislative party to have merged into the Congress in September last year, a request that was promptly accepted by CP Joshi. The defection had riled BSP boss Mayawati who had launched sharp attacks at Gehlot for backstabbing the BSP though it had been supporting his government.

This was the second time in a decade that chief minister Ashok Gehlot had lured Mayawatis lawmakers to his party. In his previous term as chief minister, Gehlot had been able to similarly persuade all the six legislators from Mayawatis party to join the Congress.

Watch: BSP asks 6 MLAs to vote against Congress l What it means for Gehlot govt

Last years induction of the six BSP lawmakers placed the Congress comfortably over the majority mark of 101. Gehlot also had the support of 12 out of 13 independent legislators and the 5 legislators from smaller parties.

Gehlot appeared invincible. But Sachin Pilot, his deputy in the government and Rajasthan Congress chief till earlier this month, had other ideas. Pilot moved out of Jaipur early this month with his group of legislators amid buzz that he was, along with the BJP, trying to pull down the Gehlot government.

The Congress moved fast, sacking Pilot from his positions in the party and the government and asking Speaker CP Joshi to start disqualification proceedings against him and 18 lawmakers backing him.

The rebellion did deplete Gehlot governments strength in the assembly; the Congress government had 125 members in the 200-member assembly till late last month. But by most accounts, he appeared to have a tenuous majority.

Mayawati had tweeted her first statement on the Rajasthan standoff 9 days ago, pouring out her anger on Ashok Gehlot for stealing her lawmakers, tapping phones of rivals and demanding that the governor impose central rule on Rajasthan. And then, not a word.

It was a BJP lawmaker Madan Dilawar who finally approached the high court last week challenging the merger. Dilawars petition also underlined that speaker CP Joshi, who had issued notices to Pilot and his team within hours of receipt of a complaint from the Congress, was yet to decide the BSPs complaint filed last year that asked for disqualification proceedings against the 6 BSP legislators who joined the Congress.

The BSP finally moved Sunday evening, announcing that the six MLAs - counted as Congress MLAs by the assembly - had been directed to vote against the Gehlot government in a no-confidence vote. The directive, issued by BSP general secretary Satish Chandra Misra, told the six legislators that speaker CP Joshis order merging the BSP legislative party into the Congress was illegal because there had been no such merger of the party.

Mayawatis party also said that the BSP would move the high court against the speakers order but indicated that it hadnt made up its mind if it should file an application to become a party in the ongoing disqualification case or file a fresh petition.

The BSP effort to wade into the political row came at a time when Ashok Gehlot has been particularly struggling to get governor Kalraj Mishra to convene the assembly so that the Congress government can face the trust vote. Gehlot has claimed the support of 102 lawmakers, just one seat over the majority mark of 101. Congress leaders are concerned that if Gehlot does not get to prove his majority soon, Pilot or the BJP could succeed in luring out a couple of lawmakers and reduce the government to a minority.

This tenuous majority also leaves scope for the BSP to play a crucial role to give Gehlot sleepless nights, and if the high court eventually rules in its favour, even play the kingmaker in Rajasthan.
Phuket students hold anti-government protest

PHUKET: Some 350 students turned out for an anti-government rally at Saphan Hin on the outskirts of Phuket Town yesterday evening (July 26) calling for the government to step down and criticising its handling of the COVID-19 economic crisis and the ensuing mass unemployment that has arisen throughout the country.

politics

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Monday 27 July 2020, 10:34AM

The Wanchalerm posters were also labeled, Cause of disappearance: abducted by the state. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

The protest, which began at about 5:30pm, was held by the "Phuket Liberation" youth group, with many protesters holding placards criticising the governments rule of the country, claiming that a dictator was ignoring the democratic rights of citizens.

Many of the protesters carried placards featuring messages such as Wake up Phuket, Sovereignty belongs to the people and Cant democracy comment?, as well as many featuring a photo of Wanchalerm Satsaksit, the Thai pro-democracy activist who fled Thailand after the 2014 coup who was last seen being abducted by armed men outside a condo where he was staying home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on June 4.

The Wanchalerm posters were also labeled, Cause of disappearance: abducted by the state.

Rally leader Chuchawet Diddarak said the gathering was held to exercise the constitutional right of association for citizens exercising civil rights under the constitution to provide a forum for Phuket people to voice their demands, which he listed as: 1. The dissolution of the House must be announced. 2. Draft a new constitution or amend the constitution 3. End the threat to the people

The new constitution must be amended, the government must release the power to Phuket province, to be self-managed by tourism organizations and able to empower for full ability, Mr Chuchawet also said.

He also called for more people to exercise their right to gather to voice their opinion.

Democracy has to be open, people must have areas where young people can voice their opinions. Young people need to know that they can voice their demands, this is a democratic right. Not just follow the rules given by one established leader.

Everyone here has come together to demand their democratic rights, he said.

Military police were present at the rally, but the protest concluded peacefully.

However, one man on a saleng (motorbike with sidecar) arrived and started shouting angrily at the protesters, but was escorted away from the rally by military security personnel.

Additional reporting by Tanyaluk Sakoot
Ukrainian banks issue UAH 2.4 bln worth of loans to businesses since start of "5-7-9" program

21:35, 27.07.20 165

Over the past week alone, banks issued 196 new loans worth UAH 638 million.
BBC news reporter Emily Maitlis is the cover star of Tatler's September issue and has shared behind-the-scenes stories from her biggest interviews of the year.

Maitlis touched on her BAFTA-nominated Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew, where the Duke discussed his connection to Jeffery Epstein.

The journalist said that the Duke of York was "very pleased" with how the interview went and said he even gave her a tour of Buckingham Palace.

Luc Braque

He took us on a tour of the extraordinary corridor of Buckingham Palace, he pointed out the statues, the staircases and where the Queen has her audiences with prime ministers," she explained.

Maitlis added that Prince Andrew told her: Next time you come, well talk about Prince Albert. He was the entrepreneur of the family.

The Duke of York in an interview with BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis / PA

In the wake of the interview, Prince Andrew withdrew from all public duties as a member of the Royal Family.

Luc Braque

Maitlis explained she did not have time to think about the interview's impact as it was happening: "Youre so determined not to miss a beat, to check with yourself you havent used the wrong tone or got something stupendously wrong, that actually youre not sitting there grinning, thinking, Hahaha! Thats amazing!

Luc Braque

See the full feature in the September issue of Tatler available via digital download and newsstands on Thursday 30th July.
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Russia is still part of the G20, a broader grouping including other emerging-market economies.

Germany has rejected a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin back into the Group of Seven (G7) most advanced economies, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a newspaper interview published on Monday.

Trump raised the prospect last month of expanding the G7 to again include Russia, which had been expelled in 2014 following the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region by Moscow, Reuters said.

Read also"Returning" to G7: Why Russia remains an outcast

But Maas told Rheinische Post that he did not see any chance for allowing Russia back into the G7 as long as there was no meaningful progress in solving the conflict in Crimea as well as in eastern Ukraine.

Russia itself could make the biggest contribution to becoming part of the G7 format again by contributing to a peaceful solution in the Ukraine conflict, Maas said.

Russia is still part of the G20, a broader grouping including other emerging-market economies.

"G7 and G20 are two sensibly coordinated formats. We don't need G11 or G12 anymore," Maas said in reference to Trump's proposal to invite not only Russia, but other countries to G7 meetings.

Maas described the relationship with Russia as "currently difficult" in many areas. "But we also know that we need Russia to solve conflicts such as those in Syria, Libya and Ukraine. That will not work against Russia, but only with Russia."

Germany, which took over the rotating six-month EU presidency on July 1, has taken on a mediating role in the conflict in Libya as well as in Ukraine.

"But Russia also has to make its contribution, which is very slow in Ukraine," Maas said.
Herman Cain speaks during the final day of the 2014 Republican Leadership Conference on May 31, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is still receiving treatment for coronavirus "with oxygen for his lungs," his Twitter account announced.

"Re-strengthening the lungs is a long and slow process, and the doctors want to be thorough about it," another tweet from his account read.

Cain attended President Donald Trump's Tulsa rally in late June. He didn't wear a mask.

Eleven days after the event, on July 2, he was hospitalized after experiencing serious symptoms of COVID-19.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain remains hospitalized and is receiving treatment "with oxygen for his lungs" more than three weeks after being diangosed with COVID-19.

"Re-strengthening the lungs is a long and slow process, and the doctors want to be thorough about it," his Twitter account announced on Monday.

"Thank you for praying, everyone. Please keep doing it. He really is getting better, which means it is working," a subsequent tweet read.

Cain, co-chair of the coalition Black Voices for Trump, was admitted to the hospital 11 days after attending President Donald Trump's Tulsa rally without a mask. Several others in attendance, including Trump campaign staffers, also later tested positive for the virus.

A cancer survivor and at age 74, Cain is considered to be a high-risk individual for severe illness with coronavirus, according to the CDC.

Cain, a regular contributor to conservative outlet Newsmax, was considered for a Federal Reserve seat by Trump in April 2019, though his nomination attempt fell short after previous sexual harassment allegations were brought into the spotlight.

Cain denied the accusations and claimed he withdrew himself from consideration of the role due to it being a significant pay cut.

Story continues

The update about Cain's hospitalization comes amid reports earlier Monday that Trump's national security adviser Robert O'Brien tested positive for coronavirus.

Eliza Relman contributed to this report.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Blackwell admitted a string of sex crimes. (West Midlands Police)

An X Factor reject described as pure evil has been jailed for life after admitting a series of rapes and other sex offences that took place over 22 years.

Phillip Blackwell, 56, had admitted committing offences against five women in Birmingham and Nuneaton between 1997 and 1998.

He later admitted a further 20 sexual offences against three women between 2005 and 2019 as well as one count of taking indecent photographs of a child and a count of voyeurism.

In all, Blackwell committed 31 sexual offences against nine victims over 22 years. He was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court on Monday.

The sentencing judge on Monday described Blackwell as monstrous, adding: Murderers aside, I can think of no more dangerous an individual that I have crossed in my 35 years in criminal law.

Phillip Blackwell was sentenced on Monday. (SWNS)

Blackwell, a musician who has played in bands, appeared on ITVs The X Factor in 2008 and sang Spandau Ballets Gold in an unsuccessful audition.

He was arrested at his Cornwall home earlier this year and went on to plead guilty in February to four counts of rape, one attempted rape, five counts of indecent assault and one of false imprisonment.

The charges relate to offences against women in the Birmingham and Nuneaton cases in the late 90s. West Midlands Police said that in each instance, young women were walking alone early in the morning when they were attacked from behind and either raped or subjected to other sex crimes.

After his guilty pleas, Warwickshire Police took the lead investigating sexual offences against four women in Cornwall.

Blackwell then appeared in court in May, and pleaded guilty to 20 more sexual offences including nine counts of rape, four counts of sexual assault, two counts of assault by penetration and three counts of voyeurism, all committed against three women between 2005 and 2019.

He also admitted one count of taking indecent photographs of a child and a count of voyeurism in relation to the same child.

Phillip Blackwell appeared on The X Factor in 2008. (SWNS)

He taped some of the victims eyes and filmed himself attacking young women, Warwick Crown Court was told.

Story continues

Adrian Langdale QC, prosecuting, said Blackwell often grabbed his victims from behind by their neck or head and rammed them to the floor before raping or sexually assaulting them.

Blackwell disguised himself by using a soft Irish accent and wore a balaclava or mask, and told his first victim to close her eyes and count to 100 after he finished attacking her, the court heard.

His victims were plied with alcohol, the court heard. He told one: If I met a girl like you, I would want to marry you. I want you to enjoy this.

Another was told: Im not going to hurt you, were just going to make love if thats OK?

One persuaded him to remove his balaclava and not to rape her, and he told her she should be a social worker for talking him out of it.

Warwickshire Justice Centre in Leamington Spa, where Blackwell was sentenced. (PA Images)

Blackwell told a victim he knew where she lived and he could do this over and over again.

He was described by a victim as pure evil and another said he had left her with a devastating and long-lasting effect.

Sentencing, Judge Peter Cooke said: You got away with leading a double life for as long as that because you are clever, because you are calculated, because you are forensically aware, because you are devious and because you are manipulative.

He said Blackwell had no regard whatsoever for women as human beings.

You must treat them with a level of contempt that is too shocking to even contemplate.

The harm that you have done with your selfishness is incalculable.

If you wanted to do it, to hell with everyone else, you would do it.

Blackwell must serve a minimum term of nine years and was put on the sex offenders register for life, as well as being ordered not to directly or indirectly contact any of his victims.

Police said Blackwells arrest followed Operation Fairway, a collaboration between West Midlands Police, the National Crime Agency and Warwickshire Police  one of the latter forces biggest investigations.

Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Corfield, from the Warwickshire Police Major Investigation Unit, said: Blackwell offended on a huge scale. It is clear he is a dangerous and manipulative sexual predator who has caused untold misery to his victims for the purpose of his own sexual gratification.

He poses a serious danger to women.
BENGALURU, India, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, has been selected by Consolidated Edison Company (Con Edison), one of the oldest Fortune 500 utility companies serving New York City and surroundings, to digitally transform Con Edison's customer service capabilities over the next four years.

Infosys will implement a new, state-of-the-art, comprehensive, utility-focused, commercial-off-the-shelf Customer Service System (CSS) that will help Con Edison's strategic aspiration to deliver an improved customer service experience through a modern, flexible and efficient system. It will also enable Con Edison to keep pace with regulatory and technology changes, become technologically nimble, mitigate risks, and become cost effective. As a part of this association, Infosys will provide end-to-end program management, business process blueprint, design, development, testing, deployment and post go-live stabilization support services.

Ashiss Kumar Dash, SVP and Segment Head - Services, Utilities, Resources, Energy, Infosys, said, "Customer Service System modernization replacement initiatives for utilities such as Con Edison are particularly complex given how central and interconnected these systems are to the core utilities business model. With context aware solutions, deep domain knowledge, and a de-risked implementation plan, this partnership will enable Con Edison to not only provide superior customer experience but also meet dynamic business requirements."

Matthew Ketschke, Senior Vice President, Customer Energy Solutions, Con Edison, said, "The Con Edison CSS drives customer operations, and has a major impact on the core of our business. This strategic partnership with Infosys will help ensure that our new CSS environment meets the future needs of the business and mitigate enterprise risk."

Janette Espino, General Manager, Customer Service System Program, Con Edison, said, "A Customer Service System is one of the most strategic and mission-critical systems within the utility enterprise, providing the technological capability for delivering high quality service to customers and enabling the demands of a number of new investments and public policy requirements. We are confident that the modern Customer Service System we are building with Infosys will facilitate the delivery of efficient solutions to address evolving customer expectations and business needs."

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over three decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

About Con Edison

Consolidated Edison, Inc. is one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy-delivery companies, with approximately $13 billion in annual revenues and $59 billion in assets. The company provides a wide range of energy-related products and services to its customers through the following subsidiaries: Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., a regulated utility providing electric, gas and steam service in New York City and Westchester County, New York; Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc., a regulated utility serving customers in a 1,300-square-mile-area in southeastern New York State and northern New Jersey; Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses, Inc., which through its subsidiaries develops, owns and operates renewable and energy infrastructure projects and provides energy-related products and services to wholesale and retail customers; and Con Edison Transmission, Inc., which through its subsidiaries invests in electric and natural gas transmission projects.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements mentioned in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

SOURCE Infosys
Workers at a major meat plant in Melbournes west have returned to work after earlier refusing to start a shift over concerns about a large number of coronavirus cases linked with the plant.

About 45 workers had met at JBS in Brooklyn before 5am on Tuesday and resolved not to start work but after talks with management and some changes to work practices they agreed to return later in the day.

The JBS site has been linked to a major COVID-19 cluster Credit:Joe Armao

The JBS site has been linked to a major outbreak of COVID-19, a cluster of 76 cases.

It is one of a number of outbreaks in the Victorian meat industry, including 99 cases at Somerville Retail Services in Tottenham, 89 cases at Bertocchi Smallgoods in Thomastown and 50 cases linked to the Australian Lamb Company in Colac.
A Rwandan genocide victims' association has urged French authorities to arrest former military official Aloys Ntiwiragabo, accused of playing a key role in the 1994 genocide. Anti-terrorism prosecutors on Saturday decided to open a preliminary investigation after journalists tracked the 72-year-old down in the French city of Orleans.

Theo Englebert, author of the story published on the Mediapart website on Saturday, explained that former Rwandan military official Aloys Ntiwiragabo was found living in the suburbs of Orleans, a city 110 kilometres south of Paris.

Englebert told Rwanda's The New Times newspaper that Ntiwiragabo was traced through his wife, Catherine Nikuze, who was granted asylum in France in 1999 and later took the name Tibot, which appears on the intercom of Ntiwiragabo's apartment.

Head of military intelligence

Major-General Aloys Ntiwiragabo was Rwanda's head of military intelligence from June 1993 to July 1994 and a member of the group known as 'Akazu' which orchestrated the 1994 genocide.

In a list of accusations in 1998, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) cited Ntiwiragabo as one of a group of eleven people who from "the end of 1990 until July 1994...made plans to exterminate Tutsis and eliminate members of the opposition in order to stay in power".

Mediapart suggests that the opening of an official inquiry into Ntiwiragabo's role in the genocide might lead to further questioning from French courts.

In a press release published on Friday, genocide victims support group Ibuka- France urged authorities in France to arrest Ntiwiragabo in what they describe is a long overdue case.

"Why was Ntiwiragabo able to get visas for France from the consulates in Niamey and Khartoum in 2001 when he was wanted by the ICTR at the time?" they ask.

Following the Rwandan genocide in which at least 800,000 people were killed in the space of three months, Ntiwiragabo fled to Zaire (now DR Congo) then to Kenya. He reportedly took refuge in South Sudan, before coming to France.

Story continues

According to Mediapart, Ntiwiragabo founded the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a militia group still active across central Africa.

A book of secrets

In July 2019, Ntiwiragabo published a book (in French) recounting the events of the turbulent 1990s, based on his eye witness accounts and military documents.

Dozens of people connected to the genocide are believed to be living in France, with the knowledge of the authorities, according to the Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR), a rights group which has worked to bring genocide suspects to court for nearly two decades.

One of those suspects, the man accused of financing the genocide, is Felicien Kabuga, who was arrested in France in May.

The appeals court ruled in June that Kabuga could face the international court, but the case has now been transferred to the final appeals court in France, with a hearing set for 2 September.

Ibuka-France says they hope French President Emmanuel Macron will keep his word when it comes to taking legal steps against those suspected of genocide.

In his address during the ceremony marking Rwandan national day on 4 July, Macron reassured his counterpart Paul Kagame, that "all Rwandan genocide suspects would be brought to justice".
The daily also said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convened a politburo meeting Saturday and declared "a state of emergency" in the affected area.

It added, "The person was put under strict quarantine as a primary step and all the persons in Kaesong City who contacted that person and those who have been to the city in the last five days are being thoroughly investigated, given medical examination and put under quarantine."

The official Rodong Sinmun daily said a "runaway" who was "suspected to have been infected with the vicious virus returned on July 19 after illegally crossing the demarcation line."

The South Korean military said it is verifying the report but did not deny it.

North Korea announced on Sunday that a defector who had left for South Korea three years ago returned over the border again and is suspected of carrying coronavirus.

But there is little chance that a person with coronavirus could have swum for hours across the river into the North, and North Korea may be attempting to blame South Korea for the worsening epidemic there.

The defector is believed to be a man in his 20s who arrived in South Korea in June 2017. He lived in the Seoul suburb of Gimpo and was being investigated for sexually assaulting a female acquaintance.

Police in Gimpo obtained intelligence in early July suggesting that Kim could return to North Korea and obtained an arrest warrant in mid-July but apparently failed to stop him from returning to the North. He apparently scouted Gimpo and Gangwha Isand to look for a route to return to the North, just ahead of his defection. Police do not believe he is infected with the virus.

Cho Han-bum at the Korea Institute for National Unification said, "It is questionable whether a person with coronavirus could swim for hours to get to North Korea. There is a strong possibility that North Korean authorities are distorting the truth."

North Korea may be using the incident also as an excuse to shift the blame from mounting discontent over prolonged economic woes. North Korea has claimed zero coronavirus infections and may have found it difficult to hide the increasing spread of the virus, so it is trying to blame South Korea.

One source said, "Coronavirus infections have been spreading in Pyongyang and Hwanghae Province since May, so it has become difficult to maintain the pretense."

The government here said it could consider making an extradition request after "considering various circumstances." But chilled cross-border relations have made it impossible to raise the subject of defectors.
The United States has never been a good example of upholding international law, with its demand for closing the Chinese Consulate General in Houston as another proof, Singaporean scholar Zheng Yongnian told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"While pretending to be the embodiment of the international law, it only demands other countries to abide by the international law," said Zheng, a professor of the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore.

For instance, the United States often cites the case of the so-called arbitration of the South China Sea against China, even though itself is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea yet, Zheng added.

On Tuesday, the United States abruptly demanded China close its Consulate General in Houston. Such a move is a "serious breach of international law and basic norms governing international relations as well as bilateral consular agreement," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular press conference.

The excuses behind the demand, such as the infringement of the property rights, don't have much to do with the foreign affairs between the two countries. Instead, they resemble those excuses the United States used to launch the trade war against China, which aim to "demonize China in an attempt to justify its hegemonic actions," Zheng said.

Commenting on a recent speech by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during which he maliciously attacked the Communist Party of China and China's social system, Zheng said this was a clear demonstration of a lack of basic knowledge about China and a sign of identity politics where people are divided according to their ideologies.

He pointed out that there are some politicians behind Pompeo in Washington who are engaged in ideological prejudice against China.

"Building a country's foreign policies upon the hatred of the few politicians is not sensible nor in accord with its national interests," Zheng said.

Besides the abrupt closure of the Chinese consulate general, some Chinese scholars and students in the United States are also unfairly treated.

The United States has largely revised its strategy towards China as it began to view the latter as the top competitor, and taken concrete steps to contain its rise.

However, aggression and invasion are not in the nature of the Chinese people, as manifested by the history of the Ming Dynasty hundreds of years ago, when China was the most powerful maritime nation in the world and forged friendly relations with other countries, Zheng added.

Unfortunately, this seems beyond understanding for the United States, he noted.

Considering that the United States is the world's largest developed nation while China is the largest developing one, maintaining a good relationship between the two big powers so as to prevent the world from falling into a bipolar scenario is beneficial not only to the citizens of both sides, but also to people worldwide, he concluded.
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex announced in January 2020 that they would be stepping down as senior members of the royal family. The couple subsequently left the U.K. and moved with their son to Los Angeles.

Throughout all of this unprecedented royal event, Meghan has received a lot of criticism, with numerous people blaming her for coming in between Harry and his family. However, some royal commentators have put forth a new theorythat Harry chose to marry Meghan precisely because he wanted to leave royal life behind.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation

Meghan Markle was reportedly struggling with her royal role

Since the beginning, onlookers have questioned Meghans ability to fit in with the royal family. Before marrying Harry, Meghan was an actress. Additionally, she was outspoken about her political views and seemed to be adept at controlling her image as a celebrity.

In the fall of 2019, Harry and Meghan began suing a number of news outlets for allegedly invading their privacy. Recent court documents showed that Meghan, indeed, struggled with some aspects of royal life. Since she had to follow royal protocol of not speaking out against the press, Meghan reportedly felt unprotected by the royal family.

According to Princess Dianas former butler, Paul Burrell, who talked to the Daily Mail, Meghan also realized being a royal meant having to please everyone and that she wasnt just marrying Harry. This seemed to have clashed with her independent spirit.

Meghan Markle has largely been blamed for the royal exit

RELATED: Fans Think Meghan Markles Reported Claim That She Gave up Her Life for the Royal Family Is an Exaggeration

Although it is not clear whether Meghan or Harry initiated the idea of stepping down from being senior members of the royal family, critics have largely pointed their fingers at Meghan.

For example, royal author Tom Quinn told the Daily Star Online that Meghans energy what was convinced Harry to go along with her to Los Angeles, where he is now allegedly struggling and feeling lost.

Im not saying Harry absolutely hates it in America, but the point thats been made to me is that there was this new exciting venture to get away from the British press and to make Meghan happy because shes on her own territory, Quinn said.

However, he also added, Its always been a problem, early on in the relationship, Meghan is a dynamo, shes full of positive energy that would sweep Harry along but once the honeymoon is over, you still have to fill the days.

One theory says Prince Harry might have married Meghan Markle to help him leave the royal family

RELATED: Some Fans Believe Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Were Demanding Too Much From the Royal Family

However, not everyone agrees that Harry left his royal position by following along with what Meghan wanted to do. In fact, some onlookers now believe Harry had been planning to leave for a long time, and having Meghan around gave him the courage to finally do so.

According to SheKnows, a new book called Royals At War spoke to royal sources who believe in this theory.

Australian commentator Germaine Greer theorized that Harry was looking for a way out, which is why he decided to marry someone like Meghan, who would clearly have a hard time fitting in with the demands of the royal family.

British TV presenter Trisha Goddard also said, I wonder if he didnt choose a bride from another country because it gave him an out, because it gave him some security.
TORONTO, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WeedMD Inc. (TSX-V:WMD) (OTCQX:WDDMF) (FSE:4WE) (WeedMD or the Company), a federally-licensed producer and distributor of medical-grade cannabis, today announced the resignation of Dr. Hugh Scully from its Board of Directors, effective immediately.



Dr. Scully was recently reappointed to the Board of Directors, but a personal matter has arisen which has led him to submit his resignation. Dr. Scully has been on the Board of Starseed since its inception in 2013 and was an important contributor to its success, said George Scorsis, Executive Chairman of WeedMD. On behalf of the Board of Directors and management team, we want to thank Dr. Scully for his positive contribution while at Starseed and WeedMD, and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Check here for upcoming corporate events and to access WeedMDs latest Investor Presentation and latest Corporate Update Video .

About WeedMD Inc.

WeedMD Inc. is the publicly-traded parent company of WeedMD RX Inc. and Starseed Medicinal Inc., federally-licensed producers of cannabis products for both the medical and adult-use markets. The Company owns and operates a 158-acre state-of-the-art greenhouse, outdoor and processing facility located in Strathroy, Ontario as well as CX Industries Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary which specializes in cannabis extraction from the Companys fully-licensed 26,000 sq. ft. Aylmer, Ontario processing facility. With the addition of Starseed, a medical-centric operator based in Bowmanville, Ontario, WeedMD has expanded its multi-channeled distribution strategy. Starseeds industry-first, exclusive partnership with LiUNA, the largest construction union in Canada, along with other employers and union groups complements WeedMDs direct sales to medical patients. The Company maintains strategic relationships in the seniors market and supply agreements with Shoppers Drug Mart as well as six provincial distribution agencies where adult-use brands Color Cannabis and Saturday are sold.

Follow WeedMD, Color Cannabis & Starseed:

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/weedmd

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeedMD

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weedmd/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callitcolor/

&

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starseedca/

For further information, please contact:

For Investor Enquiries:

Valter Pinto

Managing Director

KCSA Strategic Communications

1-212-896-1254

weedmd@kcsa.com

For Media Enquiries:

Marianella delaBarrera

VP, Communications & Corporate Affairs

416-897-6644

marianella@weedmd.com

Forward Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation which are based upon WeedMD's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs and views of future events. Forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expect", "likely", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "anticipate", "potential", "proposed", "estimate" and other similar words, including negative and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "would" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy.

The forward-looking information in this news release is based upon the expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and views of future events which management believes to be reasonable in the circumstances. Forward-looking information includes estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, targets, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking information in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to internal expectations, expectations with respect to actual production volumes, expectations for future growing capacity and the completion of any capital project or expansions. Forward-looking information necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; loss of markets; future legislative and regulatory developments; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; the cannabis industry in Canada generally; the ability of WeedMD to implement its business strategies; the COVID-19 pandemic; competition; crop failure; and other risks.

Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, WeedMD does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for WeedMD to predict all such factors. When considering this forward-looking information, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in WeedMD's disclosure documents filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . The risk factors and other factors noted in the disclosure documents could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking information.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE
Authorities guide visitors in Mecca in the lead-up to Hajj from July 28 to Aug. 2. / Courtesy of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Media



By Yi Whan-woo



Saudi Arabia is observing strict quarantine in the lead up to Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca starting this week, according to the country's Ministry of Media, Sunday.



One of the five fundamental Muslim practices, the annual pilgrimage runs from the 8th to 12th of the last month of the Islamic calendar  corresponding to July 28 to Aug. 2 on the Gregorian calendar this year.



The ministry said the Hajj 2020 will only be open to citizens and residents of Saudi Arabia to curb the spread of COVID-19.



It added the government selected pilgrims, including expats from 160 countries, who met rigorous quarantine checks.



These include a weeklong isolation at home before the pilgrimage and also a four-day quarantine when they arrive in Mecca at designated hotels and other accommodations.



Calling Hajj 2020 a "a truly exceptional pilgrimage by all measures," Minister of Hajj and Umrah Muhammad Saleh bin Taher Benten noted that security agencies and health organizations are working closely to ensure public health and crowd control.



"It is taking place amidst the very unusual circumstances of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which is impacting Saudi Arabia and the world at large," he was quoted as saying by the Ministry of Media. "Due to the exceptional global health circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic, strict precautionary measures have been applied to ensure a healthy Hajj for all pilgrims."



The pilgrims who have arrived in Mecca have received a special kit provided by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

The kit contains a face mask and other hygiene items as well as a prayer rug and a guidebook for the pilgrimage.



Regarding the selection of pilgrims, bin Taher Benten said it was carried out in "complete transparency," with each being required to obtain a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) certificate that proves a negative COVID-19 result.



"Health determinants are the basis in the process of selecting pilgrims residing inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and there are no exceptions to anyone during the Hajj season," he said.



Maj. Gen. Mohammed bin Wasl Al-Ahmadi, assistant commander of the Hajj Security Forces for the Grand Mosque and its premises security, explained that pilgrims will follow designated routes when they enter and exit the Grand Mosque, as well as a special passage for Saee, a ritual of circumambulating seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah in Mecca.




Iran rejects US' untrue remarks on Tehran's position in Afghan peace talks

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Sun / 26 July 2020 / 12:43

Tehran (ISNA)  Iran's embassy in Kabul in a statement rejected the untrue and fallacious remarks made by the US's special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad on Iran's position in Afghan peace talks, stressing Iran supports peace talks based on Afghan ownership and leadership.

"Following the erroneous statements of a US official regarding the views and actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Afghan peace process, the Iranian Embassy in Kabul reaffirmed Iran's support for peace and stability in Afghanistan, reiterating Iran's firm position on the need to establish peace based on the results of Afghan-led peace talks," according to the statement.

It advised US officials to carefully study these positions before commenting on the views of Iranian officials on regional and Afghan issues.

Khalilzad earlier claimed that Iran didn't fully support efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan.

End Item

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Moscow, July 27 : Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the initiative of the Ukrainian side, discussing issues of the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"There was a thorough discussion of various aspects of settling the Ukrainian crisis and the need for boosting the efficiency of negotiating efforts as part of the Minsk contact group," said the statement on Sunday, Xinhua reported.

The parties praised additional ceasefire measures that were agreed by the contact group on July 22 and are to come into effect on July 27, it added.

Putin and Zelensky stressed the importance of unconditional compliance by all parties of the conflict with these agreements, according to the statement.

The Russian side underscored that it is a top priority to implement the decisions made by the Normandy Four format leaders, including during their summit in Paris in December 2019.

The presidents also exchanged opinions on other issues, including the situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Malawi President Vows to Close in on Corrupt Officials

By Lameck Masina July 26, 2020

Malawi's new President Lazarus Chakwera says over $1 billion was stolen through corruption during former president Peter Mutharika's administration. In his state of the nation address Saturday night, Chakwera said the plunder is contained in the recent Auditor General's report which looks into how the government managed its finances for the past two years. Chakwera has vowed to apprehend, without mercy, those involved in corruption.

President Chakwera said, among other things, the report shows that $10 million could not be accounted for, $1 million was used to pay for projects which were not completed and $400,000 was used for fuel without corresponding documents.

Chakwera said the scale of the plunder is worse than a 2013 corruption scandal known as Cash gate in which about $32 million government money was looted through dubious contracts, during the administration of former president Joyce Banda.

Chakwera said his government will not have mercy on those who were involved in the plunder of government finances.

He says "although I earlier said that those involved in malpractice should just refund the money, doing so is not enough, because the amount of taxpayers' money which has been stolen is too big. So it is wrong to say that those involved should only be forgiven."

Chakwera said he has already instructed the Minister of Justice to discuss with relevant stakeholders like the Malawi Police Service Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Judiciary to expedite cases of theft and corruption.

This, he said, includes cross-checking all civil servants workers earnings against wealth they have.

He says, "For those in government that have questionable wealth, it will be frozen for investigations."

Chakwera's national address came a day after former president Mutharika distanced himself from a scandal in which three people including Mutharika's bodyguard were arrested for helping Mutharika avoid paying $7 million in import duties on 1.2 million bags of cement.

Mutharika said in statement, Friday he did not instruct anyone to buy him cement of that amount and that he has no personal projects to cater for such a volume of cement bags.

However Mutharika's denial of his involvement in the tax free cement import deal contradicts his spokesperson Mgeme Kalirani who told a local newspaper in June that Mutharika was entitled to import the goods tax-free.

Some commentators view Mutharika's statement on Friday as a plan to avoid arrest.

Political analyst Humphreys Mvula told VOA it's time for the Chakwera administration to show that no one is immune in the fight against corruption.

"The only time we are going to fight corruption is when we hold those people in the highest offices accountable," he said. "We should not look at Mutharika as just a former president. But now that his immunity has gone, if he was involved or leads, lead to his office, he should be arrested. It is the only time in life that people will be afraid of corruption."

Meanwhile, the Malawi Police Service through its Fiscal and Fraud section are probing the cement importation deal.

President Chakwera initiated the crackdown on corruption after Mutharika lost the June 23rd presidential vote.

Several people have so far been arrested in connection to offenses committed during Mutharika's administration.

The former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), now in the opposition, says the campaign amounts to political persecution  allegations the new administration denies.

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Cruz: Get People Back to Work Instead of Pushing Government Dependency

As lawmakers struggle to find common priorities for the next stimulus package, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for keeping businesses and schools closed instead of prioritizing getting Americans back to work and off government assistance.

Cruz went further to say he does not even agree with the provision in the GOP stimulus bill which would continue to fund the additional $600 per month unemployment benefits.

At the same time, we have an absolute economic catastrophe: We have over 44 million Americans that have lost their job. And we have got to get America back to work, Cruz told CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday.

Unfortunately, I just listened to your interview with Speaker Pelosi, her objectives are focused on neither of those. Her objectives are shoveling cash at the problem and shutting America down  You look at the $3 trillion bill shes trying to push. Its just shoveling money to her friends and not actually solving the problem, Cruz said.

Cruz said many small businesses in Texas are having a problem getting employees to come back to work because they are making more on unemployment than when they were working, sometimes twice as much. Cruz said he is opposed to throwing trillions more at the problem but instead wants to focus on recovery.

We ought to be passing a recovery bill. Now whats a recovery bill? A recovery bill would be lifting the taxes and the regulations that are hammering small businesses, so that people can go back to work. A recovery bill would suspend the payroll tax which would give a pay raise to everyone in America whos working. That actually gets people back to work, Cruz said.

As negotiations continue, the other key provisions that Cruz is pushing for in the next federal legislation to mitigate the current economic crisis are healthcare and school choice.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) talks to reporters during her weekly news conference in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center in Washington, on July 16, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Cruz wants to expand access to Health Saving Accounts (HSAs) so Americans have the flexibility to make health care choices that best meet their familys needs, and he wants to expand School Choice by expanding scholarship opportunities.

Cruz criticized Democrats for keeping the economy closed and accused them of being motivated by politics in order to hurt President Donald Trumps chances of reelection in November.

I am on board with restarting the economy. What Democrats want to do were 100 days out from the presidential election. The only objective Democrats have is to defeat Donald Trump. And theyve cynically decided the best way to defeat Donald Trump is shut down every business in America, shut down every school in America, said Cruz.

Nancy Pelosi talks about working men and women. What shes proposing is keeping working men and women from working. And, you know, ironically, what she does have in her bill, she has a big tax cut for millionaires and billionaires in blue states, he added.

The GOP stimulus legislation is still being finalized by the GOP leadership and the White House and has yet to be officially unveiled, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has confirmed the main focus areas of the new package.

The CARES Act provided Kentucky and our nation with the tools to endure the first phase of the coronavirus crisis. But Americas fight continues, so Congresss support for our people must continue as well. CARES 2 will focus on three things: Kids, jobs, and healthcare, McConnell in a tweet Friday.

Democrats have criticized Republicans lack of urgency to finalize the next relief package.

After 10 weeks of Senate Republicans unilateral pause on responding to the coronavirus, it remains unclear whether they will release their plan todayeven as working families struggle to make rent, children go hungry, and unemployment is expiring, Pelosi said in a tweet Monday.

Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) issued a statement after McConnell announced the delay with the GOP package.

We had expected to be working throughout this weekend to find common ground on the next COVID response package. It is simply unacceptable that Republicans have had this entire time to reach consensus among themselves and continue to flail. Time is of the essence and lives are being lost.
CALGARY - A report funded by the Canadian liquefied natural gas industry estimates that creating a 56-million-tonnes-per-year LNG industry in B.C. would result in nearly 100,000 jobs.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/7/2020 (541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pipes are shown at a natural gas plant near Fort St. John, B.C., on October 11, 2018. A report funded by the Canadian liquefied natural gas industry estimates that creating a 56-million-tonnes-per-annum LNG industry would result in nearly 100,000 jobs and increase the country's gross domestic product by $11 billion per year. THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward

CALGARY - A report funded by the Canadian liquefied natural gas industry estimates that creating a 56-million-tonnes-per-year LNG industry in B.C. would result in nearly 100,000 jobs.

The Conference Board of Canada report, funded by the Canadian LNG Alliance, examines a scenario where 56 million tonnes per year of LNG is produced by 2034, including an expansion of the $40-billion LNG Canada project now under construction in Kitimat, B.C.

The LNG Canada website notes that the expansion would double production from 14 million to about 28 million tonnes of LNG per year and result in between 450 and 800 direct jobs at the plant.

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The Conference Board says its job creation figure of 96,550 jobs  including 71,000 jobs in British Columbia alone  includes related employment in engineering and construction, retail and wholesale, technical services, mining, oil and gas and manufacturing.

It says the LNG industry would increase the country's gross domestic product by $11 billion per year and, between 2020 and 2064, more than $92 billion in revenue could be generated for provinces and territories in Canada.

Earlier this month, a report by environmental group Global Energy Monitor said LNG project viability is in question because of growing environmental opposition and global LNG market uncertainty, listing 13 LNG projects in Canada that have been cancelled or suspended in recent years.

"Canada's LNG industry holds potential economic benefits for Canada," said Roger Francis, director of sustainability at the Conference Board., adding, "Thousands of well-paying jobs could be created and billions of dollars in new revenue could be realized by governments across the country."

The Conference Board report is similar to one it issued in 2016 that estimated developing an LNG industry producing 30 million tonnes per year in British Columbia would add $7.4 billion a year to the Canadian economy and 65,000 new jobs over three decades.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2020.
An Iranian journalist who exposed conditions at an Australian immigrant detention center has been granted refugee status in New Zealand.

Behrouz Boochani is a Kurdish journalist from Iran. Boochani fled the country for Australia following arrests of his colleagues in 2013 at the magazine he founded.

Australia sends detained, would-be immigrants to offshore detention centers for processing of their claims. Boochani became famous for exposing the poor living conditions in one of the centers on Manus Island in the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea. The state of the facility prompted numerous men to attempt suicide there, Boochani wrote in one article. Amnesty International reported that detainees were denied medical care, among other abuses.

Boochani won Australia's Victorian Prize for Literature last year for his memoir "No Friend but the Mountains," but was not able to go the Australian mainland to accept it. He finally was allowed to leave for neighboring New Zealand in November to attend a writers festival. He applied for asylym, and his claim was accepted Thursday, Boochani told the British news outlet The Guardian. It was his 37th birthday.

Boochani was happy with the news, but is aware other asylum seekers detained by Australia have still not had their statuses settled.

I am very happy to have some certainty about my future, he told The Guardian. At the same time, I cannot fully celebrate this because so many people who were incarcerated with me are still struggling to get freedom.
Donald Trump's National Security adviser has coronavirus, the White House announced Monday, making him the highest- ranking administration official to test positive for it.

'National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien tested positive for COVID-19,' the White House said in a statement.

'He has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site,' it continued, adding that National Security Council operations and work 'continues uninterrupted.'

It is not immediately clear how much contact O'Brien has had with Trump recently, but the White House statement assured: 'There is no risk of exposure to the President or the Vice President.' He was last seen at the White House last Thursday, but it is unclear if he was there more recently.

O'Brien, 54, contracted COVID-19 while attending a family event, people familiar with his situation told Bloomberg, and has been out of the office since late last week.

During isolation, O'Brien has still been running the National Security Council remotely, and one person said he has been doing most of his work over the phone. It was not disclosed if any mother members of his family, including wife Lo-Mari, have also tested positive.

The president's adviser also recently returned from Europe, where he met with officials from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy.

News of the infection comes as the number of confirmed cases in the U.S. has surpassed 4.2 million as of Monday morning and there are nearly 147,000 deaths.

Vice President Mike Pence's Press Secretary Katie Miller and Donald Trump Jr.'s girlfriend and his father's campaign adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle also tested positive for coronavirus in May and July respectively.

O'Brien pictured here next to Donald Trump last month during the infamous walk from the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church along with Attorney General Bill Barr (left) and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany (right)

Trump's national security adviser recently returned from a trip to Europe where he met with British, French, German and Italian officials,including Ed Llewellyn Britain's ambassador to France in Paris  but now O'Brien has been quarantining since he found out he contracted the virus at a 'family event.' O'Brien had his wife Lo-Mari with him for the trip

Earlier this month, Donald Trump Jr.'s girlfriend and the president's campaign aide Kimberly Guilfoyle (left) tested positive for coronavirus and in May Vice President Mike Pence's Press Secretary Katie Miller (right) also contracted the disease

Also in May, an unidentified personal valet to the president was infected.

Miller and the valet's positive tests earlier this year led to concern within the White House that others could be infected, leading several officials and aides to self-quarantine  including the nations top immunologist and member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force Dr. Anthony Fauci.

But O'Brien's diagnosis this month makes him the most senior White House official to contract coronavirus.

Following the presidents first post-coronavirus rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma last month, several campaign staffers contracted the disease.

All staff who attended the June rally were required to get tested for coronavirus after eight campaign aides who were there obtained positive test results.

The revelation of O'Brien's illness came as new COVID-19 cases hit record highs in more than a dozen states while Texas, Florida, Arizona and California show signs of a plateau - and as Dr Deborah Birx urged regions with rising infections to close bars, cut back on indoor dining and to mandate face masks.

There has now been more than 4.2 million infections recorded across the United States and nearly 147,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.

The number of cases in the current hard hit states of Texas, California, Arizona and Florida are now showing signs of plateauing after a month of record surges, according to Dr Birx.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says the leveling off of cases in the hotspot states is because people are social distancing and wearing masks but warned the US wasn't 'out of the woods yet'.

As cases appear to plateau in those hard hit states, the number of infections are now spiking, based on a seven-day average, in more than a dozen states, including Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii and Wyoming.

Nevada, Texas and South Carolina have seen record highs in the number of deaths based on a seven-day average.

Dr Birx, who is the head of the White House COVID-19 taskforce, said the surge in cases that has plagued Sunbelt states since Memorial Day is now being seen elsewhere, which is a sign that the virus is now spreading North.

The states with rising cases should be closing bars, cutting back on indoor restaurant capacity and limiting social gatherings to 10 people, Dr Birx warned.

She also said all Americans should be wearing masks when out in public or around other people.

'We can see what is happening in the South moving North,' Dr Birx said. 'We do believe there are states that do need to close their bars.'

Oklahoma hit a record for new cases five times throughout July, with 1,204 new infections on Sunday, bringing the state's total to 31,285, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.

In Missouri, infections surged to record daily highs on Saturday with 1,652 new cases. Infections across the state, which now has 41,927 cases, have been on an upward trajectory since late June.

Mississippi's cases have been spiking to near record highs in recent days with 1,610 infections reported on Friday, down from the record 1,904 on July 4. Infections have surged this month with the total now at 52,304.

Meanwhile, the number of new infections in Florida, Arizona and Texas now appear to be trending downwards for the first time since late May or early June.

Deaths, however, are still rising in both Florida and Texas. While deaths have seen single daily highs in Arizona in the past week, average fatalities appear to show a leveling out.

Despite the downward trajectory, Florida on Sunday became the second state after California to overtake New York, the original epicenter of the US outbreak.

There has now been more than 4.2 million infections recorded across the United States and nearly 147,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.

The number of cases in the current hard hit states of Texas, California, Arizona and Florida are now showing signs of plateauing after a month of record surges, according to Dr Birx.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says the leveling off of cases in the hotspot states is because people are social distancing and wearing masks but warned the US wasn't 'out of the woods yet'.

As cases appear to plateau in those hard hit states, the number of infections are now spiking, based on a seven-day average, in more than a dozen states, including Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii and Wyoming.

Nevada, Texas and South Carolina have seen record highs in the number of deaths based on a seven-day average.

Dr Birx, who is the head of the White House COVID-19 taskforce, said the surge in cases that has plagued Sunbelt states since Memorial Day is now being seen elsewhere, which is a sign that the virus is now spreading North.

OKLAHOMA: Oklahoma currently has 31,285 cases and 496 deaths. Both cases and deaths have been rising this month

MISSOURI: There are currently 41,927 cases in Missouri and 1,197 deaths. Cases have been steadily increasing across the state since mid-June and deaths have not

MISSISSIPPI: Cases have been rising steadily in Mississippi with that state now having 52,304 cases. There have been 1,495 deaths and the fatality rate is now showing signs of an uptick

The states with rising cases should be closing bars, cutting back on indoor restaurant capacity and limiting social gatherings to 10 people, Dr Birx warned.

She also said all Americans should be wearing masks when out in public or around other people.

'We can see what is happening in the South moving North,' Dr Birx said. 'We do believe there are states that do need to close their bars.'

Oklahoma hit a record for new cases five times throughout July, with 1,204 new infections on Sunday, bringing the state's total to 31,285, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.

In Missouri, infections surged to record daily highs on Saturday with 1,652 new cases. Infections across the state, which now has 41,927 cases, have been on an upward trajectory since late June.

Mississippi's cases have been spiking to near record highs in recent days with 1,610 infections reported on Friday, down from the record 1,904 on July 4. Infections have surged this month with the total now at 52,304.

Meanwhile, the number of new infections in Florida, Arizona and Texas now appear to be trending downwards for the first time since late May or early June.

Deaths, however, are still rising in both Florida and Texas. While deaths have seen single daily highs in Arizona in the past week, average fatalities appear to show a leveling out.

Despite the downward trajectory, Florida on Sunday became the second state after California to overtake New York, the original epicenter of the US outbreak.
By Tong Kim





Nuclear talks with North Korea are on hold. There is no inter-Korean dialogue. North Korea is piling up more fissile material and perfecting its strategic warheads and missiles. The United States keeps toughening up on sanctions. Nobody knows how long this standoff will last. We all know that this does not bode well for any party.







Despite devastating drawbacks to its economy from sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic, the North keeps working on the expansion and improvement of its arsenal of strategic weapons, including smaller nuclear warheads, long-range delivery systems, and submarine launched ballistic missiles.







It is also improving its short to mid-range missiles, multiple rocket launchers, and supersize artillery guns. However, the speed of arms building may be hampered by its worsening economic situation, as it appears to have affected the pace of the construction project of a general hospital in Pyongyang.







Following the rupture at a working-level meeting in Stockholm last October, North Korea made it clear that Pyongyang would adopt "a new way" of fighting the sanctions head on and increase its "strategic deterrent," unless the United States comes up with a "different method of calculation" acceptable to the North.







July 18, North Korea reconfirmed its strategy of "bolstering a war deterrent" at a "closed meeting" of the Central Military Commission of the Worker's Party. Some rushed to note that the fact that they used the phrase "a war deterrent" instead of "a nuclear war deterrent" might indicate a softening on the nuclear program. There is no evidence to support such a transition. The North Koreans have used the two terms interchangeably before.







Now, Pyongyang insists that Washington should drop its "hostile policy," as the condition to resuming negotiations with the U.S. The North primarily wants the lifting of all sanctions, provision of security guarantees and the establishment of a normalized relationship. These issues have been discussed in negotiations over the past quarter of a century. All efforts and approaches tried so far have failed to denuclearize the North and allow peace to settle on the Korean Peninsula.







The U.S. is entrenched in the fixed frame of "denuclearization first and lifting sanctions later." Washington refuses to accept a formula of "a phased approach of reciprocal actions toward the end of denuclearization." The North rejects the American offer of "a bright future of North Korea" that will follow a completely denuclearized North. This approach by the U.S. will never resolve the issue.







There has been much debate on the role of the South in facilitating U.S.-North Korea talks. Such a role requires a positive response from at least one side: Pyongyang or Washington. Given the heightened tensions in inter-Korean relations, it would be more practical for Seoul to seek Washington's flexibility through diplomatic persuasion.







Several creative, new approaches can build on the Singapore agreement of 2018 on "complete denuclearization." For example, Washington can offer a partial, reversible, snapback, lifting of sanctions in exchange for dismantlement of a set of designated nuclear, missile facilities, and a freeze on North Korea's nuclear program. It may be called a good, medium deal.







In the meantime, the U.S.-ROK alliance should work out a further scaling down on joint exercises scheduled for August or postpone them until after the November election as an incentive for the North to return to nuclear talks. A possible delay in the transfer of wartime operational control to South Korea due to a rescheduling of these drills would be an acceptable tradeoff for mitigating tension and restarting the talks.







There are other affordable incentives that the U.S. can offer to the North: such as a declaration to officially end the Korean War, or an exchange of liaison offices as a preliminary step to normalization. An end-of-war declaration should pave the way for discussions on a peace regime, in parallel with or as part of nuclear talks.







An "October surprise" of another summit is unlikely to happen in consideration of Pyongyang's unwillingness to make concessions that Trump may need to help his election. It is also unlikely that Pyongyang will deliver a "Christmas gift" before November. The North has said it no longer feels obliged to honor its self-imposed moratorium on the testing of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. But, Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister, has quipped that the U.S. is a beneficiary of the good relations between Kim and Trump.







To conclude, the continuation of the current stalemate on dialogue in the midst of increasing threats must end. The total elimination of North Korea's nuclear threat is not possible in a short period, except by war. Dialogue and negotiation are the only acceptable means to resolve the North Korean issue.











Tong Kim ( tong.kim8@yahoo.com ) is a visiting professor with the University of North Korean Studies, a visiting scholar with Korea University, a fellow at the Institute for Corean-American Studies, and a columnist for The Korea Times
Protesters taking part in a rally against Polish government plans to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)

Poles are bitterly divided over steps being taken by the right-wing government to leave the Istanbul Convention, a European treaty against domestic violence, claiming it promotes gender ideology and links violence to religion.

The countrys justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro said earlier that he would formally ask the Ministry of Family on Monday to start preparations for Polands exit from the convention, an initiative of the Council of Europe, the continents leading human rights organisation.

It was not clear when an official withdrawal notice would be filed.

Mr Ziobro argued last week that the convention includes provisions of an ideological character that his ministry does not agree with.

He insisted Polands own legislation protects women and children against violence to an even higher degree than the convention.

Expand Close Protesters with a banner reading Womens Strike taking part in a rally against Polish government plans to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention (Czarek Sokolowski/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Protesters with a banner reading Womens Strike taking part in a rally against Polish government plans to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)

Council of Europe secretary general Marija Pejcinovic Buric has said Polands intentions to withdraw from the convention are alarming and encouraged a constructive dialogue to clarify any misunderstandings.

Leaving the Istanbul Convention would be highly regrettable and a major step backwards in the protection of women against violence in Europe, Ms Pejcinovic Buric tweeted.

Government critics expressed outrage on social media, saying the right-wing government of the conservative Law and Justice party was ready to sacrifice womens safety for its own views based on Roman Catholic traditions.

Warsaws liberal mayor, Rafal Trzaskowski, runner-up in the recent presidential election, on Monday called attempts to leave to convention a scandal, saying that all political forces should work together to fight domestic violence.

Last week, thousands protested the governments plan in rallies across Poland.

Deputy Justice Minister Michal Wojcik, however, said that while the ministry agreed with the convention regarding the protection of victims of violence, there was no consent to ideology regarding the concept of gender as a social construct.

Expand Close Members of Polands womens rights organisations (Czarek Sokolowski/AP) / Facebook

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There is no third sex, there is only a man and a woman, Mr Wojcik said.

The deputy spokesman for the ruling party, Radoslaw Fogiel, said on public-service broadcaster Polish Radio 24 that the government was analysing the convention but had not yet made its final decision regarding the withdrawal.

Polands previous, liberal government ratified the convention in 2015, shortly before the current administration took office after winning parliamentary elections on promises of expanding social welfare.

The treaty formally named the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence is based on the premise that women are targeted with violence just because they are women.

It states that men and women have equal rights and obliges state authorities to take steps to prevent violence against women, protect victims and prosecute perpetrators.

Another point in the convention that has been questioned by Polands government says that culture, custom, religion, tradition or so-called honour shall not be regarded as justification for acts of violence covered in the treaty.

In the governments interpretation, that amounts to making a link between religion and violence.

The convention, which came into force in 2014, has been signed by 45 European countries and the European Union, but 10 countries, including Britain, Hungary and the Czech Republic, and the EU have yet to ratify it.
A father and daughter were brutally attacked by a mob inside of a Manhattan deli July 7, a video posted Sunday by the NYPD showed. (NYPD)

NYPD Searching For Suspects In Manhattan Deli Attack

A father and daughter were attacked by a mob of people inside a Manhattan deli on July 7, according to video footage posted by the NYPD on Sunday.

The NYPD said the group of eight people said a 22-year-old woman and a 41-year-old male were assaulted by a group of people, while a 39-year-old womans phone was stolen as she attempted to call 911.

During the attack, the man was knocked unconscious, officials told FOX5. He was hospitalized and was listed in stable condition while the daughter was treated at the scene by medics.

WANTED for ROBBERY: On 7/7 at 11:15 pm, inside of 2090 Amsterdam Ave in Manhattan, a 41-year-old male & a 22-year-old female were assaulted by a group of people & a 39-year-old had her phone taken as she tried to call the 911. Have info  @NYPDTips https://t.co/eblxOoNc4Q  NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 24, 2020

The incident took place in a store on Amsterdam Ave. near 164th Street in the Washington Heights neighborhood.

Three of the suspects have been identified by police as 21-year-old Devonte Phillips, 22-year-old Tyquan Dupont, and 26-year-old Tyrone Lawrence, according to the report.

Additional photos of the individuals wanted in connection to this incident. pic.twitter.com/slHDfJPM4X  NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 24, 2020

A victim, who identified herself as the daughter in the case, told CBS New York that the attack came out of nowhere.

I feel shocked, the victim said. I blacked out because after  You have anxiety and you get nervous, you dont really remember stuff.

She said that her stepfather was beaten unconscious.

I thought they killed him. I thought he died. I saw him on the floor, the woman said.

Anyone with information about the incident should call NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Hospitals from three surrounding states asked Huntsville Hospital for help last week to treat a heavy load of patients infected with the novel coronavirus, but Huntsville Hospital declined.

David Spillers, CEO of the Huntsville Hospital Healthcare System, said Monday calls came from hospitals in Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee, as well as hospitals in south Alabama.

Spillers said those hospitals were, all asking to transfer patients to Huntsville Hospital because the hospitals in their area were full. They felt like they could not take any more COVID patients. We were unable to accept those patients because we were dealing with the patients we have here in north Alabama.

Related: 1,778 new coronavirus cases in Alabama, up from weekend low; Latest county-by-county results

Those requests are an indication of the strain hospitals are beginning to feel from the surge of patients needing hospitalization. Mississippi and Tennessee both hit high marks for COVID-19 hospitalizations last week, according to public health data in those states.

At the same time, Huntsville Hospital  the second-largest hospital in the state  is facing its own pressures. There were 99 patients Monday morning who had tested positive for COVID-19, plus two more at the hospitals nearby Womens & Childrens hospital. That includes a 15-month-old patient that Spillers said has a good prognosis.

Across the Huntsville Hospital System in north Alabama, there were another 96 patients. Huntsvilles Crestwood Medical Center had 16 patients on Monday as well.

The coronavirus hospitalization numbers at Huntsville Hospital and throughout its healthcare system have flattened out over the past two weeks, though still remain at or near their high marks for the pandemic.

A change could be coming soon, though, because Spillers said hospitalizations were on the increase in the Shoals area in northwest Alabama. At Helen Keller Hospital  a part of the Huntsville Hospital System  there were 31 COVID-19 patients on Monday. At North Alabama Medical Center in Florence, which is not part of the Huntsville system, Spillers said there was a similar number of inpatients.

Theyre pretty busy, he said of Shoals-area hospitals.

The issue of hospital resources also goes beyond the coronavirus. Spillers said Huntsville Hospital had a record 104 patients on ventilators at one time last week, though only about 25 percent of those patients were positive for COVID-19. And the hospitals neo-natal intensive care unit had 84 babies, the most its ever had.

They werent emergency transports, Spillers said of the requests for help. They were just trying to offload some of their stable patients to free up space for other patients.

Meanwhile, Spillers said that the hospitals in-house testing capacity was reduced by 600 tests this week because of a nationwide shortage in testing supplies. He described the testing shortfall as manageable for now with the hope that supplies will be more readily available for next week.
A 27-year-old man was shot in Worcester Sunday night as police responded to a call reporting shots fired in the area of Dorchester and Shannon streets.

Officers arrived in the area just after 11:45 p.m., and after a search of the area, located a male gunshot victim in a Dorchester Street apartment, according to a police report.

Police said the victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Anyone with information can send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message or send an anonymous web-based message at worcesterma.gov/police. Calls can also be made to the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at 508-799-8651.

Got a news tip or want to contact MassLive about this story? Email newstips@masslive.com or message us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also call our news tips line at 413-776-1364.
The states largest health system is hoping to recruit more people in Baton Rouge  especially from the 70811, 70812, 70814 and 70819 ZIP codes  to obtain free coronavirus and antibody tests so researchers can better understand the scope of the outbreak in the capital region.

Ochsner Health System started testing people July 15 for its prevalence study to determine how widespread the coronavirus has been in the Baton Rouge region. But the study, which should help to determine what percentage of 800,000 or so people in the capital area have been infected so far, needs more participation from the Black community to draw accurate conclusions.

We really, really need the African American community to come out and be tested, said Dr. Leo Seoane, Ochsners chief academic officer.

+2 Baton Rouge woman worked nonstop as essential employee until death from coronavirus: 'It feels so unreal' As store manager of a Taco Bell in Denham Springs, Shonda Brown spent most of the coronavirus pandemic laboring nonstop as an essential worker

Anyone interested in participating can sign up at TestBR.org, and Ochsner will provide free transportation to and from their testing sites for whoever needs it. As an incentive, all participants will also be entered in a drawing to win $50 gift cards.

The neighborhoods that Ochsner is targeting for more testing include the Brownfields, Greendale, Merrydale, Monticello, North Sherwood Forest, Park Forest, West River Oaks and Woodcrest. Anyone 18 or older is eligible, as long as they have not previously tested positive for coronavirus.

Seoane said he hopes to enroll at least 100 more Black participants by the end of the week, which is when the study is expected to end. Ochsner has extended it before to try to get a better representative sample of Baton Rouge, as the study aims for 2,500 tests.

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New Ochsner study could give crucial information on how coronavirus is spreading in Baton Rouge After conducting a study in New Orleans that found many people were unwittingly spreading the novel coronavirus even though they did not show 

Youll really be contributing and helping us understand COVID spread in Baton Rouge, he said.

Ochsner released the results earlier this month of another coronavirus prevalence study for Orleans and Jefferson parishes, which concluded that about 7.8% of people in the region had coronavirus. Though New Orleans was an early hot spot for the coronavirus outbreak, the Ochsner study suggested that area was a long way off from herd immunity. About 40% of the people tested in that study were asymptomatic when they were tested.

The study also revealed major disparities in the course of the disease by race and neighborhood. Of those tested, 10.3% of Black residents were positive, while 5.9% of White residents were positive for coronavirus antibodies. Residents from New Orleans East and the West Bank also showed far more incidence for coronavirus than other areas.

Coronavirus infections in Louisiana were 16 times higher than case counts showed, CDC says When coronavirus cases reached 10,000 in Louisiana on April 3, Governor John Bel Edwards called it a grim milestone. According to a new stu

Federal researchers also released a study last week that said Louisiana had about 267,000 coronavirus infections  or one out of every 17 residents  by early April. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published last week in JAMA Internal Medicine, estimated that Louisiana had an infection rate of 5.8% in the spring.

The Ochsner coronavirus prevalence study is the first to specifically focus on the outbreak in the Baton Rouge region.
The Turkish Bars Association has filed a criminal lawsuit against the Islamist magazine Gercek Hayat over its call for an Islamic 'caliphate' according to news site Diken.

In the last issue of the magazine, which came out after the transformation of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, there was a publication about the need for mobilization in the name of a religious state under the leadership of an Islamic leader.

The lawsuit was filed against the editor-in-chief of the magazine, who shared the magazine's cover on social networks. He is accused of inciting the public to hatred and enmity and provocation in violation of the law.
The following items were taken from area police department reports and releases. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.

Glenview

License

Daniel Perdomo, 19, of the 2200 block of Nichols Road, Arlington Heights, was charged July 17 with driving without a valid drivers license in the 9700 block of Milwaukee Avenue. Perdomo is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 27.

Segun Akinsanya, 24, of the 600 block of West 123rd Street, Chicago, was charged July 18 with driving on a suspended license, speeding and operating an uninsured vehicle in the 700 block of Milwaukee Avenue. Akinsanya is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 27.

Tyrone Akons, 28, of the 700 block of East 88th Avenue, Chicago, was charged July 20 with driving on a suspended or revoked license and driving without headlights in the 700 block of Laramie Avenue. Akons is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 13.

Mariana Cruz Capote, 25, of the first block of South Shadow Avenue, Mundelein, was charged July 21 with driving on a suspended or revoked license in the 1000 block of Zenith Drive. Cruz Capote is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 7.

DUI

Chirag Patel, 40, of the 9400 block of Meadow Lane, Des Plaines, was charged July 18 with driving under the influence and improper lane usage in the 9800 block of Milwaukee Avenue. Patel is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 27.

Patrick Campbell, 49, of the 7800 block of West Cahill Terrace, Chicago, was charged July 21 with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of drugs, possession of cannabis in a vehicle, operating a vehicle with expired registration and speeding in the 600 block of Milwaukee Avenue. Campbell is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 27.

Jack Collins, 49, of the first block of Schoenbeck Road, Wheeling, was charged July 23 with driving under the influence, driving while license suspended, operating an uninsured vehicle and speeding in the 2900 block of Milwaukee Avenue.

Disorderly conduct

An employee in the 1300 block of Patriot Boulevard reported July 14 that someone defecated on the bathroom floor and was yelling profanities in the store.

Identity theft

More than 20 residents across Northbrook reported between July 17 and July 20 that someone used their personal information to file for unemployment benefits, many of them reporting that they received Key Bank debit cards for benefits despite never filing.

Burglary

A resident in the 1000 block of Arbor Lane reported July 19 that someone entered an unlocked vehicle parked on the driveway overnight and took a radar detector.

A resident in the 1000 block of Heatherfield Lane reported July 20 that someone entered an unlocked vehicle parked on the driveway overnight and took cash and credit cards.

A resident in the 1100 block of Arbor Lane reported July 20 that someone entered an unlocked vehicle parked on the driveway overnight and took a key from inside.

A resident in the 900 block of Arbor Lane reported July 20 that someone entered a vehicle parked on the driveway overnight and took a wallet.

A resident in the 3800 block of La Fontaine Drive reported July 20 that two people entered their house saying there was a problem with the water and that one of them stole jewelry, cash and documents from a bedroom.

Retail theft

An employee in the 1900 block of Tower Drive reported July 20 that someone entered the store, grabbed $1,500 worth of purses and left without paying.
A Singapore flag seen hanging outside a HDB flat. (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore)

SINGAPORE  Five days before National Day last year, a drunk man set fire to a Singapore flag, causing it to fall and burn seven other flags below it.

Elson Ong Yong Liang, 26, was jailed 16 weeks on Monday (27 July), after he pleaded guilty to one count of committing mischief by fire, with two other charges involving burning other items taken into consideration for sentencing.

These charges involve Ong using a lighter to burn newspaper outside a unit at Woodlands Crescent on 4 April last year and separately using the same method to light up a construction sign sticker pasted on a metal barricade at the same block. The time and date for the latter offence are unknown.

Ongs lawyer, Gino Hardial Singh, cited an Institute of Mental Health (IMH) report which stated that the accused had a habit of burning paper since his teenage years whenever he was stressed.

On 3 August last year, Ong went to a pub for a drinking session and left at about 5.30am the next day heavily intoxicated.

After reaching his HDB block in Woodlands Crescent between 6am and 6.15am, Ong took the lift to the 13th floor before deciding to light a cigarette.

At this point, he noticed a Singapore flag on the outer walls of the block. He then decided to set fire to the flag with his lighter. The flag caught fire and broke into pieces, with the remnants falling and igniting another seven flags below it. All the flags were damaged.



Deputy Public Prosecutor Kor Zhen Hong asked for six months jail for Ong, adding that the potential harm from the burning fragments of the flag was quite high.

Public disquiet would also be aroused if a passerby were to notice a Singapore flag on fire, added the prosecution.

Singh said that while what his client did was reprehensible, he urged the court to note several mitigating factors, including how his client burned paper to cope with stress.



According to an IMH psychiatrist, Ongs habit was a maladapted coping mechanism to deal with stress. He would usually gather paper and burn them in an incense bin at the void deck during his teenage years.



The defence lawyer sought three months jail for Ong. He said Ong had a troubled childhood and was abused by his father, who divorced his mother when he was six years old.

Story continues

For causing mischief by fire, Ong could have been jailed up to seven years, and also fined.

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Industry recovery, agricultural sector development, and investment attraction are the three main elements that can stimulate economic growth in Ukraine.

"The first [element] is the restoration of industrial potential through some simple mechanisms that will create hundreds of jobs and have a great impact on the economy," Minister of Economic Development, Trade, and Agriculture of Ukraine Ihor Petrashko said, the press service of the Ministry informs.

According to the minister, the application of a non-price criteria principle (localization), access to finance, and modernization of basic infrastructure items (in particular, the Ukrainian Railways locomotives) will contribute to the recovery of industry.

As for the agricultural sector, it is important to support cattle breeding, restore irrigation systems (especially in southern areas), and introduce agricultural insurance schemes.

"Insurance is important for farmers, especially amidst climate change, droughts. We have no such scheme now, so we will offer it. I am sure that the Parliament will support us in launching a tool that will allow farmers to manage their risks," Petrashko said.

The third important element is attracting investments, relocating production and parts of logistics chains from Asia to Ukraine.

"The country should attract new investments. We need know-hows, technologies, integration into international logistics chains, the minister emphasized.

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According to Governor Kalraj Mishra, the paper containing the proposal to convene Assembly Session had no mention of a potential floor test for the Gehlot government. The Governor has further asked the state government to allow a 21-day consideration period before the state assembly session can be called in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has sought clarification from the state government regarding the proposal of convening the Assembly Session, said sources on Monday.

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has sought clarification from the state government over the proposal on the convening of the Assembly Session. Mishra has asked the government Do you want to move Motion of Confidence? It is not mentioned in the proposal but you have been speaking about it in media, a source told ANI.

According to sources, Mishra also said it will be difficult to call all the MLAs for the Assembly Session in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Can you consider giving a 21-day notice over the convening of Assembly Session?, the Governor asked the Rajasthan government, according to sources.

Also read: Rafale jets take off from France to join IAF fleet in Ambala

Also read: Unlock 3.0: Cinema halls, gyms likely to open; uncertainty over resumption of metro

Earlier in the day, the sources have said no decision has been taken yet on the Assembly session.

The power struggle in Rajasthan had taken a new turn when the Governor had not heeded the request of the Congress government to convene a session of the state Assembly urgently.

Earlier, Rajasthan Governors Secretariat had said the state government had presented a proposal to convene the session of the Assembly at very short notice on the night of July 23. The paper was analysed and legal experts were consulted over it, it said.

It said 21-day notice is required for the session to be called according to the normal procedures.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said the Congress party will approach the President and if required, will also stage a protest outside the Prime Ministers residence in connection with the ongoing situation in Rajasthan.

Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil after simmering differences between Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot came out in the open. Pilot was removed as the Deputy Chief Minister and the state unit chief of Congress.

The Congress has accused the BJP of indulging in horse-trading to bring down the Gehlot government. The BJP has rejected the allegations.

Also read: Rajasthan Rumble: Speaker withdraws plea against HCs order

For all the latest National News, download NewsX App
The incoming chairman of the Harris County Republican Party has walked back his decision to decline the post, according to party officials, despite facing continued blowback over a social media post that displayed a Martin Luther King Jr. quote next to a banana.

Reversing a prior announcement, County Chair-elect Keith Nielsen has now confirmed that he plans to take office as scheduled on August 3, so there will not be a County Chair vacancy to be filled, Chairman Paul Simpson, who Nielsen defeated in March, wrote in an email to party members Friday.

Simpson in his email linked to a story by the Texas Tribune, which first reported the news.

Nielsen, who is scheduled to take office Aug. 3, announced on June 6 that he would step aside as chairman-elect after posting a photo on Facebook of the MLK quote next to a banana.

Kieth Nielsen Facebook

He previously apologized for the since-deleted post, saying he had no malicious intent. The intent of the photo, which included Kings quote that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, was to speak out against the violence that had occurred during some protests over the death of George Floyd and say that its bananas to act this way, Nielsen said.

He reportedly told local Senate district chairs at a meeting earlier this month that he would take office after all.

Prominent Republican officials, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, had called for Nielsen to decline the office and condemned his post, which recalls the racist trope of associating Black people with monkeys. Nielsen at first issued an apology but refused to step down, before announcing the next day that he would not take office.

Dammit, stop it. Stop saying stupid, racist things, tweeted Cruz, who lives in Houston. Our country is grieving. Lets come together for equal justice under law. Lets unite behind Dr. Kings powerful dream, where all of us are judged, not by race, but by the content of our character.

Since then, Nielsen has yet to give the party formal notice of his decision, a required move in order to give up the position, according to party spokeswoman Genevieve Carter. Nielsen also has yet to send any transition materials to Simpson, such as his plans for holding the partys biannual meeting to adopt bylaws and elect new party officers, Simpson said.

Nielsen and a spokeswoman who represented him for a previous story did not respond to requests for comment.

Officials who called for Nielsen to step down in June largely have declined to weigh in on his change of mind, though Patrick earlier this month expressed dismay about Nielsens reversal, tweeting, Still offensive. Still no excuse. Time for him to go.

Aside from Patrick and Cruz, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, had called for Nielsen to resign and labeled his post racist and unacceptable. U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, said in June that Nielsen has no place in our party. Not now. Not ever.

A Crenshaw spokeswoman on Tuesday said the congressman stands by his original statement, but declined further comment.

Nielsen did resign last month from the Pasadena planning commission. City spokeswoman Laura Mireles said he did so at the request of Mayor Jeff Wagner, while a Nielsen spokeswoman said he already had planned to resign.

jasper.scherer@chron.com
The "most significant" witness in the trial of the man accused of murdering Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe "might have had a lot of motives to make things up", a barrister has told the Central Criminal Court.

Michael O'Higgins SC for Aaron Brady told the jury of six men and seven women that the background to Daniel Cahill giving evidence was "shrouded in mystery" and that he may have been subjected to threats or inducement by Homeland Security before speaking to gardai.

Mr Cahill has told the trial that he heard Mr Brady admit to killing a garda on three occasions. Mr Cahill also revealed that he spoke to gardai in New York after Homeland Security agents came to his home in circumstances where he had overstayed his 90-day visa waiver by several years.

In his closing speech to the jury Mr O'Higgins also criticized the garda investigation, accusing investigators of closing their eyes to evidence and burying their heads in the sand over evidence that his client was laundering diesel at the time Det Gda Donohoe was shot.

'The most significant evidence in the case'

Aaron Brady (29) from New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe who was then a member of An Garda Siochana on active duty on January 25, 2013 at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth.

Mr Brady has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbing approximately 7,000 in cash and assorted cheques on the same date and at the same location.

Mr O'Higgins said he wanted to start with Mr Cahill's evidence, which he said was the "most significant evidence in the case".

Counsel asked the jury to consider why, five years after Mr Cahill first claimed to have heard a confession from Aaron Brady, he "falls out of the sky with this evidence" on July 25, 2019 when he gave his first statement to gardai.

Mr O'Higgins reminded the jury that Mr Cahill told them that he gave evidence because he wanted justice for Detective Garda Donohoe, his family and for the Irish justice system. Counsel said: "The first thing I want to do is stress test that claim."

Mr O'Higgins said the witness had claimed to know nothing of the murder of Det Gda Donohoe even after he heard Mr Brady make his alleged confessions.

Counsel said: "Maybe it's possible to ignore it the first time and not take it seriously, put it down to drunken rambling, but then there's the second time. In the internet age would you be mildly curious enough to even google the event. Daniel Cahill didn't. Didn't do it after the third or the fourth time.

"Does that sound to you like someone with a burning desire to do justice?"

Mr O'Higgins questioned why the witness didn't tell any of his friends in the New York police, who he practiced jiu jitsu with every week, his wife or anyone else.

In his testimony Mr Cahill said that he met a number of gardai on St Patrick's Day 2017 who were talking about Det Gda Donohoe and Aaron Brady. Mr Cahill said that he told the gardai present that Aaron Brady had admitted to him that he killed a garda.

Mr O'Higgins suggested this was a lie told by Mr Cahill because he needed to explain why he hadn't spoken about the alleged confession for so many years.

Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. Picture: Ciara Wilkinson

Had the conversation taken place, counsel said, the gardai who heard it would have taken Mr Cahill's details, passed the information up the line until it got to the investigation team and a detective would have taken the next flight to New York to speak to Mr Cahill.

"None of that happened," counsel said, "and it didn't happen because the conversation was completely invented."

Mr O'Higgins said the catalyst for Mr Cahill coming forward was "an early morning knock on the door" from eight or nine members of Homeland Security, including an enforcement and removal officer. When this happened, counsel said, Mr Cahill "had an unusual reaction.

He took himself off to the attic, naked, and stayed there for a number of hours." Homeland Security found Mr Cahill and in their search discovered a cannabis plant and steroids. Mr O'Higgins questioned how, in those circumstances, no charges were brought against Mr Cahill in relation to the cannabis and steroids and, despite being a visa overstayer who had not filled out the paperwork to apply for status to remain, Mr Cahill was released.

He reminded them of the evidence of Kerry Bretz, who said that in his 30 years as an immigration lawyer in the US he had never seen that happen. Mr O'Higgins suggested that Mr Cahill "might have had a lot of motives to make things up".

Counsel further asked the jury to consider if it is normal that during the trial Homeland Security refused to answer questions about Mr Cahill's immigration status or what was said to him when he was detained.

Counsel reminded the jury that Special Agent Mary Ann Wade would not answer questions about Mr Cahill's immigration status or whether he was arrested. He questioned why the Director of Public Prosecutions allowed the witness to dictate what questions she would answer and asked the jury to imagine the gardai in similar circumstances, refusing to say if Mr Cahill was arrested and refusing to answer questions about his detention.

Mr O'Higgins suggested Mr Cahill was subjected to "inducement, and its Siamese twin, threat."

He added: "You have a situation which is unprecedented that witnesses will come in here and say, heres whats on and off the agenda." He said such an approach rewrites the rules of a criminal trial in a "radical and unprecedented" way and would be something you might expect to see in a "tinpot dictatorship".

He also asked the jury whether Mr Cahill was credible in his description of a walk he went on with members of the 32-County Sovereignty Committee during which he posed for a photo unfurling a banner with Vincent Ryan, a dissident republican who was shot dead in 2018.

Mr Cahill described it as a community sponsored walk. Counsel asked the jury if, having heard that story, they would buy a used car from Mr Cahill. If they wouldn't, he asked: "How could you rely on him for something that is 1.000 times more important?"

Mr O'Higgins also reminded the jury that Mr Cahill was pictured with Dean Evans 16 days after Det Gda Donohoe was shot dead and 24 days before Mr Evans murdered Peter Butterly outside the Huntsman Inn in Gormanston, Co Meath. He said the photograph was introduced by the defence not to visit Dean Evans's bad character on Mr Cahill, but to call into question his claim that he did not follow the news and did not hear of the shooting of Det Gda Donohoe until years later.

He said:

If you are hanging around that milieu of people committing those types of crimes, often in the name of Republican activities, the fact that a garda gets shot is a talking point.

Mr O'Higgins further questioned where Mr Cahill learned his court etiquette, asking: "Did it cross your mind that this was a witness who had been prepared? Who was well aware there would be questions about unfurling banners with the 32 County Sovereignty Committee."

He asked whether Mr Cahill's statement that he was there for justice was a "prepared answer, a soundbite that would inhibit further cross examination." He urged the jury not to rely on Mr Cahill's evidence unless they are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he is telling the truth.

Molly Staunton told the trial that she was in Mr Brady's New York apartment where she heard him say he had "shot a cop" in Ireland and was one of the most feared men in Ireland.

Mr O'Higgins reminded the jury that under cross examination Ms Staunton gave a different account, saying that Mr Brady was upset that he was being linked with the shooting but not that he had carried it out.

When prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan showed her a video of her statement to gardai, she went back to her original position, counsel said. Mr O'Higgins described Ms Staunton as a witness "who is swinging right to left to right" and said her testimony was unreliable.

Dealing with the defence case, Mr O'Higgins said there is evidence that his client was laundering diesel on the night Det Gda Donohoe was shot. Mr Brady had described his activities in text messages to his then girlfriend Jessica King and there was evidence that a trailer was brought from Dublin that day to Concession Road to be loaded with cubes of diesel waste.

He also pointed to phone contacts between Mr Brady and two known fuel launderers and contacts those men had with two other known fuel launderers. He said it was a "no brainer" and a "self evident exercise" to investigate those links to fuel laundering and added: "Yet the State, for some reason or another, will not look, did not look, did not examine."

Counsel also questioned a prosecution suggestion that Mr Brady is a "psychopath", asking the jury to look at his text exchanges with Ms King. A psychopath, counsel said, is someone with no feelings, no moral qualms and who will do whatever they want. In that context he said the jury should look at how he interacted with his girlfriend.

He also reminded the jury that Ms King and her family met Mr Brady in the hours after the shooting and said he seemed his normal self, cheerful, cheeky, "not a bother on him".

Mr O'Higgins accepted that his client had told lies and that lies can count against an accused person. But he also told them that people lie for different reasons and in this case, it was to hide his connection to diesel laundering. He asked the jury to consider that if Mr Brady was part of an organised gang who had committed this robbery, why his first false account to gardai the day after the shooting was so easily pulled apart and contradicted by one of his alleged accomplices.

Counsel said an organised gang would have prepared a story before passing through the garda cordon within a short distance of where the robbery had taken place.

He asked the jury to consider Mr Brady's lies in the context of the "ambiance and atmosphere" of south Armagh and diesel laundering. He added: "It's against that background that those lies are told."

Counsel questioned the value of CCTV footage which the prosecution says shows a suspect for the robbery traveling to Clogherhead three nights earlier to steal a Volkswagen Passat that was used as the getaway vehicle. Mr O'Higgins said the CCTV is grainy and the times don't match up to the prosecution's claims.

He described as "flawed" the prosecution's suggestion that the fact phones belonging to Mr Brady and two suspects in the case went dead around the time of the robbery. Criticising the gardai investigation, Mr O'Higgins said gardai should have investigated his client's links to diesel laundering in 2013.

They had, counsel said, evidence from Jessica King's phone that he was laundering diesel at the time, they had records that he was in touch with known fuel launderers and they had evidence elsewhere that the yard he mentioned in his statement was being used for diesel laundering.

Counsel accused gardai of closing their eyes to the evidence and putting their heads in the sand in relation to the site at Concession Road.

Mr O'Higgins will continue his closing speech to the jury tomorrow.
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Linkedin Lisandra Paraguassu (Reuters) Sao Paulo, Brazil  Mon, July 27, 2020 13:45 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669939f1 2 World Brazil,Jair-Bolsonaro,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-test,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,novel-coronavirus,virus-corona Free

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday that he has tested negative for the novel coronavirus after weeks quarantined in his residence due to an infection.

In a photo posted to social media, Bolsonaro appeared with a box of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug he credited for his recovery despite a lack of scientific evidence about its effectiveness. In an accompanying text, he said his RT-PCR test for Sars-Cov 2 was negative.

He did not say when he took the test nor did he provide any further details.

Bolsonaro reported testing positive three times this month, including an initial diagnosis on July 7 for COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus.

Since then he has been in partial isolation at the presidential residence, filling his official agenda with videoconferences. He was spotted outdoors occasionally, including at a rally where he greeted supporters, removing his mask occasionally when at a distance of a few meters.

Bolsonaros coronavirus infection was one of more than 2.3 million cases in Brazil, second only to the United States. The pandemic has killed more than 85,000 people in Brazil.

Bolsonaro has played down the risks of the virus he called "a little flu" and defied public health experts and fought against governors and mayors imposing lockdowns to fight the pandemic. The right-wing populist has warned such policies are worse than the virus itself and urged businesses to reopen quickly.

Bolsonaro has said he would start traveling around the country after recovering from his illness.
He offered little direct evidence of outside influence, though officials said Monday that was still under investigation. Police Chief Gerald M. Smith said that fliers promoting anti-police rallies for the weekend had been produced outside of Richmond and that several of the people arrested were from other parts of the state.
New listings of high-end houses, which dropped the furthest and fastest during the early months of the pandemic, are coming back to the market and inflating the median price of houses currently for sale, according to a Zillow analysis.

The median list price for a home in the Philadelphia metropolitan area in June was $333,074  a 5.2% increase from May and nearly 12% higher than a year ago, according to the online real estate database company.

During the same time, the number of new listings above $402,000  the top fifth of new listings in June  was up roughly 19% in the region. Buyer demand remains high, and inventory is low, which has brought high-end sellers who had been nervous about the pandemic back to the market, Zillow analysts said. Higher numbers of high-end sales raise the median list price.

For the most affordable segment of the Philadelphia-area market  the bottom fifth of new listings, priced below $159,000  new listings are down more than 20% from last year and down roughly 7% from May to June. Spring is typically the busiest season for home sales. Nationally, before and early in the pandemic, new listings of the most affordable houses outpaced those of high-end houses, so June saw a reversal of that trend.

Owners of higher-end homes held off on listing their homes much more back in April and May than owners of more affordable or middle-tier homes, said Jeff Tucker, a Zillow economist. With more resources, they can often afford to wait more and time their sales strategically.

Buyers who are looking for houses with big yards, pools, and space for home offices in the collar counties because of the pandemic are spurring sellers of larger, higher-priced homes to enter the market, said Rachel Rothbard Heller, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Preferred based in Old City. Her clients are searching for houses in the price range of $700,000 to $1.2 million.

If its priced right, she said, it will go.

At the lower end of the market, expanded forbearance options as part of pandemic relief are keeping a significant number of homeowners in their houses who might otherwise have been on a path to foreclosure, Tucker said. That also helps constrict inventory. Through forbearance, homeowners can delay their mortgage payments by months.

The increase in new listings of the most expensive houses, even as new listings of more affordable homes remained low in the Philadelphia region, reflected national trends largely dictated by the unequal way the pandemics economic downturn is affecting households, according to Zillow.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus intensifies the city vs. suburbs debate in Philly | Inga Saffron

Across the country, the high-end market has largely recovered. New high-end listings were down 9% in June compared with last year. In May, these listings had been down by more than 50% compared with last year.

Nationwide, new listings for the most affordable homes were down 29% in June compared with a year earlier and up slightly from May.

Its a pretty consistent story around the country of the biggest shortage of new listings in the bottom price tier, Tucker said.

Sellers overall have been slower than buyers to come back to the housing market, exacerbating the overall inventory shortage. New listings have been replenishing at a much slower than normal rate.

 READ MORE: On the market: An estate home in Chadds Ford for $950,000

Stephanie Biello, president of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors, said midprice houses around $400,000 are subjects of bidding wars and have been closing over asking prices in the city, since the city doesnt have much inventory in that price range and lower.

If we dont have inventory, the prices are going to go too high and keep people from being able to afford their first homes, which they could later sell to first-time home buyers in order to buy a more expensive home, said Biello, the associate broker and manager at Kurfiss Sothebys International Realtys Philadelphia and Main Line office. I hope more inventory comes on at the price points where the inventory is very low, so we can keep that cycle going.

Biello said shes seeing a lot of activity for listings above $600,000, particularly in Bucks County, where her brokerage has its main office. A lot of buyers are coming from New York in search of more land, spurred by concerns about the pandemic, she said.

The second-home market is on fire, she said.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Mon, July 27, 2020 07:05 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066969789 2 News Rio-de-Janeiro,New-Year-Celebration,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,Brazil,carnival Free

The annual New Year's Eve celebrations which traditionally see millions of people gathered on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro have been canceled this year as Brazil grapples with surging coronavirus infections, city authorities said.

The celebrations are "not viable in this pandemic scenario, without a vaccine," the city's tourism office said in a statement, noting that the world-famous Carnival celebrations, normally set for February, might also have to be canceled.

Instead, a virtual New Year's celebration was being planned.

"There is no great reason to celebrate, with more than 80,000 deaths" from coronavirus in Brazil, an official told AFP.

But later, after hotels and others in the tourism industry complained, the tourism office Riotur backtracked and said it was seeking some kind of alternative to the big bash on the beach.

One idea being floated is to do it on several beaches.

Read also: Sao Paulo postpones carnival over coronavirus

The state of Rio de Janeiro has counted the second highest number of deaths from coronavirus in Brazil, after Sao Paulo, and its death rate far exceeds the national average.

Of the 85,238 deaths recorded as of Friday in the country of 212 million people, 12,654 occurred in Rio de Janeiro state and nearly 8,000 in the capital's metropolitan region alone, according to official data.

The national average is 406 deaths per million residents, but in the state of Rio it reaches 733 per million, with an even higher 860 per million in the metropolitan region.

A decision on Rio's world-famous Carnival celebrations will come later. Earlier this month some of Rio's biggest samba schools said they will not participate unless a vaccine is widely available.

Sao Paulo said Friday it was indefinitely postponing its 2021 Carnival because of the pandemic.
(RNS)  Remote learning will be the rule for schoolchildren in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for at least nine weeks this fall as the city tries to stem a surging coronavirus caseload.

But that doesnt necessarily mean theyll all be staying home.

Some could be in church instead.

Thats the vision at St. Timothys Episcopal Church, one of several churches in Winston-Salem hoping to host remote-learning sites for small groups of socially distanced kids.

If the bishop approves the idea, as many as 30 students would gather daily  spread across three buildings at St. Timothys campus  in the mornings.

Church volunteers would enforce health protocols, tutor and lead prayers to begin and end the day.

We know in our faith that its not good for us to be alone, said St. Timothy's Rector, the Rev. Steven Rice, in a reference to the Bibles Book of Genesis. Some socialization among people of their own age will be a great benefit (to the students). And if both parents have to work, at least half the day is better than nothing.

From Connecticut to Hawaii, congregations are seeking ways to support families still smarting from last springs sudden adjustment to home-based learning during the pandemic lockdown. Theyre exploring how underutilized church buildings might be put to a new use that allows education to continue while freeing up parents to work and attend to other responsibilities.

Proposals range from hosting students during online classes to providing study hall space for them to work independently.

In such efforts, youth ministry experts see a promising opportunity.

This is a way of reimagining childrens and youth ministry during a pandemic in a really amazing way that serves families and meets concrete needs, said Angela Gorrell, assistant professor of practical theology at Baylor University and author of Always On: Practicing Faith in a New Media Landscape. You can connect with kids in your neighborhood who might not otherwise be a part of your childrens and youth ministry.

Congregations hope these plans can help reduce the acute stress they sense in their communities, especially among parents who cant easily pivot to work from home and supervise children all at once.

In some cases, longstanding partnerships with districts are bearing new fruit.

Consider rural Graham County, North Carolina, where 8,500 people reside amid the Great Smoky Mountains. Locals depend largely on tourism jobs, such as cleaning second homes owned by residents of Atlanta and Charlotte. When the pandemic hit, 16 churches  Dry Creek Baptist, Eternal Believers and 14 others  became sites where families every day could pick up school lunches to go, along with breakfast for the next morning.

At least six Graham County churches also received mobile hotspot devices from the district, said Pastor Eric Reece of Robbinsville United Methodist Church, which received one of the devices.

That made them oases in what Reece calls an internet desert, where connectivity in homes is unreliable or unavailable. Robbinsville students were able to get their assignments and complete online coursework at his church when they picked up lunch.

Now Robbinsville UMC is gearing up to offer 40 hours a week of drop-in study hall access this fall. With Graham County schools operating at reduced capacity and having kids learn virtually on select days, students will be able to drop by the church with a parent any time between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., log on and work in the fellowship hall. Two adults from the church will be there to supervise.

To respect social distancing, no more than 10 children will be allowed at a time.

On their day thats virtual, if they dont have Wi-Fi at home, they can come here, Reece said. They can use their (district-issued) Chromebooks to go online and stay caught up on their work.

In New Haven, Connecticut, the Greater New Haven Clergy Association announced this month (July) that as many as 15 congregations are prepared to host children on days when theyre expected to learn virtually, which will be one to three days per week, depending on grade level.

Remote sites are needed, clergy say, because New Haven schools found that thousands of students were not engaging in school virtually from home. Among the reasons: no internet at home or no parental oversight of the learning process.

What role New Haven churches will have, if any, remains to be seen.

Among the topics of discussion: Will school buses bring kids to and from churches? Will schools send staffers to supervise remote learning or leave supervision to church volunteers? Will churches lease space to the district for remote learning or offer space free as a ministry to families?

Im not looking for any money to do this. I just see a need, and I dont want money to be a hindrance to why we cant get it done, said the Rev. Steven Cousin, pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in New Haven.

If technology supports are needed, Cousin said churches might seek in-kind donations from corporate sponsors.

Boise Kimber, pastor of First Calvary Baptist Church in New Haven, said that if churches provide a service to schools, they might deserve compensation.

"We have to have that conversation with the district and see what theyre willing to do if we take care of this for them," Kimber said.

In some cases, churches and schools can build on past cooperation.

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Honolulu has rented out space in its former elementary school to nearby Voyager Public Charter School for almost a decade. The church also temporarily housed another school when that one suffered a flood.

Now Voyager urgently needs extra space in order to reduce density by spreading students out across a larger campus footprint. Our Redeemers solution: For a nominal fee, the church will provide an extra 8,000 square feet for a year in what used to be its high school building.

The annexed space makes it possible to spread our elementary grades out on our main campus to accommodate all-day, everyday face-to-face instruction for our K-2 learners, and 2 days/week for grades 3 through 6, said Voyager Principal Evan Anderson in an email.

There are some challenges to hosting students in churches, from extra sanitation requirements to liability concerns, but optimists believe those can be managed by following guidelines from governments, denominations and insurers.

Still, some faith leaders regard it as too risky for their congregations to undertake.

Its a huge issue: People cant bring their kids to work, and many dont have the sort of jobs where they can work from home, said John Cager, president of the Los Angeles Council of Religious Leaders and pastor of Ward African Methodist Episcopal Church. But there are few states as litigious as California. You bring the kids in and even if the district provides the supervision, whats the churchs exposure if someones kid gets sick?  Everyone wants to do ministry, but no one wants to get sued doing ministry.

In locations where churches feel able to help, districts are expressing gratitude.

Not every family has a strong safety net of support for children, so we are leaning on our community partners of all kinds to help us create multiple safe places and spaces where children can learn and access their lessons, said Brent Campbell, spokesperson for the Winston-Salem and Forsyth County Schools in an email. Faith-based partners and others are offering to open their doors.

READ THIS STORY AT RELIGIONNEWS.COM.

Article originally published by Religion News Service. Used with permission.

Photo courtesy: RNS/Eric Reece
Event set for August 5, a date organisers say is auspicious but also marks a year since Kashmirs autonomy was revoked.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a groundbreaking ceremony next month for a Hindu temple on a disputed site in northern India where a 16th-century mosque was torn down by a Hindu mob in 1992, according to the trust overseeing the temples construction.

The ceremony is set for August 5, a date organisers said was astrologically auspicious for Hindus but that also marks a year since New Delhi revoked the semi-autonomous status of its only Muslim-majority state, Jammu and Kashmir.

The symbolism was impossible to miss for both supporters and opponents of Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The right-wing partys manifesto had for decades included pledges to strip Indian-administered Kashmir of its autonomy and to build a temple to the Hindu god Ram where the Mughal-era Babri Mosque once stood, a site in the city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh state that devotees believe to be Rams birthplace.





Because the coronavirus is still rampaging across India, the ceremony will be broadcast live on state television and the number of participants and spectators will be limited, according to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Organisation), a far-right group allied with the BJP.

The temple will serve as an enduring and immortal beaming center of social harmony, national unity and integration and awakening of the feeling of Hindutva [Hinduness], the organisations spokesman, Vinod Bansal, said in a news release on Saturday.

A century-long dispute over the site was resolved last year following the BJPs landslide election victory. In November, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the temple trust, saying that Muslim petitioners would be given 5 acres (about 2 hectares) at an alternative site.

Hindu hardliners have long contended that Mughal rulers built a mosque on top of a pre-existing temple in Ayodhya, though an archaeological study of the site has not yet confirmed it.

Religious violence across India that followed the December 6, 1992 demolition of the mosque resulted in the killing of about 2,000 people, most of them Muslims.

Meanwhile, the trial in the demolition case continues to be heard in a special court.

Preparations underway in Ayodhya, ahead of inauguration of the construction of Lord Ram's temple. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Ram Temple on August 5. pic.twitter.com/S3Rzx52B71  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 27, 2020

An architect from Ahmedabad, in Modis home state Gujarat, has proposed a towering sandstone structure 49 metres (161 feet) high with five domes.

Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradeshs chief minister and a controversial Hindu monk, requested that Ayodhya hold a special cleaning and purification ceremony and for all of the citys temples to light oil lamps before Modis visit, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

Adityanath said the occasion marked the end of a 500-year struggle, PTI reported.

The high-profile event is being held as India reported more than 1.4 million confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, making it the third most-affected nation.
Indias new Rafale fighters will significantly enhance the offensive capabilities of the air force and prove to be a game changer with their advanced weaponry, high-tech sensors, superior radar for detection and tracking of targets and ability to carry an impressive payload, people familiar with the aircrafts capability said.

The IAFs Rafale jets will be armed with Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, Mica multi-mission air-to-air missiles and Scalp deep-strike cruise missiles  weapons that will allow fighter pilots to attack air and ground targets from standoff ranges and fill a significant capability gap, said one of the officials cited above.

The Meteors no-escape zone is touted to be three times greater than that of current medium range air-to-air missiles.

The twin-engine fighter jets payload fraction  its maximum take-off weight vis-a-vis its overall empty weight  is unmatched in aircraft of the same class, said a second official, who was associated with the Rafale project.

The Rafales empty weight is 10 tonnes and its maximum take-off weight is around 25 tonnes. Even transport aircraft dont have that kind of payload fraction. The Rafale can carry a lot of weapons, he said.

The jet is capable of carrying out a variety of missions  ground and sea attack, air defence and air superiority, reconnaissance and nuclear strike deterrence. It can carry almost 10 tonnes of weapons and five tonnes of fuel. The fighter can easily switch from one role to another without compromising performance, said a third official.

The Rafale, by itself, is a very potent weapon platform but one must remember that modern wars are fought between systems. The jet has to be integrated into the IAFs war fighting architecture  a task that the air force will certainly expedite but will require a finite time, said Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

When fully integrated, the Rafale would be an important part of the IAFs offensive plans, Bahadur added.

The active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar on the Rafale and its weapons package make it a formidable platform, said Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha (retd), a former IAF chief. The Rafale will be a battle winner for the IAF and a huge morale booster at a time of military tensions with China. However, I feel the numbers are not adequate, Raha said.

He said the IAF should go in for more Rafale fighter jets as the order for 36 jets was not enough. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments decision to enter into a government-to-government deal with France to buy 36 Rafale warplanes was announced in April 2015 with the deal signed a little over a year later.

This replaced the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regimes decision to buy 126 Rafale aircraft, 108 of which were to be made in India by HAL using parts imported from France.

The outcome of the dogfight with Pakistan Air Force on February 27, 2019, would have been vastly different if the IAF was equipped with Rafale jets then, said a fourth official who was involved in assessing that aerial combat.

The dogfight took place a day after the IAFs Mirage-2000s struck targets in Pakistans Balakot in response to the Pulwama suicide attack in Kashmir in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men were killed.

India is looking at arming the Rafale fighter jets with an all-weather smart weapon of French origin that will allow combat pilots to engage ground targets from a standoff range of up to 60km. The IAF is likely to initiate the purchase of Hammer (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) using the emergency financial powers granted to the military by the government at a time of border tensions with China.

The Rafale jets have been specially tailored for the IAF.

India-specific enhancements on the jets include cold engine start capability to operate from high-altitude bases including Leh, radar warning receivers, flight data recorders with storage for 10 hours of data, infrared search and track systems, jammers, helmet-mounted sight and towed decoys to ward off incoming missiles.

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Police arrest stolen vehicle suspect who fled, entered occupied home

The homeowner was able to get out of the home safely, but Aberdeen police are now negotiating the surrender of the suspect.
An NDC Communicator, Alhaji Naziru Mohammed has linked the barbaric lynching of a 90-year-old woman for allegedly being a witch at Kafaba near Salaga in the East Gonja District of the Savannah Region to the recent Special Development Minister, Mavis Hawa Koomsons shooting incident in Kasoa.



He said in an interview with Neat FMs morning show Ghana Montie that the two incidents are the same.



According to Alhaji Naziru Mohammed, the NPP cannot condemn the lynching because they had the same in their party which they couldnt condemn.



Listen to him in the video below







Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Member of Parliament for Manhyia North, Collins Owusu Amankwah has urged the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to step-up their effort at educating the public to have a better understanding of their civil responsibilities.



According to him, NCCE must go an extra mile to reach out to every Ghanaian.



Reacting to the lynching of a 90-Year-Old woman accused of being a witch in the Savannah Region on UTV's 'Adekye Nsroma', Collins Amankwah stated it is the duty of the NCCE to sensitize Ghanaians on issues like witchcraft violence.



How is our Civic Education like? The laws are many. Parliament has done its part. Ghana, we have beautiful laws but after implementation, it is our responsibility to ensure that the laws work. NCCE should step up their game and educate Ghanaians on witchcraft related issues," he said.





Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A woman was heard banging on the side of a van before being deliberately run over and killed in a suburban street, witnesses said.

Stella Frew, 38, was pronounced dead at the scene despite receiving first aid from passers-by, police, paramedics and the air ambulance.

A builder chased the van as it drove away at speed, neighbours said.

Ms Frew is believed to have got into a white Ford Transit near the A24 Stonecot Hill, in Sutton, and became involved in an argument with the driver.

She got out and was struck by the vehicle about half a mile away in Tonfield Road just before 6pm on Friday.

A man in his twenties was arrested yesterday on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody.

Flowers were today laid at the scene of the killing  a street of semi-detached family homes. One local said: There was a commotion, then I saw a woman on the ground. A neighbour worked on her giving her CPR.

The van sped off but a builder working on a garage chased it and gave details to police.

Apparently, she had got out of the van and had been banging on its side.

Three hours later in a separate incident, a man was killed when a blue Ford Transit drove at him moments after a double stabbing at a pub in Chislehurst.

Residents said they saw the victim, 34, fall over while fleeing a group of 10 men outside the Gordon Arms in Belmont Road.

Police found two men, aged 26 and 30, stabbed. Minutes later officers were alerted to the hit-and-run a mile away in Slades Drive. The van was found abandoned nearby.

The two stabbed men and a third aged 20 have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody.

Anyone with information on either killing is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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By Krishna N. Das and Zarir Hussain

GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - When doctors in a flood-ravaged Indian state urgently sought plasma of a particular blood type for a COVID-19 patient this month, health officials sent a boat for a marooned donor who had recovered from the disease weeks ago.

With coronavirus cases surging in Assam and critical medicines running low, local authorities are rolling out the red carpet for now-cured patients - all for their blood plasma believed to be rich in virus antibody, although research on its efficacy has not been conclusive.

Assam says that symptomatic patients who donate plasma four weeks after recovery will get preference in government jobs and housing. For example, a donor may get extra marks if he or she is tied in any test or interview for a job.

It is also offering to cover travel and other expenses for donors from outside the state, and has been making its frontline workers scour the state - sometimes wading through flood waters - to bring willing participants to plasma donation centres.

The success of the overall effort is crucial for Assam, one of India's poorest states that is short of remdesivir and tocilizumab to treat severe COVID-19 patients. Delhi and Odisha states are also courting plasma donors as India's total infections have leaped to 1.4 million with nearly 33,000 deaths.

"Recently, we wanted O-group plasma for a patient, a doctor," Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told Reuters in an interview.

"When we learned that a person was willing to donate, people went to his house by boat, brought him to the hospital and got the donation done."

He declined to identify the donor but said the recipient was doing well.

Plasma from a previously infected person can be used to treat up to two moderately ill patients, Sarma said. Without timely treatment, such patients' condition can potentially worsen, further straining the limited pool for medicines.

Story continues

"We have seen that if you give plasma between moderate and critical stage, the results are very, very good," he said.

GREY MARKET

Assam, where floods have so far killed around 100 people and affected roughly 3 million, is predicting coronavirus infections will peak in mid-September. It has so far reported more than 32,000 cases with 79 deaths.

Its push for plasma comes as India, the world's biggest suppliers of generic drugs, scrambles to end a local shortage of remdesivir and tocilizumab.

Although U.S. drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc has authorised six companies operating in India to make and sell generic versions of remdesivir, only three of them have so far been able to start making supplies available.

Sarma said that until recently, Assam was receiving only 12-16 remdesivir vials a day, compared with a demand for at least 100. But the situation eased when Assam got 400 vials from a local company some days ago, he said.

"Still, people are not doing enough production and obviously a grey market has emerged as a result," Sarma said.

(Reporting by Krishna N. Das and Zarir Hussain in Guwahati; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has accused Google of failing to properly inform its users and gain their consent about the use of their personal data for targeted advertising. The tech giant denied the allegations, and now, it intends to fight the accusers in court.

According to Daily Mail, ACCC chairman Rod Sims said Monday, July 27, that the changes in Google's algorithms in 2016 had affected millions of Australians from June 2016 until December 2018.

The ACCC claims Google did not obtain explicit consent from consumers about how it plans to use huge amounts of personal information, including users' online activities on other websites.

The scope of information Google gathers about consumers has significantly increased, including "very sensitive and private information" regarding activities they do on other websites.

The ACCC said that before June 2016, Google only gathered and used personally identifiable information of users' activities on its owned services and apps for advertising purposes. However, it went beyond its platforms, following the changes. This has significantly increased Google's value of its advertising services and earning much higher profits for the company.

Sims said that if given an informed choice, many consumers may not have given Google permission to use their personal information for the company's financial benefit.

"The ACCC considers that consumers effectively pay for Google's services with their data, so this change introduced by Google increased the 'price' of Google's services, without consumers' knowledge," he added.

Google denied the allegation and will fight it in court

Tech Times learned that the legal battle between ACCC and Google started in 2019 when regulators accused the tech giant of misleading consumers for location data, which the company collected through its Android mobile operating system.

The group alleged that the company led consumers to believe that turning off the "Location History" setting would stop collecting data. Similarly, users were led to believe that switching off the "Web & App Activity" setting would disable data collection. Previously, Tech Times reported about the smartphone apps that are selling location data back in 2018.

Sims said that Google remained silent about the secondary setting while it failed to advise users of how it intends to use these data. These allegations are based on the ACCC's report published in June 2019.

The regulators recommended passing legislation for consumer protection reforms that would tackle the dominance of digital platforms such as Google and Facebook.

However, a Google spokesperson denied the allegations and said that the company is ready to defend its position in court.

'The changes we made were optional, and we asked users to consent via prominent and easy-to-understand notifications,' a spokesperson told AAP. He also added that the users' experience will remain unchanged even if a user did not consent.

The spokesperson was referring to the pop-up notifications, which the users need to click to agree to the changes and allowed Google to collect and store more personally identifiable information, which now includes their online activities while accessing third-party websites and apps.

Federal Labor's communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland said consumers deserve to get protection against invasive advertising, so they "must understand and consent to how their data gets used."

Anyone who has experienced that spooky feeling of being served targeted ads after browsing the internet should welcome moves by the ACCC," Rowland said, adding that targeted advertising can sometimes be invasive.

Read Also: Tech Times: Google and India Want to Create $50 Worth Smartphone, Aiming To Defeat China?

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Heres What We Know About Eight of the Soldiers Who Have Died This Year at Fort Hood

Fort Hood in Texas is no stranger to tragedy.

In 2009 a U.S. Army psychiatrist killed 13 people, an unborn child, and injured 32 others in a shooting rampage. Five years later the U.S. Army post was struck again when a veteran killed three people and injured 16 others before killing himself.

But today the post, about 60 miles from Austin, Texas, is facing another series of tragedies as one service member after another turns up dead.

The most notorious case is that of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, whose remains were discovered a few weeks ago, months after her disappearance. The circumstances surrounding her death prompted the Army to assemble a civilian review of the command, climate, and culture at Fort Hood.

Besides Guillen, at least 7 soldiers stationed at Fort Hood have died or been found dead since March, including one who took his life after becoming a suspect in Guillens disappearance.

There have been 23 deaths this year among the posts 36,500 soldiers, Fort Hood officials told CNN in a statement. According to officials, the deaths include seven off-duty accidents; seven suicides; one combat-related death; four homicides, one of which was on the base; two of natural causes; one that was undetermined pending an autopsy; and one drowning.

Our hearts go out to the families, soldiers, and friends affected by these tragic losses, Fort Hood officials said.

Heres what we know about eight of these cases.

Mejhor Morta

Pvt. Mejhor Morta is the most recent soldier stationed at Fort Hood reported to have died.

Fort Hood officials identified Morta, 26, after he was found unresponsive on July 17 near Stillhouse Hollow Lake, about 16 miles from the base, according to a news release from Fort Hood.

Fishermen found his body at the base of a dam, according to the Bell County Sheriffs Department, which is investigating Mortas death.

A preliminary autopsy showed the cause of death was consistent with a drowning, Major T.J. Cruz of the sheriffs office said in a statement. A full autopsy has yet to be completed, and the investigation is ongoing, Cruz said.

Morta was from Pensacola, Florida, Fort Hoods statement said, and joined the Army in September 2019 as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle mechanic.

Private Morta was a great Trooper and this loss is felt by every member within our formation, said Lt. Col. Neil Armstrong.

Vanessa Guillen

Missing Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen. (Courtesy of Fort Hood Military Police)

Guillens case gained national attention after the 20-year-old vanished in April.

The search ended when her remains were discovered June 30 in a shallow grave, according to family attorney Natalie Khawam. The U.S. Army later positively identified the remains as Guillen.

The small-arms repairer was bludgeoned to death with a hammer in the armory room where she worked, and her body was transported from the installation by her killer, Khawam told CNN, citing details the family learned from Army investigators.

A private first class when she disappeared, Guillen was promoted to specialist effective July 1, based on time in service, according to Fort Hood.

If this could happen to Vanessa, this can happen to any one of our sisters, daughters, and mothers, Khawam said in a statement. Theres no reason why a young beautiful girl who joined the Army, to honorably serve our country, should be in a shallow grave here on our own turf.

Aaron David Robinson

Officials identified the main suspect in Guillens disappearance as 20-year-old Spc. Aaron David Robinson, who killed himself as investigators confronted him, according to U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID).

According to Khawam, Guillens family said she planned to file a harassment complaint against Robinson the day after she was killed, and they believe Robinson became enraged when she told him.

Fort Hood officials previously said they were not aware of reports of sexual harassment involving Robinson, but theres an ongoing investigation that includes allegations of sexual harassment, according to the Army.

Khawam said investigators told the Guillen family Robinson called a woman he was involved with to help him dispose of Guillens body after moving it off the post. A woman was later arrested by Texas Rangers earlier this month in connection with Guillens disappearance and faces a federal charge of conspiracy to tamper with evidence.

Robinson was a combat engineer assigned to Troop A, Engineer Squadron, according to Army officials, who said he was not part of Guillens chain of command.

Gregory Scott Morales

Gregory Scott Morales. (Courtesy of Fort Hood Press Center)

The skeletal remains of Pvt. 2nd Class Gregory Scott Morales were discovered in a field in Killeen, Texas, on June 1910 months after the 24-year-old vanishedfollowing information received by CID.

Foul play is suspected, according to a statement from Fort Hood. CID is investigating alongside the Killeen Police Department, which declined to comment for this story, citing the ongoing investigation.

Morales was last seen on the night of Aug. 19, 2019, driving his personal vehicle in Killeen, according to the Fort Hood statement. Moraleswho was known as Gregory Wedel before he took his wifes last namewas scheduled to be discharged within a couple days when he vanished, the statement said.

Morales was from Sapulpa, Oklahoma, and joined the Army in June 2015 as a motor transport operator.

The First Team is saddened by the news of the passing of PV2 Gregory Morales, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Broadwater, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, said in a statement. His life was taken too soon, and we appreciate his service to our nation.

Brandon Scott Rosecrans

Pfc. Brandon Scott Rosecrans was found dead on May 18 in Harker Heights, Texas, according to Fort Hood.

Harker Heights Police spokesman Lawrence Stewart told CNN that Rosecranss death is being investigated as a murder after he was found with a gunshot wound. The same day, Stewart said, Rosecranss 2016 Jeep Renegade was found burned. Local fire marshals are investigating the burning as arson, Stewart said.

Family members have vowed to get justice for Rosecrans, CNN affiliate KWTX reported.

When I closed that lid, the last thing I promised my son was if it takes my last breath, I will find out who did this and will make sure they pay, Thomas Berg Sr. said, according to KWTX.

Rosecrans, a 27-year-old quartermaster and chemical equipment repairer, joined the Army in May 2018.

Freddy Beningo Delacruz Jr.

Spc. Freddy Delacruz Jr., 23, died March 14, in Killeen, according to Fort Hood.

The Killeen Police Department, which is investigating Delacruzs death alongside CID, said Delacruz was found dead with two others at an apartment complex. All three suffered gunshot wounds and the case is being treated as a triple homicide.

The 23-year-old was from Vidalia, Georgia. He joined the Army in November 2017 as a cavalry scout, Fort Hoods statement said.

In the March statement, Lt. Col. Steven E. Jackowski called Delacruz an outstanding Trooper.

Each of us in the Battalion are grateful for having known him and we collectively grieve his loss, he said.

Christopher Wayne Sawyer

Spc. Christopher Wayne Sawyer, 29, was found unresponsive on March 5 in his residence on Fort Hood, according to a statement released by the base.

The statement said CID officials, who were investigating the death, did not suspect foul play but had not ruled it out.

Sawyer, of Longview, Washington, joined the Army in October 2017, the statement said. He was a wheeled vehicle mechanic.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of any member of our IRONHORSE team and we will mourn this loss as an organization, said Col. Michael Schoenfeldt.

Shelby Tyler Jones

Shelby Tyler Jones. (Courtesy of Fort Hood Press Center)

Spc. Shelby Tyler Jones died March 1 after he suffered an apparent gunshot wound in south Killeen, according to Fort Hood.

The 20-year-olds death was under investigation by the Killeen Police Department, which said in a news release that investigators believe Jones was shot at a club before he was found at a convenience store.

On Friday the police department told CNN in a brief statement that the case was presented to a grand jury on June 11, and that the district attorney declined to prosecute.

The case has been exceptionally cleared, the police said.

Jones, a native of Jena, Louisiana, joined the Army in May 2017 as a cavalry scout, Fort Hoods statement said.

A statement from Col. Ralph Overland said Jones was a highly valued member of his team.

He was a dedicated professional who truly loved his family and the Army, Overland said.

The-CNN-Wire

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) has claimed that a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu D...





The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) has claimed that a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara returned to the All Progressives Congress, APC, because he wants to be President or Vice President come 2023.





The PDP BoT said Dogara knows that he will never achieve his ambition in PDP.





Dogara had yesterday explained why he left the opposition PDP for the ruling APC





In a letter of resignation addressed to the Bogoro C Ward Chairman of the PDP, Dogara cited failure of governance in his home state, Bauchi, under the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed whom he helped install as a governor in 2019.

Dogara said that he cannot successfully ask questions about maladministration without being accused of disloyalty if he were to remain in the PDP.





The lawmaker argued that if he abdicate this responsibility of telling the truth to power in Bauchi State, having done same under the administrations of former Governors Isa Yuguda and Mohammed Abubakar, he will be the most irresponsible and unprincipled politician.





But in a statement on Monday, the chairman of the BoT, Senator Jubrin Walid, said there is more to the exit of the former Speaker from the PDP than meets the eyes.





Dogara joined PDP prior to the 2019 general elections.




ALBANY  The University at Albany is examining whether to change the name of Indian Quad, a collection of buildings on the university's main campus.

UAlbany President Havidan Rodriguez has asked the administration to convene a group of faculty, staff, students and alumni - including Chief Diversity Officer Tamra Minor - to examine whether it is appropriate to continue with the name.

Whether to change the name of the quad has come up periodically since the construction of the so-called uptown campus in the 1960s.

"This conversation is complex, and it must acknowledge the rich diversity among indigenous cultures in North America as well as the evolving consensus on the appropriate way to refer to people from these cultures," Todd Foreman, the vice president of finance and administration at UAlbany, wrote in an email sent to the campus.

"The quads name was intended to honor these cultures important contributions throughout New Yorks history," Foreman wrote. "However, as institutions across the United States rightly re-evaluate building and place names, now is the right time to reconsider the name Indian Quad. Indeed, our commitment to diversity and inclusion requires it.

"To ensure that input from the most directly impacted communities is heard, the workgroups charge will include engaging members of indigenous communities and other outside experts."

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Rodriguez's request comes in the wake of the announcement the NFL's Washington team will drop its nickname, the Redskins, which many Native Americans found offensive.

The Cleveland Indians are currently weighing whether to change the team's name. Two years ago, the Indians dropped the use of the contentious Chief Wahoo logo from jerseys and caps.
A celebrity chef watched by millions on social media has shared an easy recipe for gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate fudge tart made from eight simple ingredients.

Rob Nixon is the brains behind Nicko's Kitchen, an online cookery show broadcast on YouTube, Facebook and TikTok which specialises in homemade versions of iconic fast food dishes.

The chef from Perth, Western Australia, is back with a new series of decadent desserts including this 'healthier alternative' to traditional chocolate cake.

'It's so rich, decadent and just begging to be eaten,' Mr Nixon said in the video, which shows viewers how to make their own with almond flour, cacao powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, coconut milk, eggs, vanilla extract and chocolate chips.

Scroll down for video

Rob Nixon's gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate fudge cake filled with decadent ganache

The tart is equal parts crust, ganache and cocoa topping

Mr Nixon makes the base from one and a half cups of almond flour, half a cup of cacao powder, two tablespoons of maple syrup and three tablespoons of coconut oil, mixed together into a thick crust.

He said he uses cacao powder instead of cocoa powder because it gives the tart a richer flavour.

The social media star 'blind bakes' the crust in a tart tin for 10 minutes, a culinary technique that involves pre-cooking the base of a cake without its filling to prevent it from breaking when batter is poured on top.

While the base cooks, he makes the ganache from two cups of coconut milk melted with one cup of chocolate chips. In a separate bowl, he beats two eggs with vanilla extract.

Once the ganache mixture is cool, Mr Nixon adds the eggs and vanilla, whisking gently.

'The reason we wait for the mixture to cool is that if we added eggs to the hot ganache, it would scramble and curdle and we don't want that,' he said.

He pours the ganache mixture over the crust and cooks for a further 25 minutes.

Mr Nixon makes the base by mixing almond flour, cacao powder, salt and maple syrup (left) and the ganache by whisking eggs and vanilla extract into cooled coconut milk and melted chocolate (right)

Finally, he makes the topping from two tablespoons of coconut milk, one cup of chocolate chips and one tablespoon of coconut oil, melted in the microwave.

The topping should look shiny or 'glassy' and silky smooth.

Perth chef Rob Nixon, founder of online cookery channel Nicko's Kitchen

Once the tart has cooled, Mr Nixon spreads the topping over the ganache, smoothing it with a palette knife then leaving to set in the fridge for one hour.

He said the cake should be equal parts crust, chocolate ganache filling and topping and promised bakers they 'wouldn't believe' how good it tastes without using traditional high-sugar ingredients.

Mr Nixon also recommends cutting the cake with a warm knife for 'clean' cut slices.

Viewers loved the recipe, with many saying they'd already tried at home days after Mr Nixon uploaded the video on July 20.

The 'glassy' topping made from coconut oil and bittersweet chocolate chips

The fudge-like inside (pictured) is 'decadent, rich and tastes delicious', Mr Nixon says

'I don't usually comment, but damn this is the best dessert I've tasted in a long time and I MADE IT. Thank you!' one woman said.

A second said: 'This is like a mixture between a brownie and a tart, I LOVE IT! Delicious.'

Others said Mr Nixon's have been a 'godsend' since the coronavirus crisis began, leaving millions with nothing to do but cook and bake.

Mr Nixon amassed tens of thousands of new fans after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australia's first lockdown on March 23, confining people to their homes to curb the spread of the deadly respiratory disease.

He now has 1.23million subscribers to his YouTube channel, with thousands tuning in to watch his quick and easy recipe videos every week.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2020) - Ridgestone Mining Inc. (TSXV: RMI) (OTCQB: RIGMF) (FSE: 4U5) ("Ridgestone") is pleased to announce it has entered into a toll milling agreement with a nearby mill to process bulk samples from historic dumps of the Alaska vein. Additionally, the Company has also received bids from mining contractors to rehabilitate historical underground workings along the Alaska vein to facilitate underground and bulk sampling.

Highlights

Fixed-price toll milling agreement with nearby (~40km) Real Viejo flotation mill for up to 300 tonnes per day;

Bulk samples planned to process historical surface dump material grading up to 16.85 g/t gold and 2.70% copper;

Rehabilitation of historical underground workings on the Alaska Vein to map and sample zones in the vicinity of drill-hole intervals that assayed 36.1g Au/t and 1.22% Cu over 1.5 meters, and 8.31g Au/t and 2.41% Cu over 3.25 meters in 2018.

Mr. Jonathan George, CEO, commented "Entering into this toll milling agreement for the Real Viejo mill, which is only 40 kilometres from our high-grade Alaska vein, provides an opportunity to capitalize on today's strong gold and copper prices. Using a phased approach, we will look to reprocess the historical dumps and to begin rehabilitation of the historical workings which will provide safe access for extensive underground mapping and sampling."

A toll milling agreement has been established with Exploracion Y Desarrollo Desierto S.A. de C.V. ("EDDSA") for the nearby Real Viejo mill for up to 300 tonnes per day. The Real Viejo mill is a recently-refurbished flotation mill with crushing and grinding circuits capable of producing a gold-copper-silver concentrate. The agreement outlines a fixed price ("tolling price") for up to 300 tonnes per day at the Company's discretion.

In conjunction with the toll milling agreement, the Company is planning to process one or more bulk samples from historical surface waste-rock dumps of material previously extracted from the Alaska vein. The Company intends to process the higher-grade material first, such as that from the Veta Grande dump, samples of which assayed up to 16.85g Au/t and 2.70% Cu as summarized in Ridgestone's June 13, 2019 press release. Processing of the bulk samples will provide metallurgical response information which will assist in the evaluation of the recovery characteristics of oxide and transitional material in the upper zones of the Alaska vein, and will be used for internal assessments of potential contract mining scenarios. Ridgestone has all the requisite permits required for the processing of the bulk sample which is expected to commence in the coming months.

Story continues

The Company has received a number of bids from Mexican-based contract mining groups for the rehabilitation of old workings along the Alaska vein, initially focusing on the "Veta Grande" portion, where drilling in 2018 by the Company intersected 8.31g Au/t and 2.41% Cu over 3.25 meters from 84.9 to 88.2 meters in hole 18REB6, approximately 10 meters vertically below the projection of old workings and 80 meters below the surface. Hole 18REB2, collared approximately 80 meters south of 18REB6 returned assays of 8.69g Au/t and 2.78% Cu over 2 meters from 127 to 129 meters, about 40 meters below the projection of old workings at a vertical depth of 130 meters below surface. Hole 18REB10, collared 200 meters south of hole 18REB6, returned 36.10g Au/t and 1.22% Cu over 1.5 meters from 103.64 to 105.14 meters at a vertical depth of 130 meters below surface and approximately 75 meters south of the workings (c.f. January 17, 2019 press release).

The Alaska vein was mined intermittently during the 1930's to 1950's over several hundreds of meters along strike and reaching depths of 50 to 70 meters below the surface. Incomplete smelter records show that Compania Minera Alaska shipped small tonnages of material to the El Paso Smelting Works with weighted average grades of 20.2g Au/t, 60.3g Ag/t and 9.18% Cu as summarized in the Company's NI 43-101 Technical Report on the project, which was completed on April 25th, 2018. The moderately to steeply dipping vein has been traced over 1.2 kilometers along strike and remains sparsely drilled below 70 meters from surface.

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Steven I. Weiss, PhD, CPG, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Weiss is independent of Ridgestone Mining and YQ Gold, and all their respective subsidiaries.

About Ridgestone Mining Inc.

Ridgestone is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on its wholly-owned, high-grade Rebeico gold-copper project located in Sonora, Mexico.

For further information, please contact:

MarketSmart Communications Inc.

Telephone: 877-261-4466

info@marketsmart.ca

This news release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. In this news release such statements include but are not limited to any ongoing drilling programs, timing of such programs, or exploration results. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the Company's regulatory filings available on www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not exhaustive. Unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements. The impact of any one factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as such factors are dependent on other factors, and the Company's course of action would depend on its assessment of the future considering all information then available. All forward-looking statements in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/60585
The death of television personality Regis Philbin has brought to light the hosts family life.

While most viewers know of Philbins beloved wife, Joy, who appeared with him on countless episodes of the ABC morning show Live, the 88-year-old also had a son, Daniel, who died in 2014.

Heres whats known about Regis Philbins son, Daniel, as well as another close member the entertainers family lost.

Regis Philbin (right) and his wife, Joy | Jim Spellman/WireImage

RELATED: Kathie Lee Gifford Shares What Shell Miss Most About Regis Philbin

Daniel Philbin died in 2014

Before his marriage to Joy Philbin, Regis was married to Catherine Kay Faylen from 1955 to 1968. During their marriage, the couple had two children, a daughter, Amy, and a son, Daniel. They eventually divorced in 1968.

Daniel was born in 1967 with a spinal cord birth defect. Ultimately, his condition called for both of his legs to be amputated.

In an unauthorized biography about his life titled Regis!, the television host is quoted as saying of Daniel, For him to overcome all this disability, to graduate from college, work on his masters program  hes just dynamite, a remarkable kid.

Regis Philbins son, Daniel, receiving a reward for his 9/11 bravery

RELATED: What Was Regis Philbins Net Worth Prior to His Death?

According to the book, Daniel spent innumerable days in the hospital for treatments and surgeries.

Id go see him every day, he said. Ill tell you, anytime he goes back into the hospital its like a knife in my heart. I wish it were me, not him.

ET Canada reported in 2015 that Daniel had died of natural causes. A writer and editor for the Department of Defense, Daniel was at work at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 when an airplane was flown into the building. He left the building but stayed on to work on any media needs for information. The Department of Defense awarded him for his bravery.

Regis Philbins brother died in 2007

Regis also lost his younger brother, Frank, in 2007 to lymphoma. The younger Philbin was a pilot who suffered with the disease for two years before succumbing to it.

The Live host uncharacteristically opened up about his kid brother on Live at the time.

I never talked about him because he was a very private guy, The New York Post reported Regis as saying on the air in 2007 after his brothers death. Ive respected that all these years.

Regis Philbin | Mitch Haaseth /American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images

RELATED: Celebrity Jeopardy! Is Re-airing Regis Philbins 1992 Guest Appearance  In Memoriam and With Love

It was quite a shock to the whole family . . . it was one of those things thats hard to explain, he continued.

Twenty years Regis junior, Frank was only in grade school while his older brother was starting his career.

He was a lot younger than I was, he said. I was at Notre Dame when he was born, so I kind of grew up not knowing him because I was out in Hollywood knocking on doors when he was in grammar school. . . He turned out to be a terrific young guy.

Regis Philbins death

No matter what a persons age or health status is at the time of their death, its never easy for a family to take their absence.

Regis Philbins star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame | Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Philbins family  his wife Joy and his daughters Amy, Joanna, and Jennifer  were devastated by his passing saying in part in a statement, His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with him  for his warmth, his legendary sense of humor, and his singular ability to make every day into something worth talking about.

We thank his fans and admirers for their incredible support over his 60-year career and ask for privacy as we mourn his loss.

RELATED: Was This the Reason Behind Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbins Fallout?
(Alliance News) - Ryanair Holdings PLC on Monday turned to a loss in the first quarter due to travel restrictions put in place because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The budget airline swung to a loss of GBP185 million in the first quarter ended June 30 from a net profit of GBP243 million a year ago.

The company saw 99% of its fleet grounded from mid-March to the end of June due to travel restrictions caused by Covid-19. First quarter airtraffic fell to 500,000 flights from 42.0 million flights.

"The past quarter was the most challenging in Ryanair's 35 year history. Covid-19 grounded the group's fleet for almost 4 months as EU Governments imposed flight or travel bans and widespread population lockdowns," Ryanair said.

Ryanair implemented an 85% reduction in costs during the quarter which it said was not enough to offset the heavy revenue losses.

The company's balance sheet consists of GBP3.9 billion in cash at June 30, one of the strongest in the industry according to Ryanair.

"Since mid-March, the group has moved quickly and smartly to preserve cash, cut costs, cancel share buybacks and defer all non-essential capital expenditure. This has protected the group's very strong liquidity position as it returns to flying in July," Ryanair said.

The company continued: "The group currently expects to carry approximately 60 million passengers in this financial year and expects to record a smaller loss in the second quarter (which reflects a gradual return to flying from July 1) than in the first quarter.

"However, the Ryanair Group will emerge from the Covid-19 crisis with a much lower cost base, which will be essential to fund lower fares as the group competes against unlawfully state aided flag carriers."

Ryanair cannot provide any financial guidance at the moment due to the uncertainty posed by Covid-19.

Ryanair resumed flights across the majority of its network in July and expects to operate around 40% of its normal schedule this month, rising to 60% in August and hopefully 70% in September.

By Greg Roxburgh; gregroxburgh@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
THE July lecture of the Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society was again attended online by almost 90 members and visitors.

The event, held over Zoom, discussed Theban tombs and their reuse in the first millenium BCE. Marta Kaczanowicz, speaking from Warsaw challenged the common understanding of that late period (10th century BCE to the Roman occupation) that Egyptians stole earlier tombs, discarding the mummies and contents of their owners, and redecorating to reuse for their own benefit.

She demonstrated that most tombs so reused were already robbed, as Egyptians at all periods were practised tomb robbers - usually very soon after the original interment.

In general, the original decoration and layout were respected and sometimes the earlier mummies were respectfully rewrapped and the damaged tomb structure repaired and elaborated.

Later elite burials were also found within temple precincts in simple shaft graves and even in domestic courtyards.

Non-members can register for any of the forthcoming zoom events via the website www.tvaes.org.uk.
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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the government's handling of public sector undertakings (PSUs), alleging first they are made unviable and then sold out at a pittance.

"Government of India's (GOI's) operating strategy to hand over the country's wealth to crony capitalists: 1. Bleed the PSU making it financially unviable. 2. Get crony capitalists to do a media campaign saying it's uncompetitive. 3. Sell it to crony capitalists for a pittance," he said on Twitter.

He highlighted a media report in this regard that claimed that the Railway Ministry is facing a financial crunch which will affect its infrastructure projects.
As the coronavirus spread silently through New York City early this year, Deborah Koeppel had an appointment with her cardiologist and two visits with her primary care doctor. Both physicians are members of Concorde Medical Group, a practice in Manhattan with an office conveniently located a few blocks from where Koeppel works.

She soon received notices telling her  after the fact  that those doctors were not in her health plan's network of providers. According to the notices, she was on the hook for $849 in out-of-network cost sharing for three visits, which typically would cost her nothing from in-network providers.

Changes to health plan networks occur all the time as doctors retire, relocate or leave networks. And patients may be the last to find out about such changes because providers or insurers are not always required to inform them.

Koeppel also faced the loss of low-cost access to her in-network gynecologist and dermatologist.

"I felt sickened," said Koeppel, 62, a senior social worker who kept working even as New York was hit by a brutal COVID-19 outbreak, with more than 1,000 deaths a day at its peak. "To me, it feels like physician abandonment. In the middle of something like this, you're left without your doctors."

Legislators, regulators and insurers have enacted special policies during the coronavirus pandemic, including paying for more virtual visits and eliminating copays for COVID-related testing and care. But long-standing issues, such as ever-shifting networks  often unbeknownst to patients  persist unchanged. And blindsiding patients with such changes is particularly hazardous at a time when many offices are partly closed, and patients are vulnerable and more likely than usual to need medical advice or attention.

That's not how it should work, experts say. "Both parties should have responsibility for notifying their members," said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown University's Center on Health Insurance Reforms who co-authored a recent report examining state protections for patients who lose access to their doctors and other providers during contract disputes between providers and health plans.

The paper highlighted published examples of contract disputes that potentially affected hundreds of thousands of members, including 100,000 UnitedHealthcare members who lost access to eight Houston hospitals because of a contract dispute last year and the long-running feud in Pennsylvania between Highmark Health and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center over in-network access to at least 11 hospitals.

Network changes that affect only a small number of patients or are the result of amicable negotiations between providers and insurers happen too, but they rarely make the news.

Health care experts agree that maintaining regular relationships with providers over time can help people manage chronic conditions and stay healthy. But patient protections from disruptions caused by network changes are scant. Most states have laws that permit health plan members to continue to see their doctors for a time after they leave the network, but only under certain limited circumstances, such as if they are pregnant or have a terminal illness. And some states require insurers to notify members in advance of network changes, Corlette said.

But state laws don't protect the majority of people who have coverage through health plans that are self-insured, meaning they pay members' claims directly rather than buy insurance for that purpose. Those plans operate under federal guidelines and generally aren't subject to state insurance regulation.

Koeppel is a member of 1199SEIU, the Service Employees International Union's largest local, representing nearly 450,000 health care workers on the East Coast. She receives health care through the National Benefit Fund, a self-insured plan funded by contributions from the union members' employers.

Koeppel has gone to doctors at Concorde for eight years. Until January, Concorde doctors participated in plans offered through the Independent Practice Association at NYU Langone Health, a large private health system. Eleven Concorde doctors treated members of the National Benefit Fund for 1199SEIU. In January, the physicians group joined Northwell Health, another large private health system in New York. Koeppel and 162 other 1199SEIU patients lost in-network access to their Concorde doctors as a result, said Terry Lynam, a Northwell spokesperson.

Northwell put out a press release in October announcing that Concorde Medical Group was joining the health system. In December, the Concorde Medical Group posted the upcoming change on its website.

But no one told the patients about the change.

The National Benefit Fund wasn't notified of the change either, according to a statement from the fund. A staff member for the fund brought it to their attention.

Koeppel said she knows there are other doctors she can see  there are tens of thousands in network in the New York City area. But she was distraught to lose those with whom she's developed a trusting relationship.

Her primary care physician "has been incredibly available by phone, just a really committed person who's caring, warm and very reassuring," she said.

After Koeppel complained to Northwell, administrators offered to write off any charges for her visits to Concorde physicians during the pandemic, she said.

And after a reporter contacted Northwell and the union's National Benefit Fund about the network changes, the health system and the union agreed to a temporary contract extension from January 2020 through the end of August that allows 1199SEIU members to continue to see their Concorde doctors without cost sharing. The two parties are in negotiations for a new agreement that would give National Benefit Fund members in-network access to Concorde and other Northwell physicians after that date.

Northwell's Lynam said that since there was no interruption in patient care, the timing of patients discovering the change is immaterial.

"Whether they found out in December that they had to find a new provider or they found out in June that they had to do so, the end result would be the same," he said. "No patient was abandoned or harmed because they didn't know earlier, and they would have been equally upset by the news whether they found out now or in December."

Koeppel disagreed. If she had been informed of the upcoming change in October when Northwell put out its press release, Koeppel said, she would still have been upset. But she would have been better positioned to switch providers before January and would have had new physicians in place before the pandemic hit.
The age of criminal responsibility in Australia will remain at 10 for at least another year after the nation's attorneys-general said more work needed to be done to determine alternative ways to deal with young offenders.

Legal experts, doctors and justice groups have been part of a national campaign to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 to bring it in line with other jurisdictions around the world.

NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman is yet to take a stance on the issue. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The issue was discussed at Monday's meeting of the Council of Attorneys-General but NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman said any decision had been deferred to 2021 to allow a working group, led by the Western Australian justice department, to examine alternatives to imprisonment.

Mr Speakman, who is yet to take a stance on the issue, said the onus was on those wanting to raise the age to make that case but at this stage "we are yet to be convinced".
macOS Catalina had its own niggles that have been fixed in due course of time. The recently released macOS 10.15.6 has reportedly introduced a new bug that crashes VMware and other virtualization apps like VirtualBox.

The worst part is that macOS 10.15.6 frequently crashes when running virtual machines. In other words, the issue is very critical, primarily if you work on virtual machines. The folks at VMware have dug deeper and discovered Apple is the only one to be blamed. macOS 10.15.6 is leaking kernel memory via the App Sandbox component and thus crashing macOS. App Sandbox is a mechanism that protects system resources and user data by limiting apps access to resources.

VMware seems to have done their bit. The company has diagnosed the issue and filed a report with Apple. They have also added a minimal reproduction case that will help Apple identify the problem and fix it. Furthermore, a user warns that it isnt looking good, and Apple might be forced to fix the issue in an upcoming software update. That said, it is not clear whether the issues are affecting public/developer macOS Big Sur betas.

Well keep investigating possible workarounds to see if we can pop out a point release with a mitigation To Be Determined. (In all honesty, it isnt looking good, but weve come up with some mighty creative workarounds in the past, so Ill never say never.)

It is common for users or developers to find a workaround as a stop-gap arrangement till the fix is issued. However, in this case, the workaround is pretty extreme and includes not installing macOS 10.15.6 and shut down virtual machines when you are not using them. VMware community members also suggest rebooting hosts every now and then.

[via VMware
Obvious discrimination: Conservatives decry Supreme Court refusal to block Nev. restrictions on church gatherings

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The United States Supreme Court declined on Friday evening to grant a Nevada churchs request to block state restrictions on gatherings it claimed gave preferential treatment to secular entities like casinos.

At issue was Governor Steve Sisolaks state restrictions that limited gatherings at houses of worship to 50 people while allowing secular entities like casinos to operate at 50% capacity.

In a 5-4 decision, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the more liberal justices, the high court effectively allowed a lower court decision upholding the state restrictions to stand.

Known as Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley v. Steve Sisolak, the church had asked the Supreme Court to intervene earlier this month following lower court rulings against them.

In June, 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.

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, wrote Boulware.

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.

Here are four reactions from conservatives to the Supreme Courts refusal to grant relief to the Nevada church, including denunciations of Chief Justice Roberts.

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The government is to announce the end of confectionery displays at store checkouts and a ban on junk food adverts on TV before 9pm. (PA)

The governments new obesity crackdown has been hailed as a huge step in the right direction by health campaigners.

Boris Johnson will unveil his strategy later on Monday, and it will include a ban on junk food adverts on TV before 9pm and an end to confectionary displays in shop checkouts.

Overweight people will be asked to lose 5lb to help save the NHS 100m under the new proposals.

The plan is being announced after growing evidence of a link between obesity and an increased risk from COVID-19  medical experts said coronavirus had been a wake-up call about the nations health.

The government says two-thirds of UK adults are above a healthy weight and that one in three children aged 10 to 11 are overweight or obese.

A Public Health England study discovered that being classed as medically obese increased the risk of death from coronavirus by 40%.

TV chef Jamie Oliver, who has campaigned to tackle child obesity for 20 years, said: "This is a huge step in the right direction.

"I have worked with five prime ministers to develop a proper child obesity strategy  including school meals and the sugar tax where all income is reinvested in our primary schools  and after years of delay, we finally have a solid strategy that is moving things forward."

Chris Askew, chief executive at charity Diabetes UK, said the coronavirus pandemic had "brought into sharp focus the vast human cost we pay as a result of our unhealthy environment".

Welcoming the government's strategy, he urged "swift action", adding: "We need to stop putting profits before our nation's health."

Prof Dame Parveen Kumar, board of science chair at the British Medical Association, said COVID-19 had been a real wake-up call for the nation.

Boris Johnson said his own brush with coronavirus has convinced him of the need to tackle the nation's obesity. (PA)

She said: It's imperative that we use this opportunity to make changes for good, not only for society today, but also for generations to come."

In his speech later, Johnson will propose the introduction of new laws to ban junk food advertising on television and online before 9pm, and ministers will also hold a consultation on whether the internet ban should apply at all times of day.

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As well as banning buy one get one free" promotions of junk food, supermarkets will be legally barred from displaying confectionery and other high-in-fat foods in prominent locations in stores.

Restaurants will have to display the calories contained in items on menus and there will be a consultation into doing the same for alcohol.

GPs will be encouraged to prescribe bike rides to patients in pilot areas.

Writing in The Telegraph on Monday, health secretary Matt Hancock said: "If everyone who is overweight lost five pounds it could save the NHS over 100m over the next five years.

"And more importantly, given the link between obesity and coronavirus, losing weight could be lifesaving."

Last week, Johnson urged overweight people to get fit and revealed how his own brush with coronavirus, resulting in him spending time in an intensive care unit, convinced him of the need to tackle the problem of Britains obesity.

He said he had lost a stone since he was hospitalised with COVID-19.

The government launches a new strategy targeting obesity on Monday. (PA)

Johnson told BBC News on Friday: "One thing, by the way, that I think did make a difference  for me and for quite a few others  is the issue, frankly, of being overweight.

"And that's why we need to tackle our national struggle with obesity."

Johnson has argued that being "fitter and healthier" would help people to "withstand coronavirus" and protect the NHS.

Johnson said: "Losing weight is hard but with some small changes we can all feel fitter and healthier.

"If we all do our bit, we can reduce our health risks and protect ourselves against coronavirus  as well as taking pressure off the NHS."

But Tam Fry, chair of the National Obesity Forum, said the government's plans were "not enough to see an end to the national emergency that obesity is".

And UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls criticised the timing of the extra impositions on restaurants and pubs.

"As we focus on securing jobs and helping the economy and communities to recover, a raft of costs and regulatory burdens would be a slap in the face," she said.

Labour shadow health minister Alex Norris said: "We've had big promises before from Tory ministers on banning junk food advertising only for measures to be kicked into the long grass of consultation.

"But an effective obesity strategy needs action, not consultation."

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The 500-acre Spahn Movie Ranch in the Santa Susana Mountains is where Charles Manson and his "family" lived at the time of the Tate-LaBianca murders in 1969. (Associated Press)

The new Epix docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth is a six-part production chronicling the ominous ascent of the Manson Family, from its flower-power beginnings to its heinous killing spree in the summer of 1969.

The compelling series, which premiered July 26, is full of illuminating archival footage of Manson, his followers and the environs that shaped their anomalous ascent. Each hourlong episode features new interviews with former cult members, those who knew them or their victims, and those involved in solving their horrific crimes.

But do we really need another production about this racist madman and his druggie sycophants turned assassins? Theyve been immortalized in countless narratives about this especially creepy chapter in the history of American crime, from last years Mindhunter and Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood all the way back to the granddaddy of Manson narratives, prosecutor Vincent Bugliosis 1974 book Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders.

The answer is yes: More than half a century later, the Manson Family's tale still resembles a fever dream. Storytellers cant help but re-explore the story of Charlie, a diminutive ex-con, pimp and aspiring musician who amassed a following of mostly young women, plied them with LSD, sex and antiestablishment jargon, then convinced them to kill in the name of a race war. They lived on a commune. They mingled with, and murdered, celebrities. It all happened behind the deceptive cloak of peace and love. No wonder we cant stop watching.

Charles Manson is escorted into court in 1969. (Associated Press)

Yet theres something else that attracts me to new stories about Patricia, Tex and the cult, something that's oddly personal, if not provincial. Weird as it sounds, I have a sense of shared history with these horrible people simply because I grew up in their shadow.

Im a native Angeleno, raised in the 1970s under a brown inversion layer not dissimilar to one that crowned the San Fernando Valley when the family had its reign of terror. Proximity alone has meant that my life has continually intersected with their legacy and the countercultural confusion they left behind. The notion of killers disguised as peaceniks may explain why I gravitated toward punk rock rather than pining for their generations songs about harmony and brotherhood. Like many of my peers, my associations with hippie culture were as much about local madman Manson as faraway Woodstock.

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Nostalgia and familiarity are not what I should be feeling watching "Helter Skelter," directed by Lesley Chilcott ("An Inconvenient Truth"), or Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-winning feature, but its hard not to when theyre both so deeply immersed in my own SoCal mythology.

For example, the Epix docuseries' mention of Charlies girls dumpster-diving for food in back of markets across the Valley brought back memories of places where my mom used to grocery shop. When the series shows footage of Mansons followers riding horses and smoking weed in the Santa Susana Pass, the rock formations behind them are so recognizable I can close my eyes and trace their outline perfectly with my finger. I grew up playing in those hills around Chatsworth Park, hiking the caves and boulders where theyd partied. My daily school bus ride took me past the old Spahn Ranch site. And later in high school, when we could drive up ourselves, wed search for the fabled row of palm trees where Family members supposedly carved their names.

I associate images of the LaBiancas' Los Feliz home, where the couple were tortured and murdered in 1969, with my first apartment. It was a block from the scene, on a street where Id frequently walk my dogs out of duty and, if Im honest, morbid curiosity. And as a music fan, I frequented the clubs where Manson once tried (and failed) to become a rock star. He watched Buffalo Springfield at the Troubadour. I watched Social Distortion. We may have been generations apart, but by the time I was established enough to interview real rock stars, one of my first big breaks was talking to NINs Trent Reznor inside the Cielo Drive home where Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Parent were murdered.

The home was demolished soon after, in 1994, but every time its pictured in photos or re-created for a scripted production, the horror of those murders is mixed with my own memories of sitting in the living room beneath those thick wood ceiling beams, walking around the kidney-shaped swimming pool and peering out the Dutch door at sweeping views of the city.

Mugshot of Manson Family member Susan Atkins, who died in 2009, in "Helter Skelter." (Epix)

And no matter what, Topanga Canyon still feels haunted to me. Its where the family moved in with Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, killed associate Gary Hinman and where Charlie played a dismal set at the Topanga Corral. One aspect that helps separate the Epix series from my own experience is a soundtrack replete with Mansons awful recordings. Its clear now why he had to amass a following some other way than through his music.

Harder to explain than the Manson Familys invisible imprint on L.A. is why the San Fernando Valley was the perfect incubator for such a deadly aberration. A suburb of Los Angeles where middle-class families had the chance to thrive, the Valley was close enough to access the celebrity of Hollywood, as Manson did, but also far enough away to forget about the privileged lives of L.A.'s beautiful people. The Valley was rough around the edges  Topanga Canyon Boulevard was lined with horse pastures, the 118 Freeway was rolling hills  so there was plenty of undeveloped space for a broke band of misfits to create their own warped ecosystem.

The Valley was a basin of contradictions  wholesome drive-in theaters and a thriving porn industry (see Boogie Nights), Topangas psychedelic scene, showbiz rich and famous and normal folk like Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Manson and his family moved between all those worlds, which seems absurd today. But in a city that prides itself on bucking the status quo and starting new trends, who was going to take notice of one more long-haired weirdo waxing poetic?

The connection I have to these felons and their awful legacy is troublesome, but they are part of local history  part of the messed-up place where I was raised, where nothing was ever as safe or sedate as everyone kept insisting it was. And that's a story that never gets old.
Madhya Pradesh will witness its first virtual Cabinet meeting on Tuesday which will be chaired by the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan who is being treated for Covid-19 in a hospital in Bhopal.

Owing to corona infection, a virtual cabinet meeting will be held for the first time in the state on July 28. The members of the cabinet will be able to attend the cabinet meeting from any place through a video conferencing, according to an official communique released on Monday.

The cabinet meeting will begin at 11.30 am and the CM will address it from the hospital itself, as per the CMO.

The trial run of the virtual cabinet meeting will be held at 9.30 am on July 28. The members of the cabinet have been completely apprised of the virtual cabinet meeting, the government notification added.

The CM was hospitalised on Saturday after announcing that he had tested positive for the coronavirus disease. Earlier in the week, one of his ministerial colleagues had also tested positive.

On Monday, Chauhan appealed to people not to visit him in the hospital and to take all precautions against coronavirus infection. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his phone call to inquire about his health.

Meanwhile, minister for panchayat and rural development Mahendra Singh Sisodia said he is going into home quarantine after four employees at his residence tested positive. Four employees at my residence have tested positive for Coronavirus. Though my report has come back negative, I will home quarantine for the next five days at the doctors advice, he said.
By Express News Service

GUNTUR: In a shocking incident, a landlord locked up the tenant, who tested positive for coronavirus, inside the house near Poleramma Temple Street at Sattenapalli. The incident, which took place on Friday, came to light late on Saturday night. The police said the 28-year-old man, a positive case, shared a selfie video to the police mentioning that the landlord locked him up in his house as he tested positive for coronavirus.

When the tenants mother informed the house owner about it, he (house owner) instead of taking preventive measures, locked up the tenants. However, the man, by sharing the selfie video, sought the police to come to the rescue of him and his parents. The police rushed to the spot and shifted the man, who tested positive, and his parents, to an isolation ward.

The police urged the infectees, who live in rented accommodation, to contact them if the house owners demanded that they vacate the house. They advised them to stay in home isolation as per the advice of doctors. The police also told house owners not to create troubles for tenants.
The new index declined 1.3 per cent to 6,774.78 points, swinging from as much as 2.2 per cent gain. Meituan Dianping and Xiaomi both slipped 3 per cent while Tencent retreated 1.5 per cent. Overall, 23 members fell today, while six gained and one was unchanged.

While household names such as Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings have been stealing the limelight in recent months, smaller tech peers have generated market-beating performance of 140 to 225 per cent gains through July 24, according to data compiled by the South China Morning Post.

The new index may give such smaller technology companies the attention from funds that seek to replicate the index's trajectory, according to stockbrokers. Cloud-based marketing provider Weimob, game developer XD and software provider Kingdee International Software ranked among the best performers this year, while the broader Hang Seng Composite Index slipped 3 per cent.

"The new index will have a positive effect on Hong Kong technology stocks, especially for those included in the index," said Kenny Ng Lai-yin, securities strategist at Everbright Sun Hung Kai.

The tech index comes amid the "homecoming" of some of China's technology trailblazers from the US markets to Hong Kong and Shanghai, including those of JD.com and NetEase. Ant Group has announced plans for a concurrent listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Alibaba, which owns about a third of the operator of Alipay payments system, is also the owner of the Post. Its shares have risen 15.4 per cent this year. They were little changed today.

Investors with about US$34 billion of assets passively track the Hang Seng family of indexes, according to Hang Seng Indexes Company, which is responsible for maintaining the Hang Seng Index and more than 800 of the benchmark's offshoots.

The newest index of them will track 30 technology companies, from the largest, Alibaba, which advanced 15.4 per cent this year before today to the smallest, online car finance platform Yixin Group, which rose 14.5 per cent.

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The index's top five members, including Tencent, Meituan Dianping, Xiaomi and Sunny Optical, have a combined 41 per cent weight, according to the compiler.

"The new technology index will not only provide a further boost to investor sentiment in the space, but should also encourage the next wave of up-and-coming, innovative new technology companies to choose Hong Kong as an attractive venue for raising capital," said Oliver Cox, portfolio manager for emerging market and Asia-Pacific equities at JP Morgan Asset Management.

"This is another exciting step forward in Hong Kong's push to be a primary nexus for technology investment in the Asia-Pacific region."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
For the first time since the momentous constitutional changes in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on August 5 last year, former chief minister of the erstwhile state, and National Conference (NC) leader, Omar Abdullah, who was detained for eight months, has spoken out. Writing in The Indian Express, he expressed his opposition to the effective nullification of Article 370, and the revocation of J&Ks special status.

But the key takeaway from Mr Abdullahs piece is not his opposition to the change in the special status of J&K  that is to be expected, and that point of view can be debated. The key takeaway is his more fierce opposition to the decision to convert the state into a Union Territory (UT) and a categorical declaration that while J&K remains a UT, he  and by extension, the NC  would not contest assembly elections. While this may sound extreme, Mr Abdullah has actually opened the door for a political understanding which can revive the political process in J&K. It is instructive that Mr Abdullah neither made the restoration of Article 370 or the re-merger of J&K and Ladakh his precondition. Both these would have been far more difficult to achieve. Article 370 is history and no government in New Delhi will bring back the constitutional provision effectively. A separate administrative unit of Ladakh is also, now, firmly etched on the map and the stand-off at the Line of Actual Control with China has only cemented New Delhis determination to have direct control over the region.

By asking for the restoration of statehood, while opposing the other changes, Mr Abdullah has effectively given room to Delhi to begin a process of reconciliation. Do remember that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation, and home minister Amit Shah, on the floor of the House, said that the revocation of statehood is temporary, and when circumstances become conducive, it could be reversed. It is time for Delhi to begin a dialogue with Mr Abdullah, release Mehbooba Mufti and start a conversation with her too, and initiate a time-bound process for the restoration of statehood. Promising a more empowered assembly and chief minister, in line with other states of the Union, can possibly result in popular and legitimate elections, help win over the Kashmiri street, empower pro-India mainstream forces, deepen democracy in J&K, weaken Pakistans propaganda, and neutralise international concerns. Mr Abdullah has opened the door; the onus now lies on Delhi.
Professor Felix Ankomah Asante, a Consultant to the Private Enterprise Federation (PEF) Ghana, has said there is priority need for internal capital mobilisation to create a substantial pool for long-term capital to finance domestic private sector investments.



He said currently 60 percent of Pension Fund was invested in government treasuries to boost private sector investment and requested that not more than 20 percent of this fund be invested in government debt, but release the remaining 80 percent for private sector financing.



Government should commit to borrow only from the capital market, when there is a need, so as to avoid crowding out the high-risk private sector businesses for the banking sector.



Prof Asante said these at a Private Sector Recommendation for consideration into Party Manifestos validation workshop for micro, small and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs) in Ho, organised by PEF Ghana and supported by STAR Ghana Foundation.



It is seeking to validate policies and interventions for inclusion into manifestos of political parties that would lead to creating an enabling environment for business competitiveness and profitability in the country.



He called for upscaling in the establishment of District Business Councils (DBCs) across the country with the government providing financial backing and technical support needed to operate these institutions.



The Consultant said the DBCs should be used as avenues to provide alternative business models for its members, who were already in these rudimentary ecosystems to leapfrog ways of doing business in a coordinated manner for economic growth.



He said based on its findings from consultative forums with MSMEs, PEF was proposing a multi-tiered and optional tax systems towards making tax regimes more easily understood by business operators.



Prof Asante said micro-sized entities and enterprises be subjected to a lump sum final income tax per annum on the gross turnover and should not be subjected to any further income tax until such entities move into a higher income level.



He said company income tax for small entities could be a presumptive tax being a percentage of gross turnover and should be a final tax rate.



Tax should be flat or tiered with a one percent to five percent tax rate on the annual turnover rather than the current one size fits all system.



Nana Osei-Bonsu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PEF Ghana, has suggested the DBC could be upscaled to the Regional level to serve as mouthpiece for MSMEs across the country, to give them the needed recognition and formidable voice to becoming relevant and satisfying the accolade as engine of growth.



He said coming together would deepen their visibility and offer them the rights to discuss inclusive business acceptability and offer them the platitude to meet to discuss their challenges to policy-makers or duty-bearers.



He urged the groups to aggregate inputs to secure local content considerations as a formidable voice for contracts.



The CEO noted that if local content was continued like it was the case decades ago, companies like the Tobacco, Tyre industry and vehicle assembling plants would not have folded up, adding, these must the exploited so local companies could be awarded contracts in the President Akufo-Addos 88 new hospital projects and not ceded to foreign contractors.



He suggested the creation of a pool for interest free loans, which could be utilised by local businesses and tax exemption for micro, small, medium and large scale businesses as critical for the survival of businesses.



He said private businesses were key drivers of the economy and must be supported to succeed, asking that the language of tax laws, which becomes a challenge to MSMEs, needed to be decoded to bring clarity to business owners.



MSMEs in Ho lamented how their tax rates were calculated by the Ghana Revenue Authority without recourse to profit portfolios, which comes with unreasonable demands and threats of closure of businesses.



They enumerated high electricity bills and licensing regimes as anti-climax for budding businesses, calling for decentralisation of government contracts in relation to the production of COVID-19 equipment such as nose masks and PPE.



The participants were skeptical about the engagement as similar dialogues have not changed their situation or turned out to be positive.

Source: GNA









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Under conditions in which the coronavirus pandemic is raging out of control, the Trump administration is escalating its homicidal campaign to reopen schools across the US, which is guaranteed to spike infection rates even further. At a press conference Friday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany branded teachers essential workers akin to meatpackers, one of the sections of the working class most devastated by the pandemic.

McEnany declared that schools are essential places of business  our teachers are essential personnel. She added, Our meatpackers were meatpacking because they were essential workers.  And we believe our teachers are essential.

The comparison between teachers and meatpacking workers is highly significant and must be taken as a sharp warning by teachers and all education workers.

Junior high teacher Angela Andrus at a rally Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Since the start of the pandemic, meat processing plants have seen among the highest rates of infections and deaths of any industry in the US. In late April, following a series of walkouts and job actions over unsafe conditions, which forced the closure of 22 plants across the country, Trump invoked the Defense Production Act and deemed meatpacking plants critical infrastructure, requiring them to stay open. As a result, the number of cases and deaths have tripled, with well over 30,000 workers infected and more than 100 killed by the virus.

In drawing this comparison, the White House is putting teachers on notice that it intends to carry out the same dictatorial measures should there be organized strikes or mobilizations to prevent the reopening of schools.

While branding teachers essential, McEnany defended the deployment of at least 200 federal agents to Portland, Oregon, where they have brutally repressed peaceful protesters in multiple and flagrant violations of the Constitution. Last week, Trump threatened to deploy 75,000 agents to any of the cities that he chooses. The ultimate target of these shock troops is the working class, including educators, meatpackers, autoworkers and more, who are being forced to sacrifice their lives for corporate profit.

For the financial oligarchy, reopening the schools is a linchpin in the broader campaign to reopen the economy, which, in essence, is the drive to extract ever-greater surplus value from the working class in order to pay for the mountains of debt accumulated through the bailout of Wall Street in the CARES Act.

With high rates of absenteeism in auto factories and other workplaces due to the lack of childcare, schools are essential workplaces to herd workers back into their workplaces so the ruling class can resume the extraction of profits. The lowering or cutting off of the $600 a week federal addition to state unemployment benefits is similarly aimed at forcing workers back to work, regardless of the dangers they face.

The number of new COVID-19 cases across the US has been continually on the rise since early June, after states lifted their final social distancing restrictions and reopened the majority of businesses. Record numbers of new cases have been repeatedly set in recent weeks, with Friday seeing a record 78,000 new cases. The number of daily new deaths has also steadily risen, reaching over 1,100 four times last week.

As part of the drive to restart production and reopen the schools, the Trump administration is hell-bent on suppressing public health experts and falsifying medical science. Following weeks during which Trump has publicly denigrated Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Fauci stated last week that he and his family have received death threats and harassment during the pandemic.

At Fridays press conference, McEnany repeatedly referred to the guidelines on reopening schools issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In response to Trumps recent criticism that the original guidelines were very tough and expensive, the agency issued a statement last Thursday which represents the subordination of science to the profit interests of the ruling class.

Titled The Importance of Reopening Americas Schools This Fall, the statement declares that the available evidence provides reason to believe that in-person schooling is in the best interests of students.

The statement falsely claims that the rate of infection among younger school children, and from students to teachers, has been low. In fact, one of the most comprehensive studies on the impact of the virus on youth was published the prior week on the CDCs own website and came to the exact opposite conclusion. The study, conducted in South Korea, involved the contact tracing and testing of nearly 60,000 people who had contact with 5,706 COVID-19 patients, and the results found the highest COVID-19 rate for household contacts of school-aged children. The study warned that young children may show higher attack rates when the school closure ends [in South Korea], contributing to community transmission of COVID-19.

The CDC also downplayed the dangers posed to children despite increasing evidence to the contrary. The best available evidence indicates if children become infected, they are far less likely to suffer severe symptoms, the CDC declared.

Infection rates are skyrocketing among youth in the regions hardest hit by the virus. In Tennessee, there have been almost 4,000 cases among children ages 0-10 and an additional 9,600 for those between 11 and 20. In Mississippi, more than 4,900 children have tested positive for COVID-19.

In Florida, over 23,000 minors have tested positive, with an elevated positivity rate of 13.4 among children who have been tested. On July 17, nine-year-old Kimora Lynum succumbed to the virus, despite having no pre-existing health issues. She collapsed from a high fever after being released from a hospital, becoming the fifth and youngest minor to die from COVID-19 in Florida.

Asked on CBSs Face the Nation Sunday why the CDC had not set a specific benchmark for the reduction of infection rates before schools could reopen, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said, We don't believe that there are uniform thresholds for school reopenings. The former pharmaceutical executive added, Each community is going to have to make the determination about the circumstances for reopening and what steps they take for reopening, but the presumption should be we get our kids back to schooland we figure out how to make that happen.

Leaving decision-making in the hands of local authorities, who have also been threatened with the loss federal funds if they remain closed, is a recipe for disaster. There are over 13,000 school districts across the country, and each one is being told to prepare its own reopening plan, creating a highly chaotic and haphazard patchwork of plans. Districts adjacent to each other and facing a similar spread of the pandemic can have completely different plans for reopening, underscoring the irrational and unplanned nature of the capitalist response to the pandemic.

Opposition to the reopening of schools continues to mount among parents and educators, with an Associated Press-NORC poll released last week finding that fully 77 percent of Americans are opposed to the resumption of in-person learning. Forty-six percent believe that major adjustments are needed before schools reopen, and 31 percent insist that schools should not open at all. Eighty percent of those surveyed were extremely or somewhat concerned that reopening schools would produce a surge in cases in their community.

Car caravan protests and rallies have been held in a growing number of cities. On Friday, hundreds of educators and parents rallied in Des Moines, Iowa in a Drive for Lives car caravan opposing Governor Kim Reynolds plan to reopen schools part-time. The Facebook group Iowa Educators for a Safe Return to School has quickly ballooned to nearly 20,000 members less than a month after being launched. In Salt Lake City, Utah, over 150 educators rallied at the state capitol Friday to protest Governor Gary Herberts directive that schools reopen next month.

Similar caravans and rallies have taken place in numerous cities in recent weeks, often organized through local and state Facebook groups set up by educators and parents independently of the teacher unions. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA) have made it clear they will help the authorities implement their reopening plans. At the same time, they are trying to channel opposition to Trump behind the campaign to elect Joe Biden, who was part of the massive assault on teachers and public education that occurred during the eight years of the Obama-Biden administration.

Both corporate-controlled parties support the back-to-school policy, along with the savage austerity measures that will be imposed on one school district after another. This only exposes the hypocritical claims by the Democrats and Republicans who claim their demand for the reopening of schools is driven by concern over the students needs.

The Socialist Equality Party calls upon educators, parents and students to develop a network of independent, rank-and-file safety committees and fight to unify across districts and states to prepare for a nationwide strike against the reopening of schools. The murderous policy of the ruling elite must be countered with a broad-based mobilization of educators and all workers and the development of a political fight by the working class for socialism and a vast redistribution of wealth to meet social needs, including the right to fully funded and high-quality public education for all. All those seeking to wage such a struggle should contact us today.
Three Commissioners of Edo State Oil Gas Producing Area Development Commission (EDOSOGPADEC) have resigned their position today, Monda...





Three Commissioners of Edo State Oil Gas Producing Area Development Commission (EDOSOGPADEC) have resigned their position today, Monday, and declared support for the All Progressives Congress and its candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.





The Commissioners are Prince Emmanuel Odigie, Alhaji Aiwanu Oshiomhole, and Osamwonyi Atu representing Edo Central, Edo North Senatorial districts respectively and Orhionmwon.





Hon. Osamwonyi Atu in his resignation letter pointed out that his decision to leave Obaseki-led government was to attend to family issues which has become necessary.





Few hours after their resignation, the Commissioners have pitched tent with the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu in a bid to ensure a total victory for him in September this year.
















NEWPORT NEWS, Va., July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) Technical Solutions division announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management has awarded a contract to Nationwide Remediation Partners, a joint venture led by HII Nuclear, to provide nationwide deactivation, decommissioning and removal services at excess DOE facilities. The multiple award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract has a 10-year ordering period, with a maximum ordering ceiling of $3 billion.



Nationwide Remediation Partners is joined by EnergySolutions Federal Support, LLC and Navarro Research and Engineering, Inc., a woman-owned small business. American Demolition and Nuclear Decommissioning, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business, is a named subcontractor.

This contract award further strengthens our deep and long-standing relationship with the Department of Energy. We take pride in safely and efficiently supporting DOE in achieving our nations most complex environmental management missions, said Michael Lempke, president of Technical Solutions Nuclear and Environmental Services. HIIs approach in crafting the team reaffirms our commitment to small businesses, and the strategic partnerships formed through this joint venture will enhance our collective competitiveness in the growing government and commercial nuclear decommissioning markets.

The work will primarily be conducted at excess DOE facilities across the nation. Support through this contract vehicle will also be available to the National Nuclear Security Administration, Office of Naval Reactors, Office of Science and other DOE and federal agencies that may request environmental management assistance.

Huntington Ingalls Industries is Americas largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HIIs Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HIIs Technical Solutions division supports national security missions around the globe with unmanned systems, defense and federal solutions, and nuclear and environmental services. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs more than 42,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit:



HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com

HII on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HuntingtonIngallsIndustries

HII on Twitter: twitter.com/hiindustries

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The Programme for Government states that the proposed Defence Forces Commission will contain, inter alia, external military expertise from countries similar in size to Ireland and from states that, like ourselves, are non-aligned militarily.

This statement needs to be analysed on a number of points. First, it is a clear recognition that some of the answers the commission may require will be external to the narrow Irish experience.

Tapping into both home and external sources will, therefore, require a dedicated team of Defence Forces technical experts, to cover military areas that are relevant to the commissions work.

There will be no need for the commission to start with an entirely blank sheet if the solutions to our problems are already out there.

However, confining military expertise to countries similar in size to Ireland is an unnecessary limitation. In most cases, it is the larger nations, with better-funded research programmes and more personnel on operational duties, that may have already found the answers required by the commission.

If this commission was a commission on public health, it would not confine itself to the experiences of countries similar in size to Ireland, but would also be following up on what is happening in China, the US, Brazil, or, for that matter, the UK and Italy.

Comparison between the size of the Irish health service and those of larger countries is not the issue. Similarly, the size of the Irish Defence Forces should not be touted as a reason not to learn from other countries experiences and research.

There is also much to be learned by studying the defence commissions and reviews conducted by other nations, large and small. It's all there, on the web, unclassified and in English, with the exception of a few documents in French.

The Defence Forces has now got a fair-sized pool of officers who have worked or studied in several of these countries. Moreover, the Directorate of Intelligence has a sub-section that continually updates its database on foreign armed forces and defence agencies.

Describing Ireland repeatedly as a "small country" has long been used to condition public opinion to accept low expectations. First, what do we mean by size? Do we mean the size of our population, the size of our landmass and territorial waters? The size of our economy?

Both the World Bank and the (former British) Commonwealth use the figure of 1.5m as the population cut-off point for small nations. As far as population is concerned, Ireland is, in fact, a medium-sized country.

Stock image: Ireland must look to larger nations when planning the future of Defence Forces

We rate medium-sized on a list of UN and EU small, medium, and large member states. Small implies poor and insignificant. The constant repetition of our smallness is often an excuse for inaction.

However, the direct comparisons that are valid are the comparisons in the areas of strategic threat and military capabilities. In the area of strategic threat, the starting position is location, ie the history and geographical parameters of Western Europe and the North-East Atlantic area.

Defence white papers of large, medium, and small nations in our region actually show a remarkable consensus.

As far as strategic analysis is concerned, the commission need look no further than Europe and the North-East Atlantic. It does need to examine the projected impact of climate change.

The melting of the North Polar icecap, extreme weather events, and rising sea waters have direct defence implications for Ireland and must be considered by the commission.

In the historical context, every country in our region, except Sweden and Switzerland, has, over the past 100 years, experienced war and all its horrors. What has happened in the past 100 years could happen in the next.

The practical area of comparison between small and/or medium states is that of military capabilities. In all cases, the deterrent principle applies, ie that indigenous and/or treaty-committed forces, can make it too costly for an aggressor to invade or attack.[/quote

For larger countries such as the UK and France, the military inventory can include nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic bombers, heavy artillery, and main battle tanks.

For medium-sized countries such as Ireland, Denmark, or Finland, the inventory would normally include modern interceptor aircraft, naval ships capable of carrying out more robust naval tasks than our present patrol ships, and army brigades that can function in a modern hostile environment.

A strong indicator of a commitment to the deterrent capability is the percentage of GDP spent on defence.

For example, Sweden declined in recent years to 1.04%, but is on track to recover to 1.5% by 2024. Sweden has also reintroduced limited military service to recover falling strengths.

Austria is down to 0.73%, but we must remember that Austria has no territorial waters and hence no navy. Also, its airforce has no maritime territorial airspace to defend.

Finland is running at 1.27% of GDP. As regards smaller states, Luxembourg spends 0.55% of GDP on defence, and Malta 0.5%. Ireland now spends 0.27% of GDP on defence.

Another table of comparison used internationally is the percentage of the population serving in the permanent and reserve armed forces. In Austria, it is about 11.8%; Finland is 12%; Sweden 1.9%; and Ireland around 0.43%.

In addition to the three usual dimensions of conflict  land, sea, and air  strategic observers now add space and cyber as additional dimensions.

As regards space, Ireland already supports non-military space programmes, which potentially have dual use capabilities. As regards cyber, this will be the subject of a further study.
Seattle police arrested more than 40 people after declaring a 'riot': Getty

Activists in Seattle have condemned Donald Trumps dispatch of federal agents to the city, after dozens of demonstrators were arrested while protesting the presidents actions.

On Saturday, more than 40 people were detained and two dozen police reportedly injured, after officers broke up a largely peaceful protest in the citys Capitol Hill neighbourhood.

Though the arrests were made by Seattle Police Department (SDP), demonstrators were protesting the dispatch to cities including Chicago, Portland and Seattle, of federal law enforcement officers.

Mr Trump has defended the presence of the officers in the largely Democratic-run cities, by claiming there had been a shocking explosion of shootings, killings, murders and heinous crimes of violence.

The move became increasingly controversial after it emerged unidentified federal agents had grabbed and detained protesters in Portland, Oregon, triggering fears about safety and accountability.

On Sunday, protesters in Seattle condemned the presidents moves, denouncing them as the actions of a fascist. People said while the presence of the federal officers made them more wary, they were also determined to be present.

Trump wants control, said a man known as Dragon, who delivered an impassioned speech close to the polices East Precinct building. But he cannot control us. He is doing this to please his ego.

One organiser, Nait, who has been a regular at the protests, said that because the federal law enforcement officers had not yet been used in Seattle  both the citys mayor and the governor of the state have criticised the presidents move  some may not yet have woken up to the implications.

To me, its a different menace, she said. They get to act as they like.

A 22-year-old woman who asked not to give her name, said knowing the federal agents were in the city was making people adopt a low profile.

But were also more determined than ever to stay here and protect each other, she said.

Story continues

Kristin Mowery, one of the many protesters who were white, said she felt driven to be part of the protest because so much had gone wrong in the country.

She said she sought to put herself in front of protesters of colour, in the belief she would be less likely to be beaten or hit by police. I am trying to weaponsise my whiteness, she said.

At the beginning of July, police cleared a protest site established in the aftermath of the killing by Minneapolis police of George Floyd, that had occupied a half-dozen blocks in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood.

When they cleared the site, known variously as the CHOP and CHAZ, they detained dozens of protesters.

I implore the public to please protest peacefully this weekend, particularly in light of the President making good on threats to send federal forces into American cities.  Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) July 24, 2020

On Saturday, police declared a riot following large demonstrations in the same neighbourhood, and deployed flash bangs and pepper spray.

The Associated Press said police said rocks, bottles, fireworks and mortars were thrown at officers as they attempted to clear the area over the course of several hours.

Many protesters were also hurt, including a military veteran and a nurse.

Critics of the president dismissed his actions as an attempt to revive his flagging reelection campaign as he slips in the polls to presumptive Democratic challenger, Joe Biden.

Yet the president said he had no choice.

In recent weeks, theres been a radical movement to defund, dismantle and dissolve our police departments. Extreme politicians have joined this anti-police crusade and relentlessly vilified our law enforcement heroes, he said last week.

To look at it from any standpoint, the effort to shut down policing in their own communities has led to a shocking explosion of shootings, killings, murders and heinous crimes of violence.

Additional reporting by Associated Press

Read more

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) The Department of Health is talking to universities and other institutions which could help recruit more health workers to go on duty in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a media briefing on Monday, Health Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said the number of health workers such as nurses applying in the emergency hiring program has been plateauing.

We are partnering (with) universities and institutions para makakuha ng batches ng mga nag-graduate sa kanilaNoong una marami talagang takers, pero ngayon I think na-exhaust natin especially here in Metro Manila, kaya tinitingnan natin ang ways on how we can increase our healthcare workers especially here in hospitals, Vergeire said.

[Translation: We are partnering with universities and institutions so we can have their batches of graduates At first, we had a lot of takers, but now I think weve exhausted it especially here in Metro Manila. Thats why were looking at ways on how we can increase healthcare workers especially here in hospitals.]

As of July 26, the government has already employed 6,002 healthcare workers such as doctors and nurses under the emergency hiring program.

But more are needed as many hospitals see an increase in admissions, while others also need to let their staff go on quarantine.

At least 505 new COVID-19 cases among health workers were reported in the past week, bringing the total to 4,443 on July 25. Thirty-six succumbed to the disease.

Vergeire said the new cases among health workers were attributed to the community transmission.

Most of the health workers prefer to go home kaysa mag-stay sa dorm na binigay ng mga ospital. Alam natin may community transmission pagbalik sa bahay, babalik sa ospital, nagkakaroon tayo ng transmission na ganito, Vergeire said.

[Translation: Most of the health workers prefer to go home, instead of staying at a dorm provided by hospitals. We know theres a possibility of community transmission when they are traveling from their homes to the hospitals.]
WATERLOO  Two men faces various weapons-related charges after they allegedly threatened a man at his Waterloo apartment with a flare gun and a knife on Sunday morning.

Waterloo Regional Police said the suspects forced themselves into the mans apartment in the area of Columbia Street West at about 11 a.m.

The two suspects threatened the man with a flare gun and a knife. The suspects and the victim know each other.

The two men were arrested at the scene. A 21-year-old Waterloo man and a 20-year-old Kitchener man face numerous criminal charges including attempt break, enter with intent to commit, weapons dangerous, utter threats to cause death or bodily harm, careless use of a firearm, use of firearm in commission of indictable offence.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-28 05:13:15|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday that 6,518 illegal immigrants have been rescued and returned to Libya so far in 2020.

The rescued immigrants include 462 women and 340 miners, the IOM said, adding 101 died and 168 went missing on the Central Mediterranean route.

According to IOM, 9,225 illegal immigrants were rescued and returned to Libya in 2019, while 270 died and 992 went messing on the Central Mediterranean route.

Libya has been plagued by insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, which made it a preferred point of departure for immigrants to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward Europe. Enditem
The Index broke financial worries down into several categories and found that bills, debt, income stability and rent/mortgage payments were the biggest stressors for younger Canadians. Each category worried at least 36 percent of survey respondents, with bills (48 percent) taking top spot. For older Canadians, the greatest worry was saving enough for retirement.

A difference in earnings had little impact on individual levels of financial stress. An equal percentage of Canadians making $40,000 to $79,000 and those making over $80,000  one-third  all chose money as their major stressor, although half of people making less than $40,000 rank money as their main source of anxiety.

The only region where more than 50 percent of Canadians felt their level of financial stress was impacted by COVID-19 was Alberta. In Quebec only 36 percent of respondents say the pandemic has increased their level of worry. Forty-seven percent of women said their level of stress has been affected by COVID-19, compared to 41 percent of men.

Impacts of financial stress

Half of the survey respondents said financial stress has impacted their lives in a negative way. Sixty percent of under-35s and 46 percent of those over 35 all reported experiencing either health issues (18 percent), relationship problems (15 percent), reduced productivity (14 percent) or family disputes (13 percent) related to financial stress. An additional 10 percent say they have experienced substance abuse or mental health issues.

FP Canada, in a not-so-subtle bit of self-promotion for the industry it advocates for, compared the stress levels of Canadians who use financial planners to those who dont. The Index found that 53 percent of those working with a financial planner said financial stress does not impact their life. The data can be taken with a grain of salt, but if the numbers are accurate, enlisting the services of a financial planner may be a topic worth discussing the next time a client looks like he hasnt slept or eaten in a week.
Dr Ludwig Muhlhausen (pictured) settled in Teelin - which has a population of just 250 - in south Donegal in 1937 as he mapped out a back-door route to conquer the UK

A Nazi spy moved to a tiny Irish fishing village and tested its bay for a potential U-boat invasion of Britain, a BBC documentary claims.

Dr Ludwig Muhlhausen settled in Teelin - which has a population of just 250 - in south Donegal in 1937 as he mapped out a back-door route to conquer the UK.

The professor, who became a decorated SS officer in the Second World War, presented himself as learning Irish and its history during his six-week visit.

But the celtologist, who lectured at Berlin University and Hamburg University, would take numerous pictures of the village and measure the depth of Donegal Bay.

The Nazi would lower lead weights into the tide, which later led people to believe he was testing it as a U-boat submarine base.

In a less subtle addition, Dr Muhlhausen was also believed to have put a huge picture of Adolf Hitler on his bedroom wall - which he erected as soon as he moved in.

Dr Muhlhausen's letters back to the Third Reich reveal he saw the Irish economy as a 'waste', outlining how the nation's farming and fishing industries could be improved.

The professor, who became a decorated SS officer in the Second World War, presented himself as learning Irish and its history during his six-week visit (pictured, the bay)

But the celtologist, who lectured at Berlin University and Hamburg University, would take numerous pictures of the village and measure the depth of Donegal Bay. The Nazi would lower lead weights into the tide, which later led people to believe he was testing it as a U-boat submarine base (pictured, U-boats surfacing after surrender at Londonderry in 1945)

He was described as an 'enthusiastic Nazi' in a secret file stored at the Military Archives in Dublin.

One report read: 'He thinks German culture would be good for us, and Ireland would be better run by Germans or British.'

Having mastered Irish and returned to Germany, Dr Muhlhausen pumped Nazi propaganda in Irish into the region.

Locals were astonished to hear him beamed across from Berlin, in which he recited British atrocities in Ireland and pressed them to remain impartial in the war.

During the Second World War he was a decorated SS officer under the paramilitary's Reich Leader Heinrich Himmler.

But as the war drew to a close in 1945, Dr Muhlhausen remained locked up in Naples by the Allies.

From his cell he sent a letter to Ireland's president Dr Douglas Hyde - whom he described as a 'personal friend' - begging to help secure his release.

It was scrawled on the back of an envelope in old Irish and included the Nazi's SS rank and prisoner of war camp. There is no reason to suggest Dr Hyde ever replied.

Ireland's 'neutrality' during the Second World War Ireland, its army so under-resourced they barely had a serviceable rifle between them, had little to contribute militarily. The judgment made in Dublin was that to side with the British would jeopardise the country's fragile sense of independence so soon after its constitutional split from the UK in 1920. But that left its thousands of newly enlisted soldiers  who had joined up when it seemed their country might have to fight an invader, whether the Germans, or the British taking over Ireland in order to forestall the Germans  kicking their heels. Instead of fighting for their country's honour, they were dispatched to cut peat, knee-deep in bogs. Ireland's neutrality was never totally enforced and always veered towards the Allies, despite the undisguised pro-German leanings of some hard-line republicans and the generally anti-British sentiment of the bulk of the new nation's population. There was more co-operation on the quiet than was officially acknowledged. British flyers who crash-landed in Eire, for example, were repatriated whereas German ones were interned. Once the conflict was over and the danger passed, however, attitudes hardened again, as was shown by PM Eamon de Valera's contemptible nose-thumbing gesture of publicly offering his condolences to the German government on Hitler's death in 1945. Suddenly the men who had fought for Britain became Dublin's fall guys. In August 1945, an executive order named 4,983 of them and pronounced them guilty of desertion after a farcical court martial. They were officially dismissed from the Irish army, convicted en masse in their absence without being given a chance to defend themselves. Advertisement

Dr Muhlhausen has been exposed in Nazi sa Ghaeltacht or A Nazi in the Gaeltacht - meaning Irish-speaking - which will be broadcast on BBC Two Northern Ireland.

The programme follows his movements from being catapulted up the Nazi Party in Berlin - due to his adoration of Hitler - to his surprise move to Teelin.

Investigative journalist Kevin Magee told the Belfast Telegraph: 'I wanted to find out if the story of the Nazi in the Gaeltacht was true, so I began investigating, talking to locals, asking questions and examining a whole variety of sources.

'Piece by piece, I was able to pull this remarkable story together. When I began my journey, I had no idea I would discover just how committed Muhlhausen was to the entire Nazi project.'

He added: 'The plot reads like a World War Two thriller, except this story is for real.'

Germany's plans to invade Ireland were only recently uncovered after a top secret dossier was finally released in 2012.

The document, published in 1940, contained detailed maps and postcards of the country and was kept by a family out of public view since the end of war.

And it revealed even though Ireland was officially neutral during the conflict, Hitler still viewed the country as a target for invasion.

The Irish allowed German U-boats and submarines into their waters during the Second World War, but the booklet entitled Militargeographische Angaben uber Irland pinpoints key cities and other sites in Ireland for destruction.

The paper - handed to high ranking Nazi officers - also included pictures of key locations such as dams, ports, cities, high ground and beaches which the German High Command believed would be of importance when they invaded.

These key places were numbered by military officials before being plotted on a series of eight fold-out maps, which would have been used during 'Operation Sealion.'

On September 17, 1940 Hitler was forced to scrap Operation Sealion because of the Luftwaffe's failure to gain air supremacy over England during the Battle of Britain.

The Nazi offensive never took place after the German defeat, but experts believe the document reveals what could have happened if the Nazi's had conquered Britain.

Historical documents expert Richard Westwood Brookes said the booklet shows how the Irish were wrong to believe they were safe from invasion after accommodating the Nazis during the war.

He said: 'This will come as quite a surprise as the Irish believed that the country's neutrality protected them from the Nazis.

'They were clearly wrong and it is a very sobering reminder that no one in the world was safe from the evil of Hitler.

'Despite the fact that many Irish were sympathetic to Germany throughout the war, they were clearly earmarked by the Nais for invasion and for the same fate as all the other countries in Europe.

Germany's plans to invade Ireland were only recently uncovered after a top secret dossier was finally released in 2012 (left and right)

Mr Westwood Brookes said it was also possible that Hitler might considered invading Ireland first to establish an invasion force there for a later attack on the UK mainland.

He added: ' It would have made complete military sense for the Germans to invade Ireland as it was a perfect location to set up to reinvade England in a bid to take Britain back from the Germans.

'Ireland had strategic links to America as well so it would have made tactical sense for them to occupy the country swiftly.

'We have naturally come across invasion plans for Britain before but I have never seen one for Ireland.
Last month, the Indian government decided to ban the use of 59 Chinese apps in India, which included some of the popular apps like TikTok.

Now, the government has banned 47 more Chinese apps in India, and this time, we're looking at the apps that were acting as clones to the ones that were banned previously.

This news comes hot on the heels of the reports about PUBG Mobile and other Chinese apps getting banned in the country. While we don't have an official confirmation on that, we do know that these 47 clones have been banned.

#Breaking 1st on TIMES NOW | Indian Govt bans 47 more Chinese apps which are reportedly, clones of the 59 applications which were earlier banned.



Mohit Bhatt with details. pic.twitter.com/uUNNsALz4w  TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) July 27, 2020

Following the government's order to ban 59 Chinese apps on June 29, they've repeatedly warned the makers of the banned Chinese apps to strictly comply with the ban. The government said that those violating the order would face serious action.

And now, we're looking at 47 more apps. It goes to show how seriously the government is tracking down these apps.

People are calling it the government's 'second digital strike on China'. As of now, we don't have a confirmed list of apps banned this time. But as mentioned earlier, it includes the clones of Chinese apps that were banned previously.

 Reuters

In case you didn't know, the government is banning Chinese apps citing privacy reasons. The government said they've received numerous complaints against the Chinese apps about how they're "stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India".



"The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures," the ministry said.

We're not sure if the government is tracking down more apps, but we won't be surprised to see more Chinese apps getting banned in India.

Source: TimesNow
Just such a scenario occurred in the case of 8-year-old Laura Hobbs and 9-year-old Krystal Tobias, who were found stabbed to death in a park in Zion on Mothers Day in 2005. After being interrogated over 24 hours Lauras father, Jerry Hobbs, who had found the girls bodies and had a lengthy criminal history  including chasing a man with a chain saw  confessed, and was charged with the murders.
H olidaymakers have been left shocked and confused following the news that Spain is being removed from the government's travel corridor exemption list, due to a spike in coronavirus cases in the country.

The Department for Transport confirmed those returning from the European country, as well as the Canary and Balearic Islands, will need to self-isolate for two weeks, after all four administrations - England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - opted to join forces over the move.

British Airways said the move was "yet another blow for British holidaymakers", whilst Chloe Harris, 23, from Kent - who booked a last-minute trip to Lanzarote and arrived this morning - said she was gutted to hear the news.

Speaking to PA news agency, she said: When I heard the news I was quite shocked because I thought they would have given us some warning. Even just some warning that this was something they were going to consider.

The UK has pulled its 'air bridge' with Spain / AFP via Getty Images

The four-night trip was booked last minute on Wednesday, and Ms Harris, who is travelling with a friend, said they had researched the destination beforehand.

Speaking before the official announcement, she said: We had done our research and we knew that the island has only had a small number of Covid cases.

I think a lot of people are going to rush to the airport, but because we are only here for four days, and we only arrived this morning, it doesnt seem worth it. We are just going to wait and hear if the island is included in the quarantine.

I would probably be fine to continue working from home and quarantine from home, although I would have to stop going into the office.

However, my friend who I travelled with is due to start a new job on August 3 and so thats going to be difficult to explain to her employer.

Likewise, Neil Hunter, 45, from Sittingbourne in Kent, had booked a 10-day break to Lanzarote, leaving on Tuesday. The trip had been booked since last December, but has now been thrown into doubt.

He told PA: We were going as a family, my wife Amanda, and teenage daughter Bethany but to be honest, since this announcement, Im unsure whats going to happen as I work as a train driver, and I dont think my employer will accept me having to isolate due to going on holiday.

I am insured, but unsure whether theyd accept that as a reason for not going, especially if Hays Travel dont cancel for me. Theres no way I could afford to cancel myself.

He said he understood why the decision had been taken, but that it is a lot of money and disappointing all the same.

People enjoy the sunny weather at Barceloneta beach / REUTERS

Spain has reported more than 900 new daily infections for the last two days as authorities warn that the country that lost 28,000 lives before getting its outbreak under control could be facing the start of a second major outbreak.

Labours shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds called on the Government to provide details on how families stuck in Spain will receive support.

He said: The news will be deeply concerning for families who are in caught Spain or are planning travel  the Government needs to come forward now with full details of how people affected will be supported.

Airlines UK, the industry association representing UK-registered carriers, said in a statement: The advice is clear that people already in Spain should return home as per normal and check the FCO travel pages.

Public health must be the priority but this shows why regional travel corridors need to be considered, so that travel to safe parts of a red country can continue.

We also need to see the introduction of testing at UK airports so that those who are Covid negative can continue to travel without the need to self-isolate upon arrival.

We will continue to work closely with Government to protect public health whilst keeping air travel and the wider economy open.
Despite massive efforts, lockdowns and province by province policy, Iran continues to grapple with the coronavirus, which shows no signs of slowing down as officials warn they are running short of medical workers.

According to Health Ministry Spokesman Sima Sadar Lari, 212 people died from the virus in the last 24 hours. In April, Iran was able to bring its daily death toll down to below triple digits, but in the last two weeks the country has been seeing on average 200 deaths a day  its highest average since the Health Ministry began publicly announcing numbers. Irans total number of confirmed coronavirus-related deaths is now 15,912.

Currently, the country has placed 12 of its 31 provinces under a red zone label, meaning the governors and city officials of those provinces must follow more restrictive health guidelines. Some critics have said the health guidelines are not being followed. President Hassan Rouhani said July 26 office workspaces that do not adhere to the health guidelines set forth by the Health Ministry will face legal consequences, though he did not say whether they would be fined or receive other types of punishment.

Thirteen provinces have been placed under a warning label, including the capital city of Tehran, meaning they could soon be placed under the red zone label. Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi called Tehran the broadcast source of coronavirus to the rest of the country, especially surrounding provinces, given the high level of traffic to the city. Lari said between 300,000 and 400,000 residents from Alborz travel daily to Tehran province.

Harirchi also said 95% of those who are infected with the virus recover without any type of treatment. Given this number, he said, some feel their improvement was due to various home remedy treatments. He warned against taking such actions.

Given that Iran is now in its sixth month of dealing with the virus as well as the high level of infections and even deaths among health care workers, there is a need for more medical staff in the country. Alireza Zali, head of Tehrans Government Headquarters for Combatting the Coronavirus, wrote a letter to the Health Ministry asking for permission to hire more health care workers. According to Aftab Yazd newspaper, the letter stated, Given the continuation of the ascending trends and increase in coronavirus infections in the country and especially in Tehran and the excessive tiredness of the health and medical staff and the periodic exit of health and medical workers from work due to infection of this illness  I implore you to issue hiring permissions through the Administrative and Recruitment Affairs Organization.

Zali also requested conscript military soldiers who specialize in medicine and nursing be sent to hospitals to aide in the efforts to fight against the coronavirus due to staff shortages. Aftab Yazd said officials have not responded to such requests. The article stated that while previously they had announced 3,000 medical workers would be hired, that need is closer to 9,000.
Get ready to dance it out with Dhanush as the first single from his upcoming movie Jagame Thandhiram is coming your way very soon. Titled 'Rakita Rakita Rakita', the track will be out tomorrow i.e, on July 28, to mark the actor's 37th birthday. Director of the film, Karthik Subbaraj announced the song with a poster featuring Dhanush. In the poster, one can see the actor clad in a white shirt and dhoti and enjoying the beat, as he stands out from the crowd. Interestingly, he is sporting a handlebar moustache in the dance number.

The song will be crooned by Dhanush himself along with Dheekshitha Venkadeshan, popularly known as Dhee. For the unversed, the duo has earlier collaborated for the 2018 film Maari 2 's track 'Rowdy Baby', which became a hit across the world with more than 907 million views on YouTube. Featuring Sai Pallavi and Dhanush, the peppy-romantic track also garnered attention for the duo's dance prowess.

Coming back to 'Rakita Rakita Rakita', the song will be released in Tamil and Telugu. The Telugu version will be sung by Ananthu and Susha. The movie marks the third collaboration of music director Santhosh Narayanan and Dhanush after Vada Chennai (2018) and Kodi (2016). The lyrics for the Tamil and Telugu versions have been penned by Vivek and Bhaskarabhatla respectively.

Jagame Thandhiram was slated to release on May 1, but was postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. Bankrolled by Y NOT Studios, the action-thriller will also feature Game of Thrones actor James Cosmo, Kalaiyarasan, Joju George, Aishwarya Lekshmi and Sanchana Natarajan. The film tipped to be a gangster drama set in London, has camera cranked by Santosh Narayanan.

RUMOUR HAS IT! Dhanush's Jagame Thandhiram To Get An OTT Release?

Dhanush's Karnan: The Title Look & Glimpse In To The Making To Be Revealed On July 28!
Iran on Monday said an incident last week in which a US F-15 fighter jet approached and passed a Mahan Air flight over Syria, which saw passengers on the Iranian jetliner injured, was "piracy" and a "terrorist action".

At a news conference in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said the US would be made to "regret it".

Late Thursday, Iranian state TV reported that the Iranian passenger plane flying from Tehran to Beirut was "harassed" by US fighter jets before managing to safely land in the Lebanese capital.

A US official confirmed to the Associated Press that an American fighter jet did pass by the Iranian airliner, but at a safe distance.

A Lebanese airport official said the flight, Mahan Air Flight 1152, landed without further incident in Beirut on Thursday evening.

There were conflicting reports as to what had happened, as Iran initially blamed Israel for the incident.

Syrian state media quoted unidentified civil aviation officials in Damascus as saying two jets, suspected of belonging to the US-led coalition, "intercepted" an Iranian passenger plane over al-Tanf, in southwestern Syria.

US troops fighting Islamic State militants have established a presence in the al-Tanf area since 2016, which is near Syria's borders with Iraq and Jordan.

The US has declared it a so-called de-conflicted zone.

Beyond it, Syrian forces and their Iranian allies operate, which makes it a remaining flashpoint in the region.

The reports said the interception forced the pilot to sharply change altitude, flying low and causing slight injuries among some of the passengers.

According to the Iranian TV report, the fighter jets came within a distance of 100 metres (328 feet) of the Iranian Airbus A310.

The pilot quickly took the aircraft to a lower altitude to avoid a collision with the jets, the report said.

US Navy Captain Bill Urban, a Central Command spokesman, later told the AP that a US F-15 fighter jet "conducted a standard visual inspection of a Mahan Air passenger airliner at a safe distance of approximately 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) from the airliner this evening".

Also during Monday's briefing, Mousavi cautioned France against revealing the extracted data of black boxes from a Ukrainian passenger plane that Iran's armed forces mistakenly shot down in January.

On July 18, Iran said it had sent the black box of the plane to France for reading.

Iran accidentally shot down the Boeing 737-800, killing all 176 people aboard, after mistaking it for an incoming missile.

Iranian armed forces had been bracing for a counterattack after launching missiles at US bases in Iraq in response to the killing of its top commander, Gen. Qassim Soleimani, in a U.S. strike earlier in January.

Iran has been in intense negotiations with Ukraine, Canada and other nations that had citizens aboard the downed plane, and who have demanded a thorough investigation into the incident.

It initially blamed the crash on technical problems and only acknowledged shooting down the plane days later.

The report did not elaborate on why Iran sent the black box to France.
An award-winning journalist and author managed to keep their cool during an MSNBC segment after their children hilariously crashed the live interview.

On Sunday, the relatable moment happened on MSNBC Live: Decision 2020 with author, journalist and LGBTQ activist Masha Gessen.

During the segment, Gessen appears to be sitting inside their home while speaking over an online video call.

First, the family dog ambles into the camera's view just seconds before one of Gessen's children walks down the stairs.

I can't believe it wasn't even mentioned pic.twitter.com/iSSVVz8yrp  Jeff (@BeastQuake) July 27, 2020

Activist and award-winning author Masha Gessen (pictured) gave an interview to MSNBC on Sunday

The child, realizing that Gessen is mid-interview, decides not to pass up an opportunity for some playful mischief.

The young child sneaks behind Gessen's back and begins to wave his hands so he can be seen on camera.

Like a sixth sense, Gessen's older child comes down the stairs and is shocked to see her sibling crashing the interview.

While speaking during the interview, one of Gessen's children (right) sneaked behind their back and began waving their hands

One of Gessen's older children came downstairs, saw what their sibling was doing and immediately jumped into action

The older child suddenly jumps down three steps, grabs her sibling and quickly drags them off-screen into an adjacent room.

All the while, Gessen doesn't even bat an eye and continues the interview without missing a beat.

The older sibling dragged the younger one out of the room while Gessen continued their interview without missing a beat

Social media users were charmed by the funny moment and shared their thoughts on Twitter.

'Watching Masha Gessen interviewed on MSNBC as kids and a dog tumble energetically down the stairs in the background is [heart emoji],' wrote Dr. Elizabeth Sacha Baroness Cohen.

'Pandemic is horrible but the humanizing effect of non-studio interviews has had a real upside, I think.'

'Bonus point for mom not batting an eye. 11/10,' one person wrote.

Several social media users thought the moment was funny and praised Gessen for keeping their cool

Dr. Cohen: 'Pandemic is horrible but the humanizing effect of non-studio interviews has had a real upside, I think'

Other users theorized that the youngest child had escaped from supervision upstairs.

'I bet Kid 2 was supposed to be watching Kid 1 upstairs. Good job, Ms. Gessen - just kept on going like the professional you are!' wrote a user.

'That was the older sister drag I remember from when my older sister used to do it to me,' wrote another person. 'Quick. Effective. Hurts like hell.'

A few people theorized that the younger child had escaped from their sibling's supervision upstairs

One person wrote: 'That was the older sister drag I remember from when my older sister used to do it to me'

Since lockdown orders caused several workplace to close amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, millions of staffers have shifted their offices online and embraced video-conferencing tools like Zoom.

In another similar incident, a Wittenberg University English class got a bit of comic relief during a recent Zoom lesson thanks to their professor's bored teenage son.

Mike Mattison, an English professor at the Springfield, Ohio school, was teaching his class via video conference when his 19-year-old son Lucas popped up in the background.

Lucas dressed up in several different costumes, including a wetsuit and a graduation cap and gown, and acted out scenes behind his father, who continued teaching as if nothing was happening in the background.

Surprise! Mike Mattison teaches English at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. His 19-year-old son Lucas recently interrupted one of his Zoom classes

For a laugh: Lucas dressed in a wetsuit, cap and gown, and other costumes and acted out comedic bits behind his dad

Lucas is himself a freshman at Xavier University, but is home quarantining with his family.

Meanwhile his father has continued to hold classes online.

Lucas thought it would be fun to set up a joke for his students, and recorded the whole thing for TikTok.

The video begins with Professor Mattison teaching while Lucas walks behind him in a wetsuit, carrying a surfboard and talking on a cell phone, seemingly lost on his way to the beach.

He then comes back in a cap and gown, pretending to wave at friends at a graduation ceremony.

Then he's an explorer, donning is best Indiana Jones outfit and looking around through a cardboard paper towel roll.

Mixing it up: He also dressed as an explorer, donning his best Indiana Jones outfit and looking around through a cardboard paper towel roll

Permission: Lucas cleared the prank with his dad before setting it up

Goofing around: Lucas (pictured with his parents) said his dad likes to have fun with his students

He changes again, becoming a soldier with a crossbow and a ninja with a gun. All the while, his dad continues to teach.

But when Lucas walks out in his final costume, Professor Mattison finally gets his revenge. He picks up a Nerf gun he has hidden under the desk, and turns around to shoot his son several times, scaring him out of the frame.

Lucas told Good Morning America that he'd cleared the prank with his dad before setting it up.

'I had to [tell my dad] I was doing it because I set up my camera in front of his computer,' he said.

'I didn't give him many details. I just told him, "I'm going to be giving them something to laugh at,"' he added.

His dad was game, Lucas said.

'He loves having fun with his students. He's known as the "fun professor,"' he said.
The Boeing Companys BA Defense, Space & Security (BDS) segment is likely to have recorded moderate top-line growth in second-quarter 2020, courtesy of impressive deliveries of the companys varied defense products. However, coronavirus-induced margin reduction might have dragged down its earnings.

Boeings second-quarter 2020 results are scheduled to be released on Jul 29.

Click here to know how the companys overall Q2 performance is expected to be.

Steady Order Flow to Aid Backlog

With the current U.S. administration spending significantly on the nations defense for the past couple of years, Boeings defense and space unit has been witnessing solid order flow from the Pentagon, NASA and Congress for its varied products. This, in turn, has been boosting BDS units backlogs.

The Boeing Company Price and EPS Surprise

The Boeing Company Price and EPS Surprise

The Boeing Company price-eps-surprise | The Boeing Company Quote

Keeping up with its usual trend, the aerospace giant clinched a handful of multi-milliondollar contracts during the second quarter as well. Some of these contract wins include a $2.6 billion deal for delivering 650 SLAM ER missiles as well as 402 Block II missiles and support equipment to Saudi Arabia. The jet maker also won a $439 million deal to developnew Apache AH-64E aircraft and Longbow crew trainers to the Moroccan army. These should duly get reflected in the upcoming results in the form of backlog growth.

Will Impressive Deliveries Aid?

Boeings second-quarter 2020 defense delivery figures reflected a notable increase of18.9% from the year-ago period.

In the quarter, its defense deliveries totaled 44, up from 37 in the year-ago period. Such impressive delivery figures are expected to have boosted the defense segments performance in the soon-to-be-reported quarter.

In April 2020, Boeings KC-46 won a contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop and integrate a new Remote Vision System. To this end, the company aims to upgrade this tankers existing feature to the extent that no other tanker will have the technological capabilities of the KC-46. We may expect further updates on this once Boeing releases its second-quarter results.

Story continues

However, due to the spread of the novel coronavirus across the globe, a handful of Boeings production units were closed for some time in the second quarter. Consequently, productivity inefficiencies and COVID-19-related factory disruption may have impacted margins and in turn, dragged down BDS earnings.

What the Zacks Model Unveils

According to the Zacks model, the combination of two key ingredients  a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better  increases the odds of an earnings surprise.

Boeing has an Earnings ESP of -4.82% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Stocks to Consider

Here are some defense companies you may want to consider as these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in their upcoming release:

Curtiss-Wright Corp. CW has an Earnings ESP of +13.62% and a Zacks Rank #3.

Leidos Holdings, Inc. LDOS has an Earnings ESP of +0.11% and a Zacks Rank #3.

A Recent Defense Release

Lockheed Martin LMT reported second-quarter 2020 adjusted earnings of $6.13 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.71 by 7.4%. It carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020

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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Sir Kenneth Branagh has written and is directing a new film about Belfast.

The award-winning star, who spent his early years in Tigers Bay, said the movie, called Belfast, would pay tribute to the city and its people.

It will be set in Northern Ireland and England, where some of the story unfolds.

Filming is expected to get under way here and across the water next month.

It is understood the shoot will take place over three to four weeks.

Speaking exclusively to Sunday Life, Sir Kenneth confirmed the new project.

"I have written and will direct a new film called Belfast. It is partly set in the city and is a very personal movie about a place and people I love," he said.

With the local film industry severely impacted by coronavirus lockdown restrictions, Richard Williams, the CEO of Northern Ireland Screen, welcomed the news of the star's latest production.

"Film-making in the time of Covid is challenging, but we hope this humorous and tender tale will find its way safely to the big screen," he said.

"The production intends to film partly in Belfast and partly in England, where some of the story is set.

"The dates are inevitably fluid, but a late summer shoot is planned."

Casting is under way for the shoot and the film's plot is being kept under wraps.

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Sir Kenneth's most recent project Artemis Fowl, which was filmed partly on Northern Ireland's north coast, began streaming exclusively on Disney+ last month.

The film, based on Eoin Colfer's best-selling book, was directed by Branagh, with scenes filmed at Whiterocks Beach in Portrush and Dunluce Castle during the summer of 2018.

Sir Kenneth was born in Belfast in 1960, but his family moved to England when he was nine years old.

His first starring role was in the Graham Reid-penned Billy trilogy, which was broadcast on BBC Northern Ireland during the 1980s.

The actor, writer and director, whose films include Hamlet, Dunkirk, My Week With Marilyn and Murder on the Orient Express, to name but a few, was given the Freedom of Belfast in 2018.

He said at the time: "I'm proud to say that you can take the boy out of Belfast, but you can't take Belfast out of the boy."
25 years ago: Congress ends hearings on Waco siege

The Mount Carmel Center in flames, Waco, April 19, 1993

On August 1, 1995, the United States Congress completed week-long hearings on the Waco siege of 1993, designed to both placate and legitimize extreme right-wing groupsfrom the Christian Coalition to paramilitary militias and neo-Nazi tendencieswhich had made the Waco assault a cause celebre .

The Waco siege, carried out by federal agents in the spring of 1993 against an obscure religious group known as the Branch Davidians, culminated in a murderous raid on April 19 that killed 76 members, including 25 children, two pregnant women, and the groups leader, David Koresh.

The fascist terrorists who carried out the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, timed their crime to mark the second anniversary of the assault on the Waco compound. The extreme sensitivity of the big-business parties to the concerns of such forces was a major warning to the working class.

In the hearings, congressional Democrats sought to defend the actions of the Clinton administration, the Justice Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in the two-month standoff. They repeated the arguments used at the time to justify the use of tanks and injection of CS gas into the compound, which set off the explosion.

The Republican majority, which convened the hearings, subjected dozens of federal officials to hostile inquiries. But their show of concern for democratic rights and the fate of the Branch Dividians was a thinly disguised cover for a reactionary political agenda.

The hypocrisy of the supposed opponents of government violence on the investigating committee was extraordinary. Henry Hyde, a senior Republican congressman, expressed no misgivings in 1969 when the FBI orchestrated the murder of Chicago Black Panthers leaders Mark Clark and Fred Hampton. No congressional hearings were convened to investigate the shooting of student protesters at Kent State in 1970 or the bombing of the MOVE house in Philadelphia in 1985.

The massacre at Waco was a crime perpetrated by the capitalist state against a small and isolated religious sect. It was an object lesson and a warning of the much wider violence which the ruling class would be willing to employ should its property and power be threatened by a mass movement of the working class. (For more analysis, see the WSWS editorial board statement Ten years since the Waco massacre).

50 years ago: Cesar Chavez ends California strike

Chavez, right, speaks while Teamsters member Duncan West, left, watches

On July 29, 1970, the five-year-long Delano grape strike by agricultural workers came to an end. Cesar Chavez, the head of the United Farm Workers (UFW) declared the strike a victory after having secured a collective bargaining agreement with several large growers.

While certain short-term gains in working conditions were made, they came at the cost of the total subordination of the farm workers rebellion to the profit interests of the growers, as well as the Democratic Party and the AFL-CIO. Within a little more than a decade the UFW would collapse, incapable of offering a means of organizing recent migrants and defending itself against a counteroffensive launched by the major California growers.

The strike began in 1965, following a wave of unrest among farm workers. Initially, workers in the predominantly Filipino Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) walked off the job after being forced into working for $1.20 per hour, less than the federal minimum wage at the time. The Delano growers attempted to hire workers from Chavezs predominantly Mexican National Farmworkers Association (NFWA), a deal that Chavez initially accepted.

Only after massive resistance by the rank and file to scabbing on their fellow workers and desire to improve their own conditions did Chavez call for a strike. Eventually, the two unions merged into the UFW. Additionally, Chavez did not call workers out until he entered into a formal agreement with the AFL-CIO and UAW President Walter Reuther, who flew to Delano and worked with Chavez to ensure that the explosive struggle of the farmworkers remained within the acceptable framework of contract negotiation.

The strike saw several significant demonstrations by the farm workers. In April of 1966, over 8,000 farmworkers completed a 340-mile march from Delano to Sacramento. Despite being harassed by police when passing through over 30 cities, the workers gained international attention for their strike. Farm workers displayed remarkable bravery, refusing to be intimidated by police abuse.

In an attempt to undermine the strike, the large agricultural businesses came to an agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to ship the produce picked by scab laborers. When Teamster truck drivers refused to ship scab products, union officials ordered their members off the job and brought in Teamster bureaucrats and scabs to ship the goods. The development marked the emergence of an important phenomenon that would come to dominate labor struggles in the 1980s: the trade union bureaucracies actively working to break strikes.

As the strike dragged on for several years, Chavezs strategy was to appeal to the Democratic party. In particular, Chavez formed a close relationship with Robert F. Kennedy, whom he endorsed for president before Kennedys assassination in 1968.

At the same time Chavez was cozying up to the Democrats, he initiated a red scare and purged all radical elements within the UFW. Workers who were openly socialist or communist were removed from the union and fired. Even those who raised minor criticisms of the orientation to the Democratic Party became targeted and were accused of being communists.

The growers decided to sign an agreement with Chavez after he had thoroughly convinced them that he had removed any trace of militancy that existed among the workers. Hollis Roberts, one of Californias largest growers, said after signing a UFW contract: I learned to like Chavez and I found that a lot of things we had been told about these people were not true. I had been told they were Communists, and I had been advised never to talk to them in person.  Now, I dont think we could have been any more wrong.

75 years ago: Massive US bombardment of Japan

Toyama after US bombing raid

On August 2, 1945, the US Air Force carried out its heaviest raids targeting Japanese cities to that point in World War II, with 800 B-29 bombers dropping an estimated 6,000 tons of incendiary bombs on Japanese cities. Within the space of a few hours, an estimated 80,000 people, the majority of them civilians, were killed.

The night before, on August 1, the US military had leveled Toyama, a small city on the northern coast of Japans main island Honshu. Some 182 aircraft from the US Twentieth Air Force took part in the raid, deploying almost 1,500 tons of bombs on the city.

Toyama was an industrial hub, known for its production of ball bearings and steel. Amid the disintegration of Japans armed forces, however, and imminent Allied victory in the conflict, it had limited military significance. Despite this, the raid was among the heaviest of the entire war, relative to the population and infrastructure of the target.

An estimated 99 percent of all buildings in the city, including public buildings and residential dwellings, were destroyed. The city center was reduced to ash after the bombardment was compounded by fires triggered by the incendiary devices. Over 100,000 people were affected by the bombing. At least 2,700 were killed and more than 8,000 injured.

The raid included the use of pumpkin bombs, developed by the US army-led Manhattan Project. These were massive conventional aerial bombs, designed to mimic the handling and ballistic characteristics of the Fat Man plutonium bomb, also developed by the Manhattan Project. Instead of containing plutonium, the pumpkin bomb was filled with a massive payload of high explosives.

Four of the devices were dropped on Toyama, even though it was virtually undefended. This is widely viewed as having been a test run for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki just days later. Those attacks, on August 6 and 9, would mark the first use of nuclear weapons during combat, in a war crime that resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths.

100 years ago: Communist Party of Great Britain founded

Delegates to the Communist Unity Convention

On July 31, 1920, the Communist Unity Convention, held at the Cannon Street Hotel in London, founded the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). The 152 delegates came from several left-wing groups, including the British Socialist Party, the Socialist Labor Party, the South Wales Socialist Society, shop stewards committees, and a variety of smaller organizations as well as individuals who supported the principles of Bolshevism. The founding of the CPGB occurred while the Second Congress of the Communist International was in session in Moscow.

A letter by Lenin to the committee that had organized the British congress was read at one of its sessions:

I am in complete sympathy with their plans for the immediate organization of a single Communist Party of Britain. I consider erroneous the tactics pursued by Comrade Sylvia Pankhurst and the Workers Socialist Federation, who refuse to collaborate in the amalgamation of the British Socialist Party, the Socialist Labour Party and others to form a single Communist party. Personally I am in favor of participation in Parliament and of affiliation to the Labour Party, given wholly free and independent communist activities.

In January 1921, at a second Communist Unity Conference in Leeds, Pankhursts Communist Party (British Section of the Third International), which had sent delegates to Moscow, unified with the CPGB on the basis of common agreement with the Statutes and Theses of the Second Congress of the Third International.

The period that followed the First World War was one of a militant upsurge of the working class in Britain and internationally, initiated by the Russian Revolution of 1917. Revolutionary movements developed in Germany, Italy and Hungary, and the United States was seized with mass strikes by coal miners and steelworkers. In all of these countries communist parties were formed under the leadership of the Communist International to lead revolutionary struggles, while Soviet Russia waged a bitter civil war to prevent the restoration of capitalism in the former Tsarist Empire.

The period also witnessed the development of anti-imperialist movements in the colonies, including Britains richest colony, India, as well as opposition to British imperialism in Turkey, the Middle East and East Africa.

In 1919, British coal miners had won the seven-hour day, and that year saw one of the most notable episodes in the history of the British working class, the Glasgow general strike, which was only quelled by the intervention of the British military. One of the leaders of the strike, William Gallacher, joined the CPGB in 1921.
Australian Consumer Watchdog Taking Google to Court

Australias consumer watchdog has launched legal action against Google, accusing the online giant of misleading customers about the use of their personal data.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleges Google failed to properly inform its usersand did not gain their consentbefore collecting data on their internet activity for targeted advertising.

ACCC chairman Rod Sims said the companys 2016 changes impacted millions of Australians.

We consider Google misled Australian consumers about what it planned to do with large amounts of their personal information, including internet activity on websites not connected to Google, he said on July 27.

Google denies any wrongdoing and will fight the allegations.

Sims said through the changes made, Google significantly increased the scope of personal information it collected about consumers.

This included potentially very sensitive and private information about their activities on third party websites, he said.

It then used this information to serve up highly targeted advertisements without consumers express, informed consent.

Google users were prompted to click a pop-up notification to agree to the changes, but the ACCC said there was not enough information provided for consumers to give informed consent.

We believe that many consumers, if given an informed choice, may have refused Google permission to combine and use such a wide array of their personal information for Googles own financial benefit, Sims said.

The ACCC also alleges Googles privacy policy was misleading, as the company states it would not reduce consumer rights without explicit consent.

Google strongly disagrees with the allegations and will defend its position in court.

The changes we made were optional and we asked users to consent via prominent and easy-to-understand notifications, a spokesperson told AAP.

Federal Labors communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland said consumers deserved protection from invasive advertising.

Anyone who has experienced that spooky feeling of being served targeted ads after browsing the internet should welcome moves by the ACCC to ensure that Australian law is being upheld, she told AAP.

Sometimes targeted advertising can be handy, but it can sometimes feel invasive. The main thing is that consumers understand and consent to how their data gets used.

Daniel McCulloch in Canberra
Since 2013, Toyota Motor Philippines has helped boost the local motorsports scene with the one-make race Vios Racing Festival (previously known as Vios Cup). Aside from giving racing aficionados a reason to line up at the tracks anew, the annual race series also proved that the Vios is more than just the typical workhorse.

In the 2019 season of the said race series, the last time the event was held, TMP had racers use the 2019 iteration of the most-sought-after Toyota vehicle.

However, over the course of the weekend, the local arm of the Japanese automaker has launched the updated version of the Vios, making it available in all its dealer networks starting today (July 27).

During the launch, it was asked whether the latest version will be used in the race series next (as this year's race has been suspended for safety reasons due to COVID-19).

But, in consideration to those who used their race cars for only a year, TMP First Vice President for Vehicle Sales Operations Sherwin Chualim said that they would still be using the same model allowed previously.

Vios OMR

To maximize the vehicles, we are requiring the racers to be using the one they used last year, Chualim said.

On the sales side, the Vios has a target that's quite a tall order to meet.

TMP Senior Vice President Jing Atienza said that they are eyeing to finish the year with 23,000 Vios units rolled outwith around 60 -percent of total sales (14,000 units) to be contributed by the newly-unveiled version.

This, as the company headed by TMP president Atsuhiro Okamoto, is quite experiencing a faster recovery despite the around 40-percent sales slide for the first six months of the year.

Photos from Toyota Motor Philippines

Also read:

Catch the final leg of the 2019 Vios Racing Festival this weekend on-site and online

Toyota PH Lends Out Vios, Test Units to Frontliners
DALLAS, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Apex Clearing, the digital custody and clearing engine powering the future of wealth management, today announced the launch of a new integration with Orion Advisor Solutions, the premier provider of the tech-enabled fiduciary framework that empowers financial advisors to Prospect, Plan, Invest, and Achieve within a single, connected experience. Under the integration, Apex's account opening APIs are now available inside the client portal for advisors on Orion's platform. This will enable investors to seamlessly open and fund an account in minutes, without the need for any paper processes or signatures.

Using Apex's technology, which powers market-leading digital mobile investing apps, Orion clients can now offer investors the ability to open accounts autonomously, directly via their client portal. This can be done through a simple, three-step process:

Log into Client Portal : (Orion Planning)

: (Orion Planning) Open Account: Users enter all their information and complete the process via a checkbox that opens the account in real-time. The process can be completed in as little as five minutes.

Users enter all their information and complete the process via a checkbox that opens the account in real-time. The process can be completed in as little as five minutes. Fund Account: Clients can link their bank to their account right in the client portal and transfer the money right then and there.

"At Apex Clearing, we're constantly innovating and enhancing our solutions to deliver the most frictionless investing process possible," said Dustin Kirkland, Chief Product Officer of Apex Clearing. "A fully digital and instant experience is no longer considered added-value, it's demanded by today's tech-savvy consumers. As one of the first companies to digitize the rather antiquated and analog activities associated with securities clearing and custody, Apex has set the standard for the technology that drives many of today's most popular fintechs  and now we're bringing that same cutting-edge tech directly to advisors' practices via Orion's platform. More importantly, as advisors grow and add more clients to their rosters, they can rest assured knowing that Apex's technology is there to help them scale in ways they couldn't before."

The client-driven process also provides benefits for the advisor, such as:

Seamless Integration into New Account Center: Once a client opens a new account through their client portal, advisors will see that account in the New Account Center in Orion Connect.

Once a client opens a new account through their client portal, advisors will see that account in the New Account Center in Orion Connect. Building Brand Equity: The integration with Apex allows advisors to take advantage of the efficiencies provided by the partnership, namely, the time saved not having to walk through the traditional account opening process repeatedly.

"Apex offers an incredible user experience, and their digital account opening tool completes our newly-upgraded client portal with everything a client needs to play an active role in the success of their financial future," said Hussain Zaidi, Chief Strategy Officer of Orion Advisor Solutions. "By offering Apex's real-time account opening and funding alongside our planning and investment solutions, all from a single portal, advisors are able to deliver the modern, engaging and real-time client experience investors demand."

Great Point Capital (GPC) is a national financial services firm that provides a fully integrated technology platform to independent investment advisors, brokers and insurance agents, allowing them to service the most sophisticated families and institutions.

"At Great Point, we are committed to ensuring that our advisors always have access to the most technologically advanced tools and platform available in the industry," said Jim Lynch, Managing Director and Head of Advisor Recruiting at Great Point Capital LLC. "Orion's new integration with Apex Clearing solidifies this competitive advantage, making us the premier location for advisors seeking today's most innovative wealth tech solutions."

About Apex Clearing Corporation

Apex Clearing is a custody and clearing engine that's powering the future of digital wealth management. Our proprietary enterprise-grade technology delivers speed, efficiency, and flexibility to firms ranging from innovative start-ups to blue-chip brands focused on transformation to capture a new generation of investors. We help our clients provide the seamless digital experiences today's consumers expect with the throughput and scalability needed by fast-growing, high-volume financial services businesses. Founded in 2012, Apex Clearing is registered with the SEC, a member of FINRA and a participant in SIPC.

For more information, visit the Apex Clearing Website and connect with us via Instagram , LinkedIn , and Twitter .



About Orion Advisor Solutions

Orion Advisor Solutions is the premier provider of the tech-enabled fiduciary process that transforms the advisor-client relationship by enabling financial advisors to Prospect, Plan, Invest, and Achieve within a single, connected, technology-driven experience. Combined, our brand entities, Orion Advisor Tech, Orion Portfolio Solutions, and CLS Investments, create a complete yet modular offering that empowers firms to seamlessly attract new clients; connect goals more meaningfully to investment strategies and outcomes; and ultimately track progress toward each investor's unique definition of financial success. As a result, Orion supports more than 2,000 advisory firms with $1 trillion in assets under administration and an additional $40 billion of combined assets (Orion Portfolio Solutions and Brinker Capital) on the open architecture TAMP, making Orion the platform of choice for all growth-focused advisory firms looking to strengthen their client relationships, gain a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace, and build strong, profitable businesses. Learn more at www.orion.com.

Media Contact:

JConnelly for Apex Clearing

Dana Taormina

(973) 647-4626

[email protected]

SOURCE Apex Clearing
Senators Tim Scott (R., S.C.) and Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.) have teamed up to offer a bill that would redirect some coronavirus-relief funding to school-choice programs, so families could continue sending their children to the schools that are best for them even during the pandemic and recession.

The School Choice Now Act  which has the support of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos  would repurpose some of the emergency education-relief funding currently included in the CARES Act, which already provides aid to state education departments and local school districts. Under the bill, 10 percent of that funding would go to grants that states could use to fund scholarship organizations, which offer families direct educational assistance to cover private-school tuition or other educational expenses, such as the costs of homeschooling.

The aid would be available to states with tax-credit scholarship programs as well as to states without them. The former would be required to allot subgrants to scholarship groups within the first 30 days of receiving federal aid, whereas the latter would have 60 days to do so. After receiving those subgrants, scholarship organizations would be required to use 95 percent of the funding to offer scholarships to qualifying elementary- and secondary-school students.

In addition to these temporary funding measures to address the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the bill would establish a permanent, federal tax-credit scholarship program, a proposal that the Trump administration  DeVos in particular  has been backing for years. The program would offer federal taxpayers dollar-for-dollar tax credits for any contributions they make to scholarship-granting organizations, with a cap of $5 billion per year on the program.

The proposal is an admirable effort to address a crisis thats unfolding across the country in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, which has only exacerbated financial problems that private, often religious schools were already facing. According to the Cato Institute, more than 100 private schools have announced permanent closures as a result of the economic fallout from the virus.

Story continues

As school-choice policy expert Michael McShane notes in Forbes, those schools enrolled a total of 16,339 students, many of whom will be returning to public schools at an estimated cost to the public of more than $250 million, even as public-school districts are taking an enormous financial hit from the virus.

Meanwhile, at least 60 Catholic schools are slated to permanently close their doors because of COVID-19 and the recession. The closures will have severe ramifications, as Nicole Stelle Garnett has explained in great detail in the latest issue of City Journal.

But even as Republicans aim to help families access better educational options and relieve the stress on public schools, top Democrats are busy frustrating those efforts. For instance, in the recent set of policy recommendations rolled out in conjunction with Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden calls for the total elimination of the Opportunity Scholarship Program in Washington, D.C. Just last week, DeVos announced that the Education Department is set to award the program a minimum of $85 million over the coming five years; under Bidens administration, that program would disappear entirely.

As the Wall Street Journal editorial board has observed:

Nearly 98% of students with [D.C.] Opportunity Scholarships graduate from high school, compared with 69% of D.C. public school students. Some 86% go onto college, while more than 90% of scholarship recipients are black or Hispanic, and the average family income is less than $27,000 a year. . . . It takes a special political animus to kill scholarships for poor minorities while proposing literally trillions of dollars in new spending on countless other programs.

School choice is a key policy area in which Republicans are much more in sync with the views of most Americans, including minorities, than are Democrats. According to a survey this spring from the American Federation for Children, most nonwhite families say they support school choice, including 67 percent of African Americans and 63 percent of Hispanics.

The same poll found that half of African Americans said they consider themselves more likely to homeschool after the lockdowns end, the highest percentage of any racial demographic aside from Asian Americans. Meanwhile, blacks and Hispanics are the most likely of any demographic to support a federal tax-credit scholarship program; close to three-quarters of each group says theyd back such a plan.

Republicans are smart to prioritize policies that would expand school choice during this time of crisis. For a host of reasons, the least of which is sheer political calculation, Democrats would be wise to help them.

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Americas history is full of both bravery and bloodshed, noble ideas and flawed men. One of the places that seems to show this so clearly is Gettysburg National Battlefield.

The Battle of Gettysburg marked the turning point of the Civil War. The North and South met for three days in the stifling July heat and fought each other in what became the bloodiest battle of the war. General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia retreated, and would never cross the Mason-Dixon line into the Union side again.

The battle was fought as tensions between the Union and the Confederacy had reached an all-time high. In January 1863, six months before the battle took place, President Lincoln had delivered his famous Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves to be free. The objective of the war, which had been kindled by questions of states rights versus the governments rights, now became about whether a man had a right to be free.

Union cavalry troops engage Confederate cavalry with sabers on July 2, 2011 during re-enactments of battles during the three-day battle of Gettysburg at the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images)

I visited the national battlefield for the first time as a college student, on summer break with my boyfriend then, now husband, and his grandparents. Andrew had grown up going to Gettysburg with his grandfather, a World War II veteran and lover of American history. We packed a picnic lunch of sandwiches and salt and vinegar chips to eat at the tables outside of the visitor center, and then slowly made our way through the historic battlefield, beginning with the Union side.

Gettysburg in person feels completely different from learning about the battle in a textbook. First, theres the weather. To visit Gettysburg in July is to know, in a small way, a little more of the soldiers suffering. Pennsylvania in July feels akin to breathing in a swimming pool. The humidity is stifling, and leaves even the most appropriately dressed tourist drenched in sweat, never mind the reenactors, who don starchy wool uniforms. As we walked the battlefield in the hot summer sun, I pictured young soldiers, barely more than boys, marching to this field hungry, dirty, and homesick, to fight in the thick of July on the eve of the anniversary of a divided nations independence.

The Reality of War

The Battle of Gettysburg, like many battles in the Civil War, took place on the farms of civilians. Many of the farmhouses are still standing today, allowing visitors to imagine what it felt like to watch war happen right outside their windows. I had always pictured war as separate from real life. Gettysburg intentionally reminds visitors of the ways that they intersect. The battlefield feels like a picture of the human paradox: that we are capable of both tending to soil and procuring fruit from it, and fighting one another on that very same soil.

The largest and most prominent monument on the battlefield is the Pennsylvania State Memorial. Standing an impressive 110 feet high, the monument looms over the battlefield. Etched into the four sides of the monument are the 34,530 names of the Pennsylvanians who served their state and country fighting in this battle. Andrew and his grandfather pointed out one of their relatives on the monument, his name etched into the stone, honored for his willingness to do what was necessary to preserve the Union.

One of the 1,200 memorials that dot this national park along Cemetery Ridge, on Aug. 13, 2010, at Gettysburg National Military Park. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images)

The battlefield monuments are designed to educate visitors on where the Union and Confederate lines were, and how the fighting took place. As we moved to the Confederate side of the battle, I was struck by the number of monuments, plaques, and markers that honored the men who fought with these states. The Gettysburg Battlefield National Park website has stated their commitment to preserve these memorials while simultaneously educating visitors holistically about the actions, motivations, and causes of the soldiers and states they commemorate. A hallmark of American progress is our ability to learn from our history.

The park is dedicated to providing accurate information and historical context to their visitors to reflect what really happened on the battlefield.

The Visitor Center

After visitors wander around the field in the summer sun, the Gettysburg Visitor Center provides a welcome relief from the heat. More than that though, its Museum of the American Civil War is packed with information, relics, and stories from the Civil War.

I left Gettysburg that first time feeling overwhelmed by the reality of war, but I have returned again and again to the park to find the stories of bravery and courage in the midst of it. The battlefield is full of stories of people who, in a season when their country was hanging on by a thread, summoned enough hope for what their more perfect Union could be to fight for its future.

Rachael Dymski is an author, florist, and mom to two little girls. She is currently writing a novel about the German occupation of the Channel Islands and blogs on her website, RachaelDymski.com
PELLA, Iowa, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pella Corporation, a leading window and door designer and manufacturer, announced today that it has selected Troy, Ohio as the location for its new manufacturing facility. Pella will occupy an existing 324,000 square foot space where it will house the production of vinyl windows and doors.

The new manufacturing facility will serve customers in the Eastern region of the United States and will enable the company to meet rapidly increasing demand for Pella vinyl products.

"We are excited about the growth opportunity that vinyl products represent. This new facility allows Pella to increase our production capacity and shorten lead times for our valued retail and trade customers in the region," said Tim Yaggi, CEO, Pella Corporation.

The facility, which is located at 1501 Experiment Farm Road Troy, OH, is planning to create 428 new jobs once it's fully operational by 2025. The project was made possible through strong partnerships with Jobs Ohio, Dayton Development Coalition, Troy Development Council and Ohio Development Services Agency.

"Troy, Ohio is a great fit for Pella Corporation. It offers a rich heritage in manufacturing, as well as a skilled and available workforce. It's clear that economic development is a top priority for the city, and we appreciate the partnership created between Pella, the City of Troy and the State of Ohio," said Yaggi.

With a culture built on integrity, teamwork, respect and embracing different perspectives, Pella Corporation is recognized as a Glassdoor Employees' Choice for Best Places to Work in 2020. Candidates interested in available positions can learn more and apply online at pella.com/careers.

JobsOhio President and CEO  "During uncertain economic times, Pella is choosing Ohio as a partner to sustain its long-term success. Pella's new operations in Troy will create 428 new jobs and become a manufacturing hub to supply customers throughout the Eastern United States."

City of Troy Mayor Robin Oda  "The City of Troy is thrilled to be able to welcome Pella Corporation to our city. This has been a long process of effort and cooperation between the City of Troy, Pella, the Troy Development Council, the Dayton Development Coalition and Jobs Ohio, to make this happen. The creation of over 400 new jobs in Troy is an amazing thing for our community and our county. We look forward to Pella calling Troy home!!

Troy Development Council CEO Joseph A. Graves  "Industrial recruitment is vital to the growth of any community, and I appreciate the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in this project at every level. Pella's investment in our city and the employment opportunities that will be created provide a stimulus to the continued economic development of our area. I look forward to a long and successful partnership with our newest corporate citizen."

About Pella Corporation

Pella Corporation designs and manufacturers windows and doors for residential homes and commercial applications. The company is headquartered in Pella, Iowa and employs more than 7,000 people with 16 manufacturing locations and more than 200 showrooms across the country. For more information, visit pressroom.pella.com.

SOURCE Pella Corporation
Time is not ripe yet for KBS to raise subscription fee



The issue of raising the subscription fee for KBS, the national public broadcaster, has emerged as a hot potato after the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) chief agreed on the need to raise the fee that has been frozen at 2,500 won ($2.08) for 40 years.



In a July 20 National Assembly hearing, KCC Chairman Han Sang-hyuk said it would be impossible to resolve the difficulties of terrestrial broadcasters just through a few deregulatory measures, including allowing them to broadcast commercials. Han made the remarks in response to a question from Rep. Woo Sang-ho of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who proposed that KBS reduce its advertising time in return for raising the subscription fee.



KBS can raise the long-held subscription fee, if necessary. But the essential prerequisite for this is whether KBS is playing the role of a public broadcaster properly. Our answer to that is no. A day before Han's remarks at the National Assembly, KBS issued an apology on its 9 p.m. news program for broadcasting an unconfirmed report alleging collusion between a senior prosecutor and a former reporter who is now under arrest.



It is undeniable that KBS has lost fairness and balance by reporting in favor of the ruling camp. On July 21, even the broadcaster's union lashed out at the collusion report, accusing KBS of acting as the administration's "propaganda speaker." This reflects the feelings of the public sickened by the broadcaster's biased reporting, especially since Moon took office in 2017.



KBS is reported to be struggling with financial woes. There could be many reasons, but the most important reason is certainly its failure to win public confidence. So the time is not ripe for KBS to raise its subscription fee. The broadcaster and the administration should proactively take measures so that KBS can properly play the role of a public broadcaster before asking viewers to pay more.


Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, stating early on that his administration will not shirk its responsibility in ensuring human rights for all.

Duterte said, "My administration has always believed that freedom from illegal drugs, terrorism, corruption, and criminality is itself a human right."

Duterte has frequently come under fire for his statements regarding international reports saying his government has been particularly tough when it comes to handling the illegal drug trade.

In June this year, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a report to the Human Rights Council that extrajudicial killings and other abuses were happening as a result of anti-drug policies.

The campaign against illegal drugs is being carried out without due regard for the rule of law, due process, and the human rights of people who may be using or selling drugs, she said.

Bachelet's report came after the UN passed a resolution in 2019 calling for a probe into the killings and other alleged human rights abuses in the country.

READ: Philippines' 'heavy-handed' approach on drug war, security threats led to human rights violations  UN report

Duterte, however, has continued to defend his stand, saying he would do whatever it took to rid the country from the scourge of illegal drugs.

He has said that it was the cause of many families being split apart, and the reason why people commit crimes while being under the influence.

Protecting children against abuse

In his speech, Duterte also said his government has taken steps to protect children from exploitation and abuse by signing Executive Order No. 92 which created the National Council Against Child Labor.

"Government efforts to protect the rights of children will be amplified to prevent, reduce, and eliminate any form of child labor, " he said.
Norman has enjoyed a successful 18-year career with Coldwell Banker Realty, joining the New Jersey and Rockland County, New York company in 2002 as branch vice president of its Montclair office. He was then selected to lead the Morristown office in 2009. During his tenure as a branch vice president, Norman was a frequent recipient of the company's annual President's Council for Managers Award, honoring his exemplary leadership and management skills. Norman was promoted to regional vice president in 2015, responsible for 14 sales offices spanning Essex, Morris, Somerset and Sussex counties. In 2018, he was selected as regional vice president of the company's north region, overseeing 17 sales offices throughout Bergen, Hudson, Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties, as well as Rockland County, New York.

A Denville resident, Norman earned a bachelor's degree in communications and public relations from Susquehanna University. He is a member of the North Central Jersey Association of REALTORS and the National Association of REALTORS. Norman has been recognized by the New Jersey Senate and U.S. Senate for his support of diversity in business.

Norman is succeeding Hal Maxwell, who was president of Coldwell Banker Realty in New Jersey and Rockland County, New York for more than a decade before retiring in June 2020.

Quotes:

"Rob is a clear choice to lead the company and I am excited to welcome him into this crucial role. For more than 20 years, Rob has built a highly successful career in real estate management. He knows Coldwell Banker Realty inside-out and is perfectly positioned to expand our presence in local markets, elevate the partnership we provide to agents, and enhance the service we deliver to our clients."

 Sue Yannaccone, regional executive vice president Coldwell Banker Realty, Eastern Seaboard and Midwest regions

"Coldwell Banker provides superior tools and services and I greatly look forward to helping our agents utilize these tools to achieve their goals in their respective markets to exceed in business and lead exceptional lives. They play an important role by guiding buyers and sellers who are making pivotal financial and life decisions."

 Rob Norman, president, Coldwell Banker Realty in New Jersey and Rockland County, New York

About Coldwell Banker Realty in New Jersey and Rockland County, New York

Coldwell Banker Realty in New Jersey and Rockland County, New York is a leading residential real estate brokerage company with approximately 46 offices and 3.700 affiliated sales associates. Coldwell Banker Realty is owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), the largest full-service residential real estate services company in the United States. Visit ColdwellBankerHomes.com.

Media Contact:

Kevin Guhl, [email protected]

973-407-5916

SOURCE Coldwell Banker Realty in New Jersey and Rockland County, New York

Related Links

https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com


TopDev's report recommends that IT personnel should have macro perspective to rearrange their career plans in this varied market.

Half of tech companies in Vietnam plan to reduce their headcount for the second half of the year 2020 due to effects of Covid-19, according the latest report by TopDev, an information technology (IT) recruitment platform.

Source: Vietnam IT Landscape 2020 Report

The Vietnam IT Landscape 2020 Report showed that 37.1% of respondents will reduce less than 30% of total headcount in the second half of this year. Meanwhile, 14.3% of respondents said they would downsize by 30-50% their payroll and another 6.8% plans to trim their workforce by 50% to 70%.

However, about 41.8% of tech respondents plan to maintain their recruitment plans in the second half of 2020, of which 7% of tech companies say they will increase less than 20% of total headcount.

IT recruitment trends

In the second half of 2020, demand for project manager and software engineering manager will increase by 20% compared to the same period last year. Topping the recruitment demands are Developer and Software Engineer, followed by IT management and infrastructure expert, according to Adeccos Deputy Director of Human Resources Chuong Nguyen.

Demand for IT technician, analyst and technical support team for assisting the majority of work-from-home employees is also expected to surge.

Source: Vietnam IT Landscape 2020 Report

Though the demand for IT recruitment is currently on the rise, the IT market average salary has endured a slight impact. The market has undergone obvious movements and classifications in IT personnel at different levels. This phenomenon was most obvious in the pandemic as those who are more flexible and better met businesses strict requirements, would receive faster average salary increases than the markets ones.

As predicted by the previous reports, highest-paying programming languages require special skills like Data Analyst, DevOps, Machine Learning or Al. Despite increasing demand for web developers, salary and demand for mobile developers are equal to other languages and programming skills.

Source: Vietnam IT Landscape 2020 Report

CTO, CIO or Tech Management positions, which are considered the highest career goals, can get a salary of up to VND130 million (US$5,606) per month.

As there will be new strategies from employers, the report recommends that IT personnel should have macro perspective to rearrange their career plans in this varied market. Businesses also start taking steps to exploit and transform themselves in this new normal era. Hanoitimes

Nhat Minh

AirPods maker in Vietnam speeds up production with massive recruitment Luxshare ICT announced they are still hiring 300 workers per day from June 18 to 20 for production expansion in North Vietnam.
A Croatian film student in Galway lost his bank card on a drunken visit to Cork at the weekend  and to solve his accommodation problem he broke into a car.

Leo Tihic started the weekend by celebrating his 26th birthday, solicitor, Shane Collins-Daly, explained at Cork District Court today.

Things began to go wrong for Tihic when he drank too much on Saturday night, July 25, and lost his bank card.

Garda Paraic White encountered the young film student sitting in a car with a broken window on Wellington Road, Cork.

The young man was arrested and brought before Cork District Court today where he pleaded guilty to smashing the front-side passenger window of the car and then getting into the stationary Fiat.

Mr Collins-Daly said: He is from Croatia. He is here for the past two years. He is living in Galway. He works in a coffee shop part time and he is a student of film production in Galway.

He came to Cork and lost his bank card after he had been drinking. He had nowhere to stay. He broke into this car. It was his birthday. He has no previous convictions. He only came to Cork for the weekend, Mr Collins-Daly said.

Inspector Ronan Kennelly said that Garda Paraic White found the defendant sitting in the front of the car with a front window broken beside him and found that the young man was wearing gloves at the time.

Judge Olann Kelleher said that he would give the defendant a chance to pay for the damage he caused in order to avoid a custodial sentence.

Sentencing was put back until September 1 for that purpose.

He is at risk of custody if is not paid, Judge Kelleher said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 18:53:23|Editor: huaxia

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HEFEI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- While many Chinese residents relocate to townships to escape floods, some in east China's Anhui Province are sheltering away in special villages.

China has entered its rainy season. Since June, continuous downpours have lashed large parts of southern China, and the waters of many rivers in the affected regions have exceeded warning levels.

On July 23, authorities closed the spillways at Wangjiaba, a major flood diversion channel on the Huaihe River, almost 77 hours after they were opened in a move to reserve capacity in flood zones.

Since the spillways were opened, 1,360 cubic meters of water roared through the diversion area per second in the midst of pouring rain, inundating local farmlands in the county of Funan.

A total of 375 million cubic meters of water has been stored in the Mengwa buffer zone in the county, swallowing an area of more than 180 square km, home to about 155,000 residents.

Amid the sea of floodwater stand highland villages known as "zhuangtai" by locals. The villages have long served as shelters for people living in the flood diversion area.

Created in 1953 alongside the Wangjiaba hydrological station, the zhuangtais contain four townships, where residents live in homes built dozens of meters above sea level.

The zhuangtais are either natural low hills or artificially built structures providing a safe haven from river flooding.

Zheng Jichao lives on one of the zhuangtais besieged by floods from the Huaihe River.

"I have experienced a dozen floods since I was a little kid. I am used to the situation now," said Zheng, who has stored enough food at home to last till the flood recedes.

"The only concern is that the farmland has been submerged," said Zheng, 72.

Over the years, nearly 800 million yuan (about 114 million U.S. dollars) has been spent to upgrade the infrastructure of these zhuangtais.

"We were afraid of floods before. There wasn't enough food and we didn't have access to drinking water," Zheng's wife recalled.

More than 100 residents are living on the same zhuangtai with Zheng and his wife, most of whom are children and seniors.

"Supplies are sent to them by boat every day based on the villagers' needs. When the water stabilizes, we will also arrange boats to pick them up," said Li Tongshi, a local official appointed to the zhuangtais to help the villagers.

In another zhuangtai, Guo Guomin was cutting the hair of her fellow villagers stranded in the isolated highland village.

"Yesterday I gave four people haircuts. It was all for free," said Guo, who had no previous experience cutting hair.

The water level at Wangjiaba rose to 29.66 meters by 6:36 a.m. on July 20, exceeding the recommended level of 29.3 meters, according to the Huaihe River Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources. Spillways of Wangjiaba were opened to divert the floodwater to the adjacent Mengwa buffer zone.

The move is expected to bring relief to the residents in central China's Henan Province, where the upper reaches of the Huaihe River run through, and alleviate the pressure on the downstream sections affected by the swollen river.

The 1,000-km-long Huaihe River is one of China's major waterways, running through the east of the country between the Yangtze and Yellow rivers.

The main course of the Huaihe River has faced flood risks recently due to heavy rains. Spillways of Wangjiaba have opened to divert floodwater 16 times since it was put into use in 1953, with the last time being in 2007. Enditem
The Trump administration will send additional federal police to Portland, Ore., where officers have clashed nightly with rioters outside the citys federal courthouse, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

Portland has seen protests and riots every night since the May death of George Floyd, an African American man killed during arrest by Minneapolis police officers. Floyds death prompted massive demonstrations in major American cities that have devolved into riots in some instances, although Portland has been unusual in that rioters have continued to target federal property almost every night.

The U.S. Marshals Service approved the deployment of 100 additional officers to the city last week, according to internal emails seen by the Post. Those officers began arriving in the city on Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security is also deliberating whether to send an additional 50 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to the city, although a final decision has not been made.

There were 114 federal officers in Portland as of mid-July. It is not clear how many of those officers will be replaced by the new deployment.

Rioters injured over 20 officers in demonstrations over the weekend. Two of those injuries were caused when rioters hit two officers with fireworks, giving one a concussion and the other lacerations and burns. Last week, rioters severely impaired the vision of several officers by using lasers. Those officers may be permanently blinded, according to the Federal Protective Services.

Mayor Ted Wheeler has condemned the deployment of federal officers to the city, accusing the Trump administration of abuse of its authority. However, Wheeler has also been attacked by rioters while visiting the demonstrations.

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Looking at the rising curve of new cases in India, it may seem premature to talk about what the new normal will look like. However, just as it was important early in the pandemic to look ahead to save lives, it is also important to look ahead now to preserve the social fabric and the economy. The pendulum of fear has swung from one extreme to another with much misinformation. So, it is time to review what we do know.

The Sars-CoV-2 infection has taken a huge toll globally, with over 600,000 deaths so far. The actual number of infections is far greater than the known cases. This is important, because it has led to many misconceptions about the fatality of the disease. For example, in Delhi, antibody data, which tells us about the percentage of the population that has been infected and recovered, points to about two to three million infections. When compared to the 130,000-plus known cases and less than 4,000 deaths, the difference is staggering; fatality is less than 0.2% by antibody data and around 3% by known cases. It is clear that when diagnostic testing is done extensively, as is now happening in the United States (US), more than 99% of diagnosed infections recover uneventfully.

The additional risk of dying of Covid-19 is unlikely to be more than a persons current one-year risk of death. For example, for a young Indian male, the risk of dying of Covid-19 is not more than the risk of dying in a road accident this year. For a young Indian woman, it is comparable to the risk of dying during pregnancy. A 70-year-old elderly Indian male already has an annual risk of death of 5% or more, to which Covid-19 adds about 1% additional risk.

However, none of this means that the problem is small. Restated in another way, the annual risk of death is being doubled during the pandemic  the additional risk compressed into a few months. Also, this risk is transmissible to those around us. The real problems begin when the disease starts to spread so rapidly that it overwhelms the health care system. Then, deaths start not only because of Covid-19 but also because of other causes that would normally be preventable. The focus of the new normal should be to get on with our lives, while observing reasonable precautions to prevent a catastrophic spread.

At the first semblance of normal life, with schools, universities, and more restaurants and malls opening, there will be a further rise in Covid-19 cases and, consequently, deaths. This cannot be helped until we have new effective treatments or vaccines. The universal use of masks in public spaces will probably be the single-most important intervention to reduce the risks. We dont require more debate on airborne transmission. It is quite straightforward. Large droplets from sneezes and coughs are more likely to transmit infections but settle down fast from the air. While speaking, we expel very small droplets that are less likely to infect, but remain in the air longer, creating tangible infection risks in closed, crowded and poorly-ventilated spaces. Wearing a mask reduces the droplets we send out and those that we breathe in. Comfortable surgical masks, or almost any mask, do a good job of the former, while N95 respirators are required to effectively do the latter. If everyone is wearing a mask, N95 is not required and people can stay comfortable and protected. This is the simplest strategy to reduce not only the number of infections, but probably also the severity of infection, since it seems that a higher amount of virus exposure may lead to higher chances of severe disease.

The other necessary intervention is to restrict indoor crowding and increase fresh air ventilation. As the summer comes to an end in about a month, it will become possible to bring in fresh air without compromising the temperature control of air-conditioned buildings. However, optimal design of indoor spaces is still a problem that requires thought on the part of architects and engineers, especially for restaurants where masks are not possible. Rapid air exchange with filtration or decontamination is a viable option where fresh air cannot be brought in.

The other critical need is to destigmatise Covid-19. None of us know where it is coming from, but there is no reason for panic beyond rational precautions. Most people can safely self-isolate and recover at home, preferably without any consternation on the part of neighbours. Reverse isolation, in which high-risk people are temporarily isolated, is another option. The large number of infections has a silver lining: When managed well, there will be a large fraction of recovered people with some immunity. Herd immunity is still some distance away as a nation, but local immunity may be sufficient to prevent large outbreaks in such areas. In data collected by others and us, about 20-30% of Delhi and Mumbai residents seem to be in the recovered category based on antibody presence, although these are not neutralising antibodies with definite anti-virus action.

A very positive sign is that there have been no proven re-infections in over six months of global experience, despite poor antibody response and lack of neutralising antibodies in many people. Better immunity tests will allow immunity passports for those who can safely serve at the frontline of critical high-risk services. The size of our problem may yet become the size of our opportunity. It is time, despite the doom and gloom, to start thinking of the new normal.

Anurag Agrawal is director, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)

The views expressed are personal
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania - Tanzanian opposition politician and presidential hopeful Tundu Lissu returned to the country on Monday, three years after being shot 16 times. The gunmen have never been found.

Immediately upon his arrival at the international airport in Dar es Salaam, the former lawmaker told reporters and CHADEMA opposition party supporters he was well. My leg is shorter by several centimetres. I am very fine now, he said.

His return from Belgium comes as the top opposition parties consider joining forces behind a single candidate to challenge President John Magufuli, who seeks a second five-year term. Human rights groups and critics accuse his administration of shutting down dissenting voices by banning opposition political gatherings, arresting opposition figures and shutting down media outlets.

Hundreds of CHADEMA party supporters gathered at the airport Monday, with some kneeling at the arrival gate in defiance of a police order barring unlawful public gatherings.

Lissu has announced his presidential run and expects the CHADEMA party to endorse him.

His party in a statement said he is expected to attend a memorial on Tuesday for Tanzanias late President Benjamin Mkapa. There he could cross paths with Magufuli.

Lissu still faces six criminal charges, including one related to his calling Magufuli a dictator. In a statement on Facebook, Lissu has declared he is a free man out on bail.

Rights groups and the opposition party have urged authorities to provide him with appropriate security.
Grant Shapps is cutting short his family holiday in Spain and flying back to Britain where he will quarantine under emergency rules he himself enacted.

The Transport Secretary last night said it was right he 'get back to work in the UK as soon as possible' to manage the fallout of the government's decision to revoke the air corridor with Spain, which has seen a steady rise in coronavirus cases.

Hundreds of thousands of affected tourists are grappling with the sudden isolation imposition, with many fearing it will cost them their wages and even their jobs.

Mr Shapps acknowledged the hardship looming for those facing mandatory two weeks quarantine, but defended the action.

He added he would be leaving his wife and children and returning to the UK on Wednesday to best steer his department's response, albeit from home. The family have been holidaying on Ibiza, the Spanish PM revealed last night.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will have to endure a two-week quarantine after returning from Spain, just days after securing an air corridor with the country

Spain was put on the UK's quarantine list at just five hours notice - but cases are starting to rise in other European countries. France and Germany are the most at risk of another quarantine order, both popular holiday destinations for Britons

Mr Shapps said in a statement: 'Thousands of people have seen their holidays disrupted or cancelled due to the necessary emergency imposition of quarantine restrictions in Spain.

'I've been in constant contact with officials and industry representatives since I arrived in Spain on Saturday afternoon, when I reviewed the data and worked with colleagues to make the difficult decision to introduce quarantine.

'However, I think it's right to get back to work in the UK as soon as possible in order to help handle the situation.

'The sooner I get back from Spain myself, the sooner I can get through quarantine. So I'm leaving my family to travel back to the UK on Wednesday.'

Mr Shapps is believed to have been aware of the likely re-imposition of quarantine before jetting off, but decided to press ahead anyway for fear of a backlash if he had managed to avoid isolation by acting on privileged information.

Air passengers wearing protective face masks leave the arrivals terminal at Birmingham Airport today

France's new coronavirus cases are also starting to rise - prompting fears that it will be the next country to be subject to a lockdown with no notice. Belgium and Germany are also starting to see a rise in new coronavirus cases

Downing Street confirmed today the Transport Secretary will not be allowed to bypass the quarantine period, insisting ministers are not exempt.

The Prime Minister's official spokesperson said: 'The same rules apply to ministers as they do anyone else.'

Tory MP Paul Scully, a business minister, is also holidaying in Lanzarote, which as part of the Canary Islands also comes under the quarantine rules.

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez appeared to give away Mr Shapps' holiday hideaway in a live TV interview in front of millions of people.

Respected Spanish journalist Pedro Piqueras, in an interview with Mr Sanchez on Telecinco's nightly news round-up last night/on Monday night, said: 'Two UK ministers are in Spain at the moment, one in Ibiza and the other in Lanzarote, something which is quite telling when it comes to the security situation in this country.'

The Spanish PM made no attempt to counter what his interviewer was saying, and could be overheard in a whispered voice, admitting: 'Asi es' - Spanish for 'That's right.'

No more details were given about Mr Shapps' holiday arrangements.

Mr Shapps, who is the MP for Welwyn Hatfield in Hertfordshire, will be confronted with a brimming in-tray on his return.

Holidaymakers affected by the changes are crying out for support as they fear financial uncertainty.

Downing Street said British holidaymakers who miss out on work due to the newly-imposed quarantine period may be eligible for Universal Credit or employment support allowance of up to 74.35 a week, but not statutory sick pay.

However employers are under no obligation to pay staff while they are in quarantine, self-employed workers will be forced to give up jobs and some people could even face the sack if they have to isolate when returning home.

Meanwhile the beleaguered travel industry, especially airlines which have been burning through millions during lockdown, are facing yet more losses.

More European holidays could be thrown into disarray, with the Spain decision said to have spooked UK holidaymakers who had booked trips in France, Italy and Greece.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 20:59:28|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Monday said that around 95 illegal immigrants are still floating in the Mediterranean at risk of drowning after departing from Libya.

"Around 95 migrants are still floating in the central Mediterranean at risk of drowning, after attempting to flee Libya," IOM tweeted.

"We reiterate that states and shipmasters have a moral and legal obligation to respond to distress cases at sea," IOM said.

The fall of Libya's late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 created a state of insecurity and chaos in the country that made it a preferred point of departure toward Europe for thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly Africans.

IOM estimates that more than 6,100 illegal immigrants were rescued and returned to Libya so far this year, confirming that 101 have died and 166 remain missing on the central Mediterranean route. Enditem
An Oakville woman is calling on the federal government to fund research into individuals who continue to experience severe COVID-19 symptoms weeks after supposedly beating the virus.

Susie Goulding says she started showing COVID-19 symptoms on March 21.

It began with a scratchy throat and neck and sinus pain, but rapidly worsened. Goulding says she developed a severe cough and chest pains.

The single mother said her 12-year-old son Keisen Hernandez also got sick during this period, but he quickly recovered.

I tried three times to get tested, but this was March, so I didnt fit the criteria, said Goulding.

We were told to stay home and monitor our symptoms there and only go to the hospital in the event of extreme difficulties in breathing.

Goulding was ultimately tested in June when testing criteria changed.

While her doctor described her as a presumptive case given her symptoms, the test to see if the virus was still in her system came back negative.

Even so, the Oakville woman said her symptoms continued.

Im still suffering from dizziness every day, tachycardia attacks (rapid heartbeat) at night, nausea, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, said Goulding in a late July interview.

This is not just a two-week virus. This is something that can potentially have a long-lasting effect and make you quite ill.

Goulding said doctors have attempted to treat her individual symptoms, but she says no one has been able to tell her what is happening to her or how long it will last.

She says the persisting symptoms have greatly diminished her quality of life.

The Oakville woman was laid off from her job as a floral and event designer as a result of the pandemic, but she says it was a blessing in disguise, as there is no way she would be able to do her job with the dizziness and fatigue she is experiencing.

Ill try and clean my kitchen and I will have to sit down a couple of times and then the next day Ill be in bed all day because the fatigue hits me so hard, she said.

She has also been unable to participate in activities with her son.

Goulding takes some comfort that she is not alone in her ordeal.

When she searched online, she found many groups of people, particularly in the United States, who are also experiencing lingering symptoms after surviving COVID-19.

On June 20, Goulding created a Facebook group for Canadians in this situation.

The COVID Long Haulers Support Group Canada had 925 members as of July 22.

We validate one another. We share what we are going through, things that have worked, things that havent, said Goulding.

Were just trying to help out each other.

Oakville woman Nada Forbes is a member of this support group.

Forbes tested positive for the coronavirus on April 3 and spent weeks experiencing symptoms that included nausea, chest pains, shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of smell and taste, dizziness and aches and pains.

After about eight weeks Forbes said the symptoms went away, but then returned stronger than ever.

Believing she had contracted coronavirus again, Forbes attended a hospital and was tested, but on June 20 the test came back negative.

She said she continues to deal with symptoms that impact her daily life.

I can drive my kids to camp, but I get tired just doing that. So, I dont do a lot, said Forbes.

Im just functioning on a very basic levelThe government needs to see that with COVID there are not just those who died and those who recovered. A lot of people didnt recover, a lot of people are really struggling.

On behalf of her Facebook group Goulding recently sent a letter to Canadas Minister of Health Patty Hajdu and the various provincial public health officers calling on these governments to provide funds for COVID-19 research and rehabilitation.

Going forward, COVID survivors will need intensive and ongoing mental and physical therapy and some people may never fully recover, said Goulding in her letter.

The virus is still young. We have so much to learn and we need to act fast. Please listen to our call for help, please set aside the funding in your budget to help the researchers and doctors gain a foothold against this disease before we are hit with round two.

When reached for comment Haltons Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deepika Lobo noted COVID-19 is a new disease and researchers have not been able to study the diseases long-term effects on people.

She said that while the majority of people who get infected with COVID-19 (and are otherwise healthy) have mild symptoms and recover in a short period of time, a few people may develop complications that result in longer term adverse health effects even though they no longer have COVID-19.

Lobo emphasized there is no specific treatment for COVID-19 and no vaccine.

She said anyone experiencing lingering symptoms should seek medical assessment to determine the cause.
Kochi, July 27 : NIA officials on Monday began questioning now-suspended senior IAS officer M. Sivasankar for the second time in four days at the agency office here regarding the gold smuggling case that has rocked Kerala since the beginning of July.

Sivasankar was Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Information Technology Secretary before he was removed from the posts after the racket came to light.

The NIA had questioned Sivasankar in state capital Thiruvananthapuram for five hours on Thursday and put him on notice to appear before the officials for further questioning on Monday at NIA Kochi office.

The case first surfaced when P.S. Sarith, a former employee of the UAE consulate here, was arrested by the Customs Department on July 5 when he was allegedly facilitating the smuggling of 30 kg gold in a diplomatic baggage from Dubai to Thiruvananthapuram.

The case became murkier when the name of Swapna Suresh, a former employee of the UAE consulate and later employed with the IT Department, surfaced in the case. Her links with Sivasankar came up later during the investigation.

Another accused Sandip Nair of Kochi was arrested on charge of direct involvement in the smuggling.

Sivasankar arrived in his own vehicle at the NIA office here around 9.20 am after nearly five-hour trip from the state capital.

Security at the NIA office was beefed up and no one except the media was allowed to stay put in front of the premises.

Police officials took the IAS officer inside the NIA office and after the mandatory Covid test, he was escorted to a special room for questioning. Sivasankar was also served breakfast before his questioning began.

A woman IPS officer from the NIA has arrived from Hyderabad to lead the agency officials in questioning Sivasankar, while other officials will be linked online from various offices during the process.

The Customs had first quizzed Sivasankar for nine hours, after the case surfaced and they arrested Sarith. Swapna and Sandip were arrested by NIA from Bengaluru.

Sivasankar would be questioned from a prepared list of questions by the NIA officials. His statements given to the Customs as well as the NIA last week are also with the probe team.

Sivasankar has maintained during his earlier questioning that his relations with Swapna were personal and not linked to their activities.
On the Frontline Against China, the US Coast Guard Is Taking on Missions the US Navy Can't Do

Competition with China has drawn more Pentagon resources to the Pacific, but the most visible U.S. military presence there...
A US senator has faced backlash after describing slavery as the "necessary evil upon which the union was built".

Tom Cotton, the Republican representative for Arkansas, made the comment after proposing legislation to stop the government funding the teaching of the New York Times' 1619 project, a new Black history initiative, in US schools.

The 1619 project reframes US history around the first arrival of slaves to the country in August 1619.

Mr Cotton previously wrote a controversial Op-Ed for the New York Times calling on President Donald Trump to send the military in to deal with Black Lives Matter protests following widespread rioting and looting. The resulting backlash over the article led to the resignation of the paper's editorial page director James Bennett.

Black Lives Matter protests across the world - In pictures 1 /28 Black Lives Matter protests across the world - In pictures A banner and a US. flag are placed on the Monument a la Republique in Paris REUTERS Protesters in Perth Australia Getty Images Speakers at the Black Lives Matter Rally at Langley Park in Perth Getty Images Police officers are seen during a protest against police brutality and the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Paris REUTERS Perth protests Getty Images Speakers take to the stage during the Black Lives Matter Rally in Perty Getty Images Protesters show their support during the Black Lives Matter Rally at Langley Park in Perty Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth AFP via Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth AFP via Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth AFP via Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth Getty Images Thousands of people take part in a demonstration against police brutality and racism in Paris AP French riot police forces detain a protester during a rally as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' AFP via Getty Images French riot police forces detain protesters AFP via Getty Images The crowds in Paris AFP via Getty Images A man wearing a protective face mask and googles walks past a broken store window in Paris REUTERS Assa Traore (C), the sister of Adama Traore, who died in police custody in 2016 in Paris AFP via Getty Images Protesters hold flares as they stand next to a banner reading 'Confronted to police brutality - Self defence' in Paris AFP via Getty Images A house facade with a graffiti against police in Paris. AFP via Getty Images An injured demonstrator is helped away in Paris AFP via Getty Images

Mr Cotton told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: The entire premise of the New York Times factually, historically flawed 1619 Project  is that America is at root, a systemically racist country to the core and irredeemable.

I reject that root and branch. America is a great and noble country founded on the proposition that all mankind is created equal. We have always struggled to live up to that promise, but no country has ever done more to achieve it.

He added: We have to study the history of slavery and its role and impact on the development of our country because otherwise we cant understand our country. As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as [Abraham] Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction.

In response Nikole Hannah-Jones, who won the Pulitzer prize for her introduction to the 1619 project, tweeted that if slavery was a "necessary evil" it's "hard to imagine what cannot be justified" as a means to an end.

"If chattel slavery  heritable, generational, permanent, race-based slavery where it was legal to rape, torture, and sell human beings for profit  were a necessary evil as @TomCottonAR says, its hard to imagine what cannot be justified if it is a means to an end." she said.
KHABAROVSK, Russia -- Thousands of people have rallied in the central square of the Russian Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk to demand the release and return of the region's governor, Sergei Furgal.

Furgal is now in jail in Moscow on charges of attempted murder and ordering two contract killings some 15 years ago. Supporters say the charges are politically motivated. Furgal, who denies the allegations, defeated a pro-Kremlin candidate in an election nearly two years ago.

Demonstrators have rallied in the city of 600,000 people for more than two weeks. Their anger has grown to include calls for the resignation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On July 25, a crowd estimated at up to 50,000 turned out despite officials urging people to stay away due to concerns over the coronavirus.

On July 27, well-known rock musician Sergei Shnurov, who currently works as general producer at the RTVi television channel, joined the demonstrators, saying that he and his team were shooting a documentary about the protests.

The protesters met Shnurov with mixed reactions. Some took selfie photos with the celebrity, while others accused him of trying to assist the newly appointed acting governor of the region, Mikhail Degtyaryov, against whom the demonstrators have rallied.

A day earlier, Degtyaryov spoke to some of the protesters for the first time since his appointment to the post on July 20.

Degtyaryov is a member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, as is Furgal, but he has never lived in Khabarovsk.

Also on July 27, the first participant in the ongoing pro-Furgal protests was fined.

The leader of the Libertarian Party's branch in Khabarovsk, Artyom Mozgov, told RFE/RL that the Central district court found him guilty of violating regulations on public gatherings and fined him 10,000 rubles ($140).

An anchor for opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's YouTube channel, Dmitry Nizovtsev, said on July 27 that police in Khabarovsk had launched a probe into his beating by unknown attackers last week.

Nizovtsev was attacked by three unknown men near his apartment on July 23 after he covered pro-Furgal rallies.

Such sustained demonstrations are unusual for Russia's regions, as is the fact that the authorities have not yet moved to break them up.

They follow on the heels of a controversial nationwide vote that set the stage for Putin to remain in power until 2036.

Khabarovsk region residents overwhelmingly voted for Furgal in the 2018 gubernatorial elections. His surprise victory was a blow to the ruling United Russia party.

Furgal, who was arrested in Khabarovsk city on July 9 and transferred to Moscow, is charged with attempted murder and ordering two murders in 2004-2005. He denies the allegations.
Women doctors are sharing photographs on social media of themselves wearing bikinis after a study conducted by a predominantly male team described doing so as unprofessional.

The study in question, titled Prevalence of unprofessional social media content among young vascular surgeons, was recently published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery.

The authors said that publicly available social media content posted by vascular surgeons may affect patient choice of physician, hospital and medical facility.

They stated that potentially unprofessional content included pictures of vascular surgeons wearing inappropriate attire, such as pictures in underwear, provocative Halloween costumes, and provocative posing in bikinis/swimwear.

Following the publication of the study, doctors on social media have been pushing back against the notion that sharing pictures of themselves wearing bikinis makes them any less professional or capable of carrying out their jobs.

Numerous women doctors have been sharing pictures online of themselves wearing bikinis using the hashtag #MedBikini.

I am a woman in medicine who loves to travel to tropical locations and dress accordingly. I will not wear my white coat and scrubs to Hawaii, one person tweeted.

This does not make me unprofessional or less intelligent or compassionate compared to my male colleagues.

As a hard-working and empowered woman in medicine, sometimes I like to get my coconuts out on the beach. Our swimsuits do not define our professionalism, another said.

One surgeon shared a photograph of herself wearing a bikini two years ago, the first time she had worn one after undergoing a double mastectomy and chemotherapy.

This pic does not show unprofessionalism; it shows #hope and #resilience, she said.

One man, whose wife is a doctor and doesnt have a Twitter account, shared a picture of his spouse wearing a bikini at the beach.

My wife isnt on Twitter but shes a f***ing badass doctor, wife and mom and wears a bikini and drinks at the beach like a normal f***ing human being, he stated.

A women obstetrician gynaecologist shared a photograph of herself and her male partner wearing swimwear.

She explained that while they are both in the same profession, only one of us has been called sweetie, kiddo, and/or hunny in front of patients.

In addition to sparking condemnation for the exploration of unprofessional social media content among vascular surgeons, the study was also criticised for its methodology, which involved three male researchers creating fake social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to investigate the content other users were posting on the platforms.

In response to the backlash the study received, the Journal of Vascular Surgery released an apologetic statement.

Many who have read the article expressed great concerns about the method of data collection, lack of diversity of the authors collecting data, as well as potential bias in the evaluation and conclusion, the editors statement said.

We offer an apology to every person who has communicated the sadness, anger, and disappointment caused by this article. We have received an outpouring of constructive commentary on this matter, and we intend to take each point seriously and take resolute steps to improve our review process and increase diversity of our editorial boards.
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
For decades, oil rich Ecuador proved to be a risky and unprofitable jurisdiction for foreign companies seeking to tap its vast mineral wealth. This peaked with the $9.5 billion court ruling against integrated international energy major Chevron in 2011. The tribunal alleged that Texaco, which was acquired by Chevron in 2000, had for three-decades pumped petroleum waste into waterways around Ecuadors northern Amazonian city of Lago Agrio. The judgement, which a U.S. court found to be a product of fraud, did considerable harm to Ecuadors reputation as a destination for foreign investment.

That combined with significant controls on capital, excessive taxation of profits and an opaque regulatory environment significantly deterred foreign investment in Ecuadors commodity sector. This has prevented Quito from fully exploiting and benefiting from the Andean countrys considerable natural resources. A perfect storm of sharply weaker oil prices, aging infrastructure and excessive debt is crushing Ecuadors oil dependent economy.

By the end of 2019, Ecuadors financial crisis was so severe that Quito decided to withdraw from OPEC allowing it to avoid the cartels mandatory production cuts. Early last month the Andean countrys central bank forecast that Ecuadors economy will shrink by a worrying 7.3 percent to 9.6 percent during 2020. That along with sharply weaker oil and onerous levels of government debt forced President Lenin Morenos administration to negotiate with bondholders to avoid a sovereign debt default.

Oils latest price crash is a major contributor to Ecuadors dire economic state. By 2019 petroleum and mining generated just over 6 percent of the oil dependent economys GDP compared to 12.5% in 2013 when the last oil boom peaked. Crude is the Andean countrys primary export responsible for 35 percent of its total exports in 2019. The financial impact of substantially weaker oil prices is magnified by Ecuadors inability to boost production despite vast oil reserves of over 8 billion barrels.

While Ecuador, unlike its neighbor Colombia, has considerable proven oil reserves estimated at 8.3 billion barrels, it is struggling to grow production. That could be blamed on regulation which disincentivized foreign investment in Ecuadors hydrocarbon sector and the constraints imposed by OPECs production cuts. Quito has taken significant measures to boost oil output. The key one of those was leaving OPEC to avoid compliance with the cartels mandatory production cuts which would have limited plans to boost Ecuadors oil output.

Related: Oil Prices In Limbo As Fears Of A Second COVID Wave Grow



Aside from quitting OPEC, Morenos administration is focused on reforming the Andean countrys hydrocarbon sector and reversing the policies of resource nationalism enacted by his predecessor Rafael Correa. It was during the latters tenure that Ecuadors reputation as a difficult and unprofitable jurisdiction for foreign energy companies arose. That can be squarely blamed on Correas interventionist approach to managing Ecuadors copious natural resources. During his presidency onerous taxes as well as unfavorable contracts were imposed on private oil companies and there were even instances of asset seizures.

Crucial improvements made by the Moreno government are the reintroduction of participation contracts, improved profit-sharing arrangements and reduced taxes for energy companies. The restoration of participation contracts is especially important because it allows private petroleum explorers and producers to book oil reserves. That allows them to be more easily valued in accordance with industry methodology and access reserves-based lending, making all-important capital more accessible. Those measures send a signal that Ecuador is open for business and is ready for more oil exploration and production activity. This has already sparked an uptick in interest from foreign oil companies. In early 2019, foreign oil companies including Geopark, Frontera and Gran Tierra acquired interests in the Intracampos blocks located in in the Oriente Basin in northeastern Ecuador near the Colombian border.

Intracampos Blocks Ecuador

Source: Ecuador Ministry of Energy and Non-renewable Natural Resources.

Quitos reforms point to a brighter long-term outlook for Ecuadors economically vital petroleum industry, although foreign investment may not occur as rapidly as needed.

While Morenos administration has overturned his predecessors policy of resource nationalism, there is still a long way to go to convince foreign oil companies that Ecuador is open for business. This is reflected by the World Banks Doing Business 2020 report where Ecuador received an extremely low rating, ranked 129 out of 190 countries, indicating that it remains a risky jurisdiction for foreign energy companies. It is Ecuadors high levels of state interventionism that were identified as a key hazard.

The latest oil price slump is amplifying Ecuadors unattractiveness for foreign oil companies. In response to the March 2020 oil price crash and considerable uncertainty triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, oil companies around the world slashed spending and shuttered non-essential and uneconomic operations. It is investment in exploration and development activities in higher risk jurisdictions which is the most adversely affected.

Related: Oil Drops As Demand Recovery Stalls



Aside from elevated political risk, Ecuadors relatively high estimated breakeven price of $39 per barrel, a mere $2 lower than the current market price, is further deterring investment. This is further exacerbated by Ecuadors main Napo and Oriente oil blends being benchmarked to West Texas Intermediate rather than Brent. That prevents companies pumping crude in Ecuador benefiting from Brents premium price, which is roughly $2 per barrel higher than WTI.

Recent severe civil unrest, pipeline ruptures and the heavy impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ecuador are also ratcheting up risk for foreign oil companies. These events are all preventing Quito from growing Ecuadors oil output and achieving its 2020 target of 590,000 barrels daily.

Aging infrastructure is also weighing on Quitos oil ambitions. Multiple April 2020 pipeline ruptures caused oil production to plunge to a low of 68,000 barrels daily, reducing the monthly total to 225,242 barrels daily or less than half of Marchs 539,629 barrels. It took until May 2020 for repairs to be completed and pipelines to reach full operational capacity, which saw that months output rise to an average of 333,339 barrels daily. It wasnt until June when production reached full capacity averaging 514,863 barrels daily which was 3 percent lower than the equivalent period in 2019.

For these reasons, Quito will not achieve its all-important goal of boosting oil production to an average of 590,000 barrels daily. That will impact Ecuadors oil dependent economy worsening the fiscal crisis gripping the Andean country. It will take some time for Quitos reforms to the petroleum industry to be recognized and attract the much-needed investment to head-off the growing crisis.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

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Churchills secret chemical war Independent. Patrick Cockburn.

On Cubas National Rebellion Day, A Reminder that State-Generated Social Capital Matters The Wire

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Boris Johnsons fight against obesity: Family doctors will become weight coaches and sweets will be BANNED at checkouts under plans to make UK healthy Daily Mail

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Waste Watch

#COVID-19

More Atlantic Monthly homilies about how authoritarian baddies fail in pandemic because they lie to their people & dont value human lifenot like us western liberal democracies cuz were transparent & we place high value on human life yadee yadee yadda https://t.co/wK8ntkAkrH  Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) July 26, 2020

Science/Medicine

Class Warfare

Ive been reading several recent histories on economic equality in 19th century America. This literature mirrors the problems with todays politics, avoiding debates over chartering, stock watering, railroad regulation, cartel behavior, tariffs, patents, fair trade, etc.  Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) July 26, 2020



Police State Watch

THREAD: Did the Covington Kid just score millions of dollars? People wont stop asking me about this headline, bullying me into writing this long explanation of why its obvious the suit against the Washington Post was settled for peanuts. So here goes.https://t.co/3UEqW9mSfw  Respectable Lawyer (@RespectableLaw) July 27, 2020



2020

China?

India

Libya

Sudan to deploy troops to Darfur after killings: PM Hamdok Al Jazeera

In Gaza, deaths by suicide are now being talked about  even in a culture where the act is considered reprehensible Independent. Robert Fisk.

Bolivia

When I interviewed Evo Morales in Mexico City last December  the month after he was forced under threats to leave Bolivia  he was very clear that he regarded what happened as what he called a Lithium Coup. Its good Elon Musk is admitting this:https://t.co/DZVJHEwg4W https://t.co/FPmV0ALzqr  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 25, 2020

The U.S.-Supported Coup in Bolivia Continues to Produce Repression and Tyranny, While Revealing How U.S. Media Propaganda Works Intercept. From last week, still germane; I missed this.

Russiagate

In case you think this paranoid New Cold War pathology is confined to the US, dont worry: the junior partner of the US, as always, is earnestly copying if not lagging a bit behind: https://t.co/hPTl6IDNmq  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 26, 2020

Antidote du Jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Has Education Secretary Betsy DeVos cooled on remote learning?

DeVos has recently called for school buildings across the country to fully reopen, threatened to find ways to withhold funding from schools that stick with full-time remote learning, and derided the Fairfax County district in Virginia for its plan to combine in-person and virtual instruction.

For many in the education world, these comments from DeVos come as a big surprise. The secretary was an enthusiastic supporter of virtual education earlier in the pandemicbefore President Donald Trump started putting pressure on school districts this month to reopen buildings and return to in-person instruction for the 2020-21 academic year.

Just this spring, for example, as school buildings closed and millions of students transitioned rapidly to remote learning, DeVos praised schools flexibility and willingness to transition to online learning.

I think its very clear that we have an opportunity to embrace distance learning and remote education in a way that two months ago would not have been thought possible, DeVos told reporters in April. And its happening very well in many places andout of necessitymany others are getting up to speed.

In the internet age, the tendency to equate education with specific school buildings is going to be greatly diminished.

Later that month, DeVos Education Department announced it would provide more than $180 million in grants to boost statewide virtual learning programs and help families access technology thats essential for learning at home. Applications for those grants were due June 29 . The department did not respond to questions from Education Week about the status of that program.

DeVos still believes well-executed online programs can be valuable for some students, according to department spokesperson Angela Morabito. Many public charter and private schools and some districts did an excellent job of making the pivot, on very short notice, and were able to keep education going, Morabito wrote in an email. Those were notable exceptions, and based on the science and data, Secretary DeVos is urging every school to plan for a return to full-time, in-person learning this fall.

The department has also said children will experience psychological setbacks and miss out on access to in-school meals and health care if buildings remain closed. Many parents have jobs that cant be done remotely, which will make child care an issue, the department has said.

DeVos recent public comments pushing for schools to reopen and return to in-person instruction have been ignored in many places. As of July 23, nine of the nations 15 largest school districts had announced they will be using full-time remote learning as their back-to-school instructional model, affecting more than 2 million students, according to Education Weeks school reopening tracker . Many other districts plan to open buildings only on certain days of the week.

The Fairfax district, meanwhile, on July 21 reversed its reopening plan and resolved to keep buildings closed when the year begins.

Contradictory Rhetoric Confuses Educators

Confusing and contradictory rhetoric from federal officials such as DeVos represents a failure of productive leadership during a period when schools and the families they serve urgently need support and consistent messaging, many education leaders argue.

For educators nationwide, federal recommendations are full of mixed messages right now, said Kristina Ishmael, director of primary and secondary education for Open Education Global and a senior research fellow at the policy research firm New America. A lot of district leaders dont necessarily know where to go from here.

DeVos has long advocated for online learning and other alternatives to the traditional public school model. During a speech at the 2017 ASU+GSV summit , a conference on technology, business, and education, she outlined how she would transform American education: We would build a system centered on knowledge, skills, and achievement, not on delivery methods. In 2018, she toured the country observing and spotlighting a program that brought online education to rural K-12 students.

She has touted virtual charter schools despite evidence that some of those programs yield poor student outcomes . In addition, prior to her federal tenure DeVos and her husband were investors in K12, Inc., a publicly traded online learning company that supports or operates many virtual charter schools. In higher education as well, she has proposed revamped regulations that would allow more online schools to access federal aid.

In a 2013 interview with Philanthropy Magazine , DeVos said the rapid evolution of technology was an encouraging sign of the possibilities for improving education. In the internet age, the tendency to equate education with specific school buildings is going to be greatly diminished, she said.

DeVos Non-Nuanced View on Reopenings

John Watson, founder of the Evergreen Education Group, a K-12 digital learning research and consulting firm, believes theres some validity to the idea that online learning is less desirable when its mandatory, as it will be in many schools this year, than when its one option among many. He and other online learning proponents have advocated for thinking of schools efforts this spring as emergency remote learning or crisis learning rather than online learning, which is typically more strategic and planned over a longer period of time.

But he hasnt seen DeVos draw that distinction. Trump hasnt made it eitheron July 10, he tweeted that Virtual Learning has proven to be TERRIBLE compared to In School, or On Campus, Learning now that schools across the country have tried it.

The politicizing of this encourages other people to take a similarly non-nuanced view and say that all schools should be open or all schools should be closed, Watson said. Anything that takes away from really thinking about these issues and shifts it to the overly simplified view that our political situation unfortunately devolves to these days is negative for everybody involved.

Meanwhile, Ishmael thinks DeVos apparent 180-degree shift on virtual education might make state and district leaders who applied for federal online education grants earlier this year wonder whether the department supports their proposals.

Longer-term, Ishmael believes a sudden reversal for the federal governments attitude towards online learning could put up another roadblock to rethinking antiquated policies around instructional time and delivery methods. In her home state of Nebraska, where she worked as a teacher, state laws slowed down efforts to create a new online public school.

Theres a ripple effect that will potentially happen because of this as well, she said.
The Washington Post reported recently that the Trump Administration is trying to block billions of dollars due for allocation to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with money for states to conduct testing and contact tracing under an upcoming coronavirus relief bill.



Such an intention will definitely undermine the ability of the United States to combat COVID-19, likely resulting in the deaths of a large number of innocent people.

Donald Trump has said multiple times that he intentionally cut America's testing capabilities in order to achieve underreporting of cases for his perceived political benefit.

In an interview with Fox News on July 23, he said: "It makes us look bad  if instead of 50 million [tests], we did 25 million, we'd have half the number of cases."

That was not a one-off comment. At his late June rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to a quarter-full arena crowded with unmasked fans, he said, "I told my people, 'Slow the testing down please!'" He elaborated in an interview the next day, saying, "I don't kid," and, "By having more tests, we have more cases."

What is happening is that the U.S. is not finding all the cases  not anywhere near it  because only people with the worst symptoms are able to get tested. The American test positivity rate is many times higher than other countries  9% of those tested in the past week have been found to be infected.

That compares to 1% in Canada, 0.5% in Australia, 0.5% in South Korea, and 0.2% in Malaysia.

Despite the officially-reported undercounting, the U.S. still leads the world in new cases and deaths caused by coronavirus in both absolute and per capita terms, too.

While some European countries had worse outbreaks at the outset, they have been more successful in slowing down the spread. By late June, the U.S. had surpassed all major European countries, including the U.K., in terms of weekly deaths per capita. Throughout July, the number of new deaths has been rising.

Now, Trump threatens to block a coronavirus bill if it includes funding for testing. This will surely put the lives of Americans at an increased risk.

We know that coronavirus kills large numbers of people and leaves many more with permanent health problems that will cause them to die sooner than they might otherwise have done. We know how to slow the spread of the disease through testing, tracing, isolating, and wearing masks.

Nor are the costs of taking such preventative measures insurmountable. Wearing masks, for example, imposes no cost whatsoever on the people wearing them, yet Trump was deriding this simple protective procedure for most of the pandemic, and has still not made it a mandatory procedure.

Testing doesn't hurt the economy and in fact makes it easier to approach near normality of economic activities once again.

These are not hypotheses but observed facts based on months of data collection and experiences in labs and countries throughout the world.

Trump seems to indicate that he understands testing finds cases. He knows  or should know  that coronavirus spreads even in asymptomatic cases and that by restricting access to testing, many people will not know they have the disease  perhaps until it's too late. That is, explicitly, his stated justification for cutting back on testing.

He also directed the CDC to stop publicly reporting the numbers of coronavirus cases but rather to send the numbers to the White House first, which sounds suspicious.

Trump's plan to manipulate the numbers by cutting down on testing is out in the open because Trump himself is talking about it every chance he can get.

Pathetic is America's failure to contain coronavirus. Pathetic is a president who takes perverse pain in the suffering of his own citizens. With 1,000 Americans dying every day, it seems that Donald Trump cares more about his own political interests than he does about saving lives.

Mitchell Blatt is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/MitchellBlatt.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
Rating Action: Moody's downgraded six notes and confirmed 28 notes in 14 UK RMBS transactions

Global Credit Research - 27 Jul 2020

London, 27 July 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") has today downgraded, confirmed and affirmed ratings in 14 UK RMBS transactions. Moody's downgraded the ratings of 2 notes in Polaris 2019-1 plc ("Polaris 2019-1"), 2 notes in Chester A PLC ("Chester A"), 1 note in Stratton Mortgage Funding plc ("Stratton Mortgage") and 1 note in RMAC No.2 plc ("RMAC No.2") plc. The rating downgrades reflect the increased likelihood of deteriorating performance of mortgage loans in the transactions, due to the economic disruption following the coronavirus outbreak. Moody's affirmed the ratings of 53 notes and confirmed the ratings of 28 notes that had sufficient credit enhancement to maintain their current ratings.

Today's rating action concludes the review of 34 notes placed on review for downgrade on 7 May 2020 following an analysis of potential deteriorating performance of the mortgage loans backing the notes due to economic disruption following the coronavirus outbreak (http://www.moodys.com/viewresearchdoc.aspx?docid=PR_424076).

Please click on this link https://www.moodys.com/viewresearchdoc.aspx?docid=PBS_ARFTL429023 for the List of Affected Credit Ratings. This list is an integral part of this Press Release and identifies each affected issuer.

RATINGS RATIONALE

Please click on this link https://www.moodys.com/viewresearchdoc.aspx?docid=PBS_ARFTL429023 for the List of Affected Credit Ratings. This list is an integral part of this Press Release and provides, for each of the credit ratings covered, Moody's disclosures on the following items:

** Key Rationale for Action

The rating downgrades in Polaris 2019-1, Chester A, Stratton Mortgage and RMAC No.2 are prompted by Moody's updated loss expectation in the transactions, reflecting the anticipated worse than expected collateral performance due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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The rating confirmations and affirmations announced in this press release reflect sufficient credit enhancement and liquidity to maintain the ratings of the affected notes.

Moody's reassessed its key collateral assumptions, namely the portfolio Expected Loss (EL) and MILAN CE assumptions for all fourteen transactions affected by today's rating action.

The performance of Chester A and Stratton Mortgage has deteriorated since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. Arrears of over 90 days past due as a percentage of current balance in those portfolios has increased, and now stands at 10.7%, and 13.6% respectively. Moreover, mortgages in payment holidays currently represent 43%, and 23% for Chester A and Stratton Mortgage respectively as a proportion of the current pool balance.

By contrast, in RMAC No.2 plc delinquency levels were high at closing, but remain fairly stable, with arrears of over 90 days past due as a percentage of current balance standing at 8.3%, however the portfolio contains a high proportion of restructured loans which historically have been more vulnerable in time of economic downturn, as well as 21% payment holidays as a proportion of the current pool balance. Polaris 2019-1 shows lower levels of delinquency, but is exposed to high portion of self-employed borrowers and borrowers with negative credit history, indicating a relatively weaker borrower credit profile.

After an analysis of the level of coronavirus-related payment holidays and the performance, Moody's increased the EL assumptions as a percentage of original portfolio balance of Polaris 2019-1 to 3.50% from 3.00%, Chester A to 5.50% from 4.00%, Stratton Mortgage to 4.5% from 4.0% and RMAC No.2 to 3.50% from 3.00%. Moody's MILAN CE numbers for Chester A and Stratton Mortgage were increased to 20.00% from 18.50% and to 16.00% from 15.00%, respectively.

Since all four transactions closed less than three years ago, they have only had limited time to build up additional credit enhancement to offset the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Moody's has downgraded the ratings of the notes that were most vulnerable to a temporary increase in arrears and economic disruption.

Moody's also increased the EL assumptions as a percentage of original portfolio balance of the following transactions: HAWKSMOOR MORTGAGE FUNDING 2019-1 PLC to 4.70% from 4.50%, Together Asset Backed Securitisation 2019-1 plc to 7.50% from 7.00% and RMAC No.1 Plc to 3.50% from 3.00% following an analysis of the level of coronavirus-related payment holidays and the anticipated deterioration in performance of those transactions. Moody's maintained the EL assumptions as a percentage of original portfolio balance of the other transactions included in today's action as our current EL assumptions are already commensurate with additional losses arising from an anticipated deterioration in collateral performance. Most of the transactions where we maintained the EL assumption have high seasoning and relatively low loan to value ratios despite high delinquencies to date. Moody's MILAN CE remained otherwise unchanged apart from the two transactions as referenced above.

Moody's assessed the exposure to Natwest Markets Plc acting as swap counterparty in RMAC SECURITIES No. 1 PLC Series 2006-NS2. Moody's analysis considered the risks of additional losses on the notes if they were to become unhedged following a swap counterparty default by using the CR assessment as reference point for swap counterparties. Moody's concluded that the ratings of the M1a , M1c and M2c notes of RMAC SECURITIES No. 1 PLC Series 2006-NS2 notes are constrained by the swap agreement.

Moody's considered how the liquidity available in the transactions and other mitigants support continuity of note payments, in case of servicer default, using the CR assessment as a reference point for servicers. The ratings of the Class A3a, A3b and A3c notes of Kensington Mortgage Securities plc Series 2007-1, the Class B notes of Chester A, the Class B notes in Polaris 2019-1, the A2a and A2c notes in RMAC SECURITIES No. 1 PLC Series 2006-NS2, the A2a notes in RMAC SECURITIES No. 1 PLC Series 2006-NS3 and A2a, A2b and A2c notes of RMAC SECURITIES No. 1 PLC Series 2007-NS1 continue to be constrained by servicer disruption risk.

The rapid spread of the coronavirus outbreak, the government measures put in place to contain it and the deteriorating global economic outlook, have created a severe and extensive credit shock across sectors, regions and markets. Our analysis has considered the effect on the performance of consumer assets from the collapse in the UK economic activity in the second quarter and a gradual recovery in the second half of the year. However, that outcome depends on whether governments can reopen their economies while also safeguarding public health and avoiding a further surge in infections. As a result, the degree of uncertainty around our forecasts is unusually high. We regard the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under our ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety.

The principal methodology used in these ratings was "Moody's Approach to Rating RMBS Using the MILAN Framework" published in May 2020 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBS_1228742. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

The analysis undertaken by Moody's at the initial assignment of ratings for RMBS securities may focus on aspects that become less relevant or typically remain unchanged during the surveillance stage. Please see Moody's Approach to Rating RMBS Using the MILAN Framework for further information on Moody's analysis at the initial rating assignment and the on-going surveillance in RMBS.

Factors that would lead to an upgrade or downgrade of the ratings:

Factors or circumstances that could lead to an upgrade of the ratings include (1) performance of the underlying collateral that is better than Moody's expected, (2) an increase in available credit enhancement, (3) improvements in the credit quality of the transaction counterparties and (4) a decrease in sovereign risk.

Factors or circumstances that could lead to a downgrade of the ratings include (1) an increase in sovereign risk, (2) performance of the underlying collateral that is worse than Moody's expected, (3) deterioration in the notes' available credit enhancement and (4) deterioration in the credit quality of the transaction counterparties.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

The List of Affected Credit Ratings announced here are all solicited credit ratings. Additionally, the List of Affected Credit Ratings includes additional disclosures that vary with regard to some of the ratings. Please click on this link https://www.moodys.com/viewresearchdoc.aspx?docid=PBS_ARFTL429023 for the List of Affected Credit Ratings. This list is an integral part of this Press Release and provides, for each of the credit ratings covered, Moody's disclosures on the following items:

** Rating Solicitation

** Issuer Participation

** Participation: Access to Management

** Participation: Access to Internal Documents

** Disclosure to Rated Entity

** Endorsement ** Lead Analyst ** Releasing Office

** Person Approving the Credit Rating

** Key Rationale for Action

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

The analysis relies on an assessment of collateral characteristics to determine the collateral loss distribution, that is, the function that correlates to an assumption about the likelihood of occurrence to each level of possible losses in the collateral. As a second step, Moody's evaluates each possible collateral loss scenario using a model that replicates the relevant structural features to derive payments and therefore the ultimate potential losses for each rated instrument. The loss a rated instrument incurs in each collateral loss scenario, weighted by assumptions about the likelihood of events in that scenario occurring, results in the expected loss of the rated instrument.

Moody's quantitative analysis entails an evaluation of scenarios that stress factors contributing to sensitivity of ratings and take into account the likelihood of severe collateral losses or impaired cash flows. Moody's weights the impact on the rated instruments based on its assumptions of the likelihood of the events in such scenarios occurring.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

At least one ESG consideration was material to the credit rating action(s) announced and described above.

The below contact information is provided for information purposes only. Please see the ratings tab of the issuer page at www.moodys.com, for each of the ratings covered, Moody's disclosures on the lead rating analyst and the Moody's legal entity that has issued the ratings.

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

Yunkun Zhang Associate Lead Analyst Structured Finance Group Moody's Investors Service Ltd. One Canada Square Canary Wharf London E14 5FA United Kingdom JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Masako Oshima Associate Managing Director Structured Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Lam Tran Ngoc Analyst Structured Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service Ltd. One Canada Square Canary Wharf London E14 5FA United Kingdom JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454

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MJKK and MSFJ also maintain policies and procedures to address Japanese regulatory requirements.


German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas pauses as he meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, on July 21, 2020. (Costas Baltas/Reuters)

Germany Rejects Trumps Proposal to Let Russia Back Into G7

BERLINGermany has rejected a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin back into the Group of Seven (G7) most advanced economies, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a newspaper interview published on Monday.

Trump raised the prospect last month of expanding the G7 to again include Russia, which had been expelled in 2014 following Moscows annexation of Ukraines Crimea region.

But Maas told Rheinische Post that he did not see any chance for allowing Russia back into the G7 as long as there was no meaningful progress in solving the conflict in Crimea as well as in eastern Ukraine.

Russia itself could make the biggest contribution to becoming part of the G7 format again by contributing to a peaceful solution in the Ukraine conflict, Maas said.

Russia is still part of the G20, a broader grouping including other emerging-market economies.

G7 and G20 are two sensibly coordinated formats. We dont need G11 or G12 anymore, Maas said in reference to Trumps proposal to invite not only Russia, but other countries to G7 meetings.

Maas described the relationship with Russia as currently difficult in many areas. But we also know that we need Russia to solve conflicts such as those in Syria, Libya and Ukraine. That will not work against Russia, but only with Russia.

Germany, which took over the rotating six-month EU presidency on July 1, has taken on a mediating role in the conflict in Libya as well as in Ukraine.

But Russia also has to make its contribution, which is very slow in Ukraine, Maas said.

By Michael Nienaber
DALLAS, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A. H. Belo Corporation (NYSE: AHC) today reported a second quarter 2020 net loss of $3.4 million, or $(0.16) per share. In the second quarter of 2019, the Company reported net income of $16.5 million, or $0.77 per fully diluted share. Second quarter 2019 net income was driven by a pretax gain of $25.9 million from the sale of real estate previously used as the Companys headquarters, which for tax purposes is fully offset by net operating loss carryforwards.



For the second quarter of 2020, on a non-GAAP basis, A. H. Belo reported an operating loss adjusted for certain items (adjusted operating income (loss)) of $2.5 million, a decline of $2.7 million when compared to adjusted operating income of $0.2 million reported in the second quarter of 2019.

Robert W. Decherd, chairman, president and Chief Executive Officer, said, Given the many effects of the coronavirus pandemic, A. H. Belo has more than held its own during the first six months of 2020. Colleagues throughout the entire Company have made fast-paced, smart adjustments to how we publish content across platforms and deliver crucial news and information to the communities that rely on The Dallas Morning News. The leadership provided by Grant Moise, Katy Murray and their management teams has been exemplary. The Company's financial performance for the second quarter is in line with the revised 2020 Financial Plan reviewed with the Board in April and we are optimistic that revenue conditions can improve during the second half as we are presently projecting.

Second Quarter Results

Total revenue was $35.4 million in the second quarter of 2020, a decrease of $11.7 million or 24.8 percent when compared to the second quarter of 2019.

Revenue from advertising and marketing services, including print and digital revenues, was $15.6 million in the second quarter of 2020, a decrease of $9.7 million or 38.4 percent when compared to the $25.3 million reported for the second quarter of 2019.

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Circulation revenue was $15.7 million, a decrease of $1.3 million or 7.6 percent when compared to the second quarter of 2019. The decline is primarily due to a decrease in home delivery and single copy volumes, partially offset by rate increases and an increase of $0.3 million or 24.1 percent in digital-only subscription revenue.

Printing, distribution and other revenue decreased $0.7 million, or 14.6 percent, to $4.1 million, primarily due to a reduction in brokered and commercial printing, partially offset by an increase in shared mail packaging revenue.

Total consolidated operating expense in the second quarter of 2020, on a GAAP basis, was $39.8 million, an increase of $15.5 million or 64.0 percent compared to the second quarter of 2019. Excluding the 2019 gain of $25.9 million from the real estate sale, operating expense improved $10.4 million. The improvement is primarily due to decreases of $2.8 million in employee compensation and benefits expense, $2.7 million in outside services expense, $1.8 million in newsprint, ink and other supplies expense, and $1.4 million in distribution expense.

In the second quarter of 2020, on a non-GAAP basis, adjusted operating expense was $38.9 million, an improvement of $11.2 million or 22.4 percent when compared to $50.1 million of adjusted operating expense in the second quarter of 2019. The improvement is primarily due to expense decreases in employee compensation and benefits, newsprint expense, distribution expense, and reductions from continued management of discretionary spending.

As of June 30, 2020, the Company had 769 employees, a decrease of 110 or 12.5 percent when compared to the prior year period. Cash and cash equivalents were $42.3 million and the Company had no debt.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Reconciliations of operating income (loss) to adjusted operating income (loss), total net operating revenue to adjusted operating revenue, and total operating costs and expense to adjusted operating expense are included in the exhibits to this release.

Financial Results Conference Call

A. H. Belo Corporation will conduct a conference call on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. CDT to discuss financial results. The conference call will be available via webcast by accessing the Companys website at www.ahbelo.com/invest . An archive of the webcast will be available at www.ahbelo.com in the Investor Relations section.

To access the listen-only conference call, dial 1-844-291-6358 and enter the following access code when prompted: 8250158. A replay line will be available at 1-866-207-1041 from 12:00 p.m. CDT on July 28, 2020 until 11:59 p.m. CDT on August 3, 2020. The access code for the replay is 8288468.

About A. H. Belo Corporation

A. H. Belo Corporation is the leading local news and information publishing company in Texas. The Company has commercial printing, distribution and direct mail capabilities, as well as a presence in emerging media and digital marketing. While focusing on extending the Companys media platforms, A. H. Belo delivers news and information in innovative ways to a broad range of audiences with diverse interests and lifestyles. For additional information, visit www.ahbelo.com or email invest@ahbelo.com.

Statements in this communication concerning A. H. Belo Corporations business outlook or future economic performance, revenues, expenses, and other financial and non-financial items that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements as the term is defined under applicable federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those statements. Such risks, trends and uncertainties are, in most instances, beyond the Companys control, and include changes in advertising demand and other economic conditions; consumers tastes; newsprint prices; program costs; labor relations; cybersecurity incidents; technological obsolescence; and the current and future impacts of the COVID-19 public health crisis. Among other risks, there can be no guarantee that the board of directors will approve a quarterly dividend in future quarters; as well as other risks described in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the Companys other public disclosures and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements, which are as of the date of this filing, are not updated to reflect events or circumstances after the date of the statement.

Contact:

Katy Murray

214-977-8869

A. H. Belo Corporation and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Operations

Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, In thousands, except share and per share amounts (unaudited) 2020 2019 2020 2019 Net Operating Revenue: Advertising and marketing services $ 15,591 $ 25,300 $ 34,918 $ 49,341 Circulation 15,723 17,013 32,137 34,286 Printing, distribution and other 4,101 4,802 8,703 10,077 Total net operating revenue 35,415 47,115 75,758 93,704 Operating Costs and Expense: Employee compensation and benefits 16,997 19,828 36,013 40,952 Other production, distribution and operating costs 18,659 23,845 39,651 46,029 Newsprint, ink and other supplies 2,271 4,022 5,542 8,769 Depreciation 1,802 2,333 3,567 4,719 Amortization 64 140 128 216 Gain on sale/disposal of assets, net  (25,908 ) (5 ) (25,908 ) Total operating costs and expense 39,793 24,260 84,896 74,777 Operating income (loss) (4,378 ) 22,855 (9,138 ) 18,927 Other income, net 1,331 1,133 2,683 1,962 Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes (3,047 ) 23,988 (6,455 ) 20,889 Income tax provision (benefit) 367 7,460 (1,420 ) 6,496 Net Income (Loss) $ (3,414 ) $ 16,528 $ (5,035 ) $ 14,393 Per Share Basis Net income (loss) Basic and diluted $ (0.16 ) $ 0.77 $ (0.24 ) $ 0.67 Number of common shares used in the per share calculation: Basic and diluted 21,410,423 21,525,971 21,410,423 21,578,014

A. H. Belo Corporation and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

June 30, December 31, In thousands (unaudited) 2020 2019 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 42,310 $ 48,626 Accounts receivable, net 13,019 18,441 Notes receivable 22,775  Other current assets 11,610 7,737 Total current assets 89,714 74,804 Property, plant and equipment, net 15,181 18,453 Operating lease right-of-use assets 21,871 21,371 Intangible assets, net 191 319 Deferred income taxes, net 22 50 Long-term note receivable  22,400 Other assets 3,627 3,648 Total assets $ 130,606 $ 141,045 Liabilities and Shareholders Equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 4,903 $ 6,103 Accrued compensation and other current liabilities 12,092 13,337 Contract liabilities 14,012 12,098 Total current liabilities 31,007 31,538 Long-term pension liabilities 20,275 23,039 Long-term operating lease liabilities 23,051 23,120 Other liabilities 5,702 5,611 Total liabilities 80,035 83,308 Total shareholders' equity 50,571 57,737 Total liabilities and shareholders equity $ 130,606 $ 141,045

A. H. Belo Corporation - Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Reconciliation of Operating Income (Loss) to Adjusted Operating Income (Loss)

Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, In thousands (unaudited) 2020 2019 2020 2019 Total net operating revenue $ 35,415 $ 47,115 $ 75,758 $ 93,704 Total operating costs and expense 39,793 24,260 84,896 74,777 Operating Income (Loss) $ (4,378 ) $ 22,855 $ (9,138 ) $ 18,927 Total net operating revenue $ 35,415 $ 47,115 $ 75,758 $ 93,704 Addback: Advertising contra revenue 934 3,084 2,388 5,736 Circulation contra revenue 63 145 101 320 Adjusted Operating Revenue $ 36,412 $ 50,344 $ 78,247 $ 99,760 Total operating costs and expense $ 39,793 $ 24,260 $ 84,896 $ 74,777 Addback: Advertising contra expense 934 3,084 2,388 5,736 Circulation contra expense 63 145 101 320 Less: Depreciation 1,802 2,333 3,567 4,719 Amortization 64 140 128 216 Severance expense 17 800 203 1,401 Gain on sale/disposal of assets, net  (25,908 ) (5 ) (25,908 ) Adjusted Operating Expense $ 38,907 $ 50,124 $ 83,492 $ 100,405 Adjusted operating revenue $ 36,412 $ 50,344 $ 78,247 $ 99,760 Adjusted operating expense 38,907 50,124 83,492 100,405 Adjusted Operating Income (Loss) $ (2,495 ) $ 220 $ (5,245 ) $ (645 )

The Company calculates adjusted operating income (loss) by adjusting operating income (loss) to exclude depreciation, amortization, severance expense, (gain) loss on sale/disposal of assets, and asset impairments (adjusted operating income (loss)). The Company believes that inclusion of certain noncash expenses and other items in the results makes for more difficult comparisons between years and with peer group companies.

The Company adopted the new revenue guidance (Topic 606) using the modified retrospective approach as of January 1, 2018. While the Company adjusts operating revenue and expense for non-GAAP presentation, these adjustments have no effect on adjusted operating income (loss).

Adjusted operating income (loss) is not a measure of financial performance under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Management uses adjusted operating income (loss) and similar measures in internal analyses as supplemental measures of the Companys financial performance, and for performance comparisons versus its peer group of companies. Management uses this non-GAAP financial measure for the purposes of evaluating consolidated Company performance. The Company therefore believes that the non-GAAP measure presented provides useful information to investors by allowing them to view the Companys business through the eyes of management and the Board of Directors, facilitating comparison of results across historical periods and providing a focus on the underlying ongoing operating performance of its business. Adjusted operating income (loss) should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income (loss), cash flows provided by (used for) operating activities or other comparable measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Additionally, this non-GAAP measure may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures of other companies.




Pawan Jhabakh and Palaniappan A By

India is one of the fastest-growing startup destinations and is touted to be the second-largest startup ecosystem in the world. With greater focus from the government, better incubation support and improved access to funding, the number of startups being formed is on the rise.

As startups grow and begin to have a global footprint, one sees a steady increase in founders wanting to externalize/flip their structure (i.e) have their holding company in countries like Singapore, US, UK, Netherlands, etc. Externalization/ flipping of the structure essentially means flipping the holding company of the startup outside India.

Typically, the reasons for externalization are easier access to funding, stable regulations, the familiarity of the structure for Private Equity investors, and a conducive platform for public listing in overseas jurisdictions.

While multiple options are available to externalize a structure ranging from plain vanilla share transfers, share swaps to outbound mergers/ other internal restructuring exercises with multiple steps, the key lies in timing the externalization right post factoring some red flags.

Some of the key considerations are discussed here:

1) Round tripping and other restrictions under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA)

Round tripping refers to the flow of funds from India to overseas which in turn is invested back into India. The issue of round-tripping in an externalized structure arises when some of the founders remain Indian residents.

While round-tripping is not expressly defined, the restriction has inherently been there under the regulations on overseas direct investment by Indian residents. The RBI updated its FAQs in 2019 and specifically clarified that it does not permit an Indian resident to set up an Indian subsidiary through its overseas company or acquire an overseas company that already has direct/indirect investment in India under the automatic route  a specific approval is required from the RBI in those cases.

In summary, if the founders of the startup are based outside India, the issue of round-tripping may not arise. On the contrary, if some of the founders are based in India, then the restrictions on round-tripping, the possibility of getting an approval from the RBI, alternative options like ESOPs/ phantom stocks would need consideration.

2) Intellectual Property (IP)

Startups in their early stages would have developed their IPs in India which is undoubtedly the most precious asset. A protective IP environment is quintessential for the entire startup ecosystem which is immense for value creation and growth of business. Various legislations are prevalent to protect and leverage the intellectual property created by startups, which are in the nature of: (a) Patents, (b) Copyrights, (c) Trademarks, (d) Designs, and (e) Trade Secrets. India has complied with its obligations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to align itself with global IPR jurisdictions. The Budget 2020 referred to improved protection for Intellectual Property Rights through a dedicated policy. The Indian income-tax law also has a Patent Box Regime providing incentivized tax rate on royalty income earned from patents developed in India.

In some cases, the founders prefer to transfer the IPs to overseas companies from an IP protection, control and valuation standpoint. Transfer of IP to an overseas company is permitted under FEMA subject to certain conditions which inter-alia includes the requirement to transfer the IP at fair market value  nonadherence to the fair market value would be viewed as shifting value outside India triggering RBI scrutiny. The valuation of IP especially in startups is very dynamic and could significantly vary in a bootstrapped stage vs a seed funding stage vs a mature stage. Further, the gains on transfer of IP would also be subject to income-tax in India and would need to be at fair market value from a transfer pricing standpoint.

Given the same, the need for transfer of the IP to an overseas jurisdiction, the timing of the transfer and the basis of valuation of such IP assumes significance.

3) Tax costs on transfer of shares

In case of any restructuring involving transfer of shares/ assets, income-tax may become payable subject to certain conditions. Income-tax in such scenarios would typically be based on the fair market value of the assets being transferred.

Hence, in cases where the externalization is planned after multiple rounds of funding or closer to an exit, there could be significant accretion to the fair market value of such start-ups triggering substantial tax costs. On the other hand, flipping the structure at the initial stages would be tax optimal but would result in numerous regulatory/ compliance hassles. Hence, timing the flip at the right time becomes a critical decision point.

4) Regulations on place of effective management

Under the Indian income-tax laws, an overseas company could be regarded as an Indian resident and its global profits could be subject to income-tax in India if the place of effective management (POEM) of such company is in India  this is subject to satisfaction of certain revenue thresholds. Hence, if some of the key founders of the startup remain Indian residents, then the need to flip the structure requires a closer look having regard to the POEM regulations.

In summary, externalization of a structure is not a one-size-fits-all approach and need not necessarily be a move in the right direction for all start-ups. The business model of certain start-ups and their growth strategies may necessitate a flip in structure and the benefits may outweigh the complexities and the costs of such externalization. On the other side, the ethos of certain businesses, their positioning in the market, their access to funding and personal aspirations of the founders may not require an externalization. Also, the recent developments directed towards permitting Indian companies to list in foreign stock exchanges is a welcome measure and would provide better access to global capital without the need of having an overseas entity. At the end of the day, a business structure would need to necessarily facilitate growth of the business and can never be an impediment. It is therefore important to have a bespoke structure that would be the right fit for each organization.

Co-authored by Pawan Jhabakh, Legal Counsel, India and Palaniappan. A, Chartered Accountant, India.
Press Release

27 July 2020

London, UK: Popular holiday hotspots Indonesia, Dubai and Rwanda are among the latest destinations begin using to the world's first ever global safety and hygiene stamp, launched recently by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

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The growing list of endorsements have come from many major holiday and city destinations around the world, such as Sharjah as well Malaga which joins the growing list of Spanish summer sun destinations including Alicante and Benidorm.

WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, created the Safe Travels stamp to allow travellers to identify destinations and businesses around the world which have adopted the global standardised health and hygiene protocols.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has welcomed the WTTC Safe Travels stamp, which place the safety and hygiene of travellers as top priority.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: "Our Safe Travels stamp is proving a great success and we are delighted to see even more popular countries and destinations adopt our global health and hygiene protocols.

"The success of the WTTC Safe Travels stamp shows its importance not only to countries and destinations, but also, crucially, to travellers and the 330 million people around the world who work in and depend on, the Travel & Tourism sector.

"The stamp is a critical step in re-establishing consumer confidence in Travel & Tourism and ensuring travellers can rest easy knowing that enhanced standards of hygiene are in place and they can once again experience 'Safe Travels'."

Since the launch of the WTTC Safe Travels stamp, destination countries, cities, and hotspots around the world have now adopted WTTC's new protocols.

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), said:

"As we reopen Dubai's doors to tourism and welcome our international visitors back to the city, our foremost priority is their wellbeing, achieved through stringent hygiene and safety protocols that have been deployed across all tourist touch points. The WTTC's Safe Travels stamp endorses Dubai's strong global cooperation in combating the pandemic with comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.

"We trust that our efforts not only provide an optimised experience for our visitors, but also secure their health and that of their families, further cementing the confidence that our guests have had thus far in Dubai, and encouraging people from every corner of the world to visit one of the safest cities in the world this summer."

His Excellency Wishnutama Kusubandio, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia said:

"Indonesia and the World Travel & Tourism Council have a long history of strategic cooperation, including the latest support from WTTC for the development of Guidelines on the Implementation of Cleanliness, Health, Safety, and Encironment (CHSE) under "Indonesia Care" national campaign.

"Parallel to Indonesia's efforts to restart the tourism industry after the pandemic, we are honored to be part of the Safe Travels stamp that has been designed to rebuild confidence among consumers so they can travel safely."

Belise Kariza, Chief Tourism Officer at Rwanda Development Board, said:

"Rwanda's number one priority is the health and well-being of visitors to our beautiful country. As one of only three countries in the world with endangered mountain gorillas and numerous other primate species, we also have a special responsibility to protect these magnificent animals.

"The creation of the WTTC Safe Travels global protocols and Stamp represent an important step in the reopening of tourism around the world and Rwanda is proud to adopt these global standards. We are excited to welcome tourists back to Rwanda for safe and memorable experiences - from seeing the Big 5 on safari and exploring Rwanda's lush rainforests to learning about our vibrant culture."

Mr. Louis Lewis, CEO at Tobago Tourism Agency said:

"The WTTC Safe Travels stamp recognizes Tobago as a "safe destination" and is tremendously important for us as a destination promoting the island to potential visitors. Health and safety are the most important concerns for visitors at this time and it certainly endorses our efforts and gives us a competitive advantage in the marketplace"

HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority Chairman, said:

"Visitors to Sharjah can travel with confidence to the emirate to enjoy our unique experiences and stunning landscapes, knowing that our health and safety measures are comprehensive and our hotels and captivating attractions conform to the highest of international standards and the WTTC's Safe Travels global protocols. As a popular family destination, the emirate of Sharjah takes the health and safety of its visitors and residents extremely seriously and the Safe Travels Stamp is an invaluable asset in moving forward and building recovery. Sharjah proudly welcomes visitors, old and new, in safety with our traditional warm welcome."

Hon. Dr. Hamisi A. Kigwangalla (MP), Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, said:

"Tanzania is indeed well positioned to tap into the growing potential of the high-yield and ever-expanding tourism industry. The country is endowed with world renowned biodiversity, cultural and wildlife attractions. Our strategic location, economic and political stability and the best of multi-cultural hospitality make the country a top-of-mind destination for business activities. In 2019, Tanzania generated more than US$ 2.6 billion from the tourism sector, comprising more than 25% of the total exports' earnings. The sector also supports nearly 1.6 million direct and indirect jobs.

"In this regard, Tanzania joined hands with other destinations to applaud the continued efforts by the World Travel and Tourism Council - WTTC in achieving effective tourism recovery through the development of Safe Travels Stamp and its protocols. These protocols advocate for meaningful actions globally, leading to a future way of travelling which is safe, secured and unified providing a meaningful experience to tourists as well as supporting the livelihood of the local people in tourist destinations. Through them, the global tourism will recover quickly bringing world travellers unforgettable moments they have been missing. With WTTC endorsing Tanzania to use the Safe Travels stamp marks another step to our quest to present to you the safest unforgettable experiences. I welcome all travellers to Tanzania and wish to assure you that Tanzania is safe, open and ready to provide travellers with unforgettable experiences and hospitality."

Gustavo J. Segura, Costa Ricas Minister of Tourism, said:

"For the Costa Rican Tourism Institute it is a source of tremendous pride to be recognized by the World Travel & Tourism Council as a safe destination following review of 16 health and hygiene protocols, which were jointly developed by the public and private sector. We are committed to our tourists and eager that they can travel safely. This recognition, in addition, reinforces the international image of Costa Rica as a tourist destination, which fortunately is robust."

As part of its Safe Travels protocols, these worldwide measures provide consistency and guidance to travel providers and travellers about the new approach to health, hygiene, deep cleansing and physical distancing, in the 'new normal' of COVID-19 world.

The protocols were devised following the experience of WTTC members dealing with COVID19 and based on guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to WTTC's 2020 Economic Impact Report, during 2019, Travel & Tourism was responsible for one in 10 jobs (330 million total), making a 10.3% contribution to global GDP and generating one in four of all new jobs.
On Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Sunday, Oliver slammed Fox News for its reporting on the ongoing protests in Portland. As protests following the death of George Floyd were beginning to wane, President Trump sent in federal agents to quell what remained. This reignited protests not just in Portland, but around the country. While clashes between the federal agents and protesters have reportedly been confined to a relatively small area of the city, some on Fox have described a city under siege, or a war on the streets of Portland.

Its about one block that was actually starting to see fewer confrontations between protesters and police before federal agents moved in, Oliver said Or, if you watch Fox News, its the end of America as we know it.

Oliver singled out host Sean Hannity for exaggerating the crimes of some of the protesters. Oliver showed a clip of Hannity speaking about incidents in Portland with a rolling list next to him under the heading Violence in Portland. Hannity called whats happening in Portland insane. But as Oliver pointed out, graffiti was the most prominent thing on the list of violent crimes Hannity showed.

Yeah, it is insane. Because that tone does not honestly reflect the conditions on the ground. That firebombing, for instance, seems to be a reference to either a firework or a small fire that was set, which is significantly less dramatic than he is trying to make it sound, Oliver said. And that rolling list next to Hannitys head is mostly graffiti. In fact, graffiti is listed 12 times in a row there, under the headline Violence in Portland, which is a huge overstatement. And at that point, it would have been just as accurate if that heading had said, Cannibalism in Portland, or Texas Chainsaw Massacres in Portland.

Oliver also took a shot at Trump, who claimed the federal agents in Portland are doing a great job. Others have criticized the agents for their methods, which have included arresting people and taking them away in unmarked vans.

Story continues

Its never good when Trump says hes doing a great job given that he thinks his administration is doing a great job dealing with the coronavirus, Oliver said, and he once proclaimed that Ben Affleck would do a great job as Batman. Clearly this man has no sense of what a great job actually looks like.

Trump has also sent federal agents into Seattle, and has indicated he intends to send agents into other Democratically run cities as well, garnering another strong rebuke from Oliver.

The troubling thing here is, Portland seems to be being used as a staging ground by the president to put on an authoritarian show of force. And this could end very badly, Oliver said, especially as hes now apparently threatened to use federal force in other cities as well, which is absolutely outrageous.

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver airs Sundays at 11 p.m. on HBO.

Watch Trump say the mayor of Portland made a fool of himself when he joined protesters and got tear-gassed by federal agents:

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Vietnam, which had gone 100 days without reporting a case of local transmission of the coronavirus, said Saturday that a 57-year-old grandfather in the central city of Danang had tested positive. How he got the illness remains a mystery.

To prevent a wider outbreak, the Health Ministry said it was conducting extensive screening and testing in all at-risk areas in Danang. Officials said they had tested and quarantined people who had been in close contact with the patient and were tracing others. So far, no other positive cases have surfaced.

The case of the Danang grandfather is yet another sign of how difficult it is to contain the virus even when a country has followed the best practices. The patient has no record of recent travel and appears to be a homebody who spends most of his time looking after his grandchildren.

Health officials, noting that mask use in Vietnam had become lax, urged members of the public to resume wearing them, especially in crowded places and on public transportation.

Vietnam, one of the worlds few remaining communist states, has been among the most successful in the world in containing the virus. Soon after the illness emerged in China, Vietnams northern neighbor, the government quickly closed international borders, called for widespread use of masks and established strict quarantine and aggressive contact-tracing procedures.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Most foreigners are still barred from traveling to Vietnam, and returning citizens are required to go into quarantine, which is where all of Vietnams other recent cases have been found.

The public has embraced the campaign and rallied around one famous case, that of Scottish pilot, Stephen Cameron, 43, who came so close to death that doctors in Ho Chi Minh City contemplated giving him a double-lung transplant. He spent more than two months on life support in a medically induced coma but recovered and flew home two weeks ago.

As of Saturday, Vietnam had reported 416 cases and no deaths. Its last known case of local transmission was in mid-April. The government has been considering resuming international flights to countries where the virus has been contained.

The discovery of the new case in Danang was a shock. Many people reportedly canceled travel plans in central Vietnam, a popular destination for domestic and foreign travelers.

The 57-year-old man, known as Patient 416, first showed signs of a cough and fever July 17 and was admitted to a hospital three days later. He was initially diagnosed with pneumonia. An X-ray showed lung lesions and, after he suffered respiratory failure, he was put on a ventilator.

His tests for COVID-19 were positive from the outset, but it was not until Saturday, when the fourth test result came back, that the government officially declared that he had COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The countrys acting health minister, Nguyen Thanh Long, confirmed the finding at a meeting Saturday of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19.

Health investigators concluded that the patient had not traveled outside Danang, one of Vietnams largest cities, and had rarely left home in the month before becoming ill.

On July 7, he took his 92-year-old mother to a medical center for treatment for her heart ailment and, on July 16, visited her at the hospital where she had been transferred.

On July 17, he began to feel tired and feverish but attended an engagement party. The next day, he went to a family wedding.

Health officials said that more than 100 people with whom he had been in contact had tested negative for the virus. About 50 of them have been placed in isolation as a further precaution.

Specialist teams were sent from other parts of the country, including from Cho Ray Hospital, where Cameron was treated, to help with the treatment of Patient 416, whose condition appeared to be deteriorating.

This patient is suffering from acute pneumonia with severe symptoms and rapid progression, according to a statement posted Friday by the Health Ministry, and doctors were pursuing a maximum treatment regimen.

c.2020 The New York Times Company
T ravel and airline stocks took a pounding today after the government said it was watching the situation closely in Germany and France with regard to implementing quarantine measures.

We have to keep the situation under review and I think that is what the public would expect us to do, junior health minister Helen Whately told Sky when asked about Germany and France possibly being next to face a quarantine.

If we see rates going up in a country where at the moment there is no need to quarantine, if we see the rates going up, we would have to take action because we cannot take the risk of coronavirus being spread again across the UK, she said.

It comes as over the weekend the UK abruptly imposed a two-week coronavirus quarantine on travellers returning from Spain, a decision that has left hundreds of thousands people stranded.

The airline industry has reacted with dismay to the decision to impose the quarantine, calling it a big blow.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain. Quarantine measures apply to those returning from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, such as Majorca and Ibiza.

British Airways is still operating flights, but said the move was "throwing thousands of Britons' travel plans into chaos".

Yesterday the UK's biggest tour operator, Tui, cancelled all mainland Spanish holidays until 9 August.

Today Ryanair posted a loss and expressed concern about a possible second wave of coronavirus in the Autumn.

The company said: It is impossible to predict how long the Covid-19 pandemic will persist, and a second wave of Covid-19 cases across Europe in late autumn (when the annual flu season commences) is our biggest fear right now.

Hopefully EU governments, by implementing effective track and tracing systems, and EU citizens by complying with recommended face masks, rigorous hand hygiene and other measures, will avoid the need for further lockdowns or restrictions on intra-EU flights.

Shares in British Airways owner IAG tumbled 8%, while was EasyJet was off 12% and Wizz Air dived 5%.

InterContinental Hotels Group was down 3% and Tui lost 13%.

Joshua Mahony, market analyst at IG, said: The airlines have led the loses in early trade today, with the likes of TUI, IAG, Dart Group, EasyJet, and Ryanair all suffering after the swift UK decision to reimpose a 14-day quarantine on any flights from Spain.

"Whilst some will criticise the speed at which these measures have been imposed, it does show a willingness to act early in a bid to reduce imported cases in the UK.

"With Ryanair losing 185m over the April-June period, airlines desperately need a smooth summer as they bid to stabilise their balance sheet after months of losses.

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"Unfortunately, this Spanish quarantine announcement is unlikely to be the last of its kind, with outbreaks throughout Europe likely to provide a stop-start summer for airlines as different regions attempt to extinguish any surges in Covid-19."
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's coronavirus tally reached 274,289 with the detection of 1,176 new cases in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Monday.

Twenty more people died overnight due to coronavirus-related complications, pushing the death toll to 5,842, it said.

Sindh reported the highest number of 118,311 cases, followed by 92,073 in Punjab, 33,397 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 14,884 in Islamabad, 11,601 in Balochistan, 2,034 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and 1,989 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The authorities have so far conducted 1,890,236 tests, including 22,056 in the last 24 hours, to detect coronavirus.

According to the ministry, the coronavirus situation in the country is improving with the increase in the number of recoveries and the decrease in new cases.

Of the total 274,289 cases, including the new 1,176 patients, 241,026 have recovered, which constitute 87.87 per cent, it said.

There are currently 27,421 active cases, the ministry said. However, officials warned that the situation could again deteriorate if people ignore COVID-19 guidelines during Eidul Adha, which will be observed on August 1, followed by Ashura a month later.

Special Advisor on Health, Dr Zafar Mirza, on Sunday asked people to follow the standard operating procedures (SoPs).

"We will certainly be facing challenges on Eidul Azha and Ashura, which may lead to another spike in the coronavirus outbreak," he said.

Planning minister Asad Umar, who also heads the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC), tweeted that action is being taken against those violating the rules.

He said over 500 illegal cattle markets have been shut across the country to ensure public health safety.
In a fresh twist in the ongoing political drama in Rajasthan, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday (July 26) issued a whip to its six MLAs in the state, who decided to merge with the Congress in 2019. The BSP has asked its MLAs not to vote in favour of Congress in any no-confidence motion or any proceedings to be held during Rajasthan Assembly Session.

In September 2019, all six BSP MLAs in Rajasthan - Rajendra Gudha (MLA from Udaipurwati), Jogendra Singh Awana (MLA from Nadbai), Lakhan Singh Meena (MLA from Karauli), Wajib Ali (MLA from Nagar), Sandeep Yadav (MLA from Tijara) and Deepchand Kheria (MLA from Kishangarhbas) - had joined Congress. The MLAs had informed Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi about their decision to join the Congress.

BSP National General Secretary Satish Chandra Misra said in a letter that all six BSP MLAs who had managed to win the Assembly election on the BSP's election symbol, issued by the party's its national president Mayawati, must follow the party whip and should not vote in favour of the Congress.

Misra also mentioned in his letter that since BSP is a recognised national party, according to the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, there can not be any merger at the state level at the instance of the six MLAs. He added that the merger can take place only of the BSP everywhere at the national level which "admittedly has not been done in the present case".

Meanwhile, the SC will resume hearing of the plea filed by Assembly Speaker CP Joshi challenging Rajasthan High Court order barring Joshi from conducting disqualification proceedings against Sachin Pilot and 18 other rebel Congress MLAs.

"As per the Constitution bench, the Judiciary cannot interfere in speaker's job. Only notice was issued by me to the MLAs. The decision on the matter was yet to be taken. Unfortunate that our elected representatives are circumventing through Judiciary,", CP Joshi had said before filing the Special Leave Petition.

During the first hearing in this case, the SC had decided not to put a stay on the proceedings of Rajasthan HC in this matter and scheduled the case for Monday (July 27).

On Friday (July 24), the Rajasthan HC had ordered for status quo to be maintained on Sachin Pilot and 18 other rebel Congress MLAs.
Some Russian sites selling air tickets these days offer tickets for regular flights from different cities of Russia to Armenia from August 1 of this year. However, the process of resuming regular air traffic between the two countries has not yet been completed, and the timing of the resumption of flights is under discussion, the Armenian Embassy in Russia reported.

"Based on the above, we advise citizens wishing to go to Armenia to be guided only by the official information on the restoration of flights in the matter of purchasing air tickets to avoid other issues," the statement noted.

During the entire period of the state of emergency in Armenia, there is a ban on entry into the country of persons who are not Armenian citizens or family members of an Armenian citizen, as well as persons who do not have the right to legally reside in the Armenian territory."
The text of the Free Trade Area Agreement (FTA) between Turkey and Ukraine will be completed soon, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Yagmur Ahmet Guldere has said.

"I believe that both sides are making every effort to reach a common position. Last Friday [July 17] we had a round of negotiations that took place online. Again, we see that the coronavirus is not slowing us. I hope that in accordance with the instructions of our presidents, we will be able to finalize the text as soon as possible," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

According to Guldere, Turkey and Ukraine have covered very important issues for concluding this agreement.

"The presidents of both countries have clear instructions, they repeated them in February, when they met in Kyiv, namely to conclude this agreement as soon as possible. Undoubtedly, when it comes to such two large economies as Turkey and Ukraine, we are talking about 120 million people, various competing industries, in which one side sometimes has very important competitive advantages over the other. Obviously, in both countries there are circles that have concerns about this agreement," the diplomat said.

At the same time, Guldere said that the FTA agreement between Turkey and Ukraine is a win-win for both sides.

"When I hear all these arguments about the FTA between Ukraine and Turkey, how negatively it will affect some sectors, I believe that we need to look at the bigger picture and the additional benefit that this agreement will bring to our economies and, finally, to consumers in Ukraine and Turkey. As President Zelensky says, this is a "kazan-kazan", that is the win-win agreement," the ambassador said.

He added that at present, work on setting the date for the next meeting of the High Level Strategic Council (the meeting of the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey) continues.
A viral video purportedly shows section of the border wall separating the US and Mexico collapsing under strong winds and heavy rains from Tropical Storm Hanna.

The video posted to Twitter by journalist Yadith Valdez on Sunday shows construction workers standing by and watching as fierce gusts knock the steel structure to the ground.

The clip became the target of widespread ridicule on social media as critics likened the section's collapse to the re-election campaign of President Donald Trump, who has already spent more than $11billion building the wall that is expected to cost an estimated $21.6billion to complete.

Some users pointed out that just a few weeks ago Trump boasted that his wall is 'the most powerful and comprehensive border wall structure' in the world.

But others users called the validity of the footage into question, noting that its unclear when and where it was recorded.

Scroll down for video

A viral video appears to show a section of the border wall between the US and Mexico collapsing under strong winds and heavy rains from Tropical Storm Hanna on Sunday

The video posted to Twitter on Sunday shows construction workers standing by and watching as fierce gusts knock the steel structure to the ground. The clip became the target of ridicule on social media as critics likened the collapse to President Trump's re-election campaign

Mexican news outlet Debate claimed in an article that the video was filmed at a section of wall dividing Texas from Ciudad Camargo in the state of Tamaulipas.

However, Washington Post reporter Nick Miroff refuted that report in a tweet, saying that Customs and Border Patrol officials told him the video was not recorded in the Rio Grande Valley.

'Unclear where it was filmed, but based on desert terrain, daytime recording and style of bollards, I'm guessing these are images of a monsoon out west, prob Arizona,' Miroff wrote.

Regardless of questions over the origin of the video, Trump critics had a field day with jokes about the collapse.

Best-selling author Rick Wilson tweeted: 'I have a Trump wall joke but it blows.'

Another man tweeted in response to Wilson: 'I have a trump wall joke but I know it will fall flat.'

'I have a Trump wall joke but it will fall apart before it's finished,' a third man wrote.

Yet another critic added: 'I hope the Trump Wall is still under warranty. I'd hate to see Mexico have to pay for it a second time.'

Washington Post reporter Nick Miroff discredited claims about the video being recorded in the Rio Grande Valley, citing information from Customs and Border Patrol officials

Regardless of questions over the origin of the video, Trump critics had a field day with jokes about the collapse

Trump has already spent more than $11billion building the wall that is expected to cost an estimated $21.6billion to complete. He is pictured at a promotional event for the wall in June

DailyMail.com has reached out to CBP for clarification about the video.

Hanna was downgraded to a tropical depression after it made landfall in south Texas along the Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday morning.

The storm dumped more than 12 inches of rain along the US-Mexico border as it tore through the area with winds of up to 50 miles per hour.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EnWave Corporation (TSX-V:ENW | FSE:E4U) (EnWave, or the "Company") announced today that the Company has obtained a Research License from Health Canada under the Cannabis Act for its Vancouver-based facilities (the License).



With a pilot plant that is now approved for independent research and development for cannabis products, EnWave has the ability to expedite process development and data analytics for terpene and cannabinoid retention along with other critical properties of cannabis. This strategy is designed to further demonstrate the significant value proposition of the Companys proprietary, vacuum-microwave drying technology. Previous trials conducted at our licensed partners facilities yielded very positive results. With a Health Canada License, this valuable in-house research can further facilitate adoption decisions by Canadian and international cannabis producers looking to up-scale their post-harvest drying operations. It also allows EnWave to better advance the research process, working independently and in collaboration with cannabis companies at its on-site facilities. Through its new licensed capabilities, EnWave is intensifying its efforts to support licensed producers looking to improve their drying processes.

EnWaves proprietary Radiant Energy Vacuum (REV) drying technology provides cannabis producers with a rapid drying solution that creates high quality cannabis products for both extraction and combustion, while reducing processing bottlenecks at lower operating costs. The REV process also significantly reduces the bioburden in the product and reduces crop loss due to microbes and other quality issues. REV has already been adopted by several licensed cannabis and hemp producers in Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia and the United States of America.

With EnWave conducting on-site trials with a variety of cannabis strains, the perceived technology risk is anticipated to be materially reduced for prospective licensees and is targeted to stimulate new licenses and REV equipment sales into the sector.

About EnWave

EnWave Corporation, a Canadian advanced technology company, has developed Radiant Energy Vacuum (REV)  an innovative, proprietary method for the precise dehydration of organic materials. EnWave has further developed patented methods for uniformly drying and decontaminating cannabis through the use of REV technology, shortening the time from harvest to marketable cannabis products.

REV technologys commercial viability has been demonstrated and is growing rapidly across several market verticals in the food, and pharmaceutical sectors, including legal cannabis. EnWaves strategy is to sign royalty-bearing commercial licenses with innovative, disruptive companies in multiple verticals for the use of REV technology. The company has signed over thirty royalty-bearing licenses to date. In addition to these licenses, EnWave established a Limited Liability Corporation, NutraDried Food Company, LLC, to manufacture, market and sell all-natural dairy snack products in the United States, including the Moon Cheese brand.

EnWave has introduced REV as a disruptive dehydration platform in the food and cannabis sectors: faster and cheaper than freeze drying, with better end product quality than air drying or spray drying. EnWave currently offers two distinct commercial REV platforms:

nutraREV which is a drum-based system that dehydrates organic materials quickly and at low-cost, while maintaining high levels of nutrition, taste, texture and colour; and, quantaREV which is a tray-based system used for continuous, high-volume low-temperature drying.

EnWave is also active in the pharmaceutical industry through a joint development agreement with GEA Lyophil, a leader in GMP drying machinery.



More information about EnWave is available at www.enwave.net .



EnWave Corporation

Mr. Brent Charleton, CFA

President and CEO

For further information:

Brent Charleton, CFA , President and CEO at +1 (778) 378-9616

E-mail: bcharleton@enwave.net

Dan Henriques, CA, CPA, Chief Financial Officer at +1 (604) 835-5212

E-mail: dhenriques@enwave.net



Safe Harbour for Forward-Looking Information Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking information based on management's expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the Company's strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures, and the expected synergies following the closing are forward-looking statements. All third party claims referred to in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate. All third party references to market information in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate as the Company did not conduct the original primary research. These statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
China on Monday urged Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan to forge four-party cooperation to overcome the Covid-19 crisis and continue work on projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Presiding over a virtual meeting with his counterparts from the three countries, Chinas foreign minister Wang Yi said the four states should work together to extend CPEC to Afghanistan.

The video conference, organised by Beijing ostensibly to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, was held against the backdrop of the months-long India-China border stand-off. Given Indias currently strained ties with Nepal, the meeting is unlikely to go down well with the foreign policy establishment in New Delhi.

The online meeting was joined by Pakistans foreign and economic ministers, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Khushro Bakhtiar, Nepals foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali and Afghanistans acting foreign minister Hanif Atmar.

Wang, one of Chinas senior-most diplomats with the rank of state councillor, said the four states should give full play to geographic advantages, strengthen exchanges and connections between the four countries and Central Asian countries, and maintain regional peace and stability, according to a statement in Mandarin issued on Monday night.

The four countries should also actively promote the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the trans-Himalayan three-dimensional interconnectivity network, support the extension of [CPEC] to Afghanistan, and further release the regional interconnection dividend, he said.

Even for China, it is rare to call for four-party cooperation in South Asia without involving India. But the move fits Beijings current narrative.

The statement from Chinas foreign ministry indicated Beijing is looking at a more permanent cooperation mechanism with the three South Asian countries than just working together to counter the pandemic.

The meeting added to Beijings own narrative that it is ready to play a bigger role in war-torn Afghanistans peace process. For Nepal, it was an opportunity to send out a message about its increasingly snug ties with China amid the strained relations with India.

As for Pakistan, Wang himself cited the example of iron brother ties between Islamabad and Beijing. Emphasising that having good neighbours is good fortune, Wang called on Nepal and Afghanistan to follow the example of Sino-Pakistan cooperation to fight the pandemic.

Wang said learning from the Sino-Pakistan cooperation, Afghanistan and Nepal should expand four-nation joint prevention and control of Covid-19 and make arrangements for epidemic prevention, resumption of economic activity and personnel exchanges.

He said under the principle of anti-epidemic cooperation, the four countries should open up fast channels and green channels for personnel and logistics as soon as possible.

They should also strengthen joint prevention and control in border areas, and frame jointly recognised standard operating procedures for epidemic notification, prevention, management and control, he said.

As part of post-pandemic recovery and economic development, Wang said, the other countries should firmly promote the joint construction of BRI, promote the resumption of key cooperation projects, maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains, and create new economic growth points in the digital field.
Actor Sonu Sood has expressed his disappointment at Sushant Singh Rajputs death being used to settle personal scores. Sonu also said that as an outsider in the film industry, the feeling of not truly belonging never fully goes away.

He told Republic TV in an interview, Lot of people trying to get mileage, over this subject, thats very unfortunate. Imagine the family living in Patna, imagine what they must be going through. People who havent met him in their life, and they want to sit on a debate which is unfortunate.

Also read: Kangana Ranaut admits shed never met Sushant Singh Rajput: We never crossed paths, but were really close

In recent weeks, actor Kangana Ranaut has accused several powerful Bollywood personalities of ostracising Sushant and herself. She has also admitted to never having met Sushant in her life. Sushant and I, we never really crossed paths. But we were always really close, you know, she told The Times of India, adding that he might have attended one of her birthday parties, but she didnt speak to him. She said that she used to get updates about Sushant from actor Ankita Lokhande, who dated him from six years until 2016, and then worked with Kangana on the historical epic Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi.

Sonu dropped out of Manikarnika, after Kangana took over as director and reportedly cut down his role. Kangana had accused him of refusing to work under a woman director.

Sonu in a recent interview to India Today had offered advice to outsiders. Hed said, So the only thing I can tell outsiders coming into this industry is that come only if you have nerves of steel and dont expect miracles to happen. Just because you look a certain way or have a good physique doesnt mean somebody from a production house will spot you and cast you in their next film.

Also read: Sonu Soods advice to outsiders: Come only if you have nerves of steel, star kids will always have easy access

He added, A star kid, in that aspect, will obviously have easy access. The father will just pick up the phone and speak to the director or the producer of the film and they will get a break. Tomorrow if my kids want to be in this industry, perhaps it will be easy for them.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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Discussions on details for the reopening were thrashed out over the weekend.

Enhanced cleaning regimes, investment in school buildings and more substitute teachers are just some of the measures planned to reassure people that school will be a safe place for their children.

There will be a major investment in sanitation and personal protective equipment.

Additional teachers are being sourced as staff are being advised not to come in if they display symptoms of the virus.

Teachers Union of Ireland general secretary John McGabhann says a schools ability to respond quickly to an outbreak of Covid-19 will be essential:

We also would like to have schools in the position where they can respond very, very adroitly to any incident that may arise, and specifically Im speaking here of lets say, an outbreak of Covid in the school. Such an outbreak, given that it will take place without prior knowledge, will require an instant response.

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A lack of clarity over whether the full reopening would actually happen has led to growing anxiety among parents and pupils.

It is thought that buy-in to the measures from unions  who have played a key role in shaping them - will be vital to their success.

Targeted supports for students with special needs are also thought to be included in the planned multi-million euro package.

The Cabinet will be briefed on the details today before its publication.
Three reporters in the soup over alleged extortion

Tran Trong Lam in his car in Hanoi as he is caught receiving hush money to cover misconduct by a clinic chain, July 25, 2020. Photo courtesy of the police.

A man employed at a Ministry of Health's newspaper and his two colleagues have been put under investigation for extorting VND210 million ($9,140).

Police in Bac Giang Province said Monday they had detained Tran Trong Lam, 44, Tran Tuyet Nhung, 40, and Bui Thi Xuan, 41, during an extortion probe.

Lam is vice head of readers department at Suc Khoe va Doi Song (Health and Life) newspaper run by the Ministry of Health, while Nhung and Xuan are intern and reporter at a magazine under Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations.

According to authorities, Lam knew a shareholder of a four-clinic chain in northern Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Nam Dinh, and Vinh Phuc provinces, and thus was aware of its suspected misconduct.

He subsequently asked Nhung and Xuan to demand VND210 million from the Bac Giang clinic owner in exhange for their silence over the alleged violation.

On Saturday afternoon, Lam was about to receive the sum in Hoang Mai District of Hanoi when he was caught by police.

The newspaper leaders said they did not assign Lam to oversee Bac Giang Province, issues related to local medical clinics, or investigations into the chain in question.

The three are facing charges of property appropriation. If found guilty, they could be jailed up to 20 years each.
Recently, Ankara has received updated lists of Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia, including Crimean Tatars, Turkish Ambassador to Ukraine Yagmur Ahmet Guldere said, stressing that the topic of the release of Ukrainian political prisoners is always on Turkey's agenda.

"When our high-level delegations, including our presidents, negotiate with Ukrainian delegations, these topics are always on our agenda. We receive updated lists, talk about recent changes in the situation. And we will continue to use all the means available to us to contribute to solving this problem. We have recently received updated lists, which are in Ankara now. And we will continue to help our Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian friends in this process," Guldere said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

In addition, the ambassador stressed that Turkey did not recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia, and will not recognize it.

"Turkey's position on Crimea has been clear and unchanged since 2014. We have not recognized the annexation and will not recognize it. This official position was emphasized once again during the visits of the Turkish President, the Turkish Defense Minister to Kyiv, and Minister [of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine] Kuleba's visit to Antalya. We continue our policy of non-recognition of the annexation of Crimea and the policy of assistance to Ukraine through bilateral mechanisms, and we also use our channels of dialogue with other parties," he said.
WESTPORT  More than 50 people gathered outside the downtown Starbucks Friday in two rallies to show support for a former employee who alleged a female customer harassed him at work for nearly a year, including calling him racial slurs multiple times.

My hands shake and I tear up just allowing someone that HATES ME and calls me a (N-word) to come into my space and ruin my whole shift, the barista, Dayshawn Rodriguez, alleged in a recent Instagram post.

A Starbucks spokesperson said Thursday the company was made aware of the social media post and the woman is no longer allowed at Starbucks in either Westport or neighboring towns.

None of our partners should feel harassed while in our stores and we take these matters seriously, the spokesperson said. Our stores are a place of community, where everyone is welcome, provided they contributed to a positive environment and an enjoyable experience.

The spokesperson also said local company leadership has made attempts to speak with Rodriguez to update him on the actions taken and to ensure he felt supported while the incidents are being investigated. Starbucks did not provide details of the investigation.

According to police, Rodriguez has not filed any charges against the woman and did not want police involvement.

That being said, things were left open-ended in our conversation with him, and should he request a criminal investigation into this situation, that certainly remains an option for him in the future, said Anthony Prezioso, the Westport police spokesman.

Rodriguezs social media post drew more than 14,000 likes; many of the participants at Fridays rallies said they saw it and it spurred them to action. A petition started on change.org has also garnered more than 6,000 signatures.

The first rally, slated for 8 a.m, was attended by town elected officials  including all of the Board of Selectmen  and residents who said they went to show support of Rodriguez.

I love that the community is coming out for me. I feel the love from Westport, Rodriguez said. Its not an issue with Westport, its just an issue with (Starbucks) management.

Frustrated who Starbucks handled the situation, Rodriguez said he left his job earlier this week; a GoFundMe page was started to support him as he looks for future employment.

Darcy Hicks, of DefenDemocracy of CT, who organized the first rally, said it was important Westporters stand in solidarity with Rodriguez.

As a largely white and privileged community, were obligated to stand up and speak out against racism, she said.

Hicks said she only learned of the allegations from the Instagram post and it was unfortunate Rodriguezs voice was not heard sooner.

Rodriguez, however, said he made multiple complaints to management but it took his social media post to get results. Citing the ongoing investigation, Starbucks spokesperson declined to comment on Rodriguezs allegations that his bosses did nothing.

They finally did something, Rodriguez said, because you guys are here and because the Westport people said something.

TEAM Westport Chairman Harold Bailey Jr., who became aware of the situation through the social media post, said what Rodriguez allegedly experienced was unacceptable.

Our real focus is to get him the support he needs internally from Starbucks, he said. The town is fully behind making sure he feels safe, feels comfortable coming to work and we have to make sure its the same inside.

A second rally at 10 a.m, organized by Fairfield Yabantu, an organization that looks to address inequality in America, drew a crowd large enough that police blocked off parts of the downtown for the protesters.

Tre Kayumba of Fairfield Yabantu said Rodriguezs claim of not having his voice heard until white people spoke up showed what Black people face in America.

The bottom line is this: If were going to address racism and dismantle the systems, we have to be moved to seeing and recognizing the humanity of Black people, he said. Im happy were here to do that.

dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com
As of 12 p.m. July 27, 2020, the Pa. Department of Health reports that there are 108,264 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. There are at least 7,122 reported deaths from the virus.

According to Johns Hopkins University, 80,568 of those cases recovered from the virus.

Click the image to see a data page including an interactive map for the state. (Please click the link in the previous sentence if you cant see the image.)

Click here for a ZIP code breakdown of cases provided by the Pa. Department of Health.

The state is also providing detailed hospital and respirator data here for desktop users and here for mobile users.

The state reported 839 new cases of the coronavirus. Below is a breakdown of the new and cumulative cases and deaths in the state.

Adams

There are 442 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 17 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Allegheny

There are 7474 total cases with 180 new cases reported. 218 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Armstrong

There are 166 total cases with 3 new cases reported. 6 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Beaver

There are 1127 total cases with 11 new cases reported. 82 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Bedford

There are 123 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 4 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Berks

There are 5044 total cases with 27 new cases reported. 362 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Blair

There are 176 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 2 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Bradford

There are 75 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 3 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Bucks

There are 6718 total cases with 28 new cases reported. 574 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Butler

There are 562 total cases with 6 new cases reported. 14 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Cambria

There are 221 total cases with 2 new cases reported. 3 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Cameron

There are 5 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 0 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Carbon

There are 352 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 28 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Centre

There are 357 total cases with 1 new cases reported. 9 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Chester

There are 4660 total cases with 52 new cases reported. 340 total deaths have been reported in the county with 1 new deaths announced.

Clarion

There are 72 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 2 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Clearfield

There are 116 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 0 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Clinton

There are 110 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 5 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Columbia

There are 452 total cases with 1 new cases reported. 35 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Crawford

There are 118 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 1 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Cumberland

There are 1142 total cases with 23 new cases reported. 70 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Dauphin

There are 2559 total cases with 22 new cases reported. 153 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Delaware

There are 8371 total cases with 86 new cases reported. 681 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Elk

There are 39 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 2 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Erie

There are 865 total cases with 9 new cases reported. 15 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Fayette

There are 314 total cases with 3 new cases reported. 4 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Forest

There are 7 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 0 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Franklin

There are 1201 total cases with 10 new cases reported. 46 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Fulton

There are 21 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 2 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Greene

There are 99 total cases with 1 new cases reported. 0 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Huntingdon

There are 286 total cases with 1 new cases reported. 4 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Indiana

There are 223 total cases with 5 new cases reported. 6 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Jefferson

There are 51 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 1 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Juniata

There are 125 total cases with 2 new cases reported. 6 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Lackawanna

There are 1860 total cases with 6 new cases reported. 212 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Lancaster

There are 5328 total cases with 17 new cases reported. 401 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Lawrence

There are 291 total cases with 3 new cases reported. 11 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Lebanon

There are 1548 total cases with 4 new cases reported. 54 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Lehigh

There are 4703 total cases with 15 new cases reported. 335 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Luzerne

There are 3156 total cases with 12 new cases reported. 183 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Lycoming

There are 299 total cases with 5 new cases reported. 20 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

McKean

There are 26 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 1 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Mercer

There are 300 total cases with 4 new cases reported. 9 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Mifflin

There are 91 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 1 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Monroe

There are 1557 total cases with 4 new cases reported. 122 total deaths have been reported in the county with 1 new deaths announced.

Montgomery

There are 9555 total cases with 63 new cases reported. 844 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Montour

There are 91 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 3 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Northampton

There are 3758 total cases with 12 new cases reported. 289 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Northumberland

There are 381 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 11 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Perry

There are 108 total cases with 2 new cases reported. 5 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Philadelphia

There are 25121 total cases with 166 new cases reported. 1672 total deaths have been reported in the county with 1 new deaths announced.

Pike

There are 523 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 21 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Potter

There are 20 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 0 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Schuylkill

There are 849 total cases with 1 new cases reported. 49 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Snyder

There are 87 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 2 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Somerset

There are 112 total cases with 6 new cases reported. 2 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Sullivan

There are 10 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 0 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Susquehanna

There are 204 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 26 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Tioga

There are 34 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 2 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Union

There are 124 total cases with 1 new cases reported. 2 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Venango

There are 55 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 0 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Warren

There are 14 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 1 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Washington

There are 681 total cases with 12 new cases reported. 10 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Wayne

There are 154 total cases with 1 new cases reported. 8 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Westmoreland

There are 1313 total cases with 11 new cases reported. 43 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

Wyoming

There are 56 total cases with 0 new cases reported. 7 total deaths have been reported in the county with 0 new deaths announced.

York

There are 2182 total cases with 21 new cases reported. 81 total deaths have been reported in the county with 1 new deaths announced.
Portland Riots Read-out: July 26

Release Date: July 26, 2020

Bottom line:

The violent situation Portland has witnessed for the past eight weeks continues with violent anarchists rioting on the streets as federal law enforcement officers work diligently and honorably to enforce federal law, defend federal property, and protect the lives of their fellow officers.

In response to nightly attempts to raze and damage the Hatfield Federal Courthouse, DHS made the decision last week to put up a stronger fence around the building's perimeter. While more secure fencing has kept much of the criminal violence away from the courthouse itself, it has now become a consistent target of the rioters, who constantly are trying to tear it down with ropes, saws, hammers, bolt cutters, and power tools.

As federal officers left the courthouse to respond to attacks on the fence, just like on previous nights they were met by rioters with hard projectiles, mortar style fireworks and lasers that can cause permanent blindness. Over the previous 24 hours, such assaults have resulted in at least 14 federal officers injured.

The past 24 hours:

Initially, Portland Police Bureau's (PPB) North Portland Police Precinct was believed to be a main target of activity last night. PPB officers appeared in front of the precinct building in protective gear early in the evening as a large crowd assembled there.

At 9:36 p.m. local time a reported 4,000-5,000 individuals had gathered around the courthouse.

At 10:40 p.m. local time violent actors began to try and cut the fence protecting the courthouse perimeter, as they have attempted every night since it was erected. Federal officers were forced to use pepper balls to repel the attempts and prevent further damage to federal property. Rioters initially stopped their attack on the fence but quickly returned with shields to continue.

At 10:55 p.m. local time officers were once again forced to go outside the courthouse in order to stop the attempts to cut the fence.

At 11:04 p.m. local time rioters began to launch the first mortar firework attacks of the evening against the courthouse and federal officers.

At 11:08 p.m. local time an unknown chemical was sprayed on an FPS officer and other officers were assaulted with hard projectiles from the crowd.

At 11:19 p.m. local time FPS declared an unlawful assembly.

At 11:21 p.m. local time federal officers came under heavy laser attack from rioters. Around this time, rioters also launch a roughly 10-minute-long continuous firework attack against the courthouse. The crowd size was reported to be approximately 5,000 to 6,000 individuals around this time.

At 11:28 p.m. local time an individual drove a car up to the fence perimeter and parked next to it. Rioters began to throw smoke bombs into the fence perimeter.

At 11:53 p.m. local time at least one power tool reportedly was being used to cut through the fence.

Around midnight local time crowds began to converge on the parks in the vicinity of the federal building, as PPB reported damage to multiple storefronts in the path of the crowds. Rioters started to throw explosive devices at the fence perimeter and, in addition to the use of saws and power tools, began to try and hammer bolts off the fence.

At 12:26 a.m. local time a federal officer was injured after being hit by hard projectiles the rioters had thrown.

At 12:32 a.m. local time violent actors attached ropes to the fence in yet another effort to tear it down. After that rope snapped, they brought out a bigger rope to continue the destructive effort.

At 12:49 a.m. local time federal officers issued several warnings to the crowd to disperse.

At 12:54 a.m. local time a rioter was able to peel back part of a fence panel that had been cut through.

At 1:09 a.m. local time rioters managed to tear down down a section of the fence.

At 1:11 a.m. local time PPB declared this situation to be a riot. Federal officers began to repel rioters who were inflicting on the officers heavy fire through mortar-style fireworks and to push them away from the courthouse.

Following the riot declaration, PPB also helped federal officers clear the area as both made multiple arrests.

At 2:05 a.m. local time two weed sprayers filled with an unidentified liquid were found in a nearby park; HAZMAT was called.

Around 3:10 a.m. local time federal officers began to return to the courthouse. There were still a couple hundred individuals gathered in the vicinity.

The night's violence resulted in at least 14 new injuries to federal officers. One FPS officer was injured from a thrown hard projectile; injuries include a laceration on his arm and bruises to his arm. The officer received treatment from a medic and returned to defend the courthouse.

DHS officers conducted 6 arrests for assaulting federal officers and 2 arrests for failure to comply with lawful orders.

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Irans Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology has claimed that the country has completed successful trials of 5G technology.

Sattar Hashemi stated that the tests achieved data download rates of 1.5Gbps, as reported by TeleGeography.

Local news agency IRNA reported that the trials were conducted at a research centre in Tehran that was founded by MTN Irancell. However, it noted that despite the centres South African ownership, all stakeholders were welcome to participate in the trials.

At the start of this month, Irans government told the countrys state-owned operator MCI (Mobile Communication Company of Iran) that it must begin launching 5G in certain areas of Tehran by early September.
There was no sign of the holiday blues as Jessica Wright ventured out for some essentials on Monday morning, just days after returning from coronavirus-stricken Spain.

The TV personality flew back from Balearic island Marbella shortly before the Spanish government implemented tighter safety measures following a recent spike in recorded cases of COVID-19.

And she appeared to be in high spirits while chatting on her phone before making her way into an Essex supermarket, where she stocked up on food.

Here she comes: There was no sign of the holiday blues as Jessica Wright ventured out for some essentials on Monday morning, just days after returning from coronavirus-stricken Spain

Sporting a white hooded top and a pair of black gym leggings, Jess, 34, looked relaxed as she climbed from her car and helped herself to the nearest trolley.

While the former TOWIE star's timely return to the UK enables her to immediately leave the confines of her home, there is no such luck for Brits currently on holiday across Spain and its surrounding islands.

Anyone returning from the country, which has seen more than 200 outbreaks since June, will now have to enter a two week period of quarantine before being cleared to integrate with friends, relatives, colleagues and the general public.

Good times: The TV personality flew back from Balearic island Marbella shortly before the Spanish government implemented tighter safety measures following a recent spike in recorded cases of COVID-19

Make way: Sporting a white hooded top and a pair of black gym leggings, Jess, 34, looked relaxed as she climbed from her car and helped herself to the nearest trolley

Upbeat: She appeared to be in high spirits while chatting on her phone before making her way into an Essex supermarket, where she stocked up on food

Jess will need to enjoy her downtime to its fullest before diving into wedding preparations for her nuptials to her businessman fiance William Lee-Kemp in June 2021.

William popped the question on the snow capped peaks of Courchevel, France, in February after 13 months of dating.

The pair recently confirmed that they would be getting hitched in a beach ceremony in Majorca - coronavirus restrictions permitting - and plan to have 15 bridesmaids.

Perfect timing: While her timely return to the UK enables her to immediately leave the confines of her home, there is no such luck for Brits currently on holiday across Spain

Exciting plans: Jess will need to enjoy her downtime to its fullest before diving into wedding preparations for her nuptials to her businessman fiance William Lee-Kemp in June 2021

Looking ahead: The pair recently confirmed that they would be getting hitched in a beach ceremony in Majorca - coronavirus restrictions permitting - and plan to have 15 bridesmaids

Jess told Hello! magazine that her sister-in-law Michelle Keegan, 33, the actress wife of her brother Mark, would be one of bridal party, but she's keeping quiet about the other 14.

While the happy couple have holidayed in many exotic locations, Jess explained that Majorca has been like a second home to her as her family have a house on the island.

She said: 'I've been dreaming of a fairytale wedding since I was little, when I used to dress up in my mum's net curtains.

'Now I can't wait for the moment I've been imagining for so long, walking up the aisle in a fabulous dress to marry Will.'

Of the location, she added: 'We've enjoyed some amazing holidays here and I practically grew up on the island because it's where my family has a second home.'
President Donald Trump was critical of the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute's chairman Frederick J. Ryan, after the organization told his campaign to stop using the likeness of the 40th president for its fundraising purposes.

The foundation, which runs Reagan's library near Los Angeles, controls use of Reagan and his wife Nancy's name and image, and does not permit either for use in commercial and political endorsements.

The president tweeted about Ryan, who is also CEO of the Washington Post which has criticized Trump and his administration in the past.

'So the Washington Post is running the Reagan Foundation, and RINO Paul Ryan is on the Board of Fox, which has been terrible,' he wrote, also referring to former House Speaker Paul Ryan's role on the board of Fox, which Trump also has recently disapproved of. RINO means Republican in Name Only.

'We will win anyway, even with the phony @FoxNews suppression polls (which have been seriously wrong for 5 years)!'

Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh took the criticism one step further, when asked about the foundation's decision.

'It should be no surprise that the publisher and CEO of the Washington Post wants to interfere with President Trump's re-election campaign,' he said, the New York Post reported.

President Donald Trump was critical of the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute's chairman Frederick J. Ryan, after the organization told his campaign and the Republican National Convention to stop using the likeness of the 40th president for fundraising purposes

The president tweeted about Ryan's involvement with the newspaper, which he has blasted over its coverage of his administration. Ryan is pictured speaking at one of the newspaper's discussion forums in Washington

The president's tweet also mentioned former House Speaker Paul Ryan's role on the board of Fox, which Trump also has recently disapproved of. Ryan is referred to as a RINO, which means Republican in Name Only

'As Republicans, we all honor Ronald Reagan's contribution to this country and our party.'

Spokespersons for the foundation and Washington Post were not immediately available when DailyMail.com reached out for comment Monday.

The criticism of Frederick Ryan comes after the foundation demanded Reagan's name and likeness not be used by the Trump campaign and RNC after it learned of a commemorative coin set that was using the 40th president's image to raise money for the president's re-election.

The email promoted a commemorative coin given to anyone who donates $45 or more to the campaign. Monies raised were to go to the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, which supports the president's campaign and RNC.

The Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute demanded his name and likeness not be used by the Republican National Committee and Donald Trump to raise money for his re-election campaign. Reagan is pictured in 1982

The foundation, which runs the 40th president's library near Los Angeles, controls the rights to Reagan and his wife Nancy's image and name. It claimed the right to deny such usage for political and commercial endorsements

When the foundation's members learned of the email promotion, they took action 'within seconds,' Reagan Foundation chief marketing officer Melissa Giller said in an email Saturday, the Washington Post reported.

'It was simply handled with a phone call mid-last week to the RNC, and they agreed to stop,' Giller said.

The fundraising effort had claimed that 'The President only authorized the production of 5,000 sets of these iconic coins, which is why we're ONLY offering them to our TOP supporters.'

The July 19 fundraising email for the commemorative gold, two-coin set came with Donald Trump written in the sender field. The subject line read the words, 'Ronald Reagan and Yours Truly'.

The reference was to a 1987 photo used to accompany the gold coins. In the image, a younger Trump is seen shaking hands with Reagan on a White House receiving line.

The commemorative coin set (pictured) came along with a 1987 picture of Trump shaking Reagan's hand on a receiving line at the White House

Such a photo opportunity is not unusual for any number of visitors who've had a chance to meet a US president. But it provided incentive to anyone who collects presidential coins and who wanted to donate to Trump's campaign.

'Friend,' the email said to the reader, presuming the writer was Trump.

'I just saw our new Trump-Reagan Commemorative Coin Sets and WOW, these coins are beautiful - I took one look and immediately knew that I wanted YOU to have a set,' the email reads, the Post reported.

'These aren't any ordinary coins. They symbolize an important time in our Nation. This year, in addition to being re-elected as YOUR President, it also marks the 40th anniversary of our Nation's 40th President, Ronald Reagan,' the email explained.

'Unfortunately, we already sold out of the first batch we had in stock. But I liked these coins so much that I asked my team to rush order another batch for my TOP SUPPORTERS ONLY.'

'I've authorized a very limited production of these iconic coins,' the email alerts the reader, 'which is why I'm ONLY offering them to our top supporters, like YOU. This offer is NOT available to the general public, so please, do NOT share this email with anyone.'

The foundation's denial over use or Reagan's image was just the latest setback for the Trump campaign and RNC, which cancelled the Jacksonville, Florida, portion of their upcoming convention due to the state becoming a COVID-19 hotspot.

The foundation's denial over use or Reagan's image was just the latest setback for the Trump campaign and RNC, which cancelled the Jacksonville, Florida, portion of their upcoming convention due to the state becoming a COVID-19 hotspot. Pictured was the Florida venue

'So I told my team it's time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida component of the GOP convention,' Trump said at the top of his Thursday press briefing.

The convention would start on August 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina - which had always been the plan - before the president got in a fight with the state's Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper who couldn't guarantee he'd be allowed to fill a stadium.

Trump didn't commit to fully holding the RNC back in Charlotte, saying he would hold 'tele-rallies' through the week.

'And I'll still do a convention speech in a different form, but we won't do a big, crowded convention per say. It's just not the right time for that,' the president said.
Northrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/26/2020 -- According to the new market research report "Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis by Front-end Equipment, Back-end Equipment, Fab Facility Equipment, Product Type, Dimension, Supply Chain Participant, Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Market will grow to USD 95.9 billion by 2025 (forecast year) from USD 62.4 billion in 2020 (estimated year), at a CAGR of 9.0% between 2020 to 2025.



The key drivers fueling the growth of this market include the increasing investments in R&D facilities due to COVID-19 impact and increasing demand for electric and hybrid vehicles. Moreover, the growing consumer electronics market and increasing number of foundries due to COVID-19, trend of miniaturization and technology migration, and high demand for chips to provide computation power and connectivity for AI applications across the globe play a key role in driving the growth of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market.



Ask for PDF Brochure:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=263678841



The high demand for semiconductor devices has led to use of photolithography equipment



In 2019, the lithography segment accounted for the largest share of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market, by front-end equipment. The increasing demand for semiconductor devices across the globe has led to the use of photolithography equipment for manufacturing semiconductor devices. The major reason for the largest size of the lithography equipment market is the high system cost, even though the shipment volume is comparatively small. The application of different semiconductor devices such as ICs and transistors in industries such as automotive, telecommunication, and consumer electronics has led to their increased demand.



Memory segment is projected to grow at a higher CAGR from 2020 to 2025



The memory segment of semiconductor manufacturing equipment market, by product type, is projected to grow at a higher CAGR during forecast period. New memory technologies such as magneto-resistive random access memory (MRAM) and resistive random access memory (ReRAM) are expected to replace traditional technologies. Moreover, memory devices require high-precision bonding, testing, cleaning, and packaging for the best performance. This shift in the memory market has demanded a change in the dynamics of manufacturing equipment, compelling semiconductor manufacturing equipment providers to develop more efficient designs for device manufacturers.



Browse in-depth TOC on "Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Market"



247  Tables

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APAC is projected to hold largest share of semiconductor manufacturing equipment market in 2025



APAC is expected to hold the largest share of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market in 2025. The commanding position of APAC is due to the presence of a large number of OSAT companies in the region. These OSAT companies use various front-end, back-end, and fab facility equipment in the semiconductor fabrication process. Additionally, an increasing number of IDMs in the region is expected to boost the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market growth in the near future. Similarly, the mass production of electronic products such as smartphones, sensors, industrial equipment, and wearables among others in China and Taiwan is also expected to accelerate the market growth in APAC.



Tokyo Electron, LAM Research, ASML, Applied Materials, KLA-Tencor, Screen Holdings, Teradyne, Advantest Corporation, Hitachi High-Technologies, and Plasma-Therm are the key players in the global semiconductor manufacturing equipment market. These players are increasingly undertaking strategies such as product launches and development, expansions, partnerships, collaborations, agreements, merger and acquisitions to increase their market share.



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Die Bonder Equipment Market by Type (Semiautomatic Die Bonder, Fully Automatic Die Bonder), Bonding Technique, Supply Chain Participant (IDM Firms, OSAT Companies), Device, Application (Consumer Electronics), and Region - Global Forecast to 2024



System in Package Market by Packaging Technology (2D IC, 2.5D IC, 3D IC), Package Type (BGA, SOP), Packaging Method (Flip Chip, Wire Bond), Device (RF Front-End, RF Amplifier), Application (Consumer Electronics, Communications) - Global Forecast to 2023



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Strategic Thinkers Network-Africa (STRANEK-Africa) has called on the Auditor-General to audit the GHS54.3 Million spent on food provided by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to feed people during the three weeks period of the lockdown.

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection distributed cookd and uncooked foods items to the poor in Accra and Kumasi during the three-week lockdown period.

During a mid-year budget review in Parliament last week, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta disclosed that the exercise cost the government a whopping sum of GHS54.3million.

In a letter from Stranek-Africa today, it stressed that it is prudent for an audit to be conducted on how the colossal amount was spent on dry food packs and cooked meals by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

We humbly request you to specially audit the amount spent on the Covid-19 food by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection since the country has been thrown into a state of shock, to ascertain in details what actually went into that amount, the letter addressed to the Office of the Auditor-General has said.

Find letter from Stranek-Africa below:
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 20:03:30|Editor: huaxia

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press briefing in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

A longtime China hawk, Pompeo is infamous for incendiary and baseless conspiracy theory. His credibility is so diminished that any statements he makes are met with skepticism.

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent speech on China is full of political lies as well as ideological prejudices that will only backfire and devastate his own credibility as well as that of the U.S. government.

Speaking at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, Pompeo harshly attacked the Communist Party of China (CPC) and China's social system, once again demonstrating Washington's obsolete cold-war mentality.

Pompeo's lies are almost everywhere. According to U.S. mainstream media, during his two-year tenure as U.S. secretary of state, by fabricating vicious charges, Pompeo bombarded countries including China, Russia, and Iran as well as international organizations and agencies such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Monetary Fund.

Pompeo's lies are self-contradictory. Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pompeo has been sparing no effort to stigmatize China by referring to the novel coronavirus as the "Chinese virus" and "Wuhan virus."

In April, in a phone conversation with the Chinese side, Pompeo said that the COVID-19 outbreak is a common challenge for the international community, and the U.S. side is ready to work with China to strengthen bilateral cooperation in battling the outbreak. However, only days after, he wrongly accused China of failing to report its outbreak in a timely manner.

In February, Pompeo announced that the United States stands ready to spend up to 100 million U.S. dollars to assist China and other countries impacted by the coronavirus. The fact is that there is still no sign of this committed assistance to China, and moreover, the United States has decided to freeze its funding to the WHO, the world-leading health agency that most developing and less developed countries count on.

Pompeo's lies are ingrained in his personality. This former director of the Central Intelligence Agency once admitted: "We lied, we cheated, we stole. We had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment."

In Pompeo's point of view, as long as it is beneficial to his personal interests, facts and truths can be distorted. Amid the global COVID-19 fight, smearing China is his powerful weapon to cater to the current U.S. administration and secure his position in the White House.

The Emancipation Memorial is seen behind a fence and concrete blocks at Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 25, 2020.

His anti-China rhetoric and fallacies are only for shifting blame on China to cover the U.S. government's poor response to the COVID-19 outbreak and misleading the world community into containing China.

Yet the truth speaks for itself. China's social system and development path have won whole-hearted support from its people over the past 70-plus years, and will never change according to Washington's wishes.

Under the CPC's leadership, China has made remarkable achievements of worldwide acclaim in the political, economic, social and many other areas, and has greatly improved people's livelihoods, lifting hundreds of millions of Chinese out of extreme poverty.

Meanwhile, China has been maintaining world peace, contributing to global development, and safeguarding the rules-based international order.

Beijing has been widely recognized for following a path of peaceful development, and actively promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Also, it always advocates and has practiced the notion that all nations are equal and have the right to choose a development model that suits their own conditions, and it never tries to seek hegemony or expansion.

Choosing Nixon's presidential library to give a highly provocative China-smearing speech, Pompeo has not only deliberately distorted facts on China's development and maliciously slandered its domestic and foreign policy, but also intentionally gainsaid the historic moment of U.S.-China reengagement and defied a stable and sound bilateral relationship in the past decades, only to divert the public's attention from Washington's own flaws over the years.

Photo taken on July 7, 2020 shows the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

However, his attempt to demonize China for cheap political gains is self-defeating, as the past and reality have proven that the two countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.

Pompeo's dream of winning political points by inciting ideological opposition and sowing discord between China and other countries is also self-deceiving, as such groundless anti-China theories fool neither Americans nor the international community.

"His credibility is so diminished, any statements he makes are met with skepticism," read an article published on May 6 by Vanity Fair, describing Pompeo as "a longtime China hawk" infamous for "incendiary and baseless conspiracy theory."

Lying backfires. It is time for Pompeo to wake up to this fact, cure his China-bashing addiction as soon as possible, and start to spend more energy on fixing Washington's own problems. 
JACKSON, NJ  Police spent nearly five hours Sunday night and into early Monday breaking up a house party with more than 700 attendees, according to a statement from New Jersey's Jackson Police Department.

At around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Jackson police responded to the house on a report of a suspicious incident, according to the statement.

After speaking to neighborhood residents, police said eventually the crowd "grew to an estimate excess of 700 people with well over 100 vehicles parked in the area," according to the statement.

The owner of the house was contacted, and he told officers that he had "rented out the residence on Airbnb and was hosting a large party," according to the statement. As the crowd continued to grow, police said the homeowner left the area, as "200 additional people arrived at the residence and the party began to expand."

Word of the party grew on Instagram.

A liquor bottle in the grass in the neighborhood where a large party was held in Jackson, New Jersey, Sunday night.

A flyer advertised on Instagram billed the event as a Liberian Independence Day party complete with a twerking contest and free food and jungle juice. Videos on Instagram show people dancing, drinking and smoking what appears to be hookah inside the mansion.

The homeowner, Yaakov Weiss, 40, of Jackson Township and two party organizers  Patience Guanue, 23 and Alicia Hinneh, 22, both of Newark, NJ  were issued summonses related to the party for violating Gov. Phil Murphy's executive order limiting the number of people who can gather in one place, according to a statement from the Jackson Police Department.

The party's organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

As the crowd continued to grow, Jackson police began receiving 911 calls from other homeowners in the area reporting disturbances and trespassing, according to the statement.

To disperse the crowd, Jackson Police received help from Ocean County and police in surrounding towns, as well as the New Jersey State Police, according to the statement.

Story continues

While clearing the area, police received a 911 call from a neighborhood resident who said people who had left the party had broken into their residence and were damaging property. But police said they determined it was a family member of the caller who had been at the original party and invited people back to his house. Police responded and cleared the house.

It took until approximately 1 a.m. for the officers to clear the residences of the party attendees and all of the vehicles from the neighborhood without any further incidents, according to the statement.

The investigation is continuing.

Follow Keith Schubert on Twitter at @keithsch94.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Jersey cops spent nearly 5 hours clearing party of 700 at Airbnb
Although the coronavirus pandemic is still wrecking havoc on the world, scientists have found evidence that shows humanity was plagued by such an event thousands of years ago.

Following an analysis of ancient teeth, experts found a deadly bacteria infected humans some 5,000 years  previous studies suggested it was only 3,000 years ago.

The results come from a new strain of Yersinia pestis in DNA extracted from the ancient remains of a 20-year-old woman and it may be the world's first plague.

The team believes this deadly bacteria played a key role in the Stone Age demographic transformation, which is known as the Neolithic decline - a dramatic collapse in population that occurred around 3,000 BC.

Following an analysis of ancient teeth, experts now say plague bacteria infected humans as far back as 5,000 years  previous studies suggested it was only 3,000 years ago. Pictured is an ancient graveyard where the teeth were recovered

The earliest plague pandemic, known as Justinian's Plague, was recorded around 541 AD that lasted for some 200 years and killed more than 25 million people.

The next major event, the Black Death, began in China in 1334 and made its way to Europe and killed half of the continent's population.

The recent study suggests plague outbreaks go back much further than previously believed, but they have one this in common - the Yersinia pestis strain.

This is the bacteria that causes plague and it was discovered in teeth dating back 5,000 years ago.

The Black Death which killed around 200 million people across Europe, but the recent study reveals such events have plagued humans as far back as 5,000 years

Senior author Simon Rasmussen, a metagenomics researcher at the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Copenhagen, said: 'Plague is maybe one of the deadliest bacteria that has ever existed for humans.'

'And if you think of the word 'plague,' it can mean this infection by Y. pestis, but because of the trauma plague has caused in our history, it's also come to refer more generally to any epidemic.'

Rasmussen and his team found a strain that has never been observed, which was extracted from the teeth of a 20-year-old woman who died 5,000 years ago in what is now Sweden.

The Yersinia pestis had the same genes that make the pneumonic plague deadly today and traces of it were also found in another individual at the same grave site, which led experts to believe she died of the disease.

Not only is this strain of the plague the oldest to ever be discovered, it is also the closest to the genetic origin of Y. pestis that likely emerged some 5,700 years ago  a time period when the Neolithic European settlements were collapsing.

Mega-settlements began appearing around this time that brought anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 people together and created a breeding ground for plague.

Mega-settlements began appearing around this time that brought anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 people together and created a breeding ground for plague. Plague would also have started migrating along all the trade routes made possible by wheeled transport, which had rapidly expanded throughout Europe in this period

'These mega-settlements were the largest settlements in Europe at that time, ten times bigger than anything else,' said Rasmussen.

'They had people, animals, and stored food close together, and, likely, very poor sanitation. That's the textbook example of what you need to evolve new pathogens.'

'We think our data fit. If plague evolved in the mega-settlements, then when people started dying from it, the settlements would have been abandoned and destroyed.'

'This is exactly what was observed in these settlements after 5,500 years ago. Plague would also have started migrating along all the trade routes made possible by wheeled transport, which had rapidly expanded throughout Europe in this period.'

Eventually, he suggests, the plague would have arrived through these trade interactions at the small settlement in Sweden where the woman his team studied lived.

Rasmussen argues that the woman's own DNA also provides further evidence for this theory, as she is not genetically related those who invaded Europe from the Eurasian steppe, supporting the idea that this strain of plague arrived before the mass migrations did.

The study also supports this hypothesis, as there were still no signs of the invaders by the time she died.

'We often think that these superpathogens have always been around, but that's not the case,' Rasmussen said.

'Plague evolved from an organism that was relatively harmless. More recently, the same thing happened with smallpox, malaria, Ebola, and Zika. This process is very dynamic -- and it keeps happening. I think it's really interesting to try to understand how we go from something harmless to something extremely virulent.'
Ayodhya is getting its glory back with new grand Ram Mandir: PM Modi

UP CM Yogi Adityanath likely to contest from Ayodhya

As Ayodhya readies for bhoomi pujan of Ram Temple, Muslims devotees prepare to celebrate

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 27: As Ayodhya gets ready for the 'bhoomi pujan' of the proposed Ram temple, some Muslim devotees of Lord Ram are gearing up to celebrate the historic ceremony.

The August 5 ceremony will mark the beginning of the temple construction, after a decades-long title suit over the site was settled by the Supreme Court in November last year.

Jamshed Khan, a resident of Faizabad district, said he will celebrate the beginning of the temple construction with his Hindu brothers.

Time capsule to be placed 2,000 feet under Ayodhya Ram Mandir

"We have converted to Islam and embraced its prayer system, but that doesn't change our ancestors. We believe that Lord Ram is our ancestor," he said.

India bans 47 Chinese apps| More Chinese apps under fire | Oneindia News

Wasi Haider, also a native of Faizabad, echoed similar sentiments.

"We believe in the fundamentals of Islam and we practice Islam, but we also believe that Lord Ram was our ancestor. It will be great that we will witness the construction of the Ram temple," he said.

Haji Saeed said Indian Muslims consider Lord Ram as 'Imam-e-Hind'.

{quiz_259}

Rashid Ansari said he hopes he gets a chance to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Janmabhoomi site.

"If due to security and other reasons I don't get a chance to go there, I will celebrate the beginning of the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya," he said.

Awadh province incharge of Muslim Rashtriya Manch Anil Singh said some Muslim devotees of Lord Ram are coming to Ayodhya from other states to join the celebrations in the holy town.

"One of the devotees is coming to Ayodhya with bricks from his native state Chhattisgarh for the construction of the temple," he said.

Ayodhya temple: Frontline leaders of Ram Mandir to be invited for 'bhumi pujan'

According to members of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Ayodhya for the ceremony to begin the construction of the Ram temple.

Anil Mishra, a member of the trust, told PTI on Sunday that veteran BJP leaders L K Advani, M M Joshi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are among those being invited to the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony which will be telecast live by Doordarshan.

Besides, there is a plan to invite spiritual leaders from all faiths, he had said.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing restrictions, there will be a limited gathering of up to 200 people at the event, they said according to Mishra.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 18:47:14|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-six Taliban militants joined a national peace and reconciliation process in two Afghan provinces on Monday, local sources confirmed.

In western Badghis province, 22 Taliban insurgents lead by Hekmatullah Khan have given up violence and joined the process, office of provincial National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a statement.

The insurgents handed over a handful of weapons and fire arms to officials of NDS, the national intelligence agency of the country.

In eastern Nangarhar province, 14 Taliban militants surrendered to provincial NDS department along with 14 rounds of fire arms and heavy weapons, a statement from provincial government confirmed.

The surrendered fighters have previously been conducting terrorist activities against security forces in the two restive provinces.

The Afghan government established a High Council for National Reconciliation in May this year to encourage Taliban to disarm and give up militancy against the government.

The Taliban militant group has not responded to the report so far. Enditem
The United States has threatened General Khalifa Haftar with sanctions over his ties with Russia, the Wall Street Journal reports, after Russian military contractors with ties to the Kremlin seized control of Libya's largest field and the oil export terminal of Es Sider.

General Haftar and his Libyan National Army are affiliated with the eastern Libyan government, and last year Haftar launched an offensive against the UN-recognized Government of National Accord. The U.S. has been supporting Haftar, but now the tide seems to be turning as the LNA and Russian mercenaries forge closer ties.

The LNA imposed a blockade on all Libyan oil terminals in January, which crippled the country's oil industry and sent production plummeting from more than 1 million bpd to less than 100,000 bpd in less than six months. The blockade also cost billions in losses in terms of oil revenue.

At the end of June, there were signs that the oil blockade could come to an end, with paramilitary groups fighting alongside the LNA saying they had negotiated the reopening of the oil ports. But then, according to the WSJ report, mercenaries from Vagner Group, a Russian military contractor, moved to take control of the Es Sider port. This, according to officials from Libya and Europe, changed Haftar's mind about lifting the blockade. This change of heart did not sit well with Washington, so it waved the sanction card in Haftar's face.



Related: Is The Bottom Finally In Sight For U.S. Drilling Rigs?

Meanwhile, fighting broke out between other armed groups in Libya's Oil Crescent earlier this month. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) said last week that "Violent Clashes took place over the past 48 hours in the Brega region, only hundreds of meters away from oil tanks, between armed groups called Al-Saiqa and the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), all of whom belong to Khalifa Haftar."

Libya had planned to increase its oil production to 2.4 million bpd over the next four years, but this was before the blockade began in January. Now, the NOC says it expects average production to be 650,000 bpd in 2022, "in the absence of an immediate restart of oil production and because of the state's failure to provide the requested budgets to address the many challenges resulting from the blockade."

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Jack Dorsey, chief executive officer of Twitter Inc. and Square Inc., sits for a photograph following an Empowering Entrepreneurs event at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Twitter is facing a "walkout" over its handling of a string of anti-Semitic tweets that appeared on the account of British rapper Wiley on Friday and Saturday.

The 41-year-old London grime artist, whose real name is Richard Cowie, has been dropped by his management company, A-List Management. He is also being investigated by the police under hate crime and malicious communications legislation.

Celebrities, politicians and other high-profile Brits have pledged to boycott Twitter for 48 hours over what they say is an inadequate response from Twitter.

Several posts were deleted by the San Francisco-headquartered social media firm for violating Twitter's "hateful conduct policy" but others have been left up. Some of those that were deleted remained on the platform for nearly 12 hours, resulting in a public backlash against the artist and Twitter.

The boycott, which has the hashtag #nosafespaceforjewhate attached to it, began Monday at 9am BST.

British Musicians Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Jessie Ware said they would take part in the boycott, as did Jason Isaacs, the British actor who plays Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies.

Wiley, who went mainstream in 2008 with his "Wearing My Rolex" track, has over 500,000 followers on Twitter.

Tweets from Wiley's account asserted that Jews have systematically exploited Black musicians. In one tweet, which has now been deleted, he compared Jews to the Ku Klux Klan.

Ahead of the boycott, the Liberal Democrats announced they would joining "in protest over the shameful inaction against anti-Semitic comments."

While the Labour party supports the boycott, it said it couldn't afford to be absent from social media platforms.

A Twitter spokesperson said: "Abuse and harassment have no place on our service and we have policies in place  that apply to everyone, everywhere  that address abuse and harassment, violent threats, and hateful conduct."

They added: "If we identify accounts that violate any of these rules, we'll take enforcement action."
Taliban accuse Afghan govt. of rearresting freed militants; Kabul denies

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 July 2020 2:59 PM

The Taliban have accused the Afghan government of rearresting members of the militant group who had been freed as part of a prisoner swap deal meant to help start long-awaited peace talks.

On Sunday, Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Twitter that Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) had detained an unspecified number of militants released under the swap agreement.

He warned the Afghan government that it would "bear responsibility for the consequences."

"They are incessantly raided, detained and put behind bars by NDS of the Kabul (administration)," Shaheen further alleged.

The Afghan government strongly rejected the claim as "incorrect."

"It's their way of sabotaging the peace efforts and the peace talks that should start," AFP quoted Javid Faisal, the spokesman for Afghanistan's National Security Council, as saying.

The United States signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February. Under the agreement, Washington is supposed to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, and the Taliban are supposed to refrain from attacking international occupying forces.

However, the militants did not make a pledge to avoid attacking Afghan forces and civilians.

Kabul, which was not a party to the deal, has had reservations implementing a provision of the agreement that calls on Kabul to release Taliban prisoners in exchange for its security personnel taken captive by the militants.

Under the prisoner swap deal, which has been a major stumbling block in getting Kabul and the Taliban to start peace talks, the government is supposed to free 5,000 militant prisoners while the Taliban free 1,000 government inmates.

Kabul, which does not wish to free some of those inmates who have been involved in highly violent attacks, has so far released most of the 5,000 militants, but the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) says some of the freed members of the group are returning to the battlefield against the government.

The long-awaited intra-Afghan peace talks were originally planned to commence on March 10, but the deadline passed amid political disarray in the Afghan capital and uncertainty over the prisoner swap deal.

Since the missed deadline, the Taliban militants have increased their attacks against the Afghan security forces across the war-torn country, conducting terror assaults almost on a daily basis.

On Saturday, Faisal announced that the militants had killed 46 civilians in more than 400 "terrorist activities" in the past week.

"Peace requires commitment and will, which aren't visible in the actions of the Taliban," he further said on Twitter.

Separately on Saturday, the US State Department said in a statement that Zalmay Khalilzad, the US's chief negotiator with the Afghan Taliban, would return to the region to "press for resolution of the remaining issues ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations."

"Although significant progress has been made on prisoner exchanges, the issue requires additional effort to fully resolve," it added.

The US and a number of its allies invaded Afghanistan to topple a Taliban regime in 2001, accusing it of harboring the al-Qaeda terrorist group. The militants now control or hold influence over more Afghan territory than at any point since that time.

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THE TOPIC OF GUN CONTROL PITS PROGRESSIVES AGAINST CONSERVATIVE IN A POLITICAL BATTLE ROYALE!!!

"What can the Mayor do about crime? Every mayor has lost the war on crime because they don't have control over police and no national gun control."

Show-Me GOP Majority Talking Urban Crime Spike

Special session focused on violent crime starts Monday A special session focused on violent crime is scheduled to start Monday. Governor Mike Parson called for the special session during a July 15 press conference. Parson been traveling across the state to discuss violent crime with local leaders, legislation and law enforcement.

Tracking Continued Rolling Gunfire In Kansas City

Man charged with murder after allegedly shooting a woman as she drove an ATV KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A man is charged with murder for allegedly shooting and killing a woman as she drove an ATV. Glenn Rucker, 38, of Kansas City, Missouri, is charged in Jackson County Court with second degree murder and armed criminal action. Police found Sharon Heifner-Douglas, 41, about 7:40 p.m.

Grocery Drama Postscript

KC man charged in March fatal shooting outside 9th and Prospect Xpress Mart KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - A Kansas City man has been charged in the fatal shooting from March 2020 of Frederick Outley outside a Kansas City convenience store near 9th and Prospect Avenue, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced Saturday. 44-year-old Joel A.

STL Still Worse

Police: 1 St. Louis officer shot, 2 others injured as man fires sawed-off shotgun at cruisers St. Louis Police said one officer was shot and two others were injured in the early hours of Sunday morning after a man reportedly fired a sawed-off shotgun at cruisers.Police said in a post on Facebook that all three officers were injured while trying to remove police cruisers from a gas station lot in the 1500 block of North 13th Street.One person has been taken into custody in connection with the incident after a police chase.

Campaign Against Biden Offers Scare Over Continued Violence

Trump Ad On What Happens If Police Are Defunded: "Our Estimated Wait Time Is Currently 5 Days" President Donald Trump's campaign released an ad Thursday on what it would be like if the police were defunded. A phone rings and the answering service responds: "You have reached the 911 police emergency line. Due to defunding of the police department, we're sorry but no one is here to take your call.

Urban Leaders Argue For Gun Control

Chicago mayor blames other states with "no gun control" for city's increasing violence Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has blamed her city's worsening gun violence crisis on neighboring states with less regulation on guns, calling on President Donald Trump for support through firearms legislation and community investment-not the deployment of federal forces.

Antifa Vs. Prez Trump

'White as hell': Portland protesters face off with Trump but are they eclipsing Black Lives Matter? Teal Lindseth surveyed the sea of mothers she was about to lead into the firing line. "I look at this crowd and I don't see many black people," lamented the 21-year-old African American activist. "Oregon is white as hell. Whitewashed."

Politicos from across Missouri head to Jeff City tomorrow to chatter about crime . . . However . . .From one of our best & brightest readers regarding Mayor Q & crime . . .Like it or not, that's the prevailing wisdom in KCMO and something we won't see addressed by Missouri politicos any time soon.For now, we check the local impact on streets in KC, Missouri & across the nation . . .Developing . . .
Amid the political battle in Rajasthan, the High Court on Monday dismissed Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) MLA Madan Dilawars petition against merger of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs with the ruling Congress party.

Dilawar had filed a petition in the high court earlier this month for quashing the merger of six BSP MLAs with the Congress and challenging the inaction of the Assembly Speaker in not deciding on his plea seeking disqualification of the BSP legislators for their merger with the Congress.

In a statement on Sunday, the BJP lawmaker said no action was taken on his petition to the Speaker on March 16 for disqualification of the BSP MLAs. He said he had reminded the Speaker for a quick decision on July 17.

Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana and Rajendra Gudha who won the 2018 assembly elections on BSP tickets applied for merger as a group with the Congress on September 16 last year. Two days later, the Speaker passed an order declaring that the six MLAs will be treated as part of the Congress.

There was more twist in the ongoing political drama in Rajasthan on Sunday with the BSP issuing a whip to the six MLAs to vote against the ruling party in the state in case of a trust motion in the Assembly.

The merger had boosted the Ashok Gehlot-led government taking the Congress tally to 107 members in a House of 200.
Liverpool, N.Y.  The Liverpool School District has announced it will use a hybrid approach where some students attend school two days a week while others learn remotely, and then the schedule flips, according to a district plan.

That way everyone in the district will go to school classrooms at least two days a week, according to the plan being shared with parents Monday; details of the full plan are still being decided.

Some self-contained special education classes will be in the school four days a week, according to the plan.

Liverpool is the third largest school district in Onondaga County with nearly 7,000 students. Only Syracuse and North Syracuse are larger.

The plan calls for two groups of students: Group A will attend school Mondays and Thursdays; and engage in remote learning on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Group B will attend school Tuesdays and Fridays, with remote learning Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

There also is a Group D, which consists of students who will do full-time remote learning. These are students whose parents have decided they dont want to send their children into the classroom. They may be uncomfortable or their child may have a pre-existing condition that makes them more vulnerable to complications from the coronavirus.

Teachers and support staff will be in school every day.

Students will be assigned to groups the first week of August, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces whether or not school buildings will reopen. District officials said they will work to keep families on the same learning schedule.

Liverpool district officials are continuing to work out specifics of the plan.

Late this week or early next week, parents will get a survey from the school asking them if they plan to send their child into the classroom, and if they will require bus transportation.

Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com
WASHINGTON  As he prepared for the invocation for Lewis service, Grainger Browning Jr. wanted to highlight Rep. John Lewis humble beginnings and his lifes work on voting rights.

His heart and passion was making sure we had the right to vote, said Browning, pastor of the Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Washington, Maryland, attended by Lewis longtime chief of staff.

Lewis first visited Brownings church in the 1990s when he wrote his autobiography Walking with the Wind.

He last visited in December when he shared his cancer diagnosis, shortly before the public announcement.

Browning said hed bonded with Lewis on a plane ride to Alabama in March for the congressmans annual pilgrimage to Selma to commemorate Bloody Sunday. During one event, Browning delivered a prayer at the historic Brown Chapel A.M.E. where Lewis and other civil rights protesters sought refuge during the 1965 walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Lewis had left the program early because of his health but returned to shake Brownings hand and tell him he loved him.

I shook his hand back and said, I love you, too, congressman, Browning recalled. It was the last time Browning would see Lewis in person.

Browning last spoke with Lewis by phone soon after the congressman visited Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. in June.

Just for us to get through to pray with him, he said, was special.

Vice President Pence pays respect

Dressed in black and wearing black face masks, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, paid their respects to Lewis at the Capitol Monday evening.

Lewis coffin had been moved to the East Front Portico of the Capitol, following an afternoon ceremony in the rotunda, to allow members of the public to honor Lewis from the plaza below the steps.

The Pences stood behind the casket, as cameras clicked from below.

Pence served with Lewis in Congress and was among the many lawmakers who participated with Lewis in reenactments of Bloody Sunday by crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge together.

Story continues

"John was a great man whose personal courage and decades of public service changed American forever," Pence later tweeted. "God Bless the memory of John Lewis. May his example ever inspire."

Today, @SecondLady and I paid our respects to Congressman John Lewis at the United States Capitol. John was a great man whose personal courage and decades of public service changed America forever. God Bless the memory of John Lewis. May his example ever inspire. pic.twitter.com/1jqqFHSO9q  Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) July 28, 2020

Other notable officials who paid their respects after Mondays ceremony included Vice President Joe Biden, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

After Biden left the rotunda, he encountered Rep. Karen Bass, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus who is among the women under consideration to be Bidens running mate.

Biden thanked Bass for putting up with me.

When a reporter asked if there was anything he wanted to ask the congresswomen, he jokingly responded: Ive asked her to be vice president. She said `No.

A 'hero's farewell'

John Lewis returned to the nations capital one last time Monday.

Onlookers applauded as the hearse carrying the late congressman and civil rights icon drove onto the Capitol grounds following a route that took his motorcade passed many landmarks significant to him.

There was the memorial to Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis friend and mentor.

Then the Lincoln Memorial. Lewis had been the last living speaker from the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Justice that culminated at the memorial.

Lewis had made his last public appearance in June at the Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House, where he had passed the torch, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described it.

John Lewis brought the world here today because his impact and legacy will be forever known around the world, Georgia state Rep. Rep. Vernon Jones told USA TODAY after Lewis hearse drove through the plaza, located near the White House. I am a living product of John Lewis.

We've bid farewell to some of the greatest Americans in our history under the dome of the U.S. Capitol. Today, Rep. John Lewis, the Conscience of the Congress, joined that pantheon of patriots. John always worked on the side of the angels. Now, we know that he is with them. pic.twitter.com/uV2iLJvTrX  Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 27, 2020

After the motorcade had headed up Pennsylvania Avenue, President Donald Trump told reporters he wouldnt be going to the Capitol to pay his respects as Lewis lies in state for two days.

"No, I won't be going, no," he told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to North Carolina.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, stood in front of the casket for several moments in the late afternoon, before the casket was scheduled to be brought to the Capitol's east front for public viewing.

'I love you, brother': Lawmakers remember Rep. John Lewis' friendship and advice

After the hearse arrived at the Capitol, one member of Lewis honor guard fainted in the heat before Lewis' flag-draped casket was lifted from the hearse and carried up the steps.

"Ready, step! Ready, step! Ready, step!" the guard called out as it moved in unison.

Inside the Capitol Rotunda, members of the House and Senate and other invited guests sat 6 feet apart in concentric circles.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, wearing face masks that read Good Trouble, sat together.

The honor guard carried Lewis' casket to the center of the rotunda and, with bowed heads, placed it on the catafalque constructed in 1865 to support Abraham Lincoln's casket.

The casket of Rep. John Lewis carried by military honor guard up the steps of the U.S. Capitol on July 27, 2020 in Washington.

John was revered and beloved on both sides of the aisle, on both sides of the Capitol, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. We knew that he always worked on the side of the angels. And now, we know that he is with them.

The last time Pelosi saw Lewis, a few weeks before he died, she brought him a pin that said One country, one destiny.

Those were the words embroidered into the coat that Abraham Lincoln was wearing the night he was assassinated by a Confederate sympathizer.

Pelosi said Lewis identification with Lincoln was clear 57 years ago when, at the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial, Lewis declared, "Our minds, souls, and hearts cannot rest until freedom and justice exist for all the people.

Between then and now, John Lewis became a titan of the Civil Rights Movement and then, the `Conscience of the U.S. Congress, she said.

Referencing Kings famous saying, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said history only bent toward what's right because people like John paid the price  at a Nashville lunch counter, in a jail cell, at a bus station in South Carolina, and beyond.

"Even though the world around him gave him every cause for bitterness," McConnell said, Lewis treated everyone "with respect and love."

As Christian vocalist Wintley Phipps sang an emotional version of "Amazing Grace," Rep. Johanna Hayes, D-Conn., saw Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y., crying. She reached into her purse and handed him a tissue.

Placing his hand on his father's casket, Lewis' only son, John-Miles Lewis, led the procession of mourners paying their respects at the conclusion of the service.

Leaders of Congress formed a half-ring around the casket. Pelosi blew Lewis a kiss from her masked mouth.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus came up as a group to surround their colleague. Some wiped tears from their eyes.

He sacrificed so much for people that he had never met to make this country strive towards a more perfect Union, Sen. Tim Scott, the first African American senator from South Carolina, said after the ceremony. Its a heros farewell and earned, deserved in every way.

The procession for Rep John Lewis has arrived at the US Capitol pic.twitter.com/3ZPkGzSkbp  Deborah Berry (@dberrygannett) July 27, 2020

Programs rest on rows of black seats in the Rotunda for Rep. John Lewis. pic.twitter.com/Qi5WrClNmC  Deborah Berry (@dberrygannett) July 27, 2020

Trump won't attend Lewis' memorial services

President Donald Trump said Monday he would not be attending Lewis' memorial services at the Capitol this week.

"No, I won't be going, no," he told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to North Carolina.

Vice President Mike Pence and his wife are scheduled to pay their respects as Lewis lies in state Monday evening.

Trump and Lewis shared a turbulent history.

In 2017, Trump lashed out at Lewis on Twitter, accusing him of being "all talk ... no action or results," after the congressman said he would skip Trump's inauguration. Lewis considered Trump an illegitimate president because of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

'Living product of John Lewis'

Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones attended the passing of Lewis' motorcade because of how much the congressman meant to him and his political career in the state legislature and county government.

John Lewis brought the world here today because his impact and legacy will be forever known around the world, Jones told USA TODAY. He was one of Georgias tallest pines that fell.

Jones was born in 1960, so he was a young boy as the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act were passed. His parents were unable to vote, but Jones became an elected official who helps set public policy.

I am a living product of John Lewis, Jones said.

Jones asked Lewis for advice during Jones first campaign in 1990. He said shake as many hands as you can and I never stop shaking hands, Jones said.

A final ride through Washington

Lewis, who died July 17 from pancreatic cancer at 80, arrived at Maryland's Joint Base Andrews after two days of tributes in Alabama.

The family and friends traveling with him include Lewis only son, John-Miles Lewis, as well as siblings, nieces and nephews.

A hearse with the flag-draped casket of Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., drives on 16th Street, renamed, Black Lives Matter Plaza.

The motorcade passed by several landmarks important to the civil rights icon and longtime lawmaker before arriving at the Capitol, where flags are at half-staff in his honor. The landmarks included:

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial: King was a friend and mentor to Lewis, who often said King changed his life and taught him the discipline and philosophy of non-violence and non-violent direct action that he used as a foundation for his activism.

The flag-draped casket of Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., is carried by a joint services military honor guard to the hearse, Monday, July 27, 2020, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

The Lincoln Memorial: Lewis was the last living speaker from the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Justice that culminated at the memorial. The march was one of Lewiss first official acts after becoming the leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

There had been calls for last-minute changes to Lewis speech. The day before, some people, including local clergy and Kennedy administration officials, had objected to parts of his speech, including a reference to people marching across the South like Union General William Sherman.

Lewis, in a dark suit and tie, headed to the stage with his three-paged single-spaced speech he had not rehearsed.

He didnt have time to really review, Courtland Cox, who worked with Lewis at the committee, remembers. He had to do it on the fly before 250,000 people and the nation.

Black Lives Matter Plaza: Lewis made his last public appearance on June 7 at the plaza, a section of 16th Street near the White House where the city painted the words Black Lives Matter in 35-foot yellow capital letters as part of the protests unfolded over the death of George Floyd.

He met the mayor there and really passed the torch, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Sunday.

Elmira Walker, 79, of Washington, D.C., went to the plaza to see the motorcade drive by in order to impress on her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren Lewis importance in their lives.

I was moved to come because I feel like at my age I have to do it now, she told USA TODAY.

I could relate to almost everything that he talked about  raised in the South, coming out of the fields and so forth, said Walker, who was raised in Scotland Neck, N.C., and whose mother and grandmother never got a chance to vote.

It was a painful thing that you could work and couldnt vote  you didnt have a voice, Walker said. Because of his voice and because of the example of what he said, he meant a lot to me.

The Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture: It is a dream come true, Lewis said at the 2016 dedication of the museum, the end of a century-long campaign for a repository of black history on the National Mall. The idea, which originated with Black veterans of the Civil War, had been languishing for decades when Texas Rep. Mickey Leland asked Lewis to take up the charge after Lewis 1986 election to Congress. After Leland was killed in a 1989 plane crash, Lewis introduced authorizing legislation every year until it one became law in 2003.

Giving up on dreams is not an option for me, Lewis wrote in 2016. It was one of his proudest legislative achievements and he is known as the Godfather of the museum.

A life-size picture of John Lewis is posted next to a freshly repainted Black Lives Matter street mural near the White House.

The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building: Lewis whoauthored legislation to rename the Justice Department building for Robert Kennedy, and he had worked on Kennedys 1968 presidential campaign. Lewis was campaigning in Indianapolis with Kennedy when it was announced that King had been shot. A few months later, Lewis was among the campaign workers at the Ambassador Hotel, waiting for Kennedy to return to his hotel room after giving a speech, when Kennedy was assassinated.

The National Council of Negro Women: The organization was led for more than 50 years by Dorothy Height, another civil rights leader. Height was a key organizer of the March on Washington. Female leaders like Height and Rosa Parks walked down Independence Avenue while the men proceeded down Pennsylvania Avenue with the press.

The U.S. Supreme Court: Before arriving at the Capitol, the motorcade passed by the Supreme Court, where the words Equal Justice Under Law are engraved above the entrance. That goal is what Lewis fought for his entire life, organizers say. When he died, Lewis was still pushing to restore a portion of the Voting Rights Act that the court struck down in 2013. Lewis hadsat in the courtroom when the case was argued.

After an arrival ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, Lewis casket will return to the East Front, facing the Supreme Court, so the public can walk past to pay respect.

Security barriers are seen setup for the public viewing later in the day of former Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) in Washington, DC on July 27, 2020.

'Long overdue'

Just hours ahead of the Capitol Hill ceremony, about a dozen lawmakers, most of them dressed in black, took turns on the House floor pushing legislation the importance of a bill that would set up a commission to study the social status of Black men and boys.

California Rep. Karen Bass, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, called the proposal Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act long overdue.

. @LeaderHoyer headed into Rotunda earlier for the service for Rep John Lewis. A picture of the congressman is stationed outside Hoyers office. A purple ribbon is attached. pic.twitter.com/TuuDhmFIbn  Deborah Berry (@dberrygannett) July 27, 2020

Weve come a long way in America, but we still have a long way to go, said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who noted the nations history of slavery. We are still living with its legacy today.

Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus wore black face masks that read Good Trouble, a phrase Lewis frequently used to describe his advocacy for civil rights and other issues.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus wear black face masks that read Good Trouble in honor of John Lewis.

Pictures of Lewis greeted visitors as they entered the Capitol.

Inside the rotunda, where the statue of King looked down and the statue of Rosa Parks stood in a nearby room, programs for the ceremony rested in rows of black chairs.

A program is seen on a seat inside of the Capitol Rotunda prior to a service honoring the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., Monday, July 27, 2020 in Washington.

Some of the invited guests arrived long before the 1:30 p.m. service was scheduled to begin.

Its the proper thing to do, South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn said of the honors for Lewis, who will be the first African America lawmaker to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda.

A wreath is displayed prior to a memorial service for former Rep. John Lewis in the Capitol Rotunda on July 27, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond noted that Lewis has been working on civil rights issues since he was 15 years old.

I think the country owes a person like that one hell of a sendoff, he said.

A portrait honoring Rep. John Lewis greets visitors to the Capitol.

The casket of Rep. John Lewis moves over the Edmund Pettus Bridge by horse-drawn carriage during a memorial service for Lewis, Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Selma, Ala.

Rep. John Lewis, in a 1619 hat marking the start of U.S. slavery, looks over Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., on June 7, 2020.

July 26, 2020: Honoring civil rights icon John Lewis as national protests rage

The body of Congressman John Lewis arrives for memorial services at Trojan Arena in Troy, Ala., on Saturday, July 25, 2020.(Via OlyDrop)

George H.W. Bush was the last person to lay in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, an honor given to American statesmen and military leaders, including twelve U.S. presidents.

Longtime congressman Elijah E. Cummings, who died last October, was the first African American lawmaker to lie in state in the Capitol, though not in the rotunda.

In 2005, civil rights icon Rosa Parks laid "in honor" in the rotunda, the tribute given to private citizens who have not served in government or the military.

The Lincoln catafalque, rough pine boards nailed together and covered in a black cloth, has been used for most of those who have lain "in state" in the rotunda.

The base and platform have occasionally been altered to accommodate the larger size of modern coffins, but otherwise has changed little since Lincoln's time, according to the Architect of the Capitol.

While the cloth covering has needed to be replaced over the years, the style of the drapery has remained the same.

Because of the pandemic, the Lewis family has encouraged supporters to organize "John Lewis Virtual Love Events" in their homes to watch the ceremonies rather than traveling to public ceremonies. People can also show support by tying a blue or purple ribbon on their doors or in their front yards, by posting tributes on social media using the hashtags #BelovedCommunity or #HumanDignity, or by leaving a written tribute at www.theJohnLewisLegacy.com.

Members of Congress spent hours on the floor last week offering testimonials.

"In the coming days, when the streets are filled with those who mourn John, we will see people in fine suits and people in rags," said Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif. "We will see laborers and professionals. We will see faces pained by disease or poverty. But all of them will rejoice that John Lewis lived."

Fellow civil rights veterans: 'We had right on our side'

Activists working in John Lewis' shadow: Warnings about voter suppression ahead of November vote

The Backstory: John Lewis urged journalists, 'be a headlight, not a taillight'

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Lewis, 'conscience of Congress,' to lie in state at the Capitol
COLUMBIA, Mo. - As the coronavirus pandemic continues to put a strain on health care systems, nursing homes have become overburdened with the challenge of keeping both patients and staff safe and healthy. Older residents in long-term care facilities are especially vulnerable to the effects of a respiratory illness like COVID-19, and nursing homes are not appropriately designed nor staffed to handle large numbers of infectious residents.

In response, two MU Sinclair School of Nursing support teams - the Quality Improvement Program for Missouri and the Missouri Quality Initiative - are working with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to provide assistance to more than 500 nursing homes across the state.

"The main goal of our response efforts is to make sure nursing home residents are staying as safe as possible during this very traumatic and challenging experience," said Lori Popejoy, associate professor in the MU Sinclair School of Nursing. "At the beginning of the pandemic, access to personal protective equipment (PPE) was a big concern for nursing home staff. We were able to collaborate with various community organizations to distribute more than 3,000 face shields to nursing homes throughout the state."

In addition to securing and distributing PPE, other efforts include offering recommendations, guidance and support to nursing home staff and administrators as they navigate and implement the ever-changing COVID-19 infection control practices. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services continue to update their recommendations for mitigating the spread of COVID-19, the support teams are synthesizing, summarizing and organizing this information to help nursing homes establish and modify protocols for isolating sick patients, use PPE properly and notify the family members of infected patients.

"Now that the nursing homes are isolating residents in individual rooms, the residents are no longer dining in groups, attending group activities or inviting outside visitors into the facilities," said Amy Vogelsmeier, associate professor in the MU Sinclair School of Nursing. "In order to continue providing support to these individuals, nursing homes have adopted creative practices, such as video chatting with family members so residents can see their loved ones, or assigning staff members to check in daily with residents who may be struggling to cope with the effects of social isolation."

Given the shortage of nurses in Missouri, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of advanced practice registered nurses, who play a key role in identifying and managing illness in nursing homes to prevent avoidable hospitalizations.

"This is a time where the public is really becoming aware of the value registered nurses bring to the health care industry," Popejoy said. "It has been inspiring to see the impact they have had to mitigate the effects of this public health crisis."

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"A Coordinated Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Missouri Nursing Homes" was recently published in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 19:38:23|Editor: huaxia

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TAIPEI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Four people tested positive for COVID-19 in Taiwan on Monday, raising the island's total number of COVID-19 cases to 462, the local epidemic monitoring agency said.

Three of the new patients had returned from Africa via Dubai and were sent to the hospital upon their arrival at the airport, the agency said in a press release.

The last one, returning from the United States, developed suspicious symptoms while in quarantine at home, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the agency was informed that a Thai citizen, who had worked in Taiwan and went back to Thailand on July 21, tested positive for COVID-19 on July 25.

The source of the infection and close contacts of the Thai case are under investigation and it can not be ruled out that the infection source was in Taiwan, the agency said. Enditem
Left to right, Joy Thomas, Machayla Randall, Xandria McKinley, and Obinna Okorie, in front of Cherry Hill East High School. Read more

The Cherry Hill School District could become the first in New Jersey to mandate that students take an African American history course in order to graduate.

The school system is considering a proposal to add the requirement, partly in response to students who organized Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a white officer.

All kids should learn it, said Joy Thomas, 16, a rising senior at Cherry Hill High School East. It would be a good example to other districts.

Cherry Hill would be the first district with the requirement, said Michael Yaple, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Education. Many schools teach Black history, but not as a prerequisite for graduation. New Jersey and Pennsylvania require history to be taught, but districts decide the content of their courses. In Philadelphia, a course in African American history, including the civil rights movement, is a graduation requirement.

A high school course as a graduation requirement is wonderful, said Stephanie James Harris, executive director of the New Jersey Amistad Commission, which helps schools implement a 2002 law that requires all public schools to teach African American history. I like the idea.

Cherry Hill plans to reopen schools in September with a hybrid model that enrolls students for two days in person and the remainder online. A revised version of the plan will be released at a school board meeting Tuesday.

Cherry Hill Superintendent Joseph Meloche said the district, which is predominantly white, wants to not only teach Black history more effectively at all grade levels, but also include social justice issues.

The foundation message is that Black history is our history, Meloche said. Its time we make a change.

During a meeting earlier this month, Farrah Mahan, Cherry Hills curriculum director, introduced the idea of an African American studies course that was widely embraced by the school board. It is not expected to come up for a vote until the fall.

It is absolutely something we should consider, said board member Carol A. Matlack.

Cherry Hill already has an elective African American studies class that is offered for dual credit through Stockton University. It could be adapted, with approval, for the graduation requirement, Mahan said. It would still be taught by Cherry Hill teachers, and students would earn four college credits.

 READ MORE: N.J. sending teachers to visit trans-Atlantic slave sites to teach black history in public schools

Details about a mandatory course still must be determined, such as whether additional teachers would be needed and what year students would be expected to take the class. Cherry Hill last changed its graduation requirements in 2017 when it added more science classes and labs.

Mahan said she expects difficult conversations about the course, which would likely include discussions about social justice. The district also plans to review its textbooks and materials for cultural bias.

Several years ago, the Cherry Hill African American Civic Association lobbied unsuccessfully for the district to require a Black history course. School officials said they were especially moved this time by a student-led movement.

Its long overdue, Tina Truitt, the associations president, said Monday. It needs to be told.

Cherry Hill, the 11th largest public school district in the state, enrolls about 11,000 students. The district is 57% white, 18% Asian, 13% Hispanic, and 8% Black.

Students in high schools across the region have been pushing for changes in how Black history is taught. They want schools to address systemic racism and implicit bias among staff and students.

There will be, Im sure, some community and district pushback, Mahan said. We have to be willing to engage in that controversial dialogue to benefit the children of Cherry Hill public schools.

Some board members expressed concern about adding too many demands to student schedules, and asked whether another requirement could be eliminated. Others want the district to revise its Amistad instruction across all content areas, as required by the law named for the ship that carried 53 Africans who had been kidnapped and sold into the Spanish slave trade in 1839. The slaves revolted, killing most of the crew.

 READ MORE: Philly-area students, alumni are demanding their schools address systemic racism

The Amistad law requires all public schools to teach African American history and infuse it in subjects year-round. But it has not been widely implemented, something NJ19, a coalition of Black freeholders, is trying to change, said Mercer County Freeholder Samuel Frisby, vice chairman of the group. New Jersey also requires public schools to teach about the Holocaust.

Harris said she hopes Cherry Hill approves the course requirement, but not at the expense of embedding African American history fully into all lesson plans. Studies have found that schools are not adequately teaching the history and educators are not adequately prepared to do so.

I want to make sure it is an and and not an or, Harris said. It is something that needs to be infused.
FILE - This March 16, 2020 file photo shows vials used by pharmacists to prepare syringes used on the first day of a first-stage safety study clinical trial of the potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. The world's biggest COVID-19 vaccine test got underway Monday, July 27 with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers. The experimental vaccine is made by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., and it's one of several candidates in the final stretch of the global vaccine race. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)AP
Starting Monday, guests will again be able to take the glass-walled elevator ride up 60 floors to the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel at Comcast Center, where freshly cleaned television remotes, a concierge-like app to lessen contact with staff, and powerful new air filters will greet them. But will those new features be enough to bring guests back to the hotel?

Theres a lot of pent-up demand of people who want to get out and have the ability to travel, said Four Seasons general manager Ben Shank. Were really fortunate to be in an area where people can drive in from all over the East Coast.

The Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, which occupies the top 12 floors of the 60-story Comcast Technology Center, will reopen to guests on Monday after suspending operations on March 20 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hotel, which opened in August 2019, resumes operations after an announcement that Philadelphia will cancel all large public events through February 2021, and at a time when business travel is at an extreme low.

The Four Seasons, along with the Rittenhouse Hotel and Sofitel, is among several luxury hotels braving a restart as the pandemic rages. The hotel industry has faced major economic losses since March. Notices posted by the state Department of Labor and Industry show that Philadelphia hotels have laid off hundreds of workers during the pandemic. The Four Seasons alone laid off 179 employees at the end of May, records show.

Luxury hotels need more guests to reach break-even points because of their costly full-service offerings, such as spas, said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. When luxury hotels cant provide those services, because theres just not the revenue, it makes it very difficult for them to separate themselves from other hotels.

In January, Rogers said, the hotel industry across the country had over 900,000 open jobs that it was having trouble filling. Now, more than half of the people that were working at the beginning of the year are not working in our industry today, which is devastating.

Hotels generally rely on high occupancy in their rooms and restaurants to make money. But even when theyre closed, hotels still have to pay fixed costs like taxes or debt service, which can be higher for newly opened locations, noted Rogers. Sometimes it makes sense to stay open to bring in whatever revenue you can to pay those fixed costs, he said, because you have to pay them whether you have revenue or not.

Ed Grose, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, described the Four Seasons reopening as a good sign for the local hotel industry.

Still, he tempered that optimism by noting that occupancy levels remain around 30% to 40% for area hotels, when the summer usually brings them to twice that much. This is a very unique situation, in that hotels do not [typically] suspend operations, Grose said. For many, its the first time in history.

Visits to the reopened Four Seasons will look a lot different than they did before the pandemic.

All guests and workers will now be required to wear face coverings and undergo daily temperature screenings. Once guests go through these screenings, they will receive a color-coded certification pin that changes each day, said Shank. Temperatures are taken at the ground floor entryway of the hotel so that any guests who dont pass wont be exposed to anyone in the 60th-floor lobby.

There are social distancing floor markers throughout the entryway and other common areas at the hotel, but they do little to protect against the risk of sharing the hotels high-speed elevator with other guests. While Shank noted that a staff member will be posted by the elevators in the entryway to enforce a four-person maximum per ride, there isnt enough room in the elevators themselves to have four people spaced six-feet apart, let alone staff members available to monitor the situation on every floor of the hotel.

Despite the difficulty of mitigating risk in the elevators, the hotel will try to limit close-contact elsewhere. All guests are encouraged to check in using the Four Seasons app, which is connected directly to the staff at the Philadelphia location. Through the app, guests can chat with workers about check-in details or other needs and arrange services in a socially distanced way.

Housekeeping services must now be done while all guests are out of the room, and include a renewed focus on cleaning high-touch surfaces, like remotes, which will be labeled with special sanitation markers after cleaning. The hotels ventilation system uses air filters that meet the COVID-19 filter recommendations of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Shank said.

While the restaurant and bar remain closed beyond in-room dining options, the Four Seasons will start phasing in some services in its salon and spa. In the first week, hair and nail treatments will be available, with plans of massages to follow.

Shank said guests can also continue to feel the zen in the crystal-infused relaxation rooms, where chairs are separated by glass partitions. Because of mask requirements, the hotel currently has no plans to offer facials.

The gym and pool areas will be open as well, at lower occupancy levels, with only 13 guests allowed in the gym at a time and 25 in the infinity pool. Every other machine will be turned off at the gym to prevent guests from exercising next to each other. Ample hand sanitizer will be available.

We have a really large staff-to-guest ratio, said Shank in response to a question about how the hotel would keep services and facilities in these areas clean and safe. So we feel good about being able to offer that fully contactless and personalized experience.

As for whether the hotel will suspend operations again should the pandemic worsen in the fall, Shank thinks its too early to tell. We can control what we can control, and the world is so fluid right now, but were so focused on opening, he said. Were just looking forward right now.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27

Trend:

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has received Ambassador of Palestine to the Republic of Azerbaijan Nasir Abdulkarim Abdurrahman, Trend reports on July 27 referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Bayramov spoke about friendly relations and cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats between Azerbaijan and Palestine and expressed confidence that this cooperation will develop in the future.

The sides stressed that bilateral visits, as well as mutual support of the sides in the international arena, make a great contribution to the development of these relations.

Nasir Abdulkarim Abdurrahman expressed gratitude for the warm welcome. While congratulating Bayramov on his appointment as Azerbaijani foreign minister, the ambassador wished him good luck in his activity aimed at ensuring the national interests of Azerbaijan on international arena.

Touching upon bilateral relations, the ambassador stressed the fraternal ties between the two peoples and said that the ties between the two countries are based on historical roots.

Nasir Abdulkarim Abdurrahman stressed that Palestine firmly supports Azerbaijans territorial integrity and expresses support for the implementation of the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council.

The ambassador also expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan for its support.

Abdurrahman expressed condolences to the families of the Azerbaijani servicemen who died as a result of the military provocation of the Armenian armed forces, which was committed on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border on July 12.

It was noted that by this provocation Armenia did not achieve any of the set goals, on the contrary, it again demonstrated its aggressive nature and faced a resolute position of the international community.

Noting that the tension is observed in the region as a result of Armenias aggressive policy, Bayramov stressed the need to eliminate the consequences of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the fact that the ongoing negotiations on the conflict settlement must serve this purpose.

Bayramov stressed that Azerbaijan requires the negotiations on the merits, focused on a specific result and the country does not participate in them only for the sake of negotiating.

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.
India on Monday handed over 10 broad-gauge diesel locomotives to Bangladesh, strengthening the neighbouring country's railway infrastructure.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar flagged off the locomotives online in the presence of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and several dignitaries from across the border.

The physical location of the handover was the Gede station of the Eastern Railways in West Bengal's Nadia district and the receiving station was Darshana in

(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.)
The Polish government, emboldened by a narrow election victory this month and undeterred by criticism from European Union leaders, is considering withdrawing from a treaty aimed at curbing domestic violence and protecting womens rights, with the countrys minister of justice filing paperwork on Monday to start the process.

The move came just one week after European Union leaders, bowing to pressure from Poland and Hungary, relaxed demands that were supposed to tie funding in the blocs long-term budget to issues related to rule of law. In the days since, both Warsaw and Budapest have pressed ahead with agendas that critics say compromise judicial independence, media freedom and gay rights.

Polands plan to pull out of the domestic abuse treaty is likely to face stiff resistance, however. The mere suggestion that the government wanted to withdraw prompted thousands of protesters to take to the streets over the weekend and led the Council of Europe, a human rights organization with 47 member countries, to express alarm at the prospect.

The treaty, known as the Istanbul Convention, is intended to combat violence against women in Europe. Conceived more than a decade ago, the treaty has been caught up in a maelstrom of disinformation and populist rhetoric, cast as a threat to national sovereignty and twisted by conspiracy theories and smear campaigns.
CAMBRIDGE  Three men were arrested and a BB gun and suspected stolen property were seized as police investigated a reported abandoned vehicle.

Waterloo Regional Police went to check on the vehicle on Chilligo Road early Monday morning, and found the trio asleep. Police said one of them was in possession of what looked like a handgun, and officers also found suspected stolen property inside.

A 21-year-old and 23-year-old from Mississauga, and a 29-year-old from Brampton, were all charged with possession of stolen property under $5,000. The Brampton man was also charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
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Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 08:13 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406696d419 1 Editorial COVID-19,pandemic,vaccine,COVID-19-vaccine,Research-and-Development,pharmaceutical-industry,Science Free

Indonesia, like every other country, is searching desperately for a vaccine for COVID-19, which has sickened more than 98,000 people in the country, has killed more than 4,700 and has crushed the economy. Some countries, including neighboring Singapore, have declared a recession, and if no significant progress is made with regard to public health, Indonesia may follow suit.

A vaccine would give a significant boost to the reopening economy, a path the government has chosen despite the risk of a surge in infections. Unsurprisingly, President Joko Jokowi Widodo has said he expects a vaccine to be ready for mass production in the first quarter of next year.

The President has estimated that a potential national vaccination program would require 347 million doses. Thats a huge figure and would be largest number of vaccine doses the nation ever provided.

Vaccine development normally takes years to complete, but the ongoing pandemic has prompted international organizations, governments, pharmaceutical companies, philanthropic organizations, scientists and other members of the world community to attempt to accelerate the process. Hopefully, it will be a race between humans and the virus, rather than between nations or between big pharmaceutical firms.

As a champion of multilateralism, Indonesia has sought international cooperation in the production of a potential vaccine. At least two foreign biopharmaceutical firms have signed a deal to produce possible vaccines.

State-owned pharmaceutical company PT Bio Farma is partnering with Chinas Sinovac Biotech on a potential inactivated virus vaccine and is discussing cooperation with the Bill Gates-backed Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), while state pharmaceutical firm PT Kalbe Farma is cooperating with South Koreas Genexine Inc on a potential DNA vaccine.

Padjadjaran University in Bandung has been entrusted to conduct phase 3 clinical trials of 1,620 samples of a potential vaccine on humans. The success of these trials will determine whether the potential vaccine will be manufactured en masse. This make-or-break stage, which will determine the treatments efficacy and look for rare and long-term side effects, is expected to finish next January.

The Kalbe FarmaGenexine partnership will see phase two trials of a possible vaccine begin in Indonesia in September or October, after the completion of the first phase of trials, which is now underway in South Korea.

Strict supervision certainly matters as the potential vaccines must not put peoples lives in danger. The role of the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) will be to ensure the potential vaccines development does not compromise safety for the sake of speed.

Even if a vaccine is eventually discovered, the problems of the pandemic will not end. Not only will the government have to provide significant funding for the manufacturing, distribution and administration of a vaccine; it will also have to establish the order of priority in vaccination. This is not to mention possible resistance from the public, as was the case in the international drive for polio vaccination.

Some scientists believe a potential vaccine might not last long and that multiple vaccinations would be needed. It appears the fight against COVID-19 may carry on for years to come.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 22:43:14|Editor: huaxia

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TOKYO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Tokyo metropolitan government said on Monday that 131 new daily COVID-19 cases had been detected in the capital, marking the 19th straight day that more than 100 new daily infections had been confirmed.

The latest single-day tally, which edged below the 200-mark for the first time in seven days, compares to 239 COVID-19 cases recorded on Sunday, the metropolitan government said.

New cases of the virus in July topped the 5,000-mark in the capital till Monday, the latest data showed, accounting for about 45 percent of Tokyo's cumulative total of 11,345 cases and one-third of the nation's total, as concerns have risen about the record pace of the virus' spread in the city of 14 million.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike had urged Tokyo residents to essentially stay at home during a four-day weekend through Sunday, by asking Tokyoites to refrain from making unnecessary trips outside, following Thursday's record 366 COVID-19 cases, the first time infections had topped 300.

The long weekend, just passed, coincided with the launch of the government-backed "Go To Travel" campaign aimed at bolstering domestic travel and the tourism industry by offering travelers subsidies on transportation and accommodation among other incentives.

Tokyo, the epicenter of the nation's COVID-19 outbreak, was abruptly cut from the campaign, with Tokyo residents and trips to and from Tokyo made ineligible for the subsidies owing to the capital's coronavirus crisis.

Of the 131 new COVID-19 cases reported Monday, the metropolitan government said that 79 people testing positive were in their 20s and 30s accounting for around 60 percent of the total.

Those in their 40s and 50s totaled 34 people or about 26 percent of the total, the local government, who raised its alert level for the virus to the highest on its four-tier scale in mid-July meaning that "infections are spreading."

Of those newly infected, the infection route is known in 40 percent of the cases and unknown in 60 percent, the latest figure showed.

Nationwide, Japan confirmed 583 new infections on Monday, bringing the nation's cumulative total to 31,249 cases, not including those connected to a cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama in February.

The death toll currently stands at a total of 999, according to the figures from the heath ministry and local authorities.

Behind Tokyo, Osaka's cases rose by 87 on Monday bringing its cumulative total to 3,375 infections, while Kanagawa Prefecture added 14 COVID-19 cases to reach 2,251.

Saitama Prefecture recorded 23 new infections bringing its total to 2,088, while Chiba Prefecture's total stood at 1,490 COVID-19 cases after 24 new cases were reported Monday, according to the latest figures Monday evening. Enditem
Citizens initiative is collecting Spains obsolete currency, the peseta, before the deadline to exchange them runs out.

When the Spanish currency, the peseta, went out of circulation in 2002 to be replaced by the euro, Isabel Gonzalez, now 49, put aside 1,700 pesetas, or 10.2 euros ($11.8) to keep as a memory of the coins that had been a big part of her life.

Several weeks ago, she decided to dust off the old coins and notes and put them to better use.

Gonzalez donated her obsolete money to the citizen initiative La ultima peseta (The Last Peseta), a campaign launched by a group of advertising specialists, called VIDA, to collect funds for COVID-19 vaccine research.

They were just worthless memories, but they can help a lot of people now, Gonzalez told Al Jazeera.

The clock is ticking for exchanging those pesetas for euros: the Bank of Spain will only accept them until the end of 2020.

Before COVID-19, we were already looking for ideas to use those pesetas for a good cause, Emilio Fernandez, one of the promoters of the idea, told Al Jazeera.

It is money that would go to waste otherwise, he said. On an individual basis, it doesnt mean much for most of the people, it is just a memory, but if everything is collected together, a lot of people could be helped.

In 2002, only a set of coins, featuring King Juan Carlos, were in circulation [File: Miguel Riopa/AFP]

The Bank of Spain estimates that Spaniards still have about 1.6 billion euros ($1.7bn) worth of pesetas lying around in drawers and storage units.

Spain is not the only euro country where old currencies can still be exchanged. Luxembourg, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia and Slovakia still accept obsolete banknotes, but not coins.

Germany, Ireland, Austria, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have set no time limit for swapping them, while Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, and Malta banks no longer accept their former currencies.

The coronavirus pandemic

In March, Spain was recording the second-highest number of new daily cases in the world, just after Italy, and the government imposed a strict lockdown that would endure for two months.

That was when Fernandez and his colleagues reached out to the Fundacion Lucha contra el Sida (Fight AIDS Foundation), an institution that has been working against HIV/AIDS since 1992 and that launched research on a COVID-19 vaccine in January.

The collective has also signed an agreement with the National Federation for Rare Diseases, which will receive part of the donations.

Funding is one of the main challenges when it comes to developing vaccines, said Julia Blanco, a scientist involved in COVID vaccine research at the IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, which is linked to the Fight AIDS Foundation.

Why we were not prepared for this pandemic? Because there hasnt been enough funding to investigate SARS and MERS, he told Al Jazeera.

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Blanco was referring to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)  two other types of coronavirus diseases that in recent years caused outbreaks, mainly in Asia and the Middle East.

Knowledge acquired during the search for other vaccines, like the research being done to find an HIV vaccine, can be helpful with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

HIV is a very complicated virus that mutates a lot. Since it was discovered in 1983, we havent been able to find a vaccine. But its research has taught us a lot about viruses in general, Blanco said.

SARS-CoV-2 is more stable, and Blanco is confident that the first vaccines will be ready to use in about a years time.

It is an exceptional situation and time frames are being shortened, he said.

Promising trials

Last week, Oxford University announced that the experimental vaccine it is developing in cooperation with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca had produced an immune response in more than 1,000 volunteers who had participated in the early stage of its clinical trials.

At Blancos laboratory, several prototypes of vaccines have already been tested in animals in collaboration with the Animal Health Research Center IRTA-CReSA and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center.

Preliminary results are optimistic because we have observed that neutralising antibodies were generated, Blanco said.

But it is not a race with only one winner, Blanco said. The more vaccines we get, the better, he said.

According to Blanco, only a wide range of vaccines would be sufficient to cope with the high demand for doses that will be needed to immunise the worlds populations.

Moreover, different vaccines may work differently on various groups, he said.

A vaccine works with a vector that shows the fragment of the virus to the immunity system. And each vector can generate a different response, so some vaccines, for instance, may work better for older people, he said.

The peseta

The currency that will help back the scientific process, the pela, as the peseta was colloquially known, has witnessed most of recent Spanish history.

The first peseta was minted in 1869, as the symbol of a new democratic government installed after the toppling of Queen Isabel II.

It would survive the tumultuous decades of the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, including the restoration of the monarchy, two short Republican periods, the civil war (1936-1939), and the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco.

The head of General Franco is seen on a 25-peseta coin from 1957 [File: Paul White/AP]

When democracy was finally reinstated in 1975, the peseta remained the official currency.

During those years, many different series of coins and notes were issued to reflect the change of governing power and the increasing cost of living.

In 2002, only a set of coins, with the profile of King Juan Carlos, were in circulation.

While any peseta note printed after 1939 can still be exchanged, only the last set of coins that were in circulation in 2002 are accepted by the Bank of Spain.

However, the previous pesetas are not useless, since they can be melted and sold in bulk, explains Emilio Fernandez. The rarest pieces can also fetch a high price in the antiques market.

We are in contact with collectors to identify the valuable coins, but we inform their owners to make sure they want to donate them, Fernandez said.

Moreover, many Spaniards still own commemorative silver 2,000-peseta coins, limited series issued in the late 1990s and early 2000s, whose value can reach thousands of euros.

Collecting pesetas

The main challenge is physically collecting the money. As pesetas are not currently in circulation, people cannot make bank transfers or use online payment methods.

So Fernandez and his colleagues had to go back to an old system: money boxes that were used in the past to collect donations.

The channels are also traditional: local associations, churches, religious organisations, working spaces and local stores, among others.

For the higher donations, we can arrange some sort of transportation. But most of the people only have a few coins at home, so we have to rely on local networks, said Fernandez.

The Last Peseta initiative has only been able to verify 200,000 pesetas so far [File: Miguel Riopa/AFP]

Isabel Gonzalez has placed one of these boxes at the fashion store where she works in Elche, a town near Alicante on the Mediterranean coast.

People are coming to donate their small bags of pesetas because they have seen the initiative in local media, said Gonzalez. Some other clients just go back home search for their coins when we explain to them what it is for.

All this arduous process means that the Last Peseta initiative has only been able to verify 200,000 pesetas, or 1,200 euros ($1,398).

But they have a lot of pesetas waiting in the queue to be validated, and new contributions arrive every day.

It is a very lengthy process because we have to check and classify every coin and banknote, Fernandez said.

The final result will be seen in November, when all the memories Spaniards kept in the form of these bits of metal and paper, will be converted into a new hope to find a vaccine against COVID-19.
The body of John Lewis was placed in the U.S. Capitol rotunda Monday afternoon as one of the last public homages to the civil rights pioneer and fierce congressman.

Ceremonies and events have taken place in Atlanta, Selma, Alabama, and now the place where the venerable lawmaker spoke on policies that made an impact in Washington, D.C., and beyond. Lewis, who died July 17 at age 80, is the first Black person to lie in state in the Capitols rotunda. Rep. Elijah Cummings became the first Black lawmaker to lie in state at the Capitol after his death last year.

Several online onlookers have been tuned in leading into the ceremony honoring Lewis at the U.S. Capitol Monday afternoon. In an unusual occurrence, a serviceman slated to help carry the congressmans casket into the rotunda Monday passed out after reportedly overheating. He was able to walk away with assistance to get care.

While most spectators were focused on each careful step in carrying Lewis body into the Capitol, others focused on the officials who were not present. President Donald Trump was not in attendance during the D.C. event honoring Lewis  nor was the president present during the previous events.

Trump in recent days confirmed he didnt plan to attend.

Lewis once called Trump an illegitimate president and chided him for stoking racial discord.

Trump countered by blasting Lewis Atlanta congressional district as crime-infested. Trump said he would not go to the Capitol, but Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to pay his respects later Monday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was the first person to speak during Mondays event, which she said sought to acknowledge his sacred life.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also spoke at the event. He reminisced about Lewis upbringing in rural Pike County, Alabama. Lewis family was raised in a humble home with no running water or electricity.

It wouldve been hard to conceive back then that the young child tending to his familys chickens would be leading the movement to redeem Americas society, McConnell said.

Despite the kind words spoken from McConnell about Lewis, some criticized his appearance and statements.

Pelosi spoke about her former colleague a second time during the event before she played audio of Lewis speaking about the significance of being willing to be entangled in good trouble. Several spectators sitting in the Capitols rotunda listened with somber looks and some with tears welling in their eyes.

Emotions continued to stir as Florida pastor and Christian vocalist Wintley Phipps hummed and sung the lyrics to the legendary hymn Amazing Grace.

Some famous names, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., spoke about the future plans that are in play to honor Lewis, including Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., reportedly planning to introduce a voting bill bearing Lewis name.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



2020 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.)

Visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) at www.ajc.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A 26-year-old Hubbardston man and a 23-year-old Sheridan woman were killed this weekend in two separate accidents investigated by Michigan State Police troopers from the Lakeview post.

The first occurred at approximately 4:51 a.m. Sunday at the Crystal Motor Speedway, in Crystal Township, when three people were riding in the open back of what police describe as an SUV driving around the Speedways public area, according to a press release from the Michigan State Police.

Alex Richards, 26, of Hubbardston, was killed as a result of injuries received while falling from the vehicle. A 26-year-old Vestaburg man was taken to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing by helicopter with serious injuries sustained while being ejected. The third person, a 25-year-old Sheridan woman, was uninjured.

The vehicles driver, a 30-year-old man from Ionia, was arrested for operating while intoxicated causing death. He is currently lodged in the Montcalm County Jail, awaiting arraignment. A 30-year-old Ionia woman riding in the cab was uninjured.

That accident remains under investigation, and troopers were assisted by the Crystal Township Fire Department, Montcalm County EMS, Aero Med and Montcalm County Central Dispatch.

In the second accident, a Michigan State Police trooper happened upon the scene of an accident that had recently taken place in Montcalm Countys Sidney Township.

A 23-year-old Sheridan woman was killed in that accident while a passenger in a minivan struck, first from behind, and then after it was pushed into oncoming traffic while stopped to turn at approximately 12:06 p.m. Sunday on M-66 near Ruby Road, according to a second MSP press release. The minivan was carrying seven people, including five children.

The 2003 Pontiac minivan she was in was traveling northbound on M-66 when the driver, a 23-year-old Sheridan man, stopped to make a left turn. The vehicle was struck in the back by a northbound 2009 Chevy Impala, driven by a 20-year-old Perrinton woman.

The collision pushed it into the southbound lane and into the way of a 2011 Chevy Silverado pickup truck, driven by a 38-year-old Stanton man, which hit the van.

The trooper rendered medical aid to the people in the minivan. The Sheridan woman succumbed to her injuries, and all five children were taken by Aero Med and ambulance to the Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital in Grand Rapids. The driver was treated for minor injuries on the scene and released.

The Stanton man driving the Silverado, and his passengers  a 37-year-old Stanton man and a 9-year-old Stanton boy  were also treated for their injuries at the scene. The Perrinton woman driving the Impala was uninjured.

The accident remains under investigation, and troopers were aided at the scene by Sheridan Community Fire Department, Montcalm County EMS, Aero Med, Bookwalters Towing and Recovery, MSP aviation unit, Montcalm County Victims Services and Montcalm County Central Dispatch.

READ MORE:
The implementation of the new rate for the Communication Service Tax (CST), also known as talk tax, is to take effect from September 2020.



The Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta at the presentation of the 2020 mid-year budget review announced the reduction of the tax from nine per cent to five per cent.



He told Parliament on Thursday that, In the short term, we will reduce the CST from 9% to 5% to reduce the cost of communication services to the consumer as more and more people work remotely and utilize online services. We will count on the Telcos to match this reduction in the CST by reducing their tariffs. This is important for our youth, entrepreneurs, and the burgeoning FINTEC industry.



Addressing Ghanaians on Sunday, July 26, 2020, to reiterate plans taken by the government to cushion Ghanaians from the impact of COVID-19, President Nana Akufo-Addo indicated that the move will be rolled out in September.



The Communication Service Tax has also been reduced from 9 per cent to 5 per cent, effective September 2020.



Background of CST



The CST was introduced in 2008 at an ad valorem rate of six per cent. The tax is levied on charges payable by consumers for the use of communication services.



In 2018 the tax brought in a total of GH420 million, representing a 27.7 per cent increase from the estimated 304 million accrued in 2017.



The amount generated from the levy was 4.56 per cent more than the projected 401.8 million in the 2018 mid-year budget.



The telcos started charging customers the revised CST from October 1, 2019, after the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, announced an increment in the tax from six to nine per cent in the Supplementary Budget.



The Finance Minister in justifying the increment, had said it was aimed at creating a viable technology ecosystem to among other things identify and combat cybercrime.





Source: Graphic.com.gh









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BIG RAPIDS  Two local police unions have announced they are officially supporting candidate Brian Miller in the race to become the next Mecosta County sheriff.

Miller is running on the Republican ticket in the 2020 election.
File pic

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra on Monday returned to the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government a cabinet note seeking an assembly session with fresh queries. This is the second time that the governor has sought clarifications from the government.

The state cabinet had sent a revised note to the governor last week requesting that a session of the assembly be called on July 31 after he returned the first proposal seeking clarifications on six points.
DACA recipients and their supporters rally outside the Supreme Court in Washington on June 18, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Trump Administration Under Fire for Slow Action on DACA

The Trump administration is facing legal pressure over its apparent failure to immediately resume processing of illegal aliens under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program after the Supreme Court ruled last month it failed to rescind the Obama-era program properly.

On June 18, the Supreme Court ruled 54 in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) v. Regents of the University of California that the Trump administration failed to follow the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), which requires the government to fully explain the reasons for its decisions, when it tried to rescind the program that temporarily shielded young people who came to the United States illegally from being deported.

The dispute before the Court is not whether DHS may rescind DACA. All parties agree that it may. The dispute is instead primarily about the procedure the agency followed in doing so, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.

The appropriate recourse is therefore to remand to DHS, so that it may consider the problem anew.

President Donald Trump said the day after the ruling the administration planned to comply.

We will be submitting enhanced papers shortly in order to properly fulfill the Supreme Courts ruling & request of yesterday, he wrote on Twitter.

At the same time, Trump administration officials have indicated they are preparing a new policy to address the DACA situation that may take some time to develop.

The court did not say how fast the administration had to act on applications, Christopher Hajec, director of litigation at the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), told The Epoch Times. It makes sense to delay granting them for a short period while the administration decides whether and how to rescind DACA, as it has full authority to do.

When Trump announced in 2017 he would end DACA, he expressed sympathy for DACA recipients and said his cancellation of the program would force Democratic lawmakers to make a deal to allow the young people to stay. No such deal was reached in Congress.

During a July 24 telephonic hearing brought by DACA supporters, Maryland-based U.S. District Court Judge Paul Grimm, an Obama appointee, criticized the administration for not yet complying with the high courts order, including not yet updating informational pages on government websites, Politico reports.

That is a problem, the judge said. As for the inaccuracy on the website, that has to change and that should be able to change very quickly.  It creates a feeling and a belief that the agency is disregarding binding decisions by appellate and the Supreme Court.

U.S. Department of Justice lawyer Stephen Pezzi told Grimm that new DACA applications are being held and placed into a bucket while DHS officials consider what to do next with the DACA program.

It is a distinction without a difference to say that this application has not been denied, it has been received and it has been put in a bucket, the judge said.

The Trump administration is sending out mixed messages and that puts applicants in doubt, said John Freedman, lawyer for the DACA recipients.

It puts immigration lawyers in doubt. Nobody knows whats going on, Freedman said. It reinforces impressions that  the administration, the defendants are not complying with the rule of law.

At Conservative Review, DACA critic Daniel Horowitz urged the administration to take a tougher line.

The Supreme Court simply has no power to tell President Donald Trump that he cannot rescind an illegal executive amnesty of his predecessor in the same way it was initially promulgated.

If separation of powers means anything at all and we are to preserve a country of checks and balances, Trump must not issue these visas.

Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), told The Epoch Times that in the DACA saga, Trump is missing an opportunity to educate the public about judicial overreach.

Taking a shot at the Supreme Court, Stein said, A court should not be able to use the Administrative Procedure Act to mask its real intention, and increasingly, judges resort to APA claims to delay decisions they may not agree with personally.

The better course of action for the administration would be to suspend new applications during the issuance of a new rule ending the program, Stein said.

And start terminating the status of those who have it. Dont ask me why the American people put up with a judiciary that is so far out of line.
Sydney, July 27 : Authorities in Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state have blocked a protest for Aboriginal rights, with a ruling by the Supreme Court determining that the risk of COVID-19 was too high.

On Sunday, NSW's highest court found that while COVID-19 numbers in Sydney were low, to hold a mass protest with an expected 500 people was simply too risky, reports Xinhua news agency.

On Monday, the neighbouring state of Victoria, which has witnessed a resurgence, confirmed a record 532 infections, compared to 17 in NSW.

However many are still concerned Sydney could fall victim to the country's next big outbreak.

Police made clear that they were prepared to turn out in force for anyone who defies the ruling of the court and attends the demonstration.

Organisers expressed their intention to go ahead with the rally, arguing that social distancing and hygiene efforts would be in place.

State officials also took a hard line against the demonstration planned for Tuesday, which was intended to draw light to the treatment of Indigenous Australians in police custody.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters that trying to stop the protest was not a reflection of anyone's stance on the issues facing Indigenous Australians, but simply about the timing of the demonstration, which she described as "highly-irresponsible".

"This is not a comment on the issues you feel strongly about... But a pandemic isn't the time to do this," she added.
Batelco, Bahrains leading telecom provider, today announced a net profit attributable to equity holders of BD35.9 million ($95.2 million) for the first six months of 2020, an increase of 6% from BD34 million ($90.2 million) for the corresponding period of 2019.



Batelco Chairman Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa announced the half year financial results following the meeting of the Board of Directors today (July 27) at Batelcos Hamala Headquarters. 

Batelco earnings per share (EPS) for the first half is 21.7 fils, compared to an EPS of 20.5 fils for H1 2019. Total comprehensive income attributable to equity holders for H1 2020 is BD25.2 million ($66.8 million) a decrease of 27% from BD34.4M ($91.2 million) in H1 2019.

Revenues for H1 2020 were BD189.8 million ($503.4 million), a decrease of 6% when compared to BD201.7 million ($535 million) in H1 2019. Consolidated revenues were impacted by the sale of Qualitynet, which contributed an additional BD11.4 million ($30.2 million) in 2019, the company said.

Operating profit is up by 16% to BD47.4 million ($125.7 million) in H1 2020 from BD40.9 million ($108.5 million) in H1 2019.

EBITDA increased by 10% in H1 2020 from BD74.4 million ($197.3 million) to BD81.8 million ($217 million) retaining a healthy EBITDA margin of 43%. The improvement in EBITDA is mainly due to the 16% YoY reduction in operating expenses, the company said.

Batelcos balance sheet remains strong with total equity attributable to equity holders of the company of BD467.6 million compared to BD473.1 million as of 31 December 2019, a decrease of 1%. Total assets of BD979.0 million as of 30 June 2020 have decreased 1% compared to BD992.9 million as of 31 December 2019. Net assets as of 30 June 2020 stand at BD505.3 million compared to BD513.4 million as of 31 December 2019, a decrease of 2%. The companys cash and bank balances are a substantial BD176.8 million, which reflects the 2019 final dividend of 17.5 fils per share paid in April 2020 and the BD178.3 million ($472.9 million) Batelco bond repayment in May 2020, the company said.

Despite the challenges presented by the Covid-19 situation during the first half of the year and its impact on the companys operations, the Board of Directors approved an interim cash dividend for shareholders of 13.5 fils per share or 13.5% of paid up capital for the H1 2020, an increase of 35% over the interim cash dividend distributed for the same period of 2019. The decision is the result of the Board of Directors belief in the importance of supporting shareholders by injecting more liquidity in the market, it said.

The subscriber base of the company saw a decline of 8 per cent to 3.7 million in H1 2020 from 4 million in H1 2019. This excludes numbers from Sabafon, Batelcos associate company in Yemen, due to unreliability of information.

Shaikh Abdulla said: We are pleased to report an increase in net profits, operating profits and EBITDA of 6%, 16% and 10% respectively in the first half of 2020, achieved through diligent management of our operational costs and supported by the implementation of the corporate objectives. Our priority in the Board of Directors is to achieve strong returns for our shareholders, through growing our core business and working steadily towards our vision of transforming Batelco to become a leading digital company.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank our executive management and all team members for keeping sight on the corporate strategic objectives and effectively managing the challenges this period has presented. We appreciate them for adapting to the situation and for remaining focussed and consistent in the way they work and for delivering on the promises presented in the Companys strategy, Shaikh Abdulla said.

We can all be proud of the quality of the communication infrastructure in Bahrain as the government has made significant investments over the years which enabled us to accelerate our key digitization initiatives to effectively manage the increased demand for connectivity solutions and serve the various critical sectors that became more dependent on the internet and communication technologies such as health, education, service sectors, as well as the business community.

The chairman said Batelco is a proud member of Team Bahrain under the leadership of HH the Crown Prince. We consider supporting the government during these extraordinary times a national duty. We have directed the executive management since the start of the year to commit to supporting the community during this period through impactful initiatives that address real issues, and which are important to the citizens of the kingdom. Accordingly, the company introduced a number of initiatives, most notably the contribution of BD3.5 million to the Feena Khair campaign and unlimited internet to support distance learning and working from home.

Batelco CEO Mikkel Vinter said: We are proud of the strong financial results of the first six months during these challenging times which is a result of the dedicated efforts and operational efficiency of the Company. This reflects the dedicated efforts that the entire Batelco team has put in.

We adapted quickly to face the COVID-19 situation and have been committed since early in the year to remain focussed and positive in order to execute our corporate strategy plans and deliver on our promises to the Board of Directors.

Along with our focus on accelerating our digital plans, we have continued with our plans for 5G, Data Centres, and solutions for consumers and enterprise customers. The first six months have been marked by the launch of new products to meet customers requirements during this extraordinary period such as unlimited fiber and Cloud Unified Communications for our enterprise customers, enabling us to support their digital transformation journey.

We have adjusted our daily operations in a way that ensures the safety of our customers and our people without affecting our business outcomes. Furthermore, while ensuring that we meet our responsibilities, we have also continued to be an effective team member of society and serve the community in many aspects, including collaborating with Bahraini Productive Families to produce 60,000 facemasks to be distributed by the concerned partners, introducing home delivery service, and distributing Smart Wifi devices to students. We believe that as one of the leading National Companies in Bahrain, we have a responsibility towards our community and we are committed to being close to its members and address issue that make a difference, said Vinter.

Highlighting the importance the company places on the health and safety of its staff, he said: The welfare of our employees is our utmost priority, so to support their health and safety we have continued to operate with 90pc of our teams working from home. Also in support of our team members, we have enhanced our internal communications to keep them fully updated on all aspects of Batelco and as a result, their engagement level has remained as high as if they were at the office.

These results will give us a boost to continue in the same manner by remaining focussed and committed to executing our plans for the rest of the year, Vinter concluded.  TradeArabia News Service
NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Corcoran Group, LLC today announced that its franchise affiliate, Corcoran Global Living, has welcomed Discovery Bay Properties, Inc., formerly an Intero franchisee, to its overall operation  serving the East Bay and Contra Costa regions of California with more than 100 real estate experts. Corcoran Global Living, comprised of four prestigious independent brokerages, now includes more than 600 top real estate agents across 18 offices, with annual combined sales of more than $3.5 billion.

"Corcoran Global Living (CGL) is a powerhouse on the west coast, and we're thrilled to welcome Discovery Bay Properties to the CGL family," said Corcoran's President and CEO Pamela Liebman. "CGL's expansion will inevitably create new opportunities for our rapidly growing franchise network and our entire agent community, and the forward-thinking outlook on growth is so well-aligned with our priorities at Corcoran."

Corcoran Global Living welcoming Discovery Bay Properties further strengthens the firm's commitment to continued advancement in broader California. As part of Corcoran Global Living, Discovery Bay Properties will now have access to Corcoran's resources, networking, and wider recognition among consumers and within the industry. The firm's founders and co-owners, LeeAnn and Bryan Hogge, will now serve as partners with Corcoran Global Living.

"We couldn't be happier that Corcoran Global Living is growing even more in California," said Michael Mahon, Corcoran Global Living founder and CEO. "Today's announcement again proves our overall commitment to growth in the region and growing our incredibly talented group of real estate professionals. As time goes on, we'll always prioritize our people's development and success, and we very much look forward to what the future will bring."

"I've been impressed and energized by all that Corcoran Global Living has done since their formation, and I'm very excited that we're able to bring this opportunity to our agents," said Bryan Hogge, former co-owner of and broker for Discovery Bay Properties, now partner at Corcoran Global Living. "The support they provide for their entire network and the endless amount of growth potential is simply invigorating, and I have no doubt that being part of Corcoran Global Living will prove beneficial for all of us on so many levels."

"We pride ourselves on helping our clients live the Delta lifestyle and secure the best in waterfront living in whatever way that is to them," said LeeAnn Hogge, former co-owner of and manager for Discovery Bay Properties, now partner at Corcoran Global Living. "This new venture is going to elevate the playing field for our agents and give them the tools, support, and vision they need to serve their network and be true experts in the region."

About The Corcoran Group

The Corcoran Group is a leading residential real estate brand with more than 50 offices and more than 3,300 sales associates serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Hamptons, the North Fork of Long Island and Shelter Island, N.Y., Delray Beach, Miami Beach, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Bal Harbour, 30A, Surfside, Windermere and Dr. Phillips, FL; San Francisco, CA, Lake Tahoe and Reno, NV, and Chicago, IL. The Corcoran Brand is comprised of company owned offices which are owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC and franchised offices, which are independently owned and operated. For more information about The Corcoran Group, please visit www.corcoran.com.

SOURCE The Corcoran Group

Related Links

https://www.corcoran.com


Monday, July 27th, 2020 (10:56 am) - Score 3,862

New and upgrading customers to Tesco Mobile may be pleased to learn that theyll now be able to get Clubcard Plus for six months absolutely free, which comes with various benefits including the ability to save up to 40 a month in-store when shopping at.. Tesco, obviously.

The Clubcard Plus account usually costs 7.99 per month and the shopping discount actually reflects their offer of 10% off two shops of your choice in-store (up to a maximum value of 40), which is mostly focused on food and drink (general merchandise and clothing are not all included). Suffice to say that if you regularly do big shops at Tesco then this may make more sense, but if you dont then it wont.

We note that this promotion, which is due to be widely advertised across TV and other platforms, only applies to eligible Pay Monthly contracts.

Rachel Swift, Tesco Mobile CMO, said: At Tesco Mobile, were so proud to be part of the Tesco family and with this campaign were leaning into the unique benefits our network can offer, more than weve ever done before. We understand the difficulties many are facing right now and weve put the money-saving opportunities at Tesco at the heart of our message  all with a touch of magic to bring our proposition as the only mobile network to help feed the family for less* to life.

Apparently, this is available on eligible pay monthly contract[s] on Anytime Upgrade or SIM only, but we could only see it on some handset bundles and not others.
CINCINNATI, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Statement: "This past week, we have learned of an immense, crooked scheme concerning an as-of-yet unnamed third-party to ensure the survival of House Bill 6. Rather than follow established and legal channels to promote their viewpoint, the organization allegedly conspired in an illegal manner with Ohio Speaker of the House, Larry Householder, lining pockets along the way. Such an event is unacceptable in any country, let alone in America, but this deception only succeeded by many people being complicit in corruption - if multiple members of the political establishment had not turned their back on American values, this wouldn't have happened. I believe that this is exactly the reason why we need fresh, non-partisan blood in Columbus, and why our campaign continues."

Harrison T. Stanley Harrison Stanley, Candidate for Ohios 29th House District Releases Statement on House Speakers Arrest

Householder has endorsed Harrison Stanley's opponent in the race for Ohio's 29th District, the unelected incumbent appointee. Harrison believes that we deserve better as the citizens of the 29th. Now that the WRITE-IN Harrison Stanley for 29 campaign is fully operational, the final stretch to Election Day will be hard-fought and difficult but absolutely worth it to protect our democracy.

"I am calling on our fellow Ohioans to not only vote, but to educate yourselves on the candidates on each level of government and really see who they are and what they support. In a democracy the ultimate accountability is with us, the voters. If we don't vote out bad actors in our government then we are just enabling their corruption. This incident is not one of a single bad apple in Ohio's state politics, but rather suggests a pattern and system of corruption. CBS News reported on the 22nd that not only did this scandal include Householder, but several others as well, including former GOP Chairman Borges."

As a non-partisan candidate, Harrison Stanley is able to accept the good and reject the bad of each of the main political parties. With that, he can support legislation that does good things for the people of Ohio no matter the letter next to the sponsor's name. He is also able to call out corruption and hypocrisy without having his hands tied behind his back due to party allegiance.

WRITE-IN Harrison Stanley for 29 (writeinstanley29.com) is a grassroots political committee focused on combating the partisan grip on Ohio's General Assembly by electing an independent, progressive candidate, one not beholden to the interests of any political party or organization. Harrison Stanley is an Independent Progressive that truly believes that Ohio can be an even better place for all of us moving into the future.

The Fight for a Better Tomorrow Starts Today

WRITE-IN Harrison Stanley for 29

Harrison Stanley

[email protected]

(513) 374 5344

SOURCE WRITE-IN Harrison Stanley for 29
District of Columbia Mayor Orders Quarantine for Travelers From 27 States

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser has ordered travelers from 27 states to self-quarantine due to a spike in new COVID-19 infections across the country.

Effective July 27, the requirement is that anyone who was traveling for nonessential activities who comes into Washington from one of more than two dozen states designated as high-risk must subject themselves to a 14-day period of isolation counting from their arrival in the district, Bowser said in a statement.

The mayor issued a list on July 27 indicating which states are considered high-risk for purposes of the new self-quarantine mandate:

Arkansas

Arizona

Alabama

California

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Iowa

Kansas

Louisiana

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Mexico

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Washington

Wisconsin

On July 24, Bowsers office stipulated in a release on what basis states would be put on or taken off the list. High-risk areas are locations where the seven-day moving average of daily new COVID-19 cases is 10 or more per 100,000 people, according to the release.

We know, unfortunately, that there are states that are seeing significant spikes and new cases. We know that there are places where people are not being as cautious or making the sacrifices that were making here in D.C., Bowser said at a news conference announcing the new mandate.

Exemptions from the new quarantine requirement are people who travel to and from Maryland and Virginia. Also, those who are traveling through a high-risk area, such as by vehicle or through an airport, similarly dont have to self-isolate. The full order that introduces the new self-quarantine rule can be found here.

The number of new daily recorded COVID-19 cases has accelerated in the United States since the end of June, Worldometers data shows, although the count of new daily deaths attributed to the disease has dropped since its April peak of around 2,500 per day to around 1,000 per day, on average, in recent weeks.

The number of new daily COVID-19 deaths on July 26, according to figures compiled by Worldometers, was highest in Texas (86), Florida (77), Louisiana (46), and California (26). The number of new COVID-19 cases on July 26, according to Worldometers figures, was highest in Florida (9,344), California (6,074), Texas (4,309), and Louisiana (3,840).

As the world confronts the prospect of a second wave of COVID-19 infections, some countries have imposed travel curbs. A surge of infections in Spain prompted Britain to order all travelers from there to quarantine for two weeks, while Papua New Guinea halted entry to travelers starting July 27, except those arriving by air.
LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Carol Brock, Food Journalist, Philanthropist, and trailblazing Founder of Les Dames d' Escoffier International (LDEI) has died. Brock passed peacefully, surrounded by family on July 27, 2020, of natural causes. She was 96. In her illustrious seven-decade culinary career, Brock championed women in the food, beverage and hospitality industries. She founded LDEI's inaugural chapter in New York City, NY in 1976. Under her leadership LDEI has formed 45 chapters with over 2400 members worldwide.

Bev Shaffer, LDEI president says, "I am saddened by the passing of Carol Brock. At her very heart, Carol was a visionary  a woman with fierce determination, passion, and motivation. As founder of Les Dames d'Escoffier International, she wasn't satisfied with the opportunities others thought were "good enough" for a professional woman and wasn't afraid to ask, "what if?" Her legacy will inspire us to dream more, learn more, and become moreall while being enveloped in the memory of her ever-present smile."

Brock dedicated her life to culinary excellence. Her distinguished food career began in 1944 working as an assistant food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine where she developed recipes and practiced food photography. She also was a contributing editor on several Good Housekeeping cookbooks and co-authored "The Good Housekeeping Party Book." Later, she became the food editor of Parents Magazine.

In 1971, Brock worked as a food reporter for the New York Daily News. For the next 15 years she produced the newspaper's weekly food section. After she retired from the New York Daily News she later contributed as a restaurant critic for the Times Ledger in Queens, NY. Additionally, she served as Culinary Arts Coordinator for the Great Neck Adult Education Programming for 25 years.

Inspired by Boston's Les Dames des Amis d'Escoffier, a dining and philanthropic society of women formed in 1959, she received a charter from the New York Chapter of Les Amis d'Escoffier in 1973. Her intent, however, was to garner visibility and elevate women in the culinary space. Brock said, "We didn't want a dining society. We wanted to show what women could do. We wanted to raise the Pyrex ceiling."

In 1976 Brock established the first chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier as a response to inequalities of women working in the culinary industries. She, along with 50 culinary leaders, established Les Dames d'Escoffier New York (LDNY); the first professional platform to promote and support women in the food, beverage and hospitality industries.

Brock holds the title of Grande Dame, an honor awarded by LDEI for exceptional philanthropic and education contributions to the culinary world. Recipients include M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, Marcella Hazan, Alice Waters  among others.

Brock will also be remembered for her generosity of time and community outreach as seen through leadership of LDEI along with her Board of Directors service as former national president of the Round Table for Women in Food Service and president of New York Home Economists in Business. She also served as a member of Women Restaurant and Chefs Association; New York Women's Culinary Alliance; International Hospitality Committee of the National Council of Women; New York Culinary Historians; Roundtable for Food Professionals; and the James Beard Foundation.

In remembrance of Carol Brock's legacy, donations can be made to LDEI's Brock Circle; Brock's namesake fund enabling LDEI to bring more opportunities to serve its members and communities through education and improvement in the food, beverage and hospitality industries. For additional information, visit LDEI Brock Circle.

Les Dames d'Escoffier International (LDEI) is a worldwide philanthropic organization of professional women leaders in the fields of food, fine beverage and hospitality. The invitation-only membership, composed of over 2,400 women in 45 chapters across the US, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Mexico, is highly diversified and reflects the multifaceted fields of contemporary gastronomy and hospitality. For more information, visit www.ldei.org

SOURCE Les Dames dEscoffier International (LDEI)

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Governor Kalraj Mishra asked the Rajasthan government on Monday to initiate proceedings to convene an assembly session, even as he asked it for a fresh proposal addressing his three recommendations  a 21-day notice for the sitting of the House; live-streaming of floor test, if it happens; and ensuring social distancing in view of the Covid-19 outbreak.

If the government wants to win a vote of confidence, then it can become a reasonable ground for calling the assembly session on short notice. But it has to be said, a Raj Bhavan statement said on Monday.

The statement came in the backdrop of persistent demand by the ruling Congress to convene the House. Confident of its numbers in the assembly, the party is pushing for a floor test in the assembly in the wake of a power tussle between Gehlot and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.

The Congress accuses the governor of delaying the session due to pressure from the BJP-led central government  a charge that Mishra denies.

Till late on Monday, the government did not officially respond to the governors concerns. Senior Congress leaders in Rajasthan, who held a discussion on the latest developments, said the three conditions could give more time to the states opposition BJP to try and get more MLAs on its side.

On July 23, the Congress sent its first proposal to the governor for convening the session. A day later, Mishra asked the government to reply to his six-point questionnaire that raised issues such as why the session be should called at such a short notice and what preparations will be done in the wake of Covid-19.

The Congress government sent a revised proposal the same day, reminding Mishra that he has to follow the aid and advice of the council of minister, but did not mention a trust vote.

Mondays Raj Bhavan statement said in such an extraordinary situation, it was not right to convene an urgent session and put the lives of 1,200 people 1,000 assembly employees and 200 MLAs  in danger, a reference to the coronavirus pandemic.

The governor said he had no problem if the session was called after a notice of 21 days, according to the statement. He also said discussions on important social and political issues could be done through online platforms.

For conducting the trust vote in case one is moved, Mishra suggested that the proceedings be video-recorded and that the voting held though yes and no buttons.

Congress leaders said a 21-day notice isnt necessary and pointed out that in 2014, the third session of the 14th Rajasthan assembly was summoned on September 7 and the proceedings of the House began on September 15.

There have been umpteen instances when the assembly was called with a much shorter notice, said Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

A senior Congress functionary, who did not want to be named, ruled out the party going to court against the governors directions. The governor would love to see us going to the court because then the issue of calling a session would get delayed, he said.

BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said the governor had taken the right constitutional position. In this Congress versus Congress fight, the governor and the BJP are being dragged unnecessarily, he said.

(with inputs from Aurangzeb Naqshbandi in Delhi)
Fresh trouble seem to be brewing for Chinese apps in India, according to reports that indicate more Chinese apps may be banned soon.

Last month we saw a staggering move by the Indian government, banning 59 Chinese apps including rainmakers like TikTok. And now, a report by ET highlights that several more Chinese apps are in the governments crosshairs, including PUBG Mobile game.

Reuters

The report reveals that Indian government authorities have a list of 275 Chinese apps that are going to be under extreme scrutiny for any violation of national security or user privacy. This list also consists of apps from leading developers, one of them being the beloved PUBG thats powered by Tencent Gaming and has over 175 million downloads from India alone.

Other apps on the list include Zili developed by smartphone maker Xiaomi, AliExpress -- the e-commerce app from Chinese tech mogul Alibaba, as well as recently unveiled music streaming apps Resso and ULike from the makers of TikTok --Bytedance.

275 Chinese apps ban incoming?

As many as 14 apps by Xiaomi are a part of the list. Moreover, apps from Chinese brands like Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Yazoo Global, Netease games are also on this list. Also under scrutiny is Helinksi-based Supercell that is backed by Tencent.

ET in a conversation with people aware of the developments has revealed that the government may choose to ban all, some or none of the apps on the list.

The report citing official sources says these reviews are essentially in place to keep a track of Chinese apps and their funding. Some apps have been highlighted due to security concerns whereas some have been highlighted due to data sharing and privacy concerns.

Reuters

It is no news that India has some of the largest user-bases of Chinese apps with over 300 million unique users. In fact, nearly two-thirds of smartphone users in the nation have downloaded a Chinese app.



An official from MeitY has revealed that the Indian government will follow a proper process before undertaking any ban which involves a committee to make such decisions. The committee includes representatives from ministries of home affairs, electronics and IT, information and broadcasting and law and justice as well as officials from CERT-In.
The global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic passed 6,50,000 on Monday, with nearly a third of that number in Europe, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources.

Since emerging in China late last year, the virus has killed a total of 6,50,011 people and infected 16,323,558, of which 9,190,345 have been declared recovered. More than 1,00,000 new deaths have been recorded since July 9, and the global toll has doubled in just over two months.

Here are the latest updates on the pandemic:

 Karnataka reported 5,324 new Covid-19 cases and 75 deaths on Monday. The total number of cases in the state stands at 1,01,465 including 61,819 active cases and 1,953 deaths, the state Health Department's bulletin showed.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched hi-tech Covid-19 testing facilities of the ICMR in the cities of Noida, Kolkata and Mumbai on Monday via video conferencing. He said that the labs will not remain restricted to testing of Covid-19, but will be expanded for testing of many other diseases including Hepatitis B and C, HIV, and Dengue in the future.

 The new coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 16 million people is easily the worst global health emergency the World Health Organization (WHO) has faced, its director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.

 Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal today appealed migrants to return as he said that the industries, shops and construction were facing labour shortage. He offered them more job opportunities through online portal  jobs.delhi.gov.in. "The government is launching a new online employment portal. People who are looking for job and people who are looking for employees, all can use this. There was some issue around the operations of hawkers, we will be issuing a new order for allowing hawkers to operate," he said.

 India is in a much better position than other countries in the fight against COVID-19 as a result of "right decisions taken at the right time", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, asserting that the country has expanded its health infrastructure at a rapid pace to deal with the pandemic.

 The Chhattisgarh government decided to extend the ongoing lockdown in coronavirus-hit areas, including capital Raipur, Bilaspur and Durg, till August 6 to check the deadly infection's spread, an official said.

 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that 810 Covid First Line Treatment Centres (CFLTC) would be set up in the state. "Covid is not going to go away like that and it has come to be realised that in clusters also there is a spike. Covid is going to be a long term problem . To deal with it we have now set up 101 CFLTC's with 12801 beds, of which 45 per cent beds are already occupied," said Vijayan.

 6,993 new Covid-19 cases and 77 deaths were reported in Tamil Nadu in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 2,20,716. A total of 5,723 patients were discharged today. 54,896 cases still active in the state, the state Health & Family Welfare Department said.

 Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest single-day jump of 3,505 novel coronavirus cases, taking the tally to over 70,000 on Monday, a health official said. The death toll from the pandemic rose to 1,456 with 30 more fatalities, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.

 Only with strict adherence to health measures, from wearing masks to avoiding crowds, would the world manage to beat it, Tedros Ghebreyesus said at a virtual news briefing in Geneva. "Where these measures are followed, cases go down. Where they are not, cases go up," he said, praising Canada, China, Germany and South Korea for controlling outbreaks.

 India's COVID-19 fatality rate has been progressively falling and currently stands at 2.28 per cent which is among the lowest in the world, the government said on Monday, attributing the dip to factors like aggressive testing and an effective containment strategy.

 Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi calls a virtual meeting of Rajya Sabha MPs on July 30 to hold discussions on the current political situation and COVID-19.

 A record rise of nearly 50,000 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours took Indias tally to over 14.35 lakh today. The health ministrys dashboard showed there are 485,114 active cases of Covid-19 and 32,771 people have succumbed to the viral disease till date. The recovery rate of patients of the coronavirus disease went slightly up to 63.92% from Sundays 63.91% after 31,991 people were discharged from hospitals across the country. So far, 917,567 people have recovered from Covid-19.

 The United States on Sunday recorded 55,187 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, taking the total caseload of the world's hardest-hit country to 42,29,624. An additional 518 deaths brought the overall death toll to 146,909. After a drop in infection rate in the late spring, the US has seen a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, particularly in southern and western states such as California, Texas, Alabama and Florida. The last time the daily number of new cases clocked in below 60,000 was almost two weeks ago, on July 13. Scientists agree that an increase in death rates follows the spike in infections by three to four weeks. The daily death toll for the past four days exceeded 1,000.

 As US struggles to control its virus outbreak, China recorded 61 new coronavirus cases on Monday -- the highest daily figure since April -- propelled by clusters in three separate regions that have sparked fears of a fresh wave. The bulk of 57 new domestic cases were found in the far northwestern Xinjiang region, according to the National Health Commission, where a sudden outbreak in the regional capital of Urumqi occurred in mid-July. Fourteen domestic cases were also recorded in the northeastern province of Liaoning where a fresh cluster broke out in the city of Dalian last week. Two more local cases were found in the neighbouring province of Jilin near the North Korean border -- the first since late May. The last four infections confirmed on Monday were imported from overseas.

 Saudi Arabia on Wednesday begins hosting the annual hajj pilgrimage, dramatically downscaled due to the coronavirus pandemic that has barred millions of international pilgrims for the first time in modern history. Up to 10,000 people residing in the kingdom will participate in the Muslim ritual, a tiny fraction of the 2.5 million that attended last year, after what many saw as an opaque selection process that left a wave of applicants rejected. The foreign press are barred from this year's hajj, usually a huge global media event, as the government tightens access to the holy city of Mecca and puts in place strict health restrictions to prevent a virus outbreak during the five-day pilgrimage -- a key pillar of Islam.

 Japan's companies spent less than initially estimated in the first quarter of the year, revised data showed on Monday, suggesting the coronavirus pandemic's hit to the economy was deeper than first thought. Capital expenditure rose just 0.1% in January-March from the same period a year earlier, government data showed, much lower than the preliminary reading of 4.3% growth reported last month. The weaker data, which is used to calculate revised gross domestic figures (GDP) due next Monday, signalled the world's third-largest economy shrank at a faster pace than initially estimated in the first quarter, said analysts. "There's no mistake that there will be a downward revision (of GDP)," said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute.

 Florida on Sunday became the second state after California to overtake New York, the worst-hit state at the start of the U.S. novel coronavirus outbreak, according to a Reuters tally. Total COVID-19 cases in the Sunshine State rose by 9,300 to 423,855 on Sunday, just one place behind California, which now leads the country with 448,497 cases. New York is in third place with 415,827 cases. Still, New York has recorded the most deaths of any U.S. state at more than 32,000 with Florida in eighth place with nearly 6,000 deaths. On average, Florida has added more than 10,000 cases a day in July while California has been adding 8,300 cases a day and New York has been adding 700 cases.
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA)  The Nigerian Armed Forces on Monday restated that it is totally loyal to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Muhammadu Buhari, vowing that it is fully subordinated to the civil authorities of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, saying that its officers and other ranks cannot be drawn into unconstitutional acts
KABUL, Afghanistan  The Taliban abducted and executed a female prison guard in the eastern Afghan province of Ghazni, officials and relatives said Monday, as the United Nations expressed concern over the wars unending toll on civilians.

Fatima Rajabi, 23, who had trained as a police officer, was pulled out of a civilian minibus on her way to her home village in the Jaghori district two weeks ago. After holding her captive for two weeks, the Taliban executed the young woman and sent her body to her family, her brother, Samiullah Rajabi, said.

My sister was shot eight times, Mr. Rajabi said. When we opened the coffin, her hands were behind her, together and stiff  you could tell her hands were first tied and they had only untied them after they sent the body.

The United Nations, in a report released on Monday on civilian harm in the Afghan conflict in the first six months of the year, expressed particular concern about the rise of abductions and executions by the Taliban. There has been an increase of more than a fivefold in civilian casualties tied to abductions since last year, it said.
On Saturday night, a protester was shot and killed in Austin, Texas, as demonstrations erupted across the US in response to ongoing attacks on protesters in Portland by federal paramilitary police deployed by President Donald Trump. Protests against police violence were held in dozens of US cities over the weekend, including New York, Richmond, Omaha, Austin, Baltimore, Louisville, Denver, Seattle, Portland and Oakland.

Garrett Foster, 28, was shot and killed after a confrontation with a motorist who attempted to drive through the crowd during a Saturday night march in downtown Austin. Police have released scant details about a person who was detained in the shooting, questioned by authorities and released without being charged, according to Austin Police Chief Brian Manley.

A vigil was held for Foster in Austin Sunday evening. Foster, who is white, was marching with his quadriplegic fiancee Whitney Mitchell, who is black, when the pair were almost struck by a car.

The high school sweethearts had attended numerous protests in support of Black Lives Matter and against police violence over the past two months. In an interview with Good Morning America, Sheila Foster, Garretts mother, explained that Garrett was marching because he feels really strongly about justice and hes very heavily against police brutality, and he wanted to support his fiancee.

Foster was legally carrying an AK-47 assault rifle at the time he was shot. No video has been released as of this writing that shows the exact moment the shooting occurred.

Social media video and eyewitness accounts confirm that a black car made an aggressive right turn through a crosswalk as protesters were marching down the street, nearly striking several people. As protesters surrounded the vehicle, five shots were heard, followed by screams and another three gunshots.

Tony Plohetski, a senior reporter at Austins ABC television affiliate KVUE, confirmed along with Austin police that two people discharged their weapons Saturday evening, neither of whom was Foster. Reporters for KVUE spoke with eyewitness and marcher Haven Trahan, who recalled seeing the vehicle floor it and turn right, heading down the street at us. At that point, according to Trahan, Foster and other protesters confronted the vehicle.

Garrett Foster died protecting us, not just the protesters, all of us. He was out here, day in and day out, Trahan said.

While there is inconsistent data, at least 25 people have been shot and killed since protests began nearly two months ago in response to the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. At least several of these homicides are known to have been carried out by right-wing, pro-Trump elements. This includes the killing of James Scurlock of Omaha, Nebraska, killed by a twice-deployed Marine veteran and ardent Trump supporter, Jacob Gardner.

In the two months since Floyd was murdered, millions of youth and workers in the US and around the world have participated in multi-racial and multi-ethnic protests demanding justice for victims of state violence. The Trump administration has used the demonstrations as a pretext to assert dictatorial authority and deploy federal agents in cities such as Portland, Seattle, Albuquerque, Milwaukee, Detroit and Chicago .

Protests in Portland and Seattle attracted thousands of people Saturday afternoon and into the evening. The protests remained peaceful throughout the day. However, once night fell, those assembled were declared rioters by police and forcibly dispersed with tear gas and rubber bullets.

In Portland, where at least 60 people have been arrested on federal charges since July 4, Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler imposed an 8 p.m. curfew Saturday night. Wheeler himself was tear gassed Wednesday night by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) paramilitaries when he attempted to address protesters, who roundly booed him. (CBP, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The curfew was ignored by several thousand people who rallied outside of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in downtown Portland Saturday evening, chanting Feds go home!

As the BORTAC paramilitary lobbed CS gas from behind their barricades, leaf-blower dads wielding lawn maintenance equipment repelled the gas while a wall of moms stood between the protesters and the police. At about 1 a.m. Sunday morning, protesters managed to break through the steel fence surrounding the courthouse, prompting a vicious response from the federal forces, including tear gas and a fusillade of rubber bullets. Dave Killen, a photographer with the Oregonian, was struck in his midsection, ending his coverage of the protest for the evening.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation (FOP), which tracks assaults on journalists, released a report on July 24 stating that in Portland over the preceding eight days, at least 30 journalists have allegedly been attacked by DHS agents. The attacks included physical assault, pepper spray, tear gas and being hit by a projectile. FOP research concluded there were 19 cases of DHS agents shooting journalists, including two reports of journalists being targeted in the head with less lethal ammunition.

So far, the FOP has documented 550 incidents of press freedom violations within the last two months. This is nearly quadruple what the FOP reported for all of 2019. FOP notes that a vast majority of the assaults have been committed by local police forces. However, since DHS troops invaded Portland last week, the federal government has been responsible for almost all of the new reports.

In Seattle, Saturdays protests were declared a riot after demonstrators broke through a fence where a youth prison is being expanded and set fire to five portable construction trailers. Elected officials have for years ignored community calls to close the King County Children and Family Justice Center. Seattle police reported arresting at least 25 people in connection with the protests.

Trump has deployed DHS tactical squads to Seattle on a standby basis.

In Aurora, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, two people were sent to the hospital in serious condition Saturday evening after a Jeep drove through a large crowd of demonstrators. Protesters had gathered to march for 23-year-old Elijah McClain, murdered by Aurora police last November.

Over 1,000 people were assembled on Interstate 225 demanding Justice for Elijah, when a blue Jeep sped through the march, sending hundreds running and screaming. Multiple shots were fired at the Jeep by one of the protesters. The shots ended up striking two other protesters, grazing one and sending the other to the hospital.

No charges have been announced against the driver of the Jeep. The mayor of Aurora, Republican Mike Coffman, issued a statement on Facebook Sunday morning declaring that Aurora cannot become a Portland. The statement made no mention of the attempted vehicular manslaughter, but instead focused on property damage to the courthouse and branded the protesters domestic terrorists.

On Saturday evening, over 100 protesters in Omaha, Nebraska, marched in solidarity with Portland protesters and carried signs demanding justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and James Scurlock, all victims of police killings. The protest came to quick end, however, after police arrived and arrested dozens of people.

Speaking to NBCs local station WOWT in Omaha, Jordan Corbin, who was arrested and released on bond Sunday afternoon, said the protests were peaceful until the police showed up. They pulled up to the bridge and said we were under arrest for unlawful assembly and blocked us in from both ends, Corbin stated. He and several other protesters were kept in an overcrowded cell for over 14 hours with no knowledge of when they might be released.

By Sunday afternoon over 100 protesters had gathered outside Douglas County Corrections in Omaha to demand the release of their comrades. Corrections officials blamed a technical error for preventing the protesters from being released, even after bail was posted Sunday evening.
Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secrerary Champat Rai on Tuesday (July 29) rejected media reports that a time capsule, enlisting the history and facts related to the Ram Janmabhoomi, will be placed below the Ram temple in Ayodhya to ensure that there are no disputes in the future.

In an interview to Zee News, Rai said that these reports are false and people should only trust the announcements made by official spokesperson of Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

"The struggle for Ram Janmabhoomi, including the long-drawn case in the Supreme Court, has given a lesson for the current and upcoming generations. A time capsule will be placed about 2,000 feet down in ground at Ram Temple construction site. So, that in future anyone who wishes to study about the history of the temple, he'll get the facts related to Ram Janmabhoomi, so that no new controversy can arise," ANI had quoted Chaupal as saying.

It was also reported by some media channels that the time capsule will be placed inside a Tamra Patra (copper plate) before being placed below the site.

Kameshwar Chaupal, who is the lone Dalit member of the Trust, had also said that soil from various teerths (pilgrimages) across the country and water from the sacred rivers is being brought to Ayodhya for ''Abhisheka'' during the ''bhoomi-pujan'' which is scheduled to be conducted on August 5 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Water from sacred rivers and soil from teerths, where Lord Ram visited, will be used during the ''abhisheka'' in ''bhoomi pujan''. Our volunteers have been sending them from across the country to Ayodhya," he said.

According to sources, the ''bhoomi poojan'' of the temple is to be celebrated on the lines of the festival of light - Diwali - with all temples and houses across the country to be lit up with diyas and candles.

The Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, set up in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict, held its second meeting last week.

In March this year, the ''Ram Lalla'' idol was shifted to a temporary structure.

The Supreme Court on November 9 last year had directed the central government to hand over the site at Ayodhya for the construction of a Ram temple.

(with ANI inputs)
New daily cases increase for 4 consecutive days as Xinjiang expands testing

Global Times

By Gobal Times Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/26 21:31:23

Health authorities in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region said on Sunday that they would launch a second round of large-scale testing in major districts around Urumqi to pinpoint false-negative residents.

Zhang Wei, director of the Urumqi health committee, said at a press conference that false-negative results are possible due to various reasons. People who have had contact with confirmed patients or suspected patients, or those who have been to high and middle-risk areas, have to undergo nucleic acid tests twice and get negative results to be clarified suspicious.

The second screening started from Sunday with the focus on high-risk areas like Tianshan and Saybagh districts in the city, according to Zhang.

Since July 15, when this wave of the outbreak appeared in Xinjiang, the region has reported 137 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 135 located in Urumqi city.

The region has witnessed double-digit growth in new cases for four days with 22 on Saturday, 20 on Friday, 13 on Thursday and 18 on Wednesday.

Many of the new confirmed cases are previous silent carriers or suspected patients who have already been discovered and are under observation, so it does not necessary mean that the infection is still spreading, according to Rui Baoling, director of the disease control and prevention center in Urumqi.

More sporadic cases and silent virus carriers will be confirmed along with the expansion of testing, said Rui on Friday at a press conference, asking local residents not to panic and cooperate to implement anti-epidemic measures.

With a population of 3.5 million people, Urumqi has sampled more than 2.3 million people in COVID-19 nucleic acid tests, according to the Friday press conference.

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A narrative has formed around the presidential race: Donald Trump is losing because hes botched the current crisis. Americans are desperate for competence and compassion. Hes offered narcissism and division  and hes paying the political price.

For progressives, its a satisfying story line, in which Americans finally see Mr. Trump for the inept charlatan he truly is. But its at best half-true. The administrations mismanagement of the coronavirus and the Black Lives Matter protests only partially explain why the president is trailing badly in the polls. Theres another, more disquieting, explanation: He is running against a man.

The evidence that Mr. Trumps electoral woes stem as much from the gender of his opponent as from his own failures begins with his net approval rating: the percent of Americans who view him favorably minus the percent who view him unfavorably. Right now, that figure stands at -15 points. That makes Mr. Trump less popular than he was this spring. But hes still more popular than he was throughout the 2016 campaign. Yet he won.

What has changed radically over the past four years isnt Americans perception of Mr. Trump. Its their perception of his opponent. According to Real Clear Politicss polling average, Joe Bidens net approval rating is about -1 point. At this point in the 2016 campaign, Hillary Clintons net approval rating was -17 points. For much of the 2016 general election, Mr. Trump faced a Democratic nominee who was also deeply unpopular. Today, he enjoys no such luck.
David Powell: I am a senior account executive and responsible officer in the absence of our founder, John Elliott, at Elliott Insurance Brokers. I have been working at the firm since 2012. Having worked with international and national brokers before, alongside having a collective 20 years of broking experience, I believe I bring a wealth of knowledge to my current role.

IB: What makes Elliott Insurance Brokers stand out from the crowd?

DP: We try to be our clients insurer advisers, despite being a small office. Through Steadfast or our network of referral partners, we provide an insurer offering that competes and, in our belief, exceeds even some of the major brokerage organizations. Whilst we specialise in an online trades scheme, we offer personalised service for SME business, as well as offerings for corporate clients.

IB: Whats your perspective on the COVID-19 pandemics effect on the insurance and broking industry?

DP: Ive been pleasantly surprised on the durability of our business owners. Whilst unfortunately some industries are doing it tough, many companies have utilised other areas of their business to compensate for downturns in their core business and are getting through the crisis with minimal impact.

For the insurance industry, I think the effects may not be known for some time. Some of the business interruption claims are obviously headed to the courts, so it could be quite a while before we comprehend the total impact it will have.

Year founded: 2008

Headquarters: Nedlands, WA

Acquisitions: Acquired Progressive Insurance Brokers in 2010 and Accord Insurance Brokers in 2012

Awards: Named to IBs Top 10 Brokerages list six times and a member of the BRW Fast 100 list in 2014 and 2015

IB: Has the pandemic posed more of a threat or an opportunity to brokers?

DP: I believe its provided an opportunity. We like to engage our clients on updates within the insurance industry, and we have also engaged in regularly updating our clients on the changes insurers and government have implemented and how it affects their businesses.

IB: What has been your biggest challenge over the past six months, and how did you manage it?

DP: The property market is still the toughest challenge  premiums have got to the stage in some areas where clients are considering whether the cost of insurance is too prohibitive. Being based in WA, we have a lot of risks that are being deemed hard to place, whether its occupation, location above [the 26th parallel] or rural properties with limited fire brigade access. However, we manage to find coverage and capacity a lot of times when our competitors havent been able to do so.

IB: What are your greatest priorities in your current role?

DP: My biggest priorities are carrying out my current role in the absence of our founder, John Elliott, who is currently trekking over Australia with his entourage of camels. Its a leadership and mentoring role internally, whilst picking up the client relationship that John was great at externally.

There is no bigger endorsement that youve done your job well than when a major claim is paid and the client comes out the other end with their business fully intact

IB: What have been some of your biggest accomplishments as a broker throughout your career?

DP: One big accomplishment was a large loss where I took a phone call from a client who had been up all night fi ghting a fire to save his business. He simply asked if he had paid the premium, and I confirmed that he had. He then said, Ill call you tomorrow; Im going to bed. This client had faith in me that his coverage was right. He was paid out in full, and his business is still operating to this day. There is no bigger endorsement that youve done your job well than when a major claim is paid and the client comes out the other end with their business fully intact.

IB: What are your major career goals for 2020?

DP: A big personal career goal I would like to achieve in 2020 is to see the continued growth of Elliott Insurance as a business and the growth of our younger account executives in their careers as insurance professionals.

ABOUT ELLIOTT INSURANCE BROKERS

Located near Perth, Elliott Insurance Brokers is a part of the Steadfast group and has access to Australias top insurers. The company offers products in tradesman, home and contents, auto, travel, business, and liability insurance. Elliott Insurance Brokers has also been part of the ongoing push to lead insurance into the digital age. Working alongside its insurance partners, the brokerage continues to develop products that can be purchased online within minutes, without the delays common to traditional insurance broking.
My name is Andy Perez. I am CEO of AudiencePoint here in Chattanooga. Husband to Julie Perez (teacher at Signal Mountain), father of two amazing young men, Aidan (junior at Gordon College in Boston) and Keegan (freshman at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Ca.). Both graduated from the Hamilton County Schools and were actively involved in the marching band. I highlight this because my son Aidan is deaf. He was welcomed into the band and excelled, representing the best of what the public school system can offer.

When we moved here 14 years ago (wow) from Seattle, we visited private schools, and they (at the time) told us they were not set up to support his needs.

As a parent who knew the costs of that support, I completely understood. Nolan Elementary welcomed him with open arms and set him on a path to success. Thanks to the public school education, both my boys received incredible scholarships to great Christian universities.

I am also brother to Marco Perez who is running for your consideration for school board in District 2. Growing up, I was not the best older brother in the world, so the irony of my writing this is not lost on me.

During this campaign, I have heard attacks on my brother that are laughably false. When I have confronted those people privately about the falsehoods, some justified their lies saying, Well, the left does it. I may be an idealist, but I believe we can and should do better.

I have seen Marco called an outsider, and in a couple of cases attacked for being an immigrant. He has been a United States citizen since his birth, so attacking my brothers American citizenship is un-Amercan and unpatriotic.

Nevertheless, let me run through the history of our family:



Our family, the Peckhams, arrived in the United States fairly early on. We are part of the Mayflower Society. Additionally, we can trace our ancestry to the 10th Century in England. In fact, some fun family trivia, one of our ancestors was the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1279 AD. Our ancestor Rob Morris (b.1818) was a member of the Robert Morris family. The same Robert Morris family that signed the United States Constitution and financed the American Revolution. He moved to Kentucky and is a poet laureate for the Order of the Eastern Star (not sure how I feel about that, but there it is).

My grandmothers family emigrated from Switzerland in the early 1900s, and my grandmother worked at the Oakridge National Labs for the Atomic program during WWII and died from cancer due to the radiation she endured doing her work.

My grandfather, Robert Morris, graduated from Georgia Tech and served in the United States Army in the 1940s. He became CEO of San Diego Gas and Electric and developed a very close friendship with then Governor Ronald Reagan and continued through his Presidency and their deaths. They spoke often and asked for mutual advice.

My parents met at Bible school in England, and afterwards they felt the Lord leading them to Costa Rica, where my parents established a Torchbearers International School, a Bible school whose main focus is that people get to know what it means to live John 10:10 where Christ says that He came to give life and life abundant.

So, needless to say (or maybe not) our roots in the United States of America are fairly deep.

I think it is crazy that I am having to bring this up, especially for a school board seat. Goodness gracious, I dont hold Marcos opponents immigrant background against him, maybe you shouldnt hold it against Marco.

With regards to Costa Rica, I have seen people try to state that it is a socialist (or even more laughably, a communist) country. That is an incredibly asinine comment. Costa Rica is considered neo-liberal, meaning that their politics are closer in line with Reagan and Bush. It was one of the first allies in WWII and has been incredibly supportive in the U.S.s anti-communist efforts. It has stood up to the Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan governments and is considered one of the most stable democracies in the Americas. Additionally, it is a beautiful country. I will gladly plan your visit.

More importantly, as a family, we were taught that all of this background and history, all of our career accomplishments, as the apostle Paul states, dont matter when compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. This drives what my brother does.

My brother, traveled the world with Major Ian Thomas, author of he Saving Life of Christ. He went to Columbia International University graduating in ministry. He then became a Bible teacher and also a director of a Bible School serving hundreds of students as they got to know the Gospel and the hope that is in Christ.

He was called to serve and has a servant heart. Whether you agree with his positions or not, he cares about yours. Why? Because he believes in loving your neighbor as yourself. I admire the fact that he has been here almost 10 years and he is willing to serve even through unfair and untrue attacks. He does this because he cares about you, me and especially our kids. All of them.

I have been disappointed in the lies that have been said about Marco in this campaign, especially by people who claim to be Christians and conservatives. I know my God expects better. I dont know when for them conservative and traditional values, became synonymous with mean-spirited, selfish, greedy, hateful and deceitful. I would rather choose Christ-like values.

It should concern you that if they are lying about my brother, what else are they lying to you about?

If you feel that we, Hamilton County, can do better and be a shining city on a hill," vote Maro Perez for District 2 School Board.

Andy Perez

* * *

Im surprised, but maybe not, by the attacks on District 2 School Board candidate, Marco Perez.

I have read with amusement the number of letters claiming that his opponent has a heart. Why are these folks trying to convince us of the candidates emotion?

I also notice the candidate advertises his courage. Apparently not when it comes to distancing himself from the less than patriotic groups who attacked Mr. Perez with derogatory and false accusations.



The District 2 Voters are better than that. Please show the community that we want decency represented on the School Board by voting for Marco Perez.



Eugenia D. Allderdice








In India, Bollywood actors and filmmakers like Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha and others have been at the receiving end of the Cancel Culture over the nepotism issue

The Woke Culture that was in vogue a little while ago, with its focus on social and racial justice, has given way globally to the Cancel Culture, a form of behaviour meant to penalise celebrities for having views or indulging in practices that the larger public considers offensive.

In India, Bollywood actors and filmmakers like Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha and others have been at the receiving end of the Cancel Culture over the nepotism issue triggered by the suicide of young actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Due to the non-stop online shaming, many celebrities have deactivated their social media accounts and others are being cautious about putting up posts, fearing retaliation.

Cancelling can start with a roast or review video that could snowball into a serious hate movement against a popular personality.

YouTuber Shidush Contractor says content creators and their audiences have a relationship where one provides and the other consumes with feedback.

In the latest video, USA-based YouTuber Shane Dawson faced backlash from audiences for his racist and paedophilic segments and was cancelled by his audience. In India, the controversial roast by Carry Minati and Kunal Kamra is the latest example. If the content is objectionable the audience will give feedback, and it will not necessarily be positive, says Shidush.

The virtual trumps the real

Comedian Maheep Singh feels it has become a trend to import movements and revolutions from the West. There is too much information available on everything and too little time to form an educated opinion. The cancel culture or call-out culture is the latest example of that, he says.

Referring to the Cancel Culture in regard to the Bollywood nepotism issue, he said In the case of Sushant Singh Rajputs tragic suicide, there are too many aspects that need to be looked into thoroughly. It is not the prerogative of some celebrities to call out their adversaries or their competitors without substantiating allegations with proof which can be presented in a court of law.

Another downside of the Cancel Culture is that it turns people into activists without a cause. Former journalist and social entrepreneur Iram Mirza feels the woke generation has confused activism with a fashion accessory.

She says, We are living in an era where public opinion is often loose, transitory and without adequate facts (to back it up). Shaming and ostracisation are one of the old tenets of our DNA. Right now, its all reactive, and that needs to be in check.

But is the Cancel Culture all bad?

The world is experiencing internal aggression as a fallout of the extended coronavirus lockdown, and that could be a reason for the rise in hate comments against public figures.

Gautam Seth and Parteek Jain, founders of Klove, caution social media users to check facts before expressing opinions. There are two kinds of issues that celebrities talk about on public platforms  social and personal  and its not fair to attack anyone when they express their take on an issue, they say.

Everyone wants to be rich and famous, and when someone manages to reach that position (even with the help of family or connections, if nepotism is involved) its not fair to overlook their hard work and bash them for their achievement. Although, if a celebrity supports some social cause and then acts against his stated views for the sake of money, its fair to call him out for hypocrisy, they add.

But importantly one has to use dignified language and fact check before attacking someone on a public platform, they caution.

Be fair

Sometimes, people who are in no way involved are dragged into controversies that kill their careers. Is this fair? asks actor and businessman Pankaj Bhalla.

When a film boycott trends on social media, its not just the work of the filmmaker or the actor which is hit, it is the hard work of many people too, and cancelling everyones effort due to one persons mistake is not fair. I dont support the Cancel Culture because when a public figure comments about a particular situation, those are his/her personal views and social media users can disagree with them. But to boycott someone for their personal view is not right.

Filmmaker Boishali Sinha believes that before correcting someone on a public platform, one has to be super careful about presenting facts. She says, Is it that important to tell someone that they are wrong? I would leave it to the lawmakers to judge whats right or not. Boycotting someone based on a controversy is extreme.

While some content creators believe in putting up things online to get attention, others feel its better to keep such matters private.

Kabir Nagpal, a content director, says, One doesnt have to jump into everything thats trending. And when youre famous with millions of followers, you have a social responsibility to be extra careful while presenting sensitive matters.

Meanwhile, over 150 prominent personalities in the US, including authors J.K. Rowling, Salman Rushdie and Barack Obama recently urged people to stop this trend of online shaming and boycott of an individual over a controversial matter.
TORONTO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Denison Mines Corp. ("Denison" or the "Company") (TSX: DML) (NYSE American: DNN) is pleased to announce the successful resumption of In-Situ Recovery ("ISR") field testing activities focused on the high-grade Phoenix uranium deposit ("Phoenix"), at the Company's 90% owned Wheeler River Uranium Project ("Wheeler River"). The ISR field test work planned for 2020 (the "2020 Field Test") is intended to build additional confidence in the results of an independent hydrogeologic model developed for the deposit, and to support further field work expected to be required for the completion of a future Feasibility Study ("FS"). The hydrogeologic model developed for Phoenix is based on actual field data collected during an extensive field test program completed at Phoenix in 2019 (the "2019 Field Test"), with the model and associated simulations having already demonstrated "proof-of-concept" for the application of the ISR mining method at Phoenix, with respect to potential operational extraction and injection rates (see press release dated June 4, 2020). View PDF version

In order to ensure the Company's operations comply with all applicable health and safety guidelines associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, all operating procedures at the Company's Wheeler River site have been reviewed and adapted to incorporate physical distancing and enhanced hygiene protocols, as well as special travel protocols designed by Denison for northern Saskatchewan. Where applicable, the Company's protocols have incorporated feedback received from potentially impacted communities in northern Saskatchewan to minimize any health and safety risks associated with travel to and from site.

David Cates, Denison's President & CEO, commented, "Our team is excited to be back at Phoenix to build on the great success of our 2019 ISR Field Program  which culminated in the development of a hydrogeologic model and simulation of an ISR wellfield for Phoenix, by an independent technical specialist firm, which ultimately demonstrated 'proof of concept' for the use of ISR mining at Phoenix. Over the last several months we have developed extensive health and safety protocols and procedures, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure that a return to work at the Wheeler River site can be achieved safely for our staff and contractors, as well as the northern communities that we travel through to access the site. With the continuation of ISR field testing at Phoenix in 2020 we hope to minimize the impact of COVID-19 related disruptions to the overall project development schedule and environmental assessment process."

2020 ISR Field Test

The 2020 Field Test is fully funded and is included in the Company's evaluation budget contained within the Company's current outlook and operating plan for 2020 (see the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the period ended March 31, 2020). The purpose of the additional test work is to further evaluate and de-risk the ISR mining conditions present at Phoenix, by supplementing the extensive dataset acquired as part of the 2019 Field Test. Hydrogeological data collected as part of the 2020 Field Test is expected to build additional confidence in the Company's understanding of the fluid pathways within Test Area 1 and Test Area 2, to further validate the Company's hydrogeologic model for Phoenix, and to prepare for field tests in future years, which are expected to support a future FS.

Key elements of the 2020 Field Test include:

Additional pump/injection tests within Test Area 1 and Test Area 2 of the Phoenix deposit;

deposit; Groundwater sampling to characterize baseline hydrogeochemistry in the deposit area to support the planning and permitting of a potential future in-ground lixiviant test or ISR demonstration;

Groundwater sampling to support the development of reactive transport models to determine the overall dissolution rate of the ore and flow of lixiviant through the formation;

Collection and analysis of additional matrix permeability data from drill core previously recovered from within Test Area 1 and Test Area 2, to support further refinement of hydrogeological models with an enhanced understanding of both large- and small-scale fluid flow pathways.

Rock mechanics tests to collect data to aid in evaluating the potential utility of certain permeability enhancement techniques.

COVID-19 Precautions

During the month of June, the Company's Occupational Health and Safety Committee in Saskatoon developed a comprehensive guide for the safe resumption of work at the Wheeler River site. The protocols consider the unique health and safety risks associated with operating a remote work camp amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Public health guidelines and best practices have been incorporated into the Company's plans, which have been reviewed by the Company's Vice President Operations, President & CEO, and the Environmental Health and Safety Committee of the Board of Directors.

In addition to an extensive review of work procedures on site, the Company has designed special travel protocols to minimize any health and safety risks associated with travel to and from site through various communities in northern Saskatchewan. These protocols were developed in consultation with community leaders so as to be coordinated with any localized travel restrictions or roadblocks implemented to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission in northern Saskatchewan.

The Company is committed to ensuring that the Wheeler River site is a safe operating environment for its staff and contractors and that the Company's field activities do not compromise the health and safety of the residents of northern Saskatchewan. Despite the Company's current intentions, it is possible that the 2020 Field Test may be disrupted by the continuously evolving social and/or economic disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which are outside of the control of the Company  for example, the ability of Company or contractor staff to attend to the site, Provincial or local travel restrictions, and changing public health guidelines.

About Wheeler River

Wheeler River is the largest undeveloped uranium project in the infrastructure rich eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin region, in northern Saskatchewan  including combined Indicated Mineral Resources of 132.1 million pounds U 3 O 8 (1,809,000 tonnes at an average grade of 3.3% U 3 O 8 ), plus combined Inferred Mineral Resources of 3.0 million pounds U 3 O 8 (82,000 tonnes at an average grade of 1.7% U 3 O 8 ). The project is host to the high-grade Phoenix and Gryphon uranium deposits, discovered by Denison in 2008 and 2014, respectively, and is a joint venture between Denison (90% and operator) and JCU (Canada) Exploration Company Limited (10%).

A PFS was completed for Wheeler River in late 2018, considering the potential economic merit of developing the Phoenix deposit as an ISR operation and the Gryphon deposit as a conventional underground mining operation. Taken together, the project is estimated to have mine production of 109.4 million pounds U 3 O 8 over a 14-year mine life, with a base case pre-tax NPV of $1.31 billion (8% discount rate), Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") of 38.7%, and initial pre-production capital expenditures of $322.5 million. The Phoenix ISR operation is estimated to have a stand-alone base case pre-tax NPV of $930.4 million (8% discount rate), IRR of 43.3%, initial pre-production capital expenditures of $322.5 million, and industry leading average operating costs of US$3.33/lb U 3 O 8 . The PFS is prepared on a project (100% ownership) and pre-tax basis, as each of the partners to the Wheeler River Joint Venture are subject to different tax and other obligations.

Further details regarding the PFS, including additional scientific and technical information, as well as after-tax results attributable to Denison's ownership interest, are described in greater detail in the NI 43-101 Technical Report titled "Pre-feasibility Study for the Wheeler River Uranium Project, Saskatchewan, Canada" dated October 30, 2018 with an effective date of September 24, 2018. A copy of this report is available on Denison's website and under its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.

About Denison

Denison is a uranium exploration and development company with interests focused in the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan, Canada. In addition to the Wheeler River project, Denison's Athabasca Basin exploration portfolio consists of numerous projects covering over 250,000 hectares. Denison's interests in the Athabasca Basin also include a 22.5% ownership interest in the McClean Lake joint venture ("MLJV"), which includes several uranium deposits and the McClean Lake uranium mill, which is contracted to process the ore from the Cigar Lake mine under a toll milling agreement, plus a 25.17% interest in the Midwest and Midwest A deposits, and a 66.71% interest in the J Zone and Huskie deposits on the Waterbury Lake property. Each of Midwest, Midwest A, J Zone and Huskie are located within 20 kilometres of the McClean Lake mill.

Denison is engaged in mine decommissioning and environmental services through its Closed Mines group (formerly Denison Environmental Services), which manages Denison's Elliot Lake reclamation projects and provides post-closure mine care and maintenance services to a variety of industry and government clients.

Denison is also the manager of Uranium Participation Corp., a publicly traded company which invests in uranium oxide and uranium hexafluoride.

Qualified Persons

The technical information contained in this release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. David Bronkhorst, P.Eng, Denison's Vice President, Operations, who is a Qualified Person in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this news release constitutes 'forward-looking information', within the meaning of the applicable United States and Canadian legislation concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Denison.

Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'plans', 'expects', 'budget', 'scheduled', 'estimates', 'forecasts', 'intends', 'anticipates', or 'believes', or the negatives and/or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results 'may', 'could', 'would', 'might' or 'will be taken', 'occur', 'be achieved' or 'has the potential to'.

In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information pertaining to the following: the results of the 2019 Field Test; the hydrogeologic model and its underlying assumptions; the 2020 Field Test, including its intended scope and timing, objectives and evaluation interpretations; the duration and scope of impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and affiliated operational adjustments; the current and continued use and availability of third party technologies for testing; the results of the PFS and expectations with respect thereto; development and expansion plans and objectives, including plans for a feasibility study; and expectations regarding its joint venture ownership interests and the continuity of its agreements with its partners.

Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made, and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Denison to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For example, the results of the 2019 Field Test, hydrogeologic model and/or 2020 Field Test discussed herein may not be maintained after further testing or be representative of actual conditions within the Phoenix deposit. In addition, Denison may decide or otherwise be required to discontinue the 2020 Field Test or other testing, evaluation and development work at Wheeler River if it is unable to maintain or otherwise secure the necessary resources (such as testing facilities, capital funding, regulatory approvals, etc.) or operations are otherwise affected by COVID-19 and its potentially far-reaching impacts. Denison believes that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be accurate and results may differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information. For a discussion in respect of risks and other factors that could influence forward-looking events, please refer to the factors discussed in Denison's Annual Information Form dated March 13, 2020 or subsequent quarterly financial reports under the heading 'Risk Factors'. These factors are not, and should not be construed as being exhaustive.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking information and the assumptions made with respect thereto speaks only as of the date of this news release. Denison does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this news release to conform such information to actual results or to changes in Denison's expectations except as otherwise required by applicable legislation.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors Concerning Estimates of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources and Probable Mineral Reserves: This press release may use the terms 'measured', 'indicated' and 'inferred' mineral resources. United States investors are advised that while such terms have been prepared in accordance with the definition standards on mineral reserves of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum referred to in Canadian National Instrument 43-101 Mineral Disclosure Standards ('NI 43-101') and are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, these terms are not defined under Industry Guide 7 under the United States Securities Act and, until recently, have not been permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ('SEC'). 'Inferred mineral resources' have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies. United States investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of measured or indicated mineral resources will ever be converted into mineral reserves. United States investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. In addition, the terms "mineral reserve", "proven mineral reserve" and "probable mineral reserve" for the purposes of NI 43-101 differ from the definitions and allowable usage in Industry Guide 7. Effective February 2019, the SEC adopted amendments to its disclosure rules to modernize the mineral property disclosure requirements for issuers whose securities are registered with the SEC under the Exchange Act and as a result, the SEC now recognizes estimates of "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources". In addition, the SEC has amended its definitions of "proven mineral reserves" and "probable mineral reserves" to be "substantially similar" to the corresponding definitions under the CIM Standards, as required under NI 43-101. However, information regarding mineral resources or mineral reserves in Denison's disclosure may not be comparable to similar information made public by United States companies.

SOURCE Denison Mines Corp.

Related Links

http://denisonmines.com/s/Home.asp


The international Sea Breeze exercises in the Black Sea have come to an end, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has reported.

"The 20th international exercises Sea Breeze have ended in the Black Sea. About 2,000 people from eight countries, more than 20 ships, as well as planes, helicopters, etc. were involved in the exercises. In addition to Ukraine and the United States, the exercises were also attended by military from Bulgaria, Georgia, Norway, Romania, Spain, and Turkey," the report said.

It notes that all tasks of maneuvers in the Black Sea have been performed in full.

The leaders of the Sea Breeze 2020 exercises from the Ukrainian and American sides thanked all the participants for the high level of professional training and the effective performance of tasks. According to them, these exercises once again demonstrated a high level of cooperation between Ukraine and the United States and its regional allies and partners to ensure readiness and interoperability in the Black Sea region.

op
It was like a scene from the conclusion of an epic American movie, as Georgia Rep. John Lewis gave a bear hug to retiring Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson in December. It showed not only the potential for racial unity, bipartisanship, but also a rebirth of democracy in the U.S.

At that iconic moment, Democratic Rep. Lewis praised his Republican Senate colleague for his willingness to listen. Johnny developed a great reputation as a bridge-builder, a man who has strong belief but also willing to work with others to get things done, Lewis said. He is a good man.

You could almost hear John Williams conducting the orchestra in the background.

It wasnt some isolated incident for Rep. Lewis. When he came to LaGrange College, the national media swarmed over the event, as did so many in west Georgia. I got to attend his press conference then. The reporters were begging him to continue his 2017 feud with President Donald Trump. But he refused to continue debate, embracing the high road in his speech and comments that day, leading by example for my college students, who expected harsh rhetoric.

I asked him what he thought of the lynching apology that LaGrange held the evening of the day Lewis spoke to the college. He told me he was impressed, and admitted he had never heard of such an event before.

Lewis was the kind of man who rarely shielded himself from others, despite being both a civil rights icon and celebrity. He met with schoolkids during that visit to our college. I have several stories of students over the years who got to shake his hand, get a book signed, and one who even got to sit in his chair in his office. But rather than being just a photo op, he also had a good lesson, encouraging us to do better, and not accept the status quo.

It was harder to meet with Sen. Johnny Isakson, as Parkinsons disease cruelly attacked him. At a chamber of commerce meeting in Macon, Georgia, he spent his strength on his speech, physically drained later as a student and I met him at his table, though his mind remained sharp.

His health kept him from making a similar visit to our campus, but nearly every year, Isakson would Skype with my class, filling our Lewis Library Auditorium with students, staff and faculty, winning the respect of nearly all attendees with his candor and commitment to bipartisanship. In his last Skype with us, Isakson documented that special retirement embrace from Rep. Lewis. The Republican Senator also talked about his support for hate crimes legislation, something my students took to heart in their research project.

Theres one more issue that united John Lewis and Johnny Isakson: their commitment to voting rights for all Americans. At Isaksons retirement last year, Rep. Lewis spoke from the House floor. Senator, you not only supported the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act in 2006, but a few years later, you even co-led the congressional delegation to Selma, Alabama. I want to say thank you for all of your good and great work.

If youre a member of the Democratic Party who looked up to the late John Lewis, or youre a Republican who admires Johnny Isakson, honor what these two great men stood for in Congress and contact your current member of the House and Senator, and state legislators, to tell them to support national and state legislation that expands the ability of people to vote in elections.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu.
From the Holy land of Larabanga in the Savannah region, I send you a hearty greetings. Mr. President, ahead of your sixth visit to the Savannah region since you ascended to the highest office of the land, let me seize this golden opportunity to warmly welcome you to your Savannah region. I refer to Savannah region as your region because it was your political will and commitment that made the almost a century dream of the people of Gonjaland having an administrative region within their demarcated land a reality. In 2008, you promised us that should you win the elections, you were to activate the part of the constitution of Ghana that behoves on a president in the creation of a region. We never believed you because of the soothing words of our kinsman( John Dramani Mahama) who was nominated a running mate to the flagbearer of the NDC in the 2008 elections. We were deceived to believe that when he becomes the vice president, as a son of the land, he will use his good office to push forward the ages long dream of his own people having a region on their own. We much believed in him because of how vociferous and concerned he was regarding the creation of the Savannah region when he was the member of parliament for the Bole constituency from 2004 to 2008. Truth be told, we almost lost hope in the fight for having our own region since our own kinsman who we had hope will deliver it for us deliberately refused when he was in the helm of affairs for good eight years because of his personal political ambitions. He simply didn't want to lose votes from some tribes in Northern Ghana who will see him as one favouring his own people. With the alacrity and avidity with which you responded to the petition by the Chiefs and people of Gonjaland illustrated that should you have won the 2008 elections, Savannah region would have been about a decade and some years old now with the necessary departmental offices built. Mr. President, you are indeed a covenant keeping president. First time in the era of the fourth republic the part of constitution on the creation of a region has been evoked and successfully implemented and we were lucky to be part of it. The king of Gonja kingdom, Sulemana Tuntumba Boresa Jakapa I was apt and right in giving you the chieftaincy title " Yenawurawura", to wit, " a person who act on his promises".

Confessedly, your becoming a president has invalidated our wrong belief that it is only a man from the same geographical location or tribe with you that is a true brother and one that can help you. We must confess that we are impressed with your unceasing desire and effort to develop Savannah region. The swift manner you are putting up the various regional departmental offices is comforting. The office complex of the Regional Cordinating Council and the staff bungalows of workers of regional cordinating council in Damongo is almost complete and the regional office of the Ghana Education Service in Damongo is ongoing. The regional office of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture(MOFA) in Bole, the regional office of the Ghana Health Service in Daboya and the regional office of roads and highways in Salaga are progressing steadily. Mr. President, a little bird told me that as part of your activities, you shall cut a sod for the the almighty Damongo water project. Wow! So finally, the people of Damongo and its environs will have water flow through their taps and the derogatory tag " Nchu man wuta"( There is no water) on the people of Damongo and all Gonja will be no more? From what I heard, it will be a massive project and all communities in the West Gonja Municipal shall water flowing their homes. We will be relieved of the hustles and bustles of searching for water. Your usual statement that it is not only the person that who comes from the same parents with you that is your brother now rings bell in our ears. We were with false belief that it is only the person we hail from the same geographical location or come from the same tribe with that would be supportive to usand come to our aid. We must admit that we appreciate how you are working your fingers to the bone to develop our newly born region. I have also heard that on 27th July, 2020, you shall turn on the taps of Yapei and water shall flow in the taps and homes of Yapei. That is splendid. The chief and people of of Yapei will be thrilled that you walked your talk. It was on 3rd September, 2016 that you made the promise before the chief of Yapei and you have nailed it. Also, the Salaga water project is almost complete and they will also have potable water to drink. For small water projects and boreholes, there are countless of them you have executed in the region.

Evidently, another area you are doing well in our region is road construction. You are indeed opening up our region with your numerous road projects. There are currently 33 road projects going on simultaneously including bridges and four critical road projects. We are happy with the 747km of roads you are currently working on making up about 22% of the road network in the Savannah region. It has never happened before in the history of Ghana that a government is tackling about 22% of of road network at a go in a particular region. Some of the road projects your government is undertaking in the Savannah region are as follows.

1) Upgrading of Salaga- Ekumdipe- Kpandai road

2) Construction of Bunjai- Fufulso road

3) Construction of Salaga- Tamale road

4) Upgrading of Daboya- Mankargu road

5) Bitumen surfacing of COCOBOD farm roads in Bole

6) Bitumen surfacing of Kpasara- Mpaha- Kikali road

7) Bitumen surfacing of Salaga town roads

8)Rehabilitation of Bawena- Daboya road

9) Rehabilitation of Kusawgu- Tuluwe road

10) Bitumen surfacing of Tuna- Kalba Phii

11) Bitumen surfacing of Bole- Charchie road

12) Rehabilitation of Yazori- Kuportor road

13) Rehabilitation of selected roads in the Damongo town

15) Construction of brand new bridges over the Black and white Volta rivers to replace the old ones built in the mid 60s that have outlived their life span.

16) Rehabilitation of Lingbinsi- Wawato- Gurbagu

17) Rehabilitation of Serepe- Dakrupe- Kablima road etc

Aside this, sixty(60) road projects are at various levels of procurement and you have awarded contract for the construction of the Daboya bridge. From all indications, your love for Savannah region and Gonjaland is immeasurable. It is indeed true that some friends are better than brothers. You have won our hearts in thousandfold. You have indeed demonstrated that you are a truthful person who will not say words in vain. You name shall be written in gold in the history of our region. You are a true adopted son of Ndewura Jakpa. For your works, we have come to the realisation that the choice for voting for a political leader should not be premised on the geographical location or tribal affiliation of an individual but the merits and capabilities of the person. Truly, you deserve another four years.

Iddi Adam Osman

0249230125

[email protected]
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on July 27, 2020

2020/07/27

The Paper: The US Consulate General in Chengdu was closed this morning. Do you have more information to offer on that?

Wang Wenbin: On July 21, the US launched a unilateral provocation by abruptly demanding that China close its Consulate General in Houston. China lodged stern representations over this with the US side, asking it to immediately revoke the erroneous decision, otherwise China would make a legitimate and necessary response. On July 24, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China told the US side to close its Consulate General in Chengdu.

This morning, the US personnel vacated the compound and the US Consulate General in Chengdu was closed as required by China. Competent Chinese authorities then entered through the front entrance and took over the premises. Demanding the closure of the US Consulate General in Chengdu and taking over the premises is China's legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified US act of closing China's Consulate General in Houston and breaking into the compound. What China has done conforms with international law, the basic norms of international relations, and customary diplomatic practices.

The current situation in China-US relations is not what China desires to see, and the US is responsible for all this. We once again urge the US to immediately retract its wrong decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track.

Kyodo News: The Chinese leadership often talks about the bottom line mentality, which I understand to mean preparing for the worst case scenario. So what is your bottom line in China-US relations?

Wang Wenbin: As I just said, we urge the US to immediately retract its wrong decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track.

The Straits Times: Last Friday, we saw reports that a Singaporean man was convicted in the United States of spying for China. What is China's response to this?

Wang Wenbin: I'm not aware of what you just mentioned. But I would like to point out that lately US law enforcement has been busy hyping up the so-called China infiltration and espionage issues to the point of paranoia. It is open knowledge that the US runs an aggressive espionage and theft program all across the globe, sparing not even its allies. There's solid evidence for this.

The world has seen the act of the real thief crying "stop the thief" too many times. We urge the US to stop using the so-called espionage issue to smear China.

AFP: On the Chengdu consulate, do the US consulate employees have to leave China and what about the Chinese consulate staff in Houston? Have they also been ordered to leave the US?

Wang Wenbin: I'm sure you have already seen from media reports the conditions of our Houston Consulate General staff. I will just say that the Chinese side will make proper arrangements for them.

BBC: I think you referred to the US side breaking into the compound in Houston. Could you explain a bit more about that?

Wang Wenbin: China's Consulate General in Houston is China's diplomatic and consular premises and state property. According to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the China-US Consular Convention, the US side shall not infringe upon the premises in any way. The Chinese side deplores and firmly opposes the US forcible entry into the compound and has lodged solemn representations.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation: The Australian government wrote to the United Nations last week, saying China's territorial claim in the South China Sea has no legal basis. What's China's comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea were developed throughout the long course of history. They are upheld by successive Chinese governments and in conformity with international law including the UNCLOS, which won't be altered by certain countries' wanton accusations.

China firmly opposes the Australian side's comments which run counter to facts, international law and basic norms governing international relations.

Reuters: Chinese state media said this morning that Chinese officials were able to enter the Consulate General in Chengdu via the front door. If I may ask, why was the door of the Consulate General in Houston locked?

Wang Wenbin: As I just said, China's Consulate General in Houston is China's diplomatic and consular premises and state property. According to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the China-US Consular Convention, the US side shall not infringe upon the premises in any way. The Chinese side deplores and firmly opposes the US forcible entry into the compound and has lodged solemn representations.

This morning the US Consulate General in Chengdu was closed as required by China. Competent Chinese authorities then entered through the front entrance and took over the premises. This is China's legitimate and necessary response to the erroneous US act.

CGTN: Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, recently cited his article in Washington Post titled "What Mike Pompeo doesn't understand about China, Richard Nixon and U.S. foreign policy" on Twitter to criticize Secretary of State Pompeo's speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library. In his words, "Pompeo's China speech Thursday not only misrepresented history but advocated a policy for the most important relationship of this era that is neither viable nor coherent. That he delivered it at the Nixon Library only added insult to injury." I wonder what is your comment on his words?

Wang Wenbin: Pompeo negated every aspect of China-US relations over the past 40 years, flagrantly attacked the CPC and called on countries to gang up on China. His outrageously deranged words have been criticized and condemned by all people who love peace and have a sense of justice, including those in the US.

Pompeo's accusation of "CPC's designs for hegemony" is out of not only ignorance but also bias. The CPC started with only dozens of members, and today it has grown into a major party with over 91 million members and has long been the ruling party in the world's most populous country. The reason for it, which Pompeo's ignorant of, is that the CPC always puts people's interests as the first priority, and always sticks together with the people through thick and thin. As revealed in a research recently published by the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University, under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people's overall support and satisfaction towards the Central Government exceeds 93%. According to a research result released by Edelman, 95% of the Chinese people trust the Chinese government, ranking the top of all countries surveyed, while the US is the second to last with trust from only 48% citizens. The CPC's goal is to realize the great renewal of the Chinese nation, not replacing the US. In the end, the international status of the US depends on itself, not others. The CPC is a political party that strives for the well-being of the Chinese people as well as the progress of mankind. China champions and practices the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. China is the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the Security Council, and has been contributing to the peaceful settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, the Iranian nuclear issue and other regional and international hotspots, as well as the response to climate change and other global challenges. In recent years China has contributed over 30 percent to the world economic growth, and has helped a lot in the international response to the financial crisis in Asia and the global financial crisis. These are all facts witnessed by the whole world, which cannot be erased by Pompeo.

Pompeo was calling for an anti-China coalition in his speech, but he seems to have forgotten that in the 21st century, instigation of hatred and confrontation runs counter to the trend of the times. The US gains no support in trying to reverse the wheel of history. Pompeo talks all about safeguarding democracy and freedom, but he doesn't represent democracy and freedom at all. He serves the US hegemony and the interest groups behind him. But long gone are the days of ideological confrontation. The world today is on an unstoppable trend towards multi-polarity.

It has been almost half a century since President Nixon's visit to China. The development of China-US relationship over this period of time taught us that a steady and sound bilateral relationship grows only when there's equality and mutual respect. China doesn't intend to change the US, and the US surely cannot alter China. We would like to develop China-US relations featuring coordination, cooperation and stability, but we reject any bullying and injustice. The Chinese people are not weak-kneed, and the world are not easily deceived. We urge a few US politicians to stop slandering the CPC and the Chinese people and undercutting China-US exchange and cooperation. We call on all peace-loving countries and people to step forward and say no to the insanity of Pompeo and his like that jeopardizes world peace.

RIA Novosti: I just wonder if you could explain what is the difference between the closure of the consulate in Chengdu and the one in Houston? Why is it that Chinese officials have the right to enter into the American consulate and American officials have no such right?

Wang Wenbin: The US, in serious breach of international law and basic norms of international relations, launched the political provocation first. China definitely has the right to react in equal measure to defend its legitimate rights and interests. This conforms with international law and basic norms of international relations.

BBC: Would it be fair for us to say in our reporting that the only reason Chinese officials went into the Chengdu consulate is because US officials went into the Houston consulate first? In other words, if the US had not gone into the Houston consulate, Chinese officials would not have gone into the Chengdu building, right?

Wang Wenbin: As I just said, demanding the closure of the US Consulate General in Chengdu and taking over the premises is China's legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified US act of closing China's Consulate General in Houston and breaking into the compound. What China has done conforms with international law, the basic norms of international relations, and customary diplomatic practices.

CNR: According to Russian media, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during online consultations with her Chinese counterpart on July 24 that Russia and China have become the primary targets of the US information warfare, and stronger interactions between the two sides in the media sector are more important than ever. Given the current situation, what is the special significance of the Chinese and Russian foreign ministry spokespersons' consultations?

Wang Wenbin: On the evening of July 24, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson and Director General of the Information Department Hua Chunying held consultations via videolink with Russian foreign ministry spokesperson and Director of the Information and Press Department Maria Zakharova.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to life and health all over the world. China and Russia are responsible major countries and comprehensive strategic partners of coordination. The information departments of the two foreign ministries have always maintained good working communication, institutional consultations and cooperation in relevant areas. Against the current backdrop, the two sides agreed that disinformation is a common enemy of the international community. Countries should strengthen solidarity and coordination, jointly reject disinformation so that political viruses such as rumors and slanders and the perpetrators and manipulators behind the scene will have no place to hide. Information released must be based on facts. Countries should not adopt double standards, interfere in others' internal affairs or level groundless attacks against other countries' political system, development path or state governance based on ideology and political prejudice. The two departments agreed to maintain communication, strengthen cooperation, jointly combat disinformation, offer an accurate account of facts and truth, champion law and justice, and uphold morality and conscience.

China Review News: According to media reports, the Canadian British Columbia Supreme Court recently published the court files submitted by Meng Wanzhou's legal team. The files show that the United States purposely misled the Canadian government and court by improperly and significantly tailoring the key elements of evidence to support its charges of "bank fraud" against Meng Wanzhou. These proceedings have been poisoned and can no longer be reasonably regarded as fair and the Canadian court should stay them, according to the files. What is your comment?

Wang Wenbin: We note relevant reports. The Canadian government should explain to the public the problem with the US evidence. Of course we've heard that the US is discouraging it to do so. The evidence published by the Canadian court clearly reveals that the case of Meng Wanzhou is a serious political incident manufactured by the US to oppress Chinese hi-tech firms including Huawei by abusing its extradition treaty with Canada. At the behest of the US, Canada detained Meng Wanzhou without cause, which led to the current difficulties in China-Canada relations. Canada is acting as a cat's paw for the US. It has been used by the US to serve the goals of a few American politicians and the interests of American businesses. This is a clear fact to not only China, but also people with vision in the US, Canada and beyond.

I must point out that the longer the Meng Wanzhou case drags on, the greater harm it will bring to China-Canada relations. We hope Canada can see through the US political agenda, properly resolve this incident based on its own merits and Canadian interests, remove obstacles in China-Canada relations, and bring the bilateral relationship back on track through concrete actions.

AFP: Can you clarify if the only reason China's entry into the US consulate was legitimate was because the US did it first?

Wang Wenbin: The US, in serious breach of international law and basic norms of international relations, launched the political provocation first. China definitely has the right to react in equal measure to defend its legitimate rights and interests.

CCTV: Senior US officials of the Department of State, the Department of Justice and the intelligence community said on July 24 that China's Consulate General in Houston has long been engaged in theft of business secrets, illegal activities and even espionage, and its actions went well over the line of what was acceptable. They claimed that closing the Consulate General in Houston is to disrupt those activities and deter similar activities by Chinese officials in other consulates. I wonder what is China's comment?

Wang Wenbin: The US claims are baseless smears.

China's Consulate General in Houston was the first opened after bilateral diplomatic relations were established. For 41 years it has been promoting mutual understanding, communication, cooperation and friendship between the two countries. It has received wide acclaim from all walks of life in the South. Local media reported that the region benefited a lot from this Consulate General as China is the second largest trading partner of the Houston region, and this consulate served as a bridge of tourism, trade and cultural exchange. Local officials also expressed astonishment on the closure, hoping to see peaceful settlement and reopening of the Consulate General. The US allegations pale next to these facts. If it wants to blame others, it will always find excuses to justify its acts.

As I believe you have all seen lately, out of motives to contain China and grab selfish gains, a few US politicians have been fabricating rumors and escalating provocations against China. Their measures include wanton restrictions on Chinese media agencies and personnel in the US, expulsion of many Chinese journalists in all but name, oppression of Chinese companies under the pretext of national security, blatant slanders against the CPC and China's political system, unwarranted interrogation, harassment and even detainment of Chinese students and scholars in the US, etc. It is obvious that those anti-China politicians are deliberately attempting to disrupt China-US relations and turn back the wheel of history, which is criticized by a growing number of people speaking for rationality and justice. On July 25, experts and scholars from 48 countries held a conference and issued a joint statement, which says "We note the increasingly aggressive statements and actions being taken by the US government in regard to China. These constitute a threat to world peace...We therefore believe that any New Cold War would run entirely counter to the interests of humanity...We support China and the US basing their relations on mutual dialogue and centering on the common issues which unite humanity. "
A scientist injecting something into a test tube

On February 28, I stood on a crowded line waiting to pass through the Canadian border checkpoint at Montreals Trudeau Airport. Ordinarily I would have balked when an agent stopped to spray sanitizer on the hands of every passing traveler. Any other day I probably would have paused with concern when I saw border agents wearing N95 masks. I certainly should have questioned more when the Canadian customs agent asked twice if I had recently traveled to China. Any other day, I would have identified the increased precaution people were taking and sensed the palpable panic about to erupt. But on this day, I absorbed nothingcertainly not the possibility that a virus was about to cripple civilization. On February 28, standing on a crowded line in a foreign country, I was numb and consumed with sadness. I was terrified the agent would ask me to remove my sunglasses only to reveal tears in my eyes. I was on my way to Lhassas funeral and thinking about what I would say to her father  a father who just lost his only daughter. Lhassa was a 5-year-old girl whose death was caused by KIF1A associated neurological disorder, the rare disease my daughter was diagnosed with in 2016. This would be the fourth funeral of a child with KIF1A I traveled to in as many years.

Related: Download The Mighty app to connect in real time with people who can relate to what you're going through.

Like every family in our rare disease community, Lhassas has become an extension of my own. This community is bonded by a love so clear that even a language barrier could not delay the most painful conversation my job calls for; a conversation I have had seven times since our KIF1A families and doctors joined in a mission to find treatment for children living with this rare neurological disease. Hours before Lhassa died, I spoke with her mother  a conversation far too regular in the past four years, and a conversation that kills part of my soul every time. I explained to my close friend, as she held Lhassa in the final hours of her life, that an organ donation team was on call and ready to make an unimaginable process as seamless as possible. I asked Lhassas mom to donate her dying daughters brain and spinal cord to researchers in New York. We talked about how Lhassa would live on in science as an ever-present facilitator for researchers to understand KIF1A. I explained that studying the pathology of her daughters brain would allow researchers to discover treatment  a treatment that did not come in time for her own little girl. Words on this page will never describe the unfair and horrific trauma that accompanies those unthinkable end-of-life conversations with parents about to lose their child.

Story continues

Related: The Day I Chose Vulnerability When Asking for Help to Save the Lives of Our Rare Kids

Anouk holding Lhassa in her arms and smiling

On February 28, I was standing on a crowded line at an international airport and thinking about my daughter, Susannah. I was thinking about Lhassa. I was thinking about children dying from rare neurological diseases. And I was crying. I did not notice that everybody around me was preparing for a catastrophic global pandemic.

Related: Why I Won't Say I 'Believe' in a Cure for My Child

COVID-19 ravaged the world. The impact on rare disease communities is beyond measure. For many rare disease patients and families, the global response to this crisis feels paradoxical.

On one hand, our rare disease community has been devastated by painful oversight, lack of care, and diminished quality of life. In parallel to this devastating impact on the rare disease community, in this pandemic, hope for faster discovery of cures has been dangled in front of us. Despite a president whose delay fueled fatality, the rare disease community has witnessed a swift industrial response and remarkable pace of research to develop COVID-19 treatments and diagnostics. The translational speed and medical blitz undertaken by industry to combat COVID- 19 is proof that treatments can get to patients much faster. COVID-19 proves that when innovators galvanize with focused resources and urgency, treatments are developed efficiently to save people who are dying of rare diseases.

An abhorrent lack of leadership is responsible for regression in people affected by degenerative diseases like KIF1A. Children with complex medical needs were forgotten as governments closed public schools. Students with disabilities who rely on services like physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and other crucial interventions were sent home to isolation with no emergency action plan. Without consistent services, our children lose words, steps disappear, and skills vanishskills that parents, therapists, and educators fight relentlessly to preserve.

These vital therapies do more than maintain and improve skills; they buy us time while we work to find treatments and cures. Critical medical appointments and medication changes are missed and standard of care has become an improvisation with little direction. If an emergency room visit is needed, lifesaving medical equipment is allocated elsewhere because our children are admitted alone, have cognitive delays, and are unable to communicate. People living with rare neurological diseases are suffering, and their lives have been de-prioritized because of this pandemic.

Foundations and advocacy groups work tirelessly to fund, support and accelerate discovery of treatment for rare diseases. In many instances, advocacy and family funding are primary sources for early scientific discovery. This integral preclinical research has been derailed as government and academic initiatives pivot to COVID-19. According to a webinar presented in April by Research America, This has stopped scientific investigations that are essential to understanding, treating and curing countless diseases. Those studies have just been stopped, abruptly terminated, labs closed. Discovery of rare disease treatment is an afterthought as academic labs are locked down, animal models euthanized, and precious patient-derived cell lines rendered inaccessible or even destroyed.

Amid this rare disease derailment, industry response to COVID-19 created a window of opportunity, and rare disease champions must act right now. This crisis triggered resources and workforce to spontaneously develop therapeutics for COVID-19. Biotech leaders executed in weeks what the rare disease community has been fighting for years to accomplish: diagnostics and therapeutics.

Families living with rare diseases know time is as much our enemy as nature. Every second together is fleeting, and COVID-19 forced the whole world to feel an identical terror; a terror that rare disease families live with daily. The emergency of COVID-19 induced a unified commitment and work ethic that, if scaled, will bring treatment to rare disease patients before time runs out. The heroism of people on front lines define our society, and previously underappreciated workers are rightfully recognized as the engine that drives progress  and saves countless lives. Now more than ever, together we are strong. A newfound global empathy has emerged for people suffering from catastrophic diseases with no treatments or cures.

Because of this global pandemic, humanity is teeming with science-driven empathy and commitment to every patient and family. My call to action for industry is clear: seize this opportunity. Do not abandon rare disease families. Attack rare disease therapeutics with the same relentless work ethic. Industry must act with continued vigor and utter urgency to accelerate treatments for rare diseases.

Biotech response to COVID-19 proves that the burden to accelerate treatments and cures for rare disease no longer falls solely on shoulders of parents, families, and advocates. Industry response to this pandemic is evidence that we can harness existing science, execute innovation, and bring treatments to rare disease patients exponentially faster. COVID-19 is a model and roadmap for accelerated rare disease research, development, approval, and access  a pathway of hope forged from a devastating medical crisis. A moment in time that will reveal the character of industry leaders.

To learn more about KIF1A, visit KIF1A.org

Read more stories like this on The Mighty:

Why the Right Doctor Matters When You or Your Family Is Rare

What It's Like to Worry for Your Child's Safety With a Rare Disease

Why I Can Hope for My Child's Treatment After Watching 'Extraordinary Measures'

A Day in High School With Dysautonomia
Thousands of workers face losing their jobs when the JobKeeper scheme is pared back from September, economists and unions have warned.

The wage subsidy has been extended until March but the fortnightly payment will be gradually reduced to $1,000 and fewer businesses will be eligible.

As the economy picks up after coronavirus lockdowns, the government hopes companies which no longer qualify for JobKeeper will be able to resume paying wages - but some economists fear they will sack people instead.

Thousands of workers face losing their jobs when the JobKeeper scheme is pared back from September, economists and unions have warned. Pictured: Empty Melbourne during lockdown

'The big uncertainty is what will happen to people on JobKeeper who have been stood down,' said Peter Whiteford, professor of public policy at ANU.

'Will their jobs come back or will they be moved on to JobSeeker?'

Professor Whiteford told Daily Mail Australia that hundreds of businesses may simply not be viable when weaned off government support.

In the 2019-20 financial year, 7,182 companies collapsed into administration or insolvency, 12 per cent fewer than in 2018-19 when there was no coronavirus.

'The number of companies that have gone out of businesses has fallen since this time last year,' Professor Whiteford said.

'JobKeeper is propping up companies that would have otherwise have gone out of business and when it gets phased down there will be more collapses of both small and large businesses.'

Thousands more workers will be officially unemployed by December

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is also bracing for bankruptcies.

'Obviously as restrictions are removed, businesses start to grapple with what is the actual financial circumstances they find themselves in,' commissioner Warren Day told a parliamentary committee hearing on Wednesday.

'We would expect... that there will be potentially more closures of businesses through that last quarter of this calendar year.'

Richard Holden, Professor of Economics at UNSW Business School, agreed that many companies will no longer be viable after September.

'There's going to be some number that go bust and that's a real concern for sure,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

But he said firms that continue to qualify for the extended JobKeeper were unlikely to sack their workers.

'The reduction of the payment will mostly affect the workers themselves because the system is designed so the money goes straight from the employee to the worker,' he said.

'Under JobKeeper, some part-time workers are getting more than in normal times but lots of people are taking a very large pay-cut.

'That's going to be exacerbated when the rate is reduced, meaning workers have less money in their pockets.'

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has said the extension of JobKeeper allows him to keep 15,000 employees who have been temporarily stood down.

The government predicts that - without any further lockdowns or restrictions - 240,000 extra people will be officially unemployed in the December quarter as the measured unemployment rate hits 9.25 per cent.

Australian Council of Trade Unions boss Sally McManus said she feared the reduced level of government support could lead to mass sackings.

'The Government's own projections suggest they expect a significant number of people to lose jobs and lose their connection with their employer when JobKeeper is cut back in September,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Australian Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said 700,000 jobs were saved by the government's JobKeeper policy

But the Prime Minister said he was more focused on the effective unemployment rate, which includes people who are not on JobSeeker because they have given up looking for work.

That rate dropped from around 15 per cent in April to around 11 per cent in June as the economy picked up following the end of lockdowns.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has acknowledged there will be redundancies but said paring back JobKeeper was necessary because at current levels the scheme is costing taxpayers $11billion a month.

From September fewer businesses will be eligible for JobKeeper as they must continue to prove a revenue decline of 30 per cent compared to before coronavirus.

Many will not meet this threshold because business has picked up after lockdowns ended, with the exception of Melbourne which is under a new six-week shut down.

This means that the number of people on Jobkeeper is expected to decline from 3.5million now to 1.4million between October and December, Treasury predicts.

From January 1million people are expected to receive the payment.
People wear protective face masks in Koreatown as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on July 26, 2020 in New York.

President Donald Trump said Monday that states should begin reopening their businesses as the coronavirus outbreak in parts of the United States shows its first signs of slowing.

"I really do believe a lot of the governors should be opening up states that are not opening," Trump said during a coronavirus briefing from the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Morrisville, North Carolina. "We'll see what happens with them."

On Sunday, Arizona reported a 13% drop in the seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases, logging 2,627 newly diagnosed cases over the previous 24 hours, down from 3,022 the previous week, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Cases in Texas have fallen almost 19% over the previous week as of Sunday, while Florida has just begun seeing its curve of new cases start to flatten.

Trump touted the new data at the press briefing. "Over the weekend, cases in Florida, Texas and Arizona held steady and are now heading down. In Arizona, they are heading down and very substantially down," he said.

While cases appear to be slowing, public health officials and infectious disease experts warn that reopening businesses too early could cause another resurgence in new Covid-19 cases. Early in the outbreak, U.S. cases peaked at around 30,000 new cases a day before falling and plateauing at roughly 20,000 new cases per day in mid-May. As some states began to reopen in late April through June, new cases began to surge, with the U.S. now reporting more than 60,000 new cases a day.
- A 17-year-old Popoola Kehinde Esther has gone viral as a teenage girl with the mechanical skill to repair forklift

- An SS 2 student and an indigene of Kwara state, the brilliant girl hopes to study engineering at the higher institution

- Esther works at Classic Bonded Terminal, Okota as the lady with handle @Theprecious who shared her video revealed

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There is just no limit to the way Nigerians will go to eke out a living for themselves and create a better future while putting their amazing skill to good use.

A brilliant 17-year-old, Popoola Kehinde Esther, has gained media attention when a Twitter user with the handle @ThepreciousAda, posted her video online.

The brilliant girl is in the business of repairing heavy equipment, forklift. According to @ThepreciousAda, the teenager hopes to study engineering and add to her mechanical expertise.

A collage showing the girl at work and a random forklift picture for illustration. Photo source: Twitter/ThepreciousAda/PKTrucks

Source: UGC

The Twitter user's dad asked her to post the girls video so that her helpers could locate her and make her dream a reality. In the clip, the SS2 student said that she has a strong passion for the work she is doing.

Esther who is from Kwara state works at the Classic Bonded Terminal, Okota under her boss who was identified as Adebayo Maruf.

The good Samaritan who made her know on social media said she has decided to set up gofundme account and let people know when it is done.

Watch her video below:

YEN.com.gh previously reported that a female body repair and spraying technician named Madam Esther has won the hearts of many on social media with her rare skills in a male-dominated field.

The highly-skilled woman, who works as an auto body repair and spraying technician at Nkwakwa in the Eastern Region, has been videoed carrying out her daily routine at a workshop.

YEN.com.gh gathers that Madam Esther has been working as a spraying technician and serving drivers in the Nkwakwa area with her rare expertise for over a decade.

Faces of Ghana: 2 brothers paving roads in Ghana with granite and cobblestones:

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Source: YEN.com.gh
Armenia is known to be a great country with smart opportunities. In spite of the difficulties in the economy, the government and private sector work hard on developing high-tech and business development. With low taxes, educated and low-cost labor, and an investment-friendly environment Armenia enjoys a favorable position among the countries to start a business and grow globally. As a result a win-win situation is created between growth-minded businesses and developing countries, like Armenia.

Education, Research and Development

Education in Armenia allows to lay solid foundations for the prosperity of the country. Academic educational atmosphere, hard-work and motivation made it possible to reach significant success in many fields for centuries. Armenia has a very high level of education among the CIS countries with a comparably high adult-literacy rate. Recently a lot of universities, companies, foundations make a huge input on specialization in information and communication technologies and business.

Research and Development is considered one of the key drivers of growth in the country. The IT sector has been expanded during the recent years thanks to the research and development branches in Armenia by global tech giants including Microsoft, Oracle, National Instruments, etc. Government and sectoral representatives have been implementing a number of new initiatives for revealing and developing R&D potential. The key focus has been on new educational initiatives, which are believed to boost the countrys technology and R&D. An outstanding example of which is TUMO- a center for creative technologies offering education centers for teens specializing in technology and design. Four TUMO centers operate in Yerevan, Gyumri, Dilijan, Stepanakert in Armenia, 2 international centers in Beirut and Paris. Tumo Berlin is planned to be opened in October 2020 and TUMO Tirana, Moscow and Tokyo are on the list. The International network of TUMO centers is expanding focusing on several targets: programming, animation, filmmaking, graphic design, 3D modelling, game development, music, drawing, photography and robotics.

Information and Communication Technologies is one of the most desired industries, so many laboratories, technology centers open in the country and contribute to having high-quality specialists in the sphere. This makes Armenian workforce very competitive on a local level and attractive on international level. Armenian specialists are considered highly productive among global ICT communities, making the sector attractive to foreign investors. Besides Armenia is considered to be a low-cost location for offshore development, where salaries are competitive with those of many outsourcing countries such as Israel or China.

Here you can find out more about some competitive Armenian businesses and startups taking Armenian entrepreneurship to new heights. And given the size of Armenian economy any investment and profit brought by them is very likely to be significant.

Startups

PicsArt

Armenia is a true heaven for startups, which is proved by the dramatic number of startups created in the country.Launched in 2011 PicsArt grew from a 10 people startup to one of the worlds top photo editing apps. By 2020 the app was downloaded up to 600 million times, which increased after pandemic, as people had more free time and needed to use their creativity. The number of edits on the platform grew by 15-20% and the number of active users per month exceeded 150 million. The headquarters of the company are both in Yerevan, Armenia and San-Francisco, USA and offices are located in Beijing, Moscow, Tokyo and LA.

Krisp

Some startups have been globally recognized and successful in the age of coronavirus and Krisp is another good example, which was featured by prominent media like Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post as one of the top tools to make remote work more effective during the coronavirus outbreak. It is a noise-reduction app, which mutes the background noise during calls making life easier while working from home.

Robin the Robot

Expper Technologies creates robots for corporate businesses intended for providing customer-care. Their most famous creation is Robin the Robot. It is a social robot, companion for children when they are hospitalized and helps them during medical treatment creating positive experiences. You can read on Forbes how Robin the Robot comforts kids in hospitals and helps with Covid-19. They started sales in Armenia in 2019 and now extended to the US market.

Prominent startups targeting international market also include: Arloopa- Armenian project working on augmented and virtual reality, 2D and 3D content, SoloLearn- educational platform making learning programming languages fun, which was included in top 10 fastest growing start-ups in Silicon Valley, CityBugs- a system allowing city authorities to quickly address issues when citizens report them, Teamable- a recruiting tech company, which helps companies to connect to, engage with and hire top talent referrals.

Service Industry

ProDigi

The opportunity to provide high-quality remote services (also big thanks to Covid-19) makes Armenian companies very attractive on an international level. The educational background and constant strive for development help Armenia-based companies like ProDigi digital marketing agency provide services to the UK, US, Canada, Singapore, Hong-Kong and to other major business hubs. It feels like digital knowledge is the sun-kissed apricot of the marketing industry, which the company successfully exports to big markets. The process is accompanied with providing high-quality services with great communication and interpersonal skills which makes the foreign clientele feel at home. Thus, providing services to different countries the company brings economic growth to Armenia by paying taxes and generating in-country value. The business strives to contribute to local community growth by employing fresh graduates and turning them into professionals tracking international trends.

Digital Caramel

A related experience also gained Digital Caramel, which successfully manages to provide digital services to most of the CIS countries and Russia. Besides the agency now is considering entering Western and Asian markets. This industry allows it to have a headquarter office in Armenia and easily conquer new markets by breaking the old rules and language barriers. The company services are entirely targeted to the international market, which results in contributing to the country budget. Importantly, the creation of new employment opportunities and jobs is exclusively done in Armenia increasing to the number of new workplaces.

Arara

The economical development of the country is closely connected with the tourism industry, which recently has been strongly hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Armenia was booming as a cultural travel destination and the hospitality was on a very high level, which allowed travel agencies like Arara Tour to expand their services to the whole Caucasus region and Central Asia. Operating from head offices in Armenia, Georgia and Central Asia the company organizes tours directed to 8 different countries. In fact bringing the profit to Armenia from tours to Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Turkmenistan. Despite the massive fall of the international tourist arrivals, the experts in the field are optimistic and hopeful about the recovery of industry. So does the agency with perspectives on opening new branches in Ukraine and Russia.

IT and Advanced Technologies

As you may have noticed most of the startups were IT startups, which indicates the favorable business climate that IT companies enjoy in Armenia and explains why it is called The Silicon Mountains. Armenia has extensive experience, with large multinational IT companies having operations in the country (Microsoft, Intel, Synopsys, Oracle, Cisco, National Instruments, etc). Most of Armenian IT companies specialize in software development like

SFL

SFL is a software development and consulting company which brings digital transformation to a number of businesses on the globe. Using innovative technologies the company delivers personalized multichannel user-experience with higher lifetime value. Founded in 2006, now the company has headquarters in Yerevan and Chicago with over 100 specialists.

10Web

10 Web is a complete WordPress managing platform with a full suite of tools from cloud hosting to page builder to easily design, develop and launch websites, as well as manage, optimize and maintain existing websites. 10Web supports tens of thousands of clients ranging from small businesses to global enterprises. Company hosts over 1,000 websites and its products have been downloaded over 20 million times.

Successful investments and collaborations across different industries in the international market suggest that Armenia is a prefered destination for global players. The country's potential is being effectively used, but the numbers and success indicate even a better future.
Dhaka, July 27 : The police in Bangladesh have heightened security to foil any terrorist attack on or ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha.

Working on intelligence inputs, the security apparatuses apprehend attack on embassies, temples, airports, Shia-Ahmadiya shrines, mosques, churches, pagodas and other religious institutions and the police establishments by terrorists to announce launch of a new group 'Bengal Ulayat' by the Bangladesh wing of ISIS.

Members of neo JMB, an ultra-radical offshoot of the banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), who follow the Islamic State (IS) ideology, could try to carry out attacks, sources said.

Citing attacks on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August (On August 21, 2004, she was attacked with grenade), a top police official, on the condition of anonymity, told IANS, "It's August again. We have stepped up security. We have adopted the policy of 'zero tolerance against militancy' as per the Prime Minister's directives." Father of the Nation Bangabondhu Sheikh Mujibor Rahman was also assassinated in August.

"The special units, including the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC), Anti-Terrorism (ATU) and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have been asked to be on alert," the official said.

The police have been asked to beef up all-round security, collect data on new tenants in cities, check identity of visitors to police installations, boost security in the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) diplomatic division, keep vigil on religious and police units, and not to leave any police vehicles unattended.

Security arrangements had been strengthened in and around embassies and different areas of Dhaka, the police official said and added, check-posts had been set up at various points.

According to the police headquarters (PHQ) sources, intelligence suggested that IS had decided to declare a new wing 'Bengal Ulayat' ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha and August.

Members of neo JMB, Allahr Dol (Party of Allah) and the local IS followers could carry out subversive activities, including assassinations and bombings, sources said.

At the end of June, the IS in Iraq and Syria had urged its followers all over the world to gather ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

On July 25 night, a fake grenade was found in a bag hanging from a motorcycle of a traffic cop, who had left it behind in Gulistan of the capital. "It's like an alert message to us," the official said.

The PHQ has instructed its units to increase surveillance of extremists, their groups, and school and college students and maintain personal security all the time.

Meanwhile, five members of the banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam were arrested on July 26 night from the Dhulivita area of Dhamrai, about 40 km north-west of Dhaka. The arrested militants are Mizanur Rahman Palash, 35, one of the coordinators of Ansar Al Islam, Durul Huda (44), Abdur Rashid (21), Russell (38) and Abdul Hai (40).

From Palash, a businessman, and four others incriminating books, leaflets, digital content and mobiles were recovered, an RAB official told IANS. They all belonged to the Chapainawabganj district of the Rajshahi Division, he added.

Huda, a teacher by profession played motivator to new recruits and provided them videos, books, mobile apps of Ansar Al-Islam. Rashid is mason by profession and Russell a workshop mechanic. They collected donations on behalf of Ansar Al-Islam. Hai is a quack (medical impostor).

According to the RAB, 8-10 of them regularly visited different areas for meetings with other militants and to recruit new members. They had planned to meet at Dhamrai, well-known for pottery and annual Jagannath Rath Jatra.
Mr. Barr was to present his statement at a congressional oversight hearing, his first appearance before lawmakers in more than a year. The hearing offers Mr. Barr the highest-profile platform to date to explain his rationale for the protest response, the Russia investigation and other issues like voter fraud.

But lawmakers on both sides who have already made up their minds on his tenure plan to use the hearing to advance divergent arguments about the Trump administration aimed as much at voters in the presidential election in November as at Mr. Barr.

Democrats who run the House Judiciary Committee intend to advance a case against the Trump administrations response to the nationwide protests that grew out of the killing of George Floyd while he was in police custody in Minneapolis.

They also plan to portray Mr. Barr as wielding his power as the nations top law enforcement officer to serve the presidents personal interests. Democrats will ask about his intervention to recommend a shorter prison sentence for Mr. Trumps longtime friend Roger J. Stone Jr. on seven felony crimes  a sentence that Mr. Trump has since commuted  and to drop a charge against the former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn even though he had pleaded guilty.

Are you the A.G. for the country, or are you the A.G. for the president? said Representative Karen Bass, Democrat of California and the author of a sweeping policing overhaul bill that passed the House last month and that Mr. Barr opposes. Do you represent the American people, or is it your job to protect, to cover up and to facilitate corruption?

Republicans, echoing Mr. Trumps own dire election-year messaging, will seek to celebrate Mr. Barr as a defender of the rule of law from those who they see as trying to use Mr. Floyds death as cover to attack the police and to endanger communities.

Youve got all this violence going on, and Democratic mayors in these cities across the country are just bowing to the mob, and yet they try to criticize the attorney general when his using federal law enforcement is protecting federal property and, more importantly, enforcing federal law, said Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, the top Republican on the panel.
A healthcare insurance company for members of the US Military was forced to apologize after accidentally telling more than 600,000 people they had tested positive for coronavirus.

The erroneous announcement came as part of a email sent out by Tricare, a health care program of the United States Department of Defense, to hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries located in its East Region on July 17.

The military health system was asking the COVID-19 survivors to consider donating blood plasma for research regarding a potential treatment for the virus.

As a survivor of COVID-19, it's safe to donate whole blood or blood plasma, and your donation could help other COVID-19 patients. Your plasma likely has antibodies (or proteins) present that might help fight the coronavirus infection,' Tricare's message read.

Currently, there is no cure for COVID-19. However, there is information that suggests plasma from COVID-19 survivors, like you, might help some patients recover more quickly from COVID-19.

The military health system was asking the COVID-19 survivors to consider donating blood for research regarding treatment for the virus

The erroneous announcement came as part of a email sent out by Tricare, a health care program of the United States Department of Defense, to hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries located in its East Region on July 17

However only 31,000 people associated with the US Military have tested positive for the coronavirus, far less than the 600,000 recipients of the company's email.

Tricare's message came as a surprise and prompted confusion for a number of its beneficiaries, Military.com reported.

Just wondering [if] anybody [got] an email from Tricare saying since you are a COVID survivor, please donate your plasma?? I have NOT been tested, wrote one perplexed beneficiary on Facebook. Just remember all those people inputting data are human and make mistakes.

Humana Military, the company that manages Tricares East Region, issued a call to blood donors located near military installations that are collecting plasma from recovered coronavirus patients as a potential treatment for the illness.

However, the message was accidentally sent to every beneficiary located near to a blood collection point in 31 states.

Six hours later, Humana sent out a correction, apologizing for any alarm caused by the message.

In an attempt to educate beneficiaries who live close to convalescent plasma donation centers about collection opportunities, you received an email incorrectly suggesting you were a COVID-19 survivor, the correction email read.

You have not been identified as a COVID-19 survivor and we apologize for the error and any confusion it may have caused.

Humana Military, the company that manages Tricares East Region, issued a call to blood donors located near military installations that are collecting plasma from recovered coronavirus patients as a potential treatment for the illness (file photo)

Marvin Hill, a spokesperson for the firm, later offered a more comprehensive explanation behind the error to Military.com.

Language used in email messages to approximately 600k beneficiaries gave the impression that we were attempting to reach only people who had tested positive for COVID-19, Hill said.

We quickly followed the initial email with a clear and accurate second message acknowledging this. We apologize.

Only 31,000 people associated with the US Military have tested positive for the coronavirus, far less than the 600,000 recipients of the company's email

Similar errors have been made by a number of other healthcare entities since the pandemic began three months ago, further fueling confusion about an individuals COVID-19 status, as well as infection rates.

Earlier this month, Brock Ballou of Nashville said he received at least three calls from the state of Tennessee regarding his apparent symptoms after testing for coronavirus.

Ballo, however, said he was never sick and was never tested.

Two weeks ago, in Florida, the State Health Department confirmed that some testing laboratories in the state have not been disclosing their negative coronavirus testing results accurately, skewing positivity rates.

At least two labs were discovered to have inflated their positivity rates of the virus by a factor of ten, the Daily Wire reported.
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The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector Industrial Chain, this report elaborates in depth on the concept, forms, applications and key players of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector industry. Deep analyzes on market status (2015-2020), patterns of enterprise competitiveness, advantages and disadvantages of enterprise products, developments in industrial growth (2020-2025), geographical characteristics of industrial structure and macroeconomic policies, industrial policy were also included. The function of product circulation and distribution channel will also be discussed, from raw resources to downstream buyers of this industry will be analyzed scientifically. Within a word, this report will help you create a panorama of industrial development and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector market features.



Major Players Covered in this Report are:

JP Morgan, IP soft, Microsoft Corp., AWS, FUKOKU (Japan), Oracle Corp., Salesforce, IBM Corp., PALANTIR, Google LLC, INBENTA technologies, Intel, Amazon Web Services Inc., NEXT IT



Segmental Analysis: -



The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector industry is segmented based on the applications, end-users, and type of products and services it offers. The report provides detailed data on the applications which drive the industry's growth. The report also discusses the products and services and end-users which make a significant contribution to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector industry revenue. The study also talks about new product developments in the industry.



Market Breakdown Data by Types:

Hardware

Software

Services

Market Breakdown Data by Applications:

Banking

Investment and securities management

Insurance



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The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector report contains market forecasts related to market size, sales, production, CAGR, Consumption, Gross Margin, Quality, and other significant factors. The report also provides a detailed overview of future market trends and innovations, while emphasizing the main driving and restraining forces for this sector. The study further elaborates on micro and macroeconomic aspects including the socio-political climate that is anticipated during the forecast period (2020-2025) to shape the demand for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector market. This also looks at the position of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector industry's leading market players including their corporate profile, financial summary and SWOT analysis.



Regional Insights:



The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector market is segmented as North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Researchers have thoroughly studied about the historical market. With extensive research, experts have offered details on the current and the forecast demand made by these regions. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector report also includes highlights on the prevailing product demanded by end users and end customers for better understanding of product demand by producers. This will help the producers and the marketing executives to plan their production quantity and plan effective marketing strategies to more buyers. Businesses can hence, increase their product portfolio and expand their global presence. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector market research report further offers information on the unexplored areas in these regions to help the producers to plan promotional strategies and create demand for their new and updated products. This will again help the manufacturers to increase their customers and emerge as leaders in the near future.



Research Objectives



- To study and analyze the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector consumption (value & volume) by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2014 to 2018, and forecast to 2025.

- To understand the structure of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector market by identifying its various sub-segments.

- Focuses on the key global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.

- To analyze the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.



Table of Content



1 Report Overview

1.1 Study Scope

1.2 Key Market Segments

1.3 Players Covered

1.4 Market Analysis by Type

1.5 Market by Application

1.6 Study Objectives

1.7 Years Considered



2 Global Growth Trends

2.1 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector Market Size

2.2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector Growth Trends by Regions

2.3 Industry Trends



3 Market Share by Key Players

3.1 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector Market Size by Manufacturers

3.2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector Key Players Head office and Area Served

3.3 Key Players Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector Product/Solution/Service

3.4 Date of Enter into Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector Market

3.5 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans



4 Breakdown Data by Product

4.1 Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector Sales by Product

4.2 Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector Revenue by Product

4.3 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector Price by Product



5 Breakdown Data by End User

5.1 Overview

5.2 Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector Breakdown Data by End User



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Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh has revealed that she has finally forgiven her ex-husband, Olakunle Churchhill. Recall that the actre...

Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh has revealed that she has finally forgiven her ex-husband, Olakunle Churchhill.





Recall that the actress and her estranged husband had been in a bad situation after she made some allegations about him.





Tonto disclosed how she caught her ex-husband in a red pant, with red candles and laptop at night, describing him as a yahoo boy and scammer.





She also described him as a 40-seconds man.





However, On Sunday, the actress revealed that she has forgiven her ex-husband because of her son.





In an Instagram session with Dele Momodu, the actress said she has come to realise that forgiveness is not about the next person but ones self.





According to her, she read the part of the bible where God said he wouldnt forgive us if we do not forgive others.





A man I love and respect always talked to me about Forgiveness, and I have come to realize that Forgiveness is not about the next person.





I know that Forgiveness is not about the next person but the explanation I got recently really wowed me. It says I have forgiven you not because you have to be forgiven, and I have forgiven you because I do not want to put myself in a place of stagnation when it comes to growth, I do not want to put myself in a position of stagnation when it comes to love, i do not want to put myself in a place of worship, progressing, my career.





Forgiveness is a whole lot, and I only just realized that the bible says that if we do not forgive, God cannot forgive us. All these things are in the bible, but it never really made an impact on me until someone explained it.





I think forgiveness is essential for ones growth.





Asked if she has forgiven her sons father, Tonto responded that she has and wishes him the best henceforth.





Oh yes, especially him. I forgive him and wish him the best, for my sons sake. I do. Why not?




A new Harris County district judge will again take up the decision of whether to move Attorney General Ken Paxton's criminal case back to his hometown of Collin County.

A Houston appellate judge on Monday set aside a previous district judges ruling on the venue change, and has redirected the case to Harris District Judge Jason Luong, giving him until Sept. 10 to decide whether it should stay in Harris County or return to Collin County where it originated, as first reported by the Dallas Morning News.

This marks the latest in a series of setbacks that have dragged out the resolution of five-year-old criminal charges that have already outlasted one of Paxton's re-election cycles. The two-term Republican attorney general was indicted on felony securities fraud charges in July 2015 but is still far from trial. Paxton has maintained his innocence.

Luong, a former prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorneys office, was assigned to the case after the previous presiding judge, Robert Johnson, recused himself because the attorney generals office is representing him in a separate, unrelated case alleging discriminatory bail practices in the countys felony courts.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST?: 23 Harris County judges sued over discriminatory bail practices

Its unclear whether Luong, who is also being represented by Paxtons office in the bail case, will recuse himself as well.

Prior to recusing himself, Johnson had ordered the case moved to Collin County, siding with Paxtons lawyers who had argued that the judge who moved the case out of Paxtons home county in the first place lacked the authority to do so because his term had expired.

The location of the trial could have immense bearing on how its decided. Paxton, who lives in in McKinney, has many allies in Collin County  those very connections were enough to convince a judge in 2017 that the case ought to move from Collin to Harris.

Paxton is charged with two counts of first-degree felony securities fraud and a third-degree felony charge of selling securities without registering with the state.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Judge orders Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons criminal case back to Collin County

He is accused of encouraging investors, including friends and a Texas lawmaker, in 2011 to invest in a technology startup without disclosing that he was being paid by the firm. He is also accused of soliciting clients for a friends investment company without registering with the state.

Paxtons lawyers had just filed a nearly 80-page brief on the appeal Monday only to find out that 1st Court of Appeals Judge Gordon Goodman had bounced the case back to district court.

Were not only disappointed but also troubled by the fact that the Court of Appeals ruled without giving Mr. Paxton an opportunity to respond, Paxton defense attorney Bill Mateja said in a statement. Paxtons legal team is also asking Goodman to reconsider his ruling.

Special prosecutors Kent Schaffer and Brian Wice declined to comment.
New Delhi: Amid ongoing Sino-India standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Chinese Embassy Spokesperson in India, Ji Rong, on Monday (July 27) flayed the United States for its Cold-War mentality and said that China and India should resolutely oppose any act of reversing the wheel of history.

Taking to social media, the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India tweeted, "#India is an emerging economy in the world & adheres to strategic independence. #China & India should resolutely oppose any act of reversing the wheel of history, firmly resist hegemonism & power politics, & resolutely promote democratization & legalization of intl relations."

3/3 #India is an emerging economy in the world & adheres to strategic independence. #China & India should resolutely oppose any act of reversing the wheel of history, firmly resist hegemonism & power politics, & resolutely promote democratization & legalization of intl relations.  Ji Rong (@ChinaSpox_India) July 27, 2020

In a series of tweets, Ji Rong said, "#US politicians always view #China with Cold-War mentality instigating containment, ideological confrontation&anti-China clique. US kept turning away from intl treaties&organizations & selectively applied intl law. Intl community knows who is real trouble-maker&threat."

"#China has all along been an upholder of intl order & practitioner of intl fairness & justice. Instead of seeking hegemony when growing stronger, #China is firmly committed to finding a new path of peaceful development & win-win cooperation with other countries," the Chinese Spokesperson said.

China`s foreign ministry today also said that the US consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu has closed as of 10 am(0200 GMT). Earlier on Friday, China ordered the closure in response to Washington`s order for the Chinese consulate in Houston to be shut.

Earlier in the day, Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) has banned 47 apps, which were variants and cloned copies of the 59 apps banned earlier in June. These banned clones include Tiktok Lite, Helo Lite, SHAREit Lite, BIGO LIVE Lite, and VFY Lite.

The order regarding the ban on these apps came on Friday, July 24. The 59 apps, most of which were Chinese, had been banned by the Centre in June in view of the information available that they are engaged in activities which are "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity and defence" of the country.

Almost all the apps banned had some preferential Chinese interest and the majority have parent Chinese companies. The ban came amid border tensions with China in Eastern Ladakh.
Describing himself a devotee of Lord Ram, a Muslim man has begun 800-km long walk from Chhattisgarhs Chandkhuri, the village where Kaushalya, mother of Lord Rama was born, to Ayodhya. The man aims to attend the ground-breaking ceremony of Ram temple that will be conducted on August 5.

Mohammad Faiz Khan, who has reached Madhya Pradeshs Anuppur, told news agency ANI, I am a Muslim from my name and religion but I am a devotee of Lord Rama. If we find out about our ancestors, they were Hindus. Their names might be Ramlal or Shyamlal. We all have Hindu origin whether we go to church or mosque.

Our main ancestor is Lord Rama. Allama Iqbal (Pakistans national poet) had tried to explain in a way in which he said that the one who has perfect sight, will consider Lord Rama as lord of India. With this reverence, I am taking soil from Kaushalyas birthplace at Chandkhuri to Ayodhya for dedicating it during the ground-breaking ceremony, he said.

Ayodhya.gov.in

Asked about people criticising his initiative, he said, Some people in Pakistan have created fake IDs with Hindu and Muslim names and are abusing each other to show that all communities are fighting in India.

He claimed that he has walked 15,000 km to various temples and even stayed there.

This is not the first time I am walking to the temples. I have walked 15,000 km and stayed in temples and mutts. Nobody said a word against me. This journey is only 800 km, Khan said.

Pakistan is trying to create communal tension in India on the occasion of Ram temple construction, he added.
The ongoing political storm over WE Charity Foundation in Ottawa touched St. Catharines last week when the citys Liberal MP took aim at the news agency that led the coverage of the controversy connected to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

During a brief exchange during Wednesdays standing committee on finance, Chris Bittle questioned the usefulness of Canadaland publisher Jesse Browns testimony, because journalists do not provide the kind of information he believes the committee requires.

I found it unusual that I saw a reporter was agreeing to testify at a committee. Ive only seen it once in my five years, Bittle said to Brown. What expertise are you providing? Journalists tell stories based on other peoples information.

Mr. Bittle, I am here at the invitation of the committee, of which you are a part of today, Brown said. I have agreed to share the reporting of myself and my colleagues have done that others have not over the past five years. I am constraining myself to facts that we have found and verified and reported.

Bittle acknowledged Canadlands reporting is what led to the committee hearing, but said Brown was providing hearsay, a characterization the journalist pushed back against.

I am here presenting journalism based on five years of investigation that is based, absolutely, on the accounts of over two dozen people who have worked for the WE organization. Its based on copious documentation and the statements of the WE organization itself, Brown said.

The charity and its connection to the prime minister has been headline news for weeks after it was learned WE was given a federal contract to deliver $900 million in student loans. The contract was awarded to the organization, which has close ties to Trudeaus family, without a competitive bidding process.

Browns Canadaland has been producing stories about the WE organization for five years and was the first to publish accounts linking the charity to the Trudeau family and internal controversies at the organization.

As the new organizations publisher, Brown was invited to testify before the committee  which is expected to hear testimony from Trudeau later this week.

Brown said in an interview with the St. Catharines Standard he accepted the invitation because Canadalands subscribers want Canadians to know what has been uncovered.

Our supporters want this information known and we are not a news site where they pay for exclusive access to information, Brown said. Our supporters want this information known to other Canadians.

It is unusual, although not unheard of, for a journalist to appear before a parliamentary committee to discuss their reporting. Bittle said he has seen only one journalist  Paul Wells of Macleans Magazine  appear before a committee.

That was a hearing on election debates, and Mr. Wells had been a moderator of those debates, so he had first-hand knowledge, Bittle said in an interview.

Bittle said he did not intend to discredit Brown and used the term hearsay in a legal sense meaning, in effect, second-hand information.

Brown, however, said it seemed as though Bittle was attempting to attack his credibility given that the Liberals are the party under fire over the WE Charity Foundation affair.

Several times during his testimony, Brown told parliamentarians, including Bittle, he is not an expert in anything other than what Candaland has published.

I pointed that out every time the NDP or the Conservatives wanted me to opine on something so they could use it as a stick to the hit the Liberals with, Brown said. But I just stayed to the facts about our reporting.
The production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes and development of dedicated industrial parks announced for the promotion of indigenous manufacturing of bulk drugs and medical devices will attract Rs 77,000 crore worth of investments and generate employment for 2.55 lakh people, estimates the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers.

In a presentation made at the official launch of these schemes, the department of pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers points out that the schemes when operationalised will result in import substitution and drug security for the country. While PLI scheme for 53 specific bulk drugs is expected to attract investment worth Rs 8,500 crore, it will provide direct employment to 25,500 persons, the department notes. In addition, the bulk drug parks will generate 72,000 jobs through an investment of Rs 24,000 during the scheme period, they point out.

Similarly, the ministry says the PLI for medical device scheme will see Rs 5,400 crore come in as investment and provide direct jobs to at least 15,000 people. In the case of medical device park, the ministry is hoping to see Rs 40,000 as investments and 1,40,000 as new job opportunities. In all cases, sector development is expected to boost ancillary industry and provide indirect employment too.

The PLI scheme for promotion of domestic manufacturing of critical key starting materials, drug intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients was notified by the government on July 21. The incentive will be provided on the basis of investment in new plant, machinery, equipment and associated utilities to manufacture 53 critical pharmaceutical raw materials or medical devices that fall into four specific target segments.

In addition, three bulk drug parks and four medical devices parks with assistance for common infrastructure facilities are also being planned. The Central government will provide a grant-in-aid of Rs 1,000 crore each to 3 bulk drug parks and Rs 100 crore each to four medical device parks developed by the states. The evaluation criteria for selection of states have also been finalised.

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New Delhi:

Astronomers claim to have found the roundest natural object in the universe ever measured. The object is a star that rotates slowly and is located 5,000 light years away from the Earth.



Laurent Gizon from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and the University of Gottingen in Germany and a team of researchers successfully measured the oblateness of the star named 11145123 with unprecedented precision.

Asteroseismology  the study of the oscillations of stars  was used by the researchers to determine the stellar oblateness. The difference between the equatorial and polar radii of the star is only three kilometres (km), the study revealed. This number is astonishing small compared to the star's mean radius of 1.5 million km; which means that the gas sphere is astonishingly round.

The centrifugal force flattens the stars as they rotate. The faster the rotation, the more oblate the star becomes.



The Sun, which rotates with a period of 27 days, has a radius at the equator that is 10 km larger than at the poles; for the Earth this difference is 21 km.



Kepler 11145123, which is a hot and luminous star, is more than twice the size of the Sun and rotates three times more slowly than the Sun.

The star's oscillations were observed for more than four years by NASA's Kepler mission. Different modes of oscillation are sensitive to different stellar latitudes.



The researchers compared the frequencies of the modes of oscillation that are more sensitive to the low-latitude regions and the frequencies of the modes that are more sensitive to higher latitudes.

This comparison shows that the difference in radius between the equator and the poles is only three km with a precision of one km.

"This makes Kepler 11145123 the roundest natural object ever measured, even more round than the Sun," said Gizon.

Surprisingly, the star is even less oblate than implied by its rotation rate. The researchers propose that the presence of a magnetic field at low latitudes could make the star look more spherical to the stellar oscillations.

Just like helioseismology can be used to study the Sun's magnetic field, asteroseismology can be used to study magnetism on distant stars.

Stellar magnetic fields, especially weak magnetic fields, are notoriously difficult to directly observe on distant stars.

Kepler 11145123 is not the only star with suitable oscillations and precise brightness measurements, researchers said.

"We intend to apply this method to other stars observed by Kepler and the upcoming space missions TESS and PLATO. It will be particularly interesting to see how faster rotation and a stronger magnetic field can change a star's shape," Gizon added.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
India insisted on 'complete disengagement' in all its talks with China on eastern Ladakh row: Govt

We will continue to deal with Chinese PLA in firm, resolute manner: Army chief

Depsang Y, Pangong Tso disengagement to be discussed at Indo-China military level talks

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 27: The military commanders of India and China are soon set to meet and the focus would be on Pangong Tso and Depsang.

During the meeting, India will ask China to completely disengage at Pangong Tso lake and Depsang Y junction in Eastern Ladakh.

Last week senior diplomats of both countries held talks through video conference. India's primary concern was that the Chinese PLA had not yet withdrawn troops from several standoff points, including the northern bank of Pangong Tso lake.

On Friday, New Delhi conveyed to Beijing that the PLA should speed up pulling back from the face-off pits and also should withdraw the large number of troops deployed in the depth areas.

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The video conference of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination of India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was attended by Naveen Srivastava who heads the East Asia Division at the MEA.

The Chinese delegation was led by Hong Liang, the director-general of the Department of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Both sides agreed that it was necessary to sincerely implement the understandings reached between the military commanders. Both sides also agreed that another round of military level talks should be held.

India bans 47 Chinese apps| More Chinese apps under fire | Oneindia News

The talks should focus on complete disengagement and de-escalation and also the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas, the MEA said in a press statement.

The diplomats of the two sides agreed that "early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas in accordance with bilateral agreement and protocols and full restoration of peace and tranquillity was essential for the smooth overall development of bilateral relations", the MEA also said.
The world's biggest COVID-19 vaccine study got underway Monday with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers helping to test shots created by the US government -- one of several candidates in the final stretch of the global vaccine race.

There's still no guarantee that the experimental vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and moderna, will really protect.

The needed proof: Volunteers won't know if theyre getting the real shot or a dummy version. After two doses, scientists will closely track which group experiences more infections as they go about their daily routines, especially in areas where the virus still is spreading unchecked.

'Unfortunately for the United States of America, we have plenty of infections right now' to get that answer, NIHs Dr Anthony Fauci recently told The Associated Press.

Moderna said the vaccination was done in Savannah, Georgia, the first site to get underway among more than seven dozen trial sites scattered around the country.

Co-founder and Chairman Noubar Afeyan said that, depending on how many cases develop within the study group, Moderna and the NIH may know as early as 'late this year or early next year' if the shot is helping to prevent or reduce the severity of infections during a Monday Good Morning America interview.

Melissa Hartin, of Harpersville, New York, got her blood drawn before becoming one of the first people dosed in a phase 3 trial for Moderna's coronavirus vaccine on Monday. The trial aims to recruit 30,000 volunteers and test whether the shot can prevent coronavirus infection (AP/Hans Pennink)

Speaking on Good Morning America, Moderna co-founder and chairman, Noubar Afeyan, said his company could have data on whether people who got the vaccine were less likely to develop COVID-19 as early as 'late this year or early next year'

When asked by George Stephanopoulos if the shot would prevent infection, or simply reduce severity, Afeyan said that's something his company and the NIH aim to find out from the large late-stage trial.

'We have a certain number of cases that we need to see before we can demonstrate whether vaccine arm gives us more protection than folks that are not on the vaccine arm,' Afeyan said.

The trial will hopefully reveal whether the vaccine bolsters the immune system such that a person 'gets a little of the infection then [the body] shuts it down...as we do with the flu, or whether it's going to be completely eliminated so we get very little infection once vaccinated,' he added.

Unlike Pfizer and AstraZeneca, Moderna does not yet have a contract with the US government, which plans to purchase hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccines being developed by the two companies.

Moderna has not promised to sell its shot - to the government or otherwise - at a non-profit cost.

'The pandemic is not a time when we intend to use the price to do anything but increase supplies to reach potentially up to a billion people next year,' Afeyan said, adding that it will be up to governments to decide who gets the shot first.

Several other vaccines made by China and by Britains Oxford University earlier this month began smaller final-stage tests in Brazil and other hard-hit countries.

But the US requires its own tests of any vaccine that might be used in the country and has set a high bar: Every month through fall, the government-funded COVID-19 Prevention Network will roll out a new study of a leading candidate -- each one with 30,000 newly recruited volunteers.

The massive studies aren't just to test if the shots work - they're needed to check each potential vaccine's safety. And following the same study rules will let scientists eventually compare all the shots.

Next up in August, the final study of the Oxford shot begins, followed by plans to test a candidate from Johnson & Johnson in September and Novavax in October -- if all goes according to schedule. Pfizer Inc. plans its own 30,000-person study this summer.

Thats a stunning number of people needed to roll up their sleeves for science. But in recent weeks, more than 150,000 Americans filled out an online registry signaling interest, said Dr Larry Corey, a virologist with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute in Seattle, who helps oversee the study sites.

Wade Bardo, a volunteer fireman from Erin, New York, was injected on Monday with either Moderna's coronavirus vaccine or a placebo as one of 30,000 volunteers in the final-stage efficacy trial (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)

'These trials need to be multigenerational, they need to be multiethnic, they need to reflect the diversity of the United States population,' Corey told a vaccine meeting last week. He stressed that its especially important to ensure enough Black and Hispanic participants as those populations are hard-hit by COVID-19.

It normally takes years to create a new vaccine from scratch, but scientists are setting speed records this time around, spurred by knowledge that vaccination is the world's best hope against the pandemic. The coronavirus wasn't even known to exist before late December, and vaccine makers sprang into action Jan. 10 when China shared the virus' genetic sequence.

Just 65 days later in March, the NIH-made vaccine was tested in people. The first recipient is encouraging others to volunteer now.

'We all feel so helpless right now. There's very little that we can do to combat this virus. And being able to participate in this trial has given me a sense of, that Im doing something,' Jennifer Haller of Seattle told the AP.

'Be prepared for a lot of questions from your friends and family about how it's going, and a lot of thank-you's.'

That first-stage study that included Haller and 44 others showed the shots revved up volunteers immune systems in ways scientists expect will be protective, with some minor side effects such as a brief fever, chills and pain at the injection site.

Early testing of other leading candidates have had similarly encouraging results.

If everything goes right with the final studies, it still will take months for the first data to trickle in from the Moderna test, followed by the Oxford one.

Governments around the world are trying to stockpile millions of doses of those leading candidates so if and when regulators approve one or more vaccines, immunizations can begin immediately. But the first available doses will be rationed, presumably reserved for people at highest risk from the virus.

'We're optimistic, cautiously optimistic' that the vaccine will work and that 'toward the end of the year' there will be data to prove it, Dr Stephen Hoge, president of Massachusetts-based Moderna, told a House subcommittee last week.

Until then, Haller, the volunteer vaccinated back in March, wears a mask in public and takes the same distancing precautions advised for everyone - while hoping that one of the shots in the pipeline pans out.

'I don't know what the chances are that this is the exact right vaccine. But thank goodness that there are so many others out there battling this right now,' she said.
Police officers wearing riot gear push back demonstrators by deploying crowd control devices next to St. John's Church outside of the White House, in Washington, June 1, 2020. (Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images)

DC National Guard Officer To Challenge Account of Lafayette Square Incident

A U.S. Army National Guard officer who witnessed the operation to expand the security perimeter at Lafayette Square in Washington on June 1 will testify in Congress on Tuesday that he thought the tactics used by Park Police to disperse the protesters were an unnecessary escalation of the use of force.

Adam DeMarco, a major for D.C. National Guard and Iraq veteran, says he found the use of force used against protesters during the clearing operation deeply disturbing and that according to his observation the protesters were behaving peacefully, states a prepared written testimony prior to his scheduled appearance before the House Natural Resources Committee. The committee is seeking answers over the Park Polices handling of protesters during the June 1 incident.

His testimony will challenge many key aspects of the official account put forth by the Trump administration. According to a June 2 Park Police statement, some protesters had become violent at around 6:33 p.m. that day, throwing projectiles such as bricks, frozen water bottles, and caustic liquids.

The Trump administration drew public backlash for the incident, with former Justice Department staff, lawmakers, and other groups calling for Attorney General William Barrs resignation for his handling of demonstrators protesting against police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Shortly after the clearing of the square, President Donald Trump and several senior officials walked through the area to St. Johns church, where Trump posed for photos while holding up a copy of the Biblean apparent response to rioters having previously set the church alight.

Some media reported that the protesters were forcefully removed using tear gas in order to make way for Trumps visit to the historic church, but Attorney General William Barr has repeatedly denied that the two had any correlation.

In the days leading up to the clearing operation, many of the protests that were peaceful during the day morphed into violence and destruction during the night, with rioters hurling projectiles and setting property ablaze, including the historic St. Johns church. Barr had said the operation was to expand the security perimeter around the White House in response to the rioting.

DeMarco said the operation to clear the protesters began shortly after Barr and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared on Lafayette Square. At one point, Barr went to speak with Park Police, while Milley walked to an area where DeMarco was standing and told the major to ensure that the National Guard remain calm and to respect the demonstrators First Amendment rights.

After the pair left the area, Park Police issued the first of three warnings to direct the protesters to disperse, DeMarco said, adding that the announcement was barely audible.

I saw no indication that the demonstrators were cognizant of the warnings to disperse, he said, according to this statement (pdf).

Shortly after the warning, Park Police began clearing the protesters. DeMarco said during that he heard explosions and saw smoke being used to disperse the protesters. A Park Police liaison officer told him that the explosions were stage smoke, however, the major said that he could feel irritation in his eyes and nose.

Based on my previous exposure to tear gas in my training at West Point and later in my Army training, I recognized that irritation as effects consistent with CS or tear gas,' he said, adding that later that day he found tear gas canisters on the street.

During an interview with CBS Face the Nation on June 7, Barr addressed criticism of the Trump administrations handling of protesters in Washington. He disputed claims that protesters at the White House were forcefully cleared from the area using tear gas and other means for the purpose of Trumps church visit.

Barr said that the decision to clear the park was made before he knew that Trump was going to speak there, and that it was not an operation to respond to that particular crowd.

It was an operation to move the perimeter one block, the attorney general said.

Barr said the decision was made in response to violent riots in Lafayette Square over the previous few days.

On Sunday [May 31], things reached a crescendo. The officers were pummeled with bricks. Crowbars were used to pry up the pavers at the park and they were hurled at police. There were fires set in not only St. Johns Church, but a historic building at Lafayette was burned down, he said.

He said these incidents prompted the Park Police on May 31 to prepare a plan to clear H Street and put  a larger perimeter around the White House so they could build a more permanent fence on Lafayette. He added that he gave the green light to the plan at 2 p.m. the next day.

Police have to move protesters, sometimes peaceful demonstrators, for a short distance in order to accomplish public safety. And thats what was done here, Barr said.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Justice Department and the U.S. Park Police for comment on the testimony.

The incident has prompted House lawmakers to seek answers regarding the Trump administrations actions on that day. Barr is scheduled to appear before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2020 / Gaia Metals Corp. (the "Company") (TSXV:GMC)(OTCQB:RGDCF)(FSE:R9G) is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated June 4, 2020, the Company has executed a definitive agreement (the "Agreement") with arm's length vendors whereby the Company may acquire a 100% undivided interest in the Freeman Creek Property (the "Property"). The Property consists of 76 claims covering approximately 599 hectares (1,481 acres) and is located on BLM lands, outside of US Forest Service Lands and other protective areas, within the state of Idaho, USA.

The Freeman Creek Property is located approximately 15 km northeast of Salmon, Idaho, and is accessible via paved highway and a network of gravel roads and trails. The Property hosts two major advanced targets; the Gold Dyke Prospect, with an historical drill intercept of 1.5 g/t Au and 12.1 g/t Ag over 44.2 m, and the Carmen Creek Mine Prospect, with an historical outcrop sample assay of 14.15 g/t Au, 63 g/t Ag, and 1.2% Cu (see Figures 1 and 2 below).

Adrian Lamoureux, President, CEO, and Director of Gaia Metals Corp. comments, "We are very pleased to have now executed this definitive Agreement for Freeman Creek. The project offers the Company an excellent opportunity in the gold space at a time when prices continue to advance towards all-time highs. The historical work has already highlighted the potential of the Property and the relatively straight-forward permitting process will allow us to aggressively explore and unlock the value of this opportunity for our shareholders".

Immediate exploration plans for the Property include a Phase I program of ground mapping and sampling of historical occurrences, confirmation of historical drill collar locations, prospecting, as well as potential soil sampling, and ground geophysics. The Phase I program is anticipated to be followed shortly thereafter by a drill program (Phase II). The objective of the work will be to verify and expand upon historical results.

Story continues

Transaction

Under the terms of the Agreement, the Company may acquire a 100% interest in the Property by paying a total of $90,000, issuing an aggregate 4,000,000 common shares (the "Consideration Shares") and 2,000,000 transferable common share purchase warrants, exercisable at $0.10 and expiring three years from issuance (the "Consideration Warrants") as follows:

$10,000 upon signing the Agreement;

$40,000, 2,000,000 Consideration Shares and 1,000,000 Consideration Warrants upon receipt of TSX Venture Exchange ("Exchange") approval of the Agreement; and

$40,000, 2,000,000 Consideration Shares and 1,000,000 Consideration Warrants on the one-year anniversary of Exchange approval of the Agreement.

In the event that a gold equivalent resource of more than 1 million ounces is outlined within a NI 43-101 Resource Estimate on the Property, the Company shall pay $1,000,000, payable in shares or cash or a combination of both, at the Company's discretion. In the case of a share issuance, the shares shall be issued at a price using the average market price of the previous 30 trading days preceding the share issuance.

The vendors shall retain a 2.5% net smelter return royalty ("NSR") on the Property, of which the Company shall have the right to purchase half (1.25%) for $1,500,000.

Gold Dyke Prospect

Gold and silver mineralization at the Gold Dyke Prospect is hosted by Precambrian Lemhi Group sediments and has seen early development and sporadic exploration from about 1910 to 1986. The base and precious metal mineralization is associated with a gossan at surface and has been traced over 1500 feet (457 m) along strike and 600 feet (183 m) vertical.

Historical exploration, circa 1910, included the completion of several open cut trenches and adits into the known mineralization. Sampling from these trenches returned 6.86 g/t Au and 199 g/t Ag over 7.0 m, 5.49 g/t Au and 130 g/t Ag over 5.8 m, and 19.9 g/t Au, 65 g/t Ag, and 1.05% Cu over 3.7 m. In addition, a grab sample collected from one of the open cuts assayed 60.0 g/t Au and 1,440 g/t Ag.

During the 1970's and 1980's exploration included a limited number of drill holes along two north-south orientated fences, spaced less than 200 m apart. The mineralization remains open to the east of drill holes RDH 8 and RDH 10, both reverse circulation drill holes respectively, which are the eastern most holes completed to date at the Gold Dyke Prospect. A summary of historical drill results follows:

Hole #1 (1970's): 0.46 g/t Au, 7.1 g/t Ag, and 0.10% Cu over 13.7 m

RDH 8 (1980's): 1.5 g/t Au and 12.1 g/t Ag over 44.2 m

RDH 10 (1980's): 1.7 g/t Au and 17.1 g/t Ag over 21.3 m

Subsequent to the drill testing in the 1980s, Cominco and BHP explored the Property in the 1990s for large-scale copper potential; however, records of this exploration have not been located.

Carmen Creek Mine Prospect

The Freeman Creek Property also hosts the past-producing Carmen Creek Mine, located approximately 3 km to the northeast of the Gold Dyke Prospect. A small mill was installed at the site in 1910 to process gold ore from the mine, initially discovered in 1904; however, few records exist detailing the Carmen Creek Mine's development, production, or head grade. Historical samples from surface outcrop and mine workings assayed 14.15 g/t Au, 63 g/t Ag, and 1.2% Cu, and 1.8 g/t Au, 43 g/t Ag, and 1% Cu, respectively

The style of mineralization at Carmen Creek is described as "a gold and copper bearing exhalate zone, a few tens of meters thick". At the mine, the "gold and copper are concentrated in lenses of massive quartz and magnetite".

Figure 1: Location of the Freeman Creek Property

Figure 2: Summary of historical work at the Gold Dyke Prospect

NI 43-101 Disclosure

Darren L. Smith, M.Sc., P. Geo., Vice President of Exploration for the Company and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

About Gaia Metals Corp.

Gaia Metals Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of mineral projects containing base and precious metals, including platinum group elements, and lithium.

The Company's primary assets are the wholly owned Corvette Property, and the FCI Property (held under Option from O3 Mining Inc., a recent spin-out from Osisko Mining Inc., for a 75% interest) located in the James Bay Region of Quebec. The properties are contiguous and host significant gold-silver-copper-PGE-lithium potential highlighted by the Golden Gap Prospect with grab samples of 3.1 to 108.9 g/t Au from outcrop and 10.5 g/t Au over 7 m in drill hole, the Elsass and Lorraine prospects with 8.15% Cu, 1.33 g/t Au, and 171 g/t Ag in outcrop, and the CV1 Pegmatite Prospect with 2.28% Li2O over 6 m in channel.

In addition, the Company holds the Pontax Lithium-Gold Property, QC; the Golden Silica Property, BC; and the Hidden Lake Lithium Property, NWT, where the Company maintains a 40% interest, as well as several other assets in Canada.

For further information, please contact Adrian Lamoureux, President & CEO at Tel: 778-945-2950, E-mail: adrian@gaiametalscorp.com or visit www.gaiametalscorp.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

"ADRIAN LAMOUREUX"

Adrian Lamoureux, President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward Looking Statements:

Statements included in this announcement, including statements concerning our plans, intentions and expectations, which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "expects" and similar expressions. The Company cautions readers that forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Company's future operations and business prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Gaia Metals Corp.





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/598807/Gaia-Metals-Corp-Enters-into-Definitive-Agreement-to-Acquire-the-Freeman-Creek-Gold-Property-with-Historical-Drill-Intercept-of-15-gt-Au-and-121-gt-Ag-over-442-m-Idaho-USA




The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has named some federal lawmakers who allegedly got contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The named lawmakers include the Chairman of the Senate committee on Niger Delta, Peter Nwabaoshi, whose name was listed against 53 projects.

Some of the projects include emergency repairs of Asue Street, Owa Phase 2; ldumuogbe Road via Ojemaye; Otolokpo College Road, Otolokpo; and the Police lshu Ani Ukwu Road, Issele Uku, in Delta State.

Mr Akpabio also said Senator Matthew Urhoghide got six projects, Senator James Manager got six contracts while a former senator, Samuel Anyanwu, got 19 projects.

The former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC, Nicholas Mutu, was also named by the minister as receiving 74 contracts  the highest among the listed lawmakers.

Some of the projects are emergency roads in Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers states.

A few others were simply identified as Ondo and Edo Reps.

This was contained in a document seen by PREMIUM TIMES.

A spokesperson for Mr Akpabio, Aniete Ekong, confirmed that the document containing the names was part of those sent by Mr Akpabio to lawmakers investigating the NCDC.

The document also contained a list of projects assigned to non-members of the National Assembly.

Akpabio names lawmakers

Although the cost of the projects were not stated, the document shows that most of the projects were awarded in 2018, a year before the ninth assembly was inaugurated. It is also not clear whether or not they are constituency projects.

This revelation comes days after the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, threatened to sue the minister for alleged defamation of character.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Twitter handle of Femi]

This was after Mr Akpabio at a hearing organised by the House panel, alleged that majority of the contracts in the NDDC are given out to members of the National Assembly. He was challenged by Mr Gbajabiamila, to name the lawmakers involved in the scandal within 48 hours.

The minister earlier retracted his claim saying his reference was not to current lawmakers of the ninth assembly.

It also comes days after the Senate resolved to investigate allegations of corruption levelled by the Niger Delta Development Commission against some lawmakers.

The Niger Delta Development Commission [Photo Credit: Nsima ekere]

The Senate gave its committee on ethics, privileges and public petitions four weeks to probe the allegations made by the management of the NDDC and Mr Akpabio.

Both the House and the Senate have been investigating alleged misappropriation of funds and financial recklessness in the commission.
The Big Data in Atmospheric Physics (BINARY) project at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has been granted EUR 1.5 million in funding by the Carl Zeiss Foundation. The basic idea of this interdisciplinary project that unites atmospheric physics and computer science is to apply state-of-the-art methods of statistical data analysis and machine learning to various scientific problems in atmospheric physics. Researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics and the Institute of Computer Science at JGU are involved. The project was launched in March 2020 and is coordinated by Professor Peter Spichtinger from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics. "At JGU, we have excellent conditions for cooperation between the two disciplines of atmospheric physics and computer science. Over the past few years, we have increasingly carried out joint interdisciplinary research, also involving our students," said Spichtinger. The financial support of the Carl Zeiss Foundation is being provided under the auspices of the "Perspektiven 2018" research program and will continue for a period of five years.

Thanks to improvements in measurement technology and enormous increases in computing power, atmospheric physics - like many other natural sciences - has seen a huge increase in the amounts of data. However, analyzing these data using conventional methods has become difficult or even impossible. At the same time, our understanding of the intricate physical processes that occur in the atmosphere is still relatively poor as this is a highly complex system in which processes take place on many different scales - from the formation of microscopic ice crystals in the air to the development of thunderstorms. Indeed, many of the fundamental processes are still not fully comprehended while their effects on the system as a whole remain unclear.

Using state-of-the-art techniques of machine learning, particularly recently developed representation learning methods that employ deep networks, it has become possible to detect even more complex patterns in data and, if required, replicate them. Tools like these, which use statistical approaches to 'learn' models and structures from sample data, can open up new perspectives for the data analysis and modeling of complex processes - something that would be of particular benefit in the natural sciences and atmospheric physics in particular. Firstly, the extensive quantities of data in atmospheric physics could be analyzed, making it possible to identify relevant and dominant processes and to understand their effects. Machine learning methods would then facilitate the automatic propagation of models from this data. These could be used to find solutions to outstanding scientific problems in atmospheric physics.

Addressing scientific problems in atmospheric physics and computer science

The BINARY project brings together meteorologists and computer scientists of JGU to investigate relevant scientific issues in atmospheric physics using high-tech machine learning methods. As it is not usually possible and often not expedient to use standard methods without modifying these first, the researchers will be using an interdisciplinary strategy combining their expertise in computer science and atmospheric physics. The specific aspects of atmospheric physics they will be considering relate to the structural formation of clouds, the aggregation of clouds into larger systems, the improvement of the forecasting of challenging weather situations - such as the development of low stratus cloud - as well as how best to represent small-scale processes relating to coarse weather or climate models.

With these atmospheric physics objectives in mind, algorithms will be developed and/or adapted to suit the particular issue. This interdisciplinary concept allows the enormous potential of current machine learning techniques to be employed to serve the needs of a natural science discipline. The close cooperation is also expected to lead to advances in computer science, as it is likely that comprehensive algorithms will be developed from the complex application problems. The technical issues surrounding the handling of huge data sets are also problematic, particularly regarding storage and intelligent processing using the latest high-performance computing architectures. They also require the further development or adaptation of existing strategies.

However, it is not only atmospheric physics and computer science research that will gain as a result - the project is also intended to contribute generally to the digitalization of research methods at JGU. In this connection, there are plans to subject newly developed process modeling and pattern recognition tools to testing in practice in other disciplines, such as radiology and particle physics, and to make the related methods and insights available to other JGU researchers.

Favorable conditions for interdisciplinary research at JGU

The Institute of Atmospheric Physics at JGU has been offering lectures on the modeling of physical phenomena designed for computer science students for some time now, while collaborating with the Institute of Computer Science with regard to subjects for Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD projects. The BINARY project extends this cooperation to make major progress in this regard. Involved in the project are eight doctoral candidates from both disciplines who will work together, supported and supervised by ten experienced researchers. Doctoral candidates are still currently being sought for the natural sciences component. For more information, visit the project's website. It is also possible to work on topics for graduation theses (Bachelor's or Master's) while participating in the project.

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is supporting the project by making resources, such as the MOGON II mainframe, available as well as supplying the means to store the vast amounts of data. The project will also be providing input to the Mainz Institute of Multiscale Modeling (M3ODEL) core research area at JGU and will be supplemented by the work of the JGU Research Center for Algorithmic Emergent Intelligence, which is also funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation. Thus, research being undertaken into quantitative multiscale modeling at JGU will also benefit from the BINARY project.

###

About the Carl Zeiss Foundation

The Carl Zeiss Foundation's mission is to create an open environment for scientific breakthroughs. As a partner of excellence in science, it supports basic research as well as applied sciences in the STEM subject areas (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Founded in 1889 by physicist and mathematician Ernst Abbe, the Carl Zeiss Foundation is one of the oldest and biggest private science funding institutions in Germany. It is the sole owner of Carl Zeiss AG and SCHOTT AG. Its projects are financed from the dividend distributions of the two foundation companies.

Related links:

https://binary.uni-mainz.de - Big Data in Atmospheric Physics (BINARY) project

https://model.uni-mainz.de/ - Mainz Institute of Multiscale Modeling (M3ODEL) core research area at JGU

https://emergent-ai.uni-mainz.de/ - JGU Research Center for Algorithmic Emergent Intelligence

https://www.carl-zeiss-stiftung.de/german/programme/perspektiven-2018.html - "Perspektiven 2018" program of the Carl Zeiss Foundation
Former New York Gov. George Pataki slammed the surge in shootings breaking out in the Big Apple, saying the violence is a 'regression to those dark days when criminals ruled the streets.'

The Republican said hes shocked by the staggering rise in shootings, even amid the coronavirus pandemic.

'Were going backwards. Its tragic. Weve got to change it,' he said.

In New York there were 634 shootings through July 12, compared with only 396 in the same period last year, according to police data.

Police have made arrests in 23 percent of shootings thus far in 2020, which is below the typical rate of 30 percent.

'When I took office, New York was the most dangerous state in America. People got used to safety over the last 20 years,' Pataki said during a radio interview with John Catsimatidis on 770 AM on Sunday.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki slammed the surge in shootings breaking out in the Big Apple, saying the violence is a 'regression to those dark days when criminals ruled the streets'

'They dont remember the time back when we were so dangerous. What we are seeing now is a regression to those dark days when criminals ruled the streets.

'When parents were afraid to send their kids to school. And when tourists knew better than to come to New York. Im worried about the future of New York,' he added.

While shootings have risen in New York City all year, the week of July 13 was particularly deadly with at least 63 incidents  up from 20 reported over the same period last year, as per the New York Post.

President Donald Trump has also voiced his concern over the rise of violence in New York and threatened to send in federal officers if local leaders couldnt buckle down on the shootings.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed back against Trump and the president agreed to not send in troops.

In New York there were 634 shootings through July 12, compared with only 396 in the same period last year, according to police data. Police have made arrests in 23 percent of shootings thus far in 2020, which is below the typical rate of 30 percent. Polcie pictured at scene of shooting on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn on July 18

Mayor Bill De Blasio introduced an 'End Gun Violence Plan' earlier this month to combat the violence, which will roll out increased foot patrols, shift deployments and host more gun buy-back events in areas that have a high number of shootings.

Pataki cast eviscerated the states leaders for allowing 'radicals' to plant anti-police sentiment in the city.

'In a short period of time, the radicals have taken over,' Pataki said.

'Name one politician in the State of New York or the City of New York thats standing up and defending our police,' he said.

Pataki also pointed towards bail reform for a rise in shooting and said Democrats treat the 'criminal [as] the victim.'

Earlier in June Police Commissioner Dermot F. Shea said in an interview with CNN that the rise in shootings was tied to the release of thousands of people from Rikers Island under a new bail law and the release of inmates due to coronavirus.

Pedestrians navigate around police tape as officers respond to a crime scene were two individuals were injured by gunfire in Brooklyn on July 18

Police officers respond to a crime scene on Nostrand Avenue where a 23-year-old man was discovered with gunshot wounds to his legs and torso before being transported to a hospital where he died from his injuries in Brooklyn on July 18

'When you put those two factors together and now you add in an anti-police sentiment and new laws that do not help the police, it is a toxic, toxic environment,' he said.

But New York City isnt the only metropolis seeing a surge in gun violence. Similar surges have been reported in Chicago and Philadelphia.

By July 19, the United States had already suffered 305 shootings in 2020, including 60 in May and 95 in June, according to the Washington Post.

Across the country the pandemic has only deepened problems behind gun violence including poverty, unemployment, housing instability and hunger, crime experts said to the New York Times.

In the coronavirus crisis unemployment in New York City has soared above 20 percent.

In New York on July 14 there were 14 shootings in the city overnight with 18 victims including a 17-year-old who was shot and killed in East Harlem. Days earlier two gunmen opened fire at a cookout in Bed-Stuy killing a one-year-old boy.

That same week arrests noticably plummeted. Cops made 1,481 arrests.

While there'a spike in shootings the number of arrests in New York City have only decreased, in part because officers are pulled onto social distancing and protest patrols.
Aiming to help advertisers directly track linear, on-demand and addressable TV campaigns to online visits and performance, the advertising sales arm of broadcaster Sky, Sky Media, has entered a partnership with TV attribution firm TVSquared.





The fruits of the of the direct web attribution tool that will be available across linear, on-demand and addressable TV campaigns via Sky Medias flagship AdSmart platform, with sponsorship being added in the coming months. Using TVSquareds platform, Sky Media advertisers will be able to access attribution, reach, frequency and reach extension analytics for their TV campaigns.Advertisers and brands with Sky Media can measure the exact impact a TV campaign has in generating interest and subsequent traffic to a brands website and apps, answering longstanding questions from marketers.The companies say that brands will now have full assurance who has visited an app or website after seeing a TV advert, which will marks a clear improvement on existing methods that focus only on correlating increases in website traffic to TV spots. They add that this enables brands to measure mid-funnel consideration and intent goals, link TV exposure to online response and directly understand the customer journey. All of this will be available to view via Sky Analytics, Sky Medias self-serve reporting tool, allowing brands to plan and reactively adapt in real time.TV continues to remain the most trusted and impactful way for brands to engage current and future customers, illustrated by the growing number of digital native brands turning to TV, remarked Dev Sangani, director of strategy and capability, Sky Media. Being able to directly measure the impact TV has on driving web traffic and the resulting sales will be an immensely powerful tool. Its really exciting to see the results for these campaigns come through. Our emerging insights show that there is a 50-100% increase in web visits attributed to TV versus traditional models. Clearly that means TVs impact on advertising performance has been wildly underestimated.Sky Media has always been at the forefront of providing advanced technology offerings to its advertisers , and this partnership continues that path of innovation, added Calum Smeaton, CEO and founder of TVSquared . TV can be measured and optimised with a focus on business outcomes  and Sky Media and TVSquared are enabling that for thousands of advertisers at scale today. This is an impactful and transformative change that is moving the TV ad market forward, not only in the UK, but worldwide.
Bank of Ireland has released its latest Economic Pulse today. The Pulse surveys are conducted by Ipsos MRBI on behalf of Bank of Ireland with 1,000 households and approximately 2,000 businesses on a range of topics including the economy, their financial situation, spending plans, house price expectations and business activity.



The survey shows that households in all regions upgraded their expectations for future house price gains this month, though the balance of positive (26%) and negative (37%) responses remained in the red.

The survey also finds that 31% are likely to spend a large sum of money on home improvements or renovations over the coming year. This was somewhat higher than normal, possibly because of some re-purposing of holiday savings in light of the COVID-19-related restrictions around foreign travel and reflecting the need for better home working set ups.

While the country has moved into phase three of easing the COVID-19 restrictions, the mood music around the re-opening of the economy has been more unsettled of late. Against this backdrop, the rebound in consumer confidence stalled this month and, even though the Business Pulse tracked higher, firms were generally more circumspect about near-term prospects for activity.

The Business Pulse rose for a third consecutive month in July, with higher readings recorded in all sectors. However there was a slight dip in Julys Consumer Pulse, with concerns around COVID-19 persisting and the new Governments shaky start doing little to boost confidence.



With the country now in Phase 3 of the re-opening roadmap, firms in all four sectors reported an improvement in trading conditions. Caution on the part of consumers, and mounting speculation about a delay to the move to Phase 4, looks to have tempered expectations for further near-term gains however. Retailers and firms in industry and services were a bit more downbeat about prospects for business activity over the next three months, with the latter also scaling back hiring plans for the time being.



Worries about the weak state of the economy were to the fore this month amid an uptick in virus cases and a shaky start for the new government. More positively though, the share of households saying that they are holding out on spending eased to 55% (from 61% at the height of the crisis), while one in four considered it a good time to purchase big ticket items (up from a trough of 13% in April).



Commenting on Bank of Irelands Julys Economic Pulse, Group Chief Economist for Bank of Ireland, Dr Loretta OSullivan said, "The Economic Pulse rose for a third month running in July, although the underlying picture was mixed. The move to Phase 3 of the re-opening roadmap helped raise business sentiment but with public health officials pointing to worrying trends relating to the virus and speculation that the move to Phase 4 may be postponed, the rebound in household confidence stalled."

She added, "Consumer sentiment data for the US, the Euro area and the United Kingdom show a similar pausing in July and clearly illustrate that the process of rebooting economies across the world will not be perfectly smooth. The additional stimulus package just announced by the Government should help, though medical advances in the battle against COVID-19 remain vital."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Dame Helena Morrissey explains why women really should rule the world, or at least run more small businesses

As the mother of six girls and three boys, I sometimes say, only half-jokingly, that the Morrissey family offers a big enough sample size for me to be quite confident that there are clear behavioural differences between the sexes.

My nine span a wide spectrum of academic abilities, personalities, creativity and very many other characteristics. But when it comes to emotions and relationships, there are certain aspects of how the girls usually behave that differ from their brothers.

The girls are emotionally attuned, quick to pick up on one family member feeling upset or not quite themselves, and keen to talk about their feelings. Our sons are generally more matter-of-fact; they wouldnt necessarily pick up on someones downbeat mood or voluntarily discuss their emotions.

There are significant variations, of course, but a gender pattern exists nonetheless.

So it is very obvious to me, both as a parent and a businesswoman, why, according to a new study, companies with greater numbers of female executives bring in ten times greater profits.

The Woman Count 2020 research found that senior management teams with at least a third of women have a net profit margin of 15.2 per cent, while those with none make just 1.5. This performance gap is costing the UK economy a potential 47 billion pre-tax profit.

The sad thing is this isnt new; there are reports dating back a decade all saying the same thing and yet it hasnt galvanised the action youd expect.

Why arent businesses more insistent on this matter? I think its because most still think of gender equality as merely a womens or equalities issue, not a business issue.

This theory that it is a business issue  i.e that more women equals greater profits  was the central argument of The 30% Club, a campaign I founded ten years ago to increase gender diversity at senior management level. So its an issue Im passionate about.

It frustrates me that all these years on were still having to prove the so-called business case for employing more women at a high level. It seems common sense to me.

I once asked a male chairman if he would join The 30% Club but he declined, thinking it was merely a womens issue. Six months later, he said he did want to join after all.

When I asked why, he told me how it had been the one woman on his board who had recently stopped them from making a potentially ruinous deal. As the only woman, she had almost said nothing  and yet she had been right. Her different perspective had saved them millions, and he realised he needed more women on the board.

It proved a penny-drop moment for the chairman. And a bittersweet reminder of my early career in finance. I, too, have been that lone woman, wary of giving my true opinion simply because I didnt want to be the annoying woman.

The Woman Count 2020 research found that senior management teams with at least a third of women have a net profit margin of 15.2 per cent, while those with none make just 1.5. (File image of Canary Wharf)

When there were three topics on the agenda I disagreed with, Id choose only one, possibly two, to speak about. Im slightly ashamed to admit that, but its the truth. If the room had been more equally split, I would have felt more able to speak up.

It was a hangover from the fact that when I first started in the City more than three decades ago women were encouraged to ape male behaviour. I even dressed like a man, wearing a sombre pin-striped suit. There wasnt any recognition  far from it  that women might bring something new and valuable to the table.

It wasnt until I encountered my boss Stewart Newton at Newton Investment that I realised I needed to be more me to really succeed. His view was that we are all different and our different perspectives are what creates success.

Over time I learned its womens powers of empathy, compassion and our more collaborative approach that companies really need.

When I became CEO of Newton, I felt like I was the first among equals rather than top dog. I knew I had to take the decisions, but they could not be unilateral decisions.

Over time I learned its womens powers of empathy, compassion and our more collaborative approach that companies really need (stock image)

The company was going through a lot of changes and didnt need a macho were going to beat this attitude. It was more about reconnecting with customers, collaborating with the team, and the approach worked: in the next 15 years, the companys assets grew from 20 bn to 50 bn.

Credit Suisse Research Institute has done a number of studies looking at companies with more female executives, and has discovered that when women contribute at the highest level, theres less tendency for firms to take big risks, for example by doing aggressive deals.

The science backs up the fact that female powers of empathy and collaboration are so beneficial. For example, Harvard Business Review ran a piece as long ago as 2011 entitled What Makes a Team Smarter? The answer: more women.

Two academics (a man and a woman) conducted experiments to see if its possible to increase the collective intelligence of a group. It turns out that the best groups, that can perform tasks well, tended to have more women in them.

In my experience theres a gap between companies intent to encourage women and their solution, which effectively is to train women to behave as men.

'I remember hearing Alison Brittain, CEO of Whitbread, (pictured) talking at a conference about different management styles,' says Dame Helena Morrissey

That is missing the point. You are not going to be able to contribute as a woman if you are having to pretend youre an honorary man. I remember hearing Alison Brittain, CEO of Whitbread, talking at a conference about different management styles.

She recalled early on in her role when one day her team had been in to see her. As they left, she overheard one say: Oh she doesnt seem to like it. Maybe something is wrong? They assumed her thoughtfulness meant she wasnt pleased with their work. She stopped them and said: Oh no, sorry! Its just my daughter has asked me to help with her quadratic equations tonight and I cant remember how to do them!

It was a lovely moment of humanity that bonded the group. In my experience, a male boss would never have let the mask slip like that.

When I started The 30% Club, I compiled a list of boards without women. There was one striking example. In its near 60-year history, this company has never had a female CEO. The results have been disastrous, with the company going into administration last year and now undergoing a restructuring.

The real shock? The company in question is Mothercare.
All the tasks of the maneuvers in the Black Sea have been completed in full.

U.S.-Ukrainian Sea Breeze 2020 drills have finished in the Black Sea.

This year, training took place only in the sea and air over the coronavirus pandemic, as reported by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's ArmyInform news agency.

In total, about 2,000 people from eight countries, over 20 ships, as well as aircraft, helicopters, etc. were involved in the drills. In addition to Ukraine and the United States, the military from Bulgaria, Georgia, Norway, Romania, Spain, and Turkey took part in the exercises.

Read alsoUSS Porter participates in Exercise Sea Breeze 2020

It is noted all the tasks of the maneuvers in the Black Sea have been completed in full. The leaders of the Sea Breeze 2020 drills from the Ukrainian and American sides thanked all the participants for the high level of professional training and effective implementation of the tasks. According to them, these exercises once again demonstrated a high level of cooperation between Ukraine and the United States and regional allies and partners to ensure readiness and interoperability in the Black Sea region.

One of the features of the latest exercises became the joint remote work of two headquarters. One headquarters was located in the Ukrainian city of Odesa, while another one was located in the city of Rota (the Kingdom of Spain) in the operational center of Destroyer Squadron 60 of the U.S. 6th Fleet. This was a kind of know-how both for Ukrainian and American naval sailors. The headquarters constantly exchanged information. All activities were planned remotely, as well as the practical implementation of the security of exercises in the Black Sea region.

Another feature of the drills was the fact that during the implementation of joint actions, the sides worked out an element of practical firing to destroy sea targets using helicopter weapons. In addition, the U.S. Navy's P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft was escorted for the first time as part of the Sea Breeze drills.

It is worth noting the practical phase of the drills was closely monitored by the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Steve Light, President of Accel Inc. We have very aggressive expansion goals and Steve is an excellent fit to help take the company to the next level, said Tara Abraham, Chairwoman of Accel Inc.

Accel Inc., a leader in contract manufacturing, packaging, and private labeling, announced that Steve Light has been named President of the company, effective November 2019. Light joins Accel Inc. from Cardinal Health, where he served as Vice President of Consumer Health. Light is an investor partner and succeeds David Abraham, who now serves as the companys CEO. Tara Abraham, who previously held the position of CEO, serves as the companys Chairwoman.

Light brings 27 years of experience across a variety of industries, starting with consulting at Arthur Andersen followed by International finance manager at DaimlerChrysler. From there, Steve had increasing leadership responsibilities in the retail industry at Kmart, Sears, Floor & Decor, and Meijer, culminating as the lead senior executive of merchandise operations for a multi-billion-dollar line of business with responsibility for pricing, inventory management, space management, global sourcing, product development, and private label brand management. He then went into healthcare as the Vice President of Consumer Health at Cardinal Health.

As President of Accel Inc., Light oversees new business development, sales and customer service, strategy, global sourcing, ecommerce, and quality assurance.

We have very aggressive expansion goals and Steve is an excellent fit to help take the company to the next level, said Tara Abraham, Chairwoman of Accel Inc. His experience and leadership are exactly what we need to scale the company very quickly with our strategic vision.

With the addition of Light, the company is positioned to focus on growing its core business as well as launching its own wellness and self-care brand called Spa-Da, and to support the venture initiatives Accel is partnering in through its new subsidiary, Capax.

Im thrilled to be a partner with Tara and David due to their strong 25 years in business and being poised for accelerated growth, said Light. They have an incredible track record of investing in the community through economic development and job creation. They contribute to charities and initiatives that make our community stronger, and I fully back their commitment to diversity and inclusion.

About Accel Inc.

Accel Inc. is a contract manufacturer and packaging company and provider of private labeling for the personal care, consumer packaged goods, food and beverage, and medical industries. Accel works with the nations leading corporations as an essential partner in their clients success by assembling products flawlessly, profitably, and to maximum consumer satisfaction. The company was founded in 1995 in Lewis Center, Ohio and anchored the Beauty Park in New Albany, Ohio in 2011. Over one hundred million finished goods travel down the production lines each year. Their mix of engineering expertise, innovative hand assembly, state of art technology, and artistic vision enables their clients to deliver products that their customers love and are environmentally responsible. In 2020, Accel is launching its own wellness and self-care brand called Spa-Da, and is partnering in venture initiatives through is new subsidiary, Capax. For more information, visit http://www.accel-inc.com.
(Bloomberg) -- The blockchain world today is thousands of disparate platforms that cant talk to each other. So a little-known startup hatched one of the most ambitious plans yet to bridge all the divides -- and its got the backing of the Chinese government.

Beijing-based Red Date Technology is at the heart of Chinas first state-backed blockchain initiative, envisioned as a one-stop hub for developers to build decentralized applications (dapps) for everything from money transactions to drug-delivery tracing. Think of it as the crypto-world equivalent of a cloud service like Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure that hooks up and supports a multitude of software and platforms. Since its April roll-out, the Blockchain-based Service Network (or BSN) has attracted more than 6,000 enterprise, government and individual users primarily from China.

Red Date, backed by the nations top economic planner, is the mastermind of the undertaking. The startups goal is to push out BSN globally, allowing anyone to create blockchain-based apps without having to then publish offerings on siloed platforms one by one, Chief Executive Officer He Yifan said.

The internet took off only after it became cheap for everyone to build websites, He said in a video interview. Our mission is to put everything blockchain-related onto BSNs platform.

Connecting fragmented blockchains is key to moving the technology underpinning cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin beyond just trades and speculation. Projects like Cosmos and Polkadot are competing to establish industry standards, much like the http protocol for the web. BSN, however, simply aspires to be the glue that joins various networks and protocols.

Its all about doing it fast and cheap, He says. BSN will support its first batch of six public blockchains including Ethereum, EOS and NEO in August, and its looking to integrate more than 100 public chains within a year, He said. By leveraging BSNs tools and data storage services, developers will be able to slash 90% off the cost of creating and running a dapp, he estimates.

Story continues

Its physically bringing the cloud resources needed online to power global blockchains, said Matthew Graham, CEO of Beijing-based crypto consultancy Sino Global Capital. BSN is the first and only project to bring this to blockchain in an agnostic way.

A former private-equity investor, the 44-year-old He founded Red Date in 2014 with his own money as a tech supplier to Chinese smart-city projects. That was when he established relationships with national champions China Mobile and UnionPay, as well as the State Information Center, a think tank under the countrys top economic planning agency. The four entities created BSN in 2018, and the three firms have since spent around 200 million yuan ($30 million) to build out the technology, He said.

The initial idea -- which the likes of Baidu Inc. and crypto exchange Huobi support -- was to provide tools to develop software on tokenless, permissioned blockchains, without worrying about the complicated infrastructure. Some of the most-popular real-world applications enabled by BSN involve government documentation and supply-chain management, He said, without naming them.

Beijing is in a love-hate relationship with blockchain: It wants to use the technology to serve the real economy, but has banned exchange trading and crowdfunding facilitated by crypto tokens like Bitcoin and Ether. Within the countrys borders, developers wont be able to use BSN to access public networks like Ethereum and NEO, which incentivize users via their digital tokens.

This, along with distrust of Chinese-made technology amid escalating geopolitical tensions, is a major obstacle to BSNs global ambitions. But BSN will set up an offshore branch to integrate with public chains, He said. Red Date, through its Hong Kong offices, will choose at least seven partners without Chinese affiliations to co-manage a new foundation dubbed BSN International, he said, adding details have yet to be finalized.

BSN will charge dapp creators fees based on their use of cloud storage space, which are deployed in global cities and purchased from companies like Amazon Web Services, He said. He estimates it will take three to five years to make the project profitable. He says Red Date wont take funding from Chinas government or state enterprises, preferring to remain independent -- even though it works hand-in-glove with a government think tank and two powerful Beijing-backed corporations. The entrepreneur said the project will become more transparent by going open-source in two to three years.

Whatever your concern is, you can check our source code, He said.

(Updates with target for open-sourcing in the penultimate paragraph)

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Seattle Police Release Bodycam Footage of Riots That Left 59 Officers Injured

Seattle police officials released body camera footage that shows portions of the rioting on Saturday that left dozens of officers injured.

The footage shows an explosive device hurled into a group of officers, who backed off as it exploded. It also shows items being thrown at officers as they face off with the rioters.

Forty-seven people were arrested after a mob disabled cameras at a construction site before setting it on fire and hurling projectiles, including rocks and bottles, at officers.

According to the Seattle Police Department, 59 officers were injured. At least one required hospital care. Injuries ranged from abrasions and bruising to burns and a torn meniscus.

Officers continually moved demonstrators away from the East Precinct after the crowd threw an explosive at the building, causing structural damage. Photographs showed an 8-inch hole blown through a wall from the explosive.

In a diagram explaining what happened, police officers said a firework device was thrown and fell between a glass window and plywood.

The confined area made the blast focus out to the street + into the [precinct], they wrote.

Detectives with the arson and bomb squad are investigating who was responsible.

Pictures showed injuries, including an abrasion and a burn, that officials said was caused by explosive devices.

A hole blown through a wall in the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct by rioters in Seattle, Wash., on July 25, 2020. (Seattle Police Department)

A Seattle police officer suffered an abrasion from an explosive device during rioting in Seattle, Wash., on July 25, 2020. (Seattle Police Department)

A Seattle police officer suffered a burn from an explosive device during rioting in Seattle, Wash., on July 25, 2020. (Seattle Police Department)

Mike Solan, president of the Seattle police union, shared an article about officers being injured by rioters.

This is clearly domestic terrorism, he said in a social media post.

City officials have not commented on the mayhem. They havent held a press briefing since July 24, when they urged demonstrators to protest peacefully. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, a Democrat, joined the mayors of five other cities in writing to members of Congress on July 20, urging them to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy federal agents to cities that dont welcome them.

Demonstrators accused the police of using unnecessary force over the weekend. Cass Bunting, 24, told the Seattle Times that he was attempting to leave around 4 p.m. when a police officer threw a device at a group of demonstrators.

I felt an explosion at my feet. I promptly lost feeling, he said, adding, Those kind of instances of brutality brings to the surface the violence of the system and the inequity and the problems that people are protesting.

Protesters confront police at the former location of the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) after a Youth Day of Action and Solidarity with Portland demonstration in Seattle, Wash., on July 25, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images)

Firefighters exit a Starbucks Coffee that was vandalized by rioters during a Youth Day of Action and Solidarity with Portland demonstration in Seattle, Wash., on July 25, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images)

Construction buildings burn near the King County Juvenile Detention Center in Seattle, Wash., on July 25, 2020. (Ted S. Warren/AP Photo)

Police officers were free to use crowd control measures like blast balls after a federal judge, the day before the rioting, halted a new City Council ordinance that would have prevented every department from owning, purchasing, renting, storing, or using crowd control weapons.

Police Chief Carmen Best said in a statement July 25 morning that officers would be carrying pepper spray and blast balls, as would be typical for events that carry potential to include violence.

The department would not use tear gas, she added.

Some federal agents were sent to Seattle last week to protect federal properties, U.S. Attorney Brian Moran confirmed. No federal agents appeared to help local police during the rioting over the weekend, and no federal buildings appeared to be targeted by rioters.

President Donald Trump on Monday said on social media that federal officers are little involved in the city, except for a large standby team in case of emergency.
PC Andrew Harper, above left, and his widow Lissie, who has spoken of her grief on their wedding anniversary. (PA Images)

The widow of PC Andrew Harper has written of her heartbreak at spending their first wedding anniversary without him.

The newlywed 28-year-old police officer was killed as he responded to a quad bike theft in Berkshire last year.

Three teenagers were convicted of his manslaughter following an Old Bailey trial, a lesser offence than murder, which his widow Lissie said left her immensely disappointed.

Writing on Facebook, Lissie reflected on the couples wedding day and said it felt like only yesterday that I stood in front of a vision of hope and happiness and love.

She said their first anniversary should have been wildly different, instead of celebrating with you on our first anniversary, I am alone in utter disbelief.

I feel as though I have lost a limb, except its so much worse than that, because actually Ive lost the best part of myself.

PC Andrew Harper's widow Lissie wrote about their first anniversary. (Facebook)

She added: I will spend the rest of my days never understanding the meaning of this cruelty, how the bad are allowed to live and the simply perfect souls are taken from this place of wondrous beauty, natural creations, injustice and bewildering pain.

Henry Long, 19, and Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 18, face jail for PC Harpers manslaughter.

The officer became entangled in a tow rope attached to their Seat Toledo as he tried to stop them stealing a quad bike.

PC Andrew Harper, left, died after responding to a crime. (PA Images)

He was dragged for more than a mile and suffered catastrophic injuries.

Long, who the court heard drove off at breakneck speed, was cleared of murder at the Old Bailey on Friday but pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

All three teenagers say they did not know the officer was trapped in the rope and their defence said the incident was a freak event that could not have been foreseen.

The prosecution argued they must have known that PC Harper, standing at more than 6ft tall and weighing 14 stone, was tangled and being dragged.

The three are due to be sentenced on 31 July.
Kosovos foreign minister said that she asked Apple to correct her countrys borders in its maps.

Meliza Haradinaj posted in her Twitter page on Sunday that she had written a letter to Apple chief executive Tim Cook to take immediate steps to correctly present Kosovos internationally recognised borders in its AppleMap Service.

On those maps, Kosovo is shown as part of Serbia, something the minister said was in in direct contradiction of the political and legal realities.

Kosovo seceded from Serbia after a 1998-99 war that ended with a 78-day Nato air campaign against Serbian troops.

On July 23rd, Ive written an official letter of request to @Apple CEO @tim_cook to take immediate steps to correctly present #Kosovos internationally recognized borders in its AppleMaps Service. Due action expected. pic.twitter.com/QreouxYxk1  Meliza Haradinaj (@MelizaHaradinaj) July 26, 2020

Kosovo, dominated by ethnic Albanians, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move recognised by some 100 countries, but not by Serbia.

It is felt as a hurt by our citizens who suffered immense losses in our independence struggle, Ms Haradinaj tweeted.

It is also perceived as an insult to our state

Ms Haradinaj mentioned that other digital service providers like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Spotify had updated their platform, menus and options to correctly represent the Republic of Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state.

Apple did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
This weekend Malaga Airport was celebrating reaching the figure of 200 flights a day, an important milestone in the Costa del Sol's road to recovery after the Covid-19 crisis,

The industry's optimism was shortlived, however, as on Saturday night the British's government's decision to impose a 14-day quarantine on all travellers arriving from Spain came as a heavy blow.

No sooner had the news been released, TUI, one of the world's leading tour operators, announced the cancellation of all package holidays from the UK to mainland Spain until 9 August.

One of the biggest victims on the Costa del Sol is the Holiday World group, due on Sunday to receive 150 British tourists who never arrived. CEO of the hotel arm of the group, Mari Francis Penarroya, said that TUI had informed them of the decision to cancel just an hour after the British government's statement on Saturday and that the news meant they would have to rethink the entire summer as they were due to receive the passengers of two flights a week throughout August.

"The situation is really tough; we hope things will be better in September and we can recover something of what we've lost," she said.

Sunday also saw the postponement of the filming of an episode of the CNN programme Quest's World of Wonder due to take place on Tuesday on the Costa del Sol.

Industry protests

Following the British government's announcement, on the grounds that the number of Covid-19 cases was increasing in Spain, the regional and provincial tourism authorities stressed on Sunday that the spread of the virus was under control on the Costa del Sol and in Andalucia.

The Costa del Sol tourism authority, Turismo Costa del Sol, called for a safe travel corridor between the UK and Andalucia, similar to the ones the Spanish government is negotiating for the Canaries and Balearics.

In a letter sent to Spain's Foreign Minister, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, the organisation's president, Francisco Salado, called on Monday for the Costa del Sol Airport to be included in all the negotiations with the UK government to establish safe travel corridors excluded from the quarantine obligation.

Salado went on to remind the central government of the importance of British toruism for the Costa del Sol, with the airport receiving around three million visitors from the Uk every year.

He also added that around 50,000 Britons live in the province of Malaga.

The organisation's president, Francisco Salado, said the decision was a "tremendous injustice" and blamed the Catalan government, saying it had not "done its homework". The leaders, he said, spend all day taking about self-government but then are not capable of managing their powers or working to curb the spread of the disease."

The vice-president of the Junta de Andalucia and regional minister for Tourism, Juan Marin, described the UK's decision to re-impose self-isolation on travellers from Spain as "very bad news" for the region. He said that the decision would have negative repercussions, especially for the Costa del Sol.

Hoteliers' reaction

The president of the Costa del Sol hoteliers association Aehcos, Luis Callejon, said on Sunday that now "the summer is dead" as far as they're concerned, and warned that the decision would cause many hotels to rethink their plans to open in August.

"We were getting bookings from the British, but now they've fallen to zero," he said.

Callejon admitted that the cancellation of TUI's package tours would be especially damaging for the Costa del Sol, as many establishments were relying on those clients to stay afloat. He also expressed his fears that the measure could lead to other countries such as Germany and France taking the same decision.

Restaurant and bar owners also expressed their dismay at the decision on Sunday. President of the association of beach business owners, Manuel Villafaina, said that the absence of British visitors would be especially noticed by the sunbed rental services.

Meanwhile British tourists already on the Costa del Sol, complained about the lack of official information about the restrictions waiting for them on arrival back home.

Many of them, as well as Spanish residents heading back to the UK, expressed their concerns about the self-isolation requirement and how this would affect their work.
Oil markets sent some mixed signals last week as bullish and bearish data continued to influence prices. The COVID-19 situation in the United States raised some uncertainty over the prospects of demand recovery, while the announcement of a vaccine by the University of Oxford provided significant price support and optimism.

A 2nd wave of COVID-19 may be on the horizon

Markets were increasingly concerned about a 2nd wave of COVID-19 over the past week as data reflected a sharp rise in the number of cases. We have always been very cautious about raising our demand forecast during the 2nd half of 2020. Rystad Energy now forecasts demand in 2020 to stand at 89.7 million bbl/d while considering a 2nd wave as a base scenario, which is 0.65 million bbl/d below our forecast, and significantly less than the latest forecast of OPEC, IEA, and the EIA. Yet the impact of a 2nd wave on global demand is not expected to be as bad as the first demand shock last April as the world is far more prepared to handle lockdown measures in a more local manner. Yet, the impact may continue to weigh on crude markets in 2021 and beyond as fuel demand continues to suffer due to movement restrictions.

Deteriorating US-China relations continue to weigh on the markets

The deteriorating relationship between the United States and China continues to weigh on the global markets. Last week, the US government ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, accusing it of spying activities under the guise of diplomatic work, while China retaliated by ordering the United States to shut down its consulate in Chengdu. Furthermore, the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the United States and the introduction of lockdown measures in some states led to rising concerns about the speed of demand recovery in the worlds largest petroleum consuming economy. According to John Hopkins University, the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States exceeded 4 million, with 15.4 million cases confirmed globally. In addition, 1.42 million US citizens have filed for unemployment benefits over the past week. The US President issued a warning that the COVID-19 crisis is likely to worsen, harming the US economic recovery. It is expected that the US congress will agree on a new stimulus package as extended unemployment benefits will expire at the end of the month. Concerns over the US economy led to a weakening US dollar, reflected by the US dollar index which closed at 94.38, down by 1.57% w/w. However, a weaker US dollar has encouraged buying of dollar denominated commodities including oil and gold which have become more affordable to holders of other currencies. Gold rose to historical levels trading above $1900 last week, which was mainly driven by the ongoing US-China political tension, fears of a global recession and a weakening US dollar. Related: Is The Bottom Finally In Sight For U.S. Drilling Rigs?

Price spike was not only due weakening US dollar, but also bullish demand sentiment

In what can be seen as bullish news for oil markets, EU leaders have agreed to a 750 billion economic stimulus for the euro-zone. In addition to this, the University of Oxford has announced promising results from its vaccine clinical trials suggesting that the vaccine could be introduced by September. These bullish factors have contributed to a price spike in Brent and WTI which traded above $44 and $41, respectively, last week. If the vaccine proves to be successful, the potential impact on the global economy would be dramatic, as shown by the sharp rise in prices last week.

Additional bearish data from the United States with rebounding drilling activities

Bearish data last week came in the form of a slight rise in the U.S. oil rig count, which capped the rally last week. The U.S. oil rig count rose to 181 active oil rigs, up by 1 rig w/w. Drillers were incentivized the rise in WTI crude, which has been holding above $40 over the past couple of weeks. We expect a further increase in U.S. oil rigs over the next few weeks as prices continue to rise.

Furthermore, the EIA reported a rise of 4.9 million barrels w/w in the commercial crude inventories. Although this was less than what was reported by the API (7.9 million barrels), it raises serious concerns about the recovery in oil demand. Next to the rise in crude inventories, the EIA reported a decline in gasoline stocks by 1.8 million barrels w/w, and a rise in distillates stocks by 1.1 million barrels w/w. U.S. refinery runs declined to 14.206 million bbl/d, down by 103 thousand bbl/d w/w signalling a decline in fuel demand due to new lockdown measures in some states. Additionally, U.S. crude oil production rose to 11.1 million bbl/d, up by 0.1 million bbl/d w/w. Bearish inventory data led to Brent closing the day lower last Tuesday and Wednesday. In the light of a slow economic recovery, we currently expect prices to be limited not only by staggering demand in the United States, but also by a rise in U.S. drilling activity and a rebound of production rates.

By Yousef Alshammari for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The armed forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey will start joint exercises on Wednesday two weeks after deadly hostilities on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border which led Ankara to promise more military assistance to Baku.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced on Monday that the large-scale exercises will involve warplanes and artillery and air-defense systems. It did not specify the number of soldiers that will take part in them.

A ministry statement cited by Azerbaijani news agencies said ground forces of the two states will simulate joint operations in Baku and Azerbaijans Nakhichevan exclave from August 1-5. It said separate drills involving the Turkish and Azerbaijani air forces will be held in these and three other locations from July 29 through August 10.

The ministry also said that the war games will take place in accordance with a Turkish-Azerbaijani defense treaty and an annual plan of bilateral military cooperation. It did not link them with the July 12 outbreak of heavy fighting at a western section of Azerbaijans border with Armenia which lasted for several days and left at least 17 soldiers dead.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the drills. A ministry spokeswoman said they are part of Bakus provocative actions aimed at obstructing international mediators efforts to de-escalate the situation at the border and kick-start Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks.

Turkey has blamed Armenia for the flare-up and reaffirmed its full support for Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Yerevan has decried the Turkish reaction, accusing Ankara of trying to destabilize the region, undercutting international efforts to resolve the conflict and posing a serious security threat to Armenia.

Immediately after the border clashes, a high-level Azerbaijani army delegation flew to Ankara for talks with Turkeys top military and defense industry officials. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told it that the Armenians will certainly pay for what they have done to his countrys main regional ally. Another Turkish official expressed readiness to supply Turkish-made military drones and missiles to the Azerbaijani army.

Such statements fuelled speculation about a direct Turkish intervention in the Karabakh conflict. Successive Armenian governments have relied on a military alliance with Russia and, in particular, the presence of a Russian military base in Armenia to prevent such a scenario. The base has up to 5,000 soldiers mostly deployed along the closed Armenian-Turkish border.

Analysts believe Moscow would strongly oppose Turkish military presence in a region regarded by it as a zone of Russian geopolitical influence. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged Ankara to exercise restraint in its reaction to the upsurge in Armenian-Azerbaijani tensions when he spoke with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu by phone on July 23.

The Turkish and Azerbaijani militaries have held joint exercises on an annual basis for the last several years. They will apparently combine ground troop maneuvers with air force drills for the first time.

Russian-Armenian exercises are also held regularly. A military official in Yerevan said last week that an Armenian army regiment and the Russian troops in Armenia will take part in Russias Caucasus-2020 war games scheduled for September.

In preparation for these drills, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on July 17 a snap "combat readiness check" of some 150,000 troops deployed in Russias southern and western military districts bordering. Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov telephoned his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoygu the following day to discuss the military event. Shoygu reportedly assured him that it is not connected with the latest escalation in the Karabakh conflict zone.
Targeting the government yet again on China border issue, Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that he will continue to bring truth in front of the people even if it negatively impacts his political career. Gandhi tweeted a video of himself in which he could be heard saying, "I do not mind if my whole career goes to hell, but I am not going to lie about the Indian territory".

Gandhi also said, "The Chinese have occupied Indian land. Hiding the truth and allowing them to take it is anti-national. Bringing it to people's attention is patriotic (sic),"

The Chinese have occupied Indian land. Hiding the truth and allowing them to take it is anti-national. Bringing it to people's attention is patriotic. pic.twitter.com/H37UZaFk1x - Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 27, 2020

"As an Indian, my number one priority is the nation and its people. Now it's pretty clear that the Chinese have entered our territory. It disturbs me... it makes my blood boil. How can some other nation just come into our territory?," he added.

He goes on to say, "If you as a politician want me to keep quiet and lie to my people... when I have seen the satellite photos... I speak to army people... If you want me to lie that Chinese have not entered the country, I simply am not going to do it. I don't mind even if my career goes to hell. I think the people who are lying about the Chinese not entering our country are the people who are not nationalists... they are not patriotic."

At the end of the video Gandhi says, "I don't care if I don't have a political career after that but I am going to say the truth as far as the India territory is concerned."

This is not the first video or tweet that Gandhi has posted on Twitter criticising the BJP-led government. Ever since the coronavirus outbreak started Gandhi's tweets criticising the government's response to the pandemic have been a constant feature. He also started to talk about China after the Galwan Valley incident.

Replying to Gandhi's constant attacks, the BJP last week had slammed the Congress party saying that it has now become a "party of tweets". "Rahul Gandhi is tweeting on a daily basis. It seems the Congress will become a party of tweets as they are doing no work among the people and losing one leader after another. A frustrated and depressed party is trying to launch all sorts of attacks on the government," Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said.

Also Read: 'Please don't extend loan moratorium': HDFC's Deepak Parekh pleads to RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das

Also Read: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das highlights 5 bright spots in Indian economy
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 19:53:45|Editor: huaxia

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Locals wave to tourists at a resort in Lunang Township, Nyingchi, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 26, 2020. Lunang is described as an oxygen bar with alpine beauty comparable to that of Switzerland. Tourists flock to the township to escape from the summer heat and enjoy the natural beauty here. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)
July 27 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

BHP Group Plc has developed its own COVID-19 contact-tracing app and is in talks to share the technology more widely in Chile as the country battles the pandemic. https://bit.ly/39wMduo

A surge in demand for recipe food boxes has prompted Gousto to create a thousand new jobs after doubling sales since the start of the year. https://bit.ly/2X1N9Sq

The Guardian

Everyone over 40 in United Kingdom would start contributing towards the cost of care in later life under radical plans being studied by ministers to finally end the crisis in social care, the Guardian can reveal. https://bit.ly/302w901

Debenhams has put itself up for sale in a last-ditch attempt to prevent a fall into liquidation. The 242-year-old department store chain this weekend appointed investment bank Lazard to oversee the sale process and hopes to secure a buyer before the end of September. https://bit.ly/30NX2UT

The Telegraph

Darktrace has dropped one of its two chief executives, Nicole Eagan, and moved the former boss to head of strategy as it prepares for a float next year. https://bit.ly/3g3GgHG

Sky News

The UK government has warned it "won't hesitate" to add more countries to its quarantine list at short notice - despite anger among Britons who went to Spain unaware they would have to isolate for two weeks upon returning. https://bit.ly/300p1RN

TUI AG has cancelled all holidays to mainland Spain for two weeks after Britain imposed a quarantine on those returning from the country. https://bit.ly/30M8r7G (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)
Michigan Online Poker to Move Forward Without Sharing Player Pool

July 27, 2020

A report published last week on Online Poker Report about the ongoing legalization efforts in Michigan contained two important pieces of news for players in that state and other legal poker locales. One of those pieces will be welcome, the other less so.

The good news: an expected early 2021 launch of online gambling has been revised a bit, with a 2020 launch now potentially looming.

The bad: said launch seems unlikely to be a joyous occasion for anyone outside of Michigan.

COVID-19 Incentivizes Haste

A Michigan Gaming Control Board rep told OPR that a fall 2020 launch of online wagering in Michigan is possible "if all goes well."

When the act authorizing online gambling was signed into law at the end of 2019  after a false start at the end of 2018  a timeline that called for 2021 at the earliest was outlined.

However, the spread of COVID-19, which has forced the closure of many a casino across the U.S., had shut down the state's three commercial casinos in Detroit for the time being.

As with any state hosting legalized gambling, the monies brought in by taxes on the casinos play a vital role in Michigan's economy and budget. The casinos shipped more than $184 million to the city and just shy of another $118 million to the state in 2019.

In an effort to recoup some of that lost money, things have apparently been expedited on the online front, and a best-case scenario would peg the launch of online poker in Michigan at sometime in September.

As for what sort of money could be made from online poker revenues, Michigan boasts a similar-sized population to New Jersey, making it a decent lens through which to compare even if live poker doesn't quite have as much popularity in Michigan as it does on the East Coast.

Over the past several months, New Jersey has been pulling in about $4 million per month ($) in poker revenues, according to Poker Industry PRO. While that won't exactly make anyone forget about $184 million, it isn't nothing, and it doesn't take into account online sports, real money slots, and other action.

No Language on Shared Player Pools

With a population just shy of 10 million, Michigan would be an extremely welcome addition to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement that to date allows New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware to share their players into one pool, greatly expanding the liquidity of the U.S. legal online poker scene.

However, it appears that, at least at launch, Michigan will follow Pennsylvania's path of setting up a ring-fenced market and treading cautiously before jumping into the pool.

OPR reported the first draft of the rules for operators makes no mention of allowing or joining shared liquidity. The silver lining is a state senator maintained it's still in the plans.

It's possible that continued anxiety over the ongoing battle over the Wire Act caused lawmakers to delay any planned interstate poker attempts until that situation has been resolved. While some experts peg the states resisting the government's shutdown attempt a solid favorite, states like Michigan may be hesitant to dedicate resources to a project that could be nixed by an unfavorable ruling in the near future.

The potential of the U.S. market has really yet to be tapped thanks to in large part to this legal struggle. The size of the player pool would nearly triple if Michigan and Pennsylvania joined in, which would provide a massive liquidity boost and give operators the impetus to offer a better product. Everyone would win, especially the players, but for now, the addition of Michigan to the legal landscape looks likely to help only Michiganders in the immediate future.
An emergency room physician got infected from COVID-19 due to his exposure. He also had a stroke and now reunited with his family after recovering from the virus.

Dr. Grant Lashley contracted the virus as one of the frontliners in the country in fighting the infectious and deadly disease and at the same time taking care of the COVID-19 patients. After almost a month as an ER physician, he tested positive for the virus.

He fought the virus for three months and was separated from his family. The worst part, he was nearly in death because he was put on a ventilator for 39 days. It is painful to imagine that a doctor who once took care of patients is now being taken care of.

Fortunately, after three months of grueling battle against the virus, Dr. Grant Lashley has finally recovered from the virus and is now reunited with his family. In a published article in ABC News, you can see how overjoyed his three children were when they were united with their father.

His wife, Dr. Melissa Harrington, told a news outlet that there were days they thought that her husband could not survive the intensive care. She also knew as a physician that getting out of the ICU was just the beginning of the long road to recovery.

He spent six week weeks at the TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston. He said, "It's humbling to say, 'help me put my socks on, help me go to the bathroom, help me go to the shower. All those things that we just take for granted."

After 96 days or over 3 months of grueling battle against the virus, the hospital staff at the TIRR Memorial Hermann were very happy as he departed the facility. They are also happy to know that he is now reunited with his family. In an interview with Dr. Lashley, he said that it was overwhelming and exciting.

He also shared that now that he slowly recovered from the virus he can now walk on his own, and he added that to be able to walk again was his goal. He said this after he suffered from a stroke he had as a complication of the virus.

Dr. Grant Lashley recalled that the first week was rough because they are getting new things and to do new activities. He also knew that every one of them was at first very challenging. However, despite this, he told the that he will do the wheelchair and walker for a little while until he can walk without the support of anything.

Dr. Nikola Dragojlovic, his attending physician, told the ANC News that when Dr. Lashley arrived in the hospital with weakness in his arms and legs due to a loss of muscle mass from a stroke. Dr. Dragojlovic said that it was as part of his complication from the virus.

His physician said, "It's happening to people with COVID. It's not just a breathing disease, people get neurologic impairments like loss of strength, or they can develop a stroke or loss of circulation in the arms and legs that can contribute to weakness and loss of independence as well."

Dr. Grant Lashly is now with her wife and three children in their home in Lafayette, Louisiana. Her wife said that her husband's experience gave her empathy for other families who are going through similar challenges in life as they faced COVID-19.

Check this out!
The U.S. is the worlds third largest exporter of dairy products, but the federal order system may not be giving American farmers much competitive advantage to improve the demand of those exports, the panelists of the July 22 Hoards Dairyman DairyLivestream agreed.

A major hindrance is the retroactive pricing by class. We dont know what the price of the milk is until after its been received and run and put into a product, pointed out Kevin Ellis, CEO of the Cayuga Milk Ingredients plant in upstate New York near Canada. That type of system doesnt lend itself to be able to forward price on the world stage like all the customers on the world market want.

By comparison, the number two exporter in the world, the European Union, can price products three months out for customers, Ellis said. New Zealand is the top global exporter and could price a whole year in advance, since they only pay farmers once each year, he added.

Ellis explained that forward pricing is an option as risk management through the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), but the volatility of that market doesnt make it a very desirable tool. The combination of these factors encourages processors to make the products with the least risk.

In the current system, that means making commodities, said Ted Jacoby, CEO of T.C. Jacoby and Company. But commodities dont allow for much flexibility or upgrading to value-added products that customers need and want, he continued.

Jacoby pointed to the example of Ireland marketing its Kerrygold butter. That value-added product is now the second-leading brand of butter in the U.S. A similar path has been found with many specialty European cheeses. That type of presence in international markets must be the goal for American producers and processors, Jacoby predicted. The U.S. really wants to be not just a long-term player in the export market, but a long-term player whos going to bring value-added products, which ultimately means were going to be able to pay our farmers more, he described.

The choice to stay

Dairy economist Mark Stephenson reminded that although the federal order system has some shortcomings, it was designed and implemented to solve different problems than the ones we face today. Federal orders begin, and almost end, with fluid milk, he noted. Only fluid plants must be regulated by the system. Theres an incentive most of the time to be in that pool and be regulated, but it is a choice, he continued.

So why dont processors choose to leave the limiting system? Ellis attributed it to the specialization that the federal order system allows. We have an advantage as a Class IV plant because were not diversified, he said. As specialists, we have to compete with other specialists in our arena.

By contrast, dairy processors in Europe, where there is no federal order system, produce a much wider array of products. They in essence have their own federal order system inside the company walls, Ellis realized.

Being part of a challenging federal order system is better than not being in it at this point. We could depool and drop out of the federal order system, but the world market return for the price of our so-called Class IV milk will result in a lower pay price to our farmers, described Ellis. We participate because its part of the system.

Jacoby elaborated that, in the last 20 years, the percentage of U.S. milk solids exported has risen from 3.5% to 17% this May. Thats putting stress on our federal order system. The federal order system wasnt designed to take into account the fact that were exporting that large of a percentage of our milk, and were going to have those international forces affecting our milk price, he stated.

This isnt a challenge that will be solved overnight, but its worth a second look. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on more than a few food production shortcomings, Stephenson noted. These could make our industries look closer at the trend of specialization.

If you havent joined a DairyLivestream broadcast yet, register here. Registering once registers you for all future events.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2020

July 27, 2020
Q: My partner just bought a very expensive car, and he doesnt have me on the loan papers. He is 78 years old. If he dies before the loan is paid off, would I be held responsible for the remainder of the loan? Could I sell it or just let them repossess it? (We are not married.)

A: Any unpaid amounts on the loan as of your partners date of death will be a debt of his estate. That means other estate assets will be needed to pay off the debt.

If there are insufficient funds to pay the debt, or if the debt is not paid for some other reason, the car dealer could repossess the car, but the estate will still be liable for any debt in excess of the cars value, plus other repossession costs.

It will be the job of your partners executor to deal with the car. That person might be you, but you would need to read his will to see whom he has appointed to serve as executor. The executor could sell the car, and that may result in a better outcome for the estate, especially if the loan exceeds the cars value.

Q: Upon graduating from high school 59 years ago, I bought a life insurance policy from a former classmate. I forget the name of the company, and I probably paid for only one year of coverage. How long is that policy valid? What happens to the money I paid once the policy lapses?

A: With no record of the policy and no idea of the companys name, it is safe to conclude that the policy lapsed and no longer exists.

The policy had value until the premium you paid ran out. The policy might have been a term policy, meaning it lasted one year at a time, and when you stopped paying, it lapsed. It might also have been a whole life policy in which the amount you paid was used to pay premiums until that amount ran out.

The amounts you paid were used by the insurance company to cover the cost of providing life insurance to you, plus administration expenses.

Q: I have a medical power of attorney. I want to switch the order of my sons who are named as my agents. Do I need a lawyer, or can I make the changes on my paperwork and then have it notarized?

A: You need to sign a new medical power of attorney.

You can do this yourself by going to texaslawhelp.org. Once there, search for medical power of attorney, and you will find their Estate Planning Kit of documents.

The information in this column is intended to provide a general understanding of the law, not legal advice. Readers with legal problems, including those whose questions are addressed here, should consult attorneys for advice on their particular circumstances. Ronald Lipman of the Houston law firm Lipman & Associates is board-certified in estate planning and probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Email questions to stateyourcase@lipmanpc.com.
Brussels-based European EU Reporter multimedia news platform published an article titled "Unprecedented attack on a diplomatic mission of Azerbaijan in Europe" on July 25.

The article, describing illegal actions committed by the Armenian diaspora in Belgium (Comite des Armeniens de Belgique - https://www.armencom.be) in front of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the administrative building of the country's representation in the EU, said that a violent rally accompanied by acts of vandalism by Armenian diaspora took place in front the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Brussels.

"This was the continuation of the very recent attack to the premises of the Embassy on 19 July 2020," the article said.

This is apparently continuation of radical Armenian rallies and attacks on Azerbaijan in other parts of the world, including Paris, Los Angeles, Netherlands, and Warsaw, said the article. The consequences of this rally were clearly a violation of international law, namely the international obligations envisaged in Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961."

"The victims of this attack are Belgian nationals and all MEPs call on the Belgian government to show determination and act in accordance with Belgian law and its international obligations as a host country to punish all those involved in such violence in the heart of Europe," the article said.

The article also included a video posted on the Instagram page of the Armenian Diaspora in Europe, which clearly exposes the mentioned atrocities. This is documentary evidence that reveals the essence of Armenia.

Following several days of intense armed clashes, after Armenia made a gross ceasefire violation and launched attacks in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district, Azerbaijanis living abroad started staging peaceful protests, calling to put an end to Armenia's aggressive occupation policy.

The rallies were met with harsh response from the Armenian diaspora members.

According to the statement of Azerbaijan's State Committee on Work with Diaspora, Azerbaijanis living abroad were injured as a result of provocations organized by radical representatives of Armenian diaspora.

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.

--

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Golden age Hollywood star Olivia de Havilland, best known for Gone with the Wind, has died, aged 104.

She died of natural causes in Paris, where she has resided since 1953.

Miss De Havilland is widely referred to as the eldest star of her generation, with a career spanning more than five decades.

She played Southern belle Melanie in Gone With the Wind in 1939, landing her first Academy Award nomination. Her earliest credit was in 1935s Alibi Ike.

I felt very drawn to Melanie, de Havilland later said.

She was a complex personality compared to the heroines Id been playing over and over.

De Havilland made 50 movies in her career and nine were with Aussie Errol Flynn, including Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Adventures of Robin Hood and They Died With Their Boots On.

Other credits include The Dark Mirror, The Snake Pit, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, Devotion, The Swarm and The Fifth Musketeer.

In 1943 de Havilland began a legal battle with Warner Bros over the conditions of her contract.

She won in court, weakening the major studios dominance over actors.

But challenging a powerful studio had been a risky career move and she did not make a movie for three years.

She was the older sister (by 15 months) and rival of actress Joan Fontaine, who died in 2013, aged 96. Fontaine won her only Oscar in 1942 for Suspicion, beating out fellow nominee de Havilland. Four years later when de Havilland won for To Each His Own, Fontaine extended a congratulatory hand at the ceremony but de Havilland did not acknowledge her. The sisters stopped speaking altogether in 1975 after their mother died.

Days before her 101st birthday, she sued FX and Ryan Murphy Productions over how she was portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones in Feud: Bette and Joan, but an appeals court ruled against her in March 2018.

Her television credits include North and South: Book II, Roots: The Next Generations, Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana, The Love Boat, and The Big Valley.

In 2004 she said, It was the character of Melanie that attracted me most because of her admirable qualities and the values that meant so much to her and meant so much to me.

I wanted to perpetuate these values. And the perfect way to do that of course would be to play the part of Melanie.

Source: Hollywood Reporter, ABC
The Acquisition Will Enhance Its Risk Advisory Services Capabilities. The firm took a step forward to meet its private division services ambitions

Singapore, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wilmer Gibson, a leading financial services firm providing world-class wealth management services, has announced the acquisition of a Singapore based insurance specialist and risk advisory business. Detailed information related to the name of the acquired firm and specific terms of the transaction will be disclosed once the ongoing regulatory and contract signing process will be finished.



Commenting on the acquisition, Carver Yang, Chief Executive Officer at Wilmer Gibson, said: This addition proves our commitment to growing our private client business through strengthening our proposition to high net worth customers including established wealthy, business owners, and potential new customers. As the industry continues to develop, Wilmer Gibson is uniquely placed to benefit from industry disruption given its trusted brand and deep client relationships. As a business, our primary interest is to lead the market in wealth advisory and professional services in our targeted client segments, this acquisition will strengthen our risk advisory services and provide to our customers more security.

Our team focus is to accelerate growth through attracting high quality and strategically aligned advisers. The new acquired firm fits right with our integrated professional services model, which promotes deeper client engagement through an integrated approach, enabling clients to gain access to a team of specialists. Our current and future customers will have the opportunity to benefit from a highly focused expertise in risk mitigation and investment insurance solutions. Combined - our firms are committed to growing the business and expanding service offerings and capabilities to clients, added Mr. Yang.

The Managing Partner of the acquired firm, said: We are pleased our clients will have the opportunity to access Wilmer Gibsons suite of service offerings including investment advice, financial management and better global fixed income. For our firm, its also about setting ourselves up for the future and ensuring the financial well-being and needs of our clients are taken care of. Wilmer Gibsons deep risk services and investment advice, customers relationships thru many successful years are key strengths of its long-life activity and customers are looking for a reliable brand and quality advice model now more than ever.

Story continues

About Wilmer Gibson

Wilmer Gibson is a leading financial services firm providing a wide range of investment solutions, securities, investment management and wealth management services. Our team consists of industry-leading investment professionals deep in talent, ideas and experience  all dedicated to providing our clients with a world-class experience in the management of their wealth. Wilmer Gibson is committed to preserving customers capital, managing risk, and delivering strong long-term investment returns over differing economic and market cycles. Our success in developing long-term client relationships is founded on common values, a thorough understanding of our clients goals and a keen desire to earn and keep their trust and confidence.

Media Details

Haiden Luo

+65-855-5685-5

http://wilmer-gibson.com

News Via: KISS PR Story News https://story.kisspr.com




Indias shift towards US companies for technology investments and partnerships fits well with the present governments Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives, say experts.

Strained ties with China, in the wake of the Galwan Valley face-off, are driving Indian tech start-ups to look to the US for investments and partnerships.

Opposed to a recent trend where Chinese investors were making serious inroads into the Indian technology ecosystem, Indian companies are attracting a series of blockbuster investments from US tech giants such as Google and Facebook as well as large companies and private equity firms, say industry insiders and analysts.

Nearly 30 per cent of about $10 billion invested in Indian tech start-ups in 2019 came from investors based in China, including Hong Kong.

However, this is about to change as Chinese investors are expected to put planned investments in the country on hold.

In April, the Centre had changed foreign direct investment norms and introduced a pre-clearance mechanism on investments from China.

The face-off changed everything. Because of Chinas actions, India is moving towards the US fold and the Western alliance.

"American firms are coming into India fast to invest in the companies here, said Manjeet Kripalani, executive director at foreign policy think-tank Gateway House.

It is a much better bargain than having China embedded in the country.

There has been a series of large investments by US firms in India recently, including Googles $10 billion India digitisation fund, and retailer Walmart investing an additional $1.2 billion in its Indian arm Flipkart.

Facebook invested $5.7 billion in April in Jio Platforms, the digital arm of Reliance Industries (RIL).

Google announced a $4.5 billion investment in Jio Platforms.

Jio has raised $20 billion in three months from firms based in the US, including private equity firms Silver Lake and KKR.

In June, Edtech start-up Byjus became a decacorn and crossed $10.5-billion valuation after raising nearly $100 million from Silicon Valley investor Mary Meeker's Bond Capital.

Before that Byjus had raised $200 from Tiger Global and another $200 million from General Atlantic.

Experts said these investments reflect that the global geopolitics is forcing companies to choose between the US and China, and driving investment decisions in technology space.

It is clear that India is aligning with the US.

"A lot of the China-specific moves were already in the works, and the current set of global events and border tensions just became the catalysts for their implementation, said Anand Prasanna, managing partner at Iron Pillar, a venture growth investor specialising in technology investments in India.

And US companies are seeing this as an opportunity to access the large Indian market without the threat of Chinese competition.

The Indian digital market includes 450 million smartphone users - expected to increase to 900 million by 2025, thanks to low data consumption costs, and a fast-growing middle class, according to Blaise Fernandes, director at Gateway House.

Referring to the World Economic Forum report, he said the consumer spending in India will grow from $1.5 trillion to $6 trillion by 2030, making the country the third-largest consumer market in the world.

China quietly had created a significant place for itself in India during the last five years - in the technology domain.

Unable to persuade India to sign on to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China had entered the Indian market through venture investments in start-ups and penetrated the online ecosystem with its popular smartphones and their applications (apps), according to Gateway House.

Chinese investors, such as Alibaba, Tencent, and Xiaomi, have collectively invested billions of dollars in the Indian start-up space.

According to Gateway House, 18 of Indias 30 unicorns are Chinese-funded.

Salman Waris, managing partner at TechLegis Advocates and Solicitors, said Indias shift towards US companies for technology investments and partnerships fits well with the present governments Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives.

This is unlike the Chinese investors whose primary strategic interest of Indian investments was to secure a long-term big market for Chinese products, said Waris.

Kazim Rizvi, founder of policy think-tank The Dialogue, said Chinas mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic, surveillance risks through its 5G technology and its aggressive misadventures at Ladakh have resulted in a loss of trust in major countries for the worlds most populated country.

This has provided India a critical opportunity to be an alternative to China by driving the next phase of digital, as well as economic growth globally, said Rizvi.

The investments by Google and Facebook to the tune of almost $16 billion demonstrate Indias enhanced position as a global digital force to reckon with.

Ankur Pahwa, partner and national leader, e-commerce and consumer internet at consultancy EY India, said digital transformation in India is on steroids and the pace at which data is consumed and used is a significant opportunity for most international players.
SEATTLE - Protests in several major cities across the country turned violent this weekend, as weeks of civil unrest and clashes between activists and authorities boiled over, sending thousands of people teeming into public squares demanding racial justice.

From Los Angeles, to Richmond, to Omaha, police and protesters clashed in another tumultuous night that saw scores arrested after demonstrators took the streets and police in some cities dispersed crowds with tear gas and pepper spray.

In Austin, a man was shot and killed in the midst of a downtown rally. In Richmond, a truck was set ablaze outside police headquarters. Outside of Denver, a Jeep sped through a phalanx of people marching down an Interstate, when a shot was fired injuring a protestor, police said.

The focal point of the protests continued to be in the Pacific Northwest, where a week of clashes between activists and federal agents in Portland, Ore. pumped new energy into a movement that began in the wake of George Floyd's death in police custody in Minneapolis over Memorial Day weekend.

In Portland, the authorities declared a riot after protesters breached a fence surrounding the city's federal courthouse building. The "violent conduct of people downtown" created a "grave rise of public alarm," the Portland police wrote on Twitter.

Early Sunday morning, federal agents and local police demanded that protesters leave the area and used teargas to try to disperse them. But the activists stood their ground, blocking intersections. Several people were arrested.

A Marriott hotel in downtown Portland was shut down Sunday morning, and guests were asked to leave after hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside Saturday night because it was believed that federal agents were staying there. The crowd waved signs with messages such as "No more brutality!" as they stood on the riverside parkway outside the hotel and chanted: "Kick them out, Marriott!" A manager at the hotel said after the demonstration that the building had sustained some "minor damage," including graffiti on exterior walls.

In Seattle, police declared a riot on Saturday afternoon and used pepper spray and flash grenades in an attempt to disperse a crowd of roughly 2,000 people in the Capitol Hill neighborhood marching in the city's largest Black Lives Matter protest in more than a month.

Nightly protests since Floyd's killing had dwindled in recent weeks in Seattle. But they were reinvigorated in the wake of federal action in the Portland protests and after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, tweeted that President Donald Trump had sent federal law enforcement agents to the city.

"For a month, the President threatened to send federal forces to 'clean up' Seattle. The President has made good on his threats in Portland, and continues to exacerbate the situation on the ground, endanger communities, and jeopardize the work of local officials," Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, a Democrat, said Wednesday in a statement. "The President unilaterally deploying paramilitary-type forces into American cities should concern all Americans. His blatant disregard for the constitution - and for the safety and well-being of our residents - is textbook despotism."

Portland's Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler, who was teargassed last week as he joined protesters, has described the agents an "occupying force."

But on Sunday, Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, defended the presence of federal agents there, saying they're protecting a courthouse targeted by protesters.

"It has not only been vandalized, but they're trying to burn it down," he said on ABC's "This Week." "We can't have this in American cities. You've got people there and fencing there, but they're throwing Molotov cocktails, and doing all kinds of rioting."

Police in Richmond tweeted a photo of rocks and batteries they said had been thrown at them, triggering them to declare the protest outside of police headquarters an unlawful assembly.

In Aurora, Colo., just outside of Denver, protesters were also marching in response to the death last summer of Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old who died after being put in a chokehold by police. On Saturday, police said in a tweet that "while the majority of protesters were peaceful, a group decided to hijack the message & cause major damage to the courthouse and courtyard."

The protesters marched down Interstate 225, cutting off traffic. But a Jeep sped through the crowd, sending protesters running for safety.

"A protestor decided to fire off a weapon, striking at least 1 other protestor" police said on Twitter. That person was in stable condition at the hospital.

On Austin's Congress Avenue, normally a site for music venues and bars, police were monitoring a crowd of protesters Saturday night when Senior Officer Katrina Ratcliff said shots were fired, killing a man. The suspect was detained, she said, "and is cooperating with officers."

"Someone dying while protesting is horrible," Mayor Steve Adler of Austin said in a statement. "Our city is shaken and, like so many in our community, I'm heartbroken and stunned."

Protesters in Omaha marched to bring attention to the killing of James Scurlock, a black man killed by a white bar owner. Police came out in force Saturday night and detained more than 75 people who were marching downtown, obstructing traffic, according to local news reports. While there was no major damage was done, Police Capt. Mark Matuza told the Omaha World-Herald that the gathering "leaned toward the potential of getting violent."

In Los Angeles, police fired projectiles at activists protesting near a federal courthouse.

Seattle's riot declaration came after protesters set fire to a construction site for a juvenile detention facility and as the police department reported that one person had breached the fencing surrounding the East Precinct, the site of nightly clashes in June that led to a nearly month-long protest occupation, and officers saw smoke in the lobby.

Police said protesters were throwing rocks, bottles and fireworks at the officers. As of 7:30 p.m. local time, the department had reported 25 arrests and three police injuries, including an officer hospitalized with a leg injury caused by an explosive. The department posted a photo of unused fireworks found at the scene to its Twitter feed.

Protesters erected barricades and fended off police efforts to disperse them with homemade shields, umbrellas and leaf blowers, tactics borrowed from Portland, Ore., protests, where activists have clashed nightly with police for nearly two months.

Early Saturday, a U.S. District judge issued a temporary restraining order against a Seattle City Council ordinance banning crowd control devices such as pepper spray, rubber bullets, flashbangs and blast balls.

On Thursday, Police Chief Carmen Best warned that without such tools, the police department could not protect property. During demonstrations on July 19 and July 22, protesters smashed windows and looted businesses perceived to be supportive of the police department. The department said that at least 12 officers were injured by protesters during those clashes.

Protesters gathered in the early afternoon on Saturday, holding signs declaring "We Stand With Portland Feds Out!" and "The Feds Don't Scare Us." Medics handed out earplugs to prevent hearing damage from flash bangs and vials of saline solution to dilute pepper spray and tear gas.

Before the march, organizer Jaiden Grayson stood on a brick wall with a megaphone and instructed the crowd on tactics like "de-arresting," where groups of protesters block efforts by law enforcement to arrest individuals.

"When you see something, I need you to do more than say something," Grayson told the crowd. "I need you to swarm."

Christine Edgar said that when the yellow-clad Wall of Moms emerged at Portland's Black Lives Matter protests last week she decided that Seattle mothers needed to adopt the tactic as well. With three days' notice, she said, a Seattle "Wall of Moms" formed to march in the streets to protest the federal presence.

"I wanted to make sure that black and brown voices were represented among the moms," Edgar, who said her son was at the protest, told The Washington Post before addressing the crowd with a megaphone. "When people hear 'mom,' they always think of white moms," she said, "and black, brown, and indigenous women have been on the forefront of liberation movements for centuries."

By midafternoon the crowd, flanked by bicycles and vehicles as a security measure, had marched several blocks to the construction site for the King County Children and Family Justice Center, a juvenile detention facility and courthouse, where dozens of people toppled fences and set fire to five construction trailers. The blazes appeared to have destroyed the trailers and sent large plumes of smoke into the air before the fire department arrived.

King County Executive Dow Constantine announced on Friday that the facility, commonly known as the "youth jail," would close by 2025 in line with the county's goal of zero youth detention. The facility has been the subject of protests for years by groups calling for an end to youth incarceration.

Shortly after the fire, protesters smashed the windows of a Starbucks, which has become a target for its donations to the Seattle Police Foundation.

The fire and subsequent clashes outside a police department precinct resulted in the police declaring the protest a "riot" and attempting to disperse the crowd with munitions such as pepper spray, blast balls and rubber bullets. The protesters came prepared, with many wearing protective gear.

"After seeing what happened in Portland, I feel it is important to put my body on the line," Megan Barry, who identifies as white, said before the march began. Barry, a marketing professional from Gig Harbor, 22 miles southwest of Seattle, was attending her first protest since mid-June. On May 30, she said, she was hit with tear gas when police tried to disperse the first large demonstration in downtown Seattle after Floyd's death.

On Saturday, she was arrested for "failure to disperse," when she claims she was moving backward from the police line after having been tagged with blue ultraviolet dye. She was released about midnight.

"I have the luxury of going home and acting like nothing is going on," she said. "I want to hold myself accountable."

- - -

Davenport reported from Washington. The Washington Post's Marissa J. Lang in Portland, Ore., contributed to this report.
President Donald Trumps national security adviser Robert OBrien has reportedly tested positive for coronavirus.

Trump administration officials confirmed to Politico and CNN that OBrien recently tested positive. A senior official told CNN that OBrien has been working from home since last week.

OBrien, the highest-ranking of multiple administration staffers to test positive over the course of the pandemic, had recently been traveling in Europe and met with officials from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, according to CNN.

Administration officials have not said how or when OBrien was exposed to the virus. Anyone who is near Trump or Vice President Mike Pence is tested on a regular basis.

OBrien and Trump were last together at a public appearance at U.S. Southern Command in Miami more than two weeks ago, CNN reported.

Six members of President Donald Trumps campaign tested positive for COVID-19 during a screening conducted ahead of his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month.
Russian Navy to be armed with hypersonic nuclear strike weapons: Putin

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 July 2020 2:44 PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a boost in the county's military equipment, saying the Navy will be armed with hypersonic nuclear strike weapons, underwater nuclear drones as well as 40 new ships and vessels this year.

Putin was speaking in St. Petersburg at a naval parade marking the Navy Day in Russia on Sunday.

"The widespread deployment of advanced digital technologies that have no equals in the world, including hypersonic strike systems and underwater drones, will give the fleet unique advantages and increased combat capabilities," he said.

The new weapons include the Poseidon underwater nuclear drone, designed to be carried by submarines, and the Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missile, which can be deployed on surface ships.

The Russian president did not specify when the navy would receive the new nuclear weapons, but suggested that day was drawing closer.

In a separate statement, Russia's defense ministry said testing of the Belgorod, the first submarine capable of carrying the Poseidon drones, was underway and testing of the weapons systems was

"Work is being successfully completed to create modern weapons systems for the Navy," the ministry said.

Putin has previously warned that Moscow will take action if the United States moved to deploy intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe.

The Russian president has said he does not want an arms race and has often spoken of a new generation of Russian nuclear weapons that he says are unequalled and can hit almost anywhere in the world.

President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia in 2019, and is now seeking not to renew another nuclear arms treaty.

The INF had banned all land-based missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers and included missiles carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads.

Putin has previously warned that yet another arms race would be inevitable if Washington did not renew the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

The New START accord is the last major nuclear arms control treaty between Moscow and Washington that puts a limit on the development and deployment of strategic nuclear warheads of the two countries. It can be extended for another five years, beyond its expiry date in February 2021, by mutual agreement.

Under the New START, signed in April 2010, the US and Russia agreed to halve the number of their strategic nuclear missiles and restrict the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550.

Russia has also repeatedly voiced concern about the installment of US Patriot missiles and the deployment of American ground troops in the Baltic countries, as well as US-led NATO drills near Russia's borders.

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Indian Railways will hand over 10 diesel locomotives to Bangladesh Railways during a ceremony through video-link at 2.30pm onwards on July 27. The diesel locomotives will be flagged off from Gede station of Eastern Railway for Bangladesh in the virtual presence of several dignitaries from both sides.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi are likely to be present during the handover ceremony. Other top Indian officials expected to be present at the event are Foreign Secretary, Chairman of Railway Board, and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh.

From the Bangladeshi side, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Railway Minister Mohammed Nurul Islam Sujon, and High Commissioner to India are likely to grace the event. The handover is said to be Indian governments renewed focus on its neighbourhood first policy aimed at strengthening the ties amid ongoing border conflict with China.

After the association of both railways began way back in 1996 with the export of 10 Metre Guage locomotives, around 40 more Broad Guage locos were exported over the years from 2001 to 2014. The 10 locomotives, set to be handed over to Bangladesh, have a residual life of at least 28 years and are designed for speed of 120 kmph.

These locomotives are suitable for hauling freight as well as passenger trains and the ergonomic layout of the drivers cab provides stress-free driving and improved visibility for safer running. Indian Railways has also modified the locos to suit the maximum height restrictions in Bangladesh. It would provide improved train operations within Bangladesh Railways and further strengthen the partnership between both railways.

Read: BSF Intercepts 4 Bangladeshi Fishermen On Indian Side Of Ganga River In WB

India-Bangladesh ties

Bangladesh has been a close Indian ally for a long time and has backed India on several contentious issues including Jammu and Kashmir. Recently, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina spoke to Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan when the latter tried to raise Kashmir issue but was rebuked as Indias internal matter.

India appreciated Bangladesh's consistent stand on Jammu and Kashmir as India's internal matters. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told a press briefing that Indias relations with Bangladesh are time tested and historic. He said that India has also stood with Bangladesh as their ties have been forged by history and common sacrifices.

"As regards to Jammu and Kashmir, we appreciate their (Bangladesh's) consistent stand that J&K and all developments in J&K are matters internal to India," he added.

Read: IPL 2020 Could Potentially Clash With Bangladesh Tour Of Sri Lanka In October: Report
The HCMC court sentenced Van Kinh Duong and four accomplices to death on Monday for producing 124 kilos of narcotics.

The court found Duong, 39, Nguyen Duc Ky Nam, 52, Le Van Mang, 33, Pham Bao Quan, 37, and Le Huong Giang, 32, guilty of "illegal production of narcotics."

Other defendants in the case, Nguyen Thu Huyen, Nguyen Ba Thanh, Pham Thi Thu Huyen and Nguyen Dac Huy got life sentences.

Vu Hoang Anh Ngoc, Duongs girlfriend, will spend 16 years in jail for "illegal storing of narcotics." The two have a four-year-old child together.

Duong was also given a life sentence for trading narcotics, nine years for fraudulent appropriation of assets, four years for escaping from detention facilities and two years for counterfeiting documents and seals of agencies.

Van Kinh Duong at the HCMC court, July 23, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa.

The hardened criminal was first jailed in 2008, when he was charged with robbery and storing narcotics. In 2010, when his sentence was still in effect, Duong broke out of prison along with three other inmates.

Duong then returned to his criminal life by delivering drugs for Hoang Phuong Lam, another druglord based in Hanoi, from the capital city to southern Vietnam.

In 2012, Lams ring was busted by the Ministry of Public Security, but Duong managed to give authorities the slip and disappeared once more.

It was later found that Duong was residing in Ho Chi Minh City after changing his name to Tran Ngoc Hieu. In Saigon, he is said to have met a mysterious patron, Tom, in a bar in 2016.

Back then Duong told the police he neither knew Tom's real name nor where he lived. But investigators found out this Tom was actually Nguyen Duc Ky Nam.

Nam taught Duong to create narcotics from scratch, and provided the substances to make them.

In the beginning, Duong was only in charge of finding locations and hiring workers to construct drug-producing facilities. Later, he created his own drug ring, with Nam joining him as a manager for one facility in Dong Nai Province, which neighbors HCMC. Nam was also in charge of creating new types of drugs.

As his business boomed and other drug rings stepped up their game, Duong decided to expand his empire. New facilities in the central regions and HCMC were constructed. He took great care to avoid detection, passing orders to his underlings remotely.

But Duong also lived a high life in Saigon with his girlfriend Ngoc, who also helped him to store narcotics until the ring was busted in April, 2017.

Duong and his ring had been on the polices radar for more than a year by then. In the raid that busted the gang, police found that the gang had made 124 kilograms of powdered drugs turned into 500,000 ecstasy pills weighing 120 kilos in total. The pills were hidden in coffee packages.

This has been identified as the largest synthetic drug production and trading ring in Vietnam so far.

Investigations have revealed that the ecstasy powder was first made in Nha Trang, before being delivered to Dong Nai and HCMC to be molded into pills and stored in coffee packages.

By the time it was detected by the police, the ring had already sold 18 kg for VND50,000-70,000 ($2-3) per pill.

The trial opened on July 16.

Vietnam has become a key drug trafficking hub despite having some of the worlds toughest drug laws.

Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamines face the death penalty. The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death.
The central government's representative in Malaga province, Teofilo Ruiz, has said that Pedro Sanchez's administration "is going to try" to include the Costa del Sol in the safe travel corridors to be negotiated with the UK to avoid the new quarantine regulations affecting arrivals from Spain.

Initially, the government had only considered including the Balearic and Canary Islands in the talks, a move that sparked a wave of criticism from professionals in the tourism industry and the regional and provincial authorities.

"The government is going to do its job and will try to negotate for the Costa del Sol to be included in this health lane, but this [case] has to be proved," said the delegate. He then threw the responsibility back to the regional authority, questioning the initiatives taken to control the disease.

"We must remember that the Junta has had the authority for health policies since 22 June, and we have to respond to the United Kingdom, saying that tourists here are safe because we have taken measures," said Ruiz. "The government will negotiate with health figures and not with philosophy," he added.

He did, however, seem confident that the Costa del Sol would finally be included in the health corridors.

"I don't know where the level will be - Benidorm and Valencia are also interested - but I believe that they will include the Costa del Sol. The Canaries and the Balearics are islands that are better isolated and are in a better situation, but they will go on next to the Costa del Sol, I'm sure of it," he added.

Lower rate in Andalucia than in UK

Also on Monday the president of the regional government, Juanma Moreno, demanded "fair treatment" for Andalucia in its negotiations with the UK regarding travel corridors.

In his Twitter account, Moreno said, "Andalucia is a safe destination. Our Covid incidence rate, just like the Balearics and the Canaries, is lower than that of the United Kingdom."

Moreno later tweeted the following message in English directed at British PM Boris Johnson, with a video of footage by SkyNews of social distancing on a beach:

"#Andalucia is a safe destination and an example of responsibility. These impressive aerial pictures taken by @SkyNews are proof of it. We ask the United Kingdom Government and its PM @BorisJohnson to think over and reconsider their decision."

Junta de Andalucia spokesperson, Elias Bendodo, has also spoken out about the quarantine imposed since Sunday by the UK on travellers from Spain as part of its Covid-19 prevention measures.

He called for the British government to "reconsider" its decision and urged the Spanish government to include Andalucia in its priorities when it comes to negotiating corridors
Philippine president seen as having firm grip on power but faces unprecedented criticism over COVID-19 response.

President Rodrigo Duterte is set to deliver on Monday his annual address to the Philippines, having consolidated his power with a firm grip over Congress and a majority in the Supreme Court, but under mounting pressure over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

With 23 months left of his six-year term, Duterte has been thrust into a national emergency.

Analysts say he is trying to make up for his lack of a clear policy to address the health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic, by resorting to the same law-enforcement approach he wielded with deadly consequences in his war on drugs.

But this time, the enemy remains unseen, afflicting more than 80,000 people and leaving almost 2,000 dead as of Sunday. Unemployment has surged to 17.5 percent and the country of 100 million could be facing its worst recession in 35 years.

This is, I think, one of the most important state of the nation addresses of any Filipino president, mainly because this is not only an economic crisis, this is a crisis that can potentially change the way we live, said Jean Encinas Franco, a political science associate professor at the University of the Philippines.

We need to hear the real state of the nation, and how he will move this nation forward in the aftermath of the pandemic, Franco told Al Jazeera.





Duterte is due to start delivering his address at the House of Representatives at 4pm local time (08:00 GMT) in an event scaled back to just 50 people as a result of the coronavirus. However, the venue could still be changed at the last minutes, following reports that some of the invited guests tested positive of the coronavirus.

Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo, who is a member of the opposition, says Filipinos want to hear from the president on his real plan to address the pandemic.

We have long been asking questions because what weve learned from their weekly meetings appears incomplete. Hopefully tomorrow, it will be presented completely, Robredo said during her weekly radio show. The president and the vice president are elected separately in the Philippines.

Earlier, Harry Roque, the presidents spokesman, had promised that Duterte will present a detailed roadmap for recovery, including how to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease, also known as COVID-10.

There have also been reports that Duterte could declare another expanded lockdown if the number of cases hits 85,000 by the end of this week.

On Monday, Presidential Communications Secretary Andanar added that the presidents speech will be one that is full of optimism and hope. He added that the government has done enough within its means.

De facto martial law

Political analyst and newspaper columnist Antonio J Montalvan II, who is from the presidents political stronghold of Mindanao, says the administrations response has been lacking since the health emergency first emerged in early February.

Instead, Montalvan says, Duterte has used the opportunity presented by the epidemic to expand his powers without offering a clear epidemiological response to help contain the spread of the coronavirus

During the second week of March, Duterte declared a national health emergency and ordered a lockdown that covered half of the countrys population. He also asked for special powers from Congress in order to distribute a stimulus financial package for families and individuals, and obtain medical equipment abroad.

At the same time, the police were deployed across the country to strictly implement the lockdown order, which initially left tens of thousands of people stranded at transport hubs in Metro Manila. In response to reports of people violating lockdown orders, Duterte also ordered the police to shoot them dead.

He successfully created a de facto martial law without the declaration, by cleverly containing the pandemic with a military solution, Montalvan said.

This is Dutertes SONA where I expect the least from him. The bankruptcy in ideas of his administration in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis has made him a lameduck President this early into the 2022 presidential elections. READ the full statement, here: https://t.co/vfTFR5FdXA pic.twitter.com/xbCa6yKk5Y  Leila de Lima (@SenLeiladeLima) July 26, 2020

With the military solution, dissent was made impossible. Congress was controlled by his puppet strings, he added.

In the central island province of Cebu, for instance, Montalvan says health workers were deployed to look after the social media critics of the governor, an ally of Duterte, instead of helping in the contact-tracing effort to track down people who might have been exposed to COVID-19.

No wonder our numbers are high, he said, while warning that the president was still attempting to revamp the constitution in the middle of the pandemic.

Unprepared

Franco, the University of the Philippines political scientist, said that part of the problem with the Duterte administration is the presidents own unwillingness to admit that he was not prepared to tackle the health emergency.

Its an issue that he was never exposed to when he was still mayor. When he is speaking, he would constantly admit that he doesnt know anything about this pandemic, because he is not a doctor. But you dont need to be a doctor to put some sense of direction, Franco said, referring to Dutertes previous experience as mayor of the city of Davao.





At the outset of the pandemic, Duterte was quoted during a cabinet meeting as threatening to slap the coronavirus in the event that he sees it. Recently, he was also quoted as saying that face masks can be reused by using gasoline as a disinfectant.

He wants to appear as tough, Franco said. But he cannot really admit that this is not something that he was not prepared for. He cant bring himself to admit it.

While many other countries were also left grappling with the aftermath of the pandemic, it is apparent that Duterte botched his response, Franco added.

The delay in implementing an early ban on flights from China was one obvious example of the presidents half-hearted approach to contain the virus, she said.

Franco said that a recent survey, which showed that more than 80 percent of Filipino respondents were worried about their situation amid the pandemic, was a reflection of the Duterte administrations shortcomings.

Push for constitutional change

Nonetheless, the growing frustration among the public towards the president has not dampened his efforts to carry out his political agenda.

Earlier this month, Duterte signed into law new anti-terrorism legislation, which seeks to expand police powers for warrantless arrests and prolonged detentions against those suspected of terror activities.

Legal experts and activists have warned that the new law could be used to target dissent. Several groups have petitioned the Supreme Court to invalidate the new law.

At the same time, the Duterte administration also successfully shut down the countrys largest TV network, ABS-CBN. It has also pushed for the prosecution of prominent journalist Maria Ressa, head of the independent news website Rappler, which has been reporting about the presidents war on drugs.

Rights groups and the opposition have warned that the controversial anti-terrorism law could be used to silence dissent in the country and persecute political activists [File: Rolex dela Pena/EPA]

Now, the administration has turned its attention to the presidents long-standing plan to change the constitution, paving the way for the lifting of term limits of politicians allied with Duterte. It could also possibly allow Duterte to run for another term, which is prohibited in the current constitution.

In a statement sent to Al Jazeera, Cristina Palabay, secretary general of the activist group Karapatan (Rights), has warned against the plan to change the charter, saying it only serves the militarist and oligarchic interests of the president and his allies.

Palabay and her group have vowed to protest online and on-ground on Monday amid threats of possible arrests, after police warnings against mass gatherings because of the pandemic restrictions.

Manila police confiscates protest materials vs Anti-Terror Law from a mass-goer inside Quiapo church | via @jeffcanoy pic.twitter.com/N9vxVmmRx5  ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) July 27, 2020

Ahead of Dutertes speech, police officers were captured on video confiscating protest materials during a Catholic service inside a church in Manila.

Franco, however, has some doubts that Duterte and his allies will be able to change the 1987 constitution before their terms expire in June 2022.

Not only is the plan tone-deaf, as it is being pushed in the middle of the pandemic, she said, but the president is also running out of time to get it through Congress, despite his supermajority.

If you look at the charter change proposals in the past, Franco said, when it is nearing the end of the term of the president, it really loses its appeal.
Upset over downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir to the status of a Union Territory following abrogation of Article 370, former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he will not contest assembly elections till full statehood is restored.





However, Omar, a former union minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, made it clear he would continue to work for his party National Conference and people of Jammu and Kashmir.

"I have been leader of the assembly of the state. In its time the most empowered assembly. I cannot and will not be a member of what is now one of the most disempowered assemblies in the country. It's as simple as that," said Omar.



"It is not a threat or blackmail, it's not a display of me sulking. It's just a simple acknowledgement that I won't fight an election to lead the Union Territory assembly which is such a disempowered assembly."



Strongly critical of the dilution of Article 370 of the Constitution, Omar said many reasons had been given to justify abrogation of the provision that granted special status, and claimed that none of those stand any scrutiny.



Omar, who is the vice president of the NC, was critical of what had been done to Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 last year, and said his party would oppose it in the Supreme Court.

"We believe in democracy and peaceful opposition."



The abrogation of Article 370 was supposed to end terrorism but the government had been telling Supreme Court that violence in Jammu and Kashmir was increasing, he said. Similarly, arguments touted such as lack of development and investment due to Article 370 belie facts, he added.



Asked whether his decision not to contest the assembly polls has been discussed with the leadership of his party, Omar replied, "it's my view and it's my decision. No one can be forced to fight an election against their will".



On the delimitation exercise being carried out by the administration of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said, "NC is and will continue to explore all legal options to deal with the developments and decisions post August 5 last year."



The elections are likely to be held only after the delimitation exercise is completed in the union territory, which came into existence on October 31 last year. The erstwhile state was split into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
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Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 14:04 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066995952 1 Business nickel-producer,nickel-processing,downstream-business,ESDM Free

The government has threatened to sanction nickel businesses that fail to comply with nickel ore pricing regulations and, therefore, pose a risk to the countrys plan to develop its downstream mining industry.

Nickel smelters are required to purchase nickel ore at government-pegged prices and nickel miners have to comply with a nickel ore export ban, the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Ministers undersecretary of mining, Septian Hario Seto, warned in a statement on July 23.

Noncompliant companies will be sanctioned, which can be in the form of a warning, cut in export quotas or even permit termination, he said.

The government will not compromise on the nickel export ban.

Indonesia, the worlds largest nickel ore producing country, has banned exports of the commodity since January to push miners to develop smelters and refine the metal ore domestically so they can export higher-value products.

Analysts and economists have said that Indonesias downstream goal has potential, but the fallout between small nickel miners and nickel smelters points at pricing as a key point of contention in the plan.

Read also: Ban on unrefined nickel exports positive in long run: Economist

In protecting small nickel miners, specifically those under the Indonesian Nickel Miners Association (APNI), the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry implemented on May 13 a monthly price floor (HPM) for domestically sold nickel ore.

The HPM is calculated based on the governments mineral benchmark price (HMA), which is, in turn, based on average refined mineral prices from Beijing, Jakarta and the global benchmark London Metal Exchange (LME).

While APNI lauded the price floor, the Indonesian Smelter Association (AP3I) strongly opposed it, arguing that even after the price floor was implemented, members preferred business-to-business deals to fix prices.

They know nickel is a global commodity and the world follows LME prices. Prices keep changing and cannot be pegged at one figure on and on, AP3I vice chairman Jonathan Handojo said on July 24.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry regulation allows smelting companies to buy at prices up to 3 percent below the HPM under certain conditions. The regulation also grants the energy ministry the authority to revise the HPM formula once every six months or whenever needed.

AP3Is experience is not new. Indonesia is known to be a heavily regulated market, particularly when it comes to commodities. The country also has price limits for domestically sold coal and unsubsidized fuel and sugar, among other products.

Jonathan previously hinted to The Jakarta Post that the government never held talks with AP3I over the nickel ore price floor.

Read also: Indonesia sets price floor for nickel ore to protect small miners

APNI  the most vocal opponent to the export ban  publicly raised the issue of smelters noncompliance in late June, then tried to lobby the government to reopen exports.

We ask the government to enforce the HPM regulation or if the HPM cannot be enforced, we ask the government to reopen nickel ore exports, APNI secretary-general Meidy Katrin said in a statement on June 22.

The statement included a paragraph explaining the merits of reopening exports, such as higher state revenue and job creation.

Meidy said local nickel miners were selling nickel ore at US$27 per wet metric ton (wmt) in June, lower than that months price floor of $28.93 per wmt and even lower than the international price of $70 per wmt.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 11:13:51|Editor: huaxia

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HELSINKI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. ambassador to Iceland Jeffrey Ross Gunter has provoked anger and criticism in Iceland after he retweeted a post from U.S. President Donald Trump calling COVID-19 "the Invisible China Virus."

"We are United to defeat the Invisible China Virus," wrote Gunter last week on his official ambassadorial Twitter account, followed by the flag emojis of the United States and Iceland displayed side by side.

Gunter's retweet came after Trump tweeted on July 20, using "the Invisible China Virus" to refer to COVID-19.

The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RUV) said the ambassador's tweet has stirred up "a backlash from some Icelanders."

"Many in Iceland believe it was undiplomatic for the ambassador to also use the term 'China virus' in his re-tweet, thereby prompting some to call on him to remove the Icelandic flag," the RUV has said.

Iceland Review, the longest-running magazine in Iceland, said in an article on Friday that the tweet "drew the ire of American nationals and Icelanders."

The magazine reported that Elizabeth Lay, an American living in Iceland, has started a petition denouncing the phrase of "the Invisible China Virus," as it is "deeply offensive and hurtful." Up to now, the petition has drawn more than 370 signatures.

Jessica Bowe, a dual citizen of the United States and Iceland who has signed the petition, called the ambassador an embarrassment in her tweet, saying she is against the "racist and anti-scientist sentiments as an American."

Meanwhile, an article in Reykjavik Grapevine, an English magazine in Iceland, aired the strong opposition of Smari McCarthy, member of parliament from the Pirate Party, to the tweet, who described Gunter's rhetoric as "nonsense" and "spreading nationalistic rhetoric doesn't help anybody."

"Viruses do not have nationalities. Nor are they invisible, merely microscopic. We're all in this pandemic together," McCarthy was quoted by Reykjavik Grapevine as saying.

Petur Maack, head of psychosocial services at the Health Care Institute of North Iceland, said that Iceland and the United States are "not united at all" in the attitudes toward the virus, and that the U.S. government "has managed to get it wrong every step of the way" in containing the COVID-19 outbreak.

The United States is the country hardest hit by COVID-19 in the world, reporting more than 4.2 million cases with over 146,000 deaths as of Sunday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Enditem
The Ellen DeGeneres Show is under investigation following numerous accounts of a 'toxic' and 'bullying' workplace culture.

Ellen, whose philosophy is 'be kind to one another', and her show are now subject to a probe by WarnerMedia which will look into 'staff experiences on set'.

An internal memo sent last week explained that current and former staff will be interviewed about claims of 'mistreatment, racism and intimidation' at the show.

Host Ellen, 62, hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing herself.

Internal investigation: The Ellen DeGeneres Show workplace is being investigated after reports of mistreatment on the production set

The memo insisted that producers Telepictures and Warner Bros. Television are committed 'to providing an environment where employees can flourish'.

Earlier this month a number of employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show blasted it as a 'toxic work environment'.

One current and 10 former employees of the daytime chat show have accused the three executive producers, Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner, of 'bullying'.

A source told Buzzfeed: 'The issue is these three executive producers running the show who are in charge of all these people [and] who make the culture and are putting out this feeling of bullying and being mean.'

'They feel that everybody who works at The Ellen Show is lucky to work there: "So if you have a problem, you should leave because we'll hire someone else because everybody wants to work here."'

According to Variety, a memo sent to staffers cited recent articles on the treatment of crew and allegations of mistreatment, racism and intimidation, as the impetus for the investigation

Although DeGeneres has not been accused of any wrongdoing, employees have claimed they were instructed not to talk to her if they saw her in the building.

Statement from Ellen show executive producers 'Over the course of nearly two decades, 3,000 episodes, and employing over 1000 staff members, we have strived to create an open, safe, and inclusive work environment. 'We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience. It's not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us. 'For the record, the day to day responsibility of the Ellen show is completely on us. We take all of this very seriously and we realize, as many in the world are learning, that we need to do better, are committed to do better, and we will do better.' By executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner Advertisement

One former employee said: 'If she wants to have her own show and have her name on the show title, she needs to be more involved to see what's going on. I think the executive producers surround her and tell her, "Things are going great, everybody's happy," and she just believes that, but it's her responsibility to go beyond that.'

A Black woman claims she suffered a number of 'microaggressions', her request for a raise was ignored and she was accused of 'walking around looking resentful and angry' after asking for staff members to undergo diversity and inclusion training.

Another former employee alleges they were fired after taking medical leave for one month following a suicide attempt.

They said: 'You'd think that if someone just tried to kill themselves, you don't want to add any more stress to their lives.'

Executive producers Glavin, Connelly and Lassner have released a statement in light of the investigation.

'Over the course of nearly two decades, 3,000 episodes, and employing over 1000 staff members, we have strived to create an open, safe, and inclusive work environment.'

'We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience. It's not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us,' the statement added.

Earlier this month a number of employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show blasted it as a 'toxic work environment' accusing three executive producers, Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner, of 'bullying'

Bad rep: Numerous reports from previous employees emerged earlier this year claiming that Ellen had been unfriendly and that crew members were warned not to talk to the host or make eye contact

Meanest alive? A series of tweets from comic Kevin T. Porter March 20 asking his followers to post 'insane' tales of 'Ellen being mean' caught the attention of social media

Don't talk to her: Social media users chimed in with their experiences, often with similar themes

'For the record, the day to day responsibility of the Ellen show is completely on us. We take all of this very seriously and we realize, as many in the world are learning, that we need to do better, are committed to do better, and we will do better.'

In April it was reported that production crew were angry at the lack of communication and transparency from bosses after being forced to take pay cuts when production first shut down amid the coronvarius outbreak.

A group of around 30 crew members were upset after Ellen hired an external nonunion company called Key Code Media to film the shows while quarantined at home.

'Higher-ups in production would occasionally answer phone calls but reveal little' to the crew members, who had their pay slashed by 40 percent amid changes brought about by the virus, insiders told Variety.

Sources told the outlet that this was not the case with all the shows, as crews for John Oliver, Desus and Mero and Samantha Bee were paid their full rates, while Jimmy Kimmel dipped into his own pocket for a time to keep his staff getting their regular rates.

Producers responded that 'Our executive producers and Telepictures are committed to taking care of our staff and crew and have made decisions first and foremost with them in mind.'

Queen of social distancing! Ellen has been accused of being unapproachable with some crew asked not to speak to her

Shocking accusations: Ellen was accused of being downright rude to some people

Unbelievable: Benjamin Siemon talked of a staff member who was told to expect Ellen to be mean

Sensitive noise: He also said the host was very particular about personal hygiene

A month earlier, numerous reports from previous employees emerged claiming that Ellen had been unfriendly on set and that crew members were warned not to talk to the host or make eye contact.

A series of tweets from comic Kevin T. Porter March 20 asking his followers to post 'insane' tales of 'Ellen being mean' caught the attention of social media. (Porter's effort was linked to a charity drive for the Los Angeles Food Bank.)

Writer Ben Simeon said that 'a new staff member was told, "Every day she picks someone different to really hate. Its not your fault, just suck it up for the day and shell be mean to someone else the next day." They didnt believe it, but it ended up being entirely true.'

'Everyone must chew gum from a bowl outside her office before talking to her and if she thinks you smell that day you have to go home and shower.'

Ellen - who Forbes reported is worth around $330 million - has also caught flak for tone deafness after joking that locking down in her opulent mansion was 'like being in jail.'

Earlier this month, reps for the show were forced to deny reports that show was on the verge of being cancelled. 'Telepictures can confirm its untrue,' reps for the talk show host's production company told the New York Post.

DeGeneres has continued to broadcast her daytime show - which she's been doing since 2003 - from her living room of the Montecito, California mansion she shares with wife Portia De Rossi, 47.
Rating Action: Moody's assigns B3 to DaFa's proposed USD notes

Global Credit Research - 27 Jul 2020

Hong Kong, July 27, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned a B3 senior unsecured rating to DaFa Properties Group Limited's (B2 stable) proposed USD notes.

The rating outlook is stable.

DaFa will use the proceeds to refinance existing debt.

"The proposed note issuance will lengthen DaFa's debt maturity profile and will not have a material impact on its credit metrics, because the proceeds will be used to refinance existing debt," says Celine Yang, a Moody's Assistance Vice President and Analyst.

RATINGS RATIONALE

Moody's expects DaFa's debt leverage, as measured by revenue/adjusted debt, will weaken to 55%-60% over the next 12-18 months from 68% in 2019 as the company continues its debt-funded growth plan. In addition, its adjusted EBIT/interest will weaken to 1.5x-1.6x over the next 12-18 months from 2.0x in 2019 and 2.8x in 2018. These levels remain appropriate for its B2 corporate family rating (CFR).

DaFa's gross contracted sales increased notably by 57.6% to RMB11.2 billion in the first half of 2020 from the same period last year. However, Moody's expects its attributable contracted sales to remain largely stable in 2020, given its declining attributable ownership in property projects from its joint-venture and associates companies.

DaFa's B2 CFR reflects the company's long operating track record of developing properties in the economically affluent Yangtze River Delta, especially in Shanghai and Nanjing. The rating is also supported by the company's adequate liquidity.

At the same time, the B2 CFR considers the company's small scale, significant exposure to lower-tier cities and weakening credit metrics.

The stable rating outlook reflects Moody's expectation that DaFa will maintain adequate liquidity and grow its scale as planned while maintaining moderate debt leverage in the next 12-18 months.

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The B3 senior unsecured debt rating is one notch lower than the CFR due to structural subordination risk. This risk reflects the fact that the majority of DaFa's claims are at its operating subsidiaries and have priority over its senior unsecured claims at the holding company in a bankruptcy scenario. In addition, the holding company lacks significant mitigating factors for structural subordination. As a result, the likely recovery rate for claims at the holding company will be lower.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATING

Moody's could upgrade DaFa's ratings if the company (1) successfully executes its business plan and grows its scale; (2) significantly grows its scale while maintaining its credit metrics; and (3) maintains adequate liquidity, with cash consistently above 1.5x of short-term debt, and diversifies its funding channels.

On the other hand, Moody's could downgrade the ratings if (1) DaFa's liquidity weakens; (2) its contracted sales weaken; or (3) the company accelerates its land acquisitions beyond Moody's expectations, thereby weakening its financial metrics.

Financial metrics indicative of a downgrade include (1) cash/short-term debt below 1.0x on a sustained basis; (2) EBIT/interest coverage below 1.5x; or (3) revenue/adjusted debt below 50%-55%.

The principal methodology used in this rating was Homebuilding And Property Development Industry published in January 2018 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1108031. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

DaFa Properties Group Limited is a Shanghai-based residential property developer. At 31 December 2019, the company had developed 69 property development projects, with a gross floor area of 5.0 million square meters. Its key operating cities include Wenzhou, Huzhou, Hefei, and Ningbo.

At the end of 2019, DaFa Properties was 72.5% owned by its founder, Mr. Ge Hekai, and his family.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

The rating has been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent (s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

This rating is solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.

Moody's considers a rated entity or its agent(s) to be participating when it maintains an overall relationship with Moody's. Unless noted in the Regulatory Disclosures as a Non-Participating Entity, the rated entity is participating and the rated entity or its agent(s) generally provides Moody's with information for the purposes of its ratings process. Please refer to www.moodys.com for the Regulatory Disclosures for each credit rating action under the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page and for details of Moody's Policy for Designating Non-Participating Rated Entities.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.

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The first name below is the lead rating analyst for this Credit Rating and the last name below is the person primarily responsible for approving this Credit Rating.

YuYing (Celine) Yang Asst Vice President - Analyst Corporate Finance Group Moody's Investors Service Hong Kong Ltd. 24/F One Pacific Place 88 Queensway Hong Kong China (Hong Kong S.A.R.) JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Franco Leung Associate Managing Director Corporate Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service Hong Kong Ltd. 24/F One Pacific Place 88 Queensway Hong Kong China (Hong Kong S.A.R.) JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077

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Laredo is one of three South Texas areas that have been chosen for a clinical research study for a possible vaccine against COVID-19. The decision was announced by Rep. Henry Cuellar during his Conversation with Cuellar virtual press conference.

Along with San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley, the Gateway City is among the trio of locations that are part of 89 across the United States where Phase 3 of clinical vaccine trials will be taking place.

Moderna announced their vaccine trial sites for the COVID-19 vaccine in many locations across the United States, including Laredo, the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio.

Moderna is a clinical stage biotechnology company working on messenger RNA therapeutics and vaccines, including the first COVID-19 vaccine candidate to enter clinical trials in the U.S.

Congressman Henry Cuellar has been working with the National Institute of Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to create a diverse study population of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Hispanic populations have long been underrepresented in medical research despite being disproportionately affected by many of the studied disease, including the COVID-19, Cuellar said.

During a meeting with Dr. Francis Collins and Dr. Anthony Fauci, Cuellar asked them how Moderna is considering the possible effects of the vaccine on Hispanic populations, who have higher rates of diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

Cuellar was also interested in the assurance of an equitable distribution of the vaccine when it becomes available.

The NIH is seeking local participants for the trial to ensure the volunteer pool is as diverse as possible.

Participating in a COVID-19 Vaccine Trial will entail the following:

Volunteers must provide informed consent to participate in the trial. Trial volunteers will receive two intramuscular injections approximately 28 days apart. Participants will be asked to provide a nasopharyngeal swab and a blood sample at an initial screening visit. Additional blood samples will be asked at specified time points after each vaccination and over the two years following the second vaccination. Scientists will examine blood samples in the laboratory to detect and quantify immune responses to SARS-CoV-2

According to a press release by Cuellars office, as of July 15, at least 140 COVID-19 vaccine candidates are in preclinical evaluation and at least 23 candidates are in clinical evaluation worldwide.

There are currently five companies involved in the goal of developing a vaccine for the U.S. by early 2021 including: AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna and Pfizer.

During the trials, a lot will be researched and learned about the effectiveness of the vaccine if people with diabetes, hypertension and heart disease volunteer to participate in the trials.

Clinical trials are intended to demonstrate a potential vaccines safety or effectiveness for the purposes of FDA approval generally proceed in three successive phases. Modernas vaccine is in Phase 3.

Before a vaccine can be approved, licensed and given to people, extensive lab testing is done that can take several years.

Once a vaccine is developed, Cuellar said they expect to have a large supply and hopes to get it to communities that need it most.

We hope that with this vaccine, within a couple of months, we will have the possibility of good news, Cuellar said. We are already preparing how we are going to send the vaccine to different areas.

Laredo has a total of 5,136 positives and 114 deaths, with most of the recent damage coming in July. Throughout the month, Laredo has seen 70.1% of its total positives reported (3,598) and 78.1% of its deaths (89).

In San Antonio, Bexar County has reported 36,083 cases and 323 deaths. For the Valley, there have been a total of 25,346 cases and 653 deaths.

Minority communities have been really hit by COVID-19, Cuellar said. We have to make sure it is representative of the community.

The companions that will be conducting the vaccine trials are Laguna Clinical Research Associates in Laredo, Centex Studies in McAllen and Clinical Trials of Texas in San Antonio.

Adults interested in joining this study can visit www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org.
(Natural News) Chad Wolf, the Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has stated clearly that under no circumstances will he be withdrawing federal officers from Portland. Wolf pointed out that civil unrest was still rampant in the city, and federal agents and properties were still being threatened by rioters.

The DHS is not going to back down from our responsibilities, Wolf said during an appearance on Fox & Friends on Monday, July 20. We are not escalating, we are protecting.

Wolfs statement comes in response to calls for federal officers to withdraw from the city following accusations by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and other local and state officials that the DHS roams the city in unmarked vans snatching and arresting rioters off the streets.

Other allegations include the use of excessive force, such as in one video where federal officers in tactical gear emerge from the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse, a federal building, dispersing rioters using crowd control munitions such as tear gas.

No authorization from local officials needed to detain suspects

During the interview, Wolf said that he did not need any kind of authorization or invitation from local officials before federal law enforcement units are deployed in order to detain suspects.

I dont need invitations by the state, state mayors or state governors to do our job. Were going to do that, whether they like us there or not, Wolf said.

Wolf added that he is open to working with state and local officials and that the officers of the DHS have a great working relationship with many local law enforcement units, including the Portland Police Bureau (PPB).

However, there are some communities that, again, want to breed this environment that allows this lawlessness.

His remarks mirror those of Acting Deputy Secretary for the DHS, Ken Cuccinelli, who told reporters on the same day that federal agents could be deployed to other cities dealing with civil unrest should the department learn of planned attacks against either federal officers or federal properties.

Both Mayor Wheeler and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown have insisted that DHS agents need to leave and cannot operate in the state without the express permission of either official.

I told Acting Secretary Wolf that the federal government should remove all federal officers from our streets, said Gov. Brown on a post on her social media page. His response showed me he is on a mission to provoke confrontation for political purposes. He is putting both Oregonians and local law enforcement officers in harms way.

Trump insists federal officers there to help besieged Portland residents

President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Sunday, July 19, to vent his frustration at the attempts made by Portland and Oregon officials to stonewall his efforts to use federal agents to end the rioting and general atmosphere of lawlessness in the city.

Trump wrote that federal agents were sent to Portland to help the city, not hurt it. They were there because local officials have spent nearly the past two months losing more and more control in the wake of escalating aggression by anarchists and agitators. He further rejected the label that the demonstrators in Portland were protesters, although he didnt elaborate on this any further.

These are the real deal! he said.

We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2020

Trump also stated that more must be done to protect both the residents of Portland and the properties of the federal government in the city, such as the Federal Courthouse where federal agents, with support from the PPB, engage in nightly battles against groups of organized rioters.

The sentiment that Portland officials have abandoned their constituents is shared by the PPB. Portland Police Association president Daryl Turner, whos union represents rank-and-file officers, said that city officials need to begin condemning the violence as well as the looting and burning being conducted by the rioters. (Related: Federal agents arrive in Portland to fight back against Antifa and Black Lives Matter  but city leaders want them gone.)

Reports have also stated that Wolf is looking to expand the DHSs operations into other cities, starting with Chicago, where around 150 federal agents will be sent in for crime-fighting efforts.

Learn about the most recent criminal acts conducted in Portland and in other cities across the country by subscribing to Rioting.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com 1

TheHill.com

TheEpochTimes.com 2

Twitter.com

NYPost.com
Sushant Singh Rajputs sister Shweta Singh Kirti has shared some sweet memories of growing up with the late actor as the siblings were very close with had hardly any age gap between them. She shared a childhood picture of the Chhichhore actor and one from her wedding where she is posing with Sushant. She also shared a screenshot of a June 10 chat, about four days before the actor was found dead at his Mumbai home.

The chat shows Sushant telling Shweta, Bohat mann karta he di (I really feel like...) to which she replied with a snap of a picturesque location and said, To aa jao na Baby...come for a month. Just chill here. Achha lagega tumhe...I want tel my friends that ur here...so koi... (So please come baby, come for a month. Just chill here, you will feel good. I will tell my friends you are here so nobody...).

She posted the pictures on Instagram with a note. She opened it saying, I am experiencing bouts of pain. Right when I think I am coping with it better, some or the other incidence rushes right back into my memory and breaks me apart. One such memory I am sharing with you all... because it is said that the more you share your grief, the less it hurts.

Also Watch | Sushant death: Cops call Karan Johars manager, Kangana Ranaut, Mahesh Bhatt

She went on to share how Sushant was born after many prayers and the two were lovingly called Gudia-Gulshan. She said that the two always spent time together, played, danced, studied, did all sorts of mischiefs, ate and slept together. So much so that people forgot that they were two separate individuals.

She wrote, I have always been told by my family members that Mom and Dad wanted a son, more so because Mummas first child was a son and she had lost him at the tender age of one and half. I never got to meet my first sibling. But mom and dad were very hopeful for a second son.... they made a sankalp (mannat) and started praying to Maa Bhagwati for straight 2 years. They fasted, they meditated, they did puja, hawan and went to spiritual places and met spiritual people. But then I was born, on a Diwali day.... Mumma considered me very lucky and often called me Lakshmi Ji. They continued with their Sadhna, and a year later my little brother was born. Right from the beginning he was a charmer, he mesmerized everyone with his beautiful smile and twinkling eyes.

Shweta said Sushant was her Pithiya which refers to the one who comes right after a person. Mumma believed that I was the cause of his much-desired arrival into our lives and I accepted the honour whole heartedly. I was very protective about my little brother because I felt I was responsible for bringing him to this earthly plane, she added.

She went on to share a memory from the day when little Sushant came to her classroom to meet her. She wrote, when we started going to school, we had to go to different classes. Bhais Nursery and my prep classes were in same building so we managed our 1st year of school pretty well. But then my UKG class was in a different building and his prep classroom remained in the same building, so we got separated. One day after lunch break was over I saw Bhai in my classroom, in my building. We were just 4/5 year olds then.

She continued the story in another post on Instagram, I was completely shocked and as well as happy to see him and asked him how he got there, because his building was at-least half a kilometer away. He told me that he was feeling alone and anxious and wanted to be with me. I pondered for while thinking how adventurous and courageous he was to escape his building with a watchman and then walking half a kilometer and entering my building right under a watchmans nose and finally finding my class and me. I found his explanation of running away from his building pretty viable as I knew that feeling, When I was dropped off at the school for the first time, I kept crying and asking Dad not to leave me, Please dont leave me here alone that feeling... initial anxiety to be separated from family members and be somewhere where you dont know anybody. And as a 5 year old protective big sister, I assured him that he can be with me. First, I tried to hide him in between me and my friend, but somehow my class-teacher noticed him while taking attendance. I was myself a little scared, but to protect my little brother, I stood up and told her that he is not feeling well and asked if he could stay with us until dismissal. To my amazement, the teacher agreed and we were so happy, but little after 2 periods as the social norm will have it, he was sent back to his building but by that time we have had so much fun that all of his anxiety were gone.

Also read: Ronjini Chakraborty says she has been replaced by a star kid: You just have to move forward by working harder

Sharing a memory from her vidaai ceremony, she wrote, Fast forward in 2007, I remember the day when I got married and as I was leaving, Bhai hugged me tight and we cried a lot. Physically we wont stay together anymore, we wont get to see each other that often anymore as I was moving to USA.

Talking about one of the chats they had on phone, she wrote, Both of us got too busy with our lives. Bhai got into Bollywood and kept making us all proud with his accomplishments but I remained protective about him. I would often ask him to come and visit me in the US so that we can relive our childhood once again away from all the noise. I only wish I could have protected him from everything....I still wish I will wake up to see my Bhai... just right next to me and will realize this whole episode was just a nightmare and nothing more. #BhaikikahaniBehankizabani #Downthememorylane #LuvuBhai.

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Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has disclosed that the 88 Hospitals set to be constructed by the government have changed to 111.



President Akufo-Addo during his eighth COVID-19 address to the nation revealed that his administration will be constructing hospitals in some 88 districts across the country.



There are 88) districts in our country without district hospitals; we have six (6) new regions without regional hospitals; we do not have five infectious disease control centres dotted across the country; and we do not have enough testing and isolation centres for diseases like COVD-19. We must do something urgently about this. That is why Government has decided to undertake a major investment in our healthcare infrastructure, the largest in our history. We will, this year, begin constructing 88 hospitals in the districts without hospitals, he said.



88 metamorphosis to 111



Ken Ofori-Atta speaking to Kwami Sefa Kayi on the back of the Mid-Year Budget presentation on Peace FM said government has increased the 88 to 111.



He said the 600m allocated for the construction of all the hospitals is ready.



"Its going to be a landmark construction . . . this will be constructed by only Ghanaian contractors . . . the money will be raised here; GHC600m has already been put down . . . and so we are ready. Per my last report, 60 to 80 districts have already brought their allocated lands," he said.











$15million for each hospital



The Finance Minister has also revealed the amount of money to be spent on each hospital.



"Each hospital will cost $15million and this includes construction and equipment. The money is already there and its left with the technical people to start," he said.





NPP/NDC Contractors



There is an allegation that any government in power uses contractors close to them.



Asked whether the same will be applied to these projects, Finance Minister said "it's time we get over this cynicism".



"Its not a matter of the party you belong to but how efficient and qualified you are . . . we have to get over the cynicism and know that we are building a country where qualification counts for something," he added.







Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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As tear-gas-tinged standoffs in downtown Portland between protesters and federal agents continued over the weekend, a string of fresh demonstrations erupted in other major cities from Seattle to Baltimore, with marchers expressing fury at the specter of heavily armed, unidentified federal officers on community streets and ongoing anger at their initial targets  police brutality and racism.

In Portland early Monday, federal agents in camouflage waded blocks beyond the federal courthouse that the Trump administration had said they were there to protect  against the wishes of local and state officials  and pushed back demonstrators who authorities said had breached a fence.

Although fewer people had shown up outside the courthouse than on previous evenings, protesters noted a more united front, which centered on amplifying the voices of Black Lives Matter activists in their cause for racial justice and demands for federal officers to leave.

"We are not just protesters. We are mothers, we are veterans, we are musicians," said 38-year-old Alvin Rosales. "Being here reminds me of the humanity that every person out here shares."

By midnight Sunday night, a few protesters had begun setting off fireworks and throwing bottles toward the federal courthouse, which prompted federal officers to tell protesters over loudspeaker to vacate the area.

As fireworks continued to be set off, a small group of federal agents emerged and stood in front of the federal courthouse about 1:30 a.m. Monday, eye to eye with protesters.

Protesters and Feds standing feet apart. #PDXprotests pic.twitter.com/Whj4HUYaCJ  Melissa Etehad  (@melissaetehad) July 27, 2020

After a few minutes, dozens more agents appeared and started deploying tear gas, flash bangs and rubber bullets. Protesters scattered as federal agents began moving up the block.

Story continues

The standoff lasted about an hour. As federal agents made their way back to the courthouse, they tossed more tear gas, flash bang grenades and other munitions. As on previous nights, protesters used leaf blowers and hockey sticks to blow the fumes and swat the grenades back toward the agents.

In Seattle, after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said that a small group of federal agents had been dispatched there, protests broke out in the Capitol Hill area. They began peacefully Saturday but turned tense when unknown assailants set fire to a Starbucks and punched a hole in a Police Department building.

Seattle police, after declaring a riot, deployed tear gas and flash bangs, injuring journalists, lawyers and protesters, witnesses said. Police said that 45 people were arrested and 21 officers sustained minor injuries. The protests continued Sunday.

Demonstrations also broke out in cities including Louisville, Ky., Chicago, Los Angeles, Richmond, Va., and Austin, Texas, where a protest took a fatal turn.

Flash bangs, rubber bullets and tear gas. Protesters now throwing it back with hockey sticks. These surreal scenes in Portland have been happening nightly #PDXprotest pic.twitter.com/ONEyPSRTws  Melissa Etehad  (@melissaetehad) July 27, 2020

Austin police said they were investigating a shooting death on Saturday evening of a man taking part in a Black Lives Matter protest downtown. Police said the slain man, who was apparently armed with a rifle, was shot from inside a vehicle that drove close to the demonstrators. A suspect was detained, police spokeswoman Katrina Ratcliff said.

In Richmond, police said a city dump truck was set on fire Saturday night amid a demonstration that organizers said was intended as a show of solidarity with protesters in Portland. Police tweeted a photo of items said to have been thrown at officers, including rocks and batteries. Six arrests were made.

And in Baltimore, a police union building was spray-painted with anti-police messages late Saturday as dozens of people marched against racial injustice and in support of the Portland protesters.

The reignited protests  and the response of authorities with tear gas and rubber bullets  are the latest incendiary strain on a country still shaken by the May death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and by generations of police brutality. After protests slowed down considerably in most cities  except Portland, where they had continued unabated  they reenergized over the weekend in the wake of President Trumps move to send federal agents into cities in a strategy that critics said appeared aimed at trying to shore up his flagging popularity ahead of the November election.

As Trump tweets all-caps messages about law and order, critics charge that the White House is making use of chaotic images of confrontations on the streets of Portland and elsewhere to whip up fears about a generalized breakdown of order  mainly in progressive, Democratic-run cities.

The deployment, meanwhile, has instigated a new round of anger that centers on constitutional questions over federal authority and states rights. And it plays out amid a pandemic that is battering the economy and sending jobless rates spiraling upward. In some respects, it is reminiscent of the late 1960s, a time of gathering fury and frustration against the White House over the Vietnam War, civil rights and a sense of America drifting further from its ideals and vision of itself.

It has also left some protesters concerned that their initial message of civil justice for the Black community has become overshadowed by confrontations between federal agents and protesters opposed to their presence.

Im out here to see specific legislative changes, like education and justice reform," said Alaysia Atkins, 24, a Black activist in Portland.

The White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, on Sunday echoed Trumps insistence that a federal presence was needed to restore order in the city.

They're throwing Molotov cocktails and doing all kinds of rioting there in Portland around a courthouse that they desire to burn down, he said on ABCs This Week, adding: I mean, we cant have this in American cities.

Meadows also said the riot-control aspect in Portland was different from the dispatch of federal agents to Chicago and elsewhere.

In Chicago, in New Mexico and in Kansas and other areas  what we're trying to do there is come in and help with gang violence and making sure that we make arrests, he said.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat, pointed out on CNN's "State of the Union" that her city, along with many others around the country, had long cooperated with federal agencies including the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration in addressing issues including violence.

But she said a Portland-style federal presence was something else entirely.

I have drawn a very hard line  we will not allow federal troops in our city, Lightfoot said.

The mayor said she and other city officials will not tolerate unnamed agents taking people off the street, violating their rights, and holding them in custody. That's not happening here in Chicago.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who at one point threatened litigation over the Trump administrations plans, also said her administration was willing to work with federal officials  through normal channels of coordinating with local law enforcement.

If we are cooperatively working to address violent crime and gun violence  absolutely, she said on ABC. If were going to try to incentivize unrest, then that's something altogether different.

Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said the Trump administration had failed to provide promised federal funding to Albuquerque for police and crime interventions, so the timing of their efforts remains a bit suspect.

And she expressed outrage over Trump campaign ads incorrectly suggesting that Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, supported defunding the police.

It is really about stoking fear, she said, adding that the White House was trying to distract attention from its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the attendant economic devastation.

Portland city officials, Oregon state officials and Democratic congressmen from Oregon have repeatedly demanded an end to the federal presence in Portland, saying it has served only to exacerbate tensions. But late Friday, a federal judge denied a request by Oregon's attorney general to restrict the actions of the federal agents.

Etehad reported from Portland, Ore., and King from Washington, D.C.
MUSKEGON, MI  An abstract sculpture that lights up at night is coming to the roundabout at Muskegons Pere Marquette beach after a successful fundraising campaign.

The Patronicity fundraiser launched by the city of Muskegon exceeded by $600 its goal of $50,000 over the weekend with 16 days still left in the campaign.

Celebrating Muskegon is the name of the 22-foot sculpture featuring steel beams topped by circles of green and blue glass containing motion-activated LED lighting.

The $50,000 raised by 105 donors will be matched with a $50,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Its expected to be installed by the end of the year.

The sculpture will be placed in the center of a new roundabout where Beach Street and Lakeshore Drive meet at the citys Lake Michigan park.

New roundabout at Lakeshore Drive and Beach Street at Pere Marquette Park in Muskegon on Wednesday, June 17, 2020.Cory Morse | MLive.com

It is the latest in a series of sculptures planned or already installed around the city. The most recent was A City Built on Timber that was placed about a month ago at the entrance to Muskegon Countys Heritage Landing park and festival grounds on Muskegon Lake.

Related: New sculpture honoring Muskegons lumber past arrives at Heritage Landing

Like the Pere Marquette sculpture, the Heritage Landing one features steel beams set vertically with a lighted glass interest point at the top. The Timber sculpture has a large square steel and blue glass cube at the apex of beams meant to represent lumber.

Last summer, a Moxie the Mastodon sculpture was placed in front of the downtown Lakeshore Museum Center. The mastodon with blue tusks appears to be emerging from a large manhole cover. A mastodon is among the featured displays at the museum.

The Muskegon City Public Art Initiative also has plans for murals on railroad overpasses and a sculpture at the convention center under construction on Fourth Street and Shoreline Drive in downtown.

Pere Marquettes Celebrating Muskegon sculpture was designed by North Carolina-based artists John Littleton and Kate Vogel, and is envisioned as a tribute to the character and resiliency of the people and communities of Muskegon, according to the citys fundraising page.

The circular steel bands  supported and elevated by a strong framework of stainless steel representing the strength of Muskegons communities, ambition, dreams, and industry  embody the energy of the many individuals who have come together over the history of the community to make Muskegon what it is today, the description reads. The rich colors of the thick cast glass within the bands of steel symbolize the natural attributes of the city, green for the land and plants, blues for water and sky.

The sculptures footprint stretches 30 feet by 35 feet. The programmable LED lighting can be motion activated or programmed with a lighting sequence.

Also on MLive:

Monday, July 27: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

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Woman, 23, killed, 5 children hospitalized in multi-vehicle crash
Musician, Nicholas Omane Acheampong has asked the former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama to stop wasting money on campaigning because he will lose massively to President Akufo-Addo in the upcoming December 2020 polls.

According to Omane Acheampong, the Free SHS policy introduced by the Akufo-Addo government needs to be nurtured very well by the President in order to fill all lapses before another government comes to take over.

"Ghanaians will vote for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on December 7 so he can work to make the Free SHS policy better before he leaves power in 2024," he stated.

The musician was speaking in an interview with Atinka TV on the sideline of Sir Johns One Week Observation at Sakora Wonoo in the Ashanti Region.

Free SHS is a good thing so if youre a Pastor, you should not look down on that policy. Some children are orphans, some are poor children but SHS is the red line, I call it the red line because If the government is able to help the children to cross that Red Line even if they cannot continue to Tertiary, they can join the Police, Army, fire service, Military with their High School Certificate. So, if we do politics with this, it will rid the poor of education so this 2020, Im saying on record that Ive struggled for the NPP but theyve not helped me in any way but Im supporting them because of the Free SHS.

"Its not about what I will eat today, lets look at the future of these poor children. 2020 Ghanaians should vote for Nana Akufo-Addo. Nana hasnt given me anything and even when I want to go and see him, Im not allowed to do so. If I dont get anything today, my children and my grandchildren will benefit so we shouldnt make it spoil but rather we should vote him back so that he comes to better the Free SHS policy because if we bring another government and it spoils, we will be gravely hurt.

I will ask the former President John Mahama not to spend much on his campaign. I would have told him not to campaign but that will be impossible so he should not spend much on his campaign because he will not win. Lets support Nana Addo who dug the foundation for Free SHS to build it well so that if after 2020 you come all of us will join in supporting you because by then, Free SHS will have a good foundation, he concluded.

---Mynewsgh
The mayor of Ontarios largest city applauded the announcement Monday that municipalities in the province will share $4 billion in funding to help cover budget shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city of Toronto alone faces a shortfall of $1.35 billion by the end of this year after city staff identified opportunities for savings. Most of that budget hole  $700 million  is attributed to the TTC and declining ridership.

I am hopeful that we can get the entire $1.3 billion but I cant say that Im expecting it, Mayor John Tory told a news conference after the announcement of the provincial and federal funding plan for 440 cities and towns.

Earlier, the city outlined significant cuts to services that would be required if funding did not materialize, including to libraries and police.

Tory said they city does not have the breakdown for how much Toronto will get but called the announcement a very positive sign.

He encouraged the province to use up-to-date information such as transit ridership to determine how the money is shared between municipalities.

Premier Doug Ford said the money announced Monday will ease budget shortfalls, and that details will come in the next few weeks.

This funding will help restart our economy, he told a news conference at Queens Park, noting its part of a $19-billion deal negotiated by the provinces with the federal government last week.

Our municipalities have been hit hard by COVID-19.

There will be $2 billion for transit systems, split between Queens Park and the federal government, and $2 billion for municipalities, including $777 million from the feds and $1.22 billion from the province.

Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney said some transit systems have lost 90 per cent of their ridership and face higher costs for cleaning, making financial assistance crucial to keeping lines running for essential workers and others to get to their jobs.

The money was also applauded by municipal groups.

Its an important investment in communities in every part of our province, and in Ontarios economic recovery, said Jamie McGarvey, president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.

Municipal and regional government leaders from the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (GTHA) called the funding promise a positive sign in a joint statement after a meeting Monday.

The mayors and chairs look forward to receiving more details about how this substantial and much-needed funding will be allocated to that we can fully understand how it will help address our requirements, said the statement.

Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark said money wont be provided until the federal government releases it and calculations can be made to determine how much each municipality gets.

Opposition parties said municipalities need more funding, particularly for daycare and long-term-care homes.

Unless the government is willing to shore up child care with an immediate investment, there will be an exodus of working moms from the economy, warned Green Leader Mike Schreiner.

While the funding announced Monday might give some breathing room to municipalities hurting from pandemic costs, it still fall far short of what will be needed to protect jobs and public services over the long term, said New Democrat MPP Jeff Burch (Niagara Centre).

After the $19-billion deal was reached last week, the federal government said $4.5 billion would be for the purchase of personal protective equipment by Ottawa plus $3 billion to support provincial purchasing efforts; $4.28 billion will go to COVID-19 testing and contact tracing; $2 billion for municipalities; $1.8 billion for transit that the provinces must match; $1.1 billion for temporary income support for sick leave; $740 million to support vulnerable populations and long-term care; $700 million for health-care capacity plus $500 million for mental health; and $625 million for child care.

Jennifer Pagliaro is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @jpags

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Introducing the electric toy car for the 1%. Luxury car maker Bugatti teamed up with London-based Little Car Company to create 500 miniature electric cars for kids, priced at a spicy $35,000 each.

The French car maker originally unveiled the childrens electric car, named Bugatti Baby II, at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, and soon after announced that all planned 500 units had been sold to wealthy parents all over the world. But then the Covid-19 pandemic happened and suddenly some of the buyers decided that spending tens of thousands of dollars on what is essentially a childrens toy was ill-advised under the circumstances. So Bugatti had no choice but to announce that some Bugatti Baby II electric cars for kids are once again available for purchase. They start at $35,000, get them while theyre hot!

Photo: Bugatti/The Little Car Company

The Bugatti Baby II is a modern interpretation of the original Bugatti Baby, a driveable replica of the Bugatti Type 35 racing car, that the brands creator, Ettore Bugatti, decided to build for his son almost a century ago. It was supposed to be one-of-a-kind, but Bugatti owners loved it so much that they wanted one for their own children, so the company ended up making 500 Bugatti Baby kids cars.

Not only is the Bugatti Baby II electric, whereas the original was powered by a combustion engine, but its considerably larger too, which makes sense since Ettore Bugattis vehicle was meant for an eight-year-old, while this one is aimed at teenagers.

Photo: Bugatti/The Little Car Company

The Bugatti Baby II comes in three versions. The base one costs $35,000 and features two driving modes: Novice mode, in which the car can go up to 12 miles an hour, and Expert, which raises the maximum speed to 30 miler per hour. But if thats not fast enough for your kid, you can always go for the more expensive variants.

The Vitesse and Pur Sang versions cost an eye-watering $50,000 and $68,000, respectively, and come with a Speed Key, just like the grownups Bugatti Chiron. The Speed Key unlocks the electric cars full potential, thus helping it reach a maximum speed of 42 miles per hour. Also, depending on the weight of the driver, these two upper trims can co from 0 to 60 miles per hour in as little as six seconds.

Photo: Bugatti/The Little Car Company

In its most powerful mode, when you have the Speed Key inserted, the Baby II is a very fast car. Its quite impressive and brilliantly fun, Bugatti test driver Andy Wallace told CNN.

Buyers of a Vitesse or Pur Sang Bugatti Baby II a battery autonomy of 31 miles, and can choose whatever paint colors they like, including those available for the Bugatti Chiron.



While the Bugatti Baby II sounds very impressive for a kids electric car, its not exactly cheap, so if youre trying to impress your spoiled teen with a luxurious toy, maybe go for the Rolls Royce of fidget spinners instead? Its only $160 and can spin continuously for over 10 minutes.
Biden says Putin will pay 'dear price' if he invades Ukraine
Speech Analytics Boosts Customer Service for Bluegrass Cellular

Bluegrass Cellular, a wireless service provider based in central Kentucky, offers national and international service to customers in 34 of the states counties. It prides itself on outstanding customer support, which led it to merge two similar support teams into a single technical support team.

The plan was for senior-level agents to focus on providing enhanced Level 2 technical support to customers experiencing wireless equipment problems, according to Robin Fentress, the carriers director of customer support. But, instead, the combined team spent a large amount of time on simple, nontechnical calls that could have been resolved at its retail stores or by Level 1 support staff.

By reducing Level 2 call volume by 10 percent, Bluegrass Cellular executives figured they could save 3.5 percent of annual operational and labor expenses, but before they could hit that goal, they needed to better understand their service call trends. Doing so would enable them to intervene with the most appropriate corrective actions, according to Fentress.

So in late 2018, the company selected Calabrio's speech analytics program. Bluegrass didn't consider competitors because of its success using Calabrio's call recording solution, Fentress said. Bluegrass went live with Calabrio's analytics solution in March 2019.

To get started toward its goal, the carrier needed to define the phrases that speech analytics would analyze. Working with Calabrio, it solicited feedback from experienced team members, listened to calls with above-average durations, and listened to recorded calls to identify frequent phrasing used in trouble-shooting calls and those in sales and services calls.

Calls typically handled by Level 1 support staff included these:

correct allswhen devices that arent synced to the database dont work properly;

past-due accounts;

voicemail password resets;

portable numberswhen a cell phone number can be ported (transferred) from another carrier to Bluegrass Cellular; and

good-standing accounts.

By evaluating and understanding the context of calls, the Bluegrass-Calabrio team developed a process automation plan to direct the five types of calls and put together a training program so Level 1 support staff could handle the calls without escalating them to Level 2 support staff.

Retail and Level 1 teams were trained to better use available resources and to become more comfortable and confident in their customer interactions.

Bluegrass Cellular also built custom graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to automate various processes. For example, one GUI enables agents to determine onlinewithout needing to contact technical supportwhether a customer's cell number is portable.

By eliminating unnecessary calls to its Level 2 team, Bluegrass Cellular increased customer satisfaction, enhanced the productivity of call center agents, and enjoyed quantifiable benefits, according to Fentress.

Though the carrier initially hoped to reduce calls handled by Level 2 teams by 10 percent, the training and routing succeeded so well that it actually shrank that number by 14 percent, leading to additional, significant cost savings. Fentress estimates the operational savings are $100,000 annually. Additionally, first-call resolutions rose by 20 percent.

"We've generated real results that free our Level 2 team to handle escalated customer concerns, and we dramatically impacted our ability to operate as a highly efficient and effective contact center," Fentress says. "Even though we've just begun, we're already busy imagining what's next."

Looking ahead, the carrier is working to use the Calabrio solution to identify additional phrases that can clearly indicate different calls (Level 1 or 2) and training needed. Fentress adds that the carrier is also looking to speech analytics to help with COVID-19-related calls.

The development team is also building a GUI to deliver automated messages to agents handling existing accounts with past-due balance requests with recommended actions to be taken.

The Payoff

Since implementing Calabrio's analytics solution, Bluegrass Cellular has seen the following results:
At least six federal agents were injured during demonstrations in Portland Friday night when protesters launched fireworks at them and shone lasers at their eyes.

Protests have been nearly constant in Oregons largest city since the police custody death of George Floyd in May. Local officials have called for federal law enforcement agents deployed by the Trump administration to leave as nightly violence continues to rock the city. Some protests have been peaceful, but demonstrators who remain on the streets after dark have engaged in property destruction, throwing rocks at police, marking buildings with graffiti, and setting fires.

One agent had his hearing deadened and suffered bloody lacerations and burns on both his forearms after protesters shot a firework over the fence, the Associated Press reported. Other agents helped him to strip down to his boxers and T-shirt so his injuries could be photographed for evidence. The injured agent said he was more worried about his hearing than the injuries on his arms.

Another agent was hit in the head by a commercial-grade firework and suffered a concussion, and several agents left the demonstrations with vision issues resulting from lasers that the protesters pointed at their faces. Of the six agents injured, at least one was hospitalized.

Agents confiscate projectiles after the protests every night, including slingshots and blocks of wood and concrete.

Some protesters have also been injured since the Trump administration sent federal law enforcement agents to handle the situation. One demonstrator was critically injured and underwent facial reconstructive surgery after a federal officer fired an impact munition at his head, an incident that the Department of Justices Office of the Inspector General is investigating.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler earlier this month accused President Trump of abusing the use of federal law enforcement officers, whose presence he said has ratcheted up the tension rather than quelled the nightly violence.

Story continues

Last week, more than 1,000 protesters congregated near the Justice Center and Federal Courthouse downtown and threw incendiary devices over the fence around the federal courthouse, which resulted in a large fire.

Its scary. You open those doors out, when the crowd is shaking the fence, and  on the other side of that fence are people that want to kill you because of the job we chose to do and what we represent, an unidentified Deputy U.S. Marshal said, according to the Associated Press.

More from National Review
This originally appeared as part of our daily coronavirus newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to typhoid in places.

The Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, Poland began as a method of controlling a typhus epidemic, and as a way to destroy the Jewish population with disease, according to a paper published last week in the journal ScienceAdvances.

A group of international researchers  from Tel Aviv University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Touro College Berlin, among other institutions  used mathematical modeling to chart the progress of the typhus epidemic in 1940s Warsaw.

They found that the same tools were using today to battle the coronavirus were used successfully, and against the odds, in World War II Warsaw: There are interesting parallels of the eradication of typhus in Warsaw Ghetto and attempts to contain COVID-19. Both actions sprang from the same fear and panic typifying cities in the grip of a plague.

By the end of 1939, typhus was raging in Poland, researchers wrote. The Nazis knew exactly what they were doing when they created a Seuchensperrgebiet in Warsaw (literally a plague-restricted area) and then, on Oct. 1940, forbade Jews from leaving. A month later, a brick wall went up. It was referred to as the epidemic wall, and the area inside the wall became the Warsaw ghetto.

The Jews are overwhelmingly the carriers and disseminators of typhus infection, researchers wrote, quoting Jost Walbaum, chief health officer in Nazi-occupied Poland. There are only two ways [to solve this]. We sentence the Jews in the ghetto to death by hunger or we shoot them. ... We have one and only one responsibility, that the German people are not infected and endangered by these parasites. For that, any means must be right.

Not surprisingly, with so many people crammed into such a small space, the lice-borne typhus thrived. Then, as winter began, just as the disease was expected to worsen further, it abated. Why?

Public hygiene was systematized. Public lectures were held about the nature of typhus and the epidemiology of pandemics. Social distancing efforts were put in place, as was home self-isolation. Sound familiar?

The constant ongoing efforts of the community and self-help organizations to destroy the epidemic must have certainly contributed to lowering transmissibility below a critical threshold, bringing the epidemic to an early sudden halt, researchers wrote.
Monday, July 27, 2020

Its not about our nations health, its not about the children first, its about political agendas

Concerns over sending kids back to school in the fall are not supported by the science  and people prioritizing their political agendas know it, former Princeton professor and Black Voices for Trump Advisory Board member Carol Swain said Sunday.

In an interview on Fox & Friends, Swain cited encouraging signs from countries abroad that largely have reopened their doors to younger children, and argued there was a great risk to keeping them at home for the start of the new school year.

If you look at what world experts are saying, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, experts in the U.K., children are not at risk of either contracting or spreading COVID-19, Swain asserted.

TRUMP SAID HE IS COMFORTABLE SENDING HIS SON, GRANDCHILDREN BACK TO SCHOOL

They need to get back to school. Theres great risk for them staying at home, she added. It disrupts the family structure, it disrupts learning and it hurts the poorest children most of all because they dont have the resources for the parents to hire someone to help them while they work.

Fox News medical contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat joins Americas News HQ.

While some epidemiologists have warned that not enough was known yet about the virus for schools to reopen safely for all, others  including the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  argued that keeping them closed would pose an even greater threat to children.

CDC ROLLS OUT TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS TO REOPENS SAFELY

President Trump, who for weeks has been pressuring schools to reopen, asked Congress on Thursday to pledge $105 billion to schools as part of the next coronavirus stimulus bill.

As lawmakers are expected to mull over the issue, Swain expressed little optimism in a bipartisan conclusion, warning viewers: politics underlies everything.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Whether we like it or not, there are people that dont care about the children, she said. They care about the election, and they see an opportunity to hurt President Trump by keeping everything shut down.

And so, Swain added, whatevers taking place in Congress, its not about our nations health, its not about the children first. Its about political agendas. Unfortunately, thats the way it is in America today.

(Fox News Julia Musto contributed to this report.)

Article released  Fox News
More news includes Telegram launching a new bunch of features and functionalities and PUBG Mobile announcing its Global Extreme Challenge.

It was an eventful day in the world of technology. On one hand, we saw the Indian government adding 47 new apps to its existing list of banned China based apps. On the other hand, we saw companies like Zee and Qualcomm adding new products to their existing lineup of products.

Heres everything that made headlines in tech today:

Govt bans 47 China-based apps

The government today announced that it was banning 47 China-based apps in India. This new list is in addition to the 59 apps that the government banned last month. Todays announcement takes the number of China-based apps banned in India to 106.

Qualcomm launches Quick Charge 5.0

Qualcomm today launched Quick Charge 5.0 technology. This technology is capable of charging a 4,500mAh battery from 0% to 50% in five minutes.

Telegram rolls out new features

Telegram today rolled out a bunch of new features to its platform. The list includes sending 2GB files, profile videos, nearby people, greeting stickers and animated emojis among others.

PUBG Mobile Global Extreme Challenge announced

PUBG Mobile today announced the Global Extreme Challenge. The event will take place on July 30 and it will witness the company partnering with celebrities, influencers and players leading teams from various regions in the challenge.

Zee launches Zee5 Club

Zee today launched the Zee5 Club, which is an OTT television entertainment pack. It costs 365 a year.
US warplanes have again approached the Chinese mainland, including one that came less than 100km away from Shanghai, as tensions between the two countries continue to rise with the tit-for-tat closures of consulates.

A P-8A anti-submarine plane and an EP-3E reconnaissance plane entered the Taiwan Strait, flying near the coast of Zhejiang and Fujian on Sunday, according to the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, a Peking University think tank.

It first tweeted about the operation on Sunday morning, later adding that the reconnaissance plane was flying back after approaching Fujian and the southern part of the Taiwan Strait.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

The think tank tweeted again at night, saying the US Navy P-8A was operating near Shanghai, with the USS Rafael Peralta, a guided missile destroyer, following a similar route, asking might be a joint operation?.

According to a chart from the think tank, the P-8A came within 76.5km (47.5 miles) of Shanghai, the closest any US planes have come to mainland China in recent years, while the other plane came within 106km of Fujians southern coast.

It was the 12th day in a row that US military planes have approached the mainland coast.

On Monday the institute tweeted that it seems a US air force RC-135W  another reconnaissance plane  had entered Taiwans airspace and asked if anyone could confirm it. The Taiwanese defence ministry declined to comment on the claims.

But in the late afternoon, the institute tweeted again, saying a EP-3E was conducting close-in reconnaissance of Guangdong less than 100km from the coast.

The P-8As approach to Shanghai came after Beijing had ordered the US consulate in Chengdu to close by 10am on Monday in response to the closure of its consulate in Houston last week.

Story continues

The closures were the latest in a series of confrontations ranging from areas such as trade and technology to diplomacy and the South China Sea.

On Thursday, the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative released a scratchy audio recording of what appeared to be a warning from the Chinese navy to a US military plane to change course or be intercepted. The think tank said the audio had been captured by a radio amateur that morning.

It remains unclear which aircraft was involved but it was said to be flying close to the southern Chinese coast, north of the Taiwan Strait. It is unknown whether any subsequent aerial encounter took place.

According to the think tank, US air force E-8C surveillance planes have come within 185km or less of the southeast coast of Guangdong province on four separate occasions in the past week.

At the moment the US military is sending three to five reconnaissance aircraft each day to the South China Sea, the think tank said, adding the US military planes have come unusually close to mainland airspace several times since April.

In the first half of 2020  with much higher frequency, closer distance and more variety of missions  the US aerial reconnaissance in the South China Sea has entered a new phase.

According to its statistics, US planes made a record 50 sorties over the South China Sea in the first three weeks of July  a time when both countries armed forces were conducting training exercises.

The projects director Hu Bo said the frequent encounters between US and Chinese ships and planes raised the risk of a clashes, although he said the chance of this escalating into a large-scale conflict was small.

In 2001 a US navy signals intelligence aircraft collided in mid-air with a Chinese interceptor near Hainan province, killing a Chinese pilot.

The 24 American crew members were detained and interrogated by the mainland authorities until the US government issued an ambiguously worded statement that helped defuse tensions.

Although the US has been trying to decouple with China in other areas, they are still closely connected, Hu said. So the chance of a large-scale conflict happening is small. But a medium or small-scale conflict is possible, such as two warships hitting each other or occasional crossfire, since the two countries warships and aircraft encounter each other every day.

Chinese state media has reported that aviation units from a navy brigade are currently undertaking live-fire drills in the South China Sea while a nine-day exercise is also being held off the Leizhou peninsula in Guangdong.

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This article US warplane approaches Shanghai as tensions remain high amid consulate closures first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- Lenice Blackbird loved children and joking.

She always had a smile on her face and was beloved by her friends and family.

Shortly after she was diagnosed with COVID-19 in late June, she packed her things and left her home in Macy, Nebraska, for a cabin in a nearby park where she planned to quarantine herself until she recovered from the virus.

Her family feared it would be the last time they would see her, knowing the 25-year-old Omaha Nation woman already suffered from diabetes and cirrhosis.

On June 27, their fears were realized when Lenices two nephews found her body not far from the cabin where she had been quarantined.

Its been really hard not knowing what happened and frustrating because its not fair, said Donna Blackbird, Lenices mother. Its not fair that I had to bury my daughter early, earlier than what I wanted.

Michael Patrick O'Connor smudges Donna Blackbird, center, at a vigil held held for Blackbird's daughter Lenice Sioux City, Iowa, on July 25, 2020. Photo by Kevin Abourezk

Standing on a windy hilltop under a sweltering sun Saturday evening, Donna Blackbird spoke to nearly 30 people gathered for a vigil for her daughter in Sioux City, Iowa. They gathered at War Eagle Monument, some 40 miles north of where her daughter died a month earlier.

In an earlier interview with Indianz.Com, Lenices family shared details of her death.

They said she was tested for coronavirus June 19 and learned her diagnosis on Monday, June 22. That same day, she left home to quarantine in a cabin owned by the Omaha Tribe, along with a friend.

At that time, she wasnt showing symptoms of the virus, her aunt Irma Grant said. On Tuesday morning, Lenice called her mother.

Mom, its kind of scary down here, she told Donna Blackbird.

Donna Blackbird (right), mother of Lenice Blackbird, whose body was found June 27, 20020, after a brief bout with coronavirus, listens to a speech at a night vigil held in Sioux City, Iowa for her daughter on July 25, 2020. Photo by Kevin Abourezk

She told her mother that she thought she heard someone crawling on the roof of her cabin the night before.

That was the last time I heard from her, her mother said.

Lenice didnt call her family after that, and didnt answer when her family tried to reach her.

Her family reached out to a tribal health worker who was overseeing those quarantined in the tribes cabins, Donna Blackbird said. They asked the worker to check on Lenice.

After doing so, the worker told Lenices family that she wasnt in the cabin.

Her family began searching for her, posting frantic messages on social media asking for Lenices friends to inform them if they knew where she was. They even traveled to Sioux City to look for her.

Lenice Blackbird, a 25-year-old citizen of the Omaha Tribe, died on June 27, 2020, shortly after being diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. A vigil took place in her honor in Sioux City, Iowa, on July 25, 2020. Photo by Kevin Abourezk

Lenice suffered from alcoholism, and they worried she might have gone to the city to drink and spend time with her friends.

But no one in Sioux City had seen or heard from her.

Her family began to fear the worst, knowing Lenice couldnt walk very far as her legs would quickly swell when she tried to do so.

She wouldve come home if she walked away, Irma Grant said.

Her family asked Omaha tribal police to check on Lenice, but they refused, saying they feared contracting the coronavirus.

Tribal police could not be reached for comment.

Irma Grant, aunt of Lenice Blackbird, whose body was found June 27, 2020, after a brief bout with coronavirus, listens to a speech at a vigil held in Sioux City, Iowa, on July 25. Photo by Kevin Abourezk

On Friday, June 26, Donna Blackbird said she begged the tribal health worker charged with overseeing the cabins to check on her daughter and look for her around the cabins. But he told the family that Lenice had walked away.

The next evening, the family decided to go to the cabin and search for Lenice themselves.

It only took us 20 minutes to find her, Grant said.

They found her about 100 yards from the cabin where she was staying. Two of Grants grandsons found Lenices already decaying body lying on sloping hills nearby.

An autopsy conducted on Lenices body later found that she had died of heat stroke due to underlying health conditions.

Michael Patrick O'Connor speaks at a vigil held for Lenice Blackbird, whose body was found June 27 in Macy, Nebraska, after a brief bout with coronavirus. Photo by Kevin Abourezk

But her family blames their tribes health and law enforcement workers for failing to look for Lenice after they had requested they do so.

Did they really monitor her? Did they really take care of her? Grant said. I dont think so because of the way that we found her.

The only official acknowledgement of Lenices death came June 30, when the Omaha Tribe apparently issued a statement saying the tribes police were working with the FBI to investigate her death.

The FBI investigates cases in tandem with the Omaha Tribal Police," FBI Special Agent in Charge Kristi Johnson told Indianz.Com on Monday. "The FBI has spoken directly to Lenice Blackbirds family with respect to the outcome of our investigation.

According to a July 1 story by Sioux City television station KTIV , the tribal statement said nothing about how Lenice died. Indianz.Com did not receive the statement and could not obtain a copy of it from an Omaha tribal council member.

Since Lenices death, her family has held vigils for her at Big Elk Park in Macy, at the Indian Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, under the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge in Omaha and in Sioux City.

At War Eagle Monument on Saturday night, Lenices older sister Terese Moniz said she hasnt been able to sleep since her sisters death.

I dont have peace, and I know that shes with her dad, she said. I know shes happy, but I dont have peace because I dont understand. These are our own people. She was in their care.

She said Omaha tribal authorities and health workers failed to respond to her familys efforts to get help finding Lenice. She said she will never forget the day her family found Lenices body.

I cant get that day out of my mind, Moniz said. The hurt in my moms eyes, I cant get that out of my head. It stays there.

Terese Moniz, older sister to Lenice Blackbird, speaks at a vigil held in Sioux CIty, Iowa, on July 25, 2020, for her sister, whose body was found June 27 in Macy, Nebraska, following a brief bout with coronavirus. Photo by Kevin Abourezk

Renee Sans Souci, an Omaha poet and activist, said she has encouraged Lenices family to consider taking legal action against the Omaha Tribe.

We need to show compassion and concern, she said. Stop making excuses. Our women are dying. That is unacceptable.

Michael Patrick OConnor, a Yankton Lakota activist living in Sioux City, organized Saturdays vigil. He said its important to remember that Lenice was a young woman with dreams and people who loved her.

He said he was disappointed in the failure of Native police and health workers to show compassion for a young relative whose life mattered.

To me, I couldnt help but to think what was it like for her? he said. What kind of fear was she experiencing?

Renee Sans Souci, an Omaha poet and activist, speaks at a July 25, 2020, vigil held night in Sioux City, Iowa, for Lenice Blackbird, whose body was found June 27 in Macy, Nebraska, after a brief bout with coronavirus. Photo by Kevin Abourezk

And he said he was frustrated that no tribal representatives have attended or spoke at any of the vigils held in Lenices memory.

Lenice walked away. Thats what they said, but to me, they walked away from their responsibility, Patrick OConnor said. And the fact that theyre not even here to show enough respect and enough courage just makes it even worse for me.

Obviously, somebody needs to take accountability, but whos brave enough to do that? Were going to find out.

Join the Conversation
COHOES  News last winter that the Norlite aggregate plant here had been incinerating hazardous PFAS-laden firefighting foam shocked the city council and prompted it in the spring to impose a moratorium on the burning.

At the time, the foam was said to come mostly from fire departments across the Northeast including Vermont and New Hampshire as well as military installations.

Now, however, a series of data sheets on the incineration show that the foam came from far and wide, including local sources such as Hudson Valley Community College, and an aluminum manufacturer in Fonda, Montgomery County.

Other sources included a GlobalFoundries facility in Vermont, affiliated with the large chip factory in Saratoga County, as well as the Watervliet Arsenal about four miles from Norlite.

IBM also shipped a small amount of the foam to Norlite.

All told, state Department of Environmental Conservation data sheets indicate more than 2 million pounds of the foam were burned at Norlite in 2018 and 2019.

And the scope of sources shows how pervasive the use of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) and its components, PFAS, are in everyday life.

The foam is a fire suppressant made with PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

PFAS chemicals are associated with thyroid illness, cancers and other health problems, and there is concern they can seep into water supplies. Because PFAs, based on a carbon-fluorine bond, are so slow to break down they can remain in a persons bloodstream for a long time and there are worries that even low levels, such as parts per billion, could cause problems.

Because of that, AFFF is being phased out by most firefighting organizations.

But scores of barrels remain in storage across the country.

Norlite is one of a handful of facilities that could incinerate the substance. After they learned of the burning, the Cohoes council members imposed a moratorium on the practice and there now are moves to ban it both at the state and county levels.

The company has for the time halted burning AFFF.

Sources of the AFFF are listed by DEC in sheets that were recently posted by Pat Elder, a Maryland activist who writes for the civilianexposure.org website that focuses on pollution from military bases.

According to the DEC sheets, Hudson Valley Community College shipped 9,624 pounds of PFAS/AFFF solutions to Norlite in August, 2019.

GlobalFoundries from Vermont shipped 60,684 pounds in July 2018 and September 2019.

Keymark Corp. in Fonda sent 43,951 pounds in July and August 2018.

Watervliet Arsenal sent 1,880 pounds last December and 6,553 pounds were shipped from an IBM airport hangar in December. It wasnt immediately clear where the hangar was located.

The state DEC also sent some 880 pounds in September 2018 from wells they had been checking for PFAS contamination.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The shipments came under a DEC-backed program to get rid of the foam and came from storage barrels or tanks. The companies, schools and other organizations that had AFFF possessed them legally since there havent historically been regulations against using them. Worries about the substances have come to light in recent years, however.

There have been some AFFF spills, according to a DEC presentation on the program.

One was at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh where there were (t)wo 2000-gallon releases of AFFF concentrate due to human error and mechanical failure, foam use during an aircraft fire, and routine training activities.

Another spill was at Westhampton Beach Long Islands Gabreski Air National Guard Base where releases contaminated water wells, prompting 64 homes in the area to connect to the municipal system.

Yet another release came amid a tragedy in October 2016 when an asphalt truck caught fire at the Mohawk Asphalt plant in Glenville. Two people died in the fire, which was suppressed by AFFF foam. The site was later deemed to be cleaned up.

For now, AFFF is not being shipped to Norlite for incineration. But with AFFF stores still in existence nationwide, environmentalists say this is a problem that will eventually have to be resolved.

Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator who has been active in calling for a ban on burning the chemicals at Norlite and elsewhere, noted that military bases still have AFFF.

And with the Trump Administrations EPA hesitant to set tough standards, Civilian Exposure's Elder believes its more important than ever for the states to regulate AFFF incineration.

Its time for the states to step up to the plate, he said.

rkarlin@timesunion.com  518-454-5758  @RickKarlinTU
PITTSBURGH, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "I wanted to create a way to help alleviate pain for my child when cutting her first tooth," said an inventor, from Waverly Hall, Ga., "so I invented the TEETHING AID."

The invention provides an effective teething aid for babies. In doing so, it could help to relieve some pain and discomfort associated with teething. As a result, it could enhance comfort for babies and it provides added peace of mind for parents. The invention features an all-natural design that is easy to apply and use so it is ideal for parents with teething babies. Additionally, it is producible in design variations and a prototype is available.

The inventor described the invention design. "My design offers an alternative to using topical numbing agents for teething."

The original design was submitted to the Atlanta sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 19-ALL-2057, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Related Links

http://www.inventhelp.com


Singapore Cabinet swearing in at the Istana on 27 July 2020. (SCREENSHOT: CNA/YouTube)

SINGAPORE  Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday (27 July) that he will see through the COVID-19 crisis and hand over Singapore into good hands who can take the country further forward, following the swearing in of his new Cabinet.

Speaking at the State Room of the Istana, Lee also noted the 12 new opposition Members of Parliament, saying the recent General Election reflected a strong desire among Singaporeans for greater diversity of views in politics.

Lee asked Singaporeans to extend to the younger ministers the same support that they have given him all these years of his public service.

But Lee said leadership renewal is a never ending task. We continue to need more good people from every generation to step forward, stand for election and serve our country. Singapore must have leaders who can take the rough and tumble of politics and who would commit all their energies to work and fight for what they believe in.

Urging unity among all Singaporeans regardless of political persuasions, Lee said the country is facing major health and economic challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the government has been extending financial and other forms of support for busineses and workers to get the economy going, Singapore must be prepared to face the realities of the post COVID-19 world, he added.

The government and businesses will face difficult choices as some industries will not return to what they were before, according to Lee.

We cannot afford to prop up failing industries indefinitely, or trap workers in jobs that are no longer viable. The better long-term solution is to invest our resources to develop new capabilities, grow new industries and create new jobs.

Role of Opposition in Parliament

On the recent GE, Lee said while voters want the Peoples Action Party (PAP) to form the government, they also want more robust debate of policies and plans.

The trend is here to stay and Singapore will evolve its political system to accommodate it while maintaining its cohesion and sense of national purpose, he added.

Story continues

The 14th Parliament will have 83 MPs from the PAP, 10 MPs from the Workers Party and two Non-Constituency MPs from the Progress Singapore Party. The government will designate WP chief Pritam Singh as Leader of the Opposition and provide him with staff support and resources to perform his role.

Workers' Party Aljunied GRC MPs at the Cabinet swearing in ceremony at the Istana on 27 July 2020. (PHOTO: Pritam Singh/Facebook)

Lee said he looked forward to more vigorous but constructive debates in Parliament.

I hope our colleagues across the aisle will step up to play their role of a responsible and loyal opposition. Their duty is not merely to raise criticisms and ask questions of the government, necessary as these functions are. But also, more importantly, to put forward serious policy alternatives to be scrutinised and debated.

Through such debates, MPs can help voters better understand the issues and in the process, improve policies to deliver better outcomes for Singapore, Lee added.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

More Singapore stories:

Traveller from NZ who flew to S Korea possibly infected with COVID-19 during transit in Singapore

COMMENT: Cabinet changes show Singapores political succession is faltering

Lawyer Samuel Seow admits to using force on 2 female employees
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Friday that the lifting of lockdown measures is driving a resurgence of COVID-19 in Europe. The rise in new cases is the product of stark class inequalities and the exploitation of migrant labor across the continent.

The recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases in some countries following the easing of physical distancing measures is certainly cause for concern, a WHO-Europe spokeswoman told AFP.

She said governments should prepare for large-scale lockdowns to prevent major new outbreaks: Where new clusters of cases appear, these need to be controlled through rapid and targeted interventions including rapid case detection and isolation and diligent contact tracing and quarantining.  If the situation demands, reintroduction of stricter, targeted measures with the full engagement of communities may be needed.

Over the weekend, the number of dead in Europe from COVID-19 passed 200,000, as the number of officially registered European cases approaches 3 million. While it is surging across Eastern Europewith over 5,000 daily new cases in Russia, and over 1,000 each in Ukraine and Romaniathe number of daily COVID-19 deaths, however, at several hundreds, is well below the thousands who died daily this spring. Lockdowns across Western Europe blunted much of the pandemics impact. Since May 20, Europe has seen roughly 20,000 new cases per day, less than half the April peak.

The policy of the European Union (EU), entirely focused on using the pandemic as a pretext to hand multi-trillion-euro bailouts to the banks and major corporations, is, however, leading to disaster. As the pandemic spreads in Eastern Europe, the premature ending of lockdowns in the original centers of the pandemic in Western Europe is leading to a rapid resurgence of cases.

On Saturday, Romania saw a record 1,284 cases and Ukraine a near-record 1,106, as the far-right Ukrainian regime imposes IMF austerity measures and slashes social spending, forcing millions of Ukrainians to find work in central or western Europe. Many work as migrant farm labourers and are badly exposed due to appalling working conditions thereeven in Europes wealthiest countries.

In Germany, 174 of 480 migrant agricultural labourers at a farm in the Bavarian village of Memming have tested positive for COVID-19. Security forces put the facility on lockdown and warned that the area around the farm may also go into lockdown. The workers infected in Memming are mostly Romanian migrant workers who were picking and treating cucumbers in large, closed facilities that likely helped spread the virus among the workers.

In Spain, protests broke out among migrant farm workers in the Castilla La Mancha region after 400 workers were forced into confinement in one outbreak near Albacete. Workers, many from West Africa, were housed collectively, without privacy or facilities to sleep and wash. The farm refused to provide accommodation, and hotels in the area refused to provide the workers rooms.

The College of Social Work of Castilla La Mancha issued a statement on this tragedy, stating: The local administration never decided to carry out large-scale action to give the people residing there dignified conditions. It always looked the other way, even though it was necessary to do preventive work on many fronts, including public health. Given the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, did anyone really think this could not happen?

A report by Euronews, Der Spiegel, Lighthouse Reports, and Mediapart, titled Invisible workers: Underpaid, exploited and put at risk on Europes farms, reveals the appalling working conditions facing many of the 9.7 million people working in agriculture in Europe.

Juan, a Colombian youth hired by a subcontractor to work at a French farm, recalled how other workers first greeted him: Welcome to hell, I remember being told. And I thought it was a joke. But when they opened the door and I saw the house ... it was a disaster. Workers paid 200 monthly for rent in the house, where they were packed five to a room, sharing bunk beds, in violation of labour law. No bed sheets or pillows were provided for the beds, or toilet paper in the restrooms.

Such reports expose the boundless class arrogance of the financial aristocracy and its petty bourgeois accomplices in the union bureaucracy who set social policy in Europe. As the European Central Bank prints 1.25 trillion to give to the banks to bail out the super-rich, and state officials squabble over how to divide up 750 billion in EU corporate bailouts, they treat workers with contempt.

EU officials have admitted that farm labourers, hypocritically hailed as essential workers by the capitalist media, are treated little better than slaveswith deadly consequences. At the moment, we have this crazy situation where we actually have better protection for animals than for some of these workers on our farms, Daniel Freund, a German Green member of the European parliament observed.

This exposes deep flaws of Europes lockdowns. Lockdown measures were implemented only after a wave of wildcat strikes in March in Italy and growing strikes across Europe. However, this by itself could not totally stop the pandemic. During the lockdowns, conditions in farms and other workplaces guaranteed that the disease would keep spreading among super-exploited essential workers employed to prevent a collapse in food supplies.

The impact of the premature ending of lockdowns is now being felt. Though the number of new daily cases fell to a few dozen in many Western European countries after this springs lockdowns, they are now rising rapidly in Germany (781 on Saturday), France (1,130), and Spain (2,255). The second wave has arrived, wrote Germanys Tagesspiegel, adding: Since mid-May the number of new cases had regularly fallen. But now cases are clearly rising, even where there are no hot-spots.

After Catalonia proposed a voluntary lockdown on 4 million people in Barcelona, Jean-Francois Delfraissy, the head of Frances Scientific Council, said France could soon see similar levels.

Warning that France could fall into something like Spain, Catalonia, he pointed to working class areas housing many immigrants doing essential work. He stressed his concern for precarious populations and those that can fall into precarious social conditions. The north Paris suburbs are worse hit than any other area, and French people of foreign origin have far higher mortality rates. He said, if we allow Covid infections in these populations to grow, it will spread throughout the population.

Nevertheless, the EU firmly opposes further lockdowns and demands stark austerity measures and massive cuts to jobs, to finance the trillions of euros being forked over to the super-rich.

On Saturday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex ruled out large-scale lockdowns. We now know what that produces: it stops the spread of the pandemic, of course, but from an economic and social standpoint its a disaster, he said, adding that only very localized lockdowns could be considered. French President Emmanuel Macron has already said that millions of workers will lose their jobs in France alone, and that there will be many bankruptcies to finance EU bailouts for the rich.

To speak more plainly, Castex and the European capitalist class behind him oppose stopping the spread of COVID-19 because this disaster stops the flow of profits to their pockets. By preferring death and profits to life and health, they have exposed their own bankruptcy and shown that only a movement of the working class for equality, for worker control of production and for the taking of political power by the working class on a socialist platform can halt the pandemic.
The US drugmaker had received $483m in April for early-stage human trials for a coronavirus treatment.

Moderna Inc says it has received an additional $472m from the United States governments Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support the development of its novel coronavirus vaccine.

The US-based drugmaker said on Sunday that the additional funding will support its late-stage clinical development including the expanded phase three study of Modernas vaccine candidate.

The company stands to make billions of dollars in sales if it is successful in developing a safe, effective vaccine.

In April, Moderna had received $483m from the US federal agency that funds disease-fighting technology, when the experimental vaccine was in an early-stage trial conducted by the US National Institutes of Health.

Encouraged by the Phase 1 data, we believe that our mRNA vaccine may aid in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and preventing future outbreaks, chief executive officer Stephane Bancel said in a news release.

BARDAs total funding for the experimental vaccine of Moderna, the first in the US to begin human trials of a coronavirus vaccine, is now about $955m.

The vaccine uses synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA) to inoculate against the coronavirus. Such treatments help the body immunise against a virus and can potentially be developed and manufactured more quickly than traditional vaccines.

Phase three

A phase three study, conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will begin on Monday and involve about 30,000 participants, according to the company.

Moderna said it remains on track to be able to deliver about 500 million doses per year, and possibly up to 1 billion doses per year, beginning in 2021.

The announcement about further funding came two days after the drug developer said its formula used in developing the vaccine was not covered under patents owned by Arbutus Biopharma.

Modernas shares have surged to more than three times their value at the start of 2020 on hopes of a vaccine, reaching an all-time high of $94.85 earlier this month before falling to $73.21 by Friday.

Pfizer Inc, Novavax Inc, the United Kingdoms AstraZeneca Plc are among the other drugmakers that received funding from BARDA for coronavirus vaccine development.
A man withdraws cash at an ATM booth of Sacombank. Sacombank's pre-tax profit reached VND440 billion in Q2 this year, up 10.13 per cent over the same period last year. - Photo the courtesy of Sacombank

Lien Viet Securities JSC (LVS) has recently failed to offload three million Sacombank shares because of inappropriate market conditions.

LVS last month registered to sell all three million Sacombank shares via order matching or put-through trading methods from June 18 to July 17.

More than a year ago, LVS bought many Sacombank shares. The average market price of Sacombank at the time was about VND11,750 (US$0.5) per share.

Earlier in mid-February, Kienlong Commercial Joint-Stock Bank (Kienlong Bank) put up more than 176.4 million shares of Sacombank for sale at a starting price of VND21,600 per share to retrieve bad debts.

These 176.4 shares were collateral assets of some individuals. This is the second attempt by Kienlong Bank to offload Sacombanks shares since its failure at the end of January.

If the sale is successful, Kienlong Bank will collect more than VND3.8 trillion.

Compared to the previous offering, Kienlong Bank has discounted the share price by 10 per cent. However, the price of VND21,000 was still nearly double the transaction price of Sacombank shares on the stock market at the time.

However, between the end of February and early March, the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for Kienlongbank to execute the plan successfully.

Kienlongbank's credit risk provisions in the first six months of this year was 3.2 times higher than the same period last year, reaching VND79 billion, mainly due to the provision for loans of a group of customers that have secured assets as STB shares.

The Viet Nam Export Import Commercial Bank (Eximbank) also plans to sell nearly 75 million shares of Sacombank to retrieve debts.

According to the report of Eximbank's Supervisory Board, the ratio of outstanding securities loans as of December 31, 2019 was 6.04 per cent, higher than the maximum level of 5 per cent. Most of the loans were overdue loans of seven customers having mortgages as Sacombank shares to buy Eximbank shares, with a total loan balance of VND746 billion.

Sacombank's pre-tax profit reached VND440 billion in Q2 this year, up 10.13 per cent over the same period last year. In the first six months, pre-tax profit touched VND1.4 trillion, down by 2.2 per cent year-on-year.

As of June, Sacombank's total assets reached VND481.9 trillion, up 6.2 per cent compared to the beginning of this year. Outstanding loans increased by nearly 5 per cent to VND310.7 trillion. Customer deposits rose by 6.33 per cent to VND426.2 trillion.

The bad debts on the balance sheet on June 30 stood at VND6.68 trillion, up by nearly VND950 billion from the beginning of this year, or up nearly 17 per cent.Sacombank
E very year millions of Muslims make the pilgrimage to the Kaaba, or the 'House of God', in the sacred city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Over the course of five days, rites of Hajj are performed, in what is considered one of the five pillars of Islam.

Every Muslim is expected to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.

But when is Hajj this year and how will coronavirus impact the religious gathering? Here's what you need to know...

The Barren Valley depicts stunning drone footage of Mecca in anticipation of welcoming back Hajj pilgrims

When is Hajj 2020?

This year, Hajj begins on Tuesday, July 28, and will end on Sunday, August 2.

Why is it important in Islam?

This 2019 photo shows thousands of Muslim pilgrims surrounding the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, in the holy city of Mecca / AP

Hajj occurs two months and ten days after Ramadan ends, during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah.

The event also coincides with Eid al-Adha, which marks Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael on divine orders.

Over a five-day period, various rituals take place, with pilgrims donning special religious garments and performing a counter-clockwise procession around the Kaaba, a cube-shaped building draped in black silk.

In the eastern corner of the Kaaba lies a black stone, which Muslims believe to be the one that angel Gabriel gave to Abraham.

Pilgrims then touch or kiss the stone as part of the ceremony.

How will this year's Hajj be different?

A handout picture provided by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra on July 25, 2020, shows a medical worker, mask-clad due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, checking the body temperature of travellers arriving for the annual Hajj pilgrimage at a hotel in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca / Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra/

As has been the case with many events and religious festivals, Hajj will be scaled back this year to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Saudi Arabia's Hajj Ministry said it will only allow 1,000 people already residing in the kingdom to participate in this year's pilgrimage.

That said, it has been reported that as many 10,000 people could take part.

Guidelines also state that pilgrims must be between the ages of 20-50, and they must be in good health.

Pilgrims from further afield and from different countries will not be permitted to take part in the annual Hajj this year.
Thirty-two more people, including six ITBP personnel, have tested positive for Covid- 19 in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the northeastern states caseload to 1,158 on Monday, a senior health official said.

Eleven fresh cases were reported in Seppa, the district headquarters of East Kameng, eight in Changlang district, six in Upper Siang, five in the Capital Complex region and one each in East Siang and Lower Subansiri districts, State Surveillance Officer Dr L Jampa said.

The new cases in Seppa are contacts of a Covid-19 patient in East Kameng district, while four of the eight new patients in Changlang are returnees from other states and two each are government employees and health workers, he said.

The six fresh cases reported in Upper Siang district are Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel, while both the new patients in East Siang and Lower Subansiri had returned from other states, Jampa said.

The five fresh infections in the Capital Complex region were detected during rapid antigen tests, he said.

Barring nine, all the new patients are asymptomatic.

They were shifted to Covid-19 care centres, Jampa said.

Seventy-seven more people, including 70 from the Capital Complex region, have recovered from Covid-19 and were discharged from hospitals on Sunday, he said, adding they have been advised strict home quarantine and self-monitoring.

Of the 1,158 cases, 650 are active while 505 people have recovered from the disease and three patients have died, he said.

Arunachal Pradesh witnessed a spurt in coronavirus cases after the residents of the state started returning from other parts of the country.

The state has recently registered a steep rise in the number of Covid-19 cases, with 967 people testing positive for the infection since July 1, Jampa said.

Arunachal Pradesh reported its first Covid-19 case on April 2 and the person recovered from the disease on April 16.

The state registered its second case on May 24.

The Capital Complex region, comprising Itanagar, Naharlangun, Banderdewa and Nirjuli areas, has the highest number of active Covid-19 cases at 337, followed by Papum Pare (61), East Siang (39), Namsai (36), Changlang (32) and Tirap (24), the official said.

The recovery rate among the Covid-19 patients in Arunachal Pradesh is 35 per cent and a total of 59,558 samples have been tested for the disease in the state so far, Jampa added.
Schools have been closed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic (Brian Lawless/PA)

The Government is expected to outline plans later on Monday to reopen all schools across the country at the end of August.

A planning document from the Department of Education will be brought to the Cabinet by Education Minister Norma Foley to be signed off on Monday afternoon.

Targeted supports for students with special needs are also expected to be included in the planned 300 million euro package.

Expand Close Minister for Education Norma Foley (Niall Carson/PA) PA / Facebook

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The plan will include additional teachers and special needs assistants, personal protective equipment and stepped-up cleaning regimes.

Lunch breaks and school start time may be staggered, while the wearing of face coverings are not expected to be compulsory in classes.

Primary school pupils will also be sectioned off into pods of between four and six children.

Older children will be expected to social distance but younger children will not.

All schools have been closed since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The plan is very, very detailed and Im happy that we worked it through and that people will return orderly and safely John Boyle, INTO general secretary

General secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) John Boyle said a lot of work remains in getting the schools reopened within a few weeks.

Theres a lot of work ahead for the next five weeks. The plan is very, very detailed and Im happy that we worked it through and that people will return orderly and safely, he told RTE Morning Ireland.

Mr Boyle said he is concerned about the amount of resources schools will get and said schools could potentially run out of money.

He has suggested that the Government should review the funding package at the end of September.

Its really important that the money that comes in today is reviewed at the end of September and if theres a budget in October that we have a look at it to make sure that schools will stay open every single day from now until June next year, he said.

No new deaths related to Covid-19 in Ireland were reported on Sunday while a further 12 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed.

There has now been a total of 1,764 Covid-19-related deaths in Ireland.

The number of confirmed cases is 25,881.
SPRINGFIELD - The death of a man late Saturday night on Interstate-91 in Springfield has been declared a homicide after the state medical examiner found he had been shot sometime before the crash, police said.

Police spokesman Ryan Walsh said police believe the man had been shot a short time before the crash in the area of lower Worthington Street in downtown Springfield.

Police were dispatched to the area of 200 Worthington St. for reports of shots being fired just before 11 p.m. Officers found evidence of gunfire at the scene, the block between Main and Dwight streets, but no victim, Walsh said.

A short time later, Springfield police were notified by state police of a crash on I-91 North near Exit 9A or Plainfield Street in the citys North End. The driver in the crash had been ejected from the vehicle.

Walsh said an examination showed that the man suffering from gunshot injuries, and police determined he had been shot on Worthington Street.

The office of the Massachusetts Medical Examiner has declared the death to be a homicide.

The distance between the scene of the crash and the reported shooting is less than a mile, although it is not clear what route the deceased took as he fled Worthington Street.

The name of the deceased is not being released pending notification of family.

The Springfield Police homicide unit is investigating the shooting.

The death is the citys 11th homicide since Jan. 1. There were 20 homicides in Springfield in 2019.
Peskov said the recent phone talks between the two presidents had been held in a "constructive business-like atmosphere".

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said the Kremlin cannot guarantee ceasefire in Ukraine's Donbas.

"I don't think we can talk about any guarantees on the part of Russia in this case since Russia is not a party to the conflict in the south-east of Ukraine," Peskov told a Moscow briefing Monday, answering a question by an UNIAN correspondent on whether Russia is ready to guarantee ceasefire compliance.

At the same time, Peskov said the Kremlin would not comment on the documents issued by the Office of the President of Ukraine where hostilities in Donbas are referred to as an international conflict rather than what Moscow claims is an internal one, while denying any involvement.

"How can we comment on the internal documents by the Office of the President of Ukraine. Definitions are the same, contained in documents that have been jointly endorsed or signed. I urge to proceed from formulations envisaged in the Minsk package of measures," Peskov said.

Read alsoDubious "breakthrough": Ukraine bringing Russia-imposed "reconciliation" scenario closer

However, he did not answer the UNIAN correspondent's question on whether the Kremlin would agree to endorse the ceasefire at the level of the Normandy Four.

Peskov said the leadership of the "self-proclaimed republics" wrote about an indefinite ceasefire, and "this is a decision that deserves high praise and brings satisfaction."

"This is a significant and positive step toward strengthening mutual trust and defusing tensions along the contact line," he said.

It is important that "both sides fully adhere to their commitments and agreements," Peskov said, once again defying Russia's role in the conflict.

Peskov said the recent phone talks between two presidents had been held in a "constructive business-like atmosphere.

"The conversation was meaningful," he added.

As UNIAN reported earlier, participants in the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine, Russia, OSCE) on the peace settlement in Donbas on July 22 agreed on a complete and comprehensive ceasefire on the contact line from 00:01 on Monday, July 27.

Read alsoRussian-led forces violate new truce in Donbas  JFO Commander

The new ceasefire regime began to operate in Donbas at 00:01 Kyiv time on July 27.

Before the new agreements came into force, President Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Senior military officers and President Zelensky say the new truce does not mean that the Ukrainian military will not be able to return fire in response to enemy attacks.

Today, Ukrainian Joint Forces Commander, General Volodymyr Kravchenko said Russian-led forces had already violated the newly-agreed truce in Donbas.
A White House petition that was launched in April to investigate Bill and Melinda Gates for crimes against humanity and medical malpractice has amassed six times the number of signatures needed in order to get an official response.

Created by "C.S.," the petition states that Microsoft founder Gates should not be trusted with helping finding a cure for COVID-19. In one portion, the petition states: At the forefront of this is Bill Gates, who has publicly stated his interest in 'reducing population growth by 1015%, by means of vaccination. Gates, UNICEF & WHO have already been credibly accused of intentionally sterilizing Kenyan children through the use of a hidden HCG antigen in tetanus vaccines.

The petition was launched on April 10. Within days, it garnered 100,000 signatures, thereby meeting the sites terms to review the petition, place it in front of appropriate policy experts, and issue an official response.

As Sunday night, more than 618,000 people have signed the petition.

Gates, the Microsoft founder, has been one of the worlds most generous health donors, pledging and spending billions to address the AIDS crisis, mosquito-born diseases and pandemic preparedness. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation this spring committed $1.6 billion to the Gavi vaccine alliance, and an additional $100 million to support COVID-19 vaccines in impoverished countries.

But his philanthropy has sown distrust among some fearful that Gates relies too much on technology and vaccines and the World Health Organization.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, has sharply criticized Gates for what he describes as a messianic conviction that he is ordained to save the world with technology.

Gates has addressed the criticisms, mostly recently two months ago after the petition began. His foundation said the attacks are often based on misinformation.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 19:55:35|Editor: huaxia

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KUWAIT CITY, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait on Monday reported 606 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 64,379 and the death toll to 438, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 8,884 patients are receiving treatment, including 121 in ICU, the statement added.

The ministry also announced the recovery of 684 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 55,057.

Kuwait will start the third phase plan of restoring normal life on July 28, Tareq Al-Mezrem, government spokesman, said on July 23.

During the third phase, labor capacity will increase to no more than 50 percent and visits to social care homes will be allowed, he said, adding curfew hours will be further reduced.

Kuwait and China have been supporting each other and cooperating closely in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kuwait donated medical supplies worth 3 million U.S. dollars to China at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak.

On April 27, a team of Chinese medical experts visited Kuwait to assist the Gulf country's anti-coronavirus fight, through sharing their experience and expertise in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Enditem
Swiss Life is taking over the Glatt shopping centre in Wallisellen (ZH) from the Federation of Migros Cooperatives (FMC). The new owner wants to continue the management of the shopping centre successfully over the long term. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The sale has no

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Parliament will begin its scrutiny of the supplementary budget presented by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta today, Monday, July 27.

Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has already indicated that the House will extend the duration of daily sittings to allow ample time for the budget debate if need be.

The House shall have to extend sittings beyond 2 pm as stipulated in article 42 to enable the completion of the single business for each day of the week under consideration, he noted in reference to Parliaments standing orders after the supplementary budget was presented last Thursday.

In the review, the Finance Minister requested for a supplementary budget of GHS11. 8 billion, to support government's expenditure for the rest of the year towards the implementation of various initiatives to strengthen the economy.

Among other things, the Minister announced new measures such as a reduction in the Communication Service tax from 9 percent to 6 percent, the extension of free water supply to Ghanaians for the next three months and free electricity supply to lifeline consumers for the rest of 2020.

The Finance Minister also revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic had left the country with a revenue shortfall of GHS13.6 billion and unplanned expenditures of GHS11.7 billion.

This is set to result in a projected fiscal deficit of 11.4 percent of GDP crossing the 5 percent deficit limit set in the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

Ghana's debt stock has also risen to GHS255.7 billion, as of June 2020.

Despite the governments optimistic outlook, some Minority legislators have accused the government of not giving the true state of the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

--citinewsroom
Their search is complicated by the lack of a watertight definition of life. Its clearly something that chemistry can achieve given the right conditions. A living thing is self-sustaining and structurally coherent. It obtains energy from the world and does something with it. It contains the code of information that allows it to replicate, and does so with enough inexactitude to allow natural selection to work its wonders.
By Choe Chong-dae





On a memorable trip to Naha City in Okinawa several years ago, I became enwrapped with the ancient Kingdom of Ryukyu's history. Standing in front of Shuri Castle and the Shurei-mon Gate, I was transported back to the ancient world of relations between Ryukyu and the Joseon Kingdom of Korea.



Okinawa is generally known to us as a significant strategic military base in Japan for the U.S. Armed Forces since the end of World War II. However, it was the monarchial independent state of Ryukyu for nearly 500 years, from 1429 to 1879, to be precise.



Comparable to the Shurei-mon Gate used for ceremonial entrance to the 16th-century Shuri Castle, Korea's Sungnyemun Gate (a.k.a Namdaemun) has served as Seoul's ceremonial gateway since it was built in 1398. It is one of the four major gates in the fortress walls that provided security for the Joseon's capital. "Shurei-mon" means "Gate of Following Courtesy," while Korea's Sungnyemun translates to "Gate Honoring Propriety."



Remarkably, a wide variety of Joseon Kingdom shards of pottery were unearthed at the site of Shuri Castle through archeological excavation in 1984. Ten years later, some Goryeo Kingdom roof tile-ends with engraved lotus designs, and a roof tile with an engraved inscription, were discovered at Urasoe Castle in northern Naha City. The inscription on the tile proclaims "this was produced by a master craftsman in the year of Gyeyu based on the 60-year (sexagenary) circle or the Rooster zodiac sign." The roof tile is now believed to have been used on the Castle during the 12th to 13th century and there might have been brisk cultural exchanges between the Ryukyu Islands and Goryeo even before the unified kingdom was established there.



It was a shock to learn that Shuri Castle, the symbol of Okinawa, had been completely destroyed by fire at the end of October 2019. And as collateral damage, a number of other precious cultural assets of the Kingdom of Ryukyu  the so-called Gusuku Sites, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, were damaged by the fire.



The devastated Shuri Castle of Okinawa conjures up memories of other recent disasters such as the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris (April 2019), the raging fire at the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro (September 2018), as well as the colossal damage to Korea's Namdaemun in February 2008. All of the three mentioned enshrine their ancestors' sacred spirit, wisdom and identity respectively. Korea's Namdaemun Gate was only recently restored to its original appearance. I do hope that the restoration of the National Museum of Brazil, the Notre Dame Cathedral and Shuri Castle will be carried out following extensive research.



On another note, let me end by sharing another concern with you. Now that the National Museum of Korea attracts so many people who enjoy the museum's precious collections, have enough precautions been taken to prevent a fire disaster? Are the security systems at the museum really up-to-date? It is an absolute must that sufficient precaution be taken and that there is an up-to-date fire prevention strategy at all national museums as well as other precious cultural heritages in Korea!





Choe Chong-dae is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association. He can be reached at choecd@naver.com


Shillong:

Amid confusion over the validity of Rs 10 coins, the Reserve Bank of India on Monday asserted that all such coins were legal tenders.

The Reserve Bank of India advise members of the public not to give credence to such ill-informed notions and ignore them and continue to accept these (Rs 10) coins as legal tender in all their transactions without any hesitation, RBI Principal Adviser Alpana Killiwala said.

Meanwhile, banking facilities returned to normalcy in Meghalaya with few people seen lining up banks and ATMs. However, the claims of non-validity of Rs 10 coins by rumour mongers has created confusion in the minds of people.

Some ill-informed or uninformed persons who suspect the genuineness of such coins are creating doubts in the minds of ordinary people including traders, shop-keepers etc, thus impeding the circulation of these coins in certain pockets of the country and causing avoidable confusion, Killiwala said.

Circulation of Rs 10 coins has been affected in the state following claims that these coins have been taken out of the market as was done to Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

The RBI, however, clarified that from time to time coins were issued with little changes.

One such change was introduction of Rupee symbol in coins in July 2011. An instance of this is the 10 coins with rupee symbol and the same denomination coin without rupee symbol, the official said.

Killiwala said both are legal tender and equally valid for transactions though they may look a little different. Those refusing to accept the coins may face action, a police official said.

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10,473 active COVID-19 cases in Canada: 145,415 diagnoses, 9,228 deaths and 125,714 recoveries (as of Sept. 21, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Alberta - 1,459 active cases (16,739 total cases, including 256 deaths, 15,024 resolved)

British Columbia - 1,987 active cases (8,208 total cases, 227 deaths, 5,972 resolved)

Manitoba - 363 active cases (1,608 total cases, 18 deaths, 1,227 resolved)

New Brunswick - 3 active cases (196 cases, 2 deaths, 191 resolved)

Newfoundland and Labrador - 1 active case (272 total cases, 3 deaths, 268 resolved)

Northwest Territories - 0 active cases (5 total cases, 5 resolved)

Nova Scotia - 0 active cases (1,086 total cases, 65 deaths 1,021 resolved)

Ontario - 3,299 active cases (47,274 total cases, 2,829 deaths, 41,146 resolved)

Prince Edward Island - 1 active case (57 total cases, 56 resolved)

Quebec - 3,193 active cases (68,128 total cases, 5,804 deaths, 59,131 resolved)

Saskatchewan - 145 active cases (1,814 total cases, 24 deaths, 1,645 resolved)

Yukon - 0 active cases (15 total cases, 15 resolved)

Nunavut - 0 active cases (4 false positive cases)

CFB Trenton - 0 active cases (13 total cases, 13 resolved)

Authorities have been working to contain the spread of COVID-19, with Canadians having contracted the virus from travel to other countries, human-to-human transmission, as well as community spread.

Of the over 145,000 cases that been diagnosed nationwide, at least 125,000 of them have been resolved, meaning those people are no longer considered infectious. As daily cases of COVID-19 start to increase across the country, Yahoo News Canada will focus on reporting active cases to put into context our current situation.

Timeline of coronavirus cases in Canada September 2020

Sept. 21

Quebec in second wave of COVID-19 as it reports its most new cases since May

Dr. Horacio Arruda, Quebecs director of public health, said on Monday that he is very, very, very concerned about the rise in cases in the province, after 586 new patients were identified.

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Due to the rise in cases over recent weeks, Arruda believes Quebec is now in the next stage of its COVID-19 pandemic.

We are in the second wave, at the beginning said Arruda in French on Monday. The situation is serious. The situation is serious everywhere in Quebec.

The 586 cases are the most in a 24-hour stretch since 641 cases were announced May 27. Its also now the 10th straight day that it has reported more than 200. The last time Quebec had a similar stretch was in late-May to early-June; since then it has enjoyed multiple stretches where it consistently reported fewer than 100 daily cases as it contained the spread of COVID-19 within the province.

On Monday, Montreal, Quebec City and the Chaudiere-Appalaches region were moved to the provinces orange stage, the second highest on its COVID-19 alert system. Restrictions, such as gathering limits, are affected depending on where a region is on the colour-coded scale. Arruda said its highly probable that regions will move from orange to red (the highest alert level) but there is still time to flatten the curve and move back to yellow and green.

If we want to have a Christmas that is a bit normal, people have to cooperate, said Arruda. Its major.

Throughout the pandemic, Quebec has been Canadas worst-hit province. Along with owning the biggest death toll (5,804) of any jurisdiction, it has the most active cases per 100,000 residents. Ontario is the only province with more active cases, after it announced 425 new patients on Monday, the most in a 24-hour stretch since June 2.

Of the most recent group of 586 cases in Quebec, Montreal reported the most with 219, followed by the Quebec City (92), Monteregie (76), Outaouais (31), Estrie (21) Chaudiere-Appalaches (50), Laurentides (39) and Laval (20) health regions.

Quebecs testing numbers are reflective of its output from two days prior. Most recently, it completed 23,484 tests for COVID-19, as it continues to push its capacity.

In the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, no one has died, but the province added three fatalities and retracted one from previous dates, setting its death toll at 5,804. Three-hundred and thirty-five patients have also recently recovered, which means there are now 3,193 active cases in the province.

Over the weekend, the provinces police investigation into bars and restaurants resulted in them checking 2,206 establishments. Ninety fines were distributed and 1,500 warnings, for matters such as not respecting physical distancing requirements or consuming alcohol after the legal hours.

Throughout Quebec schools, there are 392 active cases among students across public and private schools and 93 among staff, as of its most current information from Friday evening. One-hundred and nine students have recovered as well as 38 staff members. So far, at least 235 class bubbles have been sent home and asked to learn remotely, up by 46 since the last report. Of the provinces 3,089 schools, 334 of them have had a case of COVID-19, up by 62.

Two more cases of transmission within Alberta schools, six more outbreaks

Albertas chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced on Monday that health officials have identified two more schools where transmission likely occurred within the learning institution.

The first case of transmission within a school setting was announced on Friday by Hinshaw, meaning that one individuals reason for infection is believed to be linked to another member of the school. The two most recent schools where transmission likely occurred are Vimy Ridge School in Edmonton and Springfield Elementary School in Peace River.

As I stressed on Friday, this is not unexpected, and is not a cause for alarm, said Hinshaw. As we have seen transmission in other settings, we will see some cases where this happens in classrooms.

Six new school outbreaks have also been identified since Hinshaws update on Friday, for a total of 19. An outbreak is declared when there are two or or more confirmed cases in individuals who were at the school within a 14-day time period.

That is a very low number to reach and is not an indication of uncontrolled spread, said Hinshaw.

Two schools have at least five cases and have been placed on Watch: St. Wilfrid Elementary School and Vimy Ridge School.

So far, 81 schools in Alberta have had at least one COVID-19 patient among students and staff, with 126 total cases between them. Whenerver, theres a case, all teachers and classmates of the patient are required to self-isolate at home for 14 days.

Hinshaw said that five school alerts have already ended, allowing students and staff to return to school. In each case, there was no sign of transmission that resulted from the potential exposure.

Hinshaw said that only three per cent of schools in the province have had a COVID-19 exposure within the first three weeks of the fall semester. Of those schools, in school transmission has only been identified in about three per cent of them.

We will continue to monitor closely as always, but this is a positive start, said Hinshaw.

The provinces chief medical officer continued to note that its expected that the province will see cases in schools as long as theres transmission in the community. In mid-April, the province saw its general COVID-19 peak, but also the most cases among school aged children, despite everyone being under lockdown.

What's really critical for schools is that they don't become a place where transmission happens and spread happens quite broadly, said Hinshaw. Our kids are best served by education in person. And that has an overall benefit to their health much bigger than just the benefit of maintaining protection from COVID-19.

On Monday, Hinshaw also announced that the provinces labs identified 119 new cases between Friday and Saturday, 102 between Saturday and Sunday and 137 between Sunday leading to Monday.

One more person has also died. The victim was a patient at the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, where an outbreak has been declared. So far, 14 patients and four staff members across three different units have now tested positive for the virus in connection to the outbreak.

Three-hundred and twenty-two more patients have also recovered throughout Alberta, which now has 1,459 active cases. Of those currently infected individuals, 747 of them are in the Edmonton zone and 462 are in the Calgary zone.

Ontario once again reports its most new daily cases since early June

Ontario reported 425 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the most in a 24-hour stretch since June 2.

Its now the third time over the past four days that it has reported more than 400 cases. Its also the 11th straight day Ontario has exceeded the 200-case mark; before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29.

Of the most recent cases, which were identified after 31,753 completed tests, 175 of them are in Toronto, 84 in Peel, 60 in Ottawa, 20 in York, 14 in Durham, 13 in Waterloo and 12 in Halton. The remaining 27 public health units reported fewer than 10, while 15 of them reported no new cases at all.

Eighteen new cases were identified in Ontario schools, for a total of 90. Of the recent group of cases, eight involve students, four involve teachers, while the other six have not yet been identified by the Ministry of Health. In total, there are now 75 schools that have had a case of COVID-19.

Two more people have died and 178 have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. There are now 3,299 active cases throughout the province, the most in all Canadian jurisdictions, and the most in Ontario since June 10.

Toronto leads the way with 1,054 currently infected patients, followed by 709 in Peel, 505 in Ottawa and 288 in York. None of the other 31 public health units have more than 110.

Updates from the rest of Canada

Nova Scotia reported no new cases on Monday, as it remains the only province with no currently infected patients. Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island continue to have one active case each.

New Brunswick reported two new cases on Monday. Both involve individuals between 20-29 years old in the Moncton region. They are both related to travel and linked to previously identified patients. There are now three active cases in New Brunswick.

Two more people have died in WInnipeg, increasing Manitobas COVID-19-related death toll to 18. The recent victims include a man in his 80s in the Southern health region and a woman in her 80s in the Prairie Mountain health region. Twenty-two new cases were also identified in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, in the Winnipeg (16), Southern (three), Prairie Mountain (two), and Interlake-Eastern (one) health regions. On Monday, Manitoba's chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin expressed concern over the rise in cases in Winnipeg. He said that some people have been going to many different locations while symptomatic. Of the provinces 363 active cases, 284 of them are in Winnipeg.

Seven new cases were identified in Saskatchewan throughout the Saskatoon (five), Regina (one) and South East (one) zones. Three of the cases in Saskatoon are associated with the Brandt Industries workplace outbreak, which has seen a total of 17 linked cases. Two more people have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, which leaves 145 active cases throughout Saskatchewan. Of those currently infected individuals, 27 are in communal living settings, while 76 are in its epicentre of Saskatoon.

British Columbia provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reported that over the weekend labs identified 121 new cases between Friday and Saturday, 117 between Saturday and Sunday and 128 between Sunday leading to Monday, for a total of 366. Over the same stretch, 175 more people have recovered and four have died. It means there are now a record-high 1,987 active cases in the province. There are 3,233 people who are self-isolating and are being actively monitored by B.C. public health, since they were in contact with a known COVID-19 patient.

Henry said there have been a number of exposures in the school setting, but they are mostly very low risk. For example, an infected patient was in the learning institution for a short period of time; Henry said these exposure situations have usually been among adults, such as staff members. At the moment, there have been no clusters, outbreaks or transmission events in the school setting that have been identified by health officials. All of British Columbias health regions are expected to provide a full list of exposures, but Vancouver Coastal Health has recently come under fire for not providing their complete info. As a result, its not possible to paint a full picture of the situation in B.C. schools.

Sept. 20

First elementary school in Ontario shuts down due to COVID-19 infections

An elementary school in Ottawa has closed down after two students and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19, forcing it to temporarily shut down, according to CBC.

Monsignor Paul Baxter Catholic School, in Ottawa's Barrhaven neighbourhood, is the first elementary school in Ontario to close due to the virus.

On Sept. 16, Fellowes High School in Pembroke, Ont., was the first Ontario learning institution in general to shut down, after three staff members tested positive for the virus. The third case was linked to the first two.

"Please know that we take our direction from Ottawa Public Health," Mark Kennedy, principal of Monsignor Paul Baxter, said in a letter to parents and guardians, which was obtained by CBC. "We have been working closely with OPH since we learned of our first confirmed positive test result of COVID-19."

Parents with children at Monsignor Paul Baxter Catholic School in Ottawas Barrhaven neighbourhood were notified on Saturday about the closure. (Credit: Patrick Louiseize/Radio-Canada)

Monsignor Paul Baxter Catholic School is expected to stay closed for about 14 days, according to the respective school board, while students are being encouraged learn online while at home.

As of Ontarios latest update on Friday morning, there have been 60 schools so far that have reported a case of COVID-19 among staff or students. There are 72 total cases, with 25 among students and 22 among staff. The remaining 25 have not yet been identified by the Ministry of Health. Updated statistics are expected on Monday.

Quebec once again records its largest increase in daily cases since May

Quebec health officials announced 462 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the most in a 24-hour stretch since 530 cases were announced May 30.

It comes a day after Canadas worst-hit province announced 427 new cases, while its now the ninth straight day that it has reported more than 200. The last time Quebec had a similar stretch was in early late-May to early-June; since then it has enjoyed multiple stretches where it consistently reported fewer than 100 daily cases as it contained the spread of COVID-19.

Of the most recent group of 462 cases, Montreal reported the most with 160, followed by the Quebec City (92), Monteregie (58), Laval (31), Outaouais (22), Estrie (21) and Chaudiere-Appalaches (19) regions.

According to Radio-Canada, the Quebec government on Sunday is expected to reduce the size of private gatherings and impose new restrictions on restaurants and bars in its two biggest cities, due to their concerning case trends.

Montreal, Quebec City and the Chaudiere-Appalaches region, which is south of Quebec City, will reportedly be placed on moderate alert. It means theyll be moved to the orange level (the second-highest) on its new colour-coded alert system, which categorizes the danger posed by COVID-19 in a respective region.

Quebecs testing numbers are reflective of its output from two days prior. Most recently, it completed a record-high 29,006 tests for COVID-19, as it continues to push its capacity.

In the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, one more person has died, while the province also added four fatalities to its death toll (5,802), involving victims who passed away between Sept. 13-18. Three-hundred and six patients have also recently recovered, which means there are now 2,944 active cases in the province.

Updates from the rest of Canada

Ontario reported 365 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, which breaks its two-day streak of reporting more than 400 cases. However, its now the 10th straight day Ontario has exceeded the 200-case mark; before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29.

The most recent cases were identified after officials completed a record-high 40,127 tests for the virus, leading to a 0.9 per cent positivity rate (one of the highest since June). One-hundred and thirty cases were identified in Toronto, 108 in Peel, 38 in York, 24 in Halton, 20 in Waterloo, 19 in Durham and 14 in Ottawa. The remaining 27 public health units reported fewer than 10, while 13 reported no new cases at all.

In Ontarios most recent 24-hour stretch, a health-care worker has died, while 191 patients have recovered. There are now 3,054 active cases in the province, the most of any jurisdiction in Canada, and the most in Ontario since June 11.

Nova Scotia reported no new cases on Sunday, as it remains the only province with no currently infected patients. One more person has recovered in Newfoundland and Labrador, which now has one active case. There also still remains one currently infected patient in both New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Twenty-nine new cases were identified in Manitoba throughout the Winnipeg (23), Prairie Mountain (three), Interlake-Eastern (two) and and Southern (one) health regions. Five additional patients have recovered, which means there are now 354 active cases in the province. Winnipeg is home to 275 of the provinces currently infected patients, as its worrisome case trend continues.

In a press release, Manitoba health officials said that theyve notified parents about a possible exposure to COVID-19 at the Munroe Early Childhood Education Centre Preschool at 505 Chalmers Ave. in Winnipeg on Sept. 14 in the morning and afternoon. All close contacts have been identified, while the centre has closed off areas that were used by the infected patient. Public Health has also released a list of four other recent potential exposure warnings in the public, which are all in Winnipeg.

In the latest 24-hour stretch in Saskatchewan, 20 new cases were identified in the Regina (10), Saskatoon (seven) and South East (one) zones, while the location of the final case is pending. The cases in Saskatoon are linked to the outbreak at Brandt Industries, which has had 14 cases so far, according to a press release by officials. Since one more person has recovered since Saturday, there are now 140 active cases in Saskatchewan; 27 of them are in communal living settings and 70 are in its epicentre Saskatoon.

Saskatchewan Health Authority is also notifying the public about a list of potential COVID-19 exposures at various Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Waskesiu businesses between Sept. 10-18.

Sept. 19

Ontario extends gathering restrictions for the entire province following another 400+ cases

Premier Doug Ford announced on Saturday that the entire province of Ontario will now have to abide by new restrictions, which limit informal gatherings.

Previously, gathering limits were set at 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors, but have now been brought down to 10 and 25, respectively, for the next 28 days.

The restrictions were first put in place for hotspots Toronto, Peel and Ottawa on Friday, but have now been extended after the province recorded 407 new cases on Saturday  the most in a 24-hour stretch since June 2. It also comes a day after Ontario recorded 401 cases on Friday,

Weve seen alarming growth in the number of COVID cases in Ontario, said Ford on Saturday. Folks, the alarm bells are ringing.

Ontario now has the most active cases throughout Canada with 2,881, followed by 2,793 currently infected patients in Quebec, which recorded 427 new cases on Saturday  the most in a 24-hour stretch since May 30.

Ontarios active case count continues to rise at an alarming rate, considering there were 1,345 infected patients throughout the province two weeks ago (Sept. 5). Saturday marks the ninth straight day that Ontario has exceeded the 200-case mark. Before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29.

Too much of it is being tied to people who arent following the rules, people who think it's OK to hold parties, carrying on as if things are back to normal. They aren't. ... We can't have these wild parties right now. It's just way, way too risky.

For those who organize a gathering that exceeds the new limit, they can face a minimum fine of $10,000 under the current emergency orders. If you're caught going to one of these parties, you can get slapped with a $750 fine, said Ford.

These new restrictions do not apply to events held in facilities such as movie theatres, restaurants, banquet halls, places of worship, gyms, or convention centres.

However, Ford cautions against people who are currently joining political protests across the country. Over the past four months, Canadians have joined protests to demand racial equality and to shed light on police brutality against marginalized communities. Others have also protested against COVID-19 restrictions that have been put in place by various levels of government.

Everyone has to follow the same rules, there can't be exceptions. You can't be going out there guys, let's use common sense, said Ford. We have to make sure we get our arms around this and everyone else to pitch in, so do not go out there to these massive protests. That would be dangerous for the community.

The most recent 407 cases were identified after the provinces labs completed a record-high 38,940 tests for COVID-19. The one per cent positivity rate is still one of the highest Ontario has recorded in months.

Of the most recent patients, 218 of them are among those 20-39 years old, the most of any age group. There were also 72 cases among those 40-59, and 72 involving people 19 years old or younger.

One-hundred and twenty-nine were identified in Toronto, followed by 94 in Peel, 55 in Ottawa, 28 in York, 18 in Halton, 14 each in Waterloo and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, 12 in Hamilton, 11 in Simcoe-Muskoka and 10 in Middlesex-London. The other 24 public health units reported fewer than 10 cases, while 15 of them reported no new cases at all.

I think the recommendation to go province wide was really precautionary, said associate chief medical officer of health Dr. Barbara Yaffe on Saturday. The increases are happening, particularly in certain dense urban areas, but there have been indications of small increases elsewhere. And we are trying to avert a further increase as much as possible.

Ontarios associate chief medical officer of health said that you can get as close youd like to the people who are in your social circle of 10. But if youre with people who are not in that circle, you need to maintain a six-foot distance or wear a mask, such as now at gatherings of 10 indoors and 25 outdoors.

Along with the most recent 407 new cases on Saturday, one more person has died in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, which increases the death toll to 2,826.

Quebec records its largest increase in daily cases since May

Quebec health officials have identified 427 new cases of COVID-19, the most in a 24-hour stretch since 530 cases were announced May 30.

Its now the eighth straight day that it has reported more than 200 cases. The last time Canadas worst-hit province had a similar stretch was in early June, and since then it has also enjoyed stretches where it consistently reported fewer than 100 daily cases.

The rapid growth in cases in some areas is worrying, said health minister Christian Dube in a tweet on Saturday.

Of the most recent group of 427 cases, Montreal reported the most with 128, followed by Quebec City (60), the Chaudiere-Appalaches region (36), Laval (34) and the Lower Saint Lawrence region (15).

According to The Canadian Press, a major COVID-19 testing operation is underway in Quebecs Bas-Saint-Laurent region, following positive cases that were identified at a pork factory. Four-hundred and fifty employees at a slaughterhouse, Aliments Asta, are now being tested.

Quebecs testing numbers are reflective of its output from two days prior. Most recently, it completed a record-high 28,442 tests for COVID-19, as it continues to push its capacity.

In the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, two more people have died, while the province also added three fatalities to its death toll (5,797), involving victims who passed away between Sept. 11-17. Two-hundred and seventy-two patients have also recovered, which means there are now 2,793 active cases in the province.

Exposure alert for popular Toronto nightclub after 4 patrons test positive

Toronto Public Health (TPH) is warning of a potential COVID-19 exposure for patrons and staff who visited a popular nightclub venue in the city.

Four patrons who were at NOIR inside REBEL Entertainment Complex on Sept. 11, between 10:30 p.m. and 2 a.m., have tested positive. Anyone who was at the venue at the same time may have been exposed to the virus.

Based on the information provided in the venues contact tracing logs for staff and patrons, TPH is following up with all known close contacts, who will be instructed to self-isolate for 14 days and to go for testing. Everyone who was at the venue during Sept. 11 between 10:30 p.m. and 2 a.m. is being asked to monitor themselves for symptoms until Sept. 25.

These individuals should make a particular effort to keep a six-foot distance from other people, wear a mask in public spaces, and wash their hands frequently, said a press release by TPH. They should also limit contact with others, especially those in health care settings, seniors, and/or other vulnerable populations.

Upon inspection on Sept. 18, TPH found REBEL Entertainment Complex to be in compliance with all reopening protocols for nightclubs.

Canadas Conservative leader tests positive for COVID-19, prompting Quebec premier to get tested

Federal Conservative leader Erin O'Toole, left, and Quebec Premier Francois Legault get set to start their meeting in Montreal on Sept. 14, 2020. (Credit: The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz)

Conservative leader Erin OToole has been diagnosed with COVID-19, after he and his family were tested for the virus.

"He is very relieved that his wife and children have tested negative. O'Toole remains in self-isolation and is feeling well," said a statement from the Conservative party.

OToole has been in isolation since Wednesday, after one of his staff members tested positive for the virus. They had travelled together in Quebec.

Quebec Premier Francois, who met with OToole on Monday, decided to get tested as a precaution. His result has since come back negative, but he will stay in isolation until Sept. 28, in accordance with public health guidelines.

OToole made a public outcry after he and his family waited hours at a Ottawa testing site on Wednesday, before they were turned away due to the capacity limitations. They were eventually tested on Thursday in Gatineau, Que., at a site that offers priority testing for members of parliament and their families.

On Friday, Bloc Quebecois announced that leader Yves-Francois Blanchet and his wife Nancy Deziel tested COVID-19 positive. They will remain in isolation until Sept. 26 at his residence in Shawinigan, Que.

Updates from the rest of Canada

Two cases of COVID-19 were identified in Nunavut at the Hope Bay mine, which is 125 kilometres southwest of Cambridge Bay. Health officials believe that both patients were exposed in their home jurisdictions prior to travelling to Nunavut. Since the cases didnt original in Nunavut, theyll instead be counted in other jurisdictions, but at the moment its not clear where exactly. Nunavut remains the only Canadian jurisdiction to not have a confirmed case as part of its tally, while the Northwest Territories and Yukon currently have no active cases.

Nova Scotia continues to be the only province with no active cases, after its remaining patient was marked resolved on Friday. No new cases were identified in Newfoundland and Labrador or New Brunswick, as those provinces continue to have two and one active cases, respectively. As of Prince Edward Islands latest update on Tuesday, it also has one currently infected patient.

Eighteen new cases were identified in Manitoba throughout Winnipeg (13), Prairie Mountain (three) and Southern (two) health regions. Twelve additional patients have recovered, which means there are now 331 active cases in the province. Winnipeg is home to 252 of the provinces currently infected patients, as its worrisome case trend continues.

In the latest 24-hour stretch in Saskatchewan, labs completed a record-high 2,873 tests. Officials were able to identify 11 new cases in the Regina (five), Saskatoon (two), South Central (two), Central West (one) and Central East (one) zones. The two cases in Saskatoon are linked to the outbreak at Brandt Industries, according to a press release by officials. Since three more people have recovered since Friday, there are now 121 active cases in Saskatchewan; 25 of them are in communal living settings and 63 are in its epicentre Saskatoon.

It was also recently reported that the president of the Metis Nation-Saskatchewan, Glen McCallum, has tested positive for COVID-19. A Facebook post by Metis Nation-Saskatchewan advises everyone whos been in close contact with McCallum to monitor for symptoms and to get tested if they experience any signs of the illness.

Sept. 18

Alberta sees first likely case of COVID-19 transmission within a school setting

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer of health, announced on Friday that the province has seen its first case of COVID-19 likely transmitted within a school.

This is not unexpected, and is not a cause for alarm, said Hinshaw. Even with the cautious approach we have been taking, we expected that we would eventually see some examples of transmission in schools. ... Let me repeat that it was inevitable.

The transmission was likely to have occurred at Edmonton's Waverley School, a public elementary school in the Kenilworth neighbourhood. One student is believed to have been the source of infection for another.

At this point, there is no evidence to suggest that the school will need to transition to a different learning model, or that other staff and students are at risk, said Hinshaw.

According to CBC, who received confirmation from the respective school board, about 12 students from a combined Grade 1/2 class and seven staff members will now isolate for 14 days at home, monitor for symptoms and be tested. Throughout Edmonton, at least 1000 students are in self-isolation because they were in the same class as a patient while they were considered infectious.

I ask that Waverley is not targeted w/ accusations of being unsafe, as Ive heard happened at St. Wilfrid #YYC when they were moved to a watch level. Parents, teachers & students are worried & trying to sort through the challenge of having their school IDd in the news. (6/10)  Dr. Deena Hinshaw (@CMOH_Alberta) September 18, 2020

As of Friday, there are 78 individuals who attended school while infectious among students and staff. Fifty-seven of the provinces 2,415 schools have reported an infectious case. Of those cases, none of them have been hospitalized, said Hinshaw.

A week earlier (Sept. 11), there were 29 schools across the province where an individual attended while infectious, with 32 cases linked to these schools, leading to three outbreaks.

There are now 13 school outbreaks across Alberta, which means a school has had at least two cases. One of the schools, St. Wilfrid Elementary School, has had at least five cases.

On Friday, Alberta Health Services announced 107 new cases of COVID-19. In that same stretch, one more person has died, while 165 patients have recovered. Of the provinces now 1,424 active cases, 711 of them are in the Edmonton zone and 450 in the Calgary zone. There are 44 people in hospital, which includes seven in intensive care.

Nova Scotia is the only province to be COVID-19 free

Health officials in Nova Scotia have announced that its final COVID-19 patient has recovered, meaning they are now no active cases in the jurisdiction.

Its the only province with no active cases of COVID-19. There are also no currently infected patients in all three of Canadas territories.

The latest patient to be identified in Nova Scotia was on Sept. 7. Throughout the pandemic, the province has had 1,086 cases; that includes 65 fatalities and now 1,021 people who have recovered.

Nova Scotia was previously declared COVID-19 free on Aug. 10. But since Aug. 14, health officials have discovered 15 new patients, all of whom have since recovered.

Despite the positive news on Friday, Nova Scotias provincial government has decided to renew its state of emergency until Oct. 4.

Ontario reports its most new cases since June, takes over Quebecs spot for most currently infected patients

The province announced 401 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, which marks the largest one-day spike it has seen since June 2.

Its now the eighth straight day that Ontario has exceeded the 200-case mark. Before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29.

The most recent patients were identified after Ontario labs completed a record-high 35,826 tests for COVID-19. Ontario has now posted a 1.1 per cent positivity rate on three of the last six occasions  the highest percentage since June 23.

Of the most recent group of cases, 130 were identified in Toronto, 82 in Peel and 61 in Ottawa  the three regions that will now face increased gathering restrictions starting Friday. Nineteen cases were also identified in Halton and 12 in Middlesex-London, as the region continues to deal with an outbreak in relation to Western University. All the other 29 public health units reported 10 or fewer cases of COVID-19, with 15 reporting no new cases at all.

Since Thursdays report, 176 more people have recovered, but no else has died in relation to the virus. Throughout Ontario, there are now 2,652 active cases of COVID-19, the most since June 14.

With Quebec announcing on Friday that they have 2,643 active cases, it means Ontario now has the most currently infected patients of any jurisdiction in Canada, a title Quebec has held for the majority of the pandemic in Canada. Quebec still has the most cases per 100,000 people.

Of the currently infected patients in Ontario, Toronto leads the way with 806 active cases, followed by Peel (566), Ottawa (437) and York (247). All of the other 30 public health units have fewer than 85.

Eleven new cases were identified in schools for a total of 72, but one was also removed from the tally. The cases are spread throughout 60 of the provinces 4,828 learning institutions, up by nine since Thursday. Of the latest cases, five involve students, while the other six have not yet been identified by the Ministry of Health. Four new cases were also reported in child care centres and private home daycares (one child, three staff) for a total of 76.

There are two new cases among residents of long-term care homes and five new cases that involve health-care workers. Two-hundred of the cases are among those 20-39 years old, the most of any age group. There were also 99 cases among those 40-59, and 67 involving people 19 years old or younger.

Of the provinces currently infected patients, there are 58 in hospital, which includes 20 in intensive care and 10 who require a ventilator.

More than 400 students in Quebec contract COVID-19 since reopening

Quebec announced on Friday that 44 more students and 10 staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

There are now 272 schools (out of 2,685) that have had a reported case, up by 25 compared to the previous day. Throughout those institutions, there are now 401 students and 106 staff members that have contracted the virus since schools reopened Aug. 27. At least 189 class bubbles so far have been sent home and asked to learn remotely, up by 16 since Thursdays report.

Quebec health officials announced 297 new cases of COVID-19, which marks the eighth straight day that it has reported more than 200 cases. The last time it had a similar stretch was in early June.

In the same 24-hour stretch, no one has died, but officials added one more death to its death toll (5,792), which occurred on an unknown date, according a press release. Two-hundred and six more cases have been marked resolved, meaning there are now 2,643 active cases in the province.

Bloc Quebecois leader tests positive for virus

Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet's wife, Nancy Deziel, and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. (Credit: AP)

Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

In a statement from his office, Blanchet said that he is doing perfectly well, but he will stay in isolation at his home in Shawinigan, Que., until Sept. 26. in accordance with Quebec public health rules.

The leader of the Bloc Quebecois underlines the importance of distancing measures, the wearing of masks and of hand washing and invites Quebeckers to follow the instructions of the Government of Quebec if they show symptoms or if they have been in close contact with an affected person, the statement said.

Earlier this week, Blanchet's wife Nancy Deziel was also diagnosed with COVID-19, which led to the Bloc leader deciding to also get tested as a precaution.

According to The Canadian Press, Blanchet was already in self-isolation; one of his staff members had tested positive, resulting in multiple members of his caucus and other aides to also isolate.

Blanchet is the first federal party leader to test positive for COVID-19. Earlier in the pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also self-isolated after his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau was diagnosed with the respiratory virus.

Updates from the rest of Canada

British Columbia announced 139 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. It ties its output from Sept. 10 for the second largest spike in cases since the start of the pandemic. The province announced a record-high 165 new patients on Sept. 17. Forty more cases have also been added to its total case count (7,842) that were identified between Aug. 11- Sept. 16 by Vancouver Coastal Health. In the most recent 24-hour stretch, 78 more people have recovered and three have died. It means there are now a record-high 1,803 active cases throughout British Columbia.

Newfoundland and Labrador has identified its first new case since Sept. 12, this time involving a male in the Central Health region between 20-39 years of age. The individual recently returned from traveling in the United States. According to a press release, he was asymptomatic while travelling back to Newfoundland and Labrador. There are now two active cases throughout the province.

One more person has recovered in New Brunswick, meaning there is now only one active case in the province. As of Prince Edward Islands latest update on Tuesday, it also has one currently infected patient.

There has been a concerning increase in the number of cases in Winnipeg, read a press release by Manitoba health officials, with the city being home to 29 of the provinces most recent 40 cases. The remaining cases are in the Interlake-Eastern (four), Prairie Mountain (four) and Southern Health (three) health regions. Eight more people have also recently recovered, which means there are now 325 active cases in Manitoba; Winnipeg is home to 239 of them. Prairie Mountain only has 38, after it was the provinces epicentre in August. Recent success in Prairie Mountain Health shows that focusing on the fundamentals can reduce the transmission of COVID-19, read the press release, with the region on Friday moving back to the yellow caution level under Manitoba's colour-coded pandemic response system.

Saskatchewan health officials have identified 19 new cases throughout the Saskatoon (12), Regina (four) and Central West (three) zones. Of the latest cases in Saskatoon, six of them have been identified in the workplace at Brandt Industries, according to a press release. Fifteen more people have also recently recovered, which leaves the provinces active case count at 113. Of those currently infected patients, 24 are in communal living settings, while 61 are in its epicentre of Saskatoon.

Sept. 17

Super-spreader event leads to 21 infections in Saskatchewan

At least 21 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to a gathering at a Saskatoon home, after 47 people attended the event.

Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, said the party gathering serves as a cautionary tale, since its now being looked at as a super-spreader.

Gathering limits are capped at 30-people when physical distancing can be maintained between individuals who are not from the same household. The organizer of the event has since been fined $2,000, but no details on the nature of the gathering have been shared.

"Things like this can snowball very quickly, and that's what we need to avoid as we move forward. Because you can start multiple chains of transmission that can cause secondary infections," said Shahab.

There have been at least 160 people who have since been identified as close contacts of those who attended, which includes some cases that may be connected to schools. Health officials expect more cases to be identified in the upcoming days, before the chain of transmission is resolved.

The best way we can keep COVID-19 away from our schools is to keep it at a low infection in our communities, and events like this dont help, said Premier Scott Moe.

On Thursday, health officials said there are currently 14 cases among students in schools across the province. No transmission within the school setting has been reported.

Health officials also announced that theyve identified seven new cases throughout Saskatchewans latest 24-hour stretch in the Saskatoon (four), South East (two) and South West (one) zones.

Four more people have also recovered, which means there are now 109 active cases in the province. The Saskatoon region is home to 50 of those currently infected individuals; the zones active cases consist of those linked to the large gathering and interprovincial travel, said Shabab.

British Columbia reports its largest one-day spike in cases

British Columbia health officials have identified 165 new cases of COVID-19, the most in a 24-hour stretch since the start of the pandemic.

The most recent group of patients were identified after a record-high 7,674 tests. However, the update is still part of a concerning trend for the province, since there are now also a record-high 1,705 active cases throughout B.C.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said that the rise in cases is linked to an increase in testing, but that health officials continue to see cases linked to exposure events, such as private gatherings.

With Ontario imposing new restrictions on gathering limits on Thursday, Henry said B.C. will not do the same. A maximum of 50 people is still the number theyll look to have in place for gathering limits, but Henry reminded people that just because you can fit 50 people into your small back garden does not make it safe.

Henry said that the province is now seeing the virus spread to other, more vulnerable sectors.

We're now seeing a spillover into hospitals, said Henry. We're seeing our elders, our grandparents, our seniors, the people in our lives who are most susceptible to ending up in hospital or dying from this virus, are getting it. Sometimes they're getting it because we are not being careful enough as young people, and we're bringing it home unintentionally and spreading it to those we love.

Exposures due to gatherings have been a key concern for B.C. ever since two hotel parties around Canada Day in Kelowna led to dozens of cases around the province, as well as possible exposure warnings for a variety of businesses.

Officials continue to ask B.C. residents to check the growing list of public exposure warnings as part of contact tracing efforts. As of Thursday, there are 2,949 people who are self-isolating and are being actively monitored by B.C. public health, since they were in contact with a known COVID-19 patient.

One more person has also died in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, involving a resident of a long-term care home. It increases the death toll to 220. Seventy-three people have also recently recovered from the respiratory virus. Of the provinces 1,705 active cases, there are 57 people in hospital, which includes 22 in intensive care.

Worrisome stretch continues in Ontario, 21 more cases in schools

Ontario reported 293 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, which marks the seventh straight day that the province has exceeded the 200-case mark. Before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29.

The most recent patients were identified after Ontario labs completed 35,134 tests for COVID-19, the second highest amount in a 24-hour stretch since the start of the pandemic.

Of those cases, 85 were identified in Toronto, 63 in Peel, 39 in Ottawa, 37 in York and 12 in Halton. All the other 29 public health units reported 10 of fewer cases, while 14 reported no new patients at all. On Thursday, Doug Fords provincial government announced new gathering restrictions for Toronto, Peel and Ottawa, which have been deemed Ontarios hotspots.

Twenty-one new cases were identified in schools for a total of 62, which are spread throughout 51 of the provinces 4,828 learning institutions. Of the latest cases, five involve students, four involve teachers, while the other 12 have not yet been identified by the Ministry of Health. Two new cases were also reported in child care centres and homes (one child, one staff) for a total of 72.

There were no new cases among residents of long-term care homes, but there are six new patients that involve health-care workers. One-hundred sixty-nine of the cases are among those 20-39 years old, the most of any age group. There were also 66 cases among those 40-59, and 37 involving people 19 years old or younger.

Since Wednesdays report, 179 more people have recovered and three have died in relation to the virus. Throughout Ontario, there are now 2,427 active cases of COVID-19, the most since June 16. Toronto leads the way with 725 currently infected patients, followed by Peel (528), Ottawa (407) and York (216). All of the other 30 public health units have fewer than 80.

Of those currently infected patients, there are 53 in hospital, which includes 21 in intensive care and 12 who require a ventilator.

Montreal reports significant backlog, creating an even larger daily spike from earlier this week

Quebec health officials announced 251 new cases of COVID-19, which marks the seventh straight day that it has reported more than 200 cases. The last time it had a similar stretch was in early June.

On Thursday, Montreal health officials announced 248 cases that should have been reported to the public between Sept. 10-15. Due to the update, it means between Sept. 13-15, the province should have announced more than 300 cases each day, a mark it had not passed since June 1. That includes an extra 90 cases for Sept. 15, which brings that days spike to 382  the most cases in 24-hour stretch since June 1.

On Thursday, the province announced that 208 more people have recovered. Two more have died in its latest 24-hour stretch, but the province also added one more fatality that occurred between Sept. 10-15, increasing the death toll to 5,791. There are now 2,553 active cases throughout Quebec, the most of any jurisdiction in Canada.

The province also announced that 35 more students and eight staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. There are now 247 schools (out of 2,685) that have had a reported case, up by 10 compared to the previous day. Throughout those institutions, there are now 357 students and 96 staff members that have contracted the virus. At least 173 class bubbles so far have been sent home and asked to learn remotely, up by 32 since Wednesdays report.

The Quebec government on Thursday decided to ban restaurants and microbreweries from selling alcohol after midnight, a rule that came into effect early this month for bars. The province also decided to provide more info on its colour-coded alert system, which was introduced Sept. 8. One of the factors that determines whether a region will change alert levels is based on its number of daily cases compared to its population size. Different enforcement measures are put in place based on the colours alert, such as for gatherings.

Updates from the rest of Canada

Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador both continue to have one active case; they have not identified a new patient since Sept. 7 and Sept. 12, respectively. As of Prince Edward Islands last update on Tuesday, there remains one active case in that province as well.

One more person has recovered in New Brunswick, which now has two active cases of COVID-19.

Eleven new cases were identified in Manitoba throughout the Winnipeg (eight), Southern Health (two) and Prairie Mountain (one) health regions. One more person has also recovered, meaning there are now 293 active cases throughout the province. Of those currently infected patients, 209 of them are in Winnipeg, while all the other four regions have fewer than 40.

Alberta health officials have identified 146 new cases of COVID-19, but no new deaths were recorded in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. Instead, 158 more people have recovered, which drops the provinces active case count to 1,483. Of those currently infected individuals, 751 of them are in the Edmonton zone and 470 in the Calgary zone. One new COVID-19 outbreak has been declared in a school  for a total of 10  meaning there are at least two cases among individuals who were considered infectious while at the learning institution.

Sept. 15

There are 251 new cases of COVID-19 that have been reported in Ontario on Tuesday, continuing the recent trend of more than 200 new cases each day. Less than half that amount, 117, were reported as newly recovered in the same time period. Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott said that the hotspots for new cases continue to be Toronto, Ottawa and Peel public health regions, with 73, 51, and 42 new cases reported respectively. Four additional deaths related to the virus were also reported.

In Quebec, there were 292 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the last 24-hour reporting period, as well as five more deaths related to the virus. One of the deaths was in the last 24 hours, while the others were between September 8-13. The province also published an update to how COVID-19 has impacted schools; 283 infections have been reported in 172 schools, and 144 classrooms have been closed due to the virus, including 130 in the public school system. Students account for 217 of the in-school infections, while a further 66 are staff members. 249 of the cases are in the public school system.

Prince Edward Island was the only province to see new cases in Atlantic Canada on Tuesday. There were two cases, one a man in his 50s who is a non-healthcare essential worker, the other a child related to a known case. The child is now considered recovered. There were no new cases in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia or New Brunswick.

There were 17 new cases of COVID-19 identified in Manitoba on Tuesday. One of the cases is a healthcare worker, and is related to the outbreak at Bethesda Place. There are now eight staff and six resident who have contracted COVID-19 at that long-term care facility. Public health is also warning of possible exposure at St. Aidans Christian School in Winnipeg of Thursday, Sept. 10 and Friday, Sept. 11. Records show the patient was asymptomatic, and the case was not acquired at school.

Sept. 14

Its not surprising: Three new outbreaks declared at Alberta schools

There are now six school outbreaks across Alberta, after health officials were notified of three more schools that have reported at least two cases of COVID-19 over the weekend.

The most recent schools with outbreaks include Ross Sheppard High School in Edmonton, Lester B. Pearson High School in Calgary and Auburn Bay School, a K-4 school in Calgary. The three schools that first declared outbreaks last week include Henry Wise Wood High School and St. Wilfrid Elementary School in Calgary, as well as Chinook High School in Lethbridge.

With community transmission levels higher in the past few weeks, its not surprising to see some cases in staff and students at schools, said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer of health.

There are now 42 cases among 35 Alberta schools that have a case of COVID-19, up from the 32 cases among 29 schools that the province reported on Friday. However, Hinshaw said that Alberta Health Services have yet to see transmission within the school setting, instead transmission is believed to have occured in the community.

Hinshaw said theyre using the term outbreak out of an abundance of caution when there are at least two cases among individuals who were in the school setting while considered infectious.

When there is a case among students in a classroom, all the others are sent home to self-isolate for two weeks. Hinshaw apologized for the inconvenience this has caused families, and noted that this approach is being used to gather information about who is most at risk of getting COVID-19 from a school exposure. Its expected that the provinces approach will change over time.

Even with a cautious approach, it is likely that as the school year continues, we will eventually see some examples of transmission in schools, said Hinshaw. Our goal is to keep transmission as low as possible.

Albertas Minister of Education Andre Corbould, said there are 2,380 schools that are open and operating without any cases, which represents approximately 98 per cent of schools in the province.

On Monday, Hinshaw also provided an update on the provinces COVID-19 case count. Between Friday and Saturday, 105 new cases were identified, followed by 173 cases identified after a record-high number of testing), and then 140 new cases leading into Monday. One more person has also passed away  increasing the provinces death toll to 254  while 323 people have recovered.

Of Albertas 1,538 active cases throughout the province, 654 of them are in the Edmonton zone and 557 of them are in the Calgary zone. The North zone has 232, while the Central and South zones have fewer than 50.

Today's numbers are a cause for concern for all of us: Ontario records over 300 cases for the first time since early June

Ontario Premier Doug Ford pleaded with residents to avoid large gatherings, shortly after the Ministry of Health reported 313 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the most in a 24-hour stretch since June 6.

Of the recent cases, 112 were identified in Toronto, 71 in Peel, and 60 in Ottawa, which are the three regions Ford has described as hot spots. Thirteen cases were also identified in York, which is in consideration as a hotspot, considering all the other 31 public health units reported fewer than 10 new cases, while 15 of them reported no new cases at all on Monday.

Today's numbers are a cause for concern for all of us, said Ford. Let me be crystal clear, every option is on the table. We will take every step necessary, including further shutdowns.

Mondays update marks the fourth day in a row that Ontario has reported at least 200 cases. Before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29. Throughout Ontario, there are now 2,027 active cases of COVID-19, the most since June 30. Toronto leads the way with 625 currently infected patients, followed by Peel (517), Ottawa (318) and York (159). All of the other 30 public health units have fewer than 70.

Ford said that the chief public health officers in Toronto, Peel and Ottawa have all credited large gatherings for the spikes in cases. Theyve been private gatherings, and not ones at bars or restaurants. The premier noted that the majority of the population has been following guidelines and protocols, but the actions of just five per cent of those not in compliance can result in the virus spreading like wildfire.

It drives me crazy. I'm up here like a preacher, telling people every single day, Don't let your guard down Don't let your guard down, said Ford. Folks, these [gatherings] have to stop. ... I'll be Premier Dad, Premier Granddad, premier anyone. I just want these folks not to have reckless parties. That's what it comes down to.

The most recent patients were identified after 29,540 tests for COVID-19 were completed, the fewest over the past four days. It leads to a positivity rate of 1.1 per cent, the highest since June 23.

Of the recent group of patients, 167 of them were among those 20-39 year old, the most of any age group, followed by 71 cases among those 40-59 years old. One of the cases is a long-term care resident, and one is a health-care worker. A community outbreak at Western University was also recently declared by the Middlesex-London Health Unit, which reported six cases on Monday.

Starting on Monday, Fords government will return to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, where they will discuss what further steps they can take to slow the spread. Ford said the province is not yet in a full blown second wave, so theres time to curb the case trend like in earlier in the summer.

Minister of Health Christine Elliott said the province is hoping to not have to roll any of its regions back to Stage 2 of the provinces reopening plan, considering the amount of work regions have put in to reopen.

Instead, Elliott noted how a second wave will be much more difficult on the province compared to the first. Along with flu season, theres a reduced capacity in hospitals, since long-term care homes have had to reduce their capacities to limit the spread of COVID-19 as part of their protocols. Hospitals are also still working on a backlog of surgeries from the first lockdown.

In the latest 24-hour stretch, the province also reported one more fatality, which increases the death toll to 2,816. One-hundred and thirty-three more patients have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch.

Of the currently infected individuals, there are 47 in hospital, which includes 17 in intensive care and eight who require a ventilator. The Ministry of Health did note that about 35 hospitals did not provide data over the weekend.

Concerning trend continues to gain pace in Quebec

Quebec health officials have identified 276 new cases of COVID-19 in their latest 24-hour stretch. Aside from the 279 cases that were announced on Sunday, Mondays announcement marks the largest spike the province has recorded since June 3.

Its also the fourth straight day that the province has announced over 200 cases. The last time it had a similar stretch was June 4-7. Officials have now reported over 100 cases in 17 straight reporting periods; before the recent stretch, it had recorded fewer than 100 cases on 14 of its last 18 occasions.

In recent weeks, the virus has spread all throughout the province in various settings, such as in schools and bars. Of the most recent 276 cases, 60 were identified in Quebec City, 39 in Montreal, 32 in Chaudiere-Appalaches, 31 in Monteregie, 27 in Lanaudiere, 20 in Outaouais and 18 in Laval.

Quebecs testing numbers are reflective of its output from two days prior. Most recently, it completed 20,173 tests for COVID-19. Its the fourth straight time that labs have completed at least 20,000 tests  a mark it had never hit before.

No one has died in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, and 160 patients have recently recovered. It means there are now 2,054 active cases in the province, the most of any jurisdiction in Canada. According to Steve Faguy of the Montreal Gazette, its the first time that the province has had more than 2,000 active cases since Aug. 5.

Throughout the pandemic, Quebec has been Canadas worst-hit province. It currently has the most total cases (64,262), active cases and deaths (5,780) of all of the nations jurisdictions.

Updates from the rest of Canada

British Columbia health officials provided their update for their last three reporting periods. In the first, from Friday to Saturday, health officials identified 137 new cases of COVID-19, which marks the second most cases the province has had in a 24-hour stretch throughout the pandemic. The following day, 119 cases were identified, followed by 61 leading into Monday. There are now a record-high 1,594 active cases in British Columbia, as its worrisome COVID-19 trend continues. In the same three-day stretch, 173 people have recovered, but six people also passed away. That includes five people in long-term care homes and the first victim in the Northern Health area.

No new cases were identified in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland and Labrador, as those provinces continue to have one and two active cases, respectively.

One new patient was identified in New Brunswick, which marks the first since Sept. 10. The latest individual who was diagnosed is in their 20s and resides in the Moncton region. The case is travel related, according to a press release. There are now three active cases throughout New Brunswick.

As of Prince Edward Islands latest update on Sept. 11, it has eight currently infected patients. Health officials are expected to provide their weekly scheduled update on Tuesday.

Twenty-one new cases of COVID-19 were identified in Manitoba.The Winnipeg health region is home is 17 of them, while the others are in Southern Health (three) and Interlake-Eastern (one). Three more patients have also recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, which means there are now 257 active cases in the province. Winnipeg has 171 of those currently infected patients, while Prairie Mountain Health has the second most with 43.

Saskatchewan health officials have identified eight new cases of COVID-19 in the Saskatoon (six), South West (one) and South Central (one) zones. Three cases have also been removed from the provinces total, since one was a false positive and the other two involved people who were not residents of Saskatchewan. One more person has also recovered in the province, which brings the number of active cases to 103. The Saskatoon zone has the most currently infected patients with 43, followed by Central East. All the other 11 zones have fewer than 10 cases.

Sept. 13

Seven cases linked to Toronto strip club prompts COVID-19 exposure alert

Toronto Public Health (TPH) is warning of a potential exposure to COVID-19 at a strip club, after seven people who were at the venue tested positive.

Six employees and one patron have been diagnosed with the virus after being at Club Paradise, located at 1313 Bloor St. W., between Aug. 29-Sept. 10. Cases started to emerge Sept. 4, according to a press release by TPH.

Anyone who was at Club Paradise between those dates is being asked to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days after their last visit. They should also make a particular effort to keep a six-foot distance from other people, wear a mask in public spaces and wash their hands.

The risk to patrons is currently considered low, while Club Paradise has taken the voluntary decision to close for a two-week period.

Investigations by TPH inspectors on Aug. 20 and Sept. 5 found the establishment to be in compliance with all reopening protocols, via the press release.

Toronto Public Health has released a list of guidelines for adult entertainment venues. Among them is that lap dances are prohibited, while establishments must maintain a customer log to help with contact tracing efforts.

Based on the information provided in Club Paradises contact tracing logs for staff and patrons, TPH has followed up with all known close contacts Those individuals have been instructed to self-isolate for 14 days and to go for testing.

In August, more than 500 people were asked to self-isolate for 14 days after a Toronto strip club employee at the Brass Rail Tavern tested positive for COVID-19. An initial investigation found that the venue was not in compliance with COVID-19 protocols. A patron also later tested positive.

Quebec reports its most new cases since early June

Some demonstrators in Montreal on Saturday carried signs and wore T-shirts and hats denouncing what they called fear campaigns by the Quebec government, suggesting that the danger of COVID-19 has been overstated. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Quebec health officials have identified 279 new cases of COVID-19, the most in a 24-hour stretch since June 3.

Its also the third straight day that the province has recorded over 200 cases. The last time it had a similar stretch was June 5-7. Officials have now reported over 100 cases in 16 straight reporting periods; before the recent stretch, it had recorded fewer than 100 cases on 14 of its last 18 occasions.

In recent weeks, the virus has spread all throughout the province in various settings. Of the most recent 279 cases, 57 were identified in Montreal, 42 in Quebec City, 38 in Monteregie, 27 in Laval, 26 in the Laurentides, 21 in Bas-Saint-Laurent, 20 in Chaudiere-Appalaches, 17 in Estrie and 15 in Outaouais.

Quebecs testing numbers are reflective of its output from two days prior. Most recently, it completed 20,479 tests for COVID-19. Its the third straight time that labs have completed at least 20,000 tests  a mark it had never hit before.

All Quebecers have a responsibility and that is to prevent a second wave. ... Were not in a second wave but the trend is not good, said Quebec Premier Francois Legault on Friday.

"I don't plan and I don't hope to have to go into each house, so I'm asking the population, please look at the number of cases, look at the virus. It's serious, so please don't do big parties without respecting the directives.

One more person has died in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. However, the death toll remains at 5,780, since an investigation has determined that a previously announced fatality was in fact not due to COVID-19.

Two-hundred and fourteen patients have also recently recovered. Throughout the province, there are 1,938 active cases, up by 65 since Saturday. Of those currently infected patients, 124 of them are in hospital, which includes 19 in intensive care.

On Saturday, several thousands of people gathered in downtown Montreal to protest against the Quebecs governments most recent mask mandate; it allows police to fine anyone who isnt wearing a mask when required to, such as in enclosed public places.

Throughout the pandemic, Quebec has been Canadas worst-hit province. It currently has the most total cases (64,986), active cases (1,938) and deaths (5,780) of all of the nations jurisdictions.

Worrisome stretch continues in Ontario as it reports over 200 daily cases for third straight day

On Sunday, Ontario announced that they recorded 204 new cases of COVID-19 in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch.

Its now the third day in a row that it has reported at least 200 cases, with officials announcing 232 on Saturday, and 213 on Friday. Before the recent stretch, the province had not posted over 200 cases since June 29. The last time it had three consecutive days above 200 was during its June 4-6 stretch.

Of the most recent 204 new cases, 63 were identified in Toronto, 47 in Ottawa, 35 in Peel, and 13 in Windsor-Essex. Twenty-seven of the 34 public health units reported five or fewer cases, while 16 reported no new patients at all.

Its not the City of Toronto or Peel Regions fault, said Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Friday. This is happening, weve got to work together. All Ive been asking is, please try to avoid these big gatherings. Just follow the guidelines and everyone will be OK.

Of the recent group of 204, 106 of them were among those 20-39 year old, the most of any age group, followed by 38 cases among those 40-59 years old. Seven are among long-term care residents, and two are health-care workers.

The cases were identified after the province completed 31,143 tests for COVID-19, which marks the third straight day that it has completed over 30,000. The positive test rate over the past three days has been 0.7 per cent. Aside from a three-day stretch earlier this month, the 0.7 rate is the highest the province has seen since July.

In the latest 24-hour stretch, the province also reported one more fatality, involving a LTC resident, which increases the death toll to 2,815. One-hundred and twenty-four more patients have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch.

Throughout Ontario, there are now 1,848 active cases of COVID-19, the most since July 4. Toronto leads the way with 545 currently infected patients, followed by Peel (486), Ottawa (280) and York (156). All the other 30 public health units have fewer than 60.

Of those currently infected individuals, there are 39 in hospital, which includes 14 in intensive care and nine who require a ventilator. The Ministry of Health did note that about 35 hospitals did not provide data over the weekend.

Updates from the rest of Canada

No new cases were identified in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, as those provinces continue to have one and two active cases, respectively. As of Prince Edward Islands latest update on Friday, there are eight active cases in the province.

No new cases were also identified in Newfoundland and Labrador. In a press release, officials said that a presumptive case identified at the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) mine in Labrador has turned out to be negative. On Saturday, the province announced its first case since Sept. 5, involving an individual who recently returned from Newfoundland and Labrador. There are now two active cases in N.L.

Eighteen new cases were identified in Manitoba, with 11 in Winnipeg, three in Southern Health, two in Interlake-Eastern and one each in the Northern and Prairie Mountain regions. Seventeen more people have also recovered, which means there are now 239 active cases in the province. Of those currently infected patients, 154 of them are in Winnipeg and 44 in Prairie Mountain, which used to be the provinces epicentre.

There are 17 new cases in Saskatchewan throughout the Saskatoon (14), Central West (one) and Central East (one) zones. The location of the 17th case is still pending. According to a press release, at least six of the 14 cases in the Saskatoon zone are connected to a private gathering. One more person has recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, which leaves 99 active cases in the province. Of those currently infected residents, 38 are in the Saskatoon zone, while 26 are in the Central East zone. All the other 11 zones have fewer than 10 active cases.

Nunavut remains the only jurisdiction to not have had a confirmed positive case throughout the pandemic. The Northwest Territories have zero active cases, and so does Yukon after its two remaining cases were marked resolved on Aug. 13.

Sept. 11

Ontario reports its largest case spike since June

Ontario reported 213 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, which is the most in a 24-hour stretch since June 29.

Its the first time that the province has eclipsed at least 200 daily cases since July 21, and the 16th straight day that it has recorded over 100 cases of COVID-19. In early August, Ontario was able to stay under triple-digits on seven-straight occasions, as it made a habit of reporting fewer than 100 cases.

Of the most recent 213 cases, 71 were identified in Toronto, 38 in Peel, 37 in Ottawa, 15 in Waterloo and 14 in York. Of Ontarios 34 public health units, 26 of them reported five of fewer cases, while 18 reported no new cases at all. Of all the recently identified patients, 143 of them are under the age of 40 (67 per cent of the cases).

Its not the City of Toronto or Peel Regions fault, said Ford on Friday. This is happening, weve got to work together. All Ive been asking is, please try to avoid these big gatherings. Just follow the guidelines and everyone will be OK.

In the latest 24-hour stretch, 124 more people have recovered, while the province subtracted one fatality from its death toll of 2,813. There are now 1,657 currently infected patients in Ontario, the most since July 9.

To end the work-week, the province also launched a public website that will track the number of COVID-19 cases in schools. As of Friday morning, there are 13 cases at schools in Ontario, including nine staff members. All four student cases are at French Catholic schools in Ottawa.

Quebec reports its most new cases since June

Health officials in Quebec have identified 219 new cases of COVID-19, which is the most they have announced since June 7.

Of the most recent cases, 42 are in Quebec City, 40 in Montreal, 20 in Monteregie, 19 in Bas-Saint-Laurent, and 18 each in both the Outaouais and Chaudiere-Appalaches regions, according to the Montreal Gazette.

Its now the third time in the past six days the province has recorded at least 200 cases of COVID-19. Officials have also reported over 100 cases in 14 straight reporting periods. Before the recent stretch, it had recorded fewer than 100 cases on 14 of its last 18 occasions.

All Quebecers have a responsibility and that is to prevent a second wave. ... Were not in a second wave but the trend is not good, said Premier Francois Legault on Friday.

"I don't plan and I don't hope to have to go into each house, so I'm asking the population, please look at the number of cases, look at the virus. It's serious, so please don't do big parties without respecting the directives.

In recent weeks, the virus has spread all throughout the province in various settings. On Friday, officials announced that they will ban karaoke, while ordering bars to keep customer logs from now on. It comes after a karaoke night held at a Quebec City bar on Aug. 23 has been linked to more than 80 cases, with secondary cases identified in at least three schools.

On Friday, the province withdrew data on its COVID-19 situation within schools. Legault said it was because the information was incomplete and unreliable.

Throughout Quebec, there are now 1,846 active cases of COVID-19, since 219 more patients have recovered. No one has died in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, but officials added three more fatalities to its death toll from previous dates. Two deaths were also removed since investigations have shown that the causes of death are not attributable to COVID-19. The death toll now stands at 5,774.

Updates from the rest of Canada

One-hundred thirty-two new cases were recorded in British Columbia, which marks the provinces second largest daily increase to its total case count. Its only behind Thursdays increase of 139. Eighty-three more patients have recovered, but the provinces active case count still reached another record-high of 1,461.

Officials continue to ask B.C. residents to check the growing list of public exposure warnings as part of contact tracing efforts. As of Thursday, there are 3,198 people who are self-isolating and are being actively monitored by B.C. public health, since they were in contact with a known COVID-19 patient.

No new cases were identified in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland and Labrador, as their active case counts remain at two and one, respectively. A patient has recovered in New Brunswick, dropping its active case count to two, while three cases have been resolved in Prince Edward Island, where there are eight currently infected patients.

For the second straight day, health officials in Manitoba have identified 15 new cases of COVID-19; eight of them were identified in Winnipeg, four in Prairie Mountain and three in Southern Health. Eighty-eight more people have recovered, which drops its active case to 287. Its the fewest number of active cases the province has had in weeks.

Thirteen new cases were identified in Saskatchewans Central East (seven), Saskatoon (four), Far North East (one), and Regina (one) zones. Five more patients have also recovered, which brings the provinces active case count to 66; 20 of those infected patients are in the Saskatoon zone, the most of any zone. Health officials are also warning of a potential COVID-19 exposure at Regina International Airport, involving a trip arriving from Toronto.

A resident of Edmontons Good Samaritan Care Centre has passed away, which marks the latest fatality in Alberta. However, the death toll remains at 253, since one previously recorded death has turned out not to be related to the virus. Health officials also identified 111 new cases of COVID-19 in the same stretch that 161 patients have recorded; it drops the active case count to 1,444.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer of health, said there are 29 schools across the province where an individual attended while infectious, with 32 cases linked to these schools. Three school outbreaks remain active.

Sept. 10

Three COVID-19 outbreaks declared among schools in Alberta

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Albertas chief medical officer of health, said there are three schools that have at least two infected individuals, but there is currently no evidence of broader transmission.

"While we are calling these outbreaks, this is a very cautious use of the term," said Hinshaw on Thursday. "We are acting out of an abundance of caution by treating two cases who are in a school while infectious within a 14-day span as an outbreak, even when the cases are within one family.

Two of the schools are in Calgary: Henry Wise Wood high school and St. Wilfrid elementary school. The third is Chinook High School in Lethbridge.

On Thursday, 113 new cases, five fatalities and 199 recoveries were recorded, as Albertas active case count dropped to 1,494. Throughout the province, there are 24 cases at 21 schools, said Hinshaw.

For more on how Alberta Health Services is planning on dealing with the three outbreaks, please read here.

Manitoba records its first case in a school since reopening

Manitobas chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Thursday that the province has identified its first case in a school setting.

The unidentified Grade 7 student at Churchill High School in Winnipeg had been tested for COVID-19 before the first day of school Tuesday, even though they had no symptoms. Classes have continued, and students are being asked to self-monitor for symptoms, but not to self-isolate.

"This individual did everything that they were supposed to do and that resulted in no close contacts being identified in this area," said Roussin.

The Winnipeg School Division said to The Canadian Press that the student wore a mask while in school and they they also maintained physical distancing the entire time.

On Thursday, Roussin announced 15 new cases in Manitobas latest 24-hour stretch, with nine of them in Winnipeg. However, with 57 recently resolved cases, its active case count dropped to 360  the lowest its been in weeks.

For more on the situation involving Manitobas first case in a school setting, please read here.

British Columbia records its most ever new daily cases

On the same day that schools reopened across British Columbia, health officials announced a record-high 139 new daily cases of COVID-19.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said moving forward we can expect cases in schools  which has happened in other provinces across the country  but a system-wide closure would only happen under severe circumstances.

"That would mean that we were in dire straits in many other aspects of our community and that's what we're trying absolutely to avoid," said Henry on Thursday.

With the latest update, there are now 1,412 currently infected patients in the province, the most ever throughout the pandemic. Officials continue to ask B.C. residents to check the growing list of public exposure warnings as part of contact tracing efforts. As of Thursday, there are 3,109 people who are self-isolating and are being actively monitored by B.C. public health, since they were in contact with a known COVID-19 patient.

For more on how B.C. will balance its school reopening plan and its worrisome COVID-19 trend, please read here.

Updates from the rest of Canada

In Ontario, there were 170 new cases of COVID-19 reported on Thursday. The province also reported one additional death. The majority of new cases were in the Toronto area with 55, while York Region and Peel Region saw 28 and 22 new cases, respectively. Out of Ontarios 34 public health regions, 28 reported five or fewer new cases, with 14 of them reporting no new cases at all. There are now 1,567 active cases throughout the province, since 142 more patients have recovered.

There were 188 new cases reported in Quebec, as well as two additional deaths linked to the virus, one of which occured in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. With 224 patients having recently recovered, there are now 1,847 active cases in Quebec. In an effort to curb the steadily-rising number of infections in the province, Quebec will be issuing fines starting Saturday for those who refuse to wear masks.

On Wednesday, all in-person activities and courses were suspended at two Cegep schools in Quebec's Bas-Saint-Laurent region after several students tested positive for COVID-19. According to health officials, the cases are likely connected to a party held in the region at the end of August, where more than 100 people were in attendance.

A resident of New Brunswick tested positive for COVID-19 in Quebec yesterday, bringing the provinces total number of active cases to three. The individual will stay in Quebec until they recover.

Elsewhere in Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotias active case count fell to two; Newfoundland and Labrador saw no new cases for the fifth day in a row, as its active case count stands at one. Prince Edward Island announced no new cases on Thursday after several were identified earlier in the week, related to international travel. There are still 11 active cases on the island.

Saskatchewan health officials have identified six new cases in the same 24-hour stretch that six more people have recovered. It means there are still 59 active cases throughout the province, with 16 of those in Saskatoon (the most of any of its zones).

Sept. 9

Ontario reported 149 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, down from what it had reported earlier in the week. Overall, the province saw a slight increase in the number of cases when compared to recoveries. The latest update comes as Premier Doug Ford meets with Quebec Premier Francois Legault to identify key areas of cooperation in the midst of the virus.

Meanwhile in Quebec, 180 new cases of COVID-19 were identified, slightly elevated above the threshold at which authorities hope to keep new cases. Montrealers in particular are being advised not to gather with family and friends in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.

Across Atlantic Canada, cases remained largely flat. In Nova Scotia, there was a possible reinfection of an individual in a long-term care facility; authorities are in the process of confirming the case, which was announced on Monday. New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases. Prince Edward Island identified two new cases, bringing the total number of active cases to 11.

Manitoba reported 16 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. There are currently 404 cases active in the province. The update comes as the governing Progressive Conservative party says it aims to resume legislature next month with nearly normal operating procedures.

In Saskatchewan, there was one new case of COVID-19 identified, bringing the total number of active cases to 59. One person remains in intensive care with the virus in Saskatoon.

Alberta saw 98 new cases reported on Wednesday, with the majority of active cases in the Calgary and Edmonton areas. The province has also launched an online map for tracking COVID-19 cases in schools, as the province has confirmed that there are 16 cases at 16 of its schools. All of the cases were contracted from outside the school.

In British Columbia, 100 new cases of COVID-19 were identified. With 37 patients currently in hospital with the virus, including 13 in intensive care, the province is currently seeing its highest number of hospitalizations since May 27. More than 3,000 people are currently being monitored due to exposure to known cases.

Sept. 8

On Tuesday, Ontario reported 375 new cases of COVID-19 over the last two days, as no reporting was done on Labour Day. There were 180 new cases on Tuesday and 195 new cases on Monday, making these the highest increases the province has seen since July. The regions with the most new cases on Tuesday were Toronto (48), Peel (42) and Ottawa (37) health regions. Toronto Mayor John Tory stressed during a press conference on Tuesday that many of these new cases are young people, with 65 per cent of new cases in Toronto over the last month under the age of 40. Out of Ontarios 32 public health units, 28 reported five or fewer cases, with 18 reporting no new cases at all.

In Quebec, 163 new cases were identified on Tuesday. The previous two days saw new cases exceed 200 daily. Some of the people who have been identified as having COVID-19 include the mayor of Longueuil and six possible cases that rode French Catholic school board buses in Ottawa. There are now 1,944 active cases of COVID-19 in Quebec, including 105 in hospital.

Across Atlantic Canada, the most dramatic increase in COVID-19 occurred in Prince Edward Island. Two new cases were identified, in addition to four new cases reported on Labour day, brining the total number of active cases in the province to nine. All of the active cases are related to international travel, and all were detected while people were self isolating after arriving in P.E.I., as per government guidelines. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador saw no new cases identified.

Sept. 7

Canadas top doctor concerned over Canadas rising case count

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas Chief Public Health Officer, expressed concern over the countrys rising case trend.

Instead of holding a press conference Monday, Tam released a statement to warn Canadians of their COVID-19 situation. Over the last week (Aug. 30- Sept. 6), Canada reported an average of 545 cases a day, up by 25 per cent compared to the week before when 435 cases were reported daily. Two weeks prior, there was an average of 390 daily cases.

The average daily case count has been increasing in recent weeks, said Tam in her press release. This is a concern and a reminder that we all need to maintain public health measures to keep COVID-19 on the slow-burn path that we need.

With the fall months approaching, Tam is warning Canadians to be more mindful of events they attend, especially as the colder weather shifts activities indoors.

While I know we are all eager to gather with our extended family and friends for the holidays, indoor gatherings may not be right for every Canadian or every family, said Tam in a press release that includes a list of questions you should ask yourself before attending an event.

In the last week, some of Canadas biggest provinces have seen their concerning case trends continue to grow. Some health officials have linked the rise in cases to an increase in gatherings, primarily among young people.

In British Columbias final update of the week, it announced its second largest ever case increase since the start of the pandemic. The 121 new cases on Friday were only behind the 124 cases it had reported a week prior, but the update still led to a record-high active case count of 1,233. Officials continue to ask B.C. residents to check the growing list of public exposure warnings as part of contact tracing efforts.

Alberta finished the week with 1,433 active cases. According to Alberta Health Services, it marks the highest number of currently infected patients the province has had since May 10.

Ontario recorded a triple-digit case increase each day of the last week. In early August, the province was able to stay under triple-digits on seven-straight occasions, as it made a habit of reporting fewer than 100 cases. On Sept. 5, health officials also announced 169 new cases, which marked the largest spike in daily cases the province has recorded since July 24.

In Quebec, health officials recorded over 100 cases on each occasion throughout the past week, as part of a 10-day stretch of recording a triple-digit increase. Before the recent stretch, it had recorded fewer than 100 cases on 14 of its last 18 occasions. On Sept. 6, Quebec reported 205 new cases of COVID-19, which marked its largest single day spike since June 7. On Friday, the province also announced that 46 of its schools had at least one case of COVID-19 within the first week of classes.

Saskatchewan and the Atlantic provinces have seen their COVID-19 case trends remain stable. But in the last week, Prince Edward Island did record three cases, after all of its other patients had recovered by Aug. 31.

In Manitoba, the provinces active case count is no longer hitting record-highs, which was common throughout the second-half of August. On July 14, the province came very close to having no active cases. That day, after all of its initial patients had recovered, health officials diagnosed five other people. Since then, Manitoba has seen its curb trend upwards. On Aug. 12, for the first time, the province surpassed 200 active cases. On Aug. 26, it hit the 400-mark, which it hasn't been able to fall under since.

Montreal, Quebec City lead the provinces largest case spike in 3 months

Health officials in Quebec have identified 216 new cases of COVID-19 in their latest 24-hour stretch, the most since June 7.

It comes a day after the province recorded 205 cases. Its now the 10th straight reporting period that the province has recorded over 100 cases. Before the recent stretch, it had stayed below that mark on 14 of its last 18 occasions.

Of the most recent cases, 63 were identified in the Montreal region, 51 in the Quebec City region, 34 in the Monteregie region, and 18 each in the Laval and Lanaudiere regions.

The recent amount of daily cases by Montreal and Quebec City are more than what Saskatchewan (34), Prince Edward Island (three), Nova Scotia (two), Newfoundland and Labrador (one) and New Brunswick (one) combined to report all of last week (41).

Quebec health minister Christian Dube said on Aug. 25 that Quebec should not go beyond 160 cases per day, which works out to about 20 cases per one million residents. Its now eclipsed that mark on five straight occasions.

The recent update is part of a concerning trend for the province, considering its now navigating the COVID-19 pandemic at the same time as its school reopening plan.

On Friday, Quebec health officials released a list of 46 schools that have had a case of COVID-19 among either students or staff members throughout the first week of reopening. However, Dube said there have been no outbreaks, and instead in most instances the school has had an isolated case involving an individual who was infected outside of the school setting.

For example, on Wednesday, health officials announced that a karaoke bar outbreak in Quebec City resulted in 40 infected patrons, leading to secondary spread among three students in three different schools.

Throughout the pandemic, Quebec has led the way with 63,713 total cases of COVID-19. Eighty-nine more patients have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch. No one has died, but officials added one more fatality to its death toll of 5,770, which occurred between Aug. 31-Sept. 5.

There are now 1,983 active cases of COVID-19 in Quebec, the most of any province in Canada. According to Steve Faguy of the Montreal Gazette, its now the ninth straight day that the provinces active case count has risen  most recently by 126.

Updates from the rest of Canada

Ontario health officials said that they wont provide a statistical update on the provinces COVID-19 situation on Labour Day. The province will have an update on Tuesday for its two latest 24-hour reporting periods.

One new case has been identified in Nova Scotia, the first since Aug. 31. The most recent patient is in the Central Zone and is currently under investigation by health officials. There are now four active cases in Nova Scotia.

No new cases were identified in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island, as they continue to have two, three, and three active cases respectively.

Fifteen new cases were identified in Manitoba. That includes seven in Winnipeg, six in Prairie Mountain and one each in the Interlake-Eastern and Southern regions. Five of the cases are close contacts of previously identified cases. Twelve more patients have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, which leaves Manitoba with 412 currently infected citizens.

Eleven more people were diagnosed in Saskatchewan. There were two cases each in the Far North West Saskatoon and Central West zones, and one each in the Central East, South West, South Central and South East zones. The location of the 11th case is still pending. One more person has also recovered, which leaves the province with 58 active cases.

Sept. 6

Quebec reports its most new cases in almost 3 months

Quebec reported 205 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, which marks its largest single day spike since June 7.

The province has now reported over 100 cases in nine straight reporting periods. Before the recent stretch, it had recorded fewer than 100 cases on 14 of its last 18 occasions.

On Aug. 25, health minister Christian Dube said that Quebec should not go beyond 160 cases per day, which works out to about 20 cases per one million residents. Its now eclipsed that mark on four straight occasions.

Premier Francois Legault on Thursday said Dubes statistics are an objective, but it doesnt mean that the province will make an automatic return to lockdowns if the target is missed. If restrictions do need to be put in place, they will be imposed on sub-regions, and not the entire province.

Of the latest 205 cases, 57 were identified in Montreal, 48 in Monteregie, 32 in Quebec City and 14 in Laval.

Throughout the pandemic, Quebec has been Canadas worst hit province with a record-high 63,497 total cases. That includes 55,871 recovered patients (up by 61 since Saturday) and 5,769 fatalities, which leaves the province with 1,857 currently infected patients  the most of any province.

Since reopening schools on Aug. 27, the province has made national headlines. On Friday, Quebec health officials released a list of 46 schools that have had a case of COVID-19 among either students or staff members throughout the first week of reopening. However, Dube said there have been no outbreaks, and instead in most instances the school has had an isolated case involving an individual who was infected outside of the school setting.

For example, on Wednesday, health officials announced that a karaoke bar outbreak in Quebec City resulted in 40 infected patrons, leading to secondary spread among three students in three different schools.

Updates from the rest of Canada

Ontario reported 158 new cases on Sunday, which marks the 11th straight day that the province has recorded over 100 cases of COVID-19. In early August, the province was able to stay under triple-digits on seven-straight occasions, as it made a habit of reporting fewer than 100 cases. Of the most recently identified patients, 49 are in Toronto, 44 in Peel, 21 in Ottawa and 16 in York. Twenty-nine of the 34 public health units reported five or fewer cases, while 20 reported no new cases at all. After going five straight days without a fatality, the province recorded two on Sunday, increasing the death toll to 2,813. There are now 1,390 active cases in the province (the most since July 30), since 111 more patients have recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch.

Two more patients have recovered in Nova Scotia, which leaves three active cases in the province. One more case has also been resolved in New Brunswick, leaving three active cases within that jurisdiction as well. No new cases were reported in Newfoundland and Labrador or Prince Edward Island, as they have two and three active cases, respectively.

Twenty-nine new cases have been identified in Manitoba, scattered throughout the Winnipeg (17), Southern (seven), Prairie Mountain (three) and Interlake-Eastern (one) regions. Seven of the cases are close contacts of a previously identified case, while one is travel related. There is also one patient that is linked to an assisted living facility located next to the Donwood Manor personal care home. Donwood Manor has initiated outbreak protocols, even though the risk of further spread is considered low. Forty-six more people have also recovered, which drops Manitobas active case count to 409.

Saskatchewan health officials have identified eight new cases. The Saskatoon zone has three, the Central East zone has two, and the North West, Regina and South East zones all have one new patient each. No has recovered in the provinces latest 24-hour stretch, meaning there are now 48 active cases in the province.

Nunavut remains the only jurisdiction to not have had a confirmed positive case throughout the pandemic. The Northwest Territories have zero active cases, and so does Yukon after its two remaining cases were marked resolved on Aug. 13.

Alberta and British Columbia dont provide case updates over the weekend, but as of Friday, those provinces have 1,433 and 1,233 active cases, respectively. Over the weekend, a high school in Calgary has notified parents of a case at its institution, after it opened for the 2020-21 school year on Tuesday.

Sept. 5

Ontario reports its largest spike in cases since July

Ontario health officials announced 169 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, which marks the largest spike in daily cases the province has recorded since July 24.

The latest patients, which were identified after labs completed 28,672 tests, are primarily located in Peel (46), Toronto (42), Ottawa (30), and York (19). Twenty-eight of Ontarios 34 public health units reported five or fewer cases, while 19 reported no new patients at all.

Peel, Toronto and Ottawa all individually recorded more new cases on Saturday than Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the four Atlantic provinces combined (27).

The update comes a day after Peel recorded 72 cases, which caught Ontario Premier Doug Fords attention. The region consists of Caledon, Mississauga and Brampton, which has been its epicentre.

I am really concerned about what is happening in Brampton, said Ford on Friday. Anyone who is thinking of having a big shindig this weeke
Yes to more data regulation! What else?

Another thing that makes TikTok powerful  and potentially dangerous  is that the videos served to us are based on opaque algorithms that we cant see or inspect. The U.S. government could demand more transparency as a condition of allowing TikTok to continue operating.

Ideally, this should also apply to Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. These algorithms shape our culture, politics and personal beliefs, and we know basically nothing about how they work.

Why all this talk about TikTok now? What changed?

Right, weve been getting technology hardware from China for many years with few complaints from regulators. I think whats new here is the Trump administrations desire to appear tough on China.

Thats it for this briefing. See you next time.  Melina

Thank you

To Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.

 Were listening to The Daily. Our latest episode is about mistakes made in New York at the height of the pandemic there.

 Heres our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Puccini opera set in Rome in 1800 (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here.

 In Finish the Fight!, excerpted here, New York Times journalists tell the stories of lesser-known women of color who were part of the battle to give women the right to vote.
LE PECQ, France - A Brooklyn man who told French police investigators that he killed his wife by stabbing her twice during an argument has been charged with her murder, a prosecutor said Monday.

The French-American, identified in French media reports as Billy Kruger, told investigators that he acted in self-defence, Marie-Agnes Joly, a prosecutor in the southwest city of Narbonne, told The Associated Press.

Kruger was placed under formal investigation Sunday on a preliminary charge of aggravated murder and ordered held in jail, pending a possible trial.

The body of his wife, 52-year-old Laure Bardina-Kruger, was found Friday in Peyriac-de-Mer, on the Mediterranean coast, south of Narbonne.

The couple lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he is a diving instructor and she worked as a teacher, Joly said. The couple had a holiday home in Peyriac-de-Mer, and police found the wifes body hidden in the storm drain nearby.

The husband was detained Friday as he was preparing to fly from Toulouse, bound for Jakarta, the prosecutor said.

The couple had been expected to fly out together. The wifes parents raised the alarm after they were unable to reach the couple by phone ahead of the flight. Police sent to the couples home found that the wifes belongings were still there. They then learned that the husband had checked into the flight alone. He was arrested in the boarding zone of the airport.

During police questioning, the man said he stabbed his wife twice, the prosecutor said. He said theyd been arguing and he put forward a vague explanation of self-defence, she said.

The investigation is continuing.
China censors film production with Christian content including miracles, healing

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China has issued strict new guidelines banning film and television programs including instances of miracles and healing  a move some fear will outlaw Christian content completely.

According to UCA News, the National Administration of Radio and Television, which controls the content on radio, film, and TV aired in China, recently passed new regulations banning 20 categories of content, including material promoting fabricated history, sacred relics, demonic possessions, and instances of faith and healing.

A filmmaker working with the church's film and television industry said the new guidelines almost entirely ban faith-based content.

The filmmaker, who identified himself as Joseph, told UCA News: If we film the life of Jesus, avoiding the content banned by the guidelines, we will only be presenting Jesus as an ordinary person, and this is unacceptable to Christians.

The guidelines also require filmmakers not to film the dark side of society but to film the good life of normal people and stipulate that historical dramas should be based on true history" rather than fabrication.

Father Yo from Shandong called the guidelines strange. How can people have a good life when they don't even have the natural right to freedom of religion? If we do not even have the most basic human rights, how can we be good?"

"What is true history? Is it the one fabricated by the Chinese Communist Party? Would it not lead to creating more fake television dramas in line with the party to brainwash the public?"

In 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping put the Communist Partys propaganda office in charge of regulating films. Earlier, Xi announced that all the work by the partys media must reflect the partys will, safeguard the partys authority, and safeguard the partys unity.

Zhang Lifan, a historian, told The New York Times that Xis attempts to impose total control over the media is a way for him to announce his absolute authority.

He doesnt feel effective and confident in dealing with problems, and he lacks a sense of security, Zhang said. He worries the Chinese Communist Party will lose political power, and he also worries that his peers will shove him from his position.

Last year, a former employee of one of Chinas largest tech firms monitors citizens mobile phones, blocking any words deemed sensitive to the state  such as Almighty God.

In 2018, China banned online retailers from selling the Bible in efforts to control the countrys growing religious scene.

China claims that it allows religious freedom; however, it has been carrying out a crackdown on underground churches and Christian activists for years.

A recent report from persecution watchdog International Christian Concern documents how the CCP targets Christians through its sinicization campaign, meaning, to make beliefs, including Christianity, fall in line with their interpretation of Communism.

Specifically, the report notes that the campaign seeks to diminish the effectiveness of Christian theology by removing Christian symbols at churches and replacing them with CCP symbols, rewriting portions of the Bible, observing major Christian holidays with a Communist twist, and indoctrinating state-sanctioned clergy and leaders with CCP dogma.

The Religious Affairs Bureau and the CCP have a single goal: to prevent religious influence from threatening their communist control, the report says.

The issue of international religious freedom is one that should be at the core of U.S. interests," it adds. "Both sides of the political debate agree that Chinas flagrant disregard for religious freedom must be stopped. It is only by coming together that effective policy will be passed and the U.S. will send a clear message to China that its persecution of religion is unacceptable.

Open Doors USA ranks China 23rd on its World Watch List of 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

"A policy of 'sinicizing' the church is becoming increasingly influential because the Communist Party is relying strongly on Chinese cultural identity to stay in power," Open Doors explains. "The new restrictions on internet, social media and NGOsand the new regulations on religionare all seriously limiting freedom."
Maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) was initially domesticated by Native Americans over 10.000 years ago. Nowadays, America's "favourite corn" is cultivated throughout the world and is used in varying ways, ranging from animal feed to biofuel. Maize has been able to adapt to different climates and conditions around the world, indicating that the genetic variability between lines must be large. And when considering that maize also is one of the plants which can reproduce via self- as well as cross-pollination, it becomes evident that sequencing the genome of only one maize line is insufficient, when attempting to fully understand the genetics of maize. Instead, for genetically diverse crops, researchers aim towards establishing the species' pangenome - the entire sequence of all lines of a species.

Scientists from plant breeding and research institutions throughout Germany recently picked up this challenge in maize and published their contribution to the maize pangenome in the journal Nature Genetics.

Dent and flint corn are the two classes of maize with the greatest commercial importance. As such, it is unsurprising that the complete genome sequence of a dent maize line B73 was established as the go to reference for maize breeding and research. However, within their recent project, the researchers led by Dr. Klaus Haberer from the Helmholtz Center in Munich, concentrated on the investigation of four European flint lines. As Dr. Haberer let us know: "Whilst the dent line B73 is a high-quality reference sequence, very high diversity at the sequence level has been found between different maize lines. This indicates that the sequence of the line B73 captures only a portion of the maize pangenome."

Within their research, the scientists utilised a complementary approach which combined modern sequencing techniques and bioinformatics with cytogenetic technologies. Whilst the sequencing techniques delivered the main share of information on the maize genomes, cytogenetic methods such as FISH (Fluorescence in situ hybridization) facilitated the researchers to test for misinterpretations of the sequenced genomes at the chromosomal level. But more importantly, it enabled the scientists to spot differences between the maize lines by looking through the microscope.

Prof. Dr. Andreas Houben, who led the cytogenetic tests at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Gatersleben, told us: "Flint and dent maize have a high similarity on the gene level. However, both maize types have a large number of non-coding sequences, for example, so-called knob repeats, which vary between different lines. We were able to show these differences on the chromosomal level."

The study of the flint lines is an important addition to the current maize pangenome. And maybe even more importantly, the findings show that while the overall conservation of the gene content within a species might be high, differences in the non-coding genome fraction exist. And these small differences help us to truly understand and utilize maize biology.

###
S hares were set to open in the red this morning as Ryanair warned about a coronavirus second wave and posted a huge loss.

The airline posted a loss of 165 million in the three months through June, when its jets were idled, and expects to record a smaller shortfall the in current quarter even as flights resume.

It is impossible to predict how long the Covid-19 pandemic will persist, and a second wave of Covid-19 cases across Europe in late autumn, when the annual flu season commences, is our biggest fear right now, the Dublin-based company said.

It comes as over the weekend the government imposed quarantine restrictions on flights from Spain which sent airline and travel stocks plummeting.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 was down 13.39 points at 6110.44.

TUI tumbled 8.4% after the company said it had decided to cancel all holidays to mainland Spain through Aug. 9 following the UK's decision to quarantine travellers.

EasyJet and British Airways-owner IAG fell 9.0% and 7.5%, respectively, even as they told customers on Saturday that they did not plan to cancel flights over the coming days.

Antofagasta rose 2.4% to the top of the FTSE 100 as the union of workers at its Zaldivar copper mine in northern Chile told Reuters that it had reached a contract deal with the Chilean-based miner, averting the risk of a walk-off.

Covid is dominating market sentiment right now and Asian markets fell overnight on reports of fresh outbreaks.

Looking ahead and later this week the Federal Reserve will hold its two day policy meeting.

There will also be the latest Q2 numbers from UK banks. They are expected to set aside much larger provisions for non-performing loans.

Barclays reports on Wednesday, Lloyds and StanChart on Thursday and NatWest on Friday.

Next will offer an insight into the wellbeing of high street fashion retail with a trading update on Wednesday.

Investors are watching Shell's numbers closely on Thursday amid predictions that the oiler is about to cut its dividend.

In the US, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google-owner Alphabet are all reporting.
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Veteran astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Rex Walheim is leaving NASA on July 27 after almost 36 years of government service, 36 days in space and 36 hours walking in space. Since 2017, he has been deputy director of NASA Johnson Space Center's Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate.

"Rex has been a great leader both as an astronaut and as a leader in Johnson Space Center's flight operations and safety organizations," Johnson Space Center Direct Mark Geyer said. "Rex is the kind of person that has great technical background but also shows that he cares about the workforce. This made Rex particularly effective in jobs that he held at Johnson. We wish him all the best."

As an Air Force officer, Walheim arrived at Johnson Space Center in 1986 to be a mechanical systems flight controller and lead operations engineer for the space shuttle landing gear, brakes, and emergency runway barrier. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force in 1984, he was transferred and attended then taught at the Air Force Test Pilot School in 1989. He then commanded the F-16 avionics and armament flight before being selected as an astronaut in 1996, and returning to Johnson.

Walheim's first spaceflight came in 2002 on space shuttle Atlantis as part of STS-110. He took part in two of the mission's four spacewalks to install the International Space Station's S0 (central) truss and became the first astronaut to use the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm. He returned to the space station in 2008, again onboard Atlantis, as lead spacewalker for the STS-122 mission. He participated in all three of the flight's spacewalks to install the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory and prepare it for use.

Walheim's final flight, STS-135, also was the final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. The 2011 mission aboard Atlantis delivered the last shuttle shipment of supplies, spare parts, and logistics to the space station. Over the course of his three spaceflights, Walheim traveled more than 15 million miles.

Following STS-135, Walheim was chief of the astronaut office's exploration branch. He served as the Orion Program's astronaut representative as the new spacecraft was developed ahead of its first uncrewed flight test, Exploration Flight Test-1, in 2014. Walheim went on to become assistant director for operations in the Flight Operations Directorate.

Born in Redwood City, California, Walheim considers San Carlos, California, to be his hometown. He received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Houston.

Find Walheim's complete biography at:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/rex-j-walheim/biography

Research NASA video and imagery at:

http://www.nasa.gov/content/download-nasa-videos-for-cinespace

Learn about NASA's innovative and collaborative efforts at:

https://www.nasa.gov/offices/COECI/index.html

Look for more about the Houston Cinema Arts Society at:

cinemahtx.org

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


Sequoia Capital, the storied Silicon Valley investor and Indias largest venture capital fund by far, has lost a senior executive.

Anjana Sasidharan, Principal at Sequoia India, has stepped down from the firm, said two people aware of the matter, at a time when Sequoia has just raised $1.35 billion to deploy in India and Southeast Asia over the next two years.

Sasidharan informed her colleagues of her decision nearly six months back, generally the minimum time period to finalize exits for senior executives at venture firms, the people said, requesting anonymity.

At venture capital firms, Principals are the second in seniority after managing directors/partners, and hold decision making power, make investments and are part of the fund-raising process internally as well.

Sasidharan has spearheaded healthcare and biotechnology investments for Sequoia and made it her focus area. She sits on the boards of nearly a dozen healthcare technology startups, some her own investments, and some legacy investments of Sequoia made by other MDs.

Her recent deals include Qure.ai, which provides AI algorithms for medical imaging and Biofourmis- which runs a digital therapeutics platform. She is also on the boards of Curatio Healthcare, Koye Pharma, La Renon Healthcare and Medgenome, among others.

Sasidharans exit is also important at a time when, in the middle of a pandemic, Sequoia has raised $1.35 billion, and is doubling down on its successful bets

Her decision to leave also had to be communicated to Sequoia limited partners- such as pension funds and endowments, who give Sequoia money to invest.

VC firms have an investment life cycle- from the first investment to an exit- of five to 12 years, during which time senior investors generally do not quit the firm.

According to two people aware of conversations, while Sasidharan specialised in early stage biotechnology startups, this is still a new sector in India where large companies have not been built. Hence, making this sector an investment priority was challenging for Sequoia, which mostly focuses on consumer internet.

Sequoia declined to comment while Sasidharan did not respond to a query seeking comment.

Sasidharan joined Sequoia as an Associate in 2011. She was promoted to Vice President in 2012, and Principal in 2015. Principals generally take three-four years to become a partner.

She was on track for partnership, but the firm could not give her a timeline on the same, sources said.

You wont leave, possibly the most coveted job in investing, unless you clearly see something better elsewhere, or unless there is a serious difference in opinion or vision with seniors in the firm, said a person aware of the discussions, who did not want to be named.

Sequoia India currently has seven managing directors. Shailendra Singh, Mohit Bhatnagar, GV Ravishankar, Shailesh Lakhani, and Abheek Anand look at investments in India and Southeast Asia, while Rajan Anandan looks at Surge, Sequoias accelerator program for early stage startups. Sequoia also hired Amit Jain, who was earlier the Asia Pacific head for ride hailing firm Uber, in September last year.

Sasidharan has not decided her next career move yet but will possibly continue early stage biotech investing elsewhere.

With Sasidharan leaving, Sequoia will redistribute her board seats in portfolio companies among other investors, as is generally the norm. When an investor leaves, firms generally also prefer promoting from within

Sequoia India, however, is not new to senior level management churn. In 2017 and 2018, three former MDs- VT Bharadwaj, Gautam Mago and Abhay Pandey, left the firm to set up their own fund, A91 Partners. This split happened because Sequoia has technology investing as its core focus globally, but the 3 partners wanted to have a dedicated fund to consumer-focused startups- which may not necessarily be tech-led.

Before that, in 2011, four founding MDs of Sequoia India- Sandeep Singhal, Sumir Chadha, KP Balaraj and SK Jain went back to their original firm- Westbridge Capital, to focus on public market investing.
Twenty-six years ago, on July 26-27, 1994, the Republic of Artsakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia, under the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen, signed a document, in which they confirmed their strong determination to continue to fulfill their ceasefire commitments and fixed the indefinite nature of the Agreement on the full cessation of fire and hostilities of May 12, 1994, Artsakh MFA said in a statement.

The statement runs as follows:

This trilateral document, as well as the agreement of May 12, 1994 and the agreement of February 6, 1995 on strengthening the ceasefire created the required conditions for finding a settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict through negotiations, and they serve as a basis for the peace process so far. Being the key elements of the process of not only settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, but also for ensuring regional security in the South Caucasus as a whole, these agreements are the best evidence of the efficiency of the trilateral negotiation format, within which they became possible.

Unfortunately, we periodically witness attempts by the Azerbaijani side to relinquish its commitments to maintain peace in the region and to endow itself with an imaginary right to unleash a war, as well as to undermine the agreements making the basis for the peaceful settlement process. However, such attempts have always met with a sharply negative reaction from the international community.

In 2016, in response to the situation that arose as a result of a new war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and the attempts by official Baku to denounce the Agreement on the full cessation of fire and hostilities of 12 May 1994, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing states - Russia, the United States and France, as well as the Secretary General of the United Nations, the OCSE Chairperson-in-Office and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe called for the strict adherence to the commitments to maintain the ceasefire, thereby recognizing the binding nature of the aforementioned agreements of 1994-1995.

Against the background of the direct armed aggression of Azerbaijan unleashed on the Tavush section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on July 12, 2020 and the subsequent targeted escalation of the situation, the need for the international community to take practical measures to ensure the impressibility of the peace process and to exclude the possibility of resumption of the hostilities becomes increasingly urgent. The escalation of tensions on July 12 serves as yet another reminder of the imperative nature of the immediate establishment of mechanisms for the international ceasefire control.

The Republic of Artsakh confirms its adherence to the commitments assumed to fulfill the agreements on the full cessation of fire and hostilities. At the same time, the authorities of Artsakh will continue to take all necessary measures to strengthen the country's security, and they are ready to suppress any attempt by Azerbaijan to launch a new aggression against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Artsakh.
Until 1998 the Russian antiaircraft missile troops were subordinated to the air and missile defense forces. Today they are a major component of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The latest S-350 Vityaz and Pantsir-SM air defense missile systems participated in the latest Victory Day parade together with traditional S-400 and Pantsir-S guns, the Independent Military Review writes.

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Mobile TEL Transporter Erector Launcher and 92N6A radar of Russian S-400 missile system. (Picture source Belvpo)

The antiaircraft forces defend state and military command bodies, military groupings and important industrial and economic facilities from aerospace attacks.

The realities of modern wars radically changed the range of targets for antiaircraft forces. Besides traditional airplanes, helicopters, cruise missiles, they have to destroy hypersonic weapons and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

The troops have been actively developing of late. The media reported that S-400 and Pantsir air defense missile systems were being supplied and S-500 Prometei was being designed. Two years ago Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces Lieutenant-General Viktor Gumenny said the share of modern weapons would not be less than 70 percent by January 1, 2021 in the air and missile defense.

The S-400 Triumf, as well as Pantsir will remain the main weapons of the antiaircraft forces in the coming years. The Aerospace Forces operate close to 30 antiaircraft regiments armed with S-400. The Russian Defense Ministry annually receives from Almaz-Antey Corporation at least two battalion sets of the latest air defense system.

The S-400 supplies have been going ahead of schedule in the past several years. In March 2020, Almaz-Antey said it supplied a regimental set of S-400 ahead of schedule. The ceremony was held at Kapustin Yar range in Astrakhan region.

The range of S-400 missiles was expanded two years ago in October 2018. Long-range guided 40N6 missile joined it. It can intercept air and reportedly ballistic targets at a distance of 400 km. Russian press agency TASS said the arms program up to 2027 envisages the procurement of over a thousand of the latest missiles.

All S-400 supplied to the Aerospace Forces are mobile. They are carried by all-terrain MZKT-543M military trucks. All the launcher units are mounted on the automobile instead of the trailer.

By 2011, the Defense Ministry received three towed S-400 regiments deployed in the Moscow region. The launchers were towed by Voshchina BAZ prime movers. By 2016, only towed S-400 participated in parades in Red Square.

Mobile air defense missile systems S-400 were deployed in late 2015 at Humaymim airbase in Syria. The Russian military decided to reinforce the airpower with the latest antiaircraft weapons after Turkey downed a Russian Su-24M frontline bomber. The S-400 were airlifted by An-124 aircraft. The latest photos of the Russian military show the first three regiments of towed S-400 have fully switched to mobile launchers.

 Copyright 2020 TASS / Army Recognition Group SPRL. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AFTER being in lockdown for so long, Ger and I decided its going to be local holidays in Ireland for the foreseeable future. And so we headed off for a trip to the Kingdom.

Destination: Dingle! We took a long leisurely drive and went via the scenic route through Conor Pass. It was breathtaking. I had forgotten how beautiful it is. We arrived at the Dingle Skellig Hotel and the sun was shining. As I sat on the balcony looking over Dingle Bay, I felt I could have been anywhere in the world. But being In Ireland of course, we went from glorious sunshine to a downpour the following day. But what I love about Ireland and especially Kerry are the walks.

We decided to take a stroll along the Dingle Way from Dingle to Dunquin. I cant say I made it the full way but nonetheless I enjoyed every moment.

In one way Im so delighted that Im going to start rediscovering Ireland again, so hopefully Ill have plenty more stories for you all soon. Chat next week!

Celia xx
They say it takes a village (or town, city or state) to educate a child, fix the potholes, maintain parks, protect fair elections and ensure public safety. And Im gladly paying my taxes for that. But is it too much to ask that governments not waste my tax dollars to buy some cybercriminal halfway around the world the latest Lamborghini?

Let me explain what I mean.

Ransomware is malicious software that enters the local computer or network from the internet, mostly through infected websites or phishing emails. Because regular browsers arbitrarily execute such code, ransomware then encrypts valuable data and demands a ransom to unlock it.

Ransomware has emerged over the past few years as the shakedown scheme of choice for cybercriminals, and cybersecurity leaders agree this scourge will keep plaguing us in 2020. While attacks on hospitals initially dominated the headlines, more recently, the focus and scope of ransomware campaigns has notably shifted. In 2018 and 2019, attackers have increasingly been taking aim at county and city government agencies and municipal organizations in the U.S. What is driving this trend?

It's simple. State and local public-sector facilities are soft targets. They arent on the bleeding edge of cybersecurity practices. They are budget-constrained, dealing with legacy equipment and are often understaffed.

According to Emsisofts The State of Ransomware in the US: Report and Statistics 2019 report, at least 948 public sector agencies (including universities, colleges and school districts, as well as health care providers) were affected by ransomware last year, at a potential cost in excess of $7.5 billion.

Ransomware attacks have plagued city and county agencies in Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Ohio, Maryland and Texas. And those in charge have a powerful incentive to pay up -- the public pressure that ensues when critical services (example: 911, as in Baltimore) suddenly go down.

Quite a few victims bite the bullet and send Bitcoin to Russia, where most ransomware schemes originate. If they are lucky, the ransom -- and the consulting fees to fix the system -- will be picked up by their cyber insurance. And guess whos paying for all of this?

Thats right  we are. The ransom, the cyber insurance premiums, hefty mitigation costs and the post-data breach crisis PR retainer are all subsidized by taxpayers.

Take, for example, Riviera Beach, Fla., which decided to pay a $600,000 ransom. Most of the amount was covered by insurance, outside of a $25,000 deductible. Not mentioned in the news: the increased insurance premiums, investment required to re-certify, dollars spent restoring trust of the constituency and other knock-on effects that paying the claim will have going forward.

Victims that refuse to pay, like Baltimore, didnt get off the ransomware hook cheap either. Escalating costs to clean up the impact of the attack have amounted to more than $18 million so far.

Taxpayers are left holding the bag

If the ransom is paid, costs are covered by an insurance policy, and if the agency chooses to restore from backups or go through a more arduous process of rebuilding systems, taxpayers are footing the bill.

This point is not lost on taxpayer advocacy groups, such as the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. A ransomware attack on a government entity, warned TPA President David Williams, typically results in a triple whammy for taxpayers.

Reached by email, Williams explained: First, you have the potential ransom to be paid. Secondly, theres the cost of insurance to pay out future attacks. And finally, taxpayers are on the hook to upgrade IT systems, with costs that could be substantial in an emergency situation.

Dont throw good money after bad

Once a government or municipal agency is compromised by ransomware, much of the damage is already done. No matter how the situation is resolved in the end, it will be costly.

Heres how National Taxpayers Union President Pete Sepp put it. In an email, he wrote: Regardless of how cities and counties respond to these attacks, however, taxpayers will be on the hook -- for insurance, for paying the ransom, or for cleaning up the aftermath.

And he added: Governments that have already charged taxpayers a lot for high-end IT systems with good security protocols need to think carefully about additional costs of preventative measures, while governments with older, more vulnerable systems need to think about the additional costs of recovering from an attack.

I agree. Debating whether to pay the ransom or not doesnt solve the underlying problem. We must focus on the root cause of ransomware and on preventing the attack. Period.

Remarkably, federal agencies were among the first to figure out how easy it would be to drain that ransomware swamp. All it takes for IT, they discovered, is to make a small -- and for most users unnoticeable -- change to the way employees access the web.

They use web isolation. The underlying premise is straightforward: If we keep untrusted content and code from the web off our IT endpoints and infrastructure when we access websites or apps, and instead isolate and process it remotely in the cloud, ransomware (or any other malware, for that matter) is neutered. Exploits cant touch IT systems.

Thats because web isolation works like a physical barrier and prevents untrusted code from reaching the users computer and contaminating the system.

Leading financial institutions, global law firms and tech giants already leverage web isolation to keep their businesses safe from ransomware and other malware when employees access websites, online services and apps. And so do 150 security-sensitive federal agencies and departments, including the Department of Defense and all branches of the U.S. military.

With a prevention mechanism readily available, it its no surprise that taxpayers start questioning the rationale behind the continued funneling of public funds into the ransomware racket.

Its time that local governments and public servants take notice and stop throwing good money after bad.
Tihar prison is likely to start allowing virtual visits by the families of inmates, perhaps as early as next week, senior officers said as one of the countrys largest prisons adapts to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has prompted companies to encourage WFH (work from home), schools to go virtual with their classes, even socialising to move online to video conference applications.

Senior jail officers familiar with the development said on condition of anonymity that across all 16 sub jails in Tihar, Rohini and the Mandoli prison complex, computer stations are being installed to facilitate video conferencing between prisoners and their families.

Director-general of prisons Sandeep Goel confirmed that prisoners at Tihar will soon have the facility of video conferencing. It should be operational within a week or 10 days. Even after the pandemic, we may even use this facility for many prisoners who do not have their families in the city.

Also read: Tihar inmates with yoga knowledge train others inside barracks

Some prisons in the UK and the US are offering similar virtual visitation facilities to cope with the restrictions on movement and interactions necessitated by Covid-19, and Byculla jail in Mumbai has started video conferencing for women inmates, but Tihar will be the first prison in India to offer the facilities for all its inmates.

At Tihar, where around 14,000 inmates are housed, there have been no visits since late March when a lockdown to slow the spread of the pandemic was imposed. The lockdown lasted till May 31 in four phases, but many activities still remain restricted. For instance, schools have not been allowed to open (nor have multiplexes and gymnasiums); and metro services have not resumed. Prison visits, too, have not resumed. Previously they used to be allowed twice a week.

There have been previous occasions when video conferences have been allowed from jail -- between inmates and their family or lawyers -- but these have been rare. The alleged middleman in the Agusta Westland chopper case Christian Michel, for instance, has been allowed to do this.

A senior prison officer who asked not to be named said that every jail superintendent gets anywhere between five and 10 requests a day from prisoners requesting authorities to let them meet their families. They say their relatives are unwell and that they want to see them in person. Prisoners watch the news or read the paper, so they are aware that everyone is meeting virtually these days. Even police and government are holding meetings or meeting complainants over video calls. Once prisoners start interacting with their families over video calls, it will be easier for us to manage them too. The prisoners will be happy.

Also read: Coronavirus cases surge in Delhi jails, authorities come up with action plan

The fact that the visits are virtual will also make them easier to manage and allow more of them.

One advantage of a video call is also that prisoners will be able to interact with all their family members at one time. In jail it was not possible to allow everyone, so we allowed only one visitor, the officer added.

The facility, jail officers said, would be available for all prisoners, except for those who are restricted from such contact by courts or the prison department.

Across the city, courts have also stared holding proceedings within the court complex since April. Inmates, who are produced by police in a video conferencing room within the jail complex , appear before the e-courts.

On June 22, the prison department also started a video conference facility for prisoners and their lawyers. With around 14000 prisoners lodged in the three prison complexes, the entry of outsiders such as families, lawyers, and social workers has been restricted to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease. The prisoners are in touch with their family through the jails telephone facility. Every prisoner is allotted a five minute call every day. Until the lockdown, prisoners had to pay for the call but after the visits were cancelled, the prisons department has offered the telephone facility free of cost.

Prison expert Ajay Verma, a former convener of the National Forum for Prison Reforms, a group of lawyers which is seeking prison reforms, said it is high time to start e-mulaqat (virtual meetings) across prisons in a large scale. He added that the prison administration must have a high bandwidth internet connection. This will help prisoners de-stress at a time such as this.

Until Monday evening, the three sub jails of Tihar reported at least 141 cases of Covid-19 among prisoners and jail officials. Of the total 141 cases, 53 are prisoners and 88 jail staff. In all, 31 prisoners and 28 jail employees have recovered, while the others are in isolation. Two prisoners have died of the disease.

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With millions of Mexicans out of work due to covid-19, some are seizing on the pandemic to trade in medical and other equipment, solving shortages while also causing price spikes and supply chaos.

Like in many countries, these entrepreneurs -- some call themselves "covidpreneurs" -- buy and sell everything from surgical masks to body bags. In Mexico, where government regulation isn't for the fainthearted, most skirt official channels, offering their wares through social media, at metro stations and even on their own doorsteps.

Business is booming and health workers both praise the suppliers and blame them for price gouging and occasional dishonest dealing.

For those willing to step into the highly volatile market, there are real opportunities, along with real disappointments.

Before coronavirus, Noemi Cardenas ran a spa. Surrounded suddenly by illness, she decided to switch from pampering the healthy to burying the dead. Moving quickly, she thought she had orders from funeral homes for some 2 million body bags. But she had unseen competition. In the end, she sold only 2,000 and focuses now on masks, thermometers and gloves.

Luis Enrique Badillo runs Gmed International, a medical supply company in business long before the pandemic. In March, he was facing rivalry from unlikely quarters, including many people he'd never heard of.

As cases peaked in Europe and the U.S., it strained international and domestic supply chains for Mexican hospitals, he said. A long line of brokers emerged offering to sell protective equipment from international suppliers. Badillo's phone rang constantly.

Among the needs were medical gowns, goggles and masks, thermometers and covid test kits. By early June, with some 12 million out of work, Mexico began to reopen. That created demand for a different set of products, those needed in the emerging world of life with covid. These include special boxes that blast ultraviolet light to sanitize keys, wallets and cellphones, and signs with instructions on distancing and mask wearing, said Enrique Zenil who sells those and other protective equipment to companies.

"Everyone who had their business halt due to covid-19 is trying to sell something," he said.

Hospitals say all that unregulated commerce has sometimes made things harder. Tens of thousands of staff have gotten sick due in part to a lack of protective gear. A quarter of covid-19 infections occur in the health care sector, almost 11,400 workers, and 149 have died. Mexico's sanitary health commission didn't respond to a request for comment.

As a result, says Ivan Carreno, a doctor at Hospital General Xoco in Mexico City, budding suppliers are also contributing to the problem.

"It's my understanding that N95s are scarce because they are sold on the open market, basically to the best seller," he said, referring to the surgical masks most prized by medical workers. "By not having control of that, the hospital is forced to buy a certain number of N95s at a higher price."

Angelica Vargas, a doctor at Hospital Angeles, an upscale private facility in Mexico City, said she's spent around $900 on N95 and KN95 masks, goggles and surgical scrubs.

One risk with freelance buying like that is that the product may be substandard. "It's like Russian roulette," said a health worker in the topography unit of Hospital Angeles, who asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisal.

Mexico's medical supply problems existed long before the pandemic. While some products are now sold without meeting the usual requirements, the certification process to sell medical products can take months. But as Alexander Elbittar, an economist at Mexico's CIDE University, notes, a poorly policed system has allowed competitors to emerge quickly and meet demand.

The production of new equipment, however, is far riskier without certification. There, the regulatory system makes things harder, as Octavilo Guajardo, an engineer who partnered with an architect to develop a respirator, learned firsthand.

The two spent months developing a respirator, planning to donate the first ones and then start selling. But they gave up when faced with the regulating agency's slow and expensive certification process. Approval would have taken six months, said Guajardo. "The government is closed off to entrepreneurs," he said. "It's easier for them to say no than to take a risk."
In September, Jeff Bezos, Amazon's chief executive, rattled off terrifying statistics about the warming planet from the storied National Press Club, two blocks from the White House. Then he said he had something exciting to announce.

But when he uncovered a towering sign with the news, Amazon's name was nowhere in sight. Instead, the sign introduced the Climate Pledge, a project to reduce carbon emissions from companies. Yes, Amazon would be the first, and at the time only, signatory. But this was a bigger push, Bezos said.

Jeff Bezos testifies before Congress for the first time this week. Credit:AP

It was Amazon news, couched as something grander.

The event reflected Bezos' approach to the nation's capital. He has jumped at opportunities to cast himself as a statesman  the saviour of The Washington Post, who holds court among the country's elite. At the same time, he has eschewed the day-to-day grind of bolstering Amazon's influence with policymakers.
The Hanoi People's Committee has set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the city.

People should join hands to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Illustrative photo



As part of a green growth action plan, Hanoi strives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12.14% by 2025 or about 6.68 million tons of CO2, Kinh Te & Do Thi reported.

By 2030, greenhouse gas emissions in the city are set to decrease by 18.71% or about 13.76 million tons of CO2 if measures are taken.

Specifically, all new buildings (offices, hotels, hospitals, schools, commercial centers, apartment buildings, industrial parks, export processing zones, industrial clusters) must meet the national technical standards for "energy efficient buildings" by 2025.

In urban green growth, the area of green trees per capita will rise from 7.8 to 8.1 square meters (m2) per person in 2025; and 13-15m2 per person in 2030. It is expected that by 2025 public transport will serve 30 to 35% of the citys total commuters and 40-45% in 2030. All solid waste will be collected and treated in accordance with Vietnam's standards by 2025.

The rate of solid waste classification at source by 2025 would be 80% of household trash in urban areas and 50% in rural areas. By 2030, the rate would be 100% and 70%, respectively.

Meanwhile, the rate of domestic sewage treated in urban areas by 2025 would be from 45% to 50% and rise to 60% by 2030.

In terms of sustainable consumption, the consumption of hardly-decomposable packaging in supermarkets and trade centers will be reduced by 70-75% by 2025, 85% in 2030 and will be from 65 to 70% in wet markets by 2025 and 80% in 2030.

In addition, 100% of green and eco-products will be labeled as environmentally items.

To accomplish the above-mentioned targets, the Hanoi People's Committee has implemented a number of key solutions and tasks, including education, propaganda, building and perfecting mechanisms and policies on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, greening lifestyles and promoting sustainable consumption, among others. Hanoitimes

Anh Kiet-Ha Anh

How Vietnam can lure private funding to cut GHG emissions Vietnam used to be a poor country with only negligible greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but that has changed dramatically in recent decades.
Sudanese leader says force, which will include army and police, is aimed at protecting citizens during farming season.

Sudan will deploy security forces to conflict-stricken Darfur to protect citizens and the farming season after a series of attacks, the prime minister has said.

Abdalla Hamdoks announcement on Sunday came two days after gunmen in the region killed at least 20 civilians, including children, as they returned to their fields for the first time in years, the latest in a string of violent incidents.

The impoverished western region has seen years of conflict since an ethnic minority uprising prompted the government to launch a scorched-earth campaign that killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million.

A joint security force will be deployed in the five states of the Darfur region to protect citizens during the farming season, Hamdoks office said in a statement after he met a delegation of women from the region.

The force will include army and police forces, it said.

Darfur has been engulfed in a deadly conflict since 2003, when ethnic minority Black tribes took up arms against the forces of then-longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir, accusing his government of marginalising the region.

Al-Bashir, who was removed from office last year, is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes and genocide charges related to Darfur, which he denies.

A power-sharing transitional government between civilians and the military was sworn in in September last year.

Violence in Darfur has eased since al-Bashirs removal by the army amid mass protests against his rule last year, with a preliminary peace deal signed in January between the government and a coalition of nine rebel groups, including factions from the region.

Farmers displaced in the conflict have since started to return to their land under a government-sponsored deal reached two months ago, in time for the July-November planting season.

But the bloodshed has continued, particularly over land rights, according to expert Adam Mohammad.

The question of land is one cause of the conflict, he said.
*Update 11:32 a.m.: This story has been updated to include comments from University of Texas at Austin officials.

Two white applicants have sued the University of Texas at Austin saying they were denied admission and discriminated against because they arent Black or Hispanic.

Students for Fair Admissions, described in court documents as a nonprofit that fights racial discrimination within higher education admissions, filed the suit July 20 on behalf of the applicants. Both were denied admissions to UT-Austin for the 2018 and 2019 entering classes due to discriminatory admissions policies where race or ethnicity is considered a defining feature of the applicant, according to the lawsuit.

The applicants, who now attend other universities in Texas, have been injured by UTs unfair denial of their admissions and opportunity to compete on equal footing with other applicants, the lawsuit says, but they are ready to apply to transfer to UT-Austin when it stops discriminating against applicants on the basis of race and ethnicity.

UT spokesman J.B. Bird said in a written statement that the university is still reviewing the lawsuit.

"We agreed with the judge's decision to dismiss SFFA's previous lawsuit, and we remain confident in the lawfulness and constitutionality of UT Austins holistic admissions policy," Bird wrote.

The lawsuit comes after UT officials announced earlier this month several initiatives to help make its campus more inclusive, including honoring pioneering African-American students with statues and monuments, recognizing some of the colleges racist roots, and investing more in the recruitment of Black students and faculty. Black students currently make up around 5 percent of the student body, according to UT Interim President Jay Hartzell.

On HoustonChronicle.com: UT-Austin to create monuments to pioneering Black students, improve diversity

The lawsuit, which lists several UT officials as defendants, including Hartzell, UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken, and the board of regents, also asserts that the university has adopted a race preference system that could account for the decision to admit certain African-American and Hispanic applicants and deny admission to certain white and Asian-American applicants.

Students for Fair Admissions has more than 20,000 members, including students and parents who believe that racial classifications and preferences in college admissions are unfair, unnecessary and unconstitutional, the lawsuit states.

This is not the first time UT has been sued by the group for its admissions policies.

The organization, which also unsuccessfully sued Harvard University last year for allegedly limiting the number of Asian American students accepted to preserve racial balance on campus, also filed a lawsuit against UT in 2018 for alleged discriminatory admissions practices against rejected students. That lawsuit was dropped earlier this month.

In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled with a 4-3 vote in the landmark case Fisher vs. The University of Texas that UTs race-based admissions policies, implemented in 2008, were lawful under the Equal Protection Clause. The court suggested that Abigail Fisher, the white plaintiff from Sugar Land who was denied admissions, might have had a better shot at getting into UT if the university used race as a factor for picking its entire student body. Thats because UT used the states Top 10 percent law during admissions.

Implemented in 1997, the Top 10 percent law guaranteed automatic admission to Texas students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class. The law, which now admits 6 percent of students at the top of their classes, is used at UT to admit about 75 percent of its student body. For the remainder of applicants, race and ethnicity are considered.

Edward Blum, president of Students for Fair Admissions, said in a written statement that UT should overrule its current policies to restore racial neutrality.

The Supreme Court did not give the University of Texas a blank check to use race-based preferences in perpetuity, and the university has failed its obligation to re-examine its policies, Blum said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: U.S. Supreme Court upholds University of Texas use of race in admissions

As of fall 2019, UTs student body was roughly 40 percent white, 21.7 percent Hispanic, 19.5 percent Asian, 5 percent Black, 3 percent two or more races, and less than 2 percent unknown, American Indian or Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, according to the UT website. The remain percentages of race and ethnicity are listed as foreign.

Hartzell, UTs interim president, said in a statement earlier this month that UT-Austin will seek to improve the climate at the campus for Black students, emphasizing that despite the number of African-American students increasing by 9 percent over the past five years, more than 1,900 who were admitted through the campus automatic admissions process chose to go elsewhere.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

brittany.britto@chron.com
ELYRIA, Ohio -- More and more people are finding interesting things to do at home during the coronavirus pandemic. The Lorain County Historical Society (LCHS) is adding to the list with information on how to research ones family history online.

Local history resources, as noted by LCHS, are not in the category of professional publishers. The resources are more likely to include self-published books or booklets that focus on a specific town, village or community.

Local histories usually represent the work of a single person -- a local resident with a passion for history. These publications attempt to present a cross-section of life during a certain time period. Reading the history of the place where your family lived could prove very fruitful, especially if your relative lived most of their life in a certain area, said Kerri Broome, executive director at LCHS.

The fascinating information that can be found on local history includes whether relatives were active in their community -- church or school, for example. The resources may only provide bits and pieces, but there may be enough to uncover clues that cannot be found in standard published sources.

Broome said such sources may be in poor condition, but she maintains the search is well worth it.

It is worth the trouble to seek out these resources, she said. There are many local Lorain County histories published over the years. Just a few titles that may be found at your local public library are: Brownhelm -- Its School and Its People,' Backward Glances at Carlisle,' Elyrias People of Color, Amhersts Story and Eaton Memories.' The library at our history center has many of these titles.

Another resource recommended is the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C. Here can be found valuable information such as census records, military records, immigration records, naturalization records, land records and even ship passenger arrival records.

The website is www.archives.gov. To help with navigation at the site, LCHS advises reading Catalog Guide for Genealogists first at https://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/catalog-guide or the Getting Started Overview at https://www.archives.gov/research/start.

The NARA website also has a place to post questions for staff members to answer.

Even though LCHS is temporarily closed due to the pandemic, the staff is ready and willing to help with family research. Contact library@lchs.org for more information.

Read more from the Sun Sentinel.
Rajesh Asnani and Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW/JAIPUR: In the latest development that is aimed at distorting the political calculation of Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, the BSP has issued a whip to its six MLAs instructing them to go against the Congress in the 'no confidence motion if the assembly session is convened and the floor test is held.

In the whip issued both individually and collectively to the party MLAs, BSP national general-secretary Satish C Mishra has asked hsi MLAs to vote against the Gehlot government in any proceedings of the house including the no confidence motion, said sources. The whip has also mentioned that the MLAs could lose their membership if they don't follow the party line.

ALSO READ: Police brings horse-trading accused Sanjay Jain to Haryana's Manesar

Mishra had issued a signed communication on late Sunday evening saying that all the six elected Rajasthan MLAs from the BSP are bound by a party whip to vote against the Congress government in the state.

The BSP has told its MLAs that since it is a national party, their party cannot be merged with the other political party at regional level unless the merger takes place at national level.

A letter has also been sent to Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Assembly Speaker CP Joshi claiming that according to the para (4) of Xth Schedule, a national party cannot be amalgamated on the state level.

Rejecting the contention that they had duly merged their legislative party unit with the Congress and were acknowledged by the speaker of the same, the statement said that all six MLAs were issued separate notice wherein they were informed that since BSP was a recognised national party as such there could not be any merger at the state level unless there was a merger at the national level which admittedly had not been done in the present case.

Since all 6 MLAs have won the assembly election on BSP's symbol therefore the party can issue a whip and they are forced to abide by the Party whip.

The statement has also made visible the BSP intentions of joining the Rajasthan High Court proceedings over the legality of the merger. Accusing the Congress of holding the BSP MLAs hostage, Mishra said that the deception had been engrained in the basic character of the Congress party right from the beginning.



ALSO READ: Worst kind of obstruction of democracy - Congress hits out at Rajasthan Governor

The BSP MLAs including Sandeep Yadav, JS Awana, Rajendra Gudha, Lakhan Meena, Deepchand Kheria and Wajib Ali had on December 2019 declared to have merged with the Congress after winning state polls as BSP candidates.

On 18 July after the audio tapes of the horse trading were viral, BSP chief Mayawati had demanded to impose president rule in the state. "After defecting BSP MLAs in congress Gehlot has tapped audio and done another illegal and unconstitutional work," Mayawati had said.

Deputy leader of opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly Rajendra Rathore alleged that the merger done by the Ashok Gehlot government was illegal. The BJP has also challenged this in the High Court and the Haryana HC had declared a similar kind of merger as illegal.

This move is seen as an advantage to the rebel Pilot camp and the BJP which are trying hard to damage the prospects of the Gehlot government trying to survive out of this ongoing political crisis.

BJP MLA Madan Dilawar had filed a petition in the Rajasthan HC against the decision by Assembly Speaker Dr CP Joshi to disqualify the six BSP MLAs. He had claimed that the assembly speaker had not acted on his complaint seeking disqualification of these six legislators under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution in March this year. The petition is slated for hearing on Monday.

Political observers say that this could well ruin the calculation of CM Gehlot already facing trouble after the rebel of Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs. However many are questioning why Mayawati has woken 10 months after her MLAs have joined the Congress in the Rajasthan Assembly. Many claim that this is nothing but a move to please the BJP.
COVID-19 cases cross 50,000 mark in Singapore, with 481 new infections on July 26

Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 481 cases of new COVID-19 infection in Singapore as of 12pm on July 26, bringing the national tally to 50,369.

Majority of the new cases continue to be among Work Permit holders residing in dormitories due to extensive testing in these premises.

MOH said the Inter-agency Taskforce is on track to clear all the dormitories by the beginning of August. "We therefore expect the daily case counts to be high for the coming two weeks, before tapering down thereafter."

Photo courtesy: Facebook/Lawrence Wong

There are four imported cases, two of which are Singaporeans/ Permanent Residents who returned to Singapore from Indonesia on July 24. The remaining two cases are Work Permit holders who arrived from the Philippines on July 14.

All of them had been placed on 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) upon arrival in Singapore, and had been tested while serving their SHN.

Additionally, there are five new community cases, none of which are Singaporeans/Permanent Residents.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks were moving lower on Monday as investors weighed the possibility of additional fiscal stimulus from the United States against rising coronavirus cases around the world and escalating U.S.-China tensions, following the closures of consulates in Houston and Chengdu. Global coronavirus cases exceeded 16 million over the weekend with over 644,000 deaths. China today reported its highest number of coronavirus cases in three months after fresh clusters hit three separate regions. The U.K. surprised holidaymakers and tourism businesses alike over the weekend when it abruptly announced a 14-day quarantine on travelers coming from Spain. The Spanish health ministry reported more than 900 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday. The benchmark CAC 40 was down 18 points, or 0.36 percent, at 4,938 after declining 1.5 percent on Friday. 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.
Researchers are calling for Queenslanders who have had COVID-19 to come forward for a study investigating whether diabetes and obesity make the effects of the virus worse.

Uncertainty surrounds the effects of COVID-19 on the human body, with some people displaying mild or even no symptoms, while other people suffer serious effects and die from the disease.

Queensland researchers are looking for 300 people who have had COVID-19 to study whether diabetes increases the risk of severe symptoms. Credit:Nathan Laine/Bloomberg

Researchers from the University of Queensland in collaboration with Mater Research are putting together a study to investigate whether diabetes is linked to people who suffer more severe symptoms.

UQs Kirsty Short said diabetes had been linked to more severe symptoms in influenza, and they wanted to see if the same was true of the coronavirus.
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The outbreak of Covid-19 has delayed the city administrations plans for a smoother commute by around six months, as a result of the lockdown which has disrupted work on the Metro and the Mumbai trans-harbour link (MTHL).

According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authoritys (MMRDA) revised estimate, trial runs for Metro-2A (Dahisar-DN Nagar) and Metro-7 (Dahisar East -Andheri East) is likely to be in December 2020 and the lines may be operational by May 2021.

The two Metro routes, which are part of the 337-kilometre (km) master plan for the Metro, were initially expected to be operational by December this year, with trial runs being conducted in September.

MTHL, a 22km long sea bridge connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, may also see a delay of six months.

RA Rajeev, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA, said the delay is largely due to the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19. BG Pawar, joint metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA, said, The timelines are still being worked out. It might be completed before time, if we get adequate workforce.

Owing to the lockdown, the authority is also facing a shortage of workers, many of whom returned to their villages in other parts of the country. The supply chain of material and machinery has also been severely affected.

For instance, in case of MTHL, while more than 5,000 workers were available at the site prior to lockdown, there are 2,247 workers at the project site in July.

The manufacture and transportation of steel spans that were required from foreign countries has been affected. Till June, around 27% work on all packages had been completed, an official from MMRDA said on condition of anonymity.

The Metro work has been divided into three packages. For Metro-2A, or the yellow line, MMRDA has completed 85% of the civil works. For Metro-7, or the red line, 79% of the civil works have been completed. Track laying for both corridors have commenced.

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Nationwide protests against racial injustice continued over the weekend, with police departments from two major cities declaring an "unlawful assembly" and a "riot."

In Richmond, Virginia, police declared an "unlawful assembly" where protesters marched to the police department headquarters. State police dispersed the group with what appeared to be tear gas after protesters ripped down police tape and had firecrackers and lasers, police said on Twitter.

In Portland, Oregon, city police declared a portion of the protests "a riot" after pepper-spraying protesters at the federal courthouse Saturday.

Here's a look at what took place this weekend:

Richmond

Richmond state police declared an "unlawful assembly" Saturday night and used what appeared to be tear gas to disperse a group of protesters. Six protesters were arrested on various charges, including unlawful assembly, rioting with a firearm and assault on a law enforcement officer.

The demonstration, which protesters named "Richmond Stands with Portland," had been planned for days in solidarity with the protests in Portland, Oregon, where protesters and U.S. agents have had confrontations for more than a week.

The president of Virginia Commonwealth University said Sunday there has been more than $100,000 worth of damage done to the Monroe Park campus from Saturday's protests. About 80 windows were shattered and several buildings were tagged with graffiti, VCU President Michael Rao told faculty, students and staff in a message.

Seattle

Following a protest that was declared "a riot," Seattle police arrested 45 protesters for failure to disperse, obstruction and assault on officers in the East Precinct. Officials said 21 officers were injured Saturday.

The protest began peacefully near downtown in solidarity with the demonstrations in Portland, Oregon. Demonstrators later damaged a King County youth detention facility and court facility, police said. Officers used flash bangs and pepper spray to disperse protesters who threw rocks, bottles and fireworks at them.

Story continues

Austin

At least one person was killed in a shooting in downtown Austin, Texas, at night during a protest, according to Austin-Travis County EMS.

Garrett Foster, 28, was shot to death Saturday on Congress Avenue. According to multiple witnesses, the incident began around 9:50 p.m. when a driver on Fourth Street honked at the protesters, turned right and sped down Congress Avenue, driving through the crowd. He appeared to hit an orange barrier in the road and came to a stop, witnesses said.

Several protesters  including Foster, who was holding a rifle  approached the car, and Foster had his rifle pointed at the ground, witnesses said. The driver pointed his gun outside the window, fired several shots, then sped away, witnesses said. Other protesters with rifles also fired shots after the driver did, said witness Julian Salazar.

Austin police said they detained the person who fired the fatal shots. Police gave a brief statement at the scene and said the victim, who may have been carrying a rifle, approached the vehicle before the driver fired shots. Investigators confirmed they detained the suspect and said he is cooperating with officers. Police also said a person in the crowd may have opened fire on the car as it drove away.

 Katie Hall and Danny Davis, Austin-American Statesman

Portland

Federal agents pepper-sprayed hundreds of protesters during a raucous demonstration Saturday night outside the federal courthouse in Portland, which has seen 58 straight days of protests sparked by the Black Lives Matter social justice movement and the Memorial Day death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

After federal agents briefly retreated Saturday night into the courthouse, some protesters began rattling a fence encircling the federal building. Shortly after 1 a.m., protesters tore down a section but didn't cross onto courthouse property. Federal agents eventually reemerged and pushed protesters several blocks away from the courthouse, firing tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd after Portland police declared the gathering a riot.

"The violent conduct of people downtown is creating grave risk of public alarm," the Portland police department posted on its official Twitter account. "Portland Police have declared a riot on SW 3rd Ave. Leave the area to the west."

Confrontations between activists and federal officers have escalated for more than a week in Portland, with some protesters throwing fireworks, bottles of water and other objects at the officers. Other protesters said that the gatherings were largely peaceful and that the federal officers were instigating the violence.

 Trevor Hughes

Louisville

Eleven protesters were arrested Saturday, six of which were from the first part of the day and five from the night, said Louisville Metro Police Department spokesman Lamont Washington.

Of the six arrested during the day, four were from Louisville and two were from Ohio and North Carolina, respectively. Their charges include First Degree evading, First Degree wanton endangerment, obstructing a roadway and interfering with a governmental operation.

Washington said protesters marched to Lynn Family Stadium from Jefferson Square Park and "some of the protesters forced entry into one of the stadium gates." From there, Washington said, they went to the Big Four Bridge and blocked the road with cars, drove in the wrong direction and "began to throw bottles at police."

 Sarah Ladd, Louisville Courier Journal

Oakland

A fire was ignited inside the Alameda County Superior Courthouse late Saturday as hundreds in Oakland gathered to protest racial injustice.

Oakland Police tweeted that agitators at the demonstration broke down barricades, vandalized the police station and assaulted officers with fireworks and dangerous projectiles.

Several people were arrested, according to police.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Protest live blog: Richmond, Portland, Austin, Louisville updates
One of the most common questions believers ask is, How can I know Gods will? Many books have attempted to answer that question, so I wont try to address it here. But an equally important question should be, Once you sense you know Gods will, what are you going to do about it?

Recently I participated in a Zoom online meeting in which the fellow giving the meditation posed the question, When God directs, do we have enough faith to step out in obedience?

Thinking back over my life, I can recall a number of times I felt Gods leading  sometimes a gentle nudge, other times a firm shove  to do something that was far outside of my comfort zone. In some of those instances I hesitated, thinking, I cant do that. But after praying, God persisting, or both, I took the step He was asking me to take.

Each time I did, the Lord did exceeding abundantly beyond anything I could think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). One of the first such times I remember was when I was concluding my newspaper career in suburban Houston, Texas, preparing to make a major job change in joining the staff of CBMC (Christian Business Mens Connection) in Chattanooga, Tenn.

God has many ways of making clear His will. In this case, I knew it was time to change employment, but the CBMC job offer was the only door that opened up. It was almost like the Lord saying, Bob, youre not smart enough to deal with multiple options, so this is the only opportunity Im going to present. So when the job offer came  to become CBMCs editor and publications director  I accepted.

But I still felt anxious. My family and I had never been to Chattanooga, except when I traveled there for the job interview, and I knew next to nothing about CBMC or the people I would be working with. So in meeting with the pastor of my church to talk with him about going to work with a Christian organization, he suggested I take a few minutes during a Sunday morning service and tell the congregation about what I would be doing.

My initial reaction was, No, I cant do that. Being pretty much of an introvert, and averse to speaking in front of a group, I couldnt imagine getting up to speak before several hundred people, even for just a few minutes. But the pastor asked me to pray about it. As I did, I felt strongly impressed that was what God wanted me to do. Finally, I agreed, praying, Okay, Lord, Ill do it, but dont let me embarrass myself  or You  In the process.

That Sunday morning, as I sat near the front awaiting my time to speak, I felt very nervous. What am I doing? But as soon as I got up, stepped behind the pulpit and looked at the congregation, including many friends, I sensed the peace that passes all understanding Philippians 4:7 speaks about. With a steady voice and without stumbling around, I briefly explained how God was calling me  and my family  to Chattanooga where I would be writing and editing for a ministry dedicated to evangelizing and discipling business and professional people.

That step of obedience turned into a stepping stone for future opportunities. In part because of that experience, knowing that in Gods strength I could something I felt very uncomfortable about  public speaking  Ive had numerous opportunities to speak since then, in many different settings. Ill never been invited to be on a speaking circuit, but I have spoken at meetings all across the country, taught college classes in business communications for years, and even was invited to speak internationally in Hungary, the Netherlands, Canada, Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, and Jamaica.

There have been other times when I stepped out in obedience as God directed, such as discipling and mentoring another man spiritually; traveling to Brazil, where I knew no one and could not speak a word of Portuguese; and making another major career move.

On each occasion, God blessed my step of faith far beyond what I could have hoped. As Jeremiah 33:3 says, Call on Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. I dont even want to imagine what might have happened  or would not have happened  if I had resisted and refused to take a faithful first step.

What about you? Is God calling you, directing you, to do something and youre thinking, No way. I couldnt do that!? I think of the prophet Isaiahs bold response: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8). Dont miss out on some great adventure the Lord has for you by declining to respond, Okay, Ill go.



* * *
People are seen wearing face masks on public transport at Parliament Station in Melbourne, Australia July 23, 2020. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Victorias Lockdowns Impacting Youth Mental Health at Higher Rates

MELBOURNEHundreds of thousands of young people in Victoria have sought online mental health support since social distancing and stay-at-home orders came into place due to the CCP virus pandemic.

Since March over 300,000 young people in Victoria have visited popular youth mental health site ReachOut; this is a 25 percent increase compared to the same time last year.

The greater region of Victorias capital, Melbourne, is now going through a stricter second lockdown, and ReachOut CEO Ashley de Silva is concerned about the mental health toll the new restrictions are having on young Victorians.

Going back into lockdown presents a range of challenges for young people in Victoria. Young people are telling us that they are worried and stressed about things like study, employment, and the future and we know that this can take a heavy toll on mental health, de Silva said.

The Impact on Education Institutions

Greater Melbourne and Mitchell Shires six-week lockdown includes further measures like mandatory mask-wearing in public areas and most school pupils in years 8-10 returning to remote learning.

Year 11 and 12 students have returned to schooling in classrooms, as well as year 10 VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) students and specialist school pupils.

The looming threat of the outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, brings uncertainty to how long schools will be open.

Several schools in Victoria have experienced outbreaks with the biggest being Al-Taqwa College in Truganina; 183 confirmed CCP virus cases have been linked to the west Melbourne college.

Schools were closed during the first lockdown, with Premier Daniel Andrews keeping them closed longer than most other Australian states.

De Silva says the first lockdown can be seen as a good reference point to learn how to deal with the second.

Over the past few months, young people have learned important things about their ability to cope with unforeseen challenges in their life, she said.

Now is a great time for young Victorians to reflect on what it was that helped keep them mentally strong during the first lockdown, or even on what they want to do differently this time around.

Being proactive by keeping in touch with friends via video calls, and online exercises, are simple things that can help young people look after their mental health, according to de Silva.

Victorias stage three restrictions began on June 6. The states premier has not ruled out that the lockdown could extend beyond its current planned end on Aug. 19.

According to Victorias Minister for Youth, Ros Spence, young Victorians are almost twice as likely to be unemployed compared to the rest of the populous.

In May youth unemployment rose 0.4 points to 11.3 percent and is likely still climbing in line with nationwide increases.

ReachOut provides 24-hour self-help information and a peer-support program.
SPRING LAKE, MI -- A West Michigan ice cream shop is defending its staff for requiring masks in store after customers got so unruly that police were called on Saturday, July 25.

The owner of the ice cream store Front Porch in Spring Lake took to social media to demand respect for her employees, especially as they work during the coronavirus pandemic. Kelly Larson, the owner, said the post has reached more than 80,000 people.

The post came after customers were rude to staff on multiple occasions over the weekend.

The business, which does not have drive-thru or walk-up window service, enforces the governors order requiring masks indoors. In the post, Larson admitted they dont like to wear masks either, but objections should be directed in a different fashion.

In an interview with MLive, Larson said that this far into the pandemic she expected people to comply with the mask mandate and, at the very least, show respect to the employees working on the front lines.

Given that most of her staff are teenagers at their first job, Larson said she felt even more protective over them when customers were getting aggressive.

I had to use my voice, she said. Ive got to speak up not only for my kids but all of these kids, thats who our frontline workers are in Grand Haven. They need a lot more respect and love from us than theyve been getting.

During the Saturday night rush one group of customers were so defiant that Front Porch employees called the police, Larson said. When police arrived the customers peacefully left.

My message is complain to the right people, Larson said. Im not political one way or another, Im a retail store owner we dont do that. But I have to stay in business. Thats my number one job is to protect my employees and protect my business. If we allow people who come in without masks then the health department will shut us down.

So here's a little secret: we don't like masks either. However we have to wear them and you must wear them when you... Posted by The Front Porch on Sunday, July 26, 2020

Front Porch is one of four ice cream shops Larson owns in the Grand Haven area but the only one without a drive-thru option. Front Porch is offering curbside delivery for those who cant comply with the mask mandate, Larson said.

Most of us are quiet because weve been taught not to rock the boat, she said. Were retailers, I have to make everyone happy. Thats my training and thats my training to my staff so this is so different for us to actually have to tell people no and not go out of our way to make them happy.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a stricter mask mandate on July 17 which stated businesses cant assume people coming in without masks are medically exempt. The order tightened Michigans mask rule, which requires people to wear masks in all public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces.

Whitmer added outdoor spaces to the list and put penalties in place -- up to a $500 misdemeanor -- for individuals violating the mask order. Businesses that dont enforce the mask order are subject to having their licenses suspended.

Related: Overly aggressive Michigan mask mandate leaves retailers concerned about enforcement

Two weeks ago, Pronto Pup owner Carl Nelson posted a 1,200 word rant on the business Facebook page railing against the mask mandate among other hot topics. The post also denounced the Black Lives Matter movement, expressed support for the Michigan Militia, compared journalists to Adolf Hitler, called for a scaling back of police funding, and, bizarrely, claimed to have seen a presumed-murdered Muskegon woman years after her death.

The next day a protest and counter-protest crowded the Grand Haven corn dog hut. Speaking to MLive, Nelson would not share whether his business has improved, but said he was glad for the incident, because it sparked conversation.

As of Monday morning, Front Porchs post had almost 400 comments mostly in support of the business stance. Larson said customers have come by with flowers and offered to buy the staff pizza in response to the post.

More on MLive:

Pronto Pups owner issues social media rant against coronavirus masks and Black Lives Matter

Protesters, counter-protesters descend on Pronto Pup after owners rant against Black Live Matters, masks

We are not the mask police, officers, state at odds over enforcing Michigan governors orders

Masks can be powerful tool in keeping coronavirus low in Kalamazoo County, medical director says
(Natural News) For nearly two months, Antifa and Black Lives Matter anarchists have besieged portions of Portland, Ore., staging nightly demonstrations that devolve into violence.

Long gone are the simple protests demanding reforms and change following the George Floyd incident. All that is left now are the punks and losers who have been propagandized to hate and who think burning down city blocks is cool.

Mind you, whats going on in Portland now isnt new. The city has been a cauldron of Left-wing anarchy and intolerance for years. Its just getting worse by the day, and whats more, the Democratic Marxists and socialists running the city (and the state) are aiding and abetting the lawlessness.

Well, rural Oregonians have had enough. They want out. And to get out, theyll gladly join with neighboring Idaho, whose leaders are stable, sane, and all about law and order.

Notes the Western Journal:

Oregon is a geographically diverse and large state with an estimated population of around 4.2 million people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Most of those people reside along the coastal Interstate 5 Willamette Valley corridor from Portland, near the Washington state line to the north, and down south through Eugene and on to Medford.

The states rural population is held hostage by the liberal politics of the coastal elites.

But they dont want to be hostages anymore.

So they have launched a movement called Move Oregons Border, which seeks a non-violent divorce of rural citizens who want to escape the constant turmoil and flux of the states uber-Leftist population centers and join with their more conservative, like-minded neighbors next door.

Idaho has a GOP governor, Republican majorities in both chambers of the legislature, and overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump in 2016 over the chronically crooked Hillary Clinton (59.2 percent to 27.5 percent).

According to The Oregonian, 22 of the states 36 counties would become part of Idaho. In addition, residents of several conservative-leaning counties in northwestern California also want to get in on the action.

Move Oregons Border movement declares success in Wallowa County, waits for judges decision on wider ballot access https://t.co/0dSHgETb5A pic.twitter.com/CcsX46BqET  The Oregonian (@Oregonian) July 21, 2020

Of course, this is a long-shot action but its moving ahead nonetheless.

The Oregonian reported that the movement failed to convince a federal judge last week to allow for a reduced number of signatures to get the initiative on the ballot in November because of coronavirus, saying that organizers had not been reasonably diligent in trying to collect signatures.

The ruling didnt kill off the movement altogether, however. Canvassers announced they had gathered enough signatures in Wallowa County to get the initiative on the ballot there, at least.

Wallowa County is unique because people were willing to put a lot of time into building a team that was willing to go out despite the lockdown and the coronavirus, Move Oregons Borders chief petitioner Mike McCarter told the paper.

He told the paper in February that he wants a peaceful revolution.

Its a lifestyle/values judgment between urban and rural more than anything else, he said.

Naturally, the shutdowns imposed by Democratic Gov. Kate Brown due to the COVID pandemic have only exacerbated issues between the movements conservatives and the lunatic anarchists trying to burn down federal courthouses in Portland.

We want people (in the counties that would move to Idaho) to chime in and say, Yes, we want this, he said in February. It takes more work to go county by county, but it informs the public more.

While peaceful is a nice idea, it isnt likely to happen that way. Thats because not only will Oregons Democratic legislative majority have to sign off, but so, too, would Idaho and the U.S. Congress.

Not. Going. To. Happen.

So, the next best thing for the Oregon counties who want to leave is to adopt the Lefts nullification tactics  Just say no to the stupidity and let the chips fall where they may.

Sources include:

OregonLive.com

WesternJournal.com

NaturalNews.com
WASHINGTON Toronto Blue Jays closer Ken Giles went on the 10-day injured list before Mondays series opener at the Washington Nationals with a strained right forearm, a day after leaving a game with what the team said was a sore right elbow.

The Blue Jays lost another player about 15 minutes before first pitch on Monday when Bo Bichette  who was supposed to play shortstop and lead off  was scratched because of a tight left hamstring.

Giles had an MRI on Monday. The right-hander entered in the ninth inning of Torontos game at the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday to try to get a save, but the reliever gave up a two-out double and a pair of walks that loaded the bases. Giles then went to a 3-1 count on the next batter before he was removed. The Blue Jays wound up losing 6-5 in 10 innings.

Anthony Bass is expected to fill the closer role for the Blue Jays while Giles is out.

In other moves Monday, Toronto activated right-hander Wilmer Font from the IL, recalled lefty Ryan Borucki from the taxi squad, added outfielder Billy McKinney to the taxi squad and placed infielder Travis Shaw on family medical leave.

Manager Charlie Montoyo also said Randal Grichuk is day-to-day with back tightness.

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
When it officially takes effect, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will have a positive impact on promoting Vietnams exports, especially agro-products, to the EU.

Compared with rivals, Vietnam enjoys a big advantage in shrimp exports to the EU - PHOTO: LE HOANG VU

However, what the Vietnamese side needs to do is to standardize the value chain in the country.

Along with textiles and garments, footwear, machinery and phone components, agro-products in the Mekong Delta are affording a big opportunity when tariffs are eliminated immediately or reduced gradually after the EVFTA takes effect. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trades Import-Export Department, the EU market has a huge demand for imports, with about US$2.338 trillion in 2018. Vietnams exports made up only some 2% share of this market.

The department said the EU is the third largest market for Vietnams fisheries after the United States and Japan, with US$1.25 billion, accounting for 15% of Vietnams fisheries exports in 2019. For shrimps, the flagship export of the Mekong Delta, the tariff for frozen tiger prawns under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) will be cut from 4.2% to zero when the EVFTA takes effect. The tax for frozen white shrimps will be reduced gradually to zero after five years.

Compared with rivals, Vietnam enjoys a big advantage in shrimp exports to the EU. Thailand, which does not enjoy the GSP and has no FTA with the EU, is subject to a basic tariff of 12%. India and Indonesia, which have no FTA with the EU, have to pay a tax of 4.2% under the GSP. Ecuador, like Thailand, is subject to the same tax of 12%.

Ho Quoc Luc, chairman of Sao Ta Foods Joint-stock Company (FMC), said the key market for Vietnams shrimps after the EVFTA takes effect (August 1, 2020) is the EU. The shrimp industry will definitely get better growth when the tariff for shrimps is reduced drastically, down to zero for some shrimp products, when the EVFTA takes effect.

For tuna, the EU will eliminate tariffs for fresh and frozen tuna, except frozen minced and fillet tuna (HS code 030487), over three years. The tariff for steamed minced and fillet tuna (materials to produce canned tuna), currently at 24%, will be scrapped over seven years. Canned tuna products of various kinds will enjoy tariff exemption for an annual quota of 11,500 tons, according to the Import-Export Department.

Under the EVFTA, the tariff for pangasius fish will be cut from the current 5.5% to zero in the third year after the agreement takes effect.

Some processed seafood products subject to a basic tariff of 20%, such as oysters, clams, squids, octopuses and abalone, will enjoy a zero tax when the agreement takes effect. The tariff for frozen squids and octopuses will be cut immediately from 6-8% to zero, for surimi from 14.2% to zero, and other frozen marine fish from 7.5% to zero.

For vegetables and fruit and processed products from vegetables and fruit, the tariff for 94% of the total of 547 tariff lines will be scrapped immediately. Among those vegetables and fruit are a number of products which Vietnam as well as the Mekong Delta have strong advantages, such as longans, rambutans, dragon fruit, pineapples, melons and lychees.

Most of the tariff lines which the EU has pledged to eliminate are those with an average tax of 10%, and some with a tax of over 20%. The tax cut will give Vietnamese vegetables and fruit a strong advantage in prices over those of rivals.

For rice, the EU grants Vietnam a tax exemption quota of 80,000 tons per year, including 30,000 tons of husked rice, 20,000 tons of unhusked rice and 30,000 tons of frangrant rice. In particular, broken rice will enjoy a zero tax after five years the agreement takes effect. For products from rice, the tax will drop to zero after three to five years.

Standardization crucial

To seize the opportunity from the EVFTA, the Import-Export Department said its necessary to restructure agriculture. The quality of export agro products must be standardized to meet criteria for food hygiene and safety. In addition, the post-harvest preservation technology for fresh vegetables and fruit shoud be applied.

Economic expert Tran Huu Hiep told the Saigon Times that agriculture in the Mekong Delta has made progress, especially in the development of value chains. Agriculture has obviously received interest in investment and development of material growing areas from some big enterprises, Hiep said.

However, Hiep noted that it was the progress over the past. For the present, especially with the challenges when Vietnam enters a big market with increasingly stricter requirements under the EVFTA, there is still room for improvement.

First, export products must have perfect quality as per standards and meet the requirement for origin traceability, that is the product value chain must be really connected and accountable for responsibility. Second, participants in the value chain must have close connection, not separation like the situation in the past. Take for an example, Hiep said, agro-product sales contracts in the past might be affected in prices when buyers and sellers broke their promises and turned agaisnt each other. He noted that it was an extremely loose connection, a weakness that must be rectified to standardize the value chain and make quality products to meet requirements under the EVFTA.

Nguyen Minh Toai, director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Can Tho City, said with the EVFTA, enterprises will have to trace the origin by themselves. If the traceability is executed well, their exports to the EU will be very favorable. However, if only one enterprise performs wrongly, the entire export industry may be banned. So, there must be a roadmap and control of the authorities to prevent the case that one poor performer may tarnish the national reputation, Toai noted.

For aquaculture products, besides origin traceability to meet the requirements under the EVFTA, enterprises must improve product quality and leave no antibiotics. The EVFTA is an advantage for Vietnam, opening a large market for the country. But to make full use of the advantage, enterprises must meet the requirements, he said.

Pham Dinh Vu, chief office manager of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), thought that the EVFTA is a highway to connect Vietnam and the EU market. However, to join the highway, apart from the removal of institutional barriers, enterprises must upgrade themselves to meet the international commitments and regulations. Drivers on the highway must meet standards, especially legal regulations, for smooth traffic, Vu said, suggesting that enterprises should upgrade their management capacity. SGT

Trung Chanh

Many businesses indifferent to EVFTA EVFTA is expected to pave the way for Vietnams enterprises to exploit the EU market and its 500 million consumers and GDP of $18 trillion.
Pledging to bring justice for Native American families afflicted by higher rates of violence, homicide and human trafficking, Ivanka Trump announced the opening Monday in Minnesota of the nation's first Indian Affairs task force office dedicated to solving cold cases of missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Trump, a senior White House adviser who is the president's daughter, joined Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to promote the office and the launches of six other task force locations next month in Rapid City, South Dakota; Billings, Montana; Nashville, Tennessee; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Phoenix; and Anchorage, Alaska.

But Trump's arrival in Bloomington, a Twin Cities suburb, drew rebuke from Democratic lawmakers and dozens of protesters, including Native American women who remain skeptical of the Trump administration's commitment to resolving the root causes of violence against Indigenous women and providing adequate federal resources.

Many asked where Trump and the administration had been the past few years, as various reports have highlighted the underreporting of violence against Indigenous women and as the murder of a 22-year-old pregnant woman in North Dakota in 2017 brought rare bipartisan interest from members of Congress.

Related video: Police clashes with Native Americans often invisible activist laments

"We, in Minnesota, had worked so hard for a genuine, community-led task force to address our missing and murdered Indigenous women," state Rep. Mary Kunesh-Podein, a member of the DemocraticFarmerLabor Party who is a descendant of the Standing Rock Lakota tribe, said in a statement. "This sudden interest and visit by Ivanka Trump feels disingenuous and smacks of manipulated political showcasing."

Trump, however, told reporters that she was concerned by federal data that showed higher rates of violence and homicide in tribal communities. Native American women, she said, make up less than 1 percent of Minnesota's population, yet they have been killed at a rate seven times that of white women.

Story continues

Image: Ivanka Trump (Alex Kormann / Star Tribune via AP)

"Indian Country enriches the fabric of our great nation on every level ... yet a dark pattern is plaguing tribal communities across the country," she said.

"They do not just represent a problem  they're proof of an epidemic," she continued, adding that the federal government's initiative, known as Operation Lady Justice, was formed in November as a way for the Justice Department to partner with tribal governments and combat violence and human trafficking.

In a series of statements, Minnesota Democrats blasted Trump's appearance as a "campaign photo op" and a "cheap media stunt" and said President Donald Trump hasn't shown himself to be sincere about helping tribal communities. They accuse him of supporting energy projects and environmental policies that don't protect sacred lands, repeating a nickname for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in a derogatory manner and failing to appropriately recognize systemic racism and racial injustices, particularly in a place like Minneapolis, where police brutality protests raged over the spring.

"Donald Trump made a career demonstrating and celebrating behavior that perpetuates violence against Native women and girls," Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, said in a statement.

Kunesh-Podein tweeted that she was blindsided by the opening of a federal office in Minnesota, given that she is chair of the state's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force, and she called the announcement a "dog & pony show."

At Monday's opening, Bernhardt said the goal for the task force offices will be to help crack the more than 1,400 cold cases that remain open across the country. He said the need to assist Native American and Alaska Native families whose loved ones have been killed or remain missing is an example of why police departments must not be defunded, as activists have called for in recent weeks, and law enforcement should remain "robust."

It wasn't immediately clear how the task force offices will be staffed and the extent of the involvement of local tribal jurisdictions.

Annita Lucchesi, a Cheyenne descendant who started the Sovereign Bodies Institute, which maps cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women in a database, said the task force offices won't be effective if Native American families don't feel heard and can't trust the people staffing them.

"We take the time to build those relationships," said Lucchesi, who said her college thesis tackling the issue of genocide was related to her experience as a survivor of human trafficking and sexual violence.

According to a report she co-authored, in 2016, there were 5,712 reports of missing Indigenous women and girls based on National Crime Information Center data; some cases were likely repeated. The same year, the Justice Department's missing persons database logged only 116 cases.

"We were able to get more information by looking at the cases and finding holes in the investigation," Lucchesi said. "It can't just be the FBI and law enforcement, because they don't always have the trust of the families."

So far, Operation Lady Justice has been "disappointing," she said. A listening session in June held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic was marred by technical difficulties, and speakers were cut off because they were given only three minutes to talk.

Before the operation, a decades-old case in Montana drew renewed attention last summer over a lawsuit that alleged that the FBI investigator made racist remarks against Native Americans and ignored testimony.

Longstanding distrust of the federal government and law enforcement and their perceived lack of interest has been a barrier in many of the cases of missing and murdered women, said Walter Fleming, a member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas who is the head of Montana State University's Native American studies department.

A fundamental challenge is that cases, especially those involving sex trafficking, can cross tribal, local, state and federal jurisdictions, so every agency needs to have a working relationship and communication, Fleming said.

"A particular state can respond, but that's not a big enough net when women going missing many, many miles away," he said.

Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics

In addition to cases of murdered and missing women and girls, the national conversation on policing and racial bias has also turned attention to the number of Native Americans who have been killed at the hands of police and people's misgivings in response to the criminal justice system.

The suburban Minneapolis task force office is especially meaningful, Fleming said, because the American Indian Movement, a grassroots organization that has protested against police brutality and poverty, began in the city in 1968, seeking to hold the federal government accountable on Indigenous and civil rights issues.

Increased federal assistance with cold cases can be beneficial, Fleming said, but he added that understanding violence and trafficking in tribal communities and getting to the core of why they persist are necessary work that goes beyond simply opening an office.

"This curiously stands out as something that obviously is positive," he said, "but the cynical part may say it's election-year pandering."
I am delighted to announce that Hephzibah Pathak will join the Chairman's Office of Ogilvy India as Vice Chairman. This office is effective August 1, 2020.

Hephzibah's track record is a dream run for any communications professional. She joined Ogilvy Chennai in 1997 as Accounts Supervisor. In 1999, she moved to Mumbai with Unilever's acquisition of Ponds India Ltd.

Also read: WPP merges Grey Paris into Ogilvy Paris

She has been a brand champion for clients like Orange/Hutch/Vodafone, Unilever, and Cadbury's among others.

Hephzibah's golden run includes heading Ogilvy's Mumbai office, appointment as Director on the Ogilvy India Board and her current role as Chief Client Officer, Ogilvy India, all of which she performed excellently.

Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide & Executive Chairman India, Ogilvy: My congratulations and best wishes to Hephzibah! Transforming and growing brands and businesses through path breaking creative solutions is Hephzibahs forte. It is also the greatest need for our clients. I am sure that Hephzibah will add greater power to a differentiated Ogilvy offering.
Da Nang police have arrested a Chinese man for allegedly arranging for people to illegally enter Vietnam.

Officers from the municipal Department of Police confirmed on Sunday they had coordinated with their counterparts in neighboring Quang Nam Province to apprehend Gao Liang Gu, 42, at a hotel in Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang.

Preliminary information showed that Gao is a member of a ring that organizes the illegal entry of Chinese nationals into Da Nang and Quang Nam.

The suspect has been handed over to Quang Nam police for further investigation.

On July 11, Da Nang police inspected a house at 39 Duong Tu Giang Street in Ngu Hanh Son District and discovered that four Chinese citizens who had unlawfully entered Vietnam were staying at the place.

Officers launched an investigation and initiated legal procedures against one Chinese and two Vietnamese suspects in relation to the case.

On July 16, police examined the East Sea Hotel on Loseby Street in Son Tra District and found 27 Chinese nationals who had entered the country illicitly.

In Quang Nam, authorities also found a group of 21 Chinese nationals staying illegally at a local villa on July 18 and took them to a centralized quarantine facility as per regulations.

During an online meeting on Saturday, Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Son, Deputy Minister of Public Security, believed that many suspects in Vietnam and China have colluded to organize illegal entry into Vietnam.

Those entering the country illicitly bypass the mandatory 14-day quarantine period Vietnam imposes on all arrivals to prevent spreading novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The country recorded its first locally-transmitted COVID-19 case after nearly 100 days on Saturday. Three other community infections were documented on Sunday.

Among the local infections, three are in Da Nang while the other is in the central province of Quang Ngai.

Vietnams COVID-19 tally was at 420, with 365 having recovered, on Monday afternoon.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Amlak International is Saudi Arabia's leading non-bank real estate finance company, providing Shariah-compliant real estate financing solutions to both corporates (including high-net-worth-individuals) and individual clients. Instinctif Partners and Advert One were appointed to support senior management and the Financial Advisor, NCB Capital, on all communications matters related to the listing, including preparation for the Kingdom's first-ever virtual IPO roadshow.

Amlak International's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Abdullah Al Sudairy, commented:

"We are ready to capture the opportunities provided by positive market dynamics created by the Kingdom's Vision 2030 reform programme. Our listing is a natural step forward, and will enable Amlak to build on its strong position in the corporate real estate financing segment, while supporting Saudi nationals in their ambitions to buy and build homes. In difficult market conditions, the need for a powerful and impactfully-delivered investment case was a high priority for management, and we were pleased to be working with a seasoned and dedicated communications advisory team. We look forward to delivering on our equity story in the months and years ahead."

Abdulaziz Behery, Vice President, Investment Banking at NCB Capital, said:

"This was an exciting transaction for us to lead, made more so by fast-moving developments in the market and the logistics of the deal. It was the first time that an IPO in the Kingdom was run almost entirely remotely, and we are very proud to have led the first listing on Tadawul's main market since severe market disruption in March 2020. The success of the offering is testament to the strong investment case that exists for Amlak International and its sector, and it was our pleasure to work with the Instinctif Partners and Advert One teams. We can all be proud of the outcome of this journey."

In a joint statement, Samantha Bartel, CEO & Managing Partner of Instinctif Partners MENA and Shawaf Alshawaf, Deputy General Manager of Advert One (a division of Shawaf International Co. Ltd.)., commented:

"To progress and complete a successful IPO, during a pandemic, is a testament to the health of Amlak International as a company, the resonance of its equity story, and the quality of the team of advisors who worked on the deal. This offer was the first in the Saudi market since the world was affected by the Covid-19 crisis, and we are delighted to have supported Amlak during this milestone moment in its history. The success of the communications programme is, further, evidence of the unique offer that the Instinctif-Advert One partnership has given to the Saudi capital market, and we are looking forward to tapping fresh opportunities in the local IPO pipeline during the months ahead."

About Instinctif Partners

Instinctif Partners is a leading international business communications consultancy with expertise across diverse practice areas: capital markets, corporate, public policy, content & creative and insight & research. It is a specialist in reputation and influence, with experience across numerous sectors. It works with clients across multiple and complex audiences combining deep insights, expert storytelling and creative delivery to change behaviours, emotions and perceptions.

Instinctif Partners currently employs over 330 people in 12 offices across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.

The company is one of the fastest growing consultancies in its industry, and over the past two years has won or been shortlisted for over 30 awards, recognising both client work and the growth of the business as a whole. Accolades include International Agency of the Year 2018 & 2017 at the PR Week Global Awards, Outstanding Large Consultancy of the Year 2018 at the CIPR Excellence Awards, Corporate Consultancy of the Year 2017 at the EMEA SABRE Awards, and City Agency of the Year at the PRCA City and Financial Awards 2016 & 2017. Instinctif Partners also won Gold at the PR Week Best Places to Work 2018 for Large Agency and was named by the London Stock Exchange as one of 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain.

www.instinctif.com

Contact:

George Allen

Partner

[email protected]

+971 55 104 3586

About Advert One

Advert One, established in 2005G is specialized in and a market leader in financial communication services provided to the financial market in Saudi Arabia. It provides other services including without limitation IPO readiness, investor relations and annual reports, branding services, media buying, digital marketing, events management, and translation services Advert One employs a 10-person advisory team and is a division of Shawaf International Company employing around 160 personnel, specializing in providing a range of services such as gift items, book stores, , book publishing, building materials, cranes trading, one of the largest manufacturers in the world. Shawaf Company has international subsidiaries in China, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. It is an affiliate of the parent company, Albawani Limited- Top 5 construction company, which employs more than 12,000 executives, engineers, administrator and skillful labors in the field of construction.

It is of significance to mention that Advert One is the market leader in its field of business and specialty,as it acquires the biggest share of financial communications projects in KSA. With its distinct working professional team, Advert One adheres to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism to remain the partner of choice in financial communications services. We recognize our vital role in helping our clients convert financial initiatives into sustained growth. Our clients always come first. We seek constantly for better ways to best serve them.

For more information, please contact

Mohammed Hittini

[email protected]

Mobile: +966 590676363

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1219728/Instinctif_Partners_and_Advert_One.jpg

SOURCE Instinctif Partners; Advert One
Daniel R. DePetris is a fellow at Defense Priorities and a columnist for the Washington Examiner.

In late March 2019, the U.S. and its partners in the Syrian Democratic Forces made a historic announcement: After months of combat, the Islamic State's last sliver of territory in the dusty Syrian hamlet of Baghouz was finally recaptured. The mass surrender of Islamic State fighters and the elimination of ISIS' territorial caliphate was the culmination of more than four years of U.S. airstrikes and ground operations from Kurdish and Arab factions.

Sixteen months after that announcement was made, hundreds of U.S. troops remain deployed in northeastern Syria, a delicate portion of the war-plagued country that hosts an alphabet soup of forces, including Turkish and Russian troops, Syrian-allied militias, Kurdish forces and remnants of the defunct ISIS caliphate.

With so many forces in close proximity, incidents are bound to happen. Some have resulted in significant armed confrontation -- the most serious occurring in 2018, when an hours-long standoff forced undermanned U.S. forces to disburse a much larger group of Russian mercenaries with air power.

Fortunately, no U.S. troops were killed or injured during the 2018 incident. Yet the longer U.S. personnel remain in Syria, the more likely an American military family will be on the receiving end of a condolence call.

Altercations between Washington and Moscow in Syria's northeast are becoming more frequent. On July 18, Brett McGurk, the former presidential envoy to the counter-ISIS coalition, tweeted a short video of Russian military vehicles refusing to allow two U.S. military carriers from continuing on their route. The latest incident comes after reports earlier in the year described a more assertive Russia testing the U.S. military's response by deliberately flying Russian aircraft into areas where U.S. personnel operate.

The Pentagon has a tendency to dismiss altercations between the U.S. and Russia as isolated incidents. As Air Force Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman told reporters July 22, "It's very rare that a misunderstanding [between U.S. and Russian forces] triggers some higher emotions or some sort of harassment between the two sets of forces."

However, concentrating on the effectiveness of the deconfliction channel or how Moscow is behaving is akin to missing the forest for the trees. The issue of most concern to U.S policymakers should be why hundreds of U.S. troops are stationed in Syria in the first place, nearly a year and a half after ISIS' territorial caliphate was destroyed.

U.S. officials typically justify the ongoing American presence as a necessary tool to ensure ISIS doesn't resurrect itself in the area. But these same officials are reluctant to acknowledge that the United States is not the only power with an incentive to keep this terrorist group bottled up.

The Syrian government, the Kurds, Arab tribal forces, Russia, Iraq, Iran and Turkey may disagree on a litany of issues as to how Syria should be governed, who should fund the country's reconstruction, and whether Bashar al-Assad should stay or go. Each of them, though, is in agreement that preventing ISIS from barnstorming the Syrian and Iraqi countryside like it did in 2014 is in their own national security interest. Indeed, if there is a single security issue regional governments can agree on, it's depriving ISIS of space to operate and expand.

The foreign policy establishment in Washington, D.C., continues to talk about Syria as if it were a critical node in a long, geopolitical game between Washington and its Russian and Iranian adversaries. The reality is far less dramatic: Syria, in its 10th year of war, is an economic basket case with very little to offer the United States. Syria's overall value is less than marginal to Washington or its ability to project power in the Middle East when required.

U.S.-Syrian relations were never particularly strong to begin with. The relationship has been characterized by hostility since at least the 1970s, so the highly plausible scenario of an Assad regime victory is less a consequential development in the region and more like a return to the status-quo ante. To argue that Iran and Russia have won in Syria not only discounts how difficult it will be for them to manage what has now become a complete and utter mess, it's also ignorant of history and ignores the fact that Tehran and Moscow have had a strategic relationship with Damascus for decades.

The benefits of maintaining a U.S troop presence in Syria are simply not worth the costs. With every day that passes, the U.S. travels one step further down the worn-out road of mission-creep. American policymakers meanwhile lose sight of the original objective. By former National Security Adviser John Bolton's own admission, U.S. policy in Syria is now more about containing Iranian power in the country than it is about fighting ISIS -- a change in mission that was neither debated on Capitol Hill nor given the serious policy deliberation it deserved.

There are too many instances in recent history when a successful completion of a mission transitions into an entirely new set of objectives. Just as the war in Afghanistan quickly descended into a trillion-dollar counterinsurgency and nation-building operation, U.S. military involvement in Syria is now prefaced on preventing Iran from reaping the supposed spoils -- spoils that include a bankrupt Syrian economy, $400 billion in infrastructure damage, a less-than-unified regime in Damascus dependent on foreign forces to sustain itself in power, and a Syrian currency that is losing a significant amount of its value.

The U.S. military isn't responsible for Syria's internal political or economic problems, all of which will likely take decades to resolve. The Trump administration should order American troops home before one more American life is lost.

-- The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.
Lunch breaks will be staggered and pupils will be restricted to mingling in the yard with only their own classmates under new rules set out in the Government's roadmap for reopening schools.

Primary school children will be sectioned off into pods of between four and six pupils in classes and separated by at least a metre from their classmates.

Meanwhile, secondary school students will be asked to wear masks on school buses, but wearing them in classes will be optional.

State funding will be provided for primary and secondary schools so yards can be divided up to allow for segregated outdoor areas for pupils during lunch breaks.

Education Minister Norma Foley's plan has also cleared the way for the return of interactive subjects such as PE, music, computer science and metalwork.

Expand Close A good plan: Tanaiste Leo Varadkar backed 300m programme. Photo: Gerry Mooney / Facebook

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However, strict cleaning regimes will have to be implemented by schools if they intend to hold classes that involve pupils interacting with each other and using equipment.

Ms Foley's 300m plan will involve major investment in sanitation and personal protective equipment and fund significant changes to school buildings to make sure they are compliant with Covid-19 health and safety standards.

An additional 30m will be made available for supervision hours during break times when teachers will try to ensure pupils continue to follow social distancing rules outside their classrooms.

There are also plans to make more part-time teachers permanent.

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There will be separate funding for special education schools, with 3.8m being set aside for extra special needs assistants (SNAs) and substitute teachers.

However, central to the plan will be new social-distancing rules for pupils when they are in class, on the way to school, and in the yard during their breaks.

The Government will provide funding to Bus Eireann and other school bus providers to allow them to make changes to their vehicles which will lessen the spread of the virus.

In line with public health advice, students aged over 13 will be asked to wear masks on buses.

However, students will be encouraged to cycle and walk to school where possible.

Schools will have discretion to stagger their hours to ensure pupils do not all arrive at the same time.

In primary schools, pupils in junior infants through to second class will be exempt from social-distancing rules as the Department of Education believes it is too difficult to make young children adhere to the restrictions.

However, classrooms will be reconfigured for pupils in third to sixth class to allow for individual pods of between four and six children and these pupils will be told not to share class equipment with classmates who are outside of their pod.

These pupils will be expected to remain together at their desks during lessons but will be able to mingle with the rest of their classmates during breaks.

In some cases, two year groups may be allowed to mix during breaks, but it is recommended that where possible they are kept separate.

The aim is to keep primary school pupils in what are being called their classroom "bubbles".

Extra funding for substitute teachers will be made available to ensure classrooms are not split if the regular teacher is sick or displaying coronavirus symptoms.

Secondary school students will be kept at least one metre apart from each other and teachers will move between classes for lessons to reduce the movement of pupils around school buildings.

In instances where students and staff are asked to move between classes they will all be asked to wash their hands.

Schools will also be asked to introduce staggered times for lunch breaks, especially if they have on-site cafeterias.

Yesterday, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said the plan will involve significant changes to school buildings, hiring more teachers and strict cleaning regimes.

"A lot of work has gone into it, there has been a lot of consultation with the unions and I think it's a good plan," he said.

"I'm confident that it will go through Cabinet and will allow us to open schools for all one million students."

Labour Education spokesperson Aodhan O Riordain said more clarity was needed on how the Government intended on spending the 300m earmarked for reopening the country's schools.

"If the package is at least 300m it is essential that we get clarity on how many extra teachers and special needs assistants will be hired to help," he said.

"We have some of the highest class sizes in Europe and this is our chance to finally reduce them."
Gayathri Mani By

Express News Service

They can be equated to COVID-19 warriors, the Delhi High Court observed last month. This is how Vikas Kumar can also be described in a nutshell. Like any other frontline workers in the line of COVID duty, the two months have not been an easy journey for him. Kumar wakes up at 6 am, reaches a dispensary at south-east Delhis Hari Nagar by 9 am where he has been deployed to aid the administrations efforts to tackle the pandemic and wraps up his work at 6.00 pm. But the work this 27-year-old physical instructor at a Delhi government school doesnt end here.

After reaching home, Vikas Kumar has to prepare content for online classes, assignments on mind-body wellness and yoga for the next day and remains in touch with students on WhatsApp. Kumar claims the last time he got a break when he had tested positive for coronavirus on July 1 but was back on duty on July 17, without taking proper rest. Kumar is among those 30,000 teachers from Delhi government schools, and another 7,000 from municipal corporation schools who have been engaged to help the governments efforts to tackle the outbreak and ease the impact of the lockdown. Their roles vary from pitching in with ration distribution to serving shifts at quarantine centres.

More than 5,000 teachers deployed on the COVID-19 duty have tested positive. Moreover, a total of seven teachers, including three MCD and four Delhi government, have succumbed to coronavirus so far.

When I was first asked to join the COVID duty, my parents were reluctant to let me go. But, I am happy to be part of the governments fight against the pandemic. The only thing that disturbs me is that it has been more than a month since I could not touch or play with my nephew, says Vikas Kumar.

CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES2175327nav

Like many other healthcare workers, Kumar takes shower outside his home, enters his bedroom from the backdoor and eat food in separate utensils which his mother keeps outside the room. Then starts his school duty. I prepare assignments and make videos for the happiness class. We have to spare equal time for students and society, adds Kumar. He, however, feels that a frontline worker should be given at least 21 days, if tests positive for the virus, to recover completely. The government should also provide psychological support to the COVID warriors who have tested positive. We call patients every day to know about their health status and boost their confidence, he says.



Sant Ram, a 50-year-old senior teacher of a Delhi government boys school in Subhash Nagar and an elected member of the Delhi Government School Association West District, was posted at a dry ration distribution centre at the same school. Ram, while working in a hectic schedule of almost 12 hours a day, managed the public, at times agitated, and his school teachers and students online. Despite the busy schedule of ration distribution, I took out time to hold online classes for students. I attended seminars and meetings in between the COVID duty. Besides school admissions, classes, managing students, book distribution and others, keeping a record of ration loads, trucks and managing the public was a big challenge, adds Ram.

The school head says he holds no grudge against the government but requests Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to reconsider the decision of calling the teachers who test positive for COVID-19 to join the duty soon after they recover. Most of the staff in my school are deployed on the COVID duty. Many of them have also tested positive. But the government asks them to join the work as soon as they test negative. They are not getting adequate time to take rest, says Ram, who has been given a break from the duty for a few days. Gopal Sharma, another government school teacher, monitored the distribution of dry ration to hunger relief centres and shelter homes.

When the lockdown was imposed, I was deployed at a CBSE evaluation centre. Since May 15, my school has been turned into a shelter home for migrant labourers. I worked there till late at night. I was supervising the shelter home and looking after food, medicine and distributions, says Sharma. For Anil, principal of Savordya Bal Vidyalaya in Jhilmil colony, says managing the COVID services and children at the same time wasnt easy initially, but he has pulled it off with the help of his team. He had also tested positive for the virus but recovered recently.

Sant Ram, a senior teacher of a government

boys school in Subhash Nagar, on COVID

duty at a dry ration distribution centre.

(Photo | Shekhar Yadav, EPS)

Since he has been assigned for the COVID duty, he is interacting with his children, wife and other family members through video calls for the last two months. At times, I badly want to hug my children and wife, but I know its not possible right now. This causes mental and psychological distress, says the 54-year-old principal, who is deployed at a dry ration centre. He says one of the challenges that he faces at the moment is to convince parents to come to the school and collect study material of their wards. Many parents are daily labourers. If they take leave, they may lose their job, he says.

When I had tested positive, I shifted to another flat for self-isolation. In the beginning, being a patient with low immunity, managing everything  from cooking to cleaning  was tough. But with family support, I recovered completely, Anil says. According to him, even after the recovery, the behaviour of his neighbours hurt him the most. Once my children went out for a walk, a neighbour asked them to leave the place saying your father is positive, he laments. Many other teachers, on condition of anonymity, expressed their resentment against taking online classes and doing the COVID duty at the same time.

Managing both is hectic. Besides the COVID work, women teachers have to look after their family, children and online classes which is next to impossible, says a woman teacher. She requests the government to deploy the teachers on a rotational basis like other frontline workers. Doing a 12-hour shift, that too without a leave, is very tough, the teacher adds.

The frontline workers such as doctors and nurses have been working on a rotational basis. For instance, 15 days of work and 15 days of rest. In May, the teachers association had also written letters to Kejriwal highlighting various issues. Initially, teachers deployed on the COVID duty were excluded from the corona warrior status. If any COVID warrior dies performing his/her duty, the family gets a compensation of Rs 1 crore According to officials, many teachers have applied for voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) after being deployed in the COVID duty. They said in many schools, lab assistants and non-teaching staff are taking online classes due to lack of teachers.

Conditions of MCD school teachers



The MCD schools are mostly are up to Class V. In Delhi, the MCD is divided inTO three parts  South MCD, East MCD and North MCD. According to the All India Primary Teachers Association, there are about 12,000 teachers employed in MCD schools, of which 7,000 are deployed in the COVID duty and more than 2,000 teachers have tested positive for the COVID-19.

My entire family is dependent on me. From buying grocery to cooking, I have to take care of everything. Even after taking all precautions, seven members in my family, including my four-year-old daughter, have caught the disease. The condition of MCD teachers is so bad that we did not even get face masks, sanitisers and hand gloves. We had to buy everything on our own, says Seema Mathur, a senior teacher at an MCD school in C-block, Sultanpuri.

She adds: I was looking after a hunger relief centre and managing ration truck loading. The authority did not even spare women and called us even at 11 pm. The civic authority has not allocated salaries to the teachers for the last four months. The worst condition is in the North MCD. We are not against the COVID duty, but we have the right to get proper PPE kits and salary on time as we are working in containment zones. Other frontline workers are working shifts, but we do not even get weekly offs.

I speak to my husband and parents on video calls despite living in the same house to maintain social distancing, said the 33-year-old teacher. Naveen Sangwan, an MCD senior teacher at a school in north Delhi, is a sole earner of the family, But he has not received his salary for the last four months. He and his family had tested positive for the virus. I along with 10 other teachers had tested positive for the COVID-19, but the department did not even provide us with masks and sanitisers. I had to get back to work soon after I recovered.

I have also worked in different locations of the city and for almost all COVID services. On the other hand, Delhi government teachers have been provided with face shields, hand gloves and face masks, says Sangwan. The 37-year-old teacher, who lives with his two daughters and wife, adds: Due to this laidback attitude of the MCD, many of my colleagues have lost their parents and other members in their family after they came in contact with my colleagues, who had tested positive. Sangwan claims he washes his face masks and gloves every day to reuse them as he doesnt have money to purchase a new one.

A good N-95 mask costs Rs 500. Instead, I use that money to buy grocery for a week, he says.

Teachers of MCD schools have also raised the matter in the past and even held a protest demanding the release of their salaries. The SDMC released the salary last week, but the North DMC is yet to pay the pending wages. When contacted, an MCD official says: The north mayor and additional commissioner (education) recently held a meeting with delegations of the North DMC teachers. Their salaries will be released soon.

Teachers request to allow them back into school duty



Last month, teachers in government schools had come up with a list of demands, including better safety measures and assurances, from the government. Teachers had also requested the government to stop assigning them for relief work and allow them back into school duty. This came after a principal of a government school in Kalyanpuri had died of COVID-19.

Teachers are also corona warriors: Delhi High Court



Teachers belong to one of the noble professions and as they are made to do COVID-19 duty also, they can be equated to COVID-19 warriors, a division bench of Justices Hima Kohli and S Prasad said last month while observing that teachers of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation schools have not received salaries since March. Calling the issue as a sorry state of affairs, the high court converted the plea into a suo motu petition.

Types of COVID services



Hunger food centre dry ration centres shelter homes isolation wards medical check-ups surveys at COVID containment zones labourers transportation airports and railway and bus stations
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The burning, sale and marketing of smoky coal will be prohibited in Longford town from September 1, 2020.

Also read: Latest update on Covid-19 shows one new case in Longford

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Eamon Ryan TD has signed regulations to give legal effect to the extension of the smoky coal ban to all towns with populations over 10,000 people.

Longford is among thirteen towns covered by the extension of the smoky coal ban.

According to an EPA report last September, air quality in Longford was suffering owing to an absence of a smoky coal ban.

Minister Ryan said, "I am very pleased to extend this ban to a further 13 urban areas and I would like to I thank the local authorities for their cooperation."

He added, "This measure will reduce air pollution and promote public health. The main health effects of air pollution include stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma. Fine particulate matter, the pollutant of most concern from domestic solid fuel burning is linked to a range of diseases. Banning smoky coal saves lives and improves health outcomes."

The geographical boundaries of the new Low Smoke Zones have been defined following extensive liaison with the relevant Local Authorities.

An interactive online map, to illustrate both the existing Low Smoke Zones and the new ones that will be in effect from September 1, 2020, is now available.

The map includes an Eircode search facility, whereby a user can enter the Eircode of any particular premises, to see whether or not it falls within a Low Smoke Zone.

Local Authorities are primarily responsible for the enforcement of the smoky coal ban within their functional areas. The powers that Local Authorities have are extensive. For example:

1. Local Authority staff may undertake inspections of premises and vehicles being used for the sale and distribution of solid fuel as well as collect samples;



2. A Local Authority may bring a prosecution under the Air Pollution Act for breaches of the Regulations



3. A Local Authority may issue a Fixed Payment Notice (or 'on the spot fine') for alleged offences relating to the marketing, sale and distribution of prohibited fuels in Low Smoke Zones (LSZs), with a penalty range of 250 to 1000.

As part of the Programme for Government, the Department has also committed to developing further a multi-agency enforcement approach and we will be working with the Local Authorities and other relevant stakeholders in this context over the coming months.
Johannesburg, South Africa  South Africa is grappling with a rapid surge in coronavirus infections that has overwhelmed hospitals and battered its economy.

The country imposed one of the worlds strictest lockdowns in March, but has seen COVID-19 infections jump following the gradual reopening in June of large parts of economic life.

Last week, the government announced public schools would close again on Monday for a month, a period during which the country is expected to experience its sharpest spike in coronavirus transmissions.

The imminent arrival of South Africas peak-infection period coincides with allegations of widespread looting of funds earmarked for personal protective equipment  such as masks, gloves and medical visors  for medical workers, food parcels for poor South Africans, and benefits for those laid off as a result of the pandemic or chronically unemployed.

In a televised address to the nation last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said promised swift action against anyone found guilty of corruption.





At least 36 cases are currently at various stages of investigation and prosecution, he said.

The fight against the coronavirus pandemic is stretching our capabilities and resources to their limit. There should be no theft, no wastage and no mismanagement of public funds.

Warning that the coronavirus storm has indeed arrived, Ramaphosa said more so than at any other time, corruption puts our lives at risk.

The president also said he had deployed a multi-pronged team from law enforcement to detect instances of corruption and ensure speedy prosecutions of all involved. He added that the justice departments special investigating unit would update him on its progress in tracking down funds every six weeks.

But for some, these promises do not go far enough.

Language of intent to say we are trying to deal with the problem by conducting forensic investigations doesnt lead to accountability  thats what is missing, Melusi Ncala, researcher with the Corruption Watch local NGO, told Al Jazeera.

Corruption is endemic and has been for some time in South Africa, and that didnt change with the arrival of COVID-19, he said.

Imminent COVID-19 peak

Still, South Africa has been lauded by the World Health Organization (WHO) for its efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 through medical interventions, disease monitoring and movement restrictions that also saw alcohol and tobacco products banned from sale.

In April, the government deployed 28,000 healthcare workers and 67 mobile lab units to carry out tests and screening.

More than 2.7 million tests have so far been administered, and some 10 million people screened, with testing and screening significantly increasing as the country entered its winter season in June.

To date, South Africa has so far registered more than 445,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the top tally in Africa and the fifth-highest in the world  but the 6,769 related deaths represent a relatively low figure in comparison with other highly infected nations that are experiencing higher mortality rates.

South Africa is not where it would want to be in terms of health service readiness, but this could have contributed to a lessening in the death rate the country has seen, said Professor Helen Rees, of the WHOs African Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group. In the end, it will always be a mixture of demographics, co-morbidities and how the health service has been able to respond.

But the official number of fatalities may belie the extent of the outbreak.

The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) said last week that between early May to mid-July, there were at least 17,000 more deaths than usual in the country.





By the second week of July, there were 59 percent more deaths from natural causes than would have been expected, based on historical data. It also means that reported deaths have shown a pattern that is completely different to those indicated by historical trends, the SAMRC read.

Now, as the country enters its final month of winter, local health authorities and the WHO are warning that infections are going to spike.

This is a nasty virus, and it is going to spread everywhere in South Africa, Rees said.

Earlier this month, a nighttime curfew was reinstated, as was a ban on the sale and distribution of alcohol as part of measures to slow the outbreak and ease surging hospitalisations.

Ramaphosa said health officials were warning of impending shortages of hospital beds and oxygen, noting that some medical centres had had to turn away patients because they were full.

No longer at a crossroads

Meanwhile, the government is also struggling to contain the economic fallout of the pandemic in a country struggling through a recession even before the arrival of coronavirus.

It has announced a $26bn economic relief package to support distressed companies and poor households that have been badly hit by the virus containment measures.

The initial stringent lockdown brought all industry to a grinding halt, with the South African Reserve Bank expecting Africas most developed economy to contract by 7.3 percent this year.

We should all be very worried about the economy, said Cas Coovadia, CEO of Business Unity South Africa, a confederation of business groups. It is no longer a question about livelihoods being threatened as businesses are collapsing before our very eyes.

A recent study found that up to three million people lost their jobs over the lockdown period  a disastrous prospect for a country that clocked 30.1 percent unemployment in the first quarter of 2020.

Ramaphosa has also promised structural changes to the South African economy in order to breathe life into a recovery plan that is centred on infrastructure development.

But this has been contested terrain as government, opposition parties, organised labour, and business argue over how the funds for any infrastructure projects should be secured.

South Africa is no longer at a crossroads, we have now come to a clear fork in our economic journey, Coovadia said. We need urgent economic reforms if we are to ever enjoy a recovery now or in the future.
India on Monday handed over 10 broad-gauge diesel locomotives to Bangladesh, strengthening the neighbouring country's railway infrastructure.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar flagged off the locomotives online in the presence of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and several dignitaries from across the border.

The physical location of the handover was the Gede station of the Eastern Railways in West Bengal's Nadia district and the receiving station was Darshana in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh on Monday thanked India for providing 10 broad gauge diesel locomotives, with its Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen saying it would help bring both sides even closer and further take the "rock solid" bilateral relations to new heights.

"This would help bring our two peoples even closer," the foreign minister said at the handing over ceremony of locomotives which was conducted online in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

Momen thanked India for offering Bangladesh the diesel locomotives as a mark of enduring friendship, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper said.

This is in line with India's commitment during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi in October 2019 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's renewed focus on "neighbourhood first" policy.

"Over the last few years, India and Bangladesh have scripted a golden chapter in partnership under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Momen was quoted as saying by the paper.
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's conservative ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) distanced itself on Sunday from a proposal by the justice minister to withdraw from a European treaty on violence against women, saying not all in the coalition were in favour.

PiS and its coalition partners closely align themselves with the Catholic Church have previously criticised the Istanbul Convention as too liberal but not adopted any policy for a withdrawal.

On Saturday Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who represents a smaller right-wing party within the ruling coalition, said that his ministry would submit a request to the labour and families ministry on Monday to begin the process of withdrawing from the treaty.

Ziobro said that Poland has sufficient legal tools to protect victims of domestic violence and that the treaty violates parents' rights by requiring schools to teach children about gender.

But on Sunday PiS officials took a step back.

"Decisions have not been taken. This is not our common stance. The minister has some idea. If he submits (his proposal) we will analyse it," PiS spokeswoman Anita Czerwinska said.

Also the government spokesman Piotr Muller said the cabinet has not decided over the treaty.

Quitting the treaty would likely become another bone of contention between Poland and the EU, which has been critical of PiS' policies that the union said undermine democracy.

PiS has long complained about the Convention, which Poland ratified under a previous centrist government in 2015. The government says the treaty is disrespectful towards religion and requires teaching liberal social policies in schools.

It is unclear what the final government decision might be. PiS has pulled back from some of its proposals in the past, including a project to tighten already restrictive abortion rules.

Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric said on Sunday that Poland should not withdraw from the treaty.

Formally, the parliament will have to adopt new legislation to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, which will then need to be signed by the president, Andrzej Duda.

Duda has been critical of the treaty in the past.

(Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko and Anna Koper; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
Independence police investigating 2 overnight homicides KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Independence police are investigating two overnight homicides. The first happened in the 3600 block of South Greenwich Lane around 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Police said they found a person dead inside a home and are investigating the death as a homicide. A person of interest is in custody in that case.

Follow-up from a morning report as our blog community blames the KCMO explosion of violence for a recent uptick across the metro. On the bright side, a. Checkit:
GST

The Finance Ministry will reportedly take stern action against exporters who claimed refunds under the integrated goods and services tax (IGST) and then absconded. It has also sought to allay genuine exporters that they will face no hindrance.

As many as 1,474 such exporters, termed risky exporters, claimed IGST refunds worth Rs 2,020 crore, but were untraceable at the addresses mentioned in their applications, sources told the Hindu BusinessLine.

Following the fraud, the refund has been suspended in cases where an adverse report has been found about the exporter or suppliers during verification.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

The sources added that these exporters include some 7 Star names  five based in Delhi and one each in Kolkata and Mumbai. Overall, a bulk of the cases  1,125, are from Delhi, followed by Surat which had 215 cases, Thane (28), Faridabad (15) and Kolkata (11).

Many of these risky exporters were involved in segments such as footwear, mobile phones, floor coverings, wallpapers, wall coverings, leather apparel, ready-made garments, ball bearings or roller bearings, smoking pipes, cigarette holders and plastics.

Three 3 Star exporters  two from Mumbai and one from Jaipur, unsuccessfully tried to claim Rs 28.9 crore. They were engaged in export of microphones, sound systems, amplifiers, utensils, kitchenware, unstitched fabric, ready-made garments, sarees, dupattas, shrimp and seafood.

Fake exporters fraudulently availed ITC by paying IGST at highest 28 percent rate to encash undue claims quickly and are taking advantage of the fully automated IGST refund system, the sources said.

The sources added that refunds of over Rs 1.37 lakh crore have been disbursed and only Rs 2,026 crore is pending legal process. They added that claims of harassment are false and come from risky exporters lobbying with prominent trade associations, the report added.
Vietnam has ordered the evacuation of 80,000 people from the coastal city of Danang after three residents there tested positive for coronavirus.

The government said the evacuation would take four days and involve flights chartered to 11 different Vietnamese cities.

Vietnam, which has been praised for its pandemic response after reporting just 400 cases and no deaths, went back on high alert at the weekend as it confirmed its first local infections since April, all in the popular tourism destination of Danang.

An aggressive and widespread testing regime, plus a strict quarantine had helped the southeast Asian country almost eradicate Covid-19 within its borders, but the authorities are now grappling with its first internal infections for months.

Although foreign tourists are still barred from entering the nation, there has been a surge of domestic travel as the Vietnamese take advantage of discounted flights and hotel deals.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Anyone who had recently returned home from a break in Danang is required to quarantine at home for 14 days, the health ministry has said.

In addition, the prime minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has also ordered police to step up a crackdown on illegal immigration.

It is not clear if the new Danang cases are connected to people entering Vietnam secretly but state media said on Sunday that police had arrested a Chinese man accused of running a gang which smuggled people into the country from China.

On Monday, the government announced more than 1,500 people had been caught illegally crossing the border from China into Ha Giang province in Vietnam since May.

Most of those caught were Vietnamese citizens and had been sent into quarantine.

The fist new case in Danang, known as Patient 416, entered hospital on 20 July with flu-like symptoms but is now on a ventilator and in critical condition, according to local media.

Concened officials have said they do not know how he caught coronavirus and he had not recently left Danang.

A hundred of his recent contacts were traced and tested but all were negative for the virus.

Now, three further cases have been confirmed, including a 17-year-old boy from a neighbouring province who had travelled on a coach with people from a Danang hospital.

As well as evacuating tens of thousands, the authorities are now reimposing other control measures such as closing hospitals, asking the public to wear masks again and suspending football matches.
Three people have been charged with violating the governors executive order limiting gatherings after police spent hours breaking up a mansion party in Jackson Township that grew to over 700 people Sunday night and clogged neighborhood streets with traffic, authorities said.

Police said they started receiving complaints about a disturbance on Mill Pond Road around 8:30 p.m. from nearby residents.

After arriving and seeing the large crowd, offices contacted the homeowner, 40-year-old Jackson resident Yaakov Weiss, who told them he had rented the property on Airbnb and he had left when about 200 people were there, authorities said.

The home, which sits on a cul-de-sac in the suburban neighborhood, costs $795 a night to rent and is described as a stunning 3,700+ square foot home, according to the Airbnb listing. The hosts rules include no parties or events.

Police said the gathering eventually grew to more than 700 people with over 100 vehicles parked in the area. As authorities tried to clear the crowd, more people continued arriving.

Weiss and the party organizers, Patience Guanue, 23, and Alicia Hinneh, 22, both of Newark, were all issued summonses for violating the governors executive order, police said. Under current coronavirus restrictions in New Jersey, outdoor gatherings are limited to 500 people and indoor gatherings to 100 people or 25% of a rooms capacity, whichever is less.

Authorities also received a 911 call from a nearby resident reporting that people who had left the party had broken into their residence and were damaging property, police said.

It was determined that a family member of the caller who had been at the original party had invited a large group from the party back to the residence. Additional officers responded and the unwanted group was then dispersed from this second residence, Jackson police said.

This was the second large party authorities in Ocean County broke up recently. In Brick last Monday, three people were charged after multiple departments broke up a rowdy party that grew to more than 400 people in the Baywood section of Brick Township.

At the governors daily press briefing on Monday, New Jersey State Police Colonel Pat Callahan said the continued ban on indoor dining and bars could be driving people to hold house parties instead.

I do think the fact that bars and restaurants are closed then create this underground situation which is certainly not one we want because... young people, even if asymptomatic and youre positive, the fact that you can transmit that to your family members is certainly one that concerns us, Callahan said.

In a statement, Airbnb Spokesman Ben Breit said the company removed both of the party organizers from the platform, deactivated the listing and is investigating further.

To help stem large gatherings in light of COVID-19, Airbnb announced in April that it temporarily removed the parties and events allowed rule from New Jersey listings that formerly authorized parties and temporarily disabled the event-friendly search filter used so guests can find places for gatherings.

We strongly condemn the reported behavior, which represents both a clear violation of Airbnbs community policies and a particularly serious abuse during this public health crisis, Breit said.

All on-duty Jackson officers worked to clear the crowd and direct traffic until 1 a.m., with help from surrounding law enforcement agencies, police said.

The Freehold Police Department, Howell Police Department, Lakewood Police Department, Ocean County Prosecutors Office, Ocean County Sheriffs Department and New Jersey State Police helped clear the area.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo.
July marks the 70th anniversary of cooperation between the United States and the Kingdom of Cambodia. Since July 11, 1950 when diplomatic relations were established between the two countries, the United States and Cambodia have worked together to improve the lives of the Cambodian people.

At times, relations between the countries were cool, due to regional armed conflict.

Nonetheless, the United States continued to support the Cambodian people, including through ASEAN's efforts in the 1980s to achieve a political settlement in Cambodia, which came to fruition in 1991 with the signing of a comprehensive settlement at the Paris Conference.

When the democratically elected Royal Government of Cambodia was formed on September 24, 1993, the United States and the Kingdom of Cambodia immediately re-established full diplomatic relations.

The United States continues to support democratic institutions and promote respect for human rights in Cambodia. The two countries work together to increase trade, and to contribute to regional and global security.

The United States supports Cambodias efforts to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, improve nutrition for mothers and children, eliminate human trafficking and corruption, address environmental degradation, better manage natural resources, and foster economic development.

Today, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Government has so far provided $11 million to help Cambodias medical and public health response to the disease, and to mitigate the secondary impacts resulting from the pandemic.

The United States has invested almost $3 billion dollars over the past three decades to assist Cambodia recovering from conflict, said U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy in an interview obtained by the Voice of Americas Cambodian Service. I think we have seen results of this partnership:

Economic development has increased and relatively stable and peaceful. There has been some justice for past atrocities, which is very important for the rule of law and contending with history, as the country moves ahead into the future. We also see, I think, a lot of return on our contributions to specific areas like education, public health, the environment, law enforcement, de-mining and other humanitarian assistance area.

The U.S. Government, he said recently, is committed to continuing its support to the Cambodian people towards sustainable, inclusive, and equitable socio-economic development.
MADRID - Spains National Court heard testimony Monday in an investigation into whether a Spanish company was hired to spy on Julian Assange during the seven years the WikiLeaks founder spent in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.

The court is investigating whether David Morales, a Spaniard, and his Undercover Global S.L. security agency invaded the privacy of Assange and his visitors at the embassy by secretly recording their meetings. The intelligence that Morales company collected is suspected of being handed over to third parties, according to court papers.

Among those set to face the courts questions Monday were prominent Spanish lawyer Baltasar Garzon, who is part of Assanges legal team; former Ecuadorean consul in London Fidel Narvaez; and Stella Morris, a legal adviser and Assanges partner, who revealed earlier this year that she had two children with him while he lived in the embassy. Staff of the Spanish security company are due to testify on Tuesday.

Assange, whose lawyers filed a complaint at the court to trigger the investigation, is in a British prison after being removed from the embassy last year. He is fighting extradition to the United States, where he faces espionage charges over the activities of WikiLeaks.

The court is conducting an investigation, begun last year, before deciding whether there is evidence of wrongdoing that warrants a trial.

Undercover Global, also known as UC Global, was hired by Ecuadors government to provide security at the Ecuadorean embassy in London between 2015 and 2018. Its main task was to secure the propertys perimeter, including the deployment of security staff, due to Assanges presence inside, court papers say.

According to the National Court summons seen by The Associated Press, the preliminary investigation has raised suspicions that, under the cover of his security work, Morales used bugging devices and video equipment to record Assanges meetings with visitors.

They included his lawyers, politicians, journalists, medical staff, Ecuadorean diplomats, the former head of Ecuadors National Intelligence Service, Rommy Vallejo, and longtime Republican congressman for California Dana Rohrabacher.

Garzon said after testifying that the court showed him a video of himself talking to Assange inside the embassy.

This is quite scandalous, something we think only happens in the movies, in spy movies, but this is not a spy movie because the life of a person is at stake, Garzon told reporters outside the court.

Morales passed on the recordings to third parties who are not yet identified. However, the court papers note allegations that the intelligence was passed to Zohar Lahav, described by Assanges lawyers as a security officer at Las Vegas Sands Corp., a U.S. casino and resort company based in Nevada. The court says it has no contact information for Lahav.

The court refused a request by Assanges legal team to summon as witnesses Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson and the companys Senior Vice-President and Chief Security Officer Brian Nagel. The court papers gave no explanation for the refusal.

Assanges legal team says the court has asked U.S. authorities to question Lahav and Rohrabacher on its behalf.

Morales also asked his companys staff to take Assanges fingerprints from a glass and is suspected of copying the ID documents of visitors, the summons says.

The court is investigating UC Globals bank accounts, international travel records, cellphone, email and Internet access records, and its online purchases of recording equipment.

Morales was arrested last year and granted conditional release.
Three people who described themselves as anti-racist activists raised a U.S. flag on Monday over a Civil War site on Virginia 419 in their bid to overshadow a nearby monument showcasing two Confederate flags.

A statue of George Morgan Jones, a Confederate veteran, sits just off Virginia 419 at the Hanging Rock Battlefield in Roanoke County. The monument was brought to the battlefield in 1999 to become part of a small county park that commemorates fighting between Union and Confederate troops that happened June 21, 1864.

The monument sits on private property owned by the Sons of Confederate Veterans while the county owns the surrounding property, which also serves as a trailhead for the Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail.

The trio raised the U.S. flag at a stone marker, located almost a half-mile to the south beside the Interstate 81 interchange, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the battle. They also sent a petition to the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors asking for a taller flagpole to be added on the adjacent county-owned property.

That flagpole would fly the United States flag higher than the Confederate ones. Activist Dave Tate said the petition was signed by 70 people in the area and 25 of them were from Roanoke County.

People driving down 419 shouldnt see that Confederate flag without the American flag staring right back, Tate said.

A new flagpole would cost $15,000, according to an estimate Tate received. He is hoping to find a benefactor to fund it.

Although the petition is for the flag, Tate said the group would also advocate for the statue to be removed because it is historically inaccurate.

The statue depicts Jones as a Confederate general, but Jones never rose above the rank of private in the Civil War, during which he served as a cook. Jones also never fought at Hanging Rock. He became a successful businessman and banker in Lynchburg after the war and helped establish Randolph-Macon Womans College, now Randolph College.

After his death, his widow Mary Frances Jones hired a sculptor to make two bronze statues of her husband. One statue stood on the Randolph campus until it was removed in 2017. The other still stands at Hanging Rock.

With all the destruction going on to monuments, our approach is meant to be a progressive approach, Tate said. We could come here and take a truck and a chain and yank it down like everyone else and take our chances with the consequences. But we chose to try to take a more diplomatic way and to present it to our county supervisor.

Kevin Craig, a member of the Progressive Anti-Racist Action group, said he would support a statue on the historic battlefield with the proper context and accuracy. Craigs father and great-great-great-grandfathers names are on the memorial. His father was a donor for the statues placement at the park and included the name of their ancestor, a Confederate soldier.

I dont want them honored in a racist way, Craig said. Im all for preserving historic land. Im not in support of flying a flag that makes someone feel oppressed for the color of their skin. If we can neutralize it or counteract it with an American flag, then Im all for this monument being able to stay. If not, then it needs to go.

This new petition is the latest effort from county residents to address Confederate monuments in the area. Students at Roanoke College began a petition calling for a statue in downtown Salem to be removed.

The statue sits at College Avenue and Main Street in front of the former county courthouse, which is now part of Roanoke College. The statue itself is owned by Roanoke County.

A new state law took effect July 1 that allows local governments to remove any war memorial on public property as long as it publishes its intent to do so, holds a public hearing within 30 days, and if it votes to remove the memorial, waits at least 30 days to offer the memorial for relocation to a museum, historical society, government or military battlefield.

The Roanoke County supervisors were briefed about the new law in June, but have not taken any action.

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Popocatepetl volcano news & eruption update

Background:

Volcan Popocatepetl, whose name is the Aztec word for smoking mountain, towers to 5426 m 70 km SE of Mexico City to form North America's 2nd-highest volcano. The glacier-clad stratovolcano contains a steep-walled, 250-450 m deep crater. The generally symmetrical volcano is modified by the sharp-peaked Ventorrillo on the NW, a remnant of an earlier volcano.

At least three previous major cones were destroyed by gravitational failure during the Pleistocene, producing massive debris-avalanche deposits covering broad areas south of the volcano. The modern volcano was constructed to the south of the late-Pleistocene to Holocene El Fraile cone. Three major plinian eruptions, the most recent of which took place about 800 AD, have occurred from Popocatepetl since the mid Holocene, accompanied by pyroclastic flows and voluminous lahars that swept basins below the volcano. Frequent historical eruptions, first recorded in Aztec codices, have occurred since precolumbian time.

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Source: GVP, Smithsonian Institution - Popocatepetl information
Todays Highlight in History:

On July 27, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to adopt the first of three articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon, charging he had personally engaged in a course of conduct designed to obstruct justice in the Watergate case.

On July 27:

In 1794, French revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre was overthrown and placed under arrest; he was executed the following day.

In 1866, Cyrus W. Field finished laying out the first successful underwater telegraph cable between North America and Europe (a previous cable in 1858 burned out after only a few weeks use).

In 1909, during the first official test of the U.S. Armys first airplane, Orville Wright flew himself and a passenger, Lt. Frank Lahm, above Fort Myer, Virginia, for one hour and 12 minutes.

In 1919, race-related rioting erupted in Chicago; the violence, which claimed the lives of 23 Blacks and 15 whites, lasted until Aug. 3.

In 1946, American author, poet and publisher Gertrude Stein, 72, died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

In 1953, the Korean War armistice was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting.

In 1960, Vice President Richard M. Nixon was nominated for president on the first ballot at the Republican National Convention in Chicago.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to assess the causes of urban rioting, the same day Black militant H. Rap Brown told a press conference in Washington that violence was as American as cherry pie.

In 1976, Air Force veteran Ray Brennan became the first person to die of so-called Legionnaires Disease following an American Legion convention in Philadelphia.

In 1980, on day 267 of the Iranian hostage crisis, the deposed Shah of Iran died at a military hospital outside Cairo, Egypt, at age 60.

In 1996, terror struck the Atlanta Olympics as a pipe bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park, directly killing one person and injuring 111. (Anti-government extremist Eric Rudolph later pleaded guilty to the bombing, exonerating security guard Richard Jewell, who had been wrongly suspected.)

In 2003, comedian Bob Hope died in Toluca Lake, Calif. at age 100. Lance Armstrong won a record-tying fifth straight title in the Tour de France. (However, Amstrong was stripped of all seven of his Tour de France titles in 2012 by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.)

In 2010, BP announced that its much-criticized chief executive, Tony Hayward, would be replaced by Robert Dudley as the company reported a record quarterly loss and set aside $32.2 billion to cover the costs of the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Canadian character actor Maury Chaykin died in Toronto on his 61st birthday.

In 2015, President Barack Obama, during a visit to Ethiopia, unleashed a blistering and belittling rebuke of Republican White House hopefuls, calling their attack on his landmark nuclear deal with Iran ridiculous if it werent so sad. The Boy Scouts of America ended its blanket ban on gay adult leaders while allowing church-sponsored Scout units to maintain the exclusion for religious reasons.

In 2019, President Donald Trump described the Baltimore-area congressional district represented by one of his chief Democratic critics, Elijah Cummings, as a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess. Russian police cracked down fiercely on demonstrators in central Moscow, beating some and arresting more than 1,000 who were protesting the exclusion of opposition candidates on the ballot for Moscow city council. A balcony inside a nightclub in South Korea collapsed, killing two people and injuring 16 others, including American and other athletes at the world swimming championships. The Boston Red Sox announced that former star David Ortiz had been released from Massachusetts General Hospital, where hed had surgery after being shot at a bar in the Dominican Republic.

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An ordained pagan exorcist is leading an army of 'Bunnings Karens' who are filming themselves arguing with vexed shop keepers across COVID-plagued Melbourne.

Psychic Elizabeth 'Lizzy' Rose is a self proclaimed high priestess witch who performs exorcisms for a living when not disrupting shopping aisles.

Ms Rose has emerged as one of the leaders of a group of Melburnians that have come to police attention since mandatory mask wearing laws were implemented last Thursday.

Exorcist Lizzie Rose has a medical certificate that exempts her from wearing a mask. She has filmed herself shopping at Bunnings

Lizzy Rose hams it up while dressed as a Viking Queen. She had been trying to get items for a Viking fire pit when she ran into trouble at her local Bunnings

Lizzy Rose is a pagan witch and hates wearing masks. She has filmed herself burning them in a fire pit

The revelations come as figures on Monday declared Victorians had suffered a record 532 new cases of coronavirus.

Six more Victorians have died overnight, including five residents in aged care and a man in his 50s.

Some 245 people are in hospital with 44 in intensive care.

The group of troublemakers are all believed to be members of 'The Illuminating Army' - a group of like-minded conspiracy theorists that believe COVID-19 is a scam and 5G networks are the work of the devil.

Ms Rose, who has been contacted by Daily Mail Australia, claims to be the leader of the army.

In videos of the exorcist posted on both her own Facebook page and that of the 'army', Ms Rose declares she will continue to travel through up to five Melbourne suburbs a day without wearing a mask.

Other videos show her burning face masks in a fire pit.

'I will be walking the streets with no mask,' she brags. 'And I will be telling anyone who is interested to not consent. To not comply. To not put your life and your health at risk.'

In a long winded rant posted on the day the bans kicked in, Ms Rose filmed herself walking down a street in Tullamarine - northwest of Melbourne - while not wearing a mask.

In it, she claims the government actually hopes to kill Victorians by forcing them to wear masks.

'This is about control, this is about submission, this is about compliance, this is about you doing what you're told not about a killer virus,' she said.

'Don't walk around with a mask on your face, it's really, really quite dangerous for you ... you'll see a whole heap of people die now. That's the agenda - depopulation. And it'll be through wearing a mask.'

The witch goes onto explain that she does not need to obey the draconian laws.

Ms Rose signed off from the video with a smile.

Ordained pagan minister Lizzy Rose (left) has been getting about Melbourne without a mask and proudly filming it

Lizzy Rose sent a message of praise to health workers in April while wearing a mask. She now films herself getting about town without one

Lizzy Rose has started an 'army' of like-minded people opposed to COVID-19 restrictions and laws

'That's not a Mask This is a Mask': a post from Lizzy Rose on her Facebook page

'See you in another suburb really, really soon. No mask,' she said.

Days later, Ms Rose is seen taking her cause into a Bunnings Warehouse in Maribyrnong - just west of Melbourne - where she planned to buy plant pots and items for her 'viking fire pit'.

Armed with a medical certificate exempting her from wearing the mandatory masks, she fronted confused staff members.

'I went shopping in my local Bunnings where I've spent thousands of dollars over nearly 18 years and was rudely illegally denied customer service due to not wearing a facial mask, despite the fact that I produced a legal medical certificate of exemption,' she posted after the stunt.

'Management called the police, stating to police that my exemption was 'bogus' which is completely untrue.

'This is absolutely disgusting treatment of a customer and a direct contradiction to Mr Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria's, instructions stating that no person with a medical exemption is to be refused service, goods or products.'

The video showed Ms Rose referring to masked customers as 'zombies' as she walked without a mask through the aisles.

'People are so very silly,' she said. 'And they're so silly and it's so very sad that they're not evolved enough to see.'

Ms Rose was seen arguing with a checkout operator before she turned the video off.

Lizzy Rose has been travelling about Melbourne filming herself shopping without wearing a mask

A post on social media by Lizzy Rose. In it, she encourages people not to wear masks

This graph shows how the state's second wave has not been kept under control even with lockdown

She later stated that she did not get to purchase the items and had complained directly with Bunnings.

On Monday, Ms Rose said she had plans to conduct the 'Ritual of Justice' on the 'Australian Government Freemason De Molay associates, who run this country and implement draconian inhumane laws upon its people.'

Ms Rose's stance came amid similar protests by another 'Bunnings Karen' who filmed herself in a store in the Melbourne suburb of Narre Warren on Friday.

In a viral video, the woman accused staff at the store of abusing her human rights by politely asking her to wear a mask, and was briefly arrested after clashing with police outside.

New footage emerged on Sunday of the same woman ranting at a mask-wearing Australia Post worker.

'I do not need a mask. If you could stamp that, it would be wonderful,' the woman says as she approaches the Australia Post counter, her mobile phone camera already recording the startled employee.

The anti-mask 'Karen' berated the Australia Post worker (pictured) as he quietly served her

What is a 'Karen'? A 'Karen' is a term for a self-righteous woman, sometimes racist and usually middle-aged, who tells people how to do their jobs, asserts their rights and complains to the manager. The term became popular in meme culture on internet forum Reddit to describe problematic women. A Karen meme is often combined with the quote: 'Can I speak to the manager?' The male version of a 'Karen' is sometimes referred to as a 'Kevin'. Advertisement

The woman then berates the staff member, telling him he has no authority to ask her to wear a face mask while he quietly serves her.

'I suggest you update yourself on what the Department of Human Services have put on with regards to masks and who needs to wear them,' she says sternly.

'And who also has the authorisation to actually ask for that evidence? Because it's not you. Thank you.'

Video of the woman's extraordinary rant inside a Bunnings store was posted to Facebook on Sunday as Victoria recorded 459 new coronavirus cases and ten deaths.

'It's a breach of the charter of human rights,' she said as she aggressively filmed the staff on her mobile phone and threatened to sue them for discrimination.

The woman filmed staff during the dispute and refused to stop despite the calm requests of a male employee.

Other videos posted on Facebook show the woman later being arrested by two police officers outside in the Lauderdale Road car park.

She eventually revealed she had a medical exemption for not wearing a mask after a drawn-out standoff with police.

When more officers arrived at the scene, the woman had her handcuffs taken off but launched into a debate with officers as to why her arrest was unlawful.

Australia Post Karen is believed to be the same woman who berated Bunnings Narre Warren staff (pictured) after being asked to wear a face mask
The federal government has allocated 10 per cent of the 774,000 job slots in the special public works programme to politicians, the spokesperson for the Kano State selection committee, Abubakar Muhammad-Janaral, has disclosed.

Mr Muhammad-Janaral disclosed this to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday in an interview. He said the state has distributed the forms for 4,400 of the states 44,000 job slots to politicians, in compliance with the directive.

He said the allocation was to address politicians interference in the selection processes.

We have commenced the distribution of 10 per cent of 44,000 forms to politicians because we dont want interference in the selection process.

These politicians include the governor, his deputy, senators, members of House of Representatives, House of Assembly members, local government chairmen, councillors and supervisory councillors.

They are not diverting the forms somewhere else as they are expected to distribute them to their people at the local level, he said.

Mr Muhammad-Janaral said the formula is the same nationwide as the federal government has directed all state committees to allocate 10 per cent to politicians.

He said the Kano state committee has constituted local government committees which consist of traditional rulers, clerics and community-based organisations to monitor the selection process.

According to him, the committee will on Monday commence the distribution of the forms to interested unemployed applicants who will later undergo a screening to select the most qualified candidates.

The Special Public Works programme seeks to employ about 774, 000 youths for three months and they would be engaged in unskilled jobs such as sweeping streets, clearing drainage, controlling traffic and road construction among others.

The pilot programme was approved by President Muhammad Buhari to mitigate lack of job opportunities in the rural areas through a short-term engagement of 1000 unemployed persons per local government area for a period of three months.

The enrollees will be given N20,000.00 monthly over the three-month period.

Members of the National Assembly had earlier expressed concern over modalities adopted by the federal ministry of labour for selecting the beneficiaries.

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However, the minister of state for labour and employment, Festus Keyamo accused the federal lawmakers of attempting to hijack the process despite having 15 per cent of the job slots allocated to them.

Mr Keyamo had refused to explain to lawmakers the modalities he had adopted to carry out the recruitment process and why he was not carrying the National Directorate for Employment (NDE) along.

The minister explained that the Act that established the NDE gave his ministry powers to oversee the affairs and programs of the agency.

But the lawmakers later mandated the Federal Ministry of Finance and Budget Planning to release funds for the programme directly to the NDE as it forbade Mr Keyamo from coordinating the exercise.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty says he had difficulty finding work in Bollywood after winning the Academy Award, but is glad that the Oscar curse is apparently over. Resuls statement comes in the wake of Shekhar Kapurs tweet to Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, telling the musician that the Hindi film industry refused to give him work because he had won an Academy Award, which proved you have more talent than Bollywood can handle.

Kapur had tweeted to Rahman after the latter said there was a gang in Bollywood that refused to let him in by spreading rumours about him in the industry. Opening up about his struggles, Resul tweeted to look back at the time when he was nearing a breakdown.

Dear @shekharkapur, ask me about it, I had gone through near breakdown as nobody was giving me work in Hindi films and regional cinema held me tight after I won the Oscar... There were production houses told me at my face we dont need you but still I love my industry, for it, he tweeted.

All my post r not seen in my timeline, posting it here again so that its not wrongly interpreted.Oscar curse is over, We moved on.Im also not liking the direction in which the whole nepotism discussion is going. So peace! Im not blaming anybody fr nt taking me in their films pic.twitter.com/ldpzSNUlsP  resul pookutty (@resulp) July 27, 2020

Resuls post was a response to filmmaker Shekhar Kapurs tweet reading: You know what your problem is @arrahman? You went and got #Oscars. An Oscar is the kiss of death in Bollywood. It proves you have more talent than Bollywood can handle. The sound engineer added that he could have moved to Hollywood, but he did not.

ALSO READ | 'Let's move on': Rahman responds to Shekhar Kapur's comment 'Bollywood can't handle your talent'

My work in India won me the Oscar. I got nominated six times for MPSE and won too... There will always be people to run you down but I have far more faith in my people than anybody else, he shared.

Resul Pookutty went on to describe his experience as a result of the Oscar curse. And much later when I discussed this with my Academy members friends, they told me about Oscar curse. Its faced by everybody.

I enjoyed going through that phase, when you are on top of the world and people reject you, its the biggest reality check, he explained. He continued: Oscar curse is over, We moved on. Im also not liking the direction in which the whole nepotism discussion is going. So peace! Im not blaming anybody for not taking me in their films.
Over 400 athletes from mostly Europe gathered socially distanced in Silvaplana, Switzerland to participate in one of the first bigger events since COVID19 hit the world. These 400 athletes were spread out over several events with two shorter races happening on Saturday and the main World Series race taking place on Sunday. 103 teams had been registered for that World Series event but only 78 teams came to the start. Among them several professional triathletes who may have jumped into this event with not much else going on yet, and among them were Antony Costes and Jan Van Berkel. The OtillO organization had laid out a new COVID19 Safety Management Plan to make this event happen and along those lines masked and gloved volunteers and hand sanitizer were seen all over the course. Plus social distancing was pushed hard too. In general though in this sport on such challenging terrain the athletes get spread out quickly.



Usually athletes have to bring their own reusable cups and soft flasks to grab hydration at the aid stations, something put in place a few years ago to help the environment. But this time disposable cups were pre-filled with hydration for sanitary reasons. The weather played along nicely and the course of 40km of running and 6km of swimming proved to be challenging for all.

Volunteers with masks and gloves look on as Sabina Rapelli grabs a cup from the aid station. Rapelli and her partner Alexis Charrier who are typically a very strong mixed team ended up not finishing the race.

The first swim of the race in Lej Cavloc at 1900 meters of elvation is the coldest swim of the day with temps typically in the high 40s during this time. But after running uphill before and a difficult uphill charge right after this swim it actually is not as bad as it may sound.

Teams typically spread out pretty fast on this very challenging course. And the upcoming section here is rather tricky.

Here Antony Costes and Thomas Navarro of team Les DT Suisse chased fellow triathletes Pierre Massonneau and Fabien Besancon of team Argon 18 up this section. In the end however the placements were reversed.

The mixed team of Martin Flinta and Johanna Edman of team Thule Crew were in the running all day but had to settle for second place in the mixed division at the end.

Swiss Pro triathletes Jan Van Berkel and Samuel Huerzeler adapted reasonably well to this sport and they ended up in 7th place in the the male division, and 8th place overall.

Victor Dahl and Desiree Andersson of Team Envol looking comfortable in first place of the mixed division, and in the end with a time of 5:37:53 in 5th place overall and 10 minutes ahead of the next mixed team who finished 9th overall in 5:47:19.

Athletes encounter a variety of terrain as they race through the Engadin valley. Here Swiss Bastiaan Breine and Belgian Gertjan Winten push up a cobbled climb on the way to 6th place in the male division.

The leading female team of Ulrika Eriksson and Hanna Skarbratt of team ARK Swimrun also looked comfortable and they held on to that lead from start to finish. Their winning time of 5:48:36 meant 10th place overall.

The French pro triathlon team of Antony Costes and Thomas Navarro had the leading team within reach all day but in the end fell 2.5 minutes shot of taking the title.

Even the cows on the Swiss meadows were socially distanced, but curious about the neoprene clad competitors running past them.

The views athletes experience on the course are breathtaking.

The place might look inviting to take a quick break and enjoy coffee and pastries, but there was no time for such delights.

Remi Mariette and Guillaume Henneman of team Gravelines Triathlon on the way to the title and their time of 5:21:56 was the best of the day.

Alexander Berggren and Peter Oom of Team Garmin grabbed 4th place overall and were about 3 minutes away from the podium in the end.

There is so much beautiful nature to experience here that it is well worth to come here another time to take it all in at a more mellow pace, and with more time.

Pushing up one of many climbs on the OtillO Engadin course

This type of racing pretty much guarantees social distancing.

The winning mixed team clearly enjoyed that victory.

Top 5 Male Teams



1. Remi Mariette (FRA) & Guillaume Henneman (FRA / Team Gravelines Triathlon) 5:21:56

2. Antony Costes and Thomas Navarro (FRA / Les DT Suisse) 5:24:18

3. Pierre Massonneau and Fabien Besancon (FRA / Team Argon18) 5:32:43

4. Alexander Berggren and Peter oom (SWE / Team Garmin) 5:35:34

5. David Pasquet and Benjamin Dupain (FRA / Team Surpise) 5:40:25



Top 5 Mixed Teams



1. Victor Dahl and Desiree Andersson (SWE /Team Envol) 5:37:53

2. Martin Flinta and Johanna Edman (SWE / Team Thule Crew) 5:47:19

3. Montse Martinez Guerrero and Eduard Barcelo (AND / Team Envol Andorra) 5:58:38

4. Pierre Auger and Marie Tombelaine (FRA / Pop's Team) 6:15:19

5. Angele Duhem and Pierre Louis Senechal (FRA / TC Weppes) 6:35:41



Top 5 Female Teams



1. Ulrika Eriksson and Hanna Skarbratt (SWE / Team ARK Swimrun) 5:48:36

2. Alexia Bailly and Eugenie Plane (FRA / Team Altrisquad) 5:58:59

3. Annika Eriksson and Kristin Larson (SWE / Team ARK Swimrun) 6:03:53

4. Jenny Ramstedt and Diane Sadik (SWE /HEAD Swimming ) 6:31:45

5. Paulina Sjoholm and Frida Hedman (SWE / Nitroglycerin) 6:49:10





Images 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19  @akuna_life / OtillO Engadin

Images 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 14, 17  Madlaina Walther / OtillO Engadin
Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia started on Monday the first meeting of the second round of talks mediated by the African Union (AU) over the disputed dam

Egypt and Sudan expressed their concerns over Ethiopia's unilateral initial filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), according to two separate statements released by the downstream countries on Monday.

Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia started on Monday the first meeting of the second round of talks mediated by the African Union (AU) over the disputed dam.

The meeting was attended by observers from the US, EU, South Africa and African experts.

The three countries agreed to continue discussions at a second meeting on 3 August for further internal consultations.

Addis Ababa surprised Cairo and Khartoum last week by announcing that the initial filling of the dams reservoir had already taken place without reaching an agreement.

"The Ethiopian unilateral action of filling the dam overshadowed the meeting and raised multiple questions about the benefits of the current path of negotiations to reach a fair agreement on filling and operating the GERD," read a statement by the Egyptian irrigation ministry on Monday.

Following the first round of AU-sponsored talks over the hydropower project that ended without agreement on technical and legal outstanding points, the AU held on Tuesday a mini-summit between the leaders of three countries, who agreed to continue discussions on the filling and operation of the GERD.

After the AU mini-summit, Egypt said it agreed with Sudan and Ethiopia to prioritise reaching a legally binding deal on the filling and operation of the mega-dam, and the AU called on the three countries to "work expeditiously to finalise the text of a binding agreement."

However, Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman Dina Mufti said at a press conference in Addis Ababa on Friday that Ethiopia wants a guiding agreement on the GERD that is non-binding.

One day later, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, the current AU chair, that Egypt rejects any unilateral action that may compromise Egypts right to Nile water.

Sudan's concerns

The Sudanese statement quoted irrigation minister Yasser Abbas as saying that "the Ethiopian action is a worrying and harmful precedent in the path of cooperation between the concerned parties."

Abbas added that Ethiopia's unilateral measure is unacceptable and has caused multiple negative impacts on Sudan.

Sudanese authorities had recorded a decline in water levels on the Blue Nile coming from Ethiopia a few days before Addis Ababa announced the completion of the initial filling of the GERD.

During a press briefing in Khartoum following the meeting, Abbas said the second meeting was postponed for one week upon Sudan's request for further internal consultations and as an expression of Sudan's reservations against Ethiopia unilateral filling of the dam.

Abbas pointed out his country still believes negotiations are "the best and safest way to reach a fair and balanced agreement for all parties and we hope this experience doesn't happen again."

He said the 4.9 billion cubic metres of water Ethiopia retained "is not a large amount... it makes up 10 percent of the output of the Blue Nile but it was achieved during a brief period of only one week, a matter that caused a decline in water levels on the Blue Nile coming from Ethiopia."

Abbas called on Monday for drawing up a specific and patent agenda and a two-week schedule for the current round of talks to ensure the success of the negotiations.

He also demanded preparing specific protocols on the exchange of information and reports among all parties.

Abbas called for giving experts a "greater role" during the next meetings and focusing on the outstanding points concerning the mega-dam without presenting new matters on the table.



Egypt, which relies on the Nile for 95 percent of its fresh water, fears the dam will significantly reduce the rivers flow, especially during the filling stages through periods of drought, extended drought and dry years.

Khartoum said the safety of its Roseires dam will be directly compromised by the operation of the GERD, which is located around 100km from the Sudanese dam. Ethiopia, on the other hand, says the project is key to its development efforts.

The ongoing stretched negotiations come months after talks stalled last February during US-sponsored meetings in Washington. The US, represented by the Treasury Department, along with the World Bank, stepped in last year to host tripartite negotiations that began in November and lasted till February after years-long negotiations between the three countries hit a dead end.

Egypt appealed to the UN Security Council in May to intervene to resolve the stalemate to preserve international peace and stability.



The Security Council held an open session on the dam in late June, urging the three ountries to avoid adopting any unilateral actions and to conduct talks based on mutual nderstanding.

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Jahreau Shepherd

British MMA fighter, Jahreau Shepherd was stabbed to death at a family barbecue for his 30th birthday party.

The welterweight champion nicknamed The Nightmare, was celebrating his birthday on Saturday July 11, with his mum and friends, but at around 10pm, the welterweight champ was knifed near an estate in Kennington, South London.

Officers and paramedics tried to stop him bleeding to death but he died at the scene, cops said.

An eyewitness said: The mother came back to the scene as paramedics were trying to save him. She was shouting Please keep going please save my baby. She was screaming and wailing it was horrible to watch.

Police believe a 26-year-old man was also stabbed at the same incident. But no arrests have been made yet.
In an inspiring story, a man has undertaken an 800-km long journey on foot from Chhattisgarh's Chandkhuri, the village where Lord Ramas mother Kaushalya was born, to Ayodhya, the venue for the ground-breaking ceremony of Ram temple which will be held on August 5.

Mohammad Faiz Khan has reached Madhya Pradesh's Anuppur so far. Sharing his adoration for Lord Rama, he said, I am a Muslim by name and religion but I am a devotee of Lord Rama. If we learn about our ancestors, they were Hindus. Their names might be Ramlal or Shyamlal. We all have Hindu origin whether we go to church or mosque."

He recalled Pakistan's national poet Allama Iqbals message in which he said that a man with perfect sight will consider Lord Rama as the lord of India. With this reverence, Khan is taking soil from Kaushalya's birthplace at Chandkhuri to Ayodhya for dedicating it during the Bhoomi Poojan of Ram Temple.

READ | Donations From All Faiths To Be Accepted For Ram Temple Construction: Trust Member

Pakistan creating communal tensions in India

Speaking of criticism over his initiative, Faiz Khan said that some people in Pakistan have created fake IDs with Hindu and Muslim names and are abusing each other to show that all communities are fighting in India, but that is not true. Pakistan is trying to create communal tension in India on the occasion of Ram temple construction, he added

Mohammad Faiz Khan claimed that he has walked 15,000 km to various temples before. "This is not the first time I am walking to the temples. I have walked 15,000 km and stayed in temples and mutts. Nobody said a word against me. This journey is only 800 km," Khan said.

READ | Ahead Of Bhoomi Pujan, NHAI Approves Civil, Beautification Works Of Rs 55 Cr For Ayodhya

Ram Mandir Bhoomi Poojan

August 5 has been confirmed as the date for laying the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. As per sources, senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are likely to accompany PM Modi for the event. The temple construction will commence after the foundation stone-laying ceremony. The trust has estimated that construction of the temple will be completed in 3-3.5 years i.e by 2023.

READ | UP CM Adityanath Reviews Preparations In Ayodhya Ahead Of Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan On Aug 5

READ | Ayodhya Ram Mandir To Be 161-feet Tall; 'L&T Team Has Reached Spot To Start Construction'

(With inputs from agencies)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 17:12:13|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A group of doctors in Sri Lanka has successfully performed the country's first-ever pediatric liver transplant on a 9-year-old girl at the North Colombo Teaching Hospital (NCTH) in Ragama in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, local media reports said here Monday.

The surgery was performed by a group of specialist surgeons from across the country led by Professor Rohan Siriwardana.

Deputy Director of the NCTH, Dr. Sarath Premasiri told local journalists that the surgery was performed last week while the hospital had performed about 50 human liver transplants, and this surgery was the first pediatric surgery performed.

Professor Rohan Siriwardana, quoted in the local Daily News said the 9-year-old girl had been detected with cirrhosis of the liver, which needs to be transplanted among children.

The donor was the girl's mother, and both the mother and child are doing well under a smooth recovery.

Complex operations were carried out on the child and the mother over a period of 12 hours with the help of the expert doctors after which the child was transferred to the ICU. She is now warded at the NCTH and is preparing to go home in a few days, Dr. Siriwardana said.

"The mother has also recovered and is enjoying the company of her daughter who received a new life from her," the professor said. Enditem
In what is being seen as an assurance to India, Bangladesh on Monday termed bilateral ties as rock solid, adding that in the past few years both countries have scripted a golden chapter (sonali adhyaya) under the leadership of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The remarks by Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen was on the occasion of a Virtual ceremony that marked Indias handing over of 10 Broad Gauge (BG) locomotives to Dhaka to boost rail connectivity between the two nations, seen by both countries as a vital element of bilateral cooperation in promoting trade and connectivity and in boosting the economic partnership.

It may be recalled that China has been trying to increase its economic influence in Bangladesh which New Delhi is only too aware of. This also comes at a time when Pakistan is trying to fish in troubled waters by reaching out to Bangladesh and raking up the Kashmir issue with it.

The Bangladesh Foreign Minister meanwhile also said bilateral ties with India were based on shared principles, values and history touching almost every sphere of life including politics, culture, trade, security, water, energy and much more.

Terming Mondays event as the fulfilment of an important commitment made during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India last October, New Delhi asserted that the two countries need to work together to expedite many of the ongoing projects.

Echoing the warm sentiments, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said very few countries in the world share such close fraternal ties as those of ours and that our partnership today stands out as a role model in the region for good neighbourly relations.

Praising the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, Mr. Jaishankar told his Bangladesh counterpart, As your close friend and neighbour, we are indeed happy to witness the transformative growth. We have seen impressive growth rates in the last few years. And your achievements across all socio-economic indicators have set new benchmarks.

EAM Jaishankar also assured Bangladesh, saying, India remains a committed development partner of Bangladesh. Our uniquely concessional lines of credit of close to US$ 10 billion is the largest India has extended to any country. These projects will help in the infrastructure development of Bangladesh, a pre-requisite for its economy to leapfrog to the next level. We need to work together to expedite many of the ongoing projects.

Incidentally, last Thursday had also marked another historic achievement towards strengthening India Bangladesh maritime and economic partnership in the successful conclusion of the first time ever movement of container cargo from Kolkata to Agartala through the Chattogram Port.

In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs said, In a handing over ceremony held today, 10 Broad Gauge (BG) locomotives were virtually flagged off to Bangladesh by the External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar and the Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal. ... From the Bangladesh end, Minister of Railway, Md. Nurul Islam Sujan and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Abul Kalam Abdul Momen received the locomotives on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh.

The MEA added, In keeping with the requirements of Bangladesh Railway, the locomotives have been suitably modified by the Indian side. These locomotives will help handle the increasing volume of passenger and freight train operations in Bangladesh.

It may be recalled that in response to questions last week on media reports of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan raising the Kashmir issue in a phone conversation recently with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina but reportedly failing miserably in getting any support on the issue from her, New Delhi had last Thursday said it appreciated Bangladeshs consistent position that the Kashmir issue was internal to India. New Delhi had also said its ties with Bangadesh are time-tested.
Kwame Baffoe

27.07.2020 LISTEN

The Bono Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, has urged Ghanaians not to fall for fictitious, concocted and superfluous promises of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its flagbearer, ex-President John Dramani Mahama.

Calling for people to watch for small, verifiable details of previous promises of the NDC leader, Abronye said Mr. Mahama is an epitome of lies and deceit who cannot be trusted. He asserted that since the 2020 general election would go down into historical annals of Ghana as the first time an immediate past president is contesting an incumbent president, it is important to point out the differences between the two leaders.

For this reason, for the electorate to clearly know how to decide, it is important for us to compare and contrast the records of these two persons who are seeking to carry the entire affairs of the nation on their shoulders, he stressed.

According to him, Mr. Mahama, who is staging a comeback, in 2012, promised to put up new infectious disease management centres captured in the NDC's manifesto at page 21 Advancing the Better Ghana Agenda, titled Health For All.

Lo and behold, the good people of Ghana gave John Mahama the benefit of the doubt and bought this and several other unachievable promises he made, considering the fact that he was then an incumbent president. For this promise and several others, Ghanaians voted for him and the NDC at large.

Fast forward today, it is clear that throughout the tenure of John Mahama and the NDC, they could not even construct a single disease infectious management centre. This means that they clearly deceived and played on the intelligence of Ghanaians, he pointed out.

According to him, it is important to reiterate that the NDC flagbearer does not take the Ghanaian people seriously and for this reason we simply can't trust them again with our votes.

Fast forward again in 2020 under the distinguished leadership of the current President, Nana Addo, who made a similar promise at the infantry stage when the nation was engulfed in an unforeseen global pandemic, the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), that he will superintend the construction of an infectious disease management centre that will be constructed in a space of 100 days.

Abronye said President Akufo-Addo was true to his word and had delivered the 100-bed infectious centre with the help of the private sector at a cost of $7.5 million.

To conclude, fellow Ghanaians, the difference is visibly clear so don't fall for the NDC and John Mahama's fictitious, concocted and superfluous promises again because John Mahama is an epitome of lies and deceit, he added.

---Daily Guide
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-28 06:34:00|Editor: huaxia

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OTTAWA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced Monday to extend again the payment deadline for federal taxes and to offer interest relief on taxes amid the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CRA said it is extending the payment due date for current year individual, corporate, and trust income tax returns, including installment payments, from Sept. 1 to Sept. 30 this year.

Penalties and interest will not be charged if payments are made by the extended deadline of Sept. 30. This includes the late-filing penalty as long as the return is filed by Sept. 30, the tax agency said in a press release.

The CRA is also waiving interest on existing tax debts related to individual, corporate, and trust income tax returns from April 1 to Sept. 30, and from April 1 to June 30, for goods and services tax and sales tax returns.

"While this measure for existing tax debts does not cancel penalties and interest already assessed on a taxpayer's account prior to this period, it ensures that a taxpayer's existing tax debt does not continue to grow through interest charges during this difficult time," the agency said.

The Canadian government extended this year's tax filing deadline from April 30 to June 1 to reckon with the impacts of COVID-19. Canadians were also told they had until Sept. 1 to pay what they owe without any interest or penalty.

However, with the deadline having come and gone, the CRA is encouraging Canadians to file as soon as possible to ensure their benefits don't get disrupted.

To ensure Canadians continue to receive their benefits and credits during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CRA temporarily suspended interruptions for those who were unable to file their income tax and benefit return by the June 1 deadline. Enditem
Sometimes a helping hand is just as powerful as a raised fist.

The Autonomous Brown Berets De San Anto demonstrated both Sunday evening outside Harlandale Community Center, where the grassroots group handed out free boxes of food to dozens of people in need.

Our purpose as Brown Berets is to serve the community, said a group member who identified himself as Yei Macehualtin. Whether that means offering food when its needed or organizing against police brutality. Whatever the community needs, thats what we are.

Macehualtin and more than a dozen fellow Brown Berets members got both messages across in earnest.

Sporting the brown berets and khaki paramilitary gear of the original Latino rights group from the 1960s, the 21st century offshoot combined handouts of free food and hygiene goods with fist-pumping cries of Abolish ICE! and Viva la Raza!

Several dozen vehicles pulled up to the groups makeshift checkpoint on the citys South Side, where drivers popped open their trunks and lowered their windows to welcome canned goods and noodle cups along with toothpaste and other personal hygiene products.

I think its amazing that theyre doing this, said Meghan Ridell, who joined her neighbor Michael Levick in the line.

Ridell noted she was unemployed and awaiting disability assistance, while Levick just got a job. But both were still short on food, she said.

Sunday marked the Brown Berets third such giveaway, which they simply called The peoples food on their Facebook page, @AutonomousBrownBeretsSanAnto. The group gathered donations from The Peoples Nite Market farmers market and the Eco Centro community center, along with their own donations, for the event.

As might have been expected, the kind gesture came with a forceful message.

Right now were giving food, Macehualtin said. Tomorrow we may be organizing an anti-police demonstration or an anti-fascist demonstration.

Were a radical group, said a Brown Berets member who only identified herself as Marz.

The original Brown Berets formed in the late 1960s during the Chicano Movement, protesting the exploitation of Latinos in the farming fields and in Vietnam, as well as their educational inequalities and police brutality.

Macehualtin stressed that the Autonomous Brown Berets De San Anto, which started about four years ago, advocate on behalf of all peoples of color, most notably indigenous individuals and members of the LGBTQ community, as well as for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Last month, the group organized a vigil at Milam Park for Charles Roundtree Jr. and Marquise Jones, two young Black men killed by San Antonio police in separate incidents.

Yet as strident as the group is about defunding and even abolishing the police, the members spoke of goodwill going hand-in-hand with their platform.

A raised fist is to show youre in solidarity with a lot of the oppression that people face, Marz said. But what do people do about it? You need to help each other, thats the main goal. To take care of each other.

Rene Guzman is a features reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. He writes about pop culture and what makes San Antonio so uniquely puro San Antonio. To read more from Rene, become a subscriber. rguzman@express-news.net | Twitter: @reneguz
Kriti Sanon wrote a heartfelt note and addressed that she was deeply saddened all over again after having watched Sushant Singh Rajput's last movie. She took a line from the movie - 'It's not seri' (It's not all right) to acknowledge she's never going to move forward with the news of his untimely death.

Like many other celebrities, and his fans, it was difficult for actor Kriti Sanon to watch late star Sushant Singh Rajputs last film Dil Bechara that streamed online on Friday.

The romantic-drama was premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on July 24, and since then scores of Bollywood stars and his legion followers flooded social media platforms to pour in love, admiration and expressed their sorrow to see him one last time on-screens.

Kriti Sanon who was close to Rajput, on Sunday, penned a heartfelt note for him and explained that she was heartbroken all over again after watching his last film. She took a reference from the movie  Its not seri (It is not okay) to admit that she will never move on with the news of his untimely death.

In the movie, Sushants character Manny and his co-star Sanjana Sanghis Kizie use the word seri to confirm to each other that alls okay. The Panipat actor shared a video montage, featuring many clips of Rajput from the movie, and wrote, Its not Seri! And it will never sink in..This broke my heart..again..

In Manny, I saw YOU come alive in so so many moments.. I knew exactly where you had put in a bit of yourself in the characterAnd as always, your most magical bits were your silences.. those bits where you said nothing and yet u said so much! the 29-year-old actor added.

The actor further wished the director of the movie Mukesh Chhabra, and Sanghi for their debut film.

Sanon had shared the screen space with the late actor in the 2017 romantic-drama Raabta. A fresh pair on screen, their chemistry was appreciated by many at the time of the release of the film.

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Lafayette  Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards and SchoolMint CEO Bryan MacDonald announced the education software company will consolidate its U.S. operations in Lafayette, Louisiana, including transferring its headquarters from San Francisco. In the latest tech win for the Acadiana Region, the specialty software development company also will relocate corporate offices from New York and Miami to Lafayette and make a $515,000 capital investment in new facilities.

SchoolMint will create 178 new direct jobs with an average annual salary of more than $74,200, plus benefits. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in another 219 new indirect jobs, for a total of 397 new jobs for Lafayette Parish and the Acadiana Region. The company also is retaining 13 jobs at its existing Lafayette office.

With this headquarters relocation from Silicon Valley to South Louisiana, SchoolMint reinforces what weve known for a long time: Louisiana is a great place for doing business all across the digital landscape, Gov. Edwards said. From Lafayette to Baton Rouge and New Orleans and across North Louisianas I-20 Cyber Corridor, Louisiana is leading the way with cutting-edge tech firms creating quality jobs for our digital future. With this project delivering hundreds of new quality jobs, we are happy to welcome SchoolMint to our growing family of leading high-tech companies.

SchoolMint acquired Lafayette-based Smart Choice Technologies in 2019. Company officials said they began to consider consolidating and relocating their U.S. offices to Lafayette as they tapped into the areas pro-technology and pro-business climate, college-to-career pipeline and availability of local talent.

SchoolMints mission is helping students, parents, teachers, schools and districts create bright, sustainable futures, MacDonald said. We are thrilled about our move to Lafayette and the opportunity to build and expand our workforce in Louisiana, a state that clearly embraces those same values. The vibrant and growing tech culture here is exciting, and we expect to create hundreds of high-tech jobs over the next decade. We look forward to bringing a bit of Silicon Valley to Lafayette, while also deepening the local roots first put down by our Smart Choice division.

LED and the Lafayette Economic Development Authority began formal discussions about the project with SchoolMint in March 2020. To secure the project, the State of Louisiana offered SchoolMint a competitive incentive package that includes the services of LED FastStart, ranked the No. 1 state workforce training program in the U.S. the past 10 years. The incentive package includes a $900,000 Digital Interactive Media and Software Development tax credit on qualifying software development and payroll expenses, as well as a $1 million performance-based grant for corporate relocation expenses. Based upon meeting capital investment and payroll targets, School Mint will be eligible for up to $100,000 a year for 10 years. The company also is expected to utilize Louisianas Quality Jobs Program.

SchoolMints announcement is a big win for Lafayette and an affirmation that we can compete with world-class communities to attract business and talent, Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory said. Our affordable cost of living and cost of doing business, along with our skilled workforce, played a large part in securing SchoolMints commitment to Lafayette. I look forward to working with SchoolMints team as the company grows in Lafayette Parish.

Todays announcement by SchoolMint is a homecoming of sorts  with the companys ties to Smart Choice, which was developed right here in Lafayette, said President and CEO Gregg Gothreaux of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority. Since 2014, Lafayettes tech sector has grown by leaps and bounds, providing jobs that have been transformative to our economy. SchoolMint will continue that transformation by providing quality employment opportunities with local upward mobility for our residents. The relocation of SchoolMints headquarters, the consolidation of operations, and the expansion of their current office in Lafayette demonstrates the quality of our workforce, education system, quality of life and fiber infrastructure. We look forward to SchoolMints growth in Lafayette and working with the company and our community partners to make Lafayette a premier high-tech hub in the southeastern U.S.

Acadiana has cemented itself as a destination for headquarters operations for a host of businesses, especially our vibrant, growing tech sector, One Acadiana President and CEO Troy Wayman said. Companies like SchoolMint see the advantages of Acadianas skilled workforce, business-friendly environment, and quality of life. We are proud to join LED and LEDA in welcoming them to Lafayette.
A market in Newcastle-under-Lyme as a forecast suggests the UK economy may not fully recover until 2024. Photo: PA

The UK economy is unlikely to recover to pre-virus size until late 2024 as falling consumer confidence, employment and investment hold back growth, according to new analysis.

Figures released by the EY Item Club suggest both the pandemics impact so far and in the future will be significantly worse than feared only a month ago.

The forecasting group suggests the pandemic wiped 20% off GDP in the second quarter of this year, a downgrade on the 15% contraction expected last month.

The total value of goods and services produced in Britain is now expected to drop by 11.5% in 2020. It marks almost twice as severe a collapse as the group predicted only three months ago, and 3.5 percentage points worse than expected in June.

READ MORE: Most UK employers expect to hire more staff soon

Unemployment is expected to reach around 9% in late 2020 and early 2021, leading to more subdued consumer spending.

The continued troubles of firms in the UKs dominant services sector, despite easing lockdown rules, are behind the downgrades.

Even though lockdown restrictions are easing, consumer caution has been much more pronounced than expected, said Howard Archer, the groups chief economic adviser.

We believe that consumer confidence is one of three key factors likely to weigh on the UK economy over the rest of the year, alongside the impact of rising unemployment and low levels of business investment.

READ MORE: Amateur investors chase profits during the pandemic

The EY Item Club expects the economy next year to grow slightly more than its June forecast, predicting a 6.5% leap in GDP. But growth is only expected to return to positive territory in the third quarter of next year.

The UK economy may be past its low point but it is looking increasingly likely that the climb back is going to be a lot longer than expected, said Archer.

By the middle of this year, the economy was a fifth smaller than it was at the start. Such a fall creates more room for rapid growth later, but it will be from a much lower base.

Mark Gregory, chief economist at the clubs sponsor and consultancy firm EY, said more UK government support was likely to be needed.

Policies such as VAT cuts are welcome, but they arent a complete solution, as they dont resolve the concerns consumers may have about going to restaurants and bars in the first place, he said.
Twitter and Facebook have both previously been accused of not doing enough to stop the spread of hate speech (Nick Ansell/PA)

Boris Johnson believes Twitter and Instagrams response to anti-Semitic posts by grime artist Wiley has not been good enough, Downing Street has said.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said Mr Johnson shared Home Secretary Priti Patels view that Wileys posts were abhorrent.

Ms Patel has written to the social media giants seeking an explanation as to why some of Wileys posts were visible for more than 12 hours before being removed, and the Government has said it expects a full response.

Police are now investigating a series of comments made on the musicians Instagram and Twitter accounts on Friday that led to him being banned from both for seven days.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: Social media companies need to go much further and faster in removing hateful content such as this.

The message is clear  Twitter needs to do better on this.

Earlier on Monday, Britains Chief Rabbi accused Twitter and Facebook  which owns Instagram  of lacking responsible leadership in their response to the anti-Semitic posts.

Ill also be joining the 48 hour Twitter walk out. Anti-semitism has no place in society and there should be zero tolerance of it. #NoSpaceForJewHate https://t.co/vp6WzCg1Wb  Brendan Clarke-Smith MP (@Bren4Bassetlaw) July 27, 2020

In letters sent to Twitter boss Jack Dorsey and Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, Ephraim Mirvis said: This cannot be allowed to stand. Your inaction amounts to complicity.

He said he would join politicians, celebrities and other high-profile figures in a 48-hour boycott of the social media sites from Monday.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister would not be joining the boycott because of the need to communicate important public health messages.

But at the same time we have set out very clearly that Twitters performance has not been good enough in response to the anti-Semitic comments made by Wiley and it needs to do much better, The Prime Ministers official spokesman said.

I'll be silent on Twitter for 48hrs from 9am tmrw in support of #NoSpaceForJewHate. As a proud British Jew, I want to stand in solidarity against anti-jewish racism, & all racism. Twitter must improve.@MoneySavingExp'll reduce its tweets to only core consumer finance help news  Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) July 26, 2020

Using the hashtag #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate, a number of high-profile Twitter users have announced their support for a planned boycott of the site in protest at the companys handling of the incident.

Among those confirming they would take part was shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy, who tweeted her support alongside the message #Solidarity, as did fellow Labour MP Stella Creasy and Conservative MP Brendan Clarke-Smith, who said: Anti-Semitism has no place in society and there should be zero tolerance of it.

The official Labour Party account tweeted that it supports those taking part but as the official opposition with the duty of holding the Government to account it cannot afford to be absent from social media platforms.

Other prominent figures to announce their support included Lord Sugar, consumer champion Martin Lewis, TV presenter Rachel Riley and comedian Shappi Khorsandi.

It seems that @twitter is ignoring antisemitism and Jew hate by enabling the likes of @WileyCEO to spread poison on their platform.



So from 9am today, let's show Twitter it has to act. Please join me on a 48 hour walkout.#nospaceforjewhate pic.twitter.com/fryTDO7rYH  Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) July 27, 2020

Twitter and Facebook have both previously been accused of not doing enough to stop the spread of hate speech and harmful content on their platforms.

New regulation to better hold online companies to account is currently being prepared by the Government.

Twitter has previously said abuse and harassment have no place on its service and that it takes enforcement action over accounts which violate its rules addressing hateful conduct.
"...uniformly clever and entertaining. Indeed, it's impressive how many different tacks these talented authors have taken in writing about the same theme, a testimonial to a set of remarkable imaginations." -- from the Foreword by Scott Turow

CRIME AND MYSTERY AUTHORS FIGHT VOTER SUPPRESSION

LOWDOWN DIRTY VOTE: VOLUME II

At the Berry Content Corporation, editor and publisher Mysti Berry announced the launch of the anthology Low Down Dirty Vote: Volume II, available in ebook and trade paperback formats.

The book was created in the wake of BCCs first release Lowdown Dirty Vote in 2018, which raised $5000 for, and delivered 100% of its sales to, the ACLU. Volume II will again contribute 100% of its proceeds, this time to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Berry Content Corporation was created by Mysti Berry in 2017 in order to create charity anthologies of short crime fiction to raise money for good causes.

Were proud that every dime of sales is being contributed to the Southern Poverty Law Center, said Mysti Berry. Were sending a $10,000 check as an advance against those sales. Berry Content Corporation is covering all publication costs, including writers fees, so all the money can go to SPLC.

Diverse Voices Support a Common Goal

Writers from all across America have contributed to the new anthology, which turns on the theme of Every stolen vote is a crime. Authors include Faye Snowden, whose devastating story One Bullet, One Vote, reminds readers that the current struggle for voting justice has old and violent roots. Stories with a lighter tone include Stephen Buehlers Nicking Votes, Sarah M. Chens Unit 805, and Bev Vincents Kane and the Candidate. Richly published and frequent award winner, Gary Phillipss cross-genre story High Sheriff Blues drives deep into the heart of Texas law enforcement, and Travis Richardsons The Cost of Ethics suggests a path forward from our current divided nation. Noted literary author and lawyer Scott Turow (U.S. Senate Nominations Commission for the Northern District of Illinois, Time Magazine cover June 11 1990, the novels Presumed Innocent, Burden of Proof , and his new novel, The Last Trial) provides the Foreword.

Each story explores a different facet of what is lost when a citizens vote is stolen, said editor Mysti Berry. Whether its Gabriel Valjans take on US interference in post-war Italian politics, or David Hagertys look at the ERA, all these stories remind us where weve been, and where we need to go to make America a just and equitable country.

Product Availability

Product in ebook format is available for preorder now, and the trade paperback will be available on July 4, 2020 from Amazon. The trade paperback is also available for order from standard book distributors.

###

Publishers Weekly Review

https://booklife.com/project/low-down-dirty-vote-volume-ii-45749

The 22 stories in Berrys politically charged second Low Down Dirty Vote crime fiction anthology all revolve around the premise that every stolen vote is a crime. The anthology opens with Faye Snowdens One Bullet. One Vote, which sets the tone as 85-year-old Willie Mae Brown becomes the first black person in her small town to vote despite threats to the safety of her family. The stories that follow highlight similar issues, including the voting rights of convicted felons (in Tim OMaras Voting Block and S.B. Whites The Sentencing Conundrum), the Equal Rights Amendment (in David Hagertys An ERA of Inequality), and the purging of voter registration lists (Ann Parkers Purged).

The potentially depressing effect of such stories is buoyed by an array of vivid and dynamic characters, such as the cantankerous septuagenarian in Sarah M. Chens Unit 805 who blackmails the board members of his retirement home; the stubborn, old-fashioned grandfather in Camille Minichinos Three Funny Things Happened on the Way to Vote and the granddaughter who cares for him; and two assassins (one each from Frank Rankins A Moral Assassin and Terry Sanvilles Pro Bono) who try to do the right thing.

The depictions of election-rigging occur across time periods both historic (a 1910 sheriffs election in Jackie Ross Flaums Two Dead, Two Wounded) and modern (a congressmans campaign jeopardized by Photoshop and Facebook in Bev Vincents Kane and the Candidate), in communities both small (a nonprofit theatre organization in Robert Loprestis Shanks Gets Out the Vote) and large (a state governors race in James McCrones Numbers Dont Lie). Neither side of the political divide is immune: Madeline McEwens Benevolent Dictatorship features a proud Democrat who forges the signatures on her familys ballots, while Travis Richardsons The Cost of Ethics sees a GOP volunteer lament that hed love to have an ethical Republican Party. Regardless of affiliation, readers will find these stories give color and life to a relevant and often controversial issue.

Takeaway: Social studies teachers, history buffs, and anyone curious about politics will appreciate this anthology of crime stories about fighting, scheming, and taking action for the right to vote.

Great for fans of Michael Dobbss House of Cards, Tom Clancy, Scott Turow

For more information, press only:

Mysti Berry

415 964 6134

lowdowndirtyvote@gmail.com

For more information on Product


Iran will pursue peaceful nuclear program with IAEA, deputy FM says

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, July 27, IRNA -- Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Iran will continue peaceful nuclear activities with the International Atomic Energy Agency according to the regulations agreed with the IAEA.

In an article published in a special issue of Polish Magazine 'Politika Polska' on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of JCPOA, he added that whenever Iran's interests are served under the deal, the country is ready to return to its commitments.

Iran has always been seeking to exploit nuclear knowledge to meet its development needs, both in the years before the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and in the years after, he said.

Criticizing deal-bashing policies of the western states, Araghchi said that it seems that their general perception was that with the departure of technical experts and investments made, Iran's nuclear activities in line with development of the country would stop.

Araghchi also slammed monopolistic policies of the owners of nuclear technologies, saying that they have adopted contractionary policy against any request.

Referring to Iran's continuous adherence to cooperation with IAEA, he said that despite political propaganda by elements affiliated to the Western and Israeli security services, Iran has never cut off cooperation and dialogue with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

As a responsible and accountable country to the international community, Iran responded to all ambiguities and misinformation about its peaceful nuclear activities and made it fully transparent to the competent international body, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the senior diplomat said.

Finally, the massive news propaganda against Iran's peaceful nuclear program was thwarted by providing information, conducting numerous inspections, installing cameras, and presence of IAEA inspectors at all nuclear sites and related activities, he said.

The use of peaceful energy is an inalienable right of the Iranian people, and Iran will not surrender this right to the US bullying, he said.

8072**2050

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Im scared for my kids safety every day, Maxine Rodriguez, 39, who helped set up the memorial, said. Its hard to come out of the house and see the kids that your kids hang out with passed away.

That afternoon, Ms. Mendez, escorted by friends and relatives, came to the spot where her son had died and broke into tears

The police said the two teenagers and the third victim, identified by his mother as Leswin Campbell, 17, had been playing basketball at the George Walker Jr. Park in Cypress Hills before the shooting took place on Sunday.

At around 6:40 p.m., the three young men were standing on a sidewalk when a gunman fired out of the moon roof of a sport utility vehicle and sped away. Detectives said they believed that the gunman had gotten into an argument with at least one of the victims before the shooting.

Both Mr. Mendez, whose nickname was Curvy, and Mr. Villa, who friends called Tone, were shot in the head. Mr. Mendez was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr. Villa died on Monday at a hospital, the police said. Mr. Campbell was hit in the leg. His mother, Nicola, said that he underwent five hours of surgery.

Ms. Mendez declined to speak with reporters on Monday, and her employer, Roma Lopez, said that the mother was devastated.

She has no words, Ms. Lopez said.

Ms. Lopez, who has known Mr. Mendez since he was born, described him as a kind and reserved boy who was not known for causing trouble. He was an obedient child who loved playing basketball and often babysat his two younger brothers.
The Virginia Department of Health on Monday reported 1,505 new cases of COVID-19, marking the second-highest daily increase since the pandemic arrived in the state.

Mondays case count was nearly triple the number of daily cases on July 1 when Gov. Ralph Northam lifted restrictions to allow for larger crowds, indoor dining and the return of most commerce.

Northam warned over the weekend that he might impose restrictions. He plans Tuesday to hold a briefing on the coronavirus as cases rise to the same level as Mays peak.

We will be watching the public health data closely over the weekend  if the numbers dont come down, we may have to take additional steps to blunt the spread of this virus. Wear a mask and practice physical distancing so we dont have to move back, Northam on Saturday posted to his Facebook and Twitter accounts.

The weekend numbers show Virginias cases continuing to surge. As of Monday, 86,072 people have been infected with the virus, or 1,505 more than reported Sunday. The last time case counts were that high was May 25 with 1,485 and May 26 with 1,615.

The department reports that the seven-day moving average number of cases is now at 1,100, mirroring the previous peak.

A week ago, that average was 962, and on July 1, when Virginia entered the third phase of reopening, the seven-day average stood at 527.

Virginias hospitals are also seeing an increase in COVID-19 patients, with 54 more admissions reported Monday for a total of 1,200 inpatients.

Of them, 260 are in intensive care units and 140 are on ventilators.

The University of Virginias Biocomplexity Institute in its weekly update reported that 12 of the states 35 health districts are experiencing hockey stick surges.

It is crucial that Virginians clamp down now to prevent these surges from growing and spreading, the report said.

Cellphone data indicate people are working, shopping and moving about at nearly pre-pandemic levels, the report said.

The models show that if the virus continues at its current pace, weekly cases will quadruple in the Roanoke metro area by Sept. 6. In the Blacksburg-Christiansburg metro area, weekly cases that now number 59 are projected to shoot up to 371 by Labor Day.

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And still, some of us are cursed with vision. Those who loved the victims have no choice but to continue bearing witness  and fighting for change that can never make them whole. Last month I had the privilege of testifying in front of Congress alongside George Floyds brother, Philonise Floyd, who had buried his brother the day before. He implored lawmakers to make sure George would not become another name on a list that wont stop growing.
Organisers of a Black Lives Matter rally planned for Tuesday have lost their last-ditch appeal to allow the protest to go ahead, but are urging people to risk jail and march.

The New South Wales Court of Appeal on Monday dismissed a challenge which argued Justice Mark Ierace did not have the authority to prohibit the rally.

The judge on Sunday accepted the police argument that the possibility of community transmission of COVID-19 arising from the planned CBD rally on Tuesday made the event too risky.

NSW Police said the protest is 'unauthorised' and urged anyone thinking of attending to reconsider, while warning officers won't hesitate to take action if required.

Padraic Gibson is pictured left with Paul Silva, nephew of David Dungay Jr. Mr Gibson is the organiser of Tuesday's protest and still urges people to go despite it being rules as an 'unauthorised event'

The Sydney Black Lives Matters rally lost its status as an authorised assembly on Sunday, opening up demonstrators to arrest and fines for breaching coronavirus restrictions on mass gatherings (pictured, protesters outside the Supreme Court in NSW on July 23)

But organisers are now asking supporters to gather in groups of fewer than 20 in The Domain after failing to overturn the ruling.

'It's not illegal to have your lunch in a park in the city of Sydney still, even under the COVID-19 pandemic, if you keep your social distance and you don't gather in groups of 20,' organiser Paddy Gibson said.

'Don't stick in a group of more than 20.

'Stand on your own, stand in a group that's smaller than 20 as you would if you went to the park on any given day and you can listen to the speeches for justice.'

Mr Gibson said masks and hand sanitiser would be provided.

The appeal court, which will hand down its reasons as soon as possible, made no legal costs order after noting the challenge was a matter of public importance involving complex legislation.

Organisers previously said they planned to risk arrest and go ahead with the rally despite the ruling.

Rally organiser Padraic Gibson and Leetona Dungay, the mother of David Dungay Jr, speak to media after a failed Court of Appeal bid

David Dungay Jr (pictured) was due to be a major focal point of the protest on Tuesday - with protesters due to walk to Parliament House where a petition would be delivered calling for justice over his death

On Monday organisers delivered a petition signed by more than 90,000 people, calling for justice for Indigenous man David Dungay Jr, to state parliament.

Mr Dungay, a diabetic, died after prison officers stormed his Sydney jail cell in 2015 to stop him eating biscuits and his death was due to be a focal point of the protest.

The family of Mr Dungay have asked that people attending any gathering abide by COVID-19 safety protocols.

Nephew of Mr Dungay, Paul Silva, previously announced the rally will be going ahead regardless unless his uncle's death is re-investigated.

'If the premier can commit to asking Safework NSW and the DPP to investigate whether charges can be laid in relation to my Uncle's death I'm sure that we can put off the protest,' Mr Silva wrote on Facebook.

Black Lives Matter protesters are pictured marching towards Martin Place on July 16 in Sydney

Paul Silva, Nephew of David Dungay Jnr, speaks to the media during a press conference at the Supreme Court of NSW in Sydney

'I would like the premier to confirm that black lives matter in NSW by asking for that investigation, if she refuses then it just goes to show that no one cares about our lives and we will see you on Tuesday.'

Mr Dungay's mother, Leetona Dungay, said: 'We're still going to rally and we're going to rally until we get charges. I will rest after that.

'I'm going to walk strong and tall until the day I get justice.'

Speaking after the unsuccessful appeal, Mr Gibson said The Domain was 'massive' and urged people to go there in groups on Tuesday to eat their lunch and listen to speeches.

'We'll continue to raise our voices for justice before this family presents 100,000 signatures which have been put on a petition calling for charges to be laid on the guards,' he said.

Up to 1,400 people have said they will be going to the rally on Facebook while 3,400 others expressed interest.

Organisers have told attendees to register online to allow for contact tracing but NSW Police has warned that officers will be issuing fines.
Most travellers have had their wings crunched this year. But as jetsetting slowly returns, carriers which have the funding and incentive to keep running flights (even, likely, at a loss, as most holiday makers are either prohibited or unwilling to book trips right now) like Qatar Airways and Emirates are competing to grab market share and to make the most of their resources.

Qatar Airways recently unleashed an outrageous new way for customers to experience its private jet program and introduced Hazmat suits to its commercial jets to add another layer of bio-security to its operations.

Emirates has now come out with another drawcard of its own, aimed at boosting travel confidence around the world: it has announced it will start paying for passengers medical and quarantine bills, should a customer become sick with COVID-19 or be forced to cough up thousands of dollars for hotel quarantine.

Specifically, Emirates will cover medical expenses of almost AU$245,000 and quarantine hotel costs of about AU$160 per day for 14 days, should passengers be diagnosed with The Virus during their trip.

As CNN Travel reports, this cover is available to all passengers and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first leg of their trip, so passengers can continue to have the benefit even if they travel onwards from their Emirates destination.

As News.com.au reports, if travel restrictions were loosened (Australians currently cant fly anywhere anyway), this would be game changing; Currently in NSW, return travellers now need to pay around $3000 in hotel quarantine fees, as well as a further $1000 for an additional adult and $500 for an additional child.

In Queensland, the new cost for return travellers  which includes accommodation and daily meals  is $2,800 for 1 adult, $3,710 for 2 adults, and $4,620 for 2 adults and 2 children.

However, Emirates will not continue this initiative through to a time when a more substantial chunk of the population will actually be travelling. As DMARGE recently reported, in a best case scenario Australian borders would open once again in January 2021 (with hotel quarantine requirements).

Emirates cover though, will only be valid from now until October the 31st, 2020.

While Emirates is the first carrier to take this step to offer COVID coverage, its not the first contender in the tourism industry to offer such an initiative.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emirates (@emirates) on Jul 21, 2020 at 8:03am PDT

As CNN Travel reports, Central Asian nation Uzbekistan has promised the sum of $3,000 as compensation to visitors who contract Covid-19 while vacationing there.

The Mediterranean island of Cyprus, meanwhile, which reopened its borders to selected countries in June, is pledging to cover the cost of lodging, food, drink and medication for visitors who test positive for the virus during their stay.

This also comes in a context where Emirates doesnt have the domestic routes to sustain it through a time like this like airlines like Qantas or American Airlines do. It is also one of the worlds richest carriers (enabling it to continue operating).

This may explain its persistence in running international flights.

As aviation expert Rico Merkert recently confirmed to DMARGE, continuing to operate flights right now has been great for brand building and grabbing market share. It is also harder to gain customers than to lose them in this business (once loyalty schemes and a decent product come into play), Professor Merkert added.

They understand the importance of aviation to their economy (as a hub with some pretty new and expensive infrastructure sitting there and lots of competition from the UAE and other places), the Sydney University Professor of Transport and Supply Chain Management told DMARGE, referring to Qatar Airways.

This latest move by Emirates suggests the Dubai Flagship carrier may be taking the same tack.

Read Next
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Temperatures taken and anti-bacterial gel applied, the faithful passed through a disinfecting arch set up in front of centuries-old wood-and-stone doors. Inside, they sat spaced out on pews while robed priests donned face masks. In another church, a glass partition separated people from the altar.

Mexico City's Roman Catholic churches, including its main cathedral, began celebrating Mass again Sunday after three months of pandemic lockdown with a new normal that seemed to have more rules than faithful in the pews.

I felt a great need and that is why I came, to ask that all that is happening pass," Hermelinda Olivares, 53, said in a church in southern Mexico City where barely a dozen people listened to a priest pray for COVID-19 patients, healthcare workers and the deceased.

Most said they were just happy their churches were open again and felt it was important to take physical communion.

Some protested that authorities had taken too long to allow churches to reopen. They let the supermarkets stay open but kept us closed until today, so here we are," said Monica Robleda, sitting alone on a pew far from anyone else.

Federal authorities left the decision on whether places of worship could open to state governments and city councils. Mexico now has topped 385,000 confirmed new coronavirus cases and more than 43,000 deaths.

Masses have been held in some parts of Mexico outside the capital with similar sanity measures in July. In other parts, religious services remain virtual.

The clergy has been hard hit by the pandemic. According to a count by the Catholic Multimedia Center, 46 priests, six deacons and three nuns has died of COVID-19 as of July 15.

Some churches, such as the Evangelical ones in Mexico's capital, decided to wait for the number of infections to go down further before opening, despite official authorization. Mexico's Episcopal Conference said each priest should assess the situation in his parish before resuming services.

Story continues

The options we chose - both parishioners and priests - must be taken with special care to preserve health and life, said Cardinal Carlos Aguiar, the archbishop of Mexico City.

While the capital's iconic cathedral lacked its habitual tourists on Sunday, it offered modern pandemic options like being able to give alms through a QR code that can be read by cellphones although nobody appeared to use it.

About 500 faithful gathered Sunday at the Basilica of Guadalupe, only a small part of the 5,000 that can be hosted by the north Mexico City basilica that is the destination of one of the largest Catholic pilgrimages in the world.

One of five of Mexico's confirmed coronavirus cases has been registered in the capital and Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum has threatened to return to a stricter lockdown if a worrying increase in infections continues.

Everything is a risk but you have to live, said Luis Lopez, 68.

Sheinbaum has said that temples should remain closed in neighborhoods that are still on high alert for infections. Churches that do open must impose sanitary measures like face masks, that ceremonies not last longer than half an hour and that church occupancy not exceed 20%.

In a middle-class neighborhood in southern Mexico City, Salvador Sanchez stood at the door of the Parish of San Juan Evangelista making sure those measures were respected. Besides taking temperatures and applying gel, the 62-year-old counted how many parishioners entered.

I am happy but concerned that not all people cooperate and that is why the infections continue, Sanchez, who has lost two friends to the pandemic.
Actor Ritvik Arora, who plays the role of Kunal Rajvansh in Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke, has been dropped from the show. Producer of the show Rajan Shahi decided against working with him because of his unprofessional behaviour.

According to ETimes, Shahi revealed in an interview two weeks ago, that one of his lead actors was demanding an exorbitant fee hike and also behaving unprofessionally. However, at that time, the producer did not reveal the name of that actor.

In a latest development, Shahi has confirmed to ETimes that the actor was Arora. The producer divulged that when a few weeks ago the shows supervising producer Vivek Jain called Ritvik, the actor said he was ready to resume work from July 1, but they should first talk to his father.

That itself was unprofessional because hes the actor, who has signed a contract with us, said Shahi.

The producer added that when Jain called his father, he asked for almost doubling the actors remuneration, besides a minimum 25-day work guarantee. Shahi also said that Aroras father even asked Jain not to call again if they wanted to negotiate.

Shahi said that they have been very accommodating with actors having genuine coronavirus concerns.

On the other hand, Arora said that he was not returning to the city due to COVID-19. He stated that his uncle passed away recently, so everyone in his family was worried.

The actor said that he asked his father to communicate with the producers of the show as he was deeply affected by my uncles death.

Arora added that he also asked his father to apologise. In his apology, my father stated that it wasnt about the money, but about my safety and well-being, Arora said.

The actor asserted that all this is happening because of miscommunication and misunderstanding.
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. French MP Valerie Boyer has commented on the recent escalation of the situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border, noting that she wanted to honor the memories of the Armenian servicemen killed during the clashes.

''I wanted to honor the memories of the Armenian servicemen who fell as a result of the Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia'', ARMENPRESS reports Boyer wrote on her Facebook page, adding that a commemorative event was organized at Holy Translators church of Marseille.

''France should remain Armenia's ally and sister'', the French MP said.

6 Armenian servicemen have been killed during the Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia that started on July 12. 4 of them died during the clashes, another was severely injured and died later at the hospital. Another servicemen was killed today, July 27.

Azerbaijan has reported over a dozen of casualties, including a General-Major and a Colonel. Armenia claims it has prooves Azerbaijan has suffered much more casualties.

Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
Women hit by the state pension age rise cant sleep and are beside themselves as they await the Court of Appeals judgement on their case against the government, a leading campaigner warned.

Almost four million were affected when ministers raised the state pension age from 60 to 66 for women born after March 1950  with experts warning they were not given sufficient notice to prepare for the overhaul.

BackTo60, a campaign group calling for women to be reimbursed for pension payments they have missed due to the changes, lost its landmark High Court battle after taking the government to court but appealed the ruling last week.

Women hit by the controversial pension age rise could potentially have to wait until the autumn for a decision to be announced.

Joanne Welch, founder of Backto60, told The Independent: Across the UK, there are women born in the 1950s hit by the stage pension age rise who are living below the breadline, who cant sleep and are beside themselves, wondering how they are going to cope while they wait for the judgement to be announced.

Recommended Seven women explain why they want pension age dropped to 60

Once the judgement is announced, we still have to get the remedy put in place. The lives of women hit by the state pension age rise have been obliterated. Womens stories haunt me every day. I hear another story of someone telling me how they have been impacted every day.

We are very confident about the court case. There is no doubt that this is discrimination. Living on the state pension alone means living below the breadline. It is one of the worst state pensions in the world despite us being the fifth-richest country. But women born in the 1950s arent even receiving this.

Ms Welch argues the state pension age rise contravenes a United Nations treaty the UK signed up to 40 years ago and has set up a peoples tribunal dedicated to transferring the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) into domestic UK law.

The international treaty, described as an international bill of rights for women, was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979 before being ratified by 189 states in 1981.

Discriminatory policies towards women have been able to evolve because CEDAW wasnt transposed into UK law, Ms Welch added. Namely the state pension age change but other policies too.

John Cooper QC, a human rights barrister, told The Independent he was very excited about the CEDAW peoples tribunal, for which he acts as counsel.

He said: This is long overdue. The problem has been there since the ratification of CEDAW in the 1980s. Nothing has been done to amend our laws to cover equality as far as women and girls are concerned.

The state pension age rise was accelerated in 2010 and saw women reach parity with men, at 65, in 2018.

The UN has previously said women affected by the state pension age change were at increased risk of poverty, homelessness and financial hardship  with many such women forced to work through the coronavirus crisis despite being at risk of severe complications from the life-threatening illness due to their age.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 January 2022 Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast PA UK news in pictures 17 January 2022 Bonhams Danny McIlwraith holds a Nigerian polycrome carved wood mask during a photocall for the sale of the Jim Lennon Collection at Bonhams in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA

Dr Davina Lloyd, chair of the peoples tribunal, told The Independent women hit by the state pension age changes were substantially discriminated against on the grounds of age and sex and were not given adequate notice about the overhaul.

Dr Lloyd, the UN envoy for BackTo60, said: Fifties women are the group of women who are statistically going to need their state pension more than others. They couldnt build up a private pension in their own right because of having to do childcare, or working part-time, low pay and sexism.

The government have effectively said men and women can both retire at 65 but we know that one group will get one-fifth of the other group. They should have chosen women who were in the workforce after the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act.

Earlier in the month, The Independent reported the number of women aged 60 and over claiming universal credit and out of work benefits increased by almost five times in the last six years  with campaigners attributing this sharp rise to pension age reform.

The rise of women making claims for such benefits  which soared from 7,578 to 36,527 between 2013 and 2019  was almost three times more than men who were aged 60 and older.

The pension age for women has gradually increased from 2010 as part of efforts to bring it in line with mens, which had been five years higher for decades prior.

According to a parliamentary report, the UK governments position remains that the state pension age needed to be equalised.

In response to a 2015 petition calling for fair transitional state pension arrangements for 1950s women, the UK government replied: Regular consideration of state pension age is necessary to ensure the pensions system remains sustainable as life expectancy grows.

They added: The policy decision to increase womens state pension age is designed to remove the inequality between men and women. The cost of prolonging this inequality would be several billions of pounds."

The Department for Work and Pensions would not comment while there is ongoing litigation.
A man is being treated for burns to his leg and smoke inhalation after fire tore through a home south of Brisbane.

Emergency services were called to the blaze on Brigantine Place in Sunnybank Hills just before 3pm on Monday to find the upper floor of the two-storey building engulfed.

Firefighters at the scene three people in the home at the time were able to self-evacuate. Credit:Nine News

Eight fire crews arrived at the scene, with the fire brought under control about an hour later, a Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said.

Paramedics treated one patient for burns to their leg and smoke inhalation.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea are calling on the states chief judge and district attorneys across the five boroughs to fully reopen the court system amid an uptick in violence across the city.

Over the last four months, courts have been operating mostly remotely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but have gradually started to return to in-person functions despite pushback from public defenders.

De Blasio and Shea warned New Yorks Chief Judge Janet DiFiore and the five district attorneys in a letter that homicides were up 29% and shootings up 73% since last year.

Our criminal justice system needs to get back to full strength, our courts not only have to reopen they need to reopen fully as quickly as possible, de Blsaio told reporters during a press conference Monday.

Just a little beginning of the court system wont get it done, we need to find a way to get back to full strength and there are obvious issues of health and safety we want to help, he continued.

Appearing alongside de Blasio Monday, Commissioner Shea said that of the roughly 2,100 open gun cases in the city, only about half had been indicted, while the other half were walking around next to you and me every day on the street.

But the state Office of Court Administration slammed the mayor for asking to rush the reopening of courts when the city has postponed other in-person functions like indoor dining.

We have been working to reestablish full court operations, including jury trials. While New York City still does not allow indoor dining, the Mayor blithely asks us to call in thousands of people a week citywide for jury duty, OCA spokesman Lucian Chalfen said.

Clearly he has absolutely no understanding of how the criminal justice process works, Chalfen continued.

Earlier this month, courts across the five boroughs entered Phase 3 of gradual return toward in-person functions.

Those operations included expanding certain Criminal Court proceedings.

Phase 3 includes the resumption of grand juries, however, those proceedings will not start until Aug. 10.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 15:09:14|Editor: huaxia

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LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Two Afghan army personnel were wounded after a military helicopter made a hard landing in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province on Monday, a provincial source confirmed.

"The incident occurred in Kajaki district early in the morning. An investigation has been launched into the incident and details will be shared with the media later Monday," Omar Zwak, provincial government spokesman, told Xinhua.

None of the injured suffered life-threatening wounds and were transported to an army camp, he said.

Local villagers claimed that the chopper was struck by a Taliban weapon.

Helmand province, notorious for poppy growing, is a known Taliban stronghold. Enditem
Antony Fernando By

Express News Service

NAGAPATTINAM: Seven fishermen from Arukatuthurai in Nagapattinam district were allegedly assaulted and robbed of their nets, GPS and ropes while in mid-sea by Sri Lankan fishermen in two separate incidents on Sunday evening.

The first incident took place about 14 nautical miles east of Arukatuthurai at around 5.45 pm. Four fishers -- S Ramachandran (36), S Aiyappan (20), P Porselvan (34) and boat owner D Bharathidasan (39) -- had gone fishing in Bharathidasans fibreglass boat. At that time, a group of Sri Lankan fishermen in mechanised boats allegedly confronted the TN fishers, got onto their boat, assaulted and robbed them of their fishing equipment. The TN fishers somehow managed to reach Arukatuthurai shore at around 7 pm. The injured fishermen were admitted to the Vedaranyam Government Hospital. Bharathidasan and Ramachandran were later shifted to Nagapattinam GH.

The second attack is said to have occurred soon after the first. Three other fishermen -- G Vetrivel (44), Chakravarthi (60) and S Ramasamy (60) - were attacked by Lankan men about 14 nautical miles south-east of Arukatuthurai. "The assailants came in high-speed engine boats, jumped onto our boat and shouted at us in Tamil," said Vetrivel.

The fisheries department said the attacks took place in Indian waters and Lankans had crossed the maritime border. Nets, ropes, torchlights and communication equipment had been robbed from the TN fishers, sources said.

Based on the complaint from the victims, Vedaranyam Police have registered two separate cases. "Based on the description given by the Arukatuthurai fishers, we suspect the same group has attacked twice," Marine Police Inspector K Jyothimuthuramalingam said.

The Marine Police also said the attacks had taken place within the Indian Coast Guard's jurisdiction and speculated that Lankans could have been instigated by the Sri Lankan navy.

Commandant of Indian Coast Guard SR Nagendran said that patrolling is on schedule and off-shore patrol vessels are on the move. We suspect that the assailants are Sri Lankan fishers. We are investigating the reports, taking stock of the situation and acting accordingly," he said.
After spending a May day preparing her classroom to reopen for preschoolers, Ana Aguilar was informed that the tots would not have to wear face masks when they came back. What's more, she had to sign a form agreeing not to sue the school if she caught COVID-19 or suffered any injury from it while working there.

Other teachers signed the form distributed by the Montessori Schools of Irvine, but Aguilar said she felt uncomfortable, although it stipulated that staff members would be masked. At 23, she has a compromised immune system and was also worried that she could pass the coronavirus on to her fiance and other family members.

Aguilar refused to sign, and a week later she was fired. "They said it was my choice to sign the paper, but it wasn't really my choice," said Aguilar, who's currently jobless and receiving $276 a week in unemployment benefits. "I felt so bullied."

As employers in California and across the country ask employees to return to the workplace, many have considered and some are requiring employees to sign similar waivers, employment lawyers say. And many employees, mostly lower-wage and minority workers in essential jobs, are calling lawyers to complain about the waivers.

"These are illegal agreements that are totally unfair to workers," said Christian Schreiber, a San Francisco lawyer who represents Aguilar and other employees.

The California State Legislature last year passed a law, AB-51, prohibiting employers from requiring employees or job applicants to sign away their right to pursue legal claims or benefits under state law. The law, which also prohibits firing any employee for refusing to sign, is being challenged in court by business groups.

Only a few employers have forced employees to sign liability waivers, at least partly because these waivers likely would be held unenforceable by courts, lawyers who represent employers say.

"Courts don't recognize them because of the unequal bargaining power between employers and employees," said Isaac Mamaysky, a partner at the Potomac Law Group in New York City. "With so many unemployed, people would sign just about anything to get a job."

Another reason they are considered unenforceable: Workers who get sick or injured on the job generally are compensated through state workers' compensation systems rather than through the courts, and state laws don't allow employers to force employees to sign away their right to pursue workers' comp claims, Mamaysky said.

Companies may have the right to require nonemployees working on their premises to sign COVID waivers. When the New York Stock Exchange reopened in late May, it made floor traders sign a form clearing the exchange of liability if they contracted COVID-19. That was legally permissible because the traders were not exchange employees, an NYSE spokesman said. He declined to say whether any traders have become infected with the virus.

The Las Vegas-based restaurant chain Nacho Daddy, which did require employees to surrender their right to sue over COVID-19, reportedly fired some who refused. Following negative media coverage, Nacho Daddy removed the language that waived legal rights and instead had employees agree to follow safety rules such as masking and social distancing. The company did not respond to a request for comment.

Having employees agree to comply with safety rules is a more common and legally acceptable approach than waivers.

"I suggest my clients go to this reasonable middle ground: Here's what we promise to you, here's what we want you to promise to us," said David Barron, an employment lawyer with Cozen O'Connor in Houston.

Business groups hope Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will make liability waivers unnecessary. He has proposed a Senate bill with broad liability protection for employers for five years against a range of coronavirus-related claims, and says he won't back any COVID relief bill that doesn't include such protections. President Donald Trump has said he supports the liability protection.

At least 10 states already have enacted laws providing some form of immunity for businesses from lawsuits brought by employees and others who contract COVID-19. Similar bills are pending in about 10 more states, according to the National Employment Law Project. The California Assembly is considering a liability protection bill for public K-12 schools.

Federal legislation to provide COVID liability relief for employers should protect only those that follow applicable health and safety guidelines, said John Abegg, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, which supports McConnell's proposal.

But even if McConnell is able to overcome Democratic opposition and pass liability protection as part of a new pandemic economic relief bill, that still wouldn't shield employers from lawsuits claiming gross negligence or reckless or intentional conduct in failing to implement COVID-19 safety precautions.

Across the country, hospitals and nursing homes, as well as companies like McDonald's, Walmart and Safeway, have been hit with wrongful death lawsuits filed by families of employees who died from the virus. They typically cite egregious conduct that goes beyond ordinary negligence, potentially erasing any statutory liability relief.

Nearly 50 COVID-related lawsuits have been filed relating to conditions of employment, including exposure to the coronavirus or the lack of protective equipment, according to data collected by the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth.

In many states, alleging intentional misconduct also may allow workers harmed by COVID-19, and their families, to file lawsuits rather than go through the workers' compensation system, and thus seek bigger damage awards.

For instance, a suit filed in Alameda County Superior Court in June by the widow of a longtime employee of Safeway's distribution center in Tracy, California, alleged that the company had concealed a COVID-19 outbreak from workers and informed them that personal protective equipment was not recommended, contrary to guidelines from federal and state authorities.

"I don't know of any jurisdiction that would allow a waiver against intentional misconduct," said Louis DiLorenzo, head of the labor and employment practice for Bond Schoeneck & King in New York, who represents employers. "That would encourage misconduct."

Worker advocates argue that lawsuits like the one against Safeway should be encouraged  rather than blocked by waivers or immunity laws  to bring to light serious public safety problems. Cases against McDonald's in Oakland and Chicago  in which workers claimed the restaurants had created a "public nuisance" by not taking steps to adequately protect workers and customers from COVID-19  resulted in court orders in late June for those McDonald's restaurants to implement safety measures such as masks, social distancing and temperature checks.

"A very tiny number of cases are being filed by workers, and those cases are valuable," said Hugh Baran, a staff lawyer at the National Employment Law Project. "These are the kinds of claims we should want workers to bring."

Schreiber said he contacted the Montessori school about Aguilar's firing, and it offered to reinstate her without having her sign the waiver. But Aguilar declined, saying the school was putting teachers at risk by not requiring pupils to wear masks. The school then offered her six weeks of severance pay, which she is considering.

By refusing to sign the waiver or accept her job back, she said, she was standing up for all the teachers at the school, many of whom have children and can't afford to lose their job.

"I liked my job and I needed the paycheck," Aguilar said. "But making you sign these papers is telling you that whatever happens, they really don't care."
A new print edition of the AZERNEWS online newspaper was released on 25 July.

The new edition includes articles: President Aliyev hails Azerbaijan's infrastructure projects; Seventeen Armenians arrested in Belgium for hate crimes against Azerbaijanis; Baku assesses damage done to Tovuz

region during Armenian attack; Country boosts gas supplies to Turkey in 2019 and etc.

AZERNEWS is an associate member of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

The online newspaper is available at www.azernews.az.
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

An ATM, short for Automated Teller Machine, is an electronic telecommunications setup aimed to assist financial institution customers in performing financial transactions such as deposits and withdrawal, account information and transfer of funds, without the physical involvement of bank staff. It has different terminologies in different countries, such as automated banking machine (ABM) in Canada, while the British variants include cashpoint, cash machine and hole in the wall.

Since their official launch in 1969, the definition has changed from a mere cash withdrawing machine to an automated machine with multiple functionalities. They have undergone changes according to the needs of the market, as competitors try to outmuscle each other with introduction of new and improved features. The global demand for them is poised to grow on account of technological advancements in wireless communicating device integration.

Introduction of technologies such as Bitcoin ATMs, which have found a rapidly growing audience; Digital Toppers, which allow operators to offer customers with more interactive experiences; and integration of AI, which helps machines perform at an optimal level at all times, has enabled in further growth of the global market. Leading banks are integrating their services with technology companies in order to deliver a seamless consumer experience. The global ATM market is an attractive one, owing to the following factors:

Geographical mapping coupled with GPS has increased the ease of identifying potential areas for kiosk installation, which in turn has increased global demand.

Competitive rivalry among private sector banks to increase market penetration leads to expanding existing number of kiosks which in turn will augment growth. Moreover, with the entry of many other non-banking companies in the global industry, the industry is bound to grow over the forecast period.

Additionally, growing consumer awareness regarding various services through kiosks coupled with constant technology up-gradation by companies is expected fuel market growth.

Government policies of financial inclusions and ensuring bank account for entire population would further add to growth of the market.

The thriving tourism industry also plays a big role in assisting market growth, with foreign tourists able to exchange currency through the Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) feature.

Even with the various features and functionalities that are provided by Automated Teller Machines, there are still some teething issues that can potentially hold back the market growth.

Primary among the issues is the rise of digital payments, with almost every developed and developing country using this feature for convenient payment. Moreover, Governments are attempting to convert economies to cashless ones, with developing economies such as India and China backing digital payment companies to the fullest.

There is also the issue of online fraud, which creates doubts in the minds of customers, leading to avoidance of ATM usage. This factor also hampers market growth.

In the underdeveloped and developing regions, there are recurring issues regarding connectivity, which again is a restraining factor.

Unavailability of cash, or availability of only certain denominations, as well as out of order ATMs also are a challenge to the market growth.

The industry is segmented on the basis of application including on-site and off-site installations. Those deployed within the premises of a bank are termed as onsite, whereas the machines deployed outside the premises are termed as off-site ATMs. On site ones are further segmented into work site ATMs meant solely for the use by bank officials. Mobile Automated Teller Machines provide money-on-the-wheels service, ensuring that many areas can be covered for financial transactions.

In-depth report on global ATM market by Grand View Research: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/atm-market

The market is segmented on the basis of end-use as yellow label ATM for e-commerce transactions, pink label aimed at for women bankers, orange label for share transactions, green label for agricultural transactions, brown label for third-party operations, and white label which includes services provided by non-banking financial institutions.

Asia Pacific is expected to be a fast mover in the market, with the rapidly developing economies of India and China spearheading market growth. However, presence of digital payments has been a major roadblock for growth of the market. Every kind of economy, whether developed or developing, is fast moving towards digital transactions. Smartphone penetration has been rapidly growing, showing no signs of stopping, which furthers the cause of digital transactions. Automated Teller Machines globally are witnessing a marginal decline, whether due to online alternatives, or branch closures.

Competition in the global market is strong, with presence of major players such as:

NCR Corporation

Diebold Nixdorf, and

Nautilus Hyosung

along with a number of others such as:

Euronet Worldwide

Fujitsu

Trinton Systems of Delaware LLC

HESS Terminal Solutions GmbH & Co.

Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions Corporation, and

GRG Banking

The market leaders are involved in a tough battle to gain a larger slice of market share, with intensive research and development, as well as focus on multi-function devices becoming the norm. Some of the recent developments to have taken place are:

In September 2019, the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) announced that it was deploying SelfServ 80 ATMs from the NCR Corporation . The latter would also be providing the NBB with the NCR Direct Connection (NDC) Enterprise software to assist NBB in delivering a consistent consumer experience across physical and digital channels.

announced that it was deploying ATMs from the . The latter would also be providing the NBB with the NCR Direct Connection (NDC) Enterprise software to assist NBB in delivering a consistent consumer experience across physical and digital channels. In June 2019, Diebold Nixdorfintroduced a series of self-service solutions, called the DN Series, with major brands in banking such as Fifth Third Bank and BNL Gruppo BNP Paribas among the 18 financial institutions piloting the DN Series in 13 countries. Through this, the customers are expected to have a personalized, modern experience.

In February 2019, CaixaBank, a Spanish financial service company, deployed technologies by FacePhi and Fujitsu to introduce facial recognition Automated Teller Machines, with 4 branches in Barcelona doing the honors of unveiling the technology. Customers using the ATM would be able to choose between PIN identification and fac

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.
NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913181/?utm_source=PRN

The Global Anatomic Pathology Market is expected to grow from USD 26,189.81 Million in 2019 to USD 38,258.73 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.52%.

Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Anatomic Pathology to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:

On the basis of Services, the Anatomic Pathology Market is studied across Cytopathology and Histopathology.

On the basis of Pr?duct, the Anatomic Pathology Market is studied across Cons?mables and Instr?ments. The Cons?mables further studied across Antibodies, Kits & Reagents, and Probes. The Instr?ments further studied across Cell Processors, Coverslippers, Embedding Systems, Microtomes, Slide Staining Systems, and Tissue Processing Systems.

On the basis of Appl?cati?n, the Anatomic Pathology Market is studied across Disease Diagnostics and Medical Research.

On the basis of End User, the Anatomic Pathology Market is studied across Clinical Laboratories and Hospital Laboratories.

On the basis of Geography, the Anatomic Pathology Market is studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region is studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region is studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region is studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.

Company Usability Profiles:

The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Anatomic Pathology Market including Abcam PLC, Agilent Technologies, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Bio SB Inc, BioGenex, Danaher, Diapath S.P.A., F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., Histo-Line Laboratories Srl, Hologic, Inc., Hologic, Inc., Merck KGaA, Milestone Medical, Sakura Finetek USA Inc., SLEE Medical GmbH, and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Anatomic Pathology Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.

Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.

Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.

The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments

The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Anatomic Pathology Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Anatomic Pathology Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Anatomic Pathology Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Anatomic Pathology Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Anatomic Pathology Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Anatomic Pathology Market?

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Australia's mother-and-daughter toilet paper brawlers have been slammed by a magistrate who compared their scuffle in a supermarket aisle to a rugby league blue.

Meriam and Treiza Bebawy, 23 and 61, were found guilty of affray charges on Monday over a wild brawl at a south-west Sydney Woolworths at the height of panic-buying earlier this year.

The family tried to argue they were acting in self-defence after fellow shopper Tracy Hickson snatched a pack from their loaded-up trolley that manic March morning.

But Magistrate Peter Bugden today rejected their defence as he sentenced the pair some four months after the incident.

Mother-daughter Meriam and Treiza Bebawy, above, were each found guilty of the charge of affray - with the younger woman, 23, getting hit with a criminal conviction

Healthcare worker Meriam Bebawy had told police they 'urgently' needed loo roll as her mother Treiza (right) ran a family day care centre

Magistrate Bugden took particular aim at the younger woman, saying: 'She took the law into her own hands'.

The softly-spoken magistrate had spent the weekend mulling over the farcical fight and slapped Ms Bebawy with a criminal conviction and a good behaviour bond.

The magistrate ruled Meriam had chosen to 'smash' the snatched toilet paper pack out of the victim's hands.

He said she had then acted inappropriately by continuing to lash out. She had told police 'I hit her across the face, thinking if i hurt her, she'd let go of my hair.'

The magistrate said: 'I do not think it was appropriate that Meriam Bebawy continued in the way she did after she saw what she regarded as her toilet roll taken.'

Mr Bugden said Ms Bebawy's mother, Egyptian migrant Treiza, then entered the fray, striking victim Tracy Hickson.

'Was that a natural reaction from a mother seeing their daughter involved in a fight? Maybe.

'I'm reminded of an analogy from rugby league... these days, it's the second man into the fight who gets the penalty.'

Mobile phone footage had captured Ms Hickson demanding just one pack from the pair, who had filled up their trolley with eight.

A furious Treiza told her: 'No, not one pack'.

The pair claimed they needed toilet paper 'urgently' after a fruitless hunt through Sydney stores and a failed attempt to purchase through Click&Collect

Meriam Bebawy, 23, (left) told police in an electronically recorded interview that they weren't like an 'average' family in their situation. Treiza Bebawy claimed in her police interview that their alleged victim had sworn at them and used the F word - which she said she has never used in her life

The court had heard evidence that the fight had came about after they had suffered through a fruitless, week-long search for toilet paper.

That included a failed attempt to buy some packs via Click&Collect.

The pair told the police that Treiza ran a family daycare centre and Meriam needed to take a load back home to Wollongong.

The wild incident allegedly occurred as a crowd of as many as 40 people bolted inside the store in a rush for toilet paper as doors opened that Saturday morning.

But the magistrate said both Bebawys had 'acted in a way that caused the affray to take place.'

'In a few seconds it is defused, they go away, they were properly charged by police.'

The magistrate ultimately spared Treiza Bebawy a conviction and handed her a good behaviour bond.

Despite the stiffer sentence for Meriam, he said she was a person of 'excellent character', hailing her work in the health system during the pandemic.

He noted neither had any criminal record.

The definition of the charge they each faced, 'affray', is where a person threatens or acts violently, in a way that could cause a person of 'reasonable firmness' to fear for their safety.

Neither of the women were at court for the decision, instead represented by defence lawyers Richard Chidiac and barrister Matt Fordham.

The defence have launched an all-grounds appeal to face the NSW District Court next month.
The intrusions into India were likely carried out by the PLA's better trained and equipped 'mobile operational units'.

Ajai Shukla reports.

IMAGE: Chinese soldiers with riot shields. Photograph: David Gray/Reuters

With China's People's Liberation Army intruders still occupying Indian territory and large PLA reinforcements ready on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control, Indian military planners are calculating: How many more soldiers can the PLA quickly field if fighting were to break out?

US-based PLA expert Dennis Blasko said he estimates that around 235,000 PLA troops, including border defence personnel and the PLA's cutting edge 'mobile operational units', are located in the PLA's Western Theatre Command, which oversees the entire India-China border as well as China's restive autonomous areas -- Tibet and Xinjiang.

In March, the Belfer Center at Harvard Kennedy School also estimated 'a total of 200,000 to 230,000 Chinese ground forces under the Western Theatre Command, including the Tibet and Xinjiang Military Districts'.

These numbers include the PLA's lightly equipped 'Border Defence Units', which are permanently stationed along the border and are geared for border management and patrolling, not for full-scale combat operations.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, about 16 Border Defence Regiments, with about 40,000 personnel, monitor Tibet and Xinjiang's 5,000 kilometre border with India, Nepal and Bhutan.

These Border Defence Regiments are strung out in remote outposts all along the border to observe activity and conduct patrols between outposts by foot or by vehicle, depending on the terrain, sometimes using small drones.

Blasko says patrols are routinely carried out by squads (about eight men) or sometimes platoons (about 40). They are very lightly armed with the mission to observe and report rather than fight. These are the patrols that come into contact with Indian patrols.

Combat operations are the job of the PLA's 'mobile operational units' or 'combined arms brigades'. These are assigned to the PLA's 'group armies' or placed under the Tibet and Xinjiang Military Districts.

A 'combined arms brigade' is one of the combat structures created in the PLA's far-reaching reforms of 2017, and consists of 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers.

Besides light or standard infantry, the 'combined arms brigade' has armoured vehicles, artillery and air defence guns, engineers and other branches needed for the brigade to perform an operational task independently.

The PLA's Western Theatre Command has two 'group armies' -- the equivalent of corps -- under it.

The 77th Group Army, headquartered in Sichuan, consists of six combined arms brigades and seven support brigades.

Of these, three combined arms brigades are based in Tibet, reducing the strength in Sichuan to about 35,000 personnel. These are located some 1,400 kilometres east of Lhasa.

The 76th Group Army, headquartered in Ningxia, consists of six combined arms brigades and six support brigades. Its 50,000 soldiers are located in Qinghai, Gansu and Ningxia, about 1,600 kilometres by train or road from Lhasa.

The command of border forces opposite India is split between the Xinjiang Military District and Tibet Military District.

In the Tibet Military District, Blasko estimates the regular army has about 50,000 soldiers, divided into three combined arms (or light mountain infantry) brigades, at least eight support brigades (SOF, artillery, air defense, army aviation, engineer and chemical defence, electronic countermeasures, motor transport), plus logistics warehouses and depots.

Most of these are stationed around Lhasa, roughly 1,400 to 1,600 kilometres away from Ladakh.

The closest to Ladakh is the Xinjiang Military District, which consists of four infantry divisions, and SOF, artillery, air defence, army aviation, intelligence and reconnaissance brigades, and additional support unit. Its 50,000-60,000 personnel are widely dispersed.

The closest formation to Ladakh -- some 600 kilometres by road from Galwan -- is the 6th Mechanised Infantry Division in Southern Xinjiang, with about 10,000 personnel and a large number of tanks.

The Xinjiang Military District commander, Major General Liu Lin, has been participating in the senior military commanders's dialogue with the commander of India's 14 Corps, Lieutenant General Harinder Singh. Major General Liu probably oversees the border units in Aksai Chin.

Blasko estimates the PLA has probably deployed five-six 'combined arms brigades' to the Depsang, Galwan, Hot Spring, Pangong Tso, Demchok and Chumar sectors.

In each of these sectors, the PLA would have pushed one or two battalions (500 men each) across the LAC, while retaining another two or three battalions, as well as the supporting arms and logistics elements, on China's side of the LAC.

"It would be very difficult for a normal border defence regiment to concentrate as much force at a single location as reported at the build-ups at Galwan, Hot Spring, or Pangong Lake, while still continuing to monitor its entire area of responsibility," says Blasko, concluding that the intrusions into India were probably carried out by the PLA's better trained and equipped 'mobile operational units'.

The commercial satellite imagery that has been released for the Galwan and Pangong Lake areas, adds Blasko, also suggests the deployment of the PLA's 'mobile operational units'.
Whitney Mitchell, Garrett Foster's fiancee, attends a vigil for Garrett Foster on July 26, 2020 in downtown Austin, Texas. Garrett Foster, 28, who was armed and participating in a Black Lives Matter protest, was shot and killed after a chaotic altercation with a motorist who allegedly drove into the crowd.

Sergio Flores/Getty Images

Garrett Foster, 28, was shot and killed by a motorist during a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, Texas, on Saturday night.

He was pushing his fiancee Whitney Mitchell's wheelchair when a man drove his car into the crowd of protesters.

After protesters confronted the driver, the driver opened fire and fatally shot Foster.

Foster was an Air Force veteran, who had been Mitchell's caretaker for nearly a decade.

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A man who was fatally shot during a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, Texas, was identified as Garret Foster, an Air Force veteran who had been the caretaker for his fiancee, Whitney Mitchell, for nearly a decade.

Foster, 28, was pushing Mitchell's wheelchair through the protest in Austin on Saturday night when a man drove his car into the crowd of protesters. After protesters confronted the driver, the driver opened fire. Police have not identified the motorist but told The Washington Post that the driver was briefly taken into custody and has since been released.

In an interview with "Good Morning America Weekend" on Sunday, Foster's mother, Sheila Foster, said her son and Mitchell regularly went to the protests. Foster was also a second-amendment supporter, and started bringing his assault rifle to protests after his roommate was arrested at a demonstration, The Washington Post reported.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told USA Today that the driver suspected of shooting Foster told investigators that Foster pointed his weapon at him, and he responded by pointed his handgun out his window and firing multiple shots. Other witnesses told the Austin American-Statesman that Foster did not point his gun at the driver.

Video: What historians, activists are saying about the movement to remove statues

Mitchell's mother, Patricia Kirven, told the Dallas Morning News that Foster was killed protecting her daughter from the gunfire.

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"They thought the person was aiming at her because she is a sitting duck," she said.

Foster was originally from Plano, Texas, but had been living with Mitchell in Austin for about two years, according to the report.

His sister, Anna Mayo, told USA Today that Foster, who is white, and Mitchell, who is black, had faced hate from others because of their relationship.

"They've experienced so much hate just for their relationship in general," she said. "From day one, he fought to end that."

Sheila Foster told GMA that her son and Mitchell had been together since they were 17 years old. She said Mitchell lost her limbs when she was 19, after developing an illness that led to sepsis.

Signs and flowers line a bench at a vigil for Garrett Foster on July 26, 2020 in downtown Austin, Texas.

Sergio Flores/Getty Images

Foster had cared for Mitchell "almost constantly ever since," Sheila Foster told GMA. She said Foster was briefly in the Air Force but left to be Mitchell's full-time caretaker.

"I saw my son at 19 years old brush this girl's teeth, comb her hair. He would put her on the toilet and clean her up, and he would make sure that she got bathed and make sure that she was able to get dressed and took her everywhere that she needed to go. And he's been doing that ever since," Sheila Foster told GMA. "They just bought their house in Austin two years ago."

The couple had been planning on getting married, but wanted to wait until Mitchell could use prosthetics to walk down the aisle, Sheila Foster said.

"She physically is OK, but mentally she is not," Kirven told the Morning News of her daughter's current state. "'Inconsolable' is the only word I can think of because she'll talk for a bit and then break down."

Read the original article on Insider
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he doesn't put "much stock" in New York's response to his state's growing number of coronavirus cases. Last week, New York added Missouri to its mandatory quarantine list , along with nine other states.
Federal officers walk out in formation to launch tear gas at demonstrators during a riot outside the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland, Ore., on July 26, 2020. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

Portland Rioters Attack Courthouse Fence; Federal Officers Deploy Tear Gas

Federal officers in Portland, Oregon, fired tear gas and used other crowd-control devices early on July 27 after rioters launched fireworks and hurled projectiles at them during efforts to take down fencing around a U.S. courthouse building.

Rioters used wooden boards and other objects to smash the barrier, which was erected last week to try to deescalate the nightly mayhem thats unfolded in Oregons largest city since late May.

Federal officials say no response is necessary if crowds stay away from the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse and the new fencing. Violent demonstrators repeatedly set fire to and damaged the courthouse before the barrier was put up; theyve recently focused their energy on pulling down the fence with saws, ropes, chains, hammers, and other tools.

The crowd of several hundred people on July 27 blocked streets around the courthouse, a common occurrence, and spent hours yelling, chanting, banging on the fence, and throwing objects toward the building. Just before midnight, rioters started launching mortar-style fireworks and some began climbing over the fence. Others used umbrellas and shields to cover a person trying to cut through it.

Federal officers responded around 12:30 a.m., firing tear gas, and using other methods in a bid to disperse the mob.

Happening now: feds respond after rioters continued to launch fireworks/throw objects. It also comes after multiple warnings to leave the area. #PortlandRiots pic.twitter.com/MNNR9owrkY  Bowen Xiao (@BowenXiao_) July 27, 2020

The Epoch Times witnessed one arrest during clashes between officers and rioters.

Officers succeeded in dispersing the crowd but some returned to the courthouse around 1 a.m. and dumped garbage over the fence before setting it on fire.

The fire started quickly, grew into large flames on the sidewalk, and was out within about a minute. Following that, dozens of people approached the outside of the fence with shields and began throwing objects over it, the Portland Police Bureau said in its summary.

The crowd was dispersed over the course of the next few hours.

Local police returned to their stand-off stance and didnt participate in dispersing the crowd, nor did they made any arrests.

Two other people were detained after a shot was fired about two blocks from the federal courthouse. They were both released.

The person who was shot was taken to a hospital via private vehicle.

Demonstrators walk along a steel fence as federal officers launch tear gas during a riot outside the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland, Ore., on July 26, 2020. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

Their wound wasnt life-threatening, according to the bureau.

Ammunition and destructive devices recovered by police officers in the area of this incident at around the same time appear to be unrelated.

City and state officials have repeatedly called on the Trump administration to withdraw all federal officers from Portland. Trump administration officials say the violence seen in the days leading up to July 4 led to the surge in federal assets, which are protecting federal property like the courthouse.

Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf said July 26 that the level of violence in Portland is different from other cities. At least 14 federal officials were injured by projectiles and lasers over the weekend, the department said.

Federal officers are again only leaving the building to respond to attacks on the fence. And night after night, theyre being met with rioters with hard projectiles, mortars, fireworks, and lasers that can cause permanent blindness, Harry Fones, a spokesman for the department, told reporters on July 25.

Since early July, 60 people have been arrested at or near the courthouse; prosecutors have pending criminal proceedings against 46. Charges include alleged assault on federal officers, arson, disorderly conduct, and failing to comply with lawful orders.

Bowen Xiao contributed to this report.
Strawberry Forever has sold the Clarion Hotel Amaranten in Stockholm to Nordic real estate investor NREP for 145m. This is the largest hotel transaction in Sweden since 2015.

The 461-room Clarion Hotel Amaranten hotel is located at Kungsholmsgatan 31. The Hotel will continue to be managed by Nordi...

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While west-central Illinois schools are forging ahead with plans to return to in-person classes in less than a month, many are scrambling to develop a Plan B as the states COVID-19 rates continue an up-and-down trend.

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Monday identified 1,231 new cases of coronavirus disease, marking the sixth straight day with more than 1,200 new infections statewide. The new diagnoses are also being seen in younger age groups.

Several west-central Illinois counties have noted slight upticks in new cases during the past few weeks, as well.

That, along with lingering questions about how school districts would be able to ensure the safety of students and teachers, has some voices growing louder for starting the school year like it ended: with remote learning.

State and federal education leaders have urged the return to in-person classes. Illinois school districts have been working to meet guidelines that outline requirements for students, faculty and staff members. Among those stipulations designed to limit the potential spread of coronavirus are daily temperature and symptom checks, mandatory use of face masks or coverings inside buildings, social distancing of students in classrooms and common areas, and limiting group sizes to fewer than 50.

Is that enough when combined with increased cleaning? Some say yes, and that the risks to the educational and social growth of the nearly 14,000 students in the region is more of a risk. Others  including parents and one of the largest teachers unions in the state  are worried.

The Jacksonville District 117 school board is meeting in special session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the efforts that have been taking place already and talk about other potential scenarios, including starting the year online.

We are not medical experts. Neither the administration nor the board has the expertise required to be making health-based decisions during a pandemic. We are relying on the Illinois Department of Public Health to provide guidance. Our job is to follow guidance, Superintendent Steve Ptacek said in a community statement. However, there are other factors we need to discuss, such as the changing legal landscape, the reality of increased staff absences during this ordeal coupled with an extremely difficult time finding substitutes and other concerns that are creating another layer of guidance.

Although the districts intention is to return to a classroom setting, Ptacek said he [wants] everyone to be prepared for the possibility of the district being in a district-wide e-learning model to start the year.

Each day we find out more information pointing that direction, he said.

Meredosia-Chambersburg students will have one day each week dedicated to remote learning in case the district has to suddenly switch to an online format again, Principal Jeff Abel said.

Faculty and staff members will return Aug. 17 for a teachers institute and two COVID-19 training days. Students will be on an abbreviated schedule, with in-person classes 7:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Fridays being reserved for online classes.

Abel said he wants students in school as much as safely possible, but does not want students to feel overwhelmed.

There were face-to-face summer school classes that followed social distancing guidelines and Abel said things went well.

In Winchester, the school district is planning for students to return Aug. 19, but administrators have been working with parents the past several weeks to provide remote-learning options.

The district is already requiring masks or face coverings inside its buildings and those inside must stay at least 6 feet apart.

Those requirements and others will continue once in-person classes begin.

Superintendent Kevin Blankenship said several breaks are being built into the school day to allow people to go outside and remove masks while still maintaining social separation.

The school day is being shortened to an 8:20 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. schedule, although classes will be held five days a week.

We have every confidence this can be done. We are all in this together, Blankenship told parents in summarizing the districts return-to-school plan.

Brown County schools will offer the option of remote or in-person learning, but administrators are cautioning parents that it will not be the same as in the spring, when most schools did not use grades of student work to determine progress in classes.

Those in grades 5 through high school who start the year online must make a commitment to complete the term in the online environment, Superintendent Vicki Phillips said.

Although students will have their temperatures checked each day before entering school, there will also be an app for parents to certify their child is symptom-free and a student will not be allowed on the bus or into school until a parent has submitted a daily health certification through the app.

The school board plans to meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday to review other strategies for its Return to Learn Plan.
Tech company First Derivatives has announced its renamed two offices in Newry in honour of the companys late founder Brian Conlon, as it marks the first anniversary of his death.

Canal Quay is now Brian Conlon House while the Marcus Square office will be known as The Conlon Building.

Mr Conlon died on July 28 after a short illness, aged 53.

He started the company in his mothers spare bedroom in 1996. It now employs more than 2,400 people globally.

Its customers include many of the worlds top leading investment banks.

And while it started out specialising in software and consulting services, it had diversified in recent years and now has clients in other fields, such as Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.

In a statement, the firm said it had faced a difficult year since Mr Conlons passing, but that its growth is testament to the strength and resilience that Brian instilled in the firm.

The plc, which is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), has also set up the Spirit Of Brian Conlon award, an initiative open to all employees at FD.

Mr Conlon grew up in Newry and remained committed to basing First Derivatives there.

The company said he had been renowned for entrepreneurship, drive and ambition, developing First Derivatives into an international leader in consulting and enterprise software.

He is survived by his wife Julie and two young children. The family described the renamings as a wonderful and fitting tribute to Brians memory.

First Derivatives is part of the fabric of Newry having welcomed graduates, colleagues, customers and many other visitors from all over the world for more than 25 years.

We are all immensely proud of what Brian achieved and the naming of the buildings, including our group headquarters, and launch of the award will be a lasting legacy to the successful business he created.

The company said Mr Conlons commitment to Newry was continuing to create major job opportunities in the region.

In addition, the companys policy of embedding graduates from across the world in Newry to start their careers with extensive training and work experience has placed both Newry and Northern Ireland on the global technology map.
Builders and brokers say hundreds of agreed home sales are being placed in jeopardy because of an unintended consequence of the State's emergency wage subsidies.

All retail banks are blocking at least some drawdowns on previously approved loans because the prospective borrower's payslips now are supported by the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS).

The Government's decision this month to extend these subsidies to April has builders worried that sales struck in 2019 may not be completed until next year - if at all.

"The banks are entirely wrong to withhold mortgage approval that was sanctioned pre-Covid because a borrower's employer is availing of TWSS," said Pearse Gilroy, financial controller of Shannon Homes Drogheda.

His firm is currently finishing a 145-home development in Blackrock, Co Louth. More than 100 units are sold and occupied, and 15 are due to close within weeks, mostly to first-time buyers. But five say their banks won't permit final drawdown of funds because at least one payslip securing the loan now has TWSS exposure.

"They're saying once the employer comes off the TWSS, they will release the mortgage. That could be next April. We're being left high and dry," Mr Gilroy said.

"Surely the whole reason the subsidy is there is to ensure the business survives. If the Government are happy to do that, surely the banks should work with that, rather than work against it."

Asked to explain their lending practices for borrowers with TWSS income, AIB, Bank of Ireland, KBC, Permanent TSB and Ulster Bank said they still approve such loans. But all require a case by case review before any drawdowns.

Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB said most approvals involving TWSS-aided incomes do reach drawdown.

PTSB said such borrowers must secure their employer's "assurance on the sustainability of their income when TWSS comes to an end".

A couple seeking to buy a 250,000 home in the Louth development signed contracts and paid a 30,000 deposit in October after Ulster Bank approved their 220,000 loan. The home was due for completion in March, but Covid-19 disruption delayed that to June. By then, while the husband's 40,000 salary was unchanged, the wife's employer had tapped TWSS support for her 35,000 salary.

"The bank's excluding my wife's income," said the man.

"Our broker said he was having the same problem with all the banks. There wasn't any point applying to another bank. We won't be able to draw down until the wife's payslip is off the Covid subsidy."

Financial adviser Michael Dowling says at least one in 10 approved mortgage loans is "stuck in this catch-22".

"We tell our clients that if you're in what the banks deem to be vulnerable industries - like airlines, retail, hospitality and construction - the bank simply will not allow you to draw down the mortgage."
The LAPD is building a sprawling database of information populated by individuals who may not have even come in contact with police. (Reuben Munoz / Los Angeles Times)

Demonstrations over the use of police force against Black people have begun taking aim at bloated police budgets. Recent news coverage highlights the military hardware, including tanks and helicopters, riot gear and noxious gas, police have used against the protesters. Less obvious, but not necessarily less costly or dangerous, is the invisible military surveillance software in law enforcements arsenal.

The Los Angeles Police Department has signed a growing number of expensive, secretive contracts with private companies to design and deploy proprietary platforms to surveil civilians as they go about their everyday lives. Like the weapons and vehicles handed down to local police from the armed forces, many of these data systems were developed for military use.

Over the last seven years, I observed this while studying how the LAPD uses big data and surveillance technologies. I interviewed officers, shadowed crime analysts and rode in police cruisers to see what data-driven policing looks like in real time. It was a revelation to see how much information police officers could access with the click of a mouse.

One surveillance system the LAPD uses is designed by Palantir Technologies, the CIA-backed Silicon Valley start-up valued at $20 billion that has confidentially filed with U.S. regulators to go public. Its other clients have included the New York Police Department, the CIA, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Since 2011, the LAPD has contracted with Palantir to integrate a staggering array of personal data for surveillance and predictive purposes. The result is that the police are building a sprawling database of information populated by individuals who may not have come in direct contact with police  yet their personal information is among millions of data points that might include the model of car they drive, their traffic citations and their home addresses.

A central person of interest can draw colleagues, siblings, roommates and romantic partners into the surveillance network simply because of their perceived relationship with the primary person. And once they are in the system, these individuals can be autotracked, meaning officers can receive real-time alerts about their activities.

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Palantir is also used to interpret data from automatic license plate readers, a dragnet surveillance tool that collects information on everyone, not just those under criminal suspicion. Palantirs systems map the data to help police track vehicles and people across cities, enabling law enforcement to learn a drivers typical travel patterns and identify deviations. One LAPD crime analyst showed me how he used license plate readings to deduce, for instance, that an individual who repeatedly parked a car in the same place at night was likely using it as a honeycomb or hideout.

Secrecy shrouds the use of these technologies. The amount police departments spend on surveillance software is largely unknown. Public records requests reveal that the LAPD paid more than $20 million to Palantir between 2009 and 2018. But Palantir is just one platform.

The LAPD and other agencies use dozens of platforms. Trade secrecy and nondisclosure agreements mean these private vendors can provide police cover as they circumvent public-sector transparency requirements, lowering accountability while also making big-data policing harder for scholars to study, regulators to regulate and activists to mobilize against.

In response, New York's city council passed a bill in June requiring the NYPD to disclose which technology it uses and what data it collects. Los Angeles should follow suit.

Analytic software also can exacerbate inequalities under the veneer of objectivity. Surveillance tools such as license plate readers are deployed based on past department crime statistics, which means that predictive policing data systems disproportionately point to Black and brown people and neighborhoods for heavier policing and future data gathering.

Because big-data policing relies on teaching algorithms based on historical crime data, longstanding tendencies to overpolice minority communities become integral to what is supposed to be an objective, data-driven directive to surveil those people and areas. The result is a self-fulfilling statistical prophecy.

While proponents of the technology argue that these tools help police track down criminals and lower crime rates, there is scant evidence that they actually do that. In the digital age, data are a form of capital. If only the police and tech companies have access to the data and analytic software, independent evaluation of how this capital is being leveraged in law enforcement is impossible.

Data and surveillance technologies are largely missing from todays urgent conversations about how to defund, shrink, reform or abolish the police. In this moment of national reckoning, as reformers consider the future of American policing, they cannot continue to ignore the many costs of invasive yet largely invisible big-data policing.

Sarah Brayne is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the forthcoming Predict and Surveil: Data, Discretion, and the Future of Policing.




The marijuana company formed by Wheeler and his partners, GRI Holdings, has maintained a payroll of about 10 people. Without work to do, GRI is paying employees to research the industry and learn more about packaging, infusing and other processes the company might undertake if awarded licenses. It paid a $50,000 nonrefundable deposit to hold a property in South Elgin for a craft grow facility. Extending that hold past July 31 will cost $10,000 per month, Wheeler said.
The Covid-19 Infection Survey is being extended to include Northern Ireland. (Ben Birchall/PA)

The Covid-19 Infection Survey is being extended to Northern Ireland.

It has been running in England and Wales where 195,000 swab tests have been carried out with the aim of building up a detailed picture of coronavirus infection rates.

Initially 500 households in Northern Ireland are being contacted to take part in this new phase, with a further 500 households added each week as the survey is developed.

The @ONS #COVID19 Infection Survey is being extended to include Northern Ireland for the first time following a successful launch of the study in England and Wales. Read more in our press release with @healthdpt. https://t.co/HjNVXgoHAH  ONS Focus (@ONSfocus) July 27, 2020

Participants provide samples taken from self-administered nose and throat swabs and answer a few short questions during a home visit by a trained study worker.

The swab tests will show whether or not participants currently have the virus.

They will be asked to take further tests every week for the first five weeks, then every month for 12 months.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will work in partnership with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland and the University of Oxford to reach participants and test samples.

Health Minister Robin Swann welcomed the move.

The research will complement studies already under way into antibody seroprevalence in different population groups, he said.

The more we know and understand about Covid-19, the better equipped we will be to deal with it.

It is particularly important that we build up our knowledge on the spread of the virus within our population.

I would strongly encourage anyone who receives an invitation to take part in the survey to accept.

More than 195,000 swab tests have been carried out in total over the duration of the study in England and Wales, and over 6,000 antibody tests carried out in England.
Easton fire Chief Mike Krill is ready to call it a career, after just shy of 18 months in the post and in his 35th year with the department.

He and his wife, Donna, are headed for the Finger Lakes region of New York State, where they own 20 acres and plan to build their retirement home. Along with getting reacquainted with fishing, he plans on doing some woodworking and learning machining skills so he knows how to use a metal lathe and a mill.

Last week before city council, Krill presented the capstone on his to-do list that he made for himself on his second day as chief in February 2019. It's a comprehensive look at risks Easton faces, and is a first for the city.

This is the first time weve actually gone out and weve comprehensively looked at the city and said, These are our eight risk categories and these are the things we need to do to make sure that we have the proper resources, the proper training to address these issues, Krill told lehighvalleylive.com on Friday.

The first category of risk is transportation corridor hazmat, and includes a look at two rail shipments of "almost exclusively" hazardous materials that come through the city daily, according to Krill. Then there are two categories of mass-casualty incidents possible -- either on the Interstate 78 and Route 22 highway corridors that bookend Easton, or in public gatherings/institutions.

Severe weather/flood comes next in the assessment and is the biggest threat that Mayor Sal Panto Jr. says Easton faces. Councilman Roger Ruggles has been spearheading an effort to turn preparedness into possible savings on flood insurance, after devastating flooding in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012 that cut power to the region for days or weeks.

"It would be very valuable," Panto said of the flood analysis that aims to predict how much water any given building might take on for each flood-stage inch the Delaware River rises.

Rounding out the assessment are fire/conflagration; failure of critical infrastructure; sinkhole/structural collapse and pandemic/weapons of mass destruction threat on a regional or local basis.

This last category, Krill never thought hed experience during his time as chief, he said. But in getting preparedness plans into place, the city was able to get ahead of the curve this past January in training and stockpiling personal protective equipment -- before the coronavirus struck Pennsylvania in March.

Longtime Easton firefighter Mike Krill is named city fire chief Feb. 6, 2019, in city council chambers by city Administrator Luis Campos and Mayor Sal Panto Jr. This is Krill's 33rd year with the department. He previously served as lieutenant.

The pandemic also factored into Krills decision to hang up his turnout gear, he said in saying its based more on city finances than personal finances. The chief three years ago opted into the citys deferred retirement option plan, or DROP, that froze his pension and retirement benefits prior to his promotion.

"It's already set in stone when I technically entered the DROP program," Krill said. "It's a program that allows you to retire but allows the city to retain experienced personnel for up to three additional years."

The coronavirus has already left the city with a $5.5 million shortfall in its 2020 budget, according to the city. Krill says that tight budget could put the city into a holding pattern instead of being able to pursue the level of preparedness he would like to see in the foreseeable future.

"It wasn't like the paycheck or the benefits," he said of what drew him to apply to become fire chief. "It was actually to see if I can get things done and move the department forward and enhance the delivery of service to the public.

"Now I feel like the budgetary situation is going to kind of hinder that process for a longer period of time than I planned to stay, so I decided to leave a few months earlier."

One point of pride for Krill as Easton endures the pandemic is that no firefighters have contracted COVID-19.

"That is one of the most difficult things to do, is keep intact your personnel to make sure that they're not bringing COVID into the fire station, which could cause other firefighters to become exposed," Krill said. "And obviously there would be a chain reaction which could impair our ability to deliver services, and that was always a worry."

As head of the Easton Fire Department comprising 45 firefighters and line officers, plus the deputy chief and chief positions, Krill thanked several partners in helping to prepare the risk assessment. That includes the Easton Police Department, Easton Emergency Squad, Lafayette College and UGI Utilities Inc.

In departing, Krill said he wanted in particular to thank all the firefighters and officers for their support.

"I'm really thankful to the mayor and city council for having faith in me to appoint me to this position," Krill also said. "It was really a great opportunity. I loved being able to steer the department and get some things done."

City Administrator Luis Campos said internal candidates to succeed Krill will be interviewed first, and that the deadline for them to apply passed on July 17. The next steps will be to schedule interviews for qualified candidates and, if necessary, open the position to external applicants.

Following is a look at the risk assessment presentation Krill made to Easton City Council during a committee meeting last Tuesday night:

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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
Kanye West is feeling remorseful after upsetting wife Kim Kardashian by publicly revealing they considered aborting daughter North West last week.

The rapper, 43, 'feels very bad' about distressing her following his revelation at his wild presidential rally, sources told People.

'He definitely understands that he upset Kim,' a source said. 'He feels very bad about it. It's obvious that he still loves Kim.'

Regrets: Kanye West is feeling remorseful after revealing he considered aborting daughter North West during his wild presidential rally last week (pictured 2018)

Though Kanye is now in a better state of mind, he does feel guilt for his actions.

A source told the site Kanye 'seems much more relaxed and chilled out for the past couple of days,' though has 'regrets' about making private family matters public last week.

This past week has indeed been a turbulent one for the Kardashian family.

After revealing he and Kim considered aborting daughter North during his rally last week, the rapper took to Twitter to accuse his wife of attempting to 'lock me up'.

Private matter: Kanye revealed during his presidential rally last week he considered aborting daughter North West

Turbulent week: After revealing he and Kim considered aborting daughter North during his rally last week, the rapper took to Twitter to accuse his wife of attempting to 'lock me up' (pictured February 2020)

He also claimed he had been 'trying to get divorced' from Kim ever since she allegedly met his fellow rapper Meek Mill at the Waldorf Hotel.

'Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out,' he tweeted.

He reinforced these claims turning on both Kim and her 'momager' Kris Jenner claiming on Twitter that 'they tried to fly in with two doctors to 51/50 me', referring to a section of California law under which people can be confined for mental health reasons.

He also called mother-in-law Kris 'Kris Jong-Un' and accused the pair of 'white supremacy' in another freewheeling series of tweets.

Tweets: 'Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out,' Kanye claimed on Twitter

Kim broke her silence over the matter on Instagram, where she called her husband 'brilliant but complicated.'

The reality star, who shares North, seven, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, 14 months with Kanye, called herself 'powerless' as she addressed his battle with bipolar disorder.

'He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder.

'Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words some times do not align with his intentions.'

Speaking up: Kim broke her silence over the matter on Instagram, where she called her husband 'brilliant but complicated' (West pictured 2020)

Kanye ultimately issued a grovelling apology to Kim on Twitter last week, where he acknowledged he had hurt her.

'I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter,' Kanye tweeted on Saturday. I did not cover her like she has covered me.

'Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me.'

At around the same time Kanye issued his apology, he visited Cody Regional Health in Wyoming, as concerns continue to mount over his mental health.

A member of his entourage later confirmed to DailyMail.com that the artist was visiting a friend at the hospital.

The quick trip to the ER room came after he touched back down in the state on a private jet following a three-hour visit to California where he visited an art studio in San Francisco but failed to meet up with his wife.
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In retaliation to the US order, which was issued last Tuesday, the Chinese government requested the United States shut its equivalent liaison office in the southwestern city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province.

The United States has complied with a request to shut a consulate general in China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday, following an escalation of tensions over Beijings alleged spying activities that led Washington to order the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston.

The US Consulate-General in Chengdu is pictured on July 23, 2020 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. / VCG / GETTY / KYODO

The US Consulate-General in Chengdu is pictured on July 23, 2020 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. / VCG / GETTY / KYODO

Civilian Who Died in Custody in Myanmars Rakhine State Killed Himself, Military Says

How the Erosion of Sovereignty Elsewhere Impacts Myanmar at Home

As the US and China Spar, Myanmar Walks a Tightrope

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Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to Run for Seat in General Election, Myanmars Ruling Party Says

Politicians in Myanmars Rakhine Must Stop Fighting Each Other: Independent Candidate

New Challenge for Myanmar as US Seeks to Loosen Chinas Grip in Southeast Asia

Thailand to Allow Migrant Workers from Myanmar, Other Neighbors to Return

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Americas response to the coronavirus has been a lose-lose proposition.

The Trump administration and governors like Floridas Ron DeSantis insisted that there was no trade-off between economic growth and controlling the disease, and they were right  but not in the way they expected.

Premature reopening led to a surge in infections: Adjusted for population, Americans are currently dying from Covid-19 at around 15 times the rate in the European Union or Canada. Yet the rocket ship recovery Donald Trump promised has crashed and burned: Job growth appears to have stalled or reversed, especially in states that were most aggressive about lifting social distancing mandates, and early indications are that the U.S. economy is lagging behind the economies of major European nations.

So were failing dismally on both the epidemiological and the economic fronts. But why?

On the face of it, the answer is that Trump and allies were so eager to see big jobs numbers that they ignored both infection risks and the way a resurgent pandemic would undermine the economy. As I and others have said, they failed the marshmallow test, sacrificing the future because they werent willing to show a little patience.

And theres surely a lot to that explanation. But it isnt the whole story.

For one thing, people truly focused on restarting the economy should have been big supporters of measures to limit infections without hurting business  above all, getting Americans to wear face masks. Instead, Trump ridiculed those in masks as politically correct, while Republican governors not only refused to mandate mask-wearing, but they prevented mayors from imposing local mask rules.
Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has acknowledged a letter by former Cabinet Minister Subramanian Swamy, requesting a CBI enquiry in the suicide case of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

While the Mumbai Police is still investigating the case and questioning people, senior BJP leader Swamy had written to the Prime Minister to request him to initiate a CBI investigation.

Now, it has been revealed that PM Modi has acknowledged Subramanian Swamy's letter.

Swamy has re-tweeted tweets sharing a copy of the letter from Prime Minister's office which read: "I have received your letter of July 15, 2020".

In his letter, Swamy had claimed that his sources have revealed that several bigwigs from the film industry are trying to cover up the case.

He wrote: "I learn from my sources in Mumbai that many big names in the Bollywood Film World with links to Dons in Dubai are seeking to ensure a cover-up is carried out by the Police so that voluntary suicide is concluded as the reason for the demise of Mr Rajput."

On June 14, Sushant was found hanging in his Bandra residence by his domestic help, which left everyone shocked. It has been said that he was reportedly battling depression over the past few months and undergoing treatment. Sushant's demise sparked off discussions around a lot of things -- from nepotism to the ruthless favouritism that Bollywood power camps allegedly engage in.
She is awaiting the arrival of her very first child.

But pregnancy has not completely slowed down Lea Michele.

The actress, 33, was seen going on yet another stroll with her husband Zandy Reich in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Walk this way! Lea Michele was seen going on yet another stroll with her husband Zandy Reich in Los Angeles on Thursday

Baby bump visible beneath her fitted white tank top, Lea strolled comfortably around town wearing a pair of midnight blue leggings and coordinating sneakers.

The actress beat the heat with a pony tail and trendy pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses.

Her doting husband kept his cool with a faint green T-shirt, blue shorts, and black cap atop his head.

Armed with masks, the couple were ready to safely take on the day.

Safety first: Armed with masks, the couple were ready to safely take on the day

Baby on the way! Michele announced her pregnancy with a glowing snap back in May

It won't be much longer until the couple become a family of three.

Lea announced her pregnancy back in May, posting a photo of herself cradling her baby bump as she beamed with joy.

'So grateful,' she captioned the snap, along with a yellow heart emoji.

Though the couple were undoubtedly over the moon with the news, it didn't take look long for Lea to land in the headlines for a very different reason.

Tragedy: Lea's former Glee costar Naya Rivera passed away at age 33 from an accidental drowning

The actress faced multiple accusations of bullying from former costars, including Glee cast mate Samantha Marie Ware.

Tragically, Lea and the Glee family are also mourning the loss of their former costar, Naya Rivera, who died at age 33 following an accidentally drowning in July.

Making matters even more painful, Naya's body was recovered on the seven year anniversary of the death of Cory Monteith, who was dating Lea at the time he passed away from an accidental drug overdose.

Lea paid tribute to both the Glee stars on her Instagram stories, where she shared two photos of the actors on the set.

Paying tribute: Lea paid tribute to both the Glee stars on her Instagram stories, where she shared two photos of the actors on the set
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- An Army-funded project developed a self-healing material patterned after squid ring teeth protein. The biodegradable biosynthetic polymer could be used to repair materials that are under continual repetitive movement such as robotic machines, prosthetic legs, ventilators and personal protective equipment like hazmat suits.

"Materials that undergo continual repetitive motion often develop tiny tears and cracks that can expand, leading to catastrophic failure," said Dr. Stephanie McElhinny, biochemistry program manager, Army Research Office, an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory. "With a self-healing bio-based synthetic material, any sites of damage that emerge can be repaired, extending the lifetime of the system or device."

The research at Penn State University and Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany, funded in by part by ARO, and published in Nature Materials produced high-strength synthetic proteins that mimic those found in nature. The researchers surveyed large libraries of novel proteins created by assembling repetitive sequences from the squid ring teeth protein in different configurations.

Squid ring teeth are circular predatory appendages located on the suction cups of squid used to grasp prey. If the teeth are broken -- they can heal themselves. The soft parts in the proteins help the broken proteins fuse back together in water, while the hard parts help to reinforce the structure and keep it strong.

"Our goal is to create self-healing programmable materials with unprecedented control over their physical properties using synthetic biology," said Melik Demirel, professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State and the paper's co-author.

Repeated activity wears on soft robotic actuators, but these machines' moving parts need to be reliable and easily fixed. Now a team of researchers has a biosynthetic polymer, patterned after squid ring teeth, that is self-healing and biodegradable, creating a material not only good for actuators, but also for hazmat suits and other applications where tiny holes could cause a danger.

Current strategies for material self-healing have significant limitations, including requirements for potentially hazardous chemicals, loss in functionality of the healed material relative to the original state, and long healing times, often greater than 24 hours.

"We were able to reduce a typical 24-hour healing period to one second, so our protein-based soft robots can now repair themselves immediately," said Abdon Pena-Francelsch, Humboldt postdoctoral fellow, physical intelligence department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and lead author of the paper. "In nature, self-healing takes a long time. In this sense, our technology outsmarts nature."

The self-healing polymer heals with the application of water and heat, although Demirel said that it could also heal using light.

"Self-repairing physically intelligent soft materials are essential for building robust and fault-tolerant soft robots and actuators in the near future," said Metin Sitti, director, physical intelligence department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems.

By adjusting the number of tandem repeats, the researchers created a soft polymer that healed rapidly and retained its original strength. They also created a polymer that is 100% biodegradable and 100% recyclable into the same, original polymer.

"We want to minimize the use of petroleum-based polymers for many reasons," Demirel said. "Sooner or later we will run out of petroleum and it is also polluting and causing global warming. We can't compete with the really inexpensive plastics. The only way to compete is to supply something the petroleum-based polymers can't deliver and self-healing provides the performance needed."

Demirel explained that while many petroleum-based polymers can be recycled, they are recycled into something different. For example, polyester t-shirts can be recycled into bottles, but not into polyester fibers again.

Just as the squid the polymer mimics biodegrades in the ocean, the biomimetic polymer will biodegrade. With the addition of an acid like vinegar, the polymer will also recycle into a powder that is manufacturable into the same, soft, self-healing polymer.

"This research illuminates the landscape of material properties that become accessible by going beyond proteins that exist in nature using synthetic biology approaches," McElhinny said. "The rapid and high-strength self-healing of these synthetic proteins demonstrates the potential of this approach to deliver novel materials for future Army applications, such as personal protective equipment or flexible robots that could maneuver in confined spaces."

###

In addition to Army funding, the Max Planck Society, the Alexander von Humbolt Foundation, the Federal Ministry for Education and Research of Germany and the Huck Endowment of the Pennsylvania State University supported this work.

CCDC Army Research Laboratory is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. As the Army's corporate research laboratory, ARL discovers, innovates and transitions science and technology to ensure dominant strategic land power. Through collaboration across the command's core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win the nation's wars and come home safely. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.
KEY FACTS 1:10 p.m.: Ford announces $4 billion in COVID-19 funding

11:45 a.m.: Young people make up most of new Ontario cases

8:20 a.m.: Mandatory masks for Quebecers using public transit

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Monday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

7:45 p.m.: Toronto is very close to securing federal funding so people who are have COVID-19 and risk infection other at home could soon self-isolate in a free room with food, laundry and Wi-Fi for up to two weeks.

Dr. Eileen de Villa, Torontos senior public health official, is asking city council this week to authorize her to enter into an agreement with the federal government to fund a 140-room, city-run isolation site.

The program, modelled on that of New York City and other cities, is aimed at lower-income people who get infected but, because of crowded living conditions and other factors, cant ensure they wont spread the virus to others.

No site has yet been confirmed. The city estimates it would cost $12.7 million to operate a 140-room facility for one year.

Coun. Joe Cressy, chair of the Toronto Public Health, said Toronto is very close to getting federal funding, calling the project an excellent investment in preventing a major second wave of COVID-19.

The Stars David Rider has more details.

5:35 p.m.: With just 23 new COVID-19 infections reported in the region Monday, the GTA has seen the fewest new cases in any day in more than five months, according to the Stars latest count.

Its been 131 days since March 18  the last time the GTAs five local health units reported fewer than 25 new infections, well before the worst of the pandemic took hold in Ontario.

At the time, just a single Ontarian had yet died of virus; more than 40,000 in the province have been infected since.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, Ontarios regional health units are reporting a total of 40,873 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, including 2,799 deaths, up 150 cases in 24 hours.

As has been the case in recent days, the new infections reported Monday predominantly came outside the GTA.

Inside the region, Toronto reported just five new cases Monday  its fewest since the second week of March  York and Durham regions one each, and Halton Region once again reported no new infections. Just Peel Region, which has seen case counts fall more slowly than elsewhere, reported in the double digits, with 16 new cases.

Elsewhere, both Windsor-Essex  41 cases  and Ottawa  28  continued to report the worst rates of new infection. Both health units have seen notable jumps in cases in July.

The Stars count includes some patients reported as probable COVID-19 cases, meaning they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test.

The province also cautions its data, published daily at 10:30 a.m., may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system, saying that in the event of a discrepancy, data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date.

2:10 p.m.: Toronto medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa reports that there were only five new infections, the lowest daily increase in quite some time.

De Villa expressed concerned that the virus came roaring back in some other cities and countries as they reopened.

We need to stay ahead of the virus to keep moving forward into reopening, said de Villa, adding her public health team is actively preparing for a future surge in Toronto infections.

2:10 p.m.: Quebec public health authorities say they are seeing a worrying spike in infections among teens and young adults.

Deputy premier Genevieve Guilbault told a news conference today a significant portion of the daily COVID-19 cases in the province involve people between the ages of 15-34.

Guilbault says despite the fact the COVID-19 situation in Quebec remains under control, young people need to recognize they are not immune from health complications tied to the novel coronavirus.

The minister also says she was shocked to see images of anti-mask protests in Montreal and Quebec City over the weekend, during which protesters accosted journalists and failed to follow health directives.

She says authorities will crack down on protesters who put the health of others at risk.

Health officials today reported 145 additional cases of COVID-19 since Sunday, bringing the total to 58,728. There were no new deaths reported.

Quebec has had a total of 5,667 COVID-19-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. There are 200 people in hospital with the disease, including seven in intensive care.

Guilbault said today that even if most young people are less likely to suffer seriously from the disease, they can be vectors of transmission to more vulnerable people, such as their parents or grandparents.

1:10 p.m. (updated): Premier Doug Ford says up to $4 billion being provided to municipalities for COVID-19. The one-time funding will help shelters, food banks, public health and transit. Its unclear yet how much Toronto will get.

Half of the $4 billion in funding will go to transit  $1 billion from Ottawa, one billion from the province.

1 p.m.: The federal government appears to have relaxed restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border that would have made it impossible for first-year university students from the United States to enter the country.

An update to the governments guidance for international students, quietly posted Friday, now says students coming from the U.S. may no longer need a study permit that was issued on or before March 18  the day the border restrictions were first announced.

That requirement had the parents of many U.S. freshmen complaining that it would have been impossible for their children to get into the country to begin their studies.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada now says border officers will accept a port of entry letter of introduction that shows the student was approved for a study permit, in lieu of a permit approved before March 18.

Other parents in the U.S. remain wary, since the rules require anyone seeking entry to Canada to be travelling for a non-discretionary or non-optional purpose  a description that could include students whose courses are happening entirely online.

And the exception appears only to apply to students from the U.S., where cases of COVID-19 have been steadily rising in recent weeks.

The Stars Nick Keung had the story from last week on the ban for international students.

The Stars Abhya Adlakha had a story on the challenges that overseas students face taking on-line courses.

12:30 p.m.: An Alberta senator is urging Ottawa to fund a Canadian company so it can develop a domestic COVID-19 vaccine to lessen the risk Canadians will have wait in a line on a foreign-made pandemic cure.

I really do believe that we need to keep the pressure now on the government of Canada, whom Im not criticizing. I get that this is an unusual time. And this may be in hand, or it may have fallen through the cracks. But we cant allow that to happen, Sen. Doug Black said in an interview Monday.

Im not criticizing anybody. But I will be criticizing people if they dont see this an opportunity to potentially protect Canadians.

Black was adding his voice to those of numerous health professionals who are questioning why the Trudeau government has yet to make a decision on the $35-million proposal to fund Providence Therapeutics.

Providence has told the government it could deliver five million doses of its new mRNA vaccine by mid-2021 for use in Canada if it were able to successfully complete human testing.

Providences chief executive Brad Sorenson told The Canadian Press he has not heard back from the government since late May after his company submitted its proposal in April, and after the government reached out to it as a possible vaccine-maker.

The mRNA technology is new and untested, but Black and others say it has potential.

11:45 a.m.: Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott tweeted that Ontario is reporting 119 new cases on Monday morning. Locally, 30 of the provinces 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 16 of them reporting no new cases. Windsor-Essex is reporting 40 new cases with another 28 in Ottawa, she said.

She said that 76 of the latest cases, or 64 per cent, are people under the age of 40. Ontario processed nearly 25,000 tests on Sunday, she said.

The Stars Rob Ferguson has more details.

11:35 a.m. (updated): Two major league games scheduled for Monday night were postponed as the Miami Marlins deal with a coronavirus outbreak that stranded them in Philadelphia.

The Marlins home opener against Baltimore was called off, as was the New York Yankees game at Philadelphia. The Yankees would have been in the same clubhouse the Marlins used last weekend.

The Marlins postponed their flight home Sunday night after their series finale against the Phillies.

Major League Baseball announced the cancellation of both games about 7 1/2 hours before the scheduled first pitch, saying additional COVID-19 testing was being conducted. The members of the Marlins travelling party are self-quarantining in place while awaiting the outcome of those results, MLB said in a statement.

Miami pitcher Jose Urena was scratched from his scheduled start in Sundays game, and catcher Jorge Alfaro went on the injured list Friday. No reasons were given for the moves, but manager Don Mattingly said those who tested positive would be quarantined in Philadelphia.

The Marlins precarious health raised anew doubts about MLBs ability to finish the season during a pandemic. In Cincinnati, Reds second baseman Mike Moustakas and centre fielder Nick Senzel felt sick Sunday, a day after a teammate went on the injured list because he tested positive for COVID-19.

11:15 a.m.: Google will keep its employees home until at least next July, making the search-engine giant the first major U.S. corporation to formalize such an extended timetable in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The move will affect nearly all of the roughly 200,000 full-time and contract employees across Google parent Alphabet Inc., and is sure to pressure other technology giants that have slated staff to return as soon as January.

Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai made the decision himself last week after debate among Google Leads, an internal group of top executives that he chairs, according to a person familiar with the matter. A small number of Google staffers were notified later in the week, people familiar said.

Pichai was swayed in part by sympathy for employees with families to plan for uncertain school years that may involve at-home instruction, depending on geography. It also frees staff to sign full-year leases elsewhere if they choose to move.

9:20 a.m.: President Donald Trumps National Security Advisor Robert OBrien has tested positive for COVID-19, according to people familiar with his situation.

OBrien has been out of the office since late last week, one of the people said.

OBrien came down with the coronavirus after a family event and has been isolating at home while still running the National Security Council, doing most of his work by phone, according to one of the people.

All the people asked not to be named to discuss information that is not yet public.

The White House communications staff didnt immediately comment.

OBrien is the closest official to Trump to develop the novel coronavirus, as the pandemic continues to surge with infections and deaths on the rise in many U.S. states.

OBrien and senior staff on the NSC are tested daily for COVID-19. His office is down the hall from the Oval Office and from Vice President Mike Pences office.

There have been 16.2 million cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began earlier this year, with deaths passing 648,000, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. In the U.S., there have been more than 4.2 million cases and 146,935 deaths, according to the data.

8:20 a.m.: Police in Brampton say bylaw officers broke up a house party attended by as many as 200 people on Saturday night.

Peel Region police say the partygoers in Brampton were violating provincial emergency orders enacted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peel Region remains in Stage 2 of the provinces reopening plan, limiting gatherings to a maximum of 10 people with physical distancing in effect.

Police say they didnt lay criminal charges, but a spokesperson for the City of Brampton says the organizer was issued a fine of $880 and will also be charged under the public nuisance bylaw.

Const. Kyle Villers of Peel police called the incident disheartening.

It shows the complete disregard for the health and well being of everybody in Brampton, he told the Brampton Guardians Chris Clay. To have a party with this many people giving the state of the world with COVID-19 is a ripe opportunity for another outbreak.

8:20 a.m.: Quebecers using public transit will have to wear a mask today as a two-week grace period comes to an end.

Agencies across the province will be able to deny riders access to buses and subways if they arent wearing a face-covering.

Since July 13, Quebec has made masks mandatory for anyone riding on public transit, with the only exceptions being those who cant wear one for health reasons.

The Quebec government said when announcing the measure there would be no fines, but people without a mask would be denied service once the grace period ended.

They said they were counting on Quebecers to be respectful of others, and Montreal-area transit agencies say the overwhelming majority of people have followed the rule.

Quebec has also made masks mandatory in indoor public places since July 18  a move that has been largely accepted but has also resulted in protests over the past two weekends.

6:05 a.m.: Suggesting a narrower pandemic relief package may be all thats possible, the White House still pushed ahead with Mondays planned rollout of the Senate Republicans $1 trillion effort as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi assailed the GOP disarray as time-wasting during the crisis.

The administrations chief negotiators  White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin  spent the weekend on Capitol Hill to put what Meadows described as final touches on the relief bill Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to bring forward Monday afternoon.

Were done, Mnuchin said as he and Meadows left Capitol Hill on Sunday after meeting with GOP staff.

But looming deadlines may force them to consider other options. By Friday, millions of out-of-work Americans will lose an $600 (U.S.) federal unemployment benefit that is expiring and federal eviction protections for many renters are also coming to an end. President Donald Trumps standing is at one of the lowest points of his term, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

Theyre in disarray and that delay is causing suffering for Americas families, Pelosi said.

6 a.m.: Muslim pilgrims have started arriving in Mecca for a drastically scaled-down hajj as Saudi authorities balance the kingdoms oversight of one of Islams key pillars and the safety of visitors in the face of a global pandemic.

The hajj, which begins on Wednesday, normally draws around 2.5 million people for five intense days of worship in one of the worlds largest gatherings of people from around the world.

This year, Saudi Arabias Hajj Ministry has said between 1,000 and 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will be allowed to perform the pilgrimage. Two-thirds of those pilgrims will be from among foreign residents in Saudi Arabia and one-third will be Saudi citizens.

5:09 a.m. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. reported Monday a $1.7 billion (U.S.) loss for April-June, and forecast more red ink for the fiscal year, as the coronavirus pandemic slammed auto demand around the world.

The maker of the Outlander sport utility vehicle and I-MiEV electric car expects to chalk up a $3.4 billion (U.S.) loss for the fiscal year through March 2021, because of the fallout from the outbreak.

The shaky results come as Mitsubishi Motors alliance partners Nissan Motor Co. and Renault of France work to recover from the downfall of their former chairman, Carlos Ghosn.

Ghosn was out on bail, awaiting trial on various financial misconduct allegations in Tokyo, when he fled late last year to Lebanon. He has said he is innocent of the allegations of under-reporting future compensation and breach of trust.

Mitsubishi Motors has denounced Ghosn.

5 a.m. Global stock markets were mixed and gold surged to a record price Monday amid U.S.-China tension and concern a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic might be weakening.

London, Tokyo and Hong Kong declined while Frankfurt and Shanghai advanced. U.S. stock futures were higher.

Wall Street ended last week down after a new diplomatic flare-up between Washington and Beijing and mixed earnings reports.

Global markets have regained most of this years losses but forecasters warn the rebound might be too big and too early as virus case numbers rise in the United States and some other economies.

Weak stock prices speak volumes of soured risk appetite amid escalating U.S.-China risks, worsening virus outbreaks and a flagging recovery, said Hayaki Narita of Mizuho Bank in a report.

4:58 a.m.: Indonesia announced Monday that its confirmed number of coronavirus cases has surpassed 100,000, the most in Southeast Asia, as an official said the government still doesnt know when the outbreak will peak.

The health ministry announced 1,525 more cases on Monday, bringing the countrys confirmed total to 100,303. The actual number is thought to be considerably higher because of factors including limited testing.

The ministry also reported 57 more deaths, bringing the death toll to 4,838.

4:01 a.m.: The number of kids in child-care centres is allowed to increase across Ontario today as the province continues its gradual reopening.

The Ministry of Education had previously limited the number of people per room in a daycare to 10 in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Sunday 5 p.m. As of late Sunday, Ontarios regional health units are reporting a total of 40,723 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, including 2,798 deaths, up 104 cases in 24 hours.

As has been the case in recent days, the new infections reported Sunday were predominantly among younger patients; the makeup of the provinces epidemic has shifted since the spring.

In mid-April, during the provinces first peak in daily infections, most reported cases were among patients over 60, a spike that coincided with a series of devastating outbreaks in Ontario nursing homes. But relatively fewer seniors have been infected since, and in July the majority of new infections have been reported among patients under age 40.

Sunday once again saw significant numbers of new cases reported in Ottawa  26 new infections  and Windsor-Essex  24 cases. Both health units have seen notable jumps in cases in July.

Toronto, meanwhile reported 26 cases and all four of the provinces new deaths Sunday.

Despite still regularly reporting among the most daily infections of any health unit, cases have fallen sharply on average in the city. Over the last week, Toronto saw an average of 29 new cases reported each day; well down from the peak rate of 230 cases daily, seen over seven days in late May.

The Stars count includes some patients reported as probable COVID-19 cases, meaning they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test.

The province also cautions its data, published daily at 10:30 a.m., may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system, saying that in the event of a discrepancy, data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date.

Read Sundays rolling file
A Beard is rarely a non-political matter. Fully and carefully sorted, can he tell about its wearer: I'm a Hipster and I have in my life time, to deal with the care of my Gesichtshaars. The indecisive 20-day variant, which is seen these days are still often in the Zoom conferences to, on the other hand says: I have the privilege to be able to work from home, and I am now no matter how I look.

Maria Wiesner

editor in the Department of society FAZ.NET.

F. A. Z. Facebook Twitter

In South Korea made since January is a completely different Variation of the facial hair headlines: The mustache of the American Ambassador Harry Harris was caught up in the social media under fire. He remind you too much of the beard fashion of the Japanese colonial rulers, annexed from 1910 to 1945 the Korean Peninsula. What, so the allegation that Harris was not surprising  after all, the Ambassador had Japanese roots. This is not commented on Harris, in turn, in an Interview with the Korea Times: "I'm the Japanese-American Ambassador in Korea, but the American. That to me history is alone charged due to the coincidence of my birth, I think, is a mistake.

democratic and extremist beards

like Harris, in his time as an American Navy Admiral, a Position he had held prior to the commencement of his Embassy post in the year 2018, not with hairstyle and complications have been busy, but he should know that a Beard can convey a political message. In Europe, he's doing this at least since the 19th century. Century, when the beard form of democracy, or Imperial loyalty displayed. In some Central Asian countries, with full beards are still seen today as a sign of religious extremism. And in South Korea's Northern neighbouring state, there should be even a list of officially permitted hair cut.

the tempers in South Korea about Harris Beard so strongly heated  at a rally, protesters tore down even his likeness is symbolic of the Beard may be explained, however, less with the facial hair of the Ambassador than by the policy of Donald trump's, which he represents. So Harris brought about last November to the then Chairman of the intelligence Committee of the South Korean Parliament on several occasions Trumps the claim that Seoul should increase the financial contribution to the support of the American troops in South Korea dramatically. The battle of the mustache is here, too, a dispute about the political influence.

the Tweet of the us Embassy arrived in Seoul last weekend, quite surprisingly, in the Harris of a video team accompany, as he makes his mustache shaved off. The justification for the sudden change in diplomatic is: "It is so humid and hot in Seoul, and under the mask I'm sweating with the Beard even more." To the Corona-protection measures are to be observed, have need to soft the Beard so. To be clean-shaven on-the-go, these days, is a political Statement.

Updated Date: 27 July 2020, 09:20
On August 17-31, the Rimpac 2020 hosted by the US Pacific Fleet will start at Pearl Harbor Hawaii as one of the biggest naval exercises.

Leading the activities is the U.S. Navy and its Commander. Compared to other marine activities, this biennial maritime exercise will be centered at-sea activities. Concerns about COVID-19 transmission prompted limited contact between participants. This Rim of the Pacific 2020 exercises are held every two years, reported by Navy Mil.

The theme of the 2020 Rim of the Pacific exercises is capable, adaptive, partners as the basis for effective cooperation between naval forces.

This Rim of the Pacific exercises is vital as the US and its allies need to step up and adapt to a changing geopolitical atmosphere to operate effectively.

Concentration will be on at-sea activities for the rim of the pacific exercises to make sure the safety of all forces emphasizing minimal contact with shore-based participants. The commander of the U.S. Navy designed the modified rim of the pacific plan to conduct all activities with partners with optimized training and less risk for all involved. These exercises also highlight the impact of the naval exercise on the people and the island of Hawaii.

U.S. Pacific Fleet Adm. John Aquilino said that the current situation deems that our maritime forces work in unison to defend shipping lanes and make sure that freedom of navigation into international waters is not impeded. He added that all will conduct operations safely and smart mitigation measures while at sea.

Also read: Ukrainian-American Sea Breeze' Joint Naval Exercises Held in the Black Sea

Efforts of the US Navy to lessen the spread of COVID-19 is more stringent than ever. The rim of the pacific exercise 2020 will keep all activities at sea with no offshore activities scheduled. For logistical assistance, the Pearl Harbor-Hickam is utilized. The staff ashore are responsible for the command and control logistics with support functions. This serves as a support auxiliary as a way to keep all staff and other participating personnel safe.

It will include vital operations for all naval operations that comprise training. Most of the participants will be involved in what includes how to conduct anti-submarine contingencies, naval intercept operations, using live-rounds in training, especially training with other forces. The Navy will monitor the exercises to keep the training fluid dynamic.

Nations participating in the rim of the pacific exercise will learn to work with the US Navy and improve their interoperability. Recently, the Australian Defense Force participated in the Trilateral exercise with the US and Japan in the Philippine Sea, cited ADM.

Aquilino said that we are committed and able to safeguard allies and co-partners situated in the Indo Pacific region. A flexible approach is done through the rim of the pacific exercises to reach a balance in dealing with future adversaries and keep COVID-19 to a minimum.

The Rimpac 2020 hosted by the U.S. Pacific Fleet will be headed by U.S. 3rd Fleet, Vice Adm. Scott D. Conn. This exercise that involves several nations has an emphasis on the interoperability of all naval units involved.

Related article: PLA Navy Confronts Australian Navy, But Kept Quiet During Trilateral Exercises With US Navy

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Amazon Studios announced the release of the Stacey Abrams voting rights documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy on Sunday, 100 days out from the presidential election. The film will be released on Amazon Prime Video on Sept. 18.

STACEY ABRAMS IN HOUSTON: In Houston, Stacey Abrams revs up Democrats over voting rights, 2020

Abrams ran as the Democratic Party's nominee in the 2018 gubernatorial election in Georgia and was the first Black woman to be a major-party gubernatorial nominee in the United States. In a very narrow race, she lost to Republican Brian Kemp. During the race, Abrams accused Kemp of voter suppression activities after he refused to resign as secretary of state while campaigning for governor.

PUT STACEY IN THE RACE: Forget Beto. Stacey Abrams ought to be in the 2020 mix.

Amazon bought worldwide rights to the documentary back in June from the Story Syndicate production company. The film was directed by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmakers Liz Garbus, Lisa Cortes, Dan Cogan, and Abrams herself.

The documentary will examine the often overlooked issue of voter suppression in the United States. The documentary will also take a closer look at the laws and obstacles to voting that most people dont know exist, or potentially prevent them from voting as U.S. citizens.

Directors Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes said in an interview, With 100 days left until one of the most important elections in American history, we are thrilled to officially announce All In: The Fight for Democracy, which will tell a powerful and harrowing story of the fight for the right to vote as well as arm citizens with the tools they need to protect this right. The film will be accompanied by an ambitious and visionary action plan to reach voters and educate them across the nation.

National Voter Registration Day will be observed Sept. 22 this year. In tandem with National Voter Registration Day, the filmmakers and Amazon Studios are launching #ALLINFORVOTING, a campaign to release content to combat misinformation about the voting process, and educate and register first time voters. The campaign will also mobilize communities to have their voices and values counted, and train citizens to know how to recognize and report voter suppression.

Here in Houston, Republicans were accused of voter suppression. Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP, spoke during a panel discussion on protecting the vote in 2020. He accused Republicans of preparing to use the COVID-19 pandemic as part of a massive voter suppression effort.

In a video, Bledsoe says, "I think the COVID-19 pandemic is going to become an offensive tool, and that offensive tool is going to be used as an attempt to try and suppress votes."
Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Sunday responded to a netizen's storytime moment, where he claimed to have walked into Elon Musk's house to see him plotting some of the more outlandish things he's alleged to have done - specifically, Musk's alleged and refuted menage a trois with actor Amber Heard and model Cara Delevingne while he was organising the coup of Bolivia.

Elon Musk jokingly replied to the netizen's comment remembering the moment fondly saying, 'those were the days!' Previously as well, Musk has been under the scanner for his affair with Heard, brought to light through Johnny Depps libel case where Depp has accused former wife Amber of having an 'illicit relationship' with the SpaceX CEO.

that awkward moment when you walk into @elonmusks house without knocking and see him organizing a coup of bolivia while having a threesome with Amber Heard and Cara Delevingne as mexican drug lords move drugs out of his house to help fake Teslas sales numbers  Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) July 26, 2020

Those were the days!   Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 26, 2020

Conspiracy theories around coup of Bolivia

However, while people were in two-minds about trusting the story on Musk's affair with Amber Heard and Cara Delevingne, they were quite certain about the first half of the story where the netizen has jokingly mentioned that he saw the Tesla CEO organising the 'coup of Bolivia.'

The internet over the past few weeks has been going crazy over accusations against Tesla and Elon Musk for being involved in a coup in Bolivia to secure lithium from the South American country. Some conspiracy theorists have claimed that American influence was behind the change of power in Bolivia where president Evo Morales was ousted after being in power for over 14 years. Earlier Musk had earlier jokingly responded to the allegations saying that they were going to 'coup whoever they want,' a tweet which was reposted by ousted President Morales as 'proof' that Tesla and Musk were involved.

Read: Amber Heard Denies Fabricating Injuries; Refutes Rumours Of Having Affair With Elon Musk

Read: 'Turn Off Your Phone': Grimes Tells Elon Musk After He Faces Backlash On Twitter

Netizens react

I love how the comments are dismissing the Amber Heard and Cara Delevingne story but the coup in Bolivia, they don't even bother because they know there is truth in it.  OddBoy (@AyuakBig) July 26, 2020

Tomorrow TMZ will be asking Cara : "So Bolivia, you knew all along? " pic.twitter.com/Da2MuvWyoF  Alex Oha (@oha_alex) July 26, 2020

Never judge someone for organizing a coup of Bolivia until youve had a threesome with Amber Heard and Cara Delevingne.  Ryan (@bathybius) July 26, 2020

Read: Amber Heard Appears For Libel Trial, Claims Johnny Depp 'threatened To Kill Her'

Read: Elon Musk Shares Sweet Photo Of Two-month-old X  A-12, German Caption Intrigues Netizens
PORTAGE  Grace Emily Schara came from Seymour to work on a Girl Scouts badge, while Jon Van Beckum made the drive from Milwaukee in an effort to further enrich the high school history classes he teaches.

For Gwen Heath, she came to this historic spit of land after her husband, Gary, unearthed earlier this month a Native American hammer stone in the front yard of their Packwaukee home near Buffalo Lake. She was hoping a morning of digging, scraping and brushing under the watchful eyes of trained archaeologists would shed light on more potential finds at her Marquette County home.

Thats why Im here, Heath said, as she showed off the ancient gray, stone tool. One of the questions Im here for is how deep are these artifacts.

Turns out, not very.

A public archaeological dig Saturday at the Historic Indian Agency House revealed old nails, shards of pottery and bone, pieces of glass and chert, and a sedimentary rock used by ancient peoples to make tools and weapons. And it was all less than 10 inches into the earth.

Working in groups and in shifts in two 3-foot-square holes called units, the goal Saturday  besides staying hydrated in the oppressive heat  was to help officials here identify the location and remnants of a blacksmith shop constructed near the Agency House in the 1830s. A ground-penetrating radar survey was conducted last year by Dan Joyce, director of the Kenosha Public Museum, to identify a general area, but it was up to Connie Arzigian, a research archaeologist with the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center at UW-La Crosse, and John Wackman, a longtime archaeologist who dug here in the 1980s, to lead the volunteer crews.

Everything is sort of mixed together, Wackman said of the historical record in the dirt. You dont have a lot of separation. Its pretty crunched together. Most of the stuff we find is domestic material.

In the case of the blacksmith shop, Arzigian, who is also a senior lecturer in archaeology and anthropology, said its unlikely there was a foundation, but perhaps there could be stone supports at each corner of the long-lost building.

This is important because the minutia of everyday life is often left out of historical records, Arzigian said. This helps us better understand what was happening during this period.

The Indian Agency House was built along the portage route between the Fox and Wisconsin rivers in 1832 to house agent John H. Kinzie and his wife, Juliette. The agency was established to fulfill an 1829 treaty between the U.S. government and the indigenous Ho-Chunk, known then as the Winnebago. The push came from the lead mining boom that caused an influx of settlers on Ho-Chunk lands, so the government chose to purchase the area from the tribe in an effort to avoid conflict. Instead of building the house at nearby Fort Winnebago, it was constructed away from the fort as a way to provide a more neutral site during negotiations.

The treaty promised the tribe a yearly annuity in silver along with blacksmith services and other goods in return for their land east and south of the Wisconsin River. All that remains of the fort, constructed in 1828, is the surgeons quarters, which was originally the home of Francois LeRoi and built between 1816 and 1819. LeRois home was ideally situated between Green Bay and Prairie du Chien and purchased by the Army in 1828. The building is one of the oldest in the state.

The Agency House is also among the oldest in Wisconsin, joining others like the Tank Cottage, constructed in 1776 in Green Bay; the Strange Powers House (anywhere from 1805 to 1818) and the Francois Vertefeuille House (sometime between 1810 and 1820), both in Prairie du Chien; and Henry Dodges mining camp cabin (1827) in Dodgeville.

The blacksmith shop at the Agency House was established in 1830 on land that for thousands of years was traversed by Native Americans and, in 1673, by Father Jacques Marquette and fur trader Louis Joliet. Scores of other notables followed as they made their way from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico via the Fox, Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers.

Anybody who was anybody in Wisconsins history came through this property, said Adam Novey, the Agency Houses curator and executive director. Written records alone cant answer some important questions about how John Kinzies Indian sub-agency worked. Our main inquiry this season is how the blacksmith functioned.

The 233-acre Agency House property is a bit off the beaten path and away from the citys downtown but surrounded by a 161-acre easement established in 2014 by the Groundswell Conservatory. The easement is part of a larger effort that also includes the Ice Age Trail Alliance, which has 46 acres on the south side of the canal opposite the Agency House.

A massive oak tree that was likely a sapling when the Agency House was constructed provided plenty of shade over the house, but not for the volunteer archaeologists who worked out in the open sun and each paid $15 to take part. They were given a quick set of instructions before getting their hands dirty but, because of COVID-19, were required to wear masks. They knelt on pads and hunched over their work, using trowels to gradually scrape away layers of dirt to reveal pieces from the past.

All of these things look like little rocks. Do I leave them there? I dont know, asked Cynthia Powers, a Girl Scout troop leader from Appleton.

Dirt and small artifacts were placed in plastic buckets and then sifted through a nearby screen. Anything of note was stored and labeled in plastic baggies as a permanent record from the site.

Powers was with Grace Emily Schara, 17, and Graces mother, Cindy. One of the reasons they chose the project was that Juliette Kinzies granddaughter, Juliette Lowe, founded the Girl Scouts.

Thats why we came. (Grace) is doing her archaeology badge and Juliette Lowe probably got her adventurous spirit from her grandmother, Powers said. Its adventurous to come out here. Were moving dirt.

Eric Kramer, 47, took part in the dig last weekend and returned on Saturday for more discoveries. For the past 16 years he has worked at the Milwaukee Public Museum as one of its lead visitor assistants.

This is really unique, Kramer said, as he looked at a square-headed nail that had just been found. Think about the last person to touch that. Amazing.

Barry Adams covers regional news for the Wisconsin State Journal. Send him ideas for On Wisconsin at 608-252-6148 or by email at badams@madison.com.

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Afghanistan saw a 13% drop in the number of civilians killed and wounded in violence across the country in the first six months of this year, compared to the same period last year, according to a UN report released Monday.

The report credited the drop in casualties in part to the reduction of operations by international forces  which now only act when called upon and in support of the Afghan forces  and also to a decrease in the number of attacks by the Islamic State group.

However, the report underscores the still heavy toll the conflict continues to inflict on the civilian population  and sends a harsh message to both the Taliban and the Afghan government forces, saying civilian casualties caused by the warring sides in the conflict continue to be high.

The report comes against the backdrop of a U.S.-Taliban peace deal signed at the end of February and touted as the best hope for peace in Afghanistan after decades of war. While the US and NATO have already begun reducing their troop strength, the second phase of the deal  which calls for negotiations between the Taliban and the Kabul government  has been delayed. Much of the delays have been as a result of Kabuls reluctance to free some Taliban prisoners identified for release as part of the agreement.

The UN report said 1,282 people were killed in violence in the first six months of 2020 in Afghanistan and 2,176 were wounded. That represents an overall 13% decrease from the same period in 2019. The report said the U.N. had recorded 17 attacks by IS causing civilians casualties during the first six months of 2020, down from 97 attacks in the same period last year.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the report, describing it as propaganda aimed at defaming the Taliban. He blamed airstrikes and heavy artillery by government forces and their allies, saying they are responsible for the majority of civilian casualties.

The Afghan government, meanwhile, said the UN reports underscores the governments own findings that the Taliban are responsible for the vast majority of the civilian casualties. The statement added that the recent increase in Taliban attacks comes despite the insurgents commitments under the US-Taliban deal.

At a time when the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban have a historic opportunity to come together at the negotiating table for peace talks, the tragic reality is that the fighting continues, inflicting terrible harm to civilians every day, said Deborah Lyons, the head of the UN mission in Afghanistan.

Civilian casualties from airstrikes carried out by Afghan forces tripled in the first six months of the year, compared to the same time period last year. Afghan forces were responsible for 23% of the civilian casualties, while the Taliban were responsible for 43%, the report said.

I urge the parties to pause, to reflect on the chilling incidents and the harm that they are causing to the Afghan people as documented in this report, and to take decisive action to stop the carnage and get to the negotiating table, said Lyons.

Women and children continue to be disproportionately affected by the direct and indirect impacts of the armed conflict, comprising more than 40% of the total civilian casualties, meaning both the killed and the wounded, the report said.

The report noted that children in Afghanistan are especially vulnerable to abuse by both sides, including being recruited for combat.

Last week, a government airstrike killed at least 14 people in western Herat province, many of them women and children. Hundreds of people had gathered in the provinces Adraskan district to welcome home a former Taliban fighter freed from jail, when aircraft reportedly pounded the gathering.

The government said the strike was being investigated.
Divorce is the death of a marriage, and it produces both loss and grief. The Bible uses strong language when discussing divorce; Malachi 2:16 says:

The man who hates and divorces his wife, says the LORD, the God of Israel, does violence to the one he should protect, says the LORD Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful. (NIV)

For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless." (ESV)

If he hates and divorces [his wife], says the Lord God of Israel, he covers his garment with injustice, says the Lord of Hosts. Therefore, watch yourselves carefully, and do not act treacherously. (CSB)

For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong, says the LORD of hosts. So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously." (NASB)

For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. (KJV)

We are probably most familiar with the NASB translation and have heard the phrase God hates divorce. Strong language is used in Malachi to show that the marriage covenant is not to be taken lightly. The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible comments on the verse phrase The man who hates,

The clause is difficult and may be understood in reference to God as the one who hates divorce (e.g., I hate divorce in other translations like NRSV or NASB), or in reference to the man who hates and divorces his wife. Regardless, God hates a broken covenant (cf. 1:3; Hos 9:15).

The notes continue and point out that divorce is a type of social crime as it breaks the marital covenant and takes protection away from the woman who was afforded it legally in the marriage. Divorce not only puts the one being divorced in a difficult position, but it also causes much suffering for all involved, including the children in the family.

The ESV Study Bible agrees that this is one of the most difficult Old Testament passages to translate. Because of this the ESV has a footnote for verse 16 that says 1 Hebrew who hates and divorces 2 Probably meaning (compare Septuagint and Deuteronomy 24:1-4); or The LORD, the God of Israel, says that he hates divorce, and him who covers. This translation that God hates divorce puts the focus of the passage on Gods hatred of the practice of divorce vs. the hatred of the man doing the divorcing. Whichever way the verse is translated (Gods hatred toward the practice, or the hatred of the man committing divorce), God is opposed to this type of divorce (faithless husbands sending away their wives) in Mal. 2:13-15. And Malachi is clear that marriage is indeed a covenant derived from the creation account. Marriage involves an oath taken before God, therefore, when it is broken it is broken before God. The Bible has more to say about divorce below.

Where Does the Bible Talk about Divorce?

The Old Testament:

In addition to Malachi, here are two other passages.

Exodus 21:10-11,

If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.

Deuteronomy 24:1-5,

If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the LORD. Do not bring sin upon the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.

The New Testament:

From Jesus

Matthew 5:31-32,

It has been said, Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce. But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Matt. 19:1-12,

When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason? Havent you read, he replied, that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. Why then, they asked, did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away? Jesus replied, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery. The disciples said to him, If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry. Jesus replied, Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by othersand there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.

Mark 10:1-12,

Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them. Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? What did Moses command you? he replied. They said, Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away. It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law, Jesus replied. But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.

Luke 16:18,

Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

From Paul

1 Corinthians 7:10-11,

To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

1 Cor. 7:39,

A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.

Find More Verses Here.

Related: This Is the Reason God Actually Hates Divorce by Laura Petherbridge on Crosswalk.com.

What the Bible Actually Says about Divorce

[David] Instone-Brewer [author of Divorce and Remarriage in the Church] argues that Jesus not only defended the true meaning of Deuteronomy 24:1 but also accepted what the rest of the Old Testament taught on divorce. Exodus taught that everyone had three rights within marriage  the rights to food, clothing, and love. (We see these even in Christian marriage vows to love, honor, and keep.) Paul taught the same thing: married couples owe each other love (1 Cor. 7:3-5) and material support (1 Cor. 7:33-34). If these rights were neglected, the wronged spouse had the right to seek a divorce. Abuse, an extreme form of neglect, also was grounds for divorce. There was debate on whether or not abandonment was grounds for divorce, so Paul dealt with it. He wrote that believers may not abandon their partners and, if they have done so, they should return (1 Cor. 7:10-11). If someone is abandoned by an unbeliever, or a spouse who will not obey the command to return, then the abandoned person is "no longer bound."

The Old Testament allows for, and the New Testament affirms, the following grounds for divorce:

Of course, having grounds for divorce does not mean that one should divorce. God hates divorce, and for good reason. It can be devastating for all involved, and the negative effects can last for years. Divorce always should be a last resort. But God does allow for divorce (and subsequent remarriage) in some cases when marriage vows are broken.

-What the Bible Actually Says about Divorce section excerpted from What the Bible Says about Divorce: A Guide for Men by Chris Bolinger on Crosswalk.com.

3 Truths Every Christian Needs to Know about Divorce

1. God Hates Divorce

Oh, I know you cringe when you hear that! Its thrown in your face as if divorce is the unpardonable sin. But lets be honest: God does hate divorceand so do youand so do I. As I began to look more deeply into Malachi 2:16, I found the context interesting. You see, the context is of the unfaithful spouse, the one who hurts his/her spouse deeply. Its about being cruel to your spouse, the one that we should love and protect more than any other. God hates the actions that often lead to divorce as we know it. Since we are throwing around things that God hates, lets take a look at another passage:

There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community (Proverbs 6:16-19).

Ouch! That stings! Let me just say that anyone who is throwing Malachi 2:16 at you needs to stop and take a look at Proverbs 6. We, as Christians, need to remember that there is none righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10). We need to remember that Christ died for our pride and our lies just as much as he died for our divorces. And, its often the sins of Proverbs 6 that lead to divorce. Since walking through my own divorce, I have come to the conclusion that God hates divorce because of the immense pain and suffering that it causes his children. It is far less about sin and far more about his fathers heart for us.

2. To Remarry... Or Not?

I am sure you have heard the arguments that you cannot remarry unless you want to live in adultery and risk your eternal soul. I, personally, have a real problem with that. Lets start with interpretation of scripture. I am neither a Greek nor Hebrew scholar. There are enough of those around that I can turn to them to gain from their years of education and experience. However, not one of us was around to have full knowledge of what God intended when he gave the Holy Spirit inspired scripture to the authors. There are scholars who say remarriage is never an option. There are scholars who say remarriage is only an option in the case of adultery. And there are scholars who say remarriage is always allowed because of Gods grace.

No matter what, any interpretation is exactly that: a human interpretation. Only the scripture itself is a divinely inspired Word of God. We have to be very cautious about taking a human interpretation and forcing it on others, lest we become like the Pharisees. Ultimately, your decision to remarry is between you and God. It is a decision that should be made in prayer and consultation with trusted biblical advisors. And, it is a decision that should only be made when you (and your future spouse) have taken plenty of time to heal from your past hurts and to become as much like Christ as possible.

Heres a quick thought for you: the lineage of Christ recorded in Matthew 1 lists a prostitute (Rahab, who eventually married Salmon), an adulterous couple (David, who married Bathsheba after having her husband murdered), and a widow (who married her kinsman-redeemer, Boaz). I find it very interesting that there are three women who were remarried in the direct lineage of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Can we say grace?

3. God is the Redeemer of All Things

Throughout scripture, we are given so many promises to show us that there is always hope! Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for the good of those who love God. Zechariah 9:12 tells us that God will repay two blessings for each of our troubles. In John 11, Jesus proclaims that he is the resurrection and the life; he will take you from the death of divorce and breathe new life into you. And 1 Peter 5:10 says that the suffering wont last forever but one day he will have you put together and on your feet again.

When this journey began for me nearly six years ago, I wasnt sure I believed those promises. God had failed me, or so I thought. I had dedicated my life to him, and the blessing I received was a husband who was unrepentant of his adultery. I was finished with God. But he wasnt finished with me. He pursued me relentlessly and called me to get my security from him. He gently reminded me that he has been with me all the days of my life and that he wasnt going to leave me now. He reminded me that he has great plans for me. I was a broken, rejected mess. But God reminded me that he loves me, that I am his chosen child, his treasured possession. He told me that I am the apple of his eye (Psalm 17:8). He reminded me that I am his masterpiece, created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). I was once called, and can never be disqualified because his call is irrevocable (Romans 11:29).

-3 Truths Every Christian Needs to Know about Divorce excerpted from 3 Beautiful Truths Every Divorced Christian Needs to Know by Dena Johnson on Crosswalk.com.

What Should You Do When Your Spouse Wants Out?

Do Be Patient

Patience buys time. No matter how difficult, take life one day at a time. Make decisions one by one. Overcome obstacles separately. Start with matters you can do something about. Patiently work out how to deal with situations or problems that seem overwhelming. Take time to seek wise counsel.



Do Ask a Trusted Third Party

Do you know someone that your departing spouse holds in high esteem? If so, ask that person to intervene in your marriage. It may be a pastor, a friend, her parent, or even one or more of your children (if mature). Ask the person(s) to spend time with your mate, to listen to her, and to do everything possible to influence her to agree to marriage counseling or our intensive marriage weekend workshop. Our experience is that often a spouse who absolutely refuses counseling or a workshop when asked by a spouse will agree, if reluctantly, when urged by a third party that they deeply care for.



Do Provide a Perk

If you want to try marriage counseling or attend a marriage intensive workshop such as our Marriage Helper 911, you may be able to convince your reluctant spouse to attend by offering something if she does. Many times in our workshop, for example, people have told me that the only reason they came was that their spouse offered some concession in their pending divorce in return for their coming. Almost universally, I hear that from a person who during the workshop concluded that he wanted to stay in his marriage. I didnt want to be here. She said if I came, shed agree to _____ when we divorced. Im glad I came. I see how we can work this out.



Do Prove You Have Changed

Rather than focusing only on the faults of your spouse, admit your own weaknesses. When you begin working on improving yourself in those areas, you benefit yourself. You also make strides toward salvaging your marriage.



Do Persevere

It takes strength to work at saving a marriage when your spouse wants to leave. Stay strong. Find a support system of people who will encourage you and who will be optimistic about the possibility of reconciliation. Focus on taking care of yourself. Exercise. Eat as you should. Start a new hobby to keep your mind from obsessing on your troubles. Get involved in your church. Get individual counseling. Whether your marriage makes it or not, you need to provide for yourself spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Actually, as you do, you also do the things that have the strongest likelihood of causing your spouse to realize what he will lose if the marriage ends.

-What Should You Do When Your Spouse Wants Out excerpted from What to Do When Your Spouse Wants Out by Joe Beam on Crosswalk.com.

7 Thoughts If Youre Considering Divorce

1. Trust the Lord, dont trust yourself. Relationships can cause hurt, and hurt people find it hard to think straight. God knows all, sees all, and works everything together for your good. Trust in the Lord and what He says in his Word.

2. Realize that the answer to suffering is not always to move away from it. God sometimes calls us to follow Him by walking into or remaining under suffering. (I am not talking about remaining under abuse, but the many other conflicts and sufferings of life that married people face in a fallen world.)

3. Contemplate that God is accomplishing a purpose in your sufferings.

4. Wait on the Lord. Dont act hastily. Keep doors open. Only close the doors that you are certain God says you should close.

5. Dont just trust that God can change someone elses heart. Trust that He can change and renew your heart.

6. Meditate on Scripture related to the issue of marriage, separation, and divorce.

7. Whatever actions you consider taking, ask whether you can take that action for the glory of God.

-7 Thoughts If Youre Considering Divorce excerpted from 11 Important Thoughts for Those Considering Divorce by Randy Alcorn on Crosswalk.com

5 Positive Things to Do after Divorce

1. Manage Conflict with Peace

Jesus is a great example for how to conduct ourselves in the face of conflict. He kept himself calm by knowing God was still in control even as His enemies were attacking. He spoke out to His disciples sharing that He knew they were going to betray Him but He left the consequences of these actions in Gods hands. You cannot control how your spouse behaves during or after the divorce, but you can control how you act and treat other people. Treat them with the respect they deserve as the parent of your child, or at least as a fellow human being  even if theyre acting like some sort of alien from outer space.

2. Embrace the Circumstances God Has You In

I am reminded of the story of Jesus and His disciples in the boat (Matthew 8:23-27). A huge storm began raging around them while Jesus slept peacefully. The disciples were afraid that these circumstances would ruin them and their boat. But Jesus knew who was in control. Then Jesus calmed the storm and showed the disciples Gods power over all situations. Most divorcing people are very scared during the divorce journey. We dont know how were going to survive. But as we embrace these unwanted circumstances, we realize that God was with us through the storm and through the pain. He is never going to leave or let you drown. During my divorce, I knew He wasnt going to stop the storm immediately. Actually it still hasnt really stopped, but He is always working things out even if I cant yet see it. I only need to have faith in His promises.

3. Challenge the Lonely Feelings with Benevolence While Single and Healing

Feeling lonely after divorce is a real concern of many of the women I speak to. It seems to be the biggest struggle that Christian women (and Im sure men too) face while working on healing. When the divorce wasnt wanted in the first place, feeling lonely seems to be an added consequence to an already mounting list. But we learn in the Bible that singleness is a gift from God. It may be hard to see it as such when youre feeling so much pain and loss. But its often an invitation to seek a relationship with the One who knows how to cure the pain and fill the void.

4. Reclaim Your Life and Your Finances After Divorce

Another big struggle I hear from divorced people is the loss of their old life and the lifestyle they were used to living. This is huge loss that also needs to be mourned. It is difficult knowing that you worked so hard to help your spouse achieve a career and financial success, yet now you have to start your life over at what feels like the very beginning, without his or her help (or only temporary help). I was a stay-at-home mom, homeschooling my two youngest children, when I faced my divorce. I had not worked outside of the home since before my 10-year-old was born. I had only done a little bit of freelance writing and social media work for bloggers, and I hadnt finished my college education. Im not saying it has been easy, but each year gets more exciting as I listen to Gods leading and direction for my life. I can see where things I did before my divorce, and even before my marriage, have become useful to me today.

5. Be Cautious with Future Relationships as to Not Repeat Divorce

Most of the articles Ive read about the consequences of divorce talk about the high divorce rate of second and third marriages. Knowing these statistics kept me trapped in my adulterous marriage thinking I would only face another divorce in the future. I can still see where this is very relevant to the conversation, but when we work through our emotional healing and get rid of any excess baggage, we all can go on to live an emotionally healthy life (with or without another marriage). Sometimes were preyed upon by an evil-hearted person (who fools and traps us) but other times we choose an unhealthy mate because we dont think we deserve any better. Often this is subconscious until we see the pattern of harmful relationships, realizing we have a broken relationship picker.

As someone on the other side of all the divorce baggage and healing, I can say its worth it to do the hard work before moving on to dating and remarriage after divorce. Whether I remarry or not I know that I wont fall for the same tricks that worked on me 20 years ago. Ive learned a lot from my divorce and the healing afterwards. I hope you will do the same as well.

-5 Positive Things to Do after Divorce excerpted from 5 Positive Things You Can Do after Divorce by Jen Grice on iBelieve.com.

What Parents Need to Know about Children of Divorce

Kids and divorce is a complex subject and there are no easy answers. However, its imperative for parents to learn that they play a pivotal role in minimizing the trauma kids experience when their parents separate or divorce. Here are a few tips that might help:

Most kids will initially go into a form of denial when their parents separate. They believe, this is temporary, my parents will get back together. Even years later many kids still dream about their parents reuniting, which is one reason why they resist a parents remarriage.

Allow the child time to grieve. Children are unable to communicate grief in the same manner as adults. Therefore, they may be sad, angry, frustrated or depressed but can not express it.

Do not lie. In an age appropriate manner, and without gory details, tell the truth. The number one reason kids blame themselves for their parents divorce is because they were not told the truth.

When a parent belittles, bashes, or criticizes the other parent it can emotionally destroy a childs self worth. If dad is a no-good loser, I must be one too. If mom is a tramp, thats what Ill become.

The children who do the best after a divorce are those who have a strong relationship with both biological parents. Therefore, do not withhold visitation unless the child is being neglected or in danger.

Divorce is a death. With time to grieve, the proper help, and Jesus Christ, children from divorced homes can eventually become whole again. What they need is a godly, stable single parent who is willing to slow down, listen to instruction, and take the steps necessary to heal.

-What Parents Need to Know about Children of Divorce excerpted from What You Need to Know about Kids of Divorce by Laura Petherbridge on Crosswalk.com.

Related Articles:

Further Resources

Resource for Women:

The Christian Womans Guide to Starting over after Divorce

Resource for Men:

What the Bible Says about Divorce: A Guide for Men

Prayers for Divorce:

Photo credit: GettyImages/LiountmilaKorelidou

Liz Auld is the managing editor for Salem Web Network; she edits and writes content across the editorial sites (Crosswalk.com, Biblestudytools.com, iBelieve.com, Christianity.com). She has a B.A. in Religious Studies and has taken post-graduate classes in Theology and Global Studies. She enjoys reading books from a variety of genres, trying new recipes, and visiting family.
Sen. Cotton Introduces Bill Prohibiting Federal Funds for Schools Using 1619 Project Curriculum

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has introduced a bill that would prohibit federal funds from going toward the teaching of New York Timess 1619 Project, which he called a racially divisive, revisionist account of history.

During an interview on Sunday with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Cotton defended the bill he introduced to Congress that would cut federal funding to public schools where the 1619 Project is being taught as part of history curricula.

The 1619 Project is championed by New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, who considers the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in the year of 1619 in Jamestown, Virginia, as the true beginning of the history of the United States. Aiming to reframe American history, the project consists of a set of essays they argue, among many other controversial revisionist claims, that the American Revolution was primarily fought to preserve slavery.

A curriculum based on the project has already been implemented in public school districts across the nation, notably in Chicago, Illinois; Buffalo, New York; Newark, New Jersey; and Washington.

The entire premise of the New York Times factually, historically flawed 1619 Projectis that America is at root, a systemically racist country to the core and irredeemable, Cotton said, calling the project revisionist history at its worst.

The Arkansas senator told the Gazette that the United States shouldnt be seen as fundamentally racist and corrupt as portrayed by the 1619 Project, but a nation founded upon noble ideals that generations of Americans struggled to fulfill.

We have to study the history of slavery and its role and impact on the development of our country because otherwise we cant understand our country. As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction, Cotton said.

If Cottons proposed legislation passes, school districts that adopt the curriculum would lose federal professional development funds, which aim to improve teacher and principal quality. Federal funding would also be reduced to reflect any cost associated with teaching the 1619 Project, including in planning time and teaching time. It would not affect funds intended for low-income or special-needs students.

In response to Cottons bill, Hannah-Jones posted a link to the curriculum on Twitter, saying Heres the FREE curriculum for anyone interested. I am glad a founding principle of this republic is freedom of speech.

The 1619 Project has become a source of controversy since its publication in 2019. The projects critics, among whom are some of the nations leading historians, contended that the writers cherry-picked historical anecdotes to construct a narrative that fits their preconceived worldview centered around racial injustice.

Leslie Harris, a Northwestern University historian who helped fact-check the 1619 Project, said earlier this year that she was ignored after she vigorously disputed the claim that protecting the institution of slavery was the primary reason the American colonists rebelled against the British rule.

Despite my advice, the Times published the incorrect statement about the American Revolution anyway, Harris wrote. I was concerned that critics would use the overstated claim to discredit the entire undertaking. So far, thats exactly what has happened.
In a 1916 essay, the architect of Indias constitution, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, wrote: The caste problem is a vast one [] It is a local problem, but one capable of much wider mischief, for as long as caste in India does exist, Hindus will hardly intermarry or have any social intercourse with outsiders; and if Hindus migrate to other regions on earth, Indian caste would become a world problem.

In June, a momentous discrimination case in California proved this prediction right. The Department of Fair Employment and Housing launched a lawsuit against Cisco, a multibillion-dollar California-based tech conglomerate, for discriminating against an Indian Dalit engineer over his caste. The engineer, listed as John Doe in court filings, says he has been harassed by two of his high-caste Indian-American co-workers and faced retaliation after complaining to the company.

The caste system affects more than 260 million people worldwide, determining every aspect of their lives from employment to relationships and religion. Dalits sit at the bottom of this system, branded as untouchable. They face segregation, exclusion, and violence compounded by a punishing culture of impunity and silence. While caste-based discrimination in the United States is not as widespread and overt as in India, it exists here too.

In the US IT sector and especially the Silicon Valley, where tech companies employ thousands of Indian immigrants and Indian Americans, caste discrimination in the workplace is a daily reality for many. It often begins quite innocuously.

Brahmins, the traditional priestly class who sit atop the Hindu caste hierarchy, may touch the back of a new co-worker of Indian-descent to find out if he is wearing the sacred Brahmin thread  Upanayana. If the man has that sacred thread, it means he belongs to their trusted networks.

They may also ask what religion a new co-worker belongs to, or even directly their caste. Their answers may determine how they will be treated in their new workplace.

Caste is deeply embedded in the minds of dominant caste people, and manifests itself in the form of implicit and explicit biases, even when they are in the diaspora. The 2016 Equality Labs survey on caste in the US demonstrated this fact clearly.

One in four Dalits who participated in the survey said they faced physical and verbal assault due to their caste in the US. One in three Dalit students reported being discriminated against during their education. A whopping 67 percent of Dalits surveyed reported being treated unfairly at their workplace because of their caste.

Caste is a social currency that can prove highly valuable in the tech industry, where caste privilege easily hides behind ideals of meritocracy. It is so deeply internalised by people of the dominant castes that many of them are not even aware they are actively involved in propagating it. When you ask a dominant caste person in the tech industry how many Dalits there are in their networks compared with other higher caste individuals, for example, they often freeze, realising their unconscious bias.

Caste discrimination in the industry is not restricted to companies either. Research and teaching assistantships in universities, which rely on referrals, also fuel caste discrimination. Dominant caste academics and senior researchers prioritise applicants that belong to their caste networks when hiring.

This pattern replays in most of the top tech companies, where you are more likely to be interviewed for a position if you are referred by a current employee. Individuals from dominant castes  who are in the majority among Indian Americans and Indian immigrants in the US  curate overwhelmingly dominant caste departments.

In stark contrast, my fellow caste-oppressed professors, students, and peers find it difficult to navigate these hostile workplaces. In India, some have even left the field of tech, or have attempted to take their own lives to escape the hostility of universities and workplaces. Today, this sad pattern is being replicated in US universities and companies.

Even if we circumvent the referral process to get hired, discrimination follows us. Casteist slurs, jokes about affirmative action, dismissive comments directed at Dalits  we hear it all. Dalits try to hide their identity, fearing the discovery of caste is enough to lead to demotions and harassment at work.

In one of the first companies I worked for, my Indian manager pointedly ignored my suggestions in meetings and behaved as if I had never spoken. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, my non-Indian colleagues started to notice my exclusion and began to back me up.

My manager grew increasingly frustrated and said I better not touch one of the tools we have been working on, as I was ill-fated. I flinched because this was a direct reference to my being from an untouchable caste and a woman.

I decided to find another job. That has led to me having a successful career as a computer scientist where I was able to thrive  as long as I avoided working under a dominant caste Indian manager.

Untouchability is a vicious practice, propagated by dominant castes, so they can distance themselves from Dalits while exploiting our labour. I managed to get myself out of this casteist environment, but many are still suffering. Caste discrimination is a structural problem in the US, as it is in India, and it needs to be dealt with as such.

As the Cisco case progresses, anyone in the tech industry needs to ask: How much talent is suppressed because of caste-based discrimination? What is the rate of attrition, based on the grounds of caste-based discrimination? What do companies lose when their workplaces are hostile to key talent, due to caste-based discrimination?

The Cisco caste discrimination lawsuit gives us hope that Dalits in the tech industry will one day find justice. We owe this newfound hope to John Doe, who instead of suffering in silence chose to fight back. It is not easy to fight against discrimination, particularly in the current environment where the immigration status of many caste-oppressed individuals in the US is precarious.

His courage has already inspired many other individuals from caste-oppressed minorities to speak out, including me. His fight has also made caste a popular discussion topic in the American IT industry. Now we can only wait and see whether the historic case he launched against Cisco is going to inspire other big and small tech companies to notice and address this problem.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Police were called to the Croftwood Park area of the Dublin suburb (PA)

A man has been injured in a shooting incident in Ballyfermot in Dublin.

The incident occurred in the Croftwood Park area at around 11am on Monday.

Gardai and ambulance services are attending the scene and the area has been sealed off.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has moved a mock-up U.S. aircraft carrier to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, satellite images show, suggesting it will use the look-alike vessel for target practice in war games in a Gulf shipping channel vital to world oil exports.

The use of dummy American warships has become an occasional feature of training by Iran's Revolutionary Guards and its naval forces, including in 2015 when Iranian missiles hit a mock-up resembling a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

Tehran, which opposes the presence of U.S. and Western navies in the Gulf, frequently holds naval war games in the strategic Strait, the conduit for some 30% of all crude and other oil liquids traded by sea.

One of the images taken on July 26 by U.S.-based space technology firm Maxar Technologies showed an Iranian fast attack boat moving toward the model U.S. carrier in the strategic waterway. Another image showed model planes lined up on the deck of the fake carrier.

"We cannot speak to what Iran hopes to gain by building this mock-up, or what tactical value they would hope to gain by using such a mock-up in a training or offensive exercise scenario," said Commander Rebecca Rebarich, the spokeswoman for the U.S. Navys Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet.

"We remain confident in our naval forces' ability to defend themselves against any maritime threat."

Tensions have spiked between Iran and the United States since 2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with six powers and reimposed sanctions that has sharply dropped Tehran's oil exports.

Iran's Guards in April said Tehran would destroy U.S. warships if its security is threatened in the Gulf. Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to block Hormuz if Iran is not able to export oil or if its nuclear sites are attacked.

There have been periodic confrontations between the Iranian Guards and the U.S. military in the Gulf in recent years. U.S. officials have said closing the Strait would be crossing a "red line" and America would take action to reopen it.

Iran cannot legally close the waterway unilaterally because part of it is in Omani territorial waters. However, ships that sail it pass through Iranian waters, which are under the responsibility of the Iran's Guards naval force.

(Additional reporting by Lisa Barrington in Dubai; Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by William Maclean)
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Dr Joginder Chaudhary, a 28-year-old junior resident doctor at Delhi government's Baba Saheb Ambedkar (BSA) Hospital, succumbed to the coronavirus on Sunday. He had contracted COVID-19 on June 27.

Chaudhary had joined the casualty department of BSA in November last year. He hailed from Singrauli in Madhya Pradeshs Neemuch district.

The junior doctor was admitted at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital's ICU ward. Unable to meet the cost of COVID-19 treatment, Chaudhary's father, a farmer, was helped by the medical fraternity in New Delhi.

ALSO READ | Rs 10-doctor, who served and saved many poor people, dies in Chennai

Several doctors did their bit to raise funds for Chaudharys treatment. Around 100 doctors from BSA Hospitals Resident Doctors Association managed to raise around Rs 3 lakh for Joginder's COVID-19 treatment.

Chaudhary's father had also written a letter to the Ganga Ram Hospitals administration to waive off the expenses as they were unable to pay the bills. The administration promptly decided to bear all his costs citing that he himself was a "COVID warrior".

ALSO READ | Hyderabad doctor loses battle with COVID-19, third in city to die of virus

Chaudhary, who was initially admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital was later shifted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on July 7.

According to reports, the doctor did not have other comorbidities at the time of admission at the hospital in June.

This is not the first time a 'corona warrior' lost their life fighting the deadly coronavirus. But Dr Joginder's is one of the youngest to have succumbed to the infection.



(Inputs from ENS, Agenices)
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Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 20:27 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669ae701 1 National Prosecutors-Office,bank-bali-case,prosecutors,djoko-tjandra,South-Jakarta-District-Court,judges,Supreme-Court,fugitive,corruption,graft Free

Prosecutors at the South Jakarta District Court have demanded that the panel of judges drop the case review plea filed by notorious fugitive Djoko Soegiharto Tjandra as they also ask for judges to deny the graft convict's request for a virtual hearing following his consecutive absence.

We demand the panel of judges reject the case review petition filed by Djoko Sugiarto Tjandra and declare the request cannot be accepted, a team of prosecutors said in the broadcast hearing at the court on Monday.

The panel of judges, presided over by judge Nazar Effriandi, held the hearing for the fourth time on Monday, which Djoko failed to attend again.

The fugitive of the high-profile Bank Bali corruption case, who reportedly is staying in Malaysia, had requested last week through his attorneys that the case review trial be held virtually, citing his health condition as the reason for his absence. He filed the case review petition against his conviction to the South Jakarta Court in early June after being wanted by authorities since his escape in 2009.

One of the prosecutors, Ridwan Ismawanta, also asked the judges to reject the online hearing request. He said, citing Supreme Court circular No. 1/2012 on case review procedure, that teleconference hearings could only be held at district courts, prosecutors offices and detention centers and were only applicable to prisoners, defendants and witnesses.

The plaintiffs request [for an online hearing] is disrespectful to the court and [what he did] is contempt of court, he said.

Read also: House deputy speaker reported for not allowing supervisory hearing for Djoko Tjandra's case

He added that Djokos absence was unacceptable as his team of lawyers did not present evidence of his health condition.

Djokos lawyer Andi Putra Kusuma conveyed in last weeks hearing that his client had been ill and could not attend the hearings because he was undergoing medical treatment in Malaysia.

The panel of judges did not clearly state whether the case review hearing would be continued or stopped, after adjourning it for around 1.5 hours on Monday afternoon.

The team of prosecutors, Ridwan said, refused to sign the dossiers of the hearing, insisting that the defendant must be present for the case review trial.

He said the prosecutors' refusal had not dropped the case review petition yet as he suspected it could be forwarded to the Supreme Court.

The petition must be denied without the presence of the defendant, he said as reported by tempo.co.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci was not a household name. In the scientific and medical community, however, he was revered  one of the early leaders in the fight against AIDS who served under six U.S. presidents of both parties.

In the weeks after COVID-19 began its insidious spread across the county, the bespectacled 79-year-old with a Brooklyn accent became a fixture in the daily White House coronavirus task force briefings. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases urged caution over recklessness. He hewed to science rather than politics. He often contradicted the many misleading and medically dubious statements from the president.

That made him persona non grata in far right-wing circles, where conspiracy theories often reach a fever pitch and where memes and a discredited documentary falsely accused him of intentionally engineering COVID-19. It also put Fauci on the outs with the White House, which waged a despicable campaign to smear the nations top infectious disease expert at a time when such expertise is desperately needed.

Faucis unflinching candor in describing the magnitude of coronavirus have also put him and his family in danger. In an interview on the Axe Files podcast, he revealed that he, his wife and his daughters have received hate-mail death threats so worrying that he had to ask for extra security protection.

I mean, really? Is this the United States of America?" Fauci asked the host, CNN political commentator David Axelrod.

Yes, sadly it is. The threats reflect the politicization of a public health crisis, often driven by elected officials more concerned about satisfying the most vocal elements of their base than the mounting death tolls. Instead of being guided by science, they prefer to whip up anti-mask frenzy, plant unsubstantiated doubts about the scope of the pandemic and attempt to undermine Faucis credibility.

Fauci has not been the only target. Since April, the Associated Press reported, more than two dozen state and local health leaders in 13 states have left their posts or been fired after being subjected to harassment and intimidation.

The chief health officer of Orange County, Calif., resigned after she was threatened and doxxed by an anti-vaccine extremist at a meeting of the county board of supervisors. In Ohio, the director of the state health department also stepped down after armed protesters marched outside her home.

The tactics come straight out of the anti-vaccine movement, which has a strong foothold in Texas. Some anti-vax activists have used violent memes, online bullying and even physical attacks in the campaign against vaccine policies. California state Sen. Richard Pan was physically assaulted on a livestream, had blood thrown in his face and received death threats because of his efforts to tighten the states immunization laws

Fauci, in his usual measured way, said the animosity to measures such as shutdowns is understandable, but the hostility against public health issues is difficult not only to understand, but difficult to process.

Im not a hero, I'm just doing my job, he told Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, there are people who get really angry at thinking I'm interfering with their life because I'm pushing a public-health agenda.

Everyone in government, from the president to the aides who have tried to undermine Fauci, should be following his path, and pushing a public health agenda. The refusal by so many, including at many times the president himself, to let science and public health set the nations course in its pandemic response not only puts health officials such as Fauci at risk, it may be the biggest obstacle in our countrys efforts to contain the deadly virus.

If the countrys leaders wont promote and support best public health practices, its no surprise that ordinary Americans resist the very measures that could halt the spread of coronavirus and save their lives.
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Linkedin Novan Iman Santosa (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27 2020

The Defense Ministrys plan to buy 15 second-hand Eurofighter Typhoons from Austria may provide a two-pronged benefit to Indonesia. Not only will the jet fighters increase the countrys military capabilities and deterrence, they will also open up opportunities for its defense companies, both state-owned and private.

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto sent a letter dated July 10 to his Austrian counterpart Klaudia Tanner offering to buy the heavy jet fighters, just four days after the United States cleared Indonesias purchase of Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors and related equipment worth some US$2 billion.

The ministrys spokesman, Brig. Gen. Djoko Purwanto, said the planned purchase had been thoroughly researched. Everything is studied and selected before the government issues a formal purchase offer, Djoko said during a press conference on Thursday.

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EIB

The new report published today by the EIB, UNDP and BearingPoint Africas digital solutions to tackle COVID-19 highlights how proven digital innovation can be replicated to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Africa. It also estimates investment required to implement such high impact solutions.

Ambroise Fayolle, European Investment Banks Vice-President responsible for innovation and development, said: The global development community is united to support Africa at this time of need. The European Investment Bank is pleased to join forces with UNDP and BearingPoint to identify smart and cost-effective technological investment that can increase the resilience of African countries to COVID-19. In the coming days we will host discussions amongst policy and business leaders from across Africa to enable practical and proven solutions to be shared. This ground-breaking report complements the EIBs accelerated financial and technical response to support COVID-19 related health and economic resilience investment across Africa as part of Team Europe. The digital solutions presented in this study are good examples of investment that we intend to support together with our partners.

This paper comes at a time when Africa has demonstrated leadership in digital innovations in the area of financial technologies replicated across the world, such as mobile money. Building on this progress, it is time to invest more aggressively in digital capabilities for the socioeconomic transformation of Africa, said Ahunna Eziakonwa, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa.

In Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting millions of peoples livelihoods, with disproportionate impact on poor households and small businesses. This creates urgency to secure supplies of essential products, contain the spread of the virus, support health systems, stabilise financial systems and help businesses to survive.

Sharing digital solutions amongst African partners

The EIB and UNDP analysis shows that African countries can quickly launch powerful digital projects to better tackle the pandemic. ICT solutions presented in the report cover a broad range of key policy challenges, including crisis management coordination, by helping medical personnel, enabling to anticipate and control the spread of the virus, supporting the poor communities and assisting governments to better communicate.

The survey reviewed more than 100 digital solutions in Europe and Africa and interviewed 50 respondents from 30 African countries in charge of coordinating digital investments related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Broad range of digital solutions already improving lives across Africa

Pioneering and innovative digital solutions identified as offering easy to implement and affordable solutions include a telephone based application for contact-tracing in Kenya, drones spreading messages in rural areas in Ivory Coast and delivering samples to medical laboratories in Ghana and Rwanda, a self-diagnosis application available in 15 African countries, an online learning platform in Tanzania for students and teachers in secondary schools, a platform to organise and monitor food and non-food distribution to the poorest people, as well as a system to map the effects and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic through social media data.

Survey estimates financing needed for digital solutions to improve COVID-19 response

The study reveals that investment needed to implement ICT solutions is not massive compared to other development programmes and financing initiatives, and has the capacity to generate tremendous benefits in terms of saving life and safeguarding economic and social resilience. Global investment required to carry out these digital solutions in the 30 African countries studied has been estimated at 680 million in the first year.

Read the report: Africas digital solutions to tackle COVID-19

The EIB organised a webinar in July to provide more information on the reports findings. It highlighted how digital innovation can help curb the spread of COVID-19 in Africa. Watch the webinar (available only in French) to find out more.

Background information

About the European Investment Bank

The EIB is present in more than 160 countries and has been active across Africa since 1963. The EU Bank is among the leading financiers on the continent, supporting private and public sector projects.

About the United Nations Development Programme

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.

Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP.

UNDPs collaboration with EIB complements the Tech Access Partnership, launched by the United Nations Technology Bank, together with UNDP, UNCTAD and WHO, as part of a coordinated approach to strengthen developing countries responses to COVID-19 and increase access to lifesaving health technologies.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27

By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend:

Representative delegation of Uzbekistan headed by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov arrived in Turkey on July 26, 2020, Trend reports with reference to Dunyo News Agency.

The delegation includes representatives of ministries and agencies, as well as regional administration. Delegation plans to discuss the issues of deepening bilateral relations in trade-economic, investment and other areas with Turkish representatives.

"The Uzbek delegation will hold a meeting with Vice President of Turkey Fuat Oktay, followed by talks with representatives of business circles of Turkey and a number of members of Turkish government on July 27, 2020," the message said.

Sardor Umurzakov is expected to speak at an event dedicated to economic diplomacy during the pandemic between Uzbekistan and Turkey.

According to the program of the visit, the delegation will hold meetings and negotiations with heads of ministries and agencies, leading economic and financial structures of Turkey to discuss the prospects of investment projects in Uzbekistan.

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
NORTHAMPTON  A purchaser from New Jersey paid $1.25 million for the former Hunan Gourmet building at 261 King St., according to a deed filed July 14 with the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds.

The building most recently was Sakura Asian Seafood Buffet and is now closed.

Dating back to 1972, the building sits on just more than a half acre of land, according to city tax records.

The purchaser is listed in the deed as Sajid Kahn, with a business address in a medical office building at 152 Central Ave., Clark, New Jersey. Kahn didnt return calls Monday.

The seller was Y&B Realty of Easthampton, an entity that bought the property in 2002 and needed to redeem it from the Northampton tax-taking process twice, according to records at the Registry of Deeds. The first time was in 2009 after Y&B fell into arrears on its 2006 taxes, and the second time was in 2012 after Y&B owed 2011 taxes.

Wayne Feiden, the city director of planning and sustainability, said he knew of no proposals for the redevelopment of the property.

When it opened in 2009, Sakura Asian Seafood Buffet presented itself to be a first of its kind operation in the area with a one-price buffet. Sakura specialized in sushi, seafood dishes and vegetarian meals made with seitan (wheat protein) and tofu. Several beef, chicken, and pork selections were also available.

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Read next: How is mental health manifesting itself in the insurance world?

As businesses start to reopen across the US, questions remain about the physical, mental and social wellbeing of returning employees. To help companies address these challenges, Travelers chief medical director Dr. Marcos Iglesias has published a whitepaper that explains what businesses can do beyond the usual safety and worksite engineering that needs to take place as people go back to work.

I have proposed a threefold strategy, said Dr. Iglesias. The first part is prevention, and that prevention needs to emphasize physical safety. If you are bringing your employees back to the workplace, how are you ensuring that theres physical safety measures in place to prevent further spread of this disease? Prevention also requires stable communication that is clear, honest and frequent, and that involves educating the workforce so they understand the measures youve put in place to keep them safe.

As they prepare to re-enter the workplace, employees will want details of their companys official COVID-19 response plans, including safety measures, such as sanitizing protocols, respiratory hygiene, social distancing requirements, and the companys guidelines around personal protective equipment (PPE). They may also want to know details about the workforce and the companys financial stability. Any information shared with employees should come from trusted sources. As Dr. Iglesias wrote in the Travelers whitepaper: When you share public health and safety information with employees, it should come from credible sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), state health departments, and reputable medical organizations and journals.

Read more: Insurers accused of denying mental health coverage

The second part of De. Iglesiass psychosocial wellbeing strategy is for companies to identify individuals who may need a little bit more help. He commented: Id like to emphasize that most of us will be OK as we return to the workplace, but there will be some individuals who struggle more than others. They might be having psychosocial issues, they might be afraid of catching the virus, they might be facing social issues at home that add to the burden of going back to the workplace  so as employers, I think we need to educate and train our managers and supervisors to look out for those situations. And one simple way of doing that is to ask: Are you OK? By asking that one simple question, a supervisor can open the door not only to better communication, but also to identify an employee who may not be doing as well. That enables the third and final step, which is intervention  the offering of help through employee assistance programs, through community resources and national resources.

That final step  the intervention  could manifest itself in many ways. For example, companies might consider enabling flexible work arrangements, such as adjusted schedules and remote working when possible, in order to reduce stress and accommodate employees who are dealing with personal and family issues. When they do bring employees back, they can put measures in place to reduce social proximity, especially in shared spaces like workstations, dining spaces and food prep areas.

Employers must also have available mental health resources for employees in need, according to Dr. Iglesias, whether they offer this help through employee assistance programs or via referral to external resources for crisis intervention, counseling or other assistance. He commented: Its very important for companies to have the right resources at their fingertips so they can direct employees to the help they might need. Ive seen employee assistance groups deal with things like resilience, stress, anxiety, and even simple things like how to cope with deadlines, how to sleep better, and how to maintain activity.

The challenge with COVID-19 and the new normal is that this situation is developing by the day. As a society, we need to be open to learning as we go along, and then apply our learnings quickly and in a manner that is flexible and smart, because we may need to make corrections. While we dont know what the course of the virus will be, what we do know is that our employees psychosocial health is terribly important  and its something we can intervene in, regardless of the type of stressor out there. Thats one of the underlying messages of the whitepaper: dont ignore the psychosocial. If companies have good intentions, and good identification strategies, we can help our employees get through the uncertainty of the next few months.
Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi on Monday withdrew his plea before the Supreme Court (SC) that had challenged the Rajasthan high courts (HC) July 21 order of directing him to defer action on the disqualification notice against 19 dissident Congress lawmakers, including sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing for Joshi told the three-judge bench, headed by Justice Arun Mishra and also included Justices BR Gavai and Krishna Murari, that the HC on July 24 had passed a detailed order staying action by Speaker Joshi against the dissident members of the Rajasthan legislative assembly (MLAs) and setting out legal issues, which it was proposing to consider.

Consequently, the plea before the apex court against the July 21 order has become infructuous, he submitted.

Also read: Among 2 questions to Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan governor has a query about floor test

So, kindly permit us to withdraw this plea, Sibal said.

The bench allowed the prayer.

Earlier on July 23, the SC had declined a stay on the HC proceedings while stating that it would examine the larger issue of whether or not HC has the jurisdiction to interfere with disqualification proceedings initiated by Speaker Joshi.

Pilot and 18 Congress MLAs had moved the Rajasthan HC on July 15 challenging the disqualification notice issued to them by Speaker Joshi a day earlier.

The plea also challenged the Constitutional validity of clause 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for disqualification of legislators for voluntarily giving up party membership.

Joshis notice stated that the MLAs were being asked for show-cause under clause 2(1) (a) since their conduct, including speaking against the party leadership, showed their intention to leave the Congress.

Also read| Rajasthan political crisis: What does BSPs party whip mean?

The Pilot camp, however, submitted before the HC that the Speakers notice was in violation of their freedom of expression and voicing dissent against party leadership or CM Ashok Gehlot cannot be construed as an intention to quit the party.

Joshi had argued that as per the 1992 SC judgment in the Kihoto Hollohan case, the HC cannot interfere with the disqualification proceedings till he actually makes a decision, and as a result, Pilots petition was premature.

The HC after hearing the case for three days reserved its verdict on July 21 asking Joshi not to take any action against dissident MLAs till it pronounces its verdict on July 24.

Then, Joshi moved the SC on July 22 without waiting for the HC order.

Joshis plea was heard by the SC the following day, but declined to stay the HC order or proceedings.

The HC had pronounced its order on July 24 saying the issue involves Constitutional question, including the validity of clause 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule.

Joshi maintained that the Speakers proceedings are immune from the challenge before courts till a decision on disqualification is arrived at by the Speaker.

He also argued that interim challenge against Speakers actions is not permissible, as per the Kihoto Hollohan case.

It pains us that HCs are not following SC judgments, Sibal told the apex court on Monday in his concluding remarks during the hearing of the case.
Hawaii obviously was not a US state that was settled by Europeans soon after Christopher Columbus found himself on New World soil. It is simply too far out in the ocean. So, how did it become part of the US?

Hawaii became the 50th state much later. It happened on August 21, 1959, and as such it is the newest state in the country. Hawaii did not reach statehood easily, however, and some say the first peoples on these islands would have been better off had the Americans kept to themselves.

But first things first. Who lived in Hawaii before the Americans came?

These islands were uninhabited until Polynesian voyagers arrived sometime around the 5th century from the Marquesas Islands. These adventuresome souls came by double canoes with large sails, latched together with rope and a central platform. The native Hawaiian people, or Kanaka Maoli, lived on the islands for many centuries before the first American traders set foot in the area in the 1820s, and before them the British Captain James Cook in 1778.

American traders arrived in Hawaii in the 1820s for sandalwood. Image credit: AmyLv/Shutterstock

Sandalwood and Sugar

Americans came to take advantage of the islands sandalwood. Later, in the 1830s, they moved their focus to the sugar trade. By the 1850s, the sugar industry became a well-established sector in Hawaii. Americans and others came to plant sugar cane on the islands and cultivate it, and missionaries came to modernize the Hawaiian people. This did a lot to change the traditional political, economic, religious, and cultural ways of life in Hawaii that had, up until this point, been around for over one thousand years. Talk about taking a turn!

Some would argue this was an opportunity that lay the path to bring the people of Hawaii into the future. Others would say it was the beginning of the end. Here is what happened.

Hawaii had always had a king or queen. In 1840, King Kamehameha III was stripped of his authority, and a constitutional monarchy was established. The king himself helped do this, as part of a change to modernize.

During the following decades, the sugar trade in Hawaii continued to blossom. This pushed Hawaii to enter into several political and economic treaties with the US from the 1840s through the 1880s.

Pearl Harbor is Established

Eventually, the presence of Americans in Hawaii became so strong that in 1887, the US established a naval base at Pearl Harbor. In 1891, King Kalakauas sister, Liliuokalani ascended to the throne as Queen, (her brother had died), and she tried to take complete control. Liliuokalani refused to recognize the constitution her brother had put in place in 1887, and by 1893, a coup was staged by Sanford B. Dole, who was born in Hawaii, and others. Those who supported the American sugar trade did not like the new Queen and her ways.

Bronze statue of Queen Liliuokalani, Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii. Image credit: Claudine Van Massenhove/Shutterstock

When the Queen was overthrown, Hawaii became a US protectorate. Then things got really dicey. The new group led by Dole then tried to annex Hawaii, though most native Hawaiians did not support annexation. It didnt happen quite yet, though. It was not until 1898 when the Spanish-American War broke out that the US Congress approved the formal annexation of Hawaii for strategic use of Pearl Harbor. In 1900, Hawaii became a formal US territory, and then finally in 1959, it became the 50th US state.

Who Benefited?

Was all of this good for Hawaii? It depends on how you look at things. No one can say what would be the state of affairs now if Hawaii were still an independent country out in the ocean.

What is known, however, is that before Americans seized control of the islands, Hawaii had an esteemed education system, as well as a medical system that served its people very well.

When the Americans took over, the native Hawaiian culture was eroded piece by piece. Students were not allowed to speak their native language in school, and were discouraged from attending beyond middle school.

Medical care was free for all at first, and then even native Hawaiians were forced to pay. Poverty set in for native Hawaiians who did not find the respect previous generations had in school and society at large. White ways of life took over.

The Americanization of life in Hawaii has resulted in many native Hawaiians now living with underlying health conditions, and, some would say, less education than before. Some historians now say that Hawaii was not annexed by the US but rather occupied.

History lies in the past, but we can always change the way we look at it. What do you think?
It was the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu, and not Al Pacino in The Godfather Part 2, who first said, Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Yin Weidong, the CEO of Chinese biotech firm SinoVac, seems to have taken that advice to heart.

On the desk in his office in Beijing are two plastic models of a viruseach blue core surrounded by red protein spikes. From the time it started spreading in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December, containing that virus has occupied virtually every waking moment for the scientist.

The pandemic we now know as COVID-19 is rampaging across every continent. On the dozens of daily infection charts, broken down by nation and pasted floor to ceiling on Yins office wall, the numbers tell a horrifying story: 16 million infections and 640,000 deaths worldwide, including 146,000 American lives lost as of Monday.

But if the enemy is close, so is a possible new friend. Yins desk is now also home to several small glass vials of SinoVacs COVID-19 vaccinedubbed CoronaVacthat began phase 3 trials involving 9,000 volunteers in Brazil last week. (A phase 1 trial involves small groups of patients to check a vaccine for negative side effects, and a phase two trial usually tests for a combination of safety and efficacy, while a phase 3 trial is like a phase 2 but involving many more participants.)

Looking at the data collected, I think we have more than an 80% chance of success, says Yin.

Normally, getting from pathogen identification through phase 3 trials in about 10 years is considered quick. The mumps vaccine is generally considered the fastest ever developed at four years. But if all goes well, CoronaVac might be ready for regulatory approval early next year. Not that Yin is satisfied.

Do you really think this is fast? Compared with the spread of the virus, its not fast enough, he says, holding his plastic nemesis aloft with grudging respect. That is how we should measure our progress.

Story continues

During the 2002 to 2003 SARS outbreak, which claimed over 774 lives worldwide, SinoVac was the only firm to go into phase 1 vaccine trials, but the pandemic suddenly disappeared. That meant that research was discontinued at a huge loss for the firm. It wasnt entirely wasted, however. Now, 17 years later, SinoVac is able to build on that earlier work, given that COVID-19 is very similar to SARS. It and coronavirus are like brothers, says Yin.

Still, creating an effective vaccine is just a third of the battle. The other two prongs of vaccine development are production capacity and getting regulatory approval. At present, every nations FDA equivalent would need to approve CoronaVac independently, though given the unprecedented need, there are conversations about streamlining.

The virus doesnt require a passport but the vaccine needs to be licensed by every country, says Yin.

SinoVac CEO Yin Weidong in his Beijing office on Tuesday, July 21, 2020. | Charlie Campbell

SinoVac is aiming to triple current capacity to produce 300 million doses per year. That might sound impressive, but accessibility is likely to be a big issue. Given that at least two doses will be required to immunize one person, it would still take almost a decade to vaccinate every person in China alone, never mind sharing the vaccine with the worlds 7.6 billion people.

If only one or two countries get protected this wont solve the problem and get economic activity back to normal Yin says.

SinoVac isnt the only company with a potential vaccine in clinical evaluation. There are over 20 companies around the world engaged in the task with more than 130 vaccines in development, according to the WHO. But given the scale of the need, theres going to be no quick fix to the pandemic.

Another vaccine candidate, developed by U.S. biotech firm Moderna with the National Institutes of Health, provoked the desired immune response in a test of 45 individuals, and is about to enter phase 3 trials. It functions by introducing an mRNA sequencea molecule that tells cells what to buildcoded for a disease-specific antigen. Once produced within the body, the antigen is logged by the immune system, empowering it to fight the real virus.

But while such RNA vaccines, as theyre known, have multiple benefitsincluding speed of productionthey must be stored at sub-zero temperatures. That means their distribution to far-flung populations is problematic. While SinoVac initially experimented with RNA and other vaccine prototypes, they found that a traditional inactivated virus vaccine produced the best results. Under normal conditions, Yin believes CoronaVac has a shelf life of three years.

The purpose of this work is not to discover which technology is better, says Yin. The purpose is to control the disease.

In principle, SinoVac is a private company that owns CoronaVac as its licensed intellectual property, meaning where the vaccine is distributed should be a purely commercial decision. However, the Chinese government has contributed to the estimated one billion renminbi (about $140 million) the firm is investing in CoronaVac. This and other contributions from international NGOs currently under negotiation all come with distribution commitments attached.

In a speech to the World Health Assembly on May 18, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to make a COVID-19 vaccine produced in China a global public good. In reality, of course, every queue has someone at the back, meaning there will be much jostling for priorityand potentially boosting Beijings global clout.

According to Benjamin N. Gedan, a former regional director on the White Houses National Security Council now with the Wilson Center, If China produces the first coronavirus vaccine at scale, it would be an extraordinary diplomatic tool anywhere in the world.

SinoVac has already committed to sharing 60-100 million doses in Brazil through a collaboration with Sao Paulo-based Instituto Butantan, which is performing the phase 3 study. In Asia, the firm is actively in discussion with several countries, says Yin, including Indonesia and Turkey, and is exploring options in Europe. It has also had more than 30 meetings with the WHO to update the global health body on its progress.

We will share our vaccine with the world, says Yin.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar spoke to Ramesh Vinayak and Hitender Rao about reviving the economy after the pandemic, the virus trajectory in Gurugram, and running a coalition government, among other issues. Edited excerpts:

How is the economy shaping up post the lockdown? How good are revenue receipts and how much is your dependence on the market borrowings?

April was bad for us. In fact, the revenue shortfall for April, May and June was about Rs 9,000 crore. We have tried to make up for it by borrowing from the market. Revenue started trickling in after the lockdown was relaxed and the collections were about 60% in June. By July 20, we have recovered well and are at par with our projections. We are now able to meet our routine expenses on our own.

What budgetary cut are you contemplating in the revised estimates?

It is quite understandable considering the deficit. The Rs 9,000 crore revenue shortfall would force us to recalibrate our outlay.

How will the downturn in fiscal health impact the states development projects and welfare schemes?

There will be no impact on welfare schemes, though our development projects have been delayed by three months. During the pandemic, we have spend an additional Rs 1,500 crore to give relief to people including Rs 600-650 crore cash distribution. This money was spent on the medical services, ration distribution, arranging return of migrant labour, and relief camps.

In your role as finance minister, how do you plan to boost the economy during the pandemic?

The central government package of Rs 20 lakh crore is a big relief. In the changing scenario due to the Covid-19 situation, I feel that the service sector will suffer but the manufacturing and agriculture sectors will do well.

The central government has sought the views of the state and parents of students about reopening of schools.

We will not open primary schools and will take a call for higher classes in August. Colleges and professional institutions would be the first to start.

Projections show a rising coronavirus infection trajectory in the coming months. How do you plan to augment the health infrastructure including ventilator beds to meet any eventuality?

See, what essentially matters is the number of active cases and not the cumulative numbers. How many patients have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic is important since such patients qualify for home isolation and takes pressure off our systems. As per our current projections and rate of recovery, we are doing well in terms of health infrastructure. But we keep reviewing it.

The NCR districts of Gurugram, Faridabad and Sonepat have a majority of Covid-19 cases. Health minister Anil Vij hinted at the possibility of stricter curbs. Is a curfew or a selective lockdown on the cards?

The weekend lockdowns will not bring us results. Things are slowly coming back on track and the imposition of a fresh lockdown would mean putting pressure on people. Our strategy instead is to go for aggressive containment in the NCR districts. We are screening more people and conducting more tests.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recommended that NCR districts should follow Delhis model for combating the spread of the coronavirus. Do you see a need to work with Delhi since the increase in the number of cases in Gurugram has been attributed to the movement of people between the two cities?

We, along with Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, are implementing a common strategy for combating the infection. Infection travelled to Haryana from Delhi initially, but now both states are at par in terms of contagion spread. Since there is so much back-and-forth movement from Delhi to Haryana, it is hard to conclude now on the origin of the contagion.

Gurugram was kept in the orange zone despite a sharp rise in the number of cases to facilitate the reopening of the industry. What impact did the closure of businesses in the Millennium City have on the states revenue? How is the government planning to boost the local economy?

We cannot overlook the adverse economic impact of three months. But if you look at the power consumption for the industry, it is at par with 2019. This means that the industry is operating at the same capacity as it was last year. Of course, there could be workforce engagement related issues because of the need to maintain social distancing.

You recently spoke in Mewat about enacting a Freedom of Religion law to prohibit religious conversions by force, allurement or marriage. Why do you feel the need for such a law?

There were complaints regarding forced conversions and marriages from many districts. People are free to adopt any religion in an informed manner but using coercion, allurement to force religious conversions is a matter of concern. Such incidents vitiate the atmosphere of society. We are studying similar laws enacted by other states and accordingly take a call.

How has been your experience of running a coalition government so far? The BJP and Jannayak Janta Party have not been able decide on the common minimum programme. Any deadline?

We are not new to coalition politics in the state. The BJP and the JJP both are like-minded entities, and both oppose the Congress. Common minimum programme is not a major issue because we do not have any conflict with our ally. We are well synchronized. The proposed 75 % private sector quota law is an example that we are on similar page.
The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Global Millennium Transport Association, Cooperative, Protoa and taxi drivers in the Hohoe Municipality have expressed joy at returning to their normal way of loading passengers.



Drivers had to reduce the number of passengers to ensure the adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols.



Mr. Seidu Alhassan, a GPRTU Station Master, disclosed to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the directive was a good one, adding that drivers under the Union would begin the directive on August 1.



He said although they were directed to load to full capacity, issues of fare reduction had not been discussed and anything in relation would have to be communicated from the national union.



Mr. Alhassan said they would continue to educate and monitor passengers to ensure the strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols.



Some passengers who spoke to the GNA welcomed the directive and expressed the hope that transport fares would return to normal.



Mr. Mensah Kwaku, a passenger travelling to Dambai, said prior to the directive of reducing passengers, he spent about GH30.00 from Peki to Dambai.



When they reduced the number of passengers, I now pay almost GH50.00 for the same journey, he added.



He said since the number of passengers would be full to capacity, there was the need for every passenger to travel in face masks and carry hand sanitizers along.



Mr Frank Tortor, a Hohoe-Ayoma bound taxi driver, said the directive was good because the increase in fares as a result of the reduction in number of passengers was difficult for passengers.



He said although they may not totally reduce transport fares, there may be a little reduction in fares when they begin to load to capacity.



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his 14th Address to the Nation on updates to Ghanas Enhanced Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Sunday, July 26, this year, said after further extensive consultations, Government had taken the decision to begin the implementation of Phase Two of the easing of restrictions.



In consultation with the Ministries of Transport and Aviation, and the leadership of transport operators, Government has taken the decision to lift the restrictions in the transport sector, and allow for full capacity in our domestic airplanes, taxis, trotros and buses.



The President further reiterated that the wearing of masks in vehicles and aircrafts, and the maintenance of enhanced hygiene protocols, remain mandatory.

Source: GNA









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Forces that shape the Earth's surface are recorded in a number of natural records, from tree rings to cave formations.

In a recent study, researchers from The University of Texas at Austin show that another natural record - sediments packed together at basin margins - offers scientists a powerful tool for understanding the forces that shaped our planet over millions of years, with implications on present day understanding

The study was published in the journal Geology and uses a computer model to connect distinct patterns in the sedimentary deposits to shifts in climate and tectonic activity.

"We are trying to find a way to distinguish the tectonics and the climate signals," said lead author Jinyu Zhang, a research associate at UT's Bureau of Economic Geology. "By using this numerical model we suddenly have this power to simulate the world under different tectonics and climate."

Zoltan Sylvester and Jacob Covault, both research scientists at the bureau, co-authored the paper.

Geoscientists have long looked to sedimentary basins for clues about Earth's past climate. That's because sediment supply is closely linked to environmental factors, such as rainfall or snowfall, that influence sediment creation through erosion and sediment transport across a landscape and into a basin. Tectonic factors also influence sediment creation, with increasing uplift associated with more sediment and decreasing uplift with less.

However, despite knowledge of sediment supply being linked with climate and tectonics, the researchers said little is known about how changes in these phenomena directly influence how sediment is deposited along basin margins over long time scales.

This study changes that, with Zhang using the open-source computer program pyBadlands to create a "source-to-sink" 3D model that tracks how changes in precipitation, tectonic uplift and sea level influence sediment erosion and deposition. The model uses topography inspired by the Himalaya Mountains and Indus River Delta to track the sediment as it makes its way from the mountains, through a river system, and settles into a basin margin over millions of years.

"This is one of the first [models] to put the landscape evolution part with the stratigraphic response, depositional response, and do it in 3D," Covault said. "Jinyu has made a really great step in putting this all together."

The researchers ran 14 different scenarios - each with a different climatic, tectonic, and sea level settings - over a simulated time period of 30 million years to investigate changes in landscape topography and sediment deposition.

The different scenarios created distinct patterns in sediment deposition, which allowed the researchers to draw general conclusions about how tectonic and climatic factors affect basin margin growth. For example, changes in uplift take millions of years to affect change in the basin margin sediments, but once those changes are in effect, they set a new baseline for behavior. In contrast, changes in precipitation cause much more abrupt change, followed by a return to the depositional behavior observed before the climate shift.

The scenarios showed that sea level could potentially complicate the delivery of the signal of tectonic change into the basin. For example, an increase in sea level flooded coastal regions and interfered with sediment reaching a basin margin. But when this scenario was paired with increased precipitation, the sediment supply was large enough to make it to the basin margin.

Gary Hampson, a professor at Imperial College London who was not part of the study, said that the model provides important guidelines for geoscientists looking to reconstruct Earth's past.

"The results increase the confidence with which geoscientists can interpret tectonic and climatic histories in the geologic archives of basin margins," he said.

Zhang spent the past two years learning the programming language Python so he could use the pyBadlands software, which was developed by the University of Sydney's Tristan Salles.

Sylvester, who leverages similar tools to study erosion and sedimentation in river systems, said that the computing tools available to geoscientists are making long-standing yet fundamental questions in geosciences more accessible than ever.

"It's an exciting time," he said. "It's increasingly easier to investigate the stratigraphic record in a quantitative way."

###

The bureau's State of Texas Advanced Oil and Gas Resource Recovery (STARR) program and the Bureau's Quantitative Clastics Laboratory funded the research.

The bureau is a research unit of the UT Jackson School of Geosciences.
(Natural News) You really have to hand it to the Not F**king Around Coalition. For a militia group, they make a great comedy troupe.

As members of this all-black radical group gathered for a non-violent protest on Saturday over the accidental police shooting death of Louisville, Ky., EMT Breonna Taylor earlier this year, one of them who has no idea what trigger discipline is popped off some rounds by mistake, clipping some of his comrades, various reports noted.

ABC News noted:

Three members of an armed militia were shot in an apparent accident at a protest calling for justice for Breonna Taylor in Louisville on Saturday afternoon.

The three people, all members of the NFAC, suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department. The shooter was also a member of the militia.

The founder of the militant Left-wing group  which appears to be trying to emulate the Black Panther organization of the 1960s  said that the weapon belonged to a woman he identified as a trainee.

In an interview with the network, John Grand Master Jay Johnson said that militia members were inspecting their weapons at a park in Louisville when the woman accidentally pulled the trigger of her firearm. (Related: NFAC black militant group members accidentally shoot each other while trying to intimidate White Americans with trained soldiers theatrics.)

Three people were wounded.

Today, shortly before 1:00 pm, three people were struck by gunfire as the result of a discharge of someones gun who was participating in the NFAC demonstration at Baxter Park, Louisville Metros interim Chief of Police Robert Schroeder said in a statement.

Louisville Division of Fire and LMEMS arrived a short time later and transported all three victims to the University of Louisville Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. All involved are members of the NFAC and there are no outstanding suspects.

Police then said that an investigation into the shooting was ongoing, when, really, the woman should have already been arrested for discharging her firearm within city limits.

This is a tragic situation that could have been much worse, Schroeder added. I encourage anyone choosing to exercise their Second Amendment rights to do so responsibly.

Asked about the incident, Johnson made excuses.

I believe that everyone should exercise the utmost responsibility when handling firearms, but then again, were dealing with humans who make mistakes, he told ABC News.

Yes, well, perhaps someone with some real military-style training and experience can educate Grandmaster Jay that when it comes to handling firearms, you dont learn on-the-job, so to speak.

Training should take place in an appropriate setting  like, say, a gun range  and not in a city park ahead of a politically motivated march in very divisive times.

Heres another aspect for readers to chew on: Had this incident involved white, so-called right-wing extremist militia types, it would have been headline news throughout the Marxist mainstream media for days, maybe weeks.

But since it happened to a black militia and the underlying protest is in regards to systemic racism (which is another myth), it warranted only a mention before everyone in the pretend media returned to Trump-bashing (and were surprised that so far, no one in the fake news media has blamed the president for this!).

Beyond the obvious stupidity involving loaded weapons in the hands of first-time users ahead of a politically charged march, however, is trouble.

Later, when the group actually staged its demonstration, Grandmaster Jay issued a huge threat to Louisville leaders  which also did not make the major news networks because, again, theyre on the Black Lives Matter bandwagon now.

**Language

Four weeks from today, were going to come back here, and we should have an answer. If not, I need yall to repeat after me: If we dont get the truth, the whole truth, and the motherfking truth, we are, going to, burn this motherfker down, he said, encouraging the protesters to repeat after him.

"Grandmaster Jay" gave a speech that was 50 minutes long. In it, he said that if the public doesn't have the "truth" about Breonna Taylor's death, "We are going to burn this motherfucker down." When I'm done posting the rest of the content, I will post the entire speech. pic.twitter.com/5RLJG8KjZO  Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) July 26, 2020

Wonder if that threat would have made the news if a white militia leader had made it in a black community?

Sources include:

ABCNews.com

NaturalNews.com
Things have been moving fast for Troy Gendusa. In the middle of June, he watched his restaurant Gendusas Italian Market go up in flames. Six weeks later, he officially reopened the restaurant in a new home a few steps away, on the same stretch of Kenners Rivertown.

But first, before the doors opened to the public, Gendusa hit pause  or what counts as pause for him  to set out a meal of gratitude.

The first people to eat at this new Gendusas Italian Market were Kenner first responders, whom he invited for a meal on the house a few days before the official opening.

Ive always had an appreciation for those people, Gendusa said. I know its their job. But they put their lives on the line for people who dont even know their names.

So over the course of two seatings to spread guests around for limited occupancy, his new kitchen out rolled the meatballs, the pizza, the pasta and chicken parm.

These are some of the dishes that quickly made Gendusas a go-to in Kenner at its original location. That was in a small storefront building at 405 Williams Blvd., not far from the river. The new home is at 325 Williams Blvd., in what was previously the bakery cafe Fleur de Lily.

This new spot is a cottage surrounded by a white picket fence, with a front porch and patio for outdoor dining. It has a full bar (the old restaurant was BYOB) and can seat three times the number of people the old spot fit. With different rooms it has more flexibility in seating. Thats true during occupancy limits for social distancing, and also for the return to normal Gendusa envisions, when hell finally have space for the groups that have requested events and dinners here.

Im excited, and Im grateful, Gendusa said.

A former commercial fisherman who got the restaurant business just a few years ago, Gendusas journey over just the last few weeks from disaster to rebirth has brought much to the ledger of gratitude. Its also been a bright spot during the travails of the local restaurant community.

The fire that wrecked the original restaurant struck June 16.

Mentally, I was just done at that point, he recalled. I didnt know what Id do. Should I go back to fishing? Should I get out of the business? Was this a sign?

But two days later, the Gendusas crew was cooking again with an outdoor restaurant swiftly assembled with help from friends in the hospitality business, Kenner city officials and even perfect strangers who lent their expertise.

Gendusa had originally planned to rebuild the original restaurant location, a prospect that wouldve taken months. But again, a community connection changed the path.

Richard Molina, owner of Fleur de Lily, saw his neighbors plight. He was also interested in selling. The road back from the pandemic looked too steep for his business. But Gendusa, he said, is primed to make a better go of it.

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He has such a following, youve seen that since the fire too, Molina said. The time was right for him, the time was right for me. Hell do well there.

When Gendusa's Italian Market first opened in 2015, it was drawn up as a specialty food store, hence the name. But customers gravitated to the kitchen specials, and the business quickly evolved into a restaurant. In the old space, there was only room to be one or the other.

In his bigger home, Gendusa is bringing back a little more of the market idea. There's a bank of dessert cases up front, lined with Italian cookies and cannoli, and even jars of honey from the hives he keeps.

On the menu, the usual house signatures and specials are back.

That includes the Tuesday Cuban sandwich, a tribute to the chefs Cuban mother-in-law. That sandwich also has some new lore around Gendusas. Fire investigators determined that the June 16 fire was started by pork roasts left to cook overnight. Those roasts were bound for the Tuesday sandwich special.

Gendusa is not one to hold a grudge, not against his own sandwich. Anyway, people have been asking for it even more often.

I guess its notorious now, he said.

Gendusas Italian Market

325 Williams Blvd., (504) 494-1005

Opens July 28

Regular hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri., Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

+18 How the Commanders Palace virtual wine party builds something vital for restaurants now At our house in Mid-City, we opened the wines to breathe, put the cheeses out to temper and hauled the computer monitor from our makeshift hom

+3 Port of Call abruptly shuts down Saturday after briefly reopening after city ban on to-go drinks Four days after announcing the triumphant return of burgers, baked potatoes and potent Monsoons to the French Quarter, Port of Call abruptly a

+6 Keep fighting or close? For some New Orleans restaurants, reinvention shows another path A social media post from Namese this week brought the news that the Vietnamese restaurant had permanently closed, another in a drumbeat of suc

+8 New Orleans shuts down bars, again, and bans go cups at restaurants amid coronavirus uptick For the second time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, bars in New Orleans will be shuttered completely under a new order from Mayor
Turkey has reduced the number of navy vessels in an area of the eastern Mediterranean where it disputes Greek jurisdiction over oil and gas drilling rights, Greek authorities have said.

Tensions in the long-standing dispute flared last week between the two Nato allies when Turkey announced it planned to send a research vessel south of the Greek islands of Rhodes, Karpathos, and Kastellorizo.

The initiative was publicly criticised by the United States, France, and other European countries, and the Turkish research vessel, the Oruc Reis, has remained anchored off the southeast Turkish port of Antalya.

Greek government spokesperson Stelios Petsas said on Monday that Turkey was withdrawing navy vessels from the area, adding that Athens remained ready to enter negotiations with Turkey within the framework of international law and good neighbourly relations.

Turkey accuses Greece of trying to exclude it from fair mineral exploitation in the eastern Mediterranean, arguing that Greek islands should not be included calculating exclusive economic zones.

Athens counters that Turkey's position is a violation of international law.

Turkey says the research mission plan will remain in effect through 2 August.

AP
In a bid to avenge closure of Chinese consulate in Houston, China on Monday appeared to have shut American consulate in Chengdu, after order of closure passed during the weekend; flag lowered early in the morning after consulate general, staff were seen leaving.

The US flag at Chengdu consulate in southwestern China was lowered on early Monday morning in a tit-for-tat battle as Beijing retaliated against Washingtons demand to shutter the Chinese consulate in Houston, the Chinese state media reported.

As per CGTNs reports, a group of staffers at the US Consulate General in Chengdu were spotted leaving the consulate general at around 6:00 a.m. (local time) before a US national flag was lowered at around 6:18 a.m. (local time) today.

China during the weekend ordered the US to close its consulate in Chengdu within 72 hours in retaliation to the US demand for China to shut down its consulate in Houston.

The deadline for the US consulates evacuation was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. (local time) on Monday, as per the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Also read: Visa restrictions on Chinese employees supporting regimes engaged in human rights abuses: Mike Pompeo

Also read: Tibetans, Indians hold massive anti-China protests in Vancouver

Last week, the US government abruptly ordered the closure of Chinas consulate in Houston, Texas, claiming the mission had been involved in a larger Chinese espionage effort using diplomatic facilities around the US.

Relevant Chinese authorities then entered from the main entrance and took over, the ministry said in the statement posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Over the weekend, hundreds of people had gathered outside the US consulate in the southwestern city of 16.5 million people, taking selfies and waving Chinese flags. On Saturday, the US insignia was taken down, while on Sunday removal work began on a plaque outside the embassy and shipping containers were loaded onto trucks, as staff prepared for the consulate to be closed, according to CNN.

The Chinese government had given the Americans the same time frame of 72 hours to close their Chengdu mission as Beijing had been afforded in Houston, where last Tuesday, Washington told China to cease all operations and events.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry called that move an unprecedented escalation of ongoing tensions between the two countries.

The current situation between China and the United States is something China does not want to see, and the responsibility rests entirely with the United States, the foreign ministry said in the statement.

As the deadline to close the Chinese diplomatic mission expired on Friday, US federal agents entered the compound of the Chinese consulate in Houston in black SUVs and white vans.

Relations between the US and China have rapidly deteriorated in the past two weeks, amid the reciprocal consulate closures and the guilty plea of a Singaporean national who admitted to spying for Beijing.

Also read: China pressurises Vietnam to compensate companies operating in South China Sea

For all the latest World News, download NewsX App
The malpractice of the mainstream media is difficult to overstate, with its insistence on distorting or ignoring the truth of what is happening in so many American cities right now. They make Baghdad Bob look like the paragon of veracity by comparison.

Mostly peaceful protests had a solid lead to be the most grotesque media neologism of the moment, but then ABC News stepped up with this howler:

After a peaceful demonstration intensified. Got it? Forget violent protests: we should now just call the events in Portland and elsewhere as intense peace. Orwell would be proud.

Theyre not even faking it any more.

UPDATE: A cottage industry of similar headlines has already erupted on Twitter. My contribution will be: Honolulu, Dec. 8, 1941: A peaceful flyover by Japanese airplanes intensified yesterday. . .

UPDATE 2: Leave it to the great Babylon Bee.
Italian bear makes a break for freedom a second time.

A wild Italian brown bear, known to authorities as M49, has escaped from a maximum security compound in northern Italy for the second time, reports Italian news agency Adnkronos.

The bear, known to followers as Papillon, had been held in captivity in a wildlife park in Castellar since being recaptured by rangers on 30 April, until his daring second escape today, 27 July.

The animal destroyed the reinforced fences surrounding its enclosure before making a bolt for freedom a second time, sources told Adnkronos.

The three-year-old male bear was incarcerated originally last summer on charges of killing livestock in the northern Trentino region, although the Italian branch of the WWF insists the animal was never a danger to humans.

The bear had broken out of the top-security enclosure on 14 July, scaling three high-voltage electric fences and a four-metre barrier before going on the run for 289 days.

The bear's bold escape from captivity captured the hearts of animal-lovers around the world and earned him the moniker Papillon.

After the animal's first escape, the infuriated president of the Trento region, Maurizio Fugatti of the right-wing Lega party, ordered that the bear be captured, and shot dead if it approached inhabited areas.

Fugatti stoked fury from animal-rights groups and was criticised publicly by Italy's environment minister Sergio Costa, who favours the name Papillon over M49, and who described the order to kill the bear as "absurd."

Now that the bear is once again free, and reportedly equipped with a GPS radio-collar, the environment ministry is monitoring the situation and has notified the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA).

Photo Adnkronos
In May, CMHC CEO Evan Siddall warned the country that a growing debt deferral cliff is looming in the fall, when borrowers will have to start paying their mortgages again after a six-month respite. When the deferred debt comes due, as much as 20% of mortgages could be in arrears. Soon after, the Bank of Canada echoed Siddalls warning in a financial system review released on May 26.

The risk of default is compounded by falling real estate prices. According to the experts, Canadian housing prices are set to fall by between 9% and 18%. A full return to pre-COVID levels is not expected before the end of 2022.

Thanks to two decades of low unemployment and rising real estate values, many private lenders have never experienced a default. If they have, the borrower has typically been able to remedy the default or refinance the mortgage loan before enforcement became necessary.

Mortgage lenders can take practical steps to protect their loan investments before they are lost at sea. While no amount of planning can guarantee that a determined borrower will not bring endless motions or break the locks to re-enter the property, lenders can mitigate much of the risk related to mortgage enforcement through preparation.

First, assess the likelihood that the borrower will default on the loan. Gather all available information about the borrower from the mortgage application, publicly available documents and even from the borrower themselves. If a borrower has lost a job or had to shut down a business, the lender needs to know. For corporate borrowers, obtain an updated corporation profile report to see if the corporation has been dissolved. If it has, the land securing its mortgage loan may become vested in the Crown, and the lender will face a special set of challenges.
IMA Financial Group has acquired HofgardBenefits, a Louisville, Colo.-based employee benefits agency.

The acquisition augments IMAs employee benefits business segment thats focused on companies with less than 100 employees, and adds two team members to the employee benefits team: Preston Hardy and Sammie Haas. Hardy is an account executive and Haas is an account coordinator.

HofgardBenefits is now known as IMA|Hofgard, and will remain in its current Louisville location.

IMA Financial Group is an independent, employee-owned insurance broker specializing in property/casualty insurance, employee benefits and surety bonds.

Topics Mergers Colorado
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 17:42:04|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Northern Territory (NT) is facing a bee shortage, threatening crop production.

The NT's bee population has declined significantly as a result of consecutive dry wet seasons, leaving beekeepers unable to meet demand for honey and pollination services.

Rainfall in the wet season, which runs from November to April, was 20 percent lower than average in 2019-20 and 34 percent lower in 2018-19.

As a result the NT's native flora has produced significantly less nectar, which bee colonies need to survive.

Sam Curtis, a beekeeper based in Katherine 320 kilometers southeast of Darwin, said that his bee numbers have dropped 20 percent in 2020 alone.

"Native trees will flower but they won't produce any nectar, so you can have beautiful flowering but no food coming in off the plants, which is frustrating," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday.

"We haven't been able to sell any honey for the past few years, and it's been pretty difficult for our pollination contracts because I have to tell them I can't give them as many bees as they want.

"The bees are being very conservative, they're just coasting, and they're just doing exactly what they need to do to continue to survive."

Curtis said that the decline in his bee populations was costing him 40,000 to 50,000 AUD (28,496 to 35,620 USD) per year from lost pollination contracts.

Teagan Alexander, a grower at Red Dirt Melons, one of the NT's largest watermelon farms, said that her crops were dependent on good pollination.

"Ideally, the pollination rate is 3-7.5 beehives per hectare, and we're at four, and we really need to be higher to make sure the bees are flying out and covering the crop," she said.

"If we can't keep those bee numbers up, we're not going to have the pollinations and we're not going to have the melons." Enditem
New Delhi, July 27 : The Government has launched special drive to provide all PM-KISAN scheme beneficiaries with Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) on the fast track. In just 24 days of this month, more than 40 lakh KCCs have been issued to farmers providing credit limit of close to Rs 27,000 crore.

As part of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' relief package, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in May had announced additional credit support for farmers through the Kisan Credit Card facility. While around 7 crore KCCs have been issued already, the Finance Minister had said that another 2.5 crore cards will be issued to cover all PM-KISAN beneficiaries.

In a tweet, the office of the Finance Minister said: "As on 24.07.2020, 111.98 lakh Kisan Credit Cards have been sanctioned with credit limit of Rs 89,810 crore out of Rs 2 lakh crore concessional credit under the #AtmanirbharBharat package. This will benefit 2.5 crore farmers, including fishermen & dairy farmers." The process has gained momentum in recent days as government wants to complete issuing 2.5 crore KCC by next month.

Till June 30, a total of 70.32 lakh KCCs were issued with a credit limit of Rs 62,870 crore. This increased to 111.98 lakh KCCs by July 24 with a total credit limit of Rs 89,810 crore.
South Korean army soldiers wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the new coronavirus pass by a wire fence decorated with ribbons written with messages wishing for the reunification of the two Koreas at the Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, near the border with North Korea, Sunday, July 26, 2020. AP



Eleven North Korean defectors went back to their communist homeland from South Korea in the past five years, the unification ministry said Monday, after Pyongyang claimed that a defector suspected of having virus symptoms recently crossed the demarcation line to return home.



The 24-year-old defector is believed to have fled back to the North while he was under police investigation over suspicions of raping a female defector last month. His return was made known after the North said Sunday that a "runaway" came back home with coronavirus symptoms.



On Monday, the unification ministry said a total of 11 defectors have gone back to the North since 2015.



"There were three defectors who crossed back to the North in 2015, four in 2016 and another four in 2017, bringing the total number to 11, based on data, including North Korea media reports," Yoh Sang-key, the ministry's spokesperson, told reporters during a regular press briefing.






People's Action Party Secretary-General and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, right, fields questions from the media at a nomination center ahead of the general election in Singapore, Tuesday, June 30, 2020. Campaigning began Tuesday for Singapore's general elections, with the opposition hoping to dent the ruling party's supermajority in parliament with support from Prime Minister Lee's estranged younger brother. (AP Photo/Yong Teck Lim)

SINGAPORE  The latest Cabinet reshuffle is yet another clear indication that Singapores chest-thumping boast of its proud record of smooth political succession is slowly but steadily beginning to falter. For the first time in the countrys history, there is no clear politician in sight to take over from the Prime Minister, even if Deputy PM Heng Swee Keat remains the official front runner.

Unpredictability was never a feature of previous handovers. Singaporeans knew Goh Chok Tong would succeed Lee Kuan Yew way before the countrys founding Prime Minister stepped aside, while Lee Hsien Loong was anointed long before Goh stepped down. But this time round, that predictability is missing.

There was an opportunity to erase the doubts about succession when the PM announced his new Cabinet line-up on Saturday (25 July). But when Lee was asked about Hengs position as his designated successor, the Prime Minister deflected the question to Minister of Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing, the man said to be third in line.

Chan seemed a little taken aback, but managed to regain his composure somewhat and said that the 4G teams focus is on helping the country overcome economic challenges and save jobs because of the Covid-19 pandemic. We have no plans to do otherwise, and we have no plans, no discussion, on any change in plan.

What an opportunity lost. He could have easily said that the 4G leadership was fully behind Heng but he didnt and the gossip mill went into overdrive. It had to be left to a 3G leader, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, to do damage control the next day when he said at a doorstop that the new leaders were in complete unity behind the leadership of the DPM.

The long road to the Istana

Combination picture shows from left to right., Goh Chok Tong, Lee Hsien Loong, and Lee Kuan Yew in these undated mugs in Singapore. Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore's prime minister-designate, Aug 10, 2004 appointed a new government where his 80-year-old father, founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, stays in the Cabinet with a new title of "minister mentor" while outgoing prime minister Goh Chok Tong will take his place as senior minister, the number two position of power, while also heading the central bank. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-e)

Both Goh Chok Tong and Lee Hsien Loong took the long route to the premiership, with the former spending 14 years as an understudy and the latter 20 years. In that sense, Heng (nine years) and Chan (also nine) are newbies. And leaders entering the new Cabinet do not have the nous that politicians like Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Ng Eng Hen, Khaw Boon Wan and Balakrishan had when they went into politics in 2001. A shorter trial period means their push into high office is too rushed with inexperience being a central feature of their rise to political power.

Story continues

The ruling Peoples Action Party is finding it harder and harder to find good candidates. For one, fewer and fewer find PAP politics enticing, even if the pay is very good. And sacrificing their privacy and appearing in the public eye, especially in front of the prying eyes of social media, is something they can do without. The late Goh Keng Swee once likened joining the PAP to joining the priesthood - such a prospect will not appeal to many now.

Some are also not convinced that dissent in both government and party is something that will be tolerated. The search for political talent has been too focused on people in the civil service and the military. This has created a kind of groupthink which many dont want to be part of.

Let me ask the newly minted PAP Members of Parliament: would any of them have questioned the governments constitutional amendments to the law on the presidential election and POFMA if they had been in Parliament when these proposals were debated? And how many would say the PAP statement on the Workers Partys Raeesah Khan and her alleged racially divisive posts was unnecessary? And would any of them be ready to walk away from voting when a controversial Bill is tabled in Parliament, like former PAP MP Inderjit Singh did over the population White Paper debate?

GE2020 also exposed PAP politicians who had a hard time trying to carry the ground with them. The themes, the words and phrases they used, and even their body language, were so similar that it made one wonder whether these people were just political robots. Hardly any PAP candidate was prepared to go off the beaten track and speak their mind. On the other hand, we saw opposition politicians like Pritam Singh, Sylvia Lim, Jamus Lim and He Ting Ru appearing as people with their own voices and adding a freshness to the political discourse.

It is a systemic issue. Unless the PM and his senior team are prepared to loosen the strings and recruit more dissenters like Inderjit Singh, Shanmugaratnam and Louis Ng into the fold, PAP will continue to face succession hurdles and election setbacks.

With the PM having another couple of years left before he hands over power, the time is now for him to think about his legacy. One important aspect of that legacy must be his desire and ability to move away from the tried and tested way of selecting politicians, and bringing in people who are prepared to test the political borders.

P N Balji is a veteran Singaporean journalist who was formerly chief editor of Today, as well as an editor at The New Paper. He is currently a media consultant. The views expressed are his own.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

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Recently in Russia there has been a significant increase in the share of hard-to-recover oil reserves - these are high-viscosity hydrocarbons or reserves in low-permeability reservoirs (porous or fractured rock). Typically, thermal and chemical methods are used to extract such oil, often in combination with each other. However, the cases of using the thermal methods ones are rather frequent as the only effective, even though high temperatures can damage the formation. The technology of a dual-well system, suggested by the research team that includes a graduate student of Samara Polytech Sergey Gubanov, will help to avoid this. The latest research results are published in the Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering (doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2020.107554).

"Through one shaft we will heat the formation, and through the other one we will obtain oil", Sergey Gubanov, a graduate student of the Department of Development and Operation of Oil and Gas Fields of Samara Polytech explains. "This technology will significantly increase the process of "difficult" oil recovery and reduce the cost of traditional wells construction".

The economic benefit of the Polytech methodology is based on the fact that it's not the steam that is injected into the formation in order to heat it and liquefy oil (dissolving heavy components in it), as provided by the traditional technology, but the special organic compounds that are capable of heating the reservoir up to 110-130  C by interacting with each other. The technology does not require a large amount of specialized equipment. In addition, the use of exclusively organic substances makes the technology quite environmentally friendly.

"Of course, my cherished dream is to obtain an artificial oil - to learn how to create it in the laboratory conditions in order to stop "picking" the Earth and use the oil not as a raw material. Indeed, for example, high-viscosity and bituminous oils contain rare earth metals such as vanadium and nickel. As Mendeleev said, 'burning oil is the same as burning banknotes'," the young scientist shares his plans.

The research on the development of oil production technology using the dual-well system is carried out with the financial support of the RFBR.

###

For reference:

Samara State Technical University (SSTU, Samara Polytech) as a flagship university offers a wide range of education and research programs and aims at development and transfer of high-quality and practically-oriented knowledge. The university has an established reputation in technical developments and focuses on quality education, scientific and pragmatic research, combining theory and practice in the leading regional businesses and enterprises. Education is conducted in 30 integrated groups of specialties and areas of training (about 200 degree programs including bachelor, master programs and 55 PhD programs) such as oil and gas, chemistry and petrochemistry, mechanics and energy, transportation, food production, defense, IT, mechanical and automotive engineering, engineering systems administration and automation, material science and metallurgy, biotechnology, industrial ecology, architecture, civil engineering and design, etc.
Properties that normally could take three months or longer to get any interest from potential buyers are now getting snatched up in three weeks or less.
John Lewis, a US civil rights icon, is the first Black lawmaker to lie in state in the Rotunda of the Capitol.

The body of the late United States Representative John Lewis has arrived at the US Capitol where he will lie in state as politicians pay tribute to the longtime Georgia lawmaker and icon of the civil rights movement.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a delegation on Monday to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to greet Lewiss flag-draped coffin. A motorcade carrying the body stopped at the Martin Luther King and Lincoln memorials and Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House as it wound through Washington, DC before arriving at the Capitol, where he became the first Black politician to lie in state in the Rotunda.

Pelosi called Lewis a person of greatness and was always a person of great humility and said he often spoke of a vision he shared with the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr of a community connected and uplifted by faith, hope and charity.

Speaking at a private ceremony in the Rotunda, Pelosi said Lewis focused on the future on how to inspire the next generation to join the fight for justice.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said of Lewis: Even though the world around him gave him every reason for bitterness, he stubbornly treated everyone with respect and love.

After the Rotunda ceremony, Lewiss body is to be moved to the steps on the Capitols east side for public viewing, an unusual sequence required because the COVID-19 pandemic has closed the Capitol to the general public. Inside the Rotunda and outdoors, signs welcomed visitors with a reminder that masks would be required.

The hearse with the flag-draped casket of Rep John Lewis drives on 16th Street, renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza, near the White House in Washington, DC [Alex Brandon/Pool/AP Photo]

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who served in Congress alongside Lewis, is expected to visit the Capitol to pay his respects. The pair became friends over their two decades on Capitol Hill together and Bidens two terms as vice president to Barack Obama, the nations first Black president who awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Notably absent from the ceremonies was President Donald Trump, who publicly jousted with Lewis. Lewis once called Trump an illegitimate president and chided him for stoking racial discord. Trump countered by blasting Lewiss Atlanta congressional district as crime infested.

Just ahead of the ceremonies on Monday, the House passed a bill to establish a new federal commission to study conditions that affect Black men and boys.

Necessary trouble

Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Representatives Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Karen Bass of California were seen sporting Good Trouble face masks, a nod to one of Lewiss favourite pieces of advice.

Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic, Lewis tweeted in 2018. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.

The tributes on Monday were the latest in a series of public remembrances for the 80-year-old Alabama native who helped lead the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the peak of the civil rights era.

The son of sharecroppers, Lewis was among the original Freedom Riders, a group of young activists who boarded commercial passenger buses and travelled through the segregated Jim Crow South. They were assaulted and battered at many stops along the way, by both citizens and authorities. Lewis was the youngest and last-living of the featured speakers for the March on Washington in 1963, where the Rev Martin Luther King Jr delivered his I Have a Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The flag-draped casket of late Representative John Lewis is carried by a joint services military honour guard up the stairs of the US Capitol where he became the first Black lawmaker to lie in state at the US Capitol, in Washington [Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters]

In Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, Lewis suffered a beating at the hands of an Alabama state trooper that became one of the defining moments of his life. He led hundreds of civil rights protesters who attempted to march from the Black Belt city to the Alabama Capitol to demand access to the voting booth.

The marchers completed the journey weeks later under the protection of federal authorities, but then-Alabama Governor George C Wallace, an outspoken segregationist at the time, refused to meet the marchers when they arrived at the Capitol. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on August 6 of that year.

Lewis spoke of those critical months for the rest of his life as he championed voting rights as a foundation of democracy, and he returned to Selma many times for commemorations at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where baton-wielding officers had brutalised Lewis and the marchers.

The vote is precious. It is almost sacred, he said again and again. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.

Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the last time on Sunday on a horse-drawn carriage before an automobile hearse transported him to the Alabama Capitol, where he lay in repose, becoming one of the few citizens who was not a former governor to have such an honour. He was escorted by Alabama state troopers, this time with Black officers in their ranks, and his casket stood down the hall from the office where Wallace had peered out of his window at the voting rights marchers he refused to meet.

Lewis already has had a public funeral in his hometown of Troy, Alabama. He will have a private funeral on Thursday at Atlantas historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, which King once led.
A total of 1,950 applicants out of 4,208 have been issued with the new voter identity cards in phase four of the ongoing voter registration exercise in the Oti Region through guarantors.



Out of the total number, 1, 686 were female, and 1,943 men have been registered in for phase four of the exercise.



A total of 2,243 presented the Ghana card as proof of eligibility, with only 15 applicants presenting passports.



Mr Nuhu Mahama, Oti Regional Director of Electoral Commission disclosed to the Ghana News Agency that, a total of 27 applicants were challenged with 38 being persons with disabilities during the phase four encounter.



Males who attained 18 years constituted 178 whilst females numbers stood at 183.



The Regional Director said the health protocols were being observed and that all applicants were wearing nose masks.



He said the Electoral machines are working effectively and the numbers of applicants were increasing.



The constituency breakdown under phase four in the Oti Region are Jasikan/ Buem constituency 505, Biakoye constituency 762, Kadjebi constituency 425, Krachi East constituency 729, Krachi West 367, Krachi Nchumuru 520, Nkwanta South constituency 489 and

Nkwanta North constituency 411.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Dont Blame Me: Deputy PM defends handling of COVID crisis

PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister Jurin Laksanawisit went on the defensive yesterday after being forced to face a slew of complaints from leading Phuket figures pointing out the lack of support from the central government to help people and businesses on the island suffering from the COVID-19 economic crisis.

COVID-19economicstourism

By The Phuket News

Monday 27 July 2020, 05:39PM

Deputy Prime Minister Jurin Laksanawisit at the meeting in Phuket yesterday (July 26). Photo: PR Phuket

Deputy PM Jurin, who also serves as the Commerce Minister, was in Phuket to hear firsthand the current economic situation in Phuket. He got it, with no room for any misunderstanding.

The clearest description of the current situation on the island came from Phuket Tourism Council President Sarayuth Mallam, who pleaded for members of the Cabinet to visit the island to see the economic damage for themselves.

Please, the government should understand that Phuket is different from other provinces, but the way officials keep speaking, their mindset still thinks that Phuket is the same as other provinces.

Phuket is hurt more than other provinces. We are ready to welcome tourists and we have asked to be able to manage our own affairs, but there has not been any response to this at all, he said.

I want you to inspect Patong and Karon. It has never been like this before. Today is the worst. The situation in Phuket will affect the countrys economy. There is no income to tax, and peoples hearts are sinking, some of them enough to commit suicide, Mr Sarayuth pointed out.

Today you are here. Could you please present to the Cabinet for them to come to see Phuket, to see what is happening here, so that the whole government will understand what is really happening here.

We need you to solve the tourism problem, because people have no jobs, there is no money, he added.

Feeling the tension in the room, the main meeting auditorium at Phuket Provincial Hall, Deputy PM Jurin curtly asked Mr Sarayuth: What do you want?

Mr Sarayuth replied, I want the government to look at Phuket, and pay attention to what is happening here. Phuket province provides a lot of tax for the government, you get all our taxes.

Now Phuket is in a hard situation, like its in the ICU, and the government does not care, he said.

There is no money from the government to help Phuket. We have asked many times, but we are always refused. The only response we get is that the government must take care of the whole country.

The government must see Phuket province. Even our COVID-19 field hospitals were 100% funded by the private sector. Now the private sectors money is gone. There is no money, he added.

ANGRY RESPONSE

One business representative at the meeting, chimed in, pointing out, We have spent our money to support other people and we have helped ourselves since Feb 28. We have donated food and supplies to people. We have been doing all these things by ourselves.

Now you are here in Phuket. You are still asking for money from us, and asking what we can do to help Phuket. Hang on, we have already spent our money on helping ourselves already.

Are you still looking for money from Phuket to hand back to us to help us recover? What is the government doing to help Phuket? she asked.

Angry, Deputy Prime Minister Jurin replied, You do not blame me! I am here to solve your problem. I am asking around because I want to find a way to solve your problem.

I have not even started, and you blame me. I ask the official offices, then I will know how much they have right now, he said.

Mr Jurin then asked Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew, How much budget money do you have?

Governor Narong replied, There is none.

SURPLUS FUNDS

Rewat Areerob, a Phuket resort owner who has previously served as a Phuket MP and who now also serves as assistant secretary to Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha, pointed out that some budget funds that may be used could be sourced from the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor).

The only way to get budget funds in Phuket is from the OrBorJor, because they have a fund that taxed 1% of room rates from hotels. The Phuket Governor is able to access those funds, he said.

Currently the OrBorJor is led by only an acting president. The people are not impressed with the workings of the OrBorJor, plus the real president is dead. The OrBorJor must release those funds to help Phukets tourism industry, he added.

While PPAO acting president Watcharin Pathomwattanapong was not present at the meeting, PPAO councillor Manu Kiewkam presented the idea of opening a casino in Phuket.

LOOKING FORWARD

A more polite Thanusak Phungdet, President of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that about 160,000 Phuket residents had registered with the Phuket Social Security Office to receive unemployment benefits under the special government project to provide support to workers who were forced to accept reduced pay  or lost their jobs entirely  due to the COVID-19 lockdown policies.

Of those, only 62% had received financial support from the office, Mr Thanusak said.

Even though the pandemic situation is getting better, a lot of people are still unemployed, as there are no tourists coming to Phuket. Therefore, we want to extend the time for receiving the compensation, from 90 days up to be 180 days, Mr Thanusak said, repeating a formal request he filed with the central government in May, to which he has still yet to receive a response.

We also want the government to extend the commercial loan repayment periods by up to three years more, reduce the interest charged from 7% to be 2%, and negotiate with the Bank of Thailand to ease the conditions for applying for loans, Mr Thanusak added.

Mr Thanusak asked the government to come with B6 million to help promote three key events coming up to help lure more tourists to the island: the Phuket Seafood & Gastronomy Festival, the Phuket Surfing Contest 2020 at Kalim Beach and the Phuket Vegetarian Festival.

He also urged the government to change fishing regulations to allow Phuket fishing boats to start fishing tuna in the Andaman Sea in order to create a new market for local fishermen to start serving.

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE

Mr Jurin pointed out that the Tiew Pan Suk domestic tourism drive by the national government was a key policy to help boost tourism throughout the country.

To this, a representative from the Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reported that after two days Phuket was currently ranked the fourth most popular destination in the country, but declined to give any number of the actual bookings made.

The representative also pointed out that the Phuket TAT office could provide B300,000 towards the promotion of the three upcoming events.

To this, Mr Jurin pointed out, See, I have already found B300,000.

He added, Fundraising is not my job, but we will get the funds from the Ministry of Finance.

In closing the meeting, Deputy PM Jurin said, From speaking with officials and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), we are ready to support the budget B6 million for holding the events, in order to keep business in Phuket going.

This will help people to relax in stressed situations like this. It will help Phuket province to breath for a while.

I am concerned about everyone here because the grassroots of the economy has been affected, which brings consequences for businesses big and small.

I encourage everyone on every level to get through this situation well. Whatever the government can do, the government will do. Today, it is a chance to help only a quarter to Phuket province, he added.
Indonesian fishers face livelihood threat from beautiful tourism project

by Agus Mawan

July 27,2020 | Source: Mongabay

On a breezy afternoon, fishermen are preparing to set sail from a beach on the western coast of Indonesias Sulawesi Island. Not far off, two excavators dredge earth from the coast as part of land reclamation project for a municipal development.



For the past two years, the government of Majene district in West Sulawesi province has been developing the Waterfront City project on 18 hectares (44 acres) of land here. District head Fahmi Massiara has spoken of the need to turn the area into a modern coastal city featuring tourist attractions.



Environmentalists and fishers are largely opposed to the project, saying it will destroy the coastal ecosystem and deprive fishing households of their main source of livelihood.



Many oppose, but are afraid to speak out. Afraid of being intimidated, said Ridwan Tajuddin, 32, a fisherman from Cilallang, one of the villages that will be subsumed by the Waterfront City project.



Ridwan lives in a shack with his wife, two children, and the rest of his side of the family. From his door, he can see part of the reclaimed land. Ridwan is one of the fishermen who has been vocal in his public opposition to the project, even though others have warned him that his stance could lead to him losing access to government aid for low-income households.



As villages go, Cilallang is relatively new, established in the 1990s by impoverished migrants moving to the area for the fishing. Most still depend on fishing and related activities to buy food, send their kids to school, and patch up their houses.



Those homes  shacks of wood and corrugated tin  dont fit into the plan for the Waterfront City project, which will have a museum, park, floating mosque, hotel and tourist attractions. The project has also been designated part of the City Without Slums (Kotaku) initiative by the administration of President Joko Widodo, hich means it gets funding from both the district and national governments.



While much of the project is about reclaiming new land on the coast, the plan also includes building dikes. Ridwan said its this aspect of the project that will create problems for fishermen: the dikes, he said, will amplify the power of the waves crashing on their small stretch of beach.



Kids cant play by the beach anymore, Ridwan said.



In the neighboring village of Parappe, fellow fisherman Abdul Rifai is also against the project. Weve gone against it, but what can we do when the government wants it? he said.



The fishers of Parappe say theyre already experiencing the impact of stronger waves, deflected to their area by the ongoing construction of one of the dikes. In response to calls to stop the project, the government said it would build a wave breaker instead.



We could die. Our boat already broke. Its deep here, about 3 meters [10 feet]. Plus, the waves in this area are very choppy, Rifai said.



Environmental activists have also called for an end to the reclamation activities for the Waterfront City project. Part of the plan calls for new land to be created over a 4.5-hectare (11-acre) area that currently hosts a coral reef and seagrass meadow.



A study led by the Alliance to Save Coastal Fishers (ASNP), a local NGO, found environmental degradation at the reclamation site, including increased sedimentation in the seagrass meadow, during observations in August and September 2019. The group concluded the reality of what was happening on the ground was far different from what the project developers environmental impact analysis (EIA) had predicted.



We think [the EIA] was a supporting reason why the location [was considered] reasonable for land reclamation, said Dicky Zulkarnain, a researcher at the ASNP.



Last August, environmentalists and fishers staged a protest demanding the Majene district government stop the Waterfront City project. They also demanded compensation for the losses incurred by the fishers throughout the ongoing development.



The district head and his deputy were out of town that day, and the protesters went on to shut down activities at the reclamation site in Cilallang. The government responded by sending police to protect the construction workers.



In October, ASNP filed a formal complaint alleging maladministration in the development of the Waterfront City project to the office of West Sulawesis ombudsperson. In March this year, the office presented its findings of maladministration to the Majene administration, but the government has yet to respond.



Opposition to the project hasnt waned. Activists and fishers continue calling on the Majene government to stop the project and prioritize the interests of local fishers and environmental protection.



We think the WFC is only positive in one aspect: aesthetics. Nothing more than that, said Yusri, a coordinator at the Sulawesi chapter of the NGO Peoples Coalition for Justice in Fisheries (KIARA).



The planner, the developer and the government may not understand that fishing isnt just a profession, but its a heritage, he said.



For its part, the Majene government says the opposition is only from one side. District head Fahmi says the project is a solution to the districts high population density. He says he also consulted with the ministry of public works, which he said advised him to promote the projects goals of tourism, urban planning, and protection.



When this is completed, itll be very beautiful, Fahmi said.

 2020 Copyright Conservation news

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Amazon is hosting the Amazon Prime Day 2020 sale in India between August 6 and August 7. Ahead of the upcoming sale, take a look at all the postpaid plans that offer Amazon Prime subscription.

Amazon will be hosting its annual Prime Day 2020 celebrations in India next month. The sale will begin at 12AM on August 6 and it will go on until 11:59PM on August 7. During its upcoming sale, the e-retail company will be offering massive discounts on the purchase of various items.

In addition to offering discounts, Amazon India is also offering an instant discount of 10% on purchases made using HDFC Bank debit and credit cards. The e-retailer is also offering Amazon Pay reward points on the purchases made using the Amazon Pay ICICI Bank credit cards.

Ahead of the Prime Day 2020 sale, here is a list of the top prepaid plans by Airtel and Vodafone Idea that offer Amazon Prime subscriptions:

Vodafone 1099 plan

This plan offers unlimited data along with 100 SMS per day. In addition to this, users get one year of Netflix subscription worth 5988, one year of Amazon Prime membership worth 999, Zee5 subscription worth 999 and a complimentary subscription of Vodafone Play.

Vodafone 699 plan

This plan offers unlimited data along with 100 SMS per day. In addition to this, users get one year of Amazon Prime membership, Zee5 subscription and a complimentary subscription of Vodafone Play.

ALSO READ: Reliance Jio vs Airtel: Top prepaid plans under 500 that offer 2GB data per day

Vodafone 499 plan

This plan offers 75GB of data with up to 200GB of roll over facility. In addition to this, users get 100 SMS per day, a one year Amazon Prime subscription, Zee5 subscription and a complimentary subscription of Vodafone Play.

Airtel 499 plan

This plan offers 75GB of data with unlimited local, STD and roaming calls. In addition to this, users get a one year Amazon Prime subscription, Zee5 subscription, Airtel Xstream subscription and Airtel Thanks benefits.

Airtel 799 plan

This plan offers 125GB of data with unlimited local, STD and roaming calls. This plan includes two free family add-ons. In addition to this, users get a one year Amazon Prime subscription, Zee5 subscription, Airtel Xstream subscription and Airtel Thanks benefits.

ALSO READ: Airtel vs Reliance Jio vs Vodafone: Top postpaid plans under 1,000

Airtel 999 plan

This plan offers 150GB of data with unlimited local, STD and roaming calls. This plan includes four free family add ons. In addition to this, users get a one year Amazon Prime subscription, Zee5 subscription, Airtel Xstream subscription and Airtel Thanks benefits.

Airtel 1599 plan

This plan offers unlimited data with unlimited local, STD and roaming calls. This plan includes one free family add ons and 200 ISD minutes along with 10% off on IR packs. In addition to this, users get a one year Amazon Prime subscription, Zee5 subscription, Airtel Xstream subscription and Airtel Thanks benefits.
Indivior Plc has agreed to pay $600 million and have a subsidiary plead guilty to a felony charge to resolve U.S. allegations that it engaged in an illegal scheme to boost prescriptions of its opioid addiction treatment Suboxone.

The U.S. Justice Department announced the agreement on Friday after the subsidiary, Indivior Solutions Inc, pleaded guilty in Abingdon, Virginia, to making false statements related to healthcare matters.

The agreement came after the parent company was indicted in April 2019 in one of the few corporate prosecutions related to the U.S. opioid addiction epidemic.

The indictment alleged Indivior deceived doctors and healthcare benefit programs into believing the film version of Suboxone, which has an opioid component, was safer and less susceptible to abuse than similar drugs.

The indictment said Indivior also used an internet and telephone program touted as a resource for opioid addicts to connect them to doctors it knew were prescribing Suboxone and other opioids at high rates and in suspect circumstances.

Prosecutors said the scheme began before British consumer goods company Reckitt Benckiser spun off Indivior. Reckitt Benckiser last year agreed to pay $1.4 billion to resolved related claims.

In its guilty plea, Indivior Solutions admitted to part of the scheme, that it sent misleading safety information about the drug to Massachusetts Medicaid program, the department said.

Indiviors former chief executive, Shaun Thaxter, pleaded guilty last month to a related misdemeanor charge.

Indivior as part of Fridays deal agreed to disband its Suboxone sales force and remove medical providers from its promotional programs who pose a high risk of inappropriate prescribing.

The company is also settling related civil lawsuits the Justice Department joined in 2018. It will pay $10 million to resolve claims by the Federal Trade Commission that it impeded competition from generic equivalents of Suboxone.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Aurora Ellis)

Topics Claims USA
New Delhi, July 27 : Spelling more trouble for fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a money laundering case against him in connection with the Samsung-ONGC deal of the UPA era.

An ED source related to the probe said that the financial probe agency has registered a fresh criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Bhandari on the basis of the CBI FIR lodged earlier this month.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had lodged an FIR naming Bhandari, Santech International FZC (UAE), Samsung Engineering Company Limited (South Korea), Foster Wheeler Energy Limited (the UK), Hong NamKoong, the then senior manager of Samsung, and unknown officials of ONGC as accused in the case.

The CBI in its FIR said that Bhandari allegedly obtained $49,99,969 from SECL in the overseas bank account of his Dubai-based firm Santech International in order to induce unknown public servants to show alleged undue favour to the consortium of SECL in the award of contract of the DFCU project in Dahej, Gujarat.

The CBI said that it was further alleged that the said agreement was relating to the consultancy services to be provided by Santech International FZC to SECL for obtaining the said contract.

Bhandari, who is wanted in India, was first raided by the Income Tax department in 2015. He was booked by Delhi Police in an Official Secret Act (OSA) case. He fled India in October 2016.

He is also being probed by the ED in a petro-chemical complex which ONGC decided to build as a special economic zone in 2008. ONGC commissioned SECL to build a part of the project.

SECL had hired Bhandari's Dubai based firm. The contract was awarded to SECL in December 2008 and the company paid Santech $49,90,000 in June 2009.

In July last year, the CBI had registered a criminal case against unknown officials of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Defence Ministry, Bhandari and officials of Switzerland-based plane maker Pilatus Aircraft Ltd on charges of alleged corruption in the Rs 2,985 crore deal of 75 basic air trainer aircraft for the IAF in 2009.

Bhandari is also being probed in Robert Vadra's alleged London properties case.

It is alleged that the said half a dozen properties were purchased with the money allegedly received as kickbacks for various defence and other (including a petroleum) deals struck during the UPA tenure.
NEW HAVEN  Mayor Justin Elicker has appointed William Iovanne and Laura Luzzi as co-chairmen of the Wooster Square Monument Committee, a body that will meet for the first time Thursday.

The committee will hold public and working meetings to discuss what will replace the Christopher Columbus statue that was removed from Wooster Square Park, reportedly to prevent further vandalism.

The issue divided the city between those who wanted it removed, given the historical accounts of Columbus ordering atrocities and the enslavement of Arawak tribe members, and those who viewed it as a tribute to Italian Americans, who commissioned and paid for the monument when it was erected in 1892.

The issue generated a lawsuit brought by the Italian-American Heritage Group of New Haven, which wants to have a professional excavate a portion of the statues base and retrieve documents that may speak to conditions potentially imposed on the city when the statue was gifted to it.

The city has moved to have the suit dismissed, claiming the group has no standing.

I am thankful for this opportunity to work with so many other great leaders and the Parks Commission to find a new way to recognize the significant contribution of Italians and Italian-Americans to New Haven and the region, Luzzi, a member of the Italian Heritage Committee of Greater New Haven, said in a statement.

We are both proud of our heritage and respectful of others. I hope to help bring unity to our community and the city during these challenging times, she said.

Iovanne also commented.

This has been a difficult time for our community, but I am confident that we can work through it together, Iovanne, of the Iovanne Funeral Home, said in a statement. I look forward to working with the committee and the community to select a proper monument that is representative of the sacrifices and contributions that the proud hard working Italian immigrants and their descendants have made to the city of New Haven.

Iovanne organized the neighborhood to get behind removal of the statue and put out a public letter explaining the issue. Some signers later objected to the reasons given and said they only agreed to move it so it would not be seriously damaged by vandals.

Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers also appointed Alders Ellen Cupo, D-8, and Rose Santana, D-13, to the committee.

I am deeply appreciative of the co-chairs and members of the Wooster Square Monument Committee. These members of the community have stepped up in this challenging time, and it is important that we, as a community, come together and appropriately honor Italian-American heritage in New Havens history, Elicker said in a statement.

The meeting on Thursday will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. The link can be found at https://bit.ly/30YsK1Q.

The remaining members on the committee include: Carl Babb and David Belowsky of the New Haven Parks Commission; Frances Calzetta of the American Italian Women of Greater New Haven; Frank Carrano, Wooster Square historian and Branford resident; Elsie Chapman, Historic Wooster Square Association; Tom Ciesco of the Amity Club; Andrew Consiglio and Rheta DeBenedett of the Santa Maria Maddalena Society; Paul Criscuolo, president of the St. Catello Society; the Rev. Harlon Dalton of St. Paul & St. James Episcopal Church; and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3.

Also, Alder Anna Festa, a member of St. Michaels Church; Frank Gargano, president of the St. Andrew the Apostle Society and Cindy Rosarbo of the St. Andrew Ladies Society; Sarah Greenblat and Charles Murphy, residents of Wooster Square; Adriane Jefferson, New Haven director of arts and cultural affairs; Vincent Mauro resident and chairman of the New Haven Democratic Town Committee; and Aleta Staton of the New Haven Cultural Affairs Commission.

Neil Thomas Proto, a historian, will be an adviser to the group.
Rajasthan political crisis: Top Court to hear Speaker's plea challenging High Court order today

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, July 27: The Supreme Court will on Monday resume hearing on a petition filed by Rajasthan Speaker CP Joshi against the rebel MLAs led by now-sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot who called for a revolt against the Ashok Gehlot government.

Rajasthan crisis: Speaker CP Joshi withdraws SC plea against team Pilot | Oneindia News

On Thursday, the Supreme Court refused to stop the Rajasthan High Court from announcing its decision on Friday on a petition by Sachin Pilot and 18 other rebel MLAs challenging disqualification notices served to them for defying the Congress party.

Coronavirus cases have tripled in Rajasthan since July 1: Governor

The Rajasthan Speaker, who served the notices last week, had argued that the rebels cannot petition the High Court at this stage. However, the High Court's ruling will be subject to the final order of the Supreme Court, that w will take up the case today.

Meanwhile, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has issued a whip to all its six MLAs in Rajasthan to vote against the Congress if a floor test happens to check the strength of the Ashok Gehlot government. CM Gehlot has been struggling to keep his government afloat after a rebellion by Sachin Pilot and MLAs loyal to him.

Rajasthan Crisis: BSP issues whip, directs its MLAs to vote against Gehlot govt

Meanwhile, Mayawati's BSP has issued a whip to six of its MLAs directing them to vote against Congress in case there was a no-confidence motion.

In a statement, BSP General Secretary Satish Chandra Misra said, "All six MLAs have been issued separate notices wherein they have been informed that since BSP is a recognised national party as such there cannot be any merger under para (4) of the 10th Schedule at the state level at the instance of six MLAs unless there is a merger of the entire BSP everywhere at the national level."

If the six MLAs voted against the party whip, they were liable for disqualification from the assembly, Mishra said.

"It has been further stated in the notice that therefore they are bound to follow the 'whip' of BSP failing which they would entail disqualification," the statement said.
SC allows Rajasthan Speaker to withdraw petition

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 27: The Speaker of the Rajasthan assembly has requested the Supreme Court to permit him to withdrawn his petition. The Supreme Court has allowed the Speaker to withdraw his plea.

Rajasthan crisis: Speaker CP Joshi withdraws SC plea against team Pilot | Oneindia News

The Speaker had challenged the decision of the Rajasthan High Court, which had directed him not to act against rebel Congress MLAs including Sachin Pilot.

The Speaker's decision to move the SC was meant to make the HC follow the 1992 Kihoto Hollohon verdict. However the HC has now restrained the Speaker from acting on the disqualification notices and this is in breach of the Hollohon verdict, according to the Speaker.

Rajasthan crisis: Gehlot calls for Cabinet meet, Guv's conditional nod to assembly session on agenda

Senior counsel, Kapil Sibal told the court that the Rajasthan High Court had passed a detailed order relating to disqualification proceedings pending before the Speaker. We will contest it there and if the need arises, we will come again to the Supreme Court, he said while adding that the HC is not following the five judge Bench order of the SC.

The SC had enlarged the scope of the debate around the Rajasthan crisis and has sought to know if dissent could be stifled through disqualification.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said his party wants a floor test in the state Assembly and is "begging" for it, but the governor is not convening the House and "delaying" the trust vote allegedly at the behest of the central government.

He also cited Supreme Court judgements and several precedents including those of Rajasthan Assembly with regard to the convening of the Assembly session to assert that the Governor cannot act of his own and can only do so with the advice of the Cabinet.

"Such superficial, clearly motivated, digressive and extraneous queries establish beyond doubt that they are coming from the highest authorities of the central government and being parroted without change as His Master's Voice from Raj Bhawan, Jaipur.

"We all know who that Master is. But, it decimates the lustre and dignity of the Governor's constitutional position," Singhvi said at a virtual press conference.

Governor Kalraj Mishra had on Friday sought clarifications on six points from the state government, after Congress MLAs held a five-hour dharna on the lawns of the Raj Bhawan in Jaipur pressing for the convening of the Assembly.

The governor asked Chief Minister Asok Gehlot to submit again, with the clarifications, his recommendation for calling a session.

Rajasthan Governor allows assembly session, puts in 3 conditions

A statement from the governor included queries on the free movement of MLAs and the reason why the session needed to be called urgently.

The governor on Saturday night received a revised proposal from the state cabinet requesting that a session of the Assembly be called on July 31, Raj Bhawan sources said on Sunday.

Asked if the party would challenge the Rajasthan High Court judgement, Singhvi said the fight was not in the courtroom but in the state Assembly where a floor test would determine who has the numbers.
Something to look forward to: Fast charging has become a coveted feature in mid-range and high-end smartphones, so much so that even Apple reluctantly added it to the iPhone. With Qualcomm's Quick Charge 5.0, upcoming phones will be able to get from an empty battery to 50 percent in just five minutes, which is ten times faster than the first generation of Quick Charge technology.

If you've experienced the convenience of wireless charging before, it's easy to see why it's becoming more popular with each passing year. And while the market for wireless chargers is expected to reach $25.6 billion by 2026, a lot of consumers still prefer wired charging for its faster speed and the added benefit of being able to use the phone while charging.

Today, Qualcomm announced the latest iteration of its fast charging tech called Quick Charge 5, offering the most significant improvements ever achieved in one generation since Quick Charge 1.0 in 2013.

The new implementation is 70 percent more efficient than Quick Charge 4 and supports a wide range of input voltages between 3.3V to 20V, and currents of up to 5A. Qualcomm says that using the right cable with a phone that supports Quick Charge 5.0 will allow more than 100W of power to be delivered to the charging circuitry inside your device.

To get an idea of how overkill that is, the company explained that Quick Charge 5.0 can bring a 4,500 mAh battery from 0 to 50 percent in just five minutes, while topping it up will take 15 minutes. That's four times faster than the previous generation, all while keeping temperatures up to 10 degrees Celsius lower.

The magic that makes this possible comes in the form of two power management ICs, the SMB1396 and SMB1398. These support both 1SnP (single cell) and 2SnP (stacked) batteries, and come with 17 different voltage, current, and temperature protections. These are part of a new Smart Identification feature that's designed to choose the right charging mode even for some power adapters that negotiate a higher power output than they can deliver safely.

Qualcomm says Quick Charge 5.0-supporting phones are on the horizon, powered by the Snapdragon 865 and 865 Plus mobile platforms. The new standard is cross-compatible with USB power delivery, retains backward-compatibility with older Quick Charge implementations, and you can fast charge any iPhone 7 or newer through a QC5 charging brick.

Others like Vivo and Oppo have also introduced their own 100W+ fast charging solutions in recent months, but Qualcomm's tech will likely see higher adoption rates in markets outside of China. It will be interesting to see how these technologies affect battery longevity, but at least with Qualcomm's QC5 you get an added layer of protection against chargers that can turn your phone into expensive popcorn.
Last weekend, Alisha Vora, a Mumbai resident, had food cravings. After days of consuming home-cooked food, she wanted something from outside: Kuch acha khana hai kuch bahar ka khana hai. She decided to place an order with Mojo Pizza as it delivered within 30 minutes. With a few taps on her cellphone the order was placed. Half an hour later, she was happily chomping into a pizza with double the toppings.

It isnt always pizza, but like Alisha, people across the country are busy tapping their phones ordering breakfast, dinner and everything in between. Despite lockdowns being eased in many parts of India, people are still reluctant to eat in a restaurant over fears of contracting Covid. At the same time, in many States, the authorities have still not allowed dine-in services and about 40 percent of Indias restaurants are still shut.

All this has led to individuals and families dining at home all the time, and had a deleterious effect on the restaurant and F&B industry. According to a report by CRISIL, India's organised restaurant industry will see a 40-50 percent plunge in FY21 revenues.

Enter, the cloud kitchen

While dine-in services have taken a hit, there has been a bump in orders being placed for home delivery of food. And this has prompted a slew of start-ups and even restaurant chains, to venture into the cloud kitchen space.

A cloud kitchen is a delivery-only restaurant that has no physical space for dine-in services. It relies entirely on orders placed through online food aggregators or an online ordering enabled website or mobile app.

Lite Bite Foods, which manages more than 30 restaurant brands, including Punjab Grill and YouMee, across India and internationally, has been lured in by the concept, especially with footfalls declining at its restaurants.

Start-ups Yumlane and Cheferd Foods, and pizza delivery outfit Mojo Pizza, among others, are also jostling for space in the cloud kitchen market.

Rebel Foods, a cloud kitchen restaurant company, is planning to leverage its kitchen infrastructure and diversify beyond cooked meals.

Cost structure advantage

Speaking to Moneycontrol, Rohit Aggarwal, Director, Lite Bite Foods, said: The cost of opening and running a restaurant has inched up, prompting the company to switch focus to a low-overhead, tech-enabled model. To cater to high demand, we have ventured into the cloud kitchen segment, and are investing approximately Rs 25 crore in LBF Cloud Kitchens.

Aggarwal has a point. One of the main drivers of growth in the cloud kitchen segment is the changing cost structure of the business. Cloud kitchens reorient restaurant cost structures toward delivery rather than in-person dining, and the reduction of employees that comes with a delivery-focussed model can significantly bring down rent and staffing costs and improve margins.

For example, 60 percent of the cost of a Starbucks latte represents the cost of rent and staffing, according to global market research agency Euromonitor, which cited data from Financial Times.

Cloud kitchens could create a $1 trillion global opportunity by 2030, according to a Euromonitor virtual webinar presented by its Global Food and Beverage Lead Michael Schaefer.

Euromonitor predicts cheaper, faster and more reliable delivery will help this segment capture 50 percent of drive-thru service ($75 billion), 50 percent of takeaway food service ($250 billion), 35 percent of ready meals ($40 billion), 30 percent of packaged cooking ingredients ($100 billion), 25 percent of dine-in food service ($450 billion), and 15 percent of packaged snacks ($125 billion).

Jostling for space

Our first kitchen will be live this August, starting with Delhi and followed by Mumbai, with a brand new central commissary of 12,400 sq. ft. We plan to roll out a total of 36 kitchens across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad over the course of three years, said Aggarwal.

Yumlane, a Mumbai-based start-up, has been working all through the lockdown and has been clocking more sales than ever. In fact, it expects to soon match and exceed pre-Covid numbers. The cloud kitchen food platform has already raised $1 million in funding this month from Jetty Ventures for expansion into new cities and hiring. Helmed by Hitesh Ahuja, Yumlane has previously been backed by Binny Bansal (ex-Flipkart), Singapore-based RB Investments and Rehan Yar Khan of Orios Venture.

We believe the cloud kitchen format will be the flagbearer of the food services industry in the coming years and expect more consumers to order online food delivery vis-a-vis eat-out, said founder-CEO Ahuja, an ex-Private Equity Executive turned Food Entrepreneur. Yumlane currently has 30 Points of Delivery (PoDs) across Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune and has plans to expand to Hyderabad and Chennai.

With stay-home weekends, mundane food cycles and people being deprived of dine-out experiences, ordering in pizzas is the new way to have a good time, making it one of the most-ordered food items. On the business front, we are back to 75-80 percent of the sales at the pre-covid level and are on track to reach 100 percent in 6-8 weeks, said Anshul Gupta, Co-Founder, Mojo Pizza.

A full-stack cloud kitchen and delivery player across Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru & Gurugram, Mojo Pizza covers the entire value chain, from procurement of high-quality ingredients to food preparation to last-mile delivery,

Another Delhi-based start-up, Cheferd Foods, which has brands like Pizza On My Plate, Burger in my Box and Deli Salad Company, has been doing roaring business through the lockdown.

We recorded our highest ever sales in March and are now at 70-75 percent of our pre Covid-19 sales, said Sehaj Singh Kukreja and Tushar Anand, co-founders of Cheferd Foods.

An opportunity for everyone

Restaurant closures in the wake of the pandemic will drive a change in how physical restaurant formats are used, especially as shuttered businesses leave empty real estate behind. This shift will prime the industry for an acceleration into cloud kitchen development.

While deep-pocketed chains may lead restaurant-driven experimentation in the cloud kitchen space, as millions of small restaurants close permanently, the surviving small players will have the chance to buy up new property and continue to cater to increased delivery demand, thereby levelling the playing field.

Cloud kitchen firm Rebel Foods, which operates Faasos, Oven Story, Firangi Bake, and Behrouz Biryani, did not reveal sales numbers for the past few months but Raghav Joshi, CEO of its India Business Unit, told Moneycontrol that they plan to use kitchen infrastructure to expand beyond cooked meal brands.

The brand will be diversifying into ready-to-cook kits, meats, packaged snacks, as well as scaling other restaurants by investing in a few brands this year. We are witnessing gradual growth in India week on week, said Joshi.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 19:19:59|Editor: huaxia

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by Keren Setton

JERUSALEM, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces on the northern border are on high alert Monday as they wait for a possible Hezbollah retaliation for the killing of one of its operatives last week.

The militant was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Syrian capital of Damascus. Israel has not taken responsibility for the airstrike, but in the last years, it has carried out hundreds of such strikes aimed at curbing Iranian influence in the region.

The strike killed a number of foreign fighters stationed in Syria, including the Hezbollah militant who is not considered a senior member of the group.

Hezbollah and Israel fought a major war in 2006 and since then have maintained a delicate balance of conflicts with short flare-ups throughout the years. Considered an Iranian proxy, Israel sees the Lebanese militant organization as one of its main adversaries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to stop Iran from fortifying its presence along the country's borders, both with Syria and Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have increased their presence along the border since late last week, including the deployment of mobile air defense systems in the area.

"For Israel, a confrontation with Hezbollah is essentially a confrontation with Iran," said Sarit Zehavi, a former Israeli military intelligence officer and founder of the Alma Research and Education Center on Israel's Security Challenges on its Northern Borders.

"There are Iranian symbols and flags on the border. Once Hezbollah used to hide this, it no longer does now," Zehavi said.

Amid the tension, top U.S. military officer Mark Milley made an unannounced visit to Israel on Friday in order to discuss regional developments.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz told Milley that Israel sees "the need to continue the pressure on Iran and its proxies."

"We are not likely to see a war, but rather an isolated incident that both Israel and Hezbollah want to keep as," said Eyal Zisser, an expert on the Middle East from the Tel Aviv University.

Last year, Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets into Israel in response to a similar attack in which two of its militants were killed. It was a rare intensification that quickly ended.

"In the end, we will not be able to avoid an escalation, whether be it now or later," Zehavi said. "This has been largely avoided for 14 years but not sustainable for long."

For now, it seems both sides are trying to take measured responses to avoid a spiraling dynamic.

As a major political force in Lebanon, Hezbollah cannot afford to alienate its supporters home by bringing on another war on Israel. The last one has left major scars both in Lebanon and in Israel.

"A war is not inevitable, as long as each side maintains control," Zisser added. Enditem
Queen Letizia of Spain cut a stylish figure as she joined husband Felipe VI during a visit to the Ramon y Cajal centre of Aspace (Cerebral Palsy Association) in Navarra today.

Letizia, 47, and Felipe VI, 52, who were not accompanied by their two daughters Princess Leonor, 14 and Princess Sofia, 13, put safety first as they continued to wear face masks for their royal engagements.

Showing off her stylish wardrobe, Letizia recycled a silk green Sandro scarf dress that was complete with paisley print reminiscent of scarves, for the third time.

The trip is part of a royal tour that will take the pair through several Spanish autonomous communities with the objective of supporting economic, social and cultural activity after the coronavirus outbreak.

King Felipe, 52, and Queen Letizia of Spain, 47, chat with a young girl as they arrived at the Ramon y Cajal center of the Cerebral Palsy Association in Cizur Menor, Navarra, Spain today

The mother-of-two recycled a silk green printed dress by French label Sandro for the third time (pictured)

The midi dress was first worn by the stylish royal when she attended the closure of Afammer International Congress at the Marriot Auditorium Hotel in Madrid last December.

There, she teamed it with black patent black shoes by Prada, and a clutch by Nina Ricci.

But to give the same outfit a fresh look when she wore it for a second time during a visit to a monastery in Madrid in April, Letizia fashionably balanced a smart black jacket on her shoulders.

However, the royal took it right back to basics today, and paired the striking print with stylish beige wedges, which strapped up around the ankle.

The royals meet with the members of the Navarre regional government during their visit to the Ramon y Cajal center of Aspace (Cerebral Palsy Association) of Navarra in Cizur Menor

The trip is part of a royal tour that will take King Felipe and Queen Letizia (pictured) through several Spanish Autonomous Communities with the objective of supporting economic, social and cultural activity after the Coronavirus outbreak

The royals posed during their visit to the Ramon y Cajal center of Aspace (Cerebral Palsy Association) today

ASPACE is a non-profit organisation, born of the concern of several parents who wanted to look for opportunities for their sons and daughters with cerebral palsy. Pictured, Queen Letizia

The royals have undertaken several weeks of intense travel around the country in the wake of COVID-19, starting a tour of Spain on Monday 22 June. Pictured, King Felipe

She wore her brunette locks in her typical style - loose around her shoulders - and opted for a light layer of make-up.

ASPACE Confederation is a non-profit institution which unites the main organisations working in relation to Cerebral Palsy in Spain.

During their visit, the Spanish royals toured the facilities and held meetings with the likes of managers, workers and users.

Navarra marked the fourteenth community the pair have visited on their tour that began in late June once lockdown restrictions were lifted amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, they had three engagements after starting the week by attending the Mariano de Cavia, Luxa de Tena and Mingotie Awards gala in Madrid on Tuesday, which is organised by the Spanish national newspaper ABC.

Queen Letizia is mother to Princesses Leonor, 15, and Sofia, 12, with husband King Felipe who ascended to the Spanish throne in 2014.

Letizia married King Felipe ten years ago at Cathedral Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena in Madrid.

King Felipe of Spain and Queen Letizia of Spain during their visit to the Ramon y Cajal center, of Aspace (Cerebral Palsy Association) in Cizur Meno

During their visit, the Spanish royals toured the facilities (pictured) and held meetings with the likes of managers, workers and users

The royals were shown around the centre before engaging with youngsters during their visit to the Cerebral Palsy Association
GUILFORD  A local pharmaceutical company developing a treatment for COVID-19 patients is entering Phase II of its efforts to get the drug approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

AI Therapeutics is working with Yale University to conduct the Phase II study on newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients. The study will evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of its drug candidate, LAM-002A, also known as apilimod.

In Phase II studies, researchers administer the drug candidate to a group of patients with the disease or condition for which it is being developed.

These studies typically involve a few hundred patients, according to FDA officials, and arent large enough to show whether the drug will be beneficial. AI Therapeutics Phase II study will enroll up to 142 patients.

The drug was proven safe in previous trials involving more than 700 patients for treatment of autoimmune diseases and follicular lymphoma, according to a press release from Yale University. The FDA has given the drug fast-track status and has designated it an orphan drug for treatment of lymphoma.

LAM-002A has been shown in several studies to interfere with the entry and trafficking of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in cells, according to company officials. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for COVID-19.

AI Therapeutics develops drug candidates through a proprietary artificial intelligence algorithm for matching drugs to new indications.

Jonathan Rothberg, AI Therapeutics co-founder and a member of the companys board of directors, said the companys employees are doing all they can to make sure our drug, LAM-002, has the best shot to help (treat the disease).

Working with Yale is the perfect place to start, said Rothberg, who also is an adjunct professor of genetics at the university. He is best known in the Connecticut business community as having created nine companies, including CuraGen Corp.

LAM-002A holds promise to be a powerful new therapy for COVID-19 patients to prevent progression of disease, hopefully avoiding the need for hospitalization, said Murat Gunel, professor of neurosurgery and professor of genetics and neuroscience at Yale. Gunel is AI Therapeutics chief science adviser and has a financial interest in the company.

Gunel said if the trial is successful, it could be expanded to assess whether it would help prevent someone who is exposed to the coronavirus from coming down with COVID, particularly in high-risk populations such as the elderly in nursing homes, health care and frontl-ine workers, or people in underserved communities, according to the Yale release.

Dr. Charles Dela Cruz, director of the Center for Pulmonary Infection Research at Yale University, said working with the university provides AI Therapeutics with an outpatient treatment option for patients who are symptomatic in order to prevent progression of disease and hospitalization for COVID-19. Dela Cruz is the principal investigator of the clinical trial.

As the clinical trial is progressing, AI Therapeutics is preparing to make the LAM-002 accessible: It has 70,000 doses ready to go, 70,000 on the way, and the compound is being prepared for nearly 5 million more doses.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has finally named the National Assembly lawmakers who got contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The minister, in a document attached to his response to the threat by the House of Representatives to sue him over the allegations that federal lawmakers were the major contractors of NDDC, listed four senators as receiving 74 contracts from the commission between 2017 to date.

He also accused the Chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of inserting 19 contracts worth N9 billion into 2019 NDDC budget.

House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, had last week given Akpabio a 48-hour ultimatum to identify lawmakers that are NDDC contractors as he alleged during his testimony before the House Committee on NDDC.

However, a few hours after the expiration of the ultimatum, Gbajabiamila had signified the Houses readiness to head to court to seek the prosecution of the minister for criminal defamation.

He was to later read a letter from Akpabio, in response to the one written to him by the House Clerk, in which the minister reportedly denied making the allegations.

However, it was learnt at the weekend that Akpabios annexure to the letter included a list detailing the names and NDDC jobs given to the lawmakers.

According to the list, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on NDDC, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, allegedly executed 53 NDDC projects from 2017 to date.

He also accused three other senators namely: Matthew Urhoghide, James Manager and Sam Anyanwu of executing a total of 21 NDDC contracts during the period under review.

But in a swift reaction, Nwaoboshi described Akpabio as a confused individual.

He stated yesterday that he was challenging Akpabio to publish the names of the directors and shareholders of the companies that executed the said 53 NDDC contracts.

He (Akpabio) is confused. I challenge him to publish the directors and shareholders of these companies. I dont award contract and I dont pay for contracts. My brother, go to CAC and find out the truth. I pity him, Nwaoboshi said.

But in the bulky document with a three-page covering letter entitled: Some Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Contracts Allegedly Given to some Members of the National Assembly  Senate and House of Representatives, Akpabio also fingered the Chairman of the House Committee on NDDC in 19 contracts worth N9 billion inserted into the 2019 NDDC budget.

The contracts listed against Nwaoboshis name included Emergency Repairs of Asue Street, Owa Phase 2; Emergency Repairs of ldumuogbe Road via Ojemaye; Emergency Repairs of Otolokpo College Road, Otolokpo; and Emergency Repairs of Police lshu Ani Ukwu Road, Issele Uku in Delta State.

They also included Emergency Repairs of old Sapele Agbor Road, Obiaruku; Emergency Repairs of Ehwerhe Obada Road Agbarho Road; Emergency Repairs of Hon. Ifeanyi Eboigbe Street, Boji Boji Owa/Goodwill Street, Owa Alero; and Emergency Repairs of Ahiama Okwu to Obuocha Okwu among others, all in Delta State.

Other lawmakers that Akpabio listed projects against are Senator Mathew Urhoghide (six projects), Senator James Manager (six projects); former Senator, Sam Anyanwu (19 projects), and others simply identified as Ondo and Edo representatives while the project cost was not supplied by the minister.

Akpabio also listed Mr Nicholas Mutu, who represents the Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency of Delta State against 74 projects which included various emergency road projects in Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Rivers States.

In accusing the Chairman of the House of Representatives committee on NDDC, Tunji-Ojo, of padding the 2019 budget of the NDDC with 19 contracts worth N9 billion, the minister revealed that in the 2019 budget, the Executive Director in charge of projects forwarded to me the attached list of 19 Nos. old contracts amounting to almost N9billion after tax, that the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on NDDC, Honourable Tunji-Ojo, insisted that the IMC of NDDC must pay before 2019 budget details could be released to the commission.

In the letter addressed to the House speaker routed through the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Akpabio further stated, inter alia: It has always been known that the two chairmen of the committees on NDDC in both chambers yearly exhibit unusual influence to the exclusion of committee members and even the management of the NDDC in appropriating funds to details embellished in the budget after the passage of line items at the plenaries.

To show you some typical examples, herewith attached are documents showing nature of contracts amount of such contracts (in some cases), date of awards and beneficiaries. Some were awarded to the two chairmen of both committees in the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively, serving at the period of the awards (Annexure B, C and D). However, due to the 48 hours notice, the forensic auditors could not sift through the thousands of files in their possession to provide more.

He stated: The investigating Committee on NDDC refused and/or neglected to give me the opportunity to explain that reference to most NDDC contracts yearly being awarded since 2001 from the records allegedly to members of the National Assembly in both Chambers were done without the knowledge of the alleged beneficiaries.

However, the two Chairmen of the Committees in both Chambers had adequate knowledge;

I never referred to members of the 9th National Assembly as beneficiaries of NDDC contracts as NDDC is yet to fully implement any NDDC budget since the commencement of the 9th National Assembly. In fact, the 2019 budget passed in February and harmonised between the 4th and 5th of March 2020 was received by the commission in the middle of April 2020, when same was designated to expire on the 31st of May, 2020.

However, it is pertinent to point out that the Clerk of the National Assembly forwarded a letter Ref. NASS/CNA/115/VOL.38/1175, dated March 20, 2020, without attaching the budget details indicating that the 2020 budget of the NDDC passed into Law was being forwarded (copy of the letter is attached as Annexure A). This anomaly was brought to the attention of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee investigating a purported financial recklessness by the management of the commission in July 2020, though the first outcry was on allegation of missing N40bn which was totally untrue.

Rising in his won defence, Tunji-Ojo described the Akpabios allegation as spurious and diversionary.

In a telephone interview with THISDAY yesterday, he insisted that the allegation made by NDDC was a ploy to divert the attention of Nigerians from the real issue, which has to do with the mismanagement of NDDC resources by the Interim Management Committee (IMC) from January to date.

The committee chairman denied padding the budget and even challenged the IMC to provide evidence to back the claims.

He said: He didnt say I padded the budget; what he wrote in his letter that was read which I heard was that the Executive Director in charge of Projects told him that I said they should pay for 19 old contracts before we could pass their 2019 budget. That is what he said, not that I padded the budget, they are two different things.

I have never made such request and I have challenged them to bring evidence that I told them to do that. These are just spurious allegations as usual. And again, thankfully, he did not say the contracts are my contracts; he said 19 old contracts; that is, they are already existing contracts, not new contracts.

The lawmaker said even though there was nothing criminal in asking the NDDC to pay contractors being owed, he insisted that he did not make such a request.

Tunji-Ojo said: Even though there is nothing criminal to say go and pay your debtors. After all, Im not asking them to pay me. But I did not even say so and I have challenged them since last week Thursday publicly that they should go and bring evidence.

There is nothing like that; all these things is just to divert attention from key matter and of course, thats what they are trying to achieve. There is absolutely nothing like that. They started by saying I have 17 kilometres of road, later on, they came back and said it is six kilometers, later on, they came back and said that I told them to make payment. They have said too many things over too many times. Lies are variables, only the truth is constant.

They keep changing their stories just to get public sympathy to divert the attention of Nigerians away from the crux of the matter, which has to do with the activities of the IMC from January till date.

Meanwhile, the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has asked the House Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, to make public the list of federal lawmakers, who benefitted from the contracts awarded by the NDDC, as contained in a letter sent to him by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Akpabio, last week.

President of the group, Mr. Solomon Adodo, who made the call, while addressing the press declared: Mr. Speaker did not do us justice when he did not disclose to the National Assembly that the list of the beneficiaries he demanded had been disclosed and attached to the letter sent to him.

According to him, the speakers decision to cover up his colleagues is unfair to the fight against corruption, the quest for transparency, and to the commonwealth of the nation.

The group stated: We, therefore, urge Mr. Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, to rise up and expose the lawmakers, who were awarded contracts but failed to execute them.

All the National Assembly members who benefitted from the contracts without executing them should be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to those who may want to follow a similar path. It is a clear case of organised crime to have individuals who benefitted from illegality now rising to probe the fact that their illegality is being exposed.

We call on all the anti-graft agencies and security agencies to, in line with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari, immediately proceed and go ahead with their investigation of the matter.  Thisday.
Kolkata, July 27 : From Bongoan in North 24 Parganas district to Behala in Kolkata, incidents of inhumane conduct continued to surface in the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal at a time when the world is battling one of the deadliest pandemics of Covid-19.

Heart-wrenching stories of suspected Covid patients dying midway while being taken to the hospital with no one coming forward for help have raised the billion-dollar question: Are Bengalis losing out their sensitivity for which they have traditionally been known for? The indifferent attitude of the common people towards those suffering from Covid-19 has made politicians rethink on the issue.

"We appeal to the people to be a little more humane in this hour of crisis. Doctors, health workers and the police -- they are working day in and day out to facilitate Covid patients. They have risked their own lives. We appeal to all the people to come forward if they see anyone dealing with problems owing to Covid patients. At least this much they should do. Our Chief Minister has already made an appeal to everyone in this regard," said Indian Medical Association (IMA) President and Trinamool Congress' Rajya Sabha MP, Santanu Sen.

In a shocking incident, the body of a 55-year-old Covid victim was left for 18 hours at his home in Kolkata's Behala neighbourhood on Monday. The patient reportedly died of acute respiratory trouble at around 10.30 p.m. on Sunday. He had tested positive earlier in the day. His family members said that despite repeated appeals, no one came forward to help.

They also tried to contact the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials, the local councillor and the police for cremating the body as per government protocol, but didn't receive any response from them. Meanwhile, six family members of the victim have also tested positive for Covid-19.

In a separate incident, a 68-year-old suspected Covid-19 patient, Madhav Narayan Dutt, died while being taken to the Bongaon Sub-divisional hospital on Saturday. His wife had cried for help while trying to drag him to the ward. But no one came forward to help.

She had also pleaded for help from the bystanders but no one turned up to help her. Later, doctors declared the patient dead. The video of the deceased's wife helplessly trying to take her husband to the hospital ward went viral on social media.

Later, the hospital authority formed a three-member committee to look into the matter "The Behala incident took place at KMC ward no. 119 which falls under my Behala-West assembly constituency. When I came to know about it this morning, I personally took the initiative and contacted the KMC officials, the state health department and the police to clear the body immediately. I expect common people to come forward in such situations," said West Bengal Health Minister Partha Chatterjee.

"The state government has scared away the common people. How will they come forward to help in such situations? The state has no adequate infrastructure or well-planned out mechanism to fight the pandemic. Now they are pointing fingers at the commoners. They need to build a network at the block levels to deal with such cases. But there is no planning on the part of the state government. I request the CM to look into the matter," said senior Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sujan Chakraborty.

Chakraborty said that volunteers are ready, but they need to be backed by facilities before taking a plunge into such damage control modes. "It is a pathetic situation. No one knows what to do now. We cannot blame them for their inaction," he said.
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New COVID-19 cases have hitting record highs in more than a dozen states while Texas, Florida, Arizona and California show signs of a plateau - as Dr Deborah Birx urged regions with rising infections to close bars, cut back on indoor dining and to mandate face masks.

There has now been more than 4.2 million infections recorded across the United States and nearly 147,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.

The number of cases in the current hard hit states of Texas, California, Arizona and Florida are now showing signs of plateauing after a month of record surges, according to Dr Birx.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says the leveling off of cases in the hotspot states is because people are social distancing and wearing masks but warned the US wasn't 'out of the woods yet'.

As cases appear to plateau in those hard hit states, the number of infections are now spiking, based on a seven-day average, in more than a dozen states, including Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii and Wyoming.

Nevada, Texas and South Carolina have seen record highs in the number of deaths based on a seven-day average.

Dr Birx, who is the head of the White House COVID-19 taskforce, said the surge in cases that has plagued Sunbelt states since Memorial Day is now being seen elsewhere, which is a sign that the virus is now spreading North.

MISSOURI: There are currently 41,927 cases in Missouri and 1,197 deaths. Cases have been steadily increasing across the state since mid-June but deaths have not yet spiked

MISSISSIPPI: Cases have been rising steadily in Mississippi with the state now having 52,304 cases. There have been 1,495 deaths and the fatality rate is now showing signs of an uptick

OKLAHOMA: Oklahoma currently has 31,285 cases and 496 deaths. Both cases and deaths have been surging this month

The states with rising cases should be closing bars, cutting back on indoor restaurant capacity and limiting social gatherings to 10 people, Dr Birx warned.

She also said all Americans should be wearing masks when out in public or around other people.

'We can see what is happening in the South moving North,' Dr Birx said. 'We do believe there are states that do need to close their bars.'

Oklahoma hit a record for new cases five times throughout July, with 1,204 new infections on Sunday, bringing the state's total to 31,285, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.

In Missouri, infections surged to record daily highs on Saturday with 1,652 new cases. Infections across the state, which now has 41,927 cases, have been on an upward trajectory since late June.

Mississippi's cases have been spiking to near record highs in recent days with 1,610 infections reported on Friday, down from the record 1,904 on July 4. Infections have surged this month with the total now at 52,304.

Meanwhile, the number of new infections in Florida, Arizona and Texas now appear to be trending downwards for the first time since late May or early June.

Deaths, however, are still rising in both Florida and Texas. While deaths have seen single daily highs in Arizona in the past week, average fatalities appear to show a leveling out.

Despite the downward trajectory, Florida on Sunday became the second state after California to overtake New York, the original epicenter of the US outbreak.

WISCONSIN: Cases in Wisconsin surged to a single-day high of 1,161 on July 21. Cases across the state, which now total 52,680, have been trending upwards since mid-June. There has also been an uptick of deaths in the state with the death toll now at 899

NEW MEXICO: New Mexico had a record 335 cases on Friday with the state's total now at 18,788. Deaths are also on a slight upward trend with the death toll now at 607

LOUISIANA: New cases surge in the southern state to record high of 3,840 on Sunday, bringing the state's total to 107,574. Cases have been trending upwards since late June. Deaths started trending upwards last week after initially declining in May

Total COVID-19 cases in Florida rose by 9,300 to 423,855 on Sunday, just one place behind California, which now leads the country with 448,497 cases. New York is in third place with 415,827 cases.

After New York, Texas has the most total coronavirus cases at 391,000. Arizona has 162,014 coronavirus cases.

Dr Birx, who is the head of the White House COVID-19 taskforce, said the surge in cases that has plagued Sunbelt states since Memorial Day is now being seen elsewhere, which is a sign that the virus is now spreading North

Still, New York has recorded the most deaths of any US state at more than 32,000 with Florida in eighth place with nearly 6,000 deaths.

On average, Florida has added more than 10,000 cases a day in July while California has been adding 8,300 cases a day and New York has been adding 700 cases.

Dr Birx said last week that there were signs cases in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California were now plateauing.

'We're already starting to see some plateauing in these critically four states that have really suffered under the last four weeks,' Birx told NBC's Today.

'This first wave that we see now across Florida, Texas, California and Arizona began with under 30 years olds - many of those who were asymptomatic.

'It's very serious and it's very real.'

She also warned last week that 11 major cities needed to take 'aggressive' steps to mitigate COVID-19 outbreaks.

The 11 cities she mentioned include: Baltimore, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and St Louis.

'Until you can see that explosion, it's hard for people to understand how deeply you have to clamp down,' Dr Birx said.

'That's why we called out the next set of cities where we see early-warning signs, because if you make changes now, you won't become a Phoenix.'

The number of new infections in Florida, Arizona and Texas now appear to be trending downwards for the first time since late May or early June. Deaths, however, are still rising in both Florida and Texas. While deaths have seen single daily highs in Arizona in the past week, average fatalities appear to show a leveling out

California recorded a single daily high of 12,807 new cases on July 21. The state's total number of cases now tops 453,659 and is the highest toll in the United States

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said people 'stepping up to the plate' is the reason for some of the 'plateauing' in coronavirus cases being seen in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas.

In an interview Monday on Fox News' Fox and Friends, Azar said officials think 'it's due to the fact that people are actually wearing their masks.'

He said they're also social distancing and practicing good hygiene, and he complimented governors for closing bars, where it's difficult to be socially distant and wear a mask.

'So people are stepping up to the plate and doing what we're asking and what the governors are asking and we see it has an impact,' Azar said.

'While Dr Birx says we're seeing signs of plateauing, we're not out of the woods yet,' he said, adding that next few months would be crucial.

As the pandemic has spread from the early epicenter of New York to the South and West, federal, state and local officials have clashed over how to ease lockdowns imposed to curb the infection rate, including in some states whether to rollback reopenings.

The ordering of face coverings, a common practice around the world and recommended by the federal government's own health experts, has also become highly politicized, with some Republican governors particularly resistant.

Hostility to the idea now appears to be dwindling, including from the Republican administration of President Donald Trump, who once dismissed mask-wearing as an effort to be politically correct.

Trump, who faces falling poll numbers over his handling of the health crisis ahead of the November election, has long refused to wear a mask in public but last week encouraged Americans to do so.
In the first days of the outbreak, WHO prefered to communicate over Twitter, which goes against the agreed communication plan in the 2005 IHR.

The World Health Organizations (WHO) handling of communication around COVID-19 has shown how communicating risk can become risky communication. This is one of the key findings we identified in a recent analysis of the communication and information shared by the WHO within the first month after declaring COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

The WHO has recently faced backlash and increasing criticism of what is perceived as a slow response to the pandemic. The WHOs China-centred approach is at the heart of the argument against the international organization; on April 14, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw its funding from the organization. And on May 29, Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw its participation completely.

Early communications

It is not just what the WHO was saying in the first weeks of the pandemic that got the organization in the hot seat, but also how. Our review of the WHOs communication in the first weeks of the outbreak from Dec. 31, 2019 to Jan. 31, 2020, points to an ambiguous communication strategy that sowed a great deal of confusion.

The WHO has several communication platforms based on the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR): Disease Outbreak News, situation reports, EPI-WIN (an information network for epidemics), public statements, press briefings and guidelines. There are also unconventional and informal communication channels, including profiles on social media networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

In the first days of the outbreak, the WHO showed a strong preference for communicating over Twitter, which goes against the agreed communication plan in the 2005 IHR.

Delayed outreach

The first cases were reported to the WHO on Dec. 31, 2019, and publicly disclosed on Jan. 4, 2020, over Twitter. A formal report followed the day after, using the first Disease Outbreak News platform.

When the first case outside China was reported, the WHO issued a statement on its website on 13 January, followed by a Twitter post the next day.

But the WHOs social media use was scattered: 143 Twitter posts, 21 Facebook posts, and 10 Instagram posts. There was no clear or consistent pattern or approach. The WHO privileged Twitter to communicate with the wider public, resulting in potentially unequal access to information based on the population, health professionals and national authorities.

Such use of social media appears indiscriminate and stands in contrast to the established official methods of communication listed above. The WHO also began deploying the EPI-WIN platform days before issuing a formal announcement: EPI-WIN was launched on 24 January and announced on 30 January.

As the outbreak spread from China, Thailand, Japan and Korea to 19 other countries between Jan. 20 and 31, the WHOs communication strategy continued to float in many different directions through multiple channels and produced muddled definitions of key terms.

Terms like entry/exit screening, risk assessment, travel recommendations, regional and global were widely circulated by the WHO but were never clearly defined, raising important questions around what exactly was being recommended and where.

Mixed messages

Compounding the ambiguous communication strategy, the WHOs situation reports wrongly identified the global risk assessment for three days in a row. In situation reports No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5, the global risk was originally published as moderate, and then corrected in situation report No. 6 stating this was an error and the risk is high. This error created confusion over the WHO risk assessment at a critical point in time. Based on the information currently available, it is not clear if this was an error of communication or risk assessment.

Mixed messages were also issued regarding travel advice. Situation report No. 9 stated that there were no specific recommendations for travel, yet included a separate section on travelling and traffic advice. In a more glaring example, no travel restrictions were included the day the WHO declared the PHEIC, a decision that created uncertainty.

As many countries continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to reflect on the ways important information is communicated globally. Communicating risk is a challenge. It is also a risky business. But even with all the communication shortcomings, we need the WHO to improve its communication strategies so it can carry out its mandate effectively. COVID-19 is a global challenge. Making international institutions like the WHO more effective is crucial to finding a global solution.

Gabriel Blouin-Genest, Assistant Professor, School of Applied Politics, Universite de Sherbrooke ; Anna Bogic, Research Centre Coordinator, Centre on Governance, LUniversite dOttawa/University of Ottawa; Eric Champagne, Associate professor, Public Administration at the School of Political Studies, LUniversite dOttawa/University of Ottawa; Natalia Torres Orozco, Candidate for the Master's degree in Applied International Law and Politics, Universite de Sherbrooke , and Nathalie Burlone, Associate professor, Political Studies, LUniversite dOttawa/University of Ottawa

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A Phase 3 clinical trial designed to evaluate if an investigational vaccine can prevent symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults has begun. The vaccine, known as mRNA-1273, was co-developed by the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company Moderna, Inc., and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The trial, which will be conducted at U.S. clinical research sites, is expected to enroll approximately 30,000 adult volunteers who do not have COVID-19.

"Although face coverings, physical distancing and proper isolation and quarantine of infected individuals and contacts can help us mitigate SARS-CoV-2 spread, we urgently need a safe and effective preventive vaccine to ultimately control this pandemic," said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "Results from early-stage clinical testing indicate the investigational mRNA-1273 vaccine is safe and immunogenic, supporting the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial. This scientifically rigorous, randomized, placebo-controlled trial is designed to determine if the vaccine can prevent COVID-19 and for how long such protection may last."

Moderna is leading the trial as the regulatory sponsor and is providing the investigational vaccine for the trial. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and NIAID are providing funding support for the trial. The vaccine efficacy trial is the first to be implemented under Operation Warp Speed, a multi-agency collaboration led by HHS that aims to accelerate the development, manufacturing and distribution of medical countermeasures for COVID-19.

"Having a safe and effective vaccine distributed by the end of 2020 is a stretch goal, but it's the right goal for the American people," said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. "The launch of this Phase 3 trial in record time while maintaining the most stringent safety measures demonstrates American ingenuity at its best and what can be done when stakeholders come together with unassailable objectivity toward a common goal."

The NIH Coronavirus Prevention Network (CoVPN) will participate in conducting the trial. The network brings together expertise from existing NIAID-supported clinical research networks. The mRNA-1273 vaccine candidate will be tested at approximately 89 clinical research sites in the United States, 24 of which are part of the CoVPN. Investigators will use public health data and incidence trajectory modeling to identify sustained high-incidence areas and emerging hot zones, so sites near these locations can be prioritized for enrollment.

"Thanks to President Trump's leadership and the hard work of American scientists, the investigational vaccine developed by NIH and Moderna has reached this Phase 3 trial at record pace," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. "Operation Warp Speed is supporting a portfolio of vaccines like the NIH/Moderna candidate so that, if the results of clinical trials meet FDA's gold standard, these products can reach Americans without a day's delay."

NIAID scientists developed the stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike immunogen (S-2P). SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19; the spike protein on its surface facilitates entry into a cell. Moderna's mRNA-1273 uses the mRNA (messenger RNA) delivery platform to encode for an S-2P immunogen. The investigational vaccine directs the body's cells to express the spike protein to elicit a broad immune response. A Phase 1 clinical trial found the candidate vaccine to be safe, generally well-tolerated and able to induce antibodies with high levels of virus-neutralizing activity. Moderna initiated Phase 2 testing of the vaccine in May 2020.

Hana M. El Sahly, M.D., principal investigator of the NIAID-funded Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium site at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston; Lindsey R. Baden, M.D., principal investigator of the NIAID-funded Harvard HIV Vaccine Clinical Trials Unit at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston; and Brandon Essink, M.D., principal investigator and medical director of Meridian Clinical Research, will serve as co-principal investigators for the Phase 3 trial of mRNA-1273.

As part of the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) public-private partnership, NIH and other HHS agencies and government partners, in collaboration with representatives from academia, philanthropic organizations, and numerous biopharmaceutical companies, advised on the trial protocol design and endpoints to ensure a harmonized approach across multiple vaccine efficacy trials.

The trial is designed to evaluate the safety of mRNA-1273 and to determine if the vaccine can prevent symptomatic COVID-19 after two doses. As secondary goals, the trial also aims to study whether the vaccine can prevent severe COVID-19 or laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection with or without disease symptoms. The trial also seeks to answer if the vaccine can prevent death caused by COVID-19 and whether just one dose can prevent symptomatic COVID-19, among other objectives.

Trial volunteers will receive two intramuscular injections approximately 28 days apart. Participants will be randomly assigned 1:1 to receive either two 100 microgram (mcg) injections of mRNA-1273 or two shots of a saline placebo. The trial is blinded, so the investigators and the participants will not know who is assigned to which group.

Volunteers must provide informed consent to participate in the trial. They will be asked to provide a nasopharyngeal swab and a blood sample at an initial screening visit and additional blood samples at specified time points after each vaccination and over the two years following the second vaccination. Scientists will examine blood samples in the laboratory to detect and quantify immune responses to SARS-CoV-2.

Investigators will closely monitor participant safety. They will call participants after each vaccination to discuss any symptoms and will provide participants with a diary to record symptoms and a thermometer for temperature readings.

If a participant is suspected to have COVID-19, the participant will be asked to provide a nasal swab for testing within 72 hours. If the test is positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, the participant will be followed closely and referred for medical care if symptoms worsen. Participants will be asked to provide a daily assessment of symptoms through resolution and have saliva sampled periodically, so investigators can test for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Study investigators will regularly review trial safety data. An independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) will review blinded and unblinded data--including safety data and cases of COVID-19 in both groups--at scheduled data review meetings.

###

People 18 years of age and older who are interested in participating in this trial can visit https://www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org/ or ClinicalTrials.gov and search identifier NCT04470427 for details. Please do not contact the NIAID media phone number or email to enroll in this trial.

Adults who are interested in joining this study can visit coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org or visit ClinicalTrials.gov and search identifier NCT04470427 to find a study center to volunteer. ClinicalTrials.gov includes a complete listing of study locations.

NIAID conducts and supports research--at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide--to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health
Many years ago I was not hired for jobs I had applied for. One time, I was not hired in favor of a Black male, another time I was unsuccessful in favor of a Black female. Then, later after I had a job (24 years employed at the same place), I was passed over on three different occasions for promotions. Once in favor of a Black male, once in favor of a Latin male, and the third time in favor of a white female. Each example in spite of my having more experience, a better education and being a veteran. Thank you white privilege.
If you believed that the markets have seen a secular bull run over the past few years, think again. Despite the highs and lows that the indices have made over the past few years, Nifty 50  the benchmark index on the National Stock Exchange (NSE)  has somehow managed to hover around the 11,200 mark in July.

You may call it coincidence, but exactly two years ago on July 27, 2018, the Nifty recorded a closing high of 11,278 levels before scaling up and then losing steam over the next few months. Calendar year 2019 (CY19) saw a similar story play out with the Nifty 50 index ...
- Papa was heard saying people needed to stop infusing fear in his family's heart with false death allegations

- According to the actor, his demise had been falsely reported on social media seven times and that was wrong

- He advised netizens to use social media positively and avoid the habit of attacking one another

Beloved actor Charles Bukeko famously known as Papa Shirandula will forever be missed following his sudden demise.

An emotional video of the thespian discussing the number of times online trolls had falsely announced his death has emerged.

READ ALSO: Akothee lashes out at trolls who went after her daughter Rue Baby

Papa Shirandula asked actors to be hardworking and stop asking for handouts. Photo: Papa Shirandula

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Premier League: Chelsea, Man United secure top four finish as Spurs, Leicester settle for Europa League

Papa who was known for his calm demeanour was heard telling Radio Jambo he felt cheated and betrayed whenever he saw people claiming he had passed on.

The deceased actor and entertainer termed the behaviour as mischievous and uncouth as he disclosed his death had been announced seven times.

He added it never bothered him whenever such news broke, but he was always worried about his parents, children and wife.

READ ALSO: Magazeti ya Jumatatu,Julai 27: Raila akatiza likizo yake Watamu kutatua mvutano Seneti

READ ALSO: Lilian Muli, baby daddy reunite to celebrate son's second birthday

According to Papa, people needed to stop destroying lives by spreading false reports on the social media pages.

The star added the false reports were unfair to celebrities and made their loved ones to have sleepless nights.

He wondered whether the trolls were trying to destroy people's jobs by killing them before their time had come.

READ ALSO: Jamdown presenter Miss Katiwa tests positive for COVID-19

"I have been killed by social media users seven times and honestly I never get angry. However, I always worry about my family whenever such news breaks. I do not know why people do such evil things," he said.

The actor said social media needed to be used a positive tool and not as a means to attack and tarnish people's characters.

Papa died on July 18, 2020, a week after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

The thespian had travelled back to Nairobi from Kakamega and started feeling unwell prompting him to go to hospital.

The Citizen TV actor was advised to isolate from home but things took a turn for the worst a week later.

He developed breathing complications and had to be rushed to hospital by his wife.

"I called my brother to come help me carry him to the car because he complained that he was feeling cold. When we were still at the parking lot, he died," the late actor's wife said during his burial in Busia.

Papa perished at the parking lot of The Karen Hospital.

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I should be given a medal for finding Chris Msando's car - Moses Kuria: Part two | Tuko TV

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Protesters from the Wall of Moms group and Dont Shoot Portland on Monday filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, arguing federal officers are violating their free speech, using excessive force, overstepping their authority and acting under the command of someone who hasnt been formally confirmed in his role.

The suit targets Operation Diligent Valor,' which brought at least 114 federal officers to Portland in early July, alleging that the officers have made unlawful arrests without probable cause and used violence to stamp out peaceful and constitutionally protected protests.

Rather than protect and defend Plaintiffs constitutional rights, as they are bound to do by law and their Oaths of Office, Defendants have implemented an unlawful policy to quash Plaintiffs speech and end their protests,' the suit says.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by the Protect Democracy Project Inc., a group founded in early 2017 by former high-level executive branch officials who served in the White House Counsels Office and upper echelons of the Department of Justice. They have unique knowledge of the norms that have constrained presidential power for decades and when those in power may be tempted to violate them, according to its website.

Monday marks the 61st consecutive day of demonstrations in Portland. The Wall of Moms, formed this summer to stand in solidarity with protests against police brutality and historic racism in the wake of the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, sprang to life partly to protect others from being injured by federal law enforcement, the suit says.

Bev Barnum, the organizer of Wall of Moms, along with Sabrina Cerquera, Demetria Hester, Danialle James and Lisa Kipersztok are named as plaintiffs and have all participated in the protests.

Wall of Moms is non-violent, Barnum wrote on Facebook. Portland is done being shot with rubber bullets, tear gas, bean bag rounds and beaten by federal officers and local law enforcement. Once you experience Trumps tyranny for yourself, you will understand why were protecting the protestors. They have a right to demand necessary changes.

The suit alleges that federal officers have overstepped their legal authority by co-opting the general police power'' reserved for states and have violated demonstrators rights to freedom of speech and assembly, due process and to be free from unreasonable seizures.

Members of the Wall of Moms have been repeatedly injured by federal agents, the suit says.

They have been tear-gassed night after night, left vomiting and unable to eat or sleep because of the toxic poison blasted at them, attorney David A. ONeil wrote in the suit. They have been shot at over and overwith rubber bullets, bean bags, pepper spray, and a range of other projectiles fired at close range and with brutal effect. They have had flash-bang explosive devices detonated right in front of them. They have been forced to speak and assemble in fear of not just bodily harm, but the possibility of sudden arrest without probable cause.

It also asserts that Homeland Securitys Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf lacks authority in his interim role. Other defendants named are Attorney General William Barr and the U.S. Department of Justice.

The suit points out that Wolf hasnt received Senate confirmation, and, indeed, President Trump has not even nominated him  reflecting his preference for acting officials and avoiding the oversight and accountability that the confirmation process ensures.

Wolf, speaking during a news conference last week, doubled down on the need for federal officers in Portland, forcefully rebuking local leaders for failing to curb the nightly lawlessness'' in and around the downtown federal courthouse. U.S. marshals and other federal officers said they have been pelted later in the evenings with bottles, commercial fireworks, rocks, ball bearings and canned soup and faced blinding high-powered green lasers while working to protect the downtown Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse from damage and officers from assault.

If you did your job from a local perspective, we wouldnt be there, Wolf said then.

On Saturday, Oregons U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams called it nonsensical, political theater for Portland city officials to bar local police from collaborating with federal officers and urged local citizens to demand the violent extremists who try to breach the fence outside the federal courthouse to leave.

Were going to do what we need to do to protect federal property,' Williams said. When the violence ends, then there wont be a need for the presence of nightly federal officers. ... It seems quite simple.

Andrew Crespo, a criminal law professor at Harvard Law School who has brought other litigation as a co-counsel with the Protect Democracy Project, said the suit is similar to a case that Denver won blocking the use of tear gas as excessive force.

The Wall of Moms and Dont Shoot Portland suit seeks a temporary restraining order by the court that would restrict federal officers actions to protecting federal property. It would bar federal officers sent to Portland under the authority of the Federal Protective Service from acts that would " intimidate and deter protesters'' because of their views and beliefs. That includes surveillance, the use of militarized and unmarked force, the excessive deployment of crowd-control measures such as tear gas, pepper-spray balls and less-lethal munitions. It also seeks to prevent warrantless arrests or custodial detentions without probable cause.

The suit is the latest legal action taken against the Homeland Security Department and aggressive use of force by federal officers in the downtown demonstrations.

On Friday, Oregons U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman denied a temporary restraining order sought by the states attorney general who wanted to stop federal officers from picking people off the street and placing them in unmarked vans without probable cause. The judge found the attorney general offered scant evidence, only one mans signed account and a video of another unidentified man with no specific information.

Also last week, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon in Portland granted a temporary restraining order, excluding journalists and legal observers from federal officers orders to disperse and directing federal officers not to threat to arrest or assault journalists or legal observers. Other suits, from medics and other demonstrators who have been injured at protests, are pending.

 Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

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BRUSSELS - Belgiums prime minister put the brakes on the countrys coronavirus exit plan Monday with a set of drastic social distancing measures aimed at avoiding a new general lockdown as local authorities in the province of Antwerp imposed a curfew amid a surge of COVID-19 infections.

Speaking after an urgent meeting of the national security council, Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes said that from next Wednesday contacts outside every household will be limited to the same five people over the next four weeks, as the so-called social bubble now applies to a house and its occupants and not to individuals. Belgian residents are currently allowed to meet with 15 different people per week.

Our aim is clear  avoid another full lockdown, Wilmes said.

After a sharp decline of infections, Belgium has witnessed a surge in confirmed cases over the past three weeks. According to figures released Monday, the number rose 71% from July 17-23 compared to the previous 7 days, with 47% of the cases detected in Antwerp province.

Authorities in the northern region announced extra restrictions including a curfew from 11.30 p.m. to 6 a.m and the mandatory wear of face masks in public space when a distance of 1.5 metre between individuals cant be observed. Cafes and restaurants will also have to close at 11 p.m while remote working is required.

The number of cases also increased greatly in the rest of the country, with an average of 279 new daily cases and a 30% rise in the number of people admitted to hospital.

I fully realize that everyone has already made heavy sacrifices in recent months. That is why it is also a great pity that we, our strong region, are now facing a very strong increase in the number of infections, Antwerp provincial governor Cathy Berx was quoted as saying by local newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen. Which may also lead to an increase in hospital admissions and unfortunately possibly also in the number of deaths.

The curfew should enter into force once the decision is signed by Berx.

Wilmes said that the restrictions at federal level  which also include lowering crowd limits at public events to 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors  could be sufficient to avoid further restrictions and to ensure children can return to school en masse in September, after the summer break.

Wilmes exhorted people to get back to working remotely when possible, one of the keys for a successful deconfinement. She added that shoppers should run errands alone from now on and limit the time they spend in stores to 30 minutes. In addition, family or friends gatherings including wedding receptions  will be limited to a maximum of 10 people.

However, the most important approach is the individual one, Wilmes said. If we cannot contain the coronavirus, it will be a collective failure.

Meanwhile, Brussels mayor Philippe Close announced the cancellation of the 140th edition of the citys annual summer funfair, saying it was impossible for the popular event to take place on account of the latest health guidelines.

Belgium, a country with 11.5 million inhabitants, has been particularly hard hit by the virus, with more than 66,000 cases and 9,821 deaths. The government had already tightened restrictions last week, making the use of face masks mandatory in crowded outdoor spaces while requiring bar and restaurant owners to register contact details of customers.

___

Read all the AP stories about the coronavirus outbreak that emerged from China at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak
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Linkedin Victor Mambor (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura  Mon, July 27, 2020 12:30 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406698c8ab 1 National boven-digoel,Papua,TNI,Indonesian-Military,brutality,violence,tortures Free

An 18-year-old resident of Asiki district in Bovel Digoel regency, Papua, reportedly died after being tortured by Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel stationed in the region.

Identified as Oktovianus Warip Betere, the young man was accused of stealing from a kiosk at a local market on Friday and subsequently taken into custody by TNI personnel based on a report from a supposed witness, according to Merauke Archdiocese director Anselmus Amo.

Upon capture, [Oktavianus] was assaulted and then brought to a military post, Anselmus said.

He claimed that Oktavianius was tortured and eventually killed while in custody. A post-mortem examination performed at a local clinic found a number of bruises and wounds on Oktavianus body, he said.

Oktavianus was promptly laid to rest with a private funeral that was limited to several family members.

Read also: Security forces allegedly shoot dead two Papuans at river near Freeport complex Victor Mambor and Nina A. Loasana

Boven Digoel Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Syamsurijal confirmed Oktavianus death but questioned the rumors circulating among locals regarding the events that led to his passing.

Its true that someone has died, that the perpetrator is a TNI soldier. But not everything thats been said is true, Syamsurijal told The Jakarta Post, denying rumors that Oktavianus death was subject to a military cover-up.

He went on to say that he had visited Asiki district alongside local military officials to investigate the incident on Saturday.

Maj. Suko Raharjo, a spokesperson for military command post (Korem) 174 in Merauke regency, denied that Oktavianus was tortured to death at a military post in Asiki.

Its false. The victim died at a Puskesmas [community health center] in Asiki, he said, adding that the TNI was still conducting a thorough investigation into the incident. (rfa)
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It is time for a rewind to the beginning of this year when I was scrolling through the daily media updates and saw a blurb from a global publication informing readers that Da Nang, Vietnam was perched atop the list of world destinations most queried on Google for travel in 2020.

Not Paris, New York, Tokyo, not Rome nor Rio de Janeiro, rather our beloved Da Nang. We have all known about Vietnams emergence on the international travel stage over the last few years, but to see that group of all-stars upstaged gave me quite a jolt.

Then the dreaded virus hit, and the note I made got lost in the shuffle only to recently resurface in my pile of random tasks and forgotten things that I diligently track so they will not go astray, but they usually do.

It should not have been a surprise  I vividly recall my first glimpse of breathtaking My Khe Beach, then the Han River in the evening, flanked by beautifully-lit bridges, fine dining cruise boats plying the river, local people watching over an ice-cream at sidewalk cafes, and the Bach Dang promenade full of couples strolling and enjoying.

That Google rating prompted that daydream about Da Nang, but there are dozens of picturesque destinations to visit all around the country, with many more in development.

The capital Hanoi and former imperial capital Hue, Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Island, the Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc, Hoi An, and a host of other sites in Vietnam all have a place on any global tourism map.

On top of that impressive list, the timing is just right as Vietnam sits squarely in the proverbial tourism 'sweet spot,' meaning there are plenty of reasonably priced accommodation, welcoming locals, great sights and activities, and foods to die for, while costs are still reasonable.

Infrastructure is limited in some areas because the country is still developing, but it is stable overall and constantly improving.

Electricity and water supplies are abundant, the Internet is average or better, except when those darned sharks eat the undersea cable, and major areas are connected by decent roads and highways.

The two largest airports in Vietnam, Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City and Noi Bai in Hanoi, have been running over capacity for years with no remedy on the immediate horizon.

With several airlines from which to choose, prices are reasonable and many domestic and international routes have been added between other cities in Vietnam and abroad, thus taking some of the pressure off those two largest airports.

We all know that the budget carriers often run late due to the congestion, but there is no quick fix in sight, and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines usually gets priority. So we place our bets and hope for the best, or bite the bullet and pay the higher fares.

So, how was tourism trending here in Vietnam when we were so suddenly interrupted by COVID-19?

In 2019, international arrivals rose by 16 percent year-on-year to tally 18 million, continuing the dramatic upward trend in recent years.

Of those 18 million visitors to Vietnam last year, 5.8 million came from the Peoples Republic of China, 4.3 million from South Korea, and just short of a million each from Japan and Taiwan.

Therefore, those four destinations were the source of roughly two-thirds of all overseas visitors, prompting me to refer to them as the 'Big Four,' thus belonging in the forefront of any discussion about reviving international tourism to Vietnam provided they have control over the pandemic.

Old risks fade away and new perils appear as cases and hotspots pop up in the Big Four without warning. A cluster of infections appeared last month in Chinas capital Beijing and another recently surfaced in a remote northwestern region.

Japan is also suffering from a surge of new cases, while Taiwan and South Korea have a firm grip on the virus at this point.

Vietnam had been without locally transmitted infections for over three months, so even with recent new infections the government is in a strong negotiating position with other countries about who will be allowed to enter.

Discussion about when regular tourist traffic can resume is ongoing, but it is possible that airplanes will fly between some or all of those countries and Vietnam as early as next month.

The other hot issue is mandatory quarantine, which works for returning residents and those wishing to stay a while, but is impractical for tourists.

Who wants to go on a three- or four-week vacation and spend the first two holed up in a facility even if they can manage to stay at a swanky resort on the beach?

If approval for some or all of those countries is granted, flights to Vietnam will slowly ramp up, and hopefully at some point rapid COVID-19 tests prior to departure and upon arrival coupled with regular tests during visitors stays will replace quarantine.

Should virus cases start to spike the authorities will no doubt take the necessary measures to contain any spread, and they will do it quickly.

We have seen how the government has made shrewd decisions throughout the battle against the virus, and it has paid off handsomely.

Even if visitors from those selected countries were to return during the latter part of 2020 at the same rate they visited last year, the financial reward would not be worth the risk taken in hurriedly opening the borders.

We all want the borders to reopen as soon as possible so visitors stranded here and Vietnamese stuck overseas can get back home and businesses can operate normally as before.

That said, throwing away many months of effort from virtually everyone in the country for the sake of short-term gain is not worth the risk, and the number of virus hotspots that have popped up around the globe in places where reopening was hurried backs up that thinking.

The worst of all scenarios is to give the 'all clear' only to later learn it was too early, and must be undone, which is what is happening in a number of countries around the world.

International tourism contributes over six percent annually to Vietnams GDP with hundreds of thousands of livelihoods dependent on inbound tourists.

To put that in perspective, Portugals tourism industry contributes nearly 20 percent to its GDP, with Spain close behind, so despite the risks, they were both practically forced to reopen for the summer tourist boom without quarantine.

Closer to home, tourism in Thailand also accounts for nearly 20 percent of GDP, but its government is very cautiously working on plans to reopen the borders to tourists in stages.

Sadly, it is unlikely Vietnam will be welcoming many tourists from Europe, the Americas and Australia this year, if any at all.

Countries in those regions accounted for 15 percent of all arrivals in 2019, less than one-quarter of the 12 million visitors from the Big Four Asian neighbors, so we all must accept that priority goes to the lowest risk visitors who contribute the most to the economy.

Whats the longer-term outlook?

When the dust finally settles on the pandemic, and it may take a long time given the resurgence of cases that is happening in so many countries, then things look rosy going forward.

Not only can Vietnam pick up where it left off as a tourist destination that has emerged on the global map, the LowCo (low number of COVID-19 cases) status will become a highly-valued attribute as time goes on.

That top ranking on Google for Da Nang as a tourist destination was no fluke, and tourism will be back even stronger than before given Vietnams LowCo status, but it is going to require more time and patience from us all.
LIONS BAY, B.C.Cayla Troyer looks out her living room window at the quiet beach below. These days, its unusual not to see some young people lying and swimming there but, like many places, Lions Bay has become quieter since COVID-19 descended.

Unlike many spots in British Columbia, which clamoured to reopen as the province emerged from its pandemic lockdown, Troyer is among many in her community happier with their solitude.

I dont quite understand it, because if I want to go somewhere, Ill choose a provincial park; I dont choose someones home, Troyer said. And yet it seems to me that other people decide to come to our home  which is not an established resort.

A self-declared bedroom community with only one general store and fewer than 1,500 residents living in multimillion-dollar homes, Lions Bay doesnt draw visitors for the commercial opportunities.

But nestled between Vancouver and Squamish on the Sea-to-Sky highway, it presents an attractive base to access hiking trails, towering cliffs and beaches on public land.

On a recent day, though, boulders line a waterfront street to prevent parking, and few people dotted the beach.

Residents say that for a decade, their concerns about the increasing levels of visitors to their community have gone unheeded. That changed when COVID-19 arrived.

At the height of the COVID-19 restrictions in March, the municipality was quick to shut its doors  installing signs at entrances to the village declaring parking lots and amenities were closed to everyone except residents. In a May special meeting, council passed new rules to triple the parking fines for those without a resident or guest permit. All public lots were closed.

Now, even though the province is well into Stage 3 of its pandemic recovery, and public places are opening for public use, a reticence has surfaced among some in Lions Bay.

Troyer reminisces about the days 20 years ago when the only casual visitors to this idyllic spot were the mild-mannered nudists who would say hello to her and her neighbours by name before heading to the locally famed au naturel section of waterfront.

And Troyer believes the influx of visitors to her community in Lions Bay, B.C., had become nothing short of a home invasion  with young people driving in from the city and parking wherever they can find space in the two-square-kilometre municipality.

At the end of June, in a video update to residents, Mayor Ron McLaughlin addressed the tension.

Parking was not in this councils agenda when we took office; COVID-19 changed that, Mayor Ron McLaughlin said in a video update to residents at the end of June. What we did before was ineffective. Casual visitors did what they wanted to, parked where they wanted to, and scoffed at our low parking fines.

What we wont do is put casual visitors desires ahead of those of our own residents, or our residents safety.

Following feedback from some residents, the five-person council agreed to open some parking lots closest to hiking trails. But despite recommendations from staff to provide more opportunities for visitors to enjoy the waterfront, council was unanimous in wanting to keep the parking opportunities there closed until they consulted locals further.

On a rainy Friday, the large rocky beach behind Troyers property lay practically empty, save the lawn chairs and kayaks left out by the homeowners with waterfront.

The big fear for the residents is that, due to its beauty and closeness to Vancouver, Lions Bay could lose the small community feel that drove many to move there in the first place  like the community of Deep Cove at the eastern extremity of Vancouvers North Shore, which sees hundreds of visitors every weekend but 20 years ago was a quiet local haven.

It has become invasive since the 2010 Olympics, Troyer said. Its not me being exclusive and elitist because I understand that people want to feed their soul. They want to be in nature and I get that.

But its just to think twice about coming to somewhere thats someones house, someones neighbourhood, that doesnt have the infrastructure to support it, she said.

A desire to limit visitors is not universal in the area but it is the dominant perspective  one neighbour who said he thinks more people should be able to come and access the beach refused to give his name for fear of making enemies of his neighbours.

We are quite privileged to live in a beautiful spot with numerous outdoor recreation opportunities at our doorsteps, said Jon Wescott, another local resident who played a part in encouraging the council to open the village up to hikers. These opportunities are not limited to only residents, they are open to all.

Wescott said he thinks the closure of nearby provincial parks  including the massive Garibaldi Provincial Park near Whistler  is diverting more and more people to places such as Lions Bay, and residents rightly worry how the small community could keep up with the demand without losing its character.

Theres little tourism business here, just the marina and general store. The village is run primarily from property taxes, Wescott said. Therefore, it feels a bit like were subsidizing recreation for others.

When Troyer thinks about the visitors, she worries about what would happen to her community if the traffic gets so bad that the neighbours dont want to stop and talk, sometimes for hours at a time, on evening walks.

Its like me coming to your house and deciding that Im going to do my thing in your backyard and invade you, she said. People dont think about it that way. Yes, we live in a beautiful area, but theres lots of provincial parks that provide that beautiful thing, too, that have access.

Read more about:
Shantanu David By

Express News Service

There are the Monday blues, but then there are the Chennai cheers of chocolate, courtesy Kocoatrait, available all over India through their website. The Made in India brand is the countrys first vegan eco-friendly range of chocolate. This is the story of Nitin L Chordia, and how he and his wife created it. Speaking about the local scene, Our Gurgaon orders have a very high average order value (Rs 1,500-2,000 per order). Out of which Noida is the least number of orders and least average order values. Innovative flavours are most ordered from Gurgaon. Strangely for us, orders from NCR are for self consumption (ie. Billing & Shipping address is the same). This is not the same in other metros.

How it started



Me and my wife are certified chocolate tasters and we run an institute called Cocoashaala here in Chennai; one of the first institutes in the world that offers end to end/bean to bar chocolate making courses. Weve been doing this for four years now. The idea came about in February 2018 when we attended an exhibition in Amsterdam that we have been attending for five years to take up stalls for our Institute and advertise our course. Over there, a lot of people asked us whether anyone in India was doing sustainable, cruelty-free, organic or eco-friendly chocolate. Initially, we didnt find it relatable as we hadnt heard too much about it.

The sustainability



When we returned and did some research about it we found India was far behind in producing eco-friendly chocolate. Evident from the fact that organic chocolates are just entering the market. We saw this as an opportunity and on speaking to consumers found a market open up if things were done with the right intentions (many fair trade chocolate makers simply buy cocoa beans via fair trade, however the rest of the chocolate-making process is as exploitative as regular chocolate).

The packaging



We thought of using handmade paper wrapping, however these are manufactured on a small scale by cottage industries. After 4-5 months of in-house research over 4-5 months, we now manufacture our own using reclaimed cotton from garment factories and the cocoa husk. These two combined can make paper without adding wood pulp, 20-40 per cent of which is present even in handmade paper to increase shelf life and act as a binding agent.

The social dynamic



We get our printing done at an NGO that employs differently abled citizens (autism, physically and mentally impaired individuals that cant get mainstream jobs). It takes time, but allows us to build upon our cause. The trading happened over 2-3 months and initially required immense patience. However, this allowed them to improve their skills to almost a machine-like level. We also realised our method of printing and screen printing brought individuals in contact with plastic ink that is carcinogenic. Therefore, we switched to water-based ink that is eco-friendly.

We heard about circular economy where you should use all the resources of the earth to conduct your business but aim for two things: an extended shelf life of the resource after it has met its initial requirement and when it goes back into the soil it should be good for the planet. This gave us the idea of printing various consumer engagement ideas on the inside of the wrapper so for example, monthly health tracker, bookmarks, greeting cards, mandala arts. Consumers can cut out the wrapper after eating the chocolate and retain it for further use. Though this increases cost it provides an element of surprise for the consumer and allows us to achieve circularity.
Calcutta University admissions 2020 | Students who wish to apply need to clear the Class 12 exams conducted by WBCHSE or an equivalent examination from any recognised board.

Calcutta University admissions 2020 | The University of Calcutta has released a notification inviting students to enroll for various undergraduate courses including BA, BSc, BCom, BMus and BBA. Those interested in joining can apply at the official website caluniv.ac.in from 10 August.

According to the official notification the admission process will strictly be in the online mode and in accordance with rules issued by the Department of Higher Education, Government of West Bengal.

As per a report in The Indian Express, the admission process will begin from 1 September and will be based on marks obtained in Class 12. The merit list will be released on 28 August, while the last date to complete the admission process is 25 September.

Students who wish to apply need to clear the Class 12 exams conducted by WBCHSE or an equivalent examination from any recognised board. Eligible candidates will not be called for any counselling or verification of documents. Instead, they will be directly informed by the college concerned through email or telecommunication, after which they can pay their fees via online banking.

Candidates need to submit all testimonials at time of application.

There are 147 colleges in the state affiliated to the Calcutta University and more than 1.3 lakh students seek admission in the undergraduate level to CU every year.

As per a report in Millenium Post, the admission window which will open on 10 August will be for Honours as well as general students in BSC, BA and BCom.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-28 04:04:33|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces detained 61 migrant smugglers in operations carried out across the country, local media reported Monday.

Police launched operations in 12 provinces, including Turkey's biggest city Istanbul, to capture the suspects who were believed to be members of an organized crime group, state-run Anadolu agency reported.

The Hurriyet daily noted that the suspects were helping migrants sneak into European countries by hiding them in lorries.

Police also seized 23 vehicles used in human trafficking, an unlicensed gun, and many mobile phones, the daily said.

Anadolu said 43 of the suspects were remanded in custody, and the rest were released on the condition of judicial control.

Hosting more than 3.7 million Syrian refugees in its territory, Turkey has been the main route for illegal immigrants trying to reach Europe. Enditem
Prayut orders Boss probe as new evidence surfaces

BANGKOK: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered an inquiry into the prosecutions decision to drop a reckless driving charge against Red Bull scion Vorayuth Yoovidhya following public outrage over the news, according to government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat.

crimepolice

By Bangkok Post

Monday 27 July 2020, 09:04AM

Forensic police inspect a Ferrari driven by Vorayuth Yoovidhya following the accident on Sept 3, 2012. Photo: Somchai Poomlard / Bangkok Post file

She said the prime minister is following the issue closely and he has instructed authorities to gather facts about the prosecutions criminal investigation of the case.

Gen Prayut also called on critics and media outlets not to seize on the controversy and distort facts or cause misunderstanding while insisting he has never intervened in the justice administration process and the prosecution works under no political pressure, according to Ms Narumon.

The prosecutions decision to drop the charge has stirred outrage among the public who see it as another example of a culture of impunity enjoyed by the rich, and demanded the Office of Attorney-General (OAG) clarify the reason behind the decision. Netizens were quick to point out that in April the Yoovidhya family donated B300 million for the government to handle COVID-19, reported the Bangkok Post.

A lawyer who claimed he saw the document detailing the prosecutors reasons said the decision was a result of the testimony of two witnesses who said the killed policeman abruptly changed lanes on his motorcycle causing the fatal hit-and-run incident in 2012.

The document was seen yesterday by several media outlets and circulated on social media with eyebrows raised over the validity of the new evidence that prompted the prosecutors to reverse the decision.

Mr Vorayuth was accused of being behind the wheel when his Ferrari hit and killed Pol Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert, a motorcycle policeman, on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok, on Sept 3, 2012.

The charges of speeding and failing to stop and help a crash victim were dropped earlier as a result of the expiry of the statute of limitations. It emerged last week that the prosecution in June had dropped the final, most serious charge of reckless driving causing death.

According to the document, the new information showed the crash took place when the victims motorcycle abruptly changed lane and cut in front of Mr Vorayuth who was driving under the legal speed limit in the far right lane. Previously, forensic police had concluded that Mr Vorayuth had been driving at 177km/h.

Netizens also drew comparisons between this case and last years drunk-driving case against Somchai Werotepipat who was initially charged with murder and attempted murder when his car crashed and killed a police officer and his wife.

The Taling Chan court rejected both charges and accepted three others: drink driving causing death, reckless driving causing serious injury and drink driving causing property damage.

It was reported the prosecution appealed the courts decision to suspend the prison term, although he had earlier paid B45 million compensation to the victims family and agreed to give monthly expenses as well as offered to sponsor the familys daughters education.

The OAG, which is under growing pressure to break its silence on the Vorayuth case, yesterday (July 26) issued a press release announcing that Attorney-General Wongsakul Kittipromwong has appointed a seven-member working team headed by deputy AG Somsak Tiyawanich to look into the handling of the case by the Department of Southern Bangkok Criminal Litigation.

The growing rage led to the hashtag #saynotoredbull trending on social media, prompting the maker of energy drink giant Red Bull to distance itself from the case, saying the case is a personal affair of Mr Vorayuth Yoovidhya.

On Saturday, TCP Group released a statement over what it claimed was a misunderstanding over Mr Vorayuths relationship with the company.

Although the seven shareholders of the TCP Group are members of the Yoovidhya family, Mr Vorayuth has never assumed any role in the management and daily operations of TCP Group, was never a shareholder, nor has he held any executive position within TCP Group, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Palang Pracharath Party MP for Bangkok Sira Jenjaka, in his capacity as chairman of a House committee on justice and human rights, yesterday scheduled a meeting on Wednesday when police officials and prosecutors will be invited in for questioning about the case.

As far as Im concerned, there has been only been attempts to seek justice for the suspect, while not a single person at the Royal Thai Police Office has ever tried to seek justice for the dead police officer or at the very least tried to protect the integrity of the police as a whole, he said.

New witnesses key to charges being dropped

New specialist and motorist witnesses who made statements that Mr Vorayuth did not drive his Ferrari over the speed limit and that the policeman who was killed abruptly cut in front of his vehicle are the key factors which convinced prosecutors to drop charges against the Red Bull scion, the Bangkok Post revealed in a separate report.

In a leaked document outlining public prosecutors reasoning for their decision to drop the charge against Mr Vorayuth of reckless driving causing death, information from the new witnesses was given more weight than previous evidence, including forensic results.

The document said Nate Naksuk, chief justice of the Department of Appellate Litigation in his capacity as acting attorney-general, signed the order to drop the charge.

After the statute of limitations of three charges expired, the National Legislative Assemblys committee on justice and police affairs petitioned the Office of Attorney-General (OAG) for a fair investigation over the last charge, prompting the attorney-general to step in.

Mr Nate reviewed the investigation results and came to the conclusion the new evidence presented enough grounds to revoke the previous indictment order.

Based on a statement given by a police major who initially examined the speed the suspects Ferrari was travelling at  an average of 177 kilometres per hour at the time of the hit-and-run  the margin for error was 17km/h.

The speed was beyond the legal limit of 80km/h and this led prosecutors to determine that Mr Voratyuth was driving recklessly and indicted him on the charge of reckless driving causing death of which the statute of limitation would last until 2027.

Two new specialist witnesses, police majors, inspected the damage to the Ferrari and the victims motorcycle, compared it to other accidents, and agreed the Ferrari could not have been travelling at 170km/h at the time of the crash and was not exceeding 80km/h.

Another specialist who is a university engineering lecturer was brought in to calculate the speed of both vehicles involved in the crash in 2017. He told investigators the Ferrari was likely travelling at 76.175km/h.

In December last year, two other witnesses were interviewed. They told investigators they were driving behind the suspect and the victim just before the accident happened.

The victim was travelling at no more than 20km/h [as shown in CCTV footage] while Mr Vorayuth was driving between 50-60km/h.

The statements from these two witnesses echoed those of the specialist witnesses, leading investigators to conclude the Ferrari was travelling at under 80km/h in the far-right lane.

Prior to the crash, the victims motorcycle, which was in the far-left lane, abruptly changed lanes. One of the witnesses who was driving a pickup truck at the middle lane had to brake and managed to swerve to the left to avoid hitting the motorcycle. According to his statement, the motorcycle then changed lanes and cut in front of the Ferrari in the far-right lane, causing the Ferrari to crash into the motorcycle.

Prosecutors said the crash was a force majeure and that the victims reckless driving contributed to the crash.

The prosecutors concluded the crash was not caused by reckless driving on the part of the suspect and the suspect did not commit an offence under Section 291 of the Criminal Code.

The decision reversed the prosecutors earlier decision to indict. The family of the victim reached a compensation agreement with the suspect.
NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SESAMm disclosed today that its unique sentiment and emotion data on thousands of financial assets is now accessible to the financial industry through the Bloomberg Enterprise Access Point.

It is specialized in artificial intelligence for investment professionals and leverages sentiment and emotion, such as fear or surprise, extracted from Big Data. Above all, it gathers insights from billions of press articles, blogs, or social media, to generate actionable insights for quantitative and fundamental investment strategies.

SESAMm

The company provides pre-processed datasets, flexible Natural Language Processing tools, and Machine Learning platforms to generate insights and integrate them into clients' alpha research processes. As a result, it has a track record of working with tier 1 quantitative hedge funds, asset managers, and banks all around the world.

"Our work with Bloomberg will give their clients access to brand new data specifically tailored for the financial community" said Sylvain Forte, Co-Founder and CEO of SESAMm. "This represents a fantastic opportunity for SESAMm to reveal how sentiment and emotions data enable models to generate alpha and rapidly adjust to changing market conditions. This type of data is particularly important for investors in these times of high volatility."

SESAMm provides exclusive metrics and insights related to emotions (such as anger, fear, surprise, joy, sadness) in multiple languages, for all asset classes. This wide spectrum ensures global coverage and helps discover regional trends by sector or industry. Consequently, its datasets are used in several applications, from long-short equity and stock picking to macro investment or volatility forecasting.

The entire dataset uses SESAMm's data lake including more than 2 million data sources and more than 10 billion articles - increasing by an average of 6 million per day. In addition, the data is created with the company's proprietary NLP and ML algorithms and provided to clients through flexible endpoints. All data is anonymized, ensuring no personal or identifiable data is included in it.

Launched in 2018, Bloomberg Enterprise Access Point is a website that allows Bloomberg Data License clients to discover and acquire reference, pricing, regulatory, historical, and alternative datasets.

About SESAMm:

SESAMm (www.sesamm.com) is an innovative fintech company specializing in Big Data and artificial intelligence for investment. Its team builds analytics and investment signals by analyzing billions of web articles and messages using Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning. With its NLP platform TextReveal and its quantitative data science platform SignalReveal, SESAMm addresses the entire value chain of alpha research. SESAMm's 40 people team in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Tunis, and Metz, works with major hedge funds, banks, and asset management clients around the world for both fundamental and quantitative use cases.

SESAMm press contact:

Malik Senouci

Head of Marketing & Communications

[email protected]

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SESAMm data now accessible to investors via Bloomberg Entreprise Access Point

SOURCE SESAMm
Nigerians have reacted to the viral report of AMCON taking over Toke Makinwas Banana Island mansion.

The news of the take over went viral this afternoon and its looking very true.

On July 2, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) had seized assets belonging to Mr Festus Fadeyi and Pan Ocean Group. The corporation said they were holding on to debt of over N240 billion.

The news that went viral however today is that, the OAPs luxury home is part of the property said to have been listed among Fadeyis assets that was seized.



The property is believed to be a gift from the man. But the OAP says its hers and even recently said she bought it at the age of 35.

Sometime ago, children believed to be that of Mr Fadeyi had called the media personality out, asking her to leave their father. Below are some of the reactions making the round.

Which of your daddies bought house for Toke Makinwa on credit and now AMCON has repossessed the house?, a Twitter user asked.

AMCON took over Toke Makinwas house? Baby girl should have put her name on the property yo, another wrote.

So its Festus Fadeyi! Interesting. I remember his children called out Toke Makinwa few years ago to leave their father alone. That the man was spending a lot of money on her while being heavily indebted to Skye Bank. Kai. Men are Scum, another concerned Nigerian wrote on twitter.

Toke Makinwa, A woman should be independent and have her own things.

Oga Festus Fadeyi: Ill send you some money for upkeep, its 200M okay?

Frustrated Nigerian Girls: Time Makinwa is my ROAD Model ooo, another wrote.

If you ask Toke makinwa the source of her lifestyle, she will say its hardwork.lol If nah so the hard work take dey pay, all of us for don buy house for Lekki nah, a female user wrote.

This is the part where all these Twitter feminists rally around Toke Makinwa to help buy her another house in Banana Island. Amen?, a male user wrote.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
TOKYO - Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto, known for his avant-garde and colorful work that included flamboyant costumes of the late rock icon David Bowie, has died of leukemia, his company said Monday. He was 76.

Yamamoto developed leukemia in February and was determined to recover and come back with renewed energy, said the company, Kansai Yamamoto. He died last Tuesday.

Born in 1944 in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Yamamoto debuted in 1971, becoming the first Japanese fashion designer to hold a show in London. He became internationally known for blending traditional Japanese motifs with brilliant colours and bold designs.

Yamamoto designed the costume for Bowies Ziggy Stardust alter ego, and also developed friendships with top artists including Elton John and Stevie Wonder, his company said.

He contributed to collections in Tokyo, New York and Paris for nearly two decades until 1992 and produced the Kansai Super Show and Nippon Genki Project.

Yamamoto, who sought a career in engineering before turning to fashion, also demonstrated his talent in designing venues and organizing social events for the 2008 G-8 summit in Toyako in northern Japan. He also won awards for his interior and exterior design of the Keisei Skyliner train connecting Tokyo and Narita International Airport.

Human energy is limitless was his motto he would never let go, and he bravely kept challenging no matter how hard the situation, his company said in a statement.

___

Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi
In recent months, two Democratic leaders within the House Oversight and reform Committee have begun considering the longstanding impacts of the Trump Administration's policies upon the federal workforce.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has pushed to restructure government employees' workplace rights and the operations of the agencies they serve.

In May 2018, three executive orders reduced the amount of official time union leaders could claim, streamlined the grievance negotiation process between employees and management, and barred unions from accessing facilities, aggravating bargaining table conflicts between federal sector unions and department management.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the chairman of the Government Operations subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee, told FCW in an interview that such actions were indicative of the administration's philosophy and the "unrelenting hostility" it displayed with respect to federal employees.

"In every one of his budgets thus far [President Trump has] proposed assaults on federal compensation and retirement contributions," Connolly said.

In its budget request for fiscal year 2021, the White House proposed a rule change that would allow agencies to calculate a federal worker's future retirement benefits on his highest five years of salary, rather than the previous highest three years.

"[President Trump] has proposed changing the rules for calculating retirees' benefits from their highest three salaried years to five years, which would significantly reduce pensions," Connolly continued.

A spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget said that the impetus for the rules change came about as a desire to replicate the private sector's practices, and that the administration had included the measure in budget requests from the start of the administration.

The spokesman added that "private companies typically use the 'high-5' rule" to calculate a worker's retirement benefits, and that the White House's adoption of this rule would "better align the federal pension formula" with that of its private sector counterpart.

In addition to changes in benefit contributions, Connolly said that the consolidation and restructuring of organizational operations was a pressing issue for Congress.

In 2019, several agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Economic Research Service relocated out of Washington, D.C.

Both moves were deeply unpopular among their workforces and led to a number of employees either transferring to other jobs or leaving the agencies altogether.

"The [agency relocations] were another punitive action aimed at discouraging people from working for federal government," Connolly said. "If it wasn't that, why wasn't there broad consultation? Why wasn't there a comprehensive review of the consequences of relocating federal divisions with particular missions before they made the decision?"

OPM merger stalled

Connolly and his fellow Committee members have spent years fighting against one particular proposed restructuring: the merging of the Office of Personnel Management with the General Services Administration.

"The assault on OPM was a two-year effort to essentially abolish the federal [human resources] agency and fold it into an agency whose mission focuses on leases and building management, not HR expertise," Connolly said. "Their excuse that GSA had a better information technology system was a total non sequitur."

He added that the win to legislatively block the OPM-GSA merger was one he "savored" because of the potential impact it would have had 2.1 million federal workers.

The OPM press office didn't supply comment for this story.

Watching the watchdogs

In addition, Connolly and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the Oversight Chairwoman, said that the administration's recent actions with regards to acting officials has also forced lawmakers to try to explicitly demarcate the chief executive can and cannot engage in.

Maloney pointed specifically to President Trump's removal of several Inspectors General in recent months as one example, which has drawn bipartisan scrutiny.

"Inspectors General are critically important to ensure the government is effectively and efficiently using taxpayer dollars, so they must be protected from retribution of any kind," she said in an emailed statement.

Maloney and Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) have since introduced separate legislation aimed at strengthening existing laws to protect IG officials.

"President Trump's campaign against Inspectors General is the reason I introduced the Inspector General Independence Act with [House] Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Subcommittee Chairmen Connolly and Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.)," Maloney said.

"The Act is meant to protect Inspectors General from being fired for political retaliation."

President Trump's abrupt removal of IG officials in recent months, Connolly said, was indicative of the shortfalls in existing legislation.

"I think even more broadly, what this administration and President have shown is that the relationship between Congress and the executive branch is predicated on respect for gray areas, and respect for norms, not just laws," he said. "That requires Congress to have a comprehensive look at how we codify behavior. We need to limit executive authority and circumscribe it by law, not by practice."
On the 21st Anniversary of the Persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party

Commentary

Some years ago, in an interview about the media for a major Australian newspaper, I was asked; Do you believe in the devil?

I was somewhat surprised and suspected an ambush. An affirmative answer could be ridiculed; a negative answer could be used to demonstrate hypocrisy.

Relinquishing prudence, I answered almost immediately, I think to the journalists surprise.

Of course, I do, I said.

How else can we explain the killing of over 125 million people in the 20th century by those monsters Hitler, Lenin and Stalin, and with more blood on his hands than all the others, Mao Zedong? How else but through the existence of the Devil as a force for evil can we explain this?

And how else can you explain the enslavement and torture of hundreds of millions more? Does this not indicate the existence of an especially evil force in this world?

When the Chinese Communist Party saw the Soviet Union collapse and the utter poverty and ruination they had imposed on the Chinese people, with refugees even swimming through shark-infested seas to reach the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong, the communists feared that they would be the next.

They grasped for salvation by bringing to China the communist-fascist corporate model briefly used by Lenin under the New Economic Plan and utilised as part of the economic and political control Mussolini imposed on Italy and Hitler refined to ensure their economies remained workable but fully compliant to the dictatorship.

Many in the West were lulled by this and by suggestions that this was a sign the communists intended to liberate at some gradual pace their subject peoples.

It was not. This change was adopted for one purpose, and one purpose only.

This was for the self-preservation of a massively corrupt and extraordinarily evil cabal of billionaire despots.

Twenty-one years ago, it should have become absolutely clear, even to the most naive, that the communists had never intended to liberate the Chinese people.

Having already targeted both the house-church Christians who refuse to join the communist-front patriotic churches and the Muslim Uyghurs, so without notice, the regime declared an unlimited war of persecution against the people of Falun Gong.

This was for two reasons. First, the number of practitioners had grown exponentially to be even more than the total membership of the Party, the membership of which is compulsory for certain positions in China.

This was related to the second reason. The mainly unstructured association of Falun Gong advanced a philosophy emphasising Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. This is after all an association dedicated to doing good consistent with traditional Chinese religions, but also consistent with the moral teachings of Jesus. And as such, this is antithetical to the brutal dogmas espoused by the self-interested communist cabal, which if they did not believe them, are at least the raison detre for their survival.

To demonstrate how they really are the bacillus plague that Churchill described, the communists applied to Falun Gong the same monstrous practice they applied to those guilty of a capital crime, the sale of their organs after no doubt the depraved leadership had their pick.

Being found guilty under the communists is the inevitable consequence of being charged. This is truly guilt by accusation. As Soviet secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria said, Show me the man and Ill show you the crime.

The communists made the people of the Falun Gong victims of the trade in human organs without even the facade of a criminal trial. If there were any doubts about this, these are forever negated by the findings of an investigation of unchallengeable merit and virtue, the London-based independent China Tribunal.

This was chaired by an eminent lawyer, Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, who was deputy prosecutor at the trial of Slobodan Milosevic in the International Criminal Tribunal. In addition to other legal and human rights experts, there was the professor of Paediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at University College London.

Among the evidence was that by Dr. Enver Tohti, who was required to operate on prisoners, beginning with one who had been shot in the right side of his chest and whom he assumed to be dead. But when he realised the mans heart was still beating, he was still forced to remove the mans liver and both kidneys, sew the body back up, and to remember that today, nothing happened.

It is clear that on the volume of organ transplants performed in Communist China, the fact that there are few voluntary donors, the emergence of a large on demand industry and evidence from execution schedule, and reports that Falun Gong prisoners are given medical exams in custody to assess their candidacy as organ suppliers, wicked crimes of an extraordinary number are being committed by the communists.

It is clear that healthy, beautiful young people are being taken away and for no other reason that they are heretics in the communist eyes, and that their organs are being removed while they are still alive to be sold in a reprehensible trade that has attracted international condemnation. While the victims have probably included Uighur Muslims and house Christians, that is Christians who do not belong to communist-approved churches but worship in private houses, the greater number are certainly Falun Gong.

There are those in the West who will warn against confronting the communists over these crimes. They will point to the importance of Communist China economically and politically. Some of course are doing very well out of the communists, with many like Lenins useful idiots, who he said would sell the rope with which the communists would hang them. And some will even say that the Chinese people are different and neither want nor need democracy or even human rights.

This is completely untrue. In recent elections in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Chinese people have demonstrated that they too want both democracy and human rights. Taiwan indeed has shown herself to offer the worlds best practice in relation to Wuhan or CCP virus, an experience which has sadly been ignored because too many accept Beijings instructions to treat Taiwan as a leper.

Australia, as more than any other country, is the offspring of both the United Kingdom and the United States, and as such, shares the strong belief that, as the Declaration of Independence states, all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Thus, the Preamble to the Australian Constitution Act states that the people of the several colonies humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God, have agreed to unite in one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth.

It is a strong belief in the Anglosphere and indeed in the West that all were born with certain unalienable rights.

No peoples are an exception.

It is a sad fact of history that in the past people have turned away from the horrors that Stalin and Hitler were creating in the famine in the Ukraine and in the Holocaust and for reasons best known to themselves, have averted their eyes for a time at least from these crimes.

It is indefensible now to do this in relation to Falun Gong. The communists must be held to account at every level. Unless and until the persecution ceases, this must be the prevailing principle in our relations with the Beijing communists.

David Flint, A.M., is a former chairman of the Australian Press Council and Australian Broadcasting Authority and is an emeritus professor of law.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
HALIFAXProtesters gathered at two Nova Scotia locations Monday as family members of mass shooting victims vowed to maintain pressure on Ottawa and the province to hold a full public inquiry into the rampage.

About 100 people gathered in Bridgewater, N.S., for a march to the office of the provinces justice minister, while a similar number gathered for a rally organized by womens centres and feminist groups at a Halifax park.

The protests followed last weeks announcement by the provincial and federal governments of an independent review, which has been criticized by relatives of the 22 victims as lacking transparency and legal heft.

Emily Stewart, executive director of Third Place Transition House  a womens shelter that serves several counties where killings occurred on April 18 and 19  told the Halifax gathering that a public inquiry could reveal the role that domestic violence played in the mass shooting.

She said there were many signs of the 51-year-old gunmans potential for violence that an open inquiry could explore.

There were too many red flags, she said during her address.

She cited past reports to police of death threats made by the gunman, his coercion and control of his common law spouse and his possession of illegal weapons.

These are all well-known signals of potential violence against women that the public should hear about through testimony in a public setting, Stewart said. The gunman was killed by police on April 19.

Meanwhile, in Bridgewater, N.S., co-organizer Desiree Gordon estimated about 100 people marched to the riding office of Justice Minister Mark Furey, joined by the provincial Progressive Conservative and NDP leaders.

She said 22 people and a child lay down during the protest to symbolize the lost lives.

Harry Bond, whose parents Peter and Joy Bond were killed in the mass shooting, drove to the Bridgewater event, and he says he will continue attending such events until a public inquiry is announced.

I dont plan on stopping, he said during a telephone interview.

Its not something we want to do, but with them wanting to do a review instead of a public inquiry, its something were forced to do.

Bond and his brother attended a march last Wednesday of close to 300 relatives of victims and their supporters in Bible Hill, N.S., and they will attend a family march planned for Wednesday morning in front of the legislature.

He said hes encouraged to see citizens who have no direct connection to the tragedy marching alongside family groups.

We have a new family ... They have our back, plain and simple. Probably 80 per cent of the people there this morning, I dont know who they are, he said.

Activists, lawyers, Nova Scotia opposition parties and senators from across Canada have joined the call for an inquiry in recent months, expressing disappointment in the governments chosen format.

The federal and Nova Scotia governments said last week that a three-person panel would be established to review the killings and the police response.

That review body will be led by Michael MacDonald, a former chief justice of Nova Scotia, and includes former federal Liberal cabinet minister Anne McLellan, and Leanne Fitch, the former chief of police in Fredericton.

The terms of reference announced last week say all documents and information collected by the review panel during its work or in preparation of its report shall be kept confidential.

The review panel is to complete an interim report by Feb. 28, 2021, and a final report by Aug. 31, 2021.

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AIKEN, S.C. - Visitors, under normal circumstances, are part of the daily scene at Aiken Regional Medical Centers, but the past four months have been anything but normal, and a couple of international visitors took extraordinary steps to comfort a family member this month.

Eduardo Victoria Morales, a long-distance trucker from Mexico, was out of action for the past couple of weeks, as a COVID-19 patient, and mobile phones were a lifeline for him in terms of keeping up with two family members who visited him every day, from about 100 yards away. A small tree near the hospitals helicopter pad provided sweet relief  shade  in a spot where they could see the 55-year-old patients window, and he could confirm his presence and communicate via flashlight.

When daylight was low, they could see each other through his window. In broad daylight, he could see them (and take pictures for sharing via phone), but his image was obscured to them.

Eduardos wife, Rosa Maria Chue, visited the hospital campus every day, with their oldest of three daughters, Diana Victoria, a physical therapist. It was, however, anything but a casual trip, as they live in Reynosa, a border town in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, on the gulf.

The trucker (trailero, in Spanish) fell ill around 2 a.m. July 5 after unloading a shipment of toilet paper (nine big rolls, he said, confirming that each roll was about the size of a car) from Mexico. He was travelling from Augusta into Aiken County, on I-20, when he was unable to continue managing his Freightliner, at a gas station near Graniteville. Breathing became extraordinarily difficult, he recalled.

The Aiken hospital was his next destination, and he was there until July 20, when he was released with an oxygen tank to help him get his lungs back into working order. He never lost consciousness during the entire ordeal, he recalled.

He is improving. He only had to be connected with oxygen. He never had to be on a ventilator. All the time, hes been conscious, thank God. He can sleep. At first, he had to stay in bed, but now he can sit up and can eat a little more rapidly, Diana said, while Eduardo was still in the hospital.

Rosa Maria said the initial days were challenging, because it was exhausting for Eduardo to talk, so text messages had to be enough, along with photos and video transmitted via a smartphone, showing the patient, his room, his meals, and some of the medical staff working on his behalf.

Diana, recalling the ambulances arrival, added, We thank God because it arrived at the right time, and went to the correct hospital, because theyve been giving all the medications and attention very well. The nurses, too, are very supportive, and so, we cant complain. Many people are praying ardently for him, and here we are, thankful to God for the provision.

The visitors, in a status update from July 17, said Eduardo was doing a variety of breathing exercises and could go to the bathroom by himself. Emphasis was  and is  on strengthening his lungs.

The two ladies, in beginning their exposure to the medical side of Aiken, needed two days to make the trip from Reynosa, travelling in a subcompact Volkswagen, with Mobile, Alabama, having been their halfway point, where they got some sleep before racking up the rest of the mileage to Aiken.

They arrived July 10 and have stayed in a motel near the hospital, with financial support from some North Augusta and Aiken residents.

Rosa Maria said, What happened is, some people from my sister-in-laws church got in touch here and gave us the gift of five nights in a motel, initially. The local support, she said, was consistent and via the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.

Eduardos normal truckloads between the two countries, according to his two family members, include such cargo as parts for industrial-size trucks (to and from Mexico) and toilet paper and appliances (from Mexico), in his current role with TransMex (hauling from Mexico) and Swift (to Mexico).

Eduardo, who is planning to make the return trip to Mexico over the course of three days (to avoid exhaustion), noted that this was his third trip to the Aiken-Augusta area. Breathing is still challenging, he said, while recuperating in a motel room , but progress is coming bit by bit. Plans were for departure on July 24.

We all have to be careful, he added, acknowledging the importance of following basic safety guidelines regarding the pandemic.

Eduardo, who normally communicates in Spanish, opted for two English words in describing his experience at the hospital: Excellent service.

Rosa Maria, laughingly describing herself as the administrator of the house (also known as a stay-at-home mom), expressed profound gratitude. Thanks to God and to many people who were praying for my husbands well-being up to this point, she said.
In The Cure, Sandra Freeman explores the liberating power of living and loving on ones own terms

LAMALOU-LES-BAINS, France, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Author Sandra Freeman has released her sixth novel, The Cure, an empowering story of love, loss and healing set along the charming and idyllic French coast. The novel introduces readers to the magnetic yet reclusive Dany, who is grappling with the throes of heartbreak following the death of her former lover, Anita. To make peace with her past and find closure, Dany returns to the south of France where they met and stays in the small village of Villeneueve-les-Bains, revered for its holistic properties and frequented by tourists seeking the cure.

As Dany meets and reluctantly befriends several charming residents and visitors around the resort town, she is recruited to work at a new private retreat designed for those experiencing confusion around their gender identity and seeking to shed the restrictive labels assigned to them by society. As Dany forms close relationships with the retreats guests as well its proprietor, Andy, both her mind and heart begin to open, and she discovers her own cure for the grief and pain she has been experiencing.

Through her book, Freeman challenges the gender binary and demonstrates that identity, in all its complexity and expansiveness, cannot be simplified or reduced to a label. She also provides a new perspective on love, illustrating the many shapes and forms it can be received in and expressed.

I aim to encourage readers to reconsider traditional attitudes to gender, love and our relationships with each other and the natural world, said Freeman. There are many expectations for what identity and love should look like, but if you approach either with a closed mind, you will fail to see the full spectrum of humankinds beauty and uniqueness.

A fun and insightful work of LGBTQ fiction, The Cure ultimately asks readers to open their minds, free their hearts and experience life and love fully without inhibition.

Story continues

The Cure

By Sandra Freeman

ISBN: 9781728352046 (softcover); 9781728352039 (hardcover); 9781728352053 (electronic)

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and AuthorHouse

About the author

Sandra Freeman is an author, director, playwright, actress and retired lecturer. She taught French and theatre studies at University of Sussex, during which time she worked with professional and amateur actors writing, directing and acting in her own plays. She has written six other novels, three of which are set in the south of France where she now lives with her partner, painter Faith O'Reilly. Much of her work is centered around reconsidering traditional attitudes to gender, love and the relationships between people and the natural world.

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121.

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CONTACT: Leslie Standridge LAVIDGE 4809982600 lstandridge@lavidge.com




In a massive boost for Indian Air Force (IAF), the first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft took off from France's Istres airbase on Monday (July 27) and will arrive in India on Wednesday (July 29). These jets will land at the Ambala Air Force Station in India on Wednesday (July 29) after covering a distance of almost 7,364 kilometres.

"India took a significant step in strengthening air power and defence preparedness with the first five Rafale fighter aircraft, built by Dassault, flying out from Merignac airbase in Bordeaux, France to India today. This also marks a new milestone in the strong and growing India-France defense cooperation," said the Indian Embassy in France in a press release.

The embassy also tweeted a short video showcasing Rafale fighter aircraft taking off from France to India with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop en route in UAE.

"The first Rafale fighter was handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in October 2019 in a ceremony attended by the French Minister for Armed Forces Madame Florence Party and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Delivery of ten aircraft has been completed on schedule. Five will stay back in France for training mission. The delivery of all thirty six aircraft will be completed on schedule by the end of 2021," added the Embassy statement.

India's Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf was present at the Merignac airbase in Bordeaux to see off the Rafale aircraft. Ashraf said that the long awaited and much needed two squadrons of Rafale would add great strength to IAF and India's defence capabilities. He met the IAF pilots and wished them a safe flight to India. Ashraf also congratulated the IAF pilots on becoming the first Indian pilots to fly one of the world's most advanced and potent fighter aircraft.

"He also thanked French Air force for support and Dassault for delivering the aircraft on schedule despite the ongoing pandemic crisis. Mr. Eric Trappier, Chairman Dassault Aviation and Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather, the Air Attache to France were also present on the occasion apart from other officials," said the embassy.

Rafale aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and SCALP air-to-ground cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

The trainer Rafale aircraft will have the tail numbers of the RB series in honour of the IAF Chief RKS Bhadauria who played a significant role in finalising Rafale deal. India had inked a Rs 60,000 crore deal with France in September 2016 for 36 Rafales to bolster the capabilities of IAF.

Out of the 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets.
Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai on Monday paid tribute to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for its valour and sacrifice while recalling the big damage it caused to the Chinese Liberation Army (PLA) when it attacked a patrol of the Indian paramilitary force in Ladakh in October 1959. He drew parallels between the 1959 incident and the June 15 clash in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a face-off with the Chinese troops in Ladakh.

Rai said China faced similar consequences on June 15 as it did in 1959 during a clash with CRPF men in Ladakhs Hot Springs even as the paramilitary force was outnumbered. What a coincidence. Whenever China attacks, its strength is huge and ours is less... but China has always suffered the consequences, said Rai at a function to mark CRPFs 82nd foundation day without elaborating. Union home minister Amit Shah was scheduled to attend the event but he could not because of some other meeting.

China has not confirmed its casualties following the June 15 clash but has said they were on both sides. The clash marked the biggest loss of life in combat between India and China since 1967.

Rai said on October 21, 1959, PLA troops attacked the CRPF patrol and killed 10 Indian troops besides taking seven as prisoners. He added the force showed great valour and caused big damage to the Chinese. The day (October 21) is also celebrated as the police memorial day, he added.

The CRPF has a rich history of valour and sacrifice...and on October 21, 1959, it showed that in Hot Springs in Ladakh when the Chinese attacked, Rai said.

He said the CRPF defended the country in Gujarats Sardar Post when a small team repulsed an attack by a 3,000-strong Pakistani army contingent in 1965. Pakistan would shake with fear whenever it would recall this incident.

Rai said India has wiped out terrorism and naxalism (left-wing insurgency) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shahs leadership. He added 150 terrorists have been killed in Kashmir over the last six months. Rai said terrorists should know they will have to either change their ideology or will be wiped out.

Rai cited the 2019 Pulwama attack on a CRPF convoy in which 40 personnel were killed, and added Modi then declared this sacrifice will not go in vain.The [air] force went into Pakistan and killed terrorists and Pakistan just kept watching. India did what it wanted to do, Rai said, referring to the retaliatory air strikes in Pakistans Balakot in response to the attack.

Rai said the countrys first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel gave the Presidents colours to CRPF on July 27, 1950, in recognition of its good work in aligning princely states with India post-independence. But an official later said Patel gave the colours on March 19, 1950. The first CRPF battalion was raised on July 27, 1939, the official added. The force was raised as the Crown Representatives Police under the British. It was renamed CRPF in 1949.
Most older Chattanoogans know the story of Chattanoogas Mayor Ralph Kelley and Police Commissioner James E. Bookie Turners commandeering the State of Georgias Civil War locomotive the General as it was being returned from the L&N Railroad's maintenance shop in Kentucky on its way to Kennesaw, Georgia, in 1961.

For many years the famed engine had been stored at the Union Station at the railroad terminal on the south side of 9th Street (Martin Luther King Boulevard) on property now occupied by the Tallan and Krystal Buildings across the street from the Read House hotel. It had become an integral part of the history of Chattanooga including its image on the municipality's official seal, stationery, cuff links, tie clips, etc.

After much publicity and a federal court case, the historical icon was ordered to be returned to its rightful owner, the State of Georgia, and Kelley's Raiders eventually suffered a defeat and the locomotive was returned to Kennesaw. Though spectacular, it was not the first time that Chattanooga and the State of Georgia and the railroad had become entangled over property in our town that belonged to Georgians.

In the early days of Chattanooga, the City Fathers had wanted the railroad to come to our city to connect railway traffic to the city of Atlanta. They had been very generous in giving the railroad a lot of land at very cheap prices that is located between Broad and Market Streets and extends south from 9th Street across 10th and 11th Streets to the L&N Railroad tracks. The property also included the site of the Edney Building at 11th and Market Street and formerly included the Hotel Plaza property at the intersection of Market and Georgia Avenue.

The first raider against the L&N Railroad was Mayor Edward David Bass (1873-1960). Bass became an orphan at age 11 and he left school to work on the production line at D.M. Steward Manufacturing Plant. Through hard work, he saved enough money to open a grocery store at the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue. In 1906, he ran and won a seat on the Hamilton County Court which began his career as a lifelong politician.

After winning the race, he sold his grocery store and began his political mission. In 1911, Bass ran for the state Senate and was elected. As a senator he passed legislation that allowed Chattanooga to change its government to a commission format. After serving a term in Nashville, he returned to Chattanooga and served as Commissioner of Streets and Sewers for three terms. It was during Bass last term as commissioner that he performed the act that earned him the title stated above.

In 1926 Broad Street ended at 9th Street (MLK Boulevard) where a row of brick warehouses owned by the State of Georgia sat empty. The city wanted to extend Broad Street and for years Bass had unsuccessfully tried to purchase the buildings to be razed and open up Broad Street as it exists today.

On Friday night, May 6, 1926, Commissioner Bass, without consulting the Mayor, city attorney or other commissioners, decided to open up Broad Street on his own. Assembling a large crew of street department workers, they descended on the empty buildings and tore them down. Their work started around 6:00 and by midnight the buildings were razed. A large crowd that had gathered to watch the destruction spectacle cheered Bass and his men on as they completed their task and the commissioner drove the first car through the opened buildings. For some unexplained reason, the Elks Club Band just happened to be at the scene and played the song Marching Through Georgia.

The work continued over the weekend until the length of Broad Street was extended and opened to Lookout Mountain. The State of Georgia did not take kindly to Commissioner Basss actions on behalf of the City of Chattanooga and filed suit but the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that a states sovereignty ended at the state line. With this judicial approval Bass and his band of raiders tore down the buildings that blocked Broad Street at 11th Street. This allowed Broad Street to be linked with Whiteside Street that ran from Lookout Mountain to 12th Street and today is known as South Broad Street.

In 1927, the City of Chattanooga elected Bass as mayor and he would serve five terms as the longest office holder as Mayor in the history of the city. Ironically Bass had been rebuffed in 1923 when Mayor Alexander Chambliss had resigned to fill a seat on the Tennessee Supreme Court. Tennessee Governor Austin Peay had been pressured by the statewide Ku Klux Klan not to appoint Chambliss if it meant Bass would become mayor of Chattanooga. Governor Peay then asked Bass to promise that, if elected, he would not serve.

Bass agreed but in 1927 he ran and was elected beginning his 20-year tenure as Mayor. He accomplished several goals as mayor including the annexation which doubled the size of the city by adding St. Elmo, Missionary Ridge, Alton Park, North Chattanooga, Brainerd and Riverview. Bass took great pride in the fact that during the Great Depression Chattanooga was one of the few cities able to pay its debts without raising taxes and to maintain full employment with its employees.

Bass had intended to serve out his last term of office but because of health problems had to resign three months before his term expired. He moved to Florida and lived to the age of 87, dying on March 12, 1960.

* * *

Jerry Summers



(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com
What do we accomplish by emphasizing skin color as any persons primary identifier? Isnt that how we ended up with slavery, lynchings, segregation and unequal opportunities for people of color? Isnt that what racism is: seeing and treating people as inferior or inhuman because of the color of their skin?
Strictly Come Dancing's newest judge, Motsi Mabuse, is said to be moving her family to the UK for the 2020 series, so as not to risk travel complications amid COVID-19.

The sister of pro dancer Oti lives in Hamburg with her husband Evgenij Voznyuk and their daughter, and traveled back and forth for the 2019 series.

But as co-judge Bruno Tonioli's involvement has been thrown into doubt due to his need to travel to and from the US, Motsi, 39, is said to be taking no risks.

Taking no risks: Strictly Come Dancing's newest judge, Motsi Mabuse, is said to be moving her family to the UK for the 2020 series, so as not to risk travel complications amid COVID-19

The Sun reports that 'Motsi doesn't want to take any risks so the current plan is for her and her family to move to the UK for the full run'.

A source told them: 'She is going to find a short-term rental.

'It's a big upheaval but she loved doing her first series last year and doesn't want anything to get in the way of her second.'

MailOnline has approached a rep for commnent.

Bruno, 64, has reportedly decided to solely appear on the higher-paid US version of Strictly - Dancing With The Stars - this autumn.

In doubt: Co-judge Bruno Tonioli's involvement has been thrown into doubt due to his need to travel to and from the US

Sources told The Sun that Bruno has decided to remain in the US as he spends a majority of the year living Stateside, and did not want to risk flying to the UK during the current crisis.

He usually travels between the UK and US to judge both series during the autumn, though in recent years he has been given a week off to recuperate.

Bruno has reportedly told BBC bosses he won't be available for the show, but they are not planning to replace him, meaning he could still make a guest appearance later in the series.

Taking a break: Bruno has reportedly decided to solely appear on the higher-paid US version Dancing With The Stars this autumn

A source said: 'There is no way to travel back and forth at the moment, so he's told bosses in the UK that unfortunately he will be staying over there.

'He spends a lot of his time in the States now, and the truth is he does earn a lot more from the US version.

'Of course it will be a shame to lose him, but even if he can make it back for a couple of weeks later in the series, his seat will be waiting for him.'

With Bruno absent, it would mean the judging panel would solely consist of Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel-Horwood and Motsi.

This year's Strictly will only run for nine weeks, with the start date pushed back to October to allow bosses to pre-record elements during the current social distancing climate.

Will he be back? Bruno has reportedly told BBC bosses he won't be available, but they are not planning to replace him, meaning he could still make a guest appearance later in the series

Due to the reduced series run, it was claimed bosses will have fewer celebrities in the line-up, with the show's Halloween and Blackpool specials coming up at two and four weeks into the schedule.

A source told The Sun: 'BBC bosses are doing everything in their power to give the public as much Strictly as they possibly can and safely.

'A heavily reduced schedule gives them a lot longer to pre-record certain segments to minimise risk. It does mean it will be starting much later in the year, and will finish very close to Christmas with the final currently scheduled for December 19.'

The show's professionals will reportedly be required to go into lockdown for six weeks ahead of Strictly's return and will form bubbles with their ballroom partners until early September.

Lockdown: Strictly Come Dancing's professionals will reportedly go into lockdown for six weeks ahead of the show's return. Pictured 2019 champions Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse

Safety: Changes are being made to the show, as bosses navigate how best to embrace safety measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Pictured dancers and exes Katya Jones and Neil Jones

A source told The Sun: 'These are unprecedented times. The crew and dancers are still reeling at being told how extreme the measures have to be. Theyve left one lockdown for another.

'Theyve got girlfriends, boyfriends, wives, husbands, children and pets  its not going to be easy being separated for that length of time. Nevertheless, they love the show and are determined to bring it back to our screens.'

The dancers and the show's crew will reportedly be holed up at a London hotel for four weeks from next month, getting bussed to the BBC's studios in Elstree, Hertfordshire, to film their routines.

The source added: 'The lockdown only affects people that need to be within two metres of each other. Theyll be constantly tested  that goes without saying.'

BBC Director of Content Charlotte Moore has revealed producers are still assessing contingency plans such as enforcing a face mask rule, dancing two metres apart and even quarantining celebrities and professional dancers.

Precautions: Show bosses are also said to be pre-recording professional group dances which is another alleged reason for the show's delay [above the 2019 cast]

Charlotte told The Times: 'We're looking at how that would work. Could you quarantine people? Can we test everyone before filming? There's a lot of work being done. It's a big task.'

She also said fans could see the show go on-air without a live audience, with the BBC also looking into testing participants' temperatures and installing glass divides inside the studio 'so that people feel even more protected'.

The Strictly set-up has included a live audience since the show first aired back in 2004, when it was fronted by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly.

Insiders previously claimed keeping participants in isolation was not plausible due to family ties.

A BBC spokesperson said: 'We will continue to review all productions on a case by case basis and will continue to follow the latest news and advice from the Foreign Office, World Health Organisation and Public Health England.'

Cut: Meanwhile, Strictly bosses have revealed that this year's series will be shorter than usual and stars will be in 'couple bubbles' amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Pair: Strictly 2020 'will feature two same-sex pairings' - both a male and a female couple - with [L-R] Katya Jones and Johannes Radebe in the running to be the chosen pros

Bosses are also reportedly offering doubled fees to celebrities, with sources claiming TV executives are keen for the series 'to remain the jewel in the BBC's crown' and have already put forward contract proposals in a bid to attract a 'stellar line-up' for this year's upcoming series.

The celebrities taking part are set to be announced at the end of July and it is believed they will rehearse on Zoom until lockdown rules are eased.

The news comes weeks after it was revealed that Strictly Come Dancing will break from tradition and feature same-sex pairings.

TV insiders have teased there could be a male coupling as well as a female one.

It's believed Katya Jones is the female pro in the running for a two-women coupling, as she has expressed a keen interest in it in the past.
(Newser)  The fringe conspiracy movement QAnon picked up some praise from a Fox News host over the weekend, who then quickly walked it back. During an interview with Eric Trump on Saturday, Fox's Jesse Watters declared that QAnon has done some "crazy stuff," but "they've also uncovered a lot of great stuff when it comes to (Jeffrey) Epstein and the Deep State," reports Mediaite. That prompted a quick backlash, given that QAnon peddles the notion that a "cabal of Satanic child sex-traffickers running the deep state" is trying to take down the presidency, per New York Magazine. Followers also dispense wild, dangerous advice about COVID-19, and Rolling Stone has details there. After his comments drew attention, Watters issued a statement.

story continues below

While discussing the double standard of big tech censorship, I mentioned the conspiracy group QAnon, which I dont support or believe in," he said. "My comments should not be mistaken for giving credence to this fringe platform. Among the critics were NBC News reporter Ben Collins, who disputed the notion that QAnon has uncovered "great stuff." Actually, the "Epstein reporting was by actual reporters at newspapers, bastardized by Q to fit a narrative about Satanic child cannibalism," he wrote. Axios takes a broader look at conservative TV networks pushing conspiracies. It notes that Sinclair Broadcast Group asked affiliates not to air a recent one about Anthony Fauci, though One America News Network (OANN) has been "more reluctant" to walk back discredited stories, including one that an injured protester in Buffalo was a member of Antifa. (Read more Jesse Watters stories.)
Killian Delaney of Franklin, a sophomore at Southeast Missouri State University, has been named the 2020 Golden Opportunity Scholar by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America.

The annual award is presented for outstanding contributions to agronomy through education, national and international service and research.

Delaney is an agribusiness, plant and soil science major with a double minor in Spanish and geographic information science. She is serving this summer as an agronomist intern with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service in Colfax, Washington.

Indi Braden, professor of agriculture, nominated Delaney for the program.

As a Golden Opportunity Scholar, I hope to make connections with professionals in my field and narrow down my options for graduate school to find the best fit for my future, Delaney said.

After graduation, she plans to complete a graduate program in agriscience. She also hopes to serve in the Peace Corps and one day work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.



Katie Maag of Kane has been named to the spring semester presidents list at McKendree University in Lebanon with a perfect grade point average.



Kendra Escudero of Ashland and Bhumi Shah of Beardstown have graduated from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.



Thomas Asama of Jacksonville and Lauren Pinney of Mount Sterling have graduated from the University of Iowa in Iowa City.



Lucy Deal of Jacksonville has graduated from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and has been named to the spring semester deans list.

To be named to the deans list, a student must earn a 3.7 or higher grade point average.



Shealyn Kennedy Sullivan of New Berlin has been named to the spring semester deans list at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

To be named to the deans list, a student must earn a 3.5 or higher grade point average.

 Compiled by Laurie Bosworth
THE New IRA has been condemned for targeting one of Ireland's leading churchmen in a sinister hate campaign.

Posters intimidating Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin were plastered outside St Eugene's Cathedral in Derry, a short distance from the spot where the terror gang murdered journalist Lyra McKee last year.

The goons targeted the Catholic leader because he encouraged young people in his community to join the PSNI.

In a parish newsletter published in February, the Archbishop wrote: "I encourage the very best of our young people to seriously consider a career in the police.

Expand Close images critical of Eamon Martin the New IRA put up in Derry / Facebook

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"Help to shape the future of policing here and serve your community with generosity, concern, respect and courage."

Condemning the posters, which have now been removed, Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said: "The people of Derry have consistently endorsed parties who support involvement with the PSNI.

"We are there to hold the PSNI to account because we need a police service to serve the community. Posters like these achieve nothing and I am glad that they have been removed."

Although Archbishop Martin's calls for youngsters to consider joining the PSNI caused anger in New IRA ranks, it did not spark immediate reprisals.

Sources in Derry suspect the gang is only responding now in a bid to win back support following a series of devastating arrests and arms finds.

These include the discovery by police of the gun used to murder Lyra McKee and the charging of well-known dissident Niall Sheerin, whose DNA is allegedly on the weapon.

Expand Close Niall Sheerin / Facebook

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"Tommy Mellon (New IRA leader in Derry) sanctioned the posters being put up," explained a local republican.

"It's a sign of desperation - they've been rattled by the cops finding the Lyra McKee weapon and charging Niall Sheerin.

"Because the murder was so high-profile, the gun should have been thrown in the River Foyle, but they (the New IRA) hung onto it, which was a major mistake.

"The New IRA has gone on a recruitment drive, but even the teenagers who would have joined up in the past are telling them, 'No thanks'. They realise it's a one-way ticket to jail."

As well as criticising Archbishop Martin, the cathedral hate posters complain about searches of dissident republican homes and the involvement of social services in their family situations.

They emerged on the same day that a prominent member of Saoradh, the New IRA's political wing, leapt to the defence of a dissident republican facing a child sex image charge.

Vice-chairperson Mandy Duffy, the sister-in-law of prominent dissident Colin Duffy, said Shane Stevenson had only been accused of the crime because he is a republican.

The 32-year-old from Lurgan appeared in Lisburn Magistrates' Court last week charged with possession of an indecent photograph and possession of an extreme pornographic image.

Stevenson, who denies any wrongdoing, will be back in court on August 12.

Writing on social media afterwards, Mandy Duffy said: "My interpretation of this would be an image that appears to be a child, but (is) not a child.

"But anyway, it hardly matters as this man was sent these images, like a hell of a lot of others, I'm sure, on a WhatsApp group chat or similar.

"He is the only one charged, not the person who sent it or others who received it.

"This is simply because he is a local republican.

"I would never put myself out on a limb when it comes to child abuse, but I am totally confident that this is a contrived charge simply because he is a republican.

"I will stand in support of Shane 100 percent and his family, who have suffered dreadfully due to these charges and the consequences of these charges."

cbarnes@sundaylife.co.uk
HSBC Holdings Plc, responding to media reports over its dealings with Huawei Technologies Co., denied that it framed the Chinese telecom giant, and said it didnt spark a US probe of the company.

In its first public comments about Huaweis legal battle in North America, the UK bank said it has no hostility toward Huawei and didnt ensnare the company. The bank said it only provided information to the US Department of Justice when it was compelled to do so.

In response to the US DOJs requests for information, HSBC simply presented the objective facts, the bank said in a statement Saturday. HSBC did not fabricate evidence or hide facts. And HSBC would never distort the facts or seek to harm any of our clients for our own gain.

HSBC has become embroiled in Huaweis legal fight to block a US request to extradite Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou from Canada to face trial over allegedly violating US sanctions on Iran. Meng has been under house arrest in Vancouver since she was detained at the request of US authorities in 2018.

HSBCs statement came after Chinas Peoples Daily newspaper published an opinion piece on Friday saying that the bank is an accomplice of the US and fabricated evidence on Huawei, resulting in the arrest of Meng.

On the same day, Chinas banking regulator approved HSBCs application to close a sub-branch in Shenzhen, where Huawei is located. The UK bank said the move is part of its routine work of reviewing and optimizing its service channels. After the closure, HSBC still operates 11 outlets in the city.

Shares of HSBC fell 1.9% in Hong Kong as of 9:48 a.m., extending this years decline to 42%.

HSBC was thrust further into the spotlight with new evidence presented last week. In a filing to a Canadian court Thursday, Mengs lawyers argued that the US misled Canadian authorities by omitting key elements of a PowerPoint presentation that Meng showed to HSBC bankers at a 2013 meeting in Hong Kong, the Globe and Mail reported.

The omissions leave the impression that Meng didnt fully explain Huaweis dealings in Iran, according to the report. The US argues that Meng deceived banks including HSBC, and that this prompted lenders to clear millions of dollars in transactions in violation of the sanctions.

Slides Omitted

In fact, Mengs lawyers argued, she was transparent about the Iran dealings, citing two slides in the presentation made to HSBC that had been omitted from the US filing, the Globe reported.

HSBC is walking a tight-rope amid growing US-China tensions. The London-based bank has come out in support of a controversial new security law imposed by China on Hong Kong, one of its biggest markets. The UK government meanwhile, has joined the US and other countries in banning Huawei from developing its 5G networks.

We will continue investing in our business, services, talents and technology in China and contributing to the sustainable development of the country, the bank said.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Amid allegations of the state election commission using a BJP IT cell-owned social media firm during the 2019 state Maharashtra state assembly election, the state chief electoral officer (CEO) in his interim report clarified that the social media agency was not hired by them but the publicity department of the state government.

The report of the CEO of the state election commission said that they are not authorized to hire any agency. However, social media agencies are empanelled and hired by the state governments Directorate General of Information and Public Relation (DGIPR) department. And the same firm allegedly linked to the election commission was provided by the state governments DGIPR department, stated the report. The report has been submitted to the election commission of India.

The former chief minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan had demanded a thorough inquiry in this case and said that this is the question of credibility and integrity of the election commission.

RTI and social activist Saket Gokhale said that the report of the state election commission clearly shows that the erstwhile chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had interfered in the independent election process. He tweeted, CM @Dev_Fadnavis was surely aware that the firm had links to his own partys IT cell. Why was Fadnavis trying to interfere in polls by appointing this firm? How did @SpokespersonECI (an independent body) allows the state govt/ruling party to appoint a firm for EC work?

He further said that the scope of the work was not only limited the social media advertisements, but it has also authority for data targeting and neutralizing negative sentiments in the government notification dated October 12, 2017. This is nothing but state-sponsored electoral fraud under Devendra Fadnavis. The election commission should also investigate the government DGIPR order and who executed it. Whether crucial electoral data was used by the BJP or not? All aspect has to be probed, said Gokhale.
Today is Monday, July 27, 2020. Let's get caught up.

These non-virus headlines are in the news this morning: The Associated Press went behind the lines with protesters and federal agents in Portland to document the movement gripping America; President Donald Trump tries to turn his re-election campaign around; and Hurricane Douglas began to spin away from the Hawaiian islands.

Read on for these stories, other top headlines, celebrity birthdays and more.

Top stories

On Portland's streets: Anger, fear, and a fence that divides

The nation is seething with anxiety and deeply divided about the role of police, the value of Black lives and the limits of federal authority in an election season like none other. In Portland, on a single city block owned by the U.S. government, that anxiety has turned to turmoil.

Is this the beginning of the United States transforming into a military state, where federal agents flood the streets and overrule local authorities? Or is it a battle to keep the violence in Portland from becoming the new America, a frightening vision painted by President Donald Trump of what the future will hold without his leadership?

Fear and uncertainty about the answers to those questions have exploded in Portland in a surreal armed conflict that plays out every night.

***

2020 Watch: Can Trump turn around his beleaguered campaign?

With fewer than 100 days before polls open across America, President Donald Trump is running short on time to reset his beleaguered reelection bid. The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic is surging again, the economic recovery appears to be slipping backward and racial divisions are still exploding.

More Americans say the country is heading in the wrong direction than at any previous point in his presidency, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Even a significant portion of Republicans have soured on his handling of the coronavirus.

After spending much of the year playing down the crises, Trump has adopted a more serious tone in the latest round of White House pandemic briefings. He canceled the Republican National Convention events in Florida and even tweeted a picture of himself in a face mask. His track record, however, suggests his newfound discipline likely won't last.

***

Hurricane Douglas gains strength; skirts the state of Hawaii

Hurricane Douglas gained some strength and began to spin away from many of the Hawaiian Islands as it skirted the state late Sunday.

Forecasters said a hurricane warning was canceled for Oahu but remained in effect for Kauai County, including the islands of Kauai and Niihau, which could still be hit by the system with strong wind gusts and rough surf.

In other news today ...

Deep-pocketed and often anonymous donors are pouring over $100 million into an intensifying dispute about whether it should be easier to vote by mail , a fight that could determine President Donald Trump's fate in the November election.

, a fight that could determine President Donald Trump's fate in the November election. Roughly three months before Election Day, a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that Joe Biden's supporters are less enthusiastic than Trump's  both about the campaign itself and about their candidate  although the Democrat's coalition may be equally motivated by anxiety.

 both about the campaign itself and about their candidate  although the Democrat's coalition may be equally motivated by anxiety. A downgraded Hanna continued charging across the borderland of South Texas and northeastern Mexico, where flooding remained the biggest threat Monday in a region that was already reeling from a surge in cases of the coronavirus. Hanna, now a tropical depression, passed over the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday with winds near 50 mph. It unloaded more than 12 inches of rain in some areas, and more was expected.

Sunday with winds near 50 mph. It unloaded more than 12 inches of rain in some areas, and more was expected. The late U.S. Rep. John Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, for the final time Sunday as remembrances continue for the civil rights icon. The bridge became a landmark in the fight for racial justice when Lewis and other civil rights marchers were beaten there 55 years ago on Bloody Sunday," a key event that helped galvanize support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

in Selma, Alabama, for the final time Sunday as remembrances continue for the civil rights icon. The bridge became a landmark in the fight for racial justice when Lewis and other civil rights marchers were beaten there 55 years ago on Bloody Sunday," a key event that helped galvanize support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act. In the more than 40 years since China and the U.S. established formal diplomatic relations, accusations have been traded, tensions have risen and fallen and the two sides have come dangerously close to outright confrontation. Yet the forced closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston and Chinas order in response to shutter the U.S. Consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu mark a new low point in ties between the worlds largest economies that cant easily be smoothed over.

in ties between the worlds largest economies that cant easily be smoothed over. They have the largest economies in the world. They spend more than anyone else on their militaries. From high-tech chips to control of the high seas, their interests are closely intertwined. The ongoing sharp deterioration in U.S.-China ties poses risks to both countries and the rest of the world.

poses risks to both countries and the rest of the world. The price of gold surged to a record above $1,934 per ounce on Monday as investors moved money into an asset seen as a safe haven amid jitters about U.S.-Chinese tension and the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

above $1,934 per ounce on Monday as investors moved money into an asset seen as a safe haven amid jitters about U.S.-Chinese tension and the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Protests took a violent turn in several U.S. cities over the weekend with demonstrators squaring off against federal agents outside a courthouse in Portland, Oregon, forcing police in Seattle to retreat into a station house and setting fire to vehicles in California and Virginia.

Click on the links below for full versions of these stories and scroll further for trending stories, a look at today in history and celebrity birthdays.

Today's national forecast

Trending today

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On this date

Today in history: July 27 During the first official test of the U.S. Armys first airplane, Orville Wright flew himself and a passenger for one hour and 12 minutes, and

Happy birthday to ...
People wearing protective masks walk along Orchard Road in Singapore on 25 July, 2020. (PHOTO: LightRocket via Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 469 new COVID-19 cases as of Monday (27 July), taking Singapores total to 50,838.

The ministry also confirmed an additional cluster of five cases linked to a dormitory at 6 Sungei Kadut Street 2.

Separately, a one-year-old baby boy and two Singaporeans are among the 15 new imported cases, the highest daily count of such cases since testing was made mandatory for all travellers entering Singapore from 11.59pm on 17 June.

The last time the daily tally for imported cases hit two digits was almost four months ago on 1 April, which saw 20 imported cases.

Of the remaining new cases, two  including one Singaporean  are classified as cases in the community, while 452 are foreign workers living in dorms. Overall, only one per cent of the new cases are unlinked.

UPDATE: Details on Monday's 15 imported COVID-19 cases, 2 community cases in Singapore https://t.co/aRMwSiW6s6 pic.twitter.com/b0AgEvQrHg  Yahoo Singapore (@YahooSG) July 27, 2020

Amongst the 15 imported cases, two  cases 50694 and 50695  are Singaporeans who returned here from India on 15 July.

Another 11 cases are work pass or work permit holders who are currently employed in Singapore. They arrived in Singapore from India or the Philippines between 14 and 15 July. Another two  cases 50454 and 50696  are dependants pass holders who arrived from India on 12 and 14 July.

All of them had been placed on 14-day stay-home notice upon arrival here and had been tested while serving their notice, said the MOH.

Both cases in the community are linked to previous cases or clusters, and were detected due to proactive screening of persons working at dorms, even though they are asymptomatic, the ministry added. One is linked to the cluster at ASPRI-Westlite Papan dormitory, while the Singaporean is linked to the cluster at CDPL Tuas Dormitory.

Story continues

The ministry noted that the number of new cases in the community has decreased, from an average of 10 cases per day in the week before, to an average of five per day in the past week.

Similarly, the number of unlinked cases in the community has also decreased, from an average of five cases per day in the week before, to an average of three per day in the past week.

Five new public places visited by COVID-19 cases recently were added to the MOH list including a mosque in Yung An Road and Queensway Shopping Centre.

Authorities here expect to clear all dorms and workers residing in them by 7 August, with the exception of 17 standalone blocks in eight purpose-built dorms, which serve as quarantine facilities as well as 28,000 workers still serving out their isolation period.

As of 20 July, about 247,000 such workers living in dorms have either recovered, or have been tested to be free from the virus.

Infected workers comprise 47,983 cases  some 94.4 per cent  of Singapores total COVID-19 tally.

Some 90% recovered, zero in ICU

With 171 more patients discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities on Sunday, 45,692 cases  some 89.8% of the tally  have fully recovered from the infection.

Most of the 179 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while none are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

A total of 4,940 patients with mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive are isolated and cared for at community facilities.

Apart from 27 patients who have died from COVID-19 complications, 15 others who tested positive for the virus were determined to have died from unrelated causes, including three whose deaths were attributed to a heart attack and another four, whose deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease.

Only cases where the attending doctor or pathologist attributes the primary or underlying cause of death as due to COVID-19 infection will be added to the COVID-19 death count, said the MOH in previous press releases, adding that the method of assessment is consistent with international practices for classifying deaths.

As of 20 July, the ministry has conducted 1,170,049 swab tests, of which 571,496 were done on unique individuals. This translates to around 205,300 swabs conducted per 1 million total population, and about 100,300 unique individuals swabbed per 1 million total population.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

More Singapore stories:

PM Lee Hsien Loong announces new Cabinet, with new MP Tan See Leng in line-up

PM Lee Hsien Loong: No National Day Rally this year, Parliament to open on 24 August

Outgoing Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan discharged from hospital: PM Lee
Police are investigating CCTV footage and COVID-19 sign-in sheets in regards to the alleged sexual assault of a two-year-old girl at a play centre in Sydney's west on Sunday.

Emergency services were called to the Lollipops Playland & Cafe at Penrith before 12.30pm after the girl was found injured in a storeroom.

Lollipops Playland at Penrith, photographed in 2013. Credit:Penrith Star

The girl's mother, staff and other parents had been trying to find the lost child for about 20 minutes when another child located her in a distressed state and alerted the girl's mother.

The girl was taken to The Children's Hospital at Westmead and treated for several injuries. She has since been discharged.
The Acadiana Advocate will hold an online panel discussion on Wednesday, July 29, for a look at Lafayette's economy and its path forward.

WATCH LIVE

With the theme of "Bringing Back the Lafayette Economy," the event will focus on the impact and eventual recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, with a view toward any obstacles and emerging bright spots.

The event is the second of four summits that also will tap business and community leaders for a big-picture understanding of the economies in Baton Rouge, July 28; New Orleans, Aug. 6; and statewide. Aug. 7.

"The panels will explore trends that have emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and seek to understand how they will affect our business communities in the months ahead," said Publisher Judi Terzotis. "Part of our mission is to facilitate conversation. Now, more than ever, our communities need to come together to help navigate these unprecedented times and return to a robust economy."

Inside info on doing business in Acadiana We'll keep you posted on the Acadiana economy. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Each economic summit will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. via an online panel discussion, with the Acadiana event being livestreamed through theacadianaadvocate.com, plus Facebook Live and YouTube.

Panelists for the summit include...

Ben Berthelot, Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission; Gifford Briggs, Louisiana Oil & Gas Association; Jennifer Clowers, Our Lady of Lourdes; and Gary Wagner, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Hancock Whitney is sponsoring the Baton Rouge and other three summits. Acadian Ambulance and AARP are sponsors for the Lafayette and state summits.

Submit a question for one of the panelists below.

Can't see module below? Click here.
Thai police opened an internal investigation Monday after charges were dropped against the billionaire Red Bull heir in a fatal hit-and-run case as outrage boiled over a perceived culture of impunity for the rich.

Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, the grandson of the co-founder of energy drink giant Red Bull, was accused of killing a police officer when he crashed his Ferrari in Bangkok in 2012.

One of the heirs to the family's multi-billion-dollar fortune, Vorayuth's case received renewed public scrutiny after news on Friday that all charges against him had been dropped in June.

The public has latched onto "Boss" as an example of the kingdom's ultra-rich apparently enjoying different standards, and have taken to social media to vent their anger.

Following a weekend of vitriol on Twitter which led to trending hashtags like #BoycottRedBull and #BossRedBull, the police spokesman announced a change of heart.

"Police General Jakthip Chaijinda has set up an investigation team," said spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen.

The 15-day probe will "find the facts and show transparency and justice to everyone to see whether if the case followed police procedures," he added.

Police initially defended the decision, saying the attorney-general's office had sent them a letter in June informing them they were dropping the charges.

One of the charges of reckless driving causing death had several more years before the statute of limitations was set to expire.

But by Sunday afternoon, under pressure, the attorney-general's office announced it would set up a committee to investigate its own decision.

Red Bull's maker TCP Group distanced itself from Vorayuth in a rare public statement on Sunday, saying he has never assumed any role in the company's daily operations.

Government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat also announced that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha was "uneasy" about the decision to drop the charges, and has ordered all agencies involved to reinvestigate.

She added that the premier "confirms he has never helped nor interfered in the justice process".

The investigation comes as Thailand is undergoing a burgeoning pro-democracy movement, with young Thais taking to the streets daily to protest against a government they see stacked with former military generals and royalist establishment.

Prominent senator Wanchai Sornsiri  who is seen as a pro-military establishment stalwart  took to Facebook to comment on Thais' growing anger over issues big and small.

He said Vorayuth's case would "explode at the same time that student protests are escalating" around the kingdom.

"It is the last straw and the fire has been lit," he wrote.
TDT | Manama

The importance of sustaining effective efforts at ensuring the commitment and firm application of UN Security Council (UNSC) requirements was stressed yesterday by Foreign Affairs Ministry International Affairs undersecretary Dr Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

This came as Dr Shaikh Abdullah chaired the sixth meeting, held virtually, of the national committee to follow up on Bahrains commitment to all UNSC resolutions. Members of the committee representing ministries and concerned governmental entities participated. Dr Shaikh Abdullah noted the efforts of the committee in cooperation with the UN Office for Counter-Terrorism.

He thanked the members for their tireless efforts and important contributions to achieving their objectives , in accordance with international standards. The meeting reviewed the accomplished tasks and activities that contributed to enhancing the international standing of the Kingdom in the field of respecting international legitimacy resolutions and within the framework of the existing strategic partnership between Bahrain and the UN.

Dr Shaikh Abdullah highlighted the approval of the Cabinet, based on the recommendation of the Government Executive Committee, to establish a committee to combat extremism and terrorism and its financing and money laundering, in addition to proposing the designation of individuals and entities on the national terrorist lists.
A ceremony to honor the life of the late Civil Rights icon U.S. Rep. John Robert Lewis will be held Monday afternoon.

The longtime congressman will lie in state in the United States Capitol Rotunda. The ceremony will be held at 1:30 p.m. and livestreamed by PBS NewsHour.

The public is invited to pay their respects to Lewis on Monday and Tuesday. The Georgia Democrat will lie at the top of the east front steps of the U.S. Capitol for viewing. People are expected to file past on the east plaza.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus public health crisis, face coverings will be required to enter the line, which will begin at the corner of First and East Capitol streets NE.

Social distancing will also be strictly enforced, congressional leaders wrote in a statement. The family requests that members of the public do not travel to Washington, D.C. from across the country to pay their respects at the U.S. Capitol given the COVD-19 pandemic.

Virtual tributes may be posted online using the hashtags #BelovedCommunity or #HumanDignity.

Lewis was the longest-serving U.S. representative from Georgia, having served 17 terms as a U.S. representative, and was a prominent leader during the Civil Rights Movement.

The congressman was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders and helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, an influential activist organization that gave younger Americans more leadership within the Civil Rights Movement.

He died on July 17, seven months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old.

It is with inconsolable grief and enduring sadness that we announce the passing of U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the congressmans family said in a statement, CBS News reported. He was honored and respected as the conscience of the U.S. Congress and an icon of American history, but we knew him as a loving father and brother.

He was a stalwart champion in the on-going struggle to demand respect for the dignity and worth of every human being. He dedicated his entire life to nonviolent activism and was an outspoken advocate in the struggle for equal justice in America. He will be deeply missed.

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Vaping is likely to be banned in 11 areas of Melbourne's CBD and surrounds where cigarette smoking is already banned, including the Bourke Street Mall and the Tan and Princes Park running tracks.

The move would extend the definition of smoking, under local laws, to include using an e-cigarette.

A vaper in Bourke St Mall on Monday. Credit:Eddie Jim

The City of Melbourne has been working for months to extend its localised smoking bans to include vaping, in the face of opposition from civil libertarians, smokers and vapers, and those who argue vaping is a safer alternative to cigarettes and can help people quit altogether.

Councillors are divided on whether extending the smoking ban to include vaping would fulfil public health goals, with some saying on Monday they were still unsure how they would vote.
STRAWBERRY, Ala. - More than 40 people were infected with the coronavirus after attending a multi-day revival event at a north Alabama Baptist church, according to the congregations pastor.

The whole church has got it, just about, Al.com quoted pastor Daryl Ross of Warrior Creek Missionary Baptist Church in Marshall County as saying.

The pastor says the churchgoers, including himself, tested positive after the congregation held a series of religious services featuring a guest pastor over the course of several days last week.

Ross said the services were shut down by Friday after learning that one of the members who attended had tested positive for the virus. The member presented no symptoms, but got tested when several of his coworkers received positive tests, according to the pastor.

Over the weekend, dozens more fell ill, Ross said, adding: Ive got church members sick everywhere.

We knew what we were getting into, he said. We knew the possibilities.

Ross said only two members cases were serious, and as of Sunday, nobody had been hospitalized, though many had reported having fevers, headaches and respiratory issues.

He said some social distancing measures were in place during the services, which were held multiple times a day, and most members skipped the events out of concern for the virus. Those that attended sat with their own families. Masks were not required, the newspaper reported.

We let everybody do what they felt like. ... If you were comfortable shaking hands, you shook hands. If you didnt, you didnt, the pastor said.

The church is located in a small community called Strawberry, about 60 miles (97 kilometres) northeast of Birmingham.

___

Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
This partnership, formalized by an MOU on July 23, will support NCBA CLUSA's mission to develop and advance cooperative enterprise around the world by enhancing the impact of its technical assistance and capacity-building activitiesparticularly those related to cooperatives' commercialization, knowledge exchange and advocacy.

As part of the agreement, a pilot will be launched in Peru, starting with some of the farmer cooperatives NCBA CLUSA works with in that country. It will start with products such as coffee, cocoa and bananas and will expand to include other products such as grapes, asparagus, mangos, blueberries, giant white corn, quinoa and other Andean grains. The pilot will also seek to involve institutions such as the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Production so that more Peruvian organizations can benefit from the marketing platform.

Participation in the platform will be extended to other organizations interested in using it as sellers and/or buyers. While NCBA CLUSA will initially manage the Peru pilot, its management will ultimately be transferred to a forthcoming cooperative founded by interested users of the platform, including Peruvian cooperative apex organizations, which will use transaction fees to provide better and additional services to their member cooperatives. Upon the pilot's success, NCBA CLUSA will work to expand the use of Direct Global/Direct Co-ops' platform in other countries.

The platform will enable farmers to sell their products directly to US retail co-ops and small businesses through Direct Global/Direct Co-ops' platform and global network, which includes the Commonwealth, China, the U.S.-Pacific Rim Chamber of Commerce and other partners. Through this collaboration, farmers will also gain the tools to become more efficient locally, helping them purchase products and vote on issues. This will help make fair trade and organic products more accessible to all.

"I am honored to work with NCBA CLUSA, an organization that has been a pillar of equality for over 100 years, representing over 120 million Americans, and standing at the forefront of social capitalism. This partnership with NCBA CLUSA is the only tangible chance we have with the economic disruption that has taken place, to bring justice to both co-op communities and small and medium-sized businesses in this new age of economic uncertainty", said Ahmed Attia, President and CEO of Direct Global/Direct Co-ops.

Alex Serrano, Senior Vice President of International Development at NCBA CLUSA, said the organization was thrilled to partner with Direct Global/Direct Co-ops. "Access to an ecommerce platform has never been more critical. This platform will enable us to be more effective in how we link small farmers to markets, helping them and their cooperatives better navigate a post COVID-19 world."

About NCBA CLUSA

The National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) is the primary voice in the United States for people who use cooperatives to build a better world and a more inclusive economy. Founded in 1916, NCBA CLUSA strives to develop, advance and protect cooperative enterprise through cross-sector advocacy, education and public awareness that help co-ops thrive, highlighting the impact that cooperatives have in bettering the lives of individuals and families. Internationally, NCBA CLUSA has worked in over 100 countries building resilient communities, creating economic opportunities and strengthening cooperatives. Our work is guided by an approach that empowers smallholder farmers, women and youth in the areas of food security, agricultural development, strengthening of communities and farmer organizations, community-based health and natural resources management.

About Direct Global/Direct Co-ops

Direct Global is a technology company focused on developing and operating platforms that allow purchasers to leverage their collective purchasing power to reduce the cost of procuring raw materials, finished goods and services.

The company's proprietary web-based platform enables medium and large corporations to harness their collective purchasing power to reduce purchasing and shipping costs. The company's subsidiary, Direct Co-ops, focuses on helping small and medium-sized businesses. Direct Co-ops has developed a web-based platform that works with local business associations and others to connect local small and medium enterprises and enable them to aggregate orders for goods and services from local and national manufacturers, suppliers and service providers. By consolidating shipping, the company helps participating businesses reduce the environmental impact of their supply chains. Direct Global /

Direct Global/Direct Co-ops is also a Canadian strategic partner to the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (cweic.org) and the exclusive ecommerce partner to the US Pacific Rim Chamber of Commerce (www.pacrimcc.org). It has been featured on Bloomberg-BNN, Yahoo! Finance, Business Insider and received mention in "Everything for Everyone", Nathan Schneider's seminal text on the modern business cooperative movement.

Through Direct Global/Direct Co-ops' founded Local Driver Co-op, led by Torsten Kunert (the "Rideshare Professor"), drivers will receive 90% of the revenue and ownership in the platform, which will allow consumers to save 20% (versus the incumbents) while still paying the drivers more than what they currently make. In addition, the platform enables and encourages communication between the members and the group leaders, allowing them to vote on the issues that matter the most to the drivers, ensuring that the drivers' voices will always be heard. In the future, the co-op through its equity structure will be able to finance driverless vehicles on behalf of its members, further securing the future of the drivers in the age of automation.

Press Contact: Steve Anthony, 647-282-5250, https://www.directcoops.com

SOURCE Direct Global/Direct Co-ops

Related Links

https://www.directcoops.com


US Woman Arrested, Accused of Trying to Provide Support to Al-Qaida

By Sirwan Kajjo July 26, 2020

An American woman accused of attempting to provide material support to the al-Qaida terror group was arrested last week in the U.S. city of Phoenix, in the southwestern state of Arizona.

Jill Marie Jones of Chandler, Arizona, was arrested Wednesday at the Phoenix airport before she could travel to join al-Qaida, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement Friday.

According to a criminal complaint filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Jones was in communication with two FBI undercover agents, one of whom she believed to be a member of al-Qaida. During her conversations with the purported al-Qaida member, Jones agreed to send him money to buy scopes for rifles that would be used by al-Qaida to kill American soldiers.

In May, Jones gave the purported al-Qaida member $500 using a prepaid gift card for the purpose, the FBI complaint said.

"Jones purchased tickets to fly overseas to join al-Qaida in Afghanistan, but due to airport closures, she changed her flights to go to Turkey instead," the Justice Department statement said, adding that "Jones planned to then travel on to Syria."

Daryl Johnson, a former senior domestic terrorism analyst at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, says these types of arrests continue to occur in the U.S.

"Every year we see a dozen or so of these arrests where people are attempting to flee the country to be foreign fighters or providing material support to terrorism overseas," he told VOA.

Johnson said many of these arrests are made through "sting operations" where FBI agents pose as al-Qaida or Islamic State operatives to engage with terror suspects.

Travel plans

According to the FBI criminal complaint, in one of the conversations with the undercover FBI employee, Jones discussed traveling to the Afghan province of Kunduz to join al-Qaida militants, following advice from an unknown contact who was in online communication with her.

A U.N. Security Council report released Saturday said al-Qaida is still active in 12 Afghan provinces. Other militant groups, such as Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), are also active in Kunduz, the report said.

In another conversation with the undercover FBI employee, Jones expressed her support for al-Qaida.

Travel restrictions related to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic didn't seem to deter Jones from wanting to travel to join al-Qaida, the FBI complaint added.

In another conversation with the undercover FBI employee, she discussed on June 13 the possibility of traveling to Turkey and then to Syria to join Hurras al-Din group.

Hurras al-Din is an extremist group based in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib. The jihadist faction is considered al-Qaida's Syria affiliate.

Online radicalization

Analyst Johnson said many al-Qaida affiliates around the world have been producing online propaganda materials specifically designed to target Americans.

"A lot of Americans can get radicalized and introduced to these extremist beliefs just by watching social media sites like YouTube," he said, noting that, "al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has an extensive American outreach."

Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born al-Qaida propagandist, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in Yemen in 2011, was reportedly behind the publication of the Inspire Magazine, an English-language online magazine that sought to spread al-Qaida's extremist ideology.

The magazine "is still available online for people to read its past issues to get ideas as it was written specifically for an American audience," Johnson told VOA.

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KIIT Deemed to be University here on Sunday announced its decision to provide technical and professional education free of cost to children of the people succumbing to COVID-19 in Odisha.

Noting that COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted and devastated normal life and livelihoods of the people of Odisha, KIIT Deemed to be University said it has extended a helping hand to the families of the Covid deceased.

Acting on a proposal by the founder of KIIT and KISS and MP, Dr Achyuta Samanta, KIIT-DU has decided to provide technical and professional education absolutely free of cost to the children of the Covid deceased, it said in a statement.

Sons and daughters of the Covid deceased, who are interested, can apply to different technical and professional courses of KIIT-DU, including ITI and Diploma, as per their eligibility for admission, it said.

This facility will be available for two academic years, 2020-21 and 2021-22 only, informed KIIT authorities.

Preference will be given to the children of Covid deceased from below poverty level, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes categories.

The move will provide relief to the people of Odisha who have been made helpless by the pandemic, it said.

The Covid-19 pandemic has infected millions and caused much panic across the globe, including India and Odisha. KIIT has always reached out to the distressed people during natural calamities in the state.
US federal troops fire tear gas on peaceful protesters in Portland

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 July 2020 4:24 AM

US federal troops have used tear gas and flash bang grenades against Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland, on the 57th consecutive day of unrest in the city.

Security forces beat the demonstrators with nightsticks and used tear gas and rubber bullets to drive them back on Saturday night, according to reports.

The UN human rights office has already called on US police and security forces in Portland and other cities not to use disproportionate force or unlawful detention against protesters.

Protests in Portland were sparked over the death of African American George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in the city of Minneapolis nearly two months ago.

Protesters voiced anger over the deployment of federal agents to crack down on the rallies. The US Justice Department said it was investigating the use of force by the troops.

They chanted slogans against federal agents that have been deployed to the city by the US administration to quell protests triggered by the brutal murder of Floyd in police custody in May.

The Mayor of Portland also opposed the presence of the agents in the city, saying it was escalating the crisis.

Protesters complained of the federal agents' presence in the city and voiced their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, AFP reported.

"I don't like what's happening down here, what Trump is doing," said Mike Shikany, a 55-year-old aerospace engineer,

Shikany added he did not "want to get anywhere near the little green men," meaning the federal troops.

Jean Mullen, 74, said that without pressure nothing would change in the United States.

"It's time to become the country we always brag about being. And we can't brag anymore, about anything. We aren't first in anything and it's a terrible, terrible thing to see at the end of my life," she said.

Teacher says Portland a "war zone"

"This is a war zone," said US history teacher Joseph Erikson during an interview on the Portland protests.

Erikson is based in Seattle but came to witness the demonstrations as part of a school trip with students and colleagues.

The deployment of federal troops, ordered by President Donald Trump, has drawn widespread backlash from various popular rights groups and organizations, pitting state authorities against the White House.

Democratic leaders in Oregon say federal intervention has worsened the two-month crisis, and the state attorney general sued to allege some people had been whisked off the streets in unmarked vehicles.

Trump announced plans on Wednesday to dispatch a "surge" of federal agents to US cities amid widening crackdown on anti-racism protests.

The US president, who is running for re-election in November on a campaign of law and order, has threatened to deploy federal forces in more "Democrat-run cities" accused of being soft on crime.

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Germany opposes Russias return to the G7 until the end of annexation of Crimea and aggression in Donbas, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said.

In an interview with Rheinische Post, he said: "Russia itself can make the greatest contribution to making these doors open."

Maas recalled that the reason for Russia's exclusion from the G8 was its illegal annexation of Crimea and aggression in eastern Ukraine.

Until we have a solution, I do not see any chances [for the return of the Russian Federation to the G7], the minister stressed.

Answering a journalist's question about whether Europe has written off Crimeas issue, the German foreign minister said: We cannot just shrug our shoulders and take into account that in the 21st century the borders in Europe are redrawn in such a way.

We are not sending signals to Moscow: after the situation in eastern Ukraine is settled, the Crimea issue will also be resolved, Maas added.

ish
Australias competition regulator has accused Alphabets Google of misleading consumers over data privacy issues. As reported by Reuters, the company misled users get permission for use of their personal data for targeted advertising.

Google is already having to testify in an antitrust hearing in Washington in the coming days so this could not have come at a worse time. The company also had to promise not to use FitBit data amidst EU concerns over its practices.

The Australian regulator is reportedly seeking a fine in the millions. This is in the aim to establish a precedent and to deter others from similar behavior.

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Google could face a massive fine over data privacy issues

This all comes are more scrutiny than ever is being placed on data privacy and the behavior of big tech companies. US and European lawmakers are currently focusing on how to create laws to deal with how tech companies treat user data.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has accused Google of a range of different things. These include not explicitly getting consent or properly informing consumers of a change in 2016. This saw the company combine personal information in Google accounts with browsing activities on non-Google websites.

The commissioner, Rod Sims pointed out that this change was worth a lot of money to Google. The commission, therefore, alleges that the company achieved this through misleading behavior.

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What this change did was allow Google to link browsing behavior with their names and identities. This applied to millions of users and therefore gave them huge market power.

Sims said, we consider Google misled Australian consumers about what it planned to do with large amounts of their personal information.

Google hit back at regulator accusation

Google, however, claims that users were informed and the change was optional to them. The company says it was an opt-in process through prominent and easy-to-understand notifications.

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If a user did not consent, their experience of our products and services remained unchanged, a Google spokesman said.

In June 2016 Google did change the wording of its privacy policy. It dropped a statement that it would not combine data known as cookies from its advertisement display business with personal information. The regulator claims that Google made this change without making the privacy issues properly clear to its customers.

Sims and the ACCC are not shying away from the importance of their decision and accusation. He says, this is an action we are taking that others have not. The regulator aims to set up a common law on what providers in various jurisdictions can do.

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This would also potentially have the result of seeking millions in damages. However, Sims did not specify an exact figure in this statement leaving it somewhat open.

However, this is a bold statement from the ACCC and Australia. They have taken decisive action where others have failed to. It will be interesting to see how this develops over the coming months with other regulators and authorities.
A 55-year-old patient of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), who went missing from a government hospital in Uttar Pradeshs Prayagraj on Saturday, was found dead in bushes around 500 metres away on Sunday evening.

A CCTV footage, which has now gone viral, shows a man resembling the patient walking out of the Covid-19 ward of the SRN Hospital at around 4.30pm on Saturday.

Officials said his body was spotted by employees of a nursery, near a police officers house, who then informed the police.

The mans family has alleged he was not given proper treatment at the SRN Hospital. The administration, however, has denied their claims.

Also read: Indias coronavirus epidemic is now the worlds fastest growing

Dinesh Kumar Singh, superintendent of police (city), said the man from Rajapur area was admitted to the hospital on Friday and went missing on Saturday night.

A missing persons complaint was lodged on his familys complaint and a massive search was launched but he could not be found.

The family said they reached the hospital when his phone was switched off since Saturday night. The staff told them he had fled the hospital despite efforts to stop him.

The mans daughter claimed her father had informed her of the poor condition at the ward while speaking to her over the phone.

The family released an audio clip late on Sunday as they claimed the man had called them up on Saturday morning, hours before he escaped from the hospital. He reportedly said his complaints at the hospital had gone unheard.

My mouth was dry all night. I felt suffocated probably because of the ventilator. I tried to tell a few people here to help but no one listened, the man is heard saying in the clip while talking with his family members.

Also read: Eat less to reduce Covid-19 death risk, UK tells people

A CCTV footage also shows a group of men walking out of the same gate from which the man came out. The hospital administration has claimed the men work with the hospital and were trying to pursue the patient.

This patient had fever and breathing problems. His condition was improving. However, he walked out all of a sudden. The doctors and staff tried to stop him but he left before anyone could stop him. We immediately informed the police, Dr SP Singh, the principal of MLN Medical College to which SRN Hospital is associated with, said.
South Africa has recorded over 434,200 cases of the coronavirus, making it the fifth highest country in the world, with only slightly fewer cases than Russia, and placing it above the UK, Iran and Italy.

The number of cases is rising rapidly. According to the Financial Times , It took three months for South Africa to record its first 100,000 cases on June 22. It then hit 200,000 on July 6. The rate at which detected cases are doubling in the country, about every two weeks, implies that confirmed infections will be one million early August. The countrys peak may be that month or September, according to modelling carried out for the South African government.

While the country of 58 million people has officially recorded more than 6,655 deaths due to the disease, the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has calculated that the number of excess deaths over the comparable figure in previous years suggests a death toll of more than 17,000.

These figures included deaths from conditions such as HIV and tuberculosis that might normally have been diagnosed and treated but for the redirection of health resources to the pandemic, as well as those caused directly by COVID-19. Some people are thought to be avoiding seeking treatment as fears of the virus spread and public hospitals are overwhelmed.

The real number of deaths due to the pandemic is considerably higher than the officially reported numbers, thanks to the woeful state of the countrys health care system. A BBC investigation in Eastern Cape found that hospitals and clinics were filthy and dilapidated, with medical staff having to do cleaning and laundry. Its health care systems, underfunded and starved of resources for decades, were in complete collapse, amid disturbing reports of unborn babies and mothers dying in overcrowded and understaffed wards. Nurses and doctors reported a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), no ambulances and a complete lack of ventilation, with patients sleeping on the floor under newspapers and others fighting over oxygen because of severe shortages.

Dr Michael Ryan, director of the World Health Organizations (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme, said, I am very concerned right now that we are beginning to see an acceleration of disease in Africa. He added, While South Africa is experiencing a very, very severe event, I think it is really a marker of what the continent could face if urgent action is not taken to provide further support. South Africa may, unfortunately, be a precursor, it may be a warning for what will happen in the rest of Africa.

Of the more than 812,000 cases and 17,000 deaths recorded in Africa, home to 1.3 billion people, more than half have been in just five countriesSouth Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria and Ghanain part due to their higher testing capacity. But according to the WHO, the pandemic is spreading rapidly, with cases more than doubling in the last month in 22 African countries, with particularly sharp spikes in Ethiopia, Kenya, Cameroon, and Djibouti, mostly from community transmission.

According to the Surgo Foundation, even its lowest estimates of Africas fatalitiesbased on age and gender distribution and adjusted for poor quality of health services and co-morbidities, such as HIV/Aidsimplies that if 60 percent of Africans eventually become infected, more than 4 million will die.

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) chief John Nkengasong said, Our hospitals will be overwhelmed, and urged governments to carry out more testing, tracing and isolation.

Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria, is the epicentre of the coronavirus in South Africa, recording 144,334 cases or 36 percent of confirmed infections. But Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has warned that KwaZulu-Natal, South Africas coastal province centred around Durban, could take over as the next epicentre.

Dr Bandile Masuku, a Gauteng official, shocked the country recently when he said that the province was preparing 1.5 million graves. Asked about the preparations, Africa CDC chief John Nkengasong said, Theres absolutely no harm to think ahead and that it was best to plan for the worst-case scenario.

In a bid to contain the virus, the African National Congress (ANC) government of President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the reintroduction of some lockdown measures, including a night time curfew, a ban on gatherings and social visits, and the closure of all schools for four weeks from July 28.

In Gauteng, thousands of teachers have chosen not to go back to the classroom for fear of catching the virus, including teachers over the age of 60 with comorbidities. Parents have chosen not to send their children back to school, with attendance ranging from 25 to 58 percent. At least 154 schools have been forced to close after reporting cases of COVID-19. Gautengs member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education Panyaza Lesufi said, The majority of learners preferred to learn at home.

Mine workers have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, with the platinum sector the most affected. Of the 6,623 miners who tested positive, 3,485 were from the platinum mines and 1,620 from the gold mines. At least 52 mineworkers have died of the coronavirus. Buffalo Coal was forced to cease operations after a miner tested positive. The disease is likely to spread even deeper as tens of thousands of miners begin to return into South Africa. At least 45,000 migrant mineworkers from Mozambique are returning to the country as lockdown restrictions are eased.

S&P Global Ratings predicts the South African economy, which before the pandemic was in its second recession in two years, will contract by 6.9 percent due to the pandemic, while the South African central bank predicts a 7.3 percent contraction. The treasury has revised its forecast for the 2020-21 budget deficit from 6.8 percent of GDP to 15.7 percent, with more than 20 percent of the budget going on debt servicing.

Some three million people lost their jobs over the lockdown period, and an already high unemployment rate of 30 percent is set to rise further, with the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry fearing it could reach 50 percent. Without work and income, between five and six million workers (15 percent of adults) moved back to their villages.

The governments pledge to provide income support failed to materialise for more than a tiny fraction of the 15 million it was supposed to help. Most of the people contacted in a research report cited in the Economist reported they had run out of money for food in May, while nearly half reported they could not afford enough food in April.

Eskom, the main government-owned power utility company, has seen its debt rise from $27 billion to $29 billion, even as the country is subject to frequent power outages. As a result of neglect, sabotage and flooding that has gone unremedied for years, the corporation has cut power generation on a regular basis. It was forced to shut its Camden plant that generated 1,600 megawatts amid fears that the dam where it stores ash from burning coal was at risk of bursting.

The power outages have battered the economy and created widespread suffering and discontent. Workers and their families living in the townships in poorly ventilated and poorly insulated shacks have been left to battle the elements as the winter digs in. At least six provinces will receive disruptive snowfall, very cold conditions and blizzards in the coming weeks.

The police have responded with force to protests and strikes. To cite two recent examples, community care workers demanding permanent employment in Eastern Cape province were met with stun grenades and rubber bullets after refusing to leave provincial health departments offices, while 40 workers demanding unpaid wages were arrested and imprisoned in Stellenbosch.
Sensex, Nifty Highlights: Equity indices Sensex and Nifty started the week on a bearish note after lcosing lower on Monday, accounting the reverse in SGX Nifty and weak global equities. Sensex closed 194 points lower at 37,934 and Nifty ended 62 points lower at 11,131. Traders said markets will continue taking cues from the worldwide trend. Domestic markets fell further today after a report by the central bank Reserve Bank of India (RBI) forecasted that bad loans could soar due to a rise in pandemic-led debt burdens. Investor sentiments also remained fragile amid the start of a Q1 earnings season. Meanwhile, growing tensions between the US and China have kept sentiments weak for equities markets on a global scale.

Here's a look at the updates of the market action on BSE and NSE today

4.00 PM: Expert qoute on market

Commenting on today's weak trend, Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services said,"Indian benchmark indices ended a volatile day in the red, following negative global cues and domestic uncertainties. Global markets were impacted due to rising US-China tensions and suspected second wave of virus infections. Financials led the losses following an RBI report which expected a surge in bad loans this year. Record number of virus infections in India also added to the uncertainty. Investors are advised to remain stock specific and keep accumulating only quality stocks in this scenario."

3. 45 PM: Closing

Equity indices Sensex and Nifty started the week on a bearish note after lcosing lower on Monday, accounting the reverse in SGX Nifty and weak global equities. Sensex closed 194 points lower at 37,934 and Nifty ended 62 points lower at 11,131.

3. 28 PM: ITC share price slips after 26%

ITC share price fell in trade today after the FMCG major reported a 26 per cent year-on-year (YoY) fall in consolidated profit after tax for the June quarter. Share price of ITC lost 2.3% to Rs 195.1 against previous close of Rs 199.70 on BSE.

ITC share price slips after 26% fall in Q1 net profit

3. 13PM: YES Bank hits 10% lower circuit

YES Bank shares were locked in 10 per cent lower circuit after its follow-on public offer (FPO) shares started trading on Monday. The stock plunged 9.89 per cent to Rs 12.30, its lower circuit limit, on the BSE. At the NSE, it fell 9.89 per cent to its lowest trading permissible limit for the day of Rs 12.30. The lower circuit is the limit below which a stock price cannot trade on a particular trading day so as to control the volatility in the stock price.

YES Bank hits 10% lower circuit after FPO shares list

3. 10 PM: Sectors today

Except IT, metal and energy index, all the other sectors closed lower today, with almost 3.5% fall in banking and financial stocks.

2. 45 PM: Future Retail shares go up 5%

Shares of India's Future Retail Ltd jumped almost 5% on Monday after a report cited that oil-to-telecoms conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd, led by Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani, is close to acquiring Future Group's retail unit. "(Reliance and Future) have ironed out their differences over certain terms and conditions and a deal will be announced soon," the Times of India newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the negotiations.

Future Retail shares go up 5% after reports of RIL acquisition

2. 34 PM: Earnings today

BEL, Bharti Infratel, India Cements, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Marico, Nippon AMC and Tech Mahindra are among the top companies that will be reporting their April-June quarterly earnings

2. 26 PM: Top losers and gainers

Asian Paints, HCL Tech, Infosys, UltraTech Cement, TCS were among the top gainers, while Axia Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank and Zee Entertainment were among the top gainers today

2. 12 PM: Gold and silver outlook

Gold price moved to record highs driven by rising tensions between US and China and a weak dollar. Also expectation of more stimulus helped the yellow metal stay in demand.

Geojit Financial in its dailty report said, "As prices cleared the all-time high of $1920, expect a gap up opening and prices likely to surge towards the next resistance of $2000. A direct drop below $1880 could negate the trend while immediate reversal point is seen at $1860. MCX Gold Aug Res: 51880 Support: 50710"

On Silver the reportsaid,"Bullish rallies to continue with prices likely to find resistance near Rs 65000. Next upside obstacle in London spot market is seen at $24.60 followed by $28. Weak bias expected only if prices break the support of $19.20. MCX Silver Aug: Res at Rs 65000/74000. Sup: 56400."

2. 04 PM: HDFC Bank share price slips 3%

Share price of HDFC Bank share price fell over 3% in afternoon session today amid reports that Aditya Puri, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the lender sold 95 per cent of his stake in the lender last week.

His stake was valued at Rs 843 crore this week. Puri sold 74.2 lakh shares of the bank between July 21 and 24, according to stock exchange filings. Subsequently, share price of HDFC Bank slipped 3.65% to Rs 1,077 against previous close of Rs 1,118 on BSE.

HDFC Bank share price slips 3% after Aditya Puri sells stake

1. 46 PM: Karur Vysya Bank shares gain almsot 5%

Shares of Karur Vysya Bank were trading in the green in Monday's trade after data showed that ace stock investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala increased stake in the lender to 4.50 per cent during the April-June quarter. The stock has gained 46% since March 27, 2020.

Following the update, shares of Karur Vysya Bank opened at Rs 31,05 and later climbed 4.95% to the day's high of Rs 31.75 as against the earlier close of Rs 30.25 on BSE.

The stock price of Karur Vysya Bank trades higher than 50 and 100 day but lower than 5, 20 and 200-day moving averages. Karur Vysya Bank stock has risen after 3 days of consecutive fall. Market capitalisation of the lender stood at Rs 2.449.80 crore as of today's session.

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala raises stake in this lender as stock gains 46% in four months

1. 32 PM: Global markets

Asian markets were trading mostly mixed as investors continue to watch for developments on vaccine front and fresh stimulus packages.

U.S. markets closed lower on Friday with Tech stocks witnessing one more day of decline as investors where looking for cues from U.S.-China tensions and fresh stimulus. European markets closed lower on Friday as U.S.-China tensions continued to weigh with technology stock declining the most

1. 09 PM: Nifty outlook

Grojit Financial in its note said," The suggested pivot of 11167 did provide trading opportunities as Nifty swung on either sides. The close above the same lends a positive bias for the early trades today, but the projected target of 11275-390 may take a while to gain traction. Expect volatility to continue having an upper hand. Directional downsides may have to seek confirmation from a break beyond 11035."

12. 45 PM: Oil prices trade lower

Oil price lost ground as rising corona virus cases and rising tensions between US and China made investors more cautious. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.02 per cent to USD 43.35 per barrel.

12. 37 PM: Rupee rises today

Indian rupee, the local currency appreciated by 14 paise to 74.69 per US dollar on Monday, tracking positive Asian currencies.

The Indian currency went on to further strengthen its position after opening bullish and touched 74.69 against the US dollar, up 14 paise over its previous close of 74.83 against the greenback in the previous session on Friday.

Stronger Asian currencies against the US dollar this morning helped investors bolster sentiment, traders said.

12. 23 PM: Domestic markets trade lower

Domestic markets fell further today after a report by the central bank Reserve Bank of India (RBI) forecasted that bad loans could soar due to a rise in pandemic-led debt burdens. Banking stocks dropped as report said that bad loans could rise to as much as 15% of the total loans by March 2021.

12. 14 PM: Global markets trade lower

Global stocks have been trading lower since last week tracking growing geopolitical tensions. Growing tensions between the US and China have kept sentiments weak for equities markets on a global scale.

12.04 PM: Bitcoin surpasses $10,000-mark

After several weeks of trading in narrow ranges, bitcoin breached $10,000 on Sunday for the first time since early June.

In addition to suffering pricing blows due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, the virtual currency went through its third so-called halving on May 11, which cut the rewards given to those who "mine" bitcoin to 6.25 new coins from 12.5.

The "halving" has affected the supply side of bitcoin and increased the time needed for miners to find their break-even point.

Bitcoin surpasses $10,000-mark for first time since early June

11. 49 AM: Gold, silver prices hit all-time highs

Gold futures on Multi Commodity Exchange were trading 785 points higher at Rs 51,820 per 10 gm for the first time ever against the previous close of Rs 51,035 per 10 gm. Earlier today, Gold August Futures today touched an intraday as well as an all-time high of Rs 51,833 and a low of Rs 51,657 today, after opening at 51,749 per 10 gm. On a similar note, Silver September futures gained Rs 3,547 to trade at 64,770 per kg today, after hitting a lifetime high of Rs 64,896 earlier in today's session.

Gold, silver prices hit all-time highs today; here's what analysts say

11. 35 AM: ICICI Bank Q1FY21 result quote

Commenting on Q1FY21 results of ICICI Bank, Jaikishan Parmar, Sr. Equity Research Analyst, Angel Broking said,"ICICI Bank PAT marginally above estimate and overall it reported decent number considering stringent lockdown quarter. Other income largely supported by stake sale of 4% in ICICI Lombard General Insurance and 1.5% in shareholding in ICICI Prudential Life Insurance. Cost to income plunged 1300bps primarily owing to cut in other expenses, which we believe is not sustainable. Positives are asset quality continues to improve, Lower slippages might be owing to standstill benefit. Deposit grew 20% YoY and 4% sequentially."

He added," We have a positive view on ICICI Bank considering lower valuation (1.3x FY22 ABV core banking business) compare to historical average, Healthy liability franchise, adequate coverage on the bad asset and strong Capital adequacy ratio of 16.32%."

ICICI Bank share price declines 5% after Q1 earnings

11.22 AM: Gold outlook

On gold's near term outlook, Anuj Gupta, DVP- Commodities and Currencies Research, Angel Broking said," Today, again we saw that gold has touched the life time high at Rs 51,833 levels and in international market it touched the life time high to $1944.50 per ounce levels. Silver also touched the 8 years high of Rs 64,849 levels. Geopolitical tension between US & China and weakness in dollar supports the bullions. Dollar is weaking against all major currencies at 93.80 levels. US Bonds yields is also low which supports safe heaven demand for bullions. We expect this rally in bullion will continue and gold and silver will move further upside. Gold may test Rs 52500 levels and silver Rs 66,000 levels soon."

11. 17 AM: Mindspace Business Parks REIT IPO

Mindspace Business Parks REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust), jointly owned by K Raheja group and Blackstone, is all set to launch its Rs 4,500 crore initial public offering (IPO) this week. The IPO opens for subscription between Monday to Wednesday with a price band of Rs 274-275 per unit. As per documents filed with the SEBI, the Rs 4,500 crore Mindspace IPO consists of a fresh issue of units aggregating up to Rs 1,000 crore and offer for sale (OFS) of units of Rs 3,500 crore.

11. 02 AM: China's crude oil imports from Saudi rise 15% in June

China's crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia rose 15% in June from a year ago, as refiners ordered record volumes of the fuel in March and April when oil prices tumbled, cementing the kingdom's position as the top oil supplier to China. Imports from Saudi Arabia rose to 8.88 million tonnes in June, or 2.16 million bpd, in June, according to data from the General Administration of Customs on Sunday.

China's crude oil imports from Saudi rise 15% in June to 8.88 million tonnes

10.49 AM: Grofers advances IPO plan

Softbank-backed Grofers has advanced its plan to launch an initial public offer by the end of next year after its profit zoomed during the lockdown period, a top official of the company said.

Grofers co-founder and CEO Albinder Dhindsa told PTI that the company started making operational profit in January and expects to become cash positive by the end of this year.

Grofers advances IPO plan to 2021-end as lockdown bolsters profits

10. 30 AM: Coronavirus Toll

In India, investors' focus is back to surging domestic coronavirus cases that saw a record jump of nearly 50,000 infections over the last 24 hours and came to 1,436,019 by Monday morning, with total deaths standing at 32,812. Worldwide, there are 16,421,952 confirmed cases and 652,308 deaths from the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.

10. 13 AM: ICICI Bank drops over 4%

ICICI Bank share price fell 4.5% after the lender reported a profit that missed estimates for the quarter to June as its provisions for bad loans rose sharply. The lender reported 32% rise YoY in its Q1 FY21 profit at Rs 2,599.1 crore. Company's net interest income rose 20% to Rs 9,280 crore.

10.02 AM: Gold outlook

On MCX Gold's near term outlook, Kishore Narne, Associate Director & Head, Commodities & Currencies, Motilal Oswal Financial Services said," We have been bullish on gold for the last couple of years and the view has played out very well, and two quarters back in Dec'19, we have revised our targets from Rs 42,000/10gms to Rs 65,000/10 Gms in 18-24 months. We expect gold to keep up the momentum with occasional corrections, and we suggest investors to use every dip to keep buying gold over medium to long term targets of Rs 65,000".

9. 46 AM: Market falls further

Equity indices Sensex and Nifty started the week on a bearish note, and fell sharply on Monday, accounting the reverse in SGX Nifty and weak global equities. Sensex fell 216 points to 37,911 and Nifty traded66 points lower at 11,127.

9. 34 AM: Stocks in news

Stocks to watch today on July 27: Cipla, ICICI Bank, InterGlobe Aviation, Adani Power, Infosys among others are the top stocks to watch out for in Monday's trading session

Stocks in news: Cipla, ICICI Bank, InterGlobe Aviation, Adani Power, Infosys

9. 26 AM: Global outlook

Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services said, "Global markets were also affected on account of rising US-China tensions. Markets head into the weekend with this uncertainty in mind, after a quid pro quo from the Chinese government. Any further developments in this front will impact trade for next week".

9. 16 AM: Nifty outlook

Sameet Chavan, Chief Analyst-Technical and Derivatives, Angel Broking, said, "As we step into the monthly expiry week, our eyes would be on a few crucial levels. On the upside, 11,250 is the level to watch out for; whereas, 11,050 has now become key support. As an optimist, one should remain hopeful as long as we are trading above this swing low (11,050) and expect the market to give breakout in an upward direction to extend the move towards 11,350-11,400. However, a breach of lower end should be treated as a short-term pause to see some decent profit booking.

"Week ahead in share market: 5 things you need to know for coming week

9.00 AM: Global cues

Besides concerns over the rising spread of coronavirus, the ongoing global cues will continue to dictate the market trend. Gains were under check by the concerns of worsening tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Asian shares and US stock futures bounced back on bearish trend on Friday and slipped from five-year highs, followed by over 3 per cent drop in China's Shenzhen stocks amid rising US-China tensions.

8. 50 AM: Earnings today

BEL, Bharti Infratel, India Cements, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Marico, Nippon AMC and Tech Mahindra are among the top companies that will be reporting their April-June quarterly earnings

8. 40 AM: Rupee Closing

On the currency front, Indian Rupee ended weak against the US dollar at 74.94 as compared to the last closing of 74.76 per dollar.

8. 30 AM: Closing

Sensex and Nifty ended on a flat note on Friday amid weak global equities. Sensex closed 11 points lower at 38,128 and Nifty fell 21 points at 11,194. During the week, Sensex and Nifty gained 3% and 2.6%, respectively. Both indices have gained more than 33% each since India first went into lockdown in late March.

Sensex, Nifty end flat as rising US-China tensions spook global markets
Three men in Chicago were charged with federal gun charges as part of President Trump's Operation Legend, which will deploy hundreds of additional federal agents to help law enforcement fight 'violent crimes' in the city.

The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Illinois revealed the suspects are the first to be charged under the new federal initiative that cropped up in early July.

The arrests come after Trump on Wednesday officially announced that 'hundreds' of federal officers would be deployed to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, as civilians clash with law enforcement during Black Lives Matter protests.

Apart from protests, the City of Chicago has seen a surge in gun violence that resulted in more than 1,000 shootings this year and at least 414 murders - which is 50 per cent over 2019's data.

President Trump announced Operation Legend would be implemented in Chicago, Illinois, after a surge in gun violence and instances of violence amid protests. Pictured: Police separate a pro-police demonstrator from counter-demonstrators during a Blue Lives Matter protest on July 25

Darryl Collins, 30, of Dolton, was charged with one count of illegal possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

Authorities said they spotted Collins on live public safety cameras 'adjusting an object in his waistband multiple times that appeared to be a firearm,' according to the official complaint.

Officers attempted to make contact with Collins, who reportedly fled into a Maryland resident's backyard to hide when they arrived on July 22.

A single gunshot was fired while officers chased Collins, who fled on foot, before he was apprehended.

Collins did not have a weapon on his person when arrested, but authorities found a loaded firearm under a folding table near the Maryland resident's backyard.

Romeo Holloway, 21, of Chicago, was charged with one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Authorities noted that the East Garfield Park neighborhood, where Holloway was arrested, has recently seen 'a high number of firearm crimes, including shootings and homicides.'

Pictured: the firearm, loaded magazine and bullet that was recovered by police officers during their exchange with Holloway

Authorities were driving through Chicago when they spotted Holloway walking towards a blue Nissan and appeared to have a weapon in his waistband on July 21.

Officers stopped Holloway and conducted a pat down, which led to officers reportedly finding a green and black Springfield Armory XD9 and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with 10 round of live ammo in his jeans.

'Collins and Holloway were previously convicted of criminal felonies and were not lawfully allowed to possess a firearm or ammunition,' a statement read.

Darryl Phillips, 22, of Chicago, was charged with one count of illegal possession of a machine gun.

Chicago authorities obtained a search warrant for Phillips and his apartment on July 22 from the Circuit of Cook County.

They executed the warrant, located Phillips in his bedroom and searched his apartment after the arrest.

Pictured: A Glock Model pistol recovered by police officers who obtained a search warrant for Phillip's apartment

Pictured: The firearm recovered by authorities was equipped with an auto-sear device

They claim to have found two firearms, suspected crack cocaine, narcotics packaging, a scale, an improvised grinder, a strainer and 'several' bundles of cash in his bedroom.

All three men are currently detained in federal custody.

Operation Legend, a Department of Justice initiative, was described as when 'federal law enforcement agencies work in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight violent crime.'

Under the initiative, Attorney General William Barr directed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration to 'significantly increase resources' to help local officials fight violent crime.

Operation Legend, a Department of Justice initiative, was launched under the Trump administration and authorized AG Barr (left) to send a number of federal agents to U.S. cities

It was named after LeGend Taliferro, a four-year-old boy who was shot dead in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 29 while sleeping in an apartment.

'Operation Legend has strengthened our efforts to apprehend and charge illegal gun offenders in Chicago,' said U.S. Attorney Lausch.

'Under Operation Legend, we are working closer than ever with the Chicago Police Department, ATF, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to arrest and prosecute individuals engaging in violent crime in the city.'

In one instance of violent crime, a drive-by shooting at a Chicago funeral home wounded 14 people and prompted President Trump to send federal agents to quell violence.

Police said at least 60 bullets were fired in the shootout last week, when gunmen in a car opened fire on the funeral party, who then returned fire on the vehicle.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot initially threatened to take legal action to block Trump from deploying federal agents to Chicago without her permission.

And during an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday, she doubled down that federal troops must cooperate with local officials.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (pictured) has been critical of federal agents being deployed to U.S. cities and maintained that any sent to Chicago must cooperate with local officials

'Ive said it before and Ill say it again, no troops, no agents that are coming in outside of our knowledge, notification, and control that are violating people's constitutional rights. Thats the framework,' said Lightfoot.

'We can't just allow anyone to come into Chicago, play police in our streets and neighborhoods when they don't know the first thing about our city. That's a recipe for disaster.

'That's what you're seeing playing out in Portland on a nightly basis, we don't need that here. That's not a value add, it doesn't help enhance our public safety.'

Portland officials and Democrats have blasted the Trump administration for sending federal agents to the city without permission.

'I stress that because that's, unlike what we saw in Portland where the administration parachuted in these additional federal agents without consulting anybody locally and ignoring the local U.S. attorney, very different circumstance here in Chicago,' said Lightfoot.

But on Saturday night, clashes between federal agents, local police and Black Lives Matter demonstrations continued.

Demonstrators used fireworks or 'explosive devices' on federal agents in Portland, Seattle and Atlanta, while other demonstrations were held in Austin, Los Angeles and New York City.

Pictured: Black Lives Matter demonstrators block Michigan Avenue during a protest on July 25, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois

In Chicago, protests ramped up again Saturday as the Windy City braces for an influx of federal agents on the streets.

During the day, several protests took place at Grant Park, where just days earlier the controversial statue of Christopher Columbus was taken down under the cover of darkness.

Black Lives Matter protesters gathered, as did a 'Back the Blue' rally in support of law enforcement who chanted 'we love CPD'.

As night fell, hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters continued to march peacefully southbound through the city.

CHICAGO: Protests ramped up in Chicago again Saturday as the Windy City braces for an influx of federal agents on the streets

CHICAGO: As night fell, hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters continued to march peacefully southbound through the city
An extra 75 million euros will support preparing buildings and classrooms for reopening (Danny Lawson/PA)

A thousand extra teachers are to be hired to help reduce class sizes in Ireland when schools reopen next month.

Additional substitute educators, supervision staff, guidance counsellors and psychologists will also be part of the 375 million euro initiative to ensure it is safe.

An additional 52 million euros will pay for enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission, the Government said.

Minister for Education Norma Foley publishes Roadmap to enable safe return to schools along with 375m support package. For more info go to https://t.co/QsiMWEddKJ pic.twitter.com/eLzN3fnESe  Department of Education (@Education_Ire) July 27, 2020

All teaching principals at primary level will receive a minimum of one release day per week to relieve the administrative burden arising from the changes and coronavirus recovery.

An extra 75 million euros will support preparing buildings and classrooms for reopening, including an uplift for those with special educational needs pupils.

A total of 4.2 million euros will enable employment of an aide to implement logistical changes needed in schools  moving furniture, changing classroom layouts, setting up hand sanitising stations and signage.

Education Minister Norma Foley said: We have worked extremely hard to develop plans that not only provide certainty to schools as to what they need to do, but that are meaningful, practical and realistic.

These have been informed by the expertise and collaboration of the stakeholders, and truly take account of how schools operate on a day-to-day basis.

The 1,080 extra teaching posts will be available to post-primaries in recognition of challenges they face around social distancing.

One-metre spacing between post-primary students may require refurbishment of schools, as smaller groups will be taught together.

Younger children will not be expected to socially distance.

At primary level each class will be a bubble and children will be in pods with a metre between the pods.

More than one million students and approximately 100,000 staff will be returning to 4,000 schools at the end of August, in a key priority of the new Government.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said: There is simply no substitute for students learning within schools in the presence of their peers and teachers.

An extra 120 guidance workers will be hired to support student wellbeing.

Face masks will not be essential for staff or students.

Our schools are at the heart of our communities and reopening them is a critical step in recovering from the worst impact of the pandemic Micheal Martin

Mr Martin said reopening represented an unprecedented policy and logistical challenge.

He added: Our schools are at the heart of our communities and reopening them is a critical step in recovering from the worst impact of the pandemic.

It is a comprehensive range of measures backed by major new resources.

Extra staff, extra funding, clear guidance and new supports will help every school adapt to its own needs.

The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals said the guidance offered long-awaited clarity.

Director Clive Byrne said: We look forward to welcoming an additional 1,000 teachers to our schools and will move to recruit these as soon as possible.

Additional teaching and support staff will allow us to maintain social distancing and public health requirements while we work to maintain a strong standard of education.

As of midnight on Sunday, the health system has been notified of 11 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

There is now a total of 25,892 confirmed cases in Ireland.

No new deaths have been reported, the National Public Health Emergency Team said.
Tata Consultancy Services has supported the Engineering Development Trust (EDT), its long-term STEM skills partner, launch virtual educational programmes for school and college students, through its TCS iON Digital Learning Platform.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, experiences of work, technical skills trainings, and EDT programmes have become inaccessible for many students.

To address this gap, EDT has adapted its summer programmes to become virtual by leveraging the TCS iON platform.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
David Koch has signed for two more years at Sunrise, taking him through to December 2022.

The Australian reports he will formally sign on the dotted line with Seven this week.

Two more years will take him to 20 years in the Sunrise chair, the longest unbroken run for a national breakfast host. His duties come in addition to his role with Port Adelaide, company Pinstripe Media and new online business venture ausbiz.

Sunrise has won every survey week this year, both nationally and in every metro market and every demo  its 16th consecutive year.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Two NYPD officers patrolling Mariners Harbor early Monday morning were quick to respond when a man was assaulted and robbed, according to a post on the 121st Precincts Twitter account.

The 34-year-old male victim was working as a livery driver, according to the tweet, when police said multiple suspects entered his vehicle near Holland Avenue and Benjamin Place. The perpetrators punched the victim multiple times in the body before taking $300, an NYPD spokeswoman said Monday.

According to the precinct, the officers already were patrolling nearby in response to a surge of shootings on Staten Island and across the city.

After canvassing the area, a 13-year-old male was arrested and charged by police with second-degree robbery, assault, fourth-degree grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, the spokeswoman said.

While patrolling Mariners Harbor in response to recent gun violence, Sgt Hoxha and Po Dipaulo did a great job arresting an individual who had just beaten and robbed a cab driver thanks to their quick response and through canvass @NYPDstatenIslnd @NYPDChiefPatrol pic.twitter.com/CWDJjeFT8K  NYPD 121st Precinct (@NYPD121Pct) July 27, 2020

Police are searching for a second male in connection with the incident who is described as having a dark complexion, standing about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds, the spokeswoman said.

Robberies on Staten Island for the year were up about 7% across the borough, as of July 19, compared to the same time last year. However, they were down 38% over a span of four weeks in late June and early-to-mid July.

When compared to annual totals over the past decade, robberies so far are on pace for a below average year, according to the NYPDs CompStat figures.

Shooting incidents meanwhile have more than doubled compared to the same time last year, at a rate that if continued would exceed annual totals dating back to at least 2017, according to Advance records.
Sebastopol's industrial outdoor market, The Barlow, is getting two new tenants this month.

The 12-acre industrial outdoor market offering local shops, food and drinks will be home to a wine co-op and new restaurant even with new mandates that restrict indoor dining in restaurants and bars.

The wine bar, Region, opened July 25th next to Golden State Cider. Offering 50 different wines from Sonoma County, Region works with specific winemakers from 14 of Sonoma County's 19 appellations to make sure the wines represent the broad spectrum of the regionhence the name, says co-founder Kerry Thedorf. The wine bar has two distinct spaces, including a self-serve WineStation machine that has 50 wines that can be served in either a 1oz taste, a 2.5oz half glass, or a 5oz full glass going from full white to heavy red.

The second half of the space will act as a pop-up tasting room, where 25 wineries from around Sonoma County will have two weeks of the year in the summer and one week in the winter to to do a range of things from wine club dinners and tastings to special events. Thedorf explains that the two sides give customers the opportunity to "learn as much as you want to about wine or just hangout like you're at a brewery."



The overall experience of the two sides is to create an approachable atmosphere where it doesn't feel stuffy or too formal, but there are also lots of wine options, says Thedorf. While the WineStation space creates a fun and casual ambiance where folks can hangout and enjoy the space and each other's company, the other offers access and wine education directly with the winemakers who make the wines.

As for the restaurant, Blue Ridge Kitchen will open on July 28th. The new California-inspired spot is taking the place of Zazu Kitchen & Farm, which closed last year due to flooding. General Manager Eric Zahra describes the menu as "California comfort food with a southern drawl," utilizing local farmers to create food with a southern slant.

The menu is still being finalized, but items include southern staples like fried green tomatoes, fried shrimp po'boys, mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, and fried chicken. There are also a few favorites from chef Matt D'Ambrosi tried, like smash burgers and ahi tuna tartare with black rice chips.

Both places had plans to utilize the industrial open space that makes The Barlow so unique. However, with the new mandates changing our dining experiences by the day they've both had to change course on how best to serve their customers.

Blue Ridge Kitchen will only have outdoor patio seating available with the 50 to 60 seats arranged to observe social distancing.

Region has rearranged the flow from the indoor bar to outdoor seating that includes a check in table. The WineMachine will only be available to pour before patrons are escorted to an outdoor seating area which occupies about 10 parking spaces.

// Open daily at The Barlow, 180 Morris St. Ste. 170 (Sebastopol), drinkyourregion.com

This article was written by Myles Bess and originally appeared on kqed.org.
Professor Craig Considine, an American Catholic of Irish and Italian descent, his personal journey in the pursuit of knowledge led him to study the Islamic faith and contemporary Christian-Muslim relations.

New title by Blue Dome Press: The Humanity of Muhammad: A Christian Perspective by Craig Considine.

Craig Considine is a professor of Christian-Muslim relations and religious pluralism. An American Catholic of Irish and Italian descent, his personal journey in the pursuit of knowledge led him to study the Islamic faith and contemporary Christian-Muslim relations. He travels throughout the world discussing the similarities, as opposed to differences, that Christianity and Islam have. Central to his thought is the idea that our societies must move beyond simply tolerating other faiths and must embrace pluralism that is inclusive of them. He aims to do his part through his activism and education.

The Humanity of Muhammad: A Christian View examines Prophet Muhammad, Islams central and oft misunderstood figure, from the perspective of a devote Christian. Considine is uncompromising in his words as he embraces Prophet Muhammad for his virtue while not forgetting his own Christian roots. In fact, they are front and center throughout his assessments.

Craig Considine has examined a myriad of Christian and Islamic sources and anecdotes, ranging from the holy Quran to 11th century Sicily, to get a deep understanding of Islams core tenets and how they have been put into practice in order to properly interpret them from a Christian perspective. The Humanity of Muhammad is a window into Islamic theology and virtue that non-Muslims can appreciate and identify with. Its sincerity and passion, which stems from Considines genuine desire to spread harmony throughout the world, is infectious and will leave readers feeling motivated and hopeful. It is an ideal resource for Christians that wish to understand Islam better.

Craig Considine is a scholar, professor, global speaker, media contributor, and public intellectual based at the Department of Sociology at Rice University.

Title: The Humanity of Muhammad: A Christian View

ISBN-13: 9781682065297

180 pages, $16.95, July 2020

Distributed by: NBN - National Book Network

Praise for The Humanity of Muhammad

In this book once again Dr. Considine demonstrates his openness, inclusiveness and his sincere and honest view about our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. That Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is truly a role model for our pursuit of peace, justice and happiness for our common humanity.

Imam Shamsi Ali

Spiritual Leader of Jamaica Muslim Center

President of Nusantara Foundation

I was impressed that Craig begins his book by talking about the persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority countries as a backdrop to what Muhammads message really is, opening up the difficult conversation that he proposes.

Julian Bond

Former Director of the Christian Muslim Forum, United Kingdom

In todays world, we need bridge builders and peacemakers. Dr. Considines book is timely and needed in order to create a better understanding between those who dont know much about Islam and its Prophet and their Muslim neighbors. The book tackles important topics that are well-chosen and necessary if we are to replace ignorance with knowledge and hatred with love.

 Safi Kaskas

Co-author of The Quran, A Contemporary Understanding, with References to the Bible

It is a remarkable academic effort to help bring an end to the dangerous worldview of those who view Islam as a threat to the Judeo-Christian tradition and the values of Western Civilization. The Humanity of Muhammad: A Christian View is a well-researched, well-written invitation to instead begin an authentic Dialogue of Civilizations.

Sajjad Shah

Founder of Muslims of the World

Author of Muslims of the World

Craig Considines The Humanity of Muhammad: A Christian View provides a welcome antidote to the hostility towards Islam and Muslims that permeates popular sentiment. His is a very sympathetic account of the compatibility between Islam and the civic values of pluralism, equality, education and social justice. By opening our hearts and minds to Muslims, Christians might have something to learn, and much that we can do together to make for a better world.

Rev. Dr. Patrick McInerney

Director of the Columbian Centre for

Christian-Muslim Relations in Australia
Rumours of a royal rift between Princess Diana and Prince Charles sons, Prince William and Prince Harry have been swirling for years now and a new book about the Sussexes has done nothing to put them to rest.

Finding Freedom, which was written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, who are described as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's "cheerleaders" say they wrote the book "with the participation of those closest to the couple".

Prince Harry is said to have branded Prince William a 'snob' after he warned him against marrying Meghan too soon after the met. Photo: Getty Images

In it, its claimed that Prince William feared his brother had been "blindsided by lust" in his haste to wed Meghan Markle back in 2018.

In Finding Freedom, serialised by the Times and the Sunday Times, the authors claim Harry was angered by what he perceived as his brother's "snobbish" attitude to his bride.

The book's co-authors claim Harry was offended by William's advice to "take as much time as you need to get to know this girl".

According to the pair, William was happy for his brother, but "just wanted to make sure that Harry wasn't blindsided by lust".

But his younger brother allegedly took offence to the phrase "this girl", and interpreted it as "snobbish and condescending".

The rest of the royals were also apparently less than welcoming, with one senior royal allegedly referring to Meghan as "Harry's showgirl" - and another saying "she comes with a lot of baggage".

Its claimed that Prince William feared his brother had been "blindsided by lust" in his haste to wed Meghan Markle back in 2018. Photo: Getty Images

Another senior courtier is said to have told a colleague: "There's just something about her I don't trust".

Harry's belief that the palace was out to sabotage his relationship was the beginning of the rift with his brother.

He is said to have felt "unprotected" by the institutions around the monarchy, and derided by the old guard for being "too sensitive and outspoken".

Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, apparently did little to bridge the divide and never really got to know Meghan.

According to an extract from the book, relations got so bad between the royal couples that Kate Middleton completely snubbed Meghan Markle at the Sussexes last engagement as senior members of the royal family.

Story continues

In March, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said farewell to their royal roles at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, with the book claiming they were left out of the royal procession at the last minute, which was a massive disappointment to Prince Harry.

The book goes on to say that the institution tried to smooth things over by asking the Cambridges to take their seats at the same time as the Sussexes.

In Finding Freedom, serialised by the Times and the Sunday Times, the authors claim Harry was angered by what he perceived as his brother's "snobbish" attitude to his bride. Photo: Getty Images

This didnt go down too well, according to the book, with the Cambridges reportedly barely looking at the Sussexes when they walked into the church.

Despite claims it was the couples first time seeing each other since Prince Harry and Meghan Markles decision to announce they were stepping away from their royal roles in January, its reported in the book: Although Meghan tried to make eye contact with Kate, the duchess barely acknowledged her.

Earlier on, it said Meghan and Kates relationship had struggled to move past distant politeness" for the whole two years Meghan was part of the family.

RELATED:

Now, a close friend of William and Kate has told the Mail on Sunday that they couldnt have been more accomodating and rolled out the red carpet for Meghan.

'It's just completely wrong to suggest they didn't talk and plain wrong to say the Cambridges weren't welcoming,' a friend told The Mail on Sunday.

How can you say they weren't warm or welcoming when they hosted Meghan for Christmas, invited her into their totally private inner sanctum at Anmer Hall and did everything they could to make her feel at home? They personally cooked her favourite vegan food, they couldn't have been more welcoming, the insider said.

At the Commonwealth Day celebrations in March, it's claimed Kate completely ignored Meghan. Photo: Getty Images

Other claims in the book include that:

* The Sussexes felt their complaints were not taken seriously and believed other royal households were leaking stories about them to the press.

* Being told to operate under Buckingham Palace's umbrella after splitting their household from the Cambridges was "a big disappointment" to the Sussexes.

* The Sussexes even considered breaking protocol by springing a surprise visit on the Queen when they believed they were being blocked from seeing the monarch.

A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said the couple did not contribute to the book, but he did not deny the content of The Times's extracts.

The spokesman told the PA news agency: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom.

"This book is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting."

With extra reporting by AAP

Click here to sign up to our daily newsletter to get all the latest news and hacks. Or if you have a story tip, email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.
DUBLIN, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Europe Coffee Pods and Capsules Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2020 - 2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The European coffee pods and capsules market is expected to witness a CAGR of 6.8% over the forecast period, 2020-2025.



The growth drivers of coffee pods and capsules in Europe over the past few years have been a combination of convenience, premium positioning, brand experience, and the ability of manufacturers to innovate and provide new products.



The popularity of coffee pod machines in significant markets such as the United Kingdom is significantly increasing, owing to a rise in the average retail selling price of coffee, which is driving the growth of the coffee pods market in the country. On the other hand, a significantly large number of consumers are switching from instant coffee to more premium options, such as fresh ground coffee pods and coffee beans, which is expected to boost the sales of coffee pods during the forecast period.



Key Market Trends



Increasing German Appetite for Coffee



Over the past years, Germans have shown a growing inclination towards coffee consumption, amidst the volatility in prices. Germany is Europe's largest importer of green coffee beans. Its coffee roasting industry is enormous, which facilitates the country to serve both its domestic market, which is the largest in Europe, and export markets. As of 2016, around 13% of the German population is drinking coffee made from a single-cup brewer every single day. This is due to the rise in demand for specialty coffees and single-serve methods in Germany. On the other hand, Germany's per capita coffee consumption is not among Europe's highest but is at 5.5 kg per year, which is higher than the European average of 5kg.



Supermarkets & Hypermarkets Leads the Sales Channel Segment



In terms of the sales channel, the demand for coffee pods and capsules in Europe is anticipated to be driven by supermarkets and hypermarkets, followed by on-trade channels, mostly because of "out of home" consumption.



Owing to a vast retail space and catering to a wide variety of preferences, the supermarkets/hypermarkets are the dominant channels for the sales of coffee products. Supermarkets/hypermarkets have an abundance of choices across brands and functionality. These markets sell both pods and capsules in a pre-determined price range, providing high-quality coffee. Supermarkets have also been offering an increasing range of coffees with unique characteristics, such as single origins.



Competitive Landscape



Major players operating in the European coffee pods and capsules market are Nestle, Luigi Lavazza, Starbucks, and JAB Holdings, among others. Nestle Nespresso holds a significant share in the market, as compared to the other players. The company entered partnerships as well as expanded its facilities across the region, in order to strengthen its consumer base and maintain its leading position in the market. Partnership and joint ventures are being the most adopted strategies that enable significant players to increase control over competitive pricing and gain competitive advantage.



Key Topics Covered



1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Assumptions and Market Definitions

1.2 Scope of the Study



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

3.1 Market Overview



4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Drivers

4.2 Market Restraints

4.3 Porter's Five Forces Analysis



5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 By Product Type

5.1.1 Pods

5.1.2 Capsules

5.2 By Sales Channel

5.2.1 On-trade

5.2.2 Supermarket/Hypermarket

5.2.3 Specialty Stores

5.2.4 Online Retail Stores

5.2.5 Other Sales Channels

5.3 By Geography

5.3.1 Europe

5.3.1.1 Germany

5.3.1.2 United Kingdom

5.3.1.3 France

5.3.1.4 Russia

5.3.1.5 Spain

5.3.1.6 Italy

5.3.1.7 Switzerland

5.3.1.8 Rest of Europe



6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Most Active Companies

6.2 Most Adopted Strategies

6.3 Market Share Analysis

6.4 Company Profiles

6.4.1 Nestle SA

6.4.2 Starbucks Corporation

6.4.3 Lavazza

6.4.4 Coind Group

6.4.5 Capsul'in



7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/w0qbij

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


When she washes it AFTER cooking...

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I gasped lmao

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I gagged! haha

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mte like

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The replies like this is how we cook rice in my family/culture as if shes not making a whole ass Chinese fried rice dish. 

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seen adding water to the rice without washing it first



I watch Masterchef Australia and they do this all the time. Cooking the rice straight out of the packet, without even soaking them. As an (south) asian, it makes me cringe.

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oop i don't wash my rice before cooking it but now i'm gonna start lol

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I was watching Delia on the SBS food channel the other night and she said not to bother washing rice and I was outraged.

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... TIL

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Jesus, really? Even I know to do that.

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This whole video had me rolling lol the MSG part killed me lmao

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lol I have shown this to 3 people. The cuts to her basically doing a pasta rinse of starch off of rice.



The viral clip excluded the egregious use of a metal utensil on a nonstick pan.



Also please just use your finger to measure the water. No matter how long or misshapen your first knuckle may be, it always seems to work. And water your plants with the water from the rinses.



Edited at 2020-07-27 07:11 pm (UTC)

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Yes, we were taught that measuring tip too lol

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I use my knuckle, too. Although I add a little extra when I'm making brown rice.

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I never saw this part and I'm laughing so hard I'm crying

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Omg on the rare occasion my husband cooks I always get so mad when he uses a knife to cut something in the pan instead of taking the stuff out to cut or doing it before. You're ruining the pan you moron!

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This is my favorite part. My mother would have killed us if we used a metal spoon on a nonstick pan.

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Omg Im dying lmao



I can relate to #1. When we ran out of Royal basmati bc of quarantine my mom made me drive 45 mins away to a store and I ended up buying 60lbs of rice to hoard lol

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this may be a stupid question, but can you use this trick with a rice cooker too?

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I do the one cup of rice = two cups of water thing tbh and it works well for me.



Everything else was a no no though. She didnt cook it on the right heat hence why she needed the collander

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he's so upset he put his leg down!!

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Literally came in to comment same thing.

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"RIP RICE 2020 - 2020"



lmaooooo



Though I have to admit...the colander is fine with me.

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My Portuguese mother would react the same way. We don't drain the rice, and we put tiny bits of carrots and onions (sometimes chorizo).

But washing the rice before is like the first thing you learn. That woman is a demon.

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I'm portuguese, and I almost died watching this.

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where in pt are you from? i've never seen anyone wash their rice, now i'm wondering if it depends on location or something.

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who drains rice???

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hersha patel apparently lol. her parents never taught her.....

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oh i meant generally. tbf i think she knows how to cook rice, she's just filming a shitty recipe lol. there's a vid of them on the third page!

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uh actually in india you drain water from basmati rice after parboiling it and then steam it

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well if you're making basmati rice, you do drain it after parbroiling, b/c you steam cook it the last few minutes. but never that rinsing midway crap!

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Plenty of people from the Middle East and Indian subcontinent lol

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Can we talk about how she added cooked scrambled eggs at the end? Why wouldn't you cook it with the rice and the rest of the stir fry in the pan??? And the fact that there's no seasoning?



I'm as white as they come and I don't make any Asian dishes but I've been to plenty of hibachi places to know that this was wrong in about every way.



Edited at 2020-07-27 07:11 pm (UTC)

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That's definitely part of the inherent fear around "uncooked eggs". I once ordered a bibimbap with a fried egg on top and they were like, "Yeah, people get super uncomfortable if we just crack it over, so..."



I get it in the US where the food industry is a neverending nightmare, but Canada's reasonably better. Nevertheless, the fear has spread.

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I feel like the same people who say that also eat raw cookie dough.



For real though you can't really go wrong with cooking it in a stir fry, it's almost impossible not to when the pan is that hot and you're stirring. Those eggs will cook whether you want them to or not (which every person who makes traditional carbonara knows).

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Can we talk about how she added cooked scrambled eggs at the end?



I was like  on TOP of the rice cooking method she goes and does that too??



Edited at 2020-07-27 07:16 pm (UTC)

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i cook eggs and rice as a meal in and of itself and i just crack the egg straight into the pan or use one of those liquid egg cartons. just... dumping a fully cooked scrambled egg in there is ??/

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because people think you're gonna get salmonella from the raw egg if you don't cook it long enough but like... cook it long enough??

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I saw Lorenzo do that for Spam Fried Rice in a 4 levels episode and I stopped trusting him after that.

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i'm chinese and sometimes we do that with fried rice. my dad will cook the egg in advance, like fry it, and then chop it into ribbons and throw it back into the wok with rice. i've seen other asian youtubers do it so that part doesn't weird me out.



with wok cooking, there's a lot of cooking bits and pieces and then throwing it all back in again so i don't think that's weird lol.

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So the egg doesn't overcook. Especially if you're using other ingredients like frozen peas or really cold straight out of the fridge rice, if you do it altogether, you can overcook the egg because it doesn't need as long on the heat. It's fine if you do, but if you want a softer, fluffier texture, you can scramble and fry the egg to just before it's cooked to your liking, then fry the rest of your food, and mix in the egg at the end to top it off before you add soy sauce, sesame seeds, etc.

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Do you know how to cook rice correctly, ONTD?



Yes and I am v proud of it bc I only just recently found out that knowing how to make rice is not as common as I thought! I use a rice cooker most of the time but I also know how to make rice on the stove without measuring cups

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Also the original BBC video is still up and all the comments are great lol: http://www.facebook.com/watch/?t=0&v=392920944628432 Lots of "This is why people make fun of British cooking" lmao

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people said ingredients got killed twice in British.

First time in the slaughterhouse or during harvesting.

Second time in the kitchen by an English chef.



they're letting them have it lmao

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This video has brought a whole contintent together against the BBC lol.

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i'm now obsessed with this dude, we need more asian comedians.



also why the FUCK did she make fried rice with wet, just-cooked rice.

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I've seen Ken Cheng twice at the Edinburgh Fringe and he's great. Often bills himself as "Not Phil Wang but open to the opportunities Phil Wang's passed on".

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I love Ronny Chieng's Netflix special if you haven't seen it. Showed it to my parents too and they died laughing. I can't believe that was only in December!!

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He had a short lived TV show (6 episodes or so) that was good too - Ronny Chieng: International Student. His whole pissed off schtick cracks me up.

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Its so good! I loved his segment on the New York subway.

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he has an old gag about teaching parents how to use technology over the phone and it killlllllllllllls me every time.

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If this is a thread for recs, I'd love to throw Sheng Wang's name out there. He's my fave Asian-American comedian, and was a writer for Fresh Off the Boat. I got to see his stand-up live a couple times.

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I think 'uncle roger' is a character coz his accent isnt that played up in other videos

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Uncle Roger, sad now.



He has so many gems, like



If you sad in life, use MSG; if you happy in life, use MSG.\



Don't bring colander in your rice cooking.



Edited at 2020-07-27 07:14 pm (UTC)

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he has a video about how to actually cook rice and he holds up a saucepan and goes 'it's not world war 2 anymore, use technology' and teaches you how to work a rice cooker lol

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 16:57:26|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

KAMPALA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's police on Sunday arrested over 100 partygoers for flouting COVID-19 lockdown restriction measures, authorities said Monday.

The police and military officers have arrested the offenders at the La Venti Lounge and Kitchen, about 12 km northeast of the capital Kampala, Patrick Onyango, Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson, told Xinhua on Monday.

Bars and clubs "are not supposed to open and operate," said Onyango. However, the partygoers defied the restrictions and "began enjoying themselves without practicing social distancing."

"This could be a breeding ground for the spread of the virus. We had to come in order to prevent a further spread of the virus," he said.

He also said that the suspects currently detained at Najjera and Kiira police stations are waiting to be arraigned in courts over violation of presidential directives and ministry of health guidelines on COVID-19.

"They will be charged with doing acts that are likely to cause the spread of infectious disease," said Onyango.

Bans on public gatherings and a night curfew are in place in the east African country, as part of measures to curb the spread of the virus.

So far, Uganda has reported 1,115 COVID-19 cases, with 975 recoveries and two deaths since the first case was reported on March 21, according to the health ministry. Enditem
TORONTO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Canada Nickel Company Inc. (TSX-V: CNC) ("Canada Nickel" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has created a wholly-owned subsidiary, NetZero Metals, to begin the research and development of a processing facility that would be located in the Timmins, Ontario region with the goal of utilizing existing technologies to produce zero-carbon nickel, cobalt and iron products.

The Company has applied for trademarks for the terms NetZero NickelTM, NetZero CobaltTM, and NetZero IronTM in U.S., Canada, and other jurisdictions related to zero-carbon production of nickel, cobalt, and iron products.

"The electric vehicle industry and many other consumer sectors needs zero-carbon metal this decade - not in a nebulous 2050 timeframe contemplated by many other resource companies," said Mark Selby, Chair & CEO of Canada Nickel.

"As a result of the unique advantages of the Timmins region with its close proximity to zero-carbon hydroelectricity and our Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide project, comprised largely of serpentine rock that naturally absorbs CO2 when exposed to air, Canada Nickel has the potential to develop zero-carbon products that our customers are expecting from the mining sector. With nickel as a preferred metal to power the clean energy revolution, our commitment to net zero-carbon production is the right step to take for the environment, for consumers, and for our investors."

Serpentine rock, the host rock comprising more than 90 per cent of the mass of the resource at the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project1, has had numerous studies completed that note that the rock naturally absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) when exposed to air through a naturally occurring process of spontaneous mineral carbonation.

The nickel industry faces a number of challenges as the current processing approach of laterite and sulphide ores generate a significant environmental footprint in the form of SO2 and CO2 emissions. These environmental challenges will only worsen given the industry supply profile with the bulk of recent nickel supply growth and the main source of future production growth being nickel pig iron production in Indonesia, which, according to industry sources, uses 25-30 tonnes of coal to produce each tonne of nickel, which when combined with other sources of CO2, generates nearly approximately 90 tonnes of Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 emissions per tonne of nickel produced. (see Figure 1).

For an electric vehicle battery pack that contained 50kg of nickel from this source, it would represent approximately 4 tonnes of CO2.emissions for that vehicle. Other sources of nickel supply growth that have additional environmental footprint issues are HPAL projects in Indonesia that are considering technologies such as deep-sea discharge of tailings which would result in ocean discharge of approximately 100 tonnes of material per tonne of nickel.

Key Technologies Being Explored to Develop a Zero-Carbon Footprint Operation

Canada Nickel will explore the use of various alternatives to achieve its NetZero objectives in each stage of the mining process: Mining, Milling and Processing.

Mining

The biggest single technology to reduce the carbon footprint of mining activities is the utilization of electric rope shovels and trolley trucks which utilize electricity, rather than diesel fuel, as a power source wherever possible. Given the close proximity to zero carbon hydroelectric generating capacity, electricity use in place of diesel fuel has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions.

The deposition of waste rock and tailings during the mining process will also expose the serpentine rock to air which provides the potential for this material to absorb CO2 through natural mineral carbonation and offsetting any CO2 emissions from the project. The exact amount and rate at which CO2 can be absorbed from materials mined at Crawford will be analyzed during upcoming phases of work.

Milling

Traditionally, large scale processing of lower grade sulphide ores utilizes a significant amount of electricity. Again, the local proximity to hydroelectricity provide the potential to minimize carbon emissions for this stage of production.

NetZero Metals - Nickel-Cobalt Concentrate Processing

Existing processes for processing nickel-cobalt concentrates to remove sulphur, iron, and other impurities have resulted in the generation of significant quantities of CO2, SO2, and other impurities for a number of producers worldwide.

Canada Nickel will explore the potential for producing nickel and cobalt products from existing pyrometallurgical processes such as roasting, sulphation roasting, and reduction using electric arc furnaces (utilizing natural gas rather coke or coal as a reductant) with the offgases captured and re-routed to allow the CO2 be captured by the waste rock and tailings from the Crawford nickel-cobalt sulphide project1 The Company will also look at existing hydrometallurgical processes to produce nickel and cobalt products such as the Albion or other similar processes, which generate minimal off-gases to produce nickel and cobalt products. The off-gases will again be captured and treated to ensure CO2 and SO2 emissions are minimized.

NetZero Metals - Magnetite Concentrate Processing

The Company will explore the potential for the production of iron products utilizing existing direct reduced iron (DRI) processes or reduction in electric arc furnaces utilizing natural gas and then re-routed to allow the CO2 to be captured by the waste rock and tailings from the deposit.

Next Steps

The Company will announce some key leadership changes at the Board level to help guide the Company in this important endeavour. The NetZero approach will be incorporated into the work done for the engineering for the Preliminary Economic Assessment which has been previously announced and currently underway. Specific studies to analyze the quantity and timing of CO2 absorption by the host rock at Crawford and process design for downstream processing of nickel and cobalt materials and magnetite concentrate will be announced and get underway through the remainder of the year.

1 The Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project is an early stage exploration and development project. There is no guarantee that the project will reach advanced development or production stage. The economic viability and technical feasibility of the Company's Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project has not been established at any level of confidence supported by a PEA, PFS or FS, and as such there is currently no evidence to support that the project would result in a "net zero-carbon" footprint. The Company is currently planning to complete a PEA by year-end 2020.

About Canada Nickel Company

Canada Nickel Company Inc. is advancing the next generation of nickel-cobalt sulphide projects to deliver nickel and cobalt required to feed the high growth electric vehicle and stainless steel markets. Canada Nickel Company has applied in multiple jurisdictions to trademark the terms NetZero NickelTM, NetZero CobaltTM, NetZero IronTM and is pursuing the development of processes to allow the production of net zero carbon nickel, cobalt, and iron products. Canada Nickel provides investors with leverage to nickel and cobalt in low political risk jurisdictions. Canada Nickel is currently anchored by its 100% owned flagship Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Cochrane mining camp.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain information that may constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, drill results relating to the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, timing of economic studies, the potential of the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, the potential development of zero-carbon production of nickel, cobalt and iron, strategic plans, including future exploration and development results, and corporate and technical objectives. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals, the future demand for metals, the results of drilling, inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the property, environmental liabilities (known and unknown), general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, results of exploration programs, timing of the updated resource estimate, risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, and failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. Canada Nickel disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Mark Selby, Chair and CEO, Phone: +1 647-256-1954, Email: info@canadanickel.com
Roy Cimatu, the current environment secretary, said in a virtual briefing on July 22 that the DENR audit teams had conducted on-site inspections at mining companies that filed appeals to restart production, and given recommendations.Cimatu did not disclose the names of those miners, but said that only those that had rectified their violations and complied with corrective measures would be allowed to reopen.

The DENR...
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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Mon, July 27, 2020 14:45 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406699865a 2 SE Asia Malaysia,migrant-workers,migrant-protection Free

Malaysian authorities said on Saturday they had arrested a Bangladeshi man who criticized the government's treatment of migrant workers in a documentary by broadcaster Al Jazeera.

The July 3 documentary on Malaysia's treatment of undocumented foreign workers during the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a backlash in the Southeast Asia nation, and an arrest warrant was issued for Mohammad Rayhan Kabir, the Bangladeshi worker quoted in the report.

Rights groups have accused the government of suppressing media freedom after Al Jazeera journalists were called in for questioning by the police.

Malaysia's immigration department said Rayhan had been arrested on Friday and would be expelled from the country.

"This Bangladeshi national will be deported and blacklisted from entering Malaysia forever," Immigration Director General Khairul Dzaimee Daud said on Saturday.

He did not say why Rayhan was arrested or whether he was suspected of committing a crime. His department did not respond to further queries from Reuters.

Qatar-based Al Jazeera said it was disturbing that Rayhan had been arrested "for choosing to speak up about some of the experiences of the voiceless and the vulnerable."

Malaysia arrested hundreds of undocumented foreigners, including children and Rohingya refugees, when the country was under lockdown to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

Human rights activists have condemned the arrests as inhumane. Malaysian officials have said they were necessary to prevent the spread of the virus.

Public opposition to migrant workers has been growing, with some accusing them of spreading the coronavirus and being a burden on government resources.

Activists have voiced concern that the four-month old administration of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is stifling dissent amid a series of clampdowns, an accusation it has denied.

Al Jazeera has said its staff and those interviewed in the documentary had faced abuse, death threats and the disclosure of their personal details on social media.
A crowd of about 1,000 gathered in downtown Portland late Sunday for the citys 60th night of consecutive protests against racism and police brutality after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd sparked a widespread movement two months ago.

What started as a relatively calm night devolved as some in the crowd launched fireworks toward the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse. Federal officers responded with gas and crowd-control munitions.

Just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday, before the protests had begun in earnest, Portland police responded to a report of a gunshot near Southwest 4th Avenue and Southwest Salmon Street, near gathering protesters. Two people were taken into custody in connection with the incident, Portland Police said, and a third was hospitalized with a gunshot wound. Police did not indicate whether the shooting was related to protests, though one person was taken into custody in the park.

Portland Police also tweeted a picture of rifle ammunition magazines and Molotov cocktails the agency said it had seized from Lownsdale Square after a bystander pointed out a bag. The agency said later it hadnt identified where the bag came from.

By the time a larger crowd gathered around 9 p.m., investigating police had left the area.

The demonstration drew a smaller crowd than recent nights, when protesters could be counted in the multiple thousands. Early in the evening, the crowd divided itself between the federal courthouse and the Multnomah County Justice Center, where a public address system was set up for speakers.

Loretta Smith, a former Multnomah County Commissioner and candidate for Portland City Council, appeared at the protest and addressed the crowd around 9:30 p.m. Smith led a chant of Black moms matter before asking protesters for their votes.

Later speakers tried to draw protesters away from a potential confrontation at the courthouse, where federal police have responded aggressively to attempts to breach the fence that now surrounds the building. Lets use our power to do something new, one speaker said.

Just before 11 p.m., though, the speeches petered out and people began migrating toward the courthouse fence. Exterior lights at the building were turned off, and federal police had not yet emerged from inside.

Shortly before midnight, some in the crowd began setting off fireworks toward the courthouse, ratcheting up tensions on what had been an otherwise calm night.

Shortly after midnight, the exterior lights at the federal courthouse turned out and police ordered protesters to disperse, declaring the gathering an unlawful assembly. Within minutes, federal officers emerged from the building, firing crowd-control weapons and deploying gas.

Some moved away or left, but hundreds remained at 12:15 a.m. More warnings to move away from the courthouse followed.

The Federal Protective Service said on a loudspeaker that officers had been hit with projectiles. After officers retreated back inside, some in the crowd could be seen throwing glass bottles toward the building.

Federal officers deployed more gas and crowd-control munitions as the night wore on, and the crowd dwindled, though several hundred remained at 1 a.m.

Shortly after 1 a.m., a video stream from journalist Andrew Kimmel showed federal police lining up in the street in front of the courthouse. They then forced protesters away from the courthouse using batons and what appeared to be pepper balls and pepper spray. Federal officers could be seen detaining several people.

Officers then pushed groups of protesters into downtown streets, splintering the crowd.

Officers retreated shortly after 2 a.m., deploying gas as they headed back toward the federal courthouse.

Protests that began Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning ended similarly to many that came earlier, with federal and Portland police moving through the streets of downtown Portland using force, including tear gas, to disperse protesters.

Protesters toppled the fence in front of the courthouse earlier in the night after federal officers issued warnings about tampering with the fence. Protesters had thrown fireworks and water bottles over the fence and tried to cut the fence with power tools before being met with pepper spray and pepper balls. Shortly after, tear gas and stun grenades were launched by officers into the crowd of thousands. The fence had been reinforced with metal beams earlier in the day.

The Portland crowd included large groups of parents and veterans. One such man who said he served in Vietnam was maced, apparently without warning, by a federal officer as he spoke to officers about what it was like to serve. The video of the incident, recorded by journalist Andrew Kimmel, has since gone viral.

Showings of solidarity with Portland after the deployment of federal officers  and the escalation in violence they have brought  happened elsewhere Saturday. Demonstrations were held in Seattle; New York City; Vancouver, British Columbia, and elsewhere in the United States and beyond.

-- K. Rambo

krambo@oregonian.com

@k_rambo_

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
SANY SY215 Excavator at Dealer Location Dealer interest remains strong, and SANY is actively executing its strategy to expand its dealer network across the United States, said Erwood.

SANY America has worked hard over the past few years to develop a strong reputation as a provider of reliable and trusted construction and port equipment. And recently, more and more organizations have taken notice. Already in 2020, there has been incredible interest from existing and new dealerships looking to partner with SANY to offer More than Machines to customers in their areas.

Michael Erwood is Director of Dealer Development for SANY America, and has worked in business development and corporate banking for decades, most recently with SANY Capital USA, the finance arm of SANY America. He recently shared the latest updates on new dealers joining the SANY dealer network and SANYs plans for continued growth in 2020.

Five New Dealer Partners

Interest in SANY equipment has been surging, said Erwood, including demand for the new motor grader and drum roller revealed at ConExpo earlier this year. Prospective new SANY dealers have told Erwood they are impressed with the companys overall vision for growth in North America, the broad range of equipment offerings and the global strength of the SANY brand.

Dealer interest remains strong, and SANY is actively executing its strategy to expand its dealer network across the United States, said Erwood.

In just the first few months of the year, five new dealers have joined the SANY dealer network, from the Northeast to the Southwest. And Erwood says there are many more currently working to start the process of offering SANY equipment at their locations.

Northeast Heavy Metal LLC (SANY New York)

Based in Lockport, N.Y., just outside of Buffalo, Northeast Heavy Metal LLC (SANY New York), has partnered with SANY to provide excavators, wheel loaders and other construction equipment. The dealership is the third SANY dealer location in New York state, and will provide machinery, service and support for customers in Western New York and the Finger Lakes region.

Central Power Systems & Services

Located just a few miles from the Missouri River in Maryland Heights, just outside of St. Louis, is Central Power Systems & Services Inc. For more than 60 years, the company has delivered a full range of products and services for construction, oil and gas, mining, military and many other industries, and now offers the full line of SANY construction equipment to customers at the Gateway to the West.

A1 Iron Corporation

Also joining the dealer network is A1 Iron Corporation in La Vista, Nebraska. In addition to providing the full line of SANY equipment along with service and maintenance options for customers in the Great Plains, A1 Iron also has the distinction of being the first exclusive SANY dealer in the state of Nebraska.

Trinity Equipment

On the Pacific Coast, SANY welcomed Trinity Equipment, Inc. in Colton, California. This veteran-owned and operated dealer is serving customers throughout Southern California, providing heavy machinery for construction projects and landscaping operations across the region.

Innovative Equipment Services LLC (EquipmentShare)

Finally, Innovative Equipment Services LLC (EquipmentShare) in Phoenix, Arizona is not only the latest SANY dealer, but holds two unique distinctions. It is the first dealer located in the state, and also marks the sixth dealer location for EquipmentShare with exclusive SANY retail distribution rights.

Building Partnerships for Success

Unlike some vendor relationships, SANY takes pride in truly working as a partner with each dealer, taking time to truly understand each dealers goals and challenges while working alongside them to make sure they succeed. SANY works to become a strategic partner with its dealers, working to provide tools and services that enhance the value of their business and equip them with everything needed to be successful as a dealer.

We have a comprehensive and efficient new dealer evaluation process that focuses not only on the financial capabilities and geographic location of the dealer, but on the construction of a detailed strategic plan, said Erwood. The strategic plan covers all aspects of a dealers operations and provides a roadmap to success. SANY takes the time to understand the strengths and motivations of its dealer partner to maximize a dealers return on investment.

As part of this process, SANY representatives complete tours of facilities to understand operations on the ground, and conduct interviews with management teams at each dealership to meet them personally and start forging a working partnership. SANY also performs financial, operational and market research as part of the evaluation, working to make sure prospective dealers are set up to both be successful as a dealership and deliver on the SANY promise for every customer.

More than Machines  SANY Delivers Partnerships #MadeforAmerica

Both customers and dealer partners praise the performance, competitive pricing and industry-leading five-year, 5,000-hour warranty that is synonymous with SANY equipment. SANY works to deliver reliability and performance to its customers, and takes the same approach with its dealer relationships. Time and again, new dealers say that working with SANY is unlike the relationships theyve had with other OEMs, with SANY investing time and effort to forge a true partnership, providing the tools, services and support they need to succeed. This relationship also helps SANY ensure that from coast to coast, SANY customers know they will find the same consistent quality, performance and assistance at their local SANY dealer.

Find out more about SANY excavators, wheel loaders and other equipment and see why SANY equipment is truly #MadeforAmerica. Find the dealer nearest you today online, or contact SANY America to learn more about becoming a new dealer partner.

  

About SANY

SANY manufactures, sells and supports construction and material handling equipment, including crawler cranes, rough terrain cranes, excavators, container reach stackers and empty container handlers. The company handles SANY brand equipment sales and support in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America. SANY America's headquarters in Peachtree City, Ga., includes 340,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 60,000 square feet of office space. Excavators are assembled at the facility, which has the capacity to produce more than 2,000 units per year. In addition to assembly, the Peachtree City facility performs machine testing, touch up painting and distribution.

###
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled the Republican coronavirus relief plan on Monday.

Here is what we know about the bill, as Republican leaders release the details:

It would set enhanced federal unemployment insurance at 70% of a worker's previous wages, replacing the $600 per week which states stopped paying out this week.

The GOP would set the benefit at a sum of $200 per week on top of what recipients would normally receive from states through September, slashing what they got from April through July. In October, the 70% replacement would take effect up to a maximum of $500 per week.

The proposal would send direct payments of $1,200 and $2,400 to individuals and couples, respectively. It would set the same qualifications as the checks approved in March: the payments started to phase out at an average of $75,000 in income per person, and individuals or couples making an average of $99,000 or more did not receive one. It would offer an additional $500 per dependent of any age.

The legislation would shield entities such as businesses, doctors and schools from lawsuits, except for cases of "gross negligence" or "willful misconduct."

It would set aside $190 billion for Paycheck Protection Program loans. The bill would allow small businesses with fewer than 300 employees that have seen revenue fall by more than 50% to apply for a second round of aid. It would also authorize $100 billion for loans to seasonal businesses and companies in low-income Census tracts that can show revenue reduction of more than 50%.

The bill provides $105 billion to help schools reopen in the fall. Roughly $30 billion of that amount would go to colleges, according to Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. Most of the money would go to schools physically reopening to help them with the costs associated with safely restarting.

It includes $16 billion to help states boost Covid-19 testing capacity, according to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala.

Shelby said it would put $26 billion toward the development of Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics.

The plan includes 100% deductability of business meals, according to Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.

It includes several tax credits, including an enhanced employee retention credit and a credit for expenses such as upgrades to workplaces and testing that help businesses operate safely.

The bill also authorizes an unrelated $1.75 billion for construction of a new FBI headquarters building in downtown Washington D.C., a short walk from President Donald Trump's hotel. His company worried plans to demolish the FBI's current home, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, and move headquarters to the suburbs could allow a competitor hotel to move downtown, according to The Washington Post.

McConnell, of Kentucky, and his fellow Republicans unveiled the measure as Congress scrambles to respond to a pandemic still wreaking havoc across the country. GOP committee chairs outlined major parts of the legislation they hope will serve as a starting point in talks with Democrats on a bill that could pass both chambers of Congress.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows for nearly two hours at the Capitol on Monday. Leaving the discussion, Meadows told reporters the sides had a "very good meeting," and said the administration officials would return for talks Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after the discussions, Pelosi called the Republican proposal "pathetic."

"It isn't serious," she said, according to reporters at the Capitol.

McConnell, in outlining the plan Monday, urged Democrats to come to an agreement quickly.

"The pandemic is not finished. The economic pain is not finished. So Congress cannot be finished either," he said.

The GOP hoped to release a pandemic aid plan last week, but senators and the White House struggled to reach a consensus as Covid-19 cases and deaths rise around the country. Democrats, who passed a $3 trillion relief plan in May, will look to change many provisions in the Republican opening offer.
Tensions high in northern Israel, days after Hezbollah fighter killed in apparent Israeli air strike in Syria.

Beirut, Lebanon  Hezbollah denied its fighters staged an infiltration attempt that led to clashes with Israeli forces on Monday calling the Israeli account a move to create false victories.

The Lebanese armed group also vowed revenge for a Hezbollah member killed in a suspected Israeli air strike in Syria last week saying a response against Israel was coming for sure.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disputed the armed groups denial of any border incident, adding Hezbollah should know that it is playing with fire.

The Israeli military said earlier three to five Hezbollah fighters crossed into the disputed Shebaa Farms area that is occupied by Israeli forces, and they were repulsed after Israeli troops opened fire. Shebaa Farms was captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and is claimed by Lebanon.

But Hezbollah denied it carried out a raid over the southern border saying the incident was from one side only, from the anxious enemy who opened fire first.

All the enemy media claims about thwarting an infiltration operation from Lebanese territory into occupied Palestine  is absolutely not true, a Hezbollah statement said.





The armed group attributed the incident to the state of terror experienced by the Zionist occupation army and its settlers at the Lebanese border over an expected response to the killing of the Hezbollah fighter.

Israeli shelling

A resident of the town of Khiam, 5km (2 miles) from Lebanons southern border, told Al Jazeera she heard about two dozen explosions and witnessed large columns of smoke rising near Mount Hermon on Monday.

An Israeli shell smashed in a civilian home, narrowly missing a family in the house at the time, but nobody was hurt.

The shelling that took place today on the village of Al-Habbariyeh and damage to a civilians house will not be tolerated at all, Hezbollah said.

The Lebanese group added retaliation for the killing of the Hezbollah fighter in Syria last Monday was coming for sure.

Our response to the martyrdom of the mujahid brother Ali Kamel Mohsen  who was martyred in the Zionist aggression on the outskirts of Damascus International Airport  is definitely coming and the Zionists only have to wait for the punishment for their crimes, the statement said.

Hezbollah parliamentarian Walid Sukkarieh said Mondays incident was a setback for the Israeli army and  Israeli societys confidence in their army.

The Israeli armys Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said troops foiled a Hezbollah attack a few metres over the Blue Line, which demarcates Israels 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon. There were no casualties among Israeli forces.

180122073148967

Andrea Tenenti, the spokesperson for UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL), said its commander, Major-General Stefano Del Col, is in contact with both parties to assess the situation and decrease tension.

He urges maximum restraint, Tenenti told Al Jazeera.

Karim Makdissi, an associate professor of international relations at the American University of Beirut, told Al Jazeera that Hezbollah was setting the stage for a more significant response to the slaying of one of its fighters in Syria, though he ruled out a large-scale conflict.

Theyve denied that they did anything this time round and therefore they reserve the right  and even have an obligation  to respond in the future, Makdissi said. Theyve gotten good at this brand of psychological warfare  saying to the Israelis that they should wait, with the knowledge that a response will eventually come. Its sort of like a show: come back tomorrow and see what happens.

Israel and Hezbollah fought to a stalemate in a month-long war in Lebanon in 2006. Hezbollah was able to overwhelm Israels ground invasion of southern Lebanon and attack military and civilian targets, undermining support for the war inside Israel.

I dont see either side having a particular interest in another war, said Makdissi. There can be token events but thats about it. Hezbollah will feel the need to respond to maintain this deterrence mechanism it has built up over years.

Its coming

Tension has risen along Israels northern frontier with Lebanon and Syria, including the occupied Golan Heights, after the Hezbollah fighter was killed in an apparent Israeli air attack near Damascus last Monday.

What happened in Syria is an aggression that led to the death of Ali Kamil Mohsen, Hezbollahs second-in-command Naim Qasim said in a televised interview on Sunday.

Wiam Wahab, a former Lebanese minister and a well-connected pro-Hezbollah politician, said Mondays incident was not an operation by Hezbollah but may have been a reconnaissance mission.

Its coming  but there isnt one today, he told local news channel Al Jadeed.

Speaking in parliament earlier, Netanyahu said the government was closely following developments in the north.

Smoke rising over south #Lebanon border area after a reported "security incident" that follows a week of high tensions between Israel & #Hezbollah. https://t.co/7I8x8ct43v  Timour Azhari (@timourazhari) July 27, 2020

The military is prepared for every scenario, he said. We operate in all the arenas for Israels defence  close to our borders and far from our borders.

Lebanon and Hezbollah will bear the responsibility for any attack from Lebanese territory.

Netanyahu and Defence Minister Benny Gantz cut short meetings in parliament to meet military commanders at army headquarters in Tel Aviv.



Strategic threat

Following the killing of two Hezbollah members in Syria last August, Hassan Nasrallah, the groups leader, pledged that it would respond if Israel killed any more of its fighters in the country.

Hezbollah deployed fighters in Syria as part of Iranian-backed efforts to support President Bashar al-Assad in the countrys nine-year conflict.

Israel sees the presence of Hezbollah and its ally Iran in Syria as a strategic threat, and has mounted hundreds of air raids on Iranian-linked targets there.

The last exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israel took place in September 2019, when the Lebanese armed group launched rockets across the southern border at an Israeli vehicle, and Israel responded by shelling border areas. There were no confirmed casualties.

That attack came in response to an Israeli drone attack on Beiruts southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed four executive orders aimed at lowering the prices Americans pay for prescription drugs, as he faces an uphill re-election battle and criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump has previously proposed most of the changes made by the executive orders he signed on Friday, but this is the first time they have made it into signed executive orders.

One order would allow for the legal importation of cheaper prescription drugs from countries like Canada, while another would require discounts from drug companies now captured by middlemen to be passed on to patients, Trump said.

Another measure seeks to lower insulin costs while a fourth, which may not be implemented if talks with drug companies are successful, would require Medicare to purchase drugs at the same price that other countries pay, Trump said.

Executives of top drug companies have requested a meeting to discuss how they can lower drug prices, the president said.

We will see what those discussions indicate but the agency is prepared to move forward, said Medicare chief Seema Verma.

Pharma Pushback

The orders received swift pushback from the pharmaceutical industry. The move was a reckless distraction that impedes our ability to respond to the current pandemic  and those we could face in the future, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said in a statement.

Wall Street analysts were skeptical that the orders would have much effect on drugmakers and said they could prove difficult to implement in practice.

We believe they are likely geared more towards deriving campaign talking points rather than producing tangible, material effects, Brian Abrahams, a biotech analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said in a note.

Shares of several drugmakers ticked up as Trump outlined the plan, recovering some of the days losses.

Trump repeatedly has called for lowering the cost of prescription drugs but Congress has not yet passed a major drug price reform.

Many of the administrations past efforts to cut drug prices, including its plan to force insurers and other healthcare payers to pass rebates on to patients, have stalled amid industry pushback.

Reviving a rebate reform proposal now does not address the underlying flaws  that it will drastically increase Medicare premiums for Americas seniors and most vulnerable, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, whose members negotiate rebates for healthcare payers with drugmakers, said in a statement.

Paying the rebates directly to seniors in the form of discounts could cut their drug costs by as much as $30 billion, or as much as 30%, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a Friday press call.

Topics Drugs
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The ruling My Step faction of the Armenian Parliament is planning to hold a meeting with Vahram Avetisyan, who has been nominated for the position of judge of the Constitutional Court, Faction head Lilit Makunts said at a press conference.

The government has nominated a candidate for the Constitutional Court judge. My Step has enough time to be able to address all our questions to the candidate both in the parliaments session hall and also during a meeting which we are going to hold soon. The MPs will express their position after the meeting, Lilit Makunts said.

Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Click here to read the full article.

PARIS  LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton saw a strong rebound in China in the second quarter and expects a gradual return to normal elsewhere in the second half, supported by the solid performance of its top brands, Louis Vuitton and Dior, and a jump in online sales.

The French luxury conglomerate said net profit plummeted 84 percent in the first six months of the year, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of many of its stores and factories worldwide and grounded travelers, who account for 40 percent of luxury goods purchases in value terms, according to analysts.

More from WWD

I do not think we have ever seen such a perfectly negative alignment of planets against us, LVMH chief financial officer Jean-Jacques Guiony said on a conference call on Monday. But the outlook is brightening for the group, which has seen continuous improvements since the lifting of lockdown measures in many countries.

The month of June was significantly better, and July will certainly see some improvement compared to June, Guiony said. We see, month after month, the situation coming back to a more normalized state and we expect this to continue.

Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH, noted the group had shown exceptional resilience during the health crisis. While we have observed strong signs of an upturn in activity since June, we remain very vigilant for the rest of the year, he said in a statement.

Thanks to the strength of our brands and the responsiveness of our organization, we are confident that LVMH is in an excellent position to take advantage of the recovery, which we hope will be confirmed in the second half of the year, and to strengthen our lead in the global luxury market in 2020, he added.

LVMH, which owns 75 brands ranging from Dom Perignon Champagne to Bulgari jewelry, reported that sales fell 38 percent in the three months to June 30, following a 15 percent drop in the first quarter. In organic terms, sales were also down 38 percent, beating the Bloomberg consensus forecast for a 42 percent fall.

Story continues

Organic sales in the second quarter were down 54 percent in Europe and Japan, while the U.S. saw a 39 percent drop. Asia, excluding Japan, performed comparatively better, with a 13 percent decline.

LVMHs net profit totaled 522 million euros in the first half, with Louis Vuitton, Dior and Moet Hennessy remaining highly profitable. But the groups gross margin took a hit, due to the depreciation of unsold products and its inability to absorb all the fixed costs of its manufacturing activities.

Most segments recorded losses during the period, with the exception of the key fashion and leather goods division, as well as wines and spirits. Selective retailing  which includes Sephora and DFS, LVMHs travel-retail business  was hardest-hit, with a loss from recurring operations of 308 million euros in the first half.

Fashion and leather goods posted sales of 3.35 billion euros in the second quarter, down 37 percent in like-for-like terms, broadly in line with expectations. The division posted growth of more than 65 percent in China, while sales in Europe and the U.S. saw a progressive recovery from May.

In the U.S. and Japan, Dior sales rose in June while Vuitton was broadly flat. I think this is very encouraging for the future, Guiony said.

Dior has staged a series of high-profile events, including a physical fashion show in Italy for its cruise collection  albeit without the usual guests  and the opening of its traveling exhibition, Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams, in Shanghai on Tuesday.

Vuitton, meanwhile, is gearing up to present its spring 2021 mens collection with fashion shows, open to the public, in Shanghai and Tokyo.

Sales of perfume and cosmetics were down 40 percent against a backdrop of significant destocking by retailers, with LVMH refraining from selling through parallel distribution channels. In the second half, Fresh will open concept stores in China with new services, and Loewe will launch a line of home fragrances.

Guiony said it was too early to extrapolate any forecasts from the global spike in online sales during the lockdown, although he indicated a shift in LVMHs attitude to e-commerce, which it has traditionally been reluctant to engage in.

We are very pleased with the business weve done on the digital front, particularly in Sephora and in fashion and leather goods, and to a lesser extent in perfumes and cosmetics. It has enabled us to offset part of the lost business in regular distribution channels, so it is encouraging for the future, he said.

When I see the amount of business that weve been able to generate in the last six months on our e-commerce platform, I think there is a future for these platforms to generate a significant amount of the global sales and to be a real and genuine distribution channel, alongside the brick-and-mortar, Guiony added.

The watches and jewelry division recorded a 52 percent drop in organic revenue, even though Bulgari saw a strong recovery in China in the second quarter. Meanwhile, organic sales of wines and spirits were down 33 percent, with cognac benefiting from a rebound in sales in China and resilient U.S. demand.

In the selective retailing division, revenues fell 38 percent even as Sephora gained market share and saw strong increases in online sales. DFS was focused on cutting costs and gradually reopening its downtown stores in Venice, Macau and Hong Kong.

Our top brands have not disappointed  all profitable; less revenue drops than peers; outstanding margins; market share gains; well positioned to become stronger in the crisis, which is exactly what leaders should do, Guiony said.

We are optimistic and confident, although there are two things we should not forget in order to be able to react quickly to any change in the environment. First, the resolution of the sanitary crisis lacks visibility and we cannot rule out further difficulties here and there. And two, the travel retail business is and will be suffering for a number of months and quarters before it comes back to normal, he added.

While LVMH plans to slash its capital expenditures budget by 40 percent this year, it expects to keep its workforce largely intact. There is no such thing as massive reduction in headcount. There could be some adjustments here and there, but nothing particularly significant, said Guiony.

It would be stupid on our side to adjust too much  be it the capital base, the human base, or even to streamline too much some brands  because when things recover, we want to be in good shape to benefit from that, he explained.

The executive gave a brief update on LVMHs $16.2 billion acquisition of U.S. jeweler Tiffany & Co., saying half-a-dozen antitrust filings were still pending, though he did not specify in which countries. Things are moving forward, Guiony said. But I dont really know when all the go-aheads will be given.

He also declined to estimate the potential impact of U.S. tariffs on French fashion goods, including handbags. Some are pending, some are threatened. Its very difficult to make any assessment, he noted. Its a likelihood, thats right, but its not the first time that something like this doesnt happen at the end of the day.

Analysts expect the group to outperform the rest of the luxury sector, despite an unfavorable geographic mix.

LVMH is more exposed to the U.S. market, which will be particularly hit by the delayed lifting of lockdown, Morgan Stanley noted in a recent research report. The U.S. accounted for 24 percent of the luxury groups revenues in the first half.

But LVMH was likely to benefit from a flight to quality as consumers seek the reassurance of mighty brands like Vuitton, Dior, Fendi and Celine, and gravitate toward classic and bourgeois brands over edgy labels.

Consumers tend to want to buy products, which are less likely to depreciate in value over time, but also generally want a less ostentatious look, said Morgan Stanley analysts Edouard Aubin and Elena Mariani.

The LVMH results come on the heels of figures from Compagnie Financiere Richemont showing sales fell 47 percent in the three months to June 30 due to store and workshop closures, anemic tourism and a lack of appetite for hard and soft luxury worldwide during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Burberry reported retail sales fell 48.4 percent in the first quarter ended June 27, despite a powerful rebound in the key markets of mainland China and South Korea. Kering is scheduled to publish its second-quarter results on Tuesday, with Hermes International to follow on Thursday.
One victim, now 21, began attending Jones church when she was 10, telling authorities that she was first groped by the pastor a year later. The victim accused Jones of using pre-church meetings as an opportunity to fondle and kiss her, pressing his body against hers and eventually asking her to send him nude photos of herself. The defendant told (the victim) that he could not wait to have sex with her until she was 18, prosecutors said.
L ewis Hamilton has insisted he is not an anti-vaxxer after previously re-sharing a Covid-19 vaccine conspiracy theory post.

The 35-year-old originally shared a video from a content creator with the handle King Bach, which showed an interview with Microsoft giant Bill Gates on CBS News as he discussed progress on a coronavirus vaccine.

The post was accompanied with a caption reading: I remember when I told my first lie.

However, Formula 1 star Hamilton has since claimed he had not seen the caption when he re-shared the post with his 18.3 million followers.

Hamilton has retracted his previous post / Instagram: lewishamilton

He added that he was only sharing the video to highlight how much work needs to be done in order for a vaccine to be safe.

In a statement on his Instagram story, Hamilton wrote: Ive noticed some comments on my earlier post around the coronavirus vaccine, and want to clarify my thoughts on it, as I understand why they may have been misinterpreted.

Firstly I hadnt actually seen the comment attached so that is totally my fault and I have a lot of respect for the charity work Bill Gates does.

Hamilton has said he is not against a vaccine / 2020 Pool

I also want to be clear that Im not against a vaccine and no doubt it will be important in the fight against coronavirus, and Im hopeful for its development to help save lives.

He continued: However, after watching the video, I felt it showed that there is still a lot of uncertainty about the side effects most importantly and how it is going to be funded.

Acknowledging his mistake, Hamilton concluded: I may not always get my posting right, Im only human but Im learning as we go. Sending you positivity.

Hamilton had previously received criticism from followers for sharing a baseless conspiracy theory.

Gates has found himself at the heart of several Covid-19 conspiracy theories. Theories falsely linking Bill Gates to the coronavirus were mentioned 1.2 million times on television or social media between February and April, according to a study by The New York Times.
Passengers from 35 countries landed at Dublin Airport between July 13th and July 19th, amounting to 36,931 people according to

The Irish Times.

Passengers from the UK were in the majority, with 10,743 people landing in Dublin during that period, followed by Spain (4,965), France (2,137) and the Netherlands (2,041). The number of passengers coming to Dublin from the US during that week was 1,122.

Cork Airport noted a similar trend, with arrival numbers increasing by almost 65%.

2,846 passengers arrived in Cork during the same period, more than half of whom were coming from the UK (1,566).

Shannon Airport had the lowest arrival figures (1,522), but noted an 80% jump compared to the week prior.

Again, the UK (772) accounted for the largest number of arrivals, followed by Spain (332), Poland (238) and Lithuania (70).

These figures account for passengers who's destination is Ireland and does not include those passing through Irish airports for connecting flights.
By PTI

SINGAPORE: Singapore's newly-elected Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday urged the people to be prepared for the post COVID-19 world as he vowed to vigorously deal with the economic and health challenges facing the nation.

Lee, who took oath in the presence of President Halimah Yacob after his People's Action Party received a clear mandate in the general election earlier this month, said the government should also keep an eye firmly on the future as one day the coronavirus crisis will get over.

"Singapore needs to be vigilant amid the COVID-19 situation while it gets the economy going again, but the Government must also look further ahead," the 68-year-old prime minister said.

"Beyond the ongoing crisis, the Government must also keep our eyes firmly on the future. One day, the pandemic will be over and the economic crisis will pass. When that day comes, we have to be ready for the post-COVID-19 world," Lee added.

Lee's PAP party has retained power with a clear mandate in the general election held on July 10 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PAP, in power since 1965, won 83 of the 93 parliamentary seats or 61.24 per cent of the vote.

The election was widely seen as a referendum on the prime minister's handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

Singapore is currently facing the city state's worst recession with the economy projected to shrink between 7 and 4 per cent.

Singapore is only a handful of countries to have held an election during the pandemic.

The new Cabinet will have 37 political office holders, the same as the previous one.

Lee said the aim of the government was not just to survive the pandemic but also set a long-term direction for the country.

"Our aim is not just to survive this storm, but also to set the long-term direction for our country. We must keep on improving Singapore, year after year, generation after generation," he said.

Lee said that beyond the economic prosperity, the Government must also fulfill the broader ambitions Singaporeans have for the country.

"We aspire to be a fair and just society, with opportunities for all. We wish to fashion an inclusive community, where we look out for one another, reach out to those who need help, and show every Singaporean that they have a stake in our future," the Prime Minister said.

Lee said that to achieve high hopes and dreams, Singapore's political system must continue to work well for the nation.

"The election has shown a strong desire among Singaporeans for greater diversity of views in politics. Voters want the PAP to form the government, but they also want more robust debate of policies and plans," he noted.

"We have to give expression to it, and evolve our political system to accommodate it, while maintaining our cohesion and sense of national purpose," he said.

Singapore on Monday reported 469 new COVID-19 cases, including 15 imported infections, taking the country's total count to 50,838, the health ministry said.
Over 70% of churches holding in-person services with safety measures in place

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After months of COVID-19-related restrictions compelled places of worship to suspend on-campus services across America, more than 70% of Protestant churches have cautiously resumed in-person services following the required safety measures, according to a new LifeWay Research survey.

About three months ago, in April, less than 10% of Protestant churches held in-person services, but the number climbed to more than 55% by the first weekend in June, and in July, more than 70% met physically, according to the LifeWay survey.

While more and more churches have resumed in-person worship services, it has not always been a straight path back, said LifeWay Researchs executive director, Scott McConnell. Some have had difficulty resuming or had to stop meeting again as things got worse in their area.

The study found that 99% of the churches that have reopened to meet physically indoors are taking health and safety precaution.

For example, 94% of pastors said they provided hand sanitizer, masks or gloves to those needing it, 86% conducted additional cleaning of surfaces, and 76% closed seats to increase the distance between people.

Nearly 60% or churches meeting in-person have recommended masks, but only about 35% required attendees to wear them. And more than 20% of churches that have reopened added services to allow people to spread out more, and 18% provided additional viewing rooms to do so.

Some churches also conducted temperature checks of staff and volunteers (21%), and some checked temperatures of all attendees (14%), the survey found.

Resuming in-person worship services has not been reverting to worship as usual, McConnell commented. Churches are making efforts to make the environment safe, but these efforts are often second-guessed by those who either want more precautions or less restrictions.

In late May, immediately after President Donald Trump declared churches to be essential and said they should be allowed to reopen as long as they adhere to the CDCs health guidelines, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided in favor of California Gov. Gavin Newsoms statewide stay-at-home order and rejected an emergency motion to allow for in-person religious services to proceed in that state.

Some churches said they would continue to delay their reopening. Grace Community Church was among them and said they would leave it in the hands of God. Churches in California were later allowed to reopen with some restrictions.

However, in July, Newsom announced that churches, fitness centers and businesses in several industries in 30 California counties would be ordered to shut down again unless they can operate outside or through pick-up services. Various churches said they would not follow the order. Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church announced that his church would continue to hold in-person services despite the restrictions. Others, including Harvest Christian Fellowship, have chosen to hold their services outdoors in accordance with the order.

The LifeWay survey found that 5% of churches, most of them in the Northeast, have dealt with an attendee dying from the coronavirus.

In the past three months, pastors said church attendees had also dealt with reduced hours at work (74%) and losing a job (48%).

According to the survey, only 29% are holding in-person Bible studies.

Last week, the State of the Bible 2020 report released by the Barna Group and the American Bible Society also showed that the pandemic has affected Americans Bible engagement, with the number of U.S. adults who read Scripture declining drastically amid the outbreak.

U.S. adults who say they read the Bible daily dropped from 14% to 9% between early 2019 and 2020, the report said.
Vivo recently sent out its TWS Neo earbuds for review, offering us a deeper look at the new listening device. The wearable is easily among the best-looking true wireless headphones currently on the market. The design of the carry case, for instance, is small and luxurious, fitting in-hand like a smooth pebble. The earbuds follow a similar aesthetic.

With its initial release in India placing the cost at right around $100, expectations for audio quality should be tempered. But here, as shown in this review, it matches and, for some content, exceeds expectations. At a minimum, the audio experience is on par with other offerings in the price bracket.

Theres some advanced technology in use here too, such as Bluetooth 5.2.

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Of course, there are obviously going to be some caveats, drawbacks, and pitfalls at this price too. Among those, the design of the earbuds themselves is larger than others I have tested. That presents potential problems with comfort for day to day use. The battery life falls into that same category. The results of my battery test did not align well with expectations set by advertising. And, worse, the results were inconsistent. And so was the strength of connectivity.

Now, there are dozens  possibly hundreds  of headphone-makers on the market. There are benefits and drawbacks to each of those, even at the upper reaches of the price spectrum. Thats not going to be any different for Vivo TWS Neo. So lets take a deeper dive into just how these headphones performed under a thorough review.

I really wanted to love the design and hardware here

Design aesthetics arent going to be the top reason to buy any pair of headphones but for those who do care about that, Vivo has something special with these. At least in terms of looks. Vivo TWS Neo is available in either Moonlight White and Starry Blue and my review unit was the latter color.

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Under almost all lighting, the coloration is closer to black than to blue. But it shimmers with a blue hue under the right circumstances. And there is a heavy mirror-finish regardless of the viewing angle  and which moves with the viewing angle. The case has a smooth in-hand feel that is, again, mirrorlike. So it slips easily into and out of the pocket. The only break in that is a notch to help users open the top and a USB-C port.

The earbuds themselves are similarly smooth, with similar coloration. While that made taking photos without a lot of reflection difficult, its a very sleek design. In combination with the diminutive size, that makes these headphones feel just about perfect, especially for on-the-go use.

Of course, that was until I realized how easily these pick up fingerprints and smudges. While they were exceptionally easy to wipe clean, Vivo TWS Neo earbuds and their case collect fingerprints like any true hobbyist collects their chosen object of obsession. After just a few moments in-hand, these headphones look like they havent been wiped clean in weeks.

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But thats where the hardware fell apart, at least for me. While the port is snug and the earbuds are easy to get in and out of the case, the design is hardly perfect. It was, for instance, difficult to keep the case lid open, and thats required to connect the headphones via Bluetooth. Well discuss that in-depth later on.

The other problem with the design is the tipless style. Typically these types of earbuds rest in the ear rather than being wedged in. But the Vivo TWS Neo were somewhat larger than other earphones Ive had the opportunity to review.

The shape and weight of Vivos TWS Neo werent issues. But the size meant that the hard plastic was extremely uncomfortable for my slightly-less-than-average-sized ears. For me, it felt as though my ears were bruised within minutes of wearing these. And that didnt improve over hours upon hours of use.

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Users with larger ears shouldnt have that problem. But another issue here is that they seemed to jostle loose with even moderate head movements. Because these are designed to turn off upon removal  resuming upon insertion  that resulted in audio cut-out too. These arent, despite an IP54 rating, going to be great for working out. It seems likely that ear size, in combination with the mirror-smooth finish, led to that. It just wasnt a great experience.

Audio quality is going to be a redeeming factor for Vivo TWS Neo

One of the concerns I had when I started my review of Vivo TWS Neo was that their size would impact audio playback. Audio quality is undoubtedly going to be the most important aspect of any true wireless audio experience. With battery life taking a close second in terms of importance. While the design did make these uncomfortable to use for any length of time, the audio experience itself was on-point.

Just for starters, unlike many earphone manufacturers, Vivo doesnt seem overly concerned with making sure bass is the most prominent audio. The lower registers do obviously shine through. Otherwise, these could hardly be called balanced at all. But even where they thump with head-shaking ferocity, those tones dont drown out any others. The tones arent overbearing.

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Mids and highs, delivered by 14.2mm drivers, arent overbearing either. Thanks to Bluetooth 5.2, theres no distortion, unwanted artifacts, or latency under normal circumstances either. Audio remains mostly clear, although not the clearest Ive ever experienced, at every volume level as well.

The embedded dual-microphones, meanwhile, keep noise-canceling effects on-point too. And thats certainly a good thing since these arent very loud at all. My listening, even outside the battery test, never fell beneath 65-percent volume except to test clarity at various volumes.

Now, its fair to say that these earbuds will, in no way, shape, or form, will keep up with those in much higher price brackets. But all of that holds for call audio too. These earbuds sound natural in calls and theres no distortion in outgoing audio either. In fact, in most cases, it wasnt obvious at all to the person I called that I was talking to them over true wireless earbuds.

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All of that is to say that audio here feels dead-on in terms of the price-to-quality ratio.

Connectivity was great but also brought some drawbacks

As noted above, Vivo opted to utilize Bluetooth 5.2 for TWS Neo and that mostly proved a benefit during my review. Where connections worked, they worked extremely well. That led, as also noted above, to a true to production audio representation and balanced listening. But it isnt all good news.

Unfortunately, there are also some special features found with these buds that rely entirely on connecting to a Vivo phone. That includes some sound enhancements and functionality changes. On the latter front, the touch controls can be adjusted via an app identified as the Vivo Earphone app. That doesnt appear to be available on the Google Play Store. So its only going to be accessible on Vivo phones or in regions where it is available.

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With that app, double-tap and sliding gestures and operations can be customized. So users arent stuck with the presets shipped with these earbuds.

Similarly, there are three audio effects only available on select Vivo phones  tucked in the Bluetooth settings menu behind Device info. Those are Clear human voice, Super Bass, and High-pitch voice.

Fortunately, I had a Vivo device available to test these features and they each worked exactly as expected. They also shorten battery life, albeit minimally. But they wont be available to just anybody.

The bigger problem with these earbuds is how they respond to interference. At between 1-foot and around 35-feet, the connection with these headphones is strong. And that mostly remains the case even when walls are in the way. But at around 25-feet, if more than one object was between the earbuds and the source device, audio clipping in-and-out became a real problem.

Since the later version of Bluetooth should offer greater distance listening, that was an extreme disappointment to me. At around 40-feet, even a single wall could cause cutting and distortion.

When it comes time to actually connect these earbuds to a device, only single-device-pairing seems to be possible. And its not an intuitive or easy process. The company requires users to hold open the magnetic  very easy to accidentally close  lid. Then they need to also hold down the center button just below the LED light on the front until the LED goes white and blinks. Only then can these earbuds be connected. Afterward, they sync and pair automatically.

Battery life is hit-and-miss with Vivo TWS Neo to the extreme

When conducting a battery review of any type, let along for Vivo TWS Neo earbuds, its important to remember that subjectivity is part of the process. I listened, for the duration of my battery-specific test, with a few set parameters to offset that somewhat. For starters, I set the volume at 90-percent volume. And I kept the source distance at a moderate 30-feet. I also didnt use any special Vivo-phone-only features.

Typically, that type of test returns very consistent results across multiple charge-ups. Particularly for headphones. But that wasnt the case here and the way charging works with Vivo TWS Neo only made matters worse. A single LED is used to let the user know how charged everything is. When the earbuds arent in the case, the light shows either above or below half full. Green denotes greater than 50-percent remaining. Orange denotes less.

When the earbuds are in the case, the light works the same way but shows for the earbuds and not the case. Its very vague. Users are going to have to rely on the high-accuracy on-phone battery indicator, found in Bluetooth settings in the Settings app. Thats if they want an accurate reading since that read-out actually seems to be accurate with these headphones  unlike most others that Ive used.

Having said that, it takes between 30- and 45-minutes to charge the earbuds up once. The light switched to green after just 16-minutes, indicating the charge was at above 50-percent. It took right around an hour and a half to charge everything, including the carry case, up from flat dead. And thats good news for anybody who would need to charge these up quickly. But the life of the earbuds is far less consistent too. So its good in that context too.

In fact, at their shortest-lived, these earbuds only lasted 2.5 hours playing aptX Adaptive-compatible audio at a distance. The most I saw was closer to five hours  around a half-hour more than is advertised. Regardless, over real-world use, the actual lifecycle varied so drastically that it wasnt really possible to predict when they would die. And that was frustrating to deal with. At worst, theyd last through a whole move  for most movies. At best, theyd last for two.

Overall, with the extra charges provided by the case, these headphones lasted me 19-hours and 21-minutes. Thats not awful, even if it is split into much shorter listening sessions. But it is also well short of the 22.5-hours promised by Vivos advertising and specs sheet. Its difficult to imagine, given the somewhat lower-than-expected volume these headphones are capable of, that 22.5-hours is easy to achieve either.

Luckily, Vivo also did its low-battery warning differently with these headphones. Instead of an obnoxious voice overlay, at around 25-percent remaining, these headphones start sounding a chime every few minutes. Thats an unobtrusive tone that lasts for less than a second and doesnt overwhelm the other audio playback. Theres just a slight dip in volume, the tone trills, and then audio resumes as normal.

Thats much less intrusive than most other true wireless headphones. And it saves these from having a much shorter practical lifespan per charge.

Are these Vivo TWS Neo earbuds truly worth the $100 asking price?

When it comes right down to it, there are three major factors in any earbud purchase. Vivo TWS Neo earbuds are no exception and its difficult to say whether or not theyre recommendable based on those factors even after a thorough review. But it is easy to see just why thats the case. There is a serious disconnect between how great these earbuds sound or their eye-catching design and the comfort, connection issues, and inconsistent battery.

Only two of those issues are really something that could be fixed with a software update. So, unfortunately, for those who dont typically do well with earbuds due to a smaller ear size, these probably arent going to be the best option. In fact, they outright wont be the best option. A high-quality audio experience will never be worth the discomfort of feeling as though ones ears are bruised. And I typically use a huge assortment of in-ear buds. So its fair to say thats not because Im just not used to these types of listening devices.

On the other hand, connection issues  as with Googles Pixel-branded buds  can possibly be fixed with a software update. Thats if Vivo can find a way to push such updates since theres no dedicated Vivo app available in the Play Store for these. Or at least there wasnt in my region or for my day-to-day device. Although there could be for Vivo devices themselves in other regions. A similar fix could likely be pushed for battery issues.

Having said all of that, the sound quality here is a fair value for the cost. They arent the loudest earbuds on the market or the most bass-heavy. But thats a good thing. Too much bass response can ruin the listening experience. Balance, in the end, and as is found with these earbuds, delivers the most authentic audio experience. And that, more often than not, equates to a better experience.

Bluetooth 5.2, combined with well-thought-out drivers, means youll be hearing audio with these that you wouldnt hear with less-well-made, cheaper headphones. For those users who typically have problems with earbuds being too small and falling out, these are going to be an obvious option that should definitely be considered, at the very least. And the same can be said for any user who really just needs headphones for short listening sessions.
J et2 has announced it is cancelling all flights and holidays to Spain for the next three weeks after previously saying it would continue to run its scheduled programme of flights.

The airline is following tour operator TUI which also announced yesterday it was cancelling flights to mainland Spain.

It comes after the Government removed Spain from its safe countries list following a surge of coronavirus cases in the European country.

Tour operator Jet2 said it was suspending flights to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga and Murcia from Tuesday up to and including August 16.

Where customers are affected by any programme changes, weve been repeatedly recognised by media, consumer organisations and customers for how we have been looking after customers, offering the option to rebook with no admin fee, Refund Credit Notes or full cash refunds, and we will be contacting customers to discuss these options, Jet2 said.

We will also contact customers who are currently in mainland Spain to advise them of their options regarding flying back to the UK, so we urge customers not to contact us."

On Sunday Jet2 said it was continuing to run its scheduled programme of flights to and from mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands but was "reviewing its options for customers" following the updated advice from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

What are the new rules on Brits returning from Spain?

The tour operator said on Monday it continues to monitor the "fast-moving" situation.

Jet2 added: "For customers who are due to travel to mainland Spain from August 17 onwards, we will provide an additional update once we receive further information from the Government. We urge the Government to provide the industry with clarity, so that we can keep our all-important customers up-to-date and informed.

We are continuing to operate flights to our destinations in the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands as scheduled. Because the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) travel advice to these destinations remains unchanged, our usual terms and conditions apply. As always, we advise customers to purchase appropriate travel insurance before travelling.

This is a fast-moving situation, which we are continuing to monitor very closely. We would like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience.

The Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to mainland Spain and Downing Street has warned no travel is risk-free.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said decisions on border measures and travel advice can be changed rapidly if necessary to help stop the spread of the disease.

He went on: Unfortunately no travel is risk-free during this pandemic and disruption is possible and so anyone travelling abroad should be aware that our travel advice and exemption list is under constant review as we monitor the international situation.

The World on Coronavirus lockdown 1 /60 The World on Coronavirus lockdown Getty Images A UK government public health campaign is displayed in Piccadilly Circus Reuters Chinese paramilitary police and security officers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they stand guard outside an entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing AP A usually busy 42nd Street is seen nearly empty in New York AFP via Getty Images Bondi Beach, Australia Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images View of the illuminated statue of Christ the Redeemer that reads "Thank you" as Archbishop of the city of Rio de Janeiro Dom Orani Tempesta performs a mass in honor of Act of Consecration of Brazil and tribute to medical workers amidst the Coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic Getty Images Rome AFP via Getty Images An Indian man paddles his bicycle in front of a mural depicting the globe covered in a mask, as India remains under an unprecedented lockdown over the highly contagious coronavirus Getty Images Aerial view of the empty 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires in Argentina AFP via Getty Images A view of an empty Grand Canal Reuters Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Central cemetery in Bogota, Columbia AFP via Getty Images The facade of the Palacio de Lopez (seat of the government palace) AFP via Getty Images Miami, Florida AFP via Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Simon Bolivar park in Bogota AFP via Getty Images An LAPD patrol car drives through Venice Beach Boardwalk AP Venice Beach, California Getty Images Los Angeles, California Getty Images Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images Many shops stand shuttered on the Venice Beach boardwalk Getty Images Empty escalators are seen at a deserted train station during morning rush hour after New South Wales began shutting down non-essential businesses Reuters A nearly empty Times Square in New York AFP via Getty Images Caracas AFP via Getty Images Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador AFP via Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Midland Park in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Civic Square at lunchtimein Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A policeman rides his motorcycle wearing a face mask in front of a closed shopping mall in Buenos Aires, Argentina AFP via Getty Images Florida Keys AP The historic Channel 2 Bridge closed to fishermen, bikers and pedestrians in Florida Keys AP The Beach on Scenic Gulf Drive near Seascape Resort in south Walton County, Florida sits empty of tourists AP Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images A deserted Rajpath leading to India Gate in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images Empty roads are pictured following the lockdown by the government amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kathmandu, Nepal Reuters An empty New York Subway car i AFP via Getty Images The empty pedestrian zone is seen in the city of Cologne, western Germany, AFP via Getty Images Place de la Comedie in the city of Montpellier , southern France AFP via Getty Images An empty street in Kuwait city AFP via Getty Images A building is covered by the Portuguese message: "Coronavirus: take precaution" over empty streets in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, AP A general view shows an empty street after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Parliament of Canada is pictured with empty street during morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images A near empty beach on Southend seafront in England PA Near empty Keswick town centre in Cumbria, England PA

The Spanish Government said it is in talks with the UK about excluding the Balearic and Canary islands from its quarantine measures.

But Health Minister Lord Bethell said: Within individual countries there is no way for us to control intra-country transport, it is therefore very difficult and challenging to have a regional exemption list, and that is why weve not been able to give exemptions to the Balearics.

Holidaymakers arriving in the UK from Spain on Monday have shared their frustration at the Government's changes to the quarantine rules.

Meanwhile British Airways said the new rule was yet another blow to British holidaymakers  who will see their plans thrown into chaos.

In a statement, the airline said its flights were continuing to operate, but it was disappointed the Government was now advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain.

It said the move was throwing thousands of Britons travel plans into chaos, adding: This is sadly yet another blow for British holidaymakers and cannot fail to have an impact on an already troubled aviation industry.
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The U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission has filed a preliminary notice for Under Armour, recommending legal actions be taken against the retailer and its executives for violating certain federal securities laws.

The Wells Notices  which are not formal charges or determinations by the SEC  stemmed from disclosures Under Armour made about between the third quarter in 2015 and Dec. 31, 2016.

Founder and executive chairman Kevin Plank and chief financial officer David Bergman were two of the executives at the activewear and footwear company to receive Wells Notices earlier this month for allegedly pulling forward sales, or using customer sales earlier than anticipated in an effort to boost revenues during the quarter.

Specifically, the SEC staff is focused on the companys disclosures regarding the use of pull forward sales in order to meet sales objectives, according to a recent 8K filing.

Under Armour has previously said its actions were appropriate and plans to pursue the Wells Notice process, which will include the opportunity to respond to the SEC staffs position and also expect to engage in a dialogue with the SEC staff to work toward a resolution of this matter, according to the 8K.

The retailer could not be reached for further comment.

Under Armours stock, which is down about 60 percent year-over-year, was down nearly 5 percent during pre-market hours Monday, but rose nearly two percent after the market opened.

Looking at shares up right now, from an investor perspective, I dont know that this is viewed as some breaking news, Simeon Siegel, managing director and senior retail analyst of BMO Capital Markets, told WWD.

He added that the Under Armour that was focused on growth at all costs, from 2015 and before, does not seem to be the same company as today. The Under Armour of today is focused on a healthy path forward over profits.

That includes Plank last fall relinquishing control of the company he founded and the retailers announcement earlier this year that it was ditching plans to open the 53,000-square-foot flagship along Manhattans Fifth Avenue in order to cut expenses.

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But Erik Gordon, a professor of business and law at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, said the Wells Notices means Under Armour is in serious trouble.

A Wells Notice is double-barrel bad news; it means the government is after you, said Gordon, who is also a licensed attorney. It means Under Armour has been talking to the government, giving them documents and information. Theyre trying to persuade the government that really theres nothing there to worry about. But when a company gets a Wells Notice, it means whatever they sent so far, the government is not buying it and is putting them on formal notice that it intends to bring proceedings.

And the DOJ is involved, which makes it very serious, he added.



While the details as to what extent Under Armour may have been involved with pulling forward its sales is still unknown, the proceedings could result in fines and penalties for the company, as well as for some of its executives. Furthermore, shareholders would also be able to take action in the form of civil suits.

Broader picture, the proceedings could serve as a warning for the entire retail industry.



Under Armour is not the only company that does it; its a long standing practice, Gordon said. This could be a signal that the government is on to it  this quarterly channel-stuffing and liberal return policy to make your quarterly numbers and hope somehow that the next quarter you can catch up  and considers it to be illegal.

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The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar, on Sunday urged Muslims across the country to observe forthcoming Eld-Kabir festi...





The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar, on Sunday urged Muslims across the country to observe forthcoming Eld-Kabir festival in line with coronavirus regulations in their respective States.





Abubakar, who doubles as President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), gave this advice via a statement issued by Professor Salisu Shehu, Deputy Secretary-General of NSCIA, a copy of which was made available to newsmen.





Eld-Kabir festival, which usually comes up on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the twelve month of Islamic calendar, is a day where Muslims across the world slaughter rams or any other accepted animal after the two Rakkah compulsory prayer, in order to emulate Prophet Ibrahim.





It was gathered that Friday, 31st July has been declared as the day for the 1441 Eld-Kabir festival.





But, Abubakar while congratulating Muslims in the country on the forthcoming 1441AH Eld-Kabir festival, enjoined them to observe the Eld-Kabir festival according to the established protocol in their various communities and locations.





The Sultan warned that in places where the ban on public congregational prayers and socio-religious gatherings was still in force, Muslims should be law-abiding, while appreciating that intentions supersede actions.





The Sultan added that Muslims in Nigeria should note that coronavirus is not just a Nigerian issue, but a global matter of concern





Abubakar said, As it is not yet over, Muslims should continue to act according to the established protocol in their various communities and locations in Nigeria during the forthcoming Eid al-Adha.





In places where restrictions have been lifted from congregational prayers, Muslims should observe their Eid prayers while still taking necessary safety measures regarding personal hygiene, facial masks and social distancing. It is even advisable that in such places, massive gatherings at one Eid ground in a big city should be avoided. Rather the Eid could be performed in area-Mosques to avoid unmanageable crowds.





However, in places where the ban on public congregational prayers and socio-religious gatherings is still in force, Muslims are directed to be law-abiding while appreciating that intentions supersede actions and actions are judged on the basis of intentions, as Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said (Buhari and Muslim).





The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar, CFR, mni, congratulates the Nigerian Muslim Ummah and the entire Muslim world on the auspicious occasion of the 1441AH Eid al-Adha celebrations. We pray to Allah to grant us the opportunity to witness many more of it. Amin.





This years Eid is particularly significant as there will be three Khutbahs (sermons) within the span of two daysthe Khutbah of Arafat on Thursday, 9th of Dhul-Hiijah, 1441AH, and the khutbahs of Eid and Jumuah on Friday, 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, 1441 AH. Indeed, these are extraordinary days every Muslim should reflect and maximise the rare opportunities and virtues they present to invoke the mercy of Allah and His blessings. In line with the tradition of the Prophet, Muslims who are not on Hajj are encouraged to fast on the day of Arafat, the 9th day of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, 1441 AH, equivalent to Thursday, 30th July, 2020, while praying fervently to Allah for the forgiveness of sins and healing of the world from all diseases, most especially the destructive Coronavirus.





Meanwhile, as Eid al-Adha knocks the door, it is crucial to reiterate that we are living in unusual times where normalcy has become abnormal, including social gatherings and large congregational prayers. Muslims are enjoined to note that Eid al-Adha is not a compulsory religious activity (fard) and at no point should it be observed if doing so will undermine the fundamental purpose of Shariah: security, a multifaceted concept which includes personal, communal, national, environmental and health components, among others. This is to say that it is not over until it is over.





For the purpose of emphasis, the fundamental goal of Shariah or divine guidance, popularly construed as Islamic Law, which is a more befitting interpretation of its component, fiqh, is security. In Islam, this security operates at five cardinal levels, otherwise referred to as maqaasidus shariah or objectives of Shariah. These are the security of religion, life, intellect, procreation and property.





These objectives of Shariah are basic necessities for existence in every human society and every society is duty-bound to protect them. The steps taken to contain COVID-19, including restrictions in the observance of our cherished religious activities, are in furtherance of the letter and spirit of maqaasid shariah. Every discerning Muslim is aware that the prevailing doctrine of necessity due to Coronavirus is not just a Nigerian issue, it is a global matter of concern.
India on Monday lodged a strong protest with Pakistan against attempts allegedly being made to convert a historic Sikh Gurudwara into a Mosque at the Naulakha bazaar in Lahore. New Delhi expressed its concerns in the strongest termsover an incident where an attempt was allegedly made to convert the Gurudwara Shahidi Asthanthe site of the "martyrdom of Bhai Taru Singh ji" in 1745---into the Masjid Shahid Ganj in Lahore.

India said the Gurudwara is a place of reverence and considered sacred by the Sikh communityand that this incident has been viewed with grave concern in India.

In a statement, India said, A strong protest was lodged with the Pakistan High Commission today on the reported incident whereby Gurudwara Shahidi Asthan, site of martyrdom of Bhai Taru Singh ji at Naulakha Bazaar in Lahore, Pakistan has been claimed as the place of Masjid Shahid Ganj and attempts are being made to convert it to a mosque.

New Delhi added, Gurudwara Shahidi Asthan Bhai Taru Ji is a historical gurudwara where Bhai Taru Ji made supreme sacrifice in 1745. The Gurdwara is a place of reverence and considered sacred by the Sikh community. This incident has been viewed with grave concern in India. There have been calls for justice for the minority Sikh community in Pakistan.

The MEA further said, India expressed its concerns, in strongest terms on this incident and called upon Pakistan to investigate the matter and take immediate remedial measures. Pakistan was also called upon to look after the safety, security, well-being of its minority communities including protection of their religious rights and cultural heritage.

Meanwhile, a Pakistani Government official of the Evacuee Trust Property Board there has apparently submitted a complaint to Pakistan Police authorities in Lahore to take action against a local resident of Lahore for trying to instigate people there against the Pakistani local Sikh community.
THE League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Cebu chapter has asked the Department of Education (DepEd) to allow local government units (LGUs) in Cebu Province to continue using public schools as quarantine facilities.

In her letter to the agency, Liloan Mayor Cristina Frasco, LMP Cebu president, pointed out the lack of facilities to isolate patients who test positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Frasco was hoping they could use the schools while there are no physical classes, which may increase the risk of transmission.

It was agreed that LGUs could only use the public schools as quarantine facilities until July 30, 2020, which is this Thursday.

Its a fact that there are positive cases in many of our towns. And there are some homes that are not viable for home quarantine and this is the reason why the schools are very important to be used as isolation facilities for purposes of containment, Frasco said in a mix of Cebuano and English.

In her letter, the mayor did not specify how long the LGUs would be using the public schools.

As long as there are cases, the schools will really be necessary as isolation facilities. Our request did not have a specific date but rather (we asked) to use the isolation facilities until President Duterte approves officially the date of the opening of face-to-face classes in schools, she said.

Frasco clarified that they are not asking to use all public schools in the province as quarantine facilities.

She said that in her town of Liloan, there are 27 public schools. However, theyre only using 16 as isolation centers.

Frasco said she hopes the DepEd will grant their appeal while the government bans face-to-face classes to contain the spread of Covid-19. (ANV / PJB)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 11:04:14|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- American companies are concerned about the growing tensions between the United States and China, but aren't making any quick moves to exit the Chinese market, U.S. media reported over the weekend.

The U.S. business community is worrying about the China-smearing remarks from Washington's officials like U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and wary that the ramped-up rhetoric will have intended effect by souring the optimism of the businesses in China, an article titled "Deteriorating relations with China put U.S. companies on edge" in The Hill said.

In general, American companies oppose the U.S. administration's views on China, said Shaun Rein, founder of the China Market Research Group.

Doug Barry, director of communications for the U.S. and China Business Council, an advocacy group that represents about 220 companies that do business in China, said that they "want to encourage both countries to peacefully resolve their differences."

"To do this, the U.S. government needs a smart, comprehensive long-term policy which our members hope to play an important role in developing," Barry was quoted as saying by The Hill.

The signing of the China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade agreement in mid-January has been welcomed by the business community as a positive step toward improving relations, the article said.

The global COVID-19 pandemic and the coronavirus recession in the United States has prompted some businesses to seek additional supply chains elsewhere, but American companies are still hopeful that the United States and China will find a way to patch things up, according to The Hill. Enditem
Invest 92L is a broad area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave over the central tropical Atlantic about midway between the coast of Africa and the Lesser Antilles that is producing a large area of cloudiness, showers, and thunderstorms (marked with a red X).

Invest 92L 2020 Projected Path

NHC forecasters say that environmental conditions are expected to become increasingly conducive for development of this system, and a tropical depression or tropical storm is likely to form within the next day or two while moving westward to west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph.

If Invest 92L becomes a tropical storm or hurricane, the next name on the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Names List is Isaias.

Invest 92L has a 90% chance of tropical cyclone formation within the next 5 days and an 80% chance within the next 48 hours.

This system is expected to begin affecting portions of the Lesser Antilles on Wednesday or Wednesday night, and interests on those islands should continue to monitor its progress.

Invest 92L 2020 Computer Models

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Spaghetti models are in general agreement that Invest 92L will move in a west-northwesterly direction across the tropical Atlantic Ocean followed by a curve to the northwest near Puerto Rico.

NOAA forecasts an above-normal 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season which runs from June 1 through November 30.
Two masked men wielding a gun and an axe looted 3 lakh from a Western Union branch in broad daylight at Sector 27, Chandigarh, on Monday.

Sanjiv Kumar Kalia, who runs the currency exchange business besides propery consultancy from a booth in the Sector-27 market, told police that he had returned from a bank in the same sector after withdrawing 2.8 lakh in the afternoon.

He had kept the money in the drawer along with 20,000 already present there and gone to a public toilet in the market. Just as I returned, the duo walked into my shop (SK Enterprises) at 2:10pm, he said.

Kalia, who is a resident of Raipur Khurd, said one man was wearing a cap while his accomplice was wearing a helmet. Both had covered their faces with cloth.

One of the accused put a pistol to my head and asked for keys to the drawer. He also threatened to shoot me if I raised the alarm, said the victim, adding that the robber spoke in Punjabi. Initially, I thought some friend might be playing a prank on me, but on seeing the other man holding an axe too, I realised something was wrong.

Without putting up any resistance, Kalia handed over the keys to the robbers, who stashed the money in a laptop bag and walked out of the shop.

Kalia told police that the duo had come on a motorcycle that was parked behind a car outside his shop. The motorcycle was caught by one of the CCTV cameras installed in the area. The accused can be seen fleeing towards Sector 19, in the footage.

Kalia, who is into the business of currency exchange for over a decade, said: My regular clients know that I do not keep cash in the shop, and most of them get money transferred into their accounts. The cash was withdrawn to hand over to the clients whose transactions are below 50,000.

A case has been registered under Section 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code besides the Arms Act at the police station in Sector 26, said deputy superintendent of police Charanjit Singh, adding that investigations are underway.

LOOT SPREE IN TRICITY

May 31:Four people make unsuccessful bid to loot an ATM at Kishangarh in Chandigarh

June 10: Miscreants flee with ATM containing 16 lakh uprooted from a PNB kiosk at Dappar near Lalru

June 17: In a broad daylight robbery, two men loot 4.8 lakh at gunpoint from an all-woman branch of PNB in Phase 3A, Mohali

June 18: Masked man flee with 7.6 lakh from a Union Bank of India ATM at Kishangarh in Chandigarh

July 20: Two men break into a PNB ATM at Gharuan village in Kharar
The following is a transcript of an interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that aired Sunday, July 26, 2020, on "Face the Nation."

MARGARET BRENNAN: We begin this morning with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Speaker Pelosi, thank you for joining us.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE NANCY PELOSI: My pleasure. Thank you.

MARGARET BRENNAN: The treasury secretary said this morning that Republicans will introduce a bill on Monday. When do you expect to begin negotiating?

lth care workers, food suppliers, teachers, teachers, teachers, transportation workers, sanitation workers and the rest. Secondly, that opens up our economy by having testing, tracing, treatment and distancing to end this virus. And third, to put money in the pockets of the American people. Unemployment benefits, direct payments, etcetera. These are things that the Republicans have voted for in previous COVID packages so it was nothing new. It was more because more was needed. And then for them to come now, when we're right on the brink, when people are hungry in our country, children, millions of children, are food insecure. Many families who never thought they'd go to a food bank are going to food banks. And we need more money for food stamps and emergency nutrition programs. And they're resisting that. And again, said that they would now be trying to- that they're in disarray and that delay is causing suffering for America's families. So we have been ready for two months and 10 days. I've been here all weekend hoping they had something to give us. They promised it this week. It didn't come.

Related: Christine Pelosi details House Speaker's rise in new book

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.

SPEAKER PELOSI: Now they're saying Monday.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Will you stay in session until a deal is negotiated?

SPEAKER PELOSI: We can't go home without it. But it's so sad that people should have this uncertainty in their lives. At the same time as they are bolstering the stock market. And that's not a bad thing but trillions of from the Fed, etcetera, to bolster the stock market- let's have a measured amount of money to bolster America's working families.

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MARGARET BRENNAN: Well- but specifically on what has just expired, that- that boost of $600 to federal unemployment. Republicans and the White House are saying that they want to keep some money going, but bring it down to about 70 percent of prior wages. Is that something you can accept?

SPEAKER PELOSI: Well, let me just say this. The reason we had $600 was its simplicity.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.

SPEAKER PELOSI: And figuring out 70 percent of somebodies wages. People don't all make a salary. Maybe they do. They make wages and they sometimes have it vary. So why don't we just keep it simple? Unemployment benefits and the- the enhancement, which is so essential right now and that's really where we are starting and--

MARGARET BRENNAN: So a flat amount is what you're saying--

SPEAKER PELOSI: It's so important to the American people.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So--

SPEAKER PELOSI: You know, 60 percent, over 60 percent the American people support that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. No I understand the difficulty for states to adjust their systems to process this. But would you accept a flat amount? Something less than $600 as a boost. Is there a compromise here?

SPEAKER PELOSI: Let- let me just say, you're not going to have a- with all due respect to you, MARGARET, and I appreciate the opportunity to share some values that we have that apparently they don't share. We'll have our negotiation, but we- how can- these are the same people who gave a tax- the only thing they have accomplished in the Trump administration, on their own, the only thing they accomplished was a tax cut for the wealthiest people in America. The cost of $2 trillion to the national debt in order to give 83 percent of the benefits--

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.

SPEAKER PELOSI:-- to the top one percent. And they're resenting $600 for single moms to be able to put food on the table, for dads to maintain the dignity of-of keeping their families intact, and with unemployment insurance, with assistance for rent,--

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.

SPEAKER PELOSI: --with food. This is an emergency that maybe they don't understand. I don't know what they have against working families in America--

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well--

SPEAKER PELOSI: --that they would keep this going so long.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I appreciate you not- you saying you don't want to negotiate in public, but for everyday Americans who are waiting on this money, the amount matters. I know the argument being that this is a cliff and that people were paid to stay home. Now, they don't need to be paid to stay home. So I'm- I'm just wondering for you, because the last time we spoke on the heels of the HEROES Act being passed back in May, you said to me at that time, we have no red lines. Has that changed? Is this a red line for you?

SPEAKER PELOSI: That was in reference to what you said about the liability, etcetera.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I see.

SPEAKER PELOSI: But, in fact, you don't go into a negotiation with a red line. But you do go in with your values. And if you are spending trillions of dollars to bolster the stock market, and I'm not complaining about that,--

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.

SPEAKER PELOSI: --that's important to our economy. So is this. Now, mind you, we haven't even spoken about state and local. State and local government is- supplies the- meets the needs of the American people. Millions of people, over a million people, have already been fired from state and local government because of the cost of- of coronavirus and the revenue lost from coronavirus. If these people get fired, they go on unemployment insurance. So what money are you saving by ignoring the needs not only of the American people, but of state and local government? That's a whole piece of all of this that is essential to, again,--

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.

SPEAKER PELOSI: --not only meeting needs and meeting payrolls, but also growing our economy.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Some of the companies and even universities out there have said that they do need some kind of liability protections. Is- are you open to a deal that includes that?

SPEAKER PELOSI: Well, there are some suggestions that relate to academics to schools and the rest. We have an initiative in California to that respect, but what we will not support is the following. What they're saying to essential workers, you have to go to work because you're essential. We've place no responsibility on your employer to make that workplace safe and if you get sick, you have no recourse because we've given your employer protection. And if you don't go to work because you're afraid of being sick and you have that job opportunity, you don't get unemployment insurance. This is so unfair. Let's just get to the heart of it. At the point of all of this is, this president- I have a new name for him, Mr. Make Matters Worse. He has made matters worse from the start. Delay, denial. It's a hoax. It'll go away magically. It's a miracle, and all the rest. And we're in this situation with- you spelled out some of the numbers very clearly early. So it makes matters worse-- now then we send our children to school. The best way to send our children school is to fund it, to fund it. The ventilation--

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

SPEAKER PELOSI: The spacing, the additional teachers and to lower the infection rate in the community in which they exist. That takes money.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

SPEAKER PELOSI: That's in the HEROES Act to do.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Speaker, I do want to ask you about your former colleague, John Lewis. We know that the procession in Alabama will bring him across that Edmund Pettus Bridge for the last time today.

SPEAKER PELOSI: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You've crossed it with him and I'm just wondering what this symbolizes to you?

SPEAKER PELOSI: Well, the very idea that John Lewis will be crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge today in a full horse and carriage, taking him across with the state troopers, paying their respects to him, honoring him, so different from what happened before. Your show is called FACE THE NATION. And I have this pin, this pin I brought to John over 4th of July weekend. That was the last time I saw him. I brought him this pin and it says, "One country, one destiny." That's a nation. And John's life was about that. One nation, one country, one destiny, more perfect union. And again, these words were embroidered into Lincoln's coat, the coat he had on that ill-fated night. And just think that tomorrow John Lewis will lie on the catafalque that was where Lincoln was laid to rest when he came to the capital of the United States and was the- and John F. Kennedy and the rest. But Lincoln to Lincoln. Lincoln Memorial, 57 years ago. Now he's- he's sharing that resting place with Abraham Lincoln. So it's a number of days more that we have. We look forward to welcoming him to the capital. But the--

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SPEAKER PELOSI: --the most iconic thing is that his life- we know when he made his speech in 57 years ago as a young man, the youngest person to speak there. And now when he left Washington on his way out of town, he went to Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. He met the mayor there.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We remember that.

SPEAKER PELOSI: And really passed the torch.

MARGARET BRENNAN: He did.

SPEAKER PELOSI: To see him there- to see him there from one generation into the future, we- we're so blessed. He was a titan of the civil rights movement. He was the conscience of the Congress.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Thank you.

SPEAKER PELOSI: We will miss him, sadly.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Thank you very much, Speaker.

SPEAKER PELOSI: Thank you, MARGARET.

Millions face homelessness as eviction moratorium ends

Washington battles over coronavirus unemployment benefits

Protesters in Portland, Oregon, continue to clash with federal officers
Terrified of potential border opening

Re: Canada can learn from American COVID-19 failures, says Hirji, July 17

Well, if I was alarmed before, Im downright terrified now.

Recently on Buffalos Channel 2 Friday news broadcast, an interviewer asked a woman on the street about opening the border. She adamantly stated she owned property in Crystal Beach on which she paid taxes and therefore should be entitled to enjoy it.

Asked if she would quarantine for 14 days, the defiant answer was No! I wouldnt be able to go to the beach. I wouldnt be able to visit my friends. Why, I wouldnt even be able to shop for groceries.

And therein, it appears, lies the answer to Americas exploding COVID-19 cases and deaths: Selfish, inconsideration; the me, me culture of instant gratification. Of course, its viewed as not being politically correct to point fingers and use such language on tender sensibilities, especially evident in the 20- to 30-year-olds who are disregarding masking and six-feet distancing recommendations.

But this was an elderly woman, perhaps reflecting what so many Americans have become under the influence of the current presidents administration. As the saying goes, If you play, you must pay. And, boy are they paying.

But we in Canada dont have to pay the same price. Keep the border closed.

Donna McCulloughNiagara Falls

Lack of transparency hurts Niagara Falls

Re: Niagara Falls city council defers mandatory mask issue to Niagara Region, July 14

The City of Niagara Falls recently discussed the issue of face masks. No decision was reached until after the Region plays its hand. Why wouldnt city council at least pass a motion that indicated the desirability of locals wearing a mask in specified situations? Should you have reason to call in on city hall you need an appointment and are required to wear a mask. That is not just a recommendation.

On the other hand, both the City of St Catharines and the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake acted positively. No reports needed to delay proceedings.

Council members said they got up to speed on the safety of 5G. Why was the face mask issue left simmering? Be decisive. Make a decision even though it may sour some interests.

A committee to get the city in recovery mode has been established. The membership has not been made public. Strange. Whose interests is the in camera committee serving? While Welland has attracted another expanding job opportunity industry Niagara Falls continues to lag. Why? What is missing for Niagara Falls?

Openness, transparency, accountability.

Ross SmithNiagara Falls

Niagara municipalities should stop seeking handouts

Re: Federal funding announcement greeted with relief at Niagara Region, July 17

Who are our local municipalities working for? Niagara Region and local municipalities continue to approach the federal and provincial governments with hat in hand asking for additional funds in order to maintain their business as usual structure.

Instead of asking for a handout, they may want to consider using the hand up the province provided earlier this year. When the provincial government backed off on its promise to look at amalgamation; it allocated $143 million for municipalities to use to help offset amalgamation costs.

In order for the Region and its municipalities to take advantage of these funds there would need to be a paradigm shift and they would need to come together, stop working in their silos and work together.

You will notice since the province backed off amalgamation, all discussions about changing governance locally have gone quiet. Just the recurrent requests for federal and provincial bailouts.

Allen McKaySt. Catharines

Letters welcome

We welcome letters from our readers. Send them to letters@niagaradailies.com or mail to 55 King St., Suite 600, St. Catharines, Ont., L2H 3HR. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Please include your name, address and phone number for verification purposes.
Actually, this caper has been underway for some time. For more than a decade, the GOPs consistent strategy has been to identify citizens who tend to vote for Democrats and deny them the right or the opportunity to vote. Republican-controlled state legislators have passed voter-identification laws known to have a disparate impact against African Americans and Latinos. GOP secretaries of state (such as Brian Kemp, now governor of Georgia) have purged voter rolls in ways that disproportionately disenfranchise minorities. Too few polling places are set up in minority neighborhoods, with the result that it takes a substantially greater investment of time and patience for African Americans to vote than for whites.
A terrified schoolgirl, 13, who was left expecting a child following a rape was taunted by her fellow pupils with cries of 'abortion' when she terminated her pregnancy.

The young girl had initially been terrified to tell police about how Daniel Maughan, 29, from Heywood, near Rochdale, had forced himself on her during a sleepover she had been invited to in 2018.

However after discovering she was two months pregnant by Maughan, the girl made made the decision to have a termination and was mocked in the playground and branded a 'liar'.

At Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, the girl's shocking ordeal was outlined in a harrowing statement as Maughan was jailed for 13 years.

Daniel Maughan (pictured), 29, from Heywood, near Rochdale, who admitted rape and assault at Minshull Street Crown Court, forced himself on the schoolgirl during a sleepover she had been invited to in 2018

In a statement read in court, the schoolgirl told police: 'When it first happened I was scared and did not want to tell anyone about it. I felt different the next morning and felt dirty and anxious but I tried to ignore what happened and felt I could not tell anyone.

'Then when I didn't have a period over December I got a feeling I was pregnant. I am still scared I will see him and still can't quite come to terms with the reality of what happened.

'He put me through hell having to have an abortion and then denied everything making me look cheap. I have been called a liar by his family and have had ''abortion'' screamed in my face at school.

'I felt I could not bond with my younger brother because it just gave me flashbacks to the abortion. No teenager deserves this and he has destroyed my life- things can only get better from here.'

Following the rape, which occurred in 2018 when the girl was invited for a sleepover at a house where Maughan was staying, the schoolgirl was mocked in the playground over the abortion and branded a 'liar' over who the father of the unborn child was.

Maughan also falsely blamed the pregnancy on the girl having an 'older boyfriend' and initially denied fathering the child - even when damning DNA tests proved otherwise.

Prosecutor Brendan O'Leary said: 'She had been to see the Christmas lights being turned on and the victim later fell asleep on the sofa with a headache. The defendant then started touching her, lifting her bra and trying to touch her breasts.

At Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, Maughan admitted rape and assault and was jailed for 13 years

'She felt she could not tell him to stop. He then pulled her pyjama bottoms down and started having sex with her. She said it was painful inside and outside. She continued to feel pain the next morning.

'Afterwards the defendant got up and went towards the kitchen and toilet. She tried to get to sleep and the defendant came back into the room. The victim spoke to a friend later that day and they told her to tell someone- but she said nothing.

'She told another friend about it after missing her period and in January 2019 she wasn't feeling well. She told her mother she had been missing her period and told her about what had happened.

'Her mother spoke to other family members and police were called later that evening. The victim took a pregnancy test which came back positive and had to have an abortion on 18 January. DNA confirmed the defendant was the father.

'When interviewed by police the defendant said the allegations were a ''load of lies'' and claimed his victim had an older boyfriend.

'When interviewed again after the DNA results were put to him he continued to deny the offending. The prosecution say this involved severe psychological harm to the victim.'

Maughan admitted rape and assault. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for life and will have to abide by the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order

In mitigation his lawyer Michael Lavery said: 'A report on him makes for unhappy reading but he did plead guilty. He may have some mental health problems- although a psychiatric report did not confirm this. He has always worked and had a job before arrest which he lost when he was charged. He has since done voluntary work as a driver.

'He has been the victim of two serious cases of sexual offending in the past and is often the case the abuse has repeated itself with the abused becoming the abuser.'

But sentencing Judge Maurice Greene told Maughan: 'Your actions had a significant and serious effect on your victim and you made her life a living hell. She had a termination, has had the word 'abortion' screamed in her face at school and now lacks confidence.

'A girl of that age should not have to go through what you put her through.'
Questroms first online MBA program starts on Aug. 2 with 401 students

To get its inaugural class of online MBA students started next week, Boston Universitys Questrom School of Business battled through a host of COVID disruptions that ranged from university budget cuts and hiring freezes and a key instructional designer coming down with coronavirus to a complete halt on the construction of its video studios and the loss of many university IT resources.

Yet, BU managed to overcome the unexpected obstacles to enroll the first class of 401 online MBA candidates, double its initial expectations of 200 students for its $24,000 virtual MBA. When they begin coursework on Aug. 2 in what is called Mod Zero, all the classes have been reimagined and completed with the exception of the ending capstone. Already, Questrom has 100 students confirmed for the programs second cohort that starts in January.

Weve had challenges that impacted production and space, but we worked through all of that, says Questrom Dean Susan Fournier. We doubled our goals in admission and the quality of the students was irresistible, really amazing. With everything else going on, it has just turned into a very manageable project. Things are going great.

THESE ARE OLDER LEARNERS WHO WANT A PROGRAM THAT IS PEER-DRIVEN AND FOCUSED ON PROBLEM-SOLVING

All told, the new online MBA program attracted 850 candidates to its first cohort, allowing the school to accept 53% of its applicant pool. The average age of the first group of students is 37 with 12 years of work experience. These are people who live in Omaha, have worked in one company, and dont want to quit their jobs to get an MBA, says JP Matychak, associate dean for strategic initiatives. These are the unicorns, and there are a lot of them, fortunately. They are older learners who want a program that is peer-driven and focused on business problem-solving. Once you say you dont have to move to Boston and pay a lot of money for the degree, it just opens the world up. In fact, nearly a third of the debut cohort lives outside the U.S.

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That has to be something of a relief because Questrom is a late entry into an already cluttered online MBA market with more than 300 options in the U.S. alone and the early quality leaders clearly identified in numerous rankings. At a time when schools are closing their full-time MBA programs and enrollment has been declining, the online option has experienced explosive growth. The fastest-growing MBA program in the past five years is also another online play: the University of Illinois Gies College of Business $22,000 iMBA which will enroll between 3,750 and 4,000.graduate this fall. Boston University is really the second major competitor to arrive with a big university brand and a disruptive price.

Whats more, the early evidence is that the highly affordable online MBA has not cannibalized BUs more expensive part-time or full-time MBA programs. We tried to estimate our exposure to all kinds of risks and that was the big one because you are adding a price element to a price-sensitive audience, adds Dean Fournier. At this moment, we have only seen eight students who were first interested in our part-time MBA or who recently started in that program opt for online out of 800. The melt is just not an issue. The theory of market differentiation is holding. They are just very different people.

In Questroms full-time MBA program, Fournier was anticipating an entering class of about 120 students. We already have 170 deposits for the full-time program, she says. We are almost 50% over target. We dont know the final enrollment numbers yet because the details about the fall continue to be revealed but right now we are preparing and planning for an additional cohort of full-time MBAs.

COVID DISRUPTIONS DIDNT MAKE THE LAUNCH EASY

Paul Carlile, senior associate dean for online learning at Boston Universitys Questrom School of Business

Getting the new online program up and running during the pandemic outbreak turned out to be a bigger challenge than recruiting students for it. On March 12, as coronavirus cases began to climb, the university abruptly shifted to remote instruction. Our faculty were involved in teaching regular courses and then had to flip their classes in a week, says Paul Carlile, senior associate dean for online learning. We knew this would be a hard push from the beginning but COVID had become the biggest challenge. It has added a lot of overhead and extra work. We had to operate the way our students operate so all of our planning meetings went to Zoom and we shut down.

That meant that all construction on the groups video studios came to a halt. The school converted a student dining room into a temporary studio instead. The universitys IT group was stretched thin by having to focus on the overnight switch to virtual teaching for 6,000 faculty members and 40,000 students. So the business school had to lean more heavily on its own IT group.

Then, one of the online teams key instructional designers tested positive for coronavirus. That hurt us from a personnel point of view and that happened early on and the person was out for seven weeks, adds Carlile. It will not surprise anyone to know that instructional designers are now in a buyers market. COVID meant that faculty were also having to teach remotely when they should have been scripting the new courses. But at the same time, the experience of flipping a classroom gives you a sense of how different this has to be. Despite the stress, people have really pulled together.

Connect With Our Online MBA Partners

The Atrium at Boston University's Questrom School of Business

The atrium at Boston Universitys Questrom School of Business

A RETHINK OF THE ENTIRE MBA CURRICULUM

By this point, adds Matychak, we had hoped to have live welcome events in different parts of the world to build this community in person. When the world shuts down and travel shuts down that is gone. We had to pivot to virtual events. We are relying a lot more on social media, and students are engaged on their own in Zoom calls.

Making the effort even more challenging was the need to rethink all the courses in an entirely newly designed MBA. The online program will be taught in a half dozen 14-week modules over a two-year timeframe. The first three modules lay the foundation of the education, while the remaining three explore developing business opportunities. Each module ends with a capstone during which students apply what they have learned. There are no concentrations or specializations. Instead of set courses in such basics as finance, accounting, marketing and strategy, each module is being organized and taught in an integrated style by three professors from different disciplines.

Matychak says a silver lining of sorts was that the teams early adoption of several technologies, including the social learning platform Yellowdig, allowed the university to short cut its process of moving to those platforms. BU will now use Yellowdig for freshman orientation. And the hurried shift to remote instruction for the schools faculty made every professor quickly realize the major differences between remote instruction and a well-designed online program.

A CORE LESSON IN PUTTING THE ONLINE MBA TOGETHER: LESS IS MORE

JP Matychak, associate dean for student experience and services

JP Matychak, associate dean for strategic initiatives at Questrom

We realized very quickly just how intentional you have to be about everything in an online curriculum when you design it from the ground up, says Matychak. Our faculty saw just how hard it was to put their materials online and think about how to teach people in different time zones all over the world. There has been a great appreciation from a wider breadth of the school in just how important the design of the program is.

One core lesson: Less is more. Faculty members have to think about what they want students to learn by a specific Saturday, says Carlile. You have to be very intentional about what you teach and how you teach it. So you have to be so much more intentional and deliberate and ask what do I want them to know. In the past, we filled out classes with stuff. People have a hard time going back and starting with what do I want my students to learn. You have to be more deliberate with scale and know-how to get the peer engagement going. You realize how much fluff is in your classrooms. Our whole industry has to get better at this. We charge a lot, and we dont deliver a lot.

In early July, the Questrom online team held a co-creation event with incoming students to both test out some of the technology and set expectations. Some 200 students showed up for the virtual session. We wanted to begin to socialize them into the experience but also to create accountability, explains Carlile. We brought them together in randomly assigned groups of 36 to share their ideas with each other.

ONCE YOU GO TO DIGITAL DELIVERY, YOUR ABILITY TO IMPROVE IS MUCH EASIER TO DO

Each group of students explored one of four topics: 1) Balancing school with work and personal life, 2) Managing expectations in teams, 3) Developing our expectations of each other, and 4) Managing expectations in the classroom.

This was an opportunity for them to agree with each other on what their norms would be and lay out expectations for each other and the program, says Matychak. Knowing you are going to have live sessions and team projects, how are you going to manage this with your personal life? Rather than tell them what to do, we provided the seed of what they can expect. We put the responsibility on them to be accountable to each other and to their teams. The students really responded well. They were incredibly pleased to see how effective we were in running a large interactive session. They liked working with their peers. Its was incredibly refreshing to work with these students.

While the program begins on Aug. 2, there is still much scrambling to be done. We did work our asses off and we still are, says Carlile, but once you go digital delivery, your ability to improve the experience is much easier to do. We very much have a commitment to continuously improve. Weve had a couple of extra turns of the crank that I prefer not to have had, but our faculty and the students are now part of this pioneer spirit.

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Officials said the jets are likely to be deployed in Ladakh sector as part of IAF's efforts to enhance its operational capabilities along LAC with China

New Delhi: The first batch of five Rafale jets on Monday took off from France for India, officials said.

The multi-role fighter aircraft are scheduled to arrive at Ambala air force station on Wednesday, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force under a Rs 59,000-crore deal.

The fleet is expected to significantly boost the IAF's combat capabilities at a time when India is locked in a tense border row with China in eastern Ladakh.

Indian Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf interacted with IAF pilots before they took off from France.

"Bon Voyage: Indian Ambassador to #France interacts with the Indian pilots of the Rafale. Congratulates and wishes them a safe flight to India with a single hop," the Indian Embassy in Paris tweeted.

The first squadron of the Rafale jets will be stationed at Ambala air base.

The five Rafales are scheduled to be inducted into the IAF on Wednesday afternoon. However, an IAF spokesperson said a formal induction ceremony will be held in mid-August.

Official sources said the Rafale jets are likely to be deployed in the Ladakh sector as part of the IAF's efforts to enhance its operational capabilities along Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in view of the border row with the country.

The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

Meteor is the next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden.

The Meteor is powered by a unique rocket-ramjet motor that gives it far more engine power for much longer than any other missile, said an official.

Besides the missile systems, the Rafale jets will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low-band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems, among others.

The IAF has already completed preparations, including readying required infrastructure and training pilots, to welcome the fighter aircraft.

The second squadron of Rafale will be stationed at Hasimara base in West Bengal. The IAF spent around Rs 400 crore to develop the required infrastructure like shelters, hangars and maintenance facilities at the two bases.

Out of the 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets.
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(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. is one of the largest television station operators in the country, with 191 stations in 89 markets broadcasting to 629 channels. For the most part, the company operates in small, conservative metropolitan locations. Most viewers arent likely to be aware of the Sinclair brand, because the thousands of hours of programming it produces each week air on channels affiliated with such household names as ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Telemundo and Univision.

So when Sinclair got set to broadcast a hit piece over the weekend suggesting that Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of its viewers might have believed they were hearing the truth  instead of, say, irresponsible and dangerous propaganda.

Fortunately, Media Matters for America, a nonprofit, progressive center that monitors news organizations for what it describes as conservative misinformation, and CNN, the cable network, late last week published critiques of the upcoming show that sparked a backlash on social media and forced Sinclair to reconsider.

It did so grudgingly. We hear your feedback regarding a segment on this weeks America This Week, Sinclair noted in a tweet Saturday morning. Yet the company still seemed ready to plow ahead. Were a supporter of free speech and a marketplace of ideas and viewpoints, even if incredibly controversial, it added in another tweet. By Saturday afternoon, however, the company pulled back: After further review, we have decided to delay this episodes airing, it announced. We will spend the coming days bringing together other viewpoints and provide additional context. All stations have been notified not to air this and will instead be re-airing last weeks episode in its place.

The episode reportedly was broadcast on at least one station, in Charleston, West Virginia, and was apparently posted to dozens of other local news sites before being taken down without explanation or correction. The episode featured an interview with Judy Mikovits, a controversial former medical researcher who also played a central role in the discredited video Plandemic. That 26-minute video went to great lengths to promote the idea that Fauci and elite globalists such as Bill Gates had pounced on the coronavirus pandemic to consolidate their power and increase their fortunes. Plandemic caused a sensation among far-right conspiracy theorists before major social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter banned it for promoting misleading medical content and other disinformation.

Story continues

The host of Sinclairs Fauci smear, Eric Bolling, told CNNs Oliver Darcy that he wasnt aware of Plandemic and that he certainly didnt endorse Mikovitss theory about Fauci. During Bollings segment with Mikovits, an on-screen graphic asks, DID DR. FAUCI CREATE COVID-19?

Sinclair itself followed a similar route as it tried to distance itself from the controversy: At no juncture are we aligning with or endorsing the viewpoints of Dr. Mikovitz  or endorsing the Plandemic documentary, the company tweeted.

Theres an easier way for Sinclair to show its sincerity when it says it doesnt endorse the views of reckless fanatics: Dont treat them as if theyre credible. Theres a difference between featuring vigorous, diverse debates over the facts and giving a platform to hysterical and tawdry conspiracy theories. Thats not about left versus right, its about objective reality versus fantasy. And if Sinclair were serious about not peddling misleading information on its airwaves, it would be more responsible about the possible fallout for people like Fauci, who is a lifelong public servant. Fauci recently said that he, his wife and his daughters have received serious threats because of advice hes given for combating the coronavirus.

It will be interesting to see if Sinclair drops the Fauci segment or airs a slightly more palatable version. I suspect Sinclair doesnt actually care very much, given its long history of promoting conservative and libertarian agendas and talking points near and dear to the heart of the companys chairman, David Smith. Smith has been a strong, vocal backer of President Donald Trump. In an interview with the Guardian two years ago, Smith said he once told Trump in a meeting at Trump Tower that Sinclair was here to deliver your message. Period. Trump has reciprocated the affection. So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased, Trump once tweeted. Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.Under Trump the Federal Communications Commission has loosened a number of regulations in a way that made it easier for Sinclair to broaden its empire. (The one exception was the FCCs decision to scrap Sinclairs attempted takeover of the Tribune Media Co.) Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, bragged in 2016 that the Trump campaign agreed to give Sinclair better access in exchange for favorable coverage. (Sinclair has said it never made that deal.) Boris Epshteyn, a Trump spokesman turned Sinclair political commentator, is now back as an operative in Trumps presidential campaign. Members of Trumps administration have publicly disparaged Fauci of late, so perhaps it was only a matter of time before Sinclair jumped on the bandwagon.

Sinclair exercises a heavy hand over the must-run editorial programming it requires its stations to carry  a practice memorialized in a devastating 2018 Deadspin video showing Sinclair anchors on various networks all repeating the same talking points from a script. Although Sinclair has insisted during multiple past controversies that its dedicated to promoting a marketplace of ideas (the same language it invoked to defend the Fauci program), time and again it has aired sensationalistic, partisan programming as news or refused to air programs that contradicted the networks political leanings.

Sinclair, which had revenue of $4.2 billion in 2019, certainly has become muscular and influential enough to merit greater scrutiny. The Justice Department last year launched an investigation of the companys operating arrangements in markets where it has a dominant presence. Earlier this year, the FCC fined Sinclair $48 million, the largest penalty it has ever imposed on a company, for a number of problematic practices  including Sinclairs attempt to deceive regulators during the Tribune Media talks, and for airing sponsored content more than 1,400 times as if it were news and failing to properly identify it to viewers.

Sinclairs influence matters especially now that local TV news is filling the void left by the decimation of traditional local newspaper reporting across the country. The demise of local newspapers is carefully examined in an important new book, Ghosting the News, by the Washington Posts media critic, Margaret Sullivan.

The cost to democracy is great. It takes a toll on civic engagement  even on citizens ability to have a common sense of reality and facts, the very basis of self-governance, Sullivan writes. When local news fails, the foundations of democracy weaken. The public, which depends on accurate, factual information in order to make good decisions, suffers. The consequences may not always be obvious, but they are insidious.

Americans still broadly trust local news reporting at a time when other media outlets are suspect. In a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, 61% of respondents said they were paying close attention to coronavirus news, and 46% relied on local news for credible information about the pandemic. While Sullivans book focuses on newspapers, one of the important questions she asks is whether TV operators have the public-mindedness and integrity to carry the mantle of local news journalism forward  particularly in an era when facts and objective reality are under assault.

Sinclair hasnt offered much proof that its up to the challenge.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Timothy L. O'Brien is a senior columnist for Bloomberg Opinion.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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THE mother of a boy battling cancer for the third time says taking him to Mexico for cutting-edge treatment was the right decision.

Charlie Ilsley, 13, of Buckingham Drive, Emmer Green underwent three weeks of a new form of immunotherapy treatment, known as CAR-T cell treatment, in Mexico City in the hope of saving his life.

He flew home last weekend after an MRI scan revealed no new growth of the disease since his last scan on March 11.

Charlie, who was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2015 and now has a tumour on his spine, will return to Mexico on August 5 for a follow-up scan.

Charlie, who currently has no symptoms, was under the supervision of Dr Jason Williams, director of interventional oncology and immunotherapy at the Williams Cancer Institute, which also has branches in America and China.

Mrs Ilsley said: The hospital was lovely and Dr Williams is really nice. The treatment had no side effects so it was the right thing to do 100 per cent.

Dr Williams wasnt expecting anything from the scan but he wanted a baseline as Charlies last scan was March 11 and it had been four months without treatment.

He was really surprised because not only has it not grown, its not solid anymore, its breaking up and there was a lot of inflammation and a lot of fluid around it. Thats how the immune system is starting to go in and attack it.

Dr Williams wanted a scan four weeks from the last one to make sure its working because this has never been done on anyone before.

The family flew direct to Mexico but a couple of days after arriving experienced an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale and had to evacuate their hotel.

Mrs Ilsley said: The first couple of days were fine and then we had the earthquake and I wanted to come home, it scared the life out of me.

It was a bit desperate because were coming out of coronavirus here and were going straight back into a major coronavirus area so everything was shut.

We spent a lot time in the hotel room apart from walking down to Walmart which was two seconds away.

The family visited Rancho Las Cascadas three times after being invited by the owners. It was about 90 minutes from their hotel and the family have been invited back when they return.

Mrs Ilsley said: Six days out of the four weeks Charlie had a holiday. He was absolutely fine. He was horseriding, had a swimming pool, a hot tub, everything that Charlie loves was there.

Upon returning home the family have had to isolate at home for two weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Charlies initial treatment cost 25,000, which has been raised by the public and supporters.

The family now have to raise a further 4,000 for flights, the next scan and another stay when they return next month.

Charlie, who attends Highdown School in Emmer Green, was given the all-clear for the second time in August after radiation treatment in Turkey. But in November his family were told the he had cancer cells in his spinal fluid.

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/

teamcharlie2020
Asia markets mostly rose on Monday as investors continued to watch for developments on issues such as the coronavirus pandemic. Gold prices surged to record highs.

Stocks in Taiwan led gains among the region's major markets as the Taiex soared 2.31% to close at 12,588.30, with shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company up nearly 10%. South Korea's Kospi also saw gains as it rose 0.79% to end its trading day at 2,217.86.

Mainland Chinese stocks were higher on the day, with the Shanghai composite up 0.26% to about 3,205.23 while the Shenzhen component added 0.318% to around 12,976.87. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was 0.35% lower, as of its final hour of trading.

On the economic data front, China's industrial profits for June soared 11.5% year-on-year, according to the country's National Bureau of Statistics.

Japanese stocks were mixed by the end of their trading day, with the Nikkei 225 slipping 0.16% to 22,715.85 while the Topix index edged 0.24% higher to 1,576.69.

The Bank of Japan's Summary of Opinions for its mid-July meeting, released Monday, said the country's economy is expected to "pick up moderately" from the second half of 2020. The central bank warned, however, that the economy is "unlikely to return to the level reached before the outbreak of COVID-19" even in fiscal 2022.

Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 edged up by 0.34% to close at 6,044.20.

Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index rose 0.74%.

Meanwhile, gold prices soared to a new record on Monday during Asian trading hours. Spot gold traded as high as $1,943.9275 per ounce before paring gains to change hands at around $1,934.29 per ounce. Those levels eclipsed the previous record high price set in September 2011.

Investor attention was likely on lawmakers stateside as they attempt to push forward on another coronavirus stimulus package. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday that Republicans have finalized a bill worth about $1 trillion in coronavirus relief funds.

Globally, more than 16 million people have been infected by the coronavirus, with the U.S. accounting for roughly a quarter of that figure, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

U.S.-China tensions, which took center stage last week as mainland Chinese stocks plunged on Friday amid a sharp exchange of words between the two economic powerhouses, also continued to be monitored by investors.

"Intermittent spikes in USChina tensions are likely to become the norm as the 3 November US Presidential election nears," economists at Commonwealth Bank of Australia wrote in a morning note.
'I've lost two kids to the trans cult, I want them back': An anguished mom shares her journey

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In December, a therapist told a tormented Lynn Meagher that she should practice self-care, have a support network, and go to the emergency room if she wanted to kill herself.

The counselor then proceeded to make her feel guilty for supposedly being a judgmental person and essentially blamed her for her woes.

This harsh therapy session cost Meagher $160.

The Christian Post connected with the Seattle-area mom in January when she was in Washington, D.C., and followed up with a subsequent Skype interview. She is sharing her personal journey and experiences with CP because the public does not know what parents endure. The prevailing narrative coming out of purportedly mainstream media outlets uncritically promotes gender transition and everything that comes with it, including parents who are celebrating their child's new identity as the opposite sex.

This is her story.

Crushed beyond belief, Meagher went home and spent several days bedridden, nearly paralyzed with heartache.

At the recommendation of a friend, she had gone in to see this particular counselor for help in processing her confusion and sadness after her 23-year-old daughter, Emily (not her real name) informed her that she no longer wanted to be in a relationship and asked that she not try to contact her. Emily believed she was transgender and had changed her name to Evan, began taking testosterone, and was going through life as though she was a man.

Emily is the second of Meagher's children to identify as transgender.

In 2003, Meagher's son, Daniel (not his real name), who is now 36 and has legally changed his name to Daniella, came home on leave from the Navy at Christmas and announced he had always wanted to be a woman. Approximately two years later he traveled to Thailand and had his genitals amputated, got breast implants, and had his Adam's apple shaved down, which is called a chondrolaryngoplasty. Daniel was ultimately kicked out of the military because it was said that he had a personality disorder. Meagher also has a third child, a daughter, Anna (not her real name), who is 22.

Meagher is using her real name in this article and not a pseudonym  as others with similar stories have done  because she feels she must be courageous given the current state of affairs. Because her children are not minors, she faces no potential legal repercussions as has been the case in several jurisdictions around the country when parents refuse to go along with their children's self-determined "gender identity" and the accompanying therapies, medical practices and surgical interventions.

"The reason I am choosing to speak publicly is because I want people to be aware of the grief and loss that many parents experience. I have talked with many parents who describe their lives as a horror film. Watching your child struggle is one thing. Watching them reject their body, insist they are now a different person, a different sex, demand hormone treatments and a new identity, it's unbelievably difficult," Meagher said in a February interview.

"Add to that the fact that it's nearly impossible to get help either for yourself or your child that's not transgender-affirming, and help your child to actually sort out their issues, and parents are isolated in this grief."

Daniel becomes Daniella

Meagher lost contact with her son for nearly a decade after he came out as transgender. She reconnected with him in 2013, which was a struggle because she didn't feel she could call him "she" or a woman, and use his preferred female name while remaining true to her beliefs  particularly that sex cannot be changed and no amount of cosmetic surgery can alter biology.

"I did the best I could to have a relationship with him where I just loved him for himself, and was hoping that we could just disagree on what we disagreed with and love each other anyway," Meagher said.

They managed a workable relationship until the spring of 2016 when he asked her a "litmus test" type of question about a pending bill in the state related to whether bathrooms and other single-sex intimate spaces should be opened on the basis of "gender identity." When she didn't answer the way he wanted, he wrote her out of his life, she explained.

Meagher only saw her son one time after the 2016 presidential election. It was at a coffee shop where he called her a "fascist" several times. He had met her to ask if he could obtain a copy of her birth certificate. Meagher was born in Canada and he was exploring the possibility of moving there in light of Donald Trump winning.

"I didn't even want to discuss these issues with him. I felt like he was allowed to believe what he wanted to believe and be who he was but I wasn't allowed the same thing, to be who I had always been. I wasn't allowed to be me. I had to change what I believed in order to be acceptable to him," Meagher said.

The mother of three describes herself as a Bible-believing Christian with conservative-leaning political views.

Daniel started telling other family members and siblings what a horrible person Meagher was. Whenever he was around he would manage to control the family dynamics in order to forbid her from being present. She missed out on family events like her daughter's graduation, holidays and birthdays. To Meagher's bewilderment, somehow he was able to manipulate everyone, ensuring that she was always excluded. The only times Meagher could see her daughters was when he wasn't around.

Meagher and her husband got divorced in 2015. Emily presently lives with her dad, Meagher's ex-husband.

Becoming trans has not helped her son, she maintained.

Although he is "extremely brilliant" he remains unemployed and has never been able to hold a steady job, she told CP. "And he's pretty unhappy, he has a lot of anxiety. He's basically one break-up with his partner  who is also a trans-identified male  away from being homeless. If that relationship were to break up I really don't know what he would do because he doesn't have gainful employment.

"He doesn't have a vagina. He has a wound," a physical and a psychological one, she said.

How Emily became Evan

Emily, who is now 24, is also a brilliant, "really, really bright" person, Meagher said of her daughter.

"She's extremely gifted, artistic. She can write, she can draw. Musically, she can pick up any instrument and play it. She's got all these gifts."

But middle and high school was a struggle for her and she struggled to fit in with her peers, "like a lot of bright kids do."

When she was 15 and 16, it was particularly bad as she dealt with depression and was self-harming by cutting herself.

Meagher never saw any sign of gender confusion in her daughter. For a season she came out of her room dressed in men's clothes. But when she inquired why she was dressing like a man, Emily told her the clothes were simply more comfortable. During that same season, she would often emerge from her room looking different, wearing makeup and a variety of hairstyles. Meagher attributed this to her daughter's extensive creativity. Emily at one point wanted to be a special effects make-up artist.

"I used to joke that every day was Halloween because she'd come out looking different every day," she said, chuckling. "I didn't say anything about it except 'Hey, how are ya?'"

Soon enough she was wearing girls' clothes again.

June 10, 2018, was the last time Meagher saw Emily, and when they were together her daughter had on a skirt and "looked pretty."

"We went out for a really nice dinner, had a good time, she told me she loved me, and then I dropped her off at her dad's house," Meagher recounted.

Meagher then left the country and spent several weeks in Liberia. When she returned she texted Emily and received either brush-off replies or got no response at all. Meagher started becoming concerned, wondering why Emily was avoiding her and started intuiting that something was wrong but didn't know what it was. As time went by and the pattern of Emily saying, "I'm sorry, I'm busy" continued, her worries mounted.

In October, Meagher found out Emily had legally changed her name to Evan. She then managed to get her on the phone and heard her voice for the first time in over three months.

"It was deep. It was not her voice," Meagher lamented.

Emily did not know her mother had found out about the name change and when Meagher heard her voice she knew she was on testosterone. When she asked her what was going on with her voice, Emily told her she had a cold. A few days later, Meagher called her workplace and asked to speak with Evan, and was informed that "he" was not there at the moment and was asked if she wanted to leave "him" a message.

"And then I knew for absolute sure that she was living as a male person ... and that was pretty devastating," Meagher said.

"I felt I was living in a dream, a nightmare," she added, thinking to herself, "Is this really happening? What is going on?"

She could talk to no one about this, as her siblings and father were going along with it to varying degrees and were supportive of Emily's transition.

"I can't even describe what it's like to see your own child's face with the opposite gender superimposed on it. It's just ... I can't even describe it. It's really hard. They still look like your child but kind of not. It's like they are still there but are behind this gender thing," Meagher said.

She tried not to think about it, but couldn't help but wonder as she lied awake at night thinking about what Emily would look like with a bearded face and a masculine haircut. On one such night soon after that phone call, Meagher realized she would likely never hear her daughter's voice again.

"Testosterone has permanent effects," she explained, "and one of the effects is that it deepens the voice and often that is permanent even if you go off of it. Your voice is never going to be the same again."

Growth of body and facial hair is another such permanent effect.

"It hit me then and it still hits me a lot that I'm never going to hear her voice again. And a lot of times I'll close my eyes and try to remember what her pre-testosterone voice sounds like. Because I'm really afraid that I'm going to forget what her voice sounds like and I'm pretty sure I'm never going to hear it again," she said.

"And that makes me unbelievably sad."

Another loss she has felt acutely is her daughter's rejection of her own name. If she was to call her by her given name, "Emily," that is now considered "dead-naming," which transgender activists say is a form of psychological abuse.

"So now, her name that we gave her is now something she considers hateful," she said.

Emily soon also changed her phone number, so Meagher sent her an email telling her that she wanted to be in her life and that she loved her.

A devastating letter in the mail

A week later when Meagher went to retrieve the mail, she found a letter from Emily waiting for her in the mailbox, printed on computer paper. The note was five brief sentences.

To Mom:

This is difficult to write but I feel the time is right to do it. I don't believe it is good or healthy for me to maintain our relationship. I will not be initiating further contact with you and ask that you respect my wish for no further contact. Please avoid attempting to get in touch with me through phone, social media, in-person contact, or through third parties like Anna, Dad, or family friends. I wish you well and hope you find peace and happiness in your future.

Emily/Evan

Upon reading it Meagher froze, and it was as though someone had stomped on her heart.

"It was like the bottom fell out of the world," she elaborated.

A friend came over and Meagher fell apart.

"So she has a new name and a new voice. But the other thing we have is this new relationship now which is that we don't have a relationship anymore," Meagher said.

Emily knows her mom disagrees with transgender ideology, disagreement Meagher senses Emily considers as disapproval of her. But that's such a misunderstanding of how she feels, Meagher stressed.

"It's not that I don't approve, it's that I just don't think transing herself is going to solve her problems. And I know this is not going to bring happiness into her life. This is going to bring hardship, a lifetime of medical treatments. I know transitioning is an empty promise."

Meagher knows where her daughter works and lives but that could soon change and then she won't have any knowledge of her whereabouts or how she's doing. She is fairly sure her daughter is saving money to have her breasts removed.

"I especially don't want to see her get a mastectomy and stay on testosterone. This is going to be a heavy, heavy chain to put around her neck for the rest of her life. For her to have to wear that ... it just grieves me more than I have words for. It's a grief that I just can't tell you how hard it is," she said.

"It's almost worse than a death because she's alive but not with me at all."

Five days of torture, 'a unique kind of hell'

Days after receiving the letter she was "overwhelmingly, excruciatingly upset," she said, "in a kind of indescribable grief-shock."

It was then when she visited the counselor who shamed her for being such a supposedly awful, uncaring person. After that appointment, she went home, climbed into bed, and didn't get up for five days.

"You know how when you have the flu, and you don't take a bath, you don't eat, and night turns into day and it doesn't matter, you just lay in bed and feel sick all day? I literally was in bed sobbing nonstop for five days. And the only thing I could think about was that I wish I didn't have to stay alive anymore because I could not imagine how I could ever be happy again or how the world could go on with this being the reality, with my daughter not wanting to be my daughter anymore," Meagher said.

During those five days, memories of Emily's childhood returned. She thought about all the fun they had on road trips, riding horses, and swimming at the pool during the summers.

"All those cherished moments of her life, they kept going through my head. And I just couldn't believe that all of that was over. That she really didn't want to be my daughter," she said.

She knew of no childhood trauma that could have led Emily to think she needed to escape her pain and attempt to become the opposite sex. And she considers her daughter's upbringing to be relatively normal with the usual ups and downs.

Afraid she would find a way to commit suicide, Meagher made another appointment with another counselor.

When she walked into the second counselor's office she noticed the therapist appeared to be very worried. Indeed she was as she told Meagher to phone a friend and arrange to have someone stay with her or she was going to have to go to the psychiatric hospital immediately. Those were her only choices and she insisted Meagher must not be alone.

Meagher subsequently made an appointment with a medical doctor and soon began taking antidepressants. Her friends were worried about her too. Many would come over to her house and sit on the bed with her as she cried.

"They would text me, they would call me. I had one friend who came over every single day, took me out for walks, took me out to eat, took me out for motorcycle rides. Anything to get me out of the house," she said.

She would often try to cheer herself up when friends would come over but when they left she would collapse and cry some more.

"I can't imagine feeling worse than that. Any worse than that it would be dead. It was torture," she said.

"I couldn't go to church, I couldn't worship, couldn't pray or read the Bible. I couldn't believe that God was letting this happen to me. And I've never felt that way about Him. I'd never felt so angry at Him. I was like, 'How and why? I don't understand this,' and 'What have I ever done to deserve this kind of pain?'"

The experience of losing her children has been a "unique kind of hell," she told CP, adding that she still can't understand any of it.

After weeks of not being able to leave the house, she finally mustered up the courage to go to church again. But she ended up sitting in the back row weeping throughout the service.

"I couldn't sing. I couldn't make my voice say those words. I couldn't do it," she said.

As she cried, fellow parishioners would come and sit next to her and hold her. Then she would go home and cry some more. How long does processing grief take when there appears to be no end to it, she has often wondered.

Meagher has some hope her daughter will desist to her biological sex and realize there is nothing wrong with her body. But she admitted she has no idea if or when that will happen. And she has no idea what she might yet have to watch or hear about in relation to her daughter's suffering in the meantime. The guilt she feels that her parenting was so inadequate such that two of her children came to believe they were the opposite sex has been "crippling" at times, she noted.

"I have over and over replayed angry words, failings, things I could have done better or differently. I could have been a better listener, I could have been different or better. But I did the best I could. I'm certainly not any kind of a superhero person. I'm just a mom," Meagher said.

"I did torture myself for quite a while thinking that I had done something that had made my child go drastically wrong. That God had given me this beautiful baby and there was nothing wrong with her and by the time she was with me through her childhood she was all messed up and that it was probably my fault."

Meagher no longer believes that is true but does think Emily blames her for many things.

"I'm grieving because I've lost her. And every hope I've had for having a relationship that I wanted to have with her and watching her grow into a young lady. ... I'm just devastated because she's hurting herself and I can't help her. There's nothing I can do," she mourned.

"She's under the influence of people that she has met online. She's under the influence of a cult that is teaching her that her body is not OK, that the only way she can solve her pain is to take hormones and get surgery, and that her family is the problem. That I'm her problem."

While some are reluctant to refer to transgenderism as a "cult," per se, Meagher has no qualms labeling it as such.

"There's not a lot you can do when someone is under the influence of cult thinking or to reason with them or change their thoughts, because I know she really believes this now," she said.

Her son does too.

"I think one of the things that has harmed my son the most is that he no longer has to take responsibility for anything in his life," she said.

She told him on one occasion that he was really smart, had a lot of marketable skills, and urged him to find a job. Before he broke off all contact she called him one day and he told her he was bored so he had written a web browser which was fully functional.

"This is a smart kid. But he's never held a job," Meagher said.

He told her: "Nobody will hire trans people."

"Well, especially trans people who don't apply for jobs," Meagher observed.

"He doesn't have to try to get a job, he doesn't have to live as an adult, to get along with people because anybody who doesn't get along with him, it is because they're mean to him because he's trans. It's not because of anything he did. So he has morphed himself into a white middle-class male to a victimized minority. And so now nothing is his fault."

Her other daughter, Anna, has never shown signs of identifying as transgender, but fully supports her sister's transition, believes in the ideology, and has referred to Emily as "my brother" in her mother's presence.

"I think if she had to choose between her siblings and me I would not win. I'm on probation. So far, I still have a relationship with her but I don't know how long it's going to last. I could lose that too," Meagher said.

"My relationship with my kids is about as bad as it can get."

A glimmer of hope, newfound allies, and friends

Even as her familial relationships have been wrecked, Meagher is encouraged that the tide seems to be starting to turn as more people awaken to the documented horrors inherent in transgender medicine, such as healthy 13-year-old girls undergoing mastectomies and cross-sex hormones being given to young children through an NIH-funded research grant.

And she now has a cadre of new allies accompanying her on the journey, friends she did not expect to make given profound differences in their political views.

Earlier this year she traveled to Washington, D.C., to take part in several days of action with a few British women's rights campaigners who flew across the Atlantic to speak to legislators and collaborate with American women from the Women's Liberation Front, a radical feminist organization that is actively fighting gender identity ideology and resisting trans activism.

Among those present were Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull  who goes by the name Posie Parker  of Standing for Women, Venice Allan of We Need to Talk, and Julia Long, a lesbian feminist academic who is now writing a book on transgenderism.

Parker, Allan, and Long have been at the forefront of resisting transactivism in England amid intensifying debate in their country as the government considers revising the Gender Recognition Act to allow persons to merely self-identify their gender without any medical documentation showing that they've undergone a surgical procedure of some kind.

"I got lots of Posie hugs and lots of Venice hugs. I got lots of hugs," Meagher said, chuckling and smiling big. While in the nation's capital she was able to share her story with the British activists and other moms who are in similar predicaments. Meagher credits Parker, Allan, Long, the women of WoLF, and many others she met for making her even braver.

The feminists have understood her and cared for her in a way that has surprised her.

"When I would meet with these women and share my story with them they would just hold me and say, 'I'm so sorry,'" Meagher recounted.

As part of their activities on Capitol Hill, she attended a Jan. 28 panel discussion at the Heritage Foundation hosted by scholar Ryan Anderson, who has written extensively on transgenderism and the harms transgender ideology causes.

Although Heritage is a politically conservative think tank, the panelists were entirely left-wing and feminist voices, including Julia Beck, a lesbian feminist who was kicked off the Baltimore city mayor's LGBTQ commission for "misgendering" and using male pronouns in reference to a male rapist. Beck's remarks that day on the panel outlining how lesbians have been abused by trans-identified males and also explained how many young women are now being sterilized and surgically maimed for not complying with sex stereotypes moved many in the audience to tears, including Meagher.

The two had met and gotten acquainted before the event and after it concluded they found each other and hugged.

"We were just holding each other crying and saying, 'I love you, I love you so much,'" Meagher said, remembering the moment.

"Julia looked at me and she said: 'I did that for you. The whole time I was sitting there I was thinking of you,'" she recalled, grateful.

The feminists possess a deep understanding of how grievous this is, Meagher continued.

"My friends from home, they care about me. They think this is all really bad, really sad. But they don't get how bad it is. They're not grieved about it enough to do anything about it. They don't get that this is a national emergency. They're not stirred to that even though they're watching this happen to me. I think they just don't know what to do. If they knew what to do they'd do it. But it's not causing them pain."

By contrast, most of the lesbians and feminists she met have known that pain in concrete ways, she said, and because of that, they can easily relate.

"They understand my grief, abandonment, and betrayal in a way that my Christian friends, who, though they support me and are wonderful in so many ways and I'm definitely not slamming them as uncaring because they do care, don't. So I was finding myself in solidarity with these rad fems and lesbians and it was actually pretty powerful."

A mother she met and conversed with in Washington, D.C., gave her a jar of homemade orange marmalade, something she said she started making years ago to turn her own bitterness into something sweet. She encouraged Meagher to find a way to do something like that.

Buoyed by that advice, Meagher now has dreams of creating a retreat center of some kind where parents who have suffered from this can come together to talk and recover from the trauma of losing their children to transgender medicalization and identities, something she believes is an assignment from God.

"The bottom line is that I've lost two kids to the trans 'cult.' I want them back. This ideology ruins and corrupts everything it touches. We can't compromise or give an inch to it. And I'm willing to do whatever I can, and talk to and work with whoever will listen to me and help me," Meagher said. "And I don't hate my children, as complete strangers and transgender activists will say. Because I don't affirm them in this and that, I'm supposedly contributing to their potential suicides. No, I love them with all my heart. I just can't affirm this lie."

"This absolutely is a national emergency. Somehow, we've got to stop this," she reiterated.
Catalan premier Quim Torra warned on Monday that stricter lockdown measures may be introduced if the coronavirus outbreaks in the northeastern region ae not brought under control.

The situation is too critical not to be taken seriously. The increase in outbreaks is worrying, said the regional leader at a press conference on Monday. We are facing the 10 most important days of this summer, to find out whether, with the solidarity of all, we are able to slow down this critical situation. Because if we dont achieve this, we will have to go back [to stricter measures].

During the news conference, Torra appealed to people to show individual responsibility, reduce social contact and limit gatherings to members of the same household.

Catalonia has seen a dramatic spike in Covid-19 infections, with the 14-day cumulative incidence of the virus at 115.57 cases per 100,000 inhabitants

Catalonia has seen a dramatic spike in Covid-19 infections, with the 14-day cumulative incidence of the virus at 115.57 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to the national average of 39.4. There is now community transmission in the Segria comarca  a traditional administrative area in parts of Spain  in Lleida province, in the Figueres municipality in Girona province, and in the city of Barcelona.

According to Torra, the number of new coronavirus cases in the region grew from around 3,500 to close to 5,500 in the space of a week. Although transmission is beginning to stabilize in Segria and Figueres, it continues to rise across the region, especially in Barcelona and its metropolitan area. Faced with this situation, the regional government will take the decisions that correspond to each moment, said the Catalan premier.

In response to the rising number of coronavirus cases, France, Germany and Belgium have urged their citizens to avoid travel to Catalonia. The British government has reimposed quarantine measures for travelers from Spain, and Belgium has taken the additional step of banning all trips to Lleida. Although Torra acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, he tried to send a message of calm. Catalonia is a safe tourist destination, he said in English. There are outbreaks in some areas, but Catalonia is a responsible tourist destination, he insisted.

New restrictions

The Catalan government has already introduced some lockdown measures in a bid to curb contagion. Authorities began by limiting social contact in several areas of Catalonia, such as reducing occupancy in bars and banning gatherings of more than 10 people. On Friday, the regional government went one step further and ordered the closure of all nightclubs and party venues in Segria, Figueres and Barcelona. Bars and restaurants in these areas must also close by midnight.

Torra has called on the regional interior department and local governments to issue fines with severity to anyone caught breaking the rules. Today a botellon is not a party, it is an act that shows a lack of solidarity, said Torra, in reference to outdoor drinking sessions.

On Sunday, around 400 people gathered for Mass at a Catholic church in Barcelona, despite the regional governments recommendations that residents stay at home and avoid non-essential travel. Whats more, the ceremony was not authorized by Procicat, the regional body responsible for coordinating the response to the pandemic. Torra said on Monday that he had instructed the health department to launch sanctioning proceedings against the archbishop of Barcelona for breaching the resolution from Procicat. Every one is the same: a citizen, a business or the Church, said Torra. This is not about us limiting the right to worship, but rather about ensuring the health of citizens.

Torra added that 400 coronavirus managers had been sent to primary healthcare centers to help ease the strain from the surge of coronavirus cases. Hospitals in the region are also feeling the pressure, with intensive care admissions rising from 49 on July 1 to 75. It is necessary to transfer the tension to hospital centers. If we dont achieve this, we know already what the next move will be, said Torra, alluding to stricter confinement measures.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
For a few minutes Friday morning, one of San Francisco International Airports largest hangars looked like the Niagara Falls of the West.

Thousands of gallons of fluffy white firefighting foam dropped from ceiling spigots inside the airports super bay hangar during a test of a new building fire suppression system. (The super bay is the one you see directly across the runways from airport terminals, used primarily by American Airlines.)

The airport shared video of the spectacular sight on its Facebook page which you can see below.

Workers lit a small controlled fire inside the huge hangar, located on the opposite side of SFOs passenger terminals, to trigger the new system.

SFO Tests Fire Suppression Foam Watch behind the scenes as SFO tests a new fire suppression foam system in the Superbay. Posted by San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on Friday, July 24, 2020

The moment one of the 48 foam release sensors sniffed out trouble, the emergency system kicked into action, releasing a deluge of foam retardant from above.

"Its like a huge cotton candy dispenser thats gone haywire right now! said airport spokesperson Doug Yakel as he watched from inside the hangar and gave viewers a narration of the action.

In mere minutes, around six feet of retardant fell from the ceiling, easily burying the fire below in a white frothy mousse of high-expansion foam.

Engineers built big walls to create a basin around the perimeter of the building to catch the retardant, keeping it from seeping outdoors.

It now looks when I was growing up in Wisconsin after a heavy snowfall thats what it looks like right now, Yakel said, Unbelievable!

The test was deemed a success.

In most commercial buildings, sprinklers help extinguish indoor fires by dousing fires with a steady stream of water from above.

In an airplane hangar with the potential for hundreds, or thousands of gallons of aviation fuel, the response is industrial-grade. Firefighting foam rapidly floods the entire hangar to smother the fire. And there needs to be a lot of it  fast  to protect workers and limit the fires spread elsewhere.

Many times when we hear of these releases, theyre usually accidental. In 2016, foam retardant spilled from a private jet hangar at Mineta San Jose International Airport onto city streets when the system was mistakenly activated. (More about that here.)

The mess one left behind is only temporary. The foam eventually dissolves into a non-toxic sludge of sorts, according to Yakel, which then can be squeegeed away.
South Africa: Task team to conduct independent review of UNISA

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, has appointed a ministerial task team to conduct an independent review of the University of South Africa (UNISA).

Nzimande said given the size of UNISA, not only in South Africa but on the entire African continent  having 407 759 students in 2020 and growing, the institution is clearly too big to fail, as too many people depend on its success.

Nzimande said since the merger of UNISA with Technikon Southern Africa in 2004 (incorporated with the distance education component of Vista University), it appears that there has not been sufficient attention on addressing the underlying drivers of institutional coherence and sustainability.

He said UNISA is gradually experiencing mission-drift by becoming more 'full-time', yet there has never been a plan supported by national government in favour of such a move.

The issue of mission drift has massive implications for the financial sustainability and future of UNISA. It also has materially-significant implications for government for both subsidy and student financial aid support, as we have seen at the start of the 2020 academic year, when segments of the student community made demands for near full-time equivalent National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) support from government, Nzimande said.

Similarly, the Minister said, mission drift will impose major pressures on infrastructure, teaching staff and a host of other concerns.

The Minister also raised the importance of making a rigorous assessment of how the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and its associative disruptions and shifts will affect many aspects of the academic mission, academic programmes, markets and operating model of all of the countrys universities, especially a UNISA of the mid-21st century.

The Minister also raised other concerns, including:

There has been no comprehensive reflection on the implications of new technologies on the operations of the university;

There have been concerns raised regarding the quality of offerings/programmes;

The persistent problem of UNISA's unacceptably high student failure rates, as well as de-accreditation of some of its academic programmes; and

The instability in the senior management is also a matter of great concern.

Nzimande has held two consultative meetings with the UNISA Council chairperson, deputy chairperson and the Vice Chancellor, as well as a full UNISA Council to discuss the details of the review.

Nzimande said there is consensus between the UNISA Council and the Higher Education and Training Ministry about very serious concerns regarding the future of UNISA.

I am requesting members of the university community, including and specifically, Council and management, including the Vice Chancellor, to provide the fullest support for, and cooperation with the MTT, the Minister said.

Appointed members of the task team include, Dr Vincent Maphai (chairperson), Professor John Volmink, Professor Louis Molamu, Nonkululeko Gobodo and Professor Brenda Gourley.

The task team will commence with its work immediately.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Nicholas K. Akins, American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, issued the following statement today regarding the investigation surrounding Ohio House Bill 6.

"I want to be clear that as the investigation of the activities surrounding House Bill 6 continues, none of the alleged wrongful conduct in the criminal complaint involves AEP or its subsidiaries. We engaged and participated in the legislative process surrounding H.B. 6 legally and ethically. To date, we have not been contacted by the authorities conducting the investigation, but if at any point we are, we will cooperate fully and transparently," Akins said.

"Neither AEP nor any of its subsidiaries made any contributions to Generation Now. AEP has made contributions to Empowering Ohio's Economy to support its mission of promoting economic and business development and educational programs in Ohio. These contributions were done appropriately, and we have every reason to believe that the organizations we support have acted in a lawful and ethical manner," Akins added.

AEP, its affiliated political action committees and AEP executives actively participate in the political process in accordance with local, state and federal laws in the states we serve. Political contributions made by AEP are disclosed in the company's Corporate Accountability Report. AEP has contributed to a variety of 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations to promote economic development and educational programs across our service territories.

American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP's approximately 17,400 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest electricity transmission system and more than 221,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with approximately 30,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 5,200 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP's family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit aep.com.

SOURCE American Electric Power

Related Links

www.aep.com


There have been numerous claims on social media about the possible effects a COVID-19 vaccine would have on the human body. The claims are often misleading, with some saying the vaccines are unsafe.

The anti-vaccination movement has gained more following in recent years. Since vaccine researchers released promising results from its coronavirus vaccine trial, people who are against vaccination have shifted their focus to the virus.

Claim: COVID-19 vaccine can alter our DNA.

Carrie Madej, an osteopath, made a video claiming the coronavirus vaccines could alter the recipient's DNA. In a video that became popular on social media, she alleged the vaccines are designed to genetically modify human beings.

Additionally, Madej also claimed, without any proof, that the vaccines would "hook us all up" on an artificial intelligence interface.

The World Health Organization denounced the claims. Officials say none of the 25 different vaccine candidates can alter human DNA. They also debunked speculations that the dosages would contain technology to link recipients to an artificial intelligence interface.

The U.S.-based osteopath also claimed the vaccine trials do not follow scientific protocols to ensure its safety. BBC's online health editor Michelle Roberts responded, saying the new vaccines undergo strict safety checks before they are given approval for widespread use.

Claim: Vaccine trials "rushed into production" is unsafe.

After the research team from the University of Oxford released reports of its vaccine study, members of coronavirus-focused Facebook groups posted comments saying they did not to be "guinea pigs." Many also claimed the trials were rushed into production, making the vaccines unsafe.

Professor Andrew Pollard, the head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said their clinical trials followed a rigorous safety process despite the accelerated pace of development, BBC reports.

The protocols include submitting safety reports to regulators in the countries taking part in researching for the vaccine.

Oxford's vaccine trials had previously worked on coronavirus vaccines, giving the first two phases of its COVID-19 vaccine trials a headstart. The interest in the test also meant the team spent little time in searching for volunteers.

Thousands more are expected to take part on the third and final phase of its trial. Participants are monitored for side-effects. In the first two phases of the testing, 18 percent of the participants reportedly developed a fever, but it was easily managed by paracetamol.

Claim: The Spanish Flu was caused by vaccines.

A meme now circulates on social media platforms claiming vaccines caused the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50 million people. This is entirely false.

A vaccine did not exist at the time of the 1918 influenza. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the leading causes of death were due to one of two factors: the initial flu infection or the lungs being filled with fluids.

The specific origins of the Spanish flu outbreak are still unknown. Britain, China, France, and the United States have all been suggested as the possible birthplace of the deadly epidemic.

Want to read more? Check these out:
Two Victorian government agencies withdrew their staff from overseeing hotel quarantine amid fears they were operating in an unsafe environment being run by the Department of Health and Human Services.

More than a dozen officials from other departments were working as "authorised officers" under DHHS and were stationed at hotels to oversee the two-week isolation of returned international travellers and the private security guards watching over them.

Officials have told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald that the public servants from Parks Victoria and the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning were pulled out of the hotel quarantine program weeks into their secondment amid fears for their safety and inadequate direction from DHHS.

Authorised officers are empowered to enforce compliance with laws and regulations on behalf government departments. Most of those who were transferred across to assist DHHS had no public health experience.
Kmart has apologised and withdrawn a fighter plane kite from sale after a customer complained that it included the Iron Cross symbol used by the German military during the Nazi era.

The SuperWings Supersized Nylon Kite in the red fighter plane design is based on a WW1 era plane, long before the Nazi regime came to power, but was still pulled from shelves around Australia and removed from online sales, Kmart said on Monday.

The kite features the Iron Cross which was still used during the Nazi era, having begun as a Prussian military symbol in the 19th century.

The kite is based on the fighter plane flown by the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, in WWI. He was hailed as a German hero for shooting down 80 opponents before he was killed in April 1918.

Pictured: SuperWings Supersized Nylon Kite in red fighter plane design pulled from Kmart shelves

Pictured: A similar design of a red fighter plane kite available from online retailer, Amazon

A Kmart spokesperson says they will review internal processes to ensure this 'isolated error' does not happen again.

Despite the plane pre-dating the Nazi era, Kmart called the use of the red and black design resembled a swastika and called it an 'inappropriate graphic'.

Stories of the Red Baron were used by the Nazi party as propaganda in WWII, although his death came 15 years before the party came to power.

Kmart announced the children's toy with an 'inappropriate graphic' will be removed from all of its national stores immediately
The (BSP) through its National General Secretary, Satish Chandra Misra, on Sunday issued a whip to its six MLAs elected to the Rajasthan Assembly, directing all of them to vote against the Congress in case of any 'no confidence motion or any other proceedings to be held during the upcoming session of the

If any of them violates the order, they will face disqualification under Para 2 (l)(b) of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution of India, said the whip.

All the six MLAs have been issued separate notices wherein they have been informed that since the is a recognised national party, there cannot be any merger under para (4) of the Schedule at the state level at the instance of the six MLAs, unless there is a merger of the entire everywhere at the national level which admittedly has not been done in the present case, and therefore they cannot claim any merger under any illegal and unconstitutional order of the Speaker which is against the Schedule as well as against several judgments of the Supreme Court, including the decision in the case of Jagjit Sing vs the state of Haryana in 2006.

It has been further stated in the notice that the six MLAs are bound to follow the "whip", failing which they would entail disqualification. The BSP has also decided to intervene in the pending petition of disqualification before the Rajasthan High Court or file a separate writ petition, said the press note issued by BSP.

--IANS

arc/arm

(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.)
At a time when most Americans just want to get back to work and on with life, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains, the troll at the bridge, not just holding up $1,200 worker stimulus checks expected in the next coronavirus stimulus package, but in keeping the entire economy shut down until Joe Biden is elected president.

Here's her witch-like stance:

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Democrats will oppose liability protections for employers of "essential workers" in any future coronavirus package in a Sunday interview on CBS's Face the Nation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) previously described inclusion of liability protections for businesses and doctors as mandatory for any agreement on a coronavirus relief bill. "If there's any red line, it's on litigation," he said. He added, "If there is another bill that passes in the Senate, it will include the liability protections."

It's quite a bit of hypocrisy to be coming from a top Democrat. After all, if anyone should be sue-able, it should be her Democratic coeval, Andrew Cuomo of New York, and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Phil Murphy of New Jersey  all of whom seeded their states' nursing homes with COVID patients, despite warnings from nursing homes, killing at least 12,000. Those governors have blood on their hands...and total protective immunity from lawsuits.

The idea behind Pelosi's leaving open the door to lawsuits for business is twofold.

First, hamstring the businesses with the entire responsibility for the COVID outbreak so that anyone who catches COVID can make these businesses his personal jackpot, sue-able by left-wing lawyers, provable or not, because nobody truly knows how these things are proven. Would an airline care to stay open under such circumstances? Would a Hello Kitty store? Don't think so, so no more airlines, no more stores. See how it works? Who'd want to stay open under such circumstances? Someone shows up at your business, refuses to wear a mask, fails to socially distance, talks and coughs loudly, and bango: sue the business for big bucks once he gets COVID. Democrats in fact have spoken of using COVID as a weapon  remember Candi CdeBaca? So any pro-Trump business would become an immediate target.

Who'd want to stay open under such circumstances? Democrats have never liked businesses, so keeping them shut is a natural goal in itself for them. Their real goal, though, is to keep the economy shut down; keep Americans out of work; and keep them discontented, more inclined to riot, and more inclined to Blame Trump come Election Day.

Second is to succor left-wing lawyers, a key campaign donation base for Democrats. Breitbart has the details here. Taking the economy hostage to reward the ambulance-chasing class and all the big bucks it can make from vast shakedowns of business is one hand washing the other, as the swampers say.

What's disgusting here is that Pelosi is using the entire stimulus package to do this, to help her left-wing pals out as well as keep Americans lean and hungry. That includes workers' $1,200 relief checks, a figure the immensely wealthy Pelosi in the past has dismissed as "crumbs." The other hostages to this unreasonable demand are in battered, looted, trashed, burned, broke, idle small businesses, and their battered, laid off workers, who just want to get back to normal.

In a way, she's holding the whole country hostage to her demand to elect Joe Biden. Workers seem to be aware of this, based on recent polls. And she's done stunt like this many times. One hopes that this time, the public will see right through her, and it will all blow up in her face.

Image credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, stylized with FotoSketcher and Paint 3D.
The number of outright failures of U.S. small businesses in the first months of the coronavirus pandemic was comparatively modest, but the months ahead look far grimmer as cash balances dwindle, federal help expires, and the disease surges back.

That outlook, taking shape from a range of research in recent weeks by business organizations and think tanks, suggests a reckoning awaits Federal Reserve officials and other policymakers who rolled out support quickly in March and April, and by June seemed hopeful an economic rebound was taking root.

After the Feds June 10 meeting, Chair Jerome Powell said assuming that the disease remains or becomes pretty much under control, I think what you see isan expansion that builds momentum over time. The 7-day moving average of daily deaths that day was showing a steady decline and the number of new coronavirus cases was under 20,000.

Both have turned higher, with daily new cases nearing 70,000. When the central bank meets next week it will have to recalibrate its outlook around a new wave of infections policymakers had initially excluded from their baseline view of a steady rebound in the second half of the year.

The tone of next weeks  meeting is likely to be on the dour side, said Karim Basta, chief economist at III Capital Management.

Recent surveys indicate programs rolled out in March, including the Paycheck Protection Programs forgivable business loans, did prevent the worst in the pandemics first phase. A recent survey covering more than 13,000 members of small business networking group Alignable found that among firms with at least one employee only an estimated 1.6% had closed permanently. That would translate nationally to about 96,000 of the roughly 6 million firms with between one and 500 workers.

The figure is consistent with estimates from Web site Yelp concluding around 77,000 firms listed on its review platform were shuttered for good.

Both are below an earlier study coordinated by the Harvard Business School putting more than 100,000 small firms at risk of failure in the initial weeks of the pandemic.

A study by the JP Morgan Institute using data through May showed cash balances among many of the smallest businesses, notably restaurants and personal service firms, skyrocketed in May as federal relief funds bought them time.

Sean Salas, chief executive of Camino Financial, an online lender focused on Latino-owned small businesses, said it was also borne out in a recent survey of loan recipients and applicants. Nearly 70% had reopened and almost all others were confident they would, as entrepreneurs pivoted to new business models, drew on family resources, or took other steps to stay afloat. So far.

As government funds were deployed early on, I was very confident the failure rates would be low, Salas said. But as we think about the reemergence and the recovery, I do worry a bit more. The confidence level dipped at the end of June.

ADJUST TO THE REALITY

Some measures of recovery and reopening have indeed stalled.

Several states have placed fresh restrictions on commerce likely to hit small businesses disproportionately  this time without offers of loans or expanded unemployment benefits for workers and consumers unless Congress acts.

After a spate of optimism in June, a National Federation of Independent Business monthly survey found 23% of respondents in early July said theyd be out of business within six months under current economic conditions.

Other recent surveys have found increasing numbers of small entrepreneurs expect the recession to outlast their resources.

The small business sector stalled in late June, and with public funding running dry the situation could deteriorate more in the coming weeks, said Oxford Economics analyst Gregory Daco. The Fed will have to adjust their discourse to the reality.

While no updated economic projections are due at the Feds July 28-29 meeting, its policy statement and Powells press conference could describe the turn the economy seems to be approaching, with no clear sense that a robust reopening can proceed without risking faster coronavirus spread.

May and June saw unexpected gains in employment as states lifted the virus-related restrictions that brought the economy to a halt in March and April.

Data released by Yelp this week showed the possible underside of that  a close correlation between user postings about bars and restaurants in May and the turn in infections that took root in June.

States that have been more successful in controlling the virus, like New York, also have higher percentages of businesses reporting as closed in surveys by groups like Alignable.

Bars are considered a particular hot spot for transmission, and states like Florida and Texas have reinstated restrictions on them. Overall, a Goldman Sachs lockdown index combining information on official restrictions and social distancing data, turned higher in early July after falling steadily from Aprils peak.

We do expect closures to continue, said Yelp vice president for data science Justin Norman. We anticipate states will roll back or delay reopening plans  possibly turning even more temporary closures into permanent ones.

(Reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Dan Burns and Andrea Ricci)

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Members of St. Pauls Episcopal Church in Harrisburg are pushing for the Episcopal Church to adopt several criminal justice reforms it outlined in a June statement, including sweeping policy proposals at every level of government.

The churchs anti-racism committee, created shortly after George Floyds murder, spoke with Bishop Audrey Scanlan recently about the process for getting the General Convention of the Episcopal Church to adopt the reforms, which include using unarmed specialists instead of police in non-violent situations and more community policing.

Theres dialogue in terms of how to raise our statement to a national level, how to work it through the diocese and move it to a national platform, Mary Powell, lawyer and chair of the anti-racism committee said. Obviously, theres awareness and actions that we would like to happen within the Episcopalian community. But thats only part of it. We also want to go outside of the Episcopalian community, and that means going into the broader world. That means going into the legislative realm, the political realm. Not that were looking to be political, but that were looking to work to help move things forward in a concrete manner that impacts the day-to-day lives of African Americans.

The movement began in early June following a discussion at St. Pauls after the death of George Floyd and the treatment by police of the younger members of the church who had attended protests. The congregation decided to create the anti-racism committee as a commitment to racial equality.

Several criminal justice reforms were adopted by the committee and approved by the congregation, and St. Pauls released A Call for United States Criminal Justice Epiphany soon after.

The statement calls for eight cultural and legislative policies to be adopted at the local, state and federal levels of government in order to combat institutional racism in the criminal justice system:

building public trust in law enforcement through transparent police policies and a more diverse workforce

increasing accountability of law enforcement through the collection of data on bias and building community oversight systems

using unarmed civilian specialists in place of law enforcement to handle nonviolentsituations

repealing the stand-your-ground laws

pushing the U.S. Department of Justice to make standard technology that collects data during the interaction with law enforcement, like body cameras, as well as less-than-lethal technology

seeing further collaboration between law enforcement and the communities they police

advancing gun-control reform

renaming of the new federal courthouse in Harrisburg to be the Barack H. Obama Federal Courthouse.

You can see the full statement below.

These policy initiatives are based on successful and necessary examples of legislation and reforms that have worked in places all over the country, Powell said. And athough public opinion is shifting in favor of progressive reform, she says legislative change is a necessary first step toward racial equality.

Rather than there being real advancement, what were doing is simply attempting to recover ground that has been lost over the last 20 years Epiphany is a term that means to change. The need for legislative transformation cannot wait for a cultural transformation, Powell said. Chattel slavery has been Americas Achilles heel. Its been our original sin We cant wait for a cultural reformation because sometimes it takes moving forward to understand that moving forward is not so bad. You cant wait until the medicine tastes good in order to decide, Yes, I should take the medicine.

The next step for St. Pauls is for the Epiphany statement to be discussed at the Episcopal General Convention, said Sheila Dow Ford, executive director of Impact Harrisburg and who was present on the call with Bishop Scanlan.

I would hope it will move up to a national platform. The document itself is impressive enough and compelling enough to be viewed as a true call to action, not only for the Episcopal Church but for leaders once again across the spectrum, Dow Ford said.

Were giving direction on how to actually move up and outward and embrace other communities, and really find a way for faith leaders to be at the table when it comes to the issue of criminal justice reform as one component of the whole approach to really bring to fruition the notion of a multiracial democracy. Without that America fails. Trust me, how do I know that? Its not just my gut that tells me that, its what we have seen. We cannot continue along the same pathway. So the question is, how do faith leaders respond to this?
Ahead of a drastically scaled down hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, 16 people have been fined for trespassing at the holy sites, Saudi authorities said.

The violators were each fined 10,000 Saudi riyals ($2,666), the Saudi Public Security body announced, according to Arab News. The Ministry of Interior announced earlier this month that anyone entering the holy sites of Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat during this years hajj without a permit will be fined.

One of the five pillars of Islam, the hajj ritual is required of all Muslims who are able to make the journey to the Muslim holy city of Mecca at least once in their lifetimes. The yearly pilgrimage typically draws some two million people from around the world.

The coronavirus pandemic has meant far fewer will perform this years hajj. Only 1,000 are allowed to attend, 70% of which are foreign residents of Saudi Arabia. As a token of appreciation for their role in providing care, preference was given to medical and security professionals who have recovered from COVID-19.

Pilgrims are asked to self-quarantine before arriving. A mobile clinic will accompany them during their travel to the holy sites, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Rather than drink from the Zamzam well in Mecca, worshippers will be given plastic bottles containing the holy water.

All who attend will be required to wear face masks and social distancing will be enforced during mass prayers. Touching or kissing the sacred Kaaba in Mecca's Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site, will be forbidden.

The Saudi Health Ministry reported 1,993 new cases on Monday, bringing the total number of infections to 268,934 and 2,760 deaths. Saudi Arabia, a country of 30 million people, has the highest number of cases in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.
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This missing dog went on a journey across state lines before being miraculously found.

On July 15, Tim Whitfield wrote on Facebook that his mother's pet jumped out of a car window while on the highway near Charleston, South Carolina, and had been missing ever since. Whitfield explained that they got her the dog, named Belle, after his 90-year-old mom's previous pet of 16 years died three months ago. The family offered a reward of $2,000.

"I hate to keep asking for favors, but tonight, my Moms little dog jumped out of the rear window of the car somewhere between Hwy 7 and 17S intersection and where 17 turns into two lanes," the concerned relative wrote at the time. "Please, if you find her, call me ... or contact me here on FB."

Last Monday, five days into the search, Whitfield thanked everyone for their contributions and efforts to find Belle.

"Never in my life would I have expected such an outpouring of love, care and concern!" he wrote at the time. "Mom is dealing with this, but still heartbroken ... please pray for her."

Then on Sunday, 11 days after the dog went missing, the family confirmed that Belle had been found  all the way in Miami. Whitfield called it a "miracle."

RELATED: St. Bernard Dog Rescued with the Help of Plenty of Treats After Collapsing on Steep Descent

"Through a miracle from God, your prayers, active searching and sharing, Belle has been found in Miami, Flordia!!!!" he wrote. "More details to follow ... our God deserves all the glory because this is an absolute miracle! A great reminder that when all seems lost, hope must be the constant thought."

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RELATED VIDEO: Orlando Bloom Confirms Dog Mighty Has Died After Search, Honors Him with a New Tattoo

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Orlando Bloom Confirms Dog Mighty Has Died After Search, Honors Him with a New Tattoo

"I have wept more this week than I thought possible, which has been very cathartic and healing," wrote Orlando Bloom

"I will never, ever be able to thank each of you enough for your loving care, from people I've never met to the best of friends, for your endearing love and prayers!!" Whitfield continued. "It will never be forgotten...and please use our circumstance to remind you that God watches over everything, no matter how small! Blessings to everyone!!"

RELATED: Man Saves Coyote Pup from Drowning Before Taking It on a 10-Day Rafting Adventure

According to WCIV, the heroes who picked up Belle found the pup in traffic while traveling through Charleston toward Miami. The Good Samaritans stopped and pick up the dog so it wouldn't be hit by a vehicle, the rescuers then found the social media posts searching for Belle and contacted the pooch's family with the good news.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 21:48:01|Editor: huaxia

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BANJUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Gambians who are working in the tourism industry in the country have been laid off, causing economic difficulties, as hotels, bars and restaurants continue to close due to the rapid increase of coronavirus cases in the country.

The Gambia has registered 277 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic in the tiny West African country as of Monday afternoon, according to the Africa CDC data.

Sereign Bamba Njie works at Kairaba Beach Hotel in Senegambia, but he has been laid off since March. "Sitting at home doing nothing is really a terrible thing for me as head of a family," he said.

He said it is really a very bad experience for him because the family goes hungry sometimes.

"I am sponsoring a girl child in school. When this is coupled up with my family responsibilities, without working, I really feel the pinch," he told Xinhua.

He called on the government to support them in all ways in a timely manner so they can help their families at the critical time. "I am going into my fourth month now sitting without salary or support from either the hotel or the government," he decried.

Over 150,000 Gambians are said to be employed in the tourism industry, most of whom are affected by either the entire closure of their employment centres or being laid off.

"Imagine being a family head and sitting at home doing nothing. What we are going through is truly difficult and we badly need help at this crucial time," Foday Sonko, who has spent more than 15 years working in the industry told Xinhua.

He works at the Odelice Restaurant at the Village in Kololi, emphasizing that he is hardly hit by the closure of his restaurant. Sometimes there is not enough food for his family.

"We definitely need government's intervention to help us from this unbearable situation," he added.

An employee of Al Terrace Restaurant in Senegambia, Ebou Jallow, has also been affected by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. He too is currently without a job.

"The coronavirus has definitely hit me and my family because since it started, I have not been working. As the breadwinner of my family, I really feel the pain at its extreme," Jallow said, adding that "It's been more than three months that I did not receive any salary or support from the government."

However, he acknowledged the support from his boss periodically.

"We definitely need support. You can see that the Tabaski Festival is fast approaching and it becomes more difficult for us now as family heads. In fact, the other day, my daughter got sick but I couldn't take her to the hospital and this is one reason I am appealing to the government for a financial bailout," Ebou told Xinhua.

Tourism is the second largest contributor to the country's economy after agriculture, accounting for less than one-third of the gross domestic product.

The condition of workers in the industry continues to be more worried when the country's largest tour operator FTI Group announced earlier in July that it will close operation due to COVID-19 pandemic as land borders and airspaces remain closed. Enditem
Shop Clean. Get Rewarded. Shoppers can use the Merryfield app at any grocery store and get rewarded for buying products without unnecessary junk. Merryfield brings together a group of purpose-driven brands that meet a higher standard to reward and appreciate their customers who want to invest in their own health and wellness.

Merryfield, a new clean label rewards app, is now available on iOS for free at the Apple App Store to make shopping for better-for-you products easier and more rewarding for everyone.

Any time Merryfield users shop at their favorite retailer and buy products from the app's participating member brands like Applegate, Califia Farms, EO|Everyone, or Stonyfield Organic, they simply take a picture of their receipt via the app to earn points to be redeemed for gift cards from a wide variety of their favorite brands like Adidas or Amazon, Sephora or Starbucks.

Sometimes just trying to decide which shampoo, yogurt, or sunscreen to buy seems like a full-time job as the answers arent always clear, and the drudgery of sorting through traditional coupon apps looking for better-for-you products only brings disappointment because most of the products and brands there arent aligned with many consumers personal values, said David Mayer, co-founder and CEO, Merryfield. Now more than ever, people want to invest in their own health and wellness, but they dont have time to do the research and they also have budget constraints. Merryfield does the homework for shoppers and rewards them every time they buy products without all the artificial junk and unwanted chemicals.

Merryfield is the only offers and rewards app with rigorous quality standards that all brands and products must meet to be on the platform. Created by the companys Clean Council, Merryfields standards filter out unwanted ingredients such as artificial colorings, high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated oils. It is the first company of its kind to ban personal care and household product ingredients that pose an unnecessary risk for families and harm the environment, waterways, or wildlife.

The app is full of special offers to help shoppers discover new products, but what makes Merryfield different is that it does not just offer one-time incentives on specific products like typical coupon apps. With Merryfields Everyday Rewards, any time consumers shop at their favorite store for any product like milk, cereal, baby food, or hand soap from any of the apps participating member brands, they earn points and rewards every time.

By shopping with Merryfield, consumers are not only saving money when cleaning up their own shopping habits, they are also joining a movement that encourages an increase in clean label products everywhere. Merryfields vision of a cleaner, healthier world is shared in partnership with its collective of purpose-driven brand partners found together on one app including Applegate, Beyond Meat, Califia Farms, Country Archer Provisions, EO|Everyone, GoMacro, Good Culture, Justin's, LesserEvil, Health-Ade Kombucha, NadaMoo!, Nellies Free Range, Once Upon a Farm, Orgain, Pete and Gerrys Organic Eggs, Purely Elizabeth, RightRice, Stonyfield Organic, Vital Proteins, and Think Baby/ThinkSport.

We founded Merryfield based on the belief that there should be a higher quality standard for everyday products, a belief we share with our collective of member brands, said Joe Dickson, co-founder and head of standards and policy, Merryfield. Shoppers who want to confidently choose clean label products have to cut through so much noise and confusion at the supermarket to find brands that align with their values. Merryfield brings together a group of purpose-driven brands that truly meet a higher standard, to reward and appreciate their customers.

Through Merryfield, shoppers can feel good about supporting No Kid Hungrys mission to end childhood hunger as the company donates one percent of its revenue to the non-profit. This comes at a time when new data estimates suggest that one in four children in America could face hunger this year.

To learn more, go to http://www.merryfield.com or watch the companys launch video.

About Merryfield:

Merryfield, a privately-held Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) based in Boston, is the creator of a new clean label rewards app that makes it easy for people to #ShopCleanGetRewarded by discovering new products and brands they can trust. The app rewards shoppers for consistently supporting food, personal care, and household product brands that subscribe to a higher standard. Consumers earn points every time their grocery receipt has products from Merryfields participating better-for-you member brands. Consumers simply shop at their favorite store for the brands they love and then take a picture of the receipt via the app to earn points which can be easily redeemed for gift cards from top brands of their choice like Adidas, Amazon, Sephora, Starbucks, Target, and Whole Foods Market. While it is currently for in-store purchases only, the app will soon be able to reward online and digital purchases as well. Merryfield believes that giving back is pretty rewarding, too. It donates one percent of its revenue directly to No Kid Hungry, supporting the nonprofit's mission to end childhood hunger.
Two months ago Sydney artist Giselle Stanborough wandered through the shutdown performance installation she had been tirelessly researching and assembling for more than a year.

It crossed her mind that this might be the last time she would ever see her work live.

Cinopticon, Giselle Stanborough's upcoming immersive exhibition at Carriageworks, "has a kind of paranoiac, conspiratorial aesthetic". Credit:Dean Sewell

Cinopticon, the artist's critique of cyber-surveillance and internet narcissism, had been installed days before Carriageworks went into voluntary administration. It had never opened to the public. Photographs taken that day of the giant floor-to-ceiling diagrams and sculptural forms were placed online, the only evidence of its existence and a deeply ironic twist given the subject matter.

Now the multi-arts venue is back from the brink and Stanborough's installation piece is to receive its deserved public opening, but for some time Carriageworks' collapse was "very real and very high stakes, at least for me", Stanborough recalls.
Utica, N.Y.  This small city in Oneida County has earned a national reputation as The Town that Loves Refugees, as thousands of refugees and immigrants from around the world have injected new life into a city that had lost 40% of its population.

But now refugees and their families, particularly those from Asian countries, are bearing a far heavier load of Covid-19 than other ethnic groups in the county.

People of Asian descent are eight times more likely than whites to be diagnosed with Covid-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, according to Oneida County and census statistics.

Covid-19 has exposed many cracks in our system, and unfortunately low-income and immigrant communities are often falling through those cracks, said U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi, who represents Oneida County.

For every 1,000 people of Asian descent, 42 have been confirmed to have the illness. For whites, its just 5 out of 1,000.

Understanding how many people in the refugee community is hampered because government agencies release incomplete information. Even leaders of Uticas Asian refugee community say they know little about the impact the illness is having on their members.

We dont know exactly how many and who because the county health department doesnt release information to us, said Kler Eh Soe, a leader of the Karen community, an ethnic group largely from Myanmar. We only know that the number is higher in this area, but we dont know if its the Karen community alone or if there are other concerned communities.

The burden of Covid-19 is falling on refugee families for three main reasons, local officials say:

Asian families tend to live in multi-generational households, with children, parents and grandparents under the same roof. The virus can spread rapidly in enclosed spaces where people are in close contact.

They are more likely to be essential workers who work in close contact with others outside their homes, and unknowingly bring the virus back with them.

An outbreak at an aluminum processing plant in Montgomery County infected at least 63 Oneida County residents, many of them in refugee families in the Utica area. Many of them carpool to work, potentially exposing each other during the 45-mile commute.

Its a population that works in the same environment and travels in the same environment and lives in the same environment, said Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente. In any demographic like that youre going to see those kinds of (positive case) numbers.

Utica, a prototypical Rust Belt city with an exodus of industry and a plummeting population, has become the center of a refugee and immigrant revival. The Mohawk Valley Center for Refugees, now known simply as The Center, has resettled more than 16,000 immigrants and refugees over the past 40 years. Vietnamese began arriving in the late 1970s, and since then several waves of refugees and immigrants have landed in the county from different parts of the world: in the 1990s it was Bosnia; in the 2000s it was Burma, Iraq, Nepal, Somalia and Sudan. Since 2020, more than 4,000 Karen (pronounced Kah-RIN), have arrived and settled in the area.

Utica, the largest city in the county, earned a national reputation as a warm, welcoming community for immigrants. Today, 18% of the citys 60,000 people were born in another country.

Now, many of those refugees are on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic, at higher risk because of language barriers and lifestyles. About 400, or 20%, of the countys 1,957 Covid-19 cases are people of Asian descent, who are nearly members of refugee and immigrant families.

I am concerned for the refugee and immigrant community, said Shelly Callahan, executive director of the refugee center. They are more likely to live in multi-generational households and in dense communities  multiple apartments in one house. Like immigrants that have come before, they are very good at pooling their resources. In a pandemic, this strength can work against them.

While the numbers point to a higher risk for Asian refugee families, officials say theyre unaware so far of any major outbreak. At the Tabernacle Baptist Church, where 95% of the congregation is Karen, there have been no deaths of Karen members, said Rev. Debbie Kelsey.

We havent lost any older people in our Karen community to Covid because they live with their kids and grandkids, and those kids and grandkids have done a great job of protecting them, Kelsey said.

Last month, community members and health officials feared the virus could sweep through the refugee community after some were sickened in an outbreak at a Montgomery County manufacturing plant. The state Department of Health swept in and closed the plant for two weeks in late June, testing all employees and doing contact tracing of families and co-workers.

When you spot cases whether in a factory or a farm, you react to it to minimize the spread and minimize the contacts, said Larry Schwartz, a member of Gov. Andrew Cuomos Covid-19 task force who oversees contact tracing.

Of the plants 681 employees, 100 tested positive, 63 of them from Oneida County, the county said. At least one person was hospitalized.

A lot of them travel from Utica and other areas and are very close knit as far as social circle, Montgomery County health director Sara Boerenko said at a briefing. So, when you have people commuting together, people living together, thats when this can spread fast.

An unknown number of those sick Keymark employees were members of Uticas refugee community. Callahan said the refugee center has placed many refugees at Keymark, considered to be a preferred employer. She said she didnt know how many refugees work there now, because the center doesnt track retention after 90 days and some people get jobs at the plant through word of mouth.

Keymark spokesman Keith Gros said last month that because of privacy concerns he could not disclose how many refugees and immigrants worked at the plant. Keymark manufactures and finishes aluminum for buildings, cars and other uses.

Gros said Keymark took precautions to keep employees safe from Covid-19, including temperature checks, social distancing, continuous cleaning and allowing just one person per table in the break area.

Health officials say cases from the Keymark plant havent sparked an outbreak in Oneida County. Still, the county and state health department were concerned enough that they organized two testing events aimed at Asian refugees. The first, held on short notice July 3 at the county office building in Utica, was cut short by thunderstorms after only 40 people were tested.

The state Department of Health organized a bigger event July 15 at the Tabernacle church. Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri said the testing event was open to anyone but was specifically aimed to get a handle on Covid-19 among the Karen community.

That was one area where people felt apprehensive and not fully informed, said Palmieri, who got tested that day. (He was negative.)

The event, widely publicized in Utica media, had a summer festival vibe. Chobani, which employs many refugee workers at its plant 35 miles south of Utica, gave away yogurt in front of bold company banners. A local Mediterranean restaurant, Zeinas Cafe, supplied free falafel. Eleven interpreters, including four who spoke Burmese, helped overcome communication barriers. Hand sanitizer and thermometers were also handed out for free.

The event was open to anyone. About 650 people were tested, with about 50 positives, Schwartz said. Thats about 8%, far higher than the countys 1.2% average of the preceding week.

Neither the county nor the state could give a breakdown of how many of those positives at the church were members of the Asian refugee community.

Callahan said the high rate of Covid-19 among Asian refugees could also be attributed to what they do for a living.

In the case of this community, its essential workers who just happen to be refugees and immigrants, she said. Theyve been working throughout the last three or four months, and I think essential workers are at higher risk than those of us who get to shelter in place.

Asians on average earn less money in Oneida County than whites. The median income for an Asian household is about $41,000 versus $63,000 for whites, according to an analysis of census data by the marketing firm Claritas.

Oneida Countys Asian population has climbed sharply over the past 20 years even as overall population has declined. In the 2000 census, just 1% of county residents, or about 2,700 people, checked Asian as their ethnicity. By 2019, the Asian population had climbed to an estimated 9,400, comprising 4% of the countys 235,00 residents.

The disproportionately high percentage of Asians testing positive for the coronavirus could be due in part to skewed testing. If the message to Asian refugee families to get tested is being heeded, then perhaps they simply represent a greater share of those being tested, and thus of being positive. Its impossible to know because the state and county maintain racial data only on those who test positive, not on all who get tested.

The county and refugee center have worked hard to keep refugee families informed and safe, Picente said. Theyve created videos and brochures; the county organized the testing site on July 3. The Karen community has also stepped up, organizing a mask giveaway in Utica, loading videos on its Facebook with Covid-19 information and encouraging people to get tested.

Rev. Kelsey worries that Asian refugee families, like her congregants at Tabernacle church, will be stigmatized because of the high rate of illness in their community.

I have a real concern, especially in the very racist situation that were dealing with in our country, that people will easily slip into blaming things on one particular group of people, Kelsey said.

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A new study uses satellite data over the Southern Hemisphere to understand global cloud composition during the industrial revolution. This research tackles one of the largest uncertainties in today's climate models -- the long-term effect of tiny atmospheric particles on climate change.

Climate models currently include the global warming effect of greenhouse gases as well as the cooling effects of atmospheric aerosols. The tiny particles that make up these aerosols are produced by human-made sources such as emissions from cars and industry, as well as natural sources such as phytoplankton and sea spray.

They can directly influence the flow of sunlight and heat within the Earth's atmosphere as well as interact with clouds. One of the ways that they do this is by bolstering clouds' ability to reflect sunlight back into space by increasing their droplet concentration. This in turn cools the planet. The amount of sunlight that is reflected to space is referred to Earth's albedo.

However, there has been extremely limited understanding of how aerosol concentration has changed between early-industrial times and the present day. This lack of information restricts the ability of climate models to accurately estimate the long-term effects of aerosols on global temperatures -and how much of an effect they could have in the future.

Now, an international study led by the Universities of Leeds and Washington has recognised that remote, pristine parts of the Southern Hemisphere provide a window into what the early-industrial atmosphere looked like.

The team used satellite measurements of cloud droplet concentration in the atmosphere over the Northern Hemisphere -- heavily polluted with today's industrial aerosols -- and over the relatively pristine Southern Ocean.

They used these measurements to quantify the possible changes due to industrial aerosols in Earth's albedo since 1850.

The results, published today in the journal PNAS, suggest that early-industrial aerosol concentrations and cloud droplet numbers were much higher than is currently estimated by many global climate models. This could mean that human-generated atmospheric aerosols are not having as strong a cooling effect as some climate models estimate. The study suggests that the effect is likely to be more moderate.

Co-lead author, Daniel McCoy, Research Fellow in the School of Earth and Environment at Leeds, said: "Limitations in our ability to measure aerosols in the early-industrial atmosphere have made it hard to reduce uncertainties in how much warming there will be in the 21st century.

"Ice cores provide carbon dioxide concentrations from millennia in the past, but aerosols don't hang around in the same way. One way that we can try to look back in time is to examine a part of the atmosphere that we haven't polluted yet.

"These remote areas allow us a glimpse into our past and this helps us understand the climate record and improve our predictions of what will happen in the future."

Co-lead author, Isabel McCoy, from the Atmospheric Sciences Department at Washington, said: "One of the biggest surprises for us was how high the concentration of cloud droplets is in Southern Ocean clouds. The way that the cloud droplet concentration increases in summertime tells us that ocean biology is playing an important role in setting cloud brightness in unpolluted oceans now and in the past.

"We see high cloud droplet concentrations in satellite and aircraft observations, but not in climate models. This suggests that there are gaps in the model representation of aerosol-cloud interactions and aerosol production mechanisms in pristine environments.

"As we continue to observe pristine environments through satellite, aircraft, and ground platforms, we can improve the representation of the complex mechanisms controlling cloud brightness in climate models and increase the accuracy of our climate projections."

Co-author Leighton Regayre, a Research Fellow also from the School of Earth and Environment at Leeds, said: "The science supporting our climate models is improving all the time. These models are tackling some of the most pressing and complex environmental questions of the modern era and climate scientists have always been up front about the fact that uncertainties exist.

"We are only going to reach the answers we need to combat global warming by regularly interrogating the science. Our team used millions of variants of a model to explore all the potential uncertainties, the equivalent of having a clinical trial with millions of participants.

"We hope our findings, along with studies on the detailed process of aerosol production and aerosol-cloud interactions in pristine environments that our work has motivated, will help guide the development of the next generation of climate models."

###

Further information:

The paper "The hemispheric contrast in cloud microphysical properties constrains aerosol forcing" is published in PNAS, 27 July 2020 (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1922502117)

Editor's note: Daniel McCoy and Isabel McCoy are siblings.

For additional information or to arrange interviews contact University of Leeds press officer Anna Harrison at a.harrison@leeds.ac.uk

This research was primarily funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Additional funding was also provided by the Climate Science for Service Partnership (CSSP) China project.

The Met Office Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership (WCSSP) programme - of which CSSP China is a part - is funded by the UK Government's Newton Fund. The Met Office is the UK's national weather service working at the forefront of weather and climate science for protection, prosperity and well-being. The Met Office Hadley Centre, formed in 1990, is one of the UK's foremost climate change research centres.

For further information visit the Met Office website (http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/newton) and follow via Twitter: @MetOfficeww

The Newton Fund is a consortium of outstanding research and innovation partnerships between the UK and select countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to support economic development and social welfare, tackle global challenges and develop talent and careers. The fund is managed by the UK's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and delivered by UK and international partners.

For additional information visit http://www.newtonfund.ac.uk and follow via Twitter:?@NewtonFund??

University of Leeds

The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK, with more than 38,000 students from more than 150 different countries, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. The University plays a significant role in the Turing, Rosalind Franklin and Royce Institutes.

We are a top ten university for research and impact power in the UK, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, and are in the top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2021.

The University was awarded a Gold rating by the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework in 2017, recognising its 'consistently outstanding' teaching and learning provision. Twenty-six of our academics have been awarded National Teaching Fellowships - more than any other institution in England, Northern Ireland and Wales - reflecting the excellence of our teaching. ?http://www.leeds.ac.uk

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Loose Women's Gloria Hunniford clashed with Kelle Bryan on today's show for branding Meghan Markle 'manipulative'.

While discussing Prince Harry and Meghan's new biography Finding Freedom, Gloria, 80, told that she believes Meghan, 38, is 'loving' life in Los Angeles and was 'dying to get back to America' after tying the knot with Prince Harry in 2018.

The broadcaster suggested that the couple had been 'feeding information' to Finding Freedom authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, but felt there was 'nothing earth shattering' in the book.

However host Kelle Bryan, 45, defended Meghan, suggesting that there has been 'no evidence' of Harry, 35, being manipulated by her, and commenting that her only crime is 'underestimating the pressure' of the royal family.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, pictured in South Africa in 2019, were accused of 'feeding information' to the authors of Finding Freedom on today's Loose Women

Gloria Hunniford (pictured) branded Meghan Markle 'manipulative' and thinks Meghan was 'dying to get back to America'

Gloria said: 'At the beginning I really liked Meghan. I thought she was a breath of fresh air. She was different she had a lot of interests that Harry was interested in and I thought that was good. But over time I have sort of changed my mind.

'I see the manipulation or what I think is manipulation. There is nothing earth shattering about this book, we have heard a lot of it before and I don't believe for one second they were not feeding information.'

The claims came in book Finding Freedom which provides an intimately detailed and personalised version of the events leading up to the Sussexes' dramatic departure from royal life.

Co-authors Scobie and Durand have 'all information in this book has at least two sources' and deny they had a interview with Harry and Meghan, who also released a statement saying they had noy co-operated with the authors.

However host Kelle Bryan (left), 45, defended Meghan, suggesting that there has been 'no evidence' of Harry, 35, being manipulated by her

Gloria, 80, told that she believes Meghan, 38, is 'loving' life in Los Angeles and was 'dying to get back to America' after tying the knot with Prince Harry in 2018

Gloria went on to argue that the couple look 'miserable' in recent photographs, and she 'doesn't know what Harry is doing in LA.

'The name of the book is Finding Freedom', said Gloria. 'And I have the gut feeling they're not finding that.

'In every picture they look miserable, I don't know what Harry is doing in LA, Meghan I feel is loving it, she's already been back doing voiceovers and things.'

Kelle snapped back: 'I think she's doing voiceovers because that was her job previously. Obviously they've taken a step back from royal life and they are providing for themselves, so that is a job to do and earn money from.'

Gloria went on to argue that the couple, pictured attending the Commonwealth Service this year, look 'miserable' in recent photographs, and she 'doesn't know what Harry is doing in LA

Gloria responded: 'I would say she married the institution, she didn't just marry Harry and I know she was a very successful television person, but I don't think she can't have it both ways.'

Kelle went on to defend Meghan further, arguing that the 'only thing Meghan is guilty of' is underestimating the 'pressure' that comes with marrying into the royal family and the 'expectations that would be enforced upon her'.

She later added: 'She is the first woman of colour in the royal family and I don't think that goes without being said.

Gloria went on to claim that the American actress was desperate to get 'to the other side of the Atlantic', felt there were 'always' signs of manipulation throughout their relationship

Kelle went on to defend Meghan further, arguing that the 'only thing Meghan is guilty of' is underestimating the 'pressure' that comes with marrying into the royal family

'When it comes to the pressure she's gone through, for you to say she's been manipulative, what evidence do you have of her being manipulative?'

Gloria went on to claim that the American actress was desperate to get back to America, and said she felt there were 'always' signs of manipulation throughout their relationship.

'I always felt she was I think she was dying to get back to America and the other side of the Atlantic,' she explained.

She added: 'Maybe i'm old fashioned, there is so much information when you marry into the royal family and you can't have it all your own way, but I do wish them well.'

Gloria also addressed the claims that Prince Harry branded Prince William a 'snob' after cautioned him not to rush into marrying Meghan Markle.Pictured, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Harry and Meghan attending the annual Commonwealth Service this year

Gloria also addressed the claims that Prince Harry branded Prince William a 'snob' after cautioned him not to rush into marrying Meghan Markle .

The claims, made in the book Finding Freedom, alledge that William told his brother to 'take as much time as he needed' to get to know 'this girl' Meghan ahead of marrying her.

Gloria said: 'William and Harry went through so much with their mum and I always got the feeling William looked after Harry.

'I think it would be natural in the family to say, because Harry had a lot of girlfriends in the past - some he was allegedly maybe going to marry. I think it's understandable he would say "Are you sure about that?".'
Lala Kent stunned fans on Sunday when she erased every photo of her movie producer fiance Randall Emmett, 49, from her Instagram page.

And in a since deleted Instagram Story post, the 29-year-old Vanderpump Rules star seemed to lament about her life being 'a mess' and that she planned to 'begin a searching & fearless moral inventory.'

An hour later, Lala returned to Instagram to clarify that her post was not 'cryptic' and that it was actually the 'fourth step prayer,' which is part of the 12-step program for substance abuse.

Shocked: Lala Kent stunned fans on Sunday when she erased every photo of her movie producer fiance Randall Emmett, 49, from her Instagram page; Lala pictured in 2019

'One of the hardest steps in the 12 step program. I will continue to post a prayer from the program each day,' wrote Kent, who has since unfollowed Randall on Instagram.

The prayer reads: 'Dear God, it is I who has made my life a mess. I have done it, but I cannot undo it. My mistakes are mine & I will begin a searching & fearless moral inventory.

'I will write down my wrongs but I will also include that which is good. I pray for the strength to complete the task,' it concludes.

Lala recently opened up about her struggle with substance abuse, where she insisted that she has 'made the choice to work hard every day to not pick up a drink.'

Soul searching: And in a since deleted Instagram Story post, the 29-year-old Vanderpump Rules star lamented about her life being 'a mess' and that she plans to 'begin a searching & fearless moral inventory'; Lala and Randall pictured in 2019

Clarifying: An hour later, Lala returned to Instagram to explain that her post was not 'cryptic' and that it was actually the 'fourth step prayer,' which is part of the 12-step program for substance abuse

She added that when she is feeling 'weak,' she does not hesitate to 'call [her] sponsor.'

'I go to meetings (sign onto them, now) to keep my spirits high and to remember why I made this life-changing choice,' explained Kent, in a post shared Friday.

After Lala's Instagram unfollow on Sunday, Randall attempted to assure worried fans that he and Lala had not called off their engagement by resharing a post made by a fan of the pair.

'Everyone should calm their t*ts,' began the fan. 'They are [obviously] still together and going strong.'

Not over: After Lala's Instagram unfollow on Sunday, Randall attempted to assure worried fans that he and Lala had not called off their engagement by resharing a post made by a fan of the pair

Family: Hours prior to Lala's Instagram meltdown, Randall shared a sweet snapshot of the reality star cuddling in bed with his daughter London, 10, and Rylee, six

Randall especially agreed with the sentiment that Lala 'deleting pictures and posting a heartfelt post' does not equate to a breakup.

Hours prior to Lala's Instagram meltdown, Randall shared a sweet snapshot of the reality star cuddling in bed with his daughter London, 10, and Rylee, six.

'Family  happy time together,' wrote the film producer in the post's caption.

He also shared a clip of a makeup-less Lala hanging out on the patio of their Puerto Rican abode with his kids and other family members on Sunday to his Instagram Story.

His babies: Randall also shared a clip of a makeup-less Lala hanging out on the patio of their Puerto Rican abode with his kids and other family members on Sunday to his Instagram Story

Randall had written 'my babies' over the sweet clip, as one of his daughters rested on Lala's lap.

Randall followed up that clip with a video of him, Lala, and other family members enjoying a sunset boat ride.

Lala looked to be in a great mood as she let her hair blow in the ocean breeze on Randall's boat.

Boat ride: Randall followed up that clip with a video of him, Lala, and other family members enjoying a sunset boat ride

Lala recently got 'Rand' tattooed on her arm and she showed it off on her Instagram Story on Monday.

Lala and Randall were set to be married on April 18, but the pair were forced to postpone their highly anticipated nuptials due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The couple got engaged in September of 2018, during a romantic trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Bawku Circuit Court has remanded four final year students of the Zebilla Senior High School for their alleged role in rioting and vandalising school properties on Saturday July 25.

The Presiding Judge of the Bawku circuit court, His Honour Prosper Dulove Gomashie on monday remanded the students after their charges were read in court.

The four students were remanded into Zebilla police custody for further investigations.

The case has since been adjourned to 10th August, 2020.

The four final year students were part of hundreds of students who vandalised the school's properties over seizure of mobile phones by the Headmaster Mr. Richard Ayabilla Akumbas.

Military Takeover Zebilla SecTech, Fire Warning Shot To Chase Out Rioting Third-Year Students

Reports reaching ModernGhana reveal that a combined team of police and military personnel on Saturday 25 July in the night chased out third-year students of the Zebilla Senior High Technical School from campus for rioting and vandalising school properties.

Our reporter narrated that the school's Headmaster Richard Ayabilla Akumbas stormed the boys dormitory over reports of illegal connections and charging of mobiles by some students.

The Headmaster who seized some phones and warned the students from engaging in illegally connections they have done in the ceilings to be charging their mobile phones did not sit well with the students who started the rioting.

The rioting students, according to our reporter pelted stones at some teachers and destroyed school properties.

The rioting students vandalised the headmaster's private car, his wife's car, the school PTA Toyota Hilux, the school bus, the new digital school notice board, fluorescent bulbs in most parts of the school, louvre blades of the dining hall, veronica buckets and stands, tables and chairs, school motorking, motorbikes belonging to the teachers, provision shops, the school sound system, ceiling fans, students notice board and streetlights.

Mr. Richard Ayabilla Akumbas told our reporter that the security personnel were called in to assist after they had tough time bringing the situation under control.

The Headmaster indicated that he was in his Bungalow at around 10:00pm when a student came knocking at his gate.

According to him, the student reported that some of his colleagues on campus were gathered at Sankara House expressing anger over the seizure of their phones and the punishment meted out to them.

The Headmaster noted that he and a Senior Housemaster quickly rushed to the dormitory where the students had massed up in anger and acting rebellious towards them and sensing danger called in the security personnel.

The students, upon the arrival of the security personnel, started pelting stones at their vehicle prompting the police to

The students after unable to scale the school's fence wall pulled it down and escaped from the campus.

Some of the students numbering about 50 run to the Palace of the Zebilla Chief claiming they were beaten and chased out by security personnel.

The Zebilla Chief Naba Beliabelim-win Azumbilla Ndaugo called the school's Headmaster to report to his palace where the students were seeking refuge.

The Headmaster after explaining to the Chief conducted a search on the students were stolen items were found on them.

The items which include biscuits, toothpaste with brushes, sugar, gari, soap, pomade and others were items they allegedly stole from the provision shop they vandalised.

The ring leaders of the crime were taken to the police station for further questioning while the remaining students were chased back to the school to face other punishments.
The US has quietly reopened a nearly 15-year-old political asylum case against a convicted assassin of Bangladesh's "Father of the Nation" Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, according to media reports.

The current government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been persuading the US to extradite former Bangladesh Army officer MA Rashed Chowdhury, who is hiding in the United States.

Prime Minister Hasina last year wrote to President Donald Trump seeking the repatriation of the fugitive, who along with other Army officers, was involved in the military coup that led to the assassination of her father in 1975.

US attorney general William Barr reopened the case of the political asylum of Chowdhury, the Dhaka Tribune reported last week, citing US-based news portal Politico.

Sheikh Mujib, as he is popularly called, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from April 1971 until his assassination on August 15, 1975.

He was assassinated along with all but two of his family members by a group of Bangladesh Army personnel. His daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana survived the massacre as they were abroad.

Twenty-three years after the assassination, Chowdhury, a former Bangladesh Army officer, and other fugitive convicts were sentenced to death by the High Court in 1998. The Supreme Court in 2009 upheld the lower court verdict, confirming the capital punishment of 12 people for killing Bangabandhu and most of his family members. After Sheikh Mujib's assassination, Chowdhury was rehabilitated by previous governments in Dhaka led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He was posted abroad as a diplomat.

He and his family fled to the US in 1996 from Brazil on visitor visas and later got political asylum in America, the Daily Star reported. According to the Politico report published on Friday, Barr "quietly reopened" the "sprawling case that spans four decades and two continents.

"For almost 15 years, the case was closed. But now, thanks to Barr, it's back," the report said. On June 17, Barr directed the Board of Immigration Appeals to send Rashed's case to him for review, making clear he would reopen the matter.

It would seem the Trump administration wants to hand over Chowdhury to Bangladesh by reopening the case, the Dhaka Tribune noted. The document in which the attorney general made this move does not include Rashed's name. It refers to the matter of A-M-R-C," using Rashed's full initials. And the details of the case described in Barr's announcement match Rashed's, it said.

However, a lawyer for Rashed confirmed that the case is of his client, the Dhaka Tribune report said. Rashed's lawyers said they suspect foul play, and that if the US deports him to Bangladesh, he is going to be executed.

Barr's move is the first step in a process that could result in Rashed losing asylum and potentially facing deportation after more than a decade. Shortly after the coup in 1975, the then Bangladesh government amended the Constitution to grant immunity to the coup's participants.

For two decades after the coup, he worked as a diplomat, stationed in Bangladesh's embassies around the world. In 1996, Hasina was voted to power as the prime minister. The next year, her government revoked the coup plotters' immunity. Hasina launched a campaign to punish those involved in the killing of her father, Sheikh Mujib.

When Hasina was elected, Chowdhury was the top diplomat at Bangladesh's embassy in Brazil  and was soon summoned home. Fearing reprisal, he fled to the US with his wife and son on visitor visas, according to bdnews24.com. Nearly 10 years after he arrived in the US, an immigration judge granted him political asylum, it said.

Of the 12 convicts in the assassination of Bangabandu, five  Syed Farooq Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Mohiuddin Ahmed  were executed on January 27, 2010. Another killer, Aziz Pasha, died in Zimbabwe in 2001, the Dhaka Times reported. Those who remain fugitives are: Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, Noor Chowdhury, Rashed Chowdhury, Abdul Majed, and Moslehuddin Khan.
Rating Action: Moody's affirms A3 on Grants-Cibola Co. SD 1, NM's GOULT debt; negative outlook removed

Global Credit Research - 27 Jul 2020

New York, July 27, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has affirmed the A3 rating on Grants-Cibola County School District 1, NM's outstanding general obligation unlimited tax (GOULT) bonds. The affirmation affects approximately $9.6 million of rated debt, but considers all of the district's $14.2 million in GOULT debt outstanding. Moody's has also removed the negative outlook.

RATINGS RATIONALE

The A3 rating reflects the district's healthy financial position, which has improved materially since experiencing a low point in fiscal 2017 following cuts to state funding. Additionally, the rating reflects the district's trend of declining student enrollment due to transfers to schools affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education. Finally, the A3 reflects the district's moderate debt profile with rapid principal amortization and an above-average pension burden.

We regard the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under our ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety. The coronavirus crisis is not a key driver for this rating action. We do not see any material immediate credit risks for the district, given it maintains adequate financial flexibility to address any coronavirus related expenditures. However, the situation surrounding coronavirus is rapidly evolving and the longer term impact will depend on both the severity and duration of the crisis. If our view of the credit quality of the district changes, we will update the rating and/or outlook at that time.

RATING OUTLOOK

The negative outlook was removed as a result of strong financial performance during fiscal years 2018 and 2019, which allowed the district to rebuild its reserve position after experiencing a low point in fiscal 2017 due to cuts to state funding.

Moody's generally does not assign outlooks to local governments with this amount of debt outstanding.

Story continues

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OF THE RATINGS

-Further strengthening of the district's reserve position

-Reversal of declining enrollment trends

-Material growth in the district's tax base

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS

-Trend of structural imbalance, leading to a materially reduced financial position

-Significant increase in leverage, absent a corresponding increase to full value and revenue.

-Material tax base contraction

LEGAL SECURITY

The bonds are secured by the district's full faith and credit and are general obligations of the district payable from ad valorem taxes to be levied against all taxable property within the district without limitation as to rate or amount. The bonds are further secured by the state's commitment to pay debt service, if necessary, pursuant to the New Mexico School District Intercept Program.

PROFILE

Grants-Cibola County School District 1 is located in Grants, New Mexico, 23 miles west of the City of Albuquerque (Aa3 negative) city limits, and approximately 112 miles from the Arizona (Aa1 stable) border. The district provides K-12 education services to approximately 3,453 students.

METHODOLOGY

The principal methodology used in these ratings was US Local Government General Obligation Debt published in September 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1191097. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

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Brett Adelglass Lead Analyst Regional PFG Dallas Moody's Investors Service, Inc. Plaza Of The Americas 600 North Pearl St. Suite 2165 Dallas 75201 US JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Nicholas Lehman Additional Contact Regional PFG Northeast JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653

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27.07.2020 LISTEN

The Kumasi High Court has fined four persons GHS 6,000 each for contempt of court in default will serve a prison sentence of two weeks each.

The four include Kwame Brenya, Norman Owusu Barnie, Charles Asabere and Henry Asumadu who are members of a group called The Kumasi Club.

The persons in question were dragged to court by other members of the group for allegedly registering the group, The Kumasi Club unlawfully and have been engaging in some financial improprieties.

They are also accused of making attempts to remove the Chairman and other executive members as the matter was still in court, for which reasons an issue of contempt of court was raised against them.

Ruling on the matter today, Monday, July 27, 2020, the presiding judge His Lordship, Ali Baba Bature initially imposed a two-week prison sentence for the four persons.

Lawyer for the respondents, Asante Krobea however prayed the court not to apply a custodial sentence to the affected persons citing their old age and COVID-19 as the main factors.

The judge in his final ruling fined each of the four persons GHS 6,000 and asked them to make the payment immediately or in default serve two weeks prison term each.

Lawyer for the applicants, Justice Abdulai spoke to Citi News after the court proceedings.

Todays ruling was good. It demonstrated that the court does not joke with its authority and so persons who misconduct themselves or portray themselves as above the law are dealt with. Indeed, all those who claim that there is no law in Ghana; I believe that todays decision is a clear demonstration that there are laws in Ghana and that persons who break the law will be punished accordingly.

---citinewsroom
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The government wants to create a Kosice-based IT company to work for the needs of the state. The aim of the state software house is to save money, fundamentally improve services for people and clean up the informatisation of corruption. Prime Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO) and Investments, Regional Development and Informatisation Minister Veronika Remisova (Za Ludi) unveiled the plan on Friday, July 24, in Kosice.

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We intend to set up a state software house with the aim of acquiring the best of the programmers available in Slovakia for the state, said Matovic, as cited by the TASR newswire. In this case, were offering an opportunity to take over essentially all employees of a top software company that could form the basis of such a software renewal of the state.
New Delhi: In his statement to the Mumbai Police on Monday in Sushant Singh Rajputs death case, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said that he had met the late actor a couple of times only. He also told the cops that the duo never had any discussion on doing a film together.

"I have given always given a chance to new talents and never promoted nepotism," Mahesh Bhatt said, adding, "I met Sushant first in August 2018 and then in January 2020. We never had any conversation on signing him for my film."

While in 2018, Sushant had tweeted about Mahesh Bhatt's new book and said he wanted to meet the filmmaker.

Mahesh Bhatt also said that he knew Sushant through actress Rhea Chakraborty and the late star had expressed his desire to work with the filmmaker. Mahesh Bhatt was summoned by the Mumbai Police on Sunday and was asked to record his statement at the Bandra Police station this afternoon.

After Mahesh Bhatt had cast Rhea in Jalebi, he met the actor through her. Mahesh Bhatt also added that Rhea considered him her guru after she was signed for 'Jalebi'.

Mahesh Bhatt mentioned that he did not think of making a film with Sushant, but the actor had expressed his desire to work with the filmmaker irrespective of the role.

According to sources, when Mahesh Bhatt was asked about his forthcoming film Sadak 2, he said that the star cast was already decided and they never spoke about giving a role to Sushant in it. Neither Sushant nor Rhea were approached for the film ever, he added.

Meanwhile, the cops did not interrogate him over his close associate Suhrita Das' now-deleted Facebook post and neither was she present at the police station.

So far, 38 people have been questioned by the Mumbai Police in Sushants case. On Tuesday, Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta will record his statement with the cops.

Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide in his Mumbai apartment on June 14. He was said to be under stress and depression for some months.
Gov. Phil Murphy returns to Trenton on Monday for a 1 p.m. press conference as he provides another update on the coronavirus pandemic that has killed nearly 16,000 people in New Jersey since March.

The press conference at the War Memorials George Washington Ballroom will be streamed on the governors YouTube channel. Murphy will be joined as always by state health commissioner Judy Persichilli and State Police Superintendent Colonel Pat Callahan as well as another frequent contributor, state epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan.

There were 695 people in the states hospitals, though one of the 71 hospitals did not report data, with coronavirus or a suspected cases of the virus as of 10 p.m. Sunday. Thats the lowest total since officials began releasing that data in April. In the previous 24-hour period, hospitals had 725 COVID-19 patients. Officials say 128 people are receiving critical care, with 54 on ventilators. A day earlier those numbers were 126 and 52.

The rate of transmission was .84  below the 1 that Murphy has said is necessary to consider additional reopening steps.

At the peak of the pandemic in mid-April more than 8,000 were hospitalized.

On Sunday, Murphy announced 11 new deaths and 512 additional cases confirmed in the previous 24 hours. There have been 13,867 lab confirmed deaths and 1,920 deemed probable fatalities since the outbreak began in March. New Jersey has the second most deaths among U.S. states.

New Jerseys case numbers over the last week have been skewed not only by a nationwide delay in getting test results thanks to a surge in cases across the country and a reporting issue with Quest private lab test results. Health officials said they have been working through that backlog, which was initially estimated at 15,000 tests.

Murphy made two media appearances on Monday morning  giving interviews to CNN and Fox 5. .

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Matt Arco contribute to this report.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The Centers for Disease Control has changed its guidelines on how long a person must quarantine after theyve been diagnosed with coronavirus.

The change comes as scientist learn more about the virus and how it spreads. It also does away with the requirement that coronavirus patients get a negative test results before leaving isolation.

For people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 who had symptoms, the CDC says you can be with others after:

At least 10 days since symptoms first appeared;

At least 24 hours with no fever without fever-reducing medication and;

Symptoms have improved.

Those with severe illnesses, such as being admitted to the hospital or needing oxygen, may require isolation for 10 days or longer, possibly up to 20 days, according to the CDC.

Those who test positive for COVID-19 but have no symptoms can end their isolation after 10 days have passed since their first positive test.

The change comes after studies showed that patients did not have replication-competent virus after 10 days. For patients with severe cases of COVID-19, 88% were found not to be contagious after 10 days; 95% were not contagious after 15 days, according to reports.

In a briefing last week, Brett Giroir, Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services said the requirement for a negative tests to end isolation related back to early outbreaks on cruise ships.

That is no longer needed, and it is medically unnecessary, he said. Some people were getting tests four to six times. You dont need to be retested unless youre critically ill or immunosuppressed in which you could shed virus longer.

You can see the CDC guidelines here.

Here are the latest national coronavirus headlines:

New Orleans shuts down bars

New Orleans is shutting down its bars.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered all bars closed in an effort to reverse a surge in new coronavirus cases in the city. The ban goes went into effect Saturday morning and also includes a prohibition against the sale of go-cups from bars and restaurants.

Cantrell said the prohibitions will continue until the city is in a position of better health.

Latest coronavirus numbers

More than 1,000 people died every day for four straight days last week due to coronavirus, according to tracking from John Hopkins University. The U.S. death toll from the virus is more than 146,000 as of Sunday.

The U.S. currently has 4.1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus.

In the South, Georgia broke a single-day record Friday, reporting 4,813 new COVID-19 cases. Another 3,787 new cases were reported Saturday. More than 165,180 people have tested positive in the state.

Support for Trumps handling of COVID crisis drops to new low

Support for President Trumps handling of the coronavirus pandemic dropped to a new low on Sunday, according to a new poll.

The survey, conducted by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, showed 32% of Americans said they support the presidents response to the COVID crisis. That figure is a 12-point decline from the when the same question was asked in March.

Overall, 38% of Americans said they approved of the job the president was doing in the White House.
Megan Barton Hanson has given followers another taste of what to expect from her OnlyFans account in a raunchy new Instagram post.

The former Love Island star is the latest in a string of TV personalities to launch a subscription only account with the website.

And with new content coming over the next seven days, Megan, 26, shared a racy preview of herself in a lace basque and black stockings.

Don't mind me: Megan Barton Hanson has given followers another taste of what to expect from her OnlyFans account in a raunchy new Instagram post.

Fully exposing her cleavage, Megan filmed herself sitting on a double bed while offering the camera a coquettish glance.

The brief clip served a teaser for those who have already signed up to the model's account, and an invitation to those who haven't.

Megan has joined the likes of Kerry Katona, Danielle Lloyd and American star Blac Chyna in launching an accounts with OnlyFans over recent months.

Getting involved: The former Love Island star is the latest in a string of TV personalities to launch a subscription only account with the website

The TV personality's latest post comes after she admitted to finding it difficult to meet other bisexual or gay women due to a lack of confidence while in the company of people she's attracted to.

She told Cosmopolitan UK's weekly podcast All The Way With: 'As I've only recently come out as bisexual, I always found it really hard to meet gay girls.

'That was half the issue before Love Island so for that, I use a dating app,' she explained.

Opening up: The TV personality's latest post comes after she admitted to finding it difficult to meet other bisexual or gay women due to a lack of confidence while in the company of people she's attracted to

'I think it's just knowing if I was in a bar and I saw a girl, I wouldn't just approach her because I'd be like, "Is she straight?" I don't know, it's hard to know. So I feel like in that area, I'm not confident.'

'With men I am so confident. If I fancy someone I'll go over and be like, "Are you single?"

'But with girls I do feel a bit more intimidated. Maybe because it's newer for me. So yeah, I just find it easier on the app if you both know where you stand.'
South Carolina again reported a double-digit number of deaths due to the novel coronavirus on Monday, though data on how many patients are currently hospitalized is still not available.

The state is nearing 1,500 confirmed deaths related to COVID-19.

Among the hardest-hit patient segment are seniors in long-term care facilities. In the state Department of Health and Environmental Control's latest report on these facilities, it showed that 557 patients and caregivers had died of COVID-19, a full 38 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the state.

On Sunday night, Gov. Henry McMaster issued his 10th 15-day state of emergency declaration. Bans still remain in place for nightclubs, movie theaters, arenas and stadiums.

Statewide numbers

Number of new cases reported: 1,226

Total number of cases in S.C.: 82,071

Number of new deaths reported: 17

Total number of deaths in S.C.: 1,452

Number of hospitalized patients: Officials have paused reports on hospital crowding and resource use, saying the new federal tracking system isnt comprehensive enough to cite.

Percent of tests that were positive: 14.6 percent

Total number of tests in S.C.: 711,726

Which areas are hardest hit?

Greenville County reported 121 new cases, while Charleston County logged 115 and Beaufort County reported 110.

Whats happening in the tri-county?

In addition to Charleston County's 115 new cases, Berkeley County recorded 37 cases and Dorchester County logged 31.

Deaths

Of the newly reported deaths, 14 were 65 or older and lived in Anderson, Calhoun, Darlington, Dorchester, Florence, Horry, Jasper, Lexington and Pickens counties. Three were 35 to 64 and resided in Chester, Colleton and Darlington counties.

Hospitalizations

After briefly resuming reports of hospital usage data including beds, ICU beds and ventilators, DHEC again paused its announcements of the numbers. The department said the information, which is provided by hospitals and then reported through a federal tracking system, has been inaccurate. Officials will begin reporting the data once the numbers can be independently verified.

How many cases have been found in long-term care facilities?

There are 4,432 confirmed coronavirus cases in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities: 2,824 residents and 1,608 staff workers, according to DHEC data released Friday. That's a 12 percent increase in cases from the previous report.

So far, 550 residents and seven workers have died from the virus, a mortality rate of nearly 13 percent. They account for about 38 percent of deaths in the state, the data shows.

One nursing home, Pruitt Health in Ridgeway, has had 18 deaths from COVID-19. Sandpiper Rehab/Nursing, a residential care facility in Mount Pleasant, has had 17 deaths.

The virus has been found in 277 facilities.

What do experts say?

As case numbers and deaths continue to rise around the state, officials continue to issue dire warnings on what will happen if the public does not adopt widespread precautions like mask-wearing and social distancing.

Officials continue to urge basic precautions to slow the spread of the coronavirus: social distancing, wearing a mask in public, avoiding group gatherings, regularly washing hands and staying home when sick.

Cleve O'Quinn contributed to this report.
AZAL will continue to operate special flights from Baku to Istanbul, Berlin and London until the end of October 2020.



According to the new schedule, flights to Istanbul will be operated daily, to London - weekly on Thursdays, and to Berlin - on Fridays.



The sale of flight tickets is open on the official website of the airline (www.azal.az).



Tickets for the Baku-Istanbul flights can be purchased by citizens of Azerbaijan, Turkey and other states eligible to enter the country.



Passengers eligible to enter the UK can travel by the Baku-London flight. In addition, an online application form available at https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk must be completed within 48 hours prior to departure. If the form is not completed within the period specified, immigration officers of the London Heathrow Airport may impose a fine of 100 pounds sterling on passengers.



The Baku-Berlin flight can be used by passengers holding permanent or temporary residence rights in Germany (including students), as well as citizens of the European Union countries.



When returning to their homeland, Azerbaijani students studying abroad can take advantage of a 30% discount while purchasing flight tickets in all three directions.

Aside from the citizens of Azerbaijan, the following persons are admitted to the flights to Baku:

 Employees and heads of diplomatic missions and consulates in Azerbaijan and their family members;

 Foreigners whose family members (spouses, parents or kids) are citizens of Azerbaijan;

 Foreigners holding work permits in Azerbaijan;

 Foreigners holding permanent or temporary residence permit in Azerbaijan;

 Foreign students studying at the universities of Azerbaijan.



Only passengers tested negative for COVID-19 will be allowed to flights.



The list of Baku laboratories accredited by the Management Union of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB) can be found on the following website: https://www.azal.az/en/information/covid-clinics



COVID-19 testing abroad can be undertaken in public and private clinics as well as laboratories. PCR testing certificate is a mandatory requirement for admitting passengers to flights.



In all cases, the certificate must be received within 48 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure.



According to the approved rules during a pandemic, only women's carry-on bags, or men's briefcases, or laptop bags with the dimensions not exceeding 30x35x10 cm (the bag should be used only for its intended purpose) are allowed as carry-on luggage. Other baggage including paper and plastic bags must be checked to be transported in the cargo hold of aircraft. Purchases made at Duty Free stores are also not allowed on board an aircraft.



As previously reported, on flights operated during the COVID-19 pandemic, special rules will apply both at the airport of departure and arrival and on board the aircraft. "Azerbaijan Airlines" prepared a video instruction available on YouTube.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
WSU Student Finds Joy in the Midst of Change

July 27, 2020

OGDEN, Utah  In a year full of uncertainty, Weber State University freshman Sophie Beck has experienced her fair share of ups and downs but has found joy in unexpected places.

On March 13, When Weber State transitioned spring semester 2020 to a virtual format, students quickly had to adjust to a new learning environment. Many students also faced changes to their home life as well. Beck was no exception to any of this as she made the decision early in March to move back with her family.

Moving home was a little strange at first, Beck said. It almost felt like I was going backward in life because I had been away from home for quite a while, and now I was living at home again. Being able to focus on school helped me adjust to everything and feel a little bit more normal though.

Beck wanted to be closer to her family in part to help her mom take care of her older sister, who has a rare genetic disorder called Wolf Hirschhorn Syndrome. The syndrome includes characteristic facial appearance, delayed growth and development, intellectual disability and seizures.

My sister Hannah was previously living in a group home for adults with disabilities, but we decided it was best if we brought her home, Beck said. That way we could limit the number of people she has contact with, and we could also have her close to us and spend more time with her.

Beck said becoming the primary caretakers for her sister was a major adjustment for her family, but the process has been rewarding. One of the things Hannah unexpectedly enjoys is listening to Sophie's professors as they deliver online lectures.

During the spring semester, Sophie was listening to her communication professor Susan Hafen deliver a lecture when Hannah suddenly started smiling and laughing in response to the sound of Hafens voice.

I was just working on classes one day when it happened, Beck said. Shes always been really entertained by sounds and things like that, so I love to play music for her to see what kinds she likes and responds to. I never expected her to like the sound of my professor's voice, but she was sitting next to me and just seemed to really enjoy the sound of the lecture.

Beck said moments like that are what have helped her find joy and hope during difficult times.

After high school, Beck briefly attended the Marymount Manhattan College dance program in New York, but quickly realized dance was not the right career path for her. With encouragement from her family, she decided to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

While on her church mission in Stockholm, Sweden, Beck found her passion for writing and journalism. When she returned to Utah, she decided to attend WSU as a communication major with an emphasis in multimedia journalism.

Although she has faced challenges in her first year at Weber State, Beck said her time at the university has been positive and fulfilling. With the help of her professors, the sudden move to online learning in the spring was made much easier.

My biggest challenge has been trying to stay motivated and not get too anxious about everything going on, Beck said. Keeping a strict schedule for homework and focusing on positive moments has helped a lot, and my professors have also been really encouraging. I knew the professors at Weber State were awesome, but seeing them adapt to the current situation to help their students has grown my appreciation for them even more.

Through all of these changes, including the stress of COVID-19, Beck said her relationship with Hannah has helped her see the good in the world and recognize that happiness can be found in the middle of the unknown.

Hannah has been a rock for my family during this time, especially with everything being so uncertain, Beck said. It's been really awesome to have her around because she reminds us that it doesn't really matter what goes on around the world; we're together, and that's what's important. She has always helped us see the joy in everyday life. Now more than ever, she helped us keep a bigger perspective in mind and just enjoy the time we have.

Next year, Beck said she will continue her studies at Weber State. She also plans to move into her own apartment, but close to her family, so she can continue to help her mom and spend time with her sister.

For photos, visit the following links.

wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2020-photos/July-2020/i-kKXzxg5/A

wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2020-photos/July-2020/i-9FSSJZW/A

wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2020-photos/July-2020/i-phXSrDX/A

wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2020-photos/July-2020/i-kLkfmFP/A

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Gold king in chess game face with the another silver team on black background (Concept for company strategy, business victory or decision)

One of the hottest assets the last week has been silver, and it appears that theres no slowing down. Silver stocks have followed suit of many gold stocks, up to 52-week highs just in the last week.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, its been clear that precious metals would be an excellent investment. Not only would investors be seeking a safe haven, but with so much monetary stimulus and money created, naturally, these assets would see their intrinsic value rise.

I have consistently been recommending gold to investors; however, I have been recommending silver stocks as well.

Silver and gold stocks

Gold is a precious metal that commonly known as a safe-haven asset. Investors flock to gold when there is pressure on the U.S. dollar, as gold tends to hold its value much better than the ever-depreciating dollar.

Silver is a lot like gold. Fewer people view it as a safe-haven asset and it has different uses, but the fundamentals of the two precious metals are very similar.

The stocks are very similar too. Mining stocks almost always move in the same direction as the underlying price of the asset they mine. Gold and silver stocks just do it with a lot more leverage.

Because these assets are so similar, they tend to move in the same direction as each other.

Gold almost always will be what rallies first with silver lagging behind. But when silver follows, its usually a lot more volatile than gold. This makes silver stocks a huge opportunity for investors to grow their money, as youll get a warning from the appreciation in gold, and then when the stocks do rally, it should be a more significant jump than gold.

One way to get an idea of the value is by looking at the gold to silver ratio. When gold starts appreciating, the ratio will move up, usually signaling its time for silver to have a major breakout. This creates a huge opportunity for investors who are ready and know whats coming next.

Since the market crash in March, we have seen gold prices increase considerably. But only now has silver started to follow suit, and its doing so in a big way.

Story continues

Silver market

The silver market isnt quite the same as gold. Although it is used in jewelry and for investment purposes, its one of the worlds most reflective and best conductors of electricity, so it has several other uses.

Silver is extremely important for technology. Less than half of silver demanded is used for jewelry, coins and bars, or silverware. 55% of silver is used in industrial fabrication. Things such as solar panels, cameras as well as other electronics all require silver.

In fact, as the world continues to go green, silver is increasingly becoming more popular. In just the last 10 years, silver use in automobiles has jumped by more than 300%.

And for all these additional uses, there continues to be more silver consumed each year than there is mined. This is just another reason why silver stocks could be one of the best investments you make of 2020.

So how can you invest in silver soon before you miss out completely? Consider this top TSX silver stock.

TSX silver stock

One of the best silver stocks to consider today is First Majestic Silver Corp (TSX:FR)(NYSE:AG).

I wrote about first majestic back on April 30, when the stock was trading at just $11.25. Since then, the stock has rallied rapidly and is now up by more than 70% in just the last three months.

First majestic operates strictly in Mexico, the largest silver-producing country in the world. 60% of its revenues come from silver, the highest percentage of any TSX stock. This gives it the best leverage to the rapidly growing silver prices.

The company has three operating mines and produces more than 11 million silver ounces a year. Its extremely low costs of production give it significant margins, which its definitely taking advantage of at these high silver prices.

Its without a doubt the silver stock I would be buying today. Although most silver stocks should see exceptional performance this year, as the precious metal continues to reach multi-year highs.

The post Buy Silver Stocks Now or Youll Regret It appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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Fool contributor Daniel Da Costa 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
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Shares of AU Small Finance Bank fell 2.06 percent to close at Rs 773.70 on BSE on July 27, mainly on account of profit-booking after brokerages came out with mixed views on the stock post its June quarter results.

The bank, on July 23, reported a 6 percent rise in its net profit at Rs 201 crore in the April-June quarter of the current fiscal year. The bank had posted a net profit of Rs 190 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago.

Read more: AU Small Finance Bank Q1 net profit up 6% at Rs 201 crore

On July 24, the stock logged a gain of 4.39 percent on BSE. In fact, the stock had been logging gains since July 16 and after closing in the red today, it broke the winning streak of the last 7 consecutive sessions.

YES Securities has downgraded the stock to a 'reduce' from a 'buy' rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 700.

"We downgrade the stock from 'buy' to 'reduce' as the recent sharp rerating (trades at 4.6 times FY22 P/ABV) assumes a rather smooth sailing through the pandemic. Equity raising (not factored by us) could support price," YES Securities said.

"Though the management expects collections to further improve in JulyAugust, we believe delinquencies could spike as certain applications or occupations in the retail portfolio may take longer time to revive," it said.

On the other hand, Motilal Oswal Financial Services has a 'buy' rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 850, valuing the stock at 4.4 times FY22E BV.

"Steady decline in moratorium book, reduction in SMA numbers and improving collection trend has eased pressure on asset quality. While we remain watchful of the trends ahead as customer activation rate is still at 67 percent against 80 percent under normal circumstances, we expect collection trends to improve gradually as guided by the management," said Motilal Oswal.

The brokerage is of the view that the company's higher provision buffer (1 percent/10 percent of total loans /moratorium book) should provide comfort against higher slippages, given the secured nature of the book.

Motilal estimates the bank's loan growth to remain soft at 14 percent in FY21 (18 percent AUM growth), while credit cost may stay elevated at 2.2 percent in FY21E.

The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Buying and selling a home simultaneously is a stressful juggling act at any point. So what's it like to simultaneously buy and sell real estate during the coronavirus pandemic?

In April, my husband and I found out just how arduous this process could get when we decided to put our Chicago condo on the market. Our goal was to move out of state to live closer to family, and we'd hoped to time our property sale and purchase around the same time.

But the novel coronavirus quickly threw a wrench in these plansand taught us a ton in the process. Here's what we learned, which we hope will help other buyers and sellers navigate this process as smoothly as possible.

Vacate your house if you can

Our condo building in Chicago, where we lived for four years realtor.com

The best thing I can recommend if you're trying to sell your house right now is to try to stay elsewhere for the time your house is on the market. We decided to vacate our Chicago condo, and move into an apartment above my in-laws garage in Alabama.

Although it was a hassle to move out, it was crucial because our real estate agent was then able to schedule showings freely without having to work around our schedulesand there was less fear on both the buyer and seller ends about sanitizing home surfaces.

I believe moving out was key to our selling our home in less than two months. We officially closed the deal on July 8.

Be OK with not saying goodbye

The strangest thing about selling our home during the coronavirus pandemic was abruptly closing a chapter and beginning a new one without having those goodbye moments.

I'd hoped our last hurrah in Chicago would be filled with last meals at our favorite restaurants, going-away parties with our friends, and visiting all of our favorite coffee shops one more time. Instead, we spent our last days in Chicago packing up our place and eating microwave popcorn when we had an empty fridge and weren't able to dine out.

While we were excited for what lay ahead, I grieved that old life that the coronavirus had caused to abruptly disappear before my eyes.

My office all cleaned out except for the rug, which the buyers negotiated to include in the sale. Kelsey Ogletree

Expect the unexpected

After moving in above my in-laws' garage in Alabama, we hit our new house hunt hard, and started shopping for a home in the area. We assumed we wouldn't be living with my in-laws for long.

We're staying in the apartment above the garage of my in-laws' home in Alabama. Kelsey Ogletree

At first, our timing seemed phenomenal: A few days after the contract on our condo in Chicago came through, we put in an offer on a home in Alabama.

Originally, we'd planned to close on our Chicago home sale and our Alabama home purchase back to back, a day apart. But our purchase fell through for a variety of reasons, including inspection and loan approval issues.

We were crushed, but realized that closing on both homes within a 24-hour period would have involved an insane amount of stress and paperwork.

The home we'd planned to purchase had a beautiful backyard. Kelsey Ogletree

Look at the big picture

I struggled emotionally with uprooting my family and moving in with my in-laws. We went from living states away to seeing them nearly 'round the clock. Even though we had our own tiny kitchen above the garage, we ended up eating most meals at their house, and its by far the most time weve ever spent together.

It was a difficult adjustment for the first month or so, as I mourned our former life as a busy young couple in Chicago. Our nights dining at buzzy restaurants and walking along the riverfront were replaced by family dinners around a kitchen table. I just wasnt ready for so much togetherness.

However, now nearly five months into this living arrangement, Ive become more appreciative. Im embracing this time spent with family. Even if this arrangement continues a few more months, in the scheme of our lives, it will just be a blip on the radar.

We've living and working in the same tight space for now. Kelsey Ogletree

Accept that things might not work out perfectly

We thought we had it all figured out: selling one home and buying another that wed move straight into after closing. When that didn't work out, we struggled with feeling homeless and not having a place to actually move our things to.

But we've now learned that things happen for the best, and that there's no reason to stress about finding a new place. Our things are in storage nearby, ready to go when we are. We're taking our time figuring out the next best move for our family. Meanwhile, we are fortunate to have a place to stay, and a rare opportunity to spend a lot of time with family.

I learned to love washing dishes in this tiny apartment kitchen. Kelsey Ogletree

The post The Insane Juggling Act of Trying To Buy and Sell a House During a Pandemic appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
At about 5:55am on Saturday, gardai responded to reports of an assault incident outside a house in the Whitechapel Road area of Clonsilla, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.

Peter McDonald, 77, was fatally injured following an altercation where he received a number of apparent stab wounds.

The pensioner was pronounced dead at the scene which was preserved for a technical examination.

Patrick McDonagh, of Whitechapel Road, was arrested following a stand-off with gardai at his house. He was taken to Blanchardstown Garda station and detained under Section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984 for questioning.

Mr McDonagh was charged in the early hours of Monday and held overnight pending his appearance before Judge Gerard Jones at Blanchardstown District Court on Monday morning. He was charged with murder of Mr McDonald.

Dressed in a light grey top, dark trousers, red runners, and wearing a face mask, he sat silently at the side of the court as evidence was given.

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Detective Garda Sean Burke told Judge Jones the accused was arrested for the offence of murder contrary to common law. Patrick McDonagh made no comment after caution, he said.

Mr McDonagh made no reply when the charge was put to him and he was handed a copy of his charge sheet.

Judge Jones enquired whether the accused understood what was happening. Yes, Judge, Detective Garda Burke replied.

The district court does not have the jurisdiction to consider bail in a murder case. The accused was remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court via video-link on Friday.

Defence solicitor Sandra Frayne asked the court to order a psychiatric evaluation. She said her client had psychiatric difficulties. She asked the court to recommend her client gets an appropriate assessment and medical treatment in custody.

Judge Jones agreed and directed that Mr McDonagh should be examined by a psychiatrist.

He granted legal aid after noting from the solicitor and Detective Garda Burke that the accused was eligible.

Ms Frayne said her client was in receipt of a disability payment. He has not yet indicated to how he will plead and spoke only to his solicitor at the end of the brief hearing.
Evi; Homeschool

Evi, an uprising first grader who is diagnosed with falcon anemia  an autoimmune disease that affects her bone marrow  will be homeschooled with another immunocompromised classmate. Madeiline Greggs

Madeline Gregg knew back in March, after the novel coronavirus was declared a global pandemic, that her 6-year-old daughter Evi probably wouldn't be physically attending first grade this upcoming school year.

When Evi was 14 months old, she was diagnosed with fanconi anemia, a rare genetic disorder resulting in impaired bone marrow function, which leads to a decrease in the production of all blood cells. For that reason, Gregg said, exposure to the flu is enough to result in Evi's hospitalization.

"So when school was initially canceled," she said, "it was a no-brainer that she wouldn't be going back to school until the majority of people are vaccinated [for the novel coronavirus]."

While vaccines can take years to research and develop, according to the New York Times, 27 vaccines for the virus are already in human trials and scientists are "racing to produce a safe and effective vaccine by next year."

But that leaves many school district leaders, educators and parents, including Gregg, in a position where they have to determine whether in-person education is the right choice for their students  and what the alternatives actually look like.

In Gregg's case, she contacted the parent of another immunocompromised child from Evi's kindergarten class in Louisville, Ky., to see if they would want to "pod together."

"And my mom, who is a retired teacher, will be homeschooling the girls three days a week for three hours a day on those days," Gregg said. "So not only will they be able to get out of the house, and have a safe environment, which is my mom's house, where we have all these rules in place so we can make sure that this 'bubble' basically doesn't pop, but they'll be able to see each other and play."

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The concept of "pandemic pods" has garnered a lot of interest over the last several weeks, the idea essentially being that groups of 10 or fewer students will learn together in a home environment. Either a parent, or rotation of parents, will teach the students  or the parents of those students will pool together funding to hire an instructor.

It's a way to mitigate the health risks associated with sending students back to a physical classroom, but also allow them to enjoy a more complete educational and social experience than remote learning alone.

And while many school districts across the country have yet to announce formal plans for the start of the school year, many parents are scrambling to find their pod.

Kaylie Milliken's son is entering the first grade. She lives in California in one of the 32 counties where schools will remain closed as they are on the state's COVID-19 monitoring list due to surging coronavirus cases.

California Gov. Gavin Newson announced the shift to full-time distance learning in those counties in a July 17 press conference, the Los Angeles Times reports. The counties are home to 35.5 million Californians. "We all prefer in-classroom instructions for all the obvious reasons  social and emotional foundationally, but only, only if it can be done safely," Newsom said.

"So I've started reaching out to some of the parents of his classmates from last year to see if anyone is interested in sharing a tutor for the coming school year," Milliken said. "The problem is that we don't know who their teacher is going to be in the fall, so we're not totally sure if that's going to work."

That hasn't stopped Milliken from pricing tutors, however.

"So, I have a friend who is paying a college student $30 an hour to tutor her twin girls in third grade," she said. "So I'm kind of basing it off that. I figured it would be $25 an hour for my son and then add $5 per kid if more are interested."

According to Milliken, local "mom groups" on social media have become a popular place to try to find like-minded pod members, as well as tutors or teachers who are advertising their services on those pages. Some parents, like Kerry Wright from Louisville, have created surveys in order to pair families who are looking for pod members. "My goal is to make sort of a Match.com, but for families," she said via email.

Some teachers, like Andrew Bryzgornia, are also interested in potentially making the switch from teaching in a classroom to instructing a "pandemic pod."

Bryzgornia currently teaches math to 7th through 12th grade students at a private school in Minneapolis. When we spoke on Monday, he felt confident that Minnesota governor Tim Walz, a former public high school geography teacher, would issue a mask mandate for the upcoming school year (Walz went on to announce such a mandate on Thursday), however, he still had concerns for his and his family's health.

"My wife is pregnant with our first child. We're going to have a son, and he's due around Thanksgiving," he said. "I'm worried about getting sick and possibly dying, and then she's a single mom."

Even if students are masked, he also fears passing COVID-19 to his wife. For that reason, he's considering tutoring in a home setting during the coming school year. Bryzgornia is currently tutoring three students this summer, and the family of one of those students has already approached him regarding his availability if they opt for homeschooling rather than completing in-person classes.

"Even before she mentioned it, though, I was kind of thinking that I might be considering tutoring students in lieu of teaching this fall," he said.

Websites like Selected for Families and SchoolHouse have also launched professional services to match families with tutors and pod instructors.

The inequities of the "Pay to Pod" structure

Some education equality advocates are concerned that inherent to the "pay to pod" structure  as well as digital learning, as a whole  is the potential for vulnerable students being left behind.

Dr. David Stovall  a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago who studies the intersection of race, place and school  spoke to Salon about the challenges. Many parents do not have the resources to pay for a private pod instructor or can't afford to take off from work  or aren't in a job where they can work from home  in order to instruct their own children.

"I'm also really concerned about it because here in Chicago, what we noticed from March to June is that 60% of CPS [Chicago Public School] students never logged in for digital learning," Stovall said. "And then the other part of that is that, even before COVID, 60% of CPS students' access to internet service was actually done via phone."

He continued: "So really understanding these particular disparities in terms of access to reliable WiFi, and even the equipment to make that transition more seamless, that is a huge issue."

Stovall described how, when Chicago public schools transitioned to digital learning in the spring, he saw lines of parents that wrapped around certain schools as they were waiting to try to secure laptops for their children.

"And I think the current moment has just laid bare what we already know, right?" he said. "Like this is something that is now just exacerbated in a way that you can't unsee it, but it's always been an issue that those who are viewed as disposable have the least. When people talk about structural racism, this is the type of inequity that is ingrained into schools."

According to Stovall, the only way to address those issues is in prioritizing those who are most marginalized now in school districts.

"But many aren't willing to do that because they fear that the middle class and the affluent parents who still have kids in public schools will take them out," he said.

Stovall said that prioritizing marginalized students will look different for every district, but that all districts should move away from what he perceives as a "triage approach." Instead, he suggests considering three long-term solutions: rethinking the reliability of standardized testing, moving outside the current grading structure to measure aptitude, and restructuring the teacher performance assessment.

"The teacher performance assessment, nicknamed a TPA, entails paying $300 for somebody outside of your district to record your teaching and them being the definitive arbiter of whether or not you're prepared to teach," he said. "Now, to me, that is absolutely senseless. How is somebody actually reviewing your teaching if they don't know the context of your students, your district?"

Stovall acknowledges that given the current reality  most districts are less than a month away from resuming school in the middle of a global pandemic  things will get worse for vulnerable students before they get better. He also recognizes that most parents and teachers are simply focused on getting by in these unprecedented times.

But he holds on to hope that as more children are going to be learning outside of the classroom environment, districts will realize that the inequities facing their students can no longer be concealed behind schoolhouse walls.

"This is really that moment where we have to really come to grips with some of the structural inequities that are now exacerbated because now we don't even have the semblance normalcy," he said.

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Ever since we have earned textbook knowledge about the solar system, we have learnt that the sun is placed in the center of it and the planets revolve around it. However, the universe is an ever-growing topic which can astonish us with new studies and discoveries every now and then. One of these latest studies seems to be changing our perception about the sun being the center of our solar system.

James ODonoghue, a planetary scientist at the Japanese space agency, JAXA, has made an animation video to explain how the sun, along with other planets and terrestrial objects, orbit around the solar system center of mass.

He demonstrated that the centre of mass, called the barycenter, helps in balancing the object, distributing its mass evenly on all sides. The precise gravitational centre or barycentre of the Solar System rarely coincides with the orbit of the sun.

Heres the video shared by ODonoghue on his YouTube page back in April 2020, which has received over 1.18 lakh views.

He added that the sun orbits slightly around Jupiter because of the giant planets gravity. Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are also trying to estimate the exact location of barycentre using the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav).

"The natural thinking is that we orbit the suns centre, but that very rarely happens. Its very rare for the solar systems centre of mass to align with the suns centre," ODonoghue asserted.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Montreal, Canada  Mon, July 27, 2020 07:10 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406696a256 2 World young-adult,novel-coronavirus,coronavirus,coronavirus-effect,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona Free

Canadians under the age of 39 make up a clear majority of new cases of COVID-19 in Canada, health authorities said Sunday, warning young adults they are not "invincible" against the disease.

"Recent national surveillance data show that young adults aged 20-39 years of age account for the highest incidence rates across all ages in Canada," Canada's chief public health officer Theresa Tam said in a statement.

For the week ending July 22, the incidence rate was highest among young men and women aged 20-29 (14.4 and 13.8 cases per 100,000 people respectively), followed by those aged 30-39.

"Younger Canadians are not invincible" to the disease, Tam warned, noting that it is not only the elderly who are at risk of serious health problems if infected.

She pointed out that, of the cases of COVID-19 reported to public health last week, 63 percent involved people under 39 years of age, of whom roughly one-third were hospitalized.

There was an average of 485 new cases reported daily across the country last week.

As Canada continues to lift lockdown restrictions, Tam called on fellow citizens to be cautious and to respect social distancing and hygiene measures.

"In the absence of a vaccine, living with COVID-19 is not without risk," she added.

According to the latest available figures, Canada has so far recorded some 113,800 cases of the new coronavirus and 8,900 deaths.

Public health guidelines are widely respected in Canada, but even so, several hundred people protested in Quebec City Sunday against the wearing of face masks, which are now compulsory in the French speaking province.
The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, or the anti-defection law, is currently at the core of the political crisis in Rajasthan.

Sachin Pilot has legally challenged the disqualification notice issued to him and 18 other "rebel" Congress MLAs, claiming he cannot be said to have "voluntarily given up his membership" [para 2(1)(a) of the anti-defection law] just because he expressed dissenting opinions.

Pilots lawyers have actually challenged the constitutional validity of para 2(1)(a), arguing for it to be declared ultra vires (outside the scope of) the basic structure of the Constitution.

Under the Tenth Schedule, there are two ways a lawmaker could be disqualified -- if he/she voluntarily gives up his/her membership of their party [para 2(1)(a)], or if he or she "votes or abstains from voting in such House contrary to any direction issued by the political party", which is the [para 2(1)(b)].

Even as the crisis continues to intensify, the Congress chose to pull out for now from a legal battle in the apex court with Rajasthan Speaker CP Joshi withdrawing his petition against last week's high court order, asking him to defer action till July 24 on the disqualification notices to Pilot and the other rebel MLAs.

Meanwhile, it is the second clause that has become the centre of another politico-legal debate -- the one concerning the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and its claim of having the authority to issue whip to its six MLAs.

Late on Sunday evening, BSP national general secretary Satish Mishra issued a whip on the partys behalf asking six MLAs in Rajasthan to vote against the Ashok Gehlot government in the Assembly. Mishra said the MLAs -- Lakhan Singh, Deep Chand, R Gudha, Wajib Ali, JS Awana and Sandeep Kumar -- would be disqualified if they defied the whip.

The six MLAs had announced their merger with the Congress last September, almost a year after the Assembly elections were held in the state.

The Speaker had accepted the merger under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution or the anti-defection law although it was subsequently challenged by the BSP in the office of the Election Commission of India. A decision is pending.

On Monday, a petition against the merger of BSP MLAs into Congress was moved before the Rajasthan High Court by BJP MLA Madan Dilawar, although it was dismissed later.

Meanwhile, Governor Kalraj Mishra told the Gehlot government on Monday that an Assembly session can be called at a short notice if the agenda is a floor test, a conditional acceptance of the Congress demand as the party that the President's intervention in the states political crisis.

So Was The Whip Legal?

Experts have different opinions on who actually has the legal authority to issue whip in the Assembly.

Many have argued that each party has to name its whip before the start of the Assembly. If, in the BSPs case, that name is Mishra, then his whip could be considered legally tenable.

The counter-argument to this has been provided by Mishra himself. Speaking to ANI, he said, The BSP is a national party, there cannot be any merger at the state level at the instance of the six MLAs, unless there is a merger of the BSP at the national level."

According to him, the leadership at the national level has to approve of the merger, the state unit cannot unilaterally take this decision.

But Sunil Fernandes, the lawyer representing the Congress, in his conversations with the media, has claimed it is the Tenth Schedule that allows the merger of a unit of a national party with another national party.

The merger took place months ago. It is surprising why the BSP central leadership has woken up and realised the merger was illegal. BSP is making this plea only after a BJP MLA filed a petition in the HC to disqualify the BSP MLAs. The BSP and Dilawar are both wrong," said Fernandes.

The Tenth Schedule permits merger of legislative party also. The contention that BSP as a national party must merge with the INC for the BSP MLAs to merge with INC is misconceived. The parent party may not merge but members of a legislative party have the right to merge with some other party under the X Schedule (Anti - Defection Act) of the Constitution," he said.

Besides, there is a precedent of merger of lawmakers of national parties merging with another national party  the merger of Congress MLAs in Goa into the BJP, for instance. There is also the case of two Telugu Desam Party MPs in Rajya Sabha joining hands with the BJP.

If two-thirds of the lawmakers of a party desert their parent political outfit to join or merge with another political outfit, they are deemed to have evaded disqualification under the Tenth Schedule.

It was in 1985 that the Rajiv Gandhi government brought a bill to amend the Constitution and curb defection and, as some constitutional experts have argued, to preserve the party structure.

The Tenth Schedule, which contains the anti-defection law, was added to the Constitution through this amendment.

The law was amended in 2003 under Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA which deleted a provision under which a split in the party in which one-third of the legislators of that party forming a separate group, were not disqualified.
The Supreme Court on Monday, July 27 indefinitely adjourned a contempt case against Bernard Mornah.

Chief State Attorney, Bright Kuwornu told the Court that Mr. Mornah was evading service of the application on him.

But when pushed for evidence of the PNC National Chairman's evasion of service, the Chief State Attorney could not provide any.

The Court thus adjourned the case without giving a return date.

The State on 2nd July 2020, hauled Bernard Mornah before the Apex Court to be committed for contempt following what the State said was Mr. Mornah's encouragement of defiance and disobedience of the explicit orders of the court.

The State in its affidavit deposed to by Senior State Attorney, Yvonne Bannerman, alleged that Mr. Mornah accused the Apex Court of denying Ghanaians of their right to citizenship and their inalienable right, thereby courting contempt and disaffection for the Court.

Following the Supreme Court's 25th June Judgment in the consolidated case involving the NDC, Mark Takyi-Banson, Attorney General and the Electoral Commission on the constitutionality of C.I. 126, Mr. Mornah at a press conference on 26th June, admonished Ghanaians to act in disobedience of the clear orders of the Court.

The State quoted the PNC National Chairman as advising and urging Ghanaians to get your voter ID Cards if it is the only identification document you can find and march in your numbers and in multitudes to the registration centres to demand the restoration of your right to citizenship and your inalienable right bestowed on you virtue of your birth and by courtesy of the 1992 Constitution.

This, the State argues, was intended to subvert the judgment of the Court and calculated to bring the authority of a competent court of jurisdiction into disrepute.

---citinewsroom
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Snow showers early, with a steadier snow developing late. Low around 25F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Snow showers early, with a steadier snow developing late. Low around 25F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
Seattle-based Lauren Ko is a self-taught baker who rose to fame thanks to the mathematical precision of her pie designs, most of which are inspired by complex geometric patterns.

A former executive assistant in higher education, Lauren Ko got into baking completely by accident. She saw a picture of a really beautiful pie while surfing the internet and asked herself if she could do something like that. Little did she know that the seemingly unimportant self-challenge would change her life forever. After baking her first pie in 2016, Lauren never looked back, and soon after starting her Instagram in 2017, her mesmerizing pies were already a big hit on the popular social network. It wasnt long before juggling her job and pie making got too difficult and she decided to focus her efforts exclusively on her passion.

Photo: Lauren Ko/Instagram

Pies are a very warm, traditional, nostalgic kind of food, but to see it done in a modern and unique way is what makes them so appealing, Lauren Ko told INSIDER magazine in an attempt to explain the massive success of her geometric pies.

Kos pies drew peoples attention right after she started her Instagram account in August of 2017. She only had 200 followers of her own, but her very first post got over 600 likes. A couple of weeks later, she already had around 4,000 followers, and things kind of snowballed from there.

The self-taught baker now boast an impressive following of nearly 330,000 on Instagram, has caught the attention of celebrities the likes of Oprah and Martha Stewart, and has been involved in various promotional campaigns. Its been quite the journey, and one that Lauren never saw coming.

Its still been really wild, the best part has been meeting creators, artists, and designers and developing relationships with people that I dont think Id otherwise have had the opportunity to meet, the pie master said.

Ko admits that while the fact that her creations are edible is crucial to her success, to her the creative process is less about the ingredients and baking, and more about coming up with new and interesting designs. That has been getting difficult of late, as she has already gone through hundreds of designs.

Lauren Ko is just one of the super-talented pie artist weve featured on Oddity Central. Only a few months ago we brought you the beautiful pies of German artist Karin Pfeiff-Boschek , and who could forget the detailed pie portraits of Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin?
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Iran has moved a mock aircraft carrier to the strategic Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with the United States, satellite photographs released on Monday show, likely signalling the Islamic Republic soon plans to use it for live-fire drills.

An image from Maxar Technologies taken Sunday shows an Iranian fast boat speed toward the carrier, sending waves up in its wake, after a tugboat pulled her out into the strait from the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.

Iranian state media and officials have yet to acknowledge bringing the replica out to the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil passes. However, its appearance there suggests Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is preparing an encore of a similar mock-sinking it conducted in 2015.

The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, which patrols Mideast waterways, remains confident in our naval forces ability to defend themselves against any maritime threat," said spokeswoman Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich when asked about the faux carrier's movements.

We cannot speak to what Iran hopes to gain by building this mockup, or what tactical value they would hope to gain by using such a mock-up in a training or exercise scenario," Rebarich told The Associated Press. "We do not seek conflict, but remain ready to defend U.S. forces and interests from maritime threats in the region.

The replica resembles the Nimitz-class carriers that the U.S. Navy routinely sails into the Persian Gulf from the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the waterway. The USS Nimitz, the namesake of the class, just entered Mideast waters late last week from the Indian Ocean, likely to replace the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Arabian Sea.

It remains unclear when or if the Nimitz will pass through the Strait of Hormuz or not during its time in the Mideast. The USS Abraham Lincoln, deployed last year as tensions initially spiked, spent months in the Arabian Sea before heading through the strait. The Eisenhower came through the strait early last week.

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The replica carries 16 mock-ups of fighter jets on its deck, according to the satellite photos taken by Maxar Technologies. The vessel appears to be some 200 meters (650 feet) long and 50 meters (160 feet) wide. A real Nimitz is over 300 meters (980 feet) long and 75 meters (245 feet) wide.

The mock-up strongly resembles a similar one used in February 2015 during a military exercise called Great Prophet 9. During that drill, Iran swarmed the fake aircraft carrier with speedboats firing machine guns and rockets. Surface-to-sea missiles later targeted and destroyed the fake carrier.

That drill, however, came as Iran and world powers remained locked in negotiations over Tehrans nuclear program. Today, the deal born of those negotiations is in tatters. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in May 2018. Iran later responded by slowly abandoning nearly every tenant of the agreement, though it still allows U.N. inspectors access to its nuclear sites.

Last summer saw a series of attacks and incidents further ramp up tensions between Iran and the U.S. They reached a crescendo with the Jan. 3 U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport that killed Qassem Soleimani, head of the Guards expeditionary Quds, or Jerusalem, Force. Iran retaliated with a ballistic missile attack that injured dozens of American troops stationed in neighboring Iraq.

Given the timing of Iran moving the replica to sea, with satellite photos showing it being tugged out of port on Saturday, a drill targeting it may be a direct response from Tehran to an incident last week. That event involved a U.S. F-15 fighter jet approaching a Mahan Air flight over Syria, which saw passengers on the Iranian jetliner injured.

Asked about the fake aircraft carrier, Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, told journalists on a conference call from Kuwait it was part of an ongoing problem with the regime.

We would like to see the Iranian regime spend more time on diplomacy and less time on military stunts," Hook said. Much of its foreign policy relies on intimidation and threats.

___

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
Last month I saw a young woman on a TV news programme being asked if she thought Winston Churchill was a racist whose statue on Parliament Square should be removed. "I don't know," she replied. "I never met him."

At least she was more open minded that many of those who have been plaguing us to eradicate memorials to people they know nothing about.

Or those senior republicans who relentlessly indoctrinate their followers with the MOPE (Most Oppressed People Ever) version of Irish history.

MOPE-Master Gerry Adams, produced a classic contribution last week in an article called 'Roger Casement versus the Empire: Statues for Irish Heroes,' in which in the context of the role in the slave trade of countries other than the United States he poured invective on the British Empire while omitting that it outlawed the trade in 1807 and took on the role of global policeman in suppressing it.

Reading the excellent essays in 'The Northern Ireland Question: perspectives on nationalism and unionism' edited by Patrick J Roach and Brian Barton, I was brooding about how Northern Irish schools can avoid one-sided or sanitised history.

How many school children are likely to hear the brutal truths in Barton's searing essay on 'The birth of Northern Ireland in Ireland's revolutionary period,' where he looks at the development of the siege mentality among unionists and the grievance culture among nationalists?

Do Irish nationalists who see Michael Collins as the swashbuckling moderate compared to Eamon de Valera realise it was he who tried to strangle the northern state at birth by blocking the transfer of civil servants and government records from Dublin to Belfast and by launching a propaganda campaign alleging that Sir James Craig's government was brutally suppressing the Catholic minority, while encouraging its members to boycott Northern Ireland institutions and thus stopping them having substantial influence on educational, local government and police reform.

Even more important was his covert sponsoring and orchestrating of a destructive and murderous IRA campaign.

Between 1916 and late 1922, Barton tells us, 5,000 people on the island were killed, up to 80,000 fled from their homes as refugees, expenditure on security impoverished both states, and the violence "exacerbated tribal hatred on the island and culminated in the formation of two mutually hostile states, each economically retarded, and harbouring deep suspicions towards its minority populations."

Taught to revere revolutionaries, how often do nationalists look coolly at the results of republican violence?

Or unionists consider how their paranoia and refusal to tell their stories to the world gave republicans an undefended goal.

Reading a rather dispiriting article about the GCSE history curriculum in Northern Ireland, I learned about local study units - 1920-49, focused on the Second World War and chosen by 40% of Protestant, and 1965-98, focused on civil rights and chosen by 90% of Catholic schools.

What they're given, says Michael Davies, founder of the charity Parallel Histories, is "an eviscerated, inoffensive curriculum that occupies a middle ground and which is not recognisable to people when they go home and talk about their history".

Davies devised a course that is taught to children on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is now working with some Northern Irish schools on a history curriculum covering the period from 1920.

"The sense of victimhood is always there in post-conflict situations," he says, and some Catholics have no idea of the Protestant story "about freedom of thought, freedom of religion."

The way to study a disputed history, he says, is not to shy away from competing narratives - "seek them out, lay them side-by-side and challenge your students to immerse themselves in both".

This chimes with my view that rather than tearing down contentious statues we should be providing explanatory plaques that encourage debate.

I want a world in which that young lady learns that Churchill was a great but imperfect man, and Northern Ireland schoolchildren address David Trimble's speech at the Nobel prize ceremony in 1998.

"Ulster Unionists, fearful of being isolated on the island, built a solid house," he said, "but it was a cold house for Catholics.

"And northern nationalists, although they had a roof over their heads, seemed to us as if they meant to burn the house down."

Now that would be a debate.
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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will host a meeting of foreign ministers of four countries via video link on Monday, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced Monday.

Foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal will exchange views on issues such as strengthening anti-epidemic cooperation between neighboring countries in regular epidemic prevention and control, and promoting economic recovery and development, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
Hong Kong: Severely ill patients given priority

(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Hospital Authority today explained that with the number of COVID-19 cases increasing daily, those severely ill are considered top priority when it comes to admitting patients to the hospital.

Hospital Authority Chief Manager (Patient Safety & Risk Management) Dr Sara Ho told reporters at a press briefing this afternoon that there were around 100 confirmed COVID-19 patients waiting to be admitted to the Hospital Authority hospitals.

At the same time, we have already transferred around 200 patients to the second-tier isolation wards. We also have 101 patients who have been transferred to the Lei Yue Mun community isolation facility.

"We hope to transfer improving or recovering patients to second-tier beds and also the Lei Yue Mun community isolation facility so as to free up first-tier isolation beds to admit the newly diagnosed patients.

Dr Ho emphasised that the authority is closely communicating with its Centre for Health Protection colleagues to ensure severely ill patients are the first to be admitted to hospitals.

For less symptomatic patients, they may need to wait a bit longer. So we appeal to the understanding of the community. As we have quite a number of confirmed patients in the last few days, we need more time to transfer and mobilise beds to admit the patients."

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Colleges and universities in the United States are pleased with a recent government decision on international students. Yet many schools fear they are losing a larger fight over the nations reputation as a place that welcomes the worlds very best students.

U.S. university officials see it as a breakdown of what they have worked for. They are critical of President Donald Trump and his top aides. They say the Trump administrations repeated attempts to limit immigration have sent students a message that they are not welcome in America. Colleges say foreign students are listening: Since Trump was elected in 2016, the number of new international students coming to the U.S. has fallen by 10 percent after years of growth.

Already, there is concern that the coronavirus health crisis and a slowdown of visa processing could prevent thousands of students from returning in a few weeks. Foreign students now have trouble predicting what to expect after seeing how quickly policies can change.

Kim Wilcox heads the University of California, Riverside. She told The Associated Press there is a growing sense the U.S. is not a welcoming place.

Higher education in the United States is still seen as the gold standard  but access to it comes with all kinds of risks, said Wilcox.

The administrations latest policy would have forced international students in the U.S. to change schools or leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online because of the pandemic. Even those at universities offering a mix of online and in-person classes would have been barred from taking all their classes online.

More than 200 colleges supported legal efforts by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, to overturn the policy.

Seven other cases followed as colleges and state government officials questioned the guidance. Called to court to defend the guidance, federal officials cancelled it instead.

It was widely seen as part of Trumps campaign to pressure U.S. schools and colleges to reopen this autumn, even as the number of coronavirus cases rises.

But even in defeat, the policy added to the idea that American universities are no longer the welcoming places they once were. That is the opinion of Denis Wirtz, head of research at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. The move comes as schools in Canada, Australia and other nations push for more international students. Over time, Wirtz said, those countries may win the worlds top scholars.



It is painful for Wirtz to see. He came to the U.S. from Belgium in 1988 and remembers how warmly he was welcomed. Now, he warns future students and researchers that, off school grounds, there is growing anger towards immigrants.

All those great scholars, wherever they are, India, China, Europe, may now  go elsewhere or simply  stay home, he said. We will see its effect four, five years from now. Its not falling off a cliff, but over time you have this creep down  toward mediocrity.

Leaders at other top research universities share his concern. Only hours after the administration withdrew the policy, the president of MIT released a statement. It warned that other countries are working hard to get students who have lost interest in the U.S. because of its growing anti-immigrant position.

There is also fear that the administration will return with an amended rule, as it did after a 2017 travel ban faced legal action. Hoping to ease concerns, many colleges have made statements promising to support their international students. And many say they are prepared to return to court if needed.

Daniel Diermeier, head of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, says it is not too late to repair the damage. The U.S. higher education system is still seen as the best in the world, but that could change, he noted.

Were going to have to fix this very quickly, he said. Talent will go where it sees the best opportunity for itself.

U.S. colleges already were preparing for sharp drops in the number of students coming from overseas. It is still unclear how many will arrive next month, but observers expect it to be far below the nearly 1.1 million who came last year. The decrease could affect budgets at colleges that depend on money from foreign students, who usually pay higher rates for their study programs.

But the effect includes much more than budgets, Diermeier said. International students represent a large share of the nations research force, he said, especially in science and engineering fields. They also add a great deal to the economy, and without them it would suffer, he said.

College leaders called the latest legal battle a major victory that showed their power when they unite. But they already see other fights soon to come. The administration has shown it wants to limit a program that lets foreign students work up to one year during college or after they complete their studies. Colleges have also opposed Trumps recent suspension of new H-1B work visas, which many international students use to find work.

I'm Pete Musto.

Collin Binkley reported on this story for the Associated Press. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

reputation  n. the common opinion that people have about someone or something

gold standard  n. something that is considered to be the best and that is used to judge the quality or level of other, similar things

access  n. a way of being able to use or get something

pandemic  n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world

scholar(s)  n. a person who has studied a subject for a long time and knows a lot about it

cliff  n. a high, steep surface

creep  v. to go or seem to go very slowly

mediocrity  n. the quality of something that is not very good

talent  n. a person or group of people with a special ability to do something well

opportunity  n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams has put forward a proposal to delay the reopening of school buildings by one month -- and then allowing only elementary school students to return to classrooms until at least the end of 2020.

The report, White Paper: On Reopening New York City Schools, was released Monday with what he calls recommendations to ensure a safe and equitable reopening on an appropriate timeline.

The first thing is we want to make sure theres some more time, Williams said during a press conference streamed on Facebook Monday. We think opening up in September is just way too early and so we need to have remote learning at least for an additional month until October.

The report focuses on three key stages.

The first stage would be opening and expanding the citys Regional Enrichment Centers (REC) for child care needs with a five-day solution for working parents and caregivers. The RECs have provided child care for essential workers and first responders since school buildings were closed in mid-March.

The second stage would have some families return to in-person learning in October -- delaying the return to school buildings by one month -- with only elementary school students returning when buildings reopen.

In October, we believe we can begin to reopen for our elementary students, particularly 10 years or younger...They should be the only ones in those schools as long as we have the public health infrastructure thats there to make sure that they too are okay, Williams said during his press conference.

He said the RECs would still be open to provide child care to students during remote learning days.

He proposed a third stage of returning focused on evaluating progress to consider whether its safe to return to in-person learning for students of all grades -- which would be decided by mid-school year.

That system will remain until the end of 2020 when we believe we can then reassess whether or not we should open to the older folks come next semester, Williams said. Its very important that we let medical guidance help push us forward...Here in this city, we can do a lot and actually be a model for the nation of how we reopen the schools in a very efficient, staged way that addresses both the real risk and the perceived fears, which are important, and addressing and accommodating as much as possible...

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

When asked about the proposal during a press conference Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he appreciates the public advocates suggestion and the city will look at the proposal.

Right now our intention is to open on schedule and to open with all grade levels, but again with blended learning, some part of the week, kids in school, some part of the week, kids online and then for those kids in families who just prefer online, that will always be an option available, he said.

When asked specifically about the proposal to delay the start of school by one month, the mayor said it doesnt add to the equation to delay.

Weve surveyed parents, they desperately, a huge majority want their kids back in school...We have a plan, and if something happens that causes us to need to adjust that plan, well talk about it, but right now, we are moving forward with our plan, de Blasio said.

De Blasio referenced the citys current plan of reopening schools with blended learning -- students returning for in-person learning two or three days of the week and working remotely the rest of the week. Parents will also have the option to allow their children to attend school remotely full-time.

Under the current plan, classes will be held in cafeterias, auditoriums, gymnasiums and in enclosed outdoor spaces, and students and teachers will be required to wear face coverings while following strict social distancing rules. The agency also put together two scheduling models for schools that can allow for 50% of students to return to classrooms and another model for schools that can have 33% of students to return.

The DOE will supply schools with cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment, like face coverings, and schools will be deep-cleaned every evening using an electrostatic disinfectant.

Every individual school is taking that basic plan and refining it according to their own space reality and their ability to accommodate kids and they will be speaking to their parent community over the next weeks and give them exactly how the system will go, the mayor said during the Monday press conference. So parents will have ample time, weeks ahead of school opening to know exactly what the schedule will be. Were putting more and more child care options into play.

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Peter Green, who was a founder of the British band Fleetwood Mac and was considered one of the greatest guitarists of his era before becoming a tragic casualty of the rock world, beset by drug problems and mental illness, has died at age 73.

Swan Turton, a British law firm representing his family, announced the death in a statement. Further information, including the exact date, place and cause of death, was not released.

In the United States, Green was best known as the composer of "Black Magic Woman," which he first performed two years before it became an international hit for Carlos Santana. In his native England, he was revered as perhaps the finest rock guitarist of his generation, ranked on the same level as Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page.

Green was a charismatic figure at the forefront of a fast-moving rock-and-roll revolution, as the music evolved in the late 1960s from its blues-based origins to a more ornate and theatrical style, with overtones of spiritual striving.

He replaced Clapton in one of the seminal British groups of the time, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and in 1967 was a co-founder of Fleetwood Mac. Green named the band for two of its members - drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie - but at the beginning, he was its undisputed leader and creative dynamo. The British music press dubbed him the "Green god."

"Peter could have been the stereotypical superstar guitar player and control freak," Fleetwood told the Irish Times newspaper in 2017. "But that wasn't his style. He named the band after the bass player and drummer. . . . The reason there's a Fleetwood Mac at all is because of him."

Rolling Stone magazine named Green one of the top 100 guitarists in rock history. One of his idols, Delta blues master B.B. King, reportedly said Green "has the sweetest tone I ever heard. He was the only one who gave me the cold sweats."

Green's early leadership of Fleetwood Mac was so powerful that, when the group released its first album in 1968, the record label billed it as "Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac." In addition to classic blues tunes by Robert Johnson and Elmore James, the album contained five songs by Green and three by its second guitarist, Jeremy Spencer. (A third guitarist, Danny Kirwan, later joined the group.)

Two other albums, "Mr. Wonderful" and "Then Play On," followed in 1968 and 1969, respectively, both featuring Green's compositions, singing and guitar wizardry. Music polls in Britain rated Fleetwood Mac ahead of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Some of Green's most dazzling work, however, could not be heard on the band's first albums. "Black Magic Woman" was released in 1968 as a 45-rpm single and appeared on a 1969 compilation album before becoming a hit for Santana in 1970.

Green's lyrical instrumental ballad "Albatross," also from 1968, became a No. 1 hit in the United Kingdom on the strength of his sublimely controlled touch on his Les Paul guitar. His 1969 song "Oh Well," which reached No. 2 in Britain, opened with Green's snarling electric guitar riff and an unforgettable opening line:

Can't help about the shape I'm in

I can't sing, I ain't pretty and my legs are thin

But don't ask me what I think of you

I might not give the answer that you want me to.

After rocking out for more than two minutes, the band dramatically shifted to an elegant, cinematic mode in the second half of the song, with Green playing an almost mournful extended solo on an acoustic Spanish-style guitar, with echoes of Andres Segovia.

His final major contribution to the Fleetwood Mac canon came in 1970, with "The Green Manalishi," a song about the evils of money that contained menacing lyrics - "The night is so black that the darkness cooks" - and even more menacing guitar lines.

During his time with Fleetwood Mac, Green grew more eccentric in his manner and dress, sometimes performing in robes, with a large cross around his neck. His experiments with hallucinogenic drugs came to a head during a European tour in March 1970, when the band arrived in Munich.

Green was met at the airport by a mysterious couple - a young woman in wire-rim glasses and a man wearing a cape. He ended up spending several days with the couple, apparently taking LSD at a castle outside Munich. When other band members tried to retrieve Green from what they described as a cult, they found him playing guitar in a frenzied fashion.

Even before then, his songs were becoming more apocalyptic, and he had implored his bandmates to give away their money and other material possessions. Fleetwood and McVie persuaded Green to rejoin the band, but he left after two months.

"To this day," Fleetwood said in 1996, "John [McVie] and I always say that was it. Peter Green was never the same after that." Kirwan, Green's fellow guitarist in the band, also took hallucinogens at the German castle, and his behavior soon became so erratic that he was forced out of the group.

Green briefly played with Fleetwood Mac in 1971, but refused to sing, then quit the band for good. He gave away his royalties, sold his guitars and began staying with friends and on doorsteps.

During the 1970s, he worked at a filling station, as a hospital attendant and as a gravedigger. In 1977, after he was arrested for threatening his accountant with a shotgun, Green was treated at a psychiatric hospital.

Meanwhile, he made a few solo records that went nowhere. In the late 1970s, Fleetwood arranged a record deal for Green that would have earned him nearly $1 million for a series of albums. At the last minute, Green refused to sign the contract.

He vanished into silence and continued treatment for mental illness. He had a short-lived marriage in the 1970s, then later lived with members of his family. His fingernails grew so long that he could not finger the chords on a guitar.

By 1995, Green was staying in the English countryside with old friends, including musician Nigel Watson. When Watson handed Green a guitar, it was the first time he had touched the instrument in a dozen years.

Slowly, some of his old facility returned. In the late 1990s, Green started a new band, called the Splinter Group. He recorded an acoustic album, "The Robert Johnson Songbook," in 1998, and a few other albums.

He went on low-key tours of Europe and the United States, looking nothing like his old self. Once slender, with dark, curly hair and a mustache, he had become bald, clean-shaven and portly. He often strummed rhythm guitar while others performed the majestic solos he had been known for in earlier years.

In interviews, he was gentle, self-effacing and rambling.

"I was very critically ill for a while there, you might say," he told the Los Angeles Times in 1998. "I'm not really back yet."

Peter Allen Greenbaum was born Oct. 29, 1946, in London. His father was a tailor who later worked for the British postal service. The family adopted the name Green in the late 1940s.

While growing up in a working-class neighborhood, Green was often subjected to anti-Semitic taunts. He became engrossed in music at age 10, after an older brother brought home a guitar.

By 15, Green had left school to become an apprentice butcher, but his real focus was on music, inspired by blues and early rock-and-roll. He played bass and guitar in several bands before joining Mayall's Bluesbreakers in 1966. A year later, with Mayall's blessing, Green invited Fleetwood and later McVie to leave the Bluesbreakers and form Fleetwood Mac.

Over the years, Fleetwood Mac changed personnel and its musical style, becoming more of a pop-oriented band with two female singers, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie. It became one of the most successful groups of the 1970s and 1980s, selling more than 100 million records. When Fleetwood Mac was named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, Green was present for the ceremony but did not perform.

Survivors include a daughter from his marriage to Jane Samuels, which ended in divorce, and a son from another relationship.

For years, Green remained a subject of enduring mystery and tragedy in Britain. He seemed to be a cautionary tale of the rock-and-roll life, like the burnout cases of Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett or the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson.

Musician and writer Martin Celmins published a biography of Green in 2003, and the BBC produced a documentary about his life in 2009.

After 2010, Green stopped performing in public. When Mick Fleetwood produced a star-studded London tribute concert in Green's honor in February, he did not attend.

"I've been kind of dead for a long time," Green said in 1998. "I couldn't function at all. I really haven't got it all together yet, but I'm working on it. . . . I certainly feel a lot better when I play music, however."
The Nigerian economy has over the years relied heavily on crude oil for foreign exchange earnings and government revenues. As with mono-economies, this reliance makes Nigeria vulnerable to fluctuations in crude oil prices and production.

This year, the twin shock of the coronavirus pandemic and the fall in crude oil price led to a multifaceted impact on the economy.

Nigeria has been talking about diversifying the economy and weaning it of dependence on petro-dollars. Last week, there appeared to be a credible step in that direction when Nigeria for the first time refined its own gold and purchased the refined product into a new gold reserve.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) paid N268 million for 12.5-kilogramme gold bar, and will now use it as a reserve instrument.

This is considered a step toward the actualisation of economic diversification in Nigeria, as gold futures trade up to $1800 dollars per ounce. But the journey to fully harness the potentials in the mining sector will be long and perilous.

Rampant illegal mining

While presenting the locally mined gold bars by the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative, President Muhammadu Buhari disclosed that Nigeria lost about $3bn to the smuggling of gold between 2012 and 2018.

Aside from gold, Nigeria is also endowed with about 43 other minerals now lying untouched in various parts of the country. The mining of these deposits is dominated by artisanal miners who exploit these deposits without licence thereby depriving the government of revenue.

Gold deposits are mostly found in Zamfara, Osun, Oyo, Kogi, Jigawa, Plateau, Kwara, and Nasarawa, with active illegal mining going on on these sites.

Following the order from the federal government to stop illegal mining in Zamfara, a large number of the miners relocated to Osun state to continue their work, an investigation by PREMIUM TIMES showed.

Illegal miners @ Akad, Ilesha

The investigation revealed that the activity was aided by local chiefs and the police who took advantage of the regulatory failures of the mining sector.

Section 44 (3) of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining law of 1999 provides that ownership and control of all minerals in Nigeria is vested in the federal government, which is mandated to manage such natural resources as may be prescribed by the National Assembly.

Gold(en) attention

Last year, President Buhari launched the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI), a comprehensive artisanal and small-scale gold mining development programme.

The initiative was launched to foster the formalisation and integration of artisanal gold mining activities into Nigerias legal, economic, and institutional framework.

It was the initiative that refined the 12.5kg purchased by the CBN.

Central bank of Nigeria building

Also, in February, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development Olamilekan Adegbite, announced that two refineries have been licensed to produce gold for export and reserve purposes.

We have licensed two refineries in Nigeria. They will refine gold and of course produce bullion that the CBN [Central Bank of Nigeria] can buy at international prices, he said.

He, however, did not give details of the refineries.

Economic potentials

If well harnessed, gold will liberate the Nigerian economy from solely depending on crude oil as it has the ability to generate more revenue than crude oil.

Gold, being a leader in the precious metals market, gets overpriced when the price of crude oil falls.

According to the Nigeria Mining Growth Roadmap, Nigerias gold reserve is estimated at 200 million metric tonnes.

Trading Economics placed Nigeria as the sixth largest country with gold deposits in Africa, with an average of 21.46 tonnes from 2000 to 2019 and reaching an all-time high of 21.51 tonnes in July 2019.

According to the 2018 Solid Mineral Audit conducted by the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NIETI), the government massively loses revenue through under-reporting black market activities.

It also said the black market activities generally pose security risk which is a disincentive for investors. Therefore, the subsector may not be able to attract sufficient investment to realize full potentials, it said.

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It recommended that the government should expedite action on the proposed national gold policy so as to arrest further revenue loss and return sanity to the gold mining environment to make it attractive to world-class investors.

Other recommendations include:

Government to also step up strong measures to rid the gold mining environment of unauthorized miners whose activities pose security threat.

Increased monitoring of holders of gold titles, including their banking activities so as to detect under-reporting for prompt action. MID, collaborating with MCO is encouraged to pay closer attention to activities of gold titleholders and or activities in identified gold corridors it said.

Expert speaks

The President of Nigeria Mining and Geosciences Society, Gbenga Okunola, said the yet to be explored gold in Nigeria is in economic and abundant quantity.

If you look at the western half of the country, from the south to the north, there is a geological series of terrain we call the schist belt, where you have the main gold-bearing areas, he said

Mr Okunola, who is also a professor of geology, said the schist belt starts from Ilesha and cuts through to the southern part of Sokoto.

He said a major company had been able to do serious exploration in Ilesha and pull about 500 thousand ounces of gold in a small area of 100 to 200-kilometre square.

Ilesha alone has about 40 locations, we may be talking about over four million ounces of gold in Ilesha alone, Mr Okunola said.

Need for big investors

Although he commended the federal government on the initiative, he said the country cannot rely on the artisanal miners.

I will want to sound a note of caution. The Nigerian gold resource is big, we cannot only just open it up to artisanal miners, we have to look at the big-time players too and see how we can attract them.

If you look at the big gold producing nations, they are not just relying on artisanal gold, there is a need for proper exploration.

Mr Okunola said the limitation is that artisanal miners cannot go beyond 20-30 metres. By the time they do this, the land becomes almost unmineable for any big-time mining.

We have to look at it with cautious optimism, and an eye to bring big investors into the industry so that it can be sustainable, he said.

Nigeria needs to industrialise

An economic analyst, Basil Enwengbara, said what Nigeria needs is to industrialise the economy.

The gold issue is good because it can bring more revenue and also boost the scarce foreign reserve but it is not enough, it is not a policy we should focus all our energy on, he warned.

There is no better way to industrialise the economy than to invest in small businesses. Imagine if we could empower two million Nigerian small business owners?

He said such a step would bring an economic industrial revolution in Nigeria, from small production to big supply and creation of jobs.
Bitcoin jumped above $10,000 for the first time since early June after relatively muted recent price action.

The digital currency was trading at $10,196.27 at around 12:31 p.m. Singapore time, 2.55% higher than 24 hours previously, according to data from Coindesk.

Bitcoin last crossed $10,000 on June 3 and has since seen a steady decline. But over the last 7 days, Bitcoin has risen nearly 11%.

Vijay Ayyar, head of business development at cryptocurrency exchange Luno, told CNBC that large players were debating whether to sell off their bitcoin to smaller entrants in the market which could push the price lower and make it more attractive for the bigger traders to buy more of the digital asset.

"This doesn't seem to have happened," Ayyar said. "What we have unfolding is potentially re-accumulation by big players, joined by smaller traders in an attempt to push BTC higher past 10K and more past 10.5K, which is the big resistance level, where BTC last put in a high."

"We still haven't broken the 10.5K level, if that happens, BTC is probably running to 15K. All signs point to that at this point," he added.

While bitcoin was higher last week, major Wall Street indices including the S&P 500 were lower. Gold, however, continued to rise and hit a record high on Monday. Gold is seen as a so-called safe-haven asset that investors buy in times of uncertainty.

Bitcoin has sometimes been called "digital gold" with advocates saying it could be a good safe-haven investment. However, bitcoin has tended to trade closer to equity markets in recent times and is known for its huge volatility.
A courageous Buckeye assistant police chief and deputy fire chief are being hailed as heroes after they worked together to help rescue two children and their pets trapped inside a burning home in Buckeye, Arizona.

Buckeye officials received a call of a house fire in the area of Rainbow Rd. and Sundance Parkway at 8:46 a.m. on July 21. Buckeye Asst. Police Chief Bob Sanders responded to the call within 55 seconds as he was on his way to a meeting and happened to be in the area.

(Illustration  Jamie Hooper/Shutterstock)

A few moments later, Deputy Fire Chief Dave Dubois arrived at the spot with a fire truck, according to a Facebook post by the City of Buckeye Fire Department.

I just came outside, I look to the right where I heard the shouting and I saw two of the kids and the family outside and the flames just engulfing the house, Aaron Hall, a neighbor who witnessed the rescue, told ABC15.

(Illustration  Vadim Ratnikov/Shutterstock)

When the first responders became aware that there were two other kids trapped in the house. They didnt hesitate and just rushed in to rescue them. This is absolutely their calling and thats why they could just fearlessly run in there and risk their lives, Hall said.

Without any fire gear, the two men rescued a 5-year-old boy who was on the couch and another boy who was near the door all before the fire crew arrived on the scene.

Alluding to the heroic rescue, Buckeye Police Chief Larry Hall told The Arizona Republic: These two chiefs, whose primary job is as an administrative capacity or limited operational capacity, didnt hesitate for one second.. put their own safety on the line to save a child and a house, and to me, adding, they epitomize what we stand for everyday.

Shortly after, a Buckeye fire engine arrived at the scene and began to work on containing the fire, according to the Facebook post. While the firefighters did a complete search of the blazing residence, they found nine out of ten of the familys cats remained unconscious on the second floor. Immediately, with the help of CPR, the cats were resuscitated by the crew.

Additionally, seven dogs that were found in the backyard of the house were also brought to safety. As soon as the scene was brought under control, the Command contacted a veterinary clinic that was ready to take in all the cats.

According to officials, the woman of the house reportedly suffered minor burns, and another firefighter dealt with breathing issues. However, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Additionally, the family was receiving aid from the American Red Cross Society.

(Illustration  Petri Volanen/Shutterstock)

Netizens who came across the heroic rescue on City Of Buckeye Fire Department have expressed their gratitude to the two first responders who sprang into action without hesitation, calling them heroes and appreciating their team effort in the rescue.

What we had today was just a couple guys, you know, out there that just did an incredible job, they put other peoples safety as a priority Im just extremely proud of both of these public safety officials and Im proud to serve alongside them, a proud Larry Hall told The Arizona Republic.

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc
Pippa Hackett has had a short but very charmed political career. This time last year, she was an Offaly county councillor after getting just 584 first preference votes in the local elections.

It was a good day for the Greens and Hackett sneaking in on the seventh count in a rural constituency was one of the more notable results of the day.

If she had hung around in the council long enough she would have earned around 17,000 a year along with a generous expenses regime.

But she was never destined to be a councillor for long.

Another big win for the Greens last May was the election of Senator Grace O'Sullivan to the European Parliament.

O'Sullivan's move to Brussels meant there was a Seanad seat to be filled and the other parties agreed to allow the Greens choose a new senator rather than a hold an election. They're a magnanimous bunch in there. Eamon Ryan decided his rising star was the ideal candidate for the Seanad where she would be entitled to a 68,111 salary.

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Naturally, she snapped Ryan's hand off with the offer and headed for Dublin. While serving in the Seanad for the three months before the General Election in February she also claimed around 2,900 a month in travel and accommodation allowances.

Happily, the council seat which Pippa vacated stayed close to home.

Her husband Mark Hackett was co-opted into the taxpayer-funded role without having to convince the people of Offaly to elect him to the position.

On February 8, the General Election rolled around and Pippa Hackett was the Green Party's candidate in the Laois-Offaly constituency.

But things did not go according to plan and the Green star's ascension in Irish politics hit a road bump.

Hackett did win 3,494 votes but would have been disappointed after she was eliminated on the 11th count despite the wave of support behind the Greens on the day.

But during the months of interregnum that followed the election, Hackett remained a senator and was entitled to keep drawing down her salary.

Once the Government was formed she decided to run in the Seanad elections for the first time after landing the gig unopposed in her first outing. She received 76 votes from a combination of TDs, senators and councillors to get elected on to the Seanad's agriculture panel.

There were around 62 eligible Green Party votes for each Seanad seat and if they all voted for her she would have needed another 14.

Either way she won and returned to Houses of the Oireachtas and her 68,111 salary and almost 3,000 a month in expenses.

But, again, she wasn't long for the Seanad.

Eamon Ryan ruffled some feathers in his party when he decided to use a clause in the party's constitution that allows the promotion of senators straight to Cabinet and so Hackett became what they call a super junior minister.

The job automatically entitled her to a 38,787 salary top-up which meant she would now be earning 106,898 a year. Not a bad return for 76 votes.

She wasn't the only politician appointed as a super junior minister. Fianna Fail TD Jack Chambers was to be Chief Whip and Fine Gael's Hildegarde Naughton was appointed Minister of State for Transport . Both were entitled to the minister of State top-up and with their 96,189 TD salary will be earning 134,976.

But there's also piece of legislation which entitles two of the three junior ministers to additional 16,288 allowance for sitting at Cabinet. But who should get it? Should they draw straws or maybe cut a deck of cards? Nope, they decided to change the law of the land so all three could top up their six-figure salaries.

This would be shameless at the best of times but it was even more brazen that Fianna Fail Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath brought the legislative amendment to Cabinet just a few years after his party publicly stopped its new government buddies Fine Gael from doing the same.

Yesterday, McGrath claimed not to even remember Fianna Fail preventing former higher education minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor from receiving the allowance.

On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney claimed he did not remember the legislative change passing through a Cabinet meeting he was sitting at only hours earlier.

All the while we are being told we are facing into economic ruin, welfare rates are being cut and businesses are wondering if they are going to survive until next week.

But we're not supposed to complain because we voted them in there.

Well, apart from Pippa Hackett who the vast majority of us did not vote in there.
A coronavirus outbreak at a traveller site in Shropshire has seen nearly two dozen residents struck down with the life-threatening disease.

Twenty-three new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed out of 41 people tested at the Long Lane caravan park in Craven Arms.

But council bosses fear the number of coronavirus cases will continue to rise before infection-control measures start to take effect.

Officials say the risk to the public is 'low' as long as people stick to the coronavirus guidelines, which include social distancing and regular hand washing.

Twenty-three new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed out of 41 people tested at the site, which is in the town of Craven Arms, Shropshire

A testing centre has now been set up at nearby Craven Arms Business Park. A playground close to the caravan park (pictured) has also been closed to help reduce social contact and the risk of transmission

Several sites in Craven Arms, a town of 3,000 people, offer pitches for caravans and tents.

Testing began last week after three positive cases were confirmed at the site on July 24.

Anyone who has tested positive has been told to self isolate for at least seven days in their caravan without going outdoors.

It led to the discovery of another 20 cases, including two more today. It is currently unclear if these people were showing symptoms.

ARE CASES CREEPING UP IN ENGLAND? Office for National Statistics estimate that daily infections have risen from 1,700 to 2,800 in the space of seven days. It would take the current total of new cases per week to 22,400. The data, based on population testing, suggests one in 2,000 people across the country were carrying Covid-19 within the most recent week up to July 19 - a total of 27,700 people or 0.05 per cent of the population. This figure has crept up from the estimated 0.04 per cent (24,000) thought to be infected last week and the 0.03 per cent (14,000) the week before. The ONS has stopped short of saying the crisis is growing because all three estimates are based on complex trend models and fall within a possible range. But statisticians behind the report say the week-on-week rises indicate that the epidemic's decline at least 'levelled off'. ONS estimates how many infections there are overall, and not just through testing. The organisation collect data from swab tests sent regularly to people's homes to test whether they are infected with the virus at the time. The people are chosen to be representative of the UK population. ONS data is considered to be some of the most accurate available - this week's update was based on the results of 114,674 swab tests taken over six weeks, of which 45 were positive. The results do not include care homes. Covid-19 cases based on testing have also risen. Some 747 new cases were announced by the Department of Health on Sunday, taking the seven-day rolling average up to 663 - a seven per cent increase on the previous Sunday. Meanwhile SAGE warned on Friday that the virus's R rate - the average number of people each coronavirus patients infects - has risen to between 0.7 and one or 0.8 and one in all regions of England for the first time since lockdown was lifted. The R needs to stay below one to prevent future outbreaks from spiralling out of control. It doesn't necessarily mean England is on the brink of another crisis, however, because scientists say when case numbers are as low as they are, the R becomes more volatile and small clusters can skew the rate upwards. Advertisement

Rachel Robinson, Shropshire Councils director of public health, said the cases were linked to an outbreak in the nearby Welsh town of Welshpool, which is just 25miles (40km) away.

Health officials at Powys Teaching Health Board said on July 24 it was aware of 'a number of cases of coronavirus in the Welshpool area'.

Posts on social media indicated that the cases have involved a group of people living at Leighton Arches, a traveller site, local media reported.

Ms Robinson said outbreaks of Covid-19 were 'not uncommon' as the coronavirus crisis winds down.

'We do expect that at this stage of a pandemic we will see cases in the community and we will see outbreaks,' she said.

She added that the risk to the general public is 'low' but that everyone should continue to follow government guidelines.

A testing centre has now been set up on a nearby business park, and everyone living on the site has been offered a test.

The centre will be open for the next two weeks between 10.30am and 3.30pm and those living nearby can book a test online via NHS Test and Trace or by ringing 119.

A playground close to the caravan park has also been closed to help reduce social contact and the risk of transmission.

It follows official figures which suggest cases of the coronavirus are creeping up.

Around 1,000 more people are estimated to be catching the disease every day in England, compared with last week.

Office for National Statistics data based on population testing predicts that daily infections have risen from 1,700 to 2,800 in the space of seven days, to a current total of 22,400 new cases per week.

The 21 people who tested positive for coronavirus at the caravan site were asked to self-isolate for at least seven days from the time they started showing symptoms or from when they received their positive test result.

Everyone on the site has been told to self-isolate for 14 days if they have been in contact with a positive case.

Shropshire Council said staff had been at the site providing residents with information on how to prevent the spread of the virus, its symptoms and what to do if they are feeling unwell.

It said it had been distributing personal protective equipment, hand sanitiser, cleaning products and other supplies to residents.

A playground and outdoor gym on nearby Newington Way has been temporarily closed to help curb transmission.

The council said it had been arranging the delivery of essential supplies, such as medicine, for residents, and the group living there has been cooperative with health practitioners.

Councillor David Evans said: 'Our priority is to protect the health and wellbeing of our local residents.

'I've been in Craven Arms to talk to residents and businesses to answer any questions and reassure them that the risk to the general public is low.'

He added: 'I would like to thank members of the community for their own ongoing support and cooperation.

'We continue to rely on everyone at the site playing their part, and want to encourage the residents to continue to self-isolate and take all the necessary precautions.

'This is the only way we can help stop the spread of the virus.'
American Senator Sherrod Brown seems to have had enough of privacy policies: The ones that exist solely to get permission to take your personal data, which they will take anyway. His proposed legislation, the Data Accountability and Transparency Act, released in June, seeks to restrict the collection, usage and sharing of personal data to when it is strictly necessary to carry out 12 permissible purposes. It also calls for a regulator to protect individuals privacy.

Needless to say, it is highly unlikely to find the required legislative support to pass. After all, it hacks at the very business model of the Internet age  sell a product for free; In return, collect personal information of the buyers, and sell that for much higher profits. Take for example, Facebook, one of the most valuable companies in the world. Facebook users dont pay a dime, while 98.5 percent of the revenue that gave it its $650 billion market capitalisation came from advertising.

What is Facebooks USP? It targets ads at those who are most likely to use the products, to know who to target, their algorithm follows you all over the Internet tracking your activity (not just on the Facebook app or website)  what you search for, who you speak to, what articles you read, how each of them make you feel. Some companies algorithms can figure out whether youre angry after reading an article, or thrilled. Lets say, they notice you have become angrier after reading articles about the countrys response to the coronavirus pandemic, they might show you content that shows the ruling party in a good light  paid for by the said party, of course.

***

Facebook is not an exception. The purported reason for the Indian governments ban on 59 apps is that personal data belonging to Indian users were being sent to servers based in China, perhaps even shared with the Chinese security apparatus. Some of these were illicit. For example, in early May, Forbes had reported that mobile phone-maker Xiaomi might be collecting data about your browsing habits even when you are browsing on incognito mode  clearly deceiving users. Xiaomi made amends in mid-May, announcing that it was changing this policy.

Many others, such as the activities of apps such as Camscanner and ShareIT, however were within the standard rules of conduct. Before allowing use of their services, they demand access to the data (documents, photos) scanned or shared using the app.

However, it is important to remember that this is not just something that happens with Chinese apps. Gmail, for instance says We also collect the content you create, upload, or receive from others when using our services. This includes things like email you write and receive  . Users consent to such data collection when they send emails through Gmail without realising the complete loss of privacy.

So it turns out, free comes with a lot of strings attached.

***

However, the danger is not just unauthorised data collection. A hugely profitable (and often, behind the shadows) industry exists that could make money out of analysing data and selling its results to those trying to influence customers. Lets say, your Internet activity could indicate you are prone to anxiety  pharma companies could target you with content that exaggerates your symptoms, along with suggested medicines. Location data could give a good idea of an extramarital affair  data indicating that two people who have never crossed each other meet at either of their residence periodically for short periods, for instance  a tool for blackmail.

Pornhub, the worlds largest pornography site, releases data about the site usage annually. For example, the 2019 report tells us that female visitors spent 23 seconds longer than males, and that there was a growth in visitors in the age group of 25-34 years to the site; even as the number of visitors in the 18-24 year and the 35-44 years demographic was falling. It is fascinating analysis, till the penny drops: How does Pornhub know ones age and gender?

The fact is websites know much more about you than you realise; and are making money off you. Website builders and app developers know that people dont really read privacy policies. Even if people had a concern, would they choose not to avail of a free service because of a suspicion that data may be potentially misused? If that is the case, then why go through the charade of taking consent in the first place?

***

Browns formula might simply mean that the Internet would simply become much more expensive  as Internet companies will be forced to charge its users, like normal businesses do. That is simply an impractical solution, given how used we have become to free. However, it should not mean that we should shy away from asking hard questions to Internet companies.

For starts, data collection must be restricted to activity on the site or app collecting data. Facebook, for instance, has no business following you around the Internet adding to their profile of yours. Second, policymakers can also consider imposing hard boundaries within which data analytics must operate  what data can be collected, what it can be juxtaposed with, and who it can be sold to.

Companies should be forced to give clearer graphic guidance on what they propose to do with the data collected. Privacy-minded users should have the option to consent to sharing only the data that is necessary to avail of the service, rather than a carte blanche yes or no. We must also consider whether the time has come to impose privacy standards, and minimum requirements  just like we have quality standards in the physical world.

The present unregulated framework for the Internet developed when we were still unaware of the damaging effects of widespread data analytics. That doesnt mean it should stay that way.
The price of Copper has been on a tear.

Theres an expectation in the markets that the big copper mines in Chile and Peru will be shutting down due to the virus.

Combine that with the markets belief that the government of China will stimulate their economy and thus buy all the copper they can get their hands on and the belief is that the strong run in copper prices will continue.

Heres a chart that shows Chinas monthly imports of copper:

Weve received a lot of feedback on our long-term stance on commodities, base metals and precious metals  especially when it comes to my +SWAP vs. -SWAP Line Nation thesis.

And the biggest counterargument that weve received from management teams, analysts and investors is that:

The market has already priced in the geopolitical risk.

Wrong.

Weve gone through hundreds of examples where analysts are using the same discount rates for projects in both high risk emerging market nations as well as politically stable jurisdictions.

And thats across all the different stages of the project lifecycle (production, development or exploration stage assets) for precious and base metal commodities.

We can also give many examples where the market is valuing peer comparable assets more highly in risky jurisdictions compared to similar projects in the U.S., Australia or Canada.

My point is

In my career, Ive never seen the market, market pundits and investors so complacent to geopolitical risks with their investments.

The mantra of go wherever the gold/copper/silver/oil is has firmly set hold in the resource sector.

But the risks arent being discounted correctly in the valuation models.

The Copper Barometer

Lets first take a look at the recent spike in copper and share prices.

Global (and especially Chinese) economic activity took a nosedive in Q1-2020. That was one of the main drivers behind plummeting copper prices. As expected, the drop in share prices of copper miners was magnified.

Chinas swift post-Coronavirus economic recovery and their resumption of industrial activity has led to a strong price movement higher in copper and other industrial metals.

As you can see below, taking Q1 into account, the returns of North American copper producers have been less than stellar on a YTD basis.

However, Chinese industrial demand has begun to tick up. Look no further than Chinese domestic steel production, shown in the next chart, now at a new all-time high:

Looking at the North American copper miner returns since their March 23rd, 2020 lows, we see that theyve far outpaced the returns on not only copper itself, but also the major U.S. and Canadian equity indices.

Their 108.4% return in four months is hard to overlook. In fact, this is 30.5% greater than the return on the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index.

Coppers Commodity Sentiment

In the futures market for High-Grade Copper Cathode, we can see exactly how bullish speculator sentiment has become.

In the last 15 weeks, the number of spec long positions increased by 111% (or 47,000 contracts), while the price of copper increased ~27%.

Conversely, spec short positions have fallen by ~31%, or 21,000 contracts during the same time period.

The reason why non-commercial (spec) positions are more closely examined as a sentiment indicator is because commercial traders (i.e. copper producers and their exposed counterparties) usually take the short side of the trade. Simply because their primary goal is to hedge their production for risk management.

Speculators on the other hand have little interest in hedging and want to make money by betting on commodity prices.

If copper continues to catch a tail wind

You can bet that desperate countries with budget shortfalls will look to return to the people whats rightfully theirs.

We Will Redistribute Mineral Wealth to the People!

You can see the tag line thatll make it happen.

So, you can see how the implications for +SWAP Line Nations vs. -SWAP Line Nations is enormous.

And you must prepare your portfolio accordingly.

Governments will feel the deflationary pressures in their local economies and significant unrest from their people.

There will be pressure to put their citizens first and redistributing the mineral wealth to the people will happen in many parts of the world.

Heres a chart which shows the exposure of select major commodities production to regions without U.S. swap lines compared to regions with U.S. swap lines.

The above chart has a lot of information in one picture.

As you can see 72% of the worlds copper production comes from regions without U.S. SWAP lines in place.

I do believe this will become a focal issue as the world grows and less developed economies continue to electrify.

Coppers Crux

Currently Peru and Chile dont have U.S. swap lines but produce roughly 40% (17.6 billion pounds) of the worlds copper each year.

Both governments are right leaning currently, and pro- mining development and international development.

But weve seen video footage of union mining meetings at very large mines in both Peru and Chile that suggest there are some serious issues at the mine sites there.

I wouldnt be surprised to see the current government parties lose in the federal elections in Peru and Chile in 2021.

Taking this a step further

The top 50 copper mines produce 28.6 billion pounds of copper annually, equivalent to 64% of annual global copper production.

Non-SWAP countries produce 22 billion pounds of that copper, compared to SWAP+ regions which produce a paltry 6.6 billion pounds.

This is a dicey situation to say the least. The risk of increased taxes to outright nationalization of large mines is real and will happen.

Copper Exposure Chart

We can drill down a level further and examine each major copper producers exposure to SWAP versus Non-SWAP regions.

In the next chart, youll see the amount of red in each companys production bar is significant. There really isnt a safe place to put capital to work in any of the top copper producers.

Freeport, the least exposed senior producer, is very interesting and a company that Barricks CEO Mark Bristow has said many times it would consider a merger with.

It owns the Grasberg deposit in Indonesia, which is an enormous copper-gold deposit. However, their debt situation is the main reason Im not currently a shareholder.

Grasberg is a world class operation  it just comes down to whether the Indonesians are now willing to play ball. Or if theyll revert back to the same nationalistic approach they took with their oil and gas assets.

In the past, the government has already once forced its way into increased ownership of the mine. In addition, the government forced Freeport to build and operate a smelter when it banned the export of copper concentrate.

Even though its been stated that Indonesia has been granted SWAP lines from the U.S. Fed, Indonesia isnt listed in the official U.S. Fed documents we track that get updated weekly.

Thus, from all the government documentation weve seen thus far, no funds have actually been lent to the Central Bank of Indonesia from the U.S. Fed via SWAP lines yet.

Katusas Copper Outlook

I have no doubt that theres much potential for serious economic headwinds which could slow global growth and subsequently copper demand in the near term.

Yet, copper prices and copper focused equity share prices remain strong. The long-term thesis for copper is very bullish, and the outlook remains bullish.

Just to be clear, Im bullish on copper too.

Im just also cautious with regards to the potential risks still present in the current macro global economy. And the high valuations many base metal companies are already getting.

We recently put together an alert on a brand-new copper company which many Katusa subscribers received as a dividend from an existing company.

On its first day, the spin out was valued at a 500% premium to our subscribers from its spin out valuation.

The company was up as much as 149% out of the gates from its previous financing price .

This isnt new or rare for members of Katusas Resource Opportunities.

In fact, its the second set of free shares my subscribers and I have received from a previous deal, along with free trading warrants.

You can minimize your risk and amplify your upside when markets work in your favor.

If you dont have the time to spot what companies can offer this in the resource sector, dont worry.

Consider becoming a subscriber of Katusas Resource Opportunities, and youll be able to follow exactly what Im doing.

Regards,
Spraying disinfectants at Da Nang hospital (Photo: VNA)

Tokyo - Wise investment in health care is one of the factors leading to Vietnams spectacularly effective COVID-19 response, said an article published on the Japan Times on July 26.

The articles author, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore, Kishore Mahbubani highlighted differences between East Asia and western countries in the fight against the pandemic, saying that the most striking disparity is death tolls.

Japan has so far reported 7.8 deaths per million, followed by the Republic of Korea (5.8), Singapore (4.6), China (3.2) and, most remarkably of all, Vietnam with zero deaths. By contrast, Belgium now has 846 confirmed deaths per million, and the UK has 669, followed by Spain (608), Italy (580) and the US (429).

Explaining Vietnams success in the fight, Mahbubani said between 2000 and 2016, its per capita public health expenditures increased by an average of 9 percent per year. This enabled Vietnam to establish a national public health emergency operations centre and surveillance system in the wake of the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic.

According to him, Vietnams track record is all the more astonishing given the countrys low starting point. When the Cold War ended three decades ago, and Vietnam finally stopped fighting wars after almost 45 years of near-continual conflict, it had one of the worlds poorest populations. But by opening up to foreign trade and investment, Vietnam subsequently became one of the worlds fastest-growing economies.

As then-World Bank President Jim Yong Kim pointed out in 2016, Vietnams average annual growth rate of nearly 7 percent over the previous 25 years had enabled the country to leapfrog to middle-income status in a single generation. And during the same period, Kim noted, Vietnam had managed the especially remarkable achievement of reducing extreme poverty from 50 percent to just 3 percent, he said.

Speaking highly of Vietnams global economic integration policy, the author said after the Soviet Union collapsed, Vietnam integrated itself into many of East Asias existing regional bodies, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. There, the country learned quickly from its neighbours. More recently, Vietnam joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the 11-country trade pact spearheaded by Japan.
Kate Garraway has begged the universe for 'no more bad luck' as she spoke for the first time about the 'utterly terrifying' moment her tyre blew while she was driving with her family over the weekend.

The Good Morning Britain presenter was left shaken following the incident, which occurred as she hurried back to see ailing husband Derek Draper, who is recovering from a lengthy battle with COVID-19.

Speaking to co-host Ben Shephard on Monday morning, Kate, 53, said: 'We were rushing back because we were conscious of getting back to London to check on Derek, and my mum and dad were coming for their first visit.

'You know people say God and the universe doesn't send you what you can't deal with. I would like to put a message out, I am at my limit, I am at my absolute limit now. If the universe could just give me a calm Monday!'

Opening up: Kate Garraway has spoken for the first time about the 'utterly terrifying' moment her tyre blew out while she was driving on the motorway.

Referring to the accident, which happened while children Darcey, 14, and Billy, 11, were in the car, she added: 'It was the first time that I had been out with the kids in the car...

'Leaving London, going to meet some friends in Kent, in a socially distanced way at lovely Port Lympne Safari Park.

'On the way back we suddenly exploded. It's that moment where you think I cant control the car."

'All weird steering, bits of rubber flying everywhere. I dont know if it was smoke but looked like smoke  it could be burning rubber.

'I managed to pull over but it just happened to be on the section of the motorway where there wasnt a hard shoulder, there was a feeder road going off so I was nervous about people going on the inside.'

Kate later admitted she had chosen to stay close to London for the sake of Derek, who remains in a critical condition at a local hospital.

Terrifying! The Good Morning Britain presenter was left shaken following the incident, which occurred during her first family trip without husband Derek Draper

She said: 'We've been talking about travel plans all morning and the problems people are facing going to Spain and having to quarantine, but I made baby steps.

'This was the first time I was taking the kids out of London. Obviously wanting to stay local to Derek and taking it step by step. This is something we do annually every year with some friends in Kent. All socially distanced.

'Everything went well. Driving back in to town, thinking "that went OK" - you should never think that, should you?'

Praising her children, she added: 'Bill and Darcey were brilliant but yeah, really shaken up, it's nerve wracking.

'We're all well and actually, for once, my parking was applauded by the police. They said you did really well, you did the best you could, and I've never had a compliment for my parking.'

Plea: Speaking on Monday morning's show, the presenter begged the universe for 'no more bad luck' following the incident, which happened while her children Darcey and Billy were in the car

Addressing Instagram followers on Sunday, Kate shared a photograph of herself standing with the police officers who'd rescued her - as well as her two children.

She wrote: 'Thanks to our amazing saviours Liz & Mark from @kentpoliceuk who rescued me after a full tyre blow out on the motorway!!! Never had one before - utterly terrifying.

'Managed to keep control of car but couldn't get off motorway as no hard shoulder & when the AA said they couldn't come for an hour, then rang after half an hour to say might still be an hour had no choice but to call the police.

'They were so brilliant and got us to safety and we are now on way home in taxi, shaken but safe, tow truck on way to car.

'It's first time have taken kids out without Derek too, but we are safe and will update you fully on @gmb with @benshephardofficial tomorrow from 6 a.m.'

Shortly after sharing her post, Kate's fellow ITV presenter Eamonn Holmes shared a sweet message of support as he wrote: 'Nothing as stupid as a Smart Motorway.'

Disintegrated: Kate unveiled the alarming damage to the wheel, which had been left in tatters

Thankful: The GMB host took to Instagram on Sunday to thank police for coming to the rescue and branded the experience 'utterly terrifying'

Back home! The presenter was later photographed returning home after updating fans about the terrifying ordeal during the taxi ride back to her house

A smart motorway is a section of motorway that uses traffic management methods to increase capacity and reduce congestion, according to RAC. This includes using the usual hard shoulder as an actual lane.

MailOnline has contacted Kate Garraway's representatives for comment.

The presenter was later photographed returning home after updating fans about the terrifying ordeal during the taxi ride back to her house.

Clad in a pretty butterfly print maxi skirt and a long sleeved white top, the mother-of-two was seen carrying bags of belongings into her home.

While clutching onto a takeaway coffee, Kate walked back and fourth to ensure nothing was left in the taxi.

Despite the arduous circumstances, the TV host managed to smile as she looked back over her shoulder to thank the driver.

The horrifying incident comes after Kate revealed nurses told her that her stricken husband Derek looked 'focused and engaged' when they put Good Morning Britain on for him.

Time to fix the damage: Kate's Volvo was eventually seen to by the AA who replaced the wheel

Getting things sorted: Clad in a pretty butterfly print maxi skirt and a long sleeved white top, Kate kept her head down as she focused on the task at hand while caught in the rain

Speaking on July 21st, the presenter gave the promising update about the former Blair lobbyist, who was admitted to hospital in March after being diagnosed with coronavirus.

The TV host recently returned to GMB after taking time off while her husband was in intensive care and had told viewers that nurses had put the show on for him to try to stimulate a response.

Kate said: 'He is stable and actually yesterday I spoke to the nurses and they said they had put Good Morning Britain on.

'And they felt he looked, because his eyes are open, he looked focused... He looked focused and engaged on it.'

The presenter also joked with co-host Ben: 'They didn't say whether it was me or you', and admitted she found the news 'very emotional'.

Family outing: Kate revealed that her children Darcey, 14, and Billy, 11, were with her during the incident, which took place on their first family outing without Derek (Pictured December 2019)

She said: 'We don't know whether it's the movement of the light, or whether it's the familiar voice. So, good morning, Derek, if you are watching.

'We're all sending you lots of love, everyone here is sending you lots of love. So there you go, your own personal Good Morning Britain.'

Kate said Derek, who she married in 2005, had endured a 'tough week' following 'big falls' in his blood pressure and swelling in his legs.

Hours before the show hit screens, Kate teased the update as she admitted she'd had an 'emotional few days' as she took to Instagram to re-share snaps of herself and co-host Ben larking about on set.

Earlier this month Kate revealed in an emotional GMB interview that Derek ha'almost died six times,' during his battle with coronavirus.

She told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid: 'It is a very desperate situation, it's very very difficult, of course there's fantastic hope he's still alive, the doctors do keep saying it's a miracle he's still alive.

REVEALED: HOW THE CRUEL LEGACY OF COVID MAY LAST A LIFETIME Covid-19 could leave survivors with debilitating illnesses that last for years, doctors have warned since the outbreak spiralled out of control. One leading medic called it 'this generation's polio' - a disease that killed thousands and left a generation with life-long mobility issues. Patients who spend weeks fighting the disease can suffer from long-term complications caused by permanent damage to their lungs and liver, but serious problems can also blight people who only have a minor illness. SCARRING AND LONG-TERM LUNG DAMAGE Several recent studies have highlighted proof Covid-19 causes fibrosis - scarring of the lung tissue - that makes it harder for the organs to work. A research paper published in a Chinese journal in March said 'pulmonary fibrosis may be one of the major [long-term] complications in Covid-19 patients'. A build-up of scar tissue in the lungs can reduce their capacity to absorb air, leaving a patient with breathing difficulties, shortness of breath or a cough. Insufficient oxygen also has knock-on effects on the other vital organs, which rely on the chemical to work. Without it, they cannot work as efficiently and may start to fail or work less efficiently. Failing kidneys may result in a patient needing long-term medication or dialysis, while a severely damaged liver could require a transplant to treat. IMMUNE SYSTEM OVER-REACTION CAN DAMAGE HEART, LIVER & KIDNEYS Evidence is also emerging that the virus may affect the the liver, kidneys, heart and blood vessels because of the way it can force the immune system to attack healthy parts of the body. As well as the potential of immediate death in the case of kidney failure, a heart attack or a stroke, any damage to these vital organs can cause lifelong disability and dramatically increase the risk of dying young. A paper in the journal JAMA Cardiology in March reported a fifth of patients in a group of 416 who were hospitalised in Wuhan, China, had suffered heart damage. Another study in Wuhan found that 16 out of 36 intensive care patients developed irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmia, which can weaken the heart's ability to pump blood. Coronavirus can also cause blood clots, scientists say, which raise the risk of stroke or heart attack. The heart problems are thought to occur as a result of the virus triggering a 'cytokine storm', where the immune system overreacts to the infection. GROWING EVIDENCE OF BRAIN DAMAGE AND NEUROLOGICAL EFFECTS Long-term brain damage may also be a consequence of Covid-19 infection, according to emerging research of patients who caught it. Doctors around the world say they are seeing growing numbers of people with neurological symptoms such as headaches, loss of smell and taste, tingling sensations, losing the ability to speak and even seizures and strokes, the BBC reported. Dr Elissa Fory, from the Henry Ford Foundation in Detroit, said: 'We don't know yet if the encephalopathy [brain damage] is more severe with Covid-19 than with other viruses, but I can tell you we've been seeing quite a lot of it.' Symptoms affecting the brain are harder to measure and track - it took months for officials in the UK to admit a lost sense of smell was a symptom of coronavirus - but they can be permanent. HOSPITAL STAYS AND TREATMENT CAN BE DEBILITATING As well as damage caused by the virus itself, patients who are seriously ill with Covid-19 - particularly those in intensive care - will suffer long-term health problems just from being in hospital. Physiotherapists warn patients muscles start to waste away quickly when they are in hospital beds, which can leave them with mobility problems for a long time - especially if they are already elderly, which many coronavirus patients are. People's lungs can also be irreparably damaged by ventilators, the intensive care machines which help people to breathe when they cannot do it alone. The machines work by blowing air into the lungs through a tube inserted directly down the throat and into the airways. The pressure of the air being forced into the lungs can tear and split the delicate tissue inside the lungs and leave them permanently damaged. This is a trade-off: the machines are usually a last resort for people who can't breathe on their own and would die without the ventilator. People who get seriously ill are also at a risk of developing depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of their ordeal after the initial infection has gone. EVEN MILD ILLNESS CAN DRAG ON FOR MONTHS There is growing evidence that even mild Covid-19 can have long-lasting consequences and the UK Government last weekend launched a study into the after-effects of the illness. Experts on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) warned that Covid-19 patients could be left with 'extreme tiredness and shortness of breath for several months' even if they were not hospitalised. Concerns about the lasting effects of the illness were discussed in a SAGE meeting which took place on May 7. Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS, revealed some patients need psychological treatment for 'post-intensive care syndrome'. And another scientific advisor to the Government told The Telegraph that 'a very high proportion' of Covid-19 survivors 'cannot get back to a normal life'. Advertisement

'I was speaking to a doctor yesterday who said he's sick as anyone I've ever seen in 35 years of medicine, and some of those people who were as sick as him aren't here.

'Six times they said he's not going to make it, and obviously you couldn't visit. So he's been very very sick, but it's a new disease, there's no data, so what they can say is it's great he's here.

'There's flickers of hope, his lungs are starting to recover, his kidneys are doing better, his liver, but they don't know how much better he can get.'

Asked whether there had been any explanation for why Derek had been so badly affected by the virus, Kate admitted doctors are still unsure.

She said: 'There isn't, he was a little bit overweight, I'm a bit of a feeder! Zero underlying conditions, he's young comparatively, he's 52, so there is no explanation.

'I think what's happened is at every stage they've been learning.

Sad: Kate's husband Derek remains hospitalised while recovering from COVID-19, almost four months after being admitted (pictured in 2019)

'One of the wonderful things is that they've changed medical practices, they've changed pathways because of Derek.

'I keep telling him on the Facetime he would be very pleased about that.'

Now that Derek has been declared COVID-free, Kate admitted she fears for the long-term damage the virus may have done, and whether that will affect Derek in his recovery.

'When he went into hospital, I got some texts saying ''oh I'm definitely not gonna die, tell the children I'm doing great,'' but there was a feeling of terror because he had COVID and suddenly it escalated.

A timeline of Derek's coronavirus battle MARCH Kate revealed she and Prince Charles had got 'relatively close' at the Prince's Trust Awards on March 11 - Charles was diagnosed with coronavirus in mid-March. She said: 'Around the 29/30 March, I came home came in and said [to Derek] 'god you look ill.' 'He said he had a headache, numbness in his right hand, and was struggling to breathe, 'I rang Dr Hilary (Jones) and tried to get through, he talked to Derek. He said put me back on, I think you need to call an ambulance' Derek, 52, was taken into hospital on March 30 and remained in an unresponsive condition. APRIL Kate and her children isolated at home after she displayed 'mild symptoms'. Kate said: 'Derek remains in intensive care and is still very ill. I'm afraid it remains an excruciatingly worrying time. 'I'm afraid he is still in a deeply critical condition, but he is still here, which means there is hope.' MAY Kate said: 'The journey for me and my family seems to be far from over as every day my heart sinks as I learn new and devastating ways this virus has more battles for Derek to fight. 'But he is still HERE & so there is still hope.' That month, Kate and her family took part in the final clap for carers She said: 'I'll never give up on that because Derek's the love of my life but at the same time I have absolute uncertainty' JUNE On June 5, Kate revealed Derek is now free from coronavirus but continues to fight against the damage inflicted on his body JULY On July 5, Kate revealed Derek has woken from his coma but he remains in a serious yet critical condition. On July 8, she announced she would be returning to GMB, after being urged by doctors to 'get on with life' during Derek's recovery. She added that Derek had 'opened his eyes' after waking from his coma, but has been told his recovery could take years. On July 13, Kate returned to GMB for the first time since Derek was hospitalised. Advertisement

'And then suddenly it became everything, and each stage has been sort of a new terror and just when I thought we were moving forward suddenly it can now affect your body everywhere.

'There's a huge post-viral syndrome, damage done in ways we didn't know. I was sitting with Dr Hilary and he said it's the lungs, it's respiratory you're fearing from COVID.'

Kate also reiterated that doctors had urged her to 'get on with life' while Derek continues to recover, insisting she had to be present for their two children Darcey, 14, and Billy, 10.

'I have had moments, you know when you get abs gripped with fear and everything was going so well, but it's happened to the world it's happened to everybody, in this time you've seen people, I know people, you know people who have been watching this show who have been diagnosed with terrible illnesses,' Kate added.

'The doctors are saying to me now, ''You've got to get on, you've got to get on with life''. For Darcey and Billy effectively right now, they've lost their dad, they haven't, he's there.. he's not a presence as he should be in their lives.'

Kate's husband has been in hospital since March, and while Kate sparked hope earlier this month by revealing he has awoken from a coma, the star has been told his recovery could take years.

She told Hello! 'The doctors have been urging me not to put my life on pause. They've told me that I need to go back to work and create a routine in our lives again.

'The children and Derek are all I've thought about and they're the most important people in my life, but I must create structure and normality for the children, to clean the bath, put the plates in the dishwasher and tidy the house.

'I also need to get back to work so that I can provide for the children and we can do things together, to make them feel that the light hasn't gone out of their lives, that there's hope for the future.'

During an appearance on GMB last month, Kate spoke about the start of Derek's devastating illness, saying: 'Derek had a painful shoulder for a couple months, and had been taking medication and having scans

'He was due to have a steroid injection, he felt unwell and was home tutoring the kids. I got back and said ''you don't you look right babe, I think it's the painkillers.''

'I just had this weird feeling, asked if he had a cough. He didn't, he said 'I think I've got weird sinusitis.'' I rang the doctor, I said 'you don't look great, no real feeling that it's COVID, he had none of those symptoms.'

'Around the 29/30 March, I came home came in and said 'god you look ill. He said he had a headache, numbness in his right hand, and was struggling to breathe,

'I rang Dr Hilary (Jones) and tried to get through, he talked to Derek. He said put me back on, I think you need to call an ambulance. I said 'I can't believe I'm calling an ambulance', I was very scared.'

Derek has previously credited Kate for saving him from depression which started during his career as a political advisor and led to a nervous breakdown and a stint in The Priory in the late 1990s.

After moving to Los Angeles for three years and retraining as a therapist, his friend GMTV's political correspondent, Gloria De Piero, offered to set him up with her friend and colleague Kate.

Kate and Derek have been married since 2005, with the former lobbyist cheering his wife on for the duration of her stint on I'm A Celebrity last year.

Following her stint on I'm A Celebrity, the couple were planning to renew their vows in the coming months after Kate revealed Derek had proposed for a second time.
The Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa (ACAA) is raising red flags over contract and or hired guarantors invading voter registrations centres at the ongoing registration exercise across the country.



The organisation noted that those guarantors visited registration centres on a daily basis, serving the purpose of guaranteeing other registrants who might not have the required documents for the exercise.



Monitoring



The Chief Executive Officer of the ACAA, Rev. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, was sharing a preliminary report by the organisation on the ongoing voter registration exercise with the Daily Graphic over the weekend in Accra.



The Electoral Commission (EC) has granted accreditation to the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa to monitor the ongoing voters registration exercise and submit a comprehensive report at the end of the exercise.



A total of 100 pastors from the organisation from various denominations have so far visited 520 polling stations in 75 constituencies in six regions as of July 19, 2020 and have released a preliminary report on their observation.



The regions are the Greater Accra, Eastern, Volta, Bono, Ashanti and Northern regions.



Dr Opuni-Frimpong said even though the group could not ascertain the basis or details of such contracts, the organisation noted that the trend was gradually gaining grounds.



Contract guarantors



Some of the registrants come with the Ghana Cards and others with their passports, however, those without the required documents come with guarantors.



But it seems some registrants look for guarantors at the polling stations and that is producing guarantor contractors.



There are people at the registration centres who, when people get there without the required documents, they just go with them, I dont know the details of the contract whether they pay them when they need them. We get the impression they are hired guarantors, Dr Opuni-Frimpong stated.



He, therefore, called on the EC to immediately deal with this growing trend of contract or hired guarantor.



Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong, who is also a member of the ECs Eminent Advisory Committee, expressed concern about the growing rate of violence being perpetrated by political actors in the registration exercise.



Political hooliganism



He called for a public prosecution of such individuals, challenging the law enforcement agencies, particularly the police service, to identify and thoroughly investigate such cases without fear or favour.



Dr Opuni-Frimpong noted that there was a seeming lost of trust and confidence in the police service for their commitment to deal with criminal issues, particularly when it involved politicians of a ruling party.



Political violence and political hooliganism do not attract prosecution because the prosecution history in this country does not suggest that when it comes to political violence, they are prosecuted and so, we need to sustain the public confidence that criminal act is a criminal act, whether it is political or whatever.



So, the security agencies need to up their game because people are losing that public confidence when it comes to political violence and hooliganism, Dr Opuni-Frimpong urged the security agencies.









Source: Graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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I was a businessman before I became governor, Pritzker said. I understand the challenge that this has brought, I mean really for many people, financial ruin sometimes. And this is horrible. This coronavirus is just horrible. But if we all took off our masks, it would be much, much worse.
Grant Harder says people need to realize COVID-19 is serious business. He speaks from experience.

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This article was published 27/7/2020 (541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Grant Harder says people need to realize COVID-19 is serious business. He speaks from experience.

The 69-year-old part-time farmer from Boissevain contracted the virus while travelling with his wife, Kathy, earlier this year.

SUBMITTED Grant Harder, with his wife Kathy, spent more than a week suffering through the worst of COVID-19.

"Were not dealing with it on an everyday basis all around here. You get down in the States, where every other person has got it, its a big deal," Harder said in a telephone interview on Saturday.

"Im kind of glad they cut back a bit on their Phase 4 (reopening plan for Manitoba) ... that theyre not doing as much as they had initially planned."

Based on feedback from more than 50,000 Manitobans via an internet-based survey and telephone town halls, the province on Thursday scaled down its proposed Phase 4 plan that had been announced earlier in the week to restore safe services and recover the economy.

The revised Phase 4 plan took effect on Saturday.

Harder believes he contracted COVID-19 while he and his wife, Kathy, were travelling in early March  first to Florida, then to visit family in Abbotsford, B.C.

They returned home March 23. After a few days of feeling unwell, Harders fever spiked. On the urging of a doctor, he was tested for COVID-19. The result came back positive.

At that point, they had already been self-isolating because of the Manitoba governments public health rules regarding inter-provincial travel.

Harder moved into the basement, while Kathy  who never contracted the virus  lived upstairs. Every day, they would take their temperatures and wait for the public health nurse to call for the results.

"When you have the virus, when youre in the heart of it, youre coughing but theres nothing there," he said. "Its a dry cough and its in between your wishbone and chest bone and it just feels like somebodys on top of you."

Harder said it took a good week to get over the worst of the virus, including a fever that spiked at 38 C and a lack of energy that left him drained.

"Then it takes weeks to get rid of the cough."

Like others who have described what its like to have COVID-19, Harder said he lost his sense of smell and taste.

"I bought a bottle of Buckleys (cough syrup)," he said. "I thought Buckleys would help my cough, and if youve ever had Buckleys, its awful. But guess what? I could have drank the bottle and would have never tasted it."

He finally got the go-ahead to return to normal life in mid-April, but stayed at home a while longer until he felt comfortable being in public.

They had kept the news of his illness quiet, with the exception of his neighbours who brought them groceries and picked up the mail for them, so as not to alarm people in the community.

Their family in B.C. was checked by health authorities there and tested negative for the virus.

Harder  who believes hes the only person in the Boissevain area to have yet contracted COVID-19  considers himself fortunate that the illness wasnt worse than it was.

"Ive had flus that have been worse than the whole thing, but this was kind of a different thing," he said.

"Definitely keep the social distancing and doing the sanitizing."

 brobertson@brandonsun.com
A Couple Came My Home to Teach the Bible

Living in Canada, It seemed the whole world was changed. My life became quieter than in Singapore. I didnt find a church close to my area. In my office or home, I almost did not have a chance to speak English. I felt alone not because I didnt have friends around me but because I was worried that I might forget English I learned before. Someone came into my life and broke that silence.

Daniel & Kitty - One day, a couple, Daniel and Kitty, knocked on my door and told me they were Christians and wanted to share the gospel if I wanted. I was excited to welcome them to my home to teach me because I wanted to learn English. Daniel was a pastor. He was a very wise and good-natured young man with pleasant voice handsome brown eyes. Kitty was a Chinese-Canadian and immigrated from Hong Kong to Canada and then married to Daniel. The young lady was very passionate about teaching the Bible. She spoke bilingual languages, Cantonese and English. I didnt understand Cantonese. Therefore, English became the only tool for us to communicate.

Every Sunday morning, Daniel taught my son, and Kitty taught me. Every time I asked kitty a lot of questions about Jesus. Why did he was so poor and dressed such dirty closing? If he was the son of God, he should look like a gentleman who wore a formal suit. Why did Mary give birth without marrying his father? Virgin could not be pregnant according to science. Until once upon a time, she kept in silence a few minutes; I watched her and noticed her lips still smiled. But, she joked that she had taught one hundred students, and she never met anyone like me. I realized my questions made Kitty feel uncomfortable. I felt guilty because my questions were out of the range of the class topics. I reminded myself this class was not only to practice English but also to learn about the Bible. I should respect Kitty. She spent so much time to come and teach me. She would like to share Jesus' stories with me and did a great job for me. I should be thankful for her dedication rather than making her embarrassed. From then on, I had held my tongue because I didnt want to make her upset. This tip helped me focus on listening only of the class topics, thinking only of the class topics, and asking only of the class topics.

Daniel told some Bible stories to my son. At that time, my son was 11 years old. Those stories were very new to him. I remembered that the first story Daniel told him was Noahs Ark and the flood. Even though he didnt understand the meaning behind this teachable event in the Bible, the story attracted his attention. He remembered that God promised never to destroy the earth with a flood again, and He placed a rainbow in the sky as a sign of his promise. My son even hoped to visit the place where Noah had lived to see Noahs ark. From then on, he was eager to learn more. Every weekend, he was waiting for Daniel to bring stories to him. He loved Daniel and his stories.

We were going to move to America after one year. Before left Canada, the couple invited us to have dinner with them and gave us encouraging words from Martin Luther King Jr, Faith is taking the first step even when you dont see the whole staircase. I believe that just because they planted the seeds in our hearts, and eventually, we had become Christians in the future.
Standardized testing

Regarding Cancel STAAR, (A18, July 22): We agree state-mandated standardized exams should be the last thing students and teachers need to worry about. A substantial body of research shows that current tests are indeed invalid indicators of student progress.

The next question is: If not STAAR, then what?

When it comes to testing, two kinds of growth can be assessed.

Growth can be evaluated relative to achievement  how much students have learned. Or growth can be evaluated on a scale similar to measurements of height. Just as children get taller with age, they also get generally better at certain kinds of problem-solving tasks.

The first kind of growth  in achievement  is the only kind for which schools can be held accountable. But current assessment methodologies give results that behave like measures of biological growth. Such results are of little use to teachers  the first responders of our school system.

Tests intended to address inequalities in our educational system end up having the opposite effect: keeping groups of students in the same relative position year after year.

The last time our legislators gathered in Austin, they passed a bill, HB-3906, directing the Texas Education Agency to establish a pilot program field-testing alternative measures of achievement. Lets put that mandate into action and help schools and teachers do what they do best  educate our children.

Walter Stroup, chair of the department of STEM education and teacher development and an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; Anthony Petrosino, associate dean for research and outreach in Southern Methodist Universitys Simmons School.

Stamps

Regarding Cost, hassle of stamps questioned as mail-in voting surges, (A4,July 19): Some find it hard to believe someone of voting age has never used a stamp and, if they have not, its questionable whether they should be allowed to vote. Our 19-year-old grandson had never used a stamp until recently when sending handwritten thank you notes for graduation gifts. Among other things, he is an eagle scout, graduate of St. Johns School in Houston, scored 1590 on the SAT and was accepted to the Plan II Honors Program at The University of Texas planning on an Engineering degree. In other words, he is well above average ambition and intelligence.

In the past, his mother addressed his thank you notes (his cursive is terrible because it isnt prioritized in todays educational curriculum) but had him do it for his recent graduation gifts. One came back because of a wrong address and she noticed the stamp was on the back side of the envelope from the address. There is no question he has the ability to figure out how to place a stamp but probably figured, Hey, a stamp is on the envelope, whats the big deal where it is? Except for his mothers insistence he handwrite the address and mail the notes, he just never had a need to prepare snail mail. Im confident he is not the only 19-year-old in this electronic age who hasnt used stamps but probably did more research regarding political candidates than the typical voter when casting his votes in the primaries.

Gary Frueh, Katy
They say the girl as an enthusiastic and happy child who is just learning shapes and has developed a love of balloons. They added that the girls mother, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was still too distraught to speak publicly about the incident.
DUBLIN, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "North America Hemodynamic Monitoring Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2020-2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The North American hemodynamic monitoring market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 4.9% in the forecasted period.



The key factors propelling the growth of this market are increase in the number of critically ill geriatric cases, rise in the prevalence of cardiac disorders and diabetes, increasing demand for home-based and non-invasive monitoring systems, advances in technology, due to funding by private players and government bodies, and increase in the number of people suffering from hypertension.



According to the World Ageing 2019 report, estimated that in 2019 there were about 53.340 million (16.2%) population aged 65 years or over in the United States. This number is projected to reach 70.842 million (20.3%) in 2030. As number of elderly population is expected to increase in near future and this population are more prone to chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases which will show positive impact on market as these population require monitoring systems for asessment of vital parameters.



Thus, owing to above factors the market is expected to show significant growth over the forecast period.



Key Market Trends



Minimally Invasive Monitoring Systems Expected to Hold Significant Market Share



The minimally invasive systems help in tracking stroke volume continuously and offer dynamic information of fluid responsiveness. Some of the systems provide the assessment of volumetric preload variables, while others highlight the continuous measurement of central venous saturation with proprietary catheters. These variables of minimally invasive systems, along with cardiac output, deliver improved hemodynamic monitoring.



There is a recent advancement in echocardiography device known as a transesophageal echocardiography device with a miniaturized probe, which is now used for continuous hemodynamic assessment. These monitoring systems have made hemodynamic calculations easier, which has gained the attention of healthcare providers, thus, resulting in the growth of the market.



Furthermore, as per the Heart and Stroke Foundation 2019 report, each year more than 62,000 people get attack with stroke in Canada, and that number is expected to rise. More than 405,000 people in the country live with the effects of stroke. Furthermore, the number of people who die in the hospital within 90 days is 7.6 times higher for people with heart valve disease and heart failure in comparison to heart valve disease alone. Thus, considering all these factors the segment is expected to show growth in the coming years.



Competitive Landscape



The North American Hemodynamic Monitoring Market is highly competitive and consists of several major players. In terms of market share, few of the major players currently dominate the market. However, with technological advancements and product innovations, mid-size to smaller companies are increasing their market presence by introducing new devices with fewer prices. Companies, like Getinge Group, Koninklijke Philips NV, Edwards Life Sciences Corporation, and GE Healthcare, hold substantial shares in the market.



Key Topics Covered



1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Assumptions

1.2 Scope of the Study



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Market Drivers

4.2.1 Increasing Geriatric Population and Rise in the Prevalence of Cardiac Disorders and Diabetes

4.2.2 Increasing Demand for Home-based and Non-invasive Monitoring Systems

4.2.3 Advances in Technology due to Funding by Private Players and Government Bodies

4.2.4 Increasing Number of People Suffering from Hypertension

4.3 Market Restraints

4.3.1 Increasing Incidences of Complications Associated with Invasive Monitoring Systems

4.3.2 Stringent FDA Guidelines for Approval of New Systems

4.4 Porter's Five Force Analysis



5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 By System

5.1.1 Minimally Invasive Monitoring Systems

5.1.2 Invasive Monitoring Systems

5.1.3 Non-invasive Monitoring Systems

5.2 By Application

5.2.1 Laboratory-based Monitoring Systems

5.2.2 Home-based Monitoring Systems

5.2.3 Hospital-based Monitoring Systems

5.3 Geography

5.3.1 North America

5.3.1.1 United States

5.3.1.2 Canada

5.3.1.3 Mexico



6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Company Profiles

6.1.1 Koninklijke Philips N.V.

6.1.2 Getinge Group

6.1.3 Edwards Lifesciences Corporation

6.1.4 GE Healthcare

6.1.5 ICU Medical Inc.

6.1.6 Cheetah Medical Inc.

6.1.7 LiDCO Group PLC

6.1.8 Tensys Medical Inc.

6.1.9 Schwarzer Cardiotek GmbH

6.1.10 Draeger Medical



7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/n787ea

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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Desperate families in the Sahelian country are plagued by a double burden that has left many displaced and destitute.

Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso  Growing up in a community of farmers in northern Burkina Faso, KI, who prefers that his full name not be used for safety reasons, never wanted for much. His family ate what they sowed and bred enough cattle to feel financially secure. But now, for the first time in his life, the 65-year-old does not know how he is going to survive the months ahead.

Decades of climate change and years of increasing violence by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), as well as local defence forces  a combination of community volunteers armed by the government and groups who have taken up arms on their own  have pushed KIs once comfortable family into poverty. Chased from his farm by gunmen in November, he has been unable to cultivate. Meanwhile, his herd of 30 cows, most of which scattered and got lost during the attack, has been reduced to just two.

Now displaced, his family lives between Titao town where the two cows remain and Ouahigouya, Yatenga provinces largest urban centre  a dry and dusty town with a buzzing market surrounded by what was once a dense forest but is now just arid desert. KI grew up approximately 65km (40 miles) from the town but this is the first time he has ever lived there.

Ive never been in this situation before, he explained, sitting in a dimly lit office owned by a relative in Ouahigouya. Its devastating, the stoic father of 15 added in a rare show of vulnerability.

Seated upright on the edge of a couch, KI allowed only occasional glimpses during the hours-long conversation into the pain he felt after losing almost everything he had spent his life working for.

The Sahel region, an arid expanse below the Sahara Desert where Burkina Faso is located, is one of the hardest-hit areas in the world by climate change. About 80 percent of the Sahels farmland is degraded with temperatures rising 1.5 times faster than the global average, according to the World Economic Forum.

KI walks with his son Soumaila in Ouahigouya town [Sam Mednick/Al Jazeera]

Burkina Faso has been affected by an increase in the scale and intensity of droughts, rain, heat waves, strong winds and dust storms, according to a government report. The country is the 20th most vulnerable to climate change and the 35th least ready in the world, said Richard Munang, the Africa regional climate change coordinator for the United Nations Environmental Programme. More than one-third of Burkina Fasos land is degraded with degradation expanding at a rate of 360,000 hectares (889,579 acres) a year, he explained.

Climate change has played a part in the genesis of the crisis affecting the Central Sahel according to the International Crisis Group. Droughts in the 1970s and 1980s changed agro-pastoral dynamics in favour of the grain and vegetable farmers who were less harshly affected than the marginalised herder communities.

Years of drought devastated the cattle of herdsmen, who depended on moving their livestock from one grazing ground to another. While farmers were also hit hard, they continued producing food and with the surplus money, they invested in livestock and employed the now impoverished herdsmen. According to the International Crisis Group, this period was the origin of the marginalisation of pastoral communities.

The climatic and economic devastation in Burkina Faso has been compounded by armed conflict in the region. Following the 2012 military coup in neighbouring Mali, armed groups capitalised on the instability and captured parts of that countrys north. Since then, regional violence has reached unprecedented levels and sparked a dire humanitarian crisis in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. More than one million people are internally displaced across all three countries, according to the UN.

Attacks linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL have recently made Burkina Faso the epicentre of the crisis. For years, the once peaceful nation largely stayed out of the conflict inflicted on its neighbours. But in 2014, the overthrow of the countrys longtime president, Blaise Compaore, which also saw the dismantling of the special forces unit, created a path for attacks. Violence that began in the Sahel and northern regions has since spread across the country to the east and west displacing almost one million people and killing almost 2,000 last year. Armed groups exacerbate existing grievances over land, resources and ethnicity, perpetrating violence and driving communities like KIs into desperation.

In better days

For as far back as he can remember, KIs life was defined by farming.

As a young boy, he helped his father cultivate maize, rice, sesame and millet in his small village of Bouna in the countrys Loroum province, where he lived until armed men attacked it in November.

In the early 1960s, little effort on small plots yielded immense results, he recalled. One harvest could produce food for a year, even providing enough crops to give as gifts to less well-off neighbours.

We didnt use any pesticides, no special techniques or even donkeys or oxen, wed do it by hand, KI said.

Smiling nostalgically, he remembered the harvests, where 30 to 40 extra staff were needed to carry overflowing baskets of fruit and vegetables on their heads and into the house from the farm. There was so much yield that each person had to walk the approximately 5km (3 miles) several times in order to transport everything, he said.

Back then, people rarely needed money, they just lived off the land. The farm produced more than enough for him and his 10 siblings to eat, and sufficient cotton for the women to sew clothes. If anyone wanted to travel, people would either walk or use a donkey.

In an arid field on the outskirts of Ouagadougou, a woman digs for stones to sell at the market to make money to buy food, since she can no longer cultivate on the land [Sam Mednick/Al Jazeera]

Even though school was free, most families only sent one child to be educated as the only schools were in larger towns and education was not yet seen as a priority, he recalled. KIs older brother went to school in Ouahigouya, while the rest of the children remained on the farm.

Even when money was needed, it did not exist like it does today. Until just after KI was born, people paid for goods in seashells rather than paper money, he said.

But spotting an old shell today is rare. Most have been bartered for goods, although some can still be found in store windows  a reminder of easier, simpler times.

When I think about that period compared to now, people werent suffering the way they are suffering now, KI said.

The harvest was so bad

Years of climate change and violence have triggered a dire humanitarian crisis in the Sahel. In April, the World Food Programme warned that the situation was spiralling out of control, with more than five million people facing severe food insecurity across the Central Sahel region.

In Burkina Faso there are more than two million severely food insecure people  from more than 680,000 at the same time last year  a greater number than in neighbouring Mali and Niger.

In northern provinces, such as Loroum, where KI has his farm, the nutritional situation is expected to remain serious through July, according to a report from the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization.

For years, KI watched his familys economic and food security gradually decline. What began as less consistent rainfall led to soil degradation and a shortage of crops.

Unable to remember specific months or years, KI pegs all significant moments to who was leading the country at the time. He recalls that when things took a stark turn for the worse, Prime Minister Gerard Kango Ouedraogo was in office. That was in the early 1970s.

One hundred thousand people were killed in the Sahel as a result of droughts and famine in the 1970s and 1980s.

The harvest was so bad that people had to look for leaves and fruit to eat in the bush, recalled KI.

On at least one occasion, the government flew food into the town of Titao, the largest near KIs village, to try and alleviate the hunger. KI remembers lugging bags of red millet back to his family via a cart pulled by a cow.

But when asked how the hunger affected him, he felt more comfortable talking about its effect on the other villagers. We knew people during that time who only had one meal a day  It was hard to watch the village suffer, he said.

A woman cooks at the camp for displaced people in Burkina Faso [File: Reuters]

As the years went by, the land dried up, the trees disappeared and the rain became sparser. Rains that used to begin in May now started in June or July. It wouldnt rain enough or sometimes when it rained you could go outside after and the ground was dry, KI said.

By the time his father died in 1985, the life he had known as a boy was gone. He and his older brother took charge of the farm and became responsible for ensuring everyone had enough to eat.

After our father died there was a lot of pressure to provide food, he said. KI started rationing and storing crops to prepare for hard years and bought fertiliser to moisten the soil.

Around this time, some of his uncles who were struggling with their own farms moved to the western town of Bobo-Dioulasso, where the government was distributing fertile plots of land. But KI did not want to leave his familys farm and chose to stick it out, some years producing plenty and others nothing at all, each year having to save enough for the inconsistency that lay ahead.

Over time, it became harder to find fertile land to cultivate and farmers had to venture deeper into the bush to grow food.

Unlike when he was a boy working with his father when good farmland was right beside his house, KIs son would spend two months sleeping on the farm during the harvests, because viable farmland was so much further away.

Sprawled on the couch across from his father in the office in Ouahigouya, 26-year-old Soumaila said he spent 10 years living on the farm during harvests.

Its hard if you go to the field, theres less security than sleeping at home and there are snakes and bush animals, he said.

When Soumaila left his village to attend school in Ouahigouya in 2014, one of his siblings replaced him during the harvests. This continued until the family was chased from the farm by gunmen last November.

Threats of armed attacks

Located in one of the epicentres of the violence, KIs community is one of many being squeezed between the encroaching threats of climate change and violent attacks.

On May, 30 the government said terrorists killed at least 15 people, including children in an attack on a group of traders travelling between towns in the north, not far from KIs village. On April 28, four women, one of whom was pregnant, were killed by an improvised explosive device on their way from the market in Titao commune, the same area as KIs farm, according to an internal security report for aid organisations seen by Al Jazeera. It was the second explosion in that area in a month.

The further people have to go in search of land, the more exposed they are to the risk of being kidnapped by armed men, said Mamoudou Ouedraogo, founder of the Association for Education and Environment, a local aid group.

In October, a mechanic from Titao town was kidnapped by terrorists while searching for good terrain, said Ouedraogo. We havent heard anything from him up till now, he added.

Soldiers from Burkina Faso patrol in a village in the Sahel area [File: Reuters]

Ouedraogo has also heard that women have been kidnapped and sometimes raped while searching for firewood. Climate-related kidnappings are more prevalent in the rainy season  beginning around May or June  because people travel further to cultivate, he said. In 2019 abductions increased from the year before, although he was not able to provide specific numbers.

With more than 20 years of experience working on environmental issues across the country, Ouedraogo has noticed a direct correlation between climate change and people being recruited into armed groups.

When you have lost everything, even food, you are on the edge of despair and as a consequence [people] will be ready to find a solution wherever possible, including terrorists, he said.

A lot of recruits come from the most impoverished parts of the country, he added.

Yet some people who have been attacked by them say that no matter how desperate they become they would never join.

If youre being chased by people in these groups why would you join them? Even if theyre providing money or food, said Soumaila. I would rather die.

Part of the armed conflict affecting Burkina Faso originated in neighbouring Mali in 2012 [File: Reuters]

KI has a small house in Titao with his three wives and children, but he said it is too small to hold everyone, yet he does not have enough money to build a bigger one. Unable to farm, they are living off the food from last years harvest and relying on handouts from friends and family.

But when asked about what happened when their village was attacked, KI does not want to discuss it. Nor does he want to talk about the countrys growing volatility, which has forced him off his land and crippled his livelihood.

Instead, he sits quietly, staring straight ahead, struggling to find solutions.

The lack of financial stability has prevented him from building a new house, fixing his motorbike and buying updated machinery such as an electric hoe, which would make it easier to grow crops, he said. But most of all, it has made him worry. This is the first year the family is unable to access their farm due to insecurity. While they are farming on a smaller plot in the town they have been displaced to, they will not cultivate enough to last the year and KI is worried his family will not have enough food to survive.

Adapting to climate change

Violence in the Sahel has been largely linked to competition over natural resources, yet international observers warn that when the government and aid groups provide communities with climate change solutions, they need to come at it from a different perspective.

It is essential to fight climate change and its effects, which include increased land pressure, particularly in rural areas. But resource scarcity is neither the only nor the determining factor behind rising insecurity, said International Crisis Group in a report in April.

Displaced people, who fled from attacks of armed militants gather near a UN camp [File: Reuters]

There are often plenty of resources but authorities lack the ability or the legitimacy to mediate conflicts over access to them, said the report. Climate policies should focus more on adaptation rather than on the premise that resources are not plentiful enough.

In an attempt to take an adapted and stronger approach to climate change, approximately five years ago, Burkina Fasos government altered the ministry of environments name to include the words green economy and climate change, said Colette Kabore, the ministrys director for the promotion of action for climate resilience.

The ministry is focusing on combining forestry and agriculture, something Kabore calls natural regeneration.

If people want to cut down trees, the government is advising not to cut down every tree in the vicinity but to leave a few standing, she said. The ministry is also helping people in climate-affected industries adapt to drought by encouraging them to plant trees that can survive with less water as well as fruit trees, such as Ballantines, to provide the population with more food.

It is also promoting practices that do not pollute the environment, such as using renewable energies like solar pumps, said Kabore.

In the past 10 years, pollution has had a devastating impact, particularly for cattle breeders. Thirty percent of cattle die from ingesting plastic, said Ouedraogo who runs the local environmental group.

Cows are an important source of revenue for farmers, providing milk, meat and manure for fertiliser. One cow can sell for approximately $300, so when farmers have fewer cows, they have less financial stability.

A goat eats plastic waste at a makeshift garbage dump on the outskirts of Ouagadougou [Sam Mednick/Al Jazeera]

Four years ago, Ouedraogo lost nine out of 10 cows who died from ingesting plastic when they grazed too close to the city, he said. When you opened them up, their stomachs were full of plastic.

His organisation works with local communities in Titao and the neighbouring commune of Ouindigui, to collect and transform plastic bags into floor tiles, handbags and shopping bags. They plan to start making tables and benches.

The group also tries to plant trees in areas where they have all been chopped down, but it is hard. Many of the trees die because there is not enough water.

During a trip to Ouahigouya in April, Al Jazeera visited an area that residents said was a plush forest full of wildlife four decades ago. Today, it is an arid patch of land marked with a few shrubs.

Over the years, cattle breeders forced from the Sahel due to desertification came further south and many parts of Ouahigouya suffered from overgrazing.

Cattle breeders like KI say the lack of grass has made it impossible to care for as many cows as they used to.

In the past if you had 10 cattle, now you can manage five, he said.

Since losing almost all of his cows during the attack in November, KI does not want to entertain the idea of selling the only two he has left. But if he cannot produce enough food for the family this planting season, he might not have a choice.

If theres no food, Ill have to sell them, he said, darting his sad eyes to the floor.

But Im still hoping some of them might return.
YEREVAN.  The applicants who were not admitted to Armenias university on Monday left from outside Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, and started a sit-in at the intersection nearby the ministry (PHOTOS).

A large number of special police forces removed these protesters off the road.

They also tried to apprehend a university applicant, but the protesters did not allow it.

According to lawyer Aleksandr Kochubayev, however, two people were apprehended.

To note, these applicants who were not admitted to universities and their parents are protesting, complaining about the results of the university entrance exams and the new approach of the education department. Accordingly, numerous applicants with lower scores were accepted to universities, whereas many applicants with higher scores were not accepted, as the applicants selected profession was underscored this year, and therefore priority was given to those who selected a given profession as their first choice, rather than to those with high scores in any subject.
A Confession, SonyLIV's British true crime drama should get you through Happy Valley-Broadchurch withdrawal.

Less than halfway through ITV's true crime miniseries A Confession, the cop catches the killer. After hours of building a rapport with cigarettes and the usual good cop routine, he even draws out the titular confession. The killer guides the cop and his squad to the pretty English countryside where he dumped the body. Out of nowhere, the killer then casually asks: Do you want another one? The answer to that question will briefly make the cop a hero before it will ruin his career forever.

Martin Freeman plays the cop, Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher, whose investigation into the disappearance of 22-year-old Sian O'Callaghan in Swindon, Wiltshire puts him on the trail of the perpetrator: Christopher Halliwell (Joe Absolom), a 47-year-old taxi driver and father of three. So far, a typical starting point to a typical crime drama. Once the perpetrator is caught, the second half of the six-part series becomes a study of the consequences when morality and law collide.

True-crime aficionados will be familiar with the adage that the first 72 hours are the most crucial in missing person investigations  and the likelihood of the person being found decreases with each passing hour. Fulcher obviously knows this too. I dont do this to find dead bodies, he tells his wife. I've got to believe I can save her, haven't I? Five days into the search, he still believes Sian is alive. Worried any delay will further reduce her chances of survival, he decides to take a big risk. He arrests Halliwell, who eventually confesses to not just murdering Sian but another woman named Becky Godden-Edwards.

However, Fulcher secures the confession without bringing Halliwell to the local police station, without clearly informing him of his rights to maintain silence, and without a solicitor present despite his repeated insistence on it. This deliberate violation of police protocol made Halliwell's confession inadmissible in court and ultimately jeopardised Fulcher's own career. It thus raises the age old question about ends justifying the means, especially in circumstances where what you think is legally right and morally right are not the same thing.

Be it in the movies or on TV, we're all used to seeing cops frequently breaking the law to enforce it. The Dirty Harrys and Vic Mackeys have been glorified as heroes. But in the wake of George Floyd's death, we've come to realise how they played a part in normalising police misconduct. A Confession highlights another grey area in the justice system: No doubt Fulcher took the law into his own hands, but he did it believing a woman's life was at stake. The harsh penalty he faces for violating police regulations makes you wonder if cops should be allowed to circumvent them in certain circumstances. But the question remains: where do you draw the line?

A Confession isn't just Fulcher's story. It is also the story of the families of the two young women whose lives were cruelly cut short. There's Sian's mother Elaine (Siobhan Finneran), who dreads having to be "that terrified family." While making a public appeal for her daughter's safe return at a press conference, she wonders who among them will cry on cue. Then there's Karen (Imelda Staunton), who hasn't seen her daughter Becky for over eight years. Nonetheless, she still believes she will return home. On what would have been her 29th birthday, she has a cake baked and ready, and lights the candles as the doorbell rings. But it's not Becky, it's the police confirming her worst fear.

With Halliwell's confession ruled inadmissible, the subsequent trial sees him charged only for Sian's murder, but not Becky's. While Elaine withdraws from the spotlight to focus on mending her broken family, Karen launches a dogged campaign to win justice for her daughter. Becky struggled with drug addiction and was a sex worker when she was abducted and killed by Halliwell. Considering sex workers are constantly dehumanised in the eyes of the law, the public and the killers, Karen must fight a larger battle against a system which judges the victim, rather than the criminal  a system which treats the lives of the marginalised as less worthy than those in "more respectable" professions. Even Elaine is outraged over her daughter and Becky's names being mentioned in the same breath. She fails to see that Becky too is a girl with a mother torn between fear and hope.

This brings us to another ambiguity that families of missing persons are forced to suffer: they're trapped in a limbo between grief and loss, the hope for a reunion and the hope for just any resolution. When Becky's body is discovered but not yet identified, the police officer informs Karen they've received over 600 calls from people all over the country hoping it is their daughter. It is hard not to imagine 600 mothers hoping for some measure of closure. It's an unimaginable nightmare being in the dark as it slowly dawns on them that they may never see their child again. Karen sustains her optimism for eight years, only for it to be quashed in one crippling moment of truth. The resolution comes a lot sooner for Sian's family but it's still heart-breaking. When Sian's boyfriend is brought in to positively identify her body, he says, "I was hoping they'd made a mistake. Right up until the last moment, I was hoping, somehow, they'd got the wrong person."

A Confession does lose a bit of narrative momentum just past the half-way mark as it spends a little too much time on Fulcher's disciplinary hearing, and its aftermath. But there's sufficient payoff if you stick with it till the finale. Only, you wish the jerky camerawork wasn't so strenuous, like it were trying to simulate Karen's mental state. At its bedrock, A Confession is a quality crime drama, one whose bleakness is tempered by some hope at the end. More importantly, it's a show that can get you through your Happy Valley and Broadchurch withdrawal.

A Confession is now streaming on SonyLIV.
Recently, I spoke with several college students (and a couple recent graduates) about their current financial institution  what they liked, and what they didnt. Heres what they said:

Chapel, 22, Fifth Third Bank: My favorite thing is my banks great mobile app  its easy to check balances, and even easier to deposit checks virtually. Ive never had an issue doing that in five years. But my original account there was for kids, and I got locked out of my savings once. I need to find a way to transition away from that, now that Im an adult. 

Jaspreet, 19, BB&T: I dont do anything complicated and dont really deal with too much of the financial aspect right now, but its always easy to manage in-person and online. Theyve messed up some transactions, though.

Tegan, 22, Wells Fargo: I think the Wells Fargo mobile banking app is very useful and user-friendly! But I dont know, big banks are a little sus. (Authors note: Sus is slang for suspicious, sketchy or something to be skeptical of. )

Tyler, 21, PNC: They dont charge overdraft fees for students! But their mobile app is always down.

Catherine, 23, Chase: They have a good credit card plan, user-friendly mobile apps and its easy to use anywhere in the country. My least favorite thing is that I dont actually have a personal relationship with anyone there.

I also asked: What are some things that would make you consider switching banks? Heres what they said theyd be looking for:

Better rates

A smaller, more local institution

Convenience and accessibility

Security of their accounts

Switching to a not-for-profit institution

Mobile banking, better rates, personal relationships  how are you winning over Gen Zers and millennials?

We arent a research institute or some market intelligence company. Were a group of college students from Duke University who believe in the credit union movement. In the past year, we surveyed over 500 college students. 76% of them didnt even know what a credit union was  and we want to help.

Together, we built Zogo: a gamified, reward-based financial literacy app that helps credit unions engage and attract Gen Z. Since then, our app has won multiple awards, including the 2019 NACUSO next big idea competition and the best of show at Finovate 2019. As Gen Zers ourselves, we know how to engage this demographic.

Visit www.zogofinance.com to see how our solution fits your organization and to schedule a demo with one of our committed onboarding specialists.
SPRINGFIELD  Sara Roberson is adamant about not sending her daughter, a seventh grader, back to in-person learning at Jefferson Middle School.

Roberson said that if an alternate plan didnt exist for her to pursue remote learning only, she would have home-schooled her.

Kids absolutely shouldnt be going back, especially high schoolers and middle schoolers, said Roberson, a nurse.

James Robinson said he would like to see all four of his kids return to in-person school in the district this fall, including his daughter, a senior at Lanphier High School.

The bottom line is that Robinson wants them all to be safe.

Until they come up with a strategic plan, I would rather them be at home, Robinson said, but at the same time, they need to be around other kids because thats how you learn, as well, through other people.

Its a conundrum for parents and guardians. Some said they have spent sleepless nights pining over the matter as they watch numbers of COVID-19 again spike in Sangamon County.

For others, the experience of remote learning necessitated by the closing of in-person learning in mid-March is very much on their minds. One parent admitted she had to make a spreadsheet to keep of her high schoolers classes and the different social media platforms teachers were using.

In-person learning is included under Phase 4 guidelines from the state of Illinois.

For many districts, it would include a hybrid/blended in-person and remote learning plan and an option for all-remote learning.

District 186 elementary, middle and high school students would attend classes at least two days per week, but possibly four days, given class sizes. The District 186 board also was considering a half-day in-person/remote option and a virtual learning option.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers recently called for the school year to open with remote learning statewide unless a series of guidelines could be met. The stakes are too high to return to in-person instruction right now, the union said.

Flo Dickerson has five grandchildren in District 186. They are scared about going back to school, Dickerson said, with the biggest question being social distancing.

They dont know what to think, she said. Its going to be a lot for everybody.

Dickersons preference was for them to be in classrooms, albeit with fewer classmates, though safety is at utmost concern.

(The coronavirus) is nothing we can control, Dickerson said.

Lori McCurdy said she was scared sending her four children to Ball-Chatham schools, including a kindergartner.

Id rather have my children safe and alive and our family safe and alive versus having an education where theyre in a classroom, McCurdy said. You have to do the best thing for your family.

McCurdy said there have been a lot of sleepless nights trying to decide whats best and particularly whats best for our kindergartner. The older three can kind of muddle through. Our youngest, are we taking away that experience of the first day of kindergartner?

Its definitely anxiety producing. There is no good option.

Jessica Polhemus has two students at Springfield High School.

I am very concerned because I dont see how its possible to keep coronavirus from spreading in that type of environment, she said. I feel that students and teachers and staff alike will be at increased risk if theyre meeting in the classroom.

Remote learning last semester was a struggle, Polhemus said, so much so that she had to create spreadsheet to keep her kids on track.

Id rather have them fall behind (academically) than be dead, Polhemus said.

Bob Breneissen, vice president of Sacred Heart-Griffin High School (SHG), said he hasnt heard of any parents who are opting their students out of in-person learning, though there are blended and remote-only options.

We want school to open up, Breneissen said. We want face-to-face contact.

The school enrolls about 525 students, he said. SHG will go to a block schedule, Breneissen said, meaning classes will be 80 minutes instead of 45 minutes. It will use A and B day alternating weeks.

The school is also putting up three tents for outdoor learning, he noted.

Robinson, the father of four, said he was pondering everything from class logistics having teachers move to classes instead of students to families who struggled with technology and internet connectivity when the district went to remote learning.

My hats off to those teachers and administrators because they have to figure it out, he said. At the end of this, its going to take parents being more involved with their kids. Its going to take, like they say, a village to get everyone educated.

Source: The (Springfield) State Journal-Register, https://bit.ly/3jrGgDe
Deputy Minister of Information, Pius Enam Hadzide says government is appalled by the gruesome murder of a 90-year-old woman who was beaten to death at Kafaba near Salaga for allegedly being a witch.



According to him, perpetrators of the act will face the wrath of the law  after promising that no one will escape this if found guilty.



Pius Enam Hadzide, however, condemned the barbaric act in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie.



This is unfortunate, he said.



Background



A video surfaced on social media had an elderly woman being lynched by some unknown women, for allegedly being a witch.



The horrifying act was captured on video by onlookers who made no attempt to save the dying 90-year-old woman who was begging for her life.





Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal law enforcement units into more cities over objections of state and local leaders, Central New Yorks two members of Congress and their opponents say he shouldnt go in uninvited.

Reps. John Katko, R-Camillus, and Anthony Brindisi, D-Utica, said federal law enforcement should be deployed only at the invitation of local authorities. The only exception would be to protect federal buildings and property that are under attack, they said.

Both members of Congress said they want an independent investigation into the use of federal agents in Portland, Ore., who were sent to protect a federal courthouse complex amid 60 days of protests against racism and police brutality.

The federal agents fired tear gas and left the federal courthouse Sunday to push protesters from the streets in violent clashes. Legal experts have questioned the authority of the agents to operate beyond federal property.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who was the victim of a tear gas attack last week, called the move an egregious overreaction and an act of urban warfare. He has asked the federal forces, some using unmarked cars, to leave the city.

The Portland battles with federal authorities prompted new protests over the weekend in other cities, including violent clashes in Seattle and Austin.

Inspectors general at the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security have opened investigations into the use of force by federal agents in Portland and near the White House in June.

Trump said he still plans to send federal law enforcement units into Chicago, Albuquerque and possibly other big cities under a separate operation to address a rise in violence.

Dana Balter, a Syracuse Democrat challenging Katko in November, said the presidents motivation is more about politics than addressing a surge in violence.

Claudia Tenney, a steadfast Trump supporter who is challenging Brindisi, also said the president should wait for an invite into cities unless federal properties are under attack.

Heres what Central New Yorks members of Congress and their opponents in the November election had to say about the issue in interviews last week:

Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus

Katko said federal officers shouldnt be deployed to help police cities unless requested by a governor, mayor or local elected officials.

He said its appropriate for federal agents to serve a limited role protecting U.S. courthouses and other federal properties in defensive positions, even without an invitation from local officials.

Its a big difference if theyre coming there just to come there, or theyre protecting federal property, Katko said in an interview. We simply cannot allow federal properties to be burned and damaged. I think they need to make that deployment to protect, but not to get involved in anything.

Katko, a former federal prosecutor, said he doesnt know if federal agents overstepped that authority in Portland. He wants an investigation and supports the independent probe by the Justice Department and Homeland Security Department watchdogs.

He said federal officers deployed to those cities should have clearly identifiable patches and use marked vehicles so citizens should know what agency they represent.

Dana Balter

Balter, a Syracuse Democrat challenging Katko in the 24th Congressional District, said Trump has abused his authority with the deployment of federal officers in Portland.

This is not how you do things in a democracy, Balter said in an interview. This is a hallmark of an authoritarian dictatorship. It is not only dangerous, its a political stunt. Donald Trump is threatening not only the tenets of democracy, but the safety of people who live in these cities.

Balter said federal forces should be deployed only at the request of local elected officials. Those forces should be clearly identified by their uniforms and vehicles, she said, but thats not happening in Portland.

They are taking American citizens off the streets with no legitimate reason and putting them in unmarked cars, Balter said. This is essentially kidnapping. It should be frightening to America.

Balter suggested that Trump is trying to turn 60 days of protests in Portland into a manufactured crisis to distract from the real crisis at hand with the coronavirus pandemic.

Rep. Anthony Brindisi, D-Utica

Brindisi said federal law enforcement agents should not be deployed to cities unless theres a request from local government.

He said its appropriate for federal officers to be called in to guard federal buildings in any city, including Portland. Brindisi said hes not sure if the use of force in that city was appropriate. He wants federal investigators to examine the use of force in that city, and whether agents stepped beyond their boundaries.

The mission has to be very clear for federal officers that theyre to protect federal property, Brindisi said in an interview. They have to be very careful to protect peoples due process rights and not go out in the crowd and engage with peaceful protesters.

Brindisi said federal agents should also clearly identify which force they represent.

He supported a bill passed by the House Armed Services Committee last week that requires federal law officers to clearly identify themselves or their agencies on their uniforms.

Claudia Tenney

Tenney, a Republican from New Hartford, is challenging Brindisi in the 22nd Congressional District election.

She said federal law enforcement officers shouldnt be deployed without a request from local authorities, unless the officers are sent to protect federal properties.

Obviously, we dont need anybody if there are peaceful protesters, Tenney said. I think at this point it would be ideal if the federal, state and local governments would work together.

Tenney last week said she hasnt seen much video of the clashes in Portland and doesnt know if the deployment of federal officers was appropriate in that city.

I just wish everybody would let the temperature drop a little bit, she said.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has started implementing the President's directive on free water services for domestic consumption for the next three months.



The company has, consequently, asked all landlords to allow tenants to use water for free from July to September this year.



The Head of Public Relations at the GWCL, Mr Stanley Martey, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic yesterday, urged members of the public and water customers to desist from mounting standpipes or connecting water without recourse to the company.



Free water



In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government absorbed water bills for all citizens between April and June 2020.



The GWCL announced the expiration of the free water intervention at the end of June, with the expectation that consumers would start paying for the utility from July.



However, the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, announced, in the Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament last Thursday, that the government would absorb domestic water bills for citizens again from July to the end of September.



The directive is to support Ghanaians to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.



Implementation



Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Martey said the GWCL, through the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, had immediately commenced the programme, "since the period of implementation takes effect with July consumption".



He explained that all domestic customers of the GWCL on Category 611 would have their bills for July, August and September 2020 absorbed and paid by the government.



"All metered stand-pipes on Category 643 shall be used to serve citizens for free. Vendors are expected to still control the services to the public as usual. This is to ensure the prudent use of water," he added.



He cautioned members of the public to resist the temptation to illegally connect to water, since the GWCL would deal with any such illegality according to the law.



He called on well-meaning Ghanaians to report all persons engaged in illegal connections, bypasses and all malpractices against the GWCL to the nearest police station or to the district offices for action to be taken against such persons.



Defaulters



In addition, Mr Martey said, customers who were disconnected prior to the Presidents announcement of the first phase of free water in April 2020 were still liable "and must pay their arrears to enable them to enjoy the free water".



He urged customers who had arrears to negotiate "flexible payment terms" with officials of the GWCL at the district and regional offices to enable them to settle their arrears.



"Once this is done, they can be reconnected to enable them to enjoy the free water services," he said, adding that "these cases will be treated on individual basis".



He assured the public that water supply tankers and COVID-19 free water tank services were still in operation to serve deprived communities.



He urged consumers in such deprived communities to liaise with their assembly members in order to access the services of the tankers from the GWCL's district offices.



He urged customers to repair leakages in their homes, including overflowing reservoirs and dripping taps and valves, to ensure judicious use of the resource.



"Citizens must also do well to report all burst pipes and leakages immediately to the nearest GWCL district offices, customer service centres and fault offices to enable the staff of the GWCL to attend to them as early as practicable to avoid waste," Mr Martey added.

Source: Graphic.com.gh









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SAN LEANDRO, Calif., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Geltor today announced the closing of a $91.3M Series B financing that will fuel the global expansion of its Ingredients-as-a-Service platform. The funding round aims to meet accelerating demand from global CPG companies for sustainable, functional, and 100% animal-free ingredients. The round was led by future protein pioneer CPT Capital (London, UK), with significant commitment from WTT Investment Ltd. (Taipei, Taiwan).

Since being established in 2015, the California-based firm has proven its biodesign technology for large and growing global CPG segments including cosmetics & personal care, nutraceuticals, and the food & beverage industries. Its success across global CPG segments reflects consumers' increasing preference for ethical products, as more brands face backlash for using animal ingredients and contributing to the growing threat of climate change.

Over the past year, global demand for collagen grew by 25% and Geltor saw sales surge for its first products, animal-free collagens like HumaColl21 and Collume. Despite African Swine Fever and COVID-19 disrupting industrial supply chains, Geltor was able to scale its fermentation-based technology platform up 100X and produced hundreds of new proteins to help customers seamlessly turn an idea into a highly effective ingredient quickly and with minimal risk.

"Our goal is to make it ridiculously easy for iconic brands to build sustainable products. This next stage of growth will allow Geltor to meet the moment our world is facing, as businesses recognize the urgent need to transition to a sustainable protein supply chain," said Geltor CEO and co-founder Alex Lorestani. "We're grateful to have investors who see Geltor as an index of this important shift to a system powered by fermentation and plant-based platforms like ours. As a scientist, I'm convinced that the highest-impact action I can take to support human and planetary health is making our Ingredients-as-a-Service platform better every single day."

"Having established the success of our biodesign platform, we are now able to work even more closely with customers to develop unique tailored bioactive ingredients for their specific product needs. We've only scratched the surface of what our technology can unlock for our clients at unprecedented speed," added Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Nick Ouzounov.

Noting Geltor's position of strength from the emerging consumer biotechnology sector, Chief Financial Officer Sachin Kelkar said, "Since its founding, Geltor has focused on developing an industrial strength Ingredients-as-a-Service platform based on the fundamental principles of functionality, breadth, scale, and speed to meet the pace of customer innovation in multiple end markets. We're excited to leverage our strong balance sheet and investor base to scale business and manufacturing operations around the core platform to meet global protein demands for decades to come."

The lead investment by long-standing alternative protein investor CPT Capital validates Geltor's unique approach to developing tailored bioactive ingredients, and the vastness of the market opportunity. "We see huge market potential for Geltor's protein platform across categories from cosmetics to food. We are excited by the speed and skill with which they are building out their capabilities. Even more so, in light of the havoc wreaked by COVID-19 on protein supply chains globally, we believe Geltor is laying the foundations for the sustainable, resilient, protein supply chain of the future", said Costa Yiannoulis, CPT Capital Investment Director and Geltor Board Director.

Returning investors in this financing include Cultivian Sandbox, SOSV, and iSelect Fund, along with the investment arms of global ingredient technology companies GELITA and Archer Daniels Midland. New investors include Blue Horizon Ventures, RIT Capital Partners, Humboldt Fund, and Pegasus Tech Ventures. The Series B brings the total funding raised for Geltor to $116.3M to date.

About Geltor

Geltor is the biodesign company that has created the world's largest selection of designer proteins, with unprecedented biocompatibility, functionality and benefits for consumers. Geltor products are 100% animal-free, sustainably cultivated, and clinically demonstrated for high performance. Geltor was founded in 2015 by Alexander Lorestani and Nick Ouzounov and is based in San Leandro, California. For more information, visit www.geltor.com .

About CPT Capital

CPT Capital is the venture arm of a leading private family office. As a long-standing dedicated investor in the alternative protein space, they partner with the best and the boldest companies driving the food and materials technology revolution. From plant-based protein to recombinant proteins to cell-based meat, CPT Capital backs the most promising solutions from seed all the way through to sale or IPO and longer term.

SOURCE Geltor

Related Links

http://www.geltor.com


Graffiti in May 2018 is written on Runit Dome, in Enewetak Atoll of the Marshall Islands, urging the United States to take responsibility for the radioactive waste encapsulated inside the concrete structure. The U.S. government paid a contractor to remove the graffiti from the dome's surface. (Mika Makelainen / Yle)

One of Hawaii's high-profile politicians has dismissed a recent Department of Energy report concluding that a leaking U.S. nuclear waste repository in the Marshall Islands is safe for people there.

She called for the department to convene a more independent assessment of the waste site.

"I think it's time the Department of Energy relied on someone with fresh eyes to examine the situation," said U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, one of Hawaii's two Democratic House members, in a recent interview with The Times.

Gabbard, who gained national attention by launching what some called a quixotic campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, has been outspoken in Congress on behalf of the Marshall Islands, which the United States used as a testing site for scores of nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

She's pushed to reinstate Medicaid eligibility for people from the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau who are working and living in the United States but lack access to healthcare. She also was instrumental in requiring the Department of Energy to reexamine the safety of Runit Dome, a leaking nuclear waste repository in the Marshall Islands, as part of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act.

The U.S. government is responsible for this storage site and must ensure the protection of the people and our environment from the toxic waste stored there, Gabbard said in a news release announcing her amendment to the defense bill.

In calling for "fresh eyes" on the waste site, Gabbard was referring to Terry Hamilton, who has been the Energy Department's go-to contractor for nuclear issues in the Marshall Islands since 1990.

Hamilton was a contributor to the Department of Energy report, which concluded that while sea level rise could increase storm surge and lead to wave-induced over-wash of lower sections of the dome, there is not enough definitive data to determine how these events might impact on the environment.

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Neither Hamilton nor his employer, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, responded to a request for comment. But in an earlier email, Hamilton said the risk posed by the waste site is low "based on the argument that the total amount of fallout contamination contained in Runit Dome is dwarfed by residual amounts of fallout contamination deposited in marine sediments inside Enewetak lagoon."

He added that, though he did not write the document, he provided the "reports, publications and data" that informed the Energy Department's conclusions.

Published at the start of July, the assessment referenced 27 papers and reports, 25 of which were not peer-reviewed, including 13 by Hamilton. All were published by agencies within the U.S. government.

The lack of independent review frustrated both Gabbard and some Marshallese leaders.

"The Department of Energy is well aware of the public mistrust for their research in the Marshall Islands, but they have never demonstrated any interest in doing anything about it, i.e. including independent scientists in their studies or consulting with Marshallese communities for their knowledge on the environment," Rhea Christian-Moss wrote in an email to The Times.

"I'm not sure credibility is their goal," she said.

Runit Dome, located in the Marshall Islands' Enewetak Atoll, holds more than 3.1 million cubic feet  or 35 Olympic-sized swimming pools  of U.S.-produced radioactive soil and debris, including lethal amounts of plutonium, produced by 67 bomb tests between 1946 and 1958.

Spurred by "moral obligation," the U.S. government cleaned the atoll of irradiated debris and soil before handing the islands back to the Marshallese, in 1980. The Marshallese had been involuntarily removed during the 1940s.

The waste  metal and concrete debris, as well as irradiated topsoil  was dumped in an atomic bomb crater on Runit Island, and capped with concrete.

Last year, Hamilton told a small audience of Marshallese and American politicians and regulators that the dome was probably leaking, and that it was vulnerable to rising sea levels and increased storm surge.

Congress, in its approval of last year's defense bill, ordered the Energy Department to provide a written report on the risks that Runit Dome poses to the people, environment and wildlife of Enewetak lagoon. In addition, the report required an assessment of how climate change could affect the site.

U.S. Rep. Tusli Gabbard (D-Hawaii).

Gabbard described the report as "disappointing" and "flippant."

"I think they'd be reacting very differently if it was in their backyard," she said of the report's authors.

Gabbard said she would continue to press the issue with the Energy Department "and try to get answers that were not addressed in this report."

Although outspoken on the Marshall Islands and the U.S. radiation legacy there, Gabbard has often been publicly alone on the issue. Other key Democrats, including Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Jack Reed of Rhode Island, ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, declined to comment for this story.

Michael Gerrard, a law professor at Columbia University who has worked with the Marshallese government on climate change and nuclear justice issues, was also unsatisfied with the Department of Energy report.

"Standard practice is to subject scientific papers and reports to peer review by experts who are not affiliated with the papers' authors," said Gerrard when asked about the material the government used to justify its report. "Self-review and affirmation are not accepted."
The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk will reopen for guided tours on Wednesday, July 29.

The mansions first floor Period Rooms will be open Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays for two 45-minute tours at noon and 2 p.m. Tours will be limited to five visitors, with new safety guidelines in place, including social distancing and mask requirements. Those with a medical condition that prevents wearing a mask are asked to return when it is deemed safe for visitors not to wear a mask.

Tickets, at $10, must be reserved ahead of time at lockwoodmathewsmansion.com.

The Connecticut Humanities has awarded a $10,000 grant to support of the reopening. The grant funding comes from The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan.

Scott Wands, Manager of Grants, CT Humanities, said in a news release The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is not only a Victorian-era architectural masterpiece, but it also is one of the most important museums in the state for examining and interpreting life in Connecticut at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the 20th century. CT Humanities is pleased to provide CARES Act funding so that their work can continue during the unprecedented disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patsy R. Brescia, LMMM Chairman of the Board of Trustees said, We are truly grateful to Connecticut Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities for funding the implementation of our reopening plans. We thank these invaluable organizations as well as all our state and federal legislators for championing this cherished institution and its reopening efforts.

While opening its galleries to visitors, LMMM is planning to maintain online programming throughout the year to engage its virtual audience.
A young man from Sallins who is working in the film business is now planning a move to LA soon.

Jordan Lawlor, who has been living in Vancouver for the past four years, wants to base himself in the home of movies next year.

He said: I have been working in the film business in Canada since I moved here in 2016 and I have to say it has been very exciting.

So far I have worked for Disney, Warner Bros, Marvel Studios, Amazon Studios, ABC Studios and Netflix.

I am planning a move to Los Angeles in 2021 to further my career and climb the major film studio ladder.

Currently, I am working on a new show from horror writer/director Mike Flanagan who created The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix.

When he first moved to Vancouver he got a job with Amazon Studios before taking up a role with the Disney ABC Television Group.

He also had stints with ABC Studios and Marvel Studios before being recruited as a producers assistant with Netflix.

Jordan went to Scoil Mhuire Community School in Clane.

He later obtained a Certificate in Business and Information Technology at Pipers Hill College in Naas.

Jordan is now finalising his US visa for the move to LA. He said: I have formed relationships with some very interesting people that have been working in Hollywood for the past 30 years.

My position has given me a front row seat to what goes on in major studio productions from the moment we get a script to the finished product airing on television.

The industry in Ireland is definitely getting bigger.

Jordan also believes that his home country is very attractive to film makers for its unique scenery as well as tax incentives offered by the government.

He explained: "From talking to producers and directors in LA and Vancouver, there is a also a big desire to shoot in Ireland.

If you're from Kildare and living abroad, and would like to share your experience with our readers, please email editor@leinsterleader.ie
Doctors and nurses wear personal protective equipment (PPE) as they perform a procedure on a coronavirus COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit (I.C.U.) at Regional Medical Center on May 21, 2020 in San Jose, California. Frontline workers are continuing to care for coronavirus COVID-19 patients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Santa Clara county, where this hospital is located, has had the most deaths of any Northern California county, and the earliest known COVID-19 related deaths in the United States.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A man spent 64 days at a California hospital where he suffered major complications from the novel coronavirus and underwent amputation, KTLA reported.

Gregg Garfield became the first coronavirus patient to be treated at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, after contracting the virus in February.

When he was released from the hospital in May, he'd left without any fingers on his right hand and most were gone on his left.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A man spent 64 days in a California hospital for coronavirus, suffering major complications and undergoing amputation.

Gregg Garfield was treated at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California after he caught the virus during a ski trip in Italy in February, KTLA reported. He was the first patient to be treated with coronavirus at that hospital, according to the report.

Garfield's symptoms quickly worsened and he was placed on a ventilator for about a month, the report said. Doctors told him he had a 1% chance to live, according to KTLA.

Related: Some COVID-19 survivors are losing the ability to walk

Garfield suffered complications from the virus including "MRSA, sepsis, kidney failure, liver failure, pulmonary embolism, burst lungs," he told the outlet. Additionally, all the fingers on his right hand and most on his left were amputated.

Garfield, who was released from the hospital and returned home on May 8, said that his hands "are never going to be the same," KTLA reported.

"I don't have fingers anymore. This can happen to you," he added.

Dr. David Kulber of Cedars Sinai Medical Center located in Los Angeles told KTLA that his fingers were amputated due to "how the virus impacts patients' blood flow."

"COVID has effects on the endovascular blood stream, so it actually affects the blood flow," Kulber told the outlet. "That's why some young people have had strokes, and that's why anticoagulation  putting patients on blood thinners  now has been a standard care for COVID patients."

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Health officials previously discovered that many coronavirus patients have symptoms of excessive blood clotting. As Business Insider's Holly Secon previously reported, blood-vessel-related complications have manifested in coronavirus patients' legs, lungs, hearts, brains, and skin. And while doctors still aren't sure how or why the virus triggers excessive clotting, they're looking to treat these symptoms with blood-thinners and clot-busting drugs.

Surgeons are creating prosthetics for Garfield's fingers and it will function "like a bionic hand," Kulber told KTLA. The report says that the process will require at least six operations.

Read the original article on Insider
New Delhi, July 27 : Nearly a month after banning 59 Chinese apps, the Indian government has barred 47 more Chinese apps from operating in the country, which were largely clones of the previously banned apps, sources said.

The list of the concerned mobile applications will be published soon.

An official source told IANS said that the latest apps to be banned were found to be cloning the previously banned apps.

The development comes days after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) directed the 59 banned apps to strictly adhere to the orders or face serious action in case of violation.

The Ministry has written to all the companies concerned and said that making the apps available, directly or indirectly, would violate IT Act and other laws.

On June 29 the government had last month banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat and UC Browser and Xiaomi's Mi Community over national security concerns amid the border tussle in Ladakh which led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley clash with Chinese PLA troops.

"These measures have been undertaken since there is credible information that these apps are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order," MeitY's statement had said.

According to the ministry, the move would safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile users.

Other Chinese apps in the banned list were Club Factory, SHAREit, Likee, Mi Video Call (Xiaomi), Weibo, Baidu, BIGO LIVE and more.
A Texas mother found dead in her SUV with her two young daughters last week likely died of an overdose before her children succumbed to heat stroke, reports suggest.

The bodies of Natalie Chambers, 31, and her daughters Isabel, 4, and Elise, 2, were tragically found by police just after 10am last Thursday inside a blue 2008 Ford Escape in Farmers Branch, Dallas.

They had last been seen alive around 8am Wednesday when they left their home in Forney to attend a park playdate with friend in Grapevine, but failed to show.

Family and friends told InForney that they were immediately worried about Chamber's disappearance because of her history with drug and alcohol abuse.

A family member, who wished not to be identified, told the outlet she also struggled with bouts of depression which had been exacerbated recently by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and caused her to relapse.

Natalie Chambers (above), 30, and her daughters Isabel (right), 4, and Elise (left), 2, were tragically found dead by police on Thursday morning

They were found inside a blue 2008 Ford Escape in a Farmers Branch parking lot just after 10am on Thursday

Chambers and her girls had last been seen alive at around 8am on Wednesday when they left their home in Forney to attend a park playdate with friend in Grapevine, but failed to show

'Natalie had struggled in the past but had gotten some help and was an amazing mom. Recently, during COVID she had become more depressed and had obviously relapsed,' the family member said.

'We are all devastated that the girls had to witness such a tragedy and suffer themselves,' the source continued.

Chambers' family first filed a missing persons report with Kauffman County Sheriff's Office at 2:30pm Wednesday after several calls to her cell phone went unanswered.

The case did not meet the qualifications for an Amber alert according to authorities.

Friends, family and law enforcement then spent Wednesday night into Thursday morning searching frantically for Chambers and her children.

Investigators pinged Chamber's cellphone, which traced to the intersection of I-635 and Midway Road near the Dallas and Farmers Branch city limits.

Her car was later found in the area just after 10am on Thursday morning in a parking lot near Freed's Furniture, which is situated close to the highway. Chambers and her two children were all found dead.

Family and friends said that they were immediately worried about Chamber's disappearance because of her history with drug and alcohol abuse.

Posts to Chambers' Facebook page indicate that she married Corey Chambers, 37, in 2017. It's unclear if the couple were still together at the time of her death

The Farmers Branch Police Department is investigating the deaths and awaiting autopsy results

Surveillance footage obtained by investigators shows Chambers' vehicle pull into the parking lot and switch her engine off just after 9am Wednesday morning.

Police say no one approached or exited the vehicle until it was found by the Farmers Branch Police Department more than 24 hours later.

Temperatures in the area reached a sweltering 93 degrees across Wednesday afternoon, Nation Weather Service forecasts indicate.

'Our officers responded to the location, checked the area, and actually located the vehicle in the 4300 block of LBJ freeway,' Detective Steven Rutherford told DailyMail.com

'Upon contacting the occupants of the vehicle, the officers observed there were three occupants inside the vehicle and the tragic discovery was made that all three occupants of the vehicle were deceased.'

Law enforcement sources told InForney that there were no apparent signs of foul play, no suspect is being sought and that evidence collected at the scene indicated an apparent overdose of an undisclosed substance.

Rutherford described the discovery of the three bodies as 'devastating', adding that the tragic scene was difficult for officers to contend with emotionally.

This morning's very, very tragic events where we've lost three precious lives ... officers have to respond to that situation. That's a lot. That's a lot to see that,' he said.

'But we do have a job to do. You do your job and then you have to move forward. And we'll check on our guys and make sure everybody's OK.'

It's currently clear how long after their mother that little Isabel and Elise tragically died.

Investigators are working to subpoena cell records to yield any additional information that may help to explain the reason for their disappearance and deaths

Detective Rutherford described the discovery of the three bodies as 'devastating', adding that the tragic scene was difficult for officers to contend with emotionally

The Farmers Branch PD and KCSO investigators have declined to comment on the causes of death, citing an official autopsy report from the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office due later this week.

In a statement, Chambers' sister, Jessica Purcell, remembered her sister as 'hilarious and charismatic.

'She fiercely loved her girls and was an inspirational mother. I always used to tell her I'm glad she did it (motherhood) first so I can steal parenting tips from her,' Purcell told CBS Dallas.

'Izabel and Elise were happy and so very smart and witty. Izabel got that her mom's sassiness and Elise got her humor. They were beautiful and perfect. Our hearts are completely shattered.'

Posts to Chambers' Facebook page indicate that she married Corey Chambers, 37, in 2017. It's unclear if they couple were still together at the time of her death.

A caption displayed underneath her profile picture reads: 'Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.'
A massive house party in Brampton by a bunch of yahoos on the weekend risks fuelling COVID-19 and setting back efforts to reopen more businesses in Peel Region with key decisions being made this week on moving to stage three, Premier Doug Ford says.

Ive never seen anything like it. Youd think the cheese slipped off the cracker with these people, Ford told reporters Monday, furious at the party and encouraging law enforcement officials to take a dim view of the 200-person affair that was broken up by police on Saturday night.

The full extent of the law needs to be thrown at these people, he added, citing two other parties that were far in excess of the 10 people allowed at public gatherings permitted in stage two.

Weve got a bunch of jokers out there.

The organizer of the massive party was issued a fine of $880 but a justice of the peace will considering further action, with Ford urging a fine of $100,000 given the extensive arrangements made for the party.

If you have the money to pay for security, you have the money for valet parking, you have the money to extend your fenceguess what? You have the $100,000 fine.

Decisions on moving Peel, Toronto and Windsor-Essex  where outbreaks among farm workers have been a problem for weeks  to wider stage three reopenings enjoyed in the rest of the province were postponed until Wednesday while health authorities take an extra couple of days to consider the number of new cases.

Stage three includes allowing bars and restaurants to serve patrons indoors, as well as allowing gyms and movie theatres to open.

With the province down to 119 new cases Monday, Health Minister Christine Elliott said the Brampton party has thrown a wrench into the decision-making process on moving to stage three because anyone infected likely wont be showing symptoms by Tuesday night when public health officials will make the call.

When something like this happens it sets everything back, she warned.

Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontarios associate medical officer of health, said experts are looking at the bigger picture in terms of the numbers but the Brampton party will be a factor.

Ford said police should have ticketed everyone at the party and suggested stronger enforcement measures are needed to keep a lid on such activities.

The 119 new cases were down from levels over the weekend as the province passed a milestone by reaching the two million mark in testing for the highly infectious virus that arrived in late January.

The number of new infections follows 137 new cases reported Sunday, 138 on Saturday and 195 on Friday.

Elliott said people under age 40 continue to be the majority of new cases, with 76 people in that age category on Monday. Public health authorities have repeatedly warned recently that young adults are not taking enough precautions to protect themselves.

Please follow public health measures so we can get back to the new normal, she added.

Yaffe said older adults are also using poor judgment.

Weve had people in their 50s who had private parties at their cottage, for example, even while they were symptomatic.

The largest number of active cases of COVID-19 is in people in their 20s, with 407 infections, compared with 283 people in their 30s and 227 under the age of 19.

Locally, 30 of the provinces 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 16 of them reporting no new cases, Elliott said on Twitter.

The hot spots for new infections remain Windsor-Essex, where outbreaks among farm workers have proven a recurring problem, with 40, and Ottawa with 28, according to Ministry of Health figures as of reports from health units at 4 p.m. Sunday.

With the farm outbreaks mostly in the Kingsville and Leamington areas south of Windsor on the shores of Lake Erie, Yaffe said one of the options is leaving the two towns in stage two while the rest of Essex County moves ahead to stage three. More on-farm testing will resume later this week.

For the under-40 set, 59 new cases were in the 20-39 age group and 17 were under the age of 19. Another 31 people in the 40-59 age category caught the virus along with 12 aged 60 to 79.

The Ministry of Health reported one more death and 10 more cases of COVID-19 in workers at nursing homes, where eight staff and almost 1,800 residents have died after the virus spread like wildfire through the close confines starting in April.

A Star compilation of data from health units as of 5 p.m. Monday found 150 confirmed and probable cases in the previous 24 hours, raising Ontarios total to 40,873 cases since January. There was one more death in the same time period for a total of 2,799.
The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and the leader of National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah has said that he will not contest any assembly election while the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir is not restored.

Omar Abdullah, for Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and, the leader of National Conference (NC) has said that he will not contest any elections while Jammu and Kashmir remains a Union Territory. Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A completes one year on August 5, 2020. Omar was released from house arrest in the month of March. He was detained under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978 (PSA) when the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked.

In a column written by Omar Abdullah in a leading news portal, he expressed that he is sure that he will not be contesting any Assembly elections while J&K is a Union Territory. He wrote that having been a member of the most empowered Assembly in the land and that, too, as the leader of that assembly for six years, he simply cannot and will not be a member of a House that has been disempowered the way theirs has. According to Omar Abdullah, he fails to understand till date the requirement of this move.

Centre had detained some politicians including Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah, and Omar Abdullah, the three former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir. Centre kept these politicians in house arrest after it abrogated the two articles from the constitution of India that provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Omar Abdullah has recently been freed from his detention.

Also read: Another digital strike by India: India likely to ban 47 other Chinese apps

Also read: Rajasthan crisis: Governor seeks clarification from state govt over convening assembly session

Abdullah wrote that with almost all of his senior colleagues still detained in their homes, the NC is yet to meet to decide its next political course of action and he will work diligently to strengthen the party, carry forward its agenda and continue to represent the aspirations of the people while they fight against the injustices heaped on J&K in the last one year.

Omar further expressed how his party does not agree with what has been done to J&K, nor do they affirm what has been done. He said that they shall resist this and their opposition will continue in the most eminent court in the land in the form of the legal challenge. He concluded on the note that he has forever believed in democracy and peaceful opposition.

Also read: Rafale jets take off from France to join IAF fleet in Ambala

For all the latest National News, download NewsX App
The Jihadists: Who They Were and Why They Did It: a compelling narrative that accounts the events that revolve around the Jihadists, their reason for their actions, their true objectives, and other things that involve the two separate religions. The Jihadists: Who They Were and Why They Did It is the creation of published author Asantof, an excellent writer of amazing creations.

Asantof shares, The biblical holy warwhat is holy war in the Old Testament? Holy war was a particular kind of warfare in a particular time in Israels history where God fights fights for Israel to secure his land for his peoples that his redemptive plan might come to pass (Deut. 2:34, 7:35, 20:1618; Josh. 6, 11:1220; 1 Samuel 15), as compared to the Jihad in Islam as an ongoing war or struggle in the name of God, which does not match the Old Testament holy war. The Old Testament does not present a religious military strategy for Israel to fight for God. God does not need military help. God fighting for Israel was spiritually driven at that point in time.

As a copycat, Prophet Muhammad instituted this in the Quran as godly to fight the infidels and subdue them to God. Gone were the days when people were conquered and captured in wars as idol worshippers by the Prophet Muhammad and his raiders and indoctrinated them into Islam. These wars were fought in a particular time and are neither to be continued by any religious organization as a justification for any people in the present world.

I was born into Christianity, but I grew up in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood, where we all mingled and did things together. Muslim friends are invited to Christian churches in festive days like Christmas and Easter days for jollifications, and Muslim friends recompensed by requesting their neighbors to Ramadan festivals periodically with no infringement. I loved to stand by the Muslim pray grounds, the mosques, and listen to the chants and hymns or mood music, and they are revivifying and outlandish, and you could feel that the worship of God is enjoyable. But what disturbs me most of all is the personal characteristics of the Muslim men to marry Christian women frequently, but the Muslims make it hard for a Christian man to marry a Muslim woman. The Christian man must denounced his Christian faith, take a Muslim name, and must be economically sound or have status in the community. These uneven-handed marriage did not rest well with those affected. They grumbled, but they did not complain or worry to a bitter end. For a Christian grumbling is superficial and leaves no indelible mark on his brain or character for his eternal salvation and is impervious to his sanity. Some Muslims use intimidation and violence to kidnap the women they want as the Muslims in Darfur in southern Sudan, and the Bokor Harem are kidnapping young school girls. My elder brother, a British-trained barrister, married a Muslim woman, and they have four children. Though he converted to Islam, after some years he reconverted to Christianity again because of some texts he came across in the Quran at variance with the Christian Bible in the New Testament that talks about atonement, amendment, compromise, and forgiveness. All of these are those that the radical Muslims are in opposition to and adhere to relentlessly.

This and the Jihad bother me also, and I talk to my Muslim friends that we all should pray for a reformation to take place. I was horrified and disturbed to witness and also heard the horrible things certain Muslims are doing to their own people and make them refugees in other countries. The radical Muslims are doing this havoc to non-Muslims around the world in the name of Allah. It appears to be a turmoil of a religious revolution of a political undertone. A political obedience and not of Gods with a free thought.

Osama and his henchmen used intimidation and the amusing to explain the eternal salvation and the Paradise. It is a revolution of political ideology visualized to rule the entire world with Islam, the utopia envisioned of the old Islam against the new enlightenment. This was rooted in the ancient Islamic dogmas and established creeds. People who conduct jihads do not go to Paradise, but to hell. Paradise is for the pristine, and that the adamant followers of Jihad ideology must be mindful. Vengeance belongs to God, and redemption belongs to humans.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Asantofs new book is a potent read that gives the readers clarity through relevant knowledge that will widen their perspectives of the truths and history.

View a synopsis of The Jihadists: Who They Were and Why They Did It on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase The Jihadists: Who They Were and Why They Did It at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about The Jihadists: Who They Were and Why They Did It, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Morgan, who is identified as Vanessa Morgan Mziray in the divorce citation, announced Friday she is due to give birth to a son in January. She did not mention Kopech, 24, in her announcement, and he appeared to be absent from the photos and video of her gender reveal celebration she posted on Instagram. A rep for Morgan said Kopech is the father but declined to comment further. Attempts to reach Kopech were unsuccessful.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 27, 2020 / Cheapquotesautoinsurance.com (http://cheapquotesautoinsurance.com) has released a new blog post that explains what events are covered by comprehensive car insurance.

For more info and free car insurance quotes, visit http://cheapquotesautoinsurance.com/events-covered-by-comprehensive-auto-insurance

Comprehensive auto insurance is included in the full coverage option. The car owner or lender decides if this policy should be bought or not. Understand the basics of this policy and get free car insurance quotes from http://cheapquotesautoinsurance.com/

Comprehensive car insurance covers damage caused by "acts of God" . This policy was designed to cover damage not related to a collision. This includes damage caused by extreme weather phenomena, like hurricanes, snowstorms, floods, fires, landslides, earthquakes, etc. The recent Michael and Florence hurricanes and California wildfires are the perfect examples of events covered by comprehensive insurance.

Comprehensive car insurance covers damage caused by vandalism or during riots . In some parts of the country, riots were on a daily basis. Things got better in recent years, but still, there are plenty of rioters and vandals roaming freely across the United States. Comprehensive insurance will reimburse the policyholder if the vehicle is damaged or vandalized.

Comprehensive insurance covers car theft . This is the only policy that covers a theft scenario. If the car is stolen, then the owners must immediately report to the police and insurance company. It is important to remember that the companies will reimburse the owner for the Actual Cash Value of the car. The ACV is the value of the car at the moment it was stolen. A car's value depreciates over time from the moment it was bought.

Comprehensive, just like collision coverage, involves paying deductibles first . The policyholder will have to set the value of the deductibles when buying the policy. This is the amount of money that the insured has to pay before the insurance company starts solving the claim. A high deductible will lower the premiums. The value of deductibles varies between $250 and $1500 +.

Story continues

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas  South Texas braced for flooding Sunday after Hanna roared ashore as a hurricane the day before, bringing winds that lashed the Gulf Coast with rain and storm surge to a part of the country trying to cope with a spike in cases of the coronavirus.

The first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic cyclone season made landfall twice as a Category 1 storm on Saturday afternoon within the span of little over an hour. The first landfall happened at around 5 p.m. about 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of Port Mansfield, which is about 130 miles (209 km) south of Corpus Christi. The second landfall took place nearby in eastern Kenedy County. Hanna came ashore with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (145 kph).

Forecasters downgraded Hanna to a tropical storm early Sunday. The storm had maximum sustained winds at 60 mph (95 kph), the National Hurricane Center said in a 4 a.m. advisory.

Many parts of Texas, including areas near where Hanna came ashore, have been dealing with a surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, but local officials said they were prepared for whatever the storm might bring.

Chris Birchfield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Brownsville, said residents needed to remain alert. Hannas winds weakened, but the storms real threat remained heavy rainfall.

Were not even close to over at this point, Birchfield said. Were still expecting catastrophic flooding.

Forecasters said Hanna could bring 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain through Sunday night  with isolated totals of 18 inches (46 centimeters)  in addition to coastal swells that could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Some areas in South Texas had already reported receiving up to 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain, including Cameron County, which borders Mexico and where Brownsville is located. Rainfall totals were expected to rise throughout the evening and into Sunday.

Its been all day, Melissa Elizardi, a spokeswoman for Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, said of the rainfall.

In a tweet, President Donald Trump said his administration was monitoring Hanna, along with Hurricane Douglas, which was heading toward Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.

Sherry Boehme, who lives in a condo along the beach in Corpus Christi, said the storms approach had increased the anxiety she has felt during the pandemic. The 67-year-old has mostly stayed at home because of health issues related to chronic lung disease.

Its almost like a double whammy to us, Boehme said Saturday by phone. I think its made a lot of people nervous.  Well get through it. Everybody is good and strong and sticks together.

Hanna came nearly three years after Hurricane Harvey made landfall northeast of Corpus Christi. Hanna was not expected to be as destructive as Harvey, which killed 68 people and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage in Texas.

First responders in Corpus Christi proactively placed barricades near intersections to have them ready to go if streets began to flood, Mayor Joe McComb said. More than 43,700 people throughout South Texas, including Corpus Christi, Harlingen and Brownsville, were without power Saturday evening, according to AEP Texas.

The U.S. Coast Guard was called to help with the rescue of a couple on a sailboat that was taking on water Saturday evening in a harbor near Corpus Christi, spokesperson Paige Hause said. A swiftwater rescue team assisted in getting the couple back to land without injuries.

Corpus Christi is in Nueces County, where health officials made headlines when they revealed that 60 infants tested positive for COVID-19 from July 1 to July 16.

Farther south in Cameron County, more than 300 confirmed new cases have been reported almost daily for the past two weeks, according to state health figures. The past week has also been the countys deadliest of the pandemic.

Coastal states scrambled this spring to adjust emergency hurricane plans to account for the virus, and Hanna loomed as the first big test.

South Texas officials plans for any possible rescues, shelters and monitoring of the storm will have the pandemic in mind and incorporate social distancing guidelines and mask wearing. Cameron County planned to open at least three evacuation shelters. Other counties and cities throughout South Texas had also opened shelters, with many requiring face masks.

Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday that some sheltering would take place in hotel rooms so people could be separated.

We cannot allow this hurricane to lead to a more catastrophically deadly event by stoking additional spread of COVID-19 that could lead to fatalities, Abbott said.

Various resources and personnel to respond to the storm were on standby across the state, including search-and-rescue teams and aircraft.

Abbott said he has issued a disaster declaration for 32 counties in Texas and had asked the federal government to approve a similar declaration.

Tornadoes were also possible overnight Saturday into Sunday for parts of the lower to middle Texas coastal plain. A tropical storm warning was in effect Sunday morning from Barra el Mezquital in Mexico to Baffin Bay, Texas. Earlier warnings and watches were discontinued, forecasters said.

Mexicos northeasternmost states, coastal Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon just to its west, also took precautions ahead of the storms arrival. Tamaulipas disinfected shelters to try to avoid spreading COVID-19, the states governor, Francisco Cabeza de Vaca, tweeted. Meanwhile, the civil protection department was sending rescue boats and other equipment to northern Nuevo Leon because heavy rains were expected.

David Leon, the national director of the civil protection department, told Milenio TV on Saturday that as many as 800 shelters could be activated in the parts of Mexico that could be affected by Hanna.

In the Mexican city of Matamoros, which is in Tamaulipas and across the border from Brownsville, Texas, volunteers were keeping a close eye on Hanna, worried that the storm could affect a makeshift migrant camp near the Rio Grande where about 1,300 asylum seekers, including newborn babies and elderly residents, have been waiting under the U.S. immigration policy informally known as Remain in Mexico.

Meanwhile, Douglas was expected to be near the main Hawaiian Islands late Saturday night and will move over parts of the state Sunday and Monday. A hurricane warning was in effect for Oahu County.

Lozano reported from Houston. Associated Press writer Maria Verza in Mexico City and Desiree Seals in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Healthcare workers in the FCT and other parts of the country have continually complained of inadequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needed to actively fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Healthcare workers are vulnerable to the virus as they are first responders to patients.

As of June 2, about 812 health workers have already tested positive for COVID-19 in Nigeria, the head of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Chikwe Ihekweazu said.

A recent data released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also pegged the number of infected health workers in Africa at 10,000 at the last count. Many health centres were found to lack the infrastructure necessary to implement key infection prevention measures or to prevent overcrowding.

Doctors under the aegis National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had earlier downed tools over a dearth of PPE in hospitals, among several other reasons.

Nigerias health minister, Osagie Ehanire, however, said the claim by doctors that there were inadequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in hospitals was incorrect.

As of July 27, Nigeria has recorded 40,532 cases of COVID-19, out of which 17,374 people have been discharged after recovering from the virus, while 858 have died.

It is, however, uncertain the number of health workers among the recorded cases as their identities are not disclosed officially. Only persons who test positive or their associates are allowed to disclose such identities.

PPEs, training

In a bid to address these challenges, the Rotary Club of Abuja Federal and JHPIEGO, an affiliate of John Hopkins University, had a one-day skills training for healthcare workers on Maternal and Neonatal Resuscitation, Infection, Prevention and Control in the COVID-19 era.

PPEs such as face shields, resuscitation kit, and respiratory timer were also distributed to participants drawn from 20 PHCs across Abuja communities which included; Sauka, Kuchingoro, Lugbe, Tunga-Maje and Bwari.

Rotary, an international humanitarian organisation, is one of Nigerias development partners in the health sector.

The President, Rotary Club Abuja Federal, Patrick Ezie, said the training was targeted at providing the much-needed technical support to 20 PHCs in the FCT.

This, he said, will broaden their capacities to provide better services while protecting themselves, patients and the community members from being infected with COVID-19.

According to him, the training was premeditated on a needs assessment carried out by the Rotary Club, which revealed the many struggles confronting PHCs, especially in the COVID era.

We are also building capacity of these healthcare workers to understand how to also isolate COVID-19 patients for transport to avoid the patient infecting people at the health care centre and community before referral to COVID-19 management centres.

We thought it will be nice to add our own quota to this fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that we get experts to provide technical training to 20 PHCs, he said.

Mr Ezie also noted the need for establishment of more PHCs in Abuja communities. You cannot isolate a COVID-19 patient where there is no health care structure.

Maternal mortality

A representative from JHPIEGO, Oluwatobi Adebayo, expressed worry over the high rate of maternal mortality and low acceptance of modern contraceptive method and usage by women in the country.

He said it is important to pay close attention to the welfare of women and children, especially the first one minute of a childs life, which he described as the most crucial.

Similarly, the Acting Executive Secretary, FCT Primary Health Care Board, Ndaeyo Iwot, said Rotary was doing a lot towards achieving governments goal in the fight against maternal and neonatal mortality in the country.

He urged the federal and state governments to declare a state of emergency on maternal and under five mortality.

Mr Iwot said the FCT was already putting mechanisms in place to do such, in order to ensure mothers, new born and children under the age of five were protected from preventable deaths.
Tijuana, Mexico -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/27/2020 -- Samaritan Medical & Dental Group is everything but fancy and expensive. Dental care can be quite taxing in the USA and without insurance, it could take a toll on the credit cards and savings. There are many patients who prefer to travel to Tijuana since the dental services are far more affordable than any given clinic in their country. Here at Samaritan Dental, patients can find quality dental care at a fraction of what they pay in their home country.



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German Chancellor Angela Merkel, wearing a protective face mask, gestures during an EU. Photo: John Thys/AFP via Getty Images

Even before her solemn, competent handling of the coronavirus crisis in Germany boosted chancellor Angela Merkels approval ratings at home to new highs, the countrys long-time leader topped a key global leadership ranking for the third year in a row.

Longtime German chancellor Angela Merkel, loved or hated, has been one of the most predictable leaders in highly uncertain times in both Europe and the global order, Gallup editor-in-chief Mohamed Younis said.

Gallups Rating World Leaders 2020 Report said global approval for Germany came in at 44%. The US took second place, with just 33% of those polled expressing approval of the countrys leadership under president Donald Trump.

The US came in a tick ahead of China and Russia, whose leadership-approval ratings were 32% and 30% respectively.

Halfway through 2020, both the United States and Chinas responses to the coronavirus pandemic have been criticised from East to West, Younis said in the report. The image of US leadership in particular could seriously suffer as the globe watches US states and the federal government struggle to get infection rates under control. 

The poll found Trumps leadership to be held in particularly low regard in Australia, with 67% disapproving of him. In Europe as a whole, 61% disapproved of the US leadership, but zooming in on Germany, this percentage drops to 78%.

Germans, who were by-and-large fans of former president Barack Obama, have been found to be more sceptical of Trump. His constant verbal attacks on Germany and Merkel over issues such as her handling of the refugee crisis, NATO contributions, and the new gas pipeline between Russia and Germany have not endeared the US president to Germans.

In December 2019, a YouGov survey of 2,000 German people commissioned by the German Press Agency found that Trump is regarded as a greater threat to world peace than Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong Un.

The latest Gallup leadership poll, which surveys 1,000 people in each one of 135 countries, was carried out in 2019, before the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Story continues

Some world leaders have been praised for their coronavirus crisis management, Merkel among them, as well as New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Irelands Leo Varadkar to name two more, while other leaders have blundered and blustered as the virus spread rapidly in their countries.

Merkel, currently in her final term and 15th year in power, has showed no signs of slowing down as she turns into the last lap.

With coronavirus and Brexit dominating the agenda during Germanys six-month presidency of the European Council, Merkel cant relax just yet.

READ MORE: Brexit deal and coronavirus recovery dominate Germany's EU presidency

The 66-year-old leader has repeatedly stressed about the importance of doing whatever it takes to hold Europe together during and after the coronavirus crisis, teaming up with French leader Emmanuel Macron to get EU leaders to agree on a 750bn (685.3bn, $881.8bn) coronavirus recovery package that includes joint debt for the bloc.

After a marathon four-day meeting in Brussels, leaders of 27 EU countries finally reached consensus on the financial aid last week. Merkels famous negotiating skills were praised by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who hailed the deal as a historic step we can be proud of and thanked Merkel for steering the talks towards a solution.

Listen to the latest podcast from Yahoo Finance UK
Yunique Smith, 27, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of marijuana after Disney World security guards allegedly found the items in her baby's diaper bag while she and her family were trying to enter Epcot Center on July 18

A Georgia woman was arrested and charged after Disney World security guards at Epcot Center found two handguns and marijuana inside her child's diaper bag.

Yunique Smith, 27, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis on July 18 at about 6.40pm.

Her arrest report stated that Smith was stopped while she was going through Epcot's security check line, along with an adult male, their seven-year-old son and seven-month-old daughter, Bay News 9 reported.

A 9mm semi-automatic handgun was allegedly found in 'plain view' along with the plastic bag containing the marijuana at that time.

Disney World prohibits all firearms - concealed or otherwise - from bringing guns into their theme parks.

An Orange County deputy was called to the scene and Smith, the man and their two children were escorted to a back office at the theme park.

According to the arrest report, a second Orange County deputy, who was working an off-duty shift at Epcot that day, opened the diaper bag and saw the handgun and plastic gallon-size bag of 'what appeared to be cannabis.'

At some point, the man Smith was with said he wanted to change their baby's diaper.

Smith was stopped at Epcot Center's entrance security checkpoint (pictured in 2016), along with a man and their seven-year-old son and seven-month-old daughter

Disney bans all weapons from its theme parks, including Epcot (in 2003), and hotel properties

'Since the firearm and the cannabis was still inside of the bag, I searched the diaper bag for additional illegal items,' one of the deputies wrote in the arrest report, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

That was when police allegedly found a second handgun - a .45-caliber - in the bottom of the diaper bag.

Police said that Smith admitted the guns and the 'weed' in the diaper bag belonged to her.

The plastic bag was later said to have contained less than 20 grams of marijuana, making it a misdemeanor offense.

Authorities said that Smith does not have a concealed weapon permit.

In addition to banning weapons at the theme parks themselves, Disney World policy also bans guns, ammunition, knives and 'weapons of any kind' at their hotels and resorts.

Smith was arrested and taken to Orange County Jail and released two days later, on July 20.

She is expected to be arraigned on August 19 on the drug and concealed weapon charges - both misdemeanors.

Disney World began a phased reopening of its theme parks with heightened coronavirus safety measures - including mandatory mask-wearing - in place on July 11. Epcot Center reopened for park goers on July 15.


Quarterly Activities Report

Ballarat, July 27, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - White Rock Minerals Ltd's ( ASX:WRM ) Exploration activities during the Quarter at the Company's 100% owned Last Chance gold target, located in the Tintina Gold Province of central Alaska, has yielded highly encouraging results:-- A sample of 77.5g/t gold and another of 4,580g/t (147 ozs/t) silver in rock chips.- Up to 7.1g/t gold in soil samples.- Gold-arsenic-antimony anomalism defined by systematic soil sampling has revealed an enormous system extending for over 6km strike east-west and up to 1.2km wide- A first phase diamond drilling program is scheduled to commence prior to 1 August, 2020. The first drill holes will target the broadest and most developed zones of gold and pathfinder geochemical anomalism with the aim of testing the high grade clusters and developing a better understanding of the lithologic and structural controls of the hydrothermal system.- The Tintina Gold Province is host to giant gold deposits including Donlin Creek (45 Moz Au), Pogo (10 Moz Au) and Fort Knox (13.5 Moz Au).- During the Quarter, White Rock moved to secure a strategic regional tenement position surrounding the Company's Last Chance Gold Target including readily apparent strike extensions of the gold system. An additional 375 mining claims covering 240km2 (93 square miles) were staked. White Rock's Red Mountain project now comprises 1,298 mining claims over 798km2 (308 square miles).- Dr. Quinton Hennigh was appointed as Technical Advisor to assist with the Company's exploration program in Alaska and its investor relations presence in North America.- Completion of a $15.85 million capital raise subsequent to the end of the Quarter sees the Company well-funded to pursue a successful discovery.*To view the report, please visit:About White Rock Minerals Ltd

White Rock Minerals Ltd (ASX:WRM) (OTCMKTS:WRMCF) is a diversified explorer and near-stage producer, headquartered in Ballarat, Victoria. The Company's flagship exploration project is Red Mountain in central Alaska. At Red Mountain, there are already two high grade zinc - silver - gold - lead VMS deposits, with an Inferred Mineral Resource of 9.1 million tonnes @ 609g/t AgEq / 13% ZnEq. The Company is also exploring its recently discovered large intrusion related gold anomaly at Last Chance, also located in the Tintina gold belt of Alaska, home to multi-million gold ounce deposits like Pogo, Fort Knox and the Donlin Project. The Company also has the Mt Carrington project, located near Drake, in Northern NSW, which is a near-production precious metals asset with a resource of 341,000 ounces of gold and 23.2 million ounces of silver on an approved mining lease, and with a Gold First PFS and JORC Reserve.
Poland intends to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention.

The Ministry of Justice will make an official request to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy to start the relevant process, said the Minister of Justice of Poland Zbigniew Ziobro.

According to him, the Istanbul Convention contains harmful ideological provisions, Radio Poland reported.

The Istanbul Convention is an international agreement of the Council of Europe against violence against women and domestic violence. Poland's intention to withdraw from the agreement has already been criticized by the Council of Europe. The organization's press secretary, Marija Peichinovic-Buric, called this step very regrettable.
Animals were subjected to a string of brutal attacks at a farm that sells goats milk to Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose and other supermarkets, footage from hidden cameras has revealed.

Goats were seen on video being punched, kicked, hit with a pole and slammed onto their backs at a plant that supplies St Helens Farm, in east Yorkshire.

The animals were also filmed crying in pain as they were held by their necks, had their ears tagged or their tails twisted.

Goat milk, yoghurts, cheese and ice cream sold by the St Helens Farm brand are the best-known goat milk products in the UK and are stocked by major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose and Ocado. Demand has risen amid a switch away from cows milk in recent years.

Tesco immediately suspended the brand when shown the footage by The Independent. Waitrose and Booths, which has grocery stores around the north of England, followed suit.

About an hours worth of video was passed to the Surge animal rights group, which then showed it to a vet and to lawyers at Advocates for Animals, who it said highlighted many serious issues.

People filming using secret cameras told Surge that at one supply farm, they saw goats being:

Kicked and punched

Hit with a pole

Held by the throat

Having their tails twisted

Shoved and roughly handled

Left lame and struggling to stand or walk after the rough handling

Goats were also slammed onto their backs on a conveyor belt before their hooves were roughly trimmed, the video showed.

One was seen being dragged by one leg along the ground while struggling.

Animal suffering was also prolonged when injuries went untreated, the witnesses said after reviewing the footage.

Recommended Retailers pledge to ban mohair fabric over mutilated goat footage

The people behind the footage also reported seeing workers letting goats fall off an operating bed and become stuck between fences. In one case, a worker played the drums on a goats stomach after a procedure. The footage also shows farm employees dragging dead animals away in front of live ones, and Surge was told that dead and dying animals had been seen around the farm.

St Helens, which is a brand rather than a single farm, also buys goats milk from other farms in Yorkshire and the midlands. A spokesperson confirmed the footage was taken at one of St Helens supply farms, and as soon as the company was alerted by The Independent to the treatment of the animals, it cut off the supplier.

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 states animals, including farm animals, must be protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease.

Ed Winters, the co-founder and director of Surge, said: St Helens is the most prominent and well-known goat company in the UK. They are regarded as being the best of the best when it comes to goat farming. But that means nothing to the animals.

Animals were left struggling to walk because of their painful injuries (Surge)

Goats are sensitive, curious and gentle animals, but the animal-farming industries treat them as commodities they can exploit for profit.

St Helens say on their website the milk is a reward for looking after the goats and that their staff have a genuine interest and love for the animals. But it is obvious that the opposite is true at one of their supplying farms.

He added: These animals are thrown around and dragged and when theyre no longer producing enough milk to be considered profitable, theyre killed.

Surge says about 50,000 mostly male dairy kids are slaughtered each year.

St Helens Farm told The Independent it was supplied by farms that were expected to comply with a rigorous code of conduct and that it had several animal-welfare accreditations, adding: Today we have been made aware of allegations that one farm has infringed animal welfare standards, which we would find totally unacceptable if true.

We have immediately ceased all milk supply from this farm and launched a full investigation to determine the facts of this matter.

A Tesco spokesperson said: We require high animal-welfare standards from all brands sold at Tesco, so these claims are deeply concerning. We have immediately suspended supply whilst we investigate the matter further.

A Waitrose spokesperson said the chain was suspending St Helens after reading this article.

The Independent has also asked the other supermarkets to respond.

A spokesperson for the British Retail Consortium (BRC), representing supermarkets, said: Our members take their responsibilities to animal welfare very seriously and work closely with trusted suppliers so that high welfare standards are upheld.

They have strict processes in place and will thoroughly investigate any evidence of non-conformity to ensure that any problems are immediately addressed. The BRC continues to support unannounced audits on farms to ensure compliance with all farm standards, particularly animal welfare.
A thug who knocked a police sergeant to the ground with an 'enormous' kick to his back has been jailed for 28 months after police identified him using his luminous green shorts.

Daniel Allan, 35, was filmed running up behind Richard Lambert and booting him next to Big Ben during the Black Lives Matter counter-protest in London on 13 June.

Fellow 'protect the statues' protesters then leapt on the officer and continued the attack as he tried to stand up.

The father-of-two was arrested after police circulated a video of the bare-chested demonstrator launching a 'running flying kick' at Sergeant Lambert while wearing distinctive green shorts.

The electrician from Sunderland admitted violent disorder at Southwark Crown Court.

Daniel Allan, 35, (pictured in green shorts) has been jailed for 28 months after he kicked a police officer during protests in London on June 13

The electrician, from Sunderland, admitted violent disorder at Southwark Crown court

The court heard that Allan had travelled from his home in Sunderland to attend demonstrations in the capital during which, groups of far-right protesters sought to 'protect statues' around Whitehall and Trafalgar Square.

Police had fought running battles with demonstrators throughout the day, the court heard, after being deployed to central London to prevent public disorder.

When a group of officers were walking through demonstrators on Bridge Street, opposite the Shard in Southwark, they were pelted by verbal abuse and projectiles.

Allan, from Sunderland, is pictured above

Prosecutor Jennifer Gatland said: 'Suddenly and without provocation Mr Allan kicked out at police sergeant Richard Lambert in his back with his right foot causing him to fall to the ground.

'This prompted the rest of the group to attack the officers. He was again kicked while picking himself up but that person wasn't arrested.

'Officers circled to protect their colleagues and Mr Allan ran back into the crowd, however he had a distinct appearance and footage of the incident was uploaded and it was circulated.

'Mr Allan was captured after other officers saw the footage and recognised Mr Allan wearing luminous shorts.'

Prosecutor Nicholas Alexander said that Allan, who had consumed eight cans of lager and become angry after being hit by a police baton, had emboldened other protesters to attack officers.

Sergeant Lambert sustained bruising to his back due to the attack but was not seriously injured.

He said, in a statement read to court: 'I felt an enormous kick to the small of my back, I fell to the floor with immediate pain to the lower back due to the kick.'

London was rocked by days of protests. After Black Rights Matter activists toppled a statue in Bristol, far-right protesters also came on to the streets

Police formed a barricade as demonstrators faced off with officers at Trafalgar Square in early June. Several iconic statues were covered up for their protection

District Judge Nicholas Rimmer had told Allan: 'The seriousness of conduct consists of being part of a wider protest in which missiles were being thrown, you personally kicked out at police sergeant Richard Lambert to his back, that seems to have caused further violence.'

Detective Inspector Neil Gunn said: 'This was an unprovoked and cowardly attack against one of our officers which we completely condemn. We welcome this sentence and I hope this brings comfort to the officer who was kicked - I know he'll share my disgust in Allan's actions.

'Allan was truly caught redhanded, his assault was not only shared widely on social media, it was also witnessed by a team of officers gathering video evidence.

'Thanks to the very distinctive colour of his shorts, he was arrested a short while later by City of London Police.

'Our investigations to trace those responsible for other acts of violence during demonstrations continue. As part of this we have released a number of images of people we want to speak with in connection. I would urge anyone with information on who they are to get in touch.'

Police officers clashed with demonstrators in central London as large groups fled Trafalgar Square and headed to Hyde Park in June

Eleanor Fraser, defending, said: 'Mr Allan was struck by a police officer's baton, he showed the mark in interview, which was something of a retaliation but he accepts that it was unjustifiable.

'Upon arrest he had a panic attack and has had a further six panic attacks in custody.'

Allan, who has 51 previous convictions for a total of 111 offences, was sentenced for 28 months in prison but did not have to pay Sgt Lambert compensation.

Sentencing Allan, Judge Sally Cahill QC said that the assault on Sgt Lambert was 'appalling behaviour'.

'This was a man who had his back to you and was walking away,' she said.

'You might have thought that you were here to protect statues, but that was the last thing you did when you got here.

On Friday, a second man, Alfie Hubbard, 25, from London, entered a not guilty plea to a charge of violent disorder at the same incident on June 13.

Hubbard will be tried on November 23 2020.
We can create reports all day long for officers to do when they did this or when they did that, but at the end of the day our job is to be out on the street and available to the citizens to prevent criminal acts from taking place, Franklin said. If I have an officer that is doing nothing more than typing reports on why they had to pull their gun from their holster, thats going to make a department ineffective.

Franklin said he relies on his sounding board, or subject matter experts and training academy personnel who reach out to others across the country.

He said they tell him that requiring officers to document each time they point a gun causes officer apprehension or hesitation to use the firearm when needed.

The police chief said he isnt sure he wants to go down that road yet, but that isnt to say he wont implement a policy like that in the future.
China's bullying tactics in neighbourhood continue: Vietnam's state owned energy company to now cancel and compensate companies from Spain and UAE on previous arrangements to initiate naval drilling exercise, bows down to Chinese pressure, attempts to dominate in the region.

Amid the growing Chinese movement in the South China Sea, Vietnam has agreed to pay around a billion dollars to two international companies after cancelling their drill operations following pressure from Beijing, The Diplomat reported.

To maintain its presence in the South China Sea region, China, for several years, continued its efforts to prevent the Vietnam-based companies developing oil and gas resources in the area.

Citing a well-placed oil industry source, Bill Hayton, author of the article, said, Vietnams state-owned energy company PetroVietnam will pay the money to Repsol of Spain and Mubadala of the United Arab Emirates in termination and compensation arrangements.

Meanwhile, Russian energy company Rosneft has been forced to suspend its plans for drilling offshore even as China Coast Guard vessels continue operating in the area where the drilling was supposed to place.

Also read: First case of Covid-19 suspected in North Korea, emergency measures imposed

Also read: China is using CPEC to take over Paks politics: Report

In another instance, a drilling rig standing in the Vietnamese port of Vung Tau for two months has been stood down. Its owners, Noble Corporation, noted that the contract includes a termination payment. This is likely to cost Vietnam several million dollars more, the author said.

Similarly, Repsol, once one of the largest players in Vietnams offshore industry and owning rights in 13 blocks of the seabed, had to cancel its planned exploration drill in July 2017 and again on March 2018.

Hayton said, With minimal interests in China, Repsol appeared ready to withstand political pressure from Beijing. Two of its best development prospects were particularly bold: located at the far edge of Vietnams claimed exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and well within the U-shaped, nine-dashed line drawn on Chinese maps since 1948

Repsol executives were reportedly informed that the cancellations were a political decision, ordered by top Vietnamese leadership, following extreme pressure from China, Hayton said.

The author said, China had assembled a flotilla of 40 naval ships off the coast of Hainan Island, about two days sailing from the drill site, and it appeared to be ready for confrontation.

As compensation for the investments made by Repsol and Mudabala, Vietnam is paying USD 800 million for their rights in the blocks and a further USD 200 million, Hayton quoted a regional oil industry source with knowledge of the settlement as saying.

This will be a billion dollars that PetroVietnam would otherwise have paid into the Vietnamese governments budget.

As Chinas pressure on Vietnam continues, recently, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said, The United States rejects any PRC maritime claim in the waters surrounding Vanguard Bank (off Vietnam), Luconia Shoals (off Malaysia), waters in Bruneis EEZ, and Natuna Besar (off Indonesia). Any PRC action to harass other states fishing or hydrocarbon development in these waters  or to carry out such activities unilaterally  is unlawful.

Extending help to Vietnam on the matter, he said, America stands with our South-East Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law.

Also read: Xinjiang likely another Bangladesh waiting to happen, says activist

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Thirteen students from Transition Year and fifth year in Colaiste Eamann Ris, Callan, will travel to Embulbul in Kenya as part of the school's Kenyan Immersion Project 2017.

The students will be accmpanied by Mr Ryan, Mr Murtagh and Ms Griffin. The team will travel next Easter for a period of 10 days.

The aim of the project is to immerse themselves fully in the poverty-stricken region of Embulbul, which is located outside of Nairobi. They will mix with the local people, visit their schools and homes, and develop a better understanding of how they live their day-to-day lives.

The Immersion Project will provide the students with a life-changing experience and allow them the opportunity to develop both as individuals and as a team.

A number of fundraising events have been completed, and the current fund stands at approximately 17,000. It's hoped that this money will help improve the standard of living for the citizens of Embulbul.

Fundraising

Each student, along with a personal contribution, has been working hard to organise various fundraising activities. Their goal is to reach 30, 000, and further fundraising initiatives are to follow, such as a tractor run, street bucket collection in Kilkenny, school talent show and raffle, 5km run and a Nowlan Park bucket collection.

With the continued support of staff, students, parents and the people of Callan and surrounding areas, the Kenyan Immersion Project 2017 will be a huge success.
Indians are supposed to accept without compelling scientific proof the existence of Jesus or Mohammed, but a Ram or a Krishna cannot break the glass ceiling of mythology

Irony had a hearty laugh last week, skipping across the chain of shoals that links India with Sri Lanka. Embracing Ramayan, the epic that binds the two nations, the Civil Aviation Authority of Lanka issued an advertisement inviting documents and literature for a research on King Ravana and the ancient domination of aerial routes now lost.

It is believed that Ravan travelled widely in his Pushpak Viman, and the aviation routes could tell us more about Lankas geopolitical reach and influence.

Sri Lanka tourism promotes an elaborate Ramayan trail stretching from Munneswaram to Trincomalee, Ella to Colombo. The nations first satellite launched last year is named Ravana-1.

Contrast this with India, where a masjid stood on Lord Rams birthplace for centuries and despite overwhelming evidence presented in court, seculars stayed in denial. Any proposal to enhance the philosophical understanding of Ramayan, or studying Rams journey and alliances, or building tourism circuits based on the epic is mocked and met with disdain and protests.

While Sri Lanka unabashedly embraces its past, identity and legacy, Hindus in the homeland of their faith are repeatedly shamed and censored from honouring their defining epic because it would apparently be communal and upset minorities.

Indians are supposed to accept without compelling scientific proof the existence of Jesus or Mohammed, but a Ram or a Krishna cannot break the glass ceiling of mythology.

Even intellectual curiosity into Hindu epics is discouraged. In 2015, a paper presented on Ravans Pushpak Viman at the Indian Science Congress in Mumbai met with massive outrage. Five years later, a neighbouring government has proudly launched a full-scale study on the subject.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was incessantly mocked when in 2014 he said cosmetic surgery originated in India. Four years later, a Columbia Universitys Inving Medical Centre study traced the roots of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures to ancient India more than 2,500 years ago.

During the 6th Century BCE, an Indian physician named Sushruta  widely regarded in India as the father of surgery  wrote one of the worlds earliest works on medicine and surgery, the paper said. The Sushruta Samhita documented the etiology of more than 1,100 diseases, the use of hundreds of medicinal plants, and instructions for performing scores of surgical procedures, including three types of skin grafts and reconstruction of the nose.

The sheer genius of the British colonial project to ruin homegrown Indian knowledge and education and replace it with one that produces clerical, self-loathing brown sahibs is evident even today. Jawaharlal Nehru continued with this colonial system, outsourcing the massacre of history to Left intellectuals.

While Sri Lanka reconstructs its past by studying its tradition and trade routes mentioned in ancient texts like Ramayan and Valahassa Jataka, India is still to fix its education system, distortions of history, and broken pride in its glorious roots.

While India is in denial on Ram, Lanka proudly flaunts the extraordinary antagonist, Ravan, about whom writer Amish Tripathi says: He is different from your ordinary villain. Just because he is so scholarly. He is a brilliant musician, a brilliant poet, a good dancer, he is exceptionally well read, he is a very good administrator. Which makes him a deep, complex man, and fascinating to write about. Even Ravans violence was scholarly.

Sri Lanka, wisely and justifiably, is delving into its rich trade, maritime traditions, and now even aerial routes to construct a robust national mythology. Vinod Moonesinghe, in his piece, outlines the scope of that knowledge from the story of Yakkhinis of Jataka Tales who captured and married shipwrecked merchants to Sinbad the Sailor to Tamil Nadu and Odisha connections to ship links with China and Vietnam.

These strengthen the story of Ravans regional influence. India, with a much richer maritime history and way bigger geopolitical influence in the Indian Ocean, dont even give space to the likes of Rajendra Chola.

Sri Lanka has done what India should have long ago. An expansive study of Lord Rams travels and alliances is long overdue. But before that, we need to shed our apologist attitude towards our own past and roots.

Views expressed are personal
President Rodrigo Duterte pushed for corporate tax cuts and targeted support for pandemic-hit industries as part of a recovery plan, and told lawmakers on Monday he'd asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help the Philippines get priority access to a covid-19 vaccine.

In his annual congressional address, Duterte also attacked the elite, while asking banks and property companies to help small businesses reeling from the pandemic. He sought to revitalize his 8 trillion-peso ($162.44 billion) infrastructure program to lift the economy that's facing its deepest contraction in three decades.

"A dream of prosperity for our country was snapped by a pandemic," Duterte said in his speech, delivered before a sparse audience of lawmakers amid the virus outbreak that has infected over 80,000 in the Southeast Asian nation.

Although Duterte spoke for more than 90 minutes, the recovery measures he presented "are still unclear," said AB Capital Securities Inc. deputy head of research Lexter Azurin.

"The market's hoping for an assurance from the government that it is on top of all the problems now," Azurin said "This should further dampen sentiment in our already beaten up local market."

Investors and businesses are closely watching Duterte for measures to reverse the economic slump caused by virus restrictions. The Philippines imposed one of the region's longest and strictest lockdowns, but still has the second-highest number of infections in Southeast Asia.

The firebrand leader said his government's restrictions prevented up to 3.5 million cases. Still, Duterte said fully reopening the economy at this time was not an option.

Duterte said he wants to pursue diplomacy with China while protecting the Philippines' claims in the South China Sea.

"Unless we are prepared to go war, I suggest that we better just cool off," Duterte said. "I am inutile on this, and I am willing to admit it. I cannot do anything."

Duterte defended the shutdown of ABS-CBN Corp., saying it was a powerful tool in the hands of its owners, the Lopez family. He also renewed his opposition to business elites owning public utilities, and criticized Senate opposition leader Franklin Drilon for questioning his campaign against oligarchs.

The Philippine leader also warned telecommunications companies Globe Telecom Inc. and PLDT Inc. to improve phone and Internet services by December or face closure.

Here are details of some measures Duterte pushed for:

- Corporate income tax cut from 30% to 25%, while providing targeted and time-bound incentives to businesses.

- A law to help banks manage bad loans, while calling on lenders to extend loan repayments without incurring charges.

- Standby assistance funds for labor, transportation, tourism, and agriculture sectors, as well as for capital infusion to government financial institutions.

- Reskilling repatriated overseas Filipino workers who lost their job.

- Reimposition of death penalty by lethal injection.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 22:53:24|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson Monday refuted remarks from Taiwan about Taiwan students studying on the mainland and religious affairs.

In response to claims that the mainland derailed efforts by Taiwan students seeking transfer back to schools in Taiwan, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said mainland colleges received no such transfer applications from Taiwan students.

Noting the mainland's achievements in curbing COVID-19, Zhu stressed that the mainland has always been caring about Taiwan students on the mainland, adding that no Taiwan student on the mainland contracted COVID-19.

Zhu also denounced allegations made by the Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan that the mainland had recently destroyed Buddhist books published by Taiwan religious groups.

Zhu said the mainland protects the freedom of religious belief, as well as legally published books on religion.

The publication of Taiwan religious figures' books on the mainland is protected, Zhu said.

However, publishing or printing illegal publications will not be allowed, said Zhu.

The legal publication of books by Taiwan religious figures and groups on the mainland has been smooth, Zhu said, pledging further support for religious exchanges across the Taiwan Strait. Enditem
A pet cat has become the first animal in the UK to be diagnosed with Covid-19, it was revealed today.

Officials in believe the cat  which wasn't identified but lived in England  caught the coronavirus from its owners and 'not the other way round'.

Downing Street said the feline suffered from nasal discharge and some shortness of breath, a symptom that also strikes humans.

Both the cat and its owners have made a full recovery and there was no transmission of the virus to other animals or people in the household, health bosses said.

Experts have today warned Britons with the virus to avoid cuddling their pets or keep them indoors to cut the risk of spreading germs.

It is not the first time an animal has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 in humans.

The first dog in the world to catch coronavirus died after it was declared disease-free and returned home to its owner in Hong Kong.

The 17-year-old Pomeranian, whose owner caught Covid-19, had been quarantined at a government facility but returned home over the weekend.

Health bosses believe the cat caught the coronavirus from its owners and 'not the other way round' (stock)

The cat was diagnosed with the virus after being tested by scientists at Glasgow University, who screened hundreds of samples from felines.

The diagnosis was confirmed by the Animal and Plant Health Agency laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey, last Wednesday.

Cats and COVID-19: Q&A How do cats catch coronavirus? Cats become infected in the same way as humans do, by inhaling infected droplets after an infected person coughs or sneezes. There have been a handful of cases around the world and almost all appear to have caught it off their owners. Luckily, animals are far less susceptible to infection. The biggest cat to fall victim is Nadia, a four-year-old Malayan tiger at New Yorks Bronx Zoo. She made a full recovery. Could dogs and other animals get it too? Yes, there have been cases in dogs and other pets around the world. Some animals are particularly susceptible. Hundreds of thousands of minks have been slaughtered on farms in Spain and the Netherlands following outbreaks. Can humans catch Covid from infected pets? There is no evidence that animals transmit it to humans, with research suggesting they do not shed enough virus to be infectious. However, Government scientists have warned that animals could act as fomites, in the same way as surfaces such as door handles do. For example, if an infected person coughed on their dog, the virus could survive on its fur and be passed to another person when they stroke it. What about animals spreading it to each other? There is evidence that cats can spread coronavirus to other cats. In May, researchers at the University of Wisconsin conducted an experiment when they infected three cats with the virus, then put three Covid-free felines in with them. The three newcomers went on to test positive after catching it from the infected animals. How bad are the symptoms of the virus in cats? Covid-19 seems to be far less deadly in animals than in humans. The British cat who tested positive showed mild clinical symptoms, but made a full recovery. Many other felines which have tested positive displayed no symptoms at all. I have tested positive  how can I protect my pet? Public Health England has urged pet owners to wash their hands before and after contact with animals. The British Veterinary Association advises infected people to restrict contact with animals. Owners who test positive should also keep cats indoors if possible. Should I put a mask on my cat or dog? No! Dr Jenny Stavisky, of the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine, explains: They are likely to find it scary. It may, however, be a good idea to try to acclimatise your pet gently to seeing people wearing masks so they dont get frightened. Advertisement

The Prime Minister's office said this afternoon that the cat was referred by a private vet who the owners had taken their pet to see.

Boris Johnson's spokesperson said: 'Its symptoms were a respiratory infection with a nasal discharge and some shortness of breath.'

Health officials said there is no evidence to suggest that the animal was involved in transmission of the disease to its owners.

And they added that there is also no proof that pets or other domestic animals are able to transmit the virus to people.

The advice from Public Health England is for people to wash their hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals.

Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: 'Tests have confirmed that the virus responsible for Covid-19 has been detected in a pet cat in England.

'This is a very rare event with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within in a few days.

'There is no evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will update our guidance to pet owners should the situation change.'

Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: 'The pet cat was initially diagnosed by a private vet with feline herpes virus, a common cat respiratory infection, but the sample was also tested for SARS-CoV-2 as part of a research programme.

'Follow-up samples tested at the APHA laboratory in Weybridge confirmed the cat was also co-infected with SARS-CoV-2 which is the virus known to cause Covid-19 in humans.'

The case has been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Professor Jonathan Ball, an infectious disease expert at the University of Nottingham, said: 'We know domestic animals like cats and dogs can be infected with the coronavirus, but the evidence suggests that the animals dont get sick.

'They produce very low levels of virus, which is why we dont think they can transmit the virus to humans.

'The best thing you can do to protect your pets, is to avoid close contact if you are, or think you might be, infected with the virus.'

Although there is no evidence so far that a human can catch the coronavirus from an infected pet, scientists have previously warned pets can carry the coronavirus on their fur, which risks spreading the disease from person to person.

An official report by the UK's top vet said: 'Close contact such as cuddling, grooming, feeding and allowing animals to share food could all allow the transfer of virus.'

The case further highlights the importance of washing hands regularly during the pandemic.

Experts said today that people with Covid-19 should keep their pets indoors to avoid their pat carrying viral particles round the neighbourhood.

Daniella Dos Santos, president of the British Veterinary Association, said: 'Our advice to pet owners who have Covid-19 or who are self-isolating with symptoms remains to restrict contact with their pets as a precautionary measure and to practise good hygiene, including regular handwashing.

'We also recommend that owners who are confirmed or suspected to have Covid-19 should keep their cat indoors if possible, but only if the cat is happy to be kept indoors. Some cats cannot stay indoors due to stress-related medical reasons.'

Pankaj KC, World Animal Protection head of programmes for animals in communities, said: 'Pet owners with Covid-19 should avoid contact with your pet where possible and have another member of your household care for your animals while you are sick.

The cat was confirmed to have the virus after being tested at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge last Wednesday

Hongkonger Yvonne Chow Hau Yee, pictured in an undated photo, is the owner of the 17-year-old Pomeranian dog in Hong Kong that died after contracting the virus

'If you must care for your pet or be around animals while you are sick, wash your hands before and after you interact with pets and wear a face mask.

'If your animal does become sick go to the vets as normal.'

A team of scientists at the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) are screening hundreds of samples from cats in Britain for Covid-19.

They have now completed a full genome sequencing of the virus found in the infected cat from England.

Professor Margaret Hosie, who works on the project, said: 'There have been sporadic reports of cats from Covid-19 households in Hong Kong, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the US that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and were presumed to be infected from their owners, but this is the first report of an infected cat in the UK.'

The first dog in the world to catch coronavirus in Hong Kong, a 17-year-old Pomeranian, died on March 16.

It was declared disease-free and returned home to its owner, a 60-year-old woman who was hospitalised with Covid-19 the month prior, after being quarantined at a government facility.

The dog was never autopsied, and so the exact cause of death was not determined.

The first confirmed case of a dog contracting the virus in the US was a German Shepherd in New York. It tested positive for the coronavirus in June, the US Department of Agriculture announced.

A cat from Belgium also tested positive for the virus in the early days of the pandemic, showing symptoms of the virus one week after the owner  who also tested positive  returned from Italy.

Professor William Weir, of CVR, who helped diagnose the British cat, said: 'At present, there is no evidence that cats, dogs or other domestic animals play any role in the epidemiology of human infections with SARS-CoV-2.'

He said the factors that govern why one species is susceptible to the Covid-19 virus while others are more resistant are currently unknown.

Cats, ferrets and hamsters have been shown to be susceptible to the virus, whereas ducks, chickens and pigs appear not to be.

'Furthermore, the significance of SARS-CoV-2 as a feline or canine pathogen is unknown as cats and dogs with reported infections usually recover and there has been no evidence of transmission occurring between cats or dogs in the field,' Professor Weird said.
As they await Gov. Kim Reynolds promised executive order on restoring felon voting rights, key Iowa legislators doubt shell have the last word on the issue.

Were planning to make sure that this is not the end of the conversation, said Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, a Des Moines Democrat who has met with the Republican governor on the matter.

Hes encouraged by Reynolds willingness to take action, but like others  both Democrats and Republicans  Abdul-Samad expects lawmakers will take another crack at advancing a felon voting rights restoration measure for the Iowa Constitution.

An executive order would be for now, but theres been a push for something more permanent in regards to adding the language to our constitution, added Senate Judiciary Chairman Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale.

His counterpart across the rotunda, House Judiciary Chairman Steve Holt, R-Denison, agreed that an executive order will not settle the issue because without a constitutional amendment, a future governor could rescind Reynolds order.

I would imagine that those who want felon voting rights restored to folks once theyve served their time would want that in the constitution, he said.

As it is now, released felons can individually petition the governor. Reynolds has said no one person should have that power, and called for a state constitutional amendment to guide the process. But lawmakers have disagreed on which felons would be eligible and when, so Reynolds said she will sign her own directive.

Fifteen years ago, Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack issued an executive order allowing felons to vote after being released. About 115,000 felons regained voting rights as a result.

One day after succeeding Vilsack, then-Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican, rescinded the order and replaced it with an appeal process.

Over the next five years, fewer than 100 felons regained the right.

For the past two years, Reynolds, who has restored voting rights for 1,129 people since taking office in 2017, has been calling for a state constitutional amendment to make the process automatic and permanent.

After that effort stalled in the final days of the Iowa Legislatures 2020 session, Reynolds said she would take action herself.

At that time, she was meeting with Abdul-Samad and representatives of Black Lives Matter and the NAACP. It was in the second of those meetings, he said, she told me she was going to do it by late summer, early fall.

And I believe she is going to do it, Abdul-Samad added.

Since then, Reynolds has been guarded in her comments about the content of the order. Speaking earlier this month at The Family Leader leadership conference, Reynolds again committed to using an executive order to end Iowas distinction as the last state in the country to either not revoke the rights or to have an automatic process for restoring them.

When someone completes their sentence, they should be able to vote again, Reynolds said. The right to vote is the cornerstone of being a part of society and being heard, and really successfully reentering society.

She talked about the conversations shes had with Iowans who have applied to have their voting rights restored.

The stories that they share warm my heart, she said. From the pride of being able to cast a vote again, to wanting to share their personal story of redemption and finding God, these are people sorry for their crimes, and theyre looking to turn their lives around. And I believe I, like most of you, that they deserve a second chance.

Legislators say they have not had conversations with the governor about the order since the end of the legislative session in mid-June.

Zaun is one of those who had discussed the issue with Reynolds, but he declined to discuss their conversation.

I do have a sense of what she communicated to me and I do approve of what shes doing, he said. Im not trying to not tell you something, but based on what she told me, I think that its something that I can live with.

Similarly, Holt isnt surprised that the governor has reached out to him because I know from conversations with her staff that our thought processes are similar on this.

However, lawmakers are not of one mind on the issue. Not all of them believe every felon who completes his or her sentence should get voting rights restored.

I think its absurd to give rapists and child abusers who committed a felony their voting rights back, said House State Government Chairman Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton.

Kaufmann floor managed Senate File 2348, which Reynolds called a sensible compromise when she signed it. Under the bill that is not in effect yet, those convicted of murder, child endangerment resulting in the death of a minor, serious sex offenses or named on the sex offender registry, or first-degree election misconduct would not be eligible to have their voting rights restored.

That bill would be effective only if a constitutional amendment on felon voting rights is ratified by 2023 by voters. It passed 37-11 with Democrats and Republicans on both sides in the Senate, but 51-45 on a party-line vote in the House.

Although not all legislators agree with Kaufmann, a bigger sticking point may be how they define completion of a sentence.

To some, that means completing a prison term and parole. To others, completion means serving the time, including probation and parole, and also paying restitution to a victim or victims family.

Abdul-Samad asked the governor not to require that restitution be completed before a felon is eligible to regain the right to vote.

We have no problem looking at a payment plan, but we dont want the voting rights contingent on having to pay that off, he said.

If a restitution payment plan is set up, we could do it just like a drivers license, Abdul-Samad said. If you dont fulfill certain conditions of the drivers license, then theyre suspended until you get straight with that.

The discussion still could go in another direction, Holt speculated.

For the most part, the understanding has been that if voters ratify a constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights, lawmakers would enact legislation, such as SF 2348, establishing eligibility and requirements. However, Holt sees a growing concern among his colleagues that the law could be changed by a future Legislature. Some of them believe the definition of completion of a sentence and prohibition on murders and rapists should be a constitutional amendment.

Ive heard from a lot of constituents who dont think its a great idea to automatically restore voting rights to particular types of felons, Holt said. So I actually think theres more discussion going go the other way in the years to come.

I certainly dont think the discussions is over, he added.

Reynolds said as much at The Family Leader.

I hope youll continue to help me push for a permanent solution, she said. In the meantime, I will be signing an executive order before Election Day that uses my constitutional clemency power to address this issue in the short term.

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"The focus today has been to keep the community safe." Fresh crews from western Sydney and the Illawarra will move into the Shoalhaven region from early Tuesday morning to help local crews undertake repairs and safely restore power to homes and businesses as quickly as possible. It came as NSW coastal residents from Stockton, in Newcastle, south to the Victorian border, including near Sydney, face another day of damaging erosion on Tuesday as powerful surf combines with high tides. A swell generated by a deep low-pressure system offshore is battering beaches along the NSW coast, many of them such as at Wamberal already vulnerable after a similar erosion event two weeks ago.

Narrabeen on Sydney's northern beaches is one area facing the prospect of erosion as waves from another big low pressure system in the Tasman Sea pound eastern Australia. Credit:Nick Moir Mitchell Harley, a coastal erosion expert at the University of NSW, said the waves were coming from an easterly direction "which is the direction of most concern for south-eastern Australian beaches" because of the lack of protection from headlands, Dr Harley said. "In Sydney and Newcastle, the storm is less severe in terms of waves, but the fact that the beaches are already depleted means it is likely to cause further dune erosion at Wamberal, Stockton and possibly Collaroy," he added, with Wamberal of most concern. The high tides at 1.50pm on Monday and 2.50pm on Tuesday will elevate beach erosion risks, before the low-pressure system moves away, Dr Harley said. Heavy surf conditions created by a Tasman low threaten to further damage Terrigal Beach at Wamberal. Credit:Nick Moir

Beachfront residents in Collaroy, including those whose homes were severely damaged during a storm surge in 2016, faced an anxious wait on Monday as the dangerous swell lapped at their already depleted boundaries. In Narrabeen several homes could be seen with fence lines teetering over the ocean. Pittwater Road resident Mark Greville, whose property became uninsurable following the major event in 2016, said he'd chosen to stay home and begin moving belongings away from the ocean end of the home in case more of the property eroded. "There's nothing much I can do, except what I'm already doing," Mr Greville told the Herald on Monday. Several homeowners along that stretch of coastline are complaining of the costly and convoluted process to construct sea walls to protect their properties, with properties having to group together to co-ordinate development applications, and some saying there are long-time residents who are unable to afford the measures. Collaroy resident Gary Silk after erosion to the coastline in February. Credit:Nick Moir

Pittwater Road resident Gary Silk - whose home was partially destroyed in 2016 - said he was among a group of residents who had their applications approved and hoped to be building fortifications later this year, but had recently written to the state government regarding the onerous process. "Here we are, we can't even get a pile of rocks built," Mr Silk said. Beachfront resident Jean Pierre Salama is taking Northern Beaches Council to the Land and Environment Court over the deemed refusal of his application to build a sea wall in 2017, alleging the conditions of consent make the task "impossible", including one limiting the consent to a period of 60 years. "The requirement for a time limit on a sea wall is just offensive," Mr Salama said.

A recent statement on the council's website says that along the Collaroy strip, 24 properties now have approved applications, four are under assessment and likely to be resolved within weeks, and 21 are still to make a submission to the council. The council states it has lobbied successfully for a grant system that gives residents 10 per cent funding support from the council and 10 per cent from the state government. "It has been a long process but at Council we believe we have done everything in our power to support the residents to get to this point and ensure they have legal standing to protect their properties from another storm like we experienced in 2016," the statement says. The wild weather from the current system dumped 75 millimetres of rain at Sydney's Observatory Hill near the CBD in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday. It was the city's most rain since three consecutive days in February each brought about 70 millimetres. High tides on Monday and Tuesday afternoon could be testing times for beaches such as Narrabeen on Sydney's northern beaches. Credit:Nick Moir

Other parts of coastal NSW copped more than 100 millimetres. The Bureau of Meteorology updated its severe weather warning for damaging winds and surf for a large section of coastal NSW from Sydney down to the Victorian border. The east coast of Australia is no stranger to storms, particularly in winter. However, climate change is most likely worsening impacts as sea levels rise and the atmosphere becomes more energised as temperatures rise, leading to more intense storms. Wamberal resident Eric Belzer said Monday afternoon would be a tense time for many people living along his stretch of the coast but he was hopeful beaches would avoid further damage. Loading

The past few days have been busy, with the state government and council placing 150 bags filled with rocks along the base of Wamberal's sand dunes. But with high tide set to hit about 2pm, the past few days' preparations will be tested. Waves have already started lapping around and over the bags. "Right at this minute, we are very anxious," Mr Belzer said. The situation illustrated the need for a more permanent solution to protect the infrastructure that backed onto the beach, including the houses and nearby roads, he added. The Wamberal Lagoon area has more than 400 homes and is shielded from the sea by Ocean View Drive.

About half the beach-side residents of the road were evacuated last week as their homes began to be undermined by erosion. Dr Harley said the biggest single wave from the current storm reached 11.7 metres, according to a buoy off Batemans Bay. That part of the coast has had significant wave heights  the gauge used to count the top third of waves, measuring trough to crest  of 6.2 metres. That tally was less than the 6-7 metres readings off the Central Coast during the previous event a fortnight ago. Dr Harley said that, with conditions tilting towards a La Nina in the Pacific, past records suggests coastal residents will need to prepare for heightened erosion risks for the coming six months.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 22

By Tamilla Mammadova  Trend:

In the first half of 2020, the export of trucks from Georgia to Azerbaijan dropped by 22.1 percent year-on-year, Trend reports referring to Georgian National Statistics Office (Geostat).

In January-June 2020, Georgia exported 551 trucks of $3.78 million to Azerbaijan.

In the first half of 2019, Georgia exported 720 trucks worth $4.86 million to Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, in the first half of 2020, exports of goods from Azerbaijan to Georgia decreased by 16.9 percent year-on-year.

Azerbaijan ranked tenth among top 10 most significant export partners of Georgia in 1H2020.

In January-June 2020, Georgia exported products of $32.3 million to Azerbaijan, which is 3 percent of the total export rate. The export rate has dropped by 22.4 percent compared with 2019.

In January-June 2019, Georgia exported goods of $41.7 million to Azerbaijan, equaling 3.8 percent of total exports.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356
If Ryanair is worried, airlines with much larger unionized workforces  and which depend on still-dormant business travel  will be quaking. Take IAG, which on Friday said it was considering a 2.75 billion-euro rights issue to strengthen its balance sheet. Its stock has fallen 71% this year. The BA owner was very profitable before the virus emerged, which is one reason why its received far less government support than rivals Lufthansa AG and Air-France KLM. That seemed like admirable resilience, but now it looks like a handicap.
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One thing about connected life is certain: everyone is trying to spy on us. I don't just mean malicious hackers, scammers, WiFi snoopers, account hijackers and wankers in trench coats. The main culprits are companies snatching our private data and advertisers following us around like mouth-breathing Peeping Toms.

It feels like an uphill battle, which is why many people end up taking terrible risks with their security and privacy. The bigger problem is that any risks we take extend to our friends and family. So when we do the computer security equivalent of peeing into the wind, there's a whole bunch of people in our address books and contacts who have no idea they need an umbrella.

So whether you're online on your phone, tablet or desktop  stop doing that! It's gross. Plus, you also don't need to be connected all buck naked like that. Cover your assets, and use a nifty little tool known as a VPN.

A VPN, or virtual private network, keeps your computer's IP address  and your physical location  private. More and more, people are using a VPN to create a private path for their computers and mobile devices to use when they access the internet. It's a great way to keep your browsing private and attack-proof.

When you use a VPN, your data is safely encrypted while it travels wherever it needs to go. That means your data is protected when it goes from you to the VPN server, and then to your final destination (a website, or the server of whichever app you're using). This way, websites  and anyone else, like advertisers or attackers  only see the VPN's IP address and not yours. In addition, your ISP (internet service provider, like AT&T and Comcast) only sees you visiting the VPN and doesn't get to tag along and spy on where you go or what you do.

A VPN is essential for personal security and privacy when you: Use public WiFi

Are on someone elses network or tether

Work from home and have to use apps without end-to-end encryption (like Facebook Rooms)

Need to do a transaction on a site using HTTP instead of HTTPS

Want more privacy when visiting websites

You should never use public WiFi, or someone else's WiFi, without one. Why? A VPN protects your data, including instant messages, e-mails, downloads, uploads, login information, which sites you visit, which apps you use and even your physical location. A VPN is also a handy way to protect your identity if you want to leave a comment or browse secretly without the website you're visiting knowing your location.

A good VPN encrypts your internet traffic, preventing people from intercepting your connection. Though if a VPN offers "military grade" encryption, be suspicious: This is a BS marketing claim. Many companies use the same encryption standards as the US government, so pretty much anyone can make the "military grade" claim, and it does not mean they have the same security protections as the military.

Now that everyones working from home, adding VPN use into our security routines is more than just a good idea. A VPN is a terrific layer of security to add to video calls, especially on apps that dont have end-to-end encryption, like Facebook (Messenger) Rooms, Houseparty, Discord, and BlueJeans.

NordVPN

Oh, and in case you're wondering  yes, they're perfectly legal and actually pretty normal for business use. In companies, VPNs are typically used to connect employees who aren't at the workplace to a computer at work. They connect remote employees to central work servers.

Many companies have VPNs so workers can access files and other resources safely over the internet when they're not in the office. However, VPNs are currently restricted in some countries, like the United Arab Emirates, Russia and China.

Outside of company use, VPNs are being used more and more by people who just want to make their internet use more secure from attackers or nosy, data-snarfling companies. VPN use moved even closer to the mainstream in March 2017, when the current administration and FCC came together to remove consumer privacy protections from ISPs. These changes made ISPs free to track you and sell your data to third parties  and ushered in a boom in VPN use and awareness.

What VPNs protect you from: ISPs tracking you and selling the data they collect on your internet activity

Website advertisers spying on you (use a good ad blocker, too)

Hackers on public WiFi

Apps and companies spying on your connection

Blanket surveillance and internet communication interception

Anyone who wants to identify your IP address or location

Companies and apps that want your connection data

Creeps trying to intercept your connection What VPNs dont protect you from: They dont stop malware or ransomware; a VPN only protects your data, not your devices

It does not make you 100% anonymous online

It wont speed up your connection

It wont keep people from knowing youre using a VPN

VPNs wont bypass VPN blocks; if a bank or public wifi bans VPN traffic, youre out of luck

It wont (generally) let you watch Netflix from another country

Keep you safe when the VPN youre using has bad data or security practices



How to pick a safe VPN

Not just any old VPN will do for your cell phone, tablet, or desktop. Its critical to select a safe, reliable, and secure VPN. There are plenty of shady VPN apps out there that want to cash in on everyones surveillance and privacy fears  VPNs that promise to protect your privacy but are actually worthless. Then there are VPNs that come from seemingly reputable companies that end up being misconfigured (on their side). Some bad VPNs will actually grab your data and sell it, or theyll avoid accountability for any bad practices they get caught doing. Like lying about their server locations.

So how do you pick out a good one? Lucky for us, there are a lot of VPN nerds out there that have done a ton of the legwork when it comes to evaluating safety, security, and best practices. One VPN evaluation resource we strongly recommend is Restore Privacy; they keep a current list of the best. If you want to get down and nerdy about it, a very thorough chart of VPN comparisons can be found at That One Privacy Site. Another good spot to use for VPN research is TorrentFreak's yearly "Which VPN Services Keep You Anonymous?" post.

Tunnelbear

Generally, youll want to avoid the free ones  this is a typical indicator of something shady being afoot. The exception to the always pay for your security products rule here, however, is that your home internet service provider might offer a really safe one for free. For instance, California-based ISP Sonic offers all its customers a free OpenVPN app as does security service Cloudflare.

In general, what you want to look for is a VPN with a good reputation: Use Google, and see if any issues come up in searches. You'll want to look for ones that don't have known data leaks, have good performance, feature quality apps for all your devices, that support the OpenVPN protocol and encryption standards, and ideally have a money-back guarantee.

VPN services we recommend include Tunnelbear, Perfect Privacy, ProtonVPN, MozillaVPN, NordVPN, FoxyProxy, and BlackVPN.

If I had to pick just two, Id go with Perfect Privacy and Tunnelbear, no question about it. Perfect Privacy has an incredible number of features, but I love that they keep no logs, you can choose from fast VPN servers all over the world, its easy to use while also having advanced configuration options, and I think they have the best security reputation over all other VPN companies. Tunnelbear has a similarly stellar reputation and is incredibly easy to use, great for when you want top-shelf security and dont need to get crazy with configuring your connections.

Buy Tunnelbear starting at $3.33/month

Buy Perfect Privacy starting at $9/month

Get ProtonVPN starting at $0

Buy MozillaVPN starting at $5/month

Buy NordVPN starting at $3.49/month

Buy FoxyProxy starting at $7.49/month

Buy BlackVPN starting at $50/year

How to use a VPN

Once youve settled on the right VPN for you, follow any setup instructions (they're minimal, if any), click to turn it on, and forget about it while you safely use the internet. Many VPNs have the option of a login and password when you turn it on, if you want that extra layer of security. Some VPNs give users a selection at startup, in which you can choose the physical location of the server you use for connecting to the internet. So if you want websites to think you're in a different city or country, that's a pretty typical option you can expect to encounter.

Once downloaded, a VPN is simple to use: Just turn it on before you go online (before you open your email, open a browser window, and so on), and you're all set. In a public WiFi environment like a cafe or airport, you'll need to log in to the WiFi first and then open your VPN before making another move.

And that's it! Go get a VPN, install it on your devices, use it whenever you're out and about (or even when you're home), and Bob's your uncle! Okay, I don't actually know what that saying means. But I do know my way around privacy and security, and I hope you don't wait to get going with a VPN. It may not feel like it nowadays, but your data is still yours, and it's very much worth protecting.




Gao Liang Gu (Photo: VNA)



Gao Liang Gu, 42, was captured by police forces of Da Nang and central Quang Nam province, while he was staying in a hotel in Ngu Hanh Son district on July 25th.



He has been identified as the leader of a ring trafficking Chinese nationals into Da Nang and Quang Nam over the recent past. He was taken to Quang Nam for further investigation.



Da Nangs police found four Chinese nationals illegally entering Vietnam during an administrative inspection in Khue My ward, Ngu Hanh Son district, on July 11th, and another group of 27 Chinese in a hotel in An Hai Bac ward, Son Tra district, on July 26th. All of them have been quarantined and given tests in line with COVID-19 prevention and control regulations.

The police department on July 21st commenced a legal case on brokering illegal entry into Vietnam in accordance with Article 438 of the Penal Code./.
Church volunteer confesses to arson of cathedral in French city of Nantes

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A church volunteer has confessed to setting fire to a medieval cathedral in the French city of Nantes earlier this month, badly damaging the Gothic worship space.

The unnamed 39-year-old Rwandan man had previously been detained and questioned by authorities and then was again detained for further questioning when he confessed.

He confessed to the allegations against him which, as the prosecutor indicated, are causing destruction and damage by fire, said his lawyer, Quentin Chabert, as reported by the Associated Press. He regrets the facts. That is certain. He is in a sort of repentance.

The volunteer had been tasked with locking up the cathedral and had set three fires, two to two organs and one to an electrical box. The motive remains unknown, according to AP.

Officially known as the Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Cathedral, the Nantes sanctuary was the subject of an arson attack on July 18 that damaged an organ and stained glass windows.

It took around 100 firefighters about three hours to contain the fire, which did not spread to the roof in large part because a fire in 1972 led the church to replace it with concrete.

The Nantes Cathedral traces its history back to the 15th century and is considered a major national treasure, second only to the famed Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris.

After Notre-Dame, Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul cathedral, in the heart of Nantes, is in flames, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter at the time. Support for our firefighters who take all the risks to save this Gothic jewel of the city of the Dukes."

In April of last year, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris suffered a major accidental fire during restoration work that caused severe damage to the structure.

Last December, the rector of the Paris cathedral expressed concern that despite the heavy outpouring of donations aimed at repairing the church, it might unsalvageable.

Today it is not out of danger, Monsignor Patrick Chauvet told AP at the time. It will be out of danger when we take out the remaining scaffolding.

Today we can say that there is maybe a 50% chance that it will be saved. There is also 50% chance of scaffolding falling onto the three vaults, so as you can see the building is still very fragile.
Capture from Video at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul







U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris has figured out a way to stay cooler in a hot and humid Seoul while keeping his mask on amid the coronavirus pandemic  go clean-shaven.



Harris is now a mustache-free man after removing his signature facial hair at an old barbershop in central Seoul, a video posted on his Twitter page showed.



In the video clip, the ambassador says he thought he had to do something to "get cooler" during the muggy and hot summer in the host country while at the same time complying with the coronavirus guideline by wearing a mask.



Guided by one of his advisers, he visited the classic barbershop, where he briefly consulted the barber about removing his facial hair before lying back comfortably in a salon chair.





U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris attends an event to commemorate U.N. forces' participation in the Korean War (1950-53) at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
An electrician allegedly cut off a man's testicle in a backpacker's hostel to satisfy a bizarre fetish after researching online how to perform the operation.

Ryan King, 27, is accused of arranging online to meet the man at a hostel in Brisbane's inner-city on Saturday.

Police allege the other man, 26, travelled to Brisbane from Sydney to have King satisfy his castration fetish by removing his testicle.

Electrian Ryan King, 27, allegedly cut off another man's testicle after arranging online to meet him at a Brisbane backpacker's hostel

King allegedly removed the testicle having studied on the internet how to carry out the procedure

King allegedly studied the surgery on the internet - despite not having medical qualifications - and brought with him medical equipment and anesthetic before removing one of the man's testicles at his request.

It is alleged the wound could not be stitched up sufficiently to stop it from bleeding, The Courier-Mail reported.

An ambulance is understood to then have been called and the 26-year-old man was taken to Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital for surgery - where he is in a stable condition.

King was refused bail at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday charged with grievous bodily harm with intent to maim.

Magistrate Judith Daley said there were no conditions under which she could consider releasing him from custody.

The court heard King was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome as a child and receives medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

King was refused bail at Brisbane Magistrates Court (pictured) on Monday charged with grievous bodily harm with intent to maim

He had been bullied while studying at the private school Anglican Church Grammar between grades four and 12, his lawyer Brendan Beavon said.

His lawyer also said King was born with Klinefelter Syndrome, which causes an extra female chromosome.

King was remanded in custody until the case reappears in court on August 24.

His parents did not comment on the case when approached outside court, 7News reported.
Compulsory COVID-19 tests will be conducted on teachers before schools in the region reopen, the South-East Governors Forum has said.

Dave Umahi, Forum Chairman and Ebonyi Governor, who made the disclosure at a media briefing on Sunday, said there were fears for kindergarten and primary school pupils who do not understand what is social distancing.

Umahi wondered how many schools have running water and how many sanitisers have been provided for them.

He noted that it is the rainy season and most schools are bushy due to abandonment since the coronavirus outbreak.

The governor revealed that the forum would review school infrastructure to support Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) guidelines ahead of the federal governments decision on re-opening.

Umahi added: We will then review our position and tell our people the safest time to re-open schools with our health workers to enforce the NCDC protocols.
The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) is seeking to ram through a sell-out contract against the interests of 4,300 British Airways pilots that will lay the basis for further attacks across the entire BA workforce.

The Socialist Equality Party calls for pilots to vote against the contract and to form rank-and-file committees to organise opposition to BA management.

BALPA has been engaged in talks for three months with BA, which is preparing to lay off 12,000 of its 42,000 workforce, seizing on the coronavirus pandemic to force through a long-planned assault on pay and conditions. It threatened to fire and rehire the remaining 30,000 workers on new inferior contracts.

A BA plane taking off

BA entered talks with BALPA threatening to make 1,255 pilots redundant. The deal was agreed in principle on July 6, but it was only on July 22 that its main elements were made public. Announcing that it was recommending pilots accept the deal, the union gave its members just one week to vote on it with the ballot closing July 30.

The deal includes:

270 compulsory redundancies.

Voluntary working, and the creation of a standby pool of 300 pilots on reduced wages, who will only return to their jobs as demand picks up in the aviation industry.

The wages of the voluntary pilot workforce will be paid by reducing the pay of other pilots by an initial 20 percent. BALPA states that this will be reduced to 8% over the next two years then further reducing toward zero over the longer term.

BA owner International Airlines Group (IAG) said it welcomed BALPAs holding a consultative ballot of its members in relation to the proposed restructuring and redundancy agreement reached between the union and the airline.

Pushing acceptance of its sell-out, the union stated, BALPA is recommending its members accept these proposals as the best that can be achieved in these incredibly difficult circumstances. It claimed, There will be no fire and rehire of pilots.

BA has got what it wanted, at this stage, through deepening its collaboration with the trade union bureaucracy without having to carry through a fire and rehire policy among pilots. BA knows that if the deal is passed hundreds of jobs will be lost, with pilots reduced to being part of a temporary workforce at the beck and call of the company. Pay cuts are being enforced for years until the end of an undefined longer term. BA stated of its union partner, We would like to thank BALPAs representatives for their hard work and tireless effort to engage and find solutions to save as many pilot jobs as possible.

BALPA was prepared to go even further, if only BA would have agreed to no job losses at this stage. BALPA General Secretary, Brian Strutton, noted, It is hugely disappointing that during our extensive negotiations British Airways would not accept the full package of mitigations we put forward which would have avoided any job losses at all, and at no cost to BA . 

The week prior to the BALPA agreement, in the face of mounting opposition from workers, BA began issuing long-standing cabin crew with fire or rehire notices, under which they had to re-apply for their jobs at much reduced rates of pay, or accept voluntary redundancy.

The Times , owned by billionaire oligarch Rupert Murdoch, recognised the importance of the unions sell-out of part of the [British Airways] workforce that last year had their first strike: one that axed 2,325 flights, disrupted thousands of passengers and cost IAG 155 million.

That strike was sold out by BALPA last November.

The Times article, published July 24, demanded other unions at BA follow suit: Shouldnt Unite be trying to get a similar deal for the 26,000 British Airways cabin crew, engineers and ground staff it represents?

A BA spokesperson said after the BALPA agreement was made public, We call on Unite to work with us, as the pilots union BALPA is doing.

Unite will soon drop whatever rhetoric it still employs to carry out a betrayal along the lines of BALPA. As the WSWS noted this month, a report published by the New Economics Foundation, in consultation with the Trades Union Congress, revealed that Unite has already agreed to a redundancy cap of 10 percent of all positions in the aviation industry, equivalent to tens of thousands of jobs.

Airlines through the world have seized on the pandemic conditions to ram through long-planned restructuring. They all work in alliance with the unions, who are pointing a gun at their members heads demanding acceptance of job cuts and concessions.

Even as it was negotiating with BA, BALPA agreed a deal with Ryanair cutting the pay of pilots by 20 percent as apart of a package of cost savings. The Ryanair pay cuts set a new benchmark and will be in place for at least four years. BALPA said that this had saved 260 jobs but had to admit that another 70 jobs were at risk from four potential base closures (Leeds Bradford, Prestwick, Bournemouth and Southend).

Faced with the prospect of losing their jobs, BALPAs Ryanair members voted to accept the deal.

These deals will only whet the appetite of the airlines. Shortly before BALPA announced that its deal with Ryanair has been enforced, chief executive Michael OLeary warned, Weve already announced about 3,500 job losses but were engaged in extensive negotiations with our pilots, our cabin crew and were asking them to all take pay cuts as an alternative to job losses.

The trade unions are organisations hostile to the interests of workers. To oppose BAs onslaught, pilots must act independently of BALPA and vote down their rotten agreement with BA. They must take the initiative into their own hands and form a network of rank-and-file committees, free of the control of the unions.

Pilots should follow the lead of US autoworkers who, faced with an alliance of management and the Trump administration forcing them back to work in unsafe conditions, have established rank-and-file safety committees at several plants.

Rank-and-file committees must carry out the mobilisation of all airline workerspilots, cabin crew and ground staff of all gradesadvancing their own global strategy against the relentless and destructive race to the bottom demanded by the airlines. Airline workers in Britain must appeal to their class allies in Europe and internationally facing the same offensive against jobs, terms and conditions. The airlines must be brought under public control as part of the fight for the programme of socialist internationalism.

The Socialist Equality Party pledges to assist BA pilots, cabin crew and other staff in this fight and urges workers to contact us, with confidentiality assured, to discuss the way forward.
Ankara:

Turkey has criticised as "unacceptable" an Israeli proposal that would make mosques reduce the volume of loudspeakers issuing their call to prayer.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters on Monday after a weekly cabinet meeting that the proposal was contrary to religious freedoms and went against Jerusalem's historic multi-religious culture.

Kurtulmus said: "Bringing the restrictions on the call to prayer at Al-Aqsa and other mosques on the agenda is in no way acceptable."

He was referring to the main mosque in Jerusalem. Supporters of the Israeli bill have painted the issue as a matter of quality of life. The bill, however, has deepened a sense in the Arab minority that it is being marginalized.

The Turkish deputy prime minister's comments came as Israel and Turkey are preparing to exchange ambassadors as part of a reconciliation deal reached in June that ended six years of animosity between the two countries that were once close allies.

Meanwhile, in a rare interview with Israeli media, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said ties between the two countries are warming.

He said "I am convinced that we have advanced significantly toward normalizing relations," according to a Hebrew translation of his remarks to Channel 2 TV's investigative news program "Uvda,".

Israeli-Turkish ties declined after Erdogan, whose party has roots in Turkey's Islamist movement, became prime minister in 2003.

Relations imploded in 2010 after a deadly Israeli naval raid on a Turkish ship trying to breach the blockade of Gaza, ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas. The blockade was imposed by Israel and Egypt after Hamas took power in 2007.

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Tulsa lost a hero when Tulsa Police Sgt. Craig Johnson was murdered while on patrol  just doing his job, keeping you and your family safe. He was a husband, father and son. And he was my friend during our entire career together. I sat one table away from Craig on the same east Tulsa shift for almost a decade.

The week before he was killed, Craig and I joined other officers for a training day. Between sessions, we all chatted about the fears and concerns of the people who patrol the streets to protect Tulsas most vulnerable. That day, social media and news coverage were ablaze with stories from Atlanta, Georgia, where a prosecutor, posturing ahead of a tough election, hastily brought charges against an officer who used deadly force when a dangerous and violent suspect stole the officers Taser and aimed at his face.

Sgt. Bruce Alexander and I along with other members of our training class listened as Craig shared his worries about the anti-police climate surrounding the Georgia incident and the anti-police riots in America. This would be one of our last conversations, and Ill never forget it.
Close-up of a cardboard box filled with packaged blue surgical masks imported from China during an outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus in San Ramon, California, April 5, 2020.

Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

A California couple say they were maced by a woman in a dog park for not wearing face masks.

Ash O'Brien told ABC 10News that a woman approached them as they were eating lunch on Thursday at Dusty Rhodes Dog Park in Ocean Beach, San Diego, to confront them about eating food in the park and not wearing face masks.

The woman left before returning a few minutes later and maced O'Brien's husband in the face during the altercation, ABC 10News reported.

O'Brien wrote on Facebook alongside a partial video of the incident that she filed a report with the San Diego Police Department.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A California couple filed a police report saying they were maced by a woman for not wearing a face mask in a San Diego dog park.

The couple was eating lunch on Thursday at Dusty Rhodes Dog Park in Ocean Beach, San Diego with their puppy when a woman approached them about the park's food restrictions and about not wearing face masks, ABC 10News reported.

Ash O'Brien told ABC 10News that she wouldn't have brought food to the park if she knew there was a no food policy, and they weren't wearing masks because there weren't other visitors near them. The woman left the couple before returning a few minutes later and spraying mace at O'Brien's husband.

"The lady who maced him automatically started saying stuff about us not wearing a mask when we were social distancing; there was no one near us," she told the outlet. "My husband, being a good guy, walked in front of her and was like 'hey calm down please don't do this' and then she grabbed him and just starting macing him, she used the entire can on him."

O'Brien was sprayed in the arm and her husband was sprayed in the face, according to the report, before they were taken to a hospital for treatment.

The couple later filed a report with the San Diego Police Department, according to the outlet. The department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Story continues

The incident was partially caught on video by a nearby witness, who told ABC 10News they were able to record the woman's license plate number. Newsweek reported that O'Brien posted a video of the incident on her Facebook page.

In the video, an older woman can be seen spraying a man who appears to be O'Brien's husband with a can as several onlookers can be heard yelling for her to stop.

In a caption alongside the video, O'Brien confirmed they were pressing charges and thanked the witness who was present for the altercation.

"I am sharing this because people need to watch out for this lady in San Diego," she wrote.

Read the original article on Insider
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said those claiming Chinese forces havent occupied Indian territory in Ladakh are not nationalistic and patriotic, and he will continue to speak the truth about Beijings transgressions even if his whole political career goes to hell.

Stepping up the attack on the government over the Chinese intrusions, Gandhi said the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) continues to occupy parts of Indian territory in Ladakh.

Now, it is pretty clear that the Chinese have entered our territory. This disturbs me. It makes frankly my blood boil. How can some other nation just come into our territory? he said in a video message issued on Monday.

Gandhi, who has been criticised by the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) for his remarks on the border standoff, said hiding the truth and allowing China to occupy Indian territory is anti-national, and bringing it to peoples attention is patriotic.

I think the people who are lying about Chinese entering our country are the people that are not nationalistic. I think the people who are lying and who are saying the Chinese are not in India, they are the people who are not patriotic, he said.

Gandhi asserted he wouldnt lie to the people of India on Chinese intrusions even if it costs him politically.

So frankly, I dont care if it costs me politically. I dont care if I have no political career at all after that. But, I am going to say the truth as far as Indian territory is concerned, he said.

Also read: In Chinas troop movements in Ladakhs depth areas, a hint about its real plan

If you want me to lie that the Chinese have not entered this country I am not going to lie. I simply will not do it. I dont care if my whole career goes to hell. Im not going to lie, he added.

Titled Tough Questions on China, the short video is the fourth in a series on the India-China face-off. Through the videos, Gandhi wants to share his thoughts on national issues.

In the first video issued on July 17, he said Indias troubled economy, foreign policy and neighbourhood prompted China to take an aggressive stand against the country.

The second video, titled Chinas Strategic Game Plan and released on July 20, featured Gandhi talking about how the Chinese have triggered the border issue to pressure Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Also read: India twists the knife, will only cancel tenders that Chinese firm are set to win

In one of the sharpest attacks on Modi over the border standoff, he said the Chinese are attacking his image as they understand that for him to survive as a politician, he has to protect the idea of Chhapan Inch (56-inch) and claimed that if he allowed the Chinese to understand that they can manipulate him because of his image, the prime minister will no longer be worth anything for India.

In the third video titled How should India respond to China? released on July 23, Gandhi listed different measures to deal with the Chinese.

Psychologically you have to deal with the Chinese from a position of strength. If you deal with them from a position of strength, you can work with them, you can get what you need and it can be actually done. But if they sense weakness then you had it, he said.

The first thing is you not going to take on China without a vision. And by that I dont mean a national vision. I mean an international vision, added Gandhi.

In the latest video, Gandhi said as an Indian, his number one priority is the nation and its people.

How do you react to people who say your questions to the PM on China weaken India? Now if you as a politician want me to keep quiet and lie to my people, when I am absolutely convinced [when] I see the satellite photos. I speak to the ex-army people, he added.

Gandhi has repeatedly targeted Modi and his government over the Chinese transgressions and said the prime minister was not being transparent on the issue. The Congress has been demanding that status quo ante be restored at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Chinese troops be pushed back to their side.

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Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: A 14-year-old girl is taking care of her family by pedaling a rickshaw during the lockdown in Bihars Sasaram district. Nandini Kumari has been ferrying passengers on her rented rickshaw for the last month after her father was unable to keep working.

Papa ko rickshaw chalane nahi jane diye police ke dar se lockdown mein. Ham khud unki jagah rickshaw chala rahe hai ek mahine se (I did not allow my father to take the rickshaw out due to fear of police during the lockdown. Im doing it instead for one month), Nandani said.

Her father now works as a daily wage labourer. Nandini said she works for 12 hours and earns Rs 100 to Rs 200 normally in a day. Though not educated, she follows all traffic rules and knows all city lanes and by-lanes well. She said that women prefer her rickshaw more.

Even, the passengers are impressed by her courage and grit. She is an example of how a girl can support her parents in these troubling times, said Nirmala Devi, one of her regulars.
Two people were taken to hospital by air ambulance (David Davies/PA)

Five people have been taken to hospital after being caught in a rip current off the coast of a popular beach in north Wales, the ambulance service has said.

A total of eight people were pulled from the water after being dragged out to sea at Aberdovey Beach in Gwynedd, north Wales, on Sunday afternoon, the RNLI said.

An RNLI spokesman said a multi-agency response was launched at around 2.20pm following reports of people in trouble in the water.

Expand Close Aberdovey beach is popular with tourists (Nick Potts/PA) PA / Facebook

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The Welsh Ambulance Service said a total of five people were taken to hospital.

Two people were transferred by air ambulance to Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth while another was flown to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

A further two patients were taken to Bronglais Hospital by ambulance.

Their condition is not thought to be life threatening, a spokeswoman for the service said.

HM Coastguard said Aberdovey and Borth coastguard rescue teams, Aberdovey RNLI lifeboat, the coastguard helicopter from Caernarfon, Welsh Ambulance Service and two air ambulances were all sent to the scene.

It said the rest of those rescued had been checked over by paramedics and did not need onward transfer to hospital.

The beach sits inside Snowdonia National Park and is a popular spot with tourists.

Its treacherous currents are well known and swimmers are urged to take care.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has rejected allowing Russia's return to the Group of Seven (G7), after U.S. President Donald Trump raised the prospect of Moscow rejoining the club of leading economic powers.

The reason for expelling Russia was its annexation of Crimea and intervention in eastern Ukraine, Maas said in an interview to be published on July 27 in two German newspapers, Rheinische Post and Bonner General-Anzeiger.

So long as we dont have a solution there, I dont see any chance of Russia rejoining the G7, Maas said.

Trump suggested that Russia return to the G7 in May when he announced plans to postpone the annual summit until September because of the coronavirus pandemic. He said he would like to expand the list of invitees to include Australia, Russia, South Korea, and India.

At the time, Trump said it was common sense to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to an expanded G7 summit because countries needed to talk to Russia despite its policies on the international stage and illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Russia was formerly in the group but was expelled in the wake of its forcible annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Maas said the relationship with Russia right now is difficult in many dossiers.

"Russia itself can make the largest contribution to opening such doors," Maas said of the idea to allow Moscow back into the elite group.

"The G7 and G20 are two sensibly coordinated formats. We don't need a G11 or G12," he said.

The G7 includes the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan, France, Britain, and Italy.

Maas noted Russia is needed to reach solutions to conflicts in Syria, Libya, and Ukraine.

A solution to these issues will happen with Russia, not against Russia, he said.

Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union and has been involved in diplomacy to end the conflicts in Libya, Syria, and Ukraine. It is also a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council.

With reporting by Tagesschau, dpa, and Reuters
By PTI

LOS ANGELES: Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds is offering USD 5000 reward for the person who finds the teddy bear belonging to a woman from Vancouver.

The stuffed toy, created by Build-a-Bear, features the woman's mother's voice who died last June after losing her battle with cancer.

The 'Deadpool' star announced the reward in response to a news story shared by CBC TV about Mara Soriano, whose black backpack containing the stuffed bear along with important documents, an iPad, and a Nintendo Switch was stolen recently.

"Vancouver: $5,000 to anyone who returns this bear to Mara. Zero questions asked. I think we all need this bear to come home," the 43-year-old Canadian actor posted on Twitter.

Vancouver: $5,000 to anyone who returns this bear to Mara. Zero questions asked. I think we all need this bear to come home. https://t.co/L4teoxoY50  Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 25, 2020

In an emotional social media post, Soriano had said that the teddy bear was a gift from her mother and has a "voice recording saying that she loves me".

"I listened to and hugged the bear every time I missed her. I don't care about the electronics, I just want my bear back," she said.

Actor Zach Braff also appealed to his social media followers to help find Sariano's teddy bear.

"I need this bear to come home," he tweeted.
CARLSBAD, Calif., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific today announced the expansion of its GlobalAccess Sequencing Program to include laboratories working in oncology. Originally introduced to accelerate multi-institutional-led studies focused on SARS-CoV-2, the expanded program now provides support to labs facing significant constraints as a result of the global pandemic by offering faster access to comprehensive, single-day molecular profiling of tumor tissue on Thermo Fisher's Ion Torrent Genexus System.

"We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the way laboratories function on a daily basis. For some, it has deeply impacted their ability to serve customers in circumstances where time is of the essence," said Garret Hampton, president of clinical next-generation sequencing and oncology at Thermo Fisher Scientific. "At this unprecedented time, sustaining the momentum in oncology is paramount. Extending the benefits of GlobalAccess to this community is a natural extension of our mission to enable our customers to help make the world healthier."

Under the GlobalAccess Sequencing Program, Thermo Fisher will subsidize a limited number of Genexus Systems* for a short time in alignment with the company's commitment to serve its customers and their important work during the global pandemic. The program, which is open to pathology laboratories that currently run or wish to begin sequencing samples with oncology assays, is available immediately and will continue through the end of this year.

The Genexus System was launched in November 2019 with the Oncomine Precision Assay*, which most recently received Breakthrough Device Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to identify low-grade glioma (LGG) patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH1 and IDH2) mutations who may be eligible for vorasidenib (AG-881). It is a turnkey next-generation sequencing (NGS) solution featuring an automated specimen-to-report workflow that delivers results in a single day.

With only five minutes of hands-on time required, the system is designed to minimize user intervention and is conducive for maintaining social distancing requirements in a decentralized lab setting. It also requires minimal amounts of tissue sample and can run small batches cost-effectively. All together, these features position the Genexus System to enable a future in which local hospitals can adopt NGS testing in-house and sets the stage for molecular pathologists to eventually analyze NGS information in parallel with first-line testing modalities, such as immunohistochemistry (IHC).

In May, Thermo Fisher announced the SARS-CoV-2 GlobalAccess program to accelerate multi-institutional efforts focused on mapping coronavirus transmission and epidemiological studies by research consortia and industry groups battling the pandemic. It was introduced shortly after the company optimized the Ion AmpliSeq SARS-CoV-2 Research Panel for the Genexus System. The sequencer and the panel provide laboratories with a powerful, specimen-to-report workflow to carry out infectious disease studies using minimal amounts of sample.

To learn more about the GlobalAccess Sequencing Program, visit www.thermofisher.com/globalaccess

*For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $25 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 75,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com/globalaccess.

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Mauricio Minotta Jen Heady Director, Public Relations Greenough Brand Storytellers +1 760 929 2456 +1 617 275 6547 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific

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US Cold War with China in a global economy puts allies in crossfire & will cause SEVERE damage By Finian Cunningham July 27, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is calling for an alliance of democracies to confront China. It amounts to a new Cold War in which nations are being forced to side either with Washington or Beijing.

Its a classic tyrannical power-play by Washington, yet ironically it is the Americans who are accusing Beijing of being the new tyranny in the world. However, such polarized demarcation of the planet as designated by Washington is impossible in a global economy which is highly integrated, from consumer and financial markets to supply chains. A news report this week once again underscores how even the American military is reliant on China for supplies of rare earth metals used in its weapon systems. Indeed, the entire US economy is dependent on China which is Americas biggest trade partner. In 2019, the US ran a trade deficit of $345 billion with China despite three years of Making America Great Again policy under President Donald Trump.

The deficit with China accounts for about half of the US total trade imbalance with the rest of the world. And its been that way for many years. So the high-handed notion of cutting China off, as Trump says he intends doing, is facile.

Thats what makes ratcheting up the Cold War hostility toward China so futile too. The shutting down of consulates and issuing of indictments for alleged espionage are only leading to a standoff which the United States cannot really enforce or afford  literally.

The same goes for American allies whom Washington is pushing to join in a Cold War battle. Australia, Britain, Canada, among others, are being caught in an ideological crossfire which will result in severe casualties to their economies. Australian farmers are already paying a painful price after China canceled export orders due to Canberra being perceived as a proxy for Washington over provocative coronavirus claims against Beijing.

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Pompeo was in London this week where he urged the free world to stand up to China. This followed the announcement last week by the British government to scrap a partnership deal with Chinese firm Huawei to modernize Britains telecoms. That move was prompted by intense pressure on London from the Trump administration to snub China on grounds of alleged national security risk. But the British authorities will likely incur damaging repercussions for Britains economy. The modernization of its telecoms infrastructure will be delayed and costly.

Moreover, China is a major trading partner with Britain, as it is with most countries due to being the worlds second biggest economy after the US. As Britain charts a new global trading environment post-Brexit it will need the goodwill of China more than ever.

The European Union is also dependent on China for trade and investment. That would explain why European leaders are wary of Washingtons polarizing policy of fracturing the world into a Cold War-like seizure. Such a zero-sum depiction of the world is simply untenable and unsustainable in an integrated global economy. Cutting off ties with China is like cutting your nose off to spite your face.

During the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the world was largely isolated between the two blocs. There was minimal economic inter-connection. An Iron Curtain was possible to maintain because of the rigid separation between economies and communications. That kind of artificial isolation is impossible in todays increasingly networked world.

Even Pompeo admits this, albeit pejoratively. In a keynote speech this week, he remarked with disdain: Unlike the Soviet Union, China is deeply integrated into the global economy The USSR was closed off from the free world. Communist China is already within our borders.

When even the Pentagon has to bow to realities of global economics and its reliance on China for vital commodities, then we should know that the new Cold War sought by Washington with China is a pipe dream. Its all empty rhetoric to justify an ideology of conflict that Washington needs to pursue for its anachronistic pretensions of global dominance.

Unfortunately, by imposing its hostile bifurcated view of the world many countries, including so-called allies, will suffer economically. And all the while, international tensions are being brought to a dangerous boiling point.

Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. - " Source " -

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Russia's Proton rocket, carrying the Kosmos military satellite, blasts off a launch pad at Kazakhstan's Baikonur cosmodrome on March 30, 2012. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

UK Vows to Guard Against Space Threat From China, Russia

Britain is putting space at the heart of its defense in order to counter threats from China and Russia, according to UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.

As part of a foreign, security, and defense policy review being conducted by the UK government, the Ministry of Defense is planning to pivot away from traditional defense and operate much more in the newest domains of space, cyber, and sub-sea, Wallace wrote in The Telegraph.

Britains Defense Secretary Ben Wallace arrives in Downing Street, London, on June 16, 2020. (John Sibley/Reuters)

This week, we have been reminded of the threat Russia poses to our national security with the provocative test of a weapon-like projectile from a satellite threatening the peaceful use of space, he said.

On July 15, Russia tested an anti-satellite weapon in space using the same system that stalked a U.S. reconnaissance satellite earlier this year, U.S. Space Command said July 23.

But Russia is not alone, said Wallace. China, too, is developing offensive space weapons and both nations are upgrading their capabilities.

Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has been developing the power to blind, disorient, and even destroy the United States GPS system, U.S. experts told The Epoch Times earlier this month.

The final Delta II GPS rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base and launch site SLC-17A in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Aug. 17, 2009. (Matt Stroshane/Getty Images)

The weaponization of space is unfortunately well-advanced, U.S. Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Christopher Ford said July 24.

Moscow and Beijing have already turned space into a war-fighting domain, he said. Both are fielding new anti-satellite weapons in order to hold U.S. and allied space services at risk.

In 2019, the Trump administration officially established the Space Force, which joined the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps as a distinct branch of the U.S. military.

President Donald Trump stands as Chief of Space Operations at U.S. Space Force Gen. John Raymond (second from left) and Chief Master Sgt. Roger Towberman (second from right) hold the U.S. Space Force flag in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on May 15, 2020. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

As traditional conflict shifts, and cyber and data become the battleground, we must outmaneuver our adversaries with a sharper technological edge and relentless focus on innovation, Wallace said.

His latest remarks appear to signal greater policy alignment between the trans-Atlantic allies.

Britains relations with both Russia and China have been strained in recent weeks.

The UK government has targeted Russians with new sanctions and accused Russian actors of trying to meddle in last years election. Britain also has reacted strongly to the Chinese regimes imposition of a draconian national security law on Hong Kong, offering 3 million Hong Kong residents a path to British citizenship and suspending its extradition treaty with the former crown colony.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson reversed his earlier decision to allow limited involvement by Chinese telecom firm Huawei in Britains 5G network, and ordered Huaweis gear to be purged completely by 2027.

Britain has also voiced concerns over alleged cyberattacks by Russia and China against medical institutions conducting research on vaccines for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as the novel coronavirus.

Simon Veazey and Reuters contributed to this report.
SCHWENKSVILLE  If you walked into The Duck Inn Taproom today, a thriving family-friendly restaurant and bar thats located right on the banks of the Perkiomen Creek on Route 29 in Perkiomen Township, youd have no idea what type of hell the owner and his loyal staff endured just a few short months ago. In []
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Several species of mould have been thriving on the Chernobyl nuclear reactor despite it hosting a large amount of toxic radiation, 45 years after one of the worst-known nuclear accidents in history. The mould that was found in the area has not only been staying alive, but is feeding off of the radiation to grow.

Scientists are now planning to use one of these species to build a protection layer for manned space missions in the future.

Space is not a very welcoming place for human beings. There is a spectrum of different radiation that all living organisms are exposed to as soon as we leave the protective bubble of Earth's atmosphere. Hence, if long-time stay in the outer space is being considered  for instance, the upcoming Artemis mission to the moon, the threat of cancer and other diseases is looming over astronauts.

Scientists need to think of a protective measure for astronauts before sending them for extended stay in the space. The Chernobyl mould was shown as capable of absorbing cosmic rays on the International Space Station (ISS) and so, scientists think, could be re-engineered to protect human beings from the threats.

Three researchers studied one of the species found in Chernobyl called the Cladosporium sphaerospermum and analysed its ability to block radiation. The study and the findings are under peer review currently and has been published in the preprint biology research server bioRxiv.

The fungi were placed in the ISS for 30 days and even managed to decrease radiation levels by nearly 2 percent. In a process known as 'radiosynthesis', the fungi was found to "convert gamma-radiation into chemical energy" using a pigment called melanin.

Scientists are hence theorising that these organisms may be able to serve as "radiation shield" for other lifeforms, including and especially future astronauts.
Potential Murchison Minerals Ltd. (CVE:MUR) shareholders may wish to note that the Director, Donald Johnson, recently bought CA$260k worth of stock, paying CA$0.065 for each share. That's a very solid buy in our book, and increased their holding by a noteworthy 20%.

Check out our latest analysis for Murchison Minerals

Murchison Minerals Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Notably, that recent purchase by Donald Johnson is the biggest insider purchase of Murchison Minerals shares that we've seen in the last year. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (CA$0.085), we still think insider buying is a positive. Because the shares were purchased at a lower price, this particular buy doesn't tell us much about how insiders feel about the current share price.

While Murchison Minerals insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Does Murchison Minerals Boast High Insider Ownership?

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 30% of Murchison Minerals shares, worth about CA$2.0m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Murchison Minerals Insiders?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. But on the other hand, the company made a loss during the last year, which makes us a little cautious. Insiders likely see value in Murchison Minerals shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Murchison Minerals. For example, Murchison Minerals has 4 warning signs (and 3 which are a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about.

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If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

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.
JERUSALEM  The Israeli military said Monday that it had thwarted a raid by a Hezbollah terrorist squad in a disputed area along its northern border with Lebanon, resulting in an exchange of fire that capped days of mounting tension there.

An Israeli military spokesman said that a small squad armed with assault rifles had crossed an unfenced section of the boundary into Israel by a few yards.

Israeli forces responded, firing small arms, tank guns and then artillery, the spokesman, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, said. The squad fled back into Lebanon, he said, and then fired back at Israel.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant organization, denied that there had been an exchange of fire, saying the only firing had come from the Israeli side.
The Deputy Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Freda Prempeh has revealed that the Chief Priestess who accused and ordered the lynching of a 90-year-old woman for allegedly being a witch at Kafaba near Salaga in the East Gonja District of the Savannah Region is a wanted person.



The deceased, Madam Akua Denteh, was accused of witchcraft by a seer, who had been invited by the villagers to help them drive away their misfortunes.



Madam Freda Prempeh told NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie that the soothsayer has caused the death of two other persons alleged to be witches.



That is what she has been doing. This is not the first, the second but third person she has done this to. That is the information gathered, she said.







Arrest and prosecute killers of 90-year-old witch



Freda Prempeh however condemned the lynching and said her outfit has called for immediate investigations and prosecution of all the perpetrators.



The incident happened on Thursday, July 23, 2020, in the East Gonja Municipality.



GHS2K bounty on suspects



The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. James Oppong-Boanuh, has announced an amount of GHS 2,000 reward for any person with information leading to the arrest of the suspects involved in the lynching of a 90-year-old woman for allegedly being a witch.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Officials around the world reintroduced a raft of restrictions Monday -- from beach closures to quarantine measures -- to try to tamp down coronavirus hotspots as the official global death toll passed 650,000.

European countries trying to repair the economic damage caused by the earlier lockdowns struggled to balance keeping the lifeline of tourism open while guarding against new flare-ups of infection.

Spain's tourism industry faced fresh misery after British travelers -- and one major tour operator -- cancelled flights there following London's decision to reintroduce quarantine for travellers returning from the country.

Hong Kong mandated wearing masks in public in response to a new wave of infections.

Belgium tightened its social distancing measures to try to halt what one expert called a "worrying" surge in cases.

In Washington, meanwhile, the White House announced that another senior administration figure, national security advisor Robert O'Brien, had contracted the virus.

As of Monday evening, the US, the worst-hit nation in the world, had added another 57,000 cases of infection and its recorded death toll stood at 147,588, said Johns Hopkins University.

Until Sunday, the number of US daily infections had exceeded 60,000 for 12 straight days, with some days notching more than 70,000 new cases.

But as the grim figures kept rolling in, the World Health Organization argued against a wholesale closing of borders.

This was "not necessarily a sustainable strategy for the world's economy, for the world's poor, or for anybody else," said WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan.

A "global one-size-fits-all policy" was impossible because outbreaks were developing differently in different countries, he added.

- Hong Kong situation 'remarkably severe' -

The WHO said its emergency committee would meet later this week to discuss the crisis, six months after the organization declared the pandemic an international public health emergency.

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The global death toll from the pandemic passed 650,000 Monday, nearly a third of that number in Europe, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources at 1600 GMT.

Since emerging in China late last year, the virus has killed a total of 650,011 people -- but more than 100,000 deaths have been recorded since July 9, and the global toll has doubled in just over two months.

China reported its highest number of coronavirus cases in three months, part of a worrying swell of infections hitting Asia and Europe.

Indonesia confirmed its 100,000th coronavirus case Monday, as the Red Cross warned that the crisis in the world's fourth most-populous country risked "spiralling out of control."

New infections have also surged in Hong Kong, which for weeks appeared to have infection rates under control.

Now, however, everyone in the densely populated territory must wear masks in public from this week.

"The epidemic situation in Hong Kong is remarkably severe," Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said as he announced the measure, as well as a ban on more than two people gathering in public and restaurants restricted to serving takeaway meals.

- Tourism hit hard -

Spain, which has already paid a high cost in human lives and economic losses during the pandemic, suffered a further blow after tour operator TUI cancelled all British holidays to the Spanish mainland from Monday until August 9.

They were reacting to Britain's decision late Saturday to require travelers returning from Spain to quarantine for two weeks.

"There have already been cancellations and more are expected," said Emilio Gallego, secretary general of Spain's hotels association.

"Nobody is going to come here for a week's holiday and then spend 14 days shut away when they get back home."

Irish no-frills airline Ryanair said Monday that it had nosedived into the red in the first quarter, noting that the pandemic had grounded its fleet for nearly four months.

"The past quarter was the most challenging in Ryanair's 35-year history," said a company statement.

- Fresh preventive measures -

Other countries took a different approach to fears over rising infections.

Germany will make coronavirus tests mandatory for travelers returning from risk areas, Health Minister Jens Spahn said Monday.

"We must prevent returning travellers from infecting others unnoticed and thus triggering new chains of infection," Spahn wrote on Twitter.

Belgium announced that from Wednesday, people there would be allowed to see five people at most outside their family circle, reducing the permitted "social bubble" from 15.

The measures came after the country recorded 1,952 new cases over the past week, more than 70 percent up on the previous week.

France ordered night-time curfews for beaches in the Brittany resort of Quiberon on the Atlantic coast, after a fast-spreading COVID-19 cluster emerged there last week.

Tehran warned Iranians against wedding and funeral gatherings as the coronavirus outbreak showed no signs of abating in the Middle East's hardest-hit country.

And Britain launched a campaign against obesity, days after a Public Health England report found that the condition increased the risk of death from coronavirus by 40 percent.

US biotech company Moderna began a final phase of clinical trials for a potential COVID-19 vaccine on Monday -- the same day it emerged President Trump's national security advisor Robert O'Brien had contracted the virus.

O'Brien, the most senior US figure so far to come down with the virus, "has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site," said a White House statement.
T he family of a hospital worker killed by a hit-and-run cyclist appealed today for the suspect to do the right thing and hand himself in to the police.

HR administrator Peter McCombie, 72, was walking home from the Royal London in east London on July 3 when he was struck just after 5pm.

The cyclist did not stop at the scene in Bow Road and abandoned the bike, which has yet to be located. Mr McCombie, of Bow, died in hospital from serious head injuries eight days later.

Colleagues said today he had continued to work despite passing retirement age because he wanted to help the health service under pressure during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This image shows the cyclist being sought by police / Metropolitan Police

His sister Christine said: It is heard to put into words the effect losing Peter has had on our family. It is incredibly difficult to process his death, especially in these circumstances when we know that the person involved has not come forward.

I would ask the cyclist, personally, please speak to police. Please do the right thing, for Peter and our family. In our position I know you would want the same.

CCTV of the cyclist being sought by police

Police have released an image of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the death.

Detective Inspector Julie Trodden said: From photos we can see he abandoned his cycle and then ran off.

If anyone knows the location of this bike please tell us. Any information you can give, even if it is just the street where you saw him, could be crucial.

I am also asking anyone who witnessed this collision, or the events immediately prior to and after the collision to contact the police.

Finally, I continue to appeal directly to the cyclist involved  please come forward to assist this investigation but, more importantly, to provide answers to the victims family.

Andy Vince, of Barts Health NHS Trust said: Peter had worked for us since May 2003 and was a well-loved member of the team, with many stories to share.

Its fair to say his work was his life and even during this pandemic, when he could have chosen to stop and stay at home, he continued to come in every day and make sure that he and the team continued to deliver.

Any witnesses or anyone with dash cam footage is asked to call police on 020 8597 4874 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
An investigation is underway following an incident between a Royal Navy warship and a Killybegs-registered trawler off the Donegal coast.

An Air Corps maritime patrol aircraft was dispatched and two Irish naval ships placed on standby after the skipper of the Killybegs-based fishing vessel, the Marliona, reported that a UK frigate ordered him to leave the area where he was fishing 60 miles off the Irish coast.

It is understood that HMS Lancaster hailed the fishing vessel on Tuesday morning, informing the skipper they were commencing a joint operation with a submarine which would continue over the next three days.

A maritime aircraft was sent to monitor the area where the UK warship was operating and two Irish naval vessels were redeployed.

The Marliona has since resumed fishing in the area which is west off Tory Island.

Sinn Fein spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence John Brady accused the British Navy of arrogance of the highest order and of once again endangering Irish fishing vessels.

Deputy Brady said: On one level, we have the outrageous scenario of a foreign power ordering an Irish vessel out of Irish waters. On the other, we have a situation where a British warship was engaged in a joint operation with a British submarine.

"The disregard for Irish sovereignty is arrogance of the highest order. But, alongside this we have the endangerment of Irish fishing vessels and their crews by a British submarine.

"I thought that we had left this carry-on behind with the Cold War.

"For decades, British submarines have infringed on Irish sovereign waters, leading to tragedy and loss of life when submarines have got caught up in fishing nets and pulled trawlers under.

"It is staggering and unacceptable that this flagrant disregard for the safety of Irish fishing crews is continuing. This cannot be allowed to stand.

"I will ensure that this incident will not be allowed to be swept under the carpet. We need answers as to why this has been allowed to happen.

"I understand that the Department of Foreign Affairs has launched an investigation into the incident, and I will be in contact with the Minister to ensure that the government's response reflects the seriousness of the matter.

"I also want to commend the response of the Irish Navy, which ordered Irish vessels to the area to ensure the safety of the fishing vessel in question."

"This incident underlines the need to end the running down of the countrys defence forces and naval service by government."
The defendants, who were also fined EGP 300,000, can still appeal the sentence

A Cairo economic court sentenced on Monday TikTok influencers Haneen Hossam and Mawada Eladhm, who are well-known for their content on the video-sharing platform, and three others to two years in prison for violating family values and principles.

The defendants, who were also fined EGP 300,000, can still appeal the sentence.

The defendants were referred to criminal court in June for what the prosecution described as violating family values and principles and establishing and running online accounts to commit this crime.

One of the three other defendants in the case was charged with possessing unauthorised and illegal software for the purpose of using it to facilitate committing these crimes. These defendants were charged with helping one of the girls evade arrest, concealing evidence of the crime, and publishing materials to influence public opinion about the case.

Eladhm was arrested on 14 May after she fled her residence at an upscale New Cairo gated community, moving around between Cairo and the North Coast after an arrest warrant was issued against her.

Eladhm, who has 3.1 million followers on TikTok and 1.6 million followers on Instagram, gained fame for posting lip syncing and dance videos.

Hossam, who has 1.2 million followers on TikTok, was arrested on 21 April for inciting debauchery and human trafficking. She was arrested a few days after she posted a video on TikTok encouraging women to publish live videos and talk with strangers, via short video sharing platform Likee, in exchange for money.

A court ordered her release on EGP 10,000 bail after she spent about a month-and-a-half in custody; however, the 20-year-old influencer was remanded once again after the prosecution presented new evidence.

A Cairo Economic appeals court has set on Monday an appeal hearing for the TikTok influencers to challenge their jail and fine sentence on 17 August.

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On July 21, the FBI arrested Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder for alleged connections to a $60 million bribery scheme involving multiple state officials and the electric company FirstEnergy Corporation. Along with Householder, former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges, Householder advisor Jeff Longstreth and lobbyists Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes have also been arrested.

Householders arrest exposes the extensive corruption that predominates throughout the American political system. After having served as speaker from 2001 to 2004, the Republican was reelected as Ohio House Speaker in January 2019 with bipartisan support from legislators, while the Ohio AFL-CIO lobbied House Democrats to vote for him. Householder has also provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican politicians loyal to him.

Those accused by the FBI are facing charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering. If convicted they could face up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. US Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Dave DeVillers has described the crime as potentially the biggest bribery and money-laundering scheme in the states history.

According to DeVillers, a company, which has been identified as FirstEnergy, provided millions of dollars indirectly to 21 candidates loyal to Householder running in the 2018 primary in general election. The candidates, who have been dubbed Team Householder, used the funding to run ads and send out mailers as part of their election. DeVillers has described the campaigns of the Team Householder candidates as being very effective.

The bribery scheme was based on FirstEnergy filtering money through the non-profit Generation Now, which is classified as a 501(c)(4) and not required to report its donors. Generation Now would subsequently transfer the money to multiple enterprises that funded Team Householder. Generation Now received $60 million between March 2017 and March 2020.

While Householder gave political contributions totaling more than $200,000 in 2018, many of the candidates on Team Householder might not have known about the true extent of his support or the bribery scheme that they benefited from. The FBI claims that money was given to candidates who FirstEnergy believed both would vote for Householder as Speaker and, ultimately, would follow his lead as Speaker and vote for bailout legislation, benefiting the company.

According to the investigation, Householder also intervened to aid candidates sometimes using covert methods. In the Ohios 43 District race in 2018, he is alleged to have spent $500,000 in the final weeks in order to ensure the victory of Republican J. Todd Smith over Democratic rival Dan Foley.

Smith has claimed that he was not aware of the extent of Householders involvement in the race. He also stated that he was not involved in the creation of an attack ad depicting Foley as a drunk driver, which Householder is allegedly involved in, until after the ad was aired. Smith won his election by just 137 votes.

Whether conscious of Householders support or not, every member of Team Householder who was in the Ohio House voted for him to become speaker in 2019. All but two members of Team Householder also voted for House Bill 6 (HB6) that included a $1.3 billion bailout that went to two nuclear power plants owned at the time by a subsidiary of FirstEnergy.

HB6 was signed into law last year by Ohio Republican governor Mike DeWine. The legislation was a boon to energy corporations, providing $150 million per year to nuclear power plants through added charges to residents power bill, provided a subsidy to two coal plants, and gutted subsidies for renewable energy.

Since the news of the corruption scandal, DeWine has called on legislators to repeal and replace House Bill 6 and has also called on Householder to resign. Due to the controversial nature of HB6, it is possible that the bill would not have passed without the bribery scheme.

FirstEnergy released a statement on July 21 explaining that the company had received subpoenas in relation to the ongoing investigation around HB6. While no criminal charges against FirstEnergy have been announced yet, the companys stock dropped by 41 percent between July 21 and 22.

While so far all five individuals that have been arrested have been Republicans connected to Generation Now, the scandal reflects a deep seated corruption within the American political system. On Wednesday, the Intercept s Washington, D.C. bureau chief Ryan Grim told the Hill, There are nuclear bailouts going on around the country, so if you kind of peeled it back with subpoena power the way the Department of Justice did in Ohio, you might find that they actually are getting away with it all over the place.

However, within Ohio politics there is bipartisan agreement to try to move past the scandal. On Sunday, Ohio House Representative and Democrat Lisa Sobecki issued a statement that Householder must resign so we can rebuild public trust in the Statehouse. Her statement came alongside an announcement that she was donating $1,500 that she had received from the FirstEnergy Corp. political action committee (PAC) to Lucas County Childrens Services.

Completely absent from calls for Householders resignation is any explanation of how he could rise to the top position in the state legislature twice in the last 20 years. During his first term as speaker from 2001 to 2004, he was investigated by the FBI on allegations of taking bribes and other ethical issues. While the initial investigation was dropped, it was public knowledge in 2019 when he was reelected as speaker with bipartisan support.

Borges, who works as a lobbyist for FirstEnergy, was caught in a bribery scandal in 2004 while working for then-Ohio Treasurer Joe Deters. A former Ohio Republican Party chairman, he gained national notice last month after creating the Right Side PAC, focused on unseating Trump though a Biden victory in November.

The corruption scandal in Ohio serves as a further indictment of both the Democrats and Republicans, which elevate the most criminal elements in society to political prominence and influence.
A Portland man was indicted Monday in the July 17 shooting deaths of three people in Northeast Portland.

Brett Edward Pruett, 58, faces murder charges in the killings of Elmer Edwin Hughes III, Tashia Cobb, and Lawrence Murphy, according to court records.

Prosecutors said Pruett is accused of breaking into a house on Northeast 122nd Avenue between Russell and Brazee streets, where he used a gun to kill Murphy, 77.

Court documents say Pruett allegedly killed Cobb and Hughes during the same criminal episode in which he killed Murphy.

Murphy lived across the street from Pruetts listed address in 2019, according to state records.

Four days after the triple killings, the house where court records show Pruett lived was boarded up with discarded tires leaning against the garage and a derelict school bus parked in the driveway. Boards also covered the windows of the house where online records indicate Murphy lived.

Several neighbors, none of whom would give their names, said the people who frequented the two houses appeared to come and go at all hours of the day.

Pruett allegedly also used a gun to seriously injure a family or household member the day before the triple homicide, the district attorneys office said. A social media account that appears to belong to Pruett identifies the assault victim as his fiancee.

Pruett is charged with 11 counts of first-degree murder with a firearm, four counts of unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of first-degree burglary with a firearm, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of second-degree assault constituting domestic violence.

The Multnomah County District Attorneys Office said a bail hearing date has not been scheduled.

Court documents say Pruett has been convicted of 13 felonies and had a warrant for his arrest in San Diego. He also escaped from jail in California in 1984, according to state documents.

-- Celina Tebor

ctebor@oregonian.com

@CelinaTebor
Its the kind of place thats not easy to find unless you go looking for it.

Back of St. Georges Anglican Church in downtown St. Catharines, on the left is a brown metal door. Look for the hand-drawn STEPs sign and go on inside.

Youll be welcome there. No questions asked.

The STEPs program opened quietly last October to help young people living on the street, or struggling with their mental health or addictions get their lives pointed in the right direction.

Since then close to 40 have come through, anywhere from their late teens up to 30. Some stayed, others didnt  STEPs has no government ties and no one is referred there. No one is forced to attend or return.

Operated through the church in a basement room laid out like a big rec room, the program is funded by a single, anonymous benefactor.

Her vision was to get kids off the street, says lead addictions counsellor Louis Muscat. Im just getting things together to make sure that happens.

Its an evolving format. The whole thing is new and not bound to rules older programs or ones affiliated with official agencies might be.

If youre in a bad moment and need counselling with Muscat, just drop in and see him. If youre on the street and need a place to be, come inside. Its open weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Most days, its only Muscat and Adam Pierce, who provides security to ensure no drugs are brought inside or on the church property. Them, and whoever drops in.

Muscats background is mostly in the railroad, where he ran an employee assistance program for one of the major carriers. He studied at McMaster University and has worked at several addiction centres over the years.

But he has sold cars, too, in addition to other jobs. A few years ago he owned a chain restaurant in downtown Hamilton.

It failed, he says, and he lost about $500,000.

As he says, he has plenty of life experience to pass on.

When someone says, this is what Im going through, I can say, well, this is what I went through, Muscat says. And now Im picking myself up and moving forward.

Its about being resilient in life.

Fair or not, young adults are known as the snowflake generation, raised in such a protective way they cant handle disappointment or rejection.

Muscat says when he counsels, I want to go back to the old parenting scenario, because were not teaching them anything.

Starting from scratch in October, he and Pierce had to do outreach, seeking out young people hanging around the library or just downtown and telling them about STEPs and inviting them to stop by.

Here they can walk in and say, Lou, I need to talk to you. And Ill make time for them, Muscat says.

He sees them from all over the region. A few have apartments but many are basically homeless, having left home for any number of reasons  anger issues, restlessness, addiction, an unhappy family life.

He sees people with drug problems, lack of education, low self-esteem. Whatever.

What he wants is for them to learn to handle their anger, see the world through other peoples eyes, be able to build relationships. Take responsibility for the things they do.

And set goals for themselves.

Pierce, who has worked at a drug rehab house and group homes in the past, is also a musician and leads an Advent Cafe at the church.

He says a lot of these youths  90 per cent that come in here have never been told theyre worth anything.

The one kid that came in here, he drew a picture. I offered to buy the picture. He hasnt been the same since. He never thought it would be worth anything.

Its like, to make a resume, they go, I can work? They dont have the concept in their head that theyre worth anything  theyve never been praised for just being them.

Muscat says, Not being from the addiction or having a problem myself, you always get, Well, what do you know?

And I dont know. Im here to help you, whether its with my life skills or my education or just being Lou.

What hes found, he says, is you need to get out there and talk to these kids, because all they want is respect.

And to be treated like adults, not to be treated like kids.

I speak on their level, I dont talk above their level  I just deal with them one on one. Again, Im a parent, Ive gone through life skills, Ive gone through ups and downs in my life.

If you dont have those skills, a textbook cant teach you.

One man in his early 20 who goes to STEPs, Jesse, wrote Muscat to say I think this program is saving my life.

He is applying for jobs now, he says, and his depression is lifting. He calls Muscat his mentor.

The fact that I am doing all these new things and learning new skills makes me feel like Im really worth it in this world, he wrote.

Muscat is proud of that letter.

But if it was just a matter of kids needing a confidence boost, Pierce wouldnt still have to be on the lookout for drugs 10 months in.

Recently, Muscat says, a bag was found on the property filled with about 300 new syringes, likely dropped off there for a dealer to pick up.

The message he tries to reinforce is: Respect the property and remember why you came here.

When they show up for counselling or one of the daily sessions on addictions and mental health, he expects them to be serious about turning their own lives around.

If you had a job, would the boss allow you to go outside and smoke a joint? No, he says.

So Im teaching them to understand  I want to show them to regulate themselves  you know what, this is how life is. If you dont like it, Im sorry, but you have to leave.

With help from church volunteers, he wants to start music therapy, and possibly meditation and spirituality sessions. And have a visiting doctor who can diagnose psychological issues.

The kids usually govern themselves, says Pierce.

They look forward to seeing one another here, because a lot of them dont have families, or their families split and they moved away. So they come here of their own accord and feel like theyre part of a family.

In an interview, one Niagara woman  call her Leigh  said at one point the situation with her son was so bad she called police to get him out of her house.

In his late teens, she says, he struggled with anger and issues related to his father and the breakup of her marriage. He self-medicated with drugs  he began having some really bad trips, bad ones. Marijuana is all he would admit to.

When he left home, she was certain his story wouldnt end well. There was lots of praying for him, she says.

It was a real mess, and he was carrying all this guilt and blame. Lots of anger.

Leigh doesnt know how her son ended up going to STEPs. She first met Muscat in court; both, it turns out, were there to support her son.

The violent outbursts had stopped. He was able to speak to me without wanting to hit me, she says. Yeah, he had changed.

He has moved back home, she says, and is finishing high school. He has been clean for I dont know how long now, its been months.

What he gets from STEPs, she figures, is mentorship.

When someone else talks to a troubled kid, she says, its different somehow.

I dont know why they listen when its not mom and dad. Its just, they do.

She adds: I think theres just not enough opportunities for kids, especially in St. Catharines. There just doesnt seem to be any places for them to even do anything in the city  like theres not any place for them to go.

Just to have this place where they can just sit and talk or just do something, and its safe. If they want to talk, they can talk  were very blessed to have it where my son can turn things around.

It doesnt always happen.
Goldman Sachs (GS) has announced that it has reached an agreement with the Government of Malaysia to resolve all the criminal and regulatory proceedings in Malaysia involving the firm relating to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). This includes pending criminal proceedings against Goldman Sachs subsidiaries and directors.

The scandal involved GS raising $6.5 billion in bond sales for the 1MDB fund, earning an estimated $600 million in fees from 2012 and 2013. It was later discovered that two GS bankers, Tim Leissner and Roger Ng, and Malaysian government adviser, Jho Low, had been involved in the misappropriation of funds from 1MDB and bribery of the government.

According to GS, the agreement in principle would involve the payment to the Government of Malaysia of $2.5 billion and a guarantee that the Government of Malaysia receives at least $1.4 billion in proceeds from assets related to 1MDB seized by governmental authorities around the world.

Goldman Sachs revealed that based on a valuation analysis of the relevant assets, the guarantee does not present a significant risk exposure to the firm.

In addition, the Government of Malaysia agreed to withdraw the pending criminal charges and agreed that no further charges would be brought against Goldman Sachs, its subsidiaries, or any of their directors, officers and employees (excluding former employees Tim Leissner and Roger Ng) related to 1MDB.

As a result, Goldman Sachs noted that it expects to materially increase its provisions for litigation and regulatory proceedings for the second quarter of 2020, which will be reflected in its financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2020.

The agreement in principle does not resolve the other pending governmental and regulatory investigations involving the firm relating to 1MDB, Goldman adds.

Following the announcement, RBC Capital analyst Gerard Cassidy reiterated his hold rating on Goldman Sachs with a price target of $225 (12% upside potential).

Story continues

In respect of a potential settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) he noted that the company has previously stated that it is cooperating with the DOJ regarding the 1MDB investigation but has not reached an agreement.

According to a Bloomberg article from the beginning of July, a resolution is pending on the decision about whether a GS subsidiary in Asia must plead guilty. Once a resolution is made, the bank could receive a penalty up to $2 billion Cassidy wrote on July 24.

However the analyst added: A greater risk for shareholders is if banking regulators restrict the companys ability to grow with a regulatory agreement, i.e., a cease-and-desist order.

Overall the stock shows a cautiously optimistic Moderate Buy Street consensus, with a $243 average analyst price target for upside potential of 21%. (See Goldman Sachs stock analysis on TipRanks).

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(CNN)  Two homes owned by Jeffrey Epstein and cited in court documents as some of the locations where Epstein was accused of sexually abusing young women are now for sale for a combined total of roughly $110 million, according to the properties' listing agents.

Epstein's Upper East Side mansion is listed at $88 million, according to a listing verified by Adam Modlin of the Modlin Group. The listing describes the sale as a "once in a life-time opportunity to own the largest single-family home in New York City."

A source familiar with the listing told CNN that the property would be the biggest townhouse sale in New York City history if it sells at its $88 million listing price, surpassing a $77.1 million sale last year.

The seven-story home on East 71st Street has 40 total rooms, including 10 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms. It has an unobstructed view of Central Park and is across the street from the Frick Collection museum, according to the listing.

"This historic landmark could easily present itself as a palatial consulate, embassy, foundation, or a museum to once again house some of the world's greatest works of art," according to the listing.

Described as a French neoclassical building, the home has more than 28,000 square feet, according to the listing, which lists some of the property's amenities as "15-foot-tall oak entry doors, imported French-limestone meticulously decorated with carvings, sculpture figures and ornamental iron works."

Epstein's waterfront property in Palm Beach, Florida, is priced at $21.9 million, according to a listing verified by Kerry Warwick of the Corcoran Group.

The 14,000-square-foot home has six bedrooms and seven-and-a-half bathrooms with full views of the Intracoastal Waterway, according to the listing. It features a pool and pool house, a staff house and a three-car garage.

Multiple women alleged that Epstein sexually abused them at his properties in the US, including in New York, Palm Beach, a ranch in New Mexico and the island he owned in the US Virgin Islands.

Epstein, 66, died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting federal trial in New York City's Metropolitan Correction Center.

In June of this year, a victims' compensation fund was created as a part of Epstein's estate to disburse funds to the women Epstein allegedly abused, many of whom were underage at the time.

On Thursday, a federal judge ruled to publicly release documents that have been kept under seal in a case involving Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's one-time girlfriend and alleged accomplice.

US District Judge Loretta Preska verbally unsealed the documents in a ruling held via teleconference. She is giving Maxwell's legal team a week to pursue an appeal to her decision but ordered the court to have the documents ready to be posted "within a week."

The documents are connected to a 2015 defamation case brought by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claimed Epstein sexually abused her while she was a minor and that Maxwell aided in the abuse. The case was settled in 2017.

The 58-year-old Maxwell was arrested earlier this month and charged by federal prosecutors in New York for her alleged role in recruiting, grooming and sexually abusing underage girls as young as 14 as part of a yearslong criminal enterprise.

Maxwell pleaded not guilty to six charges by New York federal prosecutors that she helped recruit, groom and ultimately sexually abuse minors as young as 14.

A federal judge ordered Maxwell jailed pending trial, saying the significant financial resources, international ties and "extraordinary capacity to avoid detection" made her a flight risk.

Before her arrest, Maxwell was living on a 156-acre New Hampshire estate purchased for $1.07 million in cash in December 2019 "through a carefully anonymized LLC," according to court papers and the realty company.

This story was first published on CNN.com Jeffrey Epstein's homes in New York and Palm Beach are for sale for a combined $110 million
The new company, Orascom said, will be a joint stock company subject to Capital Market Law 95/1992 and its executive regulations, and shared by the same shareholders of Orascom Investment Holding

Orascom Investment Holding Companys board, chaired by businessman Naguib Sawiris, has approved splitting the company to the current Orascom Investment Holding Company and the new Orascom Financial Holding Company.

In the boards report, which was submitted to the Egyptian Stock Exchange on 26 July, Orascom said the current investment companys issued capital will be decreased through reducing the nominal values of its shares and will maintain its licence as a company participating in the incorporation of all joint stock companies and partnerships limited by shares issuance of financial securities or by capital increase.

The new company, Orascom said, will be a joint stock company subject to Capital Market Law 95/1992 and its executive regulations, and shared by the same shareholders of Orascom Investment Holding.

The new company targets participating in the incorporation of all companies that issue financial securities or in the increase of their capital shares that operate in financial services sector.

Orascom said the demerge provides the opportunity for shareholders and investors to invest in their desired sectors and to exit the undesired investment sectors, attract more foreign and domestic investments for the two companies, give the opportunity for the two companies to grow and share in more investments, in addition to upgrading the financial position of the two companies.

The new company will be listed in the EGX once the demerging process ends.

Under the new move, Belton Financial Holding and Tharwa Capital Financial Holding will be affiliated to Orascom Financial Holding, while nine other companies will be under Orascom Investment Holding management, according to the company.

In 2019, Orascom Investment Holdings consolidated net loss recorded EGP 425.2 million compared to EGP 865.5 million in 2018, while it managed to achieve a net profit of EGP 253.3 million in 2019, up from EGP 58.7 million in 2018, according to the companys financial statement.

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New South Wales is on high alert after recording an additional 17 coronavirus cases, including two mystery transmissions.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the spike in cases on Monday - eight of which have been linked to known clusters.

Eight were returned travellers in hotel quarantine and the other nine were local transmissions. Two are under investigation.

'We are holding the line and doing okay, but are still on high alert,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'But we cannot let our guard down. That's how the virus will take hold and spread.'

She urged residents to remain vigilant with social distancing to ensure we can 'continue to have this level of freedom'.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged residents to remain vigilant with social distancing to ensure we can 'continue to have this level of freedom'

A staff member from Potts Point Thai Rock restaurant (pictured) tested positive for COVID-19

There are now two cases linked to the Thai Rock Restaurant at Potts Point after a diner who visited the restaurant on July 17 tested positive last week.

A staff member has now also become a confirmed case and investigations to date have not identified links between cases at the two restaurants.

The staff member is not included in the three cases linked to Thai Rock Wetherill Park on Monday.

NSW Health directed anyone who attended the Potts Point restaurant for more than two hours between July 15 and July 25 to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days since they were last there, regardless of symptoms.

The outbreak cluster from Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park (pictured) continues to grow

A couple who tested positive for COVID-19 following the Bankstown funeral gathering attended Tan Viet Noodle House in Cabramatta, which is also known as Crispy Chicken Noodle House, between 1pm and 2pm on July 22 and An Restaurant in Bankstown between 9am and 11am on July 23.

Anyone who attended these venues is asked to watch for symptoms and get tested if symptoms appear.

A case linked to the funeral cluster is a student at Georges River Grammar School in Georges Hall in Sydney's south-west.

Fans during the Round 11 NRL match between the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the St George Illawarra Dragons at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney on Saturday

A woman wearing a face mask shelters from the rain during wet weather at Circular Quay in Sydney on Sunday

The school is closed for cleaning, and close contacts are being directed to self-isolate.

Sydney COVID-19 hotspots: Tan Viet Noodle House in Cabramatta An Restaurant in Bankstown Thai Rock in Wetherill Park Thai Rock in Potts Point Crossroads Hotel in Casula Batemans Bay Soldiers Club St Brendan's Catholic Church in Bankstown Advertisement

NSW chief medical officer Dr Kerry Chant told reporters on Monday there were 101 COVID-19 cases being treated by NSW Health.

Five people are in intensive care, with 90 per cent of cases in out-of-hospital care.

Dr Chant also urge anyone in the Harris Park and Middleton Grange areas to monitor for symptoms and get tested even if they have the mildest of symptoms.

Ms Berejiklian implored the public to not take part in the Black Lives Matter protests planned for Tuesday.

'A pandemic isn't the time to do this... please use your energy in a different way,' she told reporters on Monday.

As the cases in Sydney continue to grow, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is threatening to 'slam the border shut' and ban all New South Wales residents from entering the state.

'If there are outbreaks of community transmission or it cannot be sourced or there are clusters, we will not hesitate to declare hotspots or we will not hesitate - if it gets out of control - to slam the border shut,' she told reporters on Monday.

Liverpool and Campbelltown in NSW are also declared hotspots, as is the entire state of Victoria.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she's ready and willing to close Queensland's borders to all of NSW again

It comes as more NSW residents will be blocked from entering Queensland from Monday, as the Fairfield area in Sydney is declared a hotspot. Pictured: Cars arriving from NSW are checked by police at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

Current travel restrictions will prevent more than 600,000 Sydney residents from entering the Sunshine State.

Ms Palaszczuk said any decisions on further hotspots or border closures will be made on the advice of Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young.

'That advice has stood Queensland in a very good position,' the premier said.

'Every single day we are monitoring the situation in NSW.'

Queensland recorded no new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours and there are just five active cases in the state.

It follows the winding back of some freedoms in Queensland restaurants, pubs and clubs.

All patrons will have to be seated when drinking or eating, the CHO announced on Friday, blindsiding the hospitality industry.
On a Thursday afternoon in February, I watched my students at the whiteboard. Gaby was drawing a series of cartoons and a list of the kinds of animals that had been sent into space by different countries across the decades. She didnt look at her notes: She drew from memory. Next to her, Olan was drawing images and words about the major groupings of physiological questions researchers had been trying to answer, including the effects of microgravity on heart and lungs, and the intensity of the stresses of launch.

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With my co-instructor professor Evgenya Shkolnik, I teach a class called Inquiry, where the subject matter changes every semester, but whats really being taught is ways of independent learning and problem-solving. Evgenya and I use a technique called open inquiry, and for most of our students, its different from anything they have ever experienced in school.

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The course is designed to build an answer to a big question, and we choose a different one each semester. This time it was, How can we maximize sustainability in space travel and habitation? On the first day, I always ask the students why the content and processes we learn in high school and college seem unaligned with what really happens in work and life. This class is different, I tell them: We will only practice skills that we need for work and life. That means almost no lecturing, and instead of me bringing information to the students, they decide what questions they want to pursueand then they collaborate on that research.

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Giving the student control over the direction of learning and responsibility for finding answers and content can be frightening at first, but these are exactly the most important skills to allow a student to become a lifelong learner, a problem-solver, and an informed citizen.

Early in the semester, Gaby had told me she didnt know why she was in the class, that she felt lost, that she didnt know what to do. But soon she was practicing asking her own research questions, finding and judging her own content, and summarizing what shed learnedand now she was standing up and sharing her work with her classmates with confidence.

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Two weeks later, you know what happened: COVID-19 spread across the world, the university closed, and suddenly our inquiry class had to go entirely online.

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Our very interactive way of teaching might seem to be the hardest to adapt to online learning. Lectures, it seems, are ideal for onlinejust move the audience from the lecture hall to behind their screens. But, in fact, its quite the opposite: Online teaching should be active and interactive. Thats what works best online, and its what works best overall.

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When our class went online, Evgenya and I took some deep breaths. We started thinking through the process of our class and realized that almost every part of it could be kept the same. The big difference was meeting via Zoom instead of in person and having to trade our giant beautiful whiteboards for software replacements for sharing information.

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Counterintuitively, passive learning like lectures is harder to adapt to remote teaching. Lecturing becomes even more passive online, so the lectures need to be much shorter to be effective. Recording lectures, if you go that way, takes intense practice and long hours. Even reading to oneself is passive unless combined with reporting out to a working group, debating, or building a concept map.

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The problem isnt just online. Passive learning, which is the norm in almost all classrooms at all levels, is an ineffective way to teach. In passive learning, students may listen to lectures, read to themselves, or watch videos, but they are missing involvement of, for example, drawing concept maps, asking questions, or debating with or explaining to others. Researchers have known about passive learnings shortcomings for a long time. Unfortunately, the worlds teachers and professors come mainly from the small group of people for whom the traditional passive learning education worked. Because we generally enjoyed and benefited from this system, teachers and professors may not perceive any shortcomings in this mode of teaching, and further, may not have any examples of other ways to teach.

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Passive learning isnt only less effective, but it also makes passivity habitual beyond the classroom; it trains the agency and initiative right out of our students. They come to school in kindergarten curious and active and full of questions, and if we succeed, by the end of high school, they end up perfect passive listeners, judging their success from their test scores. We have caused them to have learned helplessness, a psychological phenomenon in which repeated inability to escape from a given structure convinces the person to stop trying. We have succeeded in removing the agency from our people.

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Furthermore, passive learning is anti-equity: Its one-size-fits-all approach assumes that all students will get the same things from the same lecture, but that means that only some students actually learn. Especially for children coming from poverty, we need to give agency, not take it away. Growing up with relatively less socioeconomic privilege can itself limit a persons future, and then training them to be passive in school only removes more agency. For the future of our nation and our world, we need to train people to be better and better problem-solvers, to recognize unsolved challenges, and to know that they themselves can take on those challenges.

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And heres the best part: Active learning, where students work individually or in groups to tackle problems and ideas, works beautifully online. It can move smoothly from in person to online and back, making it flexible to our times, and less work for the teacher. We can break into small working groups online, or have class discussions, or presentations, much more easily and effectively than we can deliver online lectures.

When our class moved online, we transitioned to a setup where students did their own research outside of class, and once a week, we met over Zoom to share all we had learned, to discuss and improve the questions we would pursue in the coming week, and to improve our collaborative working group process.

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The adaptation process for our inquiry class was fairly seamless, though we discussed process each week. (Improving the course process is one part of the metacognition we build in to every step, so that our students become independent master learners.) At the end of the semester, Gaby had become a confident participant and experienced researcher, almost all the students said this was their favorite course of the year, and several said it was the best course they had ever had. This for a class that transitioned from in person to online halfway through the semester.

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There are many ways to implement inquiry and active learning in the classroom and online, and our country is filled with dedicated, determined teachers who want the best for our kids. If you are a parent, start by reading this article about school openings, and find out what your schools plans are. Then, work with your teachers and your school administrators to encourage them to teach in active ways that work online and in person.

Why would we strive to return to an ineffective, even damaging status quo, when we have this singular opportunity to improve? We can do better than recorded lectures and reading predigested material from textbooks. We can offer active, inquiry-based learning online and in person, we can become resilient educators in this time of pandemic, and best of all, we can give every student the agency to make change in their world.

For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Cue the drum roll...

A 'breathtaking, vast and intimidating' image of ocean waves crashing has won the top prize in a prestigious photography competition celebrating Australian and New Zealand snappers.

The Alpha Awards was designed to showcase the work of Australian and New Zealand photographers on Sony Alpha lenses.

Take a look at the stunning shots.

YOUTH WINNER Photographer Alex Marshall, of Marlborough, New Zealand, is the winner of the Youth category for his picture of a man diving into a lake. It is titled A Celebration of Solitude.

Photograph: Alex Marshall

WEDDING WINNER Photographer Benjamin Lane's image of a couple embracing each other during a kiss on their wedding day was awarded first place in the Wedding category. The picture is titled Wild Love.

Photograph: Benjamin Lane

GRAND PRIZE WINNER Photographer Oscar Hetherington was awarded Grand Prize for his image 'Backwash'. It was labelled as 'vast', 'intimidating' and 'breath-taking'. The New Zealander said on social media: 'Short backstory behind the image on the morning this photo was taken, my car broke down on the way to the beach so it was a surprise I even made it out for a swim this day but sure lucky I did even though it included a ride home on the back of a tow truck'.

Photograph: Oscar Hetherington

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WINNER Photographer Laurie Winter won the Astrophotographer award for her submission 'Mt Taranaki Eruption'. The image was taken on a Sony A7R iii and 24mm F1.4 GM lens, and was captured when she left Level 3 COVID-19 lockdown in New Zealand. Winter said: 'How lucky we are as a country that we are able to start getting freely amongst nature again. Even though I was freezing cold standing here under the stars, it is hard to feel more alive. I am still practicing my astrophotography, and there are a number of things I would do differently if I tried this photo again."

Photograph: Laurie Winter

COMPACT CAMERA WINNER Photographer Gary White won in the compact camera category for 'On The Street Vienna', which showcased an image of a young girl hanging onto a dog's leash to stop it confronting another canine.

Photograph: Gary White

EDITORIAL WINNER Photographer Ilan Wittenberg, of New Zealand, was awarded as Editorial winner for his submission, titled Timid. He said, "During this project, I made a point to learn basic phrases of the Maasai language to connect with the community -- I found that the Maasai people opened up much more when they saw that I was engaged in their language and culture. I faced numerous challenges during this project, including extremely limited time for photographing the people as well as technical issues in capturing facial details using natural light only. I made a point to ask peoples permission, and create rapport. One of the guides taught me how to say: My name is Ilan. What is your name? using the Maa language. I also ensured that I was able to tip the people who agreed to be photographed to thank them for their time."

Photograph: Ilan Wittenberg

NATURE WINNER This picture of 'a red billed gull having a wash', titled A Red Billed Gull Washing, took home first prize in the Nature category.

Photograph: Simon Runting

SEASCAPE WINNER Photographer Karl Dalyell, from Wollongong, Australia, won the Seascape category for this mesmeric image called 'Golden Twist'.

Photograph: Karl Dalyell

LANDSCAPE WINNER This submission, titled Golden Glow, was taken at Poon Hill. TThe photographer said, "After trekking the Annapurna Circuit for the previous 20 days, our final hurdle was a hike up to Poon Hill to see the the sunrise. We left early and hiked hurriedly up the 400 metre stepped ascent. When we reached the top it was still foggy, not a mountain in sight. Just as we were joking that this was a bleak end to an otherwise fantastic journey, the clouds parted for a mere 3 minutes and let through this incredible view of the golden morning light hitting the Annapurna South Peak."

Photograph: Jesse Little

CITY/STREET WINNER Photographer David Symonds was awarded as winner in the City/Street category for his submission, titled Mediation. It was taken in Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Photograph: David Symonds

PORTRAIT WINNER Photographer Judi Thies, from Adelaide, Australia, won the Portrait category for her picture of a young girl with curly dark hair, titled Achang.

Photograph: Judi Thies

SPORT WINNER Photographer Scott Barbour, of Melbourne, Australia, took home first place in the Sport category for his image of Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

Photograph: Scott Barbour

CREATIVE WINNER Photographer Grant Galbraith was awarded as the winner of the Creative category for his image, titled The Arrival, submitted into Sony's 2020 competition. It is a beautiful black and white image, which holds a lot of mystery as it is not specifically of anything particular.

Photograph: Grant Galbraith
A day after a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust stated that a time capsule, enlisting the history and facts related to the Ram Janmabhoomi, will be placed thousands of feet below the construction site to ensure that there are no disputes in the future, Mahant Nritya Gopal, Trust president on Monday said that it is true and it will be done.

However, Mahant said that he does not have much information about the time capsule.

"It is 100 per cent correct that a time capsule, enlisting the history and facts related to the Ram Janmabhoomi, will be placed thousands of feet below the construction site. It will be done in order to ensure that there are no disputes in the future. A grand Ram Temple will be built here and all arrangements are in place for Bhoomi Pujan," he said.

"I do not have much information about time capsule, but it will be placed below the construction site," he added.

This comes after Trust member Kameshwar Chaupal on Sunday said that a time capsule, enlisting the history and facts related to the Ram Janmabhoomi, will be placed thousands of feet below the construction site to ensure that there are no disputes in the future.

Chaupal, who is the lone Dalit member of the Trust, also said that soil from various teerths (pilgrimages) across the country and water from the sacred rivers is being brought to Ayodhya for 'Abhisheka' during the 'bhoomi-pujan' which is scheduled to be conducted on August 5 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PM Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5, according to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the president of the temple trust.

The construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya will begin after the ceremony to lay the foundation stone (bhoomi poojan) in which chief ministers of many states, ministers from the union cabinet and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are also likely to participate.

According to sources, the 'bhoomi poojan' of the temple is to be celebrated on the lines of the festival of light -- Diwali -- with all temples and houses across the country to be lit up with diyas and candles.

The Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, set up in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict, held its second meeting last week.

In March this year, the 'Ram Lalla' idol was shifted to a temporary structure.

The Supreme Court on November 9 last year had directed the central government to hand over the site at Ayodhya for the construction of a Ram temple.
MADRID Britain made a mistake when it decided at the weekend to slap a quarantine on people travelling from Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday, saying most of the Mediterranean country had a lower coronavirus infection rate than the UK.

Sanchez was speaking just after Britain dealt a new blow to any hopes of reviving Spains tourism by extending guidance advising against all non-essential travel, which already applied to mainland Spain, to include the Balearic and Canary Islands.

The error is to have looked at the incidence (of the virus) in the country as a whole," Sanchez said in an interview with Telecinco television.

The rebound in cases is focused in two regions, Catalonia and Aragon, while in the rest of the territories, the incidence is much lower, (lower) even than that of the United Kingdom," he said.

Last year, Britons made up over a fifth of foreign visitors to Spain, which relies heavily on tourism.

The Socialist prime minister said the British government had given Spain no heads up about the quarantine move.

Nevertheless, both teams are in touch and Madrid is trying to persuade British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government to change its mind, Sanchez said, adding that the two governments were friends".

But the latest British move, announced shortly before Sanchezs evening interview, did not bode well for Spains chances of getting the British government to change tack any time soon.

While Madrid was focusing its efforts on getting the Balearic and Canary Islands, which have a low coronavirus rate, off the quarantine list, London instead decided to add them to its guidance advising against all non-essential travel.

Earlier on Monday, Spains hard-hit hotels had offered to pay for foreign tourists to take coronavirus tests, in an effort to lure back visitors worried by a fresh wave of cases and put off by Britains sudden imposition of a two-week quarantine.

Since ending its nationwide lockdown a month ago, Spain has been grappling with a rapid proliferation of new cases.

The Health Ministry reported 6,361 new cases over the weekend and said it was monitoring 361 clusters around the country.

With most new infections concentrated in Catalonia and Aragon and with several other regions having a lower infection ratio than Britain, the blanket quarantine has been criticised by tourism groups as disproportionate and impulsive.

Britains transport minister cut short his own holiday in Spain to return home to handle the fallout.

The sooner I get back from Spain myself, the sooner I can get through quarantine," Grant Shapps said on Monday.

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Vice President Mike Pence and presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden paid their respects to Rep. John Lewis at the Capitol in Washington DC on Monday as the famous civil rights activist became the first Black lawmaker to lie in state beneath the Rotunda.

Lewis died on July 17, aged 80 - the last surviving member of the Big Six, who together organized the 1963 March on Washington.

He was among the original 13 Freedom Riders who rode buses across the South in 1961 to challenge segregation in public transportation.

The riders were attacked and beaten, and one of their buses was firebombed. But the rides changed the way people traveled, and set the stage for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

From Monday, Lewis will lie in state in the Capitol - the first black politician to receive one of the highest of American honors.

Donald Trump, asked on Monday if he would be attending, replied: 'I won't be going. No.'

A member of the honor guard fainted in the 96 degree heat on Monday afternoon while waiting for the hearse outside the Capitol. The guard was revived at the scene but was taken for medical treatment, meaning the coffin had one fewer pallbearers than intended.

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Vice President Mike Pecnce and his wife, Karen Pence, visited the U.S. Capitol's east steps on Monday to pay their respects to John Lewis after his casket was moved outside the Rotunda

Mike Pence's appearance at the Capitol comes after President Donald Trump said he would not be visiting the Rotunda to view Lewis' casket

Mike and Karen Pence were joined by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson (right) while viewing John Lewis' casket

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, were among the final visitors to approach John Lewis' casket on Monday

Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden with his wife Dr Jill Biden, touches the flag-draped casket of the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a key figure in the civil rights movement and a 17-term congressman from Georgia, as he lies in state, at the US Capitol Rotunda, in Washington, DC

The Bidens, both wearing black face masks, briefly spoke with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (far left) in the Capitol beneath the rotunda ahead of a public viewing Monday evening

Both Joe and Jill Biden placed a hand over their hearts and stood next to John Lewis' casket in silence for several seconds as they paid their respects to the civil rights activist and politician

Pelosi blows a kiss toward the casket of Congressman John Lewis (D- GA) in the Rotunda as the Senate and House leaders paid their respects together, from left to right: Rep. James Clyburn, Speaker Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Chuck Schumer, Rep. Steny Hoyer, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Rep. Steve Scalise

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (left) and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (right), pay their respects at the casket of civil rights pioneer and longtime U.S. Representative John Lewis

Lewis's motorcade passing through Black Lives Matter Plaza, in Washington DC. The site was renamed earlier this summer

Pictured: People pay their respects to Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) as his flag-draped casket sits at the top of the U.S. Capitol East Front Steps

A pallbearer, dressed in the white of the Navy, collapsed in the heat on Monday as he waited for the hearse

The man was aided by other officers, who rushed to check that he was not badly hurt

John Lewis, who died on July 17, was a beloved member of Congress who had represented Atlanta since 1986, for 17 terms

Lewis's body will lie beneath the dome of the Rotunda, before the commemorations are moved outside, for public safety.

A third wreath from the Executive Branch was added to the Rotuda as a sign of respect to Lewis.

Last year Elijah Cummings, another civil rights advocate, became the first black lawmaker to lie in state in the Capitol, though he was honored in Statuary Hall, not in the Rotunda, where presidents and other statesmen have lain.

The site is reserved for the nation's most revered figures, most recently including President George Bush and Senator John McCain.

Rosa Parks, the civil rights pioneer, lay in honor there in 2005, receiving the highest honor afforded to a private citizen.

Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, around 7:30pm arrived to the East Front Steps of the Capitol to recognize the long-lasting legacy Lewis left behind.

They were joined by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, but not President Trump.

At 5:30pm, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi escorted Joe and Jill Biden to the Rotunda to honor the late congressman.

The Bides approached the catafalque, where they bowed their heads in tribute and paced around the casket.

U.S. Capitol Police place the flag-draped casket of Rep. John Lewis at the top of the East Front Steps in Washington D.C. on Monday evening

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (left) and Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (far right) wave to people gathered to see the flag-draped casket of US congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis

Men hold hands as people gather to see the flag-draped casket of US congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, guarded by a joint services military honor guard outside the US Capitol

During the 10 minutes that the Bidens stayed in the Rotunda, Biden reached out to touch the American flag-covered casket before both he and Jill made the sign of the cross.

Biden briefly spoke to Pelosi throughout his visit and touched Lewis' casket one more time before leaving the Capitol.

Biden and Lewis became friends over their two decades on Capitol Hill together and Bidens two terms as vice president to Barack Obama, the nation's first black president who awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Lewis endorsed Biden and actively supported the former vice president during the final weeks of his life.

'It is my belief that we need Joe Biden now more than ever before,' said Lewis in April. 'We need his voice. We need his leadership now more than ever before.

'We need someone who is going to get our country on the right side of history and help save our planet.'

The Bidens were followed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defense Secretary Mark Esper some minutes later. They circled the casket and bowed their heads in silent tribute.

This appeared to be the Pence's first visit to pay respects to Lewis as several staffers and congress members did so throughout the day

Pictured: U.S. Capitol Police officers salute the casket of civil rights pioneer and longtime U.S. Representative John Lewis on Monday

Family members watched as the seven pallbearers carried the coffin in to the Capitol for the historic service to begin

When the hearse arrived, the remaining seven pallbearers retrieved the coffin, maintaining their planned positions

A visibly emotional Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pays her respects to John Lewis after the ceremony on Monday afternoon

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., pay their respects at the flag-draped casket of Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., on Monday

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus pay their respects as Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) lies in state

Each military leader saluted the Lewis' casket one-by-one before exiting the Rotunda.

Former members of Congress and their spouses, as well as staff members also arrived to the Rotunda.

Board members from the Faith & Politics Institute, of which Lewis was once the board's co-chair, arrived around 6pm to lay their hands on the casket and pray.

The Faith & Politics Institute helped organize the annual congressional trips to Selma and Montgomery, two key cities in the Civil Rights Movement.

Additionally, Congressowoman Karen Bass of California visited the Rotunda twice on Monday and made her final viewing just after 6pm.

Members of the public can pay their respects in Washington DC from 6pm on Monday until 10pm on Tuesday.

On Wednesday the commemorations move to Atlanta, where Lewis lived. He served as a representative for the city for 17 consecutive terms, from 1986.

Earlier Lewis's body was pictured arriving in Washington DC, ahead of his lying in state beneath the Rotunda of the Capitol

The flag-draped casket of the late Rep. John Lewis, D-GA, is carried by a joint services military honor guard, as he arrives to lie in state

The member of the honor guard fainted in the 96 degree heat as he waited for Lewis's convoy to arrive

Lewis' flag-draped coffin is carried into the Capitol

Lewis's flag-draped coffin was carried out by members of a joint services military honor guard in Washington DC on Monday

People gather to see the flag-draped casket of US congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, guarded by a joint services military honor guard outside the US Capitol

Lewis was the last surviving member of the Big Six, who organized the 1963 March on Washington

He will be brought to the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Ceremonies will conclude on Thursday, with a private funeral at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta - a church with strong ties to the civil rights movement.

The commemorations began in Alabama on Saturday, in the town of Troy where he was born - the third of 10 children born to sharecroppers.

Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who is Senate majority leader, pays tribute to Democrat Congressman John Lewis

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus reach in and touch the casket of civil rights pioneer and longtime U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-GA)

US Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) pays her respects as the body of Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) lies in state during a ceremony inside of the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on July 27

Rev. Wintley Phipps sings during a memorial service for Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., on Monday, in the Rotunda

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) pays her respects as the Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) lies in state

Congressman Juan Carlos Vargas (D-CA) kneels before the casket as he pays his respects to the Rep. John Lewis

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., touches the flag-draped casket of Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., on Monday

At a service on Saturday in an arena at Troy University in Alabama, the state of his birth, his surviving siblings and others paid tribute.

His sister, Ethel Mae Tyner, recalled the days long ago when family members worked together in the cotton fields near Troy and storm clouds would pass over. Young John Lewis was fearful of storms but would not budge.

'He would start singing - and preaching. He always was a fighter,' she said.

His brother, Samuel Lewis, said that Lewis's famous idea of 'good trouble' began young.

'I remember the day that John left home,' he said.

'Mother told him not to get in trouble, not to get in the way... but we all know that John got in trouble, got in the way but it was good trouble.

A hearse carrying the flag-draped casket with the body of Lewis stops in front of the Lincoln Memorial

Lewis's funeral cortege was surrounded by outriders and well-wishers lined the route to the Capitol

The 80-year-old announced in December that he was suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer

The motorcade is seen heading towards the Capitol in Washington DC, for an invitation-only ceremony

'And the troubles that he got himself into would change the world.'

Seven-year-old Jaxson Lewis Brewster, John Lewis' young great-nephew, said: 'John Lewis was my uncle and my hero, and it is up to us to keep his legacy alive.'

While attending segregated schools in Alabama, Lewis was inspired by the peaceful protests of rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and he eventually rose to join their ranks.

After the ceremony Saturday in Troy, commemorations moved to Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama for a private remembrance followed by a public viewing.

Lewis is pictured with the Obamas in March 2015, on the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march

Lewis following his arrest in Mississippi in May 1961 for using a restroom reserved for white people during the Freedom Ride

Lewis, photographed in his office in Washington DC in 2009, was known as the 'conscience of Congress'

Nancy Pelosi is pictured arriving at the Capitol, ahead of Lewis's memorial service. Donald Trump is not expected to attend

Pelosi looks over the steps of the Capitol where the flag-draped casket of the Lewis will arrive

Monday's tributes inside the Capitol will be invitation-only, and held beneath the Rotunda.

The Rev. Grainger Browning Jr. of Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Washington, Maryland, will give the invocation, followed by remarks from Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader.

There will be a presentation of wreaths by Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland and the majority leader; Representative Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California and the minority leader; Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader; and Senator Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina.

The vocal artist Wintley Phipps will sing the Christian hymns Amazing Grace and It Is Well.

Representative James E. Clyburn, Democrat of South Carolina and the majority whip, will give the benediction.

Trump is not expected to attend.

After the ceremony, from 6pm on Monday members of the public will be able to line up in a socially distanced way to see him lying in state from the plaza below.

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., (center) is escorted into a mass meeting at Fish University in Nashville. His colleagues are, left to right, John Lewis, national chairman of the Student Non-Violent Committee and Lester McKinnie, on of the leaders in the racial demonstrations in Nashville.

A program is seen on a seat inside of the Capitol Rotunda prior to a service honoring Lewis, on Monday afternoon

A man waits alone, sitting with a box of tissues, prior to the memorial service in the Rotunda - where Rosa Parks was honored

Notably absent from the ceremonies was Trump, who publicly jousted with Lewis.

Lewis once called Trump an an illegitimate president and chided him for stoking racial discord. Trump countered by calling Lewis's Atlanta congressional district 'crime-infested.'

Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Reps. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Karen Bass of California, were seen sporting 'Good Trouble' face masks, a nod to one of Lewis's favorite pieces of advice.

'Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic,' Lewis tweeted in 2018.

'Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.'

Just ahead of the ceremonies Monday, the House passed a bill to establish a new federal commission to study conditions that affect black men and boys.

At that moment, the motorcade was passing along the newly-named Black Lives Matter Plaza.

The hearse carrying moves along a section of 16th Street that's been renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington

Crowds gathered along the route of the cortege, as it passed through central Washington DC

A bystander was heard playing the hymn Amazing Grace on the harmonica.

While at Black Lives Matter Plaza, members of Lewis's family were presented with commemorative signs.

The street was renamed by Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, at the beginning of June.

Bowser renamed the street in front of the White House 'Black Lives Matter Plaza' and had the slogan painted on the asphalt in massive yellow letters.

City officials said the actions were meant to honor demonstrators who are urging changes in law enforcement practices after the May 25 killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Trump sparked anger by clearing demonstrators with tear gas and pellets to make way for him to stage a photo op in front of the White House.

'There was a dispute this week about whose street it is, and Mayor Bowser wanted to make it abundantly clear whose street it is and honor the peaceful demonstrators who assembled,' said John Falcicchio, the mayor's chief of staff.

Bowser presented a Black Lives Matter Plaza street sign to a representative of the family of John Lewis

A large crowd greeted the cortege as it made its way along Black Lives Matter Plaza, near the White House

As the motorcade drew up the the Capitol, one member of the military honor guard fainted in the head.

The man collapsed, and then was swiftly taken from the scene before the hearse arrived.

There was one man missing as the coffin was carried up the steps and in to the Capitol building.

Inside the Capitol Rotunda, members of the House and Senate and other invited guests sat six feet apart in concentric circles.

The honor guard carried Lewis' casket to the center of the rotunda and, with bowed heads, placed it on the catafalque constructed in 1865 to support Abraham Lincoln's casket.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi hailed Lewis as 'a titan of the civil rights movement and then the conscience of the United States Congress.'

She continued: 'John was revered and loved on both side of the aisle, on both sides of the Capitol.

'We knew that he always worked on the side of the angels. And now we know that he is with them.'

Referring to Lewis' civil rights fight, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, 'John Lewis lived and worked with urgency because the task was urgent.'

He added: 'History only bent toward what's right because people like John paid the price,' referencing Martin Luther King's famous saying.

McConnell addressing the gathering on Monday afternoon, with Pelosi pictured sitting to his right

A wreath is placed inside the Rotunda, to celebrate the life of John Lewis

Rep. Cedrick Richmond (D-LA) reads a program inside of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda prior to the memorial service

When the ceremony ended, the House and Senate sergeants at arms coordinated a receiving line in which the VIP crowd could pay their final respects to Lewis, beginning with his son - John-Miles Lewis - standing before his father's coffin.

The rest of the Lewis family, accompanied by his longtime chief of staff, Michael Collins, then circled the casket and said goodbye.

Tim Scott, the only black Republican senator, who represents South Carolina, said the service was incredibly moving.

'It was a beautiful ceremony,' he told CNN.

'Just a life well lived. You know, the quintessential Matthew 25:21 - "Well done my good and faithful servant."

'He sacrificed so much for people that he had never met to make this country strive towards a more perfect Union. And it's a hero's farewell and earned, deserved in every way.'

Scott said that Lewis had reached out to him when he first entered politics.

'He was the first person - one of the first individuals - to invite me to the office and share with me his experience. And that really helped me to understand what I was walking into and, frankly what I would be forced in the future.

'As an African American Republican, I was probably going to have some hard times.

'And he reminded me before I even knew I needed to know it, to never grow bitter. No matter what happens, no matter the circumstances, no matter the challenges, never grow bitter.'

'And always believe that love will come to favor.'

Lewis's coffin rested on a catafalque constructed in 1865 to support Abraham Lincoln's casket

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus wore face masks printed with Lewis's slogan: 'Good trouble'

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (L) and Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina (R) stand at the casket

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus saying their final goodbyes to John Lewis

After Lewis family exited the Rotunda, the next group led up to the catafalque to pay their respects consisted of members of the U.S. Senate. They stood quietly in a circle.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made the sign of the cross as she stood with members of the Congressional Black Caucus around Lewis casket.

Most of them leaned in to touch the flag that drapes the caskets. A few saluted.

After all the members of Congress who were guests at the ceremony paid their respects, a group of staff members, including several people who worked for Lewis, surrounded the casket.

They stood around the casket for a prolonged period of time, wiping tears and consoling one another. One woman sobbed as she walked out of the rotunda.

After the invited guests had all exited, members of the House were escorted in small groups to the Rotunda.

When the room was nearly empty, Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican representing Utah, walked alone to the casket. He held his hand over his heart and bowed his head.

He then walked in a circle around the catafalque, his eyes on the casket the entire time.

He stopped and bowed his head again before exiting the Rotunda.

Mitt Romney paying his respects to John Lewis on Monday afternoon

Donald Trump says he will NOT attend lying-in-state of John Lewis in the Dome of the Capitol - despite Civil Rights icon who called president 'not legitimate' being first African-American since Rosa Parks to be given honor

President Donald Trump said Monday he would not visit the body of John Lewis, who is lying in state in the Dome of the Capitol, the first African American to be given that honor since Rosa Parks.

'I won't be going. No,' President Trump told reporters at the White House before he left for North Carolina.

Trump left Washington D.C. as Lewis' body arrived at the U.S. Capitol building, where lawmakers honored his legacy as a member of Congress and Civil Rights icon.

President Donald Trump said he would not visit the body of John Lewis, who is lying in state in the Dome of the Capitol

John Lewis is the first African American to lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda since Rosa Parks

John Lewis' flag-draped casket is carried up the Capitol stairs by a military honor guard

Vice President Mike Pence, who served in the House of Representatives with Lewis, is scheduled to pay his respects at the Capitol on Monday night, along with second lady Karen Pence.

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and Jill Biden will also be at the Capitol on Monday to honor Lewis.

A Democratic member of Congress from Atlanta since 1987, Lewis died on July 17 of pancreatic cancer at age 80.

His death came amid renewed racial tensions in the United States, which resulted in national protests after George Floyd, a black man in Minnesota, was killed after a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.

President Trump has been accused of stroking the fires, declaring himself the 'law and order president' and denouncing a 'culture war' in America.

He called on governors to send in troops against protesters. Lewis criticized the president on the matter.

'You cannot stop the call of history,' he said shortly before his death. 'You may use troopers, you may use fire hoses and water, but it cannot be stopped. There cannot be any turning back. We've come too far, made too much progress, to stop now or to go back. The world is seeing what is happening, and we are ready to continue to move forward.'

Last month, in his last public appearance, Lewis joined Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser at a street by the White House that had been painted with a yellow mural reading 'Black Lives Matter.'

Lewis was honored with a ceremony in Capitol rotunda on Monday afternoon by lawmakers from both political parties. His colleagues on Capitol Hill referred to him as the 'conscience of Congress.'

A public viewing of his body will begin Monday night. But due to coronavirus restrictions, Lewis' casket will be placed atop the stairs at the East Front of the Capitol with the public walking by outside and social distancing strictly enforced.

Last year Elijah Cummings, another civil rights advocate, became the first black lawmaker to lie in state in the Capitol, though he was honored in Statuary Hall, not in the Rotunda, where presidents and other statesmen have lain.

Rosa Parks, the civil rights pioneer, lay in honor there in 2005, receiving the highest honor afforded to a private citizen.

Trump paid tribute to Lewis last Saturday, after he returned from a spot of golf with Senator Lindsey Graham earlier in the day.

'Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing. Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family,' Trump tweeted.

Otherwise he has said little publicly about Lewis, who was honored by political leaders in both parties for his life's work.

Lewis did not attend Trump's inauguration in January 2017 and said the president's election was not legitimate.

'I don't see this President-elect as a legitimate president,' Lewis told NBC News at the time. 'I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.'

Trump responded via Twitter, writing in January 2017: 'Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad.'

Donald Trump has offered his condolences to John Lewis (pictured) and the White House flags have been lowered to half-staff in honor of the civil rights activist whose bloody beating at Selma helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation

Donald Trump tweeted Saturday to say he was 'saddened' by the news of Lewis's death and was 'praying' for his family

Flags at the White House, the Capitol, public buildings, and military bases were all lowered to half-staff across the country Saturday in honor of the pioneer of the civil rights movement turned Congressman.

Lewis was the last surviving member of the Big Six, who together organized the 1963 March on Washington.

He was among the original 13 Freedom Riders who rode buses across the South in 1961 to challenge segregation in public transportation.

The riders were attacked and beaten, and one of their buses was firebombed. But the rides changed the way people traveled, and set the stage for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

He also was beaten in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, as he tried to lead people across Edmund Pettis Bridge on a walk to Montgomery, - a day that became known as Bloody Sunday.

Lewis' remains were carried across the bridge on a horse-drawn casket on Sunday. His funeral will take place on Thursday in Georgia.
The Bahrain Red Crescent Society (BRCS), in cooperation with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, organised a training programme entitled Remote psychological first aid to tackle Covid-19.

The programme was created in the framework of societys keenness to build the volunteers capacities, qualify them, and strengthen their ability to provide support service to the needy in all circumstances.

The programme lasted for three days. The Red Crescents volunteers got acquainted with the concept of psychological first aid, the impact of the spread of the virus on society in psychological terms, and applying the principles and skills of psychological first aid.

During the third and last day of the training programme, remote scenarios were presented, in which the participants used skills they learned during the three days.

This included providing remote assistance, and how the helpers use the basic principles of psychological first aid through visual or audio communication only, and the mechanism of speaking slowly, clearly, and calmly, reaching out in a manner that shows warmth and compassion, changing the voice in a way that expresses interest and good listening and the use of affirmative phrases such as I hear you, yes .. especially when speaking with a very anxious caller.

They also were trained to use visual communication to communicate with those in need of psychological support.

The programme concluded its activities by emphasising the strategies and methods of self-care for volunteers during Covid-19 pandemic, which is maintaining the daily routine at home or the workplace, practicing activities and exercises, staying in touch and maintaining spiritual and religious customs, allocating time to communicate with family and friends, and accepting feelings and emotions, and finally the importance of peer support by linking two or more people to provide support to each other.

This training was supervised by Dr. Mahmoud Tharwat, Director of the Mental Health and Regional Psychosocial Support Office for the Middle East and North Africa, Professor Ahlam Al-Shafi, representative of the reference center for psychosocial support at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Professor Mayser Sabry Awadallah, Chairperson of the Awareness Health Committee Health in Bahrain Red Crescent Society. -- Tradearabia News Service
One of the things that Sandy Bochese likes about her job as a school library media specialist is being around the hundreds of kids who attend Edison Middle School in West Orange.

Teaching is not a solitary occupation; we thrive on the dynamics of interacting with our students, she said.
to take The Calls for a mandatory Coronavirus Test for the vacation to Germany in returning travellers. The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soder (CSU) reiterated on Monday his call for mandatory Corona-Tests for holiday returnees from high-risk areas. At the same time, Bavaria is aimed at several highway crossings to Austria voluntary test stations as well as the main train stations in Munich and Nuremberg.

Mandatory Tests are necessary for returnees at airports, said Soder. The government must create the legal framework. Bayern get everything ready, and then immediately start, he said. In addition, the risk would have to be reviewed areas for a new regional  also in Europe.

on Friday, had spoken out in Soder for a test duty at airports. Similarly, CSU had expressed-country group leader Alexander Dobrindt and Bavarian health Minister Melanie Huml (CSU).

the Federal health Minister, Jens Spahn (CDU) had announced that a house be tested a Test-mandatory for people returning from holidays. In Germany the radio, he stressed, however, that the legal hurdles are high: "Yes, This is an intervention in the freedom to commit someone to the Test." The current significant increase in the number of new infections Spahn led in the first line on the "travel activities", and returnees from certain regions.

Chancellery Minister Helge Braun (CDU) was open for a Test-requirement for travellers returning. The previous testing of the returnees on a voluntary Basis, have boundaries, said brown on Monday in the RBB. Most of the time it will be "the caring people, who are also in the vacation anyway not very careful, the voluntary offerings," he said. Those who "were more carefree," don't take the voluntary Test is true.

't worry about the second shaft by vacationers and Partying

to ensure that's Why he think it is right for a "greater obligation" in the Corona-Tests for travel returnees. In the last few days have kehrer shown that "diffuse infection happen  here, travel-back, because a celebration is increasing significantly". Do you take care of it. This small-scale infection control done very poorly.

FDP-Chef Christian Lindner, called for a Test-mandatory for returning holidaymakers, especially in the case of a holiday in high-risk areas. The costs to each of bearing the said Lindner in the ZDF: "Whoever goes out in a risk voluntarily, as a Tourist, then you must take in purchase that he paid for the Test."

Updated Date: 27 July 2020, 07:20
CELAYA, Mexico, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrias Bachoco, S.A.B. de C.V., "Bachoco" or "the Company", (NYSE: IBA; BMV: Bachoco) announced today its unaudited results for the second quarter ("2Q20") and first half ("1H20") 2020 ended on June 30, 2020. All figures have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standard ("IFRS") and are presented in nominal million Mexican Pesos ("$").

HIGHLIGHTS 2020

Net sales decreased 2.7% in 2Q20 and increased 3.1% in 1H20

EBITDA margin was 2.7% for 2Q20 and 4.3% for the 1H20

SG&A as percentage of net sales was 9.5% and 9.8% for 2Q20 and 1H20 respectively.

CEO COMMENTS

Mr. Rodolfo Ramos Arvizu, Chief Executive Officer of Bachoco, stated: "During the 2Q20 we faced unprecedented challenges in our operations in Mexico and U.S. due to COVID-19 pandemic. Confinement measures established in both countries, and the slowdown in economic growth, caused contractions in demand in our both markets and particularly in our food service channel.

This slowdown in demand created oversupply conditions which put pressure in prices of our main business lines, resulting in an atypical 2Q.

On the other hand, Mexican peso depreciated respect to the U.S dollar, more than 20% quarter over quarter, this had a negative impact in our cost of sales despite the good levels on prices of our main raw materials.

Regarding our operations, as part of an essential sector both in Mexico and the U.S, we managed to quickly implement safety measures in all our facilities and distribution network which allowed us to keep our commitments with our customers and final consumers.

We are aware that negative economic effects due to the pandemic not only impacted industries in general, but also affected our communities.

Bachoco has been known for being close to our society in difficult times and this pandemic was not the exception. During the months of April and May, in coordination with local authorities, we implemented two programs to help those in need: "Caldito de Apoyo" and "Apoyo de Corazon".

With "Caldito de Apoyo" we set up a food truck to deliver 1,500 plates of chicken soup every day for 2 weeks outside 15 hospitals around Mexico City and, in a second phase, we expanded our chicken soup delivery to 29 more hospitals in the states of Morelos, Puebla, and Nuevo Leon.

With "Apoyo de Corazon", national wide through our Business Units, we donated to private and government institutions more than 268,000 kilograms of chicken to be distributed to communities affected by the pandemic reaching more than 219,000 people.

Despite the challenging conditions of this quarter, we ended with a net cash position of $15,223 million, and the fundamentals of our company remain in place.

It is hard to predict what the challenges will be for the rest of the year, however, we are confident that with the effort and commitment of our team members and our financial discipline will allow us to face the uncertainties to come."

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The following financial information is expressed in millions of nominal pesos, except for amounts per share or per ADR, with comparative figures for the same period in 2019.

By the end of 2Q20 Mexican authorities gave us the approval to move forward with the business arrangement with Sonora Agropecuaria (SASA), a swine processor and distributor. Therefore, our balance sheet figures of June 2020 include the integration of SASA. Income Statement will be integrated in 3Q20.

QUARTERLY RESULTS

NET SALES BY GEOGRAPHY







In millions of pesos

2Q20 2Q19 Change



$ $ $ % Net Sales

16,431.9 16,884.1 (452.2) (2.7) Net sales in Mexico

11,339.9 12,537.4 (1,197.5) (9.6) Net sales in the U.S.

5,092.0 4,346.7 745.3 17.1

NET SALES BY SEGMENT







In millions of pesos

2Q20 2Q19 Change



$ $ $ $ Net Sales

16,431.9 16,884.1 (452.2) (2.7) Poultry

14,796.3 15,259.2 (462.9) (3.0) Other

1,635.6 1,624.9 10.7 0.7

NET VOLUME SOLD BY SEGMENT





In tons



Change

2Q20 2Q19 Volume % Total sales volume: 554,677 575,729 (21,052.7) (3.7) Poultry 433,484 436,570 (3,085.8) (0.7) Others 121,192 139,159 (17,966.9) (12.9)

The Company's 2Q20 net sales totaled $16,431.9 million; $452.2 million or 2.7% less than the $16,884.1 million reported in 2Q19. The decrease was mainly a result of lower prices in poultry.

In 2Q20, sales of our U.S. operations represented 31.0% of our total sales compared to 25.7% in 2Q19.

GROSS PROFIT







In millions of pesos

2Q20 2Q19 Change



$ $ $ % Cost of sales

14,574.5 13,164.5 1,410.0 10.7 Gross profit

1,857.4 3,719.6 (1,862.2) (50.1) Gross margin

11.3% 22.0% - -

In 2Q20, cost of sales was $14,574.5 million; $1,410.0 million or 10.7% higher than the $13,164.5 million reported in 2Q19. This increase was due to higher unit cost mainly driven by the depreciation of more than 20% of the Mexican peso vs the U.S. dollar.

The Companys gross profit in 2Q20 was $1,857.4 million, 50.1% lower than the gross profit of $3,719.6 million in 2Q19, with a gross margin of 11.3% for 2Q20 vs 22.0% in 2Q19. This is a result of lower prices in poultry and higher unit cost in our main business lines.

SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES ("SG&A") In millions of pesos

2Q20 2Q19 Change



$ $ $ % Total SG&A

1,567.0 1,550.8 16.2 1.0

Total SG&A expenses in 2Q20 were $1,567.0 million; $16.2 million higher than the $1,550.8 million reported in 2Q19. Total SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales represented 9.5% in 2Q20 and 9.2% in 2Q19. The increase was mainly driven by some additional expenses in health and security equipment related to COVID-19.

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), NET In millions of pesos

2Q20 2Q19 Change



$ $ $ % Other income (expense), net

(207.5) (5.0) (202.5) 4,031.3

This item mainly includes the sale of unused assets as well as hens and other by-products. We record such sales as expenses when the sale price is below the book value of those assets.

In 2Q20, we recorded other expenses of $207.5 million, compared with other expenses of $5.0 million reported in 2Q19.

OPERATING INCOME







In millions of pesos

2Q20 2Q19 Change



$ $ $ % Operating income

82.8 2,163.8 (2,080.9) (96.2) Operating margin

0.5% 12.8% - -

Operating income in 2Q20 totaled $82.8 million; $2,080.9 million lower than $2,163.8 million reported in 2Q19. This represents an operating margin of 0.5% for 2Q20, lower when compared to the same period of 2019. The decrease in operating income is mainly attributed to lower poultry prices, higher cost of sales and higher other expenses in 2Q20.

NET FINANCIAL INCOME







In millions of pesos

2Q20 2Q19 Change



$ $ $ % Net Financial Income

(122.3) 91.6 (213.8) (233.6) Financial Income

(42.3) 184.4 (226.7) (122.9) Financial Expense

80.0 92.8 (12.8) (13.8)

In 2Q20, the Company reported net financial expenses of $122.3 million, compared to the net financial income of $91.6 million reported in the same period of 2019. The decrease is mainly attributed to lower exchange rate gains, as the peso appreciated in 2Q20 when compared to 1Q20.

TAXES FOR THE PERIOD







In millions of pesos

2Q20 2Q19 Change



$ $ $ % Total Taxes

(11.2) 663.4 (674.6) (101.7) Income tax

(407.6) 652.2 (1,059.9) (162.5) Deferred income tax

396.4 11.2 385.2 3,439.6

Total taxes for the 2Q20 were $674.6 million lower when compared with total taxes of $663.41 million in the same period of 2019. This was a result of negative income before taxes reported in 2Q20.

NET INCOME







In millions of pesos

2Q20 2Q19 Change



$ $ $ % Net income

(28.2) 1,591.9 (1,620.1) (101.8) Net margin

(0.2)% 9.4% - - Basic and diluted earnings per share1

(0.06) 2.65 (2.7) n/a Basic and diluted earnings per ADR2

(0.70) 31.78 (32.5) n/a Weighted average Shares outstanding3

599,787 600,000 - -























1 In pesos 2 in pesos, one ADR equals to twelve shares 3 In thousands of shares

For the 2Q20 we had negative Net income of $28.2 million, representing a negative basic and diluted income per share of $(0.06), compared with a net income of $1,591.9 million, which represented $2.65 pesos of net income per share in 2Q19. This decrease was mainly attributed to lower operating results. Net margin in 2Q20 was a negative 0.2% compared to a positive 9.4% reported in 2Q19.

EBITDA



In millions of pesos

2Q20 2Q19 Change



$ $ $ % Net income

(34.8) 1,588.8 (1,623.6) (102.2) Income tax expense (benefit)

(11.2) 663.4 (674.6) (101.7) Result in associates

6.6 3.1 3.5 115.5 Net finance (income) expense

122.3 (91.6) 213.8 (233.6) Depreciation and amortization

354.8 319.6 35.2 11.0 EBITDA

437.6 2,483.3 (2,045.7) (82.4) EBITDA Margin (%)

2.7% 14.7% - - Net revenues

16,431.9 16,884.1 (452.2) (2.7)

EBITDA in 2Q20 reached $437.6 million representing an EBITDA margin of 2.7%, compared to an EBITDA of $2,483.3 million in 2Q19, with an EBITDA margin of 14.7%.

ACCUMULATED RESULTS

NET SALES BY GEOGRAPHY







In millions of pesos

1H20 1H19 Change



$ $ $ % Net Sales

32,170.3 31,207.7 962.6 3.1 Net sales in Mexico

22,407.5 22,834.0 (426.5) (1.9) Net sales in the U.S.

9,762.8 8,373.8 1,389.1 16.6

NET SALES BY SEGMENT







In millions of pesos

1H20 1H19 Change



$ $ $ % Net Sales

32,170.3 31,207.7 962.6 3.1 Poultry

28,959.1 28,112.0 847.1 3.0 Other

3,211.2 3,095.7 115.5 3.7

NET VOLUME SOLD BY SEGMENT





In metric tons



Change

1H20 1H19 Volume % Total sales volume: 1,142,694 1,128,905 13,789.9 1.2 Poultry 890,651 862,315 28,336.2 3.3 Others 252,043 266,589 (14,546.2) (5.5)

During the first half of 2020, net sales totaled $32,170.3 million; $962.6 million or 3.1% more than $31,207.7 million reported in the same period of 2019. The increase in sales is mainly attributable to higher prices and volume sold when compared to the first half of 2019.

In 1H20, sales of our U.S. operations represented 30.3% of our total sales, compared with 26.8% in 1H19.

OPERATING RESULTS







In millions of pesos

1H20 1H19 Change



$ $ $ % Cost of Sales

28,131.8 25,680.2 2,451.6 9.5 Gross Profit

4,038.5 5,527.5 (1,489.0) (26.9) Total SG&A

3,139.7 3,025.2 114.5 3.8 Other Income (expense)

(212.0) (3.4) (208.6) 6,130.2 Operating Income

686.8 2,498.9 (1,812.1) (72.5) Net Financial Income

2,304.2 167.6 2,136.7 1,275.1 Income Tax

849.1 772.1 77.0 10.0 Net Income

2,141.9 1,894.4 247.5 13.1

In 1H20, the cost of sales totaled $28,131.8 million; $2,451.6 million or 9.5% higher than $25,680.2 million reported in 1H19. The increase in cost of sales is mainly attributed to higher unit cost particularly driven of the depreciation of the Mexican peso of around 13% vs the U.S. dollar.

As a result, we reached a gross profit of $4,038.5 million and a gross margin of 12.6% in 1H20, when compared to $5,527.5 million of gross profit and margin of 17.7% reached in the same period of 2019.

Total SG&A expenses in 1H20 were $3,139.7 million; $114.5 million or 3.8% more than the $3,025.2 million reported in 1H19. In 1H20 total SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales represented 9.8% compared with 9.7% in 1H19.

In 1H20 we had other expenses of $212.0 million, compared with other expenses of $3.4 million reported in 1H19.

Operating income in 1H20 was $686.8 million, which represents an operating margin of 2.1%, a decrease of 72.5% from an operating income of $2,498.9 million and an operating margin of 8.0% in 1H19.

The net financial income in 1H20 was $2,304.2 million, higher when compared to a net financial income of $167.6 million in 1H19 mainly as a result of the Mexican peso depreciation year over year.

Total taxes were $849.1 million as of June 30, 2020. These taxes include $502.9 million of income tax and $346.2 million of deferred income taxes. This figure compares to total taxes of $772.1 million in 1H19.

All the above resulted in a net income of $2,141.9 million or 6.7% of net margin in the 1H20, which represents $3.55 pesos of earnings per share; while in the 1H19 the net income totaled $1,894.4 million, 6.1% of net margin and $3.15 pesos of net income per share.

EBITDA







In millions of pesos

1H20 1H19 Change



$ $ $ % Net controlling interest profit

2,131.8 1,887.6 244.2 12.9 Income tax expense (benefit)

849.1 772.1 77.0 10.0 Result in associates

10.1 6.8 3.3 48.1 Net finance (income) expense

(2,304.2) (167.6) (2,136.7) 1,275.1 Depreciation and amortization

698.1 639.3 58.8 9.2 EBITDA

1,384.9 3,138.2 (1,753.3) (55.9) EBITDA Margin (%)

4.3% 10.1% - - Net revenues

32,170.3 31,207.7 962.6 3.1

EBITDA in 1H20 reached $1,384.9 million, representing an EBITDA margin of 4.3%, compared to an EBITDA of $3,138.2 million in 1H19, with a margin of 10.1%.

BALANCE SHEET

BALANCE SHEET DATA







In millions of pesos

June 30, 2020 Dec. 31st, 2019 Change



$ $ $ % TOTAL ASSETS

58,387.5 55,702.5 2,685.0 4.8 Cash and cash equivalents

17,817.6 19,182.9 (1,365.3) (7.1) Accounts receivable

4,675.1 3,880.8 794.3 20.5 TOTAL LIABILITIES

15,417.0 15,442.2 (25.1) (0.2) Accounts payable

5,390.7 5,235.5 155.2 3.0 Short-term debt

1,107.6 3,440.4 (2,332.8) (67.8) Long-term debt

1,487.1 1,488.2 (1.1) (0.1) TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

42,970.5 40,260.3 2,710.2 6.7 Capital stock

1,174.3 1,174.3 (0.1) (0.0)

Cash and equivalents as of June 30, 2020 totaled $17,817.6 million vs $19,182.9 million as of December 31, 2019.

Total debt as of June 30, 2020 was $2,594.7 million, compared to $4,928.6 million reported as of December 31, 2019, mainly as a result of payments made in our short-term bank debt.

Net cash as of June 30, 2020 was $15,222.9 million, compared to net cash of $14,254.3 million as of December 31, 2019.

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES In millions of pesos

1H20 1H19 Change



$ $ $ % Capital Expenditures

992.4 824.6 167.9 20.4

Total CAPEX for the 1H20 was $992.4 million and $824.6 million in 1H19, mainly allocated toward organic growth and productivity projects across all of our facilities.

STOCK INFORMATION As of June 30, 2020 Total Shares

600,000,000 Total free float

26.75% Market cap (millions of pesos)

$40,248

Source: Yahoo Finances

SHARE PRICE

SHARE PRICE





Mexican Stock Exchange

The New York Stock Exchange

Ticker Symbol: Bachoco

Ticker Symbol: IBA

In nominal pesos per Share

In U.S. Dollar per ADR Month High Low Close

High Low Close June 69.75 65.32 67.08

39.01 34.70 35.17 May 69.93 66.18 67.87

36.94 32.85 36.64 April 69.93 60.81 69.93

35.09 29.80 34.88 March 71.07 58.76 67.48

44.14 28.67 34.00 February 75.83 68.57 71.07

48.87 42.67 43.04 January 82.40 75.01 75.82



52.70 47.78 48.34

ANALYST COVERAGE

APPENDICES

For reference, some figures have been translated into millions of U.S. dollars ("USD") using an exchange rate of $22.96 per USD $1.0, which corresponds to the rate at the close of June 30, 2020, according to Mexico's National Bank.

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

Consolidated Statement of Income

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

Derivatives Position Report

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION -Unaudited-







In U.S. Dollar June 30, December 31, In million pesos 2020 2020 2019*







TOTAL ASSETS $ 2,543.0 58,387.5 55,702.5







Total current assets 1,413.6 32,456.1 31,097.2 Cash and cash equivalents 776.0 17,817.6 19,182.9 Total accounts receivable 203.6 4,675.1 3,880.8 Inventories 378.3 8,684.8 6,753.4 Other current assets 55.7 1,278.6 1,280.1







Total non current assets 1,129.4 25,931.4 24,605.2 Net property, plant and equipment 837.9 19,237.0 18,556.6 Other non current Assets 291.6 6,694.4 6,048.6







TOTAL LIABILITIES $ 671.5 15,417.0 15,442.2







Total current liabilities 361.8 8,306.7 8,908.1 Notes payable to banks 48.2 1,107.6 3,440.4 Accounts payable 234.8 5,390.7 5,235.5 Other taxes payable and other accruals 78.8 1,808.4 232.2







Total long-term liabilities 309.7 7,110.3 6,534.0 Long-term debt 64.8 1,487.1 1,488.2 Other non current liabilities 51.2 1,176.2 1,141.3 Deferred income taxes 193.7 4,447.0 3,904.5







TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 1,871.5 42,970.5 40,260.3







Capital stock 51.1 1,174.3 1,174.3 Commission in shares issued 18.1 414.5 414.5 Retained earnings 1,710.4 39,270.0 37,732.9 Others accounts 80.5 1,847.5 858.2 Non controlling interest 11.5 264.2 80.4







TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 2,543.0 58,387.5 55,702.5







*Audited







CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME

Second Quarter Results, ended June 30th:



-Unaudited-







U.S. Dollar



In millions pesos 2020 2020 2019* Net sales $ 715.7 16,431.9 16,884.1 Cost of sales 634.8 14,574.5 13,164.5 Gross profit 80.9 1,857.4 3,719.6 SG&A 68.3 1,567.0 1,550.8 Other income (expenses), net (9.0) (207.5) (5.0) Operating income 3.6 82.8 2,163.8 Net finance income (5.3) (122.3) 91.6 Income tax (0.5) (11.2) 663.4 Net Income -$ 1.2 (28.2) 1,591.9







Non-controlling interest 0.29 6.6 3.1 Net controlling interest profit (1.52) (34.8) 1,588.8 Basic and diluted earnings per share (0.00) (0.06) 2.65 Basic and diluted earnings per ADR (0.03) (0.70) 31.78 Weighted average Shares outstanding1 599,787 599,787 600,000







EBITDA Result $ 19.1 437.6 2,483.3







Gross margin 11.3% 11.3% 22.0% Operating margin 0.5% 0.5% 12.8% Net margin -0.2% -0.2% 9.4% EBITDA margin 2.7% 2.7% 14.7%







1 In thousands





* Audited







CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME

Accumulated results, for the six months ended June 30.

-Unaudited-







U.S. Dollar



In millions pesos 2020 2020 2019* Net sales $ 1,401.1 32,170.3 31,207.7 Cost of sales 1,225.3 28,131.8 25,680.2 Gross profit 175.9 4,038.5 5,527.5 Selling, general and administrative expenses 136.7 3,139.7 3,025.2 Other income (expenses), net (9.2) (212.0) (3.4) Operating income 29.9 686.8 2,498.9 Net finance income 100.4 2,304.2 167.6 Income tax 37.0 849.1 772.1 Net income $ 93.3 2,141.9 1,894.4







Non-controlling interest 0.4 10.1 6.8 Net controlling interest profit 92.8 2,131.8 1,887.6 Basic and diluted earnings per share 0.15 3.55 3.15 Basic and diluted earnings per ADR 1.86 42.6 37.75 Weighted average Shares outstanding1 599,815 599,815 599,960







EBITDA Result $ 60.3 1,384.9 3,138.2







Gross margin 12.6% 12.6% 17.7% Operating margin 2.1% 2.1% 8.0% Net margin 6.6% 6.7% 6.1% EBITDA margin 4.3% 4.3% 10.1%







1 In thousands























CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS



In million of pesos





-Unaudited-















U.S. Dollar June 30,

2020 2020 2019*







NET MAJORITY INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX $ 130.3 2,991.0 2,666.5







ITEMS RELATING TO INVESTING ACTIVITIES: 30.8 706.8 269.4 Depreciation and others 38.1 875.4 639.3 Income (loss) on sale of plant and equipment 4.2 96.8 (23.1) Other Items (11.6) (265.4) (346.7)







NET CASH GENERATED FROM NET INCOME BEFORE TAXES 161.1 3,697.9 2,935.9 CASH GENERATED OR USED IN THE OPERATION: (78.8) (1,808.8) (1,977.9) Decrease (increase) in accounts receivable (30.4) (698.6) (1,426.1) Decrease (increase) in inventories (87.0) (1,998.0) 395.7 Increase (decrease) in accounts payable 60.0 1,377.3 (1,961.8) Other Items (21.3) (489.6) 1,014.3







NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES 82.3 1,889.0 958.0







NET CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES (26.0) (596.7) (188.6) Acquisition of property, plant and equipment (36.2) (831.1) (824.6) Proceeds from sales of property plant and equipment 1.5 34.7 37.3 Other Items 8.7 199.7 598.7







CASH FLOW SURPLUS (REQUIREMENTS OF) TO BE USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES 56.3 1,292.3 769.4







Net cash provided by financing activities: (117.0) (2,686.5) (706.5) Proceeds from loans 107.1 2,459.7 3,478.6 Principal payments on loans (224.7) (5,159.1) (3,424.2) Dividends paid (17.2) (395.8) (420.0) Other items 17.8 408.7 (340.9) Net increase (decrease) in cash and equivalents (60.7) (1,394.2) 62.9







Cash and investments at the beginning of year $ 834.7 19,164.8 18,451.9 CASH AND INVESTMENTS AT END OF PERIOD $ 774.0 17,770.6 18,514.8

































DERIVATIVES POSITION REPORT

Second Quarter 2020

















Thousands of Mexican Pesos, as of June 30, 2020



































TYPE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT OBJECTIVE NOTIONAL VALUE OF THE RELATED COMMODITY REASONABLE VALUE AMOUNTS DUE BY YEAR GUARANTIES REQUIRED 2Q-2020 1Q-2020 2Q-2020 1Q-2020 Forward Vanilla and KO Fwd Hedge $ 47,259 $ 22.96

$ 23.80

$ 25,897 $ 111,955 100% in 2020 The deals consider the possibility of margin calls but not another kind of guarantee Futures for corn and soybean meal Hedge $ 418,173 CORN CORN $ 2,944 -$ 33,818 83% in 2020 and 17% in 2021 In USD per Bushel In USD per Bushel month price month price Sep-20 $ 3.415 May-20 $ 3.408 Dec-20 $ 3.505 Jul-20 $ 3.460 Mar-21 $ 3.613 Sep-20 $ 3.498 May-21 $ 3.675 Dec-20 $ 3.575 Jul-21 $ 3.728 Mar-21 $ 3.685 Sep-21 $ 3.668 May-21 $ 3.745 Dec-21 $ 3.730 Jul-21 $ 3.775



Dec-21 $ 3.775 SOYBEAN MEAL SOYBEAN MEAL In USD per ton In USD per ton month price month price Aug-20 $ 289.1 Jul-20 $ 318.9 Sep-20 $ 291.4 Aug-20 $ 314.0 Oct-20 $ 292.9 Jan-21 $ 305.4 Dec-20 $ 295.9 Mar-21 $ 295.8 Jan-21 $ 296.3 May-21 $ 293.0 Mar-21 $ 295.3 Jul-21 $ 294.9 May-21 $ 294.5 Aug-21 $ 295.0 Aug-21 $ 297.3 Sep-21 $ 294.0 Sep-21 $ 297.2 Oct-21 $ 291.7 Oct-21 $ 296.1 Dec-21 $ 292.5 Options of Corn Hedge $ 131,020 CORN CORN $ 4,496 $ 1,912 60% in 2020 and 40% in 2021 In USD per Bushel In USD per Bushel month price month price Sep-20 $ 3.415 May-20 $ 3.408 Dec-20 $ 3.505 Jul-20 $ 3.460 Mar-21 $ 3.613 Sep-20 $ 3.498 May-21 $ 3.675 Dec-20 $ 3.575



Mar-21 $ 3.685 Options of soybean meal Hedge $ 136,570 SOYBEAN MEAL SOYBEAN MEAL $ 1,571 $ 4,059 52% in 2020 and 48% in 2021 In USD per ton In USD per ton month price month price Ago-20 $ 289.1 May-20 $ 321.5 Sep-20 $ 291.4 Jul-20 $ 318.9 Oct-20 $ 292.9 Aug-20 $ 314.0 Dec-20 $ 295.9 Sep-20 $ 310.0 Jan-21 $ 296.3 Oct-20 $ 308.0 Mar-21 $ 295.3 Dec-20 $ 308.4 May-21 $ 294.5 Jan-21 $ 305.4 Jul-21 $ 296.5 Mar-21 $ 295.8





















-The total financial instruments do not exceed 5% of total assets as of June 30, 2020.









-The notional value represents the net position as of June 30, 2020 at the exchange rate of Ps. 22.96 per one dollar.





-A negative value means an unfavorable effect for the Company.



































PROBABLE SCENARIO

Second Quarter 2020















Thousands of Mexican Pesos, as of June 30, 2020











PROBABLE SCENARIO TYPE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT REASONABLE VALUE VALUE OF THE RELATED COMMODITY EFFECT ON THE INCOME STATEMENT EFFECT ON THE CASH FLOW(3) Reference Value (1) -2.5% 2.5% 5.0% -2.5% 2.5% 5.0% Forward Vanilla and KO Fwd $ 25,897 $22.39 $ 23.53 $ 24.11 Direct -$ 1,230 $ 53,023 $ 76,457



-5% 5% 10%

-5% 5% 10% Futures of Corn: (2) $ 2,944 $ 3.244 $ 3.586 $ 3.757 The effect will materialize as the inventory is consumed -$ 17,965 $ 23,853 $ 44,761 Futures of Soybean Meal: (2) $ 274.6 $ 303.6 $ 318.0 Options for Corn $ 4,496 $ 3.244 $ 3.586 $ 3.757 -$ 2,055 $ 11,047 $ 17,598 Options of Soybean Meal $ 1,571 $ 274.6 $ 303.6 $ 318.0 -$ 5,258 $ 8,399 $ 15,228

















(1) The reference value is the exchange rate of Ps. $22.96 per USD as of June 30, 2020.







(2) The reference values are; the future of corn for Sep 2020, $3.4150 USD/bushel and the future of soybean meal for Aug 2020, $289.10 USD/ton. 'All the evaluations are performed according with the corresponding future, here only the first month futures are shown.

(3) The Company has credit lines with the majority of its counterparts, so that the effect in cash flow is lower than the amount shown.

-A negative value means an unfavorable effect for the Company.





























Second Quarter 2020



















Thousands of Mexican Pesos, as of June 30, 2020















STRESS SCENARIO TYPE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT REASONABLE VALUE VALUE OF THE RELATED COMMODITY EFFECT ON THE INCOME STATEMENT EFFECT ON THE CASH FLOW Reference Value -50% -25% 25% 50% -50% -25% 25% 50% Forward Vanilla and KO Fwd $ 25,897 $11.48 $17.22 $28.70 $34.44 Direct -$516,637 -$245,370 $163,432 $317,878























CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

The Company will host its second quarter 2020 earnings call, on Tuesday, July 28th, 2020. The earnings call will take place at 9:00 am Central Time (10:00 am ET).

Toll free in the U.S.: 1 (888) 771-4371

Toll free in Mexico: 001 866 779 0965

A current list of available local and international free phone telephone numbers: http://web.meetme.net/r.aspx?p=12&a=UIVgpWaiclxYVu

Confirmation Number: 49812766

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Industrias Bachoco is the leader in the Mexican poultry industry, and one of the largest poultry producers globally. The Company was founded in 1952, and became a public company in 1997, via a public offering of shares on the Mexican and The New York Stock Exchange. Bachoco is a vertically integrated company headquartered in Celaya, Guanajuato located in Central Mexico. Its main business lines are: chicken, eggs, balanced feed, swine, and turkey and beef value-added products. Bachoco owns and manages more than a thousand facilities, organized in nine production complexes and 64 distribution centers in Mexico, and a production complex in the United States. Currently the Company employs more than 28,000 people.

The Company is rated AAA (MEX) , the highest rating awarded by Fitch Mexico, S.A. de C.V., and HR AAA which signals that the Company and the offering both have the highest credit quality by HR Ratings de Mexico S.A. de C.V.

DISCLAIMER

The document contains certain information that could be considered forward looking statements concerning anticipated future events and performance of the Company. The statements reflect management's current beliefs based on information currently available and are not guarantees of future performance and are based on our estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those described in our Annual Information Form, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this document. Those risks and uncertainties include risks associated with ownership in the poultry industry, competition for investments within the poultry industry, shareholder liability, governmental regulation, and environmental matters. As a result, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, Industrias Bachoco, S.A.B. de C.V., undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement.

IR contact information:

[email protected]

[email protected]

T. +52(461)618 3555

SOURCE Industrias Bachoco, S.A.B. de C.V.

Related Links

http://www.bachoco.com.mx


Rahul Gandhi said he is not going to lie about Chinese transgressions in eastern Ladakh even if it costs him politically

New Delhi: Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi for his latest remarks on the Ladakh face-off, the BJP Monday said he was again insulting the bravery of 20 soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Galwan Valley, and alleged his family ceded thousands of kilometres of land to China.

With his repeated utterances on the India-China face-off, Rahul Gandhi is trying to present falsehood as truth, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said.

Rahul Gandhi on Monday said he is not going to lie about Chinese transgressions in eastern Ladakh even if it costs him politically.

In his response, Rao told a press conference at the BJP headquarters here that Gandhi has again insulted the sacrifices of 20 soldiers in Ladakh with his statements.

"Rahul Gandhi has not learnt from his mistakes. He had insulted our soldiers at the time of the surgical strike, the Balakot airstrike and now again he has insulted them," Rao said.

He further said that Rahul Gandhi's political career ended in 2019 after he insulted the soldiers.

Citing a reply given by the Congress-led UPA government in November 2012 in parliament, Rao said during the tenure of various governments led by the Gandhi family, they ceded more than 43,000 sq kms of land to China.

Gandhi made his remarks in a tweet, along with an over-a-minute-long video, as part of a series launched by him on the India-China face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

"If you want me to lie that the Chinese have not entered this country, I am not going to lie. I will simply not do it. I do not care if my whole career goes to hell. I am not going to lie."

"This disturbs me. Frankly, it makes my blood boil. How can some other nation just come into our territory?"

"Hiding the truth is anti-national. Bringing it to people's attention is patriotic," Gandhi said in his video.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 18:38:05|Editor: huaxia

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LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Five Afghan army personnel were wounded after a military helicopter made a crash landing in southern Helmand province on Monday, the country's Defense Ministry confirmed.

"A Black Hawk helicopter of Afghan Air Force crashed during landing in Kajaki district, Helmand province roughly at 8:40 a.m. Monday. As a result, five crew of the chopper slightly wounded," the ministry said in a statement.

The statement said the crash was caused by technical failure, and an investigation has been launched into the incident, the statement added.

Local villagers claimed that the chopper was struck by a Taliban militants' weapon. A Taliban militants' spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi also claimed the helicopter was downed by the militants' fighters.

Helmand province, notorious for poppy growing, is a known Taliban stronghold.

Seven Afghan air force helicopters have crashed so far this year. On Feb. 17, an Afghan air force pilot was wounded after helicopter MD-530 crashed in western Nimroz province. Enditem
After rejecting the demand to pull down the statue of Robert Clive in Shropshire, the local council is considering placing a plaque beside it to explain the controversial legacy of the man credited with ruthlessly laying the foundation of British rule in India in the 18th century.

Clives statue has stood in Shrewsburys square since 1860. The first governor of the presidency of Fort William, Bengal, Clive died in London 1774. His statue was one of many recently identified across the UK for removal by Black Lives Matter campaigners.

Steve Charmley, deputy leader of the council, said on Monday: Today, as a society, we are finally facing up to painful and shameful periods in our history and having to address subjects that cause real distress to some members of our community, especially when they arent managed sensitively. The way we interpret the past is hugely important.

On July 16, in a meeting of the full council, 28 councillors voted in favour of the recommendation that no further action be taken on the demand to remove of the statue, while 17 voted against the proposal and one councillor abstained.

Charmley added: We believe we should not erase controversial history but, rather than celebrate and glorify such people and events, find appropriate ways to mark and learn from them(We) are currently exploring the possibility of placing a plaque next to the statue to factually bring more of his story and background to life.

During the July 16 meeting, one of the reasons mentioned to support the recommendation that the statue should not be replaced was the existence of Clives statue in Kolkata (colonial Calcutta was the initial capital under the East India Company).

Clives statue in Shropshire has been the subject of a petition and counter-petition.

After thousands signed the petition calling for its removal, thousands more backed the counter-petition, insisting that removing statues does not change history nor help us learn from it. Shropshire has been influenced by the actions of Robert Clive, whether we condone all of his actions or not.

The Black Lives Matter campaign witnessed protests across the UK after George Floyds death in the US, gathering momentum after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down in Bristol in early June. The campaign has prompted a review of public spaces in London and elsewhere on symbols of racism, colonialism and slave trade.

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Ministers announce 11 million to support city and town centres in their recovery (DfC/PA)

Town and city centres in Northern Ireland are to receive an 11 million boost for their recovery from coronavirus.

The windfall will help provide a safe environment for visitors, shoppers and workers.

It may fund awnings, outdoor furniture, heaters, queuing and Tannoy systems and digital screens.

Expand Close Shops in Belfast have reopened for trade (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Shops in Belfast have reopened for trade (Liam McBurney/PA)

Communities Minister Caral Ni Chuilin said: As restrictions have lifted, I appreciate that the current environment still presents very real challenges for businesses who are working hard to deliver for their staff, customers and community.

Many have demonstrated their resilience and this funding I am announcing today will help reassure traders, shoppers and visitors that our town centres are open for business again in a safe way.

The Department for Communities is investing 10 million in the Capital Covid-19 Recovery Revitalisation Scheme which will be used in larger town and city centres, with a further 1 million coming from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to be used for smaller settlements.

Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots said: As lockdown restrictions are being eased and non-essential shops, cafes, bars and restaurants are opening for business, it is vital that we restore visitor and worker confidence in our town centres and villages as being safe places to work, visit and shop.

I am confident this revitalisation scheme will help achieve this and I encourage councils to work closely with the Department for Communities to deliver this assistance as efficiently and effectively as possible.

An initial 6 million for immediate action has been allocated to the 11 councils which will administer the funding in their area.

We need both the continued support of government but also the support of the public to come out and get behind Northern Ireland's retail industry Aodhan Connolly, Northern Ireland Retail Consortium

The remaining 5 million from the Department for Communities will be used later in the year to address medium to longer-term measures such as environmental improvements, the adaptation of empty sites or vacant premises for pop-up spaces or provision of lighting schemes.

Aodhan Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium which represents larger stores, said while shops can open, some are at greatly reduced capacity due to social distancing and footfall levels continued to be decimated.

We need both the continued support of government but also the support of the public to come out and get behind Northern Irelands retail industry.

By doing so, they will support not only thousands of jobs in retail but many more in the service and agri-food industries to name but two.

Expand Close Belfast Chamber chief executive Simon Hamilton said it was a step in the right direction (Brian Lawless/PA). PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Belfast Chamber chief executive Simon Hamilton said it was a step in the right direction (Brian Lawless/PA).

Belfast Chamber chief executive Simon Hamilton said it was a step in the right direction.

We need to work together to ensure our high streets survive the threat they currently face and we would encourage the Executive to create a task force to allow us to pool our collective efforts towards rejuvenating our city and town centres.
Kelly Ceballos will lead communications and media relations efforts

Baltimore and Washington, D.C., July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst), the regions largest not-for-profit healthcare company, announced today the appointment of a second leader in the span of a few weeks to its Marketing & Government Affairs team. Kelly L. Ceballos, who joined the company on June 29 as the Director of Public Relations, brings more than 25 years of media relations and strategic communications experience to this role.

As CareFirsts Director of Public Relations, Ceballos will focus on communications strategies that leverage the public and media relations for the company. Before joining CareFirst, she spent nearly four years at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). As the Deputy Director of the agencys press office, Ceballos oversaw the day-to-day operations of the media relations work for all of CMS programs including Medicare/Medicare Advantage and Medicaid.

Kelly is a seasoned public relations professional, who adds a broad range of perspectives to the communications team already in place at CareFirst, said Mack McGee, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for CareFirst. I am excited to work with Kelly as she helps CareFirst tell the important story of the work we are doing with and for our members, stakeholders, the community and as an innovative healthcare thought leader.

Ceballos also has extensive prior non-profit and government experience serving as the Director of Communications for the League of Women Voters of the U.S. for 15 years and in media relations roles with the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce.

Ceballos earned a masters degree in political science from the University of Kentucky and a bachelors degree from Bates College. She lives in Washington, DC with her family and devotes time to the community and neighborhood through her church and childrens school.

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About CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

In its 83rd year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit healthcare company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to 3.3 million individuals and employers in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. In 2019, CareFirst invested $43 million to improve overall health, and increase the accessibility, affordability, safety and quality of healthcare throughout its market areas. To learn more about CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, visit our website at www.carefirst.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

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CONTACT: Media Relations CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield 1-800-914-6397 mediarelations@carefirst.com




GREENVILLE, S.C., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GrandSouth Bancorporation (GRRB:OTCQX), the holding company for GrandSouth Bank (the "Company"), today reported earnings of $1.6 million for the quarter ending June 30, 2020, compared to earnings of $2.0 million for the same period in 2019. During the first and second quarter of 2020, results were negatively affected by the decision to further bolster the allowance for loan losses, increasing the reserve to 1.42% of loans at the end of the first quarter and then further to 1.50% of loans excluding Small Business Administration ("SBA") Payroll Protection Plan ("PPP") loans at the end of the second quarter. Our credit metrics continue to look strong at the end of the second quarter, but we believe the higher reserve is necessary should economic conditions remain weak for an extended period of time.

Nonperforming assets ended the quarter at $3.0 million, or 0.31% of total assets, down from 0.35% as of March 31, 2020 and 0.42% as of December 31, 2019. Past due, but still accruing loans, net of the amounts guaranteed by the U.S. Government continued to improve, ending the quarter at 0.004% as a percentage of total assets for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, compared to 0.007% at March 31, 2020 and 0.008% at December 31, 2019.

Total assets at the end of the second quarter were $992.3 million. This is an $80.7 million, or 8.85%, increase in total assets since December 31, 2019 and a $67.2 million, or 7.27%, increase since March 31, 2020. The main funding source supporting asset growth was noninterest bearing deposits, which increased $54.1 million, or 39.92%, and $51.2 million, or 37.05%, for the quarter and year to date, respectively. Total gross loans ended the second quarter at $796.8 million, reflecting an increase of $25.3 million, or 3.29%, for the quarter and $40.4 million, or 5.34%, year to date.

The Company was able to provide critical capital to the small business community in South Carolina through the SBA PPP loan program funding $39.0 million to over 272 businesses. These loans were the largest contributor to loan growth in the quarter. This growth was offset by a decrease of $22.1 million, or 26.90%, in the Company's specialty floor plan lending division. Loans excluding these two portfolios grew $8.5 million, or 1.23%, from March 31, 2020.

We continue to focus on the ever-changing environment in 2020 as it relates to our Company, employees, customers and other stakeholders. The effort of our employees in assisting our existing and new customers through the SBA PPP loan program was extraordinary. These times have shown to the community the value of having a great banker and a true financial partner to help in times of need.

To view the full report, visit https://backend.otcmarkets.com/otcapi/company/financial-report/252700/content

About GrandSouth Bank: GrandSouth Bancorporation, the parent company of GrandSouth Bank, was founded in 1998 as a commercial bank. Since then it has grown into seven locations and offers a full array of commercial banking services for individuals and small businesses. The bank has over $992 million in assets as of June 30, 2020, including over $796 million in gross loans. Learn more at:

https://www.grandsouth.com/

SOURCE GrandSouth Bancorporation

Related Links

http://www.grandsouth.com


The aged care regulator has threatened to revoke the licence of the facility at the centre of one of Victoria's largest COVID-19 clusters, as the body representing Victoria's doctors calls for a royal commission into the state's pandemic response.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has issued St Basil's Homes for The Aged in Fawkner with a Notice to Agree, citing concerns about the serious impact of the outbreak on the residents and staff, and the aged care centres handling of it.

Under the notice, the home in Fawkner must not admit any new residents until it can demonstrate to the Commission's satisfaction the "serious risk" to residents has been effectively addressed.

It must also appoint an independent adviser until St Basil's is declared free of all positive cases of COVID-19 and is declared safe by the Victorian Government's Public Health Unit.
A $2.7 billion NASA rover is scheduled to blast off for Mars on Thursday on a mission that could help solve one of the greatest mysteries in all of science: the origin of life.

If all goes as planned, the rover, named Perseverance, will collect rock and soil samples that would later be space-mailed back to Earth for close scrutiny. Scientists will be looking for fossils or "biosignatures" of organisms that may have thrived about 3 billion years ago when theRedPlanet was much warmer and wetter.

"We have one data point for life on a planet," said planetary geologist Bethany Ehlmannof the California Institute of Technology, part of the science team for Perseverance. "Mars is the second data point. We know from the investments that we've made from exploration that there was this habitable world right next door. Right about the time that Earth was developing its life, Mars was also habitable, with lakes and rivers."

A close match between ancient Martian life and life here on Earth would suggest a common origin, with one planet seeding the other through meteorites. Or perhaps Mars had life-forms of a completely alien nature. Or maybe they never existed and Mars has always been a sterile world.

"Is it a foregone conclusion that as long as you have the right mix, things are going to happen and you're going to end up with life?" said Mary Voytek, head of NASA's astrobiology program. "We don't really have the answer to that."

The new rover mission is officially known as Mars 2020, and it is the first part of a multiphase project called the Mars Sample Return campaign, only this leg has been fully funded by Congress.

Perseverance will launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral atop an Atlas V rocket. It will be the second robotic mission to Mars in the span of a week: China on Thursday launched its own probe, named Tianwen-1, which is that country's first attempt to land a craft on Mars.

While coping with additional challengesintroduced bythe coronavirus pandemic, NASA has been racing against a deadline imposed by physics: There's a narrow window when the Earth and Mars are properly positioned in their orbits. Perseverance must launch by Aug. 15, after which the effort would have to be put on hold for a couple of years. It is slated to land on Mars on Feb. 18.

The engineering demands of any robotic mission are enormous. Perseverance will have to descend to the surface of Mars in the notoriously confounding atmosphere - it's too thin to be very helpful with braking, but just thick enough to cause aerodynamic trouble - and land in one piece, upright and functional. That is not an uncontested layup.

The mission will benefit from autonomous navigation sensors that should allow a pinpoint landing in Jezero Crater, where a river delta once flowed into a deep lake - a site painstakingly selected by scientists as the kind of place that might host remnants of ancient organisms.

Perseverance is being described by NASA as part of its long-term plan for a human mission to Mars. The rover carries an instrument that can manufacture oxygen out of Mars' carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere, a process critical to future human missions. The rover also carries a small helicopter, named Ingenuity, which will perform the first rotorcraft flight on another planet.

- - -

Life as we know it here on Earth is both astonishing in its complexity and strangely ordinary. The simplest organism has a fairly elaborate genetic code. At the same time, it is built with some of the most common elements in the universe, such as hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon and oxygen.

In the past quarter-century, meanwhile, astronomers have learned that most stars have orbiting planets,theoretically offering plenty of potential real estate where life might be found. But although scientists are generally optimistic that there is life beyond Earth, they lack proof.

Their search is complicated by the lack of a watertight definition of life.It's clearly something that chemistry can achieve given the right conditions. A living thing is self-sustaining and structurally coherent. It obtains energy from the world and does something with it. It contains the code of information that allows it to replicate, and does so with enough inexactitude to allow natural selection to work its wonders.

The quest to understand its origin on Earth is also made more challenging by the fact that this isn't the planet it used to be. The Earth's surface has been buried, melted, metamorphosed, eroded, crushed, frozen and flooded. There aren't that many old rocks around.

Mars, by contrast, is a geologist's dream world. Unlike Earth, Mars lacks plate tectonics. As a result, the Martian surface hasn't been radically altered over the past 4 billion years the way Earth's has.

"Those rocks still exist where they were deposited with no complicated overprinting," Ehlmann said.

Even if the mission doesn't find signs of life, it might detect "some kind of prebiotic phase of life," said Benjamin Weiss, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who is part of the Perseverance science team.

"If we could bring back a fossil record, a rock record, some kind of geological samples, that have some record of that prebiotic phase of the evolution of life, that would arguably be as exciting, or arguably more exciting, than finding life," Weiss said.

- - -

Mars has a knack for fooling human beings, especially those eager to discover Martian life. In the late 19th century, astronomer Percival Lowell famously claimed to see canals on Mars, which he posited as the handiwork of a civilization struggling with the drying out of the planet. That notion helped inspire H.G. Wells's "The War of the Worlds," the canonical alien-invasion tale.

The canals were, of course, imaginary, but well into the 20th century, some scientists thought Mars might be showing signs of seasonal vegetation. Then came the Space Age, and the first robotic probe to fly by Mars, Mariner 4 in 1965, captured images of a cratered and parched landscape.

NASA's extraordinary Viking mission put two robotic landers on the planet in 1976 and performed several life-detection experiments. One result looked positive and briefly generated euphoria among the scientists, but when all the data came in, the consensus was that the experiments hadn't found signs of life.

The field of astrobiology received a boost in 1996, when scientists announced they had found what looked like fossilized microorganisms in a Mars rock discovered in Antarctica after striking the Earth as a meteorite. The rock, scientists said, had been blasted off Mars and into space by an asteroid impact.

The Mars rock generated tremendous media attention, but the microfossils discovery did not age well. Although never fully resolved - there are partisans on both sides of the issue - the consensus is that intriguing features in the Mars rock (officially ALH84001) could be produced non-biologically.

"We learned a really hard lesson in 1996," said NASA's Voytek.

Thomas Zurbuchen, the head of science at NASA, said the findings from Martian meteorites that land on Earth are inherently enigmatic, because they have been heated when ejected from Mars and lack the kind of geological context that scientists need.

"Clearly those rocks do not answer the questions that we have. They don't have the context and they don't have the careful handling that it takes to make the sample valuable," Zurbuchen said.

Perseverance is an SUV-size rover that looks like a fraternal twin of Curiosity, the NASA rover that is still exploring the planet. Among other achievements, Curiosity discovered organic molecules in 3-billion-year-old mudstones, although such carbon-based molecules could have a non-biological origin. Perseverance has different tools, including new high-resolution cameras and other remote-sensing instruments.

A discovery of life beyond Earth, even in fossil form, would be so significant that scientists want to make sure they get it right. That's one reason they want to see Mars samples up close, back on Earth, in facilities where the material can be studied for decades to come.

- - -

Perseverance is equipped with a drill and 31 canisters. After scouting out the most inviting sites, aided by aerial surveillance from the helicopter, the rover will drill into the surface, put Martian soil and rock cores into the canisters, and then leave them scattered around the planet's surface the way Hansel and Gretel dropped bread crumbs so they wouldn't get lost in the woods.

A subsequent rover would then collect them in 2026 and put them into a launch vehicle to be blasted into orbit around Mars. They would then be transferred to an orbiting spacecraft, which would carry the material back to Earth in 2031, under current NASA plans.

Given the project's complexity, it is critical that the rover pick the right samples, said Abigail Allwood, a geologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the lead scientist for one of the rover's remote-sensing instruments.

The exact itinerary - where the rover will drill and when - remains undetermined. Allwood said she hopes there is abundant time to study the environment first.

"As a geologist, I know the importance of time in the field, looking at the rocks. The more time you spend looking at the rocks, the better you're going to understand any potential biosignatures," Allwood said.

She makes a field geologist's point about whatsuchlife would look like: multiplicative. Life copies itself.

"If it's life, it would not be just one. It will be multiple examples of whatever you are looking at," she said.
The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industry is warning residents about unsolicited packages of seeds that originate from China.

ADAI said multiple reports have been made of similar packages delivered throughout the U.S. via the postal service. The package is often mislabeled as jewelry but instead contains a bag of seeds.

We urge all residents to be on the lookout for similar packages. These seeds could be invasive or be harmful to livestock, Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate said.

Several people in Alabama have received seed packages. Other states reporting the issue are Arizona, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.

ADAI said anyone who receives a similar package should:

Not plant the seeds and if they are in a sealed package, leave it sealed. Do not dispose of the seeds.

Report suspicious seed deliveries to USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and maintain the seeds and packaging until USDA provides further instructions. They may be used for evidence.

Call 1-800-877-3835 or email SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.gov

The USDA is expected to release official guidance related to the matter soon.
Mr Reeve said there was a severe shortage of adequately trained workers due to the number of staff who were either infected or close contacts of people who were infected. He said there was "minimal" catering staff, but assured families that residents were being fed and hydrated. Clinical waste removalists at St Basil's in Fawkner on Saturday. Credit:Penny Stephens Mr Reeve said the Health Department was not evacuating residents unless they were acutely ill. He said the home called an ambulance to transport an acutely ill patient at 4am on Monday but it did not arrive. On Monday morning Premier Daniel Andrews said patients were being moved out of private aged care facilities "when it is deemed clinically appropriate for their safety for their care".

"That won't mean every single patient gets taken to a public hospital," he said "It's not a function of whether there's capacity or not, it's a function of the individual decisions that treating doctors make." Many of the residents at St Basil's have already been moved to hospital On Sunday, doctors at Knox Private Hospital received an email telling them the Healthscope hospital had agreed to take in 15 residents from St Basils, with and without coronavirus, at the request of the Victorian Health Department.

Loading The email said other private hospitals had also accepted residents. "There are both COVID-positive and COVID-negative residents among the 15 being transferred to us," wrote the hospitals general manager Vincent Borg. "Australia, and Victoria in particular, is facing never-before-seen health challenges as a result of the COVID-19 virus. I hope you appreciate the need for Healthscope to do what it can to help care for those most at need in our community." A doctor who did not wish to be named said they understood all remaining residents were moved out of St Basils into private hospitals at the weekend.

However, the family of Vicky Patsakos, 85, who has dementia, say the last information they received was that the grandmother was still at the home. Son Thomas Patsakos said the family had not received an update since Friday and their repeated calls had gone unanswered. Im calling every hour now in the hope that someone will answer, he said. The Victorian Health Department has been contacted for comment. There have been 78 coronavirus cases connected to St Basil's to date. The facility has an operating capacity of 120 residents and a requirement for more than 110 staff.

On Monday morning, Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck acknowledged and apologised for situations where families have spent days trying to ascertain whether their loved ones were still alive. He said a call centre had been set up to provide daily updates to families. "We know that people are worried, we want to make sure that they get good information with respect to their loved ones, but it's a very, very complex situation inside." In one case, Melbourne man Nicholas Barboussas was called and told by management brought in by the government that his father Paul was comfortably sitting in his room, when in fact he was gravely unwell at the Northern Hospital. The 79-year died the next day from suspected COVID-19.

Mr Colbeck said the aged care sector, which the federal government is responsible for, had done "exceptionally well" in handling the spread of COVID-19 in Victoria that has now breached 71 facilities. He also disputed reports of a shortage of masks and gloves in homes and said facilities were required to have infection control plans in place to deal with an outbreak. Paul Barboussas, 79, was gravely unwell at the Northern Hospital, but his family was told he was comfortably sitting in his room at St Basil's. Credit:Nine News The Health Workers Union has previously claimed workers were not properly trained in infection control and lacked adequate PPE. Mr Colbeck said the federal government was working with Victorian authorities to deploy surge staff and fund homes to ensure they could afford to use only one set of workers, ensuring employees did not work at multiple homes and potentially exacerbate the spread.
The prolonged lockdown of Googles offices could influence other major employers to take similar precautions.

Google has decided that most of its 200,000 employees and contractors should work from home through next June, in a sobering assessment from the search engine behemoth of the coronavirus pandemics potential staying power.

The remote-work order issued on Monday by Google CEO Sundar Pichai affects other companies owned by Googles corporate parent, Alphabet Inc, and marks a six-month extension of the search giants previous plan to keep most of its offices closed through the rest of this year.

I know this extended timeline may come with mixed emotions and I want to make sure youre taking care of yourselves, wrote Pichai, who is also Alphabets CEO, in an email to employees.

Pichais decision was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The prolonged lockdown of Googles offices could influence other major employers to take similar precautions, given that the technology industry has been at the forefront of the shift to remote work that has been triggered by the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Even before the World Health Organization declared a pandemic on March 11, Google and many other prominent tech firms had been telling their employees to work from home.

Google had originally planned to allow a significant number of employees to begin returning to its Mountain View, California headquarters and other offices in June or July, but the company pushed back the reopening until January. This latest delay comes as COVID-19 infections spike across parts of the United States.

Besides helping protect people from the virus, the new July 2021 target date for reopening Googles offices should make it easier for workers with children to adjust to uncertain school reopenings. It will also make it easier for employees to sign one-year leases if they decide to rent a home somewhere else while working outside the office.

I hope this will offer the flexibility you need to balance work with taking care of yourselves and your loved ones over the next 12 months, Pichai wrote.

Pichais email noted that Google and Alphabet have been able to reopen some offices in 42 countries, although he did not specify which.

But new guidelines mean Googles biggest offices will remain largely unoccupied through June 2021. The decision affects more than 123,000 employees on the payroll of Google and other Alphabet companies, as well as 80,000 contractors that normally work on the companies campuses.

The pandemic has also prompted several other tech companies to inform their workers they will not have to return to work this year. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has taken the most extreme step so far by telling the messaging services employees they will never have to return to the office, if they do not want, an offer he is also extending to workers at Square, a payment processing service that he also runs.
Now that savers can withdraw 10% from their pension pots, Chile has opened the door to further raids, say economists.

Within minutes of Chilean lawmakers approving a bill that allows citizens to draw down 10 percent of their pensions to help make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic, a phrase started trending on Twitter: Were going for more.

The bills authors insisted the raid on the private retirement system introduced in the 1980s under the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship was just an emergency measure but as it snowballed in popularity, so have the ambitions of those backing it.

Lawmakers who voted in favour of the bill last Thursday included 53 percent of centre-right President Sebastian Pinera`s ruling coalition, dramatising the tectonic shifts under way in a country that has long been a bulwark of free-market capitalism with aspects of its economy copied by neighbours from Peru to Brazil.

While the potential withdrawal from the accounts was set at 10 percent, economists and analysts said the bill had awakened many to the idea that the funds really belong to their contributors.

That could open the door for further raids on the accounts  until now jealously stewarded by their managers with strict access rules  in times of crisis, they said.

The privatised pension system was held up as the crowning glory of the economic shock treatment stewarded by a group of policy advisors called the Chicago Boys for their time studying at the University of Chicago under United States-based free marketeer Milton Friedman.

As the region now quakes under severe unemployment and reduced incomes under quarantine, the anti-free market gospel is proving just as contagious. Peru passed a law in April allowing citizens to withdraw up to 25 percent of their pensions early, and there are moves in Mexico and Brazil to allow similar drawdowns, even as some experts warn of the long-term consequences for cash-strapped governments.

Chilean opposition congressman Leonardo Soto wears a face mask reading No More AFP (Pension Fund Administrators) [File: Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters]

No way back

The latent threat of further unrest adds to the political pressure while undermining the scope for more reasoned debate, said Nicholas Watson, of Teneo Intelligence, noting the influence of fierce and historic social protests in Chile last year over elitism and inequality even before the virus struck.

Pamela Jiles, a left-wing deputy representing some of the capital Santiagos poorest suburbs who charged through the Congress chamber in a pink cape and feathered fans to celebrate the pension bills approval at an earlier stage, said Chiles free-market system had reached a point of no return.

The people invaded Congress with a very specific and simple demand, but one that strikes at the heart of this discredited system, she said. There is no way back now.

Jiles said any longer-term financial worries could be addressed later.

What does long-term matter to me if I starve to death? she asked. That is not relevant today and I think the risks have been exaggerated. And if those terrifying prospects materialise, thats what the political class is for  to find solutions.

The individual capitalisation Pension Funds Administrators (AFP) system promised payouts of up to 70 percent of final salary when it was introduced.

Former US President George W Bush called it an example from which his country could take some lessons.

Yet while the AFPs provided a pot of money to fuel a domestic economic boom by bringing a reliable pile of cash into equity markets, Chiles large informal workforce and an intermittent or partial contributions history  particularly among women  coupled with high charges, meant that most payouts fall far short of pensioners needs. In March this year, the average retiree received $289 a month.

Crossing the rubicon

Some economists said the remaining funds could be seen as fair game to make ends meet in future crises.

You are basically opening a door that will be very hard to close because this move is so popular, said Hermann Gonzalez, the head of macroeconomic policy at the Santiago-based Latin American Centre for Economic and Social Studies.

Theres the risk that any future event, a natural disaster or another recession, will prompt a further use of these savings.

Political scientist Cristobal Bellolio said the congressional upset meant crossing a symbolic Rubicon whereby the funds were obliged by law to hand over savings to anyone that asked for them, without penalties or tax.

Most people regardless of political position or social status just want to get back the money they have been saving for such a long time, he said.

Among them is Maria Jose Manriquez Gonzalez, 32, who lost her job in the seaside city of Valparaiso in the pandemic and is struggling to support four children.

I would like to use that money to get away from where I live, which is basically a slum, to buy a home but right now I`m going to have to use that money for food, she said.
Hong Kong: 490k construction workers subsidised

As of July 26, more than $4.8 billion had been disbursed to about 490,000 construction workers and 19,000 construction-related enterprises via two rounds of the Anti-epidemic Fund, the Development Bureau said today.

The Employment Support Scheme for the Construction Sector under the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund will offer subsidies to construction sector employers who have employed casual employees on a long-term basis.

As of July 26, about 1,200 construction sector employers have submitted their applications for the scheme. The Construction Industry Council will process the applications expeditiously.

The subsidy will be disbursed to applicants six to eight weeks after they apply, and the application period will end on July 31.

Click here for details.

The deadline for other subsidy schemes for the construction sector is August 31.

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Warsaw, Poland  Mon, July 27, 2020 14:00 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669946ed 2 World Poland,violence-against-women,treaty,Istanbul-Convention Free

Poland will take steps next week to withdraw from a European treaty on violence against women, which the right-wing cabinet says violates parents' rights by requiring schools to teach children about gender, the justice minister said on Saturday.

Zbigniew Ziobro told a news conference his ministry would submit a request to the labor and families ministry on Monday to begin the process of withdrawing from the treaty, known as the Istanbul Convention.

"It contains elements of an ideological nature, which we consider harmful," Ziobro said.

Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and its coalition partners closely align themselves with the Catholic Church and promote a conservative social agenda. Hostility to gay rights was one of the main issues promoted by President Andrej Duda during a successful re-election campaign this month.

On Friday, thousands of people, mostly women, protested in Warsaw and other cities against proposals to reject the treaty.

"The aim is to legalize domestic violence," Marta Lempart, one of the protest organizers said on Friday at a march in Warsaw. Some protesters carried banners saying "PiS is the women's hell".

PiS has long complained about the Istanbul Convention, which Poland ratified under a previous centrist government in 2015. The government says the treaty is disrespectful towards religion and requires teaching liberal social policies in schools, although in the past it has stopped short of a decision to quit.

Ziobro, the justice minister, represents a smaller right-wing party within the ruling coalition. A government spokesman was not available on Saturday for comment on whether Ziobro's announcement of plans to quit the treaty represented a collective cabinet decision.

The World Health Organization says domestic violence has surged this year in Europe during months of lockdown aimed at fighting the coronavirus.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel-General Ruslan Khomchak said that he is pleased with the progress of preparations for a full and comprehensive ceasefire on the disengagement line in Donbas, and also urges not to succumb to information provocations and hybrid manifestations of panic.

"For the second day in a row, I have been working in the area of the Joint Force Operation and I am pleased with the progress of preparations for a complete and comprehensive ceasefire on the contact line," Khomchak said in a statement released on the Facebook page of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Sunday, July 26.

The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said once again that the measures of a complete and comprehensive ceasefire do not deprive servicemen, in the case of agreements violation by the enemy, the right to act in accordance with the norms of international law and national legislation of Ukraine in the event of not only offensive, but also provocative actions, sabotage and reconnaissance operations endangering life and health of military personnel, civilians, damage or destruction of infrastructure.

In this context, Khomchak said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready to give a proper rebuff to the enemy in case of violation of the agreements, for which appropriate additional reserves have been created.

"I urge you not to succumb to controlled provocations, hybrid manifestations of panic, to remain calm and unite around your Army and its defenders. The Armed Forces of Ukraine will always be loyal to the Ukrainian people and, I hope that this large fundamental attempt to ensure a global ceasefire will give an opportunity for our politicians and diplomats, strengthening the defense capability of the state, move on to achieve the long-awaited peace," the JFO headquarters said in the statement.
Even as the PLA remains adamant against withdrawing its troops who intruded into Eastern Ladakh and BJP MP Tapir Gao indicates PLA intrusions in Arunachal Pradesh, China also appears to be eyeing the border of Himachal Pradesh with China Occupied Tibet (COT) with a view to create more mischief.

China has no illegal claims in this area till now. Himachal Pradesh shares a 260 km border with COT which is quite porous. Of the total border length, 140 km is in Kinnaur District and 80 km of the border falls in Lahaul and Spiti District.

After the June 15 clash between Indian Army and PLA in Galwan area, the Himachal Pradesh Police had issued an advisory to police chiefs of border districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti to institute precautionary measures to ensure security of the population and collect intelligence.

As per news reports of June 17, 2020, a police official requesting anonymity stated, There is no suspicious activity along the border here so far. ITBP manning the border sent a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that said, By and large the situation is peaceful but there is a lot of movement of civilian vehicles.

Recently a mixed patrol from Kannaur district's Charang village with 16 ponies and five porters traversed 22 km to reach the border and discovered with the melting snows that China has constructed a 20 km road towards the border with India.

Earlier, Chinese helicopters had violated the airspace in Sumdoh Sector of Lahaul and Spiti district thrice on April 11, April 20 and in the first week May. There are high passes along this border; main ones include the Khimokul Pass and Simthong Pass, located ahead of the Trungla Valley, which crosses into COT. There was no Chinese activity in this area even in 1962.

The ITBP has 20 posts along the 260 km border, indicating how porous the border is. Though patrolling is undertaken in the gaps jointly with the Army, opportunities for the enemy exist to intrude because of the ruggedness of the terrain.

The ITBP posts considered sensitive ones include Kaurik (last village beyond Sumdoh) and posts situated in Lakuma, Morrang, Morni, Dogri, Rishi Dogri, Domti and Niltah La.

According to recent ground reports, China is constructing a motorable road to Khimokul Pass (5641 metres) opposite Morang Valley in Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh. This will likely be extended into the two kilometers no-mans land. Recently a mixed patrol of nine personnel (jawans and locals) from Charang village with 16 ponies and 5 porters traversed 22 km to reach the border and discovered with the melting snows that China has constructed a 20 km road towards the border with India.

This road last observed in October 2019 was only up to Tangon village in Tibet. Five fork cranes and many large dumper trucks were observed where road building is ongoing.

Concurrently, China is also constructing a road towards Yamrang La (5570 metres) in Tibet opposite Sangla Valley of Kinnaur District. We may go lax in winters but snows are no hindrance to road construction by China. Recall in December 2017 a hunter from Bishing Village in Arunachal Pradesh had discovered the Chinese constructing a motorable road 1.25 km south of the LAC in Indian Territory under three feet of snow.

As per media reports, some 120 Army men had to be rushed to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with ration that could last them for 30 days. With no roads to the border and no animal transport at disposal, Army pressed into service a company of 300 porters raised earlier to stock the troops. Packets of ready-to-eat meal and chocolates had to be heli-dropped before the porters arrived. Each porter could carry 10-15 kg ration and rest before coming downhill for the next trip up. Luckily the Chinese withdrew.

During the six day patrol from Charang Village to the border, it was observed that China sends drones to the border for reconnaissance frequently, after which multiple explosions are heard in the distance indicating use of explosives for road construction. Chinese drones have been instilling fear in locals. On the Indian side, there are no proper roads or communications network. The road to Charang Village (from where the patrol moved 22 kilometers to the border through rugged terrain) is in a poor condition. Mobile connectivity is possibly 14 kilometers away from Charang village.

After their experience in Eastern Ladakh, they would be confident of retaining what they grab with India resorting to nothing more than endless talks.

With the above conditions, effectiveness of border surveillance (if any) plus periodicity and effectiveness of our patrolling remains questionable, not to talk of reserves and the time they need to react in the event of emergency. Obviously our border surveillance is grossly inadequate  discovering a 20 kilometer long Chinese road all of a sudden.

In Eastern Ladakh, the PLA had constructed a new road four kilometers short of Galwan before making multiple intrusions. Given the state of border infrastructure along the border with Himachal Pradesh, paucity of reserves and lack of battlefront synergy in the form of unity of command (which is still lacking in Eastern Ladakh), PLA may indulge in intrusions here much before we expect.

After their experience in Eastern Ladakh, they would be confident of retaining what they grab with India resorting to nothing more than endless talks.

Eastern Ladakh has deployment of Army and ITBP but latter has still not been placed under command the Army as required by the Kargil Review Committee and follow up Group of Ministers headed by Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani that had clearly stated that Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) can be deployed on the border to assist the Army, but must be placed under the command of the latter.

The ITBP backed by MHA argues that ITBP is to man the border in No War No Peace. What can be more absurd than that, but no one can defy the bureaucracy and the IPS lobby with IPS officers holding senior appointments in ITBP, apparently not even the defence minister.

The Himachal border has the Army, ITBP and SFF (Special Frontier Force) personnel  all reporting through respective channels.

Since India doesnt admit intrusions because of domestic politics and is pusillanimous to the idea of quid pro quo intrusions, China will go for Indian Territory wherever opportunity exists along the entire length of the LAC. It does not matter whether China had any illegal claims in the region/area earlier or not. After all China has claimed entire Galwan Valley for the first time, same as claiming Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan. The government needs to act with alacrity.
Amman: Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf has revealed he set up a web of offshore front companies to help his cousin President Bashar al-Assad evade Western sanctions, in a social media post blasting the government for investigating his business empire.

One of Syria's richest and most powerful businessmen, Makhlouf said security forces were now targeting Cham Holding, the centrepiece of a vast business portfolio much of which has been seized by the cash-strapped government.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad casts his ballot in parliamentary elections, with his wife Asma, on July 19. Credit:AP

The former Assad loyalist said security forces were pursuing contracts signed by the company on suspicion he had embezzled funds abroad.

"They fabricated our embezzlement of funds and transferring it to our accounts abroad ... Stop these unjust claims and read well the contracts," Makhlouf said in a Facebook post.
In Q1FY21, Marico Limited's Revenue from Operations was at INR 1,925 crores (USD 257 million), down 11% YoY. The domestic business was severely impacted in April due to supply-chain disruptions following the extension of the national lockdown but was able to scale up sequentially in May and June as restrictions were relatively eased. The domestic business clocked sales at 104% of the annual average monthly run rate of FY20. However, given the very significant revenue skew in Q1FY20, which was circa 31% (unrelated to portfolio seasonality), the underlying volume decline was at 14% on a year-on-year basis.

Secondary volume growth was in line with the reported primary volume growth as the Company continued to operate at lower distributor inventory levels after the drop at the end of Q4FY20, in order to protect channel partner ROIs in the current environment. The Company gained market share in more than 90% of the portfolio on MAT basis, with accentuated gains during Q1.

With social distancing becoming increasingly prevalent, consumers favored neighborhood GT stores as well as E-Commerce platforms over Modern Trade during the quarter. The CSD business during the quarter was nearly reduced to its half, which had a meaningful impact on the overall volume growth of India business.

While the international business de-grew by 4% in constant currency terms, Bangladesh continued to hold the fort by delivering a commendable a commendable 10% constant currency growth, while other geographies recorded double-digit drops. EBITDA was up 1%, led by 300 bps expansion in operating margins which was attributable to softer input costs, rationalization of A&P spends in discretionary portfolios and very aggressive cost control. PAT was at INR 331 cr., up 3% YoY on a like-to-like basis.

A&P spends stood at 7.1% of sales, given the rationalization of spends in a subdued demand environment with supply constraints. After minimal spends in April, the Company continued to invest for growth in the core portfolios in light of improving traction during the rest of the quarter. Similarly, Trade spends during the quarter were also rationalized accordingly. Since the business has recovered to near-normal levels and growth trends have been improving from May, the Company will strive to sustain the momentum and deliver growth in the balance part of the year, provided the ongoing COVID-19 crisis doesnt drastically worsen in the times to come. The Company expects operating margins to be circa 20% for the rest of the year.

Other Updates:

 Marico has been recognized amongst Indias 5 Best Workplaces in FMCG as per a study conducted by Great Place to Work Institute (India) in association with The Economic Times.

 Marico ranked as the 7th Most Preferred FMCG/Beverage Company amongst B-school students and one of the 25 Most Desirable Companies To Work for across sectors, as per the Dare2Compete Employer Branding Report 2020.

Maricos India Business recorded a turnover of INR 1,480 crore, down 15% on a year-on-year basis. The operating margin improved to 25.7% in Q1FY21 as against 22.6% in Q1FY20. Parachute Rigids remained on a firm footing as lockdown restrictions eased in May and June and recorded sales at 111% of annual average monthly run rate of the last year. However, volumes declined by 11% on a year-on-year basis on a high base (9% volume growth in Q1FY20) and due to heavily skewed sales in the first quarter last year.

The volume market share of the Coconut Oil franchise (includes Nihar Naturals and Oil of Malabar) strengthened by about 180bps to 62% (MAT Jun20). Saffola refined edible oils grew by 16% in volume terms, furthering its healthy growth journey and topped up by the in-home consumption tailwind. The volume market share of the brand in the Super Premium Refined Edible Oils segment has expanded by ~330 bps to 77% (MAT Jun20).

The Foods franchise posted value growth of 30% in Q1FY21, led by 41% growth in the Saffola Oats franchise. Both the plain and savory offerings grew healthily. Saffola Masala Oats continued to fortify its stronghold in the flavoured oats segment as its value market share expanded to 88% (MAT Jun20). In response to the heightened immunity boosting needs of the consumer, the Company launched Saffola Honey, 100% pure honey with no added sugar. Every batch of Saffola Honey undergoes the strict NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) test, which is one of the most advanced tests in the world to check for purity and origin of food items through spectroscopic fingerprinting.

The product has been made available across channels in 250 GM, 500 GM and 1 KG PET and Glass jars Value Added Hair Oils clocked sales at ~94% of the annual average monthly run rate of the last year. Billing for the category was stalled for a large part of April due to the extended lockdown and tepid demand for premium hair oils. With easing of restrictions thereafter, manufacturing resumed in the last week of April and the franchise also witnessed considerably healthy traction, especially in the bottom of the pyramid segment. However, growth in the May-June period could not offset the deficit in April and volumes were down 30% in Q1FY21 on a year-on-year basis.

The volume market share of the franchise expanded by ~130 bps to 36%, while its value market share consolidated at 27%. (MAT Jun20). Nihar Shanti Amla Badam led the recovery in May and June, while among the newer introductions, Parachute Advansed Aloe Vera Enriched Coconut Hair Oil witnessed encouraging trends in June. The Premium Personal Care recorded sharp declines given the significant fall in discretionary category sales. The Company had forayed into the Hygiene segment with the launch of Mediker Hand Sanitizer and Veggie Clean in April. Both have witnessed healthy traction and the Company will continue to invest for growth in these franchises.

In the current quarter, the hygiene portfolio contributed to more than 1.5% of the India business topline. During the quarter, the Company also launched indoor and outdoor surface disinfectants under the aegis of new brands, House Protect and Travel Protect respectively. The brand is now available on Amazon and Flipkart and will soon be introduced in General Trade. Maricos digital-first Hygiene brand KeepSafe by Marico was launched in mid-June on all leading E-Commerce channels.

Maricos International business declined by 4% in constant currency terms in Q1FY21. The operating margin in the international business stood at 29.8% in Q1FY21 vs 25.6% in Q1FY20. Bangladesh (49% of the International Business) grew by 10% in constant currency (cc) terms, led by healthy growth in the non-Coconut Oil businesses. South East Asia (26% of the International Business) de-grew by 17% (in cc terms). Vietnam de-grew by 14%. MENA (12% of the International Business) and South Africa (7% of the International Business) declined by 27% and 25% respectively.

The New Country Development & Exports business de-grew by 16%. Saugata Gupta, MD & CEO commented, The Company has delivered a fairly resilient performance in the quarter despite the pervasive impact of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Marico stands united and is working closely with its stakeholders to ensure safety and good health of all in these unusually difficult times. After a significantly challenging April, the business has reached nearnormal levels and expects to deliver growth in the rest of the year. Market share gains in more than 90% of the portfolio has also been reassuring. We will continue to invest for growth in our core portfolio of trusted leader brands as well as adapt to evolving consumer needs in the areas of health, immunity and hygiene, while focusing on agility, excellence in execution, aggressive cost management and financial discipline.

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A small island is shrouded in mystery after it has practically remained untouched by the deadly coronavirus despite conditions being a perfect breeding ground for infections.

Giglio Island, off the coast of popular holiday spot Tuscany in Italy, has a population of around 1,500 and is known for its pristine clear sea and unsullied hillside.

Despite its small number of residents, its a hotspot for tourists and as the coronavirus started to spread furiously through Italy  which at the beginning of the pandemic became the epicentre and has now recorded more than 246,000 cases and 35,000 deaths  there were fears for the tiny island as a number of cases emerged in people who had visited the area.

Residents are known to socialise in steep alleys and live in dense housing thats part of a fortress built to protect the island from pirates hundreds of years ago, but even with a lack of social distancing no residents fell ill with coronavirus.

Giglio remains unscathed from infected visitors

Epidemiologist professor at the University of Milan, Paola Muti, was puzzled by the mystery as to why residents managed the escape the clutches of the coronavirus.

According to the Associated Press, the first case of coronavirus on the island was in a man aged in his 60s, who arrived on February 18.

The man was visiting the island for a funeral and was coughing all the way through the service, Professor Muti said.

No citizens in Giglio have fallen ill from coronavirus. Source: Getty

Following that, three more visitors tested positive on the island on March 5, just four days before Italys national lockdown.

One of the cases, a German man from northern Italy, had socialised for a number of days with old friends. After a week, he developed a cough and self-isolated after returning a positive coronavirus test.

Other known infections on the island also included a man who had lived in Australia for two years but travelled to Giglio in mid-March during lockdown to visit his parents. He developed a mild fever and tested positive after three days.

Story continues

Once the lockdown was lifted in Giglio in June, the island has not recorded any more cases, despite Italian tourists flitting in and out.

Nobody is sick

As coronavirus cases first arose in Giglio, Professor Muti and the islands only doctor Armando Schiaffino shared fears of a rapidly moving local outbreak.

Dr Schiaffino told AP that historically illnesses like chicken pox, the measles and scarlet fever would strike citizens after just a couple of days.

A number of tourists tested positive for the coronavirus while visiting Giglio. Source: Getty

Professor Muti began to wonder if the reason for the lack of spread was something genetic, or whether the Gigliesi just didnt show symptoms.

Dr Schiaffino came to me and told me, Hey, look, Paola, this is incredible. In this full pandemic, with all the cases that came to the island, nobody is sick. So I said to myself: Right, here we can do a study, no? I am here, Professor Muti said.

Why people may not get infected

During her study as to why the virus didnt spread, the epidemiologist hypothesised those living on the island just werent exposed enough to get infected.

Head of infectious diseases at Romes Tor Vergata hospital, Massimo Andreoni, agreed with her and said some patients were less capable of spreading the virus for reasons still unclear.

There is mystery as to why the virus has not spread across the island. Source: Getty

He said, however, that with the Gigliesi marrying through generations, there could be a common genetic variant protecting them.

Professor Muti is now preparing to research further into the genetic makeup of those on the island.

Despite there being no cases on Giglio, residents are still urged to take preventative measures to lower the risk.

Residents and tourists are asked to wear protective masks indoors and in situations where they cant remain at least a metre way from another person.

They are also encouraged to respect the physical distance of one metre and wash or clean hands often with sanitiser.

With The Associated Press

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
Srinagar: Upset over the downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir to the status of the Union Territory following the abrogation of Article 370, former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday (July 27) announced he will not contest assembly elections till full statehood is restored. He, however, made it clear he would continue to work for his party National Conference(NC) and people of Jammu and Kashmir.

"I have been leader of the assembly of the state. In its time the most empowered assembly. I cannot and will not be a member of what is now one of the most disempowered assemblies in the country. It's as simple as that," Omar, 50, a former union minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, told PTI.

"It is not a threat or blackmail, it's not a display of me sulking. It's just a simple acknowledgement that I won't fight an election to lead the Union Territory assembly, which is such a disempowered assembly."

Strongly critical of the dilution of Article 370 of the Constitution, Omar said many reasons had been given to justify abrogation of the provision that granted special status, and claimed that none of those stand any scrutiny.

Omar, who is the vice president of the NC, was critical of what had been done to Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 last year, and said his party would oppose it in the Supreme Court.

"We believe in democracy and peaceful opposition."

The abrogation of Article 370 was supposed to end terrorism but the government had been telling Supreme Court that violence in Jammu and Kashmir was increasing, he said. Similarly, arguments touted such as lack of development and investment due to Article 370 belie facts, he added.

Asked whether his decision not to contest the assembly polls has been discussed with the leadership of his party, Omar replied, "it's my view and it's my decision. No one can be forced to fight an election against their will".

On the delimitation exercise being carried out by the administration of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said, "NC is and will continue to explore all legal options to deal with the developments and decisions post August 5 last year."

The elections are likely to be held only after the delimitation exercise is completed in the union territory, which came into existence on October 31 last year. The erstwhile state was split into two union territories--Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
US' break-in to Chinese consulate in Houston "no different from burglary": FM spokesperson

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/26 18:14:14

The US' break-in to the Chinese consulate in Houston is "no different from burglary," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying tweeted on Sunday as US legal enforcement agents were reported to have broke into the consulate compound on Friday afternoon.

The premises of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston are the Chinese government's property. The US' break-in is in violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations as well as the US Constitution and the Foreign Missions Act, Hua said.

Such behavior is no different from burglary, Hua noted.

According to US media, US officials and a locksmith broke into a back door of the consulate at about 40 minutes after 4 pm - the deadline the US administration gave for the closure of the consulate.

Legal experts reached by the Global Times echoed Hua's comments, believing that the US' move apparently violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the China-US Consular Treaty.

Regardless if the compound is rented or has been purchased by the Chinese consulate, US legal enforcement authorities are not entitled to enter the compound without the consulate's consent, experts noted.

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The Irish Congress of Trade Unions called for the voluntary payment that employers can make to staff working from home to be made mandatory. (Stock picture)

PEOPLE working from home should not be forced to carry the cost of working remotely for their employers, a top union body said.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions called for the voluntary payment that employers can make to staff working from home to be made mandatory.

Congress also wants the Government to commit to a review of employment legislation to ensure protections are fit for purpose for remote working in the post-pandemic world.

Thousands of people have been forced to work from home since March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Some may not be able to return to their former workplace for months.

Revenue allows people working from home to be paid 3.20 per day in expenses by their employer, if duties are being performed within normal working hours.

That works out at 16 a week. Over a year, it works out at close to 800. However, it is paid at the discretion of the employer.

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Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) social policy officer Laura Bambrick said working from home suits some people, but for other workers the mass home-working experiment has been fraught.

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Higher utility and broadband costs are among the most common complaints reported to trade union reps, she said.

Dr Bambrick said: Remote workers should not have to carry the cost of doing business, whether in the form of higher household bills or the daily desk charge at a digital hub.

ICTU is calling for a review of the adequacy of the 3.20 tax-free daily expense allowance paid by employers to homeworkers, and for payment of this allowance to be made mandatory.

More than 100,000 people already worked from home before the Covid-19 outbreak, but this number is thought to have spiralled since Covid-19 hit.

Employment legislation needs to be updated to protect remote workers, ICTU said.

Speaking ahead of the publication of the unions guidance for workers working from home, Dr Bambrick said: Workers hard-won rights must be preserved when working from home.

She said protections need to keep pace with changes in ways of working, and gaps in law closed.

What is urgently needed is a more ambitious public consultation on remote working than that recently launched by the Department of Business, she added

Many workers have expressed an interest to continue remote working.

However, unlike workers across the EU, in the UK and Northern Ireland, Irish workers have no legal right to work flexibly, including working from home. Under current law remote working is solely at the discretion of the employer.

Trade unions said that when implemented in the right way, flexible and remote working can really improve peoples working lives, make them happier and more productive.

ICTU said this is the reason it is calling for a change in the law to give every worker the legal right to request flexible working and for employers to be required to give the request serious consideration.

The union body said a statutory right to request flexible working would require bosses to deal with workers request in a reasonable and considered manner.

The working-from-home guide is at ictu.ie.
Ford is bringing a couple Boston Dynamics robot dogs to Michigan to prowl around into its Van Dyke Transmission Plant. Theyll be doing more than just creeping out plant workers with their freakishly impressive capabilities, too.

The two dogs, named Fluffy and Spot, are there to laser scan the plant so engineers can be prepared to retool it in the future. Ford is able to send the two dogs out into the plant and control them with remote controls. Each robot dog is equipped with five cameras that allow it to scan the facility in detail. If it werent for the robot dogs, Ford says the scanning and documenting of the floor layout would take twice as long.

We used to use a tripod, and we would walk around the facility stopping at different locations, each time standing around for five minutes waiting for the laser to scan, Mark Goderis, Fords digital engineering manager says. Scanning one plant could take two weeks. With Fluffys help, we are able to do it in half the time.



See Full Image Gallery >>

Ford needs to scan its plants because they get updated and changed often enough without documentation that they need a totally new engineering model to work off when retooling. The old way of doing that was reportedly expensive, costing nearly $300,000 to scan a whole facility. Ford says renting the dogs is much cheaper, coming in at a fraction of the cost.

One other benefit of the dogs is their small size and agility. Theyre able to squeeze into small (and potentially dangerous) places inside the plant that humans couldnt. Ford says they move through the plants at a maximum speed of 3 mph for about two hours at a time, restricted only by their battery charge.

Ultimately, Ford expects these dogs could save time and money with tedious tasks like this one in all its plants. It's not the first time the company has latched onto some wacky robots, either. One of them being named Fluffy is irony at its best, as the Boston Dynamics dogs always remind us of Black Mirrors murder dogs. These ones are designed to be benevolent. And in case you were thirsty for more creepy robot dog content, check out this video of a pack of Boston Dynamics dogs tugging a big truck.

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When it comes to consumer sentiment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese and U.S. shoppers are seeing the glass as half full while those in other countries are less optimistic, according to a study conducted by Simon-Kucher & Partners, the global strategy and marketing consulting firm.

The sentiment survey, which was done between June 1 and July 1 (prior to a resurgence of COVID-19 in certain regions of the U.S.), included more than 12,000 respondents from the U.S., the U.K., Germany and China.

The firm said in its report that in China, 42 percent of those consumers polled expressed a favorable outlook of their future situation and the economy. Authors of the report also noted that one-quarter of those surveyed from the U.S. expressed an optimistic outlook, as compared to 15 percent in the U.K. and 18 percent in Germany, where the spread of the virus is much more contained.

Regarding spending, a high number of shoppers polled in each country continue to dole out money for nonessential items. Despite the uncertainty, a consistent 66 percent of U.S. respondents acknowledged that they are continuing to make nonessential purchases, the report stated. The number of U.S. consumers making nonessential purchases is higher than in the U.K. (54 percent) and China (55 percent), but not as high as Germany (73 percent).

Other findings revealed include a spending sentiment that is based on how long the pandemic will last. Of course, the willingness to spend on nonessentials does differ drastically between U.S. consumers who believe the COVID-19 pandemic will be over within three months versus those who predict the pandemic will last a year or longer, the report stated. In fact, those who think the pandemic will last a year or longer indicated that they are cutting back on spending at restaurants and bars by 41 percent, as compared to only 17 percent by those who think it will be over in three months.

Story continues

Ricardo Rubi, global head of consumer goods and retail at Simon-Kucher, said the survey also showed consumers are not so much cutting categories or nonessential purchases entirely, but more shifting the amount they are willing to spend or the frequency in which they make those purchases.

As a result, Rubi said brands need to make sure they have the right assortment and prices to capture this new behavior  having products that cover different price points and better stocking consumers up since they are not buying as often.

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A pet cat has become the first animal to test positive for coronavirus in the UK, the Government has revealed.

The animal is thought to have caught coronavirus from its owners who had previously tested positive for the disease.

Downing Street said the cat had symptoms including shortness of breath.

The cat and its owners have since made a "full recovery", according to the scientists who tested the animal.

It is the first confirmed case of an animal with the coronavirus strain in the UK.

The UKs Chief Veterinary Officer confirmed that the virus responsible for Covid-19 was detected in the domestic cat.

A very small number of confirmed cases in pets have been confirmed in other countries in Europe, North America and Asia.

The cat's infection was detected during tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge on Wednesday, July 22.

The Government stressed there is no evidence that pets or other domestic animals are able to transmit the virus to people.

Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: "This is a very rare event with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within in a few days.

"There is no evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will update our guidance to pet owners should the situation change."

Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England, said: "This is the first case of a domestic cat testing positive for COVID-19 in the UK but should not be a cause for alarm. The investigation into this case suggest that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round.

"At this time, there is no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans. In line with the general advice on fighting coronavirus, you should wash your hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the animal was initially diagnosed by a private vet with "feline herpes virus", a common cat respiratory infection.

However, the cat's sample was also tested for SARS-CoV-2 as part of a research programme. The tests then confirmed that the cat was also infected with SARS-CoV2 which is the virus known to cause COVID-19 in humans.

The incident has been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health.

A team of scientists at the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research are behind the programme to screen hundreds of samples for Covid-19 infections in the UK cat population.

They have completed a full genome sequencing of the virus found in the infected cat.

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Professor Margaret Hosie said: "All available evidence suggests that the cat was infected from its owners, who had previously tested positive.

"The cat and its owners have since made a full recovery and there was no transmission of the virus to other animals or people in the household."
Coquitlam, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2020) - Captiva Verde Land Corp. (CSE: PWR) (OTC: CPIVF) (the "Company" or "Captiva Verde"), is pleased to announce that further to its news release of October 2, 2019, where Captiva Verde has executed a share exchange agreement to acquire Salud Esmeralda de Mexico SA de CV, ("Esmeralda") where Esmeralda holds a comprehensive pharmaceutical license to sell, market and distribute an entire suite of 300+ pharmaceutical, health, wellness and veterinarian products which include all narcotic, psychoactive and non-psychoactive drugs listed under Groups I, II & III in Mexico, Esmeralda has today executed an agreement with the Chairman of both the 380,000 member Health Care Workers Union in Mexico and the broader 1.2 Million member Union Federation, whereby Esmeralda can expressly distribute and sell medicinal health and wellness products to the Union Federation on a direct basis, with payment from the Union.

The Amount outlined in the agreement is for up to 1.2 Million members per month at between MXN $160 to MXN $220 per month, (between MXN $2.3 Billion to MXN $3.2 Billion per year) or up to USD $142,000,000 per year of product sales. (based on 30 day MXN-USD of 22.3) Captiva Verde is 75% complete in constructing its brand new drug manufacturing facility in Mexico for preparation of manufacturing and sales to the Union Federation this coming November. Anticipated Gross Profit is 40%. The complete cost of the new building is USD $750,000.

The Share Exchange Agreement between Esmeralda and Captiva Verde calls for the exchange of 80 Million shares subject to a strict pooling Agreement. Jeff Ciachurski, the CEO of Captiva Verde will receive 22.4 Million of those shares in this agreement. The Share Exchange Agreement and its resolutions are currently waiting for the filing of a signature verification process from the Mexican Consulate in Vancouver. Covid19 had previously delayed this basic administrative function. Final approval is then subject to the Canadian Securities Exchange once the Mexican Consulate has verified the Canadian resolutions including the corporate documents of Captiva Verde.

The exact wording in the Share Exchange Agreement reads:





Image 1

To view an enhanced version of Image 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6138/60586_638b804484146b23_001full.jpg

Jeff Ciachurski, the CEO of Captiva Verde, states: "This is an extremely significant milestone in the history of the Company. Without question, this agreement transforms Captiva Verde as a player in the legal health and wellness business, as we execute this function to one unified buyer, avoiding middlemen, agents, dealers and brokers, offering Mexican Union Members significant cost savings that are not available in the wholesale or retail market."

On Behalf of the Board of Directors



"Jeff Ciachurski"

Jeffrey Ciachurski

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Cell: (949) 903-5906

www.captivaverdecorp.com

E-mail: westernwind@shaw.ca

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in

such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/60586
Ukrainian soldiers will be able to use the right to self-defense, as guaranteed by Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Ukrainian who have participated in UN peacekeeping missions are arriving in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, to monitor the implementation of a recently agreed ceasefire.

"Ukrainian servicemen most of whom have considerable combat experience and were directly involved in peacekeeping missions under the auspices of the UN have been sent on a special mission and have started to arrive at the first line of our defense in Donetsk and Luhansk regions," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said on Facebook on July 26.

Read alsoUkraine's JF units start preparations for new Donbas ceasefire agreed from July 27

This move will allow Joint Forces personnel to continue their combat missions and prevent possible provocations, it said, and Ukrainian soldiers will be able to use the right to self-defense, as guaranteed by Article 51 of the UN Charter.

The JFO Headquarters says Joint Forces units continue preparations for a complete and comprehensive ceasefire along the contact line, which will take effect on July 27.

Yet, if the enemy violates the peace agreements, the Ukrainian army will act in accordance with international law and national legislation of Ukraine when there is an offensive or an act of provocation by armed formations of the Russian Federation, subversive activity or reconnaissance operations, which poses a threat to the life and health of Ukrainian servicemen and civilians, causes damage, or destroys infrastructure.

"What is more, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready to repulse enemy attacks in case of violation of the agreements and for this purpose, the Command of the Joint Forces has created additional reserves," it said.

Military correspondents and film crews of Ukrainian and foreign media will be working at various sections of the contact line to objectively inform Ukrainian society and the global community about the current situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, it said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, participants in the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine, Russia, OSCE) on the peace settlement in Donbas on July 22 agreed on a complete and comprehensive ceasefire on the contact line from 00:01 on Monday, July 27.
The PX Pulse has continued to provide a comprehensive look at consumers view on healthcare, reinforcing the experience they are provided  the safety and quality offered and accessibility and comfort they seek  must remain a top priority for the healthcare sector.

Today Monday, July 27, The Beryl Institute and Ipsos released its findings from the third PX Pulse, a quarterly tracking survey and a first of its kind effort to elevate understanding and track current perspectives on patient experience in healthcare across the United States. Todays survey reveals a 26-percentage point drop in the number of Americans reporting a visit to their primary care provider compared to the end of 2019. It also shows significant decreases in the number of Americans visiting a specialist (-18%) or undergoing medical testing (-21%) compared to pre-pandemic levels. While consumers continue to engage in less healthcare activities this quarter compared to last quarter, they remain positive about the overall quality of care they receive in the U.S.

The results are clear - as the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the country, Americans are forgoing regular medical care at a significant rate, said Clifford Young, President of Public Affairs for Ipsos. Fewer Americans are visiting their primary care doctors, theyre not undergoing medical testing, and fewer of us are seeing specialists. While Americans are largely satisfied with the quality of care, the decline in the number of Americans seeking medical care could have significant ramifications down the line.

In addition to feeling positive about the quality of care, consumers are saying they feel extremely, very, or somewhat comfortable seeking healthcare services, especially from their primary care provider, specialist, or lab for medical tests. There is less comfort for consumers seeking care at a hospital, the emergency room, or urgent care center, and the level of comfort with care received ranges drastically depending upon race. When rating the quality of care, Black Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans believe White Americans receive a disproportionately higher quality of care (58% and 37%, respectively).

The PX Pulse has continued to provide a comprehensive look at consumers view on healthcare, reinforcing the experience they are provided  the safety and quality offered and accessibility and comfort they seek  must remain a top priority for the healthcare sector, said Jason Wolf, PhD, CPXP, President & CEO of The Beryl Institute. As we reflect on the first half of 2020, two clear issues emerge around the dual crises in which we find ourselves: first, consumers are forgoing healthcare visits due to fear of exposure to COVID-19 and expressing lower levels of comfort in seeking care in hospitals and urgent care specifically, and second, the elevated conversations on systemic racism and disparities in healthcare in particular reveal a large subset of the American population feels they are not receiving the same quality of care as their White counterparts.

Key Findings:



Consumers continue to report fewer visits to primary care providers (-17%), hospitals (-3%), labs (-7%), and specialist providers (-5%) compared to last quarter.

Similar to the past two quarters, cost remains the most important healthcare issue to consumers. The top 3 issues include out-of-pocket costs, health insurance premiums, and having affordable insurance options.

Over half of the consumers reported feeling extremely comfortable or very comfortable visiting their primary care provider or specialist provider during the pandemic, while over half we either somewhat or not comfortable at all with visiting hospitals or urgent care facilities.

A majority of consumers indicated that their doctor provides access to an online portal or app that they can use to access their health information (62%), while they are only sometimes and mostly never used in most cases.

White consumers are most likely to believe that White people receive care as expected (78%). Only 20% of White consumers believe White people receive better or much better care compared to other groups of people, while Black consumers believe 58% White people receive better or much better care compared to other groups of people.

Conversely, 45% of Black consumers believe Black people receive worse or much worse care.

Over one-third of Black consumers (35%) report personally experiencing discrimination in their healthcare encounters either sometimes or often."

Despite the lower engagement in healthcare activities reported since the start of the year, a majority of consumers remain positive about overall healthcare quality (58%) and their own care experiences (74%).

Download the PX Pulse report: https://www.theberylinstitute.org/PXPULSE

ABOUT THE PX PULSE SURVEY

The Beryl Institute  Ipsos PX Pulse represents a first of its kind effort to elevate understanding of the current perspectives on patient experience in U.S. healthcare.

This effort will regularly capture healthcare consumer perspectives of patient experience in the United States, determine the practices and processes that have the greatest impact and influence on healthcare consumers, and track how the market sees patient experience evolving over time.

ABOUT THE BERYL INSTITUTE

The Beryl Institute is the global community of practice committed to elevating the human experience in healthcare. We believe human experience is grounded in experiences of patients & families, those who work in healthcare and the communities they serve. We define the patient experience as the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organizations culture, that influence patient perceptions across the continuum of care.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Omar Pedraza,

Director, Public Affairs, U.S

Omar.Pedraza@ipsos.com

202-831-5363

ABOUT IPSOS

Ipsos is now the third largest market research company in the world, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.

Our research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data coming from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.

Game Changers  our tagline  summarizes our ambition to help our 5,000 clients to navigate more easily our deeply changing world.

Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1st, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and the Mid-60 index and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).

ISIN code FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP

http://www.ipsos.com/
South Africa: Empowering a nation

South Africa like many countries around the world, dipped its toes into uncharted waters with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 and the imposition of lockdowns worldwide have become the norm in efforts to stop the spread of the virus.

The initial stage of South Africas lockdown brought to halt life, as we know it, temporarily closing schools, places of worship and slowing down machinery at some places of work.

No doubt some secretly welcomed the break from the hustle and bustle of getting the children to school on time and the sometimes sleep inducing back-to-back meetings at work.

The lockdown has allowed many to spend quality time with their households.

However, on the other side of the coin, the lockdown, which is aimed at saving lives, has awakened the terror of being in the presence of ones abuser on a 24-hour basis.

With many confined to their homes, essential services needed in daily life continued to operate.

Johannesburgs Frida Hartley Shelter is among those who kept their doors open, offering refuge to victims of Gender Based Violence (GBV).

One cannot argue that deciding to leave an abusive relationship is a daunting move, all the more so in a time of lockdown.

We empower women by assisting them get an education and job skills training. Its very important for women to sustain themselves because we dont want them to find themselves in those situations again, says the shelters manager Cheryl Hlabane.

Taking note of increased calls to the GBV National Command Centre for help during the course of the lockdown, which began in March, President Cyril Ramaphosa has lamented increased reports of violence against women and children.

At a time when South Africa commemorates the annual Mandela Month, the shelter is an example of how emulating former President Nelson Mandelas qualities of humility, compassion and dedication to the service of humanity can change lives even in bleak times.

Throughout the various levels of the lockdown, the shelter has continued its work of supporting women in their endeavours to heal and attain independence, helping them in turn to support themselves and their children.

It is no secret that South Africas first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela loved children.

The late Tata Madiba as he was affectionately known also spoke out against violence meted out at women describing it as serious and escalating evil in society.

In its own way, the shelter is taking forward Madibas call for all to make a difference in the lives of others.

The shelter takes in homeless women, and their children who have endured neglect, abuse, and trauma and homelessness.

The non-profit organisation (NPO) not only provides accommodation, care as well as support, but also empowers women with economic, educational and skills training opportunities.

In an interview with SAnews, Hlabane emphasised the importance of ensuring that women leave the shelter in a better position than when they came in.

The shelter also provides three meals a day, monthly toiletries, entrepreneurial skills training, psychosocial support and referrals for work placement.

We encourage women to find a side hustle, something that they are passion about so they can get an income. We have an 89% success rate in assisting women to get skills, education and jobs, she said in a telephonic interview.

With South Africa having passed over 100 days of lockdown, the number of women who have reached out to the shelter through phone calls, emails and messages on social media has increased.

A lot of shelters had to shut down because they didnt understand the pandemic, they didnt have the resources and they were scared to accommodate people and have them die at their facilities, she explained.

The NPO is currently full to capacity.

Hlabane, was also formed part of the #TotalShutdown march back in August 2018, has called on government to impose stringent measures to address GBV.

The #TotalShutdown movement started on social media and mobilised women and members of the LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual) to take a stand against all forms of violence.

In response to the march, government convened the first national summit against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in November 2018.

Last year in September at a joint sitting of Parliament, President Ramaphosa announced an Emergency Response Plan to combat GBVF and R1.6 billion in government funding that would be reprioritised to support the plan.

Addressing the nation last month, the President reaffirmed government commitment to fight the scourge of GBVF.

While government works to address GBVF, Hlabane stressed the need to change the narrative when conversations about abuse take place.

We talk about abuse but we protect abusers within our work space, homes, government, Parliament and individuals who occupy top positions in companies. Those ones are given immunity because of their social status that is why its easier to sweep abuse under the carpet, she said.

She has suggests that GBV conversations should be incorporated into the school curriculum.

We need to address gender roles specifying that women are the ones who are supposed to be cleaning and cooking. That is giving men authority thinking that if you dont clean you deserve to be beaten up.

Conversations around gender roles need to be held with young boys from an early age she said.

She also spoke of the need not to place victims of abuse under secondary victimisation, calling for adequate training for police when handling cases of GBV.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about uncertainty in the world and while it remains human nature to tend to want to look out for oneself only, there is a need for collective effort to look after the vulnerable in society.

Organisations like Frida Hartley often rely on donations like clothing, blankets and sanitary products to provide services to victims of GBV.

The shelter also accepts corporate support in the form of of job training programmes, internships and employment opportunities.

In the spirit of Mandela Month, South Africans can also play their part in the fight against GBV by supporting organisations such as the Frida Hartley Shelter.

The shelter can be contacted on 011 648 6005 and information about the work of the organisation is available on: https://www.fridahartley.org/.

While South Africa continues to be under lockdown, your support can be the difference between life and death, choose to help. SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Investors cheered a promising sign that this year's dividend downswing could be about to turn a corner.

Dozens of Britain's biggest listed companies have cancelled, deferred or delayed payouts after the pandemic threw their businesses into disorder, striking a blow to pensioners and savers who rely on them for income.

But software firm Kainos and oil and gas group Cairn Energy were rewarded handsomely for their decisions to hand money back to shareholders. Belfast-based Kainos rocketed 25.3 per cent, or 209p, to 1036p after it pledged to pay a one-off dividend or 6.7p per share  around 8.1m in total.

It said trading boomed so much in the first four months of its financial year that it will bump up annual turnover and profits. The group, whose customers include a number of NHS trusts and government departments, also said it will now go back to its original dividend schedule.

And things are going so well that it will give back furlough funding. Cairn, meanwhile, struck a deal to sell its entire interest in a contract area in Senegal to Russia's Lukoil for up to 310m.

It will return at least 195m as a special dividend afterwards.

Cairn has never paid a regular dividend  its model relies on investing in projects, selling them and handing the money back to shareholders in one-off payments.

But netting a sale during a time of extreme turmoil and lower prices in the oil market will be music to energy shareholders' ears. Cairn shares rose 6.3 per cent, or 7.8p, to 132.3p.

Talktalk shares will be in focus today after it emerged the budget broadband provider rejected a takeover bid valuing it at double its current price. The firm was approached by top shareholder Toscafund last year with a go-private bid.

It would have valued Talktalk at 135p per share, or 1.5billion, compared to its share price of 74.8p yesterday (down 3.9 per cent, or 3p), valuing it at 857m.

But Toscafund's advance was spurned because it 'failed to provide sufficient value for shareholders', according to Sky News.

Both the FTSE100 and FTSE250 started the week lower as dives in holiday and travel-related stocks failed to be offset by gains from precious metal mining shares, which rallied as gold prices reached a record high.

Overall, the blue-chip index fell 0.3 per cent, or 18.94 points, to 6104.88, while the FTSE250 fell 0.6 per cent, or 106.9 points, to 17157.94.

Shares in Chile-focused copper miner Antofagasta rose 3.7 per cent, or 37.5p, to 1066.5p after reports that the union of workers at one of its mines had reached a contract deal with the company, averting the risk of strikes. On the mid-cap index, Ascential swung to a 78m loss after the pandemic forced it to cancel or rearrange a swathe of major events such as the Cannes Lions marketing festival.

Interest in digital versions of some of its events couldn't stop it falling prey to the same difficulties that have plagued rival firms that also organise corporate shindigs, such as Relx (up 0.6 per cent, or 10.5p, to 1681.5p) and Informa (down 2.3 per cent, or 9.4p, to 391.5p). Shares fell 8.8 per cent, or 26.2p, to 272p.

Elsewhere, struggling guarantor lender Amigo was granted more time to sort out its borrowings. The extension was due to the Financial Conduct Authority extending Covid forbearance measures. The company has been through a tough period plagued with investigations, complaints and a boardroom row.
CHENGDU, China  After 35 years, the U.S.'s official presence in China's Chengdu ended on Monday with the lowering of the American flag over the consulate in the southwestern city.

China took over the premises of the consulate in retaliation for a U.S. order to close the Chinese consulate in Houston last week. The move comes after months of escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington over a range of issues, including trade, technology, security and human rights.

The American flag was taken down at 6:18 a.m. local time (6:18 p.m. ET), state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Changing of the (new) guard at the former US Consulate in Chengdu. Notice the empty pole in the background where the American flag was lowered after dawn. The ordered closure is another sign of worsening US relations with #China. @NBCNews @TODAYshow @MSNBC pic.twitter.com/6AOovh1lYS  Janis Mackey Frayer (@janisfrayer) July 27, 2020

Earlier, a bus left the consulate grounds and what appeared to be embassy staff spoke with plainclothes police before retreating back behind the property's solid black gates. It wasnt clear who or what was on the bus. Three medium-sized trucks arrived and left a few hours later, and cars with diplomatic plates departed in between.

Plaques and insignia were removed from the consulate building over the weekend.

As the consulate shut its doors, local authorities closed off streets in the vicinity of the complex, but that didn't stop crowds of spectators from packing the area around the building for days as the deadline approached for American diplomats to clear out.

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On Monday, one man yelled Long live the Communist Party and the Chinese people, but police pushed him away and took his sign.

A man in an apartment block across the street waved a Chinese flag and shouted, long live China.

Image: (Ng Han Guan / AP)

A statement from the State Department expressed disappointment at Chinas decision to shut down the consulate and said the U.S. would try to continue its outreach to the region through its other missions in China.

The consulate in southwestern China has stood at the center of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years, the statement said.

On Monday, a video message shared by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Chinese social media site Weibo bid farewell to the consulate in Chengdu, saying: "We will miss you forever."

We will miss the people of Southwest China and the friendship we have established, Consul General in Chengdu, Jim Mullinax, was quoted as saying in a separate tweet by the U.S. Mission in China.

The U.S. has alleged that the Trump administration's decision to close China's consulate in Houston came after years of FBI intelligence-gathering showed it was a hot spot of Chinese spying in the U.S.

China said the allegations were malicious slander," and called the U.S. decision to shut down its consulate in Houston an "outrageous and unjustified move which will sabotage China-U.S. relations."

President Donald Trump has regularly clashed with China over trade, accusing the country of taking advantage of the U.S.

The president has further angered the Chinese by blaming the coronavirus pandemic on China, and frequently refers to COVID-19 as the "China virus" and "kung flu."

Hong Kong has proved to be another flashpoint with the administration angering China by siding with pro-democracy protesters in the former British colony. The U.S. has also joined the U.K., Australia and Canada in suspending an extradition treaty with the territory following the imposition of a controversial new security law by the Chinese government.

Janis Mackey Frayer reported from Chengdu. Yuliya Talmazan from London.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Vietnams Ministry of Health confirmed 11 community-based COVID-19 cases on Monday evening, all linked to a hospital.

The cases include four health workers and seven patients at Da Nang Hospital, located in the eponymous city in the central part of the country, the health ministry said.

Their ages range from 24 to 70.

The new patients were tested on Sunday and the results came back positive on Monday.

They are isolated for treatment at Da Nang Hospital, which has been locked down alongside Da Nang C Hospital as well as Da Nang Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Hospital, for infected patients have visited the institutions.

Vietnam has reported 431 coronavirus patients, including 276 imported cases quarantined on arrival, according to the health ministry.

A total of 365 cases have recovered from the disease while zero deaths have been documented in the country.

The Southeast Asian nation has logged 15 locally-transmitted infections since Saturday, ending 99 days of no community transmission.

Fourteen are treated in Da Nang while one is in medical care in Quang Ngai Province, about 160km south of Da Nang.

Da Nang has enforced strict social distancing in certain parts to prevent the virus from spreading.

The city has banned crowded events and shuttered non-essential services, while it will require the residents in these areas not to leave the home unless under necessary circumstances and to wear face masks whenever outdoors for at least two weeks starting Tuesday.

Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said at a meeting in Hanoi on Monday that the 15 patients have contracted a new virus strain detected for the first time in Vietnam.

The strain is more contagious than the five types having been identified in the country before, Long added.

But it is not clear if the new pathogen is more virulent, he noted.

Vietnam has barred entry to foreigners since March but foreign experts and skilled workers are still allowed to enter the country, subject to government approval and compulsory quarantine on arrival.

The government has sent planes to other nations to repatriate Vietnamese citizens, also quarantined upon landing.

Officials in Da Nang and its neighbor Quang Nam Province have detected dozens of Chinese illegally entering Vietnam and staying in local lodging facilities.

The Da Nang Department of Police confirmed on Sunday they had coordinated with their counterparts in Quang Nam to arrest Gao Liang Gu, 42, at a hotel in Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang.

Gao is a member of a ring that organizes the illegal entry of Chinese nationals into Da Nang and Quang Nam, police said.

Vietnam is quarantining 11,954 people who had close contact with infected patients or entered the country from virus-hit regions, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The nation has 118 COVID-19 labs, including 66 authorized to confirm positive cases, the health ministry said.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Former Gogglebox star Yvie Jones has taken aim at the popular Channel 10-Foxtel show, revealing a major flaw with its supposedly 'diverse' cast.

She said on the TV Blackbox podcast on Monday that while the participants have different racial and religious backgrounds, there isn't a corresponding diversity of opinion.

Yvie claimed that '90 per cent' of the households have very similar opinions about the programs they watch - which causes a major headache for the editing team - and that the only cast members with differing views are art dealers Mick and Di Kershaw.

She's not holding back! Former Gogglebox star Yvie Jones (pictured) has taken aim at the popular Channel 10-Foxtel show, revealing a major flaw with its supposedly 'diverse' cast

Yvie, 47, said that the Gogglebox team often find themselves struggling in post-production to present a broad range of perspectives, when in fact the households agree about 'pretty much' everything.

This will be an embarrassing revelation for Foxtel and Channel 10, as Gogglebox is billed as a cross section of Australian life where a variety of views are represented.

While Yvie acknowledged that the couch critics come from diverse backgrounds, she said 'they are all quintessentially Australian' from a cultural perspective.

Diverse? She said on the TV Blackbox podcast on Monday that while the participants have different racial and religious backgrounds, there isn't a corresponding diversity of opinion

She explained: 'I just think that had they really wanted to be diverse, there would have been some real differences [of opinion].

'Everyone pretty much is the same on Gogglebox. We all pretty much agree with the same things; nine out of 10 people say the same thing every time.

'They have to choose from the edit which one goes to air for that particular scene.'

Same views? While Yvie acknowledged that the participants come from diverse backgrounds, she said 'they are all quintessentially Australian' from a cultural perspective. Pictured: Jad Nehmetallah with Matty and Sarah Marie Fahd and their son, Malik

TV Blackbox host Rob McKnight asked Yvie to clarify what she meant, saying: 'So despite the ethnic diversity, the personality traits were the same?'

'Absolutely,' Yvie replied. 'I mean, you've got the Sri Lankan family and the Greeks and the Vietnamese - but they're all really Australian, really Australian.'

She added: 'The only diversity in that show as far as I'm concerned was Mick and Di, the old couple who disagreed with everyone! Everything they liked, no one else liked; everything they hated, we all liked.'

One note: Yvie claimed that '90 per cent' of the households have very similar opinions about the programs they watch - which causes a major headache for the editing team - and that the only cast members with differing views are art dealers Mick and Di Kershaw (pictured)

It may be a case of sour grapes for Yvie, however, as she and her flatmate Angie Kent were famously blacklisted by Foxtel after they signed up for Channel 10's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! early last year.

Foxtel's Executive Director of Television, Brian Walsh, told TV Tonight in February 2019: 'You will not see a review of [Yvie and Angie] on Gogglebox.'

'From a promotional point of view the issue that upsets Foxtel is the exploitation of the Gogglebox brand to market and sell another program,' he added.

In the doghouse: It may be a case of sour grapes for Yvie, however, as she and her flatmate Angie Kent (left) were famously blacklisted by Foxtel after they signed up for Channel 10's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! early last year

At the time, Walsh also said that Foxtel management was 'incredibly disappointed' that the two women had publicly criticised their appearance fees.

He was referring to a 2018 interview in which Angie claimed that 'everyone [in the Gogglebox cast] still has to work' because of their low salaries.

'I was incredibly disappointed that they were critical of Foxtel and the appearance fee money we paid them to do Gogglebox. I thought that was unfair, unnecessary and unwarranted,' Walsh said.

Yvie later hit back at the Foxtel boss, telling WHO magazine in October that Walsh's comments were uncalled for.

'Such a stupid comment to make. It's not about you, it's about your viewers! No one cares what you think, or what is happening to your brand,' Yvie said.
Rating Action: Moody's assigns Ba3 rating to Leviathan Bond's senior secured notes, outlook stable

Global Credit Research - 27 Jul 2020

First-time Rating

London, 27 July 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) has today assigned a Ba3 rating to $2.25 billion proposed senior secured notes to be issued by Leviathan Bond Ltd. (Leviathan Bond). The outlook on the rating is stable. This is the first time Moody's has assigned a rating to Leviathan Bond.

Leviathan Bond is a special purpose vehicle and the notes are secured on Delek Drilling Limited Partnership's (Delek Drilling) 45.34% working interest in the Leviathan gas project in Israeli waters and associated assets.

RATINGS RATIONALE

The Ba3 rating reflects, as positives, the substantial gas reserves in the Leviathan gas reservoir, which had 1P proved reserves of 322.4 billion cubic meters as of 30 June 2020, and the minimal anticipated ongoing maintenance capital requirements to maintain stable production. It is the largest gas reserve in Israel (Government of Israel, A1 stable) and an important contributor to the country's energy security. Based on forecast production, the sponsor expects the field to have an operating life of over 30 years.

The rating further benefits from long-term offtake agreements covering a substantial share of production until 2030, including minimum take-or-pay quantities and floor prices that mitigate exposure to weak Brent oil prices. However, the value of these agreements is limited by the weak credit quality of the offtakers, the largest of which are the National Electric Power Company, owned by the Government of Jordan (B1 stable) and Dolphinus Holdings, a new entity formed to import gas to Egypt (Government of Egypt, B2 stable).

The Leviathan field faces intense competition from other Israeli gas suppliers, including the Tamar field, which creates risk of oversupply in the regional market despite growing demand in Israel as electricity generation transitions from coal to gas. If offtakers exercise volume reduction options included in these agreements, volumes and/or achieved prices may decline below levels Moody's currently anticipates.

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The rating is also constrained by Leviathan Bond's significant and frequent refinancing requirements. Debt Reserve and Principal Reserve Funds are small relative to the outstanding debt and, in the case of the Principal Reserve Fund, unfunded until twelve months before each bond maturity. Moody's expects that Leviathan Bond will need to refinance a significant share of each maturity, and notes that management has significant discretion to maintain or increase leverage, subject to certain covenants and a cap of $2.5 billion. The proposed financing terms include fewer creditor protections than many other rated project financing transactions. Specifically, there are limited creditor step in and remedy rights and a single financial ratio covenant that relies on a third-party consultant's estimate of future profits.

The rating also takes into consideration the reservoir's location in a region and country exhibiting significant geopolitical risk, and operational problems in the first seven months of production, although Moody's expects these to be manageable and notes that they have not resulted in any major outages to date. Delek Drilling and the operator, Noble Energy Mediterranean Ltd, a subsidiary of Noble Energy, Inc. (Baa3 RUR-UPG), have a strong track record at the neighbouring Tamar field (22% owned by Delek Drilling and financed through Delek & Avner (Tamar Bond) Ltd., Baa3 negative) and the former Mari B field.

Although the project's long production life is a credit positive, debt may decline slowly if management chooses to prioritise distributions, and leverage may remain high into the late 2030s, when uncertainty over global gas demand will increase.

RATIONALE FOR STABLE OUTLOOK

The stable outlook reflects Moody's expectation that Leviathan Bond will achieve improving financial metrics, in particular the ratio of Funds From Operations (FFO) to debt, based on Delek Drilling's share of the Leviathan project's cash flow, supported by a successful ramp-up to full production and progressive deleveraging.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS

The ratings could be upgraded if Leviathan Bond achieved FFO/debt sustainably above 25%, or if the Leviathan partners entered into material new take-or-pay gas sale and purchase agreements with high-quality offtakers that improved cash flow visibility.

The ratings could be downgraded if FFO/debt appeared likely to fall below the mid-teens in percentage terms, if cash flow visibility deteriorated, if targeted production levels were not achieved or subsequently disrupted, or if appears that Leviathan Bond will be unable to refinance maturities in a timely fashion.

The principal methodology used in these ratings was Generic Project Finance Methodology published in November 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1194215. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

The Leviathan gas field is an operating deepwater field in the Eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Israel. In February 2014, the Leviathan partners were granted a production lease for a term of 30 years with a 20-year extension option. At 30 June 2020, the field had 322 billion cubic metres of proven (1P) gas reserves.

Leviathan Bond Ltd. is a special purpose vehicle established to issue bonds secured by a first priority fixed pledge of Delek Drilling's 45.34% working interest in the Leviathan gas project as well as certain associated assets. Recourse against Delek Drilling is limited to the collateral pledged by the sponsor.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

At least one ESG consideration was material to the credit rating action(s) announced and described above.

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

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Families of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks will not be asked to read aloud the names of their loved ones at this year's memorial ceremony, due to coronavirus safety precautions.

A letter from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum about the change said that the decision was made 'out of an abundance of caution'.

Instead, a recording will read aloud the names of the nearly 3,000 victims, while the rest of the emotional service, which has taken place every year since 2002, will remain unchanged.

Families of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks will not be asked to read aloud the names of their loved ones at this year's memorial ceremony, due to coronavirus safety precautions. Visitors are pictured at the reflecting pools at the World Trade Center earlier this month

A letter from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum about the change to ths year's ceremony said that the decision was made 'out of an abundance of caution'. Visitors at the reflecting pools at the memorial earlier this month are pictured wearing masks due to COVID-19 precautions

Instead, a recording will read aloud the names of the nearly 3,000 victims, while the rest of the emotional service, which has taken place every year since 2002, will remain unchanged. A visitor in a mask is pictured paying his respects at the reflecting pool this month

Attendees will still be asked to wear face masks and practice social distancing requirements, NY1 reported on Sunday.

The move marks a dramatic departure from way the Sept. 11th 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, have been remembered by those who lost loved ones during the tragedy.

Family members have been invited every year to the reflecting pools that were made from the original footprints of the Twin Towers after they were destroyed by hijacked airliners to read the names of each victim that died that day.

The move marks a dramatic departure from way the Sept. 11th 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center (pictured), Pentagon and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, have been remembered by those who lost loved ones during the tragedy

This year's ceremony will still include six moments of silence. Firefighters and police participate in the start of ceremonies at last year's remembrence

Heartfelt messages often were included along with the reading of the names by widows, parents, siblings and children of the victims, including many who were born after the attacks.

'And they're still getting up and speaking of love and remembrance, so yeah it'll be a little less impactful but still meaningful and I think under the circumstances it's the best that they can do,' Patricia Reilly, who lost her sister Lorraine Lee, told NY1.

This year's ceremony will still include six moments of silence.

The first will be held at 8.46am, when Americans Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower. The second moment will be held at 9.03am when United Airlines Flight struck the south tower.

A third moment of silence will come at 9.37am, when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. A fourth moment will be observed at 9.59am when the south tower collapsed, followed by a fifth at 10.03am when United Flight 93 crashed in a field in Somerset County.

The last moment of silence at 10.28am marks the collapse of the north tower.

Jim McCaffrey, who lost his brother-in-law FDNY Battalion Chief Orio Palmer in the south tower collapse told NY1 he was grateful the ceremony would go on, despite COVID-19 restrictions.

President Trump speaks at the 9/11 memorial service held last year at the Pentagon

Attendees are pictured at a memorial service held at the Wall of Names erected to those who died on Sept. 11th when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania

'If they didn't have it this year it would give them maybe license to never have it again, which I think would be a terrible thing. So the fact that they're doing it, I applaud them,' he said.

Reilly told NY1 that she felt it would be good for the nation to still pause on 9/11, even as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

'For that period of time after 9/11 when we all came together, everybody in the country really came together, I think we could use that today again,' she said.

Plans are still being worked out for providing access to families who attend the ceremony and wish access to the 9/11 Museum.
AIOVA, which is an alliance of sellers, has approached the CCI on the ground that the acquisition of Walmart India will lead to preferential treatment for a few sellers and the combination will lead to deep discounting by Flipkart in its grocery segment. It has said the investigation by the CCI against Flipkart was already ongoing for abuse of dominant position, and thus the ...

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Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) in its latest report has raised serious concern on Human rights abuse in Pakistan. Systemic misuse of blasphemy in Pakistan has terrorized the minorities in Pakistan and blasphemy law continues to embolden the radicals who use it as a coercive measure to enforce their ideologies on minority communities in Pakistan. Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan's appeal on various social media platforms proved futile as the law continues to shelter the guilty.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has not deterred Pakistan government from discriminating against minority communities; it has rather exposed the bigot in the Pakistani society. Saylani Welfare Trust (SWT), a leading welfare organization, denied food packets to members of Hindu community in Lyari area. It was reported that the distributors refused to give food aid to members of Hindu community after looking at their National Identity Cards. Similar incident occurred in Korangi where Christians were denied food rations by the same organization, siad GHRD report.

The GHRD report also expressed concerns on gross misuse of the draconian blasphemy law complemented by an equally bigoted political setup encouraging the atrocities against minorities in every possible way. Not only Hindus,there has been a spurt in the number of blasphemy cases against members of Christian community. A couple from the community has recently been sentenced to death on account of blasphemy. A church in Kala Shah Kaku area in Punjab province was vandalised and the Holy Cross was desecrated by radicals.

The State's apathy towards this community stands vindicated by a discriminatory job advertisement stating that sanitary jobs were reserved for non-Muslims only. As per reports,80% of Pakistan's sanitary workers are from Christian community though they constitute only 1.5% of the country's total population, mentioned the GHRD report.

In June 2020, India had slammed Pakistan for using blasphemy law to terrorize the minorities in the country. New Delhi expressed concern after the forceful conversion of two Hindus and one Christian girl into Islam.

"The recent fate of two Hindu girls in Sindh, one Christian girl in Lahore, one Ahmadi lady in Chaleki, two professors from Khairpur are the examples of systemic targeting of minorities through blasphemy laws. The state of Pakistan is well manifested in the impunity in the murder of 65 transgenders in Pakistan since 2015," said Senthil Kumar, the First Secretary of India's Permanent Mission to UNHRC.
MILWAUKEE, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ademi & O'Reilly, LLP is investigating CNX Midstream (NYSE: CNXM) for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of the law in connection with the sale to CNX Resources.

Click here to learn how to join the action: http://ademilaw.com/case/cnx-midstream-partners-lp or call Guri Ademi toll-free at 866-264-3995. There is no cost or obligation to you.

Ademi & O'Reilly, LLP alleges CNX Midstream's financial outlook is improving and yet shareholders will receive only 0.88 shares of CNX Resources common stock for each common unit of CNX Midstream that CNX Resources does not already own. The merger agreement unreasonably limits competing bids for CNX Midstream by prohibiting solicitation of further bids, and imposing a termination penalty if CNX Midstream accepts a superior bid. CNX Midstream insiders will receive millions of dollars as part of change of control arrangements. We are investigating the conduct of CNX Midstream's board of directors, and whether they are (i) fulfilling their fiduciary duties to all shareholders, and (ii) obtaining a fair and reasonable price for CNX Midstream.

If you own common stock in CNX Midstream and wish to obtain additional information, please contact Guri Ademi either at [email protected] or toll-free: 866-264-3995, or http://ademilaw.com/case/cnx-midstream-partners-lp.

We specialize in shareholder litigation involving buyouts, mergers, and individual shareholder rights throughout the country. For more information, please feel free to call us. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

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An American diving instructor has admitted to killing his wife by stabbing her twice during an argument in their French holiday home and dumping her body in a storm drain, authorities say.

Billy Kruger, aged in his 50s, was charged with murder on Sunday after the body of his 52-year-old wife Laure Bardina-Kruger was discovered near their property in Peyriac-de-Mer, on the Mediterranean coast, in southern France.

Kruger, who authorities say is originally from Brooklyn, New York, told investigators that he acted in self-defense, prosecutor Marie-Agnes Jolie said.

French police arrested Kruger at Toulouse airport where he was preparing to go to Jakarta, Indonesia, where the couple lived.

Kruger was placed under formal investigation Sunday on a preliminary charge of aggravated murder and ordered held in jail, pending a possible trial.

Billy Kruger, aged in his 50s, (left) was charged with murder on Sunday after the body of his 52-year-old wife Laure Bardina-Kruger (right) was discovered near their property in Peyriac-de-Mer, on the Mediterranean coast, south of Narbonne

The couple, who were married for 26 years and have one adult son, lived in Jakarta where he is a diving instructor and she worked as a French teacher.

They would spend a few weeks in Peyriac-de-Mer each year where they had a holiday home.

Bardina-Kruger was born and raised near the seaside town.

The couple had been due to fly back to Jakarta together on Friday - the same day police found the wife's body hidden in the storm drain nearby their home.

The wife's parents raised the alarm after they were unable to reach the couple by phone ahead of the flight and Bardina-Kruger's father said the couple did not visit them to say goodbye.

Police sent to the couple's home found Bardina-Kruger's belongings were still there.

They found her body dumped in the drain soon after.

Authorities then learned that Kruger had checked into the flight alone. He was arrested in the boarding zone of the airport.

During police questioning, Kruger said he stabbed his wife twice, the prosecutor said.

He said they had been arguing and he allegedly put forward 'a vague' explanation of self-defense.

Bardina-Kruger's body was found dumped in this storm drain near the holiday home she shared with her husband in Peyriac de Mer in southern France

A bouquet of flowers is placed on a storm drain where Bardina-Kruger was found on Friday in the village of Peyriac-de-Mer in southern France

The couple lived in Jakarta where he is a diving instructor and she worked as a French teacher. They would spend a few weeks in Peyriac-de-Mer each year where they had a holiday home (pictured above)

On Sunday, a bouquet of white roses had been placed at the top of the drain where Bardina-Kruger's body was found.

Her brother Pierre Bardina wrote on Facebook: 'We got the conformation yesterday that my sister Laure Bardina-Kruge was murdered by her husband, by stabbing.

'He then hid the body in a storm drain. I have no words to qualify how we all feel right now. Our whole family thanks you again for your words of support that reminds us how appreciated Laure was.

'For her kindness, energy, solar charisma, willpower and love she carried for her son Maximus and her husband who murdered her.

'We don't know yet what happened, but we never got any alarm signal from Laure regarding violent acts against her by her husband.

'You always think this can only happen to other people, but violence against women can happen all of a sudden.

'My sister was an exceptional person who from childhood had a well developed character. Her whole life has been a succession of adventures around the world. Her killer leaves in our hearts the burning mark of eternal sorrow.

'Maximus, Laure's son is an orphan and no longer has a mother or father. We owe ourselves to be strong and resilient for him...'

The wife's parents raised the alarm after they were unable to reach the couple by phone ahead of the flight. Police sent to the couple's home found Bardina-Kruger's belongings were still there

The victim's brother, Pierre Bardina, said on Facebook that they never got any indication that Bardina-Kruger's husband had previously been violent towards her

The couple had been married for 26 years and share one son, who is now an adult, together.

Local French media have reported that their son had been staying with them at their holiday home but had returned to Indonesia earlier.

The couple have lived in Indonesia since 2015 after previously living together in Hawaii.

Bardina-Kruger's previous teaching postings have been in Hawaii and China.

Tributes on Facebook described the victim as 'such a lovely fun soul' who 'brightened up every room.'

A former colleague of Bardina-Kruger took to Facebook to pay tribute to her friend, writing: 'I am absolutely devastated and heart broken to hear the news of the tragic death of my wonderful friend and former colleague Laure Bardina-Kruger.

'She was such a bright, kind and beautiful person inside and out.

'I have four years of sweet memories working with her and laughing with her. When she left SCIS, we both promised that we would visit each other regularly after we retire.

'I am saddened that this promise will never come true now that she has been taken away from us so suddenly.

'However, I am grateful that we managed to catch up over a year ago during a workshop in Singapore.

'She will be forever missed by many of us. Rest in Peace, Laure!'

Billy Kruger celebrated his wedding anniversary in a Facebook post in 2017 by posting this photo of the couple
BERLIN - German prosecutors said Monday a German woman who allegedly joined the Islamic State group in Syria was arrested upon her return to the country. She is accused of membership in a foreign terrorist group, war crimes against property and other crimes.

Federal prosecutors said in a written statement that the woman, identified only as Nurten J. in line with local privacy laws, was arrested Friday at Frankfurt Airport.

Prosecutors allege she travelled with her then 4-year-old daughter to Syria in 2015 to join IS. There, she married a man who had also come from Germany and they started a family.

The woman allegedly raised her children according to IS ideology and in return she received a monthly payment from the extremist group and lived successively in five different apartments whose former tenants were either killed or evicted. In 2016 and 2017, she often had a friend visit her home who brought along an enslaved Yazidi woman who then allegedly had to clean J.s home.

After IS lost its territories in Syria, J. and her family were captured by Kurds and were eventually taken into deportation custody in Turkey. It was not clear if she was returned to Germany in custody and and the fate of her children was not known. The federal prosecutors office could not immediately be reached for further details.
Mohill GAA club and community groups, Breffni Community Development CLG Family Resource Centre and the Leitrim branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland are among the 116 projects to receive support from Bank of Irelands Begin Together Fund. The financial support will help local community groups and non-profit organisations continue to serve their communities through the Covid-19 pandemic.

The three Leitrim grantees will each receive up to 5,000 to support a range of projects and initiatives spanning financial wellbeing, mental wellbeing and physical wellbeing.

Bank of Ireland is working with The Community Foundation for Ireland, which is administering the fund, and a number of expert partners  the Society of St Vincent de Paul, Sport Ireland, Action Mental Health and Sport NI  who assisted in developing the funds focus and social impact objectives.

Commenting on the announcement, Tara Rodgers, Head of Bank of Ireland for Leitrim, said: The aim of the Begin Together Fund, launched back in February which seems a lifetime ago now, is to support charities and community organisations that are making a real difference to the financial, physical and mental wellbeing of their communities. As society begins to open up again its important to remember that charities and community groups have seen their income severely impacted by Covid-19 but the work they do is more important than ever. For that reason Im delighted that the Begin Together Fund is providing this timely support for these Leitrim projects.
Californias attorney general and state and local agencies are investigating whether Amazon.com Inc has taken adequate steps to protect its workers from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a court filing on Monday.

Attorney General Xavier Becerras office, Californias Division of Occupational Safety and Health and the San Francisco Department of Public Health have all opened investigations into Amazons practices around the pandemic, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman wrote in the filing.

Chiyomi Brent, described as a picker who fills orders at Amazons San Francisco Fulfillment Center, filed a lawsuit on June 11 contending the worlds largest online retailer has put workers at needless risk. The lawsuit alleges unsafe practices such as having workers share equipment such as freezer suits and failing to allow extra time for safe social distancing.

The attorney generals office declined to comment, and Amazon and the other agencies did not immediately respond to Reuters news agencys requests for comment.

Schulman refused to issue a preliminary injunction that would have closed the warehouse until more precautions were taken. He said Brent had failed to show a risk of imminent harm and her concerns would be better handled by government investigators.

SFDPH told Schulman that Amazons practices at the San Francisco facility had improved between visits on July 7 and July 16, while Cal/OSHA told the judge its investigation is continuing following a July 14 inspection.

The attorney generals office told the court last week that its statewide Amazon investigation, which dates back to at least May, also is continuing.

Amazon faced criticism for working conditions in its warehouses even before the coronavirus hit, and in April was accused of firing three critics of its pandemic response.

US consumers have come to rely on Amazon to shop online and avoid the coronavirus, which has killed more than 147,000 Americans.

Amazon has argued in court papers that it has taken many steps to protect workers at the San Francisco facility, including requiring masks and extensively disinfecting equipment such as freezer suits. Amazon and SFDPH told the court that no coronavirus cases had been linked to the facility.

New York Attorney General Letitia Jamess office sent a letter to Amazon in April saying the online retailer may have violated safety measures and labour practices during the pandemic. The letter came after Amazon terminated Christian Smalls, a critic of the companys warehouse conditions in the pandemic, for violating a paid quarantine.
Niamey, Niger (PANA) - The extraordinary summit of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Mali Monday took decisive steps to resolve the political impasse in that country, official sources said here
TDT | Manama

Bahrains value of imports has decreased by eight per cent, reaching BD1.168 billion during the second quarter of 2020, compared with BD1.267 billion for the same quarter the previous year, the Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) said as it issued its foreign trade report of the second quarter of this year.

The report encompasses data on the balance of trade, imports, exports (national origin), and re-exports. The top 10 countries accounted for 67 per cent of the value of imports, with the remaining countries accounting for 33 per cent. According to the report, China ranked first when it came to imports to Bahrain, with a total of BD194 million.

Saudi Arabia was second with BD79.1 million, and Brazil was third with BD79 million. Aluminum oxide emerged as the top product imported into Bahrain with a total value of BD79 million, while non-agglomerated iron ores and concentrates was second with BD75 million, and four-wheel-drive cars third with BD43 million.

The value of exports of national origin decreased by nine per cent to BD540 million during the second quarter of 2020, compared with BD595 million for the same quarter of the previous year. The top 10 countries in terms of the value of exports of national origin purchased from Bahrain accounted for 74 per cent of the total value, with the remaining countries accounting for 26 per cent.

Saudi ranked first among countries receiving Bahraini exports of national origin, importing BD109 million from the Kingdom. The UAE was second with BD51 million and the US third with BD43 million. Unwrought aluminum (not alloyed) emerged as the top products exported during the second quarter of 2020 with BD101 million.

Unwrought aluminum alloys was second with a value of BD100 million and agglomerated iron ores and concentrates alloyed was third with BD66 million. The total value of re-exports decreased by 20 per cent to reach BD143 million in the second quarter of 2020, compared with BD180 million for the same quarter of the previous year.

The top 10 countries accounted for 93 per cent of the re-exported value, while the remaining countries accounted for the remaining seven per cent. Saudi ranked first with BD61 million, the UAE second with BD24 million, and China third with BD18 million. Four-wheel-drive cars emerged as the top product re-exported from Bahrain with BD30 million.

Parts for aero planes came in second place with BD14 million and cigarettes containing tobacco came third with BD9 million. The trade balance, the difference between exports and imports, recorded a deficit, totalling BD485 million during the second quarter of 2020, compared to BD492 million for the same quarter of the previous year, an improvement of the trade balance by one per cent.
EVERY summer Colin Doherty swaps some of the best land in the country in Adare, Co Limerick, for land with some of the best views in Ireland.

The 31-year-old heads off to Cape Clear, Ireland's southernmost inhabited Gaeltacht island, every summer to bale silage. It is three miles long by one mile wide and lies eight miles off the coast of West Cork. There was no issue with Covid-19 restrictions as Colin had been quarantining at home prior to sailing for the island.

The connection to the island comes from his mum Ruth (nee Levis) who hails from Skibbereen. Colin's uncle Trevor and cousin Adrian do contracting in the west Cork area and go over to Cape Clear.

"When I was 17 or 18 I'd go down to them for a couple of weeks or a month, just wrapping for them. They used to go out to the island so I went out with them. Then for years I didn't do any of it, but the last few years I have had a bit more time at this time of year so I go down for the few days," said Colin, who runs a dairy farm with dad Brian.

It takes about 45 minutes to do the crossing

"We take the tractors from Skibbereen to Baltimore. There's a passenger ferry that goes out a few times a day, but they actually organise a drive-on ferry for the machinery.

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"Where we land, about 300 metres up the road is the first farm and we work across the island from farm to farm. The farming out there is different, they are all small fields.

"You might make 20 bales for one farmer and 30 for another. Compared to the kind of land we'd have here (in Limerick) and the kind of farming we'd have here, it's a totally different world," said Colin, who returned home last week.

Narrow roads

Narrow roads and small fields aren't conducive to modern contracting equipment which is getting bigger and bigger.

"You wouldn't take a big baler out there. The roads are only eight foot or nine foot wide, it would be scratching along the sides of the road.

"The mower that they have out on the island is eight foot wide and they put it into rows with the haybob. It's really old fashioned. My cousin then makes the bales. I go after him and wrap them."

One thing you need is a head for heights as they work perilously close to cliff edges. Problems arise that don't on his flat land in Adare!

"There's times you are very close to the ocean. I hadn't been down there for a good few years and then about three or four years ago I was down there. It's very hilly. It's just second nature to my cousin Adrian. I wrapped a bale and then I left it off, thinking that where it was going to fall was pretty level.

"The bale starting rolling and rolling and rolling, going for the ocean.

"There was a dip and there was a hedge and a bit of a fence that maybe would have stopped it. My cousin saw it happening anyway and he was able to put the front wheel of the tractor in the way and stopped the bale."

When Colin was a teenager a bale did get loose.

"Adrian had gone on to the next field baling and I was wrapping so I was there on my own and the same thing happened. I let the bale off, it headed off down the field, hopped out over a hedge across the road and over another hedge into another field. The farmer came along in his tractor, I said to myself, 'He's going to kill me!'

"He went into the field, picked up the bale, brought it back up to me and just laughed at me," recalled Colin.

Meitheal

The islanders epitomise the Irish tradition of "meitheal" as the farmers all work together at harvest time.

Colin isn't sure how many acres they bale and wrap, but one year Adrian counted that they went into 65 fields and made 650 bales.

When he is behind the wheel there isn't much time for Colin to enjoy the views, but they are spectacular.

He remembers standing in a field one night talking to an islander, looking back at the mainland where the lights were twinkling.

"I was just mesmerised. I asked him does he even notice the view anymore and he said, 'No, I don't see it any more after 50 years of living on the island', which is understandable I suppose.

"The locals are lovely and so hospitable. There is kind of a magic about the island," he said.

Apart from social distancing the only difference Colin noticed this year due to Covid was that the island was much quieter compared to other years.

"It is a very special place. I'd love more people to go visit it," he said.
For Jake Williams, nothing means success like wrack and ruin.

Mr. Williams had studied business marketing in college before withdrawing and pursuing a full-time career as an urban explorer, researching and telling the stories of abandoned properties.

He films his excursions and, as the producer of Bright Sun Films, shares them on YouTube. The subjects of some of his more popular videos, like a former Days Inn hotel or an abandoned Walmart, are fairly mundane, but viewers are drawn out of morbid curiosity, he said.

I think when you see an abandoned place on the side of the road, he said, people will ask, Howd that get there?
Workers and youth in the US and around the world have watched with horror in recent days as gangs of heavily armed men, wearing generic camouflage without unit insignias or name tags, brutalized and illegally detained protesters on the streets of Portland, Oregon.

The federal agents have used CS tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper bombs, flash bang grenades and sonic weapons that can do permanent physical damage against peaceful protesters. In the most chilling scenes, captured on video by demonstrators, the unidentified paramilitaries have seized protesters and thrown them into unmarked vans and cars for questioning.

These squads of federal agents are drawn from a variety of agencies under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). They were deployed at the direction of the agencys top officials in Washington.

CBP photo - BORTAC Training

The squads include agents from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the US Marshals Service, the Coast Guard, the Federal Protective Service and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The DHS has reportedly placed a total of 2,000 officers on standby for deployment around the country.

Spearheading the attack are agents of a little-known special unit within CBP called BORTAC, short for Border Patrol Tactical Unit.

Since February of this year, the Trump administration has been mobilizing BORTAC to carry out immigration round-ups in 10 cities where local governments have ordered police not to fully collaborate with federal immigration agents in detaining and deporting immigrants and carrying out immigration raids. A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) explained in February that BORTAC was being mobilized to increase arrests of immigrants by 35 percent in the 10 cities. To date, BORTAC agents have carried out operations in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco and Newark.

The deployment of BORTAC to Portland came in response to the wave of mass protests over the May 25 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Portland was chosen to serve as a test case and example of the type of methods President Trump has pledged to carry out to dominate and suppress the protests against police violence, which he has labeled anarchist riots.

On June 1, Trump announced that he would invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and order thousands of active-duty troops into Washington DC and other cities across the country to put down the protests, effectively overthrowing the Constitution and establishing a presidential dictatorship. He was blocked in this effort by current and retired military officers, who felt the coup detat had not been properly prepared and could spark an uncontrollable public backlash.

Far from abandoning this agenda, Trump is seeking to implement it piecemeal, using, in the first instance, paramilitary thugs bloodied in the Gestapo-style border pogrom against immigrants before calling in the military directly.

This police state operation is aimed at the entire working class. Under conditions of the greatest public health, economic and political crisis in modern history, and amid growing working class resistance to the governments homicidal back-to-work policy, the American ruling class is preparing its forces of repression for an explosive growth of social opposition to capitalism.

What is BORTAC?

BORTAC is the tactical unit of the US Border Patrol, a branch of CBP. Often described as CBPs equivalent of a police SWAT team, it is more accurately defined as CBPs version of a military Special Forces unit, like the Army Green Berets or the Navy SEALS.

The unit was founded in 1984 to put down protests by immigrants at Immigration and Naturalization Service detention facilities. It rapidly expanded its scope and mission capabilities in the following years, most dramatically after the 9/11 terror attack.

CBP photo - BORTAC Training

In 2007, BORTAC was placed under the command of the newly formed Special Operations Group (SOG), together with its sister group, the Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue Unit (BORSTAR). The agency is currently headquartered at Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso, Texas.

The US Border Patrol maintains several BORTAC units located at various locations throughout the US. These units operate under the direct control of Headquarters, Special Response Teams, located in Washington, DC.

The agency in its current form is characterized as a rapid response unit capable of executing both foreign and national level domestic operations. BORTAC agents have operated in 28 countries around the world.

When participating in what are deemed high-risk missions domestically or abroad, BORTAC agents are authorized to use a wide range of deadly weapons and equipment, including certain types of grenade launchers, 37 mm gas guns, M4 Carbines (high-powered assault rifles) and the Steyr SSG rifle (a type of sniper rifle). BORTAC agents are authorized to carry firearms on and off duty. When conducting operations, BORTAC personnel are also equipped with a Kevlar ballistic helmet and an armored assault vest. When deployed domestically, these agents wear numbers instead of name tags for the protection of the officers, according to CPB.

The stated mission of BORTAC is to provide the Immigration and Naturalization Service with a specially trained and equipped tactical unit to address unusual situations within the service by use of special techniques. A CBP fact sheet on the agency indicates that its in the desert where BORTAC teams are really in their element. The document continues: Agents hide in the desert brush and wait for illegal immigrants or drug smugglers to sneak down centuries-old secret trails.

In other words, BORTAC agents are trained killers who specialize in hunting immigrants.

A former DHS official speaking to the Washington Post under conditions of anonymity said BORTAC agents were viewed within the US military-intelligence community as highly trained, valuable, scarce resources. The official told the Post that the agents would typically be used for domestic law enforcement in extraordinary circumstances adding, [T]hese units dont normally sit around idle.

Both BORTAC and its sister group BORSTAR are relatively small units compared to US military Special Operations forces. The most recent data available, from 2016, shows that the two agencies employ 271 BORTAC and 282 BORSTAR active and ready reserve agents. There are 180 additional trained agents marked as inactive.

The units have operated with or received training from the US Coast Guards former Drug Interdiction Assist Team, US military Special Operations forces such as the Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces, and elite police and military units of several foreign nations. They are trained in intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance; foreign law enforcement; Border Patrol capacity building; airmobile operations; maritime operations and precision marksmanship. Every agent is sniper certified.

US imperialism comes home

Over the last two decades, BORTAC has operated extensively overseas, assisting in US imperialist crimes all over the world. Its rap sheet includes involvement in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, both part of the illegal and unprovoked invasion of Iraq in 2003 that resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and the destruction of the countrys social infrastructure.

To date, BORTAC agents have conducted missions in Colombia, Panama, Estonia, Haiti, Peru, Belize, Mexico, Costa Rica, Kenya, Ukraine, Kosovo, Argentina, Honduras, Ecuador, Bolivia, Moldova, Ethiopia, Armenia, Tajikistan and Guatemala. During the war on terror, BORTAC agents were deployed to Jordan, Iraq and Afghanistan. They have also been involved in countless counter-narcotics operations in South America, most notably in El Salvador and Bolivia.

While conducting what the agency refers to as foreign internal defense missions, BORTAC agents provide training to host government personnel. BORTAC has provided tactical team and counter-narcotics training to dozens to foreign police officers and paramilitary units.

From 2005 to 2007, agents were heavily involved in training Iraqi border police. BORTAC agents also advised and operated alongside Iraqi border police officers in the field from 2008 to 2011, serving as members of Department of Defense Security Transition Teams. The US unit trained the Iraqi border police tactical teams as well as Iraqi border police officers and managers.

Within the US, BORTAC operates along the US southern and northern borders. The agency also continues in its original task of providing assistance to the US Bureau of Prisons by brutalizing inmates during large scale inmate disturbances.

BORTAC teams are often deployed to assist local law enforcement in high-profile events. Instances of publicly known deployments of BORTAC units include the 1992 Los Angeles protests against police violence, where they operated among 1,000 riot-trained federal special agents. The protests erupted in minority working class areas of Los Angeles against the travesty of the Simi Valley criminal trial of police who brutally beat Rodney King. The trial ended in acquittals.

In April 2000, the unit was utilized in the high profile case of six-year-old Cuban refugee Elian Gonzalez. BORTAC was used to raid the familys home in Miami, Florida in order to seize the child for his return to Cuba.

More recently, the agency was used in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. According to CBP documents, agents were called into New Orleans and deputized as marshals to restore order and deal with the looting that followed the devastation and flooding from the hurricane. In reality, BORTAC was deployed primarily to suppress expressions of popular outrage over the callous, incompetent and inhumane government response to the hurricane.

The deployment of BORTAC in Portland is for the same purpose: to intimidate and repress youth and workers protesting police brutality. It marks a major escalation of the assault on democratic rights and the turn toward dictatorship in the US. The police state scaffolding built up over two decades, ostensibly for use against terrorists, has been turned first against immigrants and now against the working class more broadly.

Who is responsible for the creation and deployment of BORTAC?

The Trump administration is in a deep and unprecedented political crisis. The political establishment, Democratic and Republican alike, has responded to the coronavirus pandemic by funneling trillions of dollars to corporate America and Wall Street in order to keep the stock market afloat.

The failure to fund or organize any serious response to the public health crisis triggered by the pandemic, compounded by the criminal back-to-work drive, has resulted in a full-scale catastrophe. Infections and deaths are spiraling out of control. The entire economic and political system of capitalism is being irreparably discredited.

Now, amidst Depression levels of unemployment, the White House and Congress are cutting off the expanded jobless benefits that enabled millions of families to avoid homelessness and hunger.

With his poll numbers falling, Trump is flailing about and turning to the most brutal and repressive measures. The corporate media is openly speculating on whether the November elections will be held, and, if they are, whether Trump will accept a result that goes against him.

It would be a fatal mistake, however, for workers to believe that a victory for the Democrats and Joe Biden in November would halt the attack on democratic rightsas they are being told by much of the media, the trade unions and the various pseudo-left organizations that promote so-called progressive Democrats such as Bernie Sanders. Not a single prominent Democrat, including Biden, Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi, has denounced Trumps measures for what they arean assertion of dictatorial powers. The Democrats have made no appeal for popular protest against the threat of a police state. They fear a mass movement of the working class far more than they fear Trumps dictatorial agenda.

They have sought from the outset to channel mass opposition to Trump behind their war-mongering anti-Russia campaign and opposed any real fight against Trumps attacks on immigrants and on the working class as a whole. In recent weeks they have stepped up their promotion of the dangerous illusion that the military will defend democratic rights in opposition to Trumpthe same military that has carried out war crimes around the world. They promote their own authoritarian agenda, including internet censorship, in alliance with the CIA, the FBI and sections of the military.

The Democratic Partys complicity in Trumps attacks runs much deeper than silence.

Trump did not erect BORTAC or any of the other bodies of armed men he is now mobilizing to crush popular opposition. The police state scaffolding in the US has been built up over decades by Democratic and Republican administrations alike.

The Obama administration, in particular, played a major role in building up the capabilities of ICE. After coming to power, Obama vastly expanded a program begun under Bush called Secure Communities. The program brought federal, state and local law enforcement agencies together with ICE in an effort to deport immigrants who were already living in communities, as opposed to those attempting to cross the border.

Prior to the Obama administration, there was very little interior enforcement. By the end of 2011, however, the number of immigrants arrested in the countrys interior equaled the number arrested along the border. Obama earned the nickname deporter-in-chief by deporting approximately 3 million immigrants during his eight-year term. That was roughly double the rate under Republican President George W. Bush and more than the number deported by any previous president in US history.

The administrations reform measures focused not only on immigrants already residing in the country, but also on strengthening Fortress America at the border. In 2010, Obama signed into law a bill that allocated $600 million to further militarize the US-Mexico border by hiring thousands of additional border agents and using Predator drones to patrol from the sky.

The Obama administrations illegal drone assassination program abroad resulted in the deaths of thousands of people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere. In September 2011, Obama authorized the assassination of a US citizen, fundamentalist cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki, in Yemen. This murder, a flagrant violation of US and international law, set a precedent whereby the US president can sign death warrants for US citizens on his own say-so, without charges or trial.

After spending trillions of dollars to further build up the military-intelligence apparatus, Obama handed Trump the reins and told the American people to respect his presidency. In his final press conference in the White House, he vouched for the political legitimacy of the incoming administration and declared that having won, it is appropriate for [Trump] to go forward with his visions and his values.

The Democratic Party represents a faction of the same ruling class to which Trump himself belongs. Not a single step forward can be taken with the framework of the two-party system.

The fight against the Trump administration, militarism and dictatorship and the defense of democratic rights is a fight against capitalism and American imperialism, which must be conducted independently of and in opposition to the Democratic Party.

Furthermore, the fight against the Trump administration must be connected to the fight against social inequality, the destruction of social programs and infrastructure, the attack on jobs and wages, the persecution of immigrant workers, and the consequences of unending war, which threatens all of humanity.
In a joint press conference in Cairo, the Saudi FM said 'we will remain one hand to achieve security and stability in the region,' affirming that there is a full consensus between Egypt and Saudi Arabia on regional issues

Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has said that Cairo will not accept any violations of the designated red lines of Sirte and Al-Jufra in Libya, and that the country will defend its national security and interests.

The FM made the comments during a joint press conference with Saudi Arabias Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Cairo on Monday.

Shoukry said that there is an Egyptian-Saudi consensus on combating foreign intervention in the region, especially in Libya.

He said there are directives from Saudi Arabias King Salman and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to intensify bilateral cooperation between the two countries to achieve the aspirations and interests of both nations.

The directives also include dealing with all issues in the Arab world, especially in restoring peace and stability. We are all responsible for the security and stability of the Arab region, and we dont want to see our destinies squandered by the ambitions of non-Arab states, he said.

The Saudi foreign minister said the Kingdom supports the Cairo Declaration on Libya and the necessity of safeguarding Libya from foreign interventions.

We will remain one hand to achieve security and stability in the region, he said, affirming that there is a full consensus between Egypt and Saudi Arabia on regional issues.

The meeting is part of intensive efforts between Egypt and its regional and international partners to discuss ongoing developments in Libya.

El-Sisi said earlier this month that Egypt will send troops into Libya if the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, which is backed by Turkey and Syrian mercenaries, tried to seize Sirte, which is located around 900 kilometres from the Egyptian border.

The strategic city, a key gateway to Libya's vital oil fields and facilities, is held by rival forces of military commander Khalifa Haftars eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), which is supported by Egypt, the UAE and Russia.

Last week, the Egyptian parliament unanimously approved the deployment of armed forces abroad to defend Egypts national security.

Late last month, the Libyan parliament passed a motion authorising Egypt to intervene militarily if needed to safeguard the "national security" of both countries in light of what it termed a Turkish "occupation".

Last week, Libya's tribal leaders mandated President El-Sisi and Egypt's Armed Forces to intervene to protect the sovereignty of Libya and to take the necessary measures to secure the national security interests of both countries.

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US Racial Injustice Protests Mount

By VOA News July 26, 2020

Protesters for racial justice took to the streets in several U.S. streets on Saturday, often clashing with police.

In the western city of Seattle, Washington, police declared a riot, deploying flash bangs and tear gas to control the demonstration, while arresting 45 people. Police said more than 20 officers were injured.

About 2,000 people marched in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in the city's largest Black Lives Matter protest in a month. The riot declaration came after protesters set fire to a construction site for a juvenile detention facility and threw rocks, bottles and fireworks at the officers.

The demonstrators put up barricades and carried homemade shields and umbrellas to try to fend off police while using leaf blowers to disperse tear gas. All were tactics borrowed from protests in another western city, Portland, Oregon, where activists have clashed nightly with police for nearly two months.

The clashes in Portland have intensified after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump sent in federal law enforcement agents, even though city officials said they did not ask for or want the federal deployment.

The protests have occurred since the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man, while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The protests against police abuse of minorities initially erupted in cities coast to coast but have flared again in recent days in scattered cities.

Trump has vowed to send federal law enforcement agents to several cities, ostensibly to curb street crime that he says local police have been unable to stop.

Saturday night, in Austin, Texas, a man was killed when someone shot into a Black Lives Matter march.

Media accounts say the man may have approached a vehicle with a rifle before he was fired upon.

"All I know is that someone dying while protesting is horrible," Mayor Steve Adler of Austin said in a statement. Adler said he is "heartbroken and stunned."

In Louisville, Kentucky, a group of armed protesters called for justice for Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who died in Louisville when police entered her home without warning on a "no knock" warrant and shot her in March. Taylor's boyfriend had fired at the officers first, thinking they were intruders.

One police officer has been fired because of the Taylor incident, but charges have not been brought against the other officers.

The leader of the NFAC group, an armed Black militia involved in the protests, says he wants the police investigation into the Taylor killing to be more transparent.

Police say three NFAC members were injured Saturday when one of the militia's weapons accidentally discharged.

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The Indian diaspora around the world can play a crucial role in making India self-reliant, said Minister of State for Defence Shripad Yesso Naik on Sunday.

Naik was addressing a virtual seminar on atmanirbhar Bharat organised by the Jaipur Foot USA.

He said like many other countries, coronavirus hit the Indian economy, prompting the government to take necessary measures.

He stressed the economic package of Rs 20 lakh crore announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of the pandemic is equivalent to 10 per cent of the country's GDP.

The objective of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan is to make India independent against the tough competition in the global supply chain and to empower the poor adversely affected by COVID-19, he said, adding that a self-reliant India that is a manufacturing hub can help other nations as well.

The Indian diaspora can also play a very important role in achieving the goal of a self-reliant and resilient India, he added.

Addressing the webinar, Senior RSS leader and Muslim Rashtriya Manch margdarshak Indresh Kumar said India is taking great strides under the leadership of Modi and the country will emerge stronger" from the coronavirus crisis.

Under the leadership of Modi, India has taken strong measures on various fronts, be it combating terrorism or gender equality, he said.

The speakers also paid homage to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice during the Kargil War as the nation commemorated the 21st anniversary of the India's victory over Pakistan on Sunday.

Jaipur Foot USA chairman Prem Bhandari underlined the philosophy of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" and said a self-reliant India will benefit other nations as well.

He said in the post-pandemic world, all nations will have to become self-reliant and strengthen their manufacturing capacities to ensure that they don't have to depend on only one country, China.

Nations have realised that they cannot put all their eggs in one basket. Not just India, but other countries around the world such as the US, Vietnam, and in the Asian region also have to become self-reliant, he said.

Bhandari added that 32 million non-resident Indians and persons of Indian origin around the world can contribute tremendously to the Indian government's campaign for self-reliance.

"They may be living outside India but the diaspora will always be ready to work together for a strong India," he said.
In a massive boost for Indian armed forces, five Rafale fighter aircraft will take off from France's Istres airbase on Monday (July 27) for India. The Rafale jets will be flown by Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots and these jets will stop at Al Dhafra airbase in UAE for refuelling. The five Rafale fighter aircraft will land at the Ambala Air Force Station in India on Wednesday (July 29) after covering a distance of almost 7,364 kilometres.

The five Rafale are the first batch of the 36 supersonic omnirole combat aircraft that India is buying from France. Till now, 12 IAF fighter pilots have completed their training on the Rafale fighter jets in France and a few more are in the advanced phase of their training. According to the contract between India and France, the two countries a total of 36 IAF pilots are to be trained on the Rafale combat jets by French aviators. While most of the IAF pilots will be trained in France, some of them will undergo the exercise in India.

On June 2, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a telephonic conversation with his French counterpart Florence Parly during which she conveyed that the Rafale jets will be delivered to India as scheduled notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic in France.

The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and SCALP air-to-ground cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

It is learnt that the IAF will further boost the capabilities of the combat aircraft by equipping it with the HAMMER missiles from France. The order for the HAMMER standoff missiles is being processed under the emergency powers for acquisition given to the armed forces by the Centre. HAMMER missiles have the capability to take out any types of targets at the range of around 60-70 kms.

"The order for the HAMMER missiles is being processed and the French authorities have agreed to supply them to us at a short notice for our Rafale combat aircraft," government sources told ANI.

The trainer Rafale aircraft will have the tail numbers of the RB series in honour of the IAF Chief RKS Bhadauria who played a significant role in finalising Rafale deal. India had inked a Rs 60,000 crore deal with France in September 2016 for 36 Rafales to bolster the capabilities of IAF.

Out of the 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets.
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China built 257,000 new 5G base stations in the first half of the year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The total number of the stations had reached 410,000 by the end of June, MIIT data showed.

Shipments of 5G phones reached 86.23 million units in China, with 5G package users hitting 66 million by the end of June, said Wen Ku, an official with the MIIT.

The value-added output of information transmission, software and information technology services rose 14.5 percent year on year, 1.3 percentage points faster than the first quarter.

To give full play to the commercialization of 5G, more policies should be implemented to boost the vitality of the market, Wen said, adding that international cooperation in 5G technology, industry and application should be strengthened.
Iran will continue its peaceful nuclear program in compliance with the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) regulations, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted as saying by semi-official Fars news agency on Monday.

"Iran is a member of Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its nuclear program are carried out in coordination with IAEA regulations," said Araghchi.

"As an accountable country, Iran has removed all ambiguities and misinformation regarding its nuclear program," he said.

He noted that "whenever our interests regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are served, we will be ready to return to all our JCPOA commitments."

Following the US withdrawal from the JCPOA in May 2018, Iran has been steadily dropping its commitments under the accord. It announced the final step to abandon its commitments in January.

Iranian officials have said Iran is ready to re-embrace its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal if the Europeans adhere to their vows to help Iran gain economic benefits under the pact.

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Dont ban TikTok. Restrain it. And then apply those same restraints to the American internet powers, too.

Thats what Kevin Roose, a New York Times technology columnist, wrote in his latest column about TikTok, the app owned by an internet giant based in Beijing. Some U.S. officials worry that the app could let Chinas government spy on Americans or spread propaganda.

I talked with Kevin about his proposed fix to make TikTok  and American internet companies, too  more open and less data-hogging, and how to sniff out the valid concerns about the video app from the less legitimate ones.

Shira: Lets start with TikTok. What are the reasonable concerns about it?

Kevin: Because TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance, it could be compelled to give the data it collects on people watching videos to the Chinese government and abide by its censorship laws.
A new report by the Conference Board of Canada, and funded by the Canadian LNG Alliance, determined that a 56-million-tonnes-per-year LNG industry in British Columbia would generate nearly 100,000 jobs.

For nearby Alberta, who has struggled under the anti-pipeline movement to get its oil its primary market, the United States, while turning a profit, those 100,000 jobsin Canada as a whole, not just in B.C.--may not make up for what it lost from oilsands operations after B.C. fought tooth and nail against the much-needed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

For B.C., who would be the recipient of more than two-thirds of those jobs, it would be sweet victory.

In addition to the jobs, total wages from an LNG industry would be boosted by more than $6 billion ($4.6 billion for B.C.), and increase Canadas GDP by $11 billion annually. More than $108 billion in provincial revenue could be generated for the provinces, according to the report, with $94 billion of it going to B.C.

The federal government would receive about $64 billion in additional revenue.

Of course, that LNG industry would come at a costof about $500 billion, spread over more than forty years, according to the report A Rising Tide: The Economic Impact of B.C.s liquified natural gas industry.

The war between B.C. and Alberta has been raging for years, centered around Albertas oil and a pipeline that must run through B.C. The disagreement has sparked threats of lawsuits and withholding the oil, with the federal government caught in the middle.

Unfortunately for Canada, it doesnt have a great track record in recent years for getting energy projects off the ground, and an ambitious LNG industry poses more challenges than solutions.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Nine News presenter Peter Overton says his 20 years as ambassador for Special Olympics Australia has enriched his life. And no single person is more responsible for that than Mel Eustace.

"I reckon we're a pretty good double-act when it comes to fundraising," he said.

Peter Overton and Special Olympics athlete Mel Eustace have struck up a beautiful friendship over the last 14 years. Credit:James Brickwood

"We do a fair bit together. She always introduces me and I MC the functions. She is a beauty - inspirational, without a shadow of a doubt, and a joy to be around."

Ms Eustace, 32, has Down syndrome. She is one of the thousands of Australians with an intellectual disability who participates in the Special Olympics, bringing her into Mr Overton's orbit. The pair have forged a rather beautiful friendship over the past 14 years.
When the curtain closes on 2020, there's no doubt it'll go down as one of the most challenging years on record for Wall Street and investors.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has adversely impacted most sectors and industries, pushed the U.S. unemployment rate up to Great Depression levels, and led to the highest volatility readings ever for equities, as measured by the CBOE Volatility Index. In other words, it's tested the resolve of investors (even long-term investors) like few events before it.

Not all dividend stocks are created equally

If this panic and volatility has done anything, it's made the case even stronger for investors own dividend stocks. For one, dividend stocks have historically run circles around non-dividend-paying companies. An analysis from Bank of America/Merrill Lynch found that companies initiating and growing their payouts between 1972 and 2012 returned an average of 9.5% per year. This compares to average annual returns of just 1.6% for non-dividend-paying stocks.

Additionally, dividend stocks are often profitable and time-tested businesses models with transparent outlooks. These are the types of stocks that investors can hang onto for long periods of time and not lose sleep over.

Yet, there's also a dark side to dividend investing. Generally, the higher yield, the more risk involved for investors. Since yield is merely a function of payout relative to share price, a struggling business with a tanking share price can trick income seekers into buying a yield trap. This means that high-yield stocks (those with yields of at least 4%) deserve a lot of extra scrutiny.

But what if I told you that there are three ultra-high-yield dividend stocks that you can safely buy right now that'll pay 8% (or more) per year? And, what if I said that you don't need a fortune to make one with these ultra-high-yield stocks? If you have even $2,000 in disposable cash that won't be needed to pay bills or cover emergencies, then you have more than enough capital to buy into these yield monsters.

Annaly Capital Management: 12.3% yield

A quick look at mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT) Annaly Capital Management's (NYSE:NLY) 10-year chart probably won't inspire much confidence in this first pick. Annaly's share price has been more than halved over the trailing decade, and the company recently announced a 12% cut to its quarterly dividend (from $0.25/quarter to $0.22/quarter). Based on this, you'd think I was talking about one of those aforementioned yield traps.

But I assure you that this isn't the case. Despite its recent struggles, Annaly Capital Management has the tools needed to deliver substantial income and share price appreciation for investors over the next five to 10 years.

As with other mortgage REITs, Annaly's goal is to borrow money at short-term rates, then acquire assets (e.g., mortgage-backed securities (MBS)) that provide a higher long-term yield. This allows the company to pocket the different in yield (known as net interest margin) as profit. And since it's a REIT, Annaly avoids normal corporate income-tax rates in exchange for disbursing most of this profit to shareholders in the form of a dividend. This is why its average annual yield over the past two decades has been about 10%.

The concern with Annaly has been twofold. We witnessed a very brief yield-curve inversion in 2019 that saw longer-term bond yields fall below short-term bond yields. That's not good news for companies reliant on net interest margin. And secondly, there's worry about the mortgage market due to the pandemic.

Now, for the good news. Economic recoveries have historically featured a multiyear expansion of the yield gap between short-and-long-term yields. Also, Annaly's MBS portfolio is almost entirely focused on agency-only assets. By agency-only, I'm referring to assets backed by government agencies in case of default. Though the yields on agency-only assets are lower than non-agency assets, it allows Annaly to safely use leverage to its advantage. Suffice it to say, the current environment is perfect for Annaly Capital Management to succeed.

Mobile TeleSystems: 9.6% yield

Another industry where you'll consistently find ultra-high-yielding stocks is telecom. That's because the growth heyday for most telecom companies is in the rearview mirror, which incentivizes public wireless providers to pay a handsome dividend to their shareholders.

One foreign company in the telecom space that you should seriously consider buying is Russia's Mobile TeleSystems (NYSE:MBT). Excluding a one-time special dividend, MTS, as the company is often known, has a trailing 12-month yield of nearly 10%.

Why isn't MTS getting any respect in spite of an almost 10% yield and a forward price-to-earnings ratio of less than 9? For one, you can blame Russia's wireless saturation. With most folks in Russia already owning a smartphone or two, demand for new accounts isn't nearly as robust as it once was.

Additionally, there's the simple concern of operating in Russia. Over the past quarter of a century, there have been two separate instances where Russia's ruble tanked. Geopolitical concerns are always something for investors to keep in mind.

The good news, though, is Mobile TeleSystems should be a big-time beneficiary of the rollout of 5G networks. Since Russia is a gigantic country, MTS isn't going to complete these infrastructure upgrades overnight. Instead, we're likely to see a steady progression of technology upgrades for wireless devices throughout the country (first in major cities, then in the suburbs). This should lead to a multiyear uptick in organic growth spurred by higher data consumption.

Furthermore, MTS has expanded its operations well beyond telecom. It now holds almost a 100% stake in MTS Bank, and in 2019 acquired a cloud service provider in Russia. As a conglomerate, Mobile TeleSystems will have new channels to generate growth this decade, as well as ensure that income investors are well taken care of.

ExxonMobil: 8% yield

Lastly, there's a name that most investors are probably a bit more familiar with: integrated oil and gas giant ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM).

ExxonMobil, and really all oil stocks for that matter, have had a terrible year. The COVID-19 pandemic completely pulled the rug out from beneath the industry, briefly sending West Texas Intermediate crude into negative territory for the first time ever. Oil stocks have been mostly scrambling to cut costs ever since, with a number of U.S. shale operators going belly up.

Oil and gas may not seem like a great investment given the push toward renewable energy generation via solar and wind, but there's little doubt that fossil fuels are here to stay for decades to come. That means ExxonMobil's size should come in handy.

As noted, this is an integrated company. Even though drilling and exploration are where the juiciest margins lie, ExxonMobil is able to lean on other aspects of its business when crude prices are weak. More specifically, its downstream refining and petrochemical operations can become cash cows that help to partially offset drilling segment weakness. These downstream components benefit from lower input costs and presumed higher consumer/enterprise demand when crude prices fall.

ExxonMobil also has levers that the company can pull in the expenditure department. Before the COVID-19 pandemic began wreaking havoc on the U.S., ExxonMobil had been planning to spend $30 billion to $33 billion on CapEx in 2020. Following this disruption, it was able to reduce its planned spending by a cool $10 billion. Currently riding a 37-year streak of increasing its payout, ExxonMobil's management will do whatever is necessary to protect its placement among other Dividend Aristocrats.
The central government's expenditure plans for sectors such as roads, railways, and export logistics are expected to take a hit as the Finance Ministry's internal estimate pegs revenue contraction for FY 2020-21 at around 8 percent.

"We have to keep in mind the revenue position before planning expenditure. And no option is being ruled out, not even additional borrowing, if revenue contracts beyond expectation. Lack of liquidity can impact expenditure plans. But the idea now is to concentrate on public spending," a senior government official told Moneycontrol.

The government in Budget 2020-21 has pegged gross tax revenues at Rs 24.23 lakh crore, a 12 per cent increase from Rs 21.63 lakh crore in the previous fiscal.

The government is expected to see a shortfall in both its tax and non-tax revenues owing to the COVID-19-induced slowdown. The growth projections for the current fiscal have been revised downwards.

The Asian Development Bank said in June that the Indian economy is expected to contract by 4 percent in FY21, and then grow by 5 percent in FY22 as economic activity normalises gradually. Fitch Ratings expects economic activity to slump by 5 percent in FY21 due to lockdown imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in May had projected a gloomy picture of the economy, saying the impact of COVID-19 is more severe than anticipated and the GDP growth during 2020-21 is likely to remain in the negative territory. However, the RBI has not given any number to the projected contraction of the Indian economy.

The World Bank projected that India's economy would shrink by 3.2 percent in the current fiscal due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In April, the finance ministry announced spending restrictions on various ministries and departments in view of revenue constraints caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

Few ministries and departments like health and family welfare, pharma, food and public distribution and Ayush will get funds as per the Budget, while others like fertiliser, post, road transport, petroleum, commerce and coal will face spending cuts.

The Centre also expects to miss its gross direct tax collection budget target by around Rs 3 lakh crore in FY21. For the current fiscal, the Central Board of Direct Taxes has set a tax target of Rs 13.19 lakh crore.

Direct tax collections for FY20 stood at Rs 10.27 lakh crore, missing even the revised estimate of Rs 11.7 lakh crore by Rs 1.42 lakh crore. It also fell 8 percent short of the Rs 11.17 lakh crore collected during FY19.
A fortress for research

Nasal spray vaccine for coronavirus

Searching for a cure

Ruling out mosquitoes

(TNS)  Kansas State Universitys Biosecurity Research Institute, a laboratory most known for its high-tech livestock and food-processing research facilities, may seem like an unlikely setting for the fight against COVID-19. Research at the Biosecurity Research Institute typically focuses on pathogens that threaten the food supply by infecting crops or livestock animals.The novel coronavirus pandemic, and earlier epidemics such as SARS and MERS, has shown that the line between animal and human health is often blurry. Veterinary researchers at the Biosecurity Research Institute have spent their careers planning and preparing to diagnose, prevent, and treat animal disease outbreaks that can threaten the nations food supply.Now, they are applying their expertise to the COVID-19 pandemic, making strides in critical areas including vaccine development, drug discovery, and understanding animal susceptibility to the virus.Housed on the K-State campus in Manhattan, the Biosecurity Research Institute has been instrumental in protecting the agricultural supply chain since 2008.Its one of the most advanced laboratories in the country for studying pathogens that can infect crops, livestock, and food. The research hub contains multiple biosafety level 3 labs  the second-highest possible level of security. The Institute frequently collaborates with government agencies such as the USDA and the Department of Homeland Security to study infectious diseases threatening food security and human health.SARS-CoV-2 came along, and were the only facility that has the safety, the security, the training, the personnel that can do that type of research, said Dr. Stephen Higgs, the director of the Biosecurity Research Institute.With its complex ventilation system, multiple power backups, and highly trained staff, the Biosecurity Research Institute has been described as a fortress for research. These engineering features enable its researchers to safely handle dangerous animal and plant pathogens.The safeguards also allow Biosecurity Research Institute researchers to work with the novel coronavirus itself, a rarity in COVID-19 research.To prevent researchers from being exposed to the coronavirus, most labs must use pseudotyped viruses  viruses unrelated to the coronavirus that are altered to exhibit some of its key features. Being able to work with the real virus makes studies conducted at the Biosecurity Research Institute particularly useful for understanding its behavior and the effectiveness of potential treatments.Developing a safe and effective vaccine is a critical step in stopping COVID-19s spread.Dr. Waithaka Mwangi, professor of diagnostic pathobiology in the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine, recently signed an agreement with Tonix Pharmaceuticals to begin preclinical research on a potential COVID-19 vaccine at the Biosecurity Research Institute.Mwangis candidate vaccine builds immunity to the novel coronavirus by introducing part of the coronavirus spike protein, the unique component of the virus that binds to human cells. He is using a weakened version of the bovine parainfluenza 3 virus (BPI3V), which doesnt cause sickness in humans, as a vehicle to deliver the spike protein.Mwangi was not originally intending to create a coronavirus vaccine. Before the pandemic, he was working with the BP3IV technology to create a better vaccine for bovine parainfluenza, a viral illness that commonly affects cattle.When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, he pivoted. He knew that other versions of BPI3V vaccines had been tested in humans as potential immunizations against illnesses like human parainfluenza, and had been found to be safe. With some adjustments, the BPI3V system might also be able to protect against the novel coronavirus.What sets Mwangis BPI3V vaccine apart is that it can be delivered as a nasal spray.This stimulates an immune response in the cells lining the nose and mouth  the coronaviruss point of entry. The goal is to eradicate the coronavirus before it can spread throughout the body.Mwangi and his team at the Biosecurity Research Institute have developed a prototype vaccine, and are now conducting preclinical laboratory tests.Veterinary researchers also play a key role in drug development. One of the first steps in determining if a potential medicine will be safe and effective in humans is to test it in animals.Kansas State University professor Juergen Richt, who has previously led research characterizing the H1N1 swine flu virus , and collaborators at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla, California, are currently conducting preclinical COVID-19 drug research at the Biosecurity Research Institute.So far, they have identified candidate COVID-19 treatments from a massive library of drug compounds that have already been approved for safe use in humans. After studying the performance of potential medicines in cells grown in the lab, they are now testing the most promising candidates in hamsters.Hamsters are vulnerable to COVID-19 infection, and are one of the best animal models for understanding the pandemic illness.The hope is that if one of their drug candidates works well in hamsters, it will be given emergency use authorization approval to move rapidly into human clinical trials.The antiviral drug remdesivir is currently a main contender for a COVID-19 treatment, but it needs to be administered with an IV drip in a hospital. This requires precious resources and personnel, potentially straining already overloaded hospitals and causing a treatment bottleneck.Richt and colleagues are focusing on compounds that can be administered orally or as a nasal spray. This would allow patients to take the drug at home, expanding access to treatment and lessening the burden on hospitals.Containing the coronavirus pandemic also depends on understanding how the disease spreads. Scientists know that the novel coronavirus originated in an animal host, dominantly thought to be a bat , before making the leap to infecting humans. Now, researchers are concerned that humans might transmit the virus to new animal populations.Zoonotic diseases go both ways. They go from animals to humans, but humans can bring them back to animals, explained Richt, who also directs the K-State Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases. This is something that can change the epidemiology of the disease.The mathematical models that epidemiologists use to predict the spread of the coronavirus dont account for transmission of the virus from animals to humans  if animals can transfer the disease to humans, it could fundamentally change predictions of the viruss spread.Work at the Biosecurity Research Institute offers some relieving news.In a study published this month, a group of Biosecurity Research Institute researchers showed that the coronavirus cannot replicate inside of common mosquito species. That means that if a mosquito bites an infected person, it cannot spread COVID-19 to other people it bites.Richt has found that pigs dont seem susceptible to the virus either. His future research will focus on the potential for other animals, such as cats, to become infected with and spread COVID-19. Richt is also seeking funding to examine the vulnerability of sheep and cattle.Mwangi, the vaccine researcher, is hopeful that the collaborative research efforts at the Biosecurity Research Institute, and around the world, will bring about the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.I dont think this is the first time that humanity has dealt with such an issue, he reflected. Something positive will come out.
The whipping post. The lynching tree. The wagon wheel. They were the stories of slavery, an inheritance of fear and dread, passed down from father to son.

The boy, barely 5, would listen, awed, as his father spoke of life in Virginia, where he had been born into bondage on a plantation during the Civil War and suffered as a child laborer afterward.

As unlikely as it might seem, that boy, Daniel Smith, is still alive at 88, a member of an almost vanished demographic: The child of someone once considered a piece of property instead of a human being.

Long after leaving Massies Mill, Va., and moving up North as a young man in his 20s, Smith's father, Abram Smith, married a woman who was decades younger and fathered six children. Dan, the fifth, was born in 1932 when Abram was 70. Only one sibling besides Dan - Abe, 92 - is still alive.

It's not possible to know how many people alive today are the children of enslaved people, but we shouldn't be so surprised that they still exist because the generations since slavery can be counted on one hand, said Hilary Green, an associate professor of history at the University of Alabama. "We don't want to talk about it because we as Americans . . . we're always forward thinking. We never think enough about the past."

The American tendency toward selective memory applies doubly so to slavery, Green said. "How do you remember this violent period in history, the owning of people? It does not fit our narrative that we tell about ourselves. . . . We ratify the myth rather than deal with the truth."

After his father died in 1938, Dan Smith picked up where Abram's life left off, witnessing decades of the nation's racial history - the injustice of Jim Crow, the grief and glory of the civil rights movement, the elections of the first black president and then Donald Trump, and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. He watched the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis caught on cellphone video, horrified, and wonders where this new unrest will lead.

All along, Smith created his own history - as a medic in the Korean War and a hometown hero who rescued a man from a flood. He's been chased on a dark road by white supremacists in Alabama as a foot soldier in the fight for civil rights. Smith was there when a young firebrand named John Lewis roused the crowd at the March on Washington, and he linked arms with activists in Selma across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Just weeks before Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Smith moved to the Washington area, where he built a rich and meaningful life. Smith and his first wife, who was black, raised their two children in Bethesda, Md., while he pursued his career as a federal worker promoting health and education and fighting poverty. He retired in 1994 and in 2006 wed his second wife, Loretta Neumann, who is white, at the National Cathedral, where as head usher he escorted presidents.

What does it mean to Smith to be the living son of an enslaved person in the 21st century?

"Quite frankly, I've just grown up and been busy, and I've never thought much about it," Smith said.

A courtly man with pecan-colored skin wearing a perfectly pressed blue and white striped collared shirt and khakis, Smith shared his life story from the wide front porch of his home in Northwest Washington on a sweltering July day. Cars rushed by as Neumann leaned in at his side to listen.

Yet when he thinks about it in this moment, time feels elastic. The 157 years since his father's birth had once seemed like "a solid gap," but now the time strikes him as distressingly brief. With Trump as president, the years feel to Smith like an accordion - the decades folding, folding - back toward slavery "almost to the point where it could happen again."

And with a mountaintop view in his ninth decade of life, Smith can also see clearly the valleys and hills - how his father was shaped by slavery and racism and was able to push ahead despite it, and how Abram Smith did the best he knew how to prepare his children for life.

Abram Smith did not rise far from his beginnings, working as a janitor in a factory, and yet he extolled America and was invested deeply in its promise of opportunity for all.

"I remember my father and mother saying 'It's a free country. You can do anything you want, you can be anything you want,' and they believed it," Smith said.

Abram Smith spent time in Philadelphia and Poughkeepsie, N.Y., before settling in the early 1920s in the small, very white city of Winsted, Conn., where he lived with his second wife, Clara Wheeler, who was decades his junior. He was known in the community as "A.B. Smith," and he made sure his four daughters and two sons knew what it meant to be his children.

"A lot of black children grew up in a world where they didn't know who they were and where they came from," Dan Smith said, "but we were A.B. Smith's children, and that sustained us through anything."

A.B. Smith's children were the hardest workers, had the best manners and were the brightest, too. When the offspring asked why they were so superior, their parents replied: "Because you are the children of A.B. Smith." They were forbidden to play with some poor black children in town, although his father cleaned a factory for $16 a day. "We were poor as church mice, but we were better because my father said we were better," Dan Smith said.

Looking back, he can now see his parents as followers of the "twice as good" philosophy - the futile belief that black people must perform twice as well as whites just to be considered equal. And beneath the sunny message of how extraordinary the Smith children were lay Abram Smith's stories of slavery with their frightening symbols of brutality.

There was the whipping post in the middle of the plantation where enslaved people were tied up and beaten.

There was the lynching tree. Two enslaved people in chains had run away together, and rumors held that they had been hanged there. Later, when Dan Smith wanted to date white girls, his mother would warn: "I don't want to have to cut you down."

There was the wagon wheel. The enslaver accused a man on the plantation of an unspecified offense, and the man denied it. "The owner said, 'You're lying to me,' and had the man and his whole family line up in the winter in front of a wooden wagon wheel," Smith recounted. The enslaver ordered the man to kneel and lick the wheel's metal rim. His tongue froze there until the desperate man pulled part of it away.

Smith and his siblings listened quietly, aware any questions about their father's past could be met with a strike to the face. Years later, he thinks his father was loath to relive the trauma and ashamed of his roots as an enslaved person. (It is unclear whether his work on the plantation ended with the war. The 1870 census listed Abram Smith as "a boy laborer," and many newly freed slaves, with nowhere to go, remained where they were, mistreated, Green said.) "We just listened, and whatever came out of his mouth, that's what we heard," Dan Smith said.

After high school, he set out into the world with a belief in America and his own exceptionalism instilled in him by his father.

Smith joined the Army, serving as a medic during the Korean War. In the summer of 1955, he was back in Winsted after Hurricane Diane when the Mad River breached its banks. Eighty-seven people died in the flood that day, but one was saved when Smith stripped down to his shorts and rescued a truck driver named Joe Horte. Smith is not the bragging sort, and his bravery might have gone unheralded if "Hiroshima" author John Hersey didn't mention him by name in the New Yorker under the sub-headline "Negro Youth a Hero."

It was a subsequent act of heroism, though, that showed Smith exactly what it meant to be a black man in America - so far from his father's ideal. At this point, he looked up from his mask and paused, saying quietly: "I hope I don't get too emotional."

In about 1957, he was working as a trip director for Camp Jewell, a YMCA camp in nearby Colebrook, Conn., when he brought his group of teenagers back from a week at a lake to show them a reservoir where he used to swim. Upon their arrival, he spotted a commotion - a young woman had fallen into the quarry. Smith rushed down to help.

The woman had been hoisted onto dry land, and he bent over to check her pulse: still beating. He had leaned over to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when a police officer yelled down: "Hey, you, you, YOU. She's already dead. She's already dead."

At first, he didn't know what the cop meant - Smith knew she was alive - but suddenly it dawned, and he backed away. "He didn't want me to put my lips on her, and she died," he said, still angry and "sick" about what happened.

That year, he realized that his parents had been sold a bill of goods about America as the land of the free: "We were all brainwashed. . . . Everyone in America fell for it."

The truth was underscored when his older brother, Abe, signed a contract to buy his mother a house. He told Clara Smith, whose eyes filled with tears, that it was the white house up on the corner. Clara looked at her son and lit in. "You know that house is too good for me," she said. "It's better than the house of the white woman I work for."

Perhaps it was the fact that he was A.B. Smith's son, or maybe it was just him, but "I said to myself, 'That will not happen to me,' " Smith said. "When I want something, I'm going to get it."

By that time, the civil rights movement had begun. In August 1955, Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi, and in December, after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white passenger, the Montgomery bus boycott was launched, led by a young pastor named Martin Luther King Jr.

Smith graduated from Springfield College in 1960 and worked as a social worker for three years. He and a white colleague in 1963 drove down from Massachusetts to be part of the March on Washington. Smith had been admitted into the veterinary program at the Tuskegee Institute but felt inspired to join the movement.

He was heading up an antipoverty program in Lowndes County, Ala., when the church office where Smith worked was burned to the ground. Not long after, Smith noticed he was being tailed on a dark country road. As he whizzed ahead, he heard his white pursuers yell, "Pull over, black coon!"

He thinks now about what might have happened had he not sped into a lit service station. Back then, there were no cellphones with video cameras to capture racism and no social media on which to share it. This was on his mind as he drove himself down 16th Street in his red Volvo this summer, taking in the protests over Floyd's killing as Neumann waved a sign outside reading "Black and White Lives Together."

He felt inspired by what he was witnessing. Streams of people of all races moved toward Black Lives Matter Plaza, led by the youth of a brand new era. And for a fleeting moment, as the crowds agitated for racial justice, Smith felt time unfolding.
Revel suspended 2,000 of its members in the past six weeks as the electric scooter ride share company moved to enforce its safety guidelines in the face of a dozen injury lawsuits filed in recent months.

The cases piling up against Revel also come after the death of CBS reporter Nina Kapur, 26, who died while riding one of its scooters without a helmet in Brooklyn on July 18.

Two more people were hurt this weekend when a Revel scooter crashed into a pole in Manhattan's Inwood section over the weekend.

Revel suspended 2,000 of its members in the past six weeks as the electric scooter ride share company moved to enforce its safety guidelines in the face of a dozen injury lawsuits filed in recent months. Two unidentified Revel riders are pictured riding in Manhattan

The cases piling up against Revel also come as increasing attention has come on the company since the death of CBS reporter Nina Kapur, 26, who died while riding one of its scooters without a helmet in Brooklyn on July 18

Two more people were hurt this weekend when a Revel scooter crashe in Manhattan's Inwood section, police said

A 30-year-old man driving the scooter was in critical condition and a passenger suffered a broken ankle when the scooter crashed on Wadsworth Terrace around 4.30am Saturday

A 30-year-old man driving the scooter was in critical condition and a passenger suffered a broken ankle when the scooter crashed on Wadsworth Terrace around 4.30am Saturday. Neither of them were wearing a helmet, WABC reported.

The driver was taken to New York Presbyterian Columbia Hospital, police said. He and the passenger were not identified.

The accident came only eight days after Kapur died in what is believed to be the first fatal accident involving a Revel.

The reporter, originally from Newton, Pennsylvania, was being driven by a 26-year-old man in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, who said he swerved to avoid a car pulling out of a parking spot, according to unnamed police sources.

Both Kapur and the driver were thrown onto the roadway, and it's believed neither were wearing helmets. They were taken to Bellevue Hospital where Kapur was pronounced dead.

The driver, whose relationship to Kapur was not immediately known, suffered only minor injuries, according to police sources.

An image of the scooter Kapur was riding is pictured after the fatal crash on July 18

Kapur, originally from Newton, Pennsylvania, was being driven by a 26-year-old man in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, who claimed he swerved to avoid a car that was pulling out, according to unnamed police sources

Before Kapur's death, more than a dozen riders say they were injured while riding the moped, including a 38-year-old man who suffered a serious head injury and was left in critical condition.

Revel - a Brooklyn-based startup - which got off the ground two years ago recently expanded into Manhattan. Riders get access to the ride-share scooters for a one-time fee of $5 and are charged 35 cents per minute of driving time, Gothamist reported.

Passengers cost an additional $1. Revel provides an instructional video for all members upon signing up, as well as an in-person course, which is optional.

However, a lawyer representing several riders who ended up hurt after using Revel and are now suing the company, said peoplecould be better prepared before mounting the scooters.

'With better training, with making sure [there's] better enforcement of helmet wearing, they can be, if done properly, a good thing for New York,' attorney Daniel Flanzig told Gothamist.

Revel riders get access to the ride-share scooters for a one-time fee of $5 and are charged 35 cents per minute of driving time. A lawyer representing people who injured while riding the scooters who are suing Revel said the company should provide more training

'And the other issue too is New York's infrastructure is so lousy,' he said, citing that first-time riders have to navigate potholes, construction-clogged streets, pedestrians, cabs, ride share services and large vehicles, including buses.

Revel requires its riders to have a drivers license, obey traffic laws and wear a helmet.

A spokesperson told Gothamist that the company suspended 2,000 accounts in the past month and a half and is rolling out an in-app safety test this week that requires a user to confirm they've put on a helmet.

An announcement on the safety feature is expected this week.

At least twelve lawsuits have been filed against the company. One of the cases filed by John Ruiz, claims he crashed while riding a Revel scooter in Brooklyn in September and broke a leg while breaking to avoid a jaywalker.

'My take on it was, if it was available on the app, it should have been properly functioning, which it wasn't. It was beat up,' Ruiz said, NY1 reported.

The case alleges that the scooter's tires 'were balancing and needed replacement and the brakes were not properly working.'

Fanzig said he has four additional complaints of people suing Revel.

One of the cases filed in January was from a woman who said she was hurt while training to ride a Revel.

Revel has denied the woman's claims in court documents, and has asked her to seek relief in arbitration.
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation granted its Human Rights Award on Thursday to Uighur economist and intellectual Ilham Tohti, who was unable to accept the award in person because he is currently imprisoned in China, whereabouts unknown. Tohtis daughter, Jewher Ilham, accepted the award in his stead.

Ilham has made a mission of bringing her fathers plight to world attention. In 2013, Tohti and his daughter were about to board a plane for the U.S., where Tohti had accepted a teaching position at the University of Indiana Bloomington. Police stopped Tohti himself from boarding the plane, but he implored Ilham to continue to the U.S., where his contact at the university picked her up from the airport. Ilham was 18 at the time and knew barely any English.

One, two, three, four, how are you, things like this: that was my English level when I first came here, Ilham told National Review in an interview. She has since graduated from IU with a degree in political science and Near Eastern studies; she learned Arabic while also improving her Uighur, which she did not speak continuously while growing up.

Tohti meanwhile was tried and convicted of separatism in 2014, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Thensecretary of state John Kerry condemned the sentencing, noting that the penalty appears to be retribution for Professor Tohtis peaceful efforts to promote human rights for Chinas ethnic Uighur citizens. Ilham has not had contact with her father since 2017 and does not know if he is alive or dead.

The only truth that I do believe is that my dad is not a separatist, Ilham testified to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China in a 2014 hearing on human-rights defenders. He knew China is such a great and powerful country and tried to help enhance the relationships between us [Uighurs] and Han and decrease the problems between us.

While Tohti was already known among U.S. officials and human-rights advocates, Chinas intensified repression of its Uighur population may make him a household name in other nations. Born in 1969 in Atush, Xinjiang Province, Tohti went on to study at Beijings Central Minzu University and became a professor of economics at the school.

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While living in Beijing, Tohti observed as the Chinese government began to focus more intently on cementing control over Xinjiang. Ethnic tensions had already existed between Uighurs and Han Chinese, and Uighur Muslims had chafed under the Communist Partys attempt to enforce its atheistic ideology on them. But even leaving aside ethnic conflict, control over the province is of paramount importance to the Communist Party. The Uighur region has geopolitical value. . . . The whole region is full of resources like gold, uranium, [and] natural gas, Ilham said. The size is one-sixth of the Chinese mainland  its a huge area. But the province has a population of roughly 25 million, or only 12 percent of Chinas total population. China has been trying to migrate Han Chinese to the region, encouraging people: you move to there, well give you houses, well give you a free education. . . . If you get married to a Uighur woman you get 80,000 ren [renminbi].

Tohtis research interests included the economics and social standing of Uighurs, and he repeatedly criticized Chinese government policies toward the Uighur population, drawing the attention of police. As Ilham explains, I went to boarding school [for] high school because the police kept bothering us, even sleeping at their home.

Tohti positioned himself as an advocate for tolerance between Uighurs and ethnic Han Chinese, arguing for greater leeway for Uighurs to practice their culture. As such, he stood squarely between Communist Party officials attempting to settle Xinjiang with Han residents, and Uighurs who actively fought the regime.

The simmering ethnic conflict burst into the open in July 2009, when a Uighur protest in the provinces capital city of Urumchi devolved into riots between Uighurs and Han Chinese in which at least 197 people were killed. In response, the Chinese authorities moved to close Uighur mosques and cut off Internet access to the region.

Tohti was arrested for criticizing Chinas handling of the 2009 riots but was released after an international pressure campaign. Before his second arrest in 2014, China commissioned Tohti to complete a study of the governments policies in Xinjiang and to make recommendations for improvements. He did not hold back, criticizing the ethnic alienation and segregation, Han Chinese chauvinism, and absence of trustworthy high-level Uighur officials in the provincial government.

At all levels of government in Xinjiang, we encounter a mentality that falls far short of what is needed to govern and manage Xinjiangs societal complexities, Tohti wrote. One prescient passage states:

The Uighur community [has a] growing fear of the governments increasingly chauvinistic ethnic policies. The governments sharp curtailing of bilingual education and Uighur cultural enterprises has led many in the Uighur community to feel that official ethnic policy is beginning to look like forced assimilation. In many public forums, particularly on the Internet, it is not difficult to find people openly discussing a point of view common among Han Chinese: that the only way to solve Xinjiangs ethnic problems is to accelerate Uighur assimilation.

Tohti recommended the establishment of true regional autonomy, which would allow Uighurs to engage in fully bilingual education and participate in Chinese national life without abandoning their culture. He also rejected the notion that Han Chinese and Uighurs were bound to engage in ethnic conflict without end. I dont like violence and I wont advocate it, Tohti said in an interview with Tibetan writer Tsering Woeser on November 1, 2009. And I definitely dont think the Han are our enemy, not even if racial hatred or killings should happen again. Even if genocide were to happen, I would still say: the Han should be our friends.

That genocide now does appear to be happening. Over the past several years, researchers have uncovered a network of Uighur internment camps and the systematic forced sterilizations of Uighur women. These grim discoveries confirm that Beijing is intent on absolute power in the region. The push is led by Xinjiang Communist Party secretary Chen Quanguo, who previously quelled unrest in Tibet.

In some ways, its the logical evolution and culmination of the ethnic policy and domestic government approach, Adrian Zenz, a senior fellow in China studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, told National Review. Zenz is a leading researcher and analyst of key documents that detail the operation and methods of the crackdown on the Uighur population. These include the China Cables and the Karakax List, collections of classified Chinese government documents leaked to outside sources.

When Beijing began its systematic crackdown on Uighurs in Xinjiang in 2009, Zenz said, they figured out, well, instead of just having a long-term police state were really going to change those people. Were going to break their necks.

The crackdown threatens Uighurs outside of China as well.

My laptop and my phone are monitored almost every single day, says Jewher Ilham, noting that she has certain tools to determine that this is happening. China has also attempted to extort exiled Uighurs by threatening family members still inside the country.

The main strategy is, they want all exiled Uighurs to come back to China  they dont want any exiles, Zenz said. They want them to come back to Xinjiang so they can put them in camps and break them and assimilate them. Once they can be controlled, theyre not a liability anymore.

The recognition of the genocide in progress has led Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) to introduce legislation that would slap fines on American companies that use products sourced to Xinjiang, where factories are using forced Uighur labor. Now that the Uighur region has come under an international spotlight, this comment by Tohti in his 2009 interview seems especially significant:

Im even prepared for the possibility of a death sentence. That just might be the price our people have to pay. When I, Ilham Tohti, pay that price  though I may have to go, perhaps that will draw attention to the plight of our people.

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Taiwans trade with mainland China has soared in the past six months and is expected to hit a record amount this year, despite deteriorating cross-strait relations.

But observers warn the boom could be short-lived if Taiwan is forced to stop its hi-tech exports to mainland China at the request of the United States, which is having heated disputes with Beijing on almost all fronts.

Boosted by strong demand for chips and other electronic and telecoms products, Taiwans exports to China, including Hong Kong, grew to US$66.8 billion in the first half of this year, up 9.8 per cent from the same period last year, according to the islands finance ministry.

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Statistics provided by the ministry on July 17 showed that such exports accounted for 42.3 per cent of the islands total exports, up 3.6 percentage points over the same period last year and a record high for the past decade.

The self-ruled islands exports to the US grew 4.5 per cent to US$23 billion in this period on strong demand for information and telecoms products, while exports to Japan increased 3.5 per cent to US$11.7 billion on demand for electronic, information, visual and audio products.

The ministrys figures showed that exports to the US and Japan accounted for 14.5 per cent and 7.4 per cent of all exports, respectively.

But for exports to member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)  the main countries Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen has targeted as part of her so-called New Southbound Policy to cut economic reliance on China  in the past six months, there was a year-on-year decline of 4.8 per cent to US$24.9 billion. That was the sharpest drop in four years and six months.

Exports to Europe also dropped 10.4 per cent year-on-year at US$13.4 billion. The exports to Asean countries and Europe accounted for 15.8 and 8.5 per cent of the islands total exports  a 10-year low, according to the ministry.

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Despite the drop in Asean and Europe, the results were better than what market analysts had expected because the islands overall exports in the first six months still edged up 0.5 per cent year-on-year at US$158 billion, compared with a 0.4 per cent year-on-year drop in total imports at US$136.7 billion.

While the islands overall trade performance was better than that of many other countries  including the US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and mainland China  Taiwans finance officials said demand could slow, resulting in a drop in overall exports in the coming months.

Uncertainties from the coronavirus pandemic which has battered the economy in the world and ever-escalating US-China tensions are likely to undermine our trade performance in the second half of this year, said Beatrice Tsai, the ministrys statistics director.

Asked if the strong trade with mainland China could help bail Taiwan out of the economic predicament, Tsai declined to make a prediction.

Observers said that despite sour relations between Taiwan and Beijing, and President Tsais efforts to stop relying economically on the mainland by embracing Asean countries and India, the islands economic dependence on the mainland had grown even bigger.

This indicates the industry supply chain between the two sides has remained solid, making it difficult to have a complete structural change, said Wu Yi, economic research director of the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

She said both exports and imports between the two sides had increased markedly in the past few months, mostly because mainland China could resume normal production operations after the pandemic-induced lockdown.

This has also allowed mainland-based Taiwanese businessmen to resume their production capacity much earlier than those in other countries, and made forward deployment [possible] in the post-Covid 19 era, she noted.

According to the finance ministry, after the mainland resumed production operations, Taiwans exports to mainland China, including Hong Kong, registered double-digit growth from April to June  14 per cent in April, 10.3 per cent in May and 13.8 per cent in June  while imports grew 17.4 per cent, 16.4 per cent and 11.4 per cent, respectively, in this period.

Teng Tai-hsien, former economic affairs director of Taiwans semi-official Straits Exchange Foundation, said the record high of Taiwans exports to the mainland as a proportion of overall exports was a slap in the face to the Tsai governments New Southbound Policy.

This shows that returning to normal exchanges with the mainland is the right direction, he said.

Taiwans relations with mainland China have deteriorated since Tsai was first elected president in 2016 and refused to accept the one-China principle. Beijing considers the democratic island a wayward province subject to eventual union with the motherland, by force if necessary. It has suspended official exchanges with Taiwan, staged war games, and poached seven of the islands allies to try, in vain, to force Tsai to accept the principle.

Cross-strait ties have deteriorated since Tsai Ing-wen became president in 2016. Photo: AFP

Lin Yu-fang, head of the national security affairs department at the National Policy Foundation, a pro-Kuomintang think tank, said that despite the sour relations, he expected the islands exports to the mainland to hit US$90 billion this year, given the robust trade between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

He said this could be partly attributed to the fact that the mainland had to rely on hi-tech products, especially chips from Taiwan, because the US had stopped hi-tech supplies being sent to Beijing amid growing trade, technology, diplomatic and military disputes with Beijing.

This explains why the mainland has increased its imports from Taiwan but this condition might end if the US demands that Taiwan stop exporting hi-tech products to the mainland, Lin warned, citing the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, which was forced by the US to cut off its supply for Chinas Huawei Technologies.

He said the Tsai government must take into account such a possibility or face a backlash from the mainland.

If Taiwan is forced to stop its hi-tech and other key supplies for the mainland, it means Beijing no longer needs to rely on Taiwan, he said.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The U.S. continues to push for an end of the four-nation boycott of Qatar, even after the hospitalization of Kuwait's ruling emir who led talks to resolve the yearslong dispute, a U.S. diplomat said Sunday.

U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook acknowledged the challenge ahead on ending the crisis that's torn apart the Gulf Cooperation Council, with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates part of the boycott that's targeted fellow member Qatar since June 2017. Egypt as well joined the boycott, which saw nations close their airspace and borders to Qatar.

Kuwait and Oman, the two other nations in the GCC, have sought dialogue between the nations since, with Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah leading those efforts.

Sheikh Sabah was hospitalized in Kuwait City on July 18, underwent surgery the next day and later traveled via a U.S. Air Force C-17 flying hospital to Rochester, Minnesota, home of the flagship campus of the Mayo Clinic. Kuwait has yet to say what ails the 91-year-old ruler.

My expectation is that the role that Kuwait has been playing will continue," Hook told journalists on a conference call after meeting Qatari officials in Doha. "The emir is at the Mayo Clinic. As I said, the United States very much hopes and prays for his improved health.

Hook said he planned to travel Monday to Kuwait City to meet with officials there.

Ive seen some steps backward over the last couple of years," Hook said. "Weve reached points where I think both sides were optimistic and weve reached points where both sides were pessimistic.

I think our role and the role of Kuwait is to do what we can to foster dialogue, to help them make progress.

The four countries cut ties to Qatar on June 5, 2017, just after a summit in Saudi Arabia in which Gulf leaders met with President Donald Trump. They say the crisis stems from Qatars support for extremist groups in the region, charges denied by Doha.

The four nations have also pointed to Qatars close relationship with Iran, with which it shares a massive offshore gas field that provides the peninsular nation its wealth. Qatar restored full diplomatic ties to Iran amid the dispute.

Hook, who is leading U.S. efforts to extend an arms embargo on Iran, said the topic came up during his talks Sunday with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Times Union /Times Union

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that students will be exempt from having to pass a standardized test to graduate from the fifth and eighth grades during the coming school year, saying students shouldnt be penalized for any disruption from the pandemic.

Students are required to pass the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR to be promoted to the 6th and 9th grades; those who fail can retry or take an alternative assessment.
WASHINGTONThe federal government appears to have relaxed restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border that would have made it impossible for first-year university students from the United States to enter the country.

An update to the governments guidance for international students, posted Friday, now says a student coming from the U.S. may no longer need a study permit that was issued on or before March 18, the day the border restrictions were first announced.

New York resident Anna Marti, whose daughter is planning to attend McGill University in Montreal this fall, said she was part of a group effort by parents across the U.S. who lobbied their senators, members of Congress and Richard Mills, the acting U.S. ambassador to Canada, to get the restrictions eased.

The rule would have made it all but impossible for U.S. freshmen to get into Canada, while other later-year students with pre-existing student permits could cross the border easily  even after having spent the summer south of the border, where the COVID-19 pandemic has been growing in severity for months.

Marti said she was told by Mills that the issue came up during ongoing discussions in Washington about the Canada-U.S. border restrictions  and that her entreaties, as well as media coverage of the plight of U.S. parents, helped to put a face to the issue.

Citizenship, Refugees and Immigration Canada now says border officers will accept a port of entry letter of introduction that shows the student was approved for a study permit, in lieu of a permit approved before March 18. The exception, however, only applies to students from the United States.

We celebrated, although we wont fully celebrate until she is in Montreal, Marti said, noting that the family  and many others  must now wait for those letters of introduction and study permits to come through.

Shes also well aware of the fact that students hoping to travel to Canada from countries outside the U.S. are still bound by the March 18 restriction.

I just hope someone continues addressing the issue for all international freshmen, she said. International students who quarantine are not the real danger.

Other parents in the U.S. remain wary of the border, since the rules require anyone seeking entry to Canada to be travelling for a nondiscretionary or nonoptional purpose  a description that could exclude students whose courses are being held entirely online.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., growing by tens of thousands of cases a day, reached the 4.4 million mark Monday, with more than 150,000 deaths to date. Premature reopenings, an uneven and cavalier approach to physical distancing in parts of the country and a partisan divide over mask requirements have helped to fuel a surge in cases.

Canada, by comparison, has reported 114,000 total cases and nearly 8,900 fatalities so far.

There are no measures in place to provide for expedited processing of study permit applications, Canadas immigration department said in an update earlier this month.

Foreign nationals who had a study permit application approved after March 18, 2020 ... may not be exempt from the travel restrictions (and) they should not make any plans to travel to Canada until the travel restrictions are lifted, as they will not be allowed to travel to or enter Canada.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino announced last week the government would prioritize study permits for students who have submitted complete applications online. Students will also be able to apply time spent studying online toward their eligibility for work permits in Canada, provided at least 50 per cent of the program is completed in Canada.

Ottawa has also introduced a priority processing system and a two-stage process for students who are unable to obtain all the necessary documentation.

A spokesperson for Mendicino did not respond to media inquiries Monday.
The Washington Post published its latest in-depth investigation into the Trump administration's uneven response to the coronavirus pandemic on Saturday night. And on Sunday morning, an interview with a leading medical expert on the White House task force reinforced it.

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Deborah Birx offered very different comments compared with President Donald Trump on the projected coronavirus death toll and the protesters who recently stormed the Michigan State Capitol.

Birx was asked about Trump's projections in recent weeks that there would be between 50,000 and 60,000 deaths, which he later increased to 60,000 to 70,000. We are at around 66,000 deaths, with little sign in recent weeks of any significant downturn.

Birx told host Chris Wallace that "our projections have always been between 100,000 and 240,000 American lives lost, and that's with full mitigation and us learning from each other of how to social distance."

That contradicts what Trump said, though. The president hasn't just offered a more optimistic tone on the death toll; on April 20, he suggested 50,000 to 60,000 deaths had actually replaced the previous 100,000-to-240,000 goal that he had said would constitute a successful response.

"We're going toward 50, I'm hearing, or 60,000 people," Trump said. "One is too many. I always say it: One is too many. But we're going toward 50 or 60,000 people. That's at the lower - as you know, the low number was supposed to be 100,000 people. We could end up at 50 to 60. OK?"

That first lowered estimate was passed in a matter of days, and the 60,000-to-70,000 estimate appears as though it won't last past the early part of this week.

Birx's most significant comments on Sunday, though, came with regard to the protesters in Michigan. They recently stormed the State Capitol, some of them brandishing guns, to urge a reopening of the state.

Birx's message was clear: It's a horrible development.

"It's devastatingly worrisome to me, personally, because if they go home and infect their grandmother or their grandfather who has a co-morbid condition and they have a serious or a very - or an unfortunate outcome, they will feel guilty for the rest of our lives," she said. "So we need to protect each other at the same time we're voicing our discontent."

That's a kind of cautioning and rebuking of the protesters that we simply haven't seen from Trump.

The president, in fact, has tacitly encouraged protesters in states like Michigan, initially tweeting "LIBERATE MICHIGAN" when the protests began and offering similar sentiments for other states.

Since then, he has been given several opportunities to suggest that the protesters should back off, but he has declined and instead suggested that he sympathizes with them and their goals.

"The governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire," Trump said Friday of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. "These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal."

On April 19, Trump expressly declined to give the protesters guidance and said he agreed with their cause.

"I don't have any advice," he said. "People feel that way. You're allowed to protest. I mean, they - they feel that way. I watched a protest, and they were all six feet apart. I mean, it was a very orderly group of people."

In fact, photos showed that the protesters at the time were not abiding by guidelines on social distancing or wearing masks - nor have protesters since then.

Trump added: "But, you know, some have gone too far. Some governors have gone too far. Some of the things that happened are maybe not so appropriate."

He added the day before that some governors "have gotten carried away. They have absolutely gotten carried away."

When pressed again on the protesters opposing and failing to practice social distancing, which he and the federal government have pushed, Trump again pointed to the governors.

"I mean, I notice there were a lot of protests out there," he said. "And I just think that some of the governors have gotten carried away."

While Trump hasn't been completely explicit about encouraging the protesters, by sympathizing with their cause, accusing certain governors of overreach and urging those governors to compromise with the protesters, it's not difficult to see how that could feed the unrest.

In cautioning those protesters about putting their own loved ones' lives at risk, Birx offered almost a diametrically opposed message - as has often been the case between Trump and his top health officials.
Like a tragic crossover episode between two catastrophic television series, a community center known as the "Dome" in Mercedes, Texas, presented a uniquely grim glimpse at the tumultuous year that turned even worse for South Texas residents over the weekend.

As Hurricane Hanna spewed a mangled mess across the southeastern portion of the state, officials in Mercedes needed not only a place to house storm evacuees, but also a facility to take special mind of those who had tested positive for COVID-19.

Enter, the "Dome."

"The dome shall be the shelter for COVID-exposed families," the city announced in a press release on Saturday. "Proper safety gear for staff and other safety measures shall be employed to make the facility and families as safe as possible. Be advised that this is for basic sheltering, and not hospital-care sheltering. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation."

Shawn Pugsley surveys the damage to a private marina after it was hit by Hurricane Hanna, Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Corpus Christi,Texas. Nolan's boat and about 30 others were lost or damaged in the storm. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

For the first time in months, the pandemic wasn't the main hazard to fear. Not with life-threatening rain falling from the sky and hurricane-force winds whipping from the earliest H-named tropical storm in recorded history.

In Corpus Christi, the National Weather Service reported that about 2 to 3 inches of rain fell on the region by early Sunday morning, triggering widespread flooding. South Padre Island, where Hanna made its first landfall late Saturday afternoon, measured more than 14 inches of rain.

The heavy winds spurred the need for an emergency rescue of three boaters at Marina Del Sol in Corpus Christi. The Texas A&M Task Force 1 (TX-TF1) water rescue squad used inflatable boats to save the trapped people, two of whom are elderly, on a sinking sailboat in rough waters and 65-mph winds.

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Along with the 40-year-old boat owner, two 80-year-olds were rescued and returned to dry land, but not without complications.

"As the boat was returning to safety, it hit debris causing damage to the motor. The rescuers had expected complications and added additional rescue personnel to crew the boat. As soon as the motor failed, the crew members used their training and switched to paddling the boat to safety," officials said, according to KIIItv.com.

"This is the worst we've seen so far," Corpus Christi resident Erica Zuniga told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Waddell. "We're still trying to rebuild from Harvey, so it's different," she said, referring to the notorious hurricane that hit nearly three years ago. "We never stay around; we usually leave, but it's been a crazy year."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Sunday that federal aid for 32 counties had been approved.

Even after Hanna weakened into a tropical storm and moved way over central Mexico, the storm's effects were being felt on Monday morning. According to PowerOutage.us, more than 100,000 residents in Texas were still without electricity to start the workweek. That number had decreased to around 50,000 customers by Monday night.

In Mexico, the remnants of the storm were weakened by the mountainous terrain of the country's northeastern region. Still, the former hurricane packed enough of a punch to flood major areas.

In the city of Monterrey, residents were urged to stay at home on Sunday as local authorities issued a red alert due to heavy rainfall from the tropical depression. As of Monday, an 11-year-old boy is missing after he fell into a stream in Monterrey and was dragged away by the current.

In nearby Reynosa, a major roadway had to be closed after flooding swelled a nearby river and broke its banks. Over 400 people had to be evacuated from the region and over 200 military personnel had to assist the affected residents, as over 20 vehicles were stranded in flooded roads.

According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Maura Kelly, Hanna, now a tropical rainstorm, has been ripped apart by the mountains.

"It can still bring heavy rainfall to northeastern and central Mexico through Tuesday," Kelly said. "Total rainfall amounts of 8-12 inches are expected across northeast Mexico with an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 16 inches. The continued heavy rainfall will exacerbate ongoing flooding and lead to additional flash flooding."

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
A job posting for a mother seeking a babysitter has left Redditors aghast thanks to the woman's shockingly unreasonable demands and even more shockingly low pay.

The unidentified Canadian mother shared the job posting on social media, and even though it's now been viewed by thousands, it seems unlikely she'll find anyone interested to fill the role.

In the posting, the mom says she wants a babysitter who will work nearly 60 hours for just $100 CAD ($74.83 USD) per week  and what's more, she demands that they pay for their own background check, provide vegan organic food, and be available to work weekends with no notice.

What?! A Canadian mother advertised for a babysitter who would work a nearly 60-hour week for $100 CAD  and provide food

The preposterous listing asks for a babysitter in Toronto who will watch two girls, age two and six, from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week, presumably Monday through Friday.

That totals 57.5 hours of work  all for just $100 CAD ($74.83 USD), or $1.74 CAD ($1.30 USD) per hour.

What's more, the babysitter is expected to pay for food, which must be vegan organic.

Other requirements are that the babysitter be female, smoke-free, and pay for her own criminal background check (for which there will be a $5 reimbursement if it comes back with a clean record).

Additionally, the babysitter must work weekends with no notice.

'After 6 months, if we are still conducting business, wages will go up to $150 a week,' the post goes on.

'No you cannot sleep at my condo. No you cannot have friends over. No you cannot study/watch YouTube/be in your phone while on duty,' the mother adds.

Yikes: The woman seemed to be looking for slave labor for her two children (stock image)

Unsurprisingly, the posting has earned plenty of backlash on Reddit, from commenters who are outraged by the mother's sense of entitlement.

'Why would you expect a sitter coming to your house to provide food for your kids????' demanded one.

'I will never understand how people could leave their children in the care of someone who is willing to accept $1.66 an hour,' said another, while someone with similar ideas added: 'All the serial killers reading this are like, "jackpot!"'

'Someone needs to tell her that slavery is unconstitutional,' wrote one more.

'She's not looking for a babysitter she is looking for a new mom,' yet another commenter wrote.

Not demanding at all! A presumably wealthy mother living on Manhattan's Upper East Side was mocked last year for a Craiglist job ad

Go wild! The ad was posted on Craigslist on October 24 and shared on Twitter by New York City writer Dorsey Shaw on November 16

This mother isn't the first to make unreasonable demands in a job posting while offering an incredibly low wage.

Last November, a presumably wealthy mother living on Manhattan's Upper East Side was ruthlessly mocked for a hyper-specific job ad she posted on Craigslist.

The woman, who was not identified, used the site to advertise for what she describes as a 'Social Media Photographer/Coordinator and Mother's Helper.'

According to the description, she was looking to hire a creative type with fashion photography experience to manage her social media profiles  and to also care for her children.

The ad reads: 'Manhattan family looking for a photographer to work with them on a regular basis as their Social Media Coordinator, either [full time] or [part time].

'This person MUST have advanced knowledge of of Photoshop and Lightroom, have experience working with/shooting young children/families and be comfortable acting as Mothers Helper on days when not shooting/editing,' it went on.

'This person should also have experience in fashion photography and be internet/IG savvy. Compensation will be hourly or daily rate.

Internet mockery: The tweet earned thousands of likes and quite a few horrified replies

'Please do not apply if you do not have the required photo editing experience. Thank you,' she concluded.

The ad was posted on Craigslist on October 24 and shared on Twitter by New York City writer Dorsey Shaw on November 16.

'May god have mercy on the soul of the person who takes this job,' he wrote. 'In the next 5 years NYC creatives will exist only to work on personal media projects for bored wealthy people.'

The tweet earned thousands of likes and quite a few horrified replies, including one reading: 'Good god I hope this is just a serial killer.'

'That is an argument for raising taxes on the rich!' said another, while a third tweeted: 'Pretty good odds this is Jared and Ivanka.'

Several people were furious that the woman expects a single person to do three separate jobs  photographer, social media coordinator, mother's helper  just because they were posted together, and also speculated that she doesn't even plan to pay very much.

'That's three job descriptions in one,' wrote one.

'Not only is that THREE separate jobs, but it also sounds like they expect 50+ hours a week and Im guessing that the hourly/daily rate is going to be too low for ONE of the jobs,' another said. 'Rich people expect 200% from the worker and think paying more than slave wages is unfair.'
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared a speech during a Family Leadership Summit in Iowa expressing the Trump administration's opposition of making abortion a human right.

"Abortion quite simply isn't a human right," Pompeo declared. "It takes a life."

"This administration appreciates and knows that our rights come from God, not government," Pompeo added as he shared that he is trying to make decisions based on "God's" truth.

"America sets the tone for the rest of the world in this respect, and our administration has defended the rights of unborn like no other administration in history," Pompeo asserted.

Pompeo referenced his Christian faith and a biblical passage to emphasize his Christian faith as seen in a statement, "God has entrusted this position to me for this time. And I feel every day the duty to honor that calling."

During the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, President Trump criticized the apparent global support of abortion in a statement, "We are aware that many United Nations projects have attempted to assert a global right to taxpayer-funded abortion, right up until the moment of birth."

"Global bureaucrats have absolutely no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that wish to protect innocent life," Trump said.

8 months later in May 2020, the Trump administration issued a statement expressing their opposing views against the inclusive rhetoric regarding "sexual and reproductive health" in a World Health Assembly resolution drafted in relation to the coronavirus.

"There is no international right to abortion, nor is there any duty on the part of the state to finance or facilitate abortion," the statement claimed. "We do not accept references to 'sexual and reproductive health,' or other language that suggests or explicitly states that access to abortion is included in the provision of population and individual level health services."
MENLO PARK, Calif., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global consulting firm Protiviti has been named a finalist of the Social Impact 2020 Microsoft Partner of the Year Award for its work with AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks) to help recovered COVID-19 patients donate convalescent plasma to save lives. Protiviti was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.

"In these times of unprecedented global health challenges, we're extremely pleased to have enabled AABB to connect recovered COVID-19 patients with plasma donation locations to help others suffering from the coronavirus," said Cory Gunderson, executive vice president, global solutions, Protiviti. "AABB knew they could count on Protiviti because of our decade-long relationship during which time our team of Microsoft specialists built  and continue to support  their SharePoint ecosystem."

The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions during the past year. Awards were classified in several categories, with honorees chosen from a set of more than 3,300 submitted nominations from more than 100 countries. Protiviti was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services in the Social Impact category.

AABB, an international not-for-profit association dedicated to advancing transfusion medicine and biotherapies, came to Protiviti on April 6, 2020 with an urgent request. They needed a public-facing form on their Microsoft SharePoint website that would allow recovered COVID-19 patients to find donation sites to donate convalescent plasma  which contains COVID-19 antibodies  to patients currently fighting coronavirus infection. Up to that time, there was no centralized source of this vital information. Protiviti's On Demand Services team  a team of certified Microsoft experts available to clients on an as-needed basis  got to work immediately. They created and expanded the AABB web form's capabilities so users could search donation centers with a check of a box. The Protiviti team worked with AABB's database administrators to determine indicators and pulled the data from their CMS system to track which blood banks accept the convalescent plasma donations. The project was customized and implemented in three days and immediately available to the public. The online solution continues to assist people in donating their plasma to aid in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is an honor to recognize the winners and finalists of the 2020 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards," said Gavriella Schuster, corporate vice president, One Commercial Partner, Microsoft. "These partners go above and beyond, delivering timely solutions that solve the complex challenges that businesses around the world face  from communicating and collaborating virtually to helping customers realize their full potential with Azure cloud services, and beyond. I am proud to honor and congratulate each winner and finalist."

For more information about the awards, please click here.

About Protiviti

Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and its independent and locally owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, governance, risk and internal audit through its network of more than 85 offices in over 25 countries.

Named to the 2020 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, Protiviti has served more than 60 percent of Fortune 1000 and 35 percent of Fortune Global 500 companies. The firm also works with smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public, as well as with government agencies. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half is a member of the S&P 500 index.

Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial statements or offer attestation services.

All trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Editor's note: Protiviti photo available on request

SOURCE Protiviti

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Perhaps he instinctively empathised because he, too, had been treated like dirt. That's why he called his autobiography Beneath the Underdog. He, too, had had his music  some would say his genius  belittled. So when others shrugged their shoulders at the hopelessness, or openly mocked the man with the sad, empty eyes whose hands could no longer light up a piano the way they once did, Charles Mingus stood by Bud Powell.

Bassist Charles Mingus. Credit:AP

Was it Powell's fault he'd been beaten to a pulp by railway police, presumably for the crime of being black; beaten until the brain inside his cracked skull was never quite the same again? Was it Powell's fault he was subjected to shock treatment before they even knew the horrors they were inflicting? Was it his fault they medicated his schizophrenia with a drug that slowed the most virtuosic pianist that jazz had known?

Not that empathy was always Mingus's strong suit. Duke Ellington fired him when the bassist attacked trombonist (and Caravan composer) Juan Tizol, because Tizol badmouthed Mingus's sight-reading with a racial slur. Later, under pressure from the deadline for the most ambitious concert of his life, Mingus punched trombonist Jimmy Knepper, breaking his teeth and severely compromising his career.

Yet he composed with tenderness to match Ellington's and expressed other feelings  fury, ecstasy  with unparalleled intensity. He stretched his imagination into places that jazz composers hadn't visited before and insisted his players memorise his complex charts, teaching them phrase by phrase, so on stage they weren't staring at dots but listening like hell, because he might cue an unexpected change at any moment. They worshipped him (despite calling his Jazz Workshop project the "jazz sweatshop") because he extended their artistry. Only Ellington and Miles Davis also brought out the best in so many brilliant musicians.
These concerns have been shared by students across the country.

OneClass also found that 75% of college students are unhappy with the quality of online classes and 35% have considered withdrawing from school.

According to a survey of 13,606 college students in the United States by study guide platform OneClass, more than 93% of U.S. students believe that if classes are fully held online, tuition should be lowered.

While many students agree that social distancing is vital, many have also raised concerns that they are still paying full tuition for what is now an online education.

Prestigious schools such as Harvard University have committed to holding all of their classes online next semester and according to The Chronicle of Higher Education, 46% of colleges plan to hold some, or all, or their classes online.

As the school year approaches, the coronavirus pandemic continues to surge in states across the country which means college students will be taking more of their classes online than in previous years.

"I would like to see a calculation around how much money is being saved by this remote instruction and using that to factor into a kind of refund to give to the students," Aaron Vanek, a rising senior at New York University told CNBC Make It in April after his campus was closed. "That seems like the fairest thing for me."

"There's been a push to lower tuition just because classes are going to be taught online," Robin Fierberg, a recent Stanford University graduate, said in April. "The university has said the tuition will not change."

Some students have gone as far as to sue their universities for coronavirus related refunds after the 2020 Spring semester was cut short.

But others have pointed out that taking classes online is not necessarily more affordable.

Experts say online education can be expensive for schools to administer, especially schools that have been forced to create online learning infrastructure in a rush.

"Schools really need to do a better job of providing online education, not just Zoom in a hurry," says higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz. "So they'll have to invest in equipment and training."

These investments, he points out, cost money.

"Some institutions charge more for online courses," says Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. She explains that offering online courses can be more time-intensive for professors who are expected to respond to questions around the clock.

But Pasquerella emphasizes that there is a wide range in the quality and cost of online higher education.

"We've seen the perils of online programs run by for-profit schools where students have very low completion rates and are left with large amounts of student debt," she says. "But there are other institutions that do online education very well, such as Southern New Hampshire University, which is cutting tuition for their students next year."

Todd Rose, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education says if his children were attending college this year he would recommend they at least temporarily go to a school that specializes in online education, such as Southern New Hampshire. He explains that college costs will remain high at schools such as Harvard, even though all classes will be taught online next year.

"Harvard has an entire model that is built on a certain kind of experience, and we really believe that there's a lot of value to in that experience, but there's a lot of baked-in costs including incredible infrastructure costs and administrative costs," he says. "When we go online, it actually isn't that much cheaper because there are structural costs and legacy costs built into those incumbents."

"But I gotta be perfectly honest, that's not really [students'] problem," says Rose. "That's [Harvard's] problem."

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A couple of hours drive from Washington DC theres a beautiful creek next to a cornfield, with a very bloody history. Its the site of the battle of Antietam in the Civil War. In and around that cornfield more Americans lost their lives or were wounded on a single day in 1862 than any other day in that countrys entire military history. Its a reminder of the terrible price paid when politics fails.

One Saturday, five years ago, I visited Antietam after an IMF meeting in the capital. I took with me one of the smartest, most thoughtful people I know; someone who could walk me through the battle, but also explain the diplomatic efforts by President Lincoln and his Secretary of State William Seward at the time to keep Britain from entering the war on the Confederate side.

My guides name was Robert Zoellick, former president of the World Bank and perhaps a future Secretary of State if the Republicans ever choose a mainstream candidate for President again. This month, Bob is publishing a book called America in the World.

Its the story of his great countrys engagement with other nations, from the moment when Benjamin Franklin signed the new self-proclaimed republics first treaty, the vital military alliance with France that ensured its survival.

He wore for the occasion, Zoellick tells us, the same old velvet blue coat he had on four years earlier when enduring a humiliating ticking off from a British minister. Foreign policy has always been personal.

America in the World will be a must-read for students of international relations. It should also be an essential summer read for current British politicians and mandarins. For Zoellick is no academic bystander. He was right-hand man to Reagans Secretary of State James Baker, then became the US trade representative who brought China into the World Trade Organisation and then Deputy Secretary of State during George Bushs war on terror.

Britain risks the biggest act of protectionism in our history at the end of this year if there is no EU deal

It was in the latter capacity that I met him 14 years ago, along with William Hague and Liam Fox, making up a Shadow Cabinet delegation sent to repair strained Tory relations with the Bush administration. With his Mid-Western courtesy, Zoellick laid down the law: if we were going to be the next British government, we had better understand some hard facts about what America would expect from its ally.

It was an unusual start to what has become a real personal friendship, and a lesson for me in the realities of US power  one the current British Government is learning again as it struggles to get a trade deal it once promised us was oven-ready.

In his book, Zoellick reminds America  and those who deal with it  of five traditions when their foreign policy is conducted successfully: the cornerstone of good relations with neighbours Canada and Mexico; the centrality of strong economic ties, especially free trade; the advantages the US gets from the international order and enduring alliances rather than mere transactional deals; the dangers of underestimating the importance of domestic and congressional opinion; and the value in a pragmatic pursuit of lasting international engagement.

The rebuke of everything that Trump has done to undermine these traditions is thinly disguised. Theres a message for Britain too, whose post-Brexit power is, he writes politely, a question mark.

What, he is asking, is our role in a world where the post-war western order is being replaced by four big power blocs: the US, China, India and the EU? In the space of six months, weve withdrawn from one, and sent relations with another into the deep freeze.

We would do well to remember our own traditions of successful British foreign policy. It starts, as Americas does, with our own backyard.

The integrity of the United Kingdom, and our relationship with our continental neighbours have been the central dynamic of our history  and will remain so. Both are frayed and need urgent repair.

Like Zoellicks America, we have a deep interest in the system of post-war alliances  yet we have just unilaterally pulled out of one of the most important ones. What replaces it? We have championed free trade, but we risk the biggest act of protectionism in our history at the end of this year if theres no EU deal.

We in Britain could do with a dose of the pragmatism in pursuit of long-term strategy that Zoellick recommends to our friends across the Atlantic.

America in the World by Robert B Zoellick is out 13 August (Twelve)
The first batch of five Rafale jets took off from France on Monday and will be arriving in India on Wednesday, when the much-awaited fighter jets will officially be inducted and join the Indian Air Force fleet at the Ambala air base in Haryana.

The Rafale aircraft will cover a distance of nearly 7000 kms from France to India with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop en route in UAE. The Indian Air Force pilots and supporting personnel have been provided full training on aircraft and weapon systems by Dassault.

The Indian embassy in France said the event marked a new milestone in strong and growing India-France defence cooperation. The embassy also released a short video titled Beauty and the Beast, showcasing Rafale jets ready for take off.

Indian ambassador Jawed Ashraf was there to see off the Rafale aircraft. He also met the Indian pilots and congratulated them on becoming the first ones to fly the worlds most advanced and potent fighter aircraft and wished them success.

Also Watch | Five Rafale jets take off for India, induction likely on Wednesday

These five Rafale jets are extremely swift, versatile and very deadly aircraft, theyre both beauty and beast. I would like to thank Dassault for delivering aircraft on time and French Government and French Air Force for all the support, said ambassador Ashraf.

India ordered 36 Rafale jets from France in a deal worth Rs 59,000 crore in September 2016 as an emergency purchase to arrest the worrying slide in the IAFs combat capabilities.

Acting on a special request by the IAF, France has accelerated the deliveries of Rafale fighters to India --- five jets are coming instead of four that were originally planned to be delivered in the first batch.

France handed over to India its first Rafale fighter during a ceremony attended by defence minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart, Florence Parly, in Merignac on October 8 last year.

The delivery of all 36 aircraft will be completed by the end of 2021, said the Indian mission in France.
In Tamil Nadu, emergency contraceptive pills are missing from both the vocabulary and the stocks in pharmacies.

Emergency contraceptives, which help terminate a pregnancy before it has happened in cases of unprotected sex, have always been a taboo in India, and Tamil Nadu has been no exception. The state, however, literally cut off access for women to safe sex with the 'shadow ban' on iPills and other emergency contraceptives.

Ever since ECPs made its way to India in 2010, Tamil Nadu's relationship with the iPill has been dicey. First, widely available and found in pharmacies, it suddenly started disappearing off the shelves, and by 2016, they were almost impossible to find.

Chennai, considered to be India's best medical hub, has no iPill. If you want to avail one, you'd have to travel out of Tamil Nadu - to Pondicherry, or to Karnataka. The pill is never available in pharmacies, and most shopkeepers will tell you the same tale, "We don't stock it".

The only way to find the pill in Tamil Nadu's capital city is through the whisper network. You ask a friend, who knows a friend, who knows a different friend who has the pill - because they stocked up on it while visiting a different city. But by the time you get the pill, you run into a lot of problems: You travel absurd distance, you pay more, and then sometimes even find that it has expired or tampered with. In most situations, the biggest risk is losing the first 72 hours after which the pill won't work.

Archanaa Seker, a Chennai-based activist, however, is trying to change the narrative on ECPs. Seker became the go-to person for pills in Tamil Nadu's coronavirus lockdown after she posted about procuring the pills on social media. She was willing to give them out.

"I got them from a friend in Bangalore," she told News18 in an interview. "I realized how much people needed the drug now, in times of pandemic more than ever, and if I could acquire it, it should be available to anyone who wants it," said Seker.

While Seker's is a very positive approach to the problem, and it shows the gradual shift towards reclaiming back safe methods of contraceptives, if counted alone, it is a temporary solution to a larger problem: Tamil Nadu's pill ban has been shrouded in vagueness for the longest amount of time.

Tamil Nadu, legally, does not have a ban on iPills. But every so often, when someone raises the question on social media about the unavailability of the pill - the government really never takes accountability for it, because according to state regulations, the Tamil Nadu state government, does in fact, allow sale of the pill - there is no ban.

In 2019, their last publicly available recorded statement on the iPill to The Hindu, noted that officials of the Tamil Nadu Drugs Control Administration clarified that there is no ban or restriction on the sale of emergency contraceptive pills.

A senior official said that the advisory was for abortion pills, and there seems to be a misunderstanding among pharmacists on contraceptive pills and abortion pills. A few compositions including Levonorgestrel are covered under Schedule K of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1945, and are exempted from sale licenses, he said.

Schedule K contains various substances and drugs and their corresponding regulation of Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. Schedule K consists of those drugs that are exempted from Chapter IV of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945 which deals with manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs and cosmetics.

'Levonorgestrel' which the Tamil Nadu Government has clarified is under Schedule 'K' drugs, is actually the main component of the iPill.

A report by the Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India conducted early in 2020, before the lockdown, that has not been published but the findings shared with News18, looked at the availability of the pill in five cities of Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Tiruppur.

The report found that only and 3% stocked Emergency Contraceptive Pills, and 2% stocked Medical Abortion pills.

READ: No Contraceptives for 2.5 Crore Couples: India's Essential Abortion Service Isnt Enough

The reason cited for not stocking the drug was in tune with Tamil Nadu government's official statement: legal regulatory issue. The drug regulatory environment seemed to be such that chemists were not comfortable stocking ECPs and MA drugs. In fact, 90% of those who do not stock ECPs reported that ECP has "been banned."

So while the confusion about the ban persists, and the supply chain is cut off, what repercussions does it have for women, especially during India's coronavirus lockdown?

Tamil Nadu, is unique in India for its contraceptive measures. A study by Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India in the survey earlier this year found that 0.2% of the women relied on the pill as the contraceptive method.

Tamil Nadu's major contraceptive method is female sterilizations, which contribute to 94% of the contraceptive method mix (nationally it is 75%). In other words Tamil Nadu is majorly dependent on female sterilization for contraception and the use of spacing methods like Condoms, OCP, ECP, IUCD is very limited.

"There is a need to improve access to and use of spacing methods in Tamil Nadu, especially with a huge youth population," explains V S Chandrashekar, the Chief Executive Office at Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India.

According to their estimates "around 547,227 clients in Tamil Nadu were unable to access their preferred choice of contraceptives since lockdown and till the situation returns to some level of normalcy by September. Given the high level of infections reported even in July in Tamil Nadu, the actual impact may be higher, since clinical family planning services are unlikely to be easily accessible."

Chandrashekar also shared Tamil Nadu estimates, where even with the 0.2% who showed dependence on pill, with the lockdown, almost 4,522 people would not have had access to them.

In Tamil Nadu, the lack of an ECP during the lockdown would also have more devastating consequences: There will be around 1,24,086 unwanted pregnancies, 35,489 live births, 75,446 increased abortions, many could end up being unsafe and around 91 maternal deaths, suggests the data shared by the FRHS.

For Tamil Nadu's gynaecologists, this meant more risks for their parents.

"Schedule K drugs are usually prescription-based," says Dr. Meenakshi, a gynecologist based in Chennai who practices at leading Apollo outlets. But during the lockdown, or before it, she has almost never written one for an ECP. "Even if I write a prescription, where would they get it? Pharmacists don't stock it," she says.

Facing a surge in the number of calls during the lockdown, Dr. Meenakshi had to come up with a different way to prevent unwanted births. "We had to tell them to wait till their next period," she explains. "Not all unprotected sex results in a pregnancy. If they were sure they had intercourse at the time of ovulation, we'd prescribe them a high dose progesterone pill."

While the efficiency of a progesterone pill isn't proven to be as high as an iPill, Dr. Meenakshi says "That is the only option at the moment."

For married women, Dr. Meenakshi has also recommended a Copper-T or IUDs, which if installed on the first 5 days after unprotected intercourse, also prevent pregnancy.

But not everyone will have access to gynaecologists, clinics, or even abortion methods. Over a 1,24,086 unwanted pregnancies in the absence of a pill now mean unwanted babies and unsafe methods for women risking their health and life. This imply that more women will need to resort to medical abortion methods, which will, in turn, lead to more deaths - all because of a tiny pink pill in bright packaging, which has the name 'Emergency' in it, isn't considered a necessity in Tamil Nadu.
Australias antitrust authority has launched federal court proceedings against Alphabet Incs Google (GOOGL) for allegedly misleading millions of consumers about expanded use of personal information for targeted advertising.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is claiming that Google failed to properly inform consumers, and did not gain their explicit consent, about its move in 2016 to start combining personal information in users Google accounts, which also included browsing information on non-Google sites. As a result, data about users non-Google online activity became linked to their names and other identifying information held by Google. Previously, this information had been kept separately from users accounts, meaning the data was not linked to an individual user.

The ACCC also alleges that Google misled consumers about a related change to its privacy policy.

Google significantly increased the scope of information it collected about consumers on a personally identifiable basis. This included potentially very sensitive and private information about their activities on third party websites. It then used this information to serve up highly targeted advertisements without consumers express informed consent, ACCC Chair Rod Sims said. The use of this new combined information allowed Google to increase significantly the value of its advertising products, from which it generated much higher profits.

The court proceedings come after Google earlier this month was fined by Belgiums data protection authority for a record 600,000 euros ($682,150) for being grossly negligent by refusing to remove links to news articles more than 10 years ago. Last September, the search engine giant won a landmark case against a French authority (CNIL) after battling numerous privacy regulators in Europe.

Nonetheless, Google shares have been on a steep recovery path since dropping to a low in March and are now trading 13% higher than at the start of the year. Indeed, following the rally, the stocks upside potential now looks more limited. The average analyst price target of $1,636.88 indicates shares will advance 8.5% over the coming year. (See Alphabets stock analysis on TipRanks)

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Ahead of Googles earnings release this week, Monness analyst Brian White reiterated a Buy rating on the stock with a $1,420 price target (5.9% downside potential), saying that he expects the company to at least meet his 2Q revenue estimate of $36.80 billion (down 6% YoY; Street at $37.35 billion) and his EPS forecast of $7.66 (Street at $8.23).

Although we expect Alphabet will continue to struggle with weak digital ad spending and wrestle with antitrust investigations, we remain optimistic about Google Cloud in the current environment and the companys longer-term position in a world that will become much more digital in the aftermath of this crisis, White wrote in a note to investors.

Overall, the Wall Street rating outlook for Google remains bullish. The Strong Buy analyst consensus boasts 27 Buys versus 1 Hold.



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Linkedin (Kyodo News) Tokyo  Mon, July 27, 2020 20:05 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669ad9bc 2 Lifestyle Japan,Tokyo,pandemic,office Free

As companies close offices in central Tokyo or encourage employees to work from home due to coronavirus pandemic worries, young people are relocating to the suburbs where rents are cheaper, space less at a premium and nature nearer the doorstep.

With Japanese work practices changing, fewer young people are inclined to live in high-rent shoebox-sized apartments near central Tokyo's business districts, rather they are prioritizing lifestyle when choosing where to reside.

Yutaka Kanai, chief product officer of xenodata lab, a Tokyo startup specializing in AI-based data analysis, recently moved from central Tokyo to Fujisawa in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, a city with stunning coastlines in which he has longed to live.

"The biggest reason I moved away from Tokyo is that I didn't have to go to the office," said Kanai, who is a keen surfer. He now lives in a house right on the beach.

The IT worker is now pursuing a better work-life balance, saying he can go surfing every morning just as easily as going for a run.

Kanai's workspace has also expanded. As his company started encouraging teleworking, he was spending his days in his Tokyo apartment, working on a laptop in his living room. But he can now use three monitors in his larger home office.

"I feel less stressed since my workspace is now larger," he said.

Kanai is one of many who have started re-evaluating what "home" means to them after the Tokyo metropolitan government in late March called on residents to refrain from going outside for nonessential reasons due to the virus.

Since late March, the number of views on the real estate and housing information site Suumo, has surged. Such an increase is unusual as traffic numbers tend to fall after the January to March period when new students and workers try to find apartments before Japan's academic and fiscal years start in April.

Read also: Twenty years on, Japan government's digital ambitions still stuck in piles of paper

According to the website run by Recruit Sumai Co., a Recruit Holdings Co. group company, suburban properties have been attracting attention, with the city of Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, seeing a dramatic 90 percent uptick in the number of views in May compared with just a few months earlier. Traffic to listings in Chuo Ward in the city of Chiba, east of Tokyo, doubled in May from the figure in January.

"In order to work comfortably at home, space and quiet are regarded as more important than before, and that's why newly built houses in some popular suburban areas are gaining appeal," said Yoichi Ikemoto, the chief editor of Suumo, Japan's major housing information website.

Up until now, splitting time between locations in central Tokyo and the suburbs or countryside was mainly for older people, but it is becoming more common among those in their 30s with annual incomes in the four to six million yen range, he added.

Given the current climate, a service that allows long-term stays in houses located in suburban areas or the countryside is also attracting attention.

The number of newly registered members of "ADDress," a service through which members can use more than 50 properties nationwide for 44,000 yen ($415) per month, has increased sharply since January.

There are many applications from office workers in their 20s and 30s living in Tokyo, and houses in the city of Narashino, Chiba Prefecture, where it is easy to commute to Tokyo in cases of emergency, have been flooded with reservations, according to the Tokyo-based ADDress.

Although the state of emergency declared over the coronavirus crisis was lifted in May and the economy is beginning to recover, Ikemoto expects some people who have become more accustomed to working from home will consider moving to make the most of their more laid-back life.

But the vast majority, he believes, will remain city dwellers.

"More people will choose reasonable detached houses...in the suburbs rich in nature or those with commercial facilities," Ikemoto said. "However, I don't think there will be a great migration to the suburbs from central Tokyo, which has many fashionable shops, commercial complexes and educational options."

Topics : Japan Tokyo pandemic office
Easy-access testing for people in communities on the edge of Wrexham town centre to start this week

This article is old - Published: Monday, Jul 27th, 2020

Community testing is to be rolled out in parts of Wrexham, with people encouraged to go along to the new mobile testing areas even if they have very minor symptoms of Coronavirus.

The mobile testing units are being introduced this week to make it easier for people living in communities on the edge of Wrexham town centre to get the test.

The easy-access testing facilities will be based in Hightown and Caia Park for several days starting from Wednesday. As well as making it easier to get a test, the move will help public health experts get a better understanding of the situation in Wrexham. Residents living in these areas are being encouraged to get a test if they think they have symptoms no matter how mild.

If you think you have symptoms  no matter how mild  go and get a test.

The testing centres are there for your convenience so use them.

Keep on social distancing, observe the 2m rule, and hand washing to help stop any spread of the virus.

Coronavirus hasnt gone away.

The work is being co-ordinated by Public Health Wales, Wrexham Council and other partners, with support from local voluntary sector organisation AVOW and community groups. Just like in other parts of the UK, and as we have seen locally at the Rowan Foods outbreak, the testing stations will be managed by the army.

Dr Chris Williams of Public Health Wales says:

Providing easy-access testing will help us further understand the situation in Wrexham.

Were encouraging anyone who thinks they may have symptoms  even very mild ones  to take advantage of the mobile testing units while theyre in the area, and go and get a test. Testing is a really important part of the strategy for managing Covid-19 in Wales, so its important people step forward if they think they have symptoms. Covid-19 can spread in community settings, not just in workplaces. If you do test positive, youll be given advice by contact tracers at Wrexham Council. Theyll advise you on how long to isolate for and what support you can get to help you through the isolation period. Theyll also ask for your help in tracing people youve been in close contact with recently.

We understand that cross border working between Public Health Wales and Public Health England has meant that similar patterns to Wrexham have been seen elsewhere in the UK, and it is thought that this type of rapid response will help identify and tackle any local spread of the virus. Although no clear demographic has been identified aside from a mention of some elements of younger people, the identified issues are wider from people directly connected to the Rowan Foods factory, described as people who just happen to live in particular parts of Wrexham and in the community at large rather than a specific group.

Recent local work has taken place to map out the cases in a very local level, with information on if they were tested in the community or hospital, and it has been decided last Wednesday that more access to testing in the community would be made.

There has been concern that people are not accessing testing for a range of reasons. Some may feel they do not have serious enough symptoms to require a test, others may not be able to physically get to a testing centre, or afford to be off work if the test is positive. All are being encouraged to take a test now, and signposting for support to do just that also being put in place by Wrexham Council.

The new process has been explained to Wrexham.com as trying to lower the barriers for testing, with it thought that for every one confirmed case there could be other unknown cases out there, and this should help identify those and then allow the Track Trace Protect system to kick in. That in turn should mean the contacts of those known to be positive can then self-isolate and limit any spread further, benefiting the community as a whole.

The extra community testing has come with a warning that it will possibly uncover more cases, and therefore the local figures could rise. This echos a message from the Health Board earlier this afternoon where they said similar about in-hospital testing probably meaning more confirmed cases. It was explained to us that this is in a way an exercise to identify unknowns and getting ahead of a potential problem, that if current testing is getting all the cases then current figures will not alter too much. However, if it uncovers unknown cases then things could look worse before it gets better  however that is a better situation for Wrexham rather than waiting for general community figures to increase.

We have asked if Wrexham Council are aware of figures from the Health Board and Public Health Wales, and have been assured there is very much a partnership working process in place, working really effectively. The public are still being referred to the daily updated Public Health Wales dashboard here for ongoing data information.

Councillor Hugh Jones, Wrexham Councils Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Safety, says:

Were working with our partners to provide easy-access testing in edge-of-town communities in Wrexham. As well as making it easier for people to get a test, it will also help Public Health Wales gain further insight into the local situation. The mobile testing units will be based in Hightown and Caia Park over the next few days, and you can go to either testing station if you live in and around these areas. The process is quick and easy. However, if you feel really unwell, you should still contact your GP as normal (or call 999 if you think theres something seriously wrong). For example, dont try to walk to a testing centre if youre struggling to catch your breath.

A lot of people might be worried about getting a test in case it means they have to isolate and cant go to work. Councillor Hugh Jones added:

People need to pay bills and put food on the table, and its understandable that many will worry about testing positive and having to miss work.

However, a lot of people may be able to get financial support ( https://gov.wales/financial-support-for-individuals) and the council and its partners will help people access this information.

Cllr Jones ended by saying, Public Health Wales, the council and our partners are here to support you. Lets help keep Wrexham, our families and communities safe and well.

Where and when you can get a test

The mobile testing centres will be at Caia Park Health Centre on Prince Charles Road, and at a location in Hightown yet to be finalised, from Wednesday, July 29.

The council will confirm the location in Hightown as soon as possible.

You can just turn-up between 8am and 7pm. Its safe, simple and easy.

Other ways to get a test

You can also apply for a test online or by phone. (https://gov.wales/apply-coronavirus-test )

Take a look at the Welsh Government website for more info  https://gov.wales/coronavirus
Vancouver Art Gallery in Canada, which is close to the Chinese Consulate Office, witnessed a massive protest rally against China on Sunday. The protest was led by Canadians with ancestral roots from mainland China, Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, India and Philippines. The protestors stood in opposition to Chinas treatment of people in Hong Kong and Tibet. They urged the international communities to intervene to get two Canadians, Michael Korvig and Michael Spavor, released who have been held hostage by the Chinese government

The protest rally received an overwhelming response similar to a previous demonstration which was carried out earlier this month.

Also read: Canada promises review of $6.8 million worth security equipment purchased from Chinese govt-owned firm

People from organisations such as the Canada Tibet Committee and the Tibetan Community; Friends of Canada and India Organization; Global Pinoy Diaspora Canada; Vancouver Society of Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights in China; Vancouver Society in support of democratic movement (VSSDM); Vancouver Uyghur Association, among other groups, participated in Sundays rally. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, each group was allowed to bring a maximum of 50 people only.

This comes just a week after a massive protest took place in Toronto against the Chinese communist regime for its expansionist policies. The protest saw over a hundred people participate in the rally wherein the speakers urged the Chinese communist party to free Tibet and Hong Kong, opposed Chinese aggression in Ladakh and raised the issue of human rights violations against Uyghurs.

Ties between Canada and China have been strenuous since 2018 when Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the Chief Financial Officer of Huawei, under the US warrant. After Meng was detained, China arrested Canadian citizens Michael Kovri, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a businessman, on charges of espionage.
With the cancellation of the State Fair and many other traditional summer events, due to the coronavirus epidemic, Central New York children are going to have to be more creative if they are looking for something fun to do.

If kids are looking for a local example from Syracuse history, they might think of emulating David Read, 10, and Bobby Wise, 9, who decided to put on a mini-sized version of the Fair in Davids front yard on Clarendon Street on July 27 1925.

(Please remember to wear a mask and remain socially distant!)

In this heartwarming tale from the Syracuse Herald, the boys, flush with cash, $3.50 they had earned by helping one of their parents move, enlist their parents and friends to put on a proper fair, then gave the money they raised to a local childrens home.

Here is the story, exactly as it appeared in the July 27, 1925 Syracuse Herald.

BOYS RAISE $2.30 BY FAIR AND AFTER NOISY ARGUMENT DECIDE TO HELP CHARITY

EATS, LECTURE AND SALE OF HOME-MADE INK HELPS SWELL FUND FOR NEEDY CHILDREN AT HILLCREST

David Read, 10, of 118 Clarendon Street, and Bobby Wise, 9, of 713 Livingston Avenue, wanted to have something.

They couldnt decide whether it would be a circus or a motion picture show or a fair.

The motion picture show ranked high in favor because David and Bobby had just earned $3.50 helping Bobbys parents move, and they purchased a pup tent on shares. It would be an ideal place for a motion picture show. All the kids couldnt get into the tent, so they decided on a fair, and Mrs. Read baked some tarts and cakes and made fudge and Mrs. Wise contributed the lemonade.

They had a fair in the Read yard yesterday afternoon with a varied program. Bobby Wise gave a talk on zoology, explaining the difference between a salamander and an alligator.

Billy Lowenstein, 13, of 707 Livingston Avenue, gave a chemical demonstration, manufacturing chemical snow, and making ink which he sold at four cents a bottle, practically cost, as he explained.

Robert Goldstein, 846 Livingston Avenue, took a basket of cake and fudge and sold it in the neighborhood. Little Frances Read, 6, contributed to the program by singing a song, Wal, I Swan (Giddyup, Napoleon), Nancy Pratt, 13, 787 Ostrom Avenue, sold many tickets, as Bobby Wise explained. Another boy, Jackie, was to have his name in the paper, but he got mad and went home, before the reporter arrived, and the rest of the boys decided he shouldnt have a part in it at all.

Then they made a club of all the boys who had participated in the fair, and elected David Read president and Bobby Wise major general. They counted the receipts from the fair, which totaled $2.30, which they decided they should donate to charity in spite of the insistence of one club member that it be divided among all the members. After a noisy argument, Charity won, and David was appointed custodian to see that the sum is sent to Hillcrest for the children out there who are sick, and cant have fairs and things, as Bobby explained.

(NOTE: The amounts of money in this story seem small today but they were not insignificant. The $3.50 earned by the boys helping a parent move was about $51 in todays money. The $2.30 given to the Hillcrest camp, which helped sick and undernourished children, was almost $34, certainly enough to give the children there a nice afternoon.)

MORE CNY NOSTALGIA

1910: Water main breaks and 10,000 head downtown to watch flood engulf Syracuse

1915: Children rejoice after price of cod liver oil skyrockets

July 1936: CNY roasts in a week-long heatwave that saw 3 straight days over 100

Looking for a true-crime podcast to check out?

An invention from Upstate NY soon became the preferred method of execution across the United States -- the electric chair. In The Condemned, we trace the history of the chair through the stories of five men who were sentenced to death for their crimes. Explore our series here.

This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle at jcroyle@syracuse.com or call 315-427-3958.

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Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty

In the last month, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) has been busy. She has chaired hearings in the House Oversight Committee on U.S. fighter jet programs and cybersecurity, called for investigations into the Trump administrations use of federal troops in American cities and treatment of Planned Parenthood clinics, and cast numerous votes on the House floor.

But Maloney has been without a key piece of information as she goes about her business: whether she won her primary election on June 23. Thirty-three days after primary day, Maloney holds a 648-vote lead over challenger Suraj Patel, earning 41.56 percent of the vote to Patels 39.93 percent, according to the latest tally from the New York City Board of Elections. With the race so tight and ballots still left to be counted, definitively declaring a winner has proved impossible.

The delay is due to the coronavirus pandemic, which devastated New York and prompted many voters to cast absentee ballots, creating an avalanche of mail that utterly overwhelmed a New York City Board of Elections widely seen as inept even in ordinary times.

Now Maloney and Patel are in a protracted state of limbo, dedicating campaign resources to keeping a vigilant eye on the veracity of officials ballot-counting, contacting individual voters to gather information, and marshalling volunteers to do all that work. Its a hard-fought process that requires more staff, money, time, and energy at the tail end of an already hard-fought campaign. And experts say its a situation thats poised to repeat in contests around the country in November as COVID-19 radically alters the normal voting landscape.

As Patel put it to The Daily Beast, the experience has been like treating a first vote count as a recount. For his campaign, thats entailed immediately shifting gears. We were ill-equipped to be ready for this. Were a grassroots campaign built on energy, excitement, volunteers, Patel said. Id love to have our team focusing on the Census, anything else, but if I have to have people at the Board of Elections watching ballots being opened because our opponent also has it, that is just a waste of time.

Story continues

Maloneys team was no more prepared for the ordeal. I dont think any of us really knew that was going to happen, a senior Maloney campaign staffer told The Daily Beast. The campaign is confident the race will be called in her favor given her current lead, and have been since June 23, the staffer said. Ive had every confidence that we had won, and the problem was, our election looked ridiculously close for no reason other than it was a third of the way through.

The current situation in New Yorks 12th District might be an extreme example of the coronavirus pandemics capacity to seriously disrupt the way elections are conducted in America. But in the eyes of experts, it could be a preview of Novemberand should serve as a wake-up call for candidates around the country to prepare to grapple with the kind of limbo that Maloney and Patel are stuck in now.

I dont think folks know what to do, said Doug Heye, a veteran GOP strategist who said hes noticed very little chatter about how down-ballot candidates might prepare themselves for a worst-case scenario like New York is experiencing. The world has changed very quickly on this For individual campaigns, you now have to be prepared for recountsor counts, as they werein a way you might not be.

Candidates have been focusing on getting the vote out, not necessarily whats next, said Sean Morales-Doyle of the Brennan Center for Justices Voting Rights and Elections Project. Candidates in recent elections in New York now realize the importance of the last part.

Well before the turn of events in New York, where several other congressional races were finally called weeks after June 23, it was accepted in political circles that thanks to COVID-19, Election Day 2020 wouldnt be a traditional one. With most jurisdictions expanding the ability to vote by mail due to public health concerns over in-person votingand many predicting historic levels of turnout in the race between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Bidenprotracted counting processes are expected. The battles for the White House, House, and Senate may not be totally resolved for weeks, a far cry from the election-night race projections that have gone out when California closes its polls.

For many, the prospect of such a delay isnt concerning if it means that voters are able to exercise their rights safely and have their votes accurately counted. But public trust in the process isnt a given: High-profile politicians have chipped away at its integrity in recent months. Chiefly, Trump has stoked fears, without any evidence, that Biden and the Democrats will steal the election through absentee voting, invoking loaded images of ballot-stuffing and other outright fraudulent practices.

Democrats, and even some Republicans, see Trumps effort as planting a seed for distrust in the final outcome, should it not go his way. We have a crisis of confidence that is being fanned by the president, and we have a crisis of logistics that is being fanned by the pandemic, said Matt Bennett, co-founder of the Democratic think tank Third Way and an alumnus of Bill Clintons presidential campaigns. Its going to cause enormous chaos and confusion.

To those who went through the election recount in the 2000 presidential election, 2020 has the possibility to make the battle between George W. Bush and Al Gore over contested votes in Florida look tame. The recount sucked every molecule of oxygen out of the air, and that was one recount in one race in one state, said Bennett. The overlay of economic catastrophe, a public health disaster, and deep suspicion its a very scary thing to contemplate.

Most expect the brunt of public attention to focus on the presidential race, should it remain undecided after Nov. 3. But voting delays are poised to affect the fight for the Senate, where an extended count in just one state could decide control of the chamber, or in the House, where Democrats are expected to retain a majority but delays in a handful of seats could leave control of the gavel unresolved.

The prospect of a long period this fall when the entire country experiences something akin to what voters in New Yorks 12th District are experiencing now has crossed the minds of longtime political hands. Its something to be worried about, whether people are prepared for that kind of inconclusive situation for weeks after an election, what people will make of that and whether or not they see it as the system playing out the way its supposed to, said Morales-Doyle.

Theres always one outlier where we dont know it for a couple of weeks, so were used to that, said Heye. What were not used to, and potentially not prepared for, is this could happen in 25 races. That could leave the balance of the House or the Senate in question.

Heye added that its going to be more important than ever that campaigns lawyer up well before Election Daynot on it or just after, as they typically do when it becomes clear a recount is imminent.

The biggest area of concern is places that dont get national attention, said Third Ways Bennett. Were going to be focused on the six, seven states in the presidential race, a handful of Senate races. If youre running in a congressional district thats outside of those, its going to be tough to get the resources and attention to those questions.

Already, some party entities are laying the groundwork for these scenarios. Building on the experience of states like California, whose expansive absentee ballot program has in the past led to lengthy delays in calling close races, operatives in Washington are providing guidance for campaigns nationwide in how to conduct whats called absentee ballot chasingcommunicating with likely absentee voters frequently to ensure theyve sent in their ballots well ahead of time. And the Democratic Partys official House campaign arm has already begun advising candidates around the country to prepare now for their races not to be called on Election Day, according to an official there.

Battle-hardened New Yorkers have some hope that their terrible experience is not an exact preview of what the rest of the country will experience. Both the Patel and Maloney camps noted that in Kentucky, which held its primary the same day as New Yorks, officials were hit with a massive increase in absentee ballots and were able to deliver results relatively quickly. And New York politicos believe their own state and city Board of Elections are such a clusterfuck, as one operative put it, that nearly every other jurisdiction should be better off.

Although the Maloney and Patel campaigns fought a bitter battle, they agree on two counts: that their experience should still serve as a warning to othersa canary in the coal mine, said Pateland that they wouldnt wish it on anyone.

I hope no one has to go through what our race is, the Maloney campaign staffer said. I do think, if youre a state that doesnt do mail ballots and is trying to do this, you may have to wait.

I would say to other campaigns, be prepared to turn around and, unfortunately, the fight doesnt end at Election Day, said Patel. Fortunately, I graciously accept the role of guinea pig who had an election that was completely up in the air here.

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HCM City leaders pay tribute to fallen soldiers

Ho Chi Minh City leaders paid tributes to fallen soldiers at the HCM City Martyrs' Cemetery on the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of Vietnam's War Invalids and Martyrs Day on July 27.



The delegation includes officials from the HCM City People's Committee, People's Council, Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in HCM City led by the Chairman of HCM City People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong. There was also the delegation from the 7th Region Military Command led by Major General Do Van Banh, and the delegation from the 4th Legion.



After a minute of silence, they offered flowers and incense to every grave at the cemetery where 14,500 soldiers have been buried. The delegations also visited HCM City Cemetery in Thu Duc District to offer incense to all fallen soldiers who made a contribution to the country's independence and freedom.



This is the annual event of HCM City leaders to pay tributes to the soldiers.





Some photos of the event:





HCM City leaders pay tribute to fallen soldiers on July 27.


Google is set to tell its employees to continue working from home into 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. CEO Sundar Pichai, reportedly made the decision last week according to The Verge.

This comes as Google is set to testify in an antitrust hearing in Washington despite delays to its beginning. The company is also under pressure from Australian regulators for the way it dealt with data privacy issues. Therefore, issues around its workforce only add to complexities.

Google employees to work from home until next year

This move would see Googles 200,000 strong workforce not return to the office for at least another twelve months. Pichai has reportedly made the decision that his employees will not come back into the office until next July.

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Other tech firms have announced long-term plans for their employees. Most of which will not see them return to offices for some time.

Google, however, has taken the decision to keep its staff working from home until the middle of next year. This is the longest timeline of any tech company. Reportedly, Pichai called a meeting of the companys top executives to make the decision.

Google scrap plans for a 2020 office return

There had been some reports that the company was planning on a limited office return this month. However, it seems those plans are no longer in place. These plans made returning to the office optional but employees criticised them lacking clarity.

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As a result, Pichai took this decision to give employees and their families much more security. As many of them struggling with inconsistent direction from school districts the decision gives them much more understanding of the situation.

Thus far Google is yet to comment on these reports so we cannot be 100% of their accuracy. However, given Facebook, Twitter and Square have all announced plans to continue to work from home indefinitely this report does not seem unlikely.

Working from home is likely one of the most obvious effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. However, with big tech firms have invested a lot of money in majestic office spaces they may be keen to see their workers return sooner rather than later.

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Thus far it is unclear as to the levels of productivity of employees working at home. However, as we creep back towards normality that may have an impact on decisions to return to the office.

This is a long-term approach from Google that gives its employees understanding and security. However, with the world changing so much it will be interesting to see how that decision holds up over the next twelve months.
Police and forensic officers at the scene of a shooting incident in the Cyprus Place, Carrickfergus on July 26th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

The scene of the shooting in Carrickfergus Photo: Press Eye Photography

The PSNI is appealing for witnesses after a man was shot in Carrickfergus on Sunday night.

At approximately 10pm police received a report that a man had sustained gunshot wounds to his leg at Cyprus Place.

He was been taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries.

Inspector Beverlie Reid said: I would appeal to anyone with any information which could assist police with their enquiries to contact them on 101 quoting reference number 2045 26/07/20. Information can also be given anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Megxit is turning out to be more than a bit like Brexit. It has become apparent that there is no soft version of either after all, no happy halfway house, no grand compromise that would allow all sides to have their cake and eat it. Youre either in the EU or youre out, so far as Britain is concerned; youre either royal or you aint, in the case of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It ends in tears. The only thing left are the recriminations, and to sort out who gets the blame.

Being as theres no such body as the Supreme Court of Right Royal Feuds to adjudicate on such matters, the arguments are being played out in the tabloids and the court of British public opinion, renowned for their tenderness, even-handedness and rationalism. These debates will also, by their very nature, become infected with conspiracy theories and go on for ever and ever.

There are still people out there, after all, who believe that Diana was murdered, who still mourn the abdication of Edward VIII and think the Windsor dynasty are reptilian beings from another world. OK, the last ones always been arguable, but these legends are all endlessly recycled, and often as not referenced whenever the Sussexes appear in the headlines, which sadly they are destined to for the rest of their lives  and beyond, even when Covid-19 and Brexit are long forgotten.

From what Ive seen of the curiously named Finding Freedom, a book which puts the Sussexes case with suspiciously well-informed partisanship, were now well into blame game territory. Id quite forgotten that Megxit was still at the pilot scheme stage, to see how things were coming along. It seems there is no way back to royal normality for Harry and Meghan. Their quarantine, though comfortable, is permanent.

For all the fuss about the dramatic revelations, theres not that much thats new here. William advised his younger brother to take his romance with Meghan slowly, which may or may not have been taken as an insult, but probably wasnt meant to be. He did after all not rush into things himself, as waity Katie found to her frustration. Kate apparently resented the extra work shed have to do once Harry and Meghan cleared off. Fair enough, but we all have to make sacrifices. It seems small beer at any rate, compared to a global pandemic  60,000 excess deaths, the sharpest recession in 300 years, three million jobless and cold wars with the EU and China.

But we all enjoy a little escapism, which of course brings us back to the main characters. To borrow a phrase, they quite rightly wanted to escape the predations of the British media and its appalling habit of twisting and lying about everything they do. Understandably they wished to use whatever fame and talents they possess to do some good. Theyd like to make their own way in the world, but not be ostracised from friends and family. In Brexit terms, they wanted to take back control over their sovereignty and their borders. They wanted to cherry pick.

I happen to think they were quite right to want a private life and to try and modernise the institution of monarchy; but it was impractical.

In the end they could not cherry pick after all. The Sussexes have managed to land themselves in the worst of all worlds. Not in the sense of having to apply for Universal Credit or for Rishis 10 meal deal to help go out for the evening, but deeply unsatisfactory from their point of view. Lacking any official security, they are tormented by the paparazzi more than ever, they are spied on by drones, the papers print whatever they like and they are fair game just as any Hollywood or reality show celebs are. They can try to sue the press, but itll do them no good, win or lose. The incentives are too great, and ever more so the colder the commercial climate grows and the temptation to sensationalise intensifies.

Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down Show all 20 1 /20 Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down July 2016 Meghan and Harry met through mutual friends in London in July 2016 when one of the former-actor's confidants, Markus Anderson, reportedly introduced them. Anderson is linked with private members club Soho House, of which Harry is a member, but it wasn't until months after the initial London meeting that their burgeoning romance made headlines. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down November 2016 Photographs of the couple together were published in the press, showing them on holidays, at friend's weddings and eating out in London making the news. But it was by way of an unprecedented statement that their relationship was officially announced. Kensington Palace, writing on behalf of Harry, stated that the harassment being experienced by Meghan and her family, saying a line had been crossed. His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment, the statement continued, citing "sexism" and "racism". "He knows commentators will say this is the price she has to pay and that this is all part of the game. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game - it is her life and his," the statement read. "He has asked for this statement to be issued in the hopes that those in the press who have been driving this story can pause and reflect before any further damage is done." Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down October 2017 In October 2017, Meghan conducted her first public interview since news of the relationship emerged with Vanity Fair, in which she opened up about what it is like to date a member of the royal family. It has its challenges, and it comes in wavessome days it can feel more challenging than others, she told the publication. And right out of the gate it was surprising the way things changed. But I still have this support system all around me, and, of course, my boyfriends support. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down November 2017 The couple announced their engagement in November and were interviewed by the BBC's Mishal Hussain at their home, Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor, about the news. During the interview, Harry opened up about how much he enjoyed being with someone from outside his inner circle. "It was hugely refreshing," he said before discussing the trip they took to Botswana together shortly after meeting. "To be able to start almost afresh right from the beginning in getting to know each other step by step and then taking that huge leap of only two dates and then going effectively on holiday together in the middle of nowhere and sharing a tent together and all that kind of stuff. It was fantastic. It was absolutely amazing to get to know her as quickly as I did." Harry proposed to Meghan with a custom ring made by court jewellers Cleave and Company using one diamond sourced from Botswana and two smaller stones from Princess Diana's collection. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down December 2017 Princess Michael of Kent apologised for wearing a racist broach to the Queen's Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, that was also attended by Meghan and was her first Christmas with the royal family. The princess, who is married to the Queen's cousin, was pictured wearing a prominent piece of "blackamoor" jewellery pinned to her coat as she arrived at the annual royal family gathering. The princess was widely condemned for wearing the "blatantly racist" piece to the Palace and a spokesperson for the royal said she was very sorry and distressed that it had caused offence. They added that the brooch was a gift and has been worn many times before. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down May 2018 On 19 May, Meghan and Harry married at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle. The bride and groom continued to defy convention at the wedding by putting a modern spin on everything from the cake to ceremony itself. The couple chose Reverend Michael Curry, the first black presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, to deliver a powerful sermon about love. The joyous day was somewhat dampened after it was revealed that Thomas Markle Sr, Meghan's father, would not be there to walk her down the aisle. Instead, Meghan walked herself down the aisle until she was joined by Prince Charles, who gave her away. In an interview with TMZ, Meghan's father admitted to conspiring with a photographer to pose for staged paparazzi photos. As a result of his admission, he felt it would be best to not walk her down the aisle because he didn't want to embarrass the royal family or his daughter. He also shared that he had suffered a heart attack six days prior due to the stresses of the situation. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down October 2018 Since their wedding, speculation had been mounting that Meghan and Harry were expecting their first child but confirmation didn't come until 15 October, just as the couple were about to kick off their autumn tour of Australasia. Kensington Palace announced that the newlyweds were very pleased to be expecting a baby in the spring of 2019. Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019, the palace said in a statement. Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public. However, some people accused the royal couple of insensitivity over the decision to reveal the news during Baby Loss Awareness Week. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down October 2018 - March 2019 During her pregnancy Meghan, like many prospective mothers, would cradle her bump or place her hand on her stomach during public events. But the royal mother was criticised with some saying she was doing it for photo opportunities. Meanwhile conspiracy theorists took to Twitter with hashtags like #Megxit and #DuchessofDeception, claiming that Meghan was not pregnant and had been strapping on a pillow or a bespoke prosthetic. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down May 2019 On 6 May 2019, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born at the Portland Hospital in London after Meghan went into labour in the early hours of the morning. The birth was a break from tradition with previous royals, including the Duchess of Cambridge, who have previously used the Lindo Wing at St Marys Hospital in London to give birth. Meghan also chose not to pose for an '"on the steps" moment after leaving hospital like other royal mothers. Instead, the duke and duchess presented baby Archie to the world at a press briefing at St Georges Hall at Windsor Castle. The couple later revealed they chose not to use the courtesy title Earl Dumbarton, which Archie was allowed to use, nor to style him Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, opting for Master instead. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down May 2019 Danny Baker was fired by the BBC after tweeting about the royal baby using a photo of a chimpanzee. The former BBC Radio 5 Live host was criticised for the post, which he shared moments after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world. The tweet featured a black-and-white photograph of a couple holding hands with a chimp dressed in a suit alongside the caption: Royal baby leaves hospital. Baker swiftly removed the post after receiving backlash from Twitter users who branded it as racist due to Meghan's mixed-heritage. The 61-year-old later apologised, writing: Sorry my gag pic of the little fella in the posh outfit has whipped some up. Never occurred to me because, well, mind not diseased. Soon as those good enough to point out its possible connotations got in touch, down it came. And thats it. Now stand by for sweary football tweets. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down June 2019 The BBC showed a comedy programme, Tonight With Vladimir Putin, which portrayed the Duchess of Sussex saying Stay the f*** out of my trailer or Ill cut you, Kate. Both episodes of the programme included a feature entitled "Meghan Markles Royal Sparkle". In one episode The Duchess of Sussex's character was asked what makes her angry. The character replied with an anecdote about the Duchess of Cambridge asking to borrow her hairbrush. I say no because thats gross and then I leave my room and come back and I can tell shes used my hairbrush anyway because its covered in skanky hair thats going grey and I say, Stay the f*** out of my trailer or Ill cut you, Kate, she yelled. The show also made fun of the Duchesss relationship with her father, Thomas Markle. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down June 2019 In June 2019 the Duke and Duchess of Sussex received criticism after it was revealed that their home was renovated with 2.4m of taxpayer-funded costs. Frogmore Cottage in Windsor was turned into a single property for Harry and Meghan, from five separate homes. While the couple, who moved from Kensington Palace in April before the birth of their son Archie, paid for any upgraded fixtures and fittings themselves, royal accounts showed that the public fund met the cost of replacing heating, electric, gas and water main systems, as well as replacing ceiling beams and floor joists. Frogmore Cottage is owned by the Crown Estate and was a gift to the couple from the Queen, who was kept updated on the work. It had not been the subject of work for some years, and had already been earmarked for renovation. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down July 2019 Meghan and Harry chose to christen Archie at an intimate ceremony attended by close family. Royal baptisms are traditionally private but the couple went one step further by going against convention and deciding not to announce Archies godparents. "The godparents, in keeping with their wishes, will remain private," a statement from Buckingham Palace read. Speculation remained rife as to who had been named the godparents of Meghan and Prince Harry's son, with contenders including media mogul Oprah Winfrey, fashion stylist Jessica Mulroney and Hollywood actor George Clooney. The duke and duchess' decision sparked huge criticism among royal watchers. They have to give the public something, wrote one person on Twitter. We are paying them and it feels like they do not care about the public. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down August 2019 Harry and Meghan were heavily criticised for using private jets to go on holiday with Archie to the south of France. Many people accused the couple of hypocrisy given their staunch views on environmentalism. It came after two other European trips, including one to Ibiza for Meghans birthday and another to Sicily where Harry flew to discuss climate change at a conference. Harry later defended the use of the transport by claiming it was to ensure their safety. Meanwhile, Sir Elton John publicly defended the couple. Speaking in Amsterdam for a new flying scheme, Harry said: "I came here by commercial. I spend 99 per cent of my life travelling the world by commercial. Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe. It's genuinely as simple as that." Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down August 2019 Prince William and Harry had been at the centre of rift rumours for months, ever since it emerged that the Sussexes were moving to Windsor. In August, the speculation came to a head with royal sources and experts claiming the brothers have drifted apart. Appearing on Channel 5s documentary William & Harry: Princes At War? royal expert and editor of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward said: I would think it might bother William a little bit, because he might see the way that Harry and Meghan do things as being detrimental to the business of the monarchy as a whole. Seward added that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were surprised by Harry and Meghan's whirlwind romance, saying: "It was all so quick that William and Kate didn't have a moment to get to know Meghan because Harry hardly knew Meghan. "And of course William and Kate would have quite naturally thought 'oh she's been married before, she's older than Harry, I hope she's going to make him happy'. Anyone would think that." Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down September 2019 In August it was announced that Meghan Markle was to guest-edit the September issue of British Vogue magazine. The cover of the special edition featured a grid of 15 women selected as Forces for Change and articles inside that had been commissioned by the duchess. While the response was largely positive, some people criticised her choice of women, which did not include the Queen, and questioned whether or not a member of the royal family should edit a magazine, despite several others having done so before. I feel like I need to bring a bit of reality to the situation. We're talking about Vogue magazine. Probably the most elite, expensive, snobby, fashion-dominated, skinny-dominated magazine in the entire world. This is not some great mainstream force for good. This is a magazine for the elite. Brexit Party MEP Ann Widdecombe also took aim for picking political stars, saying: Royals have not only got to keep out of politics but they have got to be seen to keep out of politics. British Vogue/Peter Lindbergh Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down October 2019 In October 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took part in an ITV documentary about their royal tour to southern Africa. In Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Harry opened up about his aversion to paparazzi and confessed that he and his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, are on different paths, fuelling speculation that the two have grown apart. Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex revealed she had been struggling with criticisms in the media, telling ITVs Tom Bradby that she was not really okay. Bradby later said that the couple seemed vulnerable and bruised during the filming and revealed he knew that things werent entirely rosy for the couple ahead of filming. The reality I found was just a couple that seemed a bit bruised and vulnerable, Bradby told Good Morning America. That was the story I found and it seemed the right journalistic thing to do, to try and tell that story as empathetically as I could. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down October 2019 Following the ITV documentary, Meghan and Harry issued an official statement, in which the duke said he could no longer be a "silent witness" to Meghan's "private suffering". There is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put on a brave face  as so many of you can relate to  I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been," the statement read. In the same statement, it was confirmed that Meghan had filed a claim against Associated Newspapers "over the intrusive and unlawful publication of a private letter written by the Duchess of Sussex, which is part of a campaign by this media group to publish false and deliberately derogatory stories about her, as well as her husband." The proceedings in the Chancery Division of the High Court related to the unlawful publication of a private letter from Meghan to her father. Getty Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down December 2019 In December, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released their first Christmas card with their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor. The seven-month-old took centre stage in the black-and-white photograph, staring right down the camera lens while his parents laugh behind him with a Christmas tree in the background. While many royal fans were overjoyed by the image, others accused Meghan of using Photoshop to sharpen her own face so it would stand out more. Meghans close friends, Janina Gavankar, who captured the photo, spoke out to defend the couple on Instagram, writing: So proud to have taken the Christmas photo for one of my best friends and her family." She also clarified that the photo had not been edited. The couple enjoy a six-week break in Canada with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland. Sussexroyal/Instagram Everything that led to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down January 2020 Meghan and Harry are pictured at Canada House in London to thank the Canadian high commission for their warm hospitality following their trip over Christmas. One day later, on Wednesday 8 January, rumours about the couple possibly moving to Canada begin to surface, which Buckingham Palace initially refused to deny. At 6pm on Wednesday evening, Meghan and Harry announce their decision to relinquish their roles as senior members of the royal family in an Instagram post on @SussexRoyal. Their statement is followed by one from Buckingham Palace describing discussions regarding the move as being at an early stage. It is later understood that the couple did not consult any members of the royal family prior to releasing their statement and the mood at Buckingham Palace was one of disappointment. Getty

On the other side, they are no longer playing the kind of role in charity and official business they once did. They have been, so far, much less successful in this than Diana was. Their anomalous position means they cant do what they used to do in Britain or the Commonwealth, or at least not so seamlessly in conjunction with the Palace, government and the armed forces.

The Sussexes then find themselves in limbo, and often enough a luxury lifestyle version of purgatory. It all has an air of impermanence about it. The best thing might be for them to live a more modest, anonymous, life, renouncing all their inherited or acquired celebrity. But even if they tried, the world wouldnt choose to forget them, and would always be curious about them. The title of the latest book about them is apt  for, in their own terms, they probably never will find freedom.
Rare surgery: 20-cm knife removed from 28-year-old mans liver

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Jul 27: After a rare and challenging three-hour surgery, doctors at the AIIMS here successfully removed a 20-cm-long kitchen knife from a man's liver who had bizarrely swallowed it in a fit of psychosis. The doctors said they were perplexed as to how the 28-year-old gulped down the saw-edged knife without any damage being caused to his wind-pipe, lungs, heart and other vital organs.

The knife could have easily perforated the esophagus and gone in to the trachea, heart or big vessels, on its journey from mouth to liver via duodenum, said Dr Nihar Ranjan Dash, professor of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Liver Transplant at AIIMS.

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He said, We have searched the literature, but such a big sharp knife ingestion has not been reported. We are searching for more literature. He said there are reports of small needles and fish bones going into liver after perforating duodenum.

The man, a daily wage worker from Palwal in Haryana, has a history of psychosis and had a habit of smoking cannabis. "He was not an addict but took cannabis quite often, said the doctor.

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The man told the doctors that one-and-a-half-months ago, during the coronavirus lockdown when he was in his kitchen, he felt like eating the knife. He tried to chew it and finally gulped it down with water. He had no problems for a month. But subsequently, he developed issues like difficulty in eating, weight loss, fever, abdominal pain which soon became unbearable, the doctors said. He was taken to local hospitals and was referred to the Safdarjung hospital in Delhi.

"An ultrasound and an X-ray of the abdomen revealed blade of a kitchen knife stuck in the liver. Anticipating the challenges involved in removing the object, doctors there referred the patient to the Gastrointestinal Surgery and Liver Transplant department at AIIMS," Dr Dash said.

The patient came to the emergency of the AIIMS on July 12. A COVID-19 test was done to rule out coronavirus infection.

The reports came out negative. While the patient was admitted in the emergency, an ultrasound, CT scan and other investigations were carried out to know the exact position of the knife, its relation to the vital organs and the complications it had caused, the doctors said.

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"On CT scan, we found the blade of the knife was entirely inside the liver and the handle inside the duodenum, which is the first part of the small intestine. "The knife actually had perforated the duodenum and had gone into the liver. It had led to bleeding, infection, abscess formation in the liver and sepsis. His hemoglobin level was very low. A sepsis had set in, there was loss of weight and water had accumulated in his right chest," Dr Dash elaborated.

"An immediate surgery was not possible," he said, adding removing the knife through endoscopy was ruled out as it was very risky and could have caused injuries to the organs. Doctors decided to first control the sepsis and gave him blood transfusion. He was put on high antibiotics and was under critical care. The doctors said under X-ray guidance, a tube was put inside the liver to drain the pus that sucked around 100 ml pus everyday for four to five days.

Another tube was inserted to take out the water from the chest, Dr Dash explained. He said the man was given nutrition intravenously as he was not in a condition to take food orally. He was also being provided psychiatric counselling all throughout. After seven days, though his condition improved to a certain extent, the sepsis could not be controlled entirely.

"It was then that we decided to take him for surgery. Challenges during the surgery were the possibility of heavy bleeding, injuring the liver, controlling bleeding after removing the knife and to do it as quickly as possible with minimum complications.

"When a patient is septic and anemic, giving anesthesia for a longer period and conducting longer procedures could turn fatal," Dr Dash said. In a challenging surgery lasting three hours, the knife was removed by opening the intestine on July 19, Dash said.

A team of doctors from the department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care, Radiology and Gastroenterology besides the Gastrointestinal Surgery and Liver Transplant were also involved in the surgery and the knife was pulled out under ultrasound guidance.

The patient was in the ICU for seven days. He is out of danger now and out of ICU care, Dr Dash said. "We had put a food pipe during the surgery in his abdomen and through that tube he is being given food. Very soon we will start giving him food orally. He is conscious and able to walk around. He is being given psychiatric counselling," he said.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  The foreign ministers of South Korea and Hungary met in Seoul on Monday to discuss maintaining bilateral cooperation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said.

During their meeting, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha thanked Hungary for its decision to lift entry restrictions for South Koreans and stressed that the countries continue to ensure exchanges between essential personnel such as businesspeople.

She also expressed gratitude over Hungary's plans to erect a monument in Budapest in memory of 25 South Korean tourists who died following a boat sinking on the Danube River last year.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who also plans to meet local business leaders during his visit, expressed hope for increased South Korean business investment to Hungary, the South Korean foreign ministry said.

According to Seoul, trade between the countries increased from $1.9 billion in 2017 to $3 billion last year.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are 'unlikely to join the royals at Balmoral this summer despite an invitation from the Queen, according to a royal expert.

Her Majesty, 94, had been self-isolating in Windsor Castle since March, but is set to travel to Scotland alongside Prince Philip, 99, next month.

But while Prince Charles, 71, along with Prince William, 38, and Kate Middleton, 38, and Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, Prince Louis, two, are to join the royal couple for the family holiday, it is believed the Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 38, won't attend.

Writing in The Telegraph, Camilla Tominey explained it was 'highly unlikely' they would journey from Los Angeles to Scotland, writing: 'Some are beginning to question when  or indeed if  the Queen and Prince Philip will see Archie, their youngest great-grandchild, again.'

Royal editor Camilla Tominey has revealed it is 'highly unlikely' that Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, will join the other members of the royal family in Balmoral this year

While Prince Harry and Meghan won't be attending the annual get-together, Camilla detailed how the Cambridges are hoping to travel to the Scottish highlands for a weekend next month.

The family will then return to London to resume 'something resembling a pre-coronavirus royal diary' of engagements in September.

Last September the Queen was said to have been 'disappointed' when the Sussexes turned down her invitation to Balmoral.

At the time sources close to the couple insisted that the decision should not be seen as a 'snub'.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will travel to Scotland in early-August for their annual summer holiday, Buckingham Palace has confirmed

The family were 'too busy'  and four-month-old Archie 'too young'  to make the trip, according to their spokeswoman, a decision viewed by some as puzzling.

Despite their decision, the couple had taken Archie on holiday to Ibiza and to Sir Elton John's villa in the south of France earlier in the summer.

At the time, The Mail on Sunday understood the Queen was 'hurt and disappointed' because she likes to bring her friends and family together for the annual Highland holiday, which is her favourite time of the year.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, reports have suggested the Queen and Prince Philip were keen to get away for their annual holiday, but would remain socially-distanced from family  who will stay in separate buildings so the royal couple could stay safe.

The royal couple will leave Windsor Castle, where they have been isolating for the last four months, and travel to Balmoral early next month

Although other members of her family will join them for the traditional summer get-together this time they will not be able to get close to the monarch.

When they get to the 50,000-acre estate in Aberdeenshire she will not host them in the castle, instead staying in other properties on the grounds.

They will be able to meet her for outside activities instead including walks, horse riding and picnics.

A source said a Balmoral bubble of staff numbering some will join the Queen and Philip.

The royal expert explained that sources have questioned 'when  or indeed if  the Queen and Prince Philip will see Archie again.' (pictured, The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Doria Ragland with Archie two days after his birth)

Vanity Fair's Katie Nicholl previously revealed the Cambridges would travel to Scotland next month for a family holiday (pictured, the Duke and Duchess with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis)

They include Vice-Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt, master of the household; Sir Edward Young, the Queens private secretary, and Paul Whybrew and William Henderson, her pages.

Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, her equerry; Terry Pendry, her head groom; Angela Kelly, the Queens personal assistant and her senior dresser; Jackie Newbold, Kellys PA; and three assistant dressers will also join, according to The Sunday Times.

The Queen has spent a 12-week break at Balmoral for each of the past 68 years of her reign.

Prince Charles and Camilla are also 'looking forward' to joining the family for a holiday in Scotland next month, according to the royal expert

Since the coronavirus crisis started, Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh have been in joint isolation at Windsor Castle since the start of lockdown in March.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall recently moved from Birkhall, on the Balmoral estate, to their London home of Clarence House as they lead the royal family in returning to public engagements after lockdown.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge remain at Anmer Hall, Norfolk, with their three children, Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two.
Magic mushrooms should be rescheduled in Britain to treat depression, top doctors have said.

Leading experts have called for a change in the law to allow 'shrooms' to be used in a similar way as medicinal cannabis.

But they said recreational use would remain illegal, with Brits caught in possession of the Class A drug facing a jail-term of up to seven years.

Scientific studies have repeatedly shown psilocybin  the psychoactive chemical in magic mushrooms  has promise in boosting mental health, fighting off depression and helping PTSD sufferers.

Leading experts have called for a change in the law to allow 'shrooms' to be used in a similar way as medicinal cannabis

Experts from Oxford, Manchester and King's College London universities have called for magic mushrooms to be rescheduled.

Psilocybin is currently listed as a Schedule 1 substance, meaning it's thought to have no medicinal value and therefore cannot be legally possessed or prescribed.

But the group say moving the substance to Schedule 2 on a research-only basis will enable the 'sorely needed exploration of fresh mental health treatments'.

Schedule 2 drugs, such as ketamine and cannabis, are those that can be prescribed and supplied by doctors and pharmacists.

But rescheduling it on a research-only basis means researchers won't have to apply for multiple licences from the Home Office for each study.

In a paper submitted to the Home Office, the group argued rescheduling psilocybin could 'help avert a looming mental health crisis'.

Both the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group (CDPRG) and Adam Smith Institute (ASI) backed the calls for a law change.

THE PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS BEING STUDIED FOR THEIR MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS In recent years, scientists have increasingly looked to psychedelic drugs as promising therapies for treatment-resistant mental illness. Currently, such mind-altering drugs are largely illegal in the US. But ongoing clinical trials suggest that drugs once beloved by hippies and club kids might have medical benefits, too. Scientists are investigating: KETAMINE The club drug and tranquilizer has been in tests for treating depression for several years. In March 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first nasal spray version of the drug. Ketamine works much more quickly than traditional antidepressants, and scientists believe it encourages new neural connections that can help overwrite unhealthy, depressive thought patterns. PSILOCYBIN The active ingredient in 'magic mushrooms,' psilocybin is a powerful hallucinogen. It, too, acts far more quickly than traditional drugs and is being analyzed for use in patients with both depression and PTSD. Psyilocybin helps encourage neurplasticity and is thought to quiet down the 'default mode network' in the brain, and activate the 'salience network' that is involved in medication. In August, the FDA cleared the largest clinical trial for psilocybin to-date. MDMA The club drug MDMA - sometimes called 'Molly' - is currently in trials to treat PTSD. MDMA appears to quiet activity in the amygdala and hippocampus, regions of the brain involved in emotional processing and fear responses, which are over-active in those with PTSD. Patients participating in MDMA trials take a dose of the drug, and remain in an eight-hour session with two therapists who guide their experience. LSD The psychedelic compound LSD has a similar structure to the brain chemical, serotonin. LSD's discovery played a role in our discovery of how serotonin works in the brain and why imbalances of the neurochemical are involved in depression and anxiety. Trials using LSD-assisted therapy to treat anxiety are ongoing and have shown early promise. Advertisement

Figures suggest a fifth of Britons have symptoms of depression or anxiety at any one time. Around one in three cases of depression do not respond well to existing treatments.

Dan Pryor, head of programmes at the ASI, said: 'There hasn't been a breakthrough in depression research for decades.'

He added Britain has a chance to 'change millions of lives for the better' and put the UK at the forefront of research by rescheduling psilocybin.

Dr James Rucker, a psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said psilocybin's current scheduling is 'unnecessary'.

He added that the substance is not dangerous or addictive when compared to other drugs.

David King, director of research at the CDPRG added: 'The evidence suggests they [psilocybin-based therapies] may work where other treatments have failed.

'One might think the government would be supporting this vital research however possible  but the opposite is true.

'It is controlled by UK law under the strictest possible regulations.' He added that the regulations do not prohibit research but 'make it far more difficult'.

Mr King said: 'Parliament has known about these barriers to research for 20 years but no progress has been made. We cannot afford to wait any longer.'

Former Justice Minister Crispin Blunt, chair of the drug reform group, said: 'As a veteran myself, I am acutely aware of the urgent need for effective treatment options for this population.'

He said the 'unacceptable de facto block on the science' has left thousands unable to alleviate their symptoms or unable to benefit from new treatments.'

Mr Blunt added the 'law must change' to allow psilocybin to be through 'the rigours of research and large scale randomised controlled trials' to prove it works.

He said that the 'overdue' move would allow thousands in 'unnecessarily prolonged distress to access the treatment they both deserve and require'.

Prior to the approval of esketamine  a drug derived from the horse tranquiliser and party drug  by European officials last year, the last major advancement in the treatment of depression came over 30 years ago with the licensing of SSRIs.

British company Compass Pathway has received 'breakthrough therapy designation' in the US for trials of psilocybin.

The approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) means it will be fast-tracked through drug-development, if proven to work.

But the firm will be struck by huge costs and delays when it moves to the next-stage of trials, The Telegraph reports, suggesting experts hope it will be used in the UK.

Psilocybin, found naturally in over 100 species of fungi, induces temporary changes in mood by activating serotonin receptors in the brain.

Portrayals in stone carvings and rock paintings suggest people first discovered the hallucinogenic powers of 'magic' mushrooms as early as 9000 BC.

Psilocybin is one of several psychedelic drugs that have recently reemerged from the shadows with promises to treat mental illnesses and addictions.

Research from New York University published earlier this year found taking a single dose of the drug reduced anxiety and depression in cancer patients.

And King's College London scientists in December found healthy volunteers had no side effects when given the chemical.

Imperial College London experts say psilocybin may have a 'reset' effect on the brain that helps patients overcome depression.

In the US, psilocybin, the active ingredient in the mushrooms, is listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, making it illegal to grow or possess.
South Korea has acknowledged that a North Korean defector, who had been accused of rape in the South, may have sneaked past South Korean border guards before apparently swimming back to his North Korean homeland.

At a briefing Monday, South Korean military officials said they found the mans bag near a drainage ditch he apparently used to get under a barbed wire fence on the northeastern island of Ganghwa, which is separated from North Korea by a portion of the Han River Estuary.

The 24-year-old, who fled North Korea in 2017, had recently been accused of raping another defector and was the subject of an arrest warrant in the South, according to South Korean media reports. He had also recently lost his job, the reports say.

But South Korean health officials said the re-defector was not registered as a COVID-19 patient or as someone who had come in contact with infected individuals.

That undermines North Koreas accusation that the man may have brought the coronavirus into the communist country.

Apparently referring to the same person, North Korean state media on Sunday said a runaway suspected to be carrying the coronavirus returned to the North on July 19th after illegally crossing the demarcation line that separates the two Koreas.

It was the first time North Korea has acknowledged a possible coronavirus infection. North Korea has declared a state of emergency and imposed a lockdown around Kaesong City, the border town where the re-defector was found.

Why admit it now?

Even though 16 million coronavirus infections have been reported worldwide, North Korea had long insisted it was completely free of the virus - a claim most outside observers said was practically impossible.

North Korea shares a 1,400-kilometer-long border with China, where the virus originated. Although the North formally closed its borders in February, much of its trade with China is informal and hard to control.

Many analysts said North Korea may be using the incident to finally acknowledge a coronavirus outbreak, even while blaming South Korea.

This would make for an extremely convenient way for the regime to admit the existence of COVID-19 in the country, wrote Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein, a North Korea specialist at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

The message is: our anti-epidemic measures, such as closing the northern border, were flawless. But one case still slipped through the cracks," he said. "Having a first confirmed case coming in from the south relieves the regime of any awkwardness vis-a-vis China."

The move could also have a domestic message, says Go Myong-Hyun, a research fellow at the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

They're trying to send a message that North Korea is under siege, that there is a lot of infection going on outside of North Korea, and that the regime is trying their utmost to keep the country clean and effective," he said.

In recent months, North Korea has hurled aggressive rhetoric at the South, accusing it of prioritizing relations with Washington over Pyongyang.

It goes along with the spin that South Korea is not to be trusted, says Go. They are trying to attach this negative image of an infection, virus, and pandemic along with South Korea and the defectors at the same time.

Border security lapses

The defector incident has also raised concerns about possible security lapses along the 250-kilometer border that separates North and South Korea.

A politburo meeting convened Saturday by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un chastised the loose guard performance in the frontline area where the runaway occurred and vowed possible severe punishment, according to state media.

When North Koreans flee their country, they usually do so via the border with China, since the border between North and South Korea is one of the most heavily fortified in the world.

But somehow the defector at the center of North Koreas coronavirus claims appears to have crossed the inter-Korean border twice.

The defector, surnamed Kim, detailed his 2017 escape from North Korea in a pair of YouTube interviews last month with another defector.

I decided to escape because of poverty, he said in the interview that surfaced Monday.

Kim said it took more than seven hours to reach South Korea. The journey, he said, included crossing a minefield, going through barbed wire and electric fences, and swimming across the Han River.

The number of North Korean defectors reaching the South has steadily fallen in recent years, as North Korea and China tighten border controls. The coronavirus has only made things more difficult. During the second quarter of this year, the number of incoming defectors reached an all-time low, with only 12 reaching the South.

North Koreans who have fled to the South rarely return. Since 2015, only 11 North Korean defectors have gone back to the North, South Koreas Unification Ministry said Monday.
An Indonesian worker wearing a protective suit and holding a sign noting the countrys COVID-19 totals stands at a central bus stop in Jakarta, July 27, 2020.

Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo warned government officials on Monday not to let their guard down as confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country surpassed 100,000  the most of any country in East Asia.

Sharp increases in coronavirus cases have been detected since the archipelago nation began to gradually reopen the economy and public life in June, following three months of partial lockdowns implemented by local governments in parts of the decentralized country.

Dont lose your sense of crisis. Health is our priority and it should not be compromised in the slightest, he told a cabinet meeting to discuss the pandemic.

The target is clear  reduce the fatality rate as much as possible, increase the recovery rate and curb the spread of new cases as quickly as possible, he said.

The president said special attention must be paid to eight provinces which account for 82 percent of the COVID-19 cases in the country, including the capital Jakarta, neighboring West Java, and East Java. Officials said new cluster had been traced to traditional markets, boarding schools, seminars, shopping malls and offices.

Jokowi urged his ministers to speed up disbursement of COVID-19 stimulus funds totaling 695 trillion rupiah (U.S. $47.7 billion), pointing out that only 19 percent had been spent thus far.

The absorption of the stimulus funds still leaves much to be desired and the pace has been slow, he said. We need to work fast and make breakthroughs.

Manila-based Asian Development Bank last month projected the Indonesian gross domestic product would contract by 1 percent in 2020  down from a forecast of 2.5 percent growth in April.

Social Restrictions must be strengthened

The worlds fourth most-populous country, which recorded its first case in March, Indonesia recorded 1,525 new infections in the past 24 hours, taking the national tally to 100,303. Fifty-seven deaths overnight brought the number of fatalities 4,838, officials said.

Globally, the number of COVID-19 cases has surpassed 16.3 million and nearly 650,000 people have died as of Monday, according to disease experts at U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono, an epidemiologist at the University of Indonesia, said the governments belief that it could strike a balance between health and the economy has been misguided.

This is because if you want to reduce the transmission rate, large-scale social restrictions must be strengthened, and this will hurt the economy, he told BenarNews.

Even though the government has not lifted restrictions entirely, many people are acting as if things had returned to normal, Wahyono said.

Its a choice the government has made, but more than 1,000 cases every day is too many, and this country should not let people die for the sake of the economy, he said.

COVID-19 task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito, meanwhile, said the fatality rate was decreasing and daily recoveries were almost the same as new cases.

We are aware that human lives must not take a back seat, he said.

Earlier this month another epidemiologist at the University of Indonesia, Pandu Riono, said peoples failure to observe health precautions and poor government communication about the risks had contributed to the steady pace of daily cases.

Many people believe that they are not at risk of contracting COVID-19 and ignore the health protocols, he told BenarNews.

Highest rate of child fatalities

Indonesian Pediatric Society chairman Aman Bhakti last week said the nation had recorded the most COVID-19 deaths of children among countries in Southeast Asia. Neighbors Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand have recorded none, the Straits Times reported.

As the pandemic is not yet over, Indonesia will likely have the highest rate of child deaths from COVID-19 in the world, he said, according to the news site.

The task force has recorded 48 deaths among children 5 and younger and 43 for children ages 6 to 17.

Meanwhile, overburdened health facilities, disrupted food supply chains and income loss caused by COVID-19 could lead to a sharp rise in the number of malnourished children in Indonesia, the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement released on June 30. Even before COVID-19, Indonesia faced high levels of malnutrition, with more than 2 million children suffering from severe wasting, and more than 7 million children 5 and younger suffering from impaired growth and development, the statement said.

COVID-19 has hit vulnerable families the hardest, UNICEF Indonesia representative Debora Comini said. Unless we urgently scale up prevention and treatment services for malnourished children, we risk seeing an increase in child illness and deaths linked to malnutrition.

The medical profession also has been hit hard by the pandemic. The Indonesian Medical Association said at least 68 doctors had died from COVID-19, while the National Nurse Association said at least 39 of its members had lost their lives.
There are no certainties when it comes to the pandemic, but the Premier couldnt have been clearer on the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 in Western Australia when talking to reporters last week: "Chances are, the virus will come back."

Mark McGowan was at pains to say this was the experience around the world, but argued the state was ready.

Premier Mark McGowan says there are contingency plans in place if there is a second wave of COVID-19 in WA. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"That's why we have all the contingency plans in place to deal with it if that eventuality arrives," he said.

But what does this mean? Does it mean WA should ready itself for a Melbourne-style lockdown? Not only has the outbreak in Victoria cost the nations economy more than $3 billion, lives are being lost. On Monday, the state posted a record 532 new infections and six deaths.
Firmly back in the chair... Premier Neville Wran at a press conference to announce the findings of the Royal Commission on July 28, 1983. Credit:Paul Mathews

Mr Wran resumed his post at 3.30 pm yesterday after the Governor, Sir James Rowland, revoked the commission of Mr Jack Ferguson, who has been Acting Premier since May 16.

The Royal Commissioner, Sir Laurence Street, has "completely exonerated" the Premier, Mr Wran, but found that the former Chief Stipendiary Magistrate, Mr Murray Farquhar, did influence the outcome of the committal proceedings in 1977 against Mr Kevin Humphreys.

Shortly after, Mr Wran said he was satisfied with the findings  but did not regard them as a victory.

"It would be a mistake for anyone" to think that I am relieved, or that I am pleased, or that in some way I am gratified. I'm not. I should not have been involved in the first place," an angry Mr Wran told a press conference.

The Government received a copy of the Chief Justice's report about 2 pm yesterday and announced only the main findings. The Solicitor-General, Mary Gaudron, and the Crown Solicitor, Mr Hugh Roberts, have been asked to give an early decision on the release of the report, but it is not expected before Monday.

"A little angry." Neville Wran Credit:Paul Mathews

Mr Farquhar said in a statement last night that he and his advisers were not aware of the contents of the report but had retained leading Sydney QC, Mr Tom Hughes.
Queensland is prepared to 'slam the border shut' and ban all New South Wales residents as COVID-19 clusters in Sydney continue to grow.

The Queensland government drew criticism when it closed the state's borders to all travellers between March and July, but Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she's ready and willing to do it again.

'If there are outbreaks of community transmission or it cannot be sourced or there are clusters, we will not hesitate to declare hotspots or we will not hesitate - if it gets out of control - to slam the border shut,' she told reporters on Monday.

The warning comes as even more NSW residents will be blocked from entering Queensland from Monday.

The Fairfield area in Sydney's west has been declared a hotspot. All residents or anyone who has visited the suburbs within the council area will be banned from crossing the border.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she's ready and willing to close Queensland's borders to all of NSW again

It comes as more NSW residents will be blocked from entering Queensland from Monday, as the Fairfield area in Sydney is declared a hotspot. Pictured: Cars arriving from NSW are checked by police at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast

Defence personnel at a checkpoint on the Queensland-New South Wales border in Coolangatta, Queensland, last week

Liverpool and Campbelltown in NSW are also declared hotspots, as is the entire state of Victoria.

Current travel restrictions will prevent more than 600,000 Sydney residents from entering the Sunshine State.

Ms Palaszczuk says any decisions on further hotspots or border closures will be made on the advice of Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young.

'That advice has stood Queensland in a very good position,' the premier said.

'Every single day we are monitoring the situation in NSW.'

Queensland recorded no new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours and there are just five active cases in the state.

It follows the winding back of some freedoms in Queensland restaurants, pubs and clubs.

All patrons will have to be seated when drinking or eating, the CHO announced on Friday, blindsiding the hospitality industry.

Victoria recorded 532 more COVID-19 cases and six more deaths. Pictured: ADF personnel and Victorian police officers patrol a walking track as Melbourne remains in lockdown

Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday said five of those six deaths are connected to outbreaks in aged care. Pictured: Medical staff dispose of clinical waste at an aged care facility in Melbourne

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington says business deserved more warning.

'The premier is creating this chaos ... at five minutes to midnight the premier is changing the rules and businesses can't keep up,' Ms Frecklington said.

'The businesses are telling me they need lead time. The premier needs to give business more notice in terms of regulations.'

Her call for more consideration for businesses comes as Queensland maintains its tight hold over coronavirus with no new positive tests reported on Monday and just five active cases across the state.

Treasurer Cameron Dick said 'complacency is the enemy' and the way to stay on top of the pandemic was to remain vigilant.

'The virus is so unpredictable. It's only reason for existence is to find another host to infect another person. We just need to monitor it so carefully to ensure when we need to take action we will,' he told reporters on Sunday.

It comes as Victoria recorded 532 more COVID-19 cases and six more deaths.

Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday said five of those six deaths are connected to outbreaks in aged care.

The deaths take the state toll to 77 and the national figure to 162.

NSW recorded 14 new cases on Sunday including six associated with the Thai Rock Wetherill Park cluster with two of these also linked to Our Lady of Lebanon Church.

Four cases were associated with a cluster tied to a funeral service at St Brendan's Catholic Church, Bankstown on July 18.

The entire state of Victoria is banned from entering Queensland. Pictured: ADF personnel and Victorian police officers are seen patrolling the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne

Georges River Grammar School in Georges Hall was also temporarily closed for cleaning after a child who attended the school tested positive. The child is linked with the funeral service cluster in southwestern Sydney.

NSW Health later on Sunday urged anyone who attended the Thai Rock restaurant in Potts Point for more than two hours between July 15 and July 25 to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days since they were last there, regardless of symptoms.

Residents across the state have been urged to avoid all non-essential travel and gatherings with NSW Health particularly worried about transmission in hotels, restaurants, gyms and social gatherings.

People should also consider wearing a mask in situations where they are unable to practise social distancing.

NSW has now recorded 3479 cases - up 249 in the past 21 days.
Rami Makhlouf has posted on Facebook again, this time lamenting the seizure of Cham Holding, which the regime claim he was stealing money from writes Alsouria Net.

Bashar al-Assads cousin, Rami Makhlouf, made a comment today on the imposition of the Assad government becoming a legal guardian of Cham Holding.

Makhlouf expressed his thoughts in a new Facebook post. He wrote that, after the arbitrary cancellation of free market contracts, the young took possession of the latter and pressured several other investors, on various charges and pretexts, to disrupt their business and take hold of their property. They also took charge of Cham Holding which includes more than seventy shareholders, who were the pillars of the Syrian economy.

Makhlouf added that, the regime took legal guardianship of the company after one of the partners bought a small stake in the company (less than one percent), and discovered, with the help of the security services, the existence of a signed contract between Cham Holding and the company Ornina, which led them to make up a story about our misappropriation of the contract amounts and transferring them to our own accounts overseas.

The Damascus First Civil Commercial Court announced last Wednesday that legal oversight was imposed on Cham Holding after a shareholder in the company, by the name of Ahmed Khalil, filed a lawsuit against Makhlouf, in which he accused him of stealing 23 million dollars.

The lawsuit details revealed that Makhlouf smuggled and stole money, putting it in his own account through a fake company, Ornina, and he did not even add the amount to the companys account for the shareholders to benefit from.

Makhlouf justified this by saying that Ornina Company and other similar companies raison detre is to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Cham Holding, in addition to being a way to pay some dues to suppliers, who do not want to be directly associated with the company, and that the amounts collected are in the Cham Holding accounts and all contracts associated with the company shall be honored.

The court appointed Hakim Nasser Mahfoud as a court supervisor for the company. He is getting a monthly salary of five million Syrian pounds, while Makhlouf confirmed that the supervisor, was an employee of ours and was recently arrested for three months, and he was not released until he caved in to everything that was asked of him.

Makhlouf asked, Is it a coincidence, or is security also involved in this matter?

He concluded his post with a message to his partners in Cham Holding: For our partners in Cham Holding, forgive us for what happens to young people; there is no power or strength except by Allah.

This case has been unfolding against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Assad and Makhlouf, which began after the Assad regime demanded that Makhlouf pay huge sums of money, and the latters insistence on the illegality of the matter, which prompted him to publish a series of videos and posts attacking these measures.

Last month, the Assad government issued several decisions against Makhlouf and his companies, including a cash seizure of Rami Makhlouf, his wife, and his children, in addition to appointing legal oversight on Makhloufs company, Sertil, and excluding him from free market investment.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Monday, July 27, and San Franciscos transportation chief wants to reinvent the subway. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

California and New York have gone through a role reversal of sorts, now that New Yorks terrifying coronavirus outbreak from the spring appears to be over, while Californias summer surge is still swelling.

In March and April, New York consistently reported 10 times as many cases a day as California. By the end of June, California was outpacing New York by about the same rate. Last week, California reported about 65,000 new cases to New Yorks 4,900.

But the numbers are more complicated than case counts. Erin Allday explains why the coronavirus curve looks so different for the two states.

 California requires masks, but not everyone wears one. Heres how to fix that.

Testing lagged where it was needed most

As the coronavirus dug into the Bay Areas low-income Latino and Black neighborhoods this spring, doctors and community leaders pleaded for more testing sites.

But even as access to testing grew in wealthier, whiter parts of several Bay Area counties, community testing sites lagged or offered only limited hours in communities of color where the virus was spreading fastest, according to a Chronicle analysis of test site data from March through mid-July.

Read more from Cynthia Dizikes and Joaquin Palomino.

 Interactive map: See testing sites near you in the Bay Area.

 Previously: Coronavirus data show growing disparities in income and race in Bay Area.

No coronavirus deaths at Laguna Honda

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

A deadly coronavirus outbreak looked inevitable in March for Laguna Honda, the largest nursing home in the state. Residents of the San Francisco facility felt scared. Workers, with little access to testing and protective gear, were frightened, too.

Now, four months into the pandemic, not one Laguna Honda resident or worker has died of COVID-19, according to public health officials  proving, advocates say, that with the right response and safety protocols, nursing homes can protect residents and workers from the coronavirus.

Read more from Sarah Ravani about how they did it.

 This Bay Area company thought it might not survive. Then it started making coronavirus proteins.

 Five new reasons to remain hopeful during the pandemic, from Bay Area health experts.

Muni Metro to roll the dice on big changes

In San Francisco, a city where its difficult to move a bus stop without causing an uprising, the head of transportation has taken on a much greater challenge: He wants to reinvent the subway.

When Muni Metro restarts Aug. 22 after an unprecedented five-month shutdown, it will have modified rail routes and fewer trains running in the tunnels each hour. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency chief Jeffrey Tumlin hopes this leaner model will make the system more reliable. But hes also operating under intense pressure from COVID-19, a fickle public and the stop-start uncertainty of the economy.

Its a really big change that were doing very quickly, Tumlin said in an interview. The sort of change that would normally take five years.

Read more from Rachel Swan.

Dream wedding went on despite warning

Megan Farmer/The Chronicle

Catholic authorities in San Francisco were warned to follow the local coronavirus health order. But a city official says the leadership of SS Peter and Pauls, one of the citys most famous churches, helped a young couple organize an illegal indoor wedding anyway.

Now several attendees and the newlyweds have tested positive for the coronavirus, guests say.

Read more from Matthias Gafni about the clandestine nuptials crashed by a city investigator and their health consequences.

 Amid coronavirus warnings, Oaklands Lake Merritt sees increased police presence.

Around the Bay

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

 Cleanup and criticism: Oakland mayor condemns vandalism by agitators after weekend rally.

 Accountability and oversight: Oakland council proposes increasing Police Commission powers, but voters to have final say.

 Building on pause: Coronavirus stalls housing construction in S.F., and the lull may last a while.

 New safety zone: After years of collisions and injuries, S.F.s Panhandle gets a protected bike lane.

 Boon for the birds: Emergency water delivery to Klamath wildlife refuge saves 50,000 ducklings from certain death.

 Pollution setback: California had a plan to bring clean water to a million people. Then the pandemic hit.

 Campaign 2020: Democrats winning money wars in several California congressional races.

 Access at stake: California laws likely to override Trump rule on transgender homeless-shelter stays.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

 Test drivers called back to work: Cruise robot cars deliver food to the needy. Are they a pretext to resume testing?

 Just making the best: Food pop-ups see new life as S.F. businesses adjust to shelter-in-place.

 From Carl Nolte: Once we survive pandemic, our next struggle will be keeping S.F.s essence alive.

 From Phil Matier: S.F. may erase presidents names from schools Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and FDR could all go.

 From Kathleen Pender: Unemployment payments will drop by $600 unless Congress acts soon.

 Farewell to a Hollywood great: Olivia de Havilland, two-time Oscar-winning screen legend who had lived in the Bay Area, dies at 104.

 He was amazing: Jerry Lubenow, longtime S.F. journalist who knew all the right people, dies at 80.

Throughline: The future of the arts

The Chronicle photo illustration / Getty Images

At least in the near term, any Bay Area arts event that involves the gathering of people will probably have to move outdoors or be staged in a large, airy indoor space. How will that work? How differently will we experience performing arts?

Week 3 of Throughline, The Chronicles limited-series project exploring how the pandemic and protests could shape the Bay Areas future, looks at our relationship to the arts.

Sam Whiting writes that as part of this deep dive, we posed a thought experiment to a cross-section of 22 Bay Area cultural thought leaders: If you were given a swath of land like Fort Mason and allowed to reconfigure it to create safer arts experiences, what would it look like?

See and read about their bold ideas for live performances, from floating music to artistic igloos.

In Datebook:

 Ways the pandemic might permanently change the arts.

 From the Exploratorium to the zoo, Bay Area attractions are adapting to the pandemic.

 The future of live music? Flower crowns, face masks and hand sanitizer.

 The coronavirus may accelerate existing trends in movie exhibition.

Bay Briefing is edited by Taylor Kate Brown and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com.
New controversies have emerged at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), the gem of an art museum located in the heart of the decayed industrial city. The DIAs director, Salvador Salort-Pons, has been accused of conflict of interest, along with insensitivity to diversity issues.

Immense tensions generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the DIA to close for almost four months this year, and the general, unprecedented social crisis in the US no doubt play a role. In addition, lower-paid employees and staff members assuredly have genuine grievances. The DIA has been under financial siege, particularly in the wake of Detroits filing for bankruptcy in July 2013, for years. Its situation remains essentially precarious.

What part is being played by selfish and unscrupulous actors in the present situation is less clear, but that their presence is being felt seems unquestionable. In any such situation, where even the possibility of focusing on race and gender exist, the fine hand of the New York Times is sure to be found.

Auguste Rodin's Thinker at the Detroit Institute of Arts (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

On July 15, the Times published an article, Complaint Faults Museum Director for Hanging His In-Laws El Greco, which exemplifies the newspapers current modus operandi. Artnet News published an article July 17 along similar lines.

The Times piece ostensibly focuses on the decision by the Spanish-born Salort-Pons to pursue and arrange for the loan to the DIA of a major work, St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata (c.1590), by El Greco, the great Greek painter of the Spanish Renaissance.

The wealthy collector from whom the painting was borrowed is Alan May, the DIA directors father-in-law. The Times notes that a whistle-blower complaint, filed with the Internal Revenue Service and the Michigan attorney general, asserts that conflict-of-interest rules to prevent self-dealing have been skirted.

Salort-Pons insists that proper procedures were followed and that the DIAs board was well aware of the family connection. Its a common practice for American museums to engage collectors and patrons asking them to loan paintings, he told the Times in an interview.

Eugene A. Gargaro, chairman of the DIA Board of Directors since 2003, told the Times in a separate interview that both May and Salort-Pons informed him of the planned loan. If its disclosed to me, then its disclosed to the whole board, Gargaro told the newspaper.

The El Greco issue appears to be largely a red herring. The idea that Salort-Pons has been motivated by the desire to see his family gain financially from the extended loan seems far-fetched.

Salvador Salort-Pons (Photo creditDIA)

The Times piece reports that Salort-Pons acknowledges that including the work of, say, a young contemporary artist on the institutes walls would likely boost that works value. But he questioned whether that held for paintings by established names like El Greco. The painting in question is already valued at $5 million.

In 2010, Salort-Pons, then an assistant curator of European Paintings at the DIA, borrowed for the museum from May a 17th century painting, An Allegory of Autumn, attributed to the circle of the famed French artist Nicolas Poussin. Graham Beal, director at the time, emailed the Times, The loan(s) from Alan May was/were totally above board and benefited the DIA as much, if not more, than the lender.

Of course, it probably would not occur to Salort-Pons or Beal, much less the Times, to address the more vexing issue: the extent to which the art-loving public is increasingly held hostage to the designs and whims of multimillionaires like May, a retired real estate investor in Dallas, who obtain paintings for their private collections. The vast sums raked in on the stock market in the past several decades have given ultrawealthy individuals far more clout and buying power than all but the most heavily endowed museums and art galleries.

In any event, one clearly senses that the conflict-of-interest issue is not the Times overriding concern. As an indication of that, the July 15 piece asserts early on that the DIA directors answers over the El Greco loan have failed to satisfy the museum employees who filed the complaint at a time when other concerns, including ones about Mr. Salort-Ponss management style and about DIAs treatment of its Black employees, are roiling the institute.

Whether the institute as a whole is roiled or not, it is clear that some staff members are agitated, and the Times would apparently like them all to be. The article subsequently cites broader complaints by anonymous staff members in regard to a less-than-collaborative management style, sidelining of senior staff members, and frustration that Mr. Salort-Pons is undermining the institutes emphasis on community outreach and education for which it prides itself. They also complain about a certain deafness on race at a time when questions about systemic racism are coursing through the countrys cultural institutions.

Such questions are undoubtedly coursing through US cultural institutions, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), with the Times, dedicated to the racialization of every aspect of life, doing its part to ensure that process continues and deepens. As we wrote in late June in regard to issues raised about comments made by a senior curator at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, there is not the slightest evidence that white supremacy and unbridled racism reign supreme at any leading art institution in the US.

We argued in June, and we will make the point again, that the relatively small percentage of black staff members and officials at art museums is, above all, a class question, the result of social oppression. The largely working class African American population is excluded from the art world primarily by the fact that the working class as a whole is blocked from access to culture by the existing social system. (How many sons or daughters of rank-and-file Detroit autoworkers of any ethnic background sit on the DIAs current board, or have ever sat on it?) The decades-long devastation of public and arts education, covered up or encouraged by the Times and the rest of the political and media establishment, has substantially worsened matters.

Diego Rivera, Detroit Industry Murals (North wall)

In its article on Salort-Pons and the DIA, the Times general approach is fairly transparent: to collect real grievances, along with less than urgent or even manufactured ones, and focus or weaponize them in the service of the newspapers obsessive identity politics agenda. In that effort, the newspaper is aided by the confusion and susceptibility of various social layers. Another grouping, decidedly not confused, composed of already affluent and aspiring African American petty-bourgeois elements, wants to advance its own economic interests at the DIA and will use every opportunity to press ahead.

A body called DIA Staff Action has demanded the removal of Salort-Pons on the vague grounds of the now well-reported hostile and chaotic work culture that has affected the quality and accessibility of the service offerings for DIAs constituents. On the other hand, a group claiming to represent service workers at the museum has pointed to its legitimate shock that workers are still being paid as little as $10/hr. Furthermore, the latter group points out rightly that the concept of a no-wage increase for working in the public during this pandemic does not seem like the institution values its workers as much as they publicly lead on.

The Times refers to the June resignation of the DIAs digital experience director, Andrea Montiel de Shuman, who complained in an online essay of a contradictory, hostile, at times vicious and chaotic work environment that censors the work of people of color and neglects Black communities. The article further notes the departure of two assistant curators, both Black women, who were hired for the contemporary art department in 2016 as part of an effort to expand diversity. One of those curators, Taylor Renee Aldridge, without elaborating further, told the Times in an email that her situation is emblematic of many abuses and systemic violences that permeate from the top down in museums, and especially the DIA.

Unfortunately, Montiel de Shumans essay is typical of the current conditions in artistic circles. One of her prime complaints is that the DIA, as part of an exhibition, hung Paul Gauguins 1892 Spirit of the Dead Watching, which portrays the artists 13-year-old Tahitian wife, Tehura, without a label addressing the fact that the artist sexually abused her, gave her syphilis, and colonized her home. The former DIA official amplified her complaint by referring to her own sexual abuse as a girl.

We have written previously about the Gauguin controversy and do not propose to repeat ourselves here. We pointed out that even if one were to determine that Gauguin acted irresponsibly or reprehensibly in Tahiti, to what extent, if any, do the more unseemly facts qualitatively or even identifiably mar his work?

DIA officials apparently responded to Montiel de Shuman by suggesting that, first, this was largely a personal issue, and, second, that the DIA was not going to be a censoring institution, which seem to be pretty sensible arguments.

Montiel de Shuman counters that, on the contrary, museums censor all the time for money, to protect reputations, out of ignorance... And that makes us complicit. She no doubt has a point of some sort but seems to have missed the larger one, that this is hardly an argument for further censorship!

The DIA is a major arts institution, one blessed with an exquisite collection assembled in part by the Berlin-trained William [Wilhelm] Valentiner, who served as its director from 1924 to 1945. In that position, Valentiner, among other things, commissioned Diego Riveras astonishing Detroit Industry Murals (1932-33), one of the 20th centurys greatest artistic achievements.

However, the DIA is a major arts institution in a country undergoing an immense and unprecedented social, economic and health crisis--in fact, a country experiencing a systemic breakdown. Moreover, the DIA is especially vulnerable, its development and eventual historic crisis linked to the rise and decline of the US auto industry. The DIA has already faced three decades in particular of budget cuts, downsizing and existential financial threats.

The 2013 bankruptcy of Detroit and the demands of its creditors threatened the DIA with closure or having its collection sold off to satisfy Wall Street. The Socialist Equality Party organized opposition, insisting that the art work belonged to the population, not the bankers, and held an important rally outside the museum on October 4, 2013.

In the face of widespread popular anger and fearful of the political repercussions of simply shutting the museums doors, top government and legal system officials organized the rescue of the DIA by raising hundreds of millions of dollars from nine private foundations and other means. The DIA is more than ever at the mercy of these philanthropic-corporate bodies, which is unquestionably an added and significant pressure on museum officials and the artistic choices they make.

The answer to the DIAs undeniable crisis does not lieas the Times and other establishment mouthpieces would have itin the racial or gender shakeup or re-engineering of the museums officialdom, and the reapportioning of positions and incomes according to identity quotas. There is not the slightest evidence that diversity of this artificial and politically driven character, which does not make an institution any more socially diverse in the slightest, will improve matters.

Nor is maintaining the status quo, which involves the museums eking out an existence in the shadow of a massive social crisis in a country and a city at the beck and call of powerful financial interests, a tenable solution.

In the end, any progressive, artistically and socially productive future for the DIA depends on the conscious intervention of the working population, which responded to the threats to the museums existence in 2013 and whose cultural education is bound up with its flourishing.

The museums future requires ending the corporate-plutocratic stranglehold over every important aspect of life in the US, the ultimate source of all its difficulties. The socialist transformation of American society would mean a vast redistribution of wealth from the top to the bottom. The ill-gotten gains of the corporate-financial oligarchy have to be seized and used to meet social and cultural needs.
TDT | Manama

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Bahrains citizens and residents have been called to abide by all precautionary measures during Eid Al Adha festivities to avert a possible surge of coronavirus (COVID-19) active cases. The appeal was made yesterday by Supreme Council of Health (SCH) president Lieutenant-General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.

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Dr Shaikh Mohammed reiterated the importance of following all measures in order to avoid a potential repeat of the spike in total active cases resulting from Ramadhan and Eid Al Fitr gatherings earlier this year, in which the number of cases increased dramatically by more than 1,000 in a span of just over two weeks.

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Dr Shaikh Mohammed, who is also the National Taskforce for Combatting COVID-19 head, urged full commitment to preventive measures so as to support the Kingdom-wide efforts to fight the pandemic and mitigate its impact on public life.

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He underlined every individuals responsibility towards self, family, the community and the whole nation, urging all Bahraini families, as well as expatriates, to avoid outdoor gatherings, and help protect the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases.

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Dr Shaikh Mohammed stressed the need to limit contact, adhere to the criteria of social distancing, and to wear face masks when meeting people or when leaving the home, preferably only when absolutely necessary.

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The SCH chief commended the dedicated national efforts exerted by medical teams in the frontline of the battle against the pandemic, praising multi-party cooperation and coordination in line with World Health Organisation recommendations. Dr Shaikh Mohammed also expressed congratulations and good wishes to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on the occasion of Eid Al Adha.

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He also extended Eid greetings to His Royal Highness the Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and to His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Minister.

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Dr Shaikh Mohammed wished HM the King, Bahrains government and people, and all Arab and Islamic nations, many happy returns, praying to Allah the Almighty to bless the Kingdom with further progress and prosperity and the world with health and peace.

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In line with the SCH presidents message, a set of guidelines were released, as part of the public awareness campaign to combat COVID-19, that are to be observed during Eid Al Adha, for the safety of all. These include limiting Eid gatherings, adhering to social distancing measures, greeting family and friends virtually, and transferring Eidiyasmoney gifts to children during Eidelectronically
An employee of Solar States looks over a recent photovoltaic installation on a West Philadelphia rooftop. Owners of some solar systems installed this year have been unable to connect their systems to the power grid because of coronavirus restrictions on Peco workers, shutting the owners out of a city solar rebate program. Read more

On a visit to his childhood home in England last year, Joe Drury sat on a London bus being cooked alive by a brutal heat wave.

This is not the climate that I grew up in, said Drury, an associate professor of English at Villanova University. I came home determined to start making changes to my life.

Drury decided to install a rooftop solar system on his familys University City house. He lined up a contractor, arranged financing, and had the 24-panel system installed by March, just in time to capture energy during the spring and summer sunny seasons.

He didnt count on the coronavirus.

During the pandemic lockdown, Peco was unable to dispatch a work crew to install a new electric meter at Drurys house because his meter is located in the basement. Drurys system began generating electricity, but he received no compensation for any surplus production because he needed a new bidirectional meter to measure energy output onto Pecos system, along with the power drawn off the grid.

Worse, without paperwork showing Pecos work was complete, Drury was unable to apply for a city solar rebate of nearly $1,800 that would have covered 7.7% of his systems $23,266 cost. By early June, the opportunity for a rebate was gone: the city fund to incentivize solar installations was exhausted by other customers Peco was able to connect to the grid because their meters are outdoors.

I was frustrated and increasingly angry because the policy didnt make sense, said Drury, 43.

We care about climate change, but we were also drawing up spreadsheets, carefully calculating how much it was going to cost, how much we would be benefiting, how long it would take to pay off the cost. And the rebate was definitely a big part of those calculations.

Peco says the delays to complete solar installations affect a minority of customers with indoor electric meters. In order to give credit to solar producers, utilities need to install two-way meters that measure electricity coming and going from their house  not just the billable power that is consumed.

For the safety of our crews and our customers, we temporarily suspended the installation of all indoor bi-directional meters for all installations, including solar, during the pandemic, Mayra Bergman, Pecos spokeswoman, said in an email. Solar interconnections with outdoor meters have not been impacted as we continue to grow solar across Southeastern Pennsylvania.

About 25 customers were affected by the delay, she said. We understand the desire for customers to have indoor meters installed in order to complete their solar interconnections and we are developing a plan to restart this work safely, she said.

After The Inquirer began making inquiries last week, Peco reached out to several solar customers to schedule long-delayed meter installations. Drury, who had also reached out to State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams (D., Phila.), said a Peco crew came on Thursday.

Installers such as Philadelphias Solar States have also been pressing Peco to swap out the electric meters for customers whose installations were completed months ago, said Skyler Willman-Cole, chief operating officer. About eight of Solar Statess customers with indoor meters are awaiting new meters, he said.

Peco is still proceeding with caution and has moved forward with a handful of solar installations over the last few days, Bergman said. We will continue to put safety first and carefully monitor governors orders, CDC guidance, and other safety protocols as they evolve.

The meter swaps are happening too late for Philadelphia customers to take advantage of the solar rebate program, which City Council approved last year to spur more customers to install solar systems, and also to compensate for reductions in federal tax credits that went from 30% last year to 26% this year, and are set to shrink to 22% next year.

The city rebates provided residential buyers 20 cents for every watt of solar installed and 10 cents per watt to owners of commercial systems. Drurys system is about 8,900 watts  or 8.9 kilowatts  and he would have been due about $1,780.

Mayor Jim Kenneys budget provided $250,000 for the rebates  City Council had set the funding cap at twice that amount, $500,000. Applications opened in March, and all of the money was committed by early June, said Emily Schapira, executive director of the Philadelphia Energy Authority.

No funding was included in the current COVID-19-reduced city budget, Schapira said, though applicants for funds who missed the cutoff are being put on a waiting list, she said.

I guess the money is exhausted, said Vu Le, a Philadelphia researcher who commissioned Solar States to install systems early this year at two Philadelphia houses he owns. One, with an exterior meter that Peco swapped, qualified for a Philadelphia rebate. The other home, with an interior meter, is awaiting a new meter, now scheduled for early August.

Bryan Mercer, who hired Solar States to install an 8.9 kilowatt system on his Kingsessing home in February, last week learned Peco has scheduled his new meter installation for early August. He said his main beef with Peco was the lack of communication: I certainly understand the type of precautions that need to be taken because of the pandemic, but its been disappointing that Peco hasnt actively reached out to tell us whats going on.

Mercer, the executive director of a social justice nonprofit, said his system on Thursday produced 40 kilowatt hours of electricity, much of which went back into the grid, uncompensated because of the lack of a bidirectional meter. But the loss of the city rebate hurts more. Like Drury, Mercer estimated his rebate would have been nearly $1,800.

We signed up because of the citys solar program, Mercer said. And financially one of the things that was really important to my familys consideration was that wed be getting a rebate based on the solar capacity.
With many organizations moving to the cloud, Microsoft 365 has become a popular productivity suite for businesses of all sizes. The service hosts familiar Microsoft apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Exchange alongside a range of enterprise services offered by Microsoft. With Microsoft 365, businesses can enable employees to access, store and share files anywhere, with up to 1TB of storage per user. Its also a useful collaboration tool, allowing for group chats, and online meetings, as well as instant feedback and collaboration features, all while ensuring data and customer information stays secure.

Microsoft 365s popularity has increased demand for IT pros who can set up, administer, develop for, and secure the suite. If you want to land a job working with Microsoft 365, Microsoft offers a range of entry-level and associate-level certifications that can help validate your skills. The certifications are free to maintain but you will need to pay $165 per exam.

Here is an overview of Microsoft 365 certifications currently on offer.

Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals

The Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals certification covers the basics of all Microsoft 365 cloud services and how they differ from their on-premises versions. Study modules cover migrating to Windows 10 and Microsoft 365, security basics, how to manage subscription services and how to choose the right cloud deployment model. The exam covers cloud concepts, core Microsoft 365 services and pricing and support. Youll also be asked to explain how security, compliance, privacy and trust apply to Microsoft 365s services. Its a great place to start if youre just dipping your feet into the Microsoft 365 suite, as you wont need to pass an exam. The course consists of nine modules that cover all Microsoft 365 services and products.

Microsoft 365 Certified: Developer Associate

The Microsoft 365 Certified: Developer Associate certification is for developers responsible for designing, building, testing and maintaining applications and solutions on the Microsoft 365 platform. The Building Applications and Solutions with Microsoft 365 Core Services exam covers topics such as implementing Microsoft Identity, building apps with Microsoft Graph, extending and customizing SharePoint and creating extensions for Microsoft Teams and Office. To qualify for the exam, its recommended to be proficient in Microsoft Identity and Microsoft Graph, have general knowledge on UI elements, understand integration points and be able to determine workload platform targets.

Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate

The Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate certification is designed for IT workers responsible for deploying, configuring, managing, troubleshooting and monitoring receipts, permissions, mail protections, mail flow and public folders in hybrid and cloud enterprise environments. The Microsoft 365 Messaging exam covers skills, including your ability to manage organizational settings and resources, plan and manage mail architecture, plan and implement hybrid configurations and migrations and to create secure messaging environments.

Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate

The Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate certification is designed to certify your skills securing Microsoft 365 enterprise and hybrid environments, implementing and managing security and compliance solutions, responding to threats and enforcing data governance. To earn you certification, you will need to pass the Microsoft 365 Security Administration exam. Its recommended to be familiar with Microsoft 365 workloads and to have strong skills and experience with identity protection, information protection, threat protection, security management and data governance.

Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate

The Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate certification verifies skills, including deploying Windows, managing devices and data, configuring connectivity, maintaining Windows, deploying and updating operating systems, managing policies, protecting data and managing apps. Candidates should be familiar with Microsoft 365 workloads and proficient in deploying, configuring and maintaining Windows 10 and non-Windows devices and technologies. You will need to pass both the Windows 10 and Managing Modern Desktops exams to earn your Modern Desktop Administrator Associate certification.

Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate

The Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate certification is for anyone responsible for configuring, deploying and managing Office 365 workloads for Microsoft Teams, especially those who are focused on implementing services for efficient and effective collaboration. You will need to pass the Managing Microsoft Teams exam to earn your certification. Candidates should be proficient at managing Teams settings by using PowerShell, understand the basics of integration points and experience working with SharePoint, OneDrive for Business, Exchange, Azure AD and Office 365 Groups.

Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert

The Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert certification verifies your ability to evaluate, plan, migrate, deploy and manage Microsoft 365 services. The certification covers skills such as designing and implementing Microsoft 365 services, as well as your skills managing user identities, roles, access, authentication, security, governance and compliance. Its the only expert level exam on the list, but youll need to pass several exams to earn the designation. Youll need to complete another Microsoft 365 Certified certification on this list and then pass the Microsoft 365 Identity and Services and Microsoft 365: Mobility and Security exams.
Mr Auwalu Sarki, Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has enjoined lubricant producers in the country to look beyond the shores of Nigeria and target the export market in the distribution of their products.

A statement signed by Mr Paul Osu, Head, Public Affairs, DPR on Wednesday in Lagos, said Sarki gave the charge when he hosted members of the Lubricant Producers Association of Nigeria (LUPAN) in a virtual meeting recently.

Sarki noted that members of LUPAN had the capacity and resources to produce for exports, as was done in the past.

He assured the members that DPR would provide adequate support through its robust regulatory framework to enable them to achieve the mandate. The DPR boss stated that the value created by LUPAN to the Nigerian economy was immeasurable.

According to him, the DPR, as the regulator of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria, places high premium on its relationship with the association as partners in the realisation of governments aspiration for the sector.

He advised LUPAN to see DPR as a business enabler that is always ready to ensure investment success and sustainability for all stakeholders in the oil and gas sector. Sarki also emphasized the need for better strategic partnership and continuous collaboration between DPR and LUPAN.

He reiterated that DPR was working with relevant government agencies to check the influx of sub-standard lubricants into the country and that solution would soon be provided for LUPAN members. The DPR boss informed the members that the department would soon begin the implementation of a digital solution, using the short code messaging system to check for adulterated lubricants in the country.

On his part, the President of LUPAN, Alhaji Mustapha Adio, said that the association would continue to partner DPR for the development of the lubricant market in Nigeria. He also commended the positive interventions of DPR in the creation of enabling business environment for its members.

Meanwhile, the DPR zonal office in Bauchi has cautioned retailers against the circulation of substandard Base Oil (Lubricant) products. Mr. Abdullahi Iliyasu, the Operations Controller, gave the charge in an interview, on Friday in Bauchi.

Illiyasu said the Department had organised a two-day sensitisation workshop to create awareness on the dangers of using unprocessed lubricant (engine oil) in vehicles and other machines.

He said that the workshop targeted marketers of Base oil products to educate them on dangers associated with using such substandard products. Unprocessed and substandard Lubricant (engine oil) cause damage to the engines of movable and unmovable machines such as cars, lorries, and power generators as it does not contain the necessary ingredients of processed oil.

The usage of unprocessed engine oil constitutes a serious health hazard and contaminate the environment, he said.

Iliyasu called on retailers and dealers of such products to obtain business licenses and adhere to set standards. He advised marketers to source the products from the certified lubricating plants such as Oando, Total, and Amasco Companies, stressing that their products were of good quality.

SOURCE: Agency Report


File image: Congress leader P Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday expressed hope that President Ram Nath Kovind will intervene and instruct the Rajasthan governor to convene a session of the state Assembly, saying he has "absolute authority" to do so.

The former Union minister alleged that BJP-appointed governors have violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution and have in the process "gravely impaired" parliamentary democracy, its conventions and traditions.

"I sincerely hope that the President will take note of what is happening -- the erosion of parliamentary democracy, the erosion of the Constitution, the violation of the Constitution -- and do what is right in the circumstances," he told a virtual press conference.

Chidambaram said the President has the "absolute authority" to tell the governor that what he is doing is "wrong" and ask him to call an Assembly session.

The Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan, which is facing a political crisis after a rebellion by the now sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs, has been pushing for a session of the Assembly.

The Rajasthan Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has sent a memorandum to the President, seeking his intervention for convening the state assembly session.

Arguing that the Governor is bound by the Constitution to act on the advice of the council of ministers in calling the session, the Congress accused him of acting at the Central government's behest.

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra indicated Monday that an Assembly session can be called at a short notice if the state government says the agenda is to hold a floor test to prove its majority.

The suggestion figures in a note sent by Mishra while returning - for a second time -- Ashok Gehlot Cabinet's recommendation to call a session.

Chidambaram said, "I hope better counsel will prevail and wise people can instruct the governor that he must summon a session of the assembly."

The governor has no discretion of his own in the matter, he said.

Chidambaram said if the chief minister, who is accused of not enjoying a majority, wants to prove his majority, he is entitled to call a session at the earliest to prove it. "No one can stand in his way," he said.

"Placing any obstacle to calling the assembly session would undermine the fundamental basis of a parliamentary democracy," he said.

He noted that the Rajasthan issue has assumed "dangerous and monstrous proportions".

Chidambaram claimed that at least three landmark judgements of Courts when the Governors concerned acted in gross violation of the Constitution in Arunachal Pradesh (2016), Uttarakhand (2016) and Karnataka (2019).

He said despite these judgements and the statements of law, the Governor of Rajasthan has stalled and continues to stall a perfectly valid request of the Council of Ministers of Rajasthan to convene a session of the Legislative Assembly.

"It is settled law that the Governor shall act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. The Governor has no discretion at all in the matter. The questions that the Governor had raised to stall the request were irrelevant and beyond his authority. His current stand that the law gives him a 'discretion' to summon the Assembly or not is a complete distortion of the law declared by the Courts," he said.

The Governor, he said, is only a formal instrument to sign and issue the summons to the MLAs.

He said the Congress is "astonished and anguished" by the attitude of the Governor and thus protested outside all Raj Bhawans in the country to highlight the gravity of the issue and draw people's attention to the alleged violations of the Constitution.

"We sincerely hope that the Governor of Rajasthan will obey the law  and only the law. He must remember that he has no other masters, except the Constitution and the law. He must immediately grant the request of the Council of Ministers and summon a session of the legislative assembly."

Asked about Sachin Pilot, Chidambaram said he has not spoken to him for the last 10 days and now "it seems to me entirely that he is embracing the BJP".

He said Pilot should be the first to stand up and call for a session of the Assembly and then "we will know, which party he belongs to and what he will do".

"He should actually join the Congress party, telling the Governor and everyone, please call a session, what he will do in the session give his decision, but, why is he silent about calling a session," Chidambaram asked.

The Congress leader also said that Gehlot publicly has said that he will prove his majority on the floor of the house and thus he does not have to say in his letter to the Governor. "The Governor has no business to ask him, what agenda, how many days, how many hours, that is irrelevant," he said.

Asked about intentions of the Centre and the Prime Minister's Office, he said, "The intention is obviously a bad intention. It is ill intention to pull down the opposition's Government, but we will resist it. We will resist it everywhere. A majority Government cannot be pulled down. If the powers that be think that people are not watching all this, they are wrong."

"We will continue to resist everywhere, any attempt to pull down a lawfully elected majority Government," he said.
WASHINGTON - Reflecting presidential candidate Joe Bidens careful positioning, a key Democratic Party committee on Monday approved a 2020 platform that presents a liberal outline for the country but rejects many policies pursued by the lefts most outspoken progressives.

The document, approved by Democrats platform committee on a voice vote, now goes to more than 4,000 Democratic delegates who will vote by mail on whether to approve the document ahead of the partys August convention, which will take place almost entirely online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The final draft endorses universal health care coverage but, as Biden does, calls for a public option insurance plan to compete in existing private insurance markets as the next step. Committee members overwhelmingly rejected amendments to more explicitly endorse the single-payer insurance model like what Bernie Sanders pushed.

In a lengthy passage demanding an overhaul of the criminal justice system, Democrats decry the effects of a decadeslong war on drugs. But committee members rejected an amendment calling to legalize marijuana. The same section demands an end to police violence against Americans, but it does not endorse some activists calls to defund the police.

In total, the platform is part of Bidens effort to balance the centre-left establishment that has been his political home for decades with the partys ascendant progressive wing represented by high-profile figures like Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In fact, the drafting process included a series of policy committees that Bidens campaign convened with Sanders campaign after the Vermont senator finished as runner-up in the nominating fight. Ocasio-Cortez was included in that process, while Warren has emerged as a key policy adviser who talks regularly with Biden.

Bidens goal has been to avoid the kind of rancour that hobbled Hillary Clintons general election campaign four years ago, even as President Donald Trump and Republicans lambaste the former vice-president as captive to a radical left.

The platform committee voted repeatedly Monday not to modify language that would push the party closer to embracing Sanders Medicare for All health insurance model, sticking with Bidens preferred language promising to build on the 2010 health care law signed by President Barack Obama.

Abdul El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and former health commissioner for the city of Detroit, argued that the coronavirus outbreak demonstrates why the country needs a single-payer system like Medicare for All rather than just an expansion of the Affordable Care Act.

We have an opportunity to go bigger because this moment demands it, El Sayed said, arguing for an amendment that was eventually defeated.

Cecilia Munoz, who was director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Obama, countered that the platform was already shaping up to be the most progressive ever proposed by Democrats. She also noted that it incorporated the work of the Biden-Sanders task forces that had laboured to craft language to appeal across the Democratic spectrum.

Im proud and thankful that the Biden-Sanders unity task force has outlined such a progressive statement on our partys views on this issue, Munoz said. I believe we should retain that language, the language that they negotiated.

On climate, the platform calls for rejoining international alliances of nations agreeing to sharp reductions in carbon pollution. Biden, after working with progressives, agreed explicitly to the goal of making the nations energy grid carbon neutral by 2035. That detail does not appear in the platform. The document also makes no mention of some Democrats Green New Deal legislative proposals that includes even more aggressive timelines.

The partys discussion of law enforcement reflects the nations reckoning with systemic racism.

Our criminal justice system is failing to keep communities safe, the draft reads, adding that police brutality is a stain on the soul of our nation. The platform calls for strict national standards governing the use of force and for the nation to reimagine policing for the benefit and safety of the American people, with the U.S. Justice Department taking a more active role in collecting statistics on police violence and investigating departments where it is alleged. But the document stops short of activists calls to defund the police, reflecting Bidens position on the matter.

Trump has sought to link Biden to the activists calls for eliminating traditional law enforcement.

Still, Democrats draft language on policing and law enforcement is significantly sharper than a much shorter section on the matter in 2016. That platform called for improving police-community relations but emphasized: Across the country, there are police officers inspiring trust and confidence, honourably doing their duty  demonstrating that it is possible to prevent crime without relying on unnecessary force. They deserve our respect and support.
World Hepatitis Day: is Europe on track for the on the way towards the Sustainable Development Goal for health

Approximately four in five people living with hepatitis B and three out of four people with hepatitis C infection across the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) and the UK have not yet been diagnosed. This is a major obstacle on the way towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for health in 2030 as highlighted by ECDC on occasion of World Hepatitis Day.

ECDC is working in close collaboration with the World Health Organization to monitor the progress towards the elimination of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) across the EU/EEA. The first progress report highlights major gaps in prevention programmes in the region with suboptimal HBV vaccination coverage and insufficient levels of harm reduction targeting people who inject drugs.

The report shows that robust data for the so-called continuum of care looking at the numbers of diagnosed people and those in treatment and care are lacking in most countries. However, available data suggest that a high proportion of people living with hepatitis B and C infections appear to be undiagnosed and that many of those who have been diagnosed with hepatitis B and C infection are not receiving life-saving treatment. Available evidence also indicates that those at high risk of infection, including people who inject drugs and people in prison, are not being effectively targeted for testing.

In addition, mortality related to viral hepatitis is high across the region and there is very little evidence of progress towards the 2030 elimination target of a 65% reduction in mortality against the 2015 baseline.

"Looking at the latest monitoring results and surveillance data in 2020, we have to conclude that we are not on track to reach the 2030 target. To get there, Europe needs to massively scale up efforts to reduce the number of people who have never been tested for hepatitis B and C, especially among people at most risk of infection", highlights ECDC Director Andrea Ammon on occasion of World Hepatitis Day on 28 July. "Safe and effective vaccines are the main pillar for hepatitis B prevention. In addition, effective hepatitis treatment exists and improves the health of those who receive it. Treatment also helps preventing further transmission. It is as simple as that: people need to know their hepatitis status if we are to make progress towards eliminating these diseases by 2030."

European surveillance data show on-going transmission of hepatitis B and, despite a recent slight decline, high annual levels of hepatitis C diagnoses.

But according to recent ECDC findings, only a few countries across the EU/EEA have met the 2020 target of the European Action Plan to diagnose 50% of people with chronic hepatitis.

The ECDC testing guidance provides an overview of effective strategies to identify those with undiagnosed infection and highlights the importance of community testing and the integration of testing services (e.g. HIV and hepatitis) to enable synergies and efficiency in times of resource constraints.

Early diagnosis and linkage to care bring strong individual and public health benefits: effective viral hepatitis treatment either eliminates or suppresses the viruses significantly which in turn means that those on treatment interrupt existing transmission chains, preventing further infections.

The European Test Finder makes it easy to locate testing sites for HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections across Europe.

###

Read the full report

Monitoring the responses to hepatitis B and C epidemics in the EU/EEA Member States, 2019

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/world-hepatitis-day-2020

Related content

Annual Epidemiological Report for 2018 - hepatitis B

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/hepatitis-b-annual-epidemiological-report-2018

Annual Epidemiological Report for 2018 - hepatitis C

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/hepatitis-c-annual-epidemiological-report-2018

Public health guidance on HIV, hepatitis B and C testing in the EU/EEA

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/public-health-guidance-hiv-hepatitis-b-and-c-testing-eueea

Hepatitis B and C testing activities, needs, and priorities in the EU/EEA

https://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/hepatitis-b-and-c-testing-activities-needs-and-priorities-eueea

Mortality from liver diseases attributable to hepatitis B and C in the EU/EEA - descriptive analysis and estimation of 2015 baseline

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23744235.2020.1766104
The family of veteran Telugu poet P Varavara Rao has approached state home minister, alleging lack of information on Raos health.

The family, in its letter on Monday, said, It is inhuman and unethical to withhold the information about Raos health to his anxious family. It is very clear that the jail authorities have regular updates about Mr. Raos health.

It has been alleged that when Raos daughter tried to contact the authorities at Nanavati hospital, she was told that the jail administration has been informed, but the jail authorities asked her to check with the hospital. It is a mystery why this information is not passed on to the family by the jail authorities?, the letter read.

Rao is an under-trial prisoner in your custody and the jail authorities have the responsibility to give us regular updates or instruct the Nanavati hospital to release regular health bulletins, the letter read.

They have requested the home minister to intervene and direct Taloja jail authorities or Nanavati Hospital to provide regular updates on Raos health, diagnosis of his health problems and line of treatment.

The family had approached National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over the issue on Friday.

In a letter written to NHRC, Raos wife P Hemalatha and his daughters P Sahaja, P Anala and P Pavana, asked the commission to direct the state government and prison authorities to give periodic update on Raos health and share details of the treatment.

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A toddler was left alone in a running minivan on last Monday afternoon as boys mom shopped at Walmart, but he got out and police were called, according to a news release from Colonial Regional police.

A person saw the child standing by himself on a median on the main traffic route through the parking lot going past the store in the 3700 block of Easton-Nazareth Highway, police said. The child then crawled back into the Toyotas minivan, where the air conditioning was on about 5:10 p.m. with the temperature outside above 90 degrees, police said.

While the witness waited for officers, the mother returned with other children in tow and told the person that the child was sleeping when they arrived and she didnt want to wake him, police said. The mother drove off with the children before officers arrived, the news release said. The witness got the license plate details, police said.

The ensuing investigation indicated Evarlyne K. Omari, 39, of William Penn Highway in Bethlehem Township, is the mother, police said.

The offender admitted to police making a terrible mistake leaving the child unattended, the news release said.

Omari will be charged with endangering the welfare of children and leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle, police said. Court records as of Monday morning didnt show the case.

Omari doesnt have a listed phone number so she couldnt be reached for comment.

With the temperature soaring again today to 96 degrees, authorities warn people should never leave children or animals alone in a vehicle in such conditions.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting lehighvalleylive.com with a voluntary subscription.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.
One good kiss deserves another. And another!

That's why we were feeling very loved when Netflix revealed that "The Kissing Booth 3" is not only finished filming and in the can ... but coming out next year.

Cast members Joey King, Joel Courtney, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Meganne Young revealed the news during Netflix's #TKBFanFest livestream Sunday.

And here's a delightful sneak peek at the teaser trailer:

King, who executive produced and starred in the second film, said during the livestream, "From the first movie to the second movie just coming out just on Friday, I mean the explosion of love has been so real. It's because of everyone on here that all of this has happened."

"The Kissing Booth 2" was released on Friday, July 24, and became Netflix's most-watched film internationally.

Netflix posted a fun "whoops, the news is out" video featuring the cast on Sunday, too:

It's official! The Kissing Booth 3 is coming in 2021. pic.twitter.com/e5O4iGofAQ  Netflix (@netflix) July 26, 2020

Courtney explained in the livestream that they filmed both movies at the same time, but had to stay mum about "3." He noted that keeping everything hush-hush "was the hardest secret to keep ever."

The film was completed before COVID-19 shut down most Hollywood productions.

The first "Kissing Booth" movie, based on Beth Reekles' book of the same name, was released in 2018. The story follows high school student Elle Evans (King), who develops a romance with her best friend's older brother, Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi). The sequel shows that connection tested with Noah heading off to college while Elle faces senior year in high school.

Joey King and Jacob Elordi get up close and personal in

For "Kissing Booth 3," we see Elle and Noah getting romantic poolside ... right after she dismisses a phone call from the Harvard Admissions office. Yeah, that could make things complicated.

So get ready to pucker up, "Kissing Booth" fans: We have a feeling this romance is far from over!
Apartments with over 3 Covid cases to be containment zones for 7 days: Check BBMP's full guidelines

Mid-Air collision of two IndiGo flights averted at Bengaluru airport; DGCA to probe, take strict action

2 cops deputed for CM Bommai's security held for trying to 'extort' money from drug peddlers

COVID-19: Karnataka crosses 1-lakh mark with 46,923 cases in Bengaluru alone

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru, July 27: COVID-19 cases in Karnataka breached the one lakh mark on Monday, as the state reported a biggest single-day spike of 5,324 new infections and 75 fatalities, taking the death toll to 1,953, the health department said.

The day also saw 1,847 patients getting discharged after recovery. With the fresh cases, a total 1,01,465 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the state, including 1,953 deaths and 37,685 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin.

Karnataka reports high number of COVID-19 cases, marginal dip in other southern states

Unlock 3: Centre mulling over opening cinema halls and gyms with some curbs | Oneindia News

Out of 5,324 fresh cases reported on Monday, a whopping 1,470 were from Bengaluru urban alone.

The previous biggest single-day spike was recorded on July 26 with 5,199 cases. This is the fourth consecutive day that the state is reporting over 5,000 fresh cases.




Visitors to Changdeok Palace of the Joseon Dynasty in central Seoul will be able to experience the site as it was in the past via augmented reality (AR), South Korea's leading mobile carrier, SK Telecom Co., said Monday.







The carrier said it will digitally recreate the Joseon Dynasty's royal Changdeokgung Palace with its 5G augmented reality (AR) technology in partnership with Google Korea and the Cultural Heritage Administration.







Starting Tuesday, visitors to the royal palace in central Seoul will be able to experience the palace as it was during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) through its AR app, according to SK Telecom.







Changdeok Palace served as one of the dynasty's main royal palaces after it was built in 1405 and was included among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997.







The AR app features a virtual palace tour guide and will allow visitors to take photos with Joseon Dynasty royalty, as well as to enjoy other services such as shooting virtual bows and flying virtual kites, according to SK Telecom.







The mobile carrier will offer another app in August to provide a virtual experience of the palace for those unable to make a visit.







SK Telecom said it developed the AR apps amid the "contactless" trend during the COVID-19 pandemic.







The palace had been closed during the outbreak and reopened just last week.







The service launch comes through a collaboration between SK Telecom's 5G mobile edge computing (MEC) technology and Google Korea's cloud and AR technologies.







MEC is a key technology in the delivery of ultra-low latency data transmission in 5G networks.







Joseon Dynasty structures have undergone digital makeovers before.







Last year, Donuimun, one of the four main old gates of the Joseon-era capital, which was demolished during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule, was virtually restored by the Seoul metropolitan government. (Yonhap)


Police at the scene of an accident on the Hiltonstown Road near Portglenone Photo: Steven McAuley/McAuley Multimedia

Three people have been killed in a two vehicle crash in Co Antrim.

A number of roads were closed in Portglenone, after the two car crash on the Lisnahunshin Road on Monday morning.

A silver Volkswagen Passat and a black Audi were involved in the collision at around 10.40am.

Two men and a woman, thought to all be in their 50s, were travelling in the Passat and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the male driver of the Audi was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Pictures from the scene appear to show a badly damaged car has hit a wall of a farm building.

Local Sinn Fein MLA Philip McGuigan said the local community has been left shocked and saddened following the deaths.

"This is a terrible blow to all those involved in this incident," the North Antrim MLA said.

"Any death on our roads is one too many and incidents like this are a reminder of the vital importance of road safety.

"My thoughts and sympathies are with the families, friends and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in this tragic incident."

Inspector David Anderson said: "I am appealing to anyone who witnessed this collision, or who may have captured dash cam footage, to contact us on 101 quoting reference number 591 27/07/20."
Opponents of a new home-care act in Ontario argue its implementation will abolish public oversight and redirect public home-care tasks to a variety of providers including for-profit companies.

Its one of the worst health-care acts Ive ever seen, said Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra. The entire range of public interest groups opposes this legislation. In fact, I cant find anyone who supports it except for lobby groups and those who own and operate private home-care companies.

Bill 175, known as the Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020, has drawn criticism for its lack of consultation of advocacy groups, client representatives and health professionals.

The bill had its first reading Feb. 25 before moving to a second reading in early March. It moved along mostly in the background while the COVID-19 pandemic garnered much of the publics attention, receiving royal assent July 8.

Jim Stewart, co-chair of the Waterloo Region Health Coalition, argues the new act moves key items around public and client protections to regulations that can be changed by cabinet without ever going back to the legislature or providing any public information.

Its a complete betrayal of our public health-care system, he said. It was rushed through Queens Park, it wasnt a democratic process, and it repeals existing legislation that was put there to protect patients to ensure there was some public oversight.

In response to the bills passing, there have been public demonstrations across the province, with calls for a greater rehaul of the entire home-care system.

Province rejects idea of privatization

Miriam Mohamadi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said Friday the new legislation in no way enables the privatization of home care.

Instead, she said the act will allow Ontario Health Teams to deliver more innovative models of home and community care.

There will be no immediate changes to existing contracts with providers, both profit and not-for-profit, she said. As Ontario Health Teams begin delivering home-care services over the coming years, new and innovative models will emerge. Community support services will continue to be provided by not-for-profit community organizations.

Restrictions on charges from home and community care will remain in place, she said, and providers continue to be prohibited from charging for professional, personal support services and homemaking services.

Reducing costs, a top priority

At its core, Mehra of the Ontario Health Coalition said the growth of home care has been a result of a push to get patients out of hospitals as quickly as possible. Staff who work at a hospital cost the system more money than staff at long-term care homes, and those staff can cost up to $10 per hour more than staff in home care.

Its been used as the sector to reduce costs, said Mehra. The drive has been to get patients out of hospitals to cheaper levels of care.

Kathryn Murrell is a retired registered nurse from Kitchener who worked in the community care sector for 27 years. She said she watched first-hand as the industry moved away from personalized plans for individual clients to a broad scheduling machine that fails both the workers and the clients.

Private companies have been after this business for years, she said. They feel they can do all the care and case management, which means they would have all the money going directly to them.

In recent years, hospital recovery and wound care have been off-loaded to home-care workers to free up space in hospitals. But those patients are now taking up a significant portion of the home-care calls, and it has left vulnerable senior clients living independently at home with less access.

What started as one-hour visits have dropped to 30 minutes. And, in some cases, clients are receiving visits from personal support workers that last just 15 minutes so they can manage all their clients.

At the end of the day, its just not good care, said Murrell. I think its great that it has expanded, and people can receive care at their homes, but it needs a better model.

A fragmented system

Calls to reform the system date back to 1997 when the Mike Harris Progressive Conservative government first introduced competitive bidding, opening the door for private intervention. Subsequent reforms over the past two decades have all based around tweaking the bidding process  but the whole system was set up to facilitate for-profits coming in, said Mehra.

She said the new bill will fundamentally change the structures in place  something she is actually in favour of  but it wont make it easier to navigate the system.

Instead of strengthening the public non-profit home care system and unifying it and making it less fragmented, what theyve done is completely fragmented it and handed over the entire system to the providers to govern and run with no oversight.

As it stands now, the Local Health Integration Network provides the placement co-ordination for patients and determines their need for home care. A care co-ordinator will then determine the amount of home care the client needs and assign a company to provide the care.

Its a fragmented system to begin with, said Mehra, and calls for a single entity on a not-for-profit basis have been long-standing.

But under the new act, she said the placement co-ordinator and care co-ordinator will no longer run as a public service.

It may be a doctors office or a private clinic or a provider company itself that does that, she said. And then they can contract and subcontract the care themselves.

RELATED STORIES Opinion Time for bold action on home care for our elders

For people already accessing the service, it could mean their workers will change, the company theyre dealing with could change, and they wont have a public body to raise their complaints with about the service provider.

Increasing demand for services

With an aging population, the amount of people looking to access support in their homes is going to increase.

And with increased numbers, Stewart of the Waterloo Region Health Coalition points to the failings of the American private system as a wake-up call for what can happen with home care.

It seems reckless to think we would be following along in that model, he said.

The Ontario Ministry of Finances population projection predicts the population of people 80 and older will jump from about 625,000 in 2018 to between 990,000 and 1.1 million in 2030.

With a system that is already heavily burdened, Mehra said further reform is the only option to meet the increasing demands.

She said the next move will be to fight off privatization city by city, holding demonstrations across the province to bring more attention to the issue.

That will ramp up as the province gets ready to vote in 2022, where Mehra said she hopes they can make proper home-care reform an election issue that political parties will have to weigh in on.

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There were 1,282 civilian deaths in Afghanistan in the first half of the year, while another 2,176 people were wounded over the same period, the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report published on July 27.

Those numbers include 340 children killed and another 727 wounded, the report said.

At a time when the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban have a historic opportunity to come together at the negotiating table for peace talks, the tragic reality is that the fighting continues, inflicting terrible harm to civilians every day, said Deborah Lyons, the UN secretary-generals special representative for Afghanistan.

Taliban and Islamic State (IS) militants were behind most of the casualties, accounting for 58 percent of the victims, the report said, adding that pro-government forces were responsible for 23 percent of the civilians killed or wounded.

The numbers represent a 13 percent decrease in the numbers of deaths and injuries reported during the same time period in 2019. The report cites weaker engagement by international armed forces and the Islamic State extremist group as the main reason for the decline.

However, Afghan government security forces and the Taliban were responsible for an almost unchanged number of casualties compared to the previous year, while civilian losses caused by Afghan Army air strikes tripled compared to the first half of 2019.

The report came as efforts to achieve peace in Afghanistan remain in limbo due to disagreements about a prisoner release program between Kabul and the Taliban while violence is on the rise.

The Afghan National Security Council said on July 25 that in the past week the Taliban had killed 46 civilians and wounded 93 others.

The United States and the Taliban struck an agreement in February intended to pave the way for intra-Afghan peace talks between the militants and the U.S.-backed government in Kabul.

Key preconditions for intra-Afghan talks are prisoner exchanges and a reduction of violence.

The Taliban has said it is prepared to hold peace talks with the Afghan government next month after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, provided the prisoner swap has been completed.

However, on July 26, the Taliban accused Afghan security forces of rearresting insurgents who had been released, warning that Kabul would "bear responsibility for the consequences."

Meanwhile, the United States has dispatched its special envoy for Afghanistan on a five-nation tour aimed at advancing the fragile peace process.

The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, is visiting Doha, Islamabad, Kabul, Oslo, and Sofia, the State Department said in a July 25 statement.

In Doha and Kabul, Khalilzad will press for resolution of the remaining issues ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations, specifically final prisoner exchanges and reduced violence.

The Qatari capital has been the location of repeated rounds of U.S. talks with the Taliban.

Taliban militants control about half of Afghanistan's territory and they have continued to carry out deadly attacks since the U.S.-Taliban deal was signed.

Although significant progress has been made on prisoner exchanges, the issue requires additional effort to fully resolve, the State Department said.



Khalilzad will also travel to Pakistan to seek its support in advancing intra-Afghan negotiations.

In Oslo and Sofia, the diplomat will update NATO allies on the Afghan peace process.

With reporting by dpa, Reuters, AP, and AFP




THE discord that has hit the MDCs interim leadership  including last weeks move to block the nomination of reinstated secretary general Douglas Mwonzora, as the partys next president  is escalating, the Daily News reports.





This comes as regional and international analysts have delivered a damning assessment of the countrys opposition in general, which they say is too weak and disorganised to impact on Zanu PF and influence meaningful national change.





MDC insiders told the Daily News yesterday that the blocking of Mwonzoras nomination to run for the partys presidency did not only show the growing discord within Thokozani Khupes team, but also underlined the senseless bloodletting that continues to ravage the countrys main opposition.





Mwonzora himself said notwithstanding the partys ructions, he had accepted the nomination and was ready to lead the MDC.





I feel humbled by Harare Provinces nomination and I am ready for the challenge, although it is up to the party to decide.





I will accept whatever decision they make. I have been in leadership for a long time and this will not be new territory.





My goal, if I win the election, is to unite and stabilise the party as well as positioning it as a credible opposition to Zanu PF, Mwonzora told the Daily News.





But all eyes are on the partys leadership after it moved to veto the nomination, on the grounds that this had been done illegally.





Significantly, interim MDC national chairperson Morgen Komichi has also said disciplinary action will be taken against those who had nominated Mwonzora.





It was a fake nomination which has no legal standing. I dont know why people are doing things that are contrary to democratic practice.





The national organising department has not even vetted the congress delegates and an electoral commission has not been chosen.





A province cannot conduct its own nomination because it is an interested party.

We have stopped that nonsense and anyone who continues with that faces disciplinary action, Komichi told the Daily News.





However, Mwonzora said yesterday that there was no reason for disciplinary action to be taken against the province, as the party had not communicated its new position.





No one should face disciplinary action because as far as we know there was no prior communication to the province to the effect that nominations had been stopped.





In any event, if anyone is unhappy with the nomination I got, I have no problem if it is to be redone, he told the Daily News.





This comes as there are said to be four contenders for the partys substantive leadership  Khupe, Mwonzora, Komichi and Elias Mudzuri.





The infighting in Khupes group is a continuation of the wars that have been ravaging the MDC since the death of its much-loved late founding father, Morgan Tsvangirai  who died from colon cancer in February 2018.





Last week, the partys interim leadership was thrown into fresh turmoil after some youths assaulted Khupes aide and party workers at the partys national headquarters in Harare.





The youths  who are allegedly aligned to Mwonzora  are accused of harassing officials suspected to be backing other candidates in the race for the leadership of the party.





This comes as Khupe and Chamisa have been involved in an ugly brawl for control of the party since the death of Tsvangirai.





The fights took a turn for the worse after the Supreme Court upheld an earlier High Court ruling in March, which nullified Chamisas hotly-disputed ascendancy to the helm of the MDC.





The factional wars escalated even further after Khupe took over control of Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House  allegedly with the assistance of security forces.





In addition, Khupe has also recalled 21 MPs and senators from Parliament, as she flexes her muscles.





In the meantime, analysts have delivered a damning assessment of the countrys opposition, which they say is too weak to force dialogue with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government.





Speaking during a virtual meeting organised by SAPES Trust last week to discuss South Africas role in Zimbabwes ongoing crises, the analysts also criticised the opposition for its tendency to bank on the international community in the quest to end the countrys long-standing political and economic crises.





At the same time, they also said the senseless bloodletting that is ravaging the MDC was making it difficult for the countrys main opposition party to get meaningful outside help.





British academic and international affairs expert, Nicole Beardsworth, as well as respected South African journalist Mathatha Tsedu, were among those who said Zimbabwe lacked a formidable opposition to push for change.





We have had a discussion about how South Africas bias towards the ruling Zanu PF has failed Zimbabwe, but I believe the most critical element that is lacking in the country is that of a strong political opposition to advocate for change and push the ruling elite into dialogue.





There is this notion of wanting to wait, believing that only the international community can help in ending Zimbabwes woes, but I believe that the ultimate solution lies within Zimbabweans themselves.





The opposition by now should be in a position to influence real democratic change and force the government into an inclusive dialogue.





This is not just dialogue for the sake of getting into power and looting State resources, but dialogue to see genuine reforms being made to take the country forward, Beardsworth told the meeting.





The post-doctoral researcher  who has conducted extensive studies on why opposition coalitions have failed in Zimbabwe, among other things  also said instead of being consumed by internal fights, the opposition needed to come up with strategies to force the government to introduce needed reforms.





When you see opposition political parties quarrelling amongst each other, that is a sign of weak opposition and there is no way they will be able to force the ruling party to the negotiating table if they are not speaking with one voice.





So far, we have seen Jacob Ngarivhume (Transform Zimbabwe leader) being vocal about the July 31 demonstrations and he has been arrested for that.





However, he is not one of the major opposition actors and we need bigger opposition leaders to put pressure on the government until it gives in.





We also need an active citizenry to pile pressure on the government, Beardsworth said further.





This is because as the situation is right now, how can South Africa or the international community intervene and put pressure on the government when opposition leaders and the citizens are relaxed?





People should do something, including protesting, taking to the streets and calling for change and dialogue.





That will be the pressure point needed by the international community to then intervene and add more pressure on Zanu PF. Currently, Zimbabwe has no point of pressure, Beardsworth also said.





She said rather damningly, that the government was being let off the hook on a number of constitutional violations because of a weak opposition and citizenry.





The government claims to be implementing reforms, but on the ground nothing substantial is being done.








Five South Korean nationals who were kidnapped by an unidentified armed group in waters off the western African country of Benin have been released, the foreign ministry said Saturday.







The South Koreans were released from southern Nigeria, Friday (local time), about a month after being abducted in waters 111 kilometers south of Cotonou Port in Benin, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.







On June 24, the armed group attacked the 994-ton fishing vessel, the Ghanaian-flagged Panofi Frontier, and kidnapped six of the 30-man crew.







The ministry said the released South Koreans were in good health and are currently in a safe location prepared by its embassy in Nigeria.







The other abductee, a Ghanaian national, was also safely moved to the Ghanaian Embassy in the country.







The South Koreans will be transported to Ghana if they desire, as soon as a flight becomes available, it added. (Yonhap)


As part of an investigation into the spread of coronavirus at U.S. meat plants, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker released responses from major producers that defended their operations during the pandemic.

The four biggest meatpackers  Tyson Foods Inc., JBS USA, Cargill Inc. and Smithfield Foods Inc.  pointed to measures such as staggering shifts and sanitation systems, but gave soft responses when it came to implementing social distancing in production areas of the plants where workers are often in elbow-to-elbow conditions.

The letters amount to some of the most extensive explanations to date about how the meat producers responded to the crisis.

The companies gave no indication that workers were consistently being spaced apart on production lines. Cargill said it was raising awareness over maintaining distance, while Tyson said it installed barriers on production lines where social distancing is not possible. JBS said it increased spacing in cafeterias, but didnt cite distancing measures for production lines.

Meanwhile, Smithfield gave a more straightforward response.

For better or worse, our plants are what they are, Chief Executive Officer Ken Sullivan said. Four walls, engineered design, efficient use of space, etc. Spread out? Okay. Where? To say it is a challenge is an understatement.

Thousands of Americas meat workers have fallen ill with coronavirus as infections spread rapidly through the cramped factories, and dozens have died. While companies took steps to protect employees  including by installing plexiglass barriers, distributing protective equipment and setting up hand-washing stations  experts and analysts have repeatedly warned that workers would remain vulnerable without an increase in physical distance on production lines.

The senators criticized the companies for not adequately allowing workers to keep 6 feet away from one another and for shipping pork and beef overseas to meet export orders during the outbreak.

None of the companies gave specifics on the number of cases or deaths at their plants.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made it painfully clear that these giant meatpackers can use their power to exploit their workers for profit, Warren said in a statement. We also need to massively reform our broken food and farm system to give workers, farmers, and consumer real bargaining power.

Following are highlights of the responses sent to the senators from the companies:

Smithfield

Smithfield CEO Sullivan in a letter said plants werent designed to operate in a pandemic and that the company installed physical barriers where social distancing was impossible for workers. For better or worse, our plants are what they are, Sullivan wrote. Four walls, engineered design, efficient use of space, etc. Spread out? Okay. Where? To say it is a challenge is an understatement.

Candidly, we are weary of critics in the media who are detached from the realities of this worldwide pandemic. Namely, that we must produce food, and somebody has to do it.

The company didnt furlough or lay off any of its 42,000 U.S. workers.

About 7,000 workers at six plants that were shuttered were still paid during halts.

Tens of millions of dollars were spent on personal protective equipment.

Worker pay, expanded health care and PPP costs will total in the hundreds of millions of dollars for our company in just four months.

We have continued to run our processing plants, distribution centers, farms and feed mills for one reason: to sustain our nations food supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. Operating is not a question of profits; it is a question of necessity.

JBS USA

JBS said it maintained operations only when it was safe to do so and that it was the first in the industry to voluntarily close a facility to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

As cases in the U.S. continue to rise, it is clear that the interventions we have put in place in all of our facilities will become our new normal until a vaccine or more effective control measures are identified, said Andre Nogueira, CEO of JBS USA.

JBS said it hired three independent epidemiologists to review its efforts. It also installed ultraviolet germicidal air sanitation and plasma air technology to neutralize potential viruses in plant ventilation systems.

Exports accounted for about 12% of U.S. beef production and 28% of pork output in the first quarter. JBS USA had a market share of less than 10% of pork exports to China in the period and that number remains less than 10% throughout the year as well.

Its important to note that exported goods are largely comprised of products not readily preferred by U.S. consumers, such as pigs feet, livers and bone-in products. Exporting these goods that have little to no demand in the U.S. helps increase the value of hogs and maintains the nearly 800,000 jobs in the meat packing and processing industry. Such products, if not exported, would otherwise lead to lower captured value or our producers and result in less availability of chops, steaks and hamburgers that Americans enjoy.

Cargill

Maintaining a safe workplace has long been a core value of our company. Cargill recognizes that the well-being of our plant employees is integral to our business and to the continuity of the food supply chain throughout the country.

The company continued to focus on education and awareness of social distancing inside and outside of work. This includes encouraging employees not to share food during meals

Cargill said it installed protective barriers on the production floor between employees and provided full face shields for personnel performing any job where the installation of a protective barrier is not feasible due to the movements inherent in the performance of the job.

Cargill stressed its protein business in the U.S. comprises of beef and turkey and export volumes of these products were down from March 1 to May 31 compared to a year earlier. This decrease continued in the first three weeks of June. Cargills boxed-beef exports to Hong Kong fell more than a third in this period and the company has not exported any beef or turkey to China in 2020.

Cargill has maintained its ability to fulfill U.S. customers orders and continues to provide a steady supply of protein for the U.S. Market, said Jon Nash, president of Cargills protein business in North America.

Finally, there has been no increase in livestock brought in from outside of the United States. All of our turkeys and fed cattle are sourced from U.S. growers, producers and feedlots.

Tyson

Tyson said it remains committed to doing our best to modify and fine tune our protective measures in an effort to keep our team members safe while also providing nutritious food to Americas families.

The companys safety measures include creating barriers and/or requiring face shields on production lines where social distancing is not possible.

Tyson said it chattered space of international cargo flights, to expedite delivery of face coverings, face shields, hand sanitizer and gloves by mid-April, which it said was earlier than some other companies.

Tyson said it was the first company in the industry to proactively initiate a testing strategy for its workers and has likely conducted more employee testing than any other company in the U.S.

Tyson said it prioritized the U.S. market and that a large protion of meat exports from the U.S. are cuts of meat or portions of the animal (e.g. organ meats, chicken paws, etc.) that are not desired by our customers or consumers.

Exporting does not threaten the American meat supply.

Top Photo: Employees butcher pork at a Smithfield Foods Inc. pork processing facility in Milan, Missouri, U.S., on Wednesday, April 12, 2017. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics COVID-19 USA
JK Rowling: Gender-transitioning minors is 'medical scandal' about to 'erupt'

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Harry Potter series author J.K. Rowling is continuing to speak to gender identity issues, stating that the experimental practices related to gender-transitioning constitute a medical scandal that is likely to erupt soon.

In a series of tweets Saturday, the beloved children's author weighed in again on transgender issues, linking to a Cambridge Core journal article scrutinizing psychiatric treatments and medical interventions pertaining to gender transition, which likened them to what is known as "conversion therapy."

"It feels as though were on the brink of a medical scandal," Rowling said.

"Since speaking up about gender identity theory, Ive received thousands of emails  more than Ive ever had on a single subject. Many have come from professionals working in medicine, education and social work. All are concerned about the effects on vulnerable young people."

Citing a letter two whistleblowers from the London-based Tavistock Gender Identity Development Service wrote outlining their concerns about troubling internal clinical practices, the author continued that the "bleak truth is that if and when the scandal does erupt, nobody currently cheering this movement on will be able to credibly claim we couldnt have known."

Her latest words come on the heels of growing scrutiny of the controversial practices in the United Kingdom. U.K. Trade Minister Liz Truss announced earlier this year that restrictions on the medical practices would soon be established. Last month, the National Health Service removed its previous claim that the experimental drugs prescribed to transgender-identifying youth are "fully reversible." The updated guidance now says the effects of such short-term and long-term effects of such drugs are unknown.

Grown adults should be able to make decisions, to have agency to live life as they see fit, Truss said in April.

But before the age of 18, when people are still developing their decision-making capabilities, they should be protected from making decisions that are irreversible about their bodies that they could possibly regret in the future.

In June, Rowling published a lengthy essay where she articulated her concerns about how transgender ideology undermines and threatens women and their rights. In response to her commentary on this issue, Rowling has been pilloried by transgender activists and "Harry Potter" film stars Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe.

Earlier this month, Rowling explained in a separate Twitter thread that she considers modern gender-transitioning to be a form of gay conversion therapy, noting that the procedures yield infertility and loss of full sexual function and that a recent BBC documentary investigated the Tavistock center where concerned clinicians spoke about how gender-transitions were being fueled in part by homophobic parents.

"The long-term health risks of cross-sex hormones have now been tracked over a lengthy period. These side-effects are often minimized or denied by trans activists," Rowling said, highlighting a February 2019 News-Medical.net article about an American Heart Association study on hormone use that revealed an elevated risk of cardiac problems such as heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots.

The Tavistock clinic is presently facing a lawsuit in which detransitioner (a formerly trans-identified person) Keira Bell is a claimant. The suit alleges that gender-confused youth were being rushed into hormonal and surgical transitions without an adequate explanation of the permanent effects on their bodies.
Da Nang International Airport (Photo: VNA)



A 57-year-old Da Nang man was confirmed on July 25th morning as the 416th case of COVID-19 in the country. He is a typical community infection case with the outside source coming into the central city.

The same day, at a government online meeting with Da Nang authorities, Vice Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Le Trung Chinh said the mans health conditions are improving. According to him, the Ho Chi Minh City-based Cho Ray Hospital is sending personnel to support Da Nang in treating the case.

In response to the new development, Da Nang has so far tracked 1,079 people with close contact to the latest case, including 288 having direct contact with him. The city has tested 175 samples that all later came out negative to the virus.

Also at the function, Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Son proposed the Government tighten the monitoring of borders and trails across the nation to prevent illegal entries.

Son said Da Nang has acted promptly to control the disease, adding that the city recently detected 52 foreigners illegally entering Vietnam and prosecuted three suspects./.
Lebanese protested the planned construction of a dam south of Beirut on Thursday. There is significant opposition to the Bisri Dam  a project of the World Bank  in the country.

Around 100 people protested in Bisri on Thursday, according to a video of the protest from the Save the Bisri Valley Campaign and other videos on Twitter. Protesters chanted, Your voice, my country, revolution at the event. The hashtag #SaveTheBisriValley in English and Arabic that has trended on Twitter this week.

The Bisri Valley is about 20 miles (35 kilometers) south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The World Banks Lebanon Water Supply Augmentation Project aims to increase water availability for some 1.6 million people in the country. The World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the Lebanese government are funding the $617 million project that is due be finished in 2024, according to the World Bank.

The government says the dam will help solve chronic water shortage issues in the country, but protesters are worried about the environmental impact on one of the most pristine valleys in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese media outlet Naharnet. Lebanese President Michel Aoun called the dam a vital project in April. Some Lebanese have opposed the dam since 2017, when the project was announced, also because the dam will be built atop a seismic fault line.

The controversy is unlikely to go away. A petition on change.org against the dam had more than 79,000 signatures as of today. Other anti-government protests are also continuing in Lebanon as the currency plunges and the economic crisis deepens. Lebanon is seeking loans from the International Monetary Fund to help its ailing economy.
Journalist Anwar Jan, who worked with the Daily Naveed-e-Pakistan newspaper was shot dead by two gunmen while walking home in Barkhan, Balochistan on July 23. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemn the murder and demand an impartial investigation into the case.

Anwar Jans family accused Abdul Rehman Khetran, the minister for food in the Baluchistan province, of ordering Jans murder in retaliation to his investigative reporting and social media activism on the alleged corruption of landlords. According to PFUJ, police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against two bodyguards who work for Abdur Rehman, the provincial minister. Pakistani police have stated they are investigating the provincial ministers alleged involvement on the killing of Jan. The provincial minister has denied all accusations of his involvement in Jans murder.

Anwar Jan was murdered a day after Matiullah Jan, a journalist known for his critical writing on Pakistans military and judiciary was abducted from an Islamabad street, only to be released 12 hours later. Anwar Jan is the fourth media worker to be murdered in Pakistan in connection to his work as a journalist.

The PFUJ said: As the FIR is against the body guards of the provincial minister, there may be pressure from the higher ups to dismiss the case. Therefore, PFUJ strongly urge the Balochistan Police Chief for a free and transparent investigations so that the culprits be punished and justice is provided to the family of the deceased. The PFUJ calls on Pakistan government to ensure safety of the journalists.

The IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: The IFJ is deeply saddened by the killing of Anwar Jan and express our condolences to the bereaved family members and community. The IFJ calls on authorities to conduct an impartial investigation into Jans killing and hold his murderers accountable.
Nana Ofori Owusu, PPP National Chairman, has expressed his dissent in a contrary opinion to President Nana Akufo-Addo's directive for drinking spots to reopen.



President Akufo-Addo, delivering his 14th nation address on COVID-19, announced the second phase of easing restrictions on public gatherings in the country.



The President permitted tourist sites and open-air drinking spots to function.



"In consultation with the Ghana Tourism Authority and the health experts, I am announcing the reopening of our nations tourist sites and attractions, so they can begin to receive visitors. Open-air drinking spots can now function. The management of these facilities are tasked to enforce enhanced hygiene and social distancing protocols. Beaches, pubs, cinemas and nightclubs, however, remain closed until further notice," the President stated.



But, according to Nana Ofori Owusu, the lifting of limitations on the drinking spots is a wrong move.



He has questioned the President's logic that open-air drinking spots should operate amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.



He wondered how the President expects the customers to observe the mandatory wearing of nose mask, social distancing and the other necessary COVID-19 safety protocols at the drinking spots.



''So, what's the purpose of that? The nightclubs won't be opened but we'll open bars along the streets...I feel that some of these things is not going to help. With most of the people sitting in open bars, nobody wants to wear the mask because when you can't wear mask when drinking or you remove the mask to drink and then wear it back. I think this is not the best," he said during a panel discussion on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'.



He also opposed the reopening of tourist sites and attractions saying "I also think that is not the best. Because then why are you closing the others? It must be consistent. That the tourism industry is down; yes, we know the tourism industry is down. The activities in hotels are down but the borders are closed and sometimes it is the borders and all these other things that bring about the activities. So, the borders are closed but we're going to open up internal tourism".



He advised the President to be guided by the science and data before taking decisions that will affect Ghanaians.



"We need a better way to deal with it in all due respect and highest of respect to His Excellency . . . I will like the scientific basis for why we're doing what we're doing".







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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India has banned 47 more Chinese apps just weeks after blocking the highly popular video-sharing platform TikTok and 58 others over national security and privacy concerns, an Indian information ministry official and media reports said Monday.

Tensions between the world's two most-populous nations soared last month after a Himalayan border clash that left 20 Indian troops dead and an unknown number of Chinese casualties.

'We have banned 47 mobile apps from China in this ongoing exercise which highlights the government's seriousness about data privacy and security,' the official, who asked to remain anonymous, told news agency AFP.

India banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese mobile apps in June and has now added another 47 to the list, citing national security and privacy concerns. Many of the apps that have been included in the second round of bans are 'lite' versions of ones from the first round, including the 'lite' version of TikTok (pictured, file photo)

'The order was issued on Friday. Most of these 47 apps are banned for the same reasons as the earlier 59, and many were lite versions or variants of the earlier banned applications.'

Chinese apps Included in the latest ban are Tiktok Lite, Helo Lite, SHAREit Lite, BIGO LIVE Lite and VFY, however a full list of the 47 apps was not immediately available.

There has been no official statement or order released by the government about the ban but it has been widely reported across major Indian media.

Anti-China sentiment has soared since the deadly fight in mid-June, which sparked street protests and calls for Chinese products to be banned in the nation of 1.3 billion people.

Local media on Monday said 275 other Chinese apps could also be on the chopping block over similar concerns, including the hugely popular 'PUBG Mobile' game owned by tech giant Tencent.

China exports more than 3,000 products to India, from toys, cosmetics and handbags to home appliances, pharma, auto components, and steel.

Furthermore, Chinese internet companies are believed to have roughly 300 million unique users in India, suggesting that nearly two-thirds of the country's smartphone users have downloaded a Chinese app.

Chinese apps Included in the latest ban are Tiktok Lite, Helo Lite, SHAREit Lite, BIGO LIVE Lite and VFY, however a full list of the 47 apps was not immediately available. TikTok (file photo) has denied that it is sharing user data the Chinese government

On June 29, India banned 59 apps - including one of the world's most popular social media apps TikTok - after the June 15 deadly border conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours India and China which saw 20 Indian soldiers lose their lives during hand-to-hand combat.

Among others that were included in the first round of bans included ShareIt, UCBrowser, Club Factory and CamScanner, with India's Information and Technology ministry saying they were 'prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity,' and defence of India.

'The Ministry of Information Technology has received many complaints from various sources, including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India,' the government had said in a statement on June 29.

The ban on the mostly Chinese apps comes after a deadly border conflict on June 15 between nuclear-armed neighbours India and China, in the northern Ladakh region, which saw 20 Indian soldiers lose their lives during hand-to-hand combat. Pictured: A satellite image of the Line of Actual Control - the border between India and China where the conflict occurred

WHAT IS TIK TOK? The Beijing based social network has more than 500 million active users and the company is now worth more than $75 billion (58 billion) TikTok is a Chinese social media app where users can live stream, create short videos and music videos and Gifs with a host of functions. TikTok's tagline is 'Make every second count'. It was the most downloaded app in the US in 2018 and the world's fourth most downloaded app in 2018, ahead of Instagram and Snapchat. TikTok is known in China as Douyin where it was launched in 2016 and then made more widely available around the world in 2017. Douyin is still the version of the app used in China, available to download separately to TikTok. The app was merged with popular music video lip-syncing app Musical.ly, also with headquarters in China. Most children use the app to film themselves lip-syncing to chart hits. It offers users a raft if colourful modification and editing tools including overlaying music, sound, animated stickers, filters and augmented reality (AR) for creating short videos. The Beijing based social network has more than 500 million active users and the company is now worth more than $75 billion (58 billion). How does it work? Users post videos of themselves and broadcast them on the app. Anyone can find these videos and post comments on them. It also allows you to message that person privately. Some of the most popular videos are watched more than 10 million times. Each TikTok video is generally 15 to 60 seconds long. The videos are typically set to music, often showing the user dancing, doing a trick, or lip-syncing. Advertisement

Firms were also asked to clarify their data sharing norms under a Chinese law that requires Chinese companies to share information with the country's intelligence agencies - regardless of where they operate.

The Indian ministry did not reference the border conflict in its statement announcing the initial ban, or the fact that many of the banned apps were developed by Chinese companies in their statement.

The ministry said in June that several complaints of data theft and privacy violation led to the decision to ban the 59 apps  though no date for the ban to take effect has been confirmed.

It is estimated that 120million people in India use TikTok - owned by Chinese company ByteDance - making the country the biggest international market for the app.

Following the first round of bans, TikTok denied sharing Indian users' data with the Chinese government.

'TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and have not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese government,' TikTok India chief Nikhil Gandhi said in a statement.

The Indian soldiers were killed in a brawl along the disputed border in northern Ladakh region on June 15 in the deadliest faceoff for almost half a century between the two countries.

No firearms were involved in the dispute because the two nations hold an understanding that troops on both side of the border in the region will not use guns.

The two countries previously fought a war over their shared border in 1962 and the deaths in the most recent clash are the first on the frontier since 1975.

Street protests took place in India following the deaths of the 20 soldiers and calls have been made to ban Chinese businesses which export almost 49billion to India.

Beijing has denied accusations from New Delhi that Chinese forces entered Indian territory.

Now, both sides have said they are trying to resolve the dispute through dialogue, but thousands of soldiers remain on alert.

Following the public backlash, one of Delhi's main hotel associations said that its members were barring Chinese guests and would stop using Chinese-made products.

Chinese electronic firms also have a major presence in India, with cellphone brands like Xiaomi and Oppo enjoying an almost 65-percent market share.

E-commerce giants including US giant Amazon - which sell huge volumes of Chinese gadgets - have agreed to display the country of origin of goods on their platforms, according to media reports.

Pictured: Anti-China protesters in India demonstrate against China following the fighting on June 15 which saw 20 Indian soldiers die. Some are calling for the boycott of Chinese goods, however the two nations are both heavily reliant on one-another for trade

India claimed that after their soldiers were savaged with nail-studded clubs (pictured) and the Chinese People's Liberation Army mutilated their corpses. No bullets were fired as per a peace treaty which bars firearms within 2km of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the line drawn down the 17,000ft valley after India's defeat in the 1962 Sino-Indian War

Modi's government has also ordered all sellers to do the same on its GeM portal, which is used for tens of billions of dollars' worth of state purchases.

Goods made in China, including some raw materials vital to Indian pharmaceutical firms, are also starting to pile up at Indian ports and airports because of more stringent customs checks, media reports said.

Despite long-prickly relations, India and China have steadily built up strong economic ties in recent years.

Annual bilateral trade is worth some 70 billion, with a deficit of around 39 billion in China's favour.
As the stalemate between Uttar Pradesh Bar Council and the state government continues over providing financial help to lawyers in distress amid Covid-19 pandemic, the council has decided to help lawyers from its own resources.

Staggered opening of courts after the nationwide lockdown of over two months affected lawyers across the state. The Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh, therefore, decided to help states 171,000 lawyers who hold a certificate of practice (COP).

For the purpose, it has earmarked Rs 10 crore, which may increase, from its own resources. These lawyers, across 75 districts and including those at Allahabad High Court and its Lucknow bench, will get financial help through lawyers associations of their respective districts.

Also read: Indias coronavirus epidemic is now the worlds fastest growing

The council will hand over the fund to lawyers associations in all 75 districts. These associations will transfer the money directly to the bank accounts of the lawyers in distress.

As per the council, the fund will be allotted to every district according to the number of lawyers having the certificate of practice. For example, the Bar Council has allotted Rs 85 lakh for Lucknow which will be distributed equally among lawyers i need identified from 14,593 advocates who have certificates of practice.

These lawyers dont fit the criteria Income tax payee Wife/ husband/ children in government job Those who own a four-wheeler Those who own two acre agriculture land Those who own a house in district headquarters Government advocates

If in Lucknow, the number of lawyers in need is less (according to the criteria set by the Bar Council), per lawyer distribution of fund will increase. This identification work will be done by local lawyers associations.

Before August 15, we will execute the plan and the money will be transferred to the bank accounts of lawyers, said Janki Sharan Pandey, chairman, Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh.

Lawyers associations will provide all details to the Bar Council within a week of transferring the money into bank accounts of the lawyers, added Pandey. The council has given the responsibility to 25 members to work with lawyers associations in 75 districts to identify the lawyers in need.

Each member of the Bar Council has been allotted three district according to their choice. Here, they will coordinate with the lawyers associations to identify needy lawyers from among the holders of certificate of practice, said Pandey.

They will prepare a list of lawyers who fulfil the criteria set by the Bar Council, he added.

Lawyers with certificate of practice Prayagraj- 19,207 (maximum in state) Lucknow- 14,593 (second highest in state) Kasganj  413 (lowest in state)

State govt didnt extend help

The UP Bar Council is also critical of the state government for not providing any financial help to lawyers amid the pandemic. A PIL petition was filed in the Allahabad High Court seeking a directive to the state government for providing financial help to lawyers in distress, said Pandey.

Later, the high court took suo moto cognizance of the issue. Despite the high courts order, the state government has not extended any financial assistance to lawyers, he added.

Awadh Bar Association helped

The Awadh Bar Association of Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has provided financial help of Rs 3,000 each to 1,000 lawyers and Rs 1,000 each to 200 advocate clerks of the high court.

We have provided financial assistance to lawyers of the high court from our own resources. Lawyers have also contributed, said senior lawyer HGD Parihar, president, Awadh Bar Association.

I know this is not enough. We are planning to extend more help, he added.
As the world continues to battle the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that a strategy of long-term total lockdown is simply unsustainable for most economies. As lockdown orders continue to be enforced in many parts of the country, businesses and livelihoods are under tremendous pressure due to the collapsed demand, layoffs, and wage reductions.

Towards this, the Government of India has proactively responded to the concerns raised by both citizenry and industry to enable staggered reopening of the economy. As we approach the end of Unlock 2 on July 31, 2020 and prepare ourselves for Unlock 3, we need to look at lifting of existing restrictions keeping in mind 'Threat of COVID is not over yet and we need to remain vigilant'.

Vigilance is the core of FICCI Recommendations for Unlock 3.0.

FICCI, in consultation with industry experts, has prepared this document to present solutions on how sectors such as aviation, sports, tourism, which still has some prohibitions, can best contribute towards the national effort of containing the spread of COVID and rebuilding the economy. FICCI recommends that it is now time to consider easing the prohibitions placed on these sectors, provided businesses follow the guidelines laid out in this document to the fullest. The Paper also recommends opening up of Cinemas and multiplexes, with adherence to all possible safety precautions. FICCI recommendations also contain the proposed SOPs, which could be followed for opening up of multiplexes.
Frontier Logistics wants a judge to put an end to a lawsuit over plastic pollution alleged to have come from the company's Union Pier site in downtown Charleston, saying environmental groups can't prove where the small pellets came from.

The Coastal Conservation League and Charleston Waterkeeper filed the lawsuit in federal court after several pellets, also called nurdles, washed ashore at Sullivan's Island and other area beaches last summer. They allege the pellets came from Frontier's waterfront terminal, which bags the product for export through the Port of Charleston.

La Porte, Texas-based Frontier says it has been unfairly targeted as the source of the pollution. It is asking a judge to rule on the environmentalists' claims without hearing further evidence  called a motion for judgment on the pleadings  because it says the allegations haven't been proven.

Laura Cantral, executive director of the Coastal Conservation League, said the group will respond to Frontier's request "and we'll let that response speak for itself."

"I can say we have a strong case," Cantral added. "We wouldn't have filed otherwise. The ongoing pellet pollution of our waterfront must stop, and we're committed to achieving that result."

The environmental groups say they have collected more than 14,000 pea-sized pellets in area waters, with the highest concentrations consistently found closest to the Frontier facility. They are suing Frontier for civil violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Clean Water Act.

Frontier says the environmental groups set out to prove the company was at fault from the start, scouring locations for months for pellets they could blame on the Union Pier site.

The environmentalists "began staking out a variety of locations around the Charleston Harbor that they believed were both sufficiently close to Frontiers facility and able to accumulate aquatic debris," the company said in court documents.

The groups "specifically targeted Frontier as a culprit and engaged in this activity for the purpose of justifying that preconceived notion as a matter of convenience, rather than engaging in activity to locate and discover the true source of the pellets," Frontier says in its court filing.

Frontier says fewer than a dozen of the 14,281 pellets that have been collected contain polyethylene, the main chemical component in the pellets it handles at Union Pier.

"Based on this limited amount of information, (the groups) have inferred that all 14,281 pellets they have collected came from illegal discharges made solely from Frontiers facility," the filing states.

Frontier adds there are at least 20 companies in the Charleston area handling plastic pellets and many of the pellets that were found were a different color and different sizes, shapes, cuts, textures, colors and ages than those at Union Pier. In addition, Frontier says, the pellets could have come from an unknown foreign country shipping them to the U.S. East Coast.

The commodity is a raw material used in thousands of everyday plastic goods.

Environmentalists call the pellets one of the world's biggest pollution threats.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control issued a "notice of alleged violation" against Frontier and inspected the Union Pier facility several times last year. The state agency closed the matter in October without citing Frontier with any violations or taking any other action.

Frontier is one of several Charleston-area companies that take pellets produced by natural-gas refineries along the Gulf Coast and package them for export. The company is building a 550,000-square-foot packaging and distribution site off McMillan Avenue in North Charleston where it will receive pellets in rail cars before getting them ready to send overseas. Braskem Americas, another pellet exporter, said it will lease part of that building for its own operations.

Pellet packager A&R Logistics also is building a 615,000-square-foot distribution center off U.S. Highway 52 near Moncks Corner that will be able to fill another 25,000 containers. Those new facilities will join Mid-States Packaging in North Charleston and A&R Bulkpak in Monks Corner, which have distribution sites able to handle a combined 22,000 cargo containers.

All of them export through the Port of Charleston, which is aiming to capture a majority of the pellets moving through Southeast ports.
Rating Action: Moody's downgrades Lakeland Tours' PDR to D-PD following Chapter 11 filing

Global Credit Research - 27 Jul 2020

New York, July 27, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") today downgraded Lakeland Tours, LLC ("Lakeland Tours"), including the company's corporate family rating (CFR) to Ca from Caa3, probability of default rating to D-PD from Caa3-PD, and the rating for Lakeland Tours' senior secured first lien credit facilities to Ca from Caa2. The outlook is changed to stable from negative.

The downgrade of the ratings was prompted by Lakeland Tours' initiating of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings announced on July 20, 2020. The company has entered into a restructuring support agreement with its lenders and sponsors. As part of the restructuring plan the company expects to enter into an approximately $368 million DIP facility provided by consenting lenders and sponsors. Lakeland Tours is owned by sponsors Eurazeo and minority investor Primavera Capital Group.

Shortly following these rating actions, Moody's will withdraw all of Lakeland Tours' ratings. Please refer to Moody's Investors Service's Policy for Withdrawal of Credit Ratings, available on its website, www.moodys.com.

A summary of today's action follows:

Downgrades:

..Issuer: Lakeland Tours, LLC

.... Probability of Default Rating, Downgraded to D-PD from Caa3-PD

.... Corporate Family Rating, Downgraded to Ca from Caa3

....Senior Secured Bank Credit Facility, Downgraded to Ca (LGD3) from Caa2 (LGD3)

Outlook Actions:

..Issuer: Lakeland Tours, LLC

....Outlook, Changed To Stable From Negative

RATINGS RATIONALE

The downgrade of the PDR to D-PD from Caa3-PD reflects Lakeland Tours' bankruptcy filing on July 20, 2020. The Ca CFR and senior secured bank credit facilities ratings reflect Moody's view on recovery.

The rapid and wide spread of the coronavirus outbreak and weak global economic outlook created a severe and extensive credit shock across many sectors, regions and markets, including Lakeland Tours. Lakeland Tours experienced a significant drop in operating revenue as travel plans were hampered. Due to the impaired operating conditions, the company is looking to reduce its heavy debt burden and return to a more sustainable capital structure through the restructuring process. The company has entered into a restructuring support agreement (RSA) with the majority of the company's credit facility lenders whereby the company will eliminate approximately $100 million in debt and emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy by October 2020. The company's $368 million DIP facility will include $200 million in new money to be provided by certain lenders and the sponsors and approximately $150 million of rollover loans fromcurrent lenders. The DIP facility is expected to be converted into exit facilities as well as common stock at the completion of the bankruptcy process.

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Headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, Lakeland Tours is an accredited educational institution that provides full service educational travel programs to K-12, undergraduate and post graduate students, both domestically and internationally. Lakeland Tours generated revenues of approximately $359 million over the twelve months ended June 30, 2020. The company is owned by Eurazeo and minority investor Primavera Capital Group.

The principal methodology used in these ratings was Business and Consumer Service Industry published in October 2016 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1037985. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

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For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

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On Monday, July 27 at 12.30pm, Flac will officially launch Irelands only dedicated Traveller Legal Service.

Supported by The Community Foundation for Ireland and in cooperation with a Steering Group made up of representation from the national Traveller organisations, it aims to empower Travellers and Traveller groups to engage with the law as a means of combating discrimination and advancing the rights of Travellers in Irish Society.

Travellers experience poor life outcomes across a range of indicators and experience one of the highest levels of discrimination in Irish society.

CFI had been working with a steering group made up of Traveller organisations on the establishment of a dedicated legal Traveller service. FLAC worked with the Traveller Steering Group on the design of the service and The Community Foundation for Ireland has agreed to fund this initiative which comprises a full-time solicitor, Christopher McCann for three years. Referrals to the Service will come through national and local Traveller organisations.

Maria Joyce, National Traveller Womens Forum Co-ordinator stated: The legal system plays a key role in the promotion and protection of equality and human rights for all. However, given the levels of racism, discrimination and inequality experienced by Travellers full enjoyment of these rights often requires that they are enforced and clarified by the Courts to ensure they are effective. I welcome the development of this service which we hope will lead to increased access to legal Justice for Travellers.

Eilis Barry, FLAC CE stated: "FLAC is delighted to work with the Steering group on the establishment of this much needed dedicated legal service for the Traveller Community. The project recognises that the law can be a tool to protect and enforce rights, access to justice should result in better life outcomes in terms of accommodation, and better educational and health outcomes.

It is anticipated that the major issues that the service will deal with will be about access to housing, access to emergency housing and discrimination claims. With limited resources available, there will be an emphasis on taking cases that will have impact - e.g. Failure of local authorities to draw down funding for accommodation and implement Traveller Accommodation programmes, access to emergency accommodation. There is good protective legislation there and we will be trying to enforce that. However, legislation can also be used oppressively to deny rights and the legislation on evictions and criminal trespass will also be a focus of the service.

Martin Collins from Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre said: The legal system is an essential part of an overall strategy in the promotion and protection of a Travellers equality and human rights."

The project will have an educational and advocacy role as well, with solicitor Christopher McCann preparing educational materials for the Traveller groups and advocating with the legal aid board to provide representation to Travellers.

"Flac are very grateful to the Community Foundation of Ireland for their support for this initiative. The long-term aim of the project is to persuade the State to provide such a service. The Legal Aid Board need to be resourced so it can take on housing and discrimination claims," Eilis Barry, CE, FLAC said.
A concerned reader of The Nigerian Voice has reacted to the content of our publication "Haiti To Quit United Nations To Join The African Union, Said Haitian Leader", published on 25th July, 2020 and authored by Bob Duval. In his opinion, the said story is devoid of historical facts. The Nigerian Voice thanks our Concerned reader from Denmark for his remarks.

Statement below:

Dear editor,

The article about Haiti quitting the UN is riddled with historical errors, Columbus never discovered Haiti as he discovered the Hispaniola on behalf of the Spanish Kingdom, Haiti didn't exist until its independence several centuries later and nas there was no French presence in the island for a very long time, there's no historical claim to support Haiti was ever discovered by Columbus.

The Hispaniola is now the Dominican Republic, ergo the Dom. Rep. Was discovered by Columbus, moreover Saint Dominique doesn't even exist as capital names are always kept in their original la gauge which would be Santo Domingo which again, is not a country but the capital city of the Dominican Republic, I would appreciate a more thorough study of history for future articles to prevent the dissemination of lies and inventions.
Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) just released its quarterly report and things are looking bullish. It was overall a positive result, with revenues beating expectations by 4.1% to hit US$2.8b. Lithia Motors also reported a statutory profit of US$3.38, which was an impressive 116% above what the analysts had forecast. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. We thought readers would find it interesting to see the analysts latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year.

See our latest analysis for Lithia Motors

After the latest results, the nine analysts covering Lithia Motors are now predicting revenues of US$12.4b in 2020. If met, this would reflect a credible 2.1% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to swell 11% to US$13.29. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$11.9b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$9.21 in 2020. There's been a pretty noticeable increase in sentiment, with the analysts upgrading revenues and making a very substantial lift in earnings per share in particular.

With these upgrades, we're not surprised to see that the analysts have lifted their price target 45% to US$225per share. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. There are some variant perceptions on Lithia Motors, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$284 and the most bearish at US$130 per share. This is a fairly broad spread of estimates, suggesting that analysts are forecasting a wide range of possible outcomes for the business.

One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. We would highlight that Lithia Motors' revenue growth is expected to slow, with forecast 2.1% increase next year well below the historical 12%p.a. growth over the last five years. By way of comparison, the other companies in this industry with analyst coverage are forecast to grow their revenue at 9.8% per year. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it seems obvious that Lithia Motors is also expected to grow slower than other industry participants.

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The Bottom Line

The most important thing here is that the analysts upgraded their earnings per share estimates, suggesting that there has been a clear increase in optimism towards Lithia Motors following these results. Fortunately, they also upgraded their revenue estimates, although our data indicates sales are expected to perform worse than the wider industry. There was also a nice increase in the price target, with the analysts clearly feeling that the intrinsic value of the business is improving.

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. We have estimates - from multiple Lithia Motors analysts - going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here.

That said, it's still necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Lithia Motors , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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.
Getting his first win was a thrill for Justin Gould, but getting his second was almost imperative. Such is the life of a 17-year-old twin.

Win No. 1 came June 28 behind Charchar at What Cheer in the Iowa Sire Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies. Back at What Cheer 12 days later, it was sibling rivalry day, as Justin battled his twin brother, James, and came out victorious with Snap Streak.

And while the first win was a milestone, the second one gave him family bragging rights, for at least one day.

That race went great, Justin said. It was a cool race; me and James got first and second pretty handy. There was a lot of talk between James and I, so Im glad I didnt get beat because I never would have heard the end of it.

As it was, James had to hear about it for a while.

He hasnt brought it up for a few days now, James said with a laugh. He did let me hear about it for about a week! That was the first time we drove against each other. I am definitely excited to beat him the next time.

The victories ended a modest drought of 13 career starts without a win for Justin, including his first five races this season.

I dont really mind not winning, Justin said. I just like driving in races, unless the horse is supposed to win; then it hurts a little to lose.

He had no such pain in the sire stakes, as he won the race comfortably in 2:06.1.

She drew the five hole, and at What Cheer you cant get to the five hole until you get into the turn, Gould noted. So, I started a little back off the gate. I ducked her a little early because that is how I drove her the week prior at West Liberty, and she raced great.

I got away third behind two decent fillies and I knew I needed to pull by the five-eighths, but I got boxed in before the half. Luckily, the pocket horse pulled and gave me the pocket spot. Going into the last turn, I was boxed in with nowhere to go, however the leader was drifting out, so I knew there would be room up the inside and I went for it.

The big moment came before nearly his entire family.

As I crossed the finish line I kind of already had taken it in because I knew I was a winner at the head of the stretch, he said. It made it a million times better that it was my horse and her first win as well.

And it was pretty cool since James had his first win a few weeks earlier.

James momentous occasion came on June 6 at the Taylor County Fair in Bedford. James drove five-year-old pacing mare Red N Hotallover to victory for trainer Edmund Krapp.

I had post position four and just floated away and got a good spot sitting third on the rail, James recalled. I didnt pull until right about the five-eighths and cleared to the top about the three-quarters. I ended up winning by like 20 lengths, so I knew I was a winner for a while before the wire.

That didnt stop the emotions from nearly costing him a chance to pose for the camera.

I was pretty excited crossing the wire, he said. I even forgot to stop for the win picture.

It was the eighth start of James career, so although he lost his first head-to-head match with Justin, he at least has bragging rights of beating him out for the first career win.

Despite their on-track rivalry, the brothers are tight.

We spend a lot of time together working and hanging out, James said.

Justin, for now, appears to be more intent on carving out a future in harness racing. His first drive came just over a year ago, in the same race that he edged his brother in this year.

I never thought it would come, Justin said. Casey Larson was the first person to finally put me down on a horse and I thought it was a sure win. Looking back, it should have been because I was driving a three-year-old against two-year-olds. So, I went straight to the front, but I just fell asleep the second half and got passed down the stretch and got second.

It was another lesson learned in what has already been a lengthy career.

Getting some early wins has been a boost to Justins confidence, but he takes a mature attitude in realizing just because he got a few quick firsts, there is no guarantee others will come easily.

Now that I have won, he said, I feel like its more possible to win for some reason, even though its not any more likely.

The Gould brothers have been around the sport long enough to know how hard it is. Their grandfather left the business after suffering a heart attack, but their mother, Stevie Gould, and her brother, Mark Mintun, have a stable at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds. Justin has long been involved in the day-to-day operations.

I feed, clean stalls, jog, train and everything in between, Justin said. I knew I wanted to drive from the first time I was around the horses. I always used to take turns pulling around the race bike while James whips the shaft.

James also does his share, saying, Id say we do just about the same thing around the barn.

At age 11, the brothers began working for Humboldt trainer Adam Hauser, and Justin credits Hauser and Mintun for being two of his biggest influences.

I learn new things every day from my uncle Mark; from shoeing tips and tricks to going over a horse to see where they are lame, Justin said. I worked with (Hauser) until I was 13 and learned a whole lot from him. From training trips and rigging to the most important thing in my opinion  if youre going to have 30 horses its an all-day type of job!

At the Goulds age, those days are interrupted by high school, and they still have one more year to go until graduation.

Its not awful, but its definitely not easy getting done before dark, Justin said. We chose to work after school so at 3:30 we go to the barn and jog all the horses then feed whenever we get done.

After graduation, Justin knows exactly what he will do, and feels he has a nice head start in the business he loves so much.

I cant wait to be done with high school and start training other peoples horses since I will have time to be there all day, he said. I would think Im pretty far ahead for my age, but I havent really been around big tracks to know if there are going to be people my age in the industry. I would love to have this as a career even though everyone tells me to have a back-up plan just in case.

James is not quite as gung-ho, saying, I hope to do it as more of a hobby, and just help Justin out with both training and driving.

Justin would like to train a stable of around 15 horses, but his main goal is to become a catch driver. He is looking to drive at Running Aces to get a feel for pari-mutuel racing before I get too ahead of myself.

I just know, he added, there is no better feeling then sitting behind a thousand-pound animal moving 35 miles per hour. Looking around you behind the gate is such a crazy feeling, all the people I grew up watching; and now I am one of them.

(USTA)
Lawsuit seeks to delay enforcing Noem's new abortion pill ban

Planned Parenthood and ACLU of South Dakota are suing Noem and the Department of Health in enforcing a new abortion pill ban.
The day Robert Condit set fire to a hunk of metal filled with 50 gallons of gasoline, it was supposed to be only a test. The hope was that the bullet-nosed contraption that he'd designed and built with the help of two brothers, Harry and Sterling Uhler, would find the propulsion necessary to leave the pockmarked macadam of a city street. It was 1927, a warm August afternoon. The kind of blue-sky day that inspires trouble in bored kids, but these were three grown men, in their 30s, standing on a street in Hampden, a neighborhood just north of downtown Baltimore.

The 24-foot-tall rocket, an amalgamation of angle iron, scrap materials and amateur engineering was meant to eventually blast Condit out of Earth's atmosphere and to the planet Venus. Charles Lindbergh had managed the width of the Atlantic Ocean in a monoplane earlier that year, and flying great distances was no longer a daydream. Why not aim for the stars?

"If a man like Lindbergh had the courage to lead the way at the risk of his life, we thought, other men should have the courage to follow," Harry Uhler wrote in a 1969 article for the Baltimore Sun Magazine about their venture. The Uhler brothers had invested their money and eight months of their spare time welding and tinkering inside a two-car garage on Morling Avenue, following plans for a piloted craft that Condit had conceived. Harry and Sterling both worked with their hands for a living. They referred to Condit, who had attended high school at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, as the mathematical wizard. Condit, for his part, afforded himself a wide range of professional titles, claiming to be an engineer, a chemist, a professor and the all-encompassing inventor. Now they were ready to see if what they'd labored to create would catch air. Condit speculated to the Uhlers that the fuel might propel him a quarter of a mile up that day. He had a silk parachute stashed inside the nose to land. If all went well, Condit would later aim for Venus.

Word had leaked that three men were testing a rocket off a sidewalk, and a crowd began to gather, among them the Uhlers' nonplussed wives. Condit unscrewed the metal nose and climbed inside. He flipped a switch to begin his journey.

"I never saw so much fire in my life," Harry Uhler wrote. "Big blooms of red flame boiled out around the spacecraft, and big clouds of black smoke rolled up into the sky." The rocket "leapt up off the sidewalk," less than 100 feet in the air, according to Harry, and then it crashed into a nearby building, supposedly breaking Condit's legs. Later, the trio estimated it would take at least another $10,000 to get the rocket flight-ready, so Harry and Sterling reluctantly walked away. "Our wives were against the whole deal, anyway," Harry wrote.

Condit, who was described in the press at the time as a beguiling faddist with a penchant for gregarious chatter, left Baltimore shortly after, taking his rocket with him. The legend of the launch flashed and burned bright through Hampden, then dissipated over the years, and just like Robert Condit and his rocket, disappeared.

Now, three longtime friends living in Baltimore - John Benam, Brian Carey and Geoff Danek - along with a film crew, are trying to fill out the story of Robert Condit and his rocket for a documentary titled "Rocket to Venus." In January, they retraced Condit's movements to Miami Beach, where they learned he had taken the rocket after leaving Baltimore. Condit had made international news when he announced that he would launch himself into space from the Florida beach, including a December 1927 mention in The Washington Post under the headline "A Jaunt to Venus."

"Time and again some hardy soul hoped to reach the stars," the article read. "Never, so far as is known, has the feat been attempted: but no one had possessed a machine such as Mr. Condit has developed."

Condit's "science was surely lacking, but not his bravado," Frank H. Winter wrote in his 1983 book "Prelude to the Space Age: The Rocket Societies: 1924-1940." Winter, a retired curator of rocketry at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, tells me that the rocket as described by Uhler was so misguided as to be laughable. By the spring of 1928, Condit had "not yet succeeded in divorcing himself from Mother Earth," according to another news report of the time, and he called off the Miami Beach launch because of bad weather. He disappeared once more, this time for good.

The filmmakers have uncovered a trove of documents nearly a century old that not only suggest Condit's rocket may still be out there somewhere, but that Condit was more tapped in to the zeitgeist of his time than previously known. His rocket, while outlandish, represented a moment of pioneering aspiration in space travel. Condit was among a group of would-be rocketeers who, in the era before the space race, were applying new technologies to ideas for space travel. With memories of the First World War and the lingering fears of the influenza pandemic still fresh, these men and women looked to the cosmos and channeled the pain of daily life into the promise of discovery in space.

"It will not be very long until we know just what we have for neighbors," Condit wrote about space travel in a 1928 lecture discovered by the filmmakers, "and in the course of the next few years, we will probably be doing business with Venus as casually as we now transact our affairs across the ocean or go for an aeroplane ride of a few thousand miles before breakfast."

Our obsession with, and commitment to, space travel has waxed and waned over the past 100 years or so, as the gravity of life on Earth has pulled our attention in various directions. But today, space seems to be calling to us again after a long silence, and our desire to explore the cosmos is being stoked by a new generation of determined rocketeers. In May, Elon Musk's company SpaceX launched astronauts from American soil for the first time in nearly a decade, ferrying them to the International Space Station on its Falcon 9 rocket. Musk, along with NASA, now have their sights set on Mars, and the once far-fetched idea of putting humans on the Red Planet seems like a possibility. Condit may have lacked the chops to get to space, but for a moment in time, he had people looking up and believing humans might soon witness an alien world. Condit, the documents show, helped spark global excitement at the possibility of space travel, and in the unfolding story of one of America's earliest dreamers, we can see reflected the ambitions of today's pioneering rocketeers, stirring our desire to once again send humans to other planets.

- - -

The story of how a piloted rocket came to exist more than 40 years before we set foot on the moon is as much about the place where it was created as it is about the early aspirations of space enthusiasts. Morling Avenue in Hampden twists along the edge of a steep hill, a cluster of classic Baltimore rowhouses clinging to its side. In 1927, Harry Uhler lived in the 1400 block. Behind the house, a valley unfurls to the shores of the Jones Falls, a river that rushes from its source in rural Maryland, creating rapids at a geological fall line here, before continuing its path to the Chesapeake Bay. Starting in the 1800s, mills built of quarried stone popped up along the shore to take advantage of the hydropower, attracting workers from rural Appalachia wanting a new life in the industrializing North. Inside the mills they made cotton duck for the sails that went on speedy clipper ships used in global trade. They made the iron that became part of the skeleton of the U.S. Capitol Building. Less than five miles from downtown Baltimore and bordered at its eastern edge by Johns Hopkins University, Hampden is still an enclave that looks more like Appalachia in places than a part of the city.

Back then, Harry earned $50 a week working as a stonemason in and around the mills, and his younger brother Sterling earned $1.25 an hour as a carpenter. Across the street from Harry, their neighbor Ed Weise owned a house with a garage dug into the side of the hill next to it, like a war bunker. Two large wooden doors opened to the street, and the garage's pitched roof was high enough to contain something tall. Weise was Condit's uncle, according to the filmmakers, and Condit borrowed the garage to work on his rocket. It's unclear how he first met the Uhler brothers, but it's not hard to imagine the brothers sitting on the porch across the street and seeing Condit working on his curious machine.

Condit dreamed the rocket, and the Uhler brothers helped build it. They used angle iron ribs, perhaps supplied by the same mill that contributed to the Capitol. They wrapped the rocket in sailcloth from another mill and shellacked it in varnish to create a hard shell. An air compressor was installed to spray liquid fuel into eight steel pipes that they had outfitted with a spark plug and a battery to ignite the gas. There was room inside for one man, with access through the removable nose of the rocket. They lined the interior with 1 1/2-inch pipes meant to supply water for the journey and to help insulate Condit from the black chill of space. There were two glass portholes to see out. Condit had everything he believed he needed: flashlight, first aid kit, and a bow and arrows, which would come in handy for "procuring small game for food," he wrote in notes uncovered by the filmmakers. There was no radio to communicate with Earth. He would try to build one from parts of the rocket when he landed on Venus.

Neighbors thought they were nuts. Harry later recalled walking Hampden's main street of shops and restaurants, known as the Avenue, and people making a Swoosh! sound and pointing to the sky. "See you on Venus!" they'd say and laugh. Still, people came from all over the neighborhood to get a glimpse of the rocket, according to Harry's written account.

Today, the garage on Morling Avenue looks much as it did in 1927. When Geoff Danek bought Ed Weise's former house in 2002, he had no idea of its history. The Hampden mills that were thriving when Condit was alive had died after World War II, and their hulking structures lay fallow for years until the artists and musicians came and carved performance and studio spaces out of the cavernous rooms - some legal, some not. People began creating inside the mills again, producing music and sculpture, furniture and films. The scrappy weirdness of Hampden inspired a young filmmaker named John Waters to set several of his movies here.

The bootstrap creativity of the area lured childhood friends Brian Carey and Geoff Danek from the suburbs of Maryland. By the mid-1990s, Carey was often touring with his band, while Danek and a partner bought a sliver of a building on the Avenue in Hampden. Many of the storefronts on the main drag were still suffering from postindustrial vacancies, and the old-timers from the neighborhood were curious about what this young kid was up to. They would walk by as Danek worked on the place and pause. "What are you building in there?"

"A Mexican restaurant," Danek would tell them.

"Good luck with that," they'd say and laugh.

It was at the bar of his restaurant, Holy Frijoles, that a friend popped in for a drink one night and asked Danek about his house on Morling. "You know that three guys built a rocket to Venus in your garage, right?"

Danek had never heard the story. He soon spent hours at the library winding through microfiche and reading all that he could find on Condit from the 1920s. "I became a little obsessed," he says, and he pulled his buddy Carey in to help. After the spate of news accounts from Miami Beach through 1928, though, their archival search hit a dead end. "There was a rumor online that Condit had stolen a mail truck and taken it across country to California," Carey says. "But after Miami, it's like Robert Condit fell off the face of the Earth."

In 2006, Danek and Carey opened a restaurant in Hampden, and they called it Rocket to Venus in honor of the intrepid trio. Condit's rocket served as inspiration for the interior, including a bar they built with a friend using hundreds of feet of half-inch copper tubing to emulate the interior water pipe system. All that time, "I kept wondering what made a guy build a rocket in the 1920s," Carey says. "I mean, did he really think he could get there?"

- - -

The 1920s and '30s were ripe years for the early evolution of space travel. Rockets, in the form of fireworks, had been around since at least 1200 in China, and the concept of a man riding a rocket into space was common fodder for science fiction writers like Jules Verne. These early rockets, both real and imagined, used solid fuel, like gunpowder, for their boost. Verne set his 1865 book "From the Earth to the Moon" in Baltimore, imagining a rifle club determined to build a cannon powerful enough to shoot a projectile into space. "Now when an American has an idea, he directly seeks a second American to share it," Verne wrote. "If there be three, they elect a president and two secretaries."

Verne joked, but by the early 1900s rocket societies were forming across America - and Europe - with the express intent of sending rockets to the stars. Telescopes had become powerful enough to peer deeper into the cosmos, and some believed that intelligent life existed on other planets. Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli had trained his eye on Mars in 1877 and saw what he described as channels on the surface. The Suez Canal, completed eight years earlier, was the engineering marvel of the era, and the world had seaways on its mind. The public took Schiaparelli's report to mean that intelligent life had built canals there. American astronomer Percival Lowell, from his observatory in Arizona, concluded that the canals on Mars were quite real, and he wrote several books, starting in 1895, filled with his speculations about life on the planet.

At the turn of the 20th century, much of the science to get to space existed, but the technology and engineering did not. Members of the new societies were "the most optimistic yet naive young men and women," Winter wrote in "Prelude to the Space Age." Nevertheless, "they made important contributions" to the future of space travel by toying with designs and, perhaps most of all, by disseminating the idea to the general public that science fiction could become reality. "Publicity, these early pioneers were to discover, was everything. Whether their methods were technically sound was immaterial," Winter wrote.

By the 1920s, when Condit arrived on the scene, technology was starting to catch up. The burgeoning airline industry spurred advancements in lightweight alloy metals and aerodynamics; meanwhile an engineer named Robert H. Goddard was experimenting with the science that would eventually help land us on the moon.

Outside the pockets of true believers, though, skeptics roundly mocked the efforts of rocket enthusiasts. In 1919, Goddard published a treatise for the Smithsonian titled "A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes" in which he hypothesized shooting a rocket that could set off flash powder on the moon's surface and be visible from Earth. When the treatise was picked up by the press, Goddard was dubbed the Moon Man. An editorial in the New York Times dismissed him as a loon who "seems to lack the knowledge ladled out daily in high schools."

Goddard kept his work secret from then on, including the day in March 1926, a year before Condit's attempt, when he launched the world's first liquid-propellant rocket. Instead of solid fuel like gunpowder, Goddard correctly surmised that liquid fuel was the way to get a rocket into space. His science was far savvier than Condit's, yet Goddard's early experiment was not unlike three guys setting fire to a rocket on a city sidewalk. Goddard released his from a hill on his Aunt Effie's farm in Massachusetts, where it shot over nearby Auburn "like a celestial demon" according to one account, alarming neighbors who called the police.

Even more influential to rocket societies, particularly those in Europe, was a German professor named Hermann Oberth. Like Goddard, he believed liquid propellants were the way to go, but he went a step further: What would it mean to not just shoot a rocket into space, but to put a person up there along with it? His 1923 publication "Die Rakete zu den Planetenraumen" ("The Rocket Into Interplanetary Space") posited a vision for a piloted rocket that considered not only the technology, but also the questions of food, space suits, a space station and other practical matters.

"One of the characteristic features of this time was the belief in the heroic cult of the inventor," Michael J. Neufeld, a senior curator in the Space History Department at the National Air and Space Museum, tells me. "The great successes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford and others led people to believe that a brilliant inventor could go out and create something whole cloth out of his mind. There was no understanding of the huge military-industrial complex that was actually needed for building a rocket for space travel. Back then, it was thought that the heroic inventor who is financed by some rich capitalist could do anything."

While researching his book about rocket societies, Winter concluded that Condit was naive at best. At worst, perhaps, a con man who took the gullible Uhler brothers for a steep sum. Winter called Sterling Uhler in the early 1980s. The two had a quick conversation, the gist of which, Winter says, is that Sterling seemed quite sincere about Condit's intention of reaching Venus. "But there is a snake oil salesman element to this story," Winter says today, "and the fact that Condit just disappeared kind of fits into that notion."

For years, though, something has gnawed at him. He can't square how Condit knew to fuel his rocket. "Goddard only released details of his liquid-propelled rocket experiment in 1936, a full decade after he conducted it," Winter says, and a full nine years after Condit's Baltimore attempt. Oberth was writing primarily in German. The knowledge of using a liquid propellant to fuel a rocket in 1927 "was almost unknown." So how, he wonders, was Condit clever enough to use gas?

Condit, it turns out, understood something pivotal about rocketry, and the evidence of that knowledge had been stashed for decades inside a closet less than 11 miles from Hampden.

- - -

A few years after the opening of Rocket to Venus restaurant, relatives of the Uhler brothers began showing up to meet the restaurateurs who had honored their progenitors. Danek and Carey sat with them for hours, hearing stories of the past. "We learned from Sue, Sterling Uhler's daughter, that her dad was proud of what they'd done, but they were made fun of a lot," Danek says. "Some of the family were embarrassed, and they wanted to keep the rocket a secret."

The stories rekindled their long-simmering desire to learn what had happened to the rocket. In 2015, another childhood friend, John Benam, began capturing these family recollections on film. Benam is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker who has traveled the world with outlets such as National Geographic and PBS. Back then, he had just finished work on the critically acclaimed Netflix series "The Keepers," about the unsolved killing of Baltimore nun Catherine Cesnik. He had been hearing the story of the rocket from his friends for years, and it "kept nagging at all of us," Benam tells me. The Uhler family relatives didn't know what became of it, though, or of Condit.

The three friends decided it was time to find out. Along with co-director Robert Ferrier, producer Daphne Glover Ferrier and cameraman-editor Todd Evans, they created Urban Goat Films (named for the goats Danek keeps in his yard on Morling Avenue), and their search for the rocket began in earnest. Robert Ferrier created a Facebook page to find relatives of the original rocketeers, and in late 2018, a man named Lance Barley reached out. He told Ferrier he had something he needed to show them.

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, Barley drove to Baltimore from his house in Maryland's Anne Arundel County. He pulled onto Chestnut Avenue in Hampden and knew he was in the right place when he saw a vintage amusement park rocket jutting off the side of a rowhouse.

Barley is Robert Condit's great-nephew, and in an interesting twist he works at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab overseeing the mechanical fabrication shop where they make, among other things, devices such as the Parker Solar Probe, intended for interplanetary research. Barley grew up hearing whispers of the relative who had wanted to shoot himself out of the stratosphere. "Everyone told me how smart he was," Barley says. "And he was, well, you know, over the top."

There were stories, like the one about Condit sleeping in a freezing room, windows wide open in winter, to train for being in space.

There was one relative, though, who spoke of Condit with unabashed glee: Elizabeth Kidd, Barley's great-aunt Betty, who was Condit's sister. Barley visited her in Miami in the mid-1970s when he was a kid, and she told him all about Condit's plans for the trip to Venus. She had been his biggest fan, Barley says, and she was gutted when, in 1971, Condit had died in a roadside motel on his way to visit her in Miami. When his aunt died in 1992, Barley inherited a satchel filled with old papers, which he stashed in a closet. He had forgotten about it until he saw the Facebook page about the guys in Baltimore who were interested in his great-uncle's rocket.

The filmmakers spent months sifting through the satchel that Barley loaned them. Inside were envelopes dating from 1928, newspaper clippings of Condit and the rocket; there were typed notes and hand-drawn sketches of Venus. I visited the restaurant one afternoon in the fall as they tried to make sense of what was inside. Papers spilled out across the bar. Notes were scrawled on several whiteboards. Covering one wall, Post-its created a timeline of Condit's life.

They learned that Condit had paid a shipping line to transport what they believed was the rocket to Miami Beach in late 1927. They found rent payments to a landlord for a spot on the boardwalk there and an address for Condit's house in the South Beach neighborhood. There was a contract, signed by Condit in early 1928, for an exclusive publicity deal with the burgeoning MGM Studios, which wanted to film his launch from the beach. They also found letters from scientists and space enthusiasts, from children and adults, men and women alike, and from as far away as Czechoslovakia, all wanting to know more about his pending trip. Some had experienced the horrors of the First World War, and the idea of escaping to Venus sounded pretty great.

"They had lost a leg or had been injured and they were like: 'I'm willing to donate my life to go along and accompany you on this mission because I'm no longer any good to society in this way, but I could serve the furtherment of humanity and science by doing this,'" Carey told me. "There were a lot of those types of letters." (Goddard got letters like this, too, after he wrote about a rocket to the moon.) The letters contained the same basic message: Please take me with you.

The letter that really got them, though, was from a kid named Clyde Hafer, a 17-year-old orphan from Newport, Ky., whose parents died when he was young. "I am interested in science and astronomy and would like very much to accompany you," Hafer wrote in January 1928. "I fully realize the dangers of such an undertaking, but if something would go wrong and we would not get back there is no one that would miss me."

Something else stood out in the materials. A beautiful art deco book with a German title. It was Hermann Oberth's 1923 treatise on liquid-propellant fuels. Condit had owned it, in the original German. But perhaps the most enlightening item was a six-page typed lecture prepared by Condit in the winter of 1928 describing not only his reasons for picking Venus - it was, among other factors, closer than Mars - but also his firm belief that a civilized society must exist there. He had read Percival Lowell and knew about the canal theory. Condit claimed he had seen images of the surface of Venus through a telescope where "there are long straight lines longer than the canals of Mars, which can be nothing else [than] avenues of transportation." He also saw what he believed to be artificial light shimmering from its surface. This must mean, he wrote, that there is an intelligent and centralized government there. He speculated on what the inhabitants of Venus might look like: multiple limbs, probably naked. He had no idea that Venus is, in fact, a broiling hellscape with an atmosphere that would choke any living thing.

Condit did get a few matters right, though. He understood the need for a liquid fuel. He understood the Coriolis effect - that launching from Miami Beach, closer to the equator than Baltimore, would take advantage of Earth's spin to help get him into space. This was 35 years before NASA established its launch operations at Cape Canaveral, Fla.

This past January, armed with the information in the satchel, the film crew went to Miami Beach hot on the trail of Condit's rocket. Danek and Carey have pursued this now for 17 years; they want to behold the rocket and discern from it something of its creator.

In late February, a few weeks after they returned from a week-long search in South Florida, I met Benam, Carey and Danek at the house on Morling Avenue. They came home empty-handed and were understandably disappointed not to have found the rocket. But they picked up clues suggesting Condit and his machine may have been heading north, to New York, lured by a savvy publicist who was booking him for a speaking tour. There's a shipping receipt and a telegram that make them wonder if Condit sent the rocket to a warehouse in the Bronx in 1929. The film crew will search there next, and afterward, they plan to trace Condit to California, where they believe he went in the 1930s.

Maybe, Carey speculated to me, Condit left Miami Beach because he could no longer pretend he'd be flying to Venus. Or maybe he needed more money for the rocket and was looking to cash in on that lecture circuit. Perhaps he still planned on going to space. But then life in the United States imploded. The stock market crashed, men fell from windows onto Wall Street, and the world-altering reality of the Great Depression ended it all. Condit disappeared at the same time as the American economy. The filmmakers know something about unforeseen disasters causing plans to go awry. They had hoped to have the documentary in the can by this fall. But the coronavirus pandemic came, delaying the schedule.

"Do you still think you'll find it?" I asked. It was an unseasonably warm and sunny winter afternoon, and we were standing in front of the garage where it all began.

In response, Danek told me a story. On the way to Miami Beach, they stopped at Cape Canaveral to talk to a retired astronaut named Winston Scott, a man who has spent more than 24 days in space. "We wanted to ask him what Condit might have been thinking. We wanted to know what it was like going up into space, what goes through your head. He told us that you don't go up thinking that you won't get back," Danek says. "We wouldn't be on this mission without believing we could find the rocket." And then he paused. "I have to believe we'll find it."

For a moment I imagined the three filmmakers replaced by Condit and the Uhler brothers. I could see the original trio circling the rocket on a sunny day in 1927, readying it for their test flight. How futile their endeavor, but how hopeful, too. That persistent, essential dream of better understanding life beyond our planet.
CANTON, Mass., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "Don't worry about a thing 'cause every little thing gonna be alright."

In celebration of Bob Marley's 75th birthday, School of Rock, the leader in performance-based music education, in collaboration with Universal Music Group, is proud to debut a video of Skip Marley performing Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" with the School of Rock 2020 AllStars.

"This video is meant to spread a message of positivity during a pivotal time of historic disruption," said Rob Price, CEO of School of Rock. "Our AllStars, the very best School of Rock artists from around the world, typically tour across the United States each summer. But when COVID-19 disrupted those plans, we knew we needed to keep the music playing and inspire others with optimism. Having our students join Skip to record the music and vocal tracks of this iconic song is poignant, and reminiscent of how moving the message of Three Little Birds was when first released."

The video can be seen on School of Rock's YouTube Channel .

School of Rock provides students of all ages an exciting and engaging learning environment for taking guitar lessons , drum lessons , bass lessons , keyboard lessons , and singing lessons . Drawing from all styles of rock and roll, School of Rock students learn theory and techniques via songs from legendary artists such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Frank Zappa. Thanks to the school's performance-based approach, students around the world have gained superior instrumental skills and confidence on the big stage, with some moving on to record deals and larger platforms such as American Idol, The Voice and Broadway.

For more information on School of Rock, please visit www.SchoolofRock.com .

About School of Rock

School of Rock helps aspiring musicians master skills, unleash creativity, and develop tools they need to thrive in life. Founded as a single school in Philadelphia, PA in 1998, School of Rock has become a rapidly growing international franchise with 280 schools open and in development across nine global markets. Since 2009, School of Rock has grown student count from 4,000 to over 40,000. School of Rock offers a wide variety of music lessons , including guitar lessons , singing lessons and piano lessons .

Follow School of Rock on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SchoolofRockUSA and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SchoolofRockUSA .

For more information on School of Rock visit www.SchoolofRock.com or call 866-695-5515. To learn more about School of Rock franchise opportunities head to http://franchising.schoolofrock.com/

SOURCE School of Rock

Related Links

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Police indiscipline and Police bashing View(s):

The Defence Secretary, the Attorney General and Cabinet Ministers are heard these days vociferously bashing the Police, alleging corruption and inefficiency. Surely, police officers are human beings, and they cannot be transformed to become ideal police officers by waving the word Police as if the mere word Police is a magic wand. It is vetting and training that go to turn out a good police officer.

There is no doubt that the Police Service has gone down to abysmal depths. The reasons are not hard to find.

During the war period, there were indiscriminate intakes to the Reserve Police without any concern for qualifications or suitability for the Police. During the latter stages, they were taken mainly on political considerations. By and by, the Reservists equalled the number of Regulars in the Police Service. They did not receive proper training as police officers, but received promotions on their own standards that were not scrupulous.

Then in 2006, on an order from the President, all Reservists were absorbed to the Regular Force in the ranks they held in the Reserve Police, much to the detriment of Regulars especially in regard to their seniority in service, creating immense frustration in them.

Some of these Reservists were not only totally unfit for the Police, they had not received proper training, and are undisciplined and inefficient and their loyalties are elsewhere, as could be expected. Some have, however, risen to ranks of ASP and even SP. Even after the absorption they could have been put through the requisite training in batches. But no one has been interested.

The Defence Secretary and the Attorney General are also coming down hard on the Police, but what have they done to rectify this situation? Can anyone with a wee bit of grey matter, expect anything better from such a forlorn Police Service?

The Prime Minister who was responsible for the absorption of the Reservists when he was the President, has gone on record protesting at a public meeting that not enough recognition is given to politicians by the police and demanded that they be recognised. In other words, he wanted their requests acceded to. The lawfulness of these requests is anybodys guess.

Incapacitating the Police in this manner is perceived as a deliberate and sinister move to make the Police Force ineffective and have it out of the way for dreadful omens that portend.

There is something called the Independent Police Commission which has all the powers over the Police Service for enlistments, training, performance, promotions, transfers, and punishments. It was established to insulate the Police Service from political interference and to enhance its performance. But what is it doing while the Police Service is being emasculated by politicos? Recently I read a comment from a Retired Senior Police Officer who described it as the Interdependent Police Commission. It is absolutely so, with members of the Commission drawing over six figure salaries from the dwindling public coffers, but in effect insulating the politicos by their pathetic inaction and sweet repose.

Any prospect for Police can be with the community, not with the Government, not with the courts, not with the Attorney General, not with the National Police Commission.

It is high time the people open their minds and harness People Power to get over this gigantic problem. After all, police are the public and public are the police in a democratic country. That is the reality, but it is denied to the people by militarised authoritarian governance from which we have to extricate ourselves.

(The article includes input by Retired DIG Rohan Abeyawardena. Tassie Seneviratne is a Retired Senior Police Officer.

He can be contacted at

seneviratnetz@gmail.com)
Rating Action: Moody's affirms Sunriver's B2 CFR; outlook stable

Global Credit Research - 27 Jul 2020

Hong Kong, July 27, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has affirmed Sunriver Holding Group Company Limited's B2 corporate family rating (CFR).

The outlook remains stable.

"The rating affirmation reflects our expectation that Sunriver's credit metrics will mildly weaken but remain appropriate for its B2 corporate family rating over the next 12-18 months, as the strong property development business will temper weakness in its tourism business," says Danny Chan, a Moody's Assistant Vice President and Analyst.

"The company's adequate liquidity on the back of strong contracted sales growth also supports its rating," adds Chan.

RATINGS RATIONALE

Sunriver's B2 CFR reflects the company's (1) profitable property development business, (2) modestly diversified business operations, including infrastructure construction and tourism, (3) good interest coverage, and (4) adequate liquidity.

On the other hand, Sunriver's rating is constrained by (1) the relatively small scale of its property business, (2) the execution and financial risks associated with the fast expansion of both its property and non-property businesses, and (3) its modest access to funding and corporate governance because of its private company status.

Moody's expects Sunriver's credit metrics to weaken over the next 12-18 months, mainly due to its weak tourism business, which accounted for 16% and 21% of its revenue and gross profits, respectively, in 2019. Its profit margin is also likely to weaken given the expected greater contributions from its low-margin construction business. Nevertheless, the resulting negative impact on the company's cash flow will be partly offset by the solid performances of its property business.

Moody's expects the high growth momentum of its property business to continue this year, following 58% year-over-year contracted sales growth to RMB11 billion in 2019. Property development is Sunriver's largest business segment, contributing approximately 60% and 71% of its total revenue and reported gross profit, respectively, in 2019.

Story continues

Consequently, Sunriver's debt leverage, as measured by revenue/adjusted debt, will likely deteriorate mildly to 65%-70% over the next 12-18 months from 76% in 2019. Its interest coverage, as measured by adjusted EBIT/ Interest coverage, should also weaken to 2.5x-3.0x in the next 12-18 months from 3.0x in 2019, driven by an expected lower profit margin.

Moody's expects that Sunriver's increasing investment needs for its fast-growing infrastructure construction business over the next one to two years will consume its capital and liquidity. Nevertheless, the company has a track record of using both equity and debt to fund the expansion of its construction business. For instance, it listed its construction arm -- Anhui Gourgen Traffic Construction Co., Ltd -- in Q4 2019, and Anhui Gourgen on 21 July 2020 announced an approximate RMB1.2 billion proposed share placement.

Sunriver's liquidity position is adequate, despite its cash to short-term debt coverage of 75% at the end of December 2019.Moody's estimates its cash balance, together with its operating cash flow, can cover its short-term debt, committed land premiums and dividend payments over the next 12 months.

In terms of environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations, Moody's has considered the company's low corporate transparency and less-developed corporate governance because of its private company status. Furthermore, the company's ownership is concentrated in Yu Faxiang and his family, who owned 65.3% of the company as of 30 June 2020.

These concerns are partly mitigated by Anhui Gourgen and Zhejiang Sunriver Culture Co., Ltd, the company's two main subsidiaries in which it owns 54% and 33.4% respectively, and which are listed on and subject to the regulations of the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATING

The stable rating outlook reflects Moody's expectation that Sunriver will maintain the healthy growth in its property business, adequate liquidity, and prudent approach toward investing in non-property businesses without substantially increasing its debt.

The rating could be upgraded if (1) Sunriver improves its debt leverage while achieving healthy contracted sales growth and demonstrates prudence in expanding its construction and tourism segments, (2) improves its liquidity by diversifying its funding channels, and (3) strengthens its corporate governance and transparency.

Credit metrics that would indicate a possible upgrade include revenue/adjusted debt above 80%, and adjusted EBIT/interest cover above 2.0x-2.5x on a sustained basis.

The rating could be downgraded in case of a deterioration in Sunriver's debt leverage or liquidity, such as increased refinancing risk.

Deteriorating credit metrics that could trigger a downgrade include (1) revenue/adjusted debt below 55%-60%, or (2) adjusted EBIT/interest cover below 1.5x on a sustained basis.

The principal methodology used in this rating was Homebuilding And Property Development Industry published in January 2018 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1108031. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

Founded in 2002, Sunriver Holding Group Company Limited (Sunriver) is a privately owned company, with its headquarters in Hefei, Anhui Province, China.

The company engages in real estate, construction, tourism and cultural businesses, mainly in Anhui Province. It also owns and operates three self-developed tourism projects and a construction company.

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Prince Harry was so keen on quitting the royal family that he initially refused the offer of a trial period which could have seen him and Meghan return to the UK after Megxit, royal sources have claimed.

The review was insisted upon by courtiers and other royals, with the Queen keen to let Harry know he could return to the fold if he changed his mind.

However, the Duke of Sussex was keen to make a 'clean break' and had to be persuaded to agree to the trial period. A source said: 'He was adamantly opposed to the review process.'

Harry is thought to have been against the idea because it came from 'the institution' and he feared that a review would lessen the impact of their departure, allowing the media to write they could return.

Claims Harry had initially rebuffed the Queen's offer of a 12-month break from royal duties emerged in briefings from sources close to Her Majesty and the Sussexes last night - not from Harry and Meghan's bombshell biography Finding Freedom.

Asked if the couple might return to the fold, an insider close to Harry and Meghan said: 'Do I rule out them taking on roles for the family in the future? Absolutely not. But a full-scale return soon is not likely. That is not down to animosity or anything like that. They have not yet reached what they were seeking to do.'

The Queen wanted to include a review period that would allow Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to return to the royal family following Megxit - though Harry initially refused the offer

According to bombshell biography Finding Freedom, Harry believed the 'old guard' at Buckingham Palace disliked Meghan and wanted to make her life difficult.

That belief is thought to have fuelled his desire to not include a review option in Megxit.

The book has aired the divisions between Prince Harry and other royals, including his brother Prince William, with a source admitting: 'People are aware that this does not look good for anyone.'

However, some have suggested that the revelations aren't as bad as expected, according to The Times.

It was reported that the book, which Harry and Meghan insisted had nothing to do with them, had 'torpedoed' their chances of returning to the royal family after the trial period.

However, royal sources have now refuted the idea, pointing out that the Sussexes have shown no sign of wanting to return from California while revealing that Harry had been opposed to the review in the first place.

One said that 'under no circumstances would they ever admit 'this was a big mistake'.'

The biography, written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, also revealed Harry had 'grown frustrated' that he and Meghan 'often took a back seat to other family members,' including his father and brother. Pictured: The royal family after the annual Commonwealth Service in March

Finding Freedom, by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, is not released until August 11 but is already top of the media giant's bestsellers list as royal fans rush to pre-order their copy. The book is at number 14 on the US chart at the time of writing. Left, the couple in March

They also insisted that Harry and William's relationship isn't as bad as portrayed by the book.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's biography is already the bestselling book on Amazon UK, two weeks ahead of its release.

Finding Freedom, by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, is not released until August 11 but is already top of the media giant's bestsellers list as royal fans rush to pre-order their copy. The book is at number 14 on the US chart at the time of writing.

Scobie and Duran they have spoken to more than 100 sources including 'close friends of Harry and Meghan's, royal aides and palace staff (past and present)', with all the information in the book having 'at least two sources.'

Prince Charles, Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry arrive for the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in 2018

They deny giving any interviews or contributing to the book directly, but the intimate nature of some details raises questions over who the sources were - and whether Harry and Megan gave them their blessing before they revealed such closely guarded insights to the couple's private lives.

In the latest extract, they delved deep into the story of how Harry and Meghan became a couple, their first dates, her first visit to Kensington Palace and how Harry said 'I love you' just three months into their relationship, to which Meghan quickly responded with 'I love you, too'.

The book has also discussed Harry and William's relationship, as well as the Duke of Sussex's relationship with his father.

Harry felt Prince Charles valued his own public image above their father-son relationship, the biography claimed.

Harry was also 'p****d off' with 'snob' William as he was warned to take things slow with 'this girl' Meghan.

And William reportedly questioned Meghan's intentions and feared that Duke of Sussex was being 'blindsided by lust'.
A closed shop in Leicester city centre, England. Photo: Rui Vieira/AP

A looming rise in UK unemployment is only likely to be temporary, according to Goldman Sachs (GS).

The investment bank played down fears of 1980s-style systemic unemployment in a note sent to clients last week, saying it expects only a short-lived spike in the UKs unemployment rate.

From an economy-wide perspective... we expect the spike in aggregate unemployment to be short-lived, with the majority of furloughed workers getting reabsorbed into gainful employment given our expectations for a strong post-lockdown rebound, economists Adrian Paul and Kavya Saxena wrote.

Goldman Sachs expects the unemployment rate to rise from 4% to 9.5% later this year after the governments job retention scheme comes to an end in October.

But the investment bank thinks the UK economy will be on the upturn by then and predicts unemployment will fall back fast as the recovery takes root.

The prediction stands in contrast to other commentators who have warned that a generation of people could be left devastated by the UKs looming jobs.

Three former chancellors and the Bank of Englands chief economist have all raised concerns that the UK could face 1980s-levels of systematic unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Systematic unemployment is where people who lose their jobs struggle to find new roles and end up falling out of the labour force for good.

Goldman Sachs thinks most Brits made unemployed will find new employment but warns there will be huge amounts of reallocation  people moving from one industry to another.

The investment bank predicts that 10% of jobs in hospitality, leisure, and retail will be lost for good, leaving millions hunting for work elsewhere. Big employers in these sectors including John Lewis, Boots, Burger King, and Pret have all announced thousands of redundancies in recent weeks.

Goldman Sachs thinks most people will find new jobs within 18 months but said: The scale of that reallocation is likely to be more demanding than that which followed the 2008/09 crisis.

Story continues

Earlier this month chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a 30bn ($38bn) Plan for Jobs aimed at protecting and creating jobs. The programme includes subsidies work placements and a 1,000 bonus for companies that bring staff back from furlough.

Although hardship lies ahead, no one will be left without hope, Sunak said at the time. I will never accept unemployment as an unavoidable outcome.

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On 24 July, nine Global unions Federations (GUF) - including the IFJ - have publicly declared their support for the Algerian union movement, which is working on the democratization of a country where arbitrary punishments and human rights violations are still the norm

The undersigned Global Union Federations express their full solidarity and support for the ongoing struggle for trade union rights and democratic freedoms in Algeria. For many years, independent unions have been bravely struggling to win legal recognition for their organizations and build a space for workers to freely join and form unions of their own choosing and bargain collectively. These unions have faced targeted dismissals, harassment and persecution of members and elected union leaders for many years, and since February 2019 have faced intensified repression in retaliation for their support for and participation in the mass movement for democracy, the Hirak.

Despite repeated calls from the supervisory bodies of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the government of Algeria has failed to reinstate all dismissed trade unionists, stop the harassment, register the unions and allow them to operate freely.

Since the Hirak emerged in 2019, hundreds of democracy activists and human rights defenders, including independent trade unionists, have been arrested, indicted, placed under police control or condemned to prison. Repression of journalists, media activists and political and human rights defenders has continued since measures to contain the COVID-19 emergency led to a ban on public gatherings and took the Hirak off the streets. The government has likewise ignored a European Parliament resolution On the situation of freedoms in Algeria from 28 November 2019, calling for the release of all detained democracy activists and full respect for democratic and civil rights.

We stand in full solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Algeria fighting for trade union and democratic rights, and will pursue with all available means our efforts to bring the Algerian government to unconditionally release all those detained and sentenced for their trade union and civic engagement, fully respect democratic rights, including the right to freedom of association, and implement the decisions and recommendations of the ILO to ensure that independent trade unions can organize and represent workers without fear of harassment or retaliation.

Signatories:

Ambet Yuson, General Secretary, BWI

Valter Sanches, General Secretary, IndustriALL

David Edwards, General Secretary, EI

Anthony Bellanger, General Secretary, IFJ

Sue Longley, General Secretary, IUF

Rosa Pavanelli, General Secretary, PFI

Pierre Habbard, General Secretary, TUAC

Christy Hoffman, General Secretary, UNI Global Union

Benoit Mauchel, General Secretary, IAEA

24.07.2020
What is doubly strange about this proposal is that the left is also apoplectic about Americas place in the world. It doesnt think the administration has done enough to counter China. It insists that the White House is soft on Russia. Then there is Iran and North Korea. It is, of course, wrong.

Current U.S. defense and security policy is stronger than it was four years ago. But it needs to be stronger still  given all the threats that the left acknowledges. Yet, here again, logic seems to have taken a liberal holiday.

One fake suggestion is that by spending less on defense we can spend more on foreign aid and diplomats, solving all our problems just by playing nice. Certainly it would be preferable to resolve all issues without a clash of arms, but its not always possible to do so. And, in the real world, its easier to win with soft talk when you have a big stick.

The Trump administration clearly prefers to not fight shooting wars if there is a reasonable alternative. On the other hand, it recognizes that nations cant simply swap out hard power for soft power any more than chefs can substitute eggs for milk in a recipe. They are all part of making the cake.
New Delhi, Jul 27 (UNI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar and other Cabinet ministers on Monday paid tribute to the 11th President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on his fifth death anniversary.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Mr Shah said,"Tributes to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, an epitome of intellect, wisdom and simplicity. A Peoples President, who left indelible marks on several fields ranging from science to politics. His relentless quest for knowledge continues to inspire and capture the idea of self-reliant India."

Mr Javadekar said,"My deepest and humble tribute to former President of India, Bharat Ratna, Missile Man Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on his death anniversary."

Law and Justice minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said,"My tribute to the former President of India, great teacher and eminent scientist "Bharat Ratna" Dr. #APJAbdulKalam Ji on his death anniversary."

HRD minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said,"The former President of India who inspired the youth through his thoughts, the great writer, known as Missile Man, "Bharataratna" Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, my deepest tribute on his death anniversary. His life will always inspire the generations to come."

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said,"Those who wait get only as much as that left by those who try! Emotional tribute on the death anniversary of former President, #MissileMan, famous scientist, Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam ji. His ideal life will always inspire the citizens.

"Self-confidence and hard work are the best medicine to kill the disease called failure. It makes you a successful person. Dr Kalam dreamed of a capable India of the 21st century and made his distinctive contribution in this direction. By adopting his personality, the pinnacle of success can be reached," Dr Vardhan added.

Road Transport minister Nitin Gadkari said,"Humble tributes on the death anniversary of Dr A P J Abdul Kalam."

While delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong, Dr Kalam collapsed and died from an apparent cardiac arrest on July 27, 2015, aged 83.

Kalam was elected as the 11th President of India in 2002 with the support of both the ruling BJP and the then-opposition INC. Widely referred to as the "People's President", he returned to his civilian life of education, writing and public service after a single term.

He was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

UNI PY ADG 1538
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In this last segment of this series of articles, it is worth looking at the current and near-future issues if Vietnam is to take as much advantage as possible of any opportunities opening up so it can recover economically faster than other nations struggling with the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

In part 2, I mentioned that Vietnams smaller ability to fulfill big production orders such as spare parts, supply chain materials to be further processed or electric components might be a drawback. However, it is unlikely that most industries will swing back to large-scale orders anytime soon.

Another serious consideration is exporting/shipping, an area noticeable because of complicated and time-consuming paperwork and shipping costs.

Fortunately, the governments plan to introduce one-stop online administrative centers and promises to streamline procedures has accelerated as the need to do so becomes ever more apparent.

As recently as early July, the government is now also heavily promoting tax breaks and special administrative streamlining for businesses looking to relocate to Vietnam.

Shovel-ready projects are already in the works around the provinces for repairs and the creation of new levies and small dams. Anti-flooding work is also planned for the Red River Delta region and parts of the Mekong Delta.

Local administrations are urged to reduce waiting times for land clearance and building approvals while re-enforcing damaged or at risk riverbanks provides an almost instant job creation scheme.

Indeed, there is good potential in all this for job creation over the next year and a half  the time it will probably take to bring a vaccine to the public.

As mentioned in part 2, other countries  China and South Korea, for example  do have some advantage in greater numbers of skilled workers using modern technology. It is still a sore point locally.

Regarding this matter, Le Van Thanh, Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, forecast that the labor and employment sector would continue to face obstacles till the end of the year.

The ministry would collate feedback from the affected enterprises and submit it to the government to address problems, he said.

It also proposed that the government relax regulations to allow companies to tap the unemployment insurance fund for employee training.

That will not really be enough. Some shift from promoting university to vocational careers needs to happen, and that is a matter of public attitudes toward education.

Unskilled work is going to shrink in availability  particularly among textile and agricultural processing industries. Thus a major financial investment by the government in vocational training centers for the southern and central regions would give the nation more attractive market and industrial production possibilities.

Improvements in tourism products, tours and packaged deals, have contributed to growth and it is a useful way to focus attention on lifting tourism quality while waiting for international travel to return in a big way.

There is enough of a trickle of airline business in both domestic and regional markets  domestic airports in Thailand, for example  that it is unlikely that Vietnamese airline companies will go bust at this stage.

That question will present itself again sometime in the next six to twelve months.

Whichever that future unfolds, air travel is very unlikely to return in any form familiar from the past.

If international air travel stays stagnant for longer, companies will go broke, making the market smaller. So cheaper tickets are not going to be any part of a long-term recovery, as there is less competition for passengers.

Secondly, rapid testing at airports is not an option for perhaps years to come as the technology is still in the early stages.

We will not get a vaccine soon as it takes time to manufacture and distribute  the vaccine for measles took over ten years to develop.

Finally, airlines are doing away with goodies  meal services and other facilities  to reduce touch/contact points. Travel is going to get more basic!

Predictions versus reality  September openings versus a year later. At least Vietnam will ride this out better than countries with more infrastructure and human services to maintain and fund.

How fast the nation chooses to react and adapt will make all the difference. But this is Vietnam, a nation used to doing things in adversity, hardship, and tough times. And it has done an amazing job over the last four decades.

I think Vietnam will surprise the world again and again!
A 63-year-old New York City woman has been identified as the victim of Monday's shark attack off the coast of Maine.

Julie Dimperio Holowach died in what is thought to be the state's first fatal shark attack in history.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it was alerted to a shark attack in Harpswell on Monday afternoon just after 3.30pm, Boston 25 reported.

Two Good Samaritans on kayaks were able to help Holowach back to shore so she could be treated on land. Marine Patrol says she woman was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

Julie Dimperio Holowach died after she was apparently attacked by a shark off the coast of Maine. The U.S. Coast Guard was alerted to a shark attack in Harpswell, Maine on Monday afternoon just after 3.30pm

Witnesses at the scene said Holowach was swimming off the shore near While Sails Lane when she was injured in the suspected shark attack

The Maine Marine Patrol is now investigating what happened.

There were two women swimming in the water at the time of the suspected attack near While Sails Lane, witnesses said to News Center Maine.

One woman appeared to be 'flung up in the air by something underwater' and appeared to suffer severe injuries, a neighbor said.

The other woman also sustained injuries, though this has not been confirmed by police.

Police confirmed that the Coast Guard was in the process of sending a small boat in the rescue effort but stopped when they learned two kayakers helped bring those two people in the water back to shore.

Back at shore they were met by members of the Harpswell EMS squad.

Two Good Samaritans on kayaks were able to help the victim back to shore so she could be treated on land. Marine Patrol say she was pronounced dead at the scene

The incident took place in Harpswell, Maine

#DEVELOPPING: The US Coast Guard says it responded to a possible shark attack off the coast of Harpswell Monday afternoon. A 9-1-1 call for a water rescue was made at the same time here off White Sails Ln. on Bailey Island. @newscentermaine pic.twitter.com/0XoHx6pO0V  Hannah Dineen (@hannah_dineen) July 27, 2020

Swimmers and boaters are now being urged to use caution near Bailey Island and to avoid swimming near schooling fish or seals until further notice.

The attack could be Maine's first fatal shark attack in recorded history.

According to Dr. James Sulikowski, a professor at Arizona State University who conducts shark research in New England, there's only been one unprovoked shark attack recorded in Maine.

In October 2010, a man diving off the coast of Eastport reported that an eight-foot shark attacked him, mistaking his camera for food. The diver was able to fend off the shark and had video of the encounter.

'Shark interactions with humans are very rare in Maine. My guess is that the person (who was attacked) was mistaken as a food item. In this area of Maine and depending on how close to shore the event occurred, my guess it was a white shark,' he said to the Press Herald.

Sulikowksi said a seal was bitten on Sunday in Phippsburg, Maine by a shark and died later.
Fact or Fiction?

There are a lot of commonly held beliefs about domestic violence that can harm victims and keep people from seeking help. StrongHearts Native Helpline unravels some of the myths surrounding domestic violence and sheds light into the darkness of intimate partner violence (IPV).

Domestic Violence is a private family matter  Fiction

When domestic violence becomes rampant in any community, it is no longer just a family matter. Using violence and coercion against an intimate partner is a violation of human rights and a serious global health issue ( Guruge, 2012 ); and IPV is one of the most prevalent types of violence against women.

In Indian Country, a survey of intimate partners revealed that:

 More than 56% had experienced sexual violence

 More than 55% had experienced IPV

Take a moment to honor your time and your space as an Indigenous individual. Smudge your space and take a moment to thank the ancestors for your resilience and strength. #DV #native #indigenous #warrior #domesticviolence #datingviolence #strength pic.twitter.com/YE7uYu0REO  strongheartsdv (@strongheartsdv) July 27, 2020

Whats worse, perpetrators are disproportionately interracial (a partner who was not American Indian or Alaska Native) as compared to intraracial (a partner who is American Indian or Alaska Native).

 97% of female victims and 90% of male victims experienced violence at the hands of at least one interracial (non-Native perpetrator) in their lifetime.

 35% of female victims and 33% of male victims have experienced intraracial (AIAN perpetrator) violence in their lifetime.

Domestic violence has a lasting effect on children  Fact

Children who witness and experience domestic violence may experience ongoing effects of trauma throughout their lives. In fact, studies have shown that babies of abused pregnant mothers can be born exhibiting symptoms of depression, irritability and difficulty expressing affection.

 The rates of pregnant mothers being abused are not short on numbers. In the U.S. alone 300,000 pregnant mothers report abuse annually.

 Children exposed to violence can suffer long term effects of trauma and are more likely to use violence against others.

 The rate of PTSD for Native American children is three times the national average.

 Exposure to trauma is a common thread to over-representation in juvenile justice systems.

Most of the time, domestic violence is not really that serious  Fiction

Domestic violence is an illegal act in the U.S. and is considered a crime with serious repercussions. Although there are aspects of domestic violence  for example: emotional, psychological, spiritual abuse  that may not be considered criminal in a legal sense, that does not diminish the serious and long-lasting effects of physical, emotional and spiritual abuse. Each act of domestic violence must be taken seriously.

A victim can easily leave their abusive partner. Leaving is the safest option  Fiction

The most dangerous time for a victim is when they attempt to leave the relationship, or when the abuser discovers that they have made plans to leave. Fear, lack of safe options, and the inability to survive economically prevent many victims from leaving abusive relationships. Threats of harm, including death to the victim, children and pets, keep many battered people trapped in abusive situations. Other reasons a victim stays with an abusive partner include:

 Love: the victim has love for their abusive partner

 Family: wanting to maintain harmony within the family

 Community: escaping the abuse can mean leaving their tribal community, or concerns over what community members will think if they found out about the abuse

 Low Self-Esteem: makes excuses for abusers behavior, blames self for the abuse, or feels hopeless

 Denial/Shame: doesnt want to admit or is embarrassed that theyre in an abusive relationship

 Lack of finances or resources: leaving an abusive partner may mean leaving behind financial resources and many basic human needs

StrongHearts Native Helpline, the domestic violence and dating violence helpline for Native Americans, has launched a new chat advocacy feature. @strongheartsdv #NotOurTradition #dv https://t.co/tXAae5Cz3u  indianz.com (@indianz) July 8, 2020

Anger management programs are briefer, more cost-effective than a certified batterer intervention program  Fiction

Domestic violence is not an anger management problem. Additionally, anger management programs fall short of addressing the deeply-rooted issues associated with domestic and dating violence and, therefore, are ineffective. Batterer Intervention Programs (BIP) are specifically designed to meet the needs of batterers. Whether voluntarily or under court order, the BIPs are set up to educate and rehabilitate the abusive partner. The goal of BIPs is to change offender thinking and behavior with the result that offenders are held accountable, victim safety enhanced, and decrease the likelihood of further violence.

Domestic, dating and sexual violence helplines and programs are for women  Fiction

Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence. Like many programs, StrongHearts Native Helpline is for all Native American and Alaska Natives impacted by domestic, dating or sexual violence including males, two-spirit, nonbinary, etc.

Native Americans and Alaska Natives experience domestic violence at higher rates than any other ethnic group. StrongHearts Native Helpline acknowledges and supports all victims regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation or relationship status.

If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. For one-on-one chat advocacy visit StrongHearts Native Helpline online at strongheartshelpline.org or call 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483), advocates are available daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT. As a collaborative effort of the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) and the National Indigenous Womens Resource Center, after-hour callers can connect with The Hotline by choosing option one.

Join the Conversation
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Nearly all high school students in the Syracuse City School District will be home for the fall, completing all of their classwork online, according to the districts draft plan for reopening.

The districts 10,000 k-8 students will be going to school in-person two days a week and online three days a week.

And every family will have the option of complete virtual learning if they are not comfortable having their children attend school in-person.

District Superintendent Jaime Alicea unveiled the districts choices at a meeting this evening of the Syracuse City School District Board of Education. The district is the largest in the region, with 20,000 students in k-12. So many people -- 250 -- attended the online meeting that it hit its limit and board members couldnt get in. They had to listen on speaker from Aliceas cell phones

Alicea said there were concerns about having enough masks, enough hand sanitizer and enough space on the buses for everyone. But one of the biggest issues is finding enough teachers to teach 10,000 k-8 students when they are split into the small classes that social distancing requires. That, he said, would be nearly impossible.

So half of those 10,000 students will go to school on Monday and Tuesday; the other half will go on Thursday and Friday. Wednesday will be online for everyone and a day to clean the buildings.

All families will be able to opt out of the hybrid model and have their children learn completely online, Alicea said. The district will be reaching out to each family to find out their decisions for each child.

Another factor in deciding to keep high school kids home was knowing that the grade-school students in many homes would have no one else to look after them.

A lot of our parents are depending on high school kids to watch the kids, Alicea said.

He said the school will be going through its database to make sure that children in the same families go to school on the same days.

Students with special needs and those in districts robust English as a New Language program will be taught in-person in the high schools.

High school students will only receive in-person instruction for science labs and career and technical education labs.

The rest will be done online. Alicea said the district will switch to a semester model for high school. Instead of having eight or nine courses every day for the entire year, students will have four courses that they will complete by January. Those offerings will match the state Regents exams that are scheduled to be offered in January (so students arent tested at the end of the year on material they havent had in six months).

The district plans to continue distributing printed packets to students as it did during the spring. And it will continue its partnership with WCNY for kids in grades k-5.

The districts complete plan is still be worked on. Some details may change, Alicea said, before it is submitted to the state on Friday. The state has to approve all 700 New York school districts plans for reopening.

The Liverpool School District also announced its plan today.

Districts have until Friday to turn their reopening plans into the state and share them with the public.

Marnie Eisenstadt is a reporter who writes about people and public affairs in Central New York. Have an idea or question? Contact her anytime: email | twitter | Facebook | 315-470-2246
Violent Weekend Protest at University in Virginia Causes $100,000 in Damage

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) officials expect that it will cost more than $100,000 to repair the damage inflicted by violent protesters on the universitys Richmond campus over the recent weekend.

It is heartbreaking to see extensive damage at our Monroe Park Campus following a violent demonstration overnight in Richmond, VCU President Michael Rao wrote on July 27 in a campus-wide message.

Hundreds of protesters marched to Richmond Police headquarters near Monroe Park late on July 25 for a demonstration billed as support for Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland, Oregon, which has been the scene of almost two months of violence against federal agents protecting federal property.

The police declared an unlawful assembly and dispersed the protesters, who tore up police tape, threw fireworks and asphalt chunks at police officers, and left behind shattered windows and a burning dump truck.

A parked truck is set on fire in Richmond, Virginia, on July 25, 2020. (Eze Amos/Getty Images)

About 80 windows were broken in a dozen buildings along with site furnishings dragged onto the street and damaged and numerous buildings tagged with graffiti, Rao said. Damage is being assessed now, but it is expected to be more than $100,000.

According to Rao, the university has been informed by law enforcement that those demonstrators were different compared to those participating in other demonstrations that occurred in the city in recent weeks.

The protest was promoted in social media and flyers to be destructive, ostensibly to support protests in Portland, he said. We are concerned about groups that promote destruction and violence co-opting important social justice reform movements.

VCU supports free speech and stands in solidarity with those peacefully expressing messages of social justice and equity for all people. VCU does not condoneunder any circumstanceacts of violence or vandalism, regardless of the purported cause, Rao said, adding that the university has asked the states attorney to press criminal charges against any individuals involved with the violence.

People carrying homemade Black Lives Matter shields march in front of protesters in Richmond, Virginia, on July 25, 2020. (Eze Amos/Getty Images)

Richmond police reported that six protesters were arrested July 25 on various charges, including unlawful assembly, rioting with a firearm, and assault on a law enforcement officer.

The city of Richmond is open and welcomes those who would like to come here in expression of their First Amendment rights, Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith said during a press briefing. However, we have to take action when we know that violence is coming.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - A man charged with killing his family at their Florida home has claimed that his wife is the one who killed their three children and then herself.

Anthony Todt, 44, made the claim in a 27-page letter written from the Osceola County Jail and dated June 19 to his father in Massachusetts, the Orlando Sentinel reported Monday. Todt has been in jail since his January arrest. Prosecutors had copied the letter as evidence and released it to the newspaper in response to a public records request.

Todt claimed in the letter that his wife, Megan, put 13-year-old Alek, 11-year-old Tyler and 4-year-old Zoe to sleep with a dessert tainted with Benadryl and then stabbed and suffocated the children. He said he learned of the deaths after returning home from doing maintenance at a nearby condo they owned.

At the news of this I ran to the bathroom and puked  I was weak, Todt wrote.

Todt said his wife was still alive when he got home and confessed to killing the children before drinking a bottle of Benadryl and stabbing herself in the stomach. The bodies were found Jan. 13, when federal agents and deputies went to the house to serve an arrest warrant for health care fraud charges in Connecticut. Todt had a physical therapy practice in Connecticut to which he would travel during the work week, returning to Florida to be with his family on weekends at their home in Celebration near Walt Disney World.

Todt said he barely remembers the weeks between the slayings and his arrest.

Prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty for Todt, who has been indicted on four counts of first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty. Defence attorneys have not spoken publicly about the claim that Todts wife was the real killer.
It's the rarest of honors, on the barest of stages. A casket bedecked with the Stars and Stripes, resting on a platform of black drapery with black trimming, placed in the center of the Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol. The plot is always the same: Wearing expressions of solemnity, officials and members of the public file through, pausing briefly in prayer or out of respect. As a witness observed 150 years ago, gazing down from the Rotunda dome at Abraham Lincoln's casket, the crowd in mourning clothes looked "like black atoms moving over a sheet of gray paper."

But if the ritual is rote and simple, the human stories occasioning it are the opposite. They are singular and rich. These descriptives certainly apply to Rep. John R. Lewis, D-Ga., the civil rights hero whose death July 17 set in motion a parade of meaning-drenched ceremonies in his native South and, on Monday and Tuesday, in the Capitol, to lie in state. Before arriving at the Capitol, the motorcade carrying his casket stopped at the newly christened Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House, a mediagenic act laden with emotional subtext and political resonance.

And the ensuing Rotunda ceremony - with family and members of Congress of both parties in masks and socially distant seating - proved as passionate as it was emotional. It culminated in a recorded speech of Lewis exhorting Americans to "be bold, be courageous, stand up, speak up, speak out." And a rendition of "Amazing Grace" by the Rev. Wintley Phipps was so poignant that it had mourners reaching for the tissue boxes at their feet.

In a time as fractious and unsettling as this one - when the conventions of discourse are disrupted by a pandemic, and the institutions of government rattled by an administration determined to undermine them - it is remarkable how potently such a hallowed act can hold us. The death of a revered figure, at least, can still bring the majority of us back to a level of compassion, and to a belief that some people and some traditions transcend discord and ill will.

That a black man of magnificent civic accomplishment lies in state, as the country reels from the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others at the hands of police, imbues the moment with an almost theatrical profundity. Could a writer have timed a more sobering scene for a nation in turmoil? Among the three dozen or so instances since 1852 in which Congress has authorized this distinction, Lewis is only the fifth person of color to lie in state or in honor as an individual. The others were civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, Capitol Police officer Jacob Chestnut Jr., Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and, recently, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland.

Calculating the rightful measure of respect for the dead is as sacred for us as it was for the ancients - around whom the mysteries of death were surely as, if not more, spiritually complex. Sophocles's tragedy "Antigone," written in the fourth century B.C., unfolds around the heroine's outrage over the refusal on pain of death by the Theban king, Creon, to allow a proper burial for Antigone's rebellious brother, Polynices.

"Will you aid this hand to lift the dead?" Antigone asks her sister, Ismene.

"You would bury him, when it is forbidden to Thebes?" Ismene replies.

"I will do my part," Antigone vows, "and yours, if you will not, to a brother. False to him will I never be found."

To this day, we satisfy a compact with those we mourn, with a duty, like Antigone's, to account publicly for our respect, and affection. Fifty-seven years after John F. Kennedy's assassination, I can still vividly recall watching Jackie Kennedy and their daughter, Caroline, kneeling beside his casket in the Rotunda, a tableau that made less abstract for 8-year-old me the finality of death and more penetrable the stoicism of a grieving public family.

Duty, of course, is also a good word for Lewis, who devoted his life to a righteous cause; the placing of his casket on the catafalque of pine boards constructed for Lincoln feels itself like a righteous completion of a journey. Because an exercise in veneration of a life of duty can also have a political dimension. Shakespeare, for one, knew that the death of a great public figure could command a stage, a fact grasped by every sixth-grader in America after they've been assigned "Julius Caesar."

In one of the best-known orations of all time, Mark Anthony enters in Act 3 with the body of the assassinated Caesar to deliver a eulogy both personal and deeply political. "My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and I must pause till it come back to me," he says at one point in the "Friends, Romans, countrymen" speech. It is surely a speech intended to spur the populace to rise up against Caesar's enemies; the corollary on this occasion is the sentiment of Lewis' friends and admirers, reminding mourners of a movement with work still to be done.

The ceremony in the Rotunda reflected the more conciliatory tones of Lewis' political career: The speeches by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., spoke of the respect he commanded on both sides of the aisle. It was the invocation by the Rev. Grainger Browning Jr. that brought more of the fire, recalling for the invited audience how Lewis "marched for us, bloodied for us, bruised for us."

The recognition in the Capitol of John R. Lewis's singular achievements - the astonishing arc of a life that began as the child of an Alabama sharecropper - reserved its most riveting moment for that recording of him speaking. The words of his chosen - "Never become bitter, never become hostile. We're one people." - were aimed at the conscience, a reminder that every life is sanctified, even lives with far humbler endings. In that way, it conjured other immortal words spoken over the body of a loved one: those of Linda Loman, the widow of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman."

"Attention," she says, "attention must finally be paid to such a person."
You can listen to the latest episode of Today in Pa at this link, or on your favorite app including Alexa, Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher. Episodes are available every weekday on PennLive. Subscribe/follow and rate the podcast via your favorite app.

Today in Pa. Daily Podcast | July 27, 2020

Coronavirus infection rates are on the rise once again in Pennsylvania, with new cases bringing the states total to above 107,000. The CDC has issued new findings on the virus as COVID-19 is becoming better understood. Governor Tom Wolf has allowed a bill calling for more transparency in public records to become law. Two separate block parties held in Philadelphia on Saturday drew hundreds of people, leading to police action. And one of Pennsylvanias ice cream shops has ranked among the best in the nation.

Those are the stories we cover in the latest episode of Today in Pa, a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Julia Hatmaker. Today in Pa is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories in the state.

Todays episode refers to the following articles:

If you enjoy Today in Pa, consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, we like to know what you think of the program.

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Rock and soil taken from Mars by NASA's Perseverance rover in the search for ancient microbial Martian life will be selected by UK researchers.

Scientists at Imperial College London and the Natural History Museum will help Perseverance select the Martian samples, which will eventually be brought back to Earth for scientific study.

Perseverance blasts off from Florida at 7:50am EDT (12.50pm BST) this Thursday (July 30) and is due to touch down on the Martian surface in February 2021.

Following its seven-month journey, Perseverance will land on the Red Planet's 28-mile (45km) Jezero crater, which contains sediments of an ancient river delta.

The location could provide preserved evidence of past microbial life, had it ever existed on the harsh freezing cold conditions of our rusty red neighbour.

Scroll down for video

Perseverance will carry instruments geared to search for the carbon building blocks of life and other microbes and to reconstruct the geological history of the Red Planet

Professor Sanjeev Gupta, a geologist at Imperial College London, will be studying the ancient delta and lake sediments exposed in Jezero crater to reconstruct its evolution.

'This is crucial to understand what the Martian climate was like early in Mars' history and whether it was habitable for life,' he said.

'This information will be used to help us define the best spots to collect rock samples for future return to Earth.

PERSEVERANCE AND ITS PREDECESSORS Launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida, Perseverance will take seven months to get to Mars. It will land in February 2021 in Jezero crater - the floor of an ancient lake. It will be in operation for 687 days. NASA's modest first rover  Sojourner  demonstrated in 1997 that a robot could rove on the Red Planet. Spirit and Opportunity, which landed in 2004, found evidence that the planet once hosted running water before becoming a frozen desert. Curiosity, which has been exploring Mars since 2012, discovered that its landing site, Gale Crater, was home to a lake billions of years ago, with an environment that could have supported microbial life. Advertisement

'Laboratory analyses of such samples on Earth will enable us search for morphological and chemical signatures of ancient life on Mars and also answer key questions about Mars' geological evolution.'

Natural History Museum personnel will be studying the mineralogy and geochemistry of the different rocks found in the crater and the potential for indicators of ancient microbial life.

'Mars probably presents our best chance of finding life elsewhere in the Solar System, and the fact that Mars 2020 plans to prepare samples for eventual return to Earth gives us a unique opportunity to discover traces of that life,' said Dr Keyron Hickman-Lewis, who is preparing to join the museum.

Perseverance is carrying seven instruments that will analyse samples from the surface, including an advanced panoramic camera, a ground-penetrating radar and an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer for analysis of chemical elements.

Selected samples will be collected by drilling down to nearly three inches (7cm) and then sealed in special sample tubes and stored on the rover.

The rover also carries the robotic Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, that will be used to scout interesting targets on Mars.

Ingenuity  which represents the first attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet  will fly short distances from the main body of the rover.

Jezero crater, the 28-mile (45km) wide destination of Perseverance, contains sediments of an ancient river delta, a location where evidence of past life could be preserved if it ever existed on the planet

Perseverance will also be trialling technologies to help astronauts make future expeditions to, and eventually live and work on, Mars.

These include testing a method for producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, identifying resources such as water beneath the surface, improving landing techniques and characterising weather and other environmental conditions.

However, Perseverance is not bringing the samples back to Earth  when the rover reaches a suitable location, the tubes will dropped on the surface of Mars to be collected by a future retrieval mission, which is currently being developed.

Currently, NASA and ESA plan to launch two more spacecraft that would leave Earth in 2026 and reach Mars in 2028.

The first will deploy a small rover, which will make its way to Perseverance, pick up the filled sampling tubes and transfer them to a Mars ascent vehicle  a small rocket.

This rocket will blast off  in the process becoming the first object launched from the surface of Mars  and place the container into Martian orbit, meaning it will essentially be floating in space.

The multi-billion dollar project to bring back a piece of Mars to Earth will involve three separate launches and would only be successful as soon as 2031. The mission will start when Perseverance, NASA's new exploration rover, launches this summer

At this point, the third and final spacecraft involved in the tricky operation will manoeuvre itself next to the sample container, pick it up and fly it back to Earth.

Providing its re-entry into the Earths atmosphere is successful, it will plummet to the ground at a military training ground in Utah in 2031, meaning the Martian samples won't be studied for another 10 years.

However, NASA's immediate concerns are a successful launch of Perseverance this week, weather permitting.

Perseverance is set to be launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Thursday, and follows a couple of rival Mars missions in the space of just 10 days.

On July 20, the UAE launched its Hope orbiter from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center and three days later on July 23, China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft blasted off from Wenchang in Hainan, China on July 23.

The countries are taking advantage of a period when Earth and Mars are favourably aligned for a short journey.

As for the UK's Mars efforts, in two years' time, the UK-built Rosalind Franklin rover should blast into space some time between August and October 2022 from southern Kazakhstan.

Built by Airbus Defence and Space, at the companys UK facility in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, the rover will be able to drill 6.5 feet (2 metres) below the surface, gathering samples from regions not affected by radiation.

Previously known as ExoMars, the rover has been named after Rosalind Franklin, a UK scientist and co-discoverer of the structure of DNA.

The rover is the first to honour a woman scientist on its flagship discovery craft.
to take The Calls for a mandatory Coronavirus Test for the vacation to Germany in returning travellers. The CSU land group chief Alexander Dobrindt said on the Internet program "live", especially for the returnees from Corona-risk areas, should there be a mandatory Test. If this is not currently legally, "then you have to create the appropriate legal".

the Federal health Minister, Jens Spahn (CDU) had previously announced that its in-house test a Test requirement for people returning from holidays. In Germany the radio, he stressed, however, that the legal hurdles are high: "Yes, This is an intervention in the freedom to commit someone to the Test." The current significant increase in the number of new infections Spahn led in the first line on the "travel activities", and returnees from certain regions.

Also FDP-Chef Christian Lindner, called for a Test-mandatory for returning holidaymakers, especially in the case of a holiday in high-risk areas. The costs to each of bearing the said Lindner in the ZDF: "Whoever goes out in a risk voluntarily, as a Tourist, then you must take in purchase that he paid for the Test."

Updated Date: 26 July 2020, 23:19
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-26 23:57:17|Editor: huaxia

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Ziad Thabet, a retired man, checks on his plants over his rooftop in the city of Sweida in southern Syria, on July 24, 2020. (Photo by Hummam Sheikh Ali/Xinhua)

by Hummam Sheikh Ali

SWEIDA, Syria, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Trailing his hands over their soft green tips, Ziad Thabet looks with pride at the vegetables he planted on his rooftop as part of his efforts to achieve self-sufficiency amid soaring prices in the markets.

Like most Syrians, the retired man has felt the economic hardships the country is going through, which affected the livelihoods of Syrians, particularly with the new sanctions imposed on the country by the United States.

Thabet, who lives in the city of Sweida in southern Syria, didn't succumb under the pressure of the economic crisis that has been exacerbating since last year. Instead, he came up with the idea of using his rooftop to plant vegetables that he needs instead of buying them from the market.

He chose styrofoam boxes and planted seeds of various vegetables and fruits in the boxes such as tomato, cucumber, eggplants, watermelon, among others.

"The salary of retirees is limited and given the crisis and the economic hardship, we needed to search for new means to feed ourselves and our children. I started planting the roof here to achieve self-sufficiency in addition to my pension," he said.

It's been a year since Thabet started planting the roof of his apartment building and now what he is planting is enough for his needs.

"Planting has become a necessity these days in any country; it's called self-sufficiency or food security. Whoever eats from his effort and his land will never need anyone else," he said.

After making use of the empty space on the roof, Thabet eyed a small arid land near his house and decided to clean it from the broken glass and rocks.

Now, the green vegetables fill that space which has become pleasing after remaining eyesore for many years.

Thabet maintains positive energy while he moves among his plants and checks them with hands. He told Xinhua that he encouraged his neighbors to follow his lead and do the same in their empty spaces, noting that the project doesn't cost a lot of money.

People can learn anything these days from the internet, particularly the planting projects, he said.

The energetic man said his neighbors have encouraged him and got impressed by what he did as some of them in nearby buildings started copying the project with his help and advice.

To the south of Sweida, in the village of Bakka, Raslan Othman, a contractor, has planted a stretch of land that belongs to his home with various vegetables and fruits.

The man, in his 30s, has found the best way to cope with the economic situation as to rely on his planting experience to achieve self-sufficiency for his family.

Othman lives near his brother and the rest of the family members, which makes them all partners in this project.

"Over the past two years, we started to feel that the money we were making is not enough for us as a family in this house, so farming was a very good option that saved us from paying extra money," he told Xinhua.

Othman was once a farmer but worked as a contractor later. However, as the economic situation started worsening during the more than nine-year long war, his priority has shifted and now he is giving his time to farming the land near his home and another one his family owns in the village.

"Amid the current economic crisis, my priorities have changed from being a contractor to being a farmer and this has encouraged me to focus more on farming to achieve self-sufficiency for us," he said, adding that his plants are sufficing him and his extended family as well as his neighbors. Enditem
(Bloomberg) -- HSBC Holdings Plc, responding to media reports over its dealings with Huawei Technologies Co., denied that it framed the Chinese telecom giant, and said it didnt spark a U.S. probe of the company.

In its first public comments about Huaweis legal battle in North America, the U.K. bank said it has no hostility toward Huawei and didnt ensnare the company. The bank said it only provided information to the U.S. Department of Justice when it was compelled to do so.

In response to the U.S. DOJs requests for information, HSBC simply presented the objective facts, the bank said in a statement Saturday. HSBC did not fabricate evidence or hide facts. And HSBC would never distort the facts or seek to harm any of our clients for our own gain.

HSBC has become embroiled in Huaweis legal fight to block a U.S. request to extradite Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou from Canada to face trial over allegedly violating U.S. sanctions on Iran. Meng has been under house arrest in Vancouver since she was detained at the request of U.S. authorities in 2018.

HSBCs statement came after Chinas Peoples Daily newspaper published an opinion piece on Friday saying that the bank is an accomplice of the U.S. and fabricated evidence on Huawei, resulting in the arrest of Meng.

On the same day, Chinas banking regulator approved HSBCs application to close a sub-branch in Shenzhen, where Huawei is located. The U.K. bank said the move is part of its routine work of reviewing and optimizing its service channels. After the closure, HSBC still operates 11 outlets in the city.

Shares of HSBC fell 1.9% in Hong Kong as of 9:48 a.m., extending this years decline to 42%.

HSBC was thrust further into the spotlight with new evidence presented last week. In a filing to a Canadian court Thursday, Mengs lawyers argued that the U.S. misled Canadian authorities by omitting key elements of a PowerPoint presentation that Meng showed to HSBC bankers at a 2013 meeting in Hong Kong, the Globe and Mail reported.

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The omissions leave the impression that Meng didnt fully explain Huaweis dealings in Iran, according to the report. The U.S. argues that Meng deceived banks including HSBC, and that this prompted lenders to clear millions of dollars in transactions in violation of the sanctions.

Slides Omitted

In fact, Mengs lawyers argued, she was transparent about the Iran dealings, citing two slides in the presentation made to HSBC that had been omitted from the U.S. filing, the Globe reported.

HSBC is walking a tight-rope amid growing U.S.-China tensions. The London-based bank has come out in support of a controversial new security law imposed by China on Hong Kong, one of its biggest markets. The U.K. government meanwhile, has joined the U.S. and other countries in banning Huawei from developing its 5G networks.

We will continue investing in our business, services, talents and technology in China and contributing to the sustainable development of the country, the bank said.

(Updates with details on Peoples Daily report in the fifth paragraph.)

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.

2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Word Pigeon makes it easier for you to compose your posts in Google Docs and publish it to your WordPress website by eliminating the need to copy-paste content and losing your extensive formatting of text and images in the process.

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Export from Word Pigeon

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Finetune on your WordPress Website

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Features

Export

 Select to export as a WordPress page or a post, draft or published into your WordPress blog

 Choose tags for the WordPress post (optional)

 Images exported across (PNG, GIF, JPG)

 Animated GIFs supported

Preserve Details

 Choose categories for your WordPress post (optional)

 Choose the author of the WordPress post (optional)

 Image resizes retained

 Links retained

 Colours retained for text colour, highlight colour and table cell background colour

Customizing

 Text decoration retained for bold, underlined, italic or any combination of the three

 Tables exported

 Embedded charts exported

 Text alignment on the page and in tables retained

 Horizontal lines inserted from the google doc inserted as

tags

Why Use Google Docs and WordPress Together

Collaboration

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Author Bio:



Written by Ester K. She is wrting content about Google Search Console and a sales and Public Relations (PR nerd), obsessed with research, sleeping in as much as possible, and listening to podcasts. When I am not at home with my fam I enjoy long walks through the beautiful city of Jerusalem.
The UK economy will require an extra 18 months to bounce back to the same size it was in 2019, according to experts at the EY Item Club.

Analysts have pushed back forecasts from early 2023 to late 2024, after data showed wary Britons spent less than expected on the High Street and at restaurants once lockdown began lifting.

Howard Archer, chief economic adviser to the EY Item Club, said: 'Consumer caution has been much more pronounced than expected.'

Making slow progress: As well as being afraid of catching the virus in public places, many Britons have also been worried about their job security

As well as being afraid of catching the virus in public places, many Britons have also been worried about their job security and how much money they should spend on shopping and eating out.

The longer recovery time-frame came as EY revised estimates for how much the economy contracted between April and June.

Experts reckon it fell 20 per cent  a hefty downgrade from the 15 per cent fall in its last set of predictions last month.

Overall this year, EY expects the economy to fall by 11.5 per cent  a change from the 8 per cent it predicted last month.
A federal inmate has been sentenced for murdering his cellmate in a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox last week.

Carroll Ellis Hayes, 40, of Mobile, Alabama, pleaded guilty on Jan. 27, 2020 to 2nd degree murder and was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.

According to information presented in court, Hayes was serving a sentence for federal firearms violations and was in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) at the Federal Correctional Complex's Medium Facility in Beaumont, Texas.

On Feb. 9, 2018, another prisoner moved into the same cell as Hayes, and within an hour, a correctional officer discovered the new cellmate motionless on the floorhe had been beaten and strangled. Correctional officers attempted CPR before the cellmate was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Prisons and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Anderson.



2020 the Herald Democrat (Sherman, Texas)

Visit the Herald Democrat (Sherman, Texas) at www.heralddemocrat.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Robert OBrien is likely to have contracted the virus through his daughter, officials said on Monday.

United States national security adviser Robert OBrien has become the highest-ranking official in President Donald Trumps inner circle to test positive for the coronavirus.

Announcing the infection on Monday, the White House said in a statement there was no risk of exposure to Trump or Vice President Mike Pence.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters on Monday morning that OBriens daughter also has the virus, and that is how they think he was exposed.

I spoke to him late last week, Kudlow told reporters at the White House. I wish him well, I hope hes OK. Apparently, its a light case. I believe his daughter had caught it before him.

The announcement caught some White House staff off guard, as there had not been an internal memo about it, a source told Reuters.

Because of the regular testing regimen, White House officials do not reliably wear masks while working in the West Wing.

An administration official said OBrien had not had contact with the president in several days. The National Security Council did not immediately respond to questions about OBrien, who was working from home.

Previously, Trumps personal valet and the vice presidents press secretary tested positive for the virus that has now infected more than 4,200,000 and killed at least 147,000 in the US.





The White House statement said: OBrien has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site. There is no risk of exposure to the president or the vice president. The work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted.

OBrien, who took over as national security adviser from John Bolton last September, had travelled to Paris in mid-July to represent the US at Bastille Day ceremonies. He met French President Emmanuel Macron while there.

The virus has been disruptive for Trump, who last week was forced to cancel plans for the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was to be formally nominated for a second term.

Trump has been criticised for his administrations approach to the virus, which many view as lackadaisical. The president long shirked face masks, generally accepted as an effective aid to help stop the spread of the virus, and pushed for states to reopen.

Trump has recently taken a different tone on the virus, encouraging people to wear masks. The shift in stance coincides with consistent polling that shows Trump trailing his presumptive challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Honda Summer Clearance Event at Atlantic Honda

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The new 2020 Honda Civic LX Sedan model is available for a 36-month lease at $219 per month with a $0 down payment or at $129 per month with a $2,995 down payment. Additional features of note offered with the 2020 Honda Civic LX Sedan model include the Honda Sensing safety suite, an electric parking brake, Bluetooth phone and audio pairing, a rearview camera and more!

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The new 2020 Honda CR-V LX with AWD model is available for a 36-month lease at $279 per month with a $0 down payment or $189 per month with a $2,995 down payment. Additional features of note offered with the 2020 Honda CR-V LX with AWD model include the Honda Sensing safety suite, a remote entry system, auto high-beam headlights, an automatic climate control system and more!

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To fully explore the available savings of the Honda Summer Clearance Event at the Atlantic Honda dealership, potential customers and interested parties are encouraged to browse through the online inventory of new Honda models and contact the Atlantic Honda team. The dealership number to reach the sales team of Atlantic Honda is 631-665-0005. Additional means of communication include online messaging, email and in-person visits to the store. The Atlantic Honda dealership is located at 1375 Sunshine Hwy., Bay Shore, New York 11706.
An elderly man has survived unhurt after he was spotted hanging upside down from a 10-storey window in China.

Terrifying footage shows the resident helplessly dangling his arms in the air while swinging from the flat's exterior at nearly 100 feet above the ground in Chinese eastern province Shandong.

It is believed that the pensioner, who has Alzheimer's disease, had accidentally climbed out of his flat after being locked at home alone by his family.

Terrifying footage shows the resident helplessly dangling his arms in the air while swinging from the flat's exterior at nearly 100 feet above the ground in eastern province Shandong

He was rescued by firefighters on Friday after neighbours spotted the elderly man hanging from the high-rise residential building in the city of Yantai.

The local fire brigade and police were called to the scene on the morning of July 24 after receiving a report from local residents.

Heart-stopping footage shows the half-naked pensioner swinging upside down from the 10-storey flat as his feet appeared to be hooked by the windowsill.

An terrified onlooker can be heard shouting: 'Hang in there! The police is coming very soon!'

The authorities did not specify the height but a 10-storey flat is usually 30 metres (98 feet) above the ground.

The firefighters rushed to the man's rescue after eventually opening the flat's door by force

The Alzheimer's patient appeared to be unhurt after he was carefully lifted back inside by the rescuers. The pensioner was believed to have accidentally climbed out of his flat on July 24

A community manager told the rescuers that the pensioner with Alzheimer's had been locked home by his son and daughter-in-law who were left for work.

The family was forced to do so after the elderly resident often wandered around by himself and had went missing before.

The firefighters rushed to the man's rescue after eventually opening the flat's door by force.

The Alzheimer's patient appeared to be unhurt after he was carefully lifted back inside by the rescuers.
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The Vietnamese fintech scene is flourishing, drawing in local and international investors alike, photo Le Toan

FPT Telecom was last week granted a licence by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) after two years as a non-bank intermediary payment service, with its soon-to-be-launched Foxpay as the core product.

Since the beginning of 2020, the SBV has approved two other non-bank firms, Gpay and Vindiva, to provide payment services.

Vietnam is now home to more than 150 fintech firms, rising from 40 in 2016. Thirty-five of them operate in payment and 40 in peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, while others have provided banking support services without directly collecting fees from end-users.

Foxpay is slated to deliver seamless services to clients, including e-payment gateway, e-wallet, and special payment intermediaries services, FPT Telecom noted.

The potential for cashless payment in Vietnam is enormous thanks to the growing middle class and rapidly improving telecom infrastructure. Some 70 per cent of the population is still unbanked, especially in remote areas, and at least half of the total population has access to the internet. Only around 37 per cent of Vietnamese consumers are using contactless card payments and around 42 per cent are making mobile contactless payments, cited from VISA research.

In terms of funding, Asia-Pacific consultancy Solidiance pointed out that Vietnams fintech market was expected to $7.8 billion this year, from $4.4 billion in 2017.

Finance lecturer Huy Pham from the School of Business and Management at RMIT Vietnam emphasised there are over 20 e-wallets in the country, but the majority of the market falls into big names such as MoMo, Moca, and ZaloPay.

MoMo is one of the oldest players and the most notable e-wallet in this market with a huge customer database, while Grab and Zalo are taking advantage of their own ecosystems so the competition in this market is quite stiff, leaving a tiny opportunity for newcomers, Pham told VIR. Together with the changing landscape in this market from a basic e-wallet to a super app, the old and experienced players will definitely have a competitive advantage over the new ones.

According to Phams colleague Huy Doan, also a finance lecturer, a typical way for e-wallet providers to expand their customer base is to build their own business ecosystem (such as associated e-commerce and delivery platforms) so this opens up the chance to increase customers awareness if the firm can build up a user-friendly ecosystem to facilitate the use of e-wallets.

Besides, the e-wallet firms can also work with banks to reach customers without having to expand their network of branches and offices, saving costs and improving business efficiency.

On the other hand, the SBV once revealed its intention to tighten regulations on the domestic fintech sector by setting a foreign ownership limit of 49 per cent. However, the central bank scrapped the cap a few months ago.

Doan cautioned that the SBV is concerned about the manipulation of foreign investors and the safety of the national monetary policy. This leads to limiting activities of e-wallets such as limit on top-up and withdrawal methods. Currently, the only official method to top up or withdraw money from an e-wallet is by using an account with a bank that is partnered with the e-wallet provider.

To allow customers to top up and withdraw money using bank accounts at non-partnered banks, the e-wallet provider must connect with an entity providing e-payment infrastructure services such as Napas, said Doan. Besides, no access to non-bank customers is also a challenge  by law, customers are required to have bank accounts linked to their e-wallets to use the service.

Looking on the bright side, there has been increasing interest in the Vietnamese e-payment market in the last few years, with domestic fintech companies attracting considerable interest from foreign investors.

A report by UOB, PwC, and the Singapore Fintech Association reveals that $420 million, equivalent to 36 per cent of all fintech funding in Southeast Asia, was raised for Vietnamese firms in the first nine months of 2019.

This includes funding from Warburg Pincus to MoMo, from Softbank and GIC to VNPAY, and from Ant Financial to eMonkey, making Vietnam the second amongst ASEAN members in regard to fintech funding behind Singapore ($714 million, or 51 per cent).

In addition, foreign investors who are unable or unwilling to wait for the removal of foreign ownership in the banking sector to enter the market are now taking detours to get into the payment industry.

According to the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, deals are currently being reviewed by major South Korean financial institutions, including Shinhan Bank and KEB Hana Bank. Other South Korean banks which have a presence in Vietnam or are seeking to enter the market are also looking at fintech firms to add value to their banking system.

Newswire KoreaHerald reported that seven fintech companies headquartered in South Korea are preparing to make further inroads into 14 markets including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, as part of their efforts to become unicorn startups.
Photo: The Canadian Press A couple watch the sunset from a park, Friday, July 3, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. As the COVID-19 pandemic makes it harder for couples seeking a divorce to appear before a court, some family lawyers in Ontario say there may be more incentive for people to turn to alternative methods such as mediation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Charlie Riedel

As the COVID-19 pandemic makes it harder for couples seeking a divorce to appear before a court, some family lawyers in Ontario say there may be more incentive for people to turn to alternative methods such as mediation.

Court operations, including divorce and other family matters, were largely put on hold in mid-March, with only emergency cases being heard.

In-person court appearances began to gradually resume earlier this month, and more matters are also being heard remotely, but experts say a backlog of cases will cause further delays for ongoing and new divorce proceedings.

At the same time, some family lawyers in the province say the demand for such services has not diminished during the pandemic  and some report it appears to have increased.

In Ottawa, a group of family lawyers launched the Virtual Family Law Project to help provide remote alternatives to the court system, such as mediation or arbitration by videoconference, during the health crisis.

Gerald Yemensky, one of the lawyers behind the project, says he hopes more people will consider these avenues even after the courts return to full operations.

"The court process is fundamentally necessary, particularly for the higher conflict situations," such as those involving domestic violence, Yemensky said.

"But for very many people, the court system is overkill. And mediation, collaborative family law, arbitration on specific issues can be far more effective. But it takes one element, and that element is that the parties want to resolve these issues."

Separation agreements reached through mediation or a combination of mediation and arbitration are enforceable by the courts, and decisions made by an arbitrator are binding, Yemensky said.

"All of these things can be done ... in a virtual process where it's appropriate," he said.

In cases where it's a good fit, private resolution is likely to become more appealing in light of the court backlog, said Diana Isaac, a family lawyer and partner with the Toronto firm Shulman & Partners.

"There's every incentive for someone to say, 'Can we get this done quicker, can we get this done more cost-effectively, with less of an emotional toll,'" she said. "It is something that's very attractive to clients."

Going to court can be more expensive than mediation, and more stressful, given that a decision is imposed rather than reaching a mutually acceptable agreement, she said.

The pandemic has already created difficult conditions that contribute to stress and test many relationships, said Isaac, whose firm has seen a 40 per cent surge in inquiries related to separation during the crisis. Most of those people have then moved ahead with the process, she said.

Having both spouses at home around the clock and possibly working there "acts as a catalyst for situations which were on the cusp of separation, or there was resentment pre-COVID," she said.

"But you also get these newfound, 'I didn't know that we would never get along until we were confined in this space,' so you get a mixture," she said. "But I don't think these conditions are making it easier for anyone."

Russell Alexander, whose family law firm has offices in several cities including Toronto and Oshawa, said the province's efforts to modernize the justice system during the pandemic will help when it comes to tackling the backlog of cases, but "it's probably going to be 18 months to two years before it returns to anything close to normal."

Still, people will continue to be able to get divorces, said Alexander, whose upcoming book on divorce includes a chapter on the impact of COVID-19 on the process.

"We're still processing divorces and we're still going through the process, we're just doing it in a different way," he said.
By Sam Richards

Bay City News Foundation

MARTINEZ (BCN)

Former Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder Joe Canciamilla pleaded not guilty Monday morning to 34 felony counts of grand theft and perjury related to allegations he illegally used nearly $262,000 from election campaign accounts to pay off a personal loan and for travel and other luxuries.

Canciamilla did not appear at Monday's brief arraignment in Contra Costa County Superior Court. His attorney Michael Rains said Canciamilla is out of state, and remains free on his own recognizance. Rains entered the pleas in front of Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Laurel Brady.

The district attorney's office in June had charged Canciamilla, 65, with 30 counts of felony perjury for allegedly making misstatements on 30 separate campaign disclosure forms, along with four additional felonies related to grand theft for using nearly $262,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses from 2010 to 2016.

The district attorney's office in June said it had been told in early 2017 by the state Franchise Tax Board of possible criminal activity associated with campaign accounts for Canciamilla.

Canciamilla, of Pittsburg, resigned as county clerk-recorder last October, and a short time later agreed to pay $150,000 to the California Fair Political Practices Commission after admitting to spending campaign funds on personal expenses such as vacations to Asia, restaurant meals, airfare, repayment of a personal loan and transfers to his personal bank accounts.

Canciamilla had been a widely respected politician, with a long track record and a variety of experience. He was first elected to the Pittsburg Unified School District school in 1973, when he was 17 (and sworn in at 18). Canciamilla went on to become a Pittsburg city councilman, a Contra Costa County supervisor and state Assemblyman before he was appointed county clerk and recorder in 2013. He won election to that post in 2014 and 2018.

Canciamilla is scheduled to return to court Sept. 8. After Monday's brief hearing, Rains said he hopes a final "reasonable resolution" can be struck on that date.

"He's not a young man, and he wants to live the rest of his life without the weight of this on his shoulders," said Rains, who noted Canciamilla has acknowledged wrongdoing. "He understands he did things he should not have done with this money."

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
The Government has come under fire for stopping the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) for people who are leaving the country for holidays.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar defended the decision to have Garda welfare officers check whether travellers were on the payment before they went abroad on flights.

However, Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan raised questions over why one group of people would be policed while travelling and said she planned to raise the issue directly with Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald described the Government as a "shambles" after it emerged that in the last two weeks, 104 people had their payment stopped after they took flights out of the country.

Under the rules of the social welfare benefit, which was introduced after thousands of businesses closed due to the Government's Covid-19 lockdown, people are not supposed to travel abroad over fears it could heighten the chances of the virus being spread.

The Government last week introduced a 'green list' of countries deemed safe. However, the 350 rate for people on the PUP will be cut if they fly to these countries.

Yesterday, Mr Varadkar said people receiving the payment must be resident in Ireland seeking work.

"The Department of Social Protection gets information from the airports and if someone is not genuinely seeking work or is not genuinely living in the country any more, their welfare payments can be stopped," he said.

On Twitter, Ms Hourigan said that unless travel was "absolutely vital and necessary", people should all be staying at home.

"However, I will be writing to the department to get clarity on how and why we would police one particular group in this way and in what circumstances Dublin Airport provides this information," she added.

A majority of the 104 people who left Ireland over the last two weeks are believed to have been travelling home permanently or for an extended period.

Meanwhile, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has come in for criticism over his decision to appoint eight special advisers - including two joint chiefs of staff who could earn as much as 101,000 each a year.

The 'Sunday Independent' reported Mr Ryan appointed the two chiefs of staff and is expected to hire an additional six advisers.

The Labour Party's public-spending spokesperson Ged Nash said that when people voted for the Green Party in the general election, this was not the "green jobs boost they had in mind".

"Eamon Ryan will now have almost as many special advisers in his office as the Green Party has TDs," he said.

"This is an extraordinary way to spend taxpayers' money and at a time when businesses and families across the State are tightening their belts.

"Coming on top of the decision last week to change the law to shell out an extra 16,200 and keep all three government parties sweet, this shows once again how out of step this new Government is with the needs and concerns of ordinary people up and down the country who are worried about their own jobs and pressures.

"Minister Ryan and the Taoiseach and Tanaiste need to put the brakes on and stop the Bertie Ahern-era style spending on spin doctors and advisers."

The new government spending revelations follows Mr Varadkar insisting on a personal aide de camp and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney seeking to keep his State car and Garda driver.

Mr Coveney's spokesperson did not respond to requests about how many advisers he plans to appoint.
Teenager Killed, 2 Others Injured in Brooklyn Shooting Incident

A teenager was killed and two others were injured in a shooting incident outside a Brooklyn park on Sunday evening, police said.

The three teen victims, all male, were shot before 6:40 p.m. Sunday outside George Walker Jr. Park, on Vermont St. at Jamaica Ave. in Cypress Hills, according to police.

A boy, 16, was shot in the head and was pronounced dead on the scene, while an 18-year-old was rushed to Kings County Hospital with life-threatening gunshot wounds to the head. The third victim of the shooting, aged 17, is in stable condition at Brookdale Hospital after he was shot in the leg, police said.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) told The Epoch Times that no arrests have been made so far in connection with the incident.

In a separate incident earlier in the day, a 40-year-old was fatally shot in Woodhaven, Queens. Shaka Ifill was shot outside a home a home on 91st Avenue between 84th and 85th streets, and was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center four hours later.

It comes amid a recent surge in violence across the city. Last month in New York, there were 205 shootings up 130 percent from the same period a year before, and 39 murders, according to data released by the New York Police Department.

However, it remains a fraction of the high crime rates seen in the early 1990s, when more than 2,000 New Yorkers were murdered each year. Chicago and other cities have reported similar upticks.

Officials and criminologists do not often agree on the causes of increasing crime, except to say those causes are complex and exacerbated this year by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic that killed thousands of city residents and wreaked havoc on employment and the economy.

Theres not one cause for something like this, Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters earlier this month. The fact that the court system is not working, the economys not working, people have been pent up for months and months: so many issues underlying this challenge.

Leaders at the NYPD have taken a different view, blaming the crime increase on a wave of police reforms that was prompted in part by more than a month of protests against police violence sparked by in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

Reuters contributed to this report.
At least six civilians have been killed since May by separatist groups in English-speaking regions of Cameroon, while the army is responsible for "grave abuses", Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday.

The Northwest and Southwest regions have been gripped by conflict since separatists declared independence in 2017 after decades of grievances at perceived discrimination by the francophone majority.

"Cameroonian armed forces have attacked a health facility in the Northwest region and arbitrarily arrested seven health workers in the Southwest, while armed separatists have killed at least six civilians, including a humanitarian worker and a teacher, since May 2020," HRW said in a statement.

The teacher at the University of Bamenda was shot dead in mid-May by separatists because he refused to stop teaching, in line with their demands to boycott education, according to HRW which cited his family and witnesses.

A grenade fired into a hospital courtyard in Bali in June, following clashes between separatists and the army, killed one person and wounded four others, the NGO said.

At the beginning of July, armed men killed a Cameroonian aid worker with the global medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

"Security forces and armed separatists have both attacked hospitals and medical staff on multiple occasions," HRW added.

The violence took place despite claims by separatist leaders earlier this month that they had engaged in peace talks with the government.

Julius Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the self-proclaimed president of "Ambazonia" -- the name given to the breakaway state -- said that he and eight other leaders in detention were in negotiations with government representatives for a ceasefire.

Map of Cameroon locating English-speaking regions and their capitals. By Valentina BRESCHI (AFP)

A UN source confirmed the meeting to AFP, but the government later denied that any talks had taken place.

Such discussions "should include ensuring respect for human rights and accountability for abuses", said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at HRW.

Mudge called on the parties to "publicly commit to immediately end abuses against civilians".

Since January, at least 285 civilians have been killed in about 190 incidents in the two English-speaking regions, according to an HRW estimate.

The regions account for about a fifth of a population that is overwhelmingly French-speaking.
Comedian and actor Kapil Sharma who resumed shooting for 'The Kapil Sharma' invited actor and the messiah of migrants  Sonu Sood, as his first guest on the show. From talking about his experience with the migrant workers to working towards a mobile app that will ensure jobs to these workers, Sood had a heart-to-heart conversation with Sharma.

The first pictures surfaced on social media from the show where Sonu Sood is seen having a hearty laugh, alongside actor Krushna Abhishek and Kapil Sharma. On July 22, 2020, Kapil Sharma took to his official Twitter handle and posted a note for actor Sonu Sood. In the tweet, the comedian complimented Sood for his COVID-19 relief work. Taking to twitter, he wrote that he cannot compliment Sood enough for the work he is doing for people amid such a time. He also wrote that Sood works as a villain in the films, but in real life, Sood is a 'true hero'.

In the tweet, Sharma wrote, Sonu brother, the work you are doing for the needy right now, words will fall short if we decide to praise it. In your movies, you may play the role of an antagonist or a villain, but in real life, you are nothing less than a real hero, my friend. May God bless you with a long and happy life".

'The Kapil Sharma Show' to have virtual live audience, host Kapil shares details in video

Sonu Sood's efforts began when he went on a mission to send migrants home during the lockdown by arranging numerous buses in March. Later, as trains and flights resumed, he sent multiple sets of people home through these modes of travel. He also donated 25,000 face shields to Maharashtra Police recently, apart from launching a platform for migrants to search jobs.
RTHK: Trump national security aide contracts Covid-19

Donald Trump's national security advisor tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, as the president prepared to visit a North Carolina facility where one of the leading vaccine candidates is being manufactured.

Trump has placed his hopes in the emergence of a successful vaccine by this autumn to both contain the country's still raging coronavirus outbreak and revive his faltering election hopes.

National security advisor Robert O'Brien is the latest and most senior White House aide to contract the virus.

He "has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site," the White House said in a statement, adding that there was "no risk of exposure to the president or the vice president".

Others who have been previously infected include Vice President Mike Pence's spokeswoman Katie Miller, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top fundraiser for the Trump campaign and girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr.

The United States is by far the worst-hit country in the world, with more than 4.2 million confirmed cases and nearly 150,000 deaths.

Trump will visit Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Morrisville, North Carolina on Monday afternoon, which has just been awarded a contract to manufacture Novavax's experimental vaccine.

The US has spent more than US$6.3 billion since July to fund vaccine development efforts under Operation Warp Speed.

Leading contenders include established pharmaceuticals like Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and AstraZeneca, as well as upstarts like Novavax and Moderna.

The government is buying up stocks of their vaccines even before they are proven to work or be effective, in order to remove financial risk for the firms involved and speed up their delivery. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
James Gripp, owner of Ally Outdoors at 201 Spring Park Drive, likes green.

Not the green of cash spent at his gun range, its retail shop or cafe, but the green space across the street at his Ally Village development.

After hed built Ally Outdoors he decided Ally Village would be the perfect complement.

I thought it would be a nice green space for Midland, and a cool concept, he said.

He said his architect in Dallas brought up the concept, which took a while to develop. Ally Outdoors took three years and the village took a good 18 months from concept to construction, he said.

Its really meant as a great space for families to kill some time, Gripp said. I classify it as an outdoor place you can take the kids to on a Saturday, walk on the green space, play on the playground. Its built for everyone.

Ally Village also has a mix of tenants, from restaurants and frozen treat shops to boutiques and an art gallery. Coming soon is the Cork & Pig Tavern, which Gripp said will make a big splash.

Midlander Paige Nelson Purvis is one of Ally Villages newest tenants. She opened her fitness studio, Embody, a Lagree Studio, in November.

There are so many different businesses in this complex that are different and unique to Midland. And I wanted to bring a different type of workout to Midland, I wanted to differentiate myself, she said.

Purvis said she spent the final months of her senior year at the University of Texas finalizing plans to open the business

My freshman year, I did a class at a studio near my dorm, she recalled, explaining her introduction to Lagree. I tried the first class and loved it. I loved the all-inclusive environment and kept on going my entire time at college. I became an instructor and got certified.

As her college career was drawing to a close, she faced the prospect of returning to Midland  where her boyfriend, now husband, was working in the oil fields  without a job. So, she turned to a trusted mentor: her father, Jim Nelson, chief executive officer and president of Warren Equipment.

At Christmas my senior year, I pitched the idea of a studio to my dad. I know its crazy to open a business right out of college. But he said write up a business plan, apply for financing. So thats how I spent that part of my senior year, she said.

Purvis, who graduated in 2019, said her dad and others have been a great support as she opened and started her business.

Purvis said skills she learned studying journalism at the University of Texas have helped her quite a bit, especially in talking with potential vendors and communicating with staff.

Lagree, created by Sebastien Lagree, is similar to Pilates but is high-intensity and low-impact, she said.

You burn a lot of calories, your heart rate is up, but its easy on your joints. Its tiny, slow movements  slower means more fat is burned, she said.

Clients use only one machine during their 45-minute workout, which should ease concerns about cleanliness amid the coronavirus pandemic, Purvis said.

Being a perfectionist, Purvis said she has had to realize that every day is a learning process. That became even more apparent this spring as the business she opened in November felt the impact of the downturn in the areas oil and gas economy and the state-mandated shutdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Im trying to rebuild, she said as Embody reopens, and she works to convince her clients her studio is a necessity. She has also offered membership specials and recently offered a $50 gift card to pay for classes or for merchandise at the studio with purchase of a membership.

Purvis said she received a lot of support from existing clients, who continued paying their memberships even though they couldnt or wouldnt come to the studio because of the shelter-in-place requirements, to ensure the studio could stay open.

Gripp said that during the downturn, he offered the businesses at Ally Village the option of deferring their rents for a couple of months.

When stuff like this happens, we rally around each other, he said.

Purvis faces the challenge most new businesses face: public awareness.

Im trying to get my name out there and build a client base, she said. One of the challenges Ive found is getting noticed. No one knows about Ally Village or Lagree.

Addressing that challenge is where her journalistic skills will come into play as she works to promote her business. Again, she will rely on her father and others for guidance.

So many people know what I dont. I just have to ask, she said.

I would love to expand to Odessa at some point, she said. I want to expand my client base and build a community here of people encouraging each other. I want people to come here and be themselves, embody all they can be. My goal is for this to be a positive and inviting environment.

Gripp said there a couple of 1,500-square-foot spaces left and potential tenants are in the works.

Theres always something going on, he said. Where and when is to be determined.

Building Ally Village, he said, has been a long process, but its been fun.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: In the backdrop of an alleged conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan, the Congress on Sunday upped its ante and held a nationwide digital campaign titled SpeakUpForDemocracy. The campaign is in protest against BJPs alleged attempts to topple its state governments misusing the high constitutional office of the Governor.

The party has accused the BJP of killing democracy in broad daylight in Madhya Pradesh and now in Rajasthan, even as the whole country is in the middle of a coronavirus crisis. On Friday, Rajasthan Congress MLAs held a five-hour dharna on the lawns of the Raj Bhavan pressing for an Assembly session.

The social media campaign will be followed by protests outside Raj Bhavans across the country on Monday. In Karnataka, the Raj Bhavan protest comes on a day when Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will release a book listing his governments achievements in the last one year. The protest at 2pm will be led by State party chief D K Shivakumar.

Several party leaders posted videos and tweeted as part of the digital campaign on Sunday. Senior leaders from Karnataka like Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjun Kharge, Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah shared videos and tweets condemning the BJP and appealing to citizens to Save Democracy.

The world is battling a pandemic but in India, we are fighting two battles together. One against Covid-19 and another against the anti-democratic acts of the BJP. Ever since they came to power in 2014, they are trying to topple every stable non-BJP government using their money, muscle and institutional powers. Their attempts to murder democracy dont stop even during a pandemic, said Siddaramaiah in a video message as part of the campaign.

On Monday, Siddaramaiah is expected to join Shivakumar in the protest.People of Karnataka have been observing the theatrics of BJP for quite some time now. People have seen everything that has happened in the last one year from Madhya Pradesh, in Karnataka to the midnight drama in Maharashtra. The same story in Rajasthan now. The BJP is destroying all Constitutional, Democratic institutions. We have to save them, said Shivakumar in his video message.

Kharge said in a series of tweets, In the last six years, BJP has undermined every law, institution & the Constitution itself to ensure they destabilize Congress Govts across states. They have legalized horse trading & made it the new normal to come to power at any cost. (sic)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 19:40:59|Editor: huaxia

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ANKARA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Five soldiers and a driver were killed on Monday when the bus carrying them flipped over in the southern province of Mersin in Turkey, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported.

According to the provincial governorate, 10 other soldiers on the bus were severely injured in the accident.

Ambulances have been dispatched to the crash site and the wounded have been sent to a local hospital.

The soldiers were on their way to the Mediterranean port of Tasucu when the accident happened.

According to local media reports, the reason of the accident was brake failure. Enditem
A musician who survived a UVF murder bid has said he has no issue with an exhibition of loyalist memorabilia, despite it including a plaque honouring one of the men alleged to have been involved in his shooting.

Stephen Travers, a member of the Miami Showband which was targeted in a bomb and gun attack on July 31, 1975, said he would have gone to see Saturday's exhibition if he had been in Belfast.

Three of his bandmates were murdered when their tour bus was ambushed as they returned to Dublin after a gig in Banbridge.

Mr Travers, then aged 24, was shot and seriously wounded, and survived by pretending he was dead.

At the weekend, items billed as the 'largest collective of conflict memorabilia ever displayed together' went on show at the Raven Social Club in east Belfast.

The 'Loyalism Development' exhibition was organised by the Ballymac Friendship Centre and friends of east Belfast loyalist and community worker Ian Ogle, murdered last January.

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The display of items included a plaque bearing the words 'in memory of Volunteer Robin Jackson'.

Robin Jackson, also known as The Jackal, was a one-time commander of the UVF's Mid-Ulster brigade and widely rumoured to have been involved in terrorist attacks including the Miami massacre.

Mr Travers said he had received an email from Washington that same morning alerting him to the exhibition, but did not know what the memorabilia included.

"Either way, if it starts a conversation and gets people talking and there's dialogue, isn't it better than killing each other?" he said.

"If I were in Belfast I would go and see that (the exhibition) myself. I like to see how these things are done.

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"A long as it's an honest discussion and people aren't trying to rewrite history, I'm fine with that.

"It's good all these things are being brought out into the open."

Asked if he found such an exhibition offensive, he replied: "It's a lot less offensive than getting a bullet in the gut. We are a long way from that now and I hope things like that never happen again."

Since the attack, Mr Travers has been involved with peace projects and four years ago co-founded the Truth and Reconciliation Platform (Tarp), a charity aimed at giving Troubles' victims from all backgrounds an opportunity to tell their story.

In a statement, the exhibition's organisers said: "For a conflict about which so much has been written there remains a fact that some key elements remain misunderstood or overlooked.

"Ulster loyalism is an example of this. We are committed to working with others to change this.

"It's a reality that for those within the loyalist community who played an active part in the conflict, their families and their supporters, there are many stories to be told, from the formation of the UVF in 1912 through to its central role in the conflict, which ended with the Combined Loyalist Military Command ceasefire in 1994."
Czaja is an expert in Precambrian paleobiology, astrobiology and biogeochemistry.

He hopes to apply his expertise studying ancient life on Earth to help NASA do likewise on Mars. For a study published last month, Czaja photographed Earth's oldest known land fossils as part of an international research team.

He studies the early evolution of life on Earth in his geology lab at UC. In 2012, shortly before joining UC, he stayed up late to watch the landing of Curiosity on the surface of Mars. With the words touchdown confirmed, the control room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory erupted into jubilant whoops and hugs.

Now he will be part of NASAs next chapter of Mars exploration.

Czaja served on a NASA committee, the Returned Sample Science Board, that helped to choose Perseverances landing site called Jezero Crater. The 28-mile-wide crater contains what scientists say is a former river delta near the Martian equator.



Its a very good choice because the crater formed very early in Mars history, Czaja said.

We spent the last seven months since the launch planning how the mission will run depending on where we land in Jezero Crater, Czaja said. That way we can get to the science as soon as possible.
The health officer for Alabamas largest county today advised the dozen superintendents of schools across Jefferson County that middle and high school students should only attend virtual classes for the first nine weeks of the upcoming school year.

Students in younger grades should be brought back for in-person classes only if schools can guarantee social distancing, isolate groups of children from each other, and have everyone wears masks.

Saying there is widespread community transmission of COVID-19 in Jefferson County and a significant strain is being placed on local health care systems, Dr. Mark Wilson issued this advisory:

With the current level of viral spread and disease activity in the community, there is a considerable chance that cases of COVID-19 will occur among students and/or staff despite precautions in the schools, which could result in individual classes being quarantined. If classes are not stringently isolated from one another, whole schools may end up having to close.

Close contact sports should be postponed or canceled, Wilson wrote, because they pose an increased risk of spreading COVID-19.

Wilson said his guidance applies to public and private schools in pre-K through 12th grade. It is an official recommendation, but not an order, which would carry the weigh of law.

Three of the countys school districts and one public charter school have declared they will only offer students the option to attend school online, while the others have plans to open schools for in-person instruction over the next few weeks.

Related: Reopening Alabamas K-12 schools: Here are the plans

Wilson issued the guidance after a lengthy phone call with superintendents Monday afternoon.

According to Wilson, in-person instruction for pre-K through 5th or 6th grade should only be offered if schools can keep classes isolated from each other throughout the school day, maintain strict social distancing of a minimum of three feet, though six feet is preferred, and require everyone wear face masks at all times except when eating or drinking.

For middle and high school students, Wilson recommends superintendents strongly consider virtual only instruction for the first nine weeks of school except for students with special needs who need in-person instruction.

Wilson said he will develop benchmarks for transmission to guide future recommendations.

Update: 7/28/2020 10:10 a.m. replaced the letter initially embedded below with a version Wilson said is the final letter. Wilson said a draft was initially posted on the JCDH website by mistake.

For all of AL.coms back to school coverage, click here.
In nine days, Rep. Rashida Tlaib will defend the congressional seat she won in 2018. Her opponent is Brenda Jones, the Detroit City Council president whom Tlaib defeated by just 900 votes out of 90,000 cast in that years primary. One week later, Tlaibs fellow squad member, Rep. Ilhan Omar, will try to stave off challenger Antone Melton-Meaux.

Tlaib faces a tough fight. As Dave Weigel of the Washington Post points out, Tlaibs narrow 2018 victory came in a primary that featured a splintered field. Nearly two-thirds of voters supported one of Tlaibs rivals. All of the candidates who ran behind Tlaib and Jones in 2018 have endorsed Jones this time around. One of them is Ian Conyers, a former state senator and grandnephew of former congressman John Conyers.

Is Tlaib more popular now than she was in 2016? Probably not. Ed Sarpolus, a veteran pollster and former adviser to Rep. Conyers, says that his polling (from May, I think) shows Tlaibs popularity in the district has dropped 28 percent (he probably means 28 percentage points) since she took office.

Even so, a poll found Tlaib to be ahead of Jones, 43-34, with 23 percent undecided. Polling indicates that the black vote in Detroit is evenly divided between the two candidates, but that Tlaib has an edge in the suburbs, where Arab-American voters have considerable influence.

Sarpolus points out that Jones entered the race late and has lacked the funds needed to make a splash. One reason for the lack of funds is that the Jewish community apparently has not become involved in the race in spite of Tlaibs rabidly anti-Israel stances.

Meanwhile, Ilhan Omars opponent faces no shortage of money. As Scott has noted, Antone Melton-Meaux, is flush. He has raised $3.7 million. This enabled him to run a steady stream of direct mail and TV ads against Omar. According to Weigel, these ads portray Omar as corrupt, emphasizing some of her fundraising scandals. One such scandal involves a misuse of funds for travel, which Omar paid a 2019 fine to settle. The other focuses on her funneling campaign money to her (latest) husbands political consulting firm.

Where does this race stand? A poll from mid-July found Omar way ahead, 66-29. FiveThirtyEight puts Omars chances of winning at more than 99 percent.

So it looks like Omar will win despite being outspent and Tlaib may win because her opponent cant match her spending.
Now more than ever before, companies are looking for ways to create seamless experiences and maintain relationships with their existing customers through digital channels.

Infobip, a global cloud communications company that provides messaging solutions for advanced customer engagement, identity authentication and security, today released data showing that COVID-19 is driving businesses to invest in long-term digital solutions with a focus on SMS messaging and omnichannel communication solutions.

Infobip has been tracking how its clients are engaging in new ways with customers since the beginning of global lockdowns in March. Activity across Its communications platform, which has the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices and 'things' in 190+ countries connected to over 800 telecom networks, underscores a rapid acceleration of customer-centric digital transformation plans within organizations.

Now more than ever before, companies are looking for ways to create seamless experiences and maintain relationships with their existing customers through digital channels, said Craig Charles Webster, Head of Marketing Americas for Infobip. Before the pandemic, many of our customers had plans to roll out their digital transformations over the next few years -- that quickly changed. And, as a result we were able to closely monitor their strategic choices in finding news ways to engage with their customers.

Specific takeaways include:

-SMS messaging has soared, as marketers look for timelier communication methods beyond email to confirm pick-ups, share updated hours of operation, and more with their customers. Infobip saw a clear spike in SMS volumes in March and April, with 8.5% and 20% growth compared to February, respectively.

-Customer communications are increasingly focused on building consumer confidence and trust, rather than simply driving revenue.

-Personalization is a growing priority in a companys outreach, far exceeding the {FIRST NAME} tags in an email. Customers expect the right message to be delivered, in the right place, at the right time.

-Companies are rapidly turning to cloud-based CcaaS (Contact Center as a Service) solutions, such as Infobips Conversations platform, to seamlessly integrate their communications across multiple channels, including SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, RCS and voice.

-AI-powered customer care solutions are becoming essential, as spikes in support tickets overwhelm contact centers. Chatbot integration is also rising, to manage basic customer inquiries while leaving more complex issues to support agents.

-Communication volumes have correlated with industry performance since COVID-19 lockdowns. Healthcare grew 39% in March, and an additional 29% in April, while communication in the transportation, hospitality, and travel sectors dropped by 50% in April and just began recovering in June.

Craig Charles Webster is available for interviews to discuss these findings. Press are approved to use the above quote in their coverage, attributed to Craig Charles Webster, Head of Marketing Americas for Infobip.

About Infobip

Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected customer experiences across all stages of the customer journey at scale, with easy and contextualized interactions over customers preferred channels. Accessed through a single platform, Infobips omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication, security, and contact center solutions help clients and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications, grow their business, and increase loyalty  all in a fast, secure and reliable way. With over a decade of industry experience, Infobip has expanded to include 65+ offices on six continents offering natively built technology with the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices and 'things' in 190+ countries connected to over 800 telecom networks. The company serves and partners with leading mobile operators, messaging apps, banks, social networks, tech companies, and aggregators.
A mother dubbed 'Brighton Karen' after complaining about walking the same streets during lockdown has hit back at Daniel Andrews who called her out for whinging.

Jodi Grollo moaned she had walked all the streets of the affluent coastal suburb earlier this month, prompting Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to slam her.

Her son set up an Instagram account for her, using the platform to show off her glamorous lifestyle and to poke fun at Mr Andrews.

On Sunday Ms Grollo took another cheeky potshot at the Premier when she posted a photo of her lockdown alcohol stash of several cases of beer to the Instagram page, which now has 9500 followers.

Jodi Grollo, aka Karen from Brighton showed off her stash of beer on Sunday while taking another cheeky swipe at Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews

'The only cases I want to be hearing about. Dan Murphy's > Dan Andrews #dobetterdan #istumblewithkaren,' she captioned the photo.

The post has since attracted more than 1,080 likes and 155 comments.

'Go 'Karen' love ya girl,' one fan commented.

Another added: 'I love her! She's living a better life than that terrible entrecote owner who blocked us for sticking up for her.'

But not everyone was supportive.

'Covidiot! Privilege at it's finest. Muppet!' one commented.

Another added: 'Shut up Karen!'

Another recent photo posted by Ms Grollo on Saturday shows a line outside of a Brighton cafe with a cheeky caption criticising the Victorian government's handling of hotel quarantine.

'Social distancing at my local cafe working better than the social distancing in hotel quarantine,' the post was captioned.

Jodi Grollo (pictured), who is known as 'Karen from Brighton', stands outside of her house with immaculately-trimmed hedges and a large door. Her son has set up an Instagram account for her to show off her glamorous lifestyle and poke fun at Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews

In a post from Friday, Ms Grollo was pictured in a face mask making a 'W' sign outside of her home, which had immaculately-trimmed hedges and a large door.

'Wearing my mask, still doing Briiighton - because it's what we need to do,' she captioned the post.

'Dan, time for you to talk to Neil Mitchell & tackle those hard questions. IT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO!'

She posted another photo outside of a cafe captioned: 'Dan Andrews won't support struggling Brighton businesses so I'll have do it for him.'

The 'Karen' meme has taken off this year, and refers to an entitled middle-aged white woman who often asks for the manager at shops and restaurants.

'I've already spoke to the manager let me speak to the premier,' one of Ms Grollo's posts read.

Pictures of cafes that were posted to Instagram. The caption reads: 'Dan Andrews won't support struggling Brighton businesses' (left) and that 'social distancing at my local cafe working better than the social distancing in hotel quarantine' (right)

Many of the posts on the comedic Instagram account play on the Brighton accent, which features elongated vowels

Many of her posts play on the Brighton accent, which features elongated vowels.

'No self respecting Briiighton woman would be caught on Triple M. We only listen to 3AW,' one post read.

Another post said: 'Can't go to Noooooosa this year.'

Speaking to the Herald Sun on Saturday, Ms Grollo revealed how how to correctly pronounced 'Karen from Brighton' with the local inflection.

'It should be pronounced Kaaaren not Karen and its Briiiiighton not Brighton,' Ms Grollo said.

Despite going to a boutique baker in the neighbouring suburb for a loaf of bread, Ms Grollo said she is following all lockdown rules.

'Oh yes, I wear a mask. Not the best of looks, but at least mine is black. Nobody does black quite like Melbourne,' she told the publication.

A self-aware meme queen, Ms Grollo has poked fun at herself with one photo of herself downing a glass of Johnnie Walker whiskey. 'Can't walk the Tan anymore, may as well walk the Johnnie,' the post was captioned, referencing the city's Tan Track

Ms Grollo, dubbed 'Brighton Karen', went viral after she claimed to have trudged through all the streets of the affluent coastal suburb

Mr Grollo initially went viral when she claimed to have ran out of places to walk, having trudged through all of the streets of the affluent coastal suburb.

'Well, you get sick of walking the same streets. You know, I've done all of Brighton,' she told Nine News while walking the city's Tan Track.

A self-aware meme queen, Ms Grollo has even poked fun at herself with one photo of herself downing a glass of Johnnie Walker whisky.

'Can't walk the Tan anymore, may as well walk the Johnnie,' the post was captioned.

Ms Grollo, who is the daughter of pokies baron Bruce Mathieson, previously told The Herald Sun she visited a nearby suburb for bread while in COVID-19 lockdown.

'I went to Hampton to buy bread too,' she said.

She also had plans to stroll around Albert Park Lake, about 10 kilometres north of Brighton.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews previously slammed Melburnians who complained about the stay-at-home orders amid a second wave of COVID-19 infections.

'I've got a very clear message to every single Victorian, particularly some of those featured on social media: whether you are in Broadmeadows or Brighton, stay at home means stay at home,' he said last Saturday.

'And if walking your local streets is boring, well, being bored is much better than being in intensive care. That's my clear message.'

Pictured: A woman wearing a mask is seen walking along the banks of the Yarra River on Friday

Ms Grollo said she was not bothered by Mr Andrews' rebuke, or the hundreds of angry comments online, and hadn't seen them anyway.

'I'm not on social media so I didn't see any [of the backlash]. To be honest, I found it funny  it made my weekend,' she earlier told The Herald Sun.

Ms Grollo's father is one of the state's richest people, having an estimated $870 million fortune in 2019.

Her husband Gianni Grollo is also well-heeled, being related to construction and developer giants Bruno and Rino Grollo.
Adam Sandler spent his Sunday afternoon walking along the beach with his beloved bulldog Matzo Ball.

The 53-year-old actor was spotted walking in the sand with Babu on the beach in Malibu.

The Uncut Gems star kept it casual on his leisurely stroll, though he wasn't seen with his wife Jacqueline or their two kids.

Dog walk: Adam Sandler spent his Sunday afternoon walking along the beach with his beloved bulldog Matzo Ball

Sandler rocked a white collared shirt under a brown suede jacket as he walked along with beach with his pooch on a leash.

He also wore a tan Island Surf visor with black sunglasses as he held a thick leash in his hand.

The funnyman walked barefoot along the beach, completing his look with a pair of dark blue shorts.

Adam's look: Sandler rocked a white collared shirt under a brown suede jacket as he walked along with beach with his pooch on a leash

Sandler is coming off the best reviews of his career for the A24 indie hit Uncut Gems, which is currently available on Netflix.

While he was snubbed from an Academy Award nomination, he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor.

The actor delivered a memorable and heartfelt speech while accepting the award at the ceremony in Santa Monica, the night before the Oscars.

Reviews: Sandler is coming off the best reviews of his career for the A24 indie hit Uncut Gems, which is currently available on Netflix

Sandler recently signed a new deal to make films for Netflix, following his first deal with the streaming service, which was signed in 2014.

That four-picture deal lead to films The Ridiculous Six, The Do-Over, Sandy Wexler and The Week Of.

He also made Murder Mystery, reuniting Sandler with Jennifer Aniston, which was named the most popular movie on the streaming service.

Streaming: Sandler recently signed a new deal to make films for Netflix, following his first deal with the streaming service, which was signed in 2014

Sandler signed his new deal with Netflix in January, a new four-movie deal worth a whopping $275 million.

The streaming service revealed that that Netflix subscribers have watched more than 2 billion hours of Sandler's films.

'Whether you know him as Sandman, the Water Boy, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Nick Spitz or simply Adam, one thing is clear: our members cant get enough of him,' said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer.

New deal: Sandler signed his new deal with Netflix in January, a new four-movie deal worth a whopping $275 million

The first movie to be released under Sandler's new deal is entitled Hubie Halloween, which Sandler co-wrote with longtime collaborator Tim Herlihy.

Sandler will play Hubie Dubois, dubbed Hubie Halloween by the residents of his hometown, due to his devotion to the Halloween holiday.

While he's mocked by kids and adults alike, he has to step up when actual monstrous creatures invade his hometown on Halloween night.
Iran will continue nuclear program based on terms agreed with IAEA: Deputy foreign minister

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 July 2020 4:54 PM

The Islamic Republic will continue its peaceful nuclear program according to the terms of agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since Tehran sees the peaceful use of nuclear energy as an inalienable right of the nation, says a senior Foreign Ministry official.

"We will go on with our peaceful nuclear program according to the rules and regulations set and agreed upon with the IAEA," Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araqchi wrote in an article for a Polish periodical.

Iran, he said, has taken steps to reduce its commitments under a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but is ready "to restore all those commitments anytime that our interests are met within the framework of the JCPOA."

President Donald Trump of the United States, a hawkish critic of the historic deal, unilaterally withdrew Washington from the agreement in May 2018, and unleashed the "toughest ever" sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism.

In response, Tehran has so far rowed back on its nuclear commitments four times in compliance with articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA, stressing, however, that its retaliatory measures will be reversible as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the mutual trade from the US sanctions.

As a first step, Iran increased its enriched uranium stockpile to beyond the 300 kilograms set by the JCPOA.

In the second step, Tehran began enriching uranium to purity rates beyond the JCPOA limit of 3.76 percent.

In the third phase, after the Europeans failed to meet a 60-day deadline to meet Iran's demands and fulfill their commitments under the deal, Iran started up advanced centrifuges to boost the country's stockpile of enriched uranium and activated 20 IR-4 and 20 IR-6 centrifuges for research and development purposes.

In November last year, Iran began injecting gas into centrifuges at the Fordow plant as part of its fourth step away from the JCPOA under the supervision of the IAEA.

The Iranian government in January issued a statement announcing its decision to take the fifth and final step in reducing its commitments under the JCPOA.

Elsewhere in his article, Araqchi once again reiterated that the peaceful use of nuclear energy is an "inalienable" right of the Iranian nation, adding, "We will never give in this right to Washington's bullying."

"Despite the heavy costs of sanctions [imposed on Iran to stymie its nuclear program], we are responsible vis-a-vis the next generations in a way that we cannot accept bullying and hegemony of bullying powers," Iran's deputy foreign minister said.

The United States has violated all commitments under the deal and completely disregarded the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, which upholds the accord, Araqchi said.

He warned that if such a trend continues, it would strengthen rogue behavior within international relations and in the face of principles therein.

"Iran has never had and will never have any doubt in its march toward obtaining nuclear capability for peaceful purposes in order to boost the country's national development," the senior diplomat stated.

He emphasized that Iran has always fulfilled all its commitments under the JCPOA since the conclusion and start of the implementation of the deal and even after the US withdrawal from it.

Araqchi noted that the IAEA has verified Iran's compliance with its commitments in 15 consecutive and regular reports, saying that all the agency's documents showed in detail the Islamic Republic's accurate and complete fulfillment of its undertakings.

On the anniversary of the nuclear deal earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif drew attention to the unilateral withdrawal. He said Washington's "contempt for law and diplomacy" poses a security threat both to America itself and the entire world.

Zarif described the JCPOA as "last decade's greatest diplomatic achievement" and said the occasion also is a "reminder that US lawless behavior should not be the yardstick by which int'l norms are measured."

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Food giants muscle in on booming alternative protein market, reveals $13 trillion investor coalition engaging with 25 food manufacturers and retailers

2 of 25 companies (Tesco and Unilever) achieve top 'pioneer' status as best placed to benefit from growing meat alternative market. Costco and Kraft Heinz falling behind. Amazon, which continues to expand its presence in the grocery market, remains silent on its approach to enabling a climate-aligned protein transition.

achieve as best placed to benefit from growing meat alternative market. and falling behind. Amazon, which continues to expand its presence in the grocery market, remains silent on its approach to enabling a climate-aligned protein transition. Venture investments in plant-based proteins have already reached $1.1bn in 2020 , almost double the total investment in 2019, as COVID-19 leads to 'watershed year' for plant-based market capitalisation.

, almost double the total investment in 2019, as leads to 'watershed year' for plant-based market capitalisation. FAIRR's engagement on sustainable proteins rockets to $13 trillion in assets, growing ten-fold since its launch in 2016, including Northern Trust Asset Management, BMO Global Asset Management and Amundi.

LONDON, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - A four-year investor engagement with 25 giant food retailers and manufacturers, led by the FAIRR investor network, has found that two in five global food giants with combined annual revenues of $459 billion now have dedicated teams to develop and sell plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy; with Tesco and Unilever ranked top.

Tesco and Unilever were praised by investors for their commitment to shift food portfolios to more sustainable protein sources, demonstrating board-level support for a climate-aligned protein transition (the shift away from animal proteins towards plant-based and new protein sources), and completing a climate 'scenario analysis' on their commodity supply chains. In total 7 of 15 retailers now sell, or plan to sell plant-based meat alternatives 'on the meat aisle'.

Investors also welcomed a 57% increase from 2019 to 2020 in food companies with Scope 3 emissions targets including emissions from animal agriculture. Despite agriculture accounting for around 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions along with forestry and other land-use, corporate targets have historically failed to address the emissions footprints of animal agriculture and its supply chains.





The data comes from the new online Sustainable Proteins Hub for investors, and 'Appetite for Disruption: A Second Serving' report, launched today by the FAIRR Investor Network . Since it began in 2016 (with 40 investors managing $1.25 trillion of assets) FAIRR's Sustainable Proteins Engagement has grown ten-fold to include 88 investors managing over $13 trillion in assets in 2020. The coalition of investors, including Amundi, Northern Trust Asset Management and BMO General Asset Management. It aims to encourage 25 global food retailers (15) and manufacturers (10)  including Nestle, M&S, Sainsbury's, Carrefour, Costco, Amazon and Walmart  to diversify their protein sources to drive growth and reduce risk in a post-COVID, resource-constrained world.

The report highlights new research that shows over $1.1 billion of venture investment has flowed into alternative proteins in the first half of 2020, more than double last year's total investment ($534 million). The alternative protein market is expected to grow to $17.9 billion by 2025. Amidst public concern over the link between meat production and the ongoing COVID-19 and African Swine Fever crises, retailers and manufacturers are facing a surge in demand for plant-based products.

This has been felt most acutely in China where pork consumption is estimated to drop by 35% this year, while plant-based pork brand OmniFoods saw record growth across China and other Asian markets. Brands like Impossible Foods and Oatly have set their sights on the region and Nestle is to build a $100m plant-based centre in China.

Jeremy Coller, Founder of FAIRR and Chief Investment Officer at Coller Capital said:

"The company data published today is hard evidence that big food brands are vying for their slice of the plant-based pie. They are drastically scaling-up and skilling-up their capacity to research and develop plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy. Tangible goals for a protein transition are being put in place.

"The post-COVID landscape has made 2020 a watershed year for the sustainable protein market: the sector has attracted double the investment of last year in just six months. This engagement shows which food companies are putting in place the infrastructure and innovation to benefit from this seismic shift in the ways we shop and eat; and those that will lose out. Investors are watching closely."

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Full report via www.fairr.org

About FAIRR

The FAIRR Initiative is a collaborative investor network, established by the Jeremy Coller Foundation. Its mission is to build a global network of investors who are focused and engaged on the risks linked to intensive animal production within the broader food system. FAIRR helps investors to exercise their influence as responsible stewards of capital to engage and safeguard the long-term value of their investment portfolios. Its Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index was shortlisted as ESG Research Report of the Year. www.fairr.org

SOURCE FAIRR Initiative
A former president of Iran, known in the West for speeches that assert the Holocaust was invented and that Israel should be erased from the map, has written a warm and friendly letter to his country's most ardent Arab foe: the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

So far, at least, it appears to be a one-way exchange.

In 2010, then Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad questioned whether the September 11 attacks on the US in 2001 were staged. Credit:AP

Nonetheless, the letter by the former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is striking in that Ahmadinejad wrote it at all. Other members of Iran's hierarchy, led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have described the 34-year-old crown prince, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, as adventurous, brutal and immature. And for his part, the crown prince has compared Khamenei to Hitler and called any engagement with Iran useless.

Flouting Iran's stated policy toward Saudi Arabia, Ahmadinejad sent the letter, filled with flattery and praise, to the crown prince this month, inviting him to join hands to end the Yemen war, according to a copy that Ahmadinejad's office provided to The New York Times.
Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has sought clarifications from the state government as he returned the proposal by chief minister Ashok Gehlot for the convening of the assembly session from July 31.

Officials had said earlier in the day that Mishra had asked for additional details from the government as he gave the file back to the parliamentary affairs department.

Mishra, according to news agency ANI, has asked whether chief minister Ashok Gehlot wants a trust vote in the state assembly.

Do you want to move Motion of Confidence? It is not mentioned in the proposal but you have been speaking about it in media, the governor was quoted as saying by ANI.

He also said it would be difficult to call all the members of legislative assembly (MLAs) at a short notice during the coronavirus pandemic.

Can you consider giving a 21-day notice over the convening of assembly session? was his second poser, reported ANI.

Mishra has not taken any decision yet on calling the assembly session, people aware of the development added.

The Congress party has been demanding a special session amid the political crisis due to a rebellion by Sachin Pilot and a section of Congress legislators supporting the former deputy chief minister.

The Gehlot camp, which is confident of its numbers and feels a floor test may be its best bet to end the political crisis, has said the governor is delaying convening a session due to pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government.

Before this, Ashok Gehlot had requested Mishra to start a session of the state assembly to discuss bills, including one on the coronavirus pandemic, without mentioning a floor test.

Also read: Mayawati springs a surprise, heads to court to reclaim her 6 MLAs from Cong

Gehlot had in a reworked proposal asked him to start a session of the state assembly from July 31.

Mishra has denied the Congress charge, saying he will follow constitutional norms to convene the House.

The governor had turned down the earlier proposal sent by the Congress government and said that it did not mention a date or a reason.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan assembly Speaker CP Joshi withdrew his plea before the Supreme Court which had challenged the Rajasthan high court order of July 21 directing him to defer action on disqualification notices against Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs.

Also read: Rajasthan speaker drops Supreme Court plea against Sachin Pilot, rebel MLAs

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who was representing Joshi, told the three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra that the high court, on July 24, passed a detailed order staying action by the speaker against the dissident MLAs and setting out legal issues which it was proposing to consider.

Therefore, the plea before the Supreme Court against July 21 order has become infructuous, he submitted.

So kindly permit us to withdraw this plea, Sibal said.

The bench which also comprised justices BR Gavai and Krishna Murari allowed the prayer.
Resisting Sexual Revolution Together May Be How God Unites Christians: Author

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A robust repudiation of the sexual revolution should unite Christians of every tradition, says author Jennifer Roback Morse.

And resisting this ongoing onslaught side by side just might be the very thing God does to heal the Church of the many divides that abound, she believes, because there is no choice but to stand and fight together given the present cultural landscape.

Morse, who is the founder and president of the Lake Charles, Louisiana-based Ruth Institute explained in a phone interview with The Christian Post last week that for far too long, believers in Jesus Christ have been playing footsie with the ideology of the sexual revolution. This deceptive, deadly creed and the accompanying movement is fundamentally opposed to our faith, she insists, and it has created millions upon millions of wounded people whose voices are seldom heard.

In her latest book, The Sexual State: How Elite Ideologies Are Destroying Lives and Why The Church Was Right All Along, which was released last month, Morse unpacks how the sexual revolution is an interlocking, three-pronged dogma  contraceptive ideology, divorce ideology, and gender ideology  that has ruined countless lives and has never been properly combated. Morse also offers bold, straightforward advice to Christians regarding what they can do to not only anchor themselves in faith amid the chaos but to push back with the truth in their respective spheres of influence.

"My emphasis on the sexual revolution grew out of my conviction that social conservatives were getting clobbered," Morse said. "We're outgunned, we're outmanned, we're outspent, so what can we do?"

She realized that for many the harms of the sexual revolution have not been fully spelled out and the people who sponsored them have never been held accountable. Meanwhile, the victims  like children of divorce, and women who wanted to have children but could not because of either the contraceptive hormones lingering in their systems or abortions that scarred their bodies  are systematically excluded and marginalized, she said; their perspectives and experiences are rarely considered in the national consciousness.

Such was the thought process that inspired Morse's previous work, The Sexual Revolution and its Victims, a collection of her essays that addressed many of the same themes she expounds upon in The Sexual State in a more sustained form of argument.

The author argues throughout the book that the sexual revolution is fraught with many internal contradictions, and is so irrational it necessitates ever-increasing amounts of state power to maintain it as it continues to ravage communities. The ruling class and America's cultural elites have wielded propaganda and public policies to promote and enshrine what they believe is their inalienable right to sexual hedonism to great, devastating effect, she writes.

Morse spends a few chapters exploring how the contraceptive part of this ideology asserts that modern society should do everything possible to separate sex from making babies. But the big problem with that is that sex does, in fact, make babies, Morse notes.

"And if you think it is possible to create a whole society where sex doesn't make babies, you're going to do a lot of work to keep that belief system alive," she explained to CP.

The divorce ideology of the sexual revolution, which relies on the notion that kids do not need their own parents because kids are resilient and adults can do whatever they want, is best showcased in the legal regime of no-fault divorce, which has proven disastrous, Morse argues. Children do indeed need their own parents and to say otherwise, one will have to work hard to convince others that it is true.

"But this is what we've been doing since 1968, telling people that it doesn't matter, that children will get over it, and if they don't get over it, we'll take them to therapy," Morse said.

"Because this is irrational, you have to keep working on it. You have to keep suppressing the evidence that comes out to contradict the ideological line."

And the third leg of the sexual revolution, Morse says, is gender ideology. She argues this has morphed over the years from the assertion from some feminists that men and women are essentially no different to the radical transgender idea that the human body has no meaning whatsoever and can be reconstructed, complete with state-funded surgical procedures in pursuit of the physically impossible goal of changing ones biological sex.

"It's completely inhuman and it's an attack on the human body," Morse asserted, and that is precisely the reason why Christians must not acquiesce.

Although many contemporary evangelicals have accepted forms of contraception, provided they are not abortifacients, some are now publicly reconsidering their views and saying that the Roman Church has been right all along, like Morse once did as a Catholic who once disagreed with her church's teaching.

Earlier this summer evangelical author Julie Roys, formerly of Moody Radio, urged evangelicals to rethink their embrace of contraception.

"Clearly, the mentality that drives abortion, drives contraception. And when evangelicals embraced contraception they began thinking like pragmatists," Roys wrote in a three-part series on the subject.

"Children became liabilities, not blessings. Marriage became a means to personal fulfillment, not family and sacrifice. And birth control became essential to personal health, as though our natural design was somehow defective."

And contrary to that pragmatic thinking, Scripture does not teach that sterilizing sex is key to human flourishing, she went on to say.

Morse finds such reconsideration happening among other Christians encouraging.

"I think it would be tragic if the Catholic Church folded on its ancient teachings now because we now have the evidence to see that they've been right all along. The evidence about the physical harms associated with birth control, the evidence is right under our noses that contraception does not prevent unwanted pregnancies," Morse said.

"We need to take courage. We who believe in the Gospel and who love each other as fellow Christians, we need to be unafraid of these matters."

"And the Lord can heal this," she emphasized. "He has healed some terrible things in the history of the human race and He can heal us too. But we have to let Him."

Few people go all in for every aspect of the sexual revolution, she elaborated. Even many secular types recognize the harm no-fault divorce has unleashed, for instance. Notable radical feminists and lesbians fiercely oppose gender ideology, particularly the medical transitioning of women and children, and given the growing numbers of people who are in one way or another fed up with some corner of the revolution, possibilities present themselves for new alliances that seemed unlikely before, she said.

Yet socially conservative Christians have not addressed the heart of the matter, she continued, and their advocacy has thus been compromised, unpersuasive, and ineffective.

Past campaigns in recent years, for example, such as efforts to preserve the traditional definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, have been undermined from within due to Christians avoiding saying anything negative about the culture of divorce or artificial reproductive technologies, lest they offend their friends and others who have embraced those things, she said.

"All this kind of hanging on to stuff has led people to be basically sitting ducks for the next round of whatever the craziness is," Morse said.

And that craziness is intensifying as more and more people, Christians and non-Christians alike, are expressing their horror at how children and teenagers suffering from gender dysphoria are today prescribed puberty suppressants and cross-sex hormones, and are being approved for permanent, body-altering surgeries, all now backed with the machinery of the government and elite sensibilities.

"We're talking about underage people who are in no position at all to say 'I'm not really a girl because I think I'm not really a girl.' She can't get a driver's license or get her ears pierced without her mother's permission. And you're going to go with her judgement about whether she is a boy or a girl, and do physical things to her body that are irrevocable? Really? That's what we're going to do?" Morse said, outraged.

"It's because we haven't been willing to say that the human body is something [that matters] and we don't have the right to just mess around with it."

Morse tells her fellow Catholics that if they are to be successful in their response to the sex scandals now being exposed in the Church they have to relinquish whatever little thing they are holding on to that is contrary to Church teaching. And that is because those little things, whatever they may be, are the very things that will keep them from being effective when they need to be effective witnesses, she maintains.

For those who pick up a copy of The Sexual State, Morse hopes they will recognize as they read that they are not alone in however they have been scarred by the revolution's rage; that their suffering is not entirely their fault; and most importantly, that they can recover from it. Helping people with these struggles is a key part of what Morse does by day for The Ruth Institute with their retreats on healing family breakdown, which is her organization's core mission.

"You were fed a line of baloney, and a lot of people were too," she frequently tells those who attend their workshops, when speaking of the revolution's promises of sexual liberation that proved to be destructive.

From a more broadly social perspective, she hopes Christians as a whole will be inspired to stand and fight.

"I hope people will no longer be naive about whether this stuff is harmless. It's not harmless," Morse said, "and I hope people will not go back to normal. Let there be a new normal in your life. The new normal is that you're going to see things as they really are, and you really will be more free."

"And given the damage of the sexual revolution," she reiterated, "this could be the thing that heals the divisions among Christians. The Lord can, and I believe is trying to heal these divisions because we have no choice but to work together and fight shoulder to shoulder. And I think that could be, if we let it, one of the great fruits of this whole thing."

"That's the sort of thing God does. He takes our crap and turns it into something good."
RS21 and FuseLab Creative have joined the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) in an effort to increase the transparency of government spending in COVID-19 relief efforts. POGO announced the spending tracker and accountability project in April, describing it as a means for oversight practitioners to track how the $2.7 trillion of relief is being distributed.

RS21, a data science and visualization company, and FuseLab, an interface design agency, will support POGO in the production of a public website for the general community, subject matter experts, and analysts. The web application will allow users to easily explore a robust database of relief programs and clearly understand how COVID-19 economic aid is distributed.

RS21 is committed to doing good with data, and this is the perfect application of data science as our nation works together to support businesses, communities and families during the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Transparency is key to this process and good government in general, said Charles Rath, President and CEO of RS21.

In addition to providing access to important and secure data, the website will also feature an intuitive interface. Our goal here is to provide the public with accurate and usable data visualization options to make it easy to search and filter results and ensure COVID-19 relief spending is as publicly transparent as possible, and is reaching its intended beneficiaries, said Marc Caposino, CEO of FuseLab Creative.

POGO, the organization directing the work, has nearly 40 years of experience conducting government oversight, and is committed to ensuring that economic relief is being implemented to support those who need it the most as the country experiences its highest unemployment rates since the Great Depression.

"We are thrilled to be working with RS21 and FuseLab to launch a comprehensive COVID-19 relief spending tracker, added Danielle Brian, Executive Director of POGO. As an organization, POGO is committed to increasing government transparency, and with this tracker, we hope to provide a much-needed window into the several trillion dollars the government is spending to address the pandemic and aid those working to hold our government accountable."

To learn more about the project, visit pogo.org.

ABOUT RS21

RS21 is a rapidly growing data science and visualization company with offices in Albuquerque, NM and Washington, DC. We empower organizations to make data-driven decisions that positively impact the world through innovative solutions that are insightful, intuitive, inspiring, and intellectually honest. For more information, visit rs21.io.

ABOUT FUSELAB CREATIVE

Serving clients across the U.S. and Canada, with offices in Maryland and Virginia , FuseLab Creative is a collective of experts in product strategy and human-centered design, specializing in interface design for data systems and software developers. We fuel small start-ups, government agencies, and established brands with the tools and expertise they need to succeed. To learn more, visit fuselabcreative.com.
The closure follows US order for China to shut Houston consulate in sharp escalation of two countries ongoing disputes.

China said in Monday it had taken possession of the US consulate in Chengdu hours after the US flag outside the building was lowered, following a Chinese order for the US to leave the building in response to the US move to evict Beijing from its consulate in Houston.

Chinese state broadcaster CGTN said the flag was lowered on the building at about 6:18am local time on Monday (22:48 GMT on Sunday).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a social media post that the consulate in southwestern Sixhuan province had been closed a few hours later.

At 10am on July 27th according to the Chinese sides request, the US consulate was closed, the ministry said. Afterwards, Chinese authorities entered through the front entrance and took it over.

The consulate closures are a sharp escalation of the disputes between the two countries, already damaged by disagreements over Chinas territorial claims in the South China Sea, its new security law in Hong Kong, the situation in Xinjiang, and trade and technology.

The deadline for the Americans to exit Chengdu has been unclear, but the Chinese consulate in Houston in the US state of Texas was given 72 hours to close after the original order was made.

Crowds gathered near the consulate on Monday morning as the deadline for the US to vacate the building neared [Thomas Peter/Reuters]

Al Jazeeras Katrina Yu, who is in Chengdu, said police closed the street to the consulate and erected barricades shortly after the flag was lowered.

The embassy had a couple of hundred staff and Yu said that China had said some were working inconsistent with their capacity.

Onlookers gather

Local residents gathered at the street to watch the unfolding events as security personnel, as well as four people clad in hazard suits were seen walking towards the building shortly before 10.30am (02:30 GMT).





The consulate worked closely with businesses in Chongqing and is also a gateway to the far western regions of Tibet and Xinjiang, where the UN estimates about a million ethnic Uighurs are being held in what China says are vocational skills training camps.

The consulate was also thrust into the spotlight in 2012 when then police chief Wang Lijun sought refuge expressing fears for his safety after his investigation into the death of Neil Heywood, a British business consultant. The meeting led to the downfall of rising star Bo Xilai whose wife was later convicted of Heywoods murder.

Over the weekend, the US insignia was removed from the front of the consulate, and removal vans were seen coming and going. The street was closed to traffic, except for consular or police vehicles allowed through by police.

A worker attempts to remove the plaque on the wall outside the US consulate in Chengdu on Sunday [Noel Celis/AFP]

Beijing says closing the Chengdu consulate was a legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States, and has alleged that staff at the diplomatic mission endangered Chinas security and interests.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Chinese consulate in Houston was a hub of spying and intellectual property theft.
T witter users are staging a 48-hour walkout over the social media companys perceived inadequate response to antisemitic tweets from grime artist Wiley.

Police are currently investigating a series of antisemitic social media posts made by Wiley, 41, this weekend, including a tweet likening Jewish people to the Ku Klux Klan. The rapper, dubbed the godfather of grime, whose real name is Richard Cowie, has been dropped by his management company after his racist rant.

What is the Twitter walkout?

Wileys Twitter account, which has almost 500,000 followers, was banned temporarily after he went on a racist rant beginning on July 24. However, many of his antisemitic tweets have still not been removed.

In response to Twitters perceived inaction, many users, including fellow musicians, celebrities, and politicians, have pledged to boycott Twitter for 48 hours from 9am Monday.

The walkout is promoted using the hashtag #NoSpaceForJewHate.

Who is participating?

Fellow musicians Sophie Ellis-Baxtor and Jessie Ware have pledged to boycott the social media giant for 48 hours.

Actors Jason Isaac and Tracy-Ann Oberman are also avoiding the platform, as are writer Armando Iannucci and Countdown presenter Rachel Riley.

A number of politicians are also joining the boycott, including Labour MPs Jess Phillips and Rosena Allin-Khan, and Lib Dem MP Layla Moran.

What is Twitters response to antisemitism?

Wiley was first given an hours-long Twitter ban, and later a seven-day ban from the platform. While several of his racist tweets were eventually removed after users reported them for inciting hatred, many remain up on his account. He was also temporarily banned from Instagram after antisemitic posts on the platform.

Home Secretary Priti Patel demanded a full explanation from the social media giants calling Wileys posts "abhorrent".

"Social media companies must act much faster to remove such appalling hatred from their platforms," she said.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a letter to Twitter and Instagram that after racist content is posted on their platforms "the response - its removal and the banning of those responsible - should be immediate.

"It takes minutes for content shared on your platform to reach an audience of millions, he continued. When someone influential shares hate speech, in that time it may have an impact on the views of many who look up to them."

Twitter has not yet commented on the boycott.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved $27.4 million grant to boost the African Unions (AU) efforts to mobilise continental response to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

AfDB said in a statement that the approval came following April 22 meeting of extended Bureau of AU Conference of Heads of State and Government with Africas private sector, chaired by South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chairperson of the AU.

It said AfDB President, Akinwumi Adesina, who attended the meeting, pledged strong support for the AU COVID-19 initiative.

Speaking after the Board approval of this operation, Mr Adesina said: With this financing package, we are reaffirming our strong commitment to a coordinated African response in the face of COVID-19.

Most importantly, we are sending a strong signal that collectively, the continent can address the pandemic in Africa, which is straining health systems and causing unprecedented socio-economic impacts on the continent.

The bank explained that the bulk of the Banks grant financing for this operation, about 26.03 million dollars, would help to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to respond to public health emergencies across the continent.

According to AfDB, the balance of $1.37 million will be a contribution to the AU COVID-19 Response Fund.

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It noted that the two grants, from the Banks concessional window, the African Development Fund, and the Transition Support Facility, would support the implementation of Africa CDCs COVID-19 Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan.

It explained that this would be done through strengthening surveillance at various points of entry (air, sea, and land) in African countries;

Building sub-regional and national capacity for epidemiological surveillance and ensuring the availability of personal protective equipment for frontline workers deployed in hotspots and testing materials.

The operation will also facilitate collection of gender-disaggregated data and adequate staffing for Africa CDCs emergency operations centre.

At the beginning of February 2020, only two reference laboratories in Senegal and South Africa could run tests for COVID-19 on the continent.

The Africa CDC, working with governments, the WHO, and several development partners and public health institutes, have increased this capacity to 44 countries.

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COHOES  On June 6, State Police in Essex County responded to a call of a supposed gunfight between an off-duty Cohoes police officer and a Black youth in Elizabethtown.

When they arrived, they found Officer Sean T. McKown, whose 911 call had summoned the response, asleep in his summer home and highly intoxicated, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation. The 46-year-old McKown, who is white, told troopers that a Black youth had displayed a gun and fired at him, which had prompted him to fire his weapon four times while retreating up a hill before ditching the department-issued pistol out of fear the emptied gun would be used against him.

McKown, who allegedly told a neighbor he had suspected the young people of being in an Antifa group, went back inside and called 911.

The story, McKown would allegedly later admit, was false. State Police described his various statements as extremely inconsistent.

Seven weeks later, McKown has yet to be face discipline for the Essex County incident  nor has he returned to work. Instead, McKown is out on sick leave and expected to retire in August.

The Times Union spoke with multiple people briefed on the incident as well as Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler, who said State Police and the Cohoes Police Department have investigated McKowns conduct. The incident took place as protests were happening around the country following the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis. Essex County, which includes Lake Placid and Keene Valley, has not emerged as a hot spot for those protests.

Contacted at home on Monday, McKown declined to comment. In 2018, he was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence in rural Illinois. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was suspended without pay; McKown was also sentenced to a month of court supervision.

In a statement Monday, State Police said the investigation into the Essex County incident had been closed with no charges filed.

The mayor, who acknowledged McKown had allegedly fired his weapon, stood by the decision to not suspend the officer. A former State Police officer for more than 30 years serving his first year as mayor, Keeler told the Times Union that "the incident under investigation involved alleged behavior unbecoming of a police officer. If proven true  and in combination with a highly publicized DWI arrest two years ago  I would not entertain the idea of that officer patrolling the streets of Cohoes again.

Keeler said he conveyed that message on June 7, the day after the incident. He said McKown has used sick time since that date to deal with a health issue. McKowns retirement becomes effective in two weeks, the mayor said.

People familiar with the June 6 incident on Lincoln Pond Road in Elizabethtown said Troopers responded to McKown's 911 call. They arrived at McKowns summer home to find him asleep. They noticed that McKown smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes.

Awakened, McKown told the troopers he had returned home from a gathering and saw a number of Black youths in the road in front of his home. Some were lifting phones, apparently seeking cell service. McKown said he asked the group what they were doing, and asked them to get away from his home and neighborhood.

He said he approached the youths two more times, the third time after grabbing his service gun from his vehicle. This time, McKown claimed, a Black male lifted his shirt and displayed a silver gun in his waistband. McKown said he heard a pop, which he believed was a gunshot fired at him. He said he fired four shots out of fear for his life and, after running out of bullets, ditched his gun while retreating.

McKown later called State Police and acknowledged that he had given them false and inaccurate information. When they returned to Lincoln Pond Road, the officer allegedly admitted the young man had not shot at him and claimed he had not fired his weapon while retreating.

Instead, McKown claimed that while he was behind his home he had heard a pop, and fired shots into a tree stump to scare off whoever had made the noise. He said he had ditched his gun because he did not want the youths to find it and use it against him. He allegedly claimed he had told the false story because he did not want to appear scared, though he had been.

After viewing security video from a neighbors home, troopers told McKown their investigation showed that his weapon had been neatly laid down, not ditched in a panic. As their questioning continued, McKown allegedly asked the troopers why they were trying to jam him up.

The troopers said McKown claimed he had not been intoxicated, though he claimed he did not recall making the statements he had made on the 911 recording.

The two males and a woman in the group whom McKown approached spoke to State Police, people with knowledge of the case said. They said McKown had asked them where they were staying, and other questions they did not want to answer. They later heard him on the phone describing what they were wearing. They said they did not feel threatened by McKown or see his weapon, but did feel harassed. They did not want to press charges.

State Police notified Cohoes police and met with Essex County District Attorney Kristy Sprague. On Monday, Sprague declined comment.

Keeler said there were two avenues the city could take, one being immediate suspension for 30 days with pay. In that scenario, hearings and arbitration could be a good year-long process in which the city would pay out McKowns salary with no certainty of the outcome.

He said McKowns retirement provides a certain ending for the officer's two-decade career.

So if these facts are true, then that would be the desired goal  separation of service, the mayor said, and the most certain way to get there, the easiest way to get there, the least expensive way to get there is the retirement route.

Ive seen similar cases go both ways and, given the circumstances, taking that risk is not in the best interest of the people of Cohoes," the mayor said.

McKown, the nephew of former Cohoes Police Chief William Heslin, was hired in July 2000. At the time, the hiring  and the contemporaneous hiring of the chiefs son  was met with criticism because they were not the top scorers on a civil service qualifying test.

He has worked as the departments K9 or police dog handler. In 2015, former Mayor George Primeau honored McKown and his dog, Jeter, with a plaque for 10 years of service. Jeters son, Loky, replaced him as K9.
Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has launched a commission to evaluate the country's coronavirus strategy. (Getty)

Sweden has launched an inquiry into its decision not to lock down completely when it was initially hit by coronavirus after its number of cases topped 70,000.

A total of 5,411 people have died from COVID-19, according to the countrys official figures, with the number of cases hitting 70,639.

The figures mean Sweden has one of the highest per capita death rates in the world, prompting questions over its decision to put a softer lockdown in place than many of its neighbours.

The inquiry comes after the countrys state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell last month admitted the country could have done things differently.

Unlike most other European countries, Sweden did not implement strict measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic, instead choosing to allow many businesses, areas of the hospitality sector and schools to stay open.

Panoramic view of Stockholm city center with famous Riddarholmen in Gamla Stan in beautiful twilight, Sodermalm, central Stockholm, Sweden

The country has now launched an inquiry into its policy, with prime minister Stefan Lofven reportedly admitting that Swedens shortcomings had been exposed.

According to The Times, he told a press conference: We have thousands of dead. Now the question is how Sweden should change, not if.

Sweden had previously justified its lighter-touch handling of the virus, saying that countries who had imposed strict lockdowns would potentially suffer larger second waves later on.

In May, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told the Financial Times: In the autumn there will be a second wave. Sweden will have a high level of immunity and the number of cases will probably be quite low.

But in June he admitted things could have been done differently, saying: If we were to run into the same disease, knowing exactly what we know about it today, I think we would end up doing something in between what Sweden did and what the rest of the world has done.

Yes, I think we could have done better in what we did in Sweden, clearly.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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Read more about COVID-19

How to get a coronavirus test if you have symptoms

How easing of lockdown rules affects you

In pictures: How UK school classrooms could look in new normal

How public transport could look after lockdown

How our public spaces will change in the future

Help and advice

Read the full list of official FAQs here

10 tips from the NHS to help deal with anxiety

What to do if you think you have symptoms

How to get help if you've been furloughed
The Federal Government on Monday extended the phase two of the ease of lockdown in the country by another one week. Secretary to ...

The Federal Government on Monday extended the phase two of the ease of lockdown in the country by another one week.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha, announced this at the briefing of the PTF which held in Abuja.

He regretted that majority of Nigerians, irrespective of status, creed and level of education, continue to live in denial on the virulent nature of the virus and consistently breach the guidelines and non-pharmaceutical measures put in place.

Mustapha, the PTF Chairman, said the body has continued to evaluate the developments as well as the level of compliance nationwide.





"It has also considered that due to the upcoming Sallah (Eid El-Kabir) festivities which coincides with the expiration of the current phase, it would be prudent to extend by one week, from 29th July, 2020 till Thursday 6th August, 2020. We informed you two weeks ago that the process of submitting the 6th Interim Report and recommendations for next steps had commenced. The PTF has reached advanced stages of the process."It has also considered that due to the upcoming Sallah (Eid El-Kabir) festivities which coincides with the expiration of the current phase, it would be prudent to extend by one week, from 29th July, 2020 till Thursday 6th August, 2020.





It has accordingly secured permission to retain the existing guidelines till that date. Considering the importance of international air travel to the economy, the PTF and the Aviation Sector are working hard to fast track reopening of the international airspace. Most importantly, the arrival protocols for passengers on in-bound flights are being firmed up for seamless testing and detection. Relevant MDAs will be holding further consultations.





The COVID-19 remains very virulent and very dangerous. Our analysis has shown that people over 50 years of age especially those with underlying factors remain most at risk. This position is backed by the fact that 65% of fatalities recorded in Nigeria are in this category. That brings me to the need to appeal to Nigerians on the need for a change of behavior and compliance with guidelines and measures put in place.





If you do not need to go outside your home, please stay indoors. Avoid large gatherings and observe all the measures. In recent times, our risk communication teams have developed messages aimed at resonating very well with different demographic groups. The common string is the message for compliance and the proper wearing of face masks and coverings in public spaces. The National Coordinator will be elaborating further on this.




Yasnel Pompa Torriente said this about his book: " El Guia Perfecto is a book based on a true story. This tells a fact that occurred in a very small town. From the time of my grandparents to the present, only one person has lost a person in a brawl, although there have been many. This made it transcendental for the villagers. It highlights the poor work of MININT and the bias with which the municipal prosecutor worked without interest to many of them, not even for a moment, that if they achieved their plans, they would destroy the lives of other beings who were absolutely innocent according to all the tests. They did their best to blame them for instructional tricks. It accounts for the terrible conditions that some police facilities haveat least that of their municipality. As the author clings to God unconditionally and becomes a Christian, he took the problems of many of his classmates to heart and decided to tell them. He overcame and took advantage of those adverse living conditions. He saw, at times, that his life was like a drifting tree, but someone always approached him and offered his hand. It narrates facts where it is clearly shown that prisoners are also human beings with good feelings. He calls for reflection so that citizens who are deprived of liberty are better treated. It raises, in some way, how to stimulate and take advantage of inmates in prisons, offering them fair treatment."

Published by Page Publishing, Yasnel Pompa Torriente's new book El Guia Perfecto is a cry for justice, as it delves into the deplorable condition of the author's fellow citizens due to poor institutional management.

Consumers who wish to ascertain the genuine meaning of being human in times of frailty and dissent can purchase El Guia Perfecto in any bookstore, or online at Apple iTunes, Amazon.com, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries, you can contact Page Publishing, through the following number: 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors' books, including distribution in the world's largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex, and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at www.pagepublishing.com.

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tech2 News Staff

Since 14 July, the Comet Neowise or C/2020 F3 has been visible in the night sky, and will stay visible till 2 August. The once-in-7,000-year celestial event has created a lot of buzz in the astronomy community, with both professionals and amateurs looking to capture it in action.

However, not all astronomers seem to be getting their way. The flock of Starlink satellites under Elon Musks's SpaceX seem to have photobombed otherwise beautiful pictures of the rare comet sighting. Astronomers took to Twitter to express their outrage.

Daniel Lopez of El Cielo de Canarias (The Sky of The Canary Islands) captured an image of the Neowise comet that was completely drowned out by the Starlink fleet. He had posted it on Facebook, after which astronomer Julien Girard tweeted the image out on Twitter, complaining of the intrusion.

17 30-second images of the comet added up by @cielodecanarias, completely photobombed by @elonmusk's #Starlink satellites. It's a few hundreds of them right now,there will be a few thousands in the near future. @SpaceX is committed to coating orienting them better but still.... pic.twitter.com/TYtTf5xwhc  Julien Girard (@djulik) July 22, 2020

Astronomers, astrophysicists, and astrophotographers are concerned about the great deployment of small satellites orbiting the earth, astrophotographer Daniel Lopez, who snapped a photo of the disrupted Neowise, told Gizmodo.

Other astrophotography enthusiasts have also taken to Twitter to talk about the menace. Reports of the fleet that is now over 400 satellites strong caught ruining pictures, time-lapses and complete overshadowing the comet, have come from all over the world.

On an earlier occasion, the Starlink satellites were mistaken for unidentified flying objects, since no one had seen anything like it before.

A report by Live Science explains the intricacies about capturing celestial objects in the sky. It states, "Telescopes, like consumer cameras, usually use long exposures in their scientific work. Starlink seems to be particularly reflective and to orbit at an elevation that can leave bright smears across telescope sensors and pollute data."

Neowise X Starlink r/starlink pic.twitter.com/BaJTLgtqkg  Jose Garza (@stuntech) July 24, 2020

Starlink satellites near or over comet NEOWISE...Not visible to the naked eye, but these are only three of the several (unprocessed yet) photos where the trails are visible on a single night (a ~1h shooting session). Its becoming difficult to avoid them in an astrophotography. pic.twitter.com/OTyGY2B71L  Raul C Lima (@raulclima) July 20, 2020

3 starlink satellites pass by comet Neowise from highpoint scenic vista on Friday night!#starlink #neowise #spacex pic.twitter.com/uoTNyKztxH  Kyle Henry (@kyle_LTS) July 19, 2020

My best guess is that this was #Starlink 1075 that passed through my field of view at 11:00pm....supposedly magnitude 6.3. Just one of many sats that plagued my images. @jaimecor_94 pic.twitter.com/xGT91RuMji  Mark A. Brown (Starguy) (@SSA_Mark) July 23, 2020

Been there, done that

This is not the first time Starlink and its founder Elon Musk has come under fire from the astronomy community. In fact, when the first couple of Starlink satellites were launched, many of the members had spoken up about the possibility of these bright satellites messing with their photography as well as just plain discovery of a new object in the sky.

Musk had gone on to assure them that he and his team are fixing the issue to ensure that these high-speed internet providing satellites will not interfere with their work.

On the eighth launch of the Starlink mission, the satellites had been fitted with what they called VisorSat that would act as a set of darkened shades that can keep the sun from reflecting off the bright parts of each satellite. The visors flip out and block the sun, preventing reflections. Musk said that the VisorSats would have a massive effect on the brightness of the satellites.

He said the goal is to make the satellites invisible to the naked eye and minimise their impact on astronomy with a focus on ensuring that whatever inconvenience they do pose doesn't hinder the scientists' ability to make new discoveries.

There are currently over 422 Starlink satellites in orbit above the Earth, in an endeavour to deliver high-speed internet by 2021 under Space's Starlink mission. The satellites have been planned to go operational once 800 satellites have been activated, which is still a few launches away.

And while Elon Musk is the first, he is definitely not going to be the last. Jeff Bezos Amazon has already stated that they are working on a Project Kuiper that will launch 3,236 satellites into space to provide internet. There are many other companies that are vying for that piece of the pie and it is left to see how astronomers will have to deal with these rotating internet providers and if there will be any government regulations in this matter.
By Akbar Mammadov

The Land and Air Forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey will hold joint large-scale military exercises, the ministry said on July 27.

Thus, in line with the Agreement on military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey, the military exercises will be focused on combat fire drills and flight-tactical training with the participation of both countries land and air forces.

During the joint military exercises, military personnel, armoured vehicles, artillery mounts, and mortars, as well as military aviation and air defence equipment of the armies of the two countries will be involved.

According to the plan, exercises involving the Land Forces will be held from August 1 to 5 in Baku and Nakhchivan, while exercises involving the Air Forces will be conducted from July 29 to August 10  in Baku, Nakhchivan, Ganja, Kurdamir and Yevlakh.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Kitchen and cookware retailer Sur La Table has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will shutter its last two stores in New Jersey by the end of August.

With huge spikes in online shopping sales over the past several months, companies have pulled out all the stops to take advantage of the surge.

Lululemon, for instance, had its first major warehouse sale in three years because the coronavirus has crushed business, while JCPenney is currently holding a Black Friday in July sale.

Retailers often have big markdowns after declaring for bankruptcy, too. Although not marketed as a liquidation sale, Sur La Table is currently holding an overstock sale through Monday with items up to 60% off, along with select dishes up to 75% off.

Below is a roundup of some of the better deals Sur La Table is offering following its bankruptcy filing.

Pots and dutch ovens

Pans and pots

Dishware

Kitchen appliances and tools

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Nicolette Accardi can be reached at naccardi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @N_Accardi. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
De Havillands performance led to an Oscar nomination as best supporting actress, though the award went to another member of the cast, Hattie McDaniel, who played Mammy, Scarletts housekeeper. (Leigh won in the best actress category.) Olivia de Havilland, who appeared in Gone With the Wind, pictured in 1938. Credit:Hulton Archive De Havilland was under contract to Warner Brothers when the films original director, George Cukor, working for MGM, invited her to audition for the role of Melanie. (He was later replaced by Victor Fleming.) After getting the part, she had to plead with her studio boss, Jack Warner, to lend her to the MGM production, which was being overseen by David O. Selznick. By then she had established herself at Warner as a familiar heroine in about 20 films and had begun a long collaboration with prolific director Michael Curtiz, encompassing nine films. Most notable was a string of action features and costume dramas opposite the dashing Errol Flynn, among them Captain Blood (1935), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), in which she played Maid Marian. De Havilland and Flynn were such a popular onscreen couple that rumours flew of an on-set romance, fuelled in part by Flynns reputation for bedding his co-stars and reports that he was infatuated with her. By all accounts, there was no truth to the whisperings of an affair, though some years later de Havilland admitted to having had a great crush on Flynn and suggested that circumstances at the time  he was married when they met  stood in the way of a romance.

So naughty and so charming, she said of him. Olivia de Havilland, pictured circa 1938. Credit:Hulton Archive/Getty Images Warner had signed de Havilland to a seven-year contract in 1935 on the strength of her performance that year as Hermia, the defiant daughter who resists an arranged marriage, in Max Reinhardts film adaptation of A Midsummer Nights Dream. (The year before, she had made her professional stage acting debut in the same role in a Hollywood Bowl production by Reinhardt.) After her success in Gone With the Wind, de Havilland returned to Warner with the expectation of more challenging roles. For the most part, they did not materialise. One exception was Hold Back the Dawn (1941), in which she played an American schoolteacher who is seduced in Mexico by a wily European exile (Charles Boyer). Her performance earned her another Oscar nomination, but this time she lost to her sister, Joan Fontaine, who won for Suspicion. The two were rarely on speaking terms after that. (They are the only sisters to win best actress Academy Awards, and their sibling rivalry was called the fiercest in Hollywood history.)

The formula roles kept coming. When de Havilland complained, she was told that she had been hired because she photographed well and that she wasnt required to act. The studio had misread her determination. She began to refuse roles she considered inferior. Warner retaliated by suspending her several times, for a total of six months, and, after her contract expired, insisting that because of the suspensions she was still the studios property for six more months. Olivia de Havilland reading a script in 1948. Credit:AP De Havilland sued. The case dragged on for a year and a half and David finally beat Goliath when the California Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling in her favour in 1945. What became known as the de Havilland decision established that a studio could not arbitrarily extend the duration of an actors contract. De Havilland soon took on one of her most demanding roles, that of a young bride who becomes mentally ill and is sent to an institution, in The Snake Pit (1948). The film, directed by Anatol Litvak, was an unflinching study of mental illness and the treatments available then, from narcotics to electroshock.

She captured her second Oscar the next year with The Heiress, in which she presented an affecting portrait of a repressed, spinsterish young woman dominated by her rigidly protective father (Ralph Richardson). It was one of de Havillands favourite roles. The films I loved, she said in 1964, the great loves, are The Snake Pit, The Heiress and, of course, Gone With the Wind. To Paris But she did not love Hollywood, and in the 1950s she startled the town when she abandoned it to live in Paris with a new husband, though she kept her American citizenship. For Olivia, William Stadiem wrote in a profile of her in Vanity Fair magazine in 2016, there was a whiff of decay and disappointment about Hollywood.

Olivia Mary de Havilland was born on July 1, 1916, to British parents in Tokyo, where her father, Walter, a cousin of the aviation pioneer Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, ran a firm of patent lawyers, though he was not a lawyer himself. In 1919 her mother, the former Lillian Ruse, an elocution teacher, moved with Olivia and Joan, her younger sister by 15 months, to Saratoga, California, near San Francisco. The de Havillands divorced and Lillian married George M. Fontaine, a department store executive, whose surname Joan later took as her stage name. De Havilland was married twice. Both marriages ended in divorce. The first, in 1946, was to Marcus Aurelius Goodrich, a Texas-born novelist, screenwriter and journalist; they had a son, Benjamin, and divorced in 1952. She married Pierre Galante, an author of military histories and at one point editor of the magazine Paris Match, in 1955 after the couple met in France. They moved to Paris, had a daughter, Gisele, and divorced in 1979. De Havillands son died of Hodgkins disease in 1991. JFK spurned Before she was married, de Havilland had romantic relationships with James Stewart, Howard Hughes and director John Huston, with whom she reunited for a time after her first divorce. By her account, she also turned away a smitten young John F. Kennedy, who was visiting Hollywood after his PT-boat service in World War II. She is survived by her daughter, Gisele Galante Chulack. Joan Fontaine died in 2013 at 96.

In Paris, de Havilland had lived in a five-storey townhouse, built around 1880, since 1958 (in recent years next door to former French president Valery Giscard dEstaing), all the while never missing Hollywood, she said. I loved being around real buildings, real castles, real churches  not ones made of canvas, she told Vanity Fair. De Havillands readings of scripture on Christmas and Easter at the American Cathedral, on the Avenue George V, became annual events in Paris. In 2010, Nicolas Sarkozy, then the president of France, awarded her the Legion dHonneur. And her association with a distant era of Hollywood glamour made her a living legend in her adopted city. In 1999 she was honoured with a party in Paris to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Gone With the Wind. At one point, one of the hosts recalled, with a glass in hand, she toasted the film and its leading actors, reminding the room that she was the last one still standing. Let us raise a mint julep to our stars, she proclaimed, on that great verandah in the sky.
The ambassadors of Armenia and Azerbaijan have called on their countrymen to avoid "provocations" and confrontations amid reports that ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijanis have clashed in Moscow and some other Russian cities in recent days amid an escalation of tensions between the two South Caucasus countries.

Vardan Toghanian and Polad Bulbuloglu issued separate statements calling on Armenians and Azerbaijanis residing in Russia not to violate laws of the Russian Federation.

The call came after Moscow police said more than 30 foreign nationals were arrested for taking part in huge fights and riots in the Russian capital and surrounding region on July 23-24.

According to police officials, the majority of the arrested foreigners were charged with hooliganism, while some faced robbery charges as well.

"In addition, in accordance with migration laws, many of the detained individuals will be barred from entering the territory of the Russian Federation for a period of five years," the officials said.

Police did not specify which countries the detained people were from and what exactly caused the fights, but media reports said that several mass brawls between ethnic Azerbaijanis and Armenians took place in Moscow and other towns and cities near the Russian capital last week.

Police in Russia's second-largest city, St, Peterburg, said on July 25 that they prevented a large fight between Azerbaijanis and Armenians in an area near the city.

The reports came as the situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border has escalated since July 12. Both sides have reported casualties among military personnel.

Since July 17, both sides have characterized the situation as relatively calm, though both have also accused each other of shelling in the border area and near the contact line in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Armenia said on July 27 that one of its soldiers was killed overnight by sniper fire near the border, while Azerbaijan accused Armenia of using machine guns and sniper rifles along the border over the previous 24 hours.

The two countries have been in conflict since 1988, when the mostly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region announced its secession from Azerbaijan.

In the course of the 1992-94 armed conflict, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts.

Since 1992, negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict conducted by the OSCE Minsk Group, which is chaired by the United States, France, and Russia, have brought no progress in solution of the ongoing conflict.

In a phone call on July 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, expressed "readiness...to coordinate efforts for stabilization in the region," the Kremlin said.

A statement said that Putin "underlined the importance of not allowing any actions that promote an escalation in tensions."

Both leaders said they backed "resolving the conflict situation exclusively in a peaceful way, through talks."

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry announced that the country and its close ally Turkey will hold joint military exercises in early August.

The drills would take place on Azerbaijani soil and involve "army personnel of both countries, armored vehicles, artillery and mortars, as well as military aircraft and air defense," the ministry said.

With reporting by Interfax, TASS, and AFP
After multiple delays, Tenet will premiere in international theaters on August 26th. About a week later, Christopher Nolan's spy thriller will then make its way to theaters in select cities across the US over the Labor Day weekend on September 3rd.

When it delayed the movie indefinitely on July 20th, the film's distributor Warner Bros. hinted Tenet could debut overseas before opening stateside. Provided the company doesn't push it back again, people in 70 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia and the UK, will have the chance to see Nolan's latest project before movie-goers in the US.

Notably, Warner Bros. told Variety it doesn't have a plan to release Tenet in China yet. Behind North America, the country is the second-largest movie market globally. When theaters in China first started reopening, the country's Film Administration (CFA) said they couldn't show movies longer than two hours. However, according to Variety, some cinemas recently started playing older films like Inception that are longer than two hours, so that policy may no longer apply.

If Warner Bros. goes through with the release of Tenet, it will be the first major movie to hit theaters since the coronavirus pandemic shut down most cinemas in March. With the pandemic still a major issue in the US, a lot could change between now and September, making even a limited release untenable. Whatever happens, don't expect you'll be able to watch the movie online anytime soon. Unless something drastically changes, Nolan's latest won't skip theaters for a video on demand or streaming premiere.
Cristine Abram, a public relations and influencer marketing manager for Later, a social media marketing firm, said that a video of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaking out against Representative Ted Yohos sexist remarks against her on the floor of Congress last week led to a spike in social media posts about feminism and female empowerment, which may have contributed to the latest round of black-and-white photos.

That was the spark that led to the resurgence of the hashtag challenge, said Ms. Abram. Its all to do with female empowerment. There was this hashtag that already existed to raise awareness around other large issues. Tapping into that allowed participants to gain traction a lot faster because the algorithm was already familiar with the hashtag.

A representative from Instagram said that the earliest post the company could surface for this current cycle of the challenge was posted a week and a half ago by the Brazilian journalist Ana Paula Padrao. Others have noted that women in Turkey began sharing black-and-white photos recently to raise awareness about femicide.

Though the portraits have spread widely, the posts themselves say very little. Like the black square, which became a symbol of solidarity with Black people but asked very little of those who shared it, the black-and-white selfie allows users to feel as if theyre taking a stand while saying almost nothing. Influencers and celebrities love these types of challenges because they dont require actual advocacy, which might alienate certain factions of their fan base.
Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, said Monday that from DeMarcos written testimony, its pretty obvious that at the highest levels the calls were being made, although the testimony does not give any explicit details of anyone giving orders. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday, but has previously denied that law enforcement and security forces cleared the square to make way for Trumps appearance before news cameras. The incident came near the height of nationwide protests over the killings of Black people at the hands of police.
Almost 4,000 pigs put down due to African swine fever outbreak in Ukraine

23:20, 27.07.20 1125

The hazard site has been cordoned off.
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FTI Consulting, Inc. (NYSE: FCN) today announced that Professor Anindya Ghose, the Heinz Riehl Chair Professor of Business at New York Universitys Stern School of Business, has affiliated with its Compass Lexecon subsidiary. He will be based in New York.



Professor Ghose is an internationally renowned expert in emerging issues in high tech, quantitative marketing and the digital economy. He has pioneered work on economic issues and consumer behavior related to digital platforms, artificial intelligence, the Internet economy, digital marketing, big data, the Internet-of-things (IOT), social media, data science and analytics. His research focuses on quantifying the welfare impact of the Internet and mobile technologies on industries and markets transformed by its shared infrastructure. The domains he studies include internet platforms, digital advertising, search engine marketing, online reviews, reputation and rating systems, wearable technologies, digital health, electronic commerce, mobile advertising and e-commerce marketplaces.

We are very pleased to partner with Professor Ghose, said Daniel Fischel , Chairman and President of Compass Lexecon. He is truly one of the worlds leading and most influential experts in high tech, quantitative marketing and the digital economy and will add tremendous value to our ability to serve clients in these ever-evolving areas.

Professor Ghose has consulted for many global internet, technology, telecommunications, financial services, consumer packaged goods and media firms. He has provided expert testimony in multiple cases involving intellectual property, antitrust and competition, copyright infringement and merger appraisal cases. Highlights of his testimony include the VerizonAOL merger appraisal case, the 1-800-Contacts antitrust case brought by the Federal Trade Commission and the Copyright Royalty Boards rate setting proceedings for interactive music streaming. Professor Ghose has been retained as an expert witness by Apple, Alibaba, Google, Snapchat, Verizon and Facebook, among many others.

Story continues

Compass Lexecon is a terrific place for me to continue to grow and build my practice in my areas of expertise, said Professor Ghose. I am thrilled to affiliate with Compass Lexecon, and greatly look forward to working with the firms incredible team of experts.

Professor Ghose sits on the advisory boards of several startups in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He is the author of TAP: Unlocking the Mobile Economy (MIT Press), a double winner in the 2018 Axiom Business Book Awards. In addition, Professor Ghose has published more than one hundred articles and received 16 best paper awards and nominations, including the National Science Foundations CAREER Award and faculty research awards from Google, Microsoft and Adobe.

In 2014, Poets & Quants recognized Professor Ghose as one of the 40 Top B-School Profs Under 40 in the World, and Analytics Week listed him among the Top 200 Thought Leaders in Big Data and Business Analytics. He is the youngest recipient of the INFORMS ISS Distinguished Fellow Award, which honors individuals who have made outstanding intellectual contributions to the information systems discipline. In 2017, Thinkers50 named Professor Ghose one of the global management thinkers most likely to shape the future of organizational management, and in 2019, he was named to the Web of Science Groups list of the most influential and highly cited researchers of the past decade.

Professor Ghose teaches courses on social media, digital marketing and data analytics at the M.B.A., E.M.B.A., M.S.B.A. and executive education levels in the United States, Asia and Europe. He is also a visiting associate professor at the Wharton School in the University of Pennsylvania.

About FTI Consulting

FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations manage change, mitigate risk and resolve disputes: financial, legal, operational, political & regulatory, reputational and transactional. With more than 5,500 employees located in 27 countries, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges and make the most of opportunities. The Company generated $2.35 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2019. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com and connect with us on Twitter (@FTIConsulting), Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Benefits of CMAF for CDNs

See more clips like this on the Streaming Media YouTube channel.

Learn more about CMAF at the next Content Delivery Summit!

Read the complete transcript of this clip:

Peter Chave: What's promising about CMAF is we started that journey maybe four or five years ago when Microsoft and Apple announced that they were going to collaborate on something, which was kind of like,people were checking Leviticus at this point, something about lions and lambs and stuff. I've looked across the device ecosystem to see how close are we to when we can have one format. Because obviously, as a CDN, having one format means there's only one object in cache, which means we can store more objects, which means they deliver more efficiently. And there's lots of good things for us, lots of good things for publishers too--a lot less storage, much more efficient, better start times. There's lots of goodness. So we should aim for that, no matter how many people come along and try to put a variant in our way.

So, CMAF--in my opinion, we're there. I think it's like this last event, it is like 97% of devices people care about. So these are not some old Android tablets stuck in a drawer somewhere that doesn't support anything anymore. CMAF is pretty much there apart from really old iPads, which people seem to hold on to for a long time. So about 20% of active users out there still have an old iPad that cannot support fragmented MPEG-4 in an HLS manifest. So CMAF's almost there; there really isn't a lot left. All browsers, all mobiles. They're all fine unless you've got a really old iPad. There's a few older Apple TVs, which if they were given away as part of a promo. We had one OTT provider that gave them away. So they've got a whole huge seed of older Apple TVs, which they can't then address.

But if you look at the big guys who launched this year--Disney+ just the end of last year, and they went to Europe' HBO Max, just as of yesterday, and Peacock--all of them went CMAF-only, across the board. They said, "Now's the time; new platform, let's go to CMAF."

The thing they couldn't get away from was DRM. You have to wrap it three different ways, but fundamentally you have to encrypt it two different ways--initialization vector for the cipher. So what we've seen is the big guys are launching with CMAF only, but they're also launching both Kantar and CBS variants with a plan that when that number of... We're probably at 87% advices you care about, that's probably 30% of people, but they really still care about those subscriptions. Once you get past the point where they think it's critical mass, they can just simply delete that legacy. So, make the move to a new format because the bulk of your audience will have all those benefits. It will be cash-efficient. You'll get better start times in the legacy devices, which are older anyway. They may have a slightly not as optimal experience, but you're still serving them something that works.

Neil Glazebrook: We're really excited about CMAF, especially the low-latency elements, chunk transfer encoding. It's interesting that it's sort of a tale of two companies at the moment, really companies that have been focusing exclusively on live events, have a time to think about advancing their technology from a low-latency perspective. So, certainly, customers looking at DASH low-latency, CMAF low-latency, other companies that have got a mix of live and linear and VOD content have just been too busy to worry about anything else. They're just keeping all hands to the pump. But we've done some early customer proof of concept. We're really excited about what the future might hold from a chunk transfer encoding perspective and we're ready to embrace that at whatever pace it happens.

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Tourists take photos in town of Soller in the Balearic Island of Mallorca, Spain, on July 27, 2020. Britain has put Spain back on its unsafe list and announced Saturday that travelers arriving in the U.K. from Spain must now quarantine for 14 days. (Joan Mateu/AP Photo)

European Tourism Faces Turbulence Just Weeks After Restart

BERLINEuropes tourism revival is running into turbulence only weeks after countries reopened their borders, with rising infections in Spain and other nations causing increasing concern among health authorities over people bringing the coronavirus home from their summer vacations.

European countries started opening up to each others tourists in mid-June, but recent events have shown that the new freedom to travel is subject to setbacks. Over the weekend, Britain imposed a 14-day quarantine on travelers arriving from Spain, Norway ordered a 10-day quarantine for people returning from the entire Iberian Peninsula, and France urged its citizens not to visit Spains Catalonia region.



A tourist takes photos in town of Soller, on the Balearic Island of Mallorca, Spain, on July 27, 2020. (Joan Mateu/AP Photo)

In Austria, the lakeside resort town of St. Wolfgang shortened bar opening hours after an outbreak was detected on July 24. By July 27, 53 people had tested positive, including many people working in the tourism industry.

In Germany, officials decided last week to set up testing stations at airports to encourage people arriving from a long list of countries deemed high-riskincluding popular destinations such as Turkeyto get tested. They will also allow people to get tested elsewhere for free within three days of arrival.

Bavarias governor, Markus Soeder, said he is worried about travelers returning from vacation. Referring to the Austrian ski resort that was an early European hot spot in March, he said: My worry is not that there will be one big Ischgl, but that there will be many mini-Ischgls.

Markus Soeder, prime minister of German federal state Bavaria, takes part in a press conference on the coronavirus mass infection of harvest workers on a vegetable farm in Mamming, Germany, on July 27, 2020. (Peter Kneffel/AP Photo)

Soeder called for tests of returning vacationers from risky areas to be made obligatory, something the federal government is considering.

Mostly it is the considerate people who have behaved very cautiously on vacation anyway who take up the voluntary offers, while those who are more careless dont take a voluntary test, Chancellor Angela Merkels chief of staff, Helge Braun, told RBB Inforadio.

New infections in Germany have been creeping higher from a low level.

The tourism industry employs 2.6 million people in Spain and generates 12 percent of the countrys economic activity.

Juan Molas, the head of a national association of tourism companies, Mesa del Turismo, said Spains tourism sector has on average lost 5 billion euros ($5.8 billion) a week since March.

A woman wearing a face mask walks at the beach in Zahara de los Atunes, Cadiz province, Spain, on July 25, 2020. (Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo)

Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said the Spanish government is trying to persuade Britain to exempt the Balearic Islands, which have a low infection rate, from the quarantine rule.

Were living alongside the virus. That doesnt mean we cant travel. We can, if we are careful, Maroto said.

The Catalonia and Aragon regions have Spains most worrying virus clusters, prompting authorities to tighten restrictions in Barcelona, in a rural area around Lleida and in Zaragoza that were relaxed only a month ago.

Tourists and locals ride a tram in the town of Soller on the island of Mallorca, Spain, on July 27, 2020. (Joan Mateu/AP Photo)

Catalonia is facing the 10 most decisive days of this summer, regional leader Quim Torra said, warning that it is in everyones hands to prevent a critical situation from worsening.

Elsewhere in Europe, authorities in Belgium said COVID-19 cases are growing at an alarming rate amid a surge of infections in Antwerp. Greek authorities said they are likely to extend the mandatory use of masks at churches and shopping malls.

And in North Africa, Morocco banned most travel to and from some major citiesincluding Tangier, Casablanca, and Marrakech, usually a popular tourist destinationto stem a small spike in cases.

A woman wearing a face mask stands on a beach in Vung Tau city, Vietnam, on July 26, 2020 (Hau Din/AP Photo)

In the Asia-Pacific region, many countries are still essentially banning foreign travelers or, if they do allow them to enter, requiring them to submit to tests and strict quarantine. That includes Australia, where the premier of Victoria state, Daniel Andrews, said the biggest driver in the regions outbreak is people continuing to go to work after showing symptoms.

The crossing of borders was linked to other outbreaks in Asia. South Korea said 16 of the 25 new cases it confirmed July 27 were tied to people arriving from abroad. Over the past few days, the country reported dozens of cases among crew members of a Russia-flagged cargo ship and hundreds of South Korean construction workers airlifted from Iraq.

A woman wearing a mask carries her child on a beach in Vung Tau city, Vietnam, on July 26, 2020. (Hau Dinh/AP Photo)

A tally by Johns Hopkins University shows about 16.3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide and around 650,000 deaths. The actual numbers are thought to be much higher because of limits on testing and the many minor cases that have gone unreported.

The World Health Organization said the pandemic continues to accelerate, with a doubling of cases over the past six weeks.

The U.N. health agencys emergencies chief, Dr. Michael Ryan, stressed the need to keep pressure on the virus.

Every single country where pressure has been lifted on the virus, where virus is still at community level, theres been a jump back in cases.

By Geir Moulson and Elaine Kurtenbach
AstraZeneca will pay billions of pounds to Japanese drugs firm Daiichi Sankyo to develop and market a new cancer treatment, the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical firm said today.

The company will give Daiichi $1billion (800million) upfront for DS-1062, a drug aimed at combating tumours in lung and breast cancers.

Another $1billion will be paid dependent on the therapy gaining approvals from national regulators, with another $4billion reliant on hitting sales targets.

AstraZeneca previously agreed to pay up to $6.9billion to Daiichi last year to create the breast cancer drug treatment Enhertu

AstraZeneca and Daiichi will equally share expenses and profits from the drug's development and commercialisation, except in Japan, where Daiichi will maintain exclusive rights.

Daiichi chief executive Sunao Manabe said the new treatment could become 'best-in-class' for targeting and treating multiple tumours, including breast and lung cancers.

He said: 'This new strategic collaboration with AstraZeneca, a company with extensive experience and significant expertise in the global oncology business, will enable us to deliver DS-1062 to more patients around the world as quickly as possible.'

It follows a similar agreement made last year between the two firms to create the breast cancer drug treatment Enhertu, for which AstraZeneca will pay Daiichi up to $6.9billion.

'We are delighted to enter this new collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo and to build on the successful launch of Enhertu to further expand our pipeline and leadership in oncology,' said AstraZeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot.

He added: 'We now have six potential blockbusters in oncology with more to come in our early and late pipelines.'

Under the leadership of Pascal Soriot (above), AstraZeneca's value has tripled and the company is now worth more than its rival GlaxoSmithKline

The treatment, DS-1062, targets the Trop2 protein, which is overproduced by most breast and lung cancers.

Honing in on the cells that produce too much of the protein allows the treatment to deliver selective chemotherapy to certain areas, rather than subjecting the whole body to the procedure.

The medicine has not yet been approved for use in any country, and its safety and efficacy have not been established.

Last week, its share price rose to a record high and was the most second-most valuable company on the FTSE 100 by market capitalisation.

This has partly been due to blockbuster cancer treatments like Tagrisso and Imfinzi, which have come under the leadership of Soriot, who has helped triple the company's value and outgrow its rival GlaxoSmithKline.

AstraZeneca has also reported that the European Union has approved its Imfimzi drug plus chemotherapy to help manage small cell lung cancer along with its calquence medicine for chronic leukaemia.

More recently, the firm has been at the forefront of creating a new coronavirus vaccine with Oxford University, which has shown positive results in an early randomised controlled trial.

Mene Pangalos, an executive vice president at AstraZeneca stated he was 'encouraged' by the Covid-19 vaccine trial, though he admitted that more work needed to be done

The results, which were published in The Lancet, involved over 1,000 participants between the ages of 18-55. It discovered that 90 per cent developed antibodies and a T-cell response to the Covid-19 virus when given a single dose of the vaccine. A small number of participants who received a second dose all developed antibodies.

Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President of BioPharmaceuticals Research and Development at AstraZeneca stated he was 'encouraged' by the trial, though he admitted that more work needed to be done.

He said the 'data increases our confidence that the vaccine will work and allows us to continue our plans to manufacture the vaccine at scale for broad and equitable access around the world.'

Should the late-stage trials prove fortunate, it has committed to distribute two billion doses of the vaccine worldwide, and to provide them at cost in the United States.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed concern though that a vaccine will not be available until this year.

Mike Ryan, who runs the body's emergencies programme, said that despite the advances being made in developing a vaccine, he believes that it will not be until the beginning of 2021 before people receive it.

'We need to be fair about this, because this is a global good,' he commented. 'Vaccines for this pandemic are not for the wealthy; they are not for the poor; they are for everybody.'

AstraZeneca's shares were down only 0.05 per cent to 8,648p by the end of trading.
Maniza Zaman is the UNICEF Representative in Kenya, a position she has held since June 2019.

Prior to this assignment, Ms. Zaman was the UNICEF Representative in Tanzania since January 2016. Before that, she was the Deputy Director in Programme Division in UNICEF, New York.

What inspires you most about working for children in Kenya?

Every single child must have a fair chance in life. Kenya has a diverse and young population. I just imagine where the country would be if we could harness the minds, creativity and spirit of children and young people. To do that, we have to invest in children right from birth  in fact from before birth through the wellbeing of their mothers and families.

Were there any life-changing experiences that put you on the path that led you to where you are now?

I come from Bangladesh. I lived abroad as a child, and whenever I used to go back home for holidays, I would see children on the streets. Some were begging, hawking and trying to clean cars at traffic lights. I wondered why they were not in school like me. I realised at a very young age that even though we were all children, somehow my life and theirs were different. That sense of injustice stayed with me, and inspired me to follow a path to a place where I could contribute to improving childrens lives.

Who was the most influential person to you as a child?

My parents were the biggest influence on me  my father for his pursuit of fairness and strong ethics, my mother for her compassion and immensely generous spirit, and both for their love and guidance every day.

Last week, you were part of the launch of a new strategy on violence against children. Why is this an important issue in Kenya?

Violence against children is an important issue because it affects about one in two children in Kenya. Thats less than 10 years ago, but its still too high. And the signs are that Covid-19 is making the situation worse, also through school closures, which take children away from a protective environment. Violence against children causes permanent disabilities, health issues and emotional scars.

And also children who have experienced or been exposed to violence repeatedly are more likely to do the same when they are adults. Violence also has significant economic costs, including loss of productivity when the children become adults. So this is about the future of the country.

Around 14 million Kenyan children are currently at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic. How is UNICEF supporting them?

Were supporting the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to develop remote lessons for TV, radio and Internet, and making sure that parents know when theyre on and how to access them.

Were mapping childrens access to lessons across the country, and we will soon be distributing learning materials and radios to the most vulnerable families to make sure that children continue to learn. To help with the safe reopening of schools, were working with the government on draft guidelines for water and sanitation facilities in institutions. And were continuing to install hand-washing facilities in schools that dont have them.

We all look forward to safe re-opening of schools. It is very worrying that with children now being out of school for a prolonged period, we are seeing increased cases of violence against them, including sexual abuse and gender-based violence. Also, studies have shown that the longer children are out of school, the greater the risk that the poorest among them will never return. They may be sent off to work, get married off too early or be exposed to other risks that can spell doom to their future and dreams.

What challenges have you encountered at work, and how do you navigate them?

At times when you work on childrens issues, you can feel that there is so much to do with new threats emerging to their well-being all over the world. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I try to put things into perspective. Its important to appreciate and celebrate every step we take towards a better world for children while at the same time keeping a keen focus on what has to change, and energising every day for that goal. So keeping a positive outlook is very important.

When you think about the future, what makes you concerned or worried? What gives you a sense of hope?

Right now I worry that the gains made for children in the last few decades could be undone due to the direct and indirect consequences Covid-19. And about ongoing conflict in parts of the world, where we are unable to reach children with even the most basic services.

But worry should not deter you  quite the contrary  it provides you with greater clarity on what to focus on. And the passion, determination and creativity of children and young people for a better world gives me great hope.

What accomplishment are you most proud of during your career at UNICEF?

Every child supported in life through direct or indirect help from UNICEF is a proud moment for me, whether in countries where I serve or elsewhere in the world. I feel immensely privileged to be able to engage with communities and families as well as with the highest level of decision-makers in any country. Being able to advocate for systematic change and improvement in childrens lives makes us as a UNICEF family immensely proud.

What are you looking forward to next in your work as UNICEF representative to Kenya?

I would like to travel more around the country and listen to individual children. Theirs are the most powerful voices. And I would like to contribute my part to a journey where one day, Kenya will be seen as the best place on Earth to be a child.

What motivates you to do what you do? What are you most excited or passionate about?

Besides my early experiences in Bangladesh, Im always motivated by looking at childrens faces  both the happy faces and the unhappy or pained ones. The happy faces give me joy and tell me that we are on the right path, while the unhappy ones give me a strong motivation to keep on working to change things for the better.

What are you currently reading, and what is compelling about it?

Trevor Noahs Born a Crime. The book is a revealing story of a journey and life experience under apartheid in South Africa, and how that was felt and seen through the eyes of a child and in later years. I think its important that we try to understand other peoples experiences and journeys so we can empathise and do all we can to fight for justice.
By PTI

KOLKATA: Six policemen of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate in West Bengal have tested positive for COVID-19, taking the count of its infected personnel to around 200 so far, officials said on Monday.

Five personnel posted at the Lake police station and one at the Bidhannagar East police station have tested positive for COVID-19, following which the buildings were sanitised, a senior officer of the commissionerate said.

All those who had come in contact with these police personnel have been asked to go under home isolation, he added.

"Those who had come in contact with these policemen will be tested. We are not taking any chance," the officer said.

Meanwhile, three police personnel posted at the Onda police station in Bankura district have also tested positive for COVID-19 and they have been hospitalised, sources said.

Sukesh Jain, police commissioner of the Asansol- Durgapur Police Commissionerate has also tested positive for COVID-19 a few days back, they added.

The COVID-19 death toll in West Bengal rose to 1,372 on Sunday with 40 new fatalities, while the tally of cases rose to 58,718 with 2,341 more people getting infected with the virus in 24 hours, a Health department bulletin said.

It also said that of the 40 deaths, 39 were because of comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental.

Among the fresh deaths, Kolkata reported 17 fatalities, Howrah nine, North 24 Parganas five, South 24 Parganas four, two each from Hooghly and Darjeeling and one from Uttar Dinajpur, the bulletin said.

On Sunday, the state capital saw 648 new instances of the viral infections, North 24 Parganas 542, Howrah 291, South 24 Parganas 133, Hooghly 127 and Darjeeling 123, it added.

The other 477 fresh cases were reported from other districts of the state.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in the state has gone up to 19,595.

In the last 24 hours, 2,097 patients have been discharged from different hospitals in the state improving the discharge rate to 64.29 per cent.

So far, 37,751 people have recovered from COVID-19 in West Bengal.

Since Saturday, 16,045 samples have been tested in the state, the bulletin added.

Meanwhile, the broad-based containment zones in West Bengal increased to 1,057 on Sunday evening, according to the state government website 'Egiye Bangla'.
The latest analyst coverage could presage a bad day for Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. (NYSE:SHO), with the analysts making across-the-board cuts to their statutory estimates that might leave shareholders a little shell-shocked. There was a fairly draconian cut to their revenue estimates, perhaps an implicit admission that previous forecasts were much too optimistic.

Following the latest downgrade, the seven analysts covering Sunstone Hotel Investors provided consensus estimates of US$429m revenue in 2020, which would reflect a substantial 59% decline on its sales over the past 12 months. Prior to the latest estimates, the analysts were forecasting revenues of US$483m in 2020. It looks like forecasts have become a fair bit less optimistic on Sunstone Hotel Investors, given the substantial drop in revenue estimates.

Check out our latest analysis for Sunstone Hotel Investors

There was no particular change to the consensus price target of US$9.17, with Sunstone Hotel Investors' latest outlook seemingly not enough to result in a change of valuation. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Sunstone Hotel Investors at US$12.50 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$6.00. Note the wide gap in analyst price targets? This implies to us that there is a fairly broad range of possible scenarios for the underlying business.

Taking a look at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can understand these forecasts is to see how they compare to both past performance and industry growth estimates. One more thing stood out to us about these estimates, and it's the idea that Sunstone Hotel Investors'decline is expected to accelerate, with revenues forecast to fall 59% next year, topping off a historical decline of 2.3% a year over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 5.3% per year. So it's pretty clear that, while it does have declining revenues, the analysts also expect Sunstone Hotel Investors to suffer worse than the wider industry.

Story continues

The Bottom Line

The clear low-light was that analysts slashing their revenue forecasts for Sunstone Hotel Investors this year. They're also anticipating slower revenue growth than the wider market. Often, one downgrade can set off a daisy-chain of cuts, especially if an industry is in decline. So we wouldn't be surprised if the market became a lot more cautious on Sunstone Hotel Investors after today.

Unanswered questions? We have estimates for Sunstone Hotel Investors from its seven analysts out until 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Of course, seeing company management invest large sums of money in a stock can be just as useful as knowing whether analysts are downgrading their estimates. So you may also wish to search this free list of stocks that insiders are buying.

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.
On July 23, local time, the Supreme Court of British Columbia disclosed evidence for the next stage of court hearings in Meng Wanzhou's extradition case. On May 27, the court ruled that the Meng Wanzhou case was, in essence, related to fraud.





China's Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou leaves her residence for the extradition hearing in Vancouver, Canada, Jan. 20, 2020. (Photo by Harrison Ha/Xinhua)

The disclosed evidence suggests that Mengs case was masterminded by the US and entirely political in nature. HSBC was involved throughout the scheme, taking actions such as maliciously framing Meng and fabricating evidence. This indicated that Meng is innocent.

The crime was falsified and allegations were groundless

According to the Record of Case that the US submitted to the Canadian court, Meng concealed Huawei's relationship with Skycom Tech. Co., Ltd. ("Skycom"), which misled HSBC into continuing providing banking services to Huawei. Therefore, HSBC violated US sanctions against Iran and faced the risk of civil and criminal penalties. Meng's conduct amounted to fraud.

The only piece of key evidence in this case was a PowerPoint presentation that Meng delivered to HSBC. The disclosed materials included the full text of the PowerPoint presentation and correspondence between HSBC and Huawei. However, it was found that the US deliberately concealed and misinterpreted key information, meaning the allegations were inconsistent with facts.

HSBC was aware of the relationship between Huawei and Skycom throughout the process

HSBC professed that it was unclear about the relationship between Huawei and Skycom, but this was a blatant lie.

Skycom was Huawei's partner in Iran, and the relationship between these two companies was clear. Huawei had held shares in Skycom and Meng Wanzhou had once been on Skycom's Board of Directors for a short period of time. In 2007, Huawei sold its shares in Skycom and in April 2009, Meng left her position as a board member. Since then, the two companies had maintained normal business dealings.

HSBC was aware of Huawei's business in Iran throughout the process, and correspondence between the three parties in 2010 suggested HSBC had been fully aware of the relationship between Huawei and Skycom. According to the 2009 and 2010 financial statements that Huawei sent to HSBC, the bank fully understood Skycom's business operations in Iran.

HSBC attempted to justify their false arguments and make their evidence sound more convincing by claiming that only "junior" employees were aware of the relationship between Huawei and Skycom. The bank went on to say that these "junior" employees did not report the relevant information to "senior" executives. Therefore, these executives could only assess the associated risks based on the PowerPoint presentation provided by Meng.

This rhetoric is simply nonsense.

As the world's largest telecom equipment manufacturer and a Fortune 500 company, Huawei had been the 17th largest customer of HSBC's Global Liquidity and Cash Management Department. In addition to this, the two companies had collaborated for nearly 20 years. Therefore, having a "junior" employee serving as Huawei's account manager would have been unreasonable as well as unbelievable. HSBC pointed its fingers at their own employees, which was neither a reason to exempt them from liability nor an act that complied with the regulations of the banking industry.

It is particularly worth noting that in December 2012, HSBC signed a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) due to the bank's own misconduct. This misconduct included violations of US sanctions against Iran. HSBC assured the US DOJ that it would complete remediation in relation to all its group customers. How could it have been possible that HSBC was unaware of the relationship between Huawei and Skycom throughout this process? If HSBC was unaware, then this would imply that they deceived the US DOJ and should be subject to heavy penalties.

The most basic compliance requirement for large financial institutions is "know your customers". HSBC had a dedicated risk management committee and claimed that all of its branches had established compliance departments. If their risk assessment relied solely on Meng's PowerPoint presentation, then why did they have so many compliance staff?

In order to frame Meng, HSBC defamed itself and seriously damaged a reputation that it had cultivated for over a century.

HSBC has never violated US sanctions because of Huawei

Before Meng's PowerPoint presentation, Skycom's HSBC account had been closed, which means that cooperation between Huawei and HSBC on Iran-related business had ended, so HSBC's cooperation with Skycom had never been linked with Meng's alleged fraud. HSBC faced no risk of sanction violations due to the alleged fraud after Meng's presentation, as HSBC had terminated its partnership with Skycom before the presentation was given. Therefore, the claim that Meng misled HSBC into continuing its partnership with Huawei is simply not credible.

Two articles published by Reuters in December 2012 and January 2013 claimed that Huawei violated US sanctions against Iran via Hong Kong-based Skycom. These alleged violations included reselling US-made computer equipment to a telecom operator in Iran.

In addition to Huawei, well-known telecom equipment manufacturers like Ericsson and Nokia have traded in Iran, but these companies have not attracted the same level of attention from the US. The strange thing is that HSBC immediately seemed to smell something was wrong and started worrying about the impacts of Skycom. Therefore, HSBC frequently invited Huawei executives to Hong Kong to talk about related issues.

Both Huawei and Skycom had conducted normal business operations in Iran without violating US sanctions. Even US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross admitted that he and his colleagues had found no problems with Huawei. That said, Skycom closed its account with HSBC in February 2013, marking the end of cooperation between Huawei and HSBC regarding Iran-related business.

Despite this cooperation being terminated, HSBC still repeatedly requested communication with Huawei. In August 2013, out of respect, Meng gave a PowerPoint presentation to an HSBC executive, elaborating on Huawei's business in Iran. The PowerPoint included a lot of information about Huawei's and Skycom's customers, products, compliance requirements, and compliance systems in Iran.

When assessing the compliance risks, the only factor HSBC considered was whether their customers have business in Iran. Meng did not hide anything or mislead anyone in relation to this issue. During the meeting, Meng did not encourage HSBC to reopen an account for Skycom.

As no risks were identified, HSBC continued its cooperation with Huawei. HSBC did not terminate its partnership with Huawei until August 2017, towards the end of its cooperation with the US government on Huawei, when HSBC assisted the US government in filing false charges against Huawei. However, HSBC couldn't justify this decision. For almost five years, HSBC made huge profits from Huawei's large-scale business.

HSBC claimed to have been defrauded, but there had been no loss

HSBC exaggerated data and hid facts in order to give the false impression that it had been defrauded.

HSBC claimed that it provided a credit facility of $900 million to Huawei, putting its economic interests at risk. $900 million is certainly a huge amount. But what's the truth?

On April 30, 2014, HSBC, along with eight other banks, each proposed to work towards a credit facility arrangement with Huawei for $900 million, with each participating bank offering up to $100 million. The proposal ultimately led to a $1.6 billion credit facility arrangement on July 25, 2014 that included 26 banks. Among them, HSBC's total contribution was $80 million.

The reported $900 million credit facility was actually $80 million. Even worse, HSBC didn't disclose the key fact that Huawei canceled the credit facility in June 2017 without having used it.

It's no wonder that HSBC has not claimed any rights from Huawei.

Betrayal: HSBC handed Huawei's information to the US government as "proof of allegiance"

HSBC received huge benefits by helping the US government take on Huawei. The bank acted as though it was a victim of Meng's "fraud", and thus produced "evidence" against her. This was done so that the US DOJ, which had previously filed criminal charges against HSBC for money laundering, would show the bank leniency.

While facing potential prosecution, HSBC framed Huawei

In 2012, the US government charged HSBC for money laundering and funding international terrorism, following which the US DOJ determined that the bank had indeed engaged in money laundering. As a result, the bank paid $1.92 billion in fines and signed a five-year Deferred Prosecution Agreement (20122017) with the US DOJ. According to this agreement, HSBC agreed to "continue to cooperate fully with the Department in any and all investigations". If the bank failed to fulfill any of its obligations, the US DOJ would rescind the agreement and lodge criminal charges against HSBC.

According to US sanction laws, bank executives who are knowingly involved in money laundering will face severe criminal penalties. Media articles revealed that the $1.9 billion fine equated to just five weeks' worth of profits for the bank. Nobody at the bank was charged, and HSBC was let off the hook.

HSBC has been setting traps to ensnare Huawei since 2012, and Meng was the main target.

There are several suspicious factors regarding the meeting between HSBC and Meng in August 2013.

First, it's common business practice that all parties at a meeting should hold the same or similar positions in terms of seniority, and the attendees should be familiar with the meeting topic. Huawei had a team that was dedicated to interacting with HSBC, but the bank instead demanded to see Meng, CFO of Huawei. The HSBC representative at the meeting was Alan Thomas, deputy head of global banking for the Asia Pacific region  a position less senior than Meng's.

Second, business interactions between companies are normally recorded in writing, such as in emails. However, people familiar with the matter have said there is no record that HSBC ever invited Meng to the meeting.

Third, HSBC chose an informal location for such an important meeting, at a steak house near the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong. Doesn't this seem unreasonable?

There's something more intriguing. After learning that HSBC handed Huawei's information to the US government, Reuters reporters contacted Alan Thomas, only to find that he had retired and would not comment on the matter.

HSBC escaped prosecution by cooperating with the US DOJ to go after Huawei

In September 2016, a rumor was circulating that the US DOJ was considering whether to rescind the Deferred Prosecution Agreement and bring a criminal charge against the bank. At the end of the year, HSBC initiated a covert investigation into Huawei's accounts.

A Reuters report noted that HSBC cooperated with the US government and provided the results of the investigation that had been initiated just before HSBC's Deferred Prosecution Agreement expired. The report stated, "The bank was trying to get the US Department of Justice to dismiss criminal charges for the bank's own misconduct involving US sanctions."

Public information shows that HSBC was extremely cooperative during the US DOJ's probe into Huawei. Between February and July 2017, HSBC gave at least four presentations to the US DOJ, and over 1,000 employees at the bank were investigated by the department.

In December 2017, US prosecutors dismissed all criminal charges against HSBC and ended oversight related to the bank. This was surprising because the US DOJ compliance monitor had previously concluded that there were material weaknesses in the bank's compliance system.

Over the years, HSBC had managed to have its cake and eat it too. From planning a dubious meeting with Meng in 2013 and launching a covert probe into Huawei in 2016, to ending cooperation with Huawei in August 2017. Throughout this time, HSBC retained Huawei as a major customer that accounted for sizeable profits. In addition, not a single HSBC executive was indicted, and the bank has become one of the few companies the US government has dropped charges against.

Significantly, the US government still has a hold over HSBC, although the bank managed to escape an imminent threat in 2017 by betraying Huawei. In December 2019, it paid $192 million in penalties for helping American customers engage in tax evasion over the course of ten years. In this case, HSBC once again signed a Deferred Prosecution Agreement. It's fair to say that HSBC, now riddled with allegations of misconduct, is at the mercy of the US government.
New Delhi, July 26 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemingly took a sharp and veiled swipe at China while referring to "land grab" efforts by Pakistan during the Kargil War and its final fate. Using Sanskrit phrases, Modi in his signature style, sent out a word of caution to the dragon while talking about "backstabbing" by Pakistan.

Addressing his monthly radio program Mann Ki Baat' on the occasion of 21st anniversary of Kargil War victory, the Prime Minister was in his words. He cited a Sanskrit phrase "Bairu akaran sab kahu sau, Jo kar heet anheet tahu sau" which roughly translates into "dusht" (wicked) who thinks evil of even those who mean "good".

This powerful assertion comes soon after Modi used the term "Bharat ki bhoomi hathyane" (land grab) by Pakistan during the Kargil War, which Modi said was an effort to "divert attention from its internal quarrels". While the Prime Minister was hitting out at Pakistan which was met with India's resolute force, the subtle message to China was unmissable.

Just last June, during his last Mann Ki Baat, Modi was unsparingly lethal on China when he said, "The world has seen India's commitment to protecting its borders and sovereignty. In Ladakh, a befitting reply has been given to those coveting our territory". That time around too, he used Sanskrit phrases like "Vidya vivaad dhanam madaya, Shakti pareshan paripeedanaya. Khalasya sadho vipareetam etat, gyaanaya, daanaya cha rakshanam" to dub China as "crooked". Even then, Modi did not mention China but made it apparent his dig was directed at the dragon.

The reference to "land grab" in Kargil by Pakistan, and how they faced a humiliating defeat was believed to be a message for China as well, which recently indulged in border trespassing at Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh which was strongly thwarted by the Indian Army. Both sides faced casualties in the violent face off at the Galwan Valley.

In a significant statement, Modi said that what any Indian says has a profound effect on the morale of a soldier fighting in the hilly terrain. He also urged Indians to be mindful of that selfless soldier while indulging in "forwarded messages" which often can weaken the strong will of India's bravehearts.

It was a clear indication to some of the conspiracy theories and alleged "surrender" barbs that few, particularly affiliated with the opposition parties have made against the government recently. The Congress has been consistent in its claim that India lost its share of land to China, an assertion that the Modi himself has categorically rubbished.

--IANS

abn/kr
A lifetime of poor eating habits are leading to a rise in heart failure among younger U.S. adults, especially black men. (Wade Austin Ellis/Unsplash)

Congress Passes Bipartisan Legislation to Study Status of Black Males

Republicans and Democrats have not been able to come together to pass police reform legislation in response to nationwide protests after George Floyds death, but Monday the House followed the Senate to pass the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act.

The legislation sponsored by Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) in the House and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in the Senate, passed in the House by a 368-1 vote and which now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature.

Once formed, the commission will be housed within the Office of the Commission on Civil Rights and the group will examine issues that affect black men and boys, develop solutions to these problems and help eliminate the hurdles. The commission will then be required to produce an annual report which will be made public.

The legislation calls for the commission to include a 19-person panel consisting of lawmakers, federal departments, and non-governmental experts to investigate and create guidelines on how to reverse potential civil rights violations affecting black males and study the disparities they experience in education, criminal justice, health, employment, fatherhood, mentorship, and violence.

Wilson said, I am elated that this legislation, which I have been fighting for several years to pass, is now poised to become national law. She said many old laws like the 1994 crime bill will be revisited.

These federal policies left a devastating impact on black men and boys in America, said Wilson. The commissions underlying goal is to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and to better understand and eventually eliminate the educational and social chasms that have made it extraordinarily difficult for black males to become upwardly mobile.

Weve come a long way in America, but we still have a long way to go. Slavery was not a necessary evil, it was a crime against humanity, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said on the floor, referencing part of the remarks Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) made on the history of slavery while speaking to Arkansas newspaper.

Cotton told the Arkansas Democratic-Gazette, that students should study slaverys effect on the development of America, As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction, Cotton said.

Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) gave examples from his time as a defense attorney in support of the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act.

As a defense attorney, I saw how sentence disparities on drug crimes, minimum mandatory sentencing, school board sentencing, pretrial release policies often had racial impacts, he said during the debate. By creating a bipartisan commission to study inequality in government programs, we take the necessary steps to identify and address disparities for black American men and boys, Armstrong said.

Companion legislation introduced by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) passed in the Senate on June 25.

A lack of economic opportunity and prosperity for black men is a tragedy for our nation. The United States needs their talents to solve the challenges of our time. Rubio said in a statement in support of the legislation.

Racial inequality for black men in our country has caused significant economic and social disparities and contribute to a racial wealth gap that ultimately harms all Americans. This commission will address the long-standing societal gaps that have harmed black men in America and lowered the prospect of upward mobility, Booker said.
Narendra Modi

Kochi: Vinayak M Mallil was in seventh heaven when he received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being the topper in the Commerce stream of the CBSE 12th standard exam.

"Sabash Vinayak, Sabash. How is the josh?" the Prime Minister asked Vinayak, "High Sir," replied the Class XII student.

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Narendra Modi The conversation was aired during the 14th Episode of Prime Minister's "Mann Ki Baat" radio address.

Vinayak said that it was a moment of excitement for him after he learnt that it was the call from the Prime Minister.

"It was the happiest moment", the boy said.

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During the conversation, the Prime Minister asked him how many states he had visited, to which he replied "only Kerala and Tamil Nadu".

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When Modi invited Vinayak to visit Delhi, he replied that he was applying to Delhi university for higher studies.

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Vinayak also told the Prime Minister in response to a question that he often plays badminton, for which he receives training from his school.

The boy was the topper in the Commerce stream with 493/500.
BISD

The following is from a Beaumont ISD release:

This weekend Beaumont ISD received notice that two staff members who work at the Administration Building tested positive for COVID-19. The employees were at the facility last on Thursday, July 23, 2020. During distribution the employees wore appropriate PPE, followed frequent sterilization measures and did not come in direct contact with any member of the public. As such, the Health Department has advised that the risk of someone contracting COVID-19 from the employees is low and this notice is being provided in an abundance of caution. Nevertheless, Beaumont ISD has been in close communication with officials at the Beaumont Public Health Department, and the District is following all recommended protocols.



The BISD Administration Building closed on Saturday for deep cleaning and disinfection and will be open again Monday, July 27.



Members of the public that visited the building in the last week should continue to closely monitor their health. Should you exhibit any symptoms of COVID-19 contact your health provider immediately. In addition, please continue all other safeguards outlined by the CDC including frequently washing your hands with soap and water, avoiding touching your face, staying home if you feel sick, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces and objects daily. The health and safety of our community is our top priority and we appreciate your cooperation as we work through these challenges as a community.
ABUJA, Nigeria, July 25, 2020/ -- There Was A Country: Nigerians Cry "Otoge!" While Fearful of What Lies Ahead Post COVID-19 and 2023 Elections by Dorothy Jamilu

Millions of Nigerians are unable to fight or scream anymore, they are only able to cry, accept abuses and await death. They are the 90% majority of the nation. This group of impoverished Nigerians are often referred to by the 10% minority government as unpriviledged and aggrieved but wrong - theyre extremely abused people who have no hope, no money and no where to seek help thus unable to fight any further.

Several decades ago, Nigerias leadership changed hands from colonialism to low-class leadership. Men with minimal vision, ethics and intelligence, took over the baton to lead a country of over 150 million people. These men became leaders of the millions of Nigerians with PHDs, MBAs, LLMs and several progressive Degrees. At that time, Nigeria was very well developed. Oil riches overflowed and our educational system was one of the worlds best. Fast forward to the new millennium of 2000, Nigeria had degenerated significantly. Government leadership continued to evolve around low-class, visionless men of which many have a long history of criminal activities from forged documents to money laundering. Theres Adams Oshiomhole, an uneducated tailor who became governor of Edo state and subsequently chairman of one of Nigerias top 2 political parties. Theres Hope Uzodinma, an uneducated driver who became Senator and subsequently Governor of Imo state. Nigeria is not merely a corrupt, bad or condemned country, Nigerias problem is a complete failure of transition of power to high caliber leadership. In 1985 1 Naira traded for 1 Dollar. Today, you need over 400 Naira to buy a dollar. When low-class men or women take over any leadership position in the world, whether in government, business or not-for-profit, minimal developments emerge. Post-colonization era transitioned power to low-class Nigerians and the nation has suffered heavily since then. Between now and 2023, it is a must that power migrates from low-class leadership to the very best high-class leadership. Over 165 million people are depending on this all-important transition.

Top 10 most damaging effects of low-class leadership in Nigeria:
The World Council of Churches expresses great concern as Lebanon grapples with its most severe economic crisis in modern history.

By Nathan Morley

Lebanon is currently faced with multiple challenges on the economic, financial, social and political levels which require quick initiatives.

Late last year local banks started limiting withdrawals and by May this year, it was clear the financial system was in dire straits.

The local currency plummeted and with it the economy. Matters were compounded by a cut in tourism and trade due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Unsurprisingly, unemployment has shot-up, evictions are common and the poverty rate is near 50 percent.

To make matters worse, Lebanon has seen an increase in power cuts in the past month because of the shortage in fuel used to operate the electricity stations.

Discussing the issue in a video conference, the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches expressed great concern about the current developments in Lebanon.

In the midst of a region torn apart by wars, conflicts and occupation, Lebanon has remained an example and symbol of hope and resilience. That example is now in jeopardy, the World Council of Churches said in a statement.

The Committee affirmed that it was incumbent on the government of Lebanon for urgent structural reforms needed to ensure stability, unity and sovereignty.

In recent weeks, Lebanon has been negotiating a rescue plan with the IMF but so far failed to reach a consensus.
Exporters of the substances now have to notify their designated national authority before exporting them. In most cases, consent from the importing country is also needed. In addition, exports from the EU of a series of mercury-containing articles, such as fluorescent lamps, have also been banned.

19 new entries containing 22 substances are now subject to export notifications under the PIC Regulation. Three of the entries (diquat, glufosinate and propineb) cover two substances each.

EU exporters who want to export any of the substances after 1 September 2020, as such or in mixtures, need to notify their designated national authority of their intention at least 35 days before the date of their first export.

20 of the 22 substances also need consent from the authorities of the importing country before they can be exported.

The majority of the 22 substances have been added to the PIC Regulation because they are banned as active substances in plant protection products within the EU. Some are also severely restricted under the Biocidal Products Regulation and, approved only for a limited number of biocidal products. One substance (imidacloprid) is also used in veterinary medicinal products.

The pesticide phorate has been added following its listing under the Rotterdam Convention in 2019. Exports of phorate now require an export notification.

The industrial chemical hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) has also been added to Annex I, Part 3 to PIC following its listing under the Rotterdam Convention in 2019. However, as HBCDD is already listed under Annex V to PIC, exports of it from the EU are banned.

All EU exporters and importers of all these substances now have to report their annual imports and exports to and from the EU.

Furthermore, a series of mercury-containing articles have also been added to Annex V to PIC and exporting them from the EU is now banned. In addition, two mercury compounds have been added and their export is now only allowed for uses in laboratory scale research and analysis.

On 24 September 2020, ECHA will host an online information session to explain the scope and main requirements of the PIC Regulation, as well as the actions exporters need to take to comply with the regulation  from notifying to reporting.

Background

The European Commission reviews the list of chemicals subject to the PIC Regulation at least once a year. The review takes into account developments in EU law and the Rotterdam Convention.

Within the EU, the PIC Regulation implements the Rotterdam Convention on the prior informed consent procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade. The regulation applies to pesticides (plant protection products and other pesticides such as biocidal products, disinfectants, insecticides and parasiticides) and industrial chemicals that are banned or severely restricted within the EU.

Substances listed in Annex I to PIC are subject to an export notification where exporters need to notify their intentions to export certain chemicals to non-EU countries.

Substances listed in Annex I Part 2 are also subject to an explicit consent where the exporters designated national authority needs to receive a statement agreeing to the import from the authorities in the importing country.

Substances listed in Annex I Part 3 are subject to the export notification requirement, as well as explicit consent, unless there is an import response published in the PIC circular of the Rotterdam Convention, and certain criteria are met. Chemicals in the PIC circular are listed in Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention and subject to the PIC procedure described in the convention.

Substances and articles listed in Annex V to PIC are subject to an export ban.
Senate Republicans will propose Monday afternoon cutting weekly unemployment benefits from the boosted $600 to $200 as part of the latest sweeping coronavirus bailout package.

The plan to reduce the payment, two people familiar with the latest bill told The Washington Post on Monday, will be an interim measure until states are able to implement a program where workers would be paid 70 per cent of the income they collected pre-coronavirus.

It also comes after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows spent the weekend on Capitol Hill negotiating with Republican lawmakers over the details of the legislation.

The duo initially said this weekend that the 70 per cent wage compensation program would be in the phase four coronavirus relief package, which Mitch McConnell will unveil Monday afternoon.

The $600 boost in benefits is set to expire in the next few days, meaning if a compromise is not reached, Americans who lost their job during the pandemic could lose thousands of dollars every month.

Democrats, on the other hand, have proposed extending the $600 weekly jobless benefit until January, arguing that the unemployment rate remains unnaturally high due to the health and resulting economic crisis.

Mnuchin also vowed over the weekend that the relief would include a second round of $1,200 direct checks to Americans come August.

Senate Republicans will unveil the latest $1 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill Monday afternoon following a weekend of negotiations between leadership and White House officials, including lowering weekly unemployment benefits boosts from $600 to $200

The compromise comes after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin proposed over the weekend that unemployment be capped at 70 per cent of individuals' pre-coronavirus wages  a measure that Republicans still want phased in following a bridge of $200 payments

Even with significantly decreasing the weekly unemployment benefits, the latest bill could be dead on arrival as it is still unclear if Republicans will approve another $1 trillion economic stimulus package.

Senator Lindsey Graham said during an interview with Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures that at least 50 per cent of Republican lawmakers will vote against whatever package leadership unveils.

'Half the Republicans are going to vote no to any phase four package,' the South Carolina senator told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo Sunday morning. 'That's just a fact.'

'And a lot of Democrats are going to insist on $3 trillion, which would be way too much,' he continued. 'It would be wasted money.'

Graham's comments, however, came ahead of the latest in a series of meetings between White House officials and Senate Republican leadership at the Capitol Sunday afternoon.

The $200 payment is likely serve as a bridge as states could likely face unknown complications when trying to implement the 70 per cent cap unemployment insurance program.

The lessened payment would be administered on top of whatever unemployment benefits states already pay those who have lost their jobs.

While benefits vary by state, it generally replaces about 45 per cent of a worker's original wages.

Republicans are looking to incentivize individuals to go back to work, claiming the currently bolstered unemployment benefits are exacerbating unemployment levels by paying many Americans more to sit at home than to go back to their jobs.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, however, said that at least 50 per cent of his Republican colleagues will vote against any phase four package presented

'Half the Republicans are going to vote no to any phase four package,' the told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo Sunday morning. 'That's just a fact. And a lot of Democrats are going to insist on $3 trillion, which would be way too much'

'I'm confident that President Trump will lead us to a solution where we have money for kids, jobs, and health care. We need to stimulate the economy. We need a phase four. And I think we will come together before August the 5th to get this done,' Graham said.

His signal that the negotiations could drag out into the first week of next month come as the bolstered unemployment benefits are set to expire within days.

Despite several meetings between administration officials and Republican lawmakers, the White House has not made any further contact with congressional Democrats since Friday  meaning the package presented Monday could be very different from what the opposition party is expecting to see.

'No discussions with Democratic leaders on the substance of what we're discussing today,' Meadows told reporters at the Capitol when asked if he has spoken with them.

Mnuchin and Meadows returned to Capitol Hill Sunday afternoon to continue negotiations over the $1 trillion bill.

The duo claim the package will include a cut back in unemployment benefits from a flat $600 bonus to up to 70 per cent of individuals' pre-coronavirus wages  they also said it will include a second round of stimulus checks.

Mnuchin says the new stipulations for unemployment insurance is a concerted effort from the GOP to incentivize individuals to go back to work.

'We're not going to use taxpayer money to pay people more to stay home,' Mnuchin told reporters outside the Capitol following a meeting Saturday.

'I think workers and Americans understand the concept that you shouldn't be paid more to stay home than to work,' he reiterated during an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace Sunday morning  ahead of another Capitol Hill meeting.

'The fair thing is to replace wages,' he continued.

Mnuchin also vowed there will be a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks sent out in August.

The negotiations with Senate Republicans over the specifics of the bill was an effort to gain a solid position before talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Pelosi refused to say Sunday morning whether she would accept a proposal that did not include the boosted unemployment benefits, which are set to expire in a few days.

'You don't go into a negotiation with a redline but you do go in with your values,' the California Democrat told CBS News' Margaret Brenner during an interview on Face the Nation Sunday.

She also said the $600 figure was agreed upon because it was simple, in contrast to the Republican proposal of 70 per cent of wages, which she said would be much more difficult to figure out and organize.

While speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Saturday, Mnuchin explained: 'We were in an emergency last time, so we instituted this quickly.'

He also acknowledged that Republicans knew this was a 'fundamental issue' when it made it into the previous relief package.

'In certain cases, people were paid more to stay home than they were to work,' the Treasury secretary lamented. 'And I think that's something the American public understands.'

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Sunday that the Republican bill will not extend the $600 in unemployment benefits.

'The original benefits will not [be extended],' Meadows told ABC News' This Week host George Stephanapoulos. 'The original unemployment benefits actually paid people to stay home, and actually a lot of people got more money staying at home than they would going back to work.'

The $600 per week unemployment benefits end this week, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says Republicans have no intention of renewing it in the next coronavirus relief bill

Mnuchin (left) and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (right) told reporters at the Capitol Saturday: 'We're not going to use taxpayer money to pay people more to stay home. In certain cases, people were paid more to stay home than they were to work'

Mnuchin told Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace that the administration gave up on getting a payroll tax cut into the legislation because 'in our conversations with Pelosi and Schumer, it was very clear that the Democrats were not going to give us a payroll tax cut'

Meadows detailed to ABC News' This Week host George Stephanapoulos Sunday that the new benefits would give people up to 70 per cent of the wages they were making before they lost their job

Some of Republicans' biggest complaints about the last sweeping stimulus bill is that it incentivizes people to stay home and collect a check rather than go back into the workforce.

Mnuchin and Meadows detailed that the new legislation would transition to a 'wage replacement' unemployment insurance system.

'We talked about approximately 70 per cent wage replacement,' Mnuchin said  meaning those who lost their job or are unable to work in the midst of the pandemic would be given up to 70 per cent of their usual earnings.

Mnuchin detailed that Republicans will roll out the next coronavirus relief package on Monday, also promising that along with the aide will be another round of $1,200 direct checks for Americans in August.

He also assured following meetings with Meadows that the bill has backing from the White House.

Mnuchin also detailed in an interview with Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace that the administration swiftly gave up on trying to get in a payroll tax cut because it was clear Democrats would not budge on the issue.

'Well, in our conversations with Pelosi and Schumer, it was very clear that the Democrats were not going to give us a payroll tax cut,' Mnuchin told Wallace Sunday morning. 'So that's something the president will come back and look at later in the year '

Wallace cut into Mnuchin's answer, pushing him on if there was Republican support for the measure Trump has been pushing.

'There are other Republicans that supported it, and let me just say  again, we know we need bipartisan support. We have tax credits that we put in here to incentivize people to get back to work and small businesses to hire people. We have the direct payments,' he said.

Mnuchin also assured: 'As you know, the direct payments are much quicker way of effectively giving everybody a tax cut and it's much quicker than the payroll tax cut.'

Meadows and Mnuchin met with Republicans and GOP staff on Capitol Hill to salvage the $1 trillion proposal  and the secretary told reporters there one of Trump's biggest concerns is extending but reducing the expiring unemployment benefits.

Mnuchin called the $600 weekly aid 'ridiculous' and a disincentive for people to go back to work.

'We want to move forward quickly. The bill will be introduced Monday and we're prepared to act quickly,' Mnuchin said of the bill, adding the president would 'absolutely' support the emerging Republican package.

'This is all about kids and jobs,' he continued. 'This is our focus and we want to make sure something gets passed quickly so that we deal with the unemployment and all the other issues.'

Mnuchin also vowed Saturday that the next round of $1,200 coronavirus stimulus checks will be sent out in August

Mnuchin (right) said Republicans are 'moving quickly' to get the $1 trillion measure passed after he and Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (left) met with GOP lawmakers at the Capitol

Trump's push for another coronavirus aide bill comes as he has continued to slip in public polls, especially over his handling of the pandemic.

But the president has denounced the poll numbers as 'fake,' assuring he has a high amount of enthusiasm for his reelection in November.

'The Trump Campaign has more ENTHUSIASM, according to many, than any campaign in the history of our great Country - Even more than 2016,' Trump tweeted Sunday morning. 'Biden has NONE!'

'The Silent Majority will speak on NOVEMBER THIRD!!!' he touted. 'Fake Suppression Polls & Fake News will not save the Radical Left.'

Mnuchin's optimistic assessment of the new legislation came before Democrats weighed in publicly on the updated proposal, which remained only a starting point in negotiations with House and Senate Democratic leaders.

He said he recently called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ahead of shuttle negotiations next week on the broader deal.

Since the COVID-19 threat hit the U.S., Mnuchin has acted as the liaison between the White House and Congress, specifically with Democrats.

But while Mnuchin, who is friendly with Democrats and has donated to them in the past, is making efforts in Congress  Trump continues to bash Pelosi, and other opposition leadership, for their responses to coronavirus.

'Crazy Nancy Pelosi said I made a mistake when I banned people from infected China from entering the U.S. in January,' Trump reminded in a tweet Sunday.

'Tens of thousands of lives were saved, as she danced in the Streets of Chinatown (SF) in late February,' he continued. 'Biden agreed with her, but soon admitted that I was right!'

Trump is pushing for another sweeping relief package with stimulus checks attached as his poll numbers continue to slip in regards to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. But he instead deflects to touting the 'enthusiasm' for his reelection

The White House and Senate Republicans are racing to regroup after plans to introduce another $1 trillion rescue bill collapsed Thursday amid GOP infighting over its size, scope and details.

The original bill measures were expected to bring $105 billion to help schools reopen in the fall, new money for testing and benefits for businesses  including a fresh round of loans, tax breaks and a sweeping liability shield from COVID-related lawsuits.

But as Republicans struggled over the details, the White House team downplayed the differences with the GOP senators as overblown and said Trump was focused on providing relief.

'The president has been very clear. He wants to make sure that the American people have what they need during this unprecedented time,' Meadows said, 'to make sure not only the money is there but the programs.'

The expiration of the $600 weekly jobless benefits boost had been propelling the Republicans to act. Democrats already approved their sweeping $3 trillion plan from Pelosi two months ago. But with millions of Americans about to be suddenly cut off from the aid starting Saturday, they were bracing to prevent social and economic fallout.

The White House floated plans to cut the additional aid back to $100 a week, while Senate Republicans preferred $200, with general agreement about phasing out the flat boost in favor of one that ensures no more than 70% of an employee's previous pay.

Mnuchin also said the $1,200 direct payments would be based on the same formula from the earlier aid bill. Individuals making $75,000 or less, for example, received the full amount and those making more than $75,000 received less than $1,200 depending on their income. Individuals earning above $100,000 did not qualify for the payment.

'We'll get the majority of them out in August and those will help people,' Mnuchin said.

Unemployment levels skyrocketed as coronavirus hit the U.S. and states were forced to go on lockdown  effectively closing for months all restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, shops, malls and other brick and mortar public commerce

Millions of Americans were left either laid off, furloughed or temporarily laid off and instead began collecting the increase unemployment benefits of $600 extra per week upon the passage of the first emergency relief package

The administration officials said the overall package remained at $1 trillion, apparently on par with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's original draft.

Democrats had warned time was running out, saying Republicans were in disarray.

The jobless benefit officially expires July 31, but due to the way states process unemployment payments, the cutoff was effectively Saturday. Other aid, including a federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units, also expires at month's end.

The GOP plan was not expected to come to a vote but serve as a counter-offer to Democrats. That strategy enabled McConnell, who did not have full support from his GOP majority, to avoid having to endure a failed outcome. But it also gave Democrats some leverage in insisting on their priorities as part of any final deal.

McConnell, who spent time over the weekend in his home state of the Kentucky, said Friday he hoped a package could be agreed on 'in the next few weeks.'
These slippers are bound to be a great new loungewear addition. (Yahoo Style UK)

Yahoo Lifestyle is committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Prices were correct at the time of publication.

Stop browsing for summer sandals for just a second, because weve found a pair of super-cosy, super-fluffy sheepskin slippers and were certain theyll sell out fast.

We know summer wardrobe items will be at the forefront of many shoppers minds at the moment, but sometimes you just have to get a head start on prepping for next season when a must-have cosy essential comes along.

The John Lewis & Partners Sheepskin Mule Slippers are cosy and super-fluffy  in fact, they look remarkably like a pair from cult brand UGG  but theyll only set you back 49.

The sheepskin fabric works to keep you warm and toasty in cooler weather and the flat rubber sole makes the snug slip-ons easy to wear around the house, up-and-down stairs and even outside (hey, no judgement here).

The slippers  available in sizes 3 through to 8  come in three sumptuous colourways: mink, chocolate and metallic, each of which lend themselves to a timeless, muted look.

It seems we arent the only ones looking to invest in our feet, as the slippers are proving to be pretty popular on the department stores website too.

In fact, according to John Lewis, the product is already a bestseller, with lots of people lusting after the slippers in the last 48 hours.

Which makes sense when you think about it, given that a large percentage of the UK workforce are still working from home. Meaning that, though many of us might dress for the office, were certainly not fishing out our hard-soled shoes just to sit in our living room.

Our advice? Squirrel them away for a rainy day  youll be glad you did.
100 Christian pastors, pro-life advocates urge Democrats to end 'abortion extremism' in party platform

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More than 100 Christian pastors and pro-life academics and advocates have called on the Democratic National Committee to recognize the inviolable human dignity of the child, before and after birth, and adopt a party platform thats friendlier to those who are pro-life.

Some of us are registered Democrats and some of us are not, but we appreciate the Democratic Partys stated commitment to human rights, equality, and fairness, they wrote in a letter to the Democratic Platform Committee, organized by the pro-life group Democrats for Life.

Accordingly, we urge the Democratic Party to embrace policies that protect both women and children: legal protection for pre-born children, improved prenatal care for women in need, especially women of color, alternatives to abortion, and a comprehensive culture of life free from violence, poverty and racism, the letter adds.

The letter notes that the U.S. is just one of seven countries, alongside North Korea, to allow the horrific practice of elective late-term abortion after 20 weeks.

The signatories urged the Democratic Platform Committee to reject a litmus test on pro-life people of faith seeking office in the Democratic Party. Crucially, we urge you to end the explicit support in your platform for abortion extremism, such as taxpayer-funded abortion in America and overseas, opposed by 60% and 76% of voters.

Last year, Joe Biden, the partys presumptive presidential nominee, reversed his decades-long support for restricting federal funding of abortions, according to The Associated Press, which quoted him as saying at the time, Just as Ive never attempted to impose my views on anyone else as to when life begins, I have never attempted to impose my view on who should pay for it.

Steven Krueger, president of the nonprofit Catholic Democrats, warned at the time that the far left wing of the party has had influence on a number of issues, particularly on the issue of abortion, that is not going to serve candidates well once theyre in the general election.

And the problem is, its very difficult to kind of tack back to the middle once you take a stand on something as black and white as whether or not you want to repeal the restrictions on federal abortion funding, he added.

In February, activists from Democrats for Life held a press conference in Charleston, South Carolina, ahead of the states primary to voice their disgust with the Democratic candidates stances on abortion as nearly all of them opposed bans on late-term abortion and safety regulations on the abortion industry.

Democrats for Life Executive Director Kristen Day said at the time that in her 18-year career, she had not seen such extremism in the Democratic Party on abortion. Since 2010, she warned, Democrats had lost their political advantages in southern states, including Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana that had all flipped from blue to red.

The Democratic Party, she added, had moved away from safe, legal and rare abortion to supporting abortion up to nine months for any reason.
Novartis (NVS) generics and biosimilars division, Sandoz, has announced a joint investment with the Austrian federal government to 'strengthen the future of integrated antibiotics manufacturing in Europe'.

Sandoz intends to invest more than EUR 150 million over the next five years to boost the competitiveness of its integrated antibiotic manufacturing operations at Kundl, creating innovative manufacturing technology for both active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished dosage forms (FDFs).

According to Sandoz CEO Richard Saynor: Antibiotics are the backbone of modern medicine and our Kundl facility in Austria is the hub and center of the last remaining integrated production chain for antibiotics in the western world. This joint investment will help to keep it that way.

Under the plan, which is still subject to formal approvals, the Austrian federal government would contribute or coordinate public funding of EUR 50 million towards the total investment, as part of its efforts to increase European-based production of essential medicines. Sandoz and the Austrian government hope to close the agreement before year-end.

The government funding would primarily support new process technology to produce API for penicillin products at Kundl. Sandoz would commit to related penicillin API production in Europe for the next 10 years, despite fierce global price competition, particularly from China.

Indeed, Sandoz currently produces enough penicillin products at Kundl to potentially meet all Europe-wide demand. Kundl is the Sandoz competence center for antibiotic FDFs and the focal point of its European antibiotics manufacturing network, the company says.

Shares in Novartis are down 11% year-to-date, but Citigroup's Andrew Baum retains a bullish view on the stock with a $112 price target (33% upside potential). (See Novartis stock analysis on TipRanks).

He cited the stock's recent under-performance as a driving factor in his recent upgrade, alongside a backlog of product launches in China and a cardiovascular franchise poised to expand post-Covid-19.

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Our DealBook Debrief call this week is with Tom Friedman, the Times Opinion columnist, who will discuss American diplomacy in a post-pandemic world, and take your questions. Register here to join us on Thursday, July 30 at 11 a.m. Eastern. (Want this delivered to your inbox each day? Sign up here.)

Winners and losers

Many office workers have been logging in from their living rooms for the past few months. As this looks to become the norm for some time to come, The Timess Noam Scheiber considers the profound changes that may endure, beyond all those Zoom meetings.

Good for some, but not for all. Greater flexibility helps high-skilled workers pitch themselves more widely, instead of being limited to a specific area. This could be a boon for those who live away from major metropolitan areas. At the same time, a more remote, transactional relationship with employers may promote companies use of contractors  which can be more lucrative but less stable for the people accepting such work. And when workers are spread out, they may have a harder time sharing information and organizing for better pay or working conditions.

The biggest changes are cultural. Weve covered how small talk at the office can have a huge effect on morale, but many companies are also learning that informal, person-to-person interactions are also crucial to the flow of mission-critical information. Businesses that successfully ran largely remote work forces before the pandemic tend to exhaustively document their processes and knowledge. That enables employees to join projects and get up to speed on their own time, without having to consult colleagues first. This reflects sound management that companies with physical offices didnt adopt simply because they could afford to be sloppy, Noam writes.
Water supply in several parts of Delhi will be affected due to an increase in pollutants in raw water discharged from Haryana, Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said on Monday.

Parts of west, north, central and south Delhi are among the areas where the supply will be hit due to increased levels of ammonia in raw water, according to DJB.

The board has requested citizens to use water judiciously and assured it will restore normal supply as soon as possible.

URGENT : Due to increase of pollution in raw water the water supply is affected in Part of West Delhi, North Delhi, Central Delhi, South Delhi, including Delhi Cantt. and New Delhi Municipal Council areas.Plz use water judiciously till the supply is normal, the water board tweeted.

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raghav Chadha, who is the boards vice-chairperson, also shared a similar tweet.

URGENT : Due to increase of pollution in raw water the water supply is affected in Part of West Delhi, North Delhi, Central Delhi, South Delhi, including Delhi Cantt. and New Delhi Municipal Council areas.

Plz use water judiciously till the supply is normal  pic.twitter.com/3ehsYIVJQ7  Delhi Jal Board (@DelhiJalBoard) July 26, 2020

The Delhi Jal Board also shared the contact details of suppliers of water tankers who can be approached in case of emergencies.

Here is a list of phone numbers to avail water tankers in respective areas:

Central Control Room 1916, 23527679, 23634469

Chandrawal WW No.02 23810930

Greater Kailash 29234746, 29234747

Idgah 23537397, 23677129

Punjabi Bagh 25223658

Burari 27619244, 27617609

Kewal Park 27677877, 27681578

IP Station 23370911, 23378761

RK Puram 26193218

Last week, toxic foam was seen floating in the Yamuna at the Okhla barrage following which the Delhi Jal Board on Friday curtailed supply at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants due to high levels of pollutants in the river.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT)-appointed Yamuna Monitoring Committee (YMC) has sought a report from the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and Industries Commissioner about the reasons behind sudden froth in the river.

(With agency inputs)
PUNE Pune district guardian minister Ajit Pawar on Monday took a review of incomplete road projects in the city and instructed the Pune municipal administration to clear obstacles of land acquisition, so that development works are not hampered.

Among the projects discussed was the proposed riverside elevated road from Shivane to Kharadi. Nationalist Congress Party NCP) MLA Sunil Tingre appealed to Pawar to clear the land hurdles in Vadgaon sheri assembly constituency. Pawar was appraised that some of the developers are not ready to give their land for road works and hence, the projects were getting delayed.

If the developers and other people are not giving their land for development works, stop all their work at other places. Obstruction to any development project should not be tolerated. The district collector should speed up land acquisition, Pawar said. PMC administration claimed that some land owners have even approached the court and Pawar promised to provide legal help to the administration from the state government. Pawar also instructed the civic body to float tenders for flyovers near Kharadi and Vishrantwadi.

Pune municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar and district collector Naval Kishore Ram have been instructed to keep funds required for land acquisition ready. As soon as the order comes from the court, pay the cost to land owner and acquire it, said Pawar.

Defence land

Pune guardian minister Ajit Pawar reviewed all the 22 pending roads works coming under Vadagaon sheri assembly constituency. Some of these projects come under defence lands and hence, a meeting has been scheduled, under the leadership of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, to sort out the defence land issues
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 23:07:41|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Robert O'Brien, national security advisor for U.S. President Donald Trump, has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House confirmed on Monday.

"He has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site," the White House said in a statement. "There is no risk of exposure to the President or the Vice President."

The diagnosis has made O'Brien, a top aide for Trump and the president's fourth national security advisor, the highest ranking U.S. official known to have tested positive for coronavirus.

The White House statement came shortly after multiple U.S. media outlets broke the news.

O'Brien, 54, has been out of the office since late last week, Bloomberg News reported on Monday morning, citing people familiar with the situation.

He left his office in the White House last Thursday, CNN reported, citing a source.

O'Brien reportedly came down with coronavirus after a family event and has been isolating at home while still running the National Security Council (NSC), doing most of his work by phone.

Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, the NSC advises the President on national security and foreign policy.

O'Brien, whom Trump tapped to lead the agency in September 2019, recently returned from Europe, where he met with officials from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy.

The White House recently ended regular temperature checks for all those entering the White House complex, but those who will come into close contact with Trump are still given rapid tests.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a briefing last week that Trump has tested "often."

"As I've made clear from this podium, the president is the most tested man in America," McEnany told reporters at the White House. "He's tested more than anyone, multiple times a day, and we believe that he's acting appropriately."

However, Trump has dismissed the claim that he takes more than one test a day.

"I didn't know about more than one. I do take probably, on average, a test every two days, three days," he told reporters during a White House press briefing last week. "I don't know of any time I've taken two tests in one day, but I could see that happening."

Last week, two White House executive offices closed their cafeterias because an employee tested positive for coronavirus. Enditem
Parents start addressing Russias Childrens Ombudsman about new school year

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

12:52 27/07/2020

MOSCOW, July 27 (RAPSI)  The office of Children Rights Commissioner Anna Kuznetsova has been already receiving applications of parents concerned about the format of education, schedules and organization of meals in the next school year, the bodys press service reports on Monday.

The new school year is to begin on September 1, and parents are nervous about such things as access to schools and kindergartens, the formats the educational process is to be run in, and so on. In settling these problems the Childrens Ombudsman Office works in cooperation with its regional colleagues, who are concerned with similar issues brought up by parents, Kuznetsova says.

According to the Ombudsman, an important problem parents are concerned with are school meals; the issue is to be discussed together with regional children rights commissioners at a conference set for August.

Last week the Ombudsman Office registered over 3,000 applications from citizens; most of them concern such topics as property issues, social security, and education.

Among the applications is a joint address of residents of the Novosibirsk Region concerning the construction of a local cancer center; at the moment the Office is also involved in a probe into the situation across orphanages in Yekaterinburg in relation to an order of Russias consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  During his fifth State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered telecommunications companies Smart and Globe to improve their services in the next five months or the country will do away with them.

"Kindly improve your services before December," he warned on Monday. "Tell us now if you cannot really improve on it, because I will work...The next two years will be spent improving the telecommunications of this country without you."

The President complained about the inconvenience he experienced using Smart and Globe lines.

"'Yung Smart pati itong Globe ilang taon na ito, at ang sagot palagi sa akin, 'The party cannot be reached', eh saan pala pumunta 'yung y**a na 'yun?," said Duterte in anger.

[Translation: This Smart and Globe, they have been here for how many years, and they always respond with 'The party cannot be reached'. Well, where did that devil go?]

He added that the two companies have been operating for years yet the public keeps getting "lousy" services and transactions.

"The patience of the Filipino is reaching its limit he said. I will be the one to articulate the anger of the Filipino people and you might not want what I intended to do with you."

"I want to call Jesus Christ to Bethlehem. Better have that line cleared," he added in jest.

In an interview with CNN Philippines Rico Hizon on Monday, Banco de Oro chief market strategist Jonathan Ravelas noted the Presidents remarks against the two leading telco providers are timely because the people need to rely more on digital technologies in this time of less human interaction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

These telcos will play an important role in eventually sustaining our economic viability, Ravelas said.

The economist also emphasized the two telcos need to ramp up their connection services with this sudden shift in technological reliance, as the government awaits the entry of third telco player Dito Communications Inc. which is owned by known Duterte ally Dennis Uy.

This is not the first time the President warned telcos to provide better services. In 2016, after he won the presidential elections, he warned the companies that if they do not provide faster internet connection, foreign investors will be allowed to do the job.
The 15th National Assembly (NA) will consider a range of important issues that will be submitted to the legislature by the Government for consideration and decision at the next extraordinary meeting scheduled to take place in the coming time.
WATERLOO REGION  Waterloo Region will avoid a dire situation with its share of a $4-billion cash infusion from the federal and provincial governments for Ontarios municipalities as they grapple with the financial impact of COVID-19.

We have been advocating strongly for this kind of support, said Coun. Sean Strickland, chair of the regions budget committee. Were quite happy it is announced and money will be flowing.

The region is facing a budget shortfall as hefty as $15 million this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mondays joint announcement promised up to $4 billion in one-time assistance to help local governments maintain critical services people rely on, such as public transit, over the next six to eight months.

The situation without that support would have been absolutely dire, Strickland said, adding the timing is good as budget deliberations for 2021 will begin this fall.

Without the added money, the region would have to look at cutting services or hiking taxes. Increasing taxes wouldnt make much sense, Strickland said, since many residents are also facing financial hardship due to job loss or reduced hours during the pandemic.

A tax hike to compensate for the shortfall would be astronomical, in the range of eight to 11 per cent.

We dont want to do that and the federal and provincial governments recognize that, Strickland said.

Regional Chair Karen Redman said municipalities across Ontario have said together that immediate flexible support is needed to cover lost revenues and added expenses caused by the pandemic in order to protect municipal services.

We are encouraged by the collaboration and leadership of Premier Ford to reach this agreement with the federal government, she said in an email. This funding is essential as municipalities like the Region of Waterloo continue to deliver transit, emergency services, public health, child care, housing and social services  essential public services that contribute to the backbone of a strong economic recovery.

Strickland is pleased to see that up to $2 billion of the funding is earmarked for transit. Much of the regions shortfall is due to lost revenue on Grand River Transit, as ridership is only now beginning to rebound.

The money also recognizes the importance of municipal governments and that the services they deliver are important to the well-being of residents, Strickland said.

Details on how it will be divvied up among Ontarios 444 municipalities are expected to come out in the next couple of weeks. The funding will give municipalities much needed support this year and into next year, Strickland said.

What does the future have in store? Weve yet to determine that.

Even with the added dollars, Strickland said the 2021 budget will be a difficult one and council must be mindful about where money is spent because the full impact of the pandemic is not yet known.

I think we have to have very prudent budgets and not see this as a windfall, he said.

Premier Doug Ford lauded the agreement between the province and feds.

By working together, we have united the country in the face of the immense challenges brought on by COVID-19 and secured a historic deal with the federal government to ensure a strong recovery for Ontario and for Canada, Ford said in a release.

The province plans to continue working with municipalities to ensure this new funding provides the support needed to address budget shortfalls related to COVID-19.

Ontarios municipalities are the backbone of our great province, said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Our government is committed to working hand in hand with our municipal partners to help them emerge stronger and enable them to lead economic recovery in every community.

Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney said transit operators have done an incredible job ensuring people who need to get around, including front-line workers, have safe and reliable transit service during the outbreak.

This funding will help ensure transit services continue to be there so people can get where they need to go as our province reopens and people return to work, she said.

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By PTI

AGARTALA: A group of patients at a Covid Care Centre in West Tripura district allegedly harassed and spat at a woman doctor when she went to the facility to admit some people, police said on Monday.

West Tripura District Surveillance Officer Dr Sangita Chakraborty went to the Covid Care Centre set up at the Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel on Friday to admit five women with newborn babies when a group of patients said they would not allow any new admission, alleging that the facility had reached full occupancy, the police said.

When doctors at the centre tried to convince the patients, they allegedly abused and spat at Chakraborty and also threatened to infect her with coronavirus, they said.

Superintendent of Police (SP), West Tripura, Manik Lal Das on Monday said an investigation was launched after the matter was brought to the notice of the police by Health department officials.

"The police have started an investigation into the incident and could identify two people from CCTV camera footage," the SP told PTI.

"We would wait for the patients who were involved in the incident to recover from the disease and then initiate action," he said.

Additional Chief Secretary in charge of Health Department, S K Rakesh, said, "This type of incident is not acceptable. As per our guidelines, any COVID-19 patient violating the rules would be arrested after they are discharged."

Officials said the Covid Care Centre in West Tripura district has a capacity of 300 beds, and 270 patients were admitted when Chakraborty had gone to the facility to admit five people.

Meanwhile, the All Tripura Government Doctors Association (ATGDA) has demanded exemplary punishment for the patients who abused and spat on Chakraborty.

Dr Kanak Chowdhury, general secretary of ATGDA, West Tripura district unit, said, "The patients not only abused her (Chakraborty) but also tried to infect her with deadly coronavirus. They spat on her with the motive of infecting her."
Kaylee Nguyen hasnt seen her family in Vietnam in more than a year, and shes not likely to any time soon.

Nguyen is an international student at Mohawk College studying business accounting. She had planned to return home in December 2020 for a visit but shes cancelled those plans, worried she might not be able to get back to school again  if shes even able to find a flight out.

Hers is a predicament faced by international students across Canada: if they leave, they might not be able to come back. New guidelines released last week make that fear even more of a reality.

On Tuesday, Ottawa updated its guidelines for international students, stating on its Government of Canada website that international students will not be allowed to enter Canada, with a few exceptions. Those exceptions include students who received a student visa before the countrys March 18 border lockdown, who must also be travelling for nondiscretionary or nonoptional purposes.

In Hamilton, both McMaster and Mohawk College classes will be mainly online this fall. Select courses require students to be on campus, such as massage therapy, nursing, police foundations and some engineering courses at Mohawk.

We are providing essential travel letters for students whose studies do require that they be on campus in order to compete their training, said Bill Steinburg, spokesperson for Mohawk. The intention is for students to present these to the Canada Border Services Agency to support their rationale for needing to be in Canada.

Steinburg added that most of Mohawks international students stayed in Canada when the campus closed in March.

Students who are not able to travel to Canada due to the restrictions and have a program element that requires them to be on campus will need to defer their admission, he said.

McMaster University said some of its international students also remained in Hamilton. Others will begin their studies from home. All are receiving support from the university, McMaster says.

We have advised all students to monitor the travel ban and have advised them if they are able to enter, they must have a quarantine plan in place to show the officer at the port of entry, said Michelle Donovan, a McMaster spokesperson.

Donovan said fall-term classes will be online with the exception of a small number of health-care professional courses.

She did not say if any international students are among those enrolled in the health-care courses, but she added: Students will not need to be on campus to take their courses and we are enhancing support for all students which includes student well-being, mental health, technical assistance and accessibility.

Nguyen said she feels very lucky she never left Canada when the pandemic hit. She knows other international students who returned home and are now stuck there.

She said shes not seen much of an interruption to her studies  shes in the midst of a co-op placement with a pharmaceutical company and has been able to work remotely. Mohawk has been very supportive throughout the pandemic, she added, and any courses she needs to take are available online.

While students can continue their education remotely, questions remain about what that will look like in practice  especially for international students.

With universities charging full tuition, students are waiting to hear how academic quality will be ensured, said Giancarlo Da-Re, president and CEO of the McMaster Students Union. The widely divergent time zones within which students will reside, must be a factor in the planning of high-quality online education.

Students at the public school level are affected too.

The Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board has 29 fee-paying international students, five of whom could be delayed due to the travel ban, said spokesperson Marnie Jadon. Those who could be delayed are students from Nigeria, China and the Philippines. All are in high school.

As of the end of June, the public board had as many as 152 international students enrolled in 10 high schools, all planning to return. The board also received 77 new applications for September 2020.

To meet the nondiscretionary or nonoptional travel purpose threshold, according to federal guidelines, students must prove they need to be in Canada to participate in their program or prove their school or program wont allow them to study online or that its not possible to do so from their home country, perhaps due to internet restrictions or bandwidth limitation.

All travellers entering Canada are required to self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival.

As for Nguyen, shes not too upset about delaying her return home  shes happy in Hamilton.

Maybe Ill go back when things are better, she said.
A month after the then Governor Urjit Patel exited abruptly from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in December 2018, the Central Bank came out with two big relaxations -- setting free five of the 11 banks from the RBI's stringent prompt correct action ( PCA) or weak bank framework and the allowing restructuring of MSME loans with total exposure of Rs 25 crore.

The 24th Governor Patel had resigned in December 2018, a year before his tenure was supposed to end. The differences with the government on a number of issues were the reason for his exit, although not blaming anyone, he cited personal reasons for leaving the central bank.

The PCA relaxation and MSME restructuring issue were among half a dozen issues on which the RBI board had lengthy discussions in October-November 2018. Patel's book 'Overdraft: Saving The Indian Saver,' throws some light on these issues though he stays away from narrating any blow-by-blow account.

Under Patel, the decision to relax the PCA framework for some weak banks was referred to the board for Financial Supervision. The RBI was not at all comfortable in relaxing the PCA guidelines without any capital infusion from the government.

Patel, who left in December 2018, writes that the PCA norms were relaxed to 'graduate' five loss-making banks out of the PCA in early 2019. "Recapitalisation of these PCA banks helped them meet the criterion on net NPAs. Hardly anyone disagreed that this was to facilitate higher credit growth," writes Patel who was handpicked by the BJP-led NDA government after former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan completed his three-year tenure.

In addition, extension and augmentation of forbearance for MSME loans was granted at the same time. "At the upper end of this forbearance (loans of Rs 25 crore), businesses with annual turnover of up to several hundred crores are beneficiaries," writes Patel. "How does this square up with fairness in a country where the average per capita annual GDP is about Rs 1.5 lakh?"

In a meeting in November 2018, when Patel was in charge, the board had then directed RBI to consider a restructuring scheme for stressed MSMEs. In January 2019 when Patel left, the RBI had announced an MSME restructuring scheme for a year, which has been extended post-COVID for another year. The MSMEs have now got another credit line from banks by way of additional Rs 3 lakh crore working capital loan where the government has thrown a 100 per cent guarantee cover.

In his book, Patel hasn't given an inside account of the stormy board meetings in the second half of 2018 where some meetings lasted for over nine hours.

Patel has agreed on relaxing only one issue which was about Basel regulatory capital framework. The RBI under Patel had agreed for extending the requirement for banks to meet the capital conservation buffer of 0.63 per cent for a year. All the other issues were referred to either an independent committee (like surplus capital) or referred to RBI departments to decide.

In his book, Patel is also critical of Mudra loans where government has set targets in the past for banks to give collateral-free loans up to Rs 10 lakh. Currently, the NPAs in the Mudra loans are one of the highest, even reaching 20 per cent-plus level for some PSBs. "It is worrying that some of the recent initiatives by the principal owner, like the quick-disbursing Mudra credit scheme, have been more akin to transfers," writes Patel.

Patel has also commented on the government move to create few large PSBs. The entire exercise started with the merger between SBI associates and the parent bank. The Bank of Baroda became an anchor bank to merge two mid-sized PSBs with itself. The BOB merger was announced in September 2018 and Patel left in December. "Three GBs were merged, which, going by past experience, usually leads to erosion in value, over time, of the entity that takes over the weaker ones," writes Patel. The announcement of merging 10 PSBs into four came after Patel left the RBI.

"One highly problematic GB was taken over by the wholly government-owned LIC, possibly contrary to sound and widely accepted investment conventions, as also on grounds of contributing to systemic risk," writes Patel.

Patel has given some insights on the government's take on the setting up of a bad bank. Given the growing NPAs, the idea of a bad bank keeps coming up. Recently, the Indian Banks Association (IBA) suggested the government for setting up a bad loan resolution company.

Patel writes that there was a fair bit of discussion between the government and the RBI in 2015 and 2016 on the subject of 'bad bank'. "At the highest levels of policymaking the idea was not liked, mainly because borrowers and lenders would be off the hook, and it was in the nature of 'mother of all moral hazard' - an undesirable backdrop for the next lending cycle," he says.

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The Mumbai crime branch arrested four men who allegedly tried to withdraw money from the bank account of an 81-year-old private developer in Juhu, who died of Covid -19 last month. The main accused worked with the deceased.

He forged the victims Aadhar card and bank documents and tried to withdraw money through a mobile application.

The arrested accused Shafiq Mehboob Shaikh, 39, Pritesh alias Pintu Bipinchandra Mandaliya, Arshad Rafiq Sayyed and Swapnil Oglekar are residents of Mira Road area.

According to the police, Shaikh is the mastermind of the racket and he was working as a liaison person in the developers office. The developer died on June 20 of Covid-19.

Shaikh stole the deceaseds bank details like cheque book, Aadhar card and few other documents from his office after his death and planned to withdraw money from his bank account through a cyber fraudster.

Shaikh then gave all those documents to his another accomplice who created a bogus Aadhar card by changing deceaseds photograph with his picture and obtained duplicate SIM card of the deceased which was registered with the bank from a service provider, claiming that he has lost his sim card, said police inspector Chimaji Adhav of unit 11.

After getting the SIM card, another accomplice tried to withdraw money from the deceaseds bank account through a banking app, after generating a one-time password, added Adhav.

The deceaseds wifes bank account was handled by the bank manager. After the death, when the manager visited the office and found cheque books missing, a complaint was registered in the Juhu police station.

During an inquiry, the official of unit 11 learnt about the accused and they conducted a raid in a room in Dahisar and arrested the accused. Police seized the deceaseds Aadhar card, bank details and a duplicate SIM card, deputy commissioner of police Akbar Pathan of the crime branch said. The accused were produced in the court and they were remanded in police custody till July 31.
The boy from Indore whose cart was overturned by civic officials after he refused to pay a bribe of Rs100 received overwhelming support from people across the country on social media.



The video of the incident went viral on social media and later people came forward to help the boy and his family. The people gathered together and gifted him with a new egg cart.

Indore Egg Seller's Cart Overturned Allegedly Over Rs. 100 Bribe https://t.co/T4krQaLIeZ pic.twitter.com/NL8P9NHLUt  NDTV (@ndtv) July 24, 2020

The family now also has a house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna and the education for the boy and his siblings are also free.

According to the family, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal also reached out to them and offered them support.

Last week, Paras Raykars egg cart was allegedly overturned by civic body officials where the administration has implemented the left-right rule for the opening of shops amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Later, former MP CM Digvijay Singh offered to take care of the educational expenses of the boy and his siblings and Indore Press Club offered them ration and money to the little boy.
Moderna Inc, a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, began injecting a possible coronavirus vaccine into about 30,000 volunteers on Monday as part of its Phase 3 study.

The study, dubbed COVE (Coronavirus Efficacy) is the first time tens of thousands of Americans will receive the possible vaccine as part of testing. Phase 2 only included about 600 participants.

We are pleased to have started the Phase 3 COVE study, CEO at Moderna Stephane Bancel said in a statement. We are grateful to the efforts of so many inside and outside the company to get us to this important milestone. We are indebted to the participants and investigators who now begin the work of the COVE study itself. We look forward to this trial demonstrating the potential of our vaccine to prevent COVID-19, so that we can defeat this pandemic.

The study is being conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

At 100 clinical research sites, volunteers at increased risk for COVID-19 disease were enrolled in the study.

Moderna said it remains on track to have the ability to deliver approximately 500 million doses per year, and possibly up to 1 billion doses per year, beginning in 2021 if the candidate vaccine is successful.

While Moderna is hopeful regarding the vaccine after successful trials in Phase 1 and 2, it said there are no promises or guarantees that Phase 3 will follow suit.

The vaccine was engineered by utilizing messenger RNA. There has never been a commercial product approved for use that utilizes mRNA, the company said.

The vaccine is still in its trial period and its full scope of safety and efficacy has yet to be realized.

About a dozen different vaccines are in various stages of testing worldwide, including in Britain, China and the U.S. This week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said he is cautiously optimistic there will be a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year or early 2021.

There have been more than 16 million cases of coronavirus globally with nearly 650,000 deaths, as of Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The United States has experienced more than 4.2 million cases of coronavirus, far and away the highest total of any other country. Brazil has the second-highest total at 2.4 million.

The U.S. has also endured the highest death toll, at nearly 150,000.

On Sunday, Massachusetts state officials announced 19 new deaths pushing the statewide total to 8,310. Massachusetts has experienced at least 108,380 cases of coronavirus, state officials said.

Officials on Cape Cod said they have seen an increase in cases over the past week. A party in Chatham that took place on July 12 is linked to at least 10 cases.

A pop-up coronavirus testing site will open in Chatham on Monday for people who attended the July 12 party linked to the cluster of COVID-19 cases in the Cape Cod town. The town, coordinating with the Barnstable County Department of Health & Environment and Cape Cod Healthcare, will host the pop-up site in the Town Office Annex parking lot Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cases around the country continue to climb as well in states like Mississippi, Missouri and Louisiana, according to National Geographic.

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BELOIT, Wis., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Louis Pinkham, Chief Executive Officer of Regal Beloit Corporation (NYSE: RBC), announced that the Board of Directors, at its regular quarterly meeting held on July 27, 2020, declared a dividend of $0.30 per share. The dividend is payable on October 9, 2020, to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 25, 2020. The company has paid a dividend every quarter since January 1961.

Regal Beloit Corporation is a global leader in the engineering and manufacturing of electric motors and controls, power generation solutions, and power transmission products serving customers throughout the world. We create a better tomorrow by developing and responsibly producing energy-efficient products and systems.

Our company is comprised of four operating segments: Commercial Systems, Industrial Systems, Climate Solutions, and Power Transmission Solutions. Regal is headquartered in Beloit, Wisconsin and has manufacturing, sales and service facilities worldwide. For more information, visit RegalBeloit.com.

SOURCE Regal Beloit Corporation

Related Links

http://www.regalbeloit.com


New Delhi, July 27 : The world is re-opening gradually after the COVID-19 shutdown, and so are offices and workplaces everywhere. But as they do, millions of office workers ask 'Is it safe? as they prepare to re-enter workplaces. No wonder, sanitisation and workplace hygiene have assumed increased importance and demand.

Global workplace experience and facility management company ISS, which has launched a disinfection and hygiene solution, Pure Space, says organisations are focusing on the well being of their employees. "So, any organisation planning to reopen their offices (even for the smallest percentage of employees) are preferring to go with our disinfection and hygiene services. They want their employees to feel safe and secure on returning to work. The focus is on sanitizing the high-traffic areas even during the working hours so employees feel safe and more connected to their workplace," Aksh Rohatgi, CEO, ISS Facility Services India, told IANSlife.

According to researchers, tight, enclosed indoors with little airflow can up your risk for contracting an infection. Research also indicates that a virus on a high-contact surface, such as a doorknob or a tabletop, can infect 40-60 per cent of the people in a workplace within two to four hours. In an enclosed space like an office, with co-workers sitting in close quarters, frequent disinfection is a need being felt across workplaces.

The users of Pure Space, which uses ATP technology to provide the before and after microbial count, largely include large organisations - MNCs and Indian companies - with a focus on employee well being, and hospitals /healthcare care centers, pharma companies where hygiene, disinfection and sanitization are of critical importance, Rohatgi said.

The procedure is an add-on to daily office cleaning services and breaks the chain of infection between people. It effectively removes all microorganisms that are typical sources of cross-infection. The cleaning focuses on high-touch surfaces - areas that human hands touch often. Do they expect a need for sanitized spaces to last beyond the pandemic? "Absolutely." "The focus on hygiene and sanitization has grown exponentially because of this pandemic and we expect the demand for sanitized spaces to continue well beyond the current situation. Everybody is aware of the difference a clean and sanitized space can make." (Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Dundas said goodbye to a favourite son in a special moment brought on by the pandemic.

Denied a funeral service because of COVID-19, about 100 townsfolk lined King Street through downtown Dundas on June 1 to pay their respects to John Mykytyshyn, described as a town icon by some for his familys longtime operation of the Owls Roost hotel, and his time as a town councillor.

They lined the street at noon to watch and wave goodbye as the hearse carrying Mykytyshyn made its way from the Marlatt Funeral Home on King Street West to Woodland Cemetery in Hamilton. His family made the request in his death notice in The Spectator.

Mykytyshyn, who was also active in the local Ukrainian community, and was instrumental in the building of a non-profit seniors home near Gage Park, died May 27 after recently being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer that affects the bone marrow. He was 88.

A half dozen people with memorial signs lined up outside the former Canadian Tire on Cootes Drive.

Yesterday I was on King Street to wave goodbye to my friend John, former Owls Roost employee Claude J. LePrieur said on social media.

I have known John and his family for over 50 years. They treated me as family ... If you ever needed help, John was the man to ask and you know you would get results.

Former Owls Roost customer Al Chamberlain went to where the tavern used to operate  95 King St. W., now the site of half a dozen businesses  to wave goodbye.

I miss those long gone days of a few beers there, after work and (an) evening out, he said on social media.

In my mind, I can still see John behind the bar and Alice (Johns wife) serving a great meal ... Im sure there are many that have great memories of those days.

Mykytyshyns daughter Donna Nunan said the family was overwhelmed with the amount of people who came out to say farewell. People also lined up outside the Taras Shevchenko Home for the Aged on Gage Avenue South and St. Vladimirs Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Barton Street East. An honour guard from the Dundas Lions Club was on hand at the entrance to Woodland.

It was very lovely, said Nunan, 51, who runs the live event vending company, My Merchandising.

Someone said he kind of deserved a parade and we thought why dont we put that in the death notice.

Mykytyshyn was born Jan. 21, 1932 in Rama, Sask. He was one of six children born to farmers Harry and Annie Mykytyshyn.

He came to Hamilton in 1950 and went to work at the Firestone plant. He and his wife Alice  who he met at the plant  bought Walts Fish and Chips on Van Wagners Beach and operated it until it was destroyed in a fire. Mykytyshyn left Firestone in 1968 after he and his wife, along with his mother-in-law Mary Donald, bought the old Central Hotel in downtown Dundas. They called it the Golden Valley Inn but it was better known as the Owls Roost.

They ran the hotel until about 2001 when they sold it. They had lived above the hotel all the time they lived in Dundas and, along the way, Mykytyshyn served as a councillor on Dundas council from 1985-1991.

Former Dundas mayor John Addison puts Mykytyshyn on a pedestal with mayor Joe Bennett and longtime councillors John Prentice and Bill McMicking.

They really had the town in their bones, said Addison, who served as mayor from 1988-2000 and was Dundas last mayor. John was like that.

Addison said Mykytyshyn had the interests of the towns business community in mind when he sat on council, but he called him pragmatic and level-headed.

Very little got him upset, said Addison. He was just one of the easiest guys to get along with.

He last saw Mykytyshyn in 2017 when he was living at the Taras Shevchenko home.

He was the kind of guy who got quietly involved, added Addison. Even when he was in the senior home he was involved in committees.

Nunan described her father as an every guy who believed that giving back to the community was just what you did.

She recalled her parents giving meals to people down on their luck, no questions asked. At Christmas, she said she and her five siblings were always sitting down to dinner with people who had no family of their own.

We never had a Christmas table that wasnt just the six of us, Nunan said. Mom and Dad included people because they needed someone.

I dont think people know how much my parents gave back to the community.

Mykytyshyn is survived by his fiance Jenny Okrainetz, children Darlene, John, Linda and Donna, seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and sister Stephie. He was predeceased by his wife of 52 years, Alice, in 2010, and son Walter in 2015. He was also predeceased by siblings Lena, Sophie, Roy and Fred.

His son John is the nationally known Conservative pollster who was a member of the Bradgate Group that crafted the Common Sense Revolution for the partys successful 1995 provincial election.

***Correction: This story was updated Aug. 4, to correct the name of the company, My Merchandising and to correct the fact that John Mykytyshyn is survived by his sister, Stephie.
COVID-19 pandemic may be fought by a possible weapon called bioprinting. The scientists claimed that 3D printed human organs such as lungs and skins could be used in treating coronavirus and other diseases like cancer.

pic.twitter.com/AMwi5tahGA Exciting! Scientists just leapt over a major hurdle in the way of 3-D printing human organs http://t.co/bhH9wIPysB  Megan McClain (@TheMeganMcClain) October 3, 2015

According to The New York Times' latest report, 3-D printing has helped address some of the medical issues during the COVId-19 pandemic, such as shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE). 3-D printing was also used by the director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Anthony Atala, in a more innovative way.

Also Read: Boris Johnson Admits the UK Underestimated COVID-19 Pandemic, Warns It Could Last Until Next Summer

The director and his team testing drugs to fight the novel coronavirus, by creating copies of human organs, and some are as small as a pinhead. The NYT report is part of its "Fast Forward Series," which tackles and examines economic, technological, cultural, and social shifts that happen as businesses across the world evolve. You can also check TechTimes for more scientific discoveries, such as this article explaining how scientists discovered space-bacteria they claimed that they are growing more antibiotic-resistant and lethal.

Also Read: [WARNING] Bacteria in Space Grows More Deadly and Lethal: How Does Microgravity Make it More Antibiotic-Resistant?

The report said the team is currently helping fight the pandemic by sending their printed colons and lungs, the two organs particularly affected by the viral disease, for testing at a biosafety lab at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. Initially, the scientists were printing the so-called organoids using their hands and a pipette. They are now starting to produce the organoids using bioprinting to increase the production rate as the pandemic continues to surge.

How does bioprinting work?

To test how a drug is effective against bacteria and other infectious diseases, such as the Zika virus, Dr. Atala's institute had already printed tiny clusters of cells in the past few years.

"But we never thought we'd be considering this for a pandemic," said Atala.

He also said that his team could print thousands of cells within an hour, from his lab in Winston-Salem, New York City. The process of creating an artificial human tissue using the printing process is a form of "bioprinting."

The report stated that scientists and other researchers are using the method to test drugs and medicines, hoping that it can be used to create actual human skin and full-size organs for transplanting.

"Even to us it sometimes seems like science fiction," said the director of a cross-disciplinary lab in the biomedical engineering department at Texas A&M University, Akhilesh Gaharwar. The lab mainly focuses on bioprinting and other approaches to regenerative medicine.

Bioprinting is currently used to print skin for those victims who suffered from burns, as well as testing cosmetics to avoid using live animals as test subjects.

Visit TechTimes for more interesting scientific discoveries.

Also Read: COVID-19 NEW Remedy: 79% Virus Severity Reduced, Thanks to Protein Inhalation

This article is owned by TechTimes,

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
WILMINGTON, Del., July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ashland Global Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ASH) today announced a definitive agreement to sell the companys maleic anhydride business and manufacturing facility in Neal, West Virginia to AOC Materials LLC, for $100 million.

Maleic anhydride is manufactured industrially on a large scale for applications in coatings and polymers. The maleic anhydride business was previously excluded from the sale of Ashlands Composites business and the butanediol (BDO) manufacturing facility in Marl, Germany, to INEOS Enterprises. The transaction with AOC is expected to close prior to the end of calendar year 2020, contingent on customary regulatory approvals and standard closing conditions.

Todays announcement furthers Ashlands strategic focus to streamline our portfolio and to focus on specialty ingredients and improved margins, said Guillermo Novo, chairman and chief executive officer, Ashland. The Maleic business and its respective employees have made important contributions to Ashland, and AOC will take a strategic view of the business to drive growth and continue their success.

We are delighted to have this business as a part of our company and welcome the employees who have made it successful to the AOC family, remarked Joe Salley, chief executive officer, AOC. We are excited about the growth prospects, not only as a source for our internal consumption but also for the merchant market as well.

Citi is acting as financial advisor to Ashland, and Squire Patton Boggs LLP is acting as legal advisor.

About Ashland

Ashland Global Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ASH) is a premier global specialty materials company serving customers in a wide range of consumer and industrial markets, including adhesives, architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, food and beverage, nutraceuticals, personal care and pharmaceutical. At Ashland, we are approximately 4,600 passionate, tenacious solvers  from renowned scientists and research chemists to talented engineers and plant operators  who thrive on developing practical, innovative and elegant solutions to complex problems for customers in more than 100 countries. Visit ashland.com to learn more.



About AOC

AOC is the leading global supplier of resins and specialty materials that enable customers to create robust, durable, and versatile products and components. With strong capabilities around the world in both manufacturing and science, the company works closely with customers to deliver unrivaled quality, service, and reliability for today, and create innovative solutions for tomorrow.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Ashland

Investor Relations: Media Relations:

Seth A. Mrozek Carolmarie C. Brown

+1 (302) 594-5010 +1 (302) 995-3158

samrozek@ashland.com ccbrown@ashland.com



AOC

Media Relations:

Thomas Wegman

+31 38 4569565

thomas.wegman@aocresins.com

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Groups of British tourists have enjoyed a raucous night of drinking in Benidorm despite the the government's new quarantine rules for Spain.

Crowds of merry holidaymakers were photographed in bars and restaurants drinking beers last night, while ignoring social distancing entirely.

Ministers announced at the weekend that everyone returning from Spain to the UK will now have to self-isolate at home for two weeks because of a spike in coronavirus cases.

The mayor of Benidorm Toni Perez says his objective in the 'next few hours' is to make sure the famous Costa Blanca resort is given 'safe' air corridor status so British holidaymakers don't have to quarantine.

The town hall chief insisted Alicante-Elche airport should be given a 'green light' ranking so British tourists can continue to holiday in the area without having to self-isolate afterwards for 14 days.

Groups of British tourists have enjoyed a raucous night of drinking in Benidorm despite the the government's new quarantine rules for Spain

Crowds of merry holidaymakers were photographed in bars and restaurants drinking beers last night, while ignoring social distancing entirely

He urged the Spanish government to put as much effort into defending the Costa Blanca as the Balearic Islands and the Canaries, which are the focus of current 'air corridor' negotiations between Madrid and the UK government.

And he insisted Benidorm had 'worked hard and well' to minimise Covid-19 risks and make it a 'safe' destination.

Measures put in place by town hall chiefs include a pioneering beach safety system which involves the marking out of thousands of squares on the sand to ensure social distancing for sun seekers.

Tourists and locals wanting to use the resort's Levante beach have to pre-book their spot on the sand.

British holidaymakers packed into bars and restaurants in Benidorm last night as they continued to make the most of their summer break

Mr Perez said: 'Benidorm has worked very hard since minute one of this current situation to develop protocols and security measures for residents and tourists.

'That work is yielding excellent results and reinforcing the security component which Benidorm has always offered.'

He added: 'British tourists are fundamental for the recovery and maintenance of tourist activity which is going to plan in Benidorm, given the fact that the rate of reservations was increasing.'

In a clear reference to the ongoing government talks about a Balearic Islands and Canaries quarantine exemption, he called on Madrid to ensure 'some tourist areas' were not given favourable treatment.

Brits will have to isolate for 14 days when they return to the UK from Spain. Pictured: holidaymakers seen out last night drinking in Benidorm

He added: 'I urge the Spanish government to avoid declarations of intent 'which favour island destinations over mainland holiday resorts.'

He insisted: 'Cancelling the restrictions which mean British holidaymakers have to self-isolate when they return home and creating a safe air corridor from Alicante-Elche airport is Benidorm's objective in the next few hours.

'We continue to work towards generating confidence in our resort and offering a safe destination.'

Karen Maling Cowles, president of the Benidorm British Businesses Association, said of Saturday's shock quarantine decision: 'It's quite devastating for the town really, all of us here.

Brits in Benidorm last night didn't seem too worried about the new quarantine rules for travellers returning from Spain

One man at least attempted to wear a mask as he headed out in fancy dress for an evening of drinking

'I personally was looking forward in two and a half weeks to seeing my son and family who I haven't seen since Christmas.

'They won't be able to come now because of the quarantine as the children have school when they get back, my son has work and the same with his wife.

'It will affect many like myself who were looking forward to enjoying time with their families.

'Not only that, but it will affect businesses here and the economy here. It's a huge setback for us all.

'It will affect the little tourism that we do have coming to Benidorm this year massively.'

Mr Perez reacted to the UK quarantine decision by admitting late Saturday: 'We very much regret it. In Benidorm we've worked a lot to minimise the risks and we haven't got any problems here at the moment.

'It's a very safe destination with beaches which are very well organised and businesses which have established protocols and are applying them.

'The problem in Spain is in certain areas, but in the end this decision affects us all and especially resorts like ours whose main market is British.

Holidaymakers returning from Spain to the UK will now have to self-isolate for 14 days when they get back. A busy beach in Mallorca is pictured on July 26

'We are going to continue working along the lines we have been up to now, knowing that what we've been doing has been done well and that we offer a safe destination thanks to the hard work of everyone here.'

He added: 'These questions of quarantine are something we can't control but Benidorm will continue to welcome those who want to come here and will continue to offer visitors including foreign tourists maximum health security.'

Toni Mayor, president of the Benidorm and Costa Blanca hotel association Hosbec, described the shock UK move as a 'hammer blow.'

He said: 'It couldn't have come at a worse time. It was looking pretty good from August 1.

'Bookings were up including family bookings and around 85 per cent of our hotels were going to be open and we were looking forward to having at least something of a normal summer.

Britons enjoy a drink at Tiki bar in Benidorm yesterday following the announcement from ministers

Passengers on a flight from Madrid arrive at Heathrow Airport yesterday after the Government announced Spain was being taken off the UK's safe travel list

'This announcement is going to bring everything crashing down.

'The British tourists who are already here have got no other option but to stay and self-isolate when they return.

'But I fear a lot of those who were going to come are now going to cancel.

'There's got to be a question mark over how many tour operators are going to carry on operating as planned.

'It's not just places like Benidorm that's going to suffer, other popular holiday destinations like the Canaries and Majorca are going to be hard hit too.

'The UK is 18 million holidaymakers every year and the British are Spain's number one holiday market.'

He added: 'There were hotels in Benidorm which were going to open on August 1 with the increased number of British arrivals that will end up staying closed now, and others that had opened but could shut following this announcement.

'There's bound to be question marks now about whether the Spanish government should have allowed discos and pubs to open so quickly.

British holidaymakers enjoy a drink at Alex's bar in Benidorm yesterday

British holidaymakers in Benidorm yesterday after the quarantine announcement was made

'But the reality here is this pandemia has been a learning experience for all of us.

'It's a very complicated situation. I think we can wave goodbye to any hopes of a normal summer now with this announcement.

'I'm obviously very concerned about the outlook for the future.'

Ximo Puig, President of the Valencian Community which includes the provinces of Alicante, Valencia and Castellon, called on Sunday for his region and especially the Costa Blanca which includes resorts like Benidorm to be given a UK quarantine exemption.

Andalucia is also fighting to be included in an air corridor scheme.

Francisco Salado, President of the Provincial Council of Malaga and the Costa del Sol tourist board, has claimed the whole of Spain is suffering the 'tremendous injustice' of the 'failure' of the pro-independence Catalan government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Catalonia is battling two of Spain's worst three coronavirus outbreaks at the moment - in Barcelona and Lleida.

Catalan president Quim Torra warned this morning he may put the entire region of 7.5 million inhabitants under a draconian home lockdown in 10 days time unless the health situation there improves.
In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Pharos Energy plc (LON:PHAR) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

See our latest analysis for Pharos Energy

Crunching the numbers

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. 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, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF ($, Millions) -US$37.0m US$16.2m US$22.2m US$20.1m US$18.8m US$18.1m US$17.6m US$17.4m US$17.3m US$17.3m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ -6.16% Est @ -3.94% Est @ -2.39% Est @ -1.31% Est @ -0.55% Est @ -0.02% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 15% -US$32.3 US$12.3 US$14.7 US$11.6 US$9.5 US$8.0 US$6.8 US$5.9 US$5.1 US$4.4

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$46m

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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 15%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$17m (1 + 1.2%)  (15% 1.2%) = US$131m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$131m ( 1 + 15%)10= US$34m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$80m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK0.1, the company appears about fair value at a 7.3% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

dcf

The assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the 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 Pharos Energy 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 15%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.933. 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.

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For Pharos Energy, we've put together three essential items you should assess:

Risks: Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for Pharos Energy you should be aware of. Future Earnings: How does PHAR's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. 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.
Daniel Andrews has slammed conspiracy theorists who refuse to wear masks to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The Victoria Premier said the anti-mask campaigners were 'appalling' and their views have 'no basis in science or fact or law.'

Over the weekend several Melbourne women posted videos of themselves entering shops without masks and arguing with staff when asked to leave.

The women falsely claim the public health order requiring masks was introduced to 'control' people rather than stop the spread of coronavirus.

Lizzy Rose describes herself as a pagan witch and says she hates wearing masks. She has filmed herself burning them in a fire pit

'The thing with conspiracy theorists, the more you engage in an argument with them, the more oxygen you are giving them,' Mr Andrews said on Monday.

'Ultimately, I think people can judge for themselves the credibility of people who are running those sort of keyboard warrior campaigns.'

Some of the women in the videos falsely claim they cannot be forced to wear a mask under human rights laws.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday

'Seriously, one more comment about human rights - honestly. It is about human life,' Mr Andrews said.

'If we continue with this stuff, standing in the car park of Bunnings reading whatever nonsense you have pulled up from some obscure website...

'The message that will save lives is not focusing on people whose behaviour is appalling.

'Their views have no basis in science or fact or law. Don't focus on them.'

It comes as Victoria records six deaths and 532 new coronavirus cases, its highest total ever.

Earlier on Monday Daily Mail Australia revealed that an ordained pagan exorcist is leading an army of 'Bunnings Karens' who are filming themselves arguing with vexed shop keepers across COVID-plagued Melbourne.

Psychic Elizabeth 'Lizzy' Rose is a self proclaimed high priestess witch who performs exorcisms for a living when not disrupting shopping aisles.

Ms Rose has emerged as one of the leaders of a group of Melburnians that have come to police attention since mandatory mask wearing laws were implemented last Thursday.

In videos of the exorcist posted on both her own Facebook page and that of the 'army', Ms Rose declares she will continue to travel through up to five Melbourne suburbs a day without wearing a mask.

Other videos show her burning face masks in a fire pit.

'I will be walking the streets with no mask,' she brags. 'And I will be telling anyone who is interested to not consent. To not comply. To not put your life and your health at risk.'

What is a 'Karen'? A 'Karen' is a newly-emerged term for a self-righteous woman, usually middle-aged, who tells people how to do their jobs, asserts their rights and complains to the manager. The origins of the term are unclear, however it quickly became popular in meme culture on internet forums such as Reddit to describe problematic women. A Karen meme is often combined with the quote: 'Can I speak to the manager?' Advertisement

In a long-winded rant posted on the day the bans kicked in, Ms Rose filmed herself walking down a street in Tullamarine - northwest of Melbourne - while not wearing a mask.

In the footage, she bizarrely claims the government actually hopes to kill Victorians by forcing them to wear masks.

'This is about control, this is about submission, this is about compliance, this is about you doing what you're told not about a killer virus,' she said.

Another 'Bunnings Karen' filmed herself in a store in the Melbourne suburb of Narre Warren on Friday.

In a viral video, the woman accused staff at the store of abusing her human rights by politely asking her to wear a mask, and was briefly arrested after clashing with police outside.

New footage emerged on Sunday of the same woman ranting at a mask-wearing Australia Post worker.

'I do not need a mask. If you could stamp that, it would be wonderful,' the woman says as she approaches the Australia Post counter, her mobile phone camera already recording the startled employee.

The woman then berates the staff member, telling him he has no authority to ask her to wear a face mask while he quietly serves her.

'I suggest you update yourself on what the Department of Human Services have put on with regards to masks and who needs to wear them,' she says sternly.

'And who also has the authorisation to actually ask for that evidence? Because it's not you. Thank you.'
Agartala, July 27 : The Tripura capital tops in the smart city rankings among ten cities of eight northeastern states, an official release said here on Monday.

According to a state government release, as per the Smart City rankings released earlier this month by the Centre, Agartala was at the 56th place - up from the 74th position - amongst 100 smart cities in India.

The over 185-year-old city is followed by Namchi (Sikkim) at the 59th position, Aizawl at the 75th, Kohima at the 79th, Gangtok at the 80th, Guwahati at the 83rd, Itanagar at the 89th, Shillong at the 92nd, Imphal at the 93rd and Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh) at the 98th position.

The release said that the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry Secretary reviewed the progress of the Smart City projects of the northeastern states on July 24. Agartala Smart City has taken up 80 projects at a cost of Rs 1,479 crore for all round development of the capital which has a population of around five lakh.

It said that 100 per cent projects have been tendered by the Smart City Mission team. The Centre government has sanctioned Rs 196 crore, while the state government has released Rs 50 crore to the Agartala Smart City Ltd. So far, Rs 72 crore have been spent under the project.

Following instructions of Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, one the first projects taken up by Agartala Smart City Mission was to reduce the water stagnation problem in the capital city during the monsoon. An Integrated Command and Control Centre with a network of many CCTV cameras has been put in place for live monitoring of flood-related measures in Agartala city and its outskirts.

Other projects coming up under Agartala Smart City are widening of 14 important roads, the four-laning of the airport road, and the development of Howrah river bank and Ujjayanta Palace avenue.

Then king Krishna Kishore Manikya (r 1830-1849) shifted the state capital from old Agartala to its present location of Agartala. Considered to be one of the oldest municipal bodies in India, Agartala Municipality was established by the then king Birchandra Manikya in 1871 while the princely ruler in 1936-37 had prepared a "Masterplan" for Agartala which is said to be one of the first modern examples of urban planning.
The US ambassador to South Korea has shaved off his moustache to stay "cool" during the hot summer, months after his facial hair drew unusual criticism from anti-U.S. activists who likened it to those of former Japanese colonial leaders.

The US embassy on Saturday posted a video on Twitter of Harry Harris visiting a classic local barbershop in Seoul to remove his moustache, which he said together with a face mask makes him feel too hot and uncomfortable.

"I haven't seen this face in years," Harris told the barber after the shave. "I feel so much cooler now."

"Glad I did this. For me it was either keep the 'stache or lose the mask. Summer in Seoul is way too hot & humid for both. #COVID guidelines matter & I'm a masked man!" he said in a separate tweet.

Early this year, his moustache became a source of criticism from some politicians and anti-U.S. activists who compared it with those of Japanese officials during their 1910-45 colonial rule. Some even linked it to his Japanese-American heritage, as Harris was born to a Japanese mother and an American father.

The controversy came as the allies have been at odds over a raft of issues in recent years, including South Korea's desire to restart inter-Korean economic cooperation. Relations between North and South Korea have been dogged by stalled nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang, as well as by international sanctions imposed over the North's weapons programmes.

Harris has urged Seoul to seek U.S. consultations before pursuing any initiatives with the North to avoid any "misunderstandings" that could trigger sanctions.

The envoy has said privately he does not plan to stay on beyond the November U.S. presidential election, regardless of whether President Donald Trump wins another term.
Bright Shitemi is the co-founder and Executive Director of Mental 360, a youth-driven and youth-focused organization that promotes mental health by raising awareness, creating support systems and advocacy for youth experiencing mental health challenges.

Mental 360 has been selected to join the Facebook Accelerator Programme in Kenya.

What does it mean to be mentally healthy or mentally ill?

Good mental health is when an individuals mind is functioning correctly. It is the ability to cope with day to day stressors that affect our emotions, thoughts and feelings.

On the other hand, a mental disorder is an illness that affects a persons mood, thinking and behaviour. Mental illnesses are often associated with distress and/or difficulty participating in social, work or family activities. It can be treated and managed with medicine, just like heart disease or malaria.

What is the leading cause of mental health issues in the country?

Mental health problems usually come as a result of many issues, but the one that stands out from our data is trauma from adverse experiences. I believe the youth face the highest risk, because most of them live in areas where there is a lot of stigma associated with mental illness.

Additionally, most young people lack the financial capacity to access quality mental healthcare.

How did you end up here, bearing in mind that you studied economics?

I got immersed in the field of mental health in 2016 after I lost some friends to suicide. Growing up, our definition of poor mental health was the naked man or woman on the streets. My friends never walked naked in public, but some of them lived and struggled with mental illnesses to the point where they took their lives.

That was a rude awakening for me. I became aware of the importance of mental health and learnt as much as I could so that I could save lives.

I had also been through some tough times myself and that put me in a good position to see the existing gaps in information on mental health. To address all this, I came up with Mental 360.

What services does Mental 360 offer?

We raise awareness, engage in advocacy and provide holistic and affordable therapy solutions. We use art, story-telling and experiential learning as tools for education and awareness creation.

We do in-talk therapy, art therapy and physical wellness. We also run a 24/7 helpline (0776543099) and reach out to the public on social media platforms. Additionally, we take our campaigns and programmes to schools, communities and work places.

What have you achieved so far?

Over the years, our awareness and therapy programmes have helped thousands of youth heal from trauma, while others have been transformed into mental health advocates. We have also designed and piloted Free Up mental health clubs which will be set up in learning institutions.

We have also been holding monthly support group meetings where people can share their experiences and learn from each other. Our flagship awareness and advocacy platform, The Cradle Arts Festival, was a huge success and we are doing it online this year.

Our work has been recognised as being among the impactful social enterprises in Africa, and we were recently roped into the Facebook Accelerator programme.

What does this programme mean for you and the organisation?

First, it is an indication that people are beginning to appreciate the benefits and importance of good mental health. It is also gives me an opportunity to network, learn, grow and scale our products and services.

Apart from advocating for good mental health, what else do you do?

I manage, mentor and support a generation of talented conscious artists through the Cradle Arts Festival. There is a great pool of budding talent in Kenya that can be used to unite the country and make the world a better place.

Where do you want Mental 360 to be in the next few years?

We want to take this campaign and break it down to the various contexts of our tribes. We want this issue to be owned by the community and for our interventions to be available to all.

We want the corporate world to embrace our initiatives. We want suicide rates to go down, we want suicide to be decriminalised as this will reduce stigma, improve reporting and help us plan effectively.

Someone who attempts suicide needs to be loved and put in hospital, not in jail. We want our programmes to not only heal but empower others socially and economically so that they can afford medication and therapy.

Courtesy/ Mynetwork
Agartala, July 28 : Tripura police have launched a probe after gathering of people at the residence of BJP MLA and former Health Minister Sudip Roy Barman, allegedly flouted restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, officials said on Monday.

West Tripura District Police Chief Manik Lal Das said that they have received the information about the Sunday's aleged gathering at the MLA's residence here.

"An inquiry is now in progress to decide about the further course of action," Das told the media.

To prevent the spread of the COVID-19, the District Magistrates of all eight districts of Tripura have promulgated the night curfew from 9 pm with effect from July 11 and the state government has enforced the total lockdown for three days from Monday.

The state government in compliance with the central government orders also prohibited the social, political and religious gatherings in the state up to July 31. While reacting on the issue BJP spokesman Nabendu Bhattacharjee said that law would take its own course.

He said : "We have heard the matter. The government would take action according to the law. The party would also explore the matter. If what is reported in the media is true, proper action would be taken against him." Barman, a former IT Minister and a sitting legislator, however, denied the allegation.

"This is totally false. A section of social media are making the false campaign against me. The number of people at Sunday's gathering was about 20, including the four security personnel of the MLA hostel. The gathering was organised for all members of the MLAs' hostel. No outsider was present," Barman told the media.

Barman, had elected to the state assembly several times on Congress tickets and had joined the BJP along with six MLAs in 2017, and he become Health and Family Welfare, Information Technology and Science and Technology Minister after the saffron party led alliance government came to power in Tripura in March 2018 giving a humiliating defeat to the Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front.

Barman was sacked from the council of ministers headed by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb in May last year.
Emergent BioSolutions Inc said on Monday it signed a $174 million agreement with AstraZeneca to develop and manufacture the British drugmaker's COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

AstraZeneca in June picked Emergent to help produce 300 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine pledged to the United States.

AstraZeneca has signed manufacturing deals globally to meet its target of making 2 billion doses of the vaccine, including with two Bill Gates-backed ventures and a $1.2 billion agreement with the US government.

The company's vaccine, which has been co-developed by University of Oxford, is among the first to move into mid-stage trials. There are no approved vaccines or treatments for COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

The latest contract follows an $87 million contract in June where Emergent signed an agreement to become the development partner for AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Activities under the agreement will be at Emergent's Baltimore Bayview facility, the company said, which is a designated center by the US Department of Health and Human Services for rapid manufacturing of large quantities of vaccines and treatments.

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here
Spanish lawyer Baltasar Garzon, who is part of Assanges legal team, second right, arrives at Spains National Court in Madrid, Spain, Monday (Maria Fernandez/AP)

Spains National Court is due to hear evidence in an investigation into whether a Spanish company was hired to spy on Julian Assange during the seven years the WikiLeaks founder spent in Ecuadors embassy in London.

The court is investigating whether David Morales, a Spaniard, and his Undercover Global S.L. security agency invaded the privacy of Assange and his visitors at the embassy by secretly recording their meetings.

The intelligence that Mr Morales company collected is suspected of being handed over to third parties, according to court papers.

Expand Close Julian Assange during a press conference inside the Ecuadorian Embassy (John Stillwell/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Julian Assange during a press conference inside the Ecuadorian Embassy (John Stillwell/PA)

Among those set to face the courts questions on Monday were prominent Spanish lawyer Baltasar Garzon, who is part of Assanges legal team; former Ecuadorian consul in London Fidel Narvaez; and Stella Morris, a legal adviser and Assanges partner, who revealed earlier this year that she had two children with him while he lived in the embassy.

Staff of the Spanish security company are due to give evidence on Tuesday.

Assange, whose lawyers filed a complaint at the court to trigger the investigation, is in a British prison after being removed from the embassy last year.

He is fighting extradition to the United States, where he faces espionage charges over the activities of WikiLeaks.

The court is conducting an investigation, begun last year, before deciding whether there is evidence of wrongdoing that warrants a trial.

Undercover Global, also known as UC Global, was hired by Ecuadors government to provide security at Ecuadors embassy in London between 2015 and 2018.

Expand Close Baltasar Garzon (Manu Fernandez/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Baltasar Garzon (Manu Fernandez/AP)

Its main task was to secure the propertys perimeter, including the deployment of security staff, due to Assanges presence inside, court papers say.

According to the National Court summons, the preliminary investigation has raised suspicions that, under the cover of his security work, Mr Morales used bugging devices and video equipment to record Assanges meetings with visitors.

They included his lawyers, politicians, journalists, medical staff, Ecuadorian diplomats, the former head of Ecuadors National Intelligence Service, Rommy Vallejo, and long-time Republican congressman for California Dana Rohrabacher.

Mr Morales passed on the recordings to third parties who are not yet identified.

However, the court papers note allegations that the intelligence was passed to Zohar Lahav, described by Assanges lawyers as a security officer at Las Vegas Sands Corp, a US casino and resort company based in Nevada.

The court refused a request by Assanges legal team to summon as witnesses Las Vegas Sands chief executive Sheldon Adelson and the companys senior vice president and chief security officer Brian Nagel.

Expand Close Julian Assange speaks from the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy (Dominic Lipinski/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Julian Assange speaks from the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The court papers gave no explanation for the refusal.

Assanges legal team says the court has asked US authorities to question Lahav and Mr Rohrabacher on its behalf.

Mr Morales also asked his companys staff to take Assanges fingerprints from a glass and is suspected of copying the ID documents of visitors, the summons says.

The court is investigating UC Globals bank accounts, international travel records, mobile phone, email and Internet access records, and its online purchases of recording equipment.

Mr Morales was arrested last year and granted conditional release.
(Refiles to remove extraneous word in first paragraph)

By Roslan Khasawneh and Anshuman Daga

SINGAPORE, July 25 (Reuters) - Members of Singapore's Lim family have asked a court to stop law firm Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP (R&T) from working for court-appointed supervisors to two companies in the Lim's embattled oil trading empire, Evan Lim Chee Meng told Reuters.

Lim and his sister, Lim Huey Ching, filed an application to restrain R&T from acting for the judicial managers of fleet manager Ocean Tankers Pte Ltd, Lim said in an email on Friday. A similar application had been made in regard to oil trader Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd, he said.

They filed application on behalf of Ocean Tankers and Hin Leong Trading. Lim and his sister are directors of both companies.

The actions are the latest in a series stemming from the collapse earlier this year of Hin Leong and Ocean Tankers, both of which were placed under court-appointed supervisors.

Hin Leong is seeking to restructure billions of dollars of debt after a crash in oil prices revealed a massive, years long fraud at the once fabled trading house.

"R&T sees no legal or factual basis for the position now taken by the members of the Lim family purportedly acting as directors of the two companies," the law firm said in a statement to Reuters.

EY, the court-appointed interim judicial manager (IJM) for Ocean Tankers, and PwC, the IJM for Hin Leong, did not respond to requests for comment.

The Lims said in a court affidavit reviewed by Reuters that they were told by R&T on May 12 that the law firm would act for Ocean Tankers' IJM, EY. They said from the early 1990s, R&T had advised and acted for their family and their group of companies.

R&T possessed confidential information and documents that were at risk of being misused by the firm in its new role to benefit the supervisors, against the family's interests, they said in the affidavit.

Story continues

These included financial statements and management accounts, shareholders' agreements, loan agreements and charter agreements related to vessels owned by companies owned by the Lims, they said.

In the affidavit, the Lims said R&T had "to date refused to step down despite repeated requests to do so, which has necessitated this application."

The case will be heard on Aug. 11, Lim said.

R&T told Reuters by email it had never advised or acted for the Lim family in connection with the financial distress of their companies. It said it acted for Ocean Tankers and Hin Leong to file for judicial management and the appointment of IJMs.

After the IJMs were appointed, R&T said, it agreed to continue acting for the two companies and for the IJMs of both firms, "subject to certain conditions which ensured that there would not be a conflict of interest or abuse of confidential information." (Reporting by Roslan Khasawneh and Anshuman Daga; Additional reporting by Jessica Jaganathan and Florence Tan; Editing by Richard Pullin and William Mallard)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's response to the coronavirus pandemic has won widespread approval even as other high-profile leaders face growing frustrations, according to polling from Kekst CNC, shared with Axios.

The big picture: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's truly terrible ratings have been driven largely by economic concerns, while rising case counts have seen President Trump slump to new lows in the poll. Merkel, meanwhile, is winning high marks on both the public health and economic fronts.

French President Emmanuel Macron fares far worse, but his numbers have ticked up from -17% last month.

Everyone else is heading in the wrong direction, including U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for whom an initial boost in popularity has long since evaporated.

64% of Brits think the government lifted lockdown too early, and 67% think the government is just making things up as it goes along.

The U.K's beloved National Health Service scores a whopping +85% approval for its pandemic response, however.

In Sweden, confidence in the government's unorthodox approach is fading slightly though still relatively strong (+8%).

Worth noting: Just 14% of Swedes say theyre wearing masks indoors in public spaces, compared to 47% in the U.K. and big majorities in France (74%), the U.S. (75%), Germany (79%) and Japan (84%).
Shit, this sounds like something I would do if I had the money. Some things are too important

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Is that 5000 usd or canadian dollar?

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you have the bear Zibby?

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Oh, no. This is awful. I'm so sorry and I hope someone has a heart. :(



My house was broken into the year my mom died, and the thieves stole a lot of things, but also a jar with her ashes (I have no doubt they thought they were drugs, since the thieves were high at the time and they were in a little baggy because I just had a little and my dad has the rest); a necklace made of her ashes; and a bracelet she made me a couple months before she died. I can't think about any of that because it's still so upsetting. I fucking hate people.



They actually caught them, but nothing was ever found except a few items at a pawn shop that I was able to find online and replace anyway.

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that's so so so so awful, I'm so sorry.

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I'm so, so sorry.

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how heartbreaking  Please let there be a happy ending to this story

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That is so devastating. My mom died 22 years ago and it would be nice to hear her voice again. I really hope Mara gets her bear back. Good for Ryan and George for offering a reward.

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omg :(



I watched my mom die at 23 and I used to call our homeline because her voice was on the answering machine



I am not judging but just giving my own opinion from my own experience I think its a good thing to distance your child from this and not hold onto it. Holding on to it only made it worse for me. I think this is a blessing tbh more her mother wanting her to live her life



and the voice thing surly they have home videos of them together cause I have them with my mom so that is not forgotten



I'm sorry if I sound harsh or crazy its not my intent



Edited at 2020-07-27 02:15 am (UTC)

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Thats awful. I hope they find it, but I would imagine it was just tossed by the thieves deeming it invaluable.



Terrible.

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yep, that's what usually happens when things are snatched like this - if it's not worth anything, into the trash it goes almost immediately. I was reading something recently about a guy who got his MOTHER'S ASHES stolen from his lobby after they were mailed to him, and he put out a similar plea, and afaik they're never been recovered

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omg, someone please give it back and give me just a shred of hope in humanity. Come on.

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Damn. Poor dear. I hope she gets it back.





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My emotions are a little high today and I read this story earlier and cried. I hope she gets her bear back. I wish I had something with my moms voice. Shes been gone for almost twelve years now and I still havent deleted her cell phone number from my phone

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The layers of privilege to this. I can't.

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what do you mean?

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First of all, shout out to the thumbs down.



I have been illegally evicted 3 times in 2 years. I have lost my mother from health issues that I had to personally care for her and watch her struggle through. Through those evictions I have lost irreplaceable clothing, notes, other mementos. The last things I had on the planet that were hers. Across the US, millions of people just lost eviction protection and guess who is going to be predominantly effected? Black women and single moms.



This woman has the luxury of moving with a truck. If that doesn't sound like a luxury to you, then congrats on the privilege. It's also a privilege to chose to move. Most people who lose their mothers don't get to hear their voices again, especially not through a comfort object. And while I can sympathize and understand that losing something irreplaceable related to a dead mother can feel excruciating, does it need to become like a whole thing with Mr. Plantation Wedding throwing money at the situation when there are like endlessly worse things going on all over the world at any given moment?



Idk maybe I'm in a mood?



Edited at 2020-07-27 03:30 am (UTC)

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I understand but I also disagree. As someone who has lost their mother and as someone who has lost her own, Im sure we would love to have anything that has her voice. I dont even remember the sound of my mothers voice. I dont think its fair to project our circumstances onto other people when it comes to stuff like this. Its clearly a possession that means everything to her. Pick your battles, I always say.

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That's really sweet of Ryan.

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It breaks my heart that she's going through this. If someone stole my backpack all I'd want back is my dad's last passport. It means the world to me.

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I really hope she gets it back.

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Oh my gosh! Hope they reunite ASAP! 

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President Donald Trump on Monday named an outspoken critic of US military deployments as ambassador to Germany, as he moves to pull troops from the NATO ally. The White House said that Trump had nominated retired colonel Douglas Macgregor, a frequent commentator on Fox News who has written about German military history. The nomination needs to be confirmed by the Senate, where Trump's Republican Party enjoys a majority but which has limited time to act before November 3 elections as lawmakers focus on the coronavirus pandemic. Macgregor has been blunt in his criticism of the Iraq war, denouncing the often celebrated David Petraeus as a "useful fool" promoted by politicians and the media. He has been a guest on Fox News host Tucker Carlson's show, a favorite of the television-loving Trump, where Macgregor staunchly defended the president over criticism of his withdrawal from Syria. Breaking with conventional wisdom in Washington, Macgregor has argued that the United States has no compelling interest to keep troops in Iraq or Syria and said that Turkey, not Iran, presented a key threat. Macgregor, who holds a doctorate, has studied East Germany's relationship with the Soviet Union and caused a stir with his 1997 book "Breaking the Phalanx," which pushed for a reorganization of the army. Trump frequently criticizes US deployments overseas and in June approved plans to withdraw 9,500 troops from Germany after accusing the NATO ally of treating the United States unfairly on trade. Trump has had tense relations with German chancellor Angela Merkel, who recently snubbed his offer of an in-person Group of Seven summit in the United States, pointing to coronavirus risks. If confirmed, Macgregor would succeed another voluble figure, Richard Grenell, who startled Germany with uncharacteristic remarks for an ambassador, including vowing to empower anti-establishment right-wingers in Europe. Grenell returned to Washington to become Trump's director of national intelligence before resigning as ambassador in June.
NSA is warning of cyber attacks launched by foreign threat actors against organizations in the critical infrastructure sector across the U.S.

The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an alert warning of cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure across the U.S.

Over recent months, cyber-actors have demonstrated their continued willingness to conduct malicious cyber-activity against critical infrastructure (CI) by exploiting internet-accessible operational technology (OT) assets, states the joint advisory published by the NSA/CISA, released on Thursday. Due to the increase in adversary capabilities and activity, the criticality to U.S. national security and way of life and the vulnerability of OT systems, civilian infrastructure makes attractive targets for foreign powers attempting to do harm to U.S. interests or retaliate for perceived U.S. aggression.

The US agencies urge owners and operators of critical infrastructure to adopt the necessary measures to improve the resilience and safety of U.S. systems used in critical environments. The NSA along with the CISA recommends that all DoD, NSS, DIB, and U.S. critical infrastructure facilities take immediate actions to secure their OT assets.

Attackers are targeting specific equipment, Triconex TriStation and Triconex Tricon Communication Module broadly adopted in industrial environments, such as power plants, factories, oil, and gas refineries.

In a separate security advisory, the ICS-CERT is warning of a critical security bug in the Schneider Electric Triconex TriStation and Tricon Communication Module.

This isnt the first time that these systems were targeted by threat actors in the wild.

In December 2017, a new malicious code dubbed Triton malware (aka Trisis) was discovered by researchers at FireEye, it was specifically designed to target industrial control systems (ICS) system.

Security experts at CyberX who analyzed samples of the malware provided further details on the attack, revealing that Triton was likely developed by Iran and used to target an organization in Saudi Arabia.

The Triton malware was designed to target Schneider Electrics Triconex Safety Instrumented System (SIS) controllers that are used in industrial environments to monitor the state of a process and restore it to a safe state or safely shut it down if parameters indicate a potentially hazardous situation.

TRITON is designed to communicate using the proprietary TriStation protocol which is not publicly documented, this implies that the attackers reverse engineered the protocol to carry out the attack.

Unfortunately, most of the OT systems used in industrial environments were never designed to be connected to the Internet, this means that they are particularly exposed to cyber-attacks.

Experts from CISA and NSA observed a mix of techniques used to target these systems in US critical infrastructures. The attack chain starts with spearphishing messages, once the attackers gained access to the organizations IT network, they attempt lateral movements to target the OT network.

Below a list of recently observed Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures provided in the advisory.

Spearphishing [T1192] to obtain initial access to the organizations information technology (IT) network before pivoting to the OT network.

Deployment of commodity ransomware to Encrypt Data for Impact [T1486] on both networks.

Connecting to Internet Accessible PLCs [T883] requiring no authentication for initial access.

Utilizing Commonly Used Ports [T885] and Standard Application Layer Protocols [T869], to communicate with controllers and download modified control logic.

Use of vendor engineering software and Program Downloads [T843].

Modifying Control Logic [T833] and Parameters [T836] on PLCs.

One of the bugs detailed in the NSA/CISA alert is a critical vulnerability in Triconex SIS, tracked as CVE-2020-7491, which was rated 10 on the CvSS vulnerability-severity scale.

The CVE-2020-7491 flaw is an improper access control flaw.

A legacy debug port account in TCMs installed in Tricon system Versions 10.2.0 through 10.5.3 is visible on the network and could allow inappropriate access. reads the advisory.

A successful attack on there safety instrumented system (SIS) controllers can allow an attacker to view clear text data on the network, trigger a denial-of-service condition, or allow improper access.

The vulnerabilities listed in the advisory impact TriStation 1131, v1.0.0 to v4.9.0, v4.10.0, and 4.12.0, operating on Windows NT, Windows XP or Windows 7; and Tricon Communications Module (TCM) Models 4351, 4352, 4351A/B, and 4352A/B installed in Tricon v10.0 to v10.5.3 systems.

The good news is that more recent versions of these SIS are not impacted by these vulnerabilities.

OT assets are critical to the Department of Defense (DoD) mission and underpin essential National Security Systems (NSS) and services, as well as the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and other critical infrastructure, concludes the joint alert. At this time of heightened tensions, it is critical that asset owners and operators of critical infrastructure take the following immediate steps to ensure resilience and safety of U.S. systems should a time of crisis emerge in the near term.

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs  hacking, Triconex)

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Episode 49 | 28 min

Three ways to do it, using the imagination.

What are people seeing in their mind's eye as you preach? Ideally, you want them to see Jesus, or how God is at work among his people. In this episode, Matt Woodley and Kevin Miller outline three ways to bring listeners into the Bible scene: point people to the picture, not to the page; bring people into the present moment; and help them hear the actors, not the author. You'll also get a backstage pass to "stump the hosts," where they put preaching methods to the test.

Matt Woodley is the pastor of compassion ministries at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois.
The government may restrict private sector telecom operators from purchasing Chinese equipment when leasing public assets. The private telcos such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone may not be able to procure equipment from Chinese firms such as Huawei and ZTE post the upcoming 4G auction.

Similar restrictions may be imposed on equipment related to the 5G spectrum, whenever an auction is planned. The rationale behind the proposed rule is that spectrum is a public asset which is auctioned by the government to private firms, Financial Express reported.

Both Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have other partners apart from Huawei for the 5G trials. While Bharti Airtel has filed applications with Samsung, Nokia and Ericsson, Vodafone has already entered into a partnership with a few telecom equipment companies. Reliance Jio is the only Indian telecom player without a Chinese partner.

In December last year, Huawei was tentatively admitted into 5G trials in India. As part of the trial plan, the government had decided that telecom players would be allocated special airwaves for a short period for the 5G trials. Huawei entered the scene with Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel, while BSNL partnered with ZTE.

But the 5G trials could not take off due to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown in March. Later in May, hostilities erupted at the India-China border which led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers.

Also Read: 'Please don't extend loan moratorium': HDFC's Deepak Parekh pleads to RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das

Also Read: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das highlights 5 bright spots in Indian economy
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian speaks at a press conference in Homebush on July 14, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

NSW Holding the Line as Virus Cases Grow

NSW residents are being urged to remain on high alert and monitor their health after 17 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed across the state.

The new cases were diagnosed in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. on Sunday from 22,032 tests, bringing the total number of cases in NSW to 3496.

Four cases are linked to the funeral service cluster in Sydneys southwest, three are household contacts of cases associated with the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park, and two are under investigation. Eight are returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

There are now two cases linked to the Thai Rock at Potts Point after a diner who visited the restaurant on July 17 tested positive last week.

A staff member has now also become a confirmed case and investigations to date have not identified links between cases at the two restaurants.

The staff member is not included in the three cases linked to Thai Rock Wetherill Park on Monday.

Anyone who attended the Potts Point restaurant for more than two hours between July 15 and July 25 should get tested and self-isolate for 14 days since they were last there, regardless of symptoms.

A couple who tested positive for COVID-19 following the Bankstown funeral attended Tan Viet Noodle House in Cabramatta, which is also known as Crispy Chicken Noodle House, between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on July 22 and An Restaurant in Bankstown between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on July 23.

Anyone who attended these venues is asked to watch for symptoms and get tested if symptoms appear.

A case linked to the funeral cluster is a student at Georges River Grammar School in Georges Hall in Sydneys southwest.

The school is closed for cleaning and close contacts are being directed to self-isolate.

Late on Monday, NSW Health put out an alert for another Potts Point restaurant and two pubs in southwest Sydney, after two separate cases were linked to the venues.

Anyone who attended The Apollo restaurant at Potts Point from Thursday 23 to Saturday 25 July is being contacted and asked to quarantine for 14 days after their visit, and get tested.

NSW Health is also contacting staff and visitors to Mounties in Mount Prichard on July 24 and 25, and Prichards Hotel in the same suburb on July 23, directing them to isolate for 14 days and get tested.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters the coming weeks were critical for managing the spread of the virus and urged the public to remain vigilant.

NSW given the circumstances is holding the line and doing ok but we are still on high alert, she said on Monday.

The premier said there had been an improvement in business safety practices since new virus measures were introduced on Friday but said police and compliance officers would continue to monitor the situation.

She also stressed the importance of maintaining physical distancing in public spaces.

It is so important for all of us not to let down our guard because when you let down your guard the virus can take hold and spread.

NSW Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant told reporters there were 101 COVID-19 cases being treated by NSW Health.

Five people are in intensive care, with 90 percent of cases in out-of-hospital care.

NSW Police have issued three $1000 infringement notices to residents who failed to self-isolate when returning from Victoria.

Berejiklian implored people not take part in the Black Lives Matter protest planned for Tuesday.

Conducting a protest at this time is highly irresponsible, were in a pandemic, this is not usual circumstances.

The Sydney protest was blocked by the NSW Supreme Court on Sunday due to concerns about COVID-19 community transmission.

By Ashlea Witoslawski in Sydney
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 23:23:17|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday rebuffed U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's slanderous remarks on the Communist Party of China (CPC), saying his sensational and irresponsible claims were criticized and condemned by people who pursue peace and justice, including Americans with a broader vision.

Richard Haass, president of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, recently cited his article in Washington Post titled "What Mike Pompeo doesn't understand about China, Richard Nixon and U.S. foreign policy" on Twitter to criticize Pompeo's speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library. In his words, "Pompeo's China speech Thursday not only misrepresented history but advocated a policy for the most important relationship of this era that is neither viable nor coherent. That he delivered it at the Nixon Library only added insult to injury."

When asked to comment on that, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at regular press conference that Pompeo negated every aspect of China-U.S. relations over the past 40 years, flagrantly attacked the CPC and called on countries to gang up on China.

"His outrageously deranged words have been criticized and condemned by all people who love peace and have a sense of justice, including those in the United States," Wang said.

"Pompeo's accusation of 'CPC's designs for hegemony' is out of not only ignorance but also bias," the spokesperson said.

Wang said that the CPC started with only dozens of members, and today it has grown into a major party with over 91 million members and has long been the ruling party in the world's most populous country. The reason for it, which Pompeo is ignorant of, is that the CPC always puts people's interests as the first priority, and always sticks together with the people through thick and thin. As revealed in a research recently published by the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University, under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people's overall support and satisfaction toward the central government exceeds 93 percent. According to a research result released by Edelman, 95 percent of the Chinese people trust the Chinese government, ranking the top of all countries surveyed, while the United States is the second to last with trust from only 48 percent citizens. The CPC's goal is to realize the great renewal of the Chinese nation, not replacing the United States. In the end, the international status of the United States depends on itself, not others. The CPC is a political party that strives for the well-being of the Chinese people as well as the progress of mankind. China champions and practices the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. China is the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and has been contributing to the peaceful settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, the Iranian nuclear issue and other regional and international hotspots, as well as the response to climate change and other global challenges. In recent years China has contributed over 30 percent to the world economic growth, and has helped a lot in the international response to the financial crisis in Asia and the global financial crisis.

"These are all facts witnessed by the whole world, which cannot be erased by Pompeo," Wang said.

"Pompeo was calling for an anti-China coalition in his speech, but he seems to have forgotten that in the 21st century, instigation of hatred and confrontation runs counter to the trend of the times. The United States gains no support in trying to reverse the wheel of history," Wang said.

"Pompeo talks all about safeguarding democracy and freedom, but he doesn't represent democracy and freedom at all. He serves the U.S. hegemony and the interest groups behind him. But long gone are the days of ideological confrontation. The world today is on an unstoppable trend toward multi-polarity," he said.

"It has been almost half a century since President Nixon's visit to China. The development of China-U.S. relationship over this period of time taught us that a steady and sound bilateral relationship grows only when there's equality and mutual respect," the spokesperson said.

"China doesn't intend to change the United States, and the United States surely cannot alter China. We would like to develop China-U.S. relations featuring coordination, cooperation and stability, but we reject any bullying and injustice," Wang said.

"The Chinese people are not weak-kneed, and the world are not easily deceived. We urge a few U.S. politicians to stop slandering the CPC and the Chinese people and undercutting China-U.S. exchange and cooperation," he said.

"We call on all peace-loving countries and people to step forward and say no to the insanity of Pompeo and his like that jeopardizes world peace," he added. Enditem
Operation LeGend / Operation Diligent Valor

The vareful observer will note that all this sound and fury does not completely cohere. IT seems that federal employees are being used as extras in a reality TV production intended to influence news coverage to support the Trump campaign's over-arching theme of law and order defense agaist Democrats and anarchists lawless in the streets. There is a bit of a jumble here, since part of what is projected is normal law enforcement against violent crime, while the other part is actions by jack-booted thugs against peaceful protesters.

Donald Trump deployed federal agents in camouflage  many unidentified  to the streets of Portland, Oregon. The Department of Homeland Security overruled objections from local authorities, insisting that the forces were there to quell "lawlessness". Operation LeGend is a sustained, systematic and coordinated law enforcement initiative in which federal law enforcement agencies work in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight violent crime. The Operation was first launched on July 8 in Kansas City, Missouri, as a result of President Trumps promise to assist Americas cities that are plagued by recent violence. Operation Legend is named after four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while he slept early in the morning of June 29 in Kansas City. The first federal arrest under Operation Legend was announced on 30 July 2020.

Trump tweeted on 31 May 2020 that liberal U.S. governors and mayors must get tougher on protesters or federal government will step in and that includes using the unlimited power of our Military. On June 4, 2020 over 100 Members of the House of Representatives demanded information related to the deployment of unidentifiable and unaccountable federal law enforcement officers in Washington, D.C. These officers were deployed with tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square. They were stationed in the District without identifying information, such as agency identifiers, badges, or name plates.

As a result of the June 26, 2020 Presidential Executive Order: "Protecting American Monuments memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Activity", and directive to DHS law enforcement components, Customs and Border Protection(CBP) and U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) mobilized tactical teams to provide support to the Federal Protective Service( FPS) in protecting federal buildings and assets within the greater Portland Oregon area. An internal FOUS memo from DHS dated 16 July 2020 noted "The highly skilled tactical teams assigned to support the civil unrest and riots do not specifically have training in riot control or demonstrations. Moving forward, if this type of response is going to be the norm, specialized training and standardized equipment should be deployed to responding agencies."

On the morning of July 4th, the Department of Homeland Securitys Rapid Deployment Force implemented 'Operation Diligent Valor' to positively identify and arrest serious offenders for crimes such as assault. There were over 100 federal law enforcement officers in Portland to patrol federal buildings, including personnel from the Federal Protective Services [FPS], Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Marshals Service Special Operations Group and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Tactical Unit, BORTAC. Thse federal law enforcement agencies - U.S. Marshals, the deployed forces  including undercover officers - to Portland, Oregon to monitor and quell protests without coordination or communication with local officials or law enforcement. These newly deployed officers are in camouflage uniforms with no badge or insignia denoting their agency or identity. As when they were deployed in Washington, D.C. in June 2020, the federal officers in Portland are unidentifiable and therefore remain unaccountable for any violations of citizens constitutional rights.

Witness videos show unidentifiable federal officers patrolling the downtown area in unmarked rental cars and abducting people off the streets with no explanation for the basis of detainment or even a reading of their Miranda rights. One of the protesters detained in such a manner reports officers pulling his hat over his eyes so he could not see [this was a nice theatrical touch, evocative of the standard secret police tactice of pulling a hood over the subjects head]. He was taken to an unidentified facility, having his belongings searched, and being put in a cell without being provided any information by the arresting officers. He was not Mirandized until long after he was grabbed off the street, searched, and placed in a cell. He was never advised of any charges or the basis for his detainment. And only after requesting a lawyer was the protester released. Notably, he was released without any citation or any paperwork reflecting his detention.

Trump continued his relentless attacks on Chicago on 13 July 2020, saying from the White House, Can you imagine if the country was run like Chicago and like New York and like some of these other Democrat super radical left cities are run? You wouldnt have a country for very long. Trump, accused far-left mayors of escalating the anti-cop crusade, and violent crime is spiraling in their cities. Its all far-left cities where they have no understanding of what has to be done. They dont have a clue.

Trump suggested 14 July 2020 Democrat mayors wouldn't mind if their cities were blown up by terrorists. "We don't want people that are going to come in and blow up our cities, do things. And, frankly, with the liberal Democrats running the cities that we do have-where they do have problems - maybe they wouldn't mind. But I would mind and the people of this country mind."

On 17 July 2020 Acting DHS Secretary Wolf stated The siege can end if state and local officials decide to take appropriate action instead of refusing to enforce the law. On 20 July 2020 DHS Acting Secretary Wolf responded to the pushback to their crackdown in Portland, Oregon: "I don't need invitations by the state, state mayors or state governors to do our job. We're going to do that whether they like us there or not." The GOPs own 2016 Republican Platform, page 39, opposed the "over-federalization of criminal justice is one of many ways in which the government in Washington has intruded beyond its proper jurisdiction. The essential role of federal law enforcement personnel in protecting federal property and combating interstate crime should not be compromised by diversion to matters properly handled by state and local authorities."

On 20 July 2020, Trump threatened to expand the deployment of federal law enforcement. "I'm going to do something, that I can tell you," he said. "We're not going to let New York, Chicago and Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore and all of theseOakland is a mess. We're not going to let this happen in our country. All run by liberal Democrats."

Jamie Raskin and dozens of other Members of Congress wrote an open letter to Trump "This is not legitimate law enforcement under our Constitution but a shocking slide into authoritarianism and police state tactics. Every agent and every police-citizen encounter must be governed by the Constitution. But these new tactics are an outrageous assault on the liberties of the people and the police powers and political sovereignty of the states. The deployment of roving units of secret police under the control of the President is an absolute affront to the Bill of Rights, which vests inviolable civil rights and liberties in the people and core police powers in the statesnot a tyrannical and overweening federal government. ... Even more chilling is that Acting Secretary Wolf seems to be encouraging this rogue, unaccountable behavior and celebrating the use of federal forces against American citizens. He has referred to the recent deployment of federal officers as a siege on Portland ... "

Juan Cole wrote "Part of Trumps reelection strategy is to scare the white suburbs, which polls show have soured on him, with urban (read: minority) violence. This is clear from his current campaign ads, which try to paint the gentlemanly Joe Biden as a bomb thrower. It now appears clear that part of that strategy is to send Federal agents dressed like Iraq War troops to Democratic-run cities, on the pretext of protecting Federal property, and then for them to attack and provoke Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police protesters, causing violence to escalate and using it to scare the suburbs. The exercise also has the advantage for Trump of entrenching a new form of secret police and of turning Federal agents into instruments of his authoritarianism."

On 22 July 2020, Trump said "In recent weeks, there has been a radical movement to defund, dismantle, and dissolve our police departments. Extreme politicians have joined this anti-police crusade and relentlessly vilified our law enforcement heroes. To look at it from any standpoint, the effort to shut down policing in their own communities has led to a shocking explosion of shootings, killings, murders, and heinous crimes of violence. This bloodshed must end....

"For decades, politicians running many of our nations major cities have put the interests of criminals above the rights of law-abiding citizens. These same politicians have now embraced the far-left movement to break up our police departments, causing violent crime in their cities to spiral  and I mean spiral seriously out of control." The Department of Justice will "immediately surge federal law enforcement to the city of Chicago," said the president, who has increasingly sought to make law-and-order a theme for his flagging re-election campaign.

Attourney General Willimam Barr said "To carry out Operation LeGend, federal law enforcement agencies will be committing additional resources to these cities, including FBI agents, DEA, ATF, the U.S. Marshals, and the Department of Homeland Security HSI teams. ... This is a different kind of operation, obviously, than the tactical teams we use to defend against riots and mob violence. And were going to continue to confront mob violence, but the operations were discussing today are very different. They are classic crime fighting. "

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said  Unfortunately, look at the Presidents own words: hes ready to incite violence in Democratic cities as a re-election strategy built on gaslighting immigrants and people of color. We always welcome partnerships in constitutional crime fighting that are in step with our community, but we wont sell out our city for a bait and switch excuse to send secret police to Albuquerque. Operation Legend is not real crime fighting; its politics standing in the way of police work and makes us less safe.

The Oregon attorney general filed a lawsuit accusing the federal agents of arresting protesters without cause and using excessive force, which federal authorities have disputed. David Chipman, a senior policy adviser at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said that when he was an agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, I was proud to work with local leaders when they needed help righting wrongs, but that Trumps recent actions in Portland and his statements about problems in other cities make clear he thinks federal law enforcement are his personal chess pieces for partisan power grabs.

Federal agents who have clashed with protesters in Portland, Oregon, will begin a "phased withdrawal" from Oregon's largest city, Governor Kate Brown said on 29 July 2020. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said the plan negotiated with Brown over the last 24 hours includes a "robust presence" of Oregon State Police in downtown Portland. "State and local law enforcement will begin securing properties and streets, especially those surrounding federal properties that have been under nightly attack for the past two months," Wolf said.

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Sen. Kamala Harris had 'no remorse' for attacking Joe Biden in the first Democratic debate over his position on busing, she revealed when being interviewed to serve as his vice president.

'She laughed and said, "that politics." She had no remorse,' said former Sen. Chris Dodd, a member of Biden's vice presidential search committee, a quip relayed to Politico by a longtime supporter and donor.

The donor added, 'Dodd felt it was a gimmick, that it was cheap.'

Sen. Kamala Harris had 'no remorse' for her attack on Joe Biden over busing at the first Democratic debate last June, according to a Politico source, who heard the story from former Sen. Chris Dodd, who is vetting VP candidates for Biden

On the Miami debate stage, Sen. Kamala Harris (right) brought up Joe Biden's (left) recent comments about working with segregationist senators and accused him of backing their policies on busing. It was later revealed that she and Biden had similar views on busing

The moment was the high water mark for Sen. Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, which folded before any Democrat came out to vote. The fact that she ran for president and has a national following could help her become Biden's No. 2 on the Democratic ticket

Sen. Kamala Harris, photographed campaigning for Joe Biden in early March, is at the top of the veep list sources say, but some in Biden's circle question whether she would be a trustworthy running mate

'She laughed and said, "that politics." She had no remorse,' said former Sen. Chris Dodd to a Biden donor, who relayed the story to Politico

Dodd declined to comment to Politico for the piece, as did advisers for Harris.

The donor who gave Politico Dodd's quotes said he was so concerned about Harris becoming the vice presidential candidate that he helped elevate another Californian, Rep. Karen Bass, during the ongoing vetting process.

'She's a loyal No. 2. And that's what Biden really wants,' the source said.

Bass was the former speaker of the California State Assembly and is the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Biden told MSNBC's Joy Reid, during the first live broadcast of her new show 'The Reidout' last Monday that there were four black women being vetted as part of his VP search.

'I am not committed to naming anyone but the people I've named, among them there are four black women,' Biden told Reid.

Harris and Bass are two of the black women in the running.

The problem with Harris, Politico reported, was the issue of trust.

Harris' attack on Biden at the first Democratic primary debate in June 2019 in Miami, Florida was emotional - but some Democrats also thought it was disingenuous when it came out later that Harris and Biden held practically the same position on the issue of busing.

'I do not believe you are a racist,' Harris said onstage, focusing in on Biden. 'I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground. It's personal.'

Joe Biden is expected to have a running mate picked by August and will likely make the announcement before the convention which kicks off on August 17

'It was actually hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country,' she continued.

Harris was referring to remarks Biden had make a week before at a New York fundraiser. Biden talked about working with the late Sens. James Eastland and Herman Talmadge, who were Democrats and pro-segregation.

'Well guess what?' Biden said. 'At least there was some civility. We got things done. We didn't agree on much of anything. We got things done. We got it finished,' Biden said. 'But today you look at the other side and you're the enemy. Not the opposition, the enemy. We don't talk to each other anymore.'

Sen. Cory Booker, who was also running for president at the time, said Biden should apologize and on the debate stage, Harris attacked.



'It was not only that, but you also worked with them to oppose busing,' she told Biden. 'There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools. She was bused to school every day.'

'That little girl was me,' Harris said.

It became the line of the night - and pundits predicted it spelled Harris' ascent and signaled Biden's demise.

Harris dropped out of the presidential race before the first Democratic voters went to the polls.

But because Harris ran for president she's considered 'Tier 1,' one former Biden adviser told Politico, while 'everyone else is Tier 1B.'

'All of those people, they have the challenge of the Harris bar - it is just so high,' the source continued. 'She checks everything that's so important to him.'

And Democratic strategist Karen Finney told Politico that having a national profile will be especially handy in the COVID era.

'The reality is you have a short period of time and you're trying to win the election,' Finney said. 'How you do it is also challenging, given the COVID reality. You're not able to do the big rally.'
The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has reviewed its system of filing applications and other forms of transactions by members of the public, its Registrar-General, Garba Abubakar, announced on Saturday.

Mr Abubakar told reporters at the CAC headquarters in Abuja that the Commission has introduced a mailing system for applications to eliminate physical contact and interface with members of the public.

Under the new system, customers would only be allowed to submit documents they want to file for registration processes through designated courier companies for the CAC to receive, process and send back to them.

The customers are, however, given the option of either picking up the processed documents from the offices of the courier companies, or make arrangements for such documents to be delivered to them by the courier companies at their own cost.

Besides, the CAC said designated email addresses have also been established for members of the public to use in submitting and receiving of processed applications for specific online transactions, like consent for name and name searches for fresh registration of companies.

Customers are expected to send their requests or applications to the designated email addresses for CAC to process for approval.

Customers are allowed the option to request for an electronic copy of the approved documents, or the hard copy sent through their selected courier companies at their own cost.

The new system, which came into operation in Abuja last Friday, is expected to be rolled out throughout the country by August 10, except in the two offices of the CAC in Lagos, where it would be delayed till August 31.

December deadline

Mr Abubakar said the Board of the Commission has already set the end of December this year as the target deadline to get the electronic/online system fully operational in CAC throughout the country.

Apart from continuing the ongoing reforms in the Commission to take its services to greater heights, the CAC Chief said the new system was in compliance with the new directive by the Federal Government and protocol by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

The protocol demands the promotion of social distancing and elimination of all forms of physical contacts by members of the public to halt the spread of COVID-19 among the people.

READ ALSO:

Under the protocol, government offices were directed to limit the number of staff allowed to go to the office to only senior officials on essential services, while normal official business hours were reduced from eight to six, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.

He said since the presidential directive, the workforce of the CAC has been cut down drastically from a total 1,310 staff to only 221 with only those categorised into Level 14 and above having to handle the volume of applications from an average of 500 customers on a daily basis.

As a responsible government institution, we cannot continue to endanger the lives of our staff and customers, despite not having any incident of COVID-19 so far. But, we have a responsibility to take precautionary measures to protect our staff and customers.

Because our (CAC) system cannot provide end-to-end electronic services for now, the management has adopted a stop-gap arrangement by introducing a mailing system that would allow customers to submit their filing documents through designated courier companies for CAC to receive and process and send back to the customers, Mr Abubakar said

Although the electronic system of handling CAC transactions were introduced a few years ago, he said the management was forced to suspend it following customers complaints against it.

However, he said with the peculiar situation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic has made it necessary for it to be reinstated to eliminate all forms of manual transactions.

He said the mailing system would not stop at certificate dispatch operations alone, but would extend to all other processes, except those aspects of the operations still requiring physical presence of the customer.

Online applications would be handled online, while those requiring physical presence of customers would require that these documents be submitted to the CAC through designated courier companies for processing and return, he said.

No more handling of documents by customers

Henceforth, he said the CAC would not allow customers to handle files and registration documents during application for search.

He said the CAC has opted do the search report on companies transactions and send to the customers for a fee of N5,000, to preserve the integrity of the records the CAC is keeping.

The practice of allowing customer access to our document was compromising the integrity of CAC documents, as several lawyers have been apprehended with documents stolen from the Commission, particular documents belonging to companies under investigation or have dispute among the shareholders.

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Two lawyers have been apprehended for forging the signatures of customers in documents taken from the Commission and they would be arraigned for the crime, he said.

On concerns about service delivery timelines, Mr Abubakar said in view of the peculiar circumstances which would not allow businesses to operate the same way during crisis as during normal times, the CAC has suspended all established service timelines.

The challenge of reduced workforce, the CAC boss said, will not allow the Commission to come up with another schedule.

However, the mailing, electronic and email systems, he said, would be allowed to take root to enable the Commission determine the average period for processing an average application and come up with a revised service timeline.

Meanwhile, to increase the capacity of the workforce available to attend to the growing official obligations, Mr Abubakar said the CAC has provided working tools, like laptops and other accessories, for officers below Level 14, to enable them work from home, although the system was not originally wired to operate that way.
Ancient human skeleton, possibly Parthian woman, unearthed in Isfahan

07/22/20

Report by Tehran Times; photos by Zahra Baghban, Islamic Republic News Agency

The remains of an ancient person, believed to date back to the Parthian era (247 BC - 224 CE), has been discovered during an archaeological season which is underway at Tepe Ashraf, the sole archaeological hill in Isfahan, central Iran. Though the gender of the skeleton has not been determined yet, it is likely that it belonged to a Parthian woman based on specifications of its burial site, IRNA quoted senior archaeologist Alireza Jafari-Zand as saying on Saturday.







Jafari-Zand, who heads the archaeological excavation at the hill, lamented that the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization does not pay enough support to develop the archaeological project.



"I told the [Ministry of] Cultural Heritage that there is a need for an extensive excavation because the speculations have provided a good prospect for widening excavations because some objected excavated so far have been unearthed beneath a [modern] street. And the safeguard of this historical evidence depends on expanding the excavations."







Earlier this month, an ancient burial containing the remains of a horse -- estimated to be four years old was found near a place where a giant jar-tomb was unearthed weeks ago, which researchers believe could shed new light on ancient human life in Isfahan.



"Tepe Ashraf is the second place after the Tepe Sialk (in Isfahan province) that has yielded the discovery of such jar tombs that offers valuable clues to uncover the obscure history of pre-Islamic Isfahan," according to the archaeologist.







Excavations at Tepe Ashraf initially began in 2010 when Jafari-Zand announced his team found evidence at the site suggesting that the Sassanid site had also been used during the Buyid dynasty (945-1055). "We stumbled upon a reconstructed part in the ruins of the castle, which suggests that the structure had been used during the Buyid dynasty."






























Rajasthan will provide the life-saving injection, Tocilizumab, and plasma therapy to every critical patient of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the state, chief minister Ashok Gehlot has said.

Gehlot said on Sunday since the injection worth about Rs 40,000 is out of reach of the poor, the health department must ensure its availability for any needy patient. The state government will immediately sanction adequate funds, he added.

The chief minister announced the decision during the review meeting on the status of coronavirus pandemic in the state.

Follow latest updates on coronavirus here

He said plasma therapy and Tocilizumab injection can save the life of a serious Covid-19 patient, which has been successfully used in Jaipurs SMS Hospital.

The chief minister directed officers to ensure availability of plasma therapy and life-saving injections as per the requirement in all medical colleges and district hospitals of the state along with SMS Hospital.

Gehlot said that in areas where the number of infected has increased, specialist doctors should be sent to help local doctors for better treatment of the patients.

Covid-19 patients admitted for examination or treatment in private hospitals should be regularly and intensively monitored by the district medical and health officers, he said.

The chief minister also directed officials to encourage plasma therapy in the treatment of patients and to organise a plasma donation camp across the state. He said those who have recovered from the viral disease should be encouraged to donate plasma as per the health protocol by campaigning on the lines of blood donation camps.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage

He asked health authorities to make arrangement for the availability of plasma needed for the therapy in medical banks. For this, awareness campaigns and donation camps should be set up, he said.

Officials said plasma therapy has been started in Jaipur as well as Jodhpur and Kota.

Gehlot said at the meeting that random sampling should be done to test the status of community infection.

Expert doctors participating in the meeting through video conference said the case fatality rate (CFR) in the state is 1.72, which is lower than the national average.

Officials also said that there are about 17,000 people in the state who are in institutional quarantine and being monitored.
TUESDAY Stacey Dooley: Whale Wars

SBS Viceland, 9.30pm

Are whales really just food? This documentary focuses not on the "scientific" whaling in the Southern Ocean, but the much more honest whale hunting in Scandinavia, where whale meat has long been a valuable protein supply. We start in the Faroe Islands, part of the Kingdom of Denmark. There, the traditional capture and killing of pilot whales (not endangered) goes back at least a thousand years, and is still done old-school: pods are herded into a shallow cove and slaughtered by hand. We then head out into the Norwegian Sea where minke whales (also not endangered) are fished commercially, using harpoons shot out of a canon. Like all Stacey Dooley's best work, it's all very friendly, accessible and non-judgmental, raising important questions rather than providing definitive answers. Killing whales is bloody and confronting. But so is killing cows. Whales are highly intelligent. But so are pigs. Is it, in fact, more environmentally responsible to harvest wild meat than rely on large-scale livestock farming?

And when it comes to the issues of cruelty, it's perhaps one of the Norwegian whalers who provides the most food for thought. "Do they suffer before they die?" Dooley asks him. "I think everybody does that," he responds. WEDNESDAY RBT

Nine*, 7.30pm

That special blend of public service information and laughing at the less fortunate has made RBT and its many siblings enduringly popular. Personally, I'm always delighted to see drivers who fail to indicate feel the full force of the law. And with this episode taking us all over Victoria, we get quite the insight into the more eccentric members of the state's population. As usual, we're kept hanging as we wait to see who blows 00 and who doesn't. And then are kept hanging that little bit longer to see who, having escaped being pinged for drink driving, subsequently gets nabbed over that bong they pulled 10 days ago. Whatever the crime or misdemeanour, though, the take-home message is always the same: People? Don't do dumb sh*t. Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong'o

SBS, 7.30pm

Many of us are starting to realise just how often women, and people of colour, are written out of history. Here Black Panther's Lupita Nyong'o sets out to investigate the cohort on which the film's Dora Milaje was based: the Agojie, a crack all-female military unit tasked with protecting the King of Dahomey in East Africa.

Unsurprisingly, white traders of the 17th and 18th century wrote home regularly about this exotic corps. Yet after the French annihilated Dahomey, its King and most of its citizens, they almost vanished from history  including local history. The journey Lupita Nyong'o takes in Warrior Women is full of fascinating facts and cultural insights. Credit:SBS The journey Nyong'o takes through what is now Benin is full of fascinating facts and cultural insights (including that the Agojie were revered for their big bottoms). But this is a story more complex than one of simple girl power or historical oddity and it's to Nyong'o's credit that she's prepared to go there. Eli Stone

7Plus

Another gem turning up on a free-to-air streaming service, this kooky dramedy starring Jonny Lee Miller was grossly underrated in its day and cancelled abruptly after two short seasons. So now's your chance to check it out if you're in the mood for something fun and feelgood  and with some cracking talent on both sides of the camera. The plot goes like this: high-flying lawyer Eli Stone (Miller) suddenly starts (a) getting the urge to do good; (b) hallucinating; and (c) hallucinating George Michael. That means we get a fabulous George Michael hit every episode (starting with Faith) and occasional cameos from the great man himself, along with a case of the week, and Eli's ongoing quest to discover whether he is in fact a prophet, or just has something very wrong with his brain.

THURSDAY Law & Order: SVU

Ten, 8.30pm

In the early years of Law & Order, artists (and gallerists, and architects) were the enemy: pseuds who pretended to care about the little guy but were too self-involved to see beyond the frames of their designer eye wear. Oh how times have changed. In this better-than-average instalment of SVU, the vic is a young artist supporting herself working in a strip club, who takes a most excellent revenge when her claims that a club patron raped her are ignored. Law & Order has rarely been noted for its subtlety but this episode pushes the envelope  gently  in a number of different directions, acknowledging a changed world post-#MeToo and exploring what happens when the previously powerless refuse to play nice. FRIDAY MotherFatherSon

ABC, 8.30pm

In an intense eight-part family drama written by Tom Rob Smith, Richard Gere is perfectly cast as media tycoon Max Finch, a man skilled at manipulating situations to his advantage. But his troubled son and heir, Caden (Billy Howle), presents a problem that Finch can't manage. Overwhelmed by expectation and fuelled by drugs, Caden has suffered a stroke.

Meanwhile Kathryn (the always impressive Helen McCrory), Finch's quietly strong-willed first wife and Caden's mother, is endeavouring to support her damaged son and to work with her ex-husband as they try to assist with Caden's recovery. Loading SATURDAY The Children's Hospital

Ten, 7pm

Whether they're filmed in Melbourne, like Emergency, or Aberdeen, like this BBC Scotland production, observational documentary series shot in hospitals tend to act as positive promotion for the institutions. Dedicated professionals help people in need and frequently the cases covered in these series have happy endings. As this one focuses on children, the feel-good factor is pumped up even higher. The tone is reassuring, the staff are cheerful and the environment is colourful.

SUNDAY Liar

Seven, 9.30pm

With its second season, series creators Harry and Jack Williams (The Missing, Baptiste), have moved their he-says-she-says romantic thriller to crime-drama mode. Focusing on the death of sex predator Andrew Earlham (Ioan Gruffudd), it pivots between the investigation of the surgeon's murder and flashbacks to the weeks leading up to it. His body was found in the Essex marshes and suspicion falls on teacher Laura Nielson (Joanne Froggatt), who exposed him as a serial rapist. Leading the inquiry is briskly confident DI Karen Renton (Katherine Kelly). There are numerous suspects among Earlham's victims and their loved ones, and the Williams brothers know how to build a suspenseful plot that continually provides new twists and hooks. Shetland (season premiere)

ABC, 7.40pm

The Scottish accents are as thick as ever as this solid crime drama starts its fifth season. When parts of a dismembered body are discovered washing up around Shetland, DI Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall) and DS Alison "Tosh" McIntosh (Alison O'Donnell) are on the case. They're an engaging detective duo: the thorough, taciturn Perez and his smart, spirited younger sidekick. And the hilly, sparsely populated and windswept coastal landscape offers a reliably striking setting. The plot quickly thickens as the police identify a number of suspicious types lurking in their remote community. Soon they're dealing with resentment about fishing quotas, a possible drug trade and human trafficking, as well as the victim's furious, grief-stricken mother (Rakie Ayola).
Two foreigners, a Myanmar sailor in Vietnam and a South Korean technician in Lao, tested positives. Laotian authorities are not worried, but have boosted checks. In Vietnam, after four cases were reported, the authorities have locked down the coastal city of Da Nang and started the mass evacuation of tourists.

Hanoi (AsiaNews/Agencies)  After more than three months with no new cases, top anti-coronavirus countries Vietnam and Laos have recently reported new infections. Two of the seven new cases involve foreigners.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently praised Laos for its exemplary handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic, noting that the government took the right steps to stop the outbreak.

However, a 32-year-old South Korean who works at the Nam Ngiep 1 dam project, Bolikhamxay province, tested positive on 23 July. He was part of a team with four other South Korean experts who were under mandatory 14-day quarantine in the same hotel.

Phouthone Muangpak, Laotian Deputy Health Minister, said that he had tested negative before entering the country. He tested negative and had a health certification paper. In Vientiane, we checked him again to make sure. It must have been that the virus had not yet matured enough to show up in his snot and saliva. That is why it wasnt detected, the minister explained.

After he was placed under quarantine on Sunday, the South Korean technician remained in his hotel room with food and water brought to him by hotel staff. His temperature was taken every morning and evening, as required by the quarantine protocol.

After he tested positive, he was moved to Vientianes Friendship Hospital, where he is in an isolated room and is monitored by medical staff.

Although this is first case reported in three months, Laotian authorities are not particularly worried.

Like Laos, neighbouring Vietnam has the pandemic under control. So far it has not reported any death and has not had any case for 99 straight days. The last case reported in the country in fact dates back to April.

However, a Myanmar sailor who arrived from Japan on 23 June was placed under quarantine on 6 July. After he was found to be positive last week, he was moved to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi where he is undergoing treatment.

Similarly, after four new local cases were reported in Da Nang, Vietnamese authorities locked down the coastal city and ordered the evacuation of about 80,000 people, mainly Vietnamese on vacation, from the well-known tourist resort.

Evacuation operations are expected to take at least four days. The government has arranged about 100 flights a day from Da Nang to 11 other cities.

A 58-year-old man who has never left the city is thought to be the source of the mini-outbreak. It is believed that he had contacts with neighbours and that he recently attended a wedding.

Vietnam has so far reported just over 400 novel coronavirus cases, 273 of which involving people arriving from abroad.
Formally, hes known as Christopher Simonetti.

Most people call the proprietor of Anita Gelato, Chris.

But for the past few months, Simonetti has been known as something else: The Ice Cream Man.

Hes the guy whos been dropping pints of gelato on peoples doorsteps throughout Niagara as weve all sheltered in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. He brings joy and a little bit of normalcy with every container of fruit ice, dairy and alternative milk-based treats.

And hes quite chuffed about his new moniker.

It was a bright spot (for people), Simonetti said about his weekly gelato deliveries. Even though it was a little thing I was doing for people, it felt great to do that.

It also felt good to be on the receiving end of his handiwork. It wasnt long after the lockdown started in mid-March that a post from Anita Gelato popped into my Instagram feed offering pints for sale, delivery included.

I messaged immediately, reserving a pint of strawberry ice. My six-year-old and I couldnt be bothered with bowls when it arrived a few days later, announced by the sound of the doorbell, a direct message over Instagram alerting us it was on our porch, and a friendly and physically distant wave from a gloved and masked Simonetti.

Spoons were all we had patience for as we both tucked into the non-dairy sorbetto. A few minutes later, the pint depleted by half, the parent in me suggested we should save the rest.

We did. An hour later we polished off the remaining half pint like two people, well, in lockdown.

Every week after that, Simonettis posts were among those we most looked forward to. New flavours would be announced, new orders would be placed, and a routine took hold for a family falling into their new pandemic groove.

Being anointed The Ice Cream Man for his obvious public service was a shift for a guy who launched Anita Gelato as an event-based ice cream business, making the Italian dessert to serve from a cart at weddings, local wineries and breweries.

But with public gatherings spiked in mid-March, Simonetti had to do something to keep the name of his fledgling business out there.

A supervisor and valet at a Niagara Falls hotel who also saw his hours cut, he had to do something to survive, too. Simonetti wasnt entirely sure how a gelato delivery service would work but it was imperative he try.

He put out that first notice on March 25, offering small batches of cookies and cream, beetroot and chocolate chunk, and that fateful strawberry ice, which he makes at his Thorold workshop.

He sold out quickly and had to turn away orders. Requests came from every corner of Niagara and as far away as Hamilton and Burlington.

He boosted production to keep up with the nearly 120 people in all parts of the peninsula who screamed for The Ice Cream Man each week. They were hungry for his wares but also for the comfort that came with eating a bowl of gelato.

There was a fear of having to go outside and go to the grocery store. People were laid off and people who were working, were working in an uncertain atmosphere, Simonetti said. What I had been hearing from people is this was something they looked forward to  I know the ice cream man is coming.

Still, its not as though the pandemic made an overnight success of Anita Gelato, which is now offering biweekly delivery as people return to work and pandemic restrictions ease.

Anita Gelato, named after Simonettis mom, was years in the making.

The interest in becoming a gelatiere was sparked while helping in the kitchen for eight years at Italian Ice Cream, a Niagara Falls gelato shop and wholesaler.

In early 2018, Simonetti headed to Carpigiani Gelato University near Bologna, Italy, for more intensive training. The two-week intermediate course taught the essentials for producing gelato, which is denser than North American ice cream because of its milk base and lower sugar quantities. The result is a more concentrated consistency and flavour.

He also gained the confidence to experiment with flavours, and the resolve to start building his business.

Simonetti found a vacant warehouse in Thorold that spring. He worked with his father, Sergio, sourcing equipment and outfitting the building. But a few months later, Sergio passed away and Simonetti felt his entrepreneurial drive stall.

It took probably until February 2019 when two friends sat me down and said, This is something youve got to do, not just for yourself but for him, he recalled.

After some more research and development, he hung out the Anita Gelato shingle. Event bookings and wholesale orders came in until life was put on pause four months ago.

It was scary. I made the decision (to offer delivery) very fast, Simonetti said.

With help from family, Simonetti is expanding to include an online store at anitagelato.ca. Meanwhile, hes still taking orders on Instagram (@anitagelatoca) and enjoying the cachet of his new title.

Its been a very different path to get to where were going. Im surprisingly OK with it, he said. The receptions been so great, Im really happy with how it turned out.

TM Tiffany Mayer blogs about food and farming at timeforgrub.com. twitter.com/eatingniagara

My Favourite Things is a series of Eating Niagara featuring my favourite foods and beverages grown, cooked and poured in Niagara.

What: Handmade gelato

Who: Anita Gelato

Where: On Instagram @anitagelatoca and online at anitagelato.ca

What else you need to know: Anita Gelato currently offers three flavours and styles of gelato for deliver in Niagara every two weeks.
A man has been arrested in Florida after he reportedly walked into a hotel room and attempted to kidnap a child in front of their mother.

The suspect, 24-year-old Gabriel Martin, was arrested by authorities on Sunday on suspicion of kidnapping, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office.

The sheriffs office said that Martin, from Bradenton, Florida, entered the Tampa Bay hotel room on Sunday morning of a mother and child that he did not know.

He walked over to the child and picked them up before attempting to leave the room, according to the sheriffs department.

The mother fought back and was able to take her child from Martin before he fled the scene on foot.

The mother called 911 and police were able to locate the suspect hiding in some bushes in a nearby business park, according to ABC News.

The 24-year-old was arrested and charged with kidnapping, burglary of an occupied dwelling with battery, and violation of probation.

According to the authorities, Martin was already on probation due to a prior drug possession of MDMA and charges relating to armed robbery.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement: Thankfully, the mother and child were not hurt during the course of this incident.

As a parent myself, I cant imagine the fear this mother was in when the suspect tried to take her child away from her. He will be charged to the fullest extent for his crimes.
Representatives from Dunes Action have said that the plans will limit access to the pavilion by the beach-going public and families. The $18,000-a-year, long-term lease agreement between Pavilion Partners and the DNR drew instant criticism from Dunes Action when it was released five years ago because of a lack of transparency surrounding the project and the use of a public park for private profit.
A New Zealand reporter has apologised after cruelly mocking an Australian single mother on live TV.

Mother-of-three Jessica, 29, featured in a story about her ex-boyfriend giving out her phone number for a fake 'Chewbacca roar contest' in Cairns, Queensland.

TVNZ reporter Wilson Longhurst presented the story on the station's breakfast show before making an unnecessary comment about Jessica's appearance on Monday.

'If there's anyone out there that can do the real Chewbacca sound, I might marry you,' Jessica said in the story.

This prompted Mr Longhurst to rudely remark: 'What a prize Jessica is, with all her teeth and her hair.'

TVNZ reporter Wilson Longhurst (right) and a female friend. Mr Longhurst has apologised for a 'misogynistic comment' after cruelly mocking an Australian single mother on live TV

The reporter was seemingly referring to Jessica's missing teeth and dyed-blue hair.

Breakfast co-host John Campbell immediately called out Mr Longhurst for his hurtful comments on live TV.

'This isn't a eugenics competition,' Mr Campbell said, before telling Mr Longhurst to 'get out'.

'I'll be having a little bit of a chat with Wilson (Longhurst) later.'

Shortly after, Mr Longhurst sat on the 'naughty chair because I want to apologise to the woman in the story, Jessica'.

'What I said wasn't funny, it was quite frankly something that just slipped out. But it was a misogynistic comment and I am sorry,' Mr Longhurst said.

'I'm going to take a good, long hard look at myself once we get off air this morning because it just wasn't good enough and I'm really disappointed in myself and I know a lot of you aren't happy with what I said.'

Mother-of-three Jessica (pictured), 29, featured in a TVNZ story on Monday about her ex-boyfriend giving out her phone number for a fake 'Chewbacca roar contest' in Cairns, Queensland

After presenting Jessica's story, Mr Longhurst (right) made fun of her teeth and hair. He was reprimanded by Breakfast co-hosts Hayley Holt (left) and John Campbell (centre) on live TV before apologising on the 'naughty chair' (pictured) shortly after

Breakfast co-host Hayley Holt told Mr Longhurst to 'go easy on himself'.

'It's not what we do, it's how we respond afterwards. If you are feeling sorry and you're going to learn from this episode, then you're okay,' Ms Holt said.

But co-host Mr Campbell remained stern on the matter.

'I think it's important to clarify what we stand for on Breakfast, and that is we don't punch down. Our targets are never soft,' Mr Campbell said.

'And I think that's something we're really proud of on this programme  it's a safe place, and we like to speak truth to power.'

TVNZ, the country's equivalent of the ABC, addressed their reporter's brazen comment in a statement.

'Breakfast TV is a live environment and involves some sleep-deprived reporting. Wilson made a comment he immediately regretted and he wished to make an apology on air. Our producers agreed this was the right thing to do,' it read.

A poster for a 'Chewbacca roar contest' including mother-of-three Jessica's mobile phone number. Jessica's ex plastered the posters around town and the mother has been receiving Star Wars impressions for the last two weeks

Originally reported in Australia, Jessica's story has been also been reported in NZ and the UK after it was posted to TikTok, where it has since gone viral.

Cairns woman Jessica, 29, was inundated with Chewbacca impressions on her voicemail for the past two weeks after she broke up with her boyfriend.

'I'm getting phone calls at really strange hours of the night about one o'clock to about four o'clock, aye. I thought it was quite funny actually, I thought it was a good joke,' Jessica told 9News.

Jessica ended their three-year relationship when she logged onto her ex's Facebook account to find messages he sent to other women.

But her ex decided to get her back by plastering her mobile number on posters around Cairns, challenging people to phone up and do their best impression of Star Wars character Chewbacca.

The advertisement promises a $100 prize for the 'best impersonation' of the Wookiee.

'Just pull it (the posters) down please and yeah, have a laugh for me and if you want to make a phone call, go for it. I don't mind, bring it on!' Jessica told the broadcaster.

After the breakup, Jessica's toxic ex-boyfriend also dumped a car in her driveway and removed the wheels so she could not move it.

'The police got in contact with me and finally they're going to do something about it,' she said.

While Jessica is able to see the 'light side' of the prank now, she previously said the calls distressed both her and her three children.

'Someone called and said they thought it might have been done as a joke because they watched (a man) put up the poster,' the woman told Cairns Post.

'It hurts my feelings.'

She said the phone calls were also waking up her children because some people phoned at 1am.

'I thought when we first met he was mature, but it just goes to show having a job doesn't mean you're mature,' she said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27

By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend:

The Uzbek Republican Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange (UZEX) has signed memorandum with the administrations of Jizzakh and Kokand Free Economic Zones (FEZ), Trend reports with reference to UZEX.

According to memorandum, FEZ residents will sell their products through the use of market instruments of exchange trade and e-commerce.

The reached agreements provide for establishment and development of mutually beneficial trade and economic relations with FEZ Directorate, creation of favorable conditions for promotion of FEZ resident enterprises' products to domestic and foreign commodity markets through trade platforms of Uzbek Republican Commodity Exchange.

In particular, UZEX implemented a specialized trading platform for FEZ enterprises on it's system (yarmarka.uzex.uz).

On the specialized trading platform, the enterprises will be able to sell their products online at market value, which significantly expands the range of their buyers and the geography of delivery.

At the same time, online trading can be carried out with the use of electronic digital signature, which reduces transaction costs. In the future, it is also planned to integrate the project with the system of electronic public procurement.

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
The Covid-19 situation in the national capital is improving with the Delhi model being discussed and lauded across India and abroad, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday during a press briefing. The chief minister said that the recovery rate in Delhi is 88 percent at present and only 9 percent of the people are ill now while 2-3 percent patients have succumbed to death. There is a decline in the number of deaths, Kejriwal added.

He said that the national capital didnt require a second phase of the lockdown, which is a matter of satisfaction. The chief minister also informed about a job portal that is being started by the government which can be used by people to get employment. He described the platform as Rozgar Bazar.

The govt is starting a portal - http://jobs.delhi.gov.in and those who are looking to recruit people for jobs can go to the website and update their requirement. Job seekers can also go there and update their qualification, experience and requirement. Itll be a Rozgar Bazar, the Delhi CM said.

Also read: Indias coronavirus epidemic is now the worlds fastest growing

There was no need to impose second lockdown in Delhi. This is a matter of satisfaction: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal https://t.co/nPgrWfa0zr  ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2020

Talking about the Covid-19 infrastructure across various hospitals in the national capital, the chief minister said, as of now, theres an arrangement of 15,500 beds at hospitals in Delhi. Only 2,800 Covid-19 patients remain at these hospitals while 12,500 beds are vacant.

Delhi govt is starting a portal - https://t.co/uSkUiSVRTf Those who are looking to recruit people for jobs can go to the website & update their requirement. Job seekers can also go there and update their qualification, experience & requirement. It'll be a 'Rozgar Bazar': Delhi CM pic.twitter.com/iGkL66gXit  ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2020

In June, we were at the second position in the country as far as states with the highest cases were concerned. Today were on the tenth spot, he said.

Delhi has reported a total of 130,606 Covid-19 cases till date, of which 114,875 have recovered or have been discharged from the hospitals. The coronavirus death toll in the national capital stands at 3,827 while the number of active cases continues to drop and is reported to be at 11,904 at present.




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TOKYO  Mitsubishi Motors reported Monday a $1.7 billion (176 billion yen) loss for April-June, and forecast more red ink for the fiscal year, as the coronavirus pandemic slammed auto demand around the world.

The Japanese automaker had posted a profit of 9.3 billion yen for the fiscal first quarter the previous year. Quarterly sales shrank 57% to $2.2 billion (229.5 billion yen).

The maker of the Outlander sport utility vehicle and I-MiEV electric car expects to chalk up a $3.4 billion (360 billion yen) loss for the fiscal year through March 2021, because of the fallout from the outbreak.

This would be Mitsubishis biggest loss in at least 18 years, according to company financial records dating back to 2002.

To pave the way to recovery, the top priority of all executives is to share a sense of crisis with employees to execute cost reductions, Chief Executive Takeo Kato told reporters.

The shaky results come as Mitsubishi Motors alliance partners Nissan and Renault of France work to recover from the downfall of their former chairman, Carlos Ghosn.

Ghosn was out on bail, awaiting trial on various financial misconduct allegations in Tokyo, when he fled late last year to Lebanon. He has said he is innocent of the allegations of under-reporting future compensation and breach of trust.

Mitsubishi Motors has denounced Ghosn.

Mitsubishi officials, in a news conference relayed in a call to reporters, promised a turnaround, pursuing growth in Southeast Asian markets, where its profitability is relatively strong, and building on its strength in four-wheel drive and off road performance.

They said they expect the companys results to recover next fiscal year, once COVID-19 is brought under control. Product development will leverage synergies with alliance partners, and labor costs will be cut through pay cuts, hiring freezes and voluntary retirements, the automaker said.

Tokyo-based Mitsubishi also said its working on innovative technology, such as improved diesel engines, electric vehicles and autonomous driving. Its electric vehicles are a strength as environmental standards continue to toughen, especially in major markets like China, it said.

Story continues

But it warned the outbreaks impact on auto demand was worse than what the auto market suffered during the 2008 financial crisis and so a recovery will take time. It confirmed it is ending production of Pajero sport utility vehicles (pictured above) and will close the plant in Japan which makes the vehicle under a restructuring strategy set before the outbreak hit.

Nissan reports financial results Tuesday.

Material from Reuters was used in this report.

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In recent years, Sinclair Broadcast Group has been criticized for pressuring stations that are owned by the media company -- in Portland, Sinclair owns KATU-TV -- to include content with a conservative slant, instead of observing the objective tone generally associated with local TV stations. Those criticisms flared up again over the weekend, after reports that Sinclair-owned stations were scheduled to air an episode of America This Week that included an interview with Judy Mikovits and her lawyer, Larry Klayman.

Mikovits is a former medical researcher who was featured in Plandemic, a video blasted for promoting conspiracy theories about topics including the spread of the coronavirus. The video has been removed from social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo because of its unfounded claims.

When Media Matters for America, which describes itself as a source dedicated to monitoring and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media, reported that an episode of America This Week scheduled to air this past weekend included host Eric Bolling interviewing Mikovits and Klayman, an outcry arose. Outlets who had seen the episode reported that it included allegations from Mikovits that Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had somehow created the coronavirus.

As The Washington Post reported, In the Sinclair interview, Mikovits claimed that Fauci manufactured the coronavirus and shipped it to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated. A chyron during the segment reads, DID DR. FAUCI CREATE COVID-19?

As CNN reported, In the segment that immediately followed, Bolling spoke to Dr. Nicole Saphier, a Fox News medical contributor, to get her response to the claims from Mikovits and Klayman. Bolling and Saphier agreed that it was, in Saphiers words, highly unlikely that Fauci was behind the coronavirus. But they went on to theorize about other possible explanations for what had happened. Saphier said it was possible the virus was man-made within a laboratory and escaped. That claim has been rejected by experts who have studied the virus genetic sequence.

The CNN report also included responses from Bolling, a former Fox News host. According to the story, Bolling told CNN Business in a series of text messages that he invited Mikovits onto his show to question and challenge her beliefs. Bolling also said he does not control the on-screen graphics that appear during his show, and said that he did challenge her, calling her claim hefty.

But as several sources reported, on Saturday, Sinclair ultimately decided to postpone televising the episode that included the Mikovits interview. As CNN reported, In a memo sent to its local television stations on Saturday, Sinclair instructed news directors to avoid airing for now the most recent episode of Bollings show, which was supposed to include the conspiracy theory.

The report said a copy of the memo was obtained by CNN Business, and that Sinclairs vice president of news said, After further review of this weeks originally planned episode, its clear that we need to provide additional context to the highly controversial segment regarding the COVID pandemic and Dr. Fauci.

The memo went on to say, according to CNN, that the segment would need to reworked, to ensure viewers get the best information available, in order to meet our standard of providing an open and honest marketplace of ideas and viewpoints, even if incredibly controversial.

The episode featuring the Mikovits interview was, as CNN reports, also pulled from local Sinclair websites, where it is often posted before airing on the stations over the weekend.

The schedule for KATU indicated America This Week was to be broadcast at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25. What aired in that time slot instead was an infomercial for CaraMia bras.

-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist

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According to the Washington Post and other sources, Mikovits and Klayman Mikovits and her lawyer Larry Klayman dropped other unfounded allegations during the show, including President Trump soft-pedaling relations with China because he has evidence of the countrys involvement with the inception of the virus.fincluded Mikovits claiming that Anthony Fauci manufactured the coronavirus, as an onscreen chyron read, DID DR. FAUCI CREATE COVID-19?allowed saidIn the Sinclair interview, Mikovits claimed that Fauci manufactured the coronavirus and shipped it to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated. A chyron during the segment reads, DID DR. FAUCI CREATE COVID-19?

Mikovits and her lawyer Larry Klayman dropped other unfounded allegations during the show, including President Trump soft-pedaling relations with China because he has evidence of the countrys involvement with the inception of the virus. that it allowed Mikovits to make Mikovits to make

video seen a streaming v inaccuracies. As The Washington Post reported, Mikovits is a former medical researcher Bolling emic (a portmanteau of plan + pandemic) is a 26-minute conspiracy theory video, first posted to several social media platforms, on May 4, 2020,[1] promoting falsehoods and misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.[2][3][4] The film was produced by Mikki Williss California-based production company Elevate. Willis has produced other conspiracist videos in the past.[3][5] The producers of the video state that it is a trailer for an upcoming film to be released in summer 2020.[2][3][6][7] The video features Judy Mikovits, a discredited former medical researcher. Mikovits has been described as an anti-vaccine activist, which she denies.[8]

The video spread virally on social media, garnering millions of views,[9][10][11] making it one of the most widespread pieces of COVID-19 misinformation.[11] The video was removed by multiple platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, and Twitter, because of its misleading content and promotion of false medical information.[2][7][10][11][12][4] On TikTok, it continued to find popularity via clips excerpted from the full video, part of which were removed by the platform.[13]

The video was criticised by scientists and health professionals for promoting misinformation and conspiracy theories. Science magazine released an editorial piece fact-checking the video and detailing its inaccuracies and misleading claims.[14] Willis initially agreed to respond to eight questions prepared by the Center for Inquiry, Benjamin Radford and Painterviewed Judy Mikovits, a former medical researcher featured in the debunked Plandemic conspiracy online film.

In the Sinclair interview, Mikovits claimed that Fauci manufactured the coronavirus and shipped it to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated. A chyron during the segment reads, DID DR. FAUCI CREATE COVID-19?

Mikovits and her lawyer Larry Klayman dropped other unfounded allegations during the show, including President Trump soft-pedaling relations with China because he has evidence of the countrys involvement with the inception of the virus.Mikovits show that was set to air, Bolling spoke with Judy Mikovits, the medical researcher featured in the discredited Plandemic video that went viral earlier this year and which was banned from platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. Throughout the segment, the on-screen graphic read, DID DR. FAUCI CREATE COVID-19?Mikovits a segment featuring hosted by Eric Bolling, With Eric Bolling, including -- which owns Portlands ABC affiliate, KATU-TV -- se coronavirus task force, found a platform on the new episode of Sinclair Broadcast Groups America This Week. The episode is available for streaming on Sinclair-owned or -operated television station websites and is set to air on dozens of Sinclair stations over the weekend.

Toward the end of his show, host Eric Bolling interviewed Judy Mikovits of the conspiracy theory video Plandemic and her attorney Larry Klayman about their plans to sue Fauci. He introduced the prerecorded interview by referring to her as an expert in virology who previously worked with Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Mikovits gained notoriety after she made multiple false and misleading claims about the coronavirus and public health in Plandemic. Mikovits argued that mandatory coronavirus vaccines will kill millions as they already have with their vaccines, and falsely claimed that flu vaccines increase the odds by 36% of getting COVID-19 and are part of a plot against what filmmaker Mikki Willis called natural remedies for the virus. Mikovits also asserted that its insanity to close beaches because somehow the sand and healing micrwhoseowns, operates and/or provides services to 191 television stations in 89 markets; is a leading local news provider in the country; owns multiple national networks; and has TV stations affiliated wit newssticking with local TV news generally objective tone.

the generally objective tone local TV news is known for. that leans in a conservative direction, not the generally objective tone local TV news is known for. less objective than what local TV stations many find less than objective, andleans in a conservative direction that has more in common with Fox News than with objective reporting. pressuring stations owned by the media company to include programming that many find less objective reporting, and more conservative feel is less objective and more conservative. favors conservative opinions pushing

Oliver Darcy writes: Over the weekend, Sinclair abandoned plans to air a segment with the discredited "Plandemic" researcher who suggested that Dr. Anthony Fauciwas responsible for the coronavirus. After our Friday story prompted significant backlash, with concerned viewers contacting local stations expressing dismay, the company said Saturday that it would postpone and "rework" the segment which was set to air on Eric Bolling's weekly show.

"After further review of this week's originally planned episode, it's clear that we need to provide additional context to the highly controversial segment regarding the COVID pandemic and Dr. Fauci," Sinclair SVP of news Scott Livingston wrote in a memo to stations. "In order to meet our standard of providing an open and honest marketplace of ideas and viewpoints, even if incredibly controversial, we will need to rework the segment to ensure viewers get the best information available." My full story here...

>> The key question: Is it still appropriate to give airtime to a conspiracy theory like this one, even if presented alongside other views? I asked a Sinclair spokesperson, but never got a response...
NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's largest private funder of suicide prevention research, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) announced today the research priority areas for the 2020-2022 grant funding cycles. The new research priorities are suicide prevention within underrepresented racial and ethnic communities and the evaluation of technological tools for suicide prevention. Applications in these areas will be reviewed along with the general pool of grant applications, with priority given to strong grants in the designated fields.

"We define priorities for funding every two years to stimulate research in understudied areas. At AFSP, we have made a commitment to eliminate injustice and inequities in mental health and suicide prevention. One way we are working towards this goal by promoting research to understand and prevent suicide in underrepresented racial and ethnic communities and support researchers from these underrepresented groups. Building a research community and encouraging a growing body of knowledge is one of many steps we are taking to generate sustainable change," said Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman, AFSP vice president of research . "We also encourage applications that explore the priority areas set out by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention's Research Prioritization Task Force."

This year's focus on diversity is a part of AFSP's larger commitment to addressing the disparity in mental health care access. With the vast array of technological tools for suicide prevention, the second priority area is on evaluation of technology for suicide prevention.

The two-year priority period allows for resubmission of unsuccessful applications in the second year. Each application is reviewed multiple times by the top suicide prevention researchers in the world. The research grants are funded mainly through individual donors who attend the AFSP Out of the Darkness Walks and other public education events. Many of the AFSP grantees then go on to receive further funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and other large funding agencies. Last year, AFSP awarded over $5M in research grants for nearly 40 new studies.

The deadline for application is Sunday, November 15. For more information and to apply, visit https://afsp.org/research-grant-information#suicide-research-priority-areas

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report , and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube .

SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Related Links

www.afsp.org


On March 18th 2020, the Hayastan Global Armenian Fund launched the COVID-19 Armenia: United Against the Pandemic global Armenian fundraising campaign with all proceeds directed to providing urgently required high quality medical supplies to the Healthcare Sector.

The campaign was implemented in close cooperation with the President of the Republic of Armenia, the President of the Republic of Artsakh, the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, the RA Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the close of the campaign, on July 22nd, approximately $800,030 was raised, of which $ 695,244 was used to purchase large-scale medical supplies and equipment, provide monthly food packages for vulnerable elderly citizens and return stranded compatriots to Armenia

Significant in-kind contributions of medical supplies and equipment were also received from the Funds local affiliates in various countries which were transferred to the Ministry of Health.

The remaining funds will be directed to supporting the Healthcare Sector.

The Fund extends its sincere gratitude to the more than 1,000 individual donors from 18 countries around the world, global Armenian communities, organizations, the entire network of the Fund and all partners for their continued trust and support.
In this week's TravelSkills on SFGATE newsletter...

Need a break from all the COVID-19-related travel news? This week, we have a first-hand look at something you may have never seen before... the fire suppression system in action at SFO's "super bay" inside that huge hangar directly across the runways from the airport terminals. The response will blow your mind: millions of gallons of foam dispatch from the ceiling in a matter of minutes, burying the floor below. Watch it here: Foam fills SFO hangar in firefighting drill. [VIDEO]

As usual, our weekly Saturday morning airline news and routes roundup up is chock-full of interesting developments. This week you'll learn about Alaska Airlines' plans for more California service, including a few flights from the Bay Area; Qantas brings an end to its 747 era; some U.S.-India service resumes; China Airlines goes through an identity crisis; Customs & Border Protection pushes Global Entry interviews back to September. You'll also read about the latest updates on international carriers at SFO; Nashvilles airport gets a new concourse; Air Canada starts reopening Maple Leaf lounges; and Virgin moves ahead with the construction of a rail line from south Florida to Orlando International... Read: Routes: Alaska adds Bay Area flights; another carrier drops the 747

Tell your friends about TravelSkills on SFGATE and have them sign up for our FREE weekly email alerts or forward this email to them!

What's wrong with people? Check out this video from last week showing a planeload of passengers clapping when a woman who refuses to wear a mask is forced to leave an American Airlines flight. In the video, the recalcitrant passenger is collecting her belongings and exiting the plane, screeching at passengers who are applauding her departure. In light of this, here's how airlines are now adding new enforcement measures: Read: Anti-masker kicked off plane to passenger applause [VIDEO]

Get ready for a smaller United: Bay Area travelers have grown accustomed to being able to fly nonstop to just about anywhere in the world from SFO on United, which, at its recent peak, offered nearly 300 flights per day to 79 domestic and 29 international destinations. That's all going to change as the airline shrinks to nearly half its previous size and massive layoffs loom. Ugh. Read: United is going to be a smaller airline

Please note our new TravelSkills on SFGATE newsletter format! Reader reviews of the new format have been mixed, leaning toward mostly positive, so we'll stick with this for a while...Let us know what you think about the new conversational style versus to old list of links. Send me an email at chris@travelskills.com with your feedback! Thanks! -- Chris

Since we can't fly much these days, frequent travelers are venturing out on road trips to beat cabin fever. Day-trippers and weekenders desperate to get out of town are descending upon Lake Tahoe in big numbers. So big, in fact, that one of the area's largest cities and the county surrounding it are asking visitors to stay away. The county says that an exceptional number of visitors has made it nearly impossible to practice safe social distancing. Read: This Tahoe county and town are asking tourists to stay away

Now that major airlines and most airports are already on the mandatory mask bandwagon, giant hotel chains are starting to climb on as well. Major hotel groups had already imposed a face-covering requirement for their employees, and now they are extending that to guests as well. Marriott International (the worlds largest lodging group), Hyatt and InterContinental Hotels Group all said last week that they will institute a guest mask mandate for their U.S. and Canadian properties effective July 27. Read: Major hotel chains to require guest face coverings

Along with Delta, United announced last week that it will require and enforce facial coverings not only on planes, but at its airport check-in and gate areas, airport clubs, and while boarding. Read: United expands mask mandate

Back to cabin fever: If you are looking to get out of the house and get a dose of aviation history, take this hike! On it, you will learn about a plane that "tragically went down in October 1953, killing all 19 people on board (11 passengers and eight crew), making it the most deadly aviation crash in this countys history. The British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines flight, which was bound for Vancouver, Canada from Sydney, Australia (with scheduled stops in Fiji, Canton Island, Honolulu and yes, San Francisco), hit heavy coastal fog during its initial approach into San Francisco International Airport before clipping trees on the mountainside that sheared off the wings and sent the rest of the plane careening headfirst into the mountain." Fascinating. Read: This hike to a crashed plane is equal parts incredible and unsettling.

Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. Email: chris@travelskills.com | Twitter: @cjmcginnis | Facebook: @TravelSkills
This new variant could be the high-end version of the Surface Duo or could be the locked/unlocked one.

Two new variants of the Microsoft Surface Duo Android phone have been spotted on the UL LLC certifications list. The UL LLC certifications are a global safety certification company that covers 46 countries. This comes soon after the Microsoft Surface Duo with model number 1930 was spotted on the FCC site recently and also passed its Bluetooth SIG certification.

According to a report in Windows Latest, the model number of the product seen on the UL LLC certifications is also 1930 which ties in with the certifications filed by Microsoft at FCC and Bluetooth SIG.

There is, however, another variant of the Surface Duo that has been spotted on the UL certifications for Canada with the model number 1930r. Reports speculate that this could be the high-end variant of the Surface Duo or its locked/unlocked version.

This listing also helps confirm that the Surface Duo, which is supposed to launch this year, will be available outside the US.

The Surface Duo is Microsofts first foray into the dual-screen space where it is making a debut with a hinge-based device that comes with Android software. Rumours indicate that Microsoft plans to launch a second-gen Surface Duo next year.

Windows Latest states that the Surface Duo will come with the Snapdragon 855 and Microsoft is skipping on next-gen connectivity which means no 5G, but that is not too much of an issue because most countries dont have 5G yet.

Reports have it that the Surface Duo will come in 64GB, 128GB and 256Gb variants with 6GB of RAM, USB Type-C support, Surface Pen support and a front-facing 11MP camera.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 23:10:36|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Israel said on Monday afternoon its troops opened fire at a "terror squad" with the Lebanese armed group of Hezbollah after it attempted to cross the border into Israel.

About an hour after the incident, Israel's military's Head of the International Media Branch Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said in a telephone media brief that the army has "thwarted an infiltration attempt by a terror squad."

The incident took place in an area near the Israeli-Lebanese border known to Israelis as Mount Dov and to Arabs as Shebaa Farms.

Conricus said the army spotted a group of about 3-5 men armed with assault rifles and possibly additional weapons approaching the Blue Line, a border demarcation drawn in 2000 by the United Nations after Israel withdrew its forces from southern Lebanon.

He said that the Israeli army opened fire at them "once they crossed the Blue Line," adding the army "confirmed visually that the terrorists ran back to Lebanon."

The condition of the fighters was not immediately clear.

No Israelis were injured in the incident, according to the Israeli army.

Israel has retaliated the attempt also with artillery. Photos published on Israel's Ynet news site showed damage was caused to civilian homes in the area.

The Israeli army issued a statement warning its troops are "ready and prepared to continue operating as needed," adding the army "will not allow any harm to the security of Israeli citizens or violation of Israeli sovereignty."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz have both been receiving updates on the escalation, according to statements issued by their offices.

"Lebanon and Hezbollah will be responsible for any attack emanating from Lebanon," Netanyahu said.

"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is prepared for any scenario," he added.

The violence was the heaviest fighting along the volatile border in nearly a year.

Tensions along Israel's borders with Lebanon and Syria have been on the rise since a fighter with Hezbollah was killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Syria last week. Enditem
Rajasthan Speaker CP Joshi has withdrawn his SLP in the Supreme Court against High court's order to maintain 'status quo', staying disqualification of rebel Congress MLAs including Sachin Pilot.

Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi on Monday withdrew his plea from Supreme Court against the High Court order asking him to defer his decision on disqualification notices issued to former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal appearing for Rajasthan Speaker told the court that Speaker wants to withdraw his plea challenging the High Court jurisdiction to interfere in pending proceedings on disqualification petition against 19 rebel MLAs. A Bench of Justices Arun Mishra, B R Gavai and Krishna Murari allowed the Speaker to withdraw the plea.

Sibal also told the Bench that due to lack of stay by the Supreme Court on the High Courts July 21 order, the High Court has proceeded to pass a detailed order on July 24.

Also read: Rajasthan crisis: BSP issues whip to 6 MLAs to oppose Cong in Assembly proceedings

Also read: Rajasthan govt proposal to Governor contains no mention of floor test, claim sources

The High Court order of July 21 has merged with the High Court subsequent order of July 24 and therefore this SLP against July 21 order of HC has become infructuous, added Sibal.

Sibal told the apex court that the Rajasthan High Court has passed a fresh order on July 24 which has raised several other issues including interpretation of the 10th schedule. They have passed a 32-page order. We have to weigh our legal options on what to do next, Sibal said.

The anti-defection law, enshrined in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, was inserted in 1985 to prevent such political defections. It lists two situations for disqualification on the ground of defection. Firstly, if an MP or an MLA has voluntarily given up his membership of such political party (clause 2(1)(a)). Secondly, if he votes or abstains from voting in the House contrary to any direction issued by his party, that is if he violates the party whip in the House (clause 2(1)(b).

The Rajasthan High Court had on July 24 directed to maintain status quo on the disqualification proceeding against former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs of his camp pending before the State Assembly Speaker.

Earlier, Rajasthan High Court asked Assembly Speaker CP Joshi to defer the proceedings pending before him on the disqualification notices issued to Pilot and 18 MLAs of his faction and put off the verdict on the matter till July 24.

Joshi had approached the top court with an SLP against the interim order of the Rajasthan High Court, which had on Tuesday asked Speaker CP Joshi to defer the proceedings pending before him on the disqualification notices issued to Pilot and 18 MLAs, and put off the verdict on the matter till July 24.

On July 23, the Supreme Court held that the Rajasthan High Court can pass an order on former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and other MLAs plea against disqualification notice issued against them by the State Assembly Speaker.

The notices were issued to Pilot and 18 MLAs under the anti-defection law after the chief whips application for their disqualification. They were earlier asked to present before the Assembly Speaker on July 17, but the same was deferred in view of the hearing before the High Court.

The development had come as Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil after simmering differences between Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot came out in the open. Pilot was removed as the Deputy Chief Minister and the state unit chief of Congress.

Also read: Rajasthan crisis: Congress launches #SpeakUpForDemocracy campaign

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New Delhi, July 27 : Once praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central government, here on Monday, accepted resignation of retired IAS officer Parameswaran Iyer from the post of Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The resignation of Iyer, who returned from the US to head India's ambitious cleanliness drive 'Swachh Bharat Mission' (SBM), will be effective from August 21.

In 2017, the government had appointed Iyer on a two-year contract (which has ended) as the Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, which plays a key role in the SBM.

Known for his sanitation initiatives, Iyer, probably, is the first former bureaucrat to have been appointed to the post instead of a serving Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.

Iyer, a 1981 batch UP cadre IAS official, played a major role in implementation of Jal Jivan and Jal Shakti missions, which aim to tackle issues of water conservation and water supply to households across the country.

Iyer had taken voluntary retirement, about nine years ago, to take up a World Bank job in the sector. He worked as Senior Rural Water Sanitation Specialist at the UN between April 1998 and February 2006.

Praising Iyer, Modi at an event last year had said he returned from the USA on his call to work for the SBM.

He also worked as the programme leader and Lead Water and Sanitation Specialist in the World Bank's Hanoi office. Previously, he had worked in Washington, Egypt and Lebanon as the World Bank's Water Anchor.

Known as 'Param' among his World Bank colleagues, Iyer is credited with initiating and implementing the "Swajal Programme" and other initiatives and has over 20 years' experience in the sector.
Danang has recorded 12 new suspected cases of Covid-19 infection, according to acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long.



At the regular meeting on Covid-19 prevention and control held on July 27, Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said there was no evidence that all four newly confirmed cases in Danang were infected from the same source. They may have been infected by different people. The virus found in Danang this time is the new mutation.

Long said community infection might have started since early July and many people might have been infected. They have found 12 new suspected cases. The situation is very complicated and may spread to other cities and provinces. He had talked with the Chairman of Danang People's Committee Huynh Duc Tho about the possibility of implementing social distancing rules in Danang again.

The Ministry of Health agreed to lock down Danang Hospital, C Hospital and the Orthopaedic and Physical Rehabilitation Hospital of Danang.

Since the patient zero in Danang hasn't been found so they will ask anyone who has come to Danang in the past week to self-isolate. Those who have coughs and fevers will be tested.

"The biggest outbreak is from three hospitals that are located close to each other. The situation is similar to the situation at Bach Mai Hospital," Long said.

Vietnam tightens Covid-19 preventive measures for tranport services

All travelers by air, road, sea and trail across the country are required to wear face masks and have their body temperature checked.

The Ministry of Transport requested on the evening of July 26 transport service providers to strictly comply with Covid-19 prevention and control measures after the novel coronavirus reappeared in the community in central Vietnam.

All drivers and passengers are required to wear face masks at train and bus stations and on board.

Before boarding, passengers must make electronic medical declarations and have their body temperature checked and wash their hands with disinfectant, except passengers on taxis and buses.

Authorities recommended limited conversation, eating and drinking during the trip. Drivers are encouraged to leave windows open to allow natural ventilation.

During the trip, the passenger needs to contact attendants or health authorities via two hotlines 1900 3228 and 1900 9095 for instructions.

All such conditions were no longer required for passengers after the national social distancing campaign in late March was lifted. Only air passengers were required to wear face masks.

During the stay-at-home orders, transport service providers were asked to reduce trips and flights and limit the number of passengers on each trip.

Vietnamese PM orders drastic measures to fight COVID-19 in Da Nang and other localities

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has underlined the importance of implementing a range of measures to prevent the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) from spreading in Da Nang and other localities nationwide.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has stressed the importance of carrying out a score of measures against COVID-19 which is showing increasingly complicated developments

His remarks came during a cabinet meeting held on July 27 alongside the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, with the Government leader emphasizing the need to focus on handling three major points of infection in the central city of Da Nang, including Da Nang C Hospital,Da Nang Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital, and Da Nang General Hospital.

Following three people contracting COVID-19 in Da Nang along with the detection of 12 other suspected cases, the Government has ordered a new period of social distancing in the central city.

This comes following the Peoples Committee of Da Nang on the morning of July 26 also announcing a number of measures aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19

Local residents have been asked to wear masks when going out, to thoroughly wash their hands with soap, to keep a safe distance when coming into contact with others, and to not gather in crowds exceeding 30 people.

The local steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control has also proposed that all residents inform authorities if they are planning on leaving the city.

All ceremonies involving people gathering in a public place, including religious ceremonies and sporting events, are to be suspended.

Furthermore, non-essential business activities such as entertainment centres, beauty salons, spas, karaoke bars, massage parlous, and nightclubs will also be temporarily closed.

PM Phuc stated that the epidemic situation is becoming increasingly complicated amid a growing number of COVID-19 cases and the emergence of newly detected cases of the SARS-COV-2 virus in Da Nang. Most notably, the health condition of the latest patients is becoming more serious with both individuals needing the aid of ventilators after becoming infected by the virus.

In an effort to cope with the developing situation, the cabinet leader called on all residents to remain vigilant and take drastic epidemic prevention steps in order to prevent the situation worsening throughout the country.

Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long stated that the epidemic could have reappeared in early July, whilst it has yet to be confirmed where the latest outbreak in the community originated from.

In light of recent developments, the Ministry of Health has activated the highest possible measures in a bid to fight the epidemic by asking Da Nang to co-ordinate all efforts to trace the source of community transmission.

The Ministry of Health also suggested that all citizens who have been to Da Nang since July 1 should swiftly complete a health declaration with their local administrations, keep self-monitoring, and remain in self-isolation.



MoH issues urgent notice to find people in contact with COVID-19 patients

The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent notice to trace people in close contact with the latest three community transmission cases of COVID-19 in the central region with the source of transmission remaining unknown.

These patients were known to have visited three hospitals, including Hospital C a Nang from July 20 to 22, the a Nang General Hospitals Internal Medicine Department from July 16 to 18 and the Intensive Care Department on July 23, and the a Nang Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Hospitals canteen, drug store, Room 401 and the B zone between July 14 and 16 and July 20 and 21.

At 3pm on July 17, one of the patients took the bus from a Nang City to Quang Ngai City, and travelled from Quang Ngai City to a Nang City at 3am on July 20. The patient took the bus to the a Nang Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Hospital at 6.30am on the same day. All the buses were operated by Thanh Huong Bus Service.

The three patients were also reported to have taken the SE7 train from a Nang City to Quang Ngai City at 11pm on July 21; visited the Hoa Cuong wholesale market at 65 Le No Street in a Nang City in the mornings of July 8 to 12; visited a Co No street food vendor on Nguyen Thuy Road in Quang Ngai City on the morning of July 18; joined the New House Celebration in Nguyen Thong Road in Quang Ngai City on July 19; and went to the Labour Cultural House on Hung Vuong Road in Quang Ngai City between 8pm and 9pm on July 23.

The ministry requested those visiting these areas during the mentioned timeframes to immediately contact local centres for disease control and prevention for guidance on health monitoring.

People in close contact with the three patients needed to self-quarantine at home.

The ministrys hotline 1900 9095, the hotline of a Nang Citys Disease Control Centre 1900 988975 and of the Quang Ngai Citys Disease Control Centre 0914 021 022 are available for guidance.

Three residents in a Nang and Quang Ngai cities have been confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 from community transmission, with the source of transmission remaining unknown.

The latest cases have raised Viet Nams COVID-19 tally to 420.

Of all the people who have contracted the virus so far, 365 have been given the all-clear, accounting for 87.3 per cent and no fatalities have been reported.

At present, 11,187 people are placed under medical surveillance, of whom 220 are at hospitals, 10,193 centralised quarantine camps, and 774 at places of residence.

Experts report new type of Covid-19 in Da Nang

Preliminary epidemiological investigation showed that four out of five Covid-19 cases confirmed over the past weekend are linked to three hospitals in the central city of Da Nang.

The above news was released by experts at the meeting of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control this morning.

These health facilities, as the experts said, are Da Nang Hospital, Da Nang Hospital C, and Da Nang Orthopedic and Physical Rehabilitation Hospital.

To prevent the spread of the disease, experts suggested all people who return home from Da Nang and are linked to the aforesaid hospitals must be quarantined for 14 days while health declaration must be mandatory for the others.

Genome analsysis showed that this is a new type of Covid-19, which is more infectious, said Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long.

The Ministry of Health has sent best experts to Da Nang to help the central city contain the oubtreak and find out infection sources as soon as possible.

Over the past weekend, three residents in Da Nang and one resident in Quang Nam were confirmed positive for Covid-19. They are patients numbered 416, 418, 419, and 420, of whom patient 416 and patient 418 are in severe health conditions as they need ventilators.

Vietnam tightens control over immigration amid new local coronavirus infections

Shortly before Vietnam detected locally infected coronavirus cases in Danang, police found dozens of illegal Chinese immigrants in the city.

The detection of new coronavirus cases over the past two days after more than three months without community transmission has prompted Vietnam to step up a crackdown on illegal immigration.

Danang, which confirmed a new locally-transmitted infection in the city on July 25, has reported the illegal entry of dozens of Chinese nationals in the city and the neighboring province of Quang Nam in the last two weeks.

One day after the first case confirmed, the National Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control asked authorized agencies to toughen up immigration to prevent imported transmission.

The Ministry of Defense has been requested to continue control over borders, mostly trails to counter illegal immigration.

The Ministry of Public Security asks local police to keep a close eye on illegal immigrants and foreigners who are working and staying in the localities, including in lodging facilities, workshops, and training centers.

Heads of cities and provinces ask local residents to report any cases relating to illegal immigration to enable local authorities to proceed with quarantine and testing.

In a latest move, the Border Guard Command has set up eight working groups to check the border control mission in the provinces of Lang Son, Lai Chau, Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Quang Ninh that border China, and An Giang and Tay Ninh that border Cambodia.

Lieut. General Hoang Xuan Chien, deputy defense minister, asks the border forces to mobilize guards to 250 major checkpoints.

Over the past six months, Vietnam has set up nearly 1,600 checkpoints along the border with more than 9,400 people in action.

On July 25, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked armed forces to continue tightening control over immigration in border areas and ordered the Ministry of Public Security to investigate the illegal immigration in Danang, Quang Nam and Quang Ninh over the past time.

761 people test negative after close contact with COVID-19 patients



The Da Nang Center for Disease Control issued a statement on July 27 that all 761 people who had come into contact with the latest novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients in the city had tested negative for the virus.

Despite the haul of negative test results, each of the individuals are still required to remain under quarantine at public hospitals and isolation sites for a further 14 days.

Moreover, the health sector will continue to investigate and apply isolation measures for all people who came into direct contact with COVID-19 patients, known as F1s, with samples being taken from individuals in order to test for the virus.

With regard to patient 418 and patient 420, the Ministry of Health has urged all people who recently visited Hospital C, Da Nang General Hospital, or Da Nang Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital in the central city to immediately contact a medical centre in order to complete a health check.

As a way of stamping out the latest outbreak, the health sector will collect 10,000 blood samples from the local community in Da Nang, according to a meeting held this morning at a local Government office.

In addition, the results of 4,000 test samples taken from staff in the city will be announced on July 28.

Following the detection of the latest COVID-19 cases, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has requested that local authorities take immediate measures as a means of curbing the spread of the virus in the community. Moreover, every effort should be made to strengthen the central citys testing and treatment capacity whilst simultaneously intensifying investigation and epidemic supervision, particularly in high-risk areas.

This comes after Da Nang announced the re-imposition of social distancing measures from July 26.

Health Ministry: 420th Covid-19 patient did visit HCMC

Vietnams latest Covid-19 patient, the 420th case, had visited many areas including an apartment building in HCMC before she was confirmed positive for the novel coronavirus, according to the Health Ministry, which issued an emergency notice on Sunday detailing the travel history of the 71-year-old patient, who was a locally-transmitted case.

Between June 21 and July 8, the Danang resident visited her child at an apartment building in HCMCs District 11.

On July 8, she returned to the central city of Danang, where she lives with her husband, son and daughter-in-law. She has another daughter living in the city whom she has not met since her return to Danang from HCMC.

Along with her husband, she had also shopped at a Danang wholesale market several days before she showed signs of a fever.

On July 12, she started complaining of a fever and chest pain. During that time, she visited her younger sisters house on September 2 Street in Hoa Cuong Nam Ward of Danangs Hai Chau District.

On July 16, her husband went to a chemist on Hoang Dieu Street in the city to buy medicine for her.

After taking the medicine for five days without feeling better, the patient visited Hospital C Danang for a medical check up and returned home, after which three relatives from Quang Nam Province visited her.

The 420th patient was admitted to Hospital C Danang and has been receiving medical treatment there to date.

The ministry noted that the source of transmission remains unknown.

New Covid-19 cases in Danang may be from foreigners illegally entering Vietnam

The source of the Covid-19 transmission in Danang City may have come from foreigners who have illegally entered Vietnam, competent agencies concluded during a meeting held by the Border Guard High Command on July 26.

A representative of the Department of Border Gates said that since June 1, illegal immigration to Vietnam has surged, with 4,360 entering the country through small paths mainly in Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Quang Ninh and Lao Cai provinces bordering China.

Due to the sharp rise in illegal entry and the detection of new community transmissions, Hoang Xuan Chien, commander of the Border Guard, announced that the Border Guard High Command had put in place all measures to prevent Covid-19 transmissions nationwide from July 26.

The border guard forces will tighten control over immigration at border gates and block small paths to stop any illegal entry.

The border guard is also cooperating with the local police to initiate criminal proceedings against those involved in human trafficking rings.

Speaking at the meeting, Lieutenant General Chien insisted that the competent forces must effectively prevent illegal immigration to the country and send those who enter Vietnam to concentrated quarantine centers. It is necessary to tighten control to eliminate the community transmission of Covid-19.

Quang Ngai temporarily stops educational activities amidst fresh Covid-19 cases

Director of the Department of Quang Ngai Do Van Phu yesterday announced to temporarily stop all on-site educational activities in the province from July 27 amidst fresh Covid-19 cases.

Day-care centers, private centers, foreign language centers in the province will temporarily close down for prevention of Covid-19.

In regard to the approaching graduation examination scheduled to take place from August 8, the Departments planned to separate students into small groups to keep safe distance between them.

Quang Ngai is isolating 269 Vietnamese people returning from countries hit by coronavirus pandemic.

Two Covid-19 patients in Danang remain in critical condition

Two men infected with Covid-19 virus in the central city of Danang have remained in severe condition and one of them is undergoing the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

According to the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, Patient 418, 61 years old from Hai Chau District, is using a ventilator and feeding tube. The Covid-19 infection has caused him serious respiratory problems, heart and kidney failure; meanwhile, he has also contracted high blood pressure and diabetes.

He is now being treated at Danang Hospital.

Over the past one month, he did not go out of Danang and did not contact any foreigner. He went to Danang Hospital on July 5 to take care of his dad.

After respiratory-related symptoms, he was sent to the hospital on July 21 and on Sunday, doctors officially confirmed his Covid-19 infection.

Patient 416, who is a 57-year-old man from Lien Chieu District is also receiving the treatment at Danang Hospital with the ECMO support.

On July 20, he came to the hospital for a medical check-up following a cough, fever and being tired. He was then tested for Covid-19 for five consecutive times.

This is the third Covid-19 patient in Vietnam using ECMO after Patient 19, a 64-year-old Vietnamese woman and Patient 91, a British pilot, both discharged after treatment.

Deputy PM directs resolutely preventing illegal entry into Vietnam

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has required ministries, agencies and localities to heighten alert and resolutely prevent illegal entry into Vietnam amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent discovery of several cases of Chinese illegally entering Vietnam.

The requirement was highlighted in a document announcing instructions made by the Deputy PM during a recent national teleconference to review performance of the Governments Steering Committee on Crime Prevention and Control and the National Steering Committee on Fighting Crimes, Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeits (Steering Committee 389) and outline their future tasks.

The Deputy PM also outlined key tasks in the time ahead for ministries, agencies and localities in order to make more substantial results in the fight against crime, smuggling and trade frauds, which he said is an important and regular political task.

Those who hold the top positions in sectors and localities must bear responsibility for the fight in the sector and locality under their management.

He instructed the continued revision of legal regulations related to the fight against crimes, smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeits; the use of advanced technology to share information among agencies involved, and expansion of international cooperation, including proposing negotiations and signing of international conventions and agreements in the field.

The Ministry of Public Security was urged to crack down on crimes of all types, especially the illegal entry of foreigners into the country.

The Ministry of National Defence must enhance border control to prevent illegal cross-border transport of goods and movement of people, including at sea.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade was requested to step up administrative reform, continue effectively carrying out the campaign Vietnamese people prioritise Vietnamese goods, and improving the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods.

The Office of the Steering Committee 389s standing board will inspect and direct ministries, agencies and localities in the effort./.

No new COVID-19 infections recorded on July 27 morning

No more new COVID-19 infection cases were reported in Vietnam on July 27 morning, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Health workers guide quarantined people in conducting preventive measures

The total number of infections still stood at 420, of whom 276 are imported and were quarantined upon arrival.

A report of the steering committees Treatment Sub-committee showed that 365 patients, or 86.9 percent, have recovered fully.

Among the active patients, five tested negative for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once and three negative at least twice.

There are currently 11,954 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entering Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions being quarantined, including 232 at hospitals, 10,922 at concentrated quarantine facilities, and 800 at home.

COVID-19: Over 310 citizens flown home from RoK

More than 310 Vietnamese citizens were brought home from the Republic of Korea (RoK) on a Vietnam Airlines flight on July 26.

The flight was arranged by Vietnamese authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in the RoK, the national flag carrier, and relevant RoK agencies.

The passengers are the elderly, children aged under 18, pregnant women, those in poor health conditions, workers with expired labour contracts, and students with no accommodations due to hostel closure.

The Vietnamese Embassy sent staff to the airport to assist them.



Strict security and safety measures were enforced during the flight to protect passengers health and prevent the spread of the disease.

Immediately after the flight landed at Hanois Noi Bai International Airport, all passengers and crew members were given health check and quarantined as regulated.

Following the Prime Ministers directions, domestic authorities and Vietnams overseas representative offices continue arranging more flights to take Vietnamese citizens home, depending on the citizens need and the countrys quarantine capacity.

More than 240 Vietnamese citizens brought home from Singapore

Vietnams authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore, budget carrier Vietjet Air, and relevant Singaporean offices arranged a flight to bring more than 240 Vietnamese citizens home on July 27.

The passengers are mostly the elderly, pregnant women, sick people, children aged under 18, workers with expired visas and labour contracts, and stranded tourists.

Vietjet Air strictly carried out security and safety measures during the flight to protect passengers health and prevent the spread of the disease.

Immediately after the flight landed at Can Tho International Airport in the Mekong Delta city of the same name, all passengers and crew members were given health check and brought to concentrated quarantine facilities.

Under the Prime Ministers direction, domestic authorities and Vietnams overseas representative offices will arrange more flights to take Vietnamese citizens home, depending on the citizens need and the countrys quarantine capacity.

VNA/Hanoitimes/VNN/VNS/VOV/SGT/Dtinews
Why it matters: Intel's year isn't getting any better after revealing its 7nm process would be delayed by six months, knocking around 16 percent off its share price and wiping $43 billion off the company's market cap. Now, Chipzilla is facing a class-action lawsuit for investors fraud.

Intel's revenue was up 20 percent in its Q2 2020 earnings report, but its 7nm processors have been delayed by at least six months because production has fallen a year behind. The subsequent decline in share price resulted in AMD's stock jumping above its rival's for the first time in around 15 years.

On Friday, the Hagens Berman law firm put out a call to Intel investors who suffered significant losses to contact the company for a possible class-action suit. It also seeks people who may be able to assist in its investigation of possible securities fraud.

"Beginning at the Company's 2019 annual investor conference, Intel continuously represented that it would start shipping its first 7nm chips in 2021. The news was well-received since the Company claimed the 7nm chip would deliver double the area efficiency of its 10nm chips. Moreover, in the wake of severe delays derailing its 10nm chips, Intel assuaged concerns by stating, "We've made time-to-market the priority," and repeatedly affirmed the 7nm chip's timetable," states Hagens Berman.

But in its recent earnings call, Intel CEO Bob Swan said the company had identified a "defect mode" in its 7nm process that caused yield degradation issues. As a result, Intel has invested in "contingency plans," which Swan later defined as including using third-party foundries, all of which means its 7nm chips won't hit the market until 2021 or 2022.

The law firm is now investigating whether Intel misrepresented and concealed manufacturing and performance issues with its 7nm chips. It's also asking whistleblowers with non-public information on Intel to get in touch. "Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC," it states.

Like all billion (and trillion) dollar companies, Intel constantly faces a slew of lawsuits. In addition to alleged patent infringements, the company is dealing with several related to the Spectre/Meltdown vulnerabilities. Misleading investors is a serious allegation, just ask Nvidia, which has been battling against a similar lawsuitwhich relates to misreporting mining GPU salessince 2017.
STORY LINK Pound to Japanese Yen (GBP/JPY) Exchange Rate Steady as Japans Leading Economic Index Beats Forecasts

GBP/JPY Exchange Rate Rangebound as Uncertainty Grows Over Japans Economy

Pound (GBP) Steady as Uncertain Economic Outlook

GBP/JPY Forecast: Japanese Yen Could Head Higher on Positive Retail Sales

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The Pound to Japanese Yen (GBP/JPY) exchange rate held steady today, with the pairing currently trading around 135.120.The Japanese Yen (JPY) failed to make any significant gains on the Pound (GBP) following this mornings release of the latest Japanese Leading Economic Index for May, which failed to confirm forecasts and rose less-than-expected at 78.4.Consequently, JPY investors are becoming increasingly concerned for Japans economic recovery from the damages of the coronavirus pandemic.Japan has also seen a recent surge in Covid-19 cases. As a result, Japanese Yen (JPY) traders are remaining cautious as this could mean further uncertainty for the Japanese economy.Shinichiro Kobayashi, economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co, said:We have seen a spike of infection cases mainly in Tokyo. Im concerned this will impact peoples consumption to a certain level.[I]t could slowly aggravate consumer sentiment. They would be more worried about catching the virus or passing it on others. Then they would voluntarily refrain from going out and spending money.The Pound (GBP) struggled today after the think tank EY Item Club reported that the British economy could be held back from growth until 2024. Consequently, GBP investors have become concerned that the UKs economic could suffer in the months ahead.Howard Archer, chief economic advisor to the EY Item Club, was pessimistic in his analysis, saying:The UK economy may be past its low point, but it is looking increasingly likely that the climb back is going to be a lot longer than expected. Mays growth undershot even the lowest forecasts. By the middle of this year, the economy was a fifth smaller than it was at the start. Such a fall creates more room for rapid growth later, but it will be from a much lower base.Meanwhile, uncertainty over Brexit is also weighing on Sterling. However, the EUs Chief Brexit Negotiator, Michel Barnier, said that a UK-EU trade deal was, despite the stalemate, still possible.The Pound (GBP) investors will be looking ahead to Tuesdays release of the latest CBI Distributive Trades Survey for July. If this remains in the doldrums, we could see Sterling suffer.Japanese Yen (JPY) investors will be looking ahead to Wednesdays release of the latest Japanese retail sales figures. Any improvement in the Japanese economys outlook would prove JPY-positive.The GBP/JPY exchange rate will remain sensitive to news around UK-EU Brexit negotiations. If the UK and the EU settle on a possible trade deal, then we could see Sterling head higher.

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LG Chem's Nanjing factory in China / Courtesy of LG Chem



By Baek Byung-yeul





LG Chem's plan to sell its liquid crystal display (LCD) polarizer business unit to a Chinese company may hit a snag as the Korean government moves to designate the technology as a national core technology, making it difficult to sell related technologies outside the country, sources said Monday.



Sources said the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will hold a meeting this week to decide whether LCD polarizer technology has any correlation with eighth-generation or higher generation thin film transistor (TFT)-LCD panel making technology, which is currently designated as a national core technology.



LCD polarizers are used to manufacture TVs, smart phones and vehicles. Last month, LG Chem announced it had signed a deal to sell its LCD polarizer business unit to China's Shanshan Chemical for 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion).



If the trade ministry concludes that the LCD polarizer technology is part of the eighth-generation LCD panel technology and designates it as a national core technology, LG Chem is required to earn the government's permission before proceeding with a deal.



However, industry officials believe chances of its designation as a national core technology are slim as industry trends are shifting.



"When LG Chem announced its deal with the Chinese company, industry analysts welcomed the decision as the display industry is shifting its focus from LCD business to organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).



The LCD polarizer technology is nothing new anymore. It is widely used by other companies in other countries, so it seems chances are slim that the technology will be designated as one of the core technologies," an industry official, who requested anonymity, said.



LG Chem said it decided to sell the business to focus on its OLED business, which LG Group thinks will become its future growth engine. Also, the money the company will secure from selling the business will be used in its material business for automobiles and batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).



The government has designated several core technologies in the display, semiconductor and shipbuilding sectors as national core technologies. By making it hard to leak related technologies outside the country, the government has tried to protect the local industry. So far, 69 technologies in electronics, automobile, steel, shipbuilding, nuclear power and other sectors have been named as core technologies.



LG Chem, the world leader in the EV battery business, has been pouring money into the battery cell business.



If the government decides not to allow LG to sell its LCD polarizer unit to the Chinese company, LG Chem's plan to increase investment in promising EV battery and OLED polarizer businesses may face setbacks.



When LG announced its bid to sell the LCD polarizer unit, June 15, Moody's said, "This transaction, if carried through, is credit positive for LG Chem, as the sale proceeds will limit increases in debt and help the company fund capital spending for its fast-growing battery business."



"LG Chem has been in a heavy investment cycle since 2018 and we expect capital spending to stay high at least until 2021. The company's large investments will be used mainly to expand its electric vehicle (EV) battery capacity and to build a new naphtha cracking center, as it seeks growth opportunities and further business diversification," the U.S.-based ratings agency added.
Iran's Exports To Iraq Drop 40 Percent In Second Quarter

Radio Farda July 26, 2020

The Secretary-General of Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce announced that the volume of Iran's non-oil exports to Iraq dropped forty percent in the second quarter of 2020.

According to the Iranian Chamber of Commerce website, Hamid Hosseini said that in the second quarter of this year, Iran exported five million tons of non-oil goods worth $ 1.45 billion to Iraq.

Based on the same report, Iran's non-oil exports to Iraq decreased by "forty percent" in terms of volume and 38.3% in terms of value, compared with the same period last year.

In addition to the U.S. government sanctions, the coronavirus outbreak crisis that led to the closure of borders between the two countries has also contributed to the decrease in trade.

Iran and Iraq have seven border crossings that have been reopened except the "Chazzabeh" in Khuzestan, southwest Iran. Chazzabeh crossing, one of the country's most significant border passages, was scheduled to open on July 26.

The sharp decline in trade between the two countries comes as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani recently announced that Tehran and Baghdad were targeting to increase their mutual trade by up to $ 20 billion a year.

The prime minister of Iraq Mustafa al-Kadhimi just paid a visit to Iran in recent days and his hosts trumpeted agreements meant to boost mutual business and trade. However, due to U.S. sanctions Baghdad seems to be reluctant in engaging in broader economic relations with Tehran. Before U.S. sanctions Iraq was Iran's second biggest trading partner after China.

Iranian government officials say the total trade between Iran and Iraq amounts to $ 12 billion a year. However, since the Islamic Republic stopped providing data on its foreign trade at the beginning of 2019, the details concerning the current volume and value of Iran's imports and exports cannot be determined.

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-s -exports-to-iraq-drop-40-percent- in-second-quarter/30748025.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.

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By Express News Service

LUCKNOW: While Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated three high-end COVID-19 testing labs including one in Noida besides Mumbai and Kolkata, Uttar Pradesh achieved a feat by breaching the 1 lakh mark of single-day sample testing during the last 24 hours on Monday. In all, 1,06, 962 samples were tested in Uttar Pradesh since Sunday. Thus over 19 lakh persons have been tested for

COVID-19 in the state so far.

The three testing facilities launched by the PM on Monday have been strategically set up at ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Mumbai and ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata.

In his virtual address, the PM claimed that the facilities were expected to scale up testing capacity in the country and help strengthen early detection and treatment to tame spread coronavirus. The three facilities will add over 10,000 samples a day to the testing facilities of the country.

The newly-inaugurated labs are enabled to test non-COIVD diseases including Hepatitis B and C, HIV, TB and Dengue, post-pandemic. On the other, while UP is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases, the state has ramped up daily testing of samples taking the number to 1,06,962 during the last 24 hours. However, with the rise in single day sample testing, the number of positive cases are also on the rise at a rate of 3.5 per cent.

However, during the last 24 hours, the state tally of COVID-19 patients jumped by 3578 cases with state capital Lucknow remaining on top with 3497 cases followed by Kanpur City with total 1985 cases, Varanasi with 1393 cases, Jhansi with 983 cases and Ghaziabad with 947 active cases. However, the state now has 69,892 cases of COVID-19.

While the Monday jump was the highest in the state so far, 31 patients lost the battle to the pandemic taking the toll tally to 1456. However, there are 26,204 active cases in the state and 42,833 have been discharged after recovery from the hospital.

While reviewing the situation of the state, CM Yogi directed the health authorities to create 100-bed COVID hospital across 75 districts of the state.
New Delhi: India on Monday handed over ten broad gauge (BG) diesel locomotives to Bangladesh, strengthening the neighbouring country's railway infrastructure. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar flagged off the locomotives online in the presence of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and several dignitaries from across the border.

All ten locomotives have a residual life of 28 years or more. These are WDM-3D type, a class of diesel-electric locomotive. The model name stands for broad gauge, diesel, a mixed-traffic engine with 3,300 horsepower with a speed of 120 kmph.

These are suitable for hauling freight as well as passenger trains and is a microprocessor-based control system. The ergonomic layout of the drivers cab is for stress-free driving and improved visibility for safer running. The Indian Railways has also modified the locomotives to suit the maximum height restrictions in Bangladesh Railways.

These locomotives would provide improved train operations within Bangladesh and also for interchange with Indian Railways and strengthen the partnership between both railways further.

The physical location of the handover was the Gede station of the Eastern Railways in West Bengal's Nadia district and the receiving station was Darshana in Bangladesh.

In recent times, India and Bangladesh have stepped up their rail cooperation in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as trade via land border faced disruptions.

Rail as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution has helped in transporting essential commodities across the border. Both sides saw the highest ever exchange of freight trains in the month of June. A total of 103 freight trains were utilized for carrying essential commodities and raw materials.

The handing over of these locomotives, under grant assistance from the Centre, fulfils an important commitment made during the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India, in October 2019. In keeping with the requirements of Bangladesh Railway, the locomotives have been suitably modified by the Indian side. These locomotives will help handle the increasing volume of passenger and freight train operations in Bangladesh.

Speaking on the occasion, Jaishankar said, I am delighted to join this ceremony of handing over 10 locomotives to Bangladesh. I am glad to know that parcel and container trains have been started between both countries. This will open up new opportunities for our businesses. I am happy to note that the movement of a trade by rail has been ensured. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the supply of essentials particularly in the holy month of Ramadan was ensured.

He further highlighted the depth of time tested India-Bangladesh ties, based on mutual trust and respect. He expressed his happiness that the COVID pandemic had not slowed down the pace of bilateral cooperation and conveyed that he looked forward to more such milestones in the ongoing historic Mujib Barsho.

Speaking on the occasion, Goyal said, It gives me immense pleasure to hand over 10 broad gauge locomotives for the use of Bangladesh Railways. These locomotives will be useful in handling the on-going freight train operations between India & Bangladesh. To ensure the usability of these locos in Bangladesh, they have been modified. We have been huge strides forward in our respective efforts at achieving development & growth. India & Bangladesh have come a long way in the last few years. Our bilateral relationship today is at its very best. Our neighbourhood policy follows PM Narendra Modi's vision of Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas. The leadership of both, India & Bangladesh, are committed to reviving the pre-1965 railway connection between the two countries."

He added, "Out of the 7 rail links that existed then, 4 are functional now. To further strengthen rail connectivity in the region, one new rail link, between Agartala in India and Akhaura in Bangladesh is being constructed & finance under Grant Assistance of India. During COVID-19, both Railways have shown exemplary foresight in managing the crisis and maintained the supply chain by stepping up the transportation of essential commodities. Parcel train and container train services have been introduced via Benapole in Bangladesh. Both these services have already started in the month of July. These have enabled us to move a wide range of products from both sides. Railways have ensured that the two countries can continue our bilateral trade without any disruption & health risk. Both Railways are ensuring a better future for the people.

During his address, Goyal also committed complete, unstinted and unlimited support to Bangladesh in its development of Bangladesh rail network. He underscored the significance of railway cooperation in enhancing bilateral trade and connectivity and in further boosting the economic partnership between the two countries. Recently, parcel and container train services have also commenced between India and Bangladesh. This is expected to significantly enhance the scope of bilateral trade.
Jun-Hong Liang, associate professor in the Louisiana State University Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, or DOCS, has received a five-year National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development, or NSF CAREER, award. The CAREER award is one of the NSF's most prestigious awards and is bestowed upon junior faculty who "have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization." This award will support his research into how ocean bubbles play an important role in upper ocean dynamics and in air-sea gas exchange and to enrich the curriculum in physical oceanography and outreach activities at LSU and in local communities.

According to Kam-biu Liu, the George W. Barineau III Professor and chair of DOCS, "For an assistant professor, if you get a CAREER award, it is like a stamp of approval from your peers in the field. Jun-Hong is a top-notch and innovative researcher in his field. His research on turbulence in the upper layer of the ocean and air-sea interaction is cutting-edge and highly regarded by his peers in physical oceanography. He is truly deserving of this honor."

Liang is one of two professors in the history of the LSU College of the Coast & Environment to receive an NSF CAREER award. The first was awarded to Sam Bentley in 2001, a then-assistant professor in DOCS. Bentley now serves as the vice president of the LSU Office of Research & Economic Development.

"I am so happy for Jun-Hong. Receiving an NSF CAREER award can be a life changing event. It was for me. CAREERs are more than science proposals, they are deeply personal and aspirational statements. Jun-Hong's work at the oceanic-atmospheric boundary layer is really important, exciting and unique, impacting everything from ocean waves to global warming," Bentley said.

Liang will receive approximately $472,000 to continue his research and educational activities. According to Liang, funding for this research is vital because "bubbles in the ocean are the cousins of clouds in the atmosphere. They are very challenging to observe and simulate, while we now know that they play important roles in ocean dynamics, ocean acoustics, ocean optics, marine aerosols, geoengineering, and air-sea gas exchange." With a computer model that he has developed and improved, Liang will produce high-resolution simulations of ocean currents, gas bubbles, and dissolved gases using LSU's supercomputing facilities. With these simulations, Liang will be looking at how bubbles move under the influence of chaotic and turbulent ocean currents, how those bubbles alter water motions and transport important gases, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, between the ocean and the atmosphere.

Also, Liang anticipates that this research will produce physics-based formulas to calculate air-sea gas flux. These formulas can help to better constrain the budget of gases--for example, carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas in the earth system that contributes to climate change. They may also help interpret the measurement of gases for ocean biogeochemical processes more accurately. For example, oxygen, nitrogen and argon measurements are currently used to infer biological activities, such as photosynthesis, respiration, nitrogen fixation and denitrification. Accurate calculation of air-sea gas flux improves those estimates. Another important product of the research will be improved predictive formulas for the movement of buoyant pollutants, such as spilled oil and microplastics, which have recently emerged as major threats to ocean environment.

More broadly, this research will improve scientists' abilities to predict marine environment and climatic changes, and will provide decision makers in politics and industry with sound scientific input on a range of issues, including climate, environment, fisheries, energy and marine pollution mitigation.

This award will empower Liang to advance not only LSU's research but also its education and community outreach. Liang intends to use his research results to produce educational materials for use by K-12 teachers, to build a series of hand-on experiments and demonstrations that can be used for educational outreach and to further develop a series of stimulating undergraduate and graduate classes at LSU.

"My hope is that this will attract local middle and high school students to the field of oceanography, raise awareness of the ocean's importance to our way of life among both students and the community and further enrich the oceanography curriculum at LSU," Liang said. View the NSF award abstract for "CAREER: Mechanistic modeling of turbulent bubbly flows in the ocean surface boundary layer."

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 11:39:35|Editor: huaxia

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SYDNEY, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Australia recorded its biggest daily jump in COVID-19 cases on Monday, with 549 new infections, as well as its deadliest day, with 10 people passing away on Sunday after contracting the virus.

All of the deaths and almost all of the confirmed cases occurred in the southeastern state of Victoria which in the past month has seen case numbers surge despite the reintroduction of social distancing restrictions.

The state also recorded an additional six fatalities on Monday, taking the national COVID-19 death toll to 161.

Victoria's aged care homes have become a particular concern for authorities, with most of those who have died from the virus being in their 70s and 80s.

As of Monday, Victoria had over 600 active cases linked to the aged care industry.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters that as long as the number of cases with the broader community remained high, the most vulnerable members of the public would be at risk.

"If you want to protect the most vulnerable in our community, that is why (following social distancing procedures) is so important," Morrison said.

Last week Victoria introduced mandatory face masks in the state capital Melbourne and Premier Daniel Andrews said most people were abiding by the new rules.

However he added that the virus was being spread largely in workplaces, making it vitally important for those who display symptoms not to go to work, and to get tested.

"This is what is driving these numbers up and the lockdown will not end until people stop going to work with symptoms and instead go and get tested," Andrews said.

Meanwhile, the neighbouring State of New South Wales recorded 17 new cases of COVID-1, amid fears that Sydney could see a similar resurgence to what has occurred in Victoria.

Sydney's cases so far involved a handful of restaurants and bars prompting a crackdown and tighter restrictions on hospitality venues. Enditem
Saraki, minister of state for transportation and daughter of Olusola Saraki, says naming the Ajaokuta train station after her late fat...





Saraki, minister of state for transportation and daughter of Olusola Saraki, says naming the Ajaokuta train station after her late father is a testament to his lifes work.





Saraki, a senator in the second republic and father to Bukola Saraki, ex-senate president, was among the prominent Nigerians whom President Muhammadu Buhari named some train stations after on Monday.





Expressing gratitude in a statement, the minister said the people of Kwara and Kogi are tied by history, adding that her father dedicated his life in service of the states.





Kogi state was formed from parts of Kwara and Benue states in in 1991.

She said naming the station after her father is a recognition of his contributions to the socio- economic and political development of the Old Kwara State and the federation.





On behalf of the family of the late Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki, I express a deep appreciation to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency President Muhammad Buhari, GCFR, for naming the Ajaokuta Train Station after our beloved father and renowned statesman, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki, she said in a statement.





The people of Kwara and Kogi have for long been closely tied by history and culture. The late Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki ardently dedicated his life to an unwavering service of the people of old Kwara state and the federation, bestowing this honour is a recognition of his contributions to the socio- economic and political development of the Old Kwara State and the federation.





Naming the Ajaokuta Train Station after our late father is a a testament to his lifes work for the advancement of these States. We have no doubt that the construction of the Ajaokuta Train Station by the President Muhammadu Buharis administration will contribute immensely to the economic development of our beloved country, Nigeria.





We commend your leadership and commitment to resuscitating rail transportation in the country through the assiduous and enviable effort of the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and reaffirm the support of the family in the realisation of your laudable efforts.





Buhari also named train stations after Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, among others.




Car bomb goes off in Turkish-controlled northern Syrian city, eight dead

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 July 2020 1:58 PM

Eight people, including women and children, have been killed in a car bomb attack in the strategic border city of Ra's al-Ayn in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah which Turkish forces and allied militants captured in an offensive against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in October.

Syria's official news agency SANA reported that the attack was carried out near a marketplace on Sunday. Some of the injured are in a critical condition.

The Turkish Defense Ministry blamed the YPG in a post on its official Twitter page.

The new bombing attack came after on June 5, two children were killed in a similar attack at the same place.

On October 9, 2019, Turkish forces and Ankara-backed militants launched a long-threatened cross-border invasion of northeastern Syria in a declared attempt to push the YPG away from border areas.

Ankara views the YPG, which is supported by the White House, as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region in Turkey since 1984.

Two week after the invasion began, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a memorandum of understanding that asserted the YPG had to withdraw from the Turkish-controlled "safe zone" in northeastern Syria within 150 hours, after which Ankara and Moscow would run joint patrols around the area. The patrols have come under attacks by militants ever since.

That announcement was made hours before a US-brokered five-day truce between Turkish and Kurdish-led forces was due to expire.

Meanwhile, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that US forces and allied Kurdish-led militants from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had arrested a number of local residents and internally displaced persons near a US base in the Jazira region of Hasakah.

Elsewhere in the northwestern province of Aleppo, Turkish-backed militants looted privately-owned property.

SANA reported that members of the Hamza Division terrorist group broke into several houses on Saturday, stealing money, furniture and home appliances.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With its expansive outdoor section, Ronnie Bartiromo and Frank Mirabella have great hopes for 4126 Hylan Boulevard. As Reggianos II, the Great Kills spot will offer big portions of affordable Italian fare plus pizzas, mirroring the successful format established at the original Reggianos in Tottenville.

The new operation -- located in the spot of former Capizzi and, prior to that La Bellas -- opens officially on Thursday. It will initially roll out with a limited menu of pizza and desserts. But when Reggiannos gradually revs up to full speed in the next few weeks mozzarella will be crafted right in front of guests. Pizzas will range from the traditional to the exotic, said Bartiromo.

Some of the signature combinations will include a Fra Diavolo pie with mussels served in the shell and combinations with crumbled fennel sausage. Olive oil and tomatoes at the root of all the recipes are house brands imported direct from Italy.

On the first day of business Reggianos II will present a meal deal for lunch and dinner. The set price of $24.95 gets a pair of guests two pints of Bud, a 16-inch Margarita pie and plate of two burrata cheese balls dressed with fresh tomatoes, roasted red peppers, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil.

Reggiano's II has an outdoor section that spills into the parking lot. (Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

Hours will be from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Delivery and to go are options.

Will the signature Coca-Cola mural remain in the bar area, a remnant of the Capizzi venture?

No, said the new owners. The artwork became brittle and dried out while the business was closed through the pandemic. The buildings three dining rooms and lounge area will remain. When catered functions are permitted once again, Reggianos II will claim a niche in the party business for gatherings of 70 to 80 guests at a clip.

This is not the first restaurant rodeo for the Reggiano II owners. Mirabella operates the Tropical Smothie establishments in Richmond Valley and Bulls Head.

Bartiromo, an original owner of the Tottenville pizzeria, started in the industry at 17. Hes serviced Staten Island kitchens via wholesale distributors and, currently, a buyer and salesman for Ranchers Best.

Reggiano's II will open in Great Kills in late July. (Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

And its the knowledge of the restaurant realm as presented by a purveyor of product that will make Reggianos stand out on the food scene.

The ultimate goal is to replicate what were doing in Tottenville, said Bartiromo.

He added, We feel we have something that no one else has -- competitive price points. Were not gouging you. Times are tough for people. We want it to be affordable. We want to help.

Take the tomahawk for two soon offered on the Reggianos II menu. A three-pound steak will be priced at $79.95, about $20 less than other restaurants serving the same caliber of beef.

Bartiromo also promised a further commitment to local vendors -- A&L Produce, Premier Produce, Tidal Seafood (affiliated with Porkys) and, in a very big way, Ranchers Best.

Outdoor dining at Reggiano's II. (Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

Reggianos takes its name from the cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano.

We use that in all our recipes, said Bartiromo.

The entrepreneurs said they are thankful to their loyal employees and customer base on the South Shore who enthusiastically supported their business in the pandemic. Staten Islanders might recall that Reggianos jumped into the retail supply game distributing cleaning supplies, toilet paper, groceries and sundries. The effort was meant to be a convenience to their patrons.

We did it til the supermarkets had the product. We delivered to houses from the end of March through May. Our customers have been supporting us all along in return, said Bartiromo.

The new Reggianos has no phone number just yet. Prospective employees can reach Mirabella on his cell at 347-726-0976.

Pamela Silvestri is Advance/SILIVE.com food editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.
SAN DIEGO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ashford University will host its 4th Annual Early Childhood Education Conference virtually on August 3-5, 2020. This year's conference, Educating with a Purpose, brings more than 26 sessions presented by Ashford faculty, students, alumni, and early education professionals.

Dr. Craig Swenson, President of Ashford University, shared: "Our communities are facing new and evolving challenges that impact access and quality of education for our youth. Ashford's Early Childhood Education Conference provides teachers, administrators, educators in training, parents, and caregivers information on best practices and standards, with the aim to inspire those who foster learning and support for our future generations."

The impressive keynote speaker lineup features Scarlett Lewis, founder of The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation and global speaker; Dr. Teresa McKay, Ashford University associate faculty member and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) reviewer; and Nancy Moretti, Ashford University associate faculty member and mindfulness expert.

"We can't always choose what happens to us in life, but we can always choose how we respond. Choosing love as a thoughtful response enables us to take our personal power back and make the world a better place," said Scarlett Lewis, founder of the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement. "I'm happy to be sharing this important and much needed message with participants. Now more than ever, we need to practice thoughtfully responding to manage our emotions."

Information on conference sessions and speakers is available at https://sites.google.com/site/auecevirtualconference/home.

About Ashford University

Ashford University is a recognized leader and innovator in distance learning and online education. Ashford is designed to meet the needs of working students, offering programs most often sought by those whose primary educational goals relate to developing professional and career-relevant competencies. Flexible schedules, innovative delivery, and accessible academic support tools help working students balance busy lives with academic studies. Ashford offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs. For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu, www.facebook.com/ashforduniversity, or www.twitter.com/AshfordU.

Contact:

Pat Ogden

[email protected]

About The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement

Jesse Lewis, a six-year-old first grader, was a victim of the Sandy Hook tragedy whose action saved the lives of nine classmates. Jesse left behind a message on a household chalkboard, "Nurture, Healing, Love" that became the inspiration for his mother, Scarlett, to found the Choose Love Movement.

The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with a commitment to reach students, educators and individuals, nationally and internationally, and provide them with a simple, yet profound formula for choosing love. Its signature program, the Choose Love Enrichment Program, is a no-cost infant/toddler through 12th grade curriculum that contains the simple universal teachings of courage, gratitude, forgiveness and compassion in action  the foundational concepts of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). For more information, please visit www.jesselewischooselove.org. Also visit on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

Choose Love At Home is a no-cost program based on the success of the Choose Love Enrichment Program teaching families how to Choose Love and help create a safer, more connected world.

Media Contact:

Jan Wilmot

Director of Marketing and Public Relations

Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement

[email protected]

SOURCE Ashford University

Related Links

http://www.ashford.edu


Israeli army helicopters strike military targets, Syria and Iran lash out at US and the 25th Special Mission Forces Division arrive at frontlines. Catch up on everything that happened over the weekend.

1. On Friday, Israeli army helicopters struck military targets in southern Syrian, in retaliation for earlier munitions fired towards Israel from inside Syria, escalating tensions between the bitter rivals, AFP reported. The strikes came hours after Americas top general, Mark Milley, made an unannounced visit to Israel for talks on regional security including Iran, a key ally of the Syrian government. SANA reported that Israeli missiles hit three targets, leaving two people lightly wounded while also starting forest fires. Israel did not directly blame Syrian forces for the munitions fire, but said it held the Damascus government responsible for the incident.

2. Syria and Iran condemned the intercepting an Iranian plane by two American fighter jets Thursday. Syrias Permanent Representative to the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari has condemned the US interception of the Iranian airliner on Thursday, calling it a double criminal act. Jaafari said in statements to Irans news agency (IRNA), that, they not only violated Syrian sovereignty, but also violated the Chicago International Civil Aviation Agreement and international laws. For his part, according to SANA, Syrias Ambassador in Tehran, Adnan Mahmoud, condemned the incident as, a tangible embodiment of the US terrorist method that targets the lives of civilians. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused the United States of risking a civil plane disaster.

3. The Syrian armys elite 25th Special Mission Forces Division (formerly Tiger Forces) have deployed to the southern countryside of the Idleb Governorate this week after taking a long-hiatus following the conclusion of the Maarat al-Numan operation. According to Al-Masdar, the 25th Division deployed to this front with heavy weapons, indicating a new operation against the militants in Jabal al-Zawiya is coming. This is the first time that the 25th Special Mission Forces Division has returned to this area. When the 25th Special Mission Forces typically show up to a front, it indicates a new operation is coming, as they are the primary division in the Syrian army that carries out offensives.

4. The Russian Navy carried out large-scale drills off the coast of Syrias Tartous Governorate this week, showcasing their military capabilities in the eastern Mediterranean region amid increased tensions between several nations. According to Sputnik Arabic, the Syrian coastal region witnessed the qualitative training of the Russian Navy, as they used their warships, military choppers and combat aircraft to simulate the effectiveness of their forces in battle.

5. The Kurdish Self-Administration has recorded four coronavirus cases in northern Hassakeh province, a local official said at a press conference in Qamishli city, according to Zaman Al-Wasl. Three women from Qamishli and a young man from Hassakeh have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the region to six, one of whom had died in Hassakeh. The Syrian Ministry of Health announced 23 new cases on Thursday. The total number of recorded cases in regime-controlled areas reached 584, with 174 recovering and 35 dead.

6. Syrian artillery has pounded rebel-held areas in northern Idleb province despite the ceasefire, Zaman Al-Wasl reported. The bombardment targeted seven villages in the Jabal al-Zawiya region and the al-Kabbana hilltops in coastal Lattakia province, according to Zaman al-Wasls reporter. In retaliation, the opposition factions have hit the bastions of the Fourth Mechanical Division in the western countryside of Hama.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Fishermen collect their catch from a fishing net on a boat on the Tonle Sap Lake in Siem Reap, in a file photo.

Climate change, drought, and upstream dams have led to record low water levels on the Mekong River, according to experts, who say the shortage is significantly harming Cambodias Tonle Sap Lake and the surrounding fishing communities who rely on it to earn a living.

The water gauge on the Mekong at the port of Cambodias capital Phnom Penh, which lies only several hundred meters from where water from the river flows to the Tonle Sap Lake, is currently registering levels of 13 feet below average for late July and lower than last years record, according to local media reports.

Traditionally, heavy rains during the June-October wet season push water from the Mekong River into the Tonle Sap Lake via the 70-mile-long Tonle Sap River which reverses its flow during the November to May dry season, draining the lake into the Mekong. The Tonle Sap would normally increase its level by four times during the monsoon season.

Mao Hak, deputy secretary-general of the Tonle Sap Authority, recently told RFAs Khmer Service that the water level of the lake is extremely low because changing weather patterns have delayed the annual reversal of the flow of the Tonle Sap River.

We know that this years climate change has caused the level of the water to remain low, he said.

There is not much precipitation on the Mekong River and the two bodies of water are related. That is why the Tonle Sap Lake is experiencing such a low level of water.

While the lake levels are low, Mao Hak said that so far we havent experienced any serious water shortage and water consumption remains normal.

The deputy-secretary general would not comment on claims by some experts that hundreds of upstream dams on the Mekong between China and Laos are also contributing to record lows on the river because of restrictions on water flow, but he said that he expects the Tonle Sap Rivers flow reversal to occur sometime in mid-August.

Brian Eyler, a senior fellow and director of the Washington-based Stimson Centers Southeast Asia program, told RFA a major drought affecting the region since January 2019 threw the timing of the reversal off beginning last year, which has dropped the lake to uncharacteristically low levels.

This results in distress for fishing communities along the Tonle Sap as well as a lowered fish catch, he said.

How much lower that fish catch is really needs to be studied, but I agree that anecdotal reports from last year and this year also show that fish catches per community are down 80 to 90 percent.

Cambodians dry fish in a village along the Tonle Sap River in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, January 16, 2019. Credit: AFP No fish to catch

Long Sochet, a fisherman and the head of the Tonle Sap Fishing Community Alliance, said the decreased catch has battered residentsparticularly those who live on floating villages on the lake and have no other means to support themselves.

With such a drought, this month there are no fish, he said.

Long Sochet also rejected claims by Mao Hak that the region is not facing a water shortage.

There is a shortage of water for household consumptionfor drinking and bathinglet alone fishing, he said.

We have to dig wells in some places and there is still no water. People living on the floating villages in Tonle Sap Lake nowadays have to dig wells [on land] for water. Its happened two years in a row, with waters receding to their lowest level.

Chea Sarin, another fisherman and head of a fishing community in Battambang provinces Ek Phnom district, on the northwest coast of the Tonle Sap Lake, also complained of extreme difficulties due to the drought.

There is no water, even at this time of the year, he said. Basically, it is like a paddy field that was just plowed.

Hor Sam Ath, the deputy-chief of the Sdey Kraom Moha Suong fishing communityalso in Ek Phnom districtsaid the lack of water had not only caused reduced fish catches, but could lead to the extinction of some fish species, noting that this time of year is when fish typically lay eggs in conservation areas of the lake.

There are a lot of illegal fishing activities on the Tonle Sap, he said. When the water is low and fish lay eggs, the juveniles become victims to illegal fishing nets.

According to Cambodias Fisheries Administration, the countrys freshwater fish catch volume in 2019 was 470,000 tonsaround 50,000 tons less than a year earlier. The administration has attributed the decrease to climate change.

On July 14, while speaking at a fish species research and development center in Prey Veng province, Prime Minister Hun Sen acknowledged that the countrys fish catch volume is decreasing, which he said was due to manmade and environmental factors, including climate change.

Map of the Tonle Sap in Cambodia Upstream dams

Ham Oudom, a consultant on natural resources and water governance, recently told RFA that in addition to climate change, massive dam construction on the upper Mekong riverparticularly in China and Laosis also a contributing factor to low water levels on the Tonle Sap.

They build dams upstream and also need water for their own countries consumption, so the water level downstream is reducing, he said, adding that the decrease has been noticeable over the past few years.

This isnt simply about waterit also relates to economic issues, as people are becoming even more indebted to microfinance institutions.

Stimsons Eyler agreed that upstream dams are compounding the effect of the drought.

China has some of the largest dams in the world and we are seeing that, once again, for a second year on record, that Chinas upstream dams are preparing to restrict more than 20 billion cubic meters of water from the downstream, he said.

Thats a contributing factor to the low-level conditions along the Mekong mainstream, as well as the late reversal to the Tonle Sap Lake.

In April, Eyes on Earth, Inc. and Global Environmental Satellite Applications, Inc. issued a joint report based on satellite data from 1992 to 2019 and daily river height gauge data from Thailand which found that 126.44 meters (415 feet) of river height was missing at the gauge over the 28-year record.

The report noted that a Chinese state-owned enterprise had built a series of dams on the Mekong during that time.

The relationship between gauge height and natural flow deteriorated after 2012, when a couple of major dams and reservoirs were built, which greatly restricted the amount and timing of water released upstream, the report said.

According to the study, the severe lack of water in the Lower Mekong during the wet season of 2019 was largely influenced by the restriction of water flowing from the upper Mekong during that time.

Cooperation between China and the Lower Mekong countries to simulate the natural flow cycle of the Mekong could have improved the low flow conditions experienced downstream between May and September of 2019.

Villagers pull up a fishing net on the Tonle Sap Lake in Siem Reap, in a file photo. AFP Assistance needed

The results of climate change and the recent drought, compounded by the damming of the upper Mekong, have had a devastating effect on the livelihoods of the people in the Tonle Sap region who rely on fishing as their revenue decreases and competition increases, according to the consultant, Ham Oudom.

These people need government assistance in terms of finding new paths for revenue, he said.

Tonle Sap Fishing Community Alliance chief Long Sochet said many residents of the lake region have been forced to take on debt from microfinance lenders in addition to what they already owe to meet basic needs, or send their children to work as domestic servants to try to earn more money for their household.

He called on the government to allocate some of the countrys budget to fishing communities that rely on the lake.

For us who are living on the floating villages on the Tonle Sap, mostly, when there is no water and no fish, we become destitute right away, as we have nothing else to depend on, he said.

Stimsons Eyler warned that given predicted climate change impacts, the current drought, and the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Cambodia is unlikely to have the resources to assist the communities that will be hardest hit by the transition of the Tonle Sap and the Mekong.

He urged Cambodias development and diplomatic partners to immediately provide assistance.

I think the writing on the wall is clear, that Tonle Sap fisheries are on a severe decline, Eyler said.

Currently, the only option for fishers is to take on higher levels of debt, he said.

Those fishers are trying to service debtmany of them took on higher levels of debt last yearbut that debt service needs to happen in a timely manner, and it cannot happen year on year on year. Otherwise, both individual fishers and the Cambodian economy will be broken.

Reported and translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Neither Sen. Ed Markey nor Rep. Joe Kennedy III during Sunday nights debate on NBC10 Boston would say they support defunding police in the wake of nationwide protests over systemic racism and the police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans.

Both instead called for a reimagining of the way policing is structured and carried out by departments in Massachusetts and across the country.

I believe it is absolutely imperative that we just reimagine what we are doing in our country, Markey said, arguing hed fight for a criminal justice overhaul if he returns to the Senate. We need more money for education, health care ... to heal our country and not to imprison our country. We dont need more law enforcement. We need more prevention.

Markey noted that hed partnered with Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey on the Next Step Act, which would abolish qualified immunity and allow lawsuits against police officers over misconduct. He called for a review of sentencing guidelines for drug crimes and said the nation owed an apology to a whole generation of young African American men.

Markey, whos faced criticism from Kennedy and others over his support of the 1994 crime bill which has disproportionately impacted people of color, argued his opponent voted to militarize American cities, which Kennedy disputed.

Kennedy called for a structural overhaul to our mental health system as a way to improve policing and criminal justice. He added that hes already worked on legislation focused on mental health, maternal health and educational opportunities to help address systemic racism.

I think we have to completely reimagine how we police in this country he said. I saw how this country criminalizes mental health and substance abuse disorders.

Kennedy noted that on any given night a majority of those jailed are suffering from substance abuse disorders or mental health issues. He cited a man hed met whom had a heart attack and went back to a homeless camp off Route 2 in Arlington just days later because it was the only place he felt comfortable to be. What an indictment on our system.

Markey noted that he was backed by Bill Owens, Massachusettss first Black state senator, whom Markey fought for and supported decades ago.

But Kennedy countered that during that time, Markey opposed busing that would have desegregated Boston schools. Kennedy added that he was backed by Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, the civil rights icon who died earlier this month.

The pair were asked by NBC10 Bostons Latoyia Edwards how, as white men, they could connect with Black voters and actually deliver for them.

Were in a moment when justice is needed. The soul of our country is on fire, Markey said. We need justice justice for Black and brown people. Markey reiterated that combating racial injustices meant creating environmental justice; educational justice; and health care justice through Medicare for All.

Kennedy said its vital to acknowledge that the experiences of people of color matter and that we are both privileged white men. He noted that he was one of the first Democrats to declare that Black lives matter and said it was crucial to fight to actually make sure those voices are heard ... that, in the words of my colleague (Rep. Ayanna Pressley), those closest to the pain have a chance to have a seat at the table to actually inform that policy.
ST. LOUIS Missouris COVID-19 numbers continued to rise Sunday, following a week of five record-high daily totals.

A corresponding rise in cases locally prompted St. Louis County Executive Sam Page to schedule a news conference for Monday morning to announce steps to flatten the curve.

New restrictions must be put in place to slow the community spread of this virus, Page said in a statement posted Sunday on the county website.

On Sunday the state reported 1,218 new cases of the virus  Missouris fifth-highest day ever  bringing the total number of cases in the state throughout the pandemic to nearly 42,000. The state also reported 15 new deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the total to nearly 1,200.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services released new data showing the percentage of people who have tested positive, out of all of those who are tested for active infection.

The data show overall, 6.4% of the tests for active infections have come back positive. In the last seven days, 8.8% of the tests have been positive.

Among the tests for antibodies, 3.5% have been positive.

Dr. Elvin Geng, a professor of infectious diseases at Washington University, said that as long as each infected person is transmitting the virus to, on average, more than one other person, the numbers will continue to rise.

It doesnt have to be coming in like a tsunami wave, Geng said, but the water will still be rising.

The most recent data available from the Missouri Hospital Association, from July 11, show that at that point the St. Louis region had a reproductive number of 1.1.

Its hard to imagine getting through the fall without some kind of relatively concerted efforts to slow transmission, Geng said.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported 36 new COVID-19 admissions on Sunday. The group includes SSM Health, Mercy, BJC HealthCare and St. Lukes hospitals in the region.

Among those hospitals, there were a total of 240 hospitalized COVID-19 patients on Sunday. Of those, 59 were in intensive care units, and 28 were on ventilators. There also were 97 patients hospitalized with suspected cases of COVID-19. Of those, 20 were in intensive care, and eight were on ventilators.

Hospitalizations have risen since early July, but have not surpassed the higher numbers seen in April. Some medical experts have noted that younger people are testing positive for the virus in greater numbers, and that those cases may not require hospitalization as often as other age groups.

Geng, of Washington University, said the region is within striking distance of tamping down the spread of the virus, so that case numbers begin to decline. But it will take a collective effort, like mask-wearing, and prioritizing which activities are necessary.

Its very difficult for us to say, categorically, shut this down or shut that down, Geng said. But understand that the things that you do, collectively, matter.

COVID-19 in Missouri and Illinois: By the numbers These maps and charts show the spread of COVID-19 in Missouri and Illinois.

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Spain, Palma: People walk through the city with their wheeled suitcases. Holidaymakers returning to Germany from abroad can have themselves tested for the virus free of charge on their return. Photo: Clara Margais/Picture Alliance via Getty

As Germans return from holiday destinations like Spain and Italy this summer, concerns are growing that they could bring the coronavirus back with them, causing fresh outbreaks in Germany.

Unlike the UK, where the government this weekend imposed a two-week quarantine on those returning from Spain, the German government is mulling a different approach  compulsory coronavirus testing in airports for arrivals from high-risk destinations.

German health minister Jens Spahn told public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that the government was currently looking into whether it could legally oblige people to take coronavirus tests, or whether that would encroach on their personal freedoms.

Germany acted swiftly in March this year, when the pandemic first took hold in the country, shutting its neighbouring borders, imposing lockdowns on social and commercial life, and performing mass testing. The result was a much lower death toll than the UK, Spain, Italy, and France.

However, fresh outbreaks in a number of places, including among workers at meat-processing plants, have forced some localised lockdowns, and created fears of a second wave of the virus.

On Friday (24 July), Germany reported a surge of 815 new cases, and another 781 on Saturday (25 July), the highest daily new-case numbers since the middle of May.

We need mandatory testing at airports and we need it as soon as possible, Bavarias state premier Markus Soder said at a press conference on Monday. Were preparing everything so that when the federal government gives us the legal basis we can press the start button immediately.

Frankfurt airport opened a walk-in testing centre on 29 June where passengers can pay to take a coronavirus test and get their results within hours. The results can be connected to a boarding pass for those flying to countries requiring a negative test. Photo: Daniel Roland/AFP via Getty Images

Frankfurt and Munich airports have already set up coronavirus testing stations, offering voluntary tests to those passing through the airports.

Last week, Germany said voluntary tests would be free of charge for people returning from other countries.

The British government said it is keeping an eye on the number of new cases in Germany and France, and has has not ruled out imposing quarantine on people returning from these two countries, as it has done with Spain.

Story continues

We have to keep the situation under review, and I think that is what the public would expect us to do, junior health minister Helen Whately told Sky News. If we see rates going up in a country where at the moment there is no need to quarantine we would have to take action because we cannot take the risk of coronavirus being spread again across the UK.

Listen to the latest podcast from Yahoo Finance UK
President Donald Trump wore a mask Monday when he toured a factory in North Carolina working on a vaccine for the coronavirus.

The president's tour only lasted a few minutes but it marked the second time he was seen in public with a face covering - a notable change in policy for Trump, who previously called wearing one a personal choice.

Trump was in North Carolina for a short trip to receive a briefing on the pandemic, giving him a chance for an update on the virus while visiting a state crucial to his 2020 re-election bid.

Masked man: Donald Trump was photographed wearing a mask in public for only the second time as he toured a pharmaceutical plant in Morrissville, North Carolina

President Trump wore a face mask and socially distanced from Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies CEO Martin Meeson during a tour of the Bioprocess Innovation Center

President Trump was in North Carolina to receive an update on the search for a coronavirus vaccine

President Trump toured a factory that is working on a coronavirus vaccine

Monday marked the second time President Trump was seen wearing a mask in public

The president urged governors that were proceeding with caution to open up their states and he expressed confidence a vaccine would be available soon. He announced several million dollars was being given to various medical companies working on a cure.

Trump has pushed for the states to reopen quickly in order to get their economies back up and running. The president has banked his re-election campaign on a strong American economy but the market tanked and unemployment hit record highs after the pandemic hit.

'I do believe that a lot of the governor should be opening up states that they are not opening, and we will see what happens,' the president said.

Several states that have begun the reopening process - such as Texas, Florida, California and Arizona - have pulled back on it after coronavirus cases spiked.

But Trump said the U.S. was 'mass producing' possible vaccines so a cure can be deployed immediately once it is approved.

'Instead of the usual sequence of vaccine development, testing and trials, followed by production, our strategy is to conduct these phases simultaneously, so everything goes at one time. We are not waiting and waiting and waiting,' he said.

'We are mass-producing all of the most promising vaccine candidates in advance so that on the day one that it's approved, it will be available to the American people immediately and will probably have a lot for a lot of other people throughout the world. The world is suffering from this China virus,' he said, using his moniker for COVID.

Trump's visit to North Carolina came as a new poll of voters showed Joe Biden leading him in the key swing state.

Biden tops Trump by 7 points, 51 per cent to 44 per cent among registered voters, in a new NBC News/Marist poll that also shows Democrats in state races leading their Republican competition.

In March, Biden had a 4-point advantage against Trump in the state, 49 per cent to 45 per cent. The former vice president will be in Washington D.C. on Monday to pay his respects to the late Congressman John Lewis, who is lying in state at the U.S. Capitol building.

North Carolina will be a key state in the November presidential election and this is Trump's 10th visit there since he entered the White House. The president won the state by almost 4 points in the 2016 election.

President Trump gives his signature thumbs up during a tour of a biomedical facility in North Carolina

Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump in a new poll of North Carolina voters, topping the president by 7 points, 51 per cent to 44 per cent among registered voters, in a new NBC News/Marist poll

Meanwhile, in a sign Republicans are in trouble in the state, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who clashed with Trump over the Republicans' efforts to hold an in-person convention in Charlotte in August, is leading his GOP rival Lt. Gov. Dan Forest by 20 points, 58 per cent to 38 per cent, in the NBC News/Marist poll.

And Republican Senator Thom Tillis, a close Trump ally on Capitol Hill, is trailing his Democratic opponent by 9 points. Tillis joined Trump Monday at his visit to the FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies' Innovation Center, which is working on the vaccine from the drug maker Novavax. Novavax received $1.6 billion under Operation Warp Speed - the Trump administration's plan to mass-produce a vaccine.

The president's visit comes on the same day the biggest COVID-19 vaccine study began as the first of 30,000 volunteers started to receive their shots. The administration has committed to purchasing 100 million doses of a not-yet-finished vaccine. There are several contenders in various stages of being tested.

Trump said during the trip that more companies are close to entering phase three of vaccine trials.

'It's not just one company. It's many companies that have had tremendous progress,' he said.

North Carolina has more than 113,000 cases of coronavirus and 1,807 deaths. The United States has topped more than 4,31 million cases and more than 149,000 deaths.

The factory President Trump will visit requires visitors to wear a mask, an edict he obeyed.

The president had originally balked at wearing a face mask, saying it was a personal choice and arguing he wasn't a high risk for spreading the virus since he is tested for it regularly. He skipped wearing a mask at stops in Maine and Arizona. He was photographed back stage wearing one at a Ford factory visit in Michigan but had removed it when he went before the cameras.

Trump finally wore one openly in public when he visited wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center on July 11 and, last week, he urged people to wear one.

'I have reminded people of the importance of masks when you cant socially distance, in particular,' he said during a press briefing at the White House.

'Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact,' he noted.

He also pulled a face mask out of his pocket to show he has one on him.

'I bring one. I have one. Ive worn it. And I think when Im in certain settings, like hospitals and various - or when Im close - when, you know, when you cant socially distance, I believe in it,' he said.

President Donald Trump urged people to wear face masks during a press briefing last week and pulled one out of his pocket to show he carries it

President Donald Trump, foreground left, wears a face mask as he walks with military officials during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on July 11

The president's approval rating is under water in North Carolina, with only 41 per cent of North Carolina voters approving of the job he is doing, the NBC News/Marist poll found.

And 60 per cent of voters said Governor Cooper was right to balk at the administration's demand for a full, in-person political convention, which he told the president he could not guarantee because of concerns about the coronavirus.

Trump retaliated by announcing he was moving the bulk of the GOP convention, including his speech accepting the party's nomination for a second term, to Jacksonville, Florida.

But last week the president announced that event would be canceled due to rising cases of the coronavirus in Florida, which is becoming a new epicenter for infection. Total cases in Florida rose by 9,300 to 423,855 on Sunday, putting the state just one place behind California, which now leads the country with 448,497 cases. New York is in third place with 415,827 cases.

'I told told my team it's time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida component of the GOP convention,' Trump said last Thursday at a press briefing.

The Republican National convention will start on August 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina - which had always been the plan. On that day will be the official roll call of delegates, which is the formal process that makes Trump the Republican nominee for president.

President Trump didn't commit to holding a full convention back in Charlotte, saying he would hold 'tele-rallies' through the week.

'And I'll still do a convention speech in a different form, but we won't do a big, crowded convention per say. It's just not the right time for that,' the president said.
27.07.2020 LISTEN

Today is July 26, 2020, the 67th anniversary of the beginning of the Cuban revolution, led by late Commandant Fidel Castro. It was on this day in 1953 that Commandant Fidel Castro and other progressive revolutionaries, including Field Marshall Raul Castro waged a fierce battle against the tyrannical dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

The goal of the revolution was defeated followed by the capture and detention of Fidel Castro. Consciously, Commandant Fidel Castro defended his revolutionary action as a just response to the unjust attacks meted on the Cuban people.

From exile in Mexico, Fidel Castro regrouped his fighters; and six years later launched a decisive attack to dismantle the rots of the US backed Batista dictatorship. On 1st January 1959 the Cuban revolution triumphed over the forces of Batista, and a new dawn of total liberation of Cuba was declared.

Today, many countries and leaders of the world have seen at first hand and marveled at the great social, economic, political, environmental and cultural developments Cuba has chalked as a true free, independent and dignified nation since the Cuban revolution of 1959. We pay tribute to Fidel Castro and all the Cuban people for standing up against imperialism and particularly American imperialism, which seeks to demonise, destroy and isolate Cuba from the rest of the world forever.

The US embargo imposed against Cuba in 1962, and other hostile policies have exposed the real face of imperialism. The Trump administration in Washington is waging an economic war against Cuba and other progressive nations of Latin America. We pay tribute to the generosity of the Cuban people for the solidarity they continue to extend to the people of the world.

On this day, and in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic, the Hugo Chavez International Foundation for Peace, Friendship and Solidarity would like to congratulate and honour President Miguel Diaz-Canal and entire people of Cuba on this 67th anniversary of the Cuban July 26 Movement, an action that dedicated itself to help improving the lives of people.

Cubas socialist revolution is a role-model, and its socio-economic achievements manifest the Cuban peoples vitality, solidarity and determination to develop their country into a strong nation. We pride that Cubas example is one that restores the freedom and dignity of whole people, whole nations and whole regions.

On the African continent, for instance, Cuba is a genius friend.

The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom, and justice, unparalleled for its principled and selfless character. From its earliest day, the Cuban revolution has itself been a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving peoples  We in Africa are used to being victims of countries wanting to carve up our territory or subvert our sovereignty. It is unparalleled in African history to have another people rise to the defence of one of us. We also know that this was a popular action in Cuba. We are aware that those who fought and died in Angola were only a small proportion of those who volunteered. For the Cuban people internationalism is not merely a word but something that we have seen practiced to the benefit of large sections of humankind, to borrow the words of the former President of South Africa, late Nelson Mandela.

Cubas foreign policy of supporting Africa and the African people for freedom, independence and sovereignty is unmatched. And Cubas missions of sending doctors and providing free health care to the poorest countries and people around the world demonstrate the Caribbean nations readiness to provide humanitarian assistance to those who need it most, with no condition attached.

The dawn of the Cuban revolution was meted with heinous, libelous and hostile attacks by succeeding US governments, since 1962. Fidel Castro was the Chief Commander in the forefront of defeating U.S. attempted invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. He led Cuba also through many battles, including U.S. nuclear blackmail during the Cuban missile crisis; and wicked campaign through the difficult periods of the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Above all, Fidel Castro survived 617 US assassination attempts.

The US support for reactionary forces in Latin America and the Caribbean is among the many challenges faced by Cuba. The growing popularity of socialism is important in the international solidarity movement. We believe that Cuba will play the role expected of her in dealing with all of these issues.

This message is incomplete if we fail to re-echo our gratitude and appreciation to the Cuban medical team that are doing a superb job to save lives in the world. Fighting epidemic outbreaks such as Ebola, Covid-19, for instance, is not a soldiers job. The Cuban medics deserve the award of the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize for their selfless role in saving humanity.

One must not ponder as to why Cuba popularity in Africa is accelerating by the passing day. Whenever there is crisis such as epidemics, flooding or mudslide in Africa, Cuba is always the first to surface on the ground, no matter the risk to life. The courage, discipline, honesty, and friendliness of the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade have many times scored the desired goal of saving lives across Africa. The Brigade has been capable of tackling epidemics, no matter what the challenging situations.

To the great Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade, we thank you so much for great works and contribution in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic. We thank you also for helping to save the lives of our vulnerable people in Africa; you are truly an inspiration to people around the world. You are amazing role models. You demonstrated that Cuba stands in defense of the poor and vulnerable communities around the world.

On this historic day, today, we wish to express through our solidarity and best wishes to the Government and people of Cuba as they mark another year of revolutionary consciousness.

We congratulate all Cubans on this important day.

Viva Cuban July 26 Movement! Viva Socialism!!

Sender:

Madam Yeanoh Kamara

International Executive Director

The Hugo Chavez International Foundation for Peace, Friendship and Solidarity (HCIF-PFS)
Southwest CEO Says No Furloughs or Layoffs For Now

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said in a Sunday letter to employees that, for the time being, the carrier will not furlough any employees.

We have no intention of seeking furloughs, layoffs, pay rate cuts, or benefits cuts through at least the end of this year, Kelly wrote in the letter, in which he said Southwest has scrambled to cut spending and raise cash in response to reduced travel due to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

So far this year, Southwest lost $1.6 billion, with almost 95 percent of that coming in the second quarter, he said. According to recent reports, the companys second-quarter revenues fell 82.9 percent to $1.01 billion.

That amount of losses for only one quarter almost wipes out our profits for an entire year, Kelly wrote. Because of the pandemic, almost no one flew in April, as you all witnessed.

Kelly said in the letter that Southwest was burning through around $20 million per day and that the company is in intensive care. Vowing that cutting staff would be the last thing we do to keep Southwest financially healthy and viable, Kelly acknowledged the threat of layoffs and furloughs remains, noting that he cant guarantee it will never happen, especially during these dark pandemic times.

The number of new daily recorded COVID-19 cases has accelerated in the United States since the end of June, Worldometers data shows, although the count of new daily deaths attributed to the potentially deadly bug has dropped since its April peak of around 2,500 per day to around 1,000 a day, on average, in recent weeks.

Airlines have tried to reassure passengers on the safety of air travel during the outbreak, with large U.S. carriers recently announcing tougher policies on the wearing of masks. Southwest told customers last week that if they cant wear a mask, including for medical or disability reasons, they should not fly, with exemptions only applying to children under the age of two.

Southwests stricter mask-wearing mandate goes into effect July 27, with the company announcing it regrets that we will be unable to transport the individual in the event of passengers not meeting the new criteria. Travelers on the airline are allowed to remove their facial coverings to eat, drink or take medicine, but Southwest said it expects those instances to be very brief.

Analysts expect Southwest to weather the pandemic better than bigger U.S. airlines thanks to the companys domestic focus, lower-cost structure, a low debt-to-capital ratio, and a cash surplus from 2019s strong profit. Southwest had $15.5 billion liquidity at the end of June.

We were prepared for the unexpected, once again, Kelly said in the letter. This time the unexpected turned out to be the worst crisis by far in our history, and, for the world and our country, the worst crisis since World War II.

To help cope with the crisis, Kelly said the company raised cash by obtaining $3.2 billion in cash proceeds under the CARES act, sold common stock to investors for $2.2 billion in cash, and borrowed another $12.2 billion from lenders.

Southwest also expects to save more than $1 billion in 2021 thanks to the high number of employees taking early retirement or extended time off.
The novel coronavirus has resurfaced in Norfolk County, with the health unit investigating a potential cluster of cases at several businesses and places of worship.

Health unit spokesperson Matt Terry said the investigation is in its early stages, so even a rough estimate of the number of new cases isnt yet available.

However, the health unit did announce that Fernlea Flowers in Delhi had seven employees test positive and go in self-isolation.

An unspecified number of those employees live outside the region, so Terry said local health unit staff are liaising with their counterparts in the employees respective health units to trace their contacts.

The investigation has also led to other businesses and places of worship, though the health unit did not release any more details, citing privacy concerns.

Our default position is not to name people or companies unless theres a reason to, Terry said, adding that Fernlea, a large-scale grower of flowers and bedding plants, agreed to have its name and the number of cases made public.

Terry said the health unit is trying to determine if all or some the cases at these various locations are connected by tracing contacts and talking with the affected residents.

Weve got a mix of people who live elsewhere and work here, people who live and work here, et cetera, he said.

Also in Norfolk, Uncles Country Coffee in Port Rowan is temporarily closed after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.

Manager Yolanda Martinez made the decision to shut the doors of the popular coffee shop and eatery on Friday due to a possible COVID-related case so that each of the approximately 20 employees could be tested.

She said all but one employee tested negative for COVID-19, but that everyone will have to register a second negative test before going back to work.

The safety of our staff and community come first, said Martinez, adding that many of the coffee shops regular customers are elderly.

Theyre all high-risk, she said. We didnt want to be the reason that something was spread.

She hopes to reopen around Aug. 10, which would allow those who worked directly with the COVID-positive employee to wait out their two-week self-isolation period and monitor for symptoms.

That will mean further loss of revenue during an already challenging year. Uncles Country Coffee is usually filled with diners sharing the latest local news, but in March the restaurant moved to takeout and drive-thru service to stay open. The lack of tourist traffic to Port Rowan this summer has also hurt sales.

Weve been holding our own. Everybodys been very supportive, for sure, Martinez said. We lost a lot of summer business, but we cant complain. We have really good owners that have really stepped up to the plate for us.

As of Monday, there were 28 active COVID-19 cases in Haldimand-Norfolk, where a total of 455 people have tested positive since the pandemic began.

The virus has claimed the lives of 32 people, including 27 residents of Anson Place Care Centre in Hagersville and migrant farm worker Juan Lopez Chaparro, who came to Norfolk from Mexico to work at Scotlynn Groups Vittoria farm.
The Phillies will be visitors in their own home next weekend as their series against the Blue Jays has been moved from Toronto to Philadelphia.

The Blue Jays were told earlier this month by the Canadian government that they could not play games this season in Toronto because of coronavirus risks. The Blue Jays will play most of their games in Buffalo, but the minor-league ballpark there is not yet fit for major-league games. So the Jays will call Philadelphia home for three days.

The Phillies will play the Blue Jays on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Citizens Bank Park. Friday and Saturdays games will start at 6:37 p.m. and Sundays game will start at 3:07 p.m. The Blue Jays will visit Philadelphia again in September, but will be considered the road team on that trip.

In June 2010, the Blue Jays moved a three-game series to Philadelphia because of security concerns during the G-20 summit in Toronto. The Phillies wore their road uniforms, batted first, and used a designated hitter. Ryan Howard made history as the first DH in a National League park. Roy Halladay faced his former team for the first time, the Phillies played walk-up music for both teams, and even showed Blue Jays videos between innings.

The Phillies and Blue Jays shared gate revenue that weekend, something they wont have to worry about when the Blue Jays visit this year.
A top hotelier has warned the Government's stimulus package has not gone far enough, and failed to fully tackle the revenue loss and debt issues facing key elements of Ireland's 9bn tourism sector.

Bernadette Randles also expressed concern that the vaunted 125 'staycation' rebate may prove too complex for many Irish families to fully avail of.

Ms Randles, chairperson of the Kerry branch of the Irish Hotels Federation and also an IHF vice-president, is considered one of Ireland's foremost hotel sector experts.

She warned that those operating within the Irish tourism and hospitality sector are now facing the biggest single crisis in industry history.

It is of a scale that dwarfs the fallout from the September 11 terror attacks in the US, multiple recessions, the foot and mouth crisis and the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud.

Kerry is at the forefront of the crisis - with the Kingdom boasting a 10,000-bed night capacity within its hotel sector - and it has a particular reliance on overseas visitors.

"The rates waiver and reopening grants could give us much-needed breathing space as we work to stabilise our businesses in the short term," said Ms Randles.

"But, again, there is concern that the rates waiver just does not go far enough.

"Deferring back the whole time is only adding another cost to operators."

Ms Randles also said operators are worried over whether the 'staycation' tax incentive will be able to deliver on its potential.

"There is also concern over the 'staycation' tax rebate where anyone spending over 625 can get 125 back. How easy will that be to do in practice?" she said.

"I know the Government is trying, but a lot, lot more needs to be done if businesses aren't going to fold and we don't get into any more debt than we are already in."

While hotels in Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Wexford have led the recovery with a surge in domestic holidays, hotels in other parts of Ireland have been less fortunate.

In Dublin, hotel occupancy rates are estimated at between 16pc and 20pc - far below the July average of 90pc.

In Cork, hotel occupancy rates are slightly better and estimated to be between 32pc and 36pc.

Hoteliers have warned that while domestic holiday bookings are offering relief to the beleaguered sector, they are unlikely to fully cover the loss of major international bookings, money-spinning corporate travel and large-scale functions such as wedding and dinner dances.
27.07.2020 LISTEN

The Royal Commonwealth Society, Toronto Branch in partnership with the Royal Commonwealth Society of Canada is celebrating Emancipation Day with its global partners. The first weekend of August is observed as Emancipation Day and known to many as Civic Holiday. It is the day slavery was abolished in most of the British Empire.

As part of this years activities, the Royal Commonwealth Society, Toronto Branch and its partners will on Sunday 2nd August 2020 hold an extraordinary online observance of Emancipation Day which will include a discussion by a panel of distinguished speakers.

It is the United Nations (UN) International Decade for People of African Descent and the online programming initiative was, in part triggered by the unanimous advocacy of 54 African nations in the UN seeking discussion on anti-Black racism.

The esteemed panelists will discuss and make their submissions on the significance of Emancipation Day and on the ongoing quest for equity in addition to diversity and inclusion in our contemporary society.

The panelists will include Ghanas Chris Koney, Group Head, Corporate Affairs of the Media General Group and former Head of Communications, Royal Commonwealth Society Africa, Peter Meincka, Chair RCS Canada, Rosemary Sadlier, Chair RCS Toronto, Blackson Bayewumi, Chair RCS Nigeria, Geran Fearon, President, Brock University and are Jill Andrew, MPP, Toronto  ST. Paul.

Other panelists are Gaverne Bennett, Author and Editor, Keren Campbell, Vice President of Elementary Educators, Dr. Maurice Bygrave, Dentist and Co  Founder, Caribana, Winston W LaRose, Executive Director, Jane Finch Concerned Citizens Organization (JFCC), Toronto and Tiki Mercury-Clarke, who history will record as one of the all-time greatest Canadian jazz artists.

In addition, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Her Honour Elizabeth Dowdeswell is confirmed to make a brief statement.

According to Rosemary Sadlier, the Chair of RCS Toronto, there is an initiative to have August 1st marked nationally in Canada and as the proponents of this initiative, a first advocacy of the RCS in over 43 years, they are thrilled to commemorate this with our global partners, allies and supporters.

Previously, while I was representing another organization, I had been able to secure municipal and provincial designations for August 1st , beginning in 1995, which were celebrated with annual Emancipation Day receptions at Queens Park at Toronto, Ontario with all parties supporting, she added.

Join the global discussion on Emancipation Day with Canada, United Kingdom, Ghana and Nigeria among the countries to be represented. Visit https://emancipation-showcase.eventbrite.ca/ to register to be part of this event scheduled for August 2nd from 12 noon - 1:00p.m (EST).

Source - The Royal Commonwealth Society, Toronto Branch
More than two months after the Democratic-led House of Representatives approved a $3 trillion coronavirus stimulus package, Senate Republicans are set to introduce a nearly $1 trillion plan on Monday.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the package will likely be introduced in parts, with lawmakers set to approve $100 billion to assist schools reopening, $16 billion to expand COVID-19 testing and $1,200 checks to untold millions of Americans. But several components of the final deal may not be resolved for days or weeks.

Lawmakers and the Trump administration are still grappling with how to assist millions of Americans whove lost their jobs as a $600 unemployment insurance boost expires this month. Democrats want to extend the supplemental insurance through the end of the year, but Republicans say its a disincentive for the unemployed to rejoin the workforce, and will instead target back-to-work bonuses or smaller increases to unemployment payments.

We can move very quickly with the Democrats on these issues, Mnuchin said on Fox News Sunday. Weve moved quickly before, and I see no reason that we cant move quickly again. And if there are issues that take longer, well deal with those as well.

The deal hammered out by Senate leaders and the Trump administration thus far includes $1,200 stimulus checks similar to the ones issued through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed by President Donald Trump in late March.

While Republicans have not yet specified income limits for the checks, Trump administration officials indicated in recent days that they have strayed from the idea proposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to cap the checks at those earning less than $40,000.

Mnuchin told reporters on Thursday that the $1,200 check proposal is the exact same provision as last time, Bloomberg reported. If that holds up through negotiations with GOP senators and Democrats, that means that tens of millions of Americans could again be eligible for the payments. Americans earning up to $75,000 already received at least $1,200. Married couples who made less than $150,000 a year received $2,400 and $500 for each dependent under 18  through the CARES Act.

Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have noted that those earning more than $40,000, especially those living in costly areas, still need assistance in the wake of a pandemic thats shut down businesses and much of public life for months.

For more on the stimulus checks, read here.

Larry Kudlow, Trump administration economic adviser, said on CNN that the bill would include a second round of stimulus checks as well back-to-work and retention bonuses, and tax credits to help struggling small businesses and restaurants, which have been hit hard by the pandemic amid social distancing guidelines and as people stayed at home to avoid spreading the virus.

The package will not include a temporary payroll tax cut that Trump had been calling for in recent months. Not enough Republicans or Democrats supported the measure, which would have provided some direct relief to workers and employers but not the unemployed.

Democrats are likely to push for more state and local aid to help governments that have been forced to layoff public employees due to unforeseen budget shortfalls. Republicans have balked at the $875 billion Democrats approved for state, local and tribal governments in the $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act.

Related Content:
Thank you for tuning in to episode 83 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your host, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight.com. This episode is brought to you by our friends at PSCU. As the nations premier payments CUSO, PSCU proudly supports the success of more than 1,500 credit unions.

Across the globe, credit unions have stepped up to serve their members and communities throughout this pandemic. On this weeks show, Im talking with Brian Branch, President and CEO of the World Council of Credit Unions or WOCCU, about the leadership role credit unions have to make changes both in the U.S. and around the world going forward. Brian and I also discuss some of the success stories hes seeing on the global stage.

During the episode, Brian and I also discuss some of the struggles well all likely feel from a global recession. He shares how his team is adapting to further engage with the global credit union community and keep conversations going. Brian also shares his thoughts on why US credit unions must be active in the global credit union community, and why he believes our current crisis is an opportunity for credit unions to build loyalty and grow their membership.

In the leadership and life hacks portion of the show, we learn about Brians 30-year tenure with WOCCU and how the inspiration has changed with time on the job. He tells us about developing the ability to make difficult decisions, how mentors have helped shape his career, and what people can do to get involved with WOCCU. Brian also shares a big win from early in his career with WOCCU when he helped change the credit union model in Latin America.

We learn in the rapid-fire section that Brian wanted to be a paleontologist when he grew up. We also find out that a trip to Mexico in high school inspired Brians love of traveling. Brain shares that he loves riding his bike or walking when he has a day off and that his favorite album of all time is Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones. If you have ever wondered about the global credit union community, this is an episode you dont want to miss.

Find the full show notes on cuinsight.com

Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher

Books mentioned on The CUInsight Experience podcast: Book List

How to find Brian:

Brian Branch, President and CEO of WOCCU

bbranch@woccu.org

www.woccu.org

Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Show notes from this episode:

A big shout-out to our friends at PSCU, an amazing sponsor of The CUInsight Experience podcast. Thank you!

Check out all the outstanding work that Brian and his team at WOCCU are doing here.

Shout-out: George Ombado

Shout-out: African Confederation of Cooperative Savings and Credit Association

Shout-out: CUES

Shout-out: CUNAs Governmental Affairs Conference

Shout-out: Jill Nowacki

Shout-out: Lois Kitsch

Shout-out: Bill Cheney

Album mentioned: Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones

Book mentioned: Way of Love: Recovering the Heart of Christianity by Norman Wirzba

Shout-out: Mahatma Gandhi

Shout-out: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Previous guests mentioned in this episode: George Ombado, Jill Nowacki (episodes 4, 18, 37, 64 & 82), Lois Kitsch, Bill Cheney

In This Episode:

[02:21]  Welcome back to the show, Brian!

[04:20]  Brian shares some success stories he sees from the global community.

[07:25]  They speak about people working from home and those who dont have that opportunity.

[09:20]  Brian discusses how his office is communicating and assisting global offices during the pandemic.

[12:30]  Why is it important for US credit unions to be involved with the global credit union community?

[14:25]  Brian shares what he will be most proud of that his team has accomplished a year from now.

[15:50]  What inspired you to take the position at WOCCU?

[16:35]  Brian shares that the inspiration hasnt changed in the years he has been at WOCCU.

[17:11]  Make a difference. It is something his team hears him say all the time.

[18:04]  Brian says that he had to cultivate the ability to make hard decisions.

[19:33]  How have mentors helped you build your career?

[20:02]  Brian shares how to get in contact with his office if you want to get involved with the global community.

[21:20]  Brian speaks about how the golden rule treats others as you would like to be treated and has served him well over the years.

[21:41]  Brian discusses what a regular workday looks like now and what a perfect workday would be.

[23:18]  Brian shares a big win he had early in his career.

[24:40]  What do you do to recharge when you have a day off?

[26:00]  Brian wanted to be a paleontologist when he grew up.

[26:40]  What is the best album of all time?

[27:08]  Is there a book you think everyone should read?

[27:34]  Brian shares that time with his family has become more important and doing things that have less impact has become less important.

[28:33]  Gandhi, Martin Luther King, are the two people who come to mind when he hears the word success.

[28:59]  Brian shares some final thoughts.

[30:25]  Thank you for being on the show, Brian!
President Donald Trumps lawyers filed fresh arguments Monday to try to block or severely limit a criminal subpoena for his tax records, calling it a harassment of the president.

Lawyers filed a rewritten lawsuit in Manhattan federal court to challenge the subpoena by Manhattan's state prosecutor on grounds they believe conform with how the U.S. Supreme Court said the subpoena can be contested.

The high court ruled earlier this month that a Manhattan prosecutor could subpoena tax records from Trumps accountant over his objections.

But the court said he could challenge the subpoena as improper just as anyone else can.

Trump's lawyers had argued that the president could not be criminally investigated while he was in office.

New legal front: After the Supreme Court rejected Donald Trump's first attempt to claim he is immune from all investigation, he now says the bid to subpoena his tax returns is 'presidential harassment'

Money probe: Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. is investigating payments to Stormy Daniels, who claims she had sex with Donald Trump and was then given hush money before the 2016 election

In their new court papers, Trumps lawyers said the subpoena of his tax records was 'wildly overbroad' and 'amounts to harassment of the President.'

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. sought the tax records in part for a probe of how Trumps then-personal lawyer arranged during the 2016 presidential race to keep the porn actress Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal from airing claims of extramarital affairs with Trump. Trump has denied the affairs.

Vance, a Democrat, has requested eight years of the Republican presidents personal and corporate tax records.

The Supreme Court returned the case to a federal judge in Manhattan who has arranged for both sides to finish filing their legal arguments over challenges to the subpoena by mid-August.

Last year, the same judge ruled against Trump in a written opinion that was upheld by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

Trump rage tweeted 'NOT FAIR!' as the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that he cannot claim immunity to stop his tax returns being obtained by prosecutors - while his lawyer vowed to fight to keep them secret.

The court ruled 7-2 that Trump is not immune as president from subpoenas, in an opinion that tested both the power of local prosecutors and Congress to obtain information.

But is does not mean the public will see the tax returns, which Trump has kept secret since running from office, because the case was only about prosecutors - and Congress - being able to access them.

And it does not give any timetable for when they will be obtained by prosecutors.

That leaves it unclear whether the ruling offers Trump a political victory by putting off any possible release until after the election, or a defeat, by enabling a damaging criminal case to move forward before November 3.

Landmark decision: The ruling on Donald Trump's tax returns is the final and likely to be the most consequential of this term on the Supreme Court

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion; the two who dissented were Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, meaning the justices Trump appointed - Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh ruled against him.

Trump immediately reacted by slamming the justices and claiming he was being singled out by them tweeting: 'Courts in the past have given 'broad deference'. BUT NOT ME!'

His personal attorney Jay Sekulow said the president would fight on with new 'constitutional' arguments to attempt to keep his returns secret.

Sekulow, claimed a victory, claiming the court had 'temporarily blocked' access to the returns - although that was the effect of the ruling, not the actual substance of it.

The Supreme Court rejected arguments by Trump's lawyers and the Justice Department that the president is immune from investigation while he holds office or that a prosecutor must show a greater need than normal to obtain the records of a president.

At one stage in the argument in a lower court, a Trump lawyer had argued that his boast he could 'shoot a man on Fifth Avenue' in New York without consequence was legally correct.

But the Supreme Court did not agree and handed Trump the defeat in a politically-consequential case on the last day of its term, wrapping up a session where Trump scored notable losses at the Roberts Court.
Is there going to be a new Cold War with China? Probably not. Consider the case of Huawei.

Mike Pompeo swept into London on Tuesday like an overweight Darth Vader, while his local satrap, Boris Johnson, waited nervously in Downing Street for judgment. People swore they could hear Pompeos cloak swish as he strode through the door. But it was all good: the British prime minister had done enough to appease the overlord.

The subject at issue was Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications firm whose equipment has been selling to governments throughout the West because there are no comparable Western products available at a competitive price.

The U.S. response has therefore been political, not commercial. It demands that its allies ban Huawei on security grounds.

The first U.S. strike was in late 2018, when it got Canada to arrest Meng Wanzhou, Huaweis chief financial officer, as she was changing planes on her way to Mexico. She is still in Canada fighting extradition, while two Canadians are held in Chinese prisons effectively as hostages for her release. The initial U.S. charge was breaking sanctions against Iran, but shes now accused of stealing American trade secrets.

Britain had agreed to involve Huawei heavily in building its new 5G network well before Johnson became prime minister, but he stuck to the deal despite mounting U.S. pressure to cancel because he is taking Britain out of the European Union and into what is potentially a very grim future.

More than half Britains trade is with Europe, but a free trade deal after it has left looks increasingly unlikely. What countries could pick up at least part of the slack? Only the U.S. or China, so Johnson desperately wanted to keep both of those options open. Washington, of course, wanted him to foreclose the Chinese option.

Johnson stuck to his guns right down through the past year, reassured by Britains own security services that the Huawei technology posed no threat, but eventually the U.S. pressure became irresistible. Huawei was told that it would not be participating in Britains 5G phone network, and that all its technology in the 2G, 3G and 4G networks would have to come out by 2027.

Only days later, however, British officials whispered in Huaweis ear that all was not lost. Britain might reconsider its decision next year. Nobody said explicitly after the U.S. election, but obviously Britain would be keen to bring Huawei back on board if Donald Trump loses that election in November (as he now seems quite likely to).

Word about this reached Washington in microseconds. (When will they learn that in the modern communications environment, anything you say to anybody instantly becomes known to everybody?) So Johnson was understandably anxious as he awaited the arrival of the American viceroy. Sorry, secretary of state.

But it was all right with Pompeo. Johnson would only be disloyal if Trump loses, and Trump wont lose because hes going to start a new Cold War. Thats the plan  but it wont work.

It wont work because none of Americas allies, not even one as desperate as Johnson, believes that China is a threat grave enough to justify a 40-year military confrontation. Or even a five-year confrontation.

They are not naive about the current Chinese regimes flaws. It is a nasty, corrupt dictatorship, intolerant of dissent and oppressive toward its minorities. But it is not territorially expansionist except in its own immediate neighbourhood (Hong Kong, Taiwan, South China Sea), and it is not ideologically attractive even to its own citizens.

The only ideological tool available to Xi Jinping is nationalism. He would deploy it if necessary to defend his own power, just as Trump is doing now, but for a sustainable cold war there needs to be a more credible sense of threat than is currently available to either party.

The idea that China is the central threat of our times, as Pompeo put it on Tuesday, is laughable. Its a formidable competitor economically (although demographically speaking it has feet of clay), but its simply not interested in a classic military confrontation.

The other major powers, including the EU, are simply are not buying into the Trump-Pompeo vision of a world divided into two hostile and militarized blocs like 1945-89. Even Johnson, for all his sub-Churchillian pretensions, cant take the notion seriously and instantly hedges his bets after he has to give it lip-service.

Dont defend Trump  attack China! said the instructions sent to the Republican Partys senatorial candidates, but it doesnt work outside the United States. It probably wont work inside either.
India's partnership with Bangladesh stands out as a role model in the region for good neighbourly relations and very few countries in the world share such close fraternal ties, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday.

He made the remarks after handing over 10 railway locomotives to Bangladesh at a virtual ceremony along with Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.

The external affairs minister said India's concessional lines of credit of close to $10 billion to Bangladesh are the largest it has extended to any country.

"Very few countries in the world share such close fraternal ties as those of ours. Our partnership today stands out as a role model in the region for good neighbourly relations," he said.

From the Bangladesh side, the online ceremony was attended by Minister of Railway Md. Nurul Islam Sujan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abul Kalam Abdul Momen.

"As your close friend and neighbour, we are indeed happy to witness the transformative growth. We have seen impressive growth rates in the last few years. And your achievements across all socio-economic indicators have set new benchmarks," Jashankar said.

The ties between India and Bangladesh have witnessed a significant upswing in the last six years. Both sides have scaled up trade and economic engagement besides implementing a number of connectivity and infrastructure projects.

"Our two countries continue to script a relationship of Shonali Adhyaya' (golden chapter), guided by the progressive vision of Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina," said Jaishankar.

Talking about trade ties, the external affairs minister said exports from Bangladesh to India have crossed the $1 billion mark in 2019 which he described as a "remarkable" growth of 43 percent from the previous year.

He invited the business community of Bangladesh to further enhance their engagement with India.

"India remains a committed development partner of Bangladesh. Our uniquely concessional lines of credit of close to $10 billion is the largest India has extended to any country," Jaishankar said.

"These projects will help in the infrastructure development of Bangladesh, a pre-requisite for its economy to leapfrog to the next level. We need to work together to expedite many of the ongoing projects," he added.

Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jaishankar said it has posed new challenges to the world, noting that India stands prepared to cooperate with the people of Bangladesh to tide over these difficult times.

"The pandemic has also forced us to come up with innovative solutions aimed at minimizing disruptions to our supply chain logistics. Thanks to our well-timed efforts, the business communities of the two countries have started utilising freight trains for transporting commodities and raw materials for manufacturing industries," he said.

"The movement of freight via rail has also ensured that the supply of essential commodities, and they continued undisrupted as Railway Minister noted, particularly in the holy month of Ramzan, as trade through land borders faced many challenges," he added.
Few global projects receive the same amount of praise and criticism as Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) does. Regardless of ones opinion, the BRI is President Xis signature foreign policy project with magnanimous allure. According to Morgan Stanley, overall expenses could reach $1.2-1.3 trillion by 2027. Beijing has invested significantly not only in financial terms but also politically. In this context, the success of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is essential to showcase Beijings model of development. The CPEC was announced in 2013 in response to the countries economic needs and political necessities. After the election that brought Imran Khan to power, Chinese-Pakistani relations entered a difficult phase due to the criticism of the new government concerning the conditions of the loans. More recently, however, the CPEC has seen a revival as the countries have settled certain differences and signed new multibillion agreements in amongst others the energy domain.

An unholy alliance

In several ways, Pakistan is Chinas only real ally. Beijings disdain for formal alliances stems from its believe that it could restrain the country from pursuing its interests. Pakistan is an exemption that China is willing to tolerate due to the south Asian countrys weaknesses and dependence on its giant neighbor.

The CPEC was meant to become the poster child project for Chinese international economic cooperation. Pakistans prime minister Imran Khan, however, quickly sought to renegotiate the terms of its loans due to the connection with the previous regime. Also, debt insolvency was becoming a serious problem. After a tough round of talks, Islamabad secured several concessions and an IMF bail-out. The CPEC is back on track albeit relatively modest as certain activities have been put on the back burner.

Related: Oil Prices In Limbo As Fears Of A Second COVID Wave Grow



Already, several large projects have been completed including nine undertakings that are producing 5,320 MW of electricity worth $7.9 billion while another 4,470MW is being constructed. According to Samiullah Tariq, head of research at Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company, the completed facilities are low hanging fruits like coal and LNG power projects. China is a critical ally for Pakistan to continue growth.

The necessity of collaboration

The Chinese investments are without doubt essential to Pakistan. Few international companies and banks are willing to take similar risks as the Chinese do. Although the motives are obviously partly political, the CPEC could eventually transform Pakistan's backward economy. The stakes are high for both countries, but so are the rewards.

The recent announcement of two large hydro projects and the refurbishment of the countrys colonial-era rail infrastructure is a catalyst for lingering projects. The timing and location of the dams is also very peculiar. China has been facing strong opposition due to multiple reasons such as the handling of the novel Coronavirus outbreak and its assertiveness in its near-abroad.

Beijing border conflict with India is an important reason for the timing of the announcement. In June a long simmering rivalry erupted in the Himalayas killing dozens of Indian soldiers and an unconfirmed number of Chinese. The strengthening of ties with the formers arch-rival Pakistan fits in the context of this conflict.

Previously, Beijing had been wary of unnecessarily angering its large south Asian neighbor. The hydro projects are a clear reversal of its policies and meant to put pressure on New Delhi as they are located in Pakistan-administered Kashmir which is also claimed by India. The move will most likely anger the latter and further add tension to the already difficult relations with China.

For Beijing, the strengthening of ties with Pakistan doesnt only serve political goals but ensures a steady output for Chinese made products. Over the decades, a tremendous industry and production capacity has been established in an increasingly saturated country when it comes to infrastructure projects. Investing in Pakistan ensures an export market for surplus Chinese products due to industrial overcapacity.

By Vanand Meliksetian for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A man who plunged to his death while fleeing Canadian authorities was identified Monday as a Houston fugitive accused of killing his sister-in-law during an attack on his estranged wife.

Alberto Ayala-Guerrero, 55, died Saturday morning when police in Brockville, Ontario, about 56 miles south of Ottawa, confronted him during a chase on a highway. He then jumped over the guardrail and fell onto the busy highway below, police said.

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit spokeswoman Monica Hudon confirmed Monday that Ayala-Guerrero had been charged with murder in Houston. According to court documents, he was accused in the July 13 death of his sister-in-law, Yenisleydi Dominguez, 32, at the Biscayne Apartments at 17030 Imperial Valley Drive, where she lived with her husband.

Ayala-Guerreros wife, Daisely Rojas-Corrales, had recently left him and was staying with her brother, Marcel Rojas-Corrales, who was married to Dominguez.

Rojas-Corrales said his sister was tired of living like a slave for that man.

She is my sister and I had to protect her. She came to live with us, he continued in Spanish. He was an abuser.

The suspect confronted his wife and put a gun to her head as she was about to take Dominguez to work at an airport, investigators detailed in court papers.

Dominguez ran for her husband, Marcel Rojas-Corrales, who was cooking breakfast inside their apartment, but Ayala-Guerrero chased after her, according to court records. He shot and killed her in the kitchen as Rojas-Corrales struggled to keep the two separated.

He wanted to kill us all, Rojas-Corrales said. He walked in and started shooting everywhere. Unfortunately, he shot my wife. I dont know how I survived.

Rojas-Corrales recalled throwing a chair at Ayala-Guerrero in a desperate bid to stop him. He also went after him with a knife.

I think I cut or stabbed him in the ribs, he recalled.

During the clash, Ayala-Guerrero tried to shoot Rojas-Corrales, too, but the weapon jammed, investigators said.

As people say, maybe I was not meant to die that day, Rojas-Corrales added.

He survived the violent clash while his wife died.

I dont know what I will do now, he said. Time will heal, I hope. I have no choice but to resign myself.

Police believe Ayala-Guerrero fled the apartment on foot but may have had access to a dump truck to drive, police said. He was believed to have left Texas by the time the Harris County District Attorney's Office signed off on the charges on July 21 and asked for a $150,000 bond, should he be captured.

During the confrontation with Brockville authorities, he was driving a Honda Civic. It was not yet known how he entered Canada from the U.S. since the border has been closed to non-essential travel during the pandemic.

The Special Investigations Unit  an law enforcement watchdog agency  is investigating Ayala-Guerrero's death in Brockville because it involves a police officer. A State Department official acknowledged the police investigation over the weekend, saying that it involved a U.S. citizen. On Monday, an official backtracked and said they could not find a record that Ayala-Guerrero ever held U.S. citizenship.

Harris County court records show Ayala-Guerrero to be a U.S. citizen but that he was born in Cuba.

nicole.hensley@chron.com

olivia.tallet@chron.com
Voters must similarly rely on information provided by the Fourth Estate to make informed decisions on Election Day. A strong argument can be made that fake news and distorted news that defrauds citizens is ethically identical to election fraud. This is, in turn, a strong argument for holding media outlets to the same ethical standards as the U.S. Military Academy's Honor Code and disregarding sources that don't measure up.

The U.S. Military Academy's Honor Code states, "Cadets violate the Honor Code by lying if they deliberately deceive another by stating an untruth or by any direct form of communication to include the telling of a partial truth and the vague or ambiguous use of information or language with the intent to deceive or mislead" (emphasis is mine). Lying is cause for expulsion because military professionals must rely on the accuracy of information with which they are provided.

I once regarded Newsweek and CNN as mainstream news sources. Their recent actions have lost my trust.

Newsweek: Police Use "Chemical Agents" on "Protesters"

Newsweek reported, "Virginia Police Use Chemical Agents on Protesters after City Dump Truck Set on Fire," which reinforces Media Bias/Fact Check's assessment that Newsweek is not only left-biased, but gets a rating of "Mixed for factual reporting due to multiple failed fact checks by IFCN fact-checkers."

The sensationalistic headline conveys the impression of First World War Germans in gas masks and spiked helmets, along with Dr. Poison from the Wonder Woman movie, spraying peaceful demonstrators with chemical weapons, although it is at least honest enough to stipulate that a city dump truck was set on fire. Only when we read the body of the article do we find the details. The "chemical agents"  nonlethal tear gas, of course  were used after one or more arsonists (not "protesters") set the truck on fire and, in addition, rioters committed other violent felonies.

The article also stipulates, "Virginia State Police said protesters tore down police tape and pushed forward toward the department's headquarters with lasers and firecrackers," thus again confusing protesters who are exercising a constitutional right with rioters who are attacking law enforcement officers with deadly weapons. The lasers in question are not the Class 2 red laser pointers that can be purchased in office supply stores; they are far more powerful lasers that can cause rapid and permanent eye injury. Three federal law enforcement officers were blinded (potentially permanently) with these weapons in Portland.

I cannot give legal advice, but aggravated (felony) assault  i.e., assault capable of causing death or permanent disability  usually justifies a lethal response. I would have no problem as a juror with a cop who used his sidearm, as opposed to less than lethal force, on a laser-armed assailant. Firecrackers also can cause serious injury or even death depending on their size. Even M-80 firecrackers, which contain only 3 grams (a little more than a tenth of an ounce) of explosives, are illegal for recreational use, much less as weapons.

The content of the Newsweek article is therefore honest and accurate, but the headline  which is often all that people read  is sensationalistic. Depiction of violent criminals as "protesters" is inherently dishonest because it implies that police are committing civil rights violations under color of law, a felony if weapons are involved, rather than defending themselves and others from arson and felony assault. Accurate reporting, and this applies to conservative as well as liberal sources, demands that we limit the words "protesters" and "demonstrators" to law-abiding people who are exercising a constitutional right and depict rioters, looters, vandals, and arsonists in exactly those words as opposed to "protesters." The Department of Homeland Security, by the way, uses the catch-all phrase "violent anarchists" for these criminals, and Newsweek and other media sources, as well as police departments, need to follow this example.

CNN Says Trump Calls Protesters "Terrorists"

I once believed CNN to be a trustworthy, although left-leaning, source. Media Bias/Fact Check says, however, "[S]traight news reporting falls left-center through bias by omission," and "bias by omission" seems to constitute "lying" under USMA Honor Code standards because it withholds information the reader needs to make a genuinely informed decision. To put this in perspective, "bias by omission" helped draw the United States into the First World War at a cost of 115,000 lives when newspapers reported accurately that a German submarine sank the passenger ship Lusitania but omitted the fact that the Lusitania was carrying munitions that made her a legitimate target. The news industry contains as many Jonah Jamesons and his real-life counterparts William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer (the Yellow Press) as it does Edward Murrows.

CNN reported recently, "Trump is calling protesters who disagree with him terrorists. That puts him in the company of the world's autocrats" and elaborates, "[H]e is willing to employ the repressive tactics used by autocrats to vilify those who challenge them." The article goes on to compare the Trump administration to repressive regimes around the world.

My perception is not that Trump is calling protesters terrorists, but rather that CNN is calling violent criminals, if not actual terrorists, protesters. Protesters hold up signs, which they have a right to do regardless of whether I or anybody else agree with what the signs say. Rioters, vandals, arsonists, and looters (or collectively "violent anarchists") violate the rights of others by setting fires, throwing projectiles at law enforcement officers, destroying property, blocking highways, threatening and even shooting at motorists, and using high-power lasers to disable law enforcement professionals for life and also menace aircraft (a Federal felony). There is indeed a point at which this kind of behavior rises to domestic terrorism and should be treated as such.

Read the Insurrection Act Before You Blame Trump

Let us make no mistake, by the way, as to why Trump is sending his so-called "storm troopers" to the cities in question. Their almost universally Democratic mayors and governors have abdicated their duty to protect their citizens from violence and property damage by tying the hands of their police and failing to deploy the National Guard. Andrew Cuomo could, for example, deploy the New York National Guard to New York City to protect the rights of the law-abiding people there; he has not done so. Whether it's racist local governments that have their police stand down while the Ku Klux Klan trashes Black-owned businesses, or "woke" leftist ones that have police stand down while Black Lives Matter trashes everybody's business (including those owned by Black people), Section 252 of the Insurrection Act not only permits, but by implication requires as a duty, the President to deploy Federal forces to restore order.

Civis Americanus is the pen name of a contributor who remembers the lessons of history and wants to ensure that our country never needs to learn those lessons again the hard way. He or she is remaining anonymous due to the likely prospect of being subjected to "cancel culture" for exposing the Big Lie behind Black Lives Matter.
Ryder Skinner, the original USHWA Youth member, has promoted his favourite summertime destination for the July USHWA Youth Racetrack Review. The 13-year old Harrington, Delaware resident is a dedicated harness racing fan and participant. He enjoys helping his parents, Jason and Susan Skinner, with the family racing stable, and is a 2019 Harness Horse Youth Foundation program graduate.

Ryder's involvement in the media side of the sport has become increasingly visible, as well. He recently had an article published in the USTA's 'Youth Beats' magazine about his experience presenting at the USHWA Dan Patch Awards in Orlando, Florida. When Matt Sparacino, the president of the USHWA Delaware Valley chapter, asked the young horseman if he would like to share what makes Berlin, Maryland's Ocean Downs a welcoming place for younger racing fans, he was happy to contribute. The track has been in operation since 1949, changed ownership several times, and once operated under the name 'Delmarva Downs.' What is consistent is the atmosphere and accessibility that Ryder Skinner outlines in his review, which appears below.



Standardbreds in behind the starter at Ocean Downs. Standardbreds in behind the starter at Ocean Downs.

July's USHWA Youth Racetrack Review: Ocean Downs

The word 'fun' is defined as enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure. When I think of fun, being a horseman's son, I instantly think of harness racing. One of my favourite tracks to watch harness racing is Ocean Downs. I have been watching live harness racing at Ocean Downs for nine years.

Ocean Downs offers so much more than other tracks. Even though there is a casino on site, the racetrack venue is very family friendly. Since Ocean Downs is only a few miles from the beach, it is a popular pit stop for many families on vacation. As soon as you get out of the car, you feel the atmosphere and know it is going to be a fun night.

The setup of the paddock allows fans to see the horses coming on and off the track, and you get to see the grooms and trainers hard at work. My family and I have always stopped on the way down and grabbed a pizza or subs, before we pull up to the trackside fence and catch all the behind the scenes action.

The winner's circle also is extremely accessible, making it convenient to hop in with the winning horse and get your picture taken. Food, restrooms, and racing are so easy to take advantage of at Ocean Downs, making it a terrific summertime destination. COVID-19 has limited fan accessibility to enjoy live harness racing, but Ocean Downs is a track I cannot wait to visit when restrictions are lifted.



Standardbreds in behind the starter at Ocean Downs. Standardbreds in behind the starter at Ocean Downs.

The 2020 Ocean Downs season got underway on July 6, with four nights of racing a week through September 4. Racing continues until September 19, without on-track spectators until further notice, which will be announced on the track's website (oceandowns.com). Here's hoping that Ryder Skinner and racing fans of all ages will be able to safely enjoy the trackside experience this summer.

Know a young harness racing fan and/or participant who would like to share their story about the youth-friendly elements of their favourite track? The USHWA Youth Membership Committee welcomes submissions from young people (aged 21 or younger) who would like to let others know about what makes their favourite track a great place to enjoy live racing, whether now or before coronavirus restrictions (in provinces/states where attendance is currently restricted). Please contact USHWA Youth Membership Committee Chair Melissa Keith ([email protected]) if interested in taking part in this project.

(USHWA)
Notable Nigerians, including the leader of Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifer, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, on Saturday, blamed the Federal Government over the reintegration of 601 repentant Boko Haram terrorists at the weekend.

The repentant former BokoHaram militants were formally graduated from the DRR Camp at Malam Sidi in Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State after months of demilitarisation, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Major General M. B. Shafa said on Saturday.

However, Chief Adebanjo, expressed strong opposition to the move, declaring that the step was wrong. Speaking with Sunday Tribune on the telephone, the elder statesman pointed out that video evidence doing the rounds showed that the so-called deradicalised Boko Haram members would never be enemies to their former colleagues, no matter the kind of reform they could have gone through.

But while speaking during the reintegration ceremony, Major General Shafa explained that before the commencement of the process, the DNA samples of all of the former terrorists were collected, just as their biometrics were also captured using the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) facilities for easy reference in the future.

He added that the background information served as a guide for the experts, Local Treatment Team (LTT) to enable them to properly place the clients for treatment therapies and vocational training.

He explained that The LTTpersonnel were experts in various fields of radicalisation and rehabilitation therapies drawn from the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS). It was learnt that out of the 601 graduates of the Batch 4 clients who arrived in two batches on 27 November and 14 December 2019, 592 are Nigerians from 10 states across the country, while 14 are foreigners from neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger republics.

North-East commission welcomes move The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) said it supported the reintegration of the 601 repentant terrorists. Head of Corporate Services of the commission, Abba Musa made this known while speaking on behalf of the Managing Director, Malam Mohammed Alkali, during the graduation ceremony.

He said the items donated by the government to support the ex-militants included welding machines, carpentry tools, barbing kits and generators, washing machines, etc. The state governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, commended the repentant insurgents for taking the bold step to change and be useful to society.

Represented by his deputy, Dr Manneseh Jatau, he enjoined them to contribute to the growth of their society. However, speaking on the development, Chief Adebanjo recalled that people had continuously demanded for change of service chiefs, due to the inability of the military to defeat the deadly terrorists, despite huge resources committed to the battle.

It's a wrong thing (reintegration) to do. That is why people will say this Boko Haram of a thing is part of ethnic cleansing. They have seen videos of soldiers complaining that they saw soldiers in the same uniform with them engaging them in a gun duel, or soldiers in a different uniform also ambushing them while in pursuit of Boko Haram. It is a sad thing.That is why people would say the Army is not in control and they have a private agenda.

It is wrong; they are never deradicalised, a leopard doesn't change its skin. They can never be deradicalised. What kind of deradicalisation would they do to reform them? It would amount to having enemies within and outside. You can't make them enemies to their former colleagues, Chief Adebanjo said.

Similarly, National Secretary of Association of Middle Belt Ethnic Nationalities (ASOMBEN), Reverend James Pam, said it was callous and insensitive for the Federal Government to release alleged deradicalised terrorists into the society.

Pam told Sunday Tribune that government was simply rewarding terrorism, adding that he wondered how the relations of those they had killed and displaced feel that killers of their relations were being handsomely rewarded. In short, what the government is doing is rewarding terrorism. This is a handsome reward; they are fed, clothed and given money. We heard that some of them will be absorbed into the Nigerian Army. There is a government an official who said they can join the Nigerian Army and even become president of Nigeria one day.

The annoying part is that these were people who were terrorists. They terrorised this country. The people they killed and displaced have not gone back to their homes. Their wives and relations are still in IDPs camps in Borno, Yobe and other places neglected. And the same people who killed their relatives are being released to mix with them on the streets; it is an insult and injustice, he said.

According to him, the government may regret its action, if not immediately, but on the long run, because there is the possibility that they return to the bush to join their terrorist gang and become more dreadful than before. Government has not clearly defined repentant and radicalisation.

Is it possible for terrorists, within a year or two, to be deradicalised? Where is the radicalisation centre in Nigeria? Do we have experts that can do that work? These Boko Haram members are not ordinary terrorists. They are ideological terrorists; it is an ideology they have been imbibing.

How do you remove that ideology, the idea that every Nigerian must be a Muslim? And they have gone as far as teaming up with the Islamic State from the Middle-East and formed ISWAP. That should be a serious concern. How do you change that ideology?

So, it is foolhardy and totally wrong of the government. Victims of Boko Haram are neglected in most of the IDPs camps and their foods are stolen. Soldiers are raping them. Many of the girls are into prostitution and they are dying of starvation, he lamented.

In the same vein, Urhobo leader of thought and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Sunny Onuesoke, condemned the reintroduction of the terrorists. Even in the barbarian days, there is what we call 'rules of engagement,' not to talk of the 20th Century where justice is the order of the day.

It's a shame that Nigeria has degenerated to this low level of injustice. The global stand today is: 'We don't negotiate with terrorists,' let alone granting killers amnesty. The question is: Amnesty for what? For burning down churches, mosques and killing innocent Nigerians?

What is the response of the Federal Government towards the families of the people that were killed? he queried. Onuesoke dismissed attempts by some Northern leaders to draw a similarity between activities of Boko Haram and former Niger Delta militants.

The Niger Delta's so-called militants were not militants, but people advocating for their God-given wealth and rights. Niger Delta people were only requesting what is theirs, but the Federal Government came with attacks on them and tried to confiscate the people's natural resources given by God.

Niger Delta people are genuine agitators and not killers and murderers like Boko Haram. There's no comparison between the two issues at stake: One is criminal and the other agitation, he said. 'Govts need to do more for victims' Also, a Northern elder and member of the Selection Committee of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Colonel Muhammad Abdul (retd), called on federal and state governments to put more efforts in ensuring that victims of criminal activities are not ignored.

Speaking in an interview at the weekend, he said survivors ought not to be allowed to undergo more pains, adding that the living conditions of those who were suffering in various hospitals were not pleasant. The elder who is also the district head of Tikau in Yobe State remarked that the living condition of those at the various IDPs camps were not good. He said it was the responsibility of government at various levels to come to the aid of the victims. (Sunday Tribune)
The Government heaped further agony on holidaymakers tonight as they officially advised Britons not to visit Spanish islands including Ibiza, Majorca, Tenerife and Lanzarote.

The Foreign Office updated its travel advice for the Balearic and Canary Islands, advising against all 'non-essential' travel in line with rules on the Spanish mainland.

But there had been confusion because the islands were already alongside mainland Spain in having arrivals from them subjected to 14-day quarantine in the UK because a spike in coronavirus cases.

Spain had been pushing for the islands not to be included on the quarantine list because they have a lower rate of infection than the mainland.

But tonight a Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We have considered the overall situation for British nationals travelling to and from the Balearic and Canary Islands, including the impact of the requirement to self-isolate on return to the UK, and concluded that we should advise British nationals against all non-essential travel to the whole of Spain.'

The decision affects islands including Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa in the Canary islands, plus and the Balearic Islands of Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.

Downing Street said British holidaymakers who miss out on work due to the newly-imposed quarantine period may be eligible for Universal Credit or employment support allowance of up to 74.35 a week, but not statutory sick pay.

But employers are under no obligation to pay staff while they are in quarantine, self-employed workers will be forced to give up jobs and some people could even face the sack if they have to isolate when returning home.

The Government also warned 'no travel is risk-free' - and said workers who lose their jobs because they are quarantining after returning from Spain could appeal to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).

Individual airlines appear to have differing policies on flights to Spain that have already been booked.

Ryanair and BA will continue to run their flights to Spanish airports.

Travellers may be offered a voucher to the value of the ticket or a chance to re-book if they wish to cancel - but customers should check the policy with their own airlines.

EasyJet will operate its full schedule of flights. Those who don't want to travel can transfer their flight with no admin fee or can get a credit voucher for the cost of their booking.

What compensation will holidaymakers planning on travelling to Spain receive now there is a 14-day quarantine on landing? Support from the government: British holidaymakers who miss out on work due to the newly-imposed quarantine period may be eligible for Universal Credit or employment support allowance of up to 74.35 a week, but not statutory sick pay. Workers who lose their jobs because they are quarantining after returning from Spain could appeal to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). Ryanair and British Airways: Flights are still operating but travellers may be offered a voucher to the value of the ticket or a chance to re-book if they wish to cancel - but customers should check the policy with the airlines. EasyJet: Flights are still running. Those who don't want to travel can transfer their flight with no admin fee or can get a credit voucher for the cost of their booking. Jet2: Flights to Spanish mainland and Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza are not running. The airline has previously offered the option to rebook with no admin fee or a refund cancelled flights. Tui: Cancelled all holidays to the Spanish mainland between July 26 and August 9. They have also cancelled all holidays to the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands from July 28 up to and including July 31. All customers due to travel to Spanish destinations between July 26 and August 9 will be able to cancel or amend their holiday and will be able to receive a full refund or the option to rebook their holiday with a booking incentive. Customers with holidays to Balearic Islands and Canary Islands from August 1 and mainland Spain from August 10 will be updated on Friday 31st July. Advertisement

A Jet2 spokesperson said: 'Following the latest government advice regarding travel to the Balearic and Canary Islands from the UK, we are advising customers who are due to travel to the following destinations (Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza) not to go to the airport tomorrow (Tuesday 28th July) as we are not operating flights to these destinations. This advice also applies to customers travelling to any of our destinations in Mainland Spain.

'We will be operating our scheduled programme of flights back to the UK from these destinations tomorrow.'

Tui has cancelled all holidays to the Spanish mainland from July 26 up to and including August 9.

They have also cancelled all holidays to the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands from July 28 up to and including July 31.

All customers due to travel to Spanish destinations between July 26 and August 9 will be able to cancel or amend their holiday and will be able to receive a full refund or the option to rebook their holiday with a booking incentive.

Customers with holidays to Balearic Islands and Canary Islands from August 1 and mainland Spain from August 10 will be updated on Friday 31st July.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: The FCO is not advising those already travelling in Spain to leave at this time. Travellers should follow the advice of the local authorities on how best to protect themselves and others, including any measures that they bring in to control the virus.

If you are returning from Spain you will be required to self-isolate on your return to the UK, but the FCO is not advising you to cut short your visit. You should contact your tour operator or airline if you have any questions about your return journey.

It had been claimed that the UK Government was deeply divided on how to proceed amid criticism that the previous Spanish travel advice was confusing.

Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, was reportedly in favour of establishing an air bridge to the islands to allow for quarantine free travel, according to The Sun.

But Number 10 is said to be against the move on the grounds that applying different rules to different parts of the country could cause chaos - and it appears to have won the argument and hardened the rules still further.

The Spanish government and Britain's travel industry trade body, the Association of British Travel Agents, argue it is not necessary for the Canaries and Balearics to be included in the quarantine, pointing out that infection rates on these islands are low.

Abta has told the Government to 'consider' changing the rules, while Spain's Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya is trying to convince Britain to exclude the Balearics and Canaries, saying: 'Spain is safe, it is safe for Spaniards, it is safe for tourists.'

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the airline industry's main global body, also said the British decision 'does not accurately reflect the risk of a regional spike in one corner of the country'.

But one British tourist tested positive for Covid-19 in Lanzarote last week, and the UK Government fears that if the islands were exempt this could allow a loophole in the system.

Holidaymakers including British tourists on the beach in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza yesterday

In theory, someone on holiday in Spain could fly home via Majorca and avoid quarantine.

A Whitehall source close to discussions on whether to give the Canaries and Balearics an exemption told The Sun today: 'They are considering an exemption to the Balearic and Canary Islands. Their rates are lower so it may be on the cards.

'But the announcement may not come until the weekly review. There has been some debate as to whether they should be included as there is a lot of traffic between the mainland and the islands, and that's where the issue is.'

Weekly Covid-19 figures for the Balearics and Canaries show cases have remained reasonably low Weekly Covid-19 case figures for the last four weeks show there have been reasonably low numbers in both the Balearics and Canaries, although more of an upward trend in the latter: New cases in previous seven days (week up to Friday, July 24): Balearic Islands: 40

Canary Islands: 95

Spain total: 10,990 Week to Friday, July 17: Balearics: 39

Canaries: 30

Spain total: 5,695 Week to Friday, July 10: Balearics: 17

Canaries: 13

Spain total: 2,944 Week to Friday, July 3: Balearics: 37

Canaries: 11

Spain total: 2,028 All-time cases (as of Friday, July 24) Balearics: 2,343

Canaries: 2,578

Spain total: 272,421 Advertisement

British holidaymaker Tom Beckett, with his daughter Elaina, recorded a video from Lanzarote yesterday showing how quiet it is and the safety measures put in place.

He told Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the video: 'I don't think you've looked at the map, because (Lanzarote) is 1,000km from Spain. It is like an infection in the Isle of Wight and isolating people in Iceland. It doesn't make any sense.

'It's four hours away from home, not an issue. Anyway I thought it would be handy to show the Government, because they have obviously been locked in Number 10 for quite some time, that this is a pretty safe place.'

Tourism leaders in Ibiza say hotels will be forced to close as a result of the UK government's quarantine decision.

The British market is number one for the island which had already been hit by the lack of bookings during the coronavirus crisis and the closure of all its big clubs due to health regulations imposed by the Balearic government.

Ibiza's tourist director, Juan Miguel Costa, said the need for Britons to quarantine on their return if they decided to holiday in Spain would make it 'unfeasible' for them to choose the island.

He told island newspaper Diario de Ibiza: 'With the dependence that we have on the British in different parts of the island, it is a blow to our entire waterline, it is a blow to the sector in full force.'

'The island is already registering cancellations of British tourists, which will cause many hotels dedicated to British tourism to end up closing. They cannot survive.'

Ibiza is now pinning its hopes on the governments of Spain and the UK reaching an agreement to create a 'safe corridor' between the Balearics, as well as the Canaries, so that British tourists are exempt from the quarantine requirement.

Mr Costa said he felt the Balearic Islands 'are being penalised' by the second wave of Covid-19 infections mainly on the Spanish mainland.

'In the end, state policy is made and everything is put in the same bag, but the incidence in the Balearic Islands is low,' he said.

A spokesman for Abta said: 'Abta has said consistently that protecting public health must be the priority at this time, and it is vital to base decisions about travel on the best health and scientific advice.

Ibiza's tourist director said the need for Britons to quarantine on their return if they decided to holiday in Spain would make it 'unfeasible' for them to choose the island (pictured yesterday)

'We suggest the Government considers lifting the quarantine rules for flights to and from certain regions with lower infection rates, or to places such as the Balearic Islands or the Canaries - which are geographically distinct from mainland Spain - to avoid further damage to the UK inbound and outbound tourism industries.'

How many coronavirus cases have been recorded on the Canary and Balearic Islands? Mallorca 2,102

2,102 Ibiza 215

215 Menorca 98

98 Formentera 16

16 Tenerife 1,555

1,555 Fuerteventura 142

142 Gran Canaria 643

643 La Palma 107

107 Lanzarote 91

91 La Gomera 8

8 El Hierro 3 Advertisement

One tourist who is currently in Ibiza told MailOnline today that the UK's blanket approach 'fails UK holidaymakers who were advised and encouraged to travel'.

The tourist, who asked not to be named, said: 'UK authorities need to buck up their track and trace to be able to distinguish between mainland Spain travellers and the island travellers.

'Now we come back to sheer inconvenience because my government can't be asked to take a little bit of a harder look and allow us to prove our whereabouts.

'The Balearic Islands have a better rate in all [indicators] we monitor so if looked at logically they are telling us to come back to areas of the UK who are in a worse position that the islands, just does not make sense.

'They should listen and work with the island authorities to be able to mitigate people trying to use them as a gateway from mainland Spain to try and bypass the quarantine, a simple stamp in those travellers' passports can distinguish them from people who have been in the islands the entire time.

'The sheer fact that the islands are still okay to travel to shows the holes in their blanket approach.

'Just another example of poor planning being masked as 'swift action', not all action because 'swift' is correct. Instead of swift it should be labelled as 'hastily'.'

Air passengers heading to Manchester queue up at check-in at Lanzarote Airport yesterday

As this morning, more than 50,000 people had signed a petition addressed to Mr Johnson demanding that the islands be exempted.

Spanish hotel chiefs offer British tourists Covid-19 tests when their holidays end Desperate Spanish hotel chiefs are offering British tourists Covid-19 tests when their holidays end. The offer was made today by the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (Cehat) less than 48 hours after it was announced British holidaymakers returning to the UK from Spain would have to self-isolate for 14 days. The move has left Spain, which normally receives 18 million British holidaymakers every year, in a state of shock. The Spanish government is urgently trying to get at least the Balearic Island and Canary Islands exempted from the quarantine measure through the establishment of 'safe' air corridors to and from the UK. A Cehat spokesman said today: 'Measures have to be taken urgently at European level and tests carried out in visitors' home countries and abroad, so reciprocity exists and tourists and workers and residents in holiday areas are guaranteed maximum security. 'Spanish hoteliers are taking a step forward and are offering to carry out those tests on Spanish tourists when they leave their holiday accommodation, so they can offer clients maximum security.' Saying it was 'surprised' and disappointed at the UK quarantine decision, it added: 'With the surprise imposition of a UK quarantine, there is now the risk that other governments adopt similar ill-thought-out measures which don't take into account the reality that exists in Spain, especially in mainland holiday areas and the Balearic and Canary Islands.' Cehat president Jorge Marichal added: 'Decisions have to be adopted on the basis of objective criteria. 'We have to hold people accountable for ill-considered measures that can have serious consequences for tourism including hoteliers who are following the strictest protocols in Europe.' Spanish government vice-president Carmen Calvo admitted today she had been 'surprised' by the UK government quarantine decision. She insisted: 'We have moved away from the most difficult moments when our health system was facing overload. 'We've put behind us the most painful peak, but we've always said we were in a situation of pandemia and we will continue to be so and there's bound to be new outbreaks. 'In terms of statistics Spain is far from being in a worse condition than other European countries.' Advertisement

'Holidaymakers returning from the islands have expressed that they felt safer during their stay on the islands than at home in the UK,' said petition organiser Lee Sparrow.

'They have also expressed how everybody is adhering to the rules of social distancing and mask wearing.'

One holidaymaker in Mallorca who signed the petition, Helen Locking, said the island was 'very safe' and urged the government to 'at least honour the people here to get home'.

'I came here because there was no quarantine and now my four-year-old is going to be stuck at home for two weeks unnecessarily,' she said.

Annette Dawson, who has been in Mallorca for ten days, said it was 'not fair' that the islands are treated the same as mainland Spain.

'We have been in Majorca for ten days and have no experience or contact with anyone with symptoms, hygiene has been stepped up and the wearing of masks policed,' she said.

The UK Government has introduced travel and quarantine controls for Spain following a spike in cases around Barcelona, Zaragoza and Madrid.

Some 1,904 new cases were reported last Friday, which was the highest since late April.

Meanwhile Catalonia regional leader Quim Torra said today that the area may take stricter measures to limit coronavirus contagion if the situation does not improve in the next ten days.

Mr Torra warned that in many parts of Catalonia the data was similar to the situation before Spain declared a national lockdown in March. He added his administration's goal was to avoid taking as strict measures as the ones that were taken back then.

Catalan authorities on July 17 advised some four million people to remain home and leave only for essential trips, banned gatherings of more than ten people and limited the occupancy of bars and restaurants as the number of cases in the region is rising faster than in the rest of the country.

There are fears more European holidays could be thrown into disarray during 'uncertainty' this summer after holidaymakers in Spain were left fuming at being told they must quarantine when they return home.

The Government has stood by its decision to strike Spain off the UK's list of safe destinations after it saw a spike in the number of coronavirus cases.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the Government 'can't make apologies' for the decision made on Saturday - announced less than five hours before coming into force - that arrivals from Spain and its islands would have to self-isolate for 14 days.

Mr Raab, speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme yesterday, also refused to rule out rescinding further so-called travel corridors.

The Telegraph reported that officials in both France and Germany have warned of possible new lockdowns as parts of Europe braced for a second wave of Covid-19 infections.

French health authorities said at the weekend that the country's R-rate was up to 1.3 and that daily new infections on Friday had risen to 1,130 - indicators resembling those seen in May, when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

A British tourist waits to check in before departing for the UK at Tenerife Airport yesterday

The decision to reimpose restrictions on Spain left holidaymakers frustrated, with some saying they would not have travelled if they knew they would have to spend a fortnight self-isolating afterwards.

Close to 1.8 million holidays were likely to have been thrown into chaos by the move, according to travel company The PC Agency, which analysed the number of seats booked on flights leaving the UK for Spain between July 26 and August 31.

According to The Times, trips to France, Italy and Greece were being cancelled in 'large numbers' following the ruling by ministers on Spain, a development likely to heap further pressure on an already under-strain travel sector.

Tour operator Tui said that, due to the change in the Government's travel advice, it was cancelling all holidays to mainland Spain up to and including August 9.

Ibiza (pictured yesterday) is now pinning its hopes on the governments of Spain and the UK reaching an agreement to create a 'safe corridor' between the Balearics

Tourism leaders in Ibiza (pictured yesterday) say hotels will be forced to close as a result of the quarantine decision

Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth criticised the Government's handling of the affair, labelling it 'frankly shambolic', and called for financial support for those now forced to shut themselves away after their arrival home.

Ryanair said today it would continue its flights in and out of Spain, with chief financial officer Neil Sorahan telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'As things stand, the market remains open, the schedules remain in place and we continue to operate in and out of Spain as normal.'

However he added that the airline's entire operation was 'under consideration' as it rebuilds the route network after lockdown restrictions were lifted.

The International Air Transport Association trade group said the UK's decision to remove Spain from the safe travel list was 'disproportionate' and 'falls short' of required cooperation.

** Are you now in quarantine in Britain after returning from Spain? Please email: mark.duell@mailonline.co.uk or tips@dailymail.com **

Benidorm mayor aims to ensure resort gets 'safe' air corridor status so British holidaymakers don't have to quarantine

Benidorm mayor Toni Perez says his objective in the 'next few hours' is to make sure the famous Costa Blanca resort is given 'safe' air corridor status so British holidaymakers don't have to quarantine.

The town hall chief insisted Alicante-Elche airport should be given a 'green light' ranking so Brit tourists can continue to holiday in the area without having to self-isolate afterwards for 14 days.

He urged the Spanish government to put as much effort into defending the Costa Blanca as the Balearic Islands and the Canaries, which are the focus of current 'air corridor' negotiations between Madrid and the UK government.

British holidaymakers enjoy a drink at Alex's bar in Benidorm yesterday

And he insisted Benidorm had 'worked hard and well' to minimise Covid-19 risks and make it a 'safe' destination.

Measures put in place by town hall chiefs include a pioneering beach safety system which involves the marking out of thousands of squares on the sand to ensure social distancing for sun seekers.

Tourists and locals wanting to use the resort's Levante beach have to pre-book their spot on the sand.

Mr Perez said: 'Benidorm has worked very hard since minute one of this current situation to develop protocols and security measures for residents and tourists.

'That work is yielding excellent results and reinforcing the security component which Benidorm has always offered.'

He added: 'British tourists are fundamental for the recovery and maintenance of tourist activity which is going to plan in Benidorm, given the fact that the rate of reservations was increasing.'

In a clear reference to the ongoing government talks about a Balearic Islands and Canaries quarantine exemption, he called on Madrid to ensure 'some tourist areas' were not given favourable treatment.

British holidaymakers in Benidorm yesterday after the quarantine announcement

He added: 'I urge the Spanish government to avoid declarations of intent 'which favour island destinations over mainland holiday resorts.'

He insisted: 'Cancelling the restrictions which mean British holidaymakers have to self-isolate when they return home and creating a safe air corridor from Alicante-Elche airport is Benidorm's objective in the next few hours.

'We continue to work towards generating confidence in our resort and offering a safe destination.'

Karen Maling Cowles, president of the Benidorm British Businesses Association, said of Saturday's shock quarantine decision: 'It's quite devastating for the town really, all of us here.

'I personally was looking forward in two and a half weeks to seeing my son and family who I haven't seen since Christmas.

'They won't be able to come now because of the quarantine as the children have school when they get back, my son has work and the same with his wife.

'It will affect many like myself who were looking forward to enjoying time with their families.

'Not only that, but it will affect businesses here and the economy here. It's a huge setback for us all.

Britons enjoy a drink at Tiki bar in Benidorm yesterday following the announcement

'It will affect the little tourism that we do have coming to Benidorm this year massively.'

Mr Perez reacted to the UK quarantine decision by admitting late Saturday: 'We very much regret it. In Benidorm we've worked a lot to minimise the risks and we haven't got any problems here at the moment.

'It's a very safe destination with beaches which are very well organised and businesses which have established protocols and are applying them.

'The problem in Spain is in certain areas, but in the end this decision affects us all and especially resorts like ours whose main market is British.

'We are going to continue working along the lines we have been up to now, knowing that what we've been doing has been done well and that we offer a safe destination thanks to the hard work of everyone here.'

He added: 'These questions of quarantine are something we can't control but Benidorm will continue to welcome those who want to come here and will continue to offer visitors including foreign tourists maximum health security.'

Toni Mayor, president of the Benidorm and Costa Blanca hotel association Hosbec, described the shock UK move as a 'hammer blow.'

He said: 'It couldn't have come at a worse time. It was looking pretty good from August 1.

'Bookings were up including family bookings and around 85 per cent of our hotels were going to be open and we were looking forward to having at least something of a normal summer.

'This announcement is going to bring everything crashing down.

'The British tourists who are already here have got no other option but to stay and self-isolate when they return.

'But I fear a lot of those who were going to come are now going to cancel.

'There's got to be a question mark over how many tour operators are going to carry on operating as planned.

'It's not just places like Benidorm that's going to suffer, other popular holiday destinations like the Canaries and Majorca are going to be hard hit too.

'The UK is 18 million holidaymakers every year and the British are Spain's number one holiday market.'

He added: 'There were hotels in Benidorm which were going to open on August 1 with the increased number of British arrivals that will end up staying closed now, and others that had opened but could shut following this announcement.

'There's bound to be question marks now about whether the Spanish government should have allowed discos and pubs to open so quickly.

'But the reality here is this pandemia has been a learning experience for all of us.

'It's a very complicated situation. I think we can wave goodbye to any hopes of a normal summer now with this announcement.

'I'm obviously very concerned about the outlook for the future.'

Ximo Puig, President of the Valencian Community which includes the provinces of Alicante, Valencia and Castellon, called yesterday/on Sunday for his region and especially the Costa Blanca which includes resorts like Benidorm to be given a UK quarantine exemption.

Andalucia is also fighting to be included in an air corridor scheme.

Francisco Salado, President of the Provincial Council of Malaga and the Costa del Sol tourist board, has claimed the whole of Spain is suffering the 'tremendous injustice' of the 'failure' of the pro-independence Catalan government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Catalonia is battling two of Spain's worst three coronavirus outbreaks at the moment - in Barcelona and Lleida.

Catalan president Quim Torra warned this morning/yesterday morning (MON) he may put the entire region of 7.5 million inhabitants under a draconian home lockdown in 10 days time unless the health situation there improves.

Summer 2020 is turning into a chilling one

COMMENTARY BY MARK PALMER, TRAVEL EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL

That's it for holidays abroad this summer.

The sorry truth is that the Government's decision to advise against all non-essential travel to mainland Spain  and re-impose a two-week quarantine  will have a dramatic knock-on effect, as millions of families rethink their travel plans. And all this just when it seemed like overseas travel was finally struggling back onto its feet.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab made clear yesterday that other countries could be next.

Refusing to apologise, he said he and his Cabinet colleagues 'must be able to take swift, decisive action'. Yet such swift action was sadly lacking back in April, when people were still pouring into Britain from all over the world, bringing the virus with them, without going into quarantine.

Since then, there's been hardly any 'action' at all on testing arrivals at airports.

Instead, we now have a blanket rule for Spain  the most popular destination for British tourists  which could affect up to two million people in the coming months. The decision was taken late on Saturday after ministers discussed rates of infection in Spain. But the data was available on Friday, meaning the announcement could have been made more than 24 hours earlier, before thousands had set off for the airport, and giving those in Spain time to change their plans.

True 'decisive action' surely would have made a clear distinction between mainland Spain, which has seen a surge in infections, and the Canary Islands, Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza, where there have been fewer cases.

Yes, the Foreign Office has said that we can visit the Canaries and Balearics. But we will still have to quarantine for 14 days on our return. It's increasingly difficult to track and trace the Government's thinking on travel, whether it's the 'air bridges' debacle, which cruises to avoid, the continued red-listing of Portugal and now a blanket ban on travel to mainland Spain with hardly any warning.

Thousands will now have to start the grim process of seeking refunds from holiday companies and airlines, or accept vouchers, while travel firms who had hoped to claw back some money in August will find themselves plunged back into crisis. The summer of 2020 is turning out to be a chilling one.
Ukraine on Monday accused rebel forces in eastern Ukraine of violating a cease-fire enforced at the frontline since midnight.

Speaking at a news conference, the Commander of Ukrainian Joint Forces Volodymyr Kravchenko said soon after the midnight, rebels opened fire from small and heavy arms twice on Ukrainian forces.

According to Kravchenko, the attacks did not cause any causalities and the Ukrainian side did not fire in response.

The presidents of Russia and Ukraine both commended the cease-fire deal in a phone call Sunday and underscored the importance of implementing the agreements reached at the December summit in Paris.

The new cease-fire deal was reached Wednesday by members of the Tripartite Contact Group that includes representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and was welcomed by EU officials.
Why are pokies-clubs and Star Casino getting special treatment in NSW?

Statement via Alliance for Gambling Reform

NSW Premier Glady Berejiklian must answer as to why pokies-clubs and Star Casino are being treated differently to pubs in NSW as tougher COVID-19 restrictions are introduced in the state.

Alliance for Gambling Reform Chief Advocate, the Rev Tim Costello, said the differentiation seemed incongruous given Star Casino was fined just yesterday for breaching social distancing rules.

We want Premier Gladys Berejiklian to answer why clubs and the casino are not having the same restrictions applied to them as pubs now have as of today in NSW, Rev Costello said. I can hazard a guess: political donations and political influence.

The Clubs NSW and casino lobbies are both notorious for their aggressive tactics when it comes to pushing their agenda to drain as much money as possible from the people of NSW.

It was only six weeks ago that Clubs NSW was publicly boasting about heavily influencing the governments plan to reopen venues during the first wave of the COVID pandemic.

Then we have Star Casino being fined what can only be described as a pittance for breaching social distancing rules, and then only after they were dobbed in for the breach. As many have pointed out, there were more than five times bigger fines for the KFC party in Victoria than the $5,000 Star will pay off in less than two minutes of operating while risking public health.

It has been obvious for decades how captured successive NSW governments of both political colours have been by the gambling industry. But its truly astounding to see this in action in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic. It not only demonstrates how shameless the predatory gambling industry is, but also the extreme level of influence it clearly has on the NSW government.

Rev Costello said it was only sensible to close all gaming rooms until the pandemic eased, as has been proposed today by the Greens.

Its impossible to argue that gambling is an essential service in the middle of a pandemic, Costello said.

If anything, gambling being on offer during a pandemic is yet another public health risk, one that is almost universally overlooked in a crisis. Given we are in a recession, it is a very risky time for people who are experiencing gambling harm.

There have been reports about people using the superannuation they have withdrawn due to COVID-related hardship being gambled away. That has not only short-term but also major long-term consequences for individuals, families, and the Australian economy.

Then there are the public health issues associated with gambling harm to consider, including mental ill-health, family violence and homelessness. These are of major concern, now more than ever.

Costello said he hoped the NSW government would realise that protecting the immensely valuable hospitality industry should be a priority ahead of the gambling industrys interests.

It would be absolutely awful if pubs and clubs had to shut down again completely due to the spreading of the coronavirus via patrons who are gambling, he said.

It makes public health sense to minimise the risk of spreading COVID-19 as much as possible by shutting down gaming rooms for the foreseeable future to help the hospitality industry survive.

It also makes economic sense. The hospitality industry is much more labour intensive than the gambling industry, with $1 million in turnover equalling 20 hospitality jobs versus only three jobs for the same revenue via gambling. In caving in to Clubs NSW, the government is making it even harder for pokies-free venues to survive, especially now. The NSW government must stop prioritising a lazy, parasitic business model that causes tremendous harm.
The conservative wing of the Supreme Court reportedly declined to take up a case dealing with Second Amendment rights after Chief Justice John Roberts indicated that he would vote with the courts liberal justices.

In June, the justices rejected petitions from 10 challenges relating to state restrictions on firearms after Roberts signaled he would not vote with them, depriving the courts conservatives of the fifth vote needed to overturn gun regulations, CNN reported Monday.

In December, the Court heard a challenge to a New York City handgun regulation but ultimately determined that the challenge was made irrelevant when the New York City law involved was altered. The case revolved around whether licensed handgun owners may take a locked and unloaded handgun to locations outside the city, such as second homes or upstate firing ranges. The justices returned the relevant provisions of the challenge back to a lower court.

The four most reliably conservative justices were not confident that they would get a fifth vote from Roberts on the case or similar cases addressing the Second Amendment, according to unidentified sources cited by CNN.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh penned an unsigned opinion that was overseen by Roberts for that case in which six justices agreed that the case should be relegated to the lower court. In a separate statement that Kavanaugh signed, he said that the Supreme Court should address soon the issue of varying interpretations of the Second Amendment.

Roberts became a frequent deciding vote on the Supreme Court after Justice Anthony Kennedy retired in 2018. Since then, the chief justice has voted frequently with the Courts four liberal justices and most recently cast the decisive vote last month to block the Trump administration from ending the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which prevents immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children from being deported.

More from National Review
From now to the end of the year, the number of domestic travelers is expected to reach about 70-80% of that in the same period last year.

To revive the tourism industry in the post Covid-19 period, many local tour operators, hotels and transportation providers are joining hands to offer promotions, building new and unique products to attract tourists.

Many tourism enterprises are jointly building new and unique products to attract tourists. Photo: Tony Bac

New and unique products

Many tour operators have created and deployed new packages. Flamingo Redtours has launched four domestic tours with discounts of up to 30-50%. The tour operator has cooperated with other travel businesses, airlines, 4-star hotels and transportation providers to build the packages with high quality accommodation and competitive prices, according to CEO of the company Nguyen Cong Hoan.

Meanwhile, Vietravel Hanoi branch is deploying its products Vietnam  Say Hello to a New Day with a 50% discount, Deputy Director Nguyen Van Bay told Kinh the & Do thi.

From the beginning of May, Hanoitourist Travel Company has also introduced tours with reasonable prices of VND4-5 million (US$172-US$215) per visitor to central provinces.

To stimulate demand post Covid-19, Hanoi has cooperated with a number of provinces and cities such as Nghe An, Quang Binh, and Lai Chau to implement stimulus programs, according to Deputy Director of Hanois Tourism of Department Tran Trung Hieu.

Especially, many provinces have also attracted tourists with incentive programs and the introduction of new destinations. A typical example is the Sapa program with a discount of 30-60% on hotel rooms, car and entrance tickets until September 30.

Some historical and cultural sites have also reduced 50% of the entrance ticket in Quang Ninh, Hue, Danang and Quang Nam provinces.

Transporters in four provinces including Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Gia Lai, and Dak Lak pledged to offer price discounts of 10-40% for transportation services.

Compared to previous years, the number of foreign visitors to Vietnam in 2020 is poised to plunge due to the health crisis, according to Deputy General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Ha Van Sieu. However, many localities and businesses have launched a number of programs including the exemption and reduction of entrance tickets and transportation costs to stimulate travel.

Some places of interests have even been overcrowded, Sieu added. This is a motivation for tourism companies to build and introduce stimulus products in post-Covid-19 tourism, he told Kinh te & Do thi.

Focusing on regional tours

Bac Lieu province. Photo: Vietnam Travel's facebook

After two months of the reopening of destinations, tourism activities have revived, the number of tourists has increased again. According to the VNAT, in May and June, occupancy rates for accommodation rooms increased by 50-60% in week days and 80-90% on weekends. The number of domestic tourists in June reached 7 million, an increase of 2.3 times compared to May.

With the revival, the tourism industry aims that from now to the end of the year, the number of domestic tourists will reach about 70-80% of that in the same period last year. However, to achieve this goal, it requires local businesses and localities to offer tour packages which are not only "unique" but also at reasonable costs.

Besides new products being put into service, including a night tour at the Hoa Lo Prison and the Imperial Citadel of Thanh Long - Hanoi, Hanoitourist is working on experience tours from Hoa Lu ancient capital (Ninh Binh) to Hanoi. It will thereby help visitors better understand the process of moving the country's capital taking place a millennium ago, towards the celebration of the 1010th anniversary of Thang Long  Hanoi, according to Director of Hanoitourist Phung Quang Thang.

In order to attract tourists to Hanoi, besides offering discounts, in July, the citys tour operators would not only upgrade the existing city tours but also continue to create five to seven new travel packages focusing on typical historical and cultural relics of Hanoi. The tours will be expected to be unique and bring new experiences for visitors, Hieu from Hanois Tourism of Department said. Hanoitimes

Nhat Minh - Thu Huong

Night-time tourism developing in Hanoi Ongoing questions regarding the development of the night-time tourism in Hanoi have attracted the involvement of a range of experts.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has hit more than 130 New York restaurants and bars with liquor violations in a sweeping crackdown to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Cuomo voiced his anger at recklessness unfolding at bars across the state and pointed to an increased coronavirus infection rate among young people between 21 and 30 years old.

On Friday the State Liquor Authority issued 52 violations, 53 on Saturday and 27 on Sunday to restaurants and bars that violated social distancing and face-mask mandates.

Over the weekend 10 establishments had their liquor licenses suspended altogether.

Some bars saw slaps on the wrist for failing to provide 'substantial food' along with alcohol orders, in accordance with a new State Liquor Authority guidance.

In nearby New Jersey an outdoor bar was forced to close for two days after an employee tested positive for coronavirus, a day after the business was packed with patrons who failed to wear masks and practice social distancing.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced more than 130 liquor license violations and 10 suspensions over the weekend, with most in NYC. 'Sunday is a more quiet night, but even on a Sunday 27 more violations,' he said

'I want establishments to know that we will continue to diligently enforce the law. Thats what this is  its enforcing the law, Cuomo said Monday at his coronavirus press briefing.

'Sunday is a more quiet night, but even on a Sunday 27 more violations,' he said.

He added most of the violations were based in New York City and all of Sunday's citations were from all five boroughs of the city.

In the state-wide inspections if a bar or restaurant gets three violations the business will have their liquor license suspended.

'Three violations and you lose it. Three strikes and youre out,' Cuomo said.

He said since the start of the pandemic 40 eateries and pubs have had their liquor licenses suspended.

On Friday the State Liquor Authority issued 52 violations, 53 on Saturday and 27 on Sunday to restaurants and bars that violated social distancing and face-mask mandates. A view of patrons wearing masks at a restaurant in Koreatown on Sunday above, as New York continues with Phase 4 of re-opening

Over the weekend 10 establishments had their liquor licenses suspended altogether. A view of patrons ourside a NYC eatery above

Customers pictured eating at Roberta's pizzeria in New York City above

Al fresco dining at Lola Taverna restaurant in the Soho neighborhood of New York on Sunday, July 12 pictured above

'I want the establishments to know that we will continue to diligently enforce the law, that's what this is, it's enforcing the law. I understand their position that this closedown has been very tough on them, I understand it, I appreciate it, I respect it, I'm sympathetic with their plight,' he said.

'But, we also have to protect public health and we accomplish nothing if we have to roll back some rules and regulations on bars and restaurants,' he added.

The governor has also said establishments can only serve alcohol with 'substantial food' meaning light dishes of chips, prtezels or peanuts is not enough.

The new guidance from the SLA says 'a taverns license minimum food requirement in soups, sandwiches and the like.'

'Most of the bars and restaurants have been great, really have been great. Its always the same  its a handful of bad actors who ruin it for everyone and its the bad actors who wind up hurting the good ones,' Cuomo said Monday.

A Jersey Shore tiki bar was forced to shutter Sunday when one of its workers tested positive for coronavirus  a day after the watering hole was packed with a number of maskless patrons.https://t.co/s62IUObqNe  Craig McCarthy (@createcraig) July 27, 2020

On Sunday The Captain's Inn outdoor bar in Forked River, New Jersey announced it will close for two days after a staffer tested positive for the virus. The infection came after the bar was packed with patrons, many of them not wearing masks, on Saturday (above)

A view of the bustling bar on Saturday pictured above

A view of the front of Captain's Inn in Forked River above

On Sunday the restaurant announced on their Instagram account they'll be closed for two days for a deep cleaning

As of Monday there are more than 412,000 cases of the virus in the state of New York and there have been over 25,000 deaths.

On Friday Cuomo slammed young people in the state after people between 21 and 30 years old made up an increasingly large share of new cases over the last two weeks.

'To young people: This is not the time to fight for your right to party. I respect your right to party, I fully respect it. I would enshrine it in the state law, if you want to know. You have the right to party, but lets be smart about it,' Cuomo said Friday.

He said the numbers in their demographic has increased because they socialize and ignore social distancing and mask-wearing measures.

Open bars have been a problem contributing to the spread of the virus in many states.

A Jersey Shore tiki bar was shuttered on Sunday when one of its workers tested positive for coronavirus  just a day after the business was packed with maskless customers.

The Captain's Inn outdoor bar in Forked River, New Jersey was filled with hordes of people on Saturday afternoon.

Video from the bustling bar showed a few dozen patrons drinking close to each other and not wearing masks on the hot summer day.

The crowd violated New Jersey law that requires patrons to keep six feet apart in areas without assigned seating.

A woman who works for The Captain's Inn told the New York Post that the bar has bouncers to keep the bar under the states limit but admitted it was difficult to control the crowd.

'Its very difficult if they stay or dont move. We do the very best we can,' she said.

On Sunday the bar posted on their Instagram page that theyd be closing for two days for a deep cleaning after a staffer tested positive 'due to an outside influence.'

'For the safety of our staff and patrons we will be temporarily closed to professionally sanitize and disinfect our property,' the bar said.
(Natural News) Despite calls from the domestic terrorist group to defund and disband the police, Black Lives Matter (BLM) will now have a presence at every police station in San Francisco, thanks to a recent vote by the San Francisco Police Commission (SFPC).

Moving forward, San Francisco police stations will now be required to display BLM posters inside their facilities, defying strong opposition from union members. To keep the BLM mob happy, each police station will have to find and put up a poster at least 32 by 24 inches in size, and they will have 30 days to do so before being in violation of the order.

The poster must prominently and exclusively feature the phrase Black lives matter and it must be displayed in a place visible to station visitors, reports indicate about the resolution, which was unanimously approved by the SFPC.

To placate those who expressed outrage that the department would vote to support a radical domestic terrorist group that is linked to violence against innocent people, the decision was made to allow the posters to say Black lives matter, without a capital L or M to sound more generic.

This came directly from the community, claims Commissioner Dion-Jay Brookter, who helped co-write the resolution. We need to show unity and solidarity and say that black lives do matter. My life matters. My five-year-old nieces life matters.

San Francisco Police Officers Association expresses concerns, says pushing political agendas establishes a new precedent

Police Chief Bill Scott, who also has black skin, indicated his support for the resolution as well. In Scotts view, stating publicly that black lives matter is a great way to show the world that San Francisco police officers are supportive of people with darker skin tones.

As I have said before, people are talking to us and we have to listen. Yeah, were listening. Yes, we will support, he is quoted as saying.

Yes, we are fully committed to implementing this resolution, and as the person who is charged with speaking on behalf of the department  and I can speak for the command staff and members of this department  black lives do matter, and they matter to this police department.

The San Francisco Police Officers Association, on the other hand, issued a letter of opposition to the proposal, warning that it establishes a new precedent that raises concerns about introducing political agendas and wedge issues into the safe harbor of police stations.

Rockne A. Lucia, a lawyer for this union, publicly emphasized that police stations are supposed to be places where citizens of all skin colors are free to seek help and assistance when they become victims of criminal activity. Police stations are not supposed to be places for political endorsements or alignment with political organizations, Lucia warned.

Police union president Tony Montoya agrees, having said in a statement that the San Francisco Police Department needs to put away all soapboxes and stop its political grandstanding.

As it turns out, San Francisco saw a 31 percent increase in homicides last month compared to the same month last year. Car break-ins have also become rampant, Montoya warns, emphasizing the fact that police officers throughout the city need to be focused on stopping crime, not perpetuating political movements.

Its time for the commissioners to get beyond hashtags, posters, and politics because our community is depending on them and all of us to make San Francisco a safer place for everyone, Montoya further stated.

To keep up with the latest news about the leftist lunacy that is taking over our public institutions, be sure to check out LiberalMob.com.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

NaturalNews.com
She's famed for being a style icon.

And Sienna Miller pulled another chic look off as she rocked cream dungarees and a canary yellow bandana whilst venturing out with her daughter, Marlowe and their pet pooch.

The Alfie actress, 38, looked effortlessly stylish as she braved the New York heatwave in Manhattan's West Village area on Monday.

Cool as a cucumber: Sienna looked effortlessly cool as she enjoyed a stroll out in the New York sunshine on Monday with her daughter Marlowe, eight, and their pet pooch

Sienna looked stylish in a pair of statement cream dungarees with brown buttons along the bodice that she wore rolled up slightly at the ankles.

Sienna paired the one-piece with a simple ivory vest and black Birkenstock sandals.

To accessorise, the actress opted for a black tote bag with gold detailing and a bold canary scarf with a floral pattern that she used to cover her face amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Indie chic: The actress, 38, was spotted out in the Manhattan's West Village area sporting a pair of cream dungarees with brown button detailing and a bold canary yellow face covering

She kept a low-profile by rocking a pair of shades and she left her signature blonde tresses in a relaxed and loose wave.

On the makeup front, Sienna kept things simple as she opted for minimal coverage, a smart choice for the blistering New York heat.

Her daughter, Marlowe, eight, looked adorable in a floral dress as the pair were pictured out on a stroll with their dog.

The pair held hands as they crossed the road in the West Village area of Manhattan.

Black is back: The actress completed her outfit with a pair of buckled Birkenstock black sandals and an oversized black tote bag that featured gold detailing throughout

Sienna was on the outing without her toyboy fiance, Lucas Zwirner, 29, who she became engaged to in January after a year of dating.

She has been seen flashing her engagement ring in recent weeks, gifted by her art dealer lover who is nine years younger than her and who is a Yale-educated literature expert.

He is also the son of famed art dealer David Zwirner and he joined the family business to grow his father's eponymous art gallery, David Zwirner Books, where he currently oversees the publication of 25 book releases per year.

He reportedly dropped down on one knee earlier this year, and has been spotted at several high profile events with his leading lady.

Low key: The actress kept a low-profile whilst out walking her dog as she wore a pair of dark shades and a canary yellow face covering that shielded most of her face from discerning eyes

Sienna maintains a good relationship with her actor ex-fiance, Tom Sturridge, 34, and the pair amicably co-parent daughter Marlowe.

Prior to dating Tom, Sienna famously had an on-off romance with Alfie co-star Jude Law and got engaged to him on Christmas Day in 2004 but called off their engagement the following year after he confessed to having an affair with his children's nanny.

They would reunite again in 2009 but only to break up for the final time in 2011.
BJP president J P Nadda on Monday asked the Maharashtra party unit to strengthen its IT cell and expose the Uddhav Thackeray-led state government's "failure".

In a virtual address from Delhi, Nadda addressed a web meeting of the state BJP unit where he said people of Maharashtra have realised the "actual motive" of the state government and its "selfishness".

"There is a shameless government in Maharashtra," he said, alleging that it is full of "internal squabbles" and inter-party fighting.

"We should strengthen the BJP's state IT cell and expose the state governments failure, without sparing the chief minister," he said.

After the state Assembly elections last year, the Shiv Sena fell out with its long-term ally BJP over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party later forged an alliance with its ideological opponents NCP and Congress to form government in the state.

Noting that the state BJP unit has formed some 67,000 WhatsApp groups, Nadda said, "The BJP IT cell should push political content on such groups to expose the state governments failure and underscore achievements of the Centre."

He said a three-point programme should be started by the state BJP's IT cell.

"Share Prime Minister Narendra Modis speeches and clippings, create content on the Centres achievements and expose the state governments failures effectively. We need to give political content to our local party workers," he said.
A Shift Away from U.S., U.K. and Canada is Seen in COVID Survey of 2020 International High School Graduates, But Data from 2021 Graduates Highlights More Drastic Swing Away From Hong Kong

With COVID-19 forcing university applicants to rethink their higher education choices, BridgeU, a leading provider of university and careers guidance services for international secondary schools in 119 countries, recently undertook an analysis of three different proprietary data sets in order to gauge the pandemic's impact on global mobility for students around the globe. In the first data set, BridgeU surveyed 2020 graduates from high schools in 81 countries and asked them how, and to what extent, the pandemic has affected their study plans in 2020. In the second data set, the same survey questions were fielded to international college and career counselors working at high schools in 41 countries. The third data set analyzed universities and programs 'shortlisted' as study destination choices by the 2021 graduating cohort on the BridgeU platform compared to the same platform usage for the 2020 cohort, to better understand whether the decisions of this year's graduating cohort translate to longer term impact to global student mobility.

Key findings from each dataset, listed below, offer insights into potential trends impacting international student admissions in the coming year:

2020 graduating cohort:*

Most students' plans remain unchanged (69%), despite the disruption, with 86% of students surveyed still planning to enroll at a university in fall 2020. Advisors' views are broadly similar.

Of those students changing their plans, 55% intend to switch their chosen university, while 42% plan to change their destination country. When asked if and how their top ranked destination country had changed, compared to their original pre-COVID-19 plan, student responses suggest a shift away from traditionally popular host destinations such as UK, USA and Canada, towards host destinations closer to home Australia, India, Sweden, Thailand, South Africa and others. The United States has been the most adversely affected amongst destinations, experiencing a 71% drop (compared to students' pre-COVID-19 plans). Other traditionally popular host destinations have also seen steep declines, including the United Kingdom (-56%) and Canada (-58%).

While university advisors believe travel difficulties and visa challenges will have the greatest impact on students' plans, students' greatest concern is about the quality of their first year academic experience.

2021 graduating cohort:**

The year on year swing in destination interest shows a small, but visible decline in the popularity of the USA and Canada as study destinations and a dramatic year on year decrease in the popularity of Hong Kong, with 50%+ fewer students shortlisting a single university in the region.

In terms of raw or absolute numbers, however, the USA, UK and Canada still dominate.

The decision-making data analysed year to date for the 2021 graduating cohort seems to imply that although there has clearly been an impact, traditionally popular host destinations may still have time to recover in the eyes of this next graduating cohort.

Lucy Stonehill, CEO of BridgeU, said, "Based on the analysis we've conducted, looking into BridgeU student decision-making data and emerging patterns across two different year groups, the graduating class of 2020 and 2021 respectively, it is clear that the impact of COVID-19 has been felt and will continue to be felt. However, if there is a lesson to be learned from Hong Kong, a region that has otherwise done an impressive job at containing the spread of COVID-19, it is, perhaps, that the impact of geopolitics may outlast the impact of the pandemic."

One BridgeU high school counselor from a school in Japan noted, "USA used to be a very popular destination; however, besides COVID-19, now the political situation is scaring students and parents so much. Politics in the USA (is) really affecting the whole picture of the USA."

*Results from a BridgeU survey conducted by email between June 22-23 2020 of 805 high school students from 83 countries and 65 university careers advisors from 41 countries.

**Results are based on BridgeU platform and usage data analysing student destination interest (proxied by universities and courses 'shortlisted' by students using the BridgeU guidance platform). Data from February to June 2020 shortlists for students graduating in 2021 were compared to the same dataset (February to June 2019 shortlists) for students graduating in 2020. In all, the results are based on 198,000 shortlisted courses/universities from 16,900 students across the two matriculating year groups.

About BridgeU:

BridgeU is the market leading provider of university and careers guidance services for international or globally-minded secondary schools. Today, BridgeU partners with secondary schools in over 300 cities, across 119 countries. BridgeU also works with leading universities, helping them to connect with the largest community of international schools available on one platform.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200727005004/en/

Contacts:

Press: Stephen Mayall, Email: stephen@bridge-u.com Phone: +44 7479 490 641 Twitter: @BridgeU
Seoul, July 27 : Eleven North Korean defectors returned to their homeland from South Korea in the past five years, the Unification Ministry here said Monday, after Pyongyang claimed that a defector suspected of having COVID-19 symptoms recently crossed the demarcation line.

The 24-year-old defector is believed to have fled to the North while he was under police investigation over suspicions of raping a female defector last month, reports Yonhap News Agency.

His return came to light after the North said Sunday that a "runaway" came back home with coronavirus symptoms.

On Monday, the South Korea's Unification Ministry said a total of 11 defectors have gone back to the North since 2015.

"There were three defectors who crossed back to the North in 2015, four in 2016 and another four in 2017, bringing the total number to 11, based on data, including North Korea media reports," Yoh Sang-key, the Ministry's spokesperson, told the media here.

The total figure does not include the latest case, he added.

Yoh also stressed the difficulty in tallying the exact number of North Korean defectors who crossed back home.

"When defectors come to South Korea they have no obligation to file a report when going abroad, just like any other South Korean, so it is difficult to track the exact whereabouts of the defectors," Yonhap News Agency quoted the spokesperson as saying.

On Sunday, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that leader Kim Jong-un convened an emergency politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party and adopted the "maximum emergency system" against the coronavirus after a defector returned home with suspected COVID-19 symptoms.
90 Day Fiance stars Elizabeth Potthast Castravet and Andrei Castravet have been more controversial than ever on the fifth season of TLCs 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After.

The couples cultural differences and personal conflicts came to a head when Andrei and Elizabeth traveled to Andreis home country for their second wedding in Moldova.

Many 90 Day Fiance fans thought Elizabeths familys comments about Moldova, and Eastern Europe in general, were ignorant and overly harsh. Meanwhile, many viewers called Andrei out for demanding that Elizabeth treat him as the head of the household, even as he bragged to his Moldovan friends that he didnt have to work because his wife was the breadwinner. (His friends werent impressed.)

On a recent episode of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After, Andrei, Elizabeth, and Andreis mother had a tense conversation about how Elizabeths family might react during their first visit to Moldova.

Many 90 Day Fiance fans pointed out that Andrei didnt seem to be translating the conversation for the two women correctly. They speculated that he might even be leaving important details out on purpose.

Andrei Castravet, baby Eleanor, and Elizabeth Potthast Castravet | Elizabeth Potthast Castravet via Instagram

Elizabeth worried that her family might act bougie in Moldova

Elizabeth and Andrei sat down for a conversation with his parents about his time in the U.S. so far.

So you dont miss Moldova? Andreis mom asked him.

No, I do, her son clarified.

Then, Andreis mother wanted to know how Elizabeths parents might react when they first arrived in Andreis home country.

Elizabeth responded carefully, voicing her concerns about her familys cultural differences.

Obviously, theyre excited to meet your family, but I dont know if theyre going to be judgmental, or how theyre going to act, the 90 Day Fiance star said honestly. Because theyre used to everything being modern and fancy, and they act a little bougie.

Andrei translated to his mother, She does not know how her family will react, because they have high standards, and if they see something old, they do not know what to do. In Moldova, everything is old. Not like in America. His mom looked a little taken aback by her sons blunt words, as well as his characterization of Moldova.

Elizabeth explained to 90 Day Fiance producers that she did worry about her familys impending arrival. She was concerned that her family would offend her in-laws, even if unwittingly.

Im definitely getting nervous about my family coming to Moldova, the 90 Day Fiance star admitted. Knowing them, and how they have no filter, Im afraid that they might offend Andreis family.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Elizabeth Potthast Castravet Posts a Risque Video With Andrei Castravet After Fans Accuse Her of Photoshopping Their Pictures

The 90 Day Fiance star accused Andrei of hiding important details from his family

Then, Andreis mom wanted to know what her daughter-in-laws family thought about their upcoming second wedding in Moldova.

Elizabeth explained that her family was excited, but they wished Andrei hadnt announced the wedding just a month beforehandwith no plans set in stone before the event.

I think that my family wishes that we gave them more time, and that we would have planned it out a little bit better so they could have managed it, Elizabeth said.

When Andrei began to cut his wife off and offer a retort, she admitted she was suspicious that he might not have been entirely truthful with his family about just how last-minute the wedding plans really were.

Well, did you explain to your family and translate to your family what you did and how you gave us no time and planned things without us? Elizabeth asked her husband accusingly.

Andrei insisted he had, but Elizabeth wasnt buying it. Are you sure? the 90 Day Fiance star asked her husband doubtfully. I dont think you did. I think you should tell them right now.

Elizabeths husband took a deep breath and reluctantly told his mom, She said that we did give them too little notice and they didnt have time to plan. I did this on purpose, so they cannot come.

His mom responded thoughtfully, I dont think you did it on purpose. This is just how things worked out.

She says she doesnt believe that I did bad, Andrei loosely translated to his wife.

Are you telling her the truth and translating properly? Elizabeth asked him testily.

Yes, I did! he insisted. Then, he blamed Elizabeth for her lack of knowledge of his language. I do translate. You have to learn the language, and then you can speak to her yourself.

Elizabeth told 90 Day Fiance producers that she wasnt always sure that Andrei told his family everything. And because of the language barrier, she wasnt sure how to rectify the situation.

I feel like Im kind of missing something in the translation here, she admitted, because Andreis mom is asking what my family thinks about us doing the wedding and planning it so last minute, but then again, shes kind of defending and taking Andreis side.

Some 90 Day Fiance fans wondered if Andrei was translating inaccurately on purpose

Some 90 Day Fiance fans wondered if Andrei was putting his own spin on the translations between Elizabeth and his mother on purpose.

He doesnt translate exactly what she said that well to his family or vice versa, one Instagram user wrote. When his mom says something he doesnt say what she fully said I dont like it.

Another commenter argued, She needs a translator because he isnt being truthful with everything.

Yet another fan thought Elizabeth should get a translation app in order to make sure her conversations with Andreis family were accurate.

Im confused as to why she doesnt have an electronic translator, one Instagram user wrote. At least use your phone. Girl you know your husband! He already translates what you say to him in his own way.
On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee will get its first opportunity to question William Barr since he was confirmed as attorney general in February 2019. Barr has spent months dodging oversight in the House. He first successfully avoided testimony just three months into his tenure, when he refused to show up for questioning over his handling of the release of the Mueller report.

The Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, which is tasked with overseeing the Department of Justice, have mustered a feeble response to everything that Barr has done in the interim to dismantle the last remaining vestiges of independence at the Department of Justice. They may not know what to do when faced with the attorney general himself. While Republicans on the committee are likely to focus on some version of the corkboard web of Obamagate conspiracy threads, Democrats should focus on five damning events of Barrs relatively short tenure: the assault on protesters in Lafayette Park, the fraught firing of the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, the abrupt reversals in prosecutions of Michael Flynn and Roger Stone, his insistence that voting fraud will corrupt the election, and the investigation into Crossfire Hurricane. Here are the five big questions Barr needs to be made to answer.

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When and why did Barr give the order to clear protesters from Lafayette Square?

Barr has claimed that his decision last month to order federal forces to clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square 30 minutes before a curfew went into effect had nothing to do with President Donald Trumps Bible photo-op that occurred within minutes of the park being cleared. There was no correlation between our tactical plan of moving the perimeter out by one block and the presidents going over to the church, Barr has said to the press. One of the biggest jobs of the committee on Monday will to press Barr to say as clearly as possible whether he cleared the square at the time that he did to enable the presidential photo-op. Barrs account of those events is contradicted by what federal officials have told the Washington Post and what one National Guardsman is planning to say in separate testimony on Tuesday.

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The committee must force Barr to answer these questions: What precise time did Barr give the order to clear the park? What precise time did he learn that the photo-op was going to take place? Why did the clearance order happen 30 minutes before the curfew and 30 minutes before Trumps photo-op? When and how did he decide to send in federal forces at the time that he did? Did he discuss his plan with anyone in the White House beforehand? With whom? What did they say? Who received the order to advance on the crowd, and what was the precise wording of that order?

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Why did Barr have Geoffrey Berman fired?

The second immediate topic for the panel to address will be the firing of former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman. Last month, the attorney general announced that Bermanwho has led the office through multiple politically charged investigations that have implicated President Donald Trump either directly or indirectlywas resigning. Soon after, Berman released a statement saying he was not resigning and had learned of that claim through the media. Berman has since testified that Barr spent the afternoon of the announcement attempting to entice him to leave the position with the offer of another job. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler has already stated that such an enticement could constitute evidence of bribery.

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Nadlers committee must determine: Why did Barr tell the public Berman had resigned? Why did he seek to replace Berman with a hand-picked acting successor instead of Bermans deputy, Audrey Strauss, per the normal line of succession? Did Barr discuss Bermans removal with anyone in the White House? For what specific purpose did he solicit a memo undercutting SDNYs prosecution of Trumps former attorney Michael Cohen? Did anyone at the Bureau of Prisons play any role in seeking to return Cohen from home confinement to prison amid word that he would be writing a book about Trump? Can Barr cite any precedent for the gag order seeking to prevent Cohen from writing that book about Trump?

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Why did Barr protect Michael Flynn and Roger Stone?

Barr has played an outsize role in pressuring the career attorneys who prosecuted the cases against Trump allies Michael Flynn and Roger Stone to reverse key decisions. First, in February, Barr directly meddled to reduce Stones sentence recommendation after Stone was convicted of perjuring himself and tampering with a witness in order to protect Trump. Then in May, Barr took the unprecedented decision of directing the District of Columbia U.S. Attorneys Office to drop charges against Flynn, one of Trumps former national security advisers. Finally, earlier this month, Trump commuted Stones sentence hours after Stone gave an interview saying that he had not succumbed to enormous pressure to turn on Trump in a way that would have eased my situation considerably. Testimony during Stones trial indicated that Trump perjured himself in sworn testimony to Mueller about a conversation he had with Stone regarding the WikiLeaks release of hacked Hillary Clinton emails. Both Stone and Flynn could have potentially implicated Trump in felonies, and they have been protected directly by Barr. The key question to ask is: Why, specifically, did Barr go to such efforts to protect these two men?

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What is the DOJ doing to assure that voting in November will be safe and free of intimidation?

Last month during an interview with NPR, Barr spread a false narrative that mail-in voting could provide the opportunity for the possibility of counterfeiting ballots. He should be asked to provide any evidence he has for the claim that mail-in voting might be marred by fraud. He should also be asked with whom in the White House hes discussed his theories about voter fraud and if anyone in the White House has requested any specific set of actions around mail-in voting. What actionif anydoes he plan to take to curb mail-in balloting? Election law expert and Slate contributor Richard Hasen also shared two possible key questions: Has Barr consulted with Department of Homeland Security officials about his claims of foreign interference with mail-in balloting? Given his apparent preference for in-person voting, what is the DOJ doing to assure that voting in November will be safe and free of intimidation?

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What is the point of John Durhams investigation into Crossfire Hurricane?

The investigation by U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut John Durham into the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation of Donald Trumps 2016 campaign has been going on for months. It continued even after independent DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz had investigated the matter and determined in a 434-page report released late last year that there was no political interference in the case.

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Why is Durhams investigation needed, given Horowitzs finding? Will Barr commit to releasing the findings of the Durham investigation before October, when it could have an outsize impact on the election? If not, why not, and when does he expect an outcome? What evidence is there that Horowitz got it wrong? Horowitz specifically sought to determine whether there was evidence that political bias or other improper considerations affected decision making in Crossfire Hurricane, including the decision to open the investigation and did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that political bias or improper motivation influenced the decisions. What did Barr mean when he stated that Horowitz hasnt decided the issue of improper motive when Horowitz himself stated that he had?

Ultimately, Barr is likely to evade answering these questions, as he has done during Senate testimony in the past. Getting him to answer the questions directly under oath, though, is critical. A threat to hold him in contempt should be hanging over his head if he refuses.

For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below.
MINSK -- Human rights groups have accused Belarusian authorities of fostering an atmosphere of "fear and intimidation" ahead of a presidential election scheduled for August 9.

The Human Rights Defenders For Free Elections campaign, run by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Vyasna (Spring) human rights center in Minsk, said in a joint statement on July 27 that a campaign of repression has been initiated by the authorities, including the current detention of 25 individuals on politically motivated charges.

In all, the total number of people arrested since the beginning of the election campaign exceeds 1,140, of whom 190 were incarcerated and 333 were ordered to pay fines, the activists said.

The rights groups emphasized that the Supreme Court of Belarus had denied the appeal of potential opposition presidential candidate Valer Tsapkala against the decision of the Central Election Commission to reject his registration and refused to look into a similar complaint filed by another potential candidate, Viktar Babaryka.

Experts of the Human Rights Defenders For Free Elections campaign believe that when making the decision on Tsapkala's complaint, the court ignored the circumstances of the case and failed to take into account "important reasons" that created obstacles for Babaryka's campaign to meet deadlines, which legislation allows to be prolonged.

Tsapkala had to flee the country with his children several days ago, fearing a politically motivated arrest, while Babaryka and his son Eduard were arrested in June on embezzlement charges, which they and their supporters call trumped up and imposed in order to prevent Babaryka from taking part in the vote.

The joint statement by the human rights groups also noted that the Central Election Commission's move to reduce the number of observers at polling stations to five people bars independent observers from monitoring the election process and violates the basic principle of transparency in democratic elections.

The statement expressed a particular concern over statements made by President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and the head of the Security Council, Andrey Raukou, about the possibility of involving troops to counter protests and demonstrations.

"Representatives of the Human Rights Defenders For Free Elections consider it as creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in the society," the statement said.

The August 9 election comes as Lukashenka faces mounting public opposition after 26 years in power. Hundreds of people, including activists and bloggers, have been arrested as the government has cracked down hard on rallies and demonstrations supporting opposition candidates who were not registered by election officials.

Western governments and institutions, including the United Nations, have called on Lukashenka's government to stop the crackdown.

Tsapkala's wife, Veranika Tsapkala, who remained in the country, and a coordinator of Babarykas campaign, Maryya Kalesnikava, have joined to support opposition presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya who, unlike Tsapkala and Babaryka, was registered as a presidential candidate.

Tsikhanouskaya became a candidate after her husband, well-known vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, was incarcerated for openly expressing his intention to run for president.

Tsikhanouskaya also moved her two children to an EU country out of concern for their safety after receiving threats ahead of the election.

On July 26, Tsikhanouskaya told a gathering of thousands of people who came to express their support for her in the southeastern city of Homel that her son told her via the Internet that he was "scared for her."

"I dont want to live in a country where its scary to live. I want to live in my native country, where it is not scary to live, it is not scary to talk," Tsikhanouskaya said.

She stressed that by removing "the three strongest candidates for the presidency" -- Syarhey Tsikhanouski, Viktar Babaryka, and Valer Tsapkala -- "the authorities failed to take into account that "behind every strong man stands a strong woman."

Lukashenka has rejected domestic and Western criticism of the government's violent dispersal of pro-democracy demonstrations and the disqualification of candidates.

The Belarusian leader has ruled the country since 1994 and is currently serving his fifth term as president. Belarus abolished presidential term limits in 2004.
A constable of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF), who was deployed as a security guard at a CAF camp, was killed by two outlawed Communist Party of India (CPI) (Maoist) rebels in Chhattisgarhs Narayanpur district on Monday.

Police said that Maoists fired two rounds of bullets at the jawan and the CAF camp that falls under the jurisdiction of Chhote Dongar police station in the district and decamped inside the adjoining dense jungle.

Chhattisgarh Police has launched a combing operation of the jungle after the attack on the CAF camp.

Constable Jitendra Bakde, who belonged to 22 Battalion of CAF, lost his life in the attack, the police said.

Preliminary information has revealed that two Maoists attacked the CAF camp. They have escaped to the jungle after the incident, said Sunderaj P, inspector-general (I-G) of police, Bastar.

Chhattisgarh Police data showed that 26 security personnel and 20 Maoists were killed between January and June 30, including in the left-wing extremism (LWE)-hit Bastar division and also in districts under the newly-formed MMC (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh) division.

In 2018 and 2019, 35 and 12 security personnel, respectively, were killed in Chhattisgarh following encounters with the Naxals.

Security has been stepped up in the Maoist-hit districts of the state, particularly in the seven districts of the Bastar division such as Dantewada, Bijapur, Bastar, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Sukma, and Kanker because of the martyrs week that the rebels observe in the memory of their slain leaders between July 28 and August 4.

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The first bomb exploded at 7.30 p.m. outside the Glenrowan hall. It lit up the small township and sent pressmen and official guests pouring out of the 50-year-old building.

Homemade bombs rocked Glenrowan last night during the Australian premiere of the controversial film Ned Kelly.

First published in The Age on July 29, 1970

Another shattered a window in a local cafe.

Later a gang of six young men and teenagers from Glenrowan claimed they had planted the two bombs as a protest against the invitation list for the premiere.

A third bomb went off at 9 p.m. 150 yards from the hall as local people crowded into the hall for the second screening of the film.

No one was hurt by the explosions and the only damage was a broken bottle and a dent in the wall of the hall.

Police believe local people, angry at the casting of Mick Jagger as Kelly, triggered the bombs as a joke.
Irrigators have taken a complaint against NSW Environment and Energy Minister Matt Kean to the Premier, claiming the minister appears to be choosing environmental concerns over the interests of farmers and agriculture.

In a stunning broadside against the minister in a letter sent to Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday, NSW Irrigators' Council interim chief executive Claire Miller suggested the water and agriculture sectors were being treated as "part of the problem" by some wings of the government.

Tension with irrigators: NSW Environment and Energy Minister Matt Kean and Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Credit:Nick Moir

The letter comes after a tense meeting with irrigators on July 1, in which Mr Kean apparently stated he had been appointed by the Premier to represent his energy and environment stakeholders, and left early.

"We quickly got the impression Minister Kean was not much interested in engaging with us," Ms Miller wrote to the Premier.
TORONTO, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WeedMD Inc. (TSX-V:WMD) (OTCQX:WDDMF) (FSE:4WE) (WeedMD or the Company), a federally-licensed producer and distributor of medical-grade cannabis, today announced the resignation of Dr. Hugh Scully from its Board of Directors, effective immediately.



Dr. Scully was recently reappointed to the Board of Directors, but a personal matter has arisen which has led him to submit his resignation. Dr. Scully has been on the Board of Starseed since its inception in 2013 and was an important contributor to its success, said George Scorsis, Executive Chairman of WeedMD. On behalf of the Board of Directors and management team, we want to thank Dr. Scully for his positive contribution while at Starseed and WeedMD, and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Check here for upcoming corporate events and to access WeedMDs latest Investor Presentation and latest Corporate Update Video.

About WeedMD Inc.

WeedMD Inc. is the publicly-traded parent company of WeedMD RX Inc. and Starseed Medicinal Inc., federally-licensed producers of cannabis products for both the medical and adult-use markets. The Company owns and operates a 158-acre state-of-the-art greenhouse, outdoor and processing facility located in Strathroy, Ontario as well as CX Industries Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary which specializes in cannabis extraction from the Companys fully-licensed 26,000 sq. ft. Aylmer, Ontario processing facility. With the addition of Starseed, a medical-centric operator based in Bowmanville, Ontario, WeedMD has expanded its multi-channeled distribution strategy. Starseeds industry-first, exclusive partnership with LiUNA, the largest construction union in Canada, along with other employers and union groups complements WeedMDs direct sales to medical patients. The Company maintains strategic relationships in the seniors market and supply agreements with Shoppers Drug Mart as well as six provincial distribution agencies where adult-use brands Color Cannabis and Saturday are sold.

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For further information, please contact:

For Investor Enquiries:

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VP, Communications & Corporate Affairs

416-897-6644

marianella@weedmd.com

Forward Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation which are based upon WeedMD's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs and views of future events. Forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expect", "likely", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "anticipate", "potential", "proposed", "estimate" and other similar words, including negative and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "would" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy.

The forward-looking information in this news release is based upon the expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and views of future events which management believes to be reasonable in the circumstances. Forward-looking information includes estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, targets, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking information in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to internal expectations, expectations with respect to actual production volumes, expectations for future growing capacity and the completion of any capital project or expansions. Forward-looking information necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; loss of markets; future legislative and regulatory developments; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; the cannabis industry in Canada generally; the ability of WeedMD to implement its business strategies; the COVID-19 pandemic; competition; crop failure; and other risks.

Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, WeedMD does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for WeedMD to predict all such factors. When considering this forward-looking information, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in WeedMD's disclosure documents filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The risk factors and other factors noted in the disclosure documents could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking information.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE
Kolkata, July 27 : In a shocking incident, the body of a 55-year-old coronavirus patient had to be kept for 18 hours at his home in Kolkata's Behala on Monday.

The patient reportedly died of acute respiratory trouble at around 10.30 p.m. on Sunday. He had tested Covid positive earlier that day.

According to local sources, his family members tried to contact Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials, the local councillor and the police but received no response from them in cremating the body as per government protocol.

The family members and the deceased's neighbours claimed that there was no response till late afternoon on Monday. Meanwhile, six family members of the victim have also tested positive for COVID-19. The residents of Behala's Sahapur now fear a spread of the virus in the area and have requested the family members of the victim to stay indoors.

In a separate incident, a 68-year-old suspected COVID-19 patient died while being taken to the hospital in West Bengal's North 24-Parganas district. The incident took place at Bongaon Sub-divisional hospital on Saturday when the patient, Madhav Narayan Dutt, was being taken to the hospital.

His wife had asked for help while trying to drag him to the hospital ward. But no one came forward to help. She had then pleaded for help from bystanders but again no one came forward. Later, doctors declared the patient to be dead.

"We have come to know about the incident. It is pathetic. We are looking into it. We will take action if anyone is found guilty, said Bongaon sub-divisional hospital superintendent Shankar Prasad Mahato.

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Moody's maintained its credit rating with VPBank, showing that the bank has good financial capacity, with risks less than initial concerns when the disease started.-Photo courtesy of VPBank

Accordingly, Moodys confirmed VPBanks outlook at stable including counterparty risk assessment at Ba3 and long-term local currency deposit at B1.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the global economic recession, in the first half of 2020, Viet Nam's economy recorded a GDP growth of 1.81 per cent - the lowest increase over the past decade. In this context, Moody's maintained its credit rating with VPBank, showing that the bank has good financial capacity, with risks less than initial concerns when the disease broke out.

In confirming VP Bank's B1 Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA), Moody's acknowledges the bank's above-industry average profitability and strong capitalisation. In addition, Moody's stated that the risks that may occur to the consumer finance segment due to impacts of COVID-19 were well controlled by VPBank by optimising the balance sheet, ensuring safety ratios and good liquidity assets. It can be said that the decision to maintain the credit rating with VPBank reflected the efforts of maintaining a solid foundation to ensure the banks sustainable and efficient growth.

By the end of the second quarter of the year, VPBank's consolidated operating income reached VND18.8 trillion (US$810.6 million), an increase of 12 per cent over the same period last year. The bank's consolidated before-tax profit was recorded at nearly VND6.6 trillion, equivalent to 64 per cent of the whole years plan. In parallel with maintaining revenue and profit growth, risk control activities have been implemented well by the bank.

VPBank's consolidated bad debt ratio by the end of June stood at 2.71 per cent. The parent bank's bad debt ratio dropped to 2.07 per cent. VPBank has also been one of the banks with the highest capital adequacy ratio (CAR) in the market. By the end of June 2020, VPBank's CAR was above 11 per cent based on Basel II standards, much higher than the 8 per cent required by the State Bank of Viet Nam.

The banks caution in preventing risks was also reflected in the increase of provision fund expenses. In the first half of this year, VPBank's provision expenses - excluding the provision for Viet Nam Asset Management Company (VAMC) - in 2019 increased by 8.6 per cent and 30.4 per cent at individual banks. High provision expenses showed that VPBank has always been cautious and has sufficient financial resources to prevent risks that may arise when the economy is in an unpredictable stage.

At the same time, VPBank still consolidates its position as one of the banks with the highest return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA). These ratios as at the end of June were 23.5 per cent and 2.7 per cent respectively.

With the success of cautious steps in the right direction with the recognition of international organisations including Moodys, VPBank continues to consolidate a solid foundation for future development goals.
Police, protesters clash in Seattle amid public outcry over US feds

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 26 July 2020 2:47 PM

US police have clashed with protesters calling for an end to police brutality and racial injustice in Seattle, Washington, as President Donald Trump presses ahead with a contentious plan to deploy federal agents to major cities to quell nationwide unrest.

Police in riot gear used flashbang grenades, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters in Seattle late on Saturday.

Protesters carried signs that read, "Feds go home," and "We are living in a police state," also shouting chants of "No justice, no peace."

Local media reports said the sounds of repeated small detonations were heard in some streets, and smoke rose from an area where demonstrators had set fire to trailers used by a construction site in the city.

The Seattle police said in a post on its Twitter page that the forces had "made 45 arrests" in connection with the unrest.

Protesters also marched in the Texan capital of Austin as well as Louisville in Kentucky, New York, Omaha, California's Oakland and Los Angeles, and Richmond in Virginia, where riot police fired chemical agents at a Black Lives Matter rally.

The protests came amid a wave of public anger over Trump's planned "surge" of federal forces in major US cities to suppress widespread protests sparked by the brutal murder of unarmed African American George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis in late May.

Portland, the biggest city in the state of Oregon, has been hit particularly hard by violent protests over the past two months.

The excessive use of force by officers in Portland have angered local leaders and Democrats in Congress, who have been complaining about the Trump administration's approach.

The US president, who is running for re-election in November on a campaign of law and order, has threatened to deploy federal forces in "Democrat-run cities" accused of being soft on crime.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After a 14 year run, China Chalet closed this month in Eltingville. The Zagat-rated eatery was among the few Chinese spots on Staten Island with a dedicated dim sum menu.

China Chalet came to 4326 Amboy Road in 2006 in a series of storefronts formerly home to a long-running Lum Chin. At the onset the dining room flaunted an 80s chic with pink accents, gray plastic-cushioned booths and lots of mirrors. With some tweaks to the decor over the years the restaurant maintained its linen cloth, sit-down service.
Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stand guard as displaced people prepare to board a bus waiting outside the Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria's Al-Hasakeh governorate on June 3, 2019, as Kurdish authorities started sending home 800 Syrian women and children who had been evacuated from the Islamic State group's "caliphate" earlier this year. (Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images)

Woman Accused of Joining ISIS Arrested on Return to Germany

BERLINGerman prosecutors said Monday a German woman who allegedly joined the ISIS terrorist group in Syria was arrested upon her return to the country. She is accused of membership in a foreign terrorist group, war crimes against property and other crimes.

Federal prosecutors said in a written statement that the woman, identified only as Nurten J. in line with local privacy laws, was arrested Friday at Frankfurt Airport.

Prosecutors allege she traveled with her then 4-year-old daughter to Syria in 2015 to join ISIS. There, she married a man who had also come from Germany and they started a family.

The woman allegedly raised her children according to ISIS ideology and in return she received a monthly payment from the extremist group and lived successively in five different apartments whose former tenants were either killed or evicted.

In 2016 and 2017, she often had a friend visit her home who brought along an enslaved Yazidi woman who then allegedly had to clean J.s home.

After ISIS lost its territories in Syria, J. and her family were captured by Kurds and were eventually taken into deportation custody in Turkey.

It was not clear if she was returned to Germany in custody and the fate of her children was not known.

The federal prosecutors office could not immediately be reached for further details.
Memorial for victims of the Ngarbuh killings HRW (2020 Private)

Based on information reported by the media and nongovernmental organizations, Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 285 civilians have been killed in about 190 incidents since January 2020 in Cameroons North-West and South-West regions, where violence has been acute since late 2016, as separatists seek independence for the countrys minority Anglophone regions.

Although Human Rights Watch has not been able to independently verify each case since January 2020, it says it has interviewed, by telephone, 20 victims and witnesses of human rights abuses by armed separatists and government forces between mid-May and early June 2020, as well as 15 family members of victims, residents of the Anglophone regions, doctors, and members of civil society.

Human Rights Watch also reviewed photographs and video footage, which corroborated witnesses accounts as violence has also displaced tens of thousands of people in the past two months, adding to the hundreds of thousands who have fled their homes since the conflict began in late 2016.

The international human rights NGO reports in Mondays dispatch that security forces and armed separatists have both attacked hospitals and medical staff on multiple occasions.

Human Rights Watch regrets that state forces and non-state armed groups have been fighting to outsmart each other in committing atrocities. It recalls that on July 6, separatists killed a Doctors Without Borders community health worker working for in the South-West region, after accusing him of collaborating with the military while Security forces damaged a health facility in the North-West region on June 30 and arbitrarily arrested seven health workers in the South-West region on July 6.

Mondays dispatch says Cameroonian armed forces have attacked a health facility in the North-West region and arbitrarily arrested seven health workers in the South-West, while armed separatists have killed at least six civilians, including a humanitarian worker and a teacher, since May 2020.

The violence took place despite peace talks between the government and jailed leaders of the Ambazonia Interim Government (IG), a separatist group, on June 16. Other separatist groups, such as the Ambazonia Governing Council and a splinter faction of the IG did not participate, said HRW.

The talks between the government and separatist leaders should include ensuring respect for human rights and accountability for abuses, said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. All parties to the talks should publicly commit to immediately end abuses against civilians and ensure that victims of abuses have access to effective remedies.

Human Rights Watch has previously called for individual sanctions on members of the military and separatist groups responsible for grave abuses in the Anglophone regions.

On June 10, at 2 p.m., following clashes between separatists and soldiers, including some from the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), a grenade was fired into the courtyard of the district hospital in Bali, North-West region, leading to the death of one cardiac patient, injuring at least four others, and destroying four vehicles. Human Rights Watch said it spoke to two medical staff and three Bali residents and reviewed a letter sent by the hospital director to the health minister, the Bali military commander and the separatists commander describing the attack.

Mondays report reads further: The Bali military commander paid 50,000 XAF (US$86) to the hospital for damages. This is not the first time that this particular hospital has been targeted in fighting between separatist fighters and Cameroon armed forces. In 2018, separatists looted hospital supplies. In July 2019, a grenade, allegedly fired by the military, injured a patient and destroyed the roof. In January 2020, soldiers forcibly entered the hospital looking for wounded separatists causing panic among patients.

Separatists killed at least six civilians since mid-May, including a 58-year-old teacher working at the University of Bameda in the North-West region on May 17.

A family member of the teacher told Human Rights Watch that separatists had repeatedly threatened him to make him stop teaching, considering him a traitor for not complying with their demands to boycott schools. The teacher told the separatists that he needed to work to make a living, so they instead demanded money, which he could not pay.

A witness to the killing said that he saw two separatist fighters approach the teacher as he was leaving his home and shot him three times. I was standing nearby, the witness said, The Amba [armed separatists] came on a motorbike and said to him, You are stubborn. Your end has come. Then, they shot him once in the head and twice in the chest. He fell on the ground in a pool of blood.

Since 2017, armed separatist groups have waged a violent campaign against education, enforcing a boycott of schools in the two Anglophone regions to protest against what they consider educational injustices against English-speakers. They have regularly targeted school buildings, burning and damaging scores of schools. They have killed, kidnapped, and maimed students and education officials for not complying with their demands to keep schools shut. They have used schools as bases, deploying fighters and weapons in and near them and torturing hostages in classrooms.

Separatists have disrupted normal life in the areas they control by enforcing prolonged lockdowns, calling strikes, and building roadblocks that are affecting the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that separatists roadblocks are hindering the transport of medical supplies to the Banso Baptist Hospital in Kumbo, a key facility for tens of thousands of people in one of the areas most affected by violence in the North-West region.

In July, Human Rights Watch contacted representatives of three separatist groups, the IG, led by Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe, its splinter faction, led by Samuel Ikome Sako, and the Ambazonia Governing Council. All denied that their fighters had committed any of these abuses.

Cameroons international partners and the UN Security Council should help civilians in the Anglophone regions who are facing violence on a daily basis, and demand government forces and separatists stop attacks on civilian targets, Mudge said. They should impose targeted sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, on separatist leaders responsible for abuses and consider the same for government forces involved in abuses.
One of the most talked-about weapons in humanity's fight against Covid-19 is herd immunity. And this weapon has become all the more crucial in India where multiple rounds of lockdown have failed to flatten the curve and we do not know when the pandemic will run its course. But what exactly is herd immunity, how does it work and when will India get there? Let's find out...







What is herd immunity?

Herd immunity is the indirect protection from a contagious infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection. (Here, herd means a large group of people). This means that even people who are not vaccinated, or in whom the vaccine does not trigger immunity, are also protected because people around them are immune and can act as buffers between them and an infected person. Once herd immunity is established, the ability of a disease to spread is hindered. For example, if 80% of a population is immune to a virus, four out of every five people who encounter someone having the disease won't get sick (and won't spread the disease any further).

What are the challenges in creating herd immunity?

The more infectious a disease is the greater is the population immunity needed to ensure herd immunity. For example, measles is highly contagious and one person with measles can infect up to 18 other people. This means that around 95% of the people need to be immune in order for the wider group to have herd immunity.

The novel coronavirus has a lower infection rate than measles, with each infected person passing it on to two or three new people, on average. This means that herd immunity should be achieved when around 60% of the population becomes immune to Covid-19.

Should we allow the virus to spread unchecked if we want to achieve herd immunity?

No. Natural herd immunity  achieved through infection rather than vaccination  can be challenging to induce through unchecked infection as there would be a high rate of serious illness and death, with health systems overwhelmed well beyond their surge capacity, even in high-income countries. This is why herd immunity is generally pursued through vaccination programmes.

Even when vaccines are available, it is not always possible to achieve herd immunity for a very long time. Some viruses, such as seasonal flu, mutate frequently (=develop new physical characteristics because of a permanent change in their genes), evading the human body's immune response. So immunity doesn't always last forever, which is why the flu shot is necessary every single year.

Is India anywhere close to achieving herd immunity?

Nationally no, but a few experts such as epidemiologist Jayaprakash Muliyil, a former principal of Christian Medical College, Vellore, believe that signs of herd immunity are being noticed in places like Delhi that reported 23% positive rate in an antibody-based serosurvey. (Serosurvey is a screening test of the serum of persons at risk to determine susceptibility to a particular disease). This means 23% of Delhi's population was exposed to the virus and got cured in the natural process.

Since the last date of the survey was July 10 and the antibody takes about two weeks to develop, the infection probably happened towards the end of June. Once the exposure level reaches 50%, the disease will stop showing its epidemic character and it will become a sporadic one. Doctors can then look after patients without any anxiety and there won't be any need for quarantine. Similar signs were noticed in Dharavi, Mumbai. Signs of herd immunity have also been noticed in the densely populated walled city area of Ahmedabad, according to Dileep Mavalankar, the director of Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar.

"This epidemic is going to end on its own when we reach herd immunity," Muliyal said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 13:45:44|Editor: huaxia

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U.S. ambassador to Iceland Jeffrey Ross Gunter's re-tweet on July 21 on his official ambassadorial Twitter account. (Xinhua)

"Many in Iceland believe it was undiplomatic for the ambassador to also use the term 'China virus' in his re-tweet, thereby prompting some to call on him to remove the Icelandic flag," the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RUV) said.

HELSINKI, July 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. ambassador to Iceland Jeffrey Ross Gunter has provoked anger and criticism in Iceland after he retweeted a post from U.S. President Donald Trump calling COVID-19 "the Invisible China Virus."

"We are United to defeat the Invisible China Virus," wrote Gunter last week on his official ambassadorial Twitter account, followed by the flag emojis of the United States and Iceland displayed side by side.

Gunter's retweet came after Trump tweeted on July 20, using "the Invisible China Virus" to refer to COVID-19.

The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RUV) said the ambassador's tweet has stirred up "a backlash from some Icelanders."

"Many in Iceland believe it was undiplomatic for the ambassador to also use the term 'China virus' in his re-tweet, thereby prompting some to call on him to remove the Icelandic flag," the RUV has said.

Iceland Review, the longest-running magazine in Iceland, said in an article on Friday that the tweet "drew the ire of American nationals and Icelanders."

The magazine reported that Elizabeth Lay, an American living in Iceland, has started a petition denouncing the phrase of "the Invisible China Virus," as it is "deeply offensive and hurtful." Up to now, the petition has drawn more than 370 signatures.

A marble lion is seen with a face mask in front of the New York Public Library on the Fifth Avenue in New York, the United States, July 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Jessica Bowe, a dual citizen of the United States and Iceland who has signed the petition, called the ambassador an embarrassment in her tweet, saying she is against the "racist and anti-scientist sentiments as an American."

Meanwhile, an article in Reykjavik Grapevine, an English magazine in Iceland, aired the strong opposition of Smari McCarthy, member of parliament from the Pirate Party, to the tweet, who described Gunter's rhetoric as "nonsense" and "spreading nationalistic rhetoric doesn't help anybody."

"Viruses do not have nationalities. Nor are they invisible, merely microscopic. We're all in this pandemic together," McCarthy was quoted by Reykjavik Grapevine as saying.

Petur Maack, head of psychosocial services at the Health Care Institute of North Iceland, said that Iceland and the United States are "not united at all" in the attitudes toward the virus, and that the U.S. government "has managed to get it wrong every step of the way" in containing the COVID-19 outbreak.

The United States is the country hardest hit by COVID-19 in the world, reporting more than 4.2 million cases with over 146,000 deaths as of Sunday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. 
The Enforcement Directorate has registered a money laundering case against fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari in a Rs 6,744-crore deal by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), officials said on Monday.

The ED case is based on a CBI First Information Report (FIR) registered earlier this month naming Bhandari, Samsung Engineering Co Ltd, UK-based company FosterWheeler Energy Ltd and unknown officials of the ONGC.

It was alleged by CBI that Rs 22 crore ($5 million approx) bribe was paid to Sanjay Bhandaris company Santech International FZC out of which 1.9 million pounds (around Rs 18 cr) was used to purchase a property - 12 Ellerton House, Brynston Square (London).

The CBI FIR claimed that the deal for this property was stipulated to be completed on or before end of August 2009, just after Rs 22 crore ($5 million approx.) were transferred on June 13, 2009 in the Dubai account of Bhandaris company Santech International FZC by Samsung Engineering Co Ltd (SECL).

The ED has repeatedly claimed in the courts that this property belongs to Robert Vadra, a charge denied by him.

Vadra is not named as an accused in the latest CBI or ED cases.

The ED has powers to attach properties of accused persons under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Germany will make coronavirus tests mandatory for travellers returning from high-risk areas, as fears rise that summer travel could spark a new surge in infections.

Among the countries included in the measures, announced today by Health Minister Jens Spahn, is the USA, which has so far reported 4.33million confirmed cases and 149,000 deaths from the virus.

Popular German holiday destination Turkey is also on the list, but Spain, France and Britain are not considered high-risk.

'We must prevent returning travellers from infecting others unnoticed and thus triggering new chains of infection. I will therefore order compulsory testing for travellers from risk areas,' Spahn wrote on Twitter.

A passenger is tested by a doctor at a coronavirus screening station in Duesseldorf Airport's medical centre today, as Germany considers whether to make airport tests compulsory

Passengers wait to be tested at a coronavirus screening station in Duesseldorf today after the state of North Rhine-Westphalia ordered screening to take place at three airports

Earlier today, it was reported that Germany is carrying out coronavirus checks at airports and is considering making them compulsory to fend off a second wave of Covid-19.

Munich, Dortmund and Duesseldorf are among the airports which are screening travellers when they return from overseas, and Angela Merkel's health minister is today discussing plans to enforce them nationwide.

Britain has never imposed such checks and the Government's test and trace chief yesterday played down suggestions that UK tourists could be tested on their way home from Spain.

Germany has seen what its own health officials call a 'very concerning' increase in cases in recent days, after being widely praised for its handling of the crisis so far.

In Britain, the Government is facing calls to test people returning from Spain to prevent them having to quarantine for 14 days.

Spain was abruptly dropped from the UK's 'travel corridor' list on Saturday, throwing the resumption of summer holidays into turmoil.

Airport tests in Britain are under review, but Number 10's test and trace supremo Baroness Dido Harding said on Sunday that testing people arriving from Spain would not save them from having to quarantine.

Speaking to Times Radio, she said: 'Unfortunately, although we'd love it to be true that if you have a test today, we can be confident in saying you are not infectious and about to come down with disease, that's not the way the virus works.

'A test today is only as good as saying you haven't got the disease today.

'The incubation period can be quite a long time, which is why if you've been in a very high-risk environment - and right now the judgment of our scientists and clinicians is that Spain is a high-risk environment - we need you to isolate for 14 days because you might test negative today and test positive tomorrow or the next day, right up to the end of that 14-day period.'

German health minister Jens Spahn and his regional counterparts agreed on Friday that returning tourists would be offered free voluntary tests.

Merkel's chief of staff Helge Braun said health ministers would today discuss making the checks compulsory.

'I think that we'll find a solution relatively quickly,' Braun said, adding that it was necessary to act now to bring infection numbers down because it would be harder to control the spread of the disease in autumn and winter.

'Mostly it is the considerate people who have behaved very cautiously on vacation anyway who take up the voluntary offers, while those who are more careless don't take a voluntary test,' Braun told RBB Inforadio.

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia has imposed at three airports including Duesseldorf and Dortmund for travellers arriving from high-risk areas.

These include popular holiday destinations such as Turkey and the United States, although Spain, France and Britain are not seen as high-risk.

Health workers wearing protective suits collect samples at a testing station in Germany today after a local outbreak on the premises of a cucumber farm

Germany has seen a slight increase in cases, registering its highest weekly total since May, although numbers are still below 1,000 a day

Germany's death toll has not increased for two days and the country's overall fatality rate is much lower than in Britain, Spain, France or Italy

Munich airport has also set up a testing centre, and checks will now be offered at Bavaria's two biggest railway stations in Munich and Nuremberg.

'We cannot completely prevent corona, so the goal must be to detect it in time to stop it from spreading,' Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder said.

'My worry is not that there will be one big Ischgl, but that there will be many mini-Ischgls,' he added, referring to the Austrian ski resort that was an early European hot spot in March.

'We are already seeing this in Spain, but also in other places,' he said, adding that German residents' trips to visit families abroad are also a concern.

Soeder also joined a growing chorus of calls for tests to become compulsory for holidaymakers returning to Germany.

'We are preparing everything so that if the federal government gives the go-ahead, we can implement it immediately,' he said.

Amid the deliberations over summer travel, some 500 workers were sent into quarantine on a large Bavarian farm in order to contain a mass coronavirus outbreak.

At least 174 seasonal workers have tested positive for the virus in the municipality of Mamming, most of them from Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

Soeder said Monday that Bavaria would test all seasonal farm workers in the state and increase fines for farms that breach regulations to 25,000 euros (23,000).

Passengers wait for their check-in at the airport in Duesseldorf in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia which has accounted for many of Germany's recent new cases

Germany last week saw 3,695 new coronavirus cases, up from 2,770 the week before and the highest weekly figure since May.

In addition, the closely-watched R rate has been above the critical threshold of 1.0 for much of the last two weeks. The latest figure is 1.22.

The Robert Koch diseases institute (RKI) says that the recent increase is 'very concerning' and is occurring in a number of states.

'Nationwide, there are many smaller incidents in different administrative districts, which are connected in different ways, e.g. larger celebrations in the family settings, leisure activities, jobs, but also in community and health facilities,' the RKI says.

'In addition, Covid-19 cases are increasingly being identified among people returning from travels outside of Germany.'

Michael Kretschmer, the premier of the eastern state of Saxony, warned that the second wave was already underway.

Kretschmer - a member of Angela Merkel's CDU party - told the Rheinische Post newspaper: 'The second wave of coronavirus is already here.

'It is already taking place every day. We have new clusters of infections every day which could become very high numbers.'

Germany has seen 205,609 cases and 9,118 deaths in total, a considerably lower death toll than in Britain, Italy, Spain or France.

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The amount should be determined during consultations.

Iran's delegation will be visiting Ukraine on July 29-30 to negotiate compensation over the downing by a missile of a Ukrainian passenger liner operated by Ukraine International Airlines outside the Tehran airport in January 2020.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba delivered the news, speaking to reporters in Warsaw at a joint press conference with Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowic.

"We have invited the Iranian delegation to Kyiv. We appreciate that they accepted the invitation. They will be there on July 29-30, arriving on the day after tomorrow," Kuleba said, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

At the same time, the minister noted he could not announce the final amount of compensations to be paid by Iran.

Read alsoPS752: Black box transcript confirms illegal interference with jet downed in Iran  media

"That's not because I'm not ready, it's because the amount will be the result of consultations," said Kuleba.

Earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Yenin has said the Ukrainian side is considering three scenarios in case Iran refuses to cooperate in the PS752 downing probe.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Iranian forces admitted to downing the Ukrainian passenger jet on January 8 after mistaking it for a missile at a time of high tensions with the United States.

All 176 people aboard flight PS752 were killed.

It became known on July 18 that Iran had handed the black boxes of the downed plane over to France.

The process was conducted with an Iranian investigator present and observed by Canadian, U.S., Swedish and British experts and representatives from the airline, Boeing Co, and engine maker Safran SA.
Social media giants Twitter and Facebook suspended the accounts of several allies of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro following an order from the South American nation's Supreme Court.

The decision comes as the high court is probing whether the allies led a disinformation campaign.

Tension has been soaring between the far-right leader and the court, which is investigating allegations that members of his inner circle ran a social media campaign to discredit the court, as well as slander and threaten its judges.

The two United States-based companies are also facing increasing pressure to act more aggressively against hate speech and false information on their platforms.

Facebook and Twitter suspended the accounts of 16 allies of Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro following a Supreme Court order Friday

Former lawmaker Roberto Jefferson (right), a conservative ally of Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, had his Twitter account suspended Friday. He asked his followers to follow his daughter's account on Twitter for the time being

Justice Alexandre de Moraes said in his court order, which enforced an earlier May ruling, that the accounts must be blocked to stop 'the ongoing dissemination of fake news, slanderous accusations, threats and crimes' against the court.

Twitter and Facebook blocked accounts belonging to high-profile figures, including conservative former lawmaker Roberto Jefferson, business magnate Luciano Hang and far-right activist Sara Winter.

Visitors to their Facebook and Twitter pages in Brazil, though not other countries, saw messages indicating they were blocked.

'This content isn't available right now,' read their Facebook pages.

A Twitter notice explained: 'Account withheld in Brazil in response to a legal demand'.

Sara Winter (pictured at a May 9, 2020 rally), the leader of the extreme right group '300 do Brasil' and supporter of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, compared the Supreme Court to a 'dictatorship' after Twitter followed the court's order and temporarily suspended her account

A linked message said the company 'was compelled to withhold the original Tweet in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order.'

Moments after the ruling, Jefferson tweeted that the Supreme Court 'accuses, interrogates, judges and condemns, especially those who speak freely.'

On Saturday morning, he asked his more than 216,000 followers to follow his daughter's Twitter account which he would use to spread his message 'while the censorship imposed by the Supreme Court lasts... We won't let them shut us up!

Winter called the court order worthy of a 'dictatorship.'

'Until when will we be censored in this way? No reason, no proof of anything, just for being conservative supporting the president @jairbolsonaro. They are NEVER going to shut us up! ARE YOU HEARING [us]? NEVER!'

On July 8, Facebook suspended accounts tied to President Bolsonaro's employees and two of his sons, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.

Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, said the accounts were removed for using fake personas and other types of 'coordinated inauthentic behavior,' actions that violated the social media network's rules.

While there was no evidence the politicians themselves had operated the accounts, Gleicher told Reuters that they were able to find that government workers used Facebook to 'engaged on our platforms in this type of behavior.'
Wes Moore, CEO of Robin Hood, served as Keynote Speaker during Year Up Baltimore's Virtual Graduation These young people are ready to lead, and theyre ready to not only succeed and thrive in their careers, but to bring others along with them as they shape the world to come, said Moore.

The nonprofit workforce development program Year Up Baltimore held a virtual graduation ceremony on Friday, July 17th. During the ceremony, Wes Moore, CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation  a top poverty-fighting nonprofit  addressed the graduates and congratulated them on their success.

These young adults have worked extremely hard over the past year to overcome tremendous challenges, said Wes Moore, CEO of Robin Hood. Im thrilled to celebrate everything theyve accomplished, and Im looking forward to seeing what theyll accomplish in the future. These young people are ready to lead, and theyre ready to not only succeed and thrive in their careers, but to bring others along with them as they shape the world to come.

Year Up Baltimore has served more than 1,100 students since it launched in 2010, providing them with a semester of in-demand technical and professional skills training followed by a semester-long, credit-bearing internship at a top local company. Interested young adults between the ages of 18 and 26 with a high school degree or GED can schedule an online information session here to begin the application process for the next class.

For ten years, Year Up Baltimore has connected young people in need of an opportunity with meaningful employment in IT, business and finance, said Duane Reid, Site Director of Year Up Baltimore. As they launch their professional careers, our graduates will continue to redefine where talent comes from and what it looks like, helping to ensure a more vibrant and equitable economy.

In 2018, the federally-sponsored Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) evaluation of Year Up showed a 53% increase in initial earnings for young adults randomly assigned to Year Up compared with similar young adults in a control groupthe largest impact on earnings reported to date for a workforce program tested in a randomized controlled trial. Nationwide, 90% of Year Up graduates are employed or attending college within four months of completing Year Up, with average starting salaries of $42,000/year.

About Year Up

Year Up is an award-winning, national 501(c)3 organization that enables motivated young adults to move from minimum wage to meaningful careers in just one year by providing the skills, experience, and support they need to reach their full potential. Through a one-year, intensive program, Year Up utilizes a high-expectations, high-support model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, coursework eligible for college credit, and corporate internships at more than 250 top companies. Its holistic approach focuses on students' professional and personal development to enable young adults with a viable path to economic self-sufficiency and meaningful careers. Year Up has served more than 30,000 young adults since its founding in 2000, and expects to serve 5,000 young adults this year. Year Up has presence in 27 U.S. cities, including Arizona, Baltimore, Bay Area, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Greater Atlanta, Greater Boston, Greater Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, the National Capital Region, New York City/Jersey City, Pittsburgh, Puget Sound, Rhode Island, South Florida, Tampa Bay, and Wilmington. Year Up has been voted one of the Best Non-Profits to Work For by The NonProfit Times. To learn more, visit http://www.yearup.org, and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.


U.S., Russian and French mediators have urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to gear up for serious substantive negotiations on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after recent deadly clashes on their border.

In a weekend statement, the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group also welcomed the current relative stability along a section of the border where heavy fighting broke out on July 12 and left at least 17 soldiers from both sides dead.

The hostilities largely stopped on July 16. The conflicting parties have since reported sporadic ceasefire violations mainly involving small arms.

An Armenian army soldier, Ashot Mikaelian, was shot dead at the volatile border section early on Monday in what the Defense Ministry in Yerevan described as Azerbaijani sniper fire.

The Co-Chairs appeal to the sides to take advantage of the current reduction in active hostilities to prepare for serious substantive negotiations to find a comprehensive solution to the conflict, read the statement. The Co-Chairs stress once more that refraining from provocative statements and actions, including threats or perceived threats to civilians or to critical infrastructure, is essential during this delicate period.

The Co-Chairs note that recent public statements criticizing the joint efforts of the co-chairing countries, and/or seeking unilaterally to establish new conditions or changes to the settlement process format are not conducive to resuming a constructive dialogue, it said.

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev lambasted the mediators and threatened to withdraw from further peace talks just days before the flare-up on the border between Armenias northern Tavush province and Azerbaijans Tovuz district. Aliyev specifically blasted their regular assertions that the Karabakh conflict cannot be solved militarily.

For his part, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said last Thursday that Karabakh must become a full-fledged party to negotiations mediated by the Minsk Group co-chairs. The remark led Azerbaijan to claim that Armenia is seeking to change the format of peace talks. Baku has long refused to directly negotiate with the disputed territorys ethnic Armenian leadership.

In their latest statement, the mediators -- Andrew Schofer, Igor Popov and Stephane Visconti -- expressed readiness to meet soon with Aliyev and Pashinian or their designees. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, they have not visited the conflict zone or met Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders elsewhere, organizing instead two video conferences with the foreign ministers of the two warring nations.

The American, Russian and French envoys also emphasized that they continue to stand for a Karabakh settlement the key elements of which they had laid out in a March 2019 statement.

In that statement they said that any fair and lasting settlement must involve return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh providing guarantees for security and self-governance; a corridor linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh; future determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will.
Kjell Henning Bjornestad, a Norwegian Elvis Presley impersonator, set a world record on Saturday by singing the legendary entertainer's songs for more than 50 hours straight

A Norwegian Elvis Presley impersonator set a world record on Saturday by singing the legendary entertainer's songs for more than 50 hours straight in an online competition.

Kjell Henning Bjornestad, whose stage name is Kjell Elvis, sang non-stop for 50 hours, 50 minutes and 50 seconds, smashing the previous record, recognised by the Guinness Book of Records, by more than seven hours.

The title of the previous Elvis champion, a German by the name of Thomas "Curtis" Gaethje, had remained intact for more than 16 years.

"I'll never do this again", Bjornestad, dressed in an Elvis costume, told Norwegian television after completing his performance early Saturday in an Oslo bar.

His manager said Kjell Elvis, who sang through two days and two nights, had been told to go easy on the coffee, and to rely instead on smoothies, fruit and energy snacks to keep his voice in shape while staying the course.

He did, however, sound increasingly hoarse during the final hours.

Bjornestad, who is 52, had set two Elvis singing records before. The last time, in 2003, it took 26 hours of nonstop performing to come out on top.

This time, he called on fans to make donations during the event which are to be used in part to finance a hospital in Myanmar.

Elvis Presley, who died in 1977 and was known as "The King", was among the 20th century's cultural icons.

He had dozens of number one hits and sold more than 146 million albums, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, and won more gold albums than anybody else.
New Delhi: The Mumbai Police on Monday will question filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. The basis of interrogation will be primarily over his close associate Suhrita Das' Facebook post on June 14, the day Sushant died by suicide in Mumbai. Suhrita had shared a message for Sushant's actress girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty saying she has seen her "struggle when the actor was suffering from depression".

In her post, which she deleted later, Suhrita had also mentioned that Rhea used to call Mahesh Bhatt often for counseling and also used to visit him.

Screenshot of the now-deleted post has gone viral on social media and it reads:

"Dear Rhea,

When the world will be pouring grief for Sushant Singh Rajput and expressing shock and condolence I stand by you firm and strong. Having been a silent spectator to your impossible attempts at trying to keep him together and going... it is my moral duty as a mother and a citizen of this country to tell once and for all that clinical depression is a catastrophe that medical science has no solution or answer to. Every time you came running to the office to seek counsel from Bhatt Saab or spoke to him on the phone I've seen your journey, your struggle.

Can't forget the evening in Sushant's terrace when it almost felt like everything was normal in the world while deep within he was slipping away. Sir saw that that's why he shared the very words his Master UG told him warning him about Parveen Babi, 'walk away or this will take you down under along with.' You gave your everything and more, you did more much more than your bit woman.

Love you my Jalebi. Stay strong."

After Sushant's death, Rhea was among the first ones to be interrogated by the Mumbai Police. Later, she wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah requesting a CBI probe into Sushant's suicide case.

As of now, 37 people have been interrogated by the cops. Mahesh Bhatt was summoned on Sunday and he has been called to record his statement in the afternoon. Filmmaker Karan Johar's close associate Apoorva Mehta, the CEO of Dharma Productions, has also been summoned by Mumbai Police.
Authorities in the eastern province of Shandong have suspended a mass rural resettlement program after it was criticized by the ruling Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, the People's Daily, in the face of growing public anger.



While government land grabs in rural areas have sparked mass unrest and, rarely, organized resistance across China for decades, the Shandong program of "village mergers" was far more ambitious in scope, and had been packaged as a bid to improve the lives of farming communities in a total revamp of rural areas.



But local residents told RFA that the program had left them homeless and with no income, compensation or social security assistance.



Xiao Li, a resident of Xinxing township in Shandong's Lanling county, said his family had fled their home to escape ruthless harassment by the authorities after they tried to say no to the resettlement plan.



Their idyllic courtyard extended family home that had been renovated in 2009 was demolished in their absence.



Shandong provincial party secretary Liu Jiayi announced at end of June that the controversial resettlement program would be suspended.



"The projects that are controversial among people and the ones that have not been launched yet should be suspended and checked again," Liu said in comments quoted by the Global Times, which has close ties to the People's Daily.



Liu added that the program had been "rashly" implemented, it said.



No compensation, no accommodation, no subsidies

Village mergers and rural development programs in other parts of China haven't usually involved people being forced out of their homes, the paper said.



But families whose homes have already been lost say they have seen no compensation, no resettlement accommodation and no government subsidies to help them get by.



"I haven't received anything," Xiao Li told RFA. "I am living at a friend's place right now. I'm homeless."



"They have destroyed everything, and I am pretty much a beggar now. I rely on my friend to feed me," he said.



Six other Xinling residents told RFA that, as of , they had yet to receive compensation linked to the scheme's suspension, and that they had already exhausted all of the possible options when it came to government relief.



Xiao Li said the local village committee had totally failed to stand up for the interests of local residents.



"Not only did they not stand up for our interests; they actually provided detailed information [to enforcers] about possible weaknesses that could be exploited in the case of families who didn't want to sign the agreements," Xiao Li said.



"We didn't organize, because we didn't dare to organize."



According to a commentary in the People's Daily, the original rural development plan was a good one, but its harsh implementation had sparked public anger, partly because people didn't have a meaningful choice.



"You have to agree to it, or it will affect your children's college entrance examinations and civil service exams," the article said, adding that holdouts had been bumped to the top of the demolition gangs' lists.



Property rights

Kristen Looney, assistant professor of Asian studies at Georgetown University in the United States, said Chinese rural residents have no access to rural organizations that protected the rights of their counterparts in Taiwan and South Korea.



Property rights are also lacking in China.



Guo Yuhua, sociology professor at Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University, said China's farmers don't actually own their land, but lease it on contract from a nebulous entity known as the "collective," a throwback to the Mao era of commune-style rural living.



"In Chinese law, urban land is owned by the state. But who is the state? Rural land is owned by the collective, but who is the collective?" Guo says, in a reference to the Chinese Communist Party's control of both entities.



"The land isn't yours. Property rights are not guaranteed in China at all, and property rights underlie human rights," she said.



California State University professor Song Yongyi, an expert on Chinese rural land reforms, put it more bluntly, saying that the Communist Party is effectively the biggest landlord in China."



"If the issue of property rights isn't resolved, conflicts like this will continue," Song said. "Petitions and complaints may occasionally resolve individual issues. But the main issue won't be resolved."



At the 18th Party Congress in 2013, an attempt was made to reform property rights to allow for greater protection for landowners, homeowners and businesses.



But it was overturned personally by Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping.



Private ownership taboo

According to Wen Guanzhong, economics professor at Trinity College in the U.S., said nobody has dared to raise the issue since.



"Anyone who tries to discuss private ownership of land in public now is setting themselves against the general secretary," Wen said.



"You would basically be risking your life, because the general secretary has more power than the whole party combined. Nobody is going to do that."



According to Guo, current policy debates can now only "go around in circles" on issues such as demolition methods, persuasion work, and local finance initiatives.



The fundamental power structure remains the same, however.



"The central government must control everything, and this rule must be maintained behind closed doors. There are no checks or balances on power," Guo said.



Fellow Xinling resident Xiao Lan has posted a number of posts to social media platform WeChat since her home was demolished in March 2020.



She has called online for an investigation into official corruption surrounding the resettlement program, but there is scant coverage in the state-controlled media following a directive from the powerful central propaganda department ordering them to lay off the story.



The phrase "village mergers," which was originally used to describe the scheme, has been removed from China's tightly censored internet, and only positive reports about the "beautification" of rural areas are now allowed. The ban also extends to social media posts.



"Who actually cares about me?" one of Xiao Lan's posts read. "Nobody in my contacts list, none of my followers: nobody, basically," she wrote.



Reported by Jane Tang for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
He will have plenty of women to choose from when he makes his debut as an intruder on Bachelor in Paradise in the coming weeks.

But Jackson Garlick is said to have found love with a member of the production team instead, according to a bombshell new report.

'[A female producer] had her eyes on a lot of the boys but she ended up hooking up with Jackson,' an insider claimed to Woman's Day on Monday.

Bombshell claims: Bachelor in Paradise was reportedly rocked by scandal during filming last year when contestant Jackson Garlick (pictured) 'found love with a female producer'

The couple's romance was reportedly so serious that they 'left the island together' and continued dating after filming had finished.

Channel 10 has never stated that there is a rule prohibiting producers from having relationships with contestants on The Bachelor franchise.

In fact, a flirtation between a producer and a contestant was used as a storyline on Matt Agnew's season of The Bachelor last year.

Not good enough? Jackson will have plenty of women to choose from when he makes his debut as an intruder on Bachelor in Paradise in the coming weeks. Pictured: Keira Maguire

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that the producer acted in an unprofessional manner by having a relationship with Jackson after the show.

Unfortunately, it seems the 'fling' may not have lasted, as a Tinder account seemingly belonging to Jackson surfaced in April - just months after he arrived home from Fiji.

At the time, he told Daily Mail Australia that the Tinder profile didn't belong to him.

Still looking for love? Unfortunately, it seems the 'fling' with the producer may not have lasted, as a Tinder account seemingly belonging to Jackson surfaced in April - just months after he arrived home from Fiji

'I've been sent screenshots of this profile on Tinder [before],' he said. 'Unfortunately for me, it's a catfish.'

However, the Tinder bio did appear to match important details of Jackson's life.

The profile stated: 'Playing rugby league, studying psychology and making a few pies here and there.'

Excuses, excuses! Jackson told Daily Mail Australia at the time that the Tinder profile didn't belong to him and was a 'catfish' account. Pictured on September 6, 2013 at ANZ Stadium

Jackson is captain of the Glebe Dirty Reds rugby team, studies at UNSW and works for his family business, Garlo's Pies.

The account didn't mention his reality TV fame, but it did include a link to his verified Instagram page, which has 34,600 followers.

Jackson first appeared on Angie Kent's season of The Bachelorette, but failed to receive a rose after hometown week.

He had previously applied to be on Georgia Love's season of The Bachelorette when he was just 22.
STORY LINK Near 2 Year Best for EUR to USD Exchange Rate amid Broad Dollar Weakness

EUR Exchange Rates Continue to Find Support as Eurozone Data Impresses

Germans IFO Business Climate report resulted above expected, printing at 90.5 in July, although the assessment of the current situation was slightly worse than anticipated. Expectations, however, jumped to 97.0 from 91.4.

USD Exchange Rates Remain Weak despite Data as Currency Loses Safe Haven Shine

The latest surveys suggest that durable goods orders rose further in July. But with the recovery in production largely a response to the rebound in consumption, by far the most important factor is how much the latter slows in response to the ongoing wave of new infections. While we doubt the economy is on the verge of a renewed contraction, we do expect the pace of recovery in the second half of the year to be far slower and bumpier.

EUR/USD Exchange Rate Forecast: Federal Reserve Decision Could Cause Deeper USD Weakness

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Investors continue to buy the Euro to US Dollar (EUR/USD) exchange rate since markets opened today. After last weeks impressive gains, could the pair be in for yet further advances? Market anxiety over the US Dollar continues to deepen amid concerns for the US coronavirus, political and economic outlooks. Meanwhile, the Euro continues to benefit from weakness in rival currencies and a stronger Eurozone outlook.EUR/USD has been advancing every week since mid-June, and last weeks gains were particularly strong as the US Dollar finally gave up on safe haven support.After opening last week at the level of 1.1426, EUR/USD gained over an impressive two cents, ending the week near its highest levels in the region of 1.1656.Since markets opened this morning though, EUR/USD has only seen further gains. The pair has already gained around another cent, and at the time of writing is trending near a high of 1.1756.This has been the best level for EUR/USD in almost two years, since September 2018. A lack of reasons to favour the US Dollar to the Euro could keep EUR/USD high as well.Investors continue to find the Euro one of the markets most appealing major currencies.The Eurozone outlook has only continued to improve in the past week. Last week saw EU officials agree to a recovery fund plan. This will help the EU to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic, and it was agreed much earlier than investors expected.While the plan does not go as far as some analysts hoped, it was overall positive for the Euro and helped the shared currency to keep seeing strong support.The Eurozones outlook continues to find support in data as well. German confidence data published at the beginning of the week beat forecasts, keeping markets optimistic that the Eurozone economy could continue to weather the coronavirus pandemic even if a second wave worsens.According to Valeria Bednarik, Chief Analyst at FXStreet:The US Dollar remains weak against the Euro today. In fact, much of the Euro to US Dollar exchange rates gains are due to US Dollar weakness.The US Dollar is becoming less and less appealing due to a wide variety of factors. Perhaps most notably, the currency has been struggling to benefit from market safe haven demand due to concerns about the US outlook.Coronavirus pandemic cases are surging in the US, and data has been too mixed to bolster hopes for resilient performance. It is leading to fears that the pandemic will continue to have a big negative impact on the US Dollar going forward.According to Michael Pearce, Senior US Economist at Capital Economics:With the data not strong enough to boost the US Dollar, investors are also anxious ahead of this weeks anticipated Federal Reserve policy decision.Investors may remain hesitant to buy the US Dollar in the coming sessions, as they anticipate key upcoming data and Wednesdays Federal Reserve policy decision.Tomorrow will see the publication of some US data, including consumer confidence data from CB and Richmond Feds latest manufacturing index data.However, Wednesdays session will be even more influential with Eurozone data and Fed news expected.French consumer confidence data will be followed by US wholesale inventories and home sales stats.Of course the biggest event will be the Federal Reserve decision. Speculation is rising that the Fed could take a more dovish stance on US monetary policy due to the worsening US coronavirus situation.If the Fed does signal that more dovishness could be ahead, this could lead to even further US Dollar weakness. This could make it easier for the Euro to US Dollar exchange rate to hold its ground or climb even higher.

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Vinayak M Mallil was in seventh heaven when he received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday for being the school topper in the Commerce stream of the CBSE 12th standard exam.

Sabash Vinayak, Sabash. How is the josh? the Prime Minister asked Vinayak, whose father is a daily wage earner.

High Sir, replied the Class XII student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyala, Neriamangalam, about 70 km from here.

The conversation was aired on Sunday during the 14th Episode of Prime Ministers Mann Ki Baat radio address.

Vinayak, who stays a village bordering Ernakulam and Idukki districts, said it was a moment of excitement for him after he learnt that it was the call from the Prime Minister.

Vinayaks secret to success is hardwork and proper time management.



He is also a very lucky person because he is not on social media yet. :) #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/hseiHiULQy  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 26, 2020

It was the happiest moment, the boy said.

During the conversation, the Prime Minister asked him how many states he had visited, to which he replied only Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

When Modi invited Vinayak to visit Delhi, he replied he that was applying to Delhi university for higher studies.

Read More: PM Modi interacts with students who cleared board exams on Mann Ki Baat

Hard work and proper time utilisation, Vinayak said when the Prime Minister asked him if he has any message for fellow students who will write the board exams in future.

You are lucky, the Prime Minister told the boy when he said that his school did not allow students to use electronic devices or gadgets in its premises.

Vinayak also told the Prime Minister in response to a question that he often plays badminton, for which he receives training from his school.

The boy was the topper in the Commerce stream with 493/500 and scored centum in Accountancy, Business Studies and Information Practices.

Vinayak said his teachers, friends and many well known personalities, including actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi called him up to congratulate him after the Prime Ministers Mann Ki Baat programme.
Celebrate Eid adhering to all health ministry guidelines on COVID-19: Jamiat to Muslims

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Jul 27: Prominent Muslim body Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on Monday urged members of the community to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha adhering to all Union Health Ministry guidelines on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jamiat president Maulana Arshad Madani said that in view of the rising cases of coronavirus, it is advised that Muslims perform Eid-ul-Azha prayers in mosques or at home following all social distancing norms and guidelines issued by the health ministry from time to time.

Bakri Eid: Amid outbreak, sacrificial goats get expensive

Unlock 3: Centre mulling over opening cinema halls and gyms with some curbs | Oneindia News

It is better to perform animal sacrifice, an important part of the festival, after offering sermon and prayers in a short period of time, immediately after 20 minutes of sunrise, Madani said. He said that it must also be ensured that all waste be buried or disposed of in a manner that it does not create any problem for other people.

"If, however, there is no way to fulfil this (sacrifice) religious obligation, then a sacrifice should be offered at a nearby place where there is no difficulty," Madani said.

"But, at a place where the sacrifice has been offered regularly, and there is a problem right now, at least one goat must be sacrificed there after registration with the local administration," he said. Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated on August 1. Animal sacrifices are performed as a ritual to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail, as an act of obedience to god.
The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) says Government has no intention of reviewing the mandatory retirement age for public sector workers.

A statement issued in Accra by the Ministry and Copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said reports that Government had reduced the retirement age from 60 to 50 years was untrue.

The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations wishes to inform the general public that the said publication is untrue and malicious, it stated.

It thus entreated the public to disregard the false publication.

The mandatory retirement for public sector employees is 60 years.

---GNA
If there's anything criminals love cutting more than the glass encasing a massive diamond, it's corners. They'll always let the honest schmoes do the heavy lifting while they lift their wallets. So why go through the hassle of kidnapping people, dragging them to your lair, and bandaging the stumps where their thumbs used to be when you can just get your victims to do all the work for you?

Recently, Australian police reported a new crime wave happening down under: virtual kidnappings. Posing as Chinese officials, con artists will cold call hundreds of international Chinese students and inform they're in great legal trouble and will face deportation if they don't immediately pay their steep fines. Those few who bite are given instructions on how to fake their own kidnapping and force their families back home to wire them hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Philippines' Duterte defends COVID-19 strategy as cases surge Philippine President Duterte delivers annual State of the Nation address in Quezon City

By Neil Jerome Morales and Karen Lema

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte defended his tough approach to fighting the coronavirus on Monday amid a surge in cases, touting its effectiveness in an annual address that critics said revealed little about plans to resuscitate a battered economy.

While Duterte urged Congress to approve a 140 billion pesos ($2.85 billion) stimulus package, he devoted much of his speech to attacking opponents, reviving the death penalty and defending a bloody war on drugs.

Duterte said imposing one of the world's strictest lockdowns may have hurt the economy but it had prevented 1.3 million to 3.5 million infections, and countries that had opened up too soon like the United States were suffering.

"To me, even if the numbers were much lower, it would still be and would have been worth the sacrifice we made," he said.

He stood by his decision not to let schools reopen until a vaccine was available, which he initially thought could be by September.

As countries race to secure vaccines, Duterte said he last week asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for help should Beijing make a breakthrough with a COVID-19 vaccine.

"I made a plea to President Xi if they have the vaccine can they allow us to be one of the first ... so that we can normalise as fast as possible," he said.

Though the Philippines waited 11 weeks before starting to ease restrictions on June 1, cases have since quadrupled with 82,040 infections and deaths more than doubling to 1,945.

Duterte acknowledged "difficulties" with testing capacity.

Though he repeatedly stressed in a speech lasting more than 100 minutes the importance of saving lives, Duterte also called for the death penalty to be re-imposed and promised no let-up in a war on drugs that has killed thousands of people.

"I will really kill you, that is a commitment," he said, warning drug dealers.

Opposition lawmakers and investors were hoping Duterte would reveal plans on how to restore millions of jobs and mitigate economic damages from the pandemic, but said he barely touched on pressing issues.

Story continues

"The anticipated roadmap meandered into the roadside of trite generalities and an invocation that the people should trust its government," Congressman Edcel Lagman said, adding Duterte's planned stimulus was "stingy".

Duterte also defended his policy of not pressing China to abide by Philippines' 2016 international arbitration award on the South China Sea, saying it risked a backlash.

"We cannot go to war," he added.

(Writing by Martin Petty and Karen Lema, editing by Ed Osmond)
When President Donald Trump denies the existence of the global climate crisis  despite global scientific and political consensus that the time to pursue solutions of this existential crisis is long overdue  its time to question not only his politics, but also his basic intelligence.

The same was true when Trump advised us to drink Lysol to combat COVID-19. Yes, a tall glass of Lysol might kill the virus, but it also has problematic side effects, such as death. One day such things are greeted as Received Truth. The next, we are expected to forget them to make room for the next glob of noxious toxic waste dragged up from the swamp of alt-facts.

This is the same president who, early during the worst pandemic in a century, advised us to close our eyes and let it vanish. His Received Truth was the same when the United States has one death, as when it had 135,000.

Away from the halls of alt-facts, employment in wind and solar power has passed that of the coal industry, and the use of renewables (sun, wind, and geothermal energy) recently passed that of coal for production of electricity in the United States. Using a dirty, carcinogenic fuel to produce power has lost any appeal it may have had. Its now an expensive fuel, not only as defined in dollars, but also in health. Coal companies are ditching coal plants. The market has gotten up and left coal behind. These are not ragged-haired hippies; they are capitalists in suits and ties. When Trump blares support for wonderful, clean coal, he is worse than oxymoronic. Its a matter of basic intelligence.

I might be able to tolerate denial that rising levels of carbon dioxide dont warm the atmosphere and Lysol can clean both your bathtub and your lungs if these were the only two examples of lapses in basic intelligence in the Oval Office these days. These are only matters of geophysical facts and medical science. Who needs them? However, what about patriotic war-time history?

Trumps ignorance of high-school history has reached amazing  even shocking  proportions. Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig, in their 2020 book A Very Stable Genius recount that the president, while visiting Pearl Harbor, according to John F. Kelley, his former chief of staff, Trump seemed to have no idea of what had actually happened there. Throughout [A Very Stable Genius], he is misinformed and confused, while at the same time utterly certain of himself.

One more example of Trumps limited, vain notions of himself came at the Pentagon when, again according to Rucker and Leonnig, during which military leaders and Trumps national security team, alarmed by gaping holes in the presidents knowledge of history tried to give him a gentle lesson on American power. The meeting ended after Trump exploded, saying, among other things, Youre all losers, you dont know how to win anymore, and Youre a bunch of dopes and babies, he told a roomful of generals and admirals, all of whom had spent decades serving their country, many of whom, in so doing, had put their lives on the line, were being called losers and babies by a man who had been deferred from service in Vietnam five times for fallacious bone spurs.

Consider these breaches of reality. Now, I know that Trump is world-famous for fabricating almost everything he breathes on, but these are special, especially the ones attributed to sons Eric Trump and Donald Jr., which indicate that lack of basic intelligence isnt just a matter of old age (full disclosure: I am 70 and getting older every day). Stretching his bona fides as a rather clumsy political operative, Eric asserted (in May of 2020) that the Democrats had invented the coronavirus to deflate daddys poll numbers, a nasty piece of chicanery that daddy himself usually reserves for the Chinese. Eric called it the Democrats cognizant strategy, whatever that means.

Some of Erics defenders said he was simply arguing that the Democrats were trying to harvest political points from the pandemic, which requires considerably fewer kilowatts than inventing a virus that is capable of killing at least a quarter million people (and counting). Watch out for those cunning Democrats, said Little Donald. Theyll milk the coronavirus for all its worth until the day after the election, and then it will go poof! The Trumps still think they can make the pandemic disappear. Talk about fake news!

Not to be one-upped by his little brother, Donald Jr. soon was calling on reporters and his 2.8 million Instagram followers with a scoop. He claimed, with no evidence (Daddy does this roughly every 15 minutes) that Joe Biden has been molesting children: See ya later, alligator, Little Don told his Instagram followers, next to a photo of Biden, After while, pedophile! said another alligator nearby. Maybe thats what Daddy meant by clearing the swamp  character-assassinating reptiles. Make that foamy Lysol topping a double, Donald, on a slab of pecan pie.

Bruce E. Johansen, the author of Climate Change: An Encyclopedia of Science, Society, and Solutions and numerous other books, is the Frederick W. Kayser University Research Professor emeritus in Communication and Native American Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
America faces multiple jolting crises right now  a pandemic, a recession, racial strife  so of course the White House is asking the crucial question: Are federal appointees sufficiently loyal to President Donald Trump? Politico reports the administration is conducting hundreds of one-on-one interviews with health officials and others throughout government to gauge their personal dedication to the president. These loyalty tests, as some call them, perfectly encapsulate this presidents priorities: not the nations well-being but his own.

The interviews are being arranged at the departments of Defense, Treasury, Health and Human Services and other agencies, focused on Senate-approved officials. The White House says its just gauging who wants to stay for a potential second term, but the nature of the interviews indicates otherwise.

The interview process is headed by 30-year-old John McEntee, a Trump loyalist from the 2016 campaign who previously had the position of body man to the president  a combination of personal assistant and gopher  before he was forced out by then-Chief of Staff John Kelly. McEntee was the subject of concern over security clearance issues and a financial-crimes investigation by the Department of Homeland Security. So, not surprisingly, Trump made him director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office.

Trumps penchant for picking people based on personal loyalty to him, rather than qualification for the job, has been demonstrated repeatedly, and here we see it again: At a time when there should be an all-hands-on-deck focus on preserving Americas health and economy, the White House is instead focused on preserving Trumps political prospects and his fragile ego.

The interviews, according to Politico, cover issues like the employees views of Americas relationship with China  a fundamental policy question that seems irrelevant to ask anyone below Cabinet level. The interviews have also asked people to give examples of ways they are supporting the administration, which is entirely irrelevant.

It just seems like you could be a rocket scientist, but all they care about is whether you are MAGA, one person briefed on the meetings told Politico.

This administration has, despite itself, actually had access to people of great expertise in their fields. Gen. James Mattis, the former defense secretary whod served presidents of both parties, brought a deep knowledge of global affairs to the job. He resigned after Trump announced he was abandoning Syria to (who else?) Russia. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Americas top epidemiologist, has soberly advised six presidents. Trumps minions recently launched a smear campaign against Fauci because he wouldnt fall in line with the presidents strategy of pretending the pandemic is over.

There is, in fact, a real question of loyalty out there right now, but not the one Trump is pursuing: Do this president and his sycophants have any loyalty whatsoever to the concept of elevating expertise where America needs it most?
Frankfurt am Main (ots) - - EUR 15 million for at least four auxiliary hospitals- Treatment of over 7,000 corona sufferers possible- Prepared for the peak of the pandemic- Sustained relief for Iraqi hospitalsOn behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), KfW Development Bank has signed in Iraq a financing agreement for a grant of EUR 15 million for the construction of at least four equipped auxiliary hospitals in Bagdad, Basra, Sulaymaniyah and Nineveh with 100 beds each. They will be able to treat over 7,000 CoViD-19 patients. In view of the anticipated surge of cases in Iraq and the peak of infections expected between November 2020 and February 2021, this will provide sufficient beds to enable patients to be isolated and thus contain the further spread of the disease. In addition, this will ease the burden on normal patient care in Iraq in the long term when the CoViD-19 pandemic is over."After years of military conflict and the displacement of the population, Iraq is in dire need of being rebuilt. Added to this are economic losses due to the plunging oil price. Due to the government's currently very restricted ability to act both politically and financially, it is imperative that the population be protected from the effects of the SARS-CoViD-19 pandemic and to be prepared for its peak," says Prof. Joachim Nagel, Member of the Executive Board of KfW Group.Through the isolated treatment and accommodation of CoViD-19 patients in special facilities, other non-corona patients in normal hospitals where sufficient isolation is not possible, can be protected from infection.Information about KfW Development Bank can be found at:www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de (https://www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de/International-financing/KfW-Entwicklungsbank/)Pressekontakt:KfW, Palmengartenstr. 5 - 9, 60325 FrankfurtKommunikation (KOM), Charis PothigTel. +49 (0)69 7431 4683, Fax: +49 (0)69 7431 3266,E-Mail: charis.poethig@kfw.de, Internet: www.kfw.deOriginal-Content von: KfW, ubermittelt durch news aktuellOriginalmeldung: https://www.presseportal.de/pm/41193/4662522
Hunky Harry Robertson is looking to find love on Channel Seven's reboot of Farmer Wants A Wife.

But according to Woman's Day, the 29-year-old 'was absolutely ready to walk' out on the show and wanted to quit.

An anonymous source told the publication that he was frustrated with 'meddling producers' and the 'diva-like women'.

Farmer wants a break! Farmer Wants a Wife farmer Harry Robertson 'was absolutely ready to walk' away from the show because of 'meddling producers' and 'diva-like women'. Harry pictured with host Natalie Gruzlewski

The source said: 'Harry was faced with a steam of drama and meddling producers. It's not all about romance - they're obviously there to make a show.

The insider also claimed he wanted out because the pressure of the show and its process was really building on him.

'To be honest, I don't think he realised how hard breaking hearts and dealing with feelings would be... he was absolutely ready to walk!' the source claimed.

'He was absolutely ready to walk!' In the article, published on Monday, an anonymous source claimed that he was frustrated with 'meddling producers' and the 'diva-like women'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Seven for comment.

Harry revealed to the magazine that he was pressured to apply for the dating show.

'My best mate's missus actually signed me up - it was all her idea,' he said.

Harry hails from the town of small town of Goolgowi in western New South Wales, where he farms grapes, cotton and sheep.

'It's just very lonely out here': Harry hails from the town of small town of Goolgowi in western New South Wales, where he farms grapes, cotton and sheep

On Sunday night's premiere, he said: 'It's just very lonely out here and there's not many girls out here. You're sort of stuck, like, who do you turn to?'

When asked about his 'ideal girl' he said, 'she's just got to be down to earth and have a go at anything. Bit like a John Deere tractor, not as expensive.'

Farmer Wants A Wife continues on Monday at 7:30pm on Channel Seven
HOUSTON - (July 27, 2020) - Income is inextricably linked to access to education in America and it has been for a century, according to a new study from researchers at Stanford University and Rice University.

"A century of educational inequality in the United States," published July 27 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examines the link between education and income dating back to the early the 20th century. The research draws upon a dozen nationally representative datasets on college enrollment and completion between 1908 and 1995 as well as tax data from more recent years. It is one of the first studies to examine this link over such an extended period of time.

Researchers Michelle Jackson from Stanford and Brian Holzman from Rice's Houston Education Research Consortium, part of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and School of Social Sciences, found that income and educational inequality moved in lockstep with one another throughout the 20th century. The authors said previous studies of this topic, which haven't examined data going so far back in time, did not reveal such a strong link.

Their paper detailed how inequality in college enrollment and completion rose in the 1930s and 1940s amid rising income inequality; was low for Americans born in the late 1950s and 1960s, when income inequality was low; and rose again for Americans born in the late 1980s, when income inequality peaked. This U-turn indicates the nation is experiencing levels of collegiate inequality not seen for generations, the authors wrote.

"Long story short, the findings reveal that longstanding worries about income inequality and its relationship to college opportunity are warranted," Holzman said.

One notable exception was during the Vietnam War. For young people at risk of serving in the war, collegiate inequality was high while income inequality was low. During this period, inequality in college enrollment and completion was significantly higher among men than women, suggesting a bona fide "Vietnam War effect," according to the paper.

The researchers hope the paper will further demonstrate the systemic nature of the link between income and education and inform future work on increasing educational opportunities, particularly for disadvantaged people.

###

The paper is online at https://www.pnas.org and was funded by the Russell Sage Foundation.

This news release can be found online at news.rice.edu.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

If you do not wish to receive news releases from Rice University, reply to this email and write "unsubscribe" in the subject line. Office of News and Media Relations - MS 300, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005


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Washington (AFP) - Former US ambassador Bill Richardson has failed to bring back jailed Americans from Venezuela after meeting President Nicolas Maduro, whom Washington is seeking to topple.

The Democratic political figure said he met Thursday with Maduro -- whom, unlike President Donald Trump's administration, he referred to as president -- and earlier spoke to him by telephone.

"I am glad we were able to meet with President Maduro to discuss the potential release of the American prisoners and other COVID-19 humanitarian issues," said Richardson, a former US ambassador to the United Nations and governor of New Mexico.

"We regret that we were not able to secure the release of the Americans," he said in a statement.

Richardson said he was seeking to free two US military veterans, Airan Berry and Luke Denman, who were detained amid a shady, failed sea attack on Venezuela in May.

Officials said that a private US security company backed by Venezuelan dissidents carried out the mission in a purported bid to snatch leaders.

Richardson was also seeking to free six former executives of the oil company Citgo -- five of them dual US-Venezuela nationals and the other a US resident -- who were first arrested in November 2017.

Roger Carstens, the US envoy for hostage affairs, said last month that all six men were "in mortal danger," with several displaying symptoms in line with COVID-19.

Richardson has repeatedly undertaken missions with US adversaries such as Iran and North Korea to free Americans. A fluent Spanish speaker, he said he also met twice in Venezuela with Vice President Jorge Rodriguez.

Richardson's non-governmental efforts have drawn criticism from some hawkish Americans, although Richardson in his statement said had a "partnership" with officials in the Trump administration.

Trump has sought unsuccessfully since January 2019 to overthrow Maduro, a leftist who presides over a crumbling economy and whose re-election was widely seen as marred by irregularities.
NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of American Electric Power Company Inc. ("American Electric" or the "Company") (NYSE: AEP). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether American Electric and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On July 21, 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrested Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder in connection with an alleged illegal scheme involving bribery in return for Householder's championing of Ohio's House Bill 6 ("HB6"), a state-funded bailout of two nuclear power plants. On July 25, 2020, the Columbus Dispatch reported that AEP, a beneficiary of HB6, made significant financial contributions to politicians and organizations that supported HB6's passage. On this news, AEP's stock price fell sharply during intraday trading on July 27, 2020.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

http://www.pomerantzlaw.com


Alphabet Inc's Google will keep its employees home until at least next July due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai made the decision himself last week after debate among an internal group of top executives that he chairs, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In an email to employees, Pichai wrote: 'To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that don't need to be in the office.'

Google had earlier said it would begin reopening more offices globally as early as June this year, but most Google employees would likely work from home until the end of this year.

Tech giant Google will have its 200,000 employees working from home until at least the summer of 2021. The company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, is seen in the above image from June 2016

In an email to employees, Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote: 'To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that don't need to be in the office.'

Earlier this year, several tech giants announced that they would allow most or all of its employees to continue working from home at least through the end of 2020.

In May, Jack Dorsey, the CEO of both Twitter and Square, told employees at both firms that they can continue working from home permanently if they chose to do so.

But some jobs that require the physical presence of employees at the office will still require those workers to show up.

'We've been very thoughtful in how we've approached this from the time we were one of the first companies to move to a work-from-home model,' a Twitter spokesperson said at the time.

'We'll continue to be, and we'll continue to put the safety of our people and communities first.'

Twitter was among the first companies to announce that it would allow its employees to work remotely permanently as the coronavirus outbreak forces companies to make unprecedented changes in offices across the globe

CEO Jack Dorsey emailed employees of both Twitter and Square in May saying when offices do finally open their doors, workers can choose to come in or continue working from afar

Twitter and other tech firms like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple began to encourage employees to work from home beginning in March, when the coronavirus began to spread significantly in the United States.

Shortly after Twitter's announcement, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also gave his employees the option of working from home - but with a catch.

Zuckerberg said that his company would reduce the salaries of Facebook employees who moved out of the San Francisco Bay Area and relocated to other areas where the cost of living is significantly lower.

The company, one of Silicon Valley's biggest employers, is giving US staffers who are approved to work remotely until January 1, 2021 to update the company on where they plan to base themselves, at which point their salaries will be adjusted to reflect the local cost of living.

'That means if you live in a location where the cost of living is dramatically lower, or the cost of labor is lower, then salaries do tend to be somewhat lower in those places,' Zuckerberg said in May.

'We'll adjust salary to your location at that point. There'll be severe ramifications for people who are not honest about this,' he added.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees that while they will be able to work remotely for the remainder of 2020

As of 2018, the median staff salary at the giant tech company was more than $240,000 annually.

Zuckerberg has taken a base salary of just $1 for the last three years, but received $22million in compensation by way of security in 2018. Nearly $3million went towards private jets.

Menlo Park, the California city where Facebook is headquartered, has a median home price of $2.4million.

Zuckerberg said he expects half of Facebook's workforce of 48,000 employees to take him up on the offer over the next five to 10 years.

Employees who attempt to wiggle around those compensation adjustments will be subject to 'severe ramifications,' he said, as the company needs to account for employee locations to avoid violating tax laws.

Similarly, Spotify followed Twitter and Facebook's lead to allow staffers to work from home until the end of the year.

Amazon initially told its corporate employees who can work from home that they will be allowed to continue to do so until at least October 2.

Last week, the Seattle-based online retailer adjusted its policy to allow most of its office-based employees to continue working from home until at least January 8, 2021.

'We continue to prioritize the health of our employees and follow local government guidance,' Amazon said in a statement.

Amazon has allowed corporate employees to work from home until at least January of 2021

'Employees who work in a role that can effectively be done from home are welcome to do so until January 8th.

'We have invested significant funds and resources to keep those who choose to come to the office safe through physical distancing, deep cleaning, temperature checks, and by providing face coverings and hand sanitizer.'

The work-from-home option does not apply to the company's large warehouse-based workforce, which includes many hourly and contract workers.

Last month, a lawsuit was filed against Amazon, which was accused of fostering the spread of the coronavirus by mandating unsafe working conditions, causing at least one employee to contract COVID-19, bring it home, and see her cousin die.

The complaint was filed on Wednesday in the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, by three employees of the JFK8 fulfillment center in Staten Island, and by family members.

One employee, Barbara Chandler, said she tested positive for COVID-19 in March and later saw several household members become sick, including a cousin who died on April 7.

The lawsuit said Amazon has made JFK8, which employs about 5,000, a 'place of danger' by impeding efforts to stop the coronavirus spreading, boosting productivity at the expense of safety.

It said Amazon forces employees to work at 'dizzying speeds, even if doing so prevents them from socially distancing, washing their hands, and sanitizing their work spaces.'

Amazon did not comment on the lawsuit, but said it has always followed guidance from health authorities and its workplace safety experts since the coronavirus pandemic began.

At least seven Amazon warehouse employees are thought to have died from COVID-19, according to The Verge.

The outlier among tech giants was Apple, which asked employees to start returning to the office last month.

The employees were asked to return its new Silicon Valley campus, which cost billions of dollars to build, because of hardware-development processes required them to work from the office, according to Bloomberg.

But Apple also told its workers that it does not expect a full return to offices until at least next year.

The company is also encouraging employees at its hundreds of retail shops nationwide to prepare for working remotely as the pandemic is likely to force stores to close.

A survey taken earlier this year found that 66 per cent of employees at tech hubs like Facebook, Twitter and Uber would move away from major cities if working from home becomes permanent.

This past spring, Google told employees who can work from home that they will continue to do so until at least January 1.

Both Google and Facebook plan to limit office capacity to less than 30 per cent in the months after they reopen their offices.
Typecast: Olivia de Havilland as Melanie Wilkes in Gone With The Wind

Olivia de Havilland, the two-time Oscar winner who played Melanie Wilkes in 'Gone With the Wind', died at her Paris home yesterday at the age of 104.

The actress, sister of fellow Oscar-winner Joan Fontaine, died peacefully of natural causes, her publicist Lisa Goldberg said.

De Havilland was among the last of the top screen performers from the era when the studios dominated Hollywood.

She was also the last surviving lead from 'Gone With the Wind', an irony, she once noted, as the fragile, self-sacrificing Melanie was the only major character to die in the 1939 epic.

During a career that spanned six decades, de Havilland took on roles ranging from an unwed mother to a psychiatric inmate in 'The Snake Pit'.

She was Errol Flynn's co-star in a series of dramas, Westerns and period pieces, most memorably as Maid Marian in 'The Adventures of Robin Hood'.

But she was an actress too beautiful for her own good, often typecast in sweet and romantic roles while desiring greater challenges.

Her frustration finally led her to sue Warner Bros in 1943 when the studio claimed she owed them a six-month extension on her contract because she had been suspended for refusing roles.

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Her friend Bette Davis was among those who had failed to get out of her contract under similar conditions in the 1930s, but de Havilland prevailed, with the California Court of Appeals ruling no studio could extend an agreement without the actor's consent. The decision is known as the 'De Havilland law'.

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De Havilland won her first Oscar in 1946 for 'To Each His Own', a melodrama about out-of-wedlock birth.

A second came three years later for 'The Heiress'.

She was also famous as the sister of Fontaine, who died in 2013 and with whom she had a troubled relationship.

"On my part, it was always loving, sometimes estranged and, in the later years, severed," she said, referring to her sister as "Dragon Lady".

De Havilland was born in Tokyo on July 1, 1916, the daughter of a British lawyer.

Her parents separated when she was three, and her mother brought her and younger sister Joan to California, where de Havilland began acting in high school.

The actress's two marriages, to Marcus Goodrich and Pierre Galante, ended in divorce.

She denied ever having had a romance with her frequent co-star Flynn, despite his notoriety as a womaniser. But she did date Howard Hughes and James Stewart and had an intense affair in the early 1940s with director John Huston.

In middle age, her career slowed but she made several movies for television, including 'Roots' and 'Charles and Diana', in which she portrayed the British Queen Mother.

She also co-starred with Davis in the macabre camp classic 'Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'.

Catherine Zeta-Jones played de Havilland in the 2017 FX miniseries about Davis and Joan Crawford, but de Havilland objected to being portrayed as a gossip and sued. The case was dismissed.
Protests took a violent turn in several US cities over the weekend with demonstrators squaring off against federal agents in Portland, Seattle and Oakland.

The unrest stemmed from the weeks of protests over racial injustice and the police treatment of people of colour that flared up after the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

In Portland, thousands of people gathered on Saturday evening for another night of protests over George Floyds killing and the presence of federal agents recently sent to the city by President Donald Trump.

Protesters breached a fence surrounding the citys federal courthouse building where the agents have been stationed.

Police declared the situation to be a riot and at around 1.20am began ordering people to leave the area surrounding the courthouse or risk arrest, saying on Twitter that the violence had created a grave risk to the public.

A demonstrator lays down in front of federal officers during a Black Lives Matter protest in Portland, Oregon (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

About 20 minutes later, federal officers and local police could be seen attempting to clear the area and deploying tear gas, however protesters remained  forming lines across intersections and holding makeshift shields as police patrolled and closed blocks abutting the area.

Multiple arrests were made, but it was not immediately clear how many.

In Seattle, police officers retreated into a precinct station early on Sunday, hours after large demonstrations in the citys Capitol Hill neighbourhood.

Some demonstrators lingered after officers filed into the departments East Precinct at around 1am, but most cleared out a short time later, according to video posted online.

Rocks, bottles, fireworks and mortars were fired at police during the weekend unrest, and police said they arrested at least 45 people for assaults on officers, obstruction and failure to disperse.

Federal officers launch tear gas at a group of demonstrators (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

Twenty-one officers were hurt, with most of their injuries considered minor, police said.

Meanwhile protesters in Oakland, California set fire to a courthouse, damaged a police station, broke windows, spray-painted graffiti, shot fireworks and pointed lasers at officers after a peaceful demonstration on Saturday evening turned to unrest, police said.

Story continues

A protest against police violence in Austin, Texas, turned deadly when police said 28-year-old protester Garrett Foster was shot and killed by a person who drove through a crowd of marchers.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said a car turned onto the block where protesters stood and honked its horn.

The driver and several witnesses told police that Foster approached the driver and pointed an assault rifle at them.

In video streamed live on Facebook, a car can be heard honking before several shots ring out and protesters start screaming and scattering for cover.

Police could then be seen tending to someone lying in the street.

A protester holds a homemade riot shield (Christian Monterrosa/ AP)

Mr Manley said the driver called 911 to report the incident and was later taken into custody and released.

Police did not immediately identify the driver.

Sheila Foster, Garretts mother, said she was told her son was pushing his fiancee, who uses a wheelchair, through an intersection when the suspect was driving erratically through the crowd.

She said she was told the driver shot her son three times.

In the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado, meanwhile, a protester shot and wounded someone after a car drove through a crowd marching on an interstate highway, police said.

The wounded person was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

Police did not release many details about the shooting, including whether the person who was shot had been in the car.
Amnesty International has paid a visit to the family of late Akua Denteh, aged 90, who was beaten to death at Kafaba in the East Gonja Municipality for allegedly being a witch.

Amnesty International participated in the three day Muslim prayer of Madam Akua Denteh on July 27, at Salaga.

The organisation led by its country director interacted with leaders of the family and were briefed with first hand information on the circumstances which Madam Denteh died.

The Amnesty International country director, Robert Akoto Amoafo condemned the attack and killing of the deceased.

What we have gathered here is something serious not only for her but also woman of the community she comes from and woman in Ghana who are going through violence or any sort of abuse.

According to him, no woman or person should go through such inhuman treatment metered on the deceased.

It is wrong we do not endorse it in any way as an organisation and we believe it's the responsibility of government , the security agencies , ministry of gender to ensure that the family get justice for people to believe that our laws work in this country.

Mr. Amoafo called on the police to ensure that the perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted them to serve us deterrent for the residents in the community to know they cannot take the law into their own hands.

He assured the family that the organisation is committed and willing to follow the incident to its logical conclusion.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) James Oppong-Boanuh has dispatched homicide experts from the National Police Headquarters to the Savannah region to help search for the murderers of madam Akua Denteh.

The suspects are one Sanje, who is said to have hosted one Hajia Filipina, a priestess who declared the deceased a witch.

The other suspects are one Aliu, a teacher, Bumaye, Ashley and Manafo.

---Daily Guide
NSW Health is now urging anyone who visited The Apollo restaurant on Wednesday July 22 to self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19 immediately, regardless of symptoms.

The plea comes after three new cases on Tuesday were linked to the Greek eatery in Potts Point.

Two of the new cases visited the restaurant on Wednesday 22 July, then the Cruising Yacht Club Australia in Rushcutters Bay on subsequent nights.

The Apollo restaurant which has been closed due to a coronavirus outbreak in Potts Point. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The yacht club has closed for deep cleaning. The two cases dined at both the Thai Rock Potts Point restaurant and The Apollo restaurant and NSW Health now believes this links the two outbreaks.

The third new case is a staff member at The Apollo.

The new advice comes in addition to yesterdays announcement that the restaurant had closed for two weeks, and that anyone anyone who visited between Thursday July 23 and Saturday July 25 to self-isolate until 14 days after their visit.

To combat the outbreaks, two new testing clinics are being set up by NSW Health. A pop-up at the main entrance of the Albion Centre in Surry Hills opened on Tuesday, and a clinic at Rushcutters Bay Park will open on Wednesday  neither requires bookings in advance.

"With the growing number of cases in the area, NSW Health is again asking all people who live in or have visited the Potts Point area in the past two weeks to get tested if they have any symptoms of COVID-19 at all, even the mildest of symptoms such as a runny nose or scratchy throat," a statement from NSW Health read.
The flu jab could cut the risk of dementia by almost a fifth, according to a study that suggests vaccinating younger people could be beneficial.

Research presented at the Alzheimer's Association international conference suggests that infections in those with dementia could increase the risk of death almost seven- fold. Meanwhile, a study from the University of Texas suggests that the jab could cut the chance of developing the condition by 17pc.

The study of 9,000 people found the protective link between the flu vaccine and the risk of Alzheimer's was strongest for those who received their first vaccine at a younger age - with those who received their first flu shot at age 60 benefited more than those who had it at 70.

It was presented alongside research by the University of Copenhagen involving 1.5 million people, which suggests that those with dementia have 6.5-fold risk of dying after any infection.

Albert Amran, a researcher from McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Centre at Houston, said: "Our study suggests that regular use of a very accessible and relatively cheap intervention - the flu shot - may significantly reduce risk of Alzheimer's dementia.

"More research is needed to explore the biological mechanism for this effect - why and how it works - which is important as we explore effective preventive therapies for Alzheimer's."

Dr Rosa Sancho, of Alzheimer's Research UK, said the link between the jab and a lower dementia risk was "intriguing". "This study indicates there is a benefit of having one flu vaccination on dementia risk," she said.

"It is difficult to speculate on the reasons behind this link, and understanding why a seasonal flu vaccine is linked to reduced dementia risk is an important avenue for further research.

"This does not mean that Alzheimer's disease is caused by the common flu and there are potential non-biological explanations for this association, such as people who get the flu vaccine being more likely to take other steps to protect their health."

The charity said people with dementia and their loved-ones had been hit hard by Covid-19.

Dr Sancho said: "The pandemic has also highlighted the serious nature of infectious diseases, as well as the importance of vaccination. With dementia affecting nearly one million people in the UK, we must also consider the impact of infections, and preventing them, on dementia risk." ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Researchers at EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, UK, and collaborators have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that uses computer vision to analyse tissue samples from cancer patients. They have shown that the algorithm can distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissues, and can also identify patterns of more than 160 DNA and thousands of RNA changes in tumours. The study, published today in Nature Cancer, highlights the potential of AI for improving cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

Cancer diagnosis and prognosis are largely based on two main approaches. In one, histopathologists examine the appearance of cancer tissue under the microscope. In the other, cancer geneticists, analyse the changes that occur in the genetic code of cancer cells. Both approaches are essential to understand and treat cancer, but they are rarely used together.

"Clinicians use microscopy slides for cancer diagnosis all the time. However, the full potential of these slides hasn't been unlocked yet. As computer vision advances, we can analyse digital images of these slides to understand what happens at a molecular level," says Yu Fu, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Gerstung Group at EMBL-EBI.

Computer vision algorithms are a form of artificial intelligence that can recognise certain features in images. Fu and colleagues repurposed such an algorithm developed by Google - originally used to classify everyday objects such as lemons, sunglasses and radiators - to distinguish various cancer types from healthy tissue. They showed that this algorithm can also be used to predict survival and even patterns of DNA and RNA changes from images of tumour tissue.

Teaching algorithms to detect molecular changes

Previous studies have used similar methods to analyse images from single or a few cancer types with selected molecular alterations. However, Fu and colleagues generalised the approach on an unprecedented scale: they trained the algorithm with more than 17 000 images from 28 cancer types collected for The Cancer Genome Atlas, and studied all known genomic alterations.

"What is quite remarkable is that our algorithm can automatically link the histological appearance of almost any tumour with a very broad set of molecular characteristics, and with patient survival," explains Moritz Gerstung, Group Leader at EMBL-EBI.

Overall, their algorithm was capable of detecting patterns of 167 different mutations and thousands of gene activity changes. These findings show in detail how genetic mutations alter the appearance of tumour cells and tissues.

Another research group has independently validated these results with a similar AI algorithm applied to images from eight cancer types. Their study was published in the same issue of Nature Cancer.

A potential tool for personalised medicine

The integration of molecular and histopathological data provides a clearer picture of a tumour's profile. Detecting the molecular features, cell composition, and survival associated with individual tumours would help clinicians tailor appropriate treatments to their patients' needs.

"From a clinician's point of view, these findings are incredibly exciting. Our work shows how artificial intelligence could be used in clinical practice," explains Luiza Moore, Clinician Scientist and Pathologist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Addenbrooke's Hospital. "While the number of cancer cases is increasing worldwide, the number of pathologists is declining. At the same time, we strive to move away from the 'one size fits all' approach and into personalised medicine. A combination of digital pathology and artificial intelligence can potentially alleviate those pressures and enhance our practice and patient care."

Sequencing technologies have propelled genomics to the forefront of cancer research, yet these technologies remain inaccessible to most clinics around the world. A possible alternative to direct sequencing would be to use AI to emulate a genomic analysis using data that is cheaper to collect, like microscopy slides.

"Getting all that information from standard tumour images in a completely automatic manner is revolutionary," says Alexander Jung, PhD student at EMBL-EBI. "This study shows what might be possible in the coming years, but these algorithms will have to be refined before clinical implementation."

###

European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI)

The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) is a global leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. We help scientists realise the potential of 'big data' by enhancing their ability to exploit complex information to make discoveries that benefit humankind.

We are at the forefront of computational biology research, with work spanning sequence analysis methods, multi-dimensional statistical analysis and data-driven biological discovery, from plant biology to mammalian development and disease.

We are part of EMBL and are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, one of the world's largest concentrations of scientific and technical expertise in genomics.

Website: http://www.ebi.ac.uk

The Wellcome Sanger Institute

The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leading genomics research centre. We undertake large-scale research that forms the foundations of knowledge in biology and medicine. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools and technologies are shared across the globe to advance science. Our ambition is vast - we take on projects that are not possible anywhere else. We use the power of genome sequencing to understand and harness the information in DNA. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom and support to push the boundaries of genomics. Our findings are used to improve health and to understand life on Earth.

Website: http://www.sanger.ac.uk
Morgan County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Sheriffs deputies cited several people at 11:22 p.m. Friday after reports of people yelling and speeding through the parking lot of Midland Farm and Home Supply at 1205 W. Morton Ave.

Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Brent L. Baker, 32, of 342 W. State St., Apt. 4-B, was arrested at 7:25 p.m. Saturday on a burglary charge after being accused of taking possession of about $240 worth of property.

 Heather D. Baker, 44, of 619 S. Kosciusko St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 2:41 a.m. Saturday on a disorderly conduct charge.

 Brent L. Baker, 32, of 342 W. State St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 4:08 a.m. Saturday on charges of battery, disorderly conduct and three charges of criminal damage to property. He is accused of slashing a tire, throwing a metal bed frame from a second-story apartment onto a vehicle, damaging a porch, and shoving the car owner to the ground, according to a police report.

 Dimaggio R. Trotter, 19, of 336 E. Douglas Ave. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 2:17 a.m. Saturday on a charge of resisting or obstructing a peace officer. He was accused of ignoring repeated commands from officers who were investigating a disturbance in the 1000 block of North Fayette Street, according to a police report.

OTHER REPORTS

 Police are investigating a report of someone being stabbed about 12:50 a.m. Saturday in the 300 block of West Court Street. The reported victim suffered two puncture wounds to the arm, but declined medical treatment, according to a police report.

 One person reported being assaulted about 10:22 p.m. Friday during an argument about a race at Jacksonville Speedway at 110 N. Westgate Ave., but the person accused of hitting him left before police arrived.

VANDALISM

 The rear window was shattered on a car parked in the 900 block of West State Street about 8:19 p.m Friday. Damage was estimated at $375.

Compiled by Marco Cartolano and David C.L. Bauer
Agra, July 27 : Twenty-seven more novel coronavirus cases were reported in Agra in the last 24-hour cycle, taking the active cases in the district to 197, health officials said on Monday.

Mathura district reported 35 new cases, Mainpuri 11, Etah nine, Kasganj eight, and Firozabad six cases in the last 24 hours.

Health officials said the death toll in Agra remains 97. Of the total 1,652 cases reported so far in the district, 1,352 have recovered.

The number of containment zones has gone up to 102 compared with 52 in early July.

The facility of rapid antigen tests has been extended to all areas. Of the 4,700 tests done, only 14 were found corona positive on Sunday. As many as 74 health teams surveyed 4,664 households and checked 19,412 persons for their health status.

The district administration has been making efforts to contain the infection, but the number of new cases has not gone down in July. Luckily, the mortality rate has been under check, while the recovery rate continues to remain above 80 per cent.

Doctors at the SN Medical College, led by its Principal Dr Sanjay Kala, who was called from Kanpur, have been doing exceptional work, successfully treating critical patients on ventilators.

"Usually private hospitals refer patients in a serious condition to the college's hospital, which has highly specialised infrastructure and competent practitioners, who do their best to save precious lives," a junior doctor at the emergency ward said.

A private medical practitioner, Dr Harendra Gupta, said health facilities in the city have been streamlined and Covid Warriors are now better placed to handle the situation.

The IMA members too are actively involved in strategising and providing valuable inputs to the district task force. IMA Secretary Dr Sanjay Chaturvedi said: "Tele-medicine consultations and use of social media have helped in a big way." Senior advocate Vivek Sarabhoy, who runs Covid Agra Help Group, said the organisation's volunteers have been providing not only food, ration, and medicines but helping with blood plasma donations whenever required.

Meanwhile, the first Covid-19 patient who received plasma therapy at the SN Medical College has fully recovered and returned home.

The 55-hour weekend lockdown imposed in Agra ended in the early hours on Monday, bringing the hustle and bustle back to the markets.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
When the novel coronavirus hit, virologists were at the forefront of unraveling the mysteries of the virus and guide a scientific fight against it.

However, one was thrust into the spotlight, not because of her work achievement, but because what she does  studying bat coronaviruses  has made her lab a target of conspiracy theories.

Her name is Shi Zhengli, a Chinese virologist at Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), who has been studying viruses over the past 15 years and identified dozens of deadly SARS-like viruses in bat caves.

A conspiracy theory widely promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump is that the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 escaped from her lab. An even more absurd speculation is the virus was engineered in a lab, which has been refuted and condemned by scientists worldwide.

For the first time, Science magazine has spoken to Shi and asked her about the origin of the virus and her research. She emailed them answers to all the queries on July 15, and they are available here in full.

"U.S. President Trump's claim that SARS-CoV-2 was leaked from our institute totally contradicts the facts," Shi said. "It jeopardizes and affects our academic work and personal life. He owes us an apology."

Major facts provided by Shi

Samples from patients who had a pneumonia of unknown causes were sent to her institute for test on December 30, 2019. "Before that, we had never been in contact with or studied this virus, nor did we know of its existence," Shi wrote.

"Subsequently, we rapidly conducted research in parallel with other domestic institutions, and quickly identified the pathogen," she wrote.

When the rumor that the virus was leaked from her lab started to circulate, Shi actually went through her own lab's records from the past few years to check for any mishandling of experimental materials, especially during disposal, she said in a Scientific American profile in March. And none of the bat virus sequences from her lab closely matched SARS-CoV-2, she said.

WIV has identified hundreds of bat viruses over the years, but nothing close to SARS-CoV-2, she said.

Recently, much speculation has centered on RaTG13, a bat virus that most closely resembles SARS-CoV-2. However, differences in the sequences of the two viruses suggest they diverged from a common ancestor somewhere between 20 and 70 years ago. Besides, her lab never cultured RaTG13, making an accident far less likely, she noted.

Their research meets strict biosafety rules, she said, and the lab is subject to periodic inspections "by a third-party institution authorized by the government."

Antibody tests have shown that no members of the institute staff or students were infected with SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-related viruses.

Reviews from international peers on Shi's responses

Shi's answers have also been shared by Science with several leading researchers in other countries.

Daniel Lucey of Georgetown University, an epidemic specialist who blogs about SARS-CoV-2 origin issues, says it's a "big contribution." "There are a lot of new facts that I wasn't aware of. It's very exciting to hear this directly from her."

"They're all logical, genuine, and stick to the science as one would have expected from a world-class scientist and one of the leading experts on coronaviruses," says evolutionary biologist Kristian Andersen of Scripps Research.

Edward Holmes, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Sydney, says the answers are "a clear, comprehensive, and believable account" of what occurred at WIV.

Shi is a researcher who "is extremely driven to produce high-quality work. She will go out in the field, and gets involved in the work, but her real skills are in the lab, and she's one of the best I've worked with in China, probably globally," said Peter Daszak of the EcoHealth Alliance, who has worked with Shi for more than 15 years.

Shi on virus origin

Although unsure about the origin of the novel coronavirus, Shi believes it originated in bats and jumped to humans directly or via an intermediate host.

Many of the first identified COVID-19 cases had links to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan. However, two studies released in late January showed that up to 45 percent of the first confirmed patients didn't have any ties to the market, said Science.

"The Huanan Seafood Market may just be a crowded location where a cluster of early novel coronavirus patients were found," Shi agreed.

She wrote to Science that researchers from WIV and Huazhong Agricultural University didn't find the virus in samples from farmed animals and livestock taken around Wuhan and in other places in Hubei Province.

The expert added that the bat coronavirus, which is similar to SARS-COV-2, has never been found in Hubei, leading her to believe that animal-to-human transmission occurred elsewhere.
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Johnny Depp's 'deep misogyny' was at the root of his anger that manifested as violence towards Amber Heard, the closing stages of his libel trial was told today, as emails and texts were read out in which he used words like 'whore' and 'slut' to refer to his ex-wife and other women.

The Hollywood star stayed away from today's session at the High Court in London, which heard how his self-description as a 'Southern gentlemen who had respect for women' was 'entirely untrue'.

The hard-hitting claims were made as Sasha Wass QC, representing the Sun newspaper, delivered the defence's final submission in the high-profile libel case which has rocked the showbiz world with sensational revelations of Depp's troubled relationship with the Aquaman actress.

Over the past three weeks, the hearing has heard from Depp, Heard and 25 other witnesses who have provided graphic testimony of their stormy relationship and details of Depp's excessive use of alcohol and drug binges.

Depp, 57, is suing News Group Newspapers, publishers of the Sun and executive editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article which referred to him as a 'wife beater'.

It appeared under the headline 'Gone Potty How can JK Rowling be 'genuinely happy' casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?'

Heard did attend court today and was pictured smiling alongside girlfriend Bianca Butti, before waving at awaiting fans outside the Royal Courts of Justice.

Depp is to return to the High Court on Tuesday when his lawyer David Sherborne will deliver his final submission.

As the blockbuster trial nears its conclusion, the High Court heard today:

Ms Wass branded Depp 'a hopeless addict who repeatedly lost his self-control and all ability to restrain his anger';

Depp allegedly tried to strangle Heard with her own shirt on their honeymoon, according to an entry in the actress's diary mentioned by The Sun's lawyer;

Accusations of violence by Heard against Depp during a night in December 2015 is supported by a 'wealth of evidence';

Ms Wass showed the court a picture of the ex-couple to highlight their size differences, claiming it showed Heard 'lacked the physical capabilities to be the successful party in any fight'.

Amber Heard waves as she leaves the High Court in London after attending the closing stages of ex-husband Johnny Depp's libel trial against The Sun newspaper

Heard smiles as she leaves The Royal Courts of Justice which was told today during closing statements how Depp allegedly used words such as 'slut' and 'whore' to refer to his ex-wife and other women

Depp - pictured last week - has attended every day of his libel case against The Sun newspaper after it printed allegations he was a wife-beater

Amber Heard wrote honeymoon diary entry alleging Johnny Depp tried to strangle her with her own shirt, court hears Johnny Depp allegedly tried to strangle Amber Heard with her own shirt during their honeymoon, according to the actress's diary entry mentioned in court today. Sasha Wass QC told London's High Court about the evidence in relation to the couple's honeymoon in July 2015 on a train in south-east Asia. Delivering her final submission on behalf of the Sun newspaper, who are being sued by Depp after a 2018 article referred to him as a 'wife beater', she said Heard described an argument during which Depp assaulted her. She said this contradicted the actor's evidence, which was that he had not been violent towards his wife in any way. The barrister referred to Heard's handwritten diary entry from July 27 2015, in which she said the actress gave a 'graphic description' of Depp trying to strangle her with her own shirt. Ms Wass said that, despite Depp saying he was not violent towards Heard in his evidence, the actor said in a September 2015 audio recording of the couple discussing their relationship that they had a great time 'other than we had a fight on the train which was physical'. She said the conversation was not simply about Heard being responsible for all the violence, but that Depp was also accepting being physical, which she said was 'completely absent from his witness statement or his evidence in this case'. Ms Wass said in another part of the conversation, Depp 'appears to be accepting that he is the culprit the majority of the time' and that he says sometimes 'I just freak out'. The barrister said: 'That is exactly what this case is about, Mr Depp freaking out after he has taken too many illegal drugs and drunk too much alcohol.' Advertisement

Ms Wass said there was 'overwhelming evidence of domestic violence or wife-beating behaviour, cataloged over a three-year period.'

She said Depp was 'a hopeless addict who repeatedly lost his self-control and all ability to restrain his anger.'

'Permeating all of the evidence in this case is the character of Mr. Depp himself - his well-documented evidence of violence and destruction over his adult life which have occurred when he was under the influence of drink and drugs.'

Ms Wass added that Depp 'was subject to irrational mood swings and abnormal behavioral patterns, which would not have been present when Mr. Depp was clean and sober, and Mr. Depp has a name for this metamorphosed entity - namely, The Monster.'

She said: 'The other aspect which is important in terms of substance abuse is Mr Depp's recollection of his own disgraceful conduct, which is so severely impaired by drug misuse that he may not even have been aware of the extent of his violence and terrifying behaviour which, on more than one of these pleaded incidents, put Ms Heard in fear of her life.'

Depp and Heard met on the set of the 2011 comedy 'The Rum Diary' and married in Los Angeles in February 2015. Heard filed for divorce the following year, and the divorce was finalized in 2017.

The former spouses have both been in court during three weeks of testimony at the grand neo-Gothic court building.

Ms Wass reminded Mr Justice Nicol there were 'well-documented episodes of violence and destruction' over Depp's adult life and that the actor had accepted he was violent to inanimate objects but not people.

However, she said there was an incident earlier in his career when he assaulted a photographer with a plank of wood when under the influence of drink and drugs.

She also said his evidence that he was not violent towards people was 'meaningless' when he was as intoxicated as he was on occasions and 'wouldn't have known what he was doing'.

Ms Wass continued: 'In answer to what we suggest is overwhelming evidence of domestic violence or wife-beating behaviour, catalogued over a three-year period between 2013 and 2016, Mr Depp's response is to claim that he is a victim of an elaborate hoax that has been perpetrated against him by Ms Heard and her friends.'

The barrister said Depp had accused Heard and her friends of 'having painted on injuries, manipulated photographs and destroyed property which they then went on to photograph in order to create what he describes as some sort of insurance policy for Ms Heard'.

Ms Wass added: 'What exactly Ms Heard was insuring against in the course of this hoax remains unexplained.'

She told the court that such a hoax 'would have entailed Ms Heard engaging in a pre-planned conspiracy over the period of the entire relationship with Mr Depp', adding: 'Such a suggestion, we say, is risible.'

Ms Wass told the court: 'The approach taken by Mr Depp from the time Ms Heard obtained a domestic violence restraining order against him on May 27 2016 was as follows: to deny that he ever assaulted Ms Heard, to accuse Ms Heard of being the violent party and to reverse his role with hers.'

Amber Heard smiling as arrives at the High Court in London with Bianca Butti this morning

Amber Heard waving to fans (left) as she arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice this morning

Depp's alleged violence against Heard 'supported by a wealth of evidence,' court hears Johnny Depp's alleged violence towards Amber Heard during a night in December 2015 is 'supported by a wealth of evidence,' the High Court heard today. The Sun's lawyer Sasha Wass QC said: 'Mr Depp was intoxicated and violent. He headbutted her, he chased her up the stairs, grabbed hold of her hair and dragged her by the hair into PH (penthouse) four. 'He threw her onto the bed and hurled himself on top of her with such force that the bed frame was damaged.' Ms Wass said Johnny Depp then went to the kitchen in penthouse three and wrote in gold paint: 'Why be a fraud? All is bulls***.' She said that after that incident, Ms Heard messaged her publicist Jodie Gottlieb to say she had had 'an accident' and was 'really bruised and might have a black eye or two'. Ms Wass said: 'If this was an elaborate hoax, why would Ms Heard be protecting Mr Depp at this stage? 'Because she is not telling her publicist she was assaulted by her husband - which is, we suggest, the truth. 'She is pretending it was an accident and, for the avoidance of doubt, there is no room for accident in the injuries Ms Heard suffered, because it was not only the headbutt... but it was the pulling out of her hair in clumps and the damage caused to her scalp.' Ms Wass said Mr Depp admitted in evidence that there may have been a headbutt, but it was accidental. However the barrister said there was 'no way he was dragging Ms Heard by her hair in a way that was anything other than deliberate'. Advertisement

The barrister also referred to 'the story released to the media and published in early June 2016 suggesting that Ms Heard had been arrested for domestic violence in the past, that incident dated back to 2009'.

She added: 'It was no coincidence, we suggest, that this emerged within days of Ms Heard being granted protection of the court by way of a restraining order.

'Shortly before that article was published in the press, Stephen Deuters, Mr Depp's assistant, was receiving information from people by text who had clearly been prying into Ms Heard's relationship with (her ex-partner, Tasya) van Ree.'

Ms Wass said: 'No charges were brought against Ms Heard following her arrest and Ms van Ree herself has denied that any assault took place.'

She added: 'This aspect of the case is a red herring.'

Ms Wass said that 'there was another suggestion, or another attempt to resurrect the suggestion, that Ms Heard was the violent party' last week when Ms Heard's sister Whitney Henriquez was shown a video of herself on a reality show from 2006.

The barrister said Ms Henriquez 'flatly denied that the fatuous exchange that was recorded on that television show was a reference to physical violence' against her by Ms Heard.

Ms Wass added: 'That piece of evidence is nothing more than a red herring - it has no bearing whatsoever on whether Mr Depp hit Ms Heard.'

Mr Justice Nicol intervened to say: 'If it were the case that all that Mr Depp was doing, to the extent that he was violent towards Ms Heard, was defending himself then that would not assist the defendants in proving the truth of the alleged libel that Mr Depp is a wife beater.'

Ms Wass replied: 'I agree, it would have to be unlawful violence, namely not in self-defence.'

Ms Wass continued that 'the way the case has been put forward' by Mr Depp's lawyers 'assumes that if it can be proved ... Ms Heard had struck him on one occasion ... this absolves Mr Depp from any responsibility for the many occasions when he assaulted her'.

She added: 'It is as though Mr Depp is seeking to justify his physical assaults on Ms Heard on the basis that she may have deserved it from something she had done on some other occasion.'

Ms Wass said that the case was not about whether Ms Heard 'fought back or even lost her temper'.

The barrister told Mr Justice Nicol: 'The issue is whether Mr Depp used unlawful violence against Ms Heard and one only has to look at (a) picture of Ms Heard and Mr Depp together.'

Ms Wass showed a picture of the couple to the court, which she said gave 'a clear indication of the respective physical capabilities' of Mr Depp and Ms Heard.

She said: 'One only has to look at that picture to see that Ms Heard lacked the physical capabilities to be the successful party in any fight.'

Stepping out: Amber Heard enjoyed another night out in London on Sunday evening as she celebrated the end of her testimony in ex-husband Johnny Depp's libel case

Johnny Depp v The Sun: Key issues in libel trial at London's High Court These are the key issues the trial judge, Mr Justice Nicol, has to determine. - Whether the April 2018 article by the tabloid's executive editor Dan Wootton was defamatory of Depp. Under the Defamation Act 2013, a statement is not defamatory unless its publication causes 'serious harm to the reputation of the claimant'. - The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), is defending the claim and relying on a defence of truth. It is for the publisher to prove that the allegations made in the article are 'substantially true'. - The meaning of the article, which is defined as what it would mean to the 'reasonable reader', will have to be determined by the judge. But NGN's lawyers say the differences between the rival meanings contended by each side are 'not significant' and the outcome of the case will therefore not turn on meaning. - Depp's case is that the article bore the meaning that he was 'guilty, on overwhelming evidence, of serious domestic violence against his then wife, causing significant injury and leading to her fearing for her life, for which he was constrained to pay no less than 5 million to compensate her, and which resulted in him being subjected to a continuing court restraining order; and for that reason is not fit to work in the film industry'. He strenuously denies the allegations and claims he 'has never hit or committed any acts of physical violence against Ms Heard'. - The meaning which NGN will seek to prove is true is that the Claimant beat his wife Amber Heard, causing her to suffer significant injury and on occasion leading her to fearing for her life. They rely on 14 separate allegations of violence and allege more generally that Depp was 'controlling and verbally and physically abusive' towards Ms Heard, particularly when he was under the influence of alcohol and or drugs, throughout their relationship. NGN's lawyers say an important issue for the judge to decide will be what substances Depp was using during the relationship. They contend that he frequently lost control of himself, partly because of his heavy drug and alcohol use, and also that his memory has been impaired by his heavy use of drugs. - If Depp wins his case, the judge will have to decide what level of compensation he should receive for the harm to his reputation and for the 'distress, hurt and humiliation caused'. There is an upper limit on general damages for libel of 300,000 to 325,000. However, if he succeeds, Depp may also be entitled to aggravated damages. The actor is also asking for a final injunction against NGN, who his legal team say 'have retained the article on their website and maintained their allegation to the bitter end'. Advertisement

Ms Wass then referred to a recording of a conversation between Mr Depp and Ms Heard, in which the latter 'told Mr Depp that no jury would believe that she, a woman weighing 115 pounds, would be able to beat Mr Depp'.

The barrister said: 'The meaning of this sentence has been distorted by the claimant.

'Ms Heard was not saying she could lie to a jury, she was saying that no right-minded person would believe that she, given their respective sizes, was beating him and that he was the defenceless victim.'

Ms Wass added: 'This is only another example of Mr Depp attempting to reverse the role of victim and offender and this is a ploy that he has utilised throughout this case.

'When he, Mr Depp, is accused of violence, he claims that she was the violent party. When he is accused of drinking to excess, he claims she was the drinker.

'When he is accused of being a drug addict, he accuses her of being the heavy drug user.'

Sasha Wass QC told the court: 'The incident in Australia provides a cogent account and a graphic account of how Mr Depp behaved when fortified with a surfeit of drink and drugs and the extent, the extraordinary extent, of the damage and the extraordinary extent of his deranged behaviour, not seeking medical advice for the injury to his finger but going on to deface the property in his own blood and then in paint, naming the person who was the subject of his jealousy, Billy Bob Thornton and his wife.'

Sasha Wass then moved on to 'the staircase incident', also in March 2015, when Johnny Depp is said to have repeatedly hit Amber Heard in the head in Los Angeles.

The barrister said: 'Despite Mr Depp and Ms Heard's joint experience in Australia, neither chose to split and this is a further illustration of the complexity of the relationship.'

Ms Wass said Ms Heard admitted punching Mr Depp 'in an attempt to protect her sister (Whitney Henriquez) and this is the only incident in which Ms Heard accepts causing injury to Mr Depp'.

She added: 'Mr Depp went on to punch Amber Heard with his right hand which was covered in a plaster cast at the time.'

Ms Wass referred to a suggestion by Mr Depp's lawyers that Ms Heard had not mentioned the fact that the actor's hand was in a cast, and said: 'In fact, Amber Heard made a declaration in the American libel proceedings which mentions the cast in relation to this incident... so the suggestion that is a recent fabrication is completely inaccurate.'

Sasha Wass said that, following 'the staircase incident', Johnny Depp 'made efforts to destroy Ms Heard's wardrobe... and there were pictures of the damage, clothes strewn all over the floor' taken after the incident.

She said: 'Mr Depp has offered no explanation for this destruction, but it is an indicator of his mood, of his frame of mind and his aggression.

'The likelihood of Ms Heard destroying her own wardrobe, we suggest, is inconceivable.'

Ms Wass added: 'It is significant, we say, that shortly after Whitney Henriquez witnessed first-hand the violence of Mr Depp against her sister that Mr Depp accused her of leaking photographs of his wedding to media.'

She also said: 'These two sisters, who had always been so close, were then estranged for many months.'

Ms Wass QC continued, following the incident, Depp 'made another attempt to remain clean and sober, or I should say get clean and sober'.

She told the court: 'He had to return to film Pirates Of The Caribbean in Australia and Ms Heard agreed to go with him.'

Ms Wass added: 'It was suggested to Ms Heard that she would never have returned to the house in Australia had it been the scene of such a dreadful assault and, yet again, we suggest this belies what is known about the complexity of domestic violence.

'Assaults on Ms Heard took place at a number of addresses the couple had shared.'

She continued: 'But, most importantly, the Mr Depp who went back to Australia on April 21 2015 was a very different man from the monster who had been present at the early part of April and it appears that Mr Depp had made a real effort to renounce drink and drugs.'

Ms Wass referred to a text from Mr Depp to Jerry Judge around that time in which the actor said the couple were 'perfect - all I had to do was send the monster away and lock him up''

The barrister said: 'This text demonstrates that Mr Depp was perfectly aware that taking drink and drugs led to a lack of control and unleashed a violent monster, the Mr Depp who was the hopeless addict.'

Ms Wass also told London's High Court about the evidence in relation to the couple's honeymoon in July 2015 on a train in south-east Asia.

Delivering her final submission on behalf of the Sun newspaper, who are being sued by Depp after a 2018 article referred to him as a 'wife beater', she said Heard described an argument during which Depp assaulted her.

She said this contradicted the actor's evidence, which was that he had not been violent towards his wife in any way.

The barrister referred to Heard's handwritten diary entry from July 27 2015, in which she said the actress gave a 'graphic description' of Depp trying to strangle her with her own shirt.

Ms Wass said that, despite Depp saying he was not violent towards Heard in his evidence, the actor said in a September 2015 audio recording of the couple discussing their relationship that they had a great time 'other than we had a fight on the train which was physical'.

She said the conversation was not simply about Heard being responsible for all the violence, but that Depp was also accepting being physical, which she said was 'completely absent from his witness statement or his evidence in this case'.

Ms Wass said in another part of the conversation, Depp 'appears to be accepting that he is the culprit the majority of the time' and that he says sometimes 'I just freak out'.

The barrister said: 'That is exactly what this case is about, Mr Depp freaking out after he has taken too many illegal drugs and drunk too much alcohol.'

Lawyers, journalists and members of the public have heard lurid details of the couple's tempestuous relationship, including prodigious drinking and drug consumption, furious arguments, hurled objects and a deposit of excrement left in a bed - whether by dog or human is disputed.

The Sun's defence relies on 14 allegations made by Heard of violence by Depp between 2013 and 2016, in settings including his private island in the Bahamas, a rented house in Australia - where Depp's finger was severed in contested circumstances - and the couple's downtown Los Angeles penthouse, which was trashed during the couple's altercations.

Depp denies all the allegations and claims Heard was the aggressor during their volatile relationship, which he has likened to 'a crime scene waiting to happen.' Several current or former employees gave evidence backing his version of events, and former romantic partners Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder gave witness statements saying he had never been violent to them.

During four days in the witness box last week, Heard stood by her allegations, claiming Depp flew into jealous rages and became a 'monster' under the influence of alcohol and drugs. She accused him of slapping and hitting her and throwing bottles at her 'like grenades,' and claimed that she often feared for her life during their relationship.

Heard's evidence was backed by witnesses including her sister Whitney Henriquez, who said she had seen Depp hit Heard 'multiple times' during a fracas at the couple's Los Angeles apartment in March 2015.

On Friday, Depp's lawyers played a video, filmed years before Heard and Depp met, that showed a friend of Henriquez saying 'I can't believe Amber beat your ass.' Depp's lawyers said that was evidence of Heard's violence, but her sister said they had only had a verbal altercation.

The case is due to end Tuesday, but judge Andrew Nicol is not expected to deliver his ruling for several weeks.
ST. PAUL, Minn., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens' Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) is issuing a warning to Americans about heavy-handed pandemic enforcement and recommending people think twice about testing and choosing to participate in contact tracing.

On July 16, a couple from Kentucky made national news when they were forcibly placed under house arrest after one of them tested 'positive' for the coronavirus. According to news reports, Elizabeth Linscott decided to get tested before traveling to see her elderly parents, even though she showed no active symptoms of having the virus. After refusing to agree in writing to get permission from the local health department before leaving the house, even for an emergency, law enforcement was contacted. A few days later, officers arrived with court orders, including one for their young daughter, and ankle monitors. The couple, who was willing to self-quarantine, but not willing to sign the department's document, is now pursuing legal action.

"Americans are shocked when they hear what happened. Here is a couple who was supposedly doing everything right and they got punished for it," said Twila Brase, RN, PHN, president and co-founder of CCHF. "They were treated like criminals because they refused to sign something that would put a bureaucratic barrier between them and their hospital."

CCHF has long warned the possible dangers and privacy violations of contact tracing, where the government can collect sensitive data on an individual's friends, family, associates, and colleagues and then use it to engage police power that restricts their freedom.

"Americans should think twice about testing. No one wants to find themselves under police-enforced house arrest. Contact tracing and the new "probable case" definition should give one pause. Don't participate unless you're prepared for the possibility of all your contacts being placed under house arrest even though they don't have a confirmed case of COVID-19," she continued.

"Government and 'Big Tech' make it sound easy: if you get tested, if you hand over your contact list, we will work together to end this pandemic. But rarely do they talk about the loss of privacy, the surveillance and the potential loss of personal freedom," she concluded.

SOURCE Citizens' Council for Health Freedom

Related Links

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Former South Alabama tight end Zac Crosby will stay in the Sun Belt Conference to finish his college career.

Crosby has committed to Appalachian State, he announced on Friday. He will be immediately eligible to play for the Mountaineers in 2020 as a graduate transfer.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Crosby was under-utilized in a South Alabama offense that rarely threw to the tight end. He caught just three passes for 39 yards in 22 career games with the Jaguars.

Though hes staying in the Sun Belt Conference, it doesnt appear Crosby will face his old team in 2020. Appalachian State is not on South Alabamas schedule, though its possible the league could modify things due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Crosby is the third South Alabama transfer to sign with an FBS school this offseason, joining tight end Khameron Taylor (Indiana) and defensive lineman Tyree Turner (UAB).
Nearly 200 Army recruits from the Commonwealth face being forced out of Britain next week after a huge backlog in blood tests delayed them joining up.

Personnel from countries such as India, Jamaica and St Lucia flew into the UK as early as the beginning of November so they could carry out Army assessment tests.

But nine months later 170 of them have still not had the required tests for sickle cell trait, a blood disorder related to sickle cell anaemia, and so have been unable to start training  leaving them penniless and jobless.

The situation has become so desperate for some of them that they have left the country and had to fork out enormous sums for flights home.

Nearly 200 Army recruits from the Commonwealth face being forced out of Britain next week after a huge backlog in blood tests delayed them joining up. Pictured: British Army take part in Exercise Dynamic Victory on July 23

Others fear they will become illegal immigrants in Britain from the end of this month because their visas  which were extended because of the pandemic  will run out.

Army recruitment firm Capita is responsible for organising the blood tests, with the Ministry of Defence blaming coronavirus for the shambles.

The MoD has so far failed to secure visa extensions from the Home Office. Last night one former Commonwealth soldier, who has one of the recruits  from St Lucia  living with him, said the problem had been going on since before Christmas.

Former Private Junior President, 29, who served in the Royal Logistic Corps, said: Capita still hasnt booked many people on to blood tests.

They are blaming Covid even though people have been waiting since November. Everyone is jumping on the Covid bandwagon. These people will become illegal immigrants at the end of July.

Nine months later 170 of them have still not had the required tests for sickle cell trait and so have been unable to start training  leaving them penniless and jobless. Pictured: British Army soldiers completing the casualty drag on September 21, 2018

The recruits applied online to join the Army last year and then they paid for their own flights so they could do the initial assessment in the UK.

If they pass the assessment  which includes physical tests  then they are offered a job and start training with the Army.

Quite a few people have cancelled their application. People have been waiting in this country as visitors, they are not allowed to work.

They really want to join the Army. In a few days they will be illegal immigrants and theyve wasted nine months waiting for blood tests to be organised.

He said one woman returned to St Lucia on Saturday because she had been waiting since November and had given up hope.

The situation has become so desperate for some of them that they have left the country and others fear they will become illegal immigrants in Britain from the end of this month because their visas will run out. Pictured: British Army soldiers demonstrate the repeated lift and carry on September 21, 2018

While the recruits are waiting for the assessment they often live with sponsors, usually people linked to the military who offer them a place to stay for several months.

They are not allowed to work during this time and have to cover all the costs themselves.

John Healey, Labours shadow defence secretary, said the treatment of Commonwealth recruits was utterly unacceptable.

He said: It is utterly unacceptable for the MoD and Home Office to treat Commonwealth citizens who want to serve and defend the United Kingdom in this way.

Capita has been a big part of this Governments failure on Forces recruitment over the last decade, 10 years, and now it seems to have totally failed these Commonwealth 170 recruits.

Ministers must sort this mess out, secure these visa extensions, get the blood tests done and get these recruits into active service.

The MoD said approximately 170 Commonwealth recruits are waiting for blood tests which were paused due to Covid-19. The tests start again this week and sources said they expect the backlog to be cleared next month.

A MoD spokesman said: We recognise the additional pressures placed on Commonwealth recruits during this time and will support candidates with visa extensions where necessary.

Sickle cell trait was identified in December last year as a genetic characteristic requiring testing and careful management in order to reduce the risk in military training.

The Home Office originally provided extensions to all visas but this runs out on July 31.
PORTLAND, Ore. - U.S. militarized officers will remain in Portland until attacks on a federal courthouse cease, a top official said Monday after another night of violence. And more officers may soon be on the way.

It is not a solution to tell federal officers to leave when there continues to be attacks on federal property and personnel, U.S. Attorney Billy Williams said. We are not leaving the building unprotected to be destroyed by people intent on doing so.

Local and state officials said the federal officers are unwelcome.

Meanwhile, the mayors of Portland and five other major U.S. cities appealed Monday to Congress to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy militarized agents to cities that dont want them.

This administrations egregious use of federal force on cities over the objections of local authorities should never happen, the mayors of Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Washington wrote to leaders of the U.S. House and Senate.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty late called for a meeting with Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf to discuss a cease-fire and removal of heightened federal forces from Portland.

The city has had nightly protests for two months since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. President Donald Trump said he sent federal agents to Portland to halt the unrest, but state and local officials said they are making the situation worse.

Trumps deployment of the federal officers over the July 4 weekend stoked the Black Lives Matter movement. The number of nightly protesters had dwindled to perhaps less than 100 right before the deployment, and now has swelled to the thousands.

Early Monday, U.S. agents repeatedly fired tear gas, flash bangs and pepper balls at protesters outside the federal courthouse in downtown Portland. Some protesters had climbed over the fence surrounding the courthouse, while others shot fireworks, banged on the fence and projected lights on the building.

Trump said on Twitter that federal properties in Portland wouldnt last a day without the presence of the federal agents.

The majority of people participating in the daily demonstrations have been peaceful. But a few have been pelting officers with objects and trying to tear down fencing protecting the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse.

Williams, whose office is inside the courthouse, called on peaceful protesters, community and business leaders and people of faith to not allow violence to occur in their presence and to leave downtown before violence starts. He said federal agents have made 83 arrests.

Demonstrations in support of racial justice and police reform in other cities around the U.S. were marred by violence over the weekend. Protesters set fire to an Oakland, California, courthouse; vehicles were set ablaze in Richmond, Virginia; an armed protester was shot and killed in Austin, Texas; and two people were shot and wounded in Aurora, Colorado, after a car drove through a protest.

The U.S. Marshals Service has lined up about 100 people they could send to hotspots, either to strengthen forces or relieve officers who have been working for weeks, agency spokesperson Drew Wade said.

Kris Cline, principal deputy director of Federal Protective Service, said an incident commander in Portland and teams from the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice discuss what force is needed every night.

Cline refused to discuss the number of officers currently present or if more would be arriving.

Some protesters have accused Wheeler of hypocrisy for speaking out against the federal presence because, under his watch, Portland police have used tear gas and other riot-control weapons on protesters, including peaceful ones.

Cline said Portland police should take over the job of dispersing protesters from the courthouse area from the federal officers.

If the Portland Police Bureau were able to do what they typically do, they would be able to clear this out for this disturbance and we would leave our officers inside the building and not be visible, Cline said.

He said relations between the federal officers, some of whom live in Portland, and city police were good.

Portland police responded Sunday evening to a shooting at a park close to the site of the protests. Two people were detained and later released, police said. The person who was shot went to the hospital in a private vehicle and was treated for a non-life-threatening wound.

Also late Sunday, police said someone pointed out a bag in the same park, where officers found loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails. The shooting was not related to the items, police said.

___

Associated Press writer Mike Balsamo contributed to this report from Washington. Selsky reported from Salem, Oregon.

___

Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fannie Mae (OTCQB: FNMA) today announced plans to report its second quarter 2020 financial results on Thursday morning, July 30, 2020, before the opening of U.S. financial markets.

Fannie Mae will host a conference call for the media to discuss the company's results at 8:00 a.m., ET, on July 30, 2020. Other participants may join the conference call in listen-only mode.

The company's second quarter 2020 earnings news release, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and other supplemental information will be available on the company's Quarterly & Annual Results webpage at fanniemae.com/financialresults. A transcript of the call also will be made available on the page.

CONFERENCE CALL PARTICIPATION DETAILS  Fannie Mae Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results

Event day and time

Thursday, July 30, 2020

8:00 AM (ET)

Listen-only webcast instructions

https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1343257&tp_key=38f0dc30d7

Click on the link above to attend the presentation from your laptop, tablet, or mobile device. Audio will stream through your selected device. If you have difficulty accessing the webcast, please click the "Listen by Phone" button on the webcast player and dial the number provided.

Listen-only phone line instructions

It is not necessary to dial into the audio conference unless you are unable to join the webcast via the URL above.

United States: 1-888-965-8995

Passcode: 45481956#

About Fannie Mae

Fannie Mae helps make the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and affordable rental housing possible for millions of Americans. We partner with lenders to create housing opportunities for families across the country. We are driving positive changes in housing finance to make the home buying process easier, while reducing costs and risk. To learn more, visit: fanniemae.com | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Blog

Fannie Mae Newsroom

https://www.fanniemae.com/news

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Fannie Mae Resource Center

1-800-2FANNIE

SOURCE Fannie Mae

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JERUSALEM  The Israeli military said it had stopped Hezbollah fighters from crossing from Lebanon into Israel on Monday, and ordered residents in the area to remain indoors.

"We thwarted an infiltration attempt of a terror squad crossing the Blue Line into Israel. No IDF casualties. The event is still ongoing," tweeted Jonathan Conricus, international spokesperson for the Israeli military.

A short while later, the military said the group had been from Hezbollah. For decades the border region has been the front line of on-off conflicts with Hezbollah, Irans most powerful regional proxy.

However, Hezbollah later said in a statement that it was absolutely not true that Israel had thwarted an infiltration operation from Lebanese territory and denied having taken part in a clash or shooting on Monday.

Instead, it said only one party was involved  the fearful, anxious and tense enemy  implying the incident was one-sided and had happened because Israel was on edge.

Hezbollah said that the Lebanese village of Habbariyeh had been shelled and that it had damaged a civilians house. The incident will not be tolerated, the group said in the statement, but did not give further details as to what that meant.

The militants said its retaliation for the death of one of its fighters outside Damascus last week was definitely coming and that the Israelis would have to wait for the punishment of their crimes. Asked whether Israel conducted the airstrike that killed the Hezbollah fighter, the Israeli military said it would not comment on foreign reports.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military had told residents of communities near the border area to stay at home and that any activity in open areas, including farming and tourism, was forbidden.

At this time, routes in the area are blocked, non-essential car traffic should be avoided, read the instructions to civilians given by the Israeli military.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government was constantly monitoring what is happening on the northern border.

Story continues

Lebanon and Hezbollah will bear the responsibility for any attack against us emanating from Lebanese territory, he said in a statement.

Tension has risen along Israel's northern frontiers with Lebanon and Syria, including the occupied Golan Heights, after a fighter of the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah was killed in an apparent Israeli strike on the edge of Damascus last Monday, according to Reuters.

Lawahez Jabari reported from Jerusalem. Saphora Smith from the United Kingdom.
BERLIN  Europes tourism revival is running into turbulence only weeks after countries reopened their borders, with rising infections in Spain and other nations causing increasing concern among health authorities over people bringing the coronavirus home from their summer vacations.

European countries started opening up to each others tourists in mid-June, but recent events have shown that the new freedom to travel is subject to setbacks. Over the weekend, Britain imposed a 14-day quarantine on travelers arriving from Spain, Norway ordered a 10-day quarantine for people returning from the entire Iberian peninsula, and France urged its citizens not to visit Spains Catalonia region.

In Austria, the lakeside resort town of St. Wolfgang shortened bar opening hours after an outbreak was detected on Friday. By Monday, 53 people had tested positive, including many people working in the tourism industry.

In Germany, officials decided last week to set up testing stations at airports to encourage people arriving from a long list of countries deemed high-risk  including popular destinations such as Turkey  to get tested. They will also allow people to get tested elsewhere for free within three days of arrival.

Bavarias governor, Markus Soeder, said he is worried about travelers returning from vacation. Referring to the Austrian ski resort that was an early European hot spot in March, he said: My worry is not that there will be one big Ischgl, but that there will be many mini-Ischgls.

Later Monday, Health Minister Jens Spahn said he had decided to make obligatory the testing of returning vacationers from risky areas, and that the new regulations should come into effect within the next week, the dpa news agency reported.

We need to prevent travelers from infecting others without it being detected and starting new infection chains, he said.

New infections in Germany have been creeping higher from a low level.

The tourism industry employs 2.6 million people in Spain and generates 12% of the countrys economic activity.

Juan Molas, the head of a national association of tourism companies, Mesa del Turismo, said Spains tourism sector has on average lost 5 billion euros ($5.8 billion) a week since March.

Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said the Spanish government is trying to persuade Britain to exempt the Balearic Islands, which have a low infection rate, from the quarantine rule.

Were living alongside the virus. That doesnt mean we cant travel. We can, if we are careful, Maroto said.

The Catalonia and Aragon regions have Spains most worrying virus clusters, prompting authorities to tighten restrictions in Barcelona, in a rural area around Lleida and in Zaragoza that were relaxed only a month ago.

Catalonia is facing the 10 most decisive days of this summer, regional leader Quim Torra said, warning that it is in everyones hands to prevent a critical situation from worsening.

Elsewhere in Europe, authorities in Belgium said COVID-19 cases are growing at an alarming rate amid a surge of infections in Antwerp. Greek authorities said they are likely to extend the mandatory use of masks at churches and shopping malls.

And in North Africa, Morocco banned most travel to and from some major cities  including Tangier, Casablanca and Marrakech, usually a popular tourist destination  to stem a small spike in cases.

In the Asia-Pacific region, many countries are still essentially banning foreign travelers or, if they do allow them to enter, requiring them to submit to tests and strict quarantine. That includes Australia, where the premier of Victoria state, Daniel Andrews, said the biggest driver in the regions outbreak is people continuing to go to work after showing symptoms.

The crossing of borders was linked to other outbreaks in Asia. South Korea said 16 of the 25 new cases it confirmed Monday were tied to people arriving from abroad. Over the past few days, the country reported dozens of cases among crew members of a Russia-flagged cargo ship and hundreds of South Korean construction workers airlifted from Iraq.

A tally by Johns Hopkins University shows about 16.3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide and around 650,000 deaths. The actual numbers are thought to be much higher because of limits on testing and the many minor cases that have gone unreported.

The World Health Organization said the pandemic continues to accelerate, with a doubling of cases over the past six weeks.

The U.N. health agencys emergencies chief, Dr. Michael Ryan, stressed the need to keep pressure on the virus.

Every single country where pressure has been lifted on the virus, where virus is still at community level, theres been a jump back in cases, he said.

___

Kurtenbach reported from Mito, Japan. Barry Hatton in Lisbon and Associated Press reporters from around the world contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Dionisio Gutierrez explained that "the pandemic is causing many deaths and causing great levels of suffering throughout the planet; it is forcing the governments to take drastic measures, sometimes wrong, sometimes disproportionate." Following this line of argumentation, he said that "the response of most governments was to follow the Wuhan model with confinements and paralyzed economies".

He continued with an assessment on the strategies adopted by Latin American governments: "This crisis is exposing the economic fragility and institutional weaknesses of the developed world. For Latin America, the consequences of the pandemic can cost decades of regression and devastation, economically and socially and, of course, also politically. The most serious thing about this crisis is that we are barely in the first minutes of the first half and halfway through the first wave of contagion. The WHO already said a few days ago that the number of new cases in the world is the highest since the start of the pandemic, especially in Latin America, were it is now the new epicenter of the pandemic".

On Central America, Dionisio Gutierrez stated that: "Many of our countries closed prematurely and now that the virus has reached its exponential peak, our economies were already suffocated. In Guatemala, 70% of the economically active population works in informality, those are 5 million people who work in the morning in order to eat in the afternoon and represent 20% of GDP".

To see the complete intervention click here.

SOURCE Fundacion Libertad y Desarrollo

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A Former Imo Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha has denied forming an alliance with the immediate past Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, to remove the incumbent Governor Hope Uzodimma.

Okorocha was reacting to allegation by Director General Imo APC Media Centre, Cajetan Duke, who claimed the Senator and his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, had approached the court to challenge the victory of Governor Uzodinma, while praying the court to declare Ihedioha as the Governor of the State.

In a statement by his Media Adviser, Sam Onwuemeodo, on Sunday, July 26, 2020, Okorocha described the claim of alliance with Ihedioha as completely false.

The Imo West Senator maintained the APC administration in the state is a house he built at the risk of his political career, stating he would do nothing to bring it down.

To say the least, Okorocha is not in alliance with Ihedioha for removing Governor Uzodinma or for any other reason. Those behind the story should stop making mockery of the APC or the State. Senator Rochas Okorocha cannot destroy what he had labored to build at the risk of his political career. He planted the seed of APC in Imo, nurtured it to maturity and it has continued to bear fruits. Those who have benefited from this vision only need to appreciate and acknowledge who God used to make it possible.

Okorocha stated Uche Nwosu is not in any court over the 2019 governorship election.

To the best of our knowledge, only two cases are in court to that effect. One, instituted by the governorship candidate of Reformed And Advancement Party (RAP), Barr. Kingdom Okere at the Federal High Court, Abuja and the one taken to the Supreme Court by Chief Philip Umeadi (SAN) on behalf of Chief Ihedioha. In the two cases, Uche Nwosu is neither the plaintiff nor a party in any of them. It is now left for those behind the story of alliance to tell us the particular court the Nwosu case, they had talked about, is, he added.

KanyiDaily recalls that Uche Nwosu had denied approaching the Supreme Court to challenge its decision of awarding victory of the 2019 Imo governorship election to Hope Uzodinma.
In this July 7, 2017, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Associated Press/Evan Vucci

President Donald Trump won't say if he's confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin on reports that Russia paid Afghan militants bounties to kill US troops.

"We don't talk about what we discussed, but we had plenty of discussion," Trump said on Monday when asked if he discussed the matter with Putin during a recent phone call.

But Trump has frequently offered the public details on various discussions he's had with world leaders, including his Russian counterpart.

Last Thursday's phone call marked Trump's first discussion with Putin since reports on the alleged Russian bounty plot emerged.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump on Monday would not say whether he's confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin over reports Russia paid Taliban-linked Afghan militants bounties to kill US soldiers.

Trump and Putin spoke on the phone last Thursday for the first time since the reports on the alleged Russian bounty plot emerged.

During a visit to North Carolina on Monday, the president was asked whether he brought up the reports on the Russian bounties during the call.

"We don't talk about what we discussed, but we had plenty of discussion," Trump said.

The president has routinely offered the public details on various discussions he's had with world leaders, including Putin.

And in a statement on the call, White House spokesman Judd Deere last Thursday said that the two world leaders "discussed efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic while continuing to reopen global economies."

Trump has dismissed the reports on the suspected Russian bounty plot as "fake news," even though the White House in early July said the president had by that time been "fully briefed" on the matter. Previously, the administration said Trump had never been briefed on the intel, though recent reporting contradicts this assertion and suggests he may have been informed as early as March 2019.

Story continues

There's also an ongoing US intelligence investigation into the matter, which is at least partly focused on a bombing that killed three US Marines in April 2019, the New York Times reported in mid-July. The Times first broke the story on the alleged Russian plot.

The Marines killed in the bombing near Bagram Airfield, a major base in Afghanistan, were Staff Sgt. Christopher Slutman of Delaware, Cpl. Robert Hendriks of New York, and Sgt. Benjamin Hines of Pennsylvania.

The White House is not believed to have responded against Russia, and Trump did not bring up the matter in half a dozen phone calls with Putin that took place after February 27, when the intelligence was said to have been included in the president's daily written briefing. Based on his remarks Monday, it's unclear if Trump brought up the reports in last week's phone call with the Russian leader, either.

Trump's relationship with Putin has been a constant point of scrutiny during his tenure, as he's often been perceived as siding with his incendiary Russian counterpart on an array of issues  including Russia's interference in the 2016 US presidential election. The suspected Russian bounty plot, and Trump's apparent lack of concern over the reports, adds to his already controversial and unusual ties with Russia's authoritarian leader.

Read the original article on Business Insider
DUBLIN, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Data Exfiltration Market - Growth, Trends, Forecasts (2020-2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global data exfiltration market is expected to register a CAGR of 12% during the forecast period, 2020-2025.



Over the years, As businesses started relying on electronic data and computer networks to conduct their daily operation, the growing pool of financial and personal data are now been stored in the clouds which leave individuals and business organizations exposed to potential liabilities under security breaches. For instance, According to the report by Identity Theft Resource Center In 2019, the number of security breaches were reported 1,473 with 17% increased from 1,257 in 2018 with the business sector accounting 44% with 644 cases.



Also, 2019 accounted for some of the breaches from major players in various industries including Zynga, Facebook, Adobe Creative Cloud, Capital One Financial Corporation and have reported as much as a leak of 218 million data records.



Essentially, The function of computer and network security is protecting the sensitive data inaccessible to unauthorized parties yet data theft continues to affect organizations and the nature of the attacks has evolved over the past three years. For instance, according to recently survey conducted by DNS security showcased that 46 % of the respondents had been victims of data exfiltration with 45 % had been subject to DNS tunneling that is often exfiltrating data through DNS port 53.



Instances such as malicious adversaries remain the primary reason for the growing number of thefts evidently explain the increase in breaches with the public disclosure, also accidental thefts are reported to have increased leveraging importance of security training and thereby accompanying the growth of the market.



Additionally, with business operations leveraging the cloud services expose the businesses with new categories of data exfiltration risks including instances where in-secure access of cloud site features by the administrators, employees would allow hackers to requisition virtual machines, deploy malicious code and thereby initiate outbound transmission of sensitive data.



Futhermore, the compliance of regulation acts such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDR), Federal Information Security Management Act among others tends businesses to be more concerned about the theft of intellectual property.



For instance, According to Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2019 by the Government of UK states that a total of 11% of businesses and 6% of charities have a specific cybersecurity insurance policy with SMEs accounting for 31% and large enterprises accounting 35%. Also, 49% of the businesses and 32% of charities either have external cybersecurity provider or prefer outsourcing cybersecurity which evidently fosters the growth of the market and adoption of open platforms such as hackerone.



Key Market Trends



Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises to Hold Major Market Share

Most of the SMEs focus on preventing threats from entering the network than on detecting and stopping the data from being infiltrated and generally opt to practices such as purchasing more security products and investment in employee security training.

For instance, Security training by Barracuda Network Called Barracuda PhishLine trains employees to understand the latest trend security attacks, subtle clues, prevent email fraud, data loss through continuous stimulation.

Also, employees at SMEs due to lack of security training are prone to human and procedural failures such as failing to maintain security certifications which evidently makes easier for data exfiltration to occur. For instance, the Investigation report on Equifax by the United States Senate state that Equifax's negligence of cybersecurity and human errors caused it to suffer a devastating data breach.

Senate state that Equifax's negligence of cybersecurity and human errors caused it to suffer a devastating data breach. Additionally, As organizations around the globe are addressing the scourge of COVID-19 pandemic since the announcement of lockdown, companies have mitigated the spread of the coronavirus by allowing employees to work remotely, but cybercriminals could potentially take advantage of the situation by perpetrating new attacks tied to health care and financial efforts.

It has been reported by various media outlets that cyber attackers are mimicking communications from major health organizations such as WHO, CDC and government bodies including Medicare, SSA, and IRS and attacking organization by the means of phishing attacks, vishing campaigns to indulge fear and gain access to sensitive data.

Asia-Pacific Estimated to Grow the Fastest Among All Regions

According to the report, Grand Theft Data published by McAfee suggest that organizations in Asia-pacific reported the average highest number of breaches with more than 10% of Asia-Pacific companies accounting 20 breaches.

reported the average highest number of breaches with more than 10% of companies accounting 20 breaches. The study also states that data exfiltration due to insider thefts accounted for 50% data loss at the organization in Asia-Pacific compared to less than 40% in the UK and 41% in North America

compared to less than 40% in the UK and 41% in The organizations in the region experiencing data loss across a wide range of formats, content, and methods ranging from documents to databases reported 90% of them were the case of exfiltration of data which evidently elevates the growth of the market.

Also, over recent years, countries in the region have been working on the expansion of broadband infrastructure so as to build a stronger ICT industry by embracing and deploying cloud infrastructure and cloud computing that hold potential liability for data exfiltration thereby fosterng the market growth . For instance, According to the World Bank Study on Interoperability Readiness and Demand Assessment of government agencies showcased that government agencies in countries such as the Philippines prefer to deploy public services through cloud offerings.

Competitive Landscape



The market is highly fragmented due to the presence of players, like McAfee Inc., Juniper Networks Inc., Cisco Sytems Inc, and other giants, which play a vital role in upscaling the security of enterprises. Market orientation leads to a highly competitive environment.

March 2020 - HP Inc announced the launch three new security solution that provides threat product for remote workforces as a counter measure to support countries across the world experiencing lockdown due to COVID 19 pandemic. The solutions include HP Proactive Security, HP Sure Click Enterprise and HP Pro Security Edition. These solutions allow users to run real-time protection with task-level isolation and non-persistent virtual machines avoiding data breach, data exfiltration.

- HP Inc announced the launch three new security solution that provides threat product for remote workforces as a counter measure to support countries across the world experiencing lockdown due to COVID 19 pandemic. The solutions include HP Proactive Security, HP Sure Click Enterprise and HP Pro Security Edition. These solutions allow users to run real-time protection with task-level isolation and non-persistent virtual machines avoiding data breach, data exfiltration. February 2020 - McAfee announced the launch of global managed detection and response (MDR) platform and its strategic partnership with DXC Technology to leverage the MDR solution so as to proactively detect and resolve security incidents of its customers faster. The platform will provide services including Threat Hunting, Forensics & Investigation and Complete Managed Endpoint Threat Detection and Response.

Key Topics Covered



1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Deliverables

1.2 Study Assumptions

1.3 Scope of the Study



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Market Drivers

4.3 Market Restraints

4.4 Industry Value Chain Analysis

4.5 Porters 5 Force Analysis

4.6 Assessment of COVID-19 Impact on the Industry



5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 Organization Size

5.1.1 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

5.1.2 Large Enterprise

5.2 Component

5.2.1 Solutions (Encryption, Antivirus, Firewall, Intrusion Detection System, Data Loss Prevention and Others)

5.2.2 Services (Penetration Testing Services, Support & Maintenance, Integration Services, Support & Maintenance, Consulting Services)

5.3 End-user Vertical

5.3.1 Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI)

5.3.2 IT & Telecom

5.3.3 Healthcare & Life Sciences

5.3.4 Government & Defense

5.3.5 Retail & e-Commerce

5.3.6 Manufacturing

5.3.7 Other End-user Verticals

5.4 Geography

5.4.1 North America

5.4.2 Europe

5.4.3 Asia-Pacific

5.4.4 Latin America

5.4.5 Middle East and Africa



6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Company Profiles

6.1.1 NortonLifeLock

6.1.2 McAfee LLC

6.1.3 Palo Alto Networks

6.1.4 Google LLC

6.1.5 Fortinet

6.1.6 HP Inc.

6.1.7 Cisco Systems Inc.

6.1.8 GTB Technologies

6.1.9 Check Point Software Technologies

6.1.10 Juniper Networks

6.1.11 Hackerone Inc.

6.1.12 Barracuda Networks

6.1.13 Sophos Group plc

6.1.14 Zscaler

6.2 Investment Analysis



7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/q7j788

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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Chinese company Alibaba and its co-founder, Jack Ma, has been summoned by a district court in Gurugram, India.

The court has asked him to appear before it by July 29, regarding a case of wrongful termination from the company, filed by a former employee of UC Web mobile company.

In 2014, UC Web was acquired entirely and merged into Jack Maa Alibaba, after over 6 years of consistent investments into the company as a part of the acquisition plan.

Complainants side on the Case



Speaking on behalf of his client, Atul Ahalat, the lawyer from Delhi has commented on the issue My client Pushpandra Singh Parmaar, has filed a civil suit against Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group, for wrongful termination.

He was working as an Associate Director with Alibabas UC Web Mobile Company, as reported by a news agency.

Furthermore, the prosecuting side is seeking a compensation of 2 Crore Indian rupees ($268k), according to the filed documents.

The petition has further alleged that Mr. Parmaars was fired unceremoniously for objecting to false news and censorship of content by the company, which he brought to the notice of the Chinese Internet giant company.

The petition filed by the prosecutor contains over 200 pages, containing several UC news clips and claims other wrongful, unethical practices followed by the company with headquarter in Guangzhou, China.

The aftermath of the apps ban by the Indian Government

The complaint comes after the Indian Government banned 59 Chinese apps including the UC Browser, citing privacy concerns and border conflicts.

Mr. Parmaar claims that he raised similar concerns, accusing UC Browser and UC news for publishing false news to cause social and political turmoil, as reported by The Hindu

No response yet from Ma or Alibabas side

Summoned initially on July 20, anyone from Jack Mas side is yet to comment, give out a statement on the civil case filed in India.

While, UC India said in a statement that it had been unwavering in its commitment to the Indian market and the welfare of its local employees, and its policies are in compliance with local laws. We are unable to comment on ongoing litigation.
By Auqib Javeed, TwoCircles.net

Srinagar, July 27: The family of a Kashmiri student, who was booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) claim that he was punished for his activism at University of Kashmir.

Support TwoCircles



Aqib Ahmad Malik (26), a second-semester student of Biochemistry at the premier educational institute of the valley, was summoned by police at Nigeen police station in Srinagar on July 24 for questioning in a case registered in 2018.

Malik, who hails from south Kashmirs Shopian district, was detained in Police station Nigeen and subsequently booked under UAPA, a law used to book militants.

Talking to TwoCircles.net, Maliks maternal uncle, Zahoor Ahamad said, he was summoned to the police station in Srinagar on Thursday evening, and he (Aqib) went there on Friday and was arrested.

A member of banned students organisation Kashmir University Students Union (KUSU) condemned Aqibs detention and demanded his immediate release.

It shows the clear frustration of the state. It wants to muzzle dissent and also wants to create fear psychosis among the student community. Aqib is being punished for his political beliefs, a member and a student of university said.

He maintained that Maliq was active in university and would frequently raise his voice against corruption in the University.

He had some issues with the administration and was also detained by police on their call, he added.

Maliks uncle Zahoor Ahmad corroborated this and told TwoCircles.net that he was punished because of the KU authorities.

He had some arguments early this year with one of the Proctors at KU regarding the hostel facilities, Ahmad said and added that Maliq was detained when the said Proctor called the police. We bailed him out after two days from Central Jail Srinagar, he added.

A case vide number 68/2018 under section 13 of Unlawful Activities Act (UAPA) stands registered at Nigeen police station. The role of the student has been established and subsequently he has been detained, an unnamed official was quoted as saying by a local news gathering agency Kashmir News Trust (KNT).

Few hours before getting arrested on Friday, Malik told this reporter how Kashmir University is destroying his career.

I was detained multiple times because I raised my voice against corruption at the University. I was also restricted to enter the campus usually, Malik told this reporter on the phone.

Superintendent of Police, Hazratbal, Sudhanshu Verma while speaking to TwoCircless.net said there was an FIR registered against Maliq and said that, just because he is a KU student doesnt make him innocent.

When asked why he was detained under terrorism law and in an old case he said, We were collecting the evidence sine 2018 and he must have done some activities that he was booked under the relevant law, he added.

Tussle against University

Malik, apparently wrote a letter, a copy of which lies with this reporter, in which Malik narrates and accuses Kashmir University of destroying his career.

Malik says that in February 2020, he was arrested under preventive detention act 107/151 and kept in Central Jail Srinagar for a period of 8 days and restrictions were imposed on him to enter University campus for at least 20 days.

I was instructed that your room shouldnt be near any University hostel, the letter reads.

In 2017, Malik claims that he was threatened by one of the University officials that he will be picked by security agencies.

I was never expecting that at our university there will even be such people. So I went into hiding for some days and protests erupted after that in KU and other institutions, he said.

It may be noted, in 2017, Malik went missing under mysterious circumstances, triggering protests. However, he was traced by the J&K police after a few days.

He alleges that in August 2015 he was denied admission in the department of law under the Open Merit category and was put on the payment list.

At the end of 2017 I was elected as proctor of SA boys hostel Zakura by students and I did my best to help students. But that didnt go down well with the University officials and they started harassing me more, and they didnt allow me to sit in the examination of the 2nd semester citing the reason as shortage in attendance, he writes in the letter.

Malik further alleges that in April 2019 during NAAC visit restrictions were again imposed on him from entering University premises.

In June 2019 Malik accused Politician Er. Rashid of threatening him for making comments against the former legislator in a video.

I questioned Er Rashid in KU about his politics. Later on, he threatened me with my life and I was again summoned by Nigeen police station, he said.

His brother, Yawar Mushtaq told TwoCircles.net that Malik stood up against corruption and backdoor entries in University, which didnt go well with University authorities.

However, the university authorities denied Maliks allegations against them.

Speaking to TwoCircles.net, the proctor Dr, Showkat, said that nothing of this sort has happened. There is a policy of hostels. We cannot keep a student in the hostel forever. He had availed the hostel facility while he was studying law at the university.

Kanahiya Kumar of Kashmir

The INUTH in 2017, after his missing from the university, quoted a top police official that Malik aspired to be like Kanhaiya Kumar

We got to know from his colleagues that he aspired to be like Kanhaiya Kumarthe ex-president of the JNUSU, the official added.

His colleague at Kashmir University told TwoCircles.net that he would watch speeches of Kanahiya Kumar for hours.

He was his biggest fan and would usually imitate him in the hostel, he added.
The Haft Tappeh workers voice is our voice!

Lets make our voice loud,

by bringing our strength and power

to the forefront!

The Coronavirus epidemic has forced all capitalist countries, including the Islamic Republic, to hide their economic crisis under the pretext of [COVID-19]. While the epidemic conditions in Iran, which have claimed thousands of lives, and put millions at risk of contracting Coronavirus, poverty and hunger have made the lives of millions miserable.

There were countless labour protests prior to the outbreak of Coronavirus in Iran, including two social uprisings by the poor and lower class of society in December 2017, and November 2019, which much more deepened the societys gap with the Islamic regime. With the spread of Coronavirus, social distancing, and quarantining, the Islamic Republic tried to use the virus to cover up its faults and save itself while not providing any basic health items and safety facilities in society.

The Islamic regime for its survival, has imposed the labour wage at least five times below the poverty line; pressured political prisoners, and intensified their torture and harassment and ill-treatment of women, students, teachers. It has suppressed social protestors, by whippings and fines for workers, and attempted to execute the detainees of November 2019. These are all obvious examples of the regimes efforts to maintain its grip on power. In this regard, at the international level, and in the eyes of the international community, the regime has fallen into despair.

Because of the arrest of tens of thousands and massacre of hundreds in the November 2019 public protest, once again the peoples uprising has been buried in the ashes to be ignited at another time. The [COVID-19] epidemic created an inevitable pause in the continuation of the social protests, during which the Islamic regime, under the guise of [pandemic], tried to buy the opportunity, and use it to repair its shaky foundations. Unaware that the living conditions of the workers and the livelihood of the majority of society and the inevitable struggle around it even in the Corona conditions, also will deprive the capitalists and the Islamic regime of their sleep.

The workers protests and strikes of the coal-miners in Kerman, municipal workers, railroad workers (construction line and railway workers), Aazaraab workers, Hospital workers, and Hospital service employees (social workers), building construction workers, and now the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane workers strike have reiterated once more, that capitalisms crisis and the failures of the Islamic regime in the context of Coronavirus conditions, have threatened the lives and existence of the working people.

The Strike of the Haft Tappeh workers which started on 15th June, in the affected Corona province of Khuzestan, clearly articulated their demands. Their demands are related to the lives and existence of the majority of the Iranian people, and we are obliged to join and support them.

The struggle against embezzlement and theft which is rooted within the Islamic regime, as well as the struggle against capitalist privatisation, and job cuts in the labour force, will violate the livelihood of the majority of society, and lead to unemployment and an increase in the reserve army of unemployed. Thanks to the struggles of the Haft Tappeh, Ahwaz Foulad (steel) workers, Hepco of Arak, Machinery of Tabriz, and Aazaraab workers, and the miners, these have to become the top social demands of society today.

Our common demands are tied only to struggles of our million workers. Capitalism and the reactionary Islamic Republic are weak and incapable of confronting our huge power with any degree of repressive force at its disposal; it will not be able to defeat us. We had two uprising experiences of the poor and lower-classes in December 2017, and November 2019, and thousands of protest movements, including the strikes of several weeks in 2017, by the workers of Haft Tappeh and Foulad (steel) of Ahwaz in the province of Khuzestan. Lets use our experiences and liberate our society in favour of freedom and public welfare.

Our struggle has forced the regime to repeal the sentences of the imprisoned workers. Our struggle forced the embezzlers to respond and to be accountable.

The Haft Tappeh workers voice is our voice!

Lets make it loud by bringing our million-strong forces to the streets and to show by actions, that we are all Haft Tappehist!

Alternative Workers News-Iran
Athens, GA (30605)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
An economist has been slammed as 'heartless' for suggesting Australia should follow a Swedish-style lockdown that could kill up to 25,000 people.

University of New South Wales Professor Gigi Foster sparked outrage from Q&A host Hamish Macdonald while discussing the impacts of lockdown on Monday night's fiery episode.

Prof Foster was responding to infectious diseases expert Bill Bowtell, who argued a strict lockdown was required to eliminate the virus rather than multiple smaller restriction phases.

When asked on her opinion, the economist said it was a 'fantasy to believe we can eliminate this virus, whether just in Victoria and NSW, or across all of Australia'.

University of New South Wales Professor Gigi Foster sparked outrage from Q&A host Hamish Macdonald while answering questions about the impacts of lockdown measures on Monday

'There's no real end game in sight,' Prof Foster said.

She said the country would have to commit to being isolated from the rest of the world until a vaccine was found and claimed it was 'unrealistic' to do so.

'I think that Australia can follow in the footsteps of many other countries in the world, some of which have not had lockdowns as strict as we have here, such as again Sweden, and look at the death tolls in those countries,' she said.

Her views prompted a shocked response from the host of the ABC program.

Macdonald pointed out that Sweden's relaxed lockdown approach has seen 5,697 deaths, compared to Australia's 161.

'Are you comfortable with advocating that for Australia?' he probed.

Prof Foster said she was comfortable in making 'data-driven policy choices' by looking at other countries such as Sweden.

Her views prompted a shocked response from the host of the ABC program, Hamish Macdonald (pictured)

Prof Foster was responding to infectious diseases expert Bill Bowtell (left), who claimed a strict lockdown was required to rid the virus rather than multiple smaller restriction phases

Macdonald noted Sweden has not seen an economic pay off: 'How can you point to Sweden and say there's the model?'

The economist insisted Australia is seeing 'huge' economic damage, claiming the costs will 'be with us for a generation'.

She compared the current death count in Sweden of 0.1 per cent to Australia's population.

'That's 12,000 to 25,000 deaths in Australia for people who are predominantly elderly,' she said.

Thousands more workers will be unemployed by December

'But it's a body count.'

Macdonald interrupted the professor by labelling her 'heartless'.

'It's horrible. Why are you advocating for them to die?' he asked.

But the professor claimed she was advocating for the least amount of people to die as possible, while also ensuring the country's economy doesn't collapse.

'What about everything else that kills people and makes them suffer?' she asked.

'We should consider all the things that influence human welfare, lives and quality of lives, whether it's COVID-19 or something else.

'Have we thought about the unemployment effects and the mental stress? There is new information that's coming out of the UK which has indicated a huge drop in life satisfaction.'

Her comments sparked heated reaction on social media, with some people comparing her to 'Karen from Bunnings' and calling her 'embarrassing'.

People are seen wearing facemasks.The government scrambling for answers as a record 532 COVID-19 cases were uncovered overnight

The economist continued to insist that Australia is having 'huge' economic damage, claiming the costs will 'be with us for a generation'. Pictured: Empty Melbourne during lockdown

'Gigi Fosters giddy-up-and-get covid-and-get-over-it attitude is a recipe for a failed state,' actress Magda Szubanski wrote.

'There IS NO IMMUNITY. And once police, doctors, nurses and the people who turn on the electricity and water pumps start dropping... there goes your economy AND law and order.'

'Its like watching someone advocating mass extermination - where did humanity disappear to?' another Twitter user wrote.

'Can't believe what I'm hearing. Is Gigi Foster seriously advocating that 20 to 25,000 deaths in Australia is acceptable?' another Tweeted.

Her comments on the program sparked heated reaction on social media, with some people comparing her to 'Karen from Bunnings' and calling her 'embarrassing'

'What Gigi misses is that an economy is only as healthy as the people who run it. If workers aren't healthy - the economy isn't healthy,' Unions Australia said.

The professor made similar remarks over the weekend on 60 Minutes and earlier in the year on Q&A.

Professor Foster suggested Australia hadn't properly weighed up the economic consequences of tough restrictions introduced to reduce the death toll, and argued the 'economy is about lives' too.

'What frustrates me is when people talk about the economic costs of the lockdown they often don't think in detail in terms of counting lives,' she said in April.
A woman dubbed 'Bunnings Karen' after berating staff at the hardware chain when asked to wear a mask has been identified as sales consultant Kerry Nash.

Ms Nash went viral after filming her shocking outburst inside a Bunnings store in the Melbourne suburb of Narre Warren on Friday.

She accused staff at the store of abusing her human rights by politely asking her to wear a mask, and was briefly arrested after clashing with police outside.

Ms Nash was later released by officers after revealing she had a medical exemption, which she had initially chosen not to present to staff.

A woman dubbed 'Bunnings Karen' after filming herself berating staff at the hardware chain after she was asked to wear a mask has been identified as Kerry Nash (pictured)

Her former employer, insurance company iSelect, released a statement condemning the behaviour after Ms Nash was identified over Twitter on Monday.

'Kerry Nash has not worked for iSelect since December 2018,' an iSelect spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

'Like most Australians, iSelect was appalled by 'Bunnings Karen'.

'iSelect supports, and is fully compliant with, all COVID health guidelines and restrictions. Any staff unable to work from home must wear a mask when in our Cheltenham head office, in accordance with DHHS guidelines.'

According to Ms Nash's Linkedin page, she was employed as a Senior Sales Consultant by the company in 2012 and prides herself on her 'customer service'.

It is unclear where Ms Nash is now employed.

Her behaviour sparked widespread criticism online, with many outraged by her attitude towards the workers, police, and the COVID-19 regulation.

But despite the backlash, Ms Nash continued her anti-mask crusade, with another video surfacing two days later of her ranting at a mask-wearing Australia Post worker.

Another video posted on Facebook shows 'Bunnings Karen' later arrested by two police officers outside in the Lauderdale Road car park

Ms Nash was removed from handcuffs after presenting a medical exemption, but then began debating with officers (pictured) about how the arrest was 'unlawful'

The video of the Ms Nash extraordinary rant inside a Bunnings store was posted to Facebook on Sunday as Victoria recorded 459 new coronavirus cases and ten deaths.

What is a 'Karen'? A 'Karen' is a term for a self-righteous woman, sometimes racist and usually middle-aged, who tells people how to do their jobs, asserts their rights and complains to the manager. The term became popular in meme culture on internet forum Reddit to describe problematic women. A Karen meme is often combined with the quote: 'Can I speak to the manager?' The male version of a 'Karen' is sometimes referred to as a 'Kevin'. Advertisement

'It's a breach of the charter of human rights,' she said as she aggressively filmed the staff on her mobile phone and threatened to sue them for discrimination.

Ms Nash filmed staff during the dispute and refused to stop despite the calm requests of a male employee.

Other videos posted on Facebook show her later being arrested by two police officers outside in the Lauderdale Road car park.

She eventually revealed she had a medical exemption for not wearing a mask after a drawn-out standoff with police.

When more officers arrived at the scene, Ms Nash had her handcuffs taken off but launched into a debate with officers as to why her arrest was unlawful.

She claimed legislation in place allowing police to arrest her was not voted upon by Australians or approved by the monarch.

'You're talking about legislation that hasn't been presented to parliament three times, we the people haven't given our consent to act under it, and it hasn't been consented by the queen,' she said.

'That legislation is fraudulent. It doesn't apply to me.'

Growing impatient, the sergeant said he was not going to argue over her 'opinion' about the law.

'That's your personal belief, but that is not the law we work under,' he said.

'I am not going enter into an argument about what you believe the law is. That is a conversation between you and the judicial system.'

The anti-mask 'Karen' berated the Australia Post worker (pictured) as he quietly served her

Bunnings Chief Operating Officer Deb Poole told 7 News her actions were 'completely unacceptable'.

'The customer's behaviour towards our team was completely unacceptable and we're proud of the way our team calmly and professionally handled the situation,' she said.

Ms Nash highlights her strong 'customer service skills' in her Linkedin profile (pictured)

'The vast majority of customers visiting our Melbourne stores are doing the right thing and wearing a mask, which is required under the law and our conditions of entry.'

On Sunday, another video surfaced online of the same woman raving at a post office worker about her rights.

'I do not need a mask. If you could stamp that, it would be wonderful,' the woman says as she approaches the Australia Post counter, her mobile phone camera already recording the startled employee.

Ms Nash then berates the staff member, telling him he has no authority to ask her to wear a face mask while he quietly serves her.

'I suggest you update yourself on what the Department of Human Services have put on with regards to masks and who needs to wear them,' she says sternly.

'And who also has the authorisation to actually ask for that evidence? Because it's not you. Thank you.'

A new law mandating the compulsory wearing of face masks in Melbourne came into effect on Thursday as Victoria battles to control an outbreak of coronavirus.

Wearing a face mask is a health issue, not a human rights issue: Daniel Andrews Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has slammed 'selfish' mask dodgers. He told reporters on Sunday that wearing face masks is not a human rights issue and that lives were at stake. The Victorian Government has mandated public face masks in an attempt to bring the devastating outbreak under control. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has mandated mask wearing to help get Victoria's spiraling case numbers under control, and to save lives Police have the right to fine people in Melbourne and Mitchell Shire $200 for refusing to wear a mask. 'If those directions are not followed, police are able to fine you. It is a $200 fine. It should never come to that,' Premier Andrews said. 'If it was a genuine error, a sense of any confusion  police use good judgement. 'But if you are just making a selfish choice that your alleged personal liberty, quoting some, I don't know, something you've read on some website  this is not about human rights. 'There are 10 families that are going to be burying someone in the next few days. 'Wear a mask  it's not too much to ask.' Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth also slammed those refusing to wear a face mask. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth urged people to mask up Dr Coatsworth compared 'Bunnings Karen' to those who threaten health workers in hospitals. 'That sort of behaviour has to stop. I acknowledge that wearing a mask can be difficult,' Dr Coatsworth said. Dr Coatsworth said wearing a mask is like the 'icing on the cake' to cut the transmission rate down, along with social distancing, hand hygiene and staying home. Premier Andrews praised the number of people doing the right thing by wearing masks, including in regional Victoria where it is not yet compulsory. Roughly one third of coronavirus cases are in young people aged under 30, ABC news reported. VICTORIAN HEALTH CARE WORKERS SICK Victoria now has 381 health care workers with active coronavirus infections, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Sunday. Premier Andrews said this puts a strain on the hospital system, however there is a plan to make up the shortfall with: - 200 off-roster paramedics and third-year students doing contact tracing - 20 Defence Force personnel working with Ambulance Victoria paramedics, increasing to 150 over the next 10 days - 4000 current and retired midwives have volunteered to help - 800 extra health professionals have been deployed Advertisement

Police have the power to issue $200 on the spot fines for anyone who breaches the new rules.

Face masks help to cut the transmission of coronavirus by catching droplets of saliva at the mouth and nose, and they can also help stop people from becoming infected from the aerosolised droplet of others.

Insurance company iSelect released a statement on Monday after their former employer Kerry Nash was identified as 'Bunnings Karen'

Until June (when this advice was pictured), Australia's Health Department only recommended face mask use for people who knew they were sick or had symptoms

Medical research published in the medical journal The Lancet last month found face masks were 77 per cent effective at stopping infection, while respirators were 96 per cent effective.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

'When you are out and about, you cannot tell who is infected and who is not,' said Professor Raina Macintyre, the head of the biosecurity research program at the University of NSW's Kirby Institute said at the time.

'You yourself may be infected and not know it. Especially with the growing evidence of pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic transmission, universal face mask use is an important way to reduce the spread of infection.'

The study, called Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis, was a review of 216 coronavirus studies commissioned by the World Health Organisation.

Rick Sarre, the Adjunct Professor of Law and Criminal Justice at the University of South Australia, says Australian businesses have the right to require customers to wear face masks.

'Australian law, quite simply, says that private landowners or occupiers can take reasonable steps to protect themselves, their employees and people on their property,' he wrote in The Conversation.

'So it would be legal for businesses - including cafes and supermarkets - to make it a condition of entry that customers wear a mask and sanitise their hands.'
A series of strident new protests over police misconduct rattled cities across the country over the weekend, creating a new dilemma for state and local leaders who had succeeded in easing some of the turbulence in their streets until a showdown over the use of federal agents in Oregon stirred fresh outrage.

With some demonstrators embracing destructive protest methods and police often using aggressive tactics to subdue both them and others who are demonstrating peacefully, the scenes on Saturday night in places like Seattle, Oakland, Calif., and Los Angeles recalled the volatile early days of the protests after the death of George Floyd at the end of May.

The latest catalyst was the deployment of federal law enforcement agents in Portland, Ore., whose militarized efforts to subdue protests around the federal courthouse have sparked mass demonstrations and nightly clashes there. They have also inspired new protests of solidarity in other cities, where people have expressed deep concern about the federal government exercising such extensive authority in a city that has made it clear it opposes the presence of federal agents. (New York Times)

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Americas global standing is at a low point. The pandemic made it worse (Washington Post)

Another 9,300 confirmed COVID cases as Florida passes N.Y. for second highest total in U.S. (Miami Herald)

Senate GOP, White House poised to unveil their next coronavirus relief plan (ABC News)

A small Alabama church had a revival and now 40 people have coronavirus (al.com)

Garrett Foster brought his gun to Austin protests. Then he was shot dead (New York Times)

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John Lewis, civil rights giant, crosses Selma bridge on way to Montgomery one final time (NBC News)

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Tom Cotton calls slavery necessary evil in attack on New York Times 1619 Project (The Guardian)

Hurricane Hanna weakens to tropical depression after making landfall in southern Texas (CNN)

Hawaii apparently escapes worst of Douglas wrath  barely (Associated Press)

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U.S. closes consulate in Chengdu, China, after Houston order (NBC News)

Germany rejects Trumps proposal to let Russia back into G7: foreign minister (Reuters)

Everyone is panicking: UK quarantine decision shocks Britons in Spain (The Guardian)

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Sudan to send more troops to Darfur after deadly attacks (BBC)

Mountain rescue crew carry Saint Bernard off Englands highest peak (Associated Press)
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) reported its first suspected case of COVID-19 in Kaesong City, a person who illegally returned to the country from the Republic of Korea (ROK) on July 19, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Sunday.

"An emergency event happened in Kaesong City where a runaway who went to the south three years ago, a person who is suspected to have been infected with the vicious virus returned on July 19 after illegally crossing the demarcation line," KCNA said.

KCNA did not specifically mention whether the individual had been tested, saying that the unnamed person "was put under strict quarantine as a primary step and all the persons who contacted that person and those who have been to the city in the last five days are being thoroughly investigated" and quarantined."

An emergency meeting was later convened by DPRK leader Kim Jong Un to discuss the situation and unanimously adopted the "maximum emergency system" decision.

"Despite the intense preventive anti-epidemic measures taken in all fields throughout the country and tight closure of all the channels for the last six months, there happened a critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country," Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA.

Kim declared a state of emergency and imposed a lockdown on the border city of Kaesong.

KCNA also said that the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) will "administer a severe punishment and take necessary measures" after an investigation of the military unit responsible for the "loose guard" in the runaway case.

The Republic of Korea (ROK) said there's a "high chance" that an individual illegally crossed the border into the DPRK, Yonhap reported citing a military official.

"The military is looking into the detailed routes, seeing high chances of a certain person's border crossing into the North," the official said, adding that regarding the DPRK's report, the military has specified some people and is verifying facts in close collaboration with related agencies.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is reviewing the overall readiness posture of the military, including its monitoring equipment and recorded video clips, he said.

The first suspected case officially announced

If confirmed, it would be the first case officially acknowledged by DPRK authorities, who have so far said the country has no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus.

During an enlarged WPK Political Bureau meeting over COVID-19 protection measures at the beginning of July, Kim said "we have thoroughly prevented the inroad of the malignant virus and maintained stable anti-epidemic situation" despite the worldwide health crisis, which is a "shining success" achieved by the Party leadership and a high sense of voluntary spirit of the people.

Kim repeatedly warned that hasty relief of anti-epidemic measures will result in an unimaginable and irretrievable crisis, stressing that "all the sectors and units should further strengthen the emergency anti-epidemic work till the danger of pandemic incoming is completely rid of."

Meanwhile, ROK President Moon Jae-in offered to the DPRK resuming inter-Korean cooperation by jointly tacking the COVID-19 outbreak, saying that this will be a good opportunity for inter-Korean cooperation.

"(The ROK government) will go and find the most realistic and practical way for inter-Korean cooperation. The COVID-19 crisis can be a new opportunity for inter-Korean cooperation as it is the most urgent and desperate task to cooperate in as of now," Moon said in a meeting with his senior secretaries on the day to mark the second anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration.

In late January, the DPRK declared the launch of a national emergency system against the coronavirus, shutting down its borders and tightening quarantine measures.

The DPRK has kept a ban on public gatherings and made it compulsory for people to wear masks in public places, said a Reuters report on July 1 quoting a World Health Organization official.

As of 8 a.m. July 25, there are now 15,628,936 confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide. The United States has the highest number, 4,179,560, followed by Brazil (2,343,366) and India (1,287,945).
Bachelor In Paradise star Renee Barrett claimed her ex-boyfriend Ciarran Stott quit The Bachelorette last year to rekindle their romance.

And on Friday, Jarrod Woodgate blasted Ciarran, 25, for using his 'grandma's funeral as an excuse to leave Angie Kent' on the show.

Speaking on the So Dramatic podcast, Jarrod, 35, said: 'The first conversation we had, he got on my bad side. He started telling me how he had no affection for Angie and didn't like her at all.'

'I don't like him!' Jarrod Woodgate (pictured) has blasted Ciarran Stott for using his 'grandma's funeral as an excuse to leave Angie Kent' on The Bachelorette on Friday

'And then he ended up having to come up with all these excuses and put on an act so Australia would still love him and he had to find a way to leave the mansion to go to Bali with Renee,' he continued.

He went on to say Ciarran 'came up with some excuse which was his Gran's funeral which had apparently already happened before this moment.'

Jarrod said Angie is his friend and he 'doesn't like Ciarran because he has 'gone on the show and used and abused her and also taken advantage of Renee'.

Show: Jarrod said Angie is his friend and he doesn't like Ciarran (pictured) because he has 'gone on the show and used and abused her and also taken advantage of his ex Renee'

Last week on Bachelor in Paradise, Ciarran acknowledged cheating on Renee when they were together - but he didn't reveal another important detail about their romance.

That left Renee to spill the beans on Tuesday's episode.

She disclosed that the former Army rifleman had secretly been in contact with her when he was on Angie's season of The Bachelorette.

Conflicting accounts: Last week, Renee (pictured) revealed that the tattooed Englishman had quit The Bachelorette last year to rekindle their romance - even though he had told Angie Kent at the time that he was leaving because his grandmother had died

Renee suggested that her ex had quit the series in order to rekindle their romance - which conflicts with what he told Angie at the time.

When he left The Bachelorette last year, Ciarran explained to Angie that he was grieving his grandmother, who had just died in England.

What he failed to tell her was that he was also nursing a broken heart following his split from Renee, whom he'd previously dated when they were both living in Darwin.

Bachelor in Paradise continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel 10
I was the only passenger, he said. The driver was operating the tram car quietly without even looking at me. I could sense he was also trying to dodge the volunteer recruits. Without a single word we rode that tram car the whole day back and forth, back and forth. He shared his meager lunch with me, without even saying a word.
Nasa is ready to launch its mission to Mars this week, the space agency has said.

It has conducted its review ahead of the planned launch on Thursday, it announced, meaning that it everything is still in place to go on schedule.

"The Launch Readiness Review has concluded and the team remains a GO for launch for @NASAPersevere!" Mr Bridenstine wrote on Twitter, linking out to a Nasa article describing how to watch the launch from home.

The official forecast also makes clear that the launch is likely to go ahead as scheduled on Thursday.

The chance of weather that gets in the way of the launch is put at 20 per cent, official forecasts suggest. The primary concerns are about clouds that could prevent the rocket from taking off safely.

Recommended Nasa rover images used to let people see what it would be like on Mars

Nasa has scheduled the launch for 7.50am local eastern time on Thursday.

Unlike some other recent launches  such as the first launch of astronauts from US soil in nearly a decade, which happened in a SpaceX ship last month  the launch has a wide window to allow for mission controllers to wait for any unfavourable conditions to pass. There will be two hours during which the rocket can set off, ending at 9.50am local eastern time.

The mission is set to liftoff on 30 July from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

It will be carried on the Atlas V rocket, which is operated by United Launch Alliance, a collaboration between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Mystic Mountain, a pillar of gas and dust standing at three-light-years tall, bursting with jets of gas from fledgling stars buried within, was captured by Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope in February 2010 Nasa/ESA/STScI Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures The first ever selfie taken on an alien planet, captured by Nasa's Curiosity Rover in the early days of its mission to explore Mars in 2012 Nasa/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Death of a star: This image from Nasa's Chandra X-ray telescope shows the supernova of Tycho, a star in our Milky Way galaxy Nasa Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Arrokoth, the most distant object ever explored, pictured here on 1 January 2019 by a camera on Nasa's New Horizons spaceraft at a distance of 4.1 billion miles from Earth Getty Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory in January 2012. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures The first ever image of a black hole, captured by the Event Horizon telescope, as part of a global collaboration involving Nasa, and released on 10 April 2019. The image reveals the black hole at the centre of Messier 87, a massive galaxy in the nearby Virgo galaxy cluster. This black hole resides about 54 million light-years from Earth Getty Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Pluto, as pictured by Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft as it flew over the dwarf planet for the first time ever in July 2015 Nasa/APL/SwRI Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures A coronal mass ejection as seen by the Chandra Observatory in 2019. This is the first time that Chandra has detected this phenomenon from a star other than the Sun Nasa Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Dark, narrow, 100 meter-long streaks running downhill on the surface Mars were believed to be evidence of contemporary flowing water. It has since been suggested that they may instead be formed by flowing sand Nasa/JPL/University of Arizona Nasa's groundbreaking decade of space exploration: In pictures Morning Aurora: Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station in October 2015 Nasa/Scott Kelly

The mission will carry the Perseverance rover, which is scheduled to land on the surface in February 2021. When it does, it will look for signs of both habitable conditions in the past  as well as any evidence of ancient life that may once have been present on the red planet.

If the launch is able to happen during the current window, it will have to be pushed back by more than two years, to wait for the next opportunity when the planets will align to allow for a launch.
United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL called for "maximum restraint" after clashes Monday on the border between Lebanon and Israel, adding the firing had stopped.

An AFP correspondent reported Israeli artillery bombardment on the hills of Kfarchouba in the Shebaa Farms area near the Israeli position of Roueysaat al-Alam, and reported plumes of smoke rising above the area.

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George Poikayil By

Express News Service

KASARGOD: When neighbours were hesitant to approach a toddler in quarantine who was bitten by a viper, a headload worker moved quickly to save the girl. Jinil Mathew, the worker, is now under quarantine after the one-and-half-year-old girl tested positive for COVID. But she is out of danger.

The doctors said if she was brought 15 minutes late, we would have lost our daughter, said Jeevan Animoothil, the girls father. Jeevan, wife Nitha and their three daughters came to Panathur from Patna (Bihar) on July 16.

Since then, they were under quarantine at their house at Vattakayam. The couple taught in a private school in Patna. On the night of June 21, their youngest daughter, Josina Anna Jeevan, was bitten by the snake when she reached out to the bedside window.

I pushed aside the curtain and saw the snake coiled up on the window grill, Jeevan said. He said they were tense but tore up a cloth and bandaged the arm. Then Nitha and I rushed out of our house and started screaming that a snake had bit our daughter, he said. Vattakayam is a residential area with around 50 people living within shouting distance.

The couple said they saw neighbours crowding outside their house, but no one came inside to help us. Maybe because we were in quarantine, Jeevan said. Thats when Jinil rushed in like an angel. I will always call him an angel because he saved my daughter, he said. Jinil, CPMs Vattakayam branch secretary, lives right opposite to their house. I heard them wailing and rushed in, he said.

Jinil went straight to the room, killed the snake, picked its carcass in one hand and the little girl in the other, and had the mobile phone pressed between his ear and shoulder, Jeevan said. He was not even wearing a shirt but was doing everything like Superman. By the time he reached the road, an ambulance had arrived, he said.

Jinil had called his friend Binu Kundupally, who drives an ambulance at Panathur. Jinils friend Jomon too got into the front seat of the vehicle. Jinils wife Jomy got him a shirt before he go t int o the ambulance. Jeevan and Nitha had to stay back as they were in quarantine.

Jinil was seeing my daughter for the first time but they kept talking and laughing in the ambulance till they reached the hospital, said Jeevan. Jinil said the little girl was calm though she was bleeding. They first reached the district hospital but were directed to the MCH in Pariyaram.

There, two nurses and a doctor were waiting for them. She was taken to the ICU in five minutes, Jinil said. Back in Panathur, two youths, Albin and Vishak, took the car of one Mariamma and asked the parents to hop in.

They took a risk to take us to Pariyaram, said Jeevan. Jeevan is back in quarantine in his house. Nitha is with her daughter at the MCH. Jomon and Jinil are in quarantine in a school at Balanthode. CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, in an FB post, applauded Jinil for his act. By saving the precious life, he has upheld humanity, Kodiyeri said.
tech2 News Staff

In a web conference that begins 8.30 pm IST, the Royal Society of Medicine has brought together a group of thought leaders from around the world to share some of the key global learnings on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on human health.

Leading health experts, they said on the event website, will condense available evidence under four main areas of discussion around the coronavirus pandemic:

Respiratory effects: critical care and ventilation

Cardiovascular complications and the role of thrombosis

Impacts on the brain and the nervous systems

Looking forward: research, vaccines and future management strategies

As per the agenda, experts will be sharing the most effective ways of treating COVID-19 around the world, and the extent to which the pandemic has affected patients. Also shared will be advice to improve treatment and what can be done to prevent such impacts in future outbreaks.

The international panel of speakers include:

Rt Hon Professor Lord Kakkar , Professor of Surgery, University College London

, Professor of Surgery, University College London Professor Anita Simonds , Consultant in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at NHS Foundation Trust

, Consultant in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at NHS Foundation Trust Dr Charles Powell , Janice and Coleman Rabin Professor of Medicine Systems and Chief, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System

, Janice and Coleman Rabin Professor of Medicine Systems and Chief, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System Dr Eva Polverino , Pulmonologist and Senior Investigator in respiratory infections at Vall d'Hebron Hospital, Barcelona; Chair for the Respiratory Infections Assembly at the European Respiratory Society

, Pulmonologist and Senior Investigator in respiratory infections at Vall d'Hebron Hospital, Barcelona; Chair for the Respiratory Infections Assembly at the European Respiratory Society Dr Richard Oeckler , Director, Medical Intensive Care Unit; Medical Director, Post-Intensive Care Syndrome Clinic; Consultant, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Mayo Clinic

, Director, Medical Intensive Care Unit; Medical Director, Post-Intensive Care Syndrome Clinic; Consultant, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Mayo Clinic Professor Barbara Casadei, President of the European Society of Cardiology and British Heart Foundation; Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital

President of the European Society of Cardiology and British Heart Foundation; Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital Professor K Srinath Reddy , President, Public Health Foundation of India

, President, Public Health Foundation of India Professor Samuel Goldhaber, Associate Chief and Clinical Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine; Head, Vascular Medicine Section; Director, Thrombosis Research Group; Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School

Associate Chief and Clinical Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine; Head, Vascular Medicine Section; Director, Thrombosis Research Group; Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School Dr Hadi Manji, Consultant Neurologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at National Hospital for Neurology, London

Consultant Neurologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at National Hospital for Neurology, London Dr Andrew Russman, Head, Stroke Program; Medical Director, Comprehensive Stroke Center at Cleveland Clinic

Head, Stroke Program; Medical Director, Comprehensive Stroke Center at Cleveland Clinic Professor Emily A Holmes, Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Dr Andrew Badley, HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Professor of Infectious Diseases and Enterprise Chair, Department of Molecular Medicine, Director, HIV Immunology Lab and Chair, Mayo Clinic SARS-CoV2/ COVID-19 Research Task Force, Mayo Clinic, Rochester

HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Professor of Infectious Diseases and Enterprise Chair, Department of Molecular Medicine, Director, HIV Immunology Lab and Chair, Mayo Clinic SARS-CoV2/ COVID-19 Research Task Force, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Dr Monica Musenero , Assistant Commissioner, Epidemiology and Surveillance at Ministry of Health, Uganda

, Assistant Commissioner, Epidemiology and Surveillance at Ministry of Health, Uganda Professor Robin Shattock, Professor of Mucosal Infection and Immunity, Imperial College London

Professor of Mucosal Infection and Immunity, Imperial College London Professor Sian Griffiths, Emeritus Professor at CUHK; Advisory Member of the Board of Public Health England; Chair, Global Health Committee; Visiting Professor, Imperial College London

Emeritus Professor at CUHK; Advisory Member of the Board of Public Health England; Chair, Global Health Committee; Visiting Professor, Imperial College London Professor Sir Simon Wessely , Royal Society of Medicine President; Professor of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London; Consultant Psychiatrist, Kings College Hospital and the Maudsley Hospital

, Royal Society of Medicine President; Professor of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London; Consultant Psychiatrist, Kings College Hospital and the Maudsley Hospital Professor Roger Kirby, Royal Society of Medicine President-Elect and Trustee

Join us at 8.30 pm IST for live updates from the event on our website and Twitter page.
He said the association would like to see more rental assistance for tenants, so that landlords can still get paid: I dont see anyone clamoring to let people go into Giant and Harris Teeter and get food and not have to pay for it.
A new wall blocking off the White House South Lawn on Sunday.

Rebecca Rainey/Politico

Once clearly visible from the street, the White House is now obstructed by a massive 'anti-climb' wall.

Construction has ramped up following protests over the death of George Floyd, but plans for an 'anti-climb' component to the White House perimeter have been in the works since July 2016, according to the White House history website.

A photo of the wall captured Sunday by Politico reporter Rebecca Rainey was widely shared, clearing 24,000 retweets in under 24 hours.

The White House would not comment on the record to Insider, while a National Parks Service spokeswoman told Insider a new fence was started in July 2019, with the south portion beginning construction recently.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The days of leaning on the black barred fencing for a photo of the White House in the background are ending, with a massive "anti-climb" wall being built around the South Lawn.

Plans for a new perimeter with an "anti-climb" component have been in the works since July 2016, according to the White House history website.

However, several changes have been made to the area surrounding the White House following nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, with various structures put in place to cordon off protesters.

A new photo of the wall went viral on Sunday, after Politico reporter Rebecca Rainey tweeted out a shot showing how much farther away pedestrians now have to remain from the edge of the South Lawn.

Rainey also took a shot from the north side, where Lafayette Square is now closed off via a variety of obstacles.

It remains unclear which aspects of the new wall stem from the Obama-era plan to reinforce the perimeter and which are directly in response to the protests.

The White House declined to comment on the record to Insider.

Story continues

Katie Liming, a spokeswoman for the National Parks Service, told Insider in an email that the new wall is a "white temporary fence" that is part of a broader "fence replacement project."

"The white temporary fence on the south side of the White House is part of the White House fence replacement project," Liming wrote.

"The National Park Service and United States Secret Service began construction on a new White House fence in July 2019. Construction recently began on the south portion of the fence."

A new perimeter was decided upon in the summer of 2016 following the 2014 White House intrusion, when a man was able to climb over the north fence and make it to the front door with a knife before being stopped by an off-duty security officer.

This is what the White House fence situation has looked like over the years:

The South Lawn in the 1870s

The White House South Lawn ca. 1872

White House Collection

Abraham Lincoln famously hosted more than 2,000 visitors following his inauguration in 1861, with accounts at the time remarking upon the line getting so out of hand that many left in frustration.

Several visitors also reportedly lost their coats and other belongings in the crowded reception area.

Back then, you could quite literally walk right up to the White House from the south perimeter.

The White House North Lawn, 1922

"Children's Crusade" protesters in front of the White House in 1922

Library of Congress

On the north side, protesters used to be able to get much closer to the White House than Lafayette Square.

In this 1922 photo, families of political dissidents convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 protest against the Warren G. Harding administration.

The South Lawn in 1965

Visitors gather around the south fence in 1965

J. Fulton/National Geographic Service via the White House Historical Association

The spiky black fence on the South Lawn familiar to most DC tourists was in place by the mid-1960s, allowing for a scenic view of the White House while maintaining an ostensibly difficult perimeter to climb.

New north entrance installed in 1972

The White House North Lawn entrance, photographed in 2010

White House Historical Association

Following the turbulence of the 1960s and protests against the Vietnam War, a beefed up secure entrance was installed along the North Lawn in 1972.

The aesthetics of the gate were intended to mimic those of the 19th Century iron gates, but with more security capabilities, according to the White House Historical Association.

1994 assassination attempt

Bullet gouge in the fence at the front of the White House. Caused by one of the 29 rounds fired from an SKS rifle by Francisco Martin Duran on October, 29, 1994.

Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images

When a gunman fired 29 shots at the White House from the north side in 1994, security upgrades were put in place under then-President Bill Clinton.

The shooter, Francisco Martin Duran, was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

In 1995, Clinton closed Pennsylvania Avenue to all vehicular traffic following the Oklahoma City bombing.

Post-9/11 security upgrades

Construction begins in 2004 on a new, security sensitive pedestrian plaza, 900 feet long and paved with a crushed rock material that will replace the asphalt and lane markings of Pennsylvania Ave in front of the White House.

Tim Sloan/AFP via Getty Images

Following the Sept. 11 attacks, President George W. Bush closed Pennsylvania Avenue to pedestrian traffic.

In Nov. 2004, it was reopened with upgraded security for pedestrian and bicycle traffic between Lafayette Park and the White House fence.

Retractable bollards, new Secret Service checkpoints, and 85 new Elm trees were installed as part of a $26.1 million project.

George Floyd protests and Black Lives Matter Plaza

Protesters gather at Black Lives Matter Plaza in front of the White House and the equestrian statue of former US President General Andrew Jackson protected by a fence and concrete blocks in Washington, DC on June 26, 2020.

OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images

The most significant changes to the White House perimeter have come amid the protests surrounding the death of George Floyd in 2020.

Throughout June and going into July, several fortifications were installed around the White House and particularly on the south side as protesters clashed with Park Police.

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser commissioned a street mural along 16th Street to be renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza on June 5.

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Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya and Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 19:20 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669ad19b 1 National pre-employment-card,Jokowi Free

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has issued a presidential regulation (Perpres) on remuneration for the directors of the preemployment card program amid ongoing evaluations of several irregularities surrounding the program's training courses.

Presidential Regulation No. 81/2020 sets the salary levels for the programs management  comprising an executive director and a maximum of five directors  at Rp 47 million (US$3,224) to Rp 77.5 million per month.

According to Article 2 of the regulation, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post, the programs president director is entitled to a monthly salary of Rp 77.5 million.

The operational director is entitled to Rp 62 million per month, the technology director Rp 58 million and the partnership, communication and ecosystem development director Rp 54.2 million, while the monitoring and evaluation director and the legal, general and financial director will receive Rp 47 million each.

In addition to their salary, they will also get travel allowances and social security insurance.

However, some House of Representatives members have questioned the regulation as they highlighted that the program -- which entails a mix of social assistance and up-skilling for laid-off workers affected by the pandemic  had been temporarily suspended.

Saleh Daulay, a lawmaker in House Commission IX overseeing health affairs, said the government should have addressed the irregularities in the preemployment card program before setting the remuneration for its management.

Read also: Govt to give social aid to preemployment card beneficiaries while training courses are evaluated

By issuing the Perpres, it means the government will restart the program," the National Mandate Party (PAN) politician said, adding that the regulation alone would not help Jokowi's administration to solve the problems surrounding the program.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) recently revealed its findings surrounding irregularities in the program, from participant eligibility to the appointment of the eight digital platforms for the program that might not have gone through the proper procedures for goods and services procurement among other issues.

The antigraft body also raised the issue of potential conflicts of interest with 250 courses offered under the program, as they were run by firms linked to partnering platforms. The preemployment card committee finally suspended the sale of course bundles offered by partnered learning platforms after discovering lapses in accountability.

Separately, Kurniasih Mufidayati of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said the government should evaluate the program, citing the need for more financial assistance for workers and members of the public affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The government should focus on and prioritize the cards beneficiaries. They have been affected by the pandemic. The economic situation is very difficult, she said.

The government planned to start in-person training courses in August under the preemployment card program despite the surges in confirmed COVID-19 case numbers since it began to gradually ease restrictions last month.

However, Denni Puspa Purbasari, the president director of the program's management said an exact date had yet to be set.
Iran refutes US weird approach to Afghan peace talks in absence of Afghan Government

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, July 26, IRNA -- Iranian diplomatic mission in Kabul in a statement rejected fallacious remarks made by Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad on Iran's position in Afghan peace talks, saying Iran supports peace talks respecting national sovereignty and Government of Afghanistan.

Rejecting Khalilzad's false claims with regard to Iran's views and performance in Afghan peace process, Iranian embassy reaffirmed Iran's support for establishing peace and stability in Afghanistan and its stable stance to peace and security in Afghanistan in due course inter-Afghan peace talks respecting national sovereignty and Government of Afghanistan.

Iranian mission advised the US officials to study about Iranian Government views on regional issues and Afghanistan before making any comment.

Khalilzad earlier claimed that Iran does not provide enough support for the efforts to maintain peace in Afghanistan.

This is while, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi said earlier that the US intentions in the Afghan peace process are doubtful.

Araghchi stressed that the peace process in Afghanistan should be addressed through dialogue between Afghans, but that there are various factors that discourage Iran from the US peace plan with the Taliban.

"We believe that the US should not be trusted and that the US presence in the region is dangerous and will cause a lot of discord in the region," he said.

In the absence of the Afghan Government, the US formally negotiated with the Taliban and made a deal about the future of Afghanistan, Araghchi said.

The US entered into a deal with the Taliban and legitimized the group and held talks with them in the absence of the Afghan Government, Araghchi said, noting that the US considers itself a supporter of Afghan Government signed peace deal without it.

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In the vast expanses of rural Texas, coronavirus is creeping in like the dust.

And - like the dust - few pay it much mind.

Outside the state's pandemic-ravaged big cities is Donald Trump country, where the disease is seen as more threatening to personal freedoms than personal health. Masks mostly stay in the truck, where they're fetched only if needed. Even then, they're worn grudgingly out of politeness to business owners -- many who are friends or neighbors -- and taken off again as soon as possible.

That thinking is making it harder to stamp out the latest outbreak as it spreads to the most remote corners of the state, putting a population with the highest concentration of elderly at increasing risk.

"I'm not worried about it," said Jeff Donaldson, a 63-year-old resident of Bosque County who has been occupying himself riding motorcycles and fishing with friends since he retired as a truck driver. "It's all just about the politics."

Gov. Greg Abbott, who initially resisted stringent measures to combat the disease, is enduring the fury of his own party's right wing to convince voters like Donaldson. Four Republican state legislators called mask requirements "tyranny, plain and simple." And that was before the governor reversed course early this month as the state's outbreak intensified, ordering businesses to require face coverings in any county with 20 or more active cases.

Abbott's approval rate has dropped to 47% from 56% since early June, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released July 22.

Teeming Houston has become one of the nation's hottest covid zones, with hospitals straining to contain all the sick. Dallas County had an 18-day streak of 1,000 or more cases a day. But in counties like Bosque, about 95 miles southwest of Dallas, surging coronavirus deaths compete with the conviction that the pandemic is being hyped to undermine Trump's reelection. With local case counts still relatively low, many people don't doubt Covid-19 is real, but dismiss it as no worse than a bad flu.

While Texas's big cities have become multicultural melting pots with international perspectives and predominantly Democratic political establishments, the state's small towns are pure Texas. Toughness, independence and a rebellious spirit shape the culture. Trump, despite his New York City pedigree, is seen as a fellow fighter, admired for defying the establishment, whether it's big-government elites or liberal media.

To these places, the virus has come. Only four out of Texas's 254 counties remain untouched by covid-19, down from 23 on June 1. The state has been regularly charting about 10,000 new cases a day in July, and daily deaths were at 173 Thursday, bringing the total to 4,521.

Masks are a particular sore point in rural Texas, as residents cite the cascade of contradictory advice about how much they actually help fight the virus. Top health officials originally advised against wearing them, and Trump himself resisted being seen in public with a face covering until recent days.

Tucked into verdant hills separating sandy West Texas from Central Texas farmlands, two neighboring counties illustrate the challenges. Bosque, population 18,700, currently has 55 active cases. There are just 25 in Hamilton County, where about 8,500 people live.

But both counties have seen a five-fold increase in the past two weeks. What's worse, their percentage of 65-and-older residents is twice the state's average.

Bosque County's cases will continue to rise, said Judge Don Pool, the county's highest elected official. Tourists from hot spots such as Dallas and Waco poured into nearby Lake Whitney on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, certainly bringing the virus with them, he said. Locals are fed up with sheltering at home and are venturing out more.

"When I go out in the country, a tremendous number of people are wearing masks. They're trying to behave," Pool said. "But there's still this element that thinks this is no worse than a cold and they're going to do what they want because it's their right."

Pool is walking a fine line with voters - 80% of whom voted for Trump - after active cases surpassed 20 in his county and triggered the governor's mask mandate. He hears the conspiracy theories and is constantly defending the constitutionality of the order he requires businesses to post.

"They're infringing on our rights," said Melanie Stark, 46, who shopped maskless at a grocery store in Meridian. The face covering is suffocating for Stark, who preferred to use her maiden name, and she believes she's healthy enough to withstand the virus if she got it. "You can't enforce something like this."

Sherri Beardan, 42, whose beauty salon was closed in April for more than four weeks, wears a mask as required while conducting business, but she's not concerned about health risks. She doesn't believe the rising virus numbers are accurate.

"I think it's a whole government crock of B.S.," she said. "They want to get rid of the president. They want him to look as bad as possible."

The case count in the county is still low and few people know anyone who's contracted the virus, making it seem like a far-removed, big-city problem.

Septuagenarians John and Mary Bingaman were turned around by the manager of Johnny's Place in the tiny Bosque County town of Clifton when they entered the diner without masks. Without complaint, John, 73, fetched them from his truck, and they were seated for breakfast. The couple doesn't really see the need - no one they know locally has gotten sick.

"I don't think it's as bad as they say it is," said Mary Bingaman, 76.

Bradley Calderon, 31, and Karrie Bradshaw, 38, who both work at a convenience store and fast-food restaurant called Cubs Corner in Clifton are taking the virus seriously. Calderon's wife is pregnant and he wears gloves and a mask at all times, even though some regular customers don't. "I'm in safety mode," he said.

Bradshaw's fear of the disease comes from knowing someone near Dallas - a former boss in his mid-40s - who got critically ill from the virus. Bradshaw said she's shocked by how many locals believe the pandemic will subside after the election.

With chronic bronchitis, Randy Yates, 62, knows he's in a high-risk category, but sides with those who say Covid-19 is hyped. He puts on a mask when entering a business out of politeness to the owner or employees, but said he won't be told what to do by the governor or county judge. Yates, like many residents, believes Bosque County will pull through the pandemic just fine. That hinges on faith, he said, not following orders of government officials.

"If the good Lord is ready for me, there's not a thing in the world I can do to change it," he said after a meal at Johnny's Place. "I'm not going to panic about what's going on in this world."
Atilis Gym is pictured in Bellmawr, N.J., on Tuesday, July 21, 2020. The gym has reopened against New Jersey's coronavirus restrictions. Read more

The owners of Atilis Gym were arrested Monday morning and the entrance to the Bellmawr gym was boarded up, putting a temporary end to the months-long standoff between the defiant business owners and the State of New Jersey.

Ian Smith, 33, and Frank Trumbetti, 51, were charged with fourth-degree contempt, as well as obstruction and violation of a disaster control act, both disorderly persons summonses, the Camden County Prosecutors Office said.

The Camden County Sheriffs Office arrived at the gym about 5 a.m. to arrest the owners when they continued to operate their business after a judge issued a contempt order against them on Friday.

The two refused to leave the gym when asked, leading to the charges, the Prosecutors Office said in a statement. Smith and Trumbetti have since been released.

After Atilis Gym refused to comply with multiple criminal citations and Superior Court orders, including a contempt-of-court order issued Friday, today law enforcement entered the premises to ensure closure of the gym and to abate the public health risks, said a spokesperson for Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. As the attorney general previously said, the state wishes it had not come to this, but the gym refused to comply even with a contempt order.

Trumbetti said that while he and Smith were at the police department, they watched the entrance to the gym get boarded up through their Ring doorbell camera.

 READ MORE: A judge says Bellmawrs Atilis Gym can remain open if it follows states guidelines. The owners say thats not going to happen.

He said he feels a sense of relief, as he and Smith have been anticipating their arrest for months.

We need to move forward, he said. Now it forces the issue on everything ... the fact that they arrested two guys who are just trying to run a business and keep people healthy.

Now I truly believe the backlash and pressure will force them to address this, he said.

In May, the gym reopened against Gov. Phil Murphys shutdown orders. The owners made multiple appearances on Fox News, declaring the orders unconstitutional and garnering a base of national supporters who raised tens of thousands of dollars to help with potential legal fees. Local police wrote municipal citations, and then, on May 22, the New Jersey Department of Health ordered the facility to close indefinitely and changed its locks.

Smith and Trumbetti, represented by New York-based Mermigis Law Group, filed a temporary restraining order against the state orders. The judge denied their request, but said they could reopen solely to operate the nutrition shop inside, deemed an essential business. The owners hosted workouts outside the gym from June 16 through July 4, but then moved the sessions back inside.

 READ MORE: Court rules New Jersey can shut down gym that defied closure

On July 20, Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy in Camden ruled that Atilis must comply completely with an executive order by Murphy that limits indoor gym use to individual training sessions in separate rooms and bars unrestricted public use. The owners refused, and on Friday, the judge held the gym in contempt of court and said the state could shut it down.

The owners took the doors off the hinges to prevent the state from changing their locks again, and began monitoring the facility 24/7. Monday morning, they were taken out in handcuffs.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Amazon will open three new delivery stations in Northeast Ohio this year, speeding up deliveries.

The stations in Cleveland, Glenwillow and Bedford Heights are expected to add hundreds of full- and part-time jobs to the local economy. The jobs pay at least $15 per hour and come with a variety of benefits packages, the online retailer said in a statement. Additional independent contractors called Amazon Flex Drivers also will be hired for the delivery stations.

The investment that Amazon is making in the City of Cleveland speaks to our growing appeal to industry of all types and businesses of all sizes, Mayor Frank G. Jackson said in a statement. The new jobs to be created by these new stations are a welcome investment in our local economy.

Delivery stations also offer entrepreneurs the opportunity to build their own business delivering Amazon packages. To learn more, click here.

Amazon recently announced that Amazon Prime Day has been delayed in the United States due to the pandemic. A new date will be set later this year, the company said.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a suit filed by the deposed Kano emir, Muhammadu Sanusi, over his banishment.

Mr Adamu in his preliminary objection, is arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the fundamental rights enforcement suit.

Mr Sanusi was deposed following a resolution of the Kano State Executive Council on March 9, on allegations of insubordination.

Following his sack, he was taken to Awe in Nasarawa State and detained in an apartment in the town until March 13 when he obtained an interim order of the court for his release from house arrest.

The deposed emir in the substantive suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/357/2020 through his lead lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi, contested that his banishment and subsequent house arrest violated his right to freedom of movement, among others.

Many Nigerian lawyers condemned the dethronement and banishment of the emir to Nasarawa, saying he was not granted fair hearing before the dethronement and as such banishment violates his freedom of movement.

Salvo

But the IGP, who is the first respondent, is challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit, contending that the rights violation complained of by Mr Sanusi followed his dethronement which took place in Kano.

Mr Adamu argued that Kano ought to be the appropriate venue for Mr Sanusi to file the suit and not Abuja.

The Police Inspector-General (IGP), Mohammed Adamu. [PHOTO CREDIT: @toluogunlesi]

He stated that, the alleged infringement of the fundamental right of the applicant in this suit (Sanusi) is only ancillary to the dethronement of the applicant as the Emir of Kano, which is a matter within the jurisdiction of the High Court of a state.

It is crystal clear from all the processes filed by the applicant that the facts that gave rise to this case arose from Kano State, where the applicant was dethroned as the Emir and flown to Abuja enroute Nasarawa State.

READ ALSO:

It is our submission that coming into Abuja was only as a mere passage to their actual destination, which is Nasarawa State, and as such, Abuja cannot, by any stretch of reasoning, be said to be the place where the infringement occurred.

Mr Adamu added that the dethronement which led to his banishment was a chieftaincy matter that only state High Court and not the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to hear.

Counter claim

But in a counter-affidavit, the deposed emir faulted the IGPs contention insisting that his suit was not about his dethronement but his familys forceful ejection from the palace and banishment from Kano and subsequent confinement.

Mr Sanusi argued that the infringement of his fundamental rights was not limited to Kano but was a continuous process that spanned three territories  Kano, Abuja and Nasarawa.

The nucleus or gravamen of the applicants complaint is centrally on the violations of the applicants fundamental rights and there is no or any other complaints therein.

The claim of the applicant, as presently constituted, does not have any colouration of a chieftaincy matter as alleged by the first respondent. The applicant is not challenging his deposition in this case, the former Central Bank of Nigeria governor argued.

The judge, Anwuli Chikere, has fixed October 20 for hearing.
OKLAHOMA CITY  The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority on Tuesday will consider raising the maximum speed limits to 80 mph on rural portions of some turnpikes.

The current maximum speed limit is 75 mph.

Among the areas proposed for the change is a 13-mile stretch of the Turner Turnpike in Creek County, from milepost 203 to milepost 216, within the newly constructed six-lane section that extends from Sapulpa to 6 miles east of Bristow.

The recent passage of House Bill 1071 set the stage for statewide studies on potential maximum speed limit increases to 80 mph on rural turnpikes and 75 mph on rural interstates that are not turnpikes.

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and the Oklahoma Transportation Commission considered several factors, including roadway geometry, sight distance, collision history, traffic flows, tolling operations, roadway surface and existing speed patterns before making their recommendations.

Existing maximum speed limits in urban areas will not change but could be considered in the future.
CORPUS CHRISTI  A day after roaring ashore as a hurricane, Hanna lashed the Texas Gulf Coast on Sunday with high winds and drenching rains that destroyed boats, flooded streets and knocked out power across a region already reeling from a surge in coronavirus cases.

Downgraded to a tropical storm, Hanna passed over the U.S.-Mexico border with winds near 50 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. It unloaded more than 12 inches of rain on parts of South Texas and northeastern Mexico.

Border communities whose health care systems were already strained by COVID-19 cases  with some patients being airlifted to larger cities  found themselves under siege from the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season.

Neighborhoods and streets were flooded, but there were no immediate reports of any deaths on either side of the border.

At the height of the storm, nearly 200,000 customers were without power throughout South Texas, including Corpus Christi, Harlingen and Brownsville. Sunday night, there were still about 72,000 with no electricity, AEP officials said.

Dr. Ivan Melendez, the health authority in Hidalgo County, was treating a patient overnight at a hospital when he and a nurse noticed water streaming down a wall and pooling on the floor. The water was flowing through a vent in the room, which had been retrofitted with a fan to create negative pressure and prevent the virus from spreading through the hospital.

After driving home in the storm in the middle of the night, Melendez was trapped Sunday morning in his home by downed trees, and he had no electricity. He used the phone to discuss whether to put a 58-year-old woman on a ventilator, a decision he felt uncomfortable making without seeing the patient in person.

You look at the peoples eyes, he said. Youll know if theyre in despair.

Another doctor decided to place the woman on the ventilator, he said later.

In Corpus Christi, residents were devastated to find that a beloved landmark had been decimated by the storm, its T-head torn from its moorings.

Access to what remained of the Bob Hall Pier, a popular fishing destination for locals and tourists alike, was blocked off Sunday.

Large bands of heavy rain and winds sent violent waves crashing on Corpus Christi beaches Saturday, and maximum sustained winds were more than 85 mph about the time the pier lost its T-head, according to the National Weather Service.

From her post at Bob Hall Pier, Johnette Cook has seen marriage proposals, grieving loved ones spreading ashes on the waves and fathers teaching their sons to fish.

Its a place that is alive with different experiences, said Cook, a licensed professional counselor who in 2014 took up a part-time job collecting gate fees at the pier.

At 1,240 feet long, the pier is touted by the citys visitors bureau as fishing at its best.

Locals were quick to lament the loss as surfside camera images of the pier without its T-head circulated on social media Sunday.

Residents also watched with fear as high tide rushed the Art Museum of South Texas on the citys Shoreline Boulevard.

A few inches of water ended up flooding the first floor of the museum, causing damage to childrens classrooms, a theater and a digital lab that are located there, museum marketing coordinator Kirby Tello said.

The area has been closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so little artwork and few supplies were in harms way, Tello said. Crews are still assessing the extent of the damage to the space and technology, Tello said.

But the permanent collection was unharmed, she said.

The outpouring of support has just been overwhelming in the best way possible, Tello said Sunday.

The Selena Memorial by the Peoples Street T-head, with its life-size statue of the famed Tejano signer, came through the storm unscathed.

Henry Van De Putte, CEO of the Red Cross Texas Gulf Coast chapter, said the organization would open more shelters with reduced capacity to ensure social distancing.

Volunteers and people seeking refuge will undergo temperature checks, and a medical professional will be assigned to each location, he said.

A community building known as the Dome in Mercedes in the mid-Valley area was set aside for evacuees who had tested positive for COVID-19 or were exposed to the virus. Across the region, shelters were also opened in hotels, schools and gyms.

San Antonio also made hotel rooms available to evacuees, setting up a welcome center at Freeman Coliseum. As of Sunday evening, however, only two out-of-town families had accepted the offer.

Van De Putte emphasized that people should not delay seeking help because of the virus.

Yes, coronavirus provides risk, but so does floodwater, so does not having electricity, so does not having required medications, he said. Were doing everything we can do possible to make it a safe environment.

Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said the county of more than 800,000 weathered between 8 and 12 inches of rain and heavy winds, with no fatalities.

Nevertheless, Cortez noted that they were evacuating people while many vehicles were stranded and power lines and transformers were down.

In McAllen, city director of communications Xochitl Mora said Sunday afternoon that there were a few evacuations but no reports of any injuries or fatalities. She believes most of the city of around 152,000 lost power Saturday night at the height of the storm.

Sunday afternoon, Cary Zayas , Edinburgs director of communications and media, said the Hidalgo county seat did see some flood-related rescues but no fatalities or storm-related injuries.

Thank God, people are safe, Zayas said.

Edinburg Fire Chief Shawn Snider said first responders had performed close to 325 evacuations since Saturday, from residents trapped in their vehicles to those facing water encroaching into their homes.

He noted the city and county drainage systems were at capacity Sunday afternoon but that a lot of Edinburgs streets had cleared up.

A lot of the city is out from underwater, Snider said.

Coastal states scrambled this spring to adjust emergency hurricane plans to account for the virus, and Hanna was the first big test. Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday that some people in need of shelter would be given hotel rooms to keep them apart from others.

Abbott announced Sunday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved an emergency declaration that will provide federal aid.

Hanna blew ashore as a Category 1 storm late Saturday afternoon with winds of 90 mph not far from Port Mansfield, which is about 130 miles south of Corpus Christi.

Residents of Corpus Christi are hoping the city will restore the Bob Hall Pier.

It was kind of our Huntington Beach. It might not be as grand, but its ours, said Steven Jolly, a lifelong resident and high school social studies teacher.

Jolly said he learned to surf with his dad in the waters surrounding the pier. Hes taken his 6-year-old daughter, Levi Jolly, to the beach there and kind of always envisioned her growing up with those same memories that I have.

Krista Torralva covers several school districts and public universities in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Krista, become a subscriber. Krista.Torralva@express-news.net | Twitter: @KMTorralva
Spains tourism industry is at increasing risk of being shut down as countries across Europe seek to restrict visits to the Mediterranean nation, following an order by the British government to quarantine visitors.

Spain is a safe country, Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said Sunday. Spain has outbreaks. As do other countries. Whats important is that Spain is making great efforts to control these outbreaks.

A steady increase in new infections in Spain last week pushed Boris Johnsons government on Saturday to order a 14-day quarantine for all visitors from Spain. Other European countries, including Belgium, France and Norway, have also begun advising against visits to certain areas in Spain, and more restrictions could be coming, threatening a sector that accounts for 12% of the countrys economy.

The increase in new cases is definitely an issue for Germany too, Berlins Health Minister Dilek Kalayci said in an interview.

Second-Wave Risk

The UKs decision to quarantine travellers from Spain creates a tense standoff between two countries that need each other as the prospect of a second wave of coronavirus gets real. Both their economies are tanking during critical summer months when people are finally emerging from lockdown and ready to spend.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab defended the governments actions in an interview with Sky News on Sunday: We took the decision as swiftly as we could, and we cannot make apologies for doing so.

Taking decisive action was important, otherwise we risk re-infection into the UK, potentially a second wave here and the another lockdown, he said.

The UK is critical to the Spanish economy -- many of its pensioners have retired along the countrys Mediterranean coast, and British sun-seekers account for 20% of Spains overall visitors. The tension takes place against a backdrop of Brexit, with the UK severing its ties with the European Union.

The shock UK travel ruling was prompted by new virus cases spiking in Spains Catalonia region. Hard-hit airlines relying on those flights to stay afloat are angry at measures they see as overly broad.

We are disappointed that the government has decided to impose a quarantine requirement for those traveling from the whole of Spain since the increased occurrence of coronavirus is regional rather than nationwide, EasyJet Plc said in a statement Sunday. The decision throws thousands of Britons travel plans into chaos.

British Airways said its yet another blow for British holidaymakers and cannot fail to have an impact on an already troubled aviation industry. The uncertainty and confusion is damaging for business and disappointing for those looking forward to a well-deserved break, Andrew Flintham, managing director at TUI AGs UK and Irish operations, said in a statement.

Ryanair Holdings Plc called the new rule regrettable. Europes biggest discount carrier on Monday posted a 185 million-euro ($217 million) quarterly loss and said a potential second wave is the companys biggest fear.

There are going to be localized breakouts in my view across Europe, Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan said in an interview. Youre going to see areas opening up, areas closing down and thats where flexibility is going to be hugely important for ourselves and other airlines.

Ryanair Says Second Virus Wave Is Worst Fear as Losses Mount

Applying rules to an entire country rather than specific regions is unnecessary, said Manchester Airports Group Chief Executive Officer Charlie Cornish.

The British order will have an impact on Spanish-bound airlines and will dent broader short-haul travel momentum, which until now (at least on the continent) appeared to be enjoying momentum into August, Citigroup Inc. said in a research note.

After the move, Spain is now focusing on damage control. Gonzalez Laya said the country is working with the UK government to create air corridors for tourists to the Balearic Islands, home to the popular vacation destinations of Ibiza and Mallorca, as well as the Canary islands.
Ukraines government forces and Russia-backed separatists seek to end years of hostilities in the countrys east.

Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed separatists have begun a full and comprehensive ceasefire in a new bid to try and end years of hostilities in the war-torn countrys east.

The truce, which came into force at midnight on Monday, had been agreed last week by negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The Ukrainian army said an order had been issued to comply with a full and comprehensive ceasefire. Hours later it accused the separatists of having violated the truce.

Unfortunately, from the enemy side, there were shots fired at 00:20 (21:20 GMT) and 00:45 (21:45 GMT), Ukrainian General Volodymyr Kravchenko told a news conference, according to comments carried by state news agency Ukrinform.

The Ukrainian military said in a statement that the shooting occurred near the town of Uzhivka, south of the rebel stronghold city of Donetsk. Kravchenko said that the Ukrainian military was continuing to observe the ceasefire.

He said enemy shots had also been registered about 9am (06:00 GMT), near the town of Novomikhailovka, south-west of Donetsk. He said the shots had not endangered Ukrainian military forces.

Representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic denied the accusations, saying in a statement that it was strictly abiding by the obligations.

Under the terms of the agreement, the use of any weapons, including small arms, is prohibited.

Since the conflict broke out between Kyiv forces and pro-Moscow separatists in 2014, there have been numerous attempts to end the fighting but those ceasefires never held long enough to pave the way for peace talks.

Deadly conflict

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russian leader Vladimir Putin to discuss the ceasefire agreement and steps to end the war.

Putin stressed the importance of implementing a peace deal agreed in Minsk, Belarus, in 2015, the Kremlin said.

Ukraine has been fighting separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions following Moscows annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

More than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far.

Kyiv and its Western allies accuse Moscow of supporting separatists with troops and arms, a claim the Kremlin has always denied.

Four-way talks between France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine seek the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the restoration of Kyivs control over its borders, wider autonomy for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the holding of local elections.
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A slight ground subsidence was reported on Sunday at one of the corners of building number 17 on Brazil Street in Zamalek as well as at the front yard and fence of the adjacent Bahraini embassy

Related Zamalek building evacuated due to land subsidence related to Cairo metro construction

Egypt's transport minister Kamel El-Wazir inspected on Monday Zamalek district to follow up on damage to its buildings caused by the slight ground subsidence that occurred on Sunday.

The subsidence is believed to be the result of ongoing excavation works to extend Cairo's underground metro to run through the affluent district.

The slight ground subsidence was reported on Sunday at one of the corners of building number 17 on Brazil Street in Zamalek as well as at the front yard and fence of the adjacent Bahraini embassy.

Hisham bin Mohamed Al-Jowder, Bahrain's ambassador to Egypt and the permanent representative to the Arab League, accompanied El-Wazir during his tour, according to a statement by the Ministry of Transport on Monday.

Al-Jowder briefed El-Wazir on damage to the embassy's outer fence and an affiliated room. El-Wazir assured him repairs will start very soon.

Since the announcement that the extension of the third metro line will pass through Zamalek, many residents of the upscale district have expressed concerns, including about the impact of construction on the islands older buildings.

The incident on Sunday revived the residents' concerns.

The metros extended third line will run from Heliopolis to Attaba district in Downtown Cairo and then through a Maspero stop to a new Zamalek stop, and on to the densely populated district of Imbaba on the Giza side of the Nile.

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Management of the Bolgatanga Technical University is appealing to the government to speed up the construction of a lecture hall theatre complex to meet the anticipated increase in students' enrollment for the 2020/2021 academic year.

Chairman of the Governing Council of the university, Prof. Francis Abantanga disclosed this during the 8th congregation of the university.

I wish to appeal to the government to also address the issue of inadequate teaching staff (lecturers), insufficient lecture halls and accommodation facilities in readiness for the first batch of the free Senior High School graduates.

The Bolgatanga Technical University is seriously constrained with lecture hall space and the anticipated increase in student numbers next academic year as a result of the graduation of the first batch of free SHS will be challenging.

Prof. Abantanga, admonished government to urgently prioritize the lecture hall theatre complex project since its drawings and cost has been submitted to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).

Prof.Francis Abantanga. Chairman of Bolgatanga Technical University governing council

Interim Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Samuel Alnaa, commended government for the conversion of the school into a university, but appealed for financial clearance to recruit more lecturers.

He acknowledged that, though the government gave the school financial clearance to recruit 31 new staff in May 2020, it wasn't enough to meet the staff needs of the school.

It is still inadequate to meet our staffing needs for the various departments of the university since we are bringing more programmes on board as well as the unavoidable arrival of the free SHS graduates.

We are pleading to the government through the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) to extend another kind hand to us by granting us more financial clearance.

Interim Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Samuel Alnaa

A total of 362 students who successfully completed their 3-year National Higher Diploma, 2-year Bachelor of Technology and professional Diploma programmes of the 2019 cohorts were graduated.

Prof. Alnaa, challenged the graduates to utilize their entrepreneurial skills and training to strive for excellence in their endeavours.

He admonished the graduates to remain disciplined and avoid corruption and short cuts as they were dangerous to the progress in life.

Prof. Alnaa also hinted that the university this academic year will run new programmes tailored at meeting the needs of industry and potential students who desired to build a career in those fields of discipline.

The programmes are; 4-year Bachelor of Technology in Hospitality management, Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Building Technology and Ecological Agriculture.

Also is, a 3-year Higher National Diploma in Automobile Engineering, Banking and Finance, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Medical Laboratory Technology.

The other programmes are, One and half year top-up Bachelor of Technology in Supply chain management, marketing, Secretaryship and management, computerized Accounting and Hospitality management.

The rest are Ecological Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering and Building Technology.

---citinewsroom
Two women have been sent for trial accused of taking part in a pub brawl in which revellers at a hen night were allegedly attacked.

Two of the party-goers are said to have been injured when punches and bottles were thrown in a row that broke out with three people at the next table.

Marika Puhar (28) and Alison Renard (26) were both returned for trial to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, charged with violent disorder.

Ms Renard, of St Alphonsus Road Lower, Drumcondra, is also charged with producing a bottle in the course of a dispute.

As well as violent disorder, Ms Puhar, of Gardiner Place in the north city centre, faces a second charge of assault causing harm to a woman.

A third accused, Ms Puhar's partner Luka Tomljanovic (32), was sent forward earlier this year and his case is currently before the circuit court.

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Mr Tomljanovic is charged with violent disorder and assaulting two sisters, causing them harm.

Swung

The incident is alleged to have happened at Sam's Bar on Dawson Street in the early hours of last January 20.

Ms Puhar and Ms Renard both had books of evidence served on them at Dublin District Court.

A judge sent them for trial to the present sittings of the circuit court.

Garda Sergeant Gail Smith previously outlined the allegations, saying a row took place between people at the accused's table and an adjacent one, where a group of women were at a hen party.

Sgt Smith said it was alleged Mr Tomljanovic "swung boxes" into the group of girls who were involved in the hen party, punching one woman and her sister in the face.

The court heard the alleged injuries were bruising and "nothing was broken".

Ms Puhar allegedly got involved, striking one woman three times in the face with her fist and throwing bottles.

Ms Renard was accused of throwing a glass bottle at a woman, which connected.

As the incident became more violent, it was alleged she kicked a woman.
A Magistrates Court in Kado, Abuja, on Monday began hearings in a criminal complaint filed against federal government officials who attended the funeral of late Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.

The complainant, Tope Akinyode, accused the defendants of violating the coronavirus protocols on April 18 during Mr Kyaris burial.

Those charged include the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who is also the Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Covid-19; the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema; and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq.

Others are the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Moguno; the Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai; the Chief Protocol Officer, Amb Lawal Kazaure; the Presidents Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad; Presidents Private Secretary, Yusuf Sabiu; Special Assistant to the President, Musa Daura; and the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Sani Aliyu.

None of them was in court on Monday when the registrar called their names.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the social distancing order of the Federal Government was not respected at the funeral and that generated furore on social media.

After a backlash from Nigerians, Messrs Mustapha and Buni tendered apologies to Nigerians.

But Mr Akinyode argued that many citizens had been convicted for the same offence, hence, the top officials should face the law too.

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The Magistrate, Celestine Odo, raised an observation that the criminal complaint was not signed by the complainant. But Mr Akinyode argued that the complaint can only be signed by the magistrate as the law does not mandate a complainant to sign a direct criminal complaint.

He said he filed an affidavit in compliance with Section 89 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act which he duly signed. He argued that he had the liberty to commence the direct criminal complaint orally and the Magistrate or the Court Registrar must record him accordingly.

Following the argument, the magistrate adjourned the matter to August 4 for continuation.
Brands are facing an onslaught of greater demands externally and internally due to digital transformation. The expertise and insights Michelle Beeson will share in her presentation are geared towards helping branded manufacturers manage their growing direct-to-consumer (DTC) demand.

Winshuttle EnterWorks, the industry-leading Master Data Management (MDM) and Product Information Management (PIM) platform, and Comma, the award-winning data management consultancy and system integrator, today announced they will co-sponsor a live virtual presentation on Thursday, July 30 at 9:00 am EST (2 pm BST). The webinar is titled How Can Brands Be Future Ready for Digital Transformation and features Michelle Beeson, Forrester Analyst Serving eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals. It is the final presentation in a successful series of live virtual conferences focusing on Everything MDM & PIM and presented by Winshuttle EnterWorks.

We are thrilled to be hosting this live virtual conference with Comma as the company expands its partnership and joint Go-To-Market efforts with Winshuttle, said Kerry Young, Vice President and General Manager of Winshuttle EnterWorks. Brands are facing an onslaught of greater demands externally and internally due to digital transformation. The expertise and insights Michelle Beeson will share in her presentation are geared towards helping branded manufacturers manage their growing direct-to-consumer (DTC) demand.

The sales opportunity across different digital commerce touchpoints  wholesale partner, marketplace, or direct brand website  is not one-size-fits-all, and in this upcoming session Beeson will address the importance of revamping digital strategies to support DTC and B2B2C. She will also share Forresters latest research and insights related to brands digital commerce strategies, addressing questions such as:



Which brands should sell DTC?

How do these changes affect existing retail and distributor relationships?

How do you ensure your brand is future ready for digital commerce?

Comma is delighted to be sponsoring this live virtual conference with Winshuttle EnterWorks, said Callum MacBurnie, Head of Alliances & Channels at Comma. Unrelenting digital transformation means that businesses now face an explosion of customer, product and supply-chain data. Organizations that are able to manage and maintain their data effectively to drive insight and make better business decisions will be the winners. Data really does need to be at the heart of every brands digital commerce strategy  and that datas transparency, governance, and quality has never been more important.

For more information and to register for the webcast, please click here.

About EnterWorks

Winshuttle EnterWorks is a Multi-Domain MDM & business process automation solution provider that powers 2400+ brands including Fender, GSK, Thomson Reuters, Mary Kay, IDEA, US Foods, Ecolab, Carhartt, Rich Products, and many more. The EnterWorks platform is highly ranked by industry analysts as a Multi-Domain Master Data Management hub with deep Product Information Management (PIM) and Digital Asset Management (DAM) capabilities. Our flexible platform enables customers to deliver high-quality data and experiences across systems, channels, and audiences. Learn more at https://www.winshuttle.com/products/enterworks/.

About Winshuttle

There is a class of business processes you must digitize to thrive in todays increasingly competitive environmentone where process and data are interdependent. This is where Winshuttle excels. We empower business teams to make their processes faster and their data better. And while that may sound simple, it takes just the right combination of process automation and data management capabilitiesand weve been perfecting that combination since 2003. Over 2,400 enterprises across the globe trust Winshuttles SAP automation, product information management (PIM), and multi-domain master data management (MDM) software to drive business results at scale, become more agile and transform digital into a competitive advantage. Discover how at http://www.winshuttle.com.

About Comma

Comma is a specialist consultancy providing Advisory, Delivery and Support services for data management, data governance and data quality. The award-winning data management consultancy and system integrator is driven by business outcome and long-term success for its clients and a strategic partner invested in delivering solutions that align to business objectives. For more information, please visit https://www.comma-group.com/.
HAMILTONA 20-year-old man was stabbed to death early Sunday during a street disturbance in the driveway of a home on Binbrook Road, say police.

Brock Beck, who had been studying mental health at a college in Nova Scotia but was from Binbrook, was rushed to hospital by ambulance but succumbed to his injuries, police said.

He is the 10th victim of homicide in Hamilton this year.

Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk said police responded to a dispute on Binbrook Road, between Highway 56 and Great Oak Trail, around 2 a.m.

He said the fight involved a number of people  no more than 10.

Bereziuk he would not say what led to the dispute or what it was about. He would not speculate if drugs or alcohol were involved or if there had been a party going on.

He said a motive is not yet apparent. We have only theories right now, said Bereziuk.

The victim was not known to the police, he added. Bereziuk said the owner of the property where the homicide happened is being co-operative.

Beck did not live at the address where the stabbing took place, but his family lives in Binbrook, police said. Bereziuk said Becks family is devastated.

Police are looking for video and camera images from the Binbrook Road area, between 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., that show anything suspicious or out of the ordinary for that time of day to assist in their ongoing investigation, said Bereziuk.

Right now, police do not have a description of the suspects, other than they could be looking for more than one person.

One of the few leads is that the driver of a vehicle left the property on Binbrook Road. It is described as a four-door sedan.

Police believe there was probably more than one person in that vehicle when it left the area, Bereziuk said at a news conference Sunday afternoon held near the scene of the crime.

The victims vehicle, a grey Ford sedan, was still at the scene when police arrived.

Police are asking anyone who was in the area to check cameras for any evidence of either of the two vehicles as they drove to the location before the altercation.

Binbrook resident Dorothy McArthur, whose son went to high school with Beck at Saltfleet, said what happened was a shock, absolutely.

My son wouldnt go to downtown Hamilton at night for concerns over this kind of thing, and now it has happened in Binbrook, she said. Its too close. Such a quiet, nice town. You dont expect.

Jason Prentice, who lives close to the scene, said the area is certainly not one characterized by high crime rates  just the opposite. But, Binbrook has gotten much bigger in recent years, and Binbrook Road along that stretch is a busy street, he said, noting many of the homes are rentals.

The police asked if I heard any commotion but I was asleep by 11 p.m. and I hadnt, said Prentice. I didnt hear any loud music. At 2:30 a.m., I woke up because of the flashing lights through the window (from police and emergency vehicles). I knew it was serious when the guys in the suits showed up (detectives).

Becks death marks the citys fourth homicide in just over two weeks.

On July 10, Matar Abouchere was killed in what police say was a targeted attack on the Red Hill Valley Parkway. On July 15, Myah Larmond was killed after being shot at a home on St. Matthews Avenue. Later that week, Ali Mohummad was stabbed and killed after being ambushed in a Limeridge Road West parking lot on July 19.

In all of 2019, Hamilton had 13 homicides. In 2018, there were nine homicides in Hamilton.

So far this year, there have already been 10.

It has been a challenging year, Bereziuk said Sunday.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact Det. David Brewster at 905-546-4067.

Jeff Mahoney is a Hamilton-based columnist covering culture and lifestyle stories, commentary and humour for the Spectator. Reach him via email: jmahoney@thespec.com
Both President Donald Trump's advisers and operatives laboring to defeat him increasingly agree on one thing: The best way for him to regain his political footing is to wrest control of the coronavirus.

In the six months since the deadly contagion was first reported in the United States, Trump has demanded the economy reopen and children return to school, all while scrambling to salvage his reelection campaign.

But both allies and opponents agree he has failed at the one task that could help him achieve all of his goals - confronting the pandemic with a clear strategy and consistent leadership.

Trump's shortcomings have perplexed even some of his most loyal allies, who increasingly have wondered why the president has not at least pantomimed a sense of command over the crisis or conveyed compassion for the millions of Americans impacted by it.

People close to Trump, many speaking anonymously to share candid discussions and impressions, say the president's inability to wholly address the crisis is due to his almost pathological unwillingness to admit error; a positive feedback loop of overly rosy assessments and data from advisers and Fox News; and a penchant for magical thinking that prevented him from fully engaging with the pandemic.

In recent weeks, with more than 146,000 Americans now dead from the virus, the White House has attempted to overhaul - or at least rejigger - its approach. The administration has revived news briefings led by Trump himself and presented the president with projections showing how the virus is now decimating Republican states full of Trump voters. Officials have also set up a separate, smaller coronavirus working group led by Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, along with Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

For many, however, the question is why Trump did not adjust sooner, realizing that the path to nearly all of his goals - from an economic recovery to an electoral victory in November - runs directly through a healthy nation in control of the virus.

"The irony is that if he'd just performed with minimal competence and just mouthed words about national unity, he actually could be in a pretty strong position right now, where the economy is reopening, where jobs are coming back," said Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser to former president Barack Obama. "And he just could not do it."

Many public health experts agree.

"The best thing that we can do to set our economy up for success and rebounding from the last few months is making sure our outbreak is in a good place," said Caitlin Rivers, epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "People are not going to feel comfortable returning to activities in the community - even if it's allowed from a policy perspective - if they don't feel the outbreak is under control."

Some aides and outside advisers have, in fact, tried to stress to Trump and others in his orbit that before he could move on to reopening the economy and getting the country back to work - and life - he needed to grapple with the reality of the virus.

But until recently, the president was largely unreceptive to that message, they said, not fully grasping the magnitude of the pandemic - and overly preoccupied with his own sense of grievance, beginning many conversations casting himself as the blameless victim of the crisis.

In the past couple of weeks, senior advisers began presenting Trump with maps and data showing spikes in coronavirus cases among "our people" in Republican states, a senior administration official said. They also shared projections predicting that virus surges could soon hit politically important states in the Midwest - including Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, the official said.

This new approach seemed to resonate, as he hewed closely to pre-scripted remarks in a trio of coronavirus briefings last week.

"This could have been stopped. It could have been stopped quickly and easily. But for some reason, it wasn't, and we'll figure out what that reason was," Trump said Thursday, seemingly to simultaneously acknowledge his predicament while also trying to assign blame elsewhere.

In addition to Birx and Kushner, the new coronavirus group guiding Trump includes Kushner advisers Adam Boehler and Brad Smith, according to two administration officials. Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Pence, also attends, along with Alyssa Farah, the White House director of strategic communications, and Stephen Miller, Trump's senior policy adviser.

The working group's goal is to meet every day, for no more than 30 minutes. It views its mission as half focused on the government's response to the pandemic and half focused on the White House's public message, the officials said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Matthews defended the president's handling of the crisis, claiming he acted "early and decisively."

"The president has also led an historic, whole-of-America coronavirus response - resulting in 100,000 ventilators procured, sourcing critical PPE for our front-line heroes, and a robust testing regime resulting in more than double the number of tests than any other country in the world," Matthews said in an email statement. "His message has been consistent and his strong leadership will continue as we safely reopen the economy, expedite vaccine and therapeutics developments, and continue to see an encouraging decline in the U.S. mortality rate."

For some, however, the additional effort is too little and far too late.

"This is a situation where if Trump did his job and put in the work to combat the health crisis, it would solve the economic crisis, and it's an instance where the correct governing move is also the correct political move and Trump is doing the opposite," said Josh Schwerin, a senior strategist for Priorities USA, a super PAC supporting former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Other anti-Trump operatives agree, saying the president could make up lost ground and make his race with Biden far more competitive with a simple course correction.

"He's staring in the mirror at night: That's who can fix his political problem," said John Weaver, one of the Republican strategists leading The Lincoln Project, a group known for its anti-Trump ads.

One of Trump's biggest obstacles is his refusal to take responsibility and admit error.

In mid-March, as many of the nation's businesses were shuttering early in the pandemic, Trump proclaimed in the Rose Garden, "I don't take responsibility at all." Those six words have neatly summed up Trump's approach not only to the pandemic but also to many of the other crises he has faced during his presidency.

"His operating style is to double- and triple-down on positions and to never, ever admit he's wrong about anything," said Anthony Scaramucci, a longtime Trump associate who briefly served as White House communications director and is now a critic of the president's. "His 50-year track record is to bulldog through whatever he's doing, whether it's Atlantic City, which was a failure, or the Plaza Hotel, which was a failure, or Eastern Airlines, which was a failure. He can never just say, 'I got it wrong and let's try over again.' "

Another self-imposed hurdle for Trump has been his reliance on a positive feedback loop. Rather than sit for briefings by infectious-disease director Anthony S. Fauci and other medical experts, the president consumes much of his information about the virus from Fox News Channel and other conservative media sources, where his on-air boosters put a positive spin on developments.

Consider one example from last week. At about 6:15 a.m. that Tuesday on "Fox & Friends," co-host Steve Doocy told viewers, "There is a lot of good news out there regarding the development of vaccines and therapeutics." The president appears to have been watching because, 16 minutes later, he tweeted from his iPhone, "Tremendous progress being made on Vaccines and Therapeutics!!!"

It is not just pro-Trump media figures feeding Trump positive information. White House staffers have long made overly rosy assessments and projections in an effort to satisfy the president. This, in turn, makes Trump further distrustful of the presentations of scientists and reports in the mainstream news media, according to his advisers and other people familiar with the president's approach.

This dynamic was on display during an in-depth interview with "Fox News Sunday" anchor Chris Wallace that aired on July 19. After the president claimed that the United States had one of the lowest coronavirus mortality rates in the world, Wallace interjected to fact-check him: "It's not true, sir."

Agitated by Wallace's persistence, Trump turned off-camera to call for White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. "Can you please get me the mortality rates?" he asked. Turning to Wallace, he said, "Kayleigh's right here. I heard we have one of the lowest, maybe the lowest mortality rate anywhere in the world."

Trump, relying on cherry-picked White House data, insisted that the United States was "number one low mortality fatality rates."

Fox then interrupted the taped interview to air a voice-over from Wallace explaining that the White House chart showed Italy and Spain doing worse than the United States but countries like Brazil and South Korea doing better - and other countries that are doing better, including Russia, were not included on the White House chart. By contrast, worldwide data compiled by Johns Hopkins University show the U.S. mortality rate is far from the lowest.

Trump is also predisposed to magical thinking - an unerring belief, at an almost elemental level, that he can will his goals into existence, through sheer force of personality, according to outside advisers and former White House officials.

The trait is one he shares with his late father and family patriarch, Fred Trump. In her best-selling memoir, "Too Much and Never Enough," the president's niece, Mary Trump, writes that Fred Trump was instantly taken by the "shallow message of self-sufficiency" he encountered in Norman Vincent Peale's 1952 bestseller, "The Power of Positive Thinking."

Some close to the president say that when Trump claims, as he did twice last week, that the virus will simply "disappear," there is a part of him that actually believes that assessment, making him more reluctant to take the practical steps required to combat the pandemic.

Until recently, Trump also refused to fully engage with the magnitude of the crisis. After appointing Pence head of the coronavirus task force, the president gradually stopped attending task force briefings, and was lulled into a false sense of complacency that the group had the virus under control, according to one person familiar with the dynamic.

Trump also maintained such a sense of grievance - about how the virus was personally impacting him, his presidency and his reelection prospects - that aides recount spending valuable time listening to his gripes, rather than focusing on crafting a national strategy to combat the pandemic.

Nonetheless, some White House aides insist that the president has always been focused on aggressively responding to the virus. And some advisers are still optimistic that if Trump - who trails Biden in national polls - can sustain at least a modicum of self-discipline and demonstrate real focus on the pandemic, he can still prevail on Election Day.

Others are less certain, including critics who say Trump squandered an obvious solution - good governance and leadership - as the simplest means of achieving his other goals.

"There is quite a high likelihood where people look back and think between February and April was when Trump burned down his own presidency, and he can't recover from it," Rhodes said. "The decisions he made then ensured he'd be in his endless cycle of covid spikes and economic disruption, because he couldn't exhibit any medium- or long-term thinking."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took to Twitter on Sunday to announce imposition of visa restrictions on certain employees of Huawei, other tech companies, in a bid to convey message to China against human rights violations across the globe.

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Sunday (local time) said that visa restrictions have been imposed on certain employees of Chinese tech companies like Huawei as they provide material support to the governments involved in human rights abuses globally.

The @StateDept imposed visa restrictions on certain employees of Chinese technology companies like Huawei that provide material support to regimes engaging in human rights abuses globally, Pompeo tweeted.

The @StateDept imposed visa restrictions on certain employees of Chinese technology companies like Huawei that provide material support to regimes engaging in human rights abuses globally. pic.twitter.com/tViATIdw0R  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) July 26, 2020

Issuing a similar statement last week, Pompeo said, Telecommunications companies around the world should consider themselves on notice  If they are doing business with Huawei, they are doing business with human rights abusers.

Also read: China is using CPEC to take over Paks politics: Report

Also read: Joe Biden Will Not Hold The Line

US President Donald Trump has called Chinese technology untrustworthy.

We confronted untrustworthy Chinese technology and telecom providers. We convinced many countries not to use Huawei because it is a big security risk. Just today, the UK announced that they are not going to be using it, Trump said on Wednesday.

Last month, Washington designated Huawei and ZTE Corp as national security threats, saying they have close ties with the Chinese Communist Party and Chinas military apparatus.

Also read: US inaugurates China Working Group to counter threats from CCP

For all the latest World News, download NewsX App
RICHMOND, Va. - Fires were set, windows were smashed and 16 people were arrested as demonstrations continued for a second night in Virginias capital city, Richmonds police chief said at a news conference Monday.

The protests on Sunday evening followed demonstrations Saturday night that had been billed by some as support for protesters on the other side of the country in Portland, Oregon. That city has been experiencing ongoing tensions between protesters and U.S. agents at the federal courthouse.

Richmond police Chief Gerald Smith said his department saw a flyer calling for demonstrations Sunday that carried the same tone of intimidation and wanting to produce fear that flyers for Saturday nights protests had contained.

Smith said Sunday nights damage included three fires as well as smashed windows, including one at the police department for Virginia Commonwealth University.

The chief said that the ages of those arrested ranged from 17 to 45. Charges included trespassing, riot with a dangerous weapon and transport of a loaded rifle within city limits.

The city of Richmond is open and welcomes those who would like to come here in expression of their First Amendment rights, Smith said. However, we have to take action when we know that violence is coming.

Smith said police took a proactive stance and began making arrests in Monroe Park after 10 p.m. The park is clearly closed dusk, the chief said.

The chief said that his department is working on identifying any groups that were affiliated with Sundays demonstrations. Some individuals from Saturday night have been identified as being from both left-wing and right-wing movements, he said.

On Saturday night, Virginia State Police and Richmond police said they worked to clear a crowd of a several hundred demonstrators that had ripped down police tape and moved forward with lasers and firecrackers.

Six men among the protesters were arrested that night and face various charges, including unlawful assembly, rioting with a firearm and assault on a law enforcement officer.

Protesters had been planning Saturdays demonstration for days. It was called Richmond Stands with Portland, news outlets reported, in an apparent reaction to ongoing tensions between protesters and U.S. agents at the federal courthouse in Oregons largest city.

Weeks of nationwide unrest have struck several U.S. cities since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 27, 2020 | 03:06 PM | PADUCAH

"All at once, a little tingle like electricity ran over my whole body, just in the time you could flip your finger," said Farmer, "I was trying to say electricity, and I started slurring the word and couldnt get it out."





Tanner Dublin, a Patient Access Coordinator, immediately realized that Farmer was experiencing a stroke.





"During hospital orientation, we go over stroke awareness, and we have a quick card on our badge that has "F.A.S.T.," for face, arm, speech and time," Dublin said. "Knowing this, with his slurred speech and with his face starting to draw, he was indeed having a stroke. Once I noticed that his face had started to draw, my supervisor called Code Stroke, and my team lead called the ER charge nurse to notify them of what was going on. Within 30 seconds, they were there. They got him to where he needed to be."





Farmer was then rushed to the emergency department where he received a clot-busting drug known as tPA. If the drug is given during the first four-and-a-half hours after the start of stroke symptoms, it has shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke, including lessening the chance of permanent disability.





Farmer was able to recover and was discharged a short time later.





"I was amazed the young man trying to take the information knew what to look for, and then I was told he was trained to do that," he said. "I think the world of Baptist Health for doing their job and doing stuff like that. The Lord was looking after me, taking care of me that day."





On average, someone within the U.S. suffers from a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 800,000 people suffer from a new or recurrent stroke every year.







B.E.F.A.S.T. is a great acronym for learning stroke symptoms:





 B - Balance: Does the person have a sudden loss of balance?

 E - Eyes: Has the person lost vision in one or both eyes?

 F - Face Drooping: Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.

 A - Arm Weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

 S - Speech Difficulty: Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand?

 T - Time to call 911: If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get them to the hospital immediately.





Additional signs of a stroke include sudden severe headache with no known cause, sudden confusion, and trouble understanding.



A local man has recovered from a stroke thanks to a fast-thinking hospital employee.When 68-year-old Danny Farmer visited Baptist Health Paducah earlier in the year to register for a routine test, he began to feel odd as he was walking from the parking lot into the building.
Lala Kent and Randall Emmett are still together despite the Vanderpump Rules star recently scrubbing his existence from her social media.

The 29-year-old felt the need to clear the air about her relationship after she had deleted photos of her fiance on Instagram and shared a cryptic message over the weekend.

On Monday, Kent took to the platform to admit that she was just being 'petty' and declare that the 49-year-old movie producer is 'stuck with' her, adding that she would do this 'again and again' until she grows out of it.

It's all good: Lala Kent declared that she and fiance Randall Emmett are still together and admitted she was just being 'petty' over the weekend when she scrubbed his existence from her social media and unfollowed him

'Yall we didnt break up,' Kent wrote regarding the rumors.

'Im petty- so when he p***es me off his photos go to the archive... then I re-add them,' she explained. 'I mean, I have this dudes name tattooed on my arm. Hes stuck with me.'

Lala recently got 'Rand' tattooed on her arm which she had she showed off on her Instagram Story just last week

Along with the caption, the blonde beauty shared a loving photo of the couple, dressed up at an event, kissing for the camera.

'Im petty- so when he p***es me off his photos go to the archive... then I re-add them,' she explained in her Instagram post. 'I mean, I have this dudes name tattooed on my arm. Hes stuck with me.' (Pictured in 2019)

As of Monday morning, the Bravo star returned the previously deleted images of Randall to her Instagram grid but hadn't re-followed him on the platform.

She took to her Instagram stories with a longer explanation of the situation saying that this wouldn't be 'the last time' she archives photos of Randall and doubling down on her earlier statement repeating she is 'petty AF.'

'It will happen again and again until I grow out of it. & if it's the most petty thing I do, I'm ok wait it,' she wrote.

Lala also cleared up the following/unfollowing confusion and stated that the couple has 'never followed eachother' and that they had actually blocked one another other at the start of their relationship.

Not holding back: She took to her Instagram stories with a longer explanation of the situation saying that this wouldn't be 'the last time' she archives photos of Randall and doubling down on her earlier statement repeating she is 'petty AF'

Just a day prior, Lala stunned fans when she erased every photo of Emmett from her Instagram page and posted a later deleted message to her story about her life being a 'mess'.

She returned to Instagram an hour later to clarify that her post was not 'cryptic' and that it was actually the 'fourth step prayer,' which is part of the 12-step program for substance abuse.

'One of the hardest steps in the 12 step program. I will continue to post a prayer from the program each day,' wrote Kent.

Dust settling: As of Monday morning, the Bravo star returned the previously deleted images of Randall to her Instagram grid but hadn't re-followed him on the platform (Pictured in 2019)

The prayer reads: 'Dear God, it is I who has made my life a mess. I have done it, but I cannot undo it. My mistakes are mine & I will begin a searching & fearless moral inventory.

'I will write down my wrongs but I will also include that which is good. I pray for the strength to complete the task,' it concludes.

Lala recently opened up about her struggle with substance abuse, where she insisted that she has 'made the choice to work hard every day to not pick up a drink.'

She added that when she is feeling 'weak,' she does not hesitate to 'call [her] sponsor.'

Drama: Along with erasing Emmett from her Instagram page and unfollowing him, Lala had posted a later deleted message to her story about her life being a 'mess' but later explained that it was a step in her substance abuse program

'I go to meetings (sign onto them, now) to keep my spirits high and to remember why I made this life-changing choice,' explained Kent, in a post shared Friday.

After Lala's Instagram unfollow on Sunday, Randall attempted to assure worried fans that he and Lala had not called off their engagement by resharing a post made by a fan of the pair.

'Everyone should calm their t*ts,' began the fan. 'They are [obviously] still together and going strong.'

Randall especially agreed with the sentiment that Lala 'deleting pictures and posting a heartfelt post' does not equate to a breakup.

Permanent: Last week Lala got 'Rand' tattooed on her forearm, which she proudly showed off to Instagram fans

Hours prior to Lala's Instagram meltdown, Randall shared a sweet snapshot of the reality star cuddling in bed with his daughter London, 10, and Rylee, six.

'Family  happy time together,' wrote the film producer in the post's caption.

He also shared a clip of a makeup-less Lala hanging out on the patio of their Puerto Rican abode with his kids and other family members on Sunday to his Instagram Story.

Family: Hours prior to Lala's Instagram meltdown, Randall shared a sweet snapshot of the reality star cuddling in bed with his daughter London, 10, and Rylee, six

Randall had written 'my babies' over the sweet clip, as one of his daughters rested on Lala's lap.

Randall followed up that clip with a video of him, Lala, and other family members enjoying a sunset boat ride.

Lala and Randall were set to be married on April 18, but the pair were forced to postpone their highly anticipated nuptials due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The couple got engaged in September of 2018, during a romantic trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
An Indian court has asked Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma to appear after a former employee came forwards claiming to have been wrongfully fired.

The employee was fired by the company as he objected to censorship and fake news content on apps owned by the Alibaba Group, as seen by Reuters.

 Reuters

The app has already been banned by Indian security agencies such as UC News, UC Browser amongst 57 other apps citing national security reasons, after the clash in June between the countries. India has also asked the affected apps for answers that include questions whether their apps have been censoring content or acted for any foreign government.



Pushpendra Singh Parmar, who worked as an associate director at the UC Web office until October 2017, alleges UC Web was censoring content in India that deemed unfavourable to China and its Government. He also alleges other apps such as UC Browser were also censoring content and at times, featured false news "to cause social and political turmoil.

 Alibaba Group

UC India said in a statement to Reuters, "unwavering in its commitment to the India market and the welfare of its local employees, and its policies are in compliance with local laws. We are unable to comment on ongoing litigation.



Parmar has also revelled the company had a "sensitive words list with keywords in both Hindi and English such as "India-China border" and "Sino-India war. Keywords such as these were censored by UC Web in India to control any news published against China and were automatically or manually rejected by an audit system.

 Reuters

It has been long rumoured that Chinese apps tend to censor content which is unfavourable to the Chinese Government and this is the first instance when a former employee has come forward with those claims.



What do you think about Alibabas effort to censor content in India that was highly critical of the Chinese Government? Let us know in the comments section.

Source: Reuters
Canadians under the age of 39 make up a clear majority of new cases of COVID-19 in Canada, health authorities said Sunday, warning young adults they are not "invincible" against the disease.

"Recent national surveillance data show that young adults aged 20-39 years of age account for the highest incidence rates across all ages in Canada," Canada's chief public health officer Theresa Tam said in a statement.

For the week ending July 22, the incidence rate was highest among young men and women aged 20-29 (14.4 and 13.8 cases per 100,000 people respectively), followed by those aged 30-39.

"Younger Canadians are not invincible" to the disease, Tam warned, noting that it is not only the elderly who are at risk of serious health problems if infected.

She pointed out that, of the cases of COVID-19 reported to public health last week, 63 percent involved people under 39 years of age, of whom roughly one-third were hospitalized.

There was an average of 485 new cases reported daily across the country last week.

As Canada continues to lift lockdown restrictions, Tam called on fellow citizens to be cautious and to respect social distancing and hygiene measures.

"In the absence of a vaccine, living with COVID-19 is not without risk," she added.

According to the latest available figures, Canada has so far recorded some 113,800 cases of the new coronavirus and 8,900 deaths.

Public health guidelines are widely respected in Canada, but even so, several hundred people protested in Quebec City Sunday against the wearing of face masks, which are now compulsory in the French speaking province.
Actor Manish Chaudhary, on Monday, brought a man to the Bandra Police Station in an auto-rickshaw. Soon pictures of the actor catching a person by his shirt started doing the rounds on the internet.

News18 asked Chaudhary about the incident, and it turned out to be a fascinating story of nerve and courage. He said, Three guys were eve teasing my partner while we were on our morning run. The situation got out of hand and the beat marshal on duty was able to chase one of them down and catch him, while the other two got away.

He added, We made a complaint at the police station and as we were walking back home we spotted one of the other two guys and got him back to the police station. The police were extremely helpful and very pro-active. They wasted no time in taking action.

The actor thanked the police and said, It is our civic duty to make our society safe for women. If my partner had not stepped forward bravely and chased the second culprit down, we would not have been able to catch him. The police are now looking for the third culprit. A big thank you to the Bandra Police and to the brave beat marshal who came to our assistance immediately.

Chaudhary was recently seen in the web series Aarya.
The president may take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open a consulate general in Houston, Texas.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the United States may happen before the presidential elections in that country.

"This may happen before the elections, but the point is that we are working on a serious, well-prepared visit, it's not a visit for the sake of a visit," Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Volodymyr Yelchenko told the RBC Ukraine news agency.

Read alsoZelensky calls on international community to assist Ukraine in rebuilding Donbas

According to him, it includes mandatory visits to two or more states. Preparations are underway to open a consulate general in Houston, Texas, and Zelensky may take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, he said.

"It could be a trip to California, as it has not been visited by any of the Ukrainian presidents. It could be a trip to the State of Washington, to Seattle, which has the most dynamically growing diaspora in the United States. According to our information, about 70,000 Ukrainians are now working in Seattle and in the nearby areas, and this is the number recorded over the past decade, this is a new diaspora," he said.

Also, according to the ambassador, trade agreements and investment deals should be prepared so that the parties could sign them. "We have several serious projects, they are in the pipeline," he added.
Dubai, July 27 : An Indian salesman has been accused of raping a woman inside her home in Dubai, threaten her with a knife and stealing 200 dirhams under the influence of alcohol, it was reported.

The Dubai Court of First Instance heard on Sunday that the 39-year-old Indian woman went to drop her son to the school bus pick-up point outside her building in the Naif area of Dubai in February, reports Gulf News.

She returned to her apartment when the 23-year-old defendant approached her, put a knife to her throat and asked her to enter the apartment.

He is also accused of filming the incident with his mobile phone.

The Dubai Public Prosecution charged the defendant, who is currently in custody, with rape, robbery and illegally consuming alcohol.
Description

 GIS  27 July 2020:The Ministry of Health and Wellness received, on 24 July 2020, a consignment of medical supplies, donated by the United Arab Emirates in the context of the UAE Aid COVID-19 Global Response Programme.

The delivery was effected at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Plaine Magnien in the presence of Mr C. Bhugun, Senior Chief Executive of the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

The cargo of nearly 2.9 tons consists of protective equipment for the control of COVID-19. It includes several types of masks adapted to various levels of intervention, infrared thermometers, as well as protective gears. The equipment will allow Mauritius to further enhance its response level in the fight against the pandemic.

The donation demonstrates the strong and friendly collaboration that exists between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Mauritius.

The UAE Aid COVID-19 Global Response Programme highlights the UAEs commitment in fighting the pandemic at the global level.
As the summer holidays begin, health authorities are on alert for another possible spike in coronavirus.

The Ministry of Education and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in new guidelines on Sunday went so far as to urge families with school-age children or school staff to stay at home during the holidays.

They urge people to avoid going to places where crowds gather in tight spaces and spend their holidays at home if possible.

An official from the ministry said, "If a student or a school staffer returns from a trip infected, there is a possibility of community transmissions within schools. We came up with these guidelines to keep our schools open."

The guidelines also urge people not to participate in events hosted by schools or religious groups. There were 6.11 million pupils and 550,000 staff in kindergartens and schools nationwide as of Oct. 1, 2019. The two-week school holidays start from the end of this month.
RTHK: US senator under fire for slavery remarks

Republican US Senator Tom Cotton came under pressure over published comments in which he said America's founders viewed slavery as a "necessary evil."

Cotton, seen as a possible 2024 presidential candidate, made the comments in an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette while attacking the New York Times 1619 Project's effort to make slavery a focal point of American history for US schools.

"As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction," Cotton said.

Launched last year to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the arrival of African slaves on America's shores, the New York Times 1619 Project would place the consequences of slavery and the contributions of African-Americans at the center of US history.

Cotton wants to withhold federal tax money from an elementary and secondary school curriculum promoted by the project.

Criticism of Cotton's remark was swift.

Robert Reich, who was US Labour secretary under former President Bill Clinton, sought to tie Cotton's remarks to the 2020 election battle for control of the Senate.

"This, my friends, is today's GOP. Make sure they lose control of the Senate on November 3. In fact, make sure they lose control of everything. They've lost the right to govern," Reich said on Twitter.

But the Arkansas Republican, who is running for reelection this year, dismissed news coverage that he had described slavery as a necessary evil.

"This is the definition of fake news," Cotton wrote on Twitter. "I said that *the Founders viewed slavery as a necessary evil*."

Cotton has been one of the Senate's leading critics of Beijing and was a sponsor of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-28 06:51:11|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday nominated retired Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor, a Fox News regular, as the next U.S. ambassador to Germany.

Macgregor is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and a decorated combat veteran, according to a White House statement.

"He worked closely with senior military and political leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany as the Chief of Strategic Planning and, subsequently, as the Director of the Joint Operations Center at Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe, during the Kosovo Air Campaign," it added.

U.S. media reported that Macgregor, a regular guest on Fox News programs, was steeped in the German military and political history. Macgregor's nomination requires Senate confirmation.

The United States and Germany have been at odds with each other on Iran nuclear issues, Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, and defense burden-sharing, among others. Criticizing Berlin's "delinquency" on military spending, Trump has ordered the U.S. military to withdraw 9,500 troops from Germany. Enditem
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The move comes after Walgreens was mentioned in a federal subpoena issued earlier this month by prosecutors conducting a lobbying investigation into Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan. Like ComEd, Walgreens lobbyist lineup at one point had a link to Madigan in the form of Mike McClain, a close associate of the speaker whom prosecutors have looked at in connection with an alleged years-long bribery scheme involving ComEd.
PARMA, Ohio -- Americas skilled labor shortage continues to haunt employers who have the jobs, but lack the trained workforce.

In an effort to bridge the gap, Bryant & Stratton College recently announced the introduction of an electronic technology associate degree to be offered at its Parma campus. The new program prepares students for a variety of cutting-edge STEM-related careers.

Bryant & Stratton College Market Director Paul Wehrum said the curriculum addition has been on the radar for two years.

The most important factor was the need by different employers in this area for individuals who would develop skills in this program, Wehrum said. Manufacturing is very strong, and in this program the skills the graduates have will translate very nicely into the many different fields.

We also wanted to make sure that the potential jobs have salaries that will be a good investment for these individuals into their education. Thats a very important factor.

The electronic technology program, which in two years will also offer a bachelors degree course of study, trains students in manufacturing, installation, operation, service and maintenance of electromechanical systems and hardware, as well as advanced training that emphasizes computer solutions in electronics application.

Beginning this fall, the Parma campus newly constructed electronics lab will accommodate 24 students.

Bill Wright, Bryant & Stratton College system director of academic operations and student affairs, said the curriculum was designed after interviewing local employers about their needs.

Lincoln Electric was a partner with us to review the curriculum and give us feedback, Wright said. Our goal was to design a program that would help prepare our students to be career ready.

We thought the best way to do that was to have employers help us understand what it is theyre looking for in graduates.

Out of that interaction, three major areas of focus were identified for students. This included possessing a foundational knowledge of electronics and receiving a hands-on education with laboratory facilities and equipment, as well as enhancing critical-thinking skills.

Every employer told us over and over again how important it was for students to have the ability to think on their feet, reason through problems and troubleshoot, Wright said. We want our students to have the skills they need to be able to start day one. Those types of jobs as those are becoming and more needed for skilled graduates.

Added Wehrum, Theres a lot of opportunity -- not just for Parma -- in all of the communities throughout Northeast Ohio for individuals who attend this program.

Read more news from the Parma Sun Post.
An Irish musician's attempt to set a new world record on Saturday evening ended in disappointment.

Also read: Covid-19 fears force Longford pub's closure after 80 years pulling pints

Donegal native Rory Gallagher was hoping to earn a place in the Guinness Book of Records by singing online for the maximum eight hours permissible on a facebook live stream! No solo acoustic artists have played the entire eight hour digital time window allowed on facebook.

Also read: Major boost for Longford tourism as Lough Ree angling festivals go ahead

But a wifi issue curtailed his bid! Nevertheless, when it came back, the Kilcar native kept playing. Over 50,000 people tuned in at various times - and many stayed on to watch him as he played on after the internet connection was restored.

For more see this link: https://www.facebook.com/RoryandtheIsland

He has stated he might try it again - and hopefully nobody else will try it in the meantime.

Originally from Kilcar, Rory now lives in Scotland where he has bar with his wife Cara.

Also read: Kodaline lead star line up for Saoirses Summer Fest online music festival

Despite the frustration and disappointment tonight, he decided to keep playing when the internet connection was sorted.

And he received a flood of support by followers on facebook.

He has around 25,000 followers.

WATCH | Rappers release new song about Longford

Gallagher is particularly well known for his "Jimmy's Winning Matches" hit GAA anthem back in 2012.

"I tried, and I might try again if nobody steals the idea," he said.

He actually broke his own record as he had never gigged before for more than six hours!
Uganda is a country in Africa which is famous worldwide for its poverty. While the whole world is fighting the coronavirus epidemic. In Uganda, Corona's recovery rate is 90 percent. A person lost his life in Uganda on 23 July, starting in December. The number of patients infected with corona in Uganda is more than 1,079. But in this too, more than 975 patients have been cured.

Uganda is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the south by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania. Talking about the poverty of Uganda, one-third of the country's population runs their lives below the international poverty line i.e. two dollars a day. After so much poverty, Ugandans are famous worldwide for their warmth and hospitality. Ugandans love nature. There are four special things about the people of Uganda that sets them apart from the rest of the world.

1. Love for Nature: They love nature very much, so they do not even allow trees to be harvested illegally. This is to be done that the forests here are lush and full of wildlife of different species. Even in cities, after planting 3 plants, someone is allowed to cut a tree.

2. Weird catering: If you put a crimp on the pan in front of your Ugandan guest, then suppose that person is very special for them.

3. Happiness: Uganda is one of the very poor countries in the world. More than 50 percent of the people are forced to live for less than $ 1, i.e. less than 67 rupees per day, but Ugandans know how to stay happy even in these adverse situations.

4. Extremely conservative: These people are very conservative. In this country with 85 percent Christian population, women are not allowed to wear tight clothes.

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The sharp reduction in personal auto claims that followed COVID-19 shutdown orders began to fade away after the Memorial Day weekend, but frequency appears to dropping again in reaction to a resurgence of the disease.

Andy Cohen, chief operating officer for Snapsheet, said claims frequency dropped by 40 to 50 percent after closure orders took hold, but auto claims ticked back up to a level about 20 to 25 percent below normal levels between Memorial Day and the July Fourth weekend.

However claim frequency turned back around to early-June, late-May levels as California, Texas, Florida and Arizona case counts grew dramatically after the 4th, Cohen said in an email. Countrywide claim frequency in July vs. July 2019 is down about 30 percent.

A decision by State Farm, the nations largest private auto insurer, to file for rate reductions averaging 11 percent nationwide shows that insurers are beginning to accept reduced claim frequency as the new normal  at least for the time being. In its rate filings, the carrier reported claim volumes from March 29 through May 2 were 26% to 56% lower than the first two weeks of March 2019, according to a report by S&P Market Intelligence.

State Farm reported the 56 percent reduction in Hawaii, plus reductions of 55 percent in New Jersey, 46 percent in New York, and 44 percent in Texas.

Companywide, claim volume is starting to increase as drivers return to the roads, State Farm said in a June 3 memorandum attached to its Texas filing. We anticipate claims volume will be lower than before COVID-19 but higher than current levels.

The Keefe, Bruyette & Woods investment banking company said the reduction in auto claims is showing up in carriers bottom lines. A financial note by KBW analyst Meyer Shields said the personal auto loss ratio was 62.1 percent in June, compared to 72.1 percent in June 2019, and declined by double digit-percentage points four months in a row.

Although there are some signs of plateauing driving (possibly related to rising infection rates in numerous states), overall mileage in July  and probably coming months  should stay well above April lows, particularly as seasonal driving patterns re-emerge, Shields said.

A monthly Auto Claims Snapshot posted by CCC, a photo-estimate software provider, said that claims involving property damage were down 25.7 percent in June compared to the previous year. That was an increase from May, when damage claims were 35 percent below the prior year.

Claims were down in every state except South Dakota, which suffered a 73 percent increase due to severe hailstorms. June-to-June decreases ranged from 2 percent in Arkansas to 40 percent in New Jersey.

As of early July, with the number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100K residents surging in states such Arizona, Florida, California and more, certain states are starting to see overall non-comprehensive appraisal counts trend down again, CCC said in a report written by Bethany Suckrow. How far they fall will likely depend on how extensive efforts to contain the virus become.

The reduction in claims volume does not appear to have impacted all carriers equally.

The nations second-largest private auto insurer, Berkshire Hathaways Geico, reported a far less drastic reduction in claims volumes from January through March. In its first quarter annual report, the company said claims for property damage and collision coverage declined 12 percent to 14 percent, personal injury 9 to 11 percent and bodily injury 6 to 8 percent.

Geico said average claim severity, on the other hand, increased 7 to 9 percent for property damage and collision and 4 to 6 percent for bodily injury coverage. Industry analysts have reported that motorists are suffering more serious crashes because of faster speeds due to uncrowded roads.

Farmers notified Texas regulators on May 1 that it will discount motorists premiums by 15 percent.

The ultimate impact of the pandemic remains uncertain and this payment represents our best estimate of what we are seeing, the carrier said. Following the sharp reduction and miles driven and claim frequency in March, Farmers is now starting to see an increase in claim frequency which is why the May 1, 2020 reduction is less than the previously filed reduction in April 1, 2020 premiums.

Cohen said whether driving levels, and hence claims, return to normal levels depends largely on whether schools return to normal schedules. He said the reduction in miles driven is largely driven by motorists in major metro areas. He said claims will remain suppressed if schools remain closed or open only for staggered schedules.

Cohen said if kids arent school, their parents wont return to their workplace offices.

As school systems move to virtual, partial and flex scheduling, parents are less likely to be commuting to an office at rush hour which may keep claim frequency suppressed for the rest of the year, he said.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and legislators backing him sought President Ram Nath Kovinds intervention on Monday, alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was making efforts to topple the Congress-led state government, according to a memorandum.

The Gehlot camps memorandum to Kovind came shortly after governor Kalraj Mishra asked the state government to initiate proceedings to convene an assembly session, but asked for a fresh proposal addressing three recommendations.

At a Congress Legislature Party, or CLP, meeting, Gehlot said he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi too.

I spoke to the Prime Minister on Sunday, informed him of the letter written to him [by Gehlot], the current situation and the governors conduct..., said Gehlot, according to a statement from the CMs office.

The memorandum, which was finalised at the CLP meeting, said: The people of the country are speechless. The governors of many states at the behest of the ruling dispensation are violating the constitution.

The memorandum said the news of horse-trading in a peaceful state such as Rajasthan has come to the fore.

We are left with no other way, besides presenting the entire situation in front of you. You would be aware of development happening in Rajasthan but if not due any reasons, we urge for your intervention and get permission to convene the session, the memorandum said.

Gehlot also informed that he received a six-page patra (letter) from the governors house, and he will reply to that.

BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said they, too, sent a memorandum to the President, stressing that this fight was between two groups of the Congress. Despite being this being their internal fight, they have involved the governor, judiciary and BJP, he said.

Gehlot has the support of 101 members (though this does not include speaker CP Joshi). Pilot has 18 other Congress MLAs and three independents in his camp, taking his tally to 22. The BJP and its ally Rashtriya Loktrantrik Party have 75 seats. Bhanwarlal Meghwal, one Congress MLA said to be close to Pilot, is indisposed. If Pilots tally is added to that of the opposition alliance, it takes their number up to 97. A three-member swing from the Gehlot camp to the Pilot camp or to the BJP could lead to the government falling in the event of a floor test.
New Delhi, July 27 : In a bid to provide further relief to states amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Finance Ministry has released Rs 13,806 crore as compensation for March 2020 for the states' revenue loss in the goods and services tax (GST) regime.

This comes at a time when state finances are under severe stress due to the Covid-19 lockdown that has also seen the states' GST revenues falling sharply to less than half the usual levels in the months of April and May.

"Central Government has recently released GST compensation of Rs 13,806 crore to states for March 2020. Taking this amount into account, entire compensation upto 2019-20 has been released to states," the Ministry said in a statement.

"The total amount of compensation released for the year 2019-20 is Rs 1,65,302 crore whereas the amount of cess collected during the year 2019-20 was Rs 95,444 crore," the statement added.

To release the compensation for 2019-20, the balance of cess amount collected during 2017-18 and 2018-19 has also been utilised by the Finance Ministry. In these years, the collection of cess was more than actual compensation paid to the states.

In addition, the Centre had transferred Rs 33,412 crore from the Consolidated Fund of India to the Compensation Fund as a part of an exercise to apportion balance of IGST pertaining to 2017-18.

Of the GST compensation released for FY20, the bulk has been given to industrial states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. While Maharashtra has got a compensation of Rs 19,233 crore for FY20, Karnataka has received Rs 18,628 crore, Gujarat Rs 14,801 crore, Tamil Nadu Rs 12,305 crore and Punjab Rs 12,187 crore.

States such as Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Sikkim did not receive compensation as there is no revenue loss. In fact, the compensation need of all northeastern states is minuscule. Among others, Goa, and Puducherry have received the lowest compensation.

GST compensation is released at the end of every two months period. So, for FY20, dues are actually paid only upto January with compensation for the February-March period getting settled in next fiscal.

After the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime was put in place, the Centre assured the states, through legislation, that the revenue shortfall will be compensated fully for first five years.

2015-16 was assumed to be the base year for calculating the compensation amount for a financial year. The growth rate of revenue for a state during the five-year period is assumed at 14 per cent per annum. Any shortfall in this growth number is to be compensated by the Centre.

For the Centre, payment of GST compensation dues would further strain its resources that are already impacted with less than encouraging overall tax collections. With economic growth now projected to slump and pressure on it to come out with more economic packages to take the country out from a recession owing to Covid-19, the centre is in a bind how to manage the situation.
Poor Prince Charles!

"Finding Freedom," the explosive biography of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, claims that the couple has disrespected the future King.

It was alleged that in 2016, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex overshadowed the Prince of Wales' Middle East tour by confirming their relationship.

The 35-year-old Prince has said to have rushed a statement in November 2016 attacking the racial undertones of articles about Meghan, giving his dad and his staff just twenty minutes of notice.

The bombshell press-release detailed claims of abuse and harassment that made headlines around the world and eclipsed the more important visits Prince Charles and Camila Parker Bowles were making on behalf of the UK.

Many of the media said that what Prince Harry did was "appalling," "rude," and "a breach of protocol," since the visit for Britain was important in terms of diplomatic relations, cultural, economic and charity ties.

Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, authors of the much-awaited biography of the Sussexes, wrote in the book, "When Harry decided to make an official statement, the only stumbling block was Prince Charles."

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall were in the Middle East and arrived in Bahrain to meet the country's King.

They claimed that the moment was "critical" because the couple's visit to the country "had been in the works for months."

Then the Duke of Sussex released a statement via Kensington Palace condemning the press and confirmed his new girlfriend at that time "would all but eliminate coverage of Prince Charles' tour of the Gulf."

The book says that Kensington Palace decided to go ahead with the statement, as Prince Harry himself also wrote it.

"Sure enough, as soon as Harry put out his declaration, the statement dominated the news cycle."

Prince Charles' team at Clarence House, which spent months putting together the Prince of Wales' tour, was crushed.

Prince Harry's dad was also left "disappointed" by his son's statement, as per the biography, claiming the heir to the throne "understood" the situation with the former "Suits" star "reached a tipping point."

Scobie and Durand added, "Harry had felt the need to prioritize the woman he loved over the duty to the greater royal family."

They continued to allege that the Duke was "lashing out at anyone" who "questioned his relationship" with the California-native.

"Finding Freedom" also mentioned how Prince Harry cut ties with a close friend for "gossiping" about his then-girlfriend.

Other extracts from the explosive book, scheduled for an August 11 release, claimed that Prince Harry felt that Prince William behaved like a "snob" when his romance with Meghan Markle blossomed.

The authors wrote that the Duke of Cambridge was being protective of his younger brother, telling him not to rush into a nine-month relationship.

He reportedly told Prince Harry, "' Don't feel you need to rush this. Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl.'"

The younger Prince was said to have left angry by his older brother's "choice of words," and since then, the two Wales' sons "hardly spoke."

A source told the authors, "William, the calm and rational one, and Harry, who can't help but take things far too personally."

READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth Heartbreak: What Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Wrote About Her In New Book REVEALED
Penny Marshalls longtime Hollywood Hills home has officially found a new owner. The midcentury-style house, perched on a hilltop in the exclusive Outpost Estates area, recently sold for $6 million after about a half year on the market, according to the Los Angeles Times. It was first listed for $7.195 million at the beginning of the year, and in March the asking price was lowered a bit, to $6.95 million.

The two-story residence was built in 1953 and comprises eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms spread out across a generous 9,561 square feet and two stories. Marshall purchased it in the early 1980s, and added several personalized touches that reflect her distinct taste, including a quirky watermelon-patterned linoleum floor in the 1950s-style kitchen, which also has mint green walls, a deep green banquette, and a decidedly retro vibe. One of the lower-level bedrooms has baseball-themed wallpaper thanks to the A League of Their Own director, who was a known sports fanatic.

Courtesy of Hilton & Hyland

See the video.

The main living area features an entire wall of glass sliders overlooking Hollywood Boulevard, Santa Monica, and the Pacific Ocean. The formal dining room similarly features floor-to-ceiling windows, and theres also a wood-paneled drawing room with its own wet bar, a darkroom, a safe room, and two bedrooms on the ground floor. (Three bedrooms, including the master suite, are situated on the second floor.)

Outdoor offerings include a wide red brick patio that steps down to a large pool with a diving board. A bathhouse and two bonus suites are also among the propertys amenities. A collection of fruit trees, including avocado, peach, plum, and apple, adorn the backyard, along with palm trees.

The new buyer is truly purchasing a piece of Hollywood history: Marshall hosted many a social gathering at this home, including a joint party with her close friend, the late Star Wars actor Carrie Fisher.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
Steel Strips Wheels (SSWL) skid 0.20% to Rs 429.20, extending losses for the fifth session.

The stock has lost 2.38% in five sessions from its recent closing high of Rs 439.65 on 20 July 2020. The S&P BSE SmallCap index has shed 0.12% during the same period.

During market hours today, SSWL announced that it bagged firm export orders for close to 70,000 wheels for EU Caravan Trailer Market for over 429K euros from Europe. The order is to be executed in September & October and will be supplied by Chennai Steel Wheels plant, the company said.

SSWL is engaged in the manufacturing of steel wheel rims catering to different segments of automobile industry. The firm operates in automotive wheels segment. Its geographical segments include India and overseas.

The company's standalone net profit slumped 68% to Rs 6.29 crore on a 28.8% decline in net sales to Rs 343.60 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018. The company is yet to announce its Q4 March 2020 results.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
One person was found shot to death in a vehicle in northwest Huntsville on Sunday evening, the authorities said.

Huntsville police were called just after 6 p.m. to investigate a report of a possible shooting on Jordan Lane. Officers found a person dead, and Lt. Michael Johnson said the case is being investigated as a homicide.

The slain persons name hasnt been released.

Jordan Lane was shut down between Mastin Lake and Grizzard roads on Sunday evening.

Anyone with information is asked to call Huntsville police at 256-722-7100.

This story was updated to show the case is classified as a homicide and confirmed to be a deadly shooting.
The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service.

Follow this story and more by signing up for national breaking news email alerts.
New Delhi, July 27 : Parts of India, be it Assam in the Northeast or Bihar in the East, are inundated and helpless due to floods that have killed scores and affected lakhs.

The surging floods in Bihar have spread to 11 districts, affecting nearly 15 lakh people. Relief and rescue operations by the state government have not proved adequate. Major rivers are in spate and flowing above the danger marks.

With rivers, like the Ganga, the Bagmati, the Burhi Gandak, the Kamala-Balan, the Mahananda and the Ghaghra, flowing above the danger marks in many areas, 625 panchayats in 86 blocks across 11 districts of Bihar have been inundated, affecting nearly 1.5 million people.

Disaster Management Additional Secretary Ramchandra Deo said nearly 14,011 people were staying at 26 relief camps. Over 1,77,060 people are at the mercy of the state and community kitchens to be fed daily. Flood waters have destroyed their crops and homes, and state roads. The NDRF and the SDRF have evacuated 1,36,464 people in Bihar with the help of boats.

Meanwhile, in Assam the situation has marginally improved. As many as 102 lives were lost in floods that affected 25 lakh people there.

Assam has recorded 16 per cent excess rain since June 1, when the four-month monsoon season begun. It has recorded 934.8 mm rain against the normal 806.5 mm, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) officials.

Of the total flood-hit people in 23 of the state's 33 districts, around 17.27 lakh are in the five western districts of Goalpara (470,253), Barpeta (395,456), Morigaon (333,367), Dhubri (278,841) and South Salmara (249,423), said the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials.

The mighty Brahmaputra and other rivers have inundated 2,265 villages, destroying crops in 112,667 hectares in 27 districts, leaving farmers in distress.

Floods affected 85 per cent of Assam's Kaziranga National Park, killing as many as 129 animals.

In Meghalaya, particularly in the West Garo Hill area, floods have affected more than 100,000 people in 175 villages. The river Jinjiram is overflowing too.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, "The north-eastern India is dealing with double challenge -- Covid-19 and floods. Heavy rainfall has caused huge damages, several people have lost lives, and many are displaced. I express my sympathies to all affected families. I assure you that the country stands with you in this tough time." Rivers in West Bengal, UP and Madhya Pradesh too are in spate, prompting the NDRF to scramble its teams there apart from in Maharashtra and Kerala.

While large parts of the country is still coming to terms with the loss of lives and the economic mayhem, any flood-related disease outbreak, like cholera, will only put additional strain on the healthcare facilities that are battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tom Hanks and his wife Rita were given their Greek passports on Sunday.

Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have been presented with new Greek passports - but the happy occasion was marred by criticism due to the prime minister's transport choice after the event.

The Hollywood couple were pictured holding the passports alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his wife Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis to celebrate the citizenship.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Mr Mitsotakis wrote the famous pair were "now proud Greek citizens".

But the initially celebratory moment for the group was later subject to criticism after it was revealed the prime minister and his wife had used a military helicopter to travel from Antiparos - where Hanks and Wilson have a holiday home - to a theatre to watch a play.

Greece's main left-wing opposition party, Syriza, said this use of a military helicopter was akin to a "personal radio taxi" after the couple went to the historic theatre of Epidaurus to watch the performance of an ancient tragedy.

Government spokesman Stelios Pestas rejected this notion, insisting that Mr Mitsotakis had been fulfilling his duties by attending an "important cultural event".

He added that the prime minister had earlier used a commercial flight to the island of Paros, before travelling to Antiparos.

Neither Syriza nor Mr Petsas referred to Hanks by name.

Hanks, Wilson and their two children were offered the citizenship as a way to recognise their fundraising efforts in the aftermath of a deadly wildfire near Athens in 2018.

Wilson, who is herself an actress and producer, has Greek and Bulgarian ancestry.
The Leader of Risk Communication for the National COVID -19 response team, Dr. Da Costa Aboagye has noted that over the last few weeks, about ten or more regions in Ghana have recorded zero or a low number of new cases but the Ghana Health Service (GHS) will not be complacent.

Dr. Da Costa said some regions like Upper East, Northern Region, North East, Oti region, Western North, Savannah, and Ahafo have either Zero new cases or low numbers of new cases as of Saturday, July 25.

He told Kessben Fm on Saturday morning news that Upper East for example has not reported any new case for some time as reported by the Ghana Health Service daily updates.

Dr. Da Costa noted that the GHS continues to strengthen measures to reduce community spread, contain the disease, and optimally manage confirmed cases in all regions across the country especially in those with predominantly high infections like Greater Accra, Ashanti Region, and Western Region.

Touching on the active cases, he argued that, there is a slightly declining trend over the last few weeks, and citizens must continue to comply with the safety protocols so that Ghana's active case burden will continue to reduce. For example as of 5th July, 2020 active cases were 5,129 but on Saturday, July 25, the active cases were 3,095.

"We must not be complacent of these figures but, make sure the daily new cases in the areas of community spread reduce significantly. For example, how do we reduce the spread in Greater Accra and Ashanti Region to very low numbers per day or zero cases. We also have to find out why the cases are spreading in the Greater Accra and Ashanti Region but some regions are recording zero or a low number of new cases," he argued.

The Director of Health Promotion also revealed that the recovery rate continues to go up and currently stands at around 89% of the total cumulative cases

Without losing our guard, he advised Ghanaians to continue to strictly adhere to safety measures such as the mandatory wearing of face mask, regular handwashing with soap under running water and frequent use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer as these serve as our lifeline against COVID-19 infections.
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan: Women with farming future

by Caroline Rath

July 27,2020 | Source: Sri Lanka Guardian

South Asias record on gender equality is quite depressing, to say the least. The region has the worlds highest rate of child marriage, and domestic violence against women is pervasive. Women are over-represented in unpaid work, and under-represented in the labour force, even in countries, such as Sri Lanka, which has invested heavily in girls schooling. Yet, there is one sector where women are taking over  agriculture  that could present a much needed opportunity for women economic empowerment.



As South Asian economies develop, men are increasingly chasing jobs in manufacturing (or overseas), leaving women responsible for a growing share of agricultural labour. In Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, the share of economically active women working in farming now ranges from 60 percent to 98 percent. In each of these countries agricultural sectors, women outnumber men. A comparable shift occurred in some high-income countries during the Second World War. As men left for the battlefield, women filled the vacant civilian jobs, including farming. In America, for example, the share of women agricultural workers jumped from 8 percent in 1940 to 22.4 percent in 1945.



When the war ended, women were not simply going to return to the pre-war status quo. In some sectors, especially higher-skill positions, the Second World War labour shock seems to have directly and permanently changed womens paid employment. More generally, however, women had sampled the economic and personal freedom that employment provides, gained marketable skills, and proved their capabilities. Womens wartime experience thus gave powerful impetus to the movement for gender equality. The number of European farming women has been slowly increasing in recent years. The most recent data suggests that, on average, around 30 percent of farms across the European Union are managed by a woman.



We should also notice that, even if agriculture remains the main employment sector for women in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, it accounts for a huge part of the population in the western world as well. Within the European Union, in 2016, for example, women working in agriculture accounted for 35 percent of the total working population in the sector and more than 40 percent in some member states such as Austria (45 percent), Romania (43 percent) Poland, Greece, and Slovenia (41 percent in each). But, will the feminisation of farming in Asias transition economies have a similar effect? There are no guarantees. Evidence so far has shown that increased representation in agriculture does not necessarily contribute to womens socio-economic empowerment.



In fact, even as women take on more agricultural duties, their decision-making power remains limited. In Bangladesh, for example, the microfinance revolution and non-government-organisation-led training programmes have enabled thousands of rural women to become frontline workers and even start their own small businesses since the 1990s. The country now leads South Asia in closing the gender pay gap. Yet, in agriculture, women have about half the power of men, measured by variables like asset ownership and control over income.



On top of that, a research carried out in India has found that womens growing participation in agriculture is strongly linked to several indicators of poverty. This at least partly reflects the fact that womens entry into the paid workforce is not accompanied by any reduction in their already-heavy burden of unpaid labour. And a rising proportion of women employed in the agricultural sector are not paid for their work at all.



Add to that the unpredictable nature of agricultural production, and, as researchers in India say, The feminisation of agriculture may better be described as the feminisation of agrarian distress. In the Indian state of Maharashtra, mounting debts have led to a doubling of suicides among women farmers in the past four years. By contrast, in rural Bangladesh, empowerment, such as the ability to influence purchasing decisions and join voluntary associations, has contributed substantially to their life satisfaction, regardless of their economic status.



How, then, can South Asian governments translate rising women participation in farming into genuine empowerment? One approach focuses on income earned outside the home. Data from rural Bangladesh show that it is not paid employment per se that increases women farmers autonomy, but rather employment outside of their husbands farms. In Bangladesh, the microfinance revolution and non-government-organisation-led training programmes have enabled thousands of rural women to become frontline workers.



Yet the fact is that most women in agriculture in South Asia are working on family farms, where they cannot earn an independent income (or, in many cases, any income at all). One way to tackle this could be to promote exports of high-value-added agricultural products, such as seafood. Formalising the production process could encourage the monetisation of women labour and improve working conditions, as export-oriented manufacturing of readymade garments, textiles, and footwear has done in many emerging Asian economies.



Technology can also help by enabling women to circumvent barriers rooted in social norms. For example, even as Bangladeshi women do more on farms, they are traditionally excluded from aquaculture. The USAID-funded Aquaculture for Income and Nutrition projects low-costgillnets, however, have enabled Bangladeshi women to harvest small fish from small local ponds quickly and easily, so that they do not have to compete with men for access to larger sources.



Similarly, digital technology can improve womens ability to sell their products. In many places, women are excluded from markets, and a male family member must be present for the sale of crops; that would not be the case online. Governments should support the development and dissemination of such technologies, which could also enable women to assert more purchasing power, such as over agricultural inputs, and put an end to the digital divide so that women can have more of such opportunities.



Another crucial element of an effective strategy for empowering women in South Asias agriculture sector is the reduction of unpaid labour for which they are responsible. Pursuing this objective is tricky, given that in patriarchal societies, interventions that empower women at the expense of male family members are sure to provoke formidable resistance. But productivity-enhancing schemes can help to pave the way for the more equitable distribution of domestic duties. The tale of womens vulnerability is shamelessly corny, and many groan at the old cliche: Women are vulnerable and powerful  victimised and empowered  through food. With the right policies and effective use of technology, we can tip the scale in the right direction.
Two packages containing unknown seeds from China in a file photo. (Washington State Department of Agriculture)

Utah, Virginia Residents Warned Not to Plant Seeds Marked With Chinese Writing

Authorities in Utah and Virginia have advised people not to plant seeds that residents have reported receiving in packets with Chinese writing on them.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) said last week that it was notified that several Virginia residents have received unsolicited packages containing seeds that appear to have originated from China.

The agency noted that its not clear how many people received the unidentified seeds.

The types of seeds in the packages are unknown at this time and may be invasive plant species. The packages were sent by mail and may have Chinese writing on them, the VDACS statement added.

Residents around Utah also reported receiving packages of seeds with Chinese text on them over the past two weeks.

Lori Culley, who lives in Tooele, told FOX13 in Salt Lake City that she received two small packages in her mailbox last week, adding that most of the writing was in Chinese. The label, however, said there were earrings in the package.

I opened them up and they were seeds, Culley said. Obviously theyre not jewelry. She said that the seeds were sent to at least 40 people around Tooele.

Culley said that she never placed an order for seeds.

There was an article that I found in the UK saying this has been happening over there, and they are bad seeds, they are invasive, Culley said. I hope that its nothing too serious dont throw them in the garbage. Dont plant them. Dont touch them.

A spokesperson for the Utah Department of Agriculture told the Fox affiliate that people who receive the seeds should not plant them.

But Jane Rupp, with the Better Business Bureau, told FOX13 that it might be a scam where companies send a person a product so they can post a fake review in your name.

That is rather random. I dont think Ive heard of seeds before, Rupp said. The first thing to do is Google your address and see whats out there Numerous things will come up when you Google your address. Its kind of scary sometimes.

According to a report from the Daily Mail tabloid, hundreds of people in the UK received unsolicited deliveries of seeds that were of Chinese origin. In some cases, they were marked as petals and ear studs.

The Royal Horticultural Society told the paper that importing plants and seeds poses potential risks of introducing new pests and diseases, suggesting that people should not plant them.

Ian Rotherham, an expert in environmental geography at Sheffield Hallam University, added that it may be that the seeds are of species we dont want here. You dont know what is going to come up  it could be potentially invasive.

Theres a security issue as well, if people are receiving something they havent ordered. How did those responsible get peoples names and addresses? he asked.

But, he stressed, Whatever you do, dont grow them.
Rain or shine, pandemic, or no pandemic, Conroe Church of Christ was determined to hold its annual Senior Celebration to honor the young members of the church graduating from high school this year. To abide by COVID-19 health suggestions, this years celebration was held outside in a drive-thru fashion.

Normally, we do something inside the building where every senior can set up a table and people can walk through, its a lot more elaborate I would say, said Conner Halstead, student minister at Conroe Church of Christ.

The inclement weather Sunday evening threatened to dampen the drive-thru, but by the events evening start the rain had stopped and the sun started to poke through the clouds. About eight seniors from the church set up tables under tents covered in photos, graduation gowns, balloons, and lots and lot of swag from the schools they will be attending next year.

Mallory Sinquefield, a 2020 graduate of The Woodlands College Park High School, will be attending Abilene Christian University to study Social Work. Behind the table under her tent hung a proud ACU blanket. Shes been looking forward to the Senior Celebration for a while now and remembers what past years celebrations inside were like.

Expect the unexpected, is her advice to future seniors, especially after a year like this one.

We just want to hold a time to honor our graduating class, said Kayla Chrisman Garner, also a Student Minister at the church. Its a time that the church gets to honor them and celebrate their achievements. Usually, we would do it in May, closer to graduation, and things are different this year so were holding it now. Its just a great time for our congregation to get to celebrate them.

Since the pandemic hit the area, the church has had to hold several events in a drive-thru fashion, including a funeral. Its the safest way the church has found to continue to bring people together while maintaining social distancing and keeping crowds to a minimum.

Its nice seeing people I havent seen in a while, said Jay Whaley, a graduate of Lake Creek High School.

Looking forward, he expects that what he experienced the last few months of his senior year could be what the class of 2021 will have their whole last year. His advice to them is to stay on top of their work even if they must do at-home instruction. Next up, Whaley will be attending Texas A&M University to study engineering.

For about an hour, cars with church members drove through the church parking lot, stopping by each students booth to hand out graduation gifts, catch up with the students and their parents, wave signs, ring bells, and generally celebrate the accomplishments of the class of 2020.

Were just so proud and we love all our graduates, Halstead said. And theyve been through a lot so they deserve to be celebrated.

jamie.swinnerton@chron.com
Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) said Sunday he would not support any Supreme Court nominee unless they had publicly acknowledged that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided prior to their nomination.

I will vote only for those Supreme Court nominees who have explicitly acknowledged that Roe v. Wade is wrongly decided, Hawley told the Washington Post, referring to the 1973 ruling that established federal protection for abortion. By explicitly acknowledged, I mean on the record and before they were nominated.

I dont want private assurances from candidates, the former law professor added. I dont want to hear about their personal views, one way or another. Im not looking for forecasts about how they may vote in the future or predications. I dont want any of that. I want to see on the record, as part of their record, that they have acknowledged in some forum that Roe v. Wade, as a legal matter, is wrongly decided.

Hawleys stance comes as pro-lifers have underscored the importance of vetting Supreme Court nominees after chief justice John Roberts dealt a series of disappointments to pro-life activists and conservatives in siding with the Courts liberal justices on abortion, immigration and LGBTQ rights.

Last month Roberts joined the Courts liberals in striking down a Louisiana abortion law requiring abortionists to have hospital admitting privileges to perform abortions. Roberts drew sharp criticism from many conservatives for saying his decision was meant to follow the precedent set in the 2016 Texas case Whole Womens Health v. Hellerstedt, though he believed that case had been wrongly decided.

In his 2005 confirmation hearing, Roberts said Roe was settled as a precedent of the court, a position since cited by Republicans during nomination fights. But Hawleys position could pressure Republicans to move away from that.

Roe is central to judicial philosophy. Roe is and was an unbridled act of judicial imperialism. It marks the point the modern Supreme Court said, You know, we dont have to follow the Constitution. We wont even pretend to try, said Hawley, 40, who once served as a clerk for Roberts.

Story continues

The movement is preparing for the possibility that President Trump could name a new justice this year  marking his third nomination  should there be a vacancy. White House officials and some top Republicans have privately discussed the possibility that Clarence Thomas could retire, the Post reported.

This standard, for me, applies to Supreme Court nominees, whether theyre a sitting judge or whatever, Hawley said. If there is no indication in their record that at any time they have acknowledged that Roe was wrong at the time it was decided, then Im not going to vote for them  and I dont care who nominates them.

More from National Review
Record number of Black women set to run for U.S. Congress U.S. congressional candidate Joyce Elliot works from her office in Little Rock

By Makini Brice

WASHINGTON(Reuters) - Joyce Elliott, an Arkansas state senator who is seeking a U.S. congressional seat in November, was the second Black student to attend her local public high school; the first was her older sister. If elected in November, she will be the first Black lawmaker in Congress from Arkansas, ever.

On the campaign trail in June, Elliott attended a demonstration against racism in White County, which is more than 90% white, and spoke to attendees in the shadow of a Confederate monument.

The November election is a "chance to change our history," she told Reuters afterward. "I really decided I needed to run because I could see a pathway to winning."

As the United States grapples with a deadly coronavirus pandemic that has disproportionately sickened and killed Black Americans and recent upheaval over police brutality, a record number of Black women are running for Congress.

Elliott is one of at least 122 Black or multi-racial Black women who filed to run for congressional seats in this year's election; this figure has increased steadily since 2012, when it was 48, according to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP).

As primary season draws to a close, nearly 60 Black women are still in the running, according to Collective PAC.

"People are becoming more comfortable with seeing different kinds of people in Congress. You don't know what it looks like to have powerful Black women in Congress until you see powerful Black women in Congress," said Pam Keith, a Navy veteran and attorney who is running in the Democratic primary for a Florida congressional seat.

Black women are nearly 8% of the U.S. population, but 4.3% of Congress, according to a report by the Center of Women and Politics and Higher Heights for America, a political action committee that seeks to elect more progressive Black women to elected office. They are underrepresented in statewide executive's jobs and among mayors as well, according to the report.

Story continues

But Black women voters showed the highest participation rate of any group in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.

Historically, Black women have been more likely to win in majority-Black districts, but many are running this cycle in majority white or mixed districts, some of which had previously voted for Republicans.

"We're going to flip this seat from red to blue," said North Carolina's Patricia Timmons-Goodson, the first Black judge to serve on the state Supreme Court and a former member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. "We have a candidate that knows and understands the district and its people," said Timmons-Goodson, who is running for a seat in Congress.

Several of the eight Black women congressional candidates Reuters spoke to said they relate to voters better than their often wealthier opponents, because they, too, have lived through fiscal hardships.

"We almost lost our house a couple of times. We ran into financial difficulties when I was first starting my business," said Jeannine Lee Lake, a former journalist who is running for Congress from Indiana against U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's brother, Greg Pence, an incumbent business executive who reported millions in assets last election cycle.

The coronavirus crisis has also highlighted the importance of issues these women are running on - improving healthcare, creating better jobs, ameliorating access to broadband internet.

"It really has just amplified and co-signed what I was already talking about with voters," such as the importance of agriculture and expanding Medicaid, said Alabama's Adia McClellan-Winfrey, a psychologist and chair of the Talladega County Democratic Party.

Ohio candidate Desiree Tims returned home in 2019 after a stint in Washington, D.C. as a congressional aide and White House intern, intending to work at a law firm and pay down her student loan debt.

But she decided to run after watching people come together to bag clothes, share food and provide shelter following a rash of tornadoes that tore across the state, with little support from the federal government.

"After coming back from Washington, D.C., what I saw was the community doing the work, but their tax dollars not working for them," Tims said.

Kimberly Walker, a veteran and former corrections officer from Florida running for Congress, says the solution to that discrepancy is clear.

"We need to have more people, average, everyday American citizens who are there fighting for average, everyday American citizens," she said.

(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Heather Timmons and Diane Craft)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the banks in general are in a dilemma whether to end or extend the moratorium on August 31. Ending it when the economy is yet to start recovering will mean large scale loan defaults.

Extending the moratorium beyond August 31, on the other hand, will allow little time to the banks to pursue recovery. Since interests and charges continue to accrue, the borrowers will be staring at mammoth repayments when the moratorium is finally lifted. Presuming that even half of the MSME, personal, auto and credit card account holders default, there will be a huge surge ...
Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), the powerful House Ways and Means chair, is getting some outside help as he attempts to hold off a well-funded primary challenger.

Fresh off a slew of wins in New York last month, liberals are setting their sights on Neal, who will face Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse in the Sept. 1 primary. Prominent progressives with ties to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the Justice Democrats have launched a six-figure independent expenditure to help Morse.

Now Neal's allies are striking back with their own ad campaign. American Working Families, a group with ties to organized labor, is launching a cable and broadcast buy on Tuesday highlighting what it describes as Morses poor record on police reform.

"Alex Morse's record isn't inspiring. It's brutal," the narrator said in a one-minute spot. Since becoming mayor, multiple police brutality lawsuits have been filed against his police department, and Alex Morse remained silent."

The ad flashes quotes from the lawsuits describing alleged incidents  including one in which a 12-year-old boy was beaten  and knocks Morse for not calling for investigations.

American Working Families describes itself as an organization dedicated to fighting back against the war on working people and opposed to corporations who promote hyper-partisan agendas.

The group did not disclose the full size of the buy, but Chris Keohan, a spokesperson, said it plans to match the spending of any organizations backing Morse or opposing Neal.

Progressive operatives formed a new initiative, Fight Corporate Monopolies, in early July to blast politicians who they feel are too cozy with corporate interests. Neal is their first target, and they vowed to spend at least $300,000.

The anti-Neal first ad accuses him of being in the pocket of a private equity firm that is accused of profiting off surprise medical billing.

In a statement, the Morse campaign pushed back against some claims in the American Working Families spot. Max Clermont, Morse's campaign manager, said the "primary case featured in this ad is an incident" that preceded Morse's tenure as mayor, and that Morse "has implemented a long list of police reforms" since taking office.

Story continues

The left is eager to take down another House chair after middle school principal Jamaal Bowman ousted House Foreign Affairs Chair Eliot Engel in a June primary. And by the time New York is done counting ballots from the June 23 primary, liberals may have snatched another victory. Carolyn Maloney, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, is locked in a tight battle with Suraj Patel.

Morse is the youngest and first openly gay mayor of the city of Holyoke and has nabbed endorsements from key progressive groups like Justice Democrats and the Sunrise Movement. The district spans Western Massachusetts and is safe Democratic territory.

Neal was first elected in 1988 and had over $4.2 million in his campaign account by the end of June. Morse had $315,000. But his campaign announced Monday that he had raised more than $1 million since launching his bid.
Bachelor In Paradise star Jessica Brody broke down in tears after Ciarran Stott went on a romantic date with intruder Kiki Morris on Monday night.

The 31-year-old bombshell was distraught as it became clear her new relationship with Ciarran, 25, may be coming to an end.

Fans flocked to Twitter to defend Jessica, claiming she 'deserves to find someone who is dedicated to her'.

'She deserves better!' Bachelor In Paradise viewers defended Jessica Brody (pictured) after she broke down in tears as Ciarran Stott went on a romantic date with Kiki Morris on Monday

One wrote: 'Jess deserves better, she's so gorgeous and has been dedicated to one guy the whole time while the guy in question has hooked up with three other girls in Paradise.'

'Hoping Jess stands up for herself and quite frankly for the other women of Australia. Ciarran needs his head pulled in,' another commented.

'Jess is breaking my heart. We've all been there thinking a guy likes us but really he's using us. Boys huh,' one person wrote.

'I hope she stands up for herself!': Fans flocked to Twitter, claiming Jessica 'deserves to find someone who is dedicated to her'

Another said: 'Poor Jess is discovering what many of us girls have found out the hard way, that sometimes you might think a guy is charming, funny, sexy and lovely and it turns out he's just got tattoos.'

'I actually feel sorry for Jess right now,' another person agreed.

'Love ya, Jess, but you were delusional to think Ciarran would treat you with any care or respect knowing what you know about him,' one commented.

Romance: After Ciarran left the villa to go on a romantic date with Kiki Morris, Jessica admitted she had feelings for the tattooed Englishman

After Ciarran left the villa to go on a romantic date with Kiki Morris, Jessica admitted she had feelings for the tattooed Englishman.

She said: 'I definitely want to continue spending time with Ciarran and I definitely have feelings for him... I do feel he has feelings for me.'

'After seeing how Ciarran was with me and feeling like it was very genuine, I think if I was to see him do that with someone else, I would feel like maybe he wasn't who I thought he was, which would be really disappointing,' she told producers.

'I am scared to be hurt. And I'm trying to be strong. I want to be strong. This sucks. It sucks,' Jess admitted while breaking down.

Bachelor in Paradise continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten
Driver George Napolitano Jr. took six races on the Sunday afternoon (July 26) program at Harrah's Philadelphia, including the $14,400 top-level conditioned pace with Jeffrey Snyder's Dealt A Winner.

Napolitano Jr. pointed the eight-year-old Cams Card Shark gelding directly to the lead from post 3, and the pair clicked off ambitious fractions of :26.3, :54.3 and 1:22 before widening their advantage over pocket rival American Boy N through the final turn. On top by two-and-a-half lengths off the corner for home, Dealt A Winner maintained that margin to the end of his 1:49.3 victory while well in hand to the winning post. JJ Flynn hooked three-wide in upper stretch and lifted late to just collar American Boy N for runner-up honors.

Mark Silva trains 24-time Dealt A Winner, whose three wins this season all have come with Napolitano Jr. at the helm. He paid $2.40 to win.

Napolitano Jr. teamed up with trainer Gilbert Garcia-Owen for a double, winning with Better B Rolling ($5.40, 1:51.3) and Feeling Cam Lucky ($7.20, 1:51.3). He also piloted Marc Mosher starter Barbados ($3.00, 1:51.1), Andrew Harris trainee Patriot Nation ($2.80, 1:50.4) and Dennis Watson pupil Lyons Steel ($2.40, 1:50.1) to victory.

Racing returns to Harrah's Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon (July 29), with a $14,305.50 carryover in the fifth-race Jackpot Hi-5. Post time is 12:25 p.m. (EDT).

(Harrah's Philadelphia)
WTC CARES Act Fund Report

The information below is provided in compliance with the Department of Educations Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, CRRSAA and ARP (a)(1) and (a)(4) programs reporting requirements.

CARES Act Fund Institutional Quarterly Reports

Western Texas College CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting ending 9-30-2020

Western Texas College CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting ending 12-31-2020

Western Texas College CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting ending 3-31-2021

Western Texas College CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting Ending 6-30-2021

Western Texas College CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting ending 9-30-2021

Western Texas College CARES Act Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting ending 12-31-2021

CARES Act Fund Report: Students

The information in the report below was compiled on December 31, 2021, and the total amount allocated to student emergency financial aid grants is $1,618,407, and $556,115 has been dispersed.

1. An acknowledgment that the institution signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement and the assurance that the institution has used the applicable amount of funds designated under the CRRSAA and ARP (a)(1) and (a)(4) programs to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.

Western Texas College acknowledges that it signed and returned to the U.S. Department of Education on May 13, 2020, the Certification and Agreement under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act, CRRSAA, and ARP (a)(1) and (a)(4) programs to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

2. The total amount of funds that the institution will receive or has received from the Department pursuant to the institution's Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under the CRRSAA and ARP (a)(1) and (a)(4) programs.

Western Texas College received $1,618,407 to support students who incurred expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

3. The total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students under the CRRSAA and ARP (a)(1) and (a)(4) programs as of the date of submission (i.e., as of the initial report and every calendar quarter thereafter).

As of December 31, 2021, Western Texas College has distributed $556,115 in Emergency Financial Aid Grants to eligible students.

4. The estimated total number of students at the institution that are eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under the CRRSAA and ARP (a)(1) and (a)(4) programs.

Western Texas College estimates approximately 1,944 Western Texas College students were eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act, CRRSAA and ARP (a)(1) and (a)(4) programs. 152 applications were received.

5. The total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under the CRRSAA and ARP (a)(1) and (a)(4) programs.

As of December 31, 2021, Western Texas College distributed CARES Act funds to 289 eligible students. As of December 31, 2021, ARP funds have not been distributed.

6. The method(s) used by the institution to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under the CRRSAA and ARP (a)(1) and (a)(4) programs.

Western Texas College created an online application for students to use to apply for CARES Act funds. The $1,944.46 or $1904.50 amount each student received was determined by the number of eligible students applying for aid and the amount allocated to WTC. In order to comply with the guidance received from the US Department of Education, students who wish to apply for and receive this assistance must:

Complete the WTC CARES online application

Been enrolled in the spring 2020 semester, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021, or Fall 2021

Acknowledge need in one or more of the noted areas of food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, or childcare

Have completed 2019-2020 FAFSA or be eligible for Title IV funding

In addition, the U.S. Department of Education determined students enrolled solely in online classes, students who withdrew from all their classes prior to March 13, 2020, dual credit students, and international and undocumented students were not eligible for federal grants.

Western Texas College created an online application for students to use to apply for CRRSA Act funds. The amount each student will receive will be determined by the number of eligible students applying for aid and the amount allocated to WTC. In order to comply with the guidance received from the US Department of Education, students who wish to apply for and receive this assistance must:



Must have been enrolled in Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021, or Fall 2021 at WTC.

Must be a US citizen or FAFSA eligible non-citizen.

Must be in good academic standing.

Must complete application in full.

7. Any instructions, directions, or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants.

Students were notified about the CARES Act and CRRSA Act Emergency Financial Aid Grants and the application procedure through college correspondence, social media, and our WTC website. Once the application was completed, eligibility was confirmed. Students who were found not to be eligible received/will receive a letter to inform them of that decision. Eligible students received/will receive an award letter and check through the USPS to the address they provided in their application.
Logan Paul and girlfriend Josie Canseco were arm-in-arm as they headed out in Los Angeles Sunday for a bite at BOA Steakhouse's West Hollywood.

The couple held one another as they headed out in casual clothes on the warm summer evening in the City of Angels.

Paul, 25, donned a white shirt with a red heart, black pants and white sneakers, topping things off with a black cap and a black face mask.

Out and about: Logan Paul, 25, and girlfriend Josie Canseco, 23, were arm-in-arm as they headed out in Los Angeles Sunday for a bite at BOA Steakhouse's West Hollywood

Josie, 23, wore a crop top with pink and white horizontal stripes, black jeans and white Nike Air Force 1 sneakers. She accessorized with bracelets and hoop earrings.

The Weston, Florida-born beauty, who in June 2016 was Playboy's Playmate of the Month, had her lustrous blonde mane down and parted and did not have a mask on as she stepped outside of the establishment.

The YouTube personality in May confirmed his relationship with the daughter of retired Oakland A's star Jose Canseco, who was previously linked to Brody Jenner.

He told ET that they had come together in 'a crossing of LA circles,' adding, 'She's over here and I'm over there and we crossed circles one night  it's f**king serious - it's pretty serious.'

Summer romance: Paul in May confirmed his relationship with the daughter of retired Oakland A's star Jose Canseco

Gorgeous: The Weston, Florida-born beauty had her lustrous blonde mane down and parted

The couple was seen earlier this summer protesting against racism and police brutality in Hollywood earlier this summer attended by other notable names including Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker.

At the event, Canseco upheld signs reading 'Black Lives Matter' and 'This is f****d' in the wake of the May 25 death of 46-year-old security guard George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Floyd died after police officer Derek Chauvin - who has since been fired and charged in the incident - kneeled on the back of his neck while he was handcuffed, rendering him unable to breathe in an incident that was caught on camera.

Bonded: The YouTube personality Paul said his relationship with the model is 'pretty serious'
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - An Alabama lawmaker is facing sharp criticism, including a call to resign, for participating in a celebration marking the birthday of a Confederate general who was also an early Ku Klux Klan leader.

Rep. Will Dismukes of Prattville on Sunday attended a gathering to remember Nathan Bedford Forrest and posted a photo from the event on his Facebook page. The photo showed Dismukes speaking in front of several Confederate flags.

Had a great time at Fort Dixie speaking and giving the invocation for Nathan Bedford Forrest annual birthday celebration. Always a great time and some sure enough good eating!! the Republican state House member wrote in a post that is no longer visible on his public page.

The post came on the same day that the state was honouring the late John Lewis, an Alabama native who served for decades in Congress and had a long record of fighting for civil rights. Lewis died July 17 at the age of 80.

Dismukes - who is chaplain of a chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans - later posted that it was not his intent to disrespect Lewis or glorify the Klan.

The lawmaker was condemned by both Democrats and Republicans.

Wade Perry, executive director of the Alabama Democratic Party, called on Dismukes to resign.

Will Dismukes has demonstrated yet again why he is unfit to hold public office. Americans dont celebrate racists or traitors. Nathan Bedford Forrest was both. And a founder of the Klan. ... Its 2020 and its time for racial extremists like Will Dismukes to go away, Perry said in a statement.

The Republican House whip later tweeted a statement that, while not naming his Republican colleague, said he could not fathom celebrating a Klan leader.

I cannot fathom why anyone in 2020 celebrates the birthday of the 1st KKK Grand Wizard. And while the body of a civil rights icon beaten by the Klan lies at state capitol being honoured by GOP/Dem leaders from all over the state. This mentality does not rep my party or my faith, Rep. Danny Garrett tweeted.

Dismukes posted a lengthy statement Monday, saying, my post was in no way glorifying the Klan or disrespecting the late Rep. John Lewis. He said his regret was that it put a negative light on his legislative colleagues.

I am a transparent person. To the point that as a public official I lay it all there for the people to see for better or for worse at times. The post was in no way intended to seem as if I was glorifying the Klan or any party thereof. The very atrocities and actions they committed are a disgrace to our country, Dismukes said.

Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan called Dismukes explanation shallow in understanding about why it was offensive to many.

Rep. Dismukes offered no explanation for why he participated in a birthday celebration of Nathan Bedford Forrest. Additionally, I find his statement to be shallow in understanding why his activities are deeply offensive to so many Alabamians. His constituents will be the final decision makers of his political future, Lathan said.

It is one thing to honour ones Southern heritage, however, it is completely another issue to specifically commemorate the leader of an organization with an indisputable history of unconscionable actions and atrocities toward African Americans, Lathan said.
The couple at the centre of a tragic abortion case at the National Maternity Hospital are pleading with the Taoiseach to intervene in a dispute that has stalled an investigation into what happened.

The couple, who say they have been left mentally and physically broken, were told in March last year after two tests that their unborn baby had a fatal foetal abnormality and would not survive.

The couple took the agonising decision to terminate the pregnancy as a result.

But they were left devastated when a more advanced test showed their much-wanted baby had no abnormality.

Expand Close Answers sought: The couples solicitor, Caoimhe Haughey, has written to Taoiseach Micheal Martin. Photo: Caroline Quinn / Facebook

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Whatsapp Answers sought: The couples solicitor, Caoimhe Haughey, has written to Taoiseach Micheal Martin. Photo: Caroline Quinn

An investigation review to be carried out by a team of experts was due to begin last year to probe the case.

But a dispute over membership and alleged conflicts of interest has blocked it from going ahead.

The hospital now says it intends to go ahead with the review, despite the ongoing objections, and the couple are threatening to seek a court injunction.

In a letter to Micheal Martin, the couple's solicitor Caoimhe Haughey sets out their exhaustive correspondence with the hospital.

She has also asked to meet the Taoiseach personally to highlight the extent of their distress at the failure to resolve their concerns over the make-up of the team.

The letter, a copy of which has been seen by the Irish Independent, said: "I believe you will agree it is really beyond extraordinary that a hospital which is funded and indemnified by the Irish State believes it can act with such impunity and sees itself answerable to no one."

The couple want the review to be carried out by the National Women and Infants Health Programme in the HSE under Dr Peter McKenna as clinical lead.

They had previously asked that Dr McKenna, an obstetrician at the Rotunda Hospital, be appointed to chair the review but this was not accepted by the hospital.

He has since been invited to be involved as part of the review team.

The hospital said it would not be appropriate that he be appointed chair given his HSE role in the design of the termination of pregnancy services.

The chosen chair is obstetrician and gynaecologist Myles Taylor, of the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, who was nominated by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

The couple say that they have objected to the review team having access to their medical records until they "receive confirmation numerous inaccuracies identified are rectified". They have also referred alleged data breaches to the Data Protection Commissioner.

A complaint has also been made to the Medical Council, and the couple have written to each member of the hospital board.

They told board members they are in the "honest pursuit of answers to vital questions as to what caused our cherished baby to become the victim of a fatal misdiagnosis: why did this happen and to make sure it never, ever happens again".

Efforts to break the impasse under mediator Senator Michael McDowell SC also ended without any resolution.

In a series of strongly worded letters on behalf of the couple, the hospital has been accused of acting without transparency and accountability, and adopting a bullish approach to the matter.

The hospital has provided details of the membership of the panel including some CVs. However, the couple say correspondence outlining how the proposed chairman was selected and approved has not been forthcoming.

A letter sent by Ms Haughey last week warned the couple will seek a legal challenge by way of injunction proceedings, including joining the Data Protection Commissioner as a notice party, if their medical records are accessed for the review without their consent.

In response to queries from the Irish Independent, a spokesman for the hospital said it "has commissioned a review to be conducted by suitably qualified independent experts, and the review team is expected to begin its work very shortly".

A spokeswoman for the Taoiseach said yesterday he had requested that Health Minister Stephen Donnelly meet the couple and their solicitor to listen to their concerns and attempt to break the deadlock.

There were 6,666 abortions last year, the first full year of the legislation widening the grounds for abortion following the 2018 referendum.
Delhi has conducted over 9.46 lakh Covid-19 tests till date, with experts attributing the high number to the rapid antigen tests which started last month. The experts feel that the rapid antigen test has changed the script for the national capital due to its affordability, quicker result and its ability to serve as a fast diagnostic tool.

The rapid antigen tests started in Delhi from June 18. The total number of tests conducted in the national capital stands at 9,46,777 till date, which means 49,830 tests per million.

As many as 17,533 tests have been carried out in the last 24 hours, which include 12,501 rapid antigen tests and 5,032 RT-PCR tests. Between March 4 and June 4, Delhi conducted 2,36,506 COVID-19 tests. Going by the numbers, it means, that post June 4, the national capital conducted nearly seven lakh tests.

Testing figures have risen since June 18, when the testing began in the city using the rapid antigen kits. Delhi has 56 labs -- 22 government and 34 private -- which are carrying out RT-PCR tests to detect COVID-19. Labs across the city and health experts credit the rapid antigen test for reducing the burden on RT-PCR tests, helping in quicker identification of cases and reducing the risk of spread of infection.

Dr Sumit Sharma, Dean of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, said testing has played a significant role in checking the spread of cases. "Asymptomatic patients are being detected and isolated now, and symptomatic patients are being isolated earlier than previously when testing was limited. Early treatment has reduced the infection," he opined.

Rattan Gurnani, senior manager operations and corporate, City X-Ray and Scan Clinic, said the government has been very aggressive in testing and is ensuring that tests are conducted across all the containment zones. "They have given a target to all the districts, so more the tests, better the diagnosis and quicker the isolation and results. The number of RT-PCR tests has gone down from 700-800 earlier to 400 to 500 per day," he said.

The situation is similar in other labs and facilities. At the Genestrings lab, 1,000 to 1,200 tests were being conducted on a daily basis before the rapid antigen test started, but now it has reduced to 200 tests per day. According to Chetan Kohli, COO, Seeds of Innocence and Genestrings Lab, rapid antigen tests have also helped the labs process the samples faster. "Earlier, the time taken to process the samples would be anywhere between 24 and 48 hours but now it is 24 hours," he said.

Dr Rakesh Pandit, senior Consultant and HOD, internal medicine, Akash Hospital said earlier the medical facility was conducting 90 RT-PCR tests per day, out of which 25 would test positive. Now the hospital is conducting 50 to 60 tests per day and only six or seven people are testing positive.

"Earlier the labs were so overloaded. The waiting time was more and there were a limited number of facilities. Then there were constraints like one RT-PCR machine cannot do more than 100 tests. But now more people are being covered," Pandit said. The number of rapid antigen tests being conducted on a daily basis is more than double of the RT-PCR tests.

According to the health bulletin on July 24, 5,328 RT-PCR tests were conducted within 24 hours, while over 13,000 antigen tests were conducted during the same time.

Talking about the advantages of the rapid antigen tests, Kohli said the results of the test come within 15-20 minutes, and people are getting easy accessibility to them owing to the government's efforts and the presence of more than 160 centres where people can avail them free of cost.

Also read: IIT-Kharagpur invents portable low-cost COVID-19 test, to cost Rs 400
Arts & Culture

By Ls Cohen Published: July 27 2020

Rhonie was a pioneer in aviation during World War II.

Photo: Aline H Rhonie was known as a flying artist for her work encouraging female participation in the air defense program and British War Relief. She learned mural painting from Diego Rivera and painted the large aviation themed fresco mural in Hangar F at Roosevelt Field. Archives of American Art / No restrictions.

Aline Rhonie was a woman of many talents. An aviator who was the first woman to fly from New York to Mexico City, who also worked for the war relief effort during WWII, drove an ambulance in France during the war and advocated for the United States to train women fliers.

Rhonie wanted the U.S. to follow Britain's lead at the time, which was training women to fly liaison missions. She felt that women would be very valuable in liaison missions, according to a quote in one news report.

If that wasnt enough, Rhonie was also an accomplished painted who learned mural painting from Diego Rivera and painted the large aviation themed fresco mural in Hangar F at Roosevelt Field.
As many as 275 other Chinese apps could also be on the chopping block over similar concerns, including the hugely popular PUBG Mobile game owned by tech giant Tencent. (Photo | Flickr- Whelsko)

New Delhi: India has banned 47 more Chinese apps just weeks after blocking the highly popular video-sharing platform TikTok and 58 others over national security and privacy concerns, an information ministry official said Monday.

We have banned 47 mobile apps from China in this ongoing exercise which highlights the governments seriousness about data privacy and security, the official, who asked to remain anonymous, told AFP.

The order was issued on Friday. Most of these 47 apps are banned for the same reasons as the earlier 59, and many were lite versions or variants of the earlier banned applications.

There has been no official statement or order released by the government about the ban yet.

Anti-China sentiment has soared since a deadly clash in mid-June in which 20 Indian soldier were killed. It sparked street protests and calls for Chinese products to be banned.

As many as 275 other Chinese apps could also be on the chopping block over similar concerns, including the hugely popular PUBG Mobile game owned by tech giant Tencent.

From toys, cosmetics and handbags to home appliances, pharma, auto components, and steel, China exports more than 3,000 products to India.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Speakers of Houses of Assembly in the North-East have resolved to fast-track the passage of the Violence Against Persons Prohition (VAPP) Bills in the states within the region.

The speakers expressed their commitment to enacting the law in Gombe on Monday, during a roundtable meeting of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) with lawmakers in the north-east on the proposed bill.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was funded by the African Women Development Fund (AWDF) and facilitated by the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC).

The Chairman of the North-East Conference of Speakers, Abubakar Sulieman, described gender-based violence as not only human rights violation, but a threat to life and public health.

Mr Suleiman, who is also the Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, said it was the responsibility of legislators to make laws that would benefit the people.

Research has shown that women and girls are exposed to high level of sexual violence, rape, defilement, domestic violence, transactional sex, sexual exploitation and abuse with little if any opportunity to seek justice.

In Nigeria, our value system is changing and the inequality in the society manifests itself in prevalence of violence against women and girls.

Due to the weakened social structures, laws and policies against violence and against women and girls are either absent or where available, implementation is weak, he said.

The chairman added that the prevalence of violence against women and girls had made it expedient to make use of the constitution to protect people from rapists and paedophiles in society.

Our determination to support a society free from violence is therefore part of our call to duty and sitting here today, our mission is to answer this call, he said.

In her remarks, the WARDC Executive Director, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, said the bill, when passed in all the states in the region, would address the many challenges that women and girls faced.

Mrs Akiyode-Afolabi said the level of violence experienced by women and girls did not commensurate with what was known in public domain as a result of poor reportage of cases.

Alarmingly, as at 2020, the incidences of rape and sexual assault do not seem to be subsiding.

Recent data from the Inspector General of Police showed that over 700 cases of rape was treated and convicted.

One reason for poor reportage is the stigma and shame associated with being a victim of rape.

Most women and girls prefer to conceal rape cases to save themselves from shame and public embarrassment, she said.

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She stated that in the last two months, Nigeria had witnessed so much violence and that was why there were protests across the country despite the lockdown for government to act.

I believe this is the best time for distinguished speakers to act and support the passage of the VAPP bills.

Our gathering today has this aim and I sincerely wish we will move it forward from here, Akiyode-Afolabi added.

Speakers from Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe all gave the assurance that efforts were already being made in their respective states to ensure the passage of the proposed bill.

For now, it is only the Bauchi state house of assembly that has passed the bill in the region.

Highlights of the event were presentation of papers by resource persons as well as question and answer session all aimed at fine-tuning the leglislative processes for the speedy passage of the bill. (NAN)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 11:28:35|Editor: huaxia

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Men in hula skirts perform at Nanuku Auberge Resort in Fiji, July 21, 2020. As a South Pacific island nation with unique culture and natural beauty, Fiji appreciates the contribution Chinese tourists have made to its tourism over the past years, and Chinese tourists are warmly welcome to enjoy the tropical paradise after the COVID-19 pandemic, a Fijian resort's general manager said. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing)

by Xinhua writer Zhang Yongxing

SUVA, July 27 (Xinhua)-- As a South Pacific island nation with unique culture and natural beauty, Fiji appreciates the contribution Chinese tourists have made to its tourism over the past years, and Chinese tourists are warmly welcome to enjoy the tropical paradise after the COVID-19 pandemic, a Fijian resort's general manager said.

"Chinese guests are incredibly important not only to Nanuku, but to Fiji as a tourist destination. All visitors to the resort are immediately part of our 'Nanuku tribe' and we greatly value the support from China which we have seen progressively grow over the past five years," Logan Miller, general manager of Fiji's landscaped Nanuku Auberge Resort, said in an interview with Xinhua.

Nanuku Auberge Resort, an all-villa boutique resort along the beautiful coastline of Fiji's main island of Viti Levu, used to receive a lot of foreign tourists, including Chinese visitors who prefered to come during October and the Spring Festival season, but after the COVID-19 outbreak and the border restrictions this year, the resort's business has been badly affected.

"Fiji's appeal and tropical weather brings masses of ever-increasing inbound arrivals year-on-year. In 2019, we welcomed more tourists than our current population (894,389 arrivals vs 863,000 locals). When you consider tourism accounts for approximately 35 percent of Fiji's total GDP, it is no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing short of catastrophic for travel and tourism operators," Logan said.

Located in the heart of the South Pacific region, Fiji is blessed with 333 tropical islands. The tourism industry employs about 150,000 people directly and indirectly. In recent years, Fiji has received more than 800,000 visitors per year. The Fijian government has set a goal of developing tourism to a 2.2-billion-Fijian dollar (1-billion-U.S. dollar) industry by 2021.

Currently, China is Fiji's fourth largest tourist market, with nearly 50,000 Chinese visitors each year and tourism earnings from the Chinese market accounting for about 5 percent of the country's total tourism earnings. In January alone this year, Fiji received 4,469 Chinese visitors, an increase of 12.7 percent from the corresponding period of 2019.

But this year's visitor arrivals to Fiji are forecast to decline by 75 percent with the flow-on effects bringing tourism dependent sectors to a standstill. This has culminated in a spike in unemployment as many businesses including a lot of beautiful resorts across the nation have scaled back or shut down operations. The tourism industry, which has already laid off more than 40,000 people, has been at a grinding halt for the past months, and more layoffs are likely before things improve this year.

Logan said that like all other luxury resorts in Fiji, Nanuku has felt the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its occupancy dropped sharply once borders were closed and it had to temporally shut its doors for months.

"We think this is the best time for us to improve our hardware and software. Upskilling and reskilling have been our focus throughout the downtime. We have continued our extensive team training, as well as deep cleaning, renovating and landscaping the resort," he said.

"It has been a unique opportunity for our staff to come together and understand all aspects of the resort's operations which has been very positive."

In response to the Fijian government's efforts to restart the struggling tourism, the newly renovated resort, with a total of 162 staff with reduced working hours from Thursday until Sunday every week, has opened to welcome local Fijians.

A traditional warrior welcome marked the re-opening in July as the resort hosted local Fijians for a weekend of much needed rest and relaxation. Visitors enjoyed the resort's all villa accommodation, cultural activities, traditional cooking demonstrations and a wide-range of water sports.

"With open arms, we welcomed our first guests in over three months, hosting residents from the local Fijian community. It has been so inspiring to see the resort humming again and watching our team do what they do best, looking after our valued guests," he said.

In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, Logan said the resort will do its best to adjust to the new normal and warmly welcomes visitors including friendly Chinese guests.

Regardless of the devastating impact they have experienced from loss of guest arrivals, it has not deterred the Fijian spirit nor their determination to revive and surpass their previous visitor numbers, he said, adding that Nanuku welcomes guests from far and wide and wants their prospective guests to know they will be in safe hands and their experience will be "completely personalized, incredibly enriching and memorable."

Born and raised in Fiji, Logan visited China and loves Chinese culture and food. He believes that China's development has a great potential and more Chinese will visit Fiji to enjoy the tropical paradise in the years to come.

"We have immensely enjoyed showcasing the wonders of Fiji with tourists arriving from China. Our culture is unique, and we love sharing the Fijian heritage with all our guests through story-telling and traditions," said Logan with a smile on his face.

"It is always so heart-warming to see our guests' smiling faces as they experience something new for the first time, like our kava welcoming ceremony for example, or traditional Fijian earth cooking, planting their own baby coral at Nanuku reef, experiencing Nanuku island or a sandbank day trip, or even watching our customary Fijian singing and dance performances," he said.

"We trust Fiji's positive relationship with China will continue well after the current global pandemic and look forward to welcoming our Chinese guests back to Nanuku again very soon. We want to say from the bottom of our hearts to our Chinese guests: Bula, welcome to Nanuku and welcome home." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 20:58:15|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A special fund was set up to preserve ancient villages and buildings in Jinxi County, east China's Jiangxi Province, the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation (CFCHC) said on Monday.

The aim of the special fund is to solve problems in the protection of ancient villages and buildings, including insufficient fund integration, as well as to explore a path for the protection and utilization of cultural relics led by the government and participated by social forces.

Jinxi County currently has over 11,000 ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), thus being called "an ancient village museum without walls." The county has been included in an ancient building protection campaign initiated by the CFCHC. Enditem
ROCKY MOUNT, Va. -- Bridgette Craighead had almost reached the top of the hill when she stopped, teetering on leopard-print boots, to stare at the white-marble soldier in a Confederate uniform.

He stood atop a granite obelisk, dedicated in engraved letters to "THE CONFEDERATE DEAD," that dominated the grassy square outside the Franklin County courthouse. One of the soldier's hands rested on his hip. The other gripped a rifle.

Craighead, 29, looked down at her own hands. She readjusted her grip on the megaphone she'd swathed in leopard-print tape, to match her boots and the "Black Lives Matter" logo on her T-shirt. She shook back her Afro and told herself she was a warrior. It did not matter that this was her first protest, organized four days before on Facebook. It did not matter that this was the first Black Lives Matter rally that white, rural Republican Rocky Mount had ever seen. She was ready to lead.

"F--- y'all," said a low voice, and Craighead turned to see a white face leaning from the window of a black pickup truck, and a middle finger thrust into the air. "Y'all are disrespecting my statue."

It was June 3. Nine days since George Floyd's neck was crushed beneath the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. Nine days since the nation had erupted in protests that shattered cities and swept Americans, in what felt like every corner of the country, into an unprecedented reckoning with racism and police violence.

Every corner except Rocky Mount, the seat of Franklin County in southern Virginia. Craighead had grown up in this county of about 56,000, which lies lapped in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is nearly 90% white. Rocky Mount itself is nearly 70% white, and in Craighead's public school classes, she was almost always the only black child in class.

It's the kind of place where Confederate flags hang, twinned with Trump 2020 banners, outside homes and shops. Where local officials rebuilt and rededicated the Confederate statue in 2010 at a cost of more than $100,000, after a pickup truck driver accidentally demolished it and local historians compared its demise to a death in the family. Where earlier this year, the white superintendent pooh-poohed a ban on Confederate gear in schools, proposed by the school board's only black member, by asserting that nobody could possibly be bothered by "a little Rebel flag on a jacket."

It's the birthplace of prominent black educator Booker T. Washington -- now marked by a national monument -- and home to the site where he was freed. But the county's historical marker notes only that Confederate "General Jubal A. Early lived in this county."

No one expected the protests following Floyd's killing to reach Franklin. Not its white people, not its young people and certainly not its older black residents, who fought to integrate the schools in the 1960s before watching -- with horror that gave way, over decades, to dull despair -- as things settled back to how they'd been, with black people living as second-class citizens in fact, if no longer in law.

But Craighead, watching the turmoil on television, had felt a calling. She'd phoned her cousin Katosha Poindexter, 33, who was scared, but who slept on it and awoke feeling called, too. They were joined by a third black woman, Malala Penn, 23, and together they decided: It was time for change. And, they thought, it was a test: If it could happen here, it could happen anywhere.

Craighead knew she would not command the kind of crowds she saw in major cities on TV. No thousands of demonstrators hoisting signs, few, if any, cars honking in support. She knew there might be hate -- and now it had arrived, spitting and red-faced in a black truck.

She turned away from the driver and his jutting middle finger, lowering her gaze to the dozens who'd begun to mass beneath the monument: white people, black people, Asian and Mexican Americans, the young and the old, including one man who later told her he'd marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. It was more people than she'd ever seen at one time in Rocky Mount -- except for the town's Christmas parade, which was almost always all white.

"This is what we're going to have to deal with all day," she called to the protesters on the lawn. Her protesters, she thought. "All I want you to say back is, 'We love you,' and they will hear you. They will have to hear you."

She hoped it was true.

Two weeks later, on June 19 -- the day, 155 years earlier, that the last enslaved black people in the United States learned they were free - Malala Penn strode up to a diner with a sign under her arm.

The sign read "JUNETEENTH" and "#BlackLivesMatterFC," although the county's chapter of Black Lives Matter technically didn't exist yet. Penn had applied online a couple of days before as Craighead and Poindexter looked over her shoulders. They were still waiting to hear back.

Penn was walking toward the Hub Restaurant, a squat, green-roofed building at a busy intersection famous in Rocky Mount for its "Club Hub" sandwiches and, among black residents, for its racist history.

She pushed open the front door. The early afternoon customers turned and stared. The only other black face Penn could see belonged to the cook, who clattered pans behind a tall counter in the tiny kitchen. She approached a waitress and asked to speak to the manager.

"Not during lunch hour," the woman said.

"OK." Penn stepped closer and raised the sign. "Well, I'm with Black Lives Matter and we have our Juneteenth celebration today. Could you put this on the window in a show of support?"

It was Penn's first time inside the restaurant in more than 10 years. She had inherited her disdain from her grandfather, who grew up when the Hub still forced black people to get their food from a tiny takeout window around back. Even after integration, he refused to spend his money at the diner, and he died seven weeks shy of 100 without once stepping inside.

The takeout window, Penn knew, was still there. Someone had painted it shut and stuck three propane tanks in front of it. But it was there.

In fact, much of the county still looked and felt the way Penn's grandparents remembered it. Black people still didn't drive far into Endicott, a mountainous region that had once served as a stronghold of the Ku Klux Klan. The businesses and the town council -- and the police force, and the musicians invited to sing at the local performance center -- were still overwhelmingly white.

And most people passing through still had to cross through Boones Mill, a small town anchored by two gas stations and a curio shop bedecked with concrete statues and large Confederate flags. "Gateway to Franklin County," a sign there read, and it was. The flags outside Boones Mill Produce Co. were just about the first thing any visitors saw.

- - -

Inside the store, a man, who said he was a longtime employee and gave his name only as Gary, said his great-grandfather fought for the Confederacy. Black people almost never came to the store, Gary told a reporter. But white tourists occasionally walked in shouting that he should remove the flags.

Sometimes, Gary shouted back, he said. "We're not racist," he recalled yelling to one man, aiming to rile him. "We just don't like n------, sp--- and Jews."

Penn sped up when she crossed through that intersection, which happened every time she drove between home and Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, where she was just finishing her senior year. She hated the flags. She hated the intersection. She never stopped unless she was about to run out of gas.

Part of her hated being inside the Hub, too. She could feel the stares. Yet she also felt powerful in the knowledge that she was making all these old white people uncomfortable.

The waitress took Penn's sign. When the owners showed up later in the afternoon, the woman said, she would explain Penn's request and let them decide.

Later that day, Penn drove by to check. The windows were bare. She marched inside and approached the manager.

"We don't put any fliers for anybody up," he told her. "The only thing we have on our windows is what we have to have for covid."

"That's been the regulations for . . . ?" Penn asked.

"For everybody," he said, misunderstanding her question. "But if it weren't for that, we would do it."

She raised an eyebrow, thanked him and walked out.

That evening, Penn, Craighead and Poindexter stepped one by one to microphones and faced a crowd of about two dozen people, black and white, who'd gathered inside the open-air plaza that normally hosts Rocky Mount's Sunday farmers market.

The women had arrived two hours early to hang signs from the empty green stalls -- a bedsheet reading "BLACK LIVES MATTER" and smaller posters saying, "If I comply, will I still die?" They had set up a booth to register voters and another to encourage residents to take the 2020 Census. They had ordered 20 pizzas from Domino's.

Sun sparkled off an inflatable bouncy house, and children milled sticky-fingered in the heat, faces half-hidden behind columns of cotton candy. Three officers from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office stood guard, summoned because of rumored plans to disrupt the protest, including a vow that the old boys of Franklin County would ride again that night.

The women put the threat out of their minds. It was 6:01 p.m. Time to start the Juneteenth celebrations.

Craighead raised a plastic bottle filled with brownish water, left over from a ceremony they had performed earlier that day. They had waded into a nearby river, inching around a white family on a fishing trip, and invoked the blessing of their African ancestors -- "seen and unseen," Craighead had said, "known and unknown" -- by tossing offerings of fresh fruit into the water.

Now, Craighead unscrewed the cap. Penn asked the crowd to stand and call out the names of those they wished to honor.

"Martin Luther King!" someone said, and Craighead poured a driblet of the dark liquid.

"Rosa Parks!" Another pour. "Emmett Till!" "Harriet Tubman!" Craighead suggested that one herself, and bounced on her toes as she let the water stream past her leopard-print boots.

It was Craighead and Poindexter's first time celebrating Juneteenth. Both had suffered difficult childhoods, and both had recently moved back to their hometown to "get straight," as Poindexter said. But neither had a steady job. Craighead, who is midway through cosmetology school, had found intermittent work cutting hair, until the coronavirus outbreak wiped that out. For several months now, the cousins had lived off their savings, pandemic stimulus checks and child support. Once they'd saved enough, they hoped to open a beauty salon. Both said they hadn't learned much about black history in school. But, inspired by the protests in the wake of Floyd's death, they were hungry to know.

Penn was hungry to help. Unlike the cousins, she was not a native of Franklin County. She was born in Madagascar and adopted at age 8 by Ruby Edwards Penn, becoming part of one of the county's oldest black families. The Edwardses still lived on Edwards Way, on the more than 100 acres of land their family had owned for generations, not far from the farm where Ruby's great-grandfather was once enslaved.

Ruby Penn's father was well-known for his catchphrase "They can't ride your back unless you're bent." Ruby Penn and her sisters had helped integrate the county's schools. Ruby Penn's youngest sister, Penny Edwards Blue, was now the only black member of the Franklin County School Board, the one who'd proposed banning Confederate gear in January.

Malala Penn grew up celebrating Juneteenth and skipping the Fourth of July. She grew up hearing her mother's stories about integration: The girls who shot water guns on the bus in the wintertime so the Edwards sisters' hair froze when they walked home. The teachers who called on black students only if they thought the children didn't know the answer. The boy who once told Ruby Penn, "I'm not going to sit next to no n-----," and the graffiti he later scrawled in dust on the bus window, which the driver left in place for weeks: "RUBY EDWARDS, KING OF THE N-----S."

A few days before the Juneteenth event, Ruby Penn, 69, had drawn her daughter aside and asked if she could say something honest.

"When I look at you," Ruby Penn said, "I see myself at your age."

She meant it, good and bad: She was so proud, and yet so frustrated, that Malala was fighting the same battles she had.

Watching her daughter now, gesturing behind the microphone in the farmers market, Ruby Penn tried to feel hopeful. But the hatred in Franklin County ran too deep, and she was tired. Watching the video of George Floyd's killing had left Ruby Penn breathless and sagging. The police had killed that man like he was a bug, she thought.

She had given up the best years of her life to fight for justice, Ruby Penn felt, and it hadn't made a bit of difference.

Malala Penn and the others had strategized about what to tell Ruby's generation. Now, Malala Penn sought to channel that message -- in the warmth of her voice, in the flick of her wrist -- as she strode to the mic and looked at her mother.

"My name is Malala Penn," she said. "I'm black and I'm proud."

But she was really trying to say: Mom, we've got you. We'll take it from here.

It was a lazy Saturday, sunny and protest-free, and Craighead waded further into the lake. She called to her 4-year-old son, Bronsyn, who was standing with fists clenched on the shore.

"C'mon, baby boy," she said. "Don't be scared. It's just water."

She reached down and let brown water dribble from her cupped hands, meant to entice him. She wished for the thousandth time that she could take her son to the well-maintained pool located in the middle of Rocky Mount, just behind the Sheetz, where she had begged to go as a child. Instead, she'd learned to swim here, in Smith Mountain Lake, a roughly 45-minute drive from home.

The town pool was for members only, and Craighead had never met a black Rocky Mount resident who was a member. Growing up, when Craighead asked her parents about it, they said a membership was needed to swim there. They skirted any discussion of race.

A week earlier, Craighead had decided she was done skirting.

"Let's talk," she wrote on Facebook, "about the Rocky Mount swim club that black people can't go to."

The post drew dozens of comments. "My momma always told me 'Black people aren't allowed there,' " one black woman wrote. "My mama and aunt [used to] tell me the exact same thing," wrote another.

"We were all told that as kids here," offered a third. "They never even tried to hide it."

A couple of days later, a woman phoned Craighead and introduced herself as a board member of Brookside Swim Club. She explained the club's membership fees and promised to raise the lack of diversity at the next board meeting. A few days later, the club made a public Facebook post: "The pool has two shares of stock for sale -- $700.00 per share."

Jessica Slough, another board member, said in an interview that the club has some black members, but that she does not know how many. "I don't know how things worked in the past," she said, "but it's been equal opportunity for at least 12 years."

Craighead considered the call an early hint of progress. The women agreed: No real change would come until Franklin County hired more black teachers, reformed the laws that put too many black bodies behind bars, and passed a stimulus package creating black jobs and boosting black-owned businesses. On the advice of Penny Edwards Blue, who is mentoring the trio, they planned to split their chapter of Black Lives Matter into three committees: education, law and the economy.

But conversations were a start. And more kept happening.

Not long after the protest outside the courthouse, the Franklin County School Board reversed itself, agreeing to ban the Confederate flag from schools. Two weeks after that, a local pastor invited white and black residents to two town halls meetings on race relations in Franklin County, the first anyone could remember.

At the lake, Bronsyn decided to risk it and splashed into the water. Craighead raised her arms in welcome. Then she spotted a drifting cigarette, left by another family out for a swim.

They decided to hold their fourth protest outside the Wendy's restaurant where Craighead's mom used to work.

It was the perfect location, on a heavily trafficked road that led to Westlake Corner, a town just a little north of Rocky Mount. In the 1940s and 1950s, the area had served as a hub for the Ku Klux Klan, Ruby Penn and her sisters remembered; nowadays, it was just very white. Craighead, Poindexter and Malala Penn had never demonstrated this close to Westlake before. They didn't think anyone had.

Now, on a Monday afternoon in late June, they were joined by a dozen mostly older white people: a smattering of congregants from a nearby church and members of the Smith Mountain Lake Democrats. Although the majority of Franklin County is deep red, the lake area -- with its leafy vistas and upscale homes -- tends to attract liberal-leaning retirees from up north.

Craighead shimmied to music pumping from a portable speaker, sweating a little in leopard-print shorts, a leopard-print face mask and a T-shirt reading, "Legalize Being Black."

"Hey, look, it doesn't matter if y'all don't know how to dance," she called into her megaphone. "If you feel the music, just let it move you!"

She, Poindexter and Penn were thrilled to see the septuagenarians, but they would have stayed even if no one had shown up. Actually, that was their plan for months to come: As enthusiasm dwindled, they guessed, their demonstrations would reliably draw only themselves.

Themselves and the opposition.

- - -

It happened that Monday like it happened every time. White middle fingers protruded from passing windows. A car slowed down so a white man could mutter threats, and Craighead turned up the music to avoid hearing them. A red truck gunned its engine and veered close to the curb, sending elderly men and women stumbling.

Behind Craighead, at the Wendy's drive-through, a white customer leaned close to the window and urged employees to call the cops. Another warned the demonstrators might be "dangerous."

"Why are they protesting?" another white customer asked.

"Racial equality," replied a teenage Wendy's employee.

"They already have," the man said, "as much as they're going to get."

It was impossible to fully drown them out with Bridgette's favorite reply, "We love you!" Sometimes, the three women felt scared. That's when Poindexter thought of her rental home, with its water leaks and hole in the ceiling. She told herself that everything she was doing would help create a fairer world for her kids, so they wouldn't have to raise their families in a place like that.

Craighead thought of Bronsyn. Penn thought of the children she might have someday.

And they all thought: If they didn't speak up in Franklin County, who would?

Another white man in a black truck whipped by Wendy's now, his middle finger outstretched. He slowed enough to spit the words directly into Craighead's face: "F--- you!" Then he slammed the pedal again, and she chased after him, sprinting and screaming, "I love you!" until she had to stop, bent and out of breath.

The man turned into a CVS parking lot, swirled in a screeching U-turn, and came back for another go. As soon as the light changed, he was streaking forward, a blur of black metal and long white finger and loud, angry honking.

Craighead was crumpled, panting in the grass.

She straightened. She raised her megaphone. She started running after him.
More than a week after it began, the first event of the GGPoker World Series of Poker (WSOP) Online is finished, and Brazilian Marcelo "Marolo" Jakovljevic Pudla took down the top prize of $265,880. Pudla powered through a record field in a WSOP event, besting the full field of 29,306 entries. One Day 2, Pudla had to contend with 4,599 returning stacks, but when the dust settled after nearly 11 hours of play, the Brazilian had amassed all the chips and won a WSOP bracelet.

With just a single cash on his Hendon Mob page, and $11,053.39 in winnings on his GGPoker profile, this is not only Pudla's first bracelet, but it looks to be his biggest ever cash as well. Pudla led for much of the final table, and was the player who eliminated seven of the final nine players. However, he came into the heads up play behind in chips after runner up Ronit "Songjoy" Chamani eliminated Dejan "627265" Kaladjurdjevic in third place and gathered more than 1 billion chips.

Pudla was able to turn it around over the 10 minute HU match, catching doubles with king-queen over jack-nine and jack-nine over ace-six to even up the stacks. Chamani pulled back out in front again over the next few hands, mostly winning without showdown, but Pudla hung on until they doubled into the lead with ace-deuce over king-queen. That left Chamani short, and set up the final hand where Chamani shoved suited connectors, but ended up dominated by ace-five.

The Final Table

Place Player Country Prize 1 Marcelo "Marolo" Jakovljevic Pudla Brazil $265,880 2 Ronit "Songjoy" Chamani South Africa $198,067 3 Dejan "bobkovic" Kaladjurdjevic Montenegro $141,189 4 Ramiro "OnTheFlow" Petrone Argentina $100,644 5 Pablo Silva Brazil $71,742 6 Roberto "Mulooo90" Turrisi Germany $51,140 7 Boban "bobkovic" Zhivkovikj Macedonia $36,455 8 Jonas "LobyPewis" Mackoff Canada $25,986 9 Bret "ShowerTime" Carson Canada $18,524

The Day's Action

Play got back underway at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time today with the start of Level 3. When play suspended last week, there were still 3,684 players with stacks, but that number dropped quickly. There were 3,039 paid spots, and it took less than two levels to hit the bubble.

The bubble lasted exactly one hand, and the carnage continued unabated after that. Within 30 minutes, there were less than 2,000 players left, and an hour later, they were down to 1,000. It took another hour to play down to 400 players and an hour later they were at 250 players left.

Within six hours of the start of the tournament, the field had whittled down to 70 players. Fourth place finisher Ramiro "OnTheFlow" Petrone and 7th place Boban "bobkovic" Zhivkovikj started to make a run at the top chip counts around this time with Zhivkovikj leading the way with 70 players left.

A couple levels later, there were less than 50 remaining, and Zhivkovikj was still leading the way while Pudla and 3rd place finisher Kaladjurdjevic found their way to top ten stacks. Two levels later they were down to the final four tables with Petrone, Pudla, and Zhivkovikj leading the way.

Event #32 Final Table

Within an hour, they were down to 15 remaining, with Pudla out in front. Play slowed down a bit then, and it took another 90 minutes to set up the final table.

Once the final table convened, it was rapid-fire knockouts, starting with the two Canadians, Bret "ShowerTime" Carson and Jonas "LobyPewis" Mackoff, within just a few hands. Zhivkovikj followed shortly after when they got a short stack in with suited cards but couldn't get there.

Germany's Roberto "Mulooo90" Turrisi woke up with ace-ten short stacked six-handed, but was unlucky enough to run into the kings of final table crusher Pudla. Pablo Silva was the next player to fall to his countryman's steam roller. Silva shoved jacks, but couldn't hold against Pudla's ace-queen.

Petrone was Pudla's next victim. Petrone shoved ace-nine under the gun, but Pudla's king-deuce got there with a deuce on the flop and held to bust Petrone in 4th for more than $100k. Kaladjurdjevic from Montenegro was next only one of two players on the final table not to be run over by Pudla. Instead, he got his money in against Chamani with an under pair of tens against her jacks. He couldn't find any help and had to settle for 3rd place and more than $140,000.

That set up a heads up duel that lasted more than 10 minutes. Chamani came into the final two with more than 1 billion chips and a huge lead, but Pudla was able to come back by holding when he had to, and getting there when he had to. The most crushing blow came when Pudla's ace-deuce held against the king-queen of Chamani, leaving her very short and setting up the final hand confrontation. Chamani won almost $200,000 for 2nd place, while Pudla bagged the win, the bracelet, and $265,880.

The concludes the extended version of Event #32, with the bracelet finally awarded. PokerNews will be here to bring you action from all the GGPoker WSOP Online events over the next few weeks. There are still plenty of bracelets to give out.
(CNN)  As more COVID-19 records get broken, debates on whether to send kids back to school or to shut down the economy again are coming to a head.

More than 1,000 people died every day for four straight days last week due to Covid-19. That brings the total US death toll from the virus to more than 146,000 as of Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

And researchers project up to 175,000 deaths linked to the virus by August 15, according to an ensemble forecast published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With overwhelmed hospitals and lengthy delays in testing, some local leaders -- including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti -- said a second stay-at-home order might be possible.

That kind of drastic measure is supported by more than 150 prominent medical experts, scientists, teachers, nurses and other experts who signed a letter urging leaders to shut the country down and start over to contain the rampant spread of the virus.

"Right now, we are on a path to lose more than 200,000 American lives by November 1st. Yet, in many states people can drink in bars, get a haircut, eat inside a restaurant, get a tattoo, get a massage, and do myriad other normal, pleasant, but non-essential activities," read the letter, which was sent to the Trump administration, members of Congress and state governors.

What we can learn from states that got Covid-19 under control

In the past two days, these states broke records:

As the country's caseload and death toll climbs, at least four states reported record-breaking numbers since Friday.

California, which is leading the nation with the most recorded coronavirus cases, reported 159 deaths linked to the virus Friday -- the highest number recorded in a single day since the start of the pandemic. More than half of all virus-related deaths in the state come from Los Angeles County, where more than 4,260 deaths have been reported. The state has had more than 446,450 reported infections, according to Johns Hopkins.

Georgia also broke a new single-day record Friday, reporting at least 4,813 new coronavirus cases. Health officials reported 3,787 new cases Saturday. More than 165,180 people have tested positive in the state, according to Johns Hopkins.

Oregon reported nine new coronavirus-related deaths Friday, breaking its record for most reported fatalities in a single day since the pandemic began. Health officials in the state reported 396 new cases, bringing the state's total to more than 16,100.

For the second day in a row, Hawaii reported a record number of new cases, identifying 60 new positive tests Friday, according to health officials. On Thursday, Hawaii reported 55 new cases. the state has had at least 1,620 reported infections, according to Johns Hopkins.

Florida's youngest victim was a 9-year-old girl

In Florida, a state that's broken its record of new cases several times in recent weeks, Covid-19 hospitalizations have jumped by nearly 80% since July 4, according to data from the state's Agency for Health Care Administration.

Across the state, at least 50 hospitals have no ICU beds available.

Last week, a 9-year-old girl with no pre-existing conditions became the state's youngest coronavirus victim. Kimora "Kimmie" Lynum was taken to a local hospital to treat a "very high" fever, her family said.

Kimmie's cousin and family spokesman Dejeon Cain said the hospital told the family to return home. After doing so, the young girl complained of not feeling well and collapsed, Cain said. She didn't have a detectable heartbeat.

Her family said they don't know how Kimmie contracted the virus, as she had appeared healthy and had spent the summer at home.

Texas hospital could send patients home to die

In Texas, which broke a record for virus-related deaths last week, doctors inside one hospital may decide to send patients home to "die by their loved ones" due to limited resources, officials said.

Officials in Starr County announced they're creating committees to review patients' cases at the Starr County Memorial Hospital -- where at least 50% of patients admitted to the hospital's emergency room have tested positive for coronavirus.

"Unfortunately, Starr County Memorial Hospital has limited resources and our doctors are going to have to decide who receives treatment, and who is sent home to die by their loved ones," Starr County Judge Eloy Vera wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday. "This is what we did not want our community to experience."

Earlier this month, the governor ordered a statewide mask mandate and urged residents to heed the precautions in order for businesses and the economy to remain open.

As the state grapples with coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott also had to issue a disaster declaration for 32 counties after Hurricane Hanna made landfall Saturday evening.

CDC in favor of reopening schools

Many teachers and staff members across the US have strongly opposed returning to classrooms next month as the virus runs uncontrolled across American communities.

But some parents -- including some in a Georgia county where coronavirus numbers are among the highest in the state -- are demanding schools reopen.

President Donald Trump has said he's putting pressure on governors to reopen schools in a push to get the US back to business as usual.

In new guidelines posted last week on education and childcare, the CDC came down hard in favor of reopening schools, saying children don't suffer much from coronavirus and are less likely to spread it.

But research from South Korea found that older children (between the ages of 10 and 19) can transmit the coronavirus within a household just as much as adults.

The CDC guidelines recommended local officials consider closing schools -- or keeping them closed -- if there is substantial, uncontrolled spread of the virus.

"It is critically important for our public health to open schools this fall," CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said.

"School closures have disrupted normal ways of life for children and parents, and they have had negative health consequences on our youth. CDC is prepared to work with K-12 schools to safely reopen while protecting the most vulnerable."
Celebrations have been rudely interrupted over the EU's 750 billion ($1.2 trillion) recovery fund. Italy is already warning that the money will not come soon enough to avert an autumn liquidity squeeze.

Roberto Gualtieri, Italy's technocrat finance minister, told leaders of the ruling coalition behind closed doors that the treasury would struggle to both cover a budget deficit near 12 per cent of GDP and redeem a mountain of old debts falling due over coming months.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was given a hero's welcome upon returning to Rome after the EU deal was struck. Credit:ANSA/AP

He urged a formal request to the EU's reviled ESM bail-out fund to unlock 36 billion of immediate pandemic loans, according to Il Sole.

The warning stunned the Five Star Movement, which was still toasting what it mistakenly thought to be a triumph at the EU's marathon summit in Brussels. Giuseppe Conte, the premier, was given a hero's welcome in Rome. Italian treasury data show that 39 billion of repayments fall due in September, a further 39 billion in October, and 42 billion in November. The combination of rollovers and the fiscal shock of the pandemic may push Italy's financing costs to almost half a trillion euros this year.
Hong Kong: Work from home plan advised

(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection today called on employers to adopt work from home arrangements to prevent a community-wide COVID-19 outbreak.

With the number of new cases increasing daily, the centre's Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said the centre is worried about the trend.

She used elderly home clusters as one example when expressing her concern over the surge in coronavirus cases.

"I think the elderly home clusters are a reflection of the community outbreak because if you have a community-wide outbreak, you will also affect the elderly homes - because there are workers working there and some seniors in the elderly homes can go out and get infected.

"So, of course, the elderly home have already stepped up infection control measures, restricted the sharing of staff and tightened up infection control measures, but preventing the spread is very difficult because we have a community outbreak outside, so it is very difficult to isolate those in elderly homes and prevent them from getting infected."

Dr Chuang said the main strategy is to control the community outbreak at large to prevent the further extension of infections to elderly homes.

She urged employers to allow their staff to work from home whenever possible.

In general, we advise employers, if they can, please make home office arrangements for their employees to prevent an outbreak.

"If it is necessary to work at the office, try to reduce the number of the employees, ask them to wear masks during work, stagger lunch hours and try to prevent workers from gathering or having lunch together without masks.

Dr Chuang explained why conducting contact tracing immediately is so critical once an employee becomes infected.

"If some of the workers in companies or restaurants are infected, before we can get in touch with the company owners, maybe they can make home office arrangements or try and stop restaurant services as far as feasible and get a list of the workers and other people who may have come in contact with the infected cases and then wait for our call to define who are close contacts and who are not.

"In general, close contacts are people who may have come into contact with the worker two days before the onset of symptoms and until isolation. But if there are more workers infected, we will be worried that there may be an outbreak earlier on. So we strongly advise those premises to close and disinfect."

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft on Monday took off from France for India, nearly four years after the two countries inked an inter-governmental agreement to supply 36 of the multi-role jets to the Indian Air Force under a Rs 59,000-crore deal.

The aircraft flew out from the Merignac airbase in the French port city of Bordeaux and will cover a distance of nearly 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates before arriving at Ambala airbase on Wednesday following which they will officially join the Indian Air Force fleet in Haryana's Ambala, officials said.

"You can call them (Rafale) both beauty and the beast," said Indian Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf after interacting with the IAF pilots at the airbase before they set off for India.

On Monday evening, officials said all five Rafales landed safely in Al Dhafra airbase in the UAE after a sortie in excess of seven hours.

The fighter jets, manufactured by France-based Dassault Aviation, are twin-engine multi-role fighter aircraft. These are nuclear capable and can engage in both air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks.

"Delivery of 10 aircraft has been completed on schedule. Five will stay back in France for training mission. The delivery of all 36 aircraft will be completed on schedule by the end of 2021," the Indian embassy in Paris said in a statement.

The IAF official said the air-to-air refuelling of the aircraft will be undertaken with dedicated tanker support from the French Air Force.

"The aircraft are likely to arrive at Air Force Station, Ambala, on July 29 subject to weather (condition)," the IAF said in a statement. The aircraft are expected to significantly boost the IAF's combat capabilities at a time India is locked in a tense border row with China in eastern Ladakh.

The first Rafale jet was handed over to the IAF in October last year during a visit to France by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

"Our air force pilots tell us that these are extremely swift, nimble, versatile and very deadly aircraft," said Ashraf while congratulating the IAF pilots on becoming the first ones to fly one of the world's most advanced fighter aircraft.

The envoy thanked Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of the aircraft, for delivering the fleet on time, the French government and the French Air Force for extending all required support.

"This (the fleet) is going to add a great deal of air power to our defence preparedness. This is also a powerful symbol of the strategic partnership between India and France," he added.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Aviation Eric Trappier said the "new milestone" illustrated once again the "exemplary" cooperation between his company and the Indian Air Force that started in 1953. He said it testifies that the programme is running smoothly and that deliveries are on time notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I am strongly impressed by the amazing efficiency and determination of the IAF and Indian Ministry of Defence, despite this unprecedented world health crisis, to master rapidly all aspects of the Rafale for comforting Indian sovereignty and contributing to the protection and security of Indian people," the Dassault Aviation quoted him in a statement.

In a statement, the Indian embassy said IAF pilots and supporting personnel have been provided full training on the aircraft and weapon systems by Dassault. Further batches of IAF personnel will continue the training over the next nine months.

"India and France have a long history of cooperation in fighter aircraft, which includes India's acquisition of French Toofanis in 1953, then Mystere, Jaguars and the Mirages," it said.

Official sources said the Rafale jets are likely to be deployed in the Ladakh sector as part of IAF's efforts to enhance its operational capabilities along Line of Actual Control with China in view of the border row with the country.

The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

Meteor is the next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden.

The Meteor is powered by a unique rocket-ramjet motor that gives it far more engine power for much longer than any other missile, said an official.

Besides the missile systems, the Rafale jets will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low-band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems among others.

The IAF has already completed preparations, including readying required infrastructure and training of pilots, to welcome the fighter aircraft.

The second squadron of Rafale will be stationed at Hasimara base in West Bengal. The IAF spent around Rs 400 crore to develop required infrastructure like shelters, hangars and maintenance facilities at the two bases.

Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets.

India began the process to buy a fleet of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) in 2007 after the defence ministry, headed then by Congress leader AK Antony, cleared the proposal from the IAF. The contenders for the mega deal were Lockheed Martin's F-16s, Eurofighter Typhoon, Russia's MiG-35, Sweden's Gripen, Boeing's F/A-18s and Dassault Aviation's Rafale.

After a long-drawn process, bids were opened in December 2012 and Dassault Aviation emerged as L-1 (lowest bidder).

There were lengthy negotiations between the then UPA government and Dassault on prices and transfer of technology. The final negotiations continued till early 2014 but the deal could not go through.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris in April 2015, both sides announced that they agreed to conclude an inter-governmental agreement for supply of 36 Rafale jets to India.

India and France signed an Euro 7.87-billion (around Rs 59,000 crore) deal on September 23, 2016, for 36 Rafale jets.

The Ambala base is considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF as the Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from it. Currently it has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MiG-21 Bison.

(With inputs from PTI)
Police chiefs have blamed officers' 'bias' after a study found young men from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds were almost twice as likely to be handed fines for breaches of Covid-19 lockdown rules than white men the same age, new figures show.

A National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) report published on Monday concluded there has been 'disproportionality' in the issuing of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) by forces in England and Wales.

The analysis by Government statisticians shows people from BAME backgrounds were handed fines at a rate of 1.6 times higher than white people between March 27 and May 25, with black and Asian people 1.8 times more likely to be handed penalties.

Young men, aged between 18 and 34, from BAME backgrounds were over-represented by around twice the rate of young white men in the same age groups, the data suggests.

A National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) report published on Monday concluded there has been 'disproportionality' in the issuing of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) by forces in England and Wales

NPCC chairman Martin Hewitt said: 'While it is a complex picture, it is a concern to see disparity between white and black, Asian or ethnic minority people.

NPCC chairman Martin Hewitt (pictured) said: 'While it is a complex picture, it is a concern to see disparity between white and black, Asian or ethnic minority people'

'Each force will be looking at this carefully to assess and mitigate any risks of bias - conscious or unconscious - and to minimise disproportionate impact wherever possible.

'Many forces have brought in community representatives to help them scrutinise the circumstances around each FPN and if it has been issued fairly.

'We are working to develop a plan of action to address issues of inclusion and race equality that still exist in policing - like the lower trust in us from black communities, their concerns about use of powers like stop and search and the concerns from people of colour within policing about inclusivity and equality at work. The findings of this analysis will be further considered as part of that work.'

The report found the number of fines issued across England and Wales was relatively low with a rate of three per 10,000 people, with 70 per cent of all penalties issued to men aged under 45, who make up 22 per cent of the population.

Young men aged between 18 and 34, who make up 14 per cent of the population, accounted for 57 per cent of those fines - a rate four times higher than if penalties were issued proportionately across all age groups.

The data shows wide variation across the country, with fines for BAME people up to 6.5 times higher than white people for some forces, with rates generally higher in coastal areas and beauty spots.

But the analysis found those areas typically have relatively small BAME populations with a small number of fines issued to BAME people leading to high disparity rates.

Cumbria Police, for example, issued just three fines to black people, equating to 30 per 10,000 compared with eight per 10,000 white people.

The report concluded: 'The findings suggest that there has been disproportionality in the issuing of FPNs.

'BAME people were issued with FPNs at a rate 1.6 to 1.7 times higher than for white people.'

But the report notes the disproportionality was far lower than the latest official statistics for stop and search, which showed a disparity rate of 4.3 for all BAME people and 9.7 for black people.

Police are pictured talking to two women in Greenwich Park in London in May during lockdown

It also pointed out there were 20 forces that each issued fewer than 40 fines in total to BAME people.

Mr Hewitt added: 'Rural and coastal forces that attract tourists issued significantly more FPNs to non-residents, which has significantly affected the level of disparity between white and people from black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds compared with other forces who issued fewer relatively to non-residents.

'For a number of forces, continued focus on crime and violence could affect their disparity rate as areas of that have been a focus of police activity are also areas with a higher concentration of black, Asian and minority ethnic people, which also increases the possibility of officers identifying and dealing with breaches during those deployments.

'In communities or groups with lower trust in police, attempts to encourage before enforcing may be less successful.'
New Delhi, July 27 : Ayushmann Khurrana is not a method actor, and does not like to take his characters back home. The actor says he likes to explore new things without putting undue pressure on himself.

Ayushmann embarked on his Bollywood journey with offbeat roles, going on to become a poster boy of unconventional films and Bollywood's most unconventional hit machine.

When the actor entered Hindi films with Shoojit Sircar's "Vicky Donor" in 2012, he instantly won hearts with his charm and witty screen presence. He has been part of stories about flaws and imperfections and has delivered back-to-back hits while showing off his versatility as an actor.

Asked if his characters stay with him after work, Ayushmann said he can "switch on and switch off" with ease.

"I am not a method actor. I switch on and switch off very easily. So, I never take my characters back home," Ayushmann told IANS.

"To evolve more as a person, I need to just move on and explore new things and learn new things. Of course, there are certain films like 'Article 15' or 'AndhaDhun'. For 'AndhaDhun', I started taking piano lessons, so that was an evolution for me. For 'Article 15', I got aware about the caste system in India. So that was again, a kind of learning for me. In 'Gulabo Sitabo', more than the character, it was the learning experience with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and Shoojit Sircar," he added.

He might be touted as Bollywood's hit machine, but he refrains from taking pressures from the expectations.

"The pressure is always there, but at the same time I enjoy whatever I'm a part of. I really enjoy the process and I don't put undue pressure on myself. I don't have to change myself with every film. As I've said earlier, I can wait for the right script for that," said the actor, who started his journey on the small screen.

"The only pressure is churning out great content," he added.

Ayushmann was recently seen in the Amitabh Bachchan co-starrer "Gulabo Sitabo". The Shoojit Sircar directorial, which was scheduled to get a theatrical release, premiered on Amazon Prime Video in June as cinema halls remain shut amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

"The biggest challenge was to face the legend (Amitabh Bachchan). It was a very internal challenge, apart from that the external challenges was the heat," said the actor while looking back at the making of the film.

(Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Ordinarily I would not feel compelled to respond to anothers opinion. I have great respect for diversity of opinion and thought. This a rare exception. I read Sen. Robert Caseys Op-Ed published July 17, 2020 The Justice Reform in Policing Act will help address systematic racism in policing. I was disappointed that his opinion mischaracterized and seemingly maligned over 1,000 professional and dedicated law enforcement executives in the commonwealth.

The senator is aware that policing has always been one of our countrys most complex and challenging professions. Comprehensive criminal justice reform is a complicated challenge. It requires the full engagement of many parties, including, but not limited to, police, prosecutors, the judiciary, prison and probation officials, the health care community, mental health providers, the private sector, community leaders, and our elected officials. It requires an examination of the socio-economic conditions in our commonwealth and country. It requires thought, discussion, and time.

Pennsylvanians call the police when they cannot solve problems. When other institutions and parts of our social structure fail, the police take on the problems that others want to ignore. This is not a condition created by law enforcement leaders in Pennsylvania. The police are just the most visible and accessible part of government.

Caseys Op-Ed suggests that pattern-or-practice investigations and reforms through the implementation of consent decrees are common. Since 2009, an overview of the Civil Rights Divisions police reform work under Section 14141 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, indicates the division opened 25 investigations into law enforcement agencies and is currently enforcing 19 agreements, including 14 consent decrees and one post-judgment order. There are approximately 18,000 policing agencies in the United States and approximately 1,072 in Pennsylvania. I believe the decrees were warranted in the arguably small number of instances where unconstitutional police pattern and practices of misconduct had been adjudicated.

I would also suggest that this is not common. Consent decrees are not perfect. The reality is there is no perfect mechanism for the kind of change that is being discussed. Pennsylvanias police accreditation is part of that solution. Professional policing is and should remain apolitical. As the Senator knows, or should know, Pennsylvanias accreditation standards prohibit chokeholds, except as a last resort in the application of deadly force.

This is legislation we, as police leaders, have supported. Accreditation standards require the reporting and justification for all force applications. Since 2016, the Pennsylvania Chiefs have supported a police hiring database system. We supported Attorney General Shapiro in his substantial efforts to build a coalition of support for a system that our governor has signed into law. Training and education is fundamental to professional law enforcement; it is not a partisan political position. I do share the Senators view, in hope, that our legislators work in unison to address systematic racism wherever it exists and recognize that public trust is critical to law enforcement

The belief that the qualified immunity doctrine needlessly shuts the doors of justice on victims of police brutality is inaccurate and misleading to the public. Qualified immunity is nothing more than a term placed on a protection that every profession , including law enforcement, possesses. Simply stated, you cannot be held responsible for something the law didnt say was wrong at the time you did it.

While it is usually associated only with a state actor (like police), It cannot be legislatively or judicially abrogated. It is not an impenetrable shield against the victims of police violence. The suggestion is misleading to those who do not understand this concept of law and inflammatory to a professional association of police executives that promulgates, practices, and promotes standards and accountability in Pennsylvania.

I would encourage the senator and our elected officials across the state work with police leaders and community members to develop and implement solutions regarding concerns in policing practices. It is imperative that their efforts reflect a balanced, strategic approach to addressing crime and prioritizing community safety.

The senators commentary, while politically expedient, lends itself to potentially shortsighted decisions that may have an adverse or unintended consequence. The opinion he expressed does not inform nor does it reflect the law enforcement environment in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvanias professional police chiefs are committed to public service and ensuring our communities are safe. Pennsylvanians need to work together and against social injustice and make our Commonwealth equally safe for all its citizens.

Effective and lasting change require resources, commitment, and well thought out approaches. Our law enforcement leaders will continue to embrace the challenge and hold themselves accountable as we work through challenging times. This is not an issue to be politicized; it is an issue of civility, common courtesy, and a respect for human dignity.

Change is both necessary and possible, but this must occur through the lens of truth, reality, and critical thinking. We look forward to working with Senator Casey and all our elected officials. The publics safety is the first obligation of government.

Scott L. Bohn is Executive Director, Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.
Downing Street was urged to toughen up its 'back to work' message last night after a string of top firms said they would not be encouraging staff back to offices for months.

A Mail audit of big companies found many are not planning for the majority of workers to return to offices until at least towards the end of the year.

In another worrying sign for city and town centres, several bosses said they expected working from home to become the 'new normal' after the crisis.

Among the firms contacted by the Mail, consultancy giant KPMG said the majority of its 16,000 office-based workforce were unlikely to return until next year.

Education publisher Pearson, which has about 3,600 office staff, also said workers would not be expected to return potentially until 2021.

With offices closed and staff working from home, Canary Wharf remained eerily quiet on Monday

Canary Wharf is usually bustling during typical evening rush hours, with thousands working at the East London landmark

It came as reports claimed tech giant Google, which employs about 4,000 people in offices in the UK, had become another big name to announce staff may not have to return until next year.

In an email to employees, chief executive Sundar Pichai said workers could remain at home until July 2021 if they did not need to be in the office, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The firm did respond to requests for comment last night.

RBS is allowing nearly 50,000 staff to work from home until 2021.

Facebook, Coca-Cola and Vodafone are among other major UK employers to say workers will not be expected to return potentially until 2021.

The Mail's audit found that many firms have sent only a fraction of staff back to the workplace, after many switched to remote working during the coronavirus crisis.

Consumer goods giant Unilever was among those that predicted it would never return to 100 per cent office-based working.

On Monday, there were far fewer commuters passing through Waterloo than would normally be expected

Waterloo Station was one of London's busiest terminals before lockdown measures saw commuter numbers plummet in March

Pictured is the usually bustling transport hub that is London's Victoria station on Monday afternoon

Yesterday's pictures are a far cry from the usual congestion and flow of passengers that use the station

The firm's boss, Alan Jope, said the company would likely move to a 'hybrid' system where people come into the office only a few days a week.

The Mail's findings led to calls from MPs and smaller business groups for ministers to toughen up the 'get back to work' message.

There are growing fears city centre shops and eateries which rely on footfall from office workers face ruin if more employees are not encouraged to return.

Pictures have shown how many city centres and public transport systems are still relatively empty despite the easing of lockdown and warnings of major economic damage.

It came as health officials revealed there were just seven deaths from Covid-19 over the latest 24 hours, the lowest number since just one fatality was recorded on March 13.

A photo taken on Monday evening last week shows an almost empty Euston station, a far cry from its usual capacity

Euston before coronavirus: The station is one of the busiest in London and links the capital to other cities including Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow

A very quiet Canary Wharf shopping centre on Monday evening, despite stores reopening after lockdown easing

The shopping centre's level of business on Monday evening appeared to be a far cry from pre-covid levels

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told the Mail: 'The Government needs to stop with its mixed messages.

It needs to stop being equivocal and be clear that it is safe to go back to work and take public transport. 'If you're under 40 and fit and healthy you have more chance of dying while riding your bike than dying from Covid.

People need to start properly weighing up the balance of risk. These employers are absolutely bloody mad for not getting more employees back  all the other small firms that rely on offices being back will go bust.'

Tory MP Andrew Murrison said: 'We desperately need to get the economy motoring again. That means people going back to work. Otherwise the outlook is dire.'

Fellow Tory Andrew Bridgen said: 'If ministers want to toughen up the message, the first thing is to get all the civil servants back into Westminster and Whitehall.

A photo taken yesterday evening showing a very bare Glasgow Central station, usually a bustling transport hub

A photo from the pre-covid era showing people thronged together at Glasgow Central Station

'The Government needs to lead by example by doing this and then maybe private businesses will follow.'

The Mail's audit found other major UK employers, including Rolls-Royce, Scottish and Southern Energy, BP, Aviva, Microsoft, Credit Suisse, GlaxoSmithKline, WPP, National Grid and HSBC, have no immediate plans for staff to return to offices, despite official guidance giving the all clear from August 1.

Just one quarter of firms surveyed have plans to bring staff back within the next two months.

They will instead allow staff to continue working remotely, dealing a blow to Boris Johnson's plan to get Britain back to a semblance of normality.

Mike Cherry, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: 'A big chunk of the small business and self-employed community relies on commuter footfall and staff being in offices for work.

All over the country, cafes, restaurants, dry cleaners, stationers and convenience stores  plus IT, maintenance and cleaning contractors  are all suffering, especially those based in the middle of cities.

'The more we can safely get people out and about spending with small firms, the better.' Emma McClarkin, of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: 'All our pubs face a long road to recovery, but those in city centres and business districts have been among the hardest hit as they still remain quiet with everyone working from home.

'Office workers returning to their place of work and supporting the local economy again will help save city centre pubs and pub jobs.'

Giants who have let fear keep UK plc locked down

RBS Currently has 49,000 staff working from home, around 10,000 staff in branches and offices. Most are not being expected to return to the office until next year.

A spokesman said: 'We told colleagues last Monday they will continue to work from home until 2021 because we're prioritising customer and colleague health and wellbeing.'

Ernst and Young Has about 11,200 office staff.

The firm said it had consulted them and offices would reopen from September 7, but on a 'reduced capacity basis'.

A spokesman said: 'EY offices will open at a significantly reduced capacity and increase steadily over time in line with the guidelines set by the UK.'

Deloitte Most of its 20,000 office-based staff are still working from home.

Plans to open more offices are 'being considered', a spokesman said. They added: 'We opened a small number of our offices in early July, to improve the health and wellbeing for our people where circumstance means they cannot work from home.'

KPMG No more than 10 per cent of its 16,000 UK office staff have returned for 'business critical reasons'.

The vast majority will work from home for most of the year.

Anna Purchas, head of people at KPMG, said: 'We will continue to follow Government guidance and adapt our approach as required, but we anticipate that the majority of our people will work from home for the majority of 2020.'

BT 52,000 office-based staff in the UK, with around 40,000 working from home.

Around 10,000 in 'critical customer and network operations teams' have continued to attend the office.

Staff will only return when 'safe to do so'.

A spokesman said: 'We will only start to return colleagues to the workplace when we are confident it is safe and in line with Government guidelines. We have not made a decision at this point.'

AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical giant says 75 per cent of its 8,300 UK workers based in offices are still working from home.

They will not start returning until September, when a 'phased approach' will begin.

PWC Consultancy giant has around 22,000 office workers, with only around 1,500 having returned to the office part-time.

Only around 50 per cent will have returned by the end of September under current plans.

A spokesman said: 'We are encouraging our people to return to the office where it is safe to do so and, in particular, where they do not need to travel by public transport.'

Rolls-Royce Only a 'very small percentage' of its more than 14,000 office-based staff had returned.

The company did not have any detailed plans to announce when office staff would be asked to return.

A spokesman said: 'Many of our officebased employees are continuing to work productively at home throughout this period and depending on the nature of an employee's role, flexible working arrangements have been expanded and made available.'

Scottish and Southern Energy The energy firm employs about 10,000 office staff.

The majority will continue to work from home until at least October.

A spokesman said: 'The safety of our employees, customers and the general public is our top priority, as such we conducted an in-depth survey of our employees' experiences and opinions and are acting on their feedback. Work continues on a phased return plan.'

Unilever The firm has about 2,000 office staff.

Boss Alan Jope said he foresees it being 'many more months' before staff begin returning to the office as usual, and may never return to normal.

Mr Jope said: 'We think we'll never be back to 100 per cent of people's office-based work time being in the office. We see a hybrid future of work, where people might spend a couple of days in the office and two or three days at home.'

BP 6,500 office staff.

Only a 'small number' of people are returning, and it may be months before things return to normal.

A spokesman said: 'We are only at the very beginning of this process and the number of staff who have returned to our offices is still extremely low.'

Vodafone About 7,850 office staff.

Only around 80  or 1 per cent  have returned. The firm broadly expects 'to stay as we are' until the end of the year. It expects to use a mixture of office-based and remote working in future.

Aviva Firm has about 17,000 office workers.

The vast majority will remain working from home 'for the time being'. Only about 500 have returned to offices.

A spokesman said: 'The majority of employees will remain working and serving our customers from home for the time being.'

Admiral insurance 7,500 office staff.

Only about 1,150 have returned to its offices in Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. A spokesman said: 'At the heart of decisions around office returns is the wellbeing of our staff and ensuring we follow the guidelines that exist.'

Microsoft Microsoft has 4,500 UK office workers.

Staff will not be required to return until at least November.

A spokesman said: 'We have a hybrid workplace strategy in place as worksites slowly start to open.

National Grid 4,000 office-based staff.

There are no plans for them to return until at least October.

A spokesman said: 'We are reviewing next steps and expect a return to the office to be a gradual and carefully managed process. We expect to maintain our current working arrangements until at least September.'

Airbus 3,000 office-based workers in Bristol.

Only about 20 per cent of its staff have returned. It said a phased return will begin from mid-August.

A spokesman said the firm would be 'working with our management teams to get our office-based employees back on site'.

HSBC The bank has more than 12,000 office based staff in London and Birmingham.

The company said it did not have any plans to announce an imminent return to the office.
OTTAWA - The law extending the federal governments emergency wage subsidy for employers hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown made it through the Senate Monday.

The package passed by the House of Commons last week also includes one-time payments for people with disabilities facing higher expenses, and extensions to legal deadlines for some court matters the pandemic has made hard or impossible to meet.

Bill C-20 passed on a voice vote without changes.

The extension to the wage subsidy program is the core of the Liberal governments plan to help the economy get back into shape through the fall, assisting employers with labour costs so they can operate even if business is slow.

The bill increases the maximum support available to the hardest-hit employers, but starts scaling back subsidies before ending them in December.

The special sitting was also a chance for Conservatives and other senators critical of the Liberal government to criticize its handling of the months-long crisis.

They cited the possibility of fraud in the signature Canada Emergency Response Benefit, a commercial rent-subsidy program merchants have complained is geared to landlords instead of them, and the complex formula underlying the extended wage subsidy.

They especially noted the aborted deal that handed management of a student-volunteering program to the WE organization.

The Canada Student Service Grant is the proverbial icing on the cake on this series of government fiascos, said Conservative Sen. Thanh Hai Ngo. Who designed this program? Did they truly believe that paying students to volunteer was preferable to them actually working?

Conservative Sen. Larry Smith carried out a dramatic reading of the bureaucratic wage subsidy language, thundering through percentages of revenue declines and maximum top-ups to show how complex the program is.

Many people in small businesses, they dont have the technical capabilities, nor the money, nor, Im not going to say the experience, to be able to do something like this, Smith said.

Ive got a headache, trying to understand this.

Others were more generous. Sen. Scott Tannas, an Alberta senator who was appointed as a Conservative but is now the interim leader of the mixed Canadian Senators Group, said he commended the government for its work, then paused and joked that he was waiting for lightning to strike him.

The extended wage subsidy provides a bridge from pandemic panic to recovery, he said.

We have lots of opportunity to criticize, but I think this is an important step, he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2020.
The escalation in violent crime, fuelled by drug users switching to substances more dangerous than meth, has prompted Winnipeg police and the citys mayor to join the province in asking the federal government for urgent financial help to combat the scourge.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/7/2020 (541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The escalation in violent crime, fuelled by drug users switching to substances more dangerous than meth, has prompted Winnipeg police and the citys mayor to join the province in asking the federal government for urgent financial help to combat the scourge.

"People who would normally be using methamphetamines are turning to whatever other drug they can get their hands on," said police Insp. Max Waddell.

Closed borders due to the pandemic have put a lid on the importation of methamphetamine and its precursors. Compared with the start of the year, the lack of supply doubled the cost of meth by April, and has since tripled to $30 for one-tenth of a gram, Waddell said.

Meth has become so costly that users are switching to a new drug dubbed "purple down."

"Theres been an rise in a fentanyl-heroin mixture its kind of a newer drug were seeing on the streets that is obviously very concerning," he said.

Before the pandemic, when meth was the target of police and politicians, the Manitoba government asked the federal Liberals for $10 million to step up efforts to curb meth-related crime in Winnipeg. Now, city police and Mayor Brian Bowman have echoed that call as crime has become more violent.

"What we truly need is to get people off the initial cycle of (drug) use and focus on education, intervention and health," Waddell said.

Mayor Brian Bowman said he hopes Ottawa will soon answer the provinces request for $10 million.

It would pay to boost downtown safety, among other things. That would include closed-circuit cameras, foot patrols and enhanced lighting and "tactical interventions for chronic and prolific offenders."

Provincial Justice Minister Cliff Cullen announced $5 million for the downtown project last month. His office said federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair discussed the issue in a call, but hasnt promised any funding.

"Obviously, any dollars for (the project) is welcomed; its one that we are absolutely a partner to," Bowman told the Free Press.

He said he needs clarity on whether there is a long-term funding commitment or just one-time cash from both levels of government.

Federal Manitoba cabinet minister Dan Vandal responded by pointing out Ottawa has already announced several programs to curb violence, stem the spread of drug use and treat people who have addictions.

"As a former Winnipeg city councilor, I have long advocated for improved public services in the areas of crime prevention, addictions and health services," Vandal wrote Friday.

"We know that more can be done in collaboration with all orders of government and community organizations. We cannot simply arrest ourselves out of this situation."

Fentanyl is so potent that even small doses can be fatal. Often it is mixed with other substances. Deaths in Kenora and Regina have been linked to fentanyl; Waddell said they are likely contributing to Winnipeg deaths, but he wont know for sure until he receives toxicology reports, which take months to process.

As for meth, federal officials have said it comes into Canada through Mexico and the Netherlands. The supply has been cut because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Internal federal records show there was an increase in domestic meth production late last year, before the lockdown.

"Domestic production of methamphetamine has increased," says a December analysis by Public Safety Canada.

"Much of the illicit drug is trafficked nationwide," reads the document, titled "Western Canadas Interdiction Strategy."

Winnipeg police say the city has so far only had small-scale labs.

Police Chief Danny Smyth said Friday that meth seems to arrive in Manitoba from British Columbia or the Toronto area, and that its often contaminated with opioids.

"Were seeing more overdose deaths right now, and I think these things are all connected," he said.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service says calls for suspected opioid overdoses have doubled, compared with a year ago.

An April analysis by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction said opioids in meth appears to be a regional trend.

"In the West, stimulant-containing samples were more likely to include fentanyl and its analogues, which might be why more harms associated with methamphetamine are reported in Western Canada," reads the report.

Meanwhile, almost 43 per cent of meth samples analyzed by Health Canada from April 2018 to August 2019 contained caffeine; allergy medicine was frequently added. The government doesnt analyze all meth seized by police forces across the country.

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"The presence and quantity vary from one batch of drugs to another and can influence the concentration of the expected psychoactive substance in the drug, making it unpredictable," reads the report.

In late 2018, Ottawa, Manitoba and the city formed a drug task force, which issued its report in June 2019.

Its unclear what progress has been made since then. Bowman said hes been pushing all levels of government to publish a detailed account of what actions and funding each has done to help stem the use of drugs in the city.

"For us to be open and transparent, all three levels of government, I want to get that in a form that can be made public, so that we can all be held accountable."

 with files from Ryan Thorpe

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Since taking office, President Trump has lost support among most major demographic groups: women and men, older and younger voters, college graduates and non-graduates. But there are at least two big exceptions: Black and Latino voters.

Trump will lose both groups badly in November, polls show. But his support among them has not slipped. If anything, it may have risen slightly. Close to 10 percent of Black voters and roughly 30 percent of Latinos back Trump.

I think theres a lot of denial about this fact, David Shor, a top Democratic data analyst, recently told New York magazine.

This enduring Black and Latino support for Republicans has had big consequences. It helped the party win victories in 2018 in Florida, Georgia and Texas, and could help decide Senate control this year.
Ambassador of Venezuela to Nigeria, David Caraballo has called on the United Nations to intervene in the alleged human rights violation against citizens of Venezuela to uphold its sovereignty.

Caraballo made the call in Abuja during the commemoration of the 209th Independence of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the 237th birthday of Simon Bolivar, Liberator of Venezuela.

He alleged that some of the Human Rights violation against Venezuela includes the U.S. interference in its Constitution, imposition of the economic coercive measures and looting of Venezuela's funds and resources.

The envoy said Venezuela was trusting on the multilateral mechanisms of the UN to preserve its democracy, independence, sovereignty and constitution which has been under threat from the U.S.

Today we are celebrating with the Diplomatic Corp, with the Solidarity Movement, with the students for the spanish language and other friends.

From the Independence until today, we are supporting and fighting against the unilateral coercive measure, and the Venezuelan people are working together.

Working to defeat all the threats, all the aggressive actions against our independence and against our sovereignty.

For more than five years ago when President Obama declared and signed an executive order saying that Venezuela is a threat for the internal security of the USA.

And after Obama, with Trump, there have been unilateral coercive measures where they blocked and freeze the funds of Venezuela's banks institutions in different European and American banks.

Presently, the bank of London has more than 53 tones of reserve of gold of Venezuela, they froze this amount and they do not recognize the legitime government of Venezuela.

They have stolen more than 7 billion dollars in different accounts in different countries, properties of Venezuela, Caraballo said.

Caraballo said Venezuela's President, Nicolas Maduro had instructed the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to press the complaints in the International Criminal Court against the U.S. government.

The envoy said that Venezuela would use its position in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to defend the abuses from the U.S. and other countries.

We believe in the multilateral mechanism to solve these situations and also we have enough capacity to increase our economy capacity in the size of the country.

Our participation in the Human Right Council is very important to defend the Human Rights abuses and also victims of Human Rights abuses from the USA.

And also in the framework of the United Nations conventions or international law, not only in this position but also the United Nations General Assembly in the mechanisms like the Non Aligment Movement.

We have the chairmanship of the Non-Alignment Movement. Venezuela believe in the multilateralism, in the solidarity, we believe in the capacity of diplomacy to solve the problems, he added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Venezuela Embassy in Abuja marked the Independence in a low key in accordance with COVID-19 safety precautions with limited guests observing physical distancing.

The event also showcased a video of the history of Afro-descendants, highlighting how important Africa is to Venezuela.

It also showcased various investment opportunities and tourist areas of interest for Africans and Nigerians to key into.(NAN)
Paul Burrell has defended Prince William following claims Prince Harry branded him a 'snob' after cautioned him not to rush into marrying Meghan Markle.

The 62-year-old, who was butler to the late Princess Diana, has insisted that the Duke of Cambridge, 38, is categorically 'not a snob' and that he would have simply been 'showing concern' for his brother, because marrying into the monarchy is 'not easy for anyone'.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain today via video link from his Cheshire home, Paul said that William is 'rational and calm' where Harry, 35, is 'fiery and hot' and argued that William was only trying to 'educate' his brother before marrying Meghan, 38.

The claims, made in the book Finding Freedom, alledge that William told his brother to 'take as much time as he needed' to get to know 'this girl' Meghan ahead of marrying her.

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Paul Burrell has defended Prince William after claims Prince Harry branded him a 'snob' after he told him to 'take as much time as he needs' to get to know Meghan Markle Pictured, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Harry and Meghan in 2018

Paul told that William is 'rational and calm' where Harry, 35, is 'fiery and hot'. Harry and Meghan are pictured attending the Commonwealth Day Service earlier this year

'William is not a snob,' said Paul, 'That is not true. He would only show concern for his brother marrying someone and bringing them into the royal family.

'Trying to educate him, saying. "It's not easy for anyone marrying into this family and I'm concerned about you". And showing his concern. We're talking about two very different personalities. William is rational and calm and Harry is fiery and hot.'

Burrell, 60, served as a footman for the Queen and later butler to Diana for 10 years until her death in 1997 and told that Meghan will have come up against the same 'grey suits' as the late Princess of Wales.

He went on: 'Meghan soon found out she would come up against the grey suits.

Burrell, 60, served as a footman for the Queen and later butler to Diana for 10 years until her death in 1997 and appeared on Good Morning Britain today

'As Diana found, they're the people that run the other households in the royal families and you can't come across those because those are the people that run the show.'

He added: 'Meghan soon found out she had to please everyone, she wasn't just marrying Harry. She was marrying a whole institution, a thousand years of royal history.'

He went on to predict that in the absence of Diana, the Duchess of Cambridge could be the person to 'fill the void' between Harry and William, and bring the pair back together.

'Of course there is a void between them now', told Paul, 'That should be filled by their mother, but of course their mother is not here.

'I would like to think maybe Kate will step into the void and bring those boys back together, they will come back together, they will be together they belong together and I hate to see them apart.'

Paul told the Duke of Cambridge, 38, is categorically 'not a snob' and that he would have simply been 'showing concern' for his brother. Pictured, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Harry and Meghan attending the annual Commonwealth Service this year

The claims came in book Finding Freedom which provides an intimately detailed and personalised version of the events leading up to the Sussexes' dramatic departure from royal life.

Co-authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand have 'all information in this book has at least two sources'. Harry and Meghan deny giving interviews.

Emily Andrews, The Mail on Sunday's royal editor also appeared, and told that while the pair are both respected journalists, it's likely Harry and Meghan granted some access to the authors ahead of the book.

She said: 'Both authors are well respected royal journalist, particularly Carolyn, their pedigree is good.'

'I think it's obvious from the exerts we have seen so far, that the couple, Harry and Meghan, did help and and did grant some access.

Emily Andrews, The Mail on Sunday's royal editor also appeared, and told it's likely Harry and Meghan granted some access to the authors ahead of the book

Meanwhile PR guru Nick Ede also appeared and agreed that Finding Freedo was coming from 'the right people with the right messages'

'Whether it was giving friends blessings to speak, because the book gives Harry and Meghan's version of events for the first time.'

Meanwhile PR guru Nick Ede also appeared and agreed that Finding Freedo was coming from 'the right people with the right messages'.

He told: 'Harry and Meghan are known for suing everyone left right and centre, I know she knows Omid and that Omid had her ear.

'These are revelations which are coming from the right people with the right messages, they feel like they had to get out.

'What this is is an open letter, especially from Meghan who has come from Hollywood, who is used to using her voice and likes hearing her voice, and she hasn't been able to do that for two years.'
A quad-bike yob who moved down a 67-year-old grandfather and his four-year-old granddaughter before speeding off whooping in triumph has been jailed for two years.

Jordan Fisher, 28, was part of a gang of bikers shooting around Warren House Park in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on May 5 during lockdown.

When the victim's wife warned them they would be reported for flouting coronavirus restrictions, they told her to 'f*** off' before Fisher drove at the family group.

Shocking video shows the grandfather being flung to the side as he is hit by the moped, and reveals the sound of the little girl sobbing as her family is attacked.

The grandfather suffered a fracture behind the knee, while the girl suffered bruises and swelling to her face.

Fisher, from Doncaster, admitted dangerous driving, grievous bodily harm and assault causing actual bodily harm at Sheffield Crown Court.

Shocking video shows the moment Fisher uses his moped to hit the grandfather. The man suffered a fracture behind the knee while the little girl suffered bruises and swelling to her face

Jordan Fisher, 28, has been jailed for two years after he mowed down a 67-year-old grandfather and his four-year-old granddaughter while they were walking in Warren House Park, Doncaster

The court heard how the motorbike halted with its tyres 'straddling' the four-year-old girl before shooting away as its riders laughed.

In a statement, Fishers victim said he 'couldnt believe he and his granddaughter had been ploughed into' and 'was angry because the incident could have ended so differently'.

Sentencing him to jail and banning him from driving for 24 months, Judge Sarah Wright said: 'This was a deliberate act. You used that vehicle as a weapon. This was a despicable, shocking act on your part.

'What aggravates it is that you drove off without rendering assistance.'

Fisher has previous convictions for interfering with a witness in 2008, affray in 2010, and possession of drugs in 2019.

Edward Moss, mitigating, claimed: 'This defendant has been absolutely wracked with guilt from day one.

'He is a father of two children. The mere thought he could have injured a child in this way absolutely crucifies him.

Sentencing him in Sheffield Crown Court, Judge Sarah Wright said: 'This was a despicable, shocking attack. What aggravates it is that you drove off without rendering assistance'

Fisher was part of a gang of moped drivers. He attacked the family after the grandfather's wife warned she would report the group for flouting lockdown restrictions

'He knows there can be no excuses for what happened that day. He was a family man. He has not seen his children since he was remanded into custody.

'Its fair to say retribution has been sought. He was identified on Facebook. His dogs have been poisoned. His family have received threats from the local community.'
In the first half of this year, rice export value jumped 18.6% year-on-year to US$1.71 billion.

Thanks to improved quality and higher demand, Vietnams rice export prices are set to be higher than the same period of last year. In terms of quantity, it is likely that there will be a year-on-year growth due to the opportunity of exporting to new markets, according to Viet Dragon Securities Company (VDSC).

In the first half of this year, rice exports jumped 18.6% year-on-year to US$1.71 billion, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

Meanwhile, the export volume increased by 5% year-on-year to 3.5 million tons and the average export price jumped by 13%, reaching US$488 per ton.

Higher export volume was thanks to increased exports to the Philippines (accounting for 39% of Vietnam's rice export) and China (accounting for 13%).

The US Department of Agriculture predicts that the Philippines will have to import approximately three million tons of rice (a slight increase of 3% year-on-year) in the 2019  2020 period. That amount will help fulfill the domestic demand as local supply is estimated to meet only 77% of total national demand (14.3 million tons).

Due to the relatively high price of Thai rice and interruption in the Indian logistic system, a result of the lockdown to control the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam has increased its exports to the Philippines. Exports to that country climbed by 13% year-on-year to reach 1.4 million tons.

Additionally, China also increased its imports from Vietnam as the quantity increased by 59% year-on-year to 458 thousand tons. One of the reasons was a decline in China's domestic rice production (forecast to drop by 1.8 million tons, to 146.7 million tons). Moreover, China has also raised its inventories due to the pandemic.

In contrast, export volume declined in some countries such as Malaysia (-5% year-on-year, to 342 thousand tons), Ivory Coast (-17%, to 214 thousand tons) or Iraq (-50%, to 90 thousand tons).

Overall, VDSC mentioned two other reasons that helped Vietnamese exports: (1) Vietnamese rice image is gradually improving- less pesticides on rice and the advent of the rice strain ST25: The best rice of the world in 2019. (2) Vietnam tended to export more high-quality rice as the premium rice accounted for over 60% of total exports, much higher than 10% ten years ago.

Fiercer competition in second half

The Vietnam - EU trade agreement (EVFTA) is expected to take effect from August, helping Vietnam take advantage of the 0% tax with an annual tariff quota of 80,000 tons per year (including 30,000 tons of milled rice and 20,000 tons of un-milled rice and 30,000 tons of jasmine rice).

In addition, the EU will put a 0% tax on broken rice without quota (which is expected to help Vietnam export about 100,000 tons to the EU each year). Also, the EU committed to bring the tax rate to 0% after 3-5 years for rice products. Vietnams export volume to the EU in the first half was 13.4 thousand tons, so the remaining in the quota is 66.6 thousand tons (83%).

In the discussion with South Korea, the EU agreed to allocate 20,000 tons of rice to five WTO partners (including Australia, the United States, China, Thailand and Vietnam). South Korea offered a quota of 55,112 tons of rice to Vietnam. In the first half, Vietnam has not exported rice to Korea, so the remaining capacity for the rest of the year is significant.

Recently the Philippines (demand for 300,000 tons of rice), Bangladesh (demand for 200,000 tons of rice), China and Indonesia are also seeking rice to ensure their food supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, in India, the rainy season has provided a large amount of water and the government of India increased the purchasing price of rice. Thus, rice production in India is ample. Indeed, the US Department of Agriculture forecasts that India's export volume in 2019/20 will reach 11 million tons (+12% year-on-year).

In addition, the competition from Indian rice is now very high as the Indian rupee has been weaker, making their offered price much lower than Vietnam and Thailand prices.

In Thailand, the end of the drought has helped the country boost rice production as this year's rainfall is expected to increase. Larger production (export volume is expected to increase by 18% year-on-year) and a more competitive price compared to the first half as the value of the bath has tended to decrease since June. Thai rice is also expected to challenge Vietnams exports. Hanoitimes

Ngoc Thuy

Will technical barriers imposed by the Philippines create difficulties for Vietnams rice exports? It will be difficult for Vietnamese businesses to keep stable rice exports to the Philippines in large quantities as currently seen, experts said.
Hours after urging black voters to support Trump, Milwaukee businessman is shot dead

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Republican Sen. Ron Johnson from Wisconsin is among several voices calling for justice after Bernell Trammell, a black Milwaukee business owner, was shot dead last Thursday just hours after he urged black Americans to vote for President Donald Trump.

Bernell Trammell was known to many in Milwaukee. My condolences to his family and friends. I hope they get answers and justice soon, Johnson tweeted late Friday.

Trammell, 60, who ran Expressions Journal, a small publication where he also made large signs with political and religious messages such as Vote Donald Trump 2020 was well-known in Milwaukees Riverwest neighborhood, WTMJ-TV reported.

Affectionately known as Ras, Milwaukee Police say he was shot dead outside his store at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday.

This was just hours after he gave an interview to blogger Armstrong Ransome, which was published on thegoddegree.com, explaining why black Americans should support the re-election of President Donald Trump because he is the sign of the times.

I am encouraging Afro Americans from all walks of life and culture here in Wisconsin, particularly here in Milwaukee, to vote Donald Trump for this year. Trump 2020. I believe Trump is the sign of the times in which Afro Americans according to  who the world wickedly or ignorantly calls Jesus Christ, told us that we discern the skies as far as weather and were correct but were not as correct when it comes to the signs of the times, Trammell said.

Now the reason why I said Trump is the sign of the times is that Trump did something, nobody has done, no president, black or white has done from the White House. He took an Afro American Woman, a descendant of the slave and took her all the way to the White House and gave her a position, show the whole world that an Afro American woman, a descendant of the slave, has the intelligence to run his staff and that was Omarosa in Trumps cabinet, he said.

Omarosa Manigault-Newman, is the former director of communications for the White House's Public Liaison Office.

Condoleeza Rice, a member of the Republican Party, was the first female African-American Secretary of State and the first woman to serve as National Security Adviser during former President George W. Bushs administration.

Trammell also noted that President Trump sat down and spoke with African Americans such as Kanye West when explaining why black Americans should vote for Trump during his interview with Ransome.

No less than two hours after I left from filming Ras Bernell I had heard word from Facebook that the someone in the area that Ras Bernell stays in had been shot. To my surprise it was Ras Bernell, Ransome wrote. He was murdered right outside of his shop where we were just speaking. His home. Seemingly these were his last words. He took his time to think about what he was going to say and I let it him have the floor. He was adamant, poised and well-articulated.

In a statement reacting to Trammells death, the Republican Party of Wisconsin called it senseless.

It is tragic to learn of the senseless murder of Bernell Trammell, and I offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends," Chairman Andrew Hitt said. "Because of Trammells well known political activism and the possibility that his murder could be politically motivated, I respectfully request that United States Attorney Matthew Krueger open an investigation into this heinous crime. No American should fear for their personal safety because of where they live or their political affiliation."
Local leaders in the Jane-Finch area are demanding a written commitment from the Ontario government and Metrolinx pledging to donate land for a new community centre in the disadvantaged northwest Toronto neighbourhood.

At a press conference Monday afternoon near the site of the future maintenance and storage facility for the Finch West LRT, elected officials and community groups said they were encouraged by recent statements from Metrolinx officials pledging the provincial transit agency will work to make sure the community centre gets built.

But were also wary of vagueness and these remarks, said Butterfly GoPaul, a resident member of Jane Finch Action Against Poverty.

We need honest partners and clear commitments, she said, arguing that Jane-Finch has suffered from a history of systemic, structural, anti-Black racism that has included a lack of investment in public services, and its residents urgently need new community and recreational spaces.

Local groups say Metrolinx had repeatedly promised to provide a 32-metre strip of land near the new LRT facility to the city for a nominal fee once the construction of the $1.2-billion transit line is complete, now scheduled for 2023. The groups have spent at least five years planning the community hub and arts centre, which according to preliminary designs would feature a theatre, recording studio, swimming pool and community kitchen, as well as a business incubator, youth lounge and mental health services.

But earlier this month, Metrolinx sent a letter to area councillor Anthony Perruzza (Ward 7, Humber River-Black Creek) telling him that although well-intentioned, the plan to donate the land had never been properly approved and the agency intended to sell it instead.

Since news of Metrolinxs reversal became public, the agency and its political overseers at Queens Park have come under pressure to follow through with the plan to donate the land.

On Saturday, Premier Doug Ford and Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney released an open letter to Metrolinx saying they supported the agencys commitment to providing the parcel of land required to build a community hub near the LRT garage, at no cost to the City of Toronto or community groups.

However, neither Metrolinx nor the province has backed off their intention to sell the property, which the city values at between $7 million and $9 million. Instead, a spokesperson for Mulroney said Monday that building a community facility as part of a wider development could be a condition of sale of the property. She said the plan was in accordance with the Ontario Realty Directive, which directs provincial agencies on how to dispose of surplus property.

Some local leaders at the press conference said including a new community centre in a larger private development isnt good enough.

Anna-Kay Brown, co-chair of the Jane Finch Education Action Group, said groups like hers want Metrolinx to commit to the original vision of a purpose-built community hub, not a new version of the plan filtered through (Metrolinxs) commercial interests.

Ernestine Aying, community design co-ordinator for the Jane/Finch Centre Community and Family Centre, noted that it was local advocates who years ago successfully pressed Metrolinx to include the 32-metre setback in plans for the LRT facility.

This land that Metrolinx now wants to sell and profit on would not exist had it not been for the communitys ideas, labour, and leadership, she said.

Metrolinx has sought to frame the Jane-Finch controversy as the result of a misunderstanding. In an open letter to Perruzza issued late Friday afternoon, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster apologized but said despite any assurances given to the community, the agency never had firm plans to donate the land for the hub.

Verster said that unfortunately an agency official several years ago, committed to this idea without proper approvals. He didnt name the official but said despite this oversight, there is a solution to facilitate the use of this land for the community hub.

Asked at an unrelated press conference Monday how Metrolinx and the provincial government could allow such a misunderstanding to persist for years while community groups worked to plan the hub, Mulroney said it was unfortunate, to say the least, that an agreement about the land wasnt formalized and it fell through the cracks.

She said the government is committed to getting a hub built and has asked Metrolinx to provide options for us on paths forward.

This community hub will be built. Its going to be part of the plan, and were just waiting for options, she said.

Ford also chimed in, telling reporters his government is committed to building the community centre. Were building it, he said. Were building it as sure as Im talking to you right now ... but theres a process, no matter what government piece of property there is, you got to go through the process.

With files from Rob Ferguson. Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr

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UK Board 10th, 12th Result 2020: The Uttarakhand Board of Secondary Education (UBSE) will announce the class 10 and 12 board exam results on Wednesday, July 29. Neeta Tiwari, secretary of Uttarakhand Board of Secondary Education on Monday said that the results for both class 10 and class 12 will be declared together on July 29 at 11am.

The results will be declared in Ramnagar at the headquarters of Uttarakhand Board of Secondary Education on July 29 in the presence of state education minister Arvind Pandey and chairman of the board RK Kunwar. We were waiting for the situation to normalise before declaring the results, but with increasing cases the result declaration process would have gotten delayed, further affecting higher education of students, which is why the results are being declared together, said Tiwari.

Follow UBSE Uttarakhand 10th, 12th Results 2020 LIVE Updates here

Tiwari further said that like CBSE, students who could not appear for examinations due to living in various containment zones have been marked on an average basis. She added that students can check results online on the Boards website, https://ubse.uk.gov.in/.

The Uttarakhand Board Class 10 and Class 12 exams were scheduled for March, but due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease some exams had to be postponed.

Direct link to check UBSE Uttarakhand 10th, 12th results 2020

The state education department postponed exams for March 23, 24 and 25 for class 12, while exams of all major subjects for class 10 had already been conducted before the lockdown was imposed. The pending exams were later conducted in June.

This year 150, 289 students appeared for class 10, while 121,126 students appeared for class 12 board exams in the state.

Last year, the pass percentage for 10th was 76.43%, while for Class 12 it was 80.13%.
More than a year after Californias Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, issued a moratorium on executions, condemned prisoners are facing a new lethal enemy: COVID-19. San Quentin Prison, where 693 men now live under sentences of death, has been engulfed by the virus.* More than 2,100 people at San Quentin have been afflicted, including nearly one quarter of those on death row. To date, eight death row prisoners have died from complications stemming from COVID-19, comprising half the prisons fatalities.

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One major factor worsening the pandemic is the overcrowding in California prisons, and on death row in particular, where the population has swelled to 725. Yet as this crisis has unfolded, the states Democratic attorney general, Xavier Becerra, has continued to fight to cement these convictions. Becerra is often heralded as a hero of the left due to his numerous legal battles against the Trump administration. But back home, he is sending his deputies into court to uphold death sentences, including those involving egregious prosecutorial misconduct, false testimony, and racially biased arguments.

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As the states chief law enforcement officer, Becerra has a legal and ethical obligation to be a minister of justice. His death penalty stance is fundamentally at odds with that role. The litigation undertaken by his administration to preserve these ill-gotten convictionsmany against people of color who are now older people and thus particularly vulnerable to COVID-19is pointlessly cruel.

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The governor had many reasons for implementing the moratorium, which Becerra praised at the time as a bold, new direction in Californias march toward perfecting our search for justice. Newsom noted that the death penalty is racist in its implementation and snares the innocent in its net. Five death row prisoners in California have been freed because they were wrongfully convicted, and Newsom cited statistics indicating that there are more than two dozen others.

Consider the case of Michael Hill, a Black man who was sentenced to die in 1987 for shooting to death a store owner, Anthony Brice, and his 4-year-old son during a robbery. The states case hinged in part on the statements of Michael McCray, which McCray made while he himself was under interrogation for robbing and killing the Brices. McCray told the policewho were also investigating him for drug-related crimesthat the shooter was Hill. Even though he failed two lie detector tests, McCray was released. The Alameda County district attorney provided McCray with a written promise that he would not be charged with the robbery or murder of the Brices.

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At trial, Hill testified that McCray was the shooter. Hill admitted that he was present at the scene and that he let McCray into the store at Brices request. Hill stated that almost immediately upon entering, McCray began firing at the Brices, causing Hill to flee. He also acknowledged taking some of the jewelry after McCray gave it to him to sell. But Hill has consistently denied participating in the Brices murders or knowing of McCrays plans to shoot them.

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McCray did not testify at Hills trial. Instead, edited excerpts of his interview were read to the jury after the prosecutor assured the court that McCray was unavailable because he was asserting his right to remain silent. The prosecutor never told the court the truth: that McCray had no reason to fear charges because the district attorney had already promised not to bring any. Of the 11 witnesses who did testify against Hill, the prosecutor promised financial rewards to nine, including two people who were state informants. None of that information, or the criminal histories of the witnesses, was disclosed to Hills trial attorneys.

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Becerras office has asked for an ethnic adjustment in a Black defendants IQ score to raise it enough to legally put him to death.

It wasnt until 2007, more than 20 years later, that the states misconduct to come to light. At that point, rather than concede error, the Attorney Generals Office, led by former California Gov. Jerry Brown, doubled down. In multiple filings in federal courtthe most recent one being on ThursdayBecerras deputies hewed to this position, arguing that Hills claims should not be addressed at all because the state court had been denied the opportunity to review the evidence firstevidence that Becerras predecessors in the Attorney Generals Office had joined with the district attorney to keep hidden. Becerra is fully complicit with the Alameda County District Attorneys Office in the suppression of the truth, resulting in Michael Hills wrongful incarceration on death row for decades, Hills attorneys wrote in a May court filing.

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Becerras office also fought to defend the conviction of Vicente Figueroa Benavides, a Mexican-born farmworker who was falsely accused of murdering a 21-month child. After every expert but one recanted their testimony in December 2012, Benavides sought relief in the states highest court. Over Becerras objection, the California Supreme Court reversed Benavides convictions, and the local district attorney later dropped all the charges. Benavides is a free man today, despite Becerras efforts to keep him locked up.

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Then there is the attorney generals embrace of a peculiar race-based argument for execution. The United States Supreme Court decided in 2002 that the Eighth Amendments ban on cruel and unusual punishment forbids the execution of those suffering from intellectual disability. Becerras office has asked for an ethnic adjustment in a Black defendants IQ score to raise it enough to clear that constitutional bar and put him to death.

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In the case of Robert Lewis Jr., a Black man with an IQ of 70, the attorney general sent his deputy into the California Supreme Court in 2018 to argue that the justices should automatically raise Lewis IQ score. The deputy argued that Lewis was among a group of African American children [who] scored much more poorly on these tests than did the group against which the test was normed. And what does that tell us? It tells us that this test may underestimate his intelligence.

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As others have pointed out, this theory isnt just alarmingit appears to violate the U.S. Constitutions guarantee that all people are entitled to the equal protection of the law. Lewis attorney explained to the justices, You cant ethnically adjust scores to get a job as a police officer, you cant ethically adjust scores to get into college, to get an education, and therefore you cannot ethnically adjust scores to kill somebody. (Legislation to abolish this kind of race-based argument is pending in the California state Senate after the states Assembly voted unanimously to enact it. The attorney general has not taken a public position.)

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Soundly rejecting Becerras race-based adjustment to his IQ, the California Supreme Court ruled 70 that Lewis was intellectually disabled and threw out his death sentence, noting that he was unable, as opposed to unmotivated, to learn.

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But Michael Hill remains on San Quentins death row. And there are many more like himcondemned people whom the attorney general is fighting tooth and nail to execute, even though their convictions are fundamentally flawed and they are older adults at grave risk of contracting the deadly disease ravaging the prison.

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There are a few cases in which Becerra has agreed not to appeal a ruling in favor of a death row inmate, and several in which he has taken a more measured position in court. These are commendable developments, but they are also outliers. Becerras default position is to pretend the moratorium does not exist and to litigate like a typical prodeath penalty prosecutor. But Newson has supreme executive power under the California Constitution, which means that he can order Becerra to halt every single death penalty prosecution in California and cease defending those that have already been obtained. It is imperative to act now that COVID-19 poses a mortal threat to the lives of so many.
The team of Bellbottom, including actors Akshay Kumar, Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Lara Dutta, will be travelling to the UK in August for a start-to-finish schedule.

Filmmaker Aanand L Rai is all set to resume the shooting of his upcoming directorial Atrangi Re, featuring Sara Ali Khan, Dhanush and Akshay Kumar, from October in Madurai.

The film went on floors in Varanasi in March, but the shoot was halted when the coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown was announced.

(Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak)

The upcoming schedule of the movie will last for three months, with the cast shooting in three different locations including Madurai in October followed by Delhi and then Mumbai in the following months.

Aanand said he used the time during the lockdown to prepare for the schedules of Atrangi Re.

"I'm really excited to start the next schedule which is planned to happen in Madurai, October onwards and then with Akshay for a month in Delhi and Mumbai, with all the safety precautions of course," the director said in a statement.

Atrangi Re is written by the director's long time collaborator, Himanshu Sharma. It will feature music by AR Rahman with lyrics penned by Irshad Kamil. The project is a joint production by Colour Yellow Productions, T-Series and Cape Of Good Films.

Check out the announcement here

FILMING TO BEGIN... #AkshayKumar, #VaaniKapoor, #HumaQureshi and #LaraDutta... Team #BellBottom to charter a flight to fly the entire unit to #UK... Producers to ensure safety measures and medical facilities... Directed by Ranjit M Tewari... 2 April 2021 release. pic.twitter.com/4fK7kQlcS4  taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) July 27, 2020

Meanwhile, Kumar will be heading to the United Kingdom to start the shooting for his film Bellbottom and the actor says the makers have chalked out a plan to ensure the safety of the entire crew amid the pandemic. The team of Bellbottom, including actors Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Lara Dutta, will be travelling to the UK in August for a start-to-finish schedule.

Check out the announcement here

Producer Jackky Bhagnani said the safety measures were put in place as the health of his unit is of utmost importance. The production house will charter a flight to fly the entire unit with medical facilities. Besides medical-grade masks and face shields, the production house will also make it mandatory for the cast and crew to wear a wristwatch that will constantly monitor their oxygen levels, body temperature, blood pressure, stress levels and pulse. A centralised dashboard will record the parameters of the entire unit and keep a check for any changes in readings.

Directed by Ranjit M Tewari and backed by Deepshikha Deshmukh, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Nikkhil Advani, Bellbottom is slated to release on April 2, 2021.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)
by Wang Zhicheng

The US flag was lowered this morning. Hundreds of people watched the "historic" moment. The US has a long list of accusations against China, including "espionage" and "intellectual property theft". Tensions between the two powers are growing.

Chengdu (AsiaNews)  At 6.24 am, the Stars and Stripes was lowered for the last time at the US consulate in Chengdu (Sichuan), as the deadline imposed by Chinas Foreign Ministry expired. The order given by Beijing 72 hours earlier came in retaliation for the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston (Texas) decreed by Washington.

Hundreds of Chinese people had gathered in the streets since yesterday to witness the closure of the US consulate, a fact defined by some as "historic" since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1979.

Many of them waved Chinese flags and took selfies in the main street. When a minibus carrying some of the US staff came out yesterday, people shouted their contempt. Likewise, on Friday when Chinese personnel left the Texan consulate, many Americans shouted slogans against China.

Three days ago, at a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that staff at the consulate were "engaged in activities outside of their capacity, interfered in China's internal affairs, and endangered China's security and interests.

Last Thursday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the Chinese consulate in Houston of being a hub of spying and intellectual property theft. For Pompeo, the constructive relationship between the United States and China was a failure.

We must admit a hard truth that [. . .] the old paradigm of blind engagement with China simply wont get it done, Pompeo said Thursday. We must not continue it and we must not return to it.

The closure of their respective consulates adds a new element to the growing tensions between Beijing and Washington. A year ago, US President Donald Trump launched a trade war against Chinese imports, and China has done the same for US products.

Trump also continues to blame Beijing for new coronavirus pandemic. Without any evidence, China has accused the US military of bringing the virus to Wuhan.

Washington has also criticised Beijing for imposing a new security law on Hong Kong and applied sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for undermining democracy in the territory. Beijing replied that Hong Kong was an "internal affair" of China.

Last week a Singaporean man confessed of being a spy in Beijing's service. Four other Chinese in the US - Wang Xin, Song Chen, Zhao Kaikai and Tang Juan - have been accused of not revealing that they were members of Chinas military.

The first three were arrested, the fourth, Tang Juan, took refuge in the Chinese consulate in San Francisco, suspected of stealing military secrets and intellectual property. It is precisely after her escape that the US decided to shut down the Chinese consulate in Houston.

If tensions in the South China Sea are added tothe picture, there is a real possibility of new clashes or even a break.
New Delhi, July 27 : Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty says he had difficulty finding work in Bollywood after winning the Academy Award, but is glad that the Oscar Curse is over.

Pookutty's contention comes in the wake of Shekhar Kapur's tweet to Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, telling the musician that the Hindi film industry refused to give him work because he had won an Academy Award, which proved "you have more talent than Bollywood can handle".

Kapur had tweeted to Rahman after the latter said there was a gang in Bollywood that refused to let him in by spreading rumours about him in the industry.

Opening up about his struggles, Pookutty tweeted to look back at the time when he was nearing a "breakdown".

"Dear @shekharkapur, ask me about it, I had gone through near breakdown as nobody was giving me work in Hindi films and regional cinema held me tight after I won the Oscar... There were production houses told me at my face "we don't need you" but still I love my industry, for it," he tweeted.

Pookutty's post was a response to filmmaker Shekhar Kapur's tweet reading: "You know what your problem is @arrahman? You went and got #Oscars. An Oscar is the kiss of death in Bollywood. It proves you have more talent than Bollywood can handle." The sound engineer added that he could have moved to Hollywood but he did not.

All my post r not seen in my timeline, posting it here again so that its not wrongly interpreted.Oscar curse is over, We moved on.Im also not liking the direction in which the whole nepotism discussion is going. So peace! Im not blaming anybody fr nt taking me in their films pic.twitter.com/ldpzSNUlsP  resul pookutty (@resulp) July 27, 2020

"My work in India won me the Oscar. I got nominated six times for MPSE and won too... There will always be people to run you down but I have far more faith in my people than anybody else," he shared.

Pookutty went on to describe his experience as a result of the 'Oscar Curse'.

"And much later when I discussed this with my Academy members friends, they told me about Oscar Curse. It's faced by everybody. I enjoyed going through that phase, when you are on top of the world and people reject you, it's the biggest reality check," he explained.

He continued: "Oscar curse is over, We moved on. I'm also not liking the direction in which the whole nepotism discussion is going. So peace! I'm not blaming anybody for not taking me in their films."

-- Syndicated from IANS
The US says it has closed its consulate in Chengdu, China after China ordered the consulate closed in retaliation for a US order to shut down the Chinese Consulate in Houston last week.

A statement from the State Department said that the consulate suspended operations at 10am on Monday.

It expressed disappointment at Chinas decision and said the US would try to continue its outreach to the region through its other missions in China.

The consulate in southwestern China has stood at the centre of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years, the statement said.

Chinese paramilitary policemen march near a neighborhood sealed off before the official closure of the US consulate in Chengdu (Ng Han Guan/AP)

The tit-for-tat closings marked a significant escalation in the tensions between the two countries over a range of issues, including trade, technology, security and human rights.

Moving trucks arrived at the US consulate Sunday afternoon and left a few hours later.

Late at night, flatbed trailers entered the complex. One later emerged carrying a large shipping container and a crane.

Before the area was closed, the impending closure of the consulate drew a steady stream of onlookers over the weekend as Chengdu, like Houston, found itself in the limelight of international politics.

People stopped to take selfies and photos, jamming a sidewalk busy with shoppers and families with strollers on a sunny day in the city of Chengdu.

A little boy posed with a small Chinese flag before plainclothes police shooed him away as foreign media cameras zoomed in.

Police had shut the street and sidewalk in front of the consulate and set up metal barriers along the sidewalk on the other side of the tree-lined road.

The consulate attracted plenty of public attention in the days before its closure (Ng Han Guan/AP)

Uniformed and plainclothes officers kept watch on both sides of the barriers after scattered incidents following the Chengdu announcement on Friday, including a man who set off firecrackers and hecklers who cursed at foreign media shooting video and photos of the scene.

A man who tried to unfurl a large placard on Sunday that he called an open letter to the Chinese government was quickly taken away.

Story continues

Earlier, a bus left the consulate grounds and what appeared to be embassy staff spoke with plainclothes police before retreating back behind the propertys solid black gates.

It was not clear who or what was on the bus.

Three medium-size trucks arrived and left a few hours later, and cars with diplomatic plates departed in between.

The US alleged that the Houston consulate was a nest of Chinese spies who tried to steal data from facilities in Texas, including the Texas A&M medical system and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

China said the allegations were malicious slander.
(HedgeCo.Net) The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Trustify Inc., an online marketplace purportedly designed to connect customers to a network of private investigators, and its founder and CEO Daniel Boice with fraudulently offering and selling over $18.5 million of securities to more than 90 corporate and individual investors.

The SECs complaint, filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia, alleges that between 2015 and 2018, Trustify and Boice falsely held Trustify out as a successful startup with lucrative corporate clients, thousands of investigators in its network, and growing revenues. According to the complaint, however, Trustifys number of investigators and revenue were far lower than represented and the company was unable to pay its employees and vendors and effectively ceased operations. Boice allegedly misappropriated at least $8 million of investor funds to pay for personal expenses for himself and his then-wife, also a Trustify executive, including private jet charters, vacations, a luxury car, jewelry, and mortgage payments. Boice also allegedly diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars to his purported consulting company GoLean DC LLC.

As alleged in our complaint, Boice and Trustify lied to investors about their failing business to give the appearance of a thriving technology startup, while misappropriating investor funds to support an extravagant lifestyle, said Kelly L. Gibson, Director of the SECs Philadelphia Regional Office. The scheme resulted in millions of dollars in investors losses, and the SEC will do all it can to hold the defendants accountable.

The complaint charges Boice and Trustify with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and seeks permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties. The Commission also named GoLean and former Trustify executive Jennifer Mellon as relief defendants, seeking the return of proceeds of the fraud to which they had no legitimate claim.

In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Fraud Section of the U.S. Department of Justice today announced the filing of criminal charges against Daniel Boice for wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering.
University of Hawai'i (UH) at Manoa researchers and Sumida Farm farmers published a study this week detailing their collaboration to study the past, present and future of the multigenerational farm which produces 70 percent of Hawai'i's watercress. The study highlights that relationships with the broader community have enhanced Sumida Farm's ability to adapt and innovate their farm practices in response to challenges and changing conditions.

Once a preferred swimming pool of Hawaiian ali'i, the Kalauao Spring on the island of O'ahu today continues to supply millions of gallons of clean, fresh water to the Pearl Harbor region. But changes to the environment, climate and continued development of the surrounding areas has put into question its sustainability.

Third-generation farmers, siblings Barbara and David Sumida had been running the farm for decades, and were starting to wonder if the clean fresh spring water that was the source of their livelihood was experiencing pollution from the surrounding urban development; if the springs were getting saltier from sea level rise; and why the crops were dying off during the hottest summer months.

In 2017, the Sumida family began to collaborate with members of UH Manoa's 'Ike Wai research group. A team of UH earth scientists, economists, geographers and Hawaiian language experts, and the Sumida family used novel research methods to study this dynamic and fragile resource and investigate changes they were observing in the crops.

The team pursued an approach that included interviews about farm history and harvests; place name searches to research the mo'olelo of Kalauao (Kahuawai) Spring; a 25-year retrospective analysis of harvests, groundwater pumping, Oceanic Nino Index, and temperature to identify trends in productivity; a one-year intensive study of the freshwater springs at the farm to identify any seasonal, tidal and climate-induced changes to water quality, as well as pollution from agriculture or cesspools; and an analysis of local and national press to determine the community's valuation of the farm over its 90-year history.

"This deep dive into the history of the farm uncovered some very surprising insights," said Jennifer Engels, affiliate researcher with the UH Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) and lead author of the study. "The close partnership between the UH Manoa team and the Sumidas resulted in a great synergy of ideas and information that would never have been possible without their generational accounts of lived experiences on the farm."

The team sought to gain insight into the resilience of the Sumidas' watercress farm despite the pressures of urbanization that have made other small farms obsolete around the islands.

It turns out that thousands of community members, from school children to senior citizens to celebrity chefs, have been welcomed to Sumida farm over the past several decades--creating deep and meaningful connections. Furthermore, as far back as the 1800's, hundreds of Hawaiian language newspaper reports indicate how valuable and useful the spring and the surrounding areas were for the community.

As urban areas expand around the world, there are growing efforts to restore and protect natural and agricultural systems for the services they provide to urban communities, such as crop production, flood prevention and nutrient retention.

"Hawai'i has ambitious goals around food sustainability by 2050, and yet small farms around the state have struggled or failed over the last several decades," said Engels. "Sumida Farm has survived and thrived despite multiple challenges throughout its history, from pests, to urbanization, to climate change. Their example can serve as a model for other small farms."

In an unfortunate and heartbreaking turn of events, Barbara Sumida passed away in February of this year. Although her presence is deeply missed, her spirit and legacy remain strong. Her brother David, and now the fourth generation of Sumida farmers, Emi and Kyle, are continuing their partnership with UH Manoa's research team. Their goal is to adapt and evolve the farm in response to changing environmental and social needs so they can continue to nourish the islands and serve the community.

###

UH researchers Barb Bruno, Daniela Bottjer-Wilson, Engels and Henrietta Dulaihave secured new funding from the University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program to continue the springwater monitoring work through 2022.
Two girls, both classmates in a school in Mandsaur district in Malwa region jointly secured the first position in the merit list of students who were declared successful in the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) examination held for class 12. The results of the Madhya Pradesh class 12 exam were declared on Monday.

Priya Lal, 17, and Rinku Bathra,17, both friends and students of Science-Math group, from Government excellence higher secondary school no. 1, Mandsaur scored 99% marks i.e. 495 marks out of the total 500 marks, as per the results.

As per the results declared on Monday afternoon, as many as 68.81% of the students were declared successful. The students who wrote the examination were 7.84 lakh students including 6.60 lakh regular students. This year, the result declared suggested that the overall success rate of students in the examination decreased by 3.56 %. It was 72.37 % last year.

Girls have performed better than boys with a pass percentage of 73.40%, while the pass percentage of boys is 64.66%.

In the commerce stream, Mufaddal Arviwala from Neemuch district bagged the first position in the merit list with 97.4 % marks. Anushka Gupta from the Shivpuri district has scored 98% marks to become a topper among students in the Science-Biology group. In the Humanities group, Khushi Singh from Rewa secured the first position in the merit list with 97.2% marks.

In all, 121 students found a place in a meritorious list of all streams.

Priya Lal, the overall topper in the merit list, who belongs to Kanghatti, a small village of Mandsaur district, used to travel 64 km daily through buses to attend the school while her classmate Rinku, who is from Jawad town of the Neemuch district shifted to Mandsaur to her maternal grandmothers home for her studies.

From sharing tiffin to clearing doubts related to studies, Priya and Rinku both supported each other in their studies and both want to be IAS officers.

Priya said, We became best friends while clearing our doubts. When I came to the school for the first time from the village, it was Rinku who talked to me first and introduced me to others. I used to reach school late as I had to cover long distances. Hence, many a time I used to miss certain classes but Rinku helped me a lot in updating myself on the particular subjects.

Rinku said, I am happy that we both scored the same marks. We used to study from the same notes.

We are not like book worms. We used to play and talk a lot too. In our school, teachers were friendly and they always motivated us to do well, said Rinku.

Rinku and Priya used to study 3-4 hours daily and they never felt any kind of pressure during their studies as they said.

Now, they both want to continue their studies together and want to move to Delhi for the preparation of UPSC examinations.

Priya is the eldest among five sisters. Priyas father Shambu Lal is a farmer of two-acre land. Rinkus father Mukesh Bathra runs a small sweet shop in Jawad.

Their teacher Kishor Singh said, They were brilliant in their studies. Hence, we expected good marks from both of them and their positions in the merit list too but it came as a big surprise to us that both the girls who have many common traits would jointly secure the first position in the merit list.

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First batch of jets purchased by New Delhi in a controversial multibillion-dollar deal to reach India on Wednesday.

The first five of a batch of French Rafale fighter jets purchased by New Delhi in a controversial multibillion-dollar deal are headed to India for rapid deployment amid rising tensions with China.

The deal, estimated to be worth $9.4bn, has been shadowed by corruption allegations levelled by the opposition Congress party, though Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rejected the claims.

The jets  built by Dassault Aviation  were piloted by Indian Air Force (IAF) officers as they took off from Merignac in southwest France, the company said in a statement.

By Wednesday, the five planes should be at the Ambala airbase in northern India, some 200km (125 miles) from the Pakistani and Chinese borders.

They will refuel midair several times on the way, and will also make a stopover in Al Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates, where France has an airbase.

A handout released by Dassault Aviation shows officials posing before a Rafale aircraft at Merignac airbase, France [AFP]

Delivery of the Rafale jets  36 of which were ordered by India in September 2016  officially began in October, but the planes stayed in France for the training of the pilots and mechanics.

Delivery should be completed by 2022.

I am extremely impressed by the efficiency and unfailing determination of the Indian Air Force and Indian Ministry of Defence, chief executive of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier, said in a statement.

He added that in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, they had managed to rapidly master all aspects of the Rafale in order to reinforce Indian sovereignty and contribute to the protection and security of the Indian people.

The planes are awaited with impatience by New Delhi, which is eager to update its ageing fighter jet force as tensions flare with both China and Pakistan.

Hand-to-hand fighting between Chinese and Indian forces in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh last month left 20 Indian soldiers dead. China has said it also suffered casualties but has not given figures.

Tensions are also running high with Islamabad after India scrapped the semi-autonomous status for the Muslim-majority region of Indian-administered Kashmir and imposed a major security clampdown.

The IAF said once the planes arrive in India, efforts will focus on operationalisation of the aircraft at the earliest.
The U.S. hopes compliance with a ceasefire would bring respite to affected civilian communities.

The United States says it strongly supports Ukraine in its determined efforts to fully implement a ceasefire in Donbas.

"The United States strongly supports Ukraine in its determined efforts to fully implement a ceasefire. We are hopeful that reality on the ground will fully reflect the ceasefire called for in the Minsk agreements, as additional measures to strengthen the ceasefire agreed upon by the Trilateral Contact Group take effect July 27," the Embassy of the United States in Ukraine wrote on Twitter on July 26, 2020.

Read alsoUkraine's JFO HQ updates on ongoing truce in Donbas

"Compliance with a ceasefire would bring respite to civilian communities affected by over six years of violence and open the path for a full and comprehensive settlement of the Russia-created conflict in eastern Ukraine," it said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, a new ceasefire regime, which had been agreed upon by the Trilateral Contact Group during Minsk peace talks, began to operate in Donbas from 00:01 Kyiv time on July 27.

Before the new agreements came into force, President Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Senior military officers and President Zelensky say the new truce does not mean that the Ukrainian military will not be able to return fire in response to enemy attacks.
C hinese authorities took over the former US consulate in the city of Chengdu this morning after it was ordered to be shut amid rising tensions between the global powers.

The foreign ministry said competent authorities entered through the front and took over the premises after US diplomats closed it at 10am today.

The US flag was taken down at 6.18am, Chinas state broadcaster CCTV said on social media. Police shut off an area around the consulate, blocking the view of onlookers who had been gathering over the weekend to watch the closure.

China ordered the tit-for-tat move after the US ordered the closure of Chinas consulate in Houston, Texas.

The nations are at loggerheads over issues ranging from trade to human rights abuses.
First batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft fly out from France to India. PTI photo

Five Rafale fighter jets operated by Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots took off from Merignac in France on Monday morning for India in a big boost to country's air power at a time of military stand-off with China.

These five jets include three single seater and two twin seater aircraft.

The aircraft are likely to arrive at Air Force Station, Ambala, on Wednesday subject to weather.

The Rafale aircraft will cover a distance of nearly 7000 kms from France to India with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop en route in UAE.

These flights are being undertaken by the IAF pilots who have undergone comprehensive training on the aircraft. The air to air refuelling planned during the first leg of the ferry will be undertaken by these pilots with dedicated tanker support from the French Air Force.

The first Rafale fighter was handed over to IAF in October 2019 in a ceremony attended by the French Minister for Armed Forces Madame Florence Parly and Defence Minister Mr Rajnath Singh. The delivery of ten Rafale aircraft has been completed on schedule. Five will stay back in France for training mission. The delivery of all thirty six aircraft to IAF will be completed on schedule by the end of 2021.

In accordance with the contract, Indian Air Force pilots and supporting personnel have been provided full training on aircraft and weapon systems by Dassault. Further batches of Indian Air Force personnel will continue the training over the next nine months.

Indias Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf was there to see off the Rafale aircraft. He said that the long awaited and much needed two squadrons of Rafale would add great strength to IAF and our defence capabilities. He met the Indian Air Force pilots and wished them a safe flight to India. He congratulated them on becoming the first Indian pilots to fly one of the worlds most advanced and potent fighter aircraft and wished them success in meeting the nations expectation of playing an important role in India's defence.

He also thanked French Air force for support and Dassault for delivering the aircraft on schedule despite the ongoing pandemic crisis. Eric Trappier, Chairman Dassault Aviation and Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather, the Air Attache to France, were also present on the occasion apart from other officials.

Mr Trappier congratulated the Indian Air Force team present in France since almost 3 years, for successful management of the program.

He also complimented the trainees who joined for more than a year on their outstanding ability to master the aircraft

India and France have a long history of cooperation in fighter aircraft, which includes India's acquisition of French Toofanis in 1953, then Mystere, Jaguars and the Mirages.
Honda has announced this week that it has added Android Auto for the current-model Gold Wing. This means that owners of Hondas flagship touring bike with 2018 versions and onward, will be able to seamlessly enjoy Android-based application services such as music, messaging and phone calls.

The update is compatible with smartphone devices equipped with Android 5.0 or later. Connection with a Bluetooth headset is required to ensure complete hands-free operation.

The new feature is totally free of charge, so Gold Wing owners can update their systems at no additional cost. Although Honda warns that app and communication costs may apply depending on user application.

Hondas flagship touring model is already the worlds first motorcycle to offer Apple CarPlay integration, a feature that has been enthusiastically received by customers, the company said in a statement. Now, customers with Android 5.0 or later smartphones and the Android Auto app can also seamlessly enjoy application services.

https://hondanews.com/

To make the update, Honda provides the following instructions:

Format the drive

Step one  Insert the USB drive into an available USB port on your computer.

Step two  On your computer, locate the removable disc for the flash drive.

Step three  Right-click and then select Format from the sub-menu.

Step four  Click Start. When the warning message appears, click OK. (note: this step will erase all existing content from the drive.)

Step five  Select ntfs. From the drop down menu and click start.

Step six  Click OK when the warning message appears.

Step seven  Click OK when the format complete message appears.

Download the software

Step one  Download the software to your computer.

Step two  Save the file (swdl.iso) to your computer. Do not change the file name.

Step three  Copy the file (swdl.iso) onto your USB drive, without changing the file name.

Step four  Once the download is complete, remove the USB drive from your computer.

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Update your Gold Wing

Step one  Connect the USB Drive containing the downloaded file to your motorcycle. Gold Wing Airbag models have the USB connector located in the trunk; all other Gold Wing models have the connector located in the center storage compartment in front of the seat.

Step two  Turn your bikes ignition switch twice to the right to engage the ACC position. Within one minute, a message should come up on your dashboard screen: Do you want to update?

Step three  Using either the left handlebar Four-way key/ENT Switch or the Center Panel Interface Dial navigate the menu to Yes, and press Enter.

Step four  The installation may take as long as an hour, but may be shorter depending on the update and region. The screen will show you approximately how much of the download has completed. Your Gold Wings ignition switch must remain in the ACC position for the entire duration of the update. Do not start your motorcycle.

Step five  Towards the end of the update, the screen may show 99 percent complete for several minutes. This is normal; let the system finish completely.

Step six  When the installation is complete, the initial screen appears again and will ask if you want to update the system. Select No and remove the USB drive.

The Android Auto update can be downloaded from this link.

In the Philippines, the Honda Gold Wing sells for PHP 1.88 million.

https://hondanews.com/

Photo/s from Honda

Also read:

Honda Motor Company Surpasses 400 Million Milestone

Honda Lights Up Sepang International Circuit with Fireblade
Around 10 lakh families have become landless due to erosion over the years

Guwahati: Assam has lost at least 8000 sq km of land since 1951 due to floods every year.

Former Assam additional chief secretary C K Das, who served in the state's revenue department for a long time, pointed out that as land holdings in Assam are much smaller compared to other states, around 10 lakh families have become landless due to erosion over the years.

Asserting that erosion is a much bigger threat to Assam than floods, Das said people can recover from the losses caused by floods by resorting various alternative means of farming after the flood water recedes. But in the case of erosion, people their lands itself and have to migrate. In some cases, entire villages have been washed away due to erosion.

Natural disasters like earthquakes have a devastating impact on the topography of a region. Das recalled that river beds in Assam became shallower after earthquakes in 1897 and 1950, which reduced the water carrying capacity of the rivers and aggravated erosion. If one examines the maps of the Survey of India since 1872, it is easily visible that the width of the Brahmaputra has increased in several stretches along its course through Assam.

Das believes that there should be technical studies of this phenomena by technical institutes, which can help in identifying places where land can be reclaimed. The quality of embankments has been one of the major reasons behind the escalating devastation caused by rivers in Assam.

The state government does extend relief to families that are affected by erosion, but steps like giving a one-time grant of Rs. 5 lakh to buy land is not a sustainable solution to the problem of erosion.

There have been petitions made to New Delhi to treat erosion as a natural calamity so that adequate compensation can be paid to people who lose their land in erosion. However, nothing has been done bar allowing erosion-hit people to live on embankments or encroaching upon government lands.
Grab Ventures Ignite will offer stellar opportunities for 13 lucky startups

After the one-week bootcamp, 13 selected startups have access to a 14-week full-programme of professional training and mentorship from C-suite experts, with more than $1 million in investments and in-kind perks from Grab and its programme partners.

Through the Grab Ventures Ignite programme, Grab aims to encourage tech entrepreneurship and support the growth of Vietnams tech startup ecosystem, as part of its "Grab for Good" development roadmap to create greater social and economic benefits for the country through technology.

Vietnam largely returns to normal and is making every effort to get the economy back on track after the COVID-19. Many businesses, including the startup community, are also trying to recover from the challenges and adapt to the new normal.

This context makes it the right time for Grab to reinforce its "Grab for Good" long-term commitment to the socio-economic growth in Vietnam by officially kicking off the Grab Ventures Ignite programme. With this kick-off, Grab actively endeavours to support startups in dialling up their agility and adaptability to pivot quickly to post-COVID-19, and as such contribute their parts to the economic recovery of the country. The startups who made it to the final selection were carefully chosen, also bearing in mind their business ability to support post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

Grab Ventures Ignites Bootcamp welcomed 13 qualifying startups from the previous evaluation rounds, with focus on emerging industries such as AI, call/chat technology, fintech/financial services, med-tech, insur-tech, logistics, and shared mobility. 13 participating startups include Abivin, bePOS, GoDee, Hana, Medici, Emiso, Papaya, Stringee, Sumi, Vbee, and WeCare247. The programme also welcomes two Singaporean startups  Accredify and Bossjob  in a cross-border experience-sharing to help participating startups to better understand the market landscape. The programme facilitated these startups with business fundamentals to drive their business forward, especially adapting to the new normal, as well as unlocking financing opportunities and driving economic recovery.

The full programme will now continue for the next 14 weeks. This programme is exclusively designed to build capabilities for early-stage startups in Vietnam through world-class expert workshops, 1:1 mentorship from senior leaders, peer learning, and networking. Participating startups also benefit from a cross-border immersion programme hosted in Singapore and Indonesia, experiencing networking with scale-stage startups from Grab Ventures Velocity, who are more mature with a stronger existing market traction and focus on testing their solutions through the Grab ecosystem.

The programme will announce up to five winners. These winners will have a chance to win more than $1 million in investments and in-kind prizes from Grab and its programme partners. Additionally, all startups in the cohort will have the opportunity to raise more funding from external investors during Demo Day at the end of the programme, with the presence of more than 20 prominent investors from across the region.

Nguyen Thai Hai Van, managing director of Grab Vietnam remarked: The COVID-19 pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on many startups in Vietnam and caused many difficulties. However, challenges can be turned into opportunities if startups are poised to embrace changes. As startups are confronting more challenges, yet meeting more opportunities, we see our responsibility in providing startups with support to strengthen their capabilities for the new normal through Grab Ventures Ignite. This programme brings Grabs unique strengths and capabilities as the first decacorn in Southeast Asia to nurture Vietnamese early-stage startups, contributing to the socio-economic growth of Vietnam in general and the startups community in particular through the "Grab for Good" commitment.
Click here to read the full article.

MEXICO CITY  El Palacio de Hierro is rushing to bolster online sales as Mexicos retail market suffers from the coronavirus pandemic, leaving the upmarket retailer reeling with losses.

We are working to add the entire catalogue [physical] online as soon as possible and improve logistics and customer service, Samuel Tapia, head of mens suit buying, told WWD, adding that online accounts for 5 percent to 10 percent of the retailers total sales.

The bulk of the strategy to boost e-commerce will go to correct snafus linked to online orders and delivery timelines, reconcile existing inventory with what the web site shows and improve the retailers ability to predict customer demand.

There have been some failures and cracks in the system, which are now being corrected and we have added CRM [customer relationship management] systems with algorithms that help suggest items for customers to purchase, as well as discounts, Tapia said.

Those discounts are naturally higher than in previous years as El Palacio and other Mexican retailers face their worst year in history, analysts say.

Tapia said discounts now hover at 70 percent in some cases versus 50 percent in the past. Mens suit sales, including for Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Kleins tailored lines, dropped 50 percent in the first half with online sales unable to offset the declines.

Though most retailers have reopened following three months of quarantine, the government has curbed opening hours, complicating El Palacios operations, according to Tapia.

We have reopened but hours are restricted and people sometimes queue outside shops to come in amid occupancy and even fitting-room constraints, he noted.

Conversion rates have increased, helping limit losses. Conversion rates are very high, at around 60 percent compared to 30 to 40 percent before, the buyer added.

Analysts say El Palacios sales are on track to decline 30 to 40 percent this year, slightly less than some competitors, which could see declines of more than 50 percent.

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While the retailer has yet to release first-half results, first-quarter operating profits declined 147 percent to 236 million pesos, or $10.5 million at current exchange, on revenues down 11.7 percent to 6.8 billion pesos. Net profits plunged 347 percent.

In 2019, the Mexico City-based chain reported a 2.6 percent revenue jump to 35.6 billion pesos but operating profits faltered, slipping 18.4 percent to 3.8 billion pesos. Net profits totaled 2.7 billion pesos, versus 3 billion pesos in 2018, according to its annual report.

Apart from opening its 14th department store in the port city of Veracruz, the company achieved certain remodelings to boost retail space in some divisions, increasing its operating surface by 35 percent, according to the annual report. Childrens wear spaces were revamped in 11 stores and Carolina Herrera Kids, Burberry and BCBG Girls were added as new brands. Mens wear also saw Boggi and Vineyard Vines introduced as exclusive brands, according to the report. The retailer added designer wear labels such as Alexander McQueen, Off-White and Versace in the mens department. Two Dolce & Gabanna in-stores also bowed open.

Under chief executive officer Juan Carlos Escribano, El Palacio also added 31 in-store shops including seven from Mango and nine from Samsung. The North Face and Desigual also saw openings, the report said.\[po

El Palacio has said it is working to cut operating expenses as part of a plan to stave off the crisis. In the first quarter, the company took an $84.5 million credit line with several undisclosed banks to cushion itself against a prolonged crisis. As part of the plan, it will cut non-priority investments, rein in operating expenses, cut merchandise purchasing rates and protect its cash flow.

El Palacios suppliers are feeling the pain from managements efforts to shore up the business.

The owner of an El Palacio apparel supplier, requesting anonymity, said Escribano has established a much higher, 40 percent recovery margin for discounted merchandise that doesnt sell, squeezing purveyors who may have to swallow a loss to maintain their products in the network.

I know many international brands that are not making money by selling in El Palacio, but its a good window display for their brand [to sell in the overall Mexican market] so they continue to send merchandise, the executive said.

He added Escribano has been mandated to lift the chains EBITDA margin to 23 percent from 18 percent now, before his contract expires in 2023. He noted the margin was 10 to 11 percent before Escribano joined El Palacio from Spains Cortefiel in 2015.

El Palacio did not immediately respond to requests for comment on its relationship with suppliers.

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PITTSBURGH, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Since break-ins occur more frequently in the dark when homeowners are away, travelers are encouraged to leave lights on while they are gone. Fortunately, an inventor from Alpharetta, Ga., has found an economical and energy saving way to do this.

He developed a prototype for COMBO SWITCH (DUAL MANUAL AND AUTO LIGHT SWITCH) to enable users to activate their lights automatically at preset times while away from home. As such, it improves home safety and security while saving energy and expense. Thus, it affords peace of mind for travelers. Furthermore, its dual functionality makes it versatile for both manual and programmable use. This energy efficient device is also practical, reliable and easy to operate. In addition, users will appreciate how convenient, effective and affordably priced it is.

The inventor's personal need inspired the idea. "I travel a lot and am away from home for days at a time," he said. "So I needed a way to set lights to automatically come on at a certain time each evening rather than leaving them on the whole time."

The original design was submitted to the Atlanta 3 sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 19-ALL-2069, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Related Links

http://www.inventhelp.com


The coronavirus is keeping Berlin's legendary clubs closed but techno attraction Berghain has found a way to throw its doors back open, luring visitors with an unusual sound exhibition. Just 50 people are let in at a time to allow for physical distancing, but without the venue's notoriously picky doormen standing guard, no one has to worry about being denied entry. Once inside Berghain's imposing Kessel Hall, it's not the sound of techno that fills the space. Instead, visitors to the former power plant are enveloped by an eery, almost surreal soundscape of rhythmic throbbing, soft city noises, murmurings and even the whirling of helicopter blades. "You listen, you experience, you can close your eyes or leave them open and follow the sound across the room," said Carsten Seiffarth, co-curator of the Singuhr projects, a platform that organises sound art installations. The show, known as "Eleven songs -- Hall at Berghain" is the brainchild of artistic duo Sam Auinger and Hannes Strobl and runs until August 2. Fellow curator Markus Steffens said the pair were invited to come up with an acoustic experience "for and with the space" -- a concrete, high-ceilinged former machine hall located behind the main club rooms worshipped by techno lovers worldwide. "The room itself is a kind of instrument to them," Steffens said, where the sound interacts with the architecture to create different listening experiences. - Queues and face masks - The project was conceived last year, well before Germany went into lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although many of the restrictions have been lifted in recent months with shops, restaurants and museums allowed to reopen, nightclubs remain shut over concerns that huge crowds mingling indoors could fuel a surge in infections. Organisers of Berghain's sound exhibition said they initially feared people wouldn't come. "We didn't really know what was going to happen. What if no one came because they were afraid of getting infected?" said Seiffarth. But he needn't have worried. Visitors, wearing face masks, have already been queueing to get in. With crowd numbers capped at 50, culture fans can spread out comfortably across the vast hall, while the large open windows allow for plenty of fresh air, Seiffarth said. Besides, people are ready to get out of the house and do something different after weeks of confinement, he added. "Here, you can be with other people," Seiffarth said. "It's also about having an experience with this room and feeling emotions that go beyond just listening."
ALMOST 400,000 in government funding has been allocated to organisations in Limerick under the Covid-19 Stability Fund.

This funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund is designed to support community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises that are experiencing financial difficulties as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Minister for Social Protection, Rural and Community Development and the Islands, Heather Humphreys and Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration, Roderic OGorman have, this Monday, announced funding of 4.1 million to 101 organisations across the country.

Six organisations in Limerick are to benefit.

*St Munchin's Community Centre  194,676.27

*Doras Luimni  48,837.73

*Clare's Wish Foundation  11,549.99

*Southill Hub Youth Services  47,378.26

*Our Lady of Lourdes Community Services Group  79,143.190

*Limerick Community Crisis Response Team  8,155

Fine Gael TD, Kieran ODonnell has welcomed the allocation of funding to the Limerick-based organisation.

I very much welcome this mornings announcement by government of 389,740 in total for six Limerick organisations who provide such a great service to the public and for their communities. One of the Limerick organisations funded, St Munchins Community Centre, Kileely got the 2nd highest allocation in the country. In particular, I wish to compliment them on the services they have continued to provide during Covid-19 to the public, he said,

Making the announcement, Minister Heather Humphries said: The purpose of the stability fund is to provide immediate, short term cash flow to those organisations that are unable to carry out their usual fundraising or trading activity as a result of the restrictions imposed by the Covid pandemic. I would like to express my deep gratitude and admiration for these organisations for the work that they do and I hope the funding provided today will assist them to continue to provide their valuable services to communities all over Ireland.

Minister OGorman added: I very much welcome todays announcement of a further tranche of supports to organisations in the community and voluntary, charity and social enterprise sectors. Organisations in this sector have played a central role in the wider community response to the Covid 19 pandemic, in many cases supporting isolated and often vulnerable people. They are deserving of our deep appreciation for the valuable work that was carried out in very difficult circumstances. I hope that the supports announced today will assist these organisations as they continue with their good works.

For more Limerick news, click here.
Washington: US President Donald Trump's national security aide has tested positive for coronavirus ahead of critical diplomatic and defence talks between Australia and America.

Hours after Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds touched down in Washington for the latest Australia-US Ministerial (AUSMIN) consultations, news emerged that National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien had contracted COVID-19 and was at home isolating.

O'Brien was meant to meet with Payne during the visit. He is now the highest-ranking Trump official known to have coronavirus, which has so far killed more than 147,000 Americans and infected 4.26 million others across the country, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The Trump administration declined to answer questions from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald about when O'Brien was last in contact with the President and key members of his National Security Council, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper - both of whom Payne and Reynolds are also meeting this week.
The dogs are being trained to detect carriers of COVID-19 by identifying a smell metabolic changes cause in their body.

A new, simple and reportedly 95-percent accurate method of detecting carriers of COVID-19 is expected to make its debut in Chile.

Police dogs there are being trained to identify people who are infected, even in the earliest stages of the disease.

Al Jazeeras Lucia Newman reports from Santiago, Chile.
(Newser)  Somewhere around 700,000 years ago, an asteroid or comet slammed into Mars and sent debris flying everywhere. And perhaps 1,000 years ago, one small piece of rock finally ended up on Earth. Now that same bit of basalt is going back to Mars, reports the BBC. As the Guardian explains, NASA is ferrying the tiny meteorite back to the red planet as part of a new mission that blasts off Thursday. The flight home is not about nostalgia: The rock will be used to help calibrate instruments on the Perseverance rover before it is sent out to explore. When you turn on instruments and begin to tune them up before using them for research, you calibrate them on materials that are going to be like the unknown substances you are about to study," says Caroline Smith of London's Natural History Museum, where the meteorite has been stored. "So what better for studying rocks on Mars than a lump that originated there?"

story continues below

It will take about seven months for the rover to reach Mars, at which point it will touch down in the planet's Jezero Crater, per Space.com. The crater, 28 miles wide, is believed to have once been home to a lake, and Perseverance will hunt for signs of ancient life. NASA has a number of different technologies it plans to test, but the rover is the focus of the $2.7 billion mission. Don't hold your breath waiting for new Mars rocks as a result of this trip. The rover will seal up the most promising specimens it finds and leave them on the planet's surface for future robotic missions to collect. The museum's Smith, for example, hopes she'll be able to get her hands on new samplesin 10 to 15 years. As for the traveling meteorite and its unusual journey: "This little rock's got quite a life story," she says. (Read more Mars stories.)
Even with what we know about COVID and the risk being minimal for children, the thought of one child getting it freaks everyone out, so we want to make sure people understand we take that seriously, Jackson said. But I think the point to underscore here is we have to learn how to live with COVID, period, whether were talking about schools, going to the grocery store, doing the most mundane things or recreational things.
London (AFP) - Lawyers for a British tabloid on Monday described Johnny Depp as a "hopeless addict" unable to "restrain his anger" as they concluded their defence in the Hollywood actor's libel claim.

The legal team for The Sun newspaper claimed Depp was abusive and violent towards ex-wife Amber Heard on the penultimate day in over three weeks of headline-grabbing testimony in a London court.

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN), its publisher, and the author of a 2018 article that labelled him a "wife beater".

Depp has denied 14 claims of violence that NGN said were proof of their allegations, and he portrayed Heard as calculating and dishonest during the blockbuster trial at the High Court, which began on July 7.

The couple met on the set of the 2011 film "The Rum Diary", married in 2015 but divorced acrimoniously two years later.

The actor has countered her claims of abuse by alleging Heard attacked him regularly and that he only acted out against her in self defence.

But summarising for the defence, lawyer Sasha Wass said Depp was often "so severely impaired by drug use" that he may not have been aware of the extent of his "violence and terrifying behaviour".

She argued the court had heard a "wealth of evidence" to support Heard's allegations, including witnesses' testimonies, text messages and emails.

"This paints a picture of a hopeless addict who repeatedly lost his self control and all ability to restrain his anger," Wass said.

- 'The monster' -

The defence lawyer accused Depp of "irrational mood swings and abnormal behavioural patterns", and of previously nicknaming his violent alter ego "the monster".

She said Heard was "so in love" with Depp early in their marriage, but once he began abusing illegal drugs and alcohol in 2013 the actress became all too aware of his violent personality.

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"Mr Depp did indeed beat his wife," the lawyer said.

Wass also countered arguments by his legal team that no witnesses had actually seen him hit Heard, noting domestic violence by its very nature is often hidden from view.

She also rejected suggestions that Heard, who took the witness stand for several days last week, had given anything other than truthful evidence throughout the case.

"The days are long past when the courts in this country required corroboration before accepting the unsupported testimony of a female complainant," she said.

"We submit... that the testimony of a complainant of domestic violence is sufficient to prove the case, provided that the complainant -- Ms Heard in this case -- gives credible and reliable evidence."

Wass accused Depp and his lawyers of adopting "old-fashioned methods used to discredit a woman: that she is a gold-digger, a shrew and an adulterer."

The actor's legal team is due to give its final statements on Tuesday.

The case will then be decided by Judge Andrew Nicol.
A final year male student of Saviour Senior High School in Abuakwa North Municipality of the Eastern Region is in Police custody for assaulting a security man in the school.

The student was arrested on Saturday evening few minutes after the incident and has since been in Police cells at Akyem Osiem.

The student reported to be deviant was found by the Security man outside the campus heading to town and attempted to stop him.

But the angry student attacked the security man. The student reportedly pounced on the security man, punched him several times, tore the buttons of his dress and forcibly took away a torchlight from him to hit his forehead.

The security man was rescued by a driver in the school who fortunately appeared at the scene .

The student was subsequently arrested by the Akyem Osiem Police and has been kept in the Police custody since.

Efforts are underway by family members of the student to secure bail for him.

Management of the School will be meeting to decide on the fate of the student. According to reports, the said student has been subjected to many disciplinary punishments for several infractions in previous terms.

--starrfmonline
The world will be watched by an astonishing one billion CCTV cameras by the end of next year, researchers claim.

While 18 of the top 20 most surveilled cities are in China, known for its state crackdowns, London comes a surprising third in the league table.

The capital has one camera for every 15 people, a new study reveals, a level beaten by only two cities  Taiyuan, with one camera for every eight residents, and Wuxi (one in 11).

18 of the top 20 most surveilled cities are in China, known for its state crackdowns, London comes a surprising third in the league table

And the new analysis supports a wider claim that CCTV cameras are proliferating at such a rate that there could be a billion across the globe by the end of next year.

Promoters of mass surveillance claim it helps reduce crime, but critics fear the huge expansion of cameras gives the potential for totalitarian control  without a significant impact on crime levels.

Criminologists say crime simply moves out of sight. London-based civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch said the citys place in the global league table was a cause for concern.

Director Silkie Carlo, said: That the UK so closely follows China as a surveillance state should set alarm bells ringing. This country is covered with CCTV at a huge cost to the public purse despite a lack of any evidence that they reduce criminality.

London has one camera for every 15 people, a new study reveals, a level beaten by only two cities  Taiyuan, with one camera for every eight residents, and Wuxi (one in 11)

'There is plenty of evidence that such mass CCTV enables authoritarian control and that such intensely monitored populations are prone to self-censorship.

The analysis was carried out by technology website Comparitech, which said: We found little correlation between the number of public CCTV cameras and crime or safety.

It came as the US abandoned a consulate in China amid an international spying row yesterday.

China ordered the closing of the consulate in Chengdu in retaliation for a US order to close the Chinese consulate in Houston amid a spying row.
Prisons brimful with undertrials have long been a stark sign of a travesty of justice in India. Now, COVID-19 adds another disturbing element. Jail conditions, abysmal to begin with, offer a kind of petri dish for infectious diseases. Two out of three prisoners in an Indian jail are in enforced proximityroughly 70% of those behind bars, including a record number of children of prisoners.

The idea of the prison as a place of reformation has long ceased to be our guiding principle. Moral reparation is on no ones mind. Now, even political prisoners, the ill and the elderly among them, are not spared the harder edge of prison life. Its often said even the colonial British did not treat political prisoners the way they are now treated. Even in the dark days of Emergency, when virtually the entire political opposition was incarcerated, they were not made to live in subhuman conditionsthe controversy over Jayaprakash Narayan notwithstanding, or Gayatri Devi being made to share a cell with commoners. There were no harrowing stories rife about 300 prisoners having to share a single stinking toilet. Social distancing, of course, is an impossibility in such conditions. No prison across the length and breadth of India is anything less than a hell.

ALSO READ | Jails racing against time in fight against coronavirus

Not just prisoners, even jail staff have tested COVID positive153 prisoners and 92 jail staff in Tamil Nadu alone. In Assam, the situation is so bad the states human rights body has sought the CMs intervention. Maharashtra, of course, is a class apart. It not only tops the COVID charts, its jail conditions are among the poorest. Kerala has at least been taking its remand prisoners for testing instead of awaiting divine mercy. Karnataka too released 1,200-odd prisoners under court direction to decongest jails. We are leaving a time bomb ticking, particularly when the judiciary is working at half-mast. Unless this indeed is the intention, and we do not wish to call ourselves a civilised democracy anymore.
There is no reason to change the policy towards the Russian Federation as long as Russian aggression against Ukraine continues, foreign minister stressed.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calls on the European Union not to change its current policy toward Russia while the aggression against Ukraine continues, an UNIAN correspondent reports.

"Minister Czaputowicz has briefed me on the progress of discussion in the European Union both on the EU development, including in the budgetary sphere, and on the EU policy towards Russia. I conveyed to my colleague that there is no reason to change policies toward Russia, and that they should prevail until Russia changes its aggressive policy towards Ukraine. This is a fundamental principle, and we expect all EU member states to adhere to this approach," Kuleba said at a joint press conference in Warsaw with his Polish counterpart Jacek Czaputowic.

Read alsoKremlin refuses to safeguard ceasefire in Donbas

As UNIAN reported earlier, in June the European Council officially extended for six months, until January 31, 2021, economic sanctions related to Russia's banking, financial, and energy sectors.

Also in June, the European Union decided to extend the ban on European companies from investing in the Russian-occupied Crimea and importing goods from the peninsula until June 23, 2021.
The oilfield has historically been a place where brawny men, and mighty machines came together to bore holes deeply into the earth to wrest stores of oil and gas from the depths. This model, which developed over many decades of exploration and production activity carried huge costs, particularly as the focus of this activity moved into more and more inaccessible regions. The current oil crash and resultant industry consolidation, began in 2014, and continues to this day. Downturns are nothing new to this industry. The difference this time is the longevity and severity of this downturn has kept any real recovery from taking place in the broader industry. Companies have been forced into retrenchment after retrenchment in both the operating and service industry.

Rystad As the Rystad graphic above illustrates, capital has fled the E&P sector, due in large part to uncertainties about oil and gas prices and a shift toward renewable forms of energy.

Energy giant, Halliburton, (NYSE: HAL) reported results last week, and largely surprised analysts with their ability to cut costs and generate Free Cash Flow, in a constantly shrinking market. What escaped much notice in the conference call after the earnings release, was the direction that Halliburton CEO, Jeff Miller sees shaping up for the oilfield of the future. In this article we will take a look at some of the key manifestations of this change.

A smaller industry footprint to producing increasing amounts of oil and gas

Miller pointed out in the call that the cuts are permanent reductions in employee count and facilities infrastructure.

Halliburton is charting a fundamentally different course. The growth in digital technologies, the position of strength in the returns for our shareholders. We believe that the strategic actions we are taking today will further boost our earnings power and free cash flow generation ability as we power into and win the eventual recovery.

Related: Oil Prices Stuck At $40



Source To fully understand the implication of Millers comments it is important to combine the reduction in capex supplied to the industry with the continuing need for oil and gas well into this century.

EIA This graphic from the EIA shows that global energy growth to mid-century and beyond, will primarily derive from continued production of oil and gas.

The story of how companies like Halliburton will achieve these energy production goals, while at the same time having less and less money and resources to employ in this effort is the focus of the rest of this article.

Technology driving the future

Technology seems to gravitate to the oilfield. Doing more with less has always been in the background as the industry responded to ever increasing markets with large explosions of capex. Those days are gone as we have noted, and increasingly what would have been big capex solutions are moving to smarter, more flexible components that deliver value while packing in profits to the supplier. You will also see more joint ventures with participants each bring key attributes to increasingly digital solutions.

Here are some examples noted in the Halliburton, second quarter conference call-

Halliburton and TechnipFMC introduced Odassea, the worlds first distributed acoustic sensing solution for subsea wells. The technology platform enables operators to execute intervention-less seismic imaging and reservoir diagnostics to reduce total cost of ownership while improving reservoir knowledge. Halliburton provides the fiber optic sensing technology, completions and analysis for reservoir diagnostics. TechnipFMC provides the optical connectivity from the topside to the completions. The Odassea platform strengthens digital capabilities in subsea reservoir monitoring and production optimization.

Interventionless is the key term I've bolded in the above statement. Interventions are expensive shutdowns of producing wells that often require a rig-a big expensive piece of machinery. They can be done rigless, but that's an outlier. In this case the company is describing smart equipment that will remotely engineered solutions can fix itself.

Halliburton, and Microsoft announced a five-year strategic agreement to advance Halliburtons digital capabilities in Microsoft Azure. Under the agreement, Halliburton will complete the move to cloud-based digital platforms and strengthen our customer offerings by enhancing real-time platforms for expanded remote operations; improving analytics capability utilizing machine learning and artificial intelligence; and accelerating the deployment of new technology and applications for overall system reliability and security.

How will this work?

Researchers and engineers from both companies will leverage and optimize Microsoft technologies in machine learning, augmented reality (AR), user interactions and Industrial Internet of Things, as well as Azures high-performant infrastructure and built-in computing capabilities to deliver tightly integrated solutions across the energy value chain. Areas of collaboration include

Applying deep learning to reservoir characterization,

Modeling and simulation,

Building domain-specific visualization for mixed reality,

Creating highly interactive applications,

Fueling the digitalization of E&P assets.

As a first step in the alliance, Halliburton has made its DecisionSpace 365 available on Azure, enabling real-time data streaming from IoT edge devices in oilfields and the ability to apply deep-learning models to optimize drilling and production to lower costs for customers. Using the power of DecisionSpace on Azure, big computing and predictive deep-learning algorithms will help optimize field assets and enable next-generation exploration and deep-earth models by using software to fill gaps in sensor data, while reducing the number of steps and time required to render models.

Related: Oil Drops As Demand Recovery Stalls



Nagaraj Srinivasan, senior vice president of Landmark and Halliburton Digital Solutions, commented in a recent press release from Microsoft-

Halliburton is at the forefront of the digital transformation occurring in the E&P industry. We believe open architecture and community-based innovation are necessary to drive this fundamental change and were proud to work closely with an industry leader like Microsoft to deliver tailored E&P digital business solutions to our customers across the globe.

Source

Halliburton recently launched DynaTrac Real-Time Wireless Depth Correlation System, a new technology that reduces uncertainty and saves rig time by enabling operators to accurately position packers, perforating guns and the bottom-hole assembly without running wireline or moving the work string.

Depth correlation is one of the most problematic scenarios in the oilfield. I can remember being shut down for hours as wireline was rigged up to confirm firing depth for guns (Hey, in the shallow GoM where the sand interval between shale strata can be 5-feet total), prior to perforating. Or is my packer-a zonal isolation device, where it needs to be to land out my completion string? Questions like this have to be answered, and Halliburton is doing this without the mechanical risk-you don't always make it out the hole with everything that goes in. In the oilfield the term "fishing trip," doesn't have pleasant connotations.

Finally, Halliburton has introduced SPECTRUM e-IP, the industrys first electrically operated inflatable packer. It provides precision and reliability for the placement of selective treatments, such as acidizing, water shut off, sand consolidation, and remedial integrity. This is especially relevant in the current market conditions, to increase the well performance in existing assets. The platform is digitally enabled to provide data acquisition, interpretation, and real-time control.

Source

Mechanically set packers run on pipe or wireline have been the standard for the industry for decades, as changing the circulation path was also mechanical process. Pushing a button to set, reset or shift this tool has been a dream of the industry. Not having to move the tool is a critical step change improvement, capable of saving 10s of thousands of hours of lost rig time globally.

Your takeaway

The oilfield will be a smaller place in the decades to come. Companies like Halliburton will have to adapt from the old model of spending huge sums of capex and hiring tens of thousands of employees. The model of the future will be one where AI leverages the power of fewer employees to control the production of smarter machines, and hopefully generating improved returns on capital invested.

Halliburton is trading higher in the days after their earnings release!

By David Messler for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Lansing police have not released any additional information about the shooting, citing their ongoing investigation, but did say it does not appear to be random.
The state is reporting 488 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, July 27, a significant drop from Sundays daily count of 1,041 new cases.

The fluctuation is likely due to a recent system error that delayed laboratory result referrals from Friday evening through Saturday morning, which meant Sundays report included backlogged referrals.

Michigan now has 78,507 confirmed COVID-19 cases compared to 78,019 cases on Sunday, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Five deaths were reported on Monday, in comparison to zero deaths reported on Sunday. There are currently 6,154 deaths attributed to COVID-19, in which patients tested positive for the virus. There also are 251 probable deaths, based on symptoms.

Health officials recommend looking at seven-day moving averages to evaluate data trends during the pandemic. The state is averaging 622 new cases, and four new deaths per day.

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Mondays 3 p.m. report did not update hospitalizations data, which stood at 481 in-patients and 113 patients on ventilators on Friday.

On Sunday, 589 -- or 3.06% -- of 19,275 diagnostic tests conducted came back positive for the virus.

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Thirty-three counties reported no new cases on Monday.

Macomb County topped Mondays report with 92 new cases. Other counties in the top 10: Macomb (92), Wayne (77), Oakland, (71), Kent (42), Saginaw (17), Genesee (16), Ingham (11), Eaton (11), Washtenaw (10) and Kalamazoo (9).

Heres a look at the five Michigan counties with the most confirmed cases to date.

1. Wayne County: 24,719 cases (2,658 deaths)

2. Oakland County: 10,862 cases (1,085 deaths)

3. Macomb County: 8,655 cases (900 deaths)

4. Kent County: 6,226 cases (149 deaths)

5. Genesee County: 2,643 cases (269 deaths)

For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here. To find a testing site near you, check out the states online test finder, here, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS:

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued an executive order requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while inside enclosed, public spaces.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

Read more on MLive:

Latest on coronavirus antibodies and immunity: What we know and what we dont at this point

Why Michigan public health departments publicize some coronavirus exposure sites but not others

Ice cream shop owner wants customers to stop yelling at staff over mask requirement

Moving Michigan back to phase 3 is probably inevitable if behaviors dont change, head of advisory group says

A bill to house nursing home coronavirus patients in separate facilities is on its way to Whitmers desk

Coronavirus changes plans for two high-profile Muskegon development projects

Moderate drought takes over 10 Michigan counties, numerous others abnormally dry
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to announce a series of initiatives in the next few days as the AAP government is chalking out a detailed plan to revive the city's lockdown-hit economy, officials said on Sunday. The chief minister has received several suggestions from economists and representatives from trade and industry for economic revival of the national capital, an official said.

The official said as the COVID-19 situation is improving in Delhi, focus will now be on getting the economy and people's livelihood back on track. Earlier in the day, Labour and Employment Minister Gopal Rai said the AAP government will launch a special programme to generate more employment opportunities in the city.

Rai also said as part of the special programme, CM Kejriwal will also launch a job portal in the next few days, where the companies looking to hire people and job seekers can register themselves. Recently, the city government had formed a 12-member expert panel to explore measures for economic reform in order to help businesses recover from the impact of COVID-19.

The panel is carrying out a comprehensive analysis and putting forward suggestions regarding measures that should be initiated by various departments, autonomous bodies, local bodies and the municipal corporations to help people and businesses during the pandemic.

Also read: Delhi govt to launch special programme to generate more employment opportunities
The severe flood Assam is currently facing seems to have become an advantage for cattle smugglers using the unfenced stretch of the India-Bangladesh borders to pump in cattle heads to the neighbouring country ahead of Eid celebrations.

This came to light after BSF personnel seized over 200 cattle while being smuggled to Bangladesh on boats in Dhubri, South Salmara in West Assam and Coochbehar in neighbouring North Bengal on July 24 and 25.

A total of 110 cattle was seized during an operation by BSF on July 25, when smugglers were using the waterways of the Brahmaputra river in Dhubri, which was flowing above the danger level even on Monday. "As floods have inundated large areas and it was difficult to patrol the unfenced river border, smugglers are trying to take advantage of the situation. The smugglers are well acquainted with the area and are good in using the waterways. But we are also trying to make sure that they can't take advantage of the situation and smuggle cattle heads, drugs or any other items," a source in BSF's Guwahati frontier, which looks after the Dhubri and Coochbehar border told DH on Monday.

"Cattle smuggling goes up ahead of Eid every year," he further said.

Another 107 cattle were also seized during operations in the three districts on July 24.

Over 22 lakh people remained affected by floods in 22 districts in Assam on Monday and 103 people have died so far this year.

Smuggling of cattle, psychotropic drugs and narcotics is rampant through the India-Bangladesh borders in Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and North Bengal. The cattle procured from different parts of the country are smuggled through the borders, which ultimately makes their way to the beef processing and tannery industry in Bangladesh. Sources said apart from meeting the local demand for beef, Bangladesh exports a large amount of processed meat to West Asian and Arabian countries.
Millersville University announced on Monday the fall semester will be primarily taught remotely in light of the continued rise in COVID-19 cases nationally.

As a community we have a responsibility to safeguard the health of our faculty, staff and students, Millersvilles President Daniel Wubah stated in a message to the university community. That responsibility has guided our decision-making throughout this crisis; necessitating that we take strong action to protect our community while providing a high-quality education.

Wubah said 80% of the fall semester instruction will be offered using remote delivery which includes some synchronous teaching and learning where students are required to be present at specific times as well as some asynchronous teaching and learning that will give students more flexibility.

But experiential courses that require students to participate on campus, such as science and engineering labs; performing, visual or studio arts; and clinical, field and student teaching placements will be offered in face-to-face or hybrid formats. This will decrease the number of students on campus and make the universitys safety and mitigation efforts more effective, he said.

As part of the fall semester planning, the university also intends to reduce the number of students living in campus housing by using a one-student-per-bedroom approach, forcing some students to remain home or find alternative living arrangements. While campus buildings will be open, social gathering restrictions will apply and study spaces will be available by reservation only in the Francine G. McNairy Library and Learning Forum. Student support services will be offered remotely.

Wubah said he looks forward to the fall semester when new students arrive. Therefore I share in the disappointment that this falls modality will bring to many of our students and their parents, he said. Know that these decisions are made with our faculty, staff and students in mind and with the knowledge that better days lie ahead.

Millersville, a nearly 6,800-student university in Lancaster County, is one of 14 universities in Pennsylvanias State System of Higher Education. In recent days, East Stroudsburg University, one of the 14, announced it would be going with remote learning for the vast majority of its course offerings for the fall semester. Earlier, West Chester University announced it would be offering its fall classes online and wouldnt be having in-person classes.

Shippensburg University remains among those planning for a mix of in-person classes and online instruction this fall.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
Exceptions to the self-quarantine order include essential workers, those coming here for medical treatment and those for whom self-quarantine is not possible, practicable or advisable. The order also does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight, or are driving through the city on their way elsewhere.
Albany, N.Y.  Hospitalizations due to the coronavirus in New York rose slightly on Sunday, but remained below 700 and the rate of positive tests for the virus stayed around 1%.

A total of 642 people were hospitalized with the virus on Sunday, up five from the previous day. A total of 149 people were in intensive care units, down six.

Hospitalizations peaked at more than 18,000 over multiple days in April.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo continued to urge caution. He said he remained concerned that increases in the virus in other states and a lack of compliance with reopening rules could harm New Yorks progress against the pandemic.

New Yorkers have to remember that where we are is a function of what we do, Cuomo said during a conference call with reporters on Monday. Theres a direct cause and effect. The numbers are the numbers that we make happen.

Another 11 people in the state died due to the virus on Sunday, bringing the statewide death toll to 25,117. New deaths remain far below their peak of 800, reached on April 14.

The state conducted another 57,270 tests for the virus on Sunday. New York now has 412,344 confirmed cases of the virus, including 608 new cases.

The rate of positive tests for the virus on Sunday was 1.06%, which is largely consistent with recent weeks.

Complication in kids

Cuomo said the number of cases of a coronavirus-related complication in children has not increased dramatically in New York in recent weeks, although he cautioned that new cases of the virus itself in the state have also slowed.

The state is now aware of about 240 cases, up 15 in the past month.

Cuomo first spoke about the complication in May. At the time, he called it a parents worst nightmare.

Its an inflammatory disorder that can affect multiple bodily systems. Two children and one teen in the state have died from the illness.

The state continues to monitor the complication. More information and a list of symptoms are available online.

Experts have said parents should not be alarmed because the condition is extremely rare.

More violations for bars

The state continues to monitor compliance with reopening rules at bars and restaurants, especially in the New York City area. Another 27 establishments in the city got violations on Sunday, Cuomo said.

That follows 53 on Saturday and 52 on Friday. Cuomo again called on local governments to take the lead on enforcement and said the states efforts are meant only as a supplement.

He also said the problems continue to be most serious in New York City.

RELATED: Update: State charges 5 CNY bars with violations of post-reopening rules

Many of the local governments in Upstate New York are more aggressively enforcing the rules, Cuomo said. We do not have the level of noncompliance in Upstate New York.

That said, a number of businesses outside New York City, including some in Central New York, have been cited already.

Investments for companies

Cuomo said the state is investing in 20 companies to help them increase production of protective equipment like masks and gowns. Empire State Development, the states main economic development agency, is looking to work with even more firms.

Cuomo said he wants to ensure the state doesnt have to scramble for protective items ever again.

Companies getting the aid will make the equipment they produce available to the state if its needed, Cuomo said.

We cant go through what we went through last time, he said. We cant be scouring the globe and paying exorbitant prices for medical equipment.

Cuomo didnt identify the companies getting money or say how much theyll receive.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

CNY radio host whose mom died of coronavirus warns: Not wearing a mask is a license to kill

Pioneering Syracuse restaurant risks closing: Youre watching everything crumble around you

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
The argument of Necessity was the only argument they ever admitted in favor of slavery; and so far, and so far only as it carried them, did they ever go. They found the institution existing among us, which they could not help; and they cast blame upon the British King for having permitted its introduction. BEFORE the constitution, they prohibited its introduction into the north-western Territory  the only country we owned, then free from it. AT the framing and adoption of the constitution, they forbore to so much as mention the word slave or slavery in the whole instrument. In the provision for the recovery of fugitives, the slave is spoken of as a PERSON HELD TO SERVICE OR LABOR. In that prohibiting the abolition of the African slave trade for twenty years, that trade is spoken of as The migration or importation of such persons as any of the States NOW EXISTING, shall think proper to admit, &c. These are the only provisions alluding to slavery. Thus, the thing is hid away, in the constitution, just as an afflicted man hides away a wen or a cancer, which he dares not cut out at once, lest he bleed to death; with the promise, nevertheless, that the cutting may begin at the end of a given time. Less than this our fathers COULD not do; and NOW they WOULD not do. Necessity drove them so far, and farther, they would not go. But this is not all. The earliest Congress, under the constitution, took the same view of slavery. They hedged and hemmed it in to the narrowest limits of necessity.

In 1794, they prohibited an out-going slave-trade  that is, the taking of slaves FROM the United States to sell.

In 1798, they prohibited the bringing of slaves from Africa, INTO the Mississippi Territory  this territory then comprising what are now the States of Mississippi and Alabama. This was TEN YEARS before they had the authority to do the same thing as to the States existing at the adoption of the constitution. In 1800 they prohibited AMERICAN CITIZENS from trading in slaves between foreign countries  as, for instance, from Africa to Brazil. In 1803 they passed a law in aid of one or two State laws, in restraint of the internal slave trade. In 1807, in apparent hot haste, they passed the law, nearly a year in advance to take effect the first day of 1808  the very first day the constitution would permit  prohibiting the African slave trade by heavy pecuniary and corporal penalties. In 1820, finding these provisions ineffectual, they declared the trade piracy, and annexed to it, the extreme penalty of death. While all this was passing in the general government, five or six of the original slave States had adopted systems of gradual emancipation; and by which the institution was rapidly becoming extinct within these limits.

Thus we see, the plain unmistakable spirit of that age, towards slavery, was hostility to the PRINCIPLE, and toleration, ONLY BY NECESSITY.
National Guardsman to testify that violence against Washington, DC protesters was an unnecessary use of force.

The United States Park Police began the violent clearing of protesters from Lafayette Square last month without apparent provocation or adequate warning to demonstrators, immediately after Attorney General William Barr spoke with Park Police leaders, according to an Army National Guard officer who was there.

The account of Army National Guard Major Adam DeMarco has challenged key aspects of the Trump administrations explanation for the clearing of the protest in front of the White House, just before President Donald Trump walked through the area to stage a photo event in front of an historic church.

DeMarcos account was released in written testimony (PDF) for his scheduled appearance Tuesday before the House Natural Resources Committees hearing on the Park Polices punching, clubbing and use of chemical agents against what appeared to be largely peaceful protesters on June 1. The administrations forceful clearing of the protest area in front of the White House came at the height of nationwide street demonstrations sparked by the killings of George Floyd and other Black people at the hands of police.

From what I could observe, the demonstrators were behaving peacefully, when Park Police, the Secret Service and other, unidentified forces turned on the crowd, DeMarco wrote. The rout started shortly after Barr and General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared in the square, where Barr appeared to confer with Park Police leaders, he said.

The legally required warnings to demonstrators before clearing the square shortly after were barely audible from 20 yards (18 metres) away and apparently not heard by protesters, he said.

It's worth reading Maj. DeMarco's conclusion in full: pic.twitter.com/4Og2TeIM7x  Katie Bo Williams (@KatieBoWill) July 27, 2020

Park Police and other officers began suddenly clearing the crowd without warning to National Guard forces present, DeMarco said. And a Park Police liaison officer told DeMarco that his forces were only using stage smoke, not tear gas, against the crowd. DeMarco said the stinging to his nose and eyes appeared to be tear gas, however, and said he found spent tear gas canisters in the street later that evening.

The National Park Service, which oversees the US Park Police, responded on Monday by repeating a statement from Park Police head Gregory T Monahan, who said last month that his forces acted to curtail the violence that was under way. The Park Police, a force of a few hundred officers nationwide, oversees a handful of the nations most iconic federal lands and monuments.

However, videos and accounts by journalists and demonstrators present at the square, and now from the National Guard officer, challenge the Trump administrations accounts that protesters were attacking security and law enforcement officers there at the time. Democratic legislators have repeatedly challenged the Trump administration to provide evidence of that.

In the past, the Trump administration has also denied the Park Police acted to clear the square before Trumps photo event.

DeMarco said he was the appointed liaison at the event for the Interior Departments Park Police and the National Guard and was standing near a statue of Andrew Jackson, as Barr and other senior officials involved congregated.

A National Guardsman on the scene will testify that the federal use of force against protesters in Lafayette Square on June 1 began immediately after US Attorney General Bill Barr conferred with US Secret Service and other officials in the park [File: Ken Cedeno/Reuters]

DeMarco described a quick conversation with Milley, the Pentagons top general, at the time in the square that DeMarco indicates gave no warning of the imminent push by the Park Police, the Secret Service and others against demonstrators.

As the senior National Guard officer on the scene at the time, I gave General Milley a quick briefing on our mission and the current situation, DeMarco wrote. General Milley told me to ensure that National Guard personnel remained calm, adding that we were there to respect the demonstrators First Amendment rights.

Shortly after Park Police and others forced out fleeing protesters, Milley walked in military fatigues alongside Trump as the Republican president strolled to nearby St Johns Church, where demonstrators had been blamed for starting a fire in a building basement on a previous night. Trump thrust a Bible in the air briefly for news cameras.

Milley subsequently apologised for taking part, after heavy public criticism. Milley said he should not have been there and his involvement created the perception of the military involved in domestic politics.





In his statement to the committee, DeMarco is expected to say he was deeply disturbed by the events his witnesses in Lafayette Square that evening.

Having served in a combat zone, and understanding how to assess threat environments, at no time did I feel threatened by the protestors or assess them to be violent, his written testimony read. It was my observation that the use of force against demonstrators in the clearing operation was an unnecessary escalation of the use of force.

From my observation, those demonstrators  our fellow American citizens  were engaged in the peaceful expression of their First Amendment rights. Yet they were subjected to an unprovoked escalation and excessive use of force, he added.
(Natural News) Chinas claim on the majority of the South China Sea is a sham, the United States State Department has said in a statement.

We are making clear: Beijings claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, noting that the move was intended to strengthen U.S. policy in a vital, contentious region.

The statement, released a day after the fourth anniversary of a landmark ruling by an international arbitration tribunal that found no legal basis for Beijings claims to historic and economic rights in most of the South China Sea, is a reversal of an Obama-era stance on non-interference in the region.

The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire, Pompeo said.

Pompeos statement also came about a month after the issuance of a joint statement by several Southeast Asian leaders condemning Beijings oppressive and expansive claims over the South China Sea, insisting that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS should be the only basis when it comes to determining sovereign rights and entitlements in maritime areas.

America stands with our Southeast Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law. We stand with the international community in defence of freedom of the seas and respect for sovereignty and reject any push to impose might makes right in the South China Sea or the wider region, Pompeo said.

China currently claims nine-tenths of the 3.5-million square kilometer South China Sea under its self-proclaimed nine-dash line  much to the displeasure of the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan, who have also laid claim to several sections of the said area.

Approximately USD 5 trillion in goods pass through the South China Sea each year.

Further contesting Beijings claims, Pompeo said that China, despite claiming otherwise, has failed to put forth a lawful, coherent maritime claim in the South China Sea.

There are clear cases where [China] is claiming sovereignty over areas that no country can lawfully claim, the US Department of State said in a fact sheet that accompanied Pompeos statement. (Related: Trump administration declares it will no longer treat China with kid gloves as days of American passivity are over.)

In response, the Chinese embassy in the U.S described Pompeos announcement as completely unjustified, adding that Washington is stirring up tension and inciting confrontation in the region.

We advise the U.S. side to earnestly honor its commitment of not taking sides on the issue of territorial sovereignty, respect regional countries efforts for a peaceful and stable South China Sea and stop its attempts to disrupt and sabotage regional peace and stability, the Embassy stated.

A similar statement was broadcast by Chinas foreign ministry, with spokesman Zhao Lijian calling Pompeos statement irresponsible and the United States as the destructor and troublemaker to peace and stability in the region.

It frequently dispatched large-scale advanced warships and military aircraft to the South China Sea that militarised the region and promoted power logic and hegemony, Zhao said, a possible reference to the two aircraft carriers sent by the U.S. to participate in one of its largest naval exercises in recent years in the potentially energy-rich region.

What is the meaning behind Chinas Nine-Dash-Line?

Beijings claim on the South China Sea is centered on its nine-dash line, an imaginary, irregularly-shaped border that runs as far as 2,000 kilometers from the Chinese mainland to within a few hundred kilometers of the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam.

This line first appeared on a Chinese map as an 11-dash line in 1947, just around the time when Chinas navy first took control of some islands in the area that had been previously occupied by Japanese forces at the height of the second world war.

By the early 1950s, however, two dashes were removed in order to bypass the Gulf of Tonkin  purportedly a gesture of solidarity of the Chinese Communist Party toward their comrades in North Vietnam.

Over the next six decades, Chinas claims were largely left unnoticed  mostly because the Chinese government was not keen on asserting it publicly, Julian Ku, a professor at Hofstra University in New York, said.

That changed in 2009 after China submitted the nine-dash line map to the United Nations in order to counter a claim by Vietnam over an extended continental shelf, as well as assert its sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands.

China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and the adjacent waters, and enjoys sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the relevant waters as well as the seabed and subsoil thereof, China said in its claim.

Unsurprisingly, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines rejected Chinas claim, asserting that it has no basis whatsoever under the 1982 UNCLOS.

This dispute escalated in 2013, when the Philippines lobbed a case against Beijing at the Hague, arguing that Chinas claim on the area is invalid because it violates the UNCLOS agreements about exclusive economic zones and territorial seas.

The Hague tribunal, in a landmark decision, backed the Philippines, ruling that rocky outcrops claimed by China  some of which are exposed only at low tide  cannot be used as the basis for territorial claims. In addition, the tribunal noted that some of the waters were within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines because those areas are not overlapped by any possible entitlement of China.

Furthermore, the tribunal found China guilty of violating the Philippines sovereign rights in those waters by interfering with its fishing and petroleum exploration and by constructing artificial islands  some of which have been heavily militarized.

China, however, has flouted the tribunals ruling, insisting that its claims regarding the disputed territories are valid and that the Tribunals decision is null and void and that it has no binding force.

China neither accepts nor recognizes it, China said in a statement posted to Xinhua.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

State.gov

TheGuardian.com

UN.org 1

SCMP.com

AlJazeera.com

QZ.com

UN.org 2

LawFareBlog.com

TheDiplomat.com
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mr. James Oppong-Boanuh, has despatched homicide experts from the National Police headquarters to the Savannah region, to help search for the murderers of Madam Akua Denteh, the 90-year-old woman who was beaten to death at Kafaba near Salaga for allegedly being a witch.



The move by the Police follows widespread condemnation of the barbaric act and the intense calls from individuals and groups for the perpetrators of the heinous crime to be arrested and prosecuted.



In a statement, the IGP also announced a two thousand Ghana Cedis (GH2,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of any of the suspects.



The police administration, however, condemned mob action in any form and assured the public that it will fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime.



According to the police, the suspects who are believed to have fled the town include one Sanjo, who is said to have hosted Filina, a priestess who allegedly declared the deceased a witch, and sentenced her to death by lynching.



The statement continues that others are: one Teacher Aliu, Bumaye, Ashley, and Manafo.



Background



Earlier this week, a viral video on Social Media had an old woman being lynched by a group of women, for allegedly being a witch.



The lynching which was captured on video showed some members of the community cheering on the self-styled priestess and her cohort while the old woman begged for her life.



The 90-year-old woman has since been buried but the hunt for her killers has just begun.



Read the full police statement below:

Source: ghanaweb.com









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Jerri-Lynn here. Im posting this piece because I confess Im envious of Adems cookiecutter shark image. Its such a good description of what predator states do: they dont necessarily kill you outright, but come back occasionally to take another chomp. Umm, umm good. I wish I had thought of the image myself! But since I didnt, the least I can do is help disseminate it more widely.

Adem Yavuz Elveren is an associate professor of economics at Fitchburg State University, Massachusetts. He is the author of Brain Drain and Gender Inequality in Turkey, Palgrave Pivot, 2018 and The Economics of Military Spending A Marxist Perspective, Routledge, 2019.

This short piece argues that the new regime in Turkey is a unique form of the predator state introduced by Galbraith (2008). In fact, I have modified his concept to the Pious Predator State to explain the symbiotic relationship between the so-called pious private sector and the state during the AKP (Adalet ve Kalknma Partisi-Justice and Development Party) era, underscoring the critical role of religion in constructing and sustaining this relationship (Elveren 2018). However, there has been another unique feature of the predator state in Turkey that has become remarkable recently, and it is worth discussing.

Veblens concept of predation is highly functional to explain business life in the twenty-first century. According to his theory, the history of modern capitalist societies is a process of fierce competition between capitalist groups. The role of government is to regulate business life to tame the predator actions of capitalists. John Kenneth Galbraith noted in 1967 in The New Industrial State that with the mastering of advanced technology, giant corporations displaced small firms from the business sphere. Yet, James K. Galbraith in 2008 said that in the era of globalization and financialization, governments strategies of controlling the predator actions of these giant corporations failed. The predator had escaped its cage, was now seeking the complete control of the apparatus of the state (Galbraith 2008, 131). Galbraith illustrated this new predator state with examples such as the government allowing pharmaceutical companies to enjoy a monopoly price, or with the case of some Bush family members exploiting the No Child Left Behind program-introduced by Bush administration-by selling test preparation programs (ibid, 135).

The new regime in Turkey is very similar to what Galbraith described. A strict dichotomy between government and the market as opposed forces has faded. Rather, so-called pious capitalist has entirely relied on growing the authoritarian role and size of government in the economy. The substantial increase in public education expenditures was one key area for the Pious Predator State in Turkey. The Turkish government now provides textbooks to students free of charge -similar to the No Child Left Behind program- and the publishing and delivery of textbooks was privatized, transferring enormous public funds to the private sector. Similarly, the government introduced a new project to provide a laptop and a smartboard to each classroom and a tablet to each student, creating unprecedented profit opportunity for the pious private sector (Elveren 2018).

Yet, the main beneficiary of the Pious Predator State has been the construction sector. The Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKI), a public agency, has quickly become the key agent in the housing market to provide houses for low and middle-income groups as well as to build roads, schools, hospitals, mosques, and government buildings. The Pious Predator State was ready to exploit TOKI. Islamist construction companies, as well as those that newly assumed a pious front, enjoyed the construction boom (Sonmez 2015). The boom has come with alleged tender irregularities and the violation of zoning laws, and a corrupt network between several real estate developers and state agencies.

I have called this new regime the Pious Predator State to underscore the role of religion, which is the key difference with the predator state. As I argued earlier, it is pious because these pious business groups have financed charitable work in support of the party, a crucial tool that the government has used extensively to provide social aid to the poor. On the other hand, the pious charity organizations have promoted religious familism, and gendered division of labor in private and public spheres, and thereby reinforced womens subordinate role in society. That is, religion through familialism in the hands of the Pious Predator State becomes the key tool in the transformation of the welfare regime in the absence of a universal welfare state that provides social benefits to all individuals based on citizenship (Elveren 2018: 90).

However, I argue this corruption has created the ultimate form of the predator state in Turkey. A common definition of a predator is an organism, an animal, which catches, kills and eats another animal. However, for some animals this definition does not work exactly. For example, cookiecutter sharks isistius brasiliensis catch and feed on prey but dont kill their prey (Ebert 2003). Although they can eat a whole smaller prey such as squid, they mostly feed by gouging round plugs out of larger animals such as porpoises, dolphins, and whales by biting them until they look like they have been cut with a cookie cutter. This is similar to how pious construction companies operate in Turkey.

A tangential aspect of the Turkish construction boom has been the need to repair newly completed or sometimes ongoing projects. There are several examples of collapsed highways (Cumhuriyet 2015), or a tunnel shut down due to the risk of collapse (Yeni Yasam 2020). Needless to say, most of the time the very same pious construction companies were right there to exploit these failures. Likewise, cookiecutter sharks do not kill their prey, but keep coming back for another bite.

Perhaps the most scandalous example was when a pipeline transporting water from Turkey to northern Cyprus suddenly snapped. This project had been promoted by the government as the Centurys Project, but broke down after only five years after its completion. Winning the public procurement for repairing it, the lucky cookiecutter shark  the very same construction company who originally undertook the project- got its second bite from the same whale -the Centurys Project. This second bite  the cost to the public- was as big as about 75 per cent of the first bite when measured in Turkish Lira or about 33 per cent in US dollar terms (Muratoglu 2020).

Unprecedented corruption in Turkey has created the ultimate version of the predator state, where the predator does not kill its prey but enjoys feeding on persistent bites, keeping its target alive so it can feast again and again.

References

Cumhuriyet. 2020. Duble yollar bir bir coktu maliyet dorde katland [Double-lane highways collapsed one by one, costs quadrupled]. June 22, 2015

https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/duble-yollar-bir-bir-coktu-maliyet-dorde-katlandi-304293

Ebert, David A. 2003. Sharks, Rays, and Chimaeras of California. University of California Press.

Elveren, Adem Y. 2018. The Pious Predator State: The New Regime in Turkey. Challenge, 61(1): 85-9.

Galbraith, James K. 2008. The Predator State How Conservatives Abandoned the Free Market and Why Liberals Should Too. Free Press: New York.

Galbraith, John Kenneth. 1967. The New Industrial State. Princeton University Press, 2007.

Muratoglu, Murat. 2020. Inanacak ahmak aranyor! [A fool wanted (to believe this)!] Sozcu, June 12, 2020.

https://www.sozcu.com.tr/2020/yazarlar/murat-muratoglu/inanacak-ahmak-araniyor-5869637/

Sonmez, Mustafa. 2015. Ak Fasizmin Insaat Iskelesi [The scaffolding of AK fascism]. Ankara:

Notabene.

Yeni Yasam. 2020. Torenle acld, sessizce kapatld [Opened with a ceremony, shut down quietly] July 8, 2020. http://yeniyasamgazetesi1.com/torenle-acildi-sessizce-kapatildi/]]]]]]
Roy, addressing a press conference, scotched speculation about him returning to the Trinamool Congress.

Senior leader Mukul Roy said on Sunday that he is with the BJP and will remain with it, terming reports of his differences with the party leadership "malicious and misleading".

Addressing a press conference, Roy said he was hurt by the speculation.

"I am with BJP, I was with BJP and I will remain with BJP," Roy said, scotching speculation of him returning to the Trinamool Congress which he'd left in 2017.

"I was given complete responsibility by the BJP to oversee the party's campaign in the panchayat and Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. The central leadership has given me all respect and recognition. Why should I be disappointed?" Roy told reporters.

Replying to a question, he said he does not have any differences with the BJP's state president Dilip Ghosh.

In a party like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) everyone works for the organisation, and people have their own space but with a common and shared objective.

"BJP is not like a media house having differences between editor and deputy editor. In a political party like ours, we all work in our domain, in our space. But we work in cohesion with the common aim," he said.

Asked if he had any grievance on not getting a ministerial berth even after a year of the Lok Sabha success in Bengal, Roy said he wants to work for strengthening the party's organisation.

"Getting a ministerial berth is not at all important for me. Being an organisational man, I want to work for the organisation, to strengthen the party," he said.

Roy's clarification comes amid speculation in a section of the press that he might quit the BJP, which was triggered by him missing most part of a key meeting in Delhi on the Assembly elections in the state due in April-May next year.

His continued absence from public life, besides missing in action during several party programs, fuelled the speculation.

Roy said he went to the National Capital on 22 July to attend the meeting but could not stay back when the program was extended as he has an appointment for eye treatment on 27 July, which could not be rescheduled.

"Nothing else should be read into it," said Roy, once the second-in-command in Trinamool Congress after its supremo Mamata Banerjee.

He said he has been absent from public events and political programs of the BJP because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is in charge of the party's affairs in West Bengal, described the speculation as "baseless rumours".

"These are rumours being spread by the TMC. There is not an iota of truth in it. Mukul Roy is an important leader of our party," he told PTI.

The Trinamool Congress, however, declined to comment on the issue.
Fourteen members of the same family in Texas tested positive for the coronavirus following a small gathering in June hosted by a man who says he believed the coronavirus was a hoax. One of them has died and another is on life support.

Tony Green, who lives in Dallas and hosted the event, wrote a column titled, "A harsh lesson in the reality of COVID-19," in which he said he was a former COVID-19 denier. The column was published online July 24 in the "Dallas Voice," which describes itself as "a media source for LGBT Texas."

"I admit I voted for Donald Trump in 2016. I admit traveling deep into the conspiracy trap over COVID-19," Green wrote. "All the defiant behavior of Trumps more radical and rowdy cult followers, I participated in it. I was a hard-a-- that stood up for my 'God-given rights.'"

Green added: "In great haste, I began prognosticating the alphabet soup about this 'scamdemic.' I believed the virus to be a hoax. I believed the mainstream media and the Democrats were using it to create panic, crash the economy and destroy Trumps chances at re-election."

Green said that after months of social distancing, he and his partner hosted a party for their parents on June 13. Green and his partner are not married but have been together nearly 9 years and he said he considers his partner's family as his in-laws.

He and his partner did not wear masks at the gathering, nor did their parents.

"We just felt the worst was behind the country because everything was easy, things were reopening and none of us were experiencing any symptoms," Green said.

The next day, Green said, he woke up feeling sick. By June 15, his partner and parents, all of whose names he declined to provide, were all sick.

Rafael Ceja. (via Tony Green)

Green, 43, told NBC News in a phone interview Monday that he has chronicled the episode in a GoFundMe that he launched to cover the medical expenses for his partner's father, Rafael Ceja, who has pneumonia and is on life support after testing positive for COVID-19.

Story continues

Green said his partner's parents traveled from their home in Dallas to Austin on June 15 for the birth of their first grandchild. Ceja's mother and one of his partner's sisters also joined them for the visit.

"That night in Austin, my father-in-law became ill," Green said.

Then his mother-in-law and sister-in-law began feeling ill. Although his wife's parents and his sister-in-law quickly left Austin, the parents of the newborn also got sick and tested positive for the coronavirus, Green said.

The newborn was spared, he said.

Between June 17 and 23, his father-in-law's mother became ill.

"The pain and trauma that was yet to come is more than anybody could have prepared for," Green wrote on GoFundMe.

Green said he and his father-in-law were both admitted to the hospital June 24.

The virus attacked his central nervous system, Green said, and he nearly had a stroke. He spent a few days in the hospital. Sometime in late June, his father-in-law's mother was admitted to the same hospital as her son.

She died of COVID-19 and pneumonia July 2 in a room next door to her son, Green said. Ceja was unaware his mother was in a room next to his.

Later that day, Ceja learned his mother had passed away without any family by her side. "Not only would Rafael miss her funeral, he didn't even get to say goodbye or see her one last time," Green wrote on GoFundMe.

Green said his mother-in-law, Marisa, called him "crying and screaming in terror" July 12 to inform him Ceja was on life support.

Two days later, a funeral was held for Ceja's mother. Only 10 family members could attend.

Narrowing the guest count was made possible with the continuing bad news: Two of Ceja's sisters, one of his nephews and a brother-in-law had all contracted the virus bringing the total number of infected family members to 14, Green said.

Twelve family members have either recovered or are in various stages of recovery, Green said Monday.

He said he has had a front-row seat to his mother-in-law and father-in-law's suffering.

"I cannot help but feel responsible for convincing our families it was safe to have a get-together," he said.

The guilt he feels is overwhelming.

"There's a lot of things that I would have done differently," he said.

Green said he decided to publicly document his family's diagnoses because he knows many people in the Dallas area who are unconvinced the virus can be deadly and of the importance of social distancing. The decision has divided his family, he said.

"I just dont think that people are really paying enough attention to the safety protocols and to the things they can do to protect themselves a little better," he said Monday.

Green said that he is uncertain whether staying at least 6 feet from other people who are not from your household in both indoor and outdoor spaces is effective in reducing the spread of the virus, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said.

"I just didn't see that six feet apart makes a difference because of the distance germs can travel," he said. "Im still not 100 percent sure that it does."

Still, he said, he believes people need to be more vigilant about wearing masks. There is increasing evidence that face coverings help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others, according to the CDC.

On July 2, Gov. Greg Abbott changed course and made it mandatory to wear masks in public in any county with 20 or more cases of the coronavirus.

"Wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19," Abbott said in a statement announcing his executive order.

After cases related to bars began to spike, Abbott ordered them closed June 26.

Green said he has friends in Dallas who do not think that the virus is significant enough to alter their way of life.

"I don't think they're going to change their opinions unless it bites them in the butt like it did me," he said.
Stocks to watch today: Here is a list of top stocks that are likely to be in focus in Monday's trading session based on latest developments. Investors are also awaiting April-June quarter earnings that are scheduled to be released today. Companies set to announce their earnings are BEL, Bharti Infratel, India Cements, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Marico, Nippon AMC and Tech Mahindra.

Share Market News Live: Sensex rises 150 points, Nifty at 11,206; Tech Mahindra, Kotak Bank Q1 result today

InterGlobe Aviation: Company board will meet on July 30 will consider raising funds via equity, debt.

Cipla: The company has received approval from Indian drug regulator DCGI to launch Favipiravir Ciplenza inthe country for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.

Adani Power: The company has received shareholders' approval for its Rs 3,264-crore delisting proposal.

Infosys: Family members of Infosys co-founder SD Shibulal have sold 85 lakh shares of the company worth Rs 777 crore.

JSW Steel: Company reported loss at Rs 582 crore in Q1 FY21 as against profit of Rs 1,008 crore in a year ago period. Company's revenue came in at Rs 11,782 crore as compared to Rs 19,812 crore YoY.

ICICI Bank: Lender reported 32% rise YoY in its Q1 FY21 profit at Rs 2,599.1 crore. Company's net interest income rose 20% to Rs 9,280 crore.

Earnings today: BEL, Bharti Infratel, India Cements, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Marico, Nippon AMC and Tech Mahindra will report Q1 FY 21 earnings today.
We had purchased a duty credit scrip from the market and utilised it for paying duty on import of goods. Later, the authorities discovered that the duty credit scrip was obtained through misrepresentation.

Can we be made liable for payment of duty or penalty? Can the goods we imported be confiscated? No. A licence or duty credit scrip obtained through misrepresentation is voidable but not void till it is cancelled. So long as the transferee had purchased the duty credit scrip duly issued by the competent authority and it was valid on the date of payment of duty by the transferee, the ...
EDWARDSVILLE  A judge will decide next month if the alleged killer of Eldon Twirp Williams of Godfrey is not guilty by reason of insanity.

On Monday, Assistant Madison County Public Defender Mary Copeland notified Circuit Judge Kyle Napp that her client  Donald M. Nelson, 35, of Alton  is waving his right to a jury trial, which means that the judge will render the verdict.

Copeland notified the judge during Mondays hearing that she plans to offer an insanity defense for Nelson. The verdict could be guilty, not guilty, not guilty by reason of insanity or guilty but mentally ill.

If Nelson is found not guilty by reason of insanity, he would be taken into custody by the Illinois Department of Human Services which would keep him in custody until officials of that agency determine he may be released. If he is found guilty but mentally ill, he would be assigned to a mental health facility within the Illinois Department of Corrections until the IDOC decides he may be transferred to general population.

Napp ruled that Nelson knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently waved his right to a jury trial. The trial date is Sept. 28.

Nelson is being held in the Madison County Jail in lieu of $5 million bail, charged with first-degree murder, attempted armed robbery, criminal trespass to a residence, armed violence, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and possession of a stolen firearm.

Napp ruled Monday that, on June 13, 2019, Nelson was fit to stand trial after court psychologist Danial Cuneo testified that Nelson had been malingering. Malingering is the purposeful exaggeration of symptoms to avoid consequences.

Cuneo said Nelson is in possession of his faculties to the extent that he can help in his own defense. He said Nelson may have mental health issues but he is fit to stand trial.

On June 24, 2019, Nelson filed a motion on his own behalf to change the place of trial. In that motion Nelson claimed his case was prejudiced by the fact that he had previous run-ins with Alton Police.

He claimed police lied to him, that The Telegraph newspaper reported he had been declared fit to stand trial. He also said the newspaper exalted Williams as a great citizen and belittled him by reporting that he was a drug addict.

Nelson has previous convictions for aggravated assault, burglary, probation, possession of narcotics and seven misdemeanors.

Williams, 87, was found shot to death Oct. 16, 2018, in his driveway in the 200 block of West Delmar Avenue of Godfrey. Police said Williams was preparing to show a house that day when the shooting occurred.

According to police, immediately prior to the shooting the Madison County Sheriffs Office had been called to help residents who reported a man acting suspiciously. While officers were still on the scene, a Madison County sheriffs deputy stopped to offer assistance to Alton Police investigating Williams shooting and it was quickly determined the cases were connected. Nelson was arrested later that day.

Williams was the Godfrey Tax Assessor for 40 years, a Realtor at Landmark Realty in Godfrey and a member of the Godfrey Village Board.
State-owned PrivatBank (Kyiv) in July 2020 filed the second extended lawsuit with the Delaware Chancery Court, the United States, in which its first lawsuit against the former owners of the bank Ihor Kolomoisky and Hennadiy Boholiubov and related companies is pending, the press service of PrivatBank told Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

"In the second lawsuit, PrivatBank has developed and improved its legal reasoning and evidence base in the light of the position taken by the defendants," the bank said.

The press service said that the amendment does not provide for an increase in the amount of potential claims, specifying that at present PrivatBank has not formally declared any specific amounts to be collected, and the amount of dubious transactions stated in the claim, taking into account the first amendment, is about $750 million.

As reported, in May 2018, PrivatBank sued against Kolomoisky and Boholiubov with the Delaware Chancery Court, as well as other individuals and legal entities.

Later, in December 2019, PrivatBank filed an amended lawsuit, which contains a description of the scheme using investment accounts of Renaissance Advisory Services Limited (Bermuda) for about $86 million.
The 'Naked Athena' protester wore nothing but a beanie and face mask

The Portland protester dubbed 'Naked Athena' for her nude confrontation with armed police has revealed how her display was unplanned and felt like 'being in the eye of the storm'.

The woman, who said her name was Jen and she was a sex worker in her 30s, told how she was inspired to strip off to confront the officers after being affronted by their 'macho' stances.

'There wasn't planning and a lot of thought going into it,' she told the 'Unrefined Sophisticates' podcast.

A protester dubbed 'Naked Athena' has been revealed as a woman in her thirties named Jen

'There was what felt like to me a very deep feminine place in myself that felt provoked.'

'All the federal officers and cops, I looked at them and they stand there with this stance. Feet planted, shoulder width apart, arms at their side, chest up, head high, and its a warrior stance... and its not earned.'

She was with her partner, who she asked to hold her clothes, when she made the bold decision.

'The fury arose in me and I told my friends 'I want to be naked, I want to confront them', and my partner said 'I'll hold your clothes', and so I ducked in a doorway and took everything off except my mask and my hat... because its cold. And I walked out there.'

Jen added that she is 'notoriously naked'.

'There's almost not anywhere that you can't find me naked.

Surreal video footage from the scene shows Jen marching towards the officers, who were in heavy protective gear including gas masks and helmets, almost completely naked

The woman is then seen lying on the pavement as she strikes another pose in front of federal officers

'I have been intimidated by the cops just for being topless. My nakedness is political and it is my expression.'

She described the incident as 'really calm and terrifying at the same time'.

'It's like being in the eye of the storm,' she added.

Further explaining her reasons for baring all in a display of vulnerability in front of the armed police officers, she said: 'None of these people have weapons. Empty their pockets, take off their clothesnobody has weapons here.

'I just wanted them to see what they're shooting at.'

Jen struck a series of ballet and yoga poses in front of anti-riot officers at around 1.45 am on Saturday morning

Surreal video footage from the scene on early July 20th shows Jen striding towards the officers, who were in heavy protective gear including gas masks and helmets, almost completely naked.

Oregon state law is pretty lenient on public nudity, and in Portland it is only illegal to be naked in public with the intent to arouse.

The standoff came after the city of Portland marked its 50th consecutive night of unrest following the death of George Floyd, with crowds taking to the streets to denounce racial injustice.

Officers proceeded to fire pepper balls at the woman's feet as she struck a series of poses and even reclined on the street at one point.

The city of Portland has seen daily Black Lives Matter protests decrying police brutality in the wake of George Floyd's death.

The city of Portland has seen daily Black Lives Matter protests decrying police brutality in the wake of George Floyd's death. Above, police escort a man in a red shirt out of Lownsdale Square following reports of shots fired on Sunday evening in Portland

Authorities are investigating a shooting at a protest in downtown Portland as demonstrations against police brutality continued for a 60th consecutive night in cities across the US on Sunday.

Reports of shots fired at Portland's Lownsdale Square emerged at around 7.30pm local time as witnesses said a fight broke out between several armed individuals.

The Portland Police Department confirmed that two people had been taken into custody following the incident and said one person was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
Firefighters battled a massive fire at a townhouse complex in Richmond Hill Sunday.

Richmond Hill Fire and Emergency Services, as well as Central York Fire and Vaughan Fire were called to the area of Weldrick Road East, east of Yonge Street at around 1:55 p.m.

Images posted to Twitter by a resident in the area shows the fire that spread throughout the townhouse complex.

According to Deputy Fire Chief Bryan Burbidge, the fire spread through several of the homes and completely compromised the roof making it dangerous for firefighters to combat the fire from the inside.

No injuries were reported.

York Regional Police assisted with evacuation and controlling the scene.

An investigation into the cause of the fire will take place, police say.

York Region social services and Red Cross are making arrangements for the well-being of the residents that were evacuated.
DOHA, Qatar, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud4C, an Azure Expert Managed Services Provider operating globally, announced that it has won Qatar 2020 Microsoft Partner of the Year Award. The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technologies.

The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions during the past year. Awards were classified in several categories, with honorees chosen from a set of more than 3,300 submitted nominations from more than 100 countries worldwide. Cloud4C was recognized for delivering highly complex and customized Azure migration solution for one of the largest Government Projects in Qatar.

Sridhar Pinnapureddy, Founder & CEO at Cloud4C, said, "It's a great honor to be recognized as 'Partner of the Year'. I would like to thank Microsoft for bestowing this honor upon us. This award stands as a testimony to our 'Customer First' approach in Qatar and Middle East Region. We would like to thank our esteemed customers in Qatar for trusting us with their digital transformation journey through Microsoft Azure. We stand committed to delivering successful business outcomes through our dedicated Azure expertise." He further added, "Our continued investment in people, process, technology and skills combined with our 'Total Ownership Philosophy' has helped our customers, especially the government entities and enterprises seamlessly migrate mission critical workloads to Microsoft Azure while staying focused on their core business and realizing cost efficiencies, enhanced productivity and business agility."

"Cloud4C has performed several Azure migrations projects in Qatar. Using their strong capabilities, we are happy to collaborate with Cloud4C in delivering complex projects to our joint customers. We look forward to greater synergies and success."Ahmed Abdel Latif, Lead, One Commercial Partner Director, Microsoft Middle East Cluster.

"It is an honor to recognize the winners and finalists of the 2020 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards," said Gavriella Schuster, corporate vice president, One Commercial Partner, Microsoft. "These partners go above and beyond, delivering timely solutions that solve the complex challenges that businesses around the world face - from communicating and collaborating virtually to helping customers realize their full potential with Azure cloud services, and beyond. I am proud to honor and congratulate each winner and finalist."

About Cloud4C

Cloud4C is the World's leading Cloud Managed Services Provider serving 4,000 customers in 25 Countries and 50 locations including 60 of the Fortune 500 Global Multinationals. The company provides cloud (public, private, hybrid) and community cloud services (Banking Community Cloud, SAP Community Cloud), cloud migration on hyperscalers such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, end to end cloud managed services, disaster recovery services, managed security services and helps businesses comply with stringent data sovereignty laws in respective countries.

The company plans to expand its geographical footprint to 80 countries and 160 locations worldwide in the next 36 to 48 months.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1198268/Cloud4C_Logo.jpg

Media Contact:

B.S. Rao

Vice President and Global Head (PR and Communications)

Cloud4C Services

bsrao@cloud4c.com

www.cloud4c.com
PITTSBURGH, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "I came up with this idea after my first granddaughter was born," said an inventor, from Columbus, Ga. "I thought there could be a better way to protect her while riding in a car seat, carrier or stroller, so I invented SUGARLOU'S BABY CAR SEAT COVERS."

The invention protects a child within a baby car seat/carrier against the sun and germs. In doing so, it offers an improved alternative to traditional canopies and blankets. As a result, it could enhance comfort and safety for a baby and it provides added peace of mind for parents. The invention features an effective design that is easy to apply and use so it is ideal for parents with babies. Additionally, it is producible in design variations and a prototype is available.

The inventor described the invention design. "My design is pretty and it ensures that a baby is safely covered in public places."

The original design was submitted to the Atlanta sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 19-ALL-1985, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Related Links

http://www.inventhelp.com


Although it has held every statewide seat in Texas for more than 20 years, the Texas Republican Party is in as perilous a condition as its been in a generation, amid changing demographics and a historically controversial and unpopular Republican president.

The GOP may well retain its long-held grasp on Texas politics in November, holding the state House and seeing President Donald Trump re-elected. We make no predictions. We hold no crystal balls. But it could also be a bad election night in November for Texas Republicans, something that really could not be said in many past statewide elections. What we can say with certainty is that after 2018, when Democrats were fiercely competitive up and down the ballot, the GOP primary is no longer the only race that matters in Texas.

Many predictions of Texas turning blue or purple have come and gone over the years, but the state party may have accelerated partisan change with the election of its new chairman, Allen West, who defeated one-term chairman James Dickey.

A former one-term congressman from Florida, West arrived in Texas in 2014 with a trail of incendiary rhetoric in his wake. A lieutenant colonel in the Army, West was discharged in 2004 after firing his handgun past the head of a detainee in Iraq.

The fact is, I made a choice, the choice had consequences and I accept that, West said in 2004. He also said he is not some bully who goes around threatening mens lives. Certain things we have to do in war are outside our character.

He called President Barack Obama an Islamist in his foreign policy perspectives and supports their cause and said that President George W. Bush was tricked into going into some mosque (after the 9/11 attacks), taking his shoes off, and then saying that Islam was a religion of peace.

More recently, West has accused liberal and progressive public officials of joining forces with mobs and the cancel culture.

With fewer than 100 days before the November election, most polls show a tight race in Texas between Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Trump. A new Quinnipiac University poll shows three-term U.S. Sen. John Cornyn holding a single-digit lead over MJ Hegar, his Democratic challenger. And again, this comes on the heels of a strong showing by Democrats in 2018, which has given them a chance of taking control of the Texas Legislature.

A party losing this kind of traction might want a chairman who uses outreach to make it more inclusive so that it can create a bigger tent. Instead, the Texas GOP has elected a chairman who, according to the Almanac of American Politics, once said, There are three words I hate to hear used. I hate big tent. I hate inclusiveness. And I hate outreach. I think you stand on the principles that make you great, which transcend everybody in America, and people will come to it.

The Texas GOP and all of Texas would be better served if it reflected the values of former House Speaker Joe Straus and current state Rep. Lyle Larson, Republican politicians whove never abandoned their conservative principles for wild conspiracy theories. They are solid conservatives with the integrity and wisdom to legislate in the interests of all Texans.

But given that this is a party that fought to have an in-person convention in Houston, the epicenter of a deadly pandemic, perhaps West best reflects the party at this moment.
LAMALOU-LES-BAINS, France, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Author Sandra Freeman has released her sixth novel, The Cure, an empowering story of love, loss and healing set along the charming and idyllic French coast. The novel introduces readers to the magnetic yet reclusive Dany, who is grappling with the throes of heartbreak following the death of her former lover, Anita. To make peace with her past and find closure, Dany returns to the south of France where they met and stays in the small village of Villeneueve-les-Bains, revered for its holistic properties and frequented by tourists seeking the cure.

As Dany meets and reluctantly befriends several charming residents and visitors around the resort town, she is recruited to work at a new private retreat designed for those experiencing confusion around their gender identity and seeking to shed the restrictive labels assigned to them by society. As Dany forms close relationships with the retreats guests as well its proprietor, Andy, both her mind and heart begin to open, and she discovers her own cure for the grief and pain she has been experiencing.

Through her book, Freeman challenges the gender binary and demonstrates that identity, in all its complexity and expansiveness, cannot be simplified or reduced to a label. She also provides a new perspective on love, illustrating the many shapes and forms it can be received in and expressed.

I aim to encourage readers to reconsider traditional attitudes to gender, love and our relationships with each other and the natural world, said Freeman. There are many expectations for what identity and love should look like, but if you approach either with a closed mind, you will fail to see the full spectrum of humankinds beauty and uniqueness.

A fun and insightful work of LGBTQ fiction, The Cure ultimately asks readers to open their minds, free their hearts and experience life and love fully without inhibition.

The Cure

By Sandra Freeman

ISBN: 9781728352046 (softcover); 9781728352039 (hardcover); 9781728352053 (electronic)

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and AuthorHouse

About the author

Sandra Freeman is an author, director, playwright, actress and retired lecturer. She taught French and theatre studies at University of Sussex, during which time she worked with professional and amateur actors writing, directing and acting in her own plays. She has written six other novels, three of which are set in the south of France where she now lives with her partner, painter Faith O'Reilly. Much of her work is centered around reconsidering traditional attitudes to gender, love and the relationships between people and the natural world.

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121.

Attachment
NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bryant Park Capital ("BPC"), a leading middle-market investment bank, announced today that Multi Funding, Inc ("Multi Funding" or the "Company") recently closed on a $30 million senior debt transaction with a leading international bank. This capital injection will allow the company to accelerate top line revenue, expand its physical footprint, and operate as a significant player in the pre-settlement space.

BPC served as the exclusive financial advisor to Multi Funding in connection with this transaction.

"Bryant Park Capital is a true partner and worked alongside our leadership team every step of the way. Their in-depth industry knowledge, funding source relationships and sound business acumen are key ingredients to a successful capital raise. We enjoyed working with people of quality and anticipate a long and prosperous future together," said Kevin Flood, COO of Multi Funding.

About Multi Funding

Multi Funding, established in 2008, is a successful pre-settlement litigation finance company with offices in Woodstock and Lynbrook, New York. They provide pre and post-settlement funds as a non-recourse advance to clients. The Company is affiliated with sister-company Segue Cloud Services, which offers best-in-class proprietary litigation finance software that is tailor-made to manage a pre-settlement business from intake to resolution. Multi Funding has established consistent growth and robust performance and is well-positioned for scale, driven by improved data management/analytics, an experienced leadership team with over 20 years of blue-chip corporate experience, and continued access to efficient senior and junior capital.

For more information about Multi Funding, please visit www.multifundingusa.com.

For more information about Segue Cloud Services, please visit www.seguecloudservices.com.

About Bryant Park Capital

Bryant Park Capital is an investment bank providing M&A and corporate finance advisory services to emerging growth and middle market public and private companies. BPC has deep expertise and a diversified, well-founded breadth of experience in a number of sectors, including specialty finance & financial services and healthcare services. BPC has arranged lines of credit, raised growth equity, and assisted in mergers and acquisitions for its clients. Our professionals have completed nearly 300 assignments representing an aggregate transaction value of over $35 billion.

For more information about Bryant Park Capital, please visit www.bryantparkcapital.com.

SOURCE Bryant Park Capital

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- A Youtuber by the name Raych Gitau lost her channel to hackers and speculations were rife that Chebby and hubby Terence or The Wajesus Family had something to do with it

- Raych on her Instagram cleared the Wajesus of any wrongdoing but did not mention Chebby in her appeal

- This angered Chebby and Terence who felt they were not shielded from the attacks they were receiving online

Milly Chebby and hubby Terence Creative have spoken out for the first time regarding the hacking of a Youtube channel, Pika na Raych, belonging to Youtuber Raych Gitau.

This is after many fans speculated that the two might have been involved in the act which was fueled by how Raych handled the situation.

READ ALSO: Papa Shirandula spotted in video narrating how he was falsely killed online 7 times

Milly Chebby and husband Terence while speaking about the hacking allegations Photo: Milly Chebby/Youtube

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Akothee lashes out at trolls who went after her daughter Rue Baby

In an emotional video shared by Chebby on Youtube on Sunday, July 26, she and Terence denied any wrongdoing in the incident saying fans were quick to point fingers at them and the Wajesus family.

Chebby felt she was single out after Raych did an Instagram Story clearing Wajesus Family while not showing the same support for her's.

"What hurt me most, Raych did an Insta Story only clearing the Wajesus Family and left us. She was very categorical (in telling people to stop speculating about Wajesus). So that meant we were the ones left out," she said.

READ ALSO: Uhuru to address nation at 3pm after meeting governors

READ ALSO: Takwimu zaonyesha Marekani Kusini inaongoza kwa idadi ya maambukizi ya COVID-19 duniani

Chebby felt betrayed as she talked about how she supported Raych when she was starting out and wondered why she did not contact them to inquire about the hacking claims.

"I noticed that she had a singing talent and I did Insta Stories pushing her and she even (talked about it) and put it on her Youtube videos. Would I come back and hack you? Rachy and Kaymo, that was very wrong. You went live and did not even clear our name," Chebby said while in deep emotional state.

Terence said they all knew each other very well and wondered why Raych and husband Kaymo would not come clean and waited until Chebby was being trolled.

Chebby even broke down saying she was hurt that Raych did not come out to clear their name wishing she could have reached out.

READ ALSO: Man United breaks EPL record for most penalties awarded in single season

The two said they were not at peace and were upset by the insults they had gotten due to the unwarranted speculations.

Raych also posted a video on Youtube stating she found out the hackers were forex trading geeks who were using her channel now for their trade.

She warned her fans to be careful with their online passwords and free Wi-Fi offered in public places which might be used to target them.

Raych is wife of popular Kenyan gospel musician called Kaymo of the Kaymo and Stiga duo who released songs such as Thitima and Gathigiriri.

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I should be given a medal for finding Chris Msando's car - Moses Kuria: Part two | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Speaking with Saigon Investment, Asso. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Hoa, an expert on many related issues in many countries across the world, expressed his views on this new proposal.

Asso. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh believes that compared to many other countries, the development of the Metro network in Vietnam is coming far too late and far too slowly. In the world, most cities with more than five million people have already invested in an effective Metro transport system, because it is a fast way to commute, is punctual, safe and able to carry a large number of passengers. The Metro network in the Soviet Union was first established as early as in 1935 in the City of Moscow. Many other Southeast Asian countries have already built a good metro system many years back, such as Bangkok in 1996, Singapore in 1987, and Manila in 1970.

Thus, the construction of a Metro network system in Ho Chi Minh City is currently coming in 25 years after it was first introduced in some Southeast Asian countries. The first Metro Line between Ben Thanh and Suoi Tien in Ho Chi Minh City started in 2012, and will have taken ten full years to complete if put into operation by 2021, while in other countries in the region, the time to operate on the first route took Singapore only three years, Philippines took four years, and Bangkok took six years.

JOURNALIST: - Sir, how should the Metro Line No. 1 be put into operation to meet the expectations of the people of Ho Chi Minh City and for the State that is investing huge capital?

Asso. Prof. Dr. NGUYEN MINH HOA: - The structure of Metro Line No.1 is evolving day by day, and people are putting their trust in the Metro system in the hope that it will play a crucial role in resolving the present problems in public transportation. However, in order to realize this dream, there are many things to sort out right now.

First of all, it is important to understand that the Metro is not just a normal form of transport that picks up passengers in the same way as buses or taxis do, but it is a combination of very technical and socio-economic systems. In countries such as Russia, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, and Thailand, the Metro system is integrated with many functions concerning social needs such as public travel, shopping, essential services and housing.

At each metro station, especially at the main station where two to three or more Metro Lines intersect, it becomes an important space for utilization of services and shopping areas with supermarkets, small shops and customer services for billing and such use. People using the Metro to commute can buy necessary and basic items for daily needs at such points without having to commute elsewhere, from buying cell phone charging cards to food items.

So far, the Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien Metro route has completed the technical construction requirement of bridge and main station, but has not yet considered the development of utility service areas in each stop station. This may be because it is already too late, and because the land along the Metro Line and around the stop stations has been speculated and purchased by investors or local residents. Without supportive service complexes, the Metro will become just a regular form of transportation, and the attractiveness will greatly reduce, and its potential not fully utilized.

Another problem facing the Metro Network System is on how to get people to travel to the various station stops from their residences, many of which could be living very far from the Metro Line. People living within a couple of km radius of stations like Ben Thanh, Thao Dien, An Phu, An Khanh can walk there everyday, but for those who are living further away, a reasonable solution still has to be worked out.

If there are no bus lines, small transport could be provided, such as the Tuk Tuk service in Bangkok, Jeepney in Manila, and mini buses in Jakarta. It is also likely that Metro stations need a larger area to park motorbikes or bicycles for daily commuters, so they can return to their homes easily. If this problem is not resolved, the risk of people losing interest in the Metro Line will become real.

Another problem that needs to be tackled is the fare amount for passengers. Investment in the Metro system has been huge, up to tens of billions of US dollars. The money has been on a loan, and the return of capital will be slow. Countries have to subsidize fares to reach out to the masses, even suffer heavy losses, but in return for other benefits such as reduced traffic jams, less pollution, less travel time, and low accident rates, this effort seems worthwhile.

Hence, even though fares may be partially subsidized, the Metro still has to sell tickets in large numbers to be able to maintain full operations and offer best of services. Therefore, the calculation of fare rates is extremely important, so that the State has revenue and passengers are also satisfied. For passengers, if the ticket price is too high for their actual monthly income, they will refuse to use the Metro Line, even if the service provided is the best.

Currently those countries having a Metro system are providing subsidies in fares, but their fare rate is still quite high for income level of the Vietnamese people. For example, the ticket price from Changi International Airport to China Town in the center of Singapore covering 22km is SGD 1.83 per person, which is equivalent to VND 30,000 for a Vietnamese person. In Bangkok, from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to central Bangkok covering 30km costs 45 baht, against VND 30,000 in Vietnam.

For the Metro Line in Ho Chi Minh City, suppose that the price is VND 40,000 for a two-way fare, it is still high for the average income of most people which is around VND 5,000,000 to VND 6,000,000 per month. The Metro for most people will therefore not necessarily become the optimum means of transport, including for many workers, students and office goers.

- Sir, how do we turn the Metro route into a socio-economic system for the people?

- In my opinion, making the Metro Line No. 1 route into a multi-purpose complex is very difficult. First, underground drilling is very expensive and time consuming. This then can be put up in parallel with the road axis or along canals to shorten construction time, quickly put into operation, and relieve the City from its present deadlock of public transport.

Second, the fact that Metro routes are not attractive for short distances, with each station about two km apart, people feel they can use motorcycles more easily, and will only choose to use the Metro for longer distances. In such case, the long routes from Bien Hoa City to Ben Thanh, from Long Thanh International Airport to Ben Thanh Station can offer fares from VND 40,000 to VND 50,000, which people may not mind paying.

- Thank you very much.

Do Tra Giang (Interviewer)
Government politicians should stop insulting people with their pathetic apologies about the CervicalCheck scandal and instead sort it out once and for all.

This is according to Stephen Teap, whose wife Irene died from cervical cancer three years ago and who has posted a series of tweets, marking the anniversary of his wifes death.

The father-of-two said: My message is simple and it is to (Health Minister) Stephen Donnelly and (Taoiseach) Micheal Martin and our government.

The honeymoon period is over. You all have your lovely new jobs which you all have fought so hard to get.

It's now time to get to work, cause we have a huge job still ahead of us in the CervicalCheck debacle.

And referencing Leo Varadkars controversial comments implying the State apologized to Ruth Morrissey, who died a little over a week ago, he added: Let's not insult anymore of those this week who are grieving with pathetic apologies.

The rest of us who watch on aren't going anywhere and will continue to fight for those who have been caught up in the CervicalCheck debacle.

He also said he and members of the 221+ CervicalCheck survivors group will continue to fight to correct the wrongs of the past for all of the women and families in Ireland.

And he urged the government: Give voice from the ground up, support our medical professionals, support all who rely on our health care system, no more excuses.

Cancer waits for nothing, time to prioritize the women and families in Ireland."

Introducing the thread of tweets, he said he had been very quiet over the last week as he had found it a very difficult time.

What started with the passing of the amazing Ruth (Morrissey) last Sunday then leads to Irene's 3rd Anniversary since her passing, he said.

He thanked everyone for all of the kind messages he has received.

I'm always grateful for the continued support and compassion my boys and I receive, so thank you from the bottom of my heart, he said.

Irene was taken from this world far too early and now we know it should never have happened.

She was denied the opportunity to be a mother to her children, a wife to her husband, a daughter to her parents, an older sister to her sisters, an aunt to nieces and nephews, a friend to her friends and for what?

He said she had been failed by her State, failed by the health care system she worked in and also relied on.

Recalling her dying days, he said: I stood by Irene for two years as she battled cervical cancer. I watched and helped her as she fought her own battle while putting everyone around her first, especially Oscar and Noah.

In the same way as I learned from her. I too have done similar, while battling my own grief and that of my boys, have been working non-stop and uncovering the truth of what went wrong in our screening program in order to fix it.

And he added: "The Department of Health has finally got their wishes of pretty much closing down the steering committee as a result of a new government and a global pandemic as an excuse to fall back on.

"Oversight of Scally's Report doesn't exist anymore, the tribunal has essentially collapsed and terminally ill women are still being dragged through our courts.

"Some good has to come from the misery that has been inflicted on my family and many others."
Appy, France.

Renault

Renault, the French car manufacturer, has gifted an entire town free electric vehicles.

All households in the tiny town of Appy can get a free three-year lease on a Renault Zoe, but they have to share their impressions and experiences with Renault.

Through the program, Renault is looking to prove that EVs are practical for rural drivers as well as city dwellers.

Renault is giving each participating household a home charger and is setting up a public charging station.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

French automaker Renault has gifted an entire town free electric vehicles, but there's a catch.

The manufacturer offered three-year leases of its new Zoe EV to each and every household in Appy, a minuscule town in the Ariege region of France. In exchange, residents will need to keep Renault updated on their impressions of the car and of EV ownership. The initiative, Renault said, will help the company "understand the way customers interact with and use electric vehicles day to day."

Renault is also looking to demonstrate that EVs aren't just for residents of urban areas, and that the Zoe, with its claimed 245 miles of range, can meets the needs of rural communities just as well as traditional gas-powered cars.

"If the inhabitants of one of the country's most isolated towns can adopt an electric way of life, it'll prove that everyone can," Renault said. "That also means the myths around buying and running an electric car can be dispelled once and for all."

According to various studies, the major barriers to widespread EV adoption have been range anxiety and a dearth of charging stations. To make things a bit easier for Appy's residents, Renault will set up a public charging station and provide all participating households with a home charger.

Europeans who aren't among Appy's roughly 26 residents can still get their hands on an EV from Renault for free or close to it. Thanks to hefty subsidies from the German government, car shoppers there can snag a 9,000-euro discount if they go electric, Bloomberg reports. A similar 7,000-euro incentive in France means that drivers can lease a Zoe for just 79 euros per month.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Vietnam is evacuating 80,000 people from the central tourism hot spot of Danang after three residents tested positive for coronavirus at the weekend.

The Southeast Asian country is back on high alert after the government on Saturday confirmed its first community infections since April, and another three cases on Sunday, all in or around Danang.

The evacuation of mostly local tourists will take at least four days with domestic airlines operating approximately 100 flights daily from Danang to 11 Vietnamese cities.

Vietnam is evacuating 80,000 people from the central tourism hot spot of Danang after three residents tested positive for the coronavirus. Pictured: people wearing face masks in Hanoi

Vietnam has imposed strict quarantine measures and carried out an aggressive and widespread testing programme during the pandemic, keeping its total tally of reported infections to just 420, with no deaths.

Vietnam is still closed to foreign tourism, but there had been a surge in domestic travellers looking to take advantage of discounted flights and holiday packages to local hotels and resorts.

The evacuation of mostly local tourists will take at least four days. Pictured are people in Hanoi wearing masks

A girl wearing face mask waits at a bus station in Hanoi, Vietnam, yesterday as the country is back on high alert

Those returning from Danang to other parts of the country would be required to quarantine at home for 14 days, the health ministry said.

Following the discovery of the new cases, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered police to step up a crackdown on illegal immigration to the country.

State media on Sunday said police in Danang had arrested a 42-year-old Chinese man it said was the head of a criminal group which helps people illegally enter Vietnam from China.

Authorities have not officially linked the new cases in Danang to illegal immigration.

The government said in a separate statement on Monday that authorities in Ha Giang province, which borders China, had caught more than 1,500 people illegally crossing into the province since May.

Most of those caught were Vietnamese citizens, the statement said, and were quarantined.
27.07.2020 LISTEN

Police in South Africa is investigating the killing of two alleged armed robbers at a church in Centurion municipality in Gauteng Province, local media has reported.

The reports say three armed men stormed Querentia Ministry Church in Wierda Park on Sunday and started robbing the worshippers.

A congregant identified as Pieter van der Westhuizen, who is a licensed gun carrier, managed to kill two of the men while another escaped.

Mr Der Westhuizen is the brother of the late Springbok scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen, News24 reports.

A statement was obtained from the congregant who allegedly shot the suspects and this will be submitted for prosecutorial direction, Mathapelo Peters, Gauteng police spokesperson, was quoted as saying by JacrandaFM

Only the churchs pastor sustained minor injuries and was treated on site, the reports say.

---BBC
Falun Gong practitioners take part in a candlelight vigil commemorating the 20th anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, on the West Lawn of Capitol Hill on July 18, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

An Unjust Law Is No Law at All: End 21-Year Persecution of Falun Gong

Australian political leaders joined an online rally on July 20 condemning the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its ongoing persecution of Falun Gong. The date marks 21 years of persecution suffered by practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual practice in communist China.

The rally was joined by 18 speakers including federal and state politicians, experts, activists, and supporters commemorating the lives lost at the hands of the CCP.

Below is the speech delivered by Sydney barrister and law lecturer, Sophie York:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for gathering here online for this important rally, marking 21 years of suffering for those who believe and practice Falun Gong.

It has been my honour to get to know people in the Falun Gong.

It baffles me why on earth any government would want to suppress such an outfit, which clearly brings out the best in their citizens: having them seek truth, be compassionate, and tolerant; live, eat, and exercise well.

But thats not even the point! Governments are meant to protect the naturally-occurring human rights of the people. Being communist does not exempt the Chinese government from this responsibility.

The maxim Lex Inuista Non Est Lex originated with the great philosopher, Augustine of Hippo. It means unjust law is not law. It does not advocate anarchy, but it does advocate efforts to change unjust law. If the authorities will not permit change via legitimate processes, then you are under a moral duty to disobey.

So those who seek to pressure the Chinese government to change any law permitting such oppressive persecution are highly principled.

And in this contextof government being unwilling to change itthose who refuse to obey it are highly principled.

How can China honestly call itself The Peoples Republic if the people are being oppressed inhumanely?

All human beings have the right to their thoughts, their consciences, their beliefs; the right to be at liberty, to associate freely, to procreate, to own ones own private property, and so forth. Humans are physical, intellectual, yesand they are also spiritual beings.

It is the most natural thing in the world for a human to have a faith! The Falun Gong are not doing anything unnatural or wrong.

Every single human being has the right to be treated with dignity and to not be harmed nor killed.

Even if the CCP feels threatened by the growing numbers of adherents, or would prefer everyone was atheist, or that everyone simply believe in Communism, these insecurities and desires are not legitimate reasons to trample on the Falun Gong. That is a monumental failure of the role of government.

We recall today that 21 years ago, in mid-1999, the appalling 610 office was created. Its purpose is to oversee the coordination and implementation of official persecution of the Falun Gong.

Many good Chinese citizens have, since that year, been oppressively monitored, arrested, sentenced to re-education-through-labor camps, or prison.

Hundreds of thousands of people. Innocent people.

And the injustice and indignity did not end there. Oh no!

As the independent Tribunal in the UK found, presided over by Sir Geoffrey Nice QC in 2018, it is beyond all doubt that inhumane organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners is taking place.

The Australian Federal Senate has unanimously supported a motion, introduced by the late Senator John Madigan, to support The United Nations and Council of Europe initiatives to oppose this horrific practice of organ harvesting.

Ladies and gentlemen, all great endeavours began with:

A good cause, and Determined people, who never gave up.

Changes in history have been hard-won and were even about things people thought were inevitable and continuous, like war or slavery.

Wars used to be frequent and brutal. There were few rules and very little compassion. It took the non-stop efforts of one man, a Swiss businessmanJean Henri Dunantto bring about change.

Dunant is the reason we now have The Geneva Conventions.

Dunant is the reason we bring war criminals to justice. And now, in the International Criminal Court, why we can try perpetrators who commit crimes against humanity.

People once thought slavery was inevitable. That someone could own, control, and mistreat another person. Humankind now knows that slavery is morally wrong. It is unlawful across the globe. And yet it took the initiative and persistence of one galvanising persona British MP, William Wilberforce, to see it abolished.

Even ancient legal codes, such as Ur and Hammurabi, from thousands of years B.C., understood the innate worth of human life.

So do all the major religions of the world!

And so do modern legal systems.

In 1948, following the horrors of WWII, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted as a reminder!

There is no excuse nowadays for any breaches of human rights. Not by the CCPnot by anyone.

And not against any group! Not Falun Gong, not Uighurs, not Christians! Not Tibetans, not Hongkongers!

As William Wilberforce said: You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.

Some say: Dont interfere with Chinas internal affairs. On this logic, we could not have stopped Nazism. We could not have gone into Rwanda. We could not have stopped slavery.

All nations need to act ethically and encourage other nations to, also.

China is a country with an ancient, great civilisation.

It presently has a Communist political system of government. China clearly aspires to lead other nations: yet it is failing at the very first testwhether it can treat its own people with humanity.

China will never be a truly great nation unless it respects human beings!

The leadership of China will never command genuine respect internationally, nor domestically, whilst atrocities are permitted on its watch.

If this monstrous practice of organ-harvesting became more widely known, decent Australians would be horrified. Disgusted. They would no longer feel comfortable buying Made-In-China products.

We should not allow our great Western advancements to be used for evil.

So, there should be no Australian assistance in surgical training suspected for unlawful organ removal.

No training in surveillance technology which is then used in China to track and harass minority groups.

Our hospitals and universities must guard against all this.

Ladies and gentlemen, the great irony in the gathering here online, is that it is due to a pandemic, caused by the Chinese Communist Partys mismanagement of a novel coronavirus causing COVID-19; the health and safety of the entire world has been put at risk.

Millions have been sick. Hundreds of thousands have died. Many more will die. People have lost their livelihoods and their loved ones.

A Resolution on 18 May 2020, at the 73rd World Health Assembly, agreed by more than 140 nations of the world, called for an impartial, independent, and comprehensive evaluation of the WHO (World Health Organisation) and the critical timelines pertaining to the pandemic. If the hard, cold circumstances of this pandemic dont wake up the world to the hard-nosed, inhumanity of the Communist regime, WHAT WILL?

Ladies and gentlemen, whilst it is sad not to be able to mix in person at a physical rally, I salute the determination of Australia Falun Dafa Association, and all participating today, that people will not let a pandemic crush their determination to mark this anniversary of the persecution.

To all Chinese-Australiansand people in China able to watch this, somehowwho have relatives who have disappeared, or who have suffered in any way, my heart goes out to you. None of us will rest until there has been an END to this appalling practice: this persecution of Falun Gong.

One day it will be brought to an end, and it will be due to the relentless efforts of good people Who. Never. Gave. Up.

We will never give up!

Thank you.

Sophie York is a barrister, university law lecturer, speaker, author, and mother of four. Among other roles, York is a member of the Royal Australian Navy Legal Reserve Panel and is a Lecturer of Jurisprudence at The University of Sydney.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
What if the Palestinian Authority disbands? By Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser

Palestinian officials have recently threatened that if Israel applies sovereignty in parts of the West Bank territories of Judea and Samaria, they will stop the Palestinian Authority from operating or even cause the PA to fall apart and dissolve itself. This study examines the significance of these threats actualization, regardless of the likelihood of this scenario, which has so far been very low. This is because the very existence of the Palestinian Authority has been the most significant achievement of the Palestinian national movement, and the collapse of the PA could lead to a Hamas takeover of the Palestinian political system in all the territories. In addition, the PA has responsibility for the Palestinian population under its control, and the disintegration of the PA could harm its source of income for its many officials and leaders, who are the primary beneficiaries of the PAs revenue, The Israeli move to extend sovereignty has caused great frustration among Palestinian leadership and could lead the PA to take extreme steps. This study represents a contingency study of various Palestinian options. It should be emphasized that even if the Palestinian Authority should decide to take such measures, it is more likely that if it ceases to function, but it will not totally disintegrate. In doing so, the PA can also try to renounce all its civil obligations, compelling Israel to ostensibly bear the cost of its actions, while at the same time continue to act as the political representative for the Palestinians for legal, political, economic, religious, educational, or security matters. Following Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, and after the establishment of the Palestinian Unity Government, Israel faced a similar situation that had many common elements in todays situation. It resorted to managing its relations with the Palestinians through Palestinian mayors and provincial governors. In general, the critical scenario to consider is that Israel, as a controlling force in the Judea and Samaria region, will assume responsibility for the territories that are currently under PA control in Areas A and B. It is assumed that this will be a transitional stage until Israel finds a Palestinian entity to assume responsibility for the area and its residents, as Israel has no intention to rule the Palestinians. The main conclusion from the following analysis is that even if the preferred option for Israel is to continue to maintain a functioning Palestinian Authority, some of the alternatives, including one where Israel will retain its responsibility for the territory over time, are not much worse. First, the direct financial burden involved is relatively not very significant, and secondly, the Palestinian Authority will have difficulty continuing the struggle against Israel with the tools at its disposal, compared to those if the PA continued control of its territory. The Basic Premise of this Analysis Is: In the Palestinian system, there is a continuous tension between the commitment to the national struggle, which aims to liberate all of Palestine from Zionism (first by establishing a Palestinian state in the 1967 territories, which will serve as the basis for completing the conquest), and the desire to improve the quality of life of the Palestinians. The PLO and the PA, and of course the more radical organizations such as Hamas, give clear priority to the national struggle, while also providing necessary attention to the quality of life. Hence, their readiness to uphold the status quo, which is based in their view of a modus vivendi, whereby Israel is willing to accept Palestinian efforts to promote the national struggle, while still taking care of Palestinian quality of life, in order to mitigate Palestinian violence. The Palestinians have turned Israels addictive commitment to preserving this modus vivendi to leverage threats against Israel and extract economic benefits from it, which are used to advance the Palestinian fight against Zionism. The success of Palestinian threats is evident in Israels failure to implement its own laws to freeze funds used to pay terrorists salaries, its failure to take action against the PA for its appeal to the International Criminal Court or for its incitement and hate indoctrination, as well as allowing Qatari money to flow into Gaza. This Israeli weakness derived from the addiction to the existence of a functioning Palestinian Authority and PA security cooperation is the background to the Palestinian threats that the PA will cease to function or even exist. The PA figures that Israel will panic and reconsider its intention to apply sovereignty. It seems that some elements of Israels security establishment have been intensifying this feeling for Israeli decision-makers for years. Facing the Palestinians who prioritize the Palestinian struggle even if it means harming the quality of life (who, in this context, oppose normalization with Israel, refuse to accept tax money collected for them by Israel, and reject the quality of life offered by the American peace plan, all in order to send this message) there are quite a few Palestinians who believe that the chances of success of the national struggle are so low at this point that Palestinian priorities should be changed to improving quality of life. This does not mean that they are necessarily less committed to the long-term goals of the Palestinian people, as formulated by the PLO. The vast majority are committed to it. However, they believe the price the Palestinian people pay for prioritizing the national struggle is unjustified. On the opposite side, many Palestinians believe that failure of the national struggle stems from the PAs moderation and Abbas use of restrained methods, namely the popular resistance (which includes terror without the use of explosives and firearms) and political struggle. For them, the success of the struggle requires increased use of armed struggle/jihad. For those pushing for alternatives to the PA policies, the PAs dissolution or a freeze of its activities will prove the virtue of their cause and encourage them to continue in their path. For the pragmatists who favor prioritizing quality of life at this stage, the dismantling of the PA or the cessation of its activity will signal the loss of primacy of the Palestinian struggle and of the view that the commitment to Oslo as a framework (while continuously violating the agreements) is an effective way of promoting the national aspirations of the Palestinians. In this new reality, which also reflects a new paradigm in Israeli policy, Palestinians of this view, those who came to the economic conference in Manama and expressed a desire to promote economic cooperation with Israel, may present themselves as an alternative with the support of some pragmatic Arab states. They will not be able to do so immediately, but only after some time has passed. It is doubtful that there is any point in pushing them, but under a proper strategy, with attentiveness to their belief, they can achieve public legitimacy that may eventually make them a viable alternative to the civil administration and later, perhaps, also to assume domestic security responsibilities. In addition, because Palestinian national consciousness is based to a considerable extent on clan and regional consciousness, local power factors can be considered as a component of civilian control in the various spheres (in a refined format of Dr. Mordechai Kedars Emirates proposal1 ). Under these new circumstances, one might expect to see the way to fresh thinking about solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would be in line with Israels security needs and with justified Palestinian aspirations. Alternative A  Israel controls the entire territory over time. In this alternative, Israel takes over all the security and civilian powers of the PA. It will have to deal, at least in the first phase, with attacks and rioting that will require a significant concentration of forces, while at the same time, the IDF will have to activate a civil administration to carry out basic civil service tasks. Contrary to the frequently heard claims, Israels direct financial expenditures required for providing civil services for Palestinians are not that significant. According to the last annual budget released by the Palestinian Authority, the 2018 budget, out of the total expenditure of about 16.5 billion shekels, about 9.2 billion shekels were earmarked for expenditures that Israel will not need to pay (for instance, 1.3 billion as payments to terrorists and their families; 426 million shekels for the PLO budget; 256 million shekels for the budget of the president; 3.6 billion shekels for the Interior Ministry budget, which includes the security forces budget; 106 million shekels for the Ministry of Jerusalem; 312 million shekels for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its embassies; 305 million shekels in debt payments; and 1.6 billion shekels for pensions, etc.). The remaining budget, about 7.3 billion shekels, can be almost entirely covered by the taxes that Israel collects for the PA from the wages of Palestinians employed in Israel and on the goods imported to the PA through Israel. (Control of the education budget raises again the question of the curriculum, namely whether Israel will supplement the curriculum dictated by the PA, or will it act to change the curriculum.) Obviously, in addition to these direct expenditures, Israel will have significant expenditures, at least in the first few months, due to the need to deal with security risks. At this stage, it is difficult to estimate the extent of these expenditures by the IDF. The Chief Financial Officer will have to assess the extent of reinforcements required, the duration of the reinforcements, and the costs involved. This assessment should take into account the fact that in any case, the IDF is operating forces now in all areas of the Palestinian territories, and that applying sovereignty does not in itself require changes to the existing military order (beyond what is required due to concerns over increased protest and terrorism and the PAs failure to act). The total dismantling of the PA will require Israel to take care of internal security as well, which, to some extent, increases the burden on Israel. In any case, these sums are far less than the tens of billions of shekels, which opponents of applying sovereignty claim as the potential cost in an attempt to warn Israeli decision-makers, as Israel will not apply its sovereignty over the PAs territories and not even over the Area C lands designated for the Palestinians under the Trump plan. Israel will not have to pay national social insurance and pensions on an Israeli scale to two and a half-million residents of these areas. On the other hand, it is difficult to estimate the indirect economic cost of applying sovereignty to the Israeli economy, considering the probable intensification of violence and terrorism and the possible punitive measures that will be taken by some European countries and the increased activity of the boycott movement against Israel. It is also hard to estimate the additional cost of applying sovereignty due to the economic and health implications of Covid-19 both on Israel and on the Palestinians. Alternative B  The Palestinian Authority returns to function after a certain period. It is likely that after a short period of time during which the PA will not function, it will still continue to exist and even maintain its security mechanisms to prevent Hamas taking control of the territory. Pressure will be exerted on the PA both domestically and from abroad, from Europe and from some U.S. Democrats, and from the pragmatic Arab states, to resume its activities. Whatever the outcome of the U.S. elections, the Palestinian Authority is likely to return to its full functions. Be it because it has to reconcile the harsh reality of another four years with a Trump government trying to advance a peace plan disapproved by the Palestinians, or alternatively, out of willingness to cooperate with the Biden administration that promises Palestinians a return to their old tactics of granting them the veto power over any change in the legal status in the territories. This means that in any case, even if the PA stops its own operations but is not completely disbanded, its suspension of operations would only last for a short term. Alternative C  Gradual transfer of control over the territory to local Palestinian leadership. If the PA disintegrates, the resulting vacuum of power may, over time, be filled by alternative leadership, which prioritizes quality of life as a more important goal for the time-being than the national struggle against Zionism, while not completely giving up on this goal. Initially, this logic may enable collaboration with the mayors who are committed to the quality of life of the population they are entrusted with, and later this cooperation may expand and take place with clan leaders, merchants, businessmen, and labor leaders, many of whom are in favor of this concept. Cooperation with mayors can begin immediately, while the development of alternative leadership may occur only after a time, in order to gain public confidence. The Palestinian public has been exposed for years and will continue to be exposed to continuous brainwashing, which places the national struggle as a priority. Thus, there will be a need for the continuous promotion of these alternative governing options and it is reasonable to expect harsh opposition to it. Alternative D  Different PA actors will assume powers in the succession struggle following Abbas. The bankruptcy of Mahmoud Abbas, which will probably result in the dismantling of the PA (and perhaps even with its more limited cessation of operations, though much less likely), may accelerate the struggle for power among those who claim PA leadership when its aging leader steps down. Another possibility, especially if President Trump wins the U.S. election, should not be overlooked, whereby Abbas announces his retirement and admits his failure to advance Palestinian national goals. Either way, the War of Succession may bring some contenders (e.g., Maj. Gen. Majed Faraj, head of the Palestinian Preventive Security, or Jibril Rajoub), to try to seize power, possibly with Abbas cooperation. In this context, these contenders may try to restart the PA and be prepared to secretly coordinate their activities with Israel to improve their standing in the succession struggle. Alternative E  Hamas will try to take over the area and fill the void. This is, of course, a problematic alternative in many ways (such as increasing terrorist attacks and unifying Gaza with Judea and Samaria under extremist leadership). Yet, this scenario should not be ignored. Despite the joint efforts of the PA and Israel to restrict its activities, Hamas still has the political and operational infrastructure and broad public support within the territories, and in the event of the disintegration of the PA, it can certainly try to seize power, presenting the view of its armed struggle against Israel as a preferable alternative to the ex-authoritys approach. The advantage of such a move is that, following this, the Palestinian Authority may reverse its decision to disband and seek assistance from Israel in restoring the status quo. Conclusion: Alternatives to the PA as It Is Today Do Exist In conclusion, while continuing the prevailing situation is the preferred alternative, Israel can deal with the other alternatives. Some options present the possibility of alternative leadership that may emerge, inside or outside the PA, which may lead to a different view of Israeli-Palestinian relations and raise new opportunities. If the PA responds to Israels extension of sovereignty with an interruption of its operations, rather than a complete dissolution, then it seems that after a few months, the PA could return to its activities, including a renewal of the security cooperation, which serves the PA no less than it serves Israel. In any case, Israel does not have to be hostage to the PA and make the PAs existence and its functioning central elements of Israeli security, especially as long as the PA adheres to the Palestinian narrative that ultimately calls for the destruction of Zionism and negates any arrangement recognizing Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. At the same time, the Authority encourages terrorism by paying salaries to terrorists and their families and incites hatred against Israel both domestically and on the Arab and international stages. It should be clear that no Palestinian is going to accept any unilateral Israeli move regarding the legal status of any territory, even if some may be willing to assume responsibility for the daily needs of the Palestinian population and to lead the Palestinians in their attempt to promote their national interests. Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser is Director of the Project on Regional Middle East Developments at the Jerusalem Center. He was formerly Director General of the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs and head of the Research Division of IDF Military Intelligence. Home
Michigan saw 488 new cases of coronavirus confirmed on Monday, as the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 approaching 80,000.

The state also reported that five more people have died of the disease, pushing the number of confirmed deaths to 6,164.

Overall, Michigan has 78,507 confirmed cases, but with the nearly 9,000 probable cases of coronavirus, the total is 87,173.

The number of new cases on Monday nearly matched the report from the week before, as Michigan added 489 cases on Monday, July 20, so the 7-day average is identical to the prior day, standing at 622 on Monday, July 27.

Over the weekend, Michigan added nearly 1,500 cases over two days, the bulk reported on Sunday after a delay in some reporting from Saturday.

Worldwide, the number of cases topped 16.33 million on Monday afternoon with deaths just over 650,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. In the U.S., the number of cases was approaching 4.3 million on Monday with deaths at more than 147,000. Michigan ranked 14th in the nation on Monday, with Virginia and Ohio following close behind in the number of total cases, according to Johns Hopkins.

Early in the pandemic, during the spring, Michigan ranked as high as fourth in the nation in the number of cases.

Michigan continues to not see the level of outbreak seen in Florida, California, and Texas, where thousands of new cases are reported each day.

July: More cases, less deadly

As July wraps up, the state has seen 14,637 confirmed cases in the month, a major difference from June, when the entire month saw 6,473 cases. The highest one-day total in June was 389 reported on June 26. Only four days in July have been less than that number, the last time on Monday, July 13 when 384 cases were confirmed.

Deaths, however, vary month-over-month.

All of June saw 446 reported deaths from COVID-19, while July has shown only 217 deaths. Michigan topped that in the first ten days of June.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will provide an update to the states response to COVID-19 on Tuesday afternoon, joined by Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Local results

Throughout the state, the most new cases reported came in Macomb County, where the 92 confirmed cases pushed the countys total to 8,655. And with one more death, Macomb County reach 900 deaths on Monday.

Oakland County followed with 71 new confirmed cases to reach 10,862 confirmed cases.

To the south, Wayne County  excluding Detroit  added 53 cases to reach 12,267, and Detroit added 24 cases to move up to 12,449.

Outside of the immediate Metro Detroit area, Genesee County added 16 cases, Washtenaw added 10, and St. Clair County added eight.

In west Michigan, Kent County added 42 cases to reach 6,226.

In mid-Michigan, Ingham County added 11 cases. To the north, Isabella County moved up to 170 cases with one new one, while Gratiot County added three to reach 119 and Clare County added two to reach 49.
LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- California Credit Union, in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), recently honored 17 first-year District teachers through its annual Rookie of the Year program. California Credit Union, which has served the education community with premier financial services for more than 80 years, created the Rookie of the Year program in 2015 to recognize exceptional new LAUSD teachers within the greater Los Angeles community.

The Rookie of the Year winners were recognized during a virtual ceremony on July 23rd, which included the teachers and their guests, as well as California Credit Union and Los Angeles Unified School District officials.

California Credit Union CEO Steve O'Connell said, "We are proud to honor each of the 2020 LAUSD Rookies of the Year for their outstanding commitment to bringing learning to life for their students, particularly during this very challenging year. All of us have experienced the life-changing influence of teachers in our early years, and we have the greatest respect for the creativity and dedication of these educators. We want to celebrate each of these teachers, and congratulate them for a wonderful start to their LAUSD career."

"Congratulations to our Rookies of the Year," Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner said. "I look forward to working together as we start a new school year and to seeing the many contributions they will make to our students, schools and the communities they serve."

Representing elementary, middle and high schools throughout the greater Los Angeles area, the 2020 Rookies of the Year are:

Winner School Edwin Arbaiza Clinton Middle School Sarah Baker Calabash Charter Academy Mary Jane Barajas Dr. Maya Angelou Community High School Mallory Brighton Sherman Oaks Elementary Charter Jocelyn "Danielle" Bulante Roosevelt High School Terrill Clark Bushnell Way Elementary Kathleen Clark Girls Academy Leadership Academy Robert Docter Van Nuys High School Olga Dubenchuk Arts Academy of Los Angeles Sarah Langley Andasol Manuel Martinez Pereira John R. Wooden High School Jessica Miller Flournoy Elementary and STEAM Magnet Jay Park Social Justice Humanitas Academy Elizabeth Rodriguez Budlong Avenue Elementary Abigail Romero 153rd Street Elementary Melissa Smith Brockton Avenue Elementary Sara Valdez South East High School

The winning teachers were selected based on a number of factors, including effectiveness in preparing and delivering instruction, providing a positive classroom climate with strong routines and procedures, adopting a dynamic and engaging teaching style, and showing high levels of professionalism.

California Credit Union created the Rookie of the Year program in partnership with LAUSD to acknowledge first-year District teachers who have shown exemplary commitment to education. Teachers are nominated by school administrators, and winners are selected by a LAUSD committee. Since the program began in 2015, California Credit Union has recognized 112 LAUSD teachers as a Rookie of the Year.

About California Credit Union

California Credit Union is a federally insured, state chartered credit union founded in 1933 that serves public or private school employees, community members and businesses across California. With more than 165,000 members and assets of $3 billion, California Credit Union has 25 branches throughout Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The credit union operates in San Diego County as North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union. California Credit Union offers a full suite of consumer, business and investment products and services, including comprehensive consumer checking and loan options, personalized financial planning, business banking, and leading-edge online and mobile banking. Visit ccu.com for more information, or follow the credit union on Instagram or Facebook @CaliforniaCreditUnion.

SOURCE California Credit Union

Related Links

http://www.ccu.com


Muzaffarnagar:

In the wake of the Centre's demonetisation move, hundreds of cash-strapped farmers led by Bharatiya Kisan Union protested outside a bank and gheraoed the officials at Khudda village in Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Tuesday.

The farmers staged a dharna outside the Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in the village yesterday after they were unable to get cash from the bank.

In Biralsi village, people facing shortage of cash protested outside a PNB branch after they were unbale to withdraw money from their accounts.

Similarly in Miranpur town, villagers angered over not getting money held protested on Monday. Meanwhile, Congress activists also held a protest in the district against the Union government's decision due to which Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes stood defunct.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The Kyle and Jackie O Show was pulled from the airwaves on Monday morning  as a result of a technical error - after host Kyle Sandilands got into a heated debate about the renaming of Coon cheese.

The broadcast was halted at 10:10am when a furious Aboriginal listener called in to berate Kyle, who had said earlier in the program that he opposed the decision by Canadian dairy company Saputo Inc. to rename the iconic Australian brand.

The caller, who identified herself as a First Nations woman from the inner Sydney suburb of Redfern, was angry with Kyle and scolded him for his 'white privilege'.

Controversy: The Kyle and Jackie O Show was pulled from the airwaves yet again on Monday due to a technical error, after host Kyle Sandilands got into a heated debate about the renaming of Coon cheese

Responding to Kyle's claim that most Australians associate the word 'coon' with cheese and not with the racial slur, the woman said that she had been called a coon in the past and hated seeing the slur on supermarket shelves.

Kyle, 49, snapped back and said that he was entitled to his opinion. He also pointed out that he has half-siblings who are Indigenous.

The program abruptly ended due to technical problems and a booming voiceover said: 'This station you've been listening to has been dumped.

'This means someone has said something inappropriate and is getting in trouble. The broadcast will return in seconds.'

Tense: The broadcast was abruptly halted at 10:10am when an Aboriginal listener called in to berate Kyle (pictured with co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson), after he'd said earlier in the program that he opposed the decision by Canadian dairy company Saputo Inc. to rename Coon cheese

'Dumping' is radio terminology for when a live show is cut off because the broadcast delay (usually around 45 seconds) is insufficient to censor inappropriate content.

The Kyle and Jackie O Show did not resume once the message was over.

Instead, KIIS 106.5 went straight to a commercial break, before Gordie Waters' daytime music show began at about 10:15am.

An ARN spokesperson confirmed the dumping was due to a 'technical error'.

'The dump was the result of a technical error and not because of anything that was said on air. The technical error was also why The Kyle & Jackie O Show did not resume broadcast today,' the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

Criticism: The caller, who identified herself as a First Nations woman from the inner Sydney suburb of Redfern, was angry with Kyle and scolded him for his 'white privilege'

Coon cheese is named after American inventor Edward William Coon (18711934) who patented the Cooning method of maturing cheese.

However, these days the word is more commonly recognised as a racial slur for black people with links to American slavery.

In response to the Black Lives Matter movement, Saputo Inc. announced last week that Coon cheese would be changing its name to help 'eliminate racism'.

The new name, which hasn't been decided, will better align with 'current attitudes and perspectives', the Montreal-based company said.

The news has been welcomed by some Australians, but has been opposed by others, who argue that 'coon' is of American origin and wasn't historically used as a slur in Australia. (Aboriginal activists dispute this from personal experience, however.)

Debate: Responding to Kyle's claim that most Australians associate the word 'coon' with cheese and not with the racial slur, the woman said that she had been called a coon in the past and hated seeing the slur on supermarket shelves. Pictured: a packet of Coon cheese

It comes after Kyle and his co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson were pulled from the airwaves last week when they attempted to bypass the censor with a sneaky trick.

Because they are banned from saying 'c**t' on air, the duo tried to get around the rule on Friday by using a different language.

A Spanish-speaking guest was teaching Kyle and Jackie the word 'cantando', which means 'singing'.

Kyle asked the guest to repeat the word several times, then requested that he say it slowly to emphasise each syllable.

Radio silence: As the conversation became increasingly heated, the KIIS FM censor had to silence the program completely - an industry practice known as 'dumping'. Pictured: Jackie O

Jackie soon realised what Kyle was trying to do, as the first syllable of 'cantando' sounds like 'c**t'.

The censor also noticed but was unable to bleep the swear word in time, so instead had to stop the broadcast completely.

When they returned to the air, Kyle excitedly asked whether they had been able to say the word 'c**t' uncensored.

'I'm pretty sure we got the Spanish word out. I'm just wondering if it got out,' he said.

However, a producer confirmed the censor had managed to hit the dump button just in time, saying: 'You did not beat the system!'
BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Monday see final May results for its leading and coincident indexes, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The leading index is expected to see a score of 79.3, up from 77.7 previously- while the coincident is tipped to sink to 74.6 from 80.1. Japan will also provide May figures for its all industry activity index; in April, the index sank 6.4 percent on month. China will release June figures for industrial profits; in May, profits plummeted 19.3 percent on year. Hong Kong will see June numbers for imports, exports and trade balance. In May, imports were down 12.3 percent on year, while exports sank 7.4 percent and the trade deficit was HKD13.7 billion. 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.
Stakeholders at a Media Training for Journalists in Keffi, Nasarawa State, on Sunday called for collective efforts in promoting women's sexual and reproductive health due to rising sexual violence in the country.

The ongoing three-day workshop on women's sexual and reproductive health, organised by IPAS, an international NGO, is also aimed at studying the Global Gag Rule (GGR), and its implications and consequences on the health of the Nigerian woman.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the GGR is a U.S. policy that prevents NGOs that receive American global health funds from using such monies to provide abortion services and counselling or referrals regarding abortion.

The policy also prohibits such organisations from advocating for abortion law reforms in their country or conduct public campaigns on abortion access, but does not however, prohibit counselling or referrals in the cases of rape, incest or life endangerment; and does not apply to humanitarian funding.

The stakeholders expressed worry that the lives of millions of Nigerian women, who would want to avoid pregnancy, but lacked access to modern contraception, were at risk.

Delivering a paper on GGR and its impact on women's sexual health, Dr Abiola Afolabi, of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), said it was limiting women from legally accessing abortion, further taking away their right to make informed choices about their future.

Afolabi said it was time to apply creativity in dealing with the issue of sexual violence.

She called for concerted efforts in addressing the issue by opposing the GGR, holding government accountable to increase the country's health budget, and making available information on the implication of failure to address the issue, as well as support decriminalisation of abortion.

In a paper entitled Burden of Maternal Deaths from Unsafe Abortion in Nigeria'', the Country Director of Ipas (Nigeria), Mr Lucky Palmer, said every eight minutes, a woman in a developing country was dying of complications from unsafe abortion.

Palmer said these figures were only from those who sought medical help from hospitals, adding that an estimated 212,000 women were treated in health facilities for complications from induced abortion.

In addition, an estimated 285,000 women had complications from unsafe abortion serious enough to require treatment in health facilities, but did not obtain the care they needed,'' the Ipas representative in Nigeria said.

According to him, these figures suggest that unsafe abortion has become a major contributor to the country's high levels of maternal death, ill health and disability.

He therefore, said all hands must be on deck to ensure that every woman was given an opportunity to live by making exceptions to the GGR and the provision of safe maternal healthcare.(NAN)
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Head of the ruling My Step faction of the Armenian Parliament Lilit Makunts thinks that Turkey will not join Azerbaijan in unleashing a large-scale aggression against Armenia.

By clearly assessing the incapability of their armed forces, the Azerbaijani authorities do the utmost for Turkey to be engaged in this conflict. I think Turkey will not do that and will not act as a side in any way. When the talk is about Azerbaijans aggression on Armenia, Turkeys becoming a side will be viewed by the world in the context of the Genocide. In case when many countries of the world have recognized the Armenian Genocide, and Turkey is engaged in different conflicts in various regions, its actions will not be perceived by many states, Makunts said.

During the recent July military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan on the border with Armenia, Turkeys foreign ministry issued a statement expressing its support to Azerbaijan.

Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Alief resident Susan Barrientos became a Muslim 20 years ago. But this years celebration of Eid al-Adha, one of the holiest days of the year in Islam, will look totally different for Barrientos and her family.

Normally, we put lights up and decorate, Barrientos said. The day of Eid, we get everybody ready. We have breakfast; we pray. Its toys for the kids and tons of visits.

For a time, she held onto hope that this year would be the same as the past.

We thought things would be OK by Eid, Barrientos said. We told our kids it would be normal.

But as coronavirus cases continue to surge in Houston, Eid al-Adha will look completely different this July, much like Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr did earlier this year.

For Barrientos, this years holiday will be even more poignant. She overcame COVID-19 herself in June.

Thankfully, I didnt have to be hospitalized, she said. But it was definitely very scary because there are so many unknowns.

Barrientos suffered from shortness of breath, chest pains and body aches. Sometimes, it was such an intense pain that I couldnt walk up the stairs, she said.

She now tests negative for the coronavirus but remains especially cautious. Her six children and husband wear masks whenever they leave the house.

Barrientos explained that her family has dealt with so much, including facing the virus in their own home. The children had to completely change their school routines. Her high school senior missed prom and barely had a graduation ceremony.

Everything has been on a lower scale, Barrientos said. With this upcoming Eid, we want to make the most of it. And were healthy now.

Ketam Hamdan, a psychologist who lives in the Galleria area, also recovered from COVID-19 in June.

Her husband is an ER doctor, and her family, including three young children, quarantined until everyone felt better. Hamdan suffered body aches but felt better after a couple of weeks. Her husband was worse, struggling with upper respiratory problems.

Usually, Hamdan visits family on the East Coast for Eid al-Adha. This will be the first time in the seven years she has lived in Houston that they will not be traveling anywhere.

For Eid, she plans to decorate her home and wrap presents for the children, to spend time remembering their pilgrimage as a family to Mecca before the world shut down.

We wanted to reinforce that this is Eid, even though nothing in the world reflects it, Hamdan said. Its forcing creativity.

Sacrifice and faith

Barrientos does know that the story of Eid  a tale of sacrifice and absolute faith  is speaking to her now more than ever.

Eid al-Adha pays homage to Abraham or Ibrahim, a religious leader central to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths. Muslims believe he and his son built the Kaaba, a square shrine in Mecca. All Muslims, if they are able, visit the Kaaba on their pilgrimage or hajj to the holy city.

Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates the end of the month when the hajj takes place.

Since Islam follows a lunar calendar, the dates change each year. This year, the celebration begins Thursday evening, July 30.

The hajj was canceled this year because of the pandemic. The annual pilgrimage has been canceled before, for plague and cholera.

Still, all Muslims celebrate the spirit of going on the hajj during Eid al-Adha. They also focus on the story of Ibrahim, who was asked to sacrifice his son at Gods direction.

Muslims believe Ishmael was the son involved in the ritual; its Isaac in the Judeo-Christian tradition. When Ibrahim carries out Gods commandment, he finds Ishmael replaced with a ram instead.

Part of Ibrahims story focuses on his wife Hajar or Hagar, who was left alone with her newborn in a barren valley, searching for water for her son. Like Ibrahim, she trusted God to help her find her way.

Youre at the mercy of God, Barrientos said. That definitely rings true for me  feeling this helplessness with the virus, where even the doctors did not have answers, and feeling this fear for my kids.

In addition to putting trust in God, Barrientos explained that Islam teaches followers to tie your own camel.

Being responsible and having faith go hand in hand, she said. Thats something that has to be in the minds of Muslims.

Creativity and Eid

Erum Chishty, who lives in The Woodlands, usually enjoys services hosted by mosques on the north side that come together to celebrate Eid at the nearby Waterway Marriott Hotel.

The rest of the day is usually spent house-hopping, visiting friends and family. We meet with friends; we go to our in-laws in Sugar Land, Chishty said. We spend the day eating and exchanging gifts. Its just a big holiday. We decorate, put up lights. Its exciting.

This year will be different, but Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr have prepared her family to look for new ways to celebrate. For example, during Ramadan, they created a designated space in their home to pray. Sometimes, they left meals at the door for a friend  and other times, they were surprised with gifts of food themselves.

We were being more creative  and more conscientious, Chishty said.

Online resources for spirituality and the use of technology to connect with family have been game-changers during social distancing.

Chishty is even finding ways to continue to practice charity, a key aspect of Eid al-Adha.

The 10 days leading up to Eid, or Dhu al-Hijjah, are meant to be dedicated to good deeds and prayer. Chishty is asking her four children to find ways to keep giving during lockdown.

You can give just $10 for 10 days, she said. Or give $3. Its never too little to give. It adds up.

Chishty also works with the nonprofit Olive Branch Muslim Family Services, which provides for those in need during COVID-19.

Generally, as part of Eid al-Adha, Muslim families will sacrifice a goat or sheep in observance of the holiday. One part is meant for the family, another part for a neighbor and the other for those in need.

Now, Chishty said, many families, including hers, are donating all of the meat to those in need.

And though praying in isolation may feel new, it isnt really.

They preferred to worship in isolation  the monks, Moses on the mountaintop, and our prophet even went to a cave to meditate, she said. Individuals can really gain strength in this moment of self-reflection and prayer.

IslamInSpanish produced online programs specifically for the holiday. The nonprofit has used media production as an educational tool since it began in 2001.

During the pandemic, the organizations founder, Imam Mujahid Fletcher, said more people are turning to the online platforms that he and other members of the nonprofits staff have created.

For instance, during Ramadan, IslamInSpanish served millions of people around the world by offering 17 online programs. There were even iftars, or evening meals to break the fast, on Zoom.

For the 10 days leading up to Eid al-Adha, IslamInSpanish created short videos on various topics. They will cover honoring parents, increasing charity and practicing acts of kindness. The videos are in English and Spanish. All of the services the organization offers are at no cost.

Eid is the culmination of these 10 days, IslamInSpanish operation director Alex Gutierrez said. Obviously, were not getting together physically, but were still connecting online.

There will also be a virtual iftar. Well all gather on Zoom, break bread virtually and still have that community vibe, Fletcher added.

Since the pandemic started, IslamInSpanish has hosted weekly live question and answer sessions. People come from all over the world to ask questions, Fletcher said.

An expression of love

Imam Abdullah Rasheed, with southeast Houstons Masjid Warithuddeen Mohammed, said that Eid al-Adha is an expression of love, a willingness to always sacrifice for the sake of God.

This is definitely an unprecedented time, he said.

At the mosque, Rasheed is planning a virtual lecture and prayer, as well as a possible drive-thru event for Eid.

At home, we will still say a prayer and dress up, he said. We will keep up the festivities for the children. Weve been restricted, but weve become creative.

Rasheed fields calls from the congregation asking how to honor Eid during COVID-19. He sees members posting photos on social media as they decorate their homes and hang lights to get in the spirit.

Hamdan said a number of her clients are facing increased anxiety and depression. As a therapist, she sees value in finding wisdom during a trying time.

For instance, the pandemic has caused families to spend more time together. Individuals are scaling back on material consumption and focusing on what matters.

This is a form of trauma, she said. If you find wisdom in whats happened, youll come out a better person.

Theres a term for this  post-traumatic growth, a transformation that can follow adversity, Hamdan added.

Rasheed said there are several ways to learn and grow during this time.

He points to what the Quran says about the sacrifice: Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you.

We usually take meat to those in need, Rasheed said. But thats just a symbol, a symbol of service to God.

At this time, he asks members to focus on those who have lost their jobs or who may be isolated without family. Reach out to these people, he said. Sacrifice some of your time. Sacrifice some of your finances.

Spend more time in devotion, prayer and learning the Quran, Rasheed added. Its an opportunity for self-reflection and introspection.

Eid is all about community  joining together in the spirit of faith.

During this time, faith is needed more than ever because theres so much uncertainty, Rasheed said. We have to depend on faith right now and rely on God to get us through this time.

Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based freelance writer.
The RDS Group of road construction companies will repair a section of M-14 road in Kherson region, which will be the ninth region of Ukraine in which the company carries out works, the co-founder of RDS, Yevhen Konovalov, told Interfax-Ukraine.

"Our production will be based in Nova Kakhovka. The south, Kherson region are strategically important for the development of both passenger flow and trade infrastructure of our country," he said.

According to Konovalov, the group plans to join projects in other regions of the country within the president's Big Construction program by the end of this year.

According to the ProZorro system, Rostdorstroy LLC, which is a part of the RDS Group, won two lots in the tender for medium repairs of M-14 Odesa-Melitopol-Novoazovsk road in Kherson region worth UAH 22.998 million and UAH 46.98 million (PJSC Khmelnytsky Road Construction Department No. 56 won two other lots).

In addition, Rostdorstroy has passed prequalification along with Khmelnytsky Road Construction Department No. 56 and Avtomagistral-Pivden LLC in several more tenders for medium repairs of this road in Kherson region.

In 2020, the State Agency of Automobile Roads of Ukraine (Ukravtodor) plans to repair 177.5 kilometers of national roads in Kherson region for UAH 2.1 billion, including 36.1 kilometers of M-14 Odesa-Melitopol-Novoazovsk road.

RDS Group is included in the top three road construction companies of Ukraine. It includes Kyivshliakhbud and Rostdorstroy. The core business is construction, reconstruction and maintenance of roads and bridges, construction of airfield complexes.

The ultimate beneficial owners of RDS Group are Ukrainian citizens Yuriy Shumakher and Yevhen Konovalov.
Air Marshal (Retd) Raghunath Nambiar on Monday lauded the Rafale fighter jets calling it the best aircraft in the sky at this time. He added that to compare it with what Pakistan has, like F-16 and JF-17, wouldn't be anything serious. Nambiar further added, "If you had to compare Rafale against Chengdu J-20, I think Rafale stands head and shoulders above them."

Hinting at India's present scenario with China, he said, "You must view this also under the backdrop of the present scenario where we have major threat from our northern neighbours. Rafale coming at this juncture is very important not only to the IAF but to India itself."

Calling it an important day for the IAF, he said it has been 18 years since India procured a new fighter aircraft, adding that after nearly two decades India is acquiring a modern and highly capable fighter.

"It's a very important day for IAF. It has been 18 yrs since we last procured new fighter aircraft. Last fighter aircraft was Su-30MKI which was delivered in 2002. Today, 18 years later we're getting a modern, highly capable fighter," said Air Marshal (Retd) Nambiar.

He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking a bold and correct step in acquiring the Rafale fighter jets. Speaking to news agency ANI, Nambiar said, "The PM, to put it in simple words, cut the clutter. We were engrossed in the procurement of these 126 aircraft and we were going nowhere. There was no way forward other than for Government to step in and take a very bold and correct step."

He added, "We must consider it very fortunate that this step was taken by the Prime Minister, otherwise, today we wouldn't have had the Rafale."

In a massive boost for Indian Air Force (IAF), the first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft took off from France's Istres airbase on July 27 and will arrive in India on July 29. These jets will land at the Ambala Air Force Station after covering a distance of almost 7,364 kilometres.

"India took a significant step in strengthening air power and defence preparedness with the first five Rafale fighter aircraft, built by Dassault, flying out from Merignac airbase in Bordeaux, France to India today. This also marks a new milestone in the strong and growing India-France defence cooperation," said the Indian Embassy in France in a press release.



The embassy also tweeted a short video showcasing Rafale fighter aircraft taking off from France to India with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop en route in UAE.

"The first Rafale fighter was handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in October 2019 in a ceremony attended by the French Minister for Armed Forces Madame Florence Party and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Delivery of ten aircraft has been completed on schedule. Five will stay back in France for a training mission. The delivery of all thirty-six aircraft will be completed on schedule by the end of 2021," added the Embassy statement.

India's Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf was present at the Merignac airbase in Bordeaux to see off the Rafale aircraft. Ashraf said that the long-awaited and much needed two squadrons of Rafale would add great strength to IAF and India's defence capabilities. He met the IAF pilots and wished them a safe flight to India. Ashraf also congratulated the IAF pilots on becoming the first Indian pilots to fly one of the world's most advanced and potent fighter aircraft.

"He also thanked French Air force for support and Dassault for delivering the aircraft on schedule despite the ongoing pandemic crisis. Mr Eric Trappier, Chairman Dassault Aviation and Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather, the Air Attache to France were also present on the occasion apart from other officials," said the embassy.

Rafale aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and SCALP air-to-ground cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

The trainer Rafale aircraft will have the tail numbers of the RB series in honour of the IAF Chief RKS Bhadauria who played a significant role in finalising Rafale deal. India had inked a Rs 60,000 crore deal with France in September 2016 for 36 Rafales to bolster the capabilities of IAF.

Out of the 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets.
A Co Antrim couple due to fly out to Spain yesterday had to cancel their holiday at the 11th hour after the country was removed from the quarantine exemption list at short notice.

Cathy Brown and her husband Craig had arranged a two-week break at a relative's villa after an earlier holiday to Greece in June was cancelled due to the global pandemic.

However, they were forced to cancel their replacement holiday after finding out yesterday morning that their travel insurance was void in light of the new guidance.

Cathy, from Lisburn, said: "We were supposed to be staying at a villa quite a bit outside Marbella. We thought it would be safe because it was so far away from everything. We were supposed to be going with our two foster children and we only told them on Wednesday night because we didn't want them to be disappointed. They were counting down the sleeps, so I'm devastated for them.

"We were thinking of going anyway because the flights are going ahead, but then we found out our insurance is no longer valid, so that was the decision made for us."

Davy McNeice is due to fly from Dublin Airport to Murcia International with his family for a 10-day holiday on August 13. The Banbridge family own a villa in the south eastern Spanish region and have already cancelled two other trips due to Covid-19.

He said: "Most insurance companies won't cover you if you go out and if something happens to you, and I'm not even talking about Covid-19-related. If you fell and broke your leg, apparently the insurance won't cover you because the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have said you shouldn't be going to Spain unless it's essential travel. Going on holiday isn't essential travel. It's up in the air.

"That's one thing that could stop us going.

"You don't go out thinking something is going to happen to you but that could be the one time something does."

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Meanwhile, Jacky Adair from Cultra was planning on flying from Belfast to Palma de Mallorca Airport on Friday.

"I am a property owner there and obviously I haven't been able to get out and check on my house to make sure everything is still okay," she explained.

"I regard that as essential travel but I know the Northern Ireland Assembly might not regard it as essential travel, so I'm in a bit of a quandary. I don't know whether to cancel my trip or what to do.

"It seems to me that Northern Ireland has just heard that Spain is in quarantine so let's just quarantine everything without perhaps thinking or investigating should the islands be exempt."

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Brian Wilson from Moira is currently in the Spanish town of Fuengirola with his family and friends and when he first heard the news of the quarantine rules, he thought it was a joke.

He expected to be given at least 24 hours' notice to travel home.

"I'm here with my wife, our 15-year-old daughter, my mate, his wife and their wee girl," he said.

"We've been here for 10 days. I have an apartment out here and we haven't been out from February so we had to come out to check it and make sure everything was all right.

"I normally go out and visit customers in Northern Ireland and the UK so I'll not be able to go to any of them.

"It's not the end of the world and I can work from home, but there's only so much you can do remotely."

Ingrid Lopez is originally from Barcelona and has lived in North Belfast for the last 10 years. She travelled to see her family in Barcelona for the first time since Christmas and has been there for a week.

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She said: "It's quite frustrating to find out that when I go back I have to quarantine. I obviously understand the Government's perspective and this is an extreme and difficult situation, but at the same time there's been no notice."
DORCHESTER  Although this years Dochester Homecoming has been canceled because of the pandemic, the Dorchester Volunteer Fire Department will have its annual fish fry on Saturday, Aug. 1. This year, the fish will be served drive thru style.

Serving starts at 11 am. Both buffalo and catfish fritters will be fried. The fish will be served with bread and a slice of onion. Order a sandwich or a dinner that includes potato salad and coleslaw, or order the food stand barbeque sandwich as a dinner that includes the same two sides. No beverages available.
Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Senetas Corporation Limited (ASX:SEN) by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Senetas

Crunching the numbers

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Seeing as no analyst estimates of free cash flow are available to us, we have extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the company's last 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, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) AU$3.88m AU$4.08m AU$4.25m AU$4.40m AU$4.55m AU$4.68m AU$4.81m AU$4.93m AU$5.06m AU$5.18m Growth Rate Estimate Source Est @ 6.3% Est @ 5.09% Est @ 4.24% Est @ 3.64% Est @ 3.23% Est @ 2.94% Est @ 2.73% Est @ 2.59% Est @ 2.49% Est @ 2.42% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 7.9% AU$3.6 AU$3.5 AU$3.4 AU$3.2 AU$3.1 AU$3.0 AU$2.8 AU$2.7 AU$2.5 AU$2.4

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$30m

Story continues

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.3%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 7.9%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030  (1 + g)  (r  g) = AU$5.2m (1 + 2.3%)  (7.9% 2.3%) = AU$94m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$94m ( 1 + 7.9%)10= AU$44m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is AU$74m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of AU$0.06, the company appears about fair value at a 15% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

dcf

The assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Senetas 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 7.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.940. 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.

Next Steps:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching 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. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For Senetas, we've put together three fundamental aspects you should explore:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Senetas (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! Other Environmentally-Friendly Companies: Concerned about the environment and think consumers will buy eco-friendly products more and more? Browse through our interactive list of companies that are thinking about a greener future to discover some stocks you may not have thought of!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Australian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock 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.
New Braunfels My goal is to provide patients with the opportunity to obtain and maintain good oral health so they can smile confidently.

Smile Brands Inc., one of the nations leading providers of business support services to dental groups in the United States, today announced the grand opening of another affiliated Monarch Dental office. The new office is the second for the community of New Braunfels.

Patients will enjoy convenient hours, a comfortable office, and full-service care at this new location. The newest Monarch Dental practice provides general preventative and restorative care, plus specialty care services, such as orthodontics (braces), Invisalign, oral surgery, periodontics, endodontics, and implants. Located at 1928 State Highway 46 W, Suite 101, in New Braunfels, the office will be open five days a week, including evenings. Monarch Dental accepts most major insurance plans and offers flexible financing options so patients can afford the care they need.

To celebrate the grand opening, the New Braunfels dental office will offer a special $39 new patient check-up package, including an exam and digital x-rays, and $100 off dental services over $300. Opening this new location helps Smile Brands and its affiliated dental groups achieve their mission to provide Smiles for Everyone by bringing affordable dental care to local neighborhoods.

Leading the clinical team in the new Monarch Dental office is Dr. Phillip A. Glidden. Dr. Glidden has been in the dental field for over 30 years and takes pride in his ability to put patients at ease in the dental chair.

My goal is to provide patients with the opportunity to obtain and maintain good oral health so they can smile confidently, says Dr. Glidden. Im excited to be partnering with Smile Brands to open this state-of-the-art facility and serve the community of New Braunfels.

This new office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm. Prospective patients can call the New Braunfels Monarch Dental office at 830-310-3333 or toll-free at 1-800-MONARCH (1-800-666-2724). People can also visit us online to schedule an appointment at the New Braunfels location.

About Smile Brands Inc.

Based in Irvine California, Smile Brands Inc. is one of the largest providers of support services to dental groups in the United States. The organizations award-winning culture has made it the only dental support organization on Glassdoors Best Places to Work for the past three years. Smile Brands affiliated dentists benefit from industry-leading business support services, so they can spend more time caring for patients and less time on the administrative, marketing, and financial aspects of operating a dental practice. The organization supports over 440 affiliated practices and 60 brands across 18 states, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Smile Brands is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors, a leading middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA. For more information, visit http://www.smilebrands.com.
The actress daughter of Kelsey Grammer was knifed in the arm and her friend stabbed in the back as they tried to calm an agitated man outside a New York restaurant.

Spencer Grammer (36) and her 32-year-old friend were eating outside at The Black Ant in Manhattan's East Village when the man "ambled up" and demanded to be served just as the restaurant was closing for the night.

Grammer and her friend were injured as they "attempted to break up a dispute between the unidentified male and other patrons," police said.

Wounding

Grammer said she and her friend "did what anyone else would do in the same situation" and were "attempting to prevent the altercation from escalating" when they were attacked.

The man ran away after wounding her in the right arm and her friend in the lower back with an unidentified sharp object, police said. No arrests have been made.

Grammer, who provides the voice of Summer on Rick And Morty and previously starred on the ABC Family series Greek, is the daughter of the Frasier star and actress Doreen Alderman.

Grammer said she and her friend both expected to recover quickly.

Neither suffered serious internal injuries.

She thanked the first responders and Bellevue Hospital medics who treated them and told of the "incredible battle" the workers have fought against the coronavirus pandemic.
Infertility affects between 10 and 15% of all couples of reproductive ages and can be caused by a wide variety of factors: genetic, physiological, environmental and nutritional. Although there is increasing scientific evidence about the role of nutrition in sperm quality, there is still controversy about the role of overweight, obesity and low weight in sperm parameters.

Researchers from the Human Nutrition Unit of the Rovira i Virgili University and the CIBERobn in collaboration with researchers from the University of Utah (USA), researchers from the Ahvaz Jundishapur University and the National University of Cordoba (Argentina),have carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of all the existing observational scientific literature, evaluating the association between adiposity(normal weight, overweight, obesity, and low weight) and the sperm quality determined by a seminogram.

A total of 60 articles were included in the qualitative analysis and 28 in the quantitative analysis. The researchers indicated that overweight and/or obesity were associated with low semen quality parameters (i.e., semen volume, sperm count and concentration, sperm vitality, total motility and normal morphology) and underweight category was likewise associated with low sperm normal morphology.

According to the researchers, this work provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the high-quality research and demonstrates the importance of adiposity in semen quality.

Albert Salas-Huetos, first author of the article states that these results "suggest that overweight/obesity prevention should be considered at an early age to avoid deleterious effects on reproductive health". Researchers also point out that additional studies are warranted to elucidate the potential benefits of weight loss for improving reproductive potential in individuals with obesity.

The results of the present study, conducted by the post-doctoral researcher Dr. Albert Salas-Huetos, currently working at the University of Utah, in collaboration with researchers from the Human Nutrition Unit of the Rovira i Virgili University and the CIBERobn led by Professor Jordi Salas-Salvado, have been published in the prestigious scientific journal Obesity Reviews. It is one of the most impactful scientific journals in the Endocrinology and Metabolism area.
When womens retailer, Catherines closes all of stores, 10 stores will in the state of Pennsylvania.

Catherines parent company, Ascena Retail Group announced last week that it was closing all of its Catherines stores. The announcement coincided with the companys filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Chapter 11 provides businesses or large investors with protection from creditors while they continue operating and develop a repayment plan. Both creditors and owners must agree on a reorganization plan, which ultimately must be approved by a federal bankruptcy judge.

READ MORE: Justice is closing numerous stores

The only Catherines store in the midstate is located at the Paxton Towne Centre at 5125 Jonestown Road in Lower Paxton Township. There are also stores in the Easton, Monroeville, Pottstown, Springfield, Whitehall and Wilkes-Barre areas as well as three in the Pittsburgh area.

Ascena owns Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant, Justice, Catherines, Cacique and Lou & Grey. The company is closing a significant number of Justice stores and a select number of Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant and Lou & Grey stores. The company is closing all of its stores across all brands in Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Catherines, which sells womens clothing and caters to plus sizes, was founded by Catherine Weaver in Memphis in 1960, according to the company Facebook page.

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BERWYN, Pa., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- RM LAW, P.C. announces an investigation on behalf of FirstEnergy Corp. ("FirstEnergy" or the "Company") (NYSE: FE) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws.

If you purchased shares of FirstEnergy and would like to learn more about these claims or if you wish to discuss these matters and have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights, contact Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire toll-free at (844) 291-9299 or to sign up online, click here.

On July 21, 2020, multiple news outlets reported that the FBI had arrested Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four others in connection with an alleged $60 million illegal bribery scheme in return for Householder's support for legislation that ultimately passed in 2019, and which bailed out two nuclear power plants of Energy Harbor Corp., a former subsidiary of FirstEnergy. In addition, FirstEnergy announced that it had "received subpoenas in connection with the investigation surrounding" that legislation, Ohio House Bill 6.

In response to this news, analysts downgraded FirstEnergy and the price of FirstEnergy shares has cratered.

For more information regarding this, please contact RM LAW, P.C. (Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire) toll-free at (844) 291-9299 or by email at [email protected] or click here. For more information about class action cases in general or to learn more about RM LAW, P.C. please visit our website by clicking here.

RM LAW, P.C. is a national shareholder litigation firm. RM LAW, P.C. is devoted to protecting the interests of individual and institutional investors in shareholder actions in state and federal courts nationwide.

CONTACT:

RM LAW, P.C.

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Gao Liang Gu (Photo: VNA)

Da Nang  A Chinese man has been arrested in the central city of Da Nang for illegally bringing foreigners into Vietnam, the municipal police department said on July 26.

Gao Liang Gu, 42, was captured by police forces of Da Nang and central Quang Nam province, while he was staying in a hotel in Ngu Hanh Son district on July 25.

He has been identified as the leader of a ring trafficking Chinese nationals into Da Nang and Quang Nam over the recent past. He was taken to Quang Nam for further investigation.

Da Nangs police found four Chinese nationals illegally entering Vietnam during an administrative inspection in Khue My ward, Ngu Hanh Son district, on July 11, and another group of 27 Chinese in a hotel in An Hai Bac ward, Son Tra district, on July 26. All of them have been quarantined and given tests in line with COVID-19 prevention and control regulations.

The police department on July 21 commenced a legal case on brokering illegal entry into Vietnam in accordance with Article 438 of the Penal Code.
Former LGBT-identified men, women and Pulse survivors share stories of transformation at US capitol

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WASHINGTON  Men and women who once identified as LGBT shared their personal stories of transformation with lawmakers Wednesday after the House passed a bill earlier this year that would bar citizens from accessing counseling and therapies for unwanted same-sex attraction.

Dressed in black T-shirts emblazoned with the word "CHANGED," 16 formerly LGBT-identified persons from Church United and the CHANGED movement spoke at a joint news conference outside the U.S. capitol where they shared their stories with members of Congress and their staff, and urged senators not to support the so-called Equality Act if it's ever brought to the floor for a vote.

"There are bills behind us that are going to take away our rights," said Jim Domen from Church United.

Domen said he has dealt with same-sex attraction since the seventh grade and even identified as a gay man for five years, but today he's married to a woman and has three children. He described his years in his former life as a search for love where he was so desperate that he did not care if his sexual partners had hepatitis or were HIV-positive.

"My two daughters and son don't think I'm a fraud, they know that I'm real," he said. "We exist. We are people who have changed."

He and others stressed the importance that they should have the right to pursue counseling options in accordance with their faith, therapies that would be restricted under H.R. 5, the Equality Act  an updated version of the 1964 landmark civil rights legislation considered by many to be Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy  which passed the House of Representatives earlier this year. The bill is being pushed by LGBT activist organizations.

Domen emphasized: "I want to very clear about something, all of us here, we love, we absolutely love the LGBTQ community. We understand you. We know what it's like. We've lived there, we've walked it. We've been from gay bars and back. We know the journey. We know the pain."



As currently proposed, the Equality Act explicitly nullifies protections set forth in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The Senate version of the Equality Act, S.788, which was introduced in March to the Senate Judiciary Committee, is not presently being considered for a committee vote  Republicans hold the majority  and will not make it to the floor for a vote.

The Trump administration said in May that the Equality Act is "filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights."

Among those who spoke Wednesday was KathyGrace Duncan, who formerly identified as transgender  whose story of coming to faith and detransitioning was featured in The Christian Post's 2017 series on transgenderism  and Luis Javier Ruiz and Angel Colon, both whom survived the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in June 2016 that was committed by an ISIS sympathizer. Colon was shot several times and Ruiz was trampled as he fled the scene. Today the two men lead a ministry called Fearless Identity.

Liz Flaherty, who identified herself as a former lesbian, recounted how she was molested at age 6 by a family member, which she hid from her parents. Tormented and feeling alone from keeping that a secret, the anguish continued through her formative years as she was bullied by male peers. No matter how hard she tried she could not relate to men and came out as a lesbian during her senior year in high school, much to the confusion of her Christian parents who were pastors at that time.

"Even though they were confused they loved me, they didn't reject me. They kept an open home to me. They didn't kick me out, unlike stories you hear a lot of that saddens many of us who did have loving parents," Flaherty said.

"I truly was in agony. I was agoraphobic; I was riddled with anxiety; I was depressed. I never wanted to leave the home. I was self-medicating through pornography."

After losing both of her parents to cancer within a three-year period, Flaherty returned to her faith and decided to look for help in processing her traumas. She sought out a faith-based counselor who walked her through resolving her conflicted feelings.

"There was no promise to make me straight, there was just allowing room for me to question this dynamic of self-protection that I had put up through years of abuse," she explained, noting that her attractions then shifted.

"I'm more myself than I've ever been in my life. I'm discovering more and more of who God made me to be. And I'm freed from the agony that I was in, from the depression, from the self-loathing, from those tormenting emotions. I can be out in public without anxiety attacks. I can travel on a plane. Those were things I could never do before," she said.

Mentioning how many of her fellow speakers were saying "change is possible," she echoed Domen in calling for legislation that allows for the broadest range of counseling.

"We need a government that respects our God-given freedom seek it out," Flaherty said.

When Christopher Sims was very young growing up in New York City, his father, a pastor, raped him. After entering kindergarten his mother withdrew him from school, a withdrawal that lasted eight years.

"During that time I was tortured by my mother. My mother was very hurt by men, so any sign of masculinity was a trigger and a threat to her. I can remember her beating me with a wire hanger until I was bloody, and putting alcohol all over my body as I stood in front of a mirror," Sims said.

He internalized in that moment that he could not be masculine, that he had to emulate his sisters and be effeminate in order to survive and avoid upsetting his mother. By the time he was 13, he was able to stay with his sisters and slowly transition out of his parents' home. By the time he was 18, he was suffering from gender dysphoria, PTSD, and was in counseling and anger management. He ended up going to church service with a friend and saw something in the eyes of people he'd never seen previously.

"I wanted nothing to do with church, but when I went to that church I saw a God that my parents did not tell me about. And those people in that church, they didn't hate me or anything. They loved me. I saw life inside of them and I wanted that freedom and that life. The love I saw in their eyes convicted me of the error of my ways," Sims recalled, noting that he subsequently had an encounter with God in which God told him, "Christopher: I love you."

That was six years ago, Sims continued, and God's love has enabled him to forgive and heal. He now has a relationship with his parents, no longer suffers night terrors, and said he is the healthiest he has ever been.

"And I want to say change is possible. People like me do exist," he said.

Kevin Whitt, a former transsexual prostitute and drag performer, used to believe that both God and Christians hated him, telling The Christian Post in an interview after the news conference that his own uncle, a Baptist minister, would often tell him that God hated him and that his punishment for being gay or trans was to get AIDS and die.

"So I figured that if I'm going to get AIDS and die, I'm going to have fun doing it," he said.

Yet later in life, after he received Christ and started going to church on his own, he began seeing that, with the exception of a few fringe denominations, for the Christian faith as a whole, none of that was true. When he was living as a transgender person, presenting as a woman, he routinely felt that he could never come to Christ and believe in Him.

"I didn't come to Christ seeking change, or seeking a heterosexual life. I came to Christ seeking a different life, a more healthy life. And just to know that there's a different way in life," Whitt said.

"All we have to do is give God a chance, and all we have to do is believe in God and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. And the Holy Spirit will do the rest in His timing."

During his prepared remarks at the news conference, Whitt insisted neither he nor any of his friends had been through what is often derisively called "conversion therapy."

Asked what he would say to Christian leaders who are struggling to know how to best pastor persons who identify as LGBT in light of clumsy and painful approaches from years and decades past, similar to what he experienced in his own life, Whitt underscored the importance of loving people unconditionally.

"It's really simple. You have to pastor them in love. It's all about loving them into a relationship with Jesus Christ. What the church is guilty of is not loving the gay community, especially back in the old days they used to just drill on it being a sin," he replied.

"The Bible is very clear about what is sin, but they left out the love part."

When Whitt goes out with teams to minister to people at gay pride parades, he frequently encounters people who can't believe he and his compatriots are Christians.

He tells them: "Well, this is how most of us are."
Texas is investigating Facebook for possibly running afoul of state laws on the collection of biometric data, according to June documents uncovered by a tech watchdog group.

The big picture: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has emerged as a key tech investigator, and going after Facebook for illegally harvesting biometric data may be a fruitful line of inquiry. Facebook users in Illinois secured a major settlement over the issue.

Driving the news: The Texas AG is investigating Facebook for possibly violating its Texas Deceptive Trade Practices  Consumer Protection Act by improperly collecting biometric identifiers, according to the documents, obtained by the Tech Transparency Project through a public records request and shared with Axios Monday.

The documents show the Texas AG issuing a civil investigative demand to Facebook, asking for many pages of information related to Patel v. Facebook, the case that led to the settlement in Illinois in February, when Facebook agreed to pay $550 million (recently bumped to $650 million).

Between the lines: The latest documents don't make clear exactly what the Texas AG's office is looking into, but the Illinois case centered on Facebook's use of facial recognition tech to identify people in photos uploaded to the platform and suggest tagging them.

That violated Illinois law on biometric privacy, argued the plaintiffs in the case. The settlement still has to be approved by the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California.

Where it stands: The documents Texas is seeking include discovery materials, responses to requests for interrogatories, the identity of experts retained by Facebook in the matter, unredacted transcripts of depositions, and a copy of all motions and pleadings.

Yes, but: It appears Facebook does not wish to send those materials along. In a June 25 email to the company, the AG's office seeks to schedule a video conference to discuss Facebook's reasoning for why it shouldn't have to produce the requested material.

Of note: According to the documents, a June 12 email from an official in the Texas AG's Consumer Protection Division to a Facebook executive read: "This is obviously a Texas-only inquiry and is separate from the other pending matter."

It does not specify what the other pending matter is, but it's possible it's a New York-led multistate antitrust investigation into Facebook, a probe that includes Texas.

Context: Paxton has taken point on a separate multistate antitrust investigation into Google, and Axios recently reported that his office is investigating Apple for potentially deceiving consumers.

What they're saying: A Paxton spokesperson, reached for comment on the documents, shared the office's usual statement that it is "long-standing OAG policy" not to "comment on, confirm or deny any pending or potential investigations."
Jaipur, July 27 : Amid the ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan, Governor Kalraj Mishra on Monday allowed the state government to convene a special assembly session but with conditions. He said that the session should be called on 21 days notice so that MLAs during corona times may not face problems coming to Jaipur and all of them can get equal rights and equal opportunity under Article 14 of the Constitution.

The Governor also mentioned in his letter that Raj Bhavan had no intention of not calling the assembly session but was concerned on how social distancing can be followed during the session.

The Congress government had sought approval from the Governor to call the special assembly session from July 31.

Replying to the proposal, the Governor, in his letter, questioned the Congress government asking, "Is there any arrangement in which more than 1,000 officers and employees, besides 200 MLAs, are not at risk of corona infection? If someone is infected, how will it be prevented? It should also be clarified that if the assembly session is called, how will social distancing be maintained?, the Governor asked.

The Governor mentioned quoting media reports that the state government wants a motion of confidence. He said, "If, under any circumstances, action is taken to obtain a vote of confidence, then it should be done in the presence of the Principal Secretary of the Parliamentary Affairs Department and a video recording should be done. It should also be telecast live," he said.

The point wise instructions of the Governor are: 1. Assembly session should be called after giving 21 days notice.

2. The process of obtaining the trust vote should be completed in the presence of Principal Secretary of the Parliamentary Affairs Department.

3. Video recording of the entire process of obtaining the trust vote should also be done.

4. The process of obtaining a vote of confidence in the assembly should be completed by pressing the yes or no button.

5. The Supreme Court has given decisions in various cases which should also be taken care of during the motion of no confidence in the assembly.

6. In view of the risk of coronavirus infection, it should also be ensured that the rules of social distancing are followed in the assembly.

7. During the assembly session, the presence of more than 1,000 employees and more than 200 members should be taken care of, so that the risk of corona infection spread is minimised.

The letter also mentions about the state government proposal which said that "the Governor is bound to accept the advice of the Cabinet as per Article 174 of the Constitution and the Governor cannot take any decision at his own discretion quoting the SC judgment in "Nabam Rabia and Bamang Felix vs Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Arunachal Pradesh (2016)" para 162 of 8 ACC 1.

The Governor's letter said legal opinion was taken by the Governor in this regard which revealed that Article 174 (1) of the Constitution will work in normal circumstances, according to the advice of the Cabinet. But if the circumstances are specific, in such a situation, the Governor will ensure that the Assembly session should be convened in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution and the process should be adopted to give all the honourable members of the assembly the proper time and proper security.

He said, "As am aware that in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, there is no arrangement of social distancing for 200 honourable MLAs and more than 1000 officers/employees simultaneously, it is necessary to follow the Disaster Management Act and Government of India guidelines. The absolute meaning of Article 174 of the Constitution is mentioned in the order of the Cabinet. It is the constitutional obligation of the Governor to ensure that 1,200 lives are not endangered by calling the assembly session without any special contingency in such adverse circumstances."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. (Photo/AP)

By Nie Shuyi

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo once again violently assailed China in his speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in the hometown of former US President Nixon in California on July 23 local time.

In the speech, he called on the Western world to unite against China. Pompeos speech marked a height of remarks made by a number of senior US officials attacking China. Recently, many senior officials of the Trump administration made tough statements against China on various occasions, arousing a wide concern that the US will fall into a new Cold War with China.

However, it is undoubtedly against the general trend of the times that some US politicians attempt to pull the world back in the shadow of the Cold War, and their outdated Cold War mentality will end up in the dustbin of history.

Forty-eight years ago, Richard Nixon, the 37th president of the US, paid an official visit to China, opening the door to the normalization of China-US relations. Now, as the top diplomat of the US, Pompeo purposely chose such an iconic location to deliver the speech which the US media labelled as a declaration of a new Cold War.

In the speech, he declared that the old paradigm of blind engagement with China has failed and called on the US allies not to ignore the fundamental political and ideological differences and to establish a new alliance against China. Despite his fiery remarks in the speech, Pompeo actually just repeated the cliches made by US politicians including himself in the past.

Diao Daming, a researcher at the National Academy of Development and Strategy of Renmin University of China, noted that Pompeos speech is merely a higher-key remark that escalates the confrontation between China and the US, with an attempt to trumpet the tensions between the two countries and support Trumps re-election bid.

Some US politicians intend to put China-US relations onto the track of confrontation they devised for their own political interests, and ignore what the real world looks like.

On the one hand, some US politicians are preaching to form the encirclement against China through forcing US allies to join them with ideological thinking. However, today the US is no longer the kind of leader all countries follow in this multipolar world. With continuous economic globalization and in-depth development of free trade, it is impossible for the world to return to the Cold War era in which two confronting camps stood against each other.

Today, China and the West have intermingled interests and are closely connected to each other. China is the largest trading partner for Germany and Japan, and the EU is Chinas second largest trading partner. China and the EU have conducted close cooperation in many important international affairs such as climate change, free trade, and multilateralism. The cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea has been further enhanced, with breakthroughs being made in negotiations on the China-Japan-South Korea Free Trade Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson made it clear on July 20 that he wouldnt be pushed into a position of becoming a knee-jerk Sinophobe on every issue, somebody who is automatically anti-China.

Obviously, in the issue of relations with China, US allies dont completely align with the US due to their different national interests and strategic objectives.

Moreover, the unilateral diplomacy and America First policy that the US implemented in the past three years have undermined the interests of its allies, causing a sharp decline in their trust for the US. All of these determine that they wont easily set foot on the US warship.

On the other hand, China had no intention to confront with the US. Despite the constant retrogression of China-U.S. relations over the past three years, China has made great efforts to stabilize its relationship with the US and showed a strong willingness to continue cooperation with the US side.

Even when the US continued slandering Chinas effort in epidemic control, China still worked hard to improve China-US cooperation: Chinese President Xi Jinping has talked with US President Donald Trump on the phone several times in the recent past; upon invitation, Yang Jiechi, director of Chinas Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, held a dialogue with US Secretary of State Pompeo in Hawaii in June; when addressing remark at the China-US Think Tanks Media Forum via video link on July 9, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that China never intends to challenge or replace the US or have full confrontation with the US, and gave three suggestions to push China-US relations back to the right track.

According to Diao, with the growth of Chinas economic strength and international influence, its capacity of actively shaping China-US relationship and even the opposite side has been constantly enhanced, and China totally has the ability to actively evade the trap of Cold War narratives set by the US.

George Kennan, then serving as the US charge d'affaires in Moscow, sent an 8,000-word telegram to the Department of State detailing his views on the Soviet Union, which is considered a prologue of the Cold War between the two super powers. Then, former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered the famous Iron Curtain Speech, marking the start of the Cold War.

At a sensitive time when China-US relations are facing the severest challenge since the two countries established diplomatic ties, Pompeo deliberately gave this aggressive speech, indicating his pugnacity and recklessness by imitating previous Western politicians to deliver the "new Iron Curtain Speech". However, this era will definitely give a heavy blow to his unrealistic political ambition.

Disclaimer: This article is originally published on haiwainet.cn, which is the website of Overseas Edition of the People's Daily. The article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
Coronavirus cases at an East Tennessee nursing home have nearly doubled in less than a week, officials said.

The Christian Care Center in Bristol reported 92 cases on Wednesday, up from 51 cases on Friday, Director Jennifer Skaggs said in a statement, the Bristol Herald Courier reported. The cases include 66 residents and 26 employees, she said.

There are 120 residents at the home, according to the Tennessee Department of Health, meaning that more than half have tested positive.

Three residents who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, five are hospitalized, 23 have have recovered and 35 are in isolation, Skaggs said. Half of the workers who tested positive have recovered and half are still isolating, she said.

Sullivan County Regional Health Department Director Stephen May said the nursing home has been working diligently with health officials to stop the virus from spreading.

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 and be fatal.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics COVID-19 Tennessee
Ever since former Gov. Dannel Malloy announced famously to a state employee union rally in 2014 that I am your servant, the general public in Connecticut has grown increasing aware and upset about excessive state employee compensation.

Theres been real anger over the past several months about a large pay raise for all state employees scheduled for, and recently paid on, July 1, a pay hike that Gov. Ned Lamont had called unfair in the context of massive private sector job losses. State employees are protected from job losses by a contractual no-layoff guarantee they have enjoyed since 2011.

Many people called upon Gov. Lamont to use his emergency powers to cancel, suspend or delay the pay raise, including this writer in several columns, including one I wrote in this newspaper on April 21.

The state employee unions have pushed back, raising many objections, none more outrageous than their repetition of an astounding claim made by Malloy in 2017. Malloy claimed a whopping $24 billion in real savings over 20 years from concessions allegedly made by state employees in the 2017 agreement that he negotiated with the State Employees Bargaining Alliance Coalition (SEBAC).

This outlandish claim has gone largely unchallenged. Indeed, Democrats codified it in a state law requiring Comptroller Kevin Lembo to prepare an annual report on the actual savings achieved.

The largest portion of Malloys $24 billion claim were wage savings, which accumulated to $9.6 billion through 2037, according to Malloy and his Office of Policy and Management.

The falsity in Malloys claim is not buried in complex numbers. It rests upon an outrageous assumption, namely that state employees are entitled to raises each and every year as if annual raises are the virtual equivalent of a birthright. If employees dont actually get a raise, the raise they dont get is called a saving.

So, who established the amount of the raise they didnt get in 2017? Malloy did. In his budget proposal, he proposed hundreds of millions of raises. Then, he negotiated wage freezes and called the difference savings.

How do we know this? From the documentation that OPM published in support of Malloys claimed savings. On page 1, entitled Source of SEBAC Agreement Savings Estimates, under a subheader of Wage Estimates were developed by OPM, it states Elimination of potential FY 2017, 2018, and 2019 increases: Removes all of the proposed RSA increase in the Governors recommended budget: $300.6 million in FY18 and $486.2 million in FY 2019. [Emphasis added.]

The raises which state workers didnt get were simply figments of Dan Malloys imagination  they were potential, proposed and recommended. There was no existing wage contract between the state and state employees under which workers were legally entitled to actual raises that, then, they gave up in negotiations with Malloy.

Not only did Malloy claim more than $700 million of wage savings in his ultimate budget for the fiscal 2018-2019 biennium, but he claimed almost $9 billion more by claiming that the annualized amount ($492 million) of the raises they didnt get constituted savings in every one of the next 18 years. By this tortured logic, Malloy could have claimed $49 billion over the next century!

Now, returning from fantasy land, lets consider the raises that state employees did get last year and a few weeks ago on July 1. Theyre real money. Together, they amount to $356 million in annual compensation. They constitute real costs now and into the future  $3.6 billion over a decade  as opposed to the illusory savings that Malloy conjured.

These pay raises are grossly unfair, given the context of prevailing massive private sector unemployment and in light of the enormous 40 percent to 50 percent compensation advantage state employees enjoy compared to the Connecticuts average private sector worker  in most recent years, the biggest advantage among the 50 states.

While the immediate focus has been upon a pay raise totaling only about $135 million, the real issue is the massively overgenerous compensation that state employees enjoy. The false narrative  about ginormous $9 billion to $24 billion in false savings/concessions that Malloy, the Democrats and unions negotiators have claimed  is designed to hide the opposite reality, namely the uninterrupted gravy train that state employees enjoy.

Red Jahncke, a Greenwich resident, is president of The Townsend Group Intl.
UofG signs important MoA with Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

The University of Glasgow has signed a MoA with Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, establishing a new and key partnership between the two institutions.

The MoA will see the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences in Glasgow work closely with the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University in bringing new Postgraduate opportunities to medical degree students from Thailand.The MoA will also strengthen international links between the two prestigious institutions.

The agreement is signed as the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University has developed a new four-year graduate-entry medical degree programme. Students who successfully complete years 1 and 2 of the degree in Thailand will now be able to undertake one of a wide range of existing MVLS Masters degree programmes.

The new degree programme is due to start next year in Thailand, and the first students will arrive in Glasgow in 2023.

Once in Glasgow, students will be able to undertake either a 13 or 30-week study programme in the subject of their choice, culminating in the achievement of a Postgraduate Certificate or a Postgraduate Diploma, respectively.

In addition, the University of Glasgow will offer Chulalongkorn University students an eight week clinical placement as part of the Medical Schools international clinical experience scheme for students.

Chulalongkorn has been ranked the top university in Thailand for seven Consecutive Years by QS World University Rankings 2020. They will also be hosting the QS Medicine Subject focus summit on August 4-6.

Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, University of Glasgow Vice Principal and Head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, said: I am delighted that we have signed a MoA with such a prestigious institution as Chulalongkorn University. The agreement will not only strengthen the relationship between our two institutions, but also offer huge benefits to those students who we will be delighted to welcome to Glasgow to study on our world-changing postgraduate degree programmes.

Prof. Suttipong Wacharasindhu, Dean of Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn, said: "I am really glad to have this collaboration with the University of Glasgow. This is a great opportunity for our students to explore their experiences in the well-known and long-historic institution like UofG. I do hope that this relationship between our institutions will go further and be more tightened up."

Enquiries: ali.howard@glasgow.ac.uk or elizabeth.mcmeekin@glasgow.ac.uk / 0141 330 6557 or 0141 330 4831
S panish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the British Government's decision to remove Spain from its safe countries list was not justified.

Mr Sanchez said the move to introduce a two week quarantine for people travelling from the country to the UK was unfair.

He added that the Spanish Government was currently in discussions with Britain to see if changes could be made to the new quarantine rules.

Mr Sanchez said it was an "error" for the UK to have considered the rate of coronavirus infection in Spain as a whole when most regions had a lower Covid-19 rate than in Britain.

However Health Minister Lord Bethell has explained it would be too "challenging" to introduce a regional exemption list.

Within individual countries there is no way for us to control intra-country transport, it is therefore very difficult and challenging to have a regional exemption list, and that is why weve not been able to give exemptions to the Balearics," he said.

It comes after holidaymakers also called on the British Government to take a more "targeted" approach to the quarantine rules.

Spain hopes Balearic and Canary Islands will be freed from UK quarantine today

But on Monday evening the Foreign Office updated its travel guidance to warn against all but essential travel to the Balearic and Canary Islands, as well as mainland Spain.

Downing Street warned no travel is risk-free after a coronavirus quarantine requirement for people arriving in the UK from Spain was reintroduced.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said decisions on border measures and travel advice can be changed rapidly if necessary to help stop the spread of the disease.

He said: Unfortunately no travel is risk-free during this pandemic and disruption is possible and so anyone travelling abroad should be aware that our travel advice and exemption list is under constant review as we monitor the international situation.

Airlines TUI and Jet2 announced they were cancelling all flights and holidays to Balearic Islands and Canary Islands after the FCO's updated its travel advice.
State hospital groups tried to explain the real-world functioning of hospital charges, hoping to sway an appeals court.

HFMA highlighted how the requirement departs from statutory authority.

A hospital said costs of complying with the requirement could run as high as $2 million.

A growing number of hospital groups urged an appeals court to reject a looming requirement for their members to publicly post the charges they privately negotiate with health plans.

Hospitals and national advocacy groups are appealing a June 23 federal district court decision in The American Hospital Association, et al. v. Azar to allow a January start of new requirements for hospitals to post negotiated charges.

The plaintiffs were recently joined through amicus briefs by other hospital groups, including state hospital associations and HFMA.

Although the groups supported providing patients with clear price information, they objected that the Trump administration lacked the legal authority to issue the specific transparency approach in question.

The only question for this court is one of administrative law, i.e., whether the agency appreciated the scope of its discretion or exercised that discretion in a reasonable manner, wrote 40 state and regional hospital associations in a July 24 amicus brief filed with the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. HHS did not do so here. It instead chose to achieve its laudable goals in unlawful ways.

Previously, 37 state hospital associations filed a friend-of-the-court brief at the district-court level during the initial case. The new filing followed increased attention and scrutiny of the transparency requirements as the start date approaches.

The looming requirements also took on increased importance as Medicare moved to build on them with recently issued additional requirements as part of the FY21 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule.

The state hospital associations focused on explaining to the appeals court how hospital charges and payments work, especially the role the chargemaster. They said the district court judge mistakenly thought the chargemaster creates standard charges, as opposed to properly interpreting the chargemaster as merely the starting point for nonstandard charges for commercial health plans.

This distorts standard beyond both its common meaning and the realities of the current hospital payment system, the state groups wrote.

HFMA raises statutory objections

The amicus brief submitted this week by HFMA focused on the many ways CMS overstepped its legislative authority by expanding the definition of standard charges to include hospital prices.

In establishing terms such as the payer-specific negotiated charge, self-pay discount rate and minimum, median and maximum negotiated charges, CMS aimed to redefine standard charge to mean something very different from what Congress intended in the relevant statute, the HFMA brief states. Instead, the CMS definitions resemble the industry definition of prices for various services.

CMS is expanding the definition of standard charge to include charges that vary by third-party payer and are therefore not uniform across all patients, HFMA wrote. As such, HFMAs members do not believe the agency has the statutory authority to finalize this definition and strongly encourage the agency not to do so.

Hospitals highlight financial burdens

Like many hospitals and health systems responding to the expansion of the transparency requirement in the FY21 IPPS proposed rule, Trinity Health warned against the requirements that hospitals are challenging in AHA v. Azar. For instance, Trinity said the requirements will create a significant new burden for hospitals and be exceptionally challenging for patients to use.

"We are in the midst of a pandemic and have had to divert precious resources to preparing to comply with the price transparency requirements," wrote Tina Weatherwax Grant, JD, vice president of public policy and advocacy for the 22-state health system.

Hospitals rejected CMS's contention that implementation of the charge transparency requirement will cost only $11,898.60 per hospital.

One hospital system in Washington, D.C., estimated it would cost more than $500,000 to build a database to track the required information and more than $300,000 each year to maintain it, according to the state groups amicus brief.

One Ohio hospital system estimated compliance with the transparency requirement could cost as much as $2 million to cover the needed analysis, outside vendors and increased support staff.

Here, the regulatory burdens demonstrate just how far HHS has stretched the statutory language to achieve its policy preferences, the hospital groups wrote.
A massive new testing push is underway in New South Wales after 17 new COVID-19 cases were identified in the 24 hours to Monday.

NSW Health has warned anyone in the suburbs of Harris Park and Middleton Grange to monitor for symptoms and get tested even if they have the mildest of symptoms.

The warning for the two suburbs, home to about 10,000 residents, follows a number of clusters of coronavirus being identified in Sydney's southwest.

The Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral is located in Harris Park and has 11 cases of COVID-19 linked to the church.

The Crosssroads Hotel which was the centre of a cluster of more than 40 cases is located near the Middleton Grange area.

'We are asking the communities, in particular, to come forward for testing in Harris Park and Middleton Grange,' NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said on Monday.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged residents to remain vigilant with social distancing to ensure we can 'continue to have this level of freedom'

Testing in Sydney will be ramped up with with residents of Harris Park and Middleton Grange in the city southwest told to get tested (registered Nurse Michelle Gibbons conducts a COVID-19 swab test as large crowds queue at a Bondi Beach drive-through testing clinic on July 22)

Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the spike in new cases at the same press conference on Monday.

Seven of the positive tests have been linked to known clusters - four associated with funerals and three with the Thai Rock restaurant.

Another eight were returned travellers in hotel quarantine, while two cases remain under investigation with the source of the contagion unclear.

'We are holding the line and doing okay, but are still on high alert,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'But we cannot let our guard down. That's how the virus will take hold and spread.'

She urged residents to remain vigilant with social distancing to ensure we can 'continue to have this level of freedom'.

A coronavirus cluster in Sydney has been linked a woman who attended five funeral services including one at St Brendan's Church in Bankstown (pictured)

The recent spike in cases in Sydney prompted a tightening of restrictions by the NSW Premier, especially on hospitality venues with hundreds of 'COVID army' officers conducting checks on the weekend (pictured)

A staff member from Potts Point Thai Rock restaurant (pictured) tested positive for COVID-19

There are now two cases linked to the Thai Rock Restaurant at Potts Point after a diner who visited the restaurant on July 17 tested positive last week.

A staff member has now also become a confirmed case and investigations to date have not identified links between cases at the two restaurants.

The staff member is not included in the three cases linked to Thai Rock Wetherill Park on Monday.

NSW Health directed anyone who attended the Potts Point restaurant for more than two hours between July 15 and July 25 to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days since they were last there, regardless of symptoms.

The outbreak cluster from Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park (pictured) continues to grow

Hundreds of 'COVID army' officers (pictured) have been out inspecting venues and issuing fines to those found in breach of restrictions

A couple who tested positive for COVID-19 following the Bankstown funeral gathering attended Tan Viet Noodle House in Cabramatta, which is also known as Crispy Chicken Noodle House, between 1pm and 2pm on July 22 and a restaurant in Bankstown between 9am and 11am on July 23.

Anyone who attended these venues is asked to watch for symptoms and get tested if symptoms appear.

Another case linked to the funeral cluster is a student at Georges River Grammar School in Georges Hall in Sydney's south-west.

The school has been closed for deep cleaning with anyone in contact with the student told to self-isolate.

Fans during the Round 11 NRL match between the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the St George Illawarra Dragons at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney on Saturday

A woman wearing a face mask shelters from the rain during wet weather at Circular Quay in Sydney on Sunday

Our Lady of Mt Carmel at Mt Pritchard is also a focus of one cluster after a woman who had been at a service there tested positive to coronavirus

Sydney COVID-19 hotspots: Tan Viet Noodle House in Cabramatta An Restaurant in Bankstown Thai Rock in Wetherill Park Thai Rock in Potts Point Crossroads Hotel in Casula Batemans Bay Soldiers Club St Brendan's Catholic Church in Bankstown Advertisement

NSW chief medical officer Dr Kerry Chant told reporters on Monday there were 101 COVID-19 cases being treated by NSW Health.

Five people are in intensive care, with 90 per cent of cases in out-of-hospital care.

Dr Chant also urge anyone in the Harris Park and Middleton Grange areas to monitor for symptoms and get tested even if they have the mildest of symptoms.

Ms Berejiklian implored the public to not take part in the Black Lives Matter protests planned for Tuesday.

'A pandemic isn't the time to do this... please use your energy in a different way,' she told reporters on Monday.

As the cases in Sydney continue to grow, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is threatening to 'slam the border shut' and ban all New South Wales residents from entering the state.

'If there are outbreaks of community transmission or it cannot be sourced or there are clusters, we will not hesitate to declare hotspots or we will not hesitate - if it gets out of control - to slam the border shut,' she told reporters on Monday.

Liverpool and Campbelltown in NSW are also declared hotspots, as is the entire state of Victoria.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she's ready and willing to close Queensland's borders to all of NSW again

It comes as more NSW residents will be blocked from entering Queensland from Monday, as the Fairfield area in Sydney is declared a hotspot. Pictured: Cars arriving from NSW are checked by police at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

Current travel restrictions will prevent more than 600,000 Sydney residents from entering the Sunshine State.

Ms Palaszczuk said any decisions on further hotspots or border closures will be made on the advice of Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young.

'That advice has stood Queensland in a very good position,' the premier said.

'Every single day we are monitoring the situation in NSW.'

Queensland recorded no new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours and there are just five active cases in the state.

It follows the winding back of some freedoms in Queensland restaurants, pubs and clubs.

All patrons will have to be seated when drinking or eating, the CHO announced on Friday, blindsiding the hospitality industry.
FILE PHOTO: A number of grounded Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft are shown parked at Victorville Airport in Victorville, California

Reuters

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly in a letter to employees Sunday said the airline "will not furlough or layoff any Southwest Employees on October 1, unlike" its competitors, CNN reported.

The airline industry has suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic with a significant decrease in air travel. and other airlines, like United Airlines and American Airlines, have announced plans to layoff large percentages of their workforce.

Airlines that received funding through the CARES Act are unable to layoff employees through the month of September.

"Further, we have no intention of seeking furloughs, layoffs, pay rate cuts, or benefits cuts through at least the end of this year," Kelly wrote.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly told employees in a letter Sunday that the company would not lay off or furlough employees in October as competing airlines have announced, CNN first reported.

"Further, we have no intention of seeking furloughs, layoffs, pay rate cuts, or benefits cuts through at least the end of this year," Kelly wrote. "We have never had any of these in our 49-year history."

Nearly 17,000 of Southwest employees have taken voluntary separation packages and extended time off from the company, he wrote.

"I can't guarantee it will never happen, especially during these dark pandemic times," Kelly added of future layoffs. "I can promise you it will be the last thing we do to keep Southwest financially healthy and viable."

Kelly told employees that Southwest has lost approximately $1.6 billion year-to-date and was losing an additional $20 million every day. To compensate, he wrote the company had cut projects, worked with the US government to secure $3.2 billion in funds via the CARES Act, sold $2.2 billion in company stock to investors, and borrowed more than $12 million from lenders "via aircraft sales and leasebacks."

Story continues

"Our Company is in intensive care," Kelly said.

Southwest currently has 100 planes parked in storage, he wrote, adding that second quarter trips are down 56% from this time in 2019.

The announcement comes amid a turbulent time for the airline industry at large, which has seen a significant decrease in passengers due to the coronavirus pandemic, the effects of which could be felt for years to come, analysts have warned.

Funding received by airlines as part of the March CARES Act stipulated that companies who received funding couldn't lay off their employees until the end of September, as CNN reported.

On July 15, American Airlines announced it would warn 25,000 frontline employees  about 20% of the company's workforce  of possible furloughs and layoffs because it predicted air travel will not recover when the CARES Act relief for airlines expires on October 1. Flight attendants are the largest affected profession, with 37% of workers receiving notices, Business Insider's David Slotnick reported.

Earlier in July, United Airlines issued layoff and furlough notices to 36,000 of its employees, including 15,000 flight attendants and 2,250 pilots, adding it expected air travel to resume to 40% of the typical number by August and that it didn't expect it to increase through the rest of the year.

Kelly said Southwest currently has $14 billion "in the bank," which is enough to cover the company's losses for more than two years, he said.

Read more:

Emirates is trying to limit layoffs by offering workers unpaid leave, and it reveals a weakness in the company's unusual business model

Airlines are delaying new plane deliveries and seeking financing  and that's bad news for Boeing as the 737 Max inches toward its return

Southwest CEO: Masks should be required everywhere. Like pants.

Delta and United are doubling down on mask requirements, calling out phony medical exemptions and banning passengers

Read the original article on Business Insider
By 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 referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine 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.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The Spanish ministry of Health on Monday announced figures that, at least as far as statistics are concerned, indicate that the coronavirus pandemic situation in Spain is getting worse.

The director of the health alert coordination centre CCAES, Fernando Simon, said on Monday that the number of new lab-tested positive cases had increased by 6,631 over the weekend, 38% more than the previous weekend's figure.

Eighty new local outbreaks had been detected, many of the related to nightlife and family gatherings. Simon explained that behind the sharp rise is the increase in the work by the health services to detect cases, which implies that the situation is not as bad as it seems. In fact in 70 per cent of the new cases, the patient showed no symptoms.

In the last 24 hours before Monday's briefing, the increase in cases was 855.

"Nearly 60% of the new cases are concentrated in Aragon and Catalonia, although there is transmission in all regions," said Simon.

"We can't say whether we are in a second wave or not," he added. "I don't think so, but it's difficult to say. However, it's true that in the majority of the country there is by no means transmission that is out of control."

Simon implied that young people partying was much to blame for the new outbreaks. "Some population groups have dropped their guard and we must be clear about that."
A year and a half ago, fading actor Jussie Smollett claimed he was attacked by two masked white men who shouted anti-homosexual and anti-black slurs at him, while dousing him in bleach in the late hours of a freezing night in Chicago.

The city of Chicago later charged him with paying two Nigerian brothers, black, by the way, who lived in the city to stage the attack. The charges against Smollett were later dropped, but the city is now suing him to recoup its costs in the case, which is continuing.

That was then. This is so now. Saturday, on a warm summer day in New York, Smollett joined a group shrieking...yep!..."black lives matter" outside...yep! Trump Tower.

Smollett wore a blue T-shirt and jean shorts for the protest and was recognized by his distinctive equal sign tattoo on his right arm. It's not clear what group he was protesting with.

And you thought 2020 couldn't get more bizarre!

Image credit: Twitter screen shot.
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WHY BNG WILL STOP NIGERIAN ELECTIONS IN BIAFRAN TERRITORY  COMMUNIQUE

Rising from The Biafran Transitional Government meeting yesterday in Nsukka province of defunct Enugu state as spearheaded by BNG; the Biafran Supreme Military Council of Administration has resolved as follows:

That former high ranked Nigerian military personnel, General Innocent Orji being the founder of Biafran National Guard has been expelled from BNG with immediate effect. We urge every adjutant in the 30 provinces of Biafra to rightly communicate every personnel of the Biafran National Guard. His expulsion followed due process and BNG would welcome his appeal should he feel unjustly expelled.

General Innocent Orji was expelled as a result of his unruly attitude and demoralized dispositions; the continued detention of his wife for fourteen years and counting has taken the better of him and his attention focused on the case hence he refused to abide by the ethics of BNG. Going further; General Innocent Orji has refused to engage in activities of BNG and Biafra at large; choosing to focus on his life and that of his family, we wish him all the best.

Biafran National Guards Transitional Government continues to be overseen by the councils approved leadership as agreed by the full house of the Biafran Supreme Military Council of Administration on 30th May 2018. All adjutants are advised to maintain the status quo while all personnel continue to remain disciplined. All adjutants must continue to transit this government to the best of their knowledge without fear or favour.

That BNG shall stop Nigerian elections in all the provinces of Biafra should the occupational government of Nigeria deny the enslaved children of Biafra access to West African Examination Council set for this year.

That BNG sees it as deliberate effort to hurt Biafran children that have taken education as the only route to a stable life. COVID19 cannot rightly be a reason for cancelling WAEC when election is billed to be conducted in Edo, Ondo and Anambra where all the state population is expected to take part.

That if election can hold; WAEC can rightly hold; it is easier to hold WAEC than hold election going by the COVID-19 pretext. If WAEC is cancelled; election should also be cancelled but should the government defiantly go on with the election, BNG will do everything within her military power to stop and enforce cancellation of the election.

Occupational government of Nigeria is hereby warned to desist from systematic killing of education system because it profits Biafran children. It is common knowledge that Biafran students have always dominated in the application for entrance and external examinations and they always lead in the best ten results of these examinations. BNG has never issued a warning without implementing it and records are there to prove it.

BNG is filled with immeasurable bitterness and it would be in the best interest of everyone and the occupational government of Nigeria to abide by the orders of BNG and follow instructions as reeled out.

Finally; the Biafran Supreme Military Council of Administration hereby orders all the adjutants in the defunct Anambra state to start putting all machineries in place towards stopping all elections in Biafran territory, starting with Anambra state.

This order was declassified to avoid excuses from any provincial adjutant; and all adjutants must submit weekly preparation report to ensure overwhelming success should the occupational government of Nigeria fail to abide by our orders.

Any provincial adjutant that waste undue time or fail to prepare convincingly shall be demoted with immediate effect. Weekly submitted report shall be the basis of ratings.

SIGNED:

Colonel Nsikak Akpan

Spokesman for BNG
Harry and Meghan standing behind the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

A new biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has offered a unique insight into what led the couple to step down from royal duties.

Finding Freedom by Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie describes the wall of resentment that slowly built up between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the royal family.

Neither Harry nor Meghan have contributed to the book; it is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press and incorporates quotes from sources close to the couple.

Extracts from the biography are being serialised in The Times and The Sunday Times ahead of its publication in August.

From the rumoured rift between Meghan and the Duchess of Cambridge to how the Duke of Cambridge allegedly told Harry not to rush things with Meghan, here's everything we know so far about Finding Freedom.

Meghan felt she 'gave up her entire life' for the royal family

The book states that Meghan told a friend in March that she had given up her "entire life" for the royal family and was hurt by reports that leaving it was purely her idea.

Expand Close Harry and Meghan leaving at St Georges Chapel on their wedding day (Ben Stansall/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Harry and Meghan leaving at St Georges Chapel on their wedding day (Ben Stansall/PA)

"The courtiers blame Meghan, and some family do," a source is quoted as saying. But the source adds that Meghan sacrificed a lot to slot into royal life.

"As Meghan tearfully told a friend in March: 'I gave up my entire life for this family. I was willing to do whatever it takes. But here we are. It's very sad.'"

Prince William wanted to make sure Harry 'wasn't blinded by lust' with Meghan

The Duke of Cambridge was cautious of his brother's relationship with Meghan at the start and was keen to make sure that she had the right intentions.

Read More

"After all, these are two brothers that have spent their whole lives with people trying to take advantage of them," the source says. "They've both developed a radar to detect that type of person, but as William didn't know a whole lot about Meghan, he wanted to make sure Harry wasn't blindsided by lust."

Reports of a rift between Meghan and Kate were not true

Expand Close Harry and Meghan standing behind the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Harry and Meghan standing behind the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

The book claims there was no feud between the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex - they simply had nothing in common. It states the media were too quick to blame the decision of the Sussexes to move to Windsor - removing themselves from the Kensington Palace umbrella - on the "duelling duchesses", when it was Harry who felt suffocated by his brother.

Ms Durand and Mr Scobie write: "The truth was that Meghan and Kate just didn't know each other that well."

They address one particular rumour that Meghan made Kate cry during a bridesmaid's dress fitting for Princess Charlotte.

Reports that Meghan's "strict demands" had left Kate in tears "puzzled" those who were present, the book states.

A source who was there said: "Some of the children weren't cooperating, and there was a lot going on. Everyone tried to help where they could, but it's never easy with kids at fittings. There were no tears from anyone.

"And in the end the fitting was fine. Kate and Meghan were both a little stressed but professional in the room, and there were other people there."

Prince William told Harry not to rush things with Meghan

William is said to have sat Harry down at the start of his relationship and urged him to take things slowly.

"Don't feel you need to rush this," he said. "Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl." The words "this girl" are said to have irritated Harry, leading him to describe his brother as a snob.

"Harry could see through William's words. He was being a snob," a source is quoted..

Palace staff were wary of Meghan

The book details how several members of the royal family did not trust Meghan.

"At least two other family members also voiced concerns to each other over the pace at which Harry's relationship had moved," the book states.

Meanwhile, when Meghan and Harry started dating, one senior royal allegedly referred to the Suits actor as "Harry's showgirl".

Another is reported to have told an aide: "She comes with a lot of baggage." While one high-ranking courtier was overheard telling a colleague: "There's just something about her I don't trust."

Meghan felt like her father was a victim of the media

The authors write that an unnamed "trusted confidant" of Meghan expressed to them that she blamed the media for "corrupting" her estranged father Thomas Markle.

According to the source, Meghan told them: "My dad never sought this out. I really believe that he's the victim, and now I feel sad because I believe he's been fully corrupted."

Harry and Meghan felt like they took a 'back seat' in royal family

The book states that the couple grew frustrated that they "often took a back seat to other family members".

"While they both respected the hierarchy of the institution, it was difficult when they wanted to focus on a project and were told that a more senior ranking family member had an initiative or tour being announced at the same time - so they would just have to wait," the book new claims.
The unseemly power struggle in Rajasthan is both curious and disturbing. Curious, because the people or institutions which are not supposed to be part of it play a major role in it.

Disturbing, because all the players together undermine the very idea of democracy.

The rebellion led by Sachin Pilot, then state head of the Congress and deputy chief minister, indeed precipitated a crisis for the Ashok Gehlot-led ministry in the state when he demanded a leadership change.

Mr Pilots statement that the ministry was reduced to a minority warranted a show of strength by Mr Gehlot.

The Constitution, the law and the rulings of the Supreme Court have laid down the rules to solve the issue easily, by testing the majority on the floor of the house. But that has not happened yet.

As per the anti-defection law, the 18-member group led by Mr Pilot could attract action by the Speaker. The Congress, which originally had 107 members, has formally complained to the Speaker for their disqualification.

However, the Speaker, on whom the law bestows the power to decide the case, has not been able to exercise his power.

The simple solutions which are mandated by the law to end the stalemate have not been initiated yet. For, one, the governor has refused to call the session of the assembly and two, the Rajasthan High Court has barred the Speaker from deciding the case.

The court has even gone on to question the very premise of the anti-defection law, instead of allowing the process to complete and then deciding the merit of the Speakers decision.

At a time when the entire state machinery must be fighting the pandemic Covid-19, the Chief Minister was seen last week organising a protest in front of the Raj Bhavan demanding that the Governor respect his constitutional responsibilities.

After getting no positive response, Mr Gehlot now threatens that he will take his protest to the residence of the Prime Minister in the national capital. He also plans to meet the President.

The Bharatiya Janata Party which has successfully toppled ministries in many states, including in Madhya Pradesh, has been active in Rajasthan, too, but not in the same brazen manner in which it has acted in others.

A party delegation last week met the governor and complained to him about the anarchy prevailing in the state. The party seems to have decided to keep the pot boiling.

The people of Rajasthan deserve better.

The President, who has sworn to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, must ensure that his representative in Jaipur follows the democratic practices and allow the ministry to have its say in calling the session of the legislature.

The Supreme Court, which is set to resume the hearing in the petition moved by the Speaker on Monday, must let the law take its course instead of lecturing the nation on peoples right to dissent even as it goes on to prosecute people who raise legitimate questions on the conduct of the institution. The two offices must let democracy function.
A church volunteer has admitted starting a fire that devastated the cathedral in the French city of Nantes last week, his lawyer has said.



The Rwandan refugee, who worked as a warden at the cathedral, was rearrested on Saturday night.



No motive for the fire, which destroyed the cathedrals 17th Century organ as well as historic stained-glass windows, has been given.



His lawyer told reporters his client felt relief after confessing.



Its someone who is scared, who is somehow overwhelmed, his lawyer, Quentin Chabert, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.



The 39-year-old volunteer, who has not been named, was initially detained for questioning after the blaze but then released without charge.



He had been in charge of locking up the Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul cathedral the day before the blaze on 18 July.



Officials had previously said that the fire was believed to have been arson and had been started in three different places.



Nantes prosecutor Pierre Sennes said on Saturday that the man had been charged with destruction and damage by fire and could face up to 10 years in prison and 150,000 ($175,000; 135,000) in fines, according to the AFP news agency.



Around 100 firefighters managed to stop the flames from destroying the main structure at the cathedral. French Prime Minister Jean Castex praised their professionalism, courage and self-control.



The fire comes about 15 months after a blaze nearly destroyed Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Source: bbc









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The tabloids have been interested in Prince Harrys love life ever since he was a young adult. Throughout the years, there have been numerous stories about his various girlfriends and dates. However, Harry did not settle down with anyone until Meghan, Duchess of Sussex came along.

Harry and Meghan got married in 2018 and now have one child together. Its clear Meghan is a special person in Harrys life, and she reportedly made an impression on him on their first date. According to a new book called Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Family, Meghan showed herself to be different from many people Harry had met in a unique way.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

How did Meghan Markle and Prince Harry meet?

Meghan and Harry met in the summer of 2016 through a mutual friend. At the time, Meghan was an actor on the show Suits. When she visited London, she and Harry were set up on a blind date.

Before their date, Meghan and Harry did not know much about each other. In their engagement interview in 2017, Meghan revealed she did not follow the royal family and Harry shared that he had never watched Suits.

How did Meghan prove herself to be different from other people Harry had met?

RELATED: What is Prince Harrys Ex-Girlfriend Chelsy Davy Doing Now?

According to Finding Freedom, Meghan and Harry went to dinner for their first date. It was there that Harry learned Meghan was not easily impressed by his princely status.

On that first date at Soho Houses Dean Street Townhouse, Harry quickly realised that impressing Meghan was going to be tougher than just giving her one of his big smiles, the book said, according to an excerpt published by The Times.

Meghan and Harry were allegedly bashful at first when they started talking, but soon enough, their conversations flowed easily.

On two individual velvet club chairs, the pair were in their own little world, the book claimed. Over drinks (beer for him, a martini for her), they asked each other questions about their work. Nibbles may have been out on the low table in front of their oversize chairs, but neither touched the food.

Meghan and Harry moved fast with their relationship

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'stayed in 1,500 a night tent during early romantic getaway' https://t.co/8KCoHbBsNB  SkyNews (@SkyNews) July 26, 2020

RELATED: Is Meghan Markle Making the Royal Family More Selective About Letting Celebrities Into Their Ranks In the Future?

It seemed both Meghan and Harry quickly realized they had something special going on. They did not share a kiss at the end of the date. However, they saw each other again the very next evening and had dinner at the same restaurant.

For their third date several weeks later, Harry decided to fly Meghan to Botswana. The couple spent five days together under the stars in the Okavango Delta.

Within three months, they had said I love you to each other, according to the book. Then, after a year and a half of dating, Meghan and Harry announced their engagement. They got married in May 2018.

Harrys relationship with Meghan contrasted that of his brother, Prince William, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. William and Kate had a courtship that lasted almost 10 years; they met in the early 2000s and tied the knot in 2011.
A police officer based at the Kiptagich Police Station, Kenya who was recently was reported to have crushed a police car while drunk has committed suicide.

The local chief Wycliffe Too told K24 Digital that the policeman, Fred Amaya, hanged himself in the stations bathroom.

The scene was visited by the Kuresoi South Sub-County Commander and Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers.

Police said the officer did not leave behind a suicide note indicating the reason for taking his life.



His body has been taken to the mortuary awaiting a post-mortem.

The policeman was in the news on July 15 when he crashed a Toyota Land Cruiser into a fence while looking visible drunk.

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For those occupations, the program will accept that the exposure to COVID-19 was proximately caused by the nature of the employment and will only require medical evidence that establishes a diagnosis of COVID-19, such as a positive COVID-19 test result, it said. Those in other types of positions must show that the disease was employment-related, as with any other type of injury or illness claim.
George Russell is not convinced that he can compete with his Williams at Silverstone as strongly as he did in Hungary, where he drove a reasonable race despite his eighteenth place.

"I'm not sure," says Russell to Crash.net when asked if he's looking forward to two races in his homeland. "I think on paper Hungary is the circuit that suits us best and where our car can deliver the most, as we showed in qualifying. In England we will have to compete with the Alfa Romeo's and the Haas cars to get a place in Q2".

Read more Does Hamilton suspect Bill Gates of lies? Driver shares antivaccination video

Speed not optimal

According to Russell, the speed of his car is not optimal. "We've had two good qualifiers, but we just lacked speed during the races. Last year that was not the case. At that time the race speed was much higher than the pace in qualifying." Although Russell doubts if he and his team can achieve results in England, he is looking forward to racing in his own country. "I'm certainly looking forward to that. In between races I stay at home. But it's a pity there are no fans. That was the highlight of last season for me."

Read more Chassis problems are a priority at Red Bull, not a DAS system
Koralrescue.com scored 46 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2.5/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 28 Nov 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

The total number of people who shared the koralrescue homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the koralrescue homepage on Twitter + the total number of koralrescue followers (if koralrescue has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the koralrescue homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the koralrescue homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if koralrescue has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the koralrescue homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button.

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE KORAL DESCRIPTION Koalition of Rescuers and Animal Lovers KEYWORDS dog, rescue OTHER KEYWORDS



The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE HTML 5.0 CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER public.app35.aus.wixpress.com OPERATIVE SYSTEM

Type of server and offered services. Operative System running on the server. Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) The language of koralrescue.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for koralrescue.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

Facebook link

FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND

The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The URL of the found Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The type of Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages.

Twitter account link

TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
Last week, the U.S. District court sitting in Illinois dismissed the complaints against Olalekan Ponle, the Nigerian facing charges on multi-million dollar wire fraud.

Mr Ponle, popularly addressed as Woodberry, was arrested, alongside Ramon Abbas (Hushpuppi) in the United Arab Emirate, on June 10, for multiple fraud charges after a raid by operatives of the Dubai crime unit.

They were extradited to the U.S on July 2.

According to the complaint against Mr Ponle, an unnamed Chicago company was tricked into sending wire transfers totalling $15.2 million. Companies based in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, New York and California also were victims of the fraud, prosecutors say.

In what seemed like a plot twist on Wednesday, the U.S government applied for a motion of dismissal without prejudice and it was granted by the presiding Judge, Robert W. Gettleman.

When a case is dismissed with prejudice, it is over and done with, once and for all, and cannot be brought back to court.

On the other hand, when it is dismissed without prejudice, as in the case of Mr Ponle, the dismissal is temporary as the prosecutor can refile such within a certain period of time.

Although, the government attorney, when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, declined to disclose the reasons for the dismissal of the complaints, plausible reasons for such step include but not limited to; insufficiency of evidence or inclusion of superfluous details.

The attorney, however, hinted that the grand jury indictment, which summed the allegations against him to an eight-count charge, is still active.

With or without the dismissal, Mr Ponle is not yet a free man.

Between complaints and indictments

According to the administration of criminal justice in the U.S., both the indictment and the complaint serve the same function of initiating a criminal case and informing the defendant of the charges.

They also ensure that a prosecutor has sufficient evidence to establish probable cause that a crime has been committed.

A complaint is a statement of the essential facts of the offence to be charged, made under oath by a law enforcement official. This was what the FBI investigator first presented against Mr Ponle.

In order to make an arrest, prosecutors often file a complaint to hasten the process.

Unlike the complaint, to obtain an indictment, the prosecutor must present proposed charges to a grand jury  a body of jurors that investigates crimes and decides whether charges should be filed.

The Jury, done in strict confidence, may demand that some of the witnesses and evidence be provided, after which they vote. Grand juries do not need a unanimous decision from all members to indict, but it does need a supermajority of 2/3 or 3/4 agreement for an indictment.

Most federal criminal offenses require an indictment under the U.S constitution because the grand jury proceedings are often a valuable test for prosecutors in making the decision to bring the case to fore.

Nevertheless, if a grand jury chooses not to indict, the prosecutor may still bring the defendant to trial if he/she thinks that the case is strong enough, using the complaint.

In conclusion, Mr Ponle may either be arraigned using the indictment or an amended version of the complaints, since it was dismissed without prejudice.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has signed an agreement with the University of Malaga to write a technical report which will look into the vulnerability and resilience of the grape variety grown in the Axarquia.

The grape, which is traditionally dried to become muscatel raisins and used to produce local wine, was given the FAO's Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) distinction in 2017 in recognition of the traditional and sustainable way in which it is grown.

However, researchers fear that a combination of climate and demographic change as well as the growth in the subtropical fruit sector in the Axarquia could be putting the variety at risk.

Jose Damian Ruiz Sinoga, lead researcher for the project from the University of Malaga, said that the numerous factors "could seriously endanger the survival of this traditional system, leading to a drastic loss of a native species, erosion and desertification."

Around 2,000 families in the Axarquia depend on the sector for their livelihoods. However, many growers are turning to mangoes and avocados instead.
She filed for divorce from her husband of 13 years, Andrew Form, earlier this month.

But Fast & Furious star Jordana Brewster is wasting no time in moving on.

The 40-year-old actress is currently dating investment CEO Mason Morfit, and the pair having been packing on the PDA on a number of occasions over the past few weeks.

New romance: Jordana Brewster, 40, passionately kisses her new man Mason Morfit on Saturday in Santa Monica, Los Angeles

On Saturday, Jordana and her new man were seen passionately kissing one another while frolicking in the ocean in Santa Monica, Los Angeles.

Jordana showcased her incredible figure in a brown bikini, as she wrapped her arms around her beau.

The pair appeared to be having a very amorous kissing session while standing in the waves together.

Fast and Furious: It's not clear how long the pair have been dating, but they certainly appear to be in the honeymoon phase of their fledgling relationship

Loved-up: Jordana and Mason are making no secret of their love for another

Romantic: The pair held hands as they climbed back out of the ocean after packing on the PDA

On July 1 this year, Jordana applied to legally end her 13-year marriage to Andrew - the father of her sons Julian, six, and four-year-old Rowan - after it was reported they had 'quietly separated' earlier this year.

According to TMZ, relations between the former couple are 'amicable', but it is unclear what caused their split.

Jordana met the 48-year-old producer on the set of their 2006 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning but they initially kept their relationship under wraps as they felt it would have been 'unprofessional'.

Beach babe: Meanwhile the actress showed off her incredible bikini body

Tanned and toned: Jordana wowed in a brown two-piece on her day out at the beach

Fast and curious: It seemed Jordana wanted to test the waters to see how cold the ocean was

Not today: The actress runs away from an incoming wave to get back to her beau

The star previously said: 'We started dating in secret - you know, hanging out in my trailer - because it would have been unprofessional otherwise.'

Meanwhile, it appears Jordana and her new love Mason Morfit are already well into their relationship as they have been spotted out now on numerous occasions together holding hands and looking loved up.

Mason is currently the President and Chief Investment Officer of ValueAct Capital, and was previously on the the Microsoft Board of Directors until November 2017.

Making waves: Jordana shows off her amazing physique at the beach

Making a splash: The pair are certainly fond of weekend trips to the ocean

Hot new romance: The pair appear to be enjoying their company as they've been spotted out on numerous occasions this past week

Jordana recently opened up in an interview about her struggles as a mother and admitted that she is a 'pretty neurotic' parent.

She said: 'But being a mom, in general, is not easy, obviously. I thought I would be a chill supermom, but I'm not - I'm pretty neurotic. Having kids really kicked up my anxiety and made things like meditation that much more important for me.'

'And kids really are mirrors back to you! My son Julian is a lot like me. He'll see the negative in something or he will always question things.

Sunning herself: The actress showed off her stunning figure while sunbathing

Getting down on one knee: The couple certainly have been moving fast in their union

Peace out: Mason appeared to be taking a selfie with Jordana in the background

Let me see: The couple look at his phone after taking a shot

Packing up: The pair got their things together to head home after a day of fun

'He's really smart, so he keeps me on my toes. There are certain things I have to do now, like going on set, that I wouldn't have thought twice about back in the day. I'll make my boys calendars and say, 'This is when mommy is coming back. This is what your schedule is. This is what we'll do then.'"

'That helps with all of our anxiety. I strive really hard to be a good mom and not take it too far where I'm being crazy-neurotic. What helps me the most is talking to my friends who have similar issues and are going through similar things.'

'The only bummer is that I don't have that many actor friends who are moms, and I need some more of that in my life because it's just such a unique position to be in.'
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious shortfalls in the US health care system that need to be fixed both to handle the current crisis and prepare for futures ones, according to a new solutions brief by the Committee for Economic Development (CED) of The Conference Board.

As outlined in US Health Care in the Pandemic, the significant shortfalls that have become clear include: the ability of the current fee-for-service system to handle the challenge; the nation's preparedness when the pandemic began; and finally, how the system has performed given the resources we have on hand. The report provides recommendations on how to deal with the current pandemic, as well recommendations, based on lessons learned, for preparing for the next one.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed an enormous price on the US," said Lori Esposito Murray, President of CED. "That hard-earned experience must not be squandered: We must manage the current situation intelligently and learn to minimize the costs of future outbreaks. US leadership is truly on the line as we react now and plan for tomorrow."

The US needs a health care system with financial incentives that are realigned to focus on "population health," according to the report, reimbursing providers for maintaining health. The current fee-for-service system proved especially problematic during the pandemic as the fee-for-service system had trouble rapidly adapting to a new disease, which pressed the health care system and added extra financial stresses as profitable services were crowded out.

To defeat the current outbreak, four steps are immediately necessary:

Restock and maintain the Strategic National Stockpile with both sophisticated materials, such as pharmaceuticals and ventilators, and everyday supplies including masks, gloves, and surgical gowns. That will include ensuring that long-lived materials are usable, renewing expired items before they are needed, and developing protocols for allocating supplies where they are needed.

with both sophisticated materials, such as pharmaceuticals and ventilators, and everyday supplies including masks, gloves, and surgical gowns. That will include ensuring that long-lived materials are usable, renewing expired items before they are needed, and developing protocols for allocating supplies where they are needed. Increase testing , which is currently insufficient to identify affected populations and track outbreaks. Improve the quality and reliability of serology testing. And invest in tracking and tracing confirmed cases and their contacts, and surge isolation capacity where needed.

, which is currently insufficient to identify affected populations and track outbreaks. Improve the quality and reliability of serology testing. And invest in tracking and tracing confirmed cases and their contacts, and surge isolation capacity where needed. Develop vaccines and therapeutic drugs while both maintaining safety and achieving efficacy. Multiple vaccines will be needed for adaptability and rapid manufacture, and the best scientific judgment will be needed to choose among the many candidates.

while both maintaining safety and achieving efficacy. Multiple vaccines will be needed for adaptability and rapid manufacture, and the best scientific judgment will be needed to choose among the many candidates. Engage in regional contingency planning to provide adequate hospital capacity, including through emergency regulatory relief as necessary.

Once the COVID-19 outbreak has been vanquished, the nation will have to undertake an evaluation of its response to the pandemic to prepare for the next one. The US should move quickly to implement six recommendations well before we face another such crisis:

International cooperation and openness for necessary worldwide early warnings of incipient outbreaks. Without constant information flow around the world, the next pathogen could again arrive on our shores before the email, as this one did.

for necessary worldwide early warnings of incipient outbreaks. Without constant information flow around the world, the next pathogen could again arrive on our shores before the email, as this one did. A well-thought-out and well-funded stockpiling policy. The national stockpile should cover immediate, emergency national needs before surge production can begin, and beyond what private institutions and states can be asked to fund, store, and maintain. The long-term response requires both money and smart management.

The national stockpile should cover immediate, emergency national needs before surge production can begin, and beyond what private institutions and states can be asked to fund, store, and maintain. The long-term response requires both money and smart management. Physical facilities for treatment , including the possession of, or quick access to, physical facilities for treating and separating the infected, the symptomatic, and their contacts.

, including the possession of, or quick access to, physical facilities for treating and separating the infected, the symptomatic, and their contacts. Development of new multipathogen vaccines and therapeutics for likely future viral outbreaks. This would allow advanced stockpiling of these drugs. There is currently little financing for developing such advanced drugs, however, so the government must demand and fund such research.

for likely future viral outbreaks. This would allow advanced stockpiling of these drugs. There is currently little financing for developing such advanced drugs, however, so the government must demand and fund such research. Government leadership as a source of reliable and sound guidance to effectively coordinate a national response and ensure that all stakeholders are working together toward the same goal.

Read the new report, US Health Care in the Pandemic, here.

About CED

The Committee for Economic Development is the Public Policy Center of The Conference Board that delivers well-researched analysis, and non-partisan, reasoned solutions in the nation's interest. www.ced.org

About The Conference Board

The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what's ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States.

www.conference-board.org

SOURCE Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED)

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KT&G's lil hybrid 2.0 tobacco heating device / Courtesy of KT&G



By Nam Hyun-woo



KT&G said Monday it seeks to become the fourth-largest tobacco company in the world by 2025, by expanding its sales network in emerging markets and introducing new e-cigarette products to global consumers.



"KT&G aims to increase the number of exporting countries from 80 to over 200 by 2025," the company said in a statement. "Through this, we set the new goal of becoming the No. 4 tobacco company in the global market by then."



According to Euromonitor International, KT&G was the No. 5 tobacco maker in the world by sales volume and market share as of 2016, an accomplishment that came less than 20 years after it first entered the global market in 1999.



To accomplish its new goal, KT&G said it has been striving to explore new markets. For the past few years, the company's exports to new markets in Africa, South and Central America and the Asia-Pacific region have increased sharply, lowering its prior heavy reliance on markets in the Middle East.



According to the company, its exports to the Middle East, Central Asia and Russia amounted to 108.15 billion won ($90.32) in 2019, down from 169.89 billion won a year earlier. During the same period, exports to North America surged to 75.68 billion won from 53.67 billion won, and that of other markets also increased to 350.61 billion won from 313.06 billion won.



KT&G said it will bolster its performance in the overseas market by increasing investments in the distribution network and marketing infrastructure of its global subsidiaries. KT&G has established subsidiaries in Turkey, Russia, Indonesia and the U.S. The subsidiaries in the U.S. and Indonesia are showing exceptional sales growth.



Along with the growth of conventional tobacco products, KT&G said it is betting high on e-cigarette products' exports, highlighted by its strategic collaboration with Philip Morris International (PMI).



Under the deal, which was signed in January, KT&G will introduce its "lil" tobacco heating devices and their tobacco sticks across the world through PMI's global sales network spanning 180 markets.



KT&G and PMI seek to commercialize KT&G's lil models later this year in a number of markets, which the former said will be announced later. Further expansion will depend on initial market results.



"The global collaboration with PMI will be an important milestone for KT&G in marking its presence in the global next-generation tobacco product market and securing a distribution network for lil, which has already been highly recognized in the domestic market," KT&G said in the statement.


Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 22:29:58|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on July 27, 2020 shows a screen displaying the Hang Seng Index and the Hang Seng Tech Index in Hong Kong, south China. The Hang Seng Tech Index tracking tech giants listed in Hong Kong was launched on Monday as the world's top fund-raising center is striving to attract more tech firms and reinforce its position amid global volatility. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

HONG KONG, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Hang Seng Tech Index tracking tech giants listed in Hong Kong was launched on Monday as the world's top fund-raising center is striving to attract more tech firms and reinforce its position amid global volatility.

The new index of Hang Seng Indexes Company closed 1.28 percent lower to 6,774.78 points on its debut.

The tech index follows the performance of the 30 largest Hong Kong-traded tech firms in sectors including Internet, financial technology and e-commerce. Internet conglomerate Alibaba, making its secondary listing in Hong Kong last November, has the biggest weighting of 8.53 percent in the index, followed by Tencent and Meituan Dianping.

The launch of the tech index came as tech firms have started to play an increasingly bigger role on Hong Kong's stock market.

The number of tech companies listed on the main board of the Hong Kong exchange has increased from 137 at the end of 2017 to 163 in June 2020. The share by market capitalization of tech companies have also risen from 14.6 percent to 33.2 percent from 2017 to June 2020.

Trading of tech shares has become robust on the market as a growing number of investors have started to favor tech firms, said Vincent Kwan, chief executive officer of Hang Seng Indexes Company.

Given the changing market landscape, the new index will better reflect the performance of top Hong Kong-listed technology companies.

Hang Seng Indexes Company also said the tech index will become the next flagship index of the company, alongside the broader Hang Seng Index and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index.

Kwan also expects the index to become an international index after more global leading tech firms opt to go public in Hong Kong in the future.

Hong Kong's appeal to tech firms is attributable to a bold reform on listing rules of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) in 2018, which features lower thresholds for bio-tech companies and approval of weighted voting rights structures.

The reform has encouraged more promising tech firms to raise funds in Hong Kong and provided a major boost for the fund-raising market to stay prosperous.

Analysts believe the Hong Kong market can also wean off its reliance on traditional industries, including finance and property, and make a shift to the new economy.

More tech firms eager to list in Hong Kong and more investors turning to Hong Kong have helped form the current technology and finance circle here, Kwan said, adding that the new index, along with the market development, will propel Hong Kong for the tech sector.

Currently, more U.S.-traded Chinese mainland companies are expected to choose Hong Kong as the destination of their secondary listing. Alibaba, JD.com and NetEase have all completed their fund-raising in Hong Kong.

Ant Group, the parent company of China's leading mobile-payment business Alipay, also announced earlier this month that it has commenced the process of concurrent initial public offerings in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong stock exchange topped the world's IPO league table for a second straight year in 2019 and for the seventh time in the last 11 years, with 312.89 billion Hong Kong dollars (about 40 billion U.S. dollars) raised.
The most controversial moustache in South Korea has fallen victim to the razor's blade, with US ambassador Harry Harris visiting a traditional barbershop months after his facial hair became the object of unusual criticism. Seoul and Washington are security allies and the US stations 28,500 troops in the country. But their relationship has been strained in recent years by differences in their approaches to North Korea and over cost-sharing responsibilities. Harris has several times been the object of controversy in the South, and accused of high-handedness. Even his facial hair became an issue of debate. The envoy's mother was Japanese and, with Koreans still bitterly resentful of Tokyo's 1910-45 colonisation of the peninsula, commentators claimed the moustache alluded to the fashions of imperial governors-general from the period. In January Harris retorted that his grooming was a matter of personal choice, and that his critics were "cherry picking history". But over the weekend he uploaded a video to social media of him getting the moustache shaved off at a traditional Korean barbershop, saying he did so to keep cool in the Seoul summer, while wearing a mask to fight the coronavirus pandemic. "Glad I did this," the envoy said in a tweet. "For me it was either keep the 'stache or lose the mask. Summer in Seoul is way too hot & humid for both. #COVID guidelines matter & I'm a masked man!" Seoul and Tokyo are both major US allies, democracies and market economies faced with an overbearing China and nuclear-armed North Korea, but are locked in bitter disputes over historical issues. Earlier this year Harris said: "I understand the historical animosity that exists between both of the countries but I'm not the Japanese American ambassador in Korea, I'm the American ambassador to Korea. "And to take that history and put it on me simply because an accident of birth I think is a mistake." Ambassador Harry Harris, before he removed his much debated moustache
HKPF not impacted by equipment export sanctions: police chief

Global Times

By Chen Qingqing and Fan Lingzhi Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/26 21:34:53

Natl security law enforcement requires comprehensive consideration of factors; no one-size-fits-all approach

The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) has been working with various places around the world in terms of equipment procurement and training, and has not focused on one single country, so the equipment export sanctions will have little impact on the HKPF, and the unilateral move to cut ties or suspend exports would only cost the other countries involved, Chris Tang Ping-keung, Commissioner of Police of the HKPF, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.

The remarks were made after the European Union endorsed a framework of possible EU and national actions on Friday, including curbing the export of equipment and technologies used for law enforcement in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The move comes after the US government recently adopted a series of moves that include suspending the export of US-origin defense equipment and imposing restrictions on the exports of US defense and dual-use technologies to the HKSAR. The US government also signed a sanction bill into law and is mulling on further sanctions concerning officials involved in the passage of the national security law.

"In fact, since September 2019, the HKPF has stopped sending staff to law enforcement agencies in the US for training and communication due to the complex geopolitical situation," Tang said, adding that in terms of training and equipment procurement, the police force has kept in close contact with different places from around the world, rather than focusing on only one country.

The HKPF has been under the spotlight since the anti-extradition bill protests in 2019, which then turned into citywide chaos. As law enforcers, the police force has been constantly smeared, accused and attacked by anti-government forces, while some Western media outlets have also called the police law enforcement "brutal and violent," dismissing the fact that there have been 615 police officers injured since the protests first broke out.



When the death of George Floyd triggered multiple Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the US, many called the double standards and hypocrisy of some members of the US Congress and US media for being critical and tough toward their domestic massive nationwide demonstrations, but encouraging violent activities in Hong Kong.

"Personally speaking, it's my honor and duty to safeguard national security. As a Chinese person, it's also a righteous responsibility to safeguard my own country's safety," Tang said.

As Commissioner of Police, Tang sees law enforcement "absolutely legitimate and reasonable," and any sanction from any country based on political reasons has absolute zero impact on him, noting that he doesn't fear the sanctions.

After the national security law for Hong Kong took effect and some implementation rules unveiled, the HKPF was widely believed to have "sweeping power" and some anti-China non-governmental organizations even called that the law risks turning the city into "police state." However, such claims are based on no understanding of current local laws in Hong Kong without looking into the details of the law.

For instance, the implementation rules for Article 43 of the national security law for Hong Kong provides legal guarantees for police to apply the law and safeguard national interests, and grants the police several powers including raiding without a court warrant and ordering internet firms to remove content, or seizing their equipment, among them, four are existing practices, which are applicable to the national security law and extension of existing power, according to the police chief.

"Two rules - removal of messages endangering national security and requiring foreign political organizations or Taiwan political organizations to provide information - are appropriate amendments under the existing legal framework," Tang said.

What might be considered a "new power" is the requirement to remove messages, Tang said. "In fact, many countries have similar rules and powers; for example, in Germany, Australia and Singapore, local regulations empower law enforcement departments to remove information, and this was not created by Hong Kong," he added.

Anti-government protests broke out in Hong Kong shortly after the law came into force and police made first arrests under the law at the beginning of July. While some wonder about the legal boundaries during the law enforcement process, some suspects shouting pro-independence slogans or holding up flags calling for independence, instigating subversion have been targeted by the law.

While the law gives out explicit stipulation on four types of offences, each case has different characteristics, requiring comprehensive consideration of "a basket of factors," and there is no one-size-fit-all approach, Tang said.

"The police will take a look at the whole behavior of targeted personnel including whether they have the intention of instigating subversion, their behavior, objects they hide and impact on the public and so on," he said.

In addition, like other criminal cases, the police need to check the situation on the ground including the evidence and environment. If there is sufficient evidence to prove that a person has violated the law, the police will strictly enforce the law, Tang added.

The HKPF has been making continuous efforts to safeguard national security, and the relevant provisions to achieve this goal also exist in the existing laws of Hong Kong, such as Public Order Ordinance and Societies Ordinance.

"The establishment of the national security law for Hong Kong clearly sets out the responsibilities of the HKPF, making law enforcement work clearer and fixing legal loopholes," the police chief said.

To make sure the newly-established national security department of the HKPF fully operate, relevant departments would be equipped with sufficient staff in order to handle and investigate cases relevant to national security, Tang noted.

With abundant experiences in criminal investigation, international liaison as well as operation command, Tang sees his training and communication experiences with the Chinese mainland "very useful."

According to open resume information, Tang has received training in China Executive Leadership Academy in Pudong, Shanghai, Chinese People's Public Security University and Chinese Academy of Governance in Beijing.

When he looked back into his past learning experiences on the mainland, although it was over a decade ago, such experiences had broadened his horizons, Tang told the Global Times.

"This is very good experience for me to become police chief. Besides training classes, I also got the chance to go and look around in different places and have a strong feeling about how fast my country had advanced in high technology and other developments," he said, noting that without having training on the mainland, he wouldn't have any idea about how fast the country has been developing.

Those schools are the places our country trains senior talents, and through those trainings, I have gained a lot of understanding of our country's situation and national policies covering economic, political, people's life, culture and so on, Tang said. "It's enhanced my recognition of national identity, which will bring me a lifetime of benefits."

The HKPF has been maintaining training and cooperation mechanisms with the mainland law enforcement authorities, and the two sides have been also keeping in close communication before and after the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong, with the aim of jointly work and coordination, Tang said.

The law requires that the national security department of the HKPF and the office for safeguarding national security of the central government in the HKSAR to establish coordination mechanism in enhancing information sharing and action collaboration.

"I'm very grateful to the Ministry of Public Security for its strong support and guidance to the HKPF in the past, as always, we will continue to work closely together to safeguard national security," he said.

In December 2019, footage showing Tang watching soldiers raise the Chinese national flag in Tiananmen Square went viral on internet, as this was his first official trip to the capital city of China as police chief of the HKSAR. However, that was not the first time Tang went to a flag-raising ceremony. "Every time I visit Beijing, I go watching the ceremony if I have a chance, and I can't even remember how many times I have attended," he said.

"Whenever I see the national flag flying in the air, I'm particularly moved, because I can feel the greatness of our country and I'm proud of being Chinese," Tang said.

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The local council in Shropshire in western England on Monday said it is considering placing a plaque next to Robert Clives statue explaining the controversial legacy of the man, who ruthlessly laid the foundation of British rule in India in the 18th century, as they are finally facing up to painful and shameful periods in their history. It had earlier on July 16 rejected the demand to remove the statue.

A ruthless military commander, Clive, who was born in Shropshire in 1725, served as Bengals governor twice. The statue has stood in Shrewsburys square since 1860. Black Lives Matter campaigners have identified the statue as one of many recently across the UK for removal. Chapters of the Black Lives Matter campaign against racism have spread across the world including the UK since it began in the US in 2013.

Today, as a society, we are finally facing up to painful and shameful periods in our history and having to address subjects that cause real distress to some members of our community, especially when they arent managed sensitively. The way we interpret the past is hugely important, said Steve Charmley, the councils deputy leader.

The 28-member council on July 16 met and voted in favour of a recommendation that no further action be taken on the demand to remove the statue. As many as 17 voted against the proposal and one councillor abstained.

Charmley said they do not believe in erasing controversial history. We believe we should not erase controversial history but, rather than celebrate and glorify such people and events, find appropriate ways to mark and learn from them(We) are currently exploring the possibility of placing a plaque next to the statue to factually bring more of his story and background to life.

The existence of Clives statue in Kolkata (Calcutta) was cited as one of the reasons for the recommendation against the statues removal on July 16. Calcutta was British Indias capital until it was shifted to New Delhi in 1912.

Thousands have signed a petition calling for the statues removal. A counter-petition has insisted that removing statues does not change history nor help us learn from it. Shropshire has been influenced by the actions of Robert Clive, whether we condone all of his actions or not.

Protests under the banner of Black Lives Matter campaign were held across the UK after George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died when a white police officer knelt on his neck in the US in May. It gathered momentum after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down in Bristol in early June. The campaign has prompted a review of public spaces in London and elsewhere on symbols of racism, colonialism and slave trade.

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On the one hand, zero trust security seems simple: Assume compromise and authenticate every action. In practice, though, zero trust can be maddeningly complicated.

A group of security specialists from across government recently met to discuss what's needed to move zero trust into the mainstream, in a roundtable convened by FCW, a sibling site to GCN. The full discussion was on the record but not for individual attribution, and the quotes have been edited for length and clarity.

One of the requirements for zero trust is establishing a baseline of normal application, user and network behavior  a task recently made much more difficult with so many government employees working from home.

"The new normal" has become an overused term since COVID-19 upended workplaces, but several participants said the surge in telework was indeed changing security conversations. "I think it's been a catalyst for people to think about how that strong network perimeter isn't what they thought it was," one said.

New or old, however, establishing what's normal in a network is essential to a zero-trust approach. Location data has changed dramatically in recent months, but multiple officials said defining a baseline is difficult even without maximum telework.

"What is normal will change over time," one said. "Certain changes, while deemed anomalous, could be quite normal in a network. And so this whole idea of understanding patterns and normalcy and looking for anomalies becomes an extremely challenging problem."

Thanks to the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation Program, the 2015 governmentwide "cyber sprint" and recent efforts by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, federal agencies now have much better data on their users, devices and network traffic than was the case just a few years ago. But understanding that data and using it to create a baseline are other matters entirely.

"People forget it's not always a user accessing the data system," one official said. "The systems also are sharing data all the time." Another pointed to the surge in robotic process automation initiatives and said artificial-intelligence-powered automation can conclude: "'Hey, this data and this data really work well together.' So we now have automation creating these streams in the background, which complicates things a little bit further."

Similarly, another added, "we always talk about access and the data as if data is always sitting still. What are we doing to protect it when it is in motion? That needs to be addressed, too. I don't hear a lot of that when I hear people talk about zero trust."

"Some system owners don't really know how their data flows," another participant said. "It's going to make your life much more difficult if you cannot baseline that normal."

AI and analytics will be essential to making sense of all that data, the group agreed. The complexity is effectively forcing CIOs to become data analysts, one official said, because "you're going to have to use analytics in order to help manage your networks."

Given the many complexities involved, most of the participants were focused on finding practical starting points rather than perfecting the larger framework.

As one official said about adopting zero trust: "At the end of the day, I've got to be able to answer one question: Is my data still protected as a result? If I can answer that question, I'm good."

Another recommended focusing on specific use cases: "Can enterprises with satellite facilities connect without compromising the entire network? Can contractors get access without compromising the entire network? Can collaboration across enterprise boundaries happen without compromising the entire network? That's really what we're talking about from a zero trust perspective."

Similarly, other participants emphasized starting with clearly defined functional building blocks. "How do we tackle lateral movement?" one asked. "What degrees of trust do we implicitly give to your Common Access Card, to your Kerberos token? What is the exact level of lateral movement that can come from those different things? And then start attacking that."

Specific applications can also offer a starting point. "A lot of people focus on devices and protecting the device, but it's actually the application that facilitates the access to that data," another participant said. "So that should be hardened."

All admitted that the complexity can be daunting. "Nothing is going to make this simple," said one official who urged focusing on the data layer. "But if we can start to define policy at the layer that we care about, we can at least simplify the approach and reduce the number of layers we have to take into consideration."

And while it's important to think about design principles at the enterprise level, there was strong consensus that implementations should start small.

"I'm of the opinion that the component technologies that enable something like zero trust can be small and have clear finish lines and run in parallel," one official said. "But I count myself personally fortunate that at my agency, nobody thus far has stepped up and said, 'We're going to have a [departmentwide] zero trust initiative' because that's intractable."

Read FCWs longer account of the roundtable discussion and find the list of participants here.
Google has decided that most of its 200,000 employees and contractors should work from home through next June, a sobering assessment of the pandemic's potential staying power from the company providing the answers for the world's most trusted internet search engine.

The remote-work order issued Monday by Google CEO Sundar Pichai also affects other companies owned by Google's corporate parent, Alphabet. It marks a six-month extension of Google's previous plan to keep most of its offices closed through the rest of this year.

The move marks a six-month extension of Google's previous plan to keep most of its offices closed through the rest of this year. Credit:AP

"To give employees the ability to plan ahead, well be extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that dont need to be in the office," wrote Pichai, who is also Alphabet's CEO, in an email to employees.

"I know this extended timeline may come with mixed emotions and I want to make sure youre taking care of yourselves."
(Natural News) A major Australian media outlet has decided to aid and abet the communist Chinese regime in trying to eradicate Falun Gong practitioners from China by unfairly demonizing them on television.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which we will refer to as ABC Australia (as opposed to ABC News here in the United States) for clarity, is reportedly airing a new program called, Dark Karma (and The Power of Falun Gong) that in many ways aims to justify the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) 21-year history of persecution against the Falun Gong.

Dark Karma is described as a joint investigation by ABC Australias Foreign Correspondent and Background Briefing that takes a closer look at the Buddhist qigong discipline through the alleged experiences of those who interacted with its practitioners and their activities.

The show was apparently created in conjunction with communist Chinas so-called 610 office, an extralegal police force established by the CCP more than two decades ago that The Epoch Times likens to the Gestapo.

Named for the date it was created back on June 10, 1999, the 610 office was contrived under former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin for the sole purpose of eradicating the Falun Gong from China through the use of propaganda, much like the kind that ABC Australia is now airing.

The Dark Karma program frames the issue as a warning to the world about the alleged true nature of the Falun Gong, casting it in an overtly negative light. Critics say that it only helps the cause of the CCP in seeking justification for the continued persecution of Falun Gong adherents living in China.

It reflects a deep cultural illiteracy, bordering on anti-religious bigotry, says John Deller from the Falun Dafa Association of Australia about the show. This will obscure far more than it will illuminate, and only the Chinese Communist Party stands to gain.

ABC Australia has been infiltrated by the CCP, now acts as propaganda arm of the regime

Ever since the 610 office was established, untold millions of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained without cause or trial and thrown into black jails, prisons and reeducation-through-labor camps, where many of them are now being forced to manufacture face masks for Americans who are scared of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

These same Falun Gong prisoners are also being tortured and killed, with many of them being forced to have their organs harvested and sold on the black market for the financial gain of the CCP.

The whole thing is utterly horrific, and yet Dark Karma does not dive into any of this. Instead, the show casts Falun Gong adherents as a scourge in China that deserve every form of persecution that they are now having to endure at the hands of the communists, which would love for nothing more than to make them all disappear.

As it turns out, ABC Australia has been cozying up to the CCP for many years by actively censoring and tailoring other news content at the behest of the regime, all in an attempt to gain deeper access to the Chinese viewer market.

Professor Clive Hamilton, author of Silent Invasion, says that Beijing long ago wormed its way into the operations at ABC Australia and now directly influences the type of content that is aired there, hence why Dark Karma is now being broadcast.

Were seeing now on the 610 office website that theyre picking up on the ABCs story  exactly as we warned them, adds Deller.

There are obvious consequences of further harm for people in China, and those given refugee protection by the [Australian] government. It has really opened up old memories and wounds when many felt safe here.

More related news about the CCPs continued efforts to smear the Falun Gong religion as an excuse to eradicate it from China is available at Propaganda.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
Amber Heard enjoyed another night out in London on Sunday evening as she celebrated the end of her testimony in ex-husband Johnny Depp's libel case.

The American actress was joined by her assistant Sara as they dined out at popular Mayfair fish restaurant Scott's.

Heard, 34, appeared to be without girlfriend Bianca Butti, a constant presence throughout court proceedings, while venturing out in a smart black trouser suit and brown shirt.

Stepping out: Amber Heard enjoyed another night out in London on Sunday evening as she celebrated the end of her testimony in ex-husband Johnny Depp's libel case

Leaving the restaurant later that night, Heard removed her face-mask as they made their way towards a waiting car.

Their latest public appearance comes after the actress, her sister Whitney Henriquez, girlfriend an lawyer Jennifer Robinson piled into the China Tang restaurant in Mayfair's swanky Dorchester restaurant on Friday.

The group, who kept their faces covered with colourful scarves and face masks, were seen entering the establishment just after 9pm, four hours after they left the High Court.

In good company: The American actress was joined by her assistant Sara as they dined out at popular Mayfair fish restaurant Scott's

Before their night out a friend of the actress alleged that Depp joked about punching Heard in the face after their wedding ceremony in the Bahamas.

Speaking at London's Royal Court of Justice, iO Tillett Wright, who was Heard's best man in February 2015, claimed he already knew Depp was 'hitting' her when the alleged comment was made.

In a written witness statement submitted in the Hollywood actor's libel trial against The Sun newspaper, Tillett Wright said: 'The first thing Johnny said to me after the ceremony, as we walked to the reception, was 'now I can punch her in the face and no-one can do anything about it'.

Make way: Their latest public appearance comes after the actress, her sister, girlfriend Bianca Butti and lawyer Jennifer Robinson piled into the China Tang restaurant in Mayfair's swanky Dorchester restaurant on Friday (pictured)

'He probably intended it as a joke, but it is only a joke if it's not real - and by then I knew he was hitting her.'

Tillett Wright, who describes himself as an author, photographer, TV host and activist, said he became one of Heard's 'closest friends' after they met in 2011.

In his statement, he said it was in late 2013 or early 2014 that he understood Depp was allegedly 'physically violent' towards Heard.

New week: Heard was seen making her way to court with girlfriend Bianca Butti on Monday morning

He said he had told Heard in 2015 not to go on holiday to the Bahamas with Mr Depp for Christmas, after hearing from her that the Pirates Of The Caribbean star had allegedly 'beat her up badly' in December that year.

Depp has strongly denied allegations of domestic violence against Heard.

'I told her - 'you cannot go' - he might kill you',' Tillett Wright said in his statement. He said he told Heard that Depp 'loved and would not hurt her' but 'he was not in control of his faculties'.

Denial: Depp, pictured outside the Royal Courts of Justice, has strongly denied allegations of domestic violence against Heard

Johnny Depp v The Sun: Key issues in libel trial These are the key issues the trial judge, Mr Justice Nicol, has to determine. - Whether the April 2018 article by the tabloid's executive editor Dan Wootton was defamatory of Depp. Under the Defamation Act 2013, a statement is not defamatory unless its publication causes 'serious harm to the reputation of the claimant'. - The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), is defending the claim and relying on a defence of truth. It is for the publisher to prove that the allegations made in the article are 'substantially true'. - The meaning of the article, which is defined as what it would mean to the 'reasonable reader', will have to be determined by the judge. But NGN's lawyers say the differences between the rival meanings contended by each side are 'not significant' and the outcome of the case will therefore not turn on meaning. - Depp's case is that the article bore the meaning that he was 'guilty, on overwhelming evidence, of serious domestic violence against his then wife, causing significant injury and leading to her fearing for her life, for which he was constrained to pay no less than 5 million to compensate her, and which resulted in him being subjected to a continuing court restraining order; and for that reason is not fit to work in the film industry'. He strenuously denies the allegations and claims he 'has never hit or committed any acts of physical violence against Ms Heard'. - The meaning which NGN will seek to prove is true is that the Claimant beat his wife Amber Heard, causing her to suffer significant injury and on occasion leading her to fearing for her life. They rely on 14 separate allegations of violence and allege more generally that Depp was 'controlling and verbally and physically abusive' towards Ms Heard, particularly when he was under the influence of alcohol and or drugs, throughout their relationship. NGN's lawyers say an important issue for the judge to decide will be what substances Depp was using during the relationship. They contend that he frequently lost control of himself, partly because of his heavy drug and alcohol use, and also that his memory has been impaired by his heavy use of drugs. - If Depp wins his case, the judge will have to decide what level of compensation he should receive for the harm to his reputation and for the 'distress, hurt and humiliation caused'. There is an upper limit on general damages for libel of 300,000 to 325,000. However, if he succeeds, Depp may also be entitled to aggravated damages. The actor is also asking for a final injunction against NGN, who his legal team say 'have retained the article on their website and maintained their allegation to the bitter end'. Advertisement

Tillett Wright explained that Heard was 'convinced' to go on the trip, with her telling him 'I'm too weak willed'.

'You're out of you f****** mind,' he said he replied, explaining he was 'really worried' about her, with no police on the private island an nearest help a plane ride away.

'She said, basically, 'I appreciate your concern but I'm going to give him one more chance',' Tillett Wright said in his statement. 'It was as if she was suffering Stockholm syndrome.'

He also gave his account of the 'defecation incident', in which faeces was found in Depp and Heard's bed following her birthday party in April 2016.

He claimed Heard told him 'Johnny believes that you and I together shit on his pillow on our way to Palm Springs'.

Tilllett Wright said the allegation was 'absurd' and that he had not been at the birthday celebration.

'It was just so ridiculous. First, Amber is faecal phobic: this was just not a prank that she would ever pull,' he said.

He added that the 'rational explanation' for the incident was it was Mr Depp and Ms Heard's dog Boo, who has 'faulty bowels'.

Tillett Wright said Ms Heard had 'been through hell' before petitioning for divorce, and alleged there had been 'a campaign of victim-blaming run against her by Johnny's people'.

He continued: 'Every battered woman watching what Amber has gone through has the message reinforced that if they come forward, they won't be believed and will be blamed. This has to stop.'

His statement came as Heard's friend claimed in court that she was left 'naked and bleeding' on the floor as Depp 'urinated on the furniture' during a row in Australia.

Raquel 'Rocky' Pennington claims she was 'best friends' with the actress when she lived in Depp's penthouse block in Los Angeles for roughly two years between 2014 and 2016.

She gave evidence via video link from Los Angeles and when asked if she ever saw Depp hit Heard, she told the court she did not.

A written witness statement presented to the court today from Pennington said the first time she was 'really scared for Amber's life' was the 'Australia incident'.

Heard has claimed Depp subjected her to a 'three-day hostage situation' in Australia in March 2015, alleging he was violent towards her. Mr Depp denies the allegations.

Pennington claimed that Heard told her they had a row about Depp's drinking as he was attempted to get sober.

She said: 'She [Heard] said that he was throwing glass bottles at her, and there was broken glass all over the ground which cut her feet.

'She said he backed her up against a bar and she was trying to support herself but her arms were sliding down and getting cut by broken glass.

'Amber told me that at this point Johnny ripped off her nightgown and she was naked on the ground, all wet with alcohol, and bleeding.

'Amber told me that at some point during this fight Johnny had cut the tip of his finger off. Amber showed me pictures of painted messages Johnny had written all over the rental house in paint and his own blood.

Controversy: The court was also shown video of Heard's sister allowing friends to inspect 'bruises on her face and body' after the actress 'whipped her a**' proves that Whitney Henriquez lied under oath, Johnny Depp's legal team told the High Court

Amber's best friend admits: 'I didn't see Johnny beat or hit her' Amber Heard's best friend give evidence and described Johnny Depp being aggressive towards his ex-wife but never saw him beat her. Raquel Pennington (right with Amber) lived rent free in one of Mr Depp's five penthouses in the Eastern Columbia Building in Los Angeles in around 2014 and moved out in 2016. She was accused of conspiring with her to lie about Depp being a domestic abuser because she considered herself to be a member of 'Team Heard.' Eleanor Laws, QC for Mr Depp, asked her: said: 'At no stage did you ever see Mr Depp hit or beat Amber Heard, did you?' Ms Pennington said: 'I didn't see him beat or hit her.' Ms Laws then put it to Raquel Pennington: 'You are making this up, aren't you? You have lied and lied again on behalf of your friend, Ms Heard, in relation to injuries that you have seen or claimed to see.' Ms Pennington replied: 'Absolutely not.' Referring to an incident of December 2015, when Depp allegedly attacked Heard a day before she appeared on The Late Late show with James Corden, Ms Laws said that she took a number of photographs of her injuries. Ms Laws claimed: 'You never saw any injuries. What you are doing by taking photos is cataloguing things that did not happen.' She added: 'You have lied in your statement about a number of things. You were part of Amber's team of supporters throughout 2015 and 2016. Ms Laws also provided graphic details about the injuries she saw on Heard after her visit of March 2015 to Australia where she claims Depp subjected her to physical and emotional abuse. She said that she saw 'lacerations, deep scars or cuts from her wrists to her elbows. She also told the court that Heard's feet also had cuts. Ms Laws alleged: 'You are making this up, aren't you?' Ms Pennington was then asked about the incident of May 2016, which resulted in a fight between Depp and Heard, where he is accused of smashing up the penthouse they lived in and an adjoining one he owned and attacking his ex-wife. Ms Pennington was also present and claims that Depp also verbally and physically intimidated her. Two police officers attended the scene after he left but claimed earlier in the trial that they did not witness any damage or see Heard with any injuries. Ms Laws alleged that following the incident, Ms Pennington, Heard and others conspired against Depp. She also suggested that they actually caused the damage in the penthouse, took photographs of it and used make up to make it look as if Heard had sustained injuries. She added: 'The officers leave, and you spent the next few days supporting her (Heard) in her plan for the separation from Mr Depp. The photographs have been taken in order for Miss Heard to negotiate a settlement from Mr Depp.' Responding to claims that she had lied and conspired with Heard and she did not receive any injuries, Ms Pennington replied: 'It's completely false.' Advertisement

'She said that whilst she had gone to get dressed he had dipped his bloody finger in paint and written all over the walls and the lampshades.

'She said she came down and he was urinating on the furniture and had smashed the television.' Depp has previously claimed the tip of his finger came off after Heard threw a bottle at him.

It comes as the court was shown video of Heard's sister Whitney allowing friends to inspect 'bruises on her face and body' after the actress 'whipped her a**' proves that she lied under oath, Johnny Depp's legal team told the High Court.

Henriquez took the stand to explain the previously unseen reality TV clip from 2006 or 2007 - less than 24 hours after she gave evidence claiming Amber had never been violent towards her.

She had previously backed her sister Heard and saying Depp repeatedly attacked her - including once when she saw the actor grab her by the hair and hit her in the face - and Amber was 'never violent' towards her.

Depp is suing The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor Dan Wootton over an April 2018 article which labelled him a 'wife beater' over claims he attacked Heard during their relationship.
Yoon Hyuk-noh, managing director of SK E&C's High-Tech Business Division, holds a written agreement after he signed a deal to cooperate with Hilti, the world's largest manufacturer of products for construction and building maintenance, at its headquarters in Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of SK E&C



By Kim Jae-heun



SK E&C said Monday it signed a cooperation agreement with Hilti, the world's largest manufacturer of products related to construction, building maintenance and energy, to seek a new business model in the global market.



Yoon Hyuk-noh, managing director of SK E&C's High-Tech Business Division, met online with Hilti Vice President Reinhard Schindler to close the deal last Friday.



Hilti Group was established in 1941 and it has over 30,000 employees worldwide. It is based in Schaan, Liechtenstein, and it showed approximately 7.56 trillion won ($6.32 billion) of annual sales in 2019.



Hilti offers high-tech and structural improvement services in the fields of construction, heavy industry and plants. Its main products include mechanical and chemical anchors, electric tools, laser measuring devices, fire-fighting materials and channel systems.



For the first time in the domestic construction industry, SK will cooperate with Hilti to review new business models while developing a module technology based on building information modeling (BIM). BIM is an intelligent 3D model-based process supported by various tools, technologies and contracts involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of building sites.



SK E&C and Hilti are currently developing construction materials and module construction methods that will be used to make modules for high-tech industrial facilities such as semiconductor plants, electric vehicle battery plants and data centers.



The newly developed methods and materials will be used both at domestic and overseas construction sites of SK E&C within the second half of this year. By doing so, the construction firm is expected to increase the performance and quality of materials while it reduces production costs by 30 percent.



The two companies also closely discussing the establishment of a long-term joint venture for the production and supply of construction materials.



SK E&C has recently been pushing for eco-friendly and new energy project through organizational restructuring and it has established a "new EPC model" based on smart construction in its core business.



"We will maximize off-site construction production methods by developing module technology," Yoon sad. "We will continue to explore new business opportunities in the global market by strengthening our strategic partnership with Hilti."


CAIRO - A leading international rights group on Monday urged the U.N. Security Council to impose additional sanctions on Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels unless they provide U.N. experts access to an oil tanker moored off the coast of Yemen and in danger of leaking.

The FSO Safer is loaded with 1.1 million barrels of crude. The Houthi rebels, who control the area, have denied U.N. inspectors access to the vessel.

The U.N. warned earlier this month of an environmental, economic and humanitarian catastrophe from the ship, which hasnt been maintained for over five years. Experts fear the tanker could explode or leak, causing massive environmental damage to Red Sea marine life.

Human Rights Watch says the impact of an oil spill on livelihoods, access to water and food, and on fuel prices could significantly exacerbate Yemens humanitarian crisis. An oil spill could also shut down the port of Hodeida, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis who depend on commercial imports and humanitarian aid.

The tanker threatens to destroy entire ecosystems and demolish the livelihoods of millions of people already suffering from Yemens war, said Gerry Simpson, associate crisis and conflict director at HRW.

Internal documents obtained by The Associated Press last month show that seawater has entered the engine compartment of the tanker, causing damage to pipes and increasing the risk of sinking. Rust has covered parts of the tanker and the inert gas that prevents the tanks from gathering inflammable gases, has leaked out. Experts say maintenance is no longer possible because the damage to the ship is irreversible, according to an AP report June 26.

The Houthis have signalled they would approve a U.N. mission to the ship, but so far, that hasnt happened. Human Rights Watch also urged Iran to encourage the rebels to co-operate.

The rebels control western Yemens Red Sea ports, including Ras Issa, located 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from where the Japanese-built tanker has been moored since the 1980s, when it was sold to the Yemeni government.

In the conflict in Yemen, the Houthis are at war with the internationally recognized government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition and the United States.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 27, 2020 | 11:04 AM | MAYFIELD

Aimee Clymer-Hancock has been promoted to First Assistant Commonwealths Attorney in the Graves County Commonwealths Attorneys Office.

Clymer-Hancock began her career in prosecution in 2009 as an Assistant County Attorney with the Fayette County Attorneys Office in Lexington. While serving in this position she prosecuted countless misdemeanor cases including domestic violence assaults, driving under the influence, and drug-related offenses.

While still an Assistant County Attorney, Clymer-Hancock was selected to prosecute her first murder trial in neighboring Bourbon County, Kentucky. It was that successful trial experience that motivated her to seek a career as a felony prosecutor focusing on violent crime.

Clymer-Hancock returned to her native Western Kentucky to begin her family with husband, Dr. Chris Hancock, and began her career with the Graves County Commonwealths Attorneys Office in 2019.

As an Assistant Commonwealths Attorney, Clymer-Hancock has tried multiple jury trials, solo or with Commonwealths Attorney, Richie Kemp. These trials include a Driving Under the Influence, 4th offense; an Assault, 1st Degree, involving gun violence; and a Murder trial. She not only secured convictions in every trial, but the defendant in each case received the maximum sentences allowable by law.

In April of 2020, Clymer-Hancock created the Graves County Commonwealths Attorneys Office's Vulnerable Victim Unit. The VVU focuses on the aggressive prosecution of predators who perpetrate child physical and sexual abuse, any crimes evidencing the exploitation of the elderly, human trafficking, sexual violence, and cases involving domestic violence related assaults or murder.

In her new role as First Assistant, Clymer-Hancock will take on additional administrative responsibilities as well as organize and facilitate training for her office and local law enforcement. Most importantly, Clymer-Hancock will continue to embody the office-wide philosophy of firm, fair, and transparent prosecution of accused criminals.

I am honored to be promoted to First Assistant Commonwealths Attorney, Clymer-Hancock said. It is a privilege to serve the citizens of Graves County and to seek truth and justice in every case. I remain grateful for the opportunity to help crime victims, and their families, navigate the criminal justice system and to ensure that those who stand accused of crimes receive the fair trial they are entitled to under the law.
Kathie Lee Gifford has paid tribute to her friend and co-star Regis Philbin, who died on Friday aged 88.

Gifford, 66, spoke to the Today show on Monday morning about her affection for Philbin, with whom she co-hosted Live with Regis and Kathie Lee for 15 years, until 2000.

Their friendship was defined by their off-camera bonding, she said, adding that the connection between them was immediate.

'We just took off like a rocket,' she said, describing him as 'the most beloved person I knew in this business.'

Kathie Lee Gifford on Monday morning paid tribute to her 'dear friend' Regis Philbin

Gifford and Philbin co-hosted Live with Regis and Kathie Lee for 15 years until 2000

Gifford, who spends most of her time at her new home in Tennessee, said she visited Philbin and his wife Joy two weeks ago when she was back in the New York area.

She said Philbin appeared more frail than her last time seeing him.

'Of course the first call I always make is to Regis and Joy, so I said, "Can we get together? Can we have some lunch?"

'So they came over about two weeks ago,' said Gifford, who appeared on the broadcast from Connecticut home.

'I saw Reg get out of the car with Joy and I sensed much more fragility in him than I'd seen in him since the last time in January out in Los Angeles.'

Philbin and Gifford, pictured in 1988 - the year their program began

The pair are pictured fooling around for a studio photo session

She said the sense of humor was still strong, though.

'We sat right here on my screened porch and we laughed ourselves sick  we always just picked up right where we left off,' she said, adding that she and Philbin had become 'dear friends' even after she left the show.

Gifford and Philbin in Hawaii in 1997

'We had the best time, and after they left, I just thought to myself: "Lord, is that the last time I'm going to see my friend?"

'Because he was failing, I could tell.'

Gifford said she paid a visit to Joy on Sunday.

She said she wanted to pay her condolences, but also give them the space to grieve in private - something she said she understood from losing her husband Frank, who died in August 2015 at age 84.

'I didn't want to intrude on their private family time because I remember what that was like,' she said.

'It's been five years, almost, since Frank passed, and you love your friends reaching out but you also desperately need that private time as a family.'

'Anyway,' she continued, 'I was just grateful to have the time with them and comfort them a little bit and let them know that I believe with all my heart that I know where Regis is and I know who he's with, because I had many, many conversations with him over the years about faith and where we go when this life is over, and he was very curious, as always.'

Philbin and Gifford, pictured in 2015, remained close friends even after their show ended

Gifford said that Joy told her their recent visit was one of the last times she heard Philbin laugh.

'She said: "Kathie, he hadn't laughed in a long, long time. I was so worried about him."

'That will forever be a precious gift the Lord gave me, that I got to laugh with him  one of my best friends in all of my lifetime.'
A homeowner and two organizers of a party have been charged with violating the governors executive order that limits the size of gatherings after police in New Jersey spent nearly five hours shutting down the event that drew more than 700 people Sunday night to an Airbnb rental, authorities said.

Around 8:30 p.m., Jackson police responded to a home on Mill Pond Road on a report of a suspicious incident, Capt. Steven Laskiewicz said in a statement.

Law enforcement officers broke up a house party attended by an estimated 700 people in Jackson, N.J. (The Lakewood Scoop)

Residents in the neighborhood told police that a home on the street had been rented out to a group having a large party that was causing a disturbance and appeared to be in violation of the state's order that limits outdoor gatherings to 500 people and indoor gatherings to 100 people, police said.

After observing "a large crowd at the residence," officers contacted the homeowner, Yaakov Weiss, 40, of Jackson, who told police that he had rented out the residence through Airbnb and was hosting a large party, the statement said. The homeowner said that as about 200 people had arrived at the home and the party was expanding, he left, according to police.

The property was described as a "stunning 3,700-plus square foot home," and the host's rules banned parties, Airbnb spokesman Ben Breit told NBC News.

Police estimate the gathering grew to more than 700 people with over 100 vehicles parked in the area.

More 911 calls were received throughout the night from homeowners reporting disturbances and trespassing, police said.

"As the crowd grew in size, this took the effort of all of the on-duty Jackson police officers who responded as the roads into the neighborhood were shut down because more partygoers were still arriving," the statement said.

Officers from surrounding towns and the New Jersey State Police assisted in clearing the area which took until about 1 a.m., police said.

Authorities also received a 911 call from a nearby resident reporting that people who had left the party had broken into their home and were damaging property, police said.

Story continues

"It was determined that a family member of the caller who had been at the original party had invited a large group from the party back to the residence," Jackson police said. "Additional officers responded and the unwanted group was then dispersed from this second residence."

Weiss and two others whom police said were identified as the party organizers, Patience Guanue, 23, and Alicia Hinneh, 22, both of Newark, were issued summonses for violating the governors executive order.

The Airbnb spokesman said that Guanue and Hinneh have been removed from the platform and the listing for the home has been deactivated while the company conducts an investigation.

"We strongly condemn the reported behavior, which represents both a clear violation of Airbnb's community policies and a particularly serious abuse during this public health crisis," Breit said.

Airbnb has also temporarily disabled the "event-friendly" search filter, which is typically used to identify venues for parties and gatherings, Breit said. The company has also temporarily removed the "parties and events allowed" rule from the "House Rules" of any listings in New Jersey that formerly authorized parties.
Iran's refurbished mockup aircraft carrier (R), used previously as a simulated U.S. target during a February, 2015 Iranian naval war games exercise, is approached by a fast boat at the Strait of Hormuz, 50km Southeast of Bandar Abbas, Iran on July 26, 2020. (Satellite image 2020 Maxar Technologies/via Reuters)

Iran Moves Mock-Up US Carrier to Mouth of Gulf: Satellite Images

DUBAIIran has moved a mock-up U.S. aircraft carrier to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, satellite images show, suggesting it will use the look-alike vessel for target practice in war games in a Gulf shipping channel.

The use of dummy American warships has become an occasional feature of training by Irans Revolutionary Guards and its naval forces, including in 2015 when Iranian missiles hit a mock-up resembling a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

Tehran, which opposes the presence of Western navies in the Gulf, frequently holds naval war games in the strategic Strait, the conduit for some 30 percent of all crude and other oil liquids traded by sea.

One of the images taken on July 26 by U.S.-based space technology firm Maxar Technologies showed an Iranian fast attack boat moving toward the model U.S. carrier in the strategic waterway. Another image showed model planes lined up on the deck of the fake carrier.

Irans refurbished mock-up aircraft carrier (R), used previously as a simulated U.S. target during a February, 2015 Iranian naval war games exercise, is approached by a fast boat at the Strait of Hormuz, southeast of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on July 26, 2020. (Satellite image 2020 Maxar Technologies/via Reuters)

Irans refurbished mock-up aircraft carrier (C-L), used previously as a simulated U.S. target during a February, 2015 Iranian naval war games exercise, is seen at its home port of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Feb. 15, 2020. (Satellite image 2020 Maxar Technologies/via Reuters)

We cannot speak to what Iran hopes to gain by building this mock-up, or what tactical value they would hope to gain by using such a mock-up in a training or offensive exercise scenario, said Commander Rebecca Rebarich, the spokeswoman for the U.S. Navys Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet.

We remain confident in our naval forces ability to defend themselves against any maritime threat.

Tensions have spiked between Iran and the United States since 2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from Irans 2015 nuclear deal with six powers and reimposed sanctions that has sharply dropped Tehrans oil exports.

Irans Guards in April said Tehran would destroy U.S. warships if its security is threatened in the Gulf. Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to block Hormuz if Iran is not able to export oil or if its nuclear sites are attacked.

Irans refurbished mock-up aircraft carrier (C-L), used previously as a simulated U.S. target during a February 2015 Iranian naval war games exercise, is seen at its home port of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Feb. 15, 2020. (Satellite image 2020 Maxar Technologies/via Reuters)

There have been periodic confrontations between the Iranian Guards and the U.S. military in the Gulf in recent years. U.S. officials have said closing the Strait would be crossing a red line and America would take action to reopen it.

Iran cannot legally close the waterway unilaterally because part of it is in Omani territorial waters. However, ships that sail it pass through Iranian waters, which are under the responsibility of the Irans Guards naval force.

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
27.07.2020 LISTEN

The Center for Ethical Governance and Administration (CEGA) has applauded the Central Regional Police Command for the seizure of arms and ammunitions from a vehicle used in the monitoring of the voter registration exercise in the region.

On Saturday, July 25, 2020, two vehicles with guns were impounded at a voter registration centre at Ajumako-Enyan in the Central Region.

According to reports, the Police conducted a swoop on all vehicles at the registration centre in the Esiam constituency upon a tip-off and discovered guns and ammunitions.

That resulted in the arrest of the owners of the vehicles with the Police conducting investigations into the matter.

Juxtaposing the incidence to the violence that has characterized the ongoing Electoral Commission voter registration exercise, CEGA has described it as disturbing.

The CEGA views this development as very disturbing especially coming off the heels of a gun-fire incident by a Minister of State for Special Development Initiatives Mrs. Mavis Hawa Koomson and MP for Awutu Senya East at a registration center, Kasoa in Awutu Senya-East also in the Central Region, a press statement from the group has said.

While congratulating the Police on the bust, CEGA has charged the security agency to continue to show professionalism, be fair and firm in dealing with all the voter registration-related cases brought before them for action.

It believe that this will increase the trust of the people in the police as well as guarantee the safety of Ghanaians in the December 2020 elections.

Full statement from CEGA below:
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size "Don't make this just a political interview, would you, please," Oliver Stone begs me towards the end of an engrossing 45-minute chat over Skype. "They always lead with that: 'Oliver Stone says George W. Bush was the worst President ever'. But that's not what this interview is about. Lead with the book." The book in question is Chasing the Light, a memoir that ends in 1987 with the triple Oscar-winning filmmaker at the top of his game, basking in the sheer unadulterated pleasure of receiving the best director Oscar (for Platoon) from Elizabeth Taylor  "my dream girl of the 1950s and 1960s," he writes, "still so glamorous, the heart of the movies". He's enjoying critical raves for back-to-back films, Salvador and Platoon, is happily married, has his sometimes raging cocaine habit under control, and has even learnt (kind of) how to avoid shooting himself in the foot in public appearances and the media. "Perhaps that was the golden moment," he tells me when asked if, in writing this book, a single time in his life crystallised for him as a zenith. "It was me realising I was making money, my film was a commercial and critical hit, and I'm still in health and under 40, thank God. It was quite good. And I think I knew it was quite good. 'This is special'. I wasn't stupid. 'This is not gonna happen that easy again'." Despite the occasional glimpse of feistiness, Stone is a generous interview subject, offering long and thoughtful responses from his large, tree-lined attic office. He's as willing to reflect on his own failings ("I always registered zero practically in the young women market," he says at one point) as he is to rail at the world's failure to see things through his eyes ("I just don't think people want to know"). And he has much to reflect upon. In the 33 years since he accepted that Oscar from Liz Taylor, Stone has had more hits  Wall Street and its sequel Money Never Sleeps, Born on the Fourth of July, JFK  some failures, a second divorce, a third marriage and plenty of controversy. He's been labelled a conspiracy theorist, an apologist for America's antagonists  including Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin  and a defender of an official enemy of the state, Edward Snowden. It's been a hell of a life. So sure, let's lead with the book, which is a rollicking tale full of highs and lows, a little gossip (Al Pacino is a bit of a slippery customer; Midnight Express director Alan Parker a cold fish), and lots of "do what I say, not what I did" advice for aspiring filmmakers. But let's also acknowledge that trying to separate the book and its author from politics might ultimately prove a futile exercise. Stone was the only child of a French Catholic mother and an American Jewish father (of Polish extraction) who met in Paris at the end of the war, sailed back to New York when peace was declared and attempted to make a life of it despite their vast differences in temperament.

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His father, Louis, was a stockbroker, and pretty good at it, though he never owned anything because, Stone writes, doing so "involved Pride, which came before the Fall". He liked to write, too  both poetry and the investor newsletter he maintained until near the end of his life  and encouraged young Oliver to do likewise, paying him 25 cents a piece when he was just seven to write "about anything you want". "Make it two pages, three," he would tell him. "Just tell a story." If it is Louis that Stone credits with making him a writer, it is his mother, Jacqueline, who gave rise to the director. She was vivacious, outgoing, loved to party. She made things happen. Late at night, Jacqueline would crawl into bed with her young son for a cuddle. "Yes, it's true, her 'sexy' manner may have given me a hidden desire for my mother," Stone writes in one of the book's frequent passages of self-analysis. "Possibly I adored her too much, but I'd prefer this fate to the cold, queer dislike or distrust of women I see in some men." Stone with second wife Liz on their wedding day in 1981. Full of drugs at the time, Stone writes, 'I don't even remember the moment we exchanged vows'. Credit:Courtesy Oliver Stone His childhood was charmed, at least on the surface. Prep school, summers in France with his grandparents, the prospect of a gilded life in East Coast society. But when his parents divorced at 15, it all fell apart. "Everything I'd believed up till then about my life  that there could be security, love and happiness between people  turned out to be a lie," he writes. "The pain of it is still palpable almost 60 years on.''

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Given the centrality of deceit in Stone's work over the years, it is hard not to see this as the defining moment of his life. There have been others of course, most notably his experience as a GI in Vietnam in 1967-68, which opened his eyes to the insanity of war. The making of Salvador almost 20 years later inspired him to join the dots between America's involvement in south-east Asia and its misadventures in Central America, and to find the corrupting influence of the military-industrial complex behind both. But psychologically speaking, these were arguably echoes of that first monumental betrayal. "I was a child of divorce, and the split between my parents deeply affected me," Stone tells me. "No brothers, no sisters, any sense of family dissolved. We were all in different spheres. So I was on my own at 15. It was a strange feeling." He spent the rest of his teens drifting, lost, and after failed stabs at college and at novel-writing, he enlisted for Vietnam, aged 20. He was driven, he writes, by "very dark thoughts  if I didn't have the courage to take my own life, perhaps God, in whom I was raised to believe, would take it for me". There's some self-dramatisation in this, for sure. Stone says his memoir "is also a novel", a belated successor in some respects to A Child's Night Dream, written when he was 19, published in 1997, and ostensibly to be adapted for the screen by his son, Sean. "I mean, you've got to keep it moving, you've got to keep it relevant. You've got to keep it entertaining." But it also acknowledges the general reality that for young men, that phase of life is often, as he writes, "a dangerous time". Stone on the Philippines set of Platoon. Credit:Ricky Francisco

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Stone's Vietnam reality included one all-night firefight that left hundreds dead, but which he processed in his mind "as a stunningly beautiful night full of fireworks  a dream through which I'd walked unharmed, grateful of course, but numb and puzzled by it all". Emerging from the war, he began writing screenplays about it, trying to make sense of what he'd seen and of its strange and lingering after-effects. He enrolled in film school and made a short film called Last Year in Vietnam, which his tutor, a young former student named Martin Scorsese, hailed as proof that here was a real filmmaker. "Why?" Scorsese asked rhetorically. "Because it's personal. You feel like the person who's making it is living it." In 1976, Stone began working on another Vietnam story, The Platoon. A decade later, he would get to film this mythic tale of a good sergeant (Willem Dafoe) and a bad sergeant (Tom Berenger) and the naive young GI (Charlie Sheen) caught between them. Along the way, he would also direct two feature films that few saw and that most who did would write off as failures (Seizure, The Hand), win an Oscar for screenwriting (Midnight Express) and enjoy soaring highs and crashing lows. If there's a moral to his tale, I suggest, it surely has something to do with persistence, with never giving up no matter how many times you crash to the floor. Yes, he agrees, "but what else could I do?" By that, he means he didn't have his father's gift for numbers, nor a taste for the "respectable" life that briefly beckoned during his first marriage, when the possibility of going into business and "making an accommodation" hovered on the horizon. He was driven to write and, later, to direct, and from the moment his eyes were opened in Vietnam and he began his long, slow emergence from "being a conservative, like my father, Republican", he was driven to put what he'd learnt in front of his fellow Americans whether they liked it or not.

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"I'm certainly attacking nerve centres," Stone says of his body of work. "And I enjoy it. I think we need films like that." Increasingly, he's doing it in the documentary format because making features has become too much of a struggle. "It's very hard to do a film; it takes so much energy, and I'm 73 going on 74," he says. "It's nice to have a little joy in life, not to have to worry, tension and all that and being judged all the time, questioned." He's working on a film about JFK, and another on energy. His most recent release, screened on Showtime in 2017, was the four-part sitdown interview with Vladimir Putin, a man he feels has been entirely misrepresented by Western media. He's proud of the film, as well as earlier documentaries on Venezuela's late socialist president Hugo Chavez and Cuban leaders Fidel Castro and his brother, Raul. "Those films are so well done," he says. "I mean, they're real. Those guys expose themselves, they feel they're telling their truth, and that's very important. One day somebody serious, a historian, will look at them with a different light, not as [framed by] America's Cold War policy, you know. "The fight against Castro and Chavez and Putin has been uncredible and has distorted the values of this country enormously."

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A man killed in a shooting Saturday in Southeast Portland has been identified as a 27-year-old California man.

Portland police said Tyrell Penney of Sacramento was one of two men shot in the area of Division Street and 158th Avenue. The other man, who hasnt been publicly identified, was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

No arrests have been announced in the shooting, and an investigation remains active.

Police ask anyone who has information about the shooting and hasnt yet been contacted by investigators to get in touch with detectives. Tipsters should reference incident No. 20-232529.

-- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump in a new poll of North Carolina voters, keeping a lead in the key 2020 swing state that the president is visiting on Monday.

Biden tops Trump by 7 points, 51 per cent to 44 per cent among registered voters, in a new NBC News/Marist poll that also shows Democrats in state races leading their Republican competition.

In March, Biden had a 4-point advantage against Trump in the state, 49 per cent to 45 per cent. The former vice president will be in Washington D.C. on Monday to pay his respects to the late Congressman John Lewis, who is lying in state at the U.S. Capitol building.

North Carolina will be a key state in the November presidential election and this will be Trump's 10th visit there since he entered the White House. The president won the state by almost 4 points in the 2016 election.

Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump in a new poll of North Carolina voters, topping the president by 7 points, 51 per cent to 44 per cent among registered voters, in a new NBC News/Marist poll

Meanwhile, in a sign Republicans are in trouble in the state, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who clashed with Trump over the Republicans' efforts to hold an in-person convention in Charlotte in August, is leading his GOP rival Lt. Gov. Dan Forest by 20 points, 58 per cent to 38 per cent, in the NBC News/Marist poll.

And Republican Senator Thom Tillis, a close Trump ally on Capitol Hill, is trailing his Democratic opponent by 9 points.

During his North Carolina visit, President Trump will receive a briefing on the search for a cure for the coronavirus during his afternoon stop in Raleigh.

He'll also tour the FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies' Innovation Center, which is working on the vaccine from the drug maker Novavax. Novavax received $1.6 billion under Operation Warp Speed - the Trump administration's plan to mass-produce a vaccine.

The president's visit comes on the same day the biggest COVID-19 vaccine study began as the first of 30,000 volunteers started to receive their shots. The administration has committed to purchasing 100 million doses of a not-yet-finished vaccine. There are several contenders in various stages of being tested.

North Carolina has more than 113,000 cases of coronavirus and 1,807 deaths. The United States has topped more than 4,31 million cases and more than 149,000 deaths.

The factory President Trump will visit requires visitors to wear a mask but it's unclear if he will have one on.

The president had originally balked at wearing a face mask, saying it was a personal choice and arguing he wasn't a high risk for spreading the virus since he is tested for it regularly. He skipped wearing a mask at stops in Maine and Arizona. He was photographed back stage wearing one at a Ford factory visit in Michigan but had removed it when he went before the cameras.

Trump finally wore one openly in public when he visited wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center on July 11 and, last week, he urged people to wear one.

'I have reminded people of the importance of masks when you cant socially distance, in particular,' he said during a press briefing at the White House.

'Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact,' he noted.

He also pulled a face mask out of his pocket to show he has one on him.

'I bring one. I have one. Ive worn it. And I think when Im in certain settings, like hospitals and various - or when Im close - when, you know, when you cant socially distance, I believe in it,' he said.

President Donald Trump urged people to wear face masks during a press briefing last week and pulled one out of his pocket to show he carries it

President Donald Trump, foreground left, wears a face mask as he walks with military officials during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on July 11

The president's approval rating is under water in North Carolina, with only 41 per cent of North Carolina voters approving of the job he is doing, the NBC News/Marist poll found.

And 60 per cent of voters said Governor Cooper was right to balk at the administration's demand for a full, in-person political convention, which he told the president he could not guarantee because of concerns about the coronavirus.

Trump retaliated by announcing he was moving the bulk of the GOP convention, including his speech accepting the party's nomination for a second term, to Jacksonville, Florida.

But last week the president announced that event would be canceled due to rising cases of the coronavirus in Florida, which is becoming a new epicenter for infection. Total cases in Florida rose by 9,300 to 423,855 on Sunday, putting the state just one place behind California, which now leads the country with 448,497 cases. New York is in third place with 415,827 cases.

'I told told my team it's time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida component of the GOP convention,' Trump said last Thursday at a press briefing.

The Republican National convention will start on August 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina - which had always been the plan. On that day will be the official roll call of delegates, which is the formal process that makes Trump the Republican nominee for president.

President Trump didn't commit to holding a full convention back in Charlotte, saying he would hold 'tele-rallies' through the week.

'And I'll still do a convention speech in a different form, but we won't do a big, crowded convention per say. It's just not the right time for that,' the president said.
A Houston man is accused of beating his toddler son Saturday in apparent frustration over potty training in the hours before the boys death, authorities said.

The 21-year-old father, Antonio Hicks Sr., told Harris County Sheriffs Office investigators that he snapped and punched the 2-year-old in the chest after walking in on the child, also named Antonio, smearing feces on the bathroom floor, according to court records.

During a police interview, Hicks said he hit the boy too hard.

The childs mother, Ariauna Washington, was in another room at their 100 Holly Tree Lane apartment and heard Hicks yelling at the child and what she believed sounded like slaps.

But then they turned into harder, more solid strikes, she said, according to court records.

She checked on the child around 11 a.m. Saturday and found him unresponsive. She started performing CPR on the toddler and asked Hicks to call for an ambulance. He instead walked the child to the Houston Northwest Emergency Room, where doctors signs of recent and healing injuries, investigators said.

Hicks initially told investigators that the boy was hurt when an unknown assailant attacked them Friday during a walk to a corner store. The child also fell and hit his head recently while riding a scooter, he alleged.

When confronted with what Washington said, he admitted to the beating, police said. He left the child in the bathroom for five minutes during an attempt at potty training, Hicks explained. He returned and found the bathroom floor and little Antonio covered in feces. He also spanked the child, he said.

Hicks was charged Saturday with serious bodily injury to a child and is being held in lieu of posting $250,000 bond.

Harris County District Attorneys Office spokesman Dane Schiller said Hicks could face additional charges pending the results of the childs autopsy.

Hicks has had a scattering of misdeamnor arrests since 2018, with his latest charge being filed about two weeks ago in connection with dumping a mattress along the side of the road. Last year, he was accused of assaulting Washington but the case was dismissed when authorities could not reach her.

nicole.hensley@chron.com

samantha.ketterer@chron.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 09:49:26|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a speech Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the fifth annual meeting of the board of governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Monday.

The meeting will be held via video link, Hua said. Enditem
Rice is a rare spotlight in Vietnams agro-product exports in the first half of this year. However, the good performance may not be maintained in the second half of the year.

Rice stored in a warehouse in the Mekong Delta - PHOTO: LE HOANG VU



Despite considerable efforts to promote exports in the first half of this year, statistics and estimates by economic managers show that though the total volume of agro-product exports reached 6.79 million tons, an increase of 281,000 tons, or 4.3%, from the year-earlier period, the total export turnover of 13 key agro-, forestry and fisheries products was only US$17.6 billion, down 2.3% year-on-year. This contradiction signifies a deep plunge in the prices of agro-products, which cannot be offset by an increase in export volume.

In this context, rice exports are really a rare highlight, with an export volume of 3.54 million tons, up only 5.6% year-on-year, but an export value of nearly US$1.73 billion, up 19.4%.

Remarkably, this positive result owes largely to the export performance in May, shortly after the abolition of rice export quota control. May rice exports reached 954,000 tons, a record high in Vietnams rice export history. This volume is 1.84 times higher than the average exports of the five other months, while its price is US$516 per ton, 8.2% higher than the average export price in the period.

These figures reveal two things. First, the quota for 800,000 tons of rice exports in April and May set by the Ministry of Industry and Trade is much below the actual exports of 1.46 million tons, and the argument that the export of all three million tons of rice from the winter-spring crop will pose a risk for national food security is not true to reality.

Second, the arguments of opponents to the quota control, such as no restriction will not cause rice shortage and restriction means missing out the opportunity of export at a high price, may be justified. True, after the strict quota control was abolished, the rice export volume surged in May. However, the good performance could not be maintained, as exports in June plunged as much as less than half of the May volume and 24.7% from the year-earlier period, while the export price dropped.

Challenges ahead

The strong decline in the rice export volume and the fall in the export price in June are the first signs for the end of the period of favorable rice exports and good export prices. Challenges over the coming months will grow bigger.

First, there is a confluence of factors which will increase significantly the competitiveness of Indian rice, putting the Asian rice export community in a difficult position, and Vietnam is no exception.

According to recent information from India, India is expecting twin records in rice and wheat yields thanks to abundant water in the rainy season this year and the Governments increase of the buying prices for rice and wheat from the current crops. Furthermore, the storage volumes of these two staple foods are expected to reach record highs this year. In addition, developments in the global financial market make the rice export price lower in terms of the U.S. dollar.

These are the reasons for the wide gap in the offers of Indian rice and the Asian rice, especially the Thai rice. They also explain why the volume of rice India has won in the recent tender in the Philippines is half as much again as that of Vietnam, while Thailand lost in the tender. The Philippines, however, later abolished the tender, citing that the domestic rice supply was secure.

Meanwhile, another source of information said Malaysia had overcame many hurdles to reach agreement for an import order for 100,000 tons of Indian rice in May, double the average annual volume of Indian rice imported into the country over the past five years.

All that information shows that with its outstanding competitiveness, India has continued to outperform even in markets where Vietnam has gained the strongest competitiveness over the past many years.

Further, statistics of Vietnam show that the Middle East and Africa are important markets which have contributed to Vietnams rice export achievements, with their share of the countrys rice exports over the past five months increasing to 18.3% versus 12-14% over the past five years. Apparently, with her capacity to overcome Vietnam in Southeast Asia, seen as the countrys home ground rice market, it is highly likely that India could win over Vietnam in Africa, as this is its home ground market.

Considering such strong competitiveness while aiming for repeating the record export volume of 11 million tons of rice in the current crop, two million tons higher than exports in the last crop, India is apparently the strongest rival of Vietnam in the coming months.

Second, Thailand, albeit currently the underdog to Vietnam, will try every way to increase its competitiveness, thus causing greater pressure for Vietnams rice exports in the coming months. Drought which has caused losses for Thailands off-season rice crop has ended. The country may see an increase in the rice yield from the current main crop thanks to more rains, so it can definitely improve its rice export performance in the coming months against the strong decline in the early months of the year. Obviously, to increase its market share, Thailand must reduce its rice price to narrow the wide gap with those of rivals.

Consequently, Thailand will cause greater competition pressure to Vietnams rice exports in the coming months.

For Vietnam, that seems to be too excited by the good crop and good price enjoyed over the past months, her plan to increase the rice farming area and productivity in the upcoming time may put the country in a difficult position in the competition for rice export markets.

In sum, in the context of the projected decline in the global rice import demand while the worlds largest and second largest rice exporters, which account for about half of the global rice export market, are ramping up competition for market shares after many months of sluggishness, Vietnam will certainly face greater competition pressure in rice exports in the coming months. SGT

Nguyen Dinh Bich

Will technical barriers imposed by the Philippines create difficulties for Vietnams rice exports? It will be difficult for Vietnamese businesses to keep stable rice exports to the Philippines in large quantities as currently seen, experts said.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Parties are part of the culture at Syracuse University, a point of pride for many.

In a pandemic, they are also a problem.

The idea of packing a couple hundred kids yelling, screaming, laughing, dancing, creating party plumes, is a horrible, horrible idea, said Dr. Stephen Thomas, an infectious disease specialist at SUNY Upstate Medical University. That is just a horrible idea. There is no better way to get a campus shut down than to do that.

So what will happen when Syracuse, named the countrys No. 1 party school twice in the past six years by the Princeton Review, reopens in the middle of a pandemic?

No one knows for sure.

According to polling of more than 1,000 students done by The Education Trust-New York, students ranked time away from friends as the biggest challenge about the college experience during the pandemic. Syracuse students surveyed by syracuse.com | The Post-Standard said being back with friends was the biggest reason they wanted to be back on campus.

So with a student body eager for connection, can the school curtail partying enough to make it through the school year without a major coronavirus problem?

From the people that I talk to, theres a lot of variety, said Josh Kurzer, a public relations major who is going into his senior year. Im on the cautious side. So Im going to try to be as strict as possible. Others have the attitude that Im paying for college, and if Im paying what it costs, then I should be able to party with my friends.

The student body at Syracuse believes its the No. 1 party school in the country, said Mac Bridges, a senior who is majoring in biotechnology. They are coming with that attitude. Covid or no Covid. Thats just how it is.

Syracuse is asking students to physically distance or wear a mask around anyone who isnt in their household. Its asking students to limit gatherings to 25 people. It has suggested suspensions or expulsions will be in store for students who throw massive parties.

Some students think that threat will be enough to curb huge parties and that few students will risk throwing a rager.

Others expect a semester that looks like any other.

Hell no, Bridges said when asked if he thought Syracuse could limit large parties. They should know better than that. Look, Im very realistic. You can look at what people could do. Or you can look at what theyll probably do. I usually look at what theyll probably do. ... In no way do I think that (Chancellor) Kent (Syverud) and his DPS rent-a-cops can handle 14,000 people trying to have a good time. Theres too many people. Theres too many places to go. You can only shut down so many parties before people figure out how to get around it.

Most students who responded to syracuse.com | The Post-Standard said they plan to cut back or avoid the biggest parties. They want to be responsible and good citizens. They care about those who are vulnerable.

But theyre also eager to get back together with friends and they know others who view the return to school as a return to normal college life.

Im more scared of getting it at home, where I could give it to my family, said junior Kayla Torrence-Johnson. We all know that once we get back to campus theres no real legal way for them to force people to social distance on the weekend and to not have a social life. Upperclassmen have their own places to live. You cant tell people how many people they can have in their own home.

Its one of our biggest challenges, said Amanda Nicholson, an interim deputy senior vice president.

The universitys plan starts with education and hope. The school wants to level with students who are happy to be back. It will tell the students that if rules arent followed closely, an outbreak could cause the school to be shut down. It hopes students see the benefits of an open campus as worth a social sacrifice.

Before we talk enforcement, I think its important we start from a place where we set expectations and allow students to rise to those expectations, said Mike Haynie, the schools vice chancellor of strategic initiatives and innovation. I get the letters from folks in the community worried about the pre-Covid behaviors. There is an expectation from them those will continue. ... We all have to step up, make a sacrifice or two to keep this place open. It will not take a ton of bad behavior to say, We gave you your chance, you didnt rise to the occasion and its time to go home.

Whether that argument works on upperclassmen, many of whom live off-campus and cant be sent home, is an open question.

In addition to behavioral expectations, Syracuse is working to limit the number of coronavirus cases that arrive on campus. The school is mandating students test negative before arriving. The school has not released a timeline but said it has contracted with a private company to provide tests students can perform on themselves at home with a relatively quick turnaround.

Syracuse will conduct pool testing of all students through SUNY Upstate when they arrive and again two weeks later. The school will conduct random pool tests during the semester and use wastewater monitoring systems both on campus and in off-campus neighborhoods to search for early signs of an outbreak.

Haynie said the school also plans to create a dashboard, available to the public, that shows the number of students who have tested positive on a campus test, as well as report all positive tests to the Onondaga County Health Department.

For students who arent moved by that messaging, Nicholson said the school expects to have members of its Department of Public Safety patrol off-campus. Haynie said details of that approach still are being worked out. The school is considering a more significant police presence than most years but is trying to balance that with the rights of students.

Were still working through some of those details, Haynie said. We want to take a community approach to enforcement rather than a policing approach. That said, the university does need a footprint in the neighborhood that is, maybe, enhanced from what its been in the past. .... At the same time, what were trying to balance is that we dont want to treat our students differently than any other citizen in New York world be treated.

Despite his skepticism, Bridges said he actually expects to be a little more cautious when he initially returns to campus. He plans to monitor the coronavirus numbers locally before deciding what risks to take.

Most Syracuse students who spoke to syracuse.com | The Post-Standard said they expect to adopt what they consider a common-sense approach. They might not do everything the school wants, but they expect to change some habits to be safer and responsible while interacting with others.

Junior Chloe Perline said she intends to either avoid parties altogether or attend in a mask, even if that decision is unpopular. She also has friends that celebrated the schools increase in online classes because it allows them more time to party.

Kevin Perry, a junior sport management major, said he plans to avoid huge parties, but he is eager to see what his friends do. He anticipates his peers will be cautious at first and take more risks as they learn what they can get away with.

Jon Danilich, who is from Charlottesville, Virginia, is going to turn 21 during his state-mandated quarantine. He said he plans to follow it, spending his birthday alone in his off-campus apartment.

I think most people I know, and thats certainly not everybody, are saying they will do the two weeks of quarantine in hopes that we can get closer to normal, Danilich said. After that, I dont know. I could see the rules being loosened at some point. Or I could see us getting sent home early.

Doctors from Stanford, Johns Hopkins and SUNY Upstate agreed that making the effort to attempt in-person education was a good decision as long as there is a thorough plan.

While Gov. Andrew Cuomo called out young adults for partying during a news conference Thursday, the doctors cautioned about demonizing college students.

They pointed out that the behavior of college students will be mixed, just like every other segment of society. Older adults often have engaged in activities that will be banned on the Syracuse campus. Government officials across the country have provided mixed messages and bad examples.

Lets not put this just on college kids, Thomas said. We have people all over making really bad decisions. We have people talking about personal rights. We have grown adults on the highest levels of government that are promulgating that same thought-process.

The college environment just happens to pack those bad decisions into tight spaces and large groups of friends, potentially multiplying their impact.

Thomas acknowledged that importing thousands of students this fall does create some risk for Central New York but said if students behave responsibly and community members continue to behave the way most have, the risk of contracting the virus through day-to-day interactions will be low.

He said he believes the educational, economic and mental health benefits of trying to bring students back outweigh the risk.

The school is intertwined in the community, Thomas said. When you import 20,000 students into Onondaga County, the potential for a spark to reignite this big fire is very real and very possible. ... What we do at the hospitals is we assume everyone who walks in is positive. We have universal masking and screening at the door. Any public place where people are coming in and out you should assume everyone is positive. Hand gel at the door. No mask, no service.

If you do that, you can have a store open and have a low risk of infection in that store. ... We have 11,000 employees at Upstate. Weve been taking care of lots of patients with Covid, and the number of employees who were potentially infected at the hospital, I can count on less than five fingers. And were not able to physical distance the way the general population is.

Dr. Sara Keller, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University with expertise in infectious diseases, said the most dangerous intersections between town and gown would likely come at places like indoor bars and restaurants where the inability to wear masks and long periods of time together create the potential for transmission.

While most students who spoke to syracuse.com | The Post-Standard said they expect to try to comply with most of Syracuses plan, they agreed there was one expectation destined to be a failure.

Most students expect to let their guard down among close friends.

Kurzer said he has a group of 15 or 20 friends that he will likely socialize with. He expects he wont extend invitations to his apartment outside that group. He plans to have hand sanitizer whenever he hosts and wants to get tested regularly. Hell even keep the group under 25 people. But its unlikely theyll distance or wear masks when theyre together.

That might not follow the letter of the SUs law. Kurzer believes hes following the spirit of it.

The traditional college experience might depend on that being enough.

Im not going to stop hanging out with them, Kurzer said. Ill get comfortable with them and keep that circle really small. Do I think (all of the restrictions are) completely realistic? Inside, which is actually where it matters more, its probably not. I just cant see people walking around in their own house wearing a mask. Thats just a lot to ask.

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(Newser)  Google has decided its workers can return to the office in Julyjust not July 2020, reports the Wall Street Journal. The paper was the first to report that Google plans to have its employees continue remote working until July 2021, noting that with the decision Google becomes "the first major US corporation to formalize such an extended timetable" due to COVID-19. CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly made the call last week after speaking with other execs. The need to oversee at-home schooling was one driving factor, as was the flexibility the move would give in terms of allowing employees to sign year-long leases should they want to work elsewhere in the US.

story continues below

After the Journal broke the news, Pichai sent an email to employees that CNN reports read in part: "To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we'll be extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that don't need to be in the office. I hope this will offer the flexibility you need to balance work with taking care of yourselves and your loved ones over the next 12 months." It notes his email said 42 offices have been opened globally, with the Journal reporting they are mainly smaller offices in places like Australia and Greece that haven't been hit hard by the virus. The Washington Post reports the remote-working policy applies to employees at Google HQ in Mountain View, Calif., along with other parts of the US, UK, and India. (Read more coronavirus stories.)
A total 56,71,018 people have been affected in 30 districts of Assam due to floods since May 22, the state government said.

IMAGE: A boy transports a pot on a makeshift raft through a flooded area in Morigaon district. Photograph: David Talukdar/Reuters

102 people have died due to floods and 615 relief camps have been set up, according to the state government.

IMAGE: Flood-affected villagers are transported on a boat to a safer place at Kachua village in Nagaon district. Photograph: Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters

At present, 2,265 villages were inundated and 1,12,667.06 hectares of crop area has been damaged across Assam, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

IMAGE: A villager looks at his submerged house while sitting on a branch of a tree, in Morigaon district. Photograph: Rupjyoti Sarma/ANI Photo

A total of 132 animals at the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve have died due to floods related incidents.

IMAGE: Flood-affected villagers disembark a boat after they reached a safer place at Kachua village in Nagaon district. Photograph: Anuwar Hazarika/Reutres

"132 animal deaths reported at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, Bokahat due to drowning and other reasons, so far.

"This includes 14 rhinos, 5 wild buffaloes, 8 wild boars, 2 swamp deer, 98 hog deer, 1 sambar, 3 porcupines and 1 Python," said the Government of Assam.

IMAGE: A team of medics provide medicines to the flood-affected people in Morigaon district. Photograph: PTI Photo

On Sunday, a team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had evacuated villagers and livestock to safer places from flood-affected areas of Dighirpam Bazar in Assam's Barpeta district.

IMAGE: Children walk past cattle on an embankment in a flooded area in Morigaon district. Photograph: David Talukdar/Reuters

Floods have wreaked havoc in various districts of Assam for the fourth time this year.

IMAGE: Villagers carry their belongings as they move to a safer place from a flood affected area, in Morigaon district. Photograph: PTI Photo

Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh spoke to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday and assured him help from the Centre and the North Eastern Council to restore and repair the infrastructure damaged in floods.

IMAGE: NDRF personnel rescue villagers in Barpeta on Sunday. Photograph: Lal Singh/ANI Photo

Singh said the central government is constantly monitoring the flood situation in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and other affected states in the northeast.

IMAGE: Villagers along with their cattle move across a flood-affected area on a boat, in Morigaon district. Photograph: Rupjyoti Sarma/ANI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking regular updates on the situation, he added.

-- with PTI inputs
Capex.com, a leading global broker operated by Key Way Markets, has become one of the first brokers to receive a retail license from the Abu Dhabi Global Market Financial Services Regulatory Authority (ADGM FSRA).



The move enables Capex.com to expand its value proposition across the Middle East while providing regional investors with a robust and secure online trading platform underpinned by a customer-centered and education-oriented approach.



Established in 2016, Capex.com is an award-winning, leading global online trading broker, bolstered by a commitment to make online trading more accessible and informative for everyone. The global COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a surge of Do-It-Yourself investors across the globe. Within the UAE and wider GCC region a growing community of retail investors are seeking solutions to actively managing their own portfolios and execute their own trades.



Capex.coms launch in the region is timely as it provides traders with an, integrated platform which is fully-equipped with everything that investors need to efficiently explore the markets and facilitate secure investing.



Madalina Rotaru, CEO of Key Way Markets, the operating company of Capex.com, said: We are pleased to be expanding Capex.coms operations into the UAE and wider Middle East as we aim to educate current and potential traders in the region in order to increase their investment capabilities through our global expertise and top-of-the-line trading technology.



Receiving a license from the prestigious ADGM FSRA, an institution which widely complements our progressive business model, further reinforces our leading repute and fortifies our value proposition. The GCC is an attractive destination for both proficient and novice investors, serving as an ideal backdrop for our continued growth. We look forward to leveraging this regions robust economic standing to further develop our operations.



Capex.com has a robust technological foundation, offering traders both the widely used Meta Trader 5, and Capex Web Trader, an integrated, state-of-the-art web and mobile trading platform. Capex Web Trader features advanced tools that are specific to the platform, as well as an integrated educative element through video courses and industry-leading analysis instruments from Tip Ranks and Trading Central.



Octavian Patrascu, Managing Partner of Key Way Markets, said: Expansion into the GCC and wider MENA market is a strategic course of action for Capex.com, given the regions attractive investment environment and populace of diverse, eager investors.



The Emirate of Abu Dhabi, specifically, has shown great promise in enabling and developing a regulatory landscape to support the FinTech sector and is a foremost provider of progressive financial processes and frameworks, serving as the ideal destination to establish Capex.coms regional hub. As an innovative online trading broker with secure, intuitive technology, Capex.com is well-poised to leverage the regions attractive investment opportunities and continue to establish its operations across the global stage.



Capex.com offers users over 2,100 instruments to trade on global markets such as CFDs on Forex, indices, shares, commodities, among others. Anchored by a robust educational approach, Capex.com provides users access to a multi-lingual support and training team, allowing traders to make full use of the advanced, integrated tools provided by Capex Web Trader.  TradeArabia News Service
A US anti-submarine warplane came within 100 km from Shanghai in eastern China on Sunday, a Chinese think tank focused on the South China Sea has said in the backdrop of the tit-for-tat closure of consulates and escalating tension between the two countries.

A P-8A anti-submarine plane and an EP-3E reconnaissance plane entered the Taiwan Strait, flying near the coast of Zhejiang and Fujian on Sunday, a report in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) said Monday, quoting the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCS Probing Initiative or SCSPI in short), a Beijing-based think tank.

An American battleship, destroyer USS Rafael Peralta was sailing below the aircraft, the think tank said.

ALSO WATCH | Amid China tension, India & US Navy conduct joint exercise in Indian Ocean

Quoting a tweet from the SCSPI, the report said the P-8A aircraft came within 76.5km (47.5 miles) of Shanghai  likely the closest any US plane has come to mainland China in recent years; another aircraft came within 106 km of Fujians southern coast.

The think tank, the SCMP report said, tweeted again Sunday night, saying the US Navy P-8A was operating near Shanghai, with the USS Rafael Peralta, a guided missile destroyer, following a similar route, asking might be a joint operation?.

Using satellite imagery, it tweeted on Monday early evening that a US warplane was conducting close-in reconnaissance of Guangdong in southern China.

The Chinese foreign ministry didnt deny the development but did not respond to a request for a comment from Hindustan Times.

Incidentally, Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) is currently conducting a live-fire drill with powerful ammunition in the southern Guangdong provinces Leizhou peninsula, considered to be at the doorstep to the South China Sea (SCS).

The week-long drills will include anti-ship and anti-aircraft exercises by the PLA air force with the PLAs navy and rocket forces joining in.

Writing for the SCSPI website on Monday, Wang Shicun, president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS), said: It (the US) has conducted six Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) so far this year, compared with four times in 2017, six times in 2018 and eight times in 2019. In addition, the U.S. military has conducted nearly 2,000 close-in reconnaissance operations on China from the air this year.

According to the think tank, US air force E-8C surveillance planes have come within 185km or less of the southeast coast of Guangdong province on four separate occasions in the past week.

At the moment the US military is sending three to five reconnaissance aircraft each day to the South China Sea, the think tank said, adding the US military planes have come unusually close to mainland airspace several times since April.

In this context, Wang from NISCSS wrote that chances were growing for an accidentally triggered incident between China and the U.S. As the US intensifies its military operation in the South China Sea, China will adopt corresponding countermeasures, such as tracking and monitoring as well as warning and expulsion. The more intensifying US military operations, the more chances for accidentally triggered incidents.

US warplanes flying close to China coincided with a tense week between the two countries in the backdrop of Washington and Beijing ordering the closure of consulates in Houston and Chengdu.

The US consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu officially shut down on Monday morning within 72 hours of Beijing ordering its closure as a tit-for-tat shutting of its Houston consulate amid worsening ties between the two largest economies of the world.

The SCSPI says on its website that it is an international research network and not affiliated with any institution, mainly funded by social donation and non-profit investment.

The think tanks director, Hu Bo, however, is also the director of the Centre for Maritime Strategy Studies and Research Professor at the Institute of Ocean Research, Peking University in Beijing.
YEREVAN, 27 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 27 July, USD exchange rate down by 0.32 drams to 484.97 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 4.92 drams to 567.71 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 6.78 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 4.92 drams to 622.99 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 351.77 drams to 29657.82 drams. Silver price down by 6.24 drams to 350.43 drams. Platinum price up by 286.93 drams to 14422.74 drams.
As the Brown Church, Robert Chao Romero claims, we take solace in knowing that Jesus, our Lord, was also Brown. What Brown means we will clarify below but first this: without one moment of de-emphasis, the Black Church gets more attention because of the history of the White Church in the USA (and elsewhere). My Latin sisters and brothers (Latina/o, or Chicana/o) are often assumed to be the same as the Black Church  racism, marginalization assumed to be all alike  but it is not.

To be marginalized draws all or most of the marginalized together but that does not mean identical or even the same. So, Im grateful to Romero for his new book, Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity. Romero is at La Fuente Ministries, pastored by Marcos Canales and Rosa Ramirez at Pasadena First Nazarene Church (PazNaz, where Tara Beth Leach pastors), and I will surrender space now to Romeros own words:

In sharing my ambition to become a lawyer, I was told in high school, Id never hire a Mexican lawyer. I was also told by my high school counselor that I should consider the local state school instead of UCLA. I went on to receive my PhD in Latin American history from UCLA and my JD from UC Berkeley, and I have been a professor of Chicana/o studies and Asian American studies at UCLA since 2005. I was ordained in the hood by black and Latino multidenominational Christian pastors of South Los Angeles, and, together with my wife, Erica, I've been a pastor to activist students for more than a decade as part of our Jesus 4 Revolutionaries ministry.

So there!

Chicano/a students today most often emerge from Christian homes  Pentecostal, Catholic  and encounter in university postcolonialism and critical race theory onliy to learn that Christianity is a white mans religion imposed on the Chicana/o communities. Romero is a historian of this community and religion and knows that time and time again the faith dimension of Chicano/a history is either ignored or silenced or denounced. This book is his attempt to write a different history.

Silencing that faith has led to several consequences: emotional struggles, a decision to avoid Chicano/a studies because it is too postcolonial and such students dont want to surrender their faith community, a lack of serious scholarship on the topic in fact, it is countercultural for Romero to writes this book:

I have also personally experienced discrimination as a professor based on my Christian convictions; indeed, I fear intellectual and professional backlash for the publication of this book. In its most insidious forms, religious microaggressions take the form of viewpoint discrimination and violate highly held principles of academic freedom.

As an academic, Romero explores with appropriate and even fashionable analytical tools  like critical race theory and postcolonialism, but his focus is on the cultural weath, rather than cultural deficit, of the Chicana/o culture.

Image: Cover Photo

The Brown Church has been active for five centuries. It has formed its own theology and culture and it has resisted: Spanish colonialism, caste system, Manifest Destiny, US colonialism, Latin dictators, US imperialism, the oppression of farmworkers, and exploitation of undocumented workers.

Its theology is a fulsome theology, not a narrow soterian gospel of personal salvation to go to heaven:

Brown Theologians throughout the centuries  challenged this narrow and unbiblical view of the gospel and have proclaimed that Jesus came to save, redeem, and transform every aspect of our lives and the world. His salvation extends over all of Gods good creation, which has become twisted and corrupted as a consequence of sin. This includes everything distorted and broken in our world  whether personal, familial, social, or global. Nothing is left out.

The Brown Church is borderlands, or it occupies liminal space: between white and black. So what is Brown?

Latinas/os are Brown. Not necessarilyliterally and phenotypically Brown,but Brown in terms of our racial and social positioning in United States history. In this sense, Brown is symbolic of the cultural and biological mestizaje, or, mixture, in Latin America. In the US context, Brown also symbolizes the racial liminality experienced by Latinas/os as betwixt and between that of white and black.

Jesus, too, was Brown in this sense: Galilean, Jewish, marginalized. In the Incarnation, Romero says, God chose to be Brown.
DENVER, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertafore and the Network of Vertafore Users (NetVU) today announced that the Summer of Accelerate, powered by NetVU, will host its first Carrier Week virtual program. The event kicks off on August 18. Carrier Week is a key part of the free, all-virtual programming Vertafore and NetVU are offering all summer long in place of their annual in-person conference. A great learning and networking opportunity, Carrier Week is open to all U.S. carriers.

For decades, Accelerate powered by NetVU has brought insurance professionals together for continuing education, networking, industry updates and sneak-peeks at InsurTech advances. Carrier Week marks the first time the influential InsurTech conference has sponsored exclusive, multi-day programming for carriers. The all-digital program encompasses thought leadership, product announcements, peer-to-peer relationship-building opportunities and user sessions. The week's events include:

An opening keynote with Vertafore's CEO and leadership team highlighting the company's new products for and investments in insurance distribution, channel management, and data and insights.

An exclusive summit for carrier heads of distribution in P&C, life, health and annuity with insights into current distribution trends, the latest advances in InsurTech, and an expert review of COVID-19's impact on the present and future of our industry.

The Vertafore Connectivity Forum with a panel of leading carriers and brokers to share their perspectives on current connectivity challenges.

Breakout sessions for participants to gain a deeper understanding agent connectivity, compensation, distribution management, data and analytics, and more.

"For decades, NetVU has provided exceptional training and opportunities to connect with peers, and we know that everyone in our community, including carriers, looks forward to the annual event," said Joe Clabaugh of The Cincinnati Insurance Company and 2021 Accelerate powered by NetVU chairman. "Carrier Week provides professional development and relationship-building opportunities like an in-person event, and we're excited about the new content designed just for carriers."

"This year's shift to a virtual Accelerate format has enabled us bring the experience to a larger segment of the insurance distribution channel than ever beforewith more than 10,000 agency participants to date and now a full slate of content just for the carrier community," said Cassidy Smirnow, Vertafore's chief customer officer. "Now more than ever is the time for us to come together to learn, innovate, and leverage technology and data as a differentiator, to meet the evolving digital expectations within our industry."

Find out more about Carrier Week and the Summer of Accelerate, powered by NetVU, at www.carrierweek.com.

About Vertafore

For more than 50 years, Vertafore has built insurance technology to simplify and automate the insurance lifecycle so that our customers can focus on what matters most to them  people. Vertafore's solutions for agency management, client management, ratings, regulation, compliance, and connectivity empower simpler, smarter insurance distribution for every stakeholder. More than 20,000 agencies, 1,000 carriers and 23 state governments rely on Vertafore to streamline their workflows, improve efficiency and drive productivity. Through a fierce devotion to customer success, a continual focus on excellence and a commitment to delivering modern, innovative InsurTech solutions, Vertafore is delivering results that make a difference for the entire distribution channel. For more information, visit: http://www.vertafore.com.

About NetVU

NetVU is an independent national member organization committed to providing industry advocacy, world-class education and networking to more than 25,000 insurance agencies, carriers and MGAs, and more than 500,000 users of Vertafore's solutions. NetVU's leaders envision a thriving, profitable insurance industry fueled by vibrant, efficient firms that fully leverage everything Vertafore's products have to offer.

2020 Vertafore and the Vertafore logo are registered trademarks of Vertafore. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Liz Reilly

SSPR

[email protected]

SOURCE Vertafore
The second stimulus package for coronavirus is set to be introduced by Republicans on Monday, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Saturday.

Aside from this, Mnuchin also stated that the second round of the stimulus checks worth $1,200 will be sent to Americans by August.

During his talk with reporters at the Capitol, the Treasury Secretary stated that US President Donald Trump has stated that the top priority should be focused on extending the unemployment benefit that is set to expire.

However, Mnuchin stated that while the benefit would be extended it will be reduced since he believes that giving a $600 unemployment benefit weekly would be a disadvantage. He added that giving such an amount may discourage people to go back to work.

Despite the fact that Democrats are yet to weigh in on the updated proposal from the White House and the Senate GOP, Mnuchin sounded optimistic during his conversation with the reporters, Associated Press reported.

Moreover, the secretary added that he recently had a conversation with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before the negotiations on a broader deal begin next week.

Last week, Senate Republicans and the White House rushed to regroup and discuss their plans for the $1 trillion virus rescue bill as it collapsed due to the disagreements about its scope, size, and other details. The said virus rescue bill was expected to allocate $105 billion for school re-openings, benefits for business, and even additional money for testing.

Read also: $600 Unemployment Benefits Ends Soon So People Will Start Working

Unemployment Benefit

While the republicans struggled with their proposal, the White House stated that the differences with the GOP Senators should be put aside and be more focused on providing aid and relief as advised by Trump.

With the $600 weekly benefit for those who lost their jobs, the Republicans were prompted to act. Meanwhile, the Democrats' proposal has been agreed on two months ago, and it was Pelosi's $3 trillion plan. However, with the unemployment benefits ending soon while many are still jobless due to the pandemic and the sudden surge of cases, both parties are now preparing to prevent economic and social fallout.

The Senate Republicans have proposed that the benefit should be extended but needs to be reduced to $200 weekly, however, the White House has stated that it should only be $100 per week. After a discussion, it was agreed that the benefit would be no more than 70% of the previous payment of the employee.

Stimulus Checks and Direct Payments

In addition, Mnuchin also stated that the formula for the qualifications for the $1,200 direct payments would still be the same as the previous bill. He added that the goal is to give out the majority of the payment by August in order to provide relief to the people, ABC News reported.

Meanwhile, administration officials stated that the overall package on the White House and Senate Republicans' proposal will remain at $1 trillion, which is still on par with the original proposal drafted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

.

Related article: Stimulus Package Update: White House , Senate GOP Agrees on Provisions of Stimulus Plan

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Girls clothing retailer, Justice will close a number of stores in Pennsylvania.

Justice will close 35 stores in the state including stores at the Capital City Mall in Lower Allen Township; The Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg in Mount Joy Township, Adams County; the Park City Center in Lancaster; at Tanger Outlets Lancaster in East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County and at 2819 Concord Road in Springettsbury Township, York County, according to USA Today.

The Justice store at Tanger Outlets Hershey will remain open.

Justice is closing more than 600 of its 826 stores and the stores are expected to close within the next 30 to 60 days, according to USA Today.

Justices parent company, Ascena Retail Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week. Chapter 11 provides businesses or large investors with protection from creditors while they continue operating and develop a repayment plan. Both creditors and owners must agree on a reorganization plan, which ultimately must be approved by a federal bankruptcy judge.

Ascena also owns Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant, Justice, Catherines, Cacique and Lou & Grey. The company is closing a significant number of Justice stores and a select number of Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant and Lou & Grey stores. The company is closing all of its stores in Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico and is closing all of its Catherines stores.

Justice sells fashion, merchandise, and accessories for girls ages 6-12.

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South Africa: Seizing growth opportunities in turbulent times

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the advent of the Coronavirus pandemic has placed more impetus on South Africas plans to pursue new sources of growth within a fundamentally different context.

Many of the areas we had identified before remain relevant and urgent, such as a growing small and medium enterprise sector, and an agricultural sector that delivers food security.

Some sectors have taken on a new significance. We should, for example, use this opportunity to build a greener economy, with our entrepreneurs entering new fields such as hybrid cars, fuel cells, battery storage and waste beneficiation, said the President in his weekly newsletter to the nation.

With an unemployment rate of 30%, which the President said will soon increase, South Africa must collectively work towards building an inclusive economy, based on a level playing field.

President Ramaphosa said he was confident that plans put in place prior to the pandemic, and those introduced to keep business buoyant in these turbulent times, will enable the reconstruction of the economy. However, this will require buy-in outside of government, and an undeterred commitment to action.

In all the proposals put forward in recent weeks, there is a substantial emphasis on improving execution.

The [proposals] all say that we should seek out pockets of excellence in the State, and support and deepen them. But they also say that we must look outside the State. We need to bring together the best available local skills, whether in business, academia or civil society to support our common programme, the President said.

As far back as the State of the Nation Address in February, President Ramaphosa said South Africa would need to focus on three things to begin to turn the countrys fortunes around.

First, we were going to fix the fundamentals. Second, we would pursue new sources of growth. Third, we would ensure that our actions are underpinned by a capable State.

Many of the plans under discussion raise these fundamentals, such as reliable energy, access to broadband spectrum, competitive ports and efficient transport. Working with our social partners, we must speed up the pace of implementation so that we can rebuild the base of our economy, President Ramaphosa said.

One of the pillars that the success of these recovery plans hinges upon is a strong commitment to a social compact  and the institutions necessary to support it  so that the reconstruction of the economy can be a shared responsibility and a shared undertaking, the President said. This is one way of ensuring that there are no forgotten sectors of society as the country forges a path to economic recovery.

A continental effort

In the year of South Africas chairship of the African Union, member States are planning vigorously for the activation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which has been delayed by the pandemic.

President Ramaphosa said all social partners see the value of expanding trade in an integrated Africa, with concrete proposals on how to overcome the barriers that impede the ability of Africans to trade with one another.

He said South Africa's strategies to promote local production, which is a common theme across the various recovery plans, should support efforts to create regional value chains on the continent.

When we launched the economic stimulus and recovery plan nearly two years ago, we announced the establishment of an Infrastructure Fund that could blend different forms of finance to drive infrastructure development. This, we identified as the flywheel of economic growth.

There is now general consensus that our recovery should be led by infrastructure development and maintenance.

At the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium organised by the Presidency a few weeks ago, business and government were of one mind on a new methodology to develop an infrastructure pipeline and deliver on it.

Investors from the multilateral development banks, development finance institutions and the private sector all showed a strong appetite to make the necessary investments to meet South Africas extensive and diverse infrastructure needs, President Ramaphosa said.

Saving jobs

In the coming weeks, the President said government will work with its social partners to finalise an economic recovery programme, which brings together the best of all the various proposals.

President Ramaphosa emphasised that the most important part of the programme must be the protection and the creation of jobs.

He noted that analysts have estimated the pandemic will cost the country millions of jobs.

The President said job preservation efforts, such as those through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and tax measures, aim to prevent job losses in the private sector.

However, he said, if South Africa is going to recover from the worst effects of the pandemic, well-crafted, public employment schemes must be set up.

Creating jobs for people that add value to their communities through maintenance, care work and other services, keeps people engaged in productive activity. It helps them to retain and develop skills.

It gives many young people a chance to climb the first rung in the job market ladder. Such jobs complement employment created by businesses, as they start to recover and private investment returns.

The President is optimistic that as recovery takes hold and the world gradually adjusts to a global economy marked by COVID-19, economic activity is expected to pick up.

By then, our initiatives to reform and improve the business environment will establish a firm platform for industries with high potential to flourish, President Ramaphosa said.

Since the onset of the pandemic in South Africa, President Ramaphosa said governments strategy has been to provide whatever support it can, within the countrys constrained resources, to protect businesses and preserve jobs.

The President said now is the time to move quickly towards a robust programme of reconstruction and recovery, and we must do so together.

Building on the vast areas of common ground among the proposals from social partners, we now have to put in place a clear, focused and ambitious set of measures to not only restore our economy, but to set it on a new path of inclusive and sustainable growth.

We are faced with a health, social and economic crisis of massive proportions. But we are not daunted, nor discouraged. We will do what we must to build an economy that is resilient and dynamic, that creates work and opportunity, and that meets the needs of all our people.

We have all the ingredients for an economic recovery; now let us work together to make it happen, the President said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 15:18 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406699b311 1 Business Angkasa-Pura-II,state-capital-injection,PMN,state-budget,COVID-19,Airport Free

State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura (AP) II, which manages most airports in the western part of Indonesia, has received a state capital injection (PMN) of Rp 881 billion (US$60.3 million) to improve the companys capacity and capital structure.

President Joko Jokowi Widodo issued Government Regulation No. 38/2020 regarding the PMN for AP II on July 16, with the capital injection coming in the form of state property transfers, not an allocation from the state budget (APBN).

To improve AP IIs capital structure and capacity, the government needs to provide additional PMN for AP II, in the form of state properties under the Transportation Ministry, the document reads.

The government transferred various properties to the company, including a runway worth Rp 528 billion that was constructed by the Transportation Ministrys airport directorate working unit at Medans Kualanamu International Airport in North Sumatra and a parallel runway worth Rp 10 billion built by the directorate at Pontianaks Supadio Airport in West Kalimantan.

In May, AP II announced that it had reduced its capital expenditure this year to Rp 1.4 trillion, which is less than 20 percent of the initially earmarked Rp 7.8 trillion, following the sharp drop in aircraft and passenger traffic at its airports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken a toll on the operators revenue.

The airport operator has also taken cost-cutting measures, including suspending the Soekarno-Hatta Skytrain service, cutting electricity use by 46 percent and slashing water use by 60 percent at Angkasa Pura II airports across Indonesia.

With the finances of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) hit hard by the pandemic, the House of Representatives has approved a plan to channel Rp 151.1 trillion into the companies as part of the governments national economic recovery (PEN) program.

The funds, which are to be less than the governments initial projection of Rp 152 trillion, will be disbursed to 16 state-owned firms using three schemes, namely state capital injections (PMN), government debt payments and government loans.
Coronavirus cases in youths have greatly increased in Florida, with total infections up 34% and hospitalizations up 23% between July 16 and 24, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The big picture: The increase from 23,170 confirmed COVID-19 cases in youths to 31,150 in just eight days comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and the Trump administration continue to aggressively push for schools to resume in-person classes in August.

By the numbers: 36% of the cases in children are patients between the ages of 14 and 17, according to Florida's data. That age group also accounts for the majority of children hospitalized (34%).

The state's positivity rate among youths has also gone up, increasing from 13.4% to 14.4% between July 16 and 24, per Florida's health department.

Researchers are still studying how quickly the coronavirus is transmitted among children as schools and child care centers begin to reopen.

Go deeper: Coronavirus deaths skew younger in the South
Minneapolis residents have begun forming neighborhood watches and armed security groups to protect their neighborhoods in the wake of unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd in May, according to a new report.

While officers are still patrolling the streets of Minneapolis, some citizens have taken security concerns into their own hands, as was the case when a group of black gun owners responded to a call from the local NAACP in late May to patrol the mostly African-American West Broadway business district for nearly two weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Jamil Jackson, a leader of Minnesota Freedom Fighters, which advocates for black gun ownership, told the Journal the group kept the area free of looting or arson without firing a shot.

We were fired on, he said, but we werent going to return fire into a dark street. The group, which has 45 members with a variety of backgrounds, including some who have military training, has since been asked to protect community events and has formed a security company.

Crime has surged following the protests and rioting in the city: Minneapolis saw 75 shootings in June, more than triple the 24 shootings during the same period last year. In the first half of July there were 43 shootings, compared with 29 in all of the previous July.

We have long supported neighborhood patrols, John Elder, the Minneapolis police departments chief spokesman, told the Journal. All laws must be obeyed by those engaging. We have been clear these are in supplement to the police department and not as a substitute.

As the city has descended into chaos, the city council on Friday approved its first permanent cuts to the police budget: $10 million will be cut from the $193 million budget, an answer to protestors call to defund the department.

The council had also previously approved a proposal to replace the police department with a new department of community safety and violence prevention next May. The proposal could find its way onto the November ballot  though it remains to be seen how such an agency would look, such as whether it would have an armed criminal-justice component.

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Around $1 million in funds will be shifted to Cure Violence, a program that works to prevent things such as retaliatory shootings through community engagement. While the council had originally supported awarding community watch groups with money for T-shirts, walkie-talkies and training, such a proposal was not included in the final budget.

Were not trying to create an armed force to replace the police department, said Graham Faulkner, an aide to council member Alondra Cano, who had proposed shifting funds to support the community watch groups. Were trying to support the groups that are out there.

The spike in crime is consistent with patterns witnessed in Ferguson, Mo. and other cities that experienced periods of unrest after officer-involved deaths.

One resident told the Journal her community began constructing a barrier to close off two blocks of their street  first using trash cans before moving on to debris, a boat with a trailer, and eventually, a permanent gate  while neighborhood men began an armed patrol after it got to the point where crime had no consequences.

It was being done deliberately out in the open, 30-year-old Tania Rivera said. Drive-through drug dealing, drive-through prostitution, everything from gunshots to assaults to sex out in the public. Everything you didnt want your neighborhood to look like.

Still, many residents in the crime-stricken city are still hesitant to call the police for help, citing distrust and a concern that police only escalate tense situations.

If people choose not to call the police, that is not something we can control, Elder said.

More from National Review
A group of demonstrators addresses the crowd during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., on Thursday. Read more

PORTLAND, Ore.  The party at the Salmon Street Springs fountain, a riverfront landmark in the heart of Portland, was just getting started.

Dozens of drummers beat out entrancing rhythms and a crowd of hundreds danced joyfully as the setting sun cast a soft pink glow on distant Mount Hood. Poster boards bearing the names of dozens of Black men and women killed by police stirred in a gentle breeze as the energy built to fever pitch and more and more people poured into the square.

Suddenly, 10-year-old Xavier Minor jumped into the center of the circle and started dancing with abandon. The emcee took note.

Yo, Black kids are the future! Black kids are the future! he shouted, until a beaming Xavier finally stepped out and into his father's proud embrace.

A few minutes later, as night fell, the music stopped  and the march to the federal courthouse began.

Two blocks west and one block south, the several dozen federal law enforcement agents guarding the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse could hear the protesters coming.

Under orders to protect the courthouse  federal property that has been increasingly targeted as the city's protests against racial injustice march on  the agents were accustomed to the drill. But tonight, the crowd was huge, estimated at 4,000 people at its peak and the largest they had seen.

A top commander with the U.S. Marshals Service peered out a window facing the Willamette River and watched the sea of humanity sweep toward him. It was going to be another long night.

 READ MORE: U.S. agents use tear gas and flash bangs to clear Portland protesters

The courthouse, a stately building with large windows and a white marble interior, looked like a feudal castle under siege. The outside was boarded up with thick plywood; narrow slits at the top of the plywood, accessed by a mechanized scaffolding, gave the agents inside a view of the crowd and an opening through which to fire pepper balls.

The terrace outside the front door was littered with garbage, the steps leading to the courthouse splattered with paint. A mixture of antipolice and Black Lives Matter graffiti covered the buildings outer walls and columns to a height of about 10 feet (3 meters).

Tear gas from the previous nights' protests still hung in the air and coated the floor with a slime that had been hurriedly mopped up by custodians earlier that day. A few sickly looking potted plants still decorated the lobby, a reminder of a time before the courthouse was a battlefield.

In the no-mans-land outside stood the fence: A thick, black iron installation, erected six days before, a dividing line between protester and protector, a stark separation between two radically different world views.

To the protesters, the men inside the battened down courthouse are at best thoughtless political minions, at worst murderous henchmen. To the agents inside, the demonstrators that pack the downtown each night are violent anarchists, an angry sea of humanity bent on hurting  or even killing  federal agents doing their job.

Its scary. You open those doors out, when the crowd is shaking the fence, and  on the other side of that fence are people that want to kill you because of the job we chose to do and what we represent, said a Deputy U.S. Marshal who has been protecting the courthouse for weeks. He requested anonymity because protesters have identified him and posted his personal information online.

I cant walk outside without being in fear for my life," he said. "I am worried for my life, every time I walk outside of the building.

 READ MORE: Police and protesters clash in violent weekend across the U.S.

This weekend, journalists for the Associated Press were both outside, with the protesters, and inside the courthouse, with the federal agents, documenting the chaotic fight that has become an unlikely centerpiece of the protest movement gripping America.

The nation is seething with anxiety and deeply divided about the role of police, the value of Black lives and the limits of federal authority in an election season like none other. In Portland, on a single city block owned by the U.S. government, that anxiety has turned to turmoil.

Is this the beginning of the United States transforming into a military state, where federal agents flood the streets and overrule local authorities? Or is it a battle to keep the violence in Portland from becoming the new America, a frightening vision painted by President Donald Trump of what the future will hold without his leadership?

Fear and uncertainty about the answers to those questions have exploded in Portland in a surreal armed conflict that plays out every night.

The chaos in Portland spread this weekend to other cities, from Oakland to Aurora, Colorado, to Richmond, Virginia as the nation reels under its division.

At 10:15 p.m. in Portland, the protesters made their first foray into conflict: A man tried to climb the fence and was quickly arrested.

Thirty minutes later, the fence rocked and leaned sharply as dozens of protesters pressed their weight against it, some of them throwing their bodies against it at a running start. The fence, designed to absorb the impact from a car going up to 30 mph (48 kph), undulated like a wave and tilted dangerously before springing back.

Behind the front lines, the drummers that had whipped demonstrators up at the fountain regrouped and led the crowd in dancing and chanting.

Monica Arce gyrated to the music and waved her cellphone flashlight in the air with hundreds of others. The professional midwife had left her 14-year-old son at home and joined her sister-in-law, a teacher, to protest the presence of the federal agents and to support Black Lives Matter.

We are not here being violent or being destructive. We have a positive message  there is nothing to quell here," she said, referencing Trump's statement that the agents were there to quell unrest. The people of Portland are saying, We dont want this presence here and we dont think we need them at all.

As she spoke, small pods of three to four protesters dressed in black circulated in the crowd, stopping every few minutes to point green laser beams in the eyes of agents posted as lookouts on porticos on the courthouse's upper stories. The agents above were silhouetted against the dark sky as dozens of green laser dots and a large spotlight played on the courthouse walls, projected from the back of the crowd.

Thirty minutes later, someone fired a commercial-grade firework inside the fence. Next came a flare and then protesters began using an angle grinder to eat away at the fence. A barrage of items came whizzing into the courthouse: rocks, cans of beans, water bottles, potatoes and rubber bouncy balls that cause the agents to slip and fall.

Within minutes, the federal agents at the fence perimeter fired the first tear gas of the night.

 READ MORE: Judge denies Oregons request to stop arrests by U.S. agents

Inside the courthouse, it was dark, pitch dark except for one narrow ceiling bulb that cast a cone of light over the stairs.

Without lights, the agents hoped they would be better protected from people in the crowd who were firing metal ball bearings through the windows with sling shots. Thick ribbons of green light from blinding lasers crisscrossed the courthouse lobby, forcing the agents who were resting in between deployments to the fence to duck and weave to protect their eyes.

Agents on scaffolding fired pepper balls through the window slits at the crowd while others sat quietly on marble benches in the lobby, alone or in small groups, and waited for their turn at the fence.

No one talked much over the whir of the industrial fans set up to blow the tear gas back outside. The men who weren't on the front line sat with helmets in their laps but left their gas masks on so they could breathe, the air still thick with chemical irritants.

Every few minutes, a huge boom from a commercial-grade firework tossed over the fence caused the walls to rattle; the crowd outside cheered as explosions of red, white and green flashed against a thick curtain of yellowish tear gas.

The Federal Protective Service, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents were tired and frustrated. They didn't want to confront the crowd; they just wanted to go home. For weeks, the chaos at the courthouse had flipped their sleep schedules, turned their family lives upside down and left them scared each night that they would be hit by a firework or flare or blinded by a laser. Many were sent from out of town to reinforce the local agents  some are members of an elite Border Patrol tactical team sent in as reinforcements. But others were already stationed there and said they had chosen to live in the Portland area and call it home.

You see a lot of commentary on social media about, Well, theyre wearing protective gear so that its not going to hurt them. OK, Ill put the same protective gear on you and Ill throw a brick at your head and you tell me if you feel comfortable with that, said a senior U.S. Marshals Service official who's overseeing the response in Portland.

They can put out 10 seconds of something (on social media) that unfolded over several minutes, and those are the 10 seconds that look bad for us, whereas the rest of it would look bad for everybody," he said, speaking of the protesters. They use what serves their narrative.

Outside, a young woman with long blond hair wearing a halter top and jeans who had been gassed threw up in the gutter.

The tear gas pushed back the people assailing the fence and throwing fireworks at agents, but tendrils of acrid smoke also seeped deep into a park across from the courthouse.

The vapors, indiscriminate, hit a man biking past, a middle school teacher, a musician, a volunteer medic and dozens of others who'd been far back in the protest crowd dancing to the drums and chanting.

I think what people fail to realize is, us in Portland, were still playing defense so anything we do, its a defensive maneuver. We are protecting ourselves at the very most and each other, said Eli Deschera, 21.

I think that using chemical warfare on civilians is anything but protecting and serving, which is what theyre supposed to be doing," said Deschera, of Portland.

One of the people at the very front of the fence was Travis Rogers. The former U.S. Air Force veteran recently quit his job as a Medicaid case manager, in part because he would have been fired anyway if he got arrested.

On this night, Rogers wore a helmet and carried a blue shield made out of the side of a plastic barrel. Like most days, he spent most of the protest trying to take down the fence and screaming at the federal agents guarding it, asking them to explore their conscience.

After six years working for the military, Rogers said he felt better equipped than many to find talking points that might make the agents think about their mission more critically.

I think it is a good idea to try to plant some seeds in their heads for  them to go home and sleep on. These are peoples kids and mothers and wives and daughters that theyre gassing and theyre going to have to go home to THEIR mothers and wives and daughters, said Rogers, as explosive booms echoed around him. "I try to encourage them to think about the fact that theyre on the wrong side of history and that they will not be treated so kindly.

But anything Rogers said was lost in the thunderous noise, the booms of fireworks and tear gas canisters whisking his words away into the chaos of the night.

The firework came whizzing over the fence so fast that the agent didnt have time to move.

It exploded with a boom, leaving his hearing deadened and bloody gashes on both forearms. Stunned, with help from his cohorts, he stripped to his boxer shorts and a black T-shirt so his wounds could be examined and photographed for evidence.

He told his fellow agents he was more worried about his hearing than about the gouges and burns on his arms.

By the end of the night, five other federal agents would be injured, including another who got a concussion when he was hit in the head with a commercial-grade firework. One agent was hospitalized. Several agents have lingering vision problems from the lasers.

After each night of protest, they seize dozens of homemade shields, slingshots, blocks of wood and chunks of concrete.

My friends have been hit in the head with hammers. I know people who have been shot with fireworks. Its disgusting, said the Deputy U.S. Marshal who's been at the courthouse for weeks. Ive never thought Id have to walk around in my office building wearing a gas mask to go sit in front of my computer.

 READ MORE: Trump is threatening to send federal agents to Philly. Heres what you need to know.

Outside, hundreds of protesters surged back from the courthouse with each new round of tear gas, dumped saline solution and water into their stinging eyes, vomited or doubled over to catch their breath, then regrouped to march back to the fence.

Stay together, stay tight! We do this every night! they chanted.

The protesters' numbers, however, were half what they had been just a few hours before. Tear gas seeped in even around the edges of the gas masks many of the remaining protesters, journalists and legal observers wore. Paper and fabric masks that most people wore to protect from the coronavirus got soaked in gas from the air, causing the fabric to burn the skin. Even an apple one protester ate as a midnight snack tasted spicy because of the chemicals coating its skin.

I was just standing right on the corner  listening to the music and kind of didnt even see it coming. I mean, there wasnt any announcement or anything like that, said middle school teacher Azure Akamay, who was coughing so hard from tear gas that she could barely speak. "By the time I just got to this corner here, I basically couldnt see.

In the very front, those with gas masks formed a wall against the tear gas and pepper balls with shields and umbrellas. Protesters who began wielding leaf blowers to push the gas back on the federal agents several days ago found that now the agents, too, had leaf blowers.

Kennedy Verrett, a composer and music teacher, had been teargassed twice and was ready to go home. He had to be up early the next day to teach piano lessons but planned to be back for again another night.

When you are sent to protect property " he said of the agents, trailing off. My ancestors were once property. No one protected them. Tear gas is nothing when you have lived in America as a Black man for 40 years.

Somewhere, a bell tower chimed midnight  even though it was 12:38 a.m.  and a trumpet plaintively played the taps as munitions whizzed through the air.

The whole world seemed upside-down.

It was 2:30 a.m. A large bonfire was burning in front of the courthouse. Protesters were nose-to-nose with federal agents at the fence. A woman with a megaphone screamed obscenities through the wire.

Tear gas canisters bounced and rolled in the street, their payload fizzing out into the air before protesters picked them up and hurled them back over the fence at the agents, who held their ground.

A woman weaved through the crowd of the few hundred people who remained and told someone on the phone, We've reached some kind of standoff, I think."

When the federal agents finally came, they came with force. A line of agents marched in lock step down Third Street, pushing the crowd in front of them with tear gas and pepper balls. People scattered and small groups roamed the downtown as tear gas choked the air.

In less than two hours, it would be daylight.

I finally get outside at 7 a.m., after being in the building since 3 p.m. the day prior, and I look east and Im like, 'Oh, the worlds normal over there and people are driving to work and the city is clean and functioning," said the Deputy U.S. Marshal. And I look out on the street and it looks like downtown Baghdad."

The battle over, the agents and the demonstrators gathered their things and headed to bed, protesters and protectors sleeping in the same city  perhaps even on the same street  resting up for the next night's fight.

For at nightfall, it would all begin again.

Balsamo reported from inside the courthouse with the federal agents; Flaccus reported from outside with the protesters. Associated Press writer Sara Cline in Salem, Ore.; Associated Press photographers Noah Berger and Marcio Sanchez in Portland, Ore.; and Associated Press video journalist Aron Ranen in Portland, Ore., all contributed to this article.
Aizawl: Mizoram police have arrested a father-son do with 1.9 kg heroin smuggled from neigbouring Myanmar to the state, officials said on Monday (July 27, 2020).

A CID official of Mizoram police said that the heroin, worth around Rs 1 crore, was smuggled from Myanmar by Duhkima, 62 and his son Remthangpuia, 33, both natives of Mizoram.

The accused were arrested on Saturday under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and are now being interrogated by CID officials.

"The men might have dropped around 280 grams of heroin, valued at Rs 15 lakh while swimming across a river as they tried to flee after observing the presence of police force," a CID official said refusing to be named.

Although Mizoram`s international border with Bangladesh and Myanmar and inter-state borders with Tripura, Assam and Manipur are sealed in view of the COVID-19 outbreak, smuggling of various drugs, arms and ammunition and other contraband is still going on.

Assam Rifles personnel recently seized 25 trucks laden with betel nuts, worth around Rs 4 crore, smuggled from Myanmar.

Mountainous Mizoram has an unfenced international border of 404 kms with Myanmar and 318 kms with Bangladesh. While the BSF guards the Bangladesh border, the border with Myanmar is secured by Assam Rifles.
By Joymala Bagchi



New Delhi [India], July 26 (ANI): The first batch of eleven members of the minuscule Sikh community from Afghanistan, who have been facing persecution at the hands of Pakistan backed Taliban, arrived in India at 1:20 pm on Sunday in a special flight facilitated by the Government of India.

The group has four children, one minor girl, three women, and three men.

Significantly, among other repatriates includes 60 years old Delhi based Sikh Nidan Singh Sachdeva and 16 years old Sunmeet Kaur who were kidnapped by terrorists there and was later rescued by security agencies.

While speaking to ANI, Sachdeva told, "I am more than thankful to the Government of India for bringing us here. I have no words to describe my feelings here. I could arrive here after much struggle. An atmosphere of fear prevails over there. The gurdwara is where we can be safe but a step outside Gurdwara is fearful."

The repatriation process was immediately initiated by the Indian Government after perturbing reports of rampant security threats, human rights violations, and decimated on the minority communities surfaced.

"We want peace and earn a livelihood. My mother and brother are still there. I request the government to bring them as well. The situation is bad there. All of us are being pressurised by them for conversions," said Balender Singh.

Approximately 700 Hindu and Sikhs Afghan Nationals have registered with Embassy of India in Kabul and are seeking an immediate return to India.

India is facilitating the entire process of returning of Afghan Hindu and Sikh community members facing security threats in Afghanistan and extended a helping hand despite the ongoing pandemic.

They will stay at the guest house of Rakabgunj Gurdwara looked after the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara management committee. (ANI)
John Dawson became the CEO of Oxford Biomedica plc (LON:OXB) in 2008, and we think it's a good time to look at the executive's compensation against the backdrop of overall company performance. This analysis will also look to assess whether the CEO is appropriately paid, considering recent earnings growth and investor returns for Oxford Biomedica.

View our latest analysis for Oxford Biomedica

Comparing Oxford Biomedica plc's CEO Compensation With the industry

At the time of writing, our data shows that Oxford Biomedica plc has a market capitalization of UK644m, and reported total annual CEO compensation of UK1.2m for the year to December 2019. That's a slight decrease of 6.9% on the prior year. While we always look at total compensation first, our analysis shows that the salary component is less, at UK410k.

In comparison with other companies in the industry with market capitalizations ranging from UK313m to UK1.3b, the reported median CEO total compensation was UK1.0m. So it looks like Oxford Biomedica compensates John Dawson in line with the median for the industry. Furthermore, John Dawson directly owns UK709k worth of shares in the company.

Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary UK410k UK380k 34% Other UK810k UK931k 66% Total Compensation UK1.2m UK1.3m 100%

On an industry level, around 66% of total compensation represents salary and 34% is other remuneration. It's interesting to note that Oxford Biomedica allocates a smaller portion of compensation to salary in comparison to the broader industry. It's important to note that a slant towards non-salary compensation suggests that total pay is tied to the company's performance.

A Look at Oxford Biomedica plc's Growth Numbers

Over the past three years, Oxford Biomedica plc has seen its earnings per share (EPS) grow by 35% per year. In the last year, its revenue is down 4.1%.

Shareholders would be glad to know that the company has improved itself over the last few years. The lack of revenue growth isn't ideal, but it is the bottom line that counts most in business. Moving away from current form for a second, it could be important to check this free visual depiction of what analysts expect for the future.

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Has Oxford Biomedica plc Been A Good Investment?

Boasting a total shareholder return of 83% over three years, Oxford Biomedica plc has done well by shareholders. So they may not be at all concerned if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for companies around the same size.

To Conclude...

As previously discussed, John is compensated close to the median for companies of its size, and which belong to the same industry. The company is growing earnings per share and total shareholder returns have been pleasing. Indeed, many might consider that John is compensated rather modestly, given the solid company performance! Stockholders might even be okay with a bump in pay, seeing as how investor returns have been so strong.

While it is important to pay attention to CEO remuneration, investors should also consider other elements of the business. We did our research and spotted 1 warning sign for Oxford Biomedica that investors should look into moving forward.

Important note: Oxford Biomedica is an exciting stock, but we understand investors may be looking for an unencumbered balance sheet and blockbuster returns. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

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.
Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, has been selected by Consolidated Edison Company (Con Edison), one of the oldest Fortune 500 utility companies serving New York City and surroundings, to digitally transform Con Edisons customer service capabilities over the next four years.

Infosys will implement a new, state-of-the-art, comprehensive, utility-focused, commercial-off-the-shelf Customer Service System (CSS) that will help Con Edisons strategic aspiration to deliver an improved customer service experience through a modern, flexible and efficient system. It will also enable Con Edison to keep pace with regulatory and technology changes, become technologically nimble, mitigate risks, and become cost effective. As a part of this association, Infosys will provide end-to-end program management, business process blueprint, design, development, testing, deployment and post go-live stabilization support services.

Ashiss Kumar Dash, SVP and Segment Head - Services, Utilities, Resources, Energy, Infosys, said, Customer Service System modernization replacement initiatives for utilities such as Con Edison are particularly complex given how central and interconnected these systems are to the core utilities business model. With context aware solutions, deep domain knowledge, and a de-risked implementation plan, this partnership will enable Con Edison to not only provide superior customer experience but also meet dynamic business requirements.

Matthew Ketschke, Senior Vice President, Customer Energy Solutions, Con Edison, said, The Con Edison CSS drives customer operations, and has a major impact on the core of our business. This strategic partnership with Infosys will help ensure that our new CSS environment meets the future needs of the business and mitigate enterprise risk.

Janette Espino, General Manager, Customer Service System Program, Con Edison, said, A Customer Service System is one of the most strategic and mission-critical systems within the utility enterprise, providing the technological capability for delivering high quality service to customers and enabling the demands of a number of new investments and public policy requirements. We are confident that the modern Customer Service System we are building with Infosys will facilitate the delivery of efficient solutions to address evolving customer expectations and business needs.

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over three decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

About Con Edison

Consolidated Edison, Inc. is one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy-delivery companies, with approximately $13 billion in annual revenues and $59 billion in assets. The company provides a wide range of energy-related products and services to its customers through the following subsidiaries: Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., a regulated utility providing electric, gas and steam service in New York City and Westchester County, New York; Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc., a regulated utility serving customers in a 1,300-square-mile-area in southeastern New York State and northern New Jersey; Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses, Inc., which through its subsidiaries develops, owns and operates renewable and energy infrastructure projects and provides energy-related products and services to wholesale and retail customers; and Con Edison Transmission, Inc., which through its subsidiaries invests in electric and natural gas transmission projects.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements mentioned in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

Media contacts:

For further information, please contact: PR_Global@infosys.com
China-US ties in 'extreme danger' in next 3 months

Global Times

By Yang Sheng Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/26 20:58:23

'Focusing on development' key for China to handle US pressure

While the world is still fighting a tough battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, the US is trying to launch a new cold war against China by making a series of provocations, such as forcing China to close its consulate in Houston and making aggressive speeches targeting China, even though such hegemonic and irresponsible moves are criticized by not only China but also international scholars, who say the US' aggressive attitude is threatening world peace.

Chinese analysts said Sunday the key for China to handle the US offensive is to focus on its own development and insist on continued reform and opening-up to meet the increasing needs of Chinese people for better lives. In the upcoming three months, before the November US presidential election, the China-US relationship is in extreme danger as the Trump administration is likely to launch more aggressions to force China to retaliate, they said.

The US' posturing is serving to distract from domestic pressure over President Trump's failure in handling the pandemic when Trump is seeking reelection this year, Chinese observers said. However, the Trump administration's China stance still reflects bipartisan consensus among US elites, so China should not expect significant change in US policy toward China even if there is a power transition in November, which means China should prepare itself for a long fight.

New cold war doomed to fail

According to the Xinhua News Agency on Saturday, international scholars said at a virtual meeting on the international campaign against a new cold war on China on Saturday that "aggressive statements and actions by the US government toward China poses a threat to world peace and a potential new cold war on China goes against the interests of humanity."

The meeting gathered experts from a number of countries including the US, China, Britain, India, Russia and Canada.

Experts attending the meeting issued a statement calling upon the US to step back from this threat of a cold war and also from other dangerous threats to world peace it is engaged in.

The reason why international scholars are criticizing the US rather than China is that they can see how restrained China remains and the sincerity of China to settle the tension by dialogue, even though the US is getting unreasonably aggressive, said Chinese experts.

Washington has made a huge mistake as it has chosen the wrong target - China - to be "the common enemy or common fear" to reshape its declining leadership among the West. Right now, the common enemy of humanity is COVID-19, and this is why its new cold war declaration received almost no positive responses from other major powers and even raised concern, said Lu Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, on Sunday.

Shen Yi, a professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs of Fudan University, told the Global Times on Sunday that there is wide consensus among the international community that the COVID-19 pandemic is the most urgent challenge that the world should deal with. Whether on domestic epidemic control or international cooperation, the US has done almost nothing right compared to China's efforts to assist others and its successful control measures for domestic outbreaks.

In response to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's "new Iron Curtain speech" at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library on Thursday declaring a new cold war against China, Shen said, "We can also ask 'is Pompeo an ally of coronavirus?' Because he wants to confuse the world to target the wrong enemy amid the tough fight against the pandemic, so that the virus can kill more people, especially US people, since his country is in the worst situation."

Shen said, "In 2018, US Vice President Mike Pence already made a speech which the media saw as a new 'Iron Curtain speech,' and in 2020, Pompeo made a similar speech again, which means their cold war idea is not popular and brings no positive responses from its allies, so they need to try time and again. Of course, they will fail again."

How to avoid escalation

Many observers said that the China-US ties, due to their current trajectory, are in a free fall, so in the three months ahead of the US presidential election, the Trump administration could launch more aggressive moves to challenge China. It will be impossible for China not to retaliate, so it is possible the conflict could escalate.

An Gang, a US studies expert at the Pangoal Institute, a Beijing-based think tank, told the Global Times that "in the next three months, we will face the toughest period as with the intensive election campaign in the US, the decision-making of the White House could be more and more unpredictable and outrageous. The bilateral ties could spiral out of control."

Apart from Pompeo, other senior US officials such as Secretary of Defense Mark Esper have fanned the flames of the worsening bilateral ties by urging US allies to join them in challenging China, CNN reported Tuesday. To what extent the election result after November could change the US attitude to China is in question.

"Remarks by Pompeo, who has a plan to run in the 2024 presidential election, and Esper, who will stay in his position at least till 2021, do not just reflect a short-term goal of serving for Trump's reelection, they, to some extent, reflect a bipartisan consensus on US policy toward China," An said.

Experts and scholars across the world are worried about the impact on world peace, as two nuclear powers that could destroy each other are getting more hostile. Chinese analysts said the key for China to avoid conflict and win the competition forced by the US is to focus on its own development and be prepared for the worst situation.

In the worst-case scenario, "a war with China" would likely become an option on the table for the White House, whether for Trump or Biden if the US finds that most of the US dollars that it put into the market to boost liquidity and economic recovery have flowed to China and other emerging economies, or the internationalization of the yuan has effectively damaged the hegemony of US dollar, Lu said.

To what extent the US will decide to choose a war depends on a US assessment of its own power and China's preparation to deter the US, he remarked, noting that China needs to be prepared for the worst, as "for both sides, everything is possible, but nothing is easy."

Shen said the reason why US politicians are getting nervous and frustrated over the Communist Party of China's (CPC) leadership of China is that they found the CPC's leadership is the key reason for China's fast development, which creates the most serious pushback for the US' hegemony.

"So if we want to win this competition that was forced by the US, we must focus on our own development and not get distracted. The US is not afraid of a cold war with us, it is afraid of our development," he said.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27

Trend:

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov received Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan Javad Jahangirzadeh on July 27 in connection with the end of his diplomatic term in the country, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend on July 27.

While expressing satisfaction with the meeting, Bayramov spoke about the friendly, fraternal relations of cooperation between the two countries, which have deep historical roots.

The minister expressed satisfaction with the development of these relations in conditions of mutual respect and support.

While speaking about the contribution of Azerbaijani national leader Heydar Aliyev to the development of these relations, the minister stressed that presently, the attention is paid to the further development of relations at the level of the presidents of both countries.

Bayramov stressed the development of relations and mutual support between the two countries both in the regional and multilateral formats.

The minister highly appreciated Irans position on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, based on international law and containing firm support for Azerbaijans territorial integrity.

The minister also expressed gratitude to the Iranian ambassador for the fair position of his country in connection with the military provocation committed by the Armenian armed forces in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border on July 12.

Jahangirzadeh congratulated Bayramov on Azerbaijani president trusting him and conveyed warm greetings from Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

The ambassador also expressed gratitude for the support rendered to him during his diplomatic activity in Azerbaijan.

The statement was made during the meeting that Iran has always supported Azerbaijans territorial integrity. The representatives of the Iranian Foreign Ministry headed by Chief of the Iranian Presidential Administration Mahmoud Vaezi, the Iranian MPs made statements in connection with the recent events on the international border, stressing that Iran shares Azerbaijans concerns.

The sides also exchanged the views on other issues of mutual interest.

Bayramov wished the ambassador good luck in his future activity.
Security agencies on Sunday, busted a terror hideout in Jammu-Kashmir's Poonch district recovering arms and ammunition. The arms were allegedly going to be used to carry out a major terror attack across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on the anniversary of August 5, a year after the special status of the erstwhile state was snapped. In a historic development on August 5, 2019 the government of India, abrogated the Article 370 and 35A that gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two union territories.

"Terrorists and their supporters in Pakistan have not been able to come to the terms that there has been no major incident of violence across Kashmir valley and that is the reason they want to carry out a big terror attack on the anniversary of August 5", a source in privy to the inputs said.

He however, said that the security agencies are having an upper hand in Jammu and Kashmir and are fully prepared to foil any nefarious designs of the terrorists or their supporters in Pakistan.

"In the past few days, we have busted several terror hideouts across Jammu region as well as the Kashmir region. This proves that we are several steps ahead of the terrorists. Even today a hideout was busted in Poonch, the arms and ammunition were supposed to be used on the anniversary of August 5", the source said.

Here are visuals from the operation:

Security agencies say that they have been regularly getting hard intelligence about the presence of terrorists from the local sources which has lead to several clean operations in Kashmir valley, especially in South Kashmir. "The hard intelligence that local sources are sharing with the police and the army is leading to clean operations in which large number of dreaded terrorists are being eliminated", another source said.

He said that they have inputs that the launch pads across the line of control in North and South of Peer Panchal have been reactivated and terrorists want to infiltrate taking advantage of the thick vegetation, but the army is having an upper hand at the Line of Control as well.

"The robust anti-infiltration grid is in place on the line of control and any attempt of infiltration from across is being foiled and we have killed a large number of infiltrators in the past few weeks", the sources said.
A Big Rapids man held police at bay for eight hours in a Clare hotel before surrendering Monday morning. No one was hurt.

Clare city police were called to the Quality Inn, 10318 S. Clare Ave., shortly after midnight Sunday for a domestic disturbance involving an armed man, said a press release from the Clare city police department.

When officers arrived, the 49-year-old man confronted them at the door and refused to put his gun down, the release said. Officers evacuated the hotel of its occupants and moved themselves to safety.

Police began negotiating with the man, who occasionally fired his gun at them.

After eight hours, the suspect surrendered peacefully and was taken to the Clare County Jail, where he awaits his arraignment.

Clare city police were assisted at the scene by the Northern Michigan Mutual Aid Emergency Response Team, the Clare County Sheriffs Office, the Michigan State police, Clare City Department of Public Works, Mobile Medical Response and Clare Fire Department.

READ MORE:
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Cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir: Amit Shah speaks to Lieutenant Governor to take stock of situation

Uttarakhand: Cloudburst in Nainital; several people feared trapped under debris

2 trapped after cloud burst in Uttarakhands Pithoragarh

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

New Delhi, July 27: Two persons have been trapped and five to six houses were damaged following a cloud burst in a village in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, news agency ANI reported on Monday.

Massive landslide disrupts traffic in Uttarakhand's Chamoli: Watch | Oneindia News

According to the news agency, the SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) team is currently present at the spot.

Two persons feared trapped under the debris, after two houses collapsed following a cloudburst in Jhula village of Pithoragarh district, says Dr V K Jogdanger, District Magistrate, Pithoragarh.

"A rescue team is present on the spot," Pithoragarh's district magistrate was quoted as saying by ANI.
A divisive bioethics bill has returned to France's National Assembly after no fewer than 2,300 amendments were made in the Senate. The legislation proposes to make medically assisted parenthood available to all women. The political right-wing and many Catholic organisations fiercely oppose it, saying it will create families without fathers.

This is the second parliamentary debate on the bioethics bill. Twenty-five hours of house time have been allocated, but most commentators expect the discussions to last at least twice that long. The first reading of the bill, in October 2019, took two and a half weeks.

Medically assisted parenthood for all women was an election promise made by Emmanuel Macron.

Health minister Olivier Veran says the proposed law offers "major social, medical and scientific advances...which have been called for by a majority of the French population".

Opponents of the bill say it is unreasonable to squeeze such a delicate debate into the closing hours of the summer session of parliament.

Hostage taking by militant MPs

The right-wing MP Xavier Breton (Les Republicans) is quoted in this morning's conservative Le Figaro newspaper as decrying an attempted "parliamentary coup" with the danger that "the bill will be taken hostage by militant MPs".

Despite a rejection of the bill by most right-wing parliamentarians after the October debate, the ruling Republic on the Move (LaREM) party has attempted to keep this legislation above the level of partisan politics. "This bill is neither of the left nor the right," insists majority MP Aurore Berge.

Maxime Minot, one of the few right-wing lawmakers to publicly support the bioethics legislation, has received online death threats because of his position.

There are known to be several dissenting voices within LaREM.

The ruling party's house leader Gilles Le Gendre, has pleaded with members not to yield to the temptation to reopen discussion on topics which have already been decided.

Catholic pro-life antagonism

The Conference of French Bishops, the local directors of the Catholic Church, has repeatedly stressed the hierarchy's opposition to the bill.

The French anti-abortion association Alliance Vita, founded in 1993 to participate in the bioethics debate, says the government has committed "grave errors...by the nonsense of such a law, which is now to be discussed in the heart of summer".

The Catholic activist group La Manif pour Tous, which campaigned against an earlier law allowing homosexual marriage, has promised to protest outside the French parliament during the debate.

Some Catholics are worried that the legislation will allow the introduction of surrogate motherhood, opening the door to "wombs-for-rent", where a woman is paid to carry a child for another. The government has said it is not in favour of such an extension of the law.

'Eugenicist thinking'

In an article in centrist newspaper Le Monde, ruling-party MP Jean-Louis Touraine defends the government against accusations of "eugenicist thinking", saying the proposed broadening of pre-pregnancy screening in the bioethics bill is simply intended to reduce the number of miscarriages.

The parliamentary right has promised that there will be no easy passage for this law.

The prime minister Jean Castex, formerly a member of the conservative Les Republicans party, has refused to state his position on the bioethics legislation.
Despite recent reservations over the outlook, Morgan Stanley remains optimistic over global economic recovery. The bank maintains its view that the global economy overall will regain pre-covid output levels by the end of 2020 with developed economies reaching this benchmark by the end of 2021.

Coronavirus vaccine hopes build

There have been fresh reservations over the global economy during July, especially with an increase in US coronavirus cases and some spikes in Europe and Australia while the global number of cases has increased to over 16 million.

Image: Coronavirus cases

Morgan Stanley remains optimistic over the global economic recovery and points to three reasons for its positive stance:

Firstly, the bank looks at changing patterns of coronavirus and the policy response; policy-makers now balancing the social and economic costs brought about by lockdown measures versus the adverse implications for public health.

The bank also points out that the cases being reported now are biased more towards mild and asymptomatic cases due in part to the increased testing and a changing demographic profile. The proportion of cases needing hospitalisation has fallen and mortality rates are lower.

Secondly, there are now more effective treatments for acute cases and there is optimism that a vaccine will be developed. The latest trial results have boosted optimism that there will be an effective vaccine by late 2020. Even though actual inoculations would be slow, any vaccine would be crucial in boosting confidence.

Our US biotechnology analysts expect all three companies (Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca) to have a reasonable probability of success in delivering positive phase III results, with potential details released in the September-November time frame.

Massive support from fiscal and monetary policy

The third strand of support will come from substantial policy stimulus from central banks and governments.

Policy support is crucial during the initial stages and this time around, the scale has been unprecedented.

G4 central banks will expand their balance sheets by 28% of GDP by the end of 2021 while the G4 and China are providing fiscal support of 17% of GDP.

As far as the US is concerned, Morgan Stanley expects a further additional stimulus of $1.0trn and the risks are skewed towards a larger package despite the current wrangling in Congress.

According to the bank, the US and China have already made up a lot of lost ground and there will naturally be some moderation in the improvement. In this context, leadership will pass to Europe.
The past, present, and future of Quebec  updated to 2020 (Part Eight) By Mark Wegierski

The October 30, 1995 referendum in Quebec could be seen as "a turning point that failed to turn". In a remarkably close result, with only a fraction of a percentage between them, the federalists won. (It might be pointed out that there were two other extremely close results in 1995 -- the striking down of the anti-divorce law in Ireland -- which has been interpreted as a signal for massive secularization of that society; and the election of the former Communist Aleksander Kwasniewski, over former Solidarity hero Lech Walesa, in Poland.) In an unbelievably quick development attesting to the prevalent left-liberal climate of Canada, Jacques Parizeau was forced to resign in ignominy a day after his speech on the evening of October 30, where he had said that "60% of us [i.e. French-speakers] voted Yes", and that the defeat was due to "money and the ethnic vote". For this, he was called a "fascist", an "Adolf Hitler", and an "ethnic nationalist", in a massive wave of denunciation that swept the media countrywide, and was attacked even by some members of his own party. Another casualty of the referendum defeat was Bernard Landry, Quebec's Deputy Premier, and Minister responsible for Immigration. He was forced to resign from his immigration duties after railing in private against immigrants on the night of the defeat -- which was apparently reported to the media by two immigrant hotel-workers. Bloc Quebecois leader Lucien Bouchard, who was widely acknowledged to be Quebec's most popular politician, then headed for the Premiership of Quebec (and leadership of the Parti Quebecois). Because of the tightness of the race in the last few weeks of the campaign, Jean Chretien had hastily promised, five days before the vote, to try again to push through the constitutional recognition of "Quebec's distinctiveness" -- the issue on which two previous constitutional agreements, the Meech Lake Accord (signed 1987; failed 1990) and the Charlottetown Agreements (1992), had foundered. After appearing to simply renege on his promise, he indeed brought down, in the Parliament of Canada, a recognition of this distinctiveness. However, the Parliament of Canada is no longer a sovereign body -- all its acts are referred to and interpreted by the Canadian Supreme Court in light of the 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which means that such a measure means substantially less than some might imagine. Some rather jaundiced and exasperated English-Canadian traditionalists might well have thought that the "No" vote (i.e., No to Quebec sovereignty) was probably actually worse for English-speaking Canada, as a "Yes" vote might well have begun a process of salutary shock-therapy in this country. To wipe that perennial self-satisfied smirk off Chretien's and Liberal party-hacks' faces, the next day after a "Yes" victory, would have been hugely satisfying. Whatever else it was, the "No" victory was implicitly a vindication of the last thirty years of Canadian history, and of the Liberal vision which has so thoroughly dominated it. Chretien did indeed coast to another majority in 1997, in the afterglow of the "No" win. (Although that was certainly not the only element that contributed to his comparatively easy victory.) From a more broadly world-historical perspective, some might argue that a "Yes" win could have been the catalyst for the restarting of true history in North America -- for the resumption of some kind of movement in history in North America, which was certainly preferable to the status-quo. The success of Quebec separatism might have had some unexpected impacts on the U.S. While on the one hand, it might well have strengthened Hispanic separatism in the U.S. South-West, on the other, it might have led to a questioning by the long-marginalized hinterlands of the U.S. just what kind of benefits they derive from being under the control of the centralizing, bicoastal elites.

Quebec's possible re-association with France and Europe might also have strengthened Europe as a whole, in its perennial attempts to resist North Americanization. At that time, it was not as clear as today in which direction the European Community (as I believe it was called then) was heading. Perhaps such a triumph for the EC might have positively altered the whole trajectory of Europes future development. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher.

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The City of Charleston this month became the latest local government in the region to sign up for a chat service to help residents communicate with staff.

Now, citizens can report potholes or missing pets and ask questions of the service, such as, "How do I get a business license?"

The city announced the launch of the locally based Citibot service July 8. Residents can text "hello" to 833-990-2427 to get started. No app download is required.

Citibot, co-founded in 2016 by Bratton Riley, developed a chat tool that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help residents talk with their local governments.

The text messaging software responds to citizens directly on their smartphones, and gives users an avenue to relay a message to city staff if their questions weren't answered.

Charleston's adoption of the software follows the City of North Charleston in mid-2017 and Charleston County in mid-2018. Though it employs only four people, Riley said Citibot is now live in 25 governments around the country.

Local governments struggle to communicate efficiently with their citizens, Riley said. Chat software like Citibot's helps cut out the labor of responding to the same types of inquiries repeatedly for city employees, he said.

Riley  whose father is former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said he has a passion for local governments and the public servants who work for them. But, he said, governments tend to be five to 10 years behind the technology curve because of cumbersome procurement processes. He said the coronavirus pandemic has only increased people's need for information from their governments, and municipalities "are starting to wake up" to the need for technology to respond to their citizens' needs.

"COVID has forced a segment of governments to look at innovation and how they can better use technology to move them through these ups and downs," he said.

To help fund its work bringing the messaging tools to governments during a pandemic, the S.C. Research Authority awarded Citibot an investment in late June. The money was among $1.5 million distributed to South Carolina companies working on coronavirus solutions. Citibot is offering governments a free two-month starter service that can send key COVID-19 updates to users.

In the bidding process, Citibot beat out three competitors with the top score by far, according to City of Charleston procurement records. The company first applied to run a chatbot service for the city in late 2018.

Citibot also feeds data about what citizens are asking to city staff. Employees can also track how long it took to respond to a resident's request or concern.

Once residents voluntarily opt in to the service, Citibot can also send emergency notifications when a hurricane is approaching, for example. The application will cost the city roughly $18,000 per year.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the correct number of customers Citibot has: 25.
In the week that the Red Roof Inn has been outfitted as an alternate care site for non-acute COVID-19 patients, only five have been transferred there from the hospital. As of Monday afternoon, three were receiving treatment at the site.

The Texas Department of State Health Services sent 140 health care professionals to Laredo to man this operation over a week ago. They work in two groups, alternating 12-hour shifts. Laredos Interim Emergency Management Coordinator Ramiro Elizondo said theyre trying to work with the state to lessen the requirements for admission.

City officials are frustrated that this is the result of their request from the state from weeks ago, said City Manager Robert Eads.

At the City Council meeting Monday, Laredo Health Authority Dr. Victor Trevino said the citys primary need right now is more ICU space at the hospitals, not this kind of non-acute care the hotel is set up for.

Laredo has 72 beds across its intensive care units, and they need about 60 more, Trevino said. Especially when COVID-19 continues through flu season, if the city is not prepared, it will be a disaster, the health authority said.

In order to qualify for admission at the Red Roof Inn alternate care site, the patient has to pass several health and lifestyle tests. They cant have severe shortness of breath, be younger than 18 years old, require continuous telemetry monitoring, plus a dozen other stipulations.

Trevino noted that patients who are healthy enough to no longer qualify for hospitalization do not qualify to be treated at the alternate care site either.

Mayor Pete Saenz said Laredo has not seen adequate resources from the state to address hospital capacity, and if they dont get a commitment from the state in the next coming days, theyll need to move on to plan B, such as setting up an ICU site with the private sector.

Council voted to reach out to Laredo Specialty Hospital to see what it would cost to open up ICU space there. Trevino noted that they have 18 extra beds they can utilize plus a gym and large physical therapy space that could fit more patients.

Elizondo said a project like this could cost the city approximately $1 million per ICU bed, not including staffing.

At Doctors Hospital, 23 patients are in intensive care. There are 36 people in the two COVID-19 intensive care units at Laredo Medical Center, 28 of whom are ventilated, Trevino reported Monday. Others are being treated in non-ICU wards, and 11 are receiving care at Laredo Specialty Hospital. Because seven people died at LMC yesterday, this opened up some space at the hospital, Trevino said.

As I mentioned before, this is not a good way to make capacity, but this is what happened, he said.

As of noon Monday, 162 people in Laredo were hospitalized.

Trevino also mentioned that the city is working on establishing a neutral recovery site for positive patients who cannot completely self-isolate at home due to the number of people living under the same roof.

In Laredo, the virus has spread more among close clusters than in community transmission, the health authority noted. When patients are sent home to recover, they can easily spread the virus to their family members, who can go on to infect others.

A neutral recovery site would be a controlled space where people could go to isolate while they recover. This method has helped flatten the curve in other parts of the country.

If we have the evidence that clusters are the majority of cases here ... then this way of sending patients to quarantine in an area where they would not potentially affect the family would definitely improve the flattening of the curve, Trevino said.

Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com
Supreme Court rejects Calif. churchs request to lift limits on in-person services ahead of Pentecost Sunday

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In a late-night 5-4 decision Friday, the Supreme Court rejected a California churchs request to set aside Gov. Gavin Newsoms recently issued public-health guidelines that allow congregations to meet in person but limits attendance to 25% of the buildings capacity, with a maximum of 100 attendees.

In the decision released just before midnight, days before Pentecost Sunday, Chief Justice John G. Roberts joined the courts four liberal justices  Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan  in rejecting the request by South Bay United Pentecostal Church and its Senior Pastor Bishop Arthur Hodges III, and upheld the states rules, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Newsom announced Monday he would allow in-person worship services in California, but capped religious gatherings at 25% or no more than 100 people in attendance, irrespective of the size of the church or other contagion-related variables.

South Bay United Pentecostal Church draws 200-300 congregants.

The petition, filed on behalf of the church by legal firms Thomas More Society and LiMandri & Jonna, argued that the First Amendments guarantee that all Americans enjoy the fundamental right to freely exercise their religion protects churchgoers against being singled out to suffer biased, discriminatory restrictions not enforced against any other gatherings.

However, Roberts wrote, The precise question of when restrictions on particular social activities should be lifted during the pandemic is a dynamic and fact-intensive matter subject to reasonable disagreement. Our Constitution principally entrusts the safety and the health of the people to the politically accountable officials of the states to guard and protect.

The chief justice added that the states executive order aims to limit the spread of Covid-19, a novel severe acute respiratory illness that has killed thousands of people in California and more than 100,000 nationwide. At this time, there is no known cure, no effective treatment, and no vaccine. Roberts added that asymptomatic carriers may unwittingly infect others.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in dissent that the restriction,  discriminates against places of worship and in favor of comparable secular businesses. Such discrimination violates the First Amendment.

Kavanaugh noted that supermarkets, restaurants, hair salons, cannabis dispensaries, and other businesses are not being subjected to the same restrictions. Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch joined the dissent.

Attorney Charles LiMandri, serving as special counsel to the Thomas More Society, responded to the late-night ruling, saying they will, proceed with our expedited appeal in the Ninth Circuit and, if necessary, seek a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on the merits under a much more favorable standard."

He added, Although this interim ruling is disappointing, its clear to us that, without the filing and vigorous litigation of this lawsuit, churches would still be closed in California under Governor Newsoms original shut-down orders.

Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said he wished the court had acted to bring more constitutional clarity to this pressing question.

There is no dispute that the government has a compelling interest in restricting assemblies during times of pandemic, but several states, including Minnesota, California and Nevada, have pursued policies that are inconsistent, incoherent and not neutral toward religious gatherings as opposed to non-religious gatherings, Moore said in a statement on Saturday.

Chief Justice Roberts is correct to say that a large gathering of people is not the same as a small business where people can socially distance one by one. And yet, in many states, that's not where the distinction is being made. In some places, casinos are open while houses of worship are not. That is not sound public policy, and it sets a bad precedent," Moore added.

Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel for the Thomas More Society, said before the decision that this case is about essential and fundamental freedoms that are enshrined in our First Amendment, at the very summit of our Bill of Rights.

Brejcha argued that This cap on church attendees that is not enforced against any other human activities or gatherings in San Diego or throughout California is odious and abhorrent, devoid of the slightest justification as applied only to religious practice.

This bias against people of faith betrays the falsity of proclamations that churches are now open, as government officials seem to deem religious congregants and their shepherds alone as unworthy of trust, while opening up manufacturing and retail stores without any comparable caps on attendance. ..."

Last week, before Newsoms announcement about the opening up of churches, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to uphold the states ban on in-person worship services.

The judges wrote, Were dealing here with a highly contagious and often fatal disease for which there presently is no known cure. In the words of Justice Robert Jackson, if a [c]ourt does not temper its doctrinaire logic with a little practical wisdom, it will convert the constitutional Bill of Rights into a suicide pact.

Last Saturday, the church took the case to the Supreme Court. After Newsoms announcement, the church filed a supplemental brief Tuesday.
Melbourne-made luxe skincare brand Samson & Charlie experienced a huge jump in sales thanks to their new releases designed around specific skin complaints. The release was held up, yet timely, as the founders dog Charlie was diagnosed with a brain tumour, ensuring products werent released until after his treatment. This corresponded with lockdown in Australia, leading to a huge boost of 390% in sales in March. We wanted to offer real 
Slate has relationships with various online retailers. If you buy something through our links, Slate may earn an affiliate commission. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. All prices were up to date at the time of publication.

When I was a child, the neighborhood drugstore where I snuck out to buy candy also trafficked in another forbidden treat: a tall, rotating rack stocked with mass-market paperbacks, the covers of which mostly featured women in nightgowns fleeing from looming mansions by night. This was a type of genre fiction that flourished in the 1960s and 70s and has entirely vanished since called the gothic. Our branch librarian informed me when I tried to check some out that I was too young to read such books, vastly increasing their glamor in my eyes. Eventually, though, I got my hands on a few, and while I remember enjoying them well enough, their predictability soon bored me.

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Only years later, in school, would I read the literature that inspired these pulps and gain a full appreciation of the gothic mode. (There ought to be a name for this disorienting experience of encountering the genuine article only after a thorough exposure to its thin simulacrum, like visiting New Orleans for the first time after many childhood wanderings through New Orleans Square in Disneyland.) Some of the literary gothics foundational novels are acknowledged classicsJane Eyre, Wuthering Heightswhile othersmost notably, Daphne du Mauriers Rebeccawere unfairly diminished in reputation by their countless imitators and the prestige hit taken by any genre thats particularly popular with women.

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But truth be told, even those of us who love a high-end gothic novel must admit that many of the genres devices have lost their flavor. How many books can you read about inexperienced but scrappy young women (or, in the case of Rebecca, gormless ingenues) arriving in gloomy English country estates where dark secrets lurk behind moth-nibbled velvet drapes? Even this premise, once so delicious, can get stale. The genres palette is typically limited, but it doesnt necessarily have to beas Silvia Moreno-Garcias Mexican Gothic amply, deliriously, and gloriously demonstrates.

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The setting, at first, is Mexico City, 1950. The heroine is Noemi Taboada, who, unlike the typically mousy gothic heroine, is as handsome, clever, and rich as Emma Woodhouse. The novel, narrated in the third person but limited to Noemis point of view, refers to her more than once as a socialite, an old-fashioned label I associate with newspaperswould anyone call herself this?and signals that Mexican Gothic, in accord with its artless but absolutely on-point title, is not afraid to be a little bit trashy. A promising sign, indeed.

For me, gothic fiction will always be associated with the endless afternoons of a suburban childhood summer, a wedge of vicarious shadow injected in long, blank, bright days when there was nothing much to do and nowhere really to go. This pandemic summer is the ideal season for that kind of book, and Mexican Gothic is one, at least in the beginning. Noemi obeys her industrialist fathers request to check up on her newlywed cousin Catalina, whose husband has whisked her away to an old family mansion so high up in the mountains that despite its latitude, the place always seems to be swathed in a chilly mist. Catalina has been writing her uncle strange letters, accusing her husband, Virgil Doyle, of trying to poison her and raving about these restless dead, these ghosts, fleshless things that whisper at night.

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Moreno-Garcias skill with the baroque and hallucinatory is peerless.

When Noemi arrives at this house (dubbed, in accordance with Moreno-Garcias curiously literal naming approach, High Place), she finds such classic gothic character types as the unsympathetic middle-aged woman who runs the place; a pair of men, one darkly dangerous and alluring, the other more decent but less exciting; suspicious servants; and a creepy dying patriarch who, when he learns of Noemis plans to study anthropology at the university, begins spouting noxious ideas about race and eugenics. The Doyles monitor her time with Catalina and refuse to consult anyone about her cousins puzzling illness besides the longtime family physician, whom Noemi mistrusts. The place is obviously riddled with secrets, and our heroine, of course, resolves to dig them up.

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But if Mexican Gothic begins like du Maurier, it veers a little before its midpoint into the territory of a Guillermo del Toro movie. (In a recent Twitter thread, Moreno-Garcia attributed this similarity to a shared influence, the Mexican filmmaker Carlos Enrique Taboada, whose last name she gave to her heroine.) Its an audacious and satisfying move, because while Moreno-Garcia lacks du Mauriers gift for conjuring a hypnotic atmosphere, her skill with the baroque and hallucinatory is peerless. Noemi has a series of dreams in which she wanders the house, surrounded by clouds of golden spores and confronted by a woman in a yellow dress whose face has been replaced with a pulsing, featureless glow. This figure attempts to speak to her, despite not having a mouth, and the woman made a noise, like the crunching of leaves, like the dripping of water onto a pond, like the buzzing of insects in the pitch-black darkness, and Noemi wished to press her hands against her ears, but she had no hands anymore. Later, in another dream, she will feel that the floor beneath her was wet and soft. It was a sore. A great sore she walked upon, and the walls were sores too. The wallpaper was peeling, revealing underneath sickly organs instead of brick or wooden boards.

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These are quintessential gothic conceptsfemale powerlessness and voicelessness, the house as body or psychebut Moreno-Garcia turns them up to 11, as del Toro did with his own gothic film, 2015s Crimson Peak. But bringing such florid intensity to the table is not Moreno-Garcias only technique for making the gothic more Mexican. The Doyles, fair and blue-eyed, implanted themselves outside the village of El Triunfo, running a silver mine with ruthless disregard for the local workers, whom they considered little better than livestock, until the mine, and the familys fortunes, succumbed to a series of mysterious afflictions. One of their ancestors even imported earth from his native England (rather like Count Dracula, who arrived in England with a shipment of Transylvanian soil), so determined were they to preserve themselves as distinct from the land and people they came to exploit.

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And so, while sustaining the gothics old-fashioned appeal, Moreno-Garcia converts its motifs into a supple metaphor for colonialism, which she conceives of as a kind of disease. Even Noemis intermittent attraction to the Doyles serves the author here as both a painful truth about the unruliness of desire and a covert dig at Mexicos ruling class. Without giving too much away about what Noemi discovers at High Placechances are you wont figure it out in advanceIll say that its possible to read Mexican Gothic for its shiver-inducing surface pleasures alone, but you can also find much more should you choose to look for it. And no lazy afternoon spent reading it will ever feel wasted.

For more Slate book coverage, listen to an interview with cartoonist Adrian Tomine on the Working podcast.
Chip stocks are having a really good quarter so far, with the typical beat and raise results we would expect in a thriving economy, something like what we had right before the pandemic hit. But while the pandemic has hit several other sectors real bad, this one seems to have come out unscathed. And if you think about it, its with good reason.

First of all, semiconductor manufacturing is a highly mechanized process and requiring the cleanest operating environment you could possible arrange for. Even small variances in environmental factors can result in costly changes you werent looking for.

The nature of manufacturing in itself requires you to take utmost care in this regard. So it was already optimally set up to deal with the pandemic. Also, its relatively simpler to transfer design processes to the home once security measures are set up. This is not the case for most other sectors.

Second, many of the markets driving semiconductor demand, such as cloud and computing, had exceptionally strong quarters, so there was no inventory buildup as would be the consequence of falling demand in these markets.

Third, the end products that use semiconductors come to market long after the semiconductors are actually sold. So sales are driven by the future outlook (and the general perception about the future outlook) for items using them.

So for instance, a company making smartphones would be planning for the fall or the holiday season while a company making TVs, or the different gadgets melting barriers between the traditional TV and digital entertainment would probably plan for the holidays. Then again, companies building 5G infrastructure or boosting AI capabilities, or building out their cloud, or making medical devices (in some categories at least) would be buying for consumption, as the nature of consumption in these markets is on an ongoing basis.

Since consumption for 5G infrastructure, 5G smartphones, AI, computing, medical goods are expected to increase rather than decline irrespective of how the pandemic plays out, and since entertainment has been kind of pulled into the just-concluded quarter because of lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, end market demand for semiconductor devices is expected to remain consistently strong.

Story continues

Fourth, Huawei has been a bit of an offsetting factor for those that had dealings with it because of government orders and directives. And there were initially some supply chain issues that turned around pretty quickly.

Now for the stocks in question-

Skyworks Solutions, Inc. SWKS

Skyworks fiscal third-quarter earnings of $1.25 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 10.6% on revenue of $737 million that beat by 6.8%.

This is basically a 5G story. The quarters results were driven by increased adoption of its 5G applications at leading smartphone OEMs and IoT customers all over the world with particular strength in China where 60% of all smartphones sold were 5G-enabled.

Key 5G design wins at Samsung, Motorola, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi as well as numerous others across varied end markets (including IoT, which is helping it diversify beyond smartphones) were highlights of the quarter.

Fourth quarter guidance was for earnings of $1.51 on revenue of $840 million (at the mid-point). The Zacks Consensus Estimate has moved up a penny to $1.42, so further revisions may be in cue. 2020 and 2021 estimates are up by a respective 3 cents and 4 cents. The average sales estimate is also much lower than guidance, at around $786 million.

The surprise history has been quite consistent in the last six quarters.

The quarterly dividend was raised 14% to $0.50 a share.

The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock belongs in the Semiconductors - Radio Frequency industry, which is in the top 46% of Zacks-ranked industries. Its VGM Score is B, making it a reasonably good investment for most.

STMicroelectronics N.V. STM

STMicroelectronics second quarter earnings of 10 cents were a couple of cents above the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Its revenue of $2.09 billion was above the estimated $2.0 billion.

Nevertheless, STM did see some challenges in the quarter-

These were in imaging, automotive and MEMS markets and were partially offset by strength in microcontrollers, digital, analog and discrete power devices. Saturation charges, including on account of COVID-related operational and logistical issues stemming from government regulations (normalized during the quarter) as well as pricing pressure impacted results.

STM broadly classifies its end markets into automotive, industrial, personal electronics and communications equipment & computing peripherals.

The real long-term opportunity in auto is in electrical, digitization, automation etc and there was no weakness in any of these. Legacy auto had issues and likely bottomed in the last quarter. Chinas recovery in Q2 partially offset U.S. and Europe.

Industrial is expected to remain strong with multiple design wins and awards. STM even closed a couple of acquisitions during the quarter to further strengthen its portfolio.

The slowdown in the smartphone market impacted the personal electronics business (design wins including for 5G continued, which bodes well for future quarters). There was strength in accessories, wearables, gaming, as well as continued innovation-driven semiconductors.

Servers and 5G drove demand in comms/comp peripherals.

Year-over-year sales to distribution increased 9.7% while sales to OEMs decreased 9.7%.

The company doesnt provide earnings guidance. Revenue guidance of $2.45 billion remains below third-quarter 2019, but represents sequential growth of over 17%.

The Zacks Rank #2 stock belongs in the Semiconductor  General industry, which is the top 16% of Zacks-classified industries. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the September quarter is up 3 cents (21.4%). The estimate for 2020 and 2021 are both up 4 cents in the last seven days. It does appear that the second quarter was the bottom for STM, overall.

Texas Instruments, Inc TXN

Texas Instruments reported earnings of $1.48 cents, thrashing the much-lowered Zacks Consensus Estimate of 88 cents. Earnings came in higher than both the previous and year-ago quarters. Even excluding the one-time tax benefit of 33 cents, it was significantly higher than estimated but down from prior periods.

Revenue of $3.24 billion was lower than the previous and year-ago quarters but easily beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.96 billion.

Most of the weakness was related to the automotive market, which management said normalized in May as Europe and North America returned to production.

TI has the advantage that it makes long-lived products so by maintaining the greatest flexibility in production, it is able to cater to customer demand within relative short time periods. Management intends to maintain this flexibility to cater to even those customers that are still unable to accurately forecast demand.

Another thing that can prove helpful is the strategy of gradually eliminating distributors to sell directly to customers. This could further reduce lead times and bring more efficient inventory management, especially in times of uncertain demand.

Third, management remains focused on ti.com, where it maintains immediately shippable inventory of more than 40,000 products.

This strategy helped results in the last quarter and should continue to help going forward.

The company continues to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.90 a share and management assured that theres no threat to it.

Following the strong results, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the September quarter is up 34 cents (37.4%) while estimates for fiscal 2020 and 2021 are up $1.01 (25%) and 49 cents (10.1%), respectively. Obviously, analysts feel that theyve grossly underestimated TIs strengths and theyve adjusted accordingly.

The Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock also belongs in the Semiconductor  General industry, which is the top 16% of Zacks-classified industries. Its VGM Score is B.

Conclusion

While the above results look good, its important to remember that a good investment doesnt just come from good prospects but from good prospects at the right price. Thats why we should also consider the valuation.

Lets take SWKS first. The stock is trading at 20.73X forward earnings, which is closer to its median value of 18.50X than its six-month high of 25.80X.

STM on the other hand is trading at 27.23X, which is closer to its six-month high of 29.93X than its median value of 20.05X.

TXN on the other hand is trading at 24.89X, which is below its median value of 25.55.

Since the S&P 500 is trading at its six-month high, all the stocks look good in comparison. But TXN looks the best, both in terms of its prospects and in terms of the price to be paid.

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The flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has taken a swipe at President Nana Akufo-Addo and his governing New Patriotic Party for running down the country.

John Mahama says the first term of President Nana Akufo-Addo administration has been full of nepotism, corruption, stagnation, and disenfranchising Ghanaians.

Mr. Mahama made these comments at the outdooring ceremony of his running mate Prof. Nana Jane Opoku-Agyemang at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).

My brothers and sisters, the 2020 election will be a referendum on the four years of Nana Akufo-Addo's presidency  four years of nepotism, corruption, stagnation, deliberate abandoning of badly needed social infrastructure, dehumanisation, disenfranchising Ghanaians, stripping Ghanaians of their citizenship, deliberate collapse of indigenous Ghanaian businesses, massive job losses and the attendant socio-economic hardship. This will be a referendum on the term of a president who has no real solutions for Ghana, a president, hell-bent on doing whatever it takes to stay in power  including, against sound advice, replacing the very voters register, which brought him into office, he said.

My heart goes out to the many who have been affected by this Government's unjustifiable collapse of Ghanaian-owned financial institutions, Mahama added. Fight corruption, nepotism as you promised

Former John Mahama had earlier challenged President Akufo-Addo to fight corruption and deal with nepotism in his government as he promised ahead of winning the 2016 elections.

He said Nana Addo must also ensure the prosecution of all alleged cases of corruption within his government.

Mr Mahama accused President Akufo-Addo of superintending over incidences of corruption and nepotism of historic proportions.

Sadly, the recent upsurge in incidences of corruption and nepotism of historic proportions under the current administration, are a clear deviation from the revolutionary values for which people laid down their lives.

NDC calls for enactment of law to check nepotism

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) had earlier called for the enactment of anti-nepotism legislation to check abuse of power by governments.

The enactment of anti-nepotism legislation to help check abuse of power in the advancement of the nepotistic agenda of President Akufo-Addo, his appointees and any unforeseen recurrence is long overdue in Ghana, the National Communications Officer of NDC, Sammy Gyamfi said.

This was after the party came out with a list of 51 of persons believed to be friends, families, and cronies of President Akufo-Addo.

---citinewsroom
Notice is hereby given that on the initiative and by the resolution of the Board of AB Klaipedos Nafta, legal entity code 110648893, with the registered office at Buriu str. 19, Klaipeda (hereinafter - the Company), Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company will be held on 18 August 2020 at 1:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Company's office at Buriu str. 19, Klaipeda, in the administrative office of the Company (in the hall of the meeting on the 2nd floor).

Agenda of the meeting:

Regarding the reduction of authorized capital of AB Klaipedos nafta; Regarding the amendment of the Articles of Association of AB Klaipedos nafta.

The shareholders will be registered from 12:00 a.m. to 12:55 p.m. The persons intending to participate in the meeting shall have a personal ID document (an authorized representative shall have an authorization approved under the established procedure. The natural person's authorization shall be notarized. An authorization issued in a foreign state shall be translated into the Lithuanian language and legalized under the procedure prescribed by the laws).

A shareholder or his proxy shall have the right to vote in writing in advance by filling in a general ballot paper. At the request of the shareholder, the Company shall send a general ballot paper to the shareholder by registered mail free of charge at least 10 days before the meeting. The filled-in general ballot paper and the document attesting the voting right shall be submitted to the Company no later than until the meeting, sending by registered mail or providing them at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice.

The shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes may propose additions to the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders by submitting with every proposed additional item of the agenda a draft resolution of the general meeting of shareholders or, when no resolution is required, an explanation. Proposals on addition to the agenda shall be submitted in writing or sent by e-mail. Written proposals shall be submitted to the Company on business days or sent by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. Proposals submitted by e-mail shall be sent to the following e-mails: info@kn.lt and i.berzauskas@kn.lt . The agenda shall be supplemented if the proposal is received no later than 14 days before the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. If the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders is supplemented, the Company shall notify on the additions no later than 10 days before the meeting in the same ways as in the case of convocation of the meeting.

The shareholders, who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes, at any time before the general meeting of shareholders or during the meeting, may propose new draft resolutions on items which are or will be included in the agenda of the meeting. The proposals may be submitted in writing or sent by e-mail. Written proposals shall be submitted to the Company on business days or sent by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. Proposals submitted by e-mail shall be sent to the following e-mails: info@kn.lt and i.berzauskas@kn.lt .

The shareholders shall have the right to submit to the Company in advance questions relating to the items on the agenda of the meeting. The shareholders may submit their written questions to the Company on business days or send by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice no later than 3 business days before the meeting. The Company will reply to the questions by e-mail or in writing before the meeting, except the questions which are related to the Company's commercial (industrial) secret, confidential information or which have been submitted later than 3 business days before the meeting.

The Company does not provide the possibility of participating and voting at the meeting by means of electronic communications.

The shareholder shall have the right to authorize through electronic communications means another personand i.berzauskas@kn.lt no later than until the last business day before the meeting at 1:00 p.m. The proxy and the notice must be issued in writing. The proxy and the notice to the Company shall be signed with the electronic signature but not the letter sent by e-mail. By submitting the notice to the Company, the shareholder shall include the internet address from which it would be possible to download software free of charge to verify the shareholder's electronic signature.

The record date of the meeting shall be 11 August 2020 (only those persons who will be shareholders of the Company at the close of the record date of the general meeting of shareholders or their authorized persons, or persons with whom an agreement on assignment of the voting right has been executed, may participate and vote at the general meeting of shareholders).

The shareholders of the Company may familiarise with the draft resolution of the meeting and the form of the general ballot paper under the procedure prescribed by the laws in the registered office of the Company at Buriu str. 19, Klaipeda. The following information and documents shall be provided on the abovementioned internet website of the Company:

- The notification on convocation of the meeting;

- Total number of the Company's shares and the number of shares with voting rights on the convening day of the meeting.

Enclosed:

Draft decisions; Ballot paper; New wording of Articles of Association.

Jonas Lenksas, Chief Financial Officer, +370 694 80594.

Attachments
LONDON  An on-going review by the Better Cotton Initiative into its cotton sourcing activities in the Xinjiang region of China has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and won't be published until at least October 2020.

The BCI suspended all licencing activities in the region back in March after widespread allegations that the local ethnic Uighur population was being forced to manufacture cotton goods in Xinjiang prisons. It's a region that BCI relies on for around 20 per cent of its better cotton.

BCI had initially planned to share key recommendations from an external review (by an unnamed organisation) on cotton sourcing in Xinjiang this month (July), along with the findings of a separate Task Force which has a global remit to look at improvements in the Better Cotton Standard System overall.

However, the global pandemic has scuppered these plans and a remote external investigation is now underway instead.

Travel constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic have interrupted the Task Forces meeting schedule, requiring more video conferencing spread out over a longer period, said the organisation. The timeline to communicate these recommendations has, therefore, been revised, and they will now be shared in October 2020.
Australia's most populous state will soon scrap stamp duty for first-home buyers if they build a new house from scratch or snap up a brand new one.

From August 1, property newcomers in New South Wales who spend up to $800,000 on a house and land package will be spared having to pay $31,335 in property transfer duty.

The temporary, 12-month policy would help them buy a house at Auburn or Lakemba, in the city's west, where mid-point prices are less than $800,000, CoreLogic data showed.

Buyers would have more choice heading further out to Guildford, where the median price is $727,000.

From August 1, first-home buyers in New South Wales who spend up to $800,000 on a brand new house will be spared having to pay $31,335 in property transfer duty. This would apply to an almost completed duplex (pictured) at Guildford in Sydney's west selling for $789,000

Real estate first-timers in Sydney wanting to avoid paying stamp duty entirely in a more upmarket suburb would have a lot more choice if they settled for a brand-new two-bedroom apartment.

The median price for a unit at Waitara, on Sydney's Upper North Shore, stands at $654,000.

First-home buyers who spend $1million on a median-priced Sydney house don't get a full stamp duty exemption on the usual $40,335 tax.

A real estate newbie buying a $900,000 home would get a $15,668 discount on the usual $35,835 bill while someone settling a $950,000 brand new house would get a $7,834 discount on the normal $38,085 tax.

A vacant block of land worth up to $400,000 will no longer incur $7,793 in stamp duty.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the stamp duty exemption was designed to boost construction activity, as COVID-19 restrictions pushed Australia into a recession for the first time in 29 years.

'Thousands of people will see their bank balances benefit from this change - it will help get more keys into more front doors of more new homes,' she said.

'It will also boost housing construction across NSW and support jobs in the building industry at a time when we need them more than ever before.'

Real estate first-timers in Sydney wanting to avoid paying stamp duty entirely in a more upmarket suburb would have a lot more choice if they settled for a brand-new two-bedroom apartment. The median price for a unit at Waitara, on Sydney's Upper North Shore, stands at $654,000. Pictured is a brand new two-bedroom unit on the market for $765,000

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said a property market boost in NSW would help the national economy.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the stamp duty exemption was designed to boost construction activity, as COVID-19 restrictions pushed Australia into a recession for the first time in 29 years

'When the states do well, the country does well on the back of it,' he said.

Saranga Ranasinghe, the vice president of ratings agency Moodys Investors Service, said the stamp duty exemption would help the likes of property developer group Stockland.

'Stockland is the largest master planned communities builder in Australia and caters to the owner-occupier segment of the market, where around 49 per cent of sales are made to first-home buyers,' he said.

'Residential construction has been soft since peaking in June 2018, and we expect the stimulus measures to partially mitigate weakness in the single dweller segment of the residential market.'

Since July 2017, first-home buyers in NSW have been exempt from paying stamp duty for houses and apartments worth up to $650,000, regardless of whether it is brand new or existing.

Mr Perrottet has been leading a push for the federal government to either raise the Goods and Services Tax beyond the existing 10 per cent level, or broaden it to include fruit, vegetables and bread.

He wants Canberra to give the states and territories extra revenue, via the Commonwealth Grants Commission, to scrap inefficient taxes like stamp duty and payroll duty.

Both hated state taxes were meant to have been abolished in 2000 when the GST debuted but the consumption tax only replaced indirect federal wholesale sales taxes instead of state levies.

Last month, federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced the $688million HomeBuilder scheme giving all home owners until December 31, regardless of whether they are first-timers, a $25,000 grant to build a home worth up to $750,000 if they lived in it.

The federal government's $500million First Home Loan Deposit Scheme is also enabling property newcomers to secure a mortgage with a five per cent deposit as taxpayers underwrite the balance of the 20 per cent deposit.
By PTI

PATNA: Bodies lying wrapped in linen alongside petrified COVID-19 stricken patients, discarded PPEs in open dustbins making them a veritable storehouse of the deadly coronavirus, and harried attendants rushing from one counter to the other for a slip that would secure their loved ones, gasping for breath, another chance at life.

This is Nalanda Medical College Hospital (NMCH), a designated COVID-19 facility in Patna, emblematic of the frayed health care system, puffing and panting, as it grapples with the pandemic.

The hospital has repeatedly hit the headlines over bodies lying in COVID isolation wards and ICUs alongside the beds occupied by patients who are alive and hoping to beat the disease which had claimed 249 lives and afflicted nearly 40,000 people till Sunday.

Established in 1970, NMCH was declared as the first dedicated COVID 19 facility of the state way back in March, when the disease was in a nascent stage.

The announcement by health minister Mangal Pandey had earned the Nitish Kumar government plaudits for its "proactive" approach to the global pandemic.

Last week, at least two videos, shot purportedly by horrified surviving patients or their attendants, of the bodies lying for hours on end on adjacent beds evoked outrage on the social media.

Pandey, who inspected the hospital on Thursday last, claimed the videos are misleading.

"A protocol ought to be followed for disposal of bodies of COVID 19 patients. This takes a bit of time. Nowadays everybody carries a mobile phone. It is so easy to shoot a video, barely a couple of minutes long, and post it on social media with the claim that a dead body visible in the background has been lying there for hours, or maybe even days," he remarked testily.

However, Vinod Kumar Singh, the newly appointed medical superintendent of the hospital admitted there were "some lapses" in shifting the bodies from isolation wards and ICUs immediately after the death of a patient.

NMCH principal Hiralal Mahto, however, said since the mortuary is close to the medical college, which is at some distance from the hospital's COVID ward, there is an unavoidable time gap between a death and the removal of the body from the ward.

Rubbishing the claims made in such videos of bodies remaining inside the wards for hours, Mahto added cremation of the deceased COVID 19 patients was permitted only at the Baans Ghat crematorium and that too late in the evening.

"If a death takes place early in the morning, we cannot help but keep the bodies inside the hospital for some time, though the sight may be repelling, said Mahto.

A national TV channel, whose reporter visited the Baans Ghat electric crematorium, showed a a board hanging outside that read the 'Machine is not running' in Hindi.

Metres away, pyres were being lit while a conservancy worker was seen collecting bodybags from the banks of the Ganga, with a litter of pigs loitering around.

"This in horrible, unforgivable neglect. The man carrying the bodybags with bare hands without wearing a PPE suit can alone infect hundreds of people," said Yashodanand Kumar, a medical representative, who lives close by.

The subpar upkeep at the COVID 19 ward is understood to have also met with disapproval from a three-member central team which toured the state a week ago and visited the NMCH.

The hospital superintendent was replaced a couple of days later and opposition parties alleged that he was axed because he spilled the beans on lack of adequate manpower and protective equipment for frontline health workers.

The ruling dispensation, however, repudiated the charge and claimed that the administrative reshuffle followed dissatisfaction with the incumbents handling of affairs at the NMCH.

The government insists that the citys health infrastructure is capable of facing challenges of any magnitude with government hospitals like the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH), the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) both run by the state besides the AIIMS, Patna.

ALSO READ | With active cases tripling, highest growth rate, Bihar a new worry in India's COVID-19 fight

Moreover, over a dozen private hospitals and nursing homes in the city have been permitted to admit, test and treat COVID 19 cases.

"All these hospitals are crowded. Everyone, even those with mild symptoms, wants to get hospitalised when there is no need," said a leading private medical practitioner whose son, also a doctor, tested positive for the disease.

The family is in home isolation.

He said over 50 city doctors were admitted to AIIMS, Patna, after being infected with the virus, and several other frontline workers have died because of heavy viral load.

"The state government should create a facility like the one at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in Delhi. Infected asymptomatic patients or those with mild symptoms should be sent there where a team of doctors should examine and treat them."

"If the doctors are of the opinion that the patient needs hospitalisation, only then they should be sent to COVID hospitals. This will check unnecessary overcrowding of hospitals," the doctor, who did not wish to be named, said.

Most patients, he said, got cured on their own with little medical assistance and only a minuscule percentage needed oxygen or ventilator support.

There have been complaints that private hospitals are turning away COVID 19 patients and referring them to government hospitals.

The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) recently wrote to the state government complaining about private hospitals associated with the health insurance provider for its employees refusing to treat them, after they tested positive for the disease, and referring them to state-run COVID hospitals against their wish.

A retired railway official, who was rushed to the NMCH by his family members after doctors at a railway hospital and the IGIMS allegedly declined to attend to him, died last week within minutes of being put on oxygen.

They claimed he died after spending several breathless hours waiting for treatment while his family was busy completing the paperwork.

The tragedy had struck, ironically, on the day the health minister inspected the hospital.
The ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan seems to be now reaching the doors of the Prime Minister and the President as chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday revealed that he has spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, apprising him of the deadlock between the governor and the state government.

Meanwhile, some MLAs have sent a memorandum to the President requesting his intervention to resolve the crisis in the state.

The memorandum informed the President of the alleged horse-trading in Rajasthan to topple the elected democratic government by the BJP.

Speaking to the MLAs staying in Fairmont hotel here, Gehlot said, "I have spoken to PM Modi and informed him about the governor's behaviour. I have also spoken to him about the letter I sent him a week ago informing about horse-trading in the state."

It is for the first time that the governor has rejected the proposal of the elected government for convening a special Assembly session, Gehlot added.

In the memorandum sent to the President and drafted on behalf of Congress assembly members, it was mentioned that democratic and constitutional values are being openly flouted by the BJP which is trying to weaken democracy.

Also, there is misuse of agencies like the CBI, ED, Income-tax Department, to threaten the elected representatives which is highly condemnable.
In his latest video message, Congress leader and former party chief Rahul Gandhi said that the Chinese have occupied Indian land and hiding the truth about it is anti-national. It is absolutely clear that the Chinese have entered the Indian territory and it makes my blood boil, he said, adding that as a politician, he cannot keep quiet on the matter.

I have seen the satellite images, have spoken to ex-Army people. If you want me to lie that the Chinese did not enter the country, I will simply not lie, even if my whole career goes to hell, he stated.

Gandhi said that those who are lying about the Chinese presence on Indias land are the ones who are not patriotic. I dont care if it costs me my political career, but I will state the truth as far as the Indian territory is concerned, he said.

Also read: In another setback to China, Russia suspends deliveries of S-400 missiles

The Chinese have occupied Indian land.



Hiding the truth and allowing them to take it is anti-national.



Bringing it to peoples attention is patriotic. pic.twitter.com/H37UZaFk1x  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 27, 2020

In a similar video message last week, Gandhi had said that the government lack a vision in dealing with the China situation.

If you deal with them (China) with a position of strength, you can deal with them, Gandhi said in the video.

Dealing with the situation with China requires a vision, an international vision, Gandhi said, adding that India needs to have a global vision and needs to become an idea in itself.

PM is 100% focused on building his own image. Indias captured institutions are all busy doing this task. One mans image is not a substitute for a national vision, Gandhi posted on Twitter along with his video message.
Rajasthan legislator Rajendra Singh Gudha is one of the six MLAs that left the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to join the Congress in September 2019. And after the BSPs whip asking these leaders to vote against the Ashok Gehlot government in case of a floor test, he seems unperturbed.

This whip isnt worth the paper its issued on, he told HT over phone from Fairmont Hotel on the outskirts of Jaipur where MLAs backing Gehlot are camping.

Gudha is no stranger to a situation like this. In the 2008 assembly polls, he first fought on a BSP ticket from Udaipurwati. Just like in 2018, the BSP won six seats back then, its best performance in the state. And just like what happened after the 2018 election results, all six BSP MLAs, including Gudha, joined the Congress in 2008. He was a Congress minister till 2013, when the party lost power to the BJP. Before the elections in 2018, he went back to the BSP after the Congress denied him ticket.

You should ask the BSP why they gave me a ticket again, he said. As far as the anti-defection laws go, you have to have 2/3rd of the party, but in this case we had the entire party leaving for the Congress. So whats the problem? he asked.

His former BSP colleague, Murari Meena, who too quit the party to join the Congress in 2008, has a different point of view. That may also be because he is in the camp of former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and his supporters, who have rebelled against Gehlot. Unlike Gudha, Meena did not go back to the BSP.

The BSP challenge is on a legally sound ground, said Meena. In 2008, the BSP merger challenge didnt stand the scrutiny of the court because it was filed by an outsider. This time it has been challenged by an MLA.

Hours later, however, the Rajasthan high court dismissed the petition by BJP MLA Madan Dilawar, who questioned speaker CP Joshis alleged inaction over the merger of the BSP MLAs with the Congress last year. The BSP, too, moved the HC seeking to become a party in the petition.

The merger took place months ago. It is surprising why the BSP central leadership has woken up and realised the merger was illegal...The BSP and Mr Dilawar are both wrong, said Sunil Fernandes, a lawyer who was part of the team representing the Congress party in the Supreme Court in a plea filed by the Rajasthan speaker.

The 10th Schedule permits the merger of the legislative party too. The contention that the BSP as a national party must merge with the INC [Indian National Congress] for BSP MLAs to merge with the INC is misconceived. The parent party may not merge but members of a legislative party have the right to merge with some other party under the 10th schedule [anti-defection laws] of the Constitution, Fernandes said.

He was countering the contention of senior BSP leader Satish Mishra, who, in a statement on Sunday night, said individual MLAs cannot merge unless there was a national level merger between the two parties.

The BJP said the governor or the court should intervene in the matter. A constitutional and legal situation has risen. Either the high court should decide or the governor should intervene..., said Satish Poonia, the BJP incharge of Rajasthan.
Policemen walk past the US consulate in Chengdu, southwestern China's Sichuan Province, on July 26, 2020. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

US Consulate in Chengdu Closes, Under Close Scrutiny by Chinas State-Run Media

The U.S. Consulate in Chengdu officially closed on July 27 after Beijing ordered its shutdown in retaliation against Washingtons closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston.

At around 10:50 a.m. local time, the U.S. Embassy in China released a 40-second video on its official Weibo account, announcing its farewell to the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu. Minutes later, Chinas state-run media Xinhua reported that Chinese authorities had entered the U.S. diplomatic compound and took over the facility at 10 a.m. local time.

U.S. diplomatic officials in the Chengdu consulate issued a message for the Chinese people in its video. It says that the consulate, established in 1985, is proud to have been working hard to promote mutual understanding between people in the United States and people in the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Tibet, and the Chinese megacity of Chongqing.

Chengdu is the capital of southwestern Chinas Sichuan Province. Yunnan, Guizhou, and Chongqing are Sichuans bordering regions to the province southeast and south.

We will forever miss you, the video concluded, addressing the Chinese people in these provinces and the city.

The United States continues to operate four other consulates in China, which are located in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Wuhan. The United States also has a consulate in the Chinese-ruled city of Hong Kong.

We are disappointed by the Chinese Communist Partys decision and will strive to continue our outreach to the people in this important region through our other posts in China, the U.S. State Department said in statement.

On July 22, the United States ordered the Chinese Consulate in Houston to close in order to protect American intellectual property and Americans private information, the State Department announced at the time.

Two days later, Beijing ordered the shutdown of the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu in an apparent tit-for-tat retaliation. Chinas foreign ministry defended the closure, accusing some U.S. staffers in the consulate of having engaged in activities that undermine Chinas security interests.

Chinas state-run media has extensively covered events directly inside and outside of the U.S. Consulate since July 24, detailing how locals took pictures outside of the diplomatic compound, how buses and trucks left the consulate, and how the U.S. flag at the consulate was lowered on July 27.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) took to Twitter to warn about Chinas media coverage of the U.S. Consulate.

The CCP [Chinese Communist Party] is now live-streaming our consulate on state-run TV and using it as fodder for their propaganda, Blackburn wrote.

Communist Chinas decision to close the US consulate in Chengdu is escalating tensions and not a proportionate response. The #CCP is now live-streaming our consulate on state-run TV and using it as fodder for their propaganda.  Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) July 24, 2020

Chinas hawkish Global Times media outlet has been busy publishing content allegedly claiming that Beijings decision to shut down the U.S. Consulate had public support. It published an article on July 25 accusing the United States of trying to separate the CCP from the Chinese people.

The article asked the United States to observe Chinese public opinion, and reported about how there were cheers on Chinese social media over Beijings decision, and on how local residents had apparently gathered outside of the consulate to have some fun.

The Global Times echoed a similar narrative in an article published on July 26, titled Chinese netizens hail closure of U.S. Consulate in Chengdu.

On July 27, the Global Times published an opinion article by a professor from Chinas Peking University. The professor argued that Chinese people understood and supported Beijings actions, though he didnt cite evidence to back up his claim.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a speech on July 23 at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in California, called the Chinese people a dynamic, freedom-loving people who are completely distinct from the Chinese Communist Party.

Pompeo called on the United States to engage and empower the Chinese people. He also asked the free nations of the world to induce change in the CCPs behavior in more creative and assertive ways.
Tanzanian comedian and actor Idris Sultan barely enjoyed the $300,000 prize money he won from Big Brother Africa-Hotshots in 2014.

The 27-year-old radio host said he doesnt understand how he squandered the cash. He said even his own family never got to benefit from the life-changing windfall.

Sultan, however, blamed one of his former friends, identified as Mike, for draining his millions.

The first time ambayo nimepata ile hela, a lot of friends walikuwa behind me. Plan yangu ilikuwa kukaa pale one month I wasnt sure I would even last the month but all I needed was that platform to push my brand at the time. Sikujua nitashinda so there was no plan for that money, Sultan said.

After winning the money, Sultan asked BBA organisers to keep the money for the time being as he needed time to figure out he would spend the money.

He took the cash after three months and shared some of the money with a few close friends to start their individual business projects.

Sultan and his close friend Mike started a number of business ventures, with the actor placing his friend of five years in charge.

Mike was very close tukaamua kwa nini tusifanye vitu vingi. Kulikuwa na masuala ya gold na vitu vingine, vyote hivi nimemweka close. Sasa kitu kilifanya so much money ikapotea and I dont understand zimepotea vipi ni kwamba I used to authorise release of funds for several projects upon Mikes approval without asking questions because we were close and before I knew it, not much was left and there was no yield in the businesses, recounted Sultan.

According to Sultan, a substantial amount of his winnings was lost in the gold business. By the time he was cutting ties with Mike, Sultan was left with roughly Sh2million in his bank account.

The comedian revealed that out his total Sh32million prize money (at the current exchange rates), he only spent Sh1.2million on his BMW car and Sh1million on a one-week vacation with friends in South Africa.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday said life saving injections should be made available in all district hospitals and hospitals affiliated to medical colleges at the earliest to ensure the survival of every COVID-19 patient whose condition is serious. He said that the availability of tocilizumab injection and remdesivir in these hospitals should be ensured in the next 10 days.

Also, the work of setting up plasma banks in district hospitals should be accelerated, Gehlot said. The chief minister was reviewing the COVID-19 situation of the state in a meeting held via video-conferencing. It was attended by chief medical and health officers, chief medical officers and other officials of the Medical and Health Department.

"It is our great effort to bring the death rate from this disease to the lowest level. Whatever resources have to be made available for this, will be provided," Gehlot said in a statement. He said patients who are recovering should be motivated to donate plasma.

The chief minister said doctors, nurses and paramedical staff have set an example by working with full dedication for the last few months. Rajasthan's government-run medical institutions have done a commendable work in preventing the spread of the disease, he said.

Health Minister Raghu Sharma said plasma therapy facility has started in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota. Permission has been received from ICMR for starting the therapy in Udaipur. It will also be launched soon in Bikaner and Ajmer, he said.

The minister said micro-planning is being done to start plasma therapy in all districts.
We already know that dogs are a human's best friend. Now a recent study suggests that growing up with a dog can have a powerful psychological impact on children from an early age.

The Australian study, published in the Pediatric Research journal, found that children who had grown up with a dog were 30pc less likely to have conduct problems, and had better pro-social behaviours than children who didn't have a dog.

The study highlighted that the social-emotional benefits of owning a dog, walking a dog and playing with a dog, may begin in early childhood.

According to Dr Judith Butler, Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) course coordinator at Cork Institute of Technology, pets teach us valuable life lessons, such as trust, responsibility and empathy.

Expand Close Edel Farrell and daughter Layla (10) with assistance dog Google. Photo: Steve Humphreys / Facebook

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Whatsapp Edel Farrell and daughter Layla (10) with assistance dog Google. Photo: Steve Humphreys

"It is scientifically proven that interaction with pets has significant benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, releasing endorphins which have a calming effect, reducing loneliness and decreasing anxiety," she says.

Dr Butler, who is also the President of OMEP Ireland, an ECEC charity, says: "Studies have shown that children with pets have higher self-esteem, improved social skills, and are more popular with their peers.

"In my experience, some children who are experiencing difficult, unpredictable transitions or trauma in their lives can also benefit greatly from having a pet."

Gina Murray, a creche manager from Dublin, recently suffered a loss when her father passed away. Gina, her husband Conor and their children, Conan (5) and two-and-a-half-year-old Devlin, are proud to call greyhound-retriever mix Bowie a part of their family.

"My father passing away was really tough when the kids were isolated during lockdown, because they're so used to being social," says Gina. "But having Bowie around meant we still had a routine to keep."

Gina and Conor had 11-year-old Bowie before Conan and Devlin arrived, so he's always been a part of their lives. "They absolutely adore him and he adores them," says Gina. "Conan's a sensitive little soul and if he thinks Bowie is sad, he'll cover him with a blanket or give him extra rubs. But it's actually a reflection of how Conan is feeling himself. If Conan is stressed, he'll gravitate towards Bowie.

"I see children all the time because I work in a creche, and Conan and Devlin are extremely social and outgoing.

"They're full of love and empathy and are happy to mix with people, I put a lot of it down to the dog. You have to be social when you have a dog because when you're out walking, you get stopped by people all the time wanting to know the dog's name. And the kids are confident enough to speak to people.

"Their sense of responsibility is much bigger. They know Bowie needs a walk every day, that he needs to be fed, he needs company.

"We'd probably be much lazier if we didn't have the dog. We go to the park but it doesn't mean a trip to the playground every time - the kids know that Bowie has to get his exercise."

Dr Butler says research suggests that adults who own dogs are more physically active, taking approximately 25pc more steps per day, and that "a higher level of child attachment to a dog is associated with increased child physical activity".

This has never been more true for the Farrell family from Dublin, who rarely left the house with daughter Layla until they got assistance dog Google. Layla, who turns 11 next month, was diagnosed with autism aged two. Seven-year-old Google, a goldendoodle, was assigned to Layla when she was three.

Layla requires 24-hour care and parents Edel and Stephen Farrell, as well as Layla's brother, Karl (21), and sister, Chloe (18), have to take extra precautions to ensure Layla's safety. They keep a keypad on the front door and locks and chains on the windows.

"Layla has severe autism. She is a runner, constantly getting out of the house," says Edel. "As a baby you couldn't let her out of her buggy. So when it got to the stage where she was too big for a buggy, this was where Google came in. I didn't want a dog that shed hair or smelled as Layla is very sensitive to smells."

Edel applied to My Canine Companion, a charity which places assistance and therapy dogs with children and young adults living with autism. The charity paired them with Google.

"Poodles and golden retrievers are said to be two of the most intelligent dogs. Google is a mix of both. He's placid, doesn't shed, doesn't smell and is hypoallergenic."

"Layla didn't show much affection towards him straight away," explains Edel. "She didn't show affection towards anybody. She had to learn, and Google taught her how to care, love and hug."

Google was trained with My Canine Companion and Edel and Stephen had to keep up the training at home. As Layla began to warm to the dog, the Farrells' lives started to open up again.

By attaching Google to Layla through a safety harness, or by allowing Layla to use a handle, the little girl now walks side by side with her assistance dog and her family.

For the first time since Layla was born, Edel was able to plan a family holiday. "We packed up the car and went to Cork with the dog - which we'd never done. He also came to Lanzarote with us on our first family holiday abroad."

Edel also acknowledges the benefits of having Google out in public if Layla feels overwhelmed. Anything from the smell of perfume in a shop to the pattern on the floor could overwhelm Layla, to the point where she can throw herself on the ground.

"She's a big girl and you can't always get her up which causes people to look. When you have a child that looks like everyone else but has loads of issues, having the assistance dog takes away from all that because they see the dog's coat that reads 'Do not pet me I am working'.

"If we're out in the shops and things are getting too much for her, she holds onto his head or she'll hug him and feel his coat. I think every child with autism should get a dog; they help in so many ways."





A dog's life

 Getting a dog is a major responsibility and financial undertaking. Before you consider bringing a dog into your family, Dogs Trust Ireland has outlined steps to ensure you obtain your dog responsibly.

 Consider rehoming a rescue dog (there are plenty to choose from).

 Do your research: Having a bouncy, happy, playful puppy is a very enjoyable experience and dog ownership can be very rewarding, but it is a lot of hard work, and a lifetime commitment which can sometimes be forgotten in all the excitement!

 Be aware of online adverts: Sadly, not everyone can be trusted, and there are thousands of unscrupulous breeders out there who make a good living peddling sick puppies via online adverts who may have come from a puppy farm.

 How old should a puppy be? They must be at least eight-weeks-old to leave their mum - this is now a legal requirement.

 Have the puppies had any vaccinations? Puppies should be vaccinated at 6-9 weeks of age and then again at 10-12 weeks.

 Is the puppy Kennel Club registered? If so, make sure you are given the registration certificate and pedigree when you pick up your puppy. See dogstrust.ie and mycaninecompanion.ie
THE ROAD FROM RAQQA

A Story of Brotherhood, Borders, and Belonging

By Jordan Ritter Conn

Humanizing the word often used to praise immigrant and refugee narratives  should be unnecessary: The fact that we are all human should be a baseline assumption, not an argument or a writerly achievement. Yet its never been clearer that the basic humanity of others is something that is now continually in question, both in the United States and around the world. Jordan Ritter Conns riveting debut book, The Road From Raqqa, is a well-wrought portrait of two brothers, Riyad and Bashar Alkasem, and their journeys out of Syria: Riyad as a young lawyer who went to California to learn English in 1990, and Bashar, also a lawyer, who fled to Turkey and then Europe in the midst of the Syrian civil war in 2016. Conn pushes beyond simply humanizing the Alkasems; the book portrays Syria and the United States as multifaceted and complex, both capable of generosity and oppression, with histories as interconnected as the brothers own.

As a child, Riyad is steeped in family lore that traces his ancestry back to the founding of Raqqa, on the Euphrates River, through a gracious act of generosity. In government-run summer camps, he falls in love with a version of Syria that exists only in regime propaganda. Disillusioned after learning of the massacre of members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Hama by the Syrian Army in the 1980s, he leaves a burgeoning legal career to chase the ephemeral America of inspirational politicians and tree-lined movie scenes. If Riyads trajectory from dishwasher in Los Angeles to restaurateur in suburban Nashville is quintessentially American  success comes after his restaurant, Cafe Rakka, is featured on Guy Fieris show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives  so too are the indignities and injustices he faces. Especially after 9/11, Riyad asks: Who is a bigot? Who is just a jerk? Does the difference matter? For Riyad, his new country is a mixed place that has confounded him, but also delivered delirious joys. As he learns to live with the contradictions, however, he experiences a growing nostalgia for the Raqqa of his childhood.
Now that we are spending more and more time indoors, the time spent watching TV has considerably increased. As per the Broadcast Audience Research Council India, India has seen a growth of 30-40 percent in TV viewership during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic compared to pre-COVID times. So now that we are watching TV more, why not get a more immersive experience? Here are a few accessories that you should invest in to improve your TV viewing experience.

1. Improve the Audio  Lackluster audio is one of the most common complaints by flat-screen TV users. The race to make the TVs slim in design is the primary reason for your TV sound not living up to the expectation in the majority of the TV options available today.

The simple solution to solve this problem and make the most significant difference in TV viewing is to add better quality speakers. Depending on the space and budget range, we recommend investing in a good Soundbar. The soundbar has the advantage of being sleeker, and you can get it with a wired/wireless subwoofer to improve the bass output.

For budget-conscious users, the Mi Soundbar (Rs 4999) or the Boat Avante Soundbar (Rs 7,999) with wired subwoofer is a great option. If you can increase the budget, then you can go for one with a wireless subwoofer such as the Sony HT-S350 (Rs 17,990) or the Edifier B7 CineSound (Rs 21,990). In case you fancy a multi-speaker surround sound setup, then you can look at the Sony HT-RT40 (Rs 21,990) or the Yamaha YHT-1840 (Rs 27,990).

2. Smart 4K Media Streamer Device  Almost all TVs today are smart TV and come with built-in apps for most popular streaming services. However, not all TV brands offer all the apps, and then the other issue is that sometimes the TVs don't support streaming in 4k for one app or the other, which can ruin your experience.

To ensure a smooth 4k experience, it's best to invest in a dedicated 4k media streamer device  we recommend the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k (Rs 5,999) and the Apple TV 4k (Rs 15,999). Both of them offer support for almost all streaming services in India along with 4k video stream.

Moreover, the interface is faster than what you would get on a budget and mid-range TVs, plus you get voice-enabled remotes for smooth operation.

3. LED Backlight strip  This handy yet straightforward accessory will completely change your TV viewing experience. Having a multi-colour LED strip backlight for your TV might sound weird, but it has several advantages.

First, it reduces the eyestrain caused by differences in the on-screen brightness for different videos. Secondly, it makes the on-screen content look better by making it seem like the overall contrast is improved. You can get a strip of RGB LEDs for TV backlighting starting Rs 599 that can plug into any 5V USB outlet for power.

The LED strip also comes with a remote to change colours as well as try different flashing modes. Keep in mind that you should check the length of the strip you need as per your TV size  a 2-meter strip is good enough for 32-49-inch TV size whereas for a 50-inch TV for above, you would need a 4-meter strip.

4. Universal Remote  How many devices do you have connected to your TV? The answer to this question will tell you the number of remotes you have with you at a given time. Most of us will have one remote for the TV, another for the set-top box, a third one if you have a separate streaming device, the fourth one for your audio system and so on.

A universal remote takes away the pain of juggling through multiple remotes by giving you control of all your devices on a single remote. The Logitech Harmony range of universal remotes is our recommendation, but considering their steep price, it's not something that everyone will be comfortable to invest in them.

The next best alternative is to opt for remote from the brand One For All. If you find both of them to be too expensive, then you should look for budget remotes such as the Earthma remotes, which come with a learning feature  it lets you program your existing remote controls to one remote for use as a universal remote control.

5. Wireless Headphones  If your smart TV has built-in Bluetooth, then you can use any existing Bluetooth headphones with it to watch content without disturbing others late in the night. In case you dont own a pair of Bluetooth headphones, we would recommend opting for one with the over the year design for comfort and sound quality  the Sony WH-C510 and the Sennheiser HD 350BT are good options to consider in the mid-range.

In case your TV does not have Bluetooth, then the only option you have is to get a pair of RF headphones. The RF headphones come with a base that connects to your TV for audio output and broadcasts the signal to the headphones. While some independent brands are offering RF headphones in India on e-commerce websites, for the best experience, we recommend getting one from Sennheisers RF range of headphones.
By Ayya Lmahamad

Russia accounted to the largest amount of goods imported from Azerbaijan among CIS countries in the first six months of 2020, local media reported with reference to the State Statistics Committee on July 25.

According to the statement, the largest importers of goods from Azerbaijan to the CIS countries are Russia, Ukraine and Belarus

During the reporting period, goods exported to Russia amounted to $380.5 million, to Ukraine $230.4 million and to Belarus $65.6 million.

Earlier it was reported that, Azerbaijan exported goods worth $710.83 million to CIS countries during the reporting period.

Moreover, for the first six months of this year, the value of goods imported by Azerbaijan from CIS countries amounted to $1.3 billion.

The volume of Azerbaijans trade operations amounted to $12.6 billion in the first half of 2020.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
6. To curb this spiral of violence and reach a lasting solution, a Mission of five (5) Heads of State went to Bamako on Thursday 23July 2020. This mission comprised of H.E. Mahamadou IssoUFOU, President of the Republic of Niger, current Chairperson of ECOWAS Authority; H.E. Nana Akufo ADDO, President of the Republic of Ghana; H.E. Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic of Cote dlvoire H.E. Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; H.E. Macky SALL, President of the Republic of Senegal. The Mission met the President of the Republic of Mali, H.E. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, as well as the main stakeholders such as the M5-RFP Strategic Committee with their Spiritual Leader, the Presidential majority in Parliament, and civil society leaders. The mission indicated to all the stakeholders its vision for a necessary and quick way out of this crisis.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantum Health, the healthcare industry's first and leading consumer navigation and care coordination company, announces it has again been named one of the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO) and American Express' list of 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies.

The annual award, in its thirteenth year, recognizes companies from a variety of industries representing a combined $3.8 billion in revenue. 2020 marks Quantum Health's ninth year on the list.

Since founding the consumer healthcare navigation industry in 1999, Quantum Health has grown steadily, with over 1,200 employees now serving hundreds of top employers and more than 1.5 million plan participants.

"We are honored to once again join the 50 fastest-growing companies," says Kara Trott, Quantum Health founder and CEO. "Now more than ever, with costs continuing to rise as a result of our complex healthcare system, healthcare navigation should be an essential part of every company's benefits plan. Our differentiated model, which is research-based and consumer-centric, coupled with our industry-leading satisfaction rates and independently validated cost savings, continues to fuel our growth and success.

"Healthcare is complicated and costly, and we excel at simplifying and optimizing the experience for our members. By helping our members understand and use their healthcare and benefits more effectively, everyone wins  including our clients and their providers, who see better engagement, satisfaction and utilization, as well as significantly reduced costs, year after year."

Quantum Health is the only healthcare navigation company that continually measures and validates its impact on reducing healthcare costs by conducting an independent actuarial review of its entire book of business. The most recent results validation report  the company's 11th  again demonstrates that Quantum Health's results are significant, sustainable and repeatable over multiple years. They are also consistent across the wide array of industries, benefit plan structures and demographics.

Trott continues, "We are incredibly proud of our results. No other company in the industry consistently measures  and delivers  multiyear cost savings across its entire book of business. And we are even prouder of our people and our culture. Our innovative, collaborative culture and state-of-the-art systems support highly effective teams focused on making a difference for our members and our clients. Our people represent the best of the best  with industry smarts, deep clinical and technological expertise, and a shared passion and commitment to helping our members, clients, providers and partners succeed. We look forward to many more years of growth ahead."

For its 2020 rankings, the WPO, in partnership with American Express, evaluated women-owned/led companies based on revenue growth from 2015 to 2019. In addition to being owned or led by women, qualifying businesses were required to be privately held and to have generated annual revenues of at least $500,000 each year since 2015. The 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies were honored July 22-23, 2020, during the WPO Digital Conference.

ABOUT QUANTUM HEALTH

Quantum Health is the industry-leading consumer healthcare navigation and care coordination company that delivers an unparalleled consumer experience for employee members, as well as validated claims savings and high satisfaction rates for employers. Quantum Health's proprietary Real-Time Intercept model identifies opportunities for early intervention in an employee's healthcare journey, which drives cost efficiencies and improved engagement.

The company was founded in 1999 and is based in Columbus, Ohio. Since its inception, Quantum Health has continually earned numerous business, leadership and cultural awards, including Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young and Fastest Growing Privately Held Company by Inc. 5000. FORTUNE, Inc. and Entrepreneur magazines have recognized the company as a Best Workplace and a Great Place to Work - Best Small & Medium Workplace. The Women Presidents' Organization has ranked Quantum Health as one of the 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies, and Columbus Business First magazine has honored Quantum Health as a Best Place to Work.

To learn more about the company, visit Quantum-Health.com, and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contact:

Susan Simkins

Corporate Communications

[email protected]

800-257-2038 x13494

SOURCE Quantum Health

Related Links

http://quantum-health.com


President Cyril Ramaphosa has stressed the importance of beginning South Africas long journey towards recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa said that the economic damage of the pandemic has been severe, with the most recent indicators showing a drastic decline in economic activity and in investor confidence.

Despite the support measures we have put in place, businesses are being forced to close and jobs are being lost, Ramaphosa said.

The path to recovery will be long and difficult. And so, it needs to start now.

He said it is untenable and unacceptable to live with an unemployment rate of 30%, which will soon increase as the effects of the pandemic trickle down to workers across the country.

It is also impossible to build an economy built on inequality, he said.

Many of the governments plans for economic recovery include fundamental-focused solutions such as the provision of reliability energy, efficient transport, and access to high-demand broadband spectrum for mobile networks.

The government will finalise an economic recovery programme in the coming weeks that encompasses the best aspects of the various proposals under consideration, Ramaphosa said.

Since the onset of the pandemic in South Africa, our strategy has been to provide whatever support we can, within our constrained resources, to protect businesses and preserve jobs, he said.

Now we must move quickly towards a robust programme of reconstruction and recovery  and we must do so together.

COVID-19 cases climbing

Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to increase across the country, with the worst-affected provinces including the Western Cape, Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize announced on 26 July that there are now a total of 445,433 cases of coronavirus in South Africa.

This is an increase of 11,233 cases from the 434,200 infections reported on Saturday.

114 more COVID-19-related deaths have been reported, bringing the total to 6,769.

Mkhize said that 265,077 recoveries have been recorded to date, and a total of 2.77 million tests have been conducted across the country.
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Garmin has confirmed that the outage that shut down many of its online services last Thursday, including its fitness-tracking app and parts of its website, was the result of a ransomware attack.

Many of the services were restored Monday morning, but some remained down into the afternoon. The company says it expects any remaining problems to be resolved over the next few days.

We immediately began to assess the nature of the attack and started remediation, Garmin said in its Monday statement, adding that theres no indication that any customer data, including payment information, was compromised in the attack.

In addition to disrupting functions on its website, Garmin says, the attack affected operation of the Garmin Connect app, which collects and analyzes data from the companys smartwatches and trackers. The data continued to be collected on the devices, but the attack kept them from syncing with the app.

Garmins call centers have also been affected, leaving the company unable to receive calls and emails, and participate in online chats. But Garmins GPS products and other devices werent affected.

As first reported by ZDNet on Thursday, some media outlets almost immediately attributed the outage to a ransomware attack, pointing to tweets allegedly posted by Garmin employees.

Ransomware is a type of computer virus designed to infiltrate and lock down computers and the networks theyre connected to. Unless a ransom is paid, any data stored on the system remains encrypted and useless to its rightful owners. While in the past, cybercriminals have targeted individual consumers with ransomware, most have moved on to bigger, more lucrative targets, including hospitals, schools, and municipalities.

Slightly more than half of about 1,000 IT security professionals from around the world surveyed earlier this year by the email security company Mimecast said their businesses had been affected by ransomware in the previous year. Those attacks took down their systems for three days, on average.

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While many ransomware attacks go unreported, recent high-profile victims have included the University of California, San Francisco, and the city of Florence, Ala.





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Top pick tires for 2016

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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2020, Consumer Reports, Inc.
Trondheim, 27 July 2020: NORBIT, a global provider of tailored technology to carefully selected niches, today announces that NORBIT Aptomar, part of segment Oceans, has been awarded a contract from an undisclosed customer in Asia for delivery of the SeaCOP eVTS system. The system is designed to be used for environmental and asset monitoring. The value of the order is approximately NOK 20 million.

We are very pleased to be able to also secure a contract for the SeaCOP system in Asia, proving the global market potential of this solution, says Per Jrgen Weisethaunet, CEO of NORBIT.

The SeaCOP eVTS system combines remote sensing technologies like radar, infrared cameras and sonars, with state-of-the-art data fusion and artificial intelligence. The purpose is to give the user a situational awareness, information and tools to increase efficiency and reduce cost, at the same time ensuring the safety of people, the environment and marine assets.

For more information, please contact:

Per Jrgen Weisethaunet, CEO, +47 959 62 915

Charlotte Knudsen, IR and Communications, +47 9756 1959

About NORBIT ASA

NORBIT is a global provider of tailored technology to carefully selected niches. The companys business is structured to address its key markets; Oceans, targeting the global maritime markets, Intelligent Traffic Systems (ITS), offering connectivity solutions for truck applications, and Product Innovation and Realization (PIR), with in-house multidisciplinary R&D and manufacturing.

NORBIT is headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, with manufacturing facilities in Selbu and Rros, Norway and 12 offices and subsidiaries around the world.

For more information: www.norbit.com

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
A number of wealthy conservatives say Trump is a threat to democracy and the long-term health of the Republican Party.

Jimmy Tosh, who runs a multimillion-dollar hog and grain farm in Tennessee, is a lifelong Republican. He is pro-gun, supports lower taxes and agrees with most of Republican President Donald Trumps agenda.

He is also spending his money to help defeat Trump in Novembers election.

I agree with 80 percent of the things he does; I just cannot stand a liar, Tosh, 70, said of Trump.

Tosh is one of a growing number of wealthy conservative Americans who say Trump is a threat to democracy and the long-term health of the Republican Party. They are actively supporting his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, in the November 3 election.

Several billionaire and millionaire donors to The Lincoln Project, the most prominent of Republican-backed groups opposing Trumps re-election, told the Reuters news agency elected Republicans should also be punished for enabling him. Some even support the removal of vulnerable Republican senators to hand control of the chamber to Democrats.

Our friends at @ProjectLincoln have outdone themselves with this ad. LOL, as the kids say.pic.twitter.com/KpCGibxY8Y  Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) July 24, 2020

Their money has driven an unprecedented campaign from members of the sitting presidents own party to remove him from office. This is a sign that Trump has alienated some Republicans, most recently with his response to the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide protests over police brutality against African Americans.

The ultimate effect of these actions remains to be seen in a country so deeply polarised. The so-called Never Trump Republicans failed to stop his ascent in 2016 and became marginal figures as Trump came to dominate the party during his presidency. But this year could be different, some strategists from both parties said.

The distinction in 2020 that we didnt see in 2016 is the amount of money backing their efforts and their size, said Karen Finney, a Democratic strategist and a spokesperson for Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign.

The number of people willing to go public about Trump and put serious money behind beating him  I dont think weve seen an effort on this scale.

Ben has worked in GOP politics since he was 16. He helped investigate the Obama administration in Congress and worked for Republican Gov. Susana Martinez. He felt "compelled to speak out because Donald Trump is a menace to society." Watch: pic.twitter.com/q79FIwgQTr  Republican Voters Against Trump (@RVAT2020) July 23, 2020

Besides The Lincoln Project, several Republican-backed groups have been formed in recent months to support Biden  including 43 Alumni for Biden, a super PAC involving hundreds of officials who served in Republican President George W Bushs administration, and a coalition of former Republican national security officials.

Others are sceptical, noting that Trump is vastly outraising and outspending the Never Trump groups and still enjoys nearly 90 percent support among Republicans. In June alone, Trumps campaign raised $55.2m, compared with the $20m The Lincoln Project has raised since its formation in December.

Yet in a close election, even peeling away a sliver of wavering Republicans and some independents could make a difference, analysts said.

Tosh, who has given $11,000 to The Lincoln Project after seeing one of their advertisements attacking Trump, said he might give to other Republican-led groups too.

I made the decision I will not support a Republican candidate in an election until Trump is gone, he said.

The Never Trumper Republicans, though on respirators with not many left, are in certain ways worse and more dangerous for our Country than the Do Nothing Democrats. Watch out for them, they are human scum!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2019

Other top individual donors to The Lincoln Project include Christy Walton, the Walmart heiress who has mainly given to Democratic candidates in recent years; hedge fund billionaire Andy Redleaf, who sits on the board of visitors at the conservative Federalist Society; and Sidney Jansma Jr, an oil and gas executive from Michigan and a frequent donor to Republican candidates and causes.

The Lincoln Project advertisements have attacked Trump over his response to economic and health crises and racial tensions, targeting wavering Trump voters and independents.

Democratic advertisement maker Jimmy Siegel who worked on Clintons 2008 campaign, said some of the spots, viewed by millions, could be persuasive to teetering Republicans on the fence.

Erin Perrine, a Trump campaign spokeswoman, said of the anti-Trump groups: This is the swamp  yet again  trying to take down the duly elected president of the United States. She said Trumps level of support among Republicans is something any former president of any party could only dream of.

It is not just conservatives giving to the Republican anti-Trump groups. The Lincoln Project, for instance, is also receiving large sums from wealthy Democrats, filings with the Federal Election Commission show. Its biggest single donation in June was $1m from hedge fund manager Stephen Mandel, a prolific Democratic donor.

Reed Galin, one of the groups founders who worked for Bush and the late Republican US Senator John McCain, said Trumps bullying brand of politics is not good for the party, and its also bad for the country.

Redleaf, founder of Minnesota-based hedge fund Whitebox Advisors, said Biden will be the first Democratic presidential candidate he has voted for.

Redleaf, who calls himself a conservative libertarian, has donated $35,000 to The Lincoln Project. He said he agreed with the groups push to also target Republican senators who face tough re-election battles in November.

Tosh said he has mixed emotions.

Ive been a Republican all my life and want to stay Republican  but the Republican Party has to change after what its done over the past three years.
Reno, Nev. (July 27, 2020) - In a new study published today in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers behind the Healthy Nevada Project suggest that community-based genetic screening has the potential to efficiently identify individuals who may be at increased risk for three common inherited genetic conditions known to cause several forms of cancer and increased risk for heart disease or stroke.

In 2018, the Healthy Nevada Project (the largest, community-based population health study combining genetic, clinical, environmental and social data) started notifying consenting study participants who have certain genetic variants which predispose them to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tier 1 genetic conditions. The study focused on identifying carriers of these conditions, which include Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer, Lynch Syndrome, and Familial Hypercholesterolemia, because they are the most common conditions and early detection and treatment could significantly lower morbidity and mortality.

Initial results from almost 27,000 study participants showed that 90% of carriers of the CDC Tier 1 genetic conditions were not previously identified in a clinical setting. The authors conclude that population genetic screening would identify at-risk carriers not identified during routine care.

"Our first goal was to deliver actionable health data back to the participants of the study and understand whether or not broad population screening of CDC Tier 1 genomic conditions was a practical tool to identify at-risk individuals," explained Joseph Grzymski, Ph.D., the principal investigator of the Healthy Nevada Project, a research professor at the Desert Research Institute (DRI), chief scientific officer for Renown Health and lead author of the study.

"Now, two years into doing that, it is clear that the clinical guidelines for detecting risk in individuals are too narrow and miss too many at risk individuals."

Within the group of 26,906 Healthy Nevada Project participants that Grzymski's research team studied, 358 (1.33%) were carriers for CDC Tier 1 conditions. However, only 25% of those individuals met clinical guidelines for genetic screening. Additionally, more than 20% of the carriers already had a diagnosis of disease relevant to their underlying genetic condition.

"We're at a point now where it's possible to do clinical-grade genetic screening at population-scale," added James Lu, M.D. Ph.D., co-founder and chief scientific officer of Helix and senior co-author of the study. "What this study demonstrates is the potential impact of doing so. By making genetic screening available more broadly, we can help the millions of Americans who are unaware that they are living at increased risk for highly actionable, genetic conditions take action."

Most notably, the study found that of the 273 participants who were carriers of the CDC Tier 1 genetic conditions and had clinical record information, only 22 individuals showed any previous suspicion of their underlying genetic conditions.

"For the first time, we are providing information at the individual level so study participants can make lifesaving changes to reduce their risk based on their genetics," said Anthony Slonim, M.D., Dr.PH., FACHE, president and CEO of Renown Health and co-director of the Project study. "We're conducting research on the community level to develop leading-edge research on health determinants for entire neighborhoods, states and eventually, the country. Returning these results allows us to understand the prevalence of genetically programmed diseases and illnesses that we have here in Nevada and ensure we are providing the best prevention and care plans. For the individual, the return of results can be lifechanging."

According to the CDC, early detection and intervention of the Tier 1 genetic conditions could have a meaningful potential for clinical actionability and a positive impact on public health.

The Healthy Nevada Project, which launched in 2016, offers free genetic testing to every Nevadan, aged 18 and older, interested in learning more about their health and genetic profile. With more than 50,000 study participants enrolled in four years, the Healthy Nevada Project has become the fastest-enrolling genetic study in the world.

###

For more about the Healthy Nevada Project please visit healthynv.org

Renown Institute for Health Innovation is a collaboration between Renown Health - a locally governed and locally owned, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California; and the Desert Research Institute - a recognized world leader in investigating the effects of natural and humaninduced environmental change and advancing technologies aimed at assessing a changing planet. Renown IHI research teams are focused on integrating personal healthcare and environmental data with socioeconomic determinants to help Nevada address some of its most complex environmental health problems; while simultaneously expanding the state's access to leading-edge clinical trials and fostering new connections with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Learn more at Healthynv.org.

Helix is the leading population genomics company operating at the intersection of clinical care, research, and genomics. Its end-to-end platform enables health systems, life sciences companies, and payers to advance genomic research and accelerate the integration of genomic data into clinical care. Powered by one of the world's largest CLIA / CAP next-generation sequencing labs and its proprietary Exome+? assay, Helix supports all aspects of population genomics including recruitment and engagement, clinically actionable disease screening, return of results, and basic and translational research. In response to the COVID-19 public health crisis, Helix has launched a sensitive and scalable end-to-end COVID-19 test system to meet the needs of health systems, employers, governments, and other organizations across the country. Learn more at http://www.helix.com.
The body of a COVID-19 victim whose cremation was marred by protests on Sunday, was finally cremated here under tight police security late in the day, officials said on Monday.

The police also booked a municipal Councillor of the BJP and 30 persons for preventing the cremation of the 83-year old man at a public crematorium at Muttambalam, after locals raised fears of the spread of coronavirus.

Amid protests by local residents on Sunday evening, public representatives including Kottayam MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan had intervened and the cremation of the elderly person who died due to coronavirus infection was put on hold.

However, the body was cremated at around 11.15 pm on Sunday as per the COVID-19 protocol, officials said on Monday.

Denying a dignified farewell to the COVID-19 victim, a number of local residents had prevented the cremation, saying they feared contracting the infection.

The protesters had blocked the entrance of the crematorium run by the Kottayam Municipality, alleging the body was brought to the common crematorium after a church refused to allow burial of its dead follower's body in its cemetery.

The incident happened on a day when Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu expressed anguish over stigmatising COVID-19 patients and denial of a dignified farewell to those who succumb to the contagion.

Naidu had on Sunday said such instances were uncalled for and urged the local communities and society to prevent their recurrence.

Referring to incidents wherein people oppose providing a space for burial of those who died of COVID-19, Naidu, in a Facebook post, had said it was unacceptable and goes against the age-old Indian tradition of being in solidarity with the bereaved families.
Berlin: Germany has rejected a proposal by US President Donald Trump to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin back into the Group of Seven (G7) most advanced economies, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a newspaper interview published on Monday.

Trump raised the prospect last month of expanding the G7 to again include Russia, which had been expelled in 2014 following Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. Credit:AP

But Maas told Rheinische Post that he did not see any chance for allowing Russia back into the G7 as long as there was no meaningful progress in solving the conflict in Crimea as well as in eastern Ukraine.

Russia itself could make the biggest contribution to becoming part of the G7 format again by contributing to a peaceful solution in the Ukraine conflict, Maas said.
* Funds long-term returns drop very near record low

* Increases allocation to bonds and cash to record

By Anshuman Daga and John Geddie

SINGAPORE, July 28 (Reuters) - The long-term returns of Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC have dropped within a whisker of a record low struck during the financial crisis, and its chief executive cautioned on Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic would weigh on performance.

GIC, which ranks as the world's sixth-biggest sovereign investor with $440 billion in assets, according to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, joined smaller state investor Temasek Holdings in offering a bleak outlook.

"Going ahead, it does require a lot more effort to try and generate the kind of past returns that we were able to generate," Chief Executive Lim Chow Kiat said in an interview as the fund published its annual report.

Even before the coronavirus struck, Lim said, investors were grappling with risks such as high indebtedness at companies, policy constraints and stretched valuations.

GIC reported an annualised rolling 20-year real rate of return - its main performance gauge - of 2.7% for the year to March 31, 2020, just above the figure of 2.6% in 2009.

It said the latest fall was due to the dropping out of tech-bubble gains 21 years ago from its metric and, to a smaller extent, the market sell-off over the last year. GIC reported a return of 3.4% in 2019.

The United States makes up the biggest chunk of GIC's portfolio at 34%, followed by Asia, with 32% and the Euro zone at 13%.

Lim said some companies in infrastructure, energy and financial services offered investment opportunities if they fared well in the next few years, and provided valuations were attractive.

Aided by central bank and government stimulus, global equities ended the first half on a strong note, reversing a collapse suffered in the final weeks of the first quarter.

GIC said its portfolio return was 3.9% per annum in nominal dollar terms over the five years to March 2020, versus a comparable 4.9% a year ago. That exceeded an annualised 3.3% return over five years of GIC's reference portfolio of 65% global equities and 35% bonds.

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GIC's allocation to bonds and cash rose to a record 44% in the latest year from 39% from a year ago. That came at the expense of developed market and emerging market equities.

The technology sector remains key, GIC added.

"We have internally very deliberate efforts to invest in them across the whole value chain - from start-ups and all the way to mature listed, large tech companies," Lim said. (Reporting by Anshuman Daga and John Geddie; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Peoople's DailyIn a speech delivered by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library on Thursday local time, the U.S. politician once gain made hypes of the so-called China threat and distorted China-U.S. relations, like he always did.





It was another round of attacks and slandering on China planned by certain U.S. politicians in the recent month. Pompeos remarks were not fact-based and called white black, and the whole speech was characterized by ideological prejudices and Cold War mentality, representing the typical lies recently fabricated by high-ranking U.S. officials about China.

Lies never stand the test of facts. Pompeo, who chose the Richard Nixon Presidential Library as the venue to deliver his speech, has drained his brain to stage such a ridiculous farce, following those who had done similar deeds, such as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Robert C. OBrien, FBI Director Christopher Wray and U.S. Attorney General William Barr.

However, any attempt to fabricate or distort the history is never tolerated. According to the Shanghai Communique, which was released by the two countries when former U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China in 1972, there are essential differences between China and the U.S. in their social systems and foreign policies. However, the two sides agreed that countries, regardless of their social systems, should conduct their relations on the principles of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, noninterference in the internal affairs of other states, as well as equality and mutual benefit.

Under the efforts of both China and the U.S., their bilateral relations made historic breakthroughs over the past 40 some years. However, Pompeo is nether respecting history nor facing the facts. He made conceptual shift and said the U.S. aims to induce change in developing relationship with China. He also painstakingly fabricated a tearjerker in which he fantasizes that China wants to raid the U.S. In the eyes of the people around the world, the worst secretary of state in American history without a single diplomatic achievement is just unscrupulous and has no moral compass.

The leadership by the Communist Party of China (CPC) is the most essential attribute of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and a choice made by history and the people. The CPC always represents and firmly safeguards the interests of the Chinese people, and is supported by the 1.4 billion Chinese people. No country, individual or force has the right to deny the path that is chosen by the Chinese people and has been proved right in practices, or is able to stop China from marching forward along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Richard Haas, president of Council on Foreign Relations, a New York-based think tank, pointed out sharply that Pompeo has made diplomacy impossible-quite a stance for Americas chief diplomat to take, unless his goal is to ensure diplomacy fails.

The more efforts are taken by the U.S. politicians to slander China, the more darkness and conspiracies of them are exposed. They made every attempt to pass the buck when the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 4 million in the U.S., and did everything to impede international cooperation and impact international order.

Pompeo said in his speech that If the free world doesnt change  doesnt change, communist China will surely change us. However, its clear that China is the one who has been committed to building a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind. The country is always a constructor of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a guardian of international order. If there must be one thing that China hopes to change, that is the country will neither compromise with hegemony nor follow the beaten path to seek hegemony. Instead, it hopes to uphold the spirit of mutual respect, justice and equity, and win-win cooperation, and blaze a new trail in relations between countries that favor dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance.

Pompeo and his peers, finding Cold War cliches from the dust heap of history, are making hypes everywhere to slander and attack China. The U.S. Secretary of State, dreaming to establish an anti-China alliance, goes counter to the trend of times featuring peace, development, cooperation and win-win results, as well as the hopes of most countries in the world. His dangerous and mean attempts are doomed to fail.
After giving netizens a glimpse of a thunderstorm from space, astronaut Bob Behnken has again piqued the attention of netizens - this time with a picture of Hurricane Hanna. By Saturday afternoon, Hurricane Hanna made its second landfall in Texas. Being a category 1 storm, Hurricane Hanna was accompanied by strong winds and rain. The photo shared by Behnken captures the massive hurricane from space and chances are it will leave you awe-struck.

The photo posted on Behnkens official Twitter account, shows a view of Hurricane Hanna taken from the International Space Station(ISS). As the ISS was passing over Gulf of Mexico on Friday, Behnken clicked the photo that showed observable structure of the hurricane.

Snapped this photo of the storm in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday as it was starting to have observable structure from @Space_Station. #HurricaneHanna, reads the caption.

Take a look at the snap and prepare to be amazed:

Snapped this photo of the storm in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday as it was starting to have observable structure from @Space_Station. #HurricaneHanna pic.twitter.com/KiamE0lmKk  Bob Behnken (@AstroBehnken) July 26, 2020

Posted on July 26, the picture has garnered over 13,400 likes and varied comments from netizens.

Beautiful photo, it keeps things in perspective of how SMALL we are Loved my work at NASA and when we look down, we can see the awesome power of God. I wonder what that design review was like when God made the world...Enjoy, Godspeed and safe trip back to earth.  E. Smith (@Erv461) July 27, 2020

Wow one massive storm building up there look at the size of that thing most impressive" someone is in for a bumpy ride there "  Alan Evans (@AlanEva21042719) July 27, 2020

How incredible, weve been getting very heavy rain and thunderstorms in Houston, Texas. Hurricane season is upon us   Lori Nelms (@GrandyNelms) July 26, 2020

Wow. Mother Nature. She is a force to be reckoned with.  TexasProudGirl (@AmyBollinger8) July 26, 2020

Incredibly beautiful shot!  Daisi (@estela1_daisi) July 26, 2020

What do you think of this out-of-the-world shot?
South Africa: MeerKAT telescope to be expanded by 20 dishes

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, says the 64-dish MeerKAT, the pre-cursor to the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), will be expanded by 20 dishes at a cost of R800 million.

The Minister said this when he outlined the departments spending priorities during a virtual sitting of the National Assembly on Friday.

Nzimande said that astronomy in South Africa remains important to its socio-economic landscape and that the heritage will further be strengthened through the MeerKAT, which has already been able to give the world a glimpse into the star-formation history of the universe.

To extend its research area reach, the MeerKAT is to be expanded by 20 dishes at a cost of R800 million. The expansion will be a partnership between South Africa, Germany and China.

The MeerKAT will further be integrated into SKA Phase one (2019-2024) with an additional 133 antennas in the Karoo up to 80km baseline from the core to make it a 197-dish array mid-frequency telescope.

The Minister said the MeerKAT, located in the Karoo, continues to perform great science and has contributed to several discoveries.

The benefits of hosting these telescopes include a 75% local content component, direct investment of more than R300 million in the Northern Cape alone, the development of technical skills and big data capabilities, strengthening of university research programmes, opportunities for SMMEs and industry, community upliftment programmes, and investment in the youth.

South Africa also participates in the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (AVN) project that aims to establish self-sufficient radio telescopes in Africa through the conversion of redundant telecommunications antennae into radio telescopes, "new-build" telescopes or training facilities with training telescopes.

Our countries who participates in this initiative are Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zambia, he said.

Government mulls over new SKA exploratorium

The Minister said, meanwhile, that government is also collaborating with the Department of Tourism, the Northern Cape Department of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, and the Kareeberg Municipality to establish the SKA Exploratorium in Carnarvon.

This envisaged R60 million multi-purpose science tourism visitor centre will create jobs and boost tourism in the area, and also serve as an outreach hub.

A funding agreement is now being finalised for signature by the relevant parties in order to kick-start the project, he said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Protests in Russia's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk have continued for more than two weeks, with some 50,000 people on the streets on July 25, according to organizers. The demonstrations began when regional Governor Sergei Furgal was arrested and charged with organizing murders. Last week, President Vladimir Putin fired him and appointed a replacement -- but that has failed to quell the crowds.
Chouhan chaired a high level official meetings through video conferencing

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who has been hospitalised after contracting coronavirus, on Monday functioned from his hospital bed to discharge his duties through video conferencing.

Chouhan, whose samples tested positive for coronavirus for the second time on Monday, reviewed law and order and then pandemic situation in the state at high level official meetings through video conferencing in the afternoon, the chief ministers office (CMO) said here.

He was henceforth likely to function from his hospital room by taking video conferencing route.

Interestingly, the chief minister delegated his power to three of his ministerial colleagues, Narottam Mishra, Viswas Sarang and Prabhuram Choudhury, to take responsibility of governance jointly in his absence soon after he got him admitted to a Covid-19 designated hospital here after testing positive for the virus on Saturday.

Mr Chouhan would avoid signing files during his hospitalization period, sources indicated.

Meanwhile, Mr Sarang told reporters that all the parameters of the chief minister were found normal.

Meanwhile, Opposition Congress has taken a jibe at the chief minister for granting visits of people to him in his hospital room and discharging his duties from there, saying that he was violating the hospital rules.

It is a publicity stunt by the chief minister. He should not allow visits of other people to him in his room in the hospital at this stage, Congress spokesman here J P Dhanopia said.
IRS recently released guidance (Notice 2020-50) for the tax treatment of qualified coronavirus-related distributions from retirement plans. The recent CARES legislation allows a CV-related distribution to escape the 10% penalty for early withdrawals, be reported over a three-year period, and avoid any reported income if the distribution is repaid within three years.

The guidance explains how both plan administrators and beneficiaries should treat the payments and provides a sample certification statement to be made by the recipient of the distribution. A new IRS form (8915-E) will be created by year end to report the tax consequences of the distribution.

Many people are experiencing financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The retirement plan provisions of CARES are designed to allow plan beneficiaries to tap retirement assets to meet short-term financial needs. The provisions also allow participants to recontribute funds to the plan if their financial circumstances allow that within the next three years.

The basic provisions allow qualified individuals to withdraw as much as $100,000 in calendar 2020 with the three previously mentioned tax benefits  no early withdrawal penalty, three-year income spread, and three-year repayment option to eliminate any tax effect.

A qualified individual is one who has a positive COVID test result or who has a spouse or dependent with a positive test. More broadly, it includes anyone who has experienced adverse financial consequences as a result of the COVID-19.

Adverse financial consequences is broadly defined to include the effects of being quarantined, being furloughed or laid off, having reduced work hours, being unable to work due to lack of childcare, or the closing or reduction of hours of a business owned or operated by the individual.

The interesting aspect of the guidance is that a qualified individual does not need to demonstrate a need for the funds withdrawn and there is no requirement that the distribution correspond to any actual adverse financial consequence.

Note that a positive COVID test alone makes one a qualified individual without regard to any demonstrated financial consequence of that test result. Without a positive test qualification requires satisfying one of the adverse consequence situations.

Lets say Lisa is a 39-year-old self-employed individual with 2019 income of $200,000. Lisa provides consulting services to various clients and her income allows her to save $40,000 per year. One of Lisas clients is in Chicago and Lisa travels to the clients offices to perform services. She earns $30,000 per year from the Chicago client.

Because of COVID-19, Lisas Chicago client informs her they will not be using her services in 2020. The clients offices are closed and they have decided that Lisas services are beneficial only in person. Lisa takes a $30,000 distribution from her IRA. She does not need the funds to satisfy any specific financial need and her other income allows her to cover all expenses and to also save some money in 2020. Her plan is to return the $30,000 to the IRA within three years so the distribution is nontaxable.

Lisa is a qualified individual because she has experienced a reduction in her self-employment income due to COVID-19. She does not need to show any specific need for the distribution. The IRS Notice provides a sample certification that she can provide to the plan administrator.

Lisa will be able to spread the $30,000 income over three years. Even if she does not return the funds she will report $10,000 as income in 2020, $10,000 in 2021, and $10,000 in 2022. There will be no penalty for taking the funds before age 59.

If Lisa returns all $30,000 before the due date of her 2020 tax return, she will report no income in 2020 (or any other year). This gives her until as late as Oct. 15, 2021. to return the funds provided she files an extension and waits until the last filing date. Lisa could also wait until 2022 to return the $30,000. This will require her to include $10,000 as income on her 2020 return and also $10,000 on her 2021 return, unless she returns the funds before the 2021 return is filed. She will have to amend the 2020 return (and perhaps 2021) to remove the previously reported income.

James R. Hamill is the Director of Tax Practice at Reynolds, Hix & Co. in Albuquerque. He can be reached at jimhamill@rhcocpa.com.
Washington, July 27 : A Republican Senator for the US state of Arkansas has described slavery as a "necessary evil" on which the American nation was built, the media reported on Monday.

"We have to study the history of slavery and its role and impact on the development of our country because otherwise we can't understand our country," the BBC quoted Senator Tom Cotton as saying in an interview to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper on Sunday.

"As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as (Abraham) Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction." Cotton told the newspaper that he rejected the idea that the US was a systemically racist country to its core, adding that he was introducing legislation to ban federal funds for a project by the New York Times newspaper, aimed at revising the historical view of slavery.

On July 23, Senator Cotton introduced the Saving American History Act, aimed at stopping funding for '1619', the initiative which bases US history teaching around the first arrivals of slave ships in the US in August of that year.

The project won the Pulitzer prize for commentary for its founder, the New York Times journalist Nicole Hannah-Jones.

Responding to Senator Cotton's legislation, Hannah-Jones tweeted that if slavery was justified as a means to an end, anything else could be too, the BBC reported.

Cotton has been a strong critic of the nationwide anti-racims protests, describing them in an opinion piece for the New York Times as an "orgy of violence".

The article was widely criticised and the newspaper later apologised, saying the piece fell below its editorial standards.

Opinion editor James Bennet resigned as a result.

The development comes amid the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in Minnesota in May which has sparked huge protests across the US against police brutality and racism, said the BBC report.
The Mumbai Police on Sunday summoned Apoorva Mehta, the CEO of Dharma Productions, in the death case.

The 'Chhichhore' actor was found dead at his residence in Mumbai Police on June 14. Since then the Mumbai Police have questioned a number of people from the film industry and his family members.

Earlier on Sunday, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had said that film director Mahesh Bhatt and Karan Johar's manager would also be called for the questioning.

"Mahesh Bhatt will be called for questioning tomorrow. We will later also call Karan Johar's manager too. If needed, Karan Johar may also be called for the questioning in the case," he told ANI.

Actress Kangana Ranaut had released a two-minute video, accusing some sections of the film fraternity for not acknowledging the star's talent.

She had also claimed that some of the last social media posts by the actor suggested he was struggling to survive in the film industry.

(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.)
WASHINGTON  The number of Dreamers in Texas could nearly double if the Trump administration begins accepting applications for the federal program that offers them legal protections and work authorizations.

The Supreme Court last month blocked President Donald Trumps 2017 order to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects from deportation people brought as children to the U.S. by their families without legal authorization. Many of the so-called Dreamers have known no other home than the U.S.

Now, after nearly four years of waiting for the final ruling, dozens of Houston-area immigrants are suing to force the White House to take their applications.

By at least one estimate, some 86,000 Texans are eligible for the program, in addition to the 106,000 Dreamers in Texas who have already enrolled. The backlog has grown over the past four years, as more of the children have graduated from high school but were not allowed to apply.

A federal judge in Maryland earlier this month ordered the administration to start taking new applications but set no date for the reopening. A message on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website says the agency is not accepting requests from individuals who have never before been granted deferred action under DACA.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

During a Friday court hearing in Maryland, government attorneys said the message on the website is out of date and USCIS is actually holding applications it receives while it determines the next steps. The Texas lawsuit, meanwhile, says USCIS is rejecting applications.

One of the plaintiffs in the Texas case is Anahi Lagunas, a 19-year-old nursing student at Lone Star College. She remembers first hearing about DACA when she was in middle school. Her parents did not let her apply as she graduated from high school because they were afraid of what might happen once the government learned of her immigration status.

They thought by giving my info out, that (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) could get that info and come to my doorstep and just take me away, Lagunas said. They were afraid I was going to be taken away from them.

Basically being held hostage

Lagunas has lived in Houston since her parents emigrated from Mexico when she was about 3 months old. She has a high school diploma and is enrolled in college  two major qualifications for the program, which is also open to nongraduates who served in the U.S. military. The program also requires immigrants to have come to the country before the age of 16.

Its unclear if or when the administration plans to reopen it. A spokesperson for USCIS said only that the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice are reviewing the Supreme Courts DACA decision.

Trump has said in recent days his administration is preparing a big executive order on immigration that would include DACA, though its unclear what that means.

Lagunas and others in her situation have heard such pledges from Trump since fall 2017, as he has repeatedly said he is working with Congress to protect them.

That hasnt happened.

NO DEAL YET: Ted Cruz blocks Senate Democrats attempt to pass DACA bill

Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

As Trump again promises action, and some Republican senators  including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn  have said Congress needs to act, advocates for the immigrants say the administration has no justification for refusing to accept new applications.

The potential DACA recipients in Texas are basically being held hostage, said Cesar Espinosa, executive director of FIEL, an immigrant-run advocacy group in Houston that is leading the lawsuit.

Texas is No. 2 in the nation for DACA applicants. We know theres a large need here in the state of Texas to get this program going and to get folks the benefits, he said. Folks have been needing this program for their entire lives, when you think about it.

Nationally, more than 640,000 immigrants are protected by the program. The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C., estimates as many as 682,000 more could qualify.

Trump prepares very major order

Many would-be Dreamers, including Lagunas, are preparing for jobs in essential industries, as some 200,000 work in essential fields across the country. In Texas, as many as 14,000 worked in fields such as health care, food service, farming and transportation in 2017, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.

That included more than 2,400 working in health care and health care support fields.

It is unconscionable for the Trump Administration to deny deportation protections to hardworking people who came to this county as children, hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who are serving as essential workers on the front lines of this pandemic, said U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

The Trump administrations continuous lawbreaking is no longer shocking, but openly defying the Supreme Court and ignoring a federal judges order to accept new DACA applications violates the principle of judicial review and the separations of power, Castro said. These checks and balances are fundamental to our constitutional system of governance.

Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Conservatives have long argued that former President Barack Obama violated those checks and balances when he took executive action to create DACA in the first place. When Trump moved to scrap the program, his attorney general at the time, Jeff Sessions, called Obamas action an open-ended circumvention of immigration laws and an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch.

Now the president says hes gearing up to issue a very major immigration order of his own within the next few weeks, claiming the Supreme Courts ruling that blocked him from ending DACA last month gives him the power to do so.

Trump said during a Fox News Sunday interview this month that he would replace DACA with something much better.

White House spokesman Judd Deere has said the administration is working on an executive order to establish a merit-based immigration system to further protect U.S. workers. Deere has said that Trump has long said he is willing to work with Congress on a negotiated legislative solution to DACA, which he said could include citizenship but not amnesty.

In the past, Trumps offers to reopen the program were contingent upon receiving funding for his border wall from Congress.

He always promises a lot and we have yet to see what hes going to deliver, said Espinosa, who added that hes worried it will be something so restrictive that few can apply, such as a requirement that applicants have a four-year college degree.

I can be another helping hand

Congress appears as stuck as ever on the issue. The Democratic-controlled House passed a bill last year that would make DACA law and offer Dreamers a path to citizenship. When Senate Democrats attempted to bring it up for a vote earlier this month, however, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz blocked it, calling it an attempt at offering amnesty to those who entered the country illegally.

Todays Democratic Party, their priority is on people here illegally and not on American workers, Cruz said. Not on keeping American workers safe.

Lagunas said she is optimistic that Dreamers will prevail and the administration will begin taking applications again. Either way, she plans to transfer to a four-year college and keep working toward her nursing degree with the hope that she can one day put it to use.

She said she is eager to get her degree so she can help the city that has been her home for as long as she can remember, as she hears reports about nurses and doctors overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic.

It urges me to pursue my career even more because I can be another helping hand to them, the 19-year-old Houstonian said.

ben.wermund@chron.com
The Conversation

A Russian cyberespionage group that hacked into election networks before the 2016 U.S. presidential election is now attempting to steal coronavirus vaccine information from researchers in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. The governments of those three countries issued a warning on July 16 saying that the group known as APT29 or Cozy Bear is targeting vaccine development efforts. The group, which is connected with the FSB, Russias internal security service, had gotten inside the Democratic National Committee networks prior to the 2016 election.

This latest incident illustrates yet again how, beyond carrying all of our phone, text and internet communications, cyberspace is an active battleground, with cybercriminals, government agents and even military personnel probing weaknesses in corporate, national and even personal online defenses. Some of the most talented and dangerous cybercrooks and cyberwarriors come from Russia, which is a longtime meddler in other countries affairs.

Over decades, Russian operators have stolen terabytes of data, taken control of millions of computers and raked in billions of dollars. Theyve shut down electricity in Ukraine and meddled in elections in the U.S. and elsewhere. Theyve engaged in disinformation and disclosed pilfered information such as the emails stolen from Hillary Clintons campaign chairman, John Podesta, following successful spearphishing attacks.

Who are these operators, why are they so skilled, and what are they up to?

Back to the 1980s

The Russian cyberthreat dates back to at least 1986 when Cliff Stoll, then a system administrator at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, linked a 75-cent accounting error to intrusions into the labs computers. The hacker was after military secrets, downloading documents with important keywords such as nuclear. A lengthy investigation, described in Stolls book The Cuckoos Egg, led to a German hacker who was selling the stolen data to what was then the Soviet Union.

By the late 1990s, Russian cyberespionage had grown to include the multi-year Moonlight Maze intrusions into U.S. military and other government computers, foretelling the massive espionage from Russia today.

The 1990s also saw the arrest of Vladimir Levin, a computer operator in St. Petersburg. Levin tried to steal more than US$10 million by hacking Citibank accounts, foreshadowing Russias prominence in cybercrime. And Russian hackers defaced U.S. websites during the Kosovo conflict, portending Russias extensive use of disruptive and damaging cyberattacks.

Conducting advanced attacks

In more recent years, Russia has been behind some of the most sophisticated cyberattacks on record. The 2015 cyberattack on three of Ukraines regional power distribution companies knocked out power to almost a quarter-million people. Cybersecurity analysts from the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the SANS Institute reported that the multi-staged attacks were conducted by a highly structured and resourced actor. Ukraine blamed the attacks on Russia.

The attackers used a variety of techniques and adapted to the targets they faced. They used spearphishing email messages to gain initial access to systems. They installed BlackEnergy malware to establish remote control over the infected devices. They harvested credentials to move through the networks. They developed custom malicious firmware to render system control devices inoperable. They hijacked the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system to open circuit breakers in substations. They used KillDisk malware to erase the master boot record of affected systems. The attackers even went so far as to strike the control stations battery backups and tie up the energy companys call center with thousands of calls.

The Russians returned in 2016 with more advanced tools to take down a major artery of Ukraines power grid. Russia is believed to have also invaded energy companies in the U.S., including those operating nuclear power plants.

Top-notch cybereducation

Russia has many skilled cyberoperators, and for good reason: Their educational system emphasizes information technology and computer science, more so than in the U.S.

Every year, Russian schools take a disproportionate number of the top spots in the International Collegiate Programming Contest. In the 2016 contest, St. Petersburg State University took the top spot for the fifth time in a row, and four other Russian schools also made the top 12. In 2017, St. Petersburg ITMO University won, with two other Russian schools also placing in the top 12. The top U.S. school ranked 13th.

As Russia prepared to form a cyber branch within its military, Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu took note of Russian students performance in the contest. We have to work with these guys somehow, because we need them badly, he said in a public meeting with university administrators.

Who are these Russian cyberwarriors?

Russia employs cyberwarriors within its military and intelligence services. Indeed, the cyberespionage groups dubbed APT28 (aka Fancy Bear) and APT29 (aka Cozy Bear and The Dukes) are believed to correspond to Russias military intelligence agency GRU and its state security organization FSB, respectively. Both groups have been implicated in hundreds of cyberoperations over the past decade, including US election hacking.

Russia recruits cyberwarriors from its colleges, but also from the cybersecurity and cybercrime sectors. It is said to turn a blind eye to its criminal hackers as long as they avoid Russian targets and use their skills to aid the government. According to Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder of the security firm CrowdStrike, when Moscow identifies a talented cybercriminal, any pending criminal case against the person is dropped and the hacker disappears into the Russian intelligence services. Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev, wanted by the FBI with a reward of $3 million for cybercrimes, is also on the Obama administrations list of people sanctioned in response to interference in the U.S. election. Bogachev is said to work under the supervision of a special unit of the FSB.

Allies outside official channels

Besides its in-house capabilities, the Russian government has access to hackers and the Russian media. Analyst Sarah Geary at cybersecurity firm FireEye reported that the hackers disseminate propaganda on behalf of Moscow, develop cybertools for Russian intelligence agencies like the FSB and GRU, and hack into networks and databases in support of Russian security objectives.

Many seemingly independent patriotic hackers operate on Russias behalf. Most notably, they attacked critical systems in Estonia in 2007 over the relocation of a Soviet-era memorial, Georgia in 2008 during the Russo-Georgian War and Ukraine in 2014 in connection with the conflict between the two countries.

At the very least, the Russian government condones, even encourages, these hackers. After some of the Estonian attacks were traced back to Russia, Moscow turned down Estonias request for help  even as a commissar in Russias pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi admitted launching some of the attacks. And when Slavic Union hackers successfully attacked Israeli websites in 2006, Deputy Duma Director Nikolai Kuryanovich gave the group a certificate of appreciation. He noted that a small force of hackers is stronger than the multi-thousand force of the current armed forces.

While some patriotic hackers may indeed operate independently of Moscow, others seem to have strong ties. Cyber Berkut, one of the groups that conducted cyberattacks against Ukraine, including its central election site, is said to be a front for Russian state-sponsored cyberactivity. And Russias espionage group APT28 is said to have operated under the guise of the ISIS-associated CyberCaliphate while attacking the French station TV5 Monde and taking over the Twitter account of U.S. Central Command.

One of many cyberthreats

Although Russia poses a major cyberthreat, it is not the only country that threatens the U.S. in cyberspace. China, Iran and North Korea are also countries with strong cyberattack capabilities, and more countries will join the pool as they develop their peoples skills.

The good news is that actions to protect an organizations cybersecurity (such as monitoring access to sensitive files) that work against Russia also work against other threat actors. The bad news is that many organizations do not take those steps. Further, hackers find new vulnerabilities in devices and exploit the weakest link of all  humans. Whether cyberdefenses will evolve to avert a major calamity, from Russia or anywhere else, remains to be seen.

Editors note: This is an updated version of an article originally published Aug. 15, 2017.

Dorothy Denning, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Defense Analysis, Naval Postgraduate School

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

On Tuesday, the state Department of Transportation in partnership with CTtransit and other transit operators will distribute masks to bus passengers statewide, including the cities of Bridgeport, New Haven and Stamford to help combat the spread of COVID-19.

Masks will be available for bus riders in the morning (7 and 9 a.m.) and the afternoon (3 to 5 p.m.).
Police declared the situation to be a riot and at around 1:20 a.m., they began ordering people to leave the area surrounding the courthouse or risk arrest, saying on Twitter that the violence had created a grave risk to the public. About 20 minutes later, federal officers and local police could be seen attempting to clear the area and deploying tear gas, however protesters remained past 2:30 a.m., forming lines across intersections and holding makeshift shields as police patrolled and closed blocks abutting the area. Multiple arrests were made, but it wasnt immediately clear how many.
Dubai-based Lumina Capital Advisers, a specialist mid-market M&A firm, has announced the successful completion of a follow-on equity funding round from a consortium of regional investors into UK-based Amara Living.

Founded in 2005 by Andrew and Sam Hood, Amara sells over 25,000 products from a range of leading homewares brands including Missoni, Versace, and Jo Malone London. Over 50% of sales are now from international markets, mainly US and Europe.

The company recently expanded its distribution footprint to the Middle East, which is a key growth market with strong consumer demand for online access to Amaras wide portfolio of aspirational homewares and curated gifts sourced from around the world.

The deal, which comes following the initial April closing, reflects the rapid growth of the company during Q2. The Lumina team, consisting of Andrew Nichol, Gareth Williams and Feico Boonstra, lead-advised the regional group of investors.

The growth of e-commerce has been massively accelerated by the global pandemic and has attracted global, and regional, investment.

A survey by Ernst & Young (EY) conducted earlier in May revealed that 92% of consumers in the UAE and KSA have changed their shopping habits, with over 50% respondents referring to significant change.

These habits are backed up by regional trends seen by Amara. In H1 2020 UAE orders increased by 209% compared to the same period in 2019. KSA sales jumped by 292% during the same period. A significant factor in this growth comes from the adoption of electronic payment methods, in line with the Saudi 2030 Vision for 70% of all online payments to be cashless by 2030.

In Amaras case the shift to Delivery Duty Paid in June 2020 helped to make online shopping as frictionless as possible for UAE and KSA customers.
Misinformation about coronavirus vaccine trials has been spreading on social media.

Image copyright SOPA Images

In the week that Oxford University announced promising results from its coronavirus vaccine trial, we're looking at claims on social media about vaccines and misleading statements about their safety.

The anti-vaccination movement has gained traction online in recent years, and campaigners opposed to vaccination have moved their focus to making claims relating to the coronavirus.

Claim about the impact on DNA

First, a video containing inaccurate claims about coronavirus vaccine trials, made by osteopath Carrie Madej, that has proved popular on social media.

Carrie Madej's video makes a false claim that the vaccines will change recipients' DNA (which carries genetic information).

"The Covid-19 vaccines are designed to make us into genetically modified organisms."

She also claims - without any evidence - that vaccines will "hook us all up to an artificial intelligence interface".

There are 25 different candidate vaccines in clinical trials around the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO), but none of them will alter human DNA and they do not contain technology to link people up to an artificial intelligence interface.

The vaccines are all designed to provoke an immune response by training our bodies to recognise and fight the virus.

Carrie Madej makes a number of other false claims, including that vaccine trials are "not following any sound scientific protocol to make sure this is safe".

"New vaccines undergo rigorous safety checks before they can be recommended for widespread use," says Michelle Roberts, BBC online health editor.

We have asked Carrie Madej for comment about these claims, but have received no response at the time of publication.

Where has the video been shared?

It was first uploaded to YouTube in June, where it clocked more than 300,000 views, but it has also been popular on Facebook and Instagram.

It's still circulating in the United States, the UK and elsewhere.

A scientist in South Africa, Sarah Downs, who writes under the alias Mistress of Science, said she was alerted to the video by her mother whose prayer group had shared it.

The scientist sent her own debunking information to this group and says: "They are now much better informed, which I'm so glad about, because they were all taken in by that video."

Claims about the pace of vaccine trials

When the preliminary results of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine study were published on Monday, the topic provoked much debate in coronavirus-focused Facebook groups.

Some Facebook users posted comments saying they didn't want the vaccine as they felt they would be used as "guinea pigs" and that it had been "rushed into production at warp speed".

While there might be concerns about safety given the accelerated pace of development, Prof Andrew Pollard, head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, told the BBC the rigorous safety processes included in all clinical trials were in place.

This includes safety reports to regulators in the countries taking part.

The trial has been so fast in concluding the first two phases because of the head start provided by previous work on coronavirus vaccines in Oxford, the acceleration of administrative and funding processes, and the huge interest in the trial which meant no time was spent searching for volunteers.

As the trial moves to its third phase, with thousands more volunteers taking part, all the participants will be monitored for side-effects. There were no dangerous side-effects from taking the vaccine in the first two phases, though 16-18% of trial participants given the vaccine reported a fever. Researchers said side-effects could be managed with paracetamol.

When the Oxford vaccine trial first started, there was a claim that the first volunteer had died.

The story was quickly debunked by fact-checkers and the BBC's medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh, conducted an interview with the volunteer.

Claims about vaccines and Spanish flu

A meme circulating on social media claims vaccines were responsible for 50 million deaths during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918.

But this is completely wrong.

Firstly, as the US Centers for Disease Control states, there was no vaccine at the time.

Scientists in Britain and the US did experiment with basic bacterial vaccines, but these were not vaccines as we would recognise them today, says historian and author Mark Honingsbaum.

This was "for the good reason that no-one knew that the influenza was a virus".

There were two main causes of death - the initial flu infection or from the strong enormous immune response the virus triggered leading to lungs being filled with fluids.

Additional reporting by Olga Robinson, Shayan Sardarizadeh and Peter Mwai. BBC
The town of al-Seen in Hama was attacked by a group suspected of being affiliated with or belonging to ISIS, who killed one person and a number of head of livestock reports Al-Masdar.

An unknown group launched an attack on the small town of al-Seen in the al-Salamiyeh countryside of Hama last night.

According to reports, the group, which is suspected to be the Islamic State (ISIS), attacked al-Seen last night, killing one person and the towns cattle before burning the area down.

Furthermore, there were reports that the group also stole vehicles and supplies from the townspeople before fleeing to an unknown area.

Armed groups carry out attacks from time to time in the Hama countryside, which has since prompted the redeployment of troops from the Syrian Arab Army and National Defense Forces (NDF).

ISIS previously terrorized the al-Salamiyeh countryside between 2014-2018 before they were defeated by the Syrian army.

The terrorist group carried out massacres and kidnapped several people during their reign of terror, which left this area and its roads incredibly dangerous for quite some time.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
A bomb has detonated in the northeastern region of Ras al-Ayn, killing eighteen people, with the YPG being the main suspects writes Zaman Al-Wasl.

At least eight civilians were killed and 17 more wounded in a bomb attack in the Turkish-held region of Ras al-Ayn northeastern Syria, Turkeys Defense Ministry and activists said Sunday.

The suspected YPG-blast went off in the vegetable marketplace in the Turkish-held region.

The Turkish military and the Syrian National Army attacked Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria on Oct. 9, 2019, with the aim of creating a roughly 30-kilometer (20-mile) deep buffer zone.

Kurdish forces agreed to withdraw from a 120-kilometer (75 mile) long, Arab-majority segment of the 440-kilometer (275-mile) border with Turkey, although clashes have been reported since.

Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist group linked to Kurdish militants on its own soil and has mounted military operations in northern Syria to push it back from the border.

The border town of Ras al-Ayn is suffering from a scarcity of agricultural, industrial and alimentary supplies due to a siege imposed by Kurdish forces.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
V ietnam today began evacuating 80,000 people from a tourism hotspot after the country recorded its first locally transmitted coronavirus infections in three months.

The evacuation of mostly domestic tourists from Da Nang will take at least four days with domestic airlines operating around 100 flights daily.

Officials confirmed the first new community infections on Saturday, and another three cases yesterday, all in or around the central city. Residents have been told to implement social distancing and non-essential services have been closed.

Vietnams hardline approach to the pandemic, which has included an aggressive and widespread testing programme, has been credited with keeping its total tally of reported infections to just 420, with no deaths.

The country is still closed to foreign tourism but domestic travellers have been taking advantage of discounted flights and holiday packages.

A Scottish pilot who was Vietnams most critically ill Covid-19 patient today warned others not to be blase about the risks of the virus.

Stephen Cameron, 42, from Motherwell, was working for national carrier Vietnam Airlines when he tested positive in March and ended up spending 65 days on life support. People cant be blase about this until we have eradicated it, he told the BBC.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong is to ban restaurant dining and make masks compulsory in public places for one week from Wednesday.

The city is battling an outbreak that has infected more than 1,000 people in the last two weeks. The measures are an extension of a previous ban on eating out after 6pm, while it was already mandatory to wear masks on public transport.

Australias badly hit Victoria state has suffered its worst day of the pandemic with a record 532 new Covid-19 cases.

Premier Daniel Andrews warned that a six-week lockdown in Melbourne would have to remain while infected people continued to go to work. This is what is driving these numbers up and the lockdown will not end until people stop going to work with symptoms and instead go and get tested, he said.

In the US, nearly 60,000 more infections were reported yesterday, pushing the total to more than 4.2 million, including 143,000 deaths.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A 20-year-old man died Sunday, two days after he and two others suffered injuries when someone opened fire on their car, police say.

Anthony Gilbert of Cleveland died Sunday at University Hospitals, according to police and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner. No arrests have been made in the case.

The shooting happened about 6 p.m. Friday on East 94th Street and Ansel Road.

Gilbert and the two others were driving in a car, when another car pulled up alongside them and opened fire, police said. The other car sped off.

The driver, a 20-year-old man, was shot several times and crashed the car into a fire hydrant, police said. Gilbert was shot in the chest, and another 20-year-old passenger suffered cuts to his face.

The group flagged down a passerby who drove them to University Hospitals, police said. Police learned of the shooting after the group showed up at the hospital, according to police.

The shooting was one of 15 over the weekend, including three deadly shootings. A fourth person who was shot on Thursday died on Saturday, according to police.

There have been 89 homicides in Cleveland so far in 2020, compared with 68 at the same time in 2019.

Read more from cleveland.com:

Man fatally shot, another stabbed in fight between Mongols and Hells Angels motorcycle gangs at Valley View gas station, officials say

Man fatally shot inside car in Clevelands Stockyards neighborhood

Man shot in the head near Cleveland elementary school dies one day later
Deep learning applied for image/video processing opened the door for the practical deployment for object detection and identification with acceptable accuracy. Crowd counting is another application of image/video processing. The scientists at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) designed a new DNN with backward connection, which achieved more accurate estimation of the density of objects. It can be applied for estimating human density in the public or vehicle density on a road in order for improving public safety/security and traffic efficiency.

Video surveillance is one of the standard ways for obtaining information to detect the status of objects. For example, video surveillance employed on a road is monitored to obtain the information on the flow of traffic, occurrence of accident, and/or the density of the vehicle for the purpose of improving security, safety, and/or efficiency of traffic. Another example of video surveillance is human traffic in the public. Monitoring the flow and the density of the people is mandatory to assure the safety of public places, especially for indoor environment.

Obtaining the information of the density or the number of objects, such as vehicles or people, is called crowd counting. Crowd counting with higher accuracy will offer more seamless control of ITS with less 'jaggy' feedback, or will detect serious status of human congestion that may cause accidents properly. The research group in JAIST led by Dr. Sooksatra and Prof. Atsuo Yoshitaka in collaboration with a research group of SIIT in Thailand proposed a new network employing backward connections in DNN, which achieved higher performance in crowed computing.

"Backward connection in DNN enables to take advantages obtained from both high-level feature and low-level feature in an image, and therefore achieves higher performance than before" says Prof. Atsuo Yoshitaka, the head of Yoshitaka Lab. The Yoshitaka lab. is currently developing different kind of DNNs for industrial applications such as object detection/identification of objects in micrograph, defect detection for industrial products, and DNA analysis for automated diagnosis.

###
by Sumon Corraya

The clergyman, who died in the US on Saturday from COVID-19-related complications, served the Church in Bangladesh for 60 years until 2016 when he returned to the United States because of health problems and death threats from radical Islamists. By founding schools and health centres, and defending the persecuted Garo community, Fr Eugene became an indispensable reference in our life, said Fr Hacha. A Muslim wants a road named after him in Modhupur.

Tangail (AsiaNews)  Bangladeshi Christians and Muslims are mourning the death of Fr Eugene Eduard Homrich, a US missionary who died two days ago at the age of 92 at the Holy Cross House in Indiana (US) from COVID-19-related complications.

The clergyman served the Church in Bangladesh for 60 years, until 2016, when he had to return to the United States because of health problems and death threats from radical Islamists.

Yesterday, hundreds of people gathered in Pirgacha parish church, Tangail, for a memorial service that highlighted his exceptional contribution to the Diocese of Mymensingh.

Most of this Diocese is home to ethnic Garos. Much of Fr Eugenes mission was dedicated to them, including setting up two high schools and 28 primary schools to keep the Garo culture alive.

Fr Homrich is called the father of the modern Garo community, said For Surma Chiran, a Garo woman. If he had not come to Mymensingh, our tribal community would not have been able to save our culture.

She remembers that Once he told us that religion and culture are not the same thing. So, he advised us to practice our faith and at the same time maintain the culture we received from our ancestors. I feel very lucky to have met him and learnt from him what it means to be Catholic.

Fr Simon Hacha, a 66-year-old ethnic Garo priest in Diocese of Mymensingh, stressed that in 60 years of pastoral life, the great missionary transformed the Garos socio-economic conditions.

By founding schools and health centres, and defending the persecuted Garo community, Fr Eugene became an indispensable reference in our life, said Fr Hacha, who is pastor in Dhakua parish. When he had to return to the United States, Catholics wept saying goodbye. Today we weep because of the sad news of his death.

Fr Eugenes life and mission were full of success, Fr Hacha added. He was a friend of the Garo community and always encouraged its culture. In the liturgy he kept Garo musical instruments, language, and hymns. When the Garos were persecuted, he always fought for them.

Muslims also expressed their condolences for the missionary's death. I met Fr Homrich many times, said Zoynal Abedin. He was a Catholic, but he respected me as a Muslim. We had good talks. May Allah Almighty give him eternal peace.

During its War of Liberation, Bangladesh (then called East Pakistan) fought West Pakistan (26 March- 16 December 1971). During the hostilities, Fr Homrich saved hundreds of Muslims, Hindus and Christians by giving them shelter, hiding them in his church and feeding them.

Fr Homrich gave a lot to the population of Modhupur [in the Diocese of Mymenshing], said a saddened Harun Rashid. When he was alive, we could have honoured him with Bangladeshi citizenship, but nothing was done. The Bangladesh government honoured him as a foreign friend but he should have road named after him in Modhupur.

In 2012 Fr Homrich received a Friends of Liberation War Honour award, which is given to foreign nationals who helped the country win the 1971 war, directly from the hands of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

This recognition highlights Bangladeshs friendship and gratitude for those who provide moral, mental, material, political, diplomatic, logistical and military support for the struggle for freedom of the Bangladeshi people.

Fr Eugene Eduard Homrich was born in Michigan in 1928 and arrived in Bangladesh in 1955. After learning the language, he served a Bengali congregation for three years in the Diocese of Dhaka. In 1959 he was moved to Jalchatra parish, in the Diocese of Mymensingh, where he remained until 2016.

The Garos are an indigenous Tibeto-Burman ethnic group who also live in India. About 120,000 live Bangladesh and are mostly Christians.
We see right through this house made of glass in Downers Grove, ILand we love what we see. The modern marvel on Wallbank Avenue is on the market for $850,000. That price is a stealif you consider what it would take to replicate this gem.

To build this house today would be $1.2 million, says the listing agent, Elaine Pagels.

In 1974, a local architect, Richard Marker, built the home for his own use in the modernist style of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Although the home is almost 50 years old, there are no cracks in the facade of this gorgeous glass residence.

There have been a few owners since [Marker], but much of the house is original. People lived in this home with great respect, Pagels says.

The exterior walls on the main level of the 2,016-square-foot home are all glass, but according to the agent, the home is remarkably private.

If you drive by, you cannot see in the home just by the glass. From the outside [looking] inside, you cant see anything, but from the inside [looking] outside, you can, she says.

Simple yet stunning, the home is composed of just a few key building blocks.

Theres a blend of metal, glass, wood, and stone in the house, so you have all the elements, says Pagels.

Exterior of glass house in Downers Grove, IL Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Exterior Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Living space Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

At night, a lookie-loo might be able to see inside the four-bedroom home, but window coverings are in place, and the houses on either side do not have windows that face the glass house.

A large brick garage sits between the road and the house, adding an additional barrier.

Garage Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Interior Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Trees also provide privacy.

The glass house is completely surrounded by forestit's a very natural setting, Pagels says. Its gorgeous. Any window you look out of, any wall you look out of, you have a view.

The white oak floors are original, as are the home's wood ceilings, and it has a few vintage decor and design touches throughout.

Theres this really fabulous green toilet, and of course Richard [Marker] thought ahead and left a brand-new toilet seat cover. Its still in the box, Pagels says of one of the home's quirky highlights.

Laundry room with green fixtures

Interior Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

The kitchen is galley-style, with a small bar space for eating. Its close to a dining room area and to an enclosed, three-season porch, where the current owners usually enjoyed their meals, Pagels explains. The porch has glass walls and a glass ceiling, with fabulous views.

Kitchen Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Porch Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Pagels tells of a time she was inside the house during a snowfall of heavy, wet flakes.

It was the kind of snow where the snowflakes are huge, and each one really has a personality," she says.

"It was like the opposite of being inside a snow globe. The snow was coming on the outside, rather than on the inside. ... It was magical.

Porch Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

The primary suite is in the back of the house, separated from the living areas. The primary bathroom also has glass walls.

Bedroom Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Bathroom Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

From the living area, a metal spiral staircase leads down to a finished basement with laundry, a bar, a theater area, a workroom, a storage area, and a bathroom with the standout green toilet and sink. If you take the square footage of the basement into consideration, you have double the living space, at 4,032 square feet.

Staircase Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Basement Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

The house is only a couple of blocks from two train stations, for a half-hour commute into Chicago. Its also close to schools and the downtown area of Downers Grove, with shops and restaurants.

The home is getting a lot of interest, including from some international buyers.

Were not selling your typical four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath house, Pagels says. Were selling a work of art.

Bedroom Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Theater Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Bathroom Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Bedroom Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Interior Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

Exterior Mark Gutierrez/ VHT

The post Could You See Yourself Living in This Gorgeous Glass House in Illinois? appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
Most cities in Texas  from Galveston to Lubbock  moved their May elections to November under a pandemic-era decree by Gov. Greg Abbott.

But the choices facing voters will remain limited to candidates who filed for office months ago  at least for now.

State Rep. Mayes Middleton, a Galveston County Republican, wants to reopen the filing period for candidates to lead cities and other political jurisdictions, including school boards. He believes voters may have soured on incumbents facing little or no competition.

Middleton is asking Attorney General Ken Paxton whether the state should give candidates who want to run in a postponed local election until mid-August to file for a spot on the ballot.

I think its also only fair that this occur because there are a lot of people that have been frankly unhappy with how some of the decisions have been made in local government during this pandemic, Middleton said.

The legal rub: Abbotts March 18 order was silent on the filing deadline. But Abbotts secretary of state, Ruth Hughs, wrote local officials that the postponement does not have the effect of reopening candidate filings.

Middleton believes that guidance is not supported by election law and Abbotts order. Middleton, who chairs the arch-conservative Texas Freedom Caucus, contends in his July 2 letter to Paxton that Texas law clearly states that if the election day is changed or moved, the filing period rolls forward with it.

He said the ripple effects of a legal opinion by Paxton go well beyond proving greater scrutiny for elected officials who have issued shutdown orders or mask requirements, which have drawn the ire of many conservatives. Some local officials believe that tax rates adopted by cities for the coming fiscal year could greatly exceed what voters have the appetite for amid curtailed local tax revenues due to the pandemic.

Mass chaos concerns

Under the Texas Election Code, the filing period for a November election closes 78 days prior to that date. Middleton believes this means candidates should be able to file to get on the ballot for local elections up until Aug. 17.

The Secretary of States office told me that they believe there would be some election administrators and county clerks and city clerks that would just approve applications to be on the ballot, Middleton said.

The Texas Municipal League, which represents the interests of cities, said the overwhelming majority of the 1,210 cities in the state hold May elections. And the leagues executive director, Bennett Sandlin, said he knew of no cities with May elections this year that did not either cancel or move them.

In the Houston area, Richmond, Pearland, Sugar Land, Galveston, and Friendswood are among the cities that have postponed local elections until Nov. 3.

Cities with no contested races were allowed to cancel their elections, Sandlin said. In addition, many candidates with no opponents have already been sworn in. So the league is arguing that allowing candidates back on the ballot could create mass chaos in local elections that have already been entirely or partially canceled.

The city of Round Rock, just north of Austin, actually moved its election to May of next year  meaning the incumbents will all get an extra year in office

without voter approval.

Rice University political scientist Mark Jones said the move smacked of political opportunism, noting that it was a de facto extension of the terms of incumbents who normally would have to leave office.

Any movement beyond November would seem to me taking advantage, undue advantage, of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its both unethical as well as at least (a violation of ) the spirit of the law in what Gov. Abbott was trying to do, Jones said.

Jones also said that holding May elections  as opposed to in November, when a presidential election will draw far higher turnout  is more likely to benefit the existing officeholders.

Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan, who is unopposed, said the city wanted to hold its elections last May but was unable to because Williamson and Travis counties canceled plans to hold the election after Abbotts decree. The city tried to get Abbott to approve an August election but never got a written response from his office, Morgan said.

He said it would be unfair to the current candidates to reopen the candidate filing period and that people who want to run for city office will be able to throw their hat in the ring for at least two council seats that will be on the ballot next May. Morgan also noted that Abbotts order already extended their terms by six months regardless.

I know theres some concern that people are getting an extra year of power, the mayor said. Thats just not an accurate statement.

Curbing tax collections

Republican Cheryl Johnson, the Galveston County tax assessor, wrote Paxton in support of Middletons position. She said the pandemic has opened the eyes of Texans to potential government overreach, namely local tax rates that could soar as cities try to bridge budget shortfalls. Johnson wants officials considering tax hikes to feel the pressure of a campaign challenge.

Johnson noted that Senate Bill 2, signed into law by Abbott during the 2019 legislative session, requires cities to receive voter approval before levying taxes that would result in collections 3.5 percent higher than the previous year. But the bill contains a disaster provision that permits a city to collect more than twice as much for at least two years if any part of the city is declared a disaster area during the current tax year.

State and local officials are at odds over whether the coronavirus pandemic qualifies as a disaster to trigger this provision.

Im of the opinion that COVID-19 is not the type of disaster that would warrant the disaster provision of Senate Bill 2, she said.

The Texas Municipal League says it conducted a survey of cities recently and found the vast majority plan to keep increased collections below the 3.5 percent threshold allowed by Senate Bill 2.

Johnson would like to see May local elections eliminated altogether in favor of a uniform November election for local, statewide and federal races. Voters often pay little attention to issues that pop up on a May ballot, she said, which leads to low turnout and complacency among incumbent elected officials who dont fear a challenge.

This would also hopefully cause some of those districts to think twice about what theyre putting on that ballot, because they could not only face losing a ballot proposition, but they could also face an opponent, she said.

nick.powell@chron.com

jay.root@chron.com
WASHINGTON - John Lewis made his final trip Monday to the Capitol, where lawmakers paid tribute to the late congressman and delivered a standing ovation when a recording of his booming voice - a clarion call for racial justice - echoed through the Rotunda.

Lewis, D-Ga., who died of cancer July 17 at age 80, will lie in state for two days at the Capitol, where the nation has honored past presidents, lawmakers and other distinguished citizens.

"It is fitting that John Lewis joins this pantheon of patriots, resting upon the same catafalque as President Abraham Lincoln," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said at the memorial event, which was marked by speeches, an emotional rendering of "Amazing Grace" and tears.

"We knew that he always worked on the side of the angels - and now, we know that he is with them," she said of Lewis, adding that he always "understood the power of young people to change the future."

Lewis's voice - urging young graduates to "get in the way" and find a way to get in "good trouble, necessary trouble" - filled the Rotunda as a recording of his 2014 speech at Emory University's commencement ceremony was played. Afterward, Pelosi summoned all those present to stand and applaud.

Members of the House and Senate - most masked because of the coronavirus pandemic - Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and congressional aides quietly streamed past the flag-draped casket, which was moved to the top of the East Front steps Monday evening for the public to pay tribute.

Vice President Mike Pence, a former House colleague of Lewis's, paid his respects, accompanied by his wife, Karen, as did presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, the former vice president and Delaware senator. He and his wife, Jill Biden, paused with hands over their hearts and placed their hands on the casket.

President Donald Trump, whom Lewis publicly clashed with and declared "illegitimate," told reporters outside the White House on Monday that he would not be attending the memorial events.

The son of sharecroppers, Lewis fought for civil rights, nearly dying at the age of 25 when he led about 600 protesters in a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. State troopers beat the demonstrators, and Lewis suffered a cracked skull on what became known as Bloody Sunday.

Within months, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, meant to end the obstacles preventing black people from voting.

The tributes at the Capitol came shortly after Lewis's body made its last visit to Washington's civil rights landmarks midday Monday, pausing at the Lincoln Memorial, where he was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington. The motorcade also stopped at the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, and the newly minted Black Lives Matter Plaza outside the White House, where he made his last public appearance in early June.

More than two dozen people lined the King memorial awaiting the motorcade. Among them was Jackie Smith, 63, who had left home in Raleigh, N.C., at 5:30 a.m. to pay his respects to Lewis.

"He meant a lot to me as an African American," Smith said, describing Lewis as his role model. "He was someone who, as he said, got into 'good trouble,' and a person who believed you could get a lot done without violence."

Many brought their children. Stephanie Cornish, 42, said she rented the documentary "John Lewis: Good Trouble" so her 12-year-old daughter would understand the gravity of his loss and legacy before traveling to the memorial from Bowie, Md., to see his funeral procession.

Led by a fleet of 16 motorcycles, the hearse slowed to a stop just ahead of the memorial to Lewis's friend and mentor in the civil rights movement.

Sean Kennedy was welling up.

"I've had these emotions since he passed and I kind of internalized them. I felt I just had to be here today without question," said the 55-year-old from Bethesda, Md.

He rushed to catch up with the hearse for one last look at Lewis. As it carried on toward the Lincoln Memorial, Kennedy said: "I'm so thankful I came. It's nice to be able to say goodbye."

Hundreds also gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza to watch the motorcade pass through one of the city's newest landmarks. There, Janet Purnell, 65, danced and blew bubbles at the center of the plaza, feet from where Lewis stood during his final public appearance last month.

Purnell, who has lived in the District of Columbia for more than 34 years, said what she admired most about Lewis was that he fought tirelessly for others until his death. The reason she attended Monday's procession, she said, was simple.

"I just had to be here to honor this human being," she said. "I wanted to be in his presence one last time."

As the crowds swelled into the afternoon, a speaker system blared audio of Lewis's 1963 speech at the March on Washington. When his motorcade arrived and paused at the center of the plaza, some raised their fists and others put their hands on their hearts - but most stopped and stared.

Among those who watched in amazement was Mariel Collazo Schwietert, 10, who traveled with her family from New York to see the procession.

"We're still fighting over rights that we should've seen solved a long time ago," she said. "I don't know why we're still doing this now."

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, also stopped at the plaza to pay tribute - telling reporters after the procession that she had a chance to talk to Lewis's family and relay how much he meant to the city.

Bowser said a fitting way to honor Lewis's life would be for Congress to restore protections of the Voting Rights Act through a bill the House passed in December.

In the days since Lewis's death, there have been renewed calls for Congress to act on voting rights. In 2013, the Supreme Court invalidated a crucial component of the 1965 law, ruling that Congress had not taken into account the nation's racial progress when citing certain states for federal oversight. The House passed legislation in December to restore those protections, but the bill has languished in the GOP-led Senate.

"An honor to his life would be that the Senate pass the voting rights act that they're sitting on," Bowser said. "I agree with so many who said getting the Voting Rights Act restored is a fitting, fitting tribute to John Lewis."

Ahead of the memorial service, the House unanimously approved a measure renaming H.R. 4, the voting rights bill, after Lewis.

Lewis is the second black lawmaker to lie in state in the Capitol, after his close friend Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who died in October, lay in state in National Statuary Hall.

About 110 to 120 seats were spaced out in the cavernous Rotunda, about a third or less than would normally be on hand for an arrival ceremony. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, seated in the southern half of the room, occupied about half the allotted space. Many caucus members were wearing black masks with white lettering reading "Good Trouble" in honor of Lewis's personal motto.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., led members of the GOP in honoring Lewis, a group that included House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., and Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga.

Potential Biden vice presidents Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Reps. Karen Bass, D-Calif., and Val Demings, D-Fla., also were on hand.

McConnell recalled hearing Lewis speak at the March on Washington more than 50 years ago and said Lewis "lived and worked with urgency because the task was urgent."

"But even though the world around him gave him every cause for bitterness, he stubbornly treated everyone with respect and love," McConnell said.

When the ceremony ended, the House and Senate sergeants at arms coordinated a receiving line in which VIPs could pay their final respects to Lewis, beginning with his son - John-Miles Lewis - standing before his father's casket. The rest of the Lewis family, accompanied by his longtime chief of staff, Michael Collins, then circled the casket and said goodbye.

The public has been prohibited from entering the buildings of the Capitol complex since mid-March because of the pandemic, so Lewis's coffin was positioned at the top of the center steps of the Capitol, just outside the Rotunda, Monday evening. The public was able to walk up to the bottom of those steps, with social distancing and mask-wearing requirements. Lewis is scheduled to be flown to Atlanta to lie in state Wednesday in the Georgia Capitol ahead of a funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the historically black church where King preached.
CAIRO The United Nations announced on Monday that Libyan officials are allowing a long-sought external audit of the countrys Central Bank to go ahead, a breakthrough that could pave the way for an end to a crippling oil blockade.

Libyas oil and money are strategic assets that have fueled conflict between the countrys rival administrations and militias since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi.

Libya sits on the largest proven oil reserves in Africa. The standoff over petrodollars reveals the extent to which Libyas riches have always been the real stakes of the countrys deep-seated civil strife.

In recent years the country has become split between the U.N.-supported government in Tripoli, the capital, and an east-based administration loyal to military commander Khalifa Hifter.

The audit approval follows months of international pressure. Earlier in July, the U.S. Embassy in Libya denounced the illegal obstruction of the long-overdue audit, and threatened sanctions against those who undermine Libyas economy.

The Central Bank of Libya is the repository for billions of dollars annually in oil revenue as well as foreign reserves. In 2014, the bank splintered along the countrys broader political fault lines. The internationally recognized headquarters remains in Tripoli while a Hifter-allied eastern branch was set up in Benghazi.

The U.N. Mission in Libya welcomed the international financial review as a critical step toward improving transparency and accountability in Libyas financial system.

London-based accounting firm Deloitte will conduct the audit of both banks, it said.

Ramzy Agha, a senior official in the east-based Central Bank, confirmed that preparations for the audit had been completed and said he expects the review to begin next week.

We are ready and have been ready to participate openly in this review, said Agha.

Officials in the Tripoli-based Central Bank did not respond to requests for comment.

The U.N. statement did not describe the hurdles that stalled the audit process since bank governors agreed on its terms in the fall of 2018. But Libyan officials have repeatedly accused Tripoli-based Central Bank Governor Sadiq al-Kabir of obstruction and requested that he resign.

In a statement earlier this month, the eastern branch said obstacles posed by the Tripoli-based bank prompted the state prosecutor to intervene to push the audit forward.

The Tripoli-based bank has denied the allegations, saying that it confirms its readiness for an audit that it has requested since 2016."

Tensions over Libyas wealth escalated earlier this year when tribes loyal to Hifter in the oil-rich eastern region choked off major pipelines and terminals, accusing the bank of diverting oil revenues to provide salaries and supplies for Turkish-backed mercenaries fending off Hifters campaign to capture the capital.

The six-month oil blockade has deprived the Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation of nearly $7.5 billion in revenue and put the U.N.-supported government under enormous financial strain.

Earlier this month, Hifters forces set conditions for lifting the blockade, asking for an international audit to probe the Central Banks spending over the last few years and crack down on alleged corruption in the oil sector. They also demand an independent mechanism to fairly distribute revenues to the long-neglected east.

The standoff over Libyas oil revenues has raised fears of a new escalation in the chaotic proxy war, as rival sides mobilize for a battle over the strategic coastal city of Sirte, the gateway to the countrys major oil export-terminals under Hifters control.

Turkey, the main patron of the U.N.-supported government, wants Tripoli-based forces to advance on Sirte and gain access to the blockaded oil fields. Egypt, which backs Hifter along with Russia and the United Arab Emirates, has threatened to deploy troops to neighboring Libya if Turkish-backed forces attack, risking a direct clash with the NATO member.

On Monday, Joshua Harris, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Libya, met with officials in the western city of Misrata about how to prevent the offensive on Sirte, reopen the countrys oil sector and demobilize militias, according to an embassy statement.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
AP

One of the final steps of a major vaccine study in the US is now under way with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers receiving shots of the experimental dose.

The vaccine, developed by National Institutes of Health and Moderna, is one of several candidates in the final stretch of the global race to find a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, which has claimed more than 648,000 lives worldwide.

The Moderna trials will be conducted blindly with two different groups of volunteers who are unaware if theyre receiving the real shot or a placebo.

They will receive two doses and then return to their normal lives where scientists will track which group experiences more infections.

Were optimistic, cautiously optimistic that the vaccine will work and that toward the end of the year there will be data to prove it, Dr Stephen Hoge, president of Massachusetts-based Moderna, told a House subcommittee last week.

Theres still no guarantee that the Moderna vaccine will protect against the virus and it will take months for the first data to arrive from the Moderna test if the study goes to plan.

The first vaccinations were completed in Savannah, Georgia, one of more than seven dozen trial sites across the country that are set to help to check not only if the vaccine works but also whether it is safe for use.

Several other vaccines made by China and by Britains Oxford University earlier this month began smaller final-stage tests in Brazil and other hard-hit countries.

However, the US government is conducting its own tests of any vaccine that might be used in the country. Every month through fall, the government-funded Covid-19 Prevention Network will roll out a new study of a leading candidate with 30,000 newly recruited volunteers.

More than 150,000 people have filled out an online register declaring their interest in participating in the trials, said Dr Larry Corey, a virologist with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute in Seattle, who helps oversee the study sites.

Story continues

We all feel so helpless right now. Theres very little that we can do to combat this virus. And being able to participate in this trial has given me a sense of, that Im doing something, Jennifer Haller of Seattle told the AP.

Be prepared for a lot of questions from your friends and family about how its going, and a lot of thank-yous.

The doctor emphasised how important it is that enough Black and Hispanic participants are reflected in the studies as populations that have been hit hard by the virus.

These trials need to be multigenerational, they need to be multiethnic, they need to reflect the diversity of the United States population, Dr Corey told a vaccine meeting last week.

Vaccine development around the world has been severely accelerated against normal timelines with scientists confident that vaccination is the worlds best hope in the fight against the pandemic, which has infected over 16 million people in the world so far.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press

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US to pay drug firms $2bn to produce 100 million coronavirus vaccines
The corruption of the justice system is increasing at an alarming rate. It is not being covered properly by the Deep State media.

Every system has examples of corruption. There is a point where the level of corruption indicates that the entire system is corrupt.

In a corrupt system, the innocent are routinely punished, and the guilty often go unscathed.

There are disturbing indications that we are approaching a largely corrupt judicial system.

An extreme example of this situation is the case of St. Louis circuit attorney Kimberly Gardner. Gardner released all of the rioters and looters arrested during disturbances in St. Louis. This was after four police officers were shot and one retired police captain was murdered. She is now determined to prosecute the McCloskeys for defending their home from a potentially violent mob. As Mark McCloskey asserted, "the prosecutor has apparently decided that her job as a prosecutor isn't to keep us safe from criminals but to keep the criminals safe from us."

Gardner is not an isolated case. Fulton County district attorney Paul Howard brought criminal charges against officer Garrett Rolfe in the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks. He announced 11 charges against Rolfe including a felony murder charge, which could result in the death penalty. On 17 June, Howard issued a statement that Rayshard Brooks, who fired a taser at police before being shot, was "never a threat to anyone, including the officers." However, earlier that month, Howard claimed that according to Georgia law, "a taser is considered ... a deadly weapon" in a case where officers had tasered noncompliant curfew-violators. Howard leveled these charges before the Georgia Bureau of Investigation had completed its investigation.

Philadelphia's district attorney, Larry Krasner, has warned, "Anyone, including federal law enforcement, who unlawfully assaults and kidnaps people will face criminal charges from my office." Krasner issued a statement: "My dad volunteered and served in World War II to fight fascism, like most of my uncles, so we would not have an American president brutalizing and kidnapping Americans for exercising their constitutional rights and trying to make America a better place, which is what patriots do." He has accused the government of using "Stormtrooper tactics" and trying "to use his usual tactics of neofascist division, hate, and racism to improve his almost deceased campaign." The president is "against all the freedoms Philadelphia stands for." Stormtrooper is a term favored by Nancy Pelosi. Gardner, Howard, and Krasner might be considered minor figures in the corrupt judicial system.

On the state level, Oregon's top law enforcement officer, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, requested a temporary restraining order against federal police officers in Portland. She wanted to stop federal agents from arresting people during nightly riots in Portland. Rosenblum accused federal officers of violating the Constitution, citing reports that individuals had been picked up off the street and detained without probable cause. U.S. district judge Michael Mosman denied her request. However, U.S. district judge Michael Simon granted an order restricting the activities of federal officers. This pertained to journalists and legal observers who did not have to follow dispersal orders. Rosenblum's office claimed that federal officers were deployed to Portland to discourage lawful protests from taking place. She issued a statement: "all Oregonians have a right to know which federal law enforcement agencies are policing our streets, and why they are detaining peaceful protesters."

On the federal level, Deep State members are more discreet. One example is Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, the judge in the General Michael Flynn case. Sidney Powell, General Flynn's lawyer, claimed, "I bragged about Judge [Sullivan] . . . for requiring the government to provide Brady (exculpatory evidence) in the Ted Stevens case." Sidney Powell is one of the sharpest people in the public sphere. It is therefore disappointing that she "bragged about Judge Sullivan." Sullivan has always been a member of the Deep State. He was outraged by the prosecution's conduct in the Stevens case. Sullivan, doing his best imitation of Captain Louis Renault from Casablanca, was "shocked, shocked" to find prosecutorial misconduct. He even ordered an investigation. Only lower-level prosecutors got a slap on the wrist, and the designated scapegoat committed suicide. The bottom line was that an innocent Ted Stevens was convicted, and he lost his Senate seat as a result. Mission accomplished.

It would take volumes to detail the corruption at the higher levels of the Justice Department and its attempt to impeach President Trump.

The cases dealt with here were high-profile cases. Thousands of cases are adjudicated in the United States every day. How many of them are influenced by member of the Deep State? This situation will only get worse as long as we have people like Paul Butler teaching in our universities. George Washington University's Professor Butler claims, "My goal is the subversion of American criminal justice, at least as it now exists."

John Dietrich is a freelance writer and the author of The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy (Algora Publishing). He has a Master of Arts degree in international relations from St. Mary's University. He is retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. He is featured on the BBC's program "Things We Forgot to Remember:" Morgenthau Plan and Post-War Germany.

Image credit: YouTube screen shot.
Our policy is clear, he said. First, we will not allow Iran to entrench militarily on our border with Syria. Second, Lebanon and Hezbollah will bear the responsibility for any attack against us emanating from Lebanese territory. Third, the IDF is prepared for any scenario. We are active in all arenas for the security of Israel  both close to our borders and far from them.
Japan Airlines is expected to report an operating loss of about 120 billion yen ($1.1 billion) for the April-June quarter, swinging from a profit of 21 billion yen during the same period a year ago, Nikkei has learned, due to a sharp decline in passenger demand due to the coronavirus.

That will mark the biggest quarterly loss for Japan's flag carrier since its stock market relisting in 2012.

The coronavirus pandemic has weighed on revenue as people stopped traveling not just to overseas locations but also domestically, bringing three-month revenue to around 75 billion yen, down 80% on year.

JAL's utilization rate on its international routes was as low as 4% in June, 6% in May and 23% in April. The corresponding rate for domestic routes stood at around 30% to 40% between April and mid-June.

The airline industry has a structural problem of high fixed costs, especially for personnel and aircraft, meaning that a big revenue decline can easily result in an operating loss.

Still, the expected 120 billion yen loss represents a smaller deficit than the consensus market forecast of 135.5 billion yen and reflects JAL's efforts to cut costs in areas such as outsourcing and advertising.

Japanese airline ANA Holdings, meanwhile, is believed to have suffered an operating loss of 160 billion yen during the April-June quarter, which will bring the combined red ink at the two airlines to nearly 300 billion yen.
UN officials on Sunday reported a fresh massacre of more than 60 people in Sudans West Darfur, as the countrys prime minister promised fresh troops for the conflict-stricken region.

Attackers targeted members of the local Masalit community, looting and burning houses and part of the local market, a statement said.

Around 500 armed men attacked Masteri Town, north of Beida, in Darfur on Saturday afternoon, said the statement from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

This was one of the latest of a series of security incidents reported over the last week that left several villages and houses burned, markets and shops looted, and infrastructure damaged, said the statement, from the OCHAs Khartoum office.

Following Saturdays attack on Masteri, around 500 local people staged a protest demanding more protection from the authorities.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said the government would send security forces to conflict-stricken Darfur to protect citizens and the farming season.

A joint security force will be deployed in the five states of the Darfur region to protect citizens during the farming season, Hamdoks office said in a statement after he met a delegation of women from the region.

The force will include army and police forces, it said.

 Land conflict 

On Friday, armed men drove into a village and killed 20 civilians returning to their fields for the first time in years, an eyewitness and a tribal chief told AFP.

The impoverished western region has seen years of conflict since an ethnic minority uprising prompted the government to launch a scorched-earth campaign that left 300,000 people dead and displaced 2.5 million.

Violence in Darfur has eased since Bashirs ouster by the army amid mass protests against his rule last year

The government and a coalition of nine rebel groups, including factions from the region, signed a preliminary peace deal in January.

Farmers displaced in the conflict had since started to return to their land under a government-sponsored deal reached two months ago, in time for the July-November planting season.

But the bloodshed has continued, particularly over land rights, according to expert Adam Mohammad.

The question of land is one cause of the conflict, he said.

During the war, peasants fled their lands and villages to camps, and nomads replaced them and settled there.

 Harvests threatened 

The recent killings have targeted the African farming communities in conflict with the nomadic Arab tribes over the land.

In late June and early July, hundreds of protesters camped for days outside a government building in the Central Darfur town of Nertiti to demand that the government beef up security after multiple killings and looting incidents on farmland and properties.

After Saturdays attack on Masteri, around 500 local people staged their own protest demanding more protection.

The escalation of violence in different parts of Darfur region is leading to increased displacement, compromising the agricultural season, causing loss of lives and livelihoods and driving growing humanitarian needs, said the OCHA statement.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court over charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in the conflict.
Family members of veteran Telugu poet P Varavara Rao, who is arrested in connection with the Elgar Parishad case, have approached Maharashtra home minister seeking updates on Raos health.

The family, in the letter written on Monday, stated, It is inhuman and unethical to withhold the information about Raos health to his anxious family. It is very clear that the jail authorities have regular updates about Mr Raos health.

The family claimed that since Rao has been taken to the hospital, they have been trying to call both the jail and hospital authorities regularly but have not received any update.

When Raos daughter tried to contact the authority at Nanavati Hospital, she was told that they have informed the jail administration and that she should approach the jail authorities for the same. However, jail authorities later asked them to approach the hospital. Citing this, the family said, It is a mystery why this information is not passed on to the family by the jail authorities.

The family further said that Rao is an undertrial prisoner in your custody and the jail authorities have the responsibility to give us regular updates or instruct Nanavati Hospital to release regular health bulletins.

They have now requested the home minister to intervene and direct Taloja jail authorities or Nanavati Hospital to provide regular updates on Raos health status, the diagnosis of his health problems and line of treatment to the family.

The family had, on Friday, approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over the issue.

In the letter to NHRC, Raos wife P Hemalatha and his daughters P Sahaja, P Anala, P Pavana asked NHRC to intervene and direct the state government and prison authorities to give periodic update on Raos health and share details of the treatment with the family.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 19:12:15|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will host a meeting of foreign ministers of four countries via video link on Monday, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced Monday.

Foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal will exchange views on issues such as strengthening anti-epidemic cooperation between neighboring countries in regular epidemic prevention and control, and promoting economic recovery and development, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said. Enditem
Oaklands voters will decide in November whether to give more power to the Police Commission and whether to create an independent inspector general.

The Oakland City Council unanimously agreed Thursday to send those questions to the ballot.

This has been a long effort to clarify and codify the powers of the Police Commission to be independent of the chain of command of the Police Department, said Council President Rebecca Kaplan, who co-wrote the measure with Councilman Dan Kalb. Both our citys history and what were learning in this national moment reinforces the importance of accountability and oversight.

The measure, approved after a six-hour closed session, calls for several amendments to the City Charter to increase the Police Commissions authority. In addition to adding an inspector general who reports directly to the commission, the measure would give the commission final say in police disciplinary actions, allow it to hire independent attorneys, and allow it to access the same information available to the Internal Affairs division of the Police Department.

The City Council has been the one city entity that has consistently supported the commissions role, said Police Commission Chair Regina Jackson. We are the head people for police accountability, and they believe in us.

Oaklands Police Commission, created through a 2016 ballot measure, is an independent, volunteer-led civilian watchdog group for the city Police Department, tasked with reviewing its policies, procedures and misconduct cases. The call to increase the commissions powers comes as the Police Departments use-of-force practices have faced scrutiny after a June federal ruling against the departments use of tear gas and rubber bullets on Black Lives Matter protesters. It also arrives amid a nationwide reckoning over the role of law enforcement in public safety after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in May.

In June, the Police Commission held a town hall where residents questioned the police use of force against protesters, and also called on the city to reduce spending on police. Soon after, the City Council sliced the departments budget by $14.3 million. On Tuesday, the council rejected a larger $11.4 million police budget cut.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who opposed Tuesdays proposed budget cut, is in support of a more independent commission and the ballot measure that will go before voters, according to Justin Berton, a spokesman for the mayor.

When asked about the measure, Oakland Police Department spokeswoman Felicia Aisthorpe said the department recognizes that our community members will have the opportunity to decide how they reimagine policing in the future.

The council also voted unanimously Thursday to drop a proposed Charter amendment that would have granted the police chief power to override the commission and the City Council in emergency circumstances. Police Chief Susan Manheimer proposed this change in early May, and several council members initially supported it, according to Kalb said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

This moment of national reckoning brought the council into complete agreement, Kalb said. We need the inspector general to be completely independent of the chief to take a hard look at policy, practices and procedures.

In the past year, the Police Commission has faced scrutiny of its own.

In February, the commission ousted Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, a move supported by Schaaf. Kirkpatrick then filed a whistle-blower complaint against the city. On June 1, a blistering city audit found that the Police Commission had not completed several of its City Charter requirements and suggested it wielded too much power in its ability to fire the police chief. It issued 30 citations, which City Auditor Courtney Ruby said the commission has failed to respond to.

Oaklands first Police Commission is flouting the very principles assigned to its formation when more than 80% of city voters created the commission in 2016 to oversee policies and procedures of Oaklands troubled police force, Ruby wrote in an opinion piece published in The Chronicle.

Oakland residents will vote on the Charter amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Brett Simpson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: brett.simpson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @brettvsimpson
New Delhi: Tamil actress Vijayalakshmi was rushed to a hospital in Chennai on Sunday after she allegedly attempted suicide citing social media abuse. She posted a video of social media revealing she has been under a lot of stress for some months and named politician Seeman, head of Naam Tamilar Katchi party, of allegedly harassing her.

She consumed BP tablets in an attempt to suicide. I have taken BP tablets. In sometime, I will suffer from low blood pressure and then I will be dead, the actress said in the video, which now stands deleted.

Apart from Seeman, she also named Panangkattu Padai Katchi partys Hari Nadar of allegedly harassing her.

"This is my last video. I have been under extreme stress in the last four months because of Seeman and his party men. I tried my best to survive for my family. I have been humiliated by Hari Nadar in the media. "I would like to tell the fans who are watching the video just because I was born in Karnataka, Seeman has tortured me a lot," she further said in the video.

As a woman, I have put up with it to my highest capabilities. I wont be able to handle the pressure anymore, Vijayalakshmi added.

She is currently undergoing treatment now.
by Shafique Khokhar

For 73 years, the Gurdwara was used as a girls high school. Around 2,000 Sikh families live in Balochistan. For a government official, the decision is historic, as the building is worth billions of rupees. "This act, says expert, shows that Sikhs are citizens with equal dignity in the country.

Quetta (AsiaNews)  The Balochistan provincial government and the local High Court have returned a Gurdwara (temple) built 200 years ago to the Sikh community.

The handover of the building, about 1,300 square metres, took place a few days ago; for the past 73 years, it had been used as a school. Before it was returned, its students were admitted to other schools in the city.

Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara is located on Masjid Road, central Quetta. It was converted into a girls' high school right after Pakistan became independent in 1947.

Around 2,000 Sikh families live in Balochistan. Satwant Singh, president of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, said that the temple was returned after great efforts by his organisation, the local Sikh community and the Evacuee Trust Property Board.

For Sardar Jasbeer Singh, chairman of the Sikh Community Committee in Balochistan, the place of worships return is a gift from the authorities.

Denesh Kumar, provincial parliament secretary and adviser to the Chief Minister on minority affairs, said that the restoration of the Gurdwara as a place of prayer for the Sikh community is a historic decision.

He noted that, due to its central location, the building is worth billions of rupees. Yet, this did not dissuade the local government from returning it to the Sikh community.

Lovely Singh, an expert on the history of Khalsa Raj, the Sikh empire that existed from 1799 to 1849, explains that all Pakistani Sikhs are grateful to the authorities for returning the Gurdwara, and for recognising its high religious and historical value.

"This act, Singh told AsiaNews, shows that Sikhs are citizens with equal dignity in the country.
A lawmaker from Bangladesh's ruling Awami League died from respiratory complications at a hospital here on Monday, following his recovery from the COVID-19 illness, according to media reports.

Israfil Alam, the MP from the Naogaon-6 constituency, was admitted to Square Hospital in Dhaka on July 17 and breathed his last early this morning. He was 54.

Alam, also the joint secretary of Naogaon district unit Awami League, was put on life support on July 24 after his breathing complexities deteriorated, his wife Sultana Parvin told the Dhaka Tribune.

The three-time lawmaker had earlier recovered from COVID-19.

"Our mother died recently and then my brother contracted the coronavirus disease," Alam's sister Renu told bdnews24.com on Saturday.

President Abdul Hamid in his condolence message termed Alam a "dedicated politician".

"He began his political career as a labour leader and always upheld the rights of the common working class in parliament. The nation has lost a dedicated politician," the president said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her condolence message, said: "Israfil Alam had dedicated his entire life to the welfare of the country." Born in Jhina village in Raninagar Upazila of Naogaon, Alam was elected MP for the first time in the national election in 2008. He served as the head of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Labour and Employment. He was also a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Textile and Jute Industries.

Bangladesh recorded 37 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of fatalities to 2,965.

The number of confirmed cases jumped to 226,225 on Monday after 2,772 fresh COVID-19 infections were recorded, according to health authorities. PTI MRJ AKJ MRJ
Brazilian health workers urged the International Criminal Court on Monday to investigate President Jair Bolsonaros government for crimes against humanity over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

A dossier of evidence was handed to the Hague-based court by a group of unions that claim to represent more than one million healthcare staff in Brazil, which has the worlds highest virus death count after the United States.

The ICC  which was set up in 2002 to achieve justice for the worlds worst crimes including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide  has no obligation to consider such complaints.

In a statement, the unions accused Bolsonaros administration of being criminally negligent in its management of the Covid-19 pandemic  risking the lives of healthcare professionals and of members of the Brazilian society.

The unions believe it is the first suit of its kind to be filed against a government for large-scale death and illness due to public health failings, they added.

Far-right leader Bolsonaro has downplayed the pandemic, comparing the virus to a little flu and attacking stay-at-home measures imposed by local authorities to contain it.

Bolsonaro tested positive for the virus himself on July 7 but said on Saturday he was now negative  crediting his controversial use of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, whose efficacy against COVID-19 has not been proven.

Brazil has recorded almost 2.42 million cases and more than 87,000 deaths.

Bolsonaros government should be held accountable for its callous response to the pandemic, said Marcio Monzane of UNI Americas, the organisation that led the legal action.

Filing a case with the International Criminal Court is a drastic measure, but Brazilians face an extremely dire and dangerous situation created by Bolsonaros deliberate decisions, he said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra on Monday agreed with former Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) chief minister Omar Abdullah, who had commented on her earlier remark that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was toppling democratically-elected governments, when the country is facing the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

Clarifying her remarks, Priyanka Gandhi said that the point she was trying to make seemed to have been lost in translation.

Youre absolutely right @omarabdullah. What I actually said was that leadership becomes evident during a crisis, and while the pandemic is on, the nation needs a leadership that works in the interest of its people, she tweeted.

However, the BJP government has been busy trying to topple democratically-elected governments, revealing its true mindset and character. It seems my point got lost in translation, she added.

On Sunday, Abdullah took to Twitter to counter her remarks and tagged a news report headlined  BJP Trying To Topple Governments Amid Pandemic.

I dont get the during pandemic argument. As though somehow toppling an elected government would be less reprehensible if we werent battling a health crisis. IMHO (In my humble opinion) its wrong regardless of Covid-19, he tweeted.

Participating in the partys #SpeakUpForDemocracy online campaign on Sunday, Priyanka Gandhi had said, Leadership is recognised in times of crisis. During coronavirus pandemic, the country needs a leadership that works in the public interest. But the BJP-led Central government has made its intention clear by trying to topple the governments elected by the people. The public will answer.

The nationwide online campaign was launched by the Congress in protest against the alleged attempts by the BJP to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led government in Rajasthan.

Congress leaders and workers are also holding demonstrations in front of Raj Bhawans across the country, except for Jaipur, to protest against Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishras alleged delaying tactics in convening the assembly session to enable CM Gehlot to prove his governments majority on the floor of the House after his former deputy Sachin Pilot and 18 other legislators rebelled against the party over two weeks ago.
Jeounghoon Kang, country leader at 3M Vietnam

With your working experience at 3M, do you see the current situation as an advantage or disadvantage during the ongoing pandemic?

COVID-19 is an unprecedented crisis that has created many difficulties for companies and individuals, so its not just a challenge for 3M but an international one. However, 3M has been able to sustain operations in different circumstances around the world by working differently, partnering with local experts and governments, and collaborating globally.

We are well-prepared for a range of scenarios that may unfold. 3Ms crisis action team is meeting daily to ensure we are meeting our priorities: the safety of our people and the public, including healthcare workers and first responders. We have activated multiple rapid response teams to co-ordinate strategies to maintain operations and ensure business continuity.

We are grateful for the work our people are doing to support public health and critical needs during the outbreak, and were taking actions to protect their wellbeing.

Vietnams is experiencing a new normal with a number of supporting policies to support the business community to recover from the pandemic. How is 3M Vietnam recovering amid the current global uncertainty?

New normal seems to be a frequently used phrase, and I would agree that it is true  things will be different after the pandemic subsides globally. I appreciate the prompt actions and leadership of the Vietnamese government to manage and control the pandemic well.

Although social distancing measures have been loosened since late April, 3M Vietnam employees only returned to the workplace in June. Comprehensive precaution measures were put in place in the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City offices, and Long Thanh Plant as well as at our distribution centres.

Our safety protocols include stringent cleaning, medical screening, shifts, and a reorganisation of how we work to increase social distancing, while providing personal protective equipment, should the situation arise.

Additionally, we understand many of our people prefer to continue working remotely while they continue to navigate challenges related to COVID-19. 3M will continue to support working remotely through our FlexAbility programme for anyone who is able to effectively carry out their job from home.

We understand that the situation we are facing changes daily  sometimes hourly  and we will continue to closely assess the safety of our people.

In a post-pandemic world, there could be significant changes in the market and consumers behaviour. What are 3Ms plans for Vietnam to tap into the new potential?

After the social distancing direction was reversed, people were getting back to work and businesses and schools reopened. However, things will still be different after the pandemic has completely ended everywhere.

Currently, the pandemic is dictating a new way of life in most places that requires caution and education.

Safety and hygiene standards are expected to be increased. As protecting customers and employees is now more important than ever, its critical to address the new hazards presented by COVID-19. Many businesses are creating plans to effectively prepare for and respond to infectious diseases, and the next step is to implement these with the right administration and workplace practices.

Thats why we are working on bringing relevant products and solutions into the Vietnamese market to support our valued customers with cleaning, disinfecting, and communication.

This is part of our effort to help promote health and safety for workers and the public, especially during this important period as people return to work and stores and restaurants reopen.

Recently, for example, we collaborated with HP Inc. to help protect workers and the public as businesses reopen. As a part of this, the 3M Graphics COVID-19 Related Signage library is free to use for HP, providing online templates, design elements, and poster artwork created to communicate guidance on social distancing and public health awareness.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27

Trend:

A rally was held in front of a mosque in Australian Sydney in protest against the recent military provocation committed by the Armenian armed forces in Azerbaijans Tovuz direction of Armenian-Azerbaijani state border, Chairman of the Australia-Azerbaijan-Turk Friendship Society Imameddin Gasimov said, Trend reports on July 27.

According to Gasimov, the rally participants were holding flags of Azerbaijan and Australia, photos of Azerbaijani servicemen who heroically died in recent battles in the Tovuz direction, posters with information about the aggressive policy of Armenia against Azerbaijan.

During the rally, hundreds of people heading to the mosque expressed support for the Azerbaijani state, resolutely condemning the aggressive and occupation policy of Armenia.

Following several days of intense armed clashes, after Armenia made a gross ceasefire violation and launched attacks in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district, Azerbaijanis living abroad started staging peaceful protests, calling to put an end to Armenia's aggressive occupation policy.

The rallies were met with harsh response from the Armenian diaspora members.

According to the statement of Azerbaijan's State Committee on Work with Diaspora, Azerbaijanis living abroad were injured as a result of provocations organized by radical representatives of Armenian diaspora. The provocations were carried out in Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, the US (Washington and Los Angeles), Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine.

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.
A protest in Oakland, California took a violent turn after a small group of demonstrators set fire to a courthouse, vandalized a police station and shot fireworks at officers, authorities said.

Amid the Oakland protest, fires were set in the downtown area, with one of them alighting at the Alameda County Superior Courthouse. The fire was contained quickly.

The protest was done in support of racial justice and police reform and the Oakland protesters wore helmets and goggles as they carried large signs. The signs doubled as shields as the courthouse fire went up, Associated Press reported.

Unlike Prior Protests

Around 700 people took part in the protest. It started as a peaceful march Saturday night but some of those who participated broke from the larger group.

The protesters threw rocks, ceramic paint-filled balls and bottles of frozen water through windows at the courthouse, federal building and police building.

Groups such as the "Wall of Moms" faced off with U.S. agents deployed to the city to guard the courthouse. The "Wall of Moms" is similar to a group the formed in a Portland protest.

Demonstrators also spray-painted graffiti and pointed lasers at officers, said Oakland Police Department spokersperson Officer Johnna Watson.

In an ABC report, they noted a video posted by police showing a man kicking down barricades in front of the building. An "unlawful assembly" was declared by the police at around 11:30 p.m. and officers asked the crowd to break up.

Watson said it was not like the other peaceful marches that took place in the city for the past weeks.

Watson noted that the protesters had clear intentions of participating in one way or another and added that there was a "nexus" with all of those who took part. "Whether that's carrying backpacks in with clearly very heavy items, and the smaller group would actually be engaged in doing the damage."

Police said they made several arrests, though details have not been provided. Reports on injuries to officers or protesters were not immediately reported.

The protests are believed to have happened every night since late May. President Trump sent the federal agents to clamp down on such protests since.

A Weekend of Protests

California is not the only state that saw protests turning violent. Politico was able to keep record of the protests that took place over the weekend.

In Portland, protesters breached a courthouse fence where agents have been stationed. Seattle also saw protests. A fire was set in their East Precinct as protesters show solidarity with Portland.

Richmond, Virginia's capital, was also venue for a dump truck that was torched to also support the Portland protesters. What appeared to be tear gas was used to break up the group.

A protest in Austin also turned dangerous, even leading to the death of a protester as a person drove through a crowd of marchers. Another person was also shot and wounded in Aurora, Colorado as a car drove through the protest too, authorities said.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf warned, in a statement Sunday, of the possibility to use vandalism as a means to justify sending federal agents to the city. She rejected that proposal.

Schaaf said they support the passionate protest of those from Oakland but said if people attend protests after dark, "they may be providing cover for agitators who are more intent on stoking civil unrest than advancing racial justice."

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Police Declare Riot, Make Arrests at Seattle Protest

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Global Conflict Mediation Proves Elusive for Trump

By Patsy Widakuswara July 26, 2020

Since President Donald Trump announced an America First approach on foreign policy in his inaugural address in January 2017, critics have accused him of abandoning international norms and forsaking U.S. global leadership, while supporters say he has boldly taken on foreign policy challenges that his predecessors have failed, including defeating a global terrorists network and challenging a rising China.

"His America First agenda has secured the elimination of two most-wanted terrorists, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Qassem Soleimani, the destruction of the ISIS caliphate, and sustained strong political and economic pressure on adversaries like Iran, Venezuela, and Russia," Ken Farnaso, the Trump campaign's deputy national press secretary, told VOA.

But, for a president who once promised to bring his "Art of the Deal" business savvy to settling foreign disputes, and has spent considerable diplomatic resources on them, Trump has yet to deliver in his efforts to mediate peace in conflict hot spots around the world -- from the Balkans to the Nile Basin.

Trump the mediator

Trump, the one-time New York real estate businessman and reality TV star, has inserted his administration in dispute negotiations, some of which began in his first year in office. He has more than once offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir, which New Delhi has rejected. India has also rebuffed Trump's offer to mediate its border feud with China.

In trying to mediate between Israel and Palestine, and Kosovo and Serbia, Trump picked up on efforts by past administrations. Other efforts at intervention, including getting involved in the feud over a hydroelectric dam between Egypt and Ethiopia, are entirely of his own making.

So far, none of these initiatives has borne agreements accepted by the disputing parties. Israel is on the brink of annexing about 30% of the West Bank which includes areas populated mainly by Palestinians. Meanwhile, Addis Ababa is allowing rain water to fill the Grand Ethiopia (GERD), angering Cairo officials who fear the massive hydropower dam will cut off their water supply.

Meanwhile, the June 27 Washington summit between the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia -- once envisioned to be a triumphant opportunity to show that the Trump administration can supplant the European Union in brokering a final peace deal between two Balkan countries who went to war in the late 1990s -- was abruptly canceled days before the event after Kosovo announced its president was indicted on war crimes. The indictment against Hashim Thaci was filed by the country's prosecutor's office in April, and announced as Thaci was already on his way to the Washington summit.

These lesser-known Trump administration mediation efforts have added to an already sizable list of negotiations currently at an impasse, including with North Korea, China and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Honest broker?

Analysts say the president's bid to facilitate resolution of these long-running disputes have stalled partly because he is not seen as an honest broker attempting to placate both sides in sensitive talks.

This is most apparent in the administration's Middle East peace plan led by Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, that was released in January 2020. The plan was drawn up without any Palestinian involvement and its leaders have rejected it. Critics say negotiations had a distinctive pro-Israel tilt from the start.

A negotiation is a conversation between two equal parties, said Halah Ahmad, a policy analyst with Al-Shabaka, a transnational Palestinian think tank, in an interview with VOA. "The Palestinians have not been brought to the table as an equal party in negotiations with the Trump administration, and the stipulations of the administration really cast aside international consensus and decades of U.S. foreign policy."

In September 2019, after making a personal promise to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to mediate the feud over the Nile dam, Trump appointed U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as the lead person.

Mnuchin has hosted a series of meetings between Ethiopian, Egyptian and Sudanese officials in Washington, including two in the Oval Office with Trump. The controversy is over the future of a giant hydroelectric power plant being built by Ethiopia on the Blue Nile tributary in the northern Ethiopia highlands. At issue is control of the flow of the Nile as Ethiopia fills up the dam's reservoir.

But Trump's coziness with Egypt's Sissi, who he once referred to as "my favorite dictator" and with whom he has spoken twice this month to reiterate the U.S.'s commitment to "facilitating a fair and equitable deal" on the dam, planted doubts about Washington's neutrality. Ultimately, Ethiopia walked out of what was supposed to be the final round of talks in February, rejecting U.S.'s "characterization" in the draft agreement, signed off by Cairo, that the negotiation on filling and operating the dam is "completed."

The U.S.-drafted agreement gave Cairo unrealistic expectations that created difficulties in the ongoing negotiations, said Addisu Lashitew, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Washington research group. "It promised Egypt a legally binding treaty and a guaranteed water release from the [Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam], which Ethiopia fears will undermine its ability to use the Nile waters in the future," Lashitew told VOA.

In the Balkans, since December 2018 Trump has urged leaders of Kosovo and Serbia to strike a deal and offered to host them at the White House. While Trump's support of Kosovo's sovereignty follows previous administrations' stance, Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns that Trump wants a deal at any cost, ahead of the interests of its long-standing ally.

In April, Congressman Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sen. Bob Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticizing the administration's "heavy-handed" approach and "lack of balance between Belgrade and Pristina," the capitals of Serbia and Kosovo, respectively.

Economy first

Analysts say the president employs a transactional approach in dispute resolution, which includes  for example -- drumming up $50 billion in investment in the Middle East, enticing Ethiopia with World Bank projects and facilitating "economic normalization" between Serbia and Kosovo.

Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, told VOA that this "economy first" approach may work in the business world that Trump came from, but the difference between real estate deals and diplomacy is vast.

"It's not just one person talking to another person. It's two or more societies attempting to get to yes," Kupchan said. "Domestic politics, ideology, history, culture  they all enter the picture. It's not just a clear cost-benefit economic analysis."

While the president's persona is built around the idea that he is "the master deal maker of all time," the reality is that he goes into these disputes without any deeper understanding of the historical complexities and ethnic divisions behind them, Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute think tank in Washington, told VOA.

"So, the likelihood of having success where others who did have that sophistication were unable to do so, is very, very low," Ornstein added.

Thorny disputes

For sure, these are long-running and thorny disputes. A Middle East peace deal has eluded all U.S. presidents since Jimmy Carter mediated the Camp David Accords in 1978. Bill Clinton's administration invested vast amounts of resources to help Israel and the Palestinians implement the Oslo Accords signed at the White House in 1993. Yet by the time Clinton left office, the peace process had collapsed and a new round of Israeli-Palestinian violence had begun.

Despite a bold speech to the Muslim world in Cairo in 2009 and a Nobel peace prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy" in the same year, Barack Obama was unable to advance the goal of a two-state solution.

Meanwhile the European Union has tried to resolve the Kosovo-Serbia feud for the past decade, with negotiations going into a stalemate shortly after the Brussels Agreement in 2013. Divisions also run deep on the Nile Dam feud and decade-long negotiations have yielded little more than the heated rhetoric of "hydro-hegemony" and threats of a "water war."

Despite the president not yet delivering on these peace deals, his allies highlight other foreign policy victories: Securing a trade deal with Canada and Mexico, pressuring NATO allies to spend more for defense, and persuading the British government to ban Huawei equipment from their 5G network, effectively cutting the Chinese tech giant out of its 5G future.

Moreover, his supporters argue that because of Trump's policies abroad, Americans are better off than they were four years ago.

"The administration has stood up to Russia with tough sanctions and rallying of our partners in Europe, while its maximum pressure strategy has put the mullahs in Iran off-balance. China has been challenged--and there is broad, bipartisan support for that," said James Carafano, Vice President for national security and foreign policy at the Heritage Foundation to VOA.

Alen Mlatisumaa and Margaret Besheer contributed to this story.

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Environmental protection professionals in Georgia have received a supply of equipment from the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ) to help them better study samples involved in their work of researching forest soil, Trend reports citing Agenda.ge.

A package of nitrogen analysers, pH-meters and more tools worth 113,000 GEL ($36,807/31,741) was handed by the German agency over to Georgian professionals, with the supplies now set to equip the Soil Research Laboratory of the Scientific Research Centre of Agriculture (SRCA) of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.

A release from the SRCA said the new tools would help its employees study more samples and raise the performance of the laboratory, as it is involved in a project for studying soil samples from forests across the country.

Along with receiving the package, the lab has also had four of its field specialists trained in relevant work, with expenses for the training covered by the German side. Scientists from Germany are also involved in consulting their Georgian counterparts as part of the project, the centre said.

The first phase of the work involving the SRCA includes studies on soil of pristine forests, with data submitted to a digital database that already features over 300 samples. The second part of the project, set to launch next year, will see studies moved to degraded forests, with the aim to study human impact on them.

The handover of the new equipment was part of the GIZ project of management of natural resources and safeguarding of ecosystem services for sustainable rural development in the South Caucasus (ECOserve).

Carried out in the three countries of the South Caucasus, the programme spans the years 2018-2021 and is aimed to address the issue of "severe and continued degradation" facing the land-use systems of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
A senior minister was today accused of heaping fresh confusion on people wondering if they dare take a summer holiday when she told them to look very carefully before going abroad.

Helen Whately made clear that more quarantine orders could be imposed on other countries after the snap decision on Saturday to order travellers returning from Spain to isolate for 14 days.

The care minister said people should read the Foreign Office guidance online, despite criticism that it is confusing because it says it is safe to travel to Spanish islands such as Lanzarote even though the quarantine order applies to people returning from them.

And Ms Whately made clear it was on travellers heads if they made the wrong choice.

What I would say to people who are planning to go abroad is look very carefully at the situation, she said on BBC Breakfast. You have to weigh up the risks, look at the advice, look at your insurance.

And just be aware that the reality is we are in a global pandemic and we have to do what is the right thing for the health of the nation.

The stakes faced by families wondering if they can take holidays already booked and paid for were spelled out by an employment lawyer who said people could end up losing their jobs or getting paid no money at all during isolation.

When asked who will pay the wages of people told to quarantine, Danielle Parsons told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: This is a very good question because the answer is possibly that no one will pay you if you have to be quarantined.

She went on: The chances are you are not going to get your salary as you would normally if you were working. Its also highly likely you are not going to qualify for statutory sick pay.

Unless your employer furloughs you, and its not certain you would qualify for it, then it could be you will get no money at all.

She advised people to consider taking the quarantine as paid or unpaid leave.

Labours shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said Ms Whatelys advice would have left families none the wiser and chill the beleaguered travel industry.

Travellers and the travel industry will have been looking for certainty and grip from the Government this morning. Sadly, the ministers media appearances failed to provide that, leaving people more uncertain. I urge the Government to provide the required clarity urgently. Travel experts said hundreds of people were already cancelling holidays.

Downing Street stressed that the Government expects employers to be flexible with staff who are unable to come in to work.

Coronavirus: Face coverings become mandatory in shops 1 /14 Coronavirus: Face coverings become mandatory in shops A shopper wearing a face mask in Marks and Spencer on Oxford Street, London, as face coverings become mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England PA A shopper wearing a face mask in a supermarket in East London as face coverings become mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England PA A shopper wearing a face mask in a supermarket in East London as face coverings become mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England PA Shoppers wearing a face masks in Selfridges on Oxford Street, London, as face coverings become mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England PA Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn PA PA Jeremy Selwyn

However, sources said there were no plans to change the law to make it compulsory for firms to let people work from home or have extra time off.

Spains Covid crisis deepened this morning when Catalonias regional leader said he may impose a local lockdown if the situation fails to improve in the next 10 days.

Some four million people have been told to remain home and leave only for essential trips. The decision to quarantine travellers from the UKs favourite holiday destination was announced less than five hours before it came into force at midnight on Saturday.

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Close to 1.8 million holidays were likely to have been thrown into chaos by the move, according to travel company The PC Agency, which analysed the number of seats booked on flights leaving the UK for Spain between July 26 and August 31.
Following his arrest a short time after the shooting, Lewis allegedly gave a videotaped confession admitting that he and his group went to the outdoor party to kill two gang rivals in retaliation for the shooting death of a friend, prosecutors said. He said he learned of their intention to attend the event through social media and later identified himself in video stills from the scene, prosecutors said.
On ISIS recruits in South India, UN forgets to make a very honourable mention of Tamil Nadu

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 27: The United Nations in its report spoke about the significant number of ISIS terrorists in Kerala and Karnataka.

The report said that there are a significant number of ISIS terrorists in both states and the Al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent has around 200 terrorists from India. Both these claims are not new and are known very well to the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the investigating agencies such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The probe by the NIA has revealed that the terror groups are not just strong in Kerala and Karnataka, but in Tamil Nadu as well. Recent investigations have shown that the ISIS had planned on setting up the wilayah in South Indian forests.

Significant number of ISIS terrorists in Kerala, Karnataka: UN report

It is a well known fact that since 2016, investigating agencies have carried out several arrests and also seized jihadi propaganda material in South India, especially in Kerala and to a large extent in Tamil Nadu.

Officials tell OneIndia while the problem does persist in Karnataka, the nexus in Kerala and Tamil Nadu is a more serious one. In 2019, the NIA had conducted raids at several locations in Tail Nadu. It was found that a Coimbatore module was operating in a similar fashion like the one in Kerala. Both these modules had planned on carrying out attacks in South India, the NIA learnt.

The NIA found that a person by the name Mohammad Azharuddin had recruited persons both from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. was the leader of the module and had been maintaining the Facebook page named "KhilafahGFX", through which he had been propagating the ideology of ISIS/ Daish. The accused was a Facebook friend of Sri Lankan suicide bomber Zahran Hashim and other members of the module have also been sharing radical contents attributed to Zahran Hashim, over the social media.

UN report warns of ISIS in India, 'terrorists ready to attack' | Oneindia News

Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, has had a long run with the ISIS. The first known ISIS recruit in India, Haha Fakruddin is from Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. Haha was in fact radicalised by a Cuddalore based group, following which he went to Singapore and then to Syria before joining the ISIS.

IB officials say that Tamil Nadu and Kerala face the bigger problems where the ISIS is concerned. The network is deeply infested in Tamil Nadu. To add to Kerala's worries is the Al-Qaeda, which operates as the Base Movement in the state.

The Islamic radicalisation in Kerala has been found to be multi-dimensional. The ISIS and the Al-Qaeda's Base Movement continue to operate in both Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It was found that both were operating through its network in Colombo.

Now coming to some very interesting data pieced together by the Indian agencies. It was found that the state that surfs for ISIS-related content the most is Kerala. This is followed by Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and then Karnataka.

NIA registers first case outside India and Kerala ISIS operative is prime suspect

Kerala not just tops in terms of surfing ISIS content, but the number of recruits who have joined the outfit from that state is also the highest. Recently one witnessed an influx of Kerala Muslims into ISIS territory. Most of them had joined the ISIS in Afghanistan.

While around 60 of them have left directly from India, the others have moved into ISIS territory in Syria from other countries, the officer also noted. The IB has launched several operations to keep a track on such activities. One such programme is known as 'Operation Chakravyuh.' The IB keeps a tab on all ISIS-related activity on the internet through this operation.
The following is a statement from the Embassy of Azerbaijan to mark the 20th anniversary of Icheri Sheher, a historical site, inscribed as the UNESCO World Heritage site.  ED.



This year, the national wealth of Azerbaijani people, Icheri Sheher (Inner City), together with Giz Galasy (Maiden Tower) and Shirvanshahs Palace complex will mark the 20th anniversary of inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.



Built on a site inhabited since the Paleolithic period, Icheri Sheher located in Baku, capital city of Azerbaijan, reveals evidence of Zoroastrian, Sasanian, Arabic, Persian, Shirvani, Ottoman, and Russian presence in cultural continuity.



Icheri Sheher is surrounded by the well-preserved 12th-century fortress walls. Moreover, the 12th-century Maiden Tower built over earlier structures dating from the 7th to 6th centuries B.C. and the 15th-century Shirvanshahs Palace complex are the very pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture.





The fortress walls of the UNESCO-registered Icheri Sheher in Azerbaijan / Courtesy of Embassy of Azerbaijan



It is believed that natural oil and salt reserves in the area, as well as its favorable position on the seafront have attracted early inhabitants to the city.



"The mountain, not far from Baku, has entranced travellers and conquerors for centuries"; back in the 13th century, explorer Marco Polo was writing of the mysterious fires that burned all over on the Absheron Peninsula.



From the 1st century B.C., Baku was already a small, but perfect port city and afterwards, in the 8th-9th centuries, crafts and trade rapidly developed in Icheri Sheher. Following the collapse of the Shamakhi city in the 12th century due to a strong earthquake, Shirvanshah rulers moved the capital to Baku.



After this relocation, the turning point in the life of Icheri Sheher has begun. During Shirvanshahs rule, a lot of construction works have been carried out in Icheri Sheher and the highest development phase of the city has been observed during the 12th-15th centuries. Foremost, the city's defense system was strengthened by erecting fortress walls in the 12th century.



Moreover, construction of Shirvanshahs Palace complex in the 15th century greatly increased the role of the city as a public-political and cultural center.



By the end of the 19th and the early 20th century, the city was expanding after the oil boom bonanza, and people began to dwell in the outside of Icheri Sheher. Accordingly, the concept of "Inner City" appears after formation of the outer city.



During the 20th century, fortress walls of Icheri Sheher were restored for the first time in 1952-57 and the city was granted the status of historic-architectural reserve in 1977. And finally, in December 2000, Icheri Sheher along with Maiden Tower and Shirvanshahs Palace was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. In February 2005, with a Presidential Decree, Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve was established under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan.



At present, historical monuments in Icheri Sheher are divided into three parts: universal, national and local significance. Besides the well-known Maiden Tower, Shirvanshahs Palace complex and fortress walls; Mohammed Mosque, Multania, Bukhara and Small Caravanserais, baths, museums and other architectural monuments boast their originality and incomparable beauty.





Caravanserai or roadside inn is a part of UNESCO-registered Icheri Sheher in Azerbaijan. / Courtesy of Embassy of Azerbaijan
The system of tiered reengagement strategies adopted as part of the LEAs Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan should identify the school support services or interventions that may be provided and whether the services will be provided by a school counselor, a school social worker, or a team of other school staff. Attendance issues are most effectively addressed by site personnel working collaboratively with students and families, and most students and families respond well to such support services and interventions provided at the school level.



However, certain students or families may require more intensive interventions that cannot be easily provided at the school site. For students who exhaust the first tiers of intervention strategies provided by the school, a SARB is an available avenue during distance learning and a referral may be appropriate.



While SARBs are often associated with the authority to refer truant students and their parents to court, referral of chronic absentees, including students chronically absent from Distance Learning, to the SARB, enables a district and community team of diverse professionals to diagnose the problem and link the student and family to necessary school district or community services, such as mental health services or community health services.

In Distance Learning, current truancy laws would apply to pupils who are transferred to an available and appropriate in-person instructional program. The truancy laws applicable to students in classroom instruction include the first notification of truancy (Education Code Section 48260.5), the habitual truant mandate (Education Code Section 48262), and the penalties for truancy (Education Code sections 48264.5, 48293, and Penal Code Section 270.1). Visit the CDE's Truancy web page for detailed information on the laws related to truancy.


She loves spending time in the kitchen.

And Kylie Jenner showed off her culinary skills once more while whipping up a snack on her Instagram Story on Sunday.

The makeup mogul, 22, went for a very interesting flavor combination, teaming avocados and honey for her treat.

What's cookin', good lookin? Kylie Jenner showcased some of her kitchen skills on Instagram Sunday. She's seen with daughter Stormi above

What a combo: The makeup mogul, 22, went for a very interesting flavor combination, teaming avocados and honey for her treat

Kylie laid out her ingredients on the table along with an ingredient list that read: Sourdough bread, avocado, crushed red pepper, honey, and salt.

She wasn't afraid to get a bit messy, leaving globs of honey behind after whipping everything together,

Then, Miss Jenner showed off the final product: avocado toast glistening with honey and topped off with sprinkles of red pepper.

'MMMMMM,' she wrote on top of the food close-up,

List: Kylie laid out her ingredients on the table along with an ingredient list that read: Sourdough bread, avocado, crushed red pepper, honey, and salt

Dig in! Then, Miss Jenner showed off the final product: avocado toast glistening with honey and topped off with sprinkles of red pepper

Cute corner: Kylie went on to show fans a charming corner of her kitchen, posting a photo of a sunny window with the 'Cutest little avocado bowl' sitting in front of it

Fruity: The youngest Kardashian/Jenner sister's kitchen was stocked with fresh produce

Kylie went on to show fans a charming corner of her kitchen, posting a photo of a sunny window with the 'Cutest little avocado bowl' sitting in front of it.

The youngest Kardashian/Jenner sister's kitchen was stocked with fresh produce.

She kept an abundance of limes, lemons, oranges, apples, peaches, bananas, mango, papaya, pineapple and a baby watermelon in a rustic looking tray.

Kylie recently set off an uproar after reports that she splashed out $200k on a horse for daughter Stormi, two.

Breeder Stal Wilten confirmed Kylie picked up the $200,000 pony in an Instagram post on Thursday in which he he referred to the grey pony hunter as 'most famous pony of them all'

The grey pony Frozen cost $200,000 plus an extra $7,000 to $10,000 to fly out to Los Angeles from the Netherlands.

And social media was not amused.

'Kylie Jenner just purchased a pony for her two-year-old daughter that cost more than my entire law school tuition,' one person tweeted, adding: 'Eat the rich.'

'Read the room, some of us cant even pay our rent during this pandemic,' shared another.

All the while, the Kardashian/Jenner clan have been trying to figure out how to help Kim's husband Kanye West as he continues to deal with what's been called a 'serious bipolar episode' by those close to the situation.

Out of touch: Social media was not amused by Kylie's conspicuous spending

Worrying his family: The Kardashian/Jenner clan have been trying to figure out how to help Kim's husband Kanye West as he continues to deal with what's been called a 'serious bipolar episode.' Kanye appeared at a campaign rally in South Carolina on July 19 above

Last week the rapper told the public he has been 'trying to divorce' the social media star.

He later said sorry, tweeting: 'I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter.

'I did not cover her like she has covered me. To Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me.'

Kanye then followed up his message with a tease for his new album Donda - named after his late mother - which had been due to be released Friday but was postponed.

Impassioned: In his public message, Kanye thanked his wife of six years 'for always being there for me'
Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto met his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha in Seoul on Monday.

In the meeting, both ministers discussed ways to maintain the current trade and investment cooperation.

Kang also welcomed Hungary's decision to allow South Korean businesspeople without limitation from April.

She also expressed gratitude over Hungary's plans to erect a monument in Budapest in memory of 25 South Korean tourists who died following a boat sinking on the Danube River last year.

Szijjarto, who also plans to meet local business leaders during his visit, expressed hope for increased South Korean business investment in Hungary, the South Korean foreign ministry said.

It was Szijjarto's second visit to Seoul following his visit in December of last year.
History of UVC Fighting Viruses

Energy Right Incentives

(TNS)  As schools prepare to resume classes this fall and more of the economy reopens even as the coronavirus pandemic worsens, America's biggest public utility is backing a decades-old technology that could zap the virus pathogens out of the air in public places to help limit the spread of the infection.The Tennessee Valley Authority is offering financial aid for schools, restaurants, nursing homes and other buildings with public places to install ultraviolet germicidal irradiation lights in air ducts to minimize the spread of airborne microorganisms such as COVID-19.The technology uses UV-C light, which is a short wavelength ultraviolet light much like concentrated sunlight for disinfection.TVA had been developing a program to promote UVGI lights to help fight influenza and other airborne illnesses in the next year and decided last month to expedite the roll-out to aid in the battle against the coronavirus."As the largest public power provider in America, a key focus for TVA is helping to keep our children and the public safe by supporting technologies that are proven to kill viruses," said Jason Snyder, the manager of TVA EnergyRight. "Schools and businesses realize they need solutions to purify indoor air, and we want to help them install it as they reopen."Sunlight disinfects, and the UV part of its spectrum is particularly effective at knocking out airborne pathogens, Snyder said. Portable ultraviolet units have used that part of the light spectrum for decades to sterilize surfaces in hospital rooms and subway cars, but portable units can be used only when those spaces are unoccupied. UV-C light can harm humans, as well as kill the virus, for those who are in its direct path.To help purify the air from the virus without exposing humans to harmful intense ultra-violet light, the UVGI lights are installed within metal air ducts and kill the virus as the air is circulated into heating or air conditioning units.Ultra-violet light has proven to kill viruses for more than a century.In 1941 when measles swept through schools around Philadelphia, ultraviolet fixtures were installed at the Germantown Friends School and about 15 percent of children who had not previously contracted the disease became sick. In the upper-grade classrooms in the same city where ultraviolet fixtures were installed, more than half of the susceptible students contracted measles.Despite the long history of success in killing air-borne pathogens, the cost of installing UVGI lights in an HVAC system will likely be a barrier to market adoption. Installing commercially available fixtures for a warehouse-type store like Walmart could cost about $100,000, and Snyder said installing UVGI lighting in air ducts at most schools could cost $50,000 or more.The ultra-violet light bulbs also have to be replaced about every eight to 16 months, Snyder said."But we think even before the coronavirus, it would have been worth the expense for some schools because this technology is also effective in helping to limit the spread of the flu virus and other airborne illnesses that have forced some schools to close in the past and has reduced school attendance in many instances," Snyder said.Through its Energy Right program that has assisted businesses and households to install more energy efficient heating and air conditioning systems for the past 13 years, TVA is now offering incentives to help pay for the installation of UVGI lights in the metal air ducts to heating and cooling systems to help kill the air-borne virus.TVA is offering standard incentives at $30 per ton for duct-mounted UVGI systems, which in most instances will pay for about one fourth of the cost of such a system.John Colmer, owner of Computer Environment in Memphis  which distributes and installs UV-lights made by UltraViolet Devices Inc. (UVDI)  said the TVA incentives should help propel the emerging market for new ways to fights COVID-19 and other air-borne viruses. Within the past few weeks, Colmer said he is already taking about installing UVGI lights in a school, a corporate headquarters and several other businesses where people gather to shop, learn or work."I think this type of disinfection of air flows can be particularly helpful in any indoor public place where you have a fairly dense population of people in relatively close proximity," Colmer said. "With the high-intensity, ultra-violet exposure, we are able to alter the DNA of the viruses, including COVID-19, to cause these viruses to die."TVA's program requires certified installers to mount the specialized ultra-violet lights within its preferred contractor network, which already has more than 80 contractors across the Tennessee Valley prepared to do the UVGI installations.The vendors of the UVGI lights indicate that about 96 percent of the virus is killed in the first pass through an air duct and over 99 percent is killed over time as the system continues to operate. In a typical business environment, there are about six recirculations of air in a typical hour of HVAC operation, Snyder said."We have struggled in the past to see this highly effective, very safe technology fully implemented for airborne infections," Dr. Edward A. Nardell, a professor of global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School, told"We've done the studies. We know it works."The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) as one of the effective technologies to minimize the spread of airborne microorganisms.The technology is not a total solution, however, since the virus can still be spread directly from one person to another through being too close to one another or sharing virus-contaminated tools, pencils, papers or other materials."We're not trying to say that UV lights fix this entire problem, but it is another tool in the tool shed along with the CDC recommendations for social distancing, wearing masks and washing your hands," TVA spokesman Scott Fiedler said.Snyder said TVA is the first U.S. utility to offer such incentives to promote UVGI lights, which he said is part of TVA's efforts to get the valley back to work and to promote innovative solutions to problems.TVA has budgeted $500,000 in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30 for the UVGI lighting incentives, which Snyder said he hopes will help encourage more installations of the virus-killing systems across TVA's 7-state region."If this is really popular and is making a difference, I'm sure that TVA will try to do even more," Snyder said.
A 28-year-old man was shot and killed in Southwest Philadelphia on Sunday night, police said. No arrests were made and no weapon was recovered at the scene.

The man was shot three times, including once in the neck, about 8 oclock on the 5800 block of Trinity Street in the citys Kingsessing section, authorities said.

He was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in West Philadelphia by police and pronounced dead. Police didnt release anything else about the victim.
T he son of a barrister has been jailed for seven years for killing a university student in a hit-and-run during a police chase in south London earlier this year.

Quincy Anyiam, 27, struck pedestrian Anisha Vidal-Garner in his black Mercedes on Brixton Hill in February after speeding off from officers who had signalled for him to stop.

As the 20-year-old philosophy and Spanish undergraduate lay on the road fatally injured having been thrown into the air like a rag doll, Anyiam kept driving and abandoned his damaged car around a mile away, the Old Bailey heard.

Ms Vidal-Garners mother Mandy Garner told the court in an emotional victim impact statement: We simply adored her and we will miss her forever.

Every day I wake up hoping it has not happened and have to relive that initial feeling of shock and devastation just seeing her face and hearing her voice made the world a better place.

She added of Ms Vidal-Garners sisters, aged 15 and 17, and her 10-year-old brother: Their whole world has been shattered and we have to rebuild it in some kind of way.

Anyiam, who refused to appear at the Old Bailey for his sentencing citing psychological reasons, was also banned from driving for a total of 11 years by judge Wendy Joseph QC.

The court heard that on February 19, officers in an unmarked van had been undertaken by Anyiam, who appeared to slow down when they activated their blue lights at around 9.45pm.

But as an officer went to exit the vehicle, he raced off, breaking red traffic lights and dangerously driving on the wrong side of the carriageway reaching speeds of around 62mph before hitting Ms Vidal-Garner as she crossed the road, the Old Bailey heard.

Ms Vidal-Garner had been walking slightly ahead of her boyfriend and a friend when she was hit by Anyiam.

She died at the scene at around 10.20pm from multiple traumatic injuries.

Two days after the crash, Anyiam, whose father is a barrister, handed himself in to a police station and was charged.

He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, failing to stop and dangerous driving in March.

Ms Vidal-Garners boyfriend Rory Salters told the court he had suffered depression and post-traumatic stress episodes after seeing his partner killed in front of him.

He said in a statement: Anisha was a beam of light in my life and I miss her every minute of every day.

She was a beautiful, intelligent and compassionate person with the best sense of humour and she always filled my life with joy.

Seeing her die in front of my eyes has been burned in my brain.

In her remarks describing the police pursuit, the judge said: Before the accident, the defendant drove at excessive, at times grossly excessive, speeds through areas where there were likely to be many pedestrians and other road users.

His course of driving included overtaking and undertaking, contravening traffic lights and driving on the wrong side of the carriageway.

I cannot accept his description to police of this as an error of judgment in my view it amounts to a deliberate decision to ignore, or a flagrant disregard for, the rules of the road and an apparent disregard for the great dangers being caused to others.

Anyiam, from Oxted, Surrey, and currently at HMP High Down in Surrey, was sentenced in his absence after refusing to attend court.

Prosecutor Louise Oakley said he had shown not a shred of remorse for this family by his actions, adding: There is no evidence before this court he is unfit to attend.

The judge added that aggravating factors included Anyiams determination to evade police, his failure to stop after the crash, his continued dangerous driving after the crash, and his criminal record of 10 convictions for 22 offences.

In 2016, Anyiam was disqualified from driving for 14 months after being caught driving with cannabis in his system, the court heard.
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Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday announced that the state is expanding its free coronavirus testing program to eight more communities with slightly higher rates of infections, including Springfield and Worcester.

The initiative, dubbed Stop the Spread, launched on July 10, and included free COVID-19 testing at sites in Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Marlborough and New Bedford, where officials have observed higher rates of infection and lower testing levels.

On Monday, Baker announced that the program will be expanded into Agawam, Brockton, Methuen, Randolph, Revere, Springfield, Taunton and Worcester. These communities represent roughly 10% of the Massachusetts population, but roughly 15% of the states positive COVID-19 tests over the past week or so, Baker said.

The number of tests conducted in these eight communities has also declined by up to 20% since the end of April, Baker said.

Testing in these new communities, and making it available to all residents, will include those who are asymptomatic, Baker said.

The statewide average of new positive tests over the past week is roughly 1.9%, but the infection rate in the eight communities receiving the expanded testing is roughly 2.3%, Baker said.

Baker said there has been a slight uptick in new coronavirus cases tied to larger gatherings, including a house party in Chatham that took place earlier this month. He addressed the increase on Monday.

We can also assume there is simply a lot more mobility out there due to the increased economic activity, Baker said. Some of it is also just people being out and about. Its warm out; people, generally speaking, are probably in more contact with people now than there were in the months of April, May and even June.

Massachusetts Sen. Eric Lesser, a Longmeadow Democrat, applauded the Baker administration for the expansion.

It was welcome news to learn that our call for testing outside of I-495 was heard and that some action was taken, Lesser said, in a statement. The inclusion of Agawam and Springfield in the Stop the Spread testing initiative will take some pressure off our local healthcare systems and will help some of our most vulnerable populations access COVID-19 testing at no cost, without prior referral, and close to home.

The free testing program ends on Aug. 14. To see where you can get tested in your community, visit: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread.

Related Content:
More Questions About Mahan Air Flight As Iran's Judiciary Calls For Aggressive Diplomacy

Radio Farda July 25, 2020

Issues relating to the interception of an Iranian airliner by U.S. fighter jets on Thursday June 23 have been playing out in Iran's domestic scene while questions continue to be raised about ambiguities mainly as a result of Iran's secretive behavior.

Meanwhile, officials of Iran's hardliner dominated Judiciary appeared to be exerting pressure on President Hassan Rouhani's administration to force it into some kind of aggressive diplomacy the administration seems to be reluctant to exercise at the time being.

Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri wrote a letter to Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Saturday, calling on him to "take action for an international legal prosecution that would teach the Americans a lesson."

Montazeri opined that the U.S. forces' behavior was "in contravention of international law, as well as the Chicago and Montreal Conventions." He further described the U.S. move to intercept the plane as "dangerous and threatening."

Referring to reactions by Mahan Air and the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization, Montazeri called on Zarif to take prompt action to restore the rights of the passengers on board the plane.

The U.S. military issued a statement on July 23 saying, "The professional intercept was conducted in accordance with international standards," when a Mahan airlines passenger plane was approached by at least one fighter jet for visual identification as it was flying over Syria.

Earlier, both Mahan Air and the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization condemned the interception and said that the plane's passengers and crew were wounded as a result of the pilot's sudden descending manoeuvre.

This comes while Beirut Airport officials have confirmed that no one was seriously harmed during the incident and that al the passengers were well at the time when Mahar Air landed in Beirut.

Meanwhile U.S. military said that the jets observed safe distance from the airliner while inspecting the undeclared flight from Tehran. Iranian observers concluded that the pilot panicked at the sight of the U.S. aircraft and descended without being told to.

In another move initiated from the Judiciary, Ali Baqeri, deputy Judiciary Chief for international affairs, vowed that the Iranian "Judiciary will use all of its domestic and international potential to prove to the United States that the time for hit and run action is over."

Baqeri charged that U.S. forces' behavior "was against international aviation regulations and threatened civilian lives."

However, there are some indications pointing to the fact that the Iranian aircraft was not flying in the predetermined corridor for international flights or it deviated from its route. Meanwhile, the flight number and the airliner's name was not registered according to protocols.

Some Iranian Twitter users confirmed that the "Mahan Air flight was in a totally unidentified corridor and refused to respond to incoming radio messages."

Hardliner journalist Sajjad Abedi challenged this assertion and charged that U.S. jets that took off from Jordan were setting the scene to mislead Syrian AA batteries to shoot down the Iranian aircraft.

Iranian Majles Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who is a commercial jet pilot, also repeated the accusation on his Twitter page and said the pilot had received TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) warnings twice. But this in itself could be a sign that something was not quite normal with the flight path.

Other users ruled out the hypothesis. Reports from Iran on Saturday morning said the Mahan Air pilot and some others on board the aircraft were questioned and or debriefed by officials upon returning to Tehran.

This might reinforce the statement apparently backed by Syrian and Jordanian aviation officials about the Iranian plane going astray before it was intercepted.

In the meantime, several Twitter users have said that the presence of two men on board the plane who were previously seen on the state TV denying a major explosion West of Tehran has stirred further controversy about the case.

On June 26 there was a mysterious explosion near a military complex west of Tehran, which government-controlled media was quick to dismiss as an accident. To prove state-controlled media showed a video a few hours later showing two men at a barbeque stand where a reporter was asking a man if he had heard any explosion. The man claiming to be from the area of the explosion denied any serious incident.

Now, several well-known Twitter users say that the same men were on the Mahan flight, raising suspicions of a set up.

Did Iran send an undeclared flight to Beirut, which elicited an alarm and led the U.S. to react? After all, the plane landed in Beirut, but since May Mahan had suspended flights to Lebanon probably because of coronavirus restrictions.

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/questions-about -mahan-air-flight-as-iran-judiciary-calls- for-aggressive-diplomacy/30747006.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.

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This list of 275 Chinese apps will reportedly be examined for breaching any user privacy or national security violations.

Recent reports state that the Indian government has banned 47 clone apps of the 59 Chinese apps that were banned last month. However, it looks like many more are under watch now. A report adds that as many as 275 more apps are in the governments radar. These too might be banned in India.

This list of 275 Chinese apps will reportedly be examined for breaching any user privacy or national security violations. It will also result in tighter control of the information that is relayed between the app developers servers.

This news comes days after the government announced a ban on 59 Chinese apps last month.

In the list that was seen by ET, the list not just including less popular apps like Zili by Xiaomi, UlIke and Resso but highly popular ones as well including Tencents PUBG Mobile and Alibabas Aliexpress. The government may ban all, some or none from the list, said a person familiar with the matter to the news website.

Also read: We want to be YouTube for mobile, says Mitron founder Shivank Agarwal

For now, theres no public announcement by the government authorities or executives.

When the government banned 59 apps last month, it said that these apps were blocked in the emergent nature of threat as these apps are engaged in activities that are prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state, and public order.

The list included TikTok, Shareit, Kwai, UC Browser, Baidu map, Bigo Live, and Vigo Video. Following the ban, these applications were taken down from the Google and Apple app stores.

Since the ban, Indian applications such as Chingari, Mitron, Roposo and Trell have garnered huge traction with millions of downloads in just a few days.
Mali's presidency tasked a stripped-down cabinet on Monday with working to form a unity government in the crisis-stricken nation, after pressure from other West African leaders. The presidency said the new ministers would negotiate with "concerned parties", adding that it was acting on the wishes of regional grouping ECOWAS, which had proposed a unity government earlier this month and reaffirmed the plan during a summit held by videolink on Monday. However, a protest movement has caused ructions after it rallied crowds in demanding the removal of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The group has also previously rejected the ECOWAS plan. Keita, in power since 2013, faces huge challenges -- not least an eight-year jihadist revolt and a slumping economy. But the current protests were sparked in April, when the Constitutional Court tossed out the results from 31 constituencies in an earlier parliamentary election -- a ruling that benefitted Keita's party. Tensions then ratcheted up into a full-blown crisis on July 10 when an anti-Keita rally organised by the June 5 Movement, a loose coalition of opposition groups and religious leaders, turned bloody. Eleven people died in clashes with security forces over several days -- the worst bout of political unrest Mali has seen in years. - Opposition rejection - The heads of the 15-nation ECOWAS earlier said they supported Ketia and called for opposition leaders to join the unity government, threatening sanctions on anyone who stood in the way of resolving the crisis. The UN Security Council endorsed the effort of ECOWAS and voiced "deep concern" over the crisis. Security Council powers "urged the Malian parties to act on these recommendations without delay in order to resolve the tensions," a statement said. According to the presidency's announcement, Prime Minister Boubou Cisse will keep his job and oversee a government including six ministries. One member of the new cabinet -- economy minister Abdoulaye Daffe -- is considered to be close to imam Mahmoud Dicko, the figurehead of the protest coalition. But Saudi-trained Dicko has already dismissed the ECOWAS plan, saying last week: "I would prefer to die as a martyr rather than die as a traitor. "The young people who lost their lives (in the protests) did not lose them for nothing." - Dialogue plea - Addressing the disputed election, Monday's ECOWAS summit called for the immediate resignation of the 31 MPs and demanded new by-elections in their constituencies. President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, who also currently heads ECOWAS, urged Malians to reject violence and to continue speaking. ECOWAS urged the June 5 Movement -- leading the protests -- to participate in the talks, in a "spirit of patriotism". Successive rallies against Keita since last month rattled the 75-year-old's grip on power, as he was already facing increasing pressure to end Mali's jihadist conflict. On July 10, the third major demonstration turned into three days of deadly unrest in Bamako, leaving at least 11 people dead in the worst civil unrest in the capital since 2012. The June 5 movement said a truce would hold until July 31, but some younger members of the disparate union announced they would resume protests after August 3 -- once again calling for Mali's leader to resign. The impoverished nation of 20 million has lost thousands of lives, and hundreds of thousands of people have been driven from their homes, despite the presence of French and UN troops. And violence continues outside of the capital, with the death on Thursday of a French soldier during an anti-jihadist operation. Mali is a member of ECOWAS, which has intervened in several crises in West Africa, including in The Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Under pressure: Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita Mali A man painted in the colours of Malian flag at a demonstration last month in Independence Square in Bamako The protest movement has coalesced around a conservative Saudi-trained imam, Mahmoud Dicko
Ro, an online health start-up, has built a big business by asking consumers to pay cash to help alleviate many of the most common medical complaints without having to visit a doctor in person.

The company, which started out by selling hair loss supplements and erectile dysfunction medication to men, has built a range of health apps and says it's now generating $250 million in annual revenue -- without taking insurance.

When it launched in 2017, the company's flagship service, Roman, focused on conditions where men might feel stigma or shame talking to a doctor in person. From there, the company introduced a women's brand called Rory, which delivers birth control, among other medications, and a smoking cessation service called Zero. It now has a medication delivery service called Ro Pharmacy, which delivers more than 500 generic medications at a flat fee of $5 each. To market itself to new patients, it built out a health content offering called Health Guides.

For each of these services, it provides patients with a remote care team. Unlike many telemedicine companies in the space, it focuses on areas of health care where patients are likely to have a repeat need and may need ongoing support, rather than the one-off sinus infections or urinary tract infections. That includes chronic medical conditions, like diabetes and heart disease, which currently afflict nearly half of all Americans.

From those services, patients can schedule time with a doctor, request a refill, ask questions and more. Ro might also refer the patient to an in-person service if needed.

As of this week, Ro is valued at $1.5 billion after closing a new financing round of $200 million led by General Catalyst. That brings its funding total to $376 million, making it one of the most well-capitalized start-ups in the burgeoning health tech sector.

Although it's not profitable, Ro's revenue is growing much faster than typical for a health-care start-up. The company has also been able to avoid some of the costly complexities typically associated with health-care businesses, such as forging deals with insurers and other stakeholders in the industry.

Already, the company says it has grown to 5 million patient-physician interactions. Given the rise of high-deductible plans and the increasing numbers of Americans without insurance, Ro is betting that many more are newly willing to pay out of pocket to access a doctor.

"We want to be patients' first call," said Zachariah Reitano, the company's CEO. "The more we are involved, the more we can impact the outcome."

For Reitano, it's not just about biting off a slice of the $3.5 trillion health-care market. Instead, he notes, the company is looking to "aggregate patients to the point where you can use the shared cumulative leverage to push back on the system."

Reitano believes that there's far too much waste and inefficiency with traditional health care. In his view, it's the result of a system that charges arbitrary prices and doesn't prioritize patient experiences and outcomes. He's hoping that by offering transparent prices and care on demand, people will be increasingly willing to move to a service like Ro, including those who have insurance.

On the back-end, the company is also building software for its doctors so it's easy for them to see who's waiting in the queue -- and which patients are high priority at any given moment. Currently it has between 50 and 100 medical providers on board and about a third of them are on staff (the rest are on contract). The company hopes to change that by hiring more doctors and nurses full time.

In the future, it also plans to offer services for at-home diagnostic testing.

Ro currently is up against start-ups like Hims, which recently started talks about a deal to go public at around a $1 billion valuation. It might brush up against much larger players like Amazon, which offers pharmacy delivery to people juggling multiple medications, and Walmart, which has big ambitions in the health-care space.

While some onlookers think of Ro as health care packaged to millennials, the average age of a Ro customer is now 46 years old, notes Reitano. Most of the users are male, given that Ro started off focusing on men's health, but the company is anticipating that the ratio between men and women will even out in the coming years.

As Ro continues to grow, Reitano is pitching the service to doctors looking to acquire new patients. Rather than building their own software, their patients can use it to book an online or offline appointment, or request a service. As Reitano puts it, its big vision is to become the "Shopify of health care."
If the Ontario government wants to safely reopen schools during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it will need to spend as much as $3.2 billion to hire more teachers and custodians, as well as purchase enough cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment, two new reports say.

On Monday, the Ontario Liberal Party will officially release its COVID plan  costed by former education ministry officials  that estimates a multi-billion-dollar need for 17,000 more teachers, 14,000 new rooms to accommodate smaller elementary classes and 10,000 additional caretakers.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 55,000 school support staff, provided its own calculations to the Star for this fall that peg spending at about $1.49 per student per day  or almost $590 million  to fund touch-free hand sanitizers in every classroom, sanitizer refills, PPE, Plexiglas for school offices and libraries, as well as to open up unused rooms in schools to accommodate smaller classes, bring in extra education assistants and hire one new custodian in each of the provinces 4,800 schools. (Teacher costs were not included in the union calculations.)

Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce have said the province will release its direction to school boards this week, after asking them to prepare for three scenarios  in-class only, online only or a mix of the two  but preferring a full-time return if possible.

Laura Walton, who heads CUPEs school bargaining unit, said the amount the union recommends is a 2.1 per cent increase in education spending for the upcoming school year, and is the minimum needed. It is based on lessons learned from CUPE workers in other sectors who have continued working during the pandemic, she added.

We know that we can do this safely, but the government doesnt seem to be paying attention to it, she told the Star.

While the government has talked about touch-free hand sanitizers, that money hasnt come in  during H1N1, there was money set aside for that. I was just at Starbucks ... and Starbucks has Plexiglas for goodness sake. Why wouldnt we have that? she added.

We cant afford to get this wrong.

Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said students and their parents have been waiting for far too long to hear what will happen in September. Living with this uncertainty has caused unnecessary anxiety ... Getting our students back to school safely is what kids critically need ... and its the only way their moms and dads can have peace of mind to return to work.

And, he added, since the government hasnt unveiled a plan for the fall, I did.

As far as the Ford governments plans go, some boards have balked at a hybrid model, saying that could hurt parents ability to work or return to their jobs, and have urged the province to come up with creative solutions, such as extra classroom space in unused buildings to accommodate smaller classes, outdoor learning, or even tinker with the length of the school day.

Ford has said the situation remains very fluid. Its been moving and we have to adapt with the changes ... We have to be prepared, if we ever get a second wave, to have a plan.

Lecce said after the province decides which model to go with, boards have until Aug. 4 to submit their plans, which will be reviewed by medical experts before getting the go-ahead.

The government has already pledged $25 million for improved technology and mental health supports for students to deal with COVID, along with $4 million for enhanced school cleaning, and Lecce has said this weeks announcement will include additional supports and resources to enable our boards to succeed.

He has also noted there is renewal funding that could be used to create hand-sanitizing centres, ensure washroom sinks work, or improve building ventilation if needed.

The Toronto District School Board  which represents one-tenth of any provincial funding announcement  has said if all elementary students return full-time in classes of 15, school could end 48 minutes earlier than usual to accommodate teacher prep time, and it would need 1,000 extra teachers.

But if kids attended full-time with classes capped at 15 for primary students and 20 for Grades 4 to 8, some 200 additional teachers would be needed at a cost of $20 million. The Toronto board also says it needs $1.5 million for PPE, $4.5 million for supplies and caretaking, among other COVID costs.

Interim director Carlene Jackson has said the board has a large supply teacher roster, and with a number of new teacher graduates seeking work, hiring so many additional educators within the next month is doable.

The Liberal plan outlines funding for the 2020-21 school year that includes:

$1.3 billion for 15,000 elementary teachers to reduce class sizes to 15 and $170 million for secondary teachers.

$200 million for 14,000 new classrooms in community centres, campuses, arenas, etc.

$500 million for 10,000 caretakers and $120 million for cleaning supplies/equipment.

$80 million for busing, including cleaning and retrofitting.

$110 million for PPE equipment for students/staff (face shields/masks/gloves).

The CUPE plan is based on the average size of the provinces elementary and secondary schools; it also recommends extra special education staff and health professionals and monies to support and communicate with parents.

Walton said these requirements are COVID-19 specific, and and well assess what we need moving on. This is just a minimum of what we need for schools to open safely.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Catholic board continues to take fire for its vote to keep class sizes as they are if the province directs schools to open full-time this fall.

Trustee Norm Di Pasquale, whose proposal for a 15-student class cap failed at last weeks meeting, told that Star that some on the board felt that option wasnt realistic because the government wont provide the necessary funding.

An email sent by the union representing Torontos Catholic elementary teachers, obtained by the Star, said it will pressure the board to reconsider, arguing it is not in line with public health recommendations for smaller cohorts of students. It warns it will use all legal avenues to challenge that reopening plan.
Bob Murphy is the state director of AARP Colorado, which has more than 670,000 members in Colorado.
Long term, we know that the sea level rise has been happening. Weve seen that from NOAA over the years, said Lou Belasco, floodplain manager for the city of Cape May. From a flooding standpoint, we look to bolster our natural systems. Weve looked to bolster the shoreline along the harbor front. If we can increase those wetlands and soak up some of the sea level rise, we can offset some of the losses, he said, adding, Its a two-pronged approach. ... We also recognize that there are hardscape solutions that need to be done. There are areas that we look to raise the roadway, like on Yacht Avenue. Weve had talks with the Army Corps of Engineers for Wilmington and Beach to raise the road there.
DGAP-News: Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. : Proposed Settlement of Litigation Claims Arising from Legacy Accounting Issues



27.07.2020 / 08:05

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Proposed Settlement of Litigation Claims Arising from Legacy Accounting Issues

Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. ("SIHNV" or the "Company" and with its subsidiaries, the "Group") and the former South African holding company for such subsidiaries, Steinhoff International Holdings Proprietary Limited ("SIHPL"), announce a proposed settlement to conclude the complex legal claims, and ongoing and pending litigation proceedings, arising from the legacy accounting issues first announced in December 2017.

In the Company's presentation to shareholders at the general meeting on 30 August 2019, the Company's Management Board expressed its view that resolution of the litigation proceedings and legal claims was in the best interests of all stakeholders. The possibility of such a settlement had been agreed with the Company's financial creditors as part of the financial restructuring concluded in August 2019. While the Group continues to make tangible progress with its business restructuring efforts, most recently reaching agreement to dispose of the Conforama businesses in France, providing compensation to those shareholders at December 2017 who suffered financial loss represents the next phase of the Group's restructure.

Any settlement needs to be considered against the background of the financial position of Steinhoff and its significant levels of financial indebtedness. In addition, as previously reported, the Group's underlying businesses have been impacted by Covid-19 which, together with the effect of adverse currency movements, is likely to negatively impact current valuations. Notwithstanding those issues, the proposed terms represent an increase in the amount contemplated under the 2019 restructured financings and therefore will require financial creditors' consent.

The Group has been working hard for many months to manage the competing interests of its stakeholders and at the same time protect the Group's businesses and their employees. These competing interests and the Group's financial limitations constrain what is achievable in balancing the interests of all stakeholders. It is an extremely challenging task, but it is the Steinhoff Board's intention to resolve the outstanding claims on a fair basis, to provide closure for the claimants, and to deliver stability to the underlying businesses and their employees.

The Company's development of a settlement proposal has progressed sufficiently to a point where the Group is today announcing the terms of a proposed settlement to resolve substantially all of the relevant claims and proceedings.

Louis du Preez, Chief Executive Officer and Management Board member, said:

"Settlement of the outstanding litigation was identified as being the second step in our plan. Compensating shareholders who suffered losses in December 2017 has been one of our key objectives together with protecting the livelihoods of our employees and recovering value for creditors. The proposed settlement terms being announced today are the culmination of 12 months of intensive effort. Although there is no certainty yet that we will be able to conclude this settlement, in our view these terms are firmly in the best interests of all stakeholders. We urge all claimants to engage positively with us and support our proposal to resolve the outstanding legacy claims."

The Group's Approach to a Global Settlement of Legacy Claims

The Group faces complex, multi-jurisdictional claims initiated by multiple parties relating to the alleged accounting irregularities announced in December 2017. Approximately 90 separate legal proceedings have been commenced against the Company and SIHPL in the Netherlands, Germany and South Africa. Not all claimants have yet sought to quantify their alleged damages, but the combined claims of those that have sought to do so are in excess of ZAR136 billion (EUR7 billion at a ZAR/euro rate of 19.5). In addition to proceedings against Group entities, claims have also been made against, amongst others, former directors and officers of Group entities.

All claims against the Company and SIHPL are being disputed in ongoing litigation proceedings and there remains material uncertainty as to the outcome of all of these legal proceedings. If all such claims were ultimately established in the amounts asserted, it is clear that the net asset value of the Group would fall far short of the amount required to satisfy them in full. In such circumstances, liquidation proceedings would ensue which would, in the Company's view, materially impair the value of assets available for distribution and adversely affect the timing and amount of the claimants' recoveries relative to the proposed settlement.

During the last 12 months, the Company and SIHPL, assisted by the Litigation Working Group, have been engaged with a number of stakeholders with differing claims pending across multiple jurisdictions. The Company's objective throughout has been to achieve a comprehensive global settlement.

The Group has formulated proposed settlement amounts for various claimant groups in light of the characteristics of, and risks affecting, their claims, the Group's ability to continue trading and to maximise the asset values available to it, and the likely outcomes for claimants if the Group was unable to do so, assuming the claimants succeeded in establishing their disputed claims, and liquidation ensued. The proposed settlement terms also have regard to the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the value of the Group's underlying businesses and the effect of currency movements.

A global settlement of litigation claims was contemplated when the Group's financings (which as at 30 September 2019 and excluding opeRating company financings, stood at EUR 9.24 billion and which continue to accrue interest) were restructured and extended by agreement of its financial creditors in August 2019. The proposed terms of the settlement provide for payments materially in excess of the permission granted by financial creditors in 2019 and will require fresh consent from financial creditors. The financial creditors are being asked to make additional concessions including the extension to the maturity of their loans to the Group.

Against this background, the primary objectives of the Company's Management and Supervisory Boards and the SIHPL Board in formulating the proposed settlement have been:

- to achieve a settlement of litigation claims that allocates the available value and assets of the Company and SIHPL fairly and equitably among the parties who have claims against the Company and SIHPL;

- to achieve a settlement that fairly reflects the compromise of legal issues, priorities of payment, availability of alternative recoveries and other issues faced by the litigants on their own account and in relation to others;

- to further stabilise the Group to maximize the value available to be distributed to its stakeholders by marshalling cash, preserving the going concern value of the Group's businesses and avoiding further litigation costs;

- to ensure the continuity of the Group's operations in order to safeguard the jobs of the thousands of employees of Steinhoff's underlying businesses and, by preserving the value of those underlying businesses, to protect the broader universe of stakeholders; and

- to conclude and to implement the settlement of the legacy claims on the proposed terms as soon as possible.

The proposed settlement reflects the necessary balance of competing interests and the financial limitations on the Group, including the negative outlook and implications for all stakeholders if the proposed restructure fails and assuming the claimants succeeded in establishing their disputed claims.

Benefits of the proposed settlement

The proposed settlement will, if successful, offer significant benefits to the Group and its stakeholders, including the litigation claimants. Notably:

- it will provide litigation claimants with certainty of outcome relative to the cost and uncertainty associated with protracted, expensive and unpredictable court processes in pursuing their claims;

- it will largely resolve the material contingent liabilities faced by SIHNV and SIHPL as a result of the ongoing litigation;

- it will thereby help the ongoing work to stabilise and support the continued operations of the Group aimed at preserving business value for its stakeholders and employees;

- it will save the Group (and other parties) the very material costs of litigating the numerous legal proceedings across multiple jurisdictions;

- it will avoid the need for Steinhoff management (and litigants) to commit material time to the supervision of the conduct of the legal proceedings; and

- Steinhoff management will be able to devote their full attention to the continued improvement of the underlying businesses and the development of plans to realise value and de-leverage the Group's balance sheet.

Nature of Legacy Claims

The litigation claimants can be categorised into three broad groups: (i) "market purchase claimants" - being those parties that acquired Steinhoff securities on the market; (ii) "contractual claimants" - being those parties who sold their businesses to Steinhoff in consideration for shares in Steinhoff or otherwise acquired shares in Steinhoff pursuant to agreements with Steinhoff; and (iii) "non-qualifying claimants" - being those parties who have brought claims that are neither market purchase claims nor contractual claims and are not proposed to be included in this settlement. In summary:

- Market purchase claimants: Market purchase claims ("MPCs") arise in respect of market traded securities. In respect of the period prior to the Company's Frankfurt Stock Exchange listing becoming effective on 7 December 2015, any such claims are in respect of shares of SIHPL (the former holding company of the Group) ("SIHPL MPCs") and, following such event, any such claims are in respect of shares of the Company ("SIHNV MPCs").

There are a large number of potential MPCs many of whom are represented by, or have vested their interests to, active claimant groups ("ACGs"). The Company currently estimates that in excess of half of the total MPC claimants are South African residents or entities.

- Contractual claimants: There are a limited number of contractual claimants with alleged claims against the Company and a greater number of contractual claimants with alleged claims against SIHPL, but at both the Company and SIHPL the claim values are material, albeit disputed.

- Non-qualifying claimants: Certain claims have been brought against the Company and/or SIHPL that do not fall into either of the two categories detailed above as these claimants did not purchase shares in the Company or SIHPL on the market or by way of a contract with either the Company or SIHPL.

Settlement Proposal Details

The detailed terms of the proposal ("Settlement Term Sheet") can be found on the Company's website at the following web-address: https://www.steinhoffinternational.com/settlement-litigation-claims.php.

The terms of the proposal reflect key features of the parties' respective claims, including:

- the legal basis for the claim;

- the laws of the jurisdiction in which the claim is brought;

- the nature and extent of the loss claimed;

- legal uncertainties affecting the claim and recoverability of loss; and

- the financial position of the Steinhoff entity against which the claim is asserted.

The terms of the settlement proposal are, in summary, as follows:

- Market purchase claimants: The Company will settle eligible SIHNV MPCs and SIHPL MPCs for a total settlement consideration amount of EUR266 million. This settlement consideration will be paid 50 per cent in cash funded from the South African sub-group and 50 per cent in shares of Pepkor Holdings Limited (the Group's South African retail subsidiary, "PPH"), settled at a deemed price per share of ZAR15. No lock up restriction on future sale of the PPH shares is required in respect of PPH shares transferred to the MPC claimants. SIHNV estimates that approximately 173 million PPH shares (or 4.6 per cent of the total PPH issued share capital) will be transferred to MPC claimants as a result of the settlement.

Allocation of the settlement consideration as between the MPC claimants, including the treatment of any unclaimed amounts allocated to MPCs, will be determined in accordance with an allocation methodology proposed by the Company and set out in the Settlement Term Sheet.

In addition, in order to facilitate recoveries to market purchase claimants the Group is considering making available an amount of up to EUR 30 million to pay in respect of certain fees, costs and work undertaken by the ACGs on the terms to be specified in the settlement documents. The specific terms of the proposal remain under consideration.

- SIHNV contractual claims: Contractual claims against the Company will be settled at the same relative recovery rate as the MPCs against the Company. The Company estimates the total amount required to settle such contractual claimants to be in the region of EUR104 million. Such settlement consideration will also be paid 50 per cent in cash and 50 per cent in PPH shares settled at a deemed price per share of ZAR15. Consistent with the proposal in relation to the market purchase claimants settled by SIHNV, no lock up restriction on sales of allocated PPH shares is required from the Company's contractual claimants.

The Company estimates that approximately 67 million PPH shares (or 1.8 per cent of the total PPH issued share capital) will be transferred to Company contractual claimants.

- SIHPL contractual claims: SIHPL will settle the claims made against it by contractual claimants from its own resources. SIHPL contractual claims (other than claims by Thibault and Wiesfam) will be settled for a total amount of approximately ZAR1.5 billion (EUR76 million at a ZAR/euro rate of 19.5). The claims of Thibault and Wiesfam will be settled for a proportionally lower recovery rate in the total nominal amount of approximately ZAR7.9 billion (EUR406 million at a ZAR/euro rate of 19.5). The settlement consideration will also be paid 50 per cent in cash and 50 per cent in PPH shares at a deemed price per share of ZAR15. Subject as follows, SIHPL contractual claimants will be required to agree to lock up PPH shares allocated to them for 180 days from the effective date of settlement.

In respect of the SIHPL contractual claimants BVI and Cronje & others who are current employees and managers of PPH, SIHPL proposes that their settlement consideration be entirely in the form of PPH shares at a deemed settlement price of ZAR13.5 per share, provided that they agree to a three year lock up restriction on the sale of those PPH shares from the effective date of the settlement.

The Company estimates that approximately 345 million PPH shares (or 9.3 per cent of the total PPH issued share capital) will be transferred to SIHPL contractual claimants assuming BVI and Cronje & others take up their option to be paid entirely in PPH shares.

- Non-qualifying claims: No specific proposal is being made for the settlement of other claims, and the Company or SIHPL will continue to defend them on the basis that any liability in respect of the same is denied. If any such claim against the Company ultimately succeeds, it will be entitled to settlement consideration at the same rate as MPC and contractual claims against the Company. If any such claim against SIHPL ultimately succeeds, it will be entitled to payment in full.

- Claim verification & disputes: The Company is contemplating establishing a new Dutch stichting foundation together with supporting arrangements in South Africa (for South African claimants) to act as the Steinhoff Recovery Foundation ("SRF"). The purpose of the SRF will be to administer and distribute the settlement consideration paid by, or on behalf of, the Company. It will be governed by a board of newly appointed directors with majority independence from the Steinhoff Group. Claimants will be required to submit their claims for verification prior to receiving settlement payments. SRF intend to retain Computershare to assist it to administer and verify claims prior to payment of the settlement consideration.

- Recoveries independent from other sources: The settlement consideration provided by Steinhoff is independent from recoveries that claimants may make from other sources and any such recoveries (if any) will be incremental to the settlement consideration proposed by Steinhoff.

- Financial creditors: The SIHNV and SIHPL financial creditors holding contingent payment undertakings ("CPUs") (other than creditors holding Hemisphere International Properties B.V. CPUs), will not be eligible to receive any distribution as part of the proposed settlement in respect of their claims under the SIHNV CPUs and the SIHPL CPUs. Instead, they will be asked to provide their consent for the proposed global settlement and to waive any tortious (delictual) claims they may have against the Group, D&O insurers and auditors. In addition, the financial creditors will be asked for a consent to extend the maturity date of the CPUs and the underlying debt obligations by 18 months to 30 June 2023 with an option for a further 6 month extension on the approval of a lower CPU creditor voting threshold. As part of these arrangements, effective from implementation of the proposed settlement the Company will provide security to its CPU creditors over its shares in Steinhoff Investments Holdings Limited ("SIHL") and over any outstanding loan claim payable by SIHL to SIHNV. This extension is an important component of the overall settlement and of the continuation of the stable platform for the Steinhoff Group. To the extent necessary, the Group will consider English law schemes of arrangement to implement the consents required. Otherwise, the SIHNV financial creditors will retain their contractual rights against SIHNV and SIHPL under the terms of the CPUs.

- Post settlement PPH Holding & SIHPL balance sheet:

PPH: The Company estimates that the settlement will result in Steinhoff continuing to hold in excess of 50 per cent of PPH shares.

SIHPL: SIHPL is the former South African listed entity prior to the 2015 scheme of arrangement and share exchange and has no current trading activity. The proposed terms of the SIHPL settlement include measures aimed at winding up the affairs of SIHPL over time on a solvent basis. In addition to the proposed settlement of relevant MPC and contractual claims it is proposed that with effect from the effective date of the settlement:

- following implementation, SIHPL will receive the rights under the legacy loan owed by Titan Premier Investment Pty Ltd ("Titan") to Steenbok NewCo 2A (formerly owed to Steinhoff Finance Holding GmbH) ("Titan Loan") for deferred cash consideration;

- the term for repayment of the Titan Loan to SIHPL will be extended by 5 years at a PIK coupon of 5.04 per cent per annum compounding semi-annually and Titan will provide security for the Titan Loan obligations in favour of SIHPL;

- as part of the consideration for the Company settling all MPCs, including those against SIHPL, SIHPL will issue a loan note in favour of SIHNV in the amount of up to EUR100 million ("SIHNV Loan Note"); and

- SIHPL CPU claimants are requested to agree terms to assist SIHPL to conclude its affairs on a solvent basis in due course.

Further details in relation to the post settlement SIHPL balance sheet are set out in the Settlement Term Sheet.

Implementation and conditionality

The competing stakeholder interests, the financial position of Steinhoff and the complex multi-jurisdictional nature of the litigation make implementation of the proposed settlement uniquely challenging. The Company has therefore been considering a number of options to achieve the necessary certainty and finality required by the Company and stakeholders.

One of the options currently available to Steinhoff to implement the global settlement is by a composition plan which will be submitted in draft form (ontwerp van akkoord) immediately on the filing of the request for a Suspension of Payments (surseance van betaling) procedure in the Netherlands by the Company and a pre-prepared compromise plan pursuant to section 155 of the Companies Act 71 of 2008 in South Africa by SIHPL. The Company and SIHPL continue to consider whether there may be appropriate settlement mechanisms to supplement and/or replace such implementation procedures.

In addition to achievement of the necessary levels of support by claimants to the Group's proposal, the settlement will be conditional on, among other things:

- consent of the Group's financial creditors under the terms of the Group's restructured debt financings. A request for consent from the Group's financial creditors will be launched shortly; and

- consent of the South African Reserve Bank in respect of certain elements of the proposal and to facilitate the funding of the settlement proposal.

There is no assurance as to whether those consents will be forthcoming.

Timetable and Next Steps

The Company will provide updates on the progress and the outcome of the consent requests.

Shareholders and any other claimants are advised to seek independent legal, financial and tax advice in respect of the Steinhoff settlement proposal. Financial creditors can contact Kirkland & Ellis (London) in respect of any questions arising in relation to the proposals as they relate to the financial creditors.

Documentation to be completed by any claimant for the purposes of supporting the proposed settlement will be available shortly at the Steinhoff website set out below.

Further information

Further information on the proposed settlement, including the Settlement

Term Sheet and a Frequently Asked Questions document, is available at: https://www.steinhoffinternational.com/settlement-litigation-claims.php.

Alternatively, Steinhoff's investor relations team can be contacted at settlement@steinhoff.co.za.

Important Note

The Group's settlement proposal is made on the basis that it does not represent an admission of any liability in respect of any of the various claims made against any member of the Group or any directors, officers, or employees, past or present.

Caution

Efforts to conclude and implement the proposed global settlement on terms acceptable to the Company and SIHPL will continue and Steinhoff will update the market on progress. There is no certainty that the proposed settlement will be finally concluded. Shareholders and other investors in the Company are advised to exercise caution when dealing in the securities of the Group.

Stellenbosch, 27 July 2020
By PTI

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court dismissed on Monday BJP MLA Madan Dilawar's writ petition questioning the Speaker's inaction on his complaint against the merger of six BSP MLAs with the Congress.

The petition was filed on Friday and was taken up for hearing by the court on Monday.

After hearing, the high court dismissed the petition as the Speaker had passed the order on Dilawar's complaint.

Dilwar had filed the complaint to the Speaker in March seeking disqualification of the legislators.

In the writ petition on Friday, he challenged the "inaction" of the Speaker for not taking decision on his complaint.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA Ramnarayan Meena on Monday said that all six BSP MLAs are now part of the Gehlot government as the speaker has given them recognition.

Meena told reporters there is no question about the membership of those MLAs.

"The BSP MLAs have joined the Congress and they were duly recognised by the speaker. All the six MLAs are a part of the Congress after the speaker has given them the recognition. The way I am an MLA, they are also MLAs. There is no question about their membership," Meena said.

Commenting upon the whip issued to six MLAs after "a lot of deliberation by BSP chief Mayawati", Meena said, "Mayawati did not attend any Dalit party meeting. She only gives speeches. Dalits see the image of Kanshi Ram Ji in her as she was with him during her early political days. She is not a leader."

ALSO READ: BSP issues whip to its six Congress-merged MLAs to vote against CM Ashok Gehlot

The BSP on Monday moved the HC seeking to become a party in the petition filed by the BJP against the merger of six of its MLAs in the state with the Congress party.

As the political crisis in Rajasthan deepened, the BSP on Sunday had issued a whip to its six MLAs directing them to vote against the Congress in any no-confidence motion or any proceedings to be held during Rajasthan Assembly session.

Bhagwan Singh Baba, BSP's Rajasthan chief, on Monday said that party chief Mayawati decided this after a lot of deliberation.

Meena also attacked Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra after "Raj Bhawan returned the files related to the convening of the Assembly session to the parliamentary affairs department of the state."

"Bhagwan aise logo se pind chudaaye prajatantra ka (May god rid democracy of such people). Raj Bhawan can do anything, but one needs to understand that it is governor Mishra who is doing the things in the name of the Raj Bhawan," Meena said.

Earlier in the day, sources said the Rajasthan Raj Bhawan returned the files related to the convening of the Assembly session to the parliamentary affairs department of the state.

According to sources, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has sought clarification from the state government regarding the proposal of convening the Assembly session.

The power struggle in Rajasthan had taken a new turn when the Governor had not heeded the request of the Congress government to convene a session of the state Assembly urgently.

Earlier, Rajasthan Governor's Secretariat had said the state government had presented a proposal to convene the session of the Assembly at very short notice on the night of July 23. The paper was analysed and legal experts were consulted over it, it said.

It said 21-day notice is required for the session to be called according to the normal procedures.

Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil after simmering differences between Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot came out in the open. Pilot was removed as the Deputy Chief Minister and the state unit chief of Congress.

The Congress has accused the BJP of indulging in horse-trading to bring down the Gehlot government. The BJP has rejected the allegations.

(With ANI Inputs)
Sandoz and Austrian government announce joint plans to drive long-term competitiveness of European production for key antibiotics in Europe



Planned combined investment of more than EUR 150 million would include major innovative technology development and implementation for large-scale manufacture of active ingredients for leading penicillin products



Kundl manufacturing site in Austria is hub of last vertically integrated antibiotics production chain in Europe; Sandoz is #1 global supplier of generic antibiotics

Holzkirchen, July 27, 2020  Sandoz, the Novartis generics and biosimilars division, is pleased to announce plans for a joint investment, together with the Austrian federal government, to strengthen the long-term future of integrated antibiotics manufacturing in Europe.

Sandoz CEO Richard Saynor said: This plan is a great example of government and the private sector working closely together to protect the long-term interests of patients in Europe and beyond. Antibiotics are the backbone of modern medicine and our Kundl facility in Austria is the hub and center of the last remaining integrated production chain for antibiotics in the western world. This joint investment will help to keep it that way.

Sandoz intends to invest more than EUR 150 million over the next five years to strengthen the long-term competitiveness of its integrated antibiotic manufacturing operations at Kundl, developing and introducing innovative manufacturing technology for both active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished dosage forms (FDFs).

Under the joint plan, which is subject to formal approvals by both parties, the Austrian federal government would contribute or coordinate public funding totalling approximately EUR 50 million towards the total investment, as part of its efforts to increase European-based production of essential medicines. Sandoz and the Austrian government anticipate a formal closing of the agreement before the end of the year.

Story continues

The government funding would primarily support new process technology to produce API for penicillin products at Kundl. Sandoz would commit to related penicillin API production in Europe for the next 10 years, despite fierce global price competition, particularly from China.

Steffen Lang, Global Head of Novartis Technical Operations (NTO), said: Novartis is committed to sustain a resilient and competitive supply chain for the essential medicines Sandoz markets. I am proud that NTO is leveraging its market-leading manufacturing expertise to enable Sandoz to further strengthen supply of these vital medicines, and we can build upon the high manufacturing and quality standards at the Kundl site and further deepen its vertical integration.

Sandoz produces enough penicillin products at Kundl to potentially meet all current Europe-wide demand. Kundl is the Sandoz competence center for antibiotic FDFs and the focal point of its European antibiotics manufacturing network. Sandoz is the #1 global supplier of generic antibiotics.

For more information, please visit our digital press kit: https://www.sandoz.com/future-antibiotics-manufacturing-europe

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as plans, planned, intends, potential, can, will, plan, may, could, would, expect, anticipate, look forward, believe, committed, or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding plans for a joint investment, together with the Austrian federal government, to strengthen the long-term competitiveness of Sandoz integrated antibiotic manufacturing operations at Kundl, or regarding potential future revenues from the products described in this press release. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the planned joint investment with the Austrian federal government to strengthen the long-term competitiveness of Sandoz integrated antibiotic manufacturing operations at Kundl will close in the anticipated time frame, or at all. Neither can there be any guarantee that, such planned joint investment will achieve any or all of its intended goals in any particular time frame, or at all. Nor can there be any guarantee that the products described in this press release will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding the planned joint investment with the Austrian federal government and such products could be affected by, among other things, the failure by either party to obtain formal approvals for the planned joint investment; the failure to develop new process technology to produce API for penicillin products at Kundl in the expected time frame, or at all; the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; competition in general, including price competition with Sandoz penicillin products; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; litigation outcomes, including intellectual property disputes or other legal efforts to prevent or limit Sandoz from selling its products; general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases such as COVID-19; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AGs current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Sandoz

Sandoz, a Novartis division, is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars. Our purpose is to pioneer access for patients by developing and commercializing novel, affordable approaches that address unmet medical needs. Our ambition is to be the worlds leading and most valued generics company. Our broad portfolio of high-quality medicines, covering all major therapeutic areas, accounted for 2019 sales of USD 9.7 billion. Sandoz is headquartered in Holzkirchen, in Germanys Greater Munich area.



Sandoz is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Sandoz_global at http://twitter.com/Sandoz_Global.

Sandoz Global Communications

Chris Lewis

Sandoz Global Communications

+49 174 244 9501 (mobile)

chris.lewis@sandoz.com Michelle Bauman

Sandoz Global Communications

+1 973 714 8043 (mobile)

michelle.bauman@sandoz.com





Novartis Media Relations

E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com

Antonio Ligi

Novartis Global Communications

+41 61 324 1374

antonio.ligi@novartis.com Eric Althoff

Novartis US Communications

+1 646 438 4335

eric.althoff@novartis.com









Novartis Investor Relations

Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944

E-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com

Central North America Samir Shah +41 61 324 7944 Sloan Simpson +1 862 778 5052 Thomas Hungerbuehler +41 61 324 8425 Isabella Zinck +41 61 324 7188




Google will not bring its workforce back into its offices until July 2021 at the earliest due to the coronavirus, according to several media outlets.

The Wall Street Journal first reported Monday morning, that the tech giant will extend work-from-home protocols for its 200,000 employees for a year. Chief executive Sundar Pichai arrived at the decision last week after the national debate over whether schools should welcome students back in classrooms in the fall, the Journal reported. Extending work-from-home procedures a year would allow employees to sign year-long leases to better provide the best educational services to their children, the report said.

Google made the announcement to employees via email on Monday.

I know it hasnt been easy, Pichai wrote in a note to staff Monday, according to the Journal. I hope this will offer the flexibility you need to balance work with taking care of yourselves and your loved ones over the next 12 months.

The work-from-home option applies to employees at the companys headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., as well as in other parts of the United States, the United Kingdom and India, according to the report.

Prior to Monday,s announcement, Google had told employees to prepare to return to the office in January.

The move makes Google the first major American corporation to formally initiate such an extended period for remote work, according to the Journal.

Microsoft told employees to prepare to return to the office in the fall. Apple opened some of its stores before eventually closing them.

Facebook has said some of its employees may work from home for the next decade, the report said.

In Massachusetts, offices can open but with 50% capacity. No office space may have more than 10 people per 1,000 square feet.

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Ninth All-India Hindu Rashtra Convention is being organized by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti between 30th July and 2nd August 2020 and 6th through 9th August 2020. All the previous editions of the Convention were held in Goa; however, the forthcoming Convention will be held online due to the Corona pandemic. Along with this Convention, Hindu Rashtra Organisers Convention will also be held between 13th and 16th August 2020.

All eight Conventions held so far received a tremendous response from people with the numbers rising every year. In the last, that is the Eighth All-India Hindu Rashtra Convention witnessed the participation of more than 520 representatives of 174 devout Hindu organizations from 25 States across India. It is notable that these Conventions received participation of representatives of Hindu organizations from other countries too such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Leaders, members of various devout Hindu organizations, advocates, thinkers, editors, businessmen etc. from India and other countries are going to join online in Ninth All-India Hindu Rashtra Convention. Key success points achieved through common action programs planned in all eight Conventions held previously are as follows :

Extensive tasks undertaken through All-India Hindu Conventions !

* Inspired by the All-India Hindu Conventions, 121 regional Hindu Conventions held successfully in different states across India !

* Brought together more than 500 devout Hindu advocates from all over the nation through the medium of Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad aimed at protection of Hindu Dharma and Hindus; sizeable success achieved through them in activities carried out in the interests of Hindus !

* Extensive awareness created against attacks on nation and Dharma through more than 1700 agitations staged across the nation under the aegis of Rashtriya Hindu Andolan held every month !

* Unification of businessmen done through various workshops by organising Udyogpati Parishad!

* Created awareness about malpractices and wrongdoings in all fields related to health through Aarogya Sahayya Samiti  set up as one of the outcomes of these Conventions  in addition to staging movement against such malpractices by lodging complaints with the government !

* Unification of journalists with a nationalistic bent, and those interested in activities related to protection of nation and Dharma, through the medium of Rashtriya Patrakar Manch set up during the Conventions !

* Nationalization of Bhojshala Mukti Andolan at Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) and Tirupati Pavitrata-Raksha Andolan !

* United efforts by devout Hindu activists in border areas between Bangladesh and Bengal against trafficking of cows/cattle !

* Help extended to flood-stricken people of Uttarakhand and people affected by earthquake in Nepal !

* Successfully organized Dharma-jagruti Sabha in several states under the movement, Ek Bharat Abhiyan- Kashmir ki Or for rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus !

* Held quarterly meetings of active leaders of leading devout Hindu organizations in the country !

* Special webinars (Vishesh Parisanvad) held on current affairs during the period of lockdown, with the help of devout Hindu organizations associated through these Conventions. Awareness created amongst millions of people across the country through such webinars !

* Joint movement undertaken by devout Hindu organizations known as Mandir-sanskruti Rakshan Abhiyan and created awareness amongst people through numerous meetings !

The general outline of this upcoming online Convention will be aimed at holding detailed discussions about Hindu organizations and sects contributing towards the interests of nation and Dharma, and key points related to declaring Bharat a Hindu Rashtra; planning common action plans and passing resolutions in the interests of Hindus welfare. We believe that this will create an awareness amongst all patriotic citizens and Hindus towards the need for their devotion on different levels in matters related to interests of nation and Dharma.

Watch Live @

 youtube.com/HinduJagruti

 fb.com/HinduAdhiveshan

 twitter.com/HinduJagrutiOrg

 www.HinduJagruti.Org
WASHINGTON  When the honor guard placed Representative John Lewiss coffin in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday, the civil rights icons body lay upon the same catafalque that President Abraham Lincolns did.

It was a fitting tribute: The raised box that once supported the president most responsible for ending slavery now carried the first Black lawmaker to lie in state in the Rotunda, a man who dedicated his life to ensuring that with freedom came equality.

Under the dome of the U.S. Capitol, we have bid farewell to some of the greatest Americans in our history, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said during an emotional ceremony Monday afternoon to honor Mr. Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who endured numerous arrests and beatings in his lifelong push for civil rights. It is fitting that John Lewis joins this pantheon of patriots.

Speakers recalled Mr. Lewiss remarkable rise in American life, from a farmhouse in Pike County, Ala., with no running water or electricity to his leading role in the effort to end segregation and his ascent to the halls of Congress.
Scranton, PA (18503)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early followed by periods of snow showers late. Low near 25F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early followed by periods of snow showers late. Low near 25F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%.
New Delhi: Rajasthan legislator Rajendra Singh Gudha is one of the six MLAs that jumped from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to the Congress in September last year but hes not losing any sleep over the diktat thats been issued by his party. Speaking to Hindustan Times from the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur, he said, This whip (order not to vote in support of Ashok Gehlot) isnt worth the paper its issued on.

Gudhas blase attitude is partly because hes done this many times before. It was 2008 assembly polls that he first fought on a BSP ticket from Udaipurwati. Just like in 2018, the BSP had that year as well won six seats, their best performance in the state. And again, just like post 2018, Gehlot had engineered all six MLAs to join the Congress party. In fact, Gudha and another MLA Murari Meena were the original BSP MLAs who are MLAs even now. Whats interesting about Gudha, however, is that while he was a Congress minister till 2013, he went back to the BSP ahead of the last polls because the Congress didnt give him a ticket again.

You should ask the BSP why they again gave me a ticket, he said. As far as the anti-defection laws go, you have to have 2/3rd of the party but in this case, we had the entire party leaving for the Congress. So whats the problem? Gudha is also infamous for alleging in the assembly last year, that the BSP handed tickets to only those that paid. It was an allegation strongly rejected by the party at the time.

His former BSP colleague Murari Meena however has a completely different point of view. That may also stem from the fact that Meena is with Team Sachin Pilot while Gudha supports Gehlot. Meena has been with the Congress since he switched from the BSP in 2008.

The BSP challenge is on a legally sound ground, said Meena, In 2008, the BSP merger challenge didnt stand the scrutiny of the court because it was filed by an outsider. This time it has been challenged by an MLA.

That MLA is the BJPs Madan Dilawar but the Rajasthan High Court dismissed his petition today. BSP chief Mayawatis move to challenge the merger came as a statement that it was only possible if the BSP had merged nationally with the Congress Party. The six MLAs are key to the Congress which has it took its tally from 99 to a comfortable majority of 105 without the help of supporting independents and other parties.

The merger took place months ago. It is surprising why the BSP central leadership has woken up and realised the merger was illegal. BSP is making this plea only after a BJP MLA - Madan Dilawar has filed a petition in the HC to disqualify the BSP MLAs. The BSP and Mr Dilawar are both wrong, said Sunil Fernandes, a lawyer who is representing the Congress Party. The X Schedule permits merger of legislative party also. The contention that BSP as a national party must merge with the INC for the BSP MLAs to merge with INC is misconceived. The parent party may not merge but members of a legislative party have the right to merge with some other party under the X Schedule (Anti - Defection Act) of the Constitution.

Fernandes was countering the contention of BSPs senior leader Satish Mishra who in a statement last night said that individual MLAs cannot merge unless there was a national level merger between the two parties.

Whip was issued as the MLAs had won elections on BSP tickets and they cant get involved in Congress activities or vote for them. BSP chief decided this after a lot of deliberation. Were working on her (Mayawatis) directions, said BSPs Bhagwan Singh Baba.

Its wrong to see this as cosying up to BJP, said a BSP MP speaking on condition of anonymity, Why should we sit quiet when the party which has repeatedly stabbed us in the back is now getting a taste of its own medicine?

The BJP said that governor or the court should intervene.

A constitutional & legal situation has risen. Either the High Court should decide or the Governor should intervene in the matter, said Satish Poonia, BJP incharge of the state.
UPPER THUMB  During the Aug. 4 election, there are some key contested races for Tuscola County positions.

There is a lot of interest in who will be the next county treasurer. Republicans Ashley Bennett and Rita Papp will square off for the open position.

It is the first time in 48 years the position has been open. Treasurer Patricia Donovan-Gray is not seeking re-election. She plans to retire at the end of the year.

The race between Bennett and Papp is expected to be a close one as they both have experience in county government.

Bennett is the current chief deputy treasurer for Tuscola County. She has worked in that office for the last four years.

Papp is presently the Tuscola County deputy clerk, and has been since 2013. She has over 30 years of accounting experience.

The other key race is for the District 2 commission seat, which includes the city of Caro as well as the townships of Almer, Kingston, Ellington and Novesta.

Incumbent Thomas Bardwell of Cass City is challenged by fellow Republican newcomer Richard Lipan of Caro.

Bardwell has been a commissioner since 2005 and chair of the board since 2010. He owns several small businesses, which include a consulting company and a maple syrup operation.

Lipan is also a businessman who operates a couple of businesses. He has also served for about 10 years on the Caro city council. He has also served on the Indianfields Township Planning Commission, and served as chairman of the Caro Zoning Board of Appeals.

There is also a contested race in commission District 4, with newcomer Republicans Roger A. Bacon Sr., and Douglas DuRussel squaring off for the open position. Mark Jensen is not seeking reelection.

That district covers the townships of Arbela, Millington, Tuscola, and Watertown.

There is a contested race in District 5, with incumbent Daniel Grimshaw (R) challenged by newcomer Dean A. Tomlinson (R).

That district covers the city of Vassar, and the townships of Denmark, Juniata, and Vassar.

There is also a contested seat for road commissioner. Incumbent John Jack Laurie is challenged by fellow Republican newcomer David Lee Kennard.

The following county seats that are unopposed and will be on the ballot include: Prosecutor Mark E. Reene (R), Sheriff Glen G. Skrent (R), Clerk Jodi Fetting (R), Register of Deeds John Bishop (R), Drain Commissioner Robert Mantey (R), and Judge Jason E. Bitzer for District Court 71B.

Also, there is a countywide issue on the ballot.

Voters will be asked to approve 0.6316 of a mill renewal for six years for mosquito abatement in the county.

If approved, the millage would generate about $1,131,904 the first year, and would cost the property owner of an $80,000 home about $2.53 a year.

Also, the Unionville-Sebewaing Area School District will ask voters in the in the districts coverage area townships of Akron, Columbia, and Wisner to approve a $2,570,000 bond proposal that equals out to be 0.80 of a mill for 10 years. Passage of the proposal would cost a property owner of an $80,000 home about $32 a year.

Townships in the Tribunes coverage areas:

Russell Speirs (R) is running unopposed for Ellington Township supervisor, and Suzy Rockwell (R) is running unopposed for Ellington Township clerk, Carmell K. Pattullo (R) is running unopposed for treasurer, and Laura M. Boyke-Hawes (R) and Gregg Scott Campbell (R) are running unopposed for trustee.

Christopher Graff (R) is running unopposed for Elmwood supervisor, and Pam Brinkman (R) is running unopposed for Elmwood Township clerk, and Nicholas Bliss (R) and Joan A. Sattleberg (R) are running unopposed for trustee.

Christine Kolar (D) is running unopposed for Columbia Township clerk, and Christina J. Parmenter (R) is running unopposed for Columbia Township treasurer, and Dara Hood (R) is running unopposed for trustee.

Heather Severance (R) is running unopposed for Elkland Township clerk, and Cynthia J. Kruse (R) is running unopposed for Elkland Township Treasurer, and Tavis B. Osentoski (R) and Steve Wright (R) are running unopposed for trustee.
(Natural News) Ready for brain surgery from a doctor whos just experimenting and doesnt really know what hes doing? Well then, youre not ready for a covid vaccine either, because its all just one big experiment, with no proper clinical trials for safety or effectiveness, without dangerous health side effects. In everybodys frenzy, especially parents of young children and pregnant women, to get injected with anything that might stave off coronavirus 2.1, lets all remember (or learn if you dont know history) that back in the 1950s and 60s, more than 20,000 prescriptions of thalidomide were dished out to pregnant women for their morning sickness, though it was never tested on pregnant women at all.

The actual patients were considered the clinical trial, just like 200 million Americans (or more) will be the guinea pigs for the new covid jab. Yes, thalidomide was tested on a mass target market of naive pregnant women, and the result was 20 thousand babies born with horrific birth defects, like shortened limbs, and the drug was then quickly pulled from market, too little, way too late. Many other babies died from thalidomide around their time of birth, and others suffered heart, eye, ear and urinary tract problems.

Will you be the guinea pig for dangerous, experimental vaccine clinical trials come January 2021?

No vaccine has ever made it to market as fast as theyre saying this covid shot will, and theres no possible way it will be tested that quickly for safety or efficacy either. This is how the savage medical industry, called I.G. Farben, in Nazi Germany, functioned. It was basically a biological weapons program, just like the vaccine industry in the USA right now. The ironic part of this story is that thalidomide was developed by Nazi Germanys chemical industrial complex, just like American chemotherapy today. Ever heard of Zyklon B? Same gas used in the gas chambers is used on US crops as a pesticide now. Dont you know glyphosate is the new deadly Zyklon B for humans who eat Roundup Ready crops, like GM corn and soy?

American doctors assured all pregnant women that thalidomide was safe and effective, just as they all will be instructed to do for Pfizers dangerous covid vaccine

In the 1930s through the 60s, more than 20,000 US medical doctors endorsed cigarettes as healthy, good for digestion, and they even recommended their favorite brands, even after science-proven studies that showed smoking causes lung cancer. They still pushed cigarettes for 30 years, killing US citizens slowly and treating them with more toxins called prescription medications.

Then, the FDA approved thalidomide, knowing it was dangerous and created mutant babies all across America. All doctors were told to stand down and not say anything, until the lawsuit settlements became too large, then they would finally recall the drug from market. No apologies. No fixing the damage that was done for decades.

Everything medical thats corrupt and dangerous is always touted as safe and effective. Thats the favorite slogan, especially for the vaccine industry, even though theyve doled out over $4 billion in vaccine damages in the past two decades. Yep, and mostly for the influenza vaccine that contains mercury. Deadly mercury.

The new covid vaccine is expected to contain human abortion cells and possibly untested, experimental time-release capsules of medications that could terminate pregnancies, cause birth defects, cause mad-hatter-syndrome, or even cause a major outbreak of the live viral strains via shedding (the vaccinated people spread it for 2+ weeks after getting the vaccine).

Is this the last war crime of the Nazis, or was it thalidomide? Maybe its Bayer/Monsantos pesticides on our crops that are like a slow-churning, burning gas chamber of death delivered by cancer and dementia. Now they literally use thalidomide in chemotherapy for cancer patients in the US. Its part of the program where if you check into a hospital with cancer, you never check out again.

Tune your internet dial to Vaccines.news for updates on how to charge Bill Gates with crimes against humanity for funding and pushing toxic vaccines on the world. This is not conspiracy theory. The US government, along with the CDC, Merck, Pfizer, and several others put freaky ingredients in todays vaccines to purposely harm Americans and limit the population. Check the CDC website for vaccines yourself right here if you dont believe they use mercury, African Green Kidney cells, human abortion cells, MSG, formaldehyde, and deadly pig viruses called circovirus. What else do you not know?

Sources for this article include:

Mcall.com

NaturalNews.com

Vaccines.news

CDC.gov/vaccines
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Melbourne, Australia  Mon, July 27, 2020 08:40 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066972fad 2 World virus-corona,novel-coronavirus,Australia,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-death-toll,COVID-19-infection,second-wave,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2 Free

Australia has suffered its deadliest day from the coronavirus since the pandemic began, with authorities reporting ten fatalities Sunday and a rise in new infections despite an intensive lockdown effort.

The country's COVID-19 death toll rose to 155 and the southeastern state of Victoria reported more than 450 new infections in the last 24 hours.

A clearly concerned Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said ten people aged between their 40s and 80s had died, of which seven deaths were linked to outbreaks in aged care facilities.

It is the worst loss of life from the virus in Australia since the disease first emerged, according to a tally compiled by AFP.

Australia has dodged the worst ravages of the pandemic so far, logging just 14,000 cases in total -- fewer than many harder-hit countries see in one day.

But a second wave of infections is testing the nation's much-lauded response to the contagion.

The number of new cases has remained stubbornly high in recent days despite five million people in greater Melbourne spending the last two weeks in lockdown.

Masks are mandatory in the city and Victoria is virtually sealed off from the rest of the country.

Police and the military are guarding state borders and visiting homes to enforce quarantine orders.

Still, 459 fresh cases were reported in Victoria on Sunday -- up from 357 on Saturday. Around a dozen more were recorded in other parts of Australia.

"These things change rapidly, but we have to say these numbers are far too high," Andrews said.
Two demonstrators died in Baghdad early Monday after being shot in confrontations with security forces, the first victims of protest-related violence under a new Iraqi premier who had promised a dialogue with activists. The deaths threaten to reignite an unprecedented protest movement against government graft and incompetence that erupted across Baghdad and southern Iraq in October but had waned in recent months. On Sunday, demonstrators staged angry rallies in the capital and several southern cities, where temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) have swelled demand for air-conditioning, overwhelming dilapidated power grids. In Baghdad, dozens gathered at the protest hub of Tahrir Square, clashing with police and other security forces. "Two protesters died this morning. One was shot with a tear gas canister in the head, and another in the neck," a medical source told AFP on Monday. Their bodies were carried through Tahrir by fellow activists, before being driven to the Shiite holy city of Najaf south of the capital for burial. "We had no guns, no knives, just our chants," said Ahmad Jabbar, a male protester in the square. "We (clashed) with them for six hours. They wouldn't even let the ambulances come get the wounded," he told AFP. - 'No difference' - More rallies have been called for Monday night, with activists demanding the release of fellow protesters arrested the previous evening. "If our guys aren't freed, we're going to ramp up our efforts. We're staying in our tents, and we're not afraid," said protester Maytham al-Darraji. The two deaths were the first since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who had promised a dialogue with protesters, took office in May. His office acknowledged "unfortunate events" in protest squares, but insisted security forces had been instructed not to use violence unless absolutely necessary. It said the government would carry out an investigation and hold those responsible to account. But protesters were already comparing Kadhemi to his predecessor Adel Abdel Mahdi, who stepped down last year after he was blamed for a violent response to rallies. "As it turns out, there's no difference between the governments of Kadhemi and Abdel Mahdi," said Darraji. Around 550 people were killed in the previous wave of rallies and another 30,000 wounded, many of them by military-grade tear gas canisters that can pierce the skull if fired directly rather than lobbed in an arc to disperse crowds. There was virtually no accountability for those deaths under Abdel Mahdi; Kadhemi had pledged to publish a list of all the victims, carry out investigations and listen to protesters' demands. Online, Iraqis shared a doctored image of Abdel Mahdi's handover to Kadhemi that depicted the outgoing premier pushing a collection of tear gas canisters and a rifle toward his successor. The United Nations said it "deplored" the violence. "Iraqis are in a difficult place facing many challenges. Their right to peaceful protest must be protected unconditionally," the UN's office in Iraq (UNAMI) said. - 'We want AC!' - Hundreds of people also staged rallies in the southern cities of Kut and Hillah on Sunday. In the southern flashpoint city of Nasiriyah, they briefly cut roads and chanted: "We can't stand it, we want AC!" Kadhemi chaired an emergency meeting alongside Iraq's electricity minister on Monday and said he would "spare no effort" to improve the power situation for citizens. Protests over power cuts, poor water access and other failing public services are normal across Iraq, whose infrastructure has been battered by decades of war and lack of investment. Last year, rallies focused on infrastructure morphed into a broader movement slamming the entire ruling class as corrupt, unqualified and beholden to neighbouring Iran. When Kadhemi came to power, observers saw him as a rare figure of compromise. But he has struggled to keep Iraq afloat as the coronavirus pandemic has spread, state revenues have been slashed by a collapse in oil prices and security has worsened. Rockets continue to hit sites across Iraq where foreign troops and diplomats are based, and a German woman was briefly abducted last week.
Presiding Bishop of the Perez Chapel International, Bishop Charles Agyinasare has said that his integrity is intact and nothing can be done to soil it with tagging of promiscuity by some faceless persons.



The Man of God came under attack in the course of last week for his sermon that condemned the collapse of local businesses especially the indigenous banks by the government of Ghana.



He was linked with the First Trust Savings and Loans and was allegedly tagged as one of the persons whose loans led to the collapse of the organization just because the Founder of the Financial Institution celebrated him on one of his birthdays in a post on Facebook; an allegation he has vehemently denied.



On Sunday while preaching his sermon to his congregants through the Virtual Church, he indicated that his integrity can never be questioned.



He said Ive not kissed anyone other than my wife in 35 years. By the grace of God, I have lived a life of sexual purity from the age of 18 when I got born again in 1980.



Since then, the only woman I have had sex with is my wife and that happened after we got married in August 1985. I am proud to say in my 35 years of marriage, I have not kissed, smooched, or had sex with anyone except my wife, he asserted.



All our offices, he noted: Have glass doors, so people can see the inside during counseling. After pastoring 20 years in Accra, my Church Board, made up of noblemen and women, insisted that I get a security door since I dont even counsel the opposite sex without my security, sitting inside by the door.



Additionally, he said: My wife also has my access codes to my phones, IPad and computers.



With regard to money, Bishop Agyinasare popularly referred to as the Nations prophet and the pastor said he even pays taxes on gifts. I paid taxes even on the gift of trips of sand.



I had always wanted to step off stage when I go on retirement to say, like the Prophet Samuel, the last judge of Israel, said in 1 Sam. 12:3 and 4: Here I am. witness against me before the Lord and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you. 1 Sam. 12:4: And they said, You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any mans hand.



He said: I also knew there would come a day when my financial integrity would be questioned and, so, I have never made my wife count church offerings before.



When we founded Perez Chapel in 1987 (then Word Miracle Church) in Tamale, I lived with my wife and some of my dependents in a house without electricity nor pipe-borne water for two years at the new Vittin Estates. My landlord was the father of the late Mr Angenu. We lived on my wifes salary and gifts from loved ones. When we receive the tithes and offering as a church, they are counted by, at least, two people and recorded, then paid to the cashier and then it is lodged at the bank, he narrated.



He continued: We do not disburse from the collection point, what we use in a particular week is requested the previous Friday as an imprest. All other expenses are paid with a cheque with a principal signatory and, at least, one of the other three signatories on the account. For any expense, a voucher has to be raised, which must be approved. I can approve a payment and the accountant can stop it if he sees it does not meet accounting procedure. I accepted that checks and balances.



Also, Bishop Agyinasare revealed that: Every full-time pastor and full-time worker is on a salary, and their Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and Provident Fund obligations are duly met. Most workers of government institutions and pastors of most established churches live in the government bungalow or the churches mission house. I live in my own house in Accra. I bought the land in 1992 from a high court judge (justice Mrs Selassie Williams) and when she asked for the name to use and I said Charles Agyinasare, she asked: And what about your wife? So, it was bought in the name of Charles and Vivian Agyinasare. It took me two years to finish paying for the land, he recounted.



Further, Bishop Agyinasare said: When I started building, apart from the taxes the church office paid on my salary, every year, I computed and filed my personal taxes even to the trips of sand people gifted me. We moved into our house in 1999 with only the outside plastered and the floors tiled and outside doors with only the master bedroom door fitted. It took us six years whilst living in the house to complete it.



Apart from his financial transparency, Bishop Agyinasare also said he is very generous and philanthropic.



The panacea for covetousness is giving, so I have many people I personally pay school fees for every year from basic school to university.



Narrating a recent incident to buttress that point, Bishop Agyinasare said: Last week, 18 July 2020, a man asked me for help and when I did the MoMo. I transferred all the money in the account to him by accident and then I realised it. When we called MTN to block the money, they returned a call to us that the gentleman said: The Bishop paid my childrens school fees; recently when I was going for surgery, the Bishop paid for it etc. If he has over-sent me money, I would transfer that money back to him. And he did.



I have been privileged to sit on various boards etc. and in all the places, I used my sitting allowance to set up a scholarship fund for brilliant but needy students. Maybe when I am 60 years old and I sit on any Board, I would now chop the sitting allowance, he said.



Bishop Agyinasare said for Christians to strive to live above board, it is important they do not hide their faith from others.



I recollect a story about a manager who got to his office one day and asked his subordinates, How many of you know that Im a Christian? There was an embarrassing long silence then one person quipped, Well, we didnt know because your Christianity was a real secret.



It was quite obvious from the response that the managers subordinates knew well that their bosss real character was a false definition of Christianity, Bishop Agyinasare illustrated.



By the grace of God, I have lived an open and transparent leadership style with my staff, including my associate pastors and children. There is, therefore, no hidden part of me that they do not know.



I have never done a deal with any staff member, so, I am not afraid when they leave me, there is nothing they would go and leak. It is said because the lion did not tell its story, the hunter came and told only how he killed the lion. I am not perfect but there are things I have been very particular about and one of them is my integrity.

Source: mynewsgh.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

In the race to stop the spread of COVID-19, New Mexicos contact tracing effort is falling behind.

Data released by the state last week showed the median time for the state to contact and recommend isolation for a person who has tested positive for the virus has nearly tripled over the past month to 81 hours.

At the same time, the median time for the state to identify and notify those who have been exposed to someone who tested positive has more than doubled to 108 hours.

The large increase in COVID-19 cases over the past month is to blame, state officials said.

Its really a volume issue, said Dr. David Scrase, the lead medical adviser on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams pandemic response .

The numbers of tests and new cases have soared in the past month, although positive tests appeared to be hitting a plateau last week at a little over 300 a day. And testing hit a snag due to a supply problem.

In the first step of contact tracing, the state notifies a person who tested positive of the need to self-isolate. The second step is identifying who may have come into contact with that person and alerting them of their exposure and need to quarantine.

Time is of the essence, experts say. Some say those exposed should be notified within 48 hours after a positive test is reported.

The window of opportunity to find them (those exposed) before they themselves become infectious and could infect someone else is pretty quick, said Emily Gurley, an infectious disease epidemiologist with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They (contact tracers) have a very short time to be optimally effective.

During a Journal interview, Scrase noted the success New Mexico contact tracers have had reaching people by phone  83% of the time. That percentage is nearly double that reported by other states, such as Louisiana, he said.

The effectiveness of contact tracing only kicks in when you talk to people, and the 83% both in cases and contacts is really a good sign, Scrase said.

But one national group, Covid Act Now, reported that with only 250 or so contact tracers statewide, New Mexico had insufficient tracing to stop the spread of COVID. The group estimated that only 17% of contacts are being traced in the state and that more than 1,000 more tracers are needed.

New Mexico Department of Health spokesman David Morgan told the Journal that while the DOH is hiring hundreds of temporary employees to work as contact tracers, additional Department of Health employees have had to be reassigned from daily duties to conduct contact tracing investigations.

The state has contracted with Accenture Healthcare Services to set up a call center for contact tracing at a cost of more than $12.5 million, according to records obtained by the Journal. The contract says that up to 600 tracers could eventually be hired. The call center is now open.

But two months after the contract was signed, the New Mexico State Personnel office was seeking last week to hire two top DOH administrators for the states contact tracing effort.

A contact tracing bureau chief is needed to work with the state epidemiologist, the Health Department director and the governor to develop a regional based plan for contact tracing in New Mexico, the states job listing said.

The state is also advertising for a new chief state epidemiologist, after Dr. Michael Landen retired in June.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel has also announced her retirement but will stay in the job until a replacement is hired.

Theres a million reasons why New Mexico and America need to get its case numbers under control: preserve life, of course; spare people severe, sometimes unpredictable, illness  but another item not often discussed in media is the public health labor force, Morgan told the Journal in an email.

Changing behavior

Typically, those infected with coronavirus can be contagious two days before the onset of their illness.

Every case requires action to be sure theyre limiting their contact with people and to make sure theyre changing their behavior, Gurley said during a Johns Hopkins online course about contact tracing.

Self-quarantine by those who may have been exposed is one of the best ways we can limit the spread of this disease, she added.

Lovelace Medical Group CEO John Cruickshank recently told the Journal that instead of waiting for the state, Lovelace did its own contact tracing after a COVID-19 outbreak of four cases at its New Mexico Heart Institute in early July. More than 100 patients were notified of their potential exposure.

The DOH, I would say, is struggling to keep up with the amount of contact tracing that needs to be done, Cruickshank said, noting he meets with state officials regularly for updates on the pandemic. Were not going to wait for the DOH; were going to collaborate with them.

CNN quoted a health expert at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas earlier this month as saying contact tracing was near impossible in the South and Southwest because of the rapid surge in cases.

Other states, including Delaware, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Washington and West Virginia, have brought in the National Guard for help with contact tracing.

Contact tracing is a decades-old practice in public health for addressing communicable diseases and illnesses, Morgan said.

However, its never been done on a scale like this in America, he said. The (New Mexico) Department of Health has just switched all COVID-case investigations to a single online platform that not only protects the medical and contact information of patients and those potentially exposed to them, but documents when they were called, what was discussed and every attempt to contact throughout the process, Morgan said.

Morgan said the causes of New Mexicos increasing case numbers are not enough staying home, minimizing contact with people in large public places, and not enough masking or distancing as they do it.

Asymptomatic cases

COVID Act Now, a multidisciplinary team of technologists, epidemiologists, health experts and public policy leaders, provides state-by-state data analysis and modeling on COVID-19 in the United States.

The teams website said that as of July 22, New Mexico needs to boost its number of contact tracers to 1,430, given its average at that time of 286 of new daily cases.

At these lower levels of tracing, it is unlikely New Mexico will be able to successfully identify and isolate sources of disease spread fast enough to prevent new outbreaks, COVID Act Now said.

Scrase said that estimate of the tracers needed was too high.

He said new data shows that 50% of New Mexicans who have tested positive for the virus do not have symptoms.

I am certain that part of that is effective contact tracing. In the contact tracing world, wed like all our cases to be asymptomatic so we can track down people before they get sick and further isolate them, he said.

Another key to stopping the spread is rapid testing, which in New Mexico can take from under 48 hours for a result to sometimes more than 10 days if the test is sent out of state for analysis.

Scrase said he learned of a case in which someone had to wait 13 days for a result.

When it takes you longer to get the test results than you would have spent in isolation, you kind of have defeated the purpose of getting the test.

Aiming for shorter times

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration adopted gating criteria that lists contact tracing among the factors to consider as the state tries to safely reopen during the pandemic.

For a contact of a person who tested positive, the gating criteria target is within 24 hours or less. For those potentially exposed, it is 36 hours or less.

NM aims to have contact tracing times as low as possible. A downward trend is the desired development, a state website says.

That data, reported regularly, showed that on June 20, the median time reported for public health contact of a person who tested positive was 28 hours  close to the target. But by July 17, the median time jumped to 81 hours.

For those deemed potentially exposed, the median time for a contact was 56 hours on June 20. By July 17, it was 108 hours.

Those who miss a phone call from a state public health contact tracer cannot return the call but should wait for a call back, according to a state website.

And for those reticent to pick up the phone if they see an unknown number on caller ID, Scrase urges them to answer the call anyway.

It could be the Department of Health calling you because you could be a contact of somebody that you dont know has COVID. And you dont want to miss that call.
Jaipur: Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra will summon assembly session if Ashok Gehlot-led government agrees on giving 21-day notice amid coronavirus pandemic situation, according to Raj Bhawan sources. The Governor earlier returned Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's proposal for the assembly session from Friday with a few queries.

Ashok Gehlot today sent a revised proposal to the Governor but it also failed to cut ice with the Governor, who issued a statement, "The Raj Bhavan (Governor) has no intention of not calling the assembly session," adding it would be difficult to call all MLAs at short notice during the pandemic."

"Can you consider giving 21 days' notice to the MLAs?," the Governor's note said, asking how will the social distancing be maintained during the assembly session. Kalraj Mishra also wrote that the state government should undertake to broadcast live the proceedings of a floor test if it takes place.

This was the second time that Mishra has returned a Cabinet proposal on convening the assembly, amid the power tussle in Rajasthan.

The Congress, however, accused the Governor of acting under pressure from the BJP to stall a test of strength in the assembly.

The Supreme Court, meanwhile, allowed Rajasthan Speaker CP Joshi to withdraw his petition against the rebel MLAs including now-sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot who raised a banner of revolt against the Gehlot government.

Last week, the had refused to restrain the Rajasthan High Court from passing an order on the plea of the rebel MLAs challenging the disqualification notice against them. It also said that it would be subject to the outcome of the petition before the apex court.

In a relief for Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led government, the Rajasthan High Court today dismissed a petition filed by a BJP MLA challenging the merger of six BSP MLAs with the Congress party in the state.

Earlier today, the High Court had asked Additional Advocate General RP Singh, appearing for the state government, to seek all information from the Assembly Speaker regarding the petition.

BJP MLA Madan Dilawar had moved a petition in the High Court seeking directions to quash the merger of six BSP MLAs with the Congress party, which had helped the ruling party in retaining a majority in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.

The petition had also challenged the Speaker`s inaction in not deciding on his plea seeking disqualification of the six MLAs from the Assembly.
Guwahati, July 27 : One more person died in Assam's Golaghat district, taking the death toll to 103, even as the overall flood situation in the state further improved on Monday, officials said.

While 22.34 lakh people in 2,026 villages across 22 of the state's 33 districts still remained affected by the floods, triggered by heavy rains, the number has come down since Friday when over 28 lakh people in 2,543 villages in 26 of the 33 districts were hit, officials said.

A total of 109,236 hectares of crop area is still inundated, but the area has come down from 122,573 hectares as on July 24.

However, officials said that five major rivers flowing down from neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, including the Brahmaputra, are in a state of spate in seven districts.

Forest and Disaster Department officials also said that at least 132 wild animals have died due to the floods and 162 have been rescued, even as over 80 per cent of the 884 sq km Kaziranga National Park remained inundated. The animals that have died in the annual monsoon flood include 14 rhinos, 98 hog deer, eight wild boars, five wild buffaloes, three porcupines and two swamp deer.

The officials said that not only the Kaziranga National Park, located on edge of the eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspots of Golaghat and Nagaon districts, but the Manas, R.G. Orang and Tinsukia national parks, and the Pabitora and Tinsukia wildlife sanctuaries were also affected and many wild animals have perished.

According to the officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Assam has recorded 15 per cent excess rainfall so far since June 1, when the four month-long monsoon season started. Since June 1, Assam recorded 944.7 mm rainfall against the normal 819.2 mm.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said that of the affected people, a major section, at 16.48 lakh, are in the state's five western districts -- Goalpara (462,084), Barpeta (381,008), Morigaon (300,730), Dhubri (254,929) and South Salmara (249,423).

At least 103 persons have died so far in the ongoing floods in 22 districts, while 26 others were killed in landslides since May 22.

The Brahmaputra river has been flowing above the danger mark in a large number of places in four districts, and as many as four other major rivers -- Dhansiri, Jia Bharali, Kopili and Beki -- are flowing above the danger mark in many places in four districts.

The district administrations have set up around 432 relief camps and distribution centres in 22 districts, where around 46,000 flood-hit people have sheltered.

Besides erosion of river banks at a large number of places, roads, embankments, bridges, culverts and other infrastructure were damaged at many locations in 22 districts, the officials said, adding that hundreds of houses were fully or partially damaged due to the floods.

A total of 16 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and many teams of the State Disaster Response Force, along with the district and local administration, are working to rescue the affected people and render relief services, including distribution of necessary materials to the marooned villagers.
The Gates Korea union members hold a rally in front of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, July 16, to protest the company's shutdown of its factory in Daegu. / Courtesy of Korean Metal Workers' Union



By Park Jae-hyuk



The sudden shutdown of a profitable foreign auto parts manufacturer's factory in Daegu has caused fierce criticisms of Blackstone, the world's largest private equity firm (PEF).



Blackstone is regarded as the de facto owner of Gates Korea, which decided to close its mechanical rubber plant in the nation's fourth-largest city and withdraw from the country, Aug. 1, three decades after it arrived in 1989.



Gates Korea announced the decision to its 147 employees, June 26, saying the COVID-19 pandemic advanced its large-scale restructuring intended to improve its business efficiency globally.



After the announcement, the Gates Korea union put the blame on the PEF which acquired the U.S.-based Gates headquarters from Onex and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for $5.4 billion in 2014.



Based in Denver, Colorado, the manufacturer has over 100 factories in 30 countries including Korea. Gates Korea is a joint venture between Gates having a 51 percent stake and Japan's Nitta which holds the remaining 49 percent.



According to a regulatory filing by Gates Korea, the company has posted 124.9 billion won ($104 million) in accumulated operating profit since 2000 and 104.1 billion won in accumulated net income.



The union claimed the foreign capital firm is avoiding its social responsibility here, even though it has been exempt from acquisition and property taxes for building a factory in Korea and distributed a significant amount of dividends to its overseas shareholders.



The workers also said the Gates headquarters seeks to import components from China to Korea at lower cost through its sales subsidiary here, Gates Unitta Korea.



"Blackstone ditched Korean workers to maximize its profits," the union said in a statement. "It cited COVID-19 as a reason. If the government stays quiet about it, more foreign companies will follow suit."



The union called for the government and the ruling party to punish Blackstone and Gates Korea by reclaiming tax incentives given to them and taking legal action against their unilateral decision.



"The largest shareholder of Gates Korea is the PEF. The ultimate goal of a PEF is creating profit, not fostering industries," Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade senior researcher Lee Hang-gu said. "PEFs can hardly see profits if they unload their loss-making portfolio companies, so they tend to exit their investments when their portfolio companies see profits."



Blackstone declined to comment on this issue, according to its PR agency here.



"Blackstone is not the largest shareholder of Gates Korea," an official at the local PR agency said. "The factory closure was decided by Gates and Nitta. Blackstone was irrelevant to this decision."


A DEBUT author who waited 40 years to write a memoir about travelling the world on a motorcycle is delighted to be beating some big names on the best-seller lists.

Chris Donaldson's first novel, Going The Wrong Way, tells the story of his epic motorbike journey from a Troubles-ridden Belfast in 1978 out into the unknown and across almost every continent.

The now 62-year-old planned the tome four decades ago - and now the self-published book is competing with efforts by the likes of Jeremy Clarkson and Lewis Hamilton.

"I left here and basically drove off the edge of my map. There was a huge degree of uncertainty about it all, which you just wouldn't experience now," Chris told Sunday Life.

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"I suppose that makes it interesting for young people to see what travelling was like back then.

"It's basically about a journey I made when I left college. I always fancied driving a motorbike to Australia. I had read about it and always wanted to do it. I thought it would be a great adventure.

"I left in the middle of the Troubles. I had been brought up in Belfast and went to Inst (Royal Belfast Academical Institution). I saw bombs going off all the time and that probably gave me a little bit of preparation for all the uncertainty which would follow.

"My father's business was blown up on a regular basis and I had friends who were shot, but in those days nobody thought anything of it - it was just what we did.

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"Conflict was part of my desire to go, but it also it wasn't. I wanted to see what was beyond Northern Ireland... I wanted to see the world.

"My timing was disastrous, though. When I decided to go, the Ayatollah took over the (US) Embassy in Iran and blocked all routes east.

"That meant years of planning going down the drain, but I wanted to keep going, so I just headed south until I eventually ended up in South Africa. I worked on boats before moving on from there. It was a wandering journey from place to place, as journeys are.

"When I was there, I thought it was the end of the road again because Apartheid was in full swing, but somehow I managed to get myself a job working on a yacht. The next thing you know, I'm involved in a yacht race - an impossible thing to do these days.

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"I ended up in America and continued the journey into Canada before heading down to central and south America, so ironically I ended up on every continent except Australia.

"Considering I have never written a book before, the feedback has been tremendous. It's great to see myself with all those big names on the Amazon charts. It took me two years to do the journey and 40 years to write about it.

"I'm so grateful to my wife, Julie, for being my editor and telling me when I am talking nonsense, which she definitely did when I wasn't writing well."

After returning to these shores, the notes Chris made on his travels ended up in a drawer for 40 years because he felt unable to compete with British travel writer Ted Simon, who published a similar book in 1979.

"(The book) was something I always wanted to do and I took extensive notes throughout," he said.

"I intended to write it when I got home, but a guy called Ted Simon had written something similar called Jupiter's Travels.

"It was a very good book I was not going to be able to compete with, or so I thought, so all my journeys went into a drawer.

"A journey like that is more about the effect it has on you than the experiences you have.

"I have stories about camping out in the middle of winter, for example, which are quite surreal and quite different from anything else. It gives me a different viewpoint.

"It's a coming-of-age story for me and about how it affected me at the time and since, rather than a motorcycle expedition."

Going The Wrong Way by Chris Donaldson is available on Amazon
Lewis Hamilton insisted today he was 'misinterpreted' after he sparked backlash for sharing an anti-vaxxer video with his 18.3million Instagram followers which accused Bill Gates of lying about Covid-19 vaccine trials.

The six-time Formula One champion, 35, shared a video by content creator King Bach on his Instagram story twice, which shows tech billionaire Bill Gates being interviewed about the progress being made to develop a vaccine to fight Covid-19.

The caption on the video, which was not written by Hamilton, reads: 'I remember when I told my first lie.'

In the footage, Gates can be heard playing down concerns of potential side-effects of a vaccine and rubbishes the baseless conspiracy theory that he plans to embed tracking chips into it once developed.

Hamilton has since issued an Instagram statement saying he had not seen the caption on the video and that the post had been misinterpreted after social media users criticised him for spreading 'antivax nonsense' and 'misinformation'.

Lewis Hamilton (right) has faced fierce criticism after he shared an anti-vaxxer video to his Instagram story (left) which came with the caption: 'I remember when I told my first lie'

Fans of Hamilton spoke out against the 'irresponsible nonsense' he re-posted on to his page

He wrote on social media: 'I've noticed some comments on my earlier post about the coronavirus vaccine, and want to clarify my thoughts on it, as I understand why they might have been misinterpreted.

'Firstly I hadn't actually seen the comment attached so that is totally my fault and I have a lot of respect for the charity work Bill Gates does.

'I also want to be clear that I am not against a vaccine and no doubt it will be important in the fight against coronavirus, and I'm hopeful for its development to save lives.

'However after watching the video, I felt it showed that there is still a lot of uncertainty about the side effects most importantly and how it is going to be funded. I may not always get my posting right. I'm only human but I'm learning as we go.'

Gates, the Microsoft founder, now directs much of his time and energy to his global health foundation and backs South Korean company SK Bioscience.

He gave $3.6million (2.8m) to the company in May for the purpose of accelerating the development of a vaccine to combat Covid-19.

And in a letter to South Korean president Moon Jae-in, as reported by Fortune, Gates stated he was convinced the company could produce as many as 200m vaccine kits by June 2021.

Vaccination is the latest controversy Hamilton has involved himself with after he recently branded Bernie Ecclestone 'ignorant and uneducated' after the ex-Formula 1 boss made comments about racism.

Ecclestone, 89, told CNN that 'in lots of cases, black people are more racist than what white people are'.

World champion Hamilton said Ecclestone's remarks were 'sad and disappointing'.

Hamilton attended a Black Lives Matter protest in Hyde Park last month after global uproar following the death of George Floyd and has taken the knee at sporting events including the recent Hungarian Grand Prix.

Hamilton's fans have slammed his re-posting of the video which suggests Gates was lying

Gates used his appearance on US TV to rubbish the baseless suggestions that he wants to embed tracking chips into a coronavirus vaccine

Following the recent controversy over race, Hamilton's decision to share the anti-vaxxer post today, which suggested Gates was lying in an interview on US television, has been met with condemnation.

Bill Gates conspiracy theories: From implanting microchips to planning to kill 15% of the planet's population Conspiracy theories that Bill Gates is plotting to use a Covid-19 vaccine to implant microchips in people have been circulating during the coronavirus pandemic. Some claim, falsely, that Gates is using the Covid-19 pandemic as a way to push a vaccine which includes these microchips which are capable of tracking people, and thus the world's population. Other conspiracy theorists even go as far to say that he plans to eradicate 15 per cent of the world's population with the hypothetical vaccine. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has never proposed or funded any research into the development of a vaccine - for Covid-19 or otherwise - that includes the injection of a tracking or monitoring device. While the charitable foundation did fund a pilot study, conducted by MIT and Rice University, into a potential vaccine delivery device that could 'impart an invisible mark detectable by a smartphone', it was entirely theoretical and would not have been capable of tracking or monitoring. The conspiracy theory, which has gained significant traction online, cites this study in combination with another concept Gates is actively researching called a 'digital identity', which could involve cloud-based storage of a person's medical records and personal identification documents - accessible only with the consent of the owner. One online group also claims that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has tested vaccines on children in Africa and India, leading to thousands of deaths and irreversible injuries. One post even suggested he is facing trial in India. He is accused of rolling out a tetanus vaccine in Kenya that includes abortion drugs. In addition, a video accusing Gates of wanting to microchip people has been viewed nearly two million times on YouTube. Advertisement

One Hamilton fan wrote on Twitter: 'Oh @LewisHamilton Please don't spread antivax nonsense. I've been a huge fan for years through thick and thin, but spreading antivax nonsense is outrageously irresponsible.'

Others questioned his lack of questioning of the material, with one writing: 'Disappointed in @LewisHamilton posting Antivaxx nonsense in his IG stories without thought or challenge. Do better.'

In the video, when asked about conspiracy theories that he was responsible for creating the virus, or implanting microchips within a potential vaccine, Gates, with a wry smile, says he has no idea where that baseless suggestion came from.

'No, there is no connection between any of these vaccines and any tracking type thing,' he said. 'I have no idea where this came from.'

He continues: 'Dr Fauci (America's top infectious disease official) and I are the two most mentioned. Some of these are deeply ironic. Our foundation is about reducing death and bringing equity to health.

'The idea that we get accused of creating chips, or the virus - I think we need to get the truth out there, and explain our values, and why we are willing to put billions towards accelerating the progress.

'It's a little unclear to me, but I hope this will die down as people get the facts.'

Hamilton is due back in the UK this week as he prepares for Formula One's British Grand Prix at Silverstone. He has used his platform as the sport's biggest name to urge fans to stay away from the track as the race takes place behind closed doors.

'It's not my job to come up with rules and tell people what to do,' Hamilton told Autosport. 'What I see on TV is people out trying to live their lives during this difficult time, but this thing continues to spread. So, I always just try to encourage people to keep their distance and remain at home.'

Last week, Boris Johnson blasted anti-vaxxers as 'nuts' and urged everyone to get the flu vaccine this summer.

The PM lashed out at those who don't get their jabs as the Government launched a huge new drive to try and protect the NHS this winter ahead of a possible second coronavirus wave.

Fellow sports star tennis player Novak Djokovic has also come under fire for his stance on vaccinations.

Djokovic, 32, said: 'Personally I am opposed to vaccination and I wouldn't want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel.

'But if it becomes compulsory, what will happen? I will have to make a decision.

'I have my own thoughts about the matter and whether those thoughts will change at some point, I don't know.'
A PATCO employee was killed Sunday night in what officials described as a tragic accident at the Lindenwold maintenance facility.

John Jack Schroeder died shortly after the 9 p.m. accident in the track area, PATCO said in a statement.

PATCO declined to offer additional information. A spokesman didnt have Schroeders age or hometown.

An investigation into the accident is ongoing and PATCO will not be releasing any further details at this time, the statement said. The entire PATCO and Delaware River Port Authority family mourns this devastating and heartbreaking loss and offers our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Schroeder.

Port Authority Transit Corporation trains travel between Lindenwold and Philadelphia.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
UN Says Thousands Of Pakistani Militants In Afghanistan

By RFE/RL July 26, 2020

More than 6,000 Pakistani insurgents are hiding in Afghanistan, a fresh UN report says.

The report released earlier this week said most of the militants belonged to the outlawed Pakistani Talibani group that is responsible for attacks on Pakistani military and civilian targets.

According to the report, the group, known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), has linked up with the Afghan-based affiliate of the Islamic State extremist group. Some TTP members have even joined the IS affiliate, which has its headquarters in eastern Afghanistan.

The Afghan government did not respond on July 26 to requests by the AP news agency for comment.

The report was prepared by the UN analytical and sanctions monitoring team, which tracks terrorist groups around the world.

The report said IS in Afghanistan, known as IS in Khorasan Province, has suffered losses as a result of being targeted by Afghan security forces as well as U.S. and NATO forces, and even on occasion by the Afghan Taliban.

The report estimated that the membership of IS in Afghanistan is 2,200, and while its leadership has been depleted, IS still counts among its leaders a Syrian national, Abu Said Mohammad al-Khorasani.

The report also said the monitoring team had received information that two senior Islamic State commanders, Abu Qutaibah and Abu Hajar al-Iraqi, had recently arrived in Afghanistan from the Middle East.

"Although in territorial retreat, [the Islamic State[ remains capable of carrying out high-profile attacks in various parts of the country, including Kabul. It also aims to attract Taliban fighters who oppose the agreement with the United States," the report said, referring to a U.S. peace deal signed with the Taliban in February.

That deal was struck to allow the U.S. to end its 19-year involvement in Afghanistan, and calls on the Taliban to guarantee its territory will not be used by terrorist groups. The deal is also expected to guarantee the Taliban's all-out participation in the fight against IS.

The second and perhaps most critical part of the agreement calls for talks between the Taliban and Kabul's political leadership.

Late on July 25, the U.S. State Department issued a statement saying its peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, was again shuttling through the region seeking to jump start those negotiations, which have been repeatedly postponed as both sides squabble over a prisoner release program.

With reporting by AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/un- thousands-pakistani-insurgents-in- afghanistan/30747934.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.

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Photograph: Mark Felix/AFP/Getty Images

A surge in coronavirus cases in rural Texas has forced one hospital to set up death panels to decide which patients it can save and which ones will be sent home to die.

Doctors at Starr County Memorial hospital, the only hospital in Starr county, have been issued with critical care guidelines to decide which Covid-19 patients it will treat and which ones will be sent home because they are likely to die. The committee is being formed to alleviate the hospitals limited medical resources so doctors can focus on patients with higher survival rates.

Related: A lively nursing director, an outspoken phlebotomist: US healthcare workers who died from Covid-19

Starr county began experiencing increases in coronavirus cases in early July, with 1,769 confirmed cases reported as of 24 July, 17 confirmed fatalities and 33 fatalities pending confirmation from the state. The county had gone several weeks in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic without reporting any cases. Starr county, along the US-Mexico border, has a population of around 64,000 people.

Officials blamed social gatherings for the surge in cases.

We are seeing the results of socialization during the 4th of July, vacations, and other social opportunities, wrote Starr county Judge Elroy Vera on the countys Facebook page. Unfortunately, Starr County Memorial Hospital has limited resources and our doctors are going to have to decide who receives treatment, and who is sent home to die by their loved ones.

The county issued a shelter in place order on 24 July, and enacted curfews and mandatory face coverings. The first hurricane of 2020 to make landfall in the US, category one Hurricane Hanna, travelled through Starr county over the weekend, forcing some drive-through testing centers to temporarily close down.

I have been a nurse for almost 30 years and I had never seen a time like this in our community, said Corando Rios, a nurse at Starr County Memorial hospitals Covid-19 unit. He tested positive for coronavirus a few days ago and is recovering at home in quarantine.

Story continues

We are not ICU [intensive care unit] capable, but we are doing ICU work. We now have a state emergency response team of nurses, medics, respiratory therapists, and nurse assistants, and last week two doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists came from the US Navy, added Rios. We are doing the best we can with the resources available.

The guidelines have been referred to as death panels by critics of the Trump administration. The phrase was first popularized by Republican critics of Barack Obamas healthcare reforms when they falsely claimed death panels would be used to decide who received critical treatment.

Starr county is not the first place to be forced to draw up guidelines for which Covid-19 patients it will treat. Critical care standards were first enacted in the US in Arizona on 3 July in response to requests from health service providers around the state. In early July, Arizona became a global coronavirus hot spot, though rates of positive cases have decreased since then.

The standards have been activated by the state but I dont think hospitals are using them right now, said Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association. At present hospitals transfer coronavirus patients to different facilities to avoid capacity issues. That may change this fall as demand for non-covid hospitalization begins to increase.
Since 2004, Traverse City, Michigan-based BustedTees has been one of the webs leading Internet based t-shirt brands.

The American and family-owned online retailer BustedTees, one of the Internets leading T-shirt brands since 2004, is doubling down on its commitment to its employees and its USA-based suppliers.

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise exponentially nationwide, and nearly 1 million people in BustedTees home state of Michigan are on unemployment and a reported 30 million workers are unemployed nationally, the company has vowed to retain its entire U.S. workforce and suppliers.

BustedTees has seen an uptick in orders for their popular T-shirts and stickers as America emerges from lock down. Employees are working round-the-clock each day to ensure product shipping remains on schedule and at full speed. By keeping each of its employees on payroll and employed, while also supporting its numerous USA-based suppliers, BustedTees is enabling more than a dozen families to remain off unemployment. Presently, each and every employee at the company is working tirelessly to not just meet but exceed its customers expectations.

To purchase BustedTees and support the more than a dozen American families involved in the production of its popular T-shirts and stickers, visit https://www.bustedtees.com/

About BustedTees

Since 2004, Traverse City, Michigan-based BustedTees has been one of the webs leading Internet based t-shirt brands. Started by the guys from CollegeHumor.com, they decided to start making T-shirts because they want people to have fun, laugh, look good, feel comfortable, get good jobs, get sweaty dancing and go home with someone who also did those things. The company proudly supports its Michigan workforce as well as all of its suppliers in the USA.

Media Contact

BustedTees Customer Service

customerservice (at) bustedtees.com
Ben Affleck has been quarantining with girlfriend and Deep Water co-star Ana de Armas amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But the 47-year-old actor was spotted without the 32-year-old Cuban beauty on Sunday afternoon, while running errands in Brentwood.

Affleck looked suave in a pair of black aviator shades as he exited his shiny, black Range Rover.

Riding solo: Ben Affleck was spotted without girlfriend Ana de Armas on Sunday afternoon, while running errands in Brentwood

Ben donned one of his favorite Habana raglan tops in black and a pair of dark denim jeans.

The Good Will Hunting star rounded out his errand run ensemble with a pair of color-blocked sneakers.

Ben has lost a significant amount of weight in recent months and he appeared confident in his body as he made his way through the desolate parking lot.

Affleck was spotted with Ana on Saturday as the pair stepped out for lunch in Los Angeles with Ana's darling dog Elvis.

Mr. Cool: Affleck looked suave in a pair of black aviator shades as he exited his shiny, black Range Rover

The couple - who began dating earlier this year - recently adopted a black and white Havanese named Salsa, which happens to be the national dog of Ana's native Cuba.

Last week, Ana introduced Salsa to her 3.2million followers on Instagram.

'Welcome to the family Salsa,' captioned de Armas, who also included a slew of photos of herself and precious pup.

Affleck also has a dog of his own, a German Shepherd named Hutch, who he is often seen walking around the Venice area.

Quarantine partners: Affleck has been quarantining with de Armas amid the coronavirus pandemic; Ana and Ben pictured in June

New addition: The couple - who began dating earlier this year - recently adopted a black and white Havanese named Salsa, which happens to be the national dog of Ana's native Cuba; Ana and Salsa pictured on Instagram on July 17

Ben and Ana were first linked romantically in March, when they vacationed in her hometown of Havana, before jetting off to Costa Rica for a romantic getaway.

The pair met for the first time in the fall of 2019, while on set of their erotic thriller Deep Water, which was filmed in New Orleans.

Prior to de Armas, Ben was married to actress Jennifer Garner from 2005, until their divorce in 2018.

The former couple share daughters Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and son Samuel, 8.
By Akbar Mammadov

Influential Jewish organizations in the United States and the world - The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SVM), the Los Angeles offices of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and Israeli-American Council (IAC)  have condemned hate crimes committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis during a protest held outside of the Azerbaijani Consulate in Los Angeles on July 21.

The Israeli-American Council, uniting 250,000 Israeli-Americans, shared a post on its Facebook page on July 27, condemning violence against Azerbaijanis.

We must maintain a safe and secured freedom of speech and assembly in this country. Violence against peaceful protesters is a threat to our society and the foundations of our democracy. It is unacceptable that several Azeri community members were assaulted at a demonstration outside the Consulate General of Azerbaijan. We wish the victims full and speedy recovery and we have full confidence in our law enforcement to complete the investigation and act firmly based on its results, said the IAC.

Earlier, on July 25, the American Jewish Committee also condemned and called Armenian attacks on Azerbaijanis as a hate crime. Urging the Los-Angeles Police Department to investigate the assaults against Azerbaijanis, the committee said:

It is unacceptable that several Azeri community members were violently assaulted at Tuesdays demonstration outside the Consulate General of Azerbaijan. Freedom of speech and assembly are sacrosanct, and violence against peaceful counter-protesters is a threat to American values and civil society. We urge LAPD to investigate these assaults fully and, if appropriate, file the hate crime charges. We send our heartfelt prayers to the victims for their speedy recovery.

On July 24, the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SVM) with 400,000 members, also tweeted a threat for condemning attacks against Azerbaijanis and urged the LAPD to investigate assaults.

Shocking and disturbing. LA home to people with ties to all nations including Armenia and Azerbaijan. LA should be a place of reconciliation, not mob violence outside a consulate. Freedom to protest is a basic right but never a license for violence. LAPD HQ right to investigate hate crime that sent Azerbaijanis to hospital.

It should be noted that on July 21, a group of Azerbaijanis came under the attack of thousands of Armenian nationalists during a protest held outside of the building of the Consulate General of Azerbaijan. As a result, seven Azerbaijanis, including a woman, were injured and four of them were hospitalized. In addition, a police officer of Los-Angeles Police Department trying to protect the Azerbaijani woman from Armenian attackers received the head injury.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
What The Study Did: Rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection among asymptomatic health care workers and community residents in Texas are examined in this observational study.

Authors: Roberta L. Schwartz, Ph.D., of the Houston Methodist Academic Institute in Texas, is the corresponding author.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.16451)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

# # #

The full study is linked to this news release.

Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article This link will be live at the embargo time http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.16451?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=072720

About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is the new online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.

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Bank of America remains sceptical over Euro gains, EUR/USD forecasts 1.0800 by end-2020 as dollar demand revives

Bank of America has raised its year-end Euro/US dollar (EUR/USD) to 1.0800 from 1.0500, but remains bearish on the pair, primarily due to expectations that a weak global recovery will trigger a fresh move back into the US dollar. It does expect gradual EUR/USD gains in 2021.

EU Recovery fund not a game changer

Bank of America looks at the EU Recovery fund and recognises that it is an important political signal, but there are still underlying reservations, especially as disbursements will not be made until next year. There will also be the risk of on-going political interference in the process.

Any country can put an emergency brake on any disbursement to another country if it thinks milestones (reforms) have not been met. This will be tested, it will create headline risk, and it can complicate the political signal from the Fund.

Looking at monetary policy Bank of America considers that the ECB will use the entire EUR1350bn PEPP emergency bond-buying programme to help support the economy. The ECB is not off the hook, the governance structure can easily lead to volatility.

Overall, the bank does not consider that the EU recovery fund is a game changer.

Reasons to expect a US dollar recovery

Bank of America looks at the potential reasons for a US dollar rebound. Firstly, the bank expects that the US economy overall will continue to recover. Although the US recovery may slow in the months ahead, we do not expect another shutdown.

The latest CFTC data recorded a further increase in long, non-commercial dollar positions to fresh 2-year highs.

The market is long EURUSD and this position could be at risk, particularly for real money.

The bank also expects a weak recovery in the global economy with no full return to normality as long as the coronavirus threat continues. The increase in US cases and renewed outbreaks in parts of Europe and Australia is likely to reinforce these concerns.

We expect a weak recovery of the global economy during re-opening and don't see full normalization as long as the virus is a threat.

We therefore retain a bearish EUR/USD bias, to a large extent because of our positive USD view, which in turn is based on a bearish outlook for the global economy.

Sharp divergence in emerging-market currencies

Despite a firm US dollar, Morgan Stanley is forecasting significant gains for Asian currencies as the coronavirus recovery continues. The Chinese yuan is expected to strengthen with USD/CNY at 6.75 by the middle of 2021 with the Indian rupee and South Korean won also making net gains. In contrast, Latin American currencies are expected to weaken with the Mexican peso forecast at 24.10 by the middle of 2021 and the Brazilian real at 5.45.

Elsewhere, the South African rand is forecast to decline sharply with steady Turkish lira depreciation while the Russian rouble is forecast to make net gains.

Full exchange rate forecasts for 3m, 6m and 9m 2020-2021
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Monday her administration will earmark $50 million in federal funds to set up a grant program for New Mexico small businesses hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

The business aid program is part of the governors plan to divvy up $178 million in federal funds under a COVID-19 stimulus bill approved earlier this year.

Lujan Grisham vetoed a legislative plan to distribute some of the funds after a special session last month, saying it was up to her administration, not lawmakers, to determine how federal funds are spent.

This unprecedented public health and economic crisis has caused a tremendous strain on local governments and on small businesses across our state, Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

Specifically, she said the grant money would be available to support restaurants, retailers, and other types of small businesses around the state.

Under her plan, local governments around the state will be able to apply for $150 million in grants, with $50 million of that amount intended for small business grants that would be administered by cities and counties.

Debbie Romero, the acting secretary of the state Department of Finance and Administration, said Monday the agencys scoring criteria for determining grant awards is still being crafted, but will likely take into account regional coronavirus impacts.

The people who were more affected should expect to see more of the funds, Romero told the Journal.

She also said its important the money be allocated in short order, as the federal funds will only be available to cover pandemic-related expenditures through Dec. 30.

We dont want to make it such a complicated process that we cant get the money out quickly, Romero said.

Meanwhile, the grant program is New Mexicos latest attempt to address the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, which has caused hundreds of businesses to close and the states jobless rate to increase to 8.3%, as of last month.

Lawmakers also approved a bill during a special session last month to make low-interest loans to help small businesses and local governments. Money from the Severance Tax Permanent Fund would fund the loans  up to $400 million for businesses and $50 million for governments.

In addition, the State Investment Council in April approved a separate program that made $100 million from the permanent fund available for short-term loans for mid- to large-sized businesses.

Terri Cole, president and CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, called the move the best news Ive read in a long, long time.

Cole said its particularly important that recipients wont need to pay back the funds.

There are so many small businesses that are hanging on by a thread right now, so money by way of grants versus a loan will go a long way to strengthen the thread, she said.

Rob Black, president and CEO of the New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry, agreed that the funding is good news for businesses, but said hes concerned about what comes next: actually giving the money away.

What I think is going to be a challenge is getting the money out quickly and equitably, he said.

Black said local cities and counties will have to put forward applications to the state for funds, and will quickly decide how they want to prioritize what businesses they want to support and under what criteria.

I think its yet to be determined how theyre going to make those decisions, and Im worried that may take a while at the local level, he said, adding that associations and chambers of commerce can help by taking on an educational role to make sure local government agencies and elected officials have accurate information about businesses in their communities.

In all, a solvency bill passed by the Legislature during last months special session relies on $750 million that New Mexico received under the federal CARES Act.

While top-ranking lawmakers say additional budget-balancing actions will likely be needed in January, the federal funds are being used  along with state cash reserves  to help the state absorb a projected $2 billion revenue decline for the budget year that began this month.
(Photo : REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade) Commuters watch videos on their mobile phones as they travel in a suburban train in Mumbai, India, April 2, 2016. With smartphone sales booming and India preparing for nationwide 4G Internet access, India's film and TV industry hopes the ease of tapping your phone for the latest release will generate profits at last, overcoming the problems of woefully few cinemas and rampant piracy. Picture taken April 2, 2016 (Photo : PUBG) This Surprising App May Enter the Next India Ban

India banned another set of mobile phone applications in the country. Aside from the first 59 apps including TikTok and WeChat, another 47 apps are set to be prohibited from using inside the country. Interestingly, all of them are usually copycats of the first 59 banned apps. One of the list's apps is the famous free-to-play multiplayer action game, PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS, or PUBG.

PUBG will be banned in India?

Business Insider reported on Monday, July 27, about the next set of banned apps in India. A total number of 47 apps are now faced with a ban notice on favorite online play stores in the country. Most of the 47 apps have similarities with the latest banned and still trending app, TikTok.

"Govt of India bans 47 more Chinese apps which were variants and cloned copies of the 59 apps that were banned in June. These banned clones include Tiktok Lite, Helo Lite, SHAREit Lite, BIGO LIVE Lite, and VFY Lite. Over 250 more apps under radar, including PubG. #DigitalStrike," said Punit Agarwal, head of the Delhi BJP's IT and social media cell.

Just like what Agarwal said on Twitter, the banning is not yet finished. This means another set of applications are rumored to be deleted its access permanently in India.

An exact number of 275 apps are now under investigation, based on the government. Interestingly, one common game that is part of the 275 listicles of India ban is the famous free-to-play multiplayer action game PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS or PUBG.

Why the apps are banned?

The reason behind the PUBG fiasco is not yet clearly explained by Indian authorities. However, the Indian ruling explains that all the banned apps or soon to be banned apps have "activities that are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state and public order."

Like the first 59 apps, mostly Chinese, the additional 47 apps are harmful to the security of Indians in the country.

The first 59

Commuters watch videos on their mobile phones as they travel in a suburban train in Mumbai, India, April 2, 2016. With smartphone sales booming and India preparing for nationwide 4G Internet access, India's film and TV industry hope the ease of tapping your phone for the latest release will generate profits, at last, overcoming the problems of woefully few cinemas and rampant piracy. The picture was taken on April 2, 2016

The first 59 banned apps of India have been a controversial action made by the country. Since the tension between China and India on the Himalayas border, both countries have been cold.

Out of the 59 apps, 27 from the list originally came from Chinese companies, as reported via Tech Times. They listed these apps with illegal " mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defense of India."

China, however, was 'strongly concerned' about the situation.

"We want to stress that the Chinese government always asks Chinese businesses to abide by international and local laws-regulations. The Indian government has a responsibility to uphold international investors' legal rights, including Chinese ones," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian.

ALSO READ: Google and India Want to Create $50 Worth Smartphone, Aiming To Defeat China?

Owned by Tech Times

Written by: Jamie P.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
By Trend

On July 26, Medium online platform published an article by Azerbaijans Consul General Nasimi Aghayev about the violence and vandalism of Armenians against members of the Azerbaijani community in Los Angeles, Trend reports citing the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in LA.

On July 21, thousands of locals representing the radical Armenian groups, led by Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), came to protest in front of our Consulate General, located in West Los Angeles. At the same time, approximately 50 Azerbaijani community members came to counter-protest and highlight the occupation and ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijans lands by Armenia, as well as the recent aggression committed on our north-western border, said the consul generals article.

The Dashnaks from the beginning were hurling insults at our community members and several hundred of them charged at peaceful Azerbaijanis and injured several of them, said the article. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the entire incident as a hate crime.

The ANCA, by leading this violent Armenian mob, once again showed the true face of the radical and aggressive Dashnak ideology, Aghayevs article said.

It is also totally unacceptable that neither any of the hundreds of Armenian organizations in the US, nor Armenias Consulate General in LA, or their Embassy in Washington D.C., have condemned this outrageous hate crime by Armenian radicals On the contrary, both the diplomatic missions and ANCA have absurdly blamed the physically assaulted and injured Azerbaijanis for the violence!, noted the article.

The consul general stressed that two of the largest and most influential Jewish organizations in the US and the world - the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Los Angeles Office of the American Jewish Committee (AJC-LA) - condemned this violent assaults on Azerbaijani community members.

I call on various communities, religious and elected leaders to stand up and explicitly condemn this hate crime, a way of acting that has no place in this modern world and no place in a future with any hope for peace, said Aghayev.

The clashes between Azerbaijanis and Armenians in Los Angeles were triggered by gross ceasefire violations by Armenian armed forces on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in the direction of Tovuz district of Azerbaijan. The fighting continued in the following several days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian armed forces.

Meanwhile a group of Armenians living in Los Angeles, California, attacked and injured a group of Azerbaijanis who gathered to peacefully protest the Armenian aggression.

The incident took place July 21 in front of Azerbaijan's Consulate in the city where Armenians verbally and physically assaulted Azerbaijanis across the street, despite tight security measures by the L.A. Police Department.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
New Delhi:

As Syria's gruesome five-year war rages on, a heart warming video of a petrified young Syrian boy hit by a chemical attack was posted online revealing the utter misery and fear which engulfed mind of the innocent boy due to the horrific incident.

"Will I die, miss? Will I die?", these were the words of a terrified young Syrian boy appearing in an online video, apparently hit by a chemical attack on Friday in the Ard al-Hamra neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria.

In a video posted online by the Syria Charity which is based in France, the boy cries in pain and fear as medical staff at an eastern Aleppo hospital try to console him and tell him that no, he won't die. "I was watching warplanes," explained the boy, who looked no older than 10.

The story was first reported and given detailed coverage by American media house CNN. CNN then tweeted the videoA posted online by the Syria Charity on its twitter handle.

"Will I die, miss?" A terrified young Syrian boy's words after apparently being hit by a chemical attack in Aleppo https://t.co/mTHmjKAC8G pic.twitter.com/baQktdxGf0 a CNN (@CNN) November 22, 2016

A

Wrapped up tight in a blue blanket with an oxygen mask strapped to his face, the boy told his story between coughing fits and tears.

"It dropped something, I saw yellow smoke. I felt something and then they grabbed me [and took me] to the hospital," he said, adding that he'd lost track of his siblings in the attack.

The incident happened Friday in the Ard al-Hamra neighborhood in Aleppo, the charity said, but the video was being shared widely on social media Monday.

An aid worker from the Syria Charity rescued the boy and took him to a nearby children's hospital, according to the charity, which says the video was shot by a nurse at the hospital.

But if things couldn't get worse for this young victim, the charity said the hospital where he was being treated was suddenly struck in another attack. Luckily, he survived. "Everything is fine with the child, we will visit him very soon," Wadah Seddikh, the charity's economic director, told CNN via email.

A separate chemical attack that killed a couple and their four children was reported on Sunday by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human rights and the Aleppo Media Center activist group, as a barrage of barrel bombs struck the al-Sakhour neighborhood.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), an agency of the federal government, spent N5,600 on one unit of hand sanitiser (500ml) for a procurement deal worth 5.6 million.

This is one of the many outrageous and inflated contracts as regards COVID-19 spending in Nigeria.

These expenses with other daily payments were fraught with incomplete descriptions and vague transactions, analysis by Dataphyte has shown.

The data mined from the Open Treasury Portal (OTP) from March 1 to June 27, 2020, shows 84 line items with COVID-19 expenses by the five federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAS).

The MDAs are the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), and the Federal Ministry of Health.

Austin Chimezie, the owner of one of the big pharmaceutical stores along Oshodi-Isolo expressway, exclaimed at the price of a 500ml hand sanitiser for N5,600.

According to Mr. Chimezie, even at peak period, the cost of a 500ml hand sanitiser is N3000. We sell the bulk of that particular hand sanitiser for N12,000 a carton, usually 12 pieces per carton.

Corroborating Mr Chimezies claim, a pharmacist at Ritas Pharmacy & Superstore in Lekki, Lagos, Olusola Olarinto said no customer would buy a locally-made hand sanitiser for N5,600, especially when the bottle is 500ml.

We have some expensive hand sanitiser around here for N5,000, but they are 1 litre and above.

According to the portal, the five federal parastatals spent 1.69 billion ($4.7 million at N360/US1) on COVID-19 in the last three months.

The process marred the essence of the governments new treasury transparency initiative.

Also, half of the total expenditure went to individuals for various procurement and services. These actions by MDAs and the office of the Accountant-General negate President Muhammadu Buharis anti-corruption and transparency mantra.

The sanctioning is weak and bureaucratic in nature, the details of payments for COVID-19 related expenses by the MDAs on the Open Treasury Portal (OTP) have shown.

The OTP was launched by the FG to ensure open transparency in government spending. The portal mandates all MDAs to publish transactions above 5 million.

But since the launch in December 2019, MDAs and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) continue to frustrate the essence of the platform with nebulous transaction details and inadequate description of payment.

Breakdown

Dataphyte analysis of the payments showed that the NPHCDA incurred 1.36 billion out of the total figure. It represented 80 per cent of the total amount incurred by the five MDAs within the months under review.

NSCDC officials used to illustrate the story [Photo Credit: NAN]

The NCDC spent 42.16 million, NSCDC spent 170.7 million, Ministry of Health spent 86.63 million, while FRSC spent 32.26 million.

No. MDAs Amount (N million) 1 National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) 1.360.7 2 Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) 42.16 3 Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) 170.7 4 Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) 32.26 5 Federal Ministry of Health 86.63



Nebulous Transactions

Checks by Dataphyte showed that most of the transactions have no record, while the descriptions of others are vague. Other red flags in the payments include bloated contract sums, procurement, and services rendered by individuals and companies.

For instance, the NPHCDA spent 39.3 million for the supply of face masks (Supply & Delivery of Face Mask for LGA Training participants. Delivery at NSCS, Abuja). The line item did not state the number of face masks bought and the cost per mask. A simple calculation showed 39.33 million could have taken care of 78,666 people at 500 per face mask. It is not clear if this was the case.

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire

Another controversial line item for the agency is the payment for the monitoring and supervision of COVID-19 commodities across North-west and South-west at 33.23 million. The North-central and North-east zones gulped the same amount. These payments were made to individuals.

Several attempts by this reporter to get details of the individuals from NPHCDA were unsuccessful. The spokesperson of the agency directed the reporter to the procurement head.

We are heading to the National Assembly to defend the mandate establishing the NPHCDA now. When oga (Executive Director) is done I will get in touch with you to give you an update on the question, the procurement head, Soji Taiwo, said on the phone.

Later, Mr Taiwo declined to comment on the reporters enquiries, but suggested a collaborative relationship.

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Further analysis

Further analysis by Dataphyte showed that the agency paid the sum of 807.5 million to various individuals for the procurement of COVID-19 materials, training of LG staff, among others. The figure represents 55 per cent of the total amount expended by the NPHCDA on COVID-19 between March and June 2020.

The NPHCDA is not alone. The health ministry also paid the sum of 15 million and 71 million respectively to private individuals without adequate description.

READ ALSO:

The first payment was for a Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) Air-ticket, local running, and airport taxi to embark on a full-scale simulation exercise on COVID-19 for staff at Port Health Services (PHS) in five states (Enugu, Ikeja, Rivers, Kano, and Abuja).

The other payment was made to Bulama, Sadiq Abubakar for the payment for transfer in respect of Coronavirus Emergency Response (Port Health Control).

Other incomplete items were the payment of 35.3 million for the supply of face masks, 15 million for the supply of liquid soap at then NSCDC headquarters in Abuja.

Also, 26.26 million paid to a contractor for the supply of antiseptic solution to the same headquarters.

01/06/2020 1000682737-3 124004001 NIGERIA SECURITY AND CIVIL DEFENCE CORPS T.A. ABARIS NIGERIA LTD 35,304,540.43 SUPPLY OF FACE MASK TO NHQ 02/06/2020 1000682820-4 124004001 NIGERIA SECURITY AND CIVIL DEFENCE CORPS AKAKAA GLOBAL SERVICES LIMITED 26,257,751.93 SUPPLY OF ANTISEPTIC SOLUTION TO NHQ 02/06/2020 1000682820-6 124004001 NIGERIA SECURITY AND CIVIL DEFENCE CORPS BM GOLD LTD 15,887,043.19 SUPPLY OF LIQUID SOAP TO NHQ 04/06/2020 1000683854-9 124004001 NIGERIA SECURITY AND CIVIL DEFENCE CORPS GRACIOUS RUBY CONCEPT NIGERIA LIMITED 42,365,448.51 SUPPLY OF HAND SANITIZER TO NHQ

MDAs react

Bisi Kazeem, the spokesperson of the FRSC, said all payments were done in line with the BPP (Bureau of Public Procurement) guidelines.

We are thorough about procurement at FRSC, if company papers are not complete, we dont do business with such a contractor.

Boboye Oyeyemi, Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) [PHOTO: GUARDIAN.NG]

When this reporter asked about the procurement of hand sanitisers at inflated amounts, he sent pictures of the size and product for confirmation.

An image of the hand sanitiser procured by the FRSC at N5,600 per unit at 500ML.

The same product  Archys hand sanitiser disinfectant  costs N2,500 per unit on Jumia, according to checks by Dataphyte.

A screenshot of Jumia Nigeria page for same product

Meanwhile, the officials at the ministry of health declined to comment. A focal person at the procurement desk said he could not comment on the COVID-19 procurement details.

I am unable to attend to this inquiry. As you are aware, as a civil servant, I cannot engage the press without authorisation from Minister of Health or Minister of State for Health, Federal Ministry of Health, he said.

Olujimi Oyetomi, the director of public relations, Federal Ministry of Health, who facilitated the discussion, said the ministry can only attend to such inquiries if the matter is brought to the attention of the minister and minister of state for health.

Shola Odumosu, the deputy spokesperson of the NSCDC, asked the reporter to send a request by email. Since then, he has not replied to reminders sent to him.

How MDAs are using OTP to frustrate open governance

The Open Treasury Portal has not achieved the main aim of its establishment. More than six months after launching, MDAs have found a means to frustrate its usefulness.

They release bogus figures, incomplete item descriptions in a way to outsmart the open governance initiative. Also, it is challenging for stakeholders to check abuse of procurement, sharp practices, and corruption.

The OAGF is not helping Nigerians and the government at ensuring proper description for all payments in compliance with the transparency policy. Instead of rejecting items without adequate information, it seems the office publishes without sanctioning erring MDAs.

For instance, 346.2 million was paid by the NCDC without any description and it passed through the OAGF without any red flags. The same items placed on the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO) of the BPP have descriptions.

Ifeoma Onyebuchi, the programme director, PPDC decried this act of oblivion. She queried that given that MDAs can adhere strictly to the BPP guidelines on the submission of procurement items, why not on the open treasury portal?

She called on the OAGF to promptly correct this problem to ensure public accountability and transparency for all Nigerians.

Line items for the NCDC without description

Date Payment No Payer Code Organisations Name Beneficiary Name Amount Description 18/04/2020 1000673688-1 521027047 NIGERIA CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL ABUJA KAURA MOTORS NIG. LTD. 35,017,857.14 18/04/2020 1000673688-4 521027047 NIGERIA CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL ABUJA INKIYA NIGERIA LIMITED 18,940,476.19 18/04/2020 1000673688-2 521027047 NIGERIA CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL ABUJA VANTAGE WOODS LIMITED 9,648,675.00 15/03/2020 1000667770-1 521027047 NIGERIA CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL ABUJA
This virtual event, in effect, stakes out the fests psychological and calendar space. Mayor Lori Lightfoot, in her event announcing the cancellation, said that Lollapalooza would be back in 2021. C3 promised a spectacular return. For now, though, we have what are in effect a bunch of music videos, hosted on an online space that doesnt usually give its best, in video or sound quality. But YouTube is the biggest game in town, it always works, and everybody is there. What will be interesting to relive is the feeling of a show with fans, even if youve seen most of it before, and you cant be there.
Sony may finally be ready to unleash the WH-1000XM4, its successor to the almost two-year-old WH-1000XM3. While hopes of a June release fell flat, Sony Brazil has seemingly teased the WH-1000XM4 on its Instagram channel.

Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer (AUS/NZL based) - Details here

The release of the Sony WH-1000XM4 has become rather protracted. First seen in December 2019 at the FCC, details about the headphones steadily appeared until April when Best Buy published its WH-1000XM4 product page. Then Dell Canada and Walmart published their listings for the headphones before a popular Vietnamese YouTuber posted a review of the successor to the WH-1000XM3. The confidentiality agreement between the FCC and Sony has expired too, resulting in the regulatory body publishing test photos and the manual of the WH-1000XM4.

The volume of leaks that appeared last month suggested that Sony was on the verge of releasing the headphones, but nothing came to pass. Now, it seems that Sony Brazil has teased the WH-1000XM4 on its Instagram channel. Brought to our attention by @chamavito on Twitter via The Walkman Blog, Sony Brazil posted a photo of some poorly lit headphones with a caption that roughly translates to "the future of audio is here".

The visual differences between the WH-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM4 have already been outlined, so there are a few signs that Sony Brazil posted a picture of the latter rather than the former. On the one hand, the black edition of the WH-1000XM3 has a grey NFC logo. However, the image presented by Sony Brazil has a black NFC logo, which matches the design of the WH-1000XM4. On the other hand, the plastic element between the headband and the arms of the earcup is different from the one on the WH-1000XM3. As a photo produced by The Walkman Blog below demonstrates, the device shown by Sony Brazil has a matte black plastic element, matching the design of the WH-1000XM4 seen in other marketing renders.
Tel Aviv: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned Lebanon and the armed group Hezbollah that any attack on Israel would be met by a tough response, hours after Israel said it thwarted an infiltration attempt along its northern border.

Iran-backed Hezbollah is "playing with fire," Netanyahu said in a statement alongside Defence Minister Benny Gantz.

Israeli troops take part in a drill in northern Israel in May near the border with Lebanon. Credit:AP

The Israeli military earlier said it opened fire on a squad of armed militants who crossed the border - also known as the Blue Line - into Israel from Lebanon.

Between three and five men armed with assault rifles were spotted crossing "by a few metres" into Israeli territory through thick vegetation, said the head of the Israel Defence Force's International Media Branch Jonathan Conricus.
Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. We can see that Gran Colombia Gold Corp. (TSE:GCM) does use debt in its business. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

When Is Debt A Problem?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. While that is not too common, we often do see indebted companies permanently diluting shareholders because lenders force them to raise capital at a distressed price. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Gran Colombia Gold

What Is Gran Colombia Gold's Debt?

As you can see below, Gran Colombia Gold had US$59.5m of debt at March 2020, down from US$72.4m a year prior. But it also has US$99.7m in cash to offset that, meaning it has US$40.2m net cash.

A Look At Gran Colombia Gold's Liabilities

The latest balance sheet data shows that Gran Colombia Gold had liabilities of US$67.1m due within a year, and liabilities of US$113.0m falling due after that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$99.7m and US$23.8m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$56.6m.

Of course, Gran Colombia Gold has a market capitalization of US$338.5m, so these liabilities are probably manageable. However, we do think it is worth keeping an eye on its balance sheet strength, as it may change over time. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, Gran Colombia Gold boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load! 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 Gran Colombia Gold'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, Gran Colombia Gold reported revenue of US$336m, which is a gain of 25%, although it did not report any earnings before interest and tax. Shareholders probably have their fingers crossed that it can grow its way to profits.

So How Risky Is Gran Colombia Gold?

While Gran Colombia Gold lost money on an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) level, it actually generated positive free cash flow US$67m. So taking that on face value, and considering the net cash situation, we don't think that the stock is too risky in the near term. The good news for Gran Colombia Gold shareholders is that its revenue growth is strong, making it easier to raise capital if need be. But we still think it's somewhat risky. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Gran Colombia Gold that you should be aware of.

Of course, if you're the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don't hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today.

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| 2020-07-27 21:44:35|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The mayors of Lusaka, the Zambian capital, and Kitwe city on the Copperbelt Province have been suspended for alleged illegal land allocations in the two cities, the minister responsible for local government said on Monday.

Miles Sampa, the mayor of the Zambian capital and the entire council and Christopher Kang'ombe, the mayor for Kitwe city and his council have been suspended for three months in order to allow for a land audit in the two cities.

Minister of Local Government Charles Banda said the suspension was meant to deal with the ills that have been happening at the two councils with regard to land allocation.

He said during a press briefing that he will appoint administrators to run the two councils during the three months suspension and hoped that the suspended civic leaders will use the period to introspect and come back as better councillors.

He further warned that the ministry will not spare any council that will not adhere to laid down procedures, adding that illegal land allocations will not be tolerated by anyone any more. Enditem
Speaking at Covid-19 modelling webinar series organized by Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, Friston, citing his mathematical model, said "We don't have to worry too much about the second wave; the simulations suggest the second wave of coronavirus may not be bigger as the first wave by far, it will be much smaller second wave."

The second wave will not be massive like the first wave of what we saw in Delhi for example, and it will be quarter to the tenth in size, said Professor Karl J Friston, Scientific Director Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK.

He added that in his opinion, the main worry is that the second wave can come in the northern hemisphere in winter and get confounded with seasonal influenza. "The second wave will not be a massive first wave, what we saw in Delhi for example. It will be a quarter to the tenth in size of that", added Friston.

Responding to a query on a mathematical model predict when an epidemic will end or slow down in a particular country, Friston said the time constant for some countries of the first wave and possible second wave is in the order of 6 months, and cited the example of the UK, Spain, and Italy. "It looks longer for Brazil, US and India, which means your end may be several months or may be a year after the end of the European experience", he added.

Queried on his mathematical model citing 80 per cent of the population is immune to Covid-19, Friston said "I think if you accept and commit to this notion of heterogeneity on the basis of the evidence, then half of the population at this stage hasn't yet had to deal. Each country starts off with an epicentre usually in a high density city and high transmission scenario, and that slowly spreads to other cities."

He added, "At the beginning the countries at the outbreak, if two or three major cities were infected then we could say that 80 per cent of the population was yet to experience the epidemic. For India, 40 per cent or possibly 30 per cent of the population is yet to get infected."

Elaborating on the aspect of immunity in the people against the viral infection, Friston said one of the key parameters is the effective loss of immunity therefore in the short term and cited the sharp first wave in Delhi or London. "Month by month the loss of immunity, on how long small and crucial part of the population who are immune and more importantly, how quickly this proportion declines overtime", added Friston.

He insisted that the slow erosion of immunity may occur in three to six months, and citing his mathematical model said the second wave in the UK may occur around Christmas or shortly after Christmas. "If the order of immunity is for 32 months or several years, then the second wave will be pushed further and further into the future, or the limit may not occur, and if does occur when there is effective vaccine around", said Friston.

He elaborated that at the moment there have been provisional attempts to examine the UK and Germany -- as they have the same climate, geospatial conditions and same number of people -- yet fatalities in Germany were extremely less in comparison with the UK.

"Population density has a big effect on transmission, the bigger question is the difference between Europe and India, Brazil, where damage seems to be much more protracted. In Brazil and the US the full shape or transient of the first wave has not yet revealed itself," he added.

(Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in)

--IANS

ss/kr
Concerns about Twitters ability to protect user data deepened this month after hackers hijacked the accounts of some of its most famous users, including political leaders, business titans and celebrities, as part of an apparent cryptocurrency scam.

Twitter Inc has struggled for years to police the growing number of employees and contractors who have the ability to reset users accounts and override their security settings, a problem that Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey and the board were warned about multiple times since 2015, according to former employees with knowledge of the companys security operations.

Twitters oversight over the 1,500 workers who reset accounts, review user breaches and respond to potential content violations for the services 186 million daily users have been a source of recurring concern, the employees said. The breadth of personal data most of those workers could access is relatively limited -- including such things as Internet Protocol addresses, email addresses and phone numbers -- but its a starting point to snoop on or even hack an account, they said.

The controls were so porous that at one point in 2017 and 2018 some contractors made a kind of game out of creating bogus help-desk inquiries that allowed them to peek into celebrity accounts, including Beyonces, to track the stars personal data including their approximate locations gleaned from their devices IP addresses, two of the former employees said.

Concerns about Twitters ability to protect user data deepened this month after hackers hijacked the accounts of some of its most famous users, including political leaders, business titans and celebrities, as part of an apparent cryptocurrency scam. The pressure on Twitter to protect its users isnt limited to the personal data it collects on them -- which is minimal compared to some other social media sites -- but extends to the influence its users wield, especially world leaders or the political dissidents who oppose them.

While federal and internal investigations are ongoing, Twitter has said that hackers somehow duped employees to gain access to the hacked accounts.

The attackers contacted at least one Twitter employee over the phone in an effort to obtain security information that would help them access Twitters internal user-support tools, according to people familiar with the investigation. Twitter required employees to take an online security training course last week, which covered a number of phishing techniques including phone calls, the people added. A Twitter spokeswoman said the company conducts regular security training in line with our commitment to protecting the privacy and security of the people we serve.

The spokeswoman disputed the former employees characterization of the companys oversight of user accounts, while claiming the company has tools to stay ahead of threats as they evolve. Twitter is consistently improving its security apparatus with new tools, she said, and cited recent privacy-related programs that have bolstered user protections, including new employee training.

She confirmed that Twitters oversight of user accounts includes 1,500 full-time employees and contractors, but said we have no indication that the partners we work with on customer service and account management played a part here, referring to Twitters recent account breach.

Employees and contractors have access only to the tools they need to do their jobs, which includes permissions to execute password resets to accounts, the spokeswoman said. Access also comes with extensive security training and managerial oversight, she said.

ALSO READ: More than 1,000 people at Twitter had ability to aid hack of accounts

Dorsey, addressing the recent hack, told investors this week that the company fell behind, both in our protections against social engineering of our employees and restrictions on our internal tools.

This account is based on interviews with four former Twitter security employees, in addition to more than a half dozen other people close to Twitter.

According to the former security employees, Twitter management has often dragged its heels on upgrades to information security controls while prioritizing consumer products and features, a source of tension for many businesses.

Efforts to better govern Twitters user-support staff and contractors have also gotten short shrift, resulting in a workplace where too many people have access to too many powerful tools, the former employees said. Even with some basic tracking systems in place, contractors have found workarounds to explore details about former lovers, politicians, favorite brands and celebrities, they added.

In the July 15 attack, 130 accounts were compromised -- including those belonging to Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk -- and account data was stolen from eight of those, Twitter said without identifying the accounts. Tweets were sent from the hijacked accounts promising followers who sent Bitcoin to a specific address would be paid back double -- or their support would contribute to pandemic relief efforts. Twitter acknowledged that several of its employees were the targets of a malicious campaign to acquire credentials for its internal system, only available to our internal supports team, according to a July 17 statement.

An obscure hacking collective that is devoted to buying and selling short and clever Twitter and Instagram usernames has claimed to have been involved in the attack, which is being investigated by the FBI.

Concerns over insider access to Twitter accounts were brought to Twitters board of directors almost annually during a period from 2015 to 2019, only to be deferred for other priorities including other cybersecurity programs, according to two of the former security officials. Those presentations werent always presented as an urgent threat to Twitter security or its users privacy, according to four people familiar with the boards presentations.

Security programs, like shoring up the system that houses Twitters backup files or enhancing oversight of the system used to monitor contractor activity were, at times, shelved for engineering products designed to enhance revenue, according to two of the former employees. Some of Twitters contractors that became proficient in snooping on Beyonces and other celebrity accounts were employed by Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. in as many as a half-dozen locations, the two former former employees said.

Cognizant, which continues to work with Twitter, declined to comment. A representative for Beyonce didnt respond to a request for comment. Twitter declined to answer questions about access to Beyonces account. Through a company spokeswoman, Twitters board declined to comment.

Snooping on accounts wasnt considered a major security concern among Twitter executives, even as the companys dependence on contractors to handle back-office support functions has grown in the last half decade, according to two of the former members of Twitters security team.

Spying on accounts happened so often that members of Twitters full-time security team in the US struggled to keep track of the intrusions, according to the two former employees. While some of the contractors were caught and fired, others started beating the formal logging system by creating fraudulent tickets that claimed something was wrong with a user account, only to grab that complaint themselves to resume their escapade, according to the employees.

ALSO READ: Twitter says attackers downloaded data from up to 8 non-verified accounts

Very few companies understand how vulnerable their operations are to compromise as they expand outside of their headquarters, said Paul Ortiz, a supply chain security consultant. This risk exponentially increases if third-party contract workers are introduced into the equation.

Last weeks attack was the latest in a string of embarrassing security breaches at Twitter in recent years, some of them involving internal access to accounts. In November 2017, President Donald Trumps account was temporarily deleted as an act of rebellion by a customer support employee on his last day at the company. In August 2019, Dorseys account was hacked and used to post anti-Semitic messaging. Twitter blamed Dorseys mobile carrier. Last year, the Justice Department charged a pair of former Twitter employees for allegedly spying for Saudi Arabia and abusing their access to collect the private data of prominent Saudi critics.

Twitters intrusion highlights a security failing common among high-flying startups and younger tech companies, according to Patrick Westerhaus, a former FBI cyber and cryptocurrency investigator.The problem we see over and over again with technology companies that are hyper-focused on growth and revenue is an immature framework and general lack of concern for security, third-party risk and anti-fraud controls, said Westerhaus, chief executive officer of Cyber Team Six, a security company.
A man has been shot dead as he answered the door at a house in Dublin.

The victim, aged in his 50s, was gunned down in a gangland-style killing by a lone gunman in Ballyfermot, gardai said.

The murder occurred in the Croftwood Park area at around 11am on Monday.

It is understood that the victim lived in England and had only been in Ireland for a short time.

He received a number of gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

This community has witnessed too much gun violence but it will not be distracted or undermined Daithi Doolan

Gardai and ambulance services attended and the area has been sealed off for a technical examination.

Sinn Fein councillor Daithi Doolan said: It is an attack on the family and the whole community.

This community has witnessed too much gun violence but it will not be distracted or undermined.

He said local people had been working to improve the community.

We will not allow anybody to distract from this.

He said gardai needed to properly resource their murder investigation.

This is the first serious challenge to the Government and this Government needs to put its shoulder to the wheel to work with us and make sure that we put an end to this criminality.

Gardai are appealing for anyone with information, particularly anyone who was in the area between 10.30am to 11.30am, to contact Ballyfermot Garda Station.

Superintendent Tony Twomey appealed to people living nearby who may have seen anything usual, to get in contact with gardai.

Mr Twomey said there are three areas and two vehicles under investigation.

We currently have three locations of interest, the first is at 85 Crawford Park and then we have Killeen Road and Monksfield Road in Clondalkin.

There are two vehicle that are of interest, one is a blue Ford Fiesta which was in the area of Crawford Park and then proceeded to Le Fanu Drive where it was burnt out.

We believe the lone person fled that location and made his way to Killeen Road.

We are also interest in a silver Skoda Octavia which travelled from Kileen road to Monksfield walk in Clondalkin.

We are also appealing for anyone who may have dashcam or phone footage from the Ballyfermot area to contact us.

He confirmed the victim had recently returned to Ireland and added there were other people in the house at the time.

Were at the early stages of our investigation, this only happened a number of hours ago and were still trying to establish a motive.

There is a lot of information that we are still trying to gather on this and what we are really looking for here today is what members of the public might have seen between 10.30 am and 11.30 am this morning.
Barring any hitch, Samuel Adam Foster, aka Samuel Adam Mahama, brother of former President John Dramani Mahama, will today Monday touch down at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra to be interrogated by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for his alleged involvement in the four million Euro Airbus bribery scandal.

DAILY GUIDE is reliably informed that through the efforts of the Special Prosecutor (SP), Martin Amidu, a ticket has been bought for Adam Mahama in London, United Kingdom (UK), where he resides.

According to sources, as of last Saturday the ticket had been delivered to his home in London and was expected to voluntarily join a flight from London today which is being arranged by government for stranded Ghanaians in the UK due to the Covid-19 restrictions worldwide.

'Unveiling' Mahama

Last Friday, the SP 'unveiled' former President Mahama as the Government Official 1 or Individual 1 that both the United Kingdom and United States investigators referred to in the Airbus SE scandal.

Mr. Amidu's office has been pursuing the former President's brother Mr. Foster, aka Samuel Adam Mahama, particularly described as Intermediary 5 in the investigations, and three other foreigners, who have been mentioned as individuals who collected or were paid around four million Euros in bribes on behalf of Ghanaian top officials for the supply of aircraft to the Ghana Armed Forces during Mr. Mahama's tenure as Vice-President and later President.

Fresh Letter

He said in a fresh statement on Friday that he had written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give Adam Mahama the chance to voluntarily join an emergency flight for Ghanaians stranded in the UK to return to Ghana on Monday, July 27, to face prosecution over the Airbus bribery case.

The SP said he was being attacked by persons close to Mr. Mahama who he said were saying that he (Mr. Amidu) is tainting his (Mahama) image when, in fact, he said he wanted to pursue the case devoid of politicization.

Mr. Amidu's letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had the title: The Special Prosecutor's urgent request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the possibility of Samuel Adam Foster (Samuel Adam Mahama) voluntarily offering to be assisted to come to Ghana on the evacuation flight from London to Accra for Ghanaians on 27 July 2020.

This office has today written a letter with reference number OSP/SCR/2D/34/20 dated July 24, 2020 to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to offer Samuel Adam Foster also known as Samuel Adam Mahama the opportunity to accept to voluntarily evacuate on the evacuation flight for Ghanaian citizens stranded in the United Kingdom to return to Ghana through a scheduled flight on July 27, 2020.

Blood Brother

According to Mr. Amidu, This office's letter states, amongst other reasons for the letter to the said ministry, that Mr. Mahama's elder brother of full blood, who without doubt and with the evidence available to this office, answers to the description of the elected Government Official I allegedly granted a denial interview to the Daily Graphic which published same on June 20, 2020, fortunately containing suspected admissions that he was the elected Government Official I referred to in the UK judgement.

He said that serving appointees of this government have been unable to obtain the voice recording of the interview to enable this office to confront the former President with his own admissions in the interview as answering to the description of the brother of Samuel Mahama as the Intermediary 5.

Personal Attacks

Mr. Amidu said that, nonetheless, this office and the person of the Special Prosecutor continue to be attacked as 'a bitter old man' settling scores with Samuel Adam Mahama and his accomplices who the Special Prosecutor does not know and has never met.

No Politics

The SP said he explained in the letter to the ministry on the need that the case should not be politicized and must be treated purely as a criminal matter.

The letter also argues that it is very important for the depoliticization of this case; therefore, for this office to request the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask the High Commission in the UK to urgently facilitate the voluntary evacuation of Samuel Adama Mahama to Ghana in order to assuage not only his own image but also that of his brother the former President, who accuses this office of tainting his image by the investigation of the suspected allegations.

This is because until Samuel Mahama answers in court for the suspected allegations discovered by the investigation of this office against him as a Ghanaian citizen, the unwarranted politicization of this simple corruption crime by his family and supporters will continue, he added.

Voluntary Acceptance

He said his letter concluded that Samuel Adam Mahama must be given the opportunity to voluntarily accept to return to Ghana and put himself upon the Republic of Ghana to vindicate himself and save this country of the millions of foreign exchange from the public purse that must be expended to extradite him to Ghana from the UK or any other country in execution of the Interpol Red Notice issued against him as a fugitive wanted for prosecution as published on July 10, 2020.

The fight against the Airbus SE (Ghana) corruption, everybody agrees, is not a political matter. Consequently, every patriotic Ghanaian who believes in the anti-corruption fight must support and encourage this office to impartially get to the root of this allegation of corruption against the public purse and urge Samuel Adam Mahama to accept the opportunity to voluntarily evacuate to Ghana as a patriotic citizen of Ghana to vindicate his image and that of his family, Mr. Amidu said.

Red Notice

Already, Mr. Amidu has defended the Red Notice from International Police Organization (Interpol) issued for the arrest of the former President's brother and the four other foreigners, saying he built a good case to warrant the Interpol action.

He described the Airbus SE scandal where Ghanaian top officials through the fugitives collected or were paid around four million Euros in bribes for the supply of aircraft to the Ghana Armed Forces, as 'gluttonous corruption' and also described the lawyers of the NDC who were criticizing the attempt to arrest the fugitives as unethical and inexperienced.

The notices were issued after more than three months of the initial request on July 10, 2020 for the arrests of Samuel Mahama together with Sarah Furneaux, Sarah Leanne Davis and Philip Sean Middlemiss for their roles in the Airbus SE bribery scandal.

They stand accused of accepting bribe to influence a public officer and acting in collaboration with a public officer for the public officer's private gain.

---Daily Guide
The issues raised by the Black Summer fires require major reform and will be challenging to fit into the bushfire royal commission's timeframe, experts warn, despite the two-month extension of its reporting deadline.

Ross Bradstock, director of Wollongong University's Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires, said any extra time was welcome but warned the commission's report shouldn't be expected to detail all the necessary reforms given its time constraints.

The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements was announced in February after 10 million hectares was torched across four states. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos

"The extension couldn't be a bad thing but the terms of reference are very broad, the issues are massive and with all of it in the timeframe [it] is a big challenge. However, we expect they would highlight many key issues and solutions," Professor Bradstock said.

"We've seen a summer which is off the scale in terms of the magnitude of the fires and impacts to human and environmental values."
Thousands of tenants are facing the prospect of rent hikes as the Government's new ban on increases will only apply to people deemed to have been financially impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The move has sparked fears that landlords, who were legally prohibited from increasing rents for the last five months, will now target tenants with significant rent hikes.

Before his appointment, Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien publicly pledged to ensure the national rent freeze would remain in place until at least October.

However, legislation Mr O'Brien will bring before the Dail this week only contains measures to stop landlords increasing rents for people who self-declare they have lost earnings due to the coronavirus.

There are around 325,000 rental households in the country and it is unclear how many will be able to avail of the ban on increases.

Renters who can prevent rent hikes must be in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme or another form of State-funded welfare.

This Covid-specific rent freeze and eviction ban will remain in place until January 10.

However, tenants who have seen their income fall for any other reasons will not be able to stop rent increases under Mr O'Brien's new legislation.

The minister has also issued what has been described as a "disturbing" threat to renters, saying he would have them prosecuted if they try to prevent rent increases by claiming they were affected by the virus when they were not.

Prosecuted

In an interview with the Business Post, the Fianna Fail TD said: "If they're [renters] found to abuse it, we will have a certain level of audited checks on it and they will be prosecuted."

Labour Party housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan said she was very concerned about the minister's comments.

"Disturbingly, the minister plans to criminalise tenants for false declarations without doing the same to landlords availing of eviction exceptions. To do this to someone at risk of losing their home is really despicable," she said.

"The changes will only give protection from eviction until January to those who can prove they have been financially impacted by a limited set of circumstances, and puts in place a complicated process to apply for that exception.

"The reality is that this will result in more people losing their home as they will have to navigate a technical system."

Sinn Fein housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin described the new legislation as "very worrying" and said it will lead to an increase in homelessness, which had fallen while the rent and eviction ban were in place.

Mr O Broin said there were a disproportionate number of people who were not originally from Ireland living in rented accommodation.

He said many of them did not speak English or have the necessary literacy skills to fill in a self-declaration form.

"The legislation is full of loopholes. The rent freeze will be cumbersome for those it does apply to and for many thousands of others the ordinary rules will apply which will allow landlords to issue rent increase notices," the Sinn Fein TD said.

The Government aims to rush the Residential Tenancies Bill through the Dail and Seanad this week.

The rent freeze comes to an end in five days' time and normal tenancy rules will apply to most renters across the country.
A delegation of Israel's ministries of foreign affairs and health have left for to test the four diagnosis solutions with All Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.

"Our delegation with the MFA and Ministry of Health took off from and is making its way to India! Once there, the delegation will test four promising corona diagnosis solutions together with our Indian partners and counterparts," Israel's Defence Ministry tweeted on Sunday (local time).

On July 24, the Israeli embassy in said that Tel Aviv has decided to send India this week a team of scientists working to develop a rapid testing kit for

The Israeli team will work in AIIMS in Delhi. Testing of the first phase was already done in and the last stage will now be carried out in India for the testing kit which can give results within a minute, according to a statement by the embassy.

It also said Israel's ministries of foreign affairs, defence and health will lead an unprecedented anti-COVID-19 cooperation operation between India and

(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.)
Unions have seized on a decision by the national industrial tribunal to give paid pandemic leave to aged care staff, arguing some casual employees will go to work sick because they do not work the regular hours needed to qualify for the payment.

Aged care workers across Australia will be given the paid pandemic leave to encourage them to stay home if they have symptoms of the coronavirus after Victoria recorded its highest daily case numbers during the pandemic on Monday.

Workers in protective gear at a Melbourne aged care home. Credit: Penny Stephens

Residents and workers in aged care facilities have been badly hit by the second COVID-19 wave in Victoria.

Five commissioners on the Fair Work Commission on Monday decided aged care workers, including nurses, should be given paid pandemic leave but casuals will only qualify if they work "regular and systematic" shifts.
Priyanka Gandhi invites BJP MP Anil Baluni for tea before vacating bunglow

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Jul 27: Ahead of the August 1 deadline for vacating her government bungalow in Delhi's Lutyens' zone, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday sent an invitation for tea to BJP leader Anil Baluni, who has been allotted the house, sources told to PTI.

It is learnt that the invite has been sent to the BJP's Rajya Sabha MP, seeking his convenience and confirmation. When reached out for comments, Baluni did not respond to calls.

Hardeep Puri calls out Priyanka Gandhi on request to stay on for longer at Lutyens bungalow

Priyanka Gandhi is in the process of vacating the 35, Lodhi Estate house, after the Ministry of Urban Development issued her a notice on July 1 asking her to vacate the bungalow before August 1 as she was no longer eligible for it after her security cover was downgraded last year.

India bans 47 Chinese apps| More Chinese apps under fire | Oneindia News

She is learnt to have zeroed in on a house in Delhi and will be shifting there soon. She has, however, moved some of her belongings to a penthouse in an upscale residential society in Gurgaon's Sector 42, but will not be living there, sources said. They said the Gurgaon's house is only being occasionally used by her children and she will be located in central Delhi only.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Protesters who say they were tear-gassed, shot at, pepper-sprayed and assaulted outside a federal courthouse while peacefully demonstrating and rendering aid to others sued the Trump administration Monday over its use of force during nightly demonstrations in downtown Portland.

A group of five women and two organizations, including longtime Black Lives Matter protesters and the yellow-clad Wall of Moms group that assembles nightly to stand between protesters and federal law enforcement officers, filed a lawsuit alleging that several agencies - the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Federal Protective Service - have violated their constitutional rights of free speech, assembly and due process and against unreasonable seizures.

The agencies named in the lawsuit have deployed agents to protect the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse from a nightly barrage of fireworks and projectiles, including water bottles, canned food and paint, during demonstrations against police violence, racial inequity and what many in Portland have come to view as a federal occupation.

The lawsuit marks the latest court battle to rise from the smoke and gas of the nightly standoffs in Oregon's largest city. The American Civil Liberties Union in the past week sued the Trump administration and the Portland police department over alleged attacks on street medics, volunteers who render medical aid to injured demonstrators. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon issued a restraining order that bars federal agents from dispersing, arresting, threatening to arrest or targeting journalists or legal observers at protests.

Oregon's attorney general sought to restrict federal agents' ability to use injury-causing force against state residents by filing a lawsuit that was denied Friday by U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman, who said the state did not adequately argue that a restraining order was needed to prevent future injuries.

In the lawsuit filed Monday, which was convened by the nonprofit organization Protect Democracy, protesters allege they "have been tear-gassed night after night, left vomiting and unable to eat or sleep because of the toxic poison blasted at them. They have been shot at over and over - with rubber bullets, bean bags, pepper spray, and a range of other projectiles fired at close range and with brutal effect. They have had flash-bang explosive devices detonated right in front of them. They have been forced to speak and assemble in fear of not just bodily harm, but the possibility of sudden arrest without probable cause."

Bev Barnum, 35, an organizer with the Wall of Moms group, said that on the night of her first protest, federal officers shot a stun grenade that exploded near her feet and launched tear gas and a projectile that "felt like rock salt" into the crowd, where she stood with her arms linked with other women. She remembers her eyes burning, ears ringing and lungs constricting as she gasped for breath. When someone grabbed her arm to pull her away from the line of officers, she said, she vomited repeatedly onto herself and into the street.

More than a week later, Barnum said, she has flashbacks that leave her body shaking and her mind reeling. She howled and sobbed as she recounted the experience in an interview.

"I can't sleep," she gasped between racking sobs. "Now when I go back out, I just lie to my kids. . . . How is this legal? How are they allowed to do this to people?"

Teressa Raiford, 49, the founder of anti-police-violence organization Don't Shoot Portland, said the chemical irritants have coated food that volunteers at an aid station in the city park across the street from the federal courthouse have served hungry protesters, homeless people and anyone who asks. Raiford said that she has left her downtown Portland home because of all the gas in the air and that she worries about the health consequences of federal officers deploying plumes of a riot control agent called CS gas each night.

"I hope [federal agents] are no longer able to use excessive force against people who are just freely expressing their right to protest," Raiford said. "We have to stop it."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 20:49:41|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday stressed the need to strengthen cooperation and support in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic amid its rapid rise in the Southeast Asian country.

During his national address, Duterte said the government needs the support and cooperation of the people if it is to succeed in battling the highly-infectious disease.

"It jolted us to realize that gains made after spending so much planning, effort, cost and time could diminish considerably and quickly for reasons beyond one's anticipation; that it is much easier to destroy than to build; that in a crisis of national proportions that affects every aspect of human life, governments need to have the support and cooperation of the people if it is to succeed in battling the cause of that crisis, that there are people who ask for compassion but show none themselves; that life, after all, is fickle like the weather," he said.

"The gains we achieved in the first three and a half years were put to a test when the pandemic suddenly struck the global community."

When the pandemic struck, Duterte said he decided "to prioritize life over other considerations."

In mid-March, the Philippines imposed a lockdown in Metro Manila and other major urban centers to curb the spread of the virus. However, the strict quarantine restrictions have been eased in some parts of the country to restart the economy since June.

"The intervention which the government had put in place prevented as many as 1.3 to 3.5 million infections," he added.

Duterte said the government was correct in ramping up its testing capacity.

"We now have 93 accredited testing laboratories nationwide and we are aiming to conduct 1.4 million tests by end of July," he said.

The Department of Health has said that around 1.2 million people have been tested since the outbreak.

From 300 daily tests in March, the health department said it can now conduct 24,000 tests daily. The government aims to test 10 million people or about a tenth of the population by 2021.

The Philippines now has 82,040 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 1,945 deaths and 26,446 recoveries. Enditem
New Delhi, July 27 : The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its order on a plea seeking a direction that the funds received by the PM CARES Fund be credited to the National Disaster Response Fund for tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.

A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M.R. Shah took note of the plea by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, headed by advocate Prashant Bhushan, seeking drawing up of a national Covid plan and raising the issue of existence of PMCARES Fund while a NDRF was already in existence under the Disaster Management Act.

Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, representing the petitioner, argued that PMCARES Fund lacks transparency. He also questioned why there is no national plan during the time of Covid. "The issue of transferring funds from all other funds, including PM CARES, is also there, but that's a secondary issue... you cannot do something that the law prevents you to do, by doing it in a different way. This is a private trust where ministers are trustees," Dave contended.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing an NGO, argued before the bench on the issues originating in the absence of a national plan to tackle Covid-19 pandemic. Sibal cited the Constitution's ection 21 regarding a district plan, where minimum requirements regarding water, shelter etc. need to be provided. "Where are these standards?" he asked.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, argued that the National Disaster Management Plan, from 2019, included biological disaster, as during that time, no one knew about Covid-19. He said Sibal's argument was "factually wrong".

The Centre had informed the apex court that there are several funds which are either established earlier or now for carrying out various relief works, and PM CARES is one such with voluntary donations.

The affidavit filed by the Ministry of Home Affairs had said: "It is submitted there exists a fund stipulated under section of the DMA (Disaster Management Act) which is called NDR Fund. However, mere existence of a statutory fund would not prohibit the creation of a different fund like PM CARES Fund which provides for voluntary donations." The Centre contended that the petition seeking a direction that the funds received by PM CARES Fund to be credited to NDRF (National Disaster Response Fund) is neither maintainable on merits nor is maintainable under Article 32 as all funds other than the funds stipulated under section 46 of Disaster Management Act, 2005 are separate, different and distinct, created separately under separate provisions.

On June 17, the apex court issued notice to the Centre on the PIL seeking to transfer funds from PM CARES Fund to the NDRF.

Centre for Public Interest Litigation, in the plea, claimed that in against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, the NDRF is not being utilised by the authorities, and establishing the PM CARES Fund is outside the scope of the Disaster Management Act.
After the deadly violence over the July 4 weekend in Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, in a national interview, addressed her citys runaway crime and neglect of a people, discussing surface solutions versus real and meaningful systems change. Mayor Lightfoot pointed out we cant solve decades of inequities this way.

As an African American, I have experienced many of these prejudices and inequities personally, and I hear time and again about the unjust experiences of minority and poor families throughout New Mexico.

I agree that we need real solutions to create permanent change for future generations.

There are deep-rooted societal injustices that must be addressed, and merely defunding police will not solve these issues for vulnerable populations in New Mexico, people who have faced centuries of racism, poverty, homelessness, lack of basic housing, access to equal education and employment opportunities. The aforementioned are basic human rights to which everyone must have equal access; unfortunately, this is not the case for the Black community in our state, which is often deemed insignificant due to low population numbers, or other communities of color.

Consider replacing the word defund with reform. It would do more to unify local, state and federal policymakers, who all can agree that defunding police departments would be detrimental to the safety of our communities. I do not agree with merely reallocating funds but believe that in-depth, substantial police reforms  real change  would transform law enforcement departments.

Hiring experienced professional racial tolerance trainers is only a start; however, terminating officers who have a proven history of racial intolerance, discriminatory behavior and violent acts against citizens, and not rehiring nor transferring such prejudicial officers to other departments in the state, is an example of such real reform.

Further impactful reforms would include partnering with those who have not only expertise, but proven intervention strategies in areas such as mental health, child and other domestic abuse, drug addiction, and gang violence, etc.

These individuals would know how to build relationships within communities to help support job creation, the formation of a school-college pipeline  decreasing the school-prison pipeline  and access to preventative health care. Individuals who are knowledgeable and know the systemic root causes of why our families face centuries of inequities would assist police departments in understanding the communities they serve better. For example, increasing access to housing and employment for citizens released back into society would decrease crime and recidivism.

In a 2014 report, the U.S. Justice Department outlined a three-pronged approach to addressing inequities and public safety. The department suggested a more in-depth alignment of community partnerships, organizational transformation and innovative problem-solving would proactively address conditions that give rise to public safety issues.

This strategy of policing would offer a more holistic approach to building authentic relationships between communities and police.

The future of law enforcement is nonexistent when its no longer deemed useful or respected in society. Defunding police departments leaves its most vulnerable citizens at the mercy of criminals. With nobody left to enforce the laws, the results will be civil unrest.
PM Modi, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Home Minister Amit Shah took to Twitter on Monday to felicitate the Central Reserve Police Force on its 82nd Raising Day, thank soldiers for keeping nation safe and their role in combating Covid-19.

On the 82nd Raising Day of Central Reserve Police Force, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday extended greetings to its personnel.

Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said that CRPF is at the forefront of keeping our nation safe.

Greetings to all @crpfindia personnel on the 82nd Raising Day of this outstanding Force. CRPF is at the forefront of keeping our nation safe. The courage and professionalism of this force are widely admired. May the CRPF achieve even greater heights in the coming years, he said in a tweet.

Greetings to all @crpfindia personnel on the 82nd Raising Day of this outstanding Force. CRPF is at the forefront of keeping our nation safe. The courage and professionalism of this force are widely admired. May the CRPF achieve even greater heights in the coming years.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2020

Extending wishes on the occasion, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu said that CRPF is synonymous with the dedication and commitment towards duty and national security.

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The Peacekeepers to the Nation, @crpfindia is celebrating its 82 Raising Day. CRPF is synonymous with the dedication and commitment towards duty and national security. I congratulate the personnel and their families on this occasion, Naidu tweeted.

The Peacekeepers to the Nation, @crpfindia is celebrating its 82 Raising Day. CRPF is synonymous with the dedication and commitment towards duty and national security. I congratulate the personnel and their families on this occasion. pic.twitter.com/p1I5m4un7k  Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) July 27, 2020

Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the 82nd Raising Day celebrations of CRPF at its headquarters in New Delhi. Felicitating the armed forces, Amit Shah lauded the role of the CRPF in combating the adversities of Covid-19.

CRPF is synonymous with valour, courage and sacrifice. Time and again @crpfindia has made the nation proud. Their dedication to serve the society during COVID-19 is unparalleled. I join millions of Indians to wish our brave CRPF personnel and their families on 82nd Raising Day, Shah said in a tweet.

CRPF is synonymous with valour, courage and sacrifice. Time and again @crpfindia has made the nation proud. Their dedication to serve the society during COVID-19 is unparalleled. I join millions of Indians to wish our brave CRPF personnel and their families on 82nd Raising Day.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 27, 2020

The CRPF came into existence as Crown Representatives Police on July 27, 1939. It became the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on the enactment of the CRPF Act on December 28, 1949. It has completed 80 years of glorious history. CRPF has the mandate to secure internal security scenario of the country.

Also read: Remembering our brave-hearts on Kargil Diwas 2020, Nation salutes Kargil heroes

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I personally care a lot about climate change and I have for a long time.

I recycle, bring my own bags to the supermarket, I reduced plastic bottles by purchasing shampoo bars, I even use a bamboo toothbrush. I try to do my bit for the environment. I want my future children and grandchildren to have a safe place to live but I also want my life now to be healthy.

To me, being a good caretaker to the environment is good for my mental health and my spiritual health. It's also an act of worship that helps me feel connected to our creator.

However, as climate change becomes more mainstream, I've noticed many companies and even governments are jumping on the bandwagon with some short sighted and problematic solutions.

Quick fix: the plastic straw

Most people have either seen or heard of the video with the turtle having a full length straw pulled out of its nose by some helpful divers.

I myself vowed to never use plastic straws ever again after watching the video! It is awful to watch, I felt like a horrible human being causing this beautiful creation such pain. (I was gifted some metal straws for Christmas that same year).

Not long after I had gotten on the hype train of cancelling plastic straws, I started seeing articles and news reports of how this movement has a negative impact on people with disabilities. This left me in an ethical dilemma.

So what is the issue with metal straws for people with some disabilities?

According to The Guardian, California lawmakers banning plastic straws are being criticized for not considering the impact this will have on people with disabilities that rely on plastic straws.

What has happened here is a situation that happens time and time again when it comes to the disability community, and that is out of sight, out of mind, said Lawrence Carter-Long, the director of communications at the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. If people dont personally need straws, they fail or neglect to realize that there are people that do.

Often times people with disabilities cant use metal straws (and other alternatives) mainly due to it being impossible to move into a usable position for the person. It can also be dangerous if the person has a tendency to bite down.

We need to be willing to invest PROPERLY into the solution which may mean losing money as solutions like biodegradable or sugarcane plastic cost more to manufacture. Some companies are currently ditching plastic straws for paper alternatives. This to me, is a lazy attempt to be seen as a caring company that listens to their customers.

The problem with this solution is most paper straws are coated with wax so they dont dissolve in the beverage which means they cant be recycled and is therefore not a proper solution. Its easy to take the moral high ground and jump into this fairly new consumer culture of shopping eco. Its easy for companies to simply label something as natural or eco and people will buy it.

Electric cars: injustice

More we hear about electric cars and how they will clean our air by moving away from petrol and diesel engines. This is an exciting future to think about! But Amnesty International has been informing us of the human costs involved in collecting the material needed to manufacture these cars.

Already, lithium-ion batteries are used in laptops and other electronics.

More than half of the worlds cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which is one of the poorest countries in the world. DRC is rich with minerals but due to years of corruption, war and limited opportunities, the people all work in these dangerous mines to collect these minerals for low pay.

The concern is that electric cars will put a higher demand so more abuse and exploitation will occur.

As Christians, this should be something we do not stand for! There are so many injustices like these, how do we fight them all? Do we give up and stop caring? Or do we put pressure on the companies that have the power to change things to only use ethical sources or demand their sources become ethical?

Proverbs chapter 16, verse 8 reads, Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice

I believe a little prayer couldnt hurt either. But as consumers we hold the power to care about both turtles and people by shopping ethically.

Chanell Diaz is a member of The Salvation Army in New Zealand. She and her husband Ronald both work as Child care workers and Chanell is also a qualified Youth Worker through Praxis. Chanell has a heart for justice and enjoys creating art and writing in her spare time.
A Delaware judge has refused to overturn her decision to toss a lawsuit by a paralegal who said he was targeted for retaliation after being injured while playing on his law firms softball team and filing a workers compensation claim.

Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden denied William Wellers motion for reargument in his lawsuit against Morris James LLP.

Jurden ruled in May that alleged acts of misconduct by the law firm did not constitute adverse employment actions against Weller, and that some claims involving conduct in 2015 were barred by the passage of time.

That decision was the latest in a long-running legal battle between Weller and the Wilmington-based law firm.

A different judge ruled in 2018 that Delawares Industrial Accident Board erred in concluding that Weller ruptured his Achilles tendon in 2015 during the course and scope of his work for Morris James.

Weller argued that Morris James employees were pressured into playing on the firms softball team, but the 2018 court ruling said participation was voluntary, and that there was no evidence that playing softball was a job requirement. The court also said the IAB erred in concluding that Morris James received a substantial, direct benefit from its softball team in the way of increased productivity.

The firm said softball games were intended to boost employee health, morale and camaraderie.

After Delawares Supreme Court upheld the ruling that Weller was not entitled to workers compensation benefits, he filed another lawsuit last year claiming that he was subjected to ridicule and retaliation by partners in the law firm after he took medical leave.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Legislation
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27) President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday took a swipe at Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon for defending the embattled Lopez family following the shutdown of media giant ABS-CBN.

At the beginning of his fifth State of the Nation Address at the Batasang Pambansa, Duterte called out parties supposedly taking advantage of a preoccupied government amid the COVID-19 pandemic, naming Drilon in the process.

It is sad that while government focuses its attention, resources to battle the coronavirus, there are those who take advantage of a preoccupied government, Duterte said in the first part of his address.

One of them is Senator Frank Drilon. In an interview, he arrogantly mentioned among others that oligarchs need not be rich. Then he linked the anti-dynasty system with oligarchy, and the topic was my daughter and son Obviously, he was defending the Lopezes, that they are not oligarchs, he added.

The Lopezes are majority owners of the publicly-listed media company.

Drilon earlier called for the passage of an anti-dynasty law, noting that political dynasties have allowed oligarchs to thrive.

The President, however, hurled strong words against the senator.

You are a hypocrite. You know that you cannot pass an anti-dynasty law. Ikaw nandiyan sa Congress, ikaw mauna (youre the one whos in Congress). But to take it against me for protecting my country is something which I really resent, Duterte said.

Apart from the ABS-CBN issue, the President also questioned Drilons supposed ties with the ACCRA law firm when the governments water contract with the Ayalas was being drafted.

Defending press freedom, not the Lopezes

In response, Drilon clarified the reasons for his actions.

I was defending freedom of the press, not the Lopezes. The closure of the ABS-CBN sent a chilling effect, Drilon said in a statement.

I aired my support for the renewal of franchise of ABS-CBN because undeniably the network complements other stations in providing timely and accurate reportage even in the farthest locality unreachable to others, even to the government I was defending the 11,000 people and their families who would lose jobs amid the pandemic, not the Lopezes, he said.

Drilons colleague Sen. Richard Gordon echoed the Senate minority leaders statement that he is arguing on the issue of press freedom in his critique of the governments action towards the non-renewal of ABS-CBN franchise.

The President took it personal. The President should know better than that, Gordon told CNN Philippines Rico Hizon on Monday.

A number of ABS-CBN workers are set to be laid off by August 31 after the network failed to obtain a fresh congressional franchise. The media company did not say how many employees will be affected, but noted they will be given separation pay and retirement benefits.

Duterte a casualty of Lopezes?

Aside from Drilon, Duterte also called out the Lopez family.

He said he was a casualty of the Lopez influence in the 2016 election.

Media is a powerful tool in the hands of oligarchs like the Lopezes who use their media outlets in their battles with political figures, Duterte said.

Duterte in previous speeches has repeatedly slammed ABS-CBN his remarks reportedly stemming from the network's alleged failure to run his campaign advertisements during the 2016 elections.

The chief executive has since accepted the companys apology.

Reforming the old and new oligarchy

Political expert Julio Teehankee emphasized that all kinds of oligarchs, whether old like the Lopezes or the new ones, should be targeted by the government fairly.

If you start targeting one or two big corporations and precisely if you concentrate all your political resource to bringing down the biggest broadcasting corporation in the Philippines and then you ignore the other corporations that have similarly transgressed rules and regulations then that is not actually a reform of the oligarchy. That is simply partisan politics, Teehankee said.

Teehankee reiterated that it was Dutertes campaign promise to dismantle the oligarchy, but noted that new oligarchs are rising under his administration.

If you look at the fortune list of billionaires, the Lopezes are not even part of that, he added.

The political analyst said the Duterte administrations handling of oligarchs may also affect investor confidence to those who want to put businesses in the country.
Korea Times file



HDC Hyundai Development Co., a major property developer, appears to be leaning toward scrapping its plan to acquire Asiana Airlines Inc. as it demanded another round of due diligence on the carrier amid the new coronavirus outbreak, industry sources said Monday.



HDC said Sunday it has sent a letter to Kumho Industrial Co., which owns a 30.77 percent stake in Asiana Airlines, to demand the additional due diligence on the country's second-biggest carrier.



"In the letter, we proposed (additional) due diligence on Asiana Airlines and its affiliates for 12 weeks from mid-August in order to review the acquisition terms amid worsening business environments due to the pandemic," a company official said over the phone.



The proposal comes one month after HDC called for renegotiations with Asiana creditors over the acquisition terms, describing the ongoing virus crisis as a "never expected and very negative factor" that will affect its planned takeover of the debt-ridden carrier.



HDC then cited Asiana's snowballing debts as another reason for renegotiations, noting that debts are "damaging the acquisition value of the carrier." Asiana's debts jumped by 4.5 trillion won from July last year to March this year.



"We have requested review of the acquisition terms several times but Kumho Industrial and Asiana Airlines have continued to demand the deal's completion without listening to our request," the HDC official said.



In response to HDC's request, Asiana said it has made all-out efforts to help complete the MA deal and will continue to carry out what is necessary to finalize the deal.



Asiana said Kumho Industrial on July 14 sent a letter demanding HDC to complete the deal by the end of August. HDC didn't confirm the notification.



The tit-for-tat between the two sides comes amid reports that Kumho Industrial could notify HDC of the deal's termination and that Asiana has formed a task force team in case of the deal's collapse.



Kumho Industrial and Asiana called the reports "groundless."



The news sent shares in Asiana 3.4 percent lower at 3,540 won but HDC 0.7 percent higher at 22,050 won as of 10:25 a.m. The broader KOSPI traded 1.3 percent higher at 2,228.40.



In December, the HDC-Mirae Asset Daewoo consortium signed the deal to acquire the carrier from Kumho Industrial, a construction unit of Kumho Asiana Group, as well as new Asiana shares to be issued and Asiana's six affiliates, for 2.5 trillion won (US$2.2 billion) with a plan to complete the acquisition by June 27.



HDC has obtained all necessary approval from regulators in the United States, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Russia and South Korea.



But the major stumbling block to the deal for now appears to be the COVID-19 pandemic's growing impact the airline industry.



Asiana has been hit hard by the pandemic. It has suspended most of its flights on international routes as more than 180 countries have strengthened entry restrictions amid virus fears this year.



Asiana's net losses for the January-March quarter deepened to 683.26 billion won from 89.18 billion won a year earlier. It is widely expected to report widened losses for the second quarter next month.



To help Asiana stay afloat, the Korea Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of Korea plan to inject a combined 1.7 trillion won into Asiana. Last year, the two state lenders already extended a total of 1.6 trillion won to the carrier.



In its self-help measures, Asiana has had all of its 10,500 employees take unpaid leave for 15 days a month since April until business circumstances normalize. Asiana's executives have also agreed to forgo 60 percent of their wages, though no specific time frame was given for how long the pay cuts will remain in effect.



As for the possibility of the deal's collapse, HDC said it "remains committed to acquiring Asiana in order to help strengthen the competitiveness of the local airline industry."



In spite of HDC's reaffirming its takeover plan, the deal is widely expected to follow in the footsteps of a recent deal collapse between two low-cost carriers due mainly to the virus impact.



Last week, Jeju Air Co., the country's biggest budget carrier, announced its decision to terminate its planned takeover of smaller rival Eastar Jet Co. due to growing virus-related uncertainties, putting Eastar on brink of bankruptcy. (Yonhap)


KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A publication authored by two University of Tennessee Extension specialists has been given the highest honor by a national professional society.

Cotton Nitrogen Management in Tennessee (Publication W 783) has been awarded a 2020 Educational Aids Blue Ribbon by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Awards are given to informational materials that contribute to the understanding of agricultural and biological subjects outside the traditional classroom setting. The award was presented at ASABE's 2020 annual international meeting, held virtually July 13-16.

Lori Duncan, row crop sustainability specialist in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, authored the publication in 2019 with assistance from Tyson Raper, cotton and small grains specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences. As UT Extension specialists, Duncan and Raper spend a great deal of time working with Tennesseans to help optimize inputs, increase profits, and generally make farming in Tennessee more sustainable.

Since nitrogen applications make up a large portion of fertility budgets each year, properly selecting the rate of application and understanding the nitrogen cycle are critical in maximizing the efficiency and sustainability of the cotton production system. This publication not only describes this cycle and potential loss mechanisms, but it also describes ways to maximize nitrogen use efficiency. This publication can help growers optimize applied nitrogen while also preventing movement or loss out of the production system. Duncan and Raper have summarized numerous field studies conducted within Tennessee and pooled research conducted throughout the Mid-South to produce a cumulative set of recommendations for cotton nitrogen management.

UT Extension specialists are subject matter experts who serve Tennesseans throughout the state. From farm management principles to budgeting as a family, UT Extension specialists work every day to make Tennessee a better place to live, work and raise a family.

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Through its land-grant mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. utia.tennessee.edu.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: A time capsule -- carrying the history of Ram Temple and the prolonged struggle for it -- will be placed 2,000 feet beneath the proposed Ram temple site in Ayodhya during the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony.

According to Kameshwar Chaupal, one of the 15 members Shree Ramjanmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the time capsule would ensure there are no disputes in the future related to the birthplace of Lord Ram.

Chaupal, the only Dalit on the temple trust, said that the struggle for Ram Janmabhoomi, including the long-drawn case in the Supreme Court, had taught a lesson to the current and future generations.

The time capsule will carry Tamra Patra (copper plate) before it is placed under the Ram Mandir site. A time capsule is a historic cache information. It is usually used as a method of communication with future generations, and to help future archaeologists or historians.

A time capsule will be placed about 2,000 feet down in ground at Ram Temple construction site. So that in the future, anyone who wishes to study the history of the temple, he will get the facts related to Ram Janmabhoomi, so that no new controversy can arise, Chaupal said while talking to media persons.

Sharing more details about the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony, Chaupal claimed that soil from various pilgrimages across the country and water from the seven sacred rivers was being brought to Ayodhya for the ceremony.

Water from sacred rivers and soil from teerthas, where Lord Ram visited, will be used during the Abhisheka in Bhoomi Pujan. Our volunteers have been sending them from across the country to Ayodhya, he said.

The ceremony will be telecast live and around 200 people, including seers, saints, ministers, social activists, and a few industrialists, are expected to be invited for the ceremony.

During the Bhoomi Pujan on August 5, PM Narendra Modi will lay a silver foundation stone weighing 40 kg during and launch development, tourism and infrastructure projects totalling Rs 487 crore.

On the other, PM Modi, who is expected to reach Ayodhya around 11:30 am on August 5, will inaugurate projects worth more than Rs 161 crore and lay foundation of others worth nearly Rs 326 crore.

According to the tentative programme, a silver slab weighing nearly 40 kg along with five other silver bricks named Bhadra, Rikta, Purna, Jaya, and Nanda will also be worshipped and placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the proposed Lord Ram temple by the PM. The religious rituals would be presided over by the priests from Varanasi and one Prof Vinay Pandey of Kushinagar.

The foundation of the temple is scheduled to be laid around 12.13 pm. The PM will be required to place the silver brick in the foundation in a time period of 32 seconds which is considered to be auspicious as per the astronomical calculations as it would be the same planetary equation under which Lord Ram was born.

The temple project will span about 85,000 sq ft, according to the new design prepared by chief architect Sompura brothers, which will rank it among the largest Hindu temples in the world. It will have a capacity to accommodate 50,000 devotees at a time. It is expected to boost the tourism potential of the temple town and contribute to its socio-economic development.

With temple construction in offing, the blueprint of the state government to position Ayodhya as one of the major religious tourist attractions in India, joining the league of state peers viz. Varanasi and Mathura is expected to gain further traction.
On April 15, 1994 the chief executives of America's seven largest tobacco companies were hauled to Washington to appear before US politicians. In front of a Congressional committee on health, the "seven dwarfs" faced a humbling moment, a sign that regulators had turned on cigarettes.

Each of them swore that nicotine was not addictive, presenting a united front against a hostile committee. It did not work: four years later, the tobacco industry agreed a $US206 billion ($290 billion) settlement to resolve dozens of government lawsuits.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be one of the tech kings facing a grilling this week. Credit:AP

On Wednesday, similar attention will be turned towards today's corporate bogeyman: Silicon Valley. Apple's Tim Cook, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Google's Sundar Pichai are due to appear in front of Congress's antitrust subcommittee.

The hearing, originally due to be held on Monday (US time), was postponed because of plans to honour Representative John Lewis, the civil rights icon who died earlier this month. On Wednesday, the four horsemen of tech could avoid the courtroom drama of standing to take oaths, since they have the option of testifying by video call, but the companies' antagonists hope the hearing, which is expected to take place on August 3, will be a moment similar to that when the tobacco industry was brought to heel.
State Offers Testing in Agawam, Springfield as COVID-19 Rate Inches Up

BOSTON  A reported outbreak of COVID-19 at Springfield's Baystate Health coincided Monday with the commonwealth's plans to provide free testing to asymptomatic residents in two Western Massachusetts communities.

On Monday afternoon, Gov. Charlie Baker announced that Springfield and Agawam are among eight sites chosen for the next round of "Stop the Spread" testing, which aims to provide expanded testing in communities where postiive test rates are among the state average and testing volume has fallen off.

Monday morning, the CEO of Baystate Health reported that an outbreak of infections of the novel coronavirus has affected 23 employees and 13 patients of the Springfield institution, though Dr. Mark Keroack declined to identify which units of Baystate were affected, according to the Springfield Republican.

Baker addressed the Baystate Health outbreak during his daily press availability.

"There's recent information about an employee at Baystate [Health] who went to a hotspot state, came back and was lax with respect to wearing a mask," Baker said. "And there are now a number of people who work at Baystate and a couple of patients who were there, as well, who tested positive."

Keroack told the Republican in a story posted on its website, Masslive.com , that prior to the recent outbreak, there were no documented cases of COVID-19 transmissions between patients and employees at the hospital.

Baker used the Baystate incident and a widely reported cluster on Cape Cod linked to a house party to again emphasize the importance of remaining vigilant in the fight against the pandemic.

"We can also assume that there's simply a lot more mobility out there, some of it the result of the economic activity associated with opening up some of our commonwealth's businesses and employers, but some of it's also just people being out and about," Baker said. "It's warm out, and people, generally speaking, are in contact with other people more than they were in the months of April and May and even June.

"We should all remember where we were when we started this reopening program in May. We were seeing positive test rates north of 10 percent on much fewer tests. That's why we can't say enough about how important it is, and until we have a vaccine, that everybody continue to play their role. When we let our guard down, the virus will make gains."

Statewide, the positive test rate remains below 2 percent, though the seven-day average nudged up slightly on Sunday to 1.9 percent after hovering around 1.7 or 1.8 percent last week.

The positive test rate was even higher, 2.3 percent, in the eight communities chosen for the second round of the state's Stop the Spread testing program.

That initiative began on July 10 and is expected to run through mid-August in communities in eight communities eastern Massachusetts.

On Monday, Baker announced that it will expand to Agawam and Springfield as well as Worcester, Brockton, Methuen, Randolph, Revere and Taunton.

"These eight communities make up approximately 10 percent of the population but constitute 15 percent of the commonwealth's positive tests in the past week," Baker said.

Last four days in #Massachusetts had #COVID19 new positive tests over 200. Last time that happened? Mid-June - on the way down. The data is early, but it looks like we are on the way back up. We should consider backing down a phase. #wearamask. #SocialDistancing @MassMedical  Dr. David Rosman (@darosman) July 27, 2020

Baker was asked Monday to react to a tweet from the president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, who pointed to a recent rise in positive test results in the commonwealth and suggested rolling back the administration's stages to reopen the economy.

"The data is early, but it looks like we are on the way back up," Dr. David Rosman wrote. "We should consider backing down a phase."

Baker indicated it is too soon to take that step.

"At this point in time, the most important thing we need to do is to continue to do the things that got us here in the first place," Baker said, referring to guidance on social distancing, face covering and hygiene. "When we look at the where clusters are that have been created so far, many of them are the result of people simply not doing the things we've been telling everybody to do, which has a lot less to do with the nature of what's open and what's not open.

"I think, certainly, the public health data is going to drive our decision making. But, so far, most of the data we've seen about where the clusters have come from have a lot more to do with people letting down their guard a little bit than anything else. The Chatham thing was a big outdoor party in someone's backyard. The Baystate thing was somebody not really abiding by the mask guidance and criteria that existed in the hospital.

"Most of the time, when people do the right things, we should be successful in containing this."
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Health Realty Income Trust (NYSE:UHT) announced today that for the three-month period ended June 30, 2020, net income was $4.7 million, or $.34 per diluted share, as compared to $4.3 million, or $.31 per diluted share, during the second quarter of 2019.

As calculated on the attached Schedule of Non-GAAP Supplemental Information ("Supplemental Schedule"), our funds from operations ("FFO"), were $11.4 million, or $.83 per diluted share during the second quarter of 2020, as compared to $11.0 million, or $.80 per diluted share during the second quarter of 2019.

Favorably impacting our net income and FFO during the second quarter of 2020, as compared to the second quarter of 2019, was a decrease in our interest expense of $765,000, or $.06 per diluted share. The decreased interest expense resulted primarily from a decrease in the average cost of borrowings pursuant to our revolving credit agreement, partially offset by an increase in our average outstanding borrowings. Unfavorably impacting our net income and FFO during the second quarter of 2020, as compared to the second quarter of 2019, were the previously disclosed vacancies that occurred as of June 1, 2019 and September 30, 2019, at two hospital facilities located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Evansville, Indiana, respectively. These two properties generated a combined net operating loss of $183,000 during the second quarter of 2020, as compared to generating combined net operating income of $512,000 during the second quarter of 2019. See below for additional disclosure regarding these properties.

Consolidated Results of Operations - Six-Month Periods Ended June 30, 2020 and 2019:

For the six-month period ended June 30, 2020, our net income was $9.3 million, or $.67 per diluted share, as compared to $8.5 million, or $.62 per diluted share during the first six months of 2019. As reflected on the attached Supplemental Schedule, our financial results for the six-month period ended June 30, 2019 included a gain of $250,000, or $.02 per diluted share, related to the sale of a parcel of land located at one of our buildings.

As also calculated on the Supplemental Schedule, our FFO were $22.6 million, or $1.64 per diluted share, during the first six months of 2020, as compared to $21.9 million, or $1.60 per diluted share, during the first six months of 2019.

Favorably impacting our net income and FFO during the six months ended June 30, 2020, as compared to the first six months of 2019, was a decrease in our interest expense of approximately $1.1 million, or $.08 per diluted share. The decrease in interest expense resulted primarily from a decrease in our average cost of borrowings pursuant to our revolving credit agreement, partially offset by an increase in our average outstanding borrowings. Unfavorably impacting our net income and FFO during the six months ended June 30, 2020, as compared to the first six months of 2019, were the previously disclosed vacancies at two hospital facilities, as mentioned above, that occurred as of June 1, 2019 and September 30, 2019. These two properties generated a combined net operating loss of approximately $381,000 during the six months ended June 30, 2020, as compared to generating combined net operating income of approximately $873,000 during the six months ended June 30, 2019.

COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic began to significantly impact the United States in mid-March, 2020. As a result of various policies implemented by the federal and state governments, and varying by individual state, many non-essential businesses in the nation were closed for varying time periods. With the exception of the operators of our four preschool and childcare centers, which were closed from mid-March until mid-June, we believe that most of the tenants occupying our hospitals, medical office buildings ("MOBs") and ambulatory care centers were permitted to continue operating if they elected to do so.

Tenants representing approximately 98% of our occupied square footage have paid their June rent. We believe that as of June 30, 2020, substantially all of our tenants have resumed operations of their businesses. However, many of our properties are located in states that have experienced significant increases in COVID-19 infections in June and July. Such states include Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Texas. Although COVID-19 has not had a material adverse impact on our results of operations through June 30, 2020, we believe that the potentially adverse impact that the pandemic may have on our future operations and financial results of our tenants, and in turn ours, will depend upon many factors, most of which are beyond our, or our tenants', ability to control or predict. Since the underlying businesses in each of our properties are operated by the tenants, we can provide no assurance that the businesses will continue to operate in the future, or stay current with their lease obligations.

Throughout the common areas of many properties in our portfolio, we have implemented COVID-19 risk mitigating actions such as, enhanced cleaning protocols including supplemental cleaning and sanitizing of high-touch points, limiting points of entry at certain facilities, and coordinating with health care providers to assess or screen patients prior to entering certain of our MOBs.

Since the bonus rents earned by us on the three acute care hospitals leased to wholly-owned subsidiaries of Universal Health Services, Inc., are computed based upon a computation that compares each hospital's current quarter revenue to the corresponding quarter in the base year, we could experience significant declines in future bonus rental revenue earned on these properties should those hospitals continue to experience significant declines in patient volumes and revenues. These hospitals believe that, to the extent that they experience revenue declines and increased expenses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, as ultimately measured over the life of the pandemic, they are eligible for emergency fund grants as provided for by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act"). Our financial statements for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2020 include bonus rental attributable to revenues recorded by these three hospitals in connection with CARES Act grants.

Dividend Information:

The second quarter dividend of $.69 per share, or $9.5 million in the aggregate, was declared on June 3, 2020 and paid on June 30, 2020.

Capital Resources Information:

On June 5, 2020, we entered into the first amendment to our credit agreement which increased the credit commitment by $50 million, to $350 million. At June 30, 2020, we had $221.3 million of borrowings outstanding pursuant to the terms of this facility and $123.1 million of available borrowing capacity, net of outstanding borrowings and letters of credit. The credit agreement has a scheduled maturity date of March, 2022, however, we have the option to extend the maturity date for up to two additional six-month periods.

At-the-market Equity Issuance Program ("ATM Program"):

During the second quarter of 2020, we commenced an at-the-market equity issuance program pursuant to the terms of which we may sell, from time-to-time, common shares of our beneficial interest up to an aggregate sales price of $100 million to or through BofA Securities, Inc., Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc., Fifth Third Securities, Inc., SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC (collectively, the Agents). Pursuant to this ATM Program, during the second quarter of 2020, we issued 2,704 shares at an average price of $101.30 per share which generated approximately $270,000 of net cash proceeds (net of compensation to BofA Securities, Inc.). Additionally, we paid or incurred approximately $435,000 in various fees and expenses related to the commencement of our ATM program.

Lease Expirations/Vacancies of Two H ospital Facilities:

As previously disclosed, the tenants in two of our hospital facilities had provided notice to us that they did not intend to renew the leases upon the scheduled expiration of the respective facilities. The leases on these two hospital facilities, located in Evansville, Indiana, and Corpus Christi, Texas, expired on May 31, 2019 and June 1, 2019, respectively. Prior to the vacancy of the property on September 30, 2019, the former tenant of the hospital located in Evansville, Indiana, entered into a short-term lease with us, which covered the period of June 1, 2019 through September 30, 2019, at a substantially increased lease rate as compared to the original lease rate.

The combined lease revenue generated at these facilities amounted to approximately $537,000 and $900,000 during the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2019, respectively. The hospital located in Evansville, Indiana, has remained vacant since September 30, 2019 and the hospital located in Corpus Christi, Texas, has remained vacant since June 1, 2019.

We continue to market each property for lease to new tenants. However, should these properties continue to remain owned and vacant for an extended period of time, or should we experience decreased lease rates on future leases, as compared to prior/expired lease rates, or incur substantial renovation costs to make the properties suitable for other operators/tenants, our future results of operations could be materially unfavorably impacted.

New Construction Projects :

Behavioral Health Hospital - Clive, Iowa

In late July, 2019, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours entered into an agreement to build and lease a newly constructed 108-bed behavioral health care hospital located in Clive, Iowa. The lease on this facility, which is triple net and has an initial term of 20 years with five, 10-year renewal options, was executed with Clive Behavioral Health, LLC, a joint venture between Universal Health Services, Inc. ("UHS") and Catholic Health Initiatives-Iowa, Corp. (d/b/a Mercy One Des Moines Medical Center).

Construction of this hospital, for which we have engaged a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS to act as project manager, is expected to be completed in late 2020 or early 2021. The hospital lease will commence upon issuance of the certificate of occupancy and the initial annual rent is estimated to be approximately $2.7 million. The approximate cost of the project is estimated to be $37.5 million, approximately $17.4 million of which has been incurred as of June 30, 2020.

Medical Office Building - Denison, Texas

In September, 2019, we entered into an agreement whereby we will own a 95% ownership interest in Grayson Properties II LP, which will develop, construct, own and operate the Texoma Medical Plaza II, a 75,000 rentable square feet medical office building ("MOB") located in Denison, Texas. This MOB, which is scheduled to be completed in late 2020, will be located on the campus of Texoma Medical Center, a hospital that is owned and operated by a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS.

A 10-year master flex lease was executed with the wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS for 40,000 rentable square feet, representing over 50% of the rentable square feet of the MOB. The master flex lease commitment is subject to reduction upon the execution of third-party leases on up to 20,000 rentable square feet of the first and second floors of the three-story MOB, and 20,000 rentable square feet on the third floor. In April, 2020, a new, 122-month lease was fully executed with a third-party tenant for approximately 26,000 rentable square feet on the first floor of the MOB. As a result, the master flex lease commitment was reduced to 20,000 of rentable square feet on the third floor of the MOB. After giving effect to this new lease, 61% of the rentable square feet of the MOB is under lease agreements.

Effective June 1, 2020, a $13.1 million third-party construction loan was obtained by Grayson Properties II LP, which is scheduled to mature on June 1, 2025 and has an outstanding balance of $7.1 million as of June 30, 2020. In addition, we have committed to invest up to $4.8 million in equity or member loans in the development and construction of this MOB, none of which has been invested as of June 30, 2020.

General Information, Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors and Non-GAAP Financial Measures:

Universal Health Realty Income Trust, a real estate investment trust, invests in healthcare and human service related facilities including acute care hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, sub-acute care facilities, medical/office buildings, free-standing emergency departments and childcare centers. We have investments in seventy-one properties located in twenty states, including two that are currently under construction.

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current management expectations. Numerous factors, including those disclosed herein, those related to the anticipated impact of COVID-19 on our financial results, as well as the operations and financial results of each of our tenants, those related to healthcare industry trends and those detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (as set forth in Item 1A-Risk Factors and in Item 7-Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in Item 2  Forward-Looking Statements and Certain Risk Factors in our Form 10-Q for the quarter period ended March 31, 2020), may cause the results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements which reflect management's view only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Many of the factors that could affect our future results are beyond our control or ability to predict, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Future operations and financial results of our tenants, and in turn ours, could be materially impacted by developments related to COVID-19. Such developments include, but are not limited to, the length of time and severity of the spread of the pandemic; the volume of cancelled or rescheduled elective procedures and the volume of COVID-19 patients treated by the operators of our hospitals and other healthcare facilities; measures our tenants are taking to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of government and administrative regulation and stimulus on the health care industry; declining patient volumes and unfavorable changes in payer mix caused by deteriorating macroeconomic conditions (including increases in uninsured and underinsured patients as the result of business closings and layoffs); potential disruptions to clinical staffing and shortages and disruptions related to supplies required for our tenants' employees and patients; and potential increases to expenses incurred by our tenants related to staffing, supply chain or other expenditures. There may be significant declines in future bonus rental revenue earned on our hospital properties leased to subsidiaries of UHS to the extent that each hospital continues to experience significant decline in patient volumes. We believe that the underlying businesses operated by certain of our other tenants have been, at various times, either temporarily closed entirely or operating at substantially reduced hours. These factors may result in the inability or unwillingness on the part of some of our tenants to make timely payment of their rent to us at current levels or to seek to amend or terminate their leases which, in turn, would have an adverse effect on our occupancy levels and our revenue and cash flow and the value of our properties, and potentially, our ability to maintain our dividend at current levels. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and its impact on the economy, we may experience a decrease in prospective tenants which could unfavorably impact the volume of new leases, as well as the renewal rate of existing leases. The COVID-19 pandemic may delay our construction projects which could result in increased costs and delay the timing of opening and rental payments from those projects, although no such delays have yet occurred. The COVID-19 pandemic could also impact our indebtedness and the ability to refinance such indebtedness on acceptable terms, as well as risks associated with disruptions in the financial markets and the business of financial institutions as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic which could impact us from a financing perspective; and changes in general economic conditions nationally and regionally in the markets our properties are located resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are not able to quantify the impact that these factors will have on our financial results during 2020, but developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse impact on our future financial results.

We believe that adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share (as reflected on the attached Supplemental Schedules), which are non-GAAP financial measures ("GAAP" is Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America), are helpful to our investors as measures of our operating performance. In addition, we believe that, when applicable, comparing and discussing our financial results based on these measures, as calculated, is helpful to our investors since it neutralizes the effect in each year of material items that are non-recurring or non-operational in nature including items such as, but not limited to, gains on transactions.

Funds from operations ("FFO") is a widely recognized measure of performance for Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs"). We believe that FFO and FFO per diluted share, which are non-GAAP financial measures, are helpful to our investors as measures of our operating performance. We compute FFO, as reflected on the attached Supplemental Schedules, in accordance with standards established by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("NAREIT"), which may not be comparable to FFO reported by other REITs that do not compute FFO in accordance with the NAREIT definition, or that interpret the NAREIT definition differently than we interpret the definition. FFO adjusts for the effects of gains, such as gains on transactions during the periods presented. To the extent a REIT recognizes a gain or loss with respect to the sale of incidental assets, such as the sale of land peripheral to operating properties, the REIT has the option to exclude or include such gains and losses in the calculation of FFO. We have opted to exclude gains and losses from sales of incidental assets in our calculation of FFO. FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered to be an alternative to net income determined in accordance with GAAP. In addition, FFO should not be used as: (i) an indication of our financial performance determined in accordance with GAAP; (ii) an alternative to cash flow from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP; (iii) a measure of our liquidity, or; (iv) an indicator of funds available for our cash needs, including our ability to make cash distributions to shareholders. A reconciliation of our reported net income to FFO is reflected on the Supplemental Schedules included below.

To obtain a complete understanding of our financial performance these measures should be examined in connection with net income, determined in accordance with GAAP, as presented in the condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in this report or in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including our Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and our report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2020. Since the items included or excluded from these measures are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance under GAAP, these measures should not be considered to be alternatives to net income as a measure of our operating performance or profitability. Since these measures, as presented, are not determined in accordance with GAAP and are thus susceptible to varying calculations, they may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Investors are encouraged to use GAAP measures when evaluating our financial performance.

(more)

Universal Health Realty Income Trust Consolidated Statements of Income For the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited)



Three Months Ended



Six Months Ended





June 30,



June 30,





2020



2019



2020



2019

Revenues:































Lease revenue - UHS facilities (a.)

$ 5,981



$ 5,651



$ 11,862



$ 11,444

Lease revenue- Non-related parties



12,843





13,178





25,685





25,909

Other revenue - UHS facilities



221





209





435





422

Other revenue - Non-related parties



236





288





506





663







19,281





19,326





38,488





38,438

Expenses:































Depreciation and amortization



6,381





6,426





12,761





13,134

Advisory fees to UHS



1,027





982





2,043





1,952

Other operating expenses



5,576





5,330





10,959





10,540







12,984





12,738





25,763





25,626

Income before equity in income of unconsolidated limited liability companies ("LLCs"), interest expense and gain on sale



6,297





6,588





12,725





12,812

Equity in income of unconsolidated LLCs



419





454





854





884

Gain on sale of land



-





-





-





250

Interest expense, net



(2,016)





(2,781)





(4,325)





(5,473)

Net income

$ 4,700



$ 4,261



$ 9,254



$ 8,473

Basic earnings per share

$ 0.34



$ 0.31



$ 0.67



$ 0.62

Diluted earnings per share

$ 0.34



$ 0.31



$ 0.67



$ 0.62



































Weighted average number of shares outstanding - Basic



13,739





13,730





13,737





13,729

Weighted average number of shares outstanding - Diluted



13,761





13,749





13,759





13,748



































(a.) Includes bonus rental on UHS hospital facilities of $1,417 and $1,352 for the three-month periods ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $2,797 and $2,746 for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.



Universal Health Realty Income Trust Schedule of Non-GAAP Supplemental Information ("Supplemental Schedule") For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited) Calculation of Adjusted Net Income





Three Months Ended



Three Months Ended





June 30, 2020



June 30, 2019





Amount



Per Diluted Share



Amount



Per Diluted Share

Net income

$ 4,700



$ 0.34



$ 4,261



$ 0.31

Adjustments:



-





-





-





-

Subtotal adjustments to net income



-





-





-





-

Adjusted net income

$ 4,700



$ 0.34



$ 4,261



$ 0.31



Calculation of Funds From Operations ("FFO")









Three Months Ended



Three Months Ended





June 30, 2020



June 30, 2019





Amount



Per Diluted Share



Amount



Per Diluted Share

Net income

$ 4,700



$ 0.34



$ 4,261



$ 0.31

Plus: Depreciation and amortization expense:































Consolidated investments



6,381





0.47





6,426





0.47

Unconsolidated affiliates



293





0.02





291





0.02

FFO

$ 11,374



$ 0.83



$ 10,978



$ 0.80

Dividend paid per share









$ 0.690











$ 0.680



Universal Health Realty Income Trust Schedule of Non-GAAP Supplemental Information ("Supplemental Schedule") For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited) Calculation of Adjusted Net Income



Six Months Ended



Six Months Ended





June 30, 2020



June 30, 2019





Amount



Per Diluted Share



Amount



Per Diluted Share

Net income

$ 9,254



$ 0.67



$ 8,473



$ 0.62

Adjustments:































Less: Gain on sale of land



-





-





(250)





(0.02)

Subtotal adjustments to net income



-





-





(250)





(0.02)

Adjusted net income

$ 9,254



$ 0.67



$ 8,223



$ 0.60



Calculation of Funds From Operations ("FFO")









































Six Months Ended



Six Months Ended





June 30, 2020



June 30, 2019





Amount



Per Diluted Share



Amount



Per Diluted Share

Net income

$ 9,254



$ 0.67



$ 8,473



$ 0.62

Plus: Depreciation and amortization expense:































Consolidated investments



12,761





0.93





13,134





0.96

Unconsolidated affiliates



579





0.04





574





0.04

Less: Gain on sale of land



-





-





(250)





(0.02)

FFO

$ 22,594



$ 1.64



$ 21,931



$ 1.60

Dividend paid per share









$ 1.375











$ 1.355



Universal Health Realty Income Trust Consolidated Balance Sheets (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited)



June 30,



December 31,





2020



2019



















Assets:















Real Estate Investments:















Buildings and improvements and construction in progress

$ 586,391



$ 572,503

Accumulated depreciation



(205,720)





(194,888)







380,671





377,615

Land



54,892





54,892

Net Real Estate Investments



435,563





432,507

Investments in limited liability companies ("LLCs")



4,408





6,918

Other Assets:















Cash and cash equivalents



6,342





6,110

Lease and other receivables from UHS



3,023





2,963

Lease receivable - other



7,354





7,640

Intangible assets (net of accumulated amortization of $18.4 million and $26.5 million, respectively)



12,948





14,553

Right-of-use land assets, net



8,929





8,944

Deferred charges and other assets, net



8,039





9,154

Total Assets

$ 486,606



$ 488,789

Liabilities:















Line of credit borrowings

$ 221,250



$ 212,950

Mortgage notes payable, non-recourse to us, net



59,871





60,744

Accrued interest



346





374

Accrued expenses and other liabilities



18,287





12,888

Ground lease liabilities, net



8,929





8,944

Tenant reserves, deposits and deferred and prepaid rents



11,683





11,155

Total Liabilities



320,366





307,055

Equity:















Preferred shares of beneficial interest $.01 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding



-





-

Common shares, $.01 par value; 95,000,000 shares authorized; issued and outstanding: 2020 - 13,769,586; 2019 - 13,757,498



138





138

Capital in excess of par value



266,843





266,723

Cumulative net income



670,534





661,280

Cumulative dividends



(766,342)





(747,417)

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss)/income



(4,933)





1,010

Total Equity



166,240





181,734

Total Liabilities and Equity

$ 486,606



$ 488,789



SOURCE Universal Health Realty Income Trust
Home Search ICH Trumps America has become an unstoppable, out-of-control bully



The current regime running the US risks plunging the world into war with its hegemonistic belligerence in general and escalating provocation of China in particular



By Yonden Lhatoo July 27, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Listen to the screams of panic-stricken passengers, childrens voices among them, crying in terror and calling out prayers, as an Iranian airliner is intercepted and harassed by US warplanes over Syrian air space just the other day. Passengers were left bruised and bloodied after the pilot of the civilian aircraft suddenly changed altitude to avoid a collision with one of the F-15 jets , although the US claimed it kept a safe distance and was only protecting its military base below. Theres nothing that Iran  already debilitated by US-led sanctions and ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic  can do about it, except complain to a United Nations that is powerless to confront the worlds biggest bully as it gets more belligerent. This is the new world order as US President Donald Trump, facing the growing prospect of a drubbing in an election he is desperate to win at all costs, seeks to distract voters from blaming him for the social and economic carnage wrought by the pandemic and his own abject failure to contain it. On the home front, his administration has sparked a potential constitutional crisis by sending federal forces to crack down on anti-racism protests in cities that dont want that kind of interference upending the separation of powers between state and national governments. To those who would argue that protest violence justifies federal intervention and media reports have misrepresented demonstrations as being entirely peaceful, thats exactly what happened in Hong Kong, remember, and yet the same US government painted every attempt by authorities here to restore order as repression. How do you like them apples? And now, in addition to cutting off Hong Kongs nose to spite Beijing with punitive acts that only serve to hurt the city, Chinas weakest link, the Trump administration has gone into overdrive to ostracise and stigmatise Beijing as the ultimate bogeyman. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Washingtons escalating and reckless provocation seriously risks triggering a military confrontation that could prove catastrophic for the whole world, but there is no power on the planet to counter its hegemony and aggression. an unhinged rant of a speech this week While openly coercing Americas cronies and lobbying other nations to gang up against China, Trumps thuggish top diplomat Mike Pompeo madethat was beyond appalling in its ignorance and Sinophobia. The truth is that our policies, and those of other free nations, resurrected Chinas failing economy, only to see Beijing bite the international hands that fed it, he said. We must also engage and empower the Chinese people  a dynamic, freedom-loving people who are completely distinct from the Chinese Communist Party. Really. The most eloquent and fitting response to this nonsense came from former diplomat and veteran China hand Robert Daly, who told US News & World Report magazine: China is not a land of innocent captives and evil master trolls. US-China relations are not a childrens story. In China, the United States faces something far more formidable than Secretary Pompeo suggests: China is a vast, complex, wealthy, ambitious, aggrieved nation  In confronting China, were not dealing with a wholly good people who have been imprisoned or enslaved by a purely malign party. Chinese are often frustrated by a government [that] ignores their wishes, moves too slowly or moves in the wrong direction, but the available evidence is that, as citizens of the PRC, most Chinese people feel proud and enabled, not constrained. All thats left to say to Pompeo and his master is what Boston lawyer Joseph Welch once famously told anti-Communist witch-hunter Joseph McCarthy during one of his Salem trials-style hearings: Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency? Yonden Lhatoo is the chief news editor at the Post - " Source " - Post your comment below See also Pompeo, Manufacturing consent for war on China The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Search Information Clearing House === The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
The Chinese authorities have reportedly ordered Christians to renounce their faith and replace the crosses, images of Jesus in churches with their communist leaders, Chairman Mao and President Xi Jinping. The Chinese officials have recently demolished religious symbols by force in churches in multiple provinces, including Anhui, Jiangsu, Hebei, and Zhejiang.

The officials had asked the church to remove its cross a week earlier, reported Radio Free Asia citing local sources. The report claims dozens of believers had gathered to stop the authorities from knocking down the cross. The government workers also forced their way into the churches, vandalized churches' properties, and thrashed Christians, including a woman in her 80s, who tried to oppose them.

The report also mentioned that poor Christians living in rural areas are being threatened by government officials to destroy religious symbols and display posters of communist leaders if they want to continue receiving welfare or benefits from the government. Crosses and images of Jesus were taken down with about 100 construction workers as they ordered a crane for help to remove.

Directives have been issued by the Chinese Communist Party to flatten churches and mosques, preventing Tibetan children from pursuing Buddhist religious studies and corralling more than a million members of Uyghur Muslim minorities in a bid to re-educate them in internment camps.

In November 2019, the Communist government in China decreed its censors to review and edit all translated versions of classic religious texts which includes Buddhism.

The Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Wang Yang, who oversaw the meeting said that religious authorities must abide by President Xi's directives and expound the ideologies of different religions in conformity to 'the core values of Socialism' and 'the requirements of the era.'
The air was cool and foggy as 30 equestrians silently tromped over Rodeo Valley Trail in Sausalito on Sunday afternoon. Their fists were held high as Brianna Noble led the way, riding the same horse that sparked her worldwide recognition at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Oakland two months earlier.

The striking display of solidarity was intentional, Noble tells me over the phone a few days before Heels Down Fists Up, the rally-and-ride event in the Marin Headlands.

I wanted to give the media something to look at other than the destruction and damage they were promoting, said Noble. That initial impact, though honestly, this has gone way further than I thought it would.

Just a week after her appearance with her Appaloosa gelding Dapper Dan, the 25-year-old equestrian was immortalized in mural form on a wall outside of Lukas Taproom in Oakland. At a protest in San Francisco the following month, one man brought two horses to accompany him because he was so inspired by a photo he saw of Nobles towering presence. And people from as far away as Kenya and New Zealand reached out to Noble to organize their own protests on horseback.

Now, shes utilizing her celebrity as a platform to bring in donations and sponsorships for her ranch, Mulatto Meadows, as well as her nonprofit organization, the Humble Horsemanship Project, which aims to provide local youth with affordable access to horseback riding lessons and education. At the time this article was published, nearly $58,000 has been raised in support of her efforts.

I think I want what every parent wants for their children, a better world than we have, Noble tells me from her Martinez home as her two-year-old daughter giggles in the background. Honestly, we are in a really unique and crazy time. I really, truly hope that when shes big enough its a conversation I dont have to have with her outside of, Wow, that happened at one point. I want to say the world was this way, not tell her how to continue to grapple with it.

Ongoing events like Heels Down Fists Up help raise awareness for the mission of her organization while building on the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement. Several riders at Sundays event showed up with BLM stencils and signs pinned to their horses bridles and saddle bags.

"To me, Black Lives Matter is a cry: 'Do you hear me? Do you see me? Do I have value?' said Jason Ellis, a rider from Concord who participated in the protest. There's no arguing with that.

Marissa Leshnov / Special to the SFGATE

MORE: SF protest in the Mission District had an uplifting sight - two horses

Noble recalled the hot summer days of her childhood spent in the barns where her older sister, also a horseback rider, paid her way through riding lessons by cleaning the stalls. Those formative moments inspired her to pursue a career as an equestrian.



My parents didnt have money for my childcare, so I grew up watching her ride, and I thought it was just the coolest thing, said Noble. Since then, horses have been an amazing influence on my life. They motivated me to go through school, leave my 9-5 job, and take a chance on myself. Theyre an amazing way to inspire people and theyve inspired the hell out of me. I want to share that with the community.

The first Heels Down Fists Up demonstration took place on a Saturday  the day after Juneteenth. The holiday held a particular significance for Noble and she described the mad dash it took to organize the event in such a short amount of time. In the end, hundreds of riders joined her on Skyline Trail that day, marching and chanting.

I believe that if we want to initiate change in the world we have to use what were good at and align it with that change, said Noble. Im not a politician, I cant influence the whole world. But if I can make a change in the horse world  especially in Northern California, which is kind of a racist, non-inclusive space  hopefully everything will piggyback off each other.

ALSO: Woman who rode horse at Oakland protest gets her own mural

Her efforts have ignited nationwide conversations across the equine industry. Noble said shes noticed people are starting to discuss the socioeconomic barriers of horseback riding and how to make the sport more accessible to people of color who have been historically excluded as various organizations work to amplify Black voices in the horseback riding community.

Its ridiculously expensive, and its impossible for a lot of families to afford something like that living in the Bay. I still struggle on a daily basis, and Ive pretty much put my dreams aside to make something like this happen, said Noble, who once hoped to be the first Black woman to compete in show jumping at the Olympics. But I cant afford to compete and ride at the upper levels. Because thats so untenable at this point in my life, I put my energy to the kids. I want one of these kids to change the world if I cant.

Marissa Leshnov / Special to the SFGATE

The Humble project will offer 8-week-long horseback riding lessons at Mulatto Meadows in Briones, a 25-minute drive from Oakland.

It's important to use what you have as a platform for expression, said Pete Taylor, another rider at Sunday's event. This is what I know, this is what I do. This works."

Amanda Bartlett is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: amanda.bartlett@sfgate.com | Twitter: @byabartlett
Industry Update

Appointment

27 July 2020

Jason Ro

Appointed Associate Director of Sales

At Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills - CA, USA

Previously, Ro managed the group sales team and served as interim Director of Sales and Marketing, spearheading strategies to increase group sales production. Ro's previous sales and marketing management roles were held at Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica, and Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles. As Associate Director of Sales, Ro will be responsible for sales team leadership, driving revenue, contribute in product and vendor selection, as well as general management responsibilities.

Hotelschools.com Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration Jason Ro (Class of 2003) is a graduate of Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration in Ithaca, New York - United States (Class of 2003) is a graduate of Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration in Ithaca, New York - United States more information

Accor Accor is a world-leading hospitality group consisting of more than 5,000 properties and 10,000 food and beverage venues throughout 110 countries. The group has one of the industrys most diverse and fully-integrated hospitality ecosystems encompassing luxury and premium brands, midscale and economy offerings, unique lifestyle concepts, entertainment and nightlife venues, restaurants and bars, branded private residences, shared accommodation properties, concierge services, co-working spaces and more. more information

Recent Appointments at Accor Shaun Bowles - General Manager 18 January 2022  Shaun brings a wealth of hospitality experience with him as he joins the team at Queens Hotel Cheltenham from Ennismore. Shaun previously held the role of London Operations Director and prior to that was General Manager of Eynsham Hall in Oxfordshire for almost 15 years, overseeing a refurbishment of 2. read more

James McDevitt - General Manager 18 January 2022  American national, James joins Francis Hotel Bath from Hotel Indigo Manchester where he managed the pre-opening and opening phase as the hotel grew to become market leader and top in class for the brand. read more
The public security ministry ordered localities to review businesses taking advantage of Vietnam's priority immigration policy to bring unqualified foreigners into the country.

Major General To An Xo, spokesman of Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security, said authorities have found some local and foreign businesses added foreigners who are not experts or high-skilled workers to the list for priority entry into the country.

"This is just an initial finding. There is yet no official count on the number of illegal entries, so localities need to step up inspection," said Xo.

Vietnam halted entry for foreign nationals on March 22 and only allows foreigners who have diplomatic or official passports or those who are experts or high-skilled workers to enter the country at this time.

The National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Fight and Prevention on Friday asked all foreign experts coming to Vietnam for work to get Covid-19 tests done three to seven days prior to arrival.

The request came after an increasing number of foreign experts granted permission to work in the country have been testing positive for the novel coronavirus, including 17 Russian oil experts who came in a group of 69 to Ho Chi Minh City on July 11.

Over 93,000 foreign workers are licensed to work in Vietnam, though nearly 22,000 have been unable to return.

Authorities have found 73 Chinese nationals illegally entering Da Nang and nearly Quang Nam Province over the past few days.

On Monday morning, authorities in Hanoi also found five Chinese men illegally entering the country. They had crossed the border on boats to Lao Cai Province, and planned to fly to HCMC from Hanoi.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered the Ministry of Public Security to investigate the illegal entry of foreigners to central Vietnam, following Saturday mornings confirmation of the first Covid-19 community transmission in 100 days.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., accompanied by Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., left, and Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., right, speaking at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Friday. Read more

WASHINGTON  As Congress and the White House resume their efforts to agree on a new economic aid package, evidence is growing that the U.S. economy is faltering. And so is concern that the government may not take the steps needed to support hiring and growth.

Were in a pretty fragile state again," warned Nancy Vanden Houten, lead economist at Oxford Economics, a consulting firm. The economy needs another shot in the arm.

With unemployment still at a high 11.1% and hiring potentially slowing in July, the economy is likely to weaken further without more government aid, economists say. Few agree with White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow's assertion on Sunday that the nation is on a V-shaped recovery path, in which the sharp recession that began in February would be followed by a quick rebound.

What's needed, most economists say, is continued extra aid for tens of millions of unemployed Americans, along with more funding for state and local governments and more grants for struggling small companies, many of which could go out of business.

Yet even with the viral outbreak intensifying and nearly half of Americans whose families have endured a layoff saying they fear those jobs are lost forever, Congress isn't anywhere close to agreeing on the outlines of a package even as a $600-a-week federal payment to the unemployed has expired.

 READ MORE: Yankees-Phillies game postponed as Miami Marlins suffer coronavirus outbreak during Citizens Bank Park series

The debate coincides with worrisome signs about the job market and the economy. The number of laid-off workers who have applied for unemployment benefits has topped 1 million every week for 18 straight weeks. Before the pandemic, that figure never exceeded 700,000. Real-time data shows that Americans visits to shops and restaurants have leveled off after having grown in May and June. Air travel fell last week compared with the week before.

As Congress struggles to reach a compromise on a new financial rescue plan, the main sticking point is the supplemental federal unemployment aid, which provides $600 a week on top of whatever benefit each state provides.

The White House wants to replace the enhanced benefit with a payment that would vary by state but would combine with a state unemployment benefit to replace 70% of recipients' previous income, likely with some cap for high-income earners. On average, state benefits are equivalent to 45% of workers' former incomes.

Senate Republicans favor reducing the $600 to a flat payment of $200, possibly as a bridge to a 70% replacement system. The flat payment had been adopted in March because most states' unemployment systems use antiquated software that cannot adjust individual payments using a percentage formula.

The Democratic-led House has already approved legislation that would extend the $600 through January. Research has shown that, counting the $600 a week in federal aid, roughly two-thirds of those out of work are receiving more money from their jobless benefits than they earned at their previous jobs. That conclusion has fueled Republican concerns that the extra aid has discouraged some of the unemployed from returning to work, potentially slowing the recovery.

Many small businesses have said the $600 weekly federal benefit has made it harder for them to fill jobs. But some unemployed people are reluctant to return to work because they fear becoming infected. And others have tried and failed to find any work.

 READ MORE: Atilis Gym owners arrested for violating N.J.s coronavirus orders

One new finding suggests that the federal jobless benefit hasn't broadly kept people from going back to work. In a paper released Monday, a group of economists and doctoral students at Yale University found that unemployed people with larger percentage gains in their benefits were no less likely to return to work than those with smaller increases.

When the unemployment rate is as high as it is now, economists generally worry less about disincentives, because so few jobs are available. It's when unemployment is low and people who are out of work know that jobs are widely available that the disincentive to work would more likely apply.

William Spriggs, chief economist at the AFL-CIO, argued that the 7.5 million jobs that the economy added in May and June suggest that most of the unemployed will take a job offer when unemployment is high, because they know another opportunity may be hard to find.

"This is the last lifeboat leaving, and if you don't get on it, you're toast, Spriggs said. Most workers also prefer the security of a job over a temporary, if generous, benefit, he said.

Jeremiah Spelts is among those who would like to find new work. Spelts, 41, earned more money from his diesel mechanic job, which he lost in June, than on unemployment. He worked in the oil fields in Wyoming until his employer of two years ran through their Paycheck Protection loan from the government and oil prices fell.

Still, the extra $600 has made it possible for him to cover all his bills.

If that goes away, I would literally start losing things," he said. "The first to go would be my apartment and utilities.

On other issues, Senate Republicans have indicated that they oppose further aid to state and local governments, though they support more money for schools. The House Democrats bill provides $1 trillion for state and local governments. Both parties support additional funding for small businesses, but Senate Republicans are considering limiting new grants to businesses whose revenue has shrunk at least 50%.

Michael Strain, an economist at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, says he supports reducing the extra benefit to roughly $200 a week. But says that the money saved from that cut should be pumped back into the economy. He favors more aid for state and local governments to prevent them from making any further layoffs, and more funds for small businesses.

The goal is to support the economy and support consumer spending, without disrupting work incentives, Strain said.

But Scott Shane, an economics professor at Case Western Reserve University, said he thinks aid should focus more on the unemployed than on small businesses, because many companies may not survive, particularly those involved in in-person services such as restaurants, bars and hotels.

The benefit of keeping a restaurant open, for example, is limited, even if it pays all its employees, Shane said. It won't order food or new equipment from its suppliers, which, in turn, have to cut jobs. And there's no way to know at this point when restaurants and other in-person businesses will reopen.

In fact, the potentially open-ended nature of government aid keeps Shane up at night. Congress approved a $2 trillion package in March. The aid Congress is considering now will likely top $1 trillion.

Are we going to do this twice more every six months going forward? he asked. You cant just borrow forever.
By Giuseppe Fonte and Elvira Pollina

ROME, July 27 (Reuters) - Comcast unit SKY, utility A2A and state agency Invitalia are considering investing in an Italian single ultra-fast broadband network, two sources told Reuters, as Rome steps up efforts to close the digital gap with the rest of Europe.

Former phone monopoly Telecom Italia (TIM), partly owned by state lender CDP, has been in talks for months over a merger of its fibre assets with those of smaller rival Open Fiber, controlled by Italian utility Enel and CDP.

But differences over issues such as governance and regulation have created a deadlock.

To end the stalemate, Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri asked TIM and Enel to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the end of July, Reuters exclusively reported on July 11.

Asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, one of the sources told Reuters "several Italian and foreign investors informally expressed interest in investing in the government-sponsored project."

He added infrastructure fund F2i and Poste Italiane might also be interested.

SKY, which in June launched its own broadband service, declined to comment. Its CEO Maximo Ibarra at that time said a single fibre network could help boost demand for digital services but it should not be controlled by any operator offering services to retail clients, such as TIM.

A2A did not comment. Invitalia and F2i were not immediately available and Poste declined to comment.

Rome increased pressure for an agreement after TIM had started talks with U.S. private equity fund KKR about selling 40% of its secondary or last-mile copper and fibre network, which could become the embryo of a single network.

Sources told Reuters this month Rome would be in favour of CDP taking a stake in the secondary network to balance KKR's presence.

Australian fund giant Macquarie has in the meantime made an offer for all, or part, of Enel's 50% stake in Open Fiber that sources said valued the wholesale operator at almost 8 billion euros ($9.4 billion). Fund Wren House is also interested, sources said.

($1 = 0.8532 euros) (Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte and Elvira Pollina; editing by David Evans)
Brussels, 27 July 2020 (SPS) - Morocco's allegations, through a small group of its far-right allies in the European Parliament regarding the "alleged misappropriation of humanitarian aid" sent to the Sahrawi refugees, are "baseless, absurd and ridiculous," said Monday Polisario Front delegate for Europe and the European Union, Oubi Bouchraya Bachir.



In a press release in response to the "baseless, absurd and ridiculous" accusations, Oubi said the sole purpose of these allegations remains to "discredit" the Polisario Front and its struggle for its inalienable right to self-determination and independence.



The Sahrawi diplomat recalled that "soon the European Court will render its decisions following the two appeals lodged by the Polisario Front against the renewal of the partnership and fisheries agreements between the European Union and Morocco, de facto extended to Western Sahara in flagrant violation of the CJEU decisions of 2016 and 2018."



"This prospect pushes, as of now, Morocco to appeal, as usual, to the representatives of the French extreme right at the European Parliament in order to defame the sole and legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people," he stressed.



The diplomat observed that some members of this movement such as the frontist MEP, Dominique Bilde, behave like "a box echoing the propaganda of the Moroccan special services ". (SPS)



062/SPS/700
Amazon Prime streams testimony of Pulse survivors who now preach freedom in Christ for LGBT Pride Month

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At the launch of what some observe as LGBT pride month in America, the testimony of two Pulse survivors was released on Amazon Prime, titled More Than A Victim: The Angel Colon and Luis Ruiz Story.

More Than A Victim is the exploration of Colon and Ruiz's survival of the horrific Pulse Nightclub Massacre, the emotional turmoil they endured and the miraculous way God stepped into their lives, brought them freedom from sin and redefined their identity.

Colon and Ruiz are now Christian ministers who run the outreach Fearless Identity in which they help expose others in the LGBT community to the love of Jesus. The Jason Holmes-directed documentary does not bash people over the head with the Gospel message. It testifies of the transformation that took place in both Colon and Ruiz.

Both young men were present at Pulse Night Club on June 12, 2016, when a gunman opened fire during Latin gay pride night and killed 49 people. Colon was shot several times and Ruiz was trampled resulting in both men being hospitalized. The film recounts their experience and features firsthand testimonies from them as well as former police officer Omar Delgado, who developed PTSD after the trauma, Florida Senator Dennis K. Baxley and others.

Ruiz, a pastor's kid, said following his experience at Pulse night club, he no longer chases freedom.

I chase Jesus and He is my freedom and He becomes my God," Ruiz told The Christain Post on Tuesday.

"For a long time we tried this pray the gay away and we've tried all these things to pursue freedom. We'll put our faith in church and books and resources, and they're all great. But at the end of the day, they're not Jesus, they're not that intimate place where you can be free. Because where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, he declared of his newfound identity.

Since leaving his former lifestyle, Ruiz has dedicated his life to ministry. He is looking forward to one day experiencing the true definition of sexual relations when he finds a godly wife.

"I'm now getting to understand the meaning of sex. God created sex. Sex was good. He gave it to us, something from Him. Of course, we've perverted it, he noted. I never knew sex, I've known sin.

As per feedback to the faith-based documentary, Ruiz said the response on social media has been overwhelmingly surprising.

"The reactions that we've been getting from this have been amazing, intense. I'm very surprised! I'm very surprised that we have not gotten any kind of backlash, he told CP.

Both Colon and Ruiz are also gearing up to shoot another documentary about their full Christian transformation with former lesbian and filmmaker M.J. Nixon. The next documentary will be proceeded by a feature film.

Ruiz, an Army veteran, is thanking God for the response hes getting for More Than A Victim.

"I've been getting a lot of parents that have been reaching out to me and it has just given them hope. Even my own parents. My mom was in tears seeing it live on prime TV, he explained. Sitting there and seeing it on TV and hearing what I went through and even the prophetic message she gave me as soon as it started, it started with my mom's prophetic message, she started bawling, in tears.

Ruiz said he and his family watched it on the anniversary of the shooting.

"I've been getting a lot of people reach out to us saying thank you. All I've been getting from people, it's just put them in tears. People from my church, came up to me on Sunday and they were like, I heard your story behind the microphone, but to see it on TV and to see the news clip articles and it just coming to life with you and Angel, it just it put me in tears.' I was getting a lot of hugs, he added.



Ruiz encouraged everyone who will stream More Than A Victim to review the film and help keep the movie on the mainstream streaming service.



"The reviews are super vital right now because that's going to be the make it or break it, if they take it off of Amazon because of our message, he said.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  The worlds biggest cosmetics companies have been selling a fairy tale that often goes something like this: If your husbands lost interest in you, if your colleagues dismiss you at work, if your talents are ignored, whiten your skin to turn your love life around, boost your career and command center stage.
India on Monday lodged a strong protest with the Pakistan High Commission over reports of attempts being made to convert a famous gurudwara at Naulakha Bazaar in Lahore into a mosque, a spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

"A strong protest was lodged with the Pakistan High Commission today on the reported incident whereby Gurdwara 'Shahidi Asthan', site of martyrdom of Bhai Taru Singh ji at Naulakha Bazaar in Lahore, Pakistan has been claimed as the place of Masjid Shahid Ganj and attempts are being made to convert it to a mosque," MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

He said India expressed its concerns, in strongest terms, on the incident and called upon Pakistan to investigate the matter and take immediate remedial measures. "Pakistan was also called upon to look after the safety, security, well-being of its minority communities including protection of their religious rights and cultural heritage," Srivastava said, responding to a query on the matter.

He said Gurdwara Shahidi Asthan Bhai Taru Ji is a historical gurdwara where Bhai Taru Ji made supreme sacrifice in 1745. "The gurdwara is a place of reverence and considered sacred by the Sikh community. This incident has been viewed with grave concern in India. There have been calls for justice for the minority Sikh community in Pakistan," he added.
PITTSBURGH, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "I love to grill but I was tired of scorching food and working with messy charcoal," said an inventor, from Detroit, Mich. "I thought there could be a better way, so I invented the S. W. BURNER BLOCK."

The patent-pending invention provides an effective way to properly grill foods outdoors. In doing so, it offers an alternative to using traditional charcoal briquettes. As a result, it increases control and it helps to prevent flareups and burnt food. The invention features a versatile design that is convenient and easy to use so it is ideal for households and outdoor cooks. Additionally, it is producible in design variations.

The inventor described the invention design. "My design provides added control over the heat and it could contribute to better tasting barbecue."

The original design was submitted to the Bingham Farms sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 19-BGF-2388, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Related Links

http://www.inventhelp.com


AP

A Black Lives Matter mural painted outside of Trump Tower in Manhattan that has faced significant vandalism since it was unveiled earlier this month was defaced for the fourth time in weeks, according to police.

Mark David Hutt was charged with criminal mischief after officials said he threw white paint over a section of the mural on Sunday morning.

The suspect began using his hands to smear the paint across the mural shortly after 10am, NYPD detective Carrie Reilly told CNN.

The Black Lives Matter mural  a project Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered after a similar painting was unveiled on the streets leading up to the White House  has become a controversial flashpoint on the citys iconic Fifth Avenue.

While some have celebrated the show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement amid nationwide anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, others  including Black Lives Matter activists  have lambasted the project as performative, instead calling for critical police reform.

To whoever vandalized our mural on 5th Avenue: nice try. @NYC_DOT has already fixed it.



The #BlackLivesMatter movement is more than words, and it cant be undone. pic.twitter.com/nlYTALCWxJ  Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) July 13, 2020

President Donald Trump also described the painting as a symbol of hate, drawing significant blowback from his critics.

There have been at least four reported incidents in which the New York mural was defaced in apparent acts of opposition to the project. The New York City police department has meanwhile paid officers overtime to protect the mural, according to reports.

One man was seen dumping a can of red paint in the middle of the mural in mid-July, forcing the citys Department of Transportation to scrub the painting clean.

Story continues

The mayor condemned the vandalism in a statement that said the Black Lives Matter movement is more than words, and it cant be undone.

Other Black Lives Matter murals across the country have faced similar vandalism as protests continued over the death of Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man who was killed after a white police officer was caught on camera kneeling on his neck.

Earlier this month, a man and woman seen painting over another Black Lives Matter mural in California were charged with a hate crime, as well as a violation of civil rights, vandalism, and possession of tools to commit vandalism, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorneys Office.
Allahabad:

Concentration of power in the hands of one individual is dangerous for the country and chaos due to demonetisation is a direct result of this, Rahul Gandhi on Monday said in a direct attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Flagging the inconveniences people are facing due to poor implementation of the demonetisation decision, he said the move has dented the Indian economy hugely and caused tremendous hardship to fishermen, farmers, labourers and daily wage earners.

The Congress vice president added that the entire Opposition was one on this matter and would jointly take on the government in Parliament.

Concentration of power in the hands of one individual is not good but dangerous for the country. The chaos due to the prime ministers decision of demonetisation is a direct result of this concentration of power, he said.

The demonetisation decision has hurt the economy in unimaginable ways and has severely dented it besides hitting the fishermen in coastal areas, farmers in northern India, labourers, artisans and daily wage earners, he said.

The prime minister took this decision without thinking of the consequences. The entire Opposition is together on this issue and will jointly take on the government in Parliament, said Rahul, who was with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Vadra at the historic Anand Bhavan here for the inauguration of a photo exhibition on the life of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Interacting with the leaders of Uttar Pradesh Congress on the lawns of Swaraj Bhavan, the house where his grandmother Indira was born, Rahul asked them about the preparations for the Uttar Pradesh elections.

He categorically asked them to take the message of implications of demonetisation among the people. The Congress plans to mount a nationwide campaign against demonetisation to corner the government and Modi on the issue.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board today announced it will have a new executive director.

Michael Demko, who is the chief operating officer, will become executive director on Aug. 8 to replace Charlie Mooney, who is retiring after more than 39 years of service to the PLCB.

Demko, of Mountain Top, Luzerne County, was appointed chief operating officer in December 2019, according to a news release from PLCB. He previously served as the director of finance.

Before joining the PLCB in October 2018, Demko was vice president/controller of Nine West Holdings, Inc. (formerly the Jones Group), an American designer, marketer, and wholesaler of womens wear. Prior to that, he worked as a manager and controller in the restaurant industry. He brings with him a solid background focused on financial controllership, strategic planning, forecasting, budgeting, and financial analysis.

According to the news release, Demkos goal as executive director is to implement initiatives that streamline overall operations for the agency.

He has a bachelors degree in accounting from Kings College and an associate degree in hotel and restaurant management from Luzerne County Community College. He serves as an appointed trustee for Unity College in Maine and is a trustee for his church.

Mooney has served as executive director of the PLCB since November 2016. He start his career with the PLCB as a part-time liquor store clerk then manager of a store in Susquehanna County. He became a member of the executive team as director of retail operations in 2014.

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Alan Menken took home his first Emmy Award on Sunday, vaulting him into awards history by becoming the 16th EGOT winner.

The 71-year-old composer won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song in a Childrens, Young Adult or Animated Program for Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure.

The Disney Channel PR Twitter revealed that Menken completed the last leg of the EGOT, having won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award in his illustrious career.

EGOT winner: Alan Menken took home his first Emmy Award on Sunday, vaulting him into awards history by becoming the 16th EGOT winner

Winnerr: The 71-year-old composer won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song in a Childrens, Young Adult or Animated Program for Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure

Announce: The Disney Channel PR Twitter revealed that Menken completed the last leg of the EGOT, having won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award in his illustrious career

This award marks Menken's first Emmy, but he has a whopping eight Oscars, his first two in 1990 for Best Original Song (Under the Sea) and Best Original Score for The Little Mermaid.

He also won another two Oscars in 1992 for Best Original Song and Best Original Score for Beauty and the Beast.

Menken won another two Oscars a year later in 1993 with Best Original Song and Best Original Score wins for Aladdin.

Oscar: This award marks Menken's first Emmy, but he has a whopping eight Oscars, his first two in 1990 for Best Original Song (Under the Sea) and Best Original Score for The Little Mermaid

His final two Oscars came in 1996 with Best Original Song and Best Original Score wins for Pocahontas.

Menken has also won 11 Grammy Awards, mostly for the songs and records produced for the aforementioned films.

His last win was in 2010 for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television, for the song I See The Light from the Disney film Tangled.

Winner: His final two Oscars came in 1996 with Best Original Song and Best Original Score wins for Pocahontas

The composer won his first and only Tony Award in 2012 for Best Original Score for the musical Newsies.

The last EGOT winner was lyricist/producer Tim Rice, who won an Emmy in 2018 to shore up the prestigious title, after winning a Grammy and Tony in 1980 and an Oscar in 1993.

Andrew Lloyd Weber also won his EGOT in 2018 after his Emmy win, following Grammy and Tony wins in 1980 and an Oscar in 1998.

Winner: The composer won his first and only Tony Award in 2012 for Best Original Score for the musical Newsies

John Legend became one of the youngest ever to win the EGOT after his Emmy win in 2018, following his Grammy in 2006, Oscar in 2015 and Tony in 2017.

Other EGOT winners include Robert Lopez, the youngest ever at 39 years of age (eight months younger than Legend), producer Scott Rudin, Whoopi Goldberg, director Mike Nichols and Mel Brooks.

Menken may very well be adding to his EGOT trophy case, signing on to create new music with Lin-Manuel Miranda for Disney's live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid.

More EGOT: Menken may very well be adding to his EGOT trophy case, signing on to create new music with Lin-Manuel Miranda for Disney's live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid

He is also attached to compose the score for reboots of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Disenchanted, a sequel to Enchanted.

Menken will also be writing original songs for remakes of Little Shop of Horrors and Hercules as well.

He most recently composed the score and wrote music for Disney's Aladddin reboot starring Will Smith.

Attached: Menken may very well be adding to his EGOT trophy case, signing on to create new music with Lin-Manuel Miranda for Disney's live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid
The recent stamp duty cut has given the housing market a boost and months of pent up demand may now finally be released.

Estate agents are no doubt chomping at the bit to usher in a new rush of customers, none less so than the online agents such as PurpleBricks and Yopa, which have grown in popularity over the past few years.

And with people more inclined to stay indoors these days, an agent that you don't have to meet face-to-face in a high street branch may seem more appealing than ever - especially as most charge a flat fee that can be as low as 99 rather than take commission that can be several thousands of pounds.

Is it better to use a traditional agent, perhaps at a higher cost, to get a better deal?

But is using an online estate agent when selling a home a false economy, or is it better to use a traditional agent, albeit at a higher cost, to get a better deal?

We take a look at the pros and cons of going online, and what you need to look out for when using an online agent.

What's the difference?

There are a few key differences between online and traditional agents to bear in mind when selling your home.

A traditional high street agent will charge you only if you sell, whereas an online agent's fixed fee often needs to be paid whether you sell or not and could be needed upfront.

Some offer the chance to pay later, but watch out as this may require signing up to a credit agreement.

Fees can vary from 99 with agents such as Doorsteps or 99Home, to 999 with better known firms like Purple Bricks or Yopa.

Others meanwhile don't charge anything at all, but instead earn their money from third party companies.

For example web-based Strike, formerly House Simple, offers a free-of-charge service in the North of England which allows movers to sell their homes without paying any commission.

The types of service that all of these agents offer vary substantially. Some offer simply to list your property, while others will deal with viewings and negotiations as a traditional high street estate agent would.

If you are thinking of using an online agent, double check on their website the exact service they offer.

Also pay particular attention to the quality of their photographs and floor plans. These are vital in attracting buyers browsing online - especially now that many buyers opt to view a property virtually before seeing it for themselves.

HOW DO ONLINE ESTATE AGENTS COMPARE? Agent Fee Average percentage of asking price achieved Doorsteps 99 98% Esale 595 98% Emoov 949 98% 99Home 99 98% Purple Bricks 999 97% Yopa 999 97% Griffin Residential 195 96% Source: This is Money / Homeowners Alliance for % asking price achieved

Angela Kerr from Homeowners Alliance said: 'We would always recommend speaking to a few high street agents to compare packages with the online ones.

'It's also helpful to get a few local agents giving a valuation of your property, as the online agents may lack knowledge of your local housing market.

'Online estate agents are a great option for people worried about costs, which could be most people right now, as they are almost always cheaper.'

Make sure they're offering virtual viewings The Government lifted its ban on viewing properties back in May but 'virtual' viewings remain a key component of the Ministry of Housing's guidelines. Lots of estate agents are now offering these viewings, which give prospective buyers a video tour of the property. The Government says that people should use virtual viewings before visiting properties in person where possible, in order to minimise the risk of spreading coronavirus. How much people are actually following this is a matter of debate. However, the coronavirus viewing rules take up time and mean agents can do fewer physical viewings in a day. It's likely that these measures will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Jonathan Hopper of the buying agents Garrington Property Finders, said: 'In 2020 any estate agent worth their salt is online first and foremost, and the old distinction between 'high street' and 'online' agents is starting to look a bit artificial.

'If you're looking to sell your home and weighing up the merits of different estate agents, the key questions to ask are where an agent is based, what's the quality of their work like, and how their experience is relevant to your type of home and area.

'Lockdown forced many traditional estate agents to abandon the comfort blanket of a high street office. To their surprise, many didn't miss it, and some are now questioning whether they still need a physical office.

'In future estate agents are likely to come in two tiers, rather than be high street or online. For sellers, it'll be more a case of choosing between an "off the shelf" or a "personalised" service.'

Despite their rise, online estate agents still only have a small share of the overall market

What are the downsides?

Despite their rise, online estate agents still only have a small share of the overall market. Supporters of the traditional high street agent will tell you that this is because there are significant downsides.

Poll Would you use an online estate agent to sell your home? Yes, they're no different from traditional agents No, they don't offer the same quality of service Would you use an online estate agent to sell your home? Yes, they're no different from traditional agents 42 votes

No, they don't offer the same quality of service 51 votes Now share your opinion





Some claim that the problem with a fixed fee upfront is that there is no incentive for the agent to sell your house - they've already been paid. You're basically paying someone to list your home, not sell it, and this is a gamble.

Other agents will tell you that it is their local knowledge and years of experience that you are paying for.

They may suggest that they have a list of interested buyers, know the right levers to pull to get your home sold, and are better placed to get the sale all the way through to the all important completion.

On the flipside, almost everyone who has ever bought a home will know that not all estate agents are good.

The thing to balance is whether you think a high street agent will get you a higher price that outweighs the extra money that you will pay them.

And if you do opt for a high street agent, negotiate on the fee - and potentially even ask to cap it.

Is it worth taking a punt?

Some online agents are offering their services for free, while others are extremely cheap compared to traditional agents.

Former RICS chairman Jeremy Leaf

With this in mind, is it worth trying out an online agent, in the knowledge that you can always go to a traditional agent if it doesn't work out?

Jeremy Leaf, estate agent and a former RICS residential chairman, warns that this could backfire if your initial listing isn't priced correctly.

He said: 'The problem of marketing your home with an online agent for a low fixed fee before switching to more traditional route is that you lose market advantage if your property is priced wrongly. It will not be taken as seriously when you remarket it.

'Our experience is that those who overprice from the outset nearly always have to reduce their price to a level even lower than the traditional agent suggested originally to achieve a sale.'

Angela Kerr from Homeowners Alliance said: 'To access the best deals with online estate agents you usually need to pay upfront, so it's not really something you should just have a punt on as you won't get your 99 back if you don't sell.'

What different services are on offer?

Each agent offers a slightly different service so it's best to do your research before picking one.

Yopa for example offers a dedicated local agent and listings on Rightmove and Zoopla, with professional photographs and adverts, a for sale board, and online dashboard.

Aimed at those who find the idea of a full-on DIY sale a little daunting, Yopa assigns a local agent to sellers for face-to-face valuations and help with negotiations. If you want them to do viewings it will cost 300 extra however.

When it comes to the bill you can pay upfront or after selling. Yopa markets your property until it sells but you pay after six months if it hasn't been sold by then.

Purple Bricks is the most famous online agent after a mostly successful marketing drive. It was launched in 2014 by Northern Irish brothers Michael and Kenny Bruce as 'the first 24-hour estate agent'.

Purple Bricks puts you in touch with a local property expert who gives you a valuation and gets professional photos of your house and details arranged.

Each agent offers a slightly different service so it's best to do your research before picking one

For an extra 300 - or 399 in London - Purple Bricks will conduct viewings for you.

You get a dashboard on their website where you can track viewings and listings on all the top portals. Unlike some online agents, which can cancel listings after a certain time, Purple Bricks markets your property until it sells.

After the deal is done you get a post-sales team contact to help you all the way to completion.

Doorsteps is one of the cheapest of the online agents, offering a valuation and marketing on hundreds of websites including Rightmove and Zoopla for just 99.

Most sellers will need the 199 package which includes photos and floor-plans but this is still far cheaper than the other agents.

A big plus is that they keep all properties online until they are sold - which the site claims takes 16 days on average. Purple Bricks and Yopa also offer this.
A plea in the Supreme Court has sought examination on whether female nudity would per se constitute obscenity necessitating invocation of penal provisions by authorities under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Information Technology Act (IT Act)

The petition, an anticipatory bail plea, has been filed by Fathima AS, an activist from Kerala, who is apprehending arrest for offences under POCSO Act and IT Act after she uploaded a video on social media of her two minor children painting her naked body.

The petitioner, while being semi-nude, has allowed her body to be used a canvas for her children to paint on and there can probably be nobody, except a pervert, who would be aroused to sexual desire by seeing the nature of the work, the petition drawn by advocate Renjith Marar said.

A case was registered against Fathima after she uploaded the video on social media in June which later went to stir furore for offences of child pornography under POCSO Act for publishing such content which is an offence under the IT Act.

The Kerala high court had rejected her anticipatory bail plea on July 24.

The petitioner feels that, she should teach sex education to her children. For that purpose, she asks her children to paint on her naked body and then uploading the same in social media. I am not in a position to agree with the petitioner that she should teach sex education to her children in this manner, the high court had said in its order.

Fathima contended that female nudity per se will not constitute obscenity and children painting on their mothers body cannot be construed as child abuse.

Moreover, the message accompanying the uploaded edited video makes it clear that she intended to normalize the female form for her children and not allow distorted ideas of sexualisation to pervade their mind, Fathima submitted.

She also cited two Supreme Court judgments in this regard to make a case for her argument.

First was the 2014 judgment in Aveek Sarkar v. State of West Bengal in which the top court held that a photo taken by a father of his semi-nude daughter and nude son-in-law who were black and white respectively was intended to convey an anti-apartheid message and cannot be dubbed obscene.

The second judgment referred to was the famous case of Bobby Art International v. Om Pal famously known as the Bandit queen case. In this case, the movie which depicted the life of bandit turned politician late Phoolan Devi, had nude scenes. The court, however, held that nudity in the movie was not intended to arouse base desires but should be considered in the context of the story and the situation in the movie.

Goddesses in Kerala are frequently depicted in idols and murals with bare breasts. When one prays at the temple, the feeling is not of sexual arousal but one of divinity. The body painting of men is part of pulikali (a folk dance in which men dance with their bodies painted with tigers and leopard prints). It cannot suddenly become obscene when the same is done on a woman, the plea claimed.

Fathima had earlier attracted controversy when she attempted to enter Sabarimala temple in 2018 after the Supreme Court had struck down a law prohibiting entry of women in the hill top shrine in Kerala. She had to abandon her journey in the wake of massive protests by a violent mob of around 200 persons who had blocked her path after she reached the shrine.
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Furious Britons flooding back from Spain today told how they faced economic hardship following the last-minute addition of the country to the UK's quarantine list while they were on holiday.

Downing Street said British holidaymakers who miss out on work due to the newly-imposed quarantine period may be eligible for Universal Credit or employment support allowance of up to 74.35 a week, but not statutory sick pay.

But employers are under no obligation to pay staff while they are in quarantine, self-employed workers will be forced to give up jobs and some people could even face the sack if they have to isolate when returning home.

The Government also warned 'no travel is risk-free' - and said workers who lose their jobs because they are quarantining after returning from Spain could appeal to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).

There are also fears more European holidays could be thrown into disarray amid mass uncertainty this summer, with the Spain decision said to have spooked UK holidaymakers who had booked trips in France, Italy and Greece.

Among the unhappy Britons arriving at Manchester Airport from Spain today was Joanne Jackson, 49, who had just returned from a two-week break in Nerja and said she has now lost 2,000 in wages due to the quarantine.

The care worker from Manchester said: 'It is a ridiculous decision and disgraceful one. Everyone abroad should have been given two weeks' notice, not just a few hours. Thanks to the Government, I have lost 2,000 in wages. Who is going to pay my wages? Who is going to pay my mortgage and bills? What will I do for money?

'Where I have been staying, the infection rate is zero. The government should make people who are returning from high-risk areas quarantine, and not put a blanket-ban on the whole of Spain. I am absolutely livid that I now have to quarantine. I'll be back over in Spain soon. It won't stop me flying.'

The decision to enforce a 14-day quarantine was imposed with five hours' notice and left tens of thousands of tourists unable to return home before it kicked in. More than 600,000 British holidaymakers were estimated to either have been in Spain or booked to go when the change was made on Saturday night.

The Spanish government and international tourist operators have also criticised the decision, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the airline industrys main global body, saying it 'does not accurately reflect the risk of a regional spike in one corner of the country'.

It comes as:

Britain announced just seven more coronavirus deaths in the lowest daily toll for four months  but cases are still on the rise amid fears of a resurgence.

Industry figures warned of a wave of cancellations for bookings across Europe because the decision had 'put fear into people' as they warned the 'rug has been pulled from under our feet'.

Ryanair revealed losses of 168million during the coronavirus pandemic but sparked a row over refunds by insisting it will continue flying to Spain after UK tourists were told not to travel there;

There is growing uncertainty over whether people should book foreign holidays across Europe - with the Government suggesting Britons will have to make their own judgements on whether it is a good idea to travel;

Labour has urged the Government to introduce 'smarter measures' at the border rather than a blanket quarantine for those returning from Spain;

Health Minister Helen Whately said the Spain decision has been taken because the 'rate was going up very rapidly in Spain and we had to take very rapid, decisive action';

Holiday firm Tui has cancelled all holidays to mainland Spain up to and including August 9.

French health authorities said the country's R-rate was up to 1.3 and that daily new infections have risen to 1,130 - indicators resembling those seen in May, when France was coming out of its two-month lockdown.

Employment barrister Grahame Anderson said: 'If you come back from Spain today and your boss says you've got to be in work on Monday, there's not a great deal you can do if they say 'well if you don't come in, I'm not going to pay you'. If you haven't been there for two years, you've got very little protection against being dismissed as well.'

Care worker Joanne Jackson flew into Manchester Airport today. She had just returned from a two-week break in Nerja, Spain, and said she has now lost 2,000 in wages due to the quarantine

Air passengers wearing protective face masks leave the arrivals terminal at Birmingham Airport today

Passengers wearing face masks exit Terminal 1 after landing at Manchester Airport today as the quarantine chaos continues

Amongst the arrivals at Stansted Airport today were Harry Priestner, 24 and Meg Day (left), 23, who said it put a sour end to their first romantic holiday together. Amanda Thompson with her son Finley (right) flew into Manchester Airport today from Spain. Ms Thompson, who lives In Barcelona, said: 'I think it is disgusting. The UK government has handled this all wrong'

Also arriving at Manchester Airport from Spain today was Max Jury, 26, from Clitheroe, Lancashire, who owns an energy grants company. He said: 'It's is annoying that I have to quarantine for 14 days but I understand why.

'They are just trying to control things and fix the problem. I'm not too bad work-wise because I can work from home for the next two weeks.'

Can your employer refuse to pay you if you have to quarantine? Legal experts have warned some people could lose pay or even face the sack if they have to quarantine when returning home. They said it was important people know about the lack of employment protections they have if they follow the rules imposed by the Government. The government has advised those that find themselves unable to work and without pay because of the change in quarantine rules to apply for Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit. Employment Support Allowance is government benefits paid if disability or health condition that affects how much you can work. It can be claimed by people self isolating because of coronavirus. Employment barrister Grahame Anderson said: 'If you are somebody who was come back from Spain today and your boss says you have got to be in work on Monday, there's not a great deal you can do if they say 'well if you don't come in, I'm not going to pay you'. 'And if you haven't been there for two years, you've got very little protection against being dismissed as well.' HR consultant Roisin Williuams added: 'Changing the SSP statutory instrument a few months back to allow for self isolation - ie when not actually ill oneself - took weeks and weeks. 'Changing again because of travel rules is anything but simple I'm afraid. Our existing employment rights simply do not accommodate Covid.' She continued: 'Prior to Covid, Satutory Sick Pay (SSP) was only payable if unable to work because of actual illness, not to avoid getting ill, or to protect others from getting ill or because mandated by PHE or NHS. SSP rules simply did not allow for Covid circumstances.' The official UK Government website states: 'You cannot get SSP if you're self-isolating after entering or returning to the UK and do not need to self-isolate for any other reason.' However it says that you can claim statutory sick pay of 95.85 per week for up to 28 weeks if you a) are self-isolating because you or someone you live with has coronavirus symptoms; b) have been notified by the NHS or public health authorities that you've come into contact with someone with coronavirus; or c) 'shielding' at home because you are at high risk of severe illness from coronavirus. Advertisement

Mr Jury, who had been on a four-day trip to Barcelona, added: 'The online form is pretty straightforward to complete. They just want your contact details and where you're going to be living.

'Quite a few people hadn't filled them in so there was quite a long queue at immigration.

Hayley Frost, 23, from Manchester, had been out in Barcelona since Tuesday. The editorial assistant said: 'I'm upset because now I have to quarantine.

'I was supposed to come back on Friday but I got food poisoning and had to stay longer. If I'd have return when I was supposed to, I'd have been OK.

'Work don't even know that I've been to Spain. I took a week off and then decided to go. I'm going to have to tell them now.

'We were starting to go back into the office to to work but now I'll have to work from home for the next two weeks.'

Amanda Thompson, 47, and her son, Finley, 12, are in the UK for a month. Ms Thompson, who lives In Barcelona, said: 'I think it is disgusting.

'The UK government has handled this all wrong. My friends have been contacting me saying that Barcelona is in complete lockdown and that is not true.

'The government has dealt with this incorrectly and handled it badly from start to finish. Fortunately, I'm back here to renovate a house, so it won't be too bad.'

Chris Gibbs, 39, from Prestatyn, owns a building company. He had just returned from a four-day golfing trip. He said: 'I can't go to work now because I have to quarantine.

'I have an extension at a house that needs completing and the house is exposed at the back. Now I can't go back to working on it and will have to tell the owners the work will be delayed.

'I am very annoyed and thought about driving to France to avoid this. The Spanish authorities are saying that all this is unnecessary and outbreak isn't really bad.

'I live on my own so I can go shopping during quarantine but that's it. And because I'm self-employed I won't be earning any money.'

Phil Royle, 57, a print manager from St Helens, had just returned from Malaga. He said: 'It's an absolute disaster.

'From what I understand I can still fly to America where thousands of people are dying without any restrictions but I have to quarantine from Spain where the infection rate is less.

'I felt much safer over there than I do here. Work can organise a test and I can test negative but I still have to quarantine.

'I've worked all the way through and was looking forward to this holiday and now I feel flat. 'It has put a damper on the whole trip.'

Joe Allen, a TV producer from London who visited Madrid and returned on Sunday, said he felt let down by the lack of information to travellers about the 'knee-jerk' decision

Hayley Frost (left) and Chris Gibbs (right) are pictured at Manchester Airport today after flying in from Spain. Ms Frost said: 'I'm upset because now I have to quarantine', and Mr Gibbs said: 'I can't go to work now because I have to quarantine'

Spain was put on the UK's quarantine list at just five hours notice - but cases are starting to rise in other European countries. France and Germany are the most at risk of another quarantine order, both popular holiday destinations for Britons

France's new coronavirus cases are also starting to rise - prompting fears that it will be the next country to be subject to a lockdown with no notice. Belgium and Germany are also starting to see a rise in new coronavirus cases

Gabrielle Mottersley, a creative manager from Manchester, had returned from Malaga. She said: 'It is a really terrible way of finishing the holiday.

Police have fined just one person for a travel quarantine breach Just one person has been fined by police for breaching quarantine rules after arriving from abroad, new figures from forces in England and Wales show. The data released by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) on Monday comes after holidaymakers in Spain and its islands were told they would have to self-isolate for 14 days when returning to the UK. It does not include fines issued by UK Border Force, which had issued three penalties by July 10, when quarantine rules for people returning to or visiting the UK from a list of countries were relaxed. NPCC chairman Martin Hewitt said enforcement of the regulations, breaches of which can be punished with fines of between 100 and 1,000, is primarily a matter for Border Force and public health officials. He said compliance with the rules had been good, but added 'it's really difficult to understand how people will re-spond' after Spain was removed from the UK's list of safe destinations over a spike in the number of coronavirus cases. 'You would hope that people would come back and be responsible,' he said. 'I would hope they would be, but we will be in a position to carry out the role that we have in this, which is a second-ary role to both the border force and Public Health England, as we are required to do so. 'But I guess time will tell how that plays through. 'And of course, you know it's not inconceivable that this could happen with other countries as we move forward, and I think the Government has made clear about that as well, so we will monitor that and work through the process.' The ticket for breaching quarantine rules, which was issued by Lincolnshire Police, was one of only eight fixed penalty notices handed out in England in the two weeks to July 20, with none in Wales. Some six of the fines were handed to people who failed to wear face coverings on public transport, making a total of 32 under the regulations introduced on June 15. Passengers caught not complying with the regulations can be fined 100 and removed from services. The other fine in the latest two-week period was issued by Northamptonshire Police for a breach of rules around gath-erings. Figures are not yet available for breaches of regulations introduced on Friday making it compulsory for most people to wear face coverings in shops. But Mr Hewitt said: 'I certainly, in my trawl around how the weekend has gone, have heard of no instances around particular issues in shops. I'm not aware of any fines having been issued.' A total of 18,669 fixed-penalty notices (FPNs), including 16,029 in England and 2,640 in Wales, have been recorded by forces up to July 20. The NPCC said the figures do not include fines issued during the local Leicester lockdown. Advertisement

'The whole procedure is an absolute shambles. But the way the government has handled it all the way through has been awful, too.

'There has been no consistency and procedures have been switched all the time without much notice.

'I just feel so let down. I also feel really sorry for the business owners out there who have tried really hard to make it as safe as possible. I work from home so I'm OK from that perspective.'

Meanwhile holidaymakers arriving at London Stansted Airport from Spain today said they had been let down by the Government and the shock collapse of the air bridge.

Furious arrivals claimed Spain was safer than Britain and fumed about the sudden change in position.

Amongst the arrivals were young couple Harry Priestner, 24 and Meg Day, 23, who said it put a sour ending to their first romantic holiday together.

Mr Priestner had been furloughed from his job in recruitment and fears what could happen if he is asked to come back in.

He said: 'To be honest I'm disappointed, we wouldn't have gone on holiday if we knew we were going to get stuck in quarantine.

'Not only that we have gone from a lockdown where we were allowed to exercise to a stricter one.

'We can't leave for a dog walk, can't exercise. This was our first holiday together, it was lovely and I'm glad we went but it has certainly put a bit of a sad turn on the end of a nice holiday.

'Now we have to be locked inside for two weeks, I'm on furlough and I don't know when I'm going back to work. If I suddenly get pulled back in, I'm going to have to turn around and say I can't come back.

The Londoner added: 'We only went on the basis it was an air bridge and then suddenly out of nowhere it got announced.

'We are going to try and be positive, but it is a bit of a shock  there's nothing we can do about it. I feel let down by the Government, we only went because we were allowed to go.

'Would we have gone for a four day holiday if we knew everything we had planned to do for the next two weeks would be cancelled -absolutely not, it's not worth it.'

Meg added: 'I'm a bit annoyed, and let down.'

And another traveller says he was forced to leave his wife and kids in Spain so he could return home and start isolating so he didn't miss work.

The engineering manager, from Colchester, Essex said: 'I'll guess I'll find out what it means for work. I left my kids and wife out there and cut my holiday short to isolate, it's unfortunate I have to do it.

'It's annoying as places in Spain with rising cases are happening in pockets and I was 1,000 miles away from there.

'I think the Spanish are much better on social distancing and taking the measures than here. Police were on the beaches, there wasn't too many people there, there was no Bournemouth there.'

Alex Waters, 20, and Leia Walker, 21, from Stansted, Essex, were also livid with the decision after arriving from Majorca.

Ms Walker said: 'We are a bit annoyed and p***ed off. The conditions are so much better than here. We looked at flights to potentially come back earlier to self-isolate, but there was nothing  there was no chance to even think about it.

'It is a bit gutting, were hoping there will be some kind of dispensation for the Balearics as the cases are so low.

'We can work from home, but we've just started to come back to work and now we have to take back another two weeks before we can return again.

Mr Waters added: 'We have been going into London every day for work and we were in Majorca and the social distancing was so much better. 'All restaurants had hand sanitiser and everyone followed social distancing.'

Carer Zoe Pett, 19, was returning from a family holiday in Spain and says she will now be unable to work for a week. She is pictured (right) with a friend at Stansted Airport today

Phil Gander, 48, from Buckinghamshire, echoed their confusion. He said: 'It's shocking in a way, it could have happened 48 hours before and I wouldn't have gone out there.

Pet cat becomes first animal in the UK to get Covid-19 after catching the virus from its owners A pet cat has become the first animal in the UK to be diagnosed with Covid-19, it was revealed today. Officials in believe the cat  which wasn't identified  caught the coronavirus from its owners and 'not the other way round'. Downing Street said the feline, from England, had shown respiratory symptoms including shortness of breath. Both the cat and its owners have made a full recovery and there was no transmission of the virus to other animals or people in the household, health bosses said. Experts have warned people to avoid cuddling their pets if they have the virus. They also advise keeping cats indoors so there is zero risk they can spread germs around a neighbourhood. It is not the first time an animal has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 in humans. The first dog in the world to catch coronavirus died after it was declared disease-free and returned home to its owner in Hong Kong. The 17-year-old Pomeranian, whose owner caught Covid-19, had been quarantined at a government facility but returned home over the weekend. The cat was confirmed to have the virus after being tested at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge last Wednesday. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The test was carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency laboratory having been referred by a private vet who the owners had taken the cat to see. 'Its symptoms were a respiratory infection with a nasal discharge and some shortness of breath.' Health officials said there is no evidence to suggest that the animal was involved in transmission of the disease to its owners. And they added that there is also no proof that pets or other domestic animals are able to transmit the virus to people. The advice from Public Health England is for people to wash their hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals. Advertisement

'I felt fine out there, it was very relaxed out there. If you had your mask on you were fine.

'It's annoying as I have been isolating for four months and were back to it, but as long as I take precautions I should be fine.'

Married couple Kevin and Amanda Barker, from Bishop's Stortford, agreed with Mr Gander. Mr Barker, 56, said: 'It hasn't been very well flagged, I feel let down by the Government.

'They seem to have acted very differently from other Governments and taken a much harsher route.

'We have arrived from Alicante and there are very few instances of Covid over there, it seems a very harsh approach.' Mrs Barker, 55, added: 'I felt very safe over there.'

Carer Zoe Pett, 19, was returning from a family holiday and says she will now be unable to work for a week.

She said: 'I can't go back to work and I think I'm going to have to wait for a test, but we will have to wait now due to the incubation period.

'I'm a bit livid really, we had a nice time  it was worth it really. I work part-time in a care home helping old people.

'I'm a bit annoyed I can't go to work, but I don't want to put them at risk. I wouldn't feel comfortable going back in.'

Among the victims is a British tourist in Spain who runs the UK charity Mask Our Heroes which provides personal protective equipment to frontline workers.

Emily Woods told ITV's This Morning: 'We came out Thursday. We were checking government guidelines and there was no sign of restrictions being imposed.

'We travelled very safely and I know a lot about PPE - I run a PPE charity. We were picked up at the airport and we were taken to our friend's villa and we were faced with being in lockdown for two weeks. This will restrict the work I'm doing.'

Self-employed IT technician Nick Madeley, 41, who is returning from Majorca to East Midlands Airport today, said he was having to pay contractors to take on his jobs because he will no longer be able to complete them while in quarantine.

Mr Madeley, of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, has been on holiday with his wife Alison, 49, and five-year-old daughter Ellie.

He told MailOnline that the family had a holiday cancelled to Madeira so we followed Foreign Office advice and changed to Santa Ponsa in Majorca knowing they would not have to isolate upon return.

Mr Madeley said: 'We've all had a great holiday and also stuck to the rules regarding face masks and sanitisation and we have felt very safe.

'But it's my daughter I feel sorry for. Having gone through lockdown stuck at home patiently abiding by the lockdown rules, then slowly getting back into school, this holiday was our little bit of normality that we've worked hard for.

'And now we all have to quarantine and lose out on another two weeks summer holidays where she can't go out and do things we were planning on doing.'

Self-employed IT technician Nick Madeley, 41, pictured with his wife wife Alison, 49, and five-year-old daughter Ellie. He is returning from Majorca to East Midlands Airport today, but is now having to pay contractors to take on his jobs because he can no longer complete them

Among the victims is British tourist Emily Woods in Spain who runs the UK charity Mask Our Heroes which provides personal protective equipment to frontline workers

Phil Royle and Gabrielle Mottersley have flown into Manchester Airport from Spain today. Ms Mottersley, a creative manager from Manchester, had returned from Malaga. She said: 'It is a really terrible way of finishing the holiday'

He added: 'I am self-employed and I am due back into work the day after we get back. Now I cannot and have been seeking other contractors since the announcement to complete my work now, at my expense, whilst I will be in quarantine.

Spain calls for its low-infection islands to be DROPPED from UK quarantine list amid fury at contradictory government advice that only includes mainland Spain today called on the UK Government to drop the Spanish islands from its quarantine list after British tourists were told they can travel there but must still go into 14-day isolation upon returning home. Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised UK travellers against all non-essential travel including holidays to mainland Spain. Holidaymakers including British tourists on the beach in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza yesterday But this does not apply to the Canary Islands - Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa - and the Balearic Islands - Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera. However, people returning from anywhere in Spain  including the Canaries and Balearics - are now required to go into 14 day quarantine on return. Ministers in the UK Government are now said to be considering giving the Canaries and Balearics an exemption, but this could still be one week away. The Spanish government and Britain's travel industry trade body, the Association of British Travel Agents, argue it is not necessary for the Canaries and Balearics to be included in the quarantine, pointing out that infection rates on these islands are low. Abta has told the Government to 'consider' changing the rules, while Spain's Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya is trying to convince Britain to exclude the Balearics and Canaries, saying: 'Spain is safe, it is safe for Spaniards, it is safe for tourists.' But one British tourist tested positive for Covid-19 in Lanzarote last week, and the UK Government fears that if the islands were exempt this could allow a loophole in the system. In theory, someone on holiday in Spain could fly home via Majorca and avoid quarantine. A Whitehall source close to discussions on whether to give the Canaries and Balearics an exemption told The Sun today: 'They are considering an exemption to the Balearic and Canary Islands. Their rates are lower so it may be on the cards. 'But the announcement may not come until the weekly review. There has been some debate as to whether they should be included as there is a lot of traffic between the mainland and the islands, and that's where the issue is.' Advertisement

'I didn't take the decision lightly to go abroad and could have quite easily had a refund, but that wouldn't help our economy like the Government want us to do.

'Now I feel like we're being penalised for it. I understand we have to react to outbreaks, but the whole of the UK isn't out of bounds to people travelling in just because of Leicester etc.'

Among those concerned about an upcoming holiday to Spain is Lauren Hall, who told MailOnline: 'We are yet to travel on our holiday but we are facing the issue that neither of us can go into self-isolation when we return due to our work commitments.

'But as our holiday is off the mainland our holiday can still go ahead so we are forced between the decision of not going on holiday and lose the money we paid or go on holiday and lose two weeks of wages when we return. '

Another tourist, Jan Keegan, told MailOnline she returned with her family from the Canary Islands last night and is 'extremely frustrated' at the quarantine.

She said: 'Overnight it went from mainland Spain to the Canaries, which seems crazy as their cases are so low.

'It doesn't impact so much on me as I am a key worker working from home but my husband is a HGV driver and has only just returned to work after being furloughed.

'We would not have gone away knowing about the quarantine as we are unsure how this will impact on my husband's wage and of course the inconvenience to the firm he works for. We are praying they revise the quarantine for the Balearics and the Canaries. '

Tony and Yolanda Schofield, from Leamington Spa, flew into Heathrow Airport from Madrid this morning. The couple flew to Spain from Mexico, where they had been self-isolating for eight weeks, Mr Schofield said.

'We were surprised at the final bit of having to quarantine from Spain, although we knew we would have to, coming back from Mexico,' he said. 'It has been very smooth, very easy.'

Asked about the two-week quarantine, Mr Schofield called it 'necessary'.

Mrs Schofield added: 'For us it's OK because we don't have to go to work. We've kind of planned it really to do that, and we've got somewhere to quarantine.'

Laura Martin, an au pair who lives in London, is unable to return to work for 14 days due to the quarantine on arrivals from Spain.

The 27-year-old flew into Heathrow Airport from Madrid, where she was visiting friends and family. 'The quarantine is not a problem. I think it's just for people's safety,' she said.

She said, although the family she works as an au pair for looked at 'other solutions, like a hostel', she will spend the two weeks self-isolating with a friend.

One woman, flying to Madrid from Heathrow Airport to visit friends for two days, said she felt 'horrible' about the prospect of having to quarantine for two weeks on her return.

Giving her name only as Maria, she said: 'I feel horrible. I get it's for safety and everything, but if people are already taking measures then I think it's so much of a hassle.

'I'm going to be there for just two nights, barely three days, so it's not even a long time.'

The woman, who works in business and is from Reading, says she will work from home when she returns, adding: 'If it would have affected my work, I would have to cancel the flight full stop.'

One woman flying into Heathrow Airport from Spain today said the two-week quarantine was 'frustrating' but 'it is what it is'.

Michelle Pattison, from London, said she was three days into her holiday in Costa Brava, to the north-east of Barcelona, when the quarantine was imposed.

'(I'm) happy to do it because that's what we need to do,' the 47-year-old said.

The Spanish government and Britain's travel industry trade body, the Association of British Travel Agents, argue it is not necessary for the Canaries and Balearics to be included in the quarantine, pointing out that infection rates on these islands are low

British tourists walk with their luggage outside the airport upon their arrival at Palma de Mallorca in Spain this afternoon

Representatives of tour operator TUI provide information to British tourists at the airport in Palma de Mallorca today

British tourists wait to check in for a flight to London at the airport in Palma de Mallorca this afternoon

'It is frustrating because you had plans and things like that, and the fact that it changed while we were there, but it is what it is.'

Ryanair announces a 168m loss and says 'a second wave of coronavirus across Europe is our biggest fear' - but vows to keep flying from the UK to Spain Ryanair today revealed losses of 168million during the coronavirus pandemic but insisted it will continue flying to Spain after UK tourists were told not to travel there. The low-cost airline, like its competitors, was forced to ground its fleet as Covid-19 wreaked havoc on timetables, with travel bans and lockdowns introduced worldwide. Ryanair said it suffered the 'most challenging' quarter in its 35-year history after carrying 500,000 passengers from April to June compared with 41.9million in the same period last year. A man stands at a Ryanair check-in desk at Barcelona-El Prat Airport yesterday Its share price fell eight per cent in early trading this morning. Meanwhile, revenue collapsed from 2.1billion to 113million, with the Dublin-based carrier saying said a second wave of the disease was now its 'biggest fear'. But chief financial officer Neil Sorahan told BBC Radio 4 today that it would not cut flights to Spain, saying: 'As things stand, the market remains open, the schedules remain in place and we continue to operate in and out of Spain as normal.' Speaking about the UK government advising against non-essential travel to Spain due to coronavirus, he told Reuters: 'I think it is regrettable, very disappointing. 'I have no doubt that we will see other localised outbreaks and we need to be flexible enough to deal with them as they arise over the next number of weeks and months.' He added that the Spanish government has made clear that the country remained open for tourists, with infection levels low in much of the country. A Ryanair spokesman said: 'The past quarter was the most challenging in Ryanair's 35-year history. 'Covid-19 grounded the group's fleet for almost four months (from mid-March to end June) as EU governments imposed flight or travel bans and widespread population lockdowns. 'During this time, group airlines repatriated customers and operated rescue flights for different EU governments, as well as flying a series of medical emergency/PPE flights across Europe.' Flights were resumed on July 1, and the company said it aimed to operate around 40 per cent of its normal July schedule, increasing to 60 per cent in August and 70 per cent in September. Ryanair Holdings plc said it expected air travel to be depressed in Europe for the next two to three years, adding: 'This will create opportunities for Ryanair to grow its network, and expand its fleet, to take advantage of lower airport and aircraft cost opportunities that will inevitably arise.' It added that it could not provide any guidance for profits in this financial year, but added that it expected to carry 60million passengers this year. Advertisement

Ms Pattison said she would work from home for the two weeks, as she had been prior to her holiday.

Celia Gonzalez said it was a 'risk' going on holiday during a pandemic, as she arrived at Heathrow Airport from Madrid this afternoon.

The sales manager, who lives in London, said she had spent almost a month in Spain visiting family.

Asked if she thought the quarantine period would be inconvenient, the 30-year-old said: 'Not really, because I'm still on furlough.

'People are upset because they were on holiday, but you take the risk when you travel in the middle of a pandemic anyway.

'We were lucky enough not to have a quarantine for whatever reason, whatever agreement with the Government, but if it changes, it changes.'

One student flying into Heathrow Airport from Madrid said the quarantine was 'really bad timing', as he flew out to Spain for the weekend on Friday.

Dominic, who declined to give his last name, said: 'It was really bad timing. I found out on Saturday night, but by that point it had already come into force, so there wasn't enough time to do anything.'

The University of Exeter student added: 'I saw my friends, so it was a good time. Two weeks at home, I suppose it's not too bad.'

Today, Downing Street appeared to sow more confusion among British holidaymakers and travel firms after warning 'no travel is risk-free' amid fears of a wave of cancellations sparked by a shock U-turn on quarantine for arrivals from Spain.

No 10 was unable to provide reassurances that the decision to subject arrivals from the popular holiday destination to 14 days in isolation - having previously cleared them to bypass the health restriction- would not be expanded to other countries with a coronavirus spike.

The Spain decision, which gave holidaymakers five hours' notice on Saturday, is believed to have spooked many people who had booked trips in France , Italy and Greece with operators already reporting 'lots of cancellations'.

This morning the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'Decisions on border measures and travel advice can be changed rapidly if necessary to help stop the spread of the disease.

'Unfortunately no travel is risk-free during this pandemic and disruption is possible and so anyone travelling abroad should be aware that our travel advice and exemption list is under constant review as we monitor the international situation.'

The Government has stood by its decision to strike Spain off the UK's list of safe destinations but the timing of the shift has sparked widespread fury amid fears it will be the 'final nail in the coffin' for some tourism firms.

But travel firms said reimposing quarantine on Spanish travellers had 'put fear into people' as they warned the 'rug has been pulled from under our feet'. Other experts said the Government had effectively pushed the 'nuclear button', putting at risk the entire foreign summer holiday season.

Health Minister Helen Whately today risked adding to the growing uncertainty over whether people should book foreign holidays as she suggested that ultimately holidaymakers will have to make their own judgements on whether it is a good idea to travel.

She said people hoping to go abroad will have to 'look very carefully' at the official Government advice and then 'weigh up the risks'.

The Foreign Office is now advising against 'all non-essential travel to mainland Spain' but the Canary and Balearic islands are currently exempt from the ban. However, the 'blanket' quarantine rules apply to the whole of Spain, including those islands, prompting suggestions that the current guidance is confused.

Passengers continued to fly to and return from Spain at Belfast Airport today following the quarantine announcement at the weekend.

Northern Ireland's Health Minister Robin Swann said those returning from Spain must observe a 14-day quarantine, following similar moves across the rest of the UK.

Edith Mikutenaite and Aleksanda Sabalina, from Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, who returned from Barcelona today, described the news of having to quarantine following a three-night trip as 'horrible'.

'It ruined the whole holiday,' said Ms Sabalina.

'We did not expect that at all, we thought the announcement would be made on Monday or at least some sort of notice for people who had already left without knowing there was going to be a quarantine to ensure they had any work issues sorted out.'

Ms Mikutenaite said: 'It is totally unfair - we only went away for three days and now we are going to be stuck for 14 days at home.'

Edith Mikutenaite and Aleksanda Sabalina, from Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, who returned from Barcelona to Belfast Airport today, described the news of having to quarantine following a three-night trip as 'horrible'

Christopher Andres Halliday with his partner Melissa Campbell and their six-year-old son, Lewis Andres, at Belfast Airport today. They had been visiting Mr Halliday's mother in Barcelona

They said they have informed their employers that they travelled but need to discuss further their quarantine arrangements.

Downing Street tells travellers hit by Spain quarantine chaos to claim Universal Credit Downing Street said holidaymakers who miss out on work because of quarantine may be eligible for Universal Credit or employment support allowance but not statutory sick pay. The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman reiterated that the Government expects employers to be 'flexible' in allowing staff to work from home while self-isolating if they have just returned from Spain. 'Where this isn't possible we would expect that many employers would have their own policies in place for quarantine and we know that some continue to offer full pay for all or some of the isolation period,' he added. 'But if there are people who need urgent support then they may be entitled to the new-style employment support allowance or Universal Credit.' Pressed on whether ministers would review statutory sick pay eligibility, the spokesman said: 'We always keep our response to the pandemic under review and we regularly assess the support available but there is support available for those in need.' Advertisement

'We don't know how this is going to affect work,' Ms Mikutenaite said. 'Our children now have nothing to do and nowhere to go for the next two weeks just because we went on a short trip,' Ms Sabalina added.

Christopher Halliday, from Belfast, was visiting his mother in Barcelona.

'Everything in Barcelona was very safe, everyone was wearing face masks, to be honest I think they are ahead of us in terms of safety, so I just don't understand this decision they have made,' he said.

'We were over for a week, we hadn't seen my mother in over a year. We were going to stay an extra week but we weren't sure what the situation was going to be so we came home today.'

Joe Allen, a TV producer from London who visited Madrid and returned on Sunday, said he felt let down by the lack of information to travellers about the 'knee-jerk' decision.

Mr Allen said: 'We waited for the appropriate time and I specifically waited for the quarantine to have been lifted from Spain, and I absolutely wouldn't have gone with a quarantine.

'We all sort of resigned ourselves in fact pretty quickly that there was nothing we could do about it, we just have to follow the rules and we get that, but I think we're all frustrated.'

The 32-year-old said he had not had any official communication from the Government about the quarantine.

He added: 'I was expecting perhaps at border control there'd be some big old posters or digital screens or people with megaphones perhaps saying 'Don't forget you need to isolate'.

'What would have been useful is for someone who made it clear in advance - 'There is a real possibility that you could get stopped from coming home'.

'You can argue that I was naive for not knowing that, but I think it might have been helpful.'

Laura Wood, 41, from Oxfordshire, flew from Gatwick to Spain's Costa Blanca with her family for a two-week holiday, also returning on Sunday, shortly after the measures took effect.

Phil Gander, 48, from Buckinghamshire, arriving at Stansted today, said: 'It's shocking in a way, it could have happened 48 hours before and I wouldn't have gone out there'

Alex Waters, 20, and Leia Walker, 21, from Stansted, Essex, were also livid with the decision after arriving from Majorca. Ms Walker said: 'We are a bit annoyed and p***ed off. The conditions are so much better than here'

She said: 'It was a bit of a last-minute disappointment to the end of the holiday but we're going to get on with it. There has to be a cut-off, I guess, and we were just on the unlucky side of it.'

'It was a different type of holiday than we've had, you don't kind of expect to be walking along the seafront wearing a mask in 30C heat,' she added.

Mrs Wood said she had experienced some 'smug' responses from people at home and online after the measures were announced.

'I think it works both ways; I don't think people can complain about the quarantine necessarily because we knew we were taking risks, but I think people's joy at other people's misfortune is a bit sad.'

Laura Martin, 27, an au pair living in London, arriving back at Heathrow Airport from Madrid today. She said, although the family she works as an au pair for looked at 'other solutions, like a hostel', she will spend the two weeks self-isolating with a friend

Sophia Fadil, from Brighton, 32, works in retail after being made redundant during lockdown from her job in the travel industry.

She is currently on holiday in the Alicante region with her partner, who is a nurse, and her five-year-old son. She said the measures are a 'slap in the face' for the travel industry.

'It's just a really rubbish situation as I kind of feel it's one step forward and then two steps back when it comes to the travel industry,' she said.

'I probably wouldn't have travelled out here had I known this in advance, so in a sense I'm kind of glad I'm already here.

'I think this was outrageous that the Government finally confirmed it three hours before it was implemented so that didn't give anyone enough time to travel home if they needed to.'

Tony and Yolanda Schofield, from Leamington Spa, flew into Heathrow Airport from Madrid this morning. Asked about the two-week quarantine, Mr Schofield called it 'necessary'

Anthony Campbell-Butler, from London, is in Menorca with his wife and two children. He said: We booked a trip to Menorca last-minute on Monday and flew out on Thursday (July 23).

'We're still glad we came on our trip but we are disappointed we now have to self isolate upon our return to London. We think the Government could have better coordinated the isolation from the islands considering the breakout is on the mainland.

'When Barcelona was shut down the government should have acted at that point and taken Spain off the corridor list. We will get through isolation but the challenge will be occupying our two children, ages ten and eight, for two weeks during the school holidays.

'Our children are disappointed they will not be able to see their friends for the next two weeks. Perhaps Spain should not have been on the list in the first place.'

Tamara Golan, who is now having to isolate with her husband after returning from Spain, said at London Heathrow Airport that travellers were being 'left in the lurch'.

Tamara Golan, who is now having to isolate with her husband after returning from Spain, said at London Heathrow Airport that travellers were being 'left in the lurch'

She told Sky News: 'If we had been given time, three days ago they would have said, probably on Saturday and Sunday we are going to institute a new quarantine policy, we might have made different plans.

'And I think there's so many people who have just been sort of left in the lurch right now, and it feels like the Government isn't acting responsibly.'

Some delayed passengers missed their transfer in Madrid  and would have avoided the quarantine had they been hours earlier.

Speaking at Heathrow, Chantelle Fourriles told Sky News: 'We missed our connection, so now we have to put up with this situation.'

Another passenger at Heathrow, Jack Winter, said: 'I purposely moved my trip from Portugal to Spain because Portugal was on the no-fly list, and it's completely swapped, so that's doubly sucker-punched me a little bit.'

Speaking at London Heathrow Airport, air passenger Chantelle Fourriles told Sky News: 'We missed our connection, so now we have to put up with this situation.'

The decision to take Spain off the 'safe list' of quarantine-free destinations followed a surge in cases last week. The move, which came barely two weeks after quarantine restrictions were lifted in Spain, left the travel industry in shock.

The prospect of travellers to France suffering the same fate was raised yesterday when the country's prime minister said 'localised lockdowns' may be imposed if infections continue to rise.

One doctor learnt of the new rules three minutes after touching down in Malaga on Saturday  and opted to fly straight home yesterday because he couldn't afford a fortnight off work on top of the holiday time he had booked.

Dr Andras Szigeti, who spent 600 on the trip to Malaga with his partner, had been looking forward to a break after working throughout lockdown.

Instead after one night there he will have to self-isolate at home in Chelmsford, Essex, and return to work in two weeks.

Another passenger at Heathrow, Jack Winter, said: 'I purposely moved my trip from Portugal to Spain because Portugal was on the no-fly list, and it's completely swapped, so that's doubly sucker-punched me a little bit'

'Since I am a private doctor and I am the main breadwinner in the family, I cannot allow myself to lose half of my monthly salary,' he told the BBC.

Dr Szigeti, whose LinkedIn profile says he is an optometrist for a high street optician, and his partner booked the trip as an alternative to visiting family in Hungary, which has imposed entry requirements for those arriving from the UK.

NHS worker Peter Anderson, 49, returning from Marbella, believes he would be eligible to go straight back to work but instead faces taking two weeks off because of his wife Gaynor's home-based job.

'My wife works for a self-catering holiday firm,' he said ahead of flying from Malaga to Liverpool with his wife and son Thomas, six, before returning home to Windermere, Cumbria.

Veterinary nurse Gemma Vilanova (left, at Manchester Airport), 28, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, was due to start a new job at a surgery today after visiting family near Barcelona

'She won't be in a position to do her job properly and keep an eye on a six-year-old running around the house. I'm going to have to take time off work to look after him.

'Our son was supposed to be going to a kids' club for three days this week and won't be able to now. '

Mrs Anderson, 47, said: 'We should have got more notice, 24 to 48 hours at least, so we could have had more time to sort out alternatives.'

Veterinary nurse Gemma Vilanova, 28, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, was due to start a new job at a surgery today after visiting family near Barcelona.

Instead, after flying back yesterday, she faces having to tell her employer that she can't start for another fortnight.

NHS worker Peter Anderson, 49, of Cumbria, believes he would be eligible to go straight back to work but instead faces taking two weeks off because of his wife Gaynor's home-based job. They are pictured at Malaga Airport with their son Thomas before flying to Liverpool

'Because I'm not a key worker, I'm going to have to quarantine,' she said. 'It is just unnecessary hassle.'

She said she saw little evidence that immigration staff were checking that arriving passengers had complied with the requirement to register where they planned to self-isolate, adding: 'The safety measures aren't very strict.'

Becki Gorman, 36, from Blackley, Manchester, ought to have been returning to her job as a store manager today after 12 days in Benidorm but will now be at home on unpaid leave for a fortnight.

'We were having a meal in a restaurant when we found out,' she said. 'I tried to change the flights but the only one I could find landed just after midnight so it was pointless.

'There is no way we'd have gone if we then had to spend 14 days at home. This doesn't help anyone.'

One grieving family arriving at Birmingham Airport yesterday blasted the Government's new quarantine rules which have thrown their plans to repatriate the body of a loved one and organise his funeral into turmoil.

Becki Gorman (right, at Manchester Airport), 36, from Blackley, Manchester, pictured with Keeley Gorman (left) and baby Mia, ought to have been returning to her job as a store manager today after 12 days in Benidorm but will now be at home on unpaid leave for a fortnight

The regulations have a devastating impact on the Mortiboys, who returned from Spain after travelling there to bid an agonising farewell to a family member while switching off his life support machine.

James Mortiboys, 44, tragically died during a recent holiday in Barcelona with friends.

His bereaved brother company director Anthony Mortiboys, returning to Birmingham Airport with his wife, niece and parents, said: 'The new restrictions are crazy and very annoying. They will adversely effect many people and will cause a lot of extra grief for our family.

'I have just lost my big brother. We've got a funeral to arrange and a body to bring home and we're not sure how we're meant to do it if we're all in quarantine for two weeks.

'It's a nightmare and there's been no help or support whatsoever from the authorities.'

Meanwhile the Prime Minister's official spokesman reiterated that the Government expects employers to be 'flexible' in allowing staff to work from home while self-isolating.

'Where this isn't possible we would expect that many employers would have their own policies in place for quarantine and we know that some continue to offer full pay for all or some of the isolation period,' he added.

'But if there are people who need urgent support then they may be entitled to the new-style employment support allowance or Universal Credit.'

Grieving Abi Mortiboys (left), 15, whose father James Mortiboys died in Spain. Also pictured: Mr Mortiboys's brother Anthony Mortiboys (right) and wife April (centre)

Pressed on whether ministers would review statutory sick pay eligibility, he said: 'We always keep our response to the pandemic under review and we regularly assess the support available but there is support available for those in need.'

Calling for statutory sick pay for those now having to quarantine, Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds told BBC Breakfast today: 'We are now asking people to come back from abroad and isolate for 14 days.

'Yet if you have a look at the Government website this morning on qualifications for statutory sick pay, it will tell you that you're not entitled to statutory sick pay if you are isolating or self-isolating for the sole reason that you have just returned from abroad and not for any other reason.

'Yet at the same time the Government seems to be telling us that people won't lose out because they've got to rely on the goodwill of employers.

'Now that's just not a satisfactory situation and evidence that this should have been fully thought through.'

Asked if people should receive statutory sick pay if self-isolating after returning from abroad, Mr Thomas-Symonds said: 'Of course people should be offered whatever it takes that they don't lose out, and that's what the Government has previously been saying.'

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady has called for sick pay to be increased and said 'no one should suffer financially for following official advice to quarantine'.

Passengers wearing a face mask leave Manchester Airport after arriving there today

She added: 'It's not holidaymakers' fault that the guidance has changed. Wherever possible, employers should do the right thing and pay quarantined workers their full pay.

'The Government must also make it clear that people who can't work from home during quarantine will be eligible for statutory sick pay.

Q&A: How Britons are now being told not to go on holidays to Spain What is the new travel advice? The Foreign & Commonwealth Office advises against all non-essential travel  such as holidays  to mainland Spain. This does not apply to the Canary Islands or Balearic Islands, writes Sean Poulter, Consumer Affairs Editor. What about quarantine? Those returning from mainland Spain, plus the Canary Islands and Balearics, are now required to go into 14-day quarantine on return to the UK. Why have the rules changed? There has been a spike in cases around Barcelona, Zaragoza and Madrid. Why are the Spanish islands included in the isolation rules? It is not clear. The Spanish government and Britain's travel trade body, ABTA, argues it is not necessary. They point out that infection rates on these islands are low. However, one British tourist tested positive in Lanzarote last week. British officials are concerned that if the islands were exempt, a loophole would allow Britons in Spain to fly home via Majorca and escape quarantine. Will restrictions now be applied to other countries? Fears of a second wave in Europe have created a risk of further restrictions. France, Belgium, Germany and Croatia have seen increases, but ministers say rule changes are not imminent. Sources said Belgium and Croatia are on the 'watch list'. Hong Kong saw the highest daily new infections on Saturday  about 130. Other countries such as India, Romania and Bulgaria, where restrictions are already in place, are also seeing increases. What are my refund rights? If you have booked a package holiday in mainland Spain, your tour operator should cancel the holiday. You can then claim a full refund. There are no automatic cancellation and refund policies for the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands and some operators may not cancel. In these circumstances, families who choose to cancel will not be legally entitled to a refund. Some tour operators have suggested they may allow cancellations and refunds. What if you book flights and accommodation separately? There is no right to cancel and claim a refund when elements of holiday are booked separately, rather than as a package. Can travellers cancel or get a refund on flights? There is no automatic right to a cash refund. Ryanair, BA, easyJet, and Jet2 will continue to run their flights to Spanish airports. Travellers may be offered a voucher to the value of the ticket or a chance to rebook if they wish to cancel. What about accommodation? If a hotel or villa remains open and available, there is no legal right to cancel and get a refund. Some booking websites, such as Airbnb and Booking.com, do offer last-minute cancellation on some listings. Will insurance policies cover flights and accommodation? These are unlikely to be covered by travel insurance if the policy was bought after March 10, when most insurers removed cover for Covid-19-related cancellations. What happens if Spain announces local lockdowns? Tour operators will cancel holidays and you will be entitled to a full refund. What are the rules for those returning from Spain? Travellers arriving into England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland must all go into quarantine. They must fill in a form to provide an address where they will self-isolate for 14 days. They can be fined 100 for failing to fill in the form. One in five eligible passengers will be called or texted to check they are following the rules. What are the penalties for those who ignore the rules? A fine of up to 1,000 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 480 in Scotland. Fines can rise to 5,000 for persistent offenders. Are those in quarantine entitled to financial support? No, they aren't, and there is no automatic eligibility to statutory sick pay, unless they meet the conditions  for example, if they are displaying coronavirus symptoms. Advertisement

'And they should increase sick pay from 95 a week to at least the level of the 'real living wage' of 320 a week.

'In addition, ministers should change the law to stop employers from sacking quarantined workers.'

Health minister Helen Whately told Sky News that people should work from home if they are returning from Spain - and urged employers to 'be supportive'.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said yesterday that the Government 'can't make apologies' for the decision it made on Saturday which was announced less than five hours before coming into force.

It means that all arrivals from Spain and its islands will now have to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return to the UK.

The quick reimposition of the restrictions meant that some holidaymakers only found out they faced quarantine when they got on board their flight from Spain back home.

It was not just the public who were caught out by the sudden announcement.

The quick turnaround meant Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who is currently in Spain for his summer break, will have to join thousands of others in being forced to isolate for two weeks on his return to Britain.

Paul Scully, minister for London, will also have to quarantine after declaring on social media that he was on holiday in Playa Dorada, Lanzarote.

The decision to reimpose quarantine has rocked the travel industry after months of international flight restrictions decimated the sector.

Paul Charles, founder of the PC Agency, the travel consultants, said the latest bad news could result in 'many more job losses' as holidaymakers cancel their plans.

He said: 'People are cancelling not just Spain but other short-haul bookings. We've heard of lots of cancellations for holidays to France, Italy and Greece. Dominic Raab said they wouldn't hesitate to introduce quarantine measures on other countries and that's simply put fear into people.

'The implications of not getting bookings throughout late summer means that there will be many more job losses in the travel industry and more businesses will go under. Many were on a cliff edge, this will push them over.'

He added: 'The loss of confidence is a real hammer blow and the nail in the coffin for so many businesses.'

Gemma Antrobus, from the Association of Independent Tour Operators, said: 'It feels like the rug has been pulled from under our feet. The fact such a drastic change can happen to Spain, the UK's most popular destination, will really worry people that it could happen to any destination.'

Ms Whately today defended the fact that the travel advice says people can still go to Spanish islands but that they would have to quarantine on their return.

She said: 'What the Foreign Office is doing is looking at the risk to an individual traveller where indeed because the rates are lower in the islands at the moment the risk to an individual traveller going there is lower.

'But for the public health advice that is about protecting the United Kingdom.'

She also made clear that the Government could reimpose quarantine on other countries if there is a surge in coronavirus cases.

She told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme: 'What we are saying to people who are planning trips abroad is that you need to keep an eye on the Foreign Office guidance, that you need to be aware of your tour operator's policies and travel insurance and be mindful we are in a global pandemic.

'It is the right thing for us to do as a country to keep an eye on the rates in these countries.

'If we see something going on, like we are seeing in Spain, we would have to take action.'

Ms Whately suggested people will just have to make their own decisions on whether to book foreign trips amid the ongoing uncertainty.

She told BBC Breakfast: 'What I would say to people who are planning to go abroad is look very carefully at the situation.

'You have to weigh up the risks, look at the advice, look at your insurance and just be aware that the reality is we are in a global pandemic and we have to do what is the right thing for the health of the nation.'

Mr Raab, speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, refused to rule out the possibility of more countries being taken off the UK's safe travel list.

'As we've found with Spain, we can't give a guarantee,' he said, before adding that there was 'an element of uncertainty this summer if people go abroad'.

The Telegraph reported that officials in both France and Germany have warned of possible new lockdowns as parts of Europe prepared for potential second waves of Covid-19 infections.

French health authorities said at the weekend that the country's R-rate was up to 1.3 and that daily new infections on Friday had risen to 1,130 - indicators resembling those seen in May, when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

The decision to reimpose restrictions on Spain left holidaymakers frustrated, with some saying they would not have travelled if they knew they would have to spend a fortnight self-isolating afterwards.

Passengers pull their suitcases along the pavement as they leave Manchester Airport today

Close to 1.8 million holidays were likely to have been thrown into chaos by the move, according to travel company The PC Agency, which analysed the number of seats booked on flights leaving the UK for Spain between July 26 and August 31.

Tour operator Tui said that, due to the change in the Government's travel advice, it was cancelling all holidays to mainland Spain up to and including August 9.

Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth criticised the Government's handling of the affair, labelling it 'frankly shambolic', and called for financial support for those now forced to shut themselves away after their arrival home.

He said: 'I can understand why the Government have made this decision and it's a reminder that we can't be complacent about this virus.

'One of the big blunders from Boris Johnson back in March was not quarantining those coming from France and Spain and Italy because that's how the virus was seeded.

'So, I understand why they've made the decision but the way in which this decision has been made in the last 24 hours is frankly shambolic.'

Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds told BBC Breakfast that he was calling for statutory sick pay for those now having to quarantine

Labour is urging the Government to ditch the blanket ban and instead introduce a more targeted quarantine policy to crackdown on affected areas.

Spanish ministers are now in talks with the UK about exempting the Canary and Balearic islands, which include Ibiza and Majorca, from the requirement to self-isolate for two weeks due to lower infection rates in those regions than on the Spanish mainland.

The Foreign Office guidance advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain does not include the islands but ministers have opted to apply blanket quarantine arrangements across the Spanish territories.

Foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya argued Spain had coronavirus outbreaks 'perfectly controlled' after the European country recorded more than 900 fresh daily Covid-19 cases for two days running before Saturday's travel corridor suspension.

Ms Gonzalez Laya told reporters: 'Spain is a safe country for tourists and Spaniards.

'Like in any other European country we are seeing outbreaks - the outbreaks in Spain are perfectly controlled.'

** Are you now in quarantine in Britain after returning from Spain? Please email: mark.duell@mailonline.co.uk or tips@dailymail.com **
(Photo : Screenshot from Twitter post of @URITurf) Here's How to Restore Google Account's Deleted Contacts Using Your Phone or a Web Browser (Photo : Kon Karampelas on Unsplash) Here's How to Restore Google Account's Deleted Contacts Using Your Phone or a Web Browser

If you have accidentally deleted your contacts on your Google accounts, don't worry. Here's how you can restore them using your smartphone or a web browser. According to the latest report of Android Central, the Contacts app is one of the most important applications on your Android phone. However, users do not often use it for utilizing.

Also Read: Google and India Want to Create $50 Worth Smartphone, Aiming To Defeat China?

Contacts app is the software that organizes your contacts for you, automatically. It also activates when the user is using Google apps. It allows you to transfer your contacts to another smartphone easily. Android Central's previous report also explained how to transfer your contacts to a new Android phone.

Manually exporting contacts to Google Drive

1. Located the "app drawer" then open "Contacts."

2. Look for the "three horizontal lines" symbol located at the top left corner of the screen.

3. Tap the "Settings" option. 4. Click the "Export" option.

5. Allow "Contacts" to have access to your phone's internal storage.

6. After you finished providing the access, choose a download destination, and then choose "Save" to download the file.

Once you're done saving the contacts data, it will be exported as a single ".vc file." On the other hand, the file will be located in the Downloads folder if you didn't change the location. If you're looking for other phone hacks, keep your tabs open on TechTimes. Also, check this report on how to iOS 14's newest feature.

Also Read: iOS 14's New Feature Allows You to Tag Someone in Text: Here's How to Download its Public Beta Version

Now you're ready to upload it on your Google Drive, here's how.

1. You need to locate the app drawer again to open "Files." If you're using Samsung phones, the file is named "My Files."

2. Go to "Downloads" by hitting the three horizontal lines symbol.

3. You need to long-press on the contacts.vcf file, and then tap the "Share" option. 6. Choose "Select Drive," then hit save.

How to restore your Google account's deleted contacts.

Android Central explained that your Google account's deleted contacts can be restored using your phone if it has not been more than 30 days since the deletion. Here's how you can do it.

1. Look for your smartphone's "Contacts app" and then open it.



2. Tap on the menu option, the three horizontal lines, located in the upper left of your screen.



3. After accessing the menu, look for the settings option, which looks like a gear, located at the bottom of the pop-menu.



4. Click the "Undo" option located at the bottom.



5. For those users who have multiple Google accounts, choose the account which is connected with your missing contact.



6. Choose the time range that would reflect the time you accidentally deleted the contact.



7. Once then, you can now confirm the restoration.



For more smartphone or iPhone hacks and tips, keep your tabs open on TechTimes.



Also Read: Hacking 101: How to Know if You're Being Hacked in 2020

This article is owned by TechTimes,

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
SAN DIEGO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IRISYS LLC, a pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing company (CDMO), provides contract development and GMP manufacturing services to BioCorRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., for a sterile naltrexone sub-cutaneous implant, also known as BICX102, which is meant to help in the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) and the prevention of relapse following opioid detoxification. BICX102 also shows promise for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is considered a national crisis in the United States. BioCorRx has contracted with IRISYS, LLC for the pharmaceutical manufacturing of BICX102 with the belief that an implanted opioid treatment drug will be another weapon in the battle against OUD. Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is considered a national crisis in the United States. BioCorRx has contracted with IRISYS, LLC for the pharmaceutical manufacturing of BICX102 with the belief that an implanted opioid treatment drug will be another weapon in the battle against OUD.

Opioid addiction is considered a national crisis in the United States that began in the 1990's after a misinformation campaign led by manufacturers to convince doctors that opioids were not addictive. Currently, 21%-29% of prescribed opioids are misused and an average of 128 people die in the US each day due to misuse of opioids.

In 2019, BioCorRx partnered with IRISYS to develop and GMP manufacture a biodegradable extended release implant that provides therapeutic naltrexone plasma levels for up to 90 days. BioCorRx and IRISYS believe that an implanted opioid treatment containing naltrexone will be a powerful tool to combat OUD because it is being designed to address the patient non-compliance issues seen with other deliveries of the medication.

"Ending the opioid crisis is about having several options available for doctors and their patients. There is no cure, but certain treatments work better for certain patients. When it comes to BICX102, there is a void in the market for an FDA-approved naltrexone product that lasts multiple months after one administration. This is important as patient non-compliance is a huge issue with addiction treatment," said Brady Granier, CEO of BioCorRx.

As the contract manufacturer of BICX102, IRISYS is in the formulation and scale-up phase. BICX102 is a biodegradable pellet of naltrexone that is designed to be implanted via a minor procedure into the fatty tissue of a patient typically in the lower abdominal region.

Naltrexone belongs to a class of drugs known as opiate antagonists. It works in the brain to prevent opioid effects (e.g., feelings of well-being, pain relief). It can also decrease the desire to take opioids and other substances. This medication is used in other delivery forms (oral and injectable) for OUD and AUD. It is typically used as part of a complete treatment program for substance use disorder (e.g., compliance monitoring, counseling, behavioral contract and lifestyle changes).

BioCorRx provided the starting formula, manufacturing procedure and analytical methods. IRISYS performed or will perform analytical method transfer/qualification including microbiology and an extended time dissolution test, engineering batches for process and product evaluation, container closure system evaluation (including short term accelerated stability), sterilization process evaluation, and small scale and clinical supply manufacturing.

"At IRISYS we expect to grow with BioCorRx. As BICX102 advances through the regulatory process to commercial manufacturing, we will be there to support their team in bringing BICX102 to the market," said Robert Giannini, president, and CSO/CTO of IRISYS, LLC.

Contact:

Heather Emerson-Young

Digital Marketing Strategist

[email protected]

760-277-5569

SOURCE IRISYS LLC
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte once more pushed for the reimposition of capital punishment, specifying the method of lethal injection, for heinous crimes related to illegal drugs in his fifth State of the Nation Address.

The President, who has waged a violent drug war since he came into office in 2016 and vowed to fight criminality, said executions will help lower crime rates in the country.

I reiterate the swift passage of a law reviving the death penalty by lethal injection for crimes specified under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, he said in his speech on Monday.

This law will not only help us deter criminality, but also save our children from the dangers posed by the illegal and dangerous drugs, he stressed.

This statement came after Duterte said his administration believes that freedom from illegal drugs, among other illicit acts, is a human right. He warned that those who commit drug crimes in the country will be met with execution, saying, "I will really kill you. That is a commitment.

READ: SONA 2020: Duterte says gov't will 'not dodge' obligation to fight for human rights

In an interview with CNN Philippines, Senator Ronald Bato Dela Rosa said Dutertes call is a big boost to the corresponding measure he filed in June 2019, which seeks to reinstate the penalty for drug traffickers.

Matagal ko na kasing na-file yung death penalty against drug trafficking, but until now it's languishing at the referred committee kaya malaking boost 'yung pakikiusap ni Pangulo sa ating Kongreso, he said.

[Translation: I have long filed a bill seeking to revive the death penalty for drug trafficking, but until now its languishing at the referred committee, so the Presidents appeal to Congress is a big boost.]

Dela Rosa said imposing a death sentence is necessary to effectively fight the illegal drug trade.

Dapat talagang bitayin 'yang mga drug lord na 'yan, he said. Sabi sa'kin ng mga drug lord sa Bilibid, kung gusto raw talaga ng gobyerno mahinto o mabawasan man lang 'yung drug trafficking, kailangan ibalik daw talaga yung death penalty.

[Translation: Drug lords should really be hanged. The drug lords in Bilibid told me that if the government really wants to stop or at least lessen drug trafficking, the death penalty should be reinstated.]

The senator refuted concerns that the death penalty is anti-poor, saying there is no small-time drug trafficker, and that all drug lords can hire the best lawyer.

Critics have argued against the measure, saying the poor are more likely to be executed than wealthy inmates. Those against the measure also cite the high rate of judicial errors, which may result in the death of innocent people.

In June, the United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said that the extrajudicial killings and other abuses in the country were a result of the Duterte administration's anti-drug policies.

READ: UN rights chief says Duterte drug war without regard for due process, human rights

Duterte said last year that to lessen expenses, his preferred method of killing criminals  should Congress heed his plea  is hanging by rope.

During the 17th Congress, the bill implementing death penalty for drug-related crimes was passed by the House of Representatives, but was stalled in the Senate.

The 1987 Constitution abolished the death penalty but allowed Congress to bring it back for heinous crimes. It was revived under the administration of President Fidel Ramos, but was scrapped again under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Justin Trudeau is having a bad summer, but its not his first brush with uncomfortable political heat in July.

In fact, theres a lot about the summer of 2020 that boomerangs back to the long hot days of 2017, when Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Governor-General Julie Payette  each in their own ways  created political firestorms for Trudeaus government.

History has a knack for repeating itself in this government, even when its in the midst of unprecedented political times.

The presence of Morneau and Payette in this summers political headlines speaks not just to recurring characters, but to recurring themes for Trudeau, and quite possibly some lessons unlearned from three years ago.

Its striking, in retrospect, how two announcements within one week in July 2017 have retained the power to send ripples through this very strange year in Canadian politics.

On July 13 three years ago, the news emerged that former astronaut Payette was being named by Trudeau as the next governor-general. Five days later, on July 18, Canadas finance minister unveiled a proposal to close tax loopholes for self-employed people working as private corporations.

Both of these decisions would come back to haunt the Trudeau government  even now, in the summer of 2020.

While historians will probably never agree on exactly when Trudeaus honeymoon in power ended after his triumphant 2015 election victory, the events of July 2017 certainly sealed the idea that this Liberal government was flawed and fallible.

Within days of the Payette announcement, journalists began to unearth incidents from her past that cast doubts on her suitability for such a high office  a dismissed assault charge and involvement in a fatal collision when she lived in the United States.

Questions, good ones, were raised about how Payette cleared the vetting process, and why the Trudeau government had not put her appointment through the selection panel that had been established for her predecessor, David Johnston, when he was appointed by Stephen Harper.

Meanwhile, the Morneau announcement was also starting to look more ill-considered with each passing day of that long hot summer. Small-business owners of all kinds were girding for all-out revolt against the tax changes, calling them an attack on entrepreneurs and hard-working Canadians.

By the time fall rolled around, Liberal MPs were feeling the political damage; Morneau would eventually soften the proposal to ease its impact on small businesses.

The connecting thread between those two controversies was lack of political forethought and a certain tone-deafness among members of Team Trudeau. So convinced were they of their own correctness in the two announcements that due diligence went out the window  proper vetting in Payettes case, potential political impact in the tax issue.

There was one more connecting theme  it wasnt just opposition critics who were the most outraged, but Liberals themselves. The worst political wounds are always the self-inflicted ones.

Much has been written, including by this columnist, about how the WE controversy of today contains echoes of Trudeaus past run-ins with the ethics commissioner. But the parallels to the political missteps of summer 2017 are also worth a recall.

Once again, in 2020, here is Morneau neck-deep in controversy, looking out of touch with people whose annual income roughly matches the cost of his familys WE-sponsored trips, which the finance minister neglected to turn down and forgot to pay for. What was it about the summer of 2017 that failed to sink in with Morneau and the advisers around him?

Payette is back in the news for what looks like serious turmoil among her staff: hair-raising stories told to CBC about tantrums and management-inflicted humiliation at the highest reaches of the GGs office. Stories have been simmering for the past three years about Payette being a difficult fit for the job  a problem that may have come to light in a proper review of her qualifications.

The whole story of how WE Charity came to be such a serious problem for Trudeau this summer is just a little too similar to the bumpy summer of 2017  a government barrelling ahead with plans and personalities that should have raised red flags before they were announced.

Sure, Liberals may take some comfort from the fact that Morneau, Payette and the prime minister himself survived the summer of 2017. But just as that summer disrupted the long, post-election honeymoon, this summer of 2020 is a crashing blow to all the good reviews Trudeau and his team were accumulating in the pandemic.

Everyone in Canada likes to store up good summer memories for the long cold winter. But bad-summer memories can be handy too, especially for governments interested in learning from mistakes, not repeating them.
- Baringo became the latest county to record COVID-19 infections

- Five patients lost their battle to the virus pushing the death toll to 285 while 90 more recovered from the virus raising the number of recoveries to 7,833

- So far, a total of 279,612 samples have been tested since the virus made its way to Kenya

Kenya has recorded 440 new cases of COVID-19 pushing the national tally to 17,975 infections.

The new cases were found after 3,197 samples were tested in the last 24 hours bringing the cumulative samples tested since the pandemic rocked the country to 279,612.

READ ALSO: Uhuru extends curfew for 30 days, orders closure of all bars

CS Kagwe announced 440 new cases. Photo: MOH.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Raila tells Senate to pass revenue bill, supports population-driven revenue sharing formula

In a statement from the Ministry of Health, five more patients succumbed to the virus raising the death toll to 285 while 90 patients recovered bringing the total number of recoveries to 7,833.

"From the cases, 437 are Kenyans while three are foreigners with 286 males and 154 females," Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said.

READ ALSO: Kisii: Nurse diagnosed with COVID-19 gives birth in ICU

The youngest was a one-year-old infant while the oldest was an 84-year-old patient.

The distribution of cases was as follows: Nairobi was leading with 326 infections, Machakos (32), Kajiado and Kiambu each recorded 17 cases, Uasin Gishu (13), Mombasa (10), Murang'a, Baringo and Kilifi each recorded five cases.

In Nairobi county, Lang'ata had the highest infections with 59 case while Embakasi East had the second-highest caseload of 46 cases.

READ ALSO: Msichana, 16, akatwa mkono na mpenzi wake baada ya kukataa posa

Baringo became the 45th county to record a case.

The statement came moments after President Uhuru Kenyatta's 10th state of the nation address on the coronavirus pandemic.

In his speech, Uhuru banned the sale of alcohol in restaurants and eateries in the country and further maintained the closure of bars in the next 30 days.

READ ALSO: Lilian Muli, baby daddy reunite to celebrate son's second birthday

The president also extended the nationwide dusk to dawn curfew for an extra 30 days and will run from 9pm to 4am.

The president said all the measures which he had spelt out would apply to everyone regardless of their social or political status.

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly.

I did not sacrifice Ayeiya, family wants 21 million as compensation - Wakimani of Churchill Show. On TUKO TV.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Read the overview of news from Slovakia from Monday, July 27, 2020.

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This is your overview of news from Monday, July 27, 2020. Read all you need to know about events that happened in Slovakia today in less than 5 minutes, and make sure to scroll down for some tips you can find on our website. For weekly overview news, see our Last Week in Slovakia overview published earlier today.

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Most imported cases are from Ukraine

Nearly one-half of coronavirus cases added to the statistics between June 29 and July 21, 2020, were imported from abroad. Most of those who tested positive came from Ukraine, Serbia, the Czech Republic, and the UK.

Meanwhile, more men than women across various age groups tested positive, a recent analysis carried out by the regional branch of the Public Health Authority suggests.

The most cases in the past few days have been identified in the Presov and Sabinov districts in eastern Slovakia, as well as the Prievidza district in Trencin Region.

Read more detailed coronavirus-related statistics here.

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Related article Most imported coronavirus-positive cases were from Ukraine Read more

Government wants to establish state software house

The government wants to create a Kosice-based IT company to work for the needs of the state.

The aim of the state software house is to save money, fundamentally improve services for people and clean up the informatisation of corruption, according to the plan unveiled by PM Igor Matovic (OLaNO) and Investments, Regional Development and Informatisation Minister Veronika Remisova (Za Ludi) on July 24 in Kosice.

The two also met with the employees of the IT company WireCard Slovakia, which got into trouble after its Munich-based parent company Wirecard declared insolvency in June and asked the court for protection from creditors. They offered roughly 300 employees of the Kosice-based company a transition to state services. While their reactions were optimistic, the state IT company could further increase the number of experts in its ranks, Matovic specified.

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Charter season kicks off

The 2020 charter season started nearly two months later than last year due to the coronavirus pandemic that grounded regular civilian and charter flights between mid-March and June.

The Bratislava airport plans to dispatch only 308 charter flights in the current summer season, which is 87 percent less than last year. In the 2019 season, altogether 3,245 flights were dispatched, the SITA newswire reported.

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Related article Bratislava airport dispatches first charter flights Read more

In other news

Hlohovec Mayor and MP Miroslav Kollar will run for the post of Za Ludi chair, he confirmed in an interview with the Dennik N daily. He will compete with Investment Minister Veronika Remisova, the only person who has already confirmed her candidacy. The incumbent chair, ex-president Andrej Kiska, will not run.

Standard & Poors (S&P) rating agency has kept Slovakias rating at A+ but has worsened its outlook from stable to negative . The recent evaluation realistically reflects the economic situation in Slovakia, impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Finance Ministry said.

(S&P) rating agency has . The recent evaluation realistically reflects the economic situation in Slovakia, impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Finance Ministry said. The final thesis of PM Igor Matovic does not meet the criteria for a masters thesis , and it also failed to meet the criteria back in 1998, Comenius University in Bratislava and its Faculty of Management, which granted the degree to the Prime Minister, agreed at a July 27 meeting. The university considers the topic closed, it said.

, and it also failed to meet the criteria back in 1998, Comenius University in Bratislava and its Faculty of Management, which granted the degree to the Prime Minister, agreed at a July 27 meeting. The university considers the topic closed, it said. The Defence Ministry has submitted new conditions for procuring the 3D radars . The ministry claims they are more transparent than the ones defined by the previous management that originally launched the tender. They also contain a condition for the local defence ministry to take part. Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad (OLaNO) reportedly received several official international complaints. (TASR, Pravda)

. The ministry claims they are than the ones defined by the previous management that originally launched the tender. They also contain a condition for the local defence ministry to take part. Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad (OLaNO) reportedly received several official international complaints. (TASR, Pravda) Zuzana Brixova , former head of the legal department at the Slovak Bishops Conference (KBS), will become the new head of the gender equality department at the Labour Ministry , taking the post on August 1. Her predecessor Olga Pietruchova is critical of the choice. There are people who understand the topic, have respective education and experience from working in the state administration, she said, as quoted by the Dennik N daily. I thought they would keep some decorum and not hand the department to the hands of the Catholic Church.

, former head of the legal department at the Slovak Bishops Conference (KBS), will become the , taking the post on August 1. Her predecessor Olga Pietruchova is critical of the choice. There are people who understand the topic, have respective education and experience from working in the state administration, she said, as quoted by the Dennik N daily. I thought they would keep some decorum and not hand the department to the hands of the Catholic Church. The state-run health insurer Vseobecna Zdravotna Poistovna (VsZP) has come up with a new diagnostics tool that should help distinguish between the flu and the novel coronavirus . Its results should suggest whether a patient with respiratory problems, symptoms similar to flu and a higher body temperature is suffering from COVID-19 or regular flu. The new diagnostics will be carried out in every lab that currently uses the RT-PCR method.

. Its results should suggest whether a patient with respiratory problems, symptoms similar to flu and a higher body temperature is suffering from COVID-19 or regular flu. The new diagnostics will be carried out in every lab that currently uses the RT-PCR method. The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) issued a second-level warning against high temperatures for several districts in Bratislava Region, Trnava Region and Nitra Region, and a first-level warning for selected districts in Trencin Region and Banska Bystrica Region that will be in place on July 28, also between 13:00 and 18:00. It also issued first-level warning against thunderstorms for the entire Bratislava Region and selected districts in the remaining regions, except for Kosice Region, which will be in place from 21:00 on July 28 to 3:00 on July 29.

(Source: SHMU)

The National Transfusion Service calls on people to donate blood. It is now possible to come without booking in advance . However, those with a booked date and time will be given preference.

. However, those with a booked date and time will be given preference. The African swine fever has spread to another district. Apart from Trebisov, Michalovce, Kosice-okolie, Kosice-mesto and Roznava, new cases were diagnosed in the district of Rimavska Sobota (Banska Bystrica Region). Currently, there are 221 wild boars infected with the African swine fever.

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Requiring social distancing and a face mask changes the dynamics of reopening schools, particularly on the Maryvale Drive campus with 2,000 students and staff, he said. It means schools would have to employ distance learning or a hybrid of in-person and remote learning.

"Social distancing and mask, as now how it has to be interpreted, would be virtually impossible," MacSwan said. "We're all trying to get our heads around it."

It's not just small school districts like Cleveland Hill that would be affected.

When the change came out it, and it was the and, it was really important that we spend most of our time working on a hybrid model and the completely virtual model, said Darren Brown-Hall, chief of staff for Buffalo Public Schools, home to more than 30,000 students.

Some of our buildings are older and the class space isnt that big to begin with, so that would make it very difficult to bring back students 100%, he said. Im positive its not feasible.

Districts are to submit their reopening plans to the state by Friday. They are to address how they would conduct in-person, remote and a hybrid mix of the two types of instruction.
Kathmandu/New Delhi, July 27 : In a last ditch effort, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi is making all out efforts to prevent a split in the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

Though visibly silent on her widely followed Twitter and Facebook accounts since June 30, Yanqi continues to hold behind the door meetings with rival factions of NCP, one led by Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, and another by former Prime Minister Pushp Kamal Dahal Prachanda.

The controversial Ambassador, who is perceived close to Nepal's Chief of Army Staff General Purna Chandra Thapa, is seen as the architect of the ongoing trouble on the India-Nepal border.

Yanqi, who has more than 44,000 followers on Twitter, mostly Nepali, is quite active with local NGOs, youth forums and trade organisations.

At Kalapani as well as in the recent border tension in Tanakpur, Uttarakhand, local Nepali traders played a key role in launching anti-India protests. At Tanakpur, located in Uttarakhand's border district of Champawat, Nepal had encroached on no-man's land, despite serious objections raised by the Indian authorities.

At the moment, Yanqi is reportedly holding parlours with top comrades of NCP to prevent the ruling party from an inevitable split as Prime Minister Oli seems reluctant to make truce with Prachanda.

A prominent Nepali English daily reported that Oli is keen to float a new party. One of Oli's close aides has filed an application with the Election Commission to register a new party.

A split in NCP will dent the left unity in the Himalayan republic, a position not suited to Beijing's game of plan.

Earlier, a standing committee meeting of the NCP had failed to sort out the difference between Oli and the rival faction led by Prachanda.

According to NCP insiders, Prachanda feels that Oli's behaviour has created chaos in the party cadre and he (Oli) should step down from the PM's chair or from the co-chairmanship of NCP.

As the rivalry hots up for the PM's chair, Beijing suspects that New Delhi is behind driving a wedge between the two rival factions of the NCP.

Therefore, Yanqi has been tasked to pacify the senior leadership in Nepal's left party. For its own convenience and interest, China wants a strong, united NCP ruled government in Kathmandu.

Earlier, Yanqi had met senior NCP leader Jhalanath Khanal twice in a week. A close source to Khanal said that the Chinese envoy held talks with former Prime Minister Khanal for around 45 minutes at the latter's residence in Swayambhu in the capital city.

Officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kathmandu have dubbed the Ambassador's recent moves as sheer violation of diplomatic norms. The standard protocol demands that there should be a representative of the Foreign Ministry present during such political meetings.

Yanqi also held a few meetings with senior party leader Madhav Kumar Nepal last week. A section of NCP leaders had then raised eyebrows as the meeting took place at a time when the internal rift within the NCP was heading towards a split.

Yanqi, working at the behest of foreign policy strategists in Beijing, is considered to be one of the most powerful foreign diplomats in Nepal. Apart from serving in Pakistan, she was holding a key responsibility in the Department of Asian Affairs in China's Foreign Ministry.

Yanqi knows several languages, including Urdu, Hindi and Nepali. She frequently appears on Nepali TV channels and is one of the most popular diplomats in Kathmandu.
It is scandalous that both the UK Parliament and Stormont Assembly are to go on holiday without giving any meaningful detail on Brexit preparations to businesses and the public in Northern Ireland, the SDLP has said.

Last week, Westminster's Northern Ireland Affairs Committee condemned the Government for leaving businesses ill-prepared for the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31.

Under the terms of a protocol in the Withdrawal Agreement designed to avoid border checks on the island of Ireland, Northern Ireland will be a part of the UK's customs territory but will still follow EU customs law and administer the bloc's customs rules at its ports.

The region will also follow EU single market regulations on goods.

Read More

The Government has acknowledged this will mean more regulatory checks on some goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

MPs on the NI Affairs Committee called on ministers to provide more detail and clarity to businesses on trading arrangements by October 1 to ensure the "unfettered" transport of goods between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Party Brexit spokesman Matthew O'Toole has written to Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill, as well as UK minister Michael Gove to complain about the "abysmal lack of information provided to the public and business - as well as the complete failure to update the Northern Ireland Assembly - with less than six months until the planned end of the transition period".

In a letter to Mr Gove, Mr O'Toole criticised "the shameful failure of the UK Government to provide any clarity on the operation of the Ireland protocol to local business, while also stridently refusing to countenance any extension of the Brexit transition period".

Mr O'Toole said that despite the UK Government's claims to have prioritised Stormont consent, "Mr Gove and his fellow Tories have not even acknowledged the Assembly's motion calling for a Brexit transition extension".

A simultaneous letter sent to the local First Ministers "laments the lack of any public advocacy from the leaders of devolved Government on behalf of Northern Ireland's interests in relation to Brexit".

The MLA said there had not been a single update to the Assembly on Brexit preparations "despite the huge risk presented to Northern Ireland and the rapidly shortening closing timeframe".

The Assembly is due to go into recess later this week. Mr O'Toole said: "I have written to both Michael Gove and the First Ministers in growing despair at the total absence of either information or transparency on what is happening in relation to Brexit and the implementation of the Protocol.

"Gove has waxed on about his desire to serve Northern Ireland's interests, but has treated our people and our industry with little more than contempt. I have set out a series of basic questions to answer.

"In truth we have come to expect little more from ideological Brexiters in Government. But people here were entitled to think that the return of an Executive and Assembly would at least mean more of an opportunity for real local accountability and action to protect our interests."

Separately, Ireland's Justice minister Helen McEntee has said paramilitary violence could reignite in Northern Ireland if the UK and EU fail to agree a new "toolbox" for cross-border police co-operation before the Brexit transition period ends.

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"The threat of a resurgence in paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland is very real and the ability to counter that threat could be seriously undermined with the loss of the toolbox provided for by EU instruments," she told the Sunday Times.
Almost 4,000 students have not yet applied to an online government system to have their Leaving Cert results calculated ahead of the deadline today.

By last night, 54,177 second level students had opted in to the Calculated Grades Student Portal, which closes at 4pm today.

This is 94pc of the total number of students who had been set to sit the Leaving Cert (57,970), according to a Department of Education spokeswoman.

However, the department's website states 61,000 students are in the class of 2020.

The department said a further 2,314 of Leaving Certificate Applied students have opted in to receive calculated grades.

This amounts to 83pc of the 2,772 students registered, the department added.

Education Minister Norma Foley said: "I would like to remind any Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied students that have yet to opt in to receive their calculated grades, to opt in before the deadline of 4pm (today).

"It is a very quick process. Simply log on to the Calculated Grades Student Portal.

"There is no downside to opting in to receive the grades. It is important to opt in, so that you will be able to get your grades on September 7, when they are issued."

Leaving Cert results will be issued to schools on the morning of September 7, weeks later than students would normally receive their results.

Students will be able to access their results directly via an online portal.

The results will be released at 9am and will be issued to the students and their schools simultaneously.

However, schools are being asked to provide support to students on the day, including enabling them to come to the school if they wish at a scheduled time.

They are encouraged to make staff members available by phone for students to discuss their options.

CAO offers will be made based on the calculated results on September 11, for acceptance on the September 16.

Second round offers will then be made on September 23, for acceptance on September 25.

And students wishing to appeal their results can do so from September 14.

The Leaving Cert student helpline will be running via the National Parents Council Post Primary, from September 7.

Guidance counsellors will be available to talk students through their options towards third level, work, or other educational routes.

Students can log on to gov.ie/leavingcertificate
Plans for constructing new solar power parks with a total combined capacity of 1.2 gigawatts to be installed in several Indian states have been announced. The country pushed forward several ambitious projects in renewable energy in the past few weeks. (Photo : Pixabay)

Plans for constructing new solar power parks with a total combined capacity of 1.2 gigawatts to be installed in several Indian states have been announced. The country pushed forward several ambitious projects in renewable energy in the past few weeks.

The states made various announcements regarding their plans to develop floating solar plants and solar parks following India's ambition to attain a renewable energy capacity of 175 gigawatts by the year 2022.



Punjab's 600-MW Solar Park Projects

The Punjabi government is planning to construct three solar parks, each with a capacity of 200 megawatts in its Rupnagar and Mohali districts. The plans were announced by Minister and lawyer Manish Tewari, who also revealed that the district deputy commissioners were tasked to identify and allot land for these solar parks.



Tewari also said that the state government confirmed that the plans would be further acted upon once the land areas have been finalized. The PEDA or Punjab Energy Development Agency, the state's nodal agency, will outline the development plan for these solar parks in coordination with the MNRE or Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The country expects that the parks' establishment will attract more investment of more than 1.3 billion US dollars.

READ: The Saskatchewan Could Be Home to a New Energy Tech Frontrunner



Maharashtra's 602-MW Solar Park Projects

Nitin Raut, Maharashtra's energy minister, announced the decision of state-owned Mahagenco or Maharashtra State Power Generation Company to construct three solar parks with a capacity of 602 megawatts in the Indian state. These parks will be built in three distinct stages under an EPC or engineering, procurement, & construction contract on Mahagenco-owned land.

The first stage is to be constructed in Kaudgaon, Latur, with solar projects having a 187-megawatt capacity to be built on thermal power station locations in Koradi, Bhusawal, Parli, Sakri, and Nashik districts. The second stage will comprise solar projects with a 390-megawatt capacity to be built in Yavatmal, Chandrapur, and Washim districts. For the third stage, 25-megawatt solar projects will be constructed in the Sakri district.

For the funds for the first two stages, a loan was given by KfW, a German agency, together with state government equity infusion. The third stage is funded by a low-interest private investment, which is separate from the equity loan by the state government.

In the state, solar parks with a capacity of 2500 megawatts are planned under an ultra-mega renewable energy park schemes. These projects are going to be realized through a JVC or joint venture company of Mahagenco and NTPC. Other companies will be allowed to develop these projects relative to their JVC shares.

READ ALSO: The US Department of Energy Invests in New National Laboratory to Advance Fuel Cell and Hydrogen R&D



Odisha's 500-MW Floating Solar Projects

An MoU or Memorandum of Understanding between state-owned NHPC hydro giant and GEDCOL or Green Energy Development Corporation of Odisha Ltd. was signed, forming a joint venture to develop floating solar energy projects in Odisha state. These projects will have a combined total power of 500 megawatts.

The two entities will plan and construct the projects in the various state reservoirs. This will be under the government's UMREPP or Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Parks Scheme of the MNRE.

These floating plants will need 332 million US dollars, of which the first phase will be started by March 2022. TERI or The Energy and Resource Institute states that Odisha can potentially generate total solar energy of 177.55 gigawatts in state reservoir areas totaling 877 square kilometers.

READ NEXT: Spikes in Power Costs and Pollution Linked to California's Worst Drought
The adoption for isopropyl alcohol is rising across the world due to the increasing demand for economical sanitizer solutions and increasing awareness regarding the ways one can protect oneself against viral breakouts. The product is also used extensively to manufacture preservative solutions for personal care products and cosmetics to extend shelf life and make the products less vulnerable to environmental aggressors.

Request for Sample Report: https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/3789

In terms of application, chemical intermediates segment is expected to record an impressive CAGR of more than 6% over the forecast timeframe. The projected growth of the segment is ascribed to its economical nature and its high resonance with synthetic chemicals.

Key reasons for isopropyl alcohol market growth:

Increasing demand from solvent-based applications.

Rising adoption of disinfectant solutions in commercial & residential sectors.

Growing product use to manufacture cleaning solutions for the automotive industry.

2026 forecasts anticipate the 'pharmaceutical' end-use segment showing appreciative growth:

Based on end-use, the pharmaceutical segment is slated to grow with CAGR of more than 5% over the estimated time period due to increasing introduction of hygiene regulations across pharmaceutical industries. The adoption of regular hygiene checks is likely to further compliment the isopropyl alcohol market demand. Market players in the pharmaceutical industry are also increasingly adopting isopropyl alcohol solutions to exceed existing health & safety standards and boost brand recognition, stimulating isopropyl alcohol market sphere in the process.

Asia-Pacific & Europe to witness remunerative growth:

APAC is likely to exceed a valuation of $3.5 billion by the end of the analysis timeline due to the growing automotive industry as well as rising consumer inclination towards buying secondary vehicles. Isopropyl alcohol solutions are extensively used to manufacture solutions for automobiles because of their economical nature and low residual toxicity. Moreover, market players are frequently innovating their product lines and making heavy investments towards their marketing campaigns in an effort to spread awareness among consumers regarding the benefits of using quality cleaning products, which would further influence the isopropyl alcohol market revenue growth.

Europe isopropyl alcohol market is expected to grow with CAGR of more than 4.9% through the forecast time period due to the rapid adoption of antimicrobial, cleansing, as well as sanitizing ingredients in personal care and cosmetic products.

Request for customization of this report: https://www.gminsights.com/roc/3789

Leading market players:

The key market players analyzed in the isopropyl alcohol industry report include LG Chem, Galaxy Chemicals, INEOS, LCY Chemical, ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical, LCY Chemical Corporation, Kellin Chemical, Shell, and Super Chemical among others. They have incorporated several strategies including partnership, expansion, collaboration, joint ventures, and others to heighten their stand in the industry.

Related Reports:

Polyethylene Glycol Market Future Business Strategies and Revenue Impact Analysis - 2026

Flat Steel Market Business Strategies and Competitive Analysis - 2026

Cellulose Fiber Market Future Business Strategies and Competitive Analysis - 2024

About Global Market Insights, Inc.

Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider. Offering syndicated and custom research reports, growth consulting and business intelligence services, Global Market Insights, Inc. aims to help clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data that aid in strategic decision making.

GMIPulse, our business analytics platform offers an online, interactive option of exploring our proprietary industry research data in an easy-to-use and dynamic manner. Clients get to explore market intelligence across 11 top level categories and hundreds of industry segments within them, covering regional, company level and cross-sectional statistics that make our offering a stand-out for decision makers.

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Footage exclusively recorded by DailyMail.com shows the moment federal agents arrested demonstrators outside Portland's courthouse during the 60th night of protests in the city as police discovered a bag of loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails at a park nearby.

A crowd of less than 500 gathered in downtown Portland outside the federal building late Sunday for another night of protests. What started out as a calm night after a very hot day where the temperature reached 100 degrees slowly turned into a night of violence for both sides.

Around 1.20am, DailyMail.com recorded video that shows two federal police officers chasing down a female protester and throwing her to the ground in the middle of street.

At one point another protester with a baseball hit one of the officers over the back with it and another demonstrator tried to pry an officer off the woman.

The woman who was pinned to the ground with the officer's full body weight on her, screamed: 'Get off of me!' Several seconds later with her face being shoved to the ground she cried out: 'I cant breathe!'

It appears in the video the officer had both of his fists balled up in the small of her back with the entire weight of his body.

Another protester came up to the woman and attempted to help her while she was being arrested. The young woman who was crying and bleeding from her lip said: 'I am Noelle Mandolfo from Denver, Colorado. I was just standing there and this giant f**king fed came at me for no reason with a baton. Can someone collect my belongings?'

A protester (on the ground right) is seen trying to help a woman who was being arrested (on the ground left). The young woman who was being arrested said: 'I am Noelle Mandolfo from Denver, Colorado. I was just standing there and this giant f**king fed came at me for no reason with a baton'

As the other woman (pictured) continued helping Mandolfo, the agents were seen trying to get her to back away. Moments later, the woman is seen kicking the agents, which resulted in two of them piling on top of her. She was also arrested

Mandolfo is seen being detained by two federal agents as other officers stand guard during Sunday night's protest in Portland

When federal agents lifted Mandolfo (pictured) to her feet, she was seen bleeding from her nose

Protesters walk away from crowd control munitions launched by federal officers during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Sunday

Camillo Massagli of Seattle plays a trumpet from the top of the perimeter barricade around the federal courthouse as fireworks are thrown inwards

Demonstrators sit and kneel as tear gas fills the air during the protest in Portland on Sunday

A demonstrator shouts slogans using a bullhorn next to a group of military veterans during the Black Lives Matter protest Sunday night

Massagli, who was initially seen playing his trumpet on the barricade around the courthouse, was later seen with a face injury

Federal police are seen deployed onto the street after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the court building they were protecting

Federal police ready themselves as they face off against protesters Sunday night in Portland

Black Lives Matter protesters hold their fists in the air as they stand against racism and police brutality in downtown Portland

Wall of Moms protesters are seen wearing their signature yellow and holding up signs during the protest on Sunday

As the other woman continued helping Mandolfo, the agents were seen trying to get her to back away.

Moments later, the woman is seen kicking the agents, which resulted in two of them piling on top of her. She was also arrested.

Earlier in the evening, police responded to reports of gunshots near the park that is located across the street from the federal building. Two people were arrested and a third person was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound.

Portland Police tweeted that a bag of loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails had been discovered near Lownsdale Square Park.

At 9pm, the Wall of Moms didnt have enough people at the protest, approximately 50 showed up, to construct their wall so organizers asked for the public to be part of the wall.

Around 11pm protesters turned to the federal building to protest, where they started setting off fireworks toward the courthouse. Just after midnight federal police emerged from the building and fired off tear gas and rubber bullets at the protesters and quickly retreated.

At 1am federal police came out again, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the protesters. Someone from the crowd threw a Molotov cocktail over the fence and it landed near several federal officers.

Ten minutes later at 1.10am, about 100 federal police officers emerged onto the street and stood in front of the federal building.

Federal police are seen deployed out onto the street after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the courthouse Sunday night

Federal officers are seen preparing to face-off with protesters after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the courthouse

Federal agents use tear gas and smoke grenades to disperse the crowd gathering at the Justice Center and Federal Courthouse early Monday morning

Protesters use leaf blowers to re-direct tear gas back towards federal police outside the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse

The president weighed in on the Portland protests Monday morning, saying the courthouse there 'wouldn't last a day' without federal agents

Meanwhile in Austin, Texas, thousands of people attended a vigil honoring 28-year-old Garret Foster, who was shot and killed by a person who drove through a crowd of marchers the night before.

In Alexandria, Virginia, protesters flocked to the home of Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to decry the deployment of federal officers in cities including Portland, Seattle and Oakland.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump continued his campaign to discredit anti-racism and Black Lives Matter demonstrations by once again shifting blame for continued clashes on 'anarchists'.

'The Lamestream Media, including Fox News, which has really checked out, is refusing to show what is REALLY going on in Portland, Seattle, and other places,' the president wrote.

'They want the American public to believe that these are just some wonderful protesters, not radical left ANARCHISTS!'

Trump's tendency to use 'anarchists' as blanket term for protesters has increased as his heavy-handed, militarized approach to quelling protests has amounted to increased tensions between civilians and authorities.

'In Portland we had to go in as they're anarchists,' Trump said about Portland protesters this week an interview with Sean Hannity Thursday night.

The president has so far deployed federal agents to Portland, Seattle and Chicago.

In a Monday morning tweet, Trump said: 'Homeland Security or Federal Forces are little involved in Seattle other than we have a large standby team in case of emergency. The media is calling that one wrong also. In Portland, we are protecting Federal property, including the Courthouse, which wouldn't last a day!'

PORTLAND, OREGON: Authorities are investigating a shooting at a protest in downtown Portland as demonstrations against police brutality continued for a 60th consecutive night in cities across the US on Sunday. Pictured: Police escort a man in a red shirt out of Lownsdale Square following reports of shots fired

PORTLAND, OREGON: A man suspected of being involved in Sunday night's shooting is taken into police custody

PORTLAND, OREGON: Police say one person was injured by gunfire and two were taken into custody after the shooting

Portland police tweet picture of rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails found in city park.

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Thousands of people attended a vigil on Sunday night honoring 28-year-old Garret Foster, who was shot and killed by a person who drove through a crowd of marchers the night before

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA: Protesters flocked to the home of Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, in Alexandria on Sunday night to decry the deployment of federal officers in US cities

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A large crowd of Los Angeles protesters marched in solidarity with Portland on Sunday

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: In Seattle, another city with a large presence of federal agents, thousands of people took to the streets of the Capitol Hill neighborhood on Sunday afternoon for largely peaceful protest

Portland, Oregon

Sunday night's apparent shooting in Portland capped off a weekend of violent protests in the city where federal agents were deployed to quell unrest but ultimately only exacerbated the chaos.

Witnesses reported hearing at least two shots ring out before people were seen fleeing out of Lownsdale Square.

KPTV's Kandra Kent spoke to one witness who tried to break up the fight that led up to the shooting.

That witness claimed that there were three to four guns involved, and the first shot erupted during a struggle for control of a gun.

Officers were seen escorting one man out of the square before protesters began trying to pressure police to leave the area.

Police confirmed that two people had been taken into custody in connection with the incident.

They initially said that no one appeared to be injured but later revealed that one person had been hospitalized with a non-life threatening gunshot wound.

PORTLAND, OREGON: Officers were seen escorting one man (center in red) out of Lownsdale Square after the shooting

lots of portland police just walked this guy out of lownsdale square, across the street from the federal courthouse. looks to be under arrest. #pdxprotest #portlandprotest pic.twitter.com/Mgxuu36gTV  Mikeford Biziths (@itsmikebivins) July 27, 2020

PORTLAND, OREGON: Police stand guard outside the Justice Center during clashes with Black Lives Matter demonstrators

None of the people involved in the incident have been identified and its unclear if the incident was connected to the demonstrations.

Elsewhere in Portland a group of middle-age largely suburban women dubbed the Wall of Moms formed a small march on Sunday - but their numbers appeared to have dwindled in recent days.

Over the past week hundreds of 'Moms' dressed in signature yellow shirts gathered to form a wall between federal police and the BLM protestors, but on Sunday night approximately 50 showed up.

One of the organizers told the crowd they don't have enough Moms to form a wall tonight but asked other members of the group if they could help them out to form their nightly wall.

During Saturday night's protest, demonstrators breached a fence surrounding the city's federal courthouse building where the agents have been stationed.

Police declared the situation to be a riot and at around 1.20am Sunday began ordering people to leave the area surrounding the courthouse or risk arrest, saying on Twitter that the violence had created 'a grave risk' to the public.

About 20 minutes later, federal officers and local police could be seen attempting to clear the area and deploying tear gas, however protesters remained  forming lines across intersections and holding makeshift shields as police patrolled and closed blocks abutting the area.

Multiple arrests were made, but it was not immediately clear how many.

PORTLAND, OREGON: A group of female protesters form a line as they prepare to march through Portland on Sunday night

PORTLAND, OREGON: A group of middle-age largely suburban women dubbed the Wall of Moms formed a small march on Sunday - but their numbers appeared to have dwindled in recent days

PORTLAND, OREGON: One of the organizers told the crowd they don't have enough Moms to form a wall tonight but asked other members of the group if they could help them out to form their nightly wall

PORTLAND, OREGON: Protesters are seen camping out in tents at Portland's Lownsdale Square on Sunday night

PORTLAND, OREGON: Protesters gather outside the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in Portland on Sunday night

PORTLAND, OREGON: Portland City Council commissioner candidate Loretta Smith speaks to protestors outside the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse on Sunday night

Austin, Texas

Protesters held a vigil on Sunday evening at the site where Garrett Foster was killed in downtown Austin on Saturday night.

Garrett Foster (pictured with his fiancee), was shot dead during a protest in Austin on Saturday night

The crowd erupted in chants of 'Say his name ... Garrett Foster' and held a moment of silence honoring the slain 28-year-old.

Following the vigil, the sea of protesters made their way to the Texas State Capitol to finish the march that had been disrupted the night before.

It came hours after Austin Police Chief Brian Manley confirmed that Foster was carrying a rifle when he approached the vehicle that the person suspected of shooting him was in.

Manley said the suspect shot out of their car at Foster and then called 911 to report that they had shot someone who pointed a gun at their vehicle.

The suspect, who has not been named publicly, was arrested following the shooting and later released on Sunday as the incident remains under investigation.

Sheila Foster, Garrett's mother, said she was told her son was pushing his fiancee, who uses a wheelchair, through an intersection when the suspect was driving 'erratically' through the crowd.

She said she was told the driver shot her son three times.

Foster (pictured with his fiancee) was seen holding an AK-47 while speaking to media before he was killed Saturday night

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Protesters are seen during a demonstration that following Foster's vigil on Sunday night

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Whitney Mitchell (center), fiancee of Garrett Foster, and Chase Mayo (left) with his wife, Anna Mayo, who is the sister of Foster, join with hundreds of people for a vigil in memory of Foster on Sunday

AUSTIN, TEXAS: An attendee kneels at a memorial at a vigil for Foster in downtown Austin on Sunday evening

Alexandria, Virginia

Dozens of protesters flocked to the home of acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf on Sunday afternoon to condemn the deployment of federal officers who have forcefully detained and tear gassed demonstrators in Portland.

The protest was organized by ShutDownDC, a group which considers Wolf to be responsible for the actions of the federal agents and is demanding that they be removed from every city in the US.

Jonathan Krall, of Grassroots Alexandria, spoke to WTOP at the protest and decried the human rights abuses occurring in Portland.

'The behavior of the DHS is extremely worrying,' Krall said. 'There should be due process. There shouldn't be people picked up without paperwork. There shouldn't be people picked up without documentation of what's going on.'

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA: Dozens of protesters flocked to the home of acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf on Sunday afternoon to condemn the deployment of federal officers who have forcefully detained and tear gassed demonstrators in Portland

Seattle, Washington

In Seattle, another city with a large presence of federal agents, thousands of people took to the streets of the Capitol Hill neighborhood on Sunday afternoon for largely peaceful protest.

Tensions between protesters and police officers reached a boiling point hours earlier as the latter group retreated into a precinct station after midnight following large demonstrations in the area surrounding the Capitol.

Some demonstrators lingered after officers filed into the department's East Precinct at around 1am, but most cleared out a short time later, according to video posted online.

Rocks, bottles, fireworks and mortars were fired at police during the weekend unrest, and police said they arrested at least 45 people for assaults on officers, obstruction and failure to disperse.

Twenty-one officers were hurt, with most of their injuries considered minor, police said.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: Demonstrators use shields while blocking an intersection near the Seattle Police East Precinct during protests on Sunday

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: Police officers dressed in riot gear block a road as protesters tried to pass on Sunday

Los Angeles, California

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Los Angeles for a march in solidarity with the people of Portland on Sunday.

The marchers carried signs attacking the actions of federal protesters on the ground in US cities, as well as repeated pleas to defund LA's own police department.

Sunday's march shut down a major roadway in the heart of the city but remained peaceful as police kept a safe distance.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Protesters stepped out in Los Angeles on Sunday for a march in solidarity with Portland

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The marchers carried signs attacking the actions of federal protesters on the ground in US cities, as well as repeated pleas to defund LA's own police department
Kaia Gerber shared a beautiful portrait to Instagram with a furry friend this weekend.

The 18-year-old Chanel model was seen in a yellow triangle top bikini as she snuggled with a fuzzy puppy while in Malibu.

For the past four months, the daughter of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber has been helping out the LaBelle Foundation by taking care of puppies before they can find their forever homes.

Her little guy: Kaia Gerber shared a beautiful portrait with a furry friend this weekend. The 18-year-old Chanel model was seen in a yellow triangle top bikini as she snuggled with a fuzzy puppy while in Malibu

'Thank you @thelabellefoundation for finding me the perfect forever cuddle buddy & the best friend a girl could ask for. welcome to the family milo boy, mama loves you,' said the catwalk princess who used to date SNL vet Pete Davidson.

Fostering is a good distraction from the doldrums that come with being on lockdown. And it must be a welcomed break for Kaia who is used to traveling all over the world for her modeling career.

In the new image, Kaia wore her hair down and blonde as she added a yellow gold necklace and bracelet.

The puppy looked only a few weeks along. She was at home with clothing on the hardwood floor.

His name is Milo: 'Thank you @thelabellefoundation for finding me the perfect forever cuddle buddy & the best friend a girl could ask for. welcome to the family milo boy, mama loves you,' said the catwalk princess who used to date SNL vet Pete Davidson

So chic: The teenager also put her pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses on her four-legged friend

Last week the star was seen carrying the same puppy as she exited Earth Bar in West Hollywood with smoothies in hand. The runway star also flaunted her many tattoos, as well as her newly lightened and perfectly highlighted tresses with baby blue painted nails.

Kaia is currently fostering two puppies from The Labelle Foundation, a Los Angeles foster based animal rescue that focuses on advocating, rehabilitating and rescuing dogs.

Last week, the model posted an adorable snap of herself cuddling the adorable pups as she enjoyed a day outside soaking up the sun in her bikini.

Too cute for words: Last week, the model posted a snap of herself cuddling the adorable pups as she enjoyed a day outside soaking up the sun in her bikini

Her sweet snap comes just one month after revealing her cast off her wrist and forearm was finally removed.

Posing in a slightly unbuttoned white top with jeans and a mask, Kaia held her cast in the air in her May 27 Instagram post; she had her wrist and forearm still wrapped;.

Kaia captioned the image: 'Got my elbow back!'

Good news: Posing in a slightly unbuttoned white top with jeans and a mask, Kaia held her cast in the air in her May 27 Instagram post; she had her writs and forearm still wrapped; Kaia captioned the image: 'Got my elbow back'

Kaia revealed her injury on May 16 when she posted a photo of herself at home in an olive bikini and a fiberglass cast.

'Had a little accident but I'm okay,' the model captioned it.

A second photo she shared was an X-ray that revealed she had dislocated her wrist.

Feel better: Kaia revealed her injury on May 16 when she posted a photo of herself at home in an olive bikini and a fiberglass cast

Ouch: A second photo she shared was an X-ray that revealed she had dislocated her wrist

One week later, the model showed off her impressive artwork despite her right arm in a cast in a new Instagram post she shared.

The teen wore a gingham printed skirt with her neon bikini top, adding a straw hat.

She had her right arm, with its blue cast, on her leg while she painted with her left hand.

Kaia had both of her pieces propped up against a table as she sat on a towel with her paint besides her.

A second image she shared showed four books on a picnic table with the ocean in full view ahead of her.

Talented: One week later, the model showed off her impressive artwork despite her right arm in a cast in a new Instagram post she shared
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte sent out a warning to people who took advantage of the government's cash aid program: the law has its eye on you.

The President delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, and highlighted the government's efforts in extending help to Filipinos whose livelihoods were affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Help was intended for those under a no-work, no-pay arrangement, but the aid intended for them was taken by unscrupulous individuals.

The government would not stand for this, stated the President.

"Under the Social Amelioration Program, we allotted (205 billion) for poor and low-income households who were affected during this pandemic, who thrive on a no-work, no-pay arrangement. Admittedly, our implementation of the Social Amelioration Program was not perfect. And some opportunists turned crisis into opportunity. We will catch up with you sooner than you think." he said.

Duterte, however, did not say what the plans were to catch these people.

In June, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said it received 452 complaints on alleged SAP anomalies.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said cases were being prepared against those accused.
If youre looking for the perfect cultural day out, then look no further because we have teamed up with Guinness Storehouse to give away a wonderful prize.

They are giving away 10 pairs of tickets to some lucky Independent.ie readers. The prize includes full access to the Guinness Storehouses seven floors along with complimentary lunch in their wonderful 1837 restaurant.

But thats not all, because for a limited time only youll also get to see one of the years most hotly anticipated art exhibitions, Soon is Now.

Soon is Now is the brainchild of Dublin-based agency Richards Dee. During the pandemic they founded the Creatives Against Covid-19 project, as a way to channel creative output during the lockdown period.

The team established a Creative Council, and developed a brief which invited artists from around the world to submit a creative interpretation of the word SOON, and what this meant to them.

The results were simply outstanding. It was clear that the SOON brief not only resonated, but inspired a collective outpouring of optimism, unity and hope.

This small Irish campaign quickly snowballed  not only welcoming over 1000 pieces of art, but also garnering global media coverage. The artwork was turned into A3 posters, by Dublin studio Hens Teeth, with all proceeds going directly to charity.

Naturally, Guinness featured in several of the art pieces  not only a sign that people were missing the ritual of the hand-poured pint at the bar, but also a symbol that they yearned for those shared moments of togetherness.

The Guinness Storehouse, which has long celebrated creativity through the craft of storytelling, advertising, the art of brewing  and of course serves the perfect pint  was a natural exhibition venue for the artwork.

From July 11 to August 31, the Guinness Storehouse will host this unique collection of art celebrating the postponed moments of togetherness that we can now enjoy.

It really is the perfect post-lockdown day out. So, to be in with a chance to win a pair of tickets, simply enter the competition here.

Theres never been a better time to visit the Home of Guinness! Our new Welcome Back ticket is available from 15 and includes the SOON IS NOW exhibition and a pint in Gravity Bar. Better still, if you buy a Creatives against Covid-19 poster, you will receive a code for a completely free Welcome Back ticket. The Creatives against Covid -19 shop is only open until July 31  so be sure to buy a poster while you have the chance. Book your ticket to the exhibition or buy a poster.

Please enjoy Guinness responsibly. Visit drinkaware.ie.

Sponsored by
By Hyunjoo Jin and Joyce Lee

SEOUL (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor Co <005380.KS>, an early backer of hydrogen cars, has watched the electric rise of Tesla, including on its home turf. Now's it's going on the offensive in the battery-powered market led by its U.S. rival.

The South Korean company plans to introduce two production lines dedicated to electrics vehicles (EVs), one next year and another in 2024, according to an internal union newsletter seen by Reuters.

Euisun Chung, leader of the Hyundai Motor Group conglomerate that also includes Kia Motors, has also held a series of meetings since May with his counterparts at Samsung, LG and SK Group, which make batteries and electronic parts.

The purpose of the talks, which were publicly announced, was for Hyundai to try to secure batteries at a time of tight supply as the race for EVs intensifies, according to several industry sources. Those manufacturers also supply the likes of Tesla <TSLA.O>, Volkswagen <VOWG_p.DE> and GM <GM.N>.

Hyundai told Reuters it was collaborating with Korean battery suppliers "to scale up" its electric car production efficiently. It declined to comment on any plans to introduce dedicated production lines.

Samsung, LG and SK declined to comment.

The moves indicate the carmaker is moving aggressively to expand its electric capacity, days after Chung announced on July 14 that Hyundai Motor Group aimed to sell 1 million battery EVs a year and grab a global market share of over 10% by 2025.

There's some way to go; Hyundai Motor Group sold 86,434 battery EVs last year, according to data from industry consultant LMC Automotive. That was above the 73,278 sold by Volkswagen Group but behind the 367,500 delivered by Tesla.

Hyundai, the world's No.5 automaker together with Kia Motors <000270.KS>, said its agility allowed it to lead the charge into EVs. "We are certain Hyundai is never going to fall behind," it added.

Story continues

NO KODAK MOMENT

A senior Hyundai insider, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the company had not been concerned about Tesla when the Silicon Valley company was producing high-end cars.

But it became more worried when Tesla brought out a cheaper Model 3 in 2017, according to the insider who described it as a "strategic victory".

No traditional automaker has been successful yet in catching up with Tesla, which retains an edge in battery and software technology.

Hyundai could also face a roadblock from its powerful union, which is worried about job security as EVs require fewer components and workers than gasoline vehicles; at Hyundai, this is partly because the automaker makes a number of key components for conventional cars in-house, while many EV parts are outsourced at present.

The union is pushing for the company to assemble key EV components, like battery packs and motors, in-house to offset any reduction in workforce.

"We are not opposed to EV business. Kodak went bankrupt because it stuck to film even as the industry was shifting to digital photography," union spokesman Kwon Oh-kook told Reuters.

"We just want to protect the jobs of our members," he said.

Hyundai said automakers and unions needed to accelerate change to remain viable in the long term.

HYDROGEN V ELECTRIC

Back in 2010, Hyundai Motor Co made 230 electric cars for the government, but they ended up being mothballed at a research center outside Seoul due to a lack of charging infrastructure, according to Lee Hyun-soon, R&D chief at the time.

In a 2014 book Lee, who developed South Korea's first gasoline engines, said such electric vehicles were "not realistic", also citing high battery costs, and that hydrogen cars - a rival clean technology - offered a "bright" future.

Along with Toyota <7203.T> and Nikola <NKLA.O>, Hyundai was one of a few automakers to have backed hydrogen cars. It launched the industry's first mass-produced hydrogen car, Tucson Fuel Cell, in 2013 and the NEXO in 2018.

However the technology has not taken off; 7,707 hydrogen fuel cell cars were sold globally last year, compared with 1.68 million battery EVs, according to LMC Automotive.

In Hyundai's home market, Tesla had its best month in June, with its Model 3 beating Hyundai's Kona EV, as well as premium models from BMW and Audi.

"Hyundai did not expect Tesla to dominate the EV market so quickly," another person familiar with the company's thinking told Reuters.

Hyundai Motor Co has a market capitalization of about 25.3 trillion won ($21.2 billion) - less than a tenth of that of Tesla, now the world's most valuable automaker.

While Hyundai promotes its hydrogen cars with K-pop boyband BTS, it only plans to introduce up to two hydrogen models by 2025, and 23 battery-powered models.

Peter Hasenkamp, vice president at electric startup Lucid, who previously worked at Tesla and Ford, said established carmakers faced historical "inertia" to make the EV transition.

"Part of the reason we're based in Silicon Valley is to leverage both software and electrical engineering expertise," Hasenkamp told Reuters.

"You've got a couple of generations for the big car companies to learn really how to do this well. It is a lot harder than they thought it was."

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Joyce Lee; Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang; Editing by Pravin Char)
New York State Attorney General Letitia James signed off on a Harvey Weinstein settlement deal that included terms she supposedly promised victims' attorney wouldn't be included.

The settlement deal that James approved was negotiated by lawyer Elizabeth Fegan, acting on behalf of multiple Weinstein accusers and is now off the table after it was rejected by Manhattan Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein on July 14.

In his decision, Hellerstein called the deal 'obnoxious' and said that Fegan 'was wasting (her) time.'

'Harvey Weinstein joins those who ask me to approve it, but makes no contribution to the settlement. Indeed, he benefits from it, financially as well as by obtaining a release of claims,' Hellerstein wrote in a written ruling released Friday, according to the New York Daily News.

Harvey Weinstein accusers and their lawyers are criticizing New York State Attorney General for signing off on a proposed settlement deal including terms she promised she wouldn't OK

The proposal included establishing a $19million compensation fund that insurers would be responsible for paying out, not Weinstein (pictured February 2020) himself

Hellerstein added that he 'observed that favoring these groups at the expense of the people suffering sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein was "obnoxious." I continue to hold to that view.'

The $19million proposed settlement deal, which Hellerstein rejected, would leave his accusers to claim between $7,500 to $750,000 each from the compensation fund, which would be paid entirely by insurers - Weinstein would not be responsible for ponying up the cash.

An additional $5.4million was aimed at being split up among 14 women, in the US, Canada and the UK, who had sued Weinstein.

Hellerstein told the plaintiff's lead attorney Elizabeth Fagan that the deal would 'create inequality' among those involved, because not every woman was subjected to the same extent of sexual abuse, Deadline reported.

On July 13, six of Weinstein's accusers argued that the proposed deal would ultimately amount to $11.2million after legal costs, with typical awards of just $10,000 to $20,000 for victims.

While rejecting the deal in mid July, Hellerstein called the $15million defense fund the deal also set aside for Weinstein and his team 'unconscionable.'

The proposal was drafted by Elizabeth Fegan (left), on behalf of Weinstein accusers. Lawyer Thomas Giuffra (right), who represents accuser Alexandra Canosa, said James promised 'she would never sign off on an agreement that gave victims money to' the Weinsteins

Weinstein accuser Kaja Sokola (left in 2010) said she felt 'betrayed' by James' 'acceptance of the settlement.' Accuser Alexandra Canosa (right) is pictured in 2010.

Lawyer Thomas Giuffra, who represents producer Alexandra Canosa, told the newspaper that James 'promised us she would never sign off on an agreement that gave victims money to Harvey Weinstein or Bob Weinstein. Promised us that - she would never agree to that.'

Giuffra added that James 'botched this thing. The Attorney Generals office has been the worst thing that happened to this case.'

'I felt betrayed by the Attorney Generals acceptance of the settlement, which was so unfair for the victims and did not hold Weinstein responsible for his crimes on any level,' Kaja Sokola told the newspaper.

Sokola claimed that Weinstein assaulted her in 2002, when she was 16 years old.

According to another victim's lawyer who spoke with the newspaper on background, James had promised him in July 2019 that she wouldn't okay a deal that stopped Weinstein accusers who opted out of the settlement from chasing money from insurance companies, Bob Weinstein or The Weinstein Companys board of directors.

However, the release for insurers and directors was ultimately included in the proposed settlement when it was made last month.

The release would have severely limited the amount of money that Weinsteins accusers could recover later.

In addition, the unnamed lawyer said, it would have also limited the victims ability to decide how they pursued their cases.

Dominique Huett, who claims Weinstein sexually assaulted her in 2010, said that she was 'really upset' that James 'could see this slanted deal as beneficial to survivors when it was structured to get the perpetrators out of any liability. It also seemed unlawful to me that the deal could block victims from individually litigating their case.'

A spokesperson for James told the New York Daily News that 'Attorney General James has been, and will always be a fighter for survivors of sexual assault and harassment.

'Without a comprehensive settlement in this case, dozens of Weinstein survivors will be left with nothing, and will lose their opportunity to find justice, given the statute of limitations has run out on a lot of their cases.

'These brave women have been through so much, and the Attorney General believes that they deserve to receive what theyve long been owed,' the spokesperson said.

Giuffre said that James predecessor, Eric Schneiderman, had scuttled a 2018 deal that would've allowed for the sale of The Weinstein Company, creating a victims compensation fund that could be as high as $90million.

Class action watchdogs said that James' office wasn't critical enough of the terms of the proposed settlement.

Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute's Ted Frank told the New York Daily News that 'The Attorney Generals office wasnt appropriately skeptical' and that rather than agreeing to the settlement terms, 'They could have identified the same things Judge Hellerstein identified and said this isnt the way a class action settlement is supposed to work.'

Weinstein attorney Imran Ansari said that 'Many parties wanted this settlement to succeed, importantly, it was not just the Weinstein defendants, but the plaintiffs themselves, who likely recognized that this was the route to a realistic recovery.'

Ansari noted that Weinsteins 'current and future financial state is far from healthy, not only has his personal liberty been taken from him, but his financial liberty as well.'

The disgraced Hollywood mogul is in the midst of serving a 23-year sentence after having been found guilty of sexually assaulting his former production assistant Miriam Haley and raping actress Jessica Mann.
BJP

New Delhi: Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi for his latest remarks on the Ladakh face-off, BJP on Monday said he was again insulting the bravery of 20 soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Galwan Valley.

With his repeated utterances on the India-China face-off, Rahul Gandhi is trying to present falsehood as truth, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said.

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GVL Narasimha RaoRahul Gandhi on Monday said he is not going to lie about Chinese transgressions in eastern Ladakh even if it costs him politically. In his response, Rao said that Gandhi has again insulted the sacrifices of 20 soldiers in Ladakh with his statements.

'Rahul Gandhi has not learnt from his mistakes. He had insulted our soldiers at the time of the surgical strike, the Balakot airstrike and now again he has insulted them,' Rao said.

Rahul Gandhi tweetHe further said that Rahul Gandhi's political career ended in 2019 after he insulted the soldiers.

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Gandhi made his remarks in a tweet, along with an over-a-minute-long video, as part of a series launched by him on the India-China face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
An Egyptian court has sentenced five female social media influencers to two years in jail on charges of violating public morals, a judicial source said.

The verdict on Monday against Haneen Hossam, Mowada al-Adham and three others came after they posted footage on video-sharing app TikTok.

'The Cairo economic court sentenced Hossam, Adham and three others to two years after they were convicted of violating society values,' the source said.

The ruling - which can be appealed - included a fine of 300,000 Egyptian pounds ($18,750) each, the source added.

TikTok and Instagram influencer Haneen Hossam (pictured) was arrested on the morning of April 21 after her online video sparked outrage in Egypt

In May, authorities arrested Mowada Adham (pictured) who had posted satirical videos on TikTok and Instagram

Hossam, who is a student at Cairo university, was arrested in April after posting a three-minute clip telling her 1.3 million followers that girls could make money by working with her.

In footage posted on the app Likee, the online star offered women aged over 18 years the chance to work from home and earn around $2,500 to $3,000 for making live videos and talking to strangers.

She added: 'You will be able to form friendships with people in a respectable way.'

Egyptian feminist Ghadeer Ahmed was one of the few high-profile people to defend Hossam and claimed that she had been the target of numerous bullying campaigns by the authorities.

In footage posted on the app Likee, online star Haneen Hossam (left and right) offered women aged over 18 years the chance to work from home and earn around $2,500 to $3,000 for making live videos and talking to strangers

She said: 'This video went viral and some TV hosts and YouTubers started to incite against her, saying she wants to hire young Egyptian women as 'digital sex workers,' which is illegal and goes against the so-called public moralities.'

One social media user said: 'This is the same as prostitution. Instead of engaging in intercourse, they are just showing their bodies.'

Another person commented: 'TikTok, Likee and apps like these should all be banned in Arab countries. I myself don't like them.'

Before her arrest, Hossam released a video defending her post and claiming that she did not call for 'debauchery'.

The influencer added: 'There are famous actors that use TikTok. Does this mean they work in prostitution?'

The influencer (pictured), who is also a student at Cairo university, has been sentenced to two years in jail

In May, authorities arrested Mowada Adham who had posted satirical videos on TikTok and Instagram, where she has at least two million followers.

The arrests highlighted a social divide in the deeply conservative Muslim country over what constitutes individual freedoms and 'social norms'.

Some analysts say the young women were targeted due to their modest roots.

Their arrests 'are part of violence against women because they come from lower classes', according to lawyer Intesar al-Saeed.

Egypt has enforced strict internet controls through laws allowing authorities to block websites deemed a threat to national security and to monitor personal social media accounts with over 5,000 followers.

Rights groups say the laws solidify government censorship of online media.

Human rights lawyer Tarek al-Awadi said the latest arrests showed how a deeply conservative and religious society was wrestling with the rapid rise of modern communications technology.

'There is a technological revolution happening and legislators need to take into account a constantly changing environment,' Awadi said.

Internet penetration has reached over 40 percent of Egypt's youthful population of more than 100 million.

Online communications were a key instrument in the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brave of Heart Fund , provides financial and emotional support to the surviving family members of frontline healthcare workers and volunteers who lose their lives in the COVID-19 fight, is now accepting applications for Phase II grants. Affected families may apply for financial support of up to $60,000 per family impacted, in addition to the earlier launched Phase I grant program offering grants of $15,000 to assist with immediate expenses. Launched this week, these Phase II charitable grant dollars will support the long-term needs of families, such as medical care and counseling, housing, food, transportation and educational needs of family members.

The Brave of Heart Fund was co-founded in May 2020 by the Foundations of New York Life and Cigna, industry-leading financial and health service organizations, alongside charitable partner, E4E Relief. The Foundations of New York Life and Cigna each seeded the Brave of Heart Fund with $25 million, with the goal of growing it to $100 million through support from other corporations and individuals. New York Life Foundation is also matching gifts from individuals, dollar-for-dollar, up to an additional $25 million.

"The Brave of Heart Fund provides critical, immediate support to the family members of our brave healthcare heroes who are grieving an immense loss. This fund will assist them in not bearing the burden of financial hardship during this difficult time," said Holly Welch Stubbing, president and CEO of E4E Relief. "We are honored to offer financial relief to impacted families thanks to the generosity and foresight of New York Life and Cigna in launching this vital effort, along with now several other major corporate and individual donors."

The Brave of Heart Fund began disbursing charitable funds in May, supporting more than 100 families with $15,000 towards immediate expenses, and continues to accept applications for grants to support eligible family members of frontline healthcare workers and volunteers who lose their lives to COVID-19 while caring for others. The fund provides impacted families with initial grants of $15,000 per family to meet immediate expenses, such as funeral expenses, and as of this week, will now award up to an additional $60,000 per family for long-term needs. Families are able to apply for both short and long-term grants. To date, the fund has received applications from impacted families across 19 states seeking support.

"The untimely passing of my dear loving wife has broken my heart. Her bravery in taking care of those in need during these precedented times made me proud. The generosity of the Brave of Heart Fund during what has been the toughest time of my life has made such a difference," said John Varkey, who recently lost his wife Aleyamma John, a longtime Queens Hospital Center nurse, to COVID-19. "I am so grateful to everyone who found it in the goodness of their hearts to think of the families of the heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice caring for their fellow humans during these unprecedented times."

E4E Relief is a wholly owned subsidiary of Foundation For The Carolinas, a Charlotte-based community foundation and public charity. To learn more, donate or for eligible parties to apply for a grant, visit www.braveofheartfund.com or call (855) 334-7932. Grant eligibility and amounts will be determined by E4E Relief and will depend on a variety of factors, including financial need and overall funding.

About E4E Relief

For 20 years, E4E Relief has been the leading provider of charitable employee relief funds, rapidly responding to employee disaster and hardships on behalf of corporations. As an independent public charity, we empower global companies and employees to provide, and receive, meaningful financial relief when it's needed most, creating a strong sense of engagement and community. Our roots as a subsidiary of Foundation For The Carolinas, one of the largest community foundations in the U.S., led us to best practice grantmaking and industry expertise. In the past five years, E4E Relief has awarded more than $125 million in charitable grants, supporting relief efforts for nearly million people worldwide.

About Foundation For The Carolinas

Founded in 1958, Foundation For The Carolinas is the sixth-largest nonprofit community foundation in the country, serving donors and a broad range of charitable purposes in North and South Carolina. With assets of $2.3 billion, FFTC's mission is to inspire philanthropy and empower individuals to create a better community. Visit www.fftc.org .

About New York Life

New York Life Insurance Company ( www.newyorklife.com ), a Fortune 100 company founded in 1845, is the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States* and one of the largest life insurers in the world. Headquartered in New York City, New York Life's family of companies offers life insurance, retirement income, investments and long-term care insurance. New York Life has the highest financial strength ratings currently awarded to any U.S. life insurer from all four of the major credit rating agencies**.

*Based on revenue as reported by "Fortune 500 ranked within Industries, Insurance: Life, Health (Mutual)," Fortune magazine, 5/18/2020. For methodology, please see http://fortune.com/fortune500/ .

**Individual independent rating agency commentary as of 9/12/19: A.M. Best (A++), Fitch (AAA), Moody's Investors Service (Aaa), Standard & Poor's (AA+).

About Cigna

Cigna Corporation is a global health service company dedicated to improving the health, well-being, and peace of mind of those we serve. Cigna delivers choice, predictability, affordability and access to quality care through integrated capabilities and connected, personalized solutions that advance whole person health. All products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Express Scripts companies or their affiliates, and Life Insurance Company of North America. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products including group life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in over 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has more than 180 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.

SOURCE E4E Relief
- Raila Odinga asked senators to adopt the recommendations by the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) and allow the country to move forward

- Raila said the recommended resources were enough to serve people adequately if corruption could be eliminated

- The ODM leader also asked counties to focus more generation own revenue out from economic activities within the counties

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has broken his silence on the going standoff among senators on the revenue sharing formula.

Raila drummed up support for the formula by the Commission of Revenue Allocation (CRA) and asked legislators to adopt it and allow the country to move forward.

READ ALSO: Uhuru to address nation at 3pm after meeting governors

Raila said senators should adopt recommendations by CRA. Photo: Raila Odinga.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Kisii: Nurse diagnosed with COVID-19 gives birth in ICU

In a statement, the former premier said CRA's recommendation on the third basis for the revenue sharing for the next five years was that allocation should be population-driven.

"The CRA recommendation is based on that county governments are about service requirements of the people including in health, agriculture, infrastructure among others," his statement read in part.

He further stated that the Senate itself had made various amendments to the commission but retained the principle that allocation should be based on population size.

READ ALSO: DP Ruto atoa msimamo wake kwenye suala la ugavi mapato

"Unfortunately, the institution has disagreed with its amendments," he said.

Raila asked senators to forward the concerns they have to the commission for its future recommendation.

The Opposition leader added that the resources recommended were enough to adequately serve Kenyans if only corruption could be eliminated.

READ ALSO: Papa Shirandula spotted in video narrating how he was falsely killed online 7 times

He also asked counties to focus more on raising own revenues from economic activities within the devolved units.

"The Senate should allow the country to move forward by adopting the CRA report while using the concerns voiced for future recommendations on revenue sharing," he said while concluding his statement.

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly.

I did not sacrifice Ayeiya, family wants 21 million as compensation - Wakimani of Churchill Show. On TUKO TV.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
A Samoan chief who trafficked some of his neighbours into New Zealand before enslaving them for decades has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Joseph Auga Matamata, 65, was convicted of both trafficking and slavery after a five-week trial in New Zealand in March.

As well as serving over a decade behind bars, Matamata must also pay NZ$180,000 (about 93,000) in compensation to his victims, the judge Justice Helen Cull ordered.

Matamata, who holds the traditional position of a matai or chief in Samoan culture, brought over 13 of his fellow Samoans, most of them people who lived in his own village back home, to New Zealand between 1994 and last year.

He paid for their flights and told them they would be sent to school or found jobs. But when they arrived they were imprisoned in his compound in Hastings, close to the North Island town of Napier.

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The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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Many were forced to then work 14-hour days as agricultural labourers but any money earned was pocketed by Matamata.

The chiefs victims had earlier told the court how he would beat them with pieces of wood, a broom or a power lead, and on one occasion threw a pair of secateurs at one of his victims, embedding the implement in his arm.

Those enslaved by Matamata were forbidden to speak to anyone outside his property or even contact their families back in Samoa without his permission.

The 25 years of abuse only came to light last year when one of the victims persuaded another Samoan man he met at a plant nursery to report him to the police for overstaying his visa.

When officers arrived at Matamatas home to arrest the slaves for immigration offences, they were then told by the imprisoned Samoans of their plight, prompting one of the largest immigration investigations even undertaken in New Zealand.

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The case was especially difficult because of Matamatas position as a matai. The prosecutor Clayton Walker told the jury during the trial that his victims trusted him completely because of his status in Samoan society.

That trust was misplaced. He abused his matai position, he said.

Many of the victims, who gave evidence behind screens during the trial in Napier, said they were too afraid to complain about their treatment at the hands of Matamata and that his status as a matai meant he commanded absolute obedience.

The 65-year-old denied all the charges, insisting the men and women found locked up behind tall fences at his home had all simply overstayed their holiday visas.

His chiefly status meant he had to provide for the entire community and in Samoan culture it was normal for all wages to be pooled, his lawyers argued.

But Judge Cull said his crimes had been abhorrent as she sentenced him to 11 years in prison on Monday. The state has also seized half of Matamatas assets in an effort to recover the money needed to cover the compensation order.

Back in the Samoan village where both Matamata and most of his victims came from, locals were shocked to discover the chiefs offences.

Some told The Guardian they could not connect the man they knew with the slaveowner and trafficker he became, while others worried the case would tarnish the reputation of the community.

Matamatas extended family have also given a substantial cash sum to the village council in a traditional apology for his behaviour.
The plans of state-owned banks to raise capital from private sources will not be sufficient to mitigate anticipated risks unless supplemented with more capital support from the government, Fitch Ratings said on Monday. Several large state banks have recently announced plans to raise a total of USD 6 billion in fresh equity from the capital market.

Fitch said state banks already face significant execution risks in raising equity due to depressed stock market valuations and weak investor interest. "Indian state-owned banks' plans to raise capital from private sources will not be sufficient to mitigate anticipated risks unless supplemented with additional capital support from the state," Fitch Ratings said.

It said a reduction in the state's majority shareholding in some of its banks may dent depositor confidence and potentially lead to negative rating action as their long-term ratings are anchored to state support. It said a reduction in the state's majority shareholding in some of its banks may dent depositor confidence and potentially lead to negative rating action as their long-term ratings are anchored to state support.

It may also reduce investor appetite at a time when government capital support has stuttered, and an acceleration in new coronavirus cases is hampering a meaningful economic recovery and increasing risks for banks' balance sheets. "We believe the proposed stake sales will be very challenging in the current economic climate and in light of the potential capital shortfalls we calculate at the state banks in our stress test. It could also require amendments to the banking company Acts, which currently prescribe a minimum government shareholding of 51 per cent for the state banks, thus adding to execution risk," Fitch said.

The rating agency expects that state banks will remain reliant on fresh equity injections from the government as the proposed capital amounts, if raised fully, will likely add only around 100-150 basis points to state banks' existing common equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratios. "We believe recapitalisation requirements will be substantially higher once pandemic-related asset quality deterioration starts manifesting on bank balance sheets when regulatory forbearance ends, in which case raising equity from the market will be more difficult," Fitch said.

Also read: Govt mulls merger of India Post, RRBs into large PSB to cut down losses, improve efficiency
First, the good news: companies are beating the expectations more often than not this earnings season. After some 25% of the S&P listed companies have reported Q2 results, the beat rate is over 80%. That compares well to the 65% beat rate last quarter. And with another 184 companies reporting this week, about one third off S&P index, well know by Friday if this trend is solid or not.

Either way, however, the high beat rate is an artifact of a low bar, which brings us to the bad news. The COVID-19 epidemic has so reduced expectations that even though stocks are coming in better than forecast, they are still showing serious year-over-year declines in sales and profits. The markets have been forgiving, that is all; the bottom line, however, has been grim in the aftermath of the Q1 economic shutdowns and the unstable recovery in Q2.

With this in mind, investors should be more selective in their stock picks, which lead us to look more closely at the Strong Buy stocks from the TipRanks database. Specifically, weve pulled up the details on three that are releasing earnings after the markets close today. Lets find out why they are compelling, and get a hint of what to expect after hours.

NXP Semiconductors (NXPI)

Well start in the tech sector. NXP is an international semiconductor manufacturer, with headquarters located in both Texas and the Netherlands. The company reported $8.9 billion in revenues for 2019, and despite a hit to sales in 1H20 the Q1 numbers came in above expectations.

NXP benefits from its position as a supplier of advanced chips for automation and IoT applications. A large portion of the companys business  nearly half  is with the automobile industry, and the companys products are integral to radar systems and battery monitors. This sets up NXP to take advantage of automotives moves toward self-driving and/or electric cars. Another 21% of NXPs business is with IoT applications.

Looking ahead, the forecasts for the companys Q2 numbers exemplify both the good and bad of the coronavirus era. Wall Street expects to see about 86 cents per share tonight, a sharp drop from the $1.90 reported in Q2 2019, and down sequentially form Q1. At the same time, remember that NXP beat the Q1 forecast by 48%, so dont be surprised if the forecast now is a lowball that NXP will easily clear.

Story continues

Deutsche Banks 5-star analyst Ross Seymore is one of the bulls on NXPI. He rates the stock a Buy, and his $135 price target implies a potential upside of 13%. (To watch Seymores track record, click here)

Backing his stance, Seymore writes, [We] would not be surprised to see NXPI slightly beat its 2Q guidance mid-point as demand largely appeared to be better than feared as the quarter progressed. While NXPIs Auto-heavy exposure (40-50% of revs) may limit the upside in 2Q we nonetheless expect the companys results and likely its 3Q guidance to reflect a solid recovery we remain impressed by NXPIs ability to tightly manage its business throughout the cyclical downturn in 2019 and the COVID pandemic this year, with the resulting lean inventory yielding the potential for meaningful improvement in NXPIs revenues, GM and EPS as demand normalizes.

Overall, NXPI's Strong Buy consensus rating is based on 17 reviews, including 13 Buys and only 4 Holds. Meanwhile, at $125.94, the average price target suggests a modest upside of 6% from the current trading price of $118.86. (See NXPI stock analysis on TipRanks)

Alexandria Real Estate Equities (ARE)

Next on our list is a real estate investment trust with a unique niche. Alexandria Real Estate Equities is heavily involved in the life-sciences industry, owning and leasing office and laboratory space used by research companies. The company boasts a market cap of $24 billion, along with more than 41 million square feet of leasable space. Alexandria has a presence in several major US research hubs, including New York and Boston, and San Diego and Seattle.

The value of Alexandrias niche is clear from the long-term earnings trend. ARE has reported consistently rising quarterly earnings for the last two years, a trend that was enhanced by the COVID-19 epidemic, which put a premium on health and life sciences services. ARE, which had just missed the earnings forecast in Q4, matched it in Q1 at $1.82 per share. Looking ahead, the stock is expected to show a 55% year-over-year earnings gain, based on $253 million in revenue.

A measure of Alexandrias strength can be seen in its stock and dividend actions taken during Q2. The company put 6.9 million shares of common stock on the market, at a price of $160 per share, during June, with the proceeds of the sale funding forward sale agreements and construction on highly leased development projects. In addition, the company raised its dividend by 3 cents, to $1.06 per share. The new dividend gives a yield of 2.5%, and has a safe payout ratio of 49%.

JMP Securities analyst Aaron Hecht notes, Since the COVID-19 lockdown began, we have seen material demand shifts across real property types as the pandemic/social unrest has changed consumer behavior. Demand is increasing across real estate sectors that provide superior safety from COVID-19

Turning to Alexandria, Hecht says, specifically, [The] company owns a premier portfolio of Life Science properties, with tenants that work in the Biotech and Technology industries. Many ARE tenants are developing COVID-19 therapeutics and the portfolio is trophy-level quality

In line with his comments, Hecht rates ARE shares a Buy. His $185 price target suggests the stock has room for 10% growth in the coming 12 months. (To watch Hechts track record, click here)

The analyst consensus on Alexandria Real Estate is unanimous; the company has 4 Buy ratings, making the consensus rating a Strong Buy. Shares are selling for $168, and the average price target of $178.75 implies room for a 7% upside. (See Alexandrias stock analysis on TipRanks)

Universal Health Services (UHS)

Last up is Universal Health Services, a Pennsylvania-based company providing hospital and healthcare services. UHS operates 400 facilities  including hospitals, acute care centers, and surgeries  across the continental US, as well as in Puerto Rico and the UK. The company saw more than $11 billion in revenues last year, and has a market cap of $9.2 billion.

While medical facilities have been in high demand during the pandemic, the social lockdown policies put a damper on elective procedures. UHS saw a decline in earnings in Q1 of 37%, to $1.73 per share. UHS has suspended its profit sharing programs  dividends and stock buybacks  to conserve capital during the pandemic period. Looking ahead, its expected that sharp declines in the Acute Care and Behavioral Health segments will drive a 16% sequential reduction in revenues for the quarter.

Covering the stock for Deutsche Bank, analyst Pito Chickering notes several points that favor UHS shares turning around in the near future: Revenue trends were healthy pre-coronavirus through February, with hospital same-store revenue trends tracking in-line with expectations through mid/late March Hospital and provider volumes have recovered more quickly than market expectations with admissions within 10% of pre-COVID-19 levels; occupancy rates across the country are elevated We believe there will be pent-up demand for finite OR capacity with prioritization to urgent / emergent procedures, e.g., cardiac procedures vs hips, knees, etc.

Chickerings view is contingent on a further gradual opening of local and state level economies. In the even of an increase in coronavirus cases, however, the analyst does grant, We also believe the country and hospitals are better equipped to handle a spike in COVID-19 cases at the local level and national, state and local policy measures will continue to adapt.

Chickering rates UHS a Buy, with a $135 price target that implies a 23% one-year upside potential. (To watch Chickerings track record, click here)

United Health Services has 8 Buys and 1 Hold, making the analyst consensus rating a Strong Buy. Share are selling for $109.58 heading into earnings, and the average price target of $135 matches Chickerings. (See United Healths stock-price forecast TipRanks)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.
New moderate income housing program could be on the way to Long Beach
Germany has rejected US President Donald Trumps proposal of Russias return to the Group of Seven (G7) most advanced economies, said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. Last month, Trump said that it was common sense to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin back to the group after it was expelled from the group in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea.

In an interview published in a German newspaper, Maas said that meaningful progress towards resolution of the conflict in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine is the primary condition for allowing Russia back to G7. He told Rheinische Post that Russia itself could work towards becoming the part of the group by contributing to a peaceful solution to Crimea.

The German minister also pointed towards the role of Russia in the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Libya, adding the resolution of such issues will not work against Russia, but only with Russia. He also said that G7 and G20 are two sensibly coordinated formats and there is no need for G11 or G12, referring to Trumps proposal to invite other countries including India, Australia, and South Korea.

Read: Germany's Merkel Warns EU Leaders May Not Reach A Deal On Coronavirus Stimulus Plan

Opposition from UK and Canada

Britain and Canada have already expressed their opposition to the proposal of Russias return to G7. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had told a news conference that Russia was excluded from the G7 after it invaded Crimea. He said that Russia will continue to remain out of the group due to its continued disrespect and flouting of international rules. A spokesman for the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said that the country would veto any proposal to allow Russia to rejoin the group.

Last week, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said that the United States has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the next G7 Summit to advance the international prosperity network. Speaking at the India Ideas Summit organised by U.S.-India Business Council, Pompeo said that India is a rising US defence and security partner in the Indo-Pacific and its important for such democracies to work together.

Read: Brexit: After Failure Of Recent Talks, Germany's Merkel Reprimands UK Administration
filo/iStockBy BILL HUTCHINSON, ABC News

(NEW YORK) -- Peaceful protests against police brutality and the presence of federal agents at demonstrations turned violent as police in several large cities across the country declared riots, and one protester in Austin was killed in a shooting that erupted during a weekend of civil unrest.



A Black Lives Matter protester was fatally shot just before 10 p.m. on Saturday during a march in downtown Austin, police said.



While police initially said the protester, identified as Garrett Foster, was armed when he approached a car occupied by a man who killed him, Foster's mother disputed the account during an interview Sunday on ABC's Good Morning America.



Sheila Foster said her son was pushing his fiancee's wheelchair when he was gunned down.



"And this gentleman got out of his car and started firing shots, and my son was shot three times," the mother said.



The gunfire, which was captured on cellphone video, caused protesters to run and duck for cover.



Police said the suspected gunman was captured and was being interviewed by investigators. The alleged gunman's name has not been released.



The deadly violence occurred as protests across the country turned from peaceful to chaotic.



Oregon



Police in Portland, Oregon, declared that a demonstration turned into a "riot" early Sunday when protesters breached a reinforced fence around the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland. Federal agents guarding the building deployed tear gas on the demonstrators, who officials alleged hurled projectiles and fireworks at the agents.



It was the 59th straight day of protests in Portland and demonstrators have accused federal agents of inflaming violence by using questionable tactics for detaining protesters and dispersing crowds.



President Donald Trump has threatened to send federal agents to more cities to restore order.



More than 100 miles away in Eugene, Oregon, police also declared a "riot" when Black Lives Matter members, protesting in solidarity with their Portland counterparts, clashed with counterprotesters waving American flags and toting signs reading "All Lives Matter," according to police.



Police said they moved in to quell the demonstrations when vandalism occurred to businesses, including a Whole Foods store, and officers witnessed and arrested a man allegedly firing a gun into the air. Rocks and other objects were also thrown at police, officials said.



At least eight other people, including a juvenile, were arrested on suspicion of rioting in Eugene, police said.

California



In Oakland, California, a peaceful march through the city's streets intended to show support for the ongoing protests in Portland erupted in violence late Saturday.



The Oakland Police Department tweeted that some agitators among the roughly 700 peaceful demonstrators vandalized a police station by breaking windows, spray painting walls and shooting fireworks. Police officials said multiple small fires were set throughout the city, including one at the Alameda County Superior Courthouse.



Police said several arrests were made.



Washington



In Seattle, officials said that 59 police officers were hurt on Saturday in clashes with protesters and that 47 arrests were made.



Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said at a late-night news conference Saturday that protests were mostly peaceful until nightfall when some agitators began throwing rocks and explosives at police. Best said one officer was hospitalized with a leg injury caused by an explosive.



Earlier in the day, a dozen people set fire to portable trailers during a protest at the construction site of the new King County Juvenile Detention Facility, police said. Officials also said that windows of cars and some businesses were broken near downtown Seattle as groups of protesters marched through the area.



Police said they were also investigating an explosion that damaged the facade of the police department's East Precinct.



"There, several people emerged from the group and began spray painting and attempting to disable security cameras and a fenced perimeter around the precinct. At least one person breached the precincts fence line. Moments later, a device exploded leaving an 8-inch hole in the side of the precinct," police said in a statement.



By 10 p.m. Saturday, police had made 45 arrests, officials said.

Virginia



Meanwhile, the police department in Richmond, Virginia, declared an unlawful assembly on Saturday night after more violence erupted there.



A demonstration billed as "Richmond Stands with Portland" started out with a peaceful march but became unruly as marchers made their way to Richmond Police Headquarters, officials said.



Prior to reaching police headquarters, police said some in a group of mostly peaceful protesters set fires, broke windows and spray-painted graffiti on buildings. Some damage was done to buildings at Virginia Commonwealth University, police said.



Just after 11 p.m. Saturday, police tweeted please disperse or face arrest while addressing protesters outside police headquarters. Police posted on Twitter images of rocks, batteries and other projectiles they said were hurled at officers posted outside the headquarters that "prompted an Unlawful Assembly being declared."



A city dump truck parked near police headquarters was also set on fire, according to police.



The Virginia State Police said its troopers were helping to protect the police department headquarters when several people who were among the protesters tore down police tape and moved forward pointing lasers and shooting firecrackers.



Police said tear gas was used to disperse the crowd outside the headquarters.



Four men were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly, police said. A 29-year-old Richmond man was also arrested and charged with rioting with a firearm, while a 28-year-old man from Hopewell, Virginia, was arrested on suspicion of assault on a law enforcement officer and rioting, according to police.

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka crossed the grim milestone of one lakh COVID-19 cases while Tamil Nadu logged nearly 7,000 fresh infections for the third straight day on Monday as the sharp spike in recent weeks continued unabated in the southern states.

IMAGE: A disposal bin representing novel coronavirus is placed on a road by the municipal corporation to create awareness on COVID-19 waste disposals, at MG Road, in Vijayawada. Photograph: ANI Photo

Kerala's tally inched toward the 20,000 mark and Telangana saw the total infection count beach the 55,000 mark while the cumulative cases rose to 2,872 in the tiny union territory of Puducherry as the six together added 20,629 fresh cases and their aggregate shot to 5.02 lakh.

A total of 291 deaths were reported on Monday from these states with Tamil Nadu accounting for the maximum of 77 closely followed by Karnataka with 74 fatalities, according to bulletins issued by respective states.

The cases have been rising in the region since last month when the lockdown norms were eased and thousands of people returned even as testing had been given a push.

The worst hit was Andhra Pradesh where the COVID-19 count doubled in just eight days as the day's 6,051 cases pushed the tally to 1,02,349. It had crossed the 50,000 mark on July 20.

East Godavari district registered a high of 1,210 cases.

After 16,86,446 tests were completed on Monday, the COVID-19 positivity rate in the state shot past the 6 per cent mark, a record high.

From 15,252 confirmed cases on July 1, the number swelled to the current level as every district in the state has been witnessing a severe surge in the pandemic.

The toll rose to 1,090 with 49 fresh deaths.

The state now has 51,701 active cases after a total of 49,558 patients had recovered, a bulletin said.

COVID-19 cases in Karnataka spiralled to 1,01,465 as the state reported the biggest single-day spike of 5,324 new infections and 75 fatalities, taking the death toll to 1,953, the health department said.

The day also saw 1,847 patients getting discharged, taking the cumulative recoveries to 37,685.

Tamil Nadu reported highest single day spike of 6,993 cases, taking the tally to 2,20,716 while 77 deaths propelled the toll to 3,571.

The state has added 45,038 cases since last Monday while the active cases stood at 54,896 and recoveries touched 1,62,249, including 5,723 people discharged today.

Chennai accounted for 95,857 cases of the state's tally.

In Kerala, at least 43 health workers were among the 702 people who tested positive while 745 others recovered, as the state's total infection tally touched 19,727.

The death toll climbed to 63 with two more fatalities from Kozhikode and Kottayam districts, while 9,611 people were presently under treatment, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

A total of 10,054 patients have recovered so far and over 1.55 lakh people were under observation, he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

Telangana's total infection count rose to 55,532 with the addition of 1,473 cases, including 506 from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation areas, a government bulletin said on Monday, providing data as of 8 pm on Sunday.

With eight more deaths, the COVID-19 toll in the state rose to 471. The death rate was 0.85 per cent as against 2.3 per cent in the country, it said.

As many as 42,106 people have recovered from the infection so far, while 12,955 were under treatment.

Puducherry logged 86 new cases, pushing the overall tally to 2,872 and the toll increased to 43 with three more deaths.

It has 1,109 active cases, an official statement said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated he cannot go to war against Beijing over the South China Sea dispute, calling himself "inutile" in that aspect.

During his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, Duterte addressed criticisms on his supposed inaction on the maritime row.

"Alam mo (You know), unless we are prepared to go to war, I would suggest that we better just call off and treat this, I said, with diplomatic endeavors," Duterte said as he veered away from his prepared speech.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including areas Manila calls the West Philippine Sea. Beijing continues to reject the Philippines' 2016 arbitration win, wherein an international tribunal in The Hague recognized Manila's sovereign rights to some areas within its exclusive economic zone.

Duterte, however, said China is "in possession of the property," apparently referring to some areas that China currently occupies, including Scarborough Shoal  which the Philippines lost to Chinese forces in a controversial standoff.

"So what can we do? We have to go to war. And I cannot afford it. Maybe some other President can, but I cannot. Inutil ako diyan, sabihin ko sa inyo and I'm willing to admit it. Talagang inutil ako diyan. Wala akong magawa," Duterte said.

[Translation: So what can we do? We have to go to war. And I cannot afford it. Maybe some other President can, but I cannot. I am inutile in that aspect, I am telling you and I'm willing to admit it. I am really inutile about that. I cannot do anything.]

Duterte stressed that government troops will be wiped out in battle since the country does not have the resources to take on China.

"China is claiming it. We are claiming it. China has the arms, we do not have it. So, it's simple as that," Duterte said.

Critics, including former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, have repeatedly said they are not asking for a war with China.

In a virtual conference on the anniversary of the Philippines' arbitration win, Del Rosario said that seeking to hold China accountable for its "atrocities" and incursions in the West Philippine Sea is not tantamount to waging a war against the East Asian giant.

Del Rosario is calling on the Duterte government to raise the arbitral ruling in the United Nations General Assembly in September, but Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddyboy" Locsin again rejected his proposal, reiterating that the Philippines and China have "agreed to disagree" on the landmark decision.

READ: Locsin wont raise arbitral ruling in UN assembly: We won it already, why relitigate?

Political analyst Julio Teehankee also supported the calls for the Duterte government to assert the countrys 2016 arbitral ruling victory in its claims in the West Philippine Sea.

It was a big puzzle especially for a President who projects a strongman image. If he had given the same bluster he demonstrated this afternoon towards Senator (Franklin) Drilon and towards the Chinese in regards to the West Philippine Sea, I am sure we will be better off, Teehankee told CNN Philippines Rico Hizon on Monday.

Teehankee lamented the Presidents surrender to China in his fifth SONA, saying that other countries with less military capacity than China continue to assert their rights in the heavily-disputed body of water.

Its actually disheartening because as we all know, the President is supposed to be our chief foreign policy maker and our chief cheerleader in the international arena, he added.
I dont doubt this for a second. I trust science and data over politics and selfishness. But Im not one of those masked citizens who give glaring looks toward people who dont wear one or who wear them improperly. Ive seen too many people dutifully covering only their chin, neck or guilt. Ive never once said anything to those people, and no one has ever confronted me for those times I didnt wear one.
By Michael Nienaber

BERLIN (Reuters) - German business morale continued to recover in July from its biggest decline in decades, with companies expecting Europe's largest economy to rebound from the coronavirus shock - as long as a second wave of infections is avoided.

The Ifo institute said on Monday its business climate index rose to 90.5 in July from an upwardly revised 86.3 in June. It was the third increase in a row and a higher reading than expected.

"The German economy is recovering step by step," Ifo President Clemens Fuest said, adding that companies were notably more satisfied with their current business situation.

The government hopes its stimulus package -- more than 130 billion euro (118 billion pounds), including a temporary VAT cut to boost domestic demand -- will help the economy return to a growth path.

The survey showed that consumers were starting to open their wallets while industrial activity was picking up slowly, Ifo economist Klaus Wohlrabe said.

The surprisingly strong Ifo figures suggested that the economy got off to a good start at the beginning of the third quarter. Wohlrabe confirmed a growth forecast of 6.9%.

Still, the economy is expected to plunge by double digits in the three months from April to June, when public life and economic activity came to a near halt because of the pandemic.

The Statistics Office will release preliminary gross domestic product growth data for the second quarter on Thursday.

KfW chief economist Fritzi Koehler-Geib warned it was too early to give the all-clear, despite the encouraging Ifo reading and the trend among other sentiment indicators.

"The pre-crisis level will remain a long way off for the foreseeable future, and the continuing fierce rage of the pandemic in large parts of the world is an enormous risk for Germany as an export nation," she said.

Commerzbank economist Marco Wagner pointed to higher corporate debt, which was curtailing investment, and a tense job market, which was curbing private consumption. "In addition, a second wave of infection seems to be looming in Europe," Wagner warned.

Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Saturday that the government may introduce compulsory coronavirus testing for holidaymakers returning from high-risk destinations after the number of new infections in Germany hit a two-month high.

(Reporting by Michael Nienaber; editing by Michelle Martin, Larry King)
Mr. Bezos occasionally appeared in support of the companys efforts. In 2017, for example, he was interviewed by the head of the Internet Association, a lobbying group that represents Amazon and other tech giants, at its annual gala.

But as he does with many parts of Amazon, Mr. Bezos took a hands-off approach with its policy and communications group, which has grown to more than 800 employees globally. Hed come through Washington for the annual Amazon board meeting, with a few quiet visits sprinkled throughout the year.

He has avoided high-profile meetings with his companys sharpest critics, like the one Mark Zuckerberg, Facebooks chief executive, held a few weeks ago with organizers of an ad boycott of his company. Mr. Bezos has not made a habit of glad-handing worried lawmakers, the way Sundar Pichai, who runs Alphabet, Googles parent company, did in 2018. And unlike Tim Cook of Apple, Mr. Bezos has not developed a close relationship with President Trump.

The work of Amazons political relations was left to other executives. In 2013, when Mr. Obama toured an Amazon warehouse, it was Dave Clark, a rising star at the company, who showed him around. In more recent years, Jay Carney, Mr. Obamas former press secretary, has become the face of Amazons interactions with lawmakers.

Mr. Carney was the one who called Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York to say Amazon was backing out on its commitment to place a second headquarters in the state after facing a backlash from local activists and politicians. And he managed the crisis when Senator Bernie Sanders, the progressive independent from Vermont, pushed the company to raise its minimum wage.

When Mr. Trump was still a long-shot candidate, Mr. Bezos tweeted that he wanted to #sendDonaldtospace. But since Mr. Trumps election, Mr. Bezos has remained quiet even as the president attacked The Washington Post, stating, without providing evidence, that the paper was doing Amazons bidding. The newspaper is owned privately by Mr. Bezos, not Amazon.
It is time we pre-empt Pakistan and the separatists by fast tracking normalcy, advises Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

IMAGE: A Kashmiri raises his hands as he moves past Central Reserve Police Force in Srinagar. Photograph: Danish Ismail/Reuters

It will not be an exaggeration to say that India in 2020 is facing multiple crises on several fronts.

The country was dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic and social fallout.

At this very moment the Chinese activated the LAC (the undefined border) and massed troops on our northern borders.

It is natural that in these trying times, the issue of Kashmir took a back seat.

It is a well-accepted truism that counterinsurgency has to be fought on five fronts, namely the military, political, psychological, social and economic.

Last year India rescinded the 'Special Status' of Kashmir and a major step was taken on the political front.

This in a way ended the uncertainty on Kashmir and brought in closure of sorts.

At one level, the absorption of J&K into the Indian Union was the unfinished business of Partition.

The step also was in accordance with the Simla Agreement of 1972 that took the first step in this direction by converting a Ceasefire Line (in existence since 1949) to a demarcated and agreed to Line of Control.

It is widely accepted that then Pakistan prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had agreed to this at Simla, but went back on the agreement once he reached home.

Realism dictates that we accept that there is a widespread dissatisfaction in the Kashmir valley.

A dominant psychological yearning for 'freedom', 'independence' has been a part of the Kashmiri psyche for long.

Howsoever impractical, this feeling exists due to global and regional factors like the rise of pan Islamism and Pakistani support.

The current stand-off against China in which India has stood its ground has had a psychological impact on Kashmir as well.

Kashmiris had long given up hope of Pakistan ever being able to come to their help after the failed attempts of 1947, 1965 and 1999 Kargil.

India's robust and aggressive response to Pakistani actions in Kashmir since 2017 (the surgical strikes) was the last nail in the coffin.

Of late, the desperate separatists in the Kashmir valley had begun to pin their hopes on China.

The Ladakh stand-off and global support to India has put paid to this last foolish hope as well.

It may well have made Kashmiris despondent.

Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: Security personnel conduct a search operation after three militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian.

Ever since the revocation of Article 370, India has pursued a policy of vigorous military repose to the violence.

It will be quite reasonable to assert that the back of armed resistance has been broken in the last year's operations.

However, with its vast experience of dealing with insurgencies in north eastern India, the army is well aware that military action is no solution to the problem of insurgency.

Ultimately, economic development combined with political give and take can usher peace in Kashmir.

Due to the Indian preoccupation with other crises, initiatives in Kashmir have hit a pause button.

This can be a problem in the short and long term.

Sole concentration on the military aspect and neglect of political and psychological aspects will begin the cycle of diminishing returns for the military option.

Most thinking soldiers (other than hypernationalist TV warriors) are acutely conscious of this.

Come August 5 and the first anniversary of the formation of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan is bound to stir up trouble in thr Kashmir valley.

While we must keep our powder dry and be vigilant, it is also an opportunity to give a healing touch to the Kashmir Valley.

Separation of Ladakh from the Jammu and Kashmir was a much required measure as that has freed Ladakh from the oppressive domination of the valley.

But making the rest of Jammu and Kashmir a mere Union territory, at par with tiny Puduchchery, is not fair.

Jammu and Kashmir, while losing its 'special' status must not be deprived of the 'normal' status of a state.

Diverse India has held together due to the devolution of power to the states that has preserved the distinct linguistic and cultural identities of people.

Jammu and Kashmir has its own identity, language, culture and history going back to 8th century rulers like Avantivarman, Lalitaditya and modern and moderate icons like Sultan Zain Ul Abadin.

To deny statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is injustice.

We should not wait for the people to agitate for their right of statehood and grant it BEFORE it turns into a grievance.

Loosening some of the restrictions on the Internet etc must also be considered, notwithstanding the security requirements.

In short, normalcy must be brought in proactively.

Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: A view of closed markets in Srinagar after the J&K administration re-imposed a strict lockdown after the spike of coronavirus cases and deaths in the valley, July 15, 2020.

India has indeed come a long way in the last six years from being a 'soft State' to a State that does not hesitate to use hard power.

This was a change that was the need of the hour.

But in the bargain India has also lost sight of the nurturing of its 'soft power' in terms of democracy, pluralism and tolerance.

A hard State and soft power goes hand in hand and is not contradictory at all.

It is this soft power that distinguishes us from a one party dictatorship like China or the military dominated near theocracy of Pakistan.

Individual rights and freedom, howsoever irksome, are in the long term interest of peace and development.

It is time we pre-empt Pakistan and the separatists by fast tracking normalcy.

Granting full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is the first such step.

Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) is a former Chhatrapati Shivaji Chair Fellow at the United Services Institute of India.

Feature Production: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th July, 2020) Agriculturalists from the Moldovan regions of Causeni and Stefan Voda have staged a protest on the country's highways over the lack of government support amid a harvest failure caused by drought and hail, a Sputnik correspondent reports on Monday.

Many farmers have lost this year's crops due to the inclement weather. Disgruntled with the government's failure to so far provide assistance, many took to the country's highways in their farm machinery to stage a demonstration in the hope of receiving compensation.

Opposition leader Andrei Nastase has urged the country's parliament to call an emergency session to discuss the ongoing crisis.

"The Dignity and Truth Platform Party has asked the parliament speaker to convene an urgent session to consider bills on tax breaks for agricultural workers .

.. as well as the allocation from the state budget of at least 200 million lei ($11.9 million) as compensation to farmers who have lost their crops," Nastase said at a press briefing.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Ion Chicu said that the government was intending to provide assistance to farmers who have lost their crops.

State meteorologists in Moldova have said that this past winter was abnormally warm with insufficient precipitation, as many areas received between 40 and 70 percent of the expected rainfall. A drought in spring was followed by heavy rains and hail in May, which washed away many crops.
After running a campaign against its management on social media, Air India pilots on Monday wrote to civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri, requesting for an urgent meeting to discuss their grievances.

Alleging that the officials briefing Puri have grossly misinformed him, as the pay cuts in the airline are not across the board, the letter read, The current industry standard in India is a cut of 15-23% on gross salary i.e. cost to company. However, the Air India management is trying to show cost cutting by slashing cherry picked allowances instead of a fair cut on gross wages (the true cost to company of an employee). They have safeguarded their perks, privileges and entitlements while shifting extreme financial burden on the pilots.

Despite repeated attempts, Air India spokesperson did not respond to HTs calls.

The pilots also said that the imbalance in the pay cuts, which were part of a deliberate and unethical agenda of creating industrial disharmony, reeks of a vested interest and a conspiracy to sabotage the national carrier and derail the privatisation process.

Around 1,800 pilots and more than 2,000 cabin crew members are employed with the national carrier.

We feel that the top management is not aligned with the PMOs [Prime Ministers Office] vision of privatisation. They are trying to create unrest and disharmony among employees. The pay cut is not uniform across board, and nowhere close to the market standard, a senior Air India pilot said.

He also claimed that the pilots have written to the aviation minister based on the figures and evidences they have. Instead of applying genuine cost-saving measures, the top bosses are trying to avoid any pay cuts for themselves, while still retaining their perks such as luxury club memberships, free cars, petrol etc. We would like to connect with the honourable minister directly to apprise him of the matter and also give some real cost-saving suggestions to help the company, the pilot added.

Meanwhile in an internal email, IndiGo, Indias largest airline by market share, announced a second round of pay cuts.

The airlines spokesperson did not respond to HT calls for a comment on the issue.

However, HT has accessed the email, in which the airlines chief executive officer (CEO) Ronojoy Dutta said that the step had to be taken to adjust the airlines cost structure to the decline in revenues. While Dutta announced a 35% pay cut for himself, the salaries of the senior vice-presidents of the airline will be reduced to 25%, while those of associate vice-presidents to 15%. The pilots will lose 28% of their salaries.

Moreover, each department of the airline has been asked to make a monthly decision on the number of employees to be sent on leave without pay. Recently, the airline had also announced to lay off 10% of its employees.

In May, IndiGo had announced a pay cut ranging between 5% and 25% till the end of the 2020-21 financial year. The airline had also implemented leave without pay for employees ranging from one-and-a-half days to five days.
They've been close friends for years.

And Nicole Kidman confirmed her bond with Taylor Swift was as strong as ever on Saturday as she publicly praised the pop star's new album, Folklore, on social media.

The 53-year-old actress shared a throwback video from the set of her 2017 film The Beguiled, in which she wore an outfit very similar to the one worn by Taylor on her album cover.

In the video, Nicole dances around to her husband Keith Urban's song Blue Ain't Your Color, while dressed in a white frock with a dark jacket draped over her shoulders.

Her hair was styled in a curled-up 'do typical of the 1800s.

For the cover of Folklore, Taylor also wore a white dress with a dark jacket across her shoulders, and opted for a curled-up hairstyle.

She has a similar look in the music video for her latest single, Cardigan.

'Folklore sisters!' Nicole Kidman praised her friend Taylor Swift's new album Folklore on Saturday, comparing her look in The Beguiled (left) to the pop star's new album cover (right)

'On the set of #BeguiledMovie #Folklore Sisters... Love this album xx,' Nicole wrote in the caption.

Taylor quickly thanked Nicole for her kind feedback, commenting under the post: 'This just made me GRIN. You're the greatest.'

Nicole has been a close friend of Taylor's for years, having famously ditched her husband Keith's tour to attend the pop star's concert in 2018.

Twinning! In the video, Nicole is seen dancing around in a white frock with a dark jacket draped over her shoulders (left). For the cover of Folklore, Taylor also wore a white dress with a dark jacket across her shoulders, and opted for a curled-up hairstyle. She has a similar look in the music video for her latest single, Cardigan

During an interview with Red magazine in 2016, the Australian even compared her life to Taylor's while reflecting on her former marriage to Tom Cruise.

Nicole said: 'I look back now and I'm like, "What?" You look at Taylor Swift, I mean how old is she? She's 26.

'I had two kids by the time I was 27 and I'd been married for four years. But that's what I wanted.'

Close bond: Nicole has been a close friend of Taylor's for years, having famously ditched her husband Keith's tour to attend the pop star's concert in 2018. Pictured together last year

Backlash: Nicole is currently facing public backlash for receiving special permission to avoid mandatory hotel quarantine after arriving in Australia from the U.S. last Monday

Meanwhile, Nicole is currently facing public backlash for receiving special permission to avoid mandatory hotel quarantine after arriving in Australia from the U.S. last Monday.

Nicole, Keith, and their daughters, Sunday Rose, 11 and Faith Margaret, nine, have instead been self-isolating at their $6.5million Southern Highlands estate.

Nicole's publicist, Wendy Day, has refuted claims the actress and her family are flouting the government's strict quarantine rules.

'It's absolute garbage. She is paying for all her own security and following all the rules, they are in isolation [for 14 days],' Wendy told Private Sydney.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom  Mon, July 27, 2020 09:20 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066979829 2 World UK,Spain,coronavirus,COVID-19,travel-ban,travel-restriction,coronavirus-restrictions,COVID-19-travel-ban,COVID-19-travel-restriction,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona Free

The British government on Sunday defended its decision to impose an immediate requirement for passengers arriving from Spain to self-isolate amid a resurgence of coronavirus in the popular holiday destination.

The new rules took hold at midnight Saturday, hours after being announced, causing uncertainty for holidaymakers and leading to criticism from travel industry leaders.

"I think it's quite poor that they did it so instantaneously," Philip Bradby, 55, told the domestic Press Association after returning early to Britain from Barcelona.

But Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the government was required to take "swift" action.

"The data we got was on the Friday, it showed a big jump right across mainland Spain. That was then assessed yesterday afternoon and we took the decision as swiftly as we could," Raab told Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday program.

"We can't make apologies for doing so," he added.

"I understand it is disruptive for those going through this ...but we must though be able to take swift, decisive action."

Passengers arriving in Britain will have to self-isolate for two weeks following the surge in cases.

"The Joint Biosecurity Centre together with Public Health England have updated their coronavirus assessments of Spain based on the latest data," said a British government spokesman.

"As a result, Spain has been removed from the lists of countries from which passengers arriving in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are exempted from the need to self-isolate."

Britain is advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain, but that does not apply to the Canary Islands or the Balearic Islands.

Barely a month after Spain ended its months-long state of emergency, new infections have been rising.

Transport minister Grant Shapps was caught in the ruling as he is currently in Spain for his summer break.

Labor called the decision "frankly shambolic", with shadow health minister Jonathan Ashworth saying holidaymakers had been left "confused and distressed".

Tui, Britain's biggest tour operator, said the government should have given them "more notice of this announcement".
NOVA Merchant Bank, a leading merchant bank in Nigeria, has announced the successful issuance of its N10 billion 7-Year Subordinated Unsecured Bond under its N50 billion debt issuance programme. The transaction represents NOVAs first bond issuance in the debt market and was oversubscribed by 300 per cent.

The offer which opened on June 30, 2020 following relevant approval from the Securities & Exchange Commission(SEC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), closed on July 8, 2020 with a bond yield guidance of 12 percent to 12.50 percent.

In spite of volatility in markets due to COVID-19 pandemic, the transaction was highly demanded with a diversified order book made up of discerning investors including asset managers, insurance companies, domestic pension funds, non-financial institution corporates, high networth individuals as well as international fund managers.

The lead issuing house, United Capital Plc, described the transaction as unprecedented while the joint issuing houses Stanbic IBTC Capital, UCML Capital Limited, Emerging Africa and Greenwich Trust Limited jointly stated it was a remarkable deal.

This is one of the major corporate bond issuances by a Merchant Bank in Nigerias capital market, thus reflecting NOVAs strong credit quality as well as the resilience of its business model despite current global challenges.

The Chairman, NOVA Merchant Bank, Mr. Phillips Oduoza expressed excitement over the success of the companys debut issue as it places the Bank on a firm footing to achieve its short-term and long-term goals.

He said, The oversubscription of this bond offer is yet another significant milestone in the history of the Bank and represents a vote of confidence by the investment community in the resilience of our business model. We will continue to march forward with confidence in the realisation of our strategic objectives.

Oduoza added that the bank is well-positioned to fulfil its promise to focus on providing long-term funding which is critical to the economic development of the country.

The Banks Managing Director, Anya Duroha said, The resounding success of this bond offer helps us achieve our goal to re-establish merchant banking as a key economic driver by providing long-term funds. It will also help us better meet the financing needs of our clients.

NOVA Merchant Bank Limited is a licensed, investment-grade rated merchant bank in Nigeria. It offers an integrated suite of financial solutions covering Wholesale Banking, Investment Banking, Asset Management, Securities Trading, Wealth Management, Trade Services, Deposit-Taking, Lending Activities, Transaction Banking, Cash Management and Digital Banking.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 15:35 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406699cf57 1 News refugee,UNHCR,CONTEST Free

An Indonesian illustrator has been named one of the winners of the UN Refugee Agencys (UNHCR) first-ever art contest, titled Youth with Refugees.

The contest seeks to highlight how "everyone counts in the fight against the virus, including refugees".

According to a statement, 23-year-old Kayla Abigail Salim from Surabaya, East Java, submitted a work of art that "reflects how each and every person, including refugees, can play a role in the fight against COVID-19".

Kayla was among five winners in the Cartoon Category.

"In Indonesia, we work to advocate for refugees inclusion in the national system as the country and the people face this pandemic together. Kaylas remarkable artwork resonates very well with our advocacy and what the UNHCR and all our partners work to achieve in Indonesia, UNHCR representative in Indonesia Ann Maymann said in a statement.

Read also: Indonesian pianist among winners at Kennedy Center young soloists competition

Regarding the idea behind her winning artwork, Kayla said, "All of us, including refugees have different backgrounds. But one thing we have in common is the urge to fight the coronavirus. No matter how small, the efforts that weve made and that the refugees have made matter."

Kayla said she became interested in refugee issues during her graphic design studies at Lycee Rene Goscinny in Paris. I hope that my artwork can help to inspire many more young people to care for refugees."

The series of illustrations focus mainly on the third theme of the competition which is 'Everyone has a role to play in... Posted by Kayla Abigail Salim on Tuesday, June 9, 2020

The contest attracted over 2,000 participants aged between 12 and 25 from 100 countries who sent their drawings and comic strips. One in four participants are said to be asylum seekers themselves.

In addition to the five Cartoon Category winners, the UNHCR also recognized seven participants with global prizes, five with regional prizes and 20 with special mentions. Those on the jury selecting the works included several UNHCR goodwill ambassadors, Japanese musician MIYAVI, Syrian refugee pilot Maya Ghazal, British actor Douglas Booth, American actress Kat Graham and British actress Gugu Mbatha Raw.

The contest aimed to inspire younger generations to be more inclusive of people who are forced to flee violence and persecution. (car/kes)

Topics : refugee UNHCR CONTEST
In which game of thrones hell??

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LOL Whut?

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What happened to Andrew Garfield (actor)?

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Not the parentheses! 

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and jude law's son!

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I forgot that she existed

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So hes wearing a mask and she isnt after they were out at a house party until 6:30A. So either shes compounded her irresponsibility (partying and not wearing a mask) or he took off a mask for a pap walk at 6:30-7A during a pandemic.



Choices.

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Omg I cant imagine being at a house party until 630am.. ever, and even more so during a pandemic lol

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forgot all about her. last thing i remember is tyra firing her from antm and then hiring someone to take her out

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ontd age specialists





CALL US OUT!!!

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Romain Gavras is probably my fav music video director of all time. At least our who queen will finally have nice visuals.

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Yikes that hair color

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Why does she look like Chrissy tegan?

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Isnt he shady according to M.I.A?

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wasn't she dating jude law's son?

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I thought she was a dating Andrew Garfield lol

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NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Angioedema Treatment Market Research Report by Drugs Type (C1 Esterase Inhibitor, Kallikrein Inhibitor, and Selective Bradykinin B2 Receptor Antagonist), by Route of Administration (Injections and Oral), by End-User - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913185/?utm_source=PRN



The Global Angioedema Treatment Market is expected to grow from USD 2,449.03 Million in 2019 to USD 6,038.00 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16.22%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Angioedema Treatment to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



On the basis of Drugs Type, the Angioedema Treatment Market is studied across C1 Esterase Inhibitor, Kallikrein Inhibitor, and Selective Bradykinin B2 Receptor Antagonist. The C1 Esterase Inhibitor further studied across Berinert, Cinryze, Haegarda, and Ruconest. The Kallikrein Inhibitor further studied across Kalbitor. The Selective Bradykinin B2 Receptor Antagonist further studied across Firazyr.



On the basis of Route of Administration, the Angioedema Treatment Market is studied across Injections and Oral.



On the basis of End-User, the Angioedema Treatment Market is studied across Clinics, Hospitals, and Research Organizations.



On the basis of Geography, the Angioedema Treatment Market is studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region is studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region is studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region is studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Angioedema Treatment Market including AstraZeneca Plc, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Merck & Co., Inc., Sanofi S.A, and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Angioedema Treatment Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Angioedema Treatment Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Angioedema Treatment Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Angioedema Treatment Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Angioedema Treatment Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Angioedema Treatment Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Angioedema Treatment Market?



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913185/?utm_source=PRN



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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Mali's presidency tasked a stripped-down cabinet on Monday with working to form a unity government in the crisis-stricken nation, after pressure from other West African leaders. The presidency said the new ministers would negotiate with "concerned parties", adding that it was acting on the wishes of regional grouping ECOWAS, which had proposed a unity government earlier this month and reaffirmed the plan during a summit held by videolink on Monday. However, a protest movement has caused ructions after it rallied crowds in demanding the removal of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The group has also previously rejected the ECOWAS plan. Keita, in power since 2013, faces huge challenges -- not least an eight-year jihadist revolt and a slumping economy. But the current protests were sparked in April, when the Constitutional Court tossed out the results from 31 constituencies in an earlier parliamentary election -- a ruling that benefitted Keita's party. Tensions then ratcheted up into a full-blown crisis on July 10 when an anti-Keita rally organised by the June 5 Movement, a loose coalition of opposition groups and religious leaders, turned bloody. Eleven people died in clashes with security forces over several days -- the worst bout of political unrest Mali has seen in years. - Opposition rejection - The heads of the 15-nation ECOWAS earlier said they supported Ketia and called for opposition leaders to join the unity government, threatening sanctions on anyone who stood in the way of resolving the crisis. The UN Security Council endorsed the effort of ECOWAS and voiced "deep concern" over the crisis. Security Council powers "urged the Malian parties to act on these recommendations without delay in order to resolve the tensions," a statement said. According to the presidency's announcement, Prime Minister Boubou Cisse will keep his job and oversee a government including six ministries. One member of the new cabinet -- economy minister Abdoulaye Daffe -- is considered to be close to imam Mahmoud Dicko, the figurehead of the protest coalition. But Saudi-trained Dicko has already dismissed the ECOWAS plan, saying last week: "I would prefer to die as a martyr rather than die as a traitor. "The young people who lost their lives (in the protests) did not lose them for nothing." - Dialogue plea - Addressing the disputed election, Monday's ECOWAS summit called for the immediate resignation of the 31 MPs and demanded new by-elections in their constituencies. President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, who also currently heads ECOWAS, urged Malians to reject violence and to continue speaking. ECOWAS urged the June 5 Movement -- leading the protests -- to participate in the talks, in a "spirit of patriotism". Successive rallies against Keita since last month rattled the 75-year-old's grip on power, as he was already facing increasing pressure to end Mali's jihadist conflict. On July 10, the third major demonstration turned into three days of deadly unrest in Bamako, leaving at least 11 people dead in the worst civil unrest in the capital since 2012. The June 5 movement said a truce would hold until July 31, but some younger members of the disparate union announced they would resume protests after August 3 -- once again calling for Mali's leader to resign. The impoverished nation of 20 million has lost thousands of lives, and hundreds of thousands of people have been driven from their homes, despite the presence of French and UN troops. And violence continues outside of the capital, with the death on Thursday of a French soldier during an anti-jihadist operation. Mali is a member of ECOWAS, which has intervened in several crises in West Africa, including in The Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
07/27/2020

Photo (c) FilippoBacci - Getty Images Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 4,238,500 (4,212,057)

Total U.S. deaths: 146,968 (146,732)

Total global cases: 16,296,665 (16,128,334)

Total global deaths: 649,662 (645,699)

Moderna begins expedited vaccine trial

Moderna is receiving another $472 million from the U.S. government to expedite a Phase 3 clinical trial of its experimental vaccine against the coronavirus (COVID-19). The Phase 3 study, called the COVE (Coronavirus Efficacy) study, is being conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

The study will involve 30,000 participants who will receive two doses of the vaccine or a placebo. Participants wont know whether they have the vaccine or placebo. Theyll then be monitored as they go about their daily lives in areas of high infection.

We are indebted to the participants and investigators who now begin the work of the COVE study itself, said CEO Stephane Bancel. We look forward to this trial demonstrating the potential of our vaccine to prevent COVID-19, so that we can defeat this pandemic.

Survey finds Americans concerned about returning to the office

The latest IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) survey of U.S. consumers suggests that Americans still have worries about returning to the workplace while the pandemic continues. Compared to the June survey, Americans appear to be slightly more cautious about being back among their co-workers.

"The results from our ongoing survey underscore that consumer attitudes continue to shift as the effects of the virus fluctuate around the country, and consumers are preparing themselves for more permanent changes in behavior," said Jesus Mantas, senior managing partner, IBM Services.

The findings appear to reinforce an emerging consensus among businesses that a remote workforce has been surprisingly productive. Some business leaders have suggested some elements of the workforce will continue to operate remotely. Google today extended its work from home policy through summer 2021.

Scientists find 21 potential treatments for COVID-19

Drug companies are working to find new treatments for the coronavirus, but an international team of scientists says there are plenty of existing drugs that may do the job. The scientists analyzed drugs that appeared to block the replication of the virus causing COVID-19. They narrowed down the list to 21 drugs that were effective against the virus at concentrations that could safely be given to patients.

The scientists  led by Sumit Chanda, Ph.D., professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute  discovered that four drug compounds worked in concert with remdesivir, a current standard-of-care treatment for the coronavirus.

Remdesivir has proven successful at shortening the recovery time for patients in the hospital, but the drug doesnt work for everyone who receives it. Thats not good enough, Chanda said.

Economists see COVID-19 setting back employment gains

A Reuters survey of economists shows that there is a rising level of pessimism about the economys short-term prospects, particularly in hiring. Employment rebounded sharply in May and June, but many economists dont expect that to continue.

As states deal with a surging number of coronavirus cases, some have backtracked from their reopening plans. Some, like California, have ordered many businesses that had reopened to close again.

The poll showed a majority of economists either downgraded their forecasts or left them unchanged from last month. Goldman Sachs Chief Economist David Mericle said a delay in reopening the economy might cause longer-term damage to businesses and the labor market.

Alabama church event produces 40 cases of the virus

The pastor of a Baptist church in Alabama reports that 40 members of his congregation who attended a nearly week-long revival meeting have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The whole church has got it, just about, Pastor Daryl Ross told AL.com.

Ross said the church practiced social distancing during the church service but did not require anyone to wear a mask. It also did not discourage congregation members from shaking hands or embracing.

Around the nation
An assault on a San Francisco bus driver also included a verbal attack with racial slurs, according to a local labor leader.

The driver encountered the male passengers at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and asked them multiple times to put on face coverings, according to San Francisco police. The passengers, who appeared to be teenagers, refused, and then one of them attacked the driver with a small souvenir-type bat.

Roger Marenco, president of the Transport Workers Union Local 250, told The Chronicle on Sunday that the assailants used racial slurs directed at the operator, who is Asian American. The union represents bus drivers in San Franciscos Muni system.

They spit on him as well, Marenco said. That right there is another serious assault, especially in todays times.

The driver suffered a fractured finger, bruises and pain where he was struck, officials said.

However, San Francisco police on Monday said the incident did not appear to be racially motivated.

This is being investigated as an aggravated assault along with the health order violation, said Officer Robert Rueca, a department spokesman.

No arrests have been made.

Numerous racist incidents directed at locals of Asian heritage have occurred in recent months as President Trump has promoted the idea that the Chinese are responsible for the coronavirus pandemic.

Its extremely scary, Marenco said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Public health orders require passengers to wear face coverings on public transit. Officials with Muni did not respond to a request for comment Sunday evening.

Marenco said his organization is asking the operators to make announcements over the intercom system reminding passengers to wear masks. If that doesnt work, they are urged to call a dispatcher for help.

Marenco said he had not seen video of the incident.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
Thomas Markle has told his daughter Meghan and her husband Prince Harry that it is the 'worst time in the world to be whining' as the world is gripped by the coronavirus crisis, following the publication of an explosive biography into their relationship with the royal family.

Mr Markle criticised the Sussexes and said he doesn't 'really appreciate what Meghan has become' after the biography, Finding Freedom, laid bare the friction and tensions withing the royal family.

Now, Mr Markle, 76, who was also mentioned in the book by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, has criticised his daughter and her husband on its release.

Speaking from his home in Rosario, Mexico, he told The Sun: 'This is the worst time in the world for them to be whining and complaining about anything  because people everywhere are suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic.

'I love my daughter but I really don't appreciate what she's become right now.'

Responding to the new biography of daughter Meghan and Prince Harry, Thomas Markle said: 'I love my daughter but I really don't appreciate what she's become right now'

The biography, Finding Freedom, has laid bare the friction and tensions that led to Megxit following a breakdown in the relationship between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the Royal Family.

The Sunday Times reported claims that Harry and Meghan had 'rejected' the idea of getting help to protect her father as coverage of their romance grew.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'bring out the worst in each other', royal biographer claims Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'bring out the worst in each other', a royal biographer has claimed. Angela Levin, who wrote Harry: Conversations with the Prince in 2018, said the Duchess of Sussex, 38, is a 'mega-watt attention grabber with the eyes of the world on her' while the Duke, 35, has 'faded in her shadow.' Writing in The Telegraph, she said the Duchess had proved herself not to be a 'team player' but 'a fiercely ambitious woman who wants to be number one.' Meanwhile she added that Prince Harry has transformed from 'charismatic and accessible' to 'a nervy, tense man who seems constantly on edge.' Angela explained how the Duchess had proved herself not to be a 'team player' during her time in the royal family, instead saying she 'seemingly finds it difficult to compromise.' She went on to say that that the Duchess maybe someone who will always 'zoom in on the negative' unless 'everything and everyone around her' is going her way. Advertisement

Mr Markle said: 'The fact the royals advised them to get me help and they refused to do it is incredible news.'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's biography is already the bestselling book on Amazon UK, two weeks ahead of its release.

Finding Freedom, by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, is not released until August 11 but is already top of the media giant's bestsellers list as royal fans rush to pre-order their copy. The book is at number 14 on the US chart at the time of writing.

Scobie and Duran they have spoken to more than 100 sources including 'close friends of Harry and Meghan's, royal aides and palace staff (past and present)', with all the information in the book having 'at least two sources.'

Extraordinary personal details littered throughout Finding Freedom include particulars of the moment the Meghan confessed she wrote her estranged father Thomas one final message while on FaceTime in a bathtub.

The book also claims that Meghan has not spoken to her father since he failed to attend her wedding.

A heartbroken Meghan sent Mr Markle one final text on the night before her wedding, the book claims.

Mr Markle didn't attend the wedding and was unable to walk her down the aisle because of heart problems.

This was despite Meghan's desperate attempts to persuade him to attend.

She reportedly left dozens of messages for her father, even telling him a car would take him to Los Angeles airport so he could fly to London for the ceremony.

But despite the 'barrage of voicemails and texts', he refused to get in the waiting vehicle.

Finding Freedom then says he stopped responding to messages after she called him 'at least 20 times'.

Mr Markle eventually said the stress of dealing with the media had caused him to have a heart attack.

Thomas Markle has criticised Meghan and Prince Harry for a bombshell new biography

Finding Freedom, by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, is not released until August 11 but is already top of the media giant's bestsellers list as royal fans rush to pre-order their copy. The book is at number 14 on the US chart at the time of writing. Left, the couple in March

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's is already the bestselling book on Amazon UK, two weeks ahead of its release. Pictured, the current chart

Earlier, it was revealed that Prince Harry was so keen on quitting the royal family that he initially refused the offer of a trial period which could have seen him and Meghan return to the UK after Megxit, royal sources claimed.

Meghan Markle's gossip columnist friend emerges as potential source behind claims of deep rifts in the Royal Family Lainey Lui uses her website to share thoughts on the royals and has made no secret of her admiration for Meghan A gossip columnist friend of the Duchess of Sussex has emerged as the possible source of a books claims about deep rifts in the Royal Family. Lainey Lui uses her website to share thoughts on the royals and has made no secret of her admiration for Meghan. Some of the Canadians comments bear a striking resemblance to passages in Finding Freedom, the controversial biography of the Sussexes. Miss Lui was a friend of Meghan before she started dating Prince Harry. They were pictured on a night out with the actresss best friend Jess Mulroney and her husband Ben. Miss Lui, who for 15 years worked on TV show Etalk with Mr Mulroney, son of a former Canadian prime minister, runs the Lainey Gossip website on which she regularly posts in support of Meghan. Advertisement

The review was insisted upon by courtiers and other royals, with the Queen keen to let Harry know he could return to the fold if he changed his mind.

However, the Duke of Sussex was keen to make a 'clean break' and had to be persuaded to agree to the trial period.

A source said: 'He was adamantly opposed to the review process.'

Harry is thought to have been against the idea because it came from 'the institution' and he feared that a review would lessen the impact of their departure, allowing the media to write they could return.

According to bombshell biography Finding Freedom, Harry believed the 'old guard' at Buckingham Palace disliked Meghan and wanted to make her life difficult.

That belief is thought to have fuelled his desire to not include a review option in Megxit.

The latest claims come after days of revelation from the Finding Freedom biography, which has laid bare Harry and Meghan's increasingly fractious relationship with the palace.

The book has aired the divisions between Prince Harry and other royals, including his brother Prince William, with a source admitting: 'People are aware that this does not look good for anyone.'

However, some have suggested that the revelations aren't as bad as expected, according to the Times.

It was reported that the book, which Harry and Meghan insisted had nothing to do with them, had 'torpedoed' their chances of returning to the royal family after the trial period.

However, sources have now refuted the idea, pointing out that the Sussexes have shown no sign of wanting to return from California while revealing that Harry had been opposed to the review in the first place.

One said that 'under no circumstances would they ever admit 'this was a big mistake'.'

However, a source close to Harry and Meghan said: 'Do I rule out them taking on roles for the family in the future? Absolutely not.

'But a full-scale return soon is not likely. That is not down to animosity or anything like that. They have not yet reached what they were seeking to do.'

They also insisted that Harry and William's relationship isn't as bad as portrayed by the book.

The Queen wanted to include a review period that would allow Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to return to the royal family following Megxit - though Harry initially refused the offer

The biography, written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, also revealed Harry had 'grown frustrated' that he and Meghan 'often took a back seat to other family members,' including his father and brother. Pictured: The royal family after the annual Commonwealth Service in March

Prince Harry was so keen to quit the Royal Family that he 'initially REFUSED Queen's offer of a trial period' that would have allowed him and Meghan Markle to return to the fold 12 months after Megxit

Prince Harry was so keen on quitting the royal family that he initially refused the offer of a trial period which could have seen him and Meghan return to the UK after Megxit, royal sources have claimed.

The review was insisted upon by courtiers and other royals, with the Queen keen to let Harry know he could return to the fold if he changed his mind.

However, the Duke of Sussex was keen to make a 'clean break' and had to be persuaded to agree to the trial period.

A source said: 'He was adamantly opposed to the review process.'

Harry is thought to have been against the idea because it came from 'the institution' and he feared that a review would lessen the impact of their departure, allowing the media to write they could return.

The Queen wanted to include a review period that would allow Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to return to the royal family following Megxit - though Harry initially refused the offer

According to bombshell biography Finding Freedom, Harry believed the 'old guard' at Buckingham Palace disliked Meghan and wanted to make her life difficult.

That belief is thought to have fuelled his desire to not include a review option in Megxit.

The latest claims come after days of revelation from the Finding Freedom biography, which has laid bare Harry and Meghan's increasingly fractious relationship with the palace.

The book has aired the divisions between Prince Harry and other royals, including his brother Prince William, with a source admitting: 'People are aware that this does not look good for anyone.'

However, some have suggested that the revelations aren't as bad as expected, according to the Times.

It was reported that the book, which Harry and Meghan insisted had nothing to do with them, had 'torpedoed' their chances of returning to the royal family after the trial period.

However, sources have now refuted the idea, pointing out that the Sussexes have shown no sign of wanting to return from California while revealing that Harry had been opposed to the review in the first place.

One said that 'under no circumstances would they ever admit 'this was a big mistake'.'

However, a source close to Harry and Meghan said: 'Do I rule out them taking on roles for the family in the future? Absolutely not.

The biography, written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, also revealed Harry had 'grown frustrated' that he and Meghan 'often took a back seat to other family members,' including his father and brother. Pictured: The royal family after the annual Commonwealth Service in March

Finding Freedom, by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, is not released until August 11 but is already top of the media giant's bestsellers list as royal fans rush to pre-order their copy. The book is at number 14 on the US chart at the time of writing. Left, the couple in March

'But a full-scale return soon is not likely. That is not down to animosity or anything like that. They have not yet reached what they were seeking to do.'

They also insisted that Harry and William's relationship isn't as bad as portrayed by the book.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's biography is already the bestselling book on Amazon UK, two weeks ahead of its release.

Finding Freedom, by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, is not released until August 11 but is already top of the media giant's bestsellers list as royal fans rush to pre-order their copy. The book is at number 14 on the US chart at the time of writing.

Scobie and Duran they have spoken to more than 100 sources including 'close friends of Harry and Meghan's, royal aides and palace staff (past and present)', with all the information in the book having 'at least two sources.'

Prince Charles, Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry arrive for the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in 2018

They deny giving any interviews or contributing to the book directly, but the intimate nature of some details raises questions over who the sources were - and whether Harry and Megan gave them their blessing before they revealed such closely guarded insights to the couple's private lives.

In the latest extract, they delved deep into the story of how Harry and Meghan became a couple, their first dates, her first visit to Kensington Palace and how Harry said 'I love you' just three months into their relationship, to which Meghan quickly responded with 'I love you, too'.

The book has also discussed Harry and William's relationship, as well as the Duke of Sussex's relationship with his father.

Harry felt Prince Charles valued his own public image above their father-son relationship, the biography claimed.

Harry was also 'p****d off' with 'snob' William as he was warned to take things slow with 'this girl' Meghan.

And William reportedly questioned Meghan's intentions and feared that Duke of Sussex was being 'blindsided by lust'.
A newly purchased pressure washer has enabled McDougall's husband, Scott, 52, a financial adviser, to clean the deck and exterior siding.

"Under other circumstances, we would have hired somebody to do that, says McDougall, who now plans to paint the home's interior with her oldest son.

Boost your fix-it know-how

Just about any task can be learned online by watching videos featuring professional tradespeople, taking virtual classes or consulting a hardware store employee, says Theodis Scott Jr., 69, an IT professional in Long Beach, California, who has done his own home maintenance since 1977.

"My father was in construction, and he taught me a lot of skills. He also told me, I don't care what you take apart, but you better learn how to put it back together,  says Scott, who has passed on his do-it-yourself ethic to his four children. Don't be afraid. Try something simple, and you'll gain confidence."

Because the most important aspect of any DIY project is safety, start by reading the manufacturer's instructions for whatever you're working on, advises Bruce Barker, 68, president of Dream Home Consultants, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based building inspection and consulting company. If you don't have the instructions handy, many can be found online.

Barker, an author, teacher and incoming president of the American Society of Home Inspectors, also suggests consulting the ASHI website for home maintenance resources. But don't hesitate to call in a professional if your property needs immediate attention for a safety issue.

Here are some easy and affordable DIY fixes most homeowners can handle.

Change your air conditioner's filter

If your unit's not cooling properly, you may have a frozen coil thanks to a dirty filter.

"I go into houses all the time where the filters are just disgusting, says Barker, who recommends changing your filter every month during high-use seasons to relieve strain on your HVAC system.

Resolve refrigerator issues

Does your fridge cycle constantly? One fast fix is to clean the condenser coils behind it. Pull the appliance away from the wall and vacuum off the dust, says Barker. If water pools underneath, check if the gasket seal is making contact with the cabinet. Ice buildup can keep a sliding freezer door from closing; solve this by defrosting the freezer.

Do minor drywall repairs

"Repairing a small hole is easy enough to do, Barker says. I use drywall joint compound: Just put it on, sand it lightly and touch it up with paint."

Replace window caulking

Inspect the outside of your windows and remove cracked or damaged caulk with a sharp knife, Barker says.

"Use a very good grade of silicone caulk, not the $1.98 special, he says. You don't want to do it again in two years."

Fix a clogged or running toilet

If a plunger doesn't unblock your toilet, buy a small plumber's snake from the hardware store, Barker says. You can use this tool for shower and sink clogs, too. And if your toilet keeps running after flushing, it's almost always a broken flapper valve.

"Those are extremely easy to replace; the trick is to get the right one, Barker says. Turn off the water at the angle stop valve under the toilet, pull the flapper valve off and take it into the hardware store to get a replacement.

Patch up exterior peeling paint

Check underneath corner boards and wood siding where paint coverage is often poor, and touch it up before rot sets in, Barker advises.

"Painters don't paint that bottom edge because it's hard to get to, so water comes down and hangs there, getting back up into the wood, he notes.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  An outbreak of cases at a privately-run detention center near Grants spurred New Mexicos number of reported coronavirus cases to a new single-day high on Monday.

In all, Department of Health officials announced 467 new COVID-19 cases, with 170 of the cases coming from the Cibola Correctional Center in Milan.

The outbreak at the correctional center, which is run by CoreCivic and houses federal immigration detainees and other types of inmates, represents the latest spike in cases at a New Mexico prison facility.

A spokeswoman for the Tennessee-based private prison company said Monday that mass testing of Cibola County Correctional Center staff and detainees was conducted last week.

Most of the staff and detainee cases that have tested positive through this mass testing effort were asymptomatic at the time of testing, said Amanda Gilchrist, CoreCivics director of public affairs.

She also said the facility has provided face masks to all staff and detainees since April, separated high-medical-risk inmates from other detainees and halted all outside social visits in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.

However, civil rights groups say the Cibola County facility has a reputation among detainees for being overcrowded and lacking basic sanitary supplies.

Maria Martinez Sanchez, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU in New Mexico, described the outbreak as predictable and raised questions about the abrupt spike in infections at the Cibola County Correctional Center  from five cumulative cases to 175 in one day.

The only way to really mitigate the danger for these people is to depopulate these detention centers, Martinez Sanchez told the Journal.

Sylvia Johnson with the Santa Fe Dreamers Project said advocates have been writing letters and urging elected officials  including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham  to address the high risk for a COVID-19 outbreak at the Cibola County facility and other facilities since shortly after the pandemic started.

I think the thing thats most frustrating is we have been sounding the alarm since March or early April, Johnson said.

Trouble spots

As in other parts of the country, New Mexico prisons and jails have emerged as a trouble spot for containing the virus, along with senior living facilities and other types of group homes.

An Otero County prison that houses both state and federal inmates has also seen an infection outbreak, with a total of 469 total confirmed cases through Monday.

The Lujan Grisham administration has released a small number of low-security inmates, but rebuffed calls for more widespread releases.

The state Supreme Court in May rejected a petition to release large numbers of inmates from state prisons amid the coronavirus pandemic, ruling the Lujan Grisham administration was not purposely putting inmates safety at risk.

Statewide, testing for COVID-19 has remained high  state health officials reported an increase of more than 8,100 tests Monday  even after three major health systems announced last week they would halt testing on asymptomatic individuals due a supply shortage.

Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett said state officials would keep working to ensure robust testing levels.

The governor and top health officials have set a goal of at least 5,000 average tests conducted per day as part of the states criteria for gradually reopening New Mexicos economy.

Five deaths reported

After a steady increase, New Mexico coronavirus infection rates had shown recent signs of plateauing before Mondays spike in new cases.

In addition to the Cibola County Correctional Center outbreak, state health officials also reported 76 new confirmed cases in Dona Ana County on Monday  the largest number in any single county, excluding Cibola County.

In all, the 467 new cases shattered the states previous single-day high of 338 cases, an amount reported on July 23.

Meanwhile, state health officials also reported five additional deaths due to the virus, bringing the states death toll to 619 since the pandemic began in mid-March.

Two of those five deaths occurred in Bernalillo County, where both a man in his 80s and a woman in her 60s died after being hospitalized. Both had underlying health conditions and were residents of separate group-living facilities.

The other individuals who died were a man in his 50s from Lea County, a man in his 60s from McKinley County and a woman in her 100s from Dona Ana County.
Latinos are known to be very family-oriented and this trait continues to prevail even amid the global pandemic.

And in this day and age, many Latino dads are using social video-sharing app TikTok to connect with their kids.

Many Latinos are currently not with their families because of the global pandemic. They are living far away from their family because of the travel restrictions and lockdown regulations in some areas. However, this does not stop Latino Dads from staying connected with their children.

In a recently published article in Los Angeles Times, some Latino dads shared how they remained connected with their children using a TikTok. This is a widely used app today, mostly by teenagers. But people of all ages are already fond of using the app.

One of the Latino dads, who shared his experience in using Tiktok to connect with his kid, was Genaro Rangel. Genaro surprised and humored his daughter with the use of TikTok. He pulled his fake hair out of a ponytail and whipped it dramatically over his shoulders. He exclaimed "Que paso!," which means "It's me!"

His daughter Wendy Rangel, who recorded the video giggled, while her dad did an off-tune impersonation of Mexican legend Marco Antonio Solis, who is known as "El Buki." Wendy said her father is a natural joker. The family was originally from the Mexican state of Baja California.

Genaro is one of the middle-aged Latino dads with a growing number of followers in TikTok. Her daughter said, "People don't really see this side of their dads. Most dads don't like being recorded and they're more protective about what people think about them. My dad doesn't have a filter. He doesn't care about being tough. He just likes being himself."

The videos of her father on TikTok captured the attention of many individuals. One user commented that her dad reminds her of her father. She added, "I swear Mexican dads are straight-up comedy." This only showed that many can relate to Genaro.

Alexandro Gradilla, a professor of Chicano Studies at Cal State Fullerton, said Latino TikTok dads defy the stereotype of the machista Latino father. He also said their growing presence in the app shows a cultural shift within the immigrant families.

Gradilla noted that one of the things that Latino dads encounter when they crossed the border is that they do not want to be loved because of obligation and respect. But they also want to feel loved. Latino family gives a big value to the family relationship.

Another Latino dad, who has 1.6 million followers on TikTok, is the 46-year-old Latino Vicente Avila. He is known as Vinny the Twister and known for his signature phrases, "See you later, alligator!," "Pshht!," and "Check it out!"

His app started to become popular last year as he documented his daily life and that includes making quesadillas for his kids, heading to work using his old truck, and buying elotes from street vendors. At present, he is featuring his children in his series.

"I came to this country in the same way that so many Latinos do. So they feel identified with me, and I identify with them," Avila said." For him, his videos on TikTok have allowed him to have a closer relationship with his children.
(Alliance News) - AEX Gold Inc on Monday said it has raised GBP42.5 million via a share placing as it prepares to list on London's junior AIM market on Friday.

Last week, the Greenland-focused gold miner said it was seeking a listing on London's AIM market and was looking to raise GBP45 million, via a primary capital raise.

AEX placed 94 million shares at an initial public offering price of 45 pence each and expects a market capitalisation upon admission of GBP79.7 million.

AEX said it would use the funds to begin the development of its Nalunaq mine in Greenland's southern gold belt.

"I am delighted to be able to announce the successful completion of the Fundraising. With the

proceeds from this transaction, the Company will be funded with a clear path forward to unlock

value for its shareholders and stakeholders through the development of the Nalunaq Property and

exploration activities across our substantial and highly exciting asset base in Southern Greenland," said Chief Executive Eldur Olafsson.

The London IPO market has dried up in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, but AEX followed one of Canada's largest gold producers in listing in London as the precious metal price surges during the pandemic.

Last week, gold miner Yamana Gold Inc said it was in advanced stages of the listing process on the London Stock Exchange and intends for common shares to be admitted to the standard segment of the Official List and to trading on the LSE's Main Market in "the next few months".

By Arvind Bhunjun; arvindbhunjun@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
America has an image problem. A Gallup poll of 135 countries finds virtually equivalent rates of approval for U.S. (median of 33%), Chinese (32%) and Russian (30%) global leadership.

Breaking it down: The U.S. approval rate is down from 48% in 2016, and it slides even lower among democratic allies like Canada (20%) and Germany (12%). Any significant improvements, the report notes, have tended to come in "some of the world's least democratic societies."

Approval of German leadership, meanwhile, has jumped to 44%, though Germany plays a more limited global role than the U.S. or China.

In Europe, approval of U.S. leadership has fallen by nearly half since President Trump took office, though it remains higher than at the end of George W. Bush's tenure (18%).

By the numbers: Germany (56% approval), U.S. (24%), China (23%), Russia (19%).

Germany (56% approval), U.S. (24%), China (23%), Russia (19%). The big picture: The U.S. sits at or below 30% in 30 of 39 countries, including allies like the U.K. (25%) and many NATO countries that are deeply reliant on America's military strength.

The U.S. sits at or below 30% in 30 of 39 countries, including allies like the U.K. (25%) and many NATO countries that are deeply reliant on America's military strength. Highest: Kosovo (82%) and Albania (67%), both Balkan countries that have benefitted from U.S. support, followed by two countries  Poland (59%) and Hungary (47%)  that have clashed with Brussels over rising authoritarianism but have been embraced by Trump.

Kosovo (82%) and Albania (67%), both Balkan countries that have benefitted from U.S. support, followed by two countries  Poland (59%) and Hungary (47%)  that have clashed with Brussels over rising authoritarianism but have been embraced by Trump. Lowest: Iceland (9%), Austria (11%), Sweden (12%) and, unsurprisingly, Russia (11%).

In the Americas, approval of U.S. leadership plummeted from 49% to 24% in Trump's first year in office, but it has ticked upward since.

By the numbers: Germany (35% approval), U.S. (34%), China (32%), Russia (28%)

Germany (35% approval), U.S. (34%), China (32%), Russia (28%) The big picture: America's neighbors  Canada (22%) and Mexico (17%)  view its leadership very unfavorably. Colombia (41%), Venezuela (39%) and Brazil (38%) are more favorable.

America's neighbors  Canada (22%) and Mexico (17%)  view its leadership very unfavorably. Colombia (41%), Venezuela (39%) and Brazil (38%) are more favorable. Support is low in two relatively wealthy South American countries  Chile (16%), Uruguay (19%)  and highest in the Dominican Republic (56%) and El Salvador (44%).

In Asia, particularly in the Middle East, views of U.S. leadership have long been mixed, though disapproval (39%) has now surpassed China's level (37%).

By the numbers: Germany (39% approval), U.S. (32%), China (31%), Russia (30%).

Germany (39% approval), U.S. (32%), China (31%), Russia (30%). The big picture: Approval of U.S. leadership is worryingly low in Afghanistan (17%), almost nonexistent in Iran (6%), Yemen (10%), and the Palestinian territories (10%), and sky-high in Israel (64%).

Approval of U.S. leadership is worryingly low in Afghanistan (17%), almost nonexistent in Iran (6%), Yemen (10%), and the Palestinian territories (10%), and sky-high in Israel (64%). Highest: Israel, Turkmenistan (62%), Mongolia (62%), Philippines (58%), Nepal (54%), Myanmar (53%).

Israel, Turkmenistan (62%), Mongolia (62%), Philippines (58%), Nepal (54%), Myanmar (53%). Other notables: Australia (23%), India (34%), Indonesia (21%), Iraq (27%), Japan (34%), Pakistan (27%), Turkey (12%).

Australia (23%), India (34%), Indonesia (21%), Iraq (27%), Japan (34%), Pakistan (27%), Turkey (12%). In Hong Kong (31%) and Taiwan (40%), two territories looking to the U.S. for protection from China, more respondents disapprove than approve of the state of American leadership.

African countries tend to welcome engagement from both the U.S. and China, though approval of U.S. leadership sloped down dramatically during Obama's tenure, from 85% in 2009 to 53% by 2016.

By the numbers: U.S. (52% approval), China (51%), Germany (46%), Russia (40%).

U.S. (52% approval), China (51%), Germany (46%), Russia (40%). The big picture: U.S. leadership is very unpopular in Libya (20%), where America intervened militarily in 2011, but not in the Sahel  Niger (65%), Mali (64%)  where the U.S. is involved in counterterror operations.

U.S. leadership is very unpopular in Libya (20%), where America intervened militarily in 2011, but not in the Sahel  Niger (65%), Mali (64%)  where the U.S. is involved in counterterror operations. Approval tends to be high in sub-Saharan Africa and lower in North Africa.

Worth noting: Some of the numbers are skewed by very high "don't know/refuse" rates, which were above 40% in countries ranging from Bulgaria to Panama to Vietnam to Botswana. Laos was an outlier, with 86% "don't know."
The pressure is mounting for Alabama officials to honor the late Rep John Lewis by renaming the Edmond Pettus Bridge after the civil rights hero.

The Selma bridge became a landmark in the fight for racial justice when Lewis and other civil rights marchers were beaten there 55 years ago on Bloody Sunday, a demonstration that helped galvanize support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

Lewis, who died on July 17 after losing his battle against pancreatic cancer, returned to Selma each March in commemoration. He was 80 years old.

The bridge was named after Edmond Pettus, a decorated Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan leader in Alabama, in May 1940.

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The pressure is mounting for Alabama officials to honor the late Rep John Lewis by renaming the Edmond Pettus Bridge after the civil rights hero

The Selma bridge became a landmark in the fight for racial justice when Lewis (right, foreground being hit) and other civil rights marchers were beaten there 55 years ago on Bloody Sunday, which helped galvanize support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act

According to Smithsonian Magazine, Pettus was regarded as a hero in Alabama. He was a lawyer and statesman who served as a US senator.

The bridge was named after Pettus 40 years after his death and became a symbol of pride for the South.

It also served as a tangible link to the state's long history of slavery.

University of Alabama history professor John Giggie told the magazine that the bridge 'was named for him, in part, to memorialize his history, of restraining and imprisoning African-Americans in their quest for freedom after the Civil War'.

And now, especially since Lewis's recent death, more than 523,000 people have signed an online petition to replace Pettus's name with that of the Georgia congressman.

Leaders, including Rep James Clyburn of South Carolina and Selma movie director Ava DuVernay are advocating for the idea, but state officials say any decision would have to be approved by Alabama's Republican-controlled Legislature.

On Sunday, Carolina Randall Williams, the great-great-granddaughter of Pettus, released a statement pushing for the bridge to be renamed.

'We name things after honorable Americans to commemorate their legacies. That bridge is named after a treasonous American who cultivated and prospered from systems of degradation and oppression before and after the Civil War,' Williams wrote.

Lewis (pictured at the bridge on March 1, 2020), who died on July 17 after losing his battle against pancreatic cancer, returned to Selma each March in commemoration. He was 80 years old

In March 2015, President Barack Obama (third from left) walked while holding hands with Amelia Boynton, who was beaten during Bloody Sunday, as they and the first family and others including Rep John Lewis (left of Obama) walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma

'We need to rename the bridge because we need to honor an American hero, a man who made that bridge a place worth remembering. John Lewis secured that bridge's place on the right side of history.

'We are not a people that were made to cling to relics of the past at the cost of our hope for the future. Renaming the bridge in John Lewis's honor would be a testament to the capacity for progress, the right-mindedness and striving toward freedom that are at the heart of what's best about the American spirit,' Williams added.

But there are some that saw renaming the bridge for Lewis would dishonor local activists who spent years advocating for civil rights before Lewis arrived in 1965.

Others fear tourism would be hurt if the Pettus name were gone despite it belonging to a white supremacist.

State lawmakers are unlikely to act without the backing of area leaders, and right now there's no sign of widespread support.

Rep Prince Chestnut, whose state legislative district includes Selma, called Lewis 'a great and noble man' but added that renaming the bridge for Lewis 'is not appropriate'.

'There were many Selmians and Alabamians who were either on the bridge in March 1965, near the vicinity or precipitated the situation that changed this country for the better. John was not the only one,' Chestnut said in a statement.

Mayor Darrio Melton called it 'insulting' that the wishes of Selma residents haven't been taken more into account during discussions about the bridge name dating back at least five years.

And focusing on a name rather than ways to solve racial and economic inequality disrespects Lewis's legacy, he said.

'Everybody is talking about changing the name of the bridge, but they're not talking about investing in Selma,' Melton said. 'To me it's more about the system than it is the symbol.'

The bridge was named after Edmond Pettus (pictured), a Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan leader in Alabama, in May 1940

Michael Starr Hopkins, a Washington-based consultant who launched the fast-growing online petition, has already started to contact Selma-area leaders.

Starr said he didn't know how much money has been raised by a nonprofit he founded to support the renaming idea and likely wouldn't release a fundraising total if he did.

'We are in a moment. Are we going to fight each other or the system of oppression that has held Selma back?' Hopkins said.

The state senator representing Selma, Malika Sanders-Fortier, said she's heard from no one in Selma who supports renaming the bridge for Lewis only. A group that was recently formed to make sure the town has a voice in the debate, Selma Matters, has spoken with Hopkins, she said.

'My hope is that we can come to some sort of compromise,' said Sanders-Fortier, who succeeded her father, former state Sen Hank Sanders, in office.

Sanders, who has publicly advocated for renaming the span The Bridge to Freedom, sponsored a resolution that would have allowed the bridge to be renamed in 2015 when he was still in the Senate, but the measure died in the House.

Gov Kay Ivey would work with lawmakers if a bill to rename the bridge reached her desk, but her aide said that seems unlikely to happen.

The Democratic leader in Alabama's Republican-controlled House, Rep Anthony Daniels, said he'd follow Chestnut's lead on the issue since the bridge is in Chestnut's district.

Dedicated in 1940 during the period of legalized segregation, the twin-arched bridge over the Alabama River was named for Pettus, who fought for the Confederacy and was a white supremacist and reputed Ku Klux Klan leader.

At the time, Pettus was praised for his work after the Civil War to fight the emergence of Black political power.

On Sunday, Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the final time as remembrances continue for the civil rights icon

This time, Lewis crossed it alone - instead of arm-in-arm with civil rights and political leaders - after his coffin was loaded atop a horse-drawn wagon that retraced the route through Selma from Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where the 1965 march began

A quarter-century after the bridge opened, Lewis led some 600 voting rights marchers across the span until they were attacked by Alabama state troopers, who beat Lewis and others in a violent spectacle that came to be called Bloody Sunday.

Even more people subsequently made the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march.

Today, the hometown 'foot soldiers' who marched with Lewis see the bridge as a symbol of freedom, and many relish the fact that the name of a one-time Confederate is also associated with civil rights for blacks. If anyone is honored anew, they say, it should be local activists.

'I just feel strongly that it should not be named "John Lewis Bridge,"' Lynda Lowery, who was among the marchers, said.

Chestnut said he hasn't spoken with a single local survivor of the attack who supports renaming the bridge for Lewis.

It might be time to change the name of the bridge, Chestnut said, but he'd favor calling it something like Bloody Sunday Bridge or Historic Selma Bridge rather than naming it for Lewis.

District Attorney Michael Jackson said the wishes of Selma residents matter most but the national dialogue over renaming the bridge for Lewis should be taken into account.

'The name of that bridge is bigger than Selma,' he said.

On Sunday, Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the final time as remembrances continued for the civil rights icon.

This time, Lewis crossed it alone - instead of arm-in-arm with civil rights and political leaders - after his coffin was loaded atop a horse-drawn wagon that retraced the route through Selma from Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where the 1965 march began.

As the black wagon pulled by a team of dark-colored horses approached the bridge, members of the crowd shouted 'Thank you, John Lewis!' and 'Good trouble!' the phrase Lewis used to describe his tangles with white authorities during the civil rights movement.

Some crowd members sang the gospel song Woke Up This Morning With My Mind Stayed on Jesus.

Later, some onlookers sang the civil rights anthem We Shall Overcome and other gospel tunes.

Lewis served in the US House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death.

He will lie in state at the Capitol Building on Monday and Tuesday, allowing time for socially distanced tributes to the protege of the Rev Martin Luther King Jr.

An invitation-only arrival ceremony for Lewis's casket at the Capitol was held on Monday afternoon and a public viewing will be held on Monday evening and Tuesday, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed in a joint statement.

Due to concerns over the coronavirus, the public viewing was held outdoors on the East Front Steps of the Capitol.
While India grapples with the spiralling Covid-19 pandemic, Assam has been dealt a double blow with flood waters inundating villages, leading to the loss of 102 lives.

Another 26 people have died in landslides triggered by rainfall. Overall 24.76 lakh people have been hit due to floods in 23 districts, with Goalpara being the worst-hit. The floods have also caused extensive damage in wildlife areas of Kaziranga.

Speaking to CNN-News18, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who will lead the Assam BJP in next years assembly elections, said the central and state government are looking at a long-term solution to deal with annual floods.

For the first time since Independence, a Prime Minister has taken personal interest and constituted a dedicated committee at the national level. This committee is being chaired by the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog and is called the North-East Water Management Authority, where all northeastern states have been taken on board. The committee has one-member representation from all the seven states, he said.

The committee will go through scientific studies and prepare a detailed report to find a long-term solution for floods and erosion in northeastern states. We are proceeding with this study and are very hopeful that once it is done, it will provide us with long-term solutions, Sonowal added.

Acknowledging the tough times the state is going through, the CM said coronavirus and floods arent the only issues Assam is faced with.

Not only floods and Covid-19, but we are also fighting African flu, thunderstorms, gas leaks and landslides. There are a lot of challenges for us. The people of Assam are jointly fighting this. I must thank them for their courage and determination. We have received a lot of support under PM Narendra Modi. Home Minister Amit Shah, too, has extended all support. DoNER minister Jitendra Singh has also been taking reports from us each day, he said.

The Assam floods casualty stands at 128, and 79 people have died due to Covid-19. Our recovery rate is 74% for coronavirus cases. That's very encouraging. The way in which people have fought and shown solidarity with the government has helped us in a big way to fight as Team Assam, he said.

On whether the state will appeal for the floods to be declared a national disaster, the CM said, It has already been considered so, otherwise why would the Prime Minister declare a national committee? Mandate has been given to this committee to find a lasting solution.
Health workers carrying out COVID-19 tests in a shopping mall in Dalian, in China's northeast Liaoning Province, on July 25, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Locals Question Official Virus Data in Xinjiang, Northeastern China Outbreaks

Restrictive quarantine policies and the designation of more hospital beds in northeastern Chinas Dalian city and the farwestern region of Xinjiang indicate that their local CCP virus outbreaks are severe, despite authorities publicizing limited information.

Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang and home to a large population of Uyghurs. Local authorities locked the city down immediately after they announced a resurgence in mid-July. As new infections are diagnosed every day, the city is building its first makeshift hospital to treat COVID-19 patients.

Meanwhile in Ghulja city west of the capital, locals said the area was locked down on July 27 due to the outbreak, though local authorities didnt announce any new cases. Residents in Kashgar, southern Xinjiang, also reported a lockdown on July 18 after the first diagnosed case was announced.

The outbreak in Dalian, in the northeastern province of Liaoning, has quickly spread to eight other cities in four provinces. Chinese vice premier Sun Chunlan dispatched the director of Chinas National Health Commission to visit Dalian on July 24 to coordinate virus prevention efforts.

As authorities required all 6.9 million residents in Dalian to get tested for COVID-19, residents became panicked and cleared supermarket shelves.

Dalian

The Liaoning provincial health commission announced on July 27 that 14 new COVID-19 patients were diagnosed, while 12 others were recognized as asymptomatic carriers. All of them are in Dalian.

Within the patients, there was a bus driver, taxi driver, restaurant owner, and barber.

But authorities new policies suggest a critical situation.

On July 24, the day authorities in Changchun and Siping confirmed new positive diagnoses, director of the National Health Commission Ma Xiaowei arrived in Dalian to direct local authorities on how to handle the outbreak.

According to the commissions press release on July 26, Ma ordered them to perform nucleic acid tests of every resident in Dalian within the following four days; isolate all diagnosed patients, asymptomatic carriers, and their close contacts at quarantine centers; and empty one hospital within 24 hours and use it as a dedicated COVID-19 hospital.

Dalian residents have also begun seeding outbreaks outside the city. From July 24 to 26, Fuzhou city in southern Chinas Fujian Province; Siping and Changchun cities in northeastern Chinas Jilin Province; Hegang, Suihua, and Hailun cities in northeastern Chinas Heilongjiang Province; and Tieling and Anshan cities in Liaoning reported diagnosed patients among travelers from Dalian recently.

People are lining up to take COVID-19 tests at a makeshift testing center in Dalian, in Chinas northeast Liaoning Province on July 26, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Dalian netizens recently shared videos showing people crowding in front of the nucleic acid testing sites. Due to the limited space, people couldnt maintain social distancing and had to stand close to each other.

Dalian residents also told the Chinese-language Epoch Times about restrictive quarantine policies.

Ms. Liu is a cashier at a small-size supermarket. Because one diagnosed patient said he had shopped there on July 18, Liu and her colleagues were isolated at a hotel-converted-quarantine-center on July 22.

They [officials] came to our store with a photo and asked us whether we knew that man. None of us did. But they then forced us to go to this quarantine center directly, and didnt allow us to change our work uniforms or take anything, Liu said.

Furthermore, officials locked Lius house from the outside on July 22 evening. They said Lius husband and son should be quarantined at home. On July 27, officials suddenly unblocked Lius house and forced Lius husband and son to move to a quarantine center.

People line up to take COVID-19 tests at a makeshift testing center in Dalian, in Chinas northeast Liaoning Province on July 27, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Dalian authorities have attributed the virus resurgence to the local Kaiyang Seafood Company. An employee there told The Epoch Times that he and his family were isolated at a quarantine center and had to take COVID-19 tests every three days.

The employee said all staff had been tested for the virus on July 7 and 8before authorities confirmed a new outbreak on July 23but no one tested positive. He questioned the authorities claim that the company was the source of the outbreak.

Xinjiang

From July 16 to July 27, the Xinjiang region health commission announced nearly 400 confirmed and asymptomatic carriers, almost all in Urumqi, the capital.

However, locals questioned the figures and said the real scale was likely underreported.

On July 25, Urumqi netizens posted online that authorities started building a makeshift hospital at the No. 2 Terrace in Toutunhe District, Urumqi. They shared videos of excavators and trucks working on the land.

On July 26 afternoon, the Urumqi municipal health commission confirmed at a daily press conference that authorities were indeed building a new designated COVID-19 hospital.

The commission didnt say how long it would take to finish construction. In Wuhan, where the virus first broke out, workers spent 10 days to build the makeshift Huoshenshan Hospital.

The commission said that all diagnosed patients were currently being treated at the No. 6 Peoples Hospital in Urumqi. According to the hospitals website, it has 800 beds and is dedicated to treating infectious diseases.

Urumqi was locked down immediately after authorities announced the first diagnosed patient in the new wave outbreak on July 16.

Since July 26 at midnight, residents of Ghulja city in northern Xinjiang said their city would be locked down beginning 8 a.m. July 27. Ghulja is about 420 miles west of Urumqi, and capital of Ili, a border prefecture to Kazakhstan.

From videos shared by netizens, residents could be seen crowding markets at night to shop for food and other necessities before the lockdown. The streets were empty the next morning, and people stayed at home.

Officially, Ghulja has not reported any diagnosed cases. But insiders shared with The Epoch Times on July 16 that travelers who had visited Ili were asked to take nucleic acid tests, suggesting that authorities were concerned people could contract the virus in Ili and spread it.
The UKs chief veterinary officer on Monday revealed that for the first time the virus responsible for Covid-19 has been detected in a pet cat, but added that there is no evidence of the pet transmitting the virus to owners or other animals.

The infection was confirmed following tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency laboratory in Weybridge on July 22. Health officials reiterated their advice to wash hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals.

All available evidence suggests that the cat contracted the coronavirus from its owners who had previously tested positive for Covid-19. The cat and its owners have since made a full recovery and there was no transmission to other animals or people in the household.

Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: This is a very rare event with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within in a few days. There is no evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans.

Yvonne Doyle of Public Health England added: This is the first case of a domestic cat testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK but should not be a cause for alarm. The investigation into this case suggest that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round.

Officials said the pet cat was initially diagnosed by a private vet with feline herpes virus, a common cat respiratory infection, but the sample was also tested for SARS-CoV-2 as part of a research programme.

Follow-up samples tested at the laboratory confirmed the cat was also co-infected with SARS-CoV2 which is the virus known to cause Covid-19 in humans. There have been a very small number of confirmed cases in pets in other countries in Europe, North America and Asia.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prasun Sonwalkar Prasun Sonwalkar was Editor (UK & Europe), Hindustan Times. During more than three decades, he held senior positions on the Desk, besides reporting from Indias north-east and other states, including a decade covering politics from New Delhi. He has been reporting from UK and Europe since 1999. ...view detail
The nation moves towards Unlock 3.0 as the Unlock 2.0 is near its end. With the third phase of unlocking, cinema halls and gyms are likely to reopen while the resumpion of metro trains across the country stands uncertain.

As the nation moves towards the end of Unlock 2.0 on July 31, the Home Ministry is preparing guidelines for Unlock 3.0. Compared to Unlock 2.0, Unlock 3.0 is expected to come with some more relaxations as the idea is to ease the lockdown in phases. But along with the relaxations, there will surely be some restrictions too as the Covid-19 cases have been increasing almost on a spree.

Even the Prime Minister, while addressing the nation through his radio programme Mann Ki Baat spoke about the enormity of current situation of coronavirus in the country and the necessity of following the precautions against it.

India has reported over 50,000 cases in the last 24 hours. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a virtual meeting with the chief ministers of all the states today. He is likely to discuss the coronavirus situation in the states and the relaxations to be given.

Also read: 82nd Raising Day: PM Modi, Venkaiah Naidu, Amit Shah laud valour of soldiers

Also read: Nearly 50k cases in 24 hours, Indias Covid-19 tally crosses 14 lakh mark

With Unlock 3.0, Schools and Metro operations are likely to remain closed. The HRD Ministry consulted the parents about opening the schools but parents werent in favour. For metro trains, especially in Delhi, there has been a robust demand from the public for the resumption of the Delhi metro. However, as per the sources, there is no decision on resuming the metros anywhere across the country.

The cinema industry and the fitness industry are expecting that with Unlock 3.0, cinema halls and gyms will reopen for the public. Reports are rife that the ministry has sent a proposal for reopening of the cinema halls but the final decision will be taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

With Unlock 3.0, the authority would be given to states to decide for themselves, as per reports. Depending upon the coronavirus situation within the states, the states will decide whether or not to reopen the gyms and cinema halls.

Also read: PM Modi to inaugurate 3 high-throughput ICMR labs today

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Faith vs safety in burials: COVID-19 remains in dead bodies for 9 days says Centre

Raj Speaker likely to withdraw petition in Supreme Court

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 27: The Speaker of the Rajasthan Assembly may seek closure of proceedings in the Supreme Court.

Rajasthan crisis: Speaker CP Joshi withdraws SC plea against team Pilot | Oneindia News

The closure is likely to be sought when the SC takes up the matter for hearing today. The Speaker had challenged the decision of the Rajasthan High Court, which had directed him not to act against rebel Congress MLAs including Sachin Pilot.

Reports state the Speaker's decision to move the SC was meant to make the HCC follow the 1992 Kihoto Hollohon verdict. However the HC has now restrained the Speaker from acting on the disqualification notices and this is in breach of the Hollohon verdict, according to the Speaker.

Rajasthan Congress calls off its Monday protest in front of Raj Bhawan

Meanwhile, the SC has enlarged the scope of the debate around the Rajasthan crisis and has sought to know if dissent could be stifled through disqualification.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said his party wants a floor test in the state Assembly and is "begging" for it, but the governor is not convening the House and "delaying" the trust vote allegedly at the behest of the central government.

He also cited Supreme Court judgements and several precedents including those of Rajasthan Assembly with regard to the convening of the Assembly session to assert that the Governor cannot act of his own and can only do so with the advice of the Cabinet.

"Such superficial, clearly motivated, digressive and extraneous queries establish beyond doubt that they are coming from the highest authorities of the central government and being parroted without change as His Master's Voice from Raj Bhawan, Jaipur.

"We all know who that Master is. But, it decimates the lustre and dignity of the Governor's constitutional position," Singhvi said at a virtual press conference.

Governor Kalraj Mishra had on Friday sought clarifications on six points from the state government, after Congress MLAs held a five-hour dharna on the lawns of the Raj Bhawan in Jaipur pressing for the convening of the Assembly.

The governor asked Chief Minister Asok Gehlot to submit again, with the clarifications, his recommendation for calling a session.

Congress alleges Rajasthan Governor stalling assembly session at the behest of Centre

A statement from the governor included queries on the free movement of MLAs and the reason why the session needed to be called urgently.

The governor on Saturday night received a revised proposal from the state cabinet requesting that a session of the Assembly be called on July 31, Raj Bhawan sources said on Sunday.

Asked if the party would challenge the Rajasthan High Court judgement, Singhvi said the fight was not in the courtroom but in the state Assembly where a floor test would determine who has the numbers.
By Erwin Seba and Brad Brooks

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Hurricane Hanna pummeled the south Texas coast on Saturday night with howling winds and a surging sea that threatened a broad area already contending with an intense spike in coronavirus deaths.

Hanna is the first hurricane for the 2020 Atlantic storm season, which is expected to be unlike any other in recent memory. Authorities will have to contend with sheltering and evacuating people while also maintaining social distancing protocols and other pandemic restrictions.

By nightfall, Hanna's blistering winds were ripping up the Texas coast near Corpus Christi. A deadly storm surge was expected to hit a 300-mile area of the shoreline, from the town of Sargent in the north to Port Mansfield in the south, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The NHC forecast that Hanna would lose steam as it moved inland across Texas and northeastern Mexico overnight into Sunday. But the storm could dump upward of 18 inches of rain in the area through Monday. That could cause life-threatening flash floods, while the storm could spawn tornadoes on the coastal plains.

'ENORMOUS CHALLENGE'

Hanna, a Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, came ashore on Padre Island Saturday afternoon and later made a second landfall in Eastern Kennedy County, Texas.

"Any hurricane is an enormous challenge," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said during a Saturday briefing about the storm. "This challenge is complicated and made even more severe, seeing that it's sweeping through an area that is the most challenged area in the state for COVID-19."

Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 32 counties in Texas that are in the storm's path.

On Saturday afternoon, the storm was about 75 miles (121 km) south of the city of Corpus Christi, packing maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (138 kph), the NHC said.

"The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline," the Miami-based NHC said.

Story continues

The storm is not expected to affect offshore oil and gas production. Energy companies have not evacuated workers or shut down production from their Gulf of Mexico platforms because of Hanna.

TAKE MASKS

The Texas area struck by Hanna has struggled to contain outbreaks of COVID-19 in recent weeks. Cases along the state's coast have soared into the tens of thousands, and more than 400 people in Corpus Christi's city of 325,000 were hospitalized with the novel coronavirus on Friday, according to city data.

Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb warned residents who live in flood-prone areas to heed coronavirus precautions when deciding to evacuate.

"Take several masks with you because you might be there a couple days if you're in a flood area," McComb said, according to the Tribune. "We don't want to expose anyone during this storm. ... Even when you're in the house, I recommend wearing a mask if you're in crowded conditions."

(Reporting by Erwin Seba and Gary McWilliams in Houston, and Brad Brooks in Lubbock; Additional reporting by Shubham Kalia and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru, and Gabriella Borter in Fairfield, Connecticut; Writing by Brad Brooks; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, Daniel Wallis and Sandra Maler)
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Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi, Evi Mariani and Dwi Atmanta (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 10:49 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066982500 2 National sexual-abuse-in-Catholic-Church,sexual-abuse-Catholic-church-Indonesia,kekerasan-seksual-di-gereja,Catholic-church,Gereja-Herkulanus,sexual-abuse-protocol-church,ignatius-suharyo,#catholicsexabuse Free

Victims of sexual abuse and harassment in the Indonesian Catholic Church face thick walls of silence, secrecy and denial, having to bear trauma while the priests who they have accused remain on a moral pedestal.

Sisca, who has chosen to use an alias to protect her privacy, said she was molested by a Catholic priest in Jakarta when she was 11 years old. The 38-year-old watches the same priest greet school children in the same Catholic school every morning, and in December of last year, she heard His Eminence Ignatius Cardinal Suharyo, the highest-ranking member of the Indonesian Catholic Church, deny that he had ever received any reports of sexual abuse in the Church.

Sisca did not believe the cardinal could have possibly been oblivious to the alleged sexual abuse. Where has he been? We had high hopes for him. He was appointed cardinal by the Pope. Its a prestigious title. A cardinal is a chosen figure, and [the Pope] would not appoint a random priest, she told The Jakarta Post in early February. It hurts me to hear him say that. He doesnt know how it feels, Sisca said.

Read also: Depok Catholic Church molester launched 'systematic' assault for years, lawyer says

Since January of this year, the Post and Tirto.id have interviewed four victims  one man and three women  who say they were sexually abused in the Catholic Church. The events they described took place between 10 and 30 years ago. Three of the victims were minors, and one was an adult. Three never reported the abuse to authorities and the other faced silence when she reported her case and demanded that the priest she had accused be punished.

Last December, in the cardinals first rebuttal of the sexual abuse allegations, he accused his subordinate in the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI), seminary commission secretary Father Joseph Kristanto, of violating the code of ethics by discussing, in a public forum, 56 cases of alleged sexual abuse within the Church community.

Suharyo, who is also the chairman of the KWI and the archbishop of Jakarta, said Kristanto, who called the 56 cases the tip of the iceberg of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, had apologized.

He bowed down, apologizing, because he brought up the numbers, which are confession secrets that should not be talked about, Suharyo said.

He questioned the validity of the data even though Kristanto had spoken in his capacity as a KWI official and had presented the data in a seminar on a book that sought to establish protocols to protect minors and vulnerable adults in the Catholic Church, as Pope Francis had ordered in May 2019.

Read also: Depok case shines light on sexual abuse in Indonesian Catholic Church

The cardinal reiterated his stance in his reply to the Post and Tirto.ids request to interview him about the sexual abuse cases and the progress of the protocols. The issue related to sexual harassment, I really dont know  if what you mean is the ones reported by one of the parish publications, Suharyo wrote.

No protocols in place

Suharyo was referring to a report in Warta Minggu, a publication by members of the Maria Bunda Karmel parish in Jakarta, from Dec. 8, 2019. The report, titled Sexual Abuse in Indonesian Churches: An Iceberg Phenomenon?, quoted Father Kristantos presentation at the seminar on the book about abuse protocols.

The Archbishop of Jakarta declined to grant the Post and Tirto.id an interview and recommended another priest, Petrus Sunu Hardiyanta, who Suharyo said knew more about the protocol than he did.

Read also: Justice for victims

In an interview on July 23, Father Sunu, a Jesuit head in Indonesia from 2014 to May of this year, did not confirm the data and only commented that the cases Father Kristanto had brought up were supposed to be confidential.

He verified that none of the dioceses, archdioceses or orders in Indonesia had established the protocols, even though Pope Francis deadline of June of this year had passed. However, he said that his order, the Society of Jesus, had planned a specific mechanism for reporting, in which it would designate seven people  three clergymen and four laypeople, at least two of whom would be women  to handle reports.

In addition to Father Suharyo and Father Sunu, the Post and Tirto.id tried to contact five priests in Indonesia  heads of parishes and orders  to verify the accounts of three victims. Of the five priests, one said he had heard about the cases but claimed he did not know the details, two said they did not know of the cases and two never replied.

Of the five priests, one said he had heard about the cases but claimed he did not know the details, two said they did not know of the cases and two never replied. (JP/Hengky Wijaya)

Sister Chatarina Supatmiyati, in a discussion organized by Katolikana, a media outlet focusing on news related to the Catholic Church, said she had helped a number of women who had become involved with Catholic Church priests and parish officials. She said some of them had gotten pregnant and had to raise the children on their own.

When she accompanied women and reported their situations to the church, the church officials accepted the reports and listened but nothing more. She experienced attempts by the church officials to protect colleagues who had been involved in such cases. Officials would say the man was being prepared for other duties or would ask the woman to forgive him because had only done it once.

Denied cases

In November, Father Kristanto presented the data that was quoted by Warta Minggu. He said 56 instances of sexual assault had been reported, including 21 victims belonging to seminaries, 20 nuns and 15 laypeople. Thirty three of the alleged perpetrators were priests, while the remaining 23 were not, he said in November at the seminar organized by NGO Mitra Imadei and the psychology faculty of Atma Jaya Catholic University.

Kristantos report, which was made during the protocol book event, sent a wave of restlessness through the Indonesian Catholic Church. Two priests in the parish who were in charge of Warta Minggu were transferred to other positions.

The magazines counselor at that time, Andreas Yudhi Wiyadi, who was also the head priest of the Maria Bunda Karmel parish when the report was released, said he had reprimanded the reporters involved in the article because they had published sexual abuse data whose validity had yet to be proven.

For me its a sensitive matter. Ive reprimanded those who made the report without consulting with me first, said the priest, who was later transferred to the Palembang Archdiocese in Sumatra.

Another priest involved in Warta Minggu, Andreas Dedy Purnawan, was also moved to Malang, East Java, not long after the report was released.

Yudhi, however, insisted that his transfer had nothing to do with the magazines report.

This is the injustice

Activists Mike Verawati Tangka and Damairia Pakpahan, who have acted as advocates for alleged sexual abuse victims in the Catholic Church, said the cardinal should have pursued the cases instead of denying them.

The two women said the thick walls of impunity for perpetrators of sexual abuse and harassment within the institution were absurd. Usually, the Catholic Church would simply transfer accused clerics from one parish to another, where they could repeat their abuse or unethical behavior.

Read also: Award-winning author accuses priest of abuse, detained after vandalizing parish property

They referred to the well-publicized case of the former bishop of Ruteng, Hubertus Leteng, who was assigned to the Bandung Diocese after his resignation from his seat in Ruteng amid accusations that he had embezzled money and had had an affair with a woman. Another case was a priest in Timor Tengah Utara regency who was moved to another parish after allegedly mistreating a woman, prompting anger from a congregation member, author Felix Nesi, who later damaged parish property.

Facing the Church institution is not easy. We have to be extra careful to protect not only the victims but also the ones inside the institution who are willing to help, Mike said in January.

Both Mike and Damairia demanded transparency in the Indonesian Catholic Church in dealing with unethical or coercive behavior and sexual assault instead of sweeping such actions under the rug. But some Church leaders, including the cardinal himself, seem to deny and negate the findings. They even tend to cover up the case, Mike said.

Sister Chatarina said the women she accompanied had to accept that the priests would continue as priests in other places while the women relented, lived alone with their children and faced censure from the community they lived in. This is the injustice, she said.

Karina M. Tehusijarana contributed to this story.
China steps up flood control in Yangtze River - Xinhua | English.news.cn

China's Ministry of Water Resources on Sunday urged greater efforts to ensure flood control safety after the third flood of the year in the Yangtze River occurred in its upper reaches.

In the next three days, heavy rainfall and rainstorms are expected in parts of southwestern China, Yangtze River and Huai River basins, among other regions.

The Three Gorges reservoir is expected to see an inflow of around 60,000 cubic meters per second around next Tuesday, according to the ministry.

Efforts should be made to further increase flood discharge in the Huai River, reduce the water level of Hongze Lake, and prepare for the possible deluge, said E Jingping, minister of water resources.

He warned of possible landslides and mudslides in northern China including Inner Mongolia and Hebei, and called for targeted implementation of heavy rainfall prevention measures in the region.
Colombia

Give peace a chance

Colombias Ethnic Commission for Peace and Defense of Territorial Rights held their fifth annual assembly in July. This comprised three days of discussions, held virtually, between the leaders of Colombias Afro and Indigenous communities and special guests including acclaimed US academic Noam Chomsky and Francia Marquez, 2018 Winner of the Goldman Environmental Award. The assemblys theme was Crisis of Capitalism and Peoples Alternatives: Good Life, Nature and Peace. The event was an excellent example first-nations utilisation of Peacetech (technology for peace-building purposes), being broadcast on Facebook Live to over 30,000 viewers across twenty-one countries.

Colombia: a failing peace process and a failing state?

The initial hope generated through formalisation of the Havana Peace Accords, signed in 2016 by the government of Colombia and its major military rival FARC, by 2020 has largely dissipated. Gross inequality which exists within Colombian society fuelled this war for fifty-two years; the Worlds longest-running conflict. The majority of fighting has been in Colombias rural departments, areas predominantly inhabited by Indigenous and Afro-Colombians. These ethnic groups have therefore been the most heavily affected by this rural war but are largely considered invisible, not part of Colombias bustling core cities like Bogota and Medellin. Conflict caused over 5.2 million people to flee their homelands, to become refugees or Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs); second only to the seven million refugees produced by Syrias recent war. Indigenous and Afro-Colombian hopes and aspirations to finally return to homelands and territories, to be provided with crop-substitution programs and alternatives to growing coca, to the end of aerial fumigation of illicit crops with glyphosate and to justice and governmental accountability have been dashed.

Since peace was declared and the FARC hung up their weapons, hundreds of Indigenous and Afro-Colombian leaders have been murdered by new armed groups; assassination is now a daily occurrence. Indigenous and Afro-Colombian populations are terrorised, forced to grow illicit crops or allow illegal mining to occur on their territorial lands.

The Colombian State has increasingly failed to provide adequate basic services to these rural communities, such as health, education and security. It is now widely acknowledged that the Peace Process is failing, due to the inability or unwillingness of the government to implement it. A 2019 terrorist attack on Bogotas Police Cadet School led the Colombian and US governments to classify the National Liberation Armys (ELN) ten peace negotiators in Cuba as culpable. The Colombian state now requires their extradition and is accusing Cuba of harbouring terrorists, even though they are part of a peace delegation.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has been unsuccessfully handled by the Ethnic communities didnt want to be bound to the National logic of development as it seldom served them, just the common good of profits. Colombian state hospitals around the country are at breaking point. Colombias economy is heavily tied to global oil prices, so the Peso has faltered recently. Corruption and links to Narcos plagues Colombian politics, and the country is now considered the Worlds most corrupt state. With over 1.8 million Venezuelan refugees fleeing their homeland, now residing in its major cities, Colombia is facing an uphill battle to remain afloat as a functional state.

The ethnic commission meeting

The main theme of the assembly was the 21st century crisis that capitalism was producing on planet Earth and how Ethnic Communities should react. Noam Chomsky raised three main points of concern: (1) the imminent threat of nuclear war (2) the impending environmental crisis that global warming is producing and (3) the deterioration of democracy across the world. Chomsky reiterated the fact that the only hope of dealing with the first two crises is a vibrant democracy and how US president Donald Trump is systematically destroying all aspects of democracy across the US and the globe. To conclude, Chomsky stated that we had to recognise that we are all in this together. He focused on internationalism as the means by which numerous groups could collaborate internationally to overcome their problems. He stated that groups had to get organised and take opportunities as they arose, and that we needed to recognise how to use resources in a way that will benefit rather than destroy local communities. Chomsky stated that once these movements began, they could rise to great heights. He gave the Black Lives Matters organisation as a prime example of how things can grow and expand. The brutal murder of one black man in the US had, within a couple of weeks, grown into the biggest popular movement in the history of the USA. Chomsky rounded off by stating that people can be reached, but youre not going to read about this kind of stuff in the newspapers, as it is not the kind of thing that power systems want you to know about or understand.

Francia Marquez highlighted the fact that ethnic communities had been living in harmony or Buen-Vivir (good living) with nature for 1,000s of years and the concept was something that needed to be recaptured. Mankind cannot build its well-being on the suffering and destruction of something or someone else, she said. Francia reiterated that Indigenous and Afro-Colombians had been forcibly moved to cities by conflict over the past 50 years, where everything costs money, [] previously, eating and drinking did not cost us anything. Protecting the environment and producing all that is needed from the land were key aspects of her message. Francia reiterated that Afro-Colombians had endured slavery and constantly rebelled against it. Todays slavery was in the form of structural racism. Being terrorised by armed groups, assassinated on a daily basis, and not provided any basics services from government like health, education, and security couldnt be tolerated. The COVID-19 Pandemic highlighted the fact globalisation was not working for Planet Earth and that Capitalism was very weak at its core.

The meeting ended with a traditional music group from the Cauca region of Southern Colombia.
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) on Monday passed the proposal to levy a professional tax on self-employed persons  a first for Delhi  and doubled the tax on rented commercial property. The municipal body also announced hike in tax on transfer of property in new tax proposals aimed at ramping up revenue collection hit by the national lockdown to contain spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The Aam Aadmi Party, which is in the Opposition in the SDMC House, threatened to launch an agitation against the move and called the introduction of a new tax and hike in other levies inhuman. AAP Delhi convenor and cabinet minister Gopal Rai said the move exposes the anti-people mindset of the BJP. He said the BJP should immediately release a white paper on the money spent by the municipal corporations.

An SDMC officials said the professional tax would be levied on self-employed professionals such as doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants and architects, etc and those working in private firms for using civic amenities. As per the proposed tax slabs (see graphic), those earning less than Rs 50,000 per month wont be taxed.

Since it is a new tax, the proposal will now have to be cleared by the Delhi government before it is implemented.

The SDMC House also approved the proposal to double the property tax on rented commercial property as per the recommendations of the municipal valuation committee-3 (MVC-3). The amount of tax will depend on the location of the property. Under SDMC jurisdiction, there are around 9,000 to 10,000 commercial properties that have been rented out. So we hope to generate a revenue of Rs 90 crore to Rs 100 crore per annum. The move will not impact residential and commercial properties that are being run by the owners, said Narendra Chawla, leader of the house in SDMC.

For instance, the current commercial tax payable by a 83.6-square metre shop in a locality such as Defence Colony or South Extension is Rs 25,333. But if the shop is a rented property, then the owner will now have to pay Rs 50,666 as tax.

The SDMC House, however, deferred the proposal to increase the electricity tax from the current 5% on the bill amount to 6%.

The South corporation also approved hike in the tax on transfer of property. SDMC officials explained that the hike would be applicable on only those properties that have a circle rate of more than Rs 25 lakh. As per the new proposal, the transfer duty will now go up to 4%in case of male buyers from the current 3%; and to 3% from the current 2% for female buyers.

We hope to generate Rs 20 crore additional revenue with this move. We are not able to pay our doctors, engineers, sanitation workers, teachers, etc due to fund crunch. We have been compelled to take these tough steps as the Delhi government did not pay us our due amount of Rs 1300 crore as per fifth finance commission recommendations, Chawla said.

Senior AAP leader Durgesh Pathak, however, said the Delhi government owes no dues to the municipal bodies. He said the corporations in fact are receiving more money from the Delhi government under the AAP dispensation.

The SDMC has also announced waiver of property tax for residents of unauthorised colonies between 2004 and 2018, if they pay house tax dues for 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Anamika Mithilesh, SDMC mayor, said, Due to Covid-19 pandemic, our financial condition has worsened, so we have decided to levy professional tax and hike tax rates in certain other categories. Professional tax will bring additional revenue of Rs 25 crore to the cash-strapped SDMC.

Professionals working in south Delhi, however, said that it would put additional burden on their pockets.

During the Covid-19 crisis, any additional tax will make hit the professionals hard since they are already reeling under pay cuts and job losses. Authorities at this juncture should be announcing allowances for them and schemes to help their businesses. The decision to levy a professional tax at this juncture is irrational, said Shaunali Nanda, an architect, who runs an interior design business in Andrews Ganj.

Dr Akanksha Singh, a gynaecologist who has a clinic in Lajpat Nagar, also criticised the move and said that when people were already struggling to pay so many different taxes, a new tax makes no sense.

Coronavirus pandemic has already broken the backbone of many professionals be it self-employed people or the service class. People are going through a lot of problems due to Covid-19 and imposing one more tax will only make things worse. They levy tax but do not do their job properly which is evident in Delhi roads get flooding every monsoon. Who is responsible for this? she said.

The new tax proposals triggered a political slugfest in the BJP-ruled corporation.

The AAP threatened to take to the streets to protest the SDMCs decision. Addressing a digital press conference, senior AAP leader Durgesh Pathak and Sangam Vihar MLA Dinesh Mohaniya said SDMC went ahead with the triple tax burden despite Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta assuring on Sunday that no taxes would be increased.

The SDMCs decision to impose three new taxes today is a price people will pay for the corruption of BJP councillors. Yesterday we opposed the BJP-ruled SDMCs decision to hike taxes. The BJP wanted to increase professional tax, tax of residents of unauthorised colonies, property transfer tax and electricity tax. After strong opposition from AAP, Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta intervened and tweeted he had spoken to the SDMC mayor and requested him to withdraw the tax hike proposals. But unfortunately, today, the tax proposals were accepted. This means now the people of South Delhi will have to pay extra tax to SDMC, Pathak said.

Mithilesh said the professional tax slabs and 1% increase in transfer duty had been designed in a manner that it would not cost trouble the public. We have taken these initiatives to increase our revenue so that we can pay our employees and serve better. Due to the pandemic, our financial condition has worsened and we are unable to pay our employees. AAP believes in blame-game politics. If AAP is so concerned about taxes, they should ask their government to clear our dues so that the corporations can function properly, she said.

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta did not reply to the calls and text message sent to him for comment on the matter.

Mohaniya said when the BJP came up with the tax proposal, the Congress supported the decision inside the house whereas AAP immediately staged a walkout.

In response, the Congress called AAP a B-Team of the BJP. Abhishek Dutt, vice-president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee said, AAP is the B-team of the BJP. The AAP councillors walked out because they knew it very well that by walking out, the agenda will be passed. In fact, the Congress councillors stood in the House till the very end and objected to all agenda points.
Hill County Man Sentenced To 37 Years For Cattle Theft The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association says that Central Texas cattle raisers can rest easier with a notorious livestock thief set to serve substantial time behind bars.



William Willie Rittenbaugh, a 49-year-old man from Mount Calm, pleaded guilty to five felony charges spanning Hill and Limestone counties last week following a long investigation led by Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger Marvin Wills.



In the Hill County 66th Judicial District Court, Rittenbaugh pleaded guilty to:



 One count, first degree felony, misappropriation of fiduciary property. He received a 12-year sentence and was ordered to pay the victim $435,000 restitution on 511 head of cattle.



 One count, second degree felony, misappropriation of fiduciary property. Rittenbaugh received a 10-year sentence and was ordered to pay the victim $150,000 restitution on 191 head of cattle.



 Two counts, third degree felony, theft of livestock. He received an eight-year sentence on a total of 83 head of cattle.



In the Limestone County 77th District Court, Rittenbaugh pleaded guilty to:



 One count, third degree felony, theft of livestock. He received a seven-year sentence and was ordered to pay $3,500 restitution on one horse.



Rittenbaughs sentencing totaled 37 years, and he was ordered to pay a total of $588,500 in restitution to the victims.



The defendants legal troubles began in May 2018 when a Hill County rancher accused him of stealing 11 head of cattle. The missing animals were found in Rittenbaughs possession, seized and returned to the owner. Rittenbaugh was charged with third-degree felony theft of livestock.



In September 2018, Wills was contacted by another rancher who stated that Rittenbaugh failed to deliver on an agreement he made to manage more than 1,000 head of cattle and split the profits from their sale.



The investigation into that case led to a first-degree felony misapplication of fiduciary property charge. He was then charged with third-degree felony theft of livestock in Limestone County in connection to a horse theft and released from custody on a $5,000 bond.



Rittenbaugh was out on bond when he was arrested by Hill County Sheriffs Deputies in December 2018, for the theft of another 72 head of cattle from the first victim.



His bond was set at $1 million in that case, and it was turned over to Wills to continue the investigation. Considering his record, District Judge Lee Harris increased his two previous Hill County bonds to $1.25 million and $1.5 million, respectively.



On January 15, 2019, Wills secured another arrest warant for second-degree felony misappropriation of fiduciary property. Rittenbaughs bond in that case was set at one-half million dollars, bringing the total to $4,255,000.



Wills was quick to point out this complicated case would have been even more challenging had it not been for the help and hard work of the Hill County Sheriffs Office, Texas Animal Health Commission investigators, Hill County District Attorney Mark Pratt and staff, and Limestone County District Attorney Roy DeFriend and staff.



The special ranger also credited branded cattle and the victims good record keeping.



Cases like this serve as a good reminder, Wills said. When it comes to theft prevention or recovery of stolen animals, nothing beats a brand.


Dickson Yeo, a PhD student-turned-agent, targeted Americans that had access to private information.

Image copyrightDickson Yeo/Facebook



Jun Wei Yeo, an ambitious and freshly enrolled Singaporean PhD student, was no doubt delighted when he was invited to give a presentation to Chinese academics in Beijing in 2015.

His doctorate research was about Chinese foreign policy and he was about to discover firsthand how the rising superpower seeks to attain influence.

After his presentation, Jun Wei, also known as Dickson, was, according to US court documents, approached by several people who said they worked for Chinese think tanks. They said they wanted to pay him to provide "political reports and information". They would later specify exactly what they wanted: "scuttlebutt" - rumours and insider knowledge.

He soon realised they were Chinese intelligence agents but remained in contact with them, a sworn statement says. He was first asked to focus on countries in South East Asia but later, their interest turned to the US government.

That was how Dickson Yeo set off on a path to becoming a Chinese agent - one who would end up using the professional networking website LinkedIn, a fake consulting company and cover as a curious academic to lure in American targets.

Five years later, on Friday, amid deep tensions between the US and China and a determined crackdown from Washington on Beijing's spies, Yeo pleaded guilty in a US court to being an "illegal agent of a foreign power". The 39-year-old faces up to 10 years in prison.

Alumni at Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), which trains some of Asia's top civil servants and government officials, were left shocked by the news that their former peer had confessed to being a Chinese agent.

"He was a very active student in class. I always viewed him as a very intelligent person," said one former postgraduate student who did not wish to be named

She said he often talked about social inequality - and that his family struggled financially when he was a child. She said she found it difficult to reconcile the person she knew with his guilty plea.

A former member of staff at the institution painted a different picture, saying Yeo seemed to have "an inflated sense of his own importance".

Yeo's PhD supervisor had been Huang Jing, a high-profile Chinese-American professor who was expelled from Singapore in 2017 for being an "agent of influence of a foreign country" that was not identified.

Huang Jing always denied those allegations. After leaving Singapore, he first worked in Washington DC, and now Beijing.

According to the court documents released with Yeo's guilty plea, the student met his Chinese handlers on dozens of occasions in different locations in China.

During one meeting he was asked to specifically obtain information about the US Department of Commerce, artificial intelligence and the Sino-US trade war.

Bilahari Kausikan, the former permanent secretary at Singapore's foreign ministry, said he had "no doubt that Dickson knew he was working for the Chinese intelligence services".

He was not, he said, "an unwitting useful fool".

Yeo made his crucial contacts using LinkedIn, the job and careers networking site used by more than 700 million people. The platform was described only as a "professional networking website" in the court documents, but its use was confirmed to the Washington Post.

Former government and military employees and contractors are not shy about publicly posting details of their work histories on the website in order to obtain lucrative jobs in the private sector.

Image caption A screenshot of Dickson Yeo's now-deleted LinkedIn profile

This presents a potential goldmine to foreign intelligence agencies. In 2018, US counter-intelligence chief William Evanina warned of "super aggressive" action by Beijing on the Microsoft-owned platform, which is one of few Western social media sites not blocked in China.

Kevin Mallory, a former CIA officer jailed for 20 years last May for disclosing military secrets to a Chinese agent, was first targeted on LinkedIn.

In 2017, Germany's intelligence agency said Chinese agents had used LinkedIn to target at least 10,000 Germans. LinkedIn has not responded to a request for comment for this story but has previously said it takes a range of measures to stop nefarious activity.

Some of the targets that Yeo found by trawling through LinkedIn were commissioned to write reports for his "consultancy", which had the same name as an already prominent firm. These were then sent to his Chinese contacts.

One of the individuals he contacted worked on the US Air Force's F-35 fighter jet programme and admitted he had money problems. Another was a US army officer assigned to the Pentagon, who was paid at least $2,000 (1,500) to write a report on how the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan would impact China.

In finding such contacts, Yeo, who was based in Washington DC for part of 2019, was aided by an invisible ally - the LinkedIn algorithm. Each time Yeo looked at someone's profile it would suggest a new slate of contacts with similar experience that he might be interested in. Yeo described it as "relentless".

According to the court documents, his handlers advised him to ask targets if they "were dissatisfied with work" or "were having financial troubles".

In 2018, Yeo also posted fake online job ads for his consulting company. He said he received more than 400 CVs with 90% of them coming from "US military and government personnel with security clearances". Some were passed to his Chinese handlers.

The use of LinkedIn is brazen, but not surprising, said Matthew Brazil, the co-author of Chinese Communist Espionage: An Intelligence Primer.

"I think lots of worldwide intelligence agencies probably use it to seek out sources of information," he said. "Because it's in everybody's interest who is on LinkedIn to put their whole career on there for everybody to see - it's an unusually valuable tool in that regard."

He said that commissioning consultant reports is a way for agents to get "a hook" into a potentially valuable source who might later be convinced to supply classified information.

"It's a modern version of classic tradecraft, really."

US Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said the case was an example of how China exploits "the openness of American society" and uses "non-Chinese nationals to target Americans who never leave the United States".

Singapore, a multicultural society of 5.8 million where ethnic Chinese make up the majority of the population, has long enjoyed close links with the United States, which uses its air and naval bases. But it has also sought and maintained positive relations with China.

Mr Kausikan said that he did not believe the spying case - the first known to involve a Singaporean - would hurt the country's reputation with the American government but he feared that Singaporeans could face greater suspicion in American society.

On Sunday, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs said investigations had not revealed any direct threat to the country's security stemming from the case.

LKYSPP's dean, Danny Quah, wrote in an email to faculty and students quoted by the Straits Times newspaper that "no faculty or other students at our school are known to be involved" with the Yeo case.

A spokesperson at the school told the BBC that Yeo had been granted a leave of absence from his PhD in 2019 and his candidature had now been terminated.

Dickson Yeo does not appear to have got as far with his contacts as his handlers would have liked. But in November 2019, he travelled to the US with instructions to turn the army officer into a "permanent conduit of information", his signed statement says.

He was arrested before he could ask. BBC
The UAEs courier, express and parcel (CEP) market is expected to post 7.5 per cent compound annual growth rate between 2020 to 2025 due to demand generated by the coronavirus outbreak across the globe, industry experts said, referring to latest research data released by Mordor Intelligence.



They said growing popularity of e-commerce in the region and rising international trade will drive the growth momentum in CEP market during next five year.



Shailesh Dash, Chairman of Gulf Pinnacle Logistics (GPL), said CEP market is emerging as a strong segment after the outbreak of coronavirus.



The CEP segment is growing steadily in the UAE, however strong growth in e-commerce and demand generated in the Covid-19 era bolstered its outlook in the region, which was valued at $4.5 billion in the region last year, Dash said.



Established in 2014, GPL is a Dubai-based logistics and transportation company, which owns majority stakes in four assets involved in warehousing, CFS operations, student bus transportation and courier services.



Referring to the latest research report by Technavio, Dash said global CEP market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of five percent during 2019 to 2023 to reach $90.63 billion. The Gulf CEP market has no exception and it will also grow in line with the international trend.



The consumers face challenges with parcel delivery and cost-effective courier services in the UAE and the Gulf region. It includes high cost and long delivery time as the fast-growing e-commerce exerts more pressure on the existing CEP delivery system and generates more business opportunities, Dash said.



Najeeb Kabeer, partner and managing director of Century Express Courier Services, said the UAEs CEP market is ready to take the advantage of business opportunities arising in the wake of e-commerce boom in the region.



With the upsurge in e-commerce activity in the Mena region in general and the UAE and Saudi Arabia in particular, the prospects for the courier segment are extremely positive, Kabeer said.



Century Express Courier was set up in 2005, with its headquarters in Dubai and a branch office in Abu Dhabi. It has service partners in Nepal and Oman and the companys international shipments are dispatched through the network of major integrators with a coverage of 195 countries worldwide.



"Freight forwarding, warehousing, CEP and e-commerce segments will lead the growth in the UAE's logistics market during next five years, Kabeer said.



Rodney Viegas, CEO of Abdul Muhsen Shipping LLC and So Safe Logistics LLC, said the UAE has developed state-of-the-art infrastructure for logistics industry in the region.



The strategic position of the Emirate, its air, road, rail and shipping connectivity, excellent infrastructure development, increasing foreign investments and booming e-commerce will drive growth in the UAEs logistics, CEP segment and warehousing market, Viegas said.  TradeArabia News Service


MONTGOMERY, Ala.  Valda Harris Montgomery was 13 when John Lewis showed up in the wee hours of the morning at her parents' house, beaten, bloodied, exhausted and looking for refuge from a white mob. Her parents opened the door to their home.

She remembers Lewis and other Freedom Riders walking through the hallway and collapsing in the kitchen. She didnt know why they were there or that they had been attacked when they arrived in the city while trying to integrate the interstate bus system or that a crowd had pinned them down overnight in a nearby church until federal troops arrived.

But she wasnt surprised to see them.

This was such a normalcy, Montgomery said about that night in 1961. This was our normal way of life, so it was not a surprise that people were in the house.

John Lewis: A nation he helped unite salutes him on his final journey across Selma bridge

Her father, drugstore owner Richard Harris, was a former Tuskegee Airman who had organized rides during the Montgomery bus boycott, helping to get people to and from work. Martin Luther King Jr. lived a few doors down for most of her childhood.

Montgomery remembers her father swearing his kids to secrecy as the Freedom Riders met in upstairs rooms to plan their next move. It was just, You dont tell anybody where they are. You didnt ask any questions, she said.

Valda Harris Montgomery says Freedom Riders took shelter in her parents' home in Montgomery, Ala., in 1961.

Lewis and the other Freedom Riders left a few days later and got back on the bus, headed for the next stop.

Montgomery said she didnt realize the enormity of what happened in her house until decades later.

It was the same with King, whom she thought of as good old Rev. King from down the street. She remembers opening the door to Kings house one day and being surprised to see him in bandages  she learned years later that he had been stabbed during a book signing. At the time, he urged her to give him a hug anyway.

She was in Washington for the unveiling of his monument and was shocked when she saw it. I didnt see this man, she said, crossing her arms. I saw the man in the doorway.

Story continues

Montgomerys father died in the 1970s. Lewis kept coming back through the years to visit with her mother, Vera Harris, and thank her. Lewis took congressional leaders into the rooms where the Freedom Riders met and pointed at the spot where he sat.

Opinion: How we can work together to overcome systemic racism

Freedom Riders John Lewis and Jim Zwerg were among those attacked and beaten May 20, 1961, at a Greyhound bus station in Montgomery, Ala.

He helped dedicate a historical marker in front of the home in 2006 and spoke about how courageous the family was to open the door. It was the first time Montgomery realized the gravity of those days.

Vera Harris sat on her front porch telling stories of the neighbors and friends she knew over the years until she died at 96 last year.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis hugs Vera Harris at her home in Montgomery, Ala., in 2018.

Sunday, Montgomery sat in that porch swing and told stories of the past as crowds lined up to say goodbye to Lewis at the Alabama Capitol building a few blocks away.

To watch the events of today is a little surreal, she said. To see how a population of people could hate you so much that they would beat you almost to death, and not just on one occasion, and then to see the people gather from Selma and Montgomery and in motorcades to pay homage to him and his life, its so rewarding to see.

I think my mom would probably say he was due this."

Follow reporter Brad Harper on Twitter: @BradMGM

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: After John Lewis was beaten by a white mob, Alabama family took him in
Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who had decided to not celebrate his birthday on Monday due to Covid-19 crises, spent a low-key birthday amid official engagements. The Shiv Sena chief received birthday wishes from various leaders from across party lines. He also received a letter from Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and a phone call from President Ram Nath Kovind.

Thackeray, who turned 60 on Monday, had appealed to his followers and party workers to not celebrate his birthday. Party workers had, instead, set up blood and plasma donation camps at several places in Mumbai to mark the day.

In an appeal last week, Thackeray had asked not to put up hoardings and spend money on garlands, and instead urged workers to contribute to the Chief Ministers Relief Fund on the occasion.

In a letter tweeted by the chief ministers office (CMO), PM Modi was quoted wishing Thackeray saying, Birthdays are a time to reflect on the past and an opportunity to shape the future. Thanking the PM, Thackeray said the PMs inspirational words will guide him personally and Maharashtra towards a brighter future.

The gesture and the choice of words by Modi suggested that the ties between the two leaders, who were once allies, are still cordial. Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, Indeed, Modiji and Uddhavji share a good personal relationship. Sometimes in politics, certain decisions have to be taken as per the situation, but Maharashtra has shown that nobody should work with personal enmity in their minds in politics.

Raut also said the Sena chief should concentrate on national politics as well. Uddhav Thackeray has ability for national leadership; Ive seen this for many years now.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar; former CM Devendra Fadnavis; Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Ram Vilas Paswan, Prakash Javadekar, and Rajnath Singh; Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Chouhan; West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee; NCP leader Supriya Sule were among others who wished the CM through social media.

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PM Modi launches RBI Retail Direct, Integrated Ombudsman schemes: All you need to know

CIC dismisses appeal seeking disclosure of reports by SBI to Centre, RBI regarding electoral bonds

Cabinet Secretary led panel to select candidate for RBI deputy governors post

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 27: A search panel headed by the cabinet secretary is scheduled to interview shortlisted candidates on August 7 for the post of RBI deputy governor, sources said.

As per the earlier schedule, the interview was to take place on July 23 but was deferred due to some reasons.

The post had fallen vacant after senior-most deputy governor N S Vishwanathan demitted office three months ahead of his extended tenure on March 31 on health grounds after serving the monetary authority for 39 years.

India's financial system sound, lenders should not be extremely risk averse: RBI Guv

The Financial Sector Regulatory Appointment Search Committee (FSRASC) has a list of eight names who would be interviewed via video conference, the sources said.

India bans 47 Chinese apps| More Chinese apps under fire | Oneindia News

The selected name from the interview will be sent to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister for final approval, they added.

Besides the cabinet secretary, other members of FSRASC include the RBI Governor, financial services secretary and two independent members.

This vacancy of RBI deputy governor has been reserved for the central bank's internal candidate, who would look after the key supervisory and regulatory functions at the Mint Road.

Worst health and economic crisis in 100 years: RBI Governor

As per the RBI Act, the central bank should have four deputy governors -- two from within the ranks, one commercial banker and another an economist to head the monetary policy department.

At present, the RBI has three deputy governors -- B P Kanungo, M K Jain and Michael Debabrata Patra.

Earlier this year, the government extended Kanungo's tenure by a year with effect from April 3, 2020.

Kanungo, whose term was to end on April 2, had taken charge as a deputy governor in April 2017.

The deputy governor appointments are made for an initial period of three years and the person is eligible for reappointment. The deputy governor gets a fixed salary of Rs 2.25 lakh per month plus allowances.
Vietnamese citizens at the Toronto airport (Photo: VNA)



The passengers include children under 18, elderly people, workers with expired working contracts, students completing study, and stranded tourists.

This was the fourth flight organised by the Vietnamese Government to carry Vietnamese citizens home from Canada since April.

To ensure the safety of the passengers and crew members and prevent the spread of COVID-19, the carrier strictly implemented security, safety, and hygiene measures during the flight.

After landing in Vietnam, all the passengers and crew members had their health checked and were taken to a concentrated quarantine centre, in line with the countrys regulations.

Implementing Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs directions, relevant domestic agencies and Vietnamese representative agencies abroad are building plans to bring Vietnamese citizens home when domestic quarantine capacity permits./.
The partner banks of the Entrepreneurship Development Fund last week concluded 196 new agreements for a total amount of UAH 638 million under the Affordable Loans 5-7-9% program, as compared to 110 agreements for UAH 324 million a week before, the Finance Ministry of Ukraine said on Monday.

According to the ministry, as of July 27, the banks issues 1,446 loans for a total amount of UAH 2.413 billion since the launch of the program in February.

Credits for refinancing of previously issued loans are in the highest demand among businesses within the government's program. In particular, last week the portfolio of such loans increased by UAH 564 million, to UAH 1.637 billion, and the amount of applications for refinancing reached UAH 6.464 billion.

The ministry also said that entrepreneurs' demand for investment loans remains stably high. As of July 27, the partner banks issued UAH 757.3 million in investment loans, which allowed replenishing the capital funds of businesses by around UAH 1 billion, while the amount of applications for loans within this product reached UAH 5.129 billion.

As of July 27, the Affordable Loans 5-7-9% program has 18 partner banks: Ukrgasbank, Oschadbank, PrivatBank, Ukreximbank, Lviv Bank, FUIB, KredoBank, Alliance Bank, TAScombank, Vostok Bank, Policombank, Megabank, Raiffeisen Bank Aval, Globus Bank, Credit Agricole Bank, OTP Bank and Creditwest Bank.
A popular Jersey Shore tiki bar was closed for deep cleaning after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus.

Captains Inn in Forked River temporarily closed after an employee tested positive, the bar said on Facebook and Instagram posts. The infection came from an outside influence, and the employee is not symptomatic, they said.

The bar plans to reopen on Tuesday after being closed on Sunday and Monday.

Its not clear when the last time the employee worked was. A manager did not return NJ Advance Medias request for comment.

Photos taken by the New York Post show a large crowd gathered outside on Sunday afternoon, with most patrons maskless and closer than six feet. An employee told the paper a bouncer was enforcing crowd limit sizes but said ensuring distancing was difficult.

The Ocean County Department of Health did not respond to NJ Advance Medias request for comment.

Masks are not required at outdoor restaurants while eating or drinking, or while sitting six feet apart, but are required if a distance of six feet cannot be maintained while not eating or drinking.

Employees are required to wear masks at all times.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
Khloe Kardashian showed off her plump pout on Instagram Monday.

The Good American co-founder was glowing as she started the week with the set of selfies.

She puckered up at the camera wearing a shiny, pink-nude gloss that emphasized her already full lips.

Kissy face: Khloe Kardashian shared a series of pouty Instagram shots on Monday

Khloe paired her pout with rosy cheeks, hot pink eyeliner, and a striking set of sherbet orange nails.

She was dressed in a trendy tie-dye top and had her highlighted chocolate locks styled long and straight.

Keeping things simple, her caption was a sole lip print emoji.

The youngest Kardashian sister gave a shout out to the beauty professionals who helped make things happen, tagging makeup artist Mary Phillips and nail artist Chaun P.

Glamarama: The Good American founder paired her pout with rosy cheeks, hot pink eyeliner, and a striking set of sherbet orange nails

Tickled pink: Khloe gave fans a close look at her pink eyeliner, which was courtesy of makeup artist Mary Phillips

Khloe and family are likely looking for ways to be positive amid trying times.

This past week has indeed been a turbulent one for the Kardashian family.

After his presidential rally last weekend, Kayne West took to Twitter to accuse his wife Kim of attempting to 'lock me up'.

He also claimed he had been 'trying to get divorced' from Kim ever since she allegedly met his fellow rapper Meek Mill at the Waldorf Hotel.

Turbulent: Last week the Kardashian/Jenner family dealt with a number of personal attacks from Kanye West, Kim's husband. He is seen at a July 19 campaign rally above

'Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out,' he tweeted.

He reinforced these claims turning on both Kim and her 'momager' Kris Jenner claiming on Twitter that 'they tried to fly in with two doctors to 51/50 me', referring to a section of California law under which people can be confined for mental health reasons.

He also called mother-in-law Kris 'Kris Jong-Un' and accused the pair of 'white supremacy' in another freewheeling series of tweets.

Kim, who shares North, seven, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, 14 months with Kanye, broke her silence over the matter as she addressed his battle with bipolar disorder on Instagram.

Paranoia: After his presidential rally last weekend, Kayne West took to Twitter to accuse his wife Kim of attempting to 'lock me up.' They're seen in December 2018 above

Harsh: He called mother-in-law Kris 'Kris Jong-Un' and accused her and Kim of 'white supremacy' in another freewheeling series of tweets. Kris, Kanye and Kim are seen last November above

Kim called her husband 'brilliant but complicated', and said she and her family were 'powerless' in helping him.

Kanye ultimately issued a grovelling apology to Kim on Twitter last week, where he acknowledged he had hurt her.

'I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter,' Kanye tweeted on Saturday. I did not cover her like she has covered me.

'Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me.'

Speaking up: Kim, who shares North, seven, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, 14 months with Kanye, broke her silence over the matter as she addressed his battle with bipolar disorder on Instagram
Ghislaine Maxwell ambushed prosecutors by asking for a gag order on witnesses in her criminal trial, court documents seen by DailyMail.com claim.

Maxwells lawyers filed an affidavit in her child sex trafficking case on Monday, asking a New York judge to prevent prosecution witnesses from publishing information about the case online.

Prosecutors scrambled to file a letter to Judge Alison Nathan in response, claiming they had been negotiating with Jeffrey Epstein's alleged madams legal team as recently as 6p.m. last night and were surprised by the gagging request.

The British socialites attorney wrote to Judge Nathan asking her to keep discovery materials from being published, but wanted permission to identify witnesses and Maxwells alleged victims who have already come forward in the case.

Maxwell, 58, currently faces trial over criminal child sex trafficking charges in New York, accused of procuring girls as young as 14 for pedophile Epstein to abuse. She has pleaded not guilty and has denied any wrongdoing.

Ghislaine Maxwell ambushed prosecutors by asking for a gag order on witnesses in her criminal trial, court documents seen by DailyMail.com claim

The British socialites attorney Christian Everdell (left) wrote to Judge Alison Nathan (right) asking her to keep discovery materials from being published, but wanted permission to identify witnesses and Maxwells alleged victims who have already come forward in the case

The legal spat follows news that a bombshell cache of previously sealed documents in a civil case against Maxwell are set to be turned over to the public this week  and are reportedly set to expose the details of her allegedly sordid sex life

Maxwell's lawyer Christian Everdell wrote: The defense believes that potential government witnesses and their counsel should be subject to the same restrictions as the defense concerning appropriate use of the discovery materials  namely, if these individuals are given access to discovery materials during trial preparation, they may not use those materials for any purpose other than preparing for trial in the criminal case, and may not post those materials on the Internet, the affidavit said.

The defense believes it should not be restricted from publicly disclosing or disseminating the identity of any alleged victims or potential witnesses referenced in the discovery materials who have already identified themselves by speaking on the public record, the lawyer wrote.

The affidavit said Maxwells legal team had been negotiating with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alison Moe, Alex Rossmiller, and Maurene Comey - the daughter of former FBI director James Comey.

Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, shot back a one-paragraph letter to the judge, asking for a day to respond to Maxwells gagging request.

She said the two sides had been working through the weekend towards an agreement before the surprise filing by the defense.

Maxwell, 58, currently faces trial over criminal child sex trafficking charges in New York, having been accused of procuring girls as young as 14 for pedophile Jeffrey Epstein to abuse. She has pleaded not guilty and has denied any wrongdoing

Audrey Strauss (pictured), Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, shot back a one-paragraph letter to the judge, asking for a day to respond to Maxwells gagging request. She said the two sides had been working through the weekend towards an agreement before the surprise filing by the defense

The affidavit said Maxwells legal team had been negotiating with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alison Moe, Alex Rossmiller, and Maurene Comey - the daughter of former FBI director James Comey

The US Attorney's office and Everdell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Judge Nathan had already slapped down a request from Maxwells lawyers to bar prosecutors from speaking to the media about the case.

But the court told the attorneys to tread carefully in interviews, writing it warns counsel and agents for the parties and counsel for potential witnesses that going forward it will not hesitate to take appropriate action in the face of violations of any relevant rules.

The legal spat follows news that a bombshell cache of previously sealed documents in a civil case against Maxwell are set to be turned over to the public this week  and are reportedly set to expose the details of her allegedly sordid sex life.

US District Judge Loretta Preska unsealed the documents during a Thursday teleconference and gave Maxwells defense team a week to file an appeal.

The files come from a 2015 defamation lawsuit by Virginia Roberts, who accused Maxwell of lying and sexually abusing her as a teenager and pimping her out to rich and powerful men including the Queens son Prince Andrew.
Revelations by a former police spy upend the official story blaming Iran for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, and suggest a cover-up by dirty war elements may have let the real culprits off the hook.

By Gareth Porter

The July 18, 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina was one of the worst pre-9/11 terrorist attacks in the Western hemisphere, killing 85 and injuring 300.

For over a quarter century, the US and Israeli governments have blamed Iran for the bloodshed, citing it as primary evidence of Tehrans role as the worlds largest sponsor of terrorism.

This narrative remains part of the propaganda offensive against Iran, and has been exploited by the Donald Trump administration to justify a campaign of economic strangulation aimed at either destabilizing the Islamic Republic or achieving regime change.

Soon after the bombing, the United States and Israel placed heavy pressure on the Argentine government to implicate Iran. At the time, however, officials in the embassy in Buenos Aires were well aware there was no hard evidence to support such a conclusion.

In an August 1994 cable to the State Department, US Ambassador James Cheek boasted of the steady campaign the embassy had waged that kept the Iranians in the dock where they belong. In a striking comment to this writer in 2007, Cheek conceded, To my knowledge, there was never any real evidence of Iranian responsibility.

Bill Brencick, the chief of the political section in the US embassy from 1994 to 1997, also acknowledged in a 2007 interview that US insinuations of Iranian responsibility were based solely on a wall of assumptions that had no hard evidence to connect those assumptions to the case.

Brencick recalled that he and other US officials recognized enough of a Jewish community [in Buenos Aires] and a history of anti-Semitism that local anti-Semites had to be considered as suspects. But this line of investigation was never pursued in any official capacity, likely because it contradicted the interests of a US national security state that was dead-set on indicting Iran for the bombing.

However, a dramatic development has threatened to upend the official US-Israeli narrative on the AMIA attack. In 2014, the public learned that a former spy who had infiltrated the Jewish community in Buenos Aires on behalf of Argentinas Federal Police had revealed to two investigative journalists that he had been ordered to turn over blueprints to the AMIA building to his Federal Police case officer.

The spy was convinced the building plans were used by the real culprits behind the bombing. His stunning revelation prompted a series of articles in the Argentine press.

The former infiltrators account provided the first clear indication that anti-Semitic veterans of Argentinas Dirty War and their allies in the Argentine police and intelligence service orchestrated the explosion.

But Argentinas legal system  still heavily influenced by the intelligence agency that influenced the official investigation to blame Iran and a prosecutor whose career had been based on that premise  stubbornly refused to investigate the former police spys account.

Infiltration, torture, anti-Semitic conspiracies

The former police infiltrator, Jose Alberto Perez, believed the AMIA building blueprints he had provided to the Federal Police were used by those who planned the bombing. He had learned from his police counter-terrorism training course that such building plans could be valuable tools for planning such an operation.

Perez was also convinced that the bomb had detonated inside the building, rather than in front, and had been placed in the interior of the AMIA building through a gap between it and a neighboring building. Experts of Argentinas Gendarmerie had come to the same conclusion, and leaked it to Clarin, Argentinas largest tabloid, just two days after the bombing.

Perez also provided crucial evidence that those who had used him to spy on Jewish community leaders were motivated by the same anti-Semitic beliefs that had led the Argentine military dictatorship to single out Jews for especially cruel treatment during the dirty war in the 1970s: his case officer, whom he knew only as Laura, had ordered him to find out as much he could from the Jewish community about the so-called Andinia Plan.

According to that alleged plan, Jewish immigrants and foreign Zionists had been secretly plotting to take control of the vast Patagonia region of southern Argentina and create a Jewish state to be called Andinia.

The myth of the Andinia Plan followed the rise of anti-Semitism as a major social force in Argentina during the 1930s and became a staple of the anti-Semitic rights narrative during the heyday of military domination of the Argentine society and politics from the 1960s through the dirty war against leftists in the 1970s.

At least 12 percent of those subjected to interrogation, torture, and murder during the dirty war were Jews, according to an investigation by the Barcelona-based Commission of Solidarity with Relatives of the Disappeared, although they represented only 1 percent of the population. Nearly all were interrogated about the Andinia Plan.

The crusading Argentine journalist Jacobo Timerman, who was born to Jewish parents and whose newspaper provided critical coverage of the military regimes dirty war, was among those detained in the juntas secret prisons.

Timerman recalled in his memoir how he was asked repeatedly to reveal what he knew about the Andinia Plan during extended interrogation and torture sessions. His interrogator refused to accept his answer that it was merely a fiction.

Meanwhile Israel, which maintained strong military and political ties to the Argentine Junta throughout the dirty war, remained silent about the Jewish journalists detention throughout the war.

Iosi goes to the press

Jose Alberto Perez, for his part, was wracked with guilt about having enabled the AMIA terror bombing. He had become an integral part of the Jewish community, studying Hebrew for three years, marrying a Jewish woman who was the secretary of an Israeli Embassy official and even taking the Jewish version of his Spanish surname, Jose. Within the Jewish community, he was known as Iosi Perez.

As he fell into despair, Iosi contacted investigative journalists Miriam Lewin and Horacio Lutzky to ask their help. The two journalists had tried for years to find a foreign sponsor to grant the former spy asylum abroad but to no avail.

Meanwhile, Iosi had secretly taped a video with the prominent Argentine journalist Gabriel Levinas in which he narrated his work penetrating the Jewish community and the unusual request for the blueprints. Levinas posted the video online in early July 2014, just prior to the publication of the second edition of his own book on the AMIA bombing, which included Iosis story.

The release of that video prompted Lewin and Lutzky to arrange for Iosi to join Argentinas Witness Protection Program. The two journalists also urged Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who had spent a decade accusing Iran of the bombing, to meet Iosi in person.

But according to Lewin, Nisman would only agree to speak with Iosi on the phone. The prosecutor insisted on having three of his employees interview Iosi in person, she recalled in an interview with The Grayzone, then signed a declaration about that July 2014 meeting as though he had been present, and did not show interest in interrogating him any further. Iosi entered the Witness Protection Program the same day as the interview, according to Lewin.

Iosis Federal Police case officer Laura, who was retired by then, was released by the minister of security from the normal secrecy requirement about Iosis work. But she rejected Iosis testimony, according to Lewin, claiming his reports had been judged poor. Her claims stood in stark contrast to the actual reports obtained by prosecutors which clearly showed his findings had been evaluated as excellent year after year.

Lewin told The Grayzone she was confident that Iosi would have been able to provide solid information about the local connection of the bombing, but none of the four prosecutors who inherited the unsolved AMIA case after Nismans death were willing to follow up on the leads he provided.

Lewin noted that several of the senior Federal Police officials who would have been involved in the decisions to infiltrate the Jewish Community and request the AMIA blueprints were still active in 2015. That fact helps to explain why the case was left to die despite Iosis explosive revelations.

SIDE covers the juntas back

Another key factor in the corruption of the AMIA investigation was the role of the state intelligence agency, known as SIDE, in influencing the lead prosecutor, Judge Juan Jose Galeano. Not only was a special unit within SIDE tasked with overseeing the Galeanos investigation, another SIDE unit operated directly inside Galeanos office, as journalist Sergio Kiernan reported.

SIDE proceeded to exploit its power to divert attention away from the logical suspects within the junta, circling the wagons to protect its own.

As Sergio Moreno and Laura Termine reported in the daily La Prensa, November 28, 1994, the SIDE unit handling the AMIA investigation was notorious for its hatred of Jews. The group consisted of veterans of the dirty war known as the Cabildo group, their name inspired by a right wing anti-Semitic magazine published in the early 1980s that had republished an infamous tract detailing the Andinia Plan conspiracy.

The chief of the Cabildo group unsuccessfully sued Moreno and Termine for labeling his unit anti-Semitic. Following complaints by Jewish community leaders about the Cabildo groups role in the AMIA investigation, it was removed from the case  but not before it deflected public attention away from leaders of the dirty war and onto an alleged Iranian conspiracy.

SIDEs PR strategy depended on the theory that the AMIA explosion emanated from a vehicle-born suicide bomb, thereby casting suspicion on Iran and its ally, Hezbollah.

The intelligence services claimed a white light commercial van had been used in the bombing. Its engine was supposedly found in the rubble on April 25, a week after the explosion.

The identification number on the engine was traced to Carlos Alberto Telleldin, the Shia owner of a shady chop shop operation that rebuilt damaged cars for sale. Telleldin was accused of being an accessory to the terror plot and jailed on other charges.

But the official AMIA case files revealed that Telleldin had been targeted before the AMIA bombing. This stunning fact was noticed by a private prosecutor hired by the organization of AMIA victims Memoria Activa.

According to a close analysis of the official evidence by Alberto L. Zuppi, a request by Federal Police to wiretap Telleldins phone was issued on April 25  at least five days before the alleged discovery of the engine that led investigators to blame Telleldin.

In the weeks that followed the AMIA explosion, more evidence surfaced that pointed to Telledins role as a patsy.

In September 1994, five Lebanese nationals were detained as they tried to leave Argentina for Paraguay. Through a series of leaks, SIDE planted stories in the media suggesting the suspects were linked to a terrorist network.

The following month, a part-time agent for SIDE and former chief of a notorious prison camp where suspects were tortured during the dirty war, Captain Hector Pedro Vergez, began visiting Telleldin in prison.

In four meetings between September 1994 and January 1995, Vergez offered the jailed suspect $1 million and his freedom if he would identify two of the Lebanese nationals who were then detained in Paraguay as having purchased the van from him  thus making it possible to accuse them of the bombing. But Telleldin refused to lie, and the SIDE plan was derailed.

It was not long, however, before SIDE and Galeano initiated a new plan to implicate two Buenos Aires provincial policemen as Iranian-sponsored culprits.

Resorting to bribery, Mossad info, and MEK sources to blame Iran

In July 1996, Juan Jose Galeano personally visited Carlos Telleldin in prison and offered him $400,000 to blame the two police officers. The scandalous scene was captured in a video shown on Argentine television in 1997.

SIDE was actively involved in the cover-up operation, with agency director Hugo Anzorreguy approving a direct payment to Telleldins wife.

The case against the two policemen was thrown out in court in 2004, but Galeano and Anzorreguy went unpunished for another 15 years. It was not until 2019 that they were sentenced to prison terms for their role in the affair, highlighting the culture of impunity that surrounded SIDE.

Once the Galeano case imploded, Alberto Nisman attempted to craft yet another narrative blaming Iran for the bombing. For this, he depended on information provided by Israels Mossad to Jaime Stiuso, the SIDE official in charge of counterintelligence.

Nismans 2006 indictment of seven Iranian officials for the terror plot relied completely on the claims of senior members of the Mujahedin-E-Khalq (MEK), the Israeli and Saudi-backed Iranian exile cult.

Not only were none of the MEK members in any position to provide reliable information about a supposedly high-level Iranian plot because they had been actively engaged in a terrorist campaign of their own against the Islamic government by helping Iraqs then-President Saddam Hussein select targets in Iran.

Nismans reliance on such unscrupulous sources demonstrated his own apparent determination to reach preordained conclusions about Irans guilt. It was hardly a surprise, then, that Nisman ignored Iosis revelatory testimony.

Nismans other major source, Jaime Stiuso of SIDE, was a notorious manipulator who had spent years collecting wiretaps on Argentine politicians. In 2014, the intelligence chief was working to build a case against President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner for supposedly conspiring with Iran to eliminate the official Argentine accusation of Iranian guilt. Few observers believed the case would hold up under close scrutiny.

In January 2015, Nisman was found dead in his apartment of a gunshot wound to the head. Though political opponents of Kirchner were convinced the prosecutors death was the result of a government-sponsored murder, a recent documentary detailing the various investigations of his death, Nisman: el fiscal, la presidenta y el espia, concluded that he had committed suicide.

By the time of his death, Nisman was helping direct a disinformation campaign that allowed SIDE to cover for shadowy figures from Argentinas violently anti-Semitic past, and to bury their likely role in the AMIA bombing.

Iosis testimony should have ended that cover-up, but Nisman, SIDE, and the Federal Police colluded to quash a serious investigation.

A quarter-century after the bombing, impunity for the real AMIA terrorists continues.
Emmy statuette. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Tuesday's announcement of the 2020 Emmy nominations comes at a moment of heightened attention to diversity and representation in TV, prompted by protests over the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement more broadly. But while the TV Academy has not faced a high-profile controversy like #OscarsSoWhite, a Times analysis of nominees for television's most prestigious prize from the past five years reveals that those honored for the medium's most "outstanding" work remain overwhelmingly white.

From 2015 to 2019, 82% of the nominees in 19 prime-time Emmy categories were white, including more than three-fourths of the acting nominees and fully 90% of the writing and directing nominees.

Categories studied included the 12 major acting categories, the writing and directing categories for comedy, drama and limited series, and directing for variety series. (Writing for variety series, for which entire staffs are nominated together, was omitted.) Black people accounted for 14% of nominees overall. Asian nominees were 2% of the total, Latinos 1%, and all others a combined 1%.

By contrast, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, non-Hispanic whites are 60% of the population, Latinos 18%, Black people 13%, Asian/Pacific Islanders 6% and American Indians 1%. (An additional 3% of people identify as two or more races.)

Pedro Pascal in Netflix's "Narcos." (Juan Pablo Gutierrez / Netflix)

"As an organization which is open for membership to all individuals working in the television industry, the Television Academy fervently agrees that there is still much work to be done across our industry in regards to representation," the academy said in a statement to The Times. "We feel it is a very positive sign that over the past decade the well-deserved recognition of performers of color has increased from 1 in 10 to 1 in 3 nominees across all performer categories. Clearly that increase in representation has not been equal for all groups, and clearly there is still more to do to improve both gender and racial representation across all categories."

Story continues

Perhaps most glaringly, there have been no Latino performers among the lead and supporting nominees for comedy or drama series in the last five years. Those in the Hispanic/Latino category comprise the largest ethnic minority in America.

Candidates during that time have included the casts of the acclaimed "Jane the Virgin" and "One Day at a Time," Stephanie Beatriz in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," Bobby Cannavale in "Homecoming," America Ferrera in "Superstore," and Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal and Michael Pena of Netflix's "Narcos" franchise, among others. The TV Academy has nominated a number of Latinos in the limited series/TV movie categories in that period, including last year's winner for "When They See Us," Afro-Latino actor Jharrel Jerome.

The dearth of diversity in the Emmy nominations reflects underrepresentation of women and people of color in the industry more broadly. For instance, UCLA's 2019 Hollywood Diversity Report found that approximately 21% of broadcast, cable and digital scripted leads were people of color  versus 40% of the population  and 42% were women  versus more than 50%. As for the Television Academy's own makeup, a spokesperson told The Times that the organization does not require its members to furnish racial/ethnic identification.

While the Screen Actors Guild also does not require its members to provide demographic information, it is possible to compare the data on the Emmy nominees from 2015 to 2019 with statistics from other industry guilds.

According to the Writers Guild of America's 2020 WGAW Inclusion Report, 65% of people "holding ... TV writing jobs" in 2018 were white. Latinx people were again sorely underrepresented, accounting for just 8.7% of the total.

That divide becomes greater when positions of authority are counted separately. White writers account for 82% of showrunners and 81% of executive producers, while writers of color make up the majority of executive story editors and story editors and are approximately at parity with whites at the level of staff writer. Meanwhile, men hold 70% and 76% of the showrunner and executive producer jobs, respectively; women account for 57% of staff writers.

The Directors Guild of America says director members of color account for 11% of its ranks. The DGA does not make hiring recommendations to studios and networks but does include language encouraging diversity in guild-signatory contracts.



According to the DGA, whose director membership is 82.5% male, women directed 31% of TV episodes in 2018-19, up 6% from the year prior. Women also accounted for 49% of all first-time hires during the 2018-19 season. Yet in the writing and directing Emmy categories, men received 85% of the nominations.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge accepts the award for writing for a comedy series for "Fleabag" at the 2019 Emmy Awards. Waller-Bridge led a charge of eight women nominated in the category that year. However, in 2020, not one of those shows is eligible for the award. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

As for trends, the proportion of people of color nominated in the acting, writing and directing categories, and the proportion of women in the writing and directing categories, remained relatively stable over the five years studied. (Women did make up a more significant percentage of last year's crop of nominated writers, though  thanks in large part to three series, "Fleabag," "Russian Doll" and "PEN15," that are not eligible in 2020.) As the TV Academy noted in its statement, the representation of people of color in the performer categories has improved more substantially if one looks at the past 10 years instead of the last five.

Given recent events, it's reasonable to expect that Emmy voters  who are not immune to the tenor of the times  will honor a greater number of people of color and women than in past years in some major categories; among the series predicted to make a strong showing are "Pose," "Watchmen," and "Little Fires Everywhere."
NASA plans to launch its new Perseverance Mars rover  which will set out to seek signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples for possible return to Earth  by the end of July.

This will be the fifth rover the space agency has sent to Mars, on the heels of Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity.

These rovers have helped scientists make several discoveries  including the presence of frozen and liquid water on the planet  since the first landing in 2004.

NASA is expected to launch Perseverance from the Cape Canaveral station in Florida by no later than 30 July 2020.

Following a space flight of around seven months, Perseverance is set to land in the planets Jezero Crater on 18 February 2021.

According to NASAs current research, the crater may have hosted an oasis with current evidence pointing to a large river in the area that flowed between 3 and 4 billion years ago.

Perseverance will aim to collect preserved organic molecules and other potential signs of microbial life in this area.

It is the first rover to employ a sample caching system to collect these samples for return to Earth in a future mission.

While Curiositys drill pulverises rocks for analysis, Perseverances will cut intact rock cores around half the size of a piece of chalk and place them in tubes to be stored until the rover reaches an appropriate drop-off location.

Biggest and most sophisticated rover

Built-in NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab in Southern California, Perseverance measures around 3 metres in length and weighs more than a tonne, making it the largest and heaviest robotic Mars rover NASA has built.

To put this into perspective, the first Mars rover Sojourner was only around 66 centimetres long and weighed a modest 10kg  making it around the size of large microwave oven.

Perseverance is also the most sophisticated rover to be sent to Mars, equipped with advanced computational capabilities for landing and other systems, and a wide array of scientific instruments.

These include a Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals (SHERLOC) instrument, which can detect organic matter, and a Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL), which measures the composition of rocks and soil.

This will allow Perseverance to map organic matter, chemical composition and texture together at a higher level of detail than any Mars rover has done before.

The rover will also carry a brand new separate experiment  a small helicopter called Ingenuity  which is set to be the first aircraft to be flown in a controlled way on another planet.

Ingenuity employs two 1.2-metre long carbon fibre blades that spin at around 2,400rpm  eight times as fast as a standard helicopter on Earth.

It also features innovative solar cells, battery, avionics, sensors, telecommunications, and other designs and algorithms, in addition to off-the-shelf components such as two smartphone cameras, an altimeter, inclinometer, and computer processors.

Keep an eye out

Perseverance will carry 19 cameras to provide detailed imagery of the Mars landscape.

Four additional cameras will give engineers a high-definition view of the entry, descent, and landing stages.

The raw and processed images of the mission will be made available to the public on the Perseverance missions website.

Below are images of the Perseverance rover during its first test drive, as well as renders of the rover and Ingenuity helicopter on Mars.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Wyoming grew by 45 on Monday, with the number of confirmed cases rising by 43 and the number of probable cases rising by two, according to the Wyoming Department of Healths daily update.

Thirty-two new coronavirus recoveries were also announced: 30 confirmed and two probable.

Probable cases are defined by officials as close contacts of lab-confirmed cases with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

A patient is considered fully recovered when there is resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and there is improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, shortness of breath) for 72 hours AND at least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, according to the Wyoming Department of Health.

There are now 2,520 cases  2,072 confirmed and 448 probable  and 1,915 recoveries  1,568 confirmed and 347 probable  recorded in the state, as well as 25 deaths.

As of Thursday, there have been 67,700 tests performed for COVID-19 in Wyoming: 33,135 from the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory and 34,565 reported by other labs. In total, 47,745 people have been tested.

More than three-fourths of confirmed patients have fully recovered.

Patients have tested positive for coronavirus in all 23 of Wyomings counties. Wyoming and Hawaii are tied with the second lowest recorded number of coronavirus deaths of any state (Alaska), and Wyomings death rate (4 per 100,000 residents) is third-lowest to Alaska and Hawaii, according to the New York Times. The states infection rate (428 in 100,000) is eighth-lowest among states, also according to the Times, which includes probable counts where they exist.

Seventeen coronavirus patients are currently hospitalized in Wyoming. Less than 8% of Wyomings cases required a hospital stay. In 29.5% of the cases, health officials dont know if the patient was hospitalized.

The virus has disproportionately affected people of color throughout the United States, a trend that is also reflected in Wyomings data. More than 59.3% of confirmed cases in Wyoming are white, 18.3% are American Indian, 15.4% are Hispanic, 1.3% are Black, 0.6% are Asian, and 0.4% are Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander The racial identities of 4.3% of confirmed cases in Wyoming are not known, and 4.7% of confirmed cases identified as other races. According to 2019 census estimates, Wyomings population is 83.8% white (not Hispanic/Latino), 10.1% Hispanic/Latino, 2.7% American Indian/Alaska Native, 1.3% Black, 1.1% Asian and 2.2% two or more races.

In 49.5% of the cases, the patient came in contact with a known case. Community spread has been attributed to 19.5% of the cases. In another 12.2% of the cases, the patient had traveled either domestically or internationally. The Health Department attributes 2.7% of cases to communal living. In 7.1% of Wyomings cases, health officials dont how the person was exposed to the virus, and 13.1% of cases are pending investigation.







Cases in Wyoming by county (probable in parentheses)

Albany: 70 (7)

Big Horn: 29 (4)

Campbell: 86 (22)

Carbon: 49 (19)

Converse: 19 (11)

Crook: 9

Fremont: 398 (57)

Goshen: 9 (2)

Hot Springs: 14 (3)

Johnson: 18 (4)

Laramie: 296 (126)

Lincoln: 59 (30)

Natrona: 170 (30)

Niobrara: 1 (1)

Park: 90 (11)

Platte: 4 (1)

Sheridan: 33 (10)

Sublette: 23 (7)

Sweetwater: 208 (13)

Teton: 254 (38)

Uinta: 188 (47)

Washakie: 40 (5)

Weston: 5







Deaths in Wyoming by county

Fremont: 10

Washakie: 5

Laramie: 2

Sweetwater: 2

Carbon: 1

Campbell: 1

Johnson: 1

Natrona: 1

Teton: 1







Health Department data(tncms-asset)f0608226-6ece-11ea-bd05-00163ec2aa77[3](/tncms-asset)

National cases

There have been more than 4.2 million cases nationally, with about 147,000 deaths, according to the New York Times running count.







Know the symptoms

COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is a respiratory illness. Its symptoms include cough, fever and shortness of breath. Symptoms appear within two weeks. If you have contact with a person who has COVID-19, you should self-isolate for 14 days.







Follow the Wyoming Health Departments tips

Stay home when sick and avoid contact with other people unless you need medical attention.

Follow advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on what to do if you think you may be sick.

Follow current public health orders.

Follow commonsense steps such as washing your hands often and well, covering your coughs and sneezes, and cleaning and disinfecting.

Nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other healthcare facilities should closely follow guidelines for infection control and prevention.

Older people and those with health conditions that mean they have a higher chance of getting seriously ill should avoid close-contact situations.
JOLIET, IL  After staying closed nearly four months during the new coronavirus health crisis, one of West Jefferson Street's widely known sit-down restaurants is trying to make a comeback. Golden Corral, 2100 W. Jefferson St., reopened this month and this Golden Corral is much different from the one you may have visited in years past.

First, Golden Corral eliminated the buffet. Golden Corral even removed the word "buffet" from its restaurant sign. The sign now just says Golden Corral Grill.

"Most of the guests are comparing us with Cracker Barrel with better options, especially for seniors, because of the all you can eat," remarked Joliet's Golden Corral store manager Alina Bosze. "It is much nicer, and I'm getting a lot of compliments about the taste of the food and the temperature of the food."



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Image via John Ferak/Patch

The Joliet restaurant is now focusing on family style meals. Meals will be dished up and brought to your tables by servers wearing gloves and masks. The restaurant underwent an interior remodeling during the pandemic. One of the most impressive features is the large fireplace installed in the middle of Golden Corral's main dining room.

Before the pandemic, Golden Corral had a seating capacity of 375. Under the new set-up, Golden Corral has a capacity of 140 guests.



"It is much safer; only the employees are touching the food," Bosze told Joliet Patch. "We changed from plastic plates to ceramic plates. And of course, our ambiance is different. We have a beautiful new fireplace and round tables. We didn't remove tables, but we spaced them."

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Image via John Ferak/Patch





In years past, Joliet Golden Corral customers could walk up to the buffet as many times as they wanted. But even though the buffet's been removed amid health concerns for its Joliet guests, customers can still enjoy endless entrees, Bosze said.



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"It's endless servings to the tables, and no one does that," she said. "Golden Corral came up with this great family style (offering) and we start with bread and butter, choice of soup and salads and then all you can eat food."

On weekends, Golden Corral offers salmon, ribs, butterfly shrimp and jumbo shrimp, the manager said.

According to 1,273 Google Reviews, the Joliet Golden Corral shows a 3.9 rating out of 5 stars. Its Facebook page shows that 21,416 customers have checked-in at the Joliet Golden Corral.

Bosze said her restaurant's food is getting a terrific response from people who have patronized the West Jefferson Street restaurant since reopening in July.

"It is coming very fresh, and we are very famous for our fried fish and on weekends we have catfish," Bosze told Joliet Patch last week. "Our pot roast is still popular and the fried chicken is the biggest seller in our restaurant."

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Image via John Ferak/Patch





The Golden Corral manager told Joliet Patch that "we have a lot of vegetables and starches like sweet potato casserole, rice and Mexican salads.

"People who come in and try us once I can surely say, 75 percent are returning," Bosze said. "We are not buffet (anymore). All of our employees are wearing masks. Everyone is serving guests with the gloves so safety is the biggest concern right now."

Golden Corral had about 55 employees prior to the pandemic, Bosze told Patch.

The Joliet restaurant now has 45 staff, however, several servers with more than 10 years of experience are back on the job, the store manager of the past seven years explained.

Under the new format amid the coronavirus outbreak, Joliet's Golden Corral is closed Mondays and open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Golden Corral also installed new carpeting throughout the restaurant to eliminate "slip and falls," Bosze said.

If customers are not comfortable eating indoors, that's OK, too. Golden Corral offers takeout and customers can go online to place their orders here.

Golden Corral has been in Joliet at the Marycrest Shopping Center the past 14 years. The next closest locations are in Bolingbrook and in Aurora near the Fox Valley Mall.



Image via John Ferak/Patch

Image via John Ferak/Patch

Image via John Ferak/Patch

Image via John Ferak/Patch

This article originally appeared on the Joliet Patch
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) announced its participation in the winning consortium, led by the U.K. Government and Bharti Enterprises (Bharti), that will acquire OneWeb out of bankruptcy. Hughes has agreed in principle to invest $50 million in the consortium. Additionally, Hughes will continue as a trusted technology and distribution partner to OneWeb, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite operator which had launched 74 satellites before filing for Chapter 11 protection in March.

Pradman Kaul, president, Hughes, said, We are pleased to be part of this winning team, along with the British Government and Bharti. Our continuing and strengthened involvement with OneWeb extends naturally from our position as a leading geostationary satellite operator and ground network innovator, along with a meaningful partnership with Bharti and longstanding relationship with the U.K. through our business operations in both countries.

Mr. Kaul continued: This global consortium brings the right players together to fulfill the promise of the OneWeb constellation in deploying low-latency services for communities, enterprises, governments, airplanes and ships  complementing geostationary connectivity and ushering in the new era of multi-transport services that will serve growing bandwidth demand around the world. We look forward to doing our part in developing this groundbreaking technology and bringing those services to market.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises said We are delighted to welcome Hughes to the consortium. The investment by Hughes underlines OneWebs exciting commercial prospects, reflected in the ongoing discussions with some of the worlds leading strategic and financial investors.

Consummation of the consortium is contingent upon execution and effectiveness of definitive agreements. Confirmation of OneWebs reorganization is contingent on certain conditions established by the Bankruptcy Court.

Through its Hughes Europe division, which is headquartered outside of London, and sister company EchoStar Mobile Limited, Hughes has worked closely with the U.K. Government. Furthermore, Hughes Communications India Ltd, (HCIL), a majority-owned subsidiary of Hughes, and Bharti Airtel Limited (Airtel), a leading Indian telecom provider affiliated with Bharti, are in the process of combining their satellite broadband operations in India. The merger, which was announced in 2019, is pending regulatory approvals and is expected to bring greater scale, operational efficiencies and market reach to deliver solutions for enterprise and government networks.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to release Rs 53,000 crore, which the Centre owes to the state for various social security schemes and other funds amounting to thousands of crores to help the states fight against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

She said that the Centre is yet to release the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation worth Rs 4,135 crore for April and May and urged the Modi government to withdraw all conditions imposed on the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003, in a bid to give full advantage to the states to utilise the funds.

The state had requested the Centre to release Rs 35,000 crore after cyclone Amphan had hit Bengal. You had surveyed the areas with your team. But, only Rs 1,000 crore has been released to date, she reminded the PM.

The CM made this remark while attending a virtual programme in which the PM launched high throughput Covid-19 testing facilities at the Indian Council for Medical Researchs (ICMR) national institutes in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Noida in Uttar Pradesh (UP).

Union health minister, CMs of UP, and Maharashtra; Harshvardhan, Yogi Adityanath and Uddhav Thackeray, respectively, also attended the virtual programme.

The CM said that even though the state is being asked to utilise the money from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to fight the Covid-19 crisis, it could not be done as those funds have to be kept aside to tide over natural calamities such as cyclones and floods, which Bengal is prone to.

This is not the first time that the Banerjee has requested the Centre to release its pending dues of Rs 53,000 crore.

She also requested the PM that states are allowed to take independent decisions on the issue of holding of final-year university examinations because of the threat posed by the pandemic.

She also lodged a complaint against Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, but stopped short of naming him. Some people are using their constitutional positions to harass the state government every day, she added as a comment in passing.

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Government employees retiring during coronavirus pandemic will receive "provisional" pension till their regular Pension Payment Order (PPO) is issued and other official formalities are completed, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions on Monday.

The decision has been taken in wake of disruption caused by the coronavirus-led nationwide lockdown as retiring employees are facing difficulty in submitting necessary documents to concerned offices in time.

As per the office memorandum issued by Department of Pensions, the payment of provisional pension will initially continue for a period of six months from the date of retirement and the said period may be further extended up to one year in exceptional cases. These instructions shall also be applicable in cases where a government servant retires otherwise than on superannuation i.e. voluntary retirement, retirement under FR 56, etc.

Jitendra Singh, MoS Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, said that after the Modi government took over, the Department of Pensions had upgraded and equipped itself to deliver the PPO to the concerned employee without delay on the day of his or her superannuation. Besides this, the department also created a portal, which could be accessed by any government employee approaching superannuation to find out the status of his or her pension papers, he said.

However, because of the disruption in the official work on account of COVID pandemic and lockdown, Singh said, some of the employees who had retired during this period may not have been provided with PPO. "But, as an evidence of the present government's sensitivity towards the pensioners and the senior citizens, a decision was taken that in order to avoid a delay in the start of regular pension covered under CCS (Pension Rules) 1972, the rules may be relaxed to enable seamless payment of "provisional pension" and "provisional gratuity" till the regular PPO is issued," he said.

"This decision has been taken considering that because of the constraints of pandemic and lockdown, a government servant may find difficulty in submitting his pension forms to the head of office or may not be able to forward the claim form in hard copy along with service book to the concerned pay and accounts office in time, particularly when both the offices are located in different cities. This is very pertinent to Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) who are constantly on the move and whose Heads of Offices are located in cities different from where the Pay & Accounts Office is located," said Singh.

In a separate notification, the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare (DOPPW) has directed all offices maintaining GPF (General Provident Fund) accounts to complete all credit entries, including accruing interest to the employees two years before retirement and then one year before retirement so that provident fund is also paid accurately in time.

Also Read: PM Modi launches three COVID testing labs in Noida, Mumbai, Kolkata
Former Vice President Joe Biden holds a 7-percentage-point advantage over President Donald Trump in the swing state of North Carolina, according to a new survey, with the states Democratic candidates for governor and Senate also leading their Republican rivals.

An NBC News/Marist poll released Monday reports that a majority of North Carolina registered voters surveyed, 51 percent, support Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, while 44 percent prefer Trump.

The survey also shows down-ballot Democrats in North Carolina enjoying even more commanding leads in their closely watched races less than 100 days before Novembers general election.

Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham, who is challenging Republican incumbent Thom Tillis, achieved 50 percent support among registered voters surveyed compared with Tillis 41 percent in the NBC News/Marist poll.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who is seeking a second term, outperformed Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, 58-38.

The surveys results come after a recent spate of public polling in other swing states showed Trump trailing Biden significantly in the battlegrounds he captured four years ago to seize the presidency. Trump won North Carolina by 3.8 percentage points in 2016.

Biden opened up a 13-point lead over Trump among registered voters in the presidents adopted home state of Florida, according to a Quinnipiac University poll published last Thursday.

A series of CNN-SSRS state polls released Sunday reported Biden leading Trump by 51 percent to 46 percent in Florida; 49 percent to 45 percent in Arizona; and 52 percent to 40 percent in Michigan.

In 2016, Trump won Florida by 1.3 percentage points, won Arizona by 4.1 percentage points and won Michigan by 0.3 percentage points.

The NBC News/Marist poll was conducted July 14-22, surveying 1,067 adults with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. The margin of error among the 882 registered voters surveyed is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
As the coronavirus spreads, regional leaders and international representatives have gathered to discusses tackling the virus and protecting vulnerable citizens writes Shaam Network.

The Foreign Relations Department of the Syrian National Coalition held a virtual meeting with ambassadors and representatives of friendly countries, to discuss the international campaign by the Syrian National Coalition to combat and contain the coronavirus pandemic in Syria.

In attendance were coordinators, members of the coalition, co-head of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, Hadi al-Bahra, in addition to the Minister of Health of the Syrian Interim Government, Dr. Maram al-Sheikh, the Director General of the Coordination Unit, Muhammad Hassnu, and the coordinator of the Early Warning Alert and Response Network, Dr. Nasser al-Mahawesh.

Representatives of the United States of America, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Belgium participated in the meeting.

The latter focused on the health situation in Syria, and effective steps to combat the coronavirus after several outbreaks in liberated areas were discussed, in addition to following up on the implementation of the agreed plan between the Ministry of the Health, Health Cluster and the World Health Organization (WHO) to tackle the virus.

The Minister of Health gave a briefing on the health situation in the liberated areas and pointed out that tests are being conducted for high-risk cases and those who interacted with them. The minister clarified that the number of those infected with the coronavirus reached 22 as of Thursday evening.

He added that there is strong coordination between the Ministry of Health and the health directorates in all regions. He also said that two quarantine centers have been equipped, the first at the Bab al-Hawa crossing, the other in the city of al-Bab.

He stressed that there is great concern due to the increase in the number of infections, especially since the region has little to no capabilities to accommodate the growing cases in the region. He demanded the provision of health equipment and face masks free of charge, as well as the provision of food and drinking water.

The President of the National Coalition, Dr. Nasr al-Hariri, also attended a part of the meeting. He thanked all countries for their continuous support of the Syrian people and their cause, especially the humanitarian and medical assistance and the response plan to fight and contain the coronavirus. He spoke about the precarious situation in the liberated areas, especially with regards to health facilities, and the high population density  particularly in the camps. He also stressed the need to continue to support and strengthen the emergency response plan in coordination with WHO and the need to raise the level of support with regards to drinking water.

Hariri said that the only solution to deal with the crises afflicting the country  including the coronavirus crisis  lies in achieving a political transition, in accordance with Resolution 2254 and the Geneva Declaration, leading to a state of institutions that are capable of properly dealing with crises, and realizing the aspirations of the Syrian people in terms of freedom, dignity and democracy. He emphasized the need for accountability and the release of detainees, which he considered to be the cornerstone of transitional justice and sustainable peace in Syria.

The issue of detainees in Assad prisons was one of the most important items on the meetings agenda. The participants confirmed that the detainees are more vulnerable than others to the infection, due to the poor conditions in prisons. As for female detainees, they are exposed to brutal torture and overcrowding in prisons.

Participating countries demanded pressure on the regime to comply with international resolutions and to implement Special Envoy Pedersens call to immediately release detainees and allow international organizations access to prisons and detention centers.

The attendees reviewed the latest developments in the field, especially the start of the military formations in the Syrian National Army and the withdrawal from the cities to the Rabat areas near the frontlines. At the political level, the attendees discussed the preparations for the Constitutional Committees third session, which was called by Pedersen.

For their part, ambassadors and country representatives affirmed their continuous support for the rights of the Syrian people, their permanent commitment to providing humanitarian and medical assistance to those in need in the camps, their support for the political process, and the efforts of Pedersen to make the work of the Constitutional Committee successful in order to reach a political solution in accordance with Resolution 2254.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Madras High Court has directed the Centre to constitute a panel comprising officers of the Tamil Nadu government for Other Backward Castes (OBC) reservations in the all India quota for medical seats.

The High Court has also ruled that the Centre is empowered to enact the law, brushing aside any legal or constitutional impediments against the execution of the reservation. The court stated that the Centre proposed the OBC reservation, however, since there was no law backing the proposal, a positive direction could not be given by the court.

Meanwhile, the court orders were followed by strong disagreements from the Medical Council of India (MCI), which argued that only the Supreme Court can rule on the issue of OBC reservations. Responding to which, the High Court argued that when MCI does not oppose reservations in All India Quota seats in Central institutions, it cannot do so in non-Central colleges.

As per the proposals, about 15 per cent of seats in All India quotas for undergraduate non-Central institutions, and 50 per cent for PG seats, are supposed to be reserved for OBC candidates.

The state opposition parties have been strongly condemning the inaction on the implementation of the OBC reservations. While the incumbent government was also urging the Centre to take required action in the matter.

In Tamil Nadu, medical seats is a deep-rooted political issue, and the suicide of aspiring doctor Anita acted as a catalyst in the situation. The incident was a flashpoint in the movement against the common entrance test NEET.
As they prepare for their upcoming wedding, Angela Deem has been spending time in Michael Ilesanmis world. However, life in Nigeria seemingly isnt what she expected it to be.

In a recent episode of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After, Angela actually had a full-on meltdown due to an experience at a local market, drawing ire from viewers who felt she was being disrespectful to her fiances culture.

Angela Deem and Michael Ilesanmi | deemangela via Instagram

Angela Deems relationship with Michael Ilesanmi has been complicated from the beginning

The couple first met over Facebook and began a cyber relationship. As their romance took off, Angela flew from her home in rural Georgia to meet him in person in Nigeria, where they got engaged.

Michael tried to obtain a visa to move to the United States but when his application got denied, Angela traveled back to Nigeria so they could marry and have a better chance of getting approved.

However, the lead-up to the ceremony has arguably been just as stressful, with the pair clashing over everything from their baby plans to their cultural differences. It got so intense in a recent episode that Angela even said she no longer wanted to get married.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Are Angela Deem and Michael Ilesanmi Still Together After She Canceled Their Wedding

Angela Deem had a meltdown on a recent episode

On the July 26 episode, the couple headed to a local market in preparation for a dinner with Michaels family, where they planned to discuss their wedding. But when Angela realized that it was an outdoor market and not a grocery store, she immediately began to complain.

Explaining the way she likes to grocery shop, Angela said: I go into a grocery store, where its air conditioner, where things are processed, canned, you know? Just looking around, I dont like what I see.

As she browsed the rows with Michael, Angela was visibly uncomfortable and seemed ready to leave. She suggested that they just go and order a pizza, but when Michael informed her his mom isnt a fan of the dish, she had no choice but to stick around.

However, once they moved toward the meat section, where there were freshly butchered animals, Angela lost it. Michael told her he just wanted to get some goat, but Angela refused and started pulling away from him. Im not going down there and getting no goats meat! she yelled, holding her shirt over her face to block the smell. No, no, no, no, no, go Michael!

She grew increasingly agitated until she caught a glimpse of a table with goat heads and fully freaked out. Aargh! she screamed, taking off through the market. As she and Michael made their way to the car, Angela unleashed her frustration on him.

Im not a Nigerian woman, Michael, she yelled. Im American. I aint eating no frickin goats head. F*ck that sh*t, man. You aint getting me sick.

She started to gag once they reached the car while continuing to let loose on her fiance. Some things I cant do, man, she told him as she tried to calm her down. I cant live like this. God, thank you for the United States of America.

I cant go back to that meat. I probably got malaria now, she snapped. You know Im a hypochondriac, and Im feeling sick.

Over time, Angela seemed to calm down but she continued to vent about the experience as they drove away from the market.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Why Angela Deem Says Shes Not Moving to Nigeria

Fans react to Angela Deems meltdown

A lot of viewers were shocked by Angelas behavior, calling it ignorant, disrespectful, and so much more.

How do u get malaria from LOOKING at uncooked meat !?! one fan wondered after watching the scene.

Another viewer questioned if Angela is making a smart decision in marrying Michael due to their many cultural differences. Angela got all these issues with Nigerian culture why you picked a Nigerian man to marry? Im so confused. You American, you do American sh*t, marry an American manhow hard is this? read the tweet.

A third fan offered up some advice for the TV star, writing, Angela go learn how to cook african food for your husband and stop forcing america on them, have respect for culture and tradition.

But another viewer suggested that Angela made her intentions clear in regards to her life with Michael. sooo what angela is telling us right now is that shes lazy and wont do the bare minimum to respect her fiances culture anymore now that she got the blessings, the tweet read.

Mood of all of us watching Angela do the most #90DayFiance pic.twitter.com/qDQJ9qpWn9  Eds_Neck (@eds_neck) July 27, 2020

Angela has not yet responded to the criticism, but fans can see more of her at 8 p.m. ET on Sundays on TLC.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is set to launch high throughput COVID-19 testing facilities today on the 27th July via video conferencing. With establishments of these facilities, the testing capacity will ramp up in the country which in turn will help in strengthening early detection and treatment, thus assisting in keeping a check on the spread of the pandemic.

The location of the three high-throughput testing facilities are as follows: ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida; ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Mumbai; and ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata. These facilities are equipped to be able to test over 10,000 samples in a day. The labs will also cut down on the turn-around-time and exposure of lab personnel to infectious clinical materials. Besides, the facilities are enabled to test diseases other than COVID as well. Hopefully, after the pandemic subsides, the facilities will be able to test for Hepatitis B and C, HIV, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Cytomegalovirus, Chlamydia, Neisseria, Dengue, etc.

Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Science & Technology, along with Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh will be attending in the event.
By Chris Bragg | Times Union, Albany

Albany, N.Y.  Democrats in the state Legislature took the first step last week to significantly diminish the role Republicans will play in the once-a-decade redrawing of New York lawmakers districts.

Last weeks developments could be the first step in a reversal of a constitutional amendment New York voters approved in 2014, which proponents had argued would ensure that both parties had a role in drawing legislative and congressional lines.

The measure passed last week in the Democratic-controlled state Assembly and Senate still must pass both houses of the Legislature again in early 2021. It would then be voted on in a November 2021 statewide referendum to amend the redistricting provisions of New Yorks constitution for the second time in seven years.

That rushed constitutional amendment process would play out in the midst of a once-a-decade redistricting process that was already looming. Federal census data revealing population shifts in New York will likely become available in July 2021.

By November 2021, when the referendum to significantly alter the process would take place, a new bipartisan commission drawing lines for the first time will be in the heat of its work. Under the Democrats' proposed amendment, the commission would then face tight deadlines to put forth a proposed map, or else hand back power to draw the lines to a Legislature likely to be wholly under Democratic control.

For decades, the drawing of districts has been done by longstanding majority parties in the two chambers. Republicans ruling the state Senate drew oddly shaped districts favoring Republicans that helped a party with a declining share of New Yorks voter registration retain a toehold of power. Democrats ruling the Assembly drew districts favoring their own Democratic members.

But in 2010, former New York City Mayor Ed Koch led an effort to reform the redistricting process and Senate Republicans  desperate to win back a majority the party lost in 2008  signed Kochs independent redistricting pledge. Andrew Cuomo, running for a first term in office, vowed to veto district lines that were not drawn by an independent panel.

But after Senate Republicans won back a narrow majority in the 2010 elections, they soon backed away from their pledge. In 2012, Cuomo agreed to allow Republicans to draw their own district lines one final time, but Republicans agreed to pass a constitutional amendment creating a bipartisan redistricting process. Voters passed the constitutional referendum in 2014.

The situation has now shifted again because Democrats, aided by voter enthusiasm opposing the presidency of Republican President Donald J. Trump, resoundingly won back the majority in 2018. Democrats are very likely to hold the majority after the 2020 elections, giving them power during the once-a-decade redistricting for the first time in decades.

Mike Murphy, a spokesman for the Senate Democrats, said the bill that passed the Legislature last week was meant to change aspects of the 2014 constitutional amendment that specifically benefit Senate Republicans  and instead make the language neutral for both political parties in the chamber.

Two good-government groups, Citizens Union and the League of Women Voters, have released a memo opposing the Democrats changes, arguing that theyd leave Democrats free to contort the district lines to the wishes of their legislative leaders, rather than focusing on what is fair to voters.

Changing redistricting midstream, in a highly rushed timeline and with no room for public input, would be disruptive and potentially damage public confidence in the process, the groups said in the memo. Shifting procedural rules and changed standards based on election results set a dangerous and destructive precedent. It would be counter to the goal of ensuring that no one political party can dominate the redistricting process.

Both groups supported the 2014 constitutional amendment, while two other prominent state reform groups, Common Cause and NYPIRG, were opposed.

Indeed, Common Cause/NY executive director Susan Lerner released a statement last week saying the new plan was an improvement, though not as strong as Californias citizen-led redistricting process.

It clarifies and simplifies redistricting in New York and provides a uniform set of voting rules for the commission no matter who is in political power: an important objective for any government entity, Lerner said. Requiring that the redistricting commission count the total number of persons living in the state, including incarcerated individuals at their place of last residence, is also a good step forward.

Referring to the opposition by Citizens Union and the League of Women Voters, Murphy said in a statement he was not sure why these so called good government groups would back the outrageous attempt by Trump to not count undocumented residents and also support maintaining a partisan bias with different rules for different parties. This seems to be the opposite of good government.

Neither Citizens Union nor the League of Women Voters stated opposition to the specific portion of the plan to count undocumented voters during the redistricting, only the plan as a whole. And in the past, both have supported aspects of the Senate Democrats agenda related to elections, including public financing of campaigns and closing the so-called LLC Loophole.

The 2014 constitutional amendment instituted complex rules meant to give minority political parties greater influence in drawing the lines.

Created by the 2014 amendment, the new, 10-member redistricting commission is made up of four members appointed by legislative Democrats, and four by legislative Republicans. The final two members are then to be chosen by the eight politically appointed members.

Under the 2014 amendment, if the 10-person commission created and approved a redistricting plan winning seven votes  and the Assembly and Senate were controlled by different political parties  then a simple majority of the Senate and Assembly would be needed to approve the plan.

If the 10-person commission could not get seven votes  and the chambers were controlled by different parties  the plan that got the highest number of votes among the commissioners would go before the Legislature. It would need 60 percent of the votes in both chambers to pass.

Under either scenario, if the chambers were instead controlled by the same party, as appears very likely to be the case after the 2020 elections, then two-thirds of both chambers would be needed to pass the commission's plan.

The 2014 rules dont mention Republicans or Democrats specifically. But because Democrats have an untouchable majority in the state Assembly, whether or not both chambers are controlled by the same party depends on control of the Senate.

Murphy, the Senate Democratic spokesman, argued Senate Republicans had instituted a fail safe in the 2014 amendment that advantaged the conference in case the GOP lost control.

The Democrats changes remove the provisions changing voting rules based on partisan control of the Assembly and Senate.

Under the plan, if the redistricting commission passed proposed maps with at least seven votes, and both houses were controlled by the same party, a simple majority of each house would need to approve the plan, rather than two-thirds.

If the commission could not come up with seven votes for a plan, 60 percent of each chamber would be required, rather than two-thirds.

The Senate Democratic conference currently has 40 members  two votes short of holding the two-thirds of the chamber. Under the rules of the 2014 amendment, if the Democratic conference remained under 42 votes after the 2020 elections, Democrats would need Republican votes to pass the commissions redistricting plan.

But under the Democrats new plan, the current 40 members would be enough to hit a new, 60 percent threshold to pass the maps without any GOP votes.

The changes passed last week could disadvantage Republicans in other ways, according to the memo issued by Citizens Union and the League of Women Voters.

The Democrats plan repeals a requirement that the commissions redistricting plan be approved by at least one commission member appointed by each of the legislative leaders, including the two minority leaders, according to the memo.

And in the appointment of the two co-executive directors of the commission, the plan takes away the voting rights of minority party-appointed commission members, the reform groups argue.

The 2014 amendment also required the redistricting commission to put forth an initial plan to the Legislature by January 2022. If that was voted down or vetoed by Cuomo, then a second plan was due Feb. 28, 2022.

But that timeline is now sped up significantly under the proposal passed last week, and if deadlines are not met, new language empowers the Legislature to step in. If the commission does not submit a plan by Jan. 1, 2022, Murphy confirmed, the Legislature could then introduce its own redistricting plans.

There is a rationale for speeding up the process: If legislative and congressional primaries occur in June 2022, as scheduled, the line-drawing process running into the spring of 2022 could create chaos.
The face shields are on and the plastic tents are pegged into place as teachers at the Permata Hati Kindergarten in Indonesia try to make learning as up close and personal as possible - while still at a distance.

The innovative setup aims to keep students safe and healthy - while giving them the in-person interaction they need to succeed.

The school of 135 students only allows six pupils in the classroom at a time.

But a rotation system ensures each student gets to enjoy in-person learning every two weeks.

And Headmistress Hindarwati says - there are even more stringent safety protocol in place.

"The function of the transparent 'box' is one of our commitments of prioritising health protocols. When someone enters Permata Hati integrated Islamic Kindergarten, or when they bring their children to school, there are certain procedures they need to follow, including wearing a mask, face shield, gloves and having their body temperature taken."

The transparent school-boxes are disinfected before and after each use.

But if parents still aren't comfortable with sending their children to school, they can choose to tutor them at home themselves with study materials provided by the kindergarten, allowing them to continue enjoying dancing, music classes, and more.

The kindergarten also sends teachers to visit students at home to conduct one-on-one classes -- a move welcomed by parents and students alike.

"My teacher came to my house and gave me new toys. She plays puzzles with me and teaches me to memorise verses of the Koran, I love it and am very happy."

Most schools in Indonesia have not resumed physical classes.

Only schools in some 90 'green zone' cities -- have been allowed to reopen under strict health protocols.
A Malaysian court will hand down its verdict in Najib Razak's first corruption trial Tuesday following a long-running case probing the former prime minister's role in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal. Najib and his inner circle are accused of plundering sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad in a fraud that stretched around the world. Stolen cash was used to buy high-end real estate, pricey art and fund a Hollywood blockbuster, while investment titan Goldman Sachs also became embroiled in the controversy. Anger at the looting played a large part in the shock loss of Najib's long-ruling coalition in elections two years ago, and he was arrested and hit with dozens of charges following his defeat. The Kuala Lumpur High Court is expected to deliver the verdict in the first of Najib's 1MDB-link trials, which began in April last year, at 10am (0200 GMT) Tuesday. It centres on the transfer of 42 million ringgit ($9.9 million) from a former 1MDB unit, SRC International, into his bank accounts. The ex-leader, who is facing four charges of corruption and three of money-laundering in the case, denies wrongdoing and insists he was ignorant of the transactions. The defence team have portrayed Najib as a victim and instead sought to paint financier Low Taek Jho, a key figure in the scandal who has been charged in the US and Malaysia, as the mastermind. Low, whose whereabouts are unknown, maintains his innocence. Prosecutors however insist Najib was in control of the 1MDB unit, SRC International. - Test of rule of law - The verdict is a test of the rule of law in Malaysia, and comes about five months after Najib's scandal-plagued party returned to power as part of a coalition following the collapse of Mahathir Mohamad's reformist administration. Since then, 1MDB-linked charges were unexpectedly dropped against the ex-leader's stepson Riza Aziz, one of the "Wolf of Wall Street" producers, in exchange for him agreeing to return assets to Malaysia. Prosecutors also dropped dozens of charges against Najib ally Musa Aman, the former leader of Sabah state. If Najib -- currently free on bail -- is convicted on Tuesday, he could be sentenced the same day. Each charge of corruption carries a maximum jail term of 20 years, and each money-laundering count is punishable by a term of up to 15 years. But the 67-year-old is likely to appeal, and may not be jailed straight away. If he is found guilty and the conviction is upheld, then he would also be barred from political office for several years. The amounts involved in Najib's first case are small compared to those in his second and most significant trial, which centres on allegations he illicitly obtained over $500 million. Malaysia had charged Goldman Sachs and some current and former staff, claiming large amounts were stolen when the bank arranged bond issues for 1MDB. But the two sides agreed to a $3.9 billion settlement last week in exchange for charges being dropped. sr/kaf GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP
A trust member also said that soil from various pilgrimages and water from sacred rivers will be used during the bhoomi pujan on 5 August

Patna: A time capsule, enlisting the history and facts related to the Ram Janmabhoomi, will be placed thousands of feet below the construction site to ensure that there are no disputes in the future, according to the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust member Kameshwar Chaupal on Sunday.

"The struggle for Ram Janmabhoomi, including the long-drawn case in the Supreme Court, has given a lesson for the current and upcoming generations. A time capsule will be placed about 2,000 feet down in ground at Ram Temple construction site. So, that in future anyone who wishes to study the history of the temple will get the facts related to Ram Janmabhoomi, so that no new controversy can arise," Chaupal told ANI.

He also said that the time capsule will be placed inside a Tamra Patra (copper plate) before being placed below the site.

Chaupal, who is the lone Dalit member of the trust, also said that soil from various teerths (pilgrimages) across the country and water from the sacred rivers is being brought to Ayodhya for Abhisheka during the bhoomi pujan which is scheduled to be conducted on 5 August by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Water from sacred rivers and soil from teerths, where Lord Ram visited, will be used during the abhisheka in bhoomi pujan. Our volunteers have been sending them from across the country to Ayodhya," he said.

Chaupal further slammed Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli for his recent statement over Ayodhya and Lord Ram and said that Oli knew neither about "Indian traditions or that of Nepal and was doing so just because of his greed for power".

The construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya will begin after the ceremony to lay the foundation stone, which chief ministers of many states, ministers from the union cabinet and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are likely to attend.

According to sources, the bhoomi poojan of the temple is to be celebrated on the lines of the festival of light - Diwali - with all temples and houses across the country to be lit up with diyas and candles.

The Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, set up in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict, held its second meeting last week. The apex court on 9 November last year had directed the central government to hand over the site at Ayodhya for the construction of a Ram temple.

In March this year, the 'Ram Lalla' idol was shifted to a temporary structure.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 22:07:17|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Robert O'Brien, national security advisor for U.S. President Donald Trump, has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.

O'Brien has been out of the office since late last week, Bloomberg's news outlet reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the situation.

O'Brien, according to one of the people, came down with the novel coronavirus after a family event and has been isolating at home while still running the National Security Council, with most of his work done by phone.

It remains unclear how much in-person contact O'Brien has recently had with Trump.

The White House has recently ended regular temperature checks for all those entering the White House complex. Those who come into close contact with Trump are still given rapid tests.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a briefing last week that Trump had tested "often" for COVID-19.

"As I've made clear from this podium, the president is the most tested man in America," McEnany said. "He's tested more than anyone, multiple times a day, and we believe that he's acting appropriately."

However, Trump had dismissed the claim that he takes more than one test a day.

"I didn't know about more than one. I do take probably, on average, a test every two days, three days," he told reporters during a White House press briefing last week. "I don't know of any time I've taken two tests in one day, but I could see that happening." Enditem
By Bahk Eun-ji







The Justice and Public Prosecutors Reform Committee under the Ministry of Justice said Monday that it has drawn up a recommendation to decentralize, and reduce the prosecutor general's authority to subordinate agencies. It is effectively reducing or abolishing the prosecutor general's authority to direct investigations into district prosecutors across the country, sparking concerns of "infringement of the prosecution's independence."







During a press briefing at the ministry, the committee announced the recommendations, which include dispersion of the prosecutor general's specific investigation command authority, improvement of the prosecution personnel's statement procedure, and diversification of the appointment of the prosecutor general.







Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae /Korea Times file

If Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae accepts the recommendations, the prosecutor general's specific investigation command will be largely delegated to regional offices and diminish the top prosecutor's power.







The committee also suggested measures to allow outsiders and women to be actively appointed to the position of prosecutor general, even if they are not prosecutors, which is strongly opposed by the prosecution.







A prosecution official said, "The appointment of the prosecutor general from outside the prosecution can only be interpreted as an intention to appoint a person who listens to the administration." According to the Public Prosecutors' Act, the prosecutor general can be appointed if the person has served as a judge, prosecutor or lawyer for more than 15 years. However, most of the incumbent senior prosecutors have been appointed to the position of prosecutor general so far.







The possibility of the prosecutor general's intervention in the upcoming appointment of prosecutors is also expected to be greatly limited. Under the current law, the justice minister has to listen to the prosecutor general's opinion when making personnel appointments.







In the first personnel reshuffle of the prosecution in January, shortly after Choo took office, one of Yoon Seok-yeol's closest aides, the chief prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, who was in charge of investigating the administration, as well as the deputy chiefs of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, were moved to the provincial offices.







At the time, the justice ministry notified the Supreme Prosecutors' Office that it would listen to Yoon's opinion for 30 minutes before the prosecution's personnel committee meeting, sparking controversy over its violation of the Public Prosecutors' Office Act. In this regard, an official of the prosecution's reform committee explained, "There is a practice where personnel changes are decided in a secret session, so the plan to improve such cases is also subject to be reviewed this time."


L ib Dem mayoral candidate Siobhan Benita today pulled out of the race to succeed Sadiq Khan after the pandemic delayed the election by a year.

The former civil servant said the demands on a candidate were significant and she was unable to commit to another 12 months of campaigning.

She becomes the second candidate to leave the contest after independent contender and former Conservative minister Rory Stewart dropped out in May, the month the election was to have been held, saying the coronavirus crisis made it impossible to campaign.

Ms Benita, 48, said it had been a privilege to campaign as the Lib Dem candidate for the past 18 months, but added: The demands of being a candidate are significant, particularly for an election of this scale. The nature of the role, which is unpaid, makes it very difficult to combine with other work.

Sadly, at this stage, Im simply not able to commit to another full year of campaigning. I wish the very best of luck to my successor and look forward to supporting their campaign for a better London.

Benita, a mother-of-two who held posts in the Cabinet Office and Department of Health during a career in the civil service, stood as an independent in the 2012 mayoral election, coming fifth behind the Lib Dem candidate, Brian Paddick.

She joined the party in 2016, shortly after the Brexit referendum, and was selected as its London mayoral candidate in 2018.

Her manifesto included using money from unused Oyster cards to help fight homelessness, legalising cannabis in a effort to tackle rising levels of knife crime, and reopening closed police stations. The Lib Dems are now choosing a new candidate.

The announcement will be good news for Mr Khan, who has been targeting Lib-Dem voters and has been keen to emphasise the two-horse race between him and the Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey.

Labour MP Rupa Huq tweeted: Was rumoured that the Tories were trying to ditch their man who [was] languishing behind in polls but theyve been beaten to it. All points to a second term win for Sadiq Khan.

Mr Khan said: "Siobhan has played an important role in the debate on Londons future, particularly on issues such as Brexit and the need to review our outdated drug laws. I know how hard the decision must have been and I wish Siobhan the best of luck for the future. I look forward to welcoming a new Liberal Democrat candidate to the debate.

A Shaun Bailey campaign spokesman said: We wish her well.

Acting Lib Dem leader Ed Davey described Ms Benita as an incredibly inspiring woman and added: Her campaign for a greener, fairer London helped us double our vote in London in the last election. Im very sorry to see Siobhan stand down at this time, but she will continue to be a huge asset to our party.

Lib Dem London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon added: A huge thank-you Siobhan Benita for your energetic and tireless campaigning over the last two years. We all understand your reasons for stepping back at this time.
Accidents are an unfortunate, and uncontrollable part of life. Thankfully, we can control and ensure that when an accident does arise, the financial impact is not as painful First Chicago Insurance Companys Personal Accident Medical Insurance plan is designed to cover medical and everyday living expenses incurred as a result of accidental injury

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Following an accident, once the low $100 deductible is met, First Chicago provides the policyholder with the cash benefit. Cash benefits can be used to assist with emergency, future medical costs not covered under another medical plan, transportation to and from appointments, or anything else they may need during their recovery. First Chicagos Personal Accident Medical Insurance product can be a great stand-alone policy for individuals and families, or it can be a nice complement to a Short Term Major Medical Insurance plan.

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Rasmussen concluded, Accidents are an unfortunate, and uncontrollable part of life. Thankfully, we can control and ensure that when an accident does arise, the financial impact is not as painful. First Chicagos Personal Accident Medical Insurance is designed to help off-set emergency and future medical costs, regardless of any other insurance a policyholder might have.

First Chicagos Personal Accident Medical Insurance plan and its features are available in Iowa. Certain limitations and exclusions may apply, please refer to the policy for complete details. For more information regarding First Chicagos Personal Accident Medical Insurance plan, please contact your independent insurance agent. Consumers can also visit the company website http://www.FirstChicagoInsurance.com or call 1-888-262-8864. Independent insurance agents that would like more information about First Chicago should contact the companys marketing department at Marketing@FirstChicagoInsurance.com, 708-552-4400, option 8.

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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Rome, Italy  Mon, July 27, 2020 10:10 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406697eaa4 2 World pandemic,Italy,coronavirus,coronavirus-restrictions,SARS-CoV-2,coronavirus-prevention,virus-corona,face-masks,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,novel-coronavirus Free

Three businesses in the southern Italian city of Salerno are the first to fall foul of tough new anti-coronavirus regulations imposed by the region of Campania, local media reported Sunday.

The three businesses, which include a bar and a hairdresser, were hit with 1,000-euro ($1,166) fines after police found they had not respected an edict imposed on Friday that requires people to wear masks in enclosed spaces.

"If our fellow citizens think that the problem is resolved, that means that within a few weeks we will return to a grave emergency," Vincenzo De Luca, the president of Campania, which includes Naples, posted on Facebook on Friday.

"We knew that there would be an increase in contamination, it was widely expected," he said, a few hours before the publication of an order toughening the rules to fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

The key measure of the text is a fine of 1,000 euros for anyone who does not wear a mask in an enclosed space, whether in public buildings, supermarkets, bars, restaurants, shops or on public transport.

According to the new regulations, "transport operators are required to deny access to passengers who do not wear the mask".

If they are on board, they must be sanctioned and "invited to disembark immediately or as soon as possible". If they refuse, "the bus or train will be blocked" and the "intervention of the police will be requested".

Businesses are also being held responsible "if the offence is committed in the exercise of a commercial activity".

Apart from a 1,000-euro fine, the business could face closure from five to 30 days.

Italy was the first country in Europe to be affected by coronavirus. More than 35,000 people have died and there have been over 242,000 cases of contamination.

Saturday saw 275 new cases as well as five deaths.
After more than 80 people were killed in Darfur on Friday and Saturday, Sudan Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said on Sunday more troops will be sent to the region to protect citizens amid farming season.

On Friday, 20 people were killed in Darfur by unidentified gunmen, and 60 more were killed on Saturday; the village of Masteri was also set on fire. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement this "escalation of violence in different parts of Darfur region is leading to increased displacement, compromising the agricultural season, causing loss of lives and livelihoods, and driving growing humanitarian needs."

Over the last 19 years, Darfur has been the site of intense fighting between rebel groups and people loyal to former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who was overthrown last year. The conflict has killed an estimated 300,000 people and displaced two million, the U.N. said.

More stories from theweek.com

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With advances in genome sequencing, cancer treatments have increasingly sought to leverage the idea of "synthetic lethality," exploiting cancer-specific genetic defects to identify targets that are uniquely essential to the survival of cancer cells.

Synthetic lethality results when non-lethal mutations in different genes become deadly when combined in cells. In a new paper published online July 27, 2020 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers at the San Diego branch of Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that inhibiting a key enzyme caused human cancer cells associated with two major types of breast and ovarian cancer to die and in mouse studies reduced tumor growth.

The research team, led by senior study author Richard D. Kolodner, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Medicine and member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research San Diego Branch, studied Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a species of yeast used in basic research, to search for synthetic lethal relationships.

They zeroed in on Flap Endonuclease 1 (FEN1), a DNA structure-specific endonuclease involved in DNA replication and repair. Turning their attention to cancer cells, they found that when they blocked functions of FEN1 using either a small molecule inhibitor or genetic ablation, BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutant cancer cell lines were preferentially killed. Notably, normal cells were able to recover from FEN1 inhibition.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes normally act to prevent breast and ovarian cancer as well as other cancers, but when mutated, may cause a person to be more likely to develop breast or ovarian cancer or develop cancer at a younger age. Less than 10 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a BRCA mutation, but it's estimated that 55 to 65 percent of women with the BRCA1 mutation will develop breast cancer before age 70 while approximately 45 percent of women with a BRCA2 mutation will develop breast cancer by age 70, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Similarly, women with inherited BRCA mutations have an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer and men with inherited BRCA mutations have increased risk of developing breast and prostate cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, with approximately 276,000 new cases per year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Prostate cancer is the fourth most common, with 191,930 new cases and ovarian is 17th, with an estimated 21,750 new cases annually, according to the National Cancer Institute. Kolodner and colleagues then tested the approach in an immune-compromised mouse xenograft model, and found that FEN1 inhibition significantly reduced tumor growth.

The researchers say their findings are significant in two ways: They underscore the value of using S. cerevisiae yeast as a genetics tool for discovering synthetic lethality relationships and identify FEN1 inhibitors as a possible therapeutic agent to further develop for treating certain cancers with targeted vulnerabilities.

###

Co-authors of the study include: Elaine Guo, Yuki Ishii, James Mueller, Anjana Srivatsan, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, San Diego Branch; Timothy Gahman, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research; Christopher D. Putnam and Jean Y.J. Wang, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, San Diego Branch and UC San Diego.
Airtel and Vodafone have rejected concerns by the Telecom Regulator Authority of India (TRAI) over platinum plans.

In the ongoing tussle between TRAI and private telcos Airtel and Vodafone, the latter have said that their premium plans have not downgraded the network quality for general users nor have they violated any norms.

The TRAI had blocked the REDX plans and the Platinum plans offered by Vodafone and Airtel respectively. In separate letters TRAI sought answers over priority customers and if it would mean downgrading the network quality for general users. The premium plans claim that they give priority 4G network to the customers who opt to pay more for these premium plans namely REDX and Platinum plans.

As reported by ET telecom, Airtel stated that offering priority service to just 1-1.5 per cent of the subscriber base which provides less than 10 per cent of the revenue would not affect the service of 98 per cent customers who contribute to nearly 90 per cent of the revenue.

Vodafone also defended its REDX plan stating that 1.27 lakh subscribers of the REDX plan do not even make 0.1 per cent of the telco's total 4G user base.

Airtel further said that it tested its platinum plans for eight months before piloting the project. Airtel also stated that the implementation of faster internet speeds will determine the evolution of 5G in the market. In a letter to TRAI, Vodafone said that the REDX plan is "fully compliant to all applicable tariff orders and regulations and that TRAI has prejudged and prematurely concluded poor network service." Vodafone too had stated that the plan was in the market for around eight months.

Previously, Vodafone alleged that Trai has imputed bias and said the regulator barred Vodafone from signing up new customers for REDX plan only to help the cause of Reliance Jio, a report by Mint stated.

Reliance Jio had called the premium plans discriminatory and moved TRAI.

TRAI in its latest application has asked for a correction that it had started enquiry on July 6 and not after Jio's letter. The tribunal has allowed TRAI to file its reply after Vodafone replies to the latest application by TRAI by 4th August, as per ET Telecom.

TRAI had blocked the premium plans after which Vodafone moved the Telecom Dispute Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). The TDSAT then allowed the telcos to run their plans and said while it is justified for TRAI to review the plans, blocking them was not necessary.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 16:27 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669a0850 1 National dry-season,BMKG,Environment-and-Forestry-Ministry,drought,forest-fires Free

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted that the dry season will last until October while also issuing drought warnings for four regions in Indonesia.

Of 342 regions observed, 69 percent have entered the dry season, the agency's climatology deputy Herizal said.

He explained that the dry season was influenced by the dry Australian Monsoon winds that blow from the eastern part of Indonesia to the southeastern part. Around one-third of the zones had even experienced 21 to 61 successive non-rainy days.

The BMKG has issued an early warning for the dry season. We also have informed local administrations and related ministries and institutions, he said on Monday as reported by kompas.com.

In the early warning letter issued by the agency on July 24, there were four regions, three in East Nusa Tenggara, that have the highest risk of drought, with an alert level of awas (danger). They are Kupang city, Belu and South Central Timor in East Nusa Tenggara province, and Dompu regency in West Nusa Tenggara.

Read also: BMKG predicts droughts in several regions across Indonesia

As many as 58 regions across the country are on the alert status siaga (watch) located in provinces of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, Bali, East Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta and South Sulawesi.

The BMKG previously predicted that the 2020 drought season would start in June and peak in August, while the rainy season is expected to fall between October and December.

BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati had previously warned that lower rainfall in some areas might lead to difficulty in getting water supplies and irrigation, which might eventually affect agriculture activities.

In addition to causing drought, a prolonged dry season typically induces hot spots in forest and peatland areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan islands.

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya said the ministry had been creating artificial rain to prevent peatland fires in several prone areas as the country entered the dry season.

The artificial rain had allowed Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra to overcome their "first critical phase" of land and forest fires from March to early June this year, Siti said recently. (vny)
CLEVELAND, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GOODTIME III, one of the top-rated ways to experience Cleveland, has resumed sightseeing cruises while following all CDC guidelines to provide a comfortable and safe environment for all crew and passengers. GOODTIME III is currently offering its narrated sightseeing cruise on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 3 pm to 5 pm. They are also running a family-friendly Sunset Sightseeing Cruise on Fridays and Saturdays from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. GOODTIME III is strictly adhering to the guidelines set forth by the CDC (Center for Disease Control), the Cleveland Department of Public Health, the US Coast Guard, and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

With sightseeing cruises and private charters available, GOODTIME III invites guests to take advantage of the updated schedules and offers now available on their website.

The company has been closely monitoring state and local guidelines while being conscientious of information released by the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA). The passenger vessel community has always been highly focused on ensuring the safety of its crew and guests, now more than ever. PVA's Safety and Security Committee recently released a guidance document covering best practices for reopening and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how to best limit the effects of coronavirus. This provided the necessary framework for enhanced operation standards moving forward.

Extensive safety measures are currently in place that prioritize the monitoring of employee and passenger health, proven hygiene practices, social distancing, personal protective equipment, and thorough cleaning and disinfecting. GOODTIME III cruise schedules will be updated as new information is provided, with increased vessel capacities as restrictions lift.

"Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our crew and passengers as we continue operations during this time," said GOODTIME III Captain Rick Fryan. "We pledge to continue assessing, refining, and updating our standards to keep you safe. Thanks for supporting our small, family-owned business during these trying times. We can't wait to see you."

About: GOODTIME III is Cleveland's premier consumer sightseeing experience, featuring narrated sightseeing tours as well as private events.

Contact: To purchase a ticket and view the full list of COVID-19 safety measures, please visit goodtimeiii.com. For any questions or additional information, send us a message here: goodtimeiii.com/contact/.

Amy Olson, GOODTIME III, 216-242-4087

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Lori Murphy, department chair of Math and Learning Support Service and assistant professor of mathematics, said RCC used the synchronous model at the end of the spring semester, when classes rapidly shifted online. Students responded well to the format.

According to Celeste Allis, dean of Arts and Sciences and professor of mathematics, some science classes will be offered in both online formats, but there will be some hands-on labs on campus, where the classes will have fewer students. The labs will have safety protocols in place, like Plexiglas between student stations, free masks, and extended time between sessions so they can be cleaned properly.

We just felt like students need some of that hands-on experience in the science labs and we have a couple of renovated spaces in the last year that are just fabulous and we hated to not use the opportunity to experience the lab settings with beakers and Bunsen burners and so on, she said. We also did increase the number of online sessions this fall, knowing it may not be comfortable coming back to campus.
This refers to the article Huawei to ByteDance: Big tech firms in a spot as China riles US, India (July 27). The entrepreneurial spirit that a Chinese start-up founder talks of in the article is possible in a protected, competition-free market like China. For years, China has kept big US tech companies like Google and Facebook away through its firewall policies.

With Chinese tech firms, privacy is a big concern. It is not that the concern is less with the tech giants of other countries, but then they are not government puppets. It is no secret that the Chinese government ...
Five days before the residents of Paterson, N.J., selected new members of their city council in May, a postal employee in a neighboring town spotted something suspicious in a local post office: 347 mail-in ballots, bundled together.

The discovery kicked off weeks of tumult in New Jersey's third-largest city, a densely populated and diverse community. Four men, including a city councilman, have been charged with fraud. Amid the controversy, the county election board disqualified 19% of ballots cast in the race.

The episode probably would have remained a local dust-up but for the sudden interest of President Donald Trump, who has spent the past several months attacking voting by mail as a practice he claims is susceptible to massive fraud. In recent weeks, he has seized on the situation in Paterson as the prime exhibit in the case he is making about why the November election will be "rigged," as he has repeatedly put it.

In a tweet Sunday afternoon in which he misspelled the name of the city, he wrote, "The 2020 Election will be totally rigged if Mail-In Voting is allowed to take place, & everyone knows it. So much time is taken talking about foreign influence, but the same people won't even discuss Mail-In election corruption. Look at Patterson, N.J. 20% of vote was corrupted!"

This month, he told reporters that they should look into Paterson, "where massive percentages of the vote was a fraud."

White House officials said the president has complained privately to his advisers about the New Jersey city's election. And conservative groups have launched their own efforts to highlight the problems in Paterson, including Judicial Watch and the Honest Elections Project, which is supported by attorney Leonard Leo, a close Trump ally.

But those involved in the Paterson case said the president is vastly oversimplifying what took place in a local election, using it to serve his own political purposes and overstating the extent to which problems in their city serve as some kind of national cautionary tale.

"He's not telling the entire truth," said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, a political rival of those who were charged and a Democrat who has held the nonpartisan office since 2018. "But then again, he's Donald Trump."

In fact, they say the alleged scheme in Paterson was a complicated one made possible by a series of unique circumstances that would be difficult to reproduce in other cities, much less on a national scale.

They also challenged Trump's claim that all of the 3,274 ballots thrown out by election officials were potentially fraudulent - local leaders said many were rejected because of what they see as a minor errors on the part of voters.

And while the problems with the May vote illustrate what could potentially go wrong with mail ballots, they also show how attempts at fraud are caught - in this case, the bundles of ballots were spotted by alert postal workers.

"We're not saying vote by mail is inherently wrong or problematic," said William McKoy, a 20-year incumbent of the Paterson City Council, who, according to final vote tallies, was defeated in May by former school board member Alex Mendez, who has been implicated in the scheme.

Added McKoy's lawyer, Scott Salmon, "This is a case study in what could go wrong. But we know from experience and from other towns, the chances of everything going this wrong are so slim that they just don't happen anywhere else."

Mendez, who has been barred by court order from taking office, has been charged with six felonies by the New Jersey attorney general's office, including election fraud, unauthorized possession of ballots and tampering with public records. He denies all wrongdoing, his lawyer said.

Three other men have also been charged with felonies, including a councilman and the brother of a second councilman. All deny wrongdoing.

"The president's spin on mail-in voting is absolutely 100% inaccurate and wrong," said Gregg Paster, a lawyer representing Mendez.

Paster noted that Trump has talked repeatedly about Paterson, a Democratic city with large Latino and Muslim populations - but has said nothing about a Republican congressman from Kansas charged this month with voter fraud, and remained silent in 2018 about a Republican ballot-harvesting scheme in North Carolina that resulted in the indictment of a longtime state GOP operative.

Asked about the Kansas case on July 16, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said she had not heard of the charges nor discussed them with the president. She then pivoted to talk about Trump's "very real concerns about voter fraud" - citing the New Jersey episode.

A White House spokesman referred questions to Trump's campaign, which did not respond to a request for comment.

- - -

New Jersey has offered a vote-by-mail option for years, but in March, as the deadly coronavirus swept through the state, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy declared that upcoming elections would be the first to be conducted entirely by mail.

Under new rules, election officials mailed a ballot to every active registered voter. Election experts say such programs can drive up participation, but should be accompanied by rigorous efforts to make sure that voting rolls are accurate and up-to-date.

One of the nation's most densely populated cities, Paterson is home to many large apartment buildings where residents share communal mail rooms. Photographs from local media outlets included in a lawsuit filed by McKoy show that in some buildings, postal workers did not deliver ballots properly to individual mailboxes, instead leaving them unattended in a stack in the mail room.

Martha Johnson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service, said the agency's Office of Inspector General was made aware of "few blank absentee ballots" discovered in the lobby of one Paterson apartment building, investigated and took "appropriate action."

"The U.S. mail remains a secure, efficient and effective means for citizens and campaigns to participate in the electoral process," she said.

Under New Jersey law, people who vote absentee are supposed to mail or drop off their own ballots, or designate someone else to do it for them - but no one is allowed to deliver more than three ballots during a single election.

Amid the raging virus, many voters were fearful about leaving home and were happy to have friends, neighbors or volunteer campaign workers offer to take their completed ballots out to a mailbox, Paster said.

In addition, many voters were unfamiliar with the rules for filling out mail-in ballots, particularly older voters and immigrants who are not fluent English speakers, he said.

The various issues combined to create the "perfect storm" of conditions for possible fraud, Salmon said.

The state attorney general's office has offered few details about the specific allegations against the four men who have been charged. A spokesman for the office declined to comment.

But in a formal complaint filed in court contesting the results of the election, McKoy, the longtime city councilman, lays out his claims of what happened this spring.

He contends that some loose ballots were stolen from apartment mailrooms. Then, he alleges, campaign workers filled out and cast the ballots for their preferred candidates, affixing to the blank ballots images of signatures they had gathered and saved from past petition drives.

McKoy's complaint also outlines other problems with the vote. It says that some voters never received a ballot and that the post office failed to deliver some completed ballots on time, and cites videos posted to social media showing a campaign worker filling out a ballot for a voter and another worker flipping through a stack of ballots.

The bundled ballots spotted five days before the election by an alert postal worker was one of several groups of ballots found at post offices in the days just before the election, according to the attorney general's office.

A statement from the state attorney general's office said that the investigation that led to criminal charges began with the tip from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and that a number of the charges related "to the improper collection of mail-in ballots."

If McKoy's allegations are true, the scheme he outlined would represent a sophisticated effort to manufacture votes.

Still, even McKoy said he believes such an endeavor would only be possible on a small scale, such as his city council race against Mendez, in which 4,565 votes were cast.

It would require operatives with databases of voter signatures and tightknit political machines willing to keep quiet about the fraud - and access to loose ballots.

Such an effort could not be replicated, Salmon said, in places where fewer voters lived in communities with communal mail rooms - or if the post office properly delivered ballots in the first place.

"What happened in Paterson doesn't happen everywhere else. That's why it should get attention," Salmon said, "because it's so rare."

Paster, speaking on behalf of Mendez, denied the claims in McKoy's suit. He said Mendez believes he will be vindicated.

While Paster said Mendez did not break any rules, he said it was possible that some campaign workers in the city helped voters fill out their ballots or mailed more than three ballots because of the unusual circumstances of the pandemic election.

"The ones that were sick couldn't go out, and the ones who weren't were petrified," he said. "There was not a great deal of concern by voters about who was taking their ballots out to the mail."

The lawyer said those who have been charged are being targeted, noting that they are all opponents of the current mayor, including Mendez, who unsuccessfully ran against him in 2018.

With two seats on the nine-member council now contested and vacant, the mayor has maintained a majority bloc on the body. Sayegh called those accusations "absolutely absurd." The attorney general's office declined to comment.

- - -

One thing both sides agree on: Not all of the 19% of ballots tossed by the Passaic County Board of Elections were potentially fraudulent.

After the discovery of the bundle of ballots at the post office, elections officials began applying extra scrutiny to mail-in votes - an approach that led to a number of ballots being tossed for minor voter errors, according to people on both sides of the contested election.

Board officials did not respond to requests for comment.

To properly return a ballot in New Jersey, voters must insert it into a specially provided envelope, which voters must sign with their correct address. They must then place that envelope into a second envelope. If they have allowed someone else to mail their ballot, the approved "bearer" must fill out a special certification form. Candidates are not allowed to serve as bearers.

Ballots can be rejected if any voters miss any steps or if their signature does not appear to match ones kept on file by the Board of Elections, which can compare signatures to decades-old documents.

According to information released by the board, nearly 1,400 out of the 3,274 ballots thrown out were rejected because the board assessed that a voter's signature did not match one held on file. Another roughly 900 votes found at post offices were disqualified because the portion of the ballot for designating a "bearer" was improperly completed.

Benjie Wimberly, a Democratic New Jersey assemblyman who represents the area, said he dropped off his own vote, along with that of his wife and two sons, at the main post office in Paterson. Later, he learned from local media that he and his family's ballots were among the 19% that had been discarded. According to elections board, it was rejected for having an "incomplete bearer portion."

"I was furious," said Wimberly, who said he mailed his own ballot. "This was a complete disaster for Paterson."

Sayegh, Paterson's mayor who is an ally of McKoy, said there were clearly serious problems with the May vote. But he said that by citing the high percentage of disqualified ballots, Trump is overstating the extent of the potential fraud.

"Some of it was just errors," he said of disqualified ballots.

The situation in Paterson is not unique. This year, tens of thousands of mail ballots have been discarded by election officials across the country, many because of errors completing the forms or problems verifying voter signatures.

Many jurisdictions that have had small rates of absentee voting in the past do not have clear protocols in place to verify mail ballots. For that reason, mail balloting is far more likely to exclude legitimate votes than it is to allow fraudulent ones to be cast, despite Trump's assertions, election experts said.

"I'm much more concerned about the potential for disenfranchisement - especially inadvertent disenfranchisement - than I am about fraud," said Richard Hasen, a voting-law expert and law professor at University of California at Irvine.

Despite the problems in his city, Sayegh said he thinks voting by mail is "the way of the future." He called on New Jersey and other states to do more to educate voters before the November election on the proper way to fill out and submit a ballot, including that they should not allow other people to touch their ballots.

"It's going to take a robust awareness campaign. We have to be better prepared," he said. "Paterson was not."

- - -

The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia has announced an agreement on the restructuring of a $200 million debt to the Ukrainian subsidiary of Russia's Sberbank (Kyiv), which is due to be repaid by the end of July 2020.

The company's press service said on Monday that relevant agreements were signed last week as soon as the terms of restructuring took effect following the adoption a respective decision by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).

"Taking into account a negative impact of the pandemic on the financial markets, Ukrzaliznytsia restructured this debt for up to three years with a possibility of early repayment. The company plans further refinancing of the debt from the international capital market or from one of Ukrainian banks," it said.

Ukrzaliznytsia hope that the concluded agreement will have a positive effect on the company's liquidity and allow it to ensure the necessary level of financing for its outgoings.

The company also said that the restructuring became possible thanks to a well-coordinated and constructive position of the creditor and Ukrzaliznytsia, as well as due to assistance of the NBU and the Finance Ministry of Ukraine.
They came to the aid of choking victims, ran into burning buildings, provided life-saving care to a woman who had been stabbed and  in 11 cases  dedicated their lives to serving the communities.

Northwest Indiana police didn't get to celebrate with an annual award banquet this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but their acts of bravery and service didn't go unnoticed.

The Indiana District 1 Law Enforcement Council has been traveling to individual departments to present officers with awards for lifesaving, exemplary service and lifetime achievement.

Griffith Patrolman Jeffery Beck received an Officer of the Year award for his rescue of a woman and baby who became trapped on the third floor of an apartment building during a fire.

Beck initially attempted to rescue a man on the second floor, forcing his way into an apartment through heavy smoke, records show. Police later learned the man inside had died from an unrelated medical condition.

Beck heard a woman yelling for help and made his way to the third floor, where he carried the baby and told the woman to hold on to his belt as he led them to safety through heavy smoke.
Press Release

July 27, 2020 Bong Go files bill institutionalizing gov't transition to e-governance; says digital platform will improve delivery of services to Filipinos amid health crisis Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go on Monday, July 27, filed a measure institutionalizing the transition of the government to e-governance in the digital age amid the current challenges caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Senate Bill No. 1738, or the E-Governance Act of 2020, mandates the government to establish an integrated, interconnected, and interoperable information and resource-sharing and communications network spanning the entirety of the national and local government, an internal records management information system, an information database, and digital portals for the delivery of public services. The measure likewise pushes for the digitization of paper-based and other traditional modes of workflows for a more efficient and transparent public service. In the explanatory note of the bill, Go states that the transition of the government to the digital age has been a long time coming. "In an age where almost everything can be done online and through other digital platforms, the government must harness the power of information and communications technology to better serve its purpose and bring the government closer to the people," Go said. The Senator also mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic "highlighted gaps, both foreseen and unforeseen, in the delivery of government services in the country." As number of infected cases continues to increase, he said, long queues and appointments with government agencies, financial institutions and other public offices have worsened. He added that major government social services and programs are also being forced to shut down, limiting the public's accessibility to public services at a time when the same are needed the most. "The new normal warrants the government to consider and adopt, in a very radical but pragmatic way, the importance of digital transformation and use of electronic services and platforms to enable the government to do better," Go explained. The Senator also cited that a number of government agencies and local government units have already begun their own transitions to the digital age, offering online services to the public. "This bill takes into consideration what we have learned from what has been and is being done, drawing from the experiences of technologically-advanced countries and the best practices of those who have started the push for e-governance, to initiate the country's first big step to an institutional and whole-of-government approach to digitizing governance for a better government and a safer future," Go mentioned. Under Go's proposed measure, the heads of government agencies are mandated to comply with the requirements of the bill, including related standards for all ICT infrastructure, systems, equipment, designs, and other technologies promulgated by the Department of Information and Communications Technology. The DICT will also be mandated to harmonize and coordinate all national ICT plans and initiatives to ensure knowledge, information and resource-sharing, database-building, and agency networking linkages among agencies, consistent with e-government objectives. The bill also provides for the establishment of the Integrated Government Network (IGN) which will act as the primary means for the sharing and communication of resources, information, and data through and on digital and electronic platforms across all of the government. The IGN will also act as the government's primary and focal information management tool and communications network. The measure then creates a corporate body to be known as Philippine Infostructure Management Corporation for the purpose of ensuring the proper and efficient operations and management of the country's ICT assets, as well as a training institution in recognition of the critical role of educating both the public and the government in ICT. Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, during the opening of the second regular session of the 18th Congress, expressed the need for the digitalization of government processes in the country amid the pandemic. "For as long as the pandemic remains uncontrolled, there will be a need to upgrade and improve the digital highway for support of various communication and support of transactional needs," Sotto said. In support of this endeavor by the government, Go said that his measure will promote such transition to digitalization, eliminating delays and other problems associated with the traditional way of governance in communications and resource and information sharing. More importantly, Go stressed that the public will feel that the government is actually and truly at their fingertips. "Nakita natin ang importansya ng digital transformation in government. Sa private sector, napilitan ang mga negosyo na mag-adopt ng e-commerce techniques para mapabuti ang mga serbisyo nila," Go said. "Lalo na sa gobyerno, there's no better time than now to prioritize the government's digital transformation," he added.
The Indian armed forces had defeated the Pakistan army in Kargil in July 1999. Since then this day is being celebrated as 'Kargil Vijay Diwas'.

Mumbai, July 26 (IANS) Bollywood celebrities on Sunday took to social media to pay tributes to soldiers who fought in the 1999 Kargil war, as the nation observed 21st anniversary of the conflict.

"Saluting our brave soldiers & remembering the selfless sacrifice of the martyrs, today and forever," Madhuri Dixit Nene tweeted.

Suniel Shetty said that he is "forever indebted" to Indian army.

"Saluting the courage and the valour of the Indian army today on the 21st anniversary of the #KargilVijayDiwas. The Indian army will always be our Nation's pride," Suniel wrote.

Actress Neha Dhupia recalled the days when she visited Kargil and spent time with Indian Army.

Neha tweeted: "Throwback to the time I was fortunate enough to take a trip to #Kargil and the #lineofcontrol ... remembering our heroes who laid their lives down to save the nation and us.. nothing makes me more proud than being the daughter of a fauji."

ACalling it an irreparable loss for the families of the martyrs, Taapsee Pannu wrote: "21 yrs and the memories are clear. Sitting in front of TV for hours to know if it's all over or no if we have our soldiers safe or no if we have redeemed our land or no.What followed was victory for our country and irreparable loss for the families of martyrs #KargilVijayDiwas."

Actor Sidharth Malhotra, who will soon play Kargil hero Vikram Batra on the big screen, saluted the Indian Army on Kargil Vijay Diwas.

"Today on #KargilVijayDiwas, I salute all our bravehearts for their constant and selfless sacrifices till date and PVC Captain #VikramBatra for laying down his life to protect our nation," Siddharth shared on Twitter.

"Prayers and thoughts for all the gallant brave hearts who sacrificed their lives to keep us safe and our border secure. Never shall India forget," Nimrat Kaur tweeted.

--IANS

sim/sdr/
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, smiles with leading commanding officers of the country's armed forces after he gave them "Paektusan" (Mount Paektu) commemorative pistols during a ceremony held at the country's ruling Workers' Party Central Committee headquarters in Pyongyang, Sunday. The occasion marked the 67th anniversary of what the North celebrates as a victory in the "Fatherland Liberation War," which fell Monday. South Korea marks the day as the 67th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement that ended combat in the 1950-53 Korean War. Yonhap
UN reports killing of more than 60 people in Darfur as Sudan PM promises fresh troops for the war-torn region.

A new round of violence in Sudans Darfur region has killed more than 60 people, the United Nations said on Sunday, as the countrys prime minister promised fresh troops for the conflict-stricken region.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan (OCHA) said about 500 armed men on Saturday attacked the village of Masteri, located 48km (30 miles) south of Geneina, the capital of West Darfur province.

The latest clashes between the Masalit and other Arab tribes in the area started on Saturday and lasted until late Sunday, state-run SUNA news agency reported, citing unnamed sources.

The SUNA report did not provide a death toll, but said dozens of people were killed or wounded, and more than 60 injured were taken by helicopter to Geneina for treatment.

Local authorities asked for military reinforcements to halt the clashes, the report said.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said the government would send security forces to conflict-stricken Darfur to protect citizens and the farming season.

The force will include army and police, he said in a statement after he met a delegation of women from the region.





An unconfirmed number of houses were looted and burned in the village, along with half the local market, OCHA said. The village borders Chad.

The attack prompted about 500 people to start a protest camp in front of the Masalit Sultan House, a settlement hosting about 4,200 internally displaced people in Masteri, the UN agency said.

The protesters called for the authorities to protect them from attacks.

Saturdays attack was the latest in a series of attacks in the area. OCHA documented at least seven between July 19 and 26, which killed or wounded dozens.

Tensions remain high in West Darfur, following the rapid increase in recent weeks in the number and frequency of security incidents. Over 60 people were reportedly killed during an armed attack in Masteri Village, Beida locality, on 25 July. Read more: https://t.co/gBIZ6C9WHB pic.twitter.com/4hcZZ7j4Ns  UN OCHA Sudan (@UNOCHA_Sudan) July 26, 2020

Last week, local authorities in West Darfur declared a 24-hour curfew in Geneina, compromising access to nutrition, water and sanitation, education, health and other critical services, OCHA said.

The clashes came in the middle of the agricultural season, increasing humanitarian needs in the region.

About 2.8 million people in the Darfur region are estimated to be severely food insecure between June and September, more than 545,000 of them in West Darfur alone, OCHA said.

Threat to democratic transition

Sudan is on a fragile path to democracy after a popular uprising led the military to overthrow longtime leader Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

A military-civilian government now rules the country until elections, possibly in late 2022, are held.

Such clashes pose a challenge to government efforts to end decades-long rebellions in areas like Darfur, where most people live in camps for the displaced and refugees.

Darfur has been devastated since 2003 by a conflict between ethnic minority rebels and forces loyal to al-Bashir, including the government-backed militia known as the Janjaweed, mainly recruited from Arab pastoralist tribes.

A government scorched-earth campaign to crush the rebels killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million.

Violence in Darfur has eased since al-Bashirs removal by the army amid mass protests against his rule last year.

The government and a coalition of nine rebel groups, including factions from the region, signed a preliminary peace deal in January this year.

Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court over charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in the conflict.

The new interim government is currently negotiating with several rebel groups from Darfur and other troubled regions in the country to achieve long-term peace.
The most fundamental role of the government is to secure the rights of the people. So foundational is this statement that it is made at the start of our nations Declaration of Independence, which also notes at the top that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Thats how it is supposed to work in America, where the ultimate authority lies with the citizens, flowing uphill from there to their chosen officials.

This has been turned completely upside-down in Portland, Oregon, where federal Department of Homeland Security forces were deployed in response to out-of-control protests.

This is so obviously not the proper role for the department, which was established after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in an effort to protect the citizenry from those who would do us harm. But the role of the homeland security agency seems to have been forgotten, except by Democrats, as President Donald J. Trump does his thing and almost no one in the once-Grand Old Party has the courage to raise even the slightest objection.

Thankfully, not all Republicans are asleep. Here was Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, writing on Twitter on Monday: We cannot give up liberty for security. Local law enforcement can and should be handling these situations in our cities but there is no place for federal troops or unidentified federal agents rounding people up at will.

Paul, who has solid libertarian bona fides, understands in this instance what the government is supposed to do. And what it isnt. Hes clearly conversant with our founding documents, the notions that animate them. If only we could say the same for the president of these United States, or other Republicans in the Congress. Sadly, we cannot.

Trump, who has become increasingly authoritarian in his daily doings, is treating the citizens as his enemies and the Department of Homeland Security as his personal army. Its the sort of thing one might expect to see from Russian President Vladimir Putin, not from an American president.

But Trump, who seems to idolize Putin, or at a minimum to envy his grip on power, has been behaving more like the despots hed like to emulate.

Questioning authority is as American as apple pie. Even when protesters cross the line, responding with swarms of unidentified, camouflage-clad troopers in unmarked vehicles is un-American.
Kathie Lee Gifford expressed her gratitude on Monday for being able to see her beloved former co-host and longtime friend Regis Philbin just a few weeks before his death at 88 last week.

Gifford, 66, had lunch with Philbin and his wife, Joy, at Gifford's Connecticut home, where they all shared some laughs together one last time.

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"I was just so grateful the Lord gave me that final time," Gifford said on TODAY Monday. "And it was so precious because when I talked to Joy the day that I found out right after he had passed, she said, 'Kathie he hadn't laughed in a long, long time.' She said, 'I was so worried about him.'

"I think he was like Frank. He was just ready, you know? ... And she said, 'The day that we came to have lunch with you was the last time I heard him laugh.' That will forever be a precious gift the Lord gave me, that I got to laugh again with one of my best friends in all my lifetime."

Gifford said she noticed a difference in Philbin as soon as he got out of the car.

"I sensed much more fragility than I'd seen in him since the last time in January out in Los Angeles," she said. "We sat right here on my screened porch, and we laughed ourselves sick. We always picked up right where we left off. ... After they left I just thought to myself, 'Lord, is that the last time I'm going to see my friend?' Because he was failing, I could tell.

"I don't know, something told me the other day, when I was in Tennessee, 'Get on a plane, and go home. Get on a plane.' And I didn't know why, but I've learned to listen to that voice. I got on the plane, came home and immediately heard the news about Regis, called Joy immediately and talked with her."

Philbin, who died at 88 on July 24, made millions of people laugh alongside Gifford when they co-hosted Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee from 1985 until 2000, becoming known for their spontaneous banter and finishing one another's sentences.

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Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford on set in 1988 (Newsday LLC / Newsday RM via Getty Images)

Their unscripted conversations and off-the-cuff comedy were the essence of the show.

"When we first started, we had no idea what we had, but we knew what we didn't want," Gifford said. "We didn't want writers, we didn't want a million producers, we didn't want it overproduced. We just wanted to sit there and have fun together.

"We never talked before the show. We didn't have what they call 'elements' in our business. He'd hold up the newspaper, and we're off to the races. Or I'd say, (my son) Cody threw up, and we were off to the races. We never planned it."

The two also built a deep friendship during their time together. Gifford said she had "many, many conversations" with Philbin over the years about faith and what happens after death.

"I know where Regis is, and I know who he's with," she said. "He was very curious, as always, listened. We always respected each other's opinions so highly. You know, in all the years we were together, we never had one cross word."

Their chemistry was evident shortly after they were first paired together on television.

"He was an entertainer in his guts, and so was I, and so when we came together, although we didn't have a friendship yet, we had a mutual respect for what we had accomplished already in our careers," Gifford said. "And we had the same sense of humor, and I wasn't afraid of him, and he sure as heck was not afraid of me, and we just took off like a rocket."

Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford (RICHARD DREW / AP)

Philbin's irrepressible joy became one of his defining characteristics on and off the TV screen.

"He was the most grateful person in the world," Gifford said. "He never forgot where he came from, and he worked from the bottom up. ... He was just happy to be on a set.

"He just was always comfortable in his own skin and always felt like the luckiest guy in the world."

When asked what she'd miss most about Philbin, Gifford said, "Everything."

Monday on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, Gifford also opened up about late husband Frank Gifford's relationship with Philbin.

"He and Frank had such a great relationship," she said. "There werent too many men that Frank could relate to on the same level who had accomplished as much in his own industry and was also beloved and iconic and legendary.

"Frank still had a good head of hair, and so did Regis, and they could let their hair down with one another. So we were blessed not only to be great friends  with Joy and Frank, we were great couples friends. And thats rare.

Joy Philbin, Regis Philbin, Kathie Lee Gifford and Frank Gifford (Dimitrios Kambouris)

When asked what it was like to sit next to Philbin, Gifford said: "For me, it was the most comfortable place in the world, except sitting next to my husband. Sometimes, Frank said, You spend more time with him than you do with me."

Ahead of her look back on TODAY, Gifford also paid tribute to Philbin on Instagram following his death.

"There are no words to fully express the love I have for my precious friend, Regis," the former co-host of TODAY's fourth hour wrote. "I simply adored him and every day with him was a gift. We spent 15 years together bantering and bickering and laughing ourselves silly  a tradition and a friendship we shared up to this very day."

"I smile knowing somewhere in Heaven, at this very moment, hes making someone laugh," she continued. "It brings me great comfort knowing that he had a personal relationship with his Lord that brought him great peace. I send all the love in my heart to Joy, to his children, to the rest of his family and to the innumerable people he touched over his legendary life. There has never been anyone like him. And there never will be."

Tributes to Philbin also poured in from celebrities who sat on the couch to be interviewed by him or worked alongside him.

Gifford and Philbin remained close after she left the show, with Philbin often popping up as a guest on the fourth hour of TODAY after Gifford returned to television in 2008.

Last April, Philbin surprised Gifford with a heartfelt message on her final day at TODAY after she had previously announced she was leaving the show.

"Kathie Lee, you want to know the best part of my life, my TV life, was in the 15 years I spent with you from 1985 to 2000," he said. "We stayed friends through the entire game, and it was a lot of fun. Where you are right now I know youre going to be moving on to a great new career making movies, and since Ive seen the first one, I know youre going to be a great success. I really mean it."
"Telepsych has fulfilled a critical need in my addiction medicine practice for continuity of care for my patients during social isolation and stay-at-home orders," said Dr. Russell Surasky, FAAN, ABAM, ABPM, a triple board-certified neurologist and addiction medicine specialist, medical director at Bridge Back to Life Center, Inc., and a provider of telemedicine for substance use disorders in New York. "While telepsych cannot fully replicate needed in-person interactions for all patients, it has emerged as a viable and valuable complement and way for my patients to continue to access the services and support that they need to help stay in treatment during this crisis, including virtual group therapy, one-on-one counselling and medical appointments. The convenience and connection enabled by expanded telepsych use has been a benefit to my patients and I believe it will extend beyond the COVID-19 pandemic."

The Alkermes-Harris Poll Telepsychiatry & Mental Health Survey was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Alkermes, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on serious mental illness and addiction. The survey of more than 2,000 adults in the U.S. assessed how the respondents used telepsych to access care and services during the COVID-19 pandemic and gauged interest in future usage, following the coronavirus pandemic. The survey is part of Alkermes' broader efforts to engage with patients, healthcare providers and advocates to better understand the mental health community's needs during these unprecedented times.

"This is our first survey that looked specifically at the use of telepsych during COVID-19," said Kathy Steinberg, Vice President of Public Release Research at The Harris Poll. "We have seen significantly more people report using telemedicine during the pandemic for a variety of health needs, and this survey showed the potential of telepsych to help address a range of mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. However, the survey also suggests a need for additional education and awareness to help people understand the potential value of telepsych services and to support adoption and long-term use."

Key findings from the survey include:

Telepsych supported continuity of care, access to mental health services: 62% of telepsych users surveyed agreed they would not be able to get the care they needed without the telepsych services they had been using and 67% agreed that the telepsych services they had been using helped them stick to their treatment regimen (such as taking their medication and engaging in talk therapy).

62% of telepsych users surveyed agreed they would not be able to get the care they needed without the telepsych services they had been using and 67% agreed that the telepsych services they had been using helped them stick to their treatment regimen (such as taking their medication and engaging in talk therapy). Lasting and broad appeal: Approximately three in four (74%) current telepsych users surveyed were interested in continuing to use these services after the coronavirus pandemic, highlighting the potential of these services to be useful beyond the current crisis.

Approximately three in four (74%) current telepsych users surveyed were interested in continuing to use these services after the coronavirus pandemic, highlighting the potential of these services to be useful beyond the current crisis. Despite enthusiasm for telepsych services, gaps and challenges persisted: Both telepsych users (65%) and non-telepsych users (37%) surveyed wished they knew more about how to access telepsych services, suggesting a need for additional education. In addition, when asked about difficulties or challenges they experience with telepsych services, telepsych users surveyed cited a lack of privacy/worry that others in the home may overhear their conversation (25%), a preference for in-person treatment (24%) and a lack of time to dedicate to telepsych due to other commitments (23%).

"The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed some existing challenges and inequalities in mental health care and highlighted the need for a more accessible, patient-centered approach," said Richard Pops, Chief Executive Officer of Alkermes. "The healthcare system has rapidly evolved to meet the challenges of this pandemic, and an important element of this has been the accelerated adoption of telehealth services. However, the healthcare industry as a whole has a responsibility to continue to push for lasting changes that will expand access to services and medication, implement long-term policies and payment models, and remove traditional barriers so that the standards of patient care can be raised beyond the current crisis."

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alkermes pivoted organizational activities to adapt and evolve across its business and has adopted measures to help support the use of telemedicine. Earlier this year, Alkermes began the process of incorporating elements of telemedicine technology into its ongoing clinical trials so that research is able to continue uninterrupted, adapted an ongoing study and designed a new clinical study to explore patient and healthcare provider experiences with telemedicine, as well as developed new educational materials and resources to support patient access to their prescribed therapies through telehealth. For more information about Alkermes' COVID-19 response and related efforts, visit www.Alkermes.com.

* Unless otherwise noted, all "agree" percentages represent a net, or sum, of the proportion of respondents who selected "somewhat agree" and those who selected "strongly agree" in response to the question asked.

Survey Methodology

The Alkermes-Harris Poll Telepsychiatry & Mental Health Survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Alkermes from May 27-29, 2020 among 2,019 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. Among the survey respondents, more than 1 in 4 (27%)or 569 respondentswere current telepsych users and telepsych users were slightly more likely to be male (58%) than female (42%), had an average age of 36.9 years old (though 26% of telepsych users were ages 45+), came from varying racial/ethnic backgrounds (57% white, 22% Hispanic, 19% Black/African-American), and lived across the country (24% Northeast, 15% Midwest, 36% South and 24% West). This online survey was not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, or for any additional question regarding the survey, please send requests to [email protected].

About Alkermes

Alkermes plc is a fully integrated, global biopharmaceutical company developing innovative medicines in the fields of neuroscience and oncology. The company has a portfolio of proprietary commercial products focused on addiction and schizophrenia, and a pipeline of product candidates in development for schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Alkermes plc has an R&D center in Waltham, Massachusetts; a research and manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland; and a manufacturing facility in Wilmington, Ohio. For more information, please visit Alkermes' website at www.alkermes.com.

About The Harris Poll

Founded in 1963 by pollster Lou Harris, The Harris Poll is one of the world's leading public opinion, social intelligence and strategy firms. Through continuous pulsing of society in the U.S. and internationally, Harris helps clients interpret, adapt and respond to constantly changing issues. Widely recognized for its polls and insight on voter sentiment, The Harris Poll also leverages bespoke polls to advise Fortune 500 C-suites on how to meet the evolving needs and wants of their customers and other stakeholders.

In 2017, The Harris Poll joined the Stagwell Group to create the largest independent data-driven digital market services firm in the U.S. The Harris Poll is run by co-CEOs Will Johnson and John Gerzema, two veteran strategists with backgrounds in analytics and brand marketing from senior roles at WPP agencies BAV Consulting and Young & Rubicam.

Alkermes Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements set forth in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, but not limited to, statements concerning Alkermes' plans and expectations regarding adaptations to its business operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including its incorporation of elements of telemedicine technology into its clinical trials and study designs; the potential value of telepsych services in supporting access to treatment and helping to address a range of mental health conditions; and expectations regarding continued and expanded use of telepsych during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The company cautions that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Although the company believes that such statements are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its knowledge of its business and operations, the forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and they are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties, including, among others: whether the results of The Alkermes-Harris Poll Telepsychiatry & Mental Health Survey represent the beliefs and opinions of the U.S. population generally and/or are predictive of real-world future use of telepsych services; the impacts of COVID-19 and efforts to mitigate its spread on Alkermes' business, including its clinical trials and other business operations; and those risks and uncertainties described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2019, the company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 and in subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, the company disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Alkermes Contacts:

For Investors: Sandy Coombs +1 781 609 6377 For Media: Marisa Borgasano +1 781 609 6659

Katie Joyce +1 781 609 6806

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A former police officer who shot a man dead while working alone during a routine intercept says his workplace was all over the place at the time and not somewhere you could raise concerns.

Former leading senior constable Timothy Baker was working "one-up" in an unmarked highway patrol car when he intercepted 44-year-old Vlado Micetic's car during a routine traffic stop in Windsor about 10.43pm on August 25, 2013.

Timothy Baker outside the Melbourne Supreme Court in 2017. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

After a brief struggle as Mr Baker attempted to arrest Mr Micetic on suspicion of having stolen numberplates, he shot the 44-year-old in the abdomen three times.

In the Supreme Court in 2017, Mr Baker was found not guilty of murdering Mr Micetic.
A student with cerebral palsy in east Chinas Anhui province has inspired his peers by achieving outstanding results in his gaokao, the countrys college entrance exam.

(Photo/WeChat account zgzs001)

Yao Junpeng, 19, was born with the disease, but never gave up on his studies. When he received his college entrance exam results, he found that he had scored 623 points, 108 higher than the enrollment cut-off point for key universities in China.

As the disease posed a huge physical challenge, he had to write very slowly. During high school, Yao was unable to complete his essays in the Chinese language exams, which was the most challenging issue for him, as students have to compose an essay in the gaokao.

This year, the high school and his parents submitted applications to the local examining authority for him to be allowed extra time during the exam, which was approved. The extra time was a great help to him, allowing him to complete the essay.

Yao's thank-you note to his parents and teachers. (Photo/WeChat account zgzs001)

Yao was grateful to his parents and all his teachers, from primary school to high school, and wrote a thank-you message to them.

Its hard to imagine what great efforts must have been needed for a young man with cerebral palsy who cannot take care of himself to exceed himself, said his head teacher, adding that Yaos perseverance, hard work and optimism have inspired his classmates.

Many social medial users were moved by his story. You have a bright future. We can well imagine what great efforts he has made.

Yao hopes to be admitted to a university in Shanghai or Nanjing, which are both close to his hometown, so as to reduce the burden on his parents.
On June 15 evening when the Indian Army troops clashed with Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) at Galwan, the temperature of the river was close to zero (and below it in some places) and a large number of troops on both sides fatally succumbed to hypoxia (low oxygen levels because of the altitude) and hypothermia (excessive cold), people familiar with the matter said.

According to Indian military commanders, this information is relevant because starting September, the weather will start taking a hand in Eastern Ladakh, where Indian and Chinese troops are still locked in a stand-off as an uneasy truce between the two countries plays out.

According to accounts given by the survivors of the clash, a large number of Chinese PLA troops came in an armoured personnel carrier and soon started dropping down due to lack of oxygen at 16000 feet when the fisticuffs began between the two armies. If lack of oxygen did not get them, then the frozen Galwan river did the job.

While the Chinese PLA has not revealed the number of troops from III mechanized infantry of Xinjiang Military District that lost their lives in the clash, these are more, and not less than that suffered by the Indian side which loses 20 soldiers, the military commanders added, asking not to be named. Throughout the intervening night of June 15 and 16, two Chinese PLA helicopters carted the dead and injured to nearby hospitals or to hyperbaric chambers in depth areas.

Although both sides decided to disengage after the Special Representative level dialogue on July 5, the exercise is long drawn out with winter ready to move into the theatre next month and firmly set in September in all the friction points.  It is not the temperature that will kill but the wind which increases the chill factor. Add to this the rarefied atmosphere at Galwan, Gogra-Hot Springs and the weather takes a turn for the worse, said a senior military commander.

The military commanders said adverse weather conditions, including up to seven feet of snow, could put the Chinese at a disadvantage because its army in Akasi Chin is largely made of conscripts, who were drafted for a three month annual summer exercise in Tibet and Xinjiang in return for the state taking care of their future education. The PLA conscripts are used to moving on armoured carriers in contrast to their Indian counterparts who not only patrol on foot but live in the worst of weather conditions whether in Siachen or in Sikkim or in Thag La ridge in Tawang, the commanders added.

The Indian Army has been fighting since 1984 in Siachen, Kashmir and North-east mountain theatre, the commanders pointed out. Even today, the Indian Army mans Indira Col west, the farthest point on Siachen Glacier, Sikkim finger area, Doklam, and posts in the mountain ridges in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Indian Army has specialized in high altitude warfare and has the capacity to take on the enemy from the front as it proved during the 1999 Kargil war, where it fought from heights of Muskoh to Chorbat La in the Gilgit Baltistan area, the commanders said .

As both India and China are fully deployed in Aksai Chin area and de-escalation is still some time away, the PLA will soon have to take a call on whether to end its aggression and restore status quo ante or be prepared to spend nights on Tibetan plateau where temperatures of 25 degrees below zero is normal, analysts said. Winter does not take toll on the troops alone but also on equipment with artillery barrels and engines freezing.

The other issue that the PLA will also have to keep in mind is that the Indian Army is deployed all along the 3488 km long Line of Actual Control between the two countries, while the PLA is only deployed in selected places, the analysts added. This includes Sikkim, where the Indian Army surrounds the Chumbi Valley from three sides

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Editors note: A previous version of this story understated the number of gunfire incidents and people injured over the past weekend, based on preliminary information from police. In fact, there were 13 reports of gunfire and nine injured.

Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Buckner said officers were stretched thin this weekend as a rash of gunfire left two dead and another in critical condition.

A third person also died from a gunshot would sustained a week ago, the chief added.

It was a tough weekend, brutal from a violent crime standpoint, Buckner said.

From Friday to Sunday, there were 13 reports of gunfire, with nine people wounded, the police department said. Of the 13 gunfire incidents, eight incidents had victims, with one incident involving two victims. Another five incidents have no known victims.

Much of the violence happened Sunday night.

A 42-year-old man was dropped off at Upstate University Hospital with a gunshot wound around 11:47 p.m. He later died.

Earlier in the evening, a 24-year-old man was killed by gunfire around 6 p.m. on Park Street near Washington Square Park. A 55-year-old woman suffered a bullet to her leg in the same incident.

Some of the other reported gunfire Sunday included the 100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. West (around 6 p.m.), the 700 block of Oswego Street (around 11 p.m.), the 100 block of Berger Avenue (around midnight) and on Pennsylvania Avenue, off Wolf Street (around 3 a.m. Monday).

RELATED: 2 dead, 1 critical, others wounded in night of gun violence in Syracuse

As for the third homicide over the weekend, that person was originally shot around 9 p.m. July 19 on Hudson Street. Two others were also injured in that shooting, but are expected to survive.

The chief did not have any updated info on the specific shootings from Sunday, noting that they were all new and still under investigation.

There have now been 17 homicides in Syracuse this year, up from 15 at this point a year ago, Buckner said. Of the 17 so far this year, 10 have been solved. (That total number includes the three in the past week.)

Overall crime in the city is down roughly 10% from a year ago, the chief said. But the worst crime -- homicides and other violence -- is even or up slightly from last year. The main reductions come in property crime -- like larcenies and vehicle thefts, for example.

The violence keeps city officials from celebrating the 10% reduction in overall crime.

Far too many neighborhoods see violence everyday, Buckner said. Some neighborhoods dont feel 10% safer.

The chief tried to keep separate conversations about violent crime and the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and police reforms.

Some of what weve seen this weekend is Syracuse, New York on any given day, Buckner said, noting it was an urban environment with urban challenges.

Those problems primarily boil down to drugs, gangs and personal disputes, he said. And violent crime is up nationally this year as society begins an uncertain reopening amid the coronavirus.

Still, the changes wrought by bail reform, the pandemic, protests and now police reform have taken their toll on officers, Buckner said. Then comes along a weekend in which officers are running from crime scene to crime scene.

I feel like were taxed, the chief said.

He added that bail reform and police reform were conversations that needed to be had. And he said that the police have to do a better job, in the midst of everything going on, to be more proactive.

Because of all the things going on, I think we became somewhat reactive, the chief said. He did not describe what that might entail, saying conversations were happening internally about what needed to be done.

Buckner also vouched for the departments support in the community amid the ongoing protests against police brutality.

The silent majority, roughly 80%, are willing to work with police to solve crimes, the chief said. And historically, the city has had a high solve rate for homicides, thanks to the publics help, he added.

Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070.
The Indian Government has banned 47 new apps that were allowing access to the banned Chinese apps. A lot of 'Lite' versions of the banned apps were spotted. There is a list of 275 apps under scrutiny in regards to security and privacy.

The Indian government has banned 47 more apps in which some are allowing access to the previously banned apps, and some are simply clones of these apps. To recall, the Indian Ministry of Electronics and IT's (MEITY) banned 59 Chinese apps on national security grounds amid geopolitical tensions between India and China. The ban took place late last month where many popular apps like TikTok, WeChat, Shareit, UC Browser and more were restricted. That ban was announced under the provisions of Section 69A of the Information Technology Act to "protect national interest and security".

The new ban comes as a follow up where apps that provide access to previously banned apps are in the spotlight. Also, many cloned lite versions of the banned apps have been spotted including TikTok Lite, Helo Lite, ShareIt Lite, Bigo Lite and VFY Lite, which are reportedly unavailable on Google Play Store. A Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology official said, "The apps were found to be operating despite the ban via these versions. They have been taken down from application stores."

TechCrunch reports that one of the newly banned apps will include CamScanner Advanced, which is a popular document scanning app. Economic Times reports that Indian government has listed 275 Chinese apps from Chinese internet companies to examine for any violation of national security and user privacy. As per the report, the list includes PUBG Mobile by Tencent, Zili by Xiaomi, AliExpress by Alibaba and newly launched apps like Resso and Ulike by Bytedance, which also owns TikTok. There are 14 Mi apps by Xiaomi in the list among some other unpopular ones that the company owns. Apps from other Chinese internet and tech majors like Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games, Yoozoo Global are also present.

Government is taking steps

An official told Economic Times, "the government may ban all, some or none from the list." Another senior official told that government is looking to frame a process for such bans, and the concerned ministry is asked to take necessary steps to form some form of law or regulation to scrutinize such apps consistently. "A set of rules or defined procedures may take time but is the correct process to go about it in the future," the official Told ET.

An official from Meity said the government would follow a due process before deciding to ban any app. There is a process involved, there is a committee in place for such ban orders. If there is such an order, then Meity will act, the person said. The committee has representatives from the ministries of home affairs, electronics and IT, information & broadcasting and law & justice, along with officials from CERT-In.

We do not have a complete list of 47 banned apps as of now. We will be updating the article as soon as we have more information about the banned apps.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Mon, July 27, 2020 11:30 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066988116 2 SE Asia 1MDB,corruption,corruption-case,Malaysia,scandal Free

Malaysia's extraordinary 1MDB corruption scandal allegedly saw top officials loot billions from state coffers and go on a worldwide spending spree -- buying a $250 million yacht and a painting by Van Gogh, and financing a Hollywood blockbuster.

Najib Razak, the then-prime minister, was accused of involvement in plundering the fund and the controversy helped sweep his long-ruling coalition from power in 2018.

He is currently facing three court cases over the scandal. The verdict in his first trial, over allegations he pocketed around $10 million, will be handed down on Tuesday.

Here is a look back at the saga:

What was 1MDB?

1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) was a state investment fund which Najib launched in 2009 shortly after becoming prime minister.

Its portfolio included power plants and other energy assets in Malaysia and the Middle East, as well as real estate in Kuala Lumpur.

The fund was closely overseen by Najib.

Whistleblowers say Low Taek Jho, a jet-setting Malaysian financier close to Najib but with no official position, helped set up 1MDB and made key financial decisions.

Concerns escalated in 2014 as 1MDB slid into an $11-billion debt hole, and intensifying public scrutiny revealed missing funds.

The scandal first came to light through the Sarawak Report news portal, and gained further traction in 2015 when The Wall Street Journal published documents showing Najib received at least $681 million in payments to his personal bank accounts.

Rich living

The US Justice Department launched its own probe after claims that stolen Malaysian public money was laundered through the US financial system, and has filed lawsuits seeking some $1.8 billion in assets allegedly purchased with the cash.

The department said more than $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB between 2009 and 2015 by high-level officials at the fund and their associates.

Tens of millions of dollars were used in 2012 by Najib's stepson Riza Aziz, an aspiring film producer, to fund the Hollywood film "The Wolf of Wall Street", starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Hundreds of millions were also used, mainly by Riza and Low, to purchase high-end real estate in Beverly Hills, New York and London.

A Monet painting bought for $35 million, a Van Gogh for $5.5 million, a $35-million Bombardier jet, a $100-million stake in EMI Music Publishing, and a $250 million yacht were also ticked off the shopping list.

Political turbulence

Najib desperately sought to contain the scandal, targeting critics and introducing repressive laws, but the allegations hit the popularity of his long-ruling coalition and contributed to a shock election defeat in 2018.

A new government headed by veteran politician Mahathir Mohamad, now aged 95, came to office on a wave of public anger, and re-opened investigations.

Najib was hit with dozens of charges, and his first trial over the scandal finally started in April last year.

But in February, the reformist alliance collapsed after bitter infighting, and a new coalition that included Najib's scandal-plagued party seized power.

Some have raised concerns that the change of power could impact Najib's trials.

Charges against Riza were unexpectedly dropped in May after he agreed to return assets to Malaysia.

A month later, corruption and money-laundering charges against a key Najib ally, Musa Aman, were also dropped.

The trial

Najib's first trial linked to the 1MDB scandal centers on allegations that 42 million ringgit ($9.9 million) was transferred to his bank accounts from SRC International, a former unit of the fund.

He is facing four charges of corruption and three of money-laundering in the case, and denies wrongdoing.

His lawyers insist he had no knowledge of the transfers and have claimed that Low was the true mastermind behind the scam.

It is not the most significant of the trials he is facing. That one began in August last year, with Najib accused of illicitly obtaining 2.28 billion ringgit ($535 million) from 1MDB.
Near the Sicilian town of Caltanissetta on Sunday, some 180 migrants fled obligatory quarantine, although by Monday at least 139 of them had been found. Mayor Roberto Gambino said he pleaded with Lamorgese to stop sending any more migrants his way from Lampedusa, which was being overwhelmed with the arrivals.
Total coronavirus infections in Indonesia surged past 100,000 amid an easing of physical-distancing rules to allow economic activity to resume, prompting President Joko Widodo to order health officials to focus on containing the disease in the nations eight main provinces.

There were 1,525 new confirmed cases over the past 24 hours, taking the total to 100,303, official data showed on Monday. The number of fatalities rose by 57 to 4,838 as more hotspots emerged, making it the highest tally among Southeast Asian nations.

The number of infections has almost quadrupled since the end of May as more cities and provinces, including the capital Jakarta and Indonesias second-largest city Surabaya, began easing curbs in early June.

The pandemic threatens to send Indonesias economy into its first recession since the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, battering small and big businesses alike, according to Widodo. The outbreak has rendered millions of people jobless, and may plunge many more into poverty.

Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, told his cabinet on Monday to expedite the spending of 695 trillion rupiah ($48 billion) in fiscal stimulus to revive the economy which is forecast to contract 4.3% in the second quarter. He also instructed health officials to focus on eight provinces, including capital Jakarta, which collectively account for about three-quarters of the nations total infections.

The government has insisted in further opening Southeast Asias largest economy despite the rising caseload. Bali, Indonesias most popular holiday destination, is pressing ahead with a plan to welcome back foreign and domestic visitors even as the resort island reports a surge in new virus cases.
HONOLULU - Hurricane Douglas joined a long list of hurricanes that have come near the Hawaiian Islands but didnt cause major damage.

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami said such experiences unfortunately help people become complacent and think disaster will never strike them.

What were really concerned about is Mother Nature  theres no way you can control her. And the one time that she does decide to not send a message but really impact our island, its going to be when certain people have taken it lightly, Kawakami said.

Douglas passed about 45 miles (72 kilometres) north of Maui and possibly even closer to Oahu as a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday.

Despite earlier warnings that Douglas could pass directly over the islands, surfers hit the waves and selfie-takers flocked to the shoreline on Oahu.

Chenay Borja went hiking with her adult son in hopes of seeing some waterfalls. She chose a ridge where there was some flat ground and where she felt she wouldnt get hurt. She also tracked the rain on radar.

She said people on Oahu stock up on food, water and supplies but also like to use the opportunity storms provide to see big surf at spots where there normally wouldnt be waves.

One day were just not going to take it seriously and its just going to hit and were not going to be prepared for it, Borja said. And yeah, we buy all the stuff, but we still go toward the storm.

Kawakami said Kauais history of getting hit by major hurricanes and floods have left a strong impression on the islands residents who do take weather threats seriously.

Even people that are relatively newcomers, in a sense will hear the local knowledge, will see the people getting prepared. And theyll just follow suit, Kawakami said.

In 1992, Hurricane Iniki damaged or destroyed 41 per cent of the islands homes. Just two years ago, heavy rains triggered landslides that cut off entire communities on Kauais north shore for months.

Talmadge Magno, civil defence administrator for Hawaii County, said he thinks most people heed warnings and wont test nature.

He said Hurricane Douglas offered residents a way to learn how they can do a better job getting ready for such storms.

I think this was a good kind of test for the community as well to see where they are at in preparedness, he said.

Meteorologists said Douglas would have been a lot worse for Hawaii if it had tracked just 20 or 30 miles (32 to 48 kilometres) to the south.

Not only did it did it not make landfall, it skirted by the islands, National Weather Service meteorologist Chevy Chevalier said.

Its rare for hurricanes to hit the islands that are relatively small compared to the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.

Youre not going to see them get hit that often, Chevalier said.

Oahu did not receive much rainfall, but heavy rain and wind lashed Maui, downing a small tree on the Hana Highway.

Duke Stevens, who lives in Hana on Mauis eastern tip, said there was no longer any wind by Sunday afternoon and the light rain that fell persistently through the night had subsided.

Ive seen a lot worse, said Stevens, who has lived on Maui since 1987.

Antonia Hall, from the city of of Kihei on western Maui, said she took her porch furniture inside, bought nonperishable food and filled her bathtub for an emergency water supply, but the storm spared her area .

Maui has skirted so many hurricanes, she said. This is just kind of something we go through here.

___

Associated Press journalists Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, Brian P.D. Hannon in Phoenix, and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.

__

This story corrects the spelling of Borjas first name to Chenay, not Chaney.
Iran has positioned a replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier at the worlds most important oil chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz, and could use the mock-up in naval war games in the area, according to satellite images reported by Reuters on Monday.

Images taken by U.S. space technology firm Maxar Technologies on Sunday show that Iran had a fast attack boat moving towards the mock-up U.S. aircraft carrier, Reuters noted.

We cannot speak to what Iran hopes to gain by building this mock-up, or what tactical value they would hope to gain by using such a mock-up in a training or offensive exercise scenario, Commander Rebecca Rebarich, spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain, told Reuters.

We remain confident in our naval forces ability to defend themselves against any maritime threat, the spokeswoman noted.

Iran  which has repeatedly threatened in recent years to close the Strait of Hormuz if it cant export its oil  often holds naval war games and military drills in its waters in the Gulf, including in areas close to the most important shipping lane in the world.

The Strait of Hormuz is the most important oil chokepoint in the world with daily oil flows averaging 21 million bpd, or the equivalent of 21 percent of global petroleum liquids consumption. According to EIA estimates, 76 percent of the crude oil and condensate that moved through the Strait of Hormuz last year went to Asian markets, with China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore the top destinations.

Tensions between the United States and Iran in the Gulf have flared on and off in recent years, especially after the U.S. pulled out of the so-called Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Irans oil industry and exports.

In one of the latest major incidents in the Gulf earlier this year, the tension in the Middle East and around the Strait of Hormuz spiked after the U.S. killed the top Iranian general of the Al Quds forces, Qassem Soleimani, for which Iran retaliated with a ballistic missiles attack on U.S. bases in Iraq.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
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Hawaii avoided a direct hit Monday from Hurricane Douglas as the Category 1 storm remained swirling just north of the island chain, though a weakened tropical depression Hanna is still threatening to bring flooding to parts of Texas and northern Mexico.

The Central Pacific Warning Center lifted the hurricane warning for the island of Kauai, the final remaining hurricane warning in place for the nation's only island state.

There were no initial reports of injuries and what damage there was appeared to be minor.

Scroll down for video

Juan Martinez helps clear debris left by Hanna on Monday in Weslaco,Texas. The area was flooded by Hanna, which has since weakened to a tropical depression, as it passed through the area dropping heavy rains which caused flooding

Members of the Mexican army carry out cleaning work after heavy rain left by Hanna in the metropolitan area of Monterrey on Monday

Civil protection workers rescue a youth who was trapped in floodwaters on the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico, on Monday

A satellite image from Monday evening shows Hurricane Douglas narrowly avoid the Hawaiian Islands in the Central Pacific Ocean

The storm tracked just north of the islands, and officials said it appeared to pass about 45 miles north of Maui and possibly closer to Oahu.

'Not only did it did it not make landfall, it skirted by the islands,' National Weather Service meteorologist Chevy Chevalier.

It's rare for hurricanes to hit the islands and their small size compared to the vastness of the Pacific Ocean plays a role.

'The islands are so small,' Chevalier said. 'Youre not going to see them get hit that often.'

People wade through severe floods, caused by heavy rains, affecting the city of Saltillo in the northern state of Coahuila, Mexico, on Sunday

A police vehicle is seen during the rescue of a youth in the aftermath of Hanna in El Carmen, on the outskirts of Monterrey, on Monday

A policeman guards the area where a landslide occurred after heavy rains left by Hanna in the metropolitan area of Monterrey on Monday

View of a landslide along the Topo Chico canal after heavy rains pounded the area in Monterrey, Mexico, on Monday

A man walks near of a sinkhole on a street in the aftermath of Hanna in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico, on Monday

The hurricane's rain showers 'fell apart' with Oahu not receiving much rainfall, he said. Kauai was under a flood advisory because the island received heavier rain.

Douglas gained some strength as it spun past Hawaii and headed west-northwest into the Pacific Ocean at 16 mph.

Early Monday, Douglas was 60 miles northwest of Lihue, Kauai. It had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, keeping it as a Category 1 hurricane.

On Sunday, heavy rain and wind lashed Maui, downing a small tree on the Hana Highway.

As the storm moved west across the island chain from Maui, gentle rain fell and blustery winds swayed trees on Oahu, home to the states biggest city, Honolulu. Sand and debris washed ashore on a two-lane coastal road.

Despite the dangers, surfers rode waves and residents took selfies at a lookout point next to the ocean.

National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Lau said Douglas would have been a lot worse if it had tracked 20 or 30 miles to the south.

'We were really playing with a really fine line, a razor thin line between what we've experienced today compared to what we could have experienced,' he said.

Duke Stevens, who lives in Hana on Maui's eastern tip, said there was no longer any wind by Sunday afternoon and the light rain that fell persistently through the night had subsided.

Hanna, which has weakened from a tropical storm to a tropical depression, is seen in the bottom left over southern Texas and northern Mexico

Residents survey their destroyed camper trailer in the aftermath of Hanna in Port Mansfield, Texas, on Sunday

A manhole along the sidewalk of Ruben M. Torres Boulevard overflows from torrential rainfall from Hanna in Brownsville, Texas, on Sunday

A home in Brownsville, Texas is shown damaged on Sunday due to a possible tornado forming from Hanna in the early morning hours of Saturday

The tornado appeared to blow off part of the roof of the home in Brownsville, Texas, in the early morning hours of Saturday

Charles Pecce, 70, and wife Sharon Becca, 76, survey their destroyed home in the aftermath of Hanna in Port Mansfield, Texas, on Sunday

A resident clears debris after returning to her home in the aftermath of Hanna in Port Mansfield, Texas, on Sunday

Deer stand in the yard of a residence in the aftermath of Hanna in Port Mansfield, Texas, on Sunday

'I've seen a lot worse,' said Stevens, who has lived on Maui since 1987.

Antonia Hall, from the city of of Kihei where on western Maui, said the storm avoided her area after she brought her porch furniture inside, bought nonperishable food and filled her bathtub for an emergency water supply

'Maui has skirted so many hurricanes,' she said. 'This is just kind of something we go through here.'

About 300 people on Oahu island evacuated to the Hawaii Convention Center on the edge of Waikiki while about 22 people on Maui stayed at five shelters around the island.

Evacuees were told to bring masks and hand sanitizer along with the usual emergency supplies of food and water. People had to wear face coverings to be admitted and while staying in the shelters except when eating, drinking or sleeping.

State health department officials contacted each of the 625 people who were currently in isolation or quarantine as of Friday because they were either COVID-19 positive or had been in contact with someone who is. All said they would shelter-in-place and not seek refuge at a hurricane shelter.

While Douglas avoided Hawaii, Hanna weakened to a tropical depression on Monday after dumping more than 15 inches of rain in some parts of southern Texas and northern Mexico

Though Hanna is now a tropical depression, it still poses risk of flooding in parts of northern Mexico

Hawaii has some of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the nation, but COVID-19 numbers have gone up in recent weeks.

President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Hawaii because of the hurricane, directing federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts.

Hawaiian Airlines canceled all Sunday flights between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland and also between the islands.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Portions of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument from Nihoa to French Frigate Shoals to Maro Reef.

Meanwhile, a downgraded Hanna continued weakening on Monday but its remnants still threatened to bring rainfall and flash flooding to waterlogged parts of South Texas and Northern Mexico that have been dealing with a surge in coronavirus cases.

Now a tropical depression, Hanna was 65 miles north of Fresnillo in the Mexican state of Zacatecas as its winds weakened to about 25 mph, the National Hurricane Center said Monday.

Initial reports indicated Hanna dumped up to 15 inches of rain in some areas in South Texas. Another 1 to 2 inches could fall on Monday in areas of South Texas that are already water logged.

The northern Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas could see an additional 4 to 8 inches of rain, possibly producing mudslides in these areas.

Border communities whose health care systems were already strained by COVID-19 cases - with some patients being airlifted to larger cities - continued grappling with Hanna.

There were no immediate reports of any deaths on either side of the border.

Henry Van De Putte, CEO of the Red Cross' Texas Gulf Coast chapter, said the organization would open more shelters with reduced capacity to ensure social distancing.

Volunteers and people seeking refuge will undergo temperature checks, and a medical professional will be assigned to each location, he said.

Surfers take on large waves generated by Hurricane Douglas at Laie Beach Park in Laie, Hawaii, on Sunday

As of Monday evening, it appeared that Hurricane Douglas would avoid the Hawaiian Islands

But the hurricane was still close enough to generate waves for this body surfer seen in the image above at Laie Beach Park on Sunday

Surfers take to the waves at Pounder's Beach in Laie, Hawaii, on Sunday. Meteorologists say the state will avoid Hurricane Douglas

Surfers hit the waves at Kahana Bay Beach Park in Hauula, Hawaii, on Sunday

A beach goer watches the big waves wash up on Pounder's Beach in Laie, Hawaii, on Sunday

The image above shows the large waves generated by Hurricane Douglas in Hauula, Hawaii, on Sunday

The massive waves drew an audience of curious onlookers at Pounder's Beach in Laie, Hawaii, on Sunday

Sand and debris is left on Kamehameha Highway from high surf generated by Hurricane Douglas is seen above on Sunday

A police officer uses a plywood board to push beach debris off the road in Kaaawa, Hawaii, on Sunday

Some in need of shelter would be given hotel rooms to keep them apart from others, according to state officials.

A community building known as the 'Dome' in Mercedes, Texas, was set aside for evacuees who had tested positive for COVID-19 or were exposed to the virus.

Van De Putte emphasized that people should not delay seeking help because of the virus and that officials were making shelters as safe as possible.

In the Mexican border city of Reynosa, a maternity hospital was damaged by heavy rain, and water had to be pumped out, authorities said.

Some patients had to be moved to upper floors, and a few were evacuated to other hospitals, said Pedro Granados, director of civil protection for Tamaulipas state.

Coastal states scrambled this spring to adjust emergency hurricane plans to account for the virus, and Hanna was the first big test.

Governor Greg Abbott announced Sunday the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved an emergency declaration that will provide federal aid.

Hanna blew ashore as a Category 1 storm late Saturday afternoon with winds of 90 mph not far from Port Mansfield, which is about 130 miles south of Corpus Christi.

Myrle Tucker, 83, tried to ride out the storm in a powerboat docked in a Corpus Christi marina. But winds and rain blew out the vessel's windows.

Eventually rescuers in a dinghy were able to reach him and bring him to shore. Many other boats were flooded and lashed by the storm.

Hurricane Douglas swerved past the Hawaiian Islands on Monday after the state was on alert for several days anticipating possible landfall

The eye of the storm missed Hawaii by some 20 to 30 miles, according to the National Weather Service

The Category 1 hurricane was generating winds of up to 80mph, according to meteorological data

The storm was well on its way toward the central Pacific Ocean and past Hawaii as of Monday evening

The remnants of the storm will still leave some precipitation on the Hawaiian Islands in the next 24 hours

More than 65,400 customers remained without power on Monday throughout South Texas, including Corpus Christi, Harlingen and McAllen, utility officials said.

That was down from a peak of 200,000 early Sunday morning.

Corpus Christi is in Nueces County, where 60 babies tested positive for COVID-19 from July 1 to July 16.

Farther south in Cameron County, more than 300 new cases have been reported almost daily for the past two weeks.

The past week has also been the countys deadliest of the pandemic.

Hanna came nearly three years after Hurricane Harvey blew ashore northeast of Corpus Christi, killing 68 people and causing an estimated $125billion in damage in Texas.

In the Mexican city of Matamoros, across from Brownsville, the rains shook tents in a refugee camp housing an estimated 1,300 asylum seekers, including newborns and elderly people, who have been waiting for months for court dates under a US immigration policy informally known as 'Remain in Mexico.'

In the Pacific Ocean, meanwhile, Hawaii avoided a direct hit Monday from Hurricane Douglas as the storm was moving away from the main Hawaiian islands.
As of Monday, no suspects are in custody for any of the shootings, according to Carter. Detectives have not yet found any definitive links between the men but do not believe the attacks are random, he said.
The union for state school principals has urged the Andrews government to abandon face-to-face classes for students in years 11 and 12 and in specialist schools and return to remote learning in Victoria's COVID-19 lockdown zones.

More than one in 10 Victorian secondary schools were closed on Monday after being linked to a recent coronavirus infection, with most of the affected schools located in Melbournes north and west, according to a list published by the Department of Education.

Keilor Downs College has been forced to shut three times this year due to a positive case. Credit:Justin McManus

The list of closed schools grew from 44 on Monday morning to 58 by the afternoon, including Keilor Downs College, which was forced to shut on Monday for the third time this year.

Other new closures included Melbourne Girls College in Richmond, Auburn High School in Hawthorn East, Cheltenham Secondary College, Epping Secondary College and Gisborne Secondary College.
Around a table in Southbank's Lawler Theatre  and lately over Zoom  an impressive bunch of Australia's acting, directing and writing talent has been meeting.

They've been talking about theatre. Sitting around a table in front of rows of empty seats, they read scripts, record them and listen back.

Dan Spielman and Greg Stone record in an empty Lawler theatre. Credit:Nadine Garner

They are trying to answer a big question: what will theatre be like, once it comes back? What should a post-pandemic theatre look like and sound like? What should it say?

"The striking thing is how very different all the works sound, held up against this new world," says Nadine Garner, who pulled together the group dubbed "Unleashed".
Stranded on a tiny Italian island, a cancer researcher grew increasingly alarmed to hear that one, and then three more visitors had fallen ill with COVID-19.

Paola Muti braced for a rapid spread of the coronavirus due to the 800 closely-knit islanders, many of whom she knows well.

Her mother was born on Giglio Island - situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea, 16 miles off the coast of Tuscany - and she often stays at the family home with its charming view of the sea through the parlor's windows.

But days passed and none of Giglio's islanders developed any COVID-19 symptoms even though the conditions seemed favourable for the disease to spread like wildfire.

The Gigliesi, as the residents are known, socialise in the steep alleys near the port or on the granite steps that serve as narrow streets in the hilltop Castle neighbourhood, with densely packed homes built against the remnants of a fortress erected centuries ago to protect against pirates.

People enjoy the sun and the fresh water on a beach on Giglio island, near Italy, last week

Two women wearing masks walk in front of Saints Lorenzo and Mamiliano Church on Giglio Island in Italy

This locator map shows where Giglio Island is situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea, 16 miles off the coast of Tuscany

Dr. Armando Schiaffino, the island's sole physician for around 40 years, shared Muti's worry that there would be a local outbreak.

'Every time an ordinary childhood illness, like scarlet fever, measles or chicken pox strikes, within a very few days practically all get' infected on Giglio, he said in an interview in his office near the port.

Muti, a breast cancer researcher at the University of Milan where she is an epidemiology professor, decided to try to find out why it wasn't happening this time.

Were residents perhaps infected but didn't show symptoms? Was it something genetic? Something else? Or just plain luck?

'Dr. Schiaffino came to me and told me, 'Hey, look, Paola, this is incredible. In this full pandemic, with all the cases that came to the island, nobody is sick.' So I said to myself: 'Right, here we can do a study, no? I am here,'' Muti said.

Local residents on Giglio Island near Italy wear face masks as they socialise. The Italian island has been spared the ravages of Covid-19

Residents of Giglio island shop in the steep alleys near the port. In spite of various people with coronavirus stopping by the island at times, not one of the islanders developed COVID-19 infection

By then, Muti was trapped on the island by Italy's strict lockdown rules. What was especially puzzling to her was that many of the islanders had had close contact with the visitors.

Giglio's first known COVID-19 case was a man in his 60s who arrived on February 18 - a couple of days before Italy's first 'native case' would be diagnosed in the north. The man came to Giglio for a relative's funeral, and had been 'coughing all the way' though the service, Muti said.

The virus is mainly spread through droplets when someone coughs, sneezes or talks. The man headed back on the ferry the same day to the mainland and died three weeks later in a hospital.

Signs on the seats of the ferry to Giglio island reminding travellers they must respect social distancing

Italian scientist Paola Muti talks with the Associated Press during an interview in her studio on Giglio Island, in Italy

On March 5, four days before the national lockdown was declared, three more visitors came from the mainland and would test positive on the island. One of them was a German man from northern Italy, the initial epicentre of Europe's outbreak.

He socialised for several days with longtime friends in Giglio, including in public eateries. After a week, due to a bad cough, he was tested on the island and the result was positive. He self-isolated in a house on Giglio.

There were other known cases, including an islander who had lived in Australia for two years before slipping back onto Giglio in mid-March during lockdown to see his parents. Three days after arriving on Giglio, he developed a mild fever and tested positive, Muti said. He self-isolated at his parents' home.

No other case has surfaced on Giglio, including since lockdown was lifted in early June, and tourists from throughout Italy have been arriving.

Armando Schiaffino, the island's doctor for some 40 years now, talks with the Associated Press during an interview in his studio on Giglio Island in Italy

Giglio is part of Tuscany, and its health office quickly sent over kits to test for antibodies to see if others may have had COVID-19. In late April, just before the first lockdown travel restrictions would be eased, the islanders had their blood tested, lining up outside the island's school and doctor's office.

Of the 800 or so year-round residents, 723 volunteered to be tested.

'We all wanted to do it, to be tranquil' about any possible infection, but also 'to help science,' said Simone Madaro, who had been working at the cemetery while the infected man had gathered with fellow mourners.

Residents of Giglio island socialise in the steep alleys near the port or on the granite steps that serve as narrow streets in the hilltop Castle neighbourhood

Italian scientist Paola Muti poses after an interview at her home on Giglio Island in Italy

The Rev. Lorenzo Pasquotti, the priest who conducted the service for around 50 mourners, and who himself was tested recalled: 'After the funeral, there were greetings, hugging and kissing,' as is the custom. Then came the procession to the cemetery, where 'there were more hugs and kisses.'

Of the islanders tested, only one was found to have antibodies, an elderly Gigliese man who had sailed on the same ferry to the island with the German visitor, Muti said.

Intrigued about why 'the virus didn't seem to interact' with the island's native population, Muti hadn't reached any conclusions by the time she was preparing to leave the island this month. She plans to write up up her study for eventual publication.

It's possible, Muti guessed, that islanders weren't exposed to enough COVID-19 to get infected.

That possibility was also voiced by Massimo Andreoni, head of infectious diseases at Rome's Tor Vergata hospital. He noted some patients are simply less capable of spreading the disease for reasons that are still unclear.

Chance might have played a role, said Daniel Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London. 'It could be something more or less trivial - nobody got infected because through good luck there was little contact,'' he said in an email exchange.

Rev. Lorenzo Pasquotti poses for photos on the steps of his church on Giglio Island in Italy

A ferry leaves Giglio island. In spite of various people with coronavirus stopped by the island at times, no one of the islanders developed COVID-19 infection

Or, Altmann also noted that 'it could be something important and exotic,' such as a genetic variant common among the island's population.

With many of the Gigliesi intermarrying through generations, Muti would like to do a genetic study someday if she could obtain funding.

Giglio lies in pristine waters in a protected regional marine sanctuary, and the islanders voice relief that they live in a natural environment they like to think is good for health, whatever Muti's study might determine.

'As an island, as the environment goes, we're OK, no?' said Domenico Pignatelli, as the elderly man kept company with friends in chairs placed on a stony street atop Giglio.
Suburban families will fare fine in this new environment, Stoops said. They have the means to forgo salaries or hire tutors or caretakers for their children. Children in households who cant do that will have the most difficulty adapting to this new environment. School districts arent thinking of the impact on these vulnerable families.

School leaders say that the widely criticized remote instruction that schools scrambled to provide in the spring will be significantly better in the fall.

Walker Kelly said teachers have been getting more training in how to work with their students in a virtual environment and it will be more robust this fall.

When to reopen?

Some school districts and charter schools adopted plans to use remote learning for as little as the first two weeks of school before reevaluating whether to switch to some in-person learning. Some districts agreed to delay in-person classes for nine weeks, pushing it off until October.

Walker Kelly said it might not be until the winter before some students head back to school for face-to-face classes.

It could be awhile, Walker Kelly said. Im hesitant to put a time frame on it because this virus has had a deadly effect on our state. The numbers are still rising.
Getting a flu jab could slash the risk of middle-aged people suffering a heart attack or stroke, a study has found.

Vaccinated over-50s were 28 per cent less likely to have a heart attack and faced a 47 per cent lower chance of a mini-stroke.

Scientists called the results  based on data from 7million people  'staggering' and said they shine a light on how beneficial the flu jab can be.

It protects against falling sick with the flu but also the life-threatening complications that come with it.

Being infected with influenza can put the body under an immense amount of stress, which in rare cases may lead to heart attacks and strokes.

But many people are unaware of these severe dangers, doctors say, and don't bother getting vaccinated.

It comes after research yesterday suggested flu vaccines may reduce the chance of developing Alzheimers.

Over 50s could avoid a potentially fatal heart attack or stroke by having the flu jab, a study has found (stock)

The research, by Texas Tech University, looked at more than seven million American adults over the age of 50.

All had been hospitalised at some point and were part of the 2014 National Inpatient Sample, the largest database of US hospitals.

Participants were noted as particularly vulnerable to flu because they were over the of age 50, had HIV/AIDS, lived in nursing homes or were obese.

Experts examined cardiovascular outcomes between patients who got vaccinated during hospitalisation and those who did not.

FLU PROGRAMME EXTENDED DURING COVID-19 The Government plans to double its winter flu vaccination programme to 30million people this year, with free jabs for all over-50s and children aged up to 11. Last year, around 15million people received a jab against seasonal flu but ministers hope this will rise to 30million this winter. Experts are concerned about the impact of a double-whammy of Covid-19 cases and seasonal flu potentially overwhelming the NHS. There are also worries that people could suffer both seasonal flu and Covid-19 at the same time. So the Department of Health and Social Care hopes that an increase in people getting flu vaccines means there will be fewer flu patients taking up space in hospitals and the NHS will have more time to deal with coronavirus patients. The jab is usually offered to over-65s, nursery and primary school children, and pregnant women or people with health conditions such as asthma. As part of an unprecedented drive, a free flu vaccine will this year also be available to: People who are on the Shielded Patient List and members of their household;

All school year groups up to Year 7;

People aged over 65, pregnant women, those with pre-existing conditions including at-risk under 2s. Advertisement

The adults aged 50 and over who were vaccinated had better outcomes in the year following vaccination.

They had a 28 per cent lower risk of heart attack, a 47 per cent lower risk of TIA  a 'mini stroke'  and an 85 per cent lower risk of cardiac arrest.

Similar trends were seen across people in the other high-risk groups, but these findings have not been reported yet.

There is evidence that heart attacks and strokes happen more often during or immediately after an acute inflammatory illness, such as flu, but it is not common.

Any lung disease puts a strain on the vascular system, so to lower the risk of heart disease or stroke, prevention of flu could help.

One large study in 2007 found winter infections like flu can double the risk of heart attacks and strokes, with sufferers twice as likely to be affected in the week after getting infected.

The comprehensive study was undertaken by scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine's Medical Statistics Unit who examined two million patients registered with approximately 500 GPs.

Among about 11,000 cases of heart attacks, 84 people had a respiratory infection the week before (0.8 per cent) and in the controls, compared with 34 of the 11,000 people in the control group (0.3 per cent).

Flu vaccination has already been linked with lower rates of cardiac events among people with heart disease, who have a greater risk of becoming more seriously ill from the flu than the general population.

The early results of the latest study, led by Roshni Mandania, were presented at the virtual American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2020 Scientific Sessions.

Ms Mandania said: 'The results we found are staggering. It's hard to ignore the positive effect the flu vaccine can have on serious cardiac complications.

'Some people don't view flu vaccinations as necessary or important, and many may face barriers accessing health care including receiving the flu vaccine.'

DO FLU JABS CUT THE RISK OF ALZHEIMER'S? Flu vaccines could reduce the chance of developing Alzheimers disease, research suggested yesterday. A study of 9,000 people found those who had just a single flu vaccine were 17 per cent less likely to have Alzheimers than those who had never been vaccinated. And those who had their flu jab every year saw their risk reduce by a further 13 per cent. Experts described the finding as intriguing  but were left puzzled as to exactly how vaccination against influenza reduces the risk of dementia. Some believe the jab may help boost the general immune system  offering the brain some protection when it is vulnerable to decline. There is also a possibility that a major infection such as a bad bout of the flu may hasten the onset of dementia among those already at risk. Doctors stress that anyone at risk of dementia  especially the elderly  should get vaccinated against flu regardless of this study. Advertisement

Of the seven million patients studied, just 168,325  or 2.4 per cent  had received the flu vaccine.

Vaccination rates were lower in the high-risk groups than the general population, the preliminary findings show.

Adults age 50 and over were significantly less likely to be vaccinated compared to the general population (1.8 per cent versus 15.3 per cent).

The vaccination rate for patients with HIV/AIDS was 2.21 per cent versus 8.2 per cent who were free from the virus or disease.

Just 1.8 per cent of nursing home residents got their jab, compared to 9.5 per cent among those who live independently.

And among obese patients, just 2.4 per cent were vaccinated, compared to nine per cent of adults deemed to be of a healthy weight.

It's possible some individuals may have got the flu vaccine in an outpatient setting, and therefore not be recorded in the hospital data.

'Nevertheless, our study highlights the marked under-underutilization of flu vaccine in high-risk groups and underscores the need for a health care policy initiative to increase flu vaccinations among all patients and especially in high-risk groups,' Mandania said.

Dr Eduardo Sanchez, American Heart Association's chief medical officer for prevention, said: 'All adults and all children, by and large, should be getting influenza vaccinations year after year.

'In particular, for patients who have chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes or emphysema, it is critically important to get the annual flu vaccine.

'The potentially serious complications of the flu are far, far greater for those with chronic diseases.'
New Delhi, July 27 : Infertility is mostly man-made and it can be reversed to a certain extent if we make a few changes in our lifestyle and try to live a little bit as we lived in the good old times, says Dr Shanujeet Kaur, Senior Consultant - Gynecologist and Fertility expert at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Chandigarh.

There have been two major changes in our societal fabric in the past decade or so. First is the shift from joint families to nuclear families which translates into a lack of help from family members in raising our children and demands sacrificing at least one person's career, in most cases the woman, to take care of the baby. So the couple keeps postponing pregnancy and hence the rise in the number of DINKs (double income no kids) couples.

Lifestyle ailments are increasingly playing villain, especially obesity and diabetes. Over 40 per cent of young men and women are either overweight or obese.

Sexually transmitted infections and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are other new areas of concern among women. A rise in unprotected sex has led to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and widespread use of both emergency contraception and surgical abortions, which can trigger serious infections that may cause irreversible infertility, Dr Kaur points out.

"Second, is the advent of social media and with it among other things, the pressure to live a certain kind of lifestyle. There is a constant pressure to earn more, achieve more to be seen and talked about more. It has changed our priorities and so getting married or having babies doesn't seem as important."

The expert lists down few important points related to infertility and pregnancy:

The right age to conceive:

It is very important to bust this myth about age and IVF and to educate young couples that every female is born with a finite number of eggs in her ovary which depletes with every passing year. This decline is very rapid from 35 years of age and the success rates with any fertility treatments including IVF decrease with each passing year beyond the age of 32. Also conception - It is not a female problem. And a man can equally be responsible for fertility issues, just like the woman. Female factors are responsible for infertility in about 40-50 percent cases and malefactors are directly responsible in about 30 percent cases and contributing indirectly in nearly 50 percent.

Job pressure:

Women and men have made it their lives' goal to work and earn and in turn have lost all connectivity with their own selves. A lot of people are found to look after their physical health by exercising, trying to eat right. However, they have been made to believe that work is life and hence looking after their mental health is avoided by many people altogether.

No elder family member to guide:

People believe in living in a nuclear family these days and they prefer to live in cities with high paying jobs. The joint-family system is completely broken, also there's been a decline in the Interpersonal relationship of couples and hence there are hardly family members to guide a couple regarding conception. Women are under a lot of work pressure at offices, adding to that is the pressure of looking after their homes and men work twice as hard to keep up their lifestyles. Amidst all of this, couples almost end up not having the confidence to take the responsibility of children and hence wait too long to conceive.

Obesity in men as well as women:

Obesity is a poison from both men and women trying to conceive. It leads to decline in the number, motility, and overall quality of sperms in men and causes poor quality egg production in women. All this may lead to lack of ability of the sperm to fertilize the egg and lack of ability for the fertilized egg to be implant in the uterus.

Smoking, alcohol, drug, and substance abuse:

Couples should start taking such concerns seriously, alcohol, smoking, drug and substance abuse is as bad as it sounds. The damage done is permanent and can't be recovered. No amount of intoxication is alright for the body.

Way forward:

Infertility is a complicated issue and many things are involved in it as stated above. Women shouldn't wait till they are above 30 years of age to conceive. The best thing to do is to seek a doctor's guidance early in life. A doctor can do a number of tests to find the cause at the beginning itself and if needed a useful treatment plan can be developed to increase the chances of conception, says Dr Kaur.

"Women who are advancing in age and have late marriages should be made aware egg preservation methods. Women are born with a finite set of eggs that get depleted through the course of their lives hence it is important that working women in their late twenties learn more about egg cryopreservation in case they want to have children later in their lives. It is very important for couples to understand that - IVF has its limitations. The increasing access to IVF (InVitroFertilization)/test tube baby and other advances in the field of reproductive medicine has also made couples more complacent as they think pregnancy can be achieved at any age with these technologies. However, the more a woman ages, the less are her chances of conceiving even through IVF," she concludes.

(Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in)

-- Syndicated from IANS
About two months after the coronavirus pandemic started consuming Colorado, Cynthia Eames received a troubling call from a family at her Denver school.

The family's mother lost her job, and so did her sister-in-law. With the families able to pay rent for only one home, they moved in together. There were six kids to feed and no new income. They sought help from Eames, a parent liaison at Valverde Elementary.

Eames knew just the right person to call: Alexandra LittleJohn.

The LittleJohn Produce Box Project creates boxes of food every week from products at various Denver suppliers. LittleJohn sells some boxes but also donates hundreds to those in need, including students at Valverde, a Title 1 school.

That family from Valverde received two boxes shortly after calling Eames. They are just one example of the many Colorado residents who have benefited from the project, which started in April and also aims to assist struggling restaurant employees.

"People who work in the food industry aren't out to make a ton of money," said LittleJohn, 36. "They're out to serve people. True hospitality is meeting people's needs before they know they need them. That's something I'm very passionate about."

When the pandemic hit Colorado in mid-March, LittleJohn learned Fresh Guys Produce, a supplier in Denver, sold boxes of fresh vegetables and fruits. LittleJohn, working as a barista at OZO Coffee in Boulder, picked up Fresh Guys's boxes for herself and co-workers.

Those trips halted in April when LittleJohn said she was laid off.

A few weeks later, though, an idea popped into her head. She still had connections with Fresh Guys employees, and she knew there were other locals who were struggling to buy food during the pandemic (LittleJohn said she had once been on Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children). She wanted to meet that need.

"If you're humble enough to ask for food," LittleJohn said, "you can have food."

She started buying food boxes from Fresh Guys for $20 and donating them. The boxes include products such as collard greens, radishes, artichokes, beats, corn, oranges, zucchini, apples, onions, eggs and potatoes. Because she understood the downside of working in the food and beverage industry, LittleJohn aimed to provide food to others in her field who were laid off, furloughed or lost hours.

Philip Steed, for example, said he worked only about 10 hours per week for minimum wage at OZO Coffee as the business retooled during the pandemic. While still paying rent for his apartment in Boulder, the 20-year-old struggled to produce the income for food. So, he started receiving one box per week, which has continued.

"It was awesome and inspiring to receive a box from her," Steed said, "because she was just taking her bad situation to help other people in need."

As LittleJohn advertised her project on social media, her former co-workers donated money, and other local food suppliers, Oatly and Torani, provided oat milk and coffee syrup, respectively, for the boxes.

At first, LittleJohn aimed to sell enough boxes to pay her bills. But soon she was expanding her business, setting up weekly pickup locations around Denver and Boulder, delivering boxes to customers' homes and attending farmers markets, where she'll often sell the boxes for $25. LittleJohn said most of the profits go toward buying more boxes to donate, expenses for delivery and other essentials. In June, she donated all of the project's profits to Black Lives Matter organizations after George Floyd's death in police custody.

Another of her initiatives is to keep people out of grocery stores to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. That was especially crucial for Denver resident Tara McLauchlan, whose roommate in March was at high-risk for the virus. McLauchlan didn't want to risk exposing herself to the coronavirus at grocery stores, so she relied on LittleJohn's delivery and pickups. The option of donating boxes has also intrigued McLauchlan.

"Covid, at least for me and some of my friends who have been lucky enough to maintain our jobs, there's been kind of this weird stuck point where I can donate money. . . . But how do I volunteer, especially when there is a concern of the virus?" the 33-year-old said. "This has been another way to help."

LittleJohn's project has also benefited local food suppliers, because many of the restaurants they provided for shut down or are open on limited hours. Fresh Guys closed after an employee contracted the coronavirus about two weeks ago, but LittleJohn has continued to receive its produce to fill her boxes. Otherwise, the food would go to waste.

LittleJohn said she has sold more than 1,300 boxes and donated more than 460 boxes. She hopes this is just the beginning of a flourishing nonprofit.

She's seeking 501(c)(3) status to apply for federal grants that will help the project produce more boxes and employees. Now, the project largely relies on volunteers. She also wants to partner with living centers that support people with disabilities and illnesses.

The longer the business stays afloat, the more families will be fed. That keeps LittleJohn motivated.

"It's really eye-opening that there's such a need," Eames said. "You don't really think about it or take it for granted. Like, 'Oh, it's just a few potatoes.' When you're a family and you've taken on another family and you don't have income, it's a big deal."
The seminar proposed urgent actions to help businesses thrive in the crisis period

According to Dang Hong Anh, chairperson of VYEA, the event was the first of a series of seminars until the end of this year, seeking to provide VYEA members an opportunity to learn and grow, and to develop a more professional, intelligent, and successful businesses community while still keeping up with global trends.

This is also a preparation for the ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs Carnival 2020, a great opportunity for VYEA to highlight the role of young entrepreneurs, the business community, and Vietnamese businesses in supporting the government to successfully organise the ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs Forum 2020 in Vietnam, said Hong Anh.

The first seminar provided an overview of the COVID-19 impacts on the economy and on business, offering insights from international financiers on how to utilise financial resources during the crisis as well as proposing urgent actions to minimise the negative impacts to help businesses thrive in the crisis period.

The event was the first of a series of seminars until the end of this year, seeking to provide VYEA members an opportunity to learn and grow, and to develop a more professional, intelligent, and successful businesses community.

The seminar witnessed the participation of Vo Tri Thanh, director of the Institute for Brand and Competitiveness Strategy; Kyle Kelhofer, senior regional manager for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos Market of the International Finance Corporation (IFC); and Nguyen Khac Huy, director of Strategic and Operation, Deloitte Consulting. The experts shared clear opinion on strategy and leadership capability for business in Vietnam, aiming to help businesses evaluate the current situation, from there figuring out appropriate solutions in the new normal.

From the perspective of an international financial corporation, Kyle Kelhofer shared experiences from the previous crisis, highlighting that the key strategic pillar for business is effective research. Another challenge is providing access and maximising financial resources in SMEs.

To continue promoting and connecting young businesses in Vietnam and the ASEAN, Deloitte Vietnam was officially appointed to support the VYEA by providing a series of training programmes to share its recommendations from an expert's perspective, update on development trends, and share success stories to help businesses adjust their goals and strategies.

Where businesses are in need of orientations for sustainable development during the pandemic, Deloitte Vietnam has released publications on resilient leadership to offer business leaders a way to strengthen their position.

During our 30-year journey in Vietnam, along with the 175 years of Deloitte Global, training and sharing of professional skills have always been our focus at Deloitte Vietnam and it is considered part of Deloitte's professional responsibilities to the community. Especially in the context of CoVID-19, the co-operation between Deloitte Vietnam and the VYEA is more meaningful as this will be an opportunity to promote the business community in Vietnam, said Bui Tuan Minh, partner of Deloitte Vietnam.

2020 is a remarkable year for Vietnam as the Chair of ASEAN 2020, in a year when the globe is beset by the COVID-19 pandemic. Concurrently, as ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs Association Chair in 2020, the VYEA has been working to lead and connect your businesses to adapt to the new normal and improve resilience.

The event, held in Ho Chi Minh City, welcomed more than 100 delegates from the Central Committee of VYEA, Ho Chi Minh City Young Entrepreneurs Association, Junior Chamber International (JCI), and especially young entrepreneurs from the ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs Association, who joined through a Zoom webinar.
The public has been prohibited from entering the buildings of the Capitol complex since mid-March because of the pandemic, so Lewiss coffin was positioned at the top of the center steps of the Capitol, just outside the Rotunda, Monday evening. The public was able to walk up to the bottom of those steps, with social distancing and mask-wearing requirements. Lewis is scheduled to be flown to Atlanta to lie in state Wednesday in the Georgia Capitol ahead of a funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the historically black church where King preached.
David 'Kochie' Koch has renewed his contract with Channel Seven for another two years.

The 64-year-old finance journalist will continue to host the network's top-rating breakfast show, Sunrise, until at least 2022.

However, he won't be getting a pay rise to reward his almost two decades with the broadcaster, reports The Australian.

He's a winner! David Koch has renewed his contract with Channel Seven for another two years, meaning he will continue to host top-rating breakfast show Sunrise until at least 2022

The newspaper claims that David will most likely stay on his $800,000-a-year salary, as Seven cuts costs amid the COVID-19 recession.

David has co-hosted Sunrise with Samantha Armytage since 2013. Before that, he shared the desk at 'Brekky Central' with Melissa Doyle.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Seven for comment.

Budget matters: However, he won't be getting a pay rise to reward his almost two decades with the broadcaster because of the coronavirus recession

Television expert Rob McKnight told Daily Mail Australia it was a 'smart play by Seven' to lock in Kochie for another two years.

'Kochie has always been the driving force of Sunrise and is loved by viewers,' said McKnight, who is the editor of industry website TV Blackbox.

'Sunrise has been a dominant number 1 and it makes sense to stay with a winning line-up. Kochie and Sam have proven to be a great team who connect with viewers.

'In these tough times, Kochie won't mind the fact there's no pay rise as reported; he has always been a team player.'

Dream team: David has co-hosted Sunrise with Samantha Armytage (left) since 2013. Before that, he shared the desk at 'Brekky Central' with Melissa Doyle

Sunrise recently claimed a ratings victory for the year against Channel Nine's Today show and ABC News Breakfast, despite it only being July.

This is because the program has won the required number of weeks to qualify as the most-watched breakfast show of 2020.

In addition to hosting Sunrise, David is chairman of the Port Adelaide AFL team and operates his own business streaming service, Ausbiz.

New landscape: It comes amid a changing of the guard in the breakfast TV wars. After many years as Australia's second most-watched breakfast show, Today has now slipped to third place behind ABC News Breakfast. Pictured: Today hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon

It comes amid a changing of the guard in the breakfast TV wars.

After many years as Australia's second most-watched breakfast show, Today has now slipped to third place behind ABC News Breakfast.

Today is hosted by Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon, while News Breakfast is fronted by Lisa Millar and Michael Rowland.
Flattening the curve: KfW supports the construction of four hospitals in Iraq to care for corona patients

 EUR 15 million for at least four auxiliary hospitals

 Treatment of over 7,000 corona sufferers possible

 Prepared for the peak of the pandemic

 Sustained relief for Iraqi hospitals

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), KfW Development Bank has signed in Iraq a financing agreement for a grant of EUR 15 million for the construction of at least four equipped auxiliary hospitals in Bagdad, Basra, Sulaymaniyah and Nineveh with 100 beds each. They will be able to treat over 7,000 CoViD-19 patients. In view of the anticipated surge of cases in Iraq and the peak of infections expected between November 2020 and February 2021, this will provide sufficient beds to enable patients to be isolated and thus contain the further spread of the disease. In addition, this will ease the burden on normal patient care in Iraq in the long term when the CoViD-19 pandemic is over.

After years of military conflict and the displacement of the population, Iraq is in dire need of being rebuilt. Added to this are economic losses due to the plunging oil price. Due to the governments currently very restricted ability to act both politically and financially, it is imperative that the population be protected from the effects of the SARS-CoViD-19 pandemic and to be prepared for its peak, says Prof. Joachim Nagel, Member of the Executive Board of KfW Group.

Through the isolated treatment and accommodation of CoViD-19 patients in special facilities, other non-corona patients in normal hospitals where sufficient isolation is not possible, can be protected from infection.

Information about KfW Development Bank can be found at:

https://www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de/International-financing/KfW-Entwicklungsbank /

Pressekontakt:

KfW, Palmengartenstr. 5  9, 60325 Frankfurt

Kommunikation (KOM), Charis Pothig

Tel. +49 (0)69 7431 4683, Fax: +49 (0)69 7431 3266,

E-Mail: charis.poethig@kfw.de, Internet: http://www.kfw.de

Weiteres Material: http://presseportal.de/pm/41193/4662522

OTS: KfW

Original-Content von: KfW, ubermittelt durch news aktuell
Nearly a year after "The 1619 Project" hit magazine stands, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is trying to start a congressional debate over the New York Times project reexamining slavery in U.S. history.

Last week, the conservative lawmaker proposed a bill seeking to ban schools from adopting the project as a part of their curriculum. The Pulitzer Prize-winning series of essays, poetry and fiction peddled the false notion, he alleged, that America is a "systemically racist country" with slavery irredeemably trapped inside its core.

"As the Founding Fathers said, it [slavery] was the necessary evil upon which the union was built," he told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette over the weekend. "The union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction."

His comments ignited a war of words on social media Sunday, with politicians, media figures and journalists - including the project's creator, Nikole Hannah-Jones - accusing the senator of endorsing the idea that slavery was a "necessary evil," as Cotton insisted that he was simply reflecting on what the Founding Fathers believed at the time.

The online debate highlighted the fact that even amid a persistent, intense examination of racial justice across the U.S. - one that emerged on the streets of Minneapolis, spreading to suburban kitchens, corporate boardrooms and Capitol Hill itself - "The 1619 Project" remains a lightning rod for some conservative lawmakers, on race, media, history and many matters in between.

Nearly a year after President Donald Trump decried the project as a "Racism Witch Hunt," Cotton's bill shows that "1619 continues to receive nearly just as much criticism from Republicans as it did in the days following its publication as a special stand-alone issue of the New York Times magazine.

When Hannah-Jones won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in the spring, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, slammed it as "propaganda." Earlier this month, amid news that Oprah Winfrey would be adapting the project into a TV series, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that it rehashed "the Marxist ideology that America is only the oppressors and the oppressed."

"The Chinese Communist Party must be gleeful when they see the New York Times spout their ideology," he said during a speech at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, The Washington Post's Carol Morello reported.

Now that the series of essays has been adapted into lesson plans and several major school districts - including those in Chicago, Washington and Buffalo - have moved to formally adopt the curriculum, Cotton wants to prohibit K-12 districts from using federal funds to teach the project at all.

"The entire premise of the New York Times' factually, historically flawed 1619 Project . . . is that America is at root, a systemically racist country to the core and irredeemable," the Arkansas senator told the Democrat-Gazette. "I reject that root and branch."

Yet in an interview with WBUR's "Here & Now" last week, Hannah-Jones said her project seeks to counter a history that uncritically glorifies the country and pushes a narrative of exceptionalism.

"The way that history is taught in American schools is highly politicized and it really has a nationalistic agenda," she said. "What that has meant is that it has necessarily downplayed the role of slavery."

Her efforts have drawn critiques from academic circles, too. Late in 2019, five notable U.S. historians wrote to the Times expressing serious concerns about the historical framing of the project, asking for corrections about the role of slavery in colonists' motivation for fighting the Revolutionary War. The publication's magazine nonetheless said it stood firmly behind the project and its exhaustive reporting.

Cotton himself has been no stranger to stirring up controversy with his words in the Times. In June, the newspaper apologized after an op-ed from the lawmaker, entitled "Send In The Troops," called for the deployment of the military against the racial justice protests sweeping the nation. The Times later said the op-ed fell short of its editorial standards, and its editorial page editor, James Bennet, resigned shortly thereafter.

Whether Cotton's statements about slavery, the founders and history are accurate sparked another wave of debate.

In an interview with The Post, John P. Kaminski, a historian at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said that many Southerners defending the practice did in fact refer to slavery as a "necessary evil."

A number of mechanisms within the country's founding documents, such as the three-fifths compromise, or the omission of the word "slavery" from the Constitution, he added, indicate that it was not supposed to last forever as an institution, but was placed second to the maintenance of the union.

"Any discussion that we would have of slavery and racial relations today has to be understood in the context of the 18th Century, where racism is profound throughout the entire Western world," said Kaminski, who edited the book, "A Necessary Evil? Slavery and the Debate over the Constitution." "The country was pretty well divided at that time in many respects the way the country is divided today."

Later in the evening on Twitter, Cotton insisted that he was merely rehashing a historical perspective, rather than stating his own.

"Describing the *views of the Founders* and how they put the evil institution on a path to extinction, a point frequently made by Lincoln, is not endorsing or justifying slavery," he wrote.

But Joshua D. Rothman, a University of Alabama history professor, countered Cotton's argument, writing that slavery was neither a "necessary evil" nor destined for "ultimate extinction." It was more nuanced than that, he said.

"Slavery was a choice defended or accepted by most white Americans for generations, and it expanded dramatically between the Revolution and the Civil War," Rothman wrote.

If anything, though, the clash between Cotton and Hannah-Jones on Twitter seems to indicate some limited common ground: Both place heavy value on how slavery is taught in the nation's classrooms. Where they seem to disagree is just what that history is, and how to teach it.

On Friday, Hannah-Jones said that Cotton's bill "speaks to the power of journalism more than anything I've ever done in my career."

"Imagine thinking a non-divisive curriculum is one that tells black children the buying and selling of their ancestors, the rape, torture, and forced labor of their ancestors for PROFIT, was just a 'necessary evil' for the creation of the 'noblest' country the world has ever seen," she wrote on Twitter Sunday.

And, as some pointed out, Cotton's line about slavery being "built into" the country supports her core argument after all.

"So, was slavery foundational to the Union on which it was built, or nah?" she asked. "You heard it from Tom Cotton himself."
Robert OBrien, President Donald Trumps national security adviser, tested positive for Covid-19 after attending a family event and has been self-isolating at his home while working remotely, according to reports.

The 54-year-old Republican is the fourth national security adviser to serve in the White House under Mr Trump, and has held the position since 2019. His diagnosis was first reported by Bloomberg News White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs.

He was the closest White House official to the president known to have contracted the novel coronavirus, which has killed at least 149,000 Americans since the beginning of the global pandemic.

Mr OBriens office in the White House was situated close to the Oval Office, Bloomberg News reported, as well as an office occupied by the vice president in the West Wing.

The White House has significant testing and tracing capabilities for its own staff and key officials close to the president, who are reportedly tested daily for Covid-19.

The White House confirmed Mr O'Brien's diagnosis in a statement to The Independent, saying he has mild symptoms associated with the virus.

"National Security Adviser Robert OBrien tested positive for COVID-19," the White House said. "He has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating."

The White House statement also said "there is no risk of exposure to the President or the Vice President" and that "the work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted" as Mr O'Brien works from a "secure" off site location.
Almost one and a half month after 20 Indian soldiers including a Colonel were killed while Chinese army too suffered significant casualties in a violent clash at Galwan valley in Ladakh, union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai said that China faced similar consequences in 1959 as well during a clash with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans in Hot Springs.

Recalling the incident of October 21, 1959 in which a patrol party of CRPF was attacked by Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) troops killing 10 Indian troops and taking seven as prisoners, Rai said the paramilitary force had shown great valour and caused big damage to the Chinese then also despite the fact that they were outnumbered. The day is also celebrated as police memorial day.

Rai was speaking at the 82nd raising day of CRPF. Home minister Amit Shah was supposed to attend the event but he could not make it owing to some other meeting.

The CRPF has a rich history of valour and sacrifice...and on October 21, 1959, it showed that in Hot Springs in Ladakh when the Chinese attacked, Rai said.

What a coincidence. Whenever China attacks, its strength is huge and ours is less...but China has always suffered the consequences, he said. He added that 10 CRPF personnel sacrificed their lives in Hot Springs, and the Chinese army had to suffer a big damage.

Rai, however, didnt elaborate on the damage to PLA.

Praising CRPF, he added that the force has defended the country at Sardar Post in Gujarat as well when a small team repulsed an attack by a 3,000-strong army contingent of Pakistan in 1965.

Pakistan would shake with fear whenever it would recall this incident, Rai said.

The minister praised the force for ensuring the security of the country as he said without security there can be no peace, no development and no unity.

Rai added that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home Amit Shah terrorism and Naxalism were being wiped out in the country.

In the last six months, 150 terrorists have been killed in Kashmir, he said.

Rai said terrorists should know they will have to either change their ideology or will be wiped out by joint security forces like the CRPF, the army and the Jammu and Kashmir police.

He also recalled the 2019 Pulwama attack on a CRPF convoy in which 40 personnel were killed, and said the Prime Minister then had declared this sacrifice of the troops will not go in vain.

The force went into Pakistan and killed the terrorists and Pakistan just kept watching. India did what it wanted to do, the minister said in a reference to IAFs air strikes in Balakot after the Pulwama attack.

During the course of his speech, the minister made an apparent error while referring to the history of the CRPF.

He said the countrys first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel gave the flag or colours to the force on this day (July 27) in recognition of the good work done by it in aligning all the princely states with India post independence.

However, an official pointed out that the CRPF was given the Presidents colours by Sardar Patel on March 19, 1950.

The importance of July 27 is due to the raising of CRPFs first battalion on this day in 1939 in the Neemuch town of Madhya Pradesh.

In 1939, the force was raised as the Crown Representatives Police under the British and was re-named CRPF in 1949.
A Lowes shopper in California said another customer repeatedly spat in his face when he told the man to wear a mask, according to a lawsuit filed against the company that claims Lowes workers refused to intervene.

John Birke went to a Lowes Home Improvement store in the Los Angeles neighborhood of West Hills June 28 to buy an elevated toilet seat for his wife, according to his lawsuit filed July 16 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Birke spotted a maskless man in the aisle he needed to enter, according to his lawsuit. From at least 40 feet away, he asked the man, How did you get in here without a mask?

When Birke asked again, the man cursed and told him it was none of his business, according to the lawsuit.

Birke then asked Lowes workers to tell the man he was violating California Gov. Gavin Newsoms executive order requiring the wearing of face masks in all public places, Birke said in the lawsuit. When the workers refused to do anything, Birke said, he called 911.

Seconds later, he encountered the maskless man again. The man came within two feet and spat in his face four times in rapid succession, according to the lawsuit.

This attack occurred about 15 feet from a Lowes employee, who told the attacker, You just spit in his face, yet did absolutely nothing, according to the lawsuit. In fact, no Lowes employee so much as asked Birke if he was all right.

The lawsuit said Lowes failed to protect customers health in its stores by allowing in shoppers without masks, in violation of public health law.

Birke wants a jury to award him at least $20 million, according to the lawsuit.

A Lowes spokeswoman told The Charlotte Observer Thursday the company wont comment about pending litigation.

At the time Birke filed his lawsuit July 16, he said, he continued experiencing symptoms possibly consistent with COVID-19 infection.

Birke told the Observer Thursday that his COVID-19 test results came back negative for the disease this week. He said he was wearing a mask supporting Joe Biden at the time of the alleged incident.

New mask policy at Lowes

On July 17, Lowes announced the company would make all customers wear masks in its U.S. stores effective July 20.

While supplies last, Lowes will offer free masks in all stores to customers who need them, CEO Marvin Ellison said in the news release announcing Lowes mask mandate. As a retailer offering essential goods, we have a responsibility to our associates, customers and small businesses in communities nationwide to help provide a safe shopping experience, Ellison said.

On Tuesday, the day after its mask mandate took effect, Lowes told the Observer that due to safety concerns, the company wont let its employees enforce the mandate.

A handful of shoppers complained to the Observer and on the Lowes website about the lack of enforcement of the new mandate.

We will not ask our associates to put their safety at risk by confronting customers about wearing masks, so we are consistently requesting that customers wear masks for the safety of everyone in our stores, according to the company.



Joe Marusak of The Charlotte Observer wrote this story.

2020 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)

Visit The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) at www.charlotteobserver.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Mr Peter Averik, Chairman of Jema'a Local Government Area, on Sunday appealed for calm in the face of recent attacks in the area.

The appeal is coming on the heels of Friday's attack by unknown gunmen on Zikpak community, a suburb of Kafanchan, that saw several lives lost and houses burnt.

In a statement issued by the council's Information Officer, Simeon Dauda, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria in Kafanchan, Averik noted that no evil shall escape the wrath of God.

He urged the people not to take laws into their hands as additional security personnel had been deployed to ensure the protection of lives and property.

The chairman, who described the attack as callous and barbaric, prayed God to comfort community members who lost their loved ones in the incident.

He implored residents to observe the 24 hours curfew imposed by the state government and to be vigilant and report any suspected person or movements to the relevant authorities.

Averik commended the security personnel in the area for their proactiveness and tasked them to intensify patrol and surveillance to ensure the criminal elements are arrested and dealt with.

He called on the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and spirited individuals to come to the aid of the displaced victims of Zikpak in order to ameliorate the effects of the attack on them.

The LG boss pledged the council's assistance to victims of the attacks who sustained injuries and were receiving treatment in the hospital after he visited them. (NAN)
A 14-year-old girl from India has allegedly been raped in a COVID-19 treatment center, according to authorities. The alleged rapist is a 19-year-old patient at the COVID-19 treatment center.

Rape accusations

A deputy commissioner of Delhi police, Parvinder Singh, investigated the incident at the center in the capital of India, New Delhi. He told CNN that the 14-year-old girl and the 19-year-old assailant did not know each other before the incident happened.

The rape happened in an isolated area at the treatment center and the friend of the 19-year-old rapist, a 20-year-old man, is said to have assisted in the crime.

Both the suspect and the victim had tested positive for COVID-19 and they were patients at the Sardar Patel COVID Care Center in Chhatarpur, New Delhi, which is located in the south of the city. The treatment center has 10,000 beds.

Also Read: 93-Year-Old Ex-Nazi Camp Guard Convicted of Assisting Murders of Thousands Holocaust Victims

The authorities first registered the incident on July 16, after the family of the victim reported the attack. Singh added that the victim said the 20-year-old friend of the rapist recorded the rape on his phone and the authorities are now investigating that angle as well as the rape charge.

The incident has now been registered as a case under the POCSO Act or the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses. Singh said that the two suspects have now been arrested.

Both were transferred to a government hospital under judicial custody as both men are still being treated for COVID-19. The victim is also receiving treatment and has been transferred to another hospital.

India is one of the countries with the highest coronavirus cases in the world. There are now more than 1.28 million people who are infected with COVID-19, according to the tally at Johns Hopkins University.

India comes third with the United States leading the list with 4 million cases, and Brazil coming second with 2.28 million. On July 24, India reached a new record high as 49,311 people tested positive for the virus in just 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Over the weekend, India has seen a surge, as over 95,000 fresh cases have been recorded. However, the number could be higher as a recent study done by India's National Center for Disease Control found that almost 1 in 4 people in New Delhi may have been infected by the virus.

This suggests that the actual infections in New Delhi are more widespread than the number of cases that are reported.

Prime Minister's response

Despite the alarming number, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India's response to the coronavirus pandemic has "defied global expectations."

Modi said on July 26 at a radio address to the nation that the way Indians came together to fight against the virus in the last few months has proved the world wrong.

The Prime Minister also claimed that the virus recovery rate was better in India than in other countries in the world but he warned that the threat of the pandemic remained. He added that Indians need to still be vigilant and that they have to remember that the COVID-19 is still as dangerous as it was when it started.

Related Article: Mother from Kentucky Arrested After Filming Explicit Scenes with 9 Month Old Daughter

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In a new twist to the unfolding political drama in Rajasthan, the BSP on Sunday issued a whip to the six MLAs, who had left the party to join the Congress last year, to vote against the ruling party in the state in case of a trust motion in the Assembly.

In a statement, BSP General Secretary Satish Chandra Misra said, "All six MLAs have been issued separate notices wherein they have been informed that since BSP is a recognised national party as such there cannot be any merger under para (4) of the 10th Schedule at the state level at the instance of six MLAs unless there is a merger of the entire BSP everywhere at the national level."

If the six MLAs voted against the party whip, they were liable for disqualification from the assembly, Mishra said. "It has been further stated in the notice that therefore they are bound to follow the 'whip' of BSP failing which they would entail disqualification," the statement said.

Mishra also said the BSP would intervene in the pending petition of disqualification before the Rajasthan High Court or file a separate writ petition. Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana and Rajendra Gudha won the 2018 assembly elections on BSP tickets.

They applied for merger as a group with the Congress on September 16 last year. The Speaker passed an order two days later declaring that the six MLAs will be treated as an integral part of the Congress. The merger was a boost to the Ashok Gehlot-led government as the Congress tally increased to 107 in a House of 200.

A BJP MLA had on Friday filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court for quashing the merger of six BSP MLAs with the Congress.

Also read: Rajasthan political crisis: CM Gehlot to submit fresh proposal to Governor for Assembly session
By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijan has imported Turkish-made special construction equipment to be used in its Nakhchivan Combined Arms Army, the press service of the Ministry of Defense reported on July 25.

The ministry reported that according to the import of new equipment from Turkey, to Azerbaijans Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic began in 2019 in line with the agreement on military financial cooperation between the Government of Azerbaijan and the Government of Turkey. As a continuation of the measures, the next part of the new equipment was handed over to the Combined Arms Army, the ministry noted.

Thus, the purpose of bringing special building equipment from Turkey is to improve the quality of military infrastructure upgrades, which will be used in military construction, building and road construction.

The imported equipment is distinguished by its modernity and technical features and will allow the construction work to be done faster and with better quality.

Established in Turkey as a representative and import company of Mercedes-Benz, Koluman Holding Group of Companies is distinguished by the high quality of construction equipment produced in full compliance with German automotive industry standards, the ministry said.

The concrete pump produced at the plants of the Koluman Holding group of companies jointly with the South Korean manufacturer JunJin is distinguished with its quality. Moreover, cement-carrying, concrete-pumping, concrete-mixing and asphalt-concrete trucks, which are durable, fuel-efficient and convenient, are manufactured with a focus on driver and vehicle safety.

These machines with modern design and technology will allow the Combined Arms Army to carry out repair and construction work and upgrade the road infrastructure with better quality.

In addition to these machines, which are produced for difficult conditions in construction sites, and are distinguished by their strength and durability, road machines and trailers have also been put into operation.

Trailers produced by the Turkish company Agri Rosso will further facilitate transportation and ancillary operations with their quality and modernity.

The provision of equipment of national production of brotherly Turkey to the Combined Arms Army indicates the high level of military cooperation, the ministry noted.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
With films like Extraction and The Old Guard, Netflix is officially becoming a major movie outlet. The streamer has put out a number of original films starring A-list celebrities like Robert Deniro, Al Pacino, and Charlize Theron. Theaters may be closed, but Netflix has 11 blockbuster original movies you can stream right now.

THE OLD GUARD  Charlize Theron as Andy Photo credit: Aimee Spinks/NETFLIX 2020

1. Extraction

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Extraction tells the story of Tyler Rake, a black ops mercenary who is hired to rescue the teen son of an imprisoned drug lord. But when things go south and hes instructed to abort the mission, he takes it upon himself to save the boy.

The action-packed thriller was directed by Marvel fight choreographer, Sam Hargrave, and was written and produced by Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo.

RELATED: That Extraction Ending Has Fans Wondering If a Sequel Is in the Works

2. The Irishman

Academy Award-winning actors Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorseses The Irishman. The Netflix film explores the inner workings of organized crime in post-war America through the life and lens of hustler and hitman, Frank Sheeran. The film won several accolades, including 10 Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe nominations.

3. The Old Guard

The Old Guard tells the story of a warrior named Andy (Charlize Theron), and her immortal crew of mercenaries who have been protecting humanity for centuries. But when their powers are discovered by a biotech company, they become the hunted. According to Netflix, the blockbuster film is on track to be viewed in over 72 million households within a month of its premiere.

4. Spenser Confidential

Spenser Confidential follows ex-cop Spenser (Mark Wahlberg) who is just released from prison. He is planning on leaving his hometown of Boston to start a new life, but before he knows it, Spenser finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery, And hes hell-bent on bringing down the dirty cops behind it.

5. 6 Underground

6 Underground stars Ryan Reynolds as the leader of a group of skilled mercenaries whove erased their pasts and live for the thrill of the mission. The action-packed film comes from Transformers director, Michael Bay.

6. Murder Mystery

Netflixs hilarious comedy, Murder Mystery, follows a New York City cop (Adam Sandler) and his wife (Jennifer Aniston) as they finally take the European vacation of their dreams. But when they are invited on to a yacht with their mysterious new billionaire friend, they unknowingly become suspects in a high-stakes murder mystery.

7. Dolemite Is My Name

Dolemite Is My Name tells the story of Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy), a struggling comedian who ends up creating his own genre of films. The movie stars Wesley Snipes, Keegan-Michael Key, and Da-Vine Joy Randolph. The Netflix movie was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Actor for Eddie Murphy and Best Picture.

8. Marriage Story

Starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, Marriage Story follows a young couple in the midst of a divorce. The film also stars Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Ray Liotta. Marriage Story received numerous accolades, including six Academy Award nominations and one win.

9. Triple Frontier

Triple Frontier is centered on a group of former Special Forces operatives who reunite to rob a drug lord in South America. But when things take an unexpected turn, the men must rely on each other to make it out alive. The Netflix film stars Ben Affleck, Pedro Pascal, Oscar ISaac, Charlie Hunnam, and Garrett Hedlund.

10. Velvet Buzzsaw

Set in the pretentious art scene of Los Angeles, Velvet Buzzsaw is a satirical thriller that explores the high price paid when greed gets in the way of art. The Netflix movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Toni Collette, Daveed Diggs, Renee Russo, and John Malkovich.

11. Birdbox

Starring Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich, Birdbox is set in a world where mysterious creatures kill anyone who sees them. To save herself and her two young children, a mother must venture down a treacherous river, blindfolded, to get them to safety.
HOUSTON and FORT WORTH, Texas, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Forshey Prostok L.L.P. is proud to announce the addition of Deirdre Carey Brown, pllc, as a Partner in the firm's Houston office.

Board Certified in Business Bankruptcy by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Ms. Brown has 20 years of bankruptcy and restructuring experience. Her work includes representing both Chapter 11 debtors, official committees, creditors, and equity, in a variety of industries, with particular focus in the construction and energy markets.

To learn more about Ms. Brown, visit: https://forsheyprostok.com/attorneys/deirdre-carey-brown-pllc/

"Deirdre is a great fit for our growing team of bankruptcy and restructuring professionals," said managing partner Jeff Prostok. "Particularly as we face growing demand in the energy sector, Deirdre's experience in both Houston and Louisiana will serve our clients well."

Mr. Prostok notes that, with the addition of Ms. Brown, Forshey Prostok now has eight partners who each have more than 15 years of business bankruptcy experience.

"We pride ourselves in offering the skill and sophistication of a large firm, but without the conflicts and expensive overhead," he said. "I don't know of many firms in Texas, big or small, with the business bankruptcy firepower our firm offers."

Ms. Brown, who relocated to Houston from New Orleans 15 years ago, said the firm's ability to support complex cases sealed the deal.

"I was impressed by the quality of Forshey Prostok's lawyers, and I'm looking forward to helping grow the firm's base in Houston," she said. "The bankruptcy judges in Houston have excelled in handling the complex case docket while being proactive and accommodating in dealing with issues from COVID-19. We will surely see an increase in complex cases filing in Houston in the coming months."

Ms. Brown has been recognized for her work in business bankruptcy by Texas Super Lawyers (2016 to 2019) and Houstonia Magazine (2013-2015 and 2018) and is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. She earned her J.D. from Tulane Law School and her B.A. from Michigan State University. Ms. Brown is also certified in mediation.

About Forshey Prostok L.L.P.

Forshey Prostok L.L.P. provides extensive experience in all areas of bankruptcy law from its offices in Fort Worth and Dallas. The firm's scope of representation includes handling complex business reorganizations, enforcing of creditor's rights, leading commercial and bankruptcy-related litigation, overseeing creditors' committees, directing workouts, and closing bankruptcy acquisitions. Forshey Prostok is ranked by the Chambers USA legal guide and received a Tier 1 ranking from Best Law Firms for bankruptcy and creditor/debtor rights. For more information, visit https://forsheyprostok.com/.

Contact:

Amy Hunt

1-214-801-8116

[email protected]

SOURCE Forshey Prostok L.L.P.

Related Links

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A type of Uncle Ben's ready-to-heat rice pouches are being recalled in the UK due to concerns the product may contain glass.

Mars Food UK issued a recall on Monday for its Uncle Ben's Brown Basmati rice pouches.

The Food Standards Agency said: "The possible presence of glass makes this product unsafe to eat".

It advised those who have bought the item not to eat it but instead return the rice pouch to the store from where it was bought for a full refund.

The FSA added that point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling the product.

Mars Food UK is recalling Uncle Bens Brown Basmati ready to heat rice pouches as some packs may contain pieces of glass / Mars Food UK

The recall notice is for 250g pouches with a range of best before dates between November 17, 2020 and July 19, 2021.

A notice from the manufacturer said: "Uncle Ben's is voluntarily recalling Uncle Ben's Brown Basmati 250g ready to heat rice pouches with the below best before dates.

"This is a precautionary recall due to the possibility of the presence of glass".

Customers can contact Uncle Ben's consumer care line on for a full refund.

It comes after the rice brand announced it was evolving its visual identity in an effort to address "racial bias and injustices".

The Uncle Ben character, depicted on the brand's packaging as an African-American rice grower, first appeared in the early 1940s and has long been criticised as racist.

In a statement on June 17, the brand's parent company Mars Incorporated said that the exact changes and timing are still being decided, but all possibilities are being evaluated.
But by the time Arizona started to reopen on May 15, I couldnt compete with the message coming out of the White House, projected across cable news and reinforced by Ducey. Dad was a Republican. He watched Fox News, and he had voted for Ducey and Trump. When they told him not to live in fear, that very few people would catch the disease, that its effects werent serious, he believed them. My parents listened respectfully to me and to what I had to say about the coronavirus, but they also trusted our elected officials when they said we were on the other side of the pandemic. The governor said it was safe, Dad told me as, for the first time in months, he prepared to go out and meet up with his friends at their favorite karaoke bar. Why would he say that if it wasnt?
Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra has given the go-ahead to hold the assembly session, with a few conditions. Now, all eyes are on CM Ashok Gehlot to see what would be his next plan of action.

Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra has given the go-ahead to hold the assembly session, with a few conditions. This decision is a relief for CM Ashok Gehlot. The assembly session must be called according to the constitutional provisions, said Governor Mishra

The three conditions mentioned by him include a three-weeks notice before summoning the assembly session.

Rajasthan Governor asks State Government to deliberate on three aspects- 21-day notice period before convening session, maintaining social distancing norms and certain conditions to be followed, in case confidence motion is moved. pic.twitter.com/oUQ0648wTd  ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2020

He said that it would be difficult to call all MLAs at a short notice during the pandemic. Therefore, he asked for a plan on how social distancing will be maintained. He also clarified that the Raj Bhavan has no intention of not calling the assembly session.

Also read: Will not contest assembly elections while J&K remains UT: Omar Abdullah

Also read: Rajasthan crisis: Ashok Gehlot dials PM to discuss Governors conduct

The decision came shortly after Ashok Gehlot spoke to PM Narendra Modi about the Governors conduct. Earlier, the Governor had returned the proposal by CM Ashok Gehlot for the assembly session from Friday with a few queries.

The power struggle in Rajasthan took a new turn when the Governor had not paid heed to the request of Congress to convene an assembly session on an urgent basis.

Rajasthan Governors Secretariat had said the state government had presented a proposal to convene the session of the Assembly at very short notice on the night of July 23. The paper was analyzed and legal experts were consulted over it. It said 21-day notice is required for the session to be called, according to the protocol.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said the Congress will approach the President and if required, will also stage a protest outside the Prime Ministers residence in connection with the ongoing situation in Rajasthan.

Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil after simmering differences between Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot came out in the open. Pilot was removed as the Deputy Chief Minister and the state unit chief of Congress.

The Congress has accused the BJP of indulging in horse-trading to bring down the Gehlot government. The BJP has rejected the allegations.

Also read: Odisha 10th result 2020: BSE to release results on July 29, check details

For all the latest National News, download NewsX App
The United Nations on July 27 urged rapid rescue for around 100 migrants who are still floating in the Mediterranean and are at the risk of drowning. According to reports, the migrants have escaped war-torn Libya and are wanting to enter a European country by boat but are currently stuck in the Mediterranean. The United Nations' International Organization for Migration on Monday urged states and shipmasters to respond to distress cases at the sea as there are nearly 100 migrants floating in the Central Mediterranean at risk of drowning, after attempting to flee Libya.

Read: UN: Libyan Coast Guard Intercepts 83 Europe-bound Migrants

Around 95 migrants are still floating in the Central Mediterranean at risk of drowning, after attempting to flee Libya.



We reiterate that states and shipmasters have a moral and legal obligation to respond to distress cases at sea. pic.twitter.com/wdcFDpG1yY  IOM - UN Migration (@UNmigration) July 27, 2020

Read: At Least 30 Migrants Die In Tunisia Boat Sinking

Migrant crisis

Earlier this month, the Libyan coast guard intercepted a boat with migrants headed to Europe and brought them back to the country. According to the International Organization for Migrants, tens and thousands of migrants risk their lives to enter the European Union via irregular routes every year, of which most of them die at the sea or are brought back to their native countries by law enforcement agencies. IOM said that in 2019 alone more than 1,00,000 migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean illegally and over 1,200 of them died while doing so.

Read: Venezuelan Migrants Make Long Trek Back Home

Most of the migrants who try to cross the Mediterranean from Africa to Europe do it in ill-equipped boats with inadequate facilities, such as rubber boats or inflatable boats. According to IOM, more than 20,000 migrants have died since 2014 while trying to cross the Mediterranean in such boats. European countries have in the recent past partnered with the Libyan coast guards and other agencies to stop illegal migrations.

Read: Turkey: Up To 60 Migrants Feared Dead After Boat Sinks

(Image Credit: AP)


SBI latest recruitment: State Bank of India has announced vacancies for the post of Circle Based Officer (CBO). Total number of vacancies for this latest SBI job opening stands at 3,850. Interested candidates can register themselves via an online registration form available in the careers section of the official SBI website. Registrations for SBI CBO recruitment will begin from July 27, 2020 and will conclude on August 16, 2020.

SBI CBO recruitment total vacancies

Of the total posts, 750 are in Gujarat and Karnataka each, 550 in Tamil Nadu and Telangana, 517 in Maharashtra (excluding Mumbai), 300 in Rajasthan, 296 in MP, 104 in Chhattisgarh and 33 in Goa.

SBI CBO 2020 recruitment eligibility

A graduate in any discipline from a recognised university can apply for this posting. The candidate must have studied the local language of the state where he/she is applying till class 10 or class 12. The candidate applying for this SBI post should not be more than 30 years and his/her date of birth should not be before August 2, 1990.

Age limit will be relaxed up to 5 years for candidates belonging to SC/ST category whereas OBC candidates shall get a relaxation of 3 years.

SBI CBO recruitment experience

The interested candidates should have at least two years of experience of working as an officer at a commercial or a regional rural bank.

SBI CBO recruitment application fees

Candidates belonging to the General, OBC and EWS categories have to pay Rs 750 as application fees whereas SC and PwD candidates do not have to pay any application fees.

SBI CBO selection process

Shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview. The public sector bank might conduct a written examination to shortlist the candidates.

Also read: Unlock 3.0: Cinema halls likely to reopen from August 1
By PTI

SRINAGAR: Upset over downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir to the status of a Union Territory following abrogation of Article 370, former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he will not contest assembly elections till full statehood is restored.

However, Omar, a former union minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, made it clear he would continue to work for his party National Conference (NC) and people of Jammu and Kashmir.

"I have been leader of the assembly of the state. In its time the most empowered assembly. I cannot and will not be a member of what is now one of the most disempowered assemblies in the country. It's as simple as that," Omar, 50, told PTI.

"It is not a threat or blackmail, it's not a display of me sulking. It's just a simple acknowledgement that I won't fight an election to lead the Union Territory assembly which is such a disempowered assembly."

Strongly critical of the dilution of Article 370 of the Constitution, Omar said many reasons had been given to justify abrogation of the provision that granted special status, and claimed that none of those stand any scrutiny.

Omar, who is the vice president of the NC, was critical of what had been done to Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 last year, and said his party would oppose it in the Supreme Court.

"We believe in democracy and peaceful opposition."

ALSO READ | Farooq Abdullah calls for restoration of statehood to J&K, pins hopes on SC

The abrogation of Article 370 was supposed to end terrorism but the government had been telling Supreme Court that violence in Jammu and Kashmir was increasing, he said.

Similarly, arguments touted such as lack of development and investment due to Article 370 belie facts, he added.

Asked whether his decision not to contest the assembly polls has been discussed with the leadership of his party, Omar replied, "it's my view and it's my decision.

No one can be forced to fight an election against their will".

On the delimitation exercise being carried out by the administration of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said, "NC is and will continue to explore all legal options to deal with the developments and decisions post August 5 last year."

The elections are likely to be held only after the delimitation exercise is completed in the union territory, which came into existence on October 31 last year.

The erstwhile state was split into two union territories--Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Resul Pookutty, who won Oscar for 2009 film Slumdog Millionaire, says he nearly had 'a breakdown' because nobody offered him any work in Bollywood post his win

Oscar and BAFTA winner sound designer Resul Pookutty on Monday said that he nearly had "a breakdown" after nobody showed interest in working with him in the Hindi film industry post his win at the Academy Awards.

Pokutty took to Twitter in response to a statement by filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.

"I had gone through near breakdown as nobody was giving me work in Hindi films and regional cinema held me tight after I won the Oscar,". wrote the sound designer

Dear @shekharkapur ask me about it, I had gone through near breakdown as nobody was giving me work in Hindi films and regional cinema held me tight after I won the Oscar... There were production houses told me at my face we dont need you but still I love my industry,for it.... https://t.co/j5CMNWDqqr  resul pookutty (@resulp) July 26, 2020

The statement by the Oscar-winning sound designer came a day after Kapur on Sunday tweeted an excerpt from a radio-based interview of music maestro AR Rahman.

During the interview, Rahman was asked why he works more frequently in Tamil cinema than in Hindi films. To which he replied, "I don't say no to good movies, but I think there is a gang, which due to misunderstandings, is spreading some false rumours."

Kapur, in a tweet, said that Rahman often faced difficulties in the Hindi film industry because of his Oscar wins.

You know what your problem is @arrahman ? You went and got #Oscars . An Oscar is the kiss of death in Bollywood. It proves you have more talent than Bollywood can handle .. pic.twitter.com/V148vJccss  Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 26, 2020

Resul, however, said that he didn't want to blame anyone "for not taking me in their films" as he believed he was facing the infamous "Oscar curse." The superstition goes that those who are awarded the Hollywoods most prestigious award see a slide in their careers.

@shekharkapur ...and much later when I discussed this with my @TheAcademy members friends they told me about #OscarCurse! Its faced by everybody! I enjoyed going through that phase, when you are on top of the world &when you know people reject you,its the biggest reality check!  resul pookutty (@resulp) July 26, 2020

Pookutty further said in his tweet, "I'm also not liking the direction in which the whole nepotism discussion is going. So peace! I'm not blaming anybody for not taking me in their films."

All my post r not seen in my timeline, posting it here again so that its not wrongly interpreted.Oscar curse is over, We moved on.Im also not liking the direction in which the whole nepotism discussion is going. So peace! Im not blaming anybody fr nt taking me in their films pic.twitter.com/ldpzSNUlsP  resul pookutty (@resulp) July 27, 2020

(Also read: AR Rahman's revelation about 'gangs' working against him adds legitimacy to recent claims about Bollywood)

(With inputs from Asian News International)
A very slow recovery in jet fuel demand will drag on global oil demand for at least another two years as overall passenger traffic numbers continue to be low and mandatory quarantines continue to stop people from traveling on international flights. Demand for gasoline has picked up from the lows in April when most of the world was under lockdown, but demand for jet fuel continues to languish and is expected to grow only marginally next year from a very low base in 2020, analysts and international agencies say.

A full recovery in jet fuel demand will probably have to wait until 2023, Bank of America (BofA) said in a recent commodities research report cited by The National.

The third quarter of 2021 will see the first meaningful rebound in jet fuel demand, before global demand returns to the pre-crisis level of around 8 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2023, according to the bank.

"The only way out of this for jet fuel seems to be a cure or a vaccine for Covid19," The National quoted BofA as saying.

Vaccinating most of the population will likely take years, and vaccinating 2 billion people in the developed countries and China alone could take up to a year and a half, the bank says. And that assumes that a vaccine is indeed rolled out sometime next year, as reports suggest. And that's not a certainty.

Recovery in the jet fuel segment will be the slowest and will lag a recovery in oil prices, according to BofA analysts.

Domestic passenger traffic in some countries such as China is up from the lows earlier this year, but international air travel continues to face headwinds as a resurgence in coronavirus cases brings back some restrictions that could discourage travel on commercial flights.

The UK, for example, ordered again on Sunday a 14-day self-isolation for travelers returning from Spain after a spike in COVID-19 cases in several Spanish regions, including in the city of Barcelona. Related: Oil Drops As Demand Recovery Stalls

Even in Asia, jet fuel refining margins slipped in the past week amid weak demand, and a trader in Singapore told Reuters that "The jet fuel market in Asia is still very volatile. Any strength in demand is not sustainable."

Jet fuel is and will continue to be the worst-hit fuel in the pandemic, and second-wave or not, it is expected to take much longer to recover to the pre-COVID-19 levels than other fuels, Rystad Energy said in its latest oil demand projections.

Jet fuel demand will only partially recover next year, rising by just 800,000 bpd from this year's low levels, as international travel will continue to be under pressure for the entire 2021, OPEC said in its first look into 2021 oil demand. Overall global oil demand is expected to rise by 7 million bpd in 2021, after an 8.9-million-bpd drop this year, the cartel said in its July Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR).

The International Energy Agency (IEA) sees global oil demand rising to 97.4 million bpd in 2021, compared to an estimated 2020 demand as of July at 92.1 million bpd. Average global oil demand next year is expected to be 2.6 million bpd below the 2019 level with jet fuel/kerosene demand accounting for three-quarters of the deficit, the IEA said in its latest Oil Market Report this month.

In the United States alone, jet fuel consumption is down by 31 percent, or by 540,000 bpd, this year compared to the 2019 average of 1.2 million bpd, the EIA said in its July Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO).

Globally, "although EIA expects steady increases in consumption of gasoline and diesel in the second half of 2020, forecast jet fuel consumption remains weak as EIA expects the recovery in air travel to lag behind the recovery in road travel in most countries," the administration said.

A second wave could stall the very fragile recovery in jet fuel demand if more countries impose mandatory quarantines and self-isolation for passengers arriving from countries with resurging COVID-19 cases. Although jet fuel demand accounts for just around 8 percent of global daily oil demand, the recovery lagging other fuels will continue to be a drag on total demand recovery.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Halle Berry got into some serious shape over the last year, while filming her upcoming film Bruised.

And the Academy Award winner has been taking pride in her figure, showing it off on Instagram during quarantine.

She put on a cheeky display Sunday as she hit the beach in a sexy backless swimsuit, showing off her taut figure, while jumping into the air for an Instagram photo opp.

Beach babe: Halle Berry put on a cheeky display Sunday as she hit the beach in a sexy backless swimsuit, showing off her taut figure, while jumping into the air for an Instagram photo opp

The 53-year-old captioned the stunning photo: 'Sometimes you have to say f*ck it, and just do it!'

She previously flaunted her gorgeous bod in a SoCal summer chic look over the weekend for Fitness Friday.

Berry sported a retro white printed t-shirt, tied at the waist and paired with some leafy-printed bikini bottoms by boohoo.

She finished the look with a pair of red heart-shaped sunglasses, while cruising down a Malibu street on a vintage wooden skateboard.

SoCal chic: The 53-year-old previously flaunted her gorgeous bod in a SoCal summer chic look over the weekend for Fitness Friday

Summer vibes: Berry sported a retro white printed t-shirt, tied at the waist and paired with some leafy-printed bikini bottoms by boohoo

On the go: She finished the look with a pair of red heart-shaped sunglasses, while cruising down a Malibu street on a vintage wooden skateboard

The Catwoman actress wrote: 'Happy #FitnessFriday everyone! Today I want to share an important reminder - HAVE. FUN. Workouts dont always have to be strict or goal oriented. Discipline is great, but its not everything.

'So get out there, try something new! Something that makes you laugh and smile - skateboard, bike, swim, roller-skate, chase your kids, do cartwheels.

'The endorphin rush will still be there, those calories will still burn, and most importantly - youll cultivate a little extra joy in your practice. Happy Friday!!'

Fitness goals: She's been keeping up her Fitness Friday posts during quarantine, after making a habit of it while filming Bruised back in November

Leading lady: Making her directorial debut, Berry stars as Jackie Justice, a disgraced MMA fighter preparing to square off against a rising star of the industry while reuniting with her six-year-old son

She's been keeping up her Fitness Friday posts during quarantine, after making a habit of it while filming Bruised back in November.

Making her directorial debut, Berry stars as Jackie Justice, a disgraced MMA fighter preparing to square off against a rising star of the industry while reuniting with her six-year-old son.

And it appears the new bod might have come with a new man, teasing a possible romance last week.

The X-Men star took to Instagram with a photo of her feet propped up next to a man's feet, writing: 'sunday,funday'
CAIRO - A court in Egypt has extended pre-trial detention for another 45 days for Patrick George Zaki, the 27-year-old Egyptian student at the University of Bologna who was arrested in Cairo in February for "subversive propaganda", one of his lawyers, Hoda Nasrallah, told ANSA on Monday. She said in a message that the decision was made by a "court of assizes". On Sunday, for the first time since early March, Zaki appeared in person before the judges.

Amnesty International Italia spokesperson Riccardo Noury told ANSA on Monday that "yesterday was a surprise and today a terrible surprise".

One of Zaki's other lawyers, Walid Hassan, said that despite expectations surrounding Zaki's possible release, the extension was predictable given that Sunday's hearing was "exceptional" and took place without the involvement of his entire defence team.

In Egypt, 15-day extensions of pre-trial detention can be renewed 10 times and ordered by a prosecutor. Given that this five-month window has already expired for Zaki, the current 45-day renewal required a judge's authorisation. Zaki's charges, based solely upon a controversial Facebook page, include "spreading fake news", "incitement to protest", and "instigation of violence and terrorist crimes".

Noury said that now "we are uncrossing our fingers, rolling up our sleeves, and going back to what we have been doing over the past five-and-a-half months", that is, pressing "Egyptian, and naturally Italian, authorities for Patrick's release" and continuing "to mobilise the internet, dedicating real and virtual initiatives to Patrick". "One thing is certain - despite the fact that it's August, and despite these 45 days, Patrick will not be forgotten," Noury said. "We have one tiny consolation: that he's alive, whole, and he's well enough," he said.
"We know, with the number of infections weve seen today, that there will be further deaths in the days ahead," Professor Kidd said. On Monday morning, NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant confirmed there were 17 new cases of COVID-19. She said it was critical for the community to adhere strictly to social distancing rules and avoid large, crowded gatherings. "We've got to be aware that we could have transmission chains in other parts of the state that are not being detected at the current time," she said. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said workers, including aged-care workers, were driving the rise in cases in that state, and warned the six-week lockdown would not end "until people stop going to work with symptoms".

Loading "This is the biggest driver, it is not the only issue but it's the biggest driver of these numbers going up not down," he said on Monday. Four Victorian cases have been linked to the neonatal intensive care unit at the Royal Children's Hospital, including a baby, but the biggest concern remains in the aged-care sector with 683 active cases across 61 facilities. Queensland reported no new cases on Monday, and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the state's health authorities were monitoring the situation in NSW closely. "If there are outbreaks of community transmission or it cannot be sourced or there are clusters, we will not hesitate to declare hotspots  or we will not hesitate, if it gets out of control, to slam the border shut," she said on Monday morning.

On Monday afternoon, The Apollo became the fourth Sydney restaurant and the second in the inner-city suburb forced to close in two days. A spokesman for the 10-year-old restaurant confirmed they were working with NSW Health to ensure all relevant customers were contacted and told to self-isolate for 14 days and immediately seek testing. "The ongoing health and safety of our customers, staff and local community is our top priority so the restaurant will remain closed for two weeks and undergo a deep cleaning," the spokesman said. The Apollo restaurant in Potts Point, pictured here prior to social distancing being enforced. The Apollo spokesman added the restaurant has been adhering to its COVIDSafe plan, which included reducing capacity, minimising interactions between staff and customers and providing disposable menus as well as conducting rigorous cleaning.

On Sunday, Thai Rock in Potts Point was forced to shut with one case of a diner testing positive last week, and another case involving an employee confirmed on Monday morning. AN Restaurant in Bankstown and Tan Viet Noodle House in Cabramatta were also closed on Sunday after they were visited by a couple on the weekend who were later diagnosed with COVID-19. The Thai Rock Potts Point cases have not been linked to the outbreak at the venue's western Sydney sister restaurant, Thai Rock in Wetherill Park. That outbreak now includes 70 cases. Dr Chant said that, while the Thai Rock case in Potts Point had not been linked to the large western Sydney cluster, NSW Health was investigating whether there had been a crossover of staff.

"These investigations are in an early phase; it's important we don't speculate. But we are exploring all avenues," she said. Loading It comes as people from the NSW local government area of Fairfield, which includes the Wetherill Park Thai Rock restaurant, were no longer permitted to cross the Queensland border from 1am on Monday after it was declared a hotspot area by the Queensland government. Ms Palaszczuk said she made no apologies for having "really tough measures at the border". "There will be delays at the border. I can't do anything about that. There will be delays because we are protecting Queensland," she said.

While none of the new cases confirmed in NSW on Monday were linked to the outbreaks at the Crossroads Hotel, in Casula in Sydney's south-west, or Batemans Bay, four were linked to a funeral at St Brendan's Catholic Church in Bankstown. One of those new funeral cases is a child and there are now nine cases linked to that cluster. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was important for people not to hug at weddings or funerals, noting these events have been shown to be the "seeding ground" for clusters. "We know that funerals are a terribly emotional time for people. Please, unless it's your immediate household, you cannot have physical contact whether it's a wedding or a funeral," she said. Professor Kidd said that, so far in NSW, quick turnarounds with testing and a clear instruction for people to stay home if they were showing any symptoms or had been near anyone who had symptoms, were working to slow community transmission. "We are seeing smaller numbers in NSW each day," he said. "Each of those cases is being followed up very quickly, and their contacts are being followed up very quickly and being tested."

NSW Health was treating 101 cases of COVID-19 as of 8pm on Sunday, and the number of patients in intensive care rose to five. "Ninety per cent of cases being treated by NSW Health are in non-acute out-of-hospital care," Dr Chant said. NSW conducted 22,032 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday, down from 25,139 in the previous reporting period. Over the weekend, six South Coast venues were fined for breaching public health orders.

The Figtree Hotel was issued a $5000 fine after failing to enforce the COVID-19 safety plan at its venue at the weekend. Loading NSW Police said they observed a large number of patrons standing together and drinking in groups. Dapto Pub was forced to close early on Saturday night as two patrons were arrested for offensive conduct, and the venue has since been fined $5000 for failing to comply with public health orders. Four venues in nearby Gerringong: The Spruce Moose, Nardis, Stoic Brewing and The Hill Bar and Kitchen were all fined for various breaches including overcrowding, and not enforcing physical distancing.
CrisisGo has been a valued partner of IASA for years with significant experience and expertise in developing technology to assist school districts.

CrisisGo, the leading incident management, and emergency communication technology provider, announced its latest product release, Safety iPass, a safety solution designed to help schools return safely and effectively by streamlining the process while maximizing safety protocols and awareness. The Safety iPass implementation process is currently in effect in preparation for schools reopening as early as August 2020.

A critical obstacle for many districts will be managing the health status certification and pre-certification of students and staff to ensure only healthy individuals are allowed into schools. CrisisGos Safety iPass solution allows schools to confidently navigate this challenge while monitoring potential risk by using intelligent survey tools and intuitive reports that manage entry and immediately escalate notifications of COVID-19 positive results from staff or students to school health services.

Safety iPass delivers an all-inclusive solution of safety and benefits for schools returning to business as usual amidst the present challenges of COVID-19:



Supports all return to school models for entry and remote learning

Easy and accurate data collection

Comprehensive and simple to use for staff, students, and visitors

Direct notification and escalation to school health officials

Applicable and easy implementation for school districts of all sizes

Benefiting all stakeholders  student, parent, grandparents, staff, pre-existing conditions, childcare issues

School contact tracing tool included helping track the exposure list effectively

Significantly reduced time to enter the facility versus manual process

Provides student status and next steps based upon school risk guidelines

The Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) has been a trusted partner of CrisisGo dating back to 2013, working closely in the development of safety technologies by listening to the concerns and creating solutions that meet the needs and challenges faced by Illinois school districts. CrisisGo has been a valued partner of IASA for years with significant experience and expertise in developing technology to assist school districts, said IASA Executive Director, Dr. Brent Clark. We are pleased CrisisGo could provide school districts with an option to effectively manage the requirement of daily temperature checks for students and staff.

Schools can use CrisisGo Safety iPass to pre-certify students, staff, and visitors using a digital check-in system that is reliable and easy to use. Safety iPass utilizes digital badges that are updated daily to mark the status of students based on certification by their parents. The school district sends daily Safety Check-Ins to be automatic via email to parents every morning school is in session. Parents complete the pre-visit Safety Check-In questionnaire and temperature check form, to certify their children. After parents submit the information, the student entry badge will be automatically updated to reflect the status of the student. Students can gain fast entrance to the building by displaying their digital badge via a link in the Safety Check-In email or through CrisisGos student app, Safe2SpeakUP.

With Safety iPass, schools can more efficiently and effectively admit students into school buildings or onto school buses by using the pre-certified digital badge to confirm that the student is safe to return. With social distancing guidelines in place, as well as the upcoming threat of inclement weather as we transition into the fall season, the importance of a fast and efficient method of entry is more important than ever. Similar to a fast pass for airports and services, Safety iPass speeds up the ability to confirm the safety status of stakeholders and get them into a safe learning environment. Safety iPass supports several validation methods including bus validation, digital badge via the CrisisGo app, existing badges with QR or barcodes, and email, so it can work in compliance with any COVID-19 back to school model.

No matter the size or makeup of your school district, CrisisGos Safety iPass gives your schools the ability to return as safely and effectively as possible. Visit our website (http://www.safetyipass.com) for more information on our newest solution offerings. Safety iPass is also available as a business solution, visit (https://business.crisisgo.com/safetyipass) to learn more.
Washington: US national security adviser Robert O`Brien has become the highest-ranking official in President Donald Trump`s inner circle to test positive for the coronavirus.

Announcing the infection on Monday, the White House said in a statement there was no risk of exposure to Trump or Vice President Mike Pence.

The announcement caught some White House staff off guard, as there had not been an internal memo about it, one source said. Because of the regular testing regimen, White House officials do not reliably wear masks while working in the West Wing.

An administration official said O`Brien had not had contact with the president in several days. The National Security Council did not immediately respond to questions about O`Brien, who was working from home.

The White House statement said: "He (O`Brien) has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off-site. There is no risk of exposure to the president or the vice president. The work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted."

O`Brien, who took over as national security adviser from John Bolton last September, had traveled to Paris in mid-July to represent the United States at Bastille Day ceremonies. He met French President Emmanuel Macron while there.

"I spoke to him late last week," Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters at the White House. "I wish him well, I hope he`s OK. Apparently, it`s a light case. I believe his daughter had caught it before him."

The virus has been disruptive for Trump, who last week was forced to cancel plans for the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was to be formally nominated for a second term.

A US military member who works at the White House as a valet tested positive for coronavirus in May as did Pence`s press secretary.
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred a drop in auto insurance claims  so significant, that Michigan ordered auto insurers to give partial refunds to customers.

The refunds will total nearly $95 million, said Laura Hall, director of communications at the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services.

Consumers and businesses should not be required to pay insurance premiums that do not reflect the changes they have made to day-to-day activities during the pandemic, DIFS Director Anita Fox said in a news release.

Theres no deadline on when insurers have to disperse the refunds and credits, Hall said, but some companies have already started giving refunds. Each company determines how it will dole out the refunds, she said.

The state doesn't track how many insured drivers there are in Michigan. Data from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration shows Michigan had about 7 million drivers in 2017  although it's likely a chunk were uninsured.

If all 7 million were insured, the $95 million payback would equate to an average refund of $13.57 per person. So far, DIFS has seen auto insurers giving refunds or credits to customers in the 15% to 20% range, Hall said.

The refunds may come in the form of a check, direct deposit or credit toward a future payment. Auto insurers were required by the state to develop communication plans to inform policyholders how the refunds will be applied.

Some insurance companies started giving refunds prior to the order, Hall said, and those refunds can count toward the order.

Reach out to your insurer for more information or look the insurers official filings here.

Other orders from DIFS in response to the pandemic are saving Michigan individuals and companies nearly a combined $2 million. Employers will see savings on workers compensation, while individuals will get refunds for other forms of property and casualty insurance.

COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued an executive order requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while inside enclosed, public spaces.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

RELATED STORIES

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Tensions high in northern Israel, days after Hezbollah fighter killed in apparent Israeli air strike in Syria.

Israeli forces exchanged fire with Hezbollah fighters along the volatile Israeli-Lebanese frontier on Monday, the heaviest fighting between the bitter enemies in nearly a year.

The Israeli armys Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee said troops foiled a Hezbollah attack by three or four men who infiltrated a few metres over the Blue Line, which demarcates Israels 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon.

There were no casualties among Israeli forces, Adraee said.

Hezbollah carried out the operation against Israeli soldiers in the disputed Shebaa Farms area, Reuters news agency quoted unnamed sources familiar with the situation as saying.
India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist

SC directs states to reach out to 10,000 kids orphaned due to Covid-19, pay compensation

Singapore reports 481 new COVID-19 cases, all foreigners

International

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Singapore, July 27: Singapore reported 481 new COVID-19 cases, all foreigners, on Sunday as the nationwide tally of the infections touched 50,369, the health ministry said.

Coronavirus: India's tally soars past 14 Lakh, nearly 50,000 cases in 24 hours | Oneindia News

Of the new cases, 476 are migrant workers living in dormitories, while five community cases reported are also foreigners holding work passes, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

There are also four imported cases, who had been placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore.

China reports 46 new COVID-19 cases on opposite ends

On Thursday, the MOH said the average number of new daily cases in the community in a week has decreased from nine cases two weeks ago to seven in the past week.

Meanwhile, two of the six imported cases reported on Saturday were permanent residents here who had returned from India on July 12 and from the UK on July 10.

The remaining four imported patients are dependant's pass holders who arrived from India between July 11 and July 13, including a three-year-old boy, an Indian national who had no symptoms.

Human trials for a COVID-19 vaccine could begin in Singapore as early as this week, involving 108 healthy volunteers of various ages, reported The Sunday Times.

The volunteers will be injected with the vaccine developed by Duke-NUS Medical School and United States pharmaceutical company Arcturus Therapeutics.

Called Lunar-Cov19, the vaccine is one of 25 vaccine candidates worldwide that either have been tested on humans, or have received approval to do so. Some 141 others are still at a pre-clinical phase.

Professor Ooi Eng Eong, Deputy Director of Duke-NUS Medical School's emerging infectious diseases programme, told The Sunday Times that the aim of the trial is to determine the safety of the vaccine and whether it could coax the desired immune response in the body against Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Blood samples will be taken from the volunteers several times after vaccination for analysis.

Scientists identify genetic mutation that may make some people more vulnerable to COVID-19

As immune system elements such as antibodies and T-cells are found in blood, the data will help scientists determine if the vaccine is successful in stimulating the body to produce the "soldiers" critical for helping the body fight off an infection.

Recently published results from human trials for other vaccine candidates have already shown encouraging signs on these fronts.

The findings released were from the early phases of clinical trials for vaccines being developed by Oxford University and multinational drugmaker AstraZeneca; CanSino Biologics and China's military research unit; and German biotech company BioNTech and US drugmaker Pfizer.

Prof Eong said that he was optimistic that the results from the Singapore trial would yield similar encouraging results.
Congratulations, comprascoletivas.com.br got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site:

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comprascoletivas.com.br is very popular in Facebook. It has 1 twitter followers. Furthermore its facebook page has 83 likes.

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PAGE TITLE Compras Coletivas - Compra Coletiva - O Melhor com o Menor Preco DESCRIPTION Compra Coletiva | Sao Paulo | Compras Coletivas em Sao Paulo | Descontos em Sao Paulo KEYWORDS Compras Coletivas, Compras Coletivas Sao Paulo, Compras Coletivas, compras em grupo, desconto coletivo, Clube de Compras, Compra coletiva, compras com desconto, Descontos em teatro, Cinema com Desconto, Teatro com desconto, restaurantes com De sconto, Sao OTHER KEYWORDS ofertas, so paulo, cadastre se, paulo, cadastre, ofertas de so paulo, ofertas de so



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FACEBOOK PAGE LINK FOUND FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/pages/Compras-Coletivas/220897637926045 DESCRIPTION Somos um site de Compras Coletivas. LIKES 83 PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT 0 PAGE TYPE Health/beauty TIMELINE PAGE TIMELINE

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TWITTER PAGE LINK FOUND TWITTER PAGE twitter.com/#!/comp_coletivas DESCRIPTION Somos um classificado agregador de sites de compras coletivas da regia o de Sa o Paulo ACCOUNT CREATED ON 09 Feb 2011 LOCATION null TWEETS 0 FOLLOWERS 1 LISTED 0
A Lakefield man is facing charges after a vehicle crashed just southeast of Peterborough on Saturday night.

Peterborough County OPP investigated at about 6:30 p.m. after a vehicle crashed and landed in a ditch on Keene Road in Otonabee-South Monaghan Township.

The driver was uninjured but found to be under the influence of alcohol, police said.

Ronald Beacom, 62, of Lakefield was charged with impaired driving and driving with more than 80 mg of alcohol in 100 mL of blood.

He is to appear in Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough on Oct. 6.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic causing a reduction in incomes for many people, a large number of young Chinese have started looking for second careers to guarantee their quality of life, Chinanews.com reported.

A live-streaming host introduces food to consumers. (File photo/Zhang Hengwei)

Thanks to the rapid emergence of new industries and models of business, which have played indispensable roles in driving economic recovery and stabilizing the countrys employment market, many young people have successfully started slash careers, becoming slash people who juggle multiple jobs.

Model by day and live-streamer by night

Ive been walking the runway at catwalk shows and hosting live-streaming shows lately. The auto shows usually start at 10 a.m. and end at 4 p.m., while my live-streaming shows are often held between 8 p.m. and midnight. Sometimes I also host live-streaming shows during the backstage breaks at auto shows, said Ming Ming (pseudonym), a model/live-streaming host, describing her daily routine to Chinanews.com.

Three years ago, Ming Ming graduated in fashion modelling, and started her career as a professional model, a job that required a great deal of travel around the country.

After getting tired of all the traveling, Ming Ming found a nine-to-five job at an e-cigarette company in Beijing last year.

However, her life of stability didnt last long. As a result of relevant policies rolled out by the country and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, business at the company stagnated. On top of that, many auto shows were also postponed due to the pandemic. For a month, Ming Ming idled her days away.

While I was trying to find a new job, many of my friends started to host live-streaming shows, Ming Ming said, revealing that she decided to give it a try when her friend said she would make a good host.

In March, Ming Ming started hosting live-streaming shows on Douyin, one of the leading video-sharing platforms in China.

As the epidemic situation was gradually brought under control in the country, there was a revival of commercial shows, and Ming Ming went back to her old job modelling at auto shows.

I got more opportunities by hosting live-streaming shows, while my modelling job brought more viewers to my live-streaming shows, Ming Ming said, noting that her income from the two jobs is nearly 10 times what she made in her previous job.

I fired my boss and made an offer for myself

I arrived in Lhasa recently. No altitude sickness. Everything is fine. Now Im going to officially start the third chapter of my lifephoto-shooting tour, Ma Jun (pseudonym) wrote in a post on his WeChat Moments on July 17.

A week earlier, Ma quit his job and left the trading company he had been working at for two years, according to his WeChat Moments posts.

Ma majored in economics in college, and had begun working at the company in Qingdao, east Chinas Shandong province, soon after graduation. At the same time, he took a part-time job in a local photography studio, as he has been unwilling to give up a hobby that he had been very enthusiastic about.

Mas photography skills brought him more and more clients. After the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, he and his friends jointly started an online training course on photography, teaching people who are interested in the field. The course has received widespread praise.

Seeing that his part-time job in photography brought him a monthly income of nearly 20,000 yuan ($2,852), which was far more than what he earned from his main job, Ma resigned from his previous company this summer after saving enough money.

He then decided to take on a new job as travel photographer.

Ma taught his first online class in Lhasa recently, capital of southwest Chinas Tibet autonomous region, thanks to the extensive network coverage and good reception in the region.

Mas goal for the next stage is to continue his online teaching while going on photo-shooting tours around the country.

Im enjoying my life and the career Im passionate about, Ma said.

Despite the impact of COVID-19 on the Chinese economy, the countrys booming new economy has generated important opportunities for economic recovery and for people in the country to plan new careers.

Many people in the country have embraced slash careers, with hotel employees becoming assembly line workers, salespeople in guest rooms doubling as deliverymen, and white-collar workers starting to host live-streaming shows.

Some companies in the country have even come up with the idea of sharing employees.

According to a survey of deliverymen working for Chinas online food delivery platform Eleme, more than half of the food delivery drivers on the platform have more than one job.

26 percent of the drivers are small and micro business entrepreneurs, while 4 percent are WeMedia bloggers, according to the report on the survey, which said that these deliverymen have a variety of jobs, such as drivers and even white-collar jobs.
Mayors of several major U.S. cities, including Portland, sent a letter to congressional leaders Monday calling on them to pass laws to block President Donald Trump from unilaterally sending federal officers to their jurisdictions.

The letter to U.S. House and Senate leaders calls it unlawful and repugnant for the President to be able to continue to deploy federal forces to cities without consulting local officials first and against objections. The mayors said the legislation should require consent from local authorities before deployments, the federal agents and their vehicles to have visible identification at all times unless on an undercover mission allowed by the local U.S. Attorney and limits on what crowd control tactics can be used to protect federal property.

The letter was signed by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

As demonstrated now in Portland, these federal forces have used the pretext of protecting federal property to also patrol streets , way outside of their lawful jurisdiction, arrest residents without cause and trample on Constitutional rights, the letter said. These actions further erode trust in government at all levels; are de-legitimizing local law enforcement; and escalate, rather than de-escalate tensions.

[Read the letter]

This letter follows joint messages sent by Wheeler and other mayors last week to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer requesting congress investigate the president and his administrations actions in the deployment of federal forces. They also sent another letter demanding U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf immediately withdraw federal officers.

As first reported by OPB Sunday, the Trump administration plans to send dozens more deputy marshals to Portland to increase the number of federal forces stationed at the downtown federal court during nightly demonstrations.

Democratic Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden along with Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Rep. Earl Blumenauer were among lawmakers who introduced legislation last week aimed at scaling back the use of federal officers against protesters in Portland and other cities. The proposals include clear identification for federal officers and limits on their crowd control activities as well as requiring public notification of federal deployments that specify the number of officers and the reason why theyre being sent.

Portland has seen nightly demonstrations for two months calling for police reforms and an end to systemic racism since the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in late May. Portland police and, in recent weeks, federal officers have repeatedly come under scrutiny for their use tear gas and other force on hundreds of protesters in response to a few who throw rocks, water bottles and fireworks at officers and graffiti private and public property.

Wolf told Fox News on Sunday that additional actions were coming to Portland as early as this week, but he didnt specify what. He urged city and state leaders to work with federal law enforcement to end violent crimes during protests, saying demonstrators aim to destroy that courthouse and injure law enforcement officers.

He cited at least two federal officers whove been injured by having lasers shined into their eyes.

All I need is the City of Portland to step up and do their job, Wolf said. These individuals are on city streets, theyre in city parks arming themselves every night and the city simply does nothing about it. Absolutely nothing.

The city passed new policies last week banning all police bureau members from cooperating with federal law enforcement and intentionally using force on or arresting journalists and legal observers. The city has also ordered the federal government to remove the fence surrounding the Mark O. Hatfield courthouse or risk fines because it was placed in a bike lane without approved permits.

 Everton Bailey Jr.; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Robert Moulton Jr. has resigned from the School Committee and City Council

Moulton Resigns from North Adams City Council, School Committee

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  A city councilor whose comments about COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter raised a firestorm of opposition has resigned from his public offices.

Robert Moulton Jr. was to be censured on Tuesday by both the City Council and by the School Committee, to which he was elected last November.

His resignation letters were the same one sentence stating he was resigning from both seats is effective immediately.

A press release from the office of Mayor Thomas Bernard stated that:

"On Monday, July 27, School Committee member Moulton, resigned from the School Committee and the City Council, effective immediately. In light of School Committee member Moultons resignation the July 28 special School Committee meeting has been canceled."

The School Committee had scheduled a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday specifically to vote for a censure of Moulton. Bernard is the chairman of the committee.

The council agenda for its regular Tuesday meeting was amended on Friday to include a resolution on censure submitted by President Paul Hopkins and Councilors Benjamin Lamb and Jason LaForest.

Moulton, on his public access show "Let's Talk About It," called Black Lives Matter a terrorist organization and downplayed the novel coronavirus that has killed more than a half-million worldwide and nearly 150,000 Americans.

Two days later, he was forced to resign from his longtime seat and presidency on the board of the North Adams Ambulance Service.

The local Black Lives Matter group, led by Raymond Moore, had vowed to protest City Council meetings until Moulton resigned. Police are investigating a possible incident against Moore that occurred Saturday night at his home. Moore said Sunday that he has had threats made against him.

Bernard, attending a Black Lives Matter march on Sunday afternoon, said he had the "unenviable responsibility" to write the censure statement to be voted on Tuesday.

"I want to make it clear, I want to make it strong, but I also want to make it really a statement of values, not a statement that's personal," he said.

The statement from his office on Monday morning said Moulton's comments "were not consistent with the mission and values of the North Adams Public Schools, nor with the duties, responsibilities, and obligations required of each individual School Committee member."

Several committee members had posted concerns on Facebook of how Moulton could represent a diversifying school community based on his comments that he didn't understand or believe systemic racism existed or keep it safe from the pandemic.

"We want North Adams to be known as a place that is inclusive, that is a place that is diverse, that is a place that is welcoming and that a place that will respond to injustice with strong rebuke, that will respond to it with action with activism, with peaceful protest," Bernard said on Sunday. "That's what I want to see, that's what I want us to be known for and as much as this has been an incredibly difficult week for a lot of reasons."

LaForest and Lamb had both quickly condemned Moulton's remarks shortly after the show aired on Northern Berkshire Community Television. Other current and former councilors posted their disappointment and rejection of his views and concerns that they would lead people to believe the council shared them.

"While I believe that we have a right to free speech, there is nothing that says that speech is free from criticism or consequences. I find Mr. Moulton's comments calling the Black Lives Matter Movement a Terrorist Organization very offensive and divisive," wrote Councilor Lisa Blackmer. "It sends a message to many in our community that their concerns are not important or valid."

The story appeared in the Boston Globe and was picked up nationally.

The School Committee meeting for Tuesday has been canceled. The committee will discuss how to fill the vacancy at its meeting on Aug. 4. The decision is a joint one between the committee and City Council.

The City Council has taken different options in the past, including soliciting letters of interest, picking the individual who came in 10th place in the most recent election, and leaving the seat vacant.

For the last vacancy, in 2017, the council requested letters of interest and then voted in Wayne Wilkinson, who also happened to be the 10th in voting. Peter Oleskiewicz came in 10th in November's election.

Moulton was serving his sixth non-consecutive term on the City Council and his first on School Committee. He also ran twice unsuccessfully for mayor.
LONDON, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TODAY, Johnnie Walker, the world's number one Scotch whisky[1], celebrates a 200-year milestone, and looks to the next 200 years of Scotch, with the announcement of four exclusive limited editions. Each of these 200th anniversary releases - a new bottle design and three newly crafted whiskies - are a celebration of the incredible journey, pioneering spirit and dedication to quality that was started by founder, John Walker, in 1820.

Diageo Global Scotch Director, John Williams, said: "We wanted to mark our 200-year journey with the launch of these four exclusive limited editions - they're a celebration of where we've come from but, more than that, they are each expressions of what's possible today and into tomorrow, and that's exciting.

"John's spark, vision and entrepreneurial fire were the impetus to growing the John Walker name, our business and ultimately a new future for Scotch whisky. This year we're celebrating the steps he first took - steps that have inspired generations of our whisky makers and are at the heart of everything we do today and will do tomorrow."

Each anniversary release celebrates a unique part of this 200 year journey:

JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL 200TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION DESIGN

This new limited edition design features stunning illustrations that bring to life the 200-year journey of John Walker & Sons and Johnnie Walker, paying homage to some of the great cities and countries that have been part of this inspiring story since 1820.

JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL LEGENDARY EIGHT

This exclusive release celebrates 200 years of craft.. It is a smooth, mellow Scotch crafted using whisky hand selected from only eight legendary distilleries that all existed in 1820, including some very rare expressions from long-closed "ghost" distilleries.

JOHN WALKER & SONS CELEBRATORY BLEND

This limited edition release is inspired by a breakthrough moment in John Walker & Sons' history - the launch of Old Highland Whisky in the 1860s. This rich and complex Scotch is inspired by the flavours found in the Walker family's grocery store during that period and is crafted with whiskies from distilleries operating at the time.

JOHN WALKER & SONS BICENTENARY BLEND

This exceptional whisky is a sensorial journey down the fragrant aisles of John Walker's original grocery store in Scotland with rich layers that re-imagine the exotic flavours that shaped John Walker's imagination. It is crafted with rare and exceptional whiskies, all aged for at least 28 years, including whiskies from long-closed "ghost" distilleries such as Pittyvaich, Cambus and soon to be re-opened Port Ellen.

Johnnie Walker Master Blender, Jim Beveridge, said: "Each of these exclusive releases bring a fresh perspective to our 200th anniversary story and are the perfect way to celebrate this moment for Johnnie Walker. It feels very apt to be announcing them this week to coincide with John Walker's birthday[2]."

The launch of these 200th anniversary releases follows the announcement of a 185 million investment[3] in Scotch tourism from parent company, Diageo, with a host of new multi-sensory, immersive whisky experiences across Scotland and their most recent announcement of a new paper-based bottle launching with Johnnie Walker in 2021[4], a world-first in the drinks industry, to spearhead a more sustainable future for Scotch as the brand looks to the next 200 years.

All four exclusive releases will launch from October onwards, subject to market distribution and availability, for a limited period only.*

For further information, please see here: https://www.johnniewalker.com/en/our-whisky/limited-edition-whiskies/

Notes to Editors:

*Variants, availability and price points will differ per market. Please get in touch with your local Johnnie Walker team for more information.

About Johnnie Walker:

2020 marks 200 years since Johnnie Walker founder, John Walker, first threw open the doors to a grocer's shop in Scotland and began a journey that brought the brand from the four corners of Scotland to the four corners of the World.

Today, Johnnie Walker is the world's number one Scotch whisky brand (IWSR 2019) enjoyed by people in over 180 countries. Since the time of its founder, those who blend its whiskies have pursued flavour and quality above else.

In those early days of John Walker, the business that became Johnnie Walker carried the name of the founder and during the 19th century the business was selling whiskies under the name of John Walker & Sons. Consumers began using Johnnie Walker and the name was adopted in 1908.

Today's range of award-winning whiskies includes Johnnie Walker Red Label, Black Label, Double Black, Green Label, Gold Label Reserve, Aged 18 Years and Blue Label. Together they account for over 19 million cases sold annually (IWSR, 2018), making Johnnie Walker the most popular Scotch Whisky brand in the world.

About Diageo:

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan's and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff and Ciroc vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

[1] IWSR 2019

[2] John Walker's birthday: 25th July

[3] 'Flagship Johnnie Walker attraction gets green light'

[4] 'Diageo announces creation of world's first ever 100% plastic free paper-based spirits bottle'

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1219288/Johnnie_Walker_200th_Limited_Editions.jpg
People sit at a terrace bar near the National Art Museum of Barcelona (MNAC) in Barcelona on July 25, 2020. (Pau Barrena/AFP via Getty Images)

French Infections Rise, Spain Cracks Down on Nightclubs

PARISFrances reported coronavirus infection rate crept higher July 25, and Spain cracked down on nightlife, but German authorities were confident enough to send a cruise ship out to sea with 1,200 passengers for a weekend test of how the cruise industry could begin to resume operations.

French health authorities said the closely watched R0 gauge is now up to 1.3, suggesting that infected people are contaminating 1.3 other people on average. That means the virus still has enough victims to keep on going instead of petering out.

Frances daily new infections are also risingup to 1,130 on July 24. Health authorities warned that the country is going backward in its battle against the pandemicit has already reported at least 30,195 COVID-19 deaths in the country, and infection indicators now resemble those seen in May when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

We have thus erased much of the progress that wed achieved in the first weeks of lockdown-easing, health authorities said, adding that the French appear to be letting down their guard during their summer vacations, and those testing positive are making less of an effort to self-isolate.

They appealed for a return to collective discipline, asking people to work from home and get tested if they have any suspicions of infection.

In Spain, Catalonia became the latest region to crack down on nightlife, trying to tamp down on new infection clusters. The wealthy northeast region home to Barcelona ordered all nightclubs to close for 15 days and put a midnight curfew on bars in the greater Barcelona area and other towns around Lleida that have become contagion hot zones.

Spain has reported over 900 new daily infections for the last two days as authorities warn that the country, which reported 28,000 deaths to COVID-19 before getting its outbreak under control, could be facing the start of a second major outbreak.

Despite the concerns, some European countries kept up their gradual reopenings on July 25.

Swimming pools and gyms in England were back in business as public health officials extolled the benefits of exercise in fighting COVID-19. Britain announced a fresh attack on obesity as part of the move, hoping that a fitter nation might be able to minimize the impact of future waves of the virus.

A German cruise ship set sail for the first time since the industry was shut down. Mein Schiff 2 sailed from the port of Hamburg toward Norway on the night of July 24, and passengers will spend the weekend at sea with no land stops before returning to Germany on July 27. The ship had only 1,200 people on board compared with its normal 2,900 capacity.

But with many other cruise companies now looking toward trips in 2021, interest was sure to be high in how Germany, which has been praised for its handling of the pandemic, can kick off the struggling cruise industry.

In other parts of the world, the pandemic appeared to have the upper hand.

India, which has the worlds third-highest reported infections behind the United States and Brazil, reported that its death toll rose by 740 to 30,601. It saw a surge of more than 49,000 new cases, raising its total to over 1.2 million. The Home Ministry issued an advisory calling for Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 15 to avoid large gatherings.

South Africa, Africas hardest-hit country, reported more than 13,000 new cases, raising its total to more than 408,000.

South Korea on July 25 reported more than 100 new coronavirus cases for the first time in four months. The 113 new cases included 36 workers returning from Iraq and 32 crew members of a Russian freighter.

Worldwide, more than 15.7 million infections and over 640,000 deaths have been reported, according to data compiled from government announcements by Johns Hopkins University. Experts say all those figures understate the true toll of the pandemic, due to limited testing and other issues.

In the United States, Texas, which has been struggling with the virus, braced for the arrival of Hurricane Hanna, which could make everything more difficult. The storm is heading for Nueces County, one of the states coronavirus hotspots.

In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves tightened controls on bars to protect young, drunk, careless folks. Bars already were limited to operating at 50 percent capacity. Now patrons will have to sit down to order alcohol, and sales stop at 11 p.m.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered bars closed and banned restaurants from selling alcoholic drinks to take away. That came after more than 2,000 new cases were reported for the surrounding state of Louisiana, including 103 in New Orleans.

The United States has reported more than 145,000 deaths and more than 4.1 million confirmed cases.

In Australia, Premier Daniel Andrews of the southern state of Victoria announced five deaths and 357 new cases. Victoria, where the death toll has risen to 61, earlier closed its border with neighboring New South Wales.

In Yemen, 97 medical workers have reportedly died of the virus, a serious blow to a country with few doctors that is in the midst of a five-year-long, the humanitarian group MedGlobal said in a report.

The overwhelming death toll will have immense short-term and long-term health effects, said the reports lead author, Kathleen Fallon.

By John Leicester
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA)  President Uhuru Kenyatta announced a ban on the sale of alcoholic drinks in restaurants and extended the closure of bars on Monday in a fresh effort to fight a rise in new cases of the coronavirus pandemic in Kenya, with 17,975 people diagnosed with the virus since March
NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Angiography Equipment Market Research Report by Product Type (Angiography Accessories, Angiography Balloons, Angiography Catheters, Angiography Contrast Media, and Angiography Guidewires), by Technology (CT, MRI, and X-ray), by Application, by End User - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19





Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913186/?utm_source=PRN





The Global Angiography Equipment Market is expected to grow from USD 10,178.94 Million in 2019 to USD 13,510.73 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.83%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Angiography Equipment to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



On the basis of Product Type, the Angiography Equipment Market is studied across Angiography Accessories, Angiography Balloons, Angiography Catheters, Angiography Contrast Media, Angiography Guidewires, Angiography Systems, and Vascular Closure Devices.



On the basis of Technology, the Angiography Equipment Market is studied across CT, MRI, and X-ray. The X-ray further studied across Flat-panel Digital Detectors and Image intensifiers.



On the basis of Application, the Angiography Equipment Market is studied across Aortic, Carotid, Cerebral, Coronary, Peripheral, and Renal.



On the basis of End User, the Angiography Equipment Market is studied across Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Diagnostic Centers, and Hospitals.



On the basis of Geography, the Angiography Equipment Market is studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region is studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region is studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region is studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Angiography Equipment Market including AngioDynamics, Boston Scientific Corporation, Canon Corporation, Cordis, GE Healthcare, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Medtronic, Shimadzu Corporation, and Siemens Healthineers.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Angiography Equipment Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Angiography Equipment Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Angiography Equipment Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Angiography Equipment Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Angiography Equipment Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Angiography Equipment Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Angiography Equipment Market?



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913186/?utm_source=PRN



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Today is a crucial day for both Sachin Pilot camp and Ashok Gehlot camp as the Supreme Court is hearing a petition by rebel MLAs against their disqualification by Speaker for not attending party meetings. Scrambling to save the Rajasthan government from falling, the Ashok Gehlot-led cabinet had sent Governor Kalraj Mishra a revised proposal for an assembly session on July 31. However, the governor has rejected the second proposal, seeking more details. Knowing that prolonged political crisis could destabilise the government, some Congress MLAs are even seeking a political resolution rather than a court battle.

Here are the latest political developments unfolding in Rajsthan

A business-like calm was seen in the Rajasthan capital on Sunday with Governor Kalraj Mishra meeting top officials to discuss the coronavirus crisis in the state. The chief minister also held a separate review meeting to discuss the coronavirus crisis.

The Rajasthan Congress has called off its plans to protest in front of the Raj Bhawan on Monday. The party has alleged that the governor was stalling the Assembly session. The governor, however, said he will abide by the law and will not succumb to the pressure.

He had asked the party to send a revised proposal and cited six reasons why the earlier proposal was not accepted. He also wrote that since the decision on disqualification of the rebel MLAs was pending before the court, the proposal was not accepted.

The Rajashtan government wants the governor to let them prove majority on the floor of the Assembly house. The party is fighting for survival after former deputy CM Sachin Pilot-led group staged a rebellion with 18 other MLAs. The Congress says it has enough support to prove majority. Gehlot also believes that some Congress MLAs supporting him have been reportedly held by the Pilot camp at a Gurugram hotel.

Gehlot says he has support of 102 MLAs but BSP has thrown a surprise by issuing to its six MLAs, asking them to vote against Congress if a floor test happens. These six MLAs had joined Congress in September last year. If the six MLAs voted against the party whip, they were liable for disqualification from the assembly, BSP General Secretary Satish Chandra Misra has said.

In total, the Congress has 107 MLAs in the 200-member assembly, including the 19 rebels, and the BJP 72. If BJP wants to prove majority, it needs the support of 28 MLAs. A BJP MLA last Friday filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court for quashing the merger of six BSP MLAs with the Congress.

Rajasthan Raj Bhawan has today returned the files related to the convening of the Assembly Session to Parliamentary Affairs Department of the state. Raj Bhawan also seeks some additional details from the state govt. No decision has been taken yet on the Assembly Session, ANI reported citing sources.

The SC last week said the voice of dissent in a democracy couldn't be shut down while refusing to restrain the Rajasthan High Court from passing an order on a plea by Pilot and 18 other dissident Congress MLAs challenging the disqualification notice against them. The SC said it would be subject to the outcome of the petition before the apex court. On Friday, the Rajasthan High Court ordered maintaining status quo on the disqualification notice issued by the state assembly speaker to the 19 dissident Congress MLAs.

With agency inputs
Flooding is posing an extra challenge this year as the government tries to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

More than 100 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced by floods in northeast India.

Flooding is common during the monsoon season.

But it is posing an extra challenge this year, as the government tries to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Al Jazeeras Elizabeth Puranam reports from New Delhi.
In a keynote speech last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo significantly raised the stakes in the Trump administrations reckless and dangerous confrontation with China. After citing the growing list of unsubstantiated condemnations and lies against China, he declared that the US was not reverting to the Cold War policy of containment, signalling a far more aggressive strategy aimed at eliminating the threat posed by China to American global dominance.

The speech entitled Communist China and the Free World was clearly aimed at ramping up the pressure on US allies and strategic partners to align themselves completely with Washingtons anti-China campaign. Pompeo called on every leader of every nation to start by doing what America has done and condemned those that simply dont have the ability, the courage to stand with us.

The message was directed in particular at Europe, indicating that Washington will not tolerate any deviation from its policy. In a barely-concealed criticism of Germany, Pompeo declared: Indeed, we have a NATO ally of ours that hasnt stood up in the way that it needs to with respect to Hong Kong because they fear Beijing will restrict access to Chinas market. This is the kind of timidity that will lead to historic failure, and we cant repeat it.

Pompeo employed the rhetoric of the Cold Warthe free world versus Communist China. That was always a shabby pretext for US aggression but today bears no relation to reality. Pompeos claims to defend democracy as the Trump administration shreds basic democratic rights and legal norms, sending federal agents to violently suppress protests against police killings. Moreover, after more than four decades of capitalist restoration, to describe China as communist is absurd.

The deepening crisis of world capitalism fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating geo-political tensions and compounding the desperation of US foreign policy. The Trump administration is demanding that Europe and countries around the world line up behind the US drive to subordinate China to its imperialist interests. It does so, however, even as it is taking trade war measures against its European allies to ensure that they also pose no threat to American global hegemony.

Pompeos latest speech is part of a US campaign to bully European countries into toeing Washingtons line, and, if that fails, to divide and fracture the European Union. It follows his intervention at the annual Munich Security Conference in February that revealed deep divisions between the US and Europe, and two addresses last month to the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on June 19, entitled Europe and the China Challenge, and to the German Marshall Funds Brussels Forum on June 25.

Both the latter speeches were aimed at marshalling support in Europe against China and pressing European powers to take a more aggressive stance. Both were chaired by staunchly pro-Washington figuresthe first by former Danish prime minister and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and the second by the German correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Bojan Pancevski.

Pompeo noted successes in stiffening European measures against China. These included a new Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China that features some European leaders, Britains denunciations of Beijing over the new national security legislation in Hong Kong, and the sidelining of Chinese telecommunications company Huawei by European countries such as the Czech Republic.

Those in European ruling circles who employ the rhetoric of defending democracy and upbraiding China over human rights in Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang are just as hypocritical as their American counterparts, given the turn in Europe to police-state measures and the fostering of extreme right and openly fascist parties.

At the same time, the US is intent on driving a wedge against any country that resists. The two speeches last month followed the Trump administrations decision to withdraw 10,000 US troops from Germany over Berlins failure to boost its military budget sufficiently and its reliance on Russian oil and gas. Pompeo said the decision was not just a rebuke to Germany, but part of a massive restructuring of the US military toward Asia to make sure were postured appropriately to counter the PLA [Chinas military].

The divisions in Europe, as in countries around the world, flow from a longstanding strategic dependence on the US, on the one hand, and a growing reliance on trade and economic ties with China, on the other. Germany depends heavily on trade with, and investment in, China. On the other hand, like the US, the European powers are concerned that Chinas rapid economic growth, which is, above all, the result of its transformation into a huge cheap labour platform for global corporations, is undermining their own economic competitiveness and neo-colonial stakes in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

In an article this month entitled, Europe changes its mind on China, Thomas Wright, an analyst with the US think tank, the Brookings Institution, made clear that economic competition, not any concern for democracy, was behind European support for the US anti-China campaign.

After noting that a primary driver of Europes increased skepticism of China was economic, Wright pinpointed Beijings Made in China 2025 plan as a particular factor. The plans aim to transform China into a leading manufacturer of hi-tech goods related to 5G telecommunications, advanced robotics and artificial intelligence represents a direct threat to American and European dominance in these highly profitable areas. At the same time, European corporate ambitions for greater profits in China have been thwarted by the Chinese governments failure to open up new areas of its economy to foreign investment.

While economics are certainly a factor, it is not the case, as Wright maintained, that relentless pressure from Washington plays little role in compelling European countries to shift their policies. For instance, the recent decision by the British government to eliminate Huawei from the countrys 5G telecommunications network was in no small measure the result of the Trump administrations ban on the use of American software in Huawei equipment.

Pompeos speech last week represents a major escalation of Washingtons anti-China campaign across the board. He declared that the US cant face this challenge alone and ominously called on the combined economic, diplomatic, and military power of the UN, NATO, the G7 countries and the G20 to confront China. Confronting a profound crisis at home, the Trump administration is desperate to divert social tensions outward against an external foe and will stop at nothing to ensure the backing of European powers.

The author also recommends:

US secretary of state sets out case for conflict with China

[25 July 2020]

UK set to ban Huawei from 5G network

[8 July 2020]

Imperialist conflicts dominate Munich Security Conference

[18 February 2019]
StatsCan said that the retail sector should brace itself for further tectonic shifts, as a significant portion of tenants might vacate their spaces in the very near future due to operational concerns.

Small businesses are increasingly turning to e-commerce platforms, and are using these platforms in innovative ways, StatsCan said.

This mirrored the findings of a recent Colliers International report, which found that around 10% of retail tenants will be shutting down their businesses within the next few months.

We expect the trend around permanent closures to increase given the slow recovery in consumer demand and limitations created by physical distancing, said Jane Domenico, senior vice president at Colliers Canada. COVID-19 is forcing retailers to do business differently.

Around 74% of retailers said that they are exploring new sales tactics, with 41% considering online operations. Another 47% said that space will become a less pressing need due to a greater focus on teleworking.
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CHICAGO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "IoT Middleware Market by Platform Type (Device, Application, and Connectivity Management), Organization Size (Large Enterprises and SMES), Vertical (Manufacturing, Government & Defense, Automotive & Transportation), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global IoT Middleware Market size is expected to grow from USD 10.1 billion in 2020 to USD 25.0 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19.7% during the forecast period.

Browse in-depth TOC on "IoT Middleware Market"

301 - Tables

42 - Figures

266 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=84839232

Increasing use of embedded sensors, and availability of fast cellular networks LTA and 3G driving the adoption of IoT middleware platforms in healthcare vertical during the forecast period

Connectivity between sensors and devices enables healthcare organizations to streamline their clinical operations and manage workflows, and aid in real-time patient care, even from remote locations. Hence, healthcare organizations are focusing on implementing robust applications and connected technologies. Some of the new IoT enabled solutions for the healthcare industry are remote patient monitoring, healthcare workflow management, medication management, and medical asset tracking. Organizations are getting involved in this vertical because of the significant knowledge and experience they share over communication infrastructure, which is essential for M2M communication.

Rising need to manage, secure, and track devices in an organization to drive the demand for device management platform segment to hold a larger market size

The IoT Middleware Market covers platform types such as device management, application management, and network management. The device management platform provides capabilities such as provisioning and authentication, configuration and control, monitoring and diagnostics, software updates, and maintenance. Furthermore, the device management platform is instrumental in offering advanced features, such as activation certification, configuration, device monitoring, troubleshooting, and service and device enablement. Device management platforms assist organizations in effectively managing and tracking, and securing the devices used in the organization. With the help of these platforms, organizations can proactively and remotely monitor and configure their smart devices and other hardware and software solutions as soon as their devices and processes are connected.

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https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=84839232

North America to dominate the market during the forecast period

North America is expected to dominate the global market from 2020 to 2025, owing to the presence of several solution vendors in the US. Canada has the highest internet penetration rate responsible for the growth of North America. Additionally, the presence of several vendors and favorable support environments has led to the foundation of a robust support ecosystem in the region. The increasing demand for risk management solutions and rise in the requirement of on-time authentic information would drive the growth of the IoT Middleware Market in this region.

The major vendors offering IoT Middleware Market are IBM (US), Microsoft(US), AWS (US), SAP (Germany), PTC (US), Cisco (US), Google (US), Hitachi (Japan), HPE (US), Bosch (Germany), Oracle (US), Salesforce (US), GE (US), Schneider Electric (US), ClearBlade(US), Davra (US), MuleSoft (US), Axiros (Germany), TIBCO Software (US), Siemens (Germany), Eurotech (Italy), Flutura (US), Litmus Automation (US), Ayla Networks (US), Aeris (US), QiO Technologies (UK), Atos (France), and Exosite (US).

Browse Adjacent Markets: Digitalization and Internet of Things (IoT) Market Research Reports & Consulting

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North America IT Services Market by Type (Professional, Managed, and Telecom), Deployment Type (On-Premise and Cloud), Organization Size (SMBS and Enterprises), Business Function, and Industry Vertical - Global Forecast to 2021

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/north-america-it-service-market-1769884.html

Internet of Things (IoT) Market by Software Solution (Real-Time Streaming Analytics, Security Solution, Data Management, Remote Monitoring, and Network Bandwidth Management), Service, Platform, Application Area, and Region - Global Forecast to 2022

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/internet-of-things-market-573.html

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Furious travellers are demanding a refund on their flights to Spanish islands because airlines only have to reimburse planned trips to the mainland.

Britons called for Ryanair, Jet2, easyJet and BA to return the cost of their future holidays to hotspots such as Ibiza, Majorca and Gran Canaria.

The Foreign Office is currently advising people against all non-essential travel - including journeys to mainland Spain.

But this does not apply to the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, which are normally swarming with Brits this time of year.

It means airlines do not legally have to hand out refunds to those who no longer want to go to the islands.

Yet those returning from any Spanish territory still have to go into a 14-day quarantine when they return.

Ministers are said to be considering giving the Canaries and Balearics an exemption, but this could still be a week away.

Meanwhile there are also reports the FCO could harden travel advice relating to the islands to bring them into line with the ban on travel to the mainland.

Britons called for Ryanair, Jet2, easyJet and BA to return the cost of their future holidays to hotspots such as Ibiza, Majorca and Gran Canaria (file photo)

British Airways, Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 have all said travel to and from Spain and its islands will continue - flying in the face of government advice.

BA and easyJet hinted they will hand out vouchers - instead of refunds - for cancelled flights.

Weekly Covid-19 figures for the Balearics and Canaries show cases have remained reasonably low Weekly Covid-19 case figures for the last four weeks show there have been reasonably low numbers in both the Balearics and Canaries, although more of an upward trend in the latter: New cases in previous seven days (week up to Friday, July 24): Balearic Islands: 40

Canary Islands: 95

Spain total: 10,990 Week to Friday, July 17: Balearics: 39

Canaries: 30

Spain total: 5,695 Week to Friday, July 10: Balearics: 17

Canaries: 13

Spain total: 2,944 Week to Friday, July 3: Balearics: 37

Canaries: 11

Spain total: 2,028 All-time cases (as of Friday, July 24) Balearics: 2,343

Canaries: 2,578

Spain total: 272,421 Advertisement

But Ryanair has said it will not offer any reimbursement and suggested it will charge people 95 if they change their booking.

Holidaymakers were incensed by the move, with some having to choose between their holiday or the sack from work when they get back and have to isolate.

Daisy Thomas tweeted: '@jet2tweets booked to fly to Ibiza on 21/08, received this email only days ago with your ''worry free guarantee''.

'Funny how that has disappeared off your website in line with new FCO guidance! We cannot quarantine on return... not so worry free. Do the right thing and refund!'

Cara Lovell-Young from London posted: '@Ryanair your customer service is outrageous.

'I need to change flights from Ibiza at the end of August & I have to pay a ridiculous change fee.

'You're also not offering refunds unless the flight is cancelled by you. I'm changing the flights out of necessity & not convenience.'

Jake Brough put: '@jet2tweets I won't be able to quarantine after my holiday to Ibiza on the 10th August, can we get a refund?? #jet2holidays.'

Andrew Dourka-Laird added: '@Ryanair Hello we have flight FR9251 booked for Ibiza.

'Can we get a refund due to the advise given by the EU / UK on corona virus? Easy Jet are offering refunds to their customers in similar positions.'

Ex-West End performer Julie McKenna wrote: 'Travelling to Majorca today, knowing we have to quarantine when we return.

'Can't get a refund, booked independently. Hotel insisting no refund. We paid a lot of money for our holiday, which we would lose if we just didn't go.

'We booked in January. Gutted. #majorca #quarantine.'

And Craig Cowgill, from Bury, who is due to fly to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands on Thursday, said he was still hoping Jet2 would refund him.

The small business manager said: 'I don't know what to do at this moment. I'm hoping Jet2 will offer a refund or the Government change the quarantine from the islands.

'I can understand about Spain, but they say it's safe where we are going, so why quarantine us then? It's either one or the other - [you] can't send people, then ask them to quarantine and not offer refunds.'

EasyJet and Jet2 have not cancelled any flights today while BA and Ryanair both grounded two but none of them were bound for Spain or its islands.

Ryanair slashes its traffic outlook over fears of a Covid-19 second wave Ryanair cut its annual passenger target by a quarter on Monday and warned a second wave of Covid-19 infections could lower that further, sending its shares down 6 per cent despite reporting a smaller than expected loss during its April-June lockdown. Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said Ryanair had seen a hit to bookings in recent days in the wake of a surge of infections in Barcelona and expects 'more of those kind of developments'. The British government abruptly imposed on Saturday a two-week quarantine on all travellers arriving from Spain due to the surge, a move O'Leary described as 'a badly managed over-reaction'. Ryanair posted an after-tax loss of 185 million euros ($216.5 million) for the three months to June 30, when it cut 99% of its capacity as Europe locked down in the face of Covid-19. That was its first-ever loss in the quarter, but less than the 232 million euros forecast in a company poll of analysts. It rolled back expectations for the rest of its financial year ending on March 31, saying it will fly 60 million passengers rather than the 80 million it forecast in May - and down from 149 million last year. 'Our full-year guidance of 60 million passengers is tentative at this point in time and it could go lower,' O'Leary said in a video presentation. 'A second wave of COVID-19 cases across Europe in late autumn ... is our biggest fear right now.' The fall was due to cuts in the airline's schedule between October and March, when it will run around 70% of last year's schedule rather than the 80% flagged. July and August had been boosted by bookings made before the COVID-19 crisis and O'Leary said he would be 'much more wary and cautious' about September and October. 'I wouldn't rule out that we will be taking out more capacity if we think bookings will remain weak in order to preserve cash,' he said. The uncertainty means Ryanair cannot give a profit guidance for its financial year, though it expects to lose less in the current quarter than the last one, he added. O'Leary said Ryanair may close bases in Spain and Italy where pilots are resisting temporary pay cuts. Advertisement

Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said his firm had no plans to reduce capacity to Spain despite the government advice.

He branded the new rules- introduced at short notice on Saturday - a 'badly managed over-reaction'.

He made the comments on a call with investors where he said the government 'panicked' instead of focusing on stopping travel to specific regions with high cases.

He added: 'There is no scientific basis for a national restriction.'

Asked if Ryanair would reduce capacity between the two countries, Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan said: 'We have no plans to cut capacity in the medium term.'

A spokesman for BA said: 'While our flights continue to operate, we are disappointed that the Government is now advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain and re-introducing quarantine for holidaymakers returning from Spain with immediate effect, throwing thousands of Britons' travel plans into chaos.

'This is sadly yet another blow for British holidaymakers and cannot fail to have an impact on an already troubled aviation industry.

'We will be providing our customers with the latest information about their flights on ba.com.'

And easyJet added: 'We are disappointed that the Government has decided to impose a quarantine requirement for those travelling from the whole of Spain since the increased occurrence of coronavirus is regional rather than nationwide.

'We plan to operate our full schedule in the coming days. Customers who no longer wish to travel can transfer their flights without a change fee or receive a voucher for the value of the booking.'

But nervy prospective passengers continued to tweet their frustration over refunds.

Martin McGlown posted: 'I booked to go to Majorca on the basis that they had a pledge in place saying that they wouldn't go ahead with holidays to places where you had to quarantine on return. Surely they have to stick to that and offer refunds now?'

Gemma Fletcher put: 'How do we contact regarding refunds for cancelled holidays?have rang numerous times and emailed however no reply!!!'

Jason Golder wrote: 'Gutted for you all, very lucky I got a full refund from @jet2tweets in April for our easter holiday in Tenerife.'

He added: 'Even happier I didn't bother to rebook for August with everything going on.'

Another said: 'What about us poor sods who's holidays were booked last year. Having twice rebooked with @easyJet when they cancelled our flights.

'Now the flights are live but advice is don't travel. Should not be advice but an instruction. Could have refund twice now no options.'

And one man added: '@jet2tweets so, I've requested a refund and would like to book another holiday with you, but can't get through, and have no confirmation that refund will be processed. Please respond to my tweets, dm, phone calls anything.'

The Spanish government and Britain's travel industry trade body, the Association of British Travel Agents, argue it is not necessary for the Canaries and Balearics to be included in the quarantine, pointing out infection rates on these islands are low.

Abta has told the Government to 'consider' changing the rules, while Spain's Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya is trying to convince Britain to exclude the Balearics and Canaries, saying: 'Spain is safe, it is safe for Spaniards, it is safe for tourists.'

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the airline industry's main global body, also said the British decision 'does not accurately reflect the risk of a regional spike in one corner of the country'.

Furious Britons flooding back from Spain today told how they faced economic hardship following the change in the FCO advice.

Holidaymakers who miss out on work due to having to quarantine may be eligible for Universal Credit or employment support allowance but not statutory sick pay.

But employers have no obligation to pay staff while they are isolating, self-employed workers will be forced to give up jobs and some people could even face the sack.

The Government also warned 'no travel is risk-free' and said sacked workers could appeal to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).

There are added fears more European holidays could be thrown into disarray amid mass uncertainty this summer.

The Spain decision is said to have spooked UK holidaymakers who had booked trips in France, Italy and Greece.
A new bout of violence in Sudans war-torn Darfur region has left more than 60 people dead, the United Nations said Sunday.

The clashes threaten to derail a fragile transition to democracy more than a year after the militarys ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan said about 500 armed men on Saturday attacked the village of Masteri, located 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of Genena, the provincial capital of West Darfur province.

The clashes between the Masalit and other Arab tribes in the area started earlier Saturday and lasted until late Sunday, state-run SUNA news agency reported, citing unnamed sources. Local authorities asked for military reinforcements to halt the clashes, the report said.

The SUNA report did not provide a death toll, but said dozens of people were killed or wounded, and more than 60 wounded were taken by helicopter to Genena for treatment.

An unconfirmed number of houses were looted and burned in the village, along with half the local market, OCHA said. The village borders Chad.

The attack prompted around 500 people to start a protest camp in front of the Masalit Sultan House, a settlement hosting about 4,200 internally displaced persons in Masteri, the UN agency said. The protesters called for authorities to protect them from attacks.

Sudan is on a fragile path to democracy after a popular uprising led the military to overthrow al-Bashir in April 2019. A military-civilian government now rules the country until elections, possibly in late 2022.

Such clashes pose a challenge to government efforts to end decades-long rebellions in areas like Darfur, where most people live in camps for the displaced and refugees.

Al-Bashir faces international charges of genocide and crimes against humanity over a scorched-earth campaign against rebels in Darfur in the 2000s.

Saturdays attack was the latest in a series of attacks in the area. OCHA documented at least seven from July 19-26 which left dozens dead or wounded.

Last week, local authorities in West Darfur declared a 24-hour curfew in Genena, compromising access to nutrition, water and sanitation, education, health and other critical services, OCHA said.

The clashes have come in the middle of the agricultural season, increasing humanitarian needs in the region. About 2.8 million people in the Darfur region are estimated to be severely food insecure from June to September, more than 545,000 of them in West Darfur alone, OCHA said.
A demonstration was held in Budapest on Friday evening in protest against the dismissal of the editor-in-chief of news website index.hu, and for media freedom.

The protest started at the editorial office in north Buda, then the demonstrators marched to Buda Castle.



Last Wednesday Laszlo Bodolai, chief of the foundation that exercises the employers rights at Index, initiated the dismissal of Szabolcs Dull. Two days later the portal announced in a service statement that all editors and almost all staff members had decided to quit.



The journalists of Index have demonstrated that it makes sense having a moral backbone in this country, Andras Fekete-Gyor, leader of the opposition Momentum party, told the crowd, which filled Szent Gyorgy Square next to the prime ministers and the presidential offices.



They had to stand up because 100 metres from here there is a cowardly little man who does not dare to face a mirror, he said, adding that we are fed up with cowardly politicians and their propagandists.



I would like to build a Hungary of brave people, a country with a free press, an unbiased public media, an independent Academy of Sciences, a country with a Central European University and Index, Fekete-Gyor said.



Independent lawmaker Akos Hadhazy said that this demonstration should not be the last, the protests should continue. He insisted that the senior officials of the public media should be appointed on the basis of consensus.



There is no regime against which you cant fight successfully but the stricter the dictatorial rule, the stronger resistance one should put up against it, he said.



The demonstration was initiated by Momentum and attended by politicians of several left-wing parties.





MTI Photo: Zsolt Szigetvary
David Gelles and Jesse Drucker

On June 26, a small South San Francisco company called Vaxart made a surprise announcement: A coronavirus vaccine it was working on had been selected by the U.S. government to be part of Operation Warp Speed, the flagship federal initiative to quickly develop drugs to combat COVID-19.

Vaxarts shares soared. Company insiders, who weeks earlier had received stock options worth a few million dollars, saw the value of those awards increase sixfold. And a hedge fund that partly controlled the company walked away with more than $200 million in instant profits.

The race is on to develop a coronavirus vaccine, and some companies and investors are betting that the winners stand to earn vast profits from selling hundreds of millions  or even billions  of doses to a desperate public.

Across the pharmaceutical and medical industries, senior executives and board members are capitalizing on that dynamic.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

They are making millions of dollars after announcing positive developments, including support from the government, in their efforts to fight COVID-19. After such announcements, insiders from at least 11 companies  most of them smaller firms whose fortunes often hinge on the success or failure of a single drug  have sold shares worth well over $1 billion since March, according to figures compiled for The New York Times by Equilar, a data provider.

In some cases, company insiders are profiting from regularly scheduled compensation or automatic stock trades. But in other situations, senior officials appear to be pouncing on opportunities to cash out while their stock prices are sky high. And some companies have awarded stock options to executives shortly before market-moving announcements about their vaccine progress.

The sudden windfalls highlight the powerful financial incentives for company officials to generate positive headlines in the race for coronavirus vaccines and treatments, even if the drugs might never pan out.

Some companies are attracting government scrutiny for potentially using their associations with Operation Warp Speed as marketing ploys.

For example, the headline on Vaxarts news release declared: Vaxarts COVID-19 Vaccine Selected for the U.S. Governments Operation Warp Speed. But the reality is more complex.

Vaxarts vaccine candidate was included in a trial on primates that a federal agency was organizing in conjunction with Operation Warp Speed. But Vaxart is not among the companies selected to receive significant financial support from Warp Speed to produce hundreds of millions of vaccine doses.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has entered into funding agreements with certain vaccine manufacturers, and we are negotiating with others. Neither is the case with Vaxart, said Michael R. Caputo, the departments assistant secretary for public affairs. Vaxarts vaccine candidate was selected to participate in preliminary U.S. government studies to determine potential areas for possible Operation Warp Speed partnership and support. At this time, those studies are ongoing, and no determinations have been made.

Some officials at the Department of Health and Human Services have grown concerned about whether companies including Vaxart are trying to inflate their stock prices by exaggerating their roles in Warp Speed, a senior Trump administration official said. The department has relayed those concerns to the Securities and Exchange Commission, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

It isnt clear if the commission is looking into the matter. An SEC spokeswoman declined to comment.

Vaxart abides by good corporate governance guidelines and policies and makes decisions in accordance with the best interests of the company and its shareholders, Vaxarts chief executive, Andrei Floroiu, said in a statement Friday. Referring to Operation Warp Speed, he added, We believe that Vaxarts COVID-19 vaccine is the most exciting one in OWS because it is the only oral vaccine (a pill) in OWS.

Well-timed stock transactions are generally legal. But investors and corporate governance experts say they can create the appearance that executives are profiting from inside information, and could erode public confidence in the pharmaceutical industry when the world is looking to these companies to cure COVID-19.

It is inappropriate for drug company executives to cash in on a crisis, said Ben Wakana, executive director of Patients for Affordable Drugs, a nonprofit advocacy group. Every day, Americans wake up and make sacrifices during this pandemic. Drug companies see this as a payday.

Executives at a long list of companies have reaped seven- or eight-figure profits thanks to their work on coronavirus vaccines and treatments.

Shares of Regeneron, a biotech company in Tarrytown, New York, have climbed nearly 80% since early February, when it announced a collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a COVID-19 treatment. Since then, the companys top executives and board members have sold nearly $700 million in stock. The chief executive, Leonard Schleifer, sold $178 million of shares on a single day in May.

Alexandra Bowie, a spokeswoman for Regeneron, said most of those sales had been scheduled in advance through programs that automatically sell executives shares if the stock hits a certain price.

Moderna, a 10-year-old vaccine developer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that has never brought a product to market, announced in late January that it was working on a coronavirus vaccine. It has issued a stream of news releases hailing its vaccine progress, and its stock has more than tripled, giving the company a market value of almost $30 billion.

Moderna insiders have sold about $248 million of shares since that January announcement, most of it after the company was selected in April to receive federal funding to support its vaccine efforts.

While some of those sales were scheduled in advance, others were more spur of the moment. Flagship Ventures, an investment fund run by the companys founder and chairman, Noubar Afeyan, sold more than $68 million worth of Moderna shares on May 21. Those transactions were not scheduled in advance, according to securities filings.

Executives and board members at Luminex, Quidel and Emergent BioSolutions have sold shares worth a combined $85 million after announcing they were working on vaccines, treatments or testing solutions.

At other companies, executives and board members received large grants of stock options shortly before the companies announced good news that lifted the value of those options.

Novavax, a drugmaker in Gaithersburg, Maryland, began working on a vaccine early this year. This spring, the company reported promising preliminary test results and a $1.6 billion deal with the Trump administration.

In April, with its shares below $24, Novavax issued a batch of new stock awards to all its employees in acknowledgment of the extraordinary work of our employees to implement a new vaccine program. Four senior executives, including the chief executive, Stanley Erck, received stock options that were worth less than $20 million at the time.

Since then, Novavaxs stock has rocketed to more than $130 a share. At least on paper, the four executives stock options are worth more than $100 million.

So long as the company hits a milestone with its vaccine testing, which it is expected to achieve soon, the executives will be able to use the options to buy discounted Novavax shares as early as next year, regardless of whether the company develops a successful vaccine.

Silvia Taylor, a Novavax spokeswoman, said the stock awards were designed to incentivize and retain our employees during this critical time. She added that there is no guarantee they will retain their value.

Two other drugmakers, Translate Bio and Inovio, awarded large batches of stock options to executives and board members shortly before they announced progress on their coronavirus vaccines, sending shares higher. Representatives of the companies said the options were regularly scheduled annual grants.

Vaxart, though, is where the most money was made the fastest.

At the start of the year, its shares were around 35 cents. Then in late January, Vaxart began working on an orally administered coronavirus vaccine, and its shares started rising.

Vaxarts largest shareholder was a New York hedge fund, Armistice Capital, which last year acquired nearly two-thirds of the companys shares. Two Armistice executives, including the hedge funds founder, Steven Boyd, joined Vaxarts board of directors. The hedge fund also purchased rights, known as warrants, to buy 21 million more Vaxart shares at some point in the future for as little as 30 cents each.

Vaxart has never brought a vaccine to market. It has just 15 employees. But throughout the spring, Vaxart announced positive preliminary data for its vaccine, along with a partnership with a company that could manufacture it. By late April, with investors sensing the potential for big profits, the companys shares had reached $3.66  a tenfold increase from January.

On June 8, Vaxart changed the terms of its warrants agreement with Armistice, making it easier for the hedge fund to rapidly acquire the 21 million shares, rather than having to buy and sell in smaller batches.

One week later, Vaxart announced that its chief executive was stepping down, though he would remain chairman. The new CEO, Floroiu, had previously worked with Boyd, Armistices founder, at the hedge fund and the consulting firm McKinsey.

On June 25, Vaxart announced that it had signed a letter of intent with another company that might help it mass-produce a coronavirus vaccine. Vaxarts shares nearly doubled that day.

The next day, Vaxart issued its news release saying it had been selected for Operation Warp Speed. Its shares instantly doubled again, at one pointing hitting $14, their highest level in years.

We are very pleased to be one of the few companies selected by Operation Warp Speed, and that ours is the only oral vaccine being evaluated, Floroiu said.

Armistice took advantage of the stocks exponential increase  at that point up more than 3,600% since January. On June 26, a Friday, and the next Monday, the hedge fund exercised its warrants to buy nearly 21 million Vaxart shares for either 30 cents or $1.10 a share  purchases it would not have been able to make as quickly had its agreement with Vaxart not been modified weeks earlier.

Armistice then immediately sold the shares at prices from $6.58 to $12.89 a share, according to securities filings. The hedge funds profits were immense: more than $197 million.

It looks like the warrants may have been reconfigured at a time when they knew good news was coming, said Robert Daines, a professor at Stanford Law School who is an expert on corporate governance. Thats a valuable change, made right as the companys stock price was about to rise.

At the same time, the hedge fund also unloaded some of the Vaxart shares it had previously bought, notching tens of millions of dollars in additional profits.

By the end of that Monday, June 29, Armistice had sold almost all of its Vaxart shares.

Boyd and Armistice declined to comment.

Floroiu said the change to the Armistice agreement was in the best interests of Vaxart and its stockholders and helped it raise money to work on the COVID-19 vaccine.

He and other Vaxart board members also were positioned for big personal profits. When he became chief executive in mid-June, Floroiu received stock options that were worth about $4.3 million. A month later, those options were worth more than $28 million.

Normally when companies issue stock options to executives, the options cant be exercised for months or years. Because of the unusual terms and the run-up in Vaxarts stock price, most of Floroius can be cashed in now.

Vaxarts board members also received large grants of stock options, giving them the right to buy shares in the company at prices well below where the stock is now trading. The higher the shares fly, the bigger the profits.

Vaxart is disrupting the vaccine world, Floroiu boasted during a virtual investor conference Thursday. He added that his impression was that its OK to make a profit from COVID vaccines, as long as youre not profiteering.

Noah Weiland contributed reporting.
This is the latest litigation Google has faced around the world over allegations of privacy breaches.

The allegations arise from Googles move in 2016 to start combining users personal information in their Google accounts with information from the same users activity on non-Google sites that used Google technology, formerly DoubleClick technology, to display ads.

Canberra: Australias consumer watchdog launched court action against Google on Monday alleging the technology giant misled account holders about its use of their personal data.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions action in the Federal Court is the latest litigation Google has faced around the world over allegations of privacy breaches.

The commission alleges the California-based company misled millions of Australians to obtain their consent and expand the scope of personal information that Google collects about users internet activity to target advertising.

The allegations arise from Googles move in 2016 to start combining users personal information in their Google accounts with information from the same users activity on non-Google sites that used Google technology, formerly DoubleClick technology, to display ads.

We allege that Google did not obtain explicit consent from customers to take this step, the commissions chair, Rod Sims, said in a statement.

The ACCC considers that consumers effectively pay for Googles services with their data, so this change introduced by Google increased the price of Googles services, without consumers knowledge, Sims added.

Google said it had cooperated with the watchdog in its investigation and that its account holders had been asked to consent via prominent and easy-to-understand notifications. We strongly disagree with their allegations and intend to defend our position, a Google statement said.

Google has also been closely involved with the watchdog in recent months over the Australian governments plan to make global digital platforms including Facebook pay for content siphoned from news media.

The commission this week will release draft rules for the platforms to pay fair compensation for journalistic content after the coronavirus pandemic slashed advertising revenue for legacy media.

British regulators want new rules to foster competition in digital advertising markets and rein in the industrys dominant players, Google and Facebook.

The Competition and Markets Authority have taken aim at the US tech giants in a report that recommends the British government adopt a new regulatory approach to governing big digital platforms making money from online ads.

Google announced last month that it was tweaking its privacy settings to keep less data on new users by default, automatically and continuously deleting web and app activity as well as location history after 18 months.

Frances highest administrative court last month upheld a fine of 50 million euros ($56 million) Google was ordered to pay for not being sufficiently clear and transparent with Android users about their data protection options.

In Canada, Google abandoned its smart-city development in Toronto after more than two years of controversy over privacy concerns and amid economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

In the United States, New Mexicos attorney general has filed a lawsuit in the District Court over allegations that Google illegally collected personal data generated by children in violation of federal and state laws.

In Australia, it is not clear what penalty Google might face if the watchdogs lawsuit succeeds. The commission has made multiple allegations of consumer law breaches, each carrying a potential maximum fine of 1.1 million Australian dollars ($780 million).

Australia substantially beefed up penalties for such offences in 2018, but Google will be judged by the rules that applied in 2016.
We shall all die, but it is what we leave behind that will count many centuries after we are gone, so I am at peace with any such eventuality were it to happen to me. It has happened to many others, and it shall happen to many others too until our politics becomes civilized. I am a product of my existence and as such, what I say and what I do with my life is a reflection of how I was brought up by my parents! We live under an incompetent and corrupt government that hires private jets for Vice Presidents, a Government that dishes out cars to traditional Chiefs when hospitals have NO ambulances!
The Google News Initiative Journalism Emergency Relief Fund has announced financial support to PREMIUM TIMES and 15 other Nigerian news organisations.

The statement containing the announcement is reproduced below.

The Google News Initiative Journalism Emergency Relief Fund (JERF) has announced it is supporting 16 Nigerian publications with funding. Launched in April, the JERF serves to help local publishers facing financial hardship as a result of the economic and advertising downturn.

JERF has provided $39.5m in funding to publishers in 115 countries in the past few months, says Ludovic Blecher, Head of Google News Initiative Innovation. The money is being applied in diverse and creative ways from ensuring basic reporting needs, giving emergency stipends to allow reporters to cover the crisis, to driving audience engagement and generating subscriptions. Additionally, a significant number also said they are prioritising a need for cultural change, including a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion as well as organisational and business management changes.

Within the first two weeks of launch JERF had received applications from 12,000 publishers across the globe, with newsroom sizes ranging from an average of 20 in Asia Pacific to 8 in North America. The massive response gave us the opportunity to understand what local means in different parts of the globe and how dynamics ranging from newsroom size to ownership structure can differ depending on the region and the kinds of communities served, Blecher says.

According to an optional reader revenue survey GNI conducted, Advertising continues to be the sole source of revenue for most recipients with 50% claiming to be totally advertising dependent. The survey also showed that less than 30% operate some form of a paywall while less than 18% rely on community contributions or memberships to support their journalism. However, the situation is changing with 60% of the recipients planning to diversify their revenue streams through developing subscription, membership or contribution models.

The pandemic has affected everyone and local news organisations have been at the forefront in helping their communities navigate COVID. At the Google News Initiative, we are trying to play our part with this funding and other initiatives as we all work towards the common goal of a sustainable, innovative and diverse news ecosystem globally, Blecher concludes.

The full list of Nigerian publishers is:

Aledah.com

City Mirror News

Daily Nigerian

News Wire NGR

Lagos Post Media

Newsfeed Nigeria

Premium Times

Sundiata Post

Sunrise Newspaper

Tell Magazine

The Daily Times

The Daily Report

The Eagle Online

The Median

TNG

The Punch (including Saturday Punch, Sunday Punch and Punch Online)
'India is home to the third-largest number of family-owned businesses in the world.'

'While everyone pays lip service to succession planning being entrenched in the functional DNA of family-owned business enterprises, it's still not an area of focus for a lot of family businesses', points out Shyamal Majumdar.

IMAGE: Gopichand Hinduja, right, co-chairman of the Hinduja group, with Boris Johnson, then the mayor of London, now the prime minister of Britain. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Optare

The Hindujas have always presented a happy family story where the four brothers, their wives, children and grandchildren stand together like a rock.

In the past, the brothers even went public with their belief that they were like Ram, Lakshmana, Bharat and Shatrughna -- 'four bodies, one soul'.

The script has, however, just taken a different turn as far as their business relationships are concerned.

The brothers perhaps took the 'four bodies, one soul' theory a bit too seriously; so much so that the succession planning at Britain's second wealthiest family with an over $20 billion fortune was limited to just a letter.

The letter signed by all of them in 2014 said that the 'assets held in any single brother's name belong to all four'.

There was no will; no other binding documents; no family constitution -- just a letter, prompting a leading lawyer to say it couldn't get more absurd than this.

This is particularly so as all the brothers are well past their retirement age. While the eldest, Srichand, is 84, Gopichand is 80, Prakash, 75, and Ashok is 70.

Though the third generation of Hindujas -- mostly the boys -- are all in leadership roles in group companies, a letter is hardly a proof of a good succession planning.

This kind of arrangement was destined to take a few hard knocks anyway. And the first knock came recently when Srichand Hinduja, described as the group's 'current patriarch', challenged the legal sanctity of the letter.

In fact, this is not the first time Srichand made his position known. Four years ago, he had made it clear that the letter did not reflect his wishes and that the family's assets should be separated.

It emerged during the hearing in a British court that family members are also embroiled in litigation in Switzerland over the control of Hinduja Bank, 'an asset in Srichand's sole name', as well as other proceedings in Jersey.

Inexplicably, the other three brothers continue to be sticking to their belief that 'everything belongs to everyone and nothing belongs to anyone', though their main grouse seems to be Srichand's decision to appoint his daughter to act on his behalf.

In fact, transition of ownership to the third generation should have happened much earlier as only the boys are in big roles currently and only Srichand Hinduja's daughters are pursuing a career in the group business.

Corporate history has shown us how founders are great at starting and building, but usually terrible at letting go and allowing the organisation to grow into a second phase of life without them, with a different leader at the helm.

One of the main reasons is that making yourself indispensable is a skill that nearly every leader seems to have perfected to a fine art.

There have been numerous such examples of poor succession planning in Indian enterprises. And they make depressing reading: Of fathers and sons squaring off in court (Parvinder Singh versus Bhai Mohan Singh of Ranbaxy), of litigious brothers and cousins (the Modi family), and even mothers-in-law and their bahus (the Mafatlal saga).

What emerges clearly is that most of these companies sank because the families that owned them couldn't sort themselves out.

Many promoter families get stuck in conversations that start with 'but that's how we've always done things here', without realising that the traditional approach may not work in a rapidly changing world. For example, most families traditionally passed controlling ownership and the CEO position to the eldest male in each successive generation, without even considering other candidates.

A study by Harvard Business Review gives the example of the Antinori family in Italy which dared to go off the beaten track. After 25 generations of passing ownership and leadership of their wine-making business to sons, the family split ownership equally between three daughters and divided leadership of the business according to each daughter's strengths. They were able to do so in part because they removed preconceptions about how succession worked and started with a blank slate.

India is home to the third-largest number of family-owned businesses in the world.

While everyone pays lip service to succession planning being entrenched in the functional DNA of family-owned business enterprises, it's still not an area of focus for a lot of family businesses.

They simply underestimate the importance of succession planning and its role in the creation of a multi-generational business structure and ensuring the sustainability of family legacies.

In fact, over 75 per cent of company boards in India do not even discuss the succession issue and most chief executive officers are unable to imagine anyone as an adequate replacement.

Even if they have to choose somebody, most are inclined to replace themselves with a clone. In this kind of scenario, when family feuds break out, and division of assets is forced between family members, wealth built over decades is wiped out within weeks at the altar of greed.

Maybe the Hindujas and many other family-owned businesses should take a crash course on succession planning.
THE family of an elderly woman whose home was damaged by a petrol bomb when it was allegedly thrown at someone who took refuge on her property, are calling for an end to anti-social behaviour in the west Limerick village.

Joan Moroney, 74, who lives in Shanagolden was awoken from her sleep by the sound of roaring and shouting and an awful bang to discover a huge flame outside her kitchen window.

The pensioner is now almost too scared to walk down the street to her local shop as the incident has left her frightened and nervous.

We think someone was being chased and they tried to get away and used my mothers entrance to hide and then this was thrown in at them, Joans daughter Dympna Lawlor told the Limerick Leader..

She heard roaring and shouting and an awful bang and woke up to a big massive flame in the front window of the kitchen. She panicked. She sleeps upstairs. Shes living in a housing estate, Ms Lawlor continued.

Only for the presence of a flower pot at the front window, the outcome could have been much worse.

They had thrown it at the window and the flower pot on the front window saved it from coming through the house. It melted all the flower pot and did damage to the wall. There was a flame for a good few minutes because of all the petrol that had hit the wall - it had gone all the way up to the tiles on the roof. It was her front kitchen window, explained Ms Lawlor.

The pensioner sought assistance.

In a panic, she was fumbling with the phone, said Ms Lawlor. She didnt know who she was ringing. She ended up ringing her neighbour who is a great neighbour to her. He came on straight away and he was able to help and then she was able to call the guards and call us. My brother was there then. He saw guys running.

The incident happened at approximately 5am on Monday, July 13.

The guards took statements and then the forensics came and took away the bottle that was used for the petrol and melted gloves. She is very scared and her friends are the same. They feel very unsafe walking down the road to the shop. She is very nervous now. We have to get something done with the continuous anti-sociable behaviour in the village. Its going on in small towns and villages.

Gardai confirmed they are investigating a report of criminal damage.

When contacted a spokesperson said: Damage was caused to a residence and also to a vehicle in the area. A 32 year-old man has been arrested in connection with these incidents and is due before Limerick District Court on July 23. The investigation is ongoing.
Ciments de Bizerte sees 1H turnover up 2%

ICR Newsroom By 27 July 2020

Tunisian cement producer Ciments de Bizerte has seen its total turnover expand 1.6 per cent YoY to TND42.781m (US$15.6m) in the first half of 2020.



Domestic turnover edged up 0.2 per cent YoY to TND40.112m while export turnover improved 26.8 per cent YoY to TND2.669m.



In addition, clinker production increased 17.2 per cent to 282,440t in the 1H20 despite the total suspension of production for 45 days following the general COVID-19 lockdown. However, cement production fell by 4.7 per cent.



Furthermore, the company reduced its debt from TND152.703m to TND146.416m, reports Agence Tunis Afrique Presse.







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MINSK -- The former chief of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's security has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for bribe taking.

The Supreme Court of Belarus pronounced the verdict and sentencing of Andrey Utsyurin on July 27. The court also barred Utsyurin from working at administrative posts for five years and deprived him of the military rank of colonel.

The court also ruled to confiscate $192,000 from Utsyurin, which, according to the court, he had received as bribes.

Fourteen of 15 other defendants in the case, including former employees of state entities, financial institutions, and private businesses, received prison terms of between two and 7 1/2 years.

One defendant, a citizen of Latvia, was fined $14,600.

The group went on trial on March 10.

Utsyurin was arrested in April last year and charged with accepting at least $190,000 in bribes and instigation of bribe-giving during his handling of a state project on buying communication equipment, computers, and software.

Born in 1971 in the Russian city of Penza, Utsyurin led the presidential security unit from 2007-2014 before he was appointed a deputy secretary of the Security Council, the post he had until his arrest.
Before the pandemic, America and Nebraska packing plants were running at record level. When the coronavirus spread, packing houses slowed or temporarily as workers became sick. Plants began to implement new procedures to protect their workers. Because of the slowdown at the packing plants, supply lines were disrupted from the farm to the consumer. Prices increased, shortages were experience, animals had to be euthanized and foul play was cried because of suspected price manipulation.

But the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that, for June, commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.79 billion pounds in June, up 10% from the 4.37 billion pounds produced in June 2019.

Leading the resurgence was pork production. The USDA reported that June pork production totaled 2.40 billion pounds, up 13% from the previous year.

The USDA said hog slaughter totaled 11.2 million head in June, up 12% from June 2019. The average live weight was up 3 pounds from the previous year, at 288 pounds.

Leading the way in hog slaughter was Iowa. Iowa hog slaughter plants killed 3.419 million hogs in June. That was 400,000 more than in June 2019.
Receives bids for 1.64 crore shares

The initial public offer (IPO) of Mindspace Business Parks REIT received bids for 1.64 crore shares today, 27 July 2020, as against 6.77 crore shares on offer, as per the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) website data at 17:00 IST. The issue was subscribed 0.24 times. The issue opened for bidding today, 27 July 2020 and it will close on Wednesday, 29 July 2020. The price band of the IPO is fixed at Rs 274-275.

Ahead of its IPO, Mindspace Business Parks REIT on Friday (24 July) raised Rs 1,518.74 crore by allocating 5.52 crore shares to 54 anchor investors at Rs 275 per unit, the upper end of the IPO price band. The anchor allotment was led by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) such as the Government of Singapore, funds managed by Nomura, Capital Group, Fidelity, HSBC and Schroder.

The Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), which is backed by Mumbai-based real estate company K Raheja Corp and private equity firm Blackstone, is the second REIT IPO after Embassy Office Parks REIT.

The IPO aims to garner Rs 4,500 crore. The issue will raise Rs 1,000 crore of fresh capital while promoter K Raheja group and Blackstone will sell units worth Rs 3500 crore.

The proceeds of the fresh issue will be utilised towards partial or full pre-payment or scheduled repayment of certain debt facilities of the Asset SPVs availed from banks/financial institutions (including any accrued interest and any applicable penalties/ premium); purchase of Non-Convertible Redeemable Preference Shares (NCRPS) of Mindspace Business Parks Private Limited (MBPPL); and general purposes.

Mindspace Business Parks REIT owns a quality office portfolio located in four key office markets of India. Its portfolio includes a total leasable area of 29.5 million sq ft with five integrated business parks and five independent offices across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune, Hyderabad, and Chennai.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Press Release

July 27, 2020 In the battle vs COVID-19, the Senate will fight for and in behalf of the people -- Sotto The Senate buckles down to work Monday, July 27, 2020 as the nation, which not too long ago was dubbed as the second fastest-growing Asian country behind China, is now facing recession due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. With 17 of 24 senators physically present at the session hall and six others attending via video conferencing, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III banged the gavel to mark the start of the 2ndRegular Session of the 18thCongress. While legislators in the coming days would be busy crafting laws that would help recover the economy and thus would benefit the people, the setting would be far from traditional as some senators, especially those with co-morbidities, might opt to be virtually working via the internet. Health protocols have been established, from the entrance of the building up to the session hall at the second floor. Based on the guidelines issued by Senate Secretary Myra Marie Villarica, all those who were physically present during the opening ceremonies underwent the rapid test for COVID-19. Unlike the past opening ceremonies, the gallery at the session hall was empty. Family members of the senators, former senators, government officials and members of the diplomatic corps were instead invited to view the proceedings virtually. In this battle against the pandemic, Sotto said the Senate will be proposing laws that will benefit the people. "The Senate has promptly responded to the needs of our nation. Still, the Senate is ready to do more," Sotto said, as he pledged that "the Senate will fight for and in behalf of the Filipino people." "As long as we share the burden of the COVID19 pandemic with other countries of the world, we must continue to work towards saving lives and easing our common anxiety," the Senate chief said. "As representatives of the people, it behooves upon your senators to stand as vanguards in this national health crisis. More than ever, we are determined to give voice to your needs," he added. He said the 2ndRegular Session of the 18thCongress will focus on issues that would "upgrade and improve the digital highway in support of various communication and online transactional needs." The Senate is also ready to craft laws that would also support distance learning, he said. "As we stay isolated, we must not neglect a generation of young people who would otherwise be deprived of advancing in their studies. We must support programs that will help the education sector migrate to more plausible learning platforms," Sotto said. He said the legislature will also address the lack of public transport system as the crisis has had a significant impact on it. "In order to help revive our economy, it is imperative to have a safe, efficient, and dependable public transport system that will ferry workers so that industries may again produce goods and services; and people can resume earning incomes to spend," he said. On the business sector, he said the government can help entrepreneurs find their place in the emerging business landscape by reassessing tariffs so as to ease business burdens where appropriate, as well as providing the means for new ventures to flourish. The Senate President further said support for artists and writers should also be prioritized. "Great civilizations before us endured not only because they had material wealth, but because they lived a life nurtured by writers and artists," he said.
In a series of attacks, the killer whales took it in turns to distract the mother

The moment a humpback whale fights for her baby's life by fending off attacks from three killer whales has been caught on camera.

Fisherman Shane Stephen and a friend captured the drone footage off the coast of Ningaloo, Western Australia, on Friday.

Described by Mr Stephen on Instagram as 'the craziest thing' he had seen all year, the video showed a portion of the rarely seen two-hour frenzy.

The rare drone footage was captured off the coast of Ningaloo in Western Australia on Friday

'So today a pod of orcas rolled right under the boat to show off and check us out before commencing an almost two-hour hunt for a humpback whale calf right in front of our eyes,' he wrote on social media.

The footage began as the humpback and her calf swim side-by-side before they are intercepted by three killer whales, also known as orcas.

In a series of synchronised attacks, the orcas took it in turns to swim at the mother and distract her while the third dived and tried to take the two-week-old calf.

In a series of synchronised attacks, the orcas took it in turns to swim at the mother and distract her while the third dived and tried to take the two-week-old calf

While the angry mother successfully fought off the attacks by rolling and lashing out at the predators with her tail, the hunters eventually took the youngster

While the angry mother successfully fought off the attacks by rolling and lashing out at the predators with her tail, the hunters eventually took the youngster.

'Yes it is raw and not for everyone but it is nature at it's finest,' Mr Stephen wrote.

Instagram users used the comments section to express their disbelief.

Pictured: The orcas trying to separate the baby humpback whale from it's mother on Friday

'What an insane sight to see, Mother Nature sure does surprise you!' wrote one viewer.

'Wow what an absolute trip to witness,' shared another.

Orcas hunt in packs and often seek out smaller creatures, such as sea turtles and whales, in shallow waters.
EDGC co-founder and co-CEO Shin Shang-cheol speaks during an interview at The Korea Times' office in Seoul, July 14. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min



By Jung Min-ho



Shin Shang-cheol, co-founder and co-CEO of EDGC, a genetic analysis company in Incheon, is Korean. But ethnically, it is a bit more complicated: he is 47.71 percent Korean, 26.56 percent Chinese, 23.44 percent Japanese and some other roots originate from Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.



Shin made this assessment based on his test results from YouWho, which can trace people back to their ancestral roots through genetic analysis. It provides details of what regions and ethnicities the users' DNA is most related to by comparing it against its reference data set.



Since the firm started the service four months ago, more than 11,000 people have had their DNA analyzed. It is a remarkable performance, especially given the adverse business conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Shin said in a recent interview.







"My goal is to attract more than 5 million customers in five years," he said. "In the long run, EDGC aims to provide the service to customers all around the world, especially in Asia."



EDGC is one of only four firms permitted last year by the government to provide certain types of genetic tests directly to customers in Korea.



Since then, the company has enhanced its genetic classification system for the Korean lineage. Shin says ethnic Koreans can be classified into seven paternal blood relatives and 12 maternal ones.



All it takes to get the answer is a sample of saliva, which has cells containing DNA. For many, it could be a fun way to learn about yourself and bring insight into ancestry, genealogy and inherited traits, such as the photic sneeze reflex, a condition that makes people sneeze when they are exposed to bright lights.



"I want people to know that DNA testing is fun and useful," Shin said. "Genetic information is not something only for scientists working in a laboratory; it is for everyone for their everyday lives. It has already been popularized in the United States."



Shin says bioscience is changing the world fast. He believes genetic testing for all newborns will soon  far sooner than many would think  become standard practice in many countries.



"If you think about it, only about 100 years ago, newborns did not receive blood testing, but today many do," he said.



"The costs for healthcare are mounting, which has led many policymakers to think they may need genetic testing for all newborns. I think the United States will lead the change (to universal DNA screening), because the country can reduce costs significantly by doing so because universal screening would prevent many diseases."



As the burgeoning era of big data affects many industries, it is also critical for EDGC to secure genetic data, he said. As a company that offers health consulting services based on genome analysis, its growing YouWho database is expected to present more opportunities.




Tamil actor Vijaya Lakshmi on Sunday attempted suicide following social media bullying by the followers of Naam Tamizhar party and accused its leader Seeman for mental harassment.

In a video posted by her on social media, Vijaya Lakshmi revealed that she has been under a lot of stress over the last few months due to the constant bullying and harassment by Seeman and his party members.

She has also urged that Seeman and Panankattu Padais (a popular political outfit) Hari Nadar be arrested for harassing her over difference of opinions.

Also read: Jacqueline Fernandez on Sushant Singh Rajput: I was the one who would say Sushant Im struggling with this

This is my last video. I have been under extreme stress in the last four months because of Seeman and his party men. I tried my best to survive for my mother and my sister. I have been humiliated by Hari Nadar in the media. I have consumed BP tablets. In some time my BP will be low and I will be dead, she said in a video posted on Sunday.

She went on to add that Seeman slut-shamed her via posts on social media. She said her death should serve as an eye-opener for everyone and that she doesnt want to be anybodys slave anymore.

As per Times of India report, Vijaya Lakshmi has been admitted to a private hospital where shes undergoing treatment.

(Please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist if you need support or know someone who does. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918)

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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Election 2020 Despite Law Changes, Myanmar Military Says Some Polling Stations Will Remain in Barracks

Troops march in a Myanmar Armed Forces Day Parade. / The Irrawaddy

YANGONPolling stations for military personnel and their families will have to remain inside military compounds for the upcoming election in some areas, a spokesman for Myanmars military said on Saturday, despite recent changes to electoral by-laws requiring the military to move the stations outside of its bases.

In a departure from previous elections, the amendments to the electoral by-laws mean that military personnel and their family members will be able to cast their votes outside the barracks. The move was widely welcomed by poll monitors and political parties as boosting transparency and potentially creating an environment for fairer results in the Nov. 8 poll.

Yet, during a press conference in Naypyitaw on Saturday, Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun said that circumstances on the ground would make it impossible for some polling stations to be moved out of military cantonment areas. He didnt provide further details, however.

Some polling stations are convenient to move outside [bases]. But some are not. In any case, we have said before that we will abide by the rules set by the election commission, he told reporters.

Voting at military polling stations has long been a source of doubt and electoral disputes due to a lack of transparency, because the military limits monitoring of voting on bases for security reasons.

Among other things, the amendments to the electoral by-laws passed in May seek to boost transparency by requiring that polling stations for military personnel be moved outside of military bases so that Tatmadaw personnel and their families can vote with civilians, in compliance with accepted norms for free and fair elections.

At Saturdays press conference, Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun repeated the military chiefs vow that the Tatmadaw will do whatever it can to ensure a free and fair election.

He added that the military is ready to assist with security and logistical matters in conflict areas during the election period.

The Irrawaddy contacted the spokespersons for the military and the Union Election Commission on Monday to ask about the military polling stations, but neither was available for comment.

There are over 1 million military-affiliated voters in Myanmar, including both the armed forces estimated 500,000 personnel and their relatives.

Regarding the number of military personnel who will be eligible to vote in this years general election, Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun said on Saturday that the Tatmadaw will send its compiled list to the election commission soon.

He said that unlike in previous elections, it is unlikely that we will see high-ranking military officers running in the election.

Shortly before the 2010 and 2015 general elections, several senior military officers retired in order to run in the polls, representing the military-backed former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

He added that as of July 25, no military officers had retired in order to run in the election.

You may also like these stories:

NLD Selects 20% Female Candidates for Myanmars November Election

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Myanmar Ruling Party Muslim Candidate Says Political Oppression Makes Her Stronger
Frustrating: Ingid Lopez, who lives in Belfast, at Park Guell in her home town of Barcelona

Hopes of kick-starting the Irish travel industry have taken a major blow with the UK dramatically reimposing quarantine on Spanish travel because of a renewed surge in Covid-19 cases.

Several travel companies have admitted that they are worried the UK measure will hit already fragile confidence among Irish holidaymakers who may have been considering foreign travel from August.

There is also concern that UK holidaymakers may now attempt to travel to Spain via Ireland.

Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann confirmed that all holidaymakers arriving back to Northern Ireland from Spain would, from yesterday morning, have to quarantine for two weeks.

Spain - the most popular sun destination for Irish holidaymakers - was not included on Ireland's so-called 'green list' of countries which could be visited without a two-week self-isolation period on return.

Some 50,000 people a week are travelling from Ireland but that figure was expected to surge above 100,000 by mid-August as families take breaks to green-list countries, including Italy and Greece.

However, the package holiday industry is reeling from a decision by the UK to reimpose quarantine on Spanish travel after Covid-19 outbreaks in the Barcelona area.

Holiday firm TUI has now cancelled all its flights from the UK to Spain and the Canary Islands.

TUI Ireland and UK managing director Andrew Flintham said the travel industry was "incredibly disappointed" with the speed and lack of warning from UK officials.

"We also look to understand why quarantine has been issued for a whole country, including the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands, when the travel advice isn't aligned (only applying to mainland Spain). It demonstrates why clear regional travel corridors need to be considered," he said.

A Co Antrim couple who were due to fly to Spain yesterday had to cancel their holiday at the 11th hour after they learned their travel insurance was void in light of the new guidance from the UK government.

Cathy and Craig Brown, from Lisburn, had arranged a two-week break at a relative's villa after an earlier holiday to Greece in June was cancelled.

Ms Brown said: "We were supposed to be staying at a villa quite a bit outside Marbella. We thought it would be safe because it was so far away from everything. We were supposed to be going with our two foster children and we only told them on Wednesday night because we didn't want them to be disappointed.

"They were counting down the sleeps, so I'm devastated for them.

"We were thinking of going anyway because the flights are going ahead anyway, but then we found out our insurance is no longer valid so that was the decision made for us."

Brian Wilson, from Moira, Co Down, is currently in the Spanish town of Fuengirola. When he first heard the news of the quarantine rules, he thought it was a joke, as he would have expected to be given at least 24 hours to travel home.

"I'm here with my wife, our 15-year-old daughter, my mate, his wife and their wee girl.

"We've been here for 10 days. I have an apartment out here and we haven't been out from February so we had to come out to check it and make sure everything was all right.

"I normally go out and visit customers in Northern Ireland and [Britain], so I'll not be able to go to any of them.

"It's not the end of the world and I can work from home but there's only so much you can do remotely," he said.

Meanwhile, Ingrid Lopez, originally from Barcelona but living in Belfast, had travelled to see her family for the first time since Christmas and has been there for one week.

"It's quite frustrating to find out that when I go back I have to quarantine. I obviously understand the government's perspective and this is an extreme and difficult situation but at the same time there's been no notice."
Kim Kardashian shared several family photos as she continues grappling with problems in her marriage to Kanye West.

In her first photos since Kanye's wild presidential rally last week, Kim posted two snaps which appeared to have been taken at Khloe Kardashian's birthday last month, including one of herself with her daughter North, seven, and son Saint, four.

Kim, 39, captioned the slideshow with a simple red heart emoji, making no mention of her marital issues.

Family first: Kim Kardashian shared several family throwback photos as she continues to grapple with problems in her marriage to Kanye West

In the first snap of the series, Kim crouched low to the floor as her daughter and son posed on either side of her.

Kim also shared a solo shot, which showed her sitting on the floor in her bandanna-print trousers and plunging red top.

Casting a fierce gaze towards the camera, Kim looked every inch the model as she posed upon the floor striking a cover-worthy pose.

The two photos mark the first time Kim has posted any photos to her Instagram timeline since Kanye's presidential rally in South Carolina last week, where he revealed he and his wife considered aborting daughter North.

Model behavior: Casting a fierce gaze towards the camera, Kim looked every inch the model as she posed upon the floor striking a cover-worthy pose

Kanye is aware he has upset his wife and regrets doing so, a source told People.

'He definitely understands that he upset Kim,' a source said. 'He feels very bad about it. It's obvious that he still loves Kim.'

Though Kanye is now in a better state of mind, he does feel guilty for his actions.

A source told the site Kanye 'seems much more relaxed and chilled out for the past couple of days,' though has 'regrets' about making private family matters public last week.

This past week has indeed been a turbulent one for the Kardashian family.

Revelation: The two photos mark the first time Kim has posted any photos to her Instagram timeline since Kanye's presidential rally in South Carolina last week, where he revealed he and his wife considered aborting daughter North

After his presidential rally last weekend, the rapper took to Twitter to accuse his wife of attempting to 'lock me up'.

He also claimed he had been 'trying to get divorced' from Kim ever since she allegedly met his fellow rapper Meek Mill at the Waldorf Hotel.

'Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out,' he tweeted.

He reinforced these claims turning on both Kim and her 'momager' Kris Jenner claiming on Twitter that 'they tried to fly in with two doctors to 51/50 me', referring to a section of California law under which people can be confined for mental health reasons.

Remorse: A source told the site Kanye 'seems much more relaxed and chilled out for the past couple of days,' though has 'regrets' about making private family matters public last week (pictured December 2018)

He also called mother-in-law Kris 'Kris Jong-Un' and accused the pair of 'white supremacy' in another freewheeling series of tweets.

Kim, who shares North, seven, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, 14 months with Kanye, broke her silence over the matter as she addressed his battle with bipolar disorder on Instagram.

Kim called her husband 'brilliant but complicated', and said she and her family were 'powerless' in helping him.

Kanye ultimately issued a grovelling apology to Kim on Twitter last week, where he acknowledged he had hurt her.

'I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter,' Kanye tweeted on Saturday. I did not cover her like she has covered me.

'Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me.'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday asked the Centre to clear all financial dues of the state worth Rs 53,000 crore to help it fight the COVID-19 pandemic effectively.

Banerjee, during an online programme where Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated new testing facilities in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, also sought the creation of a separate fund for the combating the disease.

Welcoming the centre's decision for opening the high throughput testing facility in Kolkata (besides Noida and Mumbai), Banerjee said, We are doing well in containing the virus. You can tell the world that we are giving free treatment to COVID-19 patients. The state government is even bearing the cost of treatment of COVID-19 patients in private hospitals.

Stating the her government is handling the pandemic crisis well, she urged the PM to release all dues of the state, which was also hit by Cyclone Amphan sometime ago.

We have set up 106 safe houses for those who dont want to go to government isolation centres. We have started a unique concept of COVID Clubs, our discharge rate is more than 64 per cent, even though comorbidity is 86 per cent. We have set up a plasma bank. We request you (PM Modi) to the funds due at the earliest. We are yet to get our dues of Rs 53,000 crore, she added.

Banerjees statement on Bengal doing well in tackling the pandemic came days after the Central team highlighted serious lapses in the matter.

Regarding the COVID clubs, Banerjee said, Those who survived the diseases were engaged (willingly) to counsel coronavirus-infected patients admitted at various hospitals in the state. We have set up these clubs where recovered patients can share their experience with those infected at the moment.

On Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, she requested the Prime Minister to lift the conditional clause in availing the benefits.

The Centre's decision to link increased borrowing limits for states under the FRBM Act to the fulfilment of conditions is against the basic tenets of the system."

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently said that the Centre is increasing the borrowing limit under the FRBM Act from three per cent to five per cent.

Mamata further said, Actually its only 0.5 per cent. The other 1.5 per cent I will get if I agree to certain conditions which goes against the federal system. I would like to request our PM to withdraw the conditional clause for the betterment of states.

She also said that the money from the state's disaster relief fund was being used for rehabilitation work after cyclone Amphan. "I would request the central government to clear the financial dues of the state immediately. If we utilise all money from the state disaster relief fund for post-cyclone restoration works, how are we supposed to fight the pandemic," the CM said during the online programme.

Cyclone Amphan had struck West Bengal on may 20, leaving behind a trail of destruction "There is a need for a separate fund to fight the pandemic. I would request you (the prime minister) to look into it," she added.

Banerjee also sought Modis intervention in the decision of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to compulsorily conduct terminal examinations for various courses in colleges and universities in the midst of the pandemic.

The chief minister stressed that the revised guidelines of UGC on conducting examinations are against the interest of the health, safety and future of students.

In the prevailing situation, such revised guidelines issued by the UGC, will adversely affect the interest of students of West Bengal and all over the country. I would, therefore, request you (PM Modi) to get the matter re-examined immediately and restore the earlier advisory of UGC. This will facilitate state governments to implement its decision, taken on the basis of the guidelines of UGC, issued on April 29, 2020, to protect the interest of the students at national and international levels, she added.

(With inputs from PTI)
Victoria has announced its largest daily total of coronavirus cases on Monday, with the states tally surging beyond 500 for the first time while a further six deaths have been confirmed.

There were 532 confirmed infections in the past 24 hours, Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Monday.

The daunting figure eclipses the previous highest of 484 last Wednesday, and indicates health authorities have yet been able to get on top of community transmission in the Melbourne area in what is now week three of its six-week lockdown.

The figure also sets a new daily record for new cases in Australia.

We're at a very challenging stage with this wave, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Monday.

Mr Andrews said the biggest driver for the spread of the virus was symptomatic people were still going to work.

ADF personnel and Victorian police officers patrol the Tan walking track in Melbourne on Sunday. Source: AAP

We continue to see far too many people in that setting, he said.

It doesnt matter what you do for a job, doesnt matter what industry, what sector you work in  if you are going to work with symptoms, if you are going to work when youre sick, then you will inevitably be spreading this virus.

Victorias death toll continues to soar

On Sunday, the state recorded 10 further deaths, the first time Australias daily death toll reached double figures.

On Monday, Mr Andrews confirmed a further six deaths.

The latest victims are a woman in her 90s, a woman in her 80s, a woman in her 70s, a man in his 80s, a man in his 70s and a man in his 50s. Five of the six are from aged care facilities.

Victoria has recorded 32 deaths in just five days, taking its overall death toll to 77.

Professor Sutton said the number of cases in aged care facilities is disturbing.

Some of the worst hit residences include St Basil's Homes for the Aged in Fawkner with 84 cases, Estia Healthcare with 82 cases, Epping Gardens Aged Care in Epping with 77, and 62 for Menarock Life aged care in Essendon.

There are now 683 active cases linked to the aged care sector.

Mr Andrews admitted the state has a big, big problem with aged care facilities.

Story continues

If it gets into aged care, then we know people will die he said.

Last week Prof Sutton predicted daily figures for cases would reach 600 in the coming days.

I'm not going to sit back and say today is the peak, he said on Monday.

At the moment, I'm more concerned that we'll probably see a rise in numbers because the outbreaks are really volatile in aged care settings. The numbers can increase very significantly in a very short period of time.

PM addresses Victoria crisis

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters on Monday the current numbers are concerning and it would take time for locally acquired cases to lower.

We are still seeing case numbers at elevated levels and so, as we have seen from other jurisdictions, when you get community-based transmission, it does take some time to get that down, he said.

We just ask for the continued cooperation and goodwill of the people of Melbourne and Victoria more broadly to ensure that we can get on top of this and even will continue to work together to that end.

Mr Morrison said current advice indicates it would be premature at this point to further tighten restrictions in Melbourne.

We need to be patient. There has been significant community transmission in Victoria. That will take some time to get on top of and that.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
The world's leading smartphone maker, Samsung, earlier in the month announced to host the second edition of the Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event on August 5.

Due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, the launch programme will be an online-only event. Going by Samsung's official video teaser, it will be unveiling the Galaxy Note20 series.

Samsung Galaxy Note20: What we know so far

Samsung's Note series, which made its debut in 2011 set new industry standards including the S Pen stylus and also in terms of the massive display panel. Though it had 5.3-inch, it was considered too big that time and even got mocked by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and he went on to say that fingers were better than a stylus and the latter was prone to get misplaced.



The Galaxy Note (1st Gen) launched in 2011. Credit: Samsung



But, the Galaxy Note was an instant hit among consumers, particularly with the business community. With each iteration through the years, Samsung has improved the Galaxy Note series in terms of display quality, performance, camera, and utility of the S Pen.

This apparently helped the Galaxy Note series to find traction among various age groups and salaried class. The last premium Note series model, the Galaxy Note 10+ was undeniably the most versatile mobile of 2019.

Now, tech critics and fans have high expectations for the upcoming Galaxy Note20 series.

Dutch tech blog WinFuture citing sources have claimed that the top-end Galaxy Note20 Ultra model would come with 6.9-inch WQHD+ (3200x1440p) super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 508ppi (pixels per inch), 19.3:9 aspect ratio and support up to 120Hz dynamic refresh rate and HDR10+.

Like the Galaxy Note10+ series, the successor too will have maximum space for fully functional display with some spaced dedicated to front-camera for selfies and face unlock system.

It is also touted to be the first phone in the industry to feature Corning's Gorilla Glass 7 series shield and would be incorporated on both the front and the back on top with premium metal casing.

Also, it is expected to come with IP68 certification, meaning that the device will be capable to survive underwater up to five feet (1.5 meters) for close to 30 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy Note20 series is expected to come with two colour options--Mystic Black and Mystic Bronze.

And yes, the Galaxy Note20 series will have a separate slot for the S Pen at the base and the stylus is expected to with upgraded features (more details below).

Processor, RAM, and storage

The Galaxy S20 Ultra series was the most beefed-up phone to date to come from the house Samsung. I am expecting the Galaxy Note20 Ultra to get similar treatment from the company.

Word on the street is that the Galaxy Note20 is most likely to come with Samsung's in-house silicon Exynos 990 series, but this model will be limited to Europe, India and select global regions. In other markets such as the US, China, the Galaxy Note20 series is almost confirmed to come with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 or the latest 865+ series processor.

Both the Exynos 990 and the Snapdragon 865 series chipsets are expected to have a similar processing power, but rest assured the Galaxy Note20 series will offer buttery smooth performance and can support most of the top-notch graphics intense games in the Google Play Store.

Must read | Samsung Galaxy Z Flip review: Fusion of retro and future

Also, speculations are rife that Samsung and Microsoft have struck a deal to offer xCloud game streaming service as part of the Xbox Game Pass with the Galaxy Note 20Ultra.

Also, the Galaxy Note20 series is expected to come with advanced Dex support, wherein the former can connect to any Microsoft Windows-powered PC wirelessly. Previously, the Samsung devices used to be physically tethered to the computers for screen mirroring.

Samsung's Galaxy Note20 series will come with Android 10-based One UI 2.5, up to 12GB RAM, 256GB/512GB storage with the option to expand via microSD card.

Must read | Samsung Galaxy Note10+ review: Gorgeous and versatile

Battery:

As far as the battery is concerned, the Galaxy Note20 Ultra is expected to come with 4,500mAh cell and 45W fast charger in-box. Additionally, it will support wireless charging and reverse wireless charging as well.

Camera:

Samsung's Galaxy Note20 Ultra is said to boast the triple-camera module. It will have the main 108MP (with f/1.8 aperture, 0.8-micron sensor pixels) backed by ultra-wide-angle 12MP sensor (f/2.2 and 1.4-micron sensor pixels), 12MP periscope (with f/3.0, 1.0-micron sensor pixels, 5x optical zoom capability) and LED flash. It also supports 8K 30FPS video recording and 50x hybrid zoom.



Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit



On the front, it is said to house a 10MP sensor. It is also said to support full HD video recording.

S Pen

The S Pen will be more sensitive to touch than ever before and will have a latency of just 9ms. This will come handy in taking notes on the screen and also drawing images. Given the processing power, the Galaxy Note20 Ultra users will be able to do a project or create presentations without any hassle.



Samsung Galaxy Note10+ with S Pen stylus. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit



Also, S Pen will also be able to perform more functions in terms of operating a camera to capture photos, zoom in and out, and much other stuff.

Furthermore, we expect S Pen to add a fun element to photography with a 3D-based Augmented Reality Doodle feature. Users can let their creativity go wild with the caricatures or draw on the photos such as stars, add captions, and do more.

Must read | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review: Power-packed flagship phone

Price:

Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is likely to be priced more than $1000 in the US and in India, likely to cost around Rs one lakh if not more. If the device does come with the specifications mentioned above, it will be a worthy purchase.

Samsung's generic model Galaxy Note20 is expected to come with most of the features seen in the Galaxy Note20 Ultra but will differ in certain aspects such as camera and battery capacity. And, will cost a little less.

Must read | Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus review: Well-rounded premium phone

Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cyber security, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech.
TDT | Manama

A warning has been reiterated that legal action will be taken against those who do not adhere to precautionary measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). This follows the registration of 15,666 violations for not wearing face masks in publicincluding in shopssince the implementation of the decision, according to Public Security Operations and Training Affairs assistant chief Brigadier Dr Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Khalifa.

Dr Shaikh Hamad noted that following all preventive measures in combatting COVID-19 embodies the highest forms of mutual support and cooperation in society, in line with national efforts to limit the virus spread.

The assistant chief stressed the keenness of the Ministry of Interior to support these efforts and harness all capabilities to succeed in the plans and programmes designed to fight the pandemic, emphasising that penalties will be handed out to those who violate these procedures.

Dr Shaikh Hamad pointed out that the violations of not wearing face masks in public is being strictly monitored by police directorates and government departments across the Kingdom. He explained that the Northern Governorate Police Directorate has recorded 3,513 violations for not wearing face masks, while the Capital Governorate Police Directorate has recorded 2,782 violations.

In the Muharraq Governorate, its police directorate registered 4,133 violations, while in the Southern Governorate, there were 2,299 violations. Each of the governorates are also carrying out extensive awareness campaigns, with security patrols educating people in local markets and parks, while providing them with informative brochures in several languages.

The Capital Governorate has also distributed 4,200 meals to migrant workers, while Southern Governorate officials have been accompanying the General Directorate of Civil Defence in inspecting buildings to check on the conditions of the shared accommodations of expatriate labour workers.

Dr Shaikh Hamad further noted that the main operations room of the Public Security has received 10,856 reports related to coronavirus violations, with patrols penalising 2,842 individuals for not wearing face masks in public places and stores. In addition, it has assisted in the management of mobile COVID-19 testing.

Meanwhile, security teams at Bahrains entry points have recorded 97 violations for not wearing a face mask. It has also carried out 84 missions to facilitate the procedures for evacuating citizens and residents from abroad, dealing with a total of 7,545 passengers, said Dr Shaikh Hamad.

A total of 132 missions were also undertaken to facilitate the evacuation of citizens of other countries from the Kingdom, with 11,470 passengers from April 7 to July 18, in addition to ensuring the examination of 53,926 travellers coming from abroad from February 5 to July 18.
Brookfield Asset Management has reportedly finalised three banks for the initial public offering (IPO) of its real estate investment trust (REIT) in India.

The Canadian company has picked Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Bank of America to arrange the REIT offering, which is expected to raise at least $500 million, sources told Bloomberg. The company is also considering listing on the BSE by 2020-end, they added.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

The discussions on the REIT IPO have been underway since 2019, and the sources said that specifics such as timeline, offer size, and number of banks involved could still change.

Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Bank of America and Brookfield did not respond to queries, the report added.

The move however comes after a string of successful REIT listing in India by Mindspace Business Parks which raised $354 million, and Embassy Office Parks in 2019. The method has opened another pathway to funding for the strapped property sector.

Brookfield manages over $515 billion worth assets worldwide, operating 22 million square feet of office properties in India alone.
(CNN)  Coronavirus symptoms can stick around for weeks, even in otherwise healthy people who don't have a severe case of the virus, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a grim new analysis.

The CDC surveyed 292 people who tested positive for the virus, and 35% said they still weren't back to their usual good health even two or three weeks after testing positive.

While older people were more likely to feel prolonged symptoms, even young adults without underlying conditions reported feeling unwell for a long period of time, the CDC said.

The new understanding into how the virus affects patients comes as more than 4.1 million cases of coronavirus cases and 145,546 deaths have been reported in the US, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Health experts have stressed the importance of testing to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus but have also said that people who do not show symptoms can spread of the virus.

On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration announced an emergency use authorization for the first coronavirus test for asymptomatic cases  and even people who think they aren't infected at all.

"FDA's authorization of the first diagnostic test to be used for anyone, regardless of whether they are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or have other exposure risk factors, is a step toward the type of broad screening that may help enable the reopening of schools and workplaces," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in a statement Friday.

Vaccine could help, but is a long way off

For those hoping to reopen the US after the coronavirus pandemic, vaccines have been a beacon of hope.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he believes that hope is warranted and that a vaccine could stop the pandemic in its tracks, but he also doesn't believe that will happen until well into 2021.

"I think as we get into 2021, several months in, that you would have (a) vaccine that would be widely available to people in the United States," Fauci told the Washington Post's Bob Costa during a Post Live event.

Fauci noted that some companies have said they could have a vaccine available before the end of the year.

"I'm a little skeptical about that, but, you know, anything is possible," he told the Post.

Once a vaccine is found and made available, the public will need to agree to take it in order for it to be effective. Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Thomas Frieden said Friday that could be difficult.

"This is the first time we've had an anti-vaccine movement before we've had the vaccine," Frieden said in a podcast sponsored by the online news site Axios.

"There's already too much suspicion and hesitancy about vaccines, and the way to address that is to just say it like it is and be sure that we're saying what we're doing, when we're doing it, what we're learning, when we're learning it," said Frieden, who is now the president of Resolve to Save Lives.

States still setting records

Months into the US coronavirus pandemic, states across the nation are still setting new records for infections and deaths.

Oregon, which has mandated face coverings both indoors and outdoors, recorded nine new Covid-19 deaths Friday, its highest number since the outbreak began, according to the state's health department.

California also reported its highest number of deaths from coronavirus on Friday, with 159 in a single day, according to data from the California Department of Public Health.

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported 4,813 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday -- the highest number of new cases reported in a 24-hour period by the Georgia DPH since the pandemic began.

As cases rise, many local leaders are enforcing measures to protect against the virus.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that dozens of bars and restaurants in the state face charges related to coronavirus violations just this week.

And Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced additional statewide restrictions on social gatherings, bars, restaurants and alcohol sales Friday, citing an increase in COVID-19 cases that are currently stressing the state's hospitals.

"We have over 1,600 new cases today. And that number is simply not sustainable. It pushes us towards almost 6,000 new cases in the last four days alone," the governor said at a news conference. "We have to do things a little bit differently. We have to be willing to make sacrifices as a state and as a people."

Fauci supports CDC's push to send kids back to school

The CDC released guidance Thursday pushing hard for schools to reopen, and Fauci called them "a sound set of guidelines.

"I think the CDC has put some good guidance down. I just took a quick look at them before I started in on the program, which was sent to me by my colleagues at the CDC. So I think it's a sound set of guidelines," Fauci told Costa during the Post Live interview.

The guidelines point to studies showing that children are not at high risk of severe symptoms from coronavirus, as well as to studies showing younger children may not be important vectors for the spread of the virus.

"There's still a lot to learn about what the prevalence and incidence of infection is in children," Fauci said.

Fauci added the National Institutes of Health has a study underway that is looking at 2,000 families to find, among other things, how frequently children get infected and if they transmit it to adults. It's expected to produce results by December, he said.

"Even though we have some information about that, we still need more," Fauci said.

This story was first published on CNN.com "More than a third of coronavirus patients feel symptoms for weeks, CDC says"
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Edo State, on Monday said former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade ...





The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Edo State, on Monday said former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, lacks the moral rectitude to campaign for the governorship candidate of the party, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.





The party warned Edo people to forget Oshiomhole and the apology he tendered for his past statements about Ize-Iyamu, saying that he could not be trusted again.





The state publicity secretary of PDP, Chris Nehikhare who stated this on Monday in Benin, while briefing journalists, said Oshiomhole ought to be giving account of how he spent the states money.





I think as a political party, Oshiomhole right now should not be campaigning but explaining what he did with Edo State money.





For eight years, he took over N42 billion as security vote and nothing to show for it.





Edo people are wiser and we want the people not to be intimidated and scared but whenever they are threatened, they should say that in September 19, our voters cards will speak for us, and we will vote PDP, he said.





Commenting on the viral video of Oshiomholes apology to Edo people, Nehikhare said the former governor can no longer be trusted with his words.





A few days ago, you are aware our opponents went to visit some known thugs and members of their party and called themselves tigers and lions. These people were encouraged, instigated and mobilized to attack Edo people.





The essence of that video is to threaten, intimidate, frighten and scare Edo people so they do not come out to vote on election day. But we are here to tell Edo people that it is all a threat, the state government and security agencies will nip in the bud the negative plans they have.





We also notice yesterday (Sunday) that the former chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole while apologising to Edo people, knelt down for forgiveness.





We are not amused and we find it ridiculous that a man who stood on a podium four years ago to condemn his candidate for today.





But the same man is telling us he made a mistake four years ago. Edo people should ask, can this man be trusted? Edo people should not consider him as a serious person.





In 2008, he talked about ending god-fatherism, but we all know it was a ruse, as his present day actions do not suggest what he said then. He lies for a profession, he lies as a politician and shouldnt be considered as a serious person.





Edo people are wiser now, and we are determined to vote for someone that has performed.





The Obaseki-led administration has made reforms in all sectors of Edo state. The judicial workers are satisfied, salaries and pensions are paid as and when due.





These are what make a government, not lies, thugs that they used to harass and beat up bus drivers as they manage to make a living to take care of their families.





This is a government that is compassionate and ready to serve Edo people for another four more years.





You also know that the PDP has always condemned intimidation, thuggery and violence, and the governor has come to join the party whereby all these things match up with his philosophy.





Edo people must stand up, come out and vote for a party that is in order, Nehikhare stated.





When contacted for reaction, Mr. Victor Oshioke, spokesman to Adams Oshiomhole, said the former national chairman of APC should be commended for his courage to tendered the apology.





He also absorbed Oshiomhole of financial impropriety, noting that security under Obasekis administration does not compare with the situation during his predecessors time.





According to him, It takes courage for a man to accept courage that he made a mistake and apologised. He is a man who takes responsibility for his actions, apologises and asked to be forgiven.





The problem with Obaseki is that he cannot take responsibility for his failures, and that is why he keeps failing.





We campaigned for Obaseki for the purpose of continuity but since his assumption of office we saw that he came to destroy not to continue where Oshiomhole stopped.





So, we want somebody else who will continue from where Oshiomhole stopped because Obaseki has nothing to show for the four years he has been here.





Oshiomholes apology should be accepted because there is nothing on ground to justify Obaseki being trusted for re-election.




Passenger aircraft operated by Ryanair stand on the tarmac at London Stansted Airport on May 1, 2020.

Ryanair posted a net loss of 185 million euros ($216.4 million) for the first quarter of its fiscal 2021 year, slightly better than market expectations.

Analysts polled by Refinitiv were expecting a net loss of 205 million euros for the quarter ending June 30.

The low-cost airline said Monday that its next fiscal 12 months "will be a very challenging year." "It is impossible to predict how long the Covid-19 pandemic will persist, and a second wave of Covid-19 cases across Europe in late autumn (when the annual flu season commences) is our biggest fear right now," Ryanair said in a statement.

The sector has been significantly hit by the pandemic with Ryanair's entire fleet coming to a halt for about four months as countries imposed strict lockdown measures to contain the spread of the virus. Since then, economies in Europe have reopened and airlines have returned to the skies, however social-distancing measures and quarantine policies have limited some operations.

The Irish firm said that it expects traffic to drop by 60% in 2020/2021, but the uncertainty around the pandemic doesn't allow it to provide further guidance for the year.
Lilongwe, Malawi (PANA) - For many youth in Malawi, achieving a university-level education remains a distant dream due to the associated costs
Three Katyusha rockets fell on the Camp Taji military base north of Baghdad on Monday night, damaging an Iraqi army helicopter, the Iraqi military said.

Iraqs military announced on social media the rockets were launched from Saba al-Bour, a neighborhood southeast of the base, and fell on an area of the Camp Taji base used by Iraqi forces.

Taji houses both Iraqi and international military personnel as part of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS). The US-led coalition said none of its personnel were injured.

The rocket strike is the latest in a long-running series of low-level attacks believed to be carried out by Iran-sponsored militias in Iraq. Four Katyusha rockets struck Besmaya air base on Friday, a day before the coalition handed the base fully over to Iraqi control. No injuries were reported.

The United States ordered coalition personnel to consolidate at larger garrisons in Iraq such as the Taji, Ain al-Asad and Erbil air bases earlier this year as part of a planned new phase of the multinational mission in support of Iraqs military against IS.

The coronavirus pandemic and a spate of rocket attacks hastened the coalitions pullback.

A rocket attack last December killed an American military contractor at Taji, leading the United States to launch airstrikes against alleged Kataib Hezbollah targets across the country. The United States then killed top Iranian Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad after pro-Iranian militia leaders led mobs to storm the US Embassy in the Iraqi capital.

Iraqi security forces will continue to seek and pursue those involved in these attacks and bring them to justice, Iraqs security media cell tweeted.

Iraqs Counter-Terrorism Services late last month arrested more than a dozen men allegedly linked to the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) militias who the Iraqi government said were suspected of planning attacks.

The United States denied direct involvement in the arrests but has urged Iraqs Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to crack down on the PMU.
Rachael Bland's widower Steve has revealed he loves watching the relationship between his son and new girlfriend develop, adding that his five-year-old adores his partner Amy.

Steve, from Cheshire, lost his wife Rachael to breast cancer in September 2018 which she documented on her BBC podcast You, Me and the Big C over a two year period.

In March, the podcast producer and presenter revealed he had found love again with girlfriend Amy and called her a 'Wonder Woman' for 'taking on all that Freddie and I bring'.

Posting to his Instagram page on Sunday, Steve shared a picture of his son Freddie cuddled up on the sofa with Amy reading children's book Zog and the Flying Doctors by Julia Donaldson.

Rachael Bland's widower Steve has revealed he loves watching the relationship between his son and new girlfriend grow, adding that his five-year-old adores his partner Amy. He posted this photo of the pair to his Instagram page this weekend.

'I just love watching the relationship develop between these two. Its fair to say Fred adores @vercelli83,' he wrote, followed by a heart eyes emoji.

The broadcaster and campaigner has previously spoken about his struggle being apart from his girlfriend after the pair were separated for 13 weeks during the coronavirus pandemic, due to Amy's work as a nurse practitioner.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain to speak with Lorraine Kelly in April, he said he was 'so proud' of Amy, despite finding being separated during lockdown 'really challenging'.

He said: 'It's been fantastic. I met Amy last year and it's been going great, it's been four months before all this happened. We were at the point feeling really good about it and now we can't see each other.

In March, the podcast producer and presenter revealed he had found love again with girlfriend Amy and called her a 'Wonder Woman' for 'taking on all that Freddie and I bring'. Steve and Amy are pictured together

Posting to his Instagram page on Sunday, Steve shared a picture (above) of his son Freddie cuddled up on the sofa with Amy reading children's book Zog and the flying doctor's by Julia Donaldson. 'I just love watching the relationship develop between these two. Its fair to say Fred adores @vercelli83,' he wrote followed by a heart eyes emoji.

'She works for the NHS. She works as a nurse practitioner and she's right in the middle of it, and doing a fantastic job, and we're so proud of her.'

He told Lorraine that his late wife Rachael would 'absolutely' be happy he's moved on, and insisted it was 'really important' to her that he find happiness again following her death.

'She absolutely would', said Steve, 'She did. That was really important to her. She told me openly and clearly that I should be happy again and find a mother figure for Freddie. Rachael would have been very, very happy and proud.'

Steve lost his wife Rachael (pictured) to breast cancer in September 2018 after a two-year public battle with cancer, which she documented on her BBC podcast You, Me and the Big C

Steve went on to explain that while it's 'really challenging' not seeing his partner he had learned to be 'resilient' over the past few years.

He said: 'It's going great. It's really challenging we cannot see each other - she lives at home with two kittens and we're sticking to the rules.

'The last few years have taught me to be really resilient and not worry about things we can't change. So we're muddling through and looking forward to it all being over.'

Steve praised his new girlfriend Amy on Good Morning Britain last month. The pair met 18 months after his wife's death

Steve's wife and the mother of his son Rachael died in September 2018 after a two-year public battle with cancer (pictured, Freddie, Rachael and Steve)

Rachael Bland's cancer, a timeline November 22 2016: Rachael Bland is diagnosed with primary triple-negative breast cancer that had spread to four lymph nodes under her right arm December 28 2016: She begins four and a half months of chemotherapy May 2017: She has a lumpectomy and auxillary node clearance July 2017: The mother-of-one undergoes a mastectomy August 2017: Bland has a re-excision of her lumpectomy and starts 15 sessions of radiotherapy October 2017: CT and biopsy shows cancer had spread to the lymph nodes under her arm on the opposite side to the primary cancer May 2018: She is told the cancer is terminal and she has 'less than a year to live' September 2018: Bland announces she has just days to live in a poignant social media post. She died on September 4. Advertisement

Posting on Instagram about his partner in March, Steve wrote: 'Im finding that, while its not always easy, there is plenty of happiness to be found if you go looking for it. And I reckon Ive found it.'

Steve had spoken about being open to love in September, one year after his wife passed away.

Speaking on the You, Me and the Big C podcast his wife co-hosted with friends Deborah James and Lauren Mahon, Steve admitted he would consider a new relationship if the right person came along.

He said: 'You only know about these things if you give them a crack. And if it's not right I'll soon know about it. I'll know very obviously if I'm jumping the gun, I'll know very soon if it's not the right person.

'I'm only 39. Hopefully I've got 35, 40 years left in me it would be pretty sad to have that on my own wouldn't it?'.

Rachael died on 4th September 2018 surrounded by her family.

Shortly before her death she told the world she only had days to live and announced the heartbreaking final arrangements made for her family as she bravely faced death.

She revealed she had wrapped 18 years worth of birthday presents for son Freddie, so he had a gift from her until he was 21.

She also wrote her memoirs - simply called 'For Freddie' - so he could remember her.

The BBC 5 Live newsreader had also built up a collection of handwritten notebooks, perfume and other personal items so the little boy grows up knowing how his mummy wrote, smelled and sounded.

Rachael documented her journey with the disease in a blog called Big C Little Me since she was diagnosed in November 2016.

The Welsh-born journalist also hosted a podcast series called You Me & The Big C where she discussed the illness.

Her positive BBC podcast explored the disease with frank wit, and occupied the top spot of the UK podcast charts.
Broadband internet is essential for remote working, studying at home, online shopping and digital leisure, but not everywhere in Malaga province has the same access to it.

Officially, 84 municipalities have what is known as FTTH (Fibre To The Home) which means that only 19 are yet to be connected. In reality, however, there are regular complaints from mayors, residents and business owners about the level of cover (where broadband is available, over 70 per cent of the population on average can access it, and nearly 30 per cent can't), and there are continual breaks in connection. The lack of quality internet is considered a key factor in the loss of population from rural villages, and it also limits the possibilities of tempting new residents to move from towns to villages.

The Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures (part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation) and Telefonica, the biggest operator in the market in Spain, provide the data on internet access. According to these sources, the province isn't doing badly compared with other parts of Spain.

Telefonica is carrying out a plan to install fibre optic in every municipality in Andalucia by 2024. In Malaga province, including the Costa del Sol, nearly 82 per cent now have it, and by the end of this year another eight places will benefit from it as well, raising the coverage to 90 per cent.

The average percentage of access in these places is over 70 per cent (in other words it has been installed but not every home has access to it and schools, town halls etc. have priority). In many places access is over 80 per cent, or even up to 90 per cent. More than 465,000 properties (homes and businesses) in Malaga province have FTTH cover now, according to Telefonica. Alfarnate is the latest village to have been connected.

On the other hand, there is still a lack of this service in some places and even in Malaga city itself, districts such as Campanillas are experiencing connection problems. This is paradoxical, bearing in mind that the PTA Technology Park is located right beside it.

In the Axarquia, Cutar is one of the villages still without a fibre optic internet connection, while others such as Salares are confident that they will be connected soon.

"Telefonica told us before the pandemic that it planned to install fibre optic here this year," said the mayor, Pablo Crespillo.

Fibre optic has been installed in Sayalonga, although many homes in the village still don't have access to it. In Comares, on the other hand, the mayor, Manuel Robles, said they are now waiting for 5G. Local companies such as Axartel have announced plans to reach places such as Benamargosa and are already offering it in Benamocarra and Velez-Malaga.

In the Serrania de Ronda, most municipalities now benefit from fibre optic, some of them only recently. However, there is a general feeling of dissatisfaction with its effectiveness, and mayors are reporting constant problems.

"How are we going to attract tourists if we can't offer them a good quality internet connection?" said Pedro Godino, mayor of Gaucin. Auxiliadora Sanchez, mayor of Atajate, said the system there has not been working properly for weeks.

In other parts of the province in places with the biggest populations, broadband coverage is good in the centre, but the speed reduces in outlying districts. Installation is ongoing in parts of the Guadalhorce Valley, such as Casarabonela; and in some places in the Antequera and Guadalteba areas.

Rural repopulating

Pelle Lundborg. / SUR

Pelle Lundborg is an example of the potential of rural municipalities to attract new residents and talent. This 42-year-old Swedish businessman works with new technology and video games and recently became involved in ecological agriculture and tourism, after buying a property in Casarabonela.

This is one of the villages which does not yet have fibre optic and he has to work via a satellite connection, with a capacity of 20 Mbps, which he says is hard.

"If you want to attract foreigners and business, then fibre optic is essential," he said.

He learned from his native Sweden that a powerful Internet network is vital for the economic development of rural areas. Like him, other professionals are keen to move inland, thanks to the increased popularity of working from home. "But one of the first things people ask is whether there is fibre. It is not the whole answer to rural depopulation, but it is very important," he said.

Juan Luis Cruz, the head of the College of Telecommunication Technical Engineers, advises the Malaga provincial government, which has a specific department to tackle depopulation.

"In many villages there is not total fibre optic coverage, so thousands of residents are in a difficult situation technologically speaking and the situation is not equal to that in cities."

He believes this is a key factor in preventing depopulation and encouraging development.

"If I want to open a small hotel, I need high-speed internet to operate my business. The pipes for the fibre should be installed whenever development projects are being carried out, and that is something that the mayors should organise," he said.

Natacha Rivas is the fourth vice-president of the Malaga provincial government, and runs the Public Service and Depopulation department: "One of our objectives is for every village to be connected, so we have set up a technological committee to oversee that," she said. "The Covid crisis has highlighted which rural areas are lacking in this sense," she explained.

Agustin Pelaez, Vanessa Melgar and Andrea Jimenez contributed to this article.
Hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels descend upon Galapagos protection zone

by Rhoda Kwan

July 27,2020 | Source: Hong Kong Free Press

Around 260 Chinese fishing fleets have reportedly been detected in the ocean surrounding the Galapagos islands off the coast of Ecuador, according to the countrys navy.



The discovery has sparked fears for the protected regions diverse ecosystem and marine life. The eastern Pacific Ocean islands and the surrounding seas are a UNESCO World Heritage Site celebrated for their unique wildlife and biodiversity.



We are on alert, [conducting] surveillance, patrolling to avoid an incident such as what happened in 2017, Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrin told the press, according to Reuters.



The fishing fleet was spotted via satellite imaging on the borders of the Galapagos Protection Zone. Last Thursday, the fleet was squeezed between the boundaries of the protection zone and Ecuadors territorial waters, operating in an area which serves as a major migration route for sea creatures, including many endangered species.



Environmental organisations have voiced concern that overfishing will cause the oceans ecosystem to collapse and harm protected marine wildlife. We are watching the destruction of the ocean in real time, said the Blue Planet Society, which campaigns for ocean preservation, on Twitter.



There have also been reports of empty plastic water bottles of Chinese origin washing up on the shores of Galapagos National Park.



Chinese fishing fleets have been repeatedly found near the Galapagos islands in recent years. Last year, 245 fishing vessels were discovered to be operating in the same area according to the BBC.



The seas surrounding the islands are home to the largest density of sharks in the world, including the endangered whale shark and the hammerhead shark, which is near extinction. In 2017, thousands of illegally caught sharks were seized on Chinese vessels in the area. Shark fin is still considered a prized delicacy in some Chinese restaurants.

 2020 HONG KONG FREE PRESS HKFP.

Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods.
There would be four smaller temples surrounding the main structure. The temple complex will have a prayer hall, lecture hall, educational facility, saints residence, hostel and museum.

A Muslim man has set out on an 800 km-long journey to attend the Ram temples bhoomi pujan in Ayodhya next month. The man, who identifies himself as Mohammad Faiz Khan, claims to be a devotee of Lord Ram.

He hails from the purported birthplace of Kaushalya, Lord Rams mother. He started travelling from Chhattisgarhs Chandkhuri village and hopes to reach the Ram Janmabhoomi, where the temple will be erected, by August 5. Khan has reached Madhya Pradesh so far.

Khan said: I am Muslim by birth, but I am a devotee of Lord Ram. If we find out about our ancestors, they were Hindus. Their names might be Ramlal or Shyamlal. We all have Hindu origin, whether we go to church or mosque.

Khan believes Lord Ram is the "main ancestor" and was inspired by the words of Pakistans national poet Allama Iqbal, who had said a person with perfect sight could feel that Ram is the lord of India.

Commenting on communal tension, he said: Some people in Pakistan have created fake IDs with Hindu and Muslim names. They constantly abuse each other to prove that the religious communities are at loggerheads in India.

Meanwhile, another Muslim man named Azam Khan, who is the president of Sri Ram Mandir Nirman Muslim Kar Sewak Manch, has said he will drown himself in the Saryu River if he is not invited to the grand ceremony. He also claims to be a devotee of Lord Ram.

Notably, the Ram Temple is being built at a site where the Babri Masjid  a monument of historical significance  was demolished by Hindu extremists on December 6, 1992. The incident had led to decades of controversy, land disputes and communal tension.

(With ANI inputs)
Experts have recommended not letting the cat out if you fall ill with the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Cat owners who fall ill with COVID-19 should restrict contact with it and keep it indoors if possible, experts have said.

Their comments come after the government announced a cat had tested positive for coronavirus  the first time an animal had been confirmed as infected in the UK.

The cat and its owners have fully recovered and the pet is thought to have been infected by the people it lived with, not vice versa, with no suggestion that felines could transmit it to humans.

Daniella Dos Santos, president of the British Veterinary Association, said there are still safety steps that could be taken by pet owners who become infected or believe they have been taken ill with COVID-19.

Our advice to pet owners who have COVID-19 or who are self-isolating with symptoms remains to restrict contact with their pets as a precautionary measure and to practise good hygiene, including regular hand washing, she said.

We also recommend that owners who are confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19 should keep their cat indoors if possible, but only if the cat is happy to be kept indoors. Some cats cannot stay indoors due to stress-related medical reasons.

She also noted that the infected cat is thought to have had only a mild reaction.

Read more: Five countries that prevented large-scale coronavirus outbreaks

Professor James Wood, head of the department of veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge, said: A handful of pets in contact with infected human owners have been found to be infected around the world.

The data overall continue to suggest that cats may become infected by their owners if their owners have COVID-19, but there is no suggestion that they may transmit it to owners.

This reflects the advice that if possible, when infected, owners should keep their cats inside.

He added that a cats grooming behaviour means a cat is more likely to catch infection from an owner than vice versa.

Professor Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at Nottingham University, said evidence suggests that the animals dont get sick and only produce very low levels of virus.

The best thing you can do to protect your pets is to avoid close contact if you are, or think you might be, infected with the virus, he said.

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Todays guest post is co-written by Joe Schneiderwind, a future math teacher, and Janelle Johnson, an associate professor of STEM education at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

In the United States, we lament the lack of diversity in STEM fields and in teacher education, but many of our actions as educators continue to weed out students from nondominant communities and those who are differently abled. Society, parents, and other students need to understand that students with disabilities are as capable of academic achievement as any other student given the proper accommodations that allow for success. This is an issue that should not be limited to the silo of disability studiesit is one that must be recognized by all teachers.

Students with disabilities are less likely to complete high school than other students, but why?

There are certainly many social and societal factors that serve as barriers, but school and classroom practices are contributing factors as well. Elementary students with disabilities tend to be tracked away from pursuing advanced academic endeavors. These students are systematically hidden from general education and forced into separate classrooms, different programs, and alternative schools. School funding formulas based on standardized assessments incentivize schools to do just that since students with disabilities tend to receive lower scores on these high-pressure exams.



Recent research has shown that 10 percent of students entering postsecondary education have some type of self-identified disability, but there is stark disproportionality of students with disabilities enrolled in advanced coursework in high school. In secondary education, few students with disabilities take AP or IB or enroll in STEM classes or programs. Students with disabilities account for about 12 percent of the student population in secondary school but only 1 percent of the students in Advanced Placement courses. Further illustrating the disparities apparent in STEM fields, high school students with disabilities acquire approximately the same number of credits in English as other students but far fewer credits in math or science. This underrepresentation can lead people to assume that students with disabilities are less capable, particularly in STEM-related fields, and the students themselves may begin to believe they are less qualified, feeding a cycle of low expectations and underperformance.

Research shows the impact of social upbringing, the media, and self-reinforcement on students who are statistically not supposed to do wellthey tend not to, and this is referred to as the expectancy effect. The expectancy effect leads to lower test performance, less interest in pursuing studies in science and mathematics, and reduced effort to pursue counter-stereotypic skills, among other things. Most studies on expectancy effect focus on racial and ethnic minorities or women in STEM fields, but it is logical to assume the same damaging effect on students with disabilities. Pena performed a thorough search of peer-reviewed articles published in four of the top academic journals. It was found that only 1 percent of published work in these journals had to do with disabilities; and, while published work on students with disabilities has decreased in the last two decades, college admissions of students with disabilities have increased. Recognition of an issue in academia tends to be reflected in the amount of published works on the subject, and this poses a serious concern in recognizing the difficulties that these students will endure. Further, research on students with disabilities tends to group them as a whole rather than separating them into those with intellectual or learning disabilities and those with other disabilities, which can have significant effects on the outcomes of research as it pertains to education.



Blind Spots in STEM Education

When we began writing this blog we realized the research literature on this area was extremely thin. One helpful 2012 publication by Moon et al. is titled Accommodating Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The authors write that teachers, instructors, and professors are frequently unable, unprepared, or otherwise ill-equipped to recognize and address the needs of students with disabilities. As a result, course content may be inaccessible. If students cannot access opportunities that feed into a STEM pipeline, they are essentially invisible. Students with disabilities therefore remain underrepresented in STEM fields, and a need exists to help uncover barriers that students with disabilities encounter in STEM laboratories, for example. One out of 10 students in postsecondary education identify as having a disability, and we know many other students who do not report having a disability because of the stigma it carries. The combination of the lack of accurate numbers of students with disabilities and the overall invisibility of this issue make it urgent to address.

Blind Spots in Teaching and Teacher Education

Federal policies that recognize the rights of students with disabilities were an important step and meant teachers could not legally ignore these students. But many educators dont seem to fully understand what students with disabilities need. While there are educators who do specialize in working with exceptional learners, training for teachers who do not work in special education can be limited. Tools and approaches like Universal Design for Learning are helpful in supporting differentiation in order to help all students. But they do not necessarily help classroom teachers recognize their own potential bias about the ability of students with disabilities that lower their expectations of students academic potential.

And what about teachers who have disabilities? Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA pertains to both students and teachers; students have the additional support of education laws like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Employees are protected by Section 504 and the ADA so long as they can perform essential functions, but how well do these policies actually support teachers who have disabilities? If we consider that only 35 percent of individuals with disabilities who are qualified for a position are actually employed, the lack of specific resources pertaining to teachers with disabilities is troubling.

As Joe says:

I face an extremely difficult and progressive physical disability myself, so one could say that I have a soft spot in my heart for students who face any challenges fated to them in the form of a disability. I am fortunate in the fact that my disability was not noticeably prohibitive until after achieving a graduate education, but this makes me think back and realize how little I knew about, or was exposed to, anybody with a disability. Students with disabilities deserve every opportunity that I had as an able-bodied student, and I don't believe that is being afforded to them. Joe Schneiderwind

Conclusion

Important societal transformation is happening with growing awareness of racism and seeking out actions we can take to change the equation. Individuals with disabilities also suffer the effects of discrimination, and there are actions we can and must take to dismantle the systemic barriers to educational opportunity for all our students. Principals can actively recruit teachers with disabilities and let them know they are welcome and will be supported in the workplace. Prior to implementing anything new or different, teachers can ask students with disabilities what they think would be helpful or what has been helpful in the past. This would help prevent falling into the same trap of promoting what the teachers think would be helpful without quantitative or qualitative data to support these accommodations. In this age of technology, there are many available tools to assist students with disabilities. Referring more specifically to physical disabilities, make sure to learn about and provide students and families access to technology programs and related hardware such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking, MathTalk, Vocola, Equatio, and Google Speech to Text, all of which allow for access to what able-bodied students take for grantedthe beauty and simplicity of paper and pencil.

Joe Schneiderwind is a future math teacher who was a student in Dr. Janelle Johnsons multicultural education class. Students had to choose an issue they were passionate about to research and share a Call to Action with their classmates. Joes reflection on his own educational experiences led him to research the underrepresentation of students with disabilities in STEM fields. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005. He graduated with a B.S. in engineering physics in 2009 and an M.S. in applied mathematics in 2011. By 2014, he was heavily dependent on a wheelchair. After leaving a Ph.D. program due to further progression of his disability, he is now attending Metropolitan State University of Denver seeking licensure to teach secondary mathematics.

Dr. Janelle Johnson is an associate professor of STEM education at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She is the co-editor of STEM21: Equity in Teaching and Learning to Meet Global Challenges of Standards, Engagement , and Transformation (2018), and the principal investigator on two National Science Foundation grantsA Community-based Approach to Engaging Students and Teachers in Effective STEM Education ITEST grant, and Inclusive STEM Teaching Preparation at an Urban Commuter University (U-STEM) Robert Noyce grant. Her work focuses on professional development with teachers toward interdisciplinary and inclusive STEM teaching and learning. She taught math and earth-science courses to bilingual and ESL students in Guatemala and in Arizona for eight years at elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Works Cited

Bonaccio, S., Connelly, C.E., Gellatly, I.R. et al. (2020). The Participation of People with Disabilities in the Workplace Across the Employment Cycle: Employer Concerns and Research Evidence. Journal of Business Psychology 35, 135-158.

Jeannis, H., Joseph, J., Goldberg, M., Seelman, K., Schmeler, M., & Cooper, R. A. (2018). Full-participation of students with physical disabilities in science and engineering laboratories. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 13(2), 186-193.

Moon, N. W., Todd, R. L., Morton, D. L., & Ivey, E. (2012). Accommodating students with disabilities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Atlanta, GA: Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access, Georgia Institute of Technology, 8-21.

Newman, L., Wagner, M., Huang, T., Shaver, D., Knokey, A. M., Yu, J., ... & Cameto, R. (2011). Secondary School Programs and Performance of Students with Disabilities: A Special Topic Report of Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). NCSER 2012-3000. National Center for Special Education Research.

Office for Civil Rights. (2014). Data Snapshot: College and Career Readiness. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/crdc-college-and-career-readiness-snapshot.pdf

Pena, E. V. (2014). Marginalization of published scholarship on students with disabilities in higher education journals. Journal of College Student Development, 55(1), 30-40.

Pope, C., Bowman, C., & Barr, K. (2001). Conversations from the Commissions: Negotiating the Tensions in the Preparation of Teachers with Disabilities. English Education, 33(3), 252-256. Retrieved June 4, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/40173070

Scott, A., & Martin, A. (2014). Perceived barriers to higher education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 20(3).

Thurlow, M. L., Sinclair, M. F., & Johnson, D. R. (2002). Students with Disabilities Who Drop Out of School: Implications for Policy and Practice. Issue Brief: Examining Current Challenges in Secondary Education and Transition.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2009). 2003-04 and 2007-08 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04 and NPSAS:08). Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d10/ tables/dt10_240.asp

Vaccaro, A., Kimball, E. W., Wells, R. S., & Ostiguy, B. J. (2015). Researching students with disabilities: The importance of critical perspectives. New directions for institutional research, 2014(163), 25-41.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
U.S. sends envoy to push for peace talks in Afghanistan

A U.S. special envoy has departed Friday for a trip aimed at bringing the Afghan government and the Taliban to the negotiation table, the U.S. State Department said Saturday.

U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad is scheduled to travel to Doha, Islamabad, Kabul, Oslo and Sofia, the State Department said in a statement.

"In Doha and Kabul, Ambassador Khalilzad will press for resolution of the remaining issues ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations, specifically final prisoner exchanges and reduced violence," said the statement.

During his five-stop trip, the diplomat will also seek Pakistani support to advance the intra-Afghan negotiations and inform the United States' North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies of the Afghan peace process.

"The parties are closer than ever to the start of Intra-Afghan Negotiations, the key next step to ending Afghanistans 40-year long war," read the statement.

Khalilzad's trip came at a time when the process of prisoner exchanges between the Afghan government and the Taliban has reached an impasse and the country has seen growing violence recently.

Under the Taliban-U.S. agreement signed on Feb. 29, the Afghan government would release 5,000 Taliban prisoners and the Taliban would free 1,000 prisoners of the government.

However, the slow pace of the release of prisoners has delayed the intra-Afghan dialogue, which was scheduled to start on March 10.

Moreover, in early July, the Afghan government reportedly suspended the release of the last batch of Taliban inmates over their involvement in serious crimes, which had widened the two side's split.

"The Afghan government once again stated its firm stance of not releasing nearly 600 Taliban prisoners who are reportedly guilty of serious crimes beyond membership in the Taliban," local Tolo News TV reported on July 7.

Taliban's Doha office spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted on Thursday that the Taliban is "likely" ready to begin intra-Afghan negotiations immediately after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha at the end of July in case the prisoner exchange is completed.

Shaheen also accused the government of recapturing previously released Taliban prisoners, who, he said, had adhered to the government's instructions to stay at home and not return to the battlefields.

However, the Afghan government refuted the accusation, saying a number of released prisoners have in fact returned to the battlefields.

One of Khalilzad's main tasks is to press for a deal between the two sides on this tricky problem, which serves as a precondition for starting the peace talks.

"Although significant progress has been made on prisoner exchanges, the issue requires additional effort to fully resolve," the State Department said in its statement.

The soaring violence across the country and the intensified attacks from both sides have complicated the situation.

Two Afghan national security force members and 45 Taliban militants were killed during separate clashes on Friday night.

On Wednesday, government warplanes killed dozens of Taliban militants in Adraskan district of the western province of Herat.

However, the Taliban and some locals have disputed the claim, saying the majority of the killed were civilians.
Dhruva Sarja and Rashmika Mandanna starrer Sandalwood biggie, Pogaru is back in the news as the makers plan on releasing the Telugu version of their hit song 'Karabuu on August 6.

For the unversed, the song did receive criticism for encouraging women harassment. But none the less, it managed to become the most viewed Kannada song by getting about 92 million views.

The Kannada rendition of 'Karabuu is crooned by Chandan Shetty, who has also composed songs for Pogaru. Written and directed by Nanda Kishore, Pogaru the bilingual film that will be simultaneously released in both Kannada and Telugu. It has been bankrolled by B K Gangadhar under the banner of Sri Jagadguru Movies.

On the other hand, the Telugu version of the aforementioned song has been penned by acclaimed lyricist, Bhaskarabhatla Ravi Kumar. It has been sung by Anurag Singh who is remembered for his song 'Ramuloo Ramula from Allu Arjuns Ala Vaikunthapurramloo.

Meanwhile, the films team plans on resuming the shoot for the remaining two songs from August 15. The mass entertainers release has been deferred due to the COVID-19 crisis and but the team has managed to complete the post-production work during the lockdown.

Pogaru will also feature Dhananjay, Raghavendra Rajkumar, P Ravi Shankar, Kai Greene, Sadhu Kokila, Kuri Prathap, Morgan Aste, and Dharma in supporting roles. The mass action entertainer will also feature renowned international wrestlers and bodybuilders namely Kai Greene, Morgan Aste, Johan Lucas, and Jo Linder respectively.

ALSO READ: Dhruva Sarja And His Wife Prerana Shankar Test Negative For COVID-19 After Undergoing Treatment

ALSO READ: Naga Chaitanya Wants To Romance Rashmika Mandanna In Thank You?
Bengaluru: As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, Google is extending its work from home (WFH) option for employees until June next year globally, including India.

In an email to employees, Sundar Pichai, said, To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through 30 June, 2021 for roles that dont need to be in the office."

The move is likely to affect most of the 200,000 full-time and contract employees across Google and parent Alphabet Inc, including in India where the company is estimated to have about 5,000 employees.

India is a key market for Google which has a major presence in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Pichai recently launched the Google for India Digitization Fund with a commitment of investing 75,000 crore (about $10 billion) in the next 5-7 years towards digitizing the Indian economy.

Googles WFH extension is in accordance with other MNCs extending their WFH policies as a precautionary measure.

For instance, e-commerce major Amazon has recently communicated that employees who work in a role that can effectively be done from home are welcome to do so until 8 January, 2021."

Alok Ohrie, president and managing director, Dell Technologies said in an earlier interview with Mint, that 100% of its workforce in India is enabled to WFH even before the covid-19 crisis.

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Chennai: A life convict, AG Perarivalan (a) Arivu, who has languished 29 years in jail in connection with the Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case has approached the Mumbai High Court seeking details related to the early release of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who was also convicted under the Arms Act. The decision to approach the high court comes after Perarivalans failed attempts to seek more details on the same via an RTI query.

Although Perarivalan, who was convicted at the age of 19, under the grounds of having provided two nine-volt batteries which were used in the bomb that killed Rajiv Gandhi, it has been established later that he merely procured the batteries without knowing about the conspiracy or what the batteries would be used for.

It is notable that, despite the President having rejected actor Dutts clemency petition and his conviction under a law that falls under Central governments jurisdiction, the Maharashtra government had used its legal powers, rights to grant permission for the actors early release.

In March 2016, Perarivalan had sought details under the Right to Information Act (RTI), regarding the legal procedures that led to Dutts early release on compassionate grounds. However, it is stated that the response from the Yervada Jail Information Officer and higher authority- Pune district Information office was lax. Hence Perarivalans lawyers have approached the high court requesting action against the erring officials and also seeking more details on Dutts release.

When the Tamil Nadu government had earlier allowed Arivu out on parole, the states Advocate General had pointed out that the right and powers to grant parole solely remained with the state government. The Advocate General had also guided the state government on the procedures for the same.

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti in 2019, the Central government had issued an order regarding the early release of prisoners. The government order had emphasized that, under Rule 161, the respective states could ensure the early release of prisoners as per their existing prison rules and regulations.

Even in a verdict delivered on September 6, 2018, the Supreme Court had clearly stated that it was within the powers of the state government, under Rule 161, to decide on the release of Perarivalan.

When Dutt and Arivu are punished under the same Arms Act, how did the Maharashtra government decide on releasing Dutt on their own, without discussing with the Central government. If we get the documents and procedures leading to Dutts release by the State government, we could get more clarity, said K Sivakumar Arivus lawyer.

The Mumbai High Court has agreed to take up this case and the hearing date is expected to be revealed in the following week.
Bangladesh on Monday thanked India for providing 10 broad gauge diesel locomotives, with its Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen saying it would help bring both sides even closer and further take the "rock solid" bilateral relations to new heights.

"This would help bring our two peoples even closer," the foreign minister said at the handing over ceremony of locomotives which was conducted online in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

Momen thanked India for offering Bangladesh the diesel locomotives as a mark of enduring friendship, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper said.

This is in line with India's commitment during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi in October 2019 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's renewed focus on neighbourhood first policy.

"Over the last few years, India and Bangladesh have scripted a golden chapter in partnership under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Momen was quoted as saying by the paper.

Bangladesh Railway Minister Md. Nurul Islam Sujan and Foreign Minister Momen, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das attended the online ceremony. From Indian side, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal attended the event.

"We are indeed enjoying the best of relations," Momen said, mentioning that last week, for the first time, 50 containers loaded with FMCG cargoes and fabrics arrived in Bangladesh from India through Benapole-Petrapole rail link.

Last week, the first transshipment of goods (iron and pulses) from Kolkata to India's North-East took place through Bangladesh's Chittagong port.

"India-Bangladesh relationship is rock solid and is based on shared values, principles and confidence; touching almost every sphere of our lives, including politics, culture, trade, investment, water, energy, power, transportation, logistics, security, and much more," Momen said.

"I am sure we would be able to further lift our relations to new heights in the coming days," he said.

Connectivity in the region will unpack numerous opportunities for the people of South Asia, said the foreign minister.

Officials in New Delhi said all locos have residual life of 28 years or more and they are designed for speed of up to 120 km per hour.

In the recent times, the MEA said, India and Bangladesh have stepped up cooperation between their railways in mitigating the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic as trade via land border faced disruptions.

Also Read: 'Please don't extend loan moratorium': HDFC's Deepak Parekh pleads to RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das

Also Read: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das highlights 5 bright spots in Indian economy
The American flag was lowered at the United States consulate in Chengdu on Monday, days after Beijing ordered it to close in retaliation for the shuttering of the Chinese consulate in Houston.

Footage on state broadcaster CCTV from outside the consulate showed the flag being slowly lowered early Monday morning, after diplomatic tensions soared between the two powers with both alleging the other had endangered national security.

Relations deteriorated in recent weeks in a Cold War-style standoff, with the Chengdu mission Friday ordered to shut in retaliation for the forced closure of Beijing's consulate in Houston, Texas.

The deadline for the Americans to exit Chengdu has been unclear, but the Chinese consulate in Houston was given 72 hours to close after the original order was made.

The road leading to the Chengdu consulate was closed on Monday, with police and cordons blocking the way. On Saturday AFP reporters saw workers removing the US insignia from the front of the building.

Over the weekend, removals trucks entered the site and cleaners were seen carting large black rubbish bags from the consulate. A constant stream of onlookers in the city of 16.5 million people flowed past, many taking photos.

Beijing says closing the Chengdu consulate was a "legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States", and has alleged that staff at the diplomatic mission endangered China's security and interests.

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters that some US staff in the Chengdu consulate "were engaged in activities outside of their capacity, interfered in China's internal affairs, and endangered China's security and interests".

Washington officials, meanwhile, said there had been unacceptable efforts by the Chinese consulate in Houston to steal US corporate secrets and proprietary medical and scientific research.

Tensions

Tensions have soared between the world's two biggest economic powers on a range of fronts including trade, China's handling of the novel coronavirus and a tough new security law for Hong Kong, with US officials warning of a "new tyranny" from China.

The last Chinese diplomats left the Houston consulate last Friday, with officials there seen loading large sacks of documents and other items onto trucks, and throwing some in bins.

Beijing said Saturday that US agents "forcibly" entered the Houston consulate, which it said was "China's national property".

The statement warned that "China will make a proper and necessary response in this regard".
Caylee Hammack continues to hold high her reverence for classic country music, she has released a collaboration with Country music icon Alan Jackson: a special rendition of Don Williams' "Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good." Produced by Dave Cobb, the new track is available to stream here, Hammack and Jackson's unique vocals complement each other on the song's timely message of optimism and hope.



"This song has held a special place in my heart since childhood," shared Hammack. "And, during the past few months at home, I have found myself frequently visiting songs I grew up on because of the comfort it has brought me, especially this one. It has always been a golden classic in my heart and I believe in many others; and it's message felt much needed today. Alan Jackson was gracious enough to bring his voice and heart to this song and made it feel like chicken noodle soup for the country music soul. I just feel very honored to be able to send our rendition out into the world today!"



"It's so nice to be able to finally record one of my favorite Don Williams songs with a great message for today and to be able to sing it with another Georgia native with a sweet voice," added Jackson.



Hammack just announced her major label debut album IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU will be available on August 14. Currently nominated for two ACM Awards Hammack, who co-wrote and co-produced every song on the 13-track set, takes listeners on an intimate journey. From growing up in Ellaville, GA, braving a medical scare and coming out the other side of a bad love that was the catalyst for her turning down a scholarship to Belmont University and ultimately arriving in Nashville, TN. Some of country music's most potent women have also thrown in on Hammack's debut including Reba, Ashley McBryde and Tenille Townes.

Tags : Caylee Hammack Collaborates with Alan Jackson for "Lord I Hope This Day Is Good" "Lord I Hope This Day Is Good" Caylee Hammack Alan Jackson
China's home-grown large amphibious aircraft AG600 makes 1st sea-based test flight

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun and Ma Jun Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/26 12:17:04

China's domestically developed large amphibious aircraft AG600 successfully made its first sea-based test flight on Sunday. The test flight demonstrated the aircraft's ability to operate in challenging maritime conditions and conduct missions, including far sea cargo transport and maritime emergency rescue, the aircraft's developer said.

Analysts said the aircraft's potential deployment in the South China Sea will enhance China's ability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as its future presence would contribute to China's civil administration practice in the region, and help in search and rescue missions for those in need from other countries in a move that shows China's image as a responsible major country.

The AG600 aircraft took off from waters near the coastal city of Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, on Sunday morning. It was on show for around 31 minutes and finished a set of test maneuvers in the sky, before landing at an airport in Rizhao, Shandong Province.

The event marked the success of the AG600's first sea-based test flight, the aircraft's developer Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Sunday.

The AG600 conducted its land-based maiden flight in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, in December of 2017, and its first water-based test flight over a reservoir in Jingmen, Central China's Hubei Province in October of 2018.

The aircraft's sea-based test flight demonstrated its performance in sea waves and corrosive environments that have high salinity and humidity, said AVIC.

AVIC said that sea water is different to fresh waters in terms of salinity, density and waves, and the pilot also faced more complicated environments, meaning that sea-based test flights are much harder compared to previous water-based test flights.

It also prepared the aircraft to conduct missions, including far sea cargo transport and maritime emergency rescue, in the future, the company said.

Wang Ya'nan, a Chinese aviation industry expert and chief editor of the Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Sunday that previous water-based test flights took place in a reservoir that was safe and did not have large waves.

A test flight at sea is more challenging as uncontrollable factors come into play, including waves and corrosions that could possibly cause malfunctions to occur in the aircraft's systems, Wang said.

The successful sea-based test flight indicated the AG600 has now basically reached its designed goal. Its next steps will likely involve more test flights as well as tests that challenge the plane's ability to resist sea water corrosion for extended periods, carry heavy cargo, and put out fire, Wang said.

The AG600 is China's first domestically developed special mission civilian aircraft aimed mainly at meeting the country's needs for forest firefighting and maritime rescue operations, AVIC said.

In a firefighting mission, the aircraft can hold up to 12 tons of water either directly drawn from water surfaces or filled manually at an airport. It can use the water to spray and cover an area of more than 4,000 square meters.

In search and rescue missions, it can fly low above the water's surface, land on water when needed, and save up to 50 people in dangerous environments.

When needed, the AG600 can be customized with additional equipment to conduct other special missions, AVIC said.

Chinese military expert Yin Zhuo told China Central Television previously that the AG600 is also suitable for military operations, such as patrol and anti-submarine missions.

The amphibious aircraft is expected to be delivered by 2022, the Xinhua News Agency reported in 2018.

Since its development, experts and media reports have suggested that the AG600 will shine in the South China Sea.

When deployed from Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, the AG600 can reach any location in the South China Sea thanks to its endurance of up to 12 hours, maximum speed of 500 kilometers an hour, and ability to take off and land on water, people.cn reported.

With ships, it would take approximately one week to reach the southernmost point of the South China Sea from Sanya; however, with the AG600, it would take only two hours, an AVIC manager told media previously.

At a sensitive time when tensions are rising in the South China Sea due to countries from outside the region interfering, like the US, the first sea-based test flight of the AG600 again showed its potential in safeguarding China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at the Hainan Province-based National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday that unlike the US, which has been pushing for militarization in the South China Sea, China is becoming more capable of providing international public services, including maritime search and rescue, and salvaging.

Accidents of ships from different countries that pass by continue to occur in the South China Sea, and the region's difficult maritime environment could prove challenging for rescue missions that use ships, Chen said, noting that the AG600 could help in such cases, and it would show China's image as a responsible major country.

By providing these public services, China will be able to prove its presence in the region and demonstrate its practice of civil administration, Chen said.

In April, the city of Sansha in Hainan Province announced the establishment of two new districts, the Xisha and Nansha districts, to administer the waters in the South China Sea.

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The law firm of Bressler, Amery & Ross today announced that Pierre R. Yanney has joined the firm in New York as a principal in its Corporate and Commercial Transactions Practice Group, effective July 20.

Most recently, he was a partner at Baker & Hostetler.

The hiring is part of Bressler's strategic growth and expansion strategy. "We are committed to our continued growth and plan to add top talented attorneys from around the country to our roster," said Bressler Managing Principal Frank Cuccio. "As a registered patent attorney, Pierre's expertise in intellectual property matters will be beneficial to our client base of innovative national and international companies."

As a patent attorney, Mr. Yanney draws on his sophisticated technical background (undergraduate and graduate engineering degrees from MIT; Member of Technical Staff at Bell Labs) and 25 years of experience in all aspects of patent law, ranging from patent litigation, opinions and counseling, to Patent Office prosecution, to fully address complex client needs in this area. He has handled a wide array of technologies, such as RFID, cellular systems, medical electronics and devices, signal processing, communication systems, electronic tolling, and elevator control systems.

As part of the Intellectual Property practice of Bresslers Corporate and Transactions Group, Mr. Yanney joins a team of lawyers who counsel clients on the various corporate and technology issues that established and emerging growth companies face to get off the ground, expand and thrive. In addition to patent litigation, the group handles matters in the areas of entity formation, capital raising, M&As, artificial intelligence, data privacy, trademarks, and other intellectual property concerns. The addition of Mr. Yanney to the team will significantly help expand Bresslers intellectual property capabilities and position the firm for continued growth in this increasingly important area.

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Im excited to welcome Pierre Yanney to our New York office. Pierre is known for the breadth and depth of his IP experience. Its rare that you come across someone like Pierre who can write a patent application, get it allowed at the Patent Office, and also litigate patents in district court. His talents and business insights will be a positive addition to our active Corporate and Commercial practice, said Bressler New York Managing Principal, Mark Knoll. Our financial services clients and other institutional clients will benefit greatly from his experience. Pierres technology background provides clients with an attorney skilled in the kinds of IP portfolio maximizing actions needed to protect these important assets.

Mr. Yanney has argued several cases at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, first chaired patent jury trials, worked on more than 50 patent litigations and has argued numerous cases before the Patent Trial & Appeal Board and its predecessor, the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. Additionally, he has prosecuted more than 2,000 patent applications and drafted more than 100 patent opinions (infringement, validity, right to use).

Mr. Yanney received a J.D. (with honors) from Rutgers University School of Law in 1993 and obtained both M.S. and B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from MIT in 1988. He is fluent in Arabic and speaks conversational German.

About Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C.

Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C. is a leading full-service law firm that represents Fortune 500 corporations, midsize and small privately held companies, investment advisors, brokerage firms, banks, franchises, insurers and non-profits. The firm also represents emerging companies and high-net-worth individuals and families. The firm's main practices include financial institutions and securities, insurance litigation, labor and employment law, environmental, corporate and commercial transactions, real estate, and business, commercial and general litigation. A National Law Journal 350 firm and NJLJ Top 20 firm, Bressler has been recognized on several industry lists including U.S. News' Best Lawyers in America and Best Law Firms, Chambers USA, Super Lawyers and the Business Journals Top Law Firms list. Bressler has more than 150 attorneys across offices in Florham Park, New Jersey, New York, New York, Birmingham, Alabama, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Florida, Washington, DC, and Charlotte, N.C. For more information, visit www.bressler.com.

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A New Jersey man was apprehended by law enforcement authorities for carrying a suitcase stuffed with the body parts of a female victim.

The corpse was found at the intersection of Kensington and Allegheny avenues around 9:50 a.m. Soon enough, the abandoned case became the source of concern and anxiety for the local citizens in the area. They were dubious about the contents of the case, so they called in police.

The police were summoned to the scene to investigate the suspicious case, according to Philly Voice.

The invetigators opened the black suit case to check what was inside. They were horrified to discover the contorted corpse of a white female forcibly stuffed inside.

The age of the victim is not known, but the investigators were sure it was foul play due to the bizarre position the victim was found in. The police are calling it a murder and looking for the woman's killer.

Killer is caught and the victim identified

Philadelphia police has charged and accused a man from Burlington County, for allegedly killing and stuffing the white female corpse into the carrying case it was found in.

Without a doubt, the police are sure that the suspect was connected to the death of the now determined to be a young woman. Investigators have dug up that she has children or a just a single child, according to 6ABC.

The murderer was identified as Aaron Mosher of Brown Mills, who will be facing several charges like criminal conspiracy, evidence tampersing, and abusing a corpse and blocking justice, according to the police cited in the Bulletin Mail.

Initial report: Details of the corpse squished in the carrying case

Also read: Jennifer Dulos Murder: American Writer Died of Violent Assault As Blood Were Found in Zip Ties, Garage

Initially, the corpse of 25-year-old Christina Gribbin, who lives in Chester County, was contorted to fit the black carrying case. Police confirm the discovery of the carrying case on June 11. The black suitcase was discoveref on the sidewalk that was under the SEPTA's raised Market Frankford line.

In the investigation of the death of Gribbin and other instances, there aren't too many leads to go by. The police are still gathering evidence and leads to make arrests. Another problem is determining the victim's cause of death, a task that won't be tol easy for the medical coroner.

Lack of the needed information is preventing the investigators to get a clear picture of how the murder occurred or why it happened.

Christina Gribbin's obituary

The Labs funeral home posted an obituary notice for the deceased. It said that West Chester is her birthplace, graduated from the Twin Valley High School. She took up and studied LPN nursing, with creative hobbies she took up before her untimely death, that was writing, poetry, and horseback riding. She has two sons who survive her.

Last July 10, the last rites her eternal memory was in Honey Brook.

As of the recent arrest, there have been no new details why Aaron Mosher killed the victim.

Related article: Man Hides Decomposing Body Under Floor Board, Tries to Escape Authorities By Disguising as His Sister

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State on Monday signed the revised 2020 budget of N108. 8 billion revised 2020 Appropriation Act into law from N147 billion.

Mr Zulum said at the signing ceremony at the Government House, Maiduguri that the downward review was due to economic realities caused by COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the world.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the revised budget was reduced by more than N38 billion.

The governor had presented an initial budget of N147 billion to the state House of Assembly in December 2019.

Mr Zulum said his administration was committed to the effective implementation of the budget.

The governor directed Secretary to the State Government, Usman Jiddah, to liaise with the Ministry of Finance to ensure strict compliance to the budgetary provisions.

He also directed the ministry to review its medium term expenditure framework in line with the revised budget.

This administration is determined to ensure the effective implementation of the revised budget; budget is one of the important components of governance, Mr Zulum said.

NAN reports that Borno House Speaker, Abdulkarim Lawan, and other principal legislators attended the signing ceremony.

(NAN)
Towns in New South Wales have been battered by another night of wild weather, with more than 100mm of rain dumped in the state overnight as winds reached 120km/h.

More than 14,000 homes and businesses were plunged into darkness as power lines went down, with some residents told to flee their homes on the south coast.

Three motorists and six cows had to be rescued overnight as damaging winds and flash flooding wreak havoc on the coastal communities.

Residents of Sussex Inlet 155km south of Sydney were urged to leave their homes immediately late on Monday evening as torrential rain paved the way for flooding.

Emergency crews have also been working around the clock to restore power to 14,500 Shoalhaven homes and businesses which were affected by the storm.

Endeavour Energy said more than 200 electrical hazards were reported on its network in the region on Monday.

A sinkhole opened up on a road in Double Bay, leaving a truck submerged on Tuesday morning

Late on Monday evening, residents of Sussex Inlet on the NSW south coast (pictured) were urged to leave their homes immediately as torrential rain paved the way for flooding

The aggressive low pressure system will ease by Tuesday afternoon as it slowly makes its way off shore, but not before wind gusts reach upwards of 120km/h.

Crews from Kiama State Emergency Service were dispatched to rescue motorists in three separate incidents after they got caught in flood waters.

Six cows were also caught up in the downpour, requiring crews to help redirect them to higher ground.

About 4am, crews were called to Swamp Road where a tabletop truck found itself submerged in floodwaters up to the windows.

The occupants in the truck were trapped, and crews needed to use a raft to access and rescue them.

The aggressive low pressure system will ease by Tuesday afternoon as it slowly makes its way off shore, but not before wind gusts reach upwards of 120km/h

'Leave now, leave the high danger area and move to safety,' a statement from the State Emergency Service read as trees fell in Ulladulla on the NSW South Coast (pictured on Monday night)

The New South Wales Rural Fire Service shared photos on Tuesday morning of trees blocking roads after a night of wild weather

Residents in the region were told to 'leave now and move to safety' at 11pm as water levels rose past knee level in some areas.

'Leave now, leave the high danger area and move to safety,' a statement from the State Emergency Service read.

'Once floodwater enters low lying areas of Sussex Inlet, properties will be flooded above floor level, road access will be lost, sewerage lines and power to the area may be lost.

'If you remain in the area you may be trapped, and it may be too dangerous for NSW SES to rescue you.'

'This system is weakening in trend but is still significant,' BoM meteorologist Shuang Wang said.

Residents were told to 'leave now and move to safety' at 11pm as water levels rose past knee level in some areas (pictured, cows being rescued from flooding in Nowra)

Emergency crews have also been working around the clock to restore power to 14,500 Shoalhaven homes and businesses which were affected by the storm (pictured, SES work in Wollondilly Shire)

The SES have recorded more than 1,000 requests for assistance since Saturday, commissioner Carlene York said, including 560 calls from the northern and central coast areas (pictured, a flooded road near the Hawkesbury River on Monday)

'By evening there will only be a remnant along the coast as it moves east.'

Sunshine will return to Sydney by Wednesday, Ms Shuang said, with a maximum of 19 degrees and a ten per cent chance of rain.

Earlier BoM said multiple locations across NSW's south east had recorded more than 100mm of rain in the past 24 hours, contributing to the flash flooding.

The SES have recorded more than 1,000 requests for assistance since Saturday, commissioner Carlene York said, including 560 calls from the northern and central coast areas.

'The weather conditions have created some risk for our community, particularly in relation to damaged roofs, fallen trees and an increased call for sandbagging across the coastal areas,' Ms York told reporters on Monday.

Endeavour Energy said more than 200 electrical hazards were reported on its network in the region on Monda (pictured, crews working at a home in Glenwood on Monday night)

Crews attended a home in Glenwood which had sustained major structural damage & flooding due to the wild weather (pictured on Monday night)

SES volunteers from Kiama rescued six cows from floodwaters south of Nowra (pictured on Monday)

'We expect some increased winds...that again will bring risk to trees down and perhaps wires down and impacts on electricity services.'

The SES commissioner also said more than 20 flood rescues had been performed since Saturday.

Authorities have also urged surfers in the Wollongong and Central Coast regions to avoid the water on Tuesday if possible.

A very heavy surf will likely lead to localised damage and coastal erosion, and the beach conditions in these areas are forecast to be dangerous.

The BoM have warned people to stay well away from the surf in these regions for the remainder of Tuesday.

Footage taken at Carters Headland shows unrelenting waves already pounding the shore by 7am.

The State Emergency Service has advised people in flood-prone areas to monitor conditions as the day progresses.

A very heavy surf will likely lead to localised damage and coastal erosion, and the beach conditions in these areas are forecast to be dangerous

Our crews attended a home in Glenwood which had sustained major structural damage & flooding due to the wild weather

Residents have been urged to:

Move vehicles under cover or away from trees

Secure or put away loose items around the house, yard and balcony

Keep at least 8 metres away from fallen power lines

Trees that have been damaged by fire are likely to be more unstable

Report fallen power lines to Ausgrid (131 388), Endeavour Energy (131 003), Essential Energy (132 080) or Evoenergy (131 093) as shown on your power bill

Stay vigilant and monitor conditions. Note that the landscape may have changed following bushfires

For emergency help in floods and storms, ring the local SES Unit on 132 500

While wild weather ravages parts of New South Wales, Queenslanders are forecast to enjoy another sunny day as temperatures reach 22C.

Melbourne will reach 15C and will be overcast, but the city will likely stave off most of the rainfall.

Perth will reach 20C and will be grey and cloudy, with a slight chance of morning rain.

A tabletop truck was caught in rising floodwaters overnight with water up to the windows of the car and occupants unable to drive out (pictured)
Police in New Jersey have arrested three people for violating the state's social distancing rules after authorities spent hours breaking up a 700-person party at an Airbnb mansion.

The party took place in Jackson Township at a mansion that had been rented out for $795-a-night on Airbnb on Sunday night.

Jackson Police say they first started receiving reports from concerned neighbors about the party at about 8.30pm.

When they arrived at the home, they found a large crowd at the property.

Officers contacted the owner of the home, 40-year-old Yaakov Weiss, who said he had rented his property out for the purposes of a party.

The party took place in Jackson Township at a mansion that had been rented out for $795-a-night on Airbnb on Saturday night. Photos on Instagram that claimed to be taken inside the party showed people dancing and drinking within close proximity to each other

Police spent five hours trying to break up the party. Instagram stories bemoaned the party being broken up by police

Weiss told police that he left the property when about 200 people had shown up.

Police said the party eventually grew to host about 700 people and 100 cars could be found parked near the mansion.

Weiss has since been banned from Airbnb's platform.

'We strongly condemn the reported behavior, which represents both a clear violation of Airbnb's community policies and a particularly serious abuse during this public health crisis,' a spokesman from Airbnb said.

The party was advertised on Instagram with a flyer calling the event the Liberian Independence Day party.

The flyer promised a twerking contest, free food and jungle juice.

Footage on Instagram that appeared to be taken inside the party showed people dancing and drinking within close proximity to each other.

Instagram stories bemoaned the party being broken up by police.

Police spent five hours trying to break up the party and were forced to call for back up from neighboring law enforcement departments.

Officers say they were forced to shut down nearby streets in a bid to stop even more partygoers, who were still arriving, from turning up at the mansion.

The party took place in Jackson Township at a mansion (above) that had been rented out for $795-a-night on Airbnb on Saturday night

Footage on Instagram that appeared to be taken inside the party showed people dancing and drinking within close proximity to each other

The party was advertised on Instagram with a flyer calling the event the Liberian Independence Day party

The party was cleared by 1am, according to police.

Police arrested the homeowner, as well as party organizers - Patience Guanue, 23, and Alicia Hinneh, 22 - for violating New Jersey Gov Phil Murphy's executive order limiting large gatherings due to coronavirus.

Murphy addressed the ordeal during his regular COVID-19 briefing on Monday, saying: 'C'mon folks! C'mon! By the way putting the health of police at risk here as well.'

He acknowledged that gatherings were being driven 'underground' because he wasn't allowing bars or indoor dining to reopen.

'These are overwhelmingly gatherings of young people...but there is a big concern that a young person can get it and go home or go visit grandma and grandpa and pass this on unwillingly,' Murphy said.
European nations are facing increasing pressure to exclude Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies from their 5G roll outs after the UK decision to ban the company completely and a new recommendation from the European Commission to restrict high risk suppliers.

Huawei is not named in the 44-page document released on Friday by the Commission, but the criteria for high-risk suppliers includes the likelihood of interference from a non-EU country, ability to ensure supply, and overall quality of products and cybersecurity practices.

Most Member States have not yet established or communicated clear plans to effectively address existing situations of dependency on high-risk suppliers and prevent future dependencies, the report said. Progress is urgently needed to mitigate this important risk.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

It added that most members were in the process of strengthening regulatory powers, including ensuring that authorities have powers to regulate the procurement of network equipment and services by operators, based on security-related grounds.

Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The report comes at a critical time for the Chinese company, with Germany also looking at whether to exclude Huawei after the UK decision.

Analysts said Frances decision to limit the use of Huaweis 5G gear through the issuing of limited term licenses amounted to a de facto ban on the Chinese company. Like other countries in Europe, France is developing its next generation 5G network amid growing tensions between the US and China, making any decision on Huawei fraught with political risk.

Earlier this month, the French cybersecurity agency said it would issue licenses valid for periods of between three and eight years for operators to use equipment, including Huaweis, but that they could not renew the license for Huawei gear, according to a Reuters report.

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France has said it wont ban Huawei, but in effect it has, said Simon Piff, vice-president of security practice at IDC Asia-Pacific. I believe [the French] are simply trying to sound more diplomatic on the issue.

With the UK and France essentially banning Huaweis 5G gear, all eyes are on Germany, the largest telecoms market in Europe and a key customer for the Chinese supplier.

Germany has not banned Huawei, but Deutche Telekom has been reducing reliance on Huawei over the years, he added.

Deutsche Telekom, Europes largest telco by revenue and Huawei's biggest customer in Europe, said last week it would strengthen its partnership with Huaweis Swedish-based rival Ericsson when it came to 5G. Several mobile sites will be upgraded to the latest 5G technology standard over the next few years using Ericsson Radio System products and solutions, it said.

Europe is Huaweis biggest single overseas market. The continent is also where a large chunk of its 91 5G network projects are located, putting it ahead of Ericsson and Finlands Nokia as of February 2020.

German support, even if only in noncore areas, is vital if Huawei is to expand its business in Europe, according to analysts. That would mean smaller, less influential countries could adopt a similar approach without risking the ire of Beijing.

The European shift comes after new US sanctions announced in May effectively cut off Huaweis global supply of semiconductors, prompting the UK to reverse an earlier decision after concluding that Huawei may need to use insecure replacement technology that could increase security risks. In January, the UK had agreed to allow Huawei to supply up to a 35 per cent share in the noncore parts of Britains 5G network.

If France and Germany believe there is a genuine security concern around China or Huaweis ability to infiltrate networks  then their approach will be less vocal as they dont want to be seen as being pushed around by a currently fickle US government, said Piff.

While technical reasons would normally be cited for banning a supplier like Huawei, it has now become a political decision given the tech war between China and the US and recriminations over Chinas initial handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The [UK] decision has looked more and more likely as the US-UK-Sino relationship has deteriorated over the past few months, said Dan Ridsdale, global head of TMT for Edison Group. There are clearly legitimate security concerns around Huawei, particularly given that as a result of the trade ban, equipment will now be built more and more from Chinese components.

The Huawei headquarters building is pictured in Reading, Britain July 14, 2020. Photo: Reuters

However, it would be clearly naive to think that the decision was based purely on security concerns, with political and trade interest parties also at play. The UK governments previous position, to allow Huawei to be deployed in the core left a more extensive ban as a bargaining chip on the table in trade negotiations, he said.

Despite the political headwinds, Huaweis UK investment plans seem to be going ahead.

The month before the UK ban was announced, Huawei received approval to break ground on a 1 billion-pound (US$1.2 billion) research and development site near Cambridge, England. In December last year, it opened a 5G innovation and experience centre in London, and this month announced plans for three new UK smartphone stores.

Moving research and development or transparency centres to other markets has been shown not to work, said Piff. Huawei and Russian cybersecurity vendor Kaspersky both have done this in an attempt to appease, mainly, the US  but neither achieved their goals.

Huawei entered the UK market in 2001 and signed a deal to upgrade British Telecoms copper broadband service in 2005, seen as a breakthrough in its operations there. BT and Vodafone Group earlier told British lawmakers they would need at least five years to swap out Huawei equipment if the government banned it from the countrys 5G networks.

Despite Huaweis heavy investment and long-term development of the UK market, its business in the UK will die, said Greg Austin, senior fellow for Cyber, Space and Future Conflict at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore.

He said the new US sanctions on Huawei forced the UK to back down and reverse its January decision. This will make it more difficult for all US allies to keep using Huawei 5G equipment, he said.

Europe was already shifting to limit Beijings influence, with EU leaders last year designating China as a systemic rival, and tensions have escalated further this year over the spread of Covid-19 and the new national security law in Hong Kong.

Long term, Huawei is at the whim of the Chinese government  Chinas international diplomacy efforts are not being well received by any Western economy, said Piff. One could say China is pressing all the wrong buttons at the same time, and so the levels of trust with anything from China is at an all-time low.

Huawei had better get used to a new, spartan future, unless political emotions in the rest of the world change drastically [and that is] something I do not [see happening].

Purchase the 120+ page China Internet Report 2020 Pro Edition, brought to you by SCMP Research, and enjoy a 30% discount (original price US$400). The report includes deep-dive analysis, trends, and case studies on the 10 most important internet sectors. Now in its 3rd year, this go-to source for understanding China tech also comes with exclusive access to 6+ webinars with C-level executives, including Charles Li, CEO of HKEX, James Peng, CEO/founder of Pony.ai, and senior executives from Alibaba, Huawei, Kuaishou, Pinduoduo, and more. Offer valid until 31 August 2020. To purchase, please click here.

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(Newser)  Spencer Grammer, who voices Summer Smith on Rick and Morty, was injured Friday night trying to break up a fight in New York City's East Village. Grammer, who is the daughter of actor Kelsey Grammer, was, along with an unidentified 31-year-old man, trying to intervene in an altercation between an allegedly intoxicated man and workers at a restaurant. "My friend and I did what anyone else would do in the same situation. Several others, predominantly women, were also attempting to prevent the altercation from escalating," the actress says in a statement to Us. "I sustained a laceration on my arm, and my friend was stabbed in the back, but thankfully he suffered no serious internal injuries. We expect to recover quickly."

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The New York Daily News' sources say the incident started when the suspect walked up and demanded to be served, and workers refused, after which he allegedly got aggressive. "I saw a woman standing in the street, bleeding. She was just screaming, Stop,'" says one man who witnessed the scene. Police posted a video of the suspect they are searching for, CNN reports. "We want to thank the first responders and the staff at Bellevue Hospital, who provided us with excellent care," Grammer's statement continues. "They fought an incredible battle this year. It was very moving for us to have the opportunity to thank them in person." (Read more New York City stories.)
Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for Armstrong World Industries

What's the estimated valuation?

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. 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.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$202.7m US$280.2m US$332.9m US$379.0m US$418.3m US$451.4m US$479.4m US$503.5m US$524.5m US$543.3m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x1 Est @ 18.83% Est @ 13.84% Est @ 10.36% Est @ 7.92% Est @ 6.21% Est @ 5.01% Est @ 4.17% Est @ 3.59% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 9.7% US$185 US$233 US$252 US$262 US$263 US$259 US$251 US$240 US$228 US$215

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$2.4b

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After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond 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 (2.2%) 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 9.7%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$543m (1 + 2.2%)  (9.7% 2.2%) = US$7.4b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$7.4b ( 1 + 9.7%)10= US$2.9b

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 US$5.3b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of US$80.1, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 28% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

dcf

The assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual 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 Armstrong World Industries 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 9.7%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.247. 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.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For Armstrong World Industries, we've put together three further factors you should further examine:

Risks: To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Armstrong World Industries . Future Earnings: How does AWI's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. 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. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every American stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock 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.
Issues of the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis were in focus of a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Vladimir Zelensky. Both presidents hailed the additional measures to control the ceasefire in Donbass that were agreed by the Contact Group, the Kremlin press service said.



"The two presidents discussed in detail various aspects of the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. The sides agreed that it is necessary to raise the efficiency of the negotiating efforts within the Minsk Contact Group. The presidents gave a positive assessment of the additional measures to control the ceasefire that were agreed by the Contact Group on July 22 and are to come into effect on July 27. They stressed the importance of unconditional observance of these agreements by the parties to the conflict," the press service said.



The Russian sides stressed that it is a top priority to implement the resolutions taken by the leaders of the Normandy Four nations, including during their summit in Paris in December 2019.

The telephone call was initiated by the Ukrainian side, TASS reported.
Multimillionaire green energy tycoon Jo Bamford yesterday told of his "agonising" decision to pay off some workers at the Wrightbus plant in Ballymena.

Mr Bamford, who acquired the troubled bus manufacturing company after it ran out of cash last year, told Dublin's Sunday Business Post newspaper the decision to let some of its workers go had been a tough one.

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Placing the layoffs decision in the context of the coronavirus crisis and the survival of the business, the businessman told the paper: "We're OK for this year.

"We could do with more orders.

"But we want to turn it round and grow the business back again.

"We have had to let some people go.

"That has been agonising, the decision-making there."

Mr Bamford - the son of Sir Joseph Cyril Bamford, founder of the world-renowned JCB plant and machinery firm - said he was sympathetic about what the workforce has had to go through, and was well aware that money is tight for local families.

"These are not a group of people who have a bit of cash for a rainy day either," he said.

"They're people who really do need and rely on their pay cheques.

"That's why the decisions you have to make sometimes are very tough.

"It's about how you save the whole - how do you keep as many people employed as possible?

"What I'm trying to do, using whatever platform I can, is to get as many products in there for next year to get the business going in the future."

Asked if he thought his Catholic faith had been an issue in the largely Protestant area, Mr Bamford said: "I think that's irrelevant. In my view it's a personal thing. I wouldn't even think about that at all.

"My wife is an Anglican from a long line of vicars."

He also paid tribute to the work of local MP Ian Paisley in brokering the deal that saved the Wrightbus factory.

"Let me say this about Ian Paisley, whatever his politics, and I'm not into politics whatsoever, but as a local MP he worked incredibly hard," the businessman said.

"I wouldn't be in Northern Ireland if he hadn't got my number from someone, called me up, chased me, pushed me to get into there.

"Any time we want to be heard he really helps us."

Having established his operations here, Mr Bamford is convinced there's a major opportunity to build a green transport eco-system across the island.

And he's feeling optimistic about the future, sensing business openings coming from the European Union's plan to invest billions in zero-carbon hydrogen energy.

"I'm very happy we have a factory in Northern Ireland," he told the paper.

"I'd like to do a lot more in southern Ireland."
New Delhi:

Its official! India has now become an associate member of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), which is the largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory in the world.

Sekhar Basu, Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and CERN Director General Dr Fabiola Gianotti signed the agreement at the DAEs office in Mumbai on Monday.

The Union Cabinet had last year green-lit the proposal for the official entry of India into the Geneva-based body. Following this, the CERN Council accepted India as an associate member. A resolution was adopted by the CERN Council to this effect in September this year.

There are three major activities going on in our laboratoryaccelerators, detectors and computing. Indian scientist fraternity is good at all the three areas; hence we have taken decision to upgrade the status, Gianotti said.

Participation of young scientists and engineers in various CERN projects will now be enhanced. Becoming Associate Member of CERN will will also open opportunities for Indian industries to participate directly in CERN projects, Gianotti said.

For specified requirements of CERN, the industries will now be able to directly bag contracts. Earlier, the supply of required material, components and services was in the form of kind (without any charge). Now, the companies can directly bag the order and provide the services, she added.

India will now also require to contribute a certain amount of money for research activities.



This would involve annual contribution of 11.5 million swiss frank from Indian government to CERN, Gianotti said.

There had been criticism within the scientific community over the delay in India accepting the membership.

Pakistan is already an associate member of CERN.



Scientists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the Universe using the most sophisticated scientific instruments and advanced computing systems at CERN.



Presently CERN has 22 member states, four associate member states, and the observer status is given to four states and three International Organisations.



A number of national institutes and universities from India have worked together in forming an active collaboration with CERN.Participation of Indian scientists in CERN dates back to the early 1960s. In 1991, the DAE had signed a formal agreement with CERN, which continues till today.



In 2003, India was awarded the Observer status of CERN, and subsequently invited to join CERN as an associate member.



In recent years, Indian scientists have been involved in several pioneering activities at CERN. India has made significant contributions to the construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), in the areas of design, development and supply of hardware accelerator components.



Indian scientists have also played a significant role in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiments, which is one of the two large experiments that have led to the discovery of the Higgs Boson and have been named a part of the historic discovery.



(With inputs from PTI)

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Zimbabwe is accusing the United States and its allies of allegedly spearheading a regime-change agenda in the wake of the arrest of a local journalist and politician, organizing a mass protest against corruption and other issues in the southern African nation.

In a strongly-worded statement, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa dismissed reports that investigative journalist Hopewell Chinono was allegedly abducted by state security agents and dragged to the courts to face charges of inciting public violence.

Mutsvangwa said there are many journalists, who have written about corruption in the corridors of power, but have not been locked up for uncovering graft.

She claimed that Chinono and Ngarivhume are misrepresenting the circumstances leading to their arrest.

We have noted with dismay, a well-coordinated local and international misinformation, and disinformation media campaign where the duo are said to have been arrested for supposedly exposing alleged corruption cases in Government.

For the avoidance of doubt, Hopewell Chinono was not abducted. He was lawfully arrested by the Zimbabwe Republic Police. And he was not arrested for exposing corruption. He was arrested for using his social media accounts to incite Zimbabweans to violently overthrow the Government.

Mutsvangwa said the United States government was allegedly peddling this so-called misinformation for its benefit.

The role of foreign powers in this plot to instigate an illegal regime change in Zimbabwe is made apparent by a set of events and statements that followed the police operation. Within minutes of the arrival of the police at Mr Chinonos home, the US Embassy was already all over this issue which is between a sovereign country and its citizen, by tweeting and trying to bring pressure to bear on the Zimbabwean Government so it would not enforce the law of the land. Its particular interest in this one person is curious.

She said, Other Western embassies who usually take the USAs lead joined in this irregular interference by tweeting and releasing statements which were calculated to obstruct the course of justice in a hosting country.

She added that a senior U.S official issued a very derogatory and undiplomatic statement against the Government of Zimbabwe, showing condescending disrespect to a sovereign country after Zimbabwes judiciary had delivered its verdict on the two mens bail application at the Magistrates Courts.

She said Zimbabwe is keen to engage with all members of the community of nations, but will not surrender its sovereignty as a trade-off for this.

All what Zimbabwe seeks is mutual respect and non-interference in its internal affairs. Going forward, Government will not compromise on Zimbabwes national security and expects all foreign embassies hosted here to behave with propriety as set out in the Vienna Convention.

Tibor Nagy, U.S Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, said in a tweet two days after the arrest of the two that his government is concerned about the arrest of Chinono and Ngarivhume.

The United States Embassy  Harare and several other embassies had also tweeted, noting their concerns over the arrest of Chinono and Ngarivhume.

 We have travelled and suffered from their past depredations. Its not democracy they want. After all we paid a heavy price to attain it from the conquering colonials. They did not give up Zimbabwe on a platter. Its cruel self-enrichment from our resources that they seek. Please why cant you give Africa a break? As Zimbabwe we are saying: WE CANT BREATHE.

Mutsvangwa further noted that the Zimbabwean government is taking stern measures against corruption as shown by President Emmerson Mnangagwas recent dismissal of Health Minister Obadiah Moyo, who was linked to a Drax International shady deal linked to the first family and several other locals.

The government has distanced the presidents family from the $60 million deal to procure COVID-19 equipment. Indications are that the deal was struck without following proper tender procedures.
Photo: (Photo : unsplash/Waldemar Brandt)

Struggling mom, Shetara Sims, won $100 from the lottery, but even though she struggled financially, she anonymously donated it. She gave it all to a police officer who got wounded in the line of duty.

Mom gave her all

Sims is among the Americans affected by the furloughs and layoffs due to the coronavirus. The Kansas City, Missouri, resident said that she had only $7 left in her pocket when she found a dollar bill in the parking lot of a grocery store. She bought a lottery ticket using that money where she won $100.

Rakiya Edmonson, Sims' 12-year-old daughter, suggested what's best to do with the money. Rather than keeping it to themselves, Rakiya asked her mom to donate it to the family of a police officer in Kansas City. She wants to help him because the officer got shot while he was on duty.

Repaying the kindness of officers

The unfortunate incident that happened to the officer reminds Sims of her experience. In 2012, Sims' eldest daughter, sister of Rakiya, was killed, according to CNN affiliate KMBC.

The detectives who worked on Sims' daughter's case became the family's much needed support. Sims said that the detectives were there for their family. She also shared that they did things they did not have to. She added that the team was there for them more than anyone could imagine.

Anonymous donation

Sims decided to donate the lottery money to repay the officers who gave hope to her family. On July 10, she called the police department to donate $100 without leaving her name and phone number.

Soon, news of her generosity spread throughout the local police precincts. Then it further spread to the wider community. Officers were hoping to find her to repay her kindness. After days of tracking down the secret donor, they finally found her.

Kansas City Police Department Sgt. Jake Becchina expressed how grateful they were. He said that hearing Sims' thanks was very impactful and touching to them.

Officers to repay Sims

The officers started a GoFundMe page after finding out who donated the money. After hearing Sims' story, hundreds of people had reached out to help. As of writing, it has already raised $118,000.

Becchina said that kindness from people like Sims helps motivate officers to do their job well. The mother and daughter have since met with the colleagues of the officer who got shot. The wounded officer was still confined in the hospital.

See other inspiring stories:

Man drove 1,400 miles to play trombone to help brother heal

5 Siblings placed in different foster care are reunited after a couple adopted them all

Parents saved their 22-week-old baby by refusing to follow doctor's order six times

For a month, doctor cared for a baby whose parents are COVID-19 positive
Bangkok: Thai energy drink brand Red Bull has sought to distance itself from a member of the business founder's family who was involved in a hit-and-run case and had his charges dropped, as calls to boycott its products grow.

Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, grandson of the late Chaleo Yoovidhya who created the Thai energy drink Krating Daeng, or Red Bull, was accused of crashing his black Ferrari into a Bangkok policeman in 2012 and dragging his body for dozens of metres before fleeing the scene. The officer died.

Police said on Friday his charges, which included speeding, hit-and-run and reckless driving causing death, were dropped in a case that has raised questions about crime and punishment for the well-connected.

Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, whose grandfather co-founded energy drink company Red Bull, walks to get in a car as he leaves a house in London in 2017. The charges against him for a hit-and-run that killed a policeman in Thailand have been dropped. Credit:AP

TCP Group, which owns the Thai Red Bull brand, said it was run by Vorayuth's uncle and not directly associated with Vorayuth, whose father has part ownership in the international Red Bull brand that Chaleo had co-founded with an Austrian partner.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France  Mon, July 27, 2020 10:30 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669800ea 2 World coronavirus,government,coronavirus-effect,COVID-19,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

A survey released Saturday showed governments are fast losing support for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as health officials recorded a surge of more than 280,000 new cases globally two days in a row.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, widely criticized for his handling of the crisis there, appeared to credit an unproven treatment for his recovery from the virus.

And in the streets of Jerusalem and other cities, thousands called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign, in part for his management of the coronavirus crisis.

There were more than 280,000 new cases recorded globally on both Thursday and Friday, the highest daily rises since the virus emerged in China late last year, according to an AFP count based on official sources -- an alarming uptick in the spread of the virus.

Nearly a third of the world's 15.8 million infections have been registered since July 1, while the total death toll nears 640,000.

The World Health Organization said more than a million cases had been recorded in each of the last five weeks, "with over 280,000 being reported on July 24 alone".

"While no country is unaffected, this rise is driven by high transmission in large and populous countries in the Americas and South Asia," it said in a statement on Saturday.

Brazil and India had recently reported their highest daily increases, it added, while the figures remained worryingly high in the United States and South Africa -- where Trade Minister Ebrahim Patel tested positive for the virus Saturday.

The US, still the hardest-hit nation, on Friday reported its second straight day of more than 70,000 new cases and over 1,000 deaths as the virus surges in the south and west.

Bolsonaro tests negative

As governments worldwide struggle to contain the virus despite long and economically crippling lockdowns imposed on millions of people, a new survey suggested that faith in authorities is dwindling in six rich nations.

Populations in France, Germany, Britain, Japan, Sweden and the US widely believed death and infection figures to be higher than recorded, according to the study, which polled 1,000 people in each nation.

"In most countries this month, support for national governments is falling," said the report by the Kekst CNC communications consultancy.

One world leader widely criticized over his handling of the pandemic is Brazil's Bolsonaro, who was diagnosed with coronavirus on July 7.

Bolsonaro, who has downplayed what he calls "a little flu", announced on Twitter Saturday that he had finally tested negative.

In a photo accompanying the statement, he was pictured holding a packet of hydroxychloroquine, whose effectiveness against COVID-19 has not been demonstrated in clinical trials.

Brazil's biggest city Sao Paulo on Saturday said it was indefinitely postponing its 2021 carnival. Hours later, Rio de Janeiro cancelled its New Year's Eve festivities.

Thousands of Israelis protested Saturday in Jerusalem and other cities including Tel Aviv, demanding Netanyahu's resignation over his government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

They were also objecting to a new law that gives the government special powers to fight the spread of the virus until the end of 2021.

Fresh clusters

Fresh clusters, meanwhile, were emerging across Asia.

South Korea on Saturday reported its highest infections figure in nearly four months, while Vietnam recorded its first locally transmitted case in nearly 100 days.

Officials in China said they would introduce fresh measures and testing in the port city of Dalian, home to about six million people, after detecting fresh infections thee.

That did not prevent the Chinese Super League kicking off behind closed doors on Saturday. Players of Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai Shenhua observed a minute's silence for the victims of the pandemic.

Europe remains the hardest-hit continent, accounting for a fifth of the world's case count.

Belgium said Saturday it could further tighten its restrictions following the death of a three-year-old girl, the country's youngest victim of the virus.

Recent outbreaks in the Spanish regions of Aragon and Catalonia have led to fresh curbs on daily life.

Many tourists were nevertheless reluctant to cancel their plans.

"If we cancelled our holiday, which has been planned since February, we would lose the rental money," said Fanny Lievens, on route with her family to Catalonia from the southern French city of Montpellier.

In France, where infections have been rising, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on-the-spot testing for travellers arriving from 16 high-risk nations.

But he told Nice Matin newspaper he wanted above all else to avoid returning to a full lockdown because of the economic damage it did -- and the psychological harm that many people suffered.

Britain meanwhile has made it compulsory to wear a face covering in shopping centers, banks, takeaway outlets, sandwich shops and supermarkets.

And it announced Saturday it was reimposing two weeks of self-isolation on travellers arriving from Spain after a surge in cases there.
Pushkar Banakar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India banned 59 Chinese apps and various states announced no Chinese participation in their projects following the violent face off between Indian and Chinese troops along the LAC.

The telecom ministry hinted that China-based Huawei could be excluded from the 5G roll-out in the country. The US, UK have already announced similar bans and countries like Australia, Vietnam and The Philippines, who perceive China to be an aggressor, are likely to follow suit.

These changes are likely to change the global geopolitical scenario. However, experts feel that the consequences of the ban on Huawei would not have major effects on China, both strategically and economically.

5G technology is at the centre of the emerging technology and will drive the fourth industrial revolution. It relies on a series of technologies, including semiconductors, optical fibres and rare earth materials. China has begun to localize all these elements.

"In five years, it is estimated that 5G market will reach around $668 billion. A breakthrough in the download speed may enable nations to bypass 5G. The biggest issue Huawei faces at this time is the chips for its platforms from the US which will effect its global sales. Nevertheless, owing to price sensitivity, most countries along the Belt and Road initiative (BRI) are likely to opt for Huawei, B R Deepak, Sinologist and Chairperson of the Centre for Chinese and South Asian Studies at JNU, said.

Russia-based political analyst Andrew Korybko feels that the ban on Huawei is a result of pressure from the US as Washington understands the importance of 5G technology.

By pushing its primary competitor out of major markets, the US hopes to ensure that it retains full surveillance control of their governments and people. American companies cant compete with the Chinese as the latter are more affordable and technologically advanced. Thats why Washington has had to intervene in manipulating the marketplace through its information warfare narrative against Huawei, he said.

The Moscow-based analyst predicts that China will not suffer too much in the short term. Whether geopolitically or economically the effect will be mininal, as long as Beijing manages to entrench its influence more firmly in the countries where the US has been unable to seriously compete with it, he said. Korbyko goes on to add that 5G technology is inevitable and many Western countries would bend towards the US.

While this might worsen their relations with Beijing a bit, its unclear whether the damage is irreparable since both sides have an interest in continuing and even strengthening their trade and investment ties. The post-COVID trend of restructuring global supply chains might end up damaging them in the medium- and long-term much more than those countries decisions on not purchasing Chinas 5G technology, he said. A tech expert at a leading Indian telecom company said that affordability is one of the major criteria of procurement.

In the short term, many countries could afford to avoid Chinese technology but it is not sustainable economically unless there is an alternative. In the current scenario, countries would be forced to rely on Chinese 5G sooner rather than later, he said.
Diageo Global Scotch Director, John Williams, said: "We wanted to mark our 200-year journey with the launch of these four exclusive limited editions  they're a celebration of where we've come from but, more than that, they are each expressions of what's possible today and into tomorrow, and that's exciting.

"John's spark, vision and entrepreneurial fire were the impetus to growing the John Walker name, our business and ultimately a new future for Scotch whisky. This year we're celebrating the steps he first took - steps that have inspired generations of our whisky makers and are at the heart of everything we do today and will do tomorrow."

Each anniversary release celebrates a unique part of this 200 year journey:

JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL 200TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION DESIGN

This new limited edition design features stunning illustrations that bring to life the 200-year journey of John Walker & Sons and Johnnie Walker, paying homage to some of the great cities and countries that have been part of this inspiring story since 1820.

JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL LEGENDARY EIGHT

This exclusive release celebrates 200 years of craft. It is a smooth, mellow Scotch crafted using whisky hand selected from only eight legendary distilleries that all existed in 1820, including some very rare expressions from long-closed "ghost" distilleries.

JOHN WALKER & SONS CELEBRATORY BLEND

This limited edition release is inspired by a breakthrough moment in John Walker & Sons' history - the launch of Old Highland Whisky in the 1860s. This rich and complex Scotch is inspired by the flavours found in the Walker family's grocery store during that period and is crafted with whiskies from distilleries operating at the time.

JOHN WALKER & SONS BICENTENARY BLEND

This exceptional whisky is a sensorial journey down the fragrant aisles of John Walker's original grocery store in Scotland with rich layers that re-imagine the exotic flavours that shaped John Walker's imagination. It is crafted with rare and exceptional whiskies, all aged for at least 28 years, including whiskies from long-closed "ghost" distilleries such as Pittyvaich, Cambus and soon to be re-opened Port Ellen.

Johnnie Walker Master Blender, Jim Beveridge, said: "Each of these exclusive releases bring a fresh perspective to our 200th anniversary story and are the perfect way to celebrate this moment for Johnnie Walker. It feels very apt to be announcing them this week to coincide with John Walker's birthday[2]."

The launch of these 200th anniversary releases follows the announcement of a 185 million investment[3] in Scotch tourism from parent company, Diageo, with a host of new multi-sensory, immersive whisky experiences across Scotland and their most recent announcement of a new paper-based bottle launching with Johnnie Walker in 2021[4], a world-first in the drinks industry, to spearhead a more sustainable future for Scotch as the brand looks to the next 200 years.

All four exclusive releases will launch from October onwards, subject to market distribution and availability, for a limited period only.*

For further information, please see here: https://www.johnniewalker.com/en/our-whisky/limited-edition-whiskies/

Notes to Editors:

*Variants, availability and price points will differ per market. Please get in touch with your local Johnnie Walker team for more information.

About Johnnie Walker:

2020 marks 200 years since Johnnie Walker founder, John Walker, first threw open the doors to a grocer's shop in Scotland and began a journey that brought the brand from the four corners of Scotland to the four corners of the world.

Today, Johnnie Walker is the world's number one Scotch whisky brand (IWSR 2019) enjoyed by people in over 180 countries. Since the time of its founder, those who blend its whiskies have pursued flavour and quality above else.

In those early days of John Walker, the business that became Johnnie Walker carried the name of the founder and during the 19th century the business was selling whiskies under the name of John Walker & Sons. Consumers began using Johnnie Walker and the name was adopted in 1908.

Today's range of award-winning whiskies includes Johnnie Walker Red Label, Black Label, Double Black, Green Label, Gold Label Reserve, Aged 18 Years and Blue Label. Together they account for over 19 million cases sold annually (IWSR, 2018), making Johnnie Walker the most popular Scotch Whisky brand in the world.

About Diageo:

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan's and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff and Ciroc vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

[1] IWSR 2019

[2] John Walker's birthday: 25th July

[3] 'Flagship Johnnie Walker attraction gets green light'

[4] 'Diageo announces creation of world's first ever 100% plastic free paper-based spirits bottle'

SOURCE Johnnie Walker
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 19:21:22|Editor: huaxia

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DALIAN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1.68 million people have been sampled for nucleic acid tests in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, since the city began large-scale testing on Sunday following reports of new COVID-19 cases.

On Sunday alone, more than 1.25 million samples were collected in the city.

According to Zhao Lian, deputy director of the municipal health commission, 6,145 medics have been mobilized to conduct nucleic acid tests at 1,928 test sites across the city, after new domestically-transmitted COVID-19 cases began to emerge in the city on July 22.

Dalian reported 14 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing its total new domestically-transmitted cases to 38 since July 22.

The city had asked residents to refrain from leaving the city. Those who have to leave have been advised to carry proof of negative nucleic acid test results, conducted within seven days. Enditem
Asian Americans are a rising political force. In 2013, Grace Meng became New Yorks first Asian American representative in Congress. While John Lius groundbreaking mayoral campaign fell short later that year, politicians of Asian descent  like Assembly Members Ron Kim and Yuh-Line Niou, state Sen. Kevin Thomas, and even Liu himself, now a state senator  have boosted representation in Albany. And many more Asian Americans are in positions of power, whether its running a government agency, delivering services in the nonprofit arena, or achieving change through political or policy campaigns.

Yet the battle is not over. Despite being New Yorks fastest growing minority population, the disparate and diverse group remains underrepresented in elected office. They have been overlooked, perhaps most notably in the de Blasio administrations efforts to scrap New York Citys exam for admission into elite public high schools. Many face myriad challenges as immigrants, especially those who are undocumented. And the coronavirus pandemic poses a dual threat  a grave health risk compounded by racist stereotypes and misplaced blame on Asian Americans that have spurred a dismaying increase in hate crimes.

This year, weve identified the power players in the Asian community who are on the front lines of these and many other battles. Were proud to introduce the Asian 100.

1. Grace Meng

Congress Member

United States House of Representatives

As New Yorks first and only Asian American U.S. Congress member, Grace Meng has a support base that extends beyond her district boundaries. The Taiwanese American congresswoman is a member of the influential House Appropriations Committee, which gives her a bigger role in boosting turnout on the 2020 Census among her constituents in Queens. She is also one of a select few vice chairs on the Democratic National Committee.

2. John Liu

State Senator

Winnie Au

John Liu is often first  he was the first Asian American in the New York City Council, in a citywide post as comptroller, and in the state Senate  yet his 2013 bid to be the citys first Asian American mayor fell short. The Taiwanese American legislator, who chairs the New York City Education Committee, criticized Mayor Bill de Blasios exclusion of Asian Americans in efforts to diversify specialized high schools as racist.

RELATED: John Liu, iron man

3. Andrew Yang

Former Presidential Candidate

Shutterstock

As the first Asian American presidential candidate to gain national prominence, Andrew Yang shocked naysayers when he qualified for every Demoractic debate during his campaign  the only candidate of color to do so. Yang might not have deep ties in New York politics just yet, but many predict the native New Yorker could capitalize on his new fame in a bid for mayor in 2021.

4. Steven Choi

Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition

New York Immigration Coalition

As head of one of New Yorks leading immigration advocacy groups, Steven Choi fights for the citys more than three million immigrants. NYIC was behind the state DREAM Act, which expands financial aid to undocumented students for college, and the Green Light Law, which lets undocumented immigrants obtain drivers licenses. When the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Trump administrations move to eliminate DACA, Choi called it a victory of people over politics.

5. Neal Kwatra

Founder and CEO, Metropolitan Public Strategies

Laura Brett/Metropolitan Strategies

In addition to being one of the foremost Democratic strategists in the city, Neal Kwatra has been an instrumental force behind some of the biggest progressive shifts in New York. Kwatra secured big wins promoting offshore wind development to the state, helping the hotel workers union fight for pay and health benefits, and campaigning for the Green Light Law with the New York Immigration Coalition.

6. Ron Kim

Assembly Member

Photo courtesy New York Assembly

Ron Kim was elected as the first and only Korean American to the state Legislature in 2012. The progressive lawmaker has supported the states bail reforms and the decriminalization of sex work. To protect elderly constituents in downtown Flushing, Kim introduced legislation to repeal a provision shielding nursing homes from lawsuits during the coronavirus pandemic. He ran for New York City public advocate in 2019 on a No Amazon line.

7. Yuh-Line Niou

Assembly Member

Photo by Celeste Sloman

Since 2017, Yuh-Line Niou has been a progressive representative of the Lower East Side, earning national press for supporting Chinatown constituents affected by the pandemic. Government is not built for people like me, she told Refinery29. "I think that we can change it so that it's built for anybody to run someday. The legislator was endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, helping her fend off a primary challenge.

8. Margaret Chin

New York City Council Member

Emily Cohen

Margaret Chin took office in 2010 as the representative of District 1 of Lower Manhattan, where she grew up in Chinatown. One recent bill from Chin, a long-time advocate of low-income housing, would let property owners defer taxes until a later date, a measure meant to ease the financial strain of the pandemic on landlords and tenants. Like many of her colleagues, Chin is term-limited in 2021.

9. Phillip Eng

President, Long Island Rail Road

Since his promotion in 2018 to lead the Long Island Rail Road, Phillip Eng has overseen several major infrastructure developments to the suburban commuter rail system. Among the changes are the completion of the Nostrand Avenue station modernization, the ongoing Third Track project and improving on-time performance. Eng is now adapting to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, including an app that lets passengers know how crowded each car is.

10. Gil Quiniones

President and CEO, New York Power Authority

NYPA

The head of the nation's largest state-owned electric utility since 2011, Gil Quiniones has focused his efforts on Gov. Andrew Cuomos Reforming the Energy Vision, an initiative to encourage the increased reliance on renewable energy use and increased efficiency in New York. Quiniones, who is of Filipino descent, previously served in the Bloomberg administration and at Con Edison, and currently sits on the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority board.
Experts to discuss impact of internet and medicine on modern masculinity at major conference

Experts from around the world will discuss the impact of the internet and medicine on modern masculinity at a major conference.

Researchers will debate the changing ways people are able to act on their desires and socialise, and the complex ways in which politics and biology interact.

The online event, held from August 31 to September 11, will include keynote lectures and panels on topics including the sexual politics of science, porn, hook-up apps, and how the AIDS epidemic has affected the way gay communities meet.

The free conference, open to all, will feature presentations by art historians, geographers, anthropologists, public health researchers, sociologists, media experts and cultural theorists.

Dr Joao Florencio, from the University of Exeter, who is organising the event, said: Were living in a viral world in many ways - the age of memes, fake news, hacking, epidemics, ecological crisis, global migration flows, online dating, and antiretroviral drugs. This can bring both new forms of control through medication, cyber security, monitoring and surveillance systems, but it can also open up to new ways of feeling and spend time with one another other socially and intimately.

Im delighted we have such a prestigious group of researchers and experts from around the world who will come together to discuss these complex issues and I hope as many people will be able to join us virtually.

Topics discussed at the event include Viagra spam, masculinity in YouTube videos, online porn, masculinity in the Philippines, the politics behind the use of PrEP and the role of drugs on how people socially construct their masculinity, the impact of PrEP on the cultural memory of AIDS, teenage fiction and fantasies of bodily contagion.

The conference will also include the virtual launch of Dr Florencios new book Bareback Porn, Porous Masculinities, Queer Futures: The Ethics of Becoming-Pig, published by Routledge.

Keynote speakers Professor Tim Dean from the University of Illinois, Professor Susanna Paasonen from the University of Turku, and Professor John Mercer from Birmingham City University will be joined by other expert speakers based at institutions in the UK, USA, Canada, Denmark, Switzerland, the Philippines, Germany, Brazil, India, Australia, and New Zealand.

http://porousmasculinities.exeter.ac.uk/conference/
The report said that out of 1,903 government senior secondary schools in the state, 1,204 achieved 100 percent result.

Students who have secured above 98 percent in the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class 12 board examination 2020 will be receiving a cash prize of Rs 5,100 each.

CM @capt_amarinder Singh announced a cash prize of Rs. 5,100 each for 335 students who scored above 98% in PSEB Class 12th exams and also appreciated the hard work of teachers in achieving an unprecedented pass percentage of 94.32 in Govt Schools. pic.twitter.com/PsEogxwITV  CMO Punjab (@CMOPb) July 25, 2020

According to a report by The Indian Express, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has announced the decision during his weekly live interaction session #AskCaptain on Facebook.

The report said that out of 1,903 government senior secondary schools in the state, 1,204 achieved 100 percent result. Only 528 private schools, out of 1,718, could manage to get 100 percent result.

As per a report by Hindustan Times, as many as 335 students from across the state of Punjab will be getting the cash price. It includes 52 students from Ludhiana.

The report quoted Akashdeep Singh of Government Senior Secondary School who bagged 99.33 percent saying that he would keep the money in his savings account. Akashdeep aspires to be a lawyer and will be utilising the money in his further studies.

Jasdeep Kaur of Government Girls Senior Secondary School who secured 98.22 percent marks said that the cash prize will help her take admission in a law college, but she is worried about how she will be paying the semester fees due to financial constraints at her home.

A report by Jagran Josh said that the Punjab chief minister lauded the hard work of the government school teachers who prepared the students for the examinations.

The chief minister said that the state government has launched a slew of initiatives to ensure that the quality education in the government schools improves.

He also clarified that the exam for Open School Students that are still pending will be held later. The students will be for now get provisional admission to higher classes.

The PSEB declared the Class 12 result on 21 July. The pass percentage of government schools this year was 94.32 percent, affiliated schools was 91.84 percent, and associated schools was 87.04 percent.

The overall pass percentage recorded this year was at 90.98 percent. Girls have performed better with 94.83 percent, whereas 90.99 percent boys passed the board exam.
News  International

At least 24 Rohingya migrants feared drowned off Malaysia
(Natural News) To fix the problems in society that lead to so-called social injustices  such as the recent George Floyd incident  the leftist mob is insistent that all police departments need to be defunded. But arguably the biggest purveyor of hate that is stirring up the masses to commit heinous acts of violence and destruction against others is the mainstream media, which for the past nearly 25 years has been funded mainly by direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertising.

It 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made the decision to allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise their latest and greatest drugs directly to consumers on television and radio, creating millions of new drug customers while financially paving the way for the media to take control of all news narratives.

Now, whenever something big is said to happen in the world, the Big Pharma-fed media whips everyone up into a flurry, one of the most recent examples of this again being the George Floyd riots and looting, which the media dubbed as protests. Were it not for this well-funded media machine pumping the nation and world with nonstop race propaganda, most people probably would have moved on with their lives by now.

Because of direct-to-consumer drug advertising, however, the Big Media conglomerates have an endless gravy train to continue inciting more riots and violence, and very little can be done to stop them. This is the nature of Big Pharma-Big Media collusion, which is a much bigger threat to peoples freedoms and liberties than any police department.

Prior to 1997, drug companies were not permitted to sell drugs directly to consumers in the way they do now. Only doctors who kept up on the latest drugs and knew how they worked had the legal right to suggest and dispense pharmaceuticals, and only on a case-by-case basis.

In todays world, however, drug advertising is everywhere, as is all of the drug cash that allows the mainstream media to create false narratives and spread endless propaganda for pay. All of that drug money is what keeps the media brainwashing going strong, and that keeps the people who believe it in a constant state of fear and anger over everything being shown to them.

Repealing Smith-Mundt and banning DTC advertising would go a long way in crippling the mainstream medias propaganda campaigns

A 2006 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined that the FDA has utterly failed to properly regulate DTC advertising all these years, which has turned millions of Americans into certifiable drug addicts. But nothing has thus far been done to mitigate the problem, which means the fake news brigade, rife with cash from DTC drug advertising, is as strong as ever.

There is also the problem of the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012, an Obama administration modification of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that basically legalized the spread of fake news propaganda over the mainstream media airwaves.

Ever since Smith-Mundt has been in place, the largest media conglomerates have been churning out endless fake news stories aimed at inciting division and unrest throughout society. And again, they continue to have the funds to do this thanks to the Big Pharma advertising that appears at every commercial break.

Keep in mind that Big Pharma is one of the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful industries in the world. It also remains one of the most aggressive lobbying forces in Washington, D.C., controlling how regulatory bodies like the FDA handle the new drug approval process.

In other words, Big Pharma, Big Media, and Big Government are essentially the same, all working together to sow discord, angst, and ultimately violence among an already restless society that is desperately looking for change. The media and the government act as the mouthpieces for this agenda, while the drug industry provides funding via DTC drug advertising.

Prior to Smith-Mundt, by the way, the mainstream media was actually prohibited from spreading the type of government propaganda we constantly witness today. And prior to 1997 when DTC drug advertising suddenly became a thing, most Americans took care of themselves through nutrition and exercise, and were none the wiser as to the latest pharma pills or vaccines coming down the pipeline in the interest of public health.

Unless Smith-Mundt and DTC drug advertising laws are fully repealed, there will be no end to the mainstream media constantly stirring the pot and causing chaos with fake news. Expect to see many more plandemics, fake shootings, anti-police narratives, and other hysterical stories blasted at you 24/7 until eventually the country is left in total ruin.

You can also expect to see continued media censorship of truth in general, which is exactly what is now happening with the new Black Lives Matter (BLM) autonomous zone that is being set up in Portland. As we reported, violent BLM terrorists are turning Portland into a war zone, and the DTC drug ad-funded media is pretending as though it is nothing but a peaceful protest.

For more related news about mainstream media propaganda, be sure to check out Propaganda.news.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
Polish consulates issued 270,360 visas to Ukrainian citizens in the first half of this year, or 44.2% less than in the same period of 2019 (484,377), the Polish Foreign Ministry has said in response to an information request from Ukrinform.

According to the report, Poland issued 269,875 national visas (Type D) to Ukrainian citizens, or 44% less than in the first half of 2019. In addition, Ukrainians received 485 Schengen visas (Type C), or 77% less than a year earlier (2,112).

A sharp drop in the issuance of visas was recorded in the second quarter of 2020 when, due to the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Polish consulates and visa centers in Ukraine were closed between March 16 and May 4. In early May, they began partially accepting visa applications from people traveling to Poland to work in the agricultural and horticultural sectors.

In general, most Ukrainians who now cross the border with work visas or residence cards must self-quarantine for 14 days in Poland. A relaxed quarantine is possible in the agricultural sector and horticulture, where work is allowed from the first day after arrival in Poland, but with restrictions on movement outside the workplace and residence.

Ukrainians may also take a coronavirus test on the 10th day of quarantine and get the result the next day. Persons with a negative result are exempted from further quarantine.

Over 1.3 million Ukrainian citizens stayed in Poland at the end of 2019.

According to the Polish Office for Foreigners, as of the end of the first half of 2020, 237,000 Ukrainian citizens had documents for temporary or permanent residence in the country.

op
Ireland's first dedicated legal service for Travellers and has been launched by FLAC, the free legal advice centres.

The service will be supported by the Community Foundation for Ireland (CFI) and will work in cooperation with a steering group made up of representatives from the national Traveller organisations.

The aim is to empower Travellers to engage with the law as a means of combating discrimination and advancing the rights of Travellers in Irish society.

Travellers experience poor life outcomes across a range of indicators, including high levels of discrimination.

CFI had been working with the steering group on the establishment of a dedicated legal service for Travellers.

FLAC worked with the steering group on the design of the service and CFI has agreed to fund this initiative which comprises a full-time solicitor, Christopher McCann, for three years. Referrals to the service will come through national and local Traveller organisations.

National Traveller Womens Forum co-ordinator Maria Joyce welcomed the development.

The legal system plays a key role in the promotion and protection of equality and human rights for all, said Ms Joyce.

However, given the levels of racism, discrimination, and inequality experienced by Travellers, full enjoyment of these rights often require that they are enforced and clarified by the courts to ensure they are effective.

"I welcome the development of this service which we hope will lead to increased access to legal justice for Travellers."

Eilis Barry, FLAC chief executive, said the organisation is "delighted to work with the steering group on the establishment of this much needed dedicated legal service for the Traveller community".

"The project recognises that the law can be a tool to protect and enforce rights, access to justice should result in better life outcomes in terms of accommodation, and better educational and health outcomes, said Ms Barry.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  With an influx of younger and wealthier people moving to Grand Rapids, the city needs to significantly expand its supply of apartments, condos and townhomes to meet demand and ensure that low-income residents arent displaced.

A new study, conducted for the city of Grand Rapids by Housing Next, estimates that the city needs 5,340 additional apartments and 3,548 owner-occupied condos, townhomes or single-family homes by 2025.
Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City will monitor and quarantine all people arriving from the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang as three locally transmitted novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases have been recorded in the central hub over the past days.

Vice-chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee Duong Anh Duc on Sunday signed a document on enhanced efforts to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic following the increasingly complicated situation in Da Nang.

The municipal Department of Health and district-level administrations are tasked with tracking all people who have been to Da Nang City from July 1.

These people will be classified into three groups with different quarantine measures applied.

The first group, which includes individuals who had contact with or were in the same place as a COVID-19 patient, must be sent to local quarantine centers and tested as per regulations.

The second group, which consists of people with symptoms of COVID-19 and respiratory diseases, must be isolated at treatment facilities and tested for the novel coronavirus.

The third group, which includes all other people arriving from Da Nang, is required to undergo home quarantine for 14 days.

Police units were asked to work with local residents to promptly detect any cases of illegal entry.

Those who organize for people to illegally enter Vietnam or spread false news about COVID-19 will be sternly punished, according to vice-chairman Duc.

The municipal Department of Health and the Department of Information and Communications will work together to raise awareness of the epidemic among citizens, calling on everyone to wear face masks in public and apply other preventive measures.

The Department of Education and Training must carry out COVID-19 prevention and control measures during the upcoming national high school exam, scheduled to take place on August 9 and 10.

Vietnams COVID-19 tally is at 420, with 365 having recovered as of Monday morning.

The country recorded its first locally transmitted COVID-19 case after nearly 100 days on Saturday. Three other community infections were documented on Sunday.

Among the local infections, three are in Da Nang while the other is in the central province of Quang Ngai.

Authorities in both Da Nang and Quang Ngai have imposed certain social distancing regulations to control the spread of the disease.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
There's no doubt that money can be made by owning shares of unprofitable businesses. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. Nonetheless, only a fool would ignore the risk that a loss making company burns through its cash too quickly.

So, the natural question for Pebble Group (LON:PEBB) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. For the purpose of this article, we'll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). Let's start with an examination of the business' cash, relative to its cash burn.

View our latest analysis for Pebble Group

How Long Is Pebble Group's Cash Runway?

A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. In December 2019, Pebble Group had UK8.9m in cash, and was debt-free. Importantly, its cash burn was UK5.6m over the trailing twelve months. Therefore, from December 2019 it had roughly 19 months of cash runway. Notably, however, the one analyst we see covering the stock thinks that Pebble Group will break even (at a free cash flow level) before then. If that happens, then the length of its cash runway, today, would become a moot point. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.

Is Pebble Group's Revenue Growing?

Given that Pebble Group actually had positive free cash flow last year, before burning cash this year, we'll focus on its operating revenue to get a measure of the business trajectory. While it's not that amazing, we still think that the 15% increase in revenue from operations was a positive. Clearly, however, the crucial factor is whether the company will grow its business going forward. For that reason, it makes a lot of sense to take a look at our analyst forecasts for the company.

Story continues

Can Pebble Group Raise More Cash Easily?

While Pebble Group is showing solid revenue growth, it's still worth considering how easily it could raise more cash, even just to fuel faster growth. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. By looking at a company's cash burn relative to its market capitalisation, we gain insight on how much shareholders would be diluted if the company needed to raise enough cash to cover another year's cash burn.

Since it has a market capitalisation of UK176m, Pebble Group's UK5.6m in cash burn equates to about 3.2% of its market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.

Is Pebble Group's Cash Burn A Worry?

It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Pebble Group is burning through its cash. In particular, we think its cash burn relative to its market cap stands out as evidence that the company is well on top of its spending. Its cash runway wasn't quite as good, but was still rather encouraging! There's no doubt that shareholders can take a lot of heart from the fact that at least one analyst is forecasting it will reach breakeven before too long. After considering a range of factors in this article, we're pretty relaxed about its cash burn, since the company seems to be in a good position to continue to fund its growth. While it's important to consider hard data like the metrics discussed above, many investors would also be interested to note that Pebble Group insiders have been trading shares in the company. Click here to find out if they have been buying or selling.

Of course Pebble Group may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks that insiders are buying.

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.
European markets closed slightly lower on Monday as investors monitored rising diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and China, while travel stocks tumbled after the U.K. imposed quarantine measures on people returning from Spain.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 ended down around 0.3%, with travel and leisure stocks tumbling more than 3.3% to lead losses while basic resources climbed 1.3%.

European stocks struggled to follow the overnight action in Asia, where stocks broadly advanced after data showed China's industrial profit soared in June as the economy looks to bounce back from coronavirus-induced shutdowns.

However, caution remains after a fraying of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China, which saw the U.S. consulate in Chengdu shut down on Monday in compliance with a retaliatory measure from Beijing, after Washington ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston.

Tensions between the world's two largest economies, along with lingering fears about the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. and elsewhere, also pushed gold prices to new record highs in the early hours of Monday as investors sought safety. Spot gold touched as high as $1,943.9275 per ounce during Asia Pacific trading hours.
Someone new to the city might be a little confused about how Hamilton got its name.

Look at a map and youll see nearby Halton region and the Town of Milton, and that could lead to some faulty assumptions.

One might think that Halton is some kind of shorthand for Hamilton. And Milton. Ah, you can see whats going on there. They must have borrowed the last two syllables of Hamilton.

But no.

Halton comes from a British Army officer named Major William Mathew Halton who was appointed in 1805 as Secretary to Upper Canada. Apparently, he wasnt crazy about living in Canada, so he convinced his bosses that he could manage things from England. (Sounds like a bit of a forerunner to the work-from-home ethos we now find ourselves in.)

Milton was a Mill town named after the English poet John Milton.

Whereas Hamilton  with no connection to Halton or Milton  comes from the merchant, politician and War of 1812 veteran George Hamilton who founded the community. He was born in Queenston Heights and lived from 1788-1836.

He bought 257 acres of land in what is now downtown Hamilton from James Durand in January 1816. Hamilton and another land developer, Nathaniel Hughson, worked together on plans for a courthouse, jail, and house of assembly, and plotted a series of streets and lots.

In 1817, George Hamilton donated a triangular green space to be joined with a second similar-shaped property owned by Hughson for a town square. But Hughson reneged leaving only the Hamilton portion.

That property evolved to become Gore Park (named Gore because of it being in the shape of a triangle).

Meanwhile, the town developers lobbied government officials for civic status and eventually the community was incorporated as a police village in 1833 and became a city in 1846.

This Monday, the city will pay its annual homage with George Hamilton Day, although no public events are scheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic  only an online acknowledgement.

No one alive today knows what George Hamilton looked like. There are no statues or monuments to him other than his gravestone at Hamilton Cemetery.

Photography had not made its way to Hamilton during his lifetime, so there are no photos.

And apparently he never sat still long enough to have a portrait painted.

There was a bogus picture of a man with a big beard and top hat that purported to be him. It was paraded around during a 1913 civic celebration  a major commemoration that was based on strange arithmetic about it being a Centennial year.

As well, there is a silhouette that some believed to be a likeness of him. But it is so lacking in detail that it could be almost anyone.

David Ricketts, a third great grandson of Hamilton, wonders sometimes what his famous forebear looked like.

He has a pen-and-ink sketch of George Hamiltons father, Robert, from the Niagara area. He died in 1809 at the age of 56. The drawing, which he believes to be legitimate, looks nothing like the bearded man. It further convinces Ricketts that the big bearded portrait is fake.

George Hamilton lived in an era when slavery took place in the area and his father, Robert, has been described as a slave owner. But Georges involvement is unclear, says McMaster history professor John Weaver, who has researched Hamiltons life. Ive wondered about this myself, he says. But he has not found historical evidence to show George owned slaves.

In the Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, Weaver writes, George Hamilton deserves attention as one of a handful of important Canadians who recognized the colonys special needs and possibilities at an early date.

As a private town developer, Hamiltons record was mixed; he literally created the town, but he clearly tried to shape it to benefit his private fortunes.

But say what you want, he left quite a legacy.

The small town of hundreds he built in the early 1800s, now has a population of more than 550,000.

In fact, it became so big that the expanding sprawl uprooted him out of his quiet grave near the bottom of Jolley Cut in the 1950s.

His remains were moved to Hamilton Cemetery on York Boulevard because of road construction.

Interesting to wonder whether George Hamilton would be dismayed by the disturbance or pleased to get out of the way of the growing city he created.

Long and Bisby post script

The Long and Bisby building, the subject of last weeks column, continues to be vandalized.

Overnight July 19, the vacant building on Sanatorium Road was broken into leaving the front entrance in shambles and then, on July 24, the Hamilton Fire Department responded to a fire that was easily put out and has been listed as non-suspicious.

Graham Carroll saw the aftermath of both incidents and shakes his head.

Carroll is on the citys Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee and volunteers his time to keep an eye on the building along with other structures that are of historic interest but vulnerable to destruction. He says since September 2019 hes come upon evidence of break-ins nearly ten times at Long and Bisby.

Meanwhile, the property  that is the last building remaining from the citys Sanatorium that was built more than a century ago  continues to go through a heritage review process by the city amid a housing development plan that could see it demolished.
Protesters in Seattle broke through a fence Saturday where a youth detention facility was being built, with some people setting a fire and damaging a portable trailer, authorities said.

Thousands of protesters ad gathered near downtown Seattle on Saturday in a show of solidarity with fellow demonstrators in Portland, Oregon, where tensions with federal law enforcement have boiled over.

Initially there was no sign of law enforcement near the march. Later, Seattle Police said via Twitter that about a dozen people breached the construction site for the King County youth detention facility. Also, police said protesters broke out windows at a King County court facility.

Police said they were trying to secure the construction site so fire crews could move in. Earlier this week King County Executive Dow Constantine, in response to long-standing demands by community activists, said he would work to eliminate youth detention centers in the county by 2025.

Seattles protesters had begun the rally and march over racial injustices Saturday afternoon peacefully.

Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best had announced officers would be armed with pepper spray and other weapons in a statement Saturday morning, promising officers would not use tear gas and urging demonstrators to remain peaceful.

In the spirit of offering trust and full transparency, I want to advise you that SPD officers will be carrying pepper spray and blast balls today, as would be typical for events that carry potential to include violence, Best said.

At an emergency hearing on Friday night, U.S. District Judge James Robart granted a request from the federal government to block Seattles new law prohibiting police from using pepper spray, blast balls and similar weapons.

The temporary restraining order now halts the law that the Seattle City Council passed unanimously last month after protests confrontations that have largely been peaceful but were occasionally marked by violence, looting and highway shutdowns. The law intended to de-escalate tensions between police and demonstrators was set to take effect on Sunday.

But the U.S. Department of Justice, citing Seattles longstanding police consent decree, successfully argued that banning the use of crowd control weapons could actually lead to more police use of force, leaving them only with more deadly weapons.

Robart, who is presiding over a 2012 consent decree requiring the city to address allegations of excessive force and biased policing, said the issue needed more discussion between the city and the Justice Department before that law could go into effect.

Best said Robarts order allows officers to use the less-lethal crowd management tools.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Law Enforcement
DUBLIN, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Research Report of Mobile Phone Exports in China 2020-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

According to the analyst, from 2017 to 2019, the total volume of China's mobile phone exports declined from 1,213.22 million to 994.09 million.

Although the total export volume showed a trend of decreasing, the export value in 2018 increased by 11.52% compared to 2017, reaching USD 140.64 billion. China's mobile phone export price was also at the highest level in 2018, increasing by 20.92% year on year, due to the rapid development of domestic high-end smartphones and the rising cost of core parts.

2018 is a year of a strong rise in domestic smartphones, especially high-end ones. The competitiveness of domestic medium and high-end smartphones represented by Huawei mobile phones has been enhanced and even penetrated the price band exclusive to Apple mobile phones.

Hong Kong is always the biggest market in China's mobile phone export destinations.

According to the analyst, more than half of China's mobile phone exports came from Guangdong Province. Huaqiangbei, located in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, is the most prosperous commercial street in Shenzhen, also the main hub of domestic electronic product circulation, especially famous for its mobile phone wholesale and retail business.

China's government encourages enterprises to export mobile phones, with an export tax rebate rate 13%, while the USA levied additional duty on Chinese mobile phones.



Research Coverage



Economic Environment of the Mobile Phone Industry in China

Policies in the Exported Mobile Phone Industry in China

Analysis of the Supply of Mobile Phones in China

Analysis of Exported Mobile Phones in China

Analysis of Major Destinations of Exported Mobile Phones in China

Price Trends of Exported Mobile Phones in China

Key Topics Covered



1 Classification and Policy of Mobile Phones

1.1 Classification of Mobile Phones in China

1.2 Related Policies about China's Mobile Phone Exports



2 China's Mobile Phone Export, 2017-2020

2.1 Export Volume of Mobile Phones in China, 2017-2020

2.1.1 Total Export Volume of Mobile Phones in China

2.2 Export Value of Mobile Phones by China, 2017-2020

2.2.1 Total Export Value of Mobile Phones in China

2.2.2 Export Value of Segmented Products of Mobile Phones in China

2.3 Export Price of Mobile Phones by China, 2017-2020

2.3.1 Average Export Price of Mobile Phones in China



3 Major Destinations of Mobile Phone Exports by China, 2017-2020

3.1 Major Destinations of Mobile Phone Exports by China, 2017

3.2 Major Destinations of Mobile Phone Exports by China, 2018

3.3 Major Destinations of Mobile Phone Exports by China, 2019

3.4 Major Destinations of Mobile Phone Exports by China, 2020



4 Major Departures of Mobile Phone Exports by China, 2017-2020

4.1 Major Departures of Mobile Phone Exports by China, 2017

4.2 Major Departures of Mobile Phone Exports by China, 2018

4.3 Major Departures of Mobile Phone Exports by China, 2019

4.4 Major Departures of Mobile Phone Exports by China, 2020



Table of Selected Charts



Classification of Mobile Phones in China

Related Policies about China's Mobile Phone Exports

Mobile Phone Exports Export Volume of Mobile Phones from China , 2017-2020

, 2017-2020 Penetration of Chinese Mobile Phones in Germany and India

and Export Value of Mobile Phones from China , 2017-2020

, 2017-2020 Average Export Price of Mobile Phones from China , 2017-2020

, 2017-2020 Major Destinations of Mobile Phone Exports by China , 2017

, 2017 Major Destinations of Mobile Phone Exports by China , 2018

, 2018 Major Destinations of Mobile Phone Exports by China , 2019

, 2019 Major Destinations of Mobile Phone Exports by China , 2020

, 2020 Major Departures of Mobile Phone Exports by China , 2017

, 2017 Major Departures of Mobile Phone Exports by China , 2018

, 2018 Major Departures of Mobile Phone Exports by China , 2019

, 2019 Major Departures of Mobile Phone Exports by China , 2020

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8f6agf

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.



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Gurugram (Haryana) [India], July 27 (ANI/NewsVoir): Wazir Advisors, one of India's leading management consulting firms focused on the apparel, textiles, consumer goods and skilling sectors, today announced the launch of its Agriculture, Dairy and Food Processing vertical.

It expects this new division to contribute 20 per cent of the company's business over the next two years. It further announced that Ritwik Bahuguna, a seasoned professional in this space, will be leading this new practice.

The ADFP vertical at Wazir will provide strategic and operational advisory and implementation assistance to private sector businesses, international donors and non-government organizations and policy advocacy services to governments.

Ritwik's team has a footprint in Asia and Africa which it will look to expand in the next few years. The focus sectors in this practice will include food processing-based industrial parks/mega food parks, agri-inputs, agro-logistics, warehousing, cold chain infrastructure, dairy farms and milk processing facilities, standalone food processing and packaging units, skill development and organized farming.

The ADFP team has already started engagements and discussions with CG Foods (Wai Wai noodles), Haldiram's, Nath Group and various SMEs on how businesses can be realigned in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. The team aims to become a partner of choice of some of India's leading food and FMCG companies over the next 12-18 months.

"Since 2009, Wazir Advisors has been working in sectors such as Textiles, Apparel, Retail, Consumer Goods and Skill Development. The evolution of these sectors has played a major role in India's economic growth and employment generation. We have been continuously evaluating other sectors that offer similar potential for economic growth and employment creation for the Indian economy wherein our understanding of evolving markets and consumer behavior can add meaningful value to all stakeholders," said Harminder Sahni, Founder and Managing Director, Wazir Advisors.

"Finally, we are launching our Agriculture, Dairy and Food Processing (ADFP) Vertical offering all Wazir services; Strategy Development, Implementation Assistance, Alliances Facilitation (M & A, JVs and Fund Raising) and Skill Development. The Food Processing sector holds even greater promise of growth in the post COVID-19 era. It is a USD 550 bn market growing at a CAGR of approximately 15 per cent," said Sahni.

"We believe that our team's sectoral expertise combined with our comprehensive offering - sourcing, manufacturing, supply chain, marketing and retail - will be a key differentiator. I would like to welcome Ritwik Bahuguna, who I have known for more than 10 years now, and am confident that Ritwik with his several years of hands-on experience in ADFP across geographies will help us get a head start," Sahni added.

"I look forward to leading this vertical at Wazir. More than half of India's population depends on these sectors directly or indirectly as a source of livelihood. We foresee that in the post COVID-19 era, global food supply chains will undergo major realignments. Given India's inherent strengths and renewed focus from Government, India can emerge as a major global sourcing hub and also a major consumption market, thus creating a huge opportunity for Indian businesses and start-ups. I look forward to working with an industry veteran like Harminder to grow this practice in the coming years," said Ritwik Bahuguna, Partner, Wazir Advisors.

Ritwik Bahuguna has a diverse global experience in agriculture, food processing and dairy industries. He has worked with World Bank on numerous agribusiness and dairy development programs. He has also acted as an advisor to various central and provincial governments (in Asia and Africa) in policy formulation.

Ritwik is an advisory board member for prominent food and FMCG brands. Ritwik has worked closely with start-ups as well as established organizations across agribusiness and other industries over the last decade.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a tweet on Sunday, Austin Mayor Steve Adler said there are "too many guns" in the city and that he is "heartbroken" after a shooting during a local Black Lives Matter protest left one dead on Saturday.

In a video posted Sunday on Facebook, the Austin Police Department said a demonstrator identified as 28-year-old Garrett Foster was shot as he walked toward a car while carrying an AK-47 assault riffle.

Police said witnesses told them the disturbance began when a vehicle started honking its horn as it turned onto Congress Avenue in downtown Austin just before 10 p.m. Saturday. A crowd of people surrounded the vehicle and began striking it.

The driver then opened fire from inside the car as Foster approached, according to police. Another person in the crowd pulled out a handgun and shot at the vehicle as it sped away, police said.

Foster was rushed to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

READ ALSO: Mosquitoes in Austin test positive for West Nile virus

The driver, who called 911 after the shooting, said he shot Foster because he pointed his rifle directly at him, police said.

Both the driver and the person who fired at the vehicle as it sped away were questioned and released. Both had state-issued handgun licenses, police said.

"In a split moment, three guns were drawn, eight shots were fired, and a protester was tragically killed," Adler wrote in his tweet. "This is horrible as is all gun violence. Our city is shaken and, like so many in our community, Im heartbroken and stunned."

As the investigation continues, police are asking the community to provide any photos or videos they may have from the shooting by calling 512-974-TIPS or 512-472-8477.

See the full Facebook video from the APD below:

APD Chief of Police Brian Manley provides media briefing in regards to Homicide #28 that occurred Saturday night. Posted by Austin Police Department on Sunday, July 26, 2020

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre
Q: Ive been with my boyfriend for a few years. But ever since we moved in together, hes been messing up!

One day hell forget groceries, the next day he forgets the dogs poop bags, etc.

Now, ever since Covid struck hes been having a lot of anxiety, including night terrors where he screams for hours, then gets scared that he has the virus when he wakes up with a sore throat.

Ive been able to deal with all this, but his recent attack was just bizarre.

Around 2 a.m. he awoke with another night terror. It ended at around 2:30, but in the morning I found his bowel movement in the sink as if he confused it with the toilet!

I did what was necessary but said nothing, not wanting to shame him.

At lunchtime he proposed to me! I said Yes, without a second thought but now Im having doubts.

Also, if I bail now, I have nowhere to go because of Covid. What should I do?

A Bride or Bail?

A: Dont bail now, youve been a remarkable partner and he still needs your support and encouragement for getting professional help.

Dont start wedding plans either. This isnt a good time for extra pressure on him from any other focus than his well-being (yours, too, based on finding out whats causing his reaction.)

Ask his family doctor for referral to a specialist in severe anxiety and night terrors.

There may be a past trauma thats aroused his fears or some other cause, but his confusion and terror need attention as soon as possible.

This is also not the time to add new worries for yourself about where youd go if you eventually leave.

Deal with the immediate situation.

FEEDBACK Regarding the father whose daughter asked him whether hed cheated on her mother (July 4):

Reader No. 1: First he has to decide if hes going to be honest or not. Of course he has to be.

You wrote: She needs to contemplate the future from the perspective of her life experience to date. Youre right on.

This is exactly what shes doing and my intuition is that shes seeing cheating going on all around (Ellie: in society). That could well be the biggest reason for the question.

She has to settle on what her expectations and those of her prospective mate are around fidelity. This could get really complicated. I kept it simple.

I married late (38) and we never discussed this, but my wife fooled around in her first marriage and carried the guilt for decades.

I fooled around lots as a single guy but simply made my own commitment to be loyal. Its worked out well over 32 years.

Reader No. 2: As someone cheated on by a man whose father was a cheater, I wouldve liked to have known what I was to expect after 17 years of marriage.

My ex-husband was exactly like his cheating, cruel, abusive father despite promising me he was nothing like him.

Infidelity is a family issue. When there are children involved, its cruel and the damage it does to the person being cheated on is lifelong.

Ellie: Looking to a prospective partners parents can be very instructive. Your husband had acknowledged his fathers flaws, so the warning was out there, even though your husband promised hed be different.

Yours is a sad, cautionary story, but different from the conversation between a bride-to-be and her father, with no known evidence of cheating.

Ellies tip of the day

When night terrors/bizarre behaviour occur, focus on the immediate situation and seek professional guidance.
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will shift his focus to American energy dominance during a stop in Texas later this week that will include his first visit to an oil rig.

During the stop Wednesday at Double Eagle Energy in the west Texas city of Midland, Trump will discuss how the U.S. is achieving energy dominance by cutting regulations, simplifying permitting and encouraging private investment in energy infrastructure, the White House said.

Trump will also tour an oil rig in Midland, the city where former President George W. Bush was raised and where he met his wife, Laura, who was born there.

While in Texas, Trump will raise money for the Republican Party and his reelection campaign at a fundraising luncheon with supporters in nearby Odessa.

It will be Trumps 16th visit as president to Texas, the White House said. He won the state in 2016 by 9 percentage points over Democrat Hillary Clinton, and Democrats are hoping for a more competitive race this year against Biden if not an outright Biden win.

Double Eagle Energy says it is one of the largest operators in the Permian Basin, covering parts of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico.

The White House said Trump has taken steps to help the energy industry recover after the coronavirus outbreak caused demand for energy and prices to plummet as people stayed home to avoid becoming infected.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Taapsee Pannu, engaged with actor Kangan Ranaut in a back and forth since she termed her a B-grade actor and a desperate outsider in n interview, has shared a cryptic post on Instagram. The actor shared a black-and-white picture along with a quote by legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

She captioned the picture, Kill them with success and bury them with a smile - Bolt @diamirzaofficial. The actor can be seen laughing in the picture and tagged her Thappad co-star Dia Mirza in the post.

Dia reacted to it with a heart, hug and a high-five emoji. Taapsees Saand Ki Aankh co-star Bhumi Pednekar called her, Cutie in the comments section. Her follower Abhilash Thapaliyal added to Taapsees caption, And wear the specs so that u can see them burning clearly along with a laughing emoji.

On Monday, Taapsee shared a screenshot of a recent interview of Kangana, and captioned it, And this one also. Bas last, with laughing emojis. The actor seems to have taken a subtle dig at Kangana Ranaut, who said in an interview that she didnt know Sushant Singh Rajput personally. The Queen actor has demanding justice for the late actor, claiming he was a victim of nepotism.

And this one also. Bas last  https://t.co/Fe3kVBP09c  taapsee pannu (@taapsee) July 26, 2020

Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs sister Shweta shares their chat from June 10, reveals story of his birth: Wish Ill wake up to see my Bhai

Kangana had told Bombay Times in an interview, Sushant and I, we never really crossed paths. But we were always really close, you know. For example, when he was new, we had a common friend called Sandip Ssingh. He even came to one of my birthdays I think, my 25th birthday, with Ankita. I remember speaking to Ankita that night and not him. Later, I knew that he was doing Ram-Leela, and then he did not do it. I used to get all the updates. Kamal Jain, who was the producer of Manikarnika, worked with Sushant in the Dhoni film also. Every now and then, he used to talk about Sushant. When I was learning horse riding, he used to say that he organised the training for Sushant also. He used to wake up at 4am and finish the training at 6am. Once at Kamal jis office, I had reached and Sushant had just left. There was some kind of connection, but nothing direct.

...simply trying to humiliate struggle of a great woman like Kangana who not only put her glorious career at stake but even her own life in danger, shame on such greedy people (2/2)  Team Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) July 26, 2020

Kanganas team reacted to Taapsees recent interview on Twitter by saying, Taapsee ji said she cant do drama for TRPs its a shame for a non existent career of hers she is trying to sabotage justice that whole nation wants for Sushant. For TRPs one needs valid points, brains, cohesive narrative and articulation.. They added in following tweet, ...simply trying to humiliate struggle of a great woman like Kangana who not only put her glorious career at stake but even her own life in danger, shame on such greedy people.

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Gardai preserve the scene where a car was burnt out close to the scene of the fatal shooting in Ballyfermot. Photo by Steve Humphreys 27th July 2020

Gardai at the scene of the fatal shooting in Ballyfermot. Photo by Steve Humphreys - 27th July 2020

A MANHUNT has been launched by gardai after a man who had just returned home from England was gunned down on the doorstep of a Dublin house.

The victim, named as Thomas McCarthy (55), was targeted as he answered the front door of the house in Croftwood Park, Cherry Orchard at around 11am.

It's understood he was shot up to eight times.

Superintendent Tony Twomey led a briefing this afternoon at Ballyfermot Garda Station.

The gunman fled the scene in a car and a vehicle has been located burnt out close to where the shooting happened and gardai are investigating if this was used in the gun attack.

Supt Twomey said gardai are interested in a Ford Fiesta, which was found burnt out on Le Fanu Drive and a silver Skoda Octavia which travelled from Killeen Road to Monksfield Walk/Lawns area of Clondalkin.

Its believed the loan gunman drove the Fiesta to the shooting and then burnt it out before getting into the Octavia to flee.

A male abandoned the car in Monksfield Walk and left the area towards a green area adjacent. We have no further information of travel after that location, Supt Twomey said.

We are appealing to motorists and pedestrians who may have been in any of those locations between 10.30am and 11.30am and who may have seen anything unusual. We are also appealing for anyone with dashcam phone footage.

Supt Twomey said though its early in the investigation it seemed the two vehicles were used by the lone gunman.

The (victim) had recently returned to Ireland and we are still trying to establish a motive.

Its the early stages so theres a lot of information to gather. We are really interested in seeing what the public have seen.

There were other people in the house.

The garda confirmed they were members of the mans family.

But he refused to comment on if the shooting was a planned execution, reiterating it was too early.

A senior source said that gardai are investigating whether four shots were discharged at the victim when he answered the door of the Ballyfermot property and another four shots were fired at him inside the house as he attempted to flee from at least one gunman.

The victim is not known to gardai and officers are investigating whether he recently returned home from England.

Gardai at Ballyfermot are investigating the shooting.

Several emergency services personnel including armed gardai are currently at the scene.

"Gardai are investigating a fatal shooting incident that occurred at a house in the Croftwood Park area of Ballyfermot on 27/07/2020 at approximately 11am," a garda spokesperson said.



"A man received a number of gunshot wounds and has been pronounced dead at the scene.



"The scene is currently preserved for a technical examination."

The house was sealed off this morning and members of the garda technical bureau were gathering forensic evidence at the scene.

Neighbours said they heard shots this morning but did not see anybody escaping the scene.

All we saw was the commotion afterwards, garda and the armed support unit, and the and the ambulance was there for a while, said one local woman.

A 05 registered silver saloon car was located on fire nearby and is being examined as the probable getaway car.

Local councillor Daithi Doolan condemned the shooting.

"The shooting in Cherry Orchard this morning was wrong. I totally condemn It. It is an attack on the whole community," he said.

"Cherry Orchard is a great community. It is full of hardworking families. This gun attack will not undo or distract us from the good work we are doing at local level. We will redouble our efforts to make Cherry Orchard a great place to live.

"This community will not be held to ransom by these criminals. We must ensure those involved are arrested and face the full rigours of the law. I encourage anyone with information to please contact the Gardai."

Anyone with dashcam, or mobile phone footage or any information is asked to call Ballyfermot Garda Station on 01 666 7200 or The Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

More to follow...
(TNS)  Three Idaho government websites were hacked on Sunday evening to display a message calling for the release of imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.The Idaho State Parks and Recreation, STEM Action Center and personal protective equipment supply site homepages each displayed the same content: a black background with the text Hacked by Ghost Squad Hackers displayed in blue text. Free Julian Assange! Journalism is not a crime! reads a message displayed underneath a GIF of V, the Guy Fawkes mask-wearing vigilante from the 2005 film V for Vendetta.A Twitter account for Ghost Squad Hackers tweeted about the website takeover shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday. Idaho government server hacked with #FreeAssange message, the tweet said.Ghost Squad Hackers is a collective of unidentified hackers, many of whom have roots with the hacktivist group Anonymous . The groups de facto leader last month told Indian news website The Wire that the groups prime intent and focus is on anti-governmental and organisation cyber protests within current involvements of media speculation and real life happenings. Recently it hacked Indian government sites, and the group has reportedly targeted the U.S. military and terrorist group ISIS in years past.The Idaho Statesman has reached out to state information technology officials for comment. By 9 p.m. Sunday, no other state websites appeared to be affected.Its not the first time state websites have been caught up in hacking incidents. In 2017, the state treasurers website was taken over with a pro-Islamic State message , and in 2018 the Idaho Legislatures website was hacked with a message written in Italian and a video from hacker group AnonPlus. No sensitive data was compromised in either incident, but a 2016 hack of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game license database raised concerns that sensitive information may have been compromised.
On Friday, July 24, the United States Department of Justice released the official court files of the Singaporean national, arrested for spying in America. According to the file, the Singaporean pleads guilty of working in a Chinese intelligence to spy in the Federal government. Here's how he did it.

China vs. USA: The hacking war issue

BBC reported Jun Wei Yeo, a Singaporean national, admits spying for the Chinese intelligence on Friday. He was charged with using his political consultancy in America.

Days before this, the U.S. government ordered China to close its consulate office in Houston, Texas. The office was said to be the capital of Chinese spying operations in the country.

Yeo's target revolves around Americans looking for a job. According to the investigation, Yeo was directed by Chinese intelligence to open up a fake consultancy office in the country wherein he also offers jobs.

He collects all the American applicants' resumes, mostly part of the U.S. military that had security clearances on its name. Once he got all the needed info, Yeo will segregate the resumes of the personnel they'll found interesting and submit it to the Chinese intelligence group.

Yeo described his job "to spot and assess Americans with access to valuable non-public information, including U.S. military and government employees with high-level security clearances."

More than 400 resumes were said to be submitted. Some of the applicants were working on the Air Force's F-35B stealth fighter-bomber project, a Pentagon army officer with Afghanistan experience, and a U.S. State Department official.

Assistant Attorney General John Demers said in a statement that Yeo has been "using career networking sites and a false consulting firm to lure Americans who might be of interest to the Chinese government."

"This is yet another example of the Chinese government's exploitation of the openness of American society," he added.

The hacking operation lasted for four years

Not only U.S. Military men were their targets, but the operation of Yeo and his team also started in 2015 up to 2019. This means that the Chinese spying operation lasted for four long years.

Officer Demers said that the reported crime was part of the Chinese Communist Party's plan to take advantage of the country's open society and exploit academic institutions.

Aside from Yeo, other Chinese personnel that got arrested were Tang Juan, who was arrested on Thursday night, and Chen Song.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Coronavirus Crisis Accelerates China's Grab For Power, Influence In Central Asia

By Reid Standish July 26, 2020

As China's enormous economy starts to rev up again with the worst of the pandemic behind it, the desperate countries of Central Asia may find their economic -- and political -- futures tied to a more assertive Beijing.

With only a relative handful of coronavirus cases remaining, China appears to be the first major economy in the world to recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic.

But the virus continues to ravage Central Asia, where the economies of its five countries were already suffering the shocks of major drops in commodity prices, a fall in remittances from migrant laborers, and a global economic slowdown that could see Central Asia's gross domestic product contract by up to 5.4 percent by the end of the year, according to the World Bank.

Such a situation leaves Beijing as the main source of help for the region.

"There are no signs that the pandemic has deterred China from its long-term objectives," Nadege Rolland, a senior fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research and a former adviser on Chinese strategic issues to the French Defense Ministry, told RFE/RL. "Beijing is still intent on seeing China rise to the top in global affairs and it sees the current disorder from the virus as a way to achieve that goal."

Not missing a beat, China held its first meeting with the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian countries via videoconference on July 16.

Discussion centered on cooperation in fighting the coronavirus and kickstarting the region's staggering economies.

Unprecedented Challenge

While China has long been one of Central Asia's dominant players, the narrow format marked a new targeted approach for Beijing with the region -- which tends to favor bilateral ties or larger blocs like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) -- as it finds growing opportunities to expand its influence against the backdrop of the pandemic.

The meeting came as the unimpeded spread of COVID-19 presents an unprecedented challenge to Central Asia that has shown the woeful condition of the region's health-care systems, laid a tremendous strain on its economies, and put its foreign relations to the test.

In addition to the new means of engaging with Central Asia that was unveiled in July, Beijing has made inroads since the pandemic began with high-profile humanitarian and medical missions and by promoting its digital technologies as a way to limit the spread of the virus.

China has also employed the SCO to help promote its narrative about its response to COVID-19 and looks set to further enmesh Eurasia within its orbit with its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a blanket term for the multibillion dollar centerpiece of Chinese President Xi Jinping's foreign policy that aims to gain influence by building infrastructure and funneling in investment.

But the pandemic has also supercharged wider trends that could have further shockwaves for Central Asia, particularly a deepening confrontation between China and the United States.

A New Cold War?

Over the last several months, tensions have escalated over Hong Kong, the South China Sea, human-rights abuses in Xinjiang, and a long simmering trade war.

Meanwhile, Washington has also made gains in its campaign to push countries to ban technology made by Chinese telecom giant Huawei over national security concerns. This month saw the United Kingdom announce a ban on using Huawei in its next-generation 5G communications networks, as well as France saying that it would move to severely limit the use of Chinese technology in its own networks.

The escalating rhetoric and moves have seen officials in both Beijing and Washington refer to the growing confrontation as the beginning of a new Cold War.

The Central Asian countries are used to walking a tightrope between large powers and hedging their bets between Beijing, Moscow, and Washington. But as a new reality in Central Asia that is more lopsided in China's favor begins to present itself, the balancing of the past may be more difficult to maintain.

"Chinese policymaking is still warped towards the United States, so that means the region increasingly gets seen through that lens," Rafaello Pantucci, a senior associate fellow at London's Royal United Services Institute, told RFE/RL. "The Central Asians will never want to choose sides, but it will be hard to hedge in a world divided by the two. That means they will always bend more to the Chinese perspective."

Not So Great Games

China's new way of engaging with Central Asia's foreign ministers that was unveiled on July 16 is not the first such arrangement in which an outside power engages with the five countries.

Similar arrangements already exist with Japan, South Korea, the European Union, and the United States, which used the format in February during a trip to the region by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

It was during that trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan that Pompeo focused his attention on China's presence in Central Asia, raising concerns about corruption, unsustainable debt, and abuses in Xinjiang, where the Chinese government has reportedly imprisoned more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in internment camps.

But the visit to the region -- the first by a U.S. secretary of state in five years -- also brought home the limitations of U.S. engagement in the region.

American interest and involvement in Central Asia have waxed and waned since the collapse of the Soviet Union, intensifying in the aftermath of the invasion of Afghanistan and ensuing anti-terrorism military campaigns. The region has once again received more attention as Washington increasingly views China and Russia as its two main rivals on the global stage. Despite that, Central Asia is not a policy priority in Washington.

By comparison, Xi has made multiple state visits to the countries since he took power in 2012, most recently last year, and when he announced the launch of the BRI in Kazakhstan in 2013.

Since then, China has become Central Asia's and the world's biggest development financier as state-owned banks backed costly building projects in risky markets -- expanding Beijing's influence and creating new opportunities for its companies.

It's through this vehicle that China is looking to capitalize on the chaos created by the pandemic to further its goals and deepen its influence in Central Asia and beyond.

China's state-owned media has already taken up the call, with numerous articles framing the BRI venture as a means to jumpstart global economic recovery.

The initiative was always conceived as a vehicle for China to push its views and build up its influence in the developing world, says Rolland, and the pandemic presents a major opportunity.

"This isn't the Cold War with clearly defined ideologies and geographic blocs, it looks much more like very malleable spheres of influence," she said. "China isn't yet chasing global hegemony, but rather towards creating a subsystem where Beijing would have a constellation of countries that are amenable to its views."

China's share in Central Asia could also grow as Russia -- another of the region's large external players -- faces a steep uphill recovery from the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic and the fall in energy prices.

Moscow and Beijing have grown closer together in recent years and have sought to divide their interests in Central Asia, but China is set to gain new ground as it is poised to keep expanding beyond building large infrastructure projects into other areas in the wake of the pandemic.

"For many years, it's been that China covers more economic issues and Russia deals more with security, but we are increasingly seeing that those spheres can overlap and the lines between them are starting to blur," Temur Umarov, an expert on China-Central Asia relations at the Carnegie Moscow Center, told RFE/RL.

A Bumpier Silk Road

While China's economy has begun to rebound from the pandemic, the pace of its recovery is still uncertain.

These questions come as Beijing faces mounting calls to reschedule loans for shipping hubs, electrical plants, and transport links that look unsustainable as economies around the world -- from Latin America to Africa to the Middle East -- struggle and globalization slows.

A June survey by the Chinese Foreign Ministry found that 20 percent of the BRI projects have been "seriously affected" by the pandemic, with a further 30 to 40 percent "somewhat affected."

Fears of a global recession have provoked China's partners to review the viability of those projects in their countries, which could lead to renegotiations or even project cancellations.

So far, though, no major BRI contracts have been canceled due to the pandemic, and the initiative is too important to Xi -- and to China -- to be shelved.

But how Beijing will manage the projects amid the pandemic problems around the world will be a key test of its international diplomacy skills.

"Even before the pandemic, concerns were mounting over debt and corruption and the fiscal environment now makes all of that worse," Jonathan Hillman, the director of the Reconnecting Asia Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told RFE/RL. "I think we are looking at a future where Chinese officials will be mostly renegotiating deals rather than chasing new ones."

Chinese state media have begun trumpeting less costly global initiatives focused on technology and health care rather than high-profile infrastructure projects.

China has also already used the pandemic to focus on digital initiatives, such as in e-medicine, e-commerce, e-payments, and e-learning, and analysts believe that Chinese companies have ample room to expand on these fronts in Central Asia.

Moreover, despite a more cautious approach to the BRI coming from Beijing, China still remains one of the few means of securing financing moving forward, which could drive Central Asian governments closer to China.

"This is an opportunity for China and they will take advantage of it," said Hillman. "But I wouldn't expect a big building spree like before. This will be a new phase for Beijing."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/coronavirus- crisis-accelerates-china-s-grab-for-power- influence-in-central-asia/30747653.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.

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By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijans national carrier Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) airlifted 201 citizens from Moscow to Baku by a charter flight on July 26, AZAL reported in its official Facebook page.

Passengers with certificate of negative COVID-19 test result issued within 48 hours before departure were allowed to the flight.

All passengers arriving by this flight undertake obligations for self-isolation for two weeks upon arrival.

AZAL operates charter flights to return compatriots to the country in accordance with the plan defined by the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers.

Azerbaijan has so far repatriated over 25,000 citizens from different countries over COVID-19 pandemic. The citizens have been repatriated from Moscow, Istanbul, Kyiv, Minsk, Iran, Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Riga (Latvia), Warsaw (Poland), Berlin (Germany) among others.

Azerbaijan closed its borders with Russia over COVID-19 on March 18.

Azerbaijan first introduced special quarantine regime on March 24 and the fourth stage of quarantine regime easing came into force May 31. However, the borders remain closed.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Netflix announced on Monday their plans to release The Witcher: Blood Origin, a prequel series to their acclaimed TV drama.

The limited six-part live action series will be set in the Elven world around 1,200 years before the Netflix original and is based on The Witcher fiction books created by Andrzej Sapkowski.

The Witcher - starring Henry Cavill - became one of Netflix's highest rating original series on IMDb just days after its release last year, and has been commissioned for a second series, a spin off film, and now a prequel.

Where it all began: Netflix announced on Monday their plans to release The Witcher: Blood Origin, a prequel series to their acclaimed TV drama which starred Henry Cavill

The first series was shot in Budapest and was released in December 2019, whereas Blood Origin will begin shooting in the UK and no official release date has been announced.

The original Netflix show followed the journey of the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia [Cavill] a mutated monster hunter who travels across the mythical land on his quest to slay monstrous beasts.

Geralt is one of the few remaining Witchers on the continent and he struggles to find his way in the wicked world as he is often misunderstood by others.

British soil: The original show was filmed in Budapest and released in December 2019 whereas The Witcher: Blood Origin will be filmed in the UK and no release date has been announced

Blood Origin will unearth the origins of the very first Witcher in a time before the Elven civilisation came to an end.

It will recount the pivotal moments that lead up to the 'conjunction of spheres' where the worlds of monsters, elves and men collided.

Declan de Barra, the show's executive producer can't wait to get his teeth stuck into the new limited series and believes fans will gain a new insight into the fantasy world.

The Witcher: The original Witcher show follows the story of the protagonist Geralt of Rivia who possess super natural abilities to conquer an array of deadly beasts and monsters

He said: 'As a lifelong fan of fantasy, I am beyond excited to tell the story The Witcher: Blood Origin.

'A question has been burning in my mind ever since I first read The Witcher books - What was the Elven world really like before the cataclysmic arrival of the humans?

'I've always been fascinated by the rise and fall of civilizations, how science, discovery, and culture flourish right before that fall.

'How vast swathes of knowledge are lost forever in such a short time, often compounded by colonization and a rewriting of history. Leaving only fragments of a civilizations true story behind.

'The Witcher: Blood Origin will tell the tale of the Elven civilisation before its fall, and most importantly reveal the forgotten history of the very first Witcher.'

In January this year, Netflix also announced an animation spin-off film, The Witcher: Nightmare Of The Wolf, which focuses on the origins of Geralt's older mentor, Witcher Vesemir.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 27, 2020 | 01:50 PM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY

Keith Todd with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spoke with West Kentucky Star about the upcoming extended closure of the bridge.





According to Todd, the closure is set to begin on Saturday, August 1 at 6:30 a.m. Construction is expected to last approximately 30 days, and will allow for extensive maintenance work along a 2-mile section of the bridge.





The project will include putting in a concrete overlay to help stabilize the roadway and levee.





Todd said, "We're just trying to make sure we get the word out to everybody that crosses the bridge. We have about 7,000 vehicles a day that cross the bridge right now."





For some local travelers, anyone that lives in the Wickliffe area and works in Cairo, the construction could turn a 5 to 7 mile commute into an 80 mile commute.





"The work on the levee has to be done. We've had several years where we've had extended periods of high water and that has taken its toll on the levee. Of course the levee was built in the 1930's, and we have done maintenance on it over time, but those long periods of high water really take their toll on it."





Todd says they chose the early August start date in an attempt to get the construction completed in time for Labor day. Rain could delay the project, but he says they've allowed some extra time just in case they face any delays.





"I know it's going to be a hardship, we're very aware of the hardship this is going to create, but by doing this for 30 days we can get this project done and get the bridge open." Todd continued, "At first it will reopen to one lane traffic, but we can get traffic restored the quickest for those commuters by doing this 30 day closure."





According to Todd, they carefully considered numerous other options for completing the bridge work and levee work, including overnight closures and weekend closures. However, those options would have extended the project by about 12 weeks.





Before pursuing the project, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spoke with County officials and local businesses that utilize the bridge.





There will not be an official marked detour. However, those traveling through the area are advised to self-detour via the I-24 Ohio River Bridge at Paducah to U.S. 45 North at Metropolis, then take Illinois Route 169 through Karnak to Illinois Route 37 South to Cairo, or connect to I-57 into Missouri. Those traveling from Cairo would reverse that route.





The Dorena-Hickman Ferry may be a viable alternative for some local travelers. There is a $14 toll for vehicles and half-price for a return trip. The toll is higher for larger vehicles. Additional information on the Dorena-Hickman Ferry can be found at the link below.





He says part of the work they are doing on the bridge is to get it into optimum condition so that at some point in the future they can build a new bridge. They are in the preliminary engineering and design stage of that project, which is approximately 5 to 10 years away.

The U.S. 51 Ohio River bridge at Cairo will close Saturday morning for the next 30 days.
Google is well-known for forbidding the use of software using the GNU Affero General Public License, commonly known as AGPL. Google is also well-known for being the subject of cargo-culting by fad startups. Unfortunately, this means that they are susceptible to what is ultimately anti-AGPL propaganda from Google, with little to no basis in fact.

Obligatory: Im not a lawyer; this is for informational purposes only.

In truth, the terms of the AGPL are pretty easy to comply with. The basic obligations of the AGPL which set it apart from other licenses are as follows:

Any derivative works of AGPL-licensed software must also use the AGPL.

Any users of such software are entitled to the source code under the terms of the AGPL, including users accessing it over the network such as with their web browser or via an API or internet protocol.

If youre using AGPL-licensed software like a database engine or my own AGPL-licensed works, and you havent made any changes to the source code, all you have to do is provide a link to the upstream source code somewhere, and if users ask for it, direct them there. If you have modified the software, you simply have to publish your modifications. The easiest way to do this is to send it as a patch upstream, but you could use something as simple as providing a tarball to your users.

The nuances are detailed and cover many edge cases to prevent abuse. But in general, just publish your modifications under the same AGPL terms and youll be good to go. The license is usually present in the source code as a COPYING or LICENSE file, so if you just tar up your modified source code and drop a link on your website, thats good enough. If you want to go the extra mile and express your gratitude to the original software developers, consider submitting your changes for upstream inclusion. Generally, the feedback youll receive will help to make your changes better for your use-case, too; and submitting your work upstream will prevent your copy from diverging from upstream.

Thats pretty easy, right? Im positive that your business has to deal with much more onerous contracts than the AGPL. Then why does Google make a fuss about it?

The Google page about the AGPL details inaccurate (but common) misconceptions about the obligations of the AGPL that dont follow from the text. Google states that if, for example, Google Maps used PostGIS as its data store, and PostGIS used the AGPL, Google would be required to release the Google Maps code. This is not true. They would be required to release their PostGIS patches in this situation. AGPL does not extend the GPL in that it makes the Internet count as a form of linking which creates a derivative work, as Google implies, but rather that it makes anyone who uses the software via the Internet entitled to its source code. It does not update the what counts as a derivative work algorithm, so to speak  it updates the what counts as distributing the software algorithm.

The reason they spread these misconceptions is straightforward: they want to discourage people from using the AGPL, because they cannot productize such software effectively. Google wants to be able to incorporate FOSS software into their products and sell it to users without the obligation to release their derivative works. Google is an Internet company, and they offer Internet services. The original GPL doesnt threaten their scheme because their software is accessed over the Internet, not distributed to end-users directly.

By discouraging the use of AGPL in the broader community, Google hopes to create a larger set of free- and open-source software that they can take for their own needs without any obligations to upstream. Ask yourself: why is documentation of internal-facing decisions like what software licenses to use being published in a public place? The answer is straightforward: to influence the public. This is propaganda.

Theres a bizarre idea that software companies which eschew the AGPL in favor of something like MIT are doing so specifically because they want companies like Google to pay for their software, and they know that they have no chance if they use AGPL. In truth, Google was never going to buy your software. If you dont use the AGPL, theyre just going to take your software and give nothing back. If you do use the AGPL, theyre just going to develop a solution in-house. Theres no outcome where Google pays you.

Dont be afraid to use the AGPL, and dont be afraid to use software which uses the AGPL. The obligations are not especially onerous or difficult, despite what Google would have you believe. The license isnt that long  read it and see for yourself.
Intels top engineer is leaving the company amid a crisis that is delaying its next generation of computer chips. Its one of several changes announced Monday as the company attempts to rescue its technology roadmap from a succession of problems.

Intel hired Venkata Murthy Renduchintala away from Qualcomm in 2015 and tasked him with upgrading Intels own technological roadmap. Renduchintala was a top lieutenant of former Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, who placed him in charge of the chipmakers manufacturing operations and other key technologies.

Shortly after arriving at Intel, Renduchintala sent a blistering memo to his colleagues in which he excoriated from the company for competitiveness gaps in our products.

Intel did nothing to close that gap during Renduchintalas tenure, though, with persistent factory defects delaying its 10-namometer chips by four years. The 10nm chips finally hit the market last year, but Intel shocked investors Thursday by disclosing that its forthcoming 7nm chips are 12 months behind schedule  and may not hit the market until 2023.

Current CEO Bob Swan told investors that Intel has contingency plans to outsource production of its most advanced chips to its rivals if the company cannot make the chips itself.

Wall Street roasted Intel on the news, and the companys stock lost $42 billion in market value on Friday as shares plunged 16%. Shares of rival Advanced Micro Devices and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. jumped on the news.

Intel hired Renduchintala in 2015 with an $8.1 million signing bonuses and additional incentives worth up to $17 million more. The company valued his total compensation last year at $27 million in cash and stock.

In addition to serving as chief engineering officer, Renduchintala held the title of executive vice president, and group president for the technology, systems architecture and client group. He had been widely seen as a CEO candidate when Krzanich left in 2018 following "a past consensual relationship with an Intel employee" in violation of corporate policy.

Instead, Intel chose Swan, the CFO, to take over the top job. Renduchintalas last day with the company will be August 3.

Also Monday, Intel broke up its technology organization, separating it into five categories that report directly to the CEO. Four of the five will be led by current Intel executives, but Intel said it will conduct an accelerated global search to find someone new to head its design engineering group.

Just last month, Intel reorganized its technology group under Renduchintala after high-profile chip designer Jim Keller abruptly left the company citing personal reasons.

Though Intels headquarters are in California, where Renduchintala worked, the company develops its new chip technology at its enormous Ronler Acres manufacturing campus in Hillsboro. Intel is Oregons largest corporate employer, with 20,000 workers at its Washington County sites.

If Intel does start outsourcing its advanced manufacturing, that could have a profound impact on its Oregon operations.

-- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699

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Ill. church gives away hundreds of backpacks of school supplies for needy families

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A congregation in Illinois has given away hundreds of backpacks full of school supplies to students for the upcoming school year, with the hopeful expectation of giving away more later.

Whiteash Free Will Baptist Church of Marion handed out over 300 backpacks loaded with supplies on Saturday, with around 200 more backpacks likely to be given out at later dates.

Stephanie Lee, wife of Whiteash Senior Pastor Andy Lee, told The Christian Post that this was their fourth year of holding such a charity drive for their community.

We know that how this school year will look is still a bit uncertain, but students will still need supplies, whether they are in the classroom or remote learning from home, said Lee.

Unlike past years, the COVID-19 pandemic altered some of their plans, Lee noted, with the event being held outdoors instead of indoors and there being no free lunch or haircuts.

We have received more requests from people who werent able to come to the event. We are coordinating to be able to fulfill those requests.

Describing the event as more of a drive through gathering, Lee noted that the church had a team of volunteers who went about the waiting cars sharing the Gospel with families.

Our greatest desire is for people to come to know Jesus and the hope He gives. We also want them to know that Whiteash Free Will Baptist Church cares about our community, and we strive to show the love of Christ in everything we do, she said.

Supplies in the backpacks included crayons, markers, pencils, and scissors for younger students and binders, notebook paper, folders, pens and pencils for older students.

Whiteashs charity to help students comes amid local, state, and national debates over the extent to which schools should reopen come the fall academic year.

Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos garnered controversy when she stated that schools should reopen for in-person instruction by the fall or face budget cuts.

American investment in education is a promise to students and their families. If schools aren't going to reopen and not fulfill that promise, they shouldn't get the funds, and give it to the families to decide to go to a school that is going to meet that promise, said DeVos on Fox News Sunday.

There's going to be the exception to the rule, but the rule should be that kids go back to school this fall  And where there are little flare-ups or hot spots, that can be dealt with on a school by school or a case by case basis.

Meanwhile, several school districts, including many in California where the COVID-19 infection rate is severe, have voted to hold online-only courses for the upcoming semester.

In a statement justifying their decision, Long Beach Unified School District quoted Dr. Barbara Ferrer, health officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Health.

The virus currently rages on in our community, and well need to continue to do our best to protect our children, our teachers and the many important people who make school function and who educate our children, stated Ferrer.
Monse M., 33, with her mother Maria C. at her college graduation, wants to help her parents with financial literacy. Source: Monse M.

Personal finance blogger Monse M., 33, wishes she'd understood earlier the importance of financial literacy. Not for herself, but for her family. She regrets not realizing sooner that she was on track to quickly make more than her parents, who were born in Mexico. "The earlier you begin to gain financial literacy, the sooner you could help your parents," said Monse, who is also a diversity brand strategy manager at a social media firm in Chicago. More from Invest in You:

Quarantine spending was more than just hoarding canned goods

Prices go up every year. That doesn't mean you have to pay more

If you need cash, try these less-obvious sources Monse, creator of blog Happy Money Happy Life, doesn't mean actual financial help but sharing valuable skills on navigating the world of saving, investing and making smart money choices. Family dynamics play a big role in how people talk to their parents about money. But the children of those who come to the U.S. for opportunity are more likely to be college-educated and earn more than their parents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Immigrants make up slightly more than a quarter of the U.S. population, or 90 million people. That figure includes their children born in the U.S. "It can be difficult for a child who's done better than their parents to teach without offending them," said Bola Sokunbi, a certified financial education instructor and author of Clever Girl Finance. Worrying about your parents' financial future adds even more stress. "Is the expectation you're going to take care of your parents?" asked Sokunbi. "Do you want to, or not want to do this?" It's hard to tell members of an older generation what to do with their money, says Ivory Johnson, a certified financial planner and founder of Delancey Wealth Management in Washington, D.C. Instead, he says, you might use your own financial moves as an example.

For Sokunbi, meanwhile, "it's personal." As the child of Nigerian immigrants, she understands the importance her culture places on children taking care of their parents. "It doesn't matter how much your parents have or don't have," she said. "You would still make the offer to help." Even if your parents turn down the assistance, it's still important to talk about it, she says.

The many firsts

Monse M. has several firsts to her credit. She was the first in her family to attend college and to work as a professional. The daughter of immigrants, she is a second-generation American, the first to be born in the U.S. And she was the first to become competent in personal finance. After graduating college, Monse began working as a media buyer and quickly saw that the methods she used to manage a $25 million budget could work in her own life with far smaller amounts of money. It was the beginning of learning about compound interest, investing, the importance of saving and setting goals. After a couple of years she was earning $50,000  an amount her parents had never surpassed. As she picked up knowledge, she started helping her family, who weren't as sophisticated at navigating the system.

Have the conversations that strategically guide them. And not just your parents, but your older siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, younger cousins. Monse M. personal finance blogger

"I helped my sister sell our parents on the idea of [my sister] getting a job and putting 50% of every paycheck into an IRA," she said. Her father thought he, too, had an IRA at his credit union. However, "I found out it was a savings account masked as an IRA," said Monse. "He said, 'It hasn't grown that much since I put [the money] in.'" Although her father's account had been billed as an IRA, his contributions had actually sat in cash and he'd missed out on the years of the bull market. She also helped her parents learn what Social Security benefits they might one day be eligible for. Sometimes they pushed back. "Their pay world was very different," she said. In fact, her family has in fact made sound financial decisions. They own their home, for instance, but gaps in their knowledge remain. Recently she helped her parents with their credit scores. "They had great credit but didn't know it," she said.

krisanapong detraphiphat | Moment | Getty Images

Monse's mother, Maria C., 53, is proud of her daughter  though she admits there were some arguments along the way, like when her daughter encouraged her to ditch credit cards. "At the beginning I got mad," said Maria, who lives in Aurora, Illinois. "I didn't like it." When Maria argued that she'd be able to make the payments with her overtime pay, Monse just repeated, "If you don't need it, you don't buy it." "She started doing my budget every year," Maria said. "Right now, I listen to her. "I don't owe anything on my credit cards and my house is about to be paid off in four, five years."

Helping parents

Athena Lent (at age 2 with her dad, Rob) says if you want your parents to learn, don't do all the work for them. Athena Lent

Athena Valentine Lent, 34, knows firsthand what happens if you don't grow up with a solid understanding of financial services. Her parents are first-generation Americans, and Lent had to figure out most of her financial life on her own. "They didn't have good money habits established, so neither did I," said Lent, a student development manager for a nonprofit in Phoenix. As a college freshman, she overdrew her checking account, which the bank closed. Then, her name was turned over to ChexSystems, a credit bureau for bank accounts, and she was unable to open a new account. She began reading personal finance blogs and turning her finances around in her early 20s. She now has her own personal finance blog. Soon she wanted to help her dad (her mom died when Lent was in high school).

Creating that positive and open environment helped him open up. There's so much shame associated with personal finance. Athena Lent personal finance blogger

At the beginning, Lent's dad refused to talk. "I don't care," he said. "Just put me on the bookshelf by your mom." He was referring to an urn with her late mother's ashes. Lent persisted and finally they did talk about the future and his finances. One thing Lent says made it possible: She emphasized that she didn't care if she was in charge of his estate or not  she just needed to know to make sure things were taken care of. "Then he opened up and began talking about how to access his life insurance policy and other plans," she said. "Creating that positive and open environment helped him open up," Lent added. "There's so much shame associated with personal finance."

Two directions

"Have the conversations that strategically guide them," Monse M. said. "And not just your parents, but your older siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, younger cousins." That sharing of knowledge goes up, as well as down. "Reach back to the younger generation," she said. You might also help coworkers: Maybe there's a 24-year-old at work Monse feels she can help. "But also I remind her to check in with her parents, her uncle."

Lead by example

Perhaps you've just spoken to a financial advisor about disability insurance, Johnson says. You might tell your parents what you learned, and that you initially were against it until the advisor explained how expensive things could get in case of an illness. "Explain it in practical terms," Johnson said. "You have to understand the reasons parents are set in their ways  because [what they did] worked."

Talk it out

Make it a conversation and not a lesson, Sokunbi suggests. Make it compassionate by reminding them you want to make sure they're set up and making the right moves. Avoid fighting. "If it's getting uncomfortable, pause," she said. It is probably better to stick to one topic, such as having an emergency fund or avoiding phishing emails or text messages. "Pick one topic each week," she said.

Different worlds

Your parents' lack of familiarity with corporate and financial practices can strain communication. Even the phrase "money meeting" could cause discomfort. "Meetings are from the corporate world," Monse M. said. "My mom works in a factory  she doesn't have meetings."

Learn, learn, learn

REB Images/Getty Images

Break down financial concepts in terms they'll understand. Lent says her dad may not immediately understand what an exchange-traded fund is, or an index fund, but he knows companies like Apple. Explain what it means to invest in a company by buying stock. "Don't dumb it down, but put it in the simplest way possible," she said.

Find trusted sources

"Sometimes telling stories works," Johnson said. You might try telling them about a friend's parents who made some financial decision. This could resonate even better if they're from the same country, Johnson says. Parents might be willing to listen to the minister or pastor of their church, Johnson says. "In a lot of countries, [older people] don't listen to kids," Johnson said. "That's an American thing." His Cuban-born mother, he says, is quick to challenge him.

Try a book

If your parents like to read or listen to audiobooks, consider giving them a financial book, Sokunbi says. She recommends "Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk" by Cameron Huddleston for having financial conversations.

Teach them to fish
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Sydney, Australia  Mon, July 27, 2020 16:30 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669a0de8 2 World Chinese-students,Australia,extortion,transnational-crimes,scams Free

Elaborate "virtual kidnappings" are being used to extort money from the friends and relatives of Chinese students Down Under, Australian police warned Monday, after a spate of transnational scams were reported.

Police said that conmen claiming to be Chinese authorities had netted millions of US dollars in ransoms by scaring students into faking their own kidnappings.

The scammers -- often calling in Mandarin and claiming to be from the Chinese embassy, police or consulate -- initially say the victim is accused of a crime in China or tell them their identity has been stolen before threatening them with deportation or arrest unless a fee is paid, police said.

The fraudsters then continue to threaten the victim, often over encrypted message services, until they transfer large sums into offshore bank accounts.

In some cases, victims were told to cease contact with friends and relatives, then make videos of themselves tied up and blindfolded with the conmen using the footage to demand ransoms.

Police said at least eight cases have led to more than Aus$3 million (US$2.1 million) in ransom payments this year in Australia.

Other incidents have been detected elsewhere around the world, and Australian police said the scams had been "developed considerably over the last decade by transnational organized crime syndicates".

Victims are "traumatized by what has occurred, believing they have placed themselves, and their loved ones, in real danger", New South Wales Police assistant commissioner Peter Thurtell said.

Over 1,000 "Chinese authority" scams were recorded last year by Australia's consumer watchdog.

Exiled Chinese dissidents and members of persecuted ethnic groups have also reported harassment from Chinese authorities, including threatening phonecalls.

Chinese officials said no authority would contact students on their mobile to demand money.

The warning comes as the university sector attempts to lure back lucrative international students online and prepare for any possible relaxation of virus travel restrictions.

Education is Australia's fourth-largest trade -- behind iron ore, coal and natural gas -- with more than 500,000 international students enrolled last year, bringing about Aus$37 billion into the economy.

The closure of its borders to travellers due to the coronavirus pandemic has crippled the sector and heightened tensions with Beijing has further threatened the flow of students to the country.

Last month China's ministry of education warned students about "multiple discriminatory incidents against Asians in Australia" during the pandemic and discouraged students from returning to the country when the borders reopened.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the streets of Russia's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk for a third weekend on Saturday to show their anger over the Kremlin's replacement of a popular regional governor.

The sustained demonstrations represent a growing challenge for President Vladimir Putin, who is viewed as having a role in sparking the regional crisis after he fired Sergei Furgal on Monday.

Many called for Putin's resignation. Others chanted "Disgrace" and denounced the acting governor that Putin appointed in Khabarovsk. Municipal authorities in Khabarovsk estimated about 6,500 demonstrators took part in the Saturday protest. Local media put the number at up to 20,000 people.

But protest leaders and independent journalists said there were more than 50,000 people demonstrating in Khabarovsk, which would make it the largest anti-government protest there since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Protesters in Khabarovsk see criminal charges raised against Furgal before his dismissal as unsubstantiated. They are demanding he stand trial at home instead of Moscow, where he has been transferred. "People are offended," said Dmitry Kachalin, one of the protesters. "I think people are taking to the streets because their vote in the 2018 election was taken away."

Unlike Moscow, where police quickly disperse unsanctioned opposition protests, Russian authorities have not attempted to break up the unauthorized demonstrations in Khabarovsk -- apparently hoping the rallies will dissipate over time.
From Cosmopolitan

As coronavirus infection rates rise, it can be hard to keep track of which countries you have to quarantine for two weeks on return to the UK. Situations can feel so fast moving that what might feel like a 'safe' holiday destination one week, quickly becomes a riskier choice seven days later.

Health minister Helen Whately said the situation with all holiday destinations was under review, and countries were the situation was developing quickly would be removed from the 'safe list'. She told Sky News:

"We have to keep the situation under review and I think that is what the public would expect us to do. If we see rates going up in a country where at the moment there is no need to quarantine, if we see the rates going up, we would have to take action because we cannot take the risk of coronavirus being spread again across the UK."

The UK government is basing the safety of a country on the number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 - deeming any country with other 20 cases per 100k a risk.

Photo credit: Andreas Schulte-Beckmann / EyeEm - Getty Images

*It's worth noting the two-week quarantine rule aims to protect the United Kingdom against the spread of coronavirus, as opposed to being in place in an attempt to ruin holidays.

So, which countries do you currently not have to quarantine on return from?

From 4am on Sunday 25 October, the government have announced you will no longer have to quarantine when returning from:

The Canary Islands

Denmark

Mykonos

Maldives

Countries already on the no quarantine / safe travel list include the likes of:

Australia

Barbados

British Virgin Islands

the Channel Islands

Cuba

Cyprus

Fiji

Finland

Gibraltar

Germany

Greenland

Hong Kong

Ireland

Japan

New Zealand

Singapore

South Korea

St Lucia

Sweden

Thailand

Vietnam

SEE THE FULL LIST OF COUNTRIES HERE



Photo credit: Getty Images

As for the places you do have to quarantine on return from? Most recently, Liechtenstein was added to the list, meaning anyone returning after 4am on 25 October has to isolate for two weeks. Other places on the list include:

Story continues

SEE THE FULL LIST OF COUNTRIES HERE

Photo credit: Getty Images

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The Union government released Rs 1,65,302 crore as Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation to states in the previous financial year ended March 31, even as compensation cess collection fell by over 42% that year, a finance ministry statement said on Monday.

The Central government has recently released GST compensation of Rs 13,806 crore to states for March. Taking this amount into account, entire compensation up to 2019-20 has been released to states, it said.

The amount of cess collected in the financial year 2019-20 was Rs 95,444 crore, it added. The GST regime was launched on July 1, 2017, that introduced a uniform indirect tax structure across the country by merging various state and local-level levies.

At the time of introducing the new indirect tax regime, the GST law assured state governments a 14% increase in their annual revenue for five years and the Centre committed to meet any shortfall in revenue through the cess levied on luxury goods and sin products such as liquor, cigarettes, aerated water, automobiles, coal and other tobacco commodities.

The finance ministry said the Union government utilised the balance cess amount of previous fiscal years to compensate states for their revenue losses in 2019-20, besides transferring some money from the Consolidated Fund of India.

To release the compensation for 2019-20, the balance cess amount collected during 2017-18 and 2018-19 was also utilised. In addition, the Centre had transferred Rs. 33,412 crore from Consolidated Fund of India to the Compensation Fund as a part of an exercise to apportion the balance of IGST [integrated GST] pertaining to 2017-18. Inter-state supply of goods or services attracts IGST, it said.

Inadequate collection of compensation cess has been a major issue. The cess collection is expected to drop even further in the current financial year (2020-21) because the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic saw a 68-day nationwide lockdown from March 25 to May 31.

The matter was discussed in the last GST Council meeting on June 12, but it was deferred by a month.

After the councils meeting, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that on the request of members of the council, it would meet in July to discuss only one-agenda item that was paying compensation to states for their shortfall in GST revenue.

Compensation, which has to be given to states, and, if at all, it results in some kind of borrowing, how and who is going to pay for it, she had said.

Sitharaman is the chairperson of the apex federal body on indirect tax and finance ministers of states are its members.

Usually, the councils decisions are unanimous.

Archit Gupta, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the financial technology platform ClearTax, said, The compensation cess was designed to cover any losses that the states may incur due to the implementation of GST. Cess payments to states have been overdue for some time and are being gradually released to states. The state governments are struggling with a dip in revenue collections.

This release will come in handy for states and reduce their borrowing especially during this time of crisis due to the pandemic. More revenue collections for the past quarter are taking place in July, as the filing of GST returns has picked up. However, there may still be a shortfall and the Centre will have to look at its own fiscal situation closely in the coming months, he added.
It was the early 20th century. Steel mills sprawled along the harbourfront, breweries and coal plants lined the downtown core, and a pile of glass bottles spanning some 40 feet wide were buried under a concrete road in Hamilton  only to be found 100 years later.

The bottles, considered by some collectors to be valuable antiques, were recently unearthed by a group of construction workers about three-to-four feet below a Victoria Avenue North sidewalk near Ferrie Street East.

The discovery occurred in early July when the workers began a hydro excavation of the sidewalk, which sits between a Hamilton Paramedic Service station and a railway track.

We basically use high-pressured water to break up the ground and then thats sucked up into a large vacuum thats on the back of the truck, explained John Burkitt, a construction worker on site.

A lot of stuff gets removed right away, but some of the large bottles dont. One officer saw them and put them aside.

Burkitt said the whole area  a good 40 feet between two pits excavated in the sidewalk  was full of glass.

Most of the bottles were jagged and rusty. Others were salvageable. Some were in mint condition.

There was a pair of bowling pin-style ginger beer bottles that Burkitt took for himself.

The marking on the bottles indicate they were produced by the Wentworth Mineral Co. in 1909.

According to the Vernons city directory, Wentworth Mineral operated at 542 Main St. E. through the early 1900s, the current site of Cadillac Jax Bar and Grill.

Wentworth Mineral acquired the bottles when it purchased T.M. Pilgrim & Co.  a local bottle manufacturer founded during the mid-19th century  in 1907.

Its more of a mid-range bottle, $80 or $90 a piece on a good day, but very difficult to find in good condition, said Jered Ruth, an antique bottle collector based in Owen Sound who found the bottle last fall at a collectors boutique in Guelph. It is definitely far and few between to find a good Canadian bottle in good shape.

But the Wentworth Mineral bottles were just a fraction of the collectibles found underneath the sidewalk.

Burkitt also scored a mint condition, indigo blue Bromo-Seltzer bottle, whose developer  Isaac Edward Emerson of the Emerson Drug Company  was a pioneer in antacid medicine.

The bottles were first produced in 1880 at the now-landmark status Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower in Baltimore, Md. They were discontinued in the 1970s after its contents were found to be toxic.

There was just a huge variety of bottles, Burkitt said. Everyone was taking souvenirs. One guy took an inkwell for dipping old-fashioned pens. Theres no way to verify the age of it, but the style goes back decades.

The inkwell Burkitts colleague nabbed dates back to the First World War.

The vase-style inkwell was the third bottle produced by the Waterman Pen Company in 1914.

The array of bottles found underneath the sidewalk  all from different places and different companies  begs the question: How did they end up, whenever they did, in Hamilton?

Burkitt posited that the construction site was once home to a glass waste facility, but the nearest building during the early 20th century, according to Vernons directory, was the Standard Chemical Co. Ltd. at 475 Victoria.

Could the company have produced glass bottles containing chemicals, like Bromo-Seltzer? Sure. Most companies at the time bottled products in glass containers.

But what would explain the ginger beer or the inkwell that would be unearthed 100 years later? The answer, it seems, is a mystery.

Its almost like someone dumped piles and piles of old glass bottles from a previous generation, Burkitt said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 02:40:51|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Huge explosions on Sunday hit an ammunition depot at a military base in southern Baghdad, the Iraqi military said.

"It was discovered that the ammunition depot of the federal police exploded over high temperature and poor storage," said a brief statement by the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC).

Earlier, a JOC statement said two explosions took place in a depot of weapons and ammunition at the al-Saqr military base in the south of the capital Baghdad, without giving further details.

Interior Ministry Spokesman Saad Maan told the official al-Iraqiya channel that more than 20 fire engines of the civil defense rushed to the scene to put out the fire and that more than 70 percent of the fire is under control.

The initial reports said the fire first broke out at three caravans containing old ammunition before spreading to the depot, Maan said, adding Interior Minister Othman al-Ghanmi had ordered formation of a committee to investigate the incident.

Kadhim Bohan, head of the Interior Ministry's Civil Defense Department, told reporters that the explosions in the al-Saqr military base only caused material damage.

The military base, located at the southern edge of Baghdad, hosts the Iraqi security forces and the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces.

The base caught fire in August 2019 when an ammunition depot exploded, killing one and wounding 29 others.

Earlier, several explosions and fires hit Hashd Shaabi depots in central and western Iraq after attacks by unknown aircraft. Enditem
By PTI

JAMMU: Pakistani troops engaged in heavy firing and mortar shelling in forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Kathua districts on Monday, officials said.

It was seventh consecutive day that Pakistani troops engaged in cross-border firing in violation of a ceasefire agreement.

"At about 2200 hours tonight, Pak army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars along LoC in Mendhar sector of district Poonch," a defence spokesman said.

The Indian Army is retaliating to the cross-border fire befittingly, he said.

"At about 1030 hours today, Pak army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and shelling with mortars along LoC in Mankote sector of district Poonch," he said.

Pakistan Rangers opened fire at Indian villages along the International Border (IB) in Hirangar sector of Kathua district, they said.

In the firing, one animal was injured and a house was damaged, they said.

Pakistani troops had shelled areas along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
PM said he wants remove 'dil ki doori and Dilli ki doori': Omar Abdullah after meet on J&K

Restore statehood first, if you want elections in J&K: Omar Abdullah to Centre

Govt needs to give sense of security to people cutting across religions in J&K: Omar

Priyanka Gandhi clarifies after Omar Abdullah says 'toppling govt wrong regardless of COVID'

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, July 27: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday reacted to former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's tweet where he said toppling government is "wrong" whether or not there is an ongoing pandemic.

Abdullah's comment was in response to Priyanka's statement where she alleged that the BJP is trying to topple governments amid the coronavirus crisis, referring to the ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan.

'I am fine': Shivraj Singh Chouhan salutes corona warriors for serving selflessly

Abdullah had said that toppling government is "wrong regardless of Covid". In a tweet, Gandhi said that her point seems to have been lost in "translation".

"What I actually said was that leadership becomes evident during a crisis, and while the pandemic is on, the nation needs a leadership that works in the interest of its people. However, the BJP government has been busy trying to topple democratically elected governments, revealing its true mindset and character," Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted.

India bans 47 Chinese apps| More Chinese apps under fire | Oneindia News

Singapore reports 481 new COVID-19 cases, all foreigners

"I don't get the whole 'during pandemic' argument. As though some how toppling an elected government would be less reprehensible if we weren't battling a health crisis. IMHO it's wrong regardless of COVID," Abdullah had posted on Twitter.

The Congress has been critical of the BJP ever since the political crisis took shape in Rajasthan. India's "Grand Old Party" has blamed the BJP for trying to topple the Ashok Gehlot government and creating a situation similar to what happened in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

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Story first published: Monday, July 27, 2020, 10:46 [IST]
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Despite not being known for the sun, one out of every three cancers in Ireland is of the skin, with almost 12,000 new cases annually.

And while most of us are aware of the need to seek shade and wear sunscreen, not everyone knows what the signs of skin cancer look like - which is why Jane Jackson was totally unaware about a mole on her neck until it was pointed out to her at a dental appointment earlier this year.

"When the dental hygienist put the protective cover around my neck, she just casually asked if I knew I had a mole there," says the 45-year old, who has one daughter, Susie (7). "She said I should get it checked out as due to its location at the base of my neck, neither I nor anyone else had noticed it.

"I was concerned enough to ask my husband, Roy, to look at it when I got home and he said it looked like a normal mole so we agreed to leave it alone but keep an eye on it."

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Jane, who works as a chartered tax advisor, did nothing about the mole for several months until her husband suggested that she should go to the doctor to have it examined.

"About five months later, Roy checked the mole and said it looked as though it had changed," she says. "This did concern me, so I called the GP and asked for an appointment. It was in the early days of lockdown, so I didn't expect to be seen straight away, but I was told to come in on the same day.

"The doctor closely examined the mole and the rest of my body and advised that I see a dermatologist to have it removed and analysed. I still wasn't very concerned but as I have medical insurance, she gave me the number of a private doctor and I left feeling positive that some action was being taken."

The mother of one, who lives in Meath, called the dermatologist and was advised that due to the Covid-19 crisis, the practice was not currently seeing patients, but she would be in touch when it reopened.

She then called her GP to inform her of the situation and thinking she would hear nothing until restrictions had been lifted, was surprised to get a call from her doctor informing her that she had referred her to the dermatology department at the local hospital.

"I expected this to be in a few weeks' time, but they called me that same day and said to go in on Friday afternoon, exactly a week after I had first seen the GP," she says. "I was now getting a little anxious about how seriously the GP was taking this, and I was also very worried about going to the hospital in the middle of the health crisis.

"But I went to the appointment and it was agreed that the mole should be removed there and then. I had one internal stitch and 11 external ones - then the wound was dressed, and I was sent home. This procedure had taken just under an hour."

Jane was reassured that the mole was gone and while waiting to receive notification of results, was advised to visit her GP to have the stitches removed. But before this scheduled appointment, she was called back to the hospital for the possible removal of more skin.

"I was very anxious, my emotions were high causing me to be tearful when I would normally deal with things much better," she admits. "The consultant told me that the mole had been cancerous and that I had Stage 1b skin cancer - and I cried when she told me, as I think the word cancer was what hit me the most.

"She was so kind, apologising for her mask and that social distancing meant she wasn't able to comfort me and I couldn't have someone with me. But she gave me some literature and phone numbers and said I would be referred to Beaumont Hospital to have further skin removed and my lymph nodes checked.

"Once I left the hospital, I burst into tears but had to pull myself together as Susie was with Roy in the car and I didn't want to frighten her. When we got home, myself and Roy talked about the diagnosis and I talked on the phone to some friends and my family. Then we made cookies and watched a Disney film. It's funny how there is comfort in wanting things to be the same as usual."

A few weeks later, Jane had a lengthy hospital appointment where her entire body was checked and she was advised that several other moles would need to be removed. She was also scheduled for a sentinel lymph node biopsy and a wide excision of skin from the back of her neck.

After a 'painful' injection of radioactive dye, she underwent a scan which would check if the cancer had reached the lymph nodes before the required surgery.

"The point of this is to find out which lymph nodes had been affected by the melanoma, so they could remove the sentinel [main] ones," she says. "The dye - injected into the spot where the melanoma had been - would travel to the lymph nodes and would show up as blue.

"After this, Roy took me to St Joseph's Hospital where they removed the wide excision of skin and also a lymph node from the base of my neck at the side and another from under my arm. I was in a lot of pain after the operation, but now that a few weeks have passed, this is easing and I am healing well. But I did have swelling to the back of my neck and shoulders and deep bruising to the right side of my body - my right breast was purple.

"I returned to hospital a week after the operation and they removed the dressings and reassured me that I was healing well. And I will return to the consultant this month to get the biopsy results."

Jane has five moles on her stomach and one on her back which will be removed and now that she is 'in the system' will be checked every few months. She is extremely fortunate that her dental hygienist spotted the cancerous mole and advises everyone else to inform themselves of the guidelines and stay protected from harmful rays.

"I am fairly sallow and always tanned well so I thought I would have been the last person to get skin cancer," she says. "I would not have used sun cream in Ireland, but I rarely sunbathe here and did use it when abroad. But when I was younger, I had bad acne, and the medical advice at the time was to use sunbeds to help with this and I also sunbathed without sunscreen, so, I think this is when the damage occurred.

"My advice now would be to wear a good, high factor sunscreen, to cover up and to stay in the shade. The sun is so dangerous to our skin and most people are completely unaware of this. This and the casual attitude to moles and skin cancer, is really worrying.

"I have found that people are laid back about the removal of a mole and a skin cancer diagnosis because they believe it to be trivial so wait to get them checked out as skin cancer does not seem to carry the same dread as another cancer would.

"If I had known that use of a sunbed or lack of sunscreen would lead me to this much pain, emotional distress and anxiety, I would certainly have behaved differently. As it stands, I am still waiting to find out if I need further treatment or surgery."

While skin cancer is very prevalent in Ireland, Kevin O'Hagan, Cancer Prevention Manager with the ICS, says risks can be minimised if detected early.

"Catching cancers early is key and can mean the difference between life and death in some cases," he says.

"This is very much the case for certain types of skin cancers, with five-year survival rates ranging between 90pc and 20pc, depending on the stage of detection.

"Changes to look out for include the appearance of a new mole or an existing mole that has changed shape, size or colour, or other unusual spots or lumps. Anyone who is concerned needs to contact a GP for investigation."

Skin cancer facts

 Skin cancers account for one in three cancers diagnosed every year Ireland, with almost 12,000 cases annually. The incidence of skin cancer is expected to treble over the next 20 years.

 This risk is particularly acute among outdoor workers who receive up to eight times more exposure to UV radiation than indoor workers.

 People also need to be aware of any changes to their skin and contact their GP if they spot anything unusual.

 Risks can be reduced by seeking shade between 11am and 3pm, applying sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher and UVA/UVB protection on all exposed area of the body every two hours, covering up with a long sleeved collared shirt, a hat and sunglasses with full UV protection. cancer.ie
Photograph: Danilo Krstanovic/Reuters

When Srebrenica fell to a Serb separatist attack 25 years ago, Bosnias Muslim-led government was reeling from the mass killings under way in the small enclave. So Bosnian officials were stunned when Washingtons immediate response was to coax them to make new concessions  including acceptance of their countrys eventual partition on ethnic lines.

Declassified documents from the period and interviews with some of the protagonists reflect the determination of Bill Clinton and his foreign policy team to find a solution to the three-year conflict at all costs before his re-election campaign began in earnest in 1996  even if that meant rewarding the Bosnian Serb leaders for their policy of ethnic cleansing by granting them their objective: secession.

More than 8,000 men and boys were slaughtered after Srebrenica, supposedly a UN safe area was captured by Serb forces, in the first European act genocide since the Nazi era.

In phone conversations with other foreign leaders as the mass executions were under way, however, Clinton repeatedly expressed his disillusion with the Bosnian army for failing to defend Srebrenica. And in the same week as Srebrenica succumbed, Clintons national security adviser, Anthony Lake, put the finishing touches to a hard-headed endgame strategy for extricating the US from the Bosnian catastrophe.

That strategy, begun by Lakes team in the weeks before the Srebrenica attack, was to try to force a peace deal based on a roughly even division of the territory. If that failed, the plan was to withdraw the UN peacekeeping force (Unprofor), lift the arms embargo on Bosnia and to give its Muslim-Croat Federation some initial support with airstrikes until it was strong enough to fight the Serbs on its own.

But the price of such US support was high. The Bosnians would potentially have to swallow further concessions, including the surrender of the territorial integrity they had been fighting to defend. According to the first annex to the endgame strategy, titled gameplan for a diplomatic breakthrough in 1995, (part of a cache of documents declassified by the Clinton presidential library) the first step was to have a heart-to-heart talk with the Bosnians to persuade them that in the aftermath of Srebrenica, they need [to] think more realistically about the shape of a settlement.

Story continues

The Federation might have to accept less than half the country, and the US would consider pressing the Bosnians to agree that the Serbs can conduct a referendum on secession after 2-3 years.

If the Bosnians cannot persuade the Serb population that their best future lies in reintegration, there is no point blocking the peaceful separation of the Union along the lines of the Czechoslovak model, the proposal suggested.

Related: 'You simply die all over again': the agony of Srebrenica, 25 years on

The suggestion alarmed some members of the administration. David Scheffer, an adviser to the ambassador to the UN, Madeleine Albright, who was attending White House meetings on Bosnia, wrote to a colleague: Its a very slippery slope. The Serbs have seized enormous territory through ethnic cleansing, and then we hold a democratic referendum to confirm such aggression? A very transparent act of appeasement.

Scheffer, who wrote an account of the period in his memoir, The Sit Room, suggested that Lake and his team may simply have been trying to be provocative to trigger a debate.

Lake was kind of an intellectual, and he would put things on the table for intellectual feasting, as opposed to pragmatic policymaking, he said.

Alexander Vershbow, who was senior director for Europe in the national security council (NSC) at the time and helped write the endgame strategy, said the position paper was a compromise between different US agencies.

Serbian paramilitaries lead away Bosnian Muslim civilian prisoners taken from Srebrenica. More than 8,000 men and boys were slaughtered after the citys fall. Photograph: AP

There was a lot of pulling in different directions within the interagency [process] with the Pentagon perhaps being the most realist, and the state department and NSC with a more pro-justice side of the argument, looking to get the best deal possible for the Bosniaks [Bosnian Muslims], Vershbow said.

It did not feel so conceptual to the Bosnian leadership, when the wartime president, Alija Izetbegovic, came under American pressure to agree to a Serb referendum, even as news of the Srebrenica killings was emerging.

There was a huge, huge pressure at totally the wrong moment, said Mirza Hajric, who was then foreign ministry spokesman and went on to be chief adviser to Izetbegovic.

We were facing the tragedy of Srebrenica. It was a huge moral defeat for the international community and the most tragic event in in the war, and you had the Americans trying to break you on this basic thing. Why would you reward these people who in July 95, planned and executed genocide?

Hajric, now ambassador to Australia, said Izetbegovic adamantly rejected any suggestion of a Serb referendum. He believes the urgency of Washingtons approach was driven by the Clintons administrations desire to have the Bosnian problem off US television screens ahead of the 1996 election campaign.

Clinton was certainly very aware of what Americans were seeing on TV. In a telephone conversation with the British prime minister, John Major, on 14 July, the president appeared not to be aware of the scale of the massacre, and sought to play down its significance.

The casualty rate has gone way down and central Bosnia is at peace because of contributions made by Unprofor. The average TV viewer  thinks its as bad or worse than it was in 1992, the president said, adding that Congress felt the same way. Theres no telling them its different.

Immediately after Srebrenicas fall, Frances president, Jacques Chirac, tried to rally western leaders to support the recapture of Srebrenica by force, comparing the situation to the war against the Nazis.

France is prepared to throw all its forces into the effort to restore the situation in Srebrenica  or we do nothing. But if the option is to do nothing, then that is exactly the situation we were in in 1939, and France will withdraw, the French president told Clinton on 13 July.

Related: Genocide denial gains ground 25 years after Srebrenica massacre

Chiracs gung-ho spirit was in marked contrast to Frances reluctance to approve Nato airstrikes to deter the Serbs from Srebrenica, a caution shared with the British, who also had many peacekeepers on the ground. US officials dismissed Chiracs appeals as theatrics and noted, in internal administration memos, that his enthusiasm was not shared by his own generals.

While attempting to humour Chirac, Clinton complained about the Bosnian army, which had fled rather than trying to fight the Serbs.

In Srebrenica there were about 3,000 Bosnian troops but they  left without putting up a fight, Clinton said. I will talk to my military advisers, but they are very sceptical about bringing in forces with helicopters, especially if the Bosnians wont fight. We cannot defend democratic values in the abstract.

In the end, the US and its allies agreed to make a stand over the last Muslim enclave standing in eastern Bosnia, Gorazde, threatening massive air retaliation if it was attacked. A Croatian offensive against the Serbs in western Bosnia in August 1995 redrew the map, and forced the Serbs to the negotiating table without the promise of a referendum.

The war ended, a foreign policy achievement for Clinton, who went on to win re-election in 1996. The Clinton papers serve as a reminder, however, of how close the US came to giving up on Bosnia.
A Somerset County man admitted Monday that he stole nearly 300 iPhones that were seized by federal law enforcement officers by hiding the devices in his pants, boots and jacket over about a month.

Joel Cruz, 27, of, Franklin Park, pleaded guilty in a videoconference hearing to theft from an interstate or foreign shipment, according to the New Jersey U.S. Attorneys Office. Cruz worked for a contractor that handled items seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at a warehouse in South Brunswicks Dayton section.

CBP officers sent 628 iPhones - held in 14 boxes - to the warehouse after the items were intercepted enroute to Dubai at Boston Logan International Airport in November 2014, according to court documents.

Cruz scanned the location of the boxes within the warehouse and stole 292 iPhones worth $218,372, authorities said. He smuggled the phones out of the facility in his clothing on separate occasions in early 2015.

A temporary worker at the warehouse helped Cruz steal a small number of the phones in exchange for one or two of the devices, according to information in the case. That case is pending.

Authorities said Cruz also gave 175 to 200 of the stolen iPhones to a former warehouse employee to sell on his behalf.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Indian gems and jewellers hope to gain from direct exports to the US, as US strips Hong Kong preferential treatment

US has ended preferential trade treatment to Hong Kong and hiked import duty to 7.5% from 3.3% on gems and jewellery

Hong Kong and China exported gems and jewellery worth US$ 980.85 million and US$ 2.63 billion to the US in 2019

India exported mainly diamonds and gemstones worth $9.47 billion to Hong Kong and China in 2019

Over 75% of this is re-exported to China and goes to the US as value added studded jewellery

Gems and jewellery exporters from India are hoping to consolidate their position in the US market with increased direct exports thanks to the mounting trade tensions between the US and China, and the deteriorating political relations following the COVID-19 outbreak.

After China decided to implement the national security law on Hong Kong, the US has imposed a 7.5% duty on imports from Hong Kong (HK). This was about 3.3% earlier, as part of the 'US-HK Policy Act' of 1992, a preferential economic trade deal of the US with Hong Kong. China was using this as a loophole and re-exporting many products. The incentives and less import duty to the US had made Hong Kong the top global trading hub in Asia for gems and jewellery, said sources.

After India, France and Italy, China & Hong Kong are the largest gold jewellery exporters to the US. The new developments in ties between US, Hong Kong and China will help India corner their market share. India, China and HK were the largest exporting destinations (27%) of gems and jewellery, worth $9.47 billion, in 2019. The exports are mainly diamonds and gemstones, which are used as raw materials for studded jewellery exports to the US.

The Indian exports are mainly to Hong Kong, where most of the Indian exporters have representatives or offices, including a 2,000 plus Indian contingent in the pre-COVID-19 days. From Hong Kong, much of the products (75 per cent) are exported to China for further value-addition. China, in turn, exports a large part of the finished goods to the US and other parts of the world.

Hong Kong and China exported gems and jewellery worth $980.85 million and $2,622.19 million, respectively, to the US in 2019. The US move will negate the advantages China and Hong Kong had in exports, and India can reap the benefit by directly exporting value added products like studded jewellery to the US, said sources.

"India possesses natural benefit of ready availability of raw material, manpower and skillsets, a sector with five million workforce and an infrastructure to cater to the global demand. The Indian gem and jewellery sector has an opportunity ahead to take a quantum leap to become the global leader and a trading hub," said Colin Shah, chairman, Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC).

According to GJEPC, India has exported gem and jewellery worth $10.48 billion in 2018-19 and $9.17 billion in 2019-20 to the US, which is 26% percent of overall gems and jewellery exports from India. This was upto 35% a few years ago, until countries like China increased their exports to the US. Compared to this, India's imports from China is very negligible, worth less than Rs 150 crore a year of pearls and costume jewellery.

Also read: Kerala gold smuggling case: NIA questions suspended IAS officer for second time
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-28 01:37:28|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosts a video conference of foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal on working together to fight COVID-19 and resume economy, July 27, 2020. Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan Mohammed Haneef Atmar, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistani Minister for Economic Affairs Khusro Bakhtyar and Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali attended the video conference. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal on Monday agreed to work together to fight COVID-19 and resume economy.

The agreement came when Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted a conference of foreign ministers of the four countries via video link.

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan Mohammed Haneef Atmar, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistani Minister for Economic Affairs Khusro Bakhtyar and Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali attended the video conference.

Wang said that as a neighbor and partner, China stands ready to continue to work with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal to overcome difficulties, safeguard people's health, promote the resumption of work and production and enhance people's livelihood until final victory over COVID-19.

Wang proposed that the four countries consolidate consensus of solidarity against COVID-19, carry out joint cooperation mechanism on COVID-19 response in the region, enhance cooperation in the fight against the pandemic and in vaccine, and accelerate economic recovery and development after the pandemic.

Ministers from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal said the three sides are willing to deepen cooperation with China to fight COVID-19, ensure the flow of trade and transport corridors, facilitate people-to-people and trade connection, build a "silk road of health" and community of a shared future for humanity.
Peter Shinkoda in Daredevil (Credit: Netflix)

Peter Shinkoda, who played Nobu in the Netflix Marvel show Daredevil, has alleged that one of the show's producers urged writers not to pen storylines about Asian characters.

Shinkoda made the claims during an online event devoted to bringing the show back to screens.

Appearing alongside Geoffrey Cantor, who played Mitchell, and Tommy Walker (Francis), Shinkoda said that the show's exec Jeph Loeb vetoed plans for a plot involving his character and that of Madame Gao, played by Wai Ching Ho.

Loeb was the executive vice president of Marvel Television, before it was folded into the larger Marvel Studios banner in 2019.

Read more: The first X-Men movie at 20

I'm not into really protecting, you know, certain things anymore but Jeph Loeb told the writers room not to write for Nobu and Gao and this was reiterated many times by many of the writers and showrunners, Shinkoda said during the Save Daredevil-con live stream.

He said, 'Nobody cares about Chinese people and Asian people. There were three previous Marvel movies, a trilogy called Blade that was made where Wesley Snipes killed 200 Asians each movie.

Nobu in Daredevil (Credit: Netflix)

'Nobody gives a sh*t so don't write about Nobu and Gao.' And they were forced to put their storyline down and drop it.

He added that writers on the show 'had planned for months to write and implement into shooting but they were prevented.

Read more: Michael Jackson wanted to play Professor X

I have privy to that storyline, because they explained it to me, and they were very apologetic that they couldnt follow through with it, but their hands were tied, Shinkoda went on.

Jeph Loeb speaks onstage at Marvel Television: "Marvel's Cloak & Dagger" panel during Comic-Con International 2018. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

It was very interesting, the storyline about having to go there under the guise of getting some kind of a transplant and medical reasons and a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy was fudged so that Nobu can get into the country.

Yahoo Movies UK has contacted representatives for Loeb for comment.

Daredevil ran on Netflix for three series, from 2015 to 2018, but despite acclaim from fans and critics, it was cancelled ahead of a plotted fourth series.

Marvel series Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist were also cancelled around the same time.
South Africa: Two held for R2m worth of PRASA stolen assets

Two people, one a current Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa employee and another, a former employee of the agency, have been arrested for allegedly being in possession of stolen assets, worth almost R2 million in value, belonging to PRASA.

The two were arrested by the Organised Crime Unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Protection Services of PRASA this past weekend.

The arrests follow an intense investigation by the unit of the SAPS and PRASA security personnel, which also included a warrant to search the premises of the manufacturing company.

Twelve points machines and 50 signal tuning units, all belonging to PRASA, have been recovered.

One of the suspects is an employee of PRASA at management level at one signal depot in the Germiston area in the city of Ekurhuleni. The other is a former PRASA manager, who now owns and runs an electrical and railway equipment supply company, PRASA said.

The two suspects were detained at Elsburg SAPS and are expected to appear at a local magistrates court on Monday. The investigation continues and further arrests are possible.

The two arrests are part of numerous other arrests that have taken place since the appointment of the acting head of PRASA Protection Services, retired Brigadier-General Tebogo Rakau, earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the process to recruit 3 100 security personnel at PRASA continues.

This follows PRASA Administrator Bongisizwe Mpondos decision to insource security personnel after several security contracts were terminated by PRASA.

The contracts were found by the offices of the Public Protector and the Auditor-General to have been irregular. Four PRASA employees were dismissed last month as a result of their involvement in the procurement of the irregular contracts, PRASA said.

The 3 100 new recruits are expected to commence their guard duties in August 2020.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-07-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Can elections be held safely during a pandemic? This months primary runoffs showed that it can be done, but they also revealed vulnerabilities in voting systems that creaked under a million voters and may simply give way as 10 times as many cast their ballots in November.

If we are to avoid an Election Day disaster in the fall, the challenges we face will require everyone  from Congress to voters  to do their part starting now.

As run-throughs go, the July 14 runoffs were a success, mostly thanks to local election officials throughout the state who prioritized safety and were prepared for an increase in voting by mail.

Voters had a much different experience at the polls than during the March primaries, this time casting their ballots wearing masks and finger covers, and maintaining social distancing while standing in line and at voting machines.

Runoff elections usually draw only a sliver of the electorate to the polls on Election Day, but even that fraction was winnowed  lessening the risk of in-person voting  by actions such as Harris Countys mass mailing of absentee ballot request forms to all registered voters 65 and older, as well as Gov. Greg Abbotts extension of the early voting period.

These measures must continue and expand. Harris County had 57 early voting locations for the runoff, a record number, and plans to have even more open for the upcoming election.

What most voters care about are convenient locations, avoiding long lines, quick reporting of results and, in our current world, safety, County Clerk Chris Hollins told the editorial board. On those levels we were successful.

But local officials are going to need all the help they can get in November, experts said. Turnout for the runoff was about 6 percent of registered voters. The 2016 election brought out almost 60 percent of the electorate.

Texas avoided the election debacles that plagued some other states dealing with pandemic voting, including long lines and unsafe conditions at limited polling locations and weeks-long delays in reporting final results, but warning signs are clear.

Some voters who wanted to vote by mail never received their absentee ballot or got it too late for them to feel comfortable mailing it back. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Other voters said they mailed in their ballots, but they were lost, while others were returned unopened.

Voters testing positive for COVID-19 or under quarantine were also left with limited options. Texas law allows someone who became ill after the deadline for requesting an absentee ballot to receive an emergency ballot, but they must have a doctors note. With medical personnel stretched thin under the pandemic, filling out forms is not the best use of a doctors time, yet a judge denied Harris Countys request to substitute the medical excuse with a sworn statement by the voter, as well as the option for sick voters to receive and return their ballots via email.

Ensuring the November election runs smoothly starts at the federal level, where Congress must include additional funding for election needs as part of any upcoming COVID-19 relief legislation. Lawmakers approved $400 million back in March but experts say it will take an additional $3.6 billion to safeguard elections.

Congress must also guarantee that mail-in ballots are handled in a timely fashion by supporting the U.S. Postal Service, which recently said all mail may be delayed as part of cost-cutting measures.

Gov. Abbott did the right thing in increasing the early voting period. State officials must now eliminate the ambiguity over who is eligible to vote by mail, which state officials insist remains limited to those 65 or older or who have a valid excuse. Harris County officials have said theyll not challenge voters who decide fear of COVID-19 is reason enough to vote by mail, but it is unacceptable that Texas doesnt make clear that absentee ballots are widely available during the pandemic. Texas is an embarrassing outlier as most other states respond to the pandemic by allowing anyone who wants to vote by mail to do so.

Harris County Commissioners Court has already approved up to $12 million for mail ballots. Its support should continue as the county clerk brings the departments budget for review in the next few weeks.

Finally, voters must take advantage of alternative voting methods. Whether thats through early voting or requesting an absentee ballot, the goal should be to keep Election Day voting to a minimum.

Casting a ballot is a constitutional right, the cornerstone of our political system and the obligation of every eligible citizen. To protect voting is to safeguard democracy. And thats a job for all of us.
NRG Energy Inc. NRG recently inked a deal to acquire Direct Energy, the North American subsidiary of Centrica PLC CPYYY, for a consideration of $3.625 billion, subject to a working capital adjustment. This all-cash transaction is expected to close by the end of 2020, pending customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.



Notably, Direct Energy is among North Americas leading retail providers of electricity, natural gas, and home and business energy-related products as well as services.

Buyout Benefits

The purchase will likely complement NRG Energys integrated model, enabling better matching of power generation with customer demand along with enhancement of its retail natural gas capabilities. Further, the takeover will expose NRG Energy to substantial regional diversity, provided 76% of Direct Energys Home Energy customers resides outside Texas. The transaction will add more than 3 million retail customers from all 50 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces.



The buyout is likely to draw $300 million worth synergies annually and nearly $740 million as annual adjusted EBITDA, courtesy of NRG Energys scalable operational platform and best-in-class cost discipline. The integration will also strengthen free cash flow and provide earnings diversification.



The deal will offer NRG Energy the ability to expand its successful capital-light renewable Power Purchase Agreement strategy outside Texas and will be accretive to its free cash flow. In addition, the company expects to achieve its targeted credit ratios within 12 months of the deals completion, thereby maintaining its commitment to achieve investment grade credit metrics.

Acquisitions Expand Operation

NRG Energy has been making concerted efforts to consolidate earnings, increase cost savings and boost shareholder value. This acquisition is in line with such growth-driving measures. Prior to this, in August 2019, the company acquired Stream Energy's retail electricity and natural gas business, which has operational presence in nine states and at Washington, DC for $329 million. Remarkably, the deal had added approximately 450,000 customers to the companys retail portfolio.

Story continues

Price Performance

In the past three months, shares of the company have gained 2.3% against the industrys 1.2% decline.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

The company currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).



A few better-ranked electric utilities are Korea Electric Power Corporation KEP and Fortis Inc. FTS, both carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Korea Electric Powers 2020 earnings has been stable in the past 60 days. The companys long-term (three-five years) earnings growth rate is pegged at 5%.



Fortis came up with an earnings surprise of 6.28%, on average, in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2020 earnings has been revised 1.6% upward in the past 60 days.

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Linkedin Editorial board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27 2020

Indonesia, like every other country, is searching desperately for a vaccine for COVID-19, which has sickened more than 98,000 people in the country, has killed more than 4,700 and has crushed the economy. Some countries, including neighboring Singapore, have declared a recession, and if no significant progress is made with regard to public health, Indonesia may follow suit.

A vaccine would give a significant boost to the reopening economy, a path the government has chosen despite the risk of a surge in infections. Unsurprisingly, President Joko Jokowi Widodo has said he expects a vaccine to be ready for mass production in the first quarter of next year.

The President has estimated that a potential national vaccination program would require 347 million doses. Thats a huge figure and would be largest number of vaccine doses the nation ever provided.

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Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 08:59 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066977c7a 1 Business LPG,LPG-substitute,DME,coal,gas-import,cooking-gas,energy-and-mineral-resources-ministry,pertamina,Bukit-Asam Free

The government is looking to mix coal-based dimethyl ether (DME) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as cooking gas in an effort to reduce Indonesias dependence on imported LPG.

The country has long sought to replace the LPG with DME as a cooking fuel, but new official studies have revealed a key limitation with the plan.

Read also: Govt to slash diesel subsidy 50%, generate trillions in 2021 savings

The studies found that, compared to LPG, burning DME was less pollutive but also much less hot, which meant the cooking time was up to 20 percent longer, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry research and development head Dadan Kusdiana told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Thus, mixing 80 percent LPG with 20 percent DME was the ideal ratio to maximize retail economics, he said, summarizing the studies that were carried out between 2017 and 2020.

If we mix it like that, the gas can be used with the existing infrastructure, he added, explaining that conventional stoves and canisters wore out faster when burning pure DME.

Switching to DME is among Indonesias many plans to cut consumption of LPG, a fuel the country has been heavily importing at the cost of widening its trade deficit, a key vulnerability for Southeast Asias largest economy.

Oil and gas trade booked a deficit of US$3.55 billion during the January-June period this year, while non-oil and gas trade booked a surplus of $9.05 billion in the same period, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data show.

Ideally, piped natural gas would substitute LPG, as Indonesia already produced more natural gas than needed, said Indonesian Olefin, Aromatic and Plastic Industry Association (INAPLAS) secretary-general Fajar Budiono.

But the household gas pipes cannot yet reach every corner of the country, he said. The pipes are only for big cities and big islands.

To supply cooking gas to regions not connected by pipelines, the government plans to distribute canisters of DME derived from domestically mined low-calorie coal. Indonesian reserves hold around 2 billion tons of such a coal, mostly unused.

Read also: Pertamina, PGN cut revenue targets as weak rupiah, lockdown severely hurt businesses

The energy ministry estimates that around 6 million tons of the coal is needed to produce 1.5 million tons of DME, and it estimates the DME price needs to be below $563 per ton to be economical when compared with LPG.

However, only one company, namely state-owned coal miner PT Bukit Asam, has announced a plan to develop a coal-to-DME facility thus far.

The company, working with United States-based chemical manufacturer Air Products and Chemicals Ltd, plans to develop a $2 billion facility that produces 1.4 million tons of DME a year. Such an output level requires 6.5 million tons of coal.

That 1.4 million tons is about enough to meet Sumatras LPG needs, said Dadan.

PTBA and state-owned oil giant Pertamina, the countrys top LPG distributor, previously calculated that selling the cheap coal at $20 per ton  the market price for regular coal is now at $52.16 per ton  would allow coal-derived DME to compete with LPG.

Bukit Asam president director Arviyan Arifin said on June 10 that the company was currently working on the facilitys early phase project planning, known as front end engineering design (FEED).

We hope to begin commercial operation in 2024-2025, he said
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has embarked on a three-day working visit to Northern Ghana.

Beginning Monday, July 27, 2020, President Akufo-Addo will visist Northern, North East and the Savanna regions.



A press statement signed and issued by the Deputy Minister of Information, Pius Enam Hadzide said the visit will afford President Akufo-Addo the opportunity to inspect progress of work on ongoing developmenttal projects, commision completed projects and cut sod for work to resume on others.



He seizes the opportunity to engage and interact with chiefs and people of the various communities.



The statement said President Akufo-Addo shall specifically commmission the Yapei Water Project in the Savanna region and the Nalerigy Water Project at Nalerigy.





He will cut sod for the start of constructino work on the Yendi, Damongo and Tamale water projects and cut sod for the construction of a regional office building for the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) at Nalerigu.



President Akufo-Addo will pay courtesy calls on and interact with traditional rulers including the Kusuguwura, Yagbonwura, Nayiri and the Yaa Naa and return to Accra on Thursday, July 29, 2020.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Daniel (Dan) O'Connell, Blackhall, Clane / Glenbeigh, Kerry

July 24. Peacefully at Naas General Hospital. Predeceased by his loving wife Philomena (Phil), brothers John, Michael and Denis, son-in-law Brendan Redmond and grandson Gavin Redmond. Deeply regretted by his loving sons Donal and Ronan, daughters Miriam Redmond, Anne Lyons and Avril Hand, sister Mary, brother Paddy, son-in-law, daughters-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends.

In line with government advice regarding public gatherings a funeral mass for family and close friends (max 50 persons) will take place. Removal from Daniel's residence on Monday at 11:30am to arrive at Clane Parish Church arriving for 12 noon Funeral Mass, followed by burial in Mainham Cemetery. House private on Monday please. Family flowers only please, donations, if desired, to the friends of Naas Hospital. Those who would like to attend the funeral but due to current restrictions cannot, please leave your personal message by selecting condolences at RIP.ie Daniels funeral mass can be viewed on Monday at 12 noon at https://www.claneparish.com/webcam/.

Christina Hurley (nee Elders), Celbridge

July 7. Peacefully in Peachtree City, Georgia, U.S.A. Christina, beloved wife of the late Michael and dear mother of James, Damian, and Christine and devoted grandmother to Erin, Ronan, Tara, Mikailee, Fiona, Walter Jr, and Christopher. Great grandmother to Liam. Sadly missed by her loving daughter, sons, sisters, brothers, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, son-in-law (Walter), daughters-in-law (Bernadette and Joan), grand daughters-in-law (Louisa, Darien and Sara), brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends. Due to Government advice and restrictions regarding public gatherings and to protect our most vulnerable family members and our friends, a private family funeral will take place. The family would ask you adhere to current HSE guidelines and restrictions at all times. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral but due to current restrictions cannot, please leave your personal message by selecting Condolences at RIP.ie or alternatively leaving a message at www.cunninghamsfunerals.com. Christinas Funeral Mass may be view by following the link below on Monday 27th. July 2020 at 11.00 am. https://www.celstra.ie/live-feed/

Rose Mc Cormack (nee Grace), Coill Dubh, Kildare

July 24. Formerly of Brockagh, Robertstown. Peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family. Deeply regretted by her loving husband Tommy, son Thomas, daughter Vera, daughter in law Gillian, grandchildren Amber, Nathan, Christian, Annabel and George, relatives and friends. In line with government advice regarding public gatherings, a funeral mass for family and close friends (max 50 persons) will take place. Removal from Rose's residence on Sunday at 6:30pm to Christ the King Church, Cooleragh arriving for 7pm. Funeral Mass on Monday at 11am followed by burial in Staplestown Cemetery. Family flowers only please, donations, if desired, to the Irish Cancer Society at https://www.cancer.ie/ways-to-help/donate/donate Those who would like to attend the funeral but due to current restrictions cannot, please leave your personal message by selecting condolences at RIP.ie. Rose's Funeral Mass can be viewed on Monday at 11am at https://www.mcnmedia.tv/camera/christ-the-king-church-cooleragh.

Denis Lawlor, Fassaugh, Monasterevin

July 24 Peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving family. Loving husband of the late Carmel. Deeply regretted by his loving daughters Bridget and Denise, grandchildren Tasha and Darren, son-in-law Brian, sisters-in-law, extended family, neighbours and friends.Removal on Monday arriving Our Lady Of Victories Church Kildangan for Requiem Mass at 11am. Funeral afterwards to Ballybracken Cemetery. Due to the Covid 19 Directive Social Distancing will be in place in the Church and at the Cemetery. You can leave your condolences on the Online Condolence Book at RIP.ie. The family would like to thank you for your help and understanding at this difficult and sad time.

Niamh McCartan (nee Kennedy), Clongowney, Old Dublin Road, Mullingar, Westmeath / Naas / Ballymahon, Longford

July 25. In her 97th year. Peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family. Pre-deceased by her husband Paddy and son Philip. Dearly loved mother of Carole, Pat, Jim, Paul and Niamh og, she will be deeply missed by her sons and daughters, sisters Phil, Bernie and Sr. Vianney, sister-in-law Ette, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, her 16 beloved grandchildren and great-granddaughter, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Following HSE and Government guidelines a Funeral Mass will take place on Tuesday, July 28, at 10.00 o'c which can be viewed online at mullingarparish.ie followed by burial in St. Corban's Cemetery, Naas. (arriving 12.45 o'c approx). House private please. For those who would like to leave a personal message of sympathy for the family please do so in the Condolence Book at RIP.ie

Christopher ( Jim ) Brennan, Blackwood, Coill Dubh

July 24 Peacefully at Naas General Hospital. Deeply regretted by his loving family, relatives, neighbours and friends. Rest in peace. Funeral arrangements later.

Ann Murray (nee O'Keeffe), Mill Lane Manor Nursing Home, Naas, Kildare / Kildare Town

July 25. Formerly of Maryville, Kildare Town. Peacefully in the wonderful care of the staff at Mill Lane Manor Nursing Home, Naas. Sadly missed by her loving daughters Nicola and Lorraine, son Buddy and their father Lenny, sons in law Paul and Robert, daughter in law Edele, grandchildren Lily, Patrick and Adam, brothers, sisters, brothers in law, sisters in law, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends. In line with government advice regarding public gatherings, a funeral Mass for a maximum of 50 people will take place. Ann will be reposing at McWeys Funeral Home, Abbeyview, Kildare Town, for family and close friends on Monday from 5 o'clock with Rosary at 7 o'clock. Removal on Tuesday to arrive at The Carmelite Church, Kildare Town, for 11 o'clock Requiem Mass. Cremation afterwards in Mount Jerome crematorium, Harold's Cross. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to current restrictions cannot, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence page at RIP.ie.

Catherine (Kaye) Kane (nee Duffy), Heather Lane, Esker Hills, Portlaoise, Laois / Kilmeague

July 26. Formerly of the Liberties, Dublin. Peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family. Sadly missed by her loving daughters Lisa, Anita and Amanda, sons Raymond, David and Stephen and their father Patrick, daughters-in-law Jane, Mel and Jane, sons-in-law Pete and Paul, grandchildren, great-grandchild Carter, sisters, brothers in law, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and close friends. In line with Government advice regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place. Kaye will be reposing for family and close friends at her daughter Lisa's home (Castlebawn, Kilmeague) on Tuesday with rosary at 7pm. Removal on Wednesday to The Church of The Holy Trinity, Allen, for 11am Requiem Mass. Burial afterwards in Allen Cemetery. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to current restrictions cannot, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence page at RIP.ie

Helen Mahon (nee Kelly), Rathbride Road, Kildare town

July 25. Formerly of Kilcullen. Sister of the late Carmel and Mary. Peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family. Sadly missed by her loving husband Johnny, daughters Olga and Joann, sons Michael and Jonathan, sons in law Paul and Paul, daughters in law Jess and Jae, grandchildren Millie, Ellie, Georgia and Freedie, sisters Kaye and Bridie, brothers in law, sisters in law, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and friends. In line with government advice regarding public gatherings, a funeral Mass for a maximum of 50 people will take place. Helen will be reposing at McWeys Funeral Home, Abbeyview, Kildare Town, for family and close friends on Tuesday from 11am with Rosary at 12 midday. Removal then at 12.30pm to arrive at The Carmelite Church, Kildare Town, for 1pm Requiem Mass. Burial afterwards in St. Conleth's Cemetery, Kildare Town. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to current restrictions cannot, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence page at RIP.ie
An attorney who filed a slew of lawsuits in several different counties to have judges find there arent public health emergencies says counties need to be careful in enforcing social distancing and mask-wearing rules because hes ready to file even more lawsuits.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker now faces lawsuits in several counties from attorney Thomas DeVore, who represents people and businesses seeking judges to declare there isnt a public health emergency because of low numbers of COVID-19 deaths in those counties. DeVore said more lawsuits against the governor in other counties could be on the way.

The lawsuits filed were in Sangamon, Clinton, Bond, Richland and Edgar counties showing COVID-19 data that DeVore claims dont rise to the level of an emergency. He amended the complaint tha state Rep. Darren Bailey has against the governor in Clay County to reflect the other challenges.

In the Sangamon County case, where DeVore is representing a salon owner, a gym owner and a restaurant owner, he said the states COVID-19 statistics show 0.363 percent of the countys population has tested positive and 0.017 percent have died from COVID-19. He used similar numbers to show the statistics in other counties.

DeVore said hes ready to file lawsuits in other counties across the state.

I think thats what people have been frustrated about, which has been tearing people apart for the better part of four months, is that whether or not that definition [of a public health emergency] is satisfied in Cook County or Chicago is for the good people of Cook County and Chicago, etc., the collar counties, DeVore said. That people in the other overwhelming majority 90-something counties, heck weve got 40-some counties  that dont have one person thats passed away [from COVID] in.

The Illinois Attorney Generals office didnt immediately respond to The Center Square but reportedly called DeVores lawsuits frivolous. DeVore did get a Clay County court to order the governors orders void but that case is still pending on appeal.

The day after DeVore filed the lawsuits against the governor, public health officials in Sangamon County announced increased efforts to enforce COVID-19 guidelines, including fines and license suspensions of businesses. They say there is a public health emergency.

The Sangamon County Department of Public Health recognizes the danger to our citizens and has worked tirelessly to identify, control, and prevent the disease, the department said in a statement. The demographics of new positive cases have shifted drastically in recent weeks. In May, our biggest concern was our older population and congregated settings. While that concern has not disappeared, current data suggest that our focus needs to shift to our younger population in social settings.

Penalties for violation of [COVID-19 occupancy, social distancing and face covering requirements] include monetary fines, suspension or revocation of permit or license and potential closure of a business pursuant to existing County ordinances, the county said. We must take every precaution to prevent Sangamon County from reverting back to Phase 3, or worse, a second lockdown.

While DeVores lawsuits are targeting the governor, he said hell sue local officials in Sangamon County and elsewhere if it comes to it.

They cant do it, DeVore said. These local health departments can close a business if it is a public health risk which is not because theyre not wearing a mask. If they want to try that in court, Im ready. They cant do these things.

Pritzkers administration on Friday put the counties of Adams, LaSalle, Peoria and Randolph in the warning category. The counties have reported an increase in cases and could face increased regulations.
Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton sparked outrage by calling the enslavement of millions of African people in the early years of the United States a 'necessary evil'.

Cotton, an outspoken Republican, made the jarring remark in an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Sunday as he promoted a new bill that would defund schools that teach the New York Times' controversial 1619 Project about slavery in the US.

The senator argued that slavery is a critical piece of American history, saying: 'As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction.'

Cotton later defended his comment by insisting that he was merely citing the Founding Fathers in a tweet reposted by President Donald Trump, and his office stated that the senator does not personally believe slavery was a 'necessary evil'.

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton (pictured on July 1) called the enslavement of millions of African people in the early years of the United States a 'necessary evil upon which the union was built' in an interview promoting his new bill that would defund schools that teach the New York Times' controversial 1619 Project about the history of American slavery

Cotton last week introduced his bill, the Saving American History Act, which aims to 'prohibit the use of federal funds to teach the 1619 Project by K-12 schools or school districts'.

The 1619 Project was launched by the Times in 2019 to mark the 400th anniversary of African slaves' arrival in what later became the US.

The venture examines how slavery shaped and continues to permeate all aspects of American society by expanding on early accounts that are largely left out of the historical narrative taught in most schools.

The Times subsequently teamed up with the nonprofit Pulitzer Center to create a curriculum based on the project for primary and secondary schools.

In his interview with the Democrat-Gazette, Cotton argued: 'The entire premise of the New York Times' factually, historically flawed 1619 Project  is that America is at root, a systemically racist country to the core and irredeemable.

'I reject that root and branch. America is a great and noble country founded on the proposition that all mankind is created equal. We have always struggled to live up to that promise, but no country has ever done more to achieve it.

'We have to study the history of slavery and its role and impact on the development of our country because otherwise we can't understand our country.'

Cotton's bill does not have any co-sponsors and is not expected to pass in Congress, despite widespread GOP opposition to the 1619 Project and the curriculum created out of it.

The 1619 Project was launched by the New York Times in 2019 to mark the 400th anniversary of African slaves' arrival in what later became the US. The venture examines how slavery shaped and continues to permeate all aspects of American society by expanding on early accounts that are largely left out of the historical narrative taught in most schools

Cotton took to Twitter to decry media reports about his 'necessary evil' comment

Nikole Hannah-Jones, the project's creator who won a Pulitzer Prize for her introductory essay to the inaugural issue, reacted to Cotton's bill on Friday and said it 'speaks to the power of journalism more than anything I've ever done in my career'.

Hannah-Jones spoke out again on Sunday after Cotton's interview came out, tweeting: 'If chattel slavery  heritable, generational, permanent, race-based slavery where it was legal to rape, torture, and sell human beings for profit  were a "necessary evil" as Tom Cotton says, it's hard to imagine what cannot be justified if it is a means to an end.'

She continued: 'Imagine thinking a non-divisive curriculum is one that tells black children the buying and selling of their ancestors, the rape, torture, and forced labor of their ancestors for PROFIT, was just a "necessary evil" for the creation of the "noblest" country the world has ever seen.

'So, was slavery foundational to the Union on which it was built, or nah? You heard it from Tom Cotton himself.'

Cotton hit back at Hannah-Jones in his own tweet, writing: 'More lies from the debunked 1619 Project.

'Describing the views of the Founders and how they put the evil institution on a path to extinction, a point frequently made by Lincoln, is not endorsing or justifying slavery. No surprise that the 1619 Project can't get facts right.'

Cotton also attacked media reports about his 'necessary evil' comment, tweeting: 'This is the definition of fake news.

'I said that *the Founders viewed slavery as a necessary evil* and described how they put the evil institution on the path to extinction, a point frequently made by Lincoln.'

That tweet attracted attention from President Trump, who retweeted it on his account.

A spokesman for Cotton's office similarly told Talking Points Memo: 'As [Cotton's] quote makes clear, that view was held by some Founding Fathers. Reporting to the contrary is politically motivated and dishonest.'

It's unclear when the Founding Fathers expressed such views, or if they did at all.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of the 1619 Project, slammed Cotton's 'necessary evil' remark in a Twitter thread on Sunday (pictured)

Cotton hit back at Hannah-Jones in his own tweet (pictured), again insisting that he was quoting the Founding Fathers

Cotton is widely considered a possible contender for president in 2024 and is currently running unopposed for re-election this fall, after having won his seat by a wide margin in 2014.

Like many right-wing figures including Trump, Cotton has frequently criticized the Times for what he perceives to be biased and incorrect reporting.

The senator clashed with the newspaper earlier this summer after it published - and later apologized for - an op-ed he wrote calling to deploy the military to break up protests against racism and police brutality.

Cotton's column, entitled 'Send in the troops', sparked outage both outside and within the ranks of the Times, whose journalists branded it 'fascist' and said that it lacked adequate fact checking to the point that it contradicted reporting from the paper's own writers.

Times publisher AG Sulzberger initially defended the decision to publish the op-ed, saying the paper was committed to representing 'views from across the spectrum'.

But the Times later issued a statement acknowledging that the piece fell short of its editorial standards, prompting the resignation of editorial page director James Bennet.
RICHMOND  Police arrested 17 people, two of them juveniles, overnight from Sunday to early Monday and cleared protesters out of Monroe Park during a second night of tension between demonstrators and officers, Richmonds police chief said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

Six people were charged only with trespassing. Another adult was arrested for blocking traffic, not wearing a seat belt and not having a drivers license in his possession.

Three others were charged with transporting a loaded rifle within city limits. Two other people were charged with rioting with a weapon, a felony.

Other charges include possessing a weapon with an extended magazine, rioting, pedestrian in the roadway, showing a false ID to police to avoid arrest, and possession with intent to deliver crack cocaine.

Those arrested range in age from 17 to 45 and include individuals who indicated they are from Richmond, Henrico County, Williamsburg, Falls Church and Herndon, the authorities said.

Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith said the city received a flier late Sunday afternoon that he characterized as intimidating and wanting to produce fear in the city of Richmond. The flier included the phrases This is just the beginning and Richmond will not stop in all capital letters, as well as expletives directed at police, white supremacy and fascism.

The chief said the flier was similar to one that circulated widely on social media in the days leading up to Saturday nights protest. That flier was made by a group saying it stood in support of the people protesting in Portland, Oregon, where demonstrators have clashed with federal law enforcement agents deployed to subdue protests at the federal courthouse there. Last weeks flier contained aggressive language against police and the federal government, and Smith said it came from someone outside Richmond.

We have to take action when we know violence is coming, and last night we knew violence was coming, Smith said at Mondays news conference, standing in front of a city dump truck that had been set ablaze.

He said three fires were set overnight Sunday into Monday and that windows had been smashed, including at Virginia Commonwealth University police headquarters.

No chemical munitions were deployed last night, he said.

Smith said he recognizes protesters First Amendment right to demonstrate, but added that the fliers were trying to stir it up after 24 previous days of protests in Richmond that were free from significant clashes between the police and demonstrators.

Referring to some of those involved in this past weekends protests, he said, I dont think theyre interested in it stopping.

He said the police took a proactive stance by clearing protesters from Monroe Park, which closes at dusk.

Smith said many protesters have made their message heard in recent weeks and that many of those individuals have returned to their lives and are making a difference from where they sit and actually started to have conversations from the table from where they sit, to actually make change.

Im not quite sure what the individuals who are left on the street, especially here in the last two days  I dont think theyre interested in it stopping, he added. So right now, RPD will continue our stance and that is to make the city of Richmond safe. And we will also, for those who want to protest, we will help facilitate that First Amendment right.

Smith said that he did not have a follow up on the investigation into a Saturday night incident during which an armed man exited his vehicle, engaged in a verbal spat with a protester and fired a gun into the asphalt. Someone in the vehicle yelled a racist slur as it pulled away.

Screams rang out across Monroe Park on Sunday a little after 10 p.m. as about 100 police officers, many in riot gear, swarmed a group of around 50 protesters.

Some of the police arrived in unmarked white vans, jumping out and running toward demonstrators as they attempted to exit the park. Prior to the polices arrival, the protesters had been gathering at the center of the park in preparation for a march in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Some of the demonstrators were tackled and handcuffed on the peripheries of the park, others after they had crossed the street. Richmond GIS data shows that the sidewalks encircling Monroe Park are not a part of the park itself.

Police could be heard yelling if theyre in the park, grab them, and telling protesters and press alike keep moving or go to jail.

Police said they were enforcing the parks closure after sundown. A student journalist from The Commonwealth Times, VCUs independent, student-run newspaper, was briefly detained while attempting to exit the park.

After demonstrators had largely dispersed, police said they investigated a suspicious package placed somewhere in the vicinity of the park. An officer told the Richmond Times-Dispatch at the scene a bomb squad was called in to make safe the area.

Protesters later regrouped beneath the Lee Monument at the informally renamed Marcus-David Peters Circle. About double the number which originally gathered at Monroe Park then marched down Broad Street to Sixth Street with maybe 20 bikers and 20 to 30 cars in tow.

During the march, organizers listed off demands associated with the protest, which have not changed since demonstrations began nearly two months ago. Those demands include reopening the Marcus-David Peters case, establishing a civilian review board to oversee the police department, releasing the names of officers under investigation for use of force and fully funding the Marcus Alert System.

The march made a U-turn at East Broad and Sixth streets, and headed back toward the VCU campus. After stopping briefly at the corner of West Broad Street and Belvidere, the march was met by a line of police in riot gear at the corner of North Hancock and West Broad.

Police declared an unlawful assembly at that point, and marchers turned right down North Hancock before dispersing without direct confrontation with the police.

During the march, a dumpster across from the Dunkin Donuts on Goshen Street was set ablaze.

As of Monday morning, Richmond police had not made an official statement or released any information about those who may have been arrested.
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Mon, July 27 2020

North Sumatra University (USU) in Medan will suspend all activities for a week starting July 27 after five lecturers tested positive for COVID-19, while one of them has died from the coronavirus disease.

USU rector Runtung Sitepu said the late lecturer, identified as MHKS, taught at the School of Engineerings industrial engineering department.

The four other lecturers who tested positive for the virus were Runtung himself, vice rector Rosmayati and board of trustees member Darma Bakti. They are undergoing self-isolation.

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New data released last week by the Tennessee Department of Health has revealed that 7,572 school-age childrenthose between the ages of 5 and18have been diagnosed with COVID-19. This figure is a damning exposure of the lie that children are somehow less susceptible to catching or spreading the virus, which has been used to justify the push to restart in-person schooling in the coming weeks. As well, the confirmed total is not a true reflection of the extent of the virus due to the overall lack of testing among this age group.

As part of the homicidal return-to-work drive initiated by the Trump administration with the complicity of the Democratic Party, Tennessees Republican governor, Bill Lee, began the process of lifting restrictions on May 1, one of the first to do so. Forcing schools to reopen is a critical next step in getting workers back on the job, even as infections and hospitalizations from COVID-19 hit record highs in the US.

The virus has been on a rampage throughout Tennessee since the lifting of restrictions in May. On Sunday, there were 3,140 new cases, and the last week saw nearly 130 confirmed deaths from COVID-19. Overall, the state has nearly 94,000 cases of the novel coronavirus and is fast approaching 1,000 fatalities, figures which are expected to be amplified by the reopening of schools.

Despite this, and following the demands of the Trump administration, preparations are underway to send children and teachers back into the schools, with some districts beginning classes as early as July 30.

The response of Governor Lees administration is for the districts themselves to formulate their own plans for reopening, although Lee has indicated he will be issuing state guidelines on Tuesday following recommendations released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week. As a result of this hands off policy, reopening plans vary from district to district, which has led to uncertainty and chaos for students and educators alike.

This muddled and improvisational approach is underway in other states as well. A teacher in West Virginia explained the situation in that statewhere new infections are also risingtelling the WSWS, The problem here is that the state department really shouldve made the decision early on as to what the [state is] going to do, but they dont want to take any responsibility with that so theyre putting the responsibility off on the counties. Adding, The problem with that is that each county is going to have its own plan which [would] require special funding, and they have no way to get additional funding directly.

The Murfreesboro Daily News Journal has outlined the reopening plans for 27 districts throughout Tennessee. Nearly half have either not mandated masks or have made mask-wearing optional.

Then there is the question of testing, or lack thereof. Shelby County Schoolswhich includes Memphis and most of the surrounding communitiesmade clear in its reopening plan that the district will not administer or require COVID-19 tests of employees or students. The district, which supports 95,000 students, is located in a county with nearly 18,000 confirmed infections, one of the three highest in the state along with the counties that include Nashville and Murfreesboro.

Despite the raging pandemic, the majority of the districts surveyed will begin reopening with traditional in-person learning, with remote and hybrid learning optional. Only Nashvilles Metro school district will begin with online-only classes, which is a reversal of previous plans to start in-person learning on August 3.

Davidson County, where Nashville is located, has already recorded nearly 17,500 cases. Metro officials announced that the shift to online-only learning was done out of concern for the health and safety of students and teachers. In reality, this decision was a response to growing opposition from educators and parents concerned over the deadly consequences of forcing their children back to school while the virus continues to circulate broadly in the states largest city.

Indeed, as the WSWS recently noted, there is mounting anger in the US among teachers, parents and students over school reopening plans, with tens of thousands having organized various displays of opposition, including protests, rallies and car caravans. Citing a poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs, Bloomberg recently noted that Only about 1 in 10 Americans think daycare centers, preschools or K-12 schools should open this fall without restrictions.

In an effort to get in front of an independent struggle of teachers in Nashville, the citys teachers union, the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association (MNEA), plans to hold a mock funeral procession this evening. However, the focus of the event is not on the potential deaths of students and teachers, but rather it will focus on mourning the loss of effective leadership.

Workers must no longer rely on these bankrupt organizations, which are doing nothing to seriously mobilize teachers and young people to oppose the reckless and homicidal reopening of schools. In fact, the unions are actively formulating the best means of forcing teachers back into unsafe schools as part of the overall back-to-work campaign. As American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten recently made clear, the unions position is that teachers need to return to the classroom so that parents who work outside the home can go to work.

The Socialist Equality Party is the only organization that is seeking to mobilize educators, parents and students in opposition to the murderous back-to-school initiative of the capitalist class. To carry out this struggle, educators and school staff must take the necessary step of forming rank-and-file safety committees, independent of, and in opposition to, the trade unions and the two corrupt parties of American capitalism. These committees must be equipped with, and guided by, the program and perspective of international socialism. Workers who are interested in rank-and-file committees are urged to contact us today.
A National Park boss today hit out at illegal 'wild campers' he suggested left mounds of rubbish behind at British beauty spots.

Trevor Beattie, Chief Executive of South Downs National Park Authority, shared a photograph of tents, chairs and coolers surrounded by discarded bottles and bags inside the park.

Another image taken this weekend captured the remains of a fire, which appeared to be abandoned alongside drinks cans, bottles and cardboard boxes.

The photographs, taken at Southwick Hill and Midhurst Common, were said to be two examples of a greater problem 'happening right across the Park.'

Mr Beattie later told MailOnline how lasting damage has been caused to Bronze Age barrows and habitats at the National Park as more Britons explored the outdoors amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Trevor Beattie, Chief Executive of the South Downs National Park Authority, shared a photograph of tents, chairs and coolers surrounded by discarded bottles and bags

Another image captured the remains of a fire, which was abandoned alongside drinks cans, bottles and cardboard boxes

'The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a renewed wave of interest in connecting with the outdoors and we're pleased to say the vast majority of people have been enjoying our wonderful National Park responsibly and respectfully,' he said.

'However, there have been some incidents, including wild camping, barbecues and fires being lit, in highly sensitive areas that have caused lasting damage to both habitats and Scheduled Ancient Monuments such as Bronze Age barrows.'

Taking to Twitter today to share photographs of rubbish left by campers, Mr Beattie claimed 'wild camping is damaging our National Park'.

He said: 'These pictures are from Southwick Hill and Midhurst Common this weekend but it is happening right across the Park.

'South Downs National Park Authority is working with partners on the clear up but we need the support of more national messaging.'

He added that 'wild camping,' a term given to camping outside of the boundaries of a designated campsite, is illegal in the South Downs National Park 'without landowner permission.'

'Camping is great fun and we encourage everyone who wants to spend a night under the stars to support the rural visitor economy by staying in campsites with facilities,' Mr Beattie said.

The South Downs National Park encompasses 1,600 square-kilometres and 100 miles across Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex.

There are also around 117,000 people who live and work within the boundaries of the National Park, which was established a protected area in April 2011.

Taking to Twitter, Mr Beattie explained how 'wild camping is damaging our National Park'

Dozens of Britons took to the comments of Mr Beattie's Twitter post, with one suggesting the Authority 'needs more Rangers out and about'.

'Never see anyone from your organisation on the Downs,' Steve Hinton added.

Mr Beattie assured the man 'rangers are out every day and are targeting visitor hotspots'. He added there were only 22 employees as 'funding for National Parks is tight and getting tighter.'

'Volunteering will help - we have 300 wonderful volunteers but they are not currently able to work due to the virus - also helping policy makers at all levels to realise that the protection of our most precious landscapes must be properly funded and locally based,' he said.

Pictured: Chief Executive of the South Downs National Park Authority Trevor Beattie

Others questioned Mr Beattie's use of the term 'wild camping,' writing: 'Please stop calling this 'wild camping'. True wild camping leaves no trace. This is 'Fly Camping' or 'Dirty camping'.

'Referring to it as wild camping is an insult to real wild campers and does nothing but blur the boundaries between responsible and irresponsible camping.'

Mr Beattie had replied to an earlier tweet from the same user confirming that 'wild camping of any kind in the South Downs National Park is illegal without landowner permission.'

He instead encouraged campers to stay in campsites with facilities.

'We know there are varying rules around wild camping in the UK and, in areas where it is legal such as Scotland, many behave extremely responsibly,' he told MailOnline.

'We encourage everyone who wants to spend a night under the stars to support the rural visitor economy by staying in campsites with facilities.'

'A key point is that many people may be unaware of the sensitivity, incredible biodiversity and cultural heritage found at sites across the South Downs National Park.

'For instance, over 40 species of flowering plants can be found in just one square metre of chalk grassland and that's why it's been likened to 'Europe's tropical rainforest'. The lumps and bumps in the ground can also be buried archaeology of national importance.

'So it's important to realise the detrimental impact on these sensitive sites if you pitch a tent or light a fire.

'By people showing that they care, everyone can enjoy this wonderful place and nature can continue to flourish. We think this is a powerful message as the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly sparked a revitalised enthusiasm for caring for our environment.'
SAN ANTONIO -- July 27, 2020 -- Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The Uni-versity of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) are working to synthesize novel highly potent derivatives of the antimalarial drug artemisinin with the goal of creating a powerful, cost-effective malaria treatment. Led by Dr. Shawn Blumberg of SwRI's Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Division and Dr. Doug Frantz of the Department of Chemistry within UTSA's College of Sciences, the work is supported by a $125,000 grant from the Connecting through Research Partnerships (CONNECT) program.

In 2018, Blumberg and Frantz collaborated in a project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create a more efficient synthesis of artemisinin, a drug derived from the sweet wormwood Artemisia annua. While artemisinin is considered the most effective treatment for malaria, the mosquito-borne parasitic infection is becoming harder to battle as it becomes increasingly resistant to drugs like artemisinin.

"Malaria affects 200 million people every year and kills close to 400 thousand people, making it one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases," Blumberg said. "Unfor-tunately, the countries that that have the highest incidence of malaria also tend to have lower GDP's and thus are significantly burdened by the cost of current and newer treatments. Our goal is to reduce the cost of artemisinin to treat the populations that are most affected by malaria outbreaks."

Most Artemisinin is still isolated from Artemisia annua, but this process is time-consuming, and crops yields are susceptible to weather patterns, insect pests and other factors. A newer semi-synthetic method involves inserting the genes of the plant into a microorganism to produce an intermediate that is then transformed into artemisinin. Despite advancements in both methods, the cost of artemisinin still burdens the coun-tries that are most affected by malaria.

"Dr. Frantz and I were able to create artemisinic acid, which is the direct precursor to artemisinin," Blumberg said.

Now, the two researchers are following up on their previous work by revisiting the pi-oneering work of Dr. Mitchell Avery at the The University of Mississippi in the 1990s.

"Using the chemical technology that we developed, we can pivot the artemisinin syn-thesis to produce the same highly potent artemisinin derivatives that had previously been studied by Dr. Avery nearly 30 years ago," Blumberg said. "He was able to make several ultra-potent derivatives from various compounds, but it took multiple complex steps to accomplish that."

Using the much simpler synthesis technique created by Blumberg and Frantz, they plan to revisit these potent artemisinin derivatives to address the growing resistance in a cost-effective manner.

"Now that it takes fewer steps, we can make more of these derivatives and explore more possibilities for drug treatments," Blumberg said.

Frantz, who has an extensive background in drug discovery, will focus on translating the new artemisinin derivatives into potential new malaria therapies, which will be cre-ated by both Frantz and Blumberg. They plan to start work later this year.

"Our combined expertise in synthetic chemistry and drug discovery will allow us to accelerate our discoveries at the bench into tangible bedside treatments for this devas-tating disease," Frantz said.

"I got into this work because someone once told me if you become a medical doctor, you can treat one person at a time," Blumberg said. "But if you become a chemist you can treat thousands instantaneously. That is what we're aiming for."

###

SwRI's Executive Office and UTSA's Office of the Vice President for Research, Econom-ic Development, and Knowledge Enterprise sponsor the CONNECT program, which offers grant opportunities to enhance greater scientific collaboration between the two institutions.

For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/industries/pharmaceutical-formulation-development.
Scams are still a major problem for the auto insurance market and scammers develop all sorts of ingenious ways of tricking people. Using online quotes from legit companies and brokerage websites will help you avoid being ripped off by crooks said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director

Compare-autoinsurance.org has released a new blog post explaining how to avoid being scammed, just by using free car insurance quotes online.

For more info and free car insurance quotes online, visit http://compare-autoinsurance.org/can-online-quotes-help-you-prevent-car-insurance-scams/

Convincing people into buying useless or inexistent coverage has become a common thing to do for modern thieves. This blog explains the most common insurance scams and how to avoid them.

Getting unsolicited calls from agents and companies are usually a red flag. Furthermore, drivers should not apply to ultra-cheap coverage without researching the agent or the company in the first place. The blog provides more details, including tips on how to avoid these scams.

Online quotes will help drivers avoid insurance scams. It is recommended to get quotes from licensed, well-established insurance companies. Not from ads promising ultra-cheap coverage and then redirect the user to unknown companies or agents.

Online quotes will present the average costs. If the cost of the advertised insurance policy is 90 percent below average, theres a good chance the policy is either fake or provides very little coverage. Carefully read the terms of the contract.

For more information and free car insurance tips, please visit http://compare-autoinsurance.org

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.
A Nord Stream pipeline operator stands on a platform before the opening ceremony of the North Stream second gas link in Portovaya bay, some 60 kilometers from the town of Vyborg in northwestern Russia, Oct. 8, 2012. (Xinhua/File)

By Fang Xiaozhi

Russia has become very popular among Western countries as they are all vying to win Russia. After Trump invited Russia to join the G7, recently, German lawmakers called on Russia to join NATO. Christian Schmidt, a German parliamentarian and member of the CDU, proposed at the 6th Potsdam Youth Forum to invite Russia to join NATO, saying that this is very beneficial to European security.

NATO is a military alliance of the Western camp established during the Cold War. At that time, its main opponent was the Soviet Union. Although relations between Russia and NATO eased after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, NATO still regards Russia as its imaginary enemy. If NATO includes Russia, it will plunge itself into the predicament of absence of opponents and then lose its meaning of existence. Germany's proposal to invite Russia to join NATO is essentially a response to the recent deteriorating German-US relations and an attempt to use it as a strategic bargaining chip and a means of pressure for negotiations with the US.

Currently, Germany and the US are drifting apart. After the Donald Trump took office, the US blindly pursued a unilateral policy and the so-called "America first". Its differences with European allies became more and more obvious. The transatlantic rift became more and more difficult to bridge. Germany, as an important European country and a "leader" of the EU, is having growing differences with the US.

First, Germany and the US have been arguing about military expenditure. The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Germany of failing to meet NATO's development needs and effectively perform its ally responsibilities. According to US requirements, Germany needs to increase its military expenditure to two percent or more of its GDP. In this regard, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer stated that the US's request to increase the proportion of military expenditure is unreasonable. This standard "cannot accurately reflect the status of member states' contribution to NATO."A more reasonable solution should be found on the issue of military expenditure especially considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Kramp-Karrenbauer.

In order to put pressure on Germany, the Trump administration also used US troops stationed in Germany to "stab" and threaten to withdraw some US troops from Germany. At the same time, Trump even threatened to withdraw from NATO. The German side is very dissatisfied with this and believes that the above-mentioned US actions will shake the foundation of NATO's common defense. In addition, the US also pointed out the cooperation project of theNord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline between Germany and Russia as it said that the relationship between Germany and Russia is too close. Recently, the US imposed sanctions on companies related to the project, which annoyed Germany very much.

Under such circumstances, Germany is losing confidence in the US and has begun to rethink the alliance between Europe and the US. Germany started to pursue a greater role in the international arena and winning over Russia is one of the means. The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently issued a statement stating that Germany will ignore US pressure and continue to maintain cooperation with Russia in energy. Germany is even willing to take countermeasures against the US to ensure energy supply and security. A German official confirmed that Merkel is considering taking advantage of the EU's rotating presidency to launch coordinated actions at the EU level to respond to the threat of US sanctions.

It needs to be pointed out that despite the growing differences between Germany and the US and the growing closeness in German-Russian relations, it is unlikely that Germany will pull Russia into NATO to counter the US. In essence, Germany and Russia joined hands mainly out of security threats and interest-driven practical considerations. Germany still maintains a high degree of vigilance towards Russia and does not want a powerful Russia to threaten European security. Although there are constant frictions between Germany and the US, the two countries still have many common interests in politics, security, and economy.Germany is very dependent on the US, especially on security issues. The possibility of a rupture between the two sides is very low. Therefore, Germany's proposal for Russia to join NATO is more of an expedient strategy and will not be implemented.
The young people who tried to bring down the statue of Christopher Columbus arent like the protesters from older generations. They dont buy into the prevailing sentiment of their parents and grandparents that nonviolence is the best way to prove that you are worthy of the things you are fighting for.
TEHRAN, Iran, July 27

Trend:

A total of 108 Iranian export companies have brought back the foreign currency revenues worth $24 billion back to the country, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Abdolnasser Hemmati said, Trend reports via Mehr News Agency.

"The exporting companies include 36 petrochemical companies, 24 steel and mining companies and 48 other companies of various exporting fields," said Hemmati.

Hemmati said the mentioned amount was returned to the country in the past two years, which was some 70 percent of their revenues.

The official has suggested in a letter to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to acknowledge these companies, since they have remained committed to the government's foreign currency policy.

The Central Bank of Iran has called on all exporters to return export foreign currency revenues back to its forex management integrated system (NIMA).
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 23:31:43|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The African Development Bank said Monday it has approved grants worth about 25.1 million U.S. dollars to Somalia to shore up government efforts to mitigate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lender said the government will use the funds to carry out three interlinked responses to the pandemic that will enhance the health system, safeguard livelihoods and social protection, and support labor force productivity and economic activity.

The Horn of Africa nation has so far confirmed 3,178 COVID-19 cases, 1,521 recoveries and 93 deaths as of Sunday.

UN agencies and partners said they have scaled up their responses despite operational challenges due to COVID-19 containment measures such as most staff working remotely, in restricted environments, or from home.

Somalia has also experienced swarms of locusts over the past year that have increased food insecurity. Enditem
MBABANE  The country has recorded four new deaths due to COVID-19, bringing the tally to 32.



The deaths were confirmed by Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi in a press statement. Three of the deaths were from the Manzini Region while one was from Hhohho. The first death was of a 56-year-old man from the Manzini Region, who was admitted to one of the countrys hospitals on July 20, 2020 with severe respiratory symptoms and was put in an isolation ward while in an unstable condition and treated as a COVID-19 suspect. The minister stated that he had known underlying medical conditions. The second death was of an 81-year-old woman also from the Manzini Region, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on July 21, 2020.



Severe



She was also admitted to one of the health facilities in a moderate to severe state and managed under oxygen support, according to the minister.

Nkosi said she continued to be in an unstable state with difficulty in containing the pre-existing illness, resulting in her death in the early hours of Saturday.

Meanwhile, a 76-year-old woman from Hhohho who was admitted to one of the countrys hospitals after presenting with respiratory distress symptoms also died on Saturday.

She developed complications as a result of pre-existing illnesses. She was confirmed positive for COVID-19 disease on July 24, 2020 but unfortunately passed away the next day, she said.



Also, a 51-year-old woman from Manzini Region lost her life due to COVID-19 while waiting for her results. She was admitted on July 19, 2020 while presenting with multiple complaints, according to the minister. She said the deceased was admitted, tested for COVID-19 and managed while waiting for her results. While under care; her condition deteriorated and she died on July 24, 2020. Her results, according to the minister, later came back positive for COVID-19. On a different note, the country recorded an additional 65 cases yesterday.

Hhohho Region recorded 34 new cases while Manzini had 30 and one from the Shiselweni Region. Of the total, 51 cases presented with a mild disease while 12 were asymptomatic and two had a moderate disease. There were six cases in the age bracket of zero to nine while two were under ages 80 years and above. By gender, females are 1 178 while males are 1 029. The country also recorded 46 recoveries bringing the tally to 986. This means that active cases in the country are currently 1 189.
ROXANA  All schools in the Roxana district will resume classes on Friday, Aug. 21.

Roxana is blessed to have an amazing staff in every department who have been working together to answer questions and to prepare for your childs return to school, superintendent Debra Kreutztrager told parents in a letter. She noted that each school  South Roxana, Central Roxana, Roxana Junior High and Roxana Senior High School  will have its own reopening plan.

Masks will be required.

Roxana Senior High School will reopen with a hybrid/blended schedule consisting of both in-person and remote learning. Students with last names starting A-L will attend in person 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday and Thursday, with remote learning Tuesday and Friday. Students with last names starting M-Z will attend in person on Tuesday and Friday with remote learning on Monday and Thursday.

Wednesday will be a Remote Learning Day for all students.

On Remote Learning Days, students will follow their schedule and remote in to each class throughout the day for attendance purposes, to listen to lectures and to complete assigned work to be submitted electronically.

Teachers may live stream or record their instruction while teaching in-person students on Remote Learning. All high school teachers will post assignments and lectures Monday through Friday using Google Classroom. Students are expected to log in via Google Meet to each class.

Remote Office Hours will be 1:30-3:20 p.m Monday through Thursday and 1:30-2:40 p.m. on Friday. Email sent after office hours will be answered the following school day.

Families opting for Remote Learning must commit for the quarter. Families may not switch back and forth between in-person and remote learning. The deadline to register for remote learning is Friday, July 31.

At the Roxana Junior High School, Principal Chad Ambuehl reassured students that they are coming back to a safe environment. Masks are

Although school will not look the same, our teachers and principals have been working extremely hard to make every students experience successful. he said.

We will work together and help our students adjust to our new normal, he told parents. The transition will be smoother if your child practices wearing a mask prior to the start of school.

Registration for in-person junior high teaching is 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4 at the junior high main office. Daily school hours will be 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with breakfast 7:30-8 a.m. in homerooms.

Students will remain in the same classroom and cohort for the entire school day, except special classes. Breakfast and lunch will be served in cohort classrooms.

Minimal student movement is planned during the day for bathroom breaks and special classes. When movement is necessary, appropriate distancing and safety measures have been established.

Students will use water bottles from home instead of water fountains in the schools. And designated restroom breaks scheduled to adhere to social distancing.

Both South Primary School and Central Intermediate School are adopting similar plans of reopening.

Temperature checks will be conducted as students enter the buildings, and students will remain in the same class cohort the entire school day. Cohorts will have all core classes in same classroom.

Breakfast and lunch will be served in classrooms. All shared snacks, birthday treats, etc. must be individually wrapped.

Designated restroom breaks will be scheduled to adhere to social distancing, and rigorous cleaning of the building is planned using Illinois Department of Public Health approved solutions and methods.

A South Primary school day will run 8:40 a.m. to 2 p.m. for bus pick up (1:45 p.m. for parent pick up). A Central Intermediate school day will run 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for bus pick up (1:45 p.m. for parent pick up).

South Primary Principal Jack Tusek and Central Intermediate Principal Jim Miller are prepared to help students adjust to the new environment.

We expect all students to be respectful and responsible, but also realize that young students need support, Tuesk said. As a school, we welcome the opportunity to foster positive relationships with our children and their families.

Miller said that, although school will not look the same, our school leadership team and district teams have been working extremely hard to make every students experience successful.

For more information, visit https://www.roxanaschools.org/blog/2020/07/24/district-parent-letter-7-24-2020/.
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Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. Topics are chosen via relevancy and interests of the members, which are then discussed by the Editorial Board in order to reach a general consensus concerning the topic or issue.

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If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). Those wanting to respond to editorials can also submit a letter to the editor through the Iowa State Daily website or by emailing the letter to Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith (sage.smith@iowastatedaily.com).

Column Policy

Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily. Columnists are unique because they have a specific writing day and only publish on those writing days. Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions.

Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020
One of Warwick District Council's car parks that has been free  but will see charges return this Saturday, August 1. This is New Street, centrally located in Warwick and with a different view of St Mary's Church as a bonus. Photo: Google Street View

A FREE parking bonanza in Warwick district will come to an end when the council reintroduces charges in its 27 off-street car parks this Saturday, 1st August.

In line with government guidance and to assist all key workers during the coronavirus crisis, Warwick District Council has offered free parking since March in the car parks it runs.

This was extended in June to support the gradual opening of the town centres and to encourage footfall.

It has included the council's town centre car parks and at popular spots for visitors to the area, like St Nicholas Park in Warwick.

Now, as more businesses reopen and the government launches its Eat Out to Help Out scheme, Warwick District Council will reinstate the charges to ease potential congestion and help with access to the short-stay car parks.

Cllr Moira-Ann Grainger said: Footfall will steadily be increasing in our town centres as people return to work and to the shops and restaurants theyve missed.

"While we have made the decision to reinstate the charges, we would like to direct longer-stay visitors and commuters towards our Park and Stride Car Parks, where you can park from as little as 1 a day.

"This will free up centrally located car parks for short-stay and evening visitors.

With more traffic free streets in our town centres we would also like to encourage people to walk and cycle where possible and have now made a number of cycle racks available in key locations.

Owners of electric vehicles that live or work in Warwick district can also apply to us for a free parking pass that covers all of our car parks.

Its important to emphasise that the income we receive from parking is only used to maintain our car parks, ensuring that they are safe and accessible at all times.

More information on parking charges, the best places to park and the locations of cycle racks can be found on the district council's website.
Due to the allegations in the ARDC complaint, which was made public last week, Pasulka was taken off the countys list of approved court-appointed child representatives by the Presiding Judge of the Domestic Relations Division Grace Dickler, according to an internal email provided by the spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Judge. Dickler also suspended Pasulkas participation in any other of the divisions court committees.
Dining areas will offer few menu options and limited seating as students return next month to college campuses across Oklahoma, higher education officials say.

The COVID-19 pandemic will make lunchtime less of a social occasion this fall semester as campuses try to keep students fed but also try to keep them from congregating.

At the University of Oklahoma, for example, students will get in and out of dining areas by following designated pathways, carefully mapped out to prevent customers from passing each other.

A limited number of tables and chairs will be available. And self-serve lines will disappear, with grab-and-go options taking their place, OU officials said.

While we recognize that students will remove their masks to eat, OU spokeswoman Kesha Keith said, they will be required to keep their mask on at all other times in university facilities and anytime they cannot maintain physical distance from others.

Mandatory mask rules will apply on most campuses statewide, including the University of Tulsa, where seating capacity will be cut 70% in all dining areas.
A US woman has been arrested for allegedly attempting to provide material support to al-Qaeda, the US Department of Justice said Friday.

Jill Marie Jones, from Arizona, was arrested Wednesday. She communicated with two undercover FBI employees, one of whom she thought was a member of al-Qaeda. Jones allegedly agreed to send the purported al-Qaeda member money to buy rifle scopes for killing American soldiers and sent a prepaid gift card worth $500 to the purported al-Qaeda member in May, according to a Department of Justice press release. Al-Qaeda is a designated terrorist organization in the United States.

Jones bought a flight to Turkey and planned to travel to Syria to join al-Qaeda there, but was arrested at the airport in Arizona, the department said.

Supporting AQ against the oppressors would be an honour, Jones allegedly told one of the FBI employees in an online conversation, according to court documents.

Al-Qaeda was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. The group has received less international attention since its Iraqi affiliate went on its own and became the Islamic State (IS) in 2014. Al-Qaedas Syrian affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, was one of the most powerful Syrian rebel groups until 2016, when it decided to formally separate from al-Qaeda. The Syrian group is now known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and is the dominant force in Idlib  the last rebel stronghold in Syria.

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to Al-Monitors request for the contact information of Jones lawyer.

Some people criticize the tactics by which US government agents pose as terrorists in order to entrap people for alleged terrorism crimes. According to a 2015 article in The Intercept, a mentally ill, impoverished man named Sami Osmakac was charged with terrorism-related offenses after making a martyrdom video. The FBI provided all the weapons seen in the video and offered no evidence he was connected to international terrorist organizations, according to the outlet.

This is the second case involving US citizens allegedly committing crimes related to al-Qaeda this summer. In June, the Department of Justice alleged that a US Army soldier helped a neo-Nazi group plan an attack on his own unit in Turkey. The neo-Nazi organizations leader had once pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda.
Some 45% of Californians said they had a great deal of confidence in scientists to act in the best interests of the public, compared with 38% nationally and only 35% of Floridians surveyed. The inverse is true in the case of President Trump: Only 12% of Californians have great confidence in him acting in the publics interest, compared with 20% of Floridians.

The data reveal that 68% of California residents think scientists make decisions and recommendations based on fact and systematic investigation. Other parts of the country think differently. Only 47% in Texas, 51% in Florida and 54% in the South (17 states, including those on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, up to Maryland) believe the same. These are significant differences and may help explain the political reticence and delay among leaders in some of those states to impose tighter coronavirus restrictions, such as mask mandates, despite the surge in new infections.
Hundreds of angry illegal miners have vowed not to leave the concession of the Ghana Rubber Estate Limited (GREL) near Adiewoso in the Western Region.

The miners, openly resisted moves by uniformed personnel in the Operation Vanguard team to forcefully eject them from the concession.

According to them, they are operating legal community mines and will not leave the site, swearing not to end their operations there since that is their only source of livelihood.

Superintendent Douglas Kumi, the officer commanding for Operation Vanguard in the Western Region said their intention was to invite the leadership of the miners to engage with them on their operations and ascertain if their activities were legal.

He said they are disappointed in the leadership over their inability to control the miners in their conduct hence the security personnel will go back to their station, reorganize themselves and return to the site.

Looking at the numbers and the situation, we will withdraw and get organized again.

We cannot arrest all the people and therefore we have also not inspected their documents to know whether what they are doing is legal or illegal. We came with the intention of taking the leadership, sit down with them and know their background But the leadership has proven to me this morning that they will not be able to control the people and if that is so, as police we will go back and reorganize, he said.

---citinewsroom
Former Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Viral Acharya has alleged that former Governor Urjit Patel quit his post because of attempts to undermine the central banks autonomy.

Viral Acharyas book Quest for Restoring Financial Stability in India is a collection of his speeches, research and comments as a member of the RBIs Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

In the book he alludes the government wanted the institution to dilute Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) norms, transfer excess capital as dividend to the treasury, ease up on defaulters and formulate policy to help it borrow more, but never used Section 7 of the RBI Act to do so, The Economic Times reported.

He also noted that excessive monetary and credit stimulus caused the Indian financial sector to lose its stability, adding: Nevertheless, attempts to alter the governance structure of the RBI to institutionalise such outcomes in future would have meant crossing the Rubicon and had to be foiled. As a result, the RBI lost its governor on the altar of financial stability.

Notably, Acharya also quit before his term ended in 2019. He however notes the tussle was between a regulator fighting for a sound and prudent banking system and a government that began on the right path but retreated due to fiscal profligacy and lobbying pressure.

He adds that the tide turned in the space of 10 months and the government was trespassing on the autonomy of the regulator, rowing back on prudent measures and making unreasonable demands that led to the resignation of Patel in 2018, the report said.
Nancy Perez, a 45-year-old resident of the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, contracted COVID-19 in March. She stayed quarantined in her room for a month to isolate from her two sons and grandson.

A few days before she got the virus, she'd met a volunteer with Bed-Stuy Strong  one of the many mutual aid groups around the country that have rallied to provide help in the face of the pandemic. Bed-Stuy Strong assembled an army of volunteers to help vulnerable neighbors with food deliveries and basic supplies. While Perez was in isolation, volunteers regularly delivered cooked food for her sons, ages 17 and 20, and her 4-year-old grandson.

"If it wasnt for them, we wouldnt have survived my quarantine and any other stuff thats been going on," said Perez, who receives disability benefits and scavenges the city for items she can sell to help cover the family's and others' expenses.

Perez, who since recovering has been helping deliver food with other volunteers, found herself getting to know neighbors she never would have met before and staying in constant communication with other volunteers.

"I say it so happily that my tears are coming out right now. Because its so refreshing," she said. "There is no age, there is no color, there is no race within Bed-Stuy Strong."

People are hurting financially and medically from the coronavirus pandemic. Millions of Americans are unemployed and 1 in 4 are food insecure. The struggle is widespread, overwhelming public welfare programs in some cases. Many people are looking to their next-door neighbors for help.

New York City has seen an influx of mutual aid groups  a website called Mutual Aid Hub reports 59 operating in the city now. Though the concept is not new, such efforts have gained energy and attention during the pandemic. Mutual aid involves ordinary people volunteering their time and resources to help one another, rather than relying solely on the government or large institutions for relief.

Alyssa Dizon, a 26-year-old product manager at an urban technology company, volunteers with Bed-Stuy Strong, helping to manage the online system that coordinates grocery deliveries. She moved to the area from New Orleans less than a year ago and found herself meeting more neighbors in the past couple of months while helping with the mutual aid than in the nine months before that.

"So, I am a gentrifier and I'm new to New York," Dizon said. "I feel more connected to this neighborhood now than I have before, and I have heard that sentiment even from people whove lived here much longer."

Willie Tolliver, an associate professor of social work at Hunter College, part of the City University of New York, said mutual aid is deeply rooted in African American and immigrant communities. In his research, he's traced mutual aid among African Americans in New York City to as early as the late 1700s. He noted the mutual aid ideology embodied by the Black Panther Party, which coordinated free breakfast programs and errands for the elderly.

Tolliver said these organizations had to exist because the communities "could not depend upon their government to look out for them the way the government did for everyone else."

In rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, mutual aid efforts may bring neighbors from different backgrounds closer together. Tolliver said he's not confident that such bonds will be long-lasting, but people are at their best in moments of disaster.

"Hope lives in the possibility of a collective finding itself in moments like this," he said.

Bed-Stuy Strong uses donations from the community and beyond to purchase groceries and essential supplies for neighbors. Those in need can text or call the group with a delivery request, which gets assigned to a volunteer through Bed-Stuy Strong's online network. The volunteer then picks up the groceries and delivers them to the recipient's door. Anyone can become a volunteer  though the use of computer messaging excludes those without access to technology.

Long-standing community organizations also have established mutual aid delivery services. Imani Henry, 50, is the executive director of Equality for Flatbush, a community group known locally as E4F that is dedicated to addressing two pressing neighborhood issues: gentrification and police violence.

Henry, a diversity trainer in his day job, started E4F in 2013, as affordable housing in Brooklyn shrank while higher-income residents streamed in, displacing people who had lived there for years.

"We're grassroots," Henry said. "All of our organizing is led by the people directly impacted. We strategize together; that's how we already were."

At the start of the pandemic, E4F joined with the Brooklyn Anti-Gentrification Network to set up a system to help residents with groceries and other material needs, and to connect people with services such as child care and other food assistance programs. Volunteers use donated money to buy needed items, and deliver two large bags each month for people who sign up.

Henry said that, as a child of Caribbean immigrants, he grew up in a family that looked out for and supported other people in their community. During the current crisis, he has been amazed by the solidarity of neighbors and the energy of volunteers.

"We're not doing relief work," Henry said. "We do not treat people in that way. It's about love and solidarity. It's about, do you love this person?"

E4F has also been active in the "Black Lives Matter" protests spurred by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Henry said volunteers have effectively split into two groups: One helps lead protests, and the other abstains so members can safely continue delivering aid packages.

Patricia Hall, a resident of another Brooklyn neighborhood, Crown Heights, was watching television one night when she saw a news report about E4F's delivery program. Hall, who is in her 50s and out of work, called Henry and soon was organizing deliveries for herself and many of her fellow tenants.

Mutual aid work is going on even within her tenant community, Hall said.

"If they give lots of coffee, I dont drink coffee, but what do I do?" Hall said. "I would give it to my neighbor. So this building here is a community building. Everybody shares in this building. Everybody shares and helps one another."

Dizon, the Bed-Stuy Strong volunteer, said it's inevitable you will develop a bond with someone when you take their grocery list and step into their shoes to help them with basic needs. It's intimate.

"If youve never experienced food insecurity before, I think theres a lot of power in being this close to it and to empathize and hear the struggle of a stranger who is very close to you," Dizon said.

Perez wants this work to continue so people can make a change.

"We can make a wave at the end, if we have enough ripples," she said.
India said on Monday it had lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over reports that some people were attempting to convert a historic gurdwara in the eastern city of Lahore into a mosque.

A strong protest was lodged with the Pakistan high commission today on the reported incident whereby Gurdwara Shahidi Asthan, site of martyrdom of Bhai Taru Singhji at Naulakha Bazaar in Lahore, Pakistan, has been claimed as the place of Masjid Shahid Ganj and attempts are being made to convert it to a mosque, said external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.

The gurdwara is a historical shrine built at the spot where Bhai Taru Singh sustained fatal injuries in 1745.

ALSO WATCH | Monks in Gaya condemn vandalisation of Buddhas statue in Pakistan

Also read: Sikh leader abducted by terrorists, Hindu minorities stranded in Pakistan due to Covid-19 crisis arrive in Delhi

The gurdwara is a place of reverence and considered sacred by the Sikh community. This incident has been viewed with grave concern in India. There have been calls for justice for the minority Sikh community in Pakistan, Srivastava said.

India expressed its concerns in the strongest terms on this incident and called upon Pakistan to investigate the matter and take immediate remedial measures, he added.

Pakistan was also called on to look after the safety, security and well-being of its minorities, including the protection of their religious rights and cultural heritage.

This was the latest in a string of protests made by India over the treatment of Pakistans minorities, especially Hindus and Sikhs.

Pakistans Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), a state-run body responsible for the management of shrines of religious minorities, on Monday asked police to take strict disciplinary action against a Lahore resident named Sohail Butt Attari, who was allegedly behind efforts to provoke people against the historical Gurdwara Taro Singh and occupy the attached vacant plot in Landa Bazar.

Also read | Kargil Vijay Diwas: Day to mark Indias victory in 1999 conflict against Pakistan

A letter written by ETPB to the police, which was released by Pakistani officials, also accused Attari of trying to defame Pakistan by uploading a baseless propaganda video against the Sikh minority and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. It described the committee as the only official representative regulatory body for Pakistani Sikhs.

The letter further said Attaris video was being used by Indian media to damage Pakistans image and that multiple conspiracies were being hatched after the successful opening of the Kartarpur Corridor last year.
A conservative newspaper in Tehran has observed in its July 27 issue on Monday that there is a rising interest evident in a part of the Iranian media about the U.S. presidential elections that take place in November.

Farhikhtegan [The Learned] newspaper, affiliated with the hardliner, conservative-dominated Islamic Azad University, dedicated its front page on Monday to the matter and also wrote on its Twitter page that "Less than 100 days before the U.S. presidential elections, some Iranian political groups are advocating the illusion of a good America."

The daily added that there seems to be "a task force in Tehran formed of those who support presidential candidate Joe Biden."

Farhikhtegan carried a picture of four other daily newspapers in Tehran; the pro-reform Omid-e Javan [Hope of the Youths], the centrist pro-reform Sazandegi [Construction] which is the mouthpiece of the Executives of Construction Party, the pro-Rouhani Donya-ye Eqtessad [The World of Economy] and yet another pro-administration daily Jahan-e San'at [The World of Industry] with pictures and banner headlines that welcome the latest draft of the U.S. Democratic party's platform statement.

The statement released last week, among other things. called for abandoning regime change in Iran as a policy option and introduced the idea of the United States returning to the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran which President Donald Trump withdrew from in May 2018.

Interestingly, both policy statements made by the Democratic party are about matters the Iranian government has been emphasizing as its conditions to return to the negotiating table with the United States.

The headline on Omid-e Javan's frontpage explains the two ideas as "Iran's dream for November 2020". The paper envisages a scenario that includes four key elements: "Trump's defeat, Rouhani congratulating Biden over the phone, a decline in the rate of exchange for the U.S. dollar in the Iranian market and the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, also called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The daily added: "Our hope is not about Biden's victory. It is about Trump's defeat." Omid-e Javan adds that "Trump's exit from the White House and the revival of the JCPOA can have a positive impact on Iran's economy."

As far as Sazandegi is concerned, the most important thing is "Doing away with regime change" in Iran. Nevertheless, the IRGC-linked news agency Fars has accused Sazandegi of "beautifying Biden."

The agency called the newspaper "the Democrats' agent" and said: "They have published a propaganda picture of Biden as if they are the mouthpiece of the U.S. Democratic party in Iran." Fars also accused Sazandegi of promising on behalf of Biden that the U.S. will forget about regime change in Iran and will return to the JCPOA.

Jahan-e San'at in its frontpage story opined that Biden's victory in the election will revive Obama's legacy.

The article in Donya'e Eqtesad focused on the economy and quoted a Wall Street analyst as having said that "Biden's victory can leave a negative impact on the price of oil in the international market, although he will take a milder position vis-a-vis Iran. He will lift the sanctions on Iran and will pave the way for pouring millions of barrels of Iranian oil into the world market."

However, the daily predicted that the fall of the oil price will be more or less controlled thanks to Saudi Arabia's cooperation. It also quoted Irans oil minister Bijan Zanganeh as having called for a boost to Iran's oil production as he believes "Sanctions won't last long. We should boost our output and return to the market powerfully and claim Iran's share of the oil market."

Farhikhtegan criticized all of these welcoming reactions to the Democratic party's platform statement and quoted former diplomat and current political analyst Jalal Sadatian as saying: "There is no difference between the Democrats and Republicans" as far as Iran is concerned, adding that "in their foreign policy, both of them serve the overall interests of the United States."

Farhikhtegan accused the four dailies of acting based on a hasty judgment.
India is likely to ban 47 more Chinese apps, as per the sources. The apps that are now being reviewed by the GOI include some apps that are working as the clones of the 59 banned apps.

Followed by Indias ban on 59 Chinese apps, the Indian government is likely to ban 47 more Chinese apps that are similar in nature. About 275 apps are under the Centres radar for potential user privacy violations. Reports say that these apps are being reviewed on the parameters of privacy and security. The data shared by these apps to the Chinese government is also being looked at.

All this is happening when the geopolitical tensions between India and China are at an all-time high. What is also concerning that all the companies in China or under its ownership are governed by the National Intelligence Law of 2017. Under this law, the Chinese government has the right to access anything and everything associated with the companys user data.

The government of India had earlier banned 59 apps that were potentially sharing the data of Indian users with the Chinese government. GOI called these apps unfavourable to sovereignty, security, and integrity of the country. One of the widely used social media apps that found its way into the list was TikTok. According to the latest reports, some other popular Chinese apps that are currently under the scanner of the Indian government include PubG and Ali Express.

Also read: Unlock 3.0: Cinema halls, gyms likely to open; uncertainty over resumption of metro

Also read: Rafale jets take off from France to join IAF fleet in Ambala

The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has warned the concerned companies against any direct or indirect violation of the Indian governments orders. Any violation will be booked under applicable acts including the Information Technology Act.

The statement of the ministry read that the compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of deep and immediate concern, which requires emergency measures. The ministry also stated that these apps were engaged in activities that are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state, and public order.

Also read:82nd Raising Day: PM Modi, Venkaiah Naidu, Amit Shah laud valour of soldiers

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?? COMUNICADO | Gobierno mantiene su compromiso de seguir buscando espacios que garanticen el dialogo en #Espinar.



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An international team of researchers has published the most detailed submarine map of the Artic Ocean. The study, which counts on the participation of the experts Miquel Canals, Jose Luis Casamor and David Amblas, from the Consolidated Research Group on Marine Geosciences of the University of Barcelona, has been published in Nature's journal Scientific Data.

The map is the 4.0 version of the International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO), an initiative that was created in 1997 in Saint Petersburg (Russia) in order to map the depths of the Arctic floors. Published in digital format, the new chart expands up to 19.6% the submarine surface mapped in previous versions.

"The 4.0 IBCAO map is this year's contribution to the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030, whose objective is to map all seas and oceans in the world by 2030", notes Martin Jakobsson, professor at the Stockholm University (Sweden), who led the scientific team with experts from fifteen countries, together with Larry Mayer, from the University of New Hampshire (United States).

The new bathymetric chart of the Arctic Ocean

With a strategic position, the Arctic is a mythic ocean in the story of the great geographical explorations to discover the secrets of the polar regions. The northernmost ocean of the planet -also the smallest and shallowest one- plays a decisive role in the regulation of the planet's climate and it is the most sensitive polar region to the effects of global warming. According to some predictions, the progressive loss of the marine ice layers could open the navigation to some areas which were inaccessible so far, such as the Northwest Passage, the legendary marine route pursued by many 19th century expeditions, which joins the boreal Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

"The potential difficulty for the current science campaigns in the Arctic is the access to places which are permanently covered by marine ice, and the short-lived duration of the navigation period. However, global warming made these inaccessible areas easier to reach now", notes Professor Miquel Canals, head of the Consolidated Research Group on Marine Sciences of the UB.

Since 2018, the team of the UB has contributed to the 4.0 IBCAO map with data mainly obtained through the multibeam bathymetry in oceanographic campaigns in the Arctic, specially in the western area in the Barents Sea, "a volunteering collaboration to benefit science and knowledge", as Miquel Canals states. In its different editions, the IBCAO maps received thousands of downloads over the years and are widely used by governments, companies and researchers with scientific interest and activities in the Arctic.

The new cartography has a volume with a higher and better resolution data than the previous versions, and it includes marine regions which were unknown to date. "This results from the efforts made by an international cooperation, which counts on the participation of many institutions and researchers who provided their scientific data to reach a common objective: discovering the depths of the Arctic Ocean", notes Canals, professor at the Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics at the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the UB.

Multibeam probes and nuclear submarine under the Arctic ice

In order to carry out the IBCAO 4.0 map, the team used the same technology used in the submarine study in other regions of the ocean. "The compounds of the new map -mainly the most recent ones- were obtained through the most advanced multibeam bathymetry systems that exist. These data come from oceanographic vessels, ice breakers and nuclear submarines, the only ones to map those areas under the iced sea, impossible to reach with other ships", notes Canals.

"Regarding the data processing and fusion -with a new Mallat algorithm-, new techniques were added, and provided an excellent result", adds the expert.

Ocean currents, climate regulation and stability of ocean floors

In general, a better and larger cartography helps to broaden the knowledge on the geological and glacial evolution of such a sensitive region like the Arctic. Therefore, the new bathymetric map identifies a great variety of the shape of the relief with glacial origins, "some at large scales -from hundreds to thousands of meters in length-, that show the direction of the movement of the ice on the ocean floors, which helps to reconstruct the geological processes of the recent past in arctic latitudes".

Bathymetrical data are relevant in other fields of polar science, such as the study of the path of ocean currents -and therefore, the distribution of the heat-, the sea-ice decline, the effect of inflowing warm waters on tidewater glaciers, and the stability of marine based ice streams and outlet glaciers grounded on the seabed.

One of the most spectacular formations in the Arctic ocean floors is the Lomonosov Ridge, a geological element with more than 1,600 kilometres of length "which connects Northern Greenland and Siberia and crosses the ocean leaving deep basins in both sides", notes canals. "The most recent cartography studies carried out with ice breakers, revealed the presence of thresholds that influence the exchange of water between both basins, and anchoring marks in ice platforms on the ridge", he adds.

The IBCAO 4.0 bathymetric chart also reveals the detailed map of the Greenland fiords, and provides data of interest for the development of predictive models on the behaviour of the ice sheet -currently undergoing a rapid recession- which covers the island and on the sea level rise worldwide.

The challenge of mapping marine floors worldwide

To date, researchers have mapped about the fifth part of the ocean floors worldwide. Knowing the submarine relief of the global ocean is essential to manage and protect the marine and coastal ecosystems, as stated in one of the objectives of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), approved by the General Assembly in 2015.

Within the frame of the international effort to study the Arctic marine floors, the Consolidated Research Group on Marine Geosciences of the UB is one of the teams that take part in the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030, the most ambitious global project to complete a great task in marine geosciences: high-resolution submarine bathymetry in all oceans worldwide.

###
(Newser)  "As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built." That's how Sen. Tom Cotton described slavery in an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Friday. The Republican was speaking out against the 1619 Project, a New York Times-based curriculum examining the history of slavery in the US. Cotton has introduced a bill that would reduce federal funding for any school that uses it, the Hill reports, but he's now facing criticism for his comments on it. In context:

"We have to study the history of slavery and its role and impact on the development of our country because otherwise we cant understand our country. As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction."

story continues below

Cotton also said that the US should not be portrayed as "an irredeemably corrupt, rotten and racist country," but "as an imperfect and flawed land, but the greatest and noblest country in the history of mankind." He added, "The entire premise of the New York Times factually, historically flawed 1619 Project  is that America is at root, a systemically racist country to the core and irredeemable. I reject that root and branch. America is a great and noble country founded on the proposition that all mankind is created equal. We have always struggled to live up to that promise, but no country has ever done more to achieve it." A director of the project was among those criticizing Cotton, but Cotton's response to her got retweeted by the president himself: "Describing the *views of the Founders* and how they put the evil institution on a path to extinction, a point frequently made by Lincoln, is not endorsing or justifying slavery." (Read more Tom Cotton stories.)
Ashok Gehlot speaks to PM on political situation in Rajasthan, CLP submits memorandum to Prez

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

Jaipur, July 27: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the current political situation in the state, while the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has submitted a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind.

Gehlot had also written a letter to the prime minister on the matter a few days ago. CLP members in the memorandum claimed that horse-trading of MLAs was taking place in Rajasthan to topple an elected government.

Governors of many states are "defying" the Constitution at the behest of the ruling party at the Centre without worrying about the dignity of the post, they alleged.

Rajasthan Crisis: BSP issues whip, directs its MLAs to vote against Gehlot govt

Unlock 3: Centre mulling over opening cinema halls and gyms with some curbs | Oneindia News

"The chief minister told that he has spoken to the prime minister and apprised him of the current political situation in the state, a Congress leader said after a meeting at a hotel where MLAs are holed up following rebellion by Sachin Pilot against the Gehlot government.

Pilot has been stripped of his position as deputy chief minister and Rajasthan Congress chief. The Chief Minister addressed the MLAs at the meeting after a Prarthna Sabha and it was attended by senior Congress leaders. In the memorandum to Kovind, the CLP members demanded that the President intervene and give permission to the state government to call an assembly session.

India is battling the COVID-19 pandemic and the Rajasthan government wants to call the assembly session to discuss with all members the economic problems facing the state along with the coronavirus situation so that people get relief. But the state government is not being allowed to call the session, they said in the memorandum.

Without taking any names, the CLP members said that despite prima facie evidence of horse-trading and corrupt practices by Union ministers, not removing them from the cabinet is a "blot" on democracy. With a feeling of political vendetta, the use of investigative agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax Department to weaken and intimidate democratically elected governments and public representatives is highly condemnable, the CLP members said.

For coronavirus, not floor test: Gehlot pitches Rajasthan assembly session from July 31

Recently the ED had raided Ashok Gehlot's elder brother Agrasen Gehlot's house in Jodhpur in a fertilisers scam case.

The CLP members in the memorandum urged the President to intervene in Rajasthan and wherever efforts are being made to undermine democracy through undemocratic methods and corrupt practices.
I remember on Easter I gave the Orthodox blessing, Christ is risen! And everyone is supposed to respond at once, He is risen indeed. But there was silence, Trygstad recalled. Then, someone got the idea to honk their car horn and pretty soon, the others were honking as well. This is the only time in the history of the church where people have honked their horn in response to that question!
Press Release

27 July 2020

HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee - Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian hotel industry reported all-time lows in the three key performance metrics during Q2 2020, according to data from STR.

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Compared with Q2 2019:

Occupancy: -71.4% to 19.4%

Average daily rate (ADR): -36.4% to CAD106.66

Revenue per available room (RevPAR): -81.8% to CAD20.72

The absolute occupancy and RevPAR levels were the lowest for any quarter in STR's Canada database.

In absolute values, April was Canada's lowest month of the quarter for each of the three metrics: occupancy (14.0%), ADR (CAD100.94) and RevPAR (CAD14.13). The country saw its lowest occupancy level during the week of 5-11 April, but has since reached a 30% level in the metric.

Among the provinces and territories, Newfoundland and Labrador recorded the steepest decline in occupancy (-82.3% to 10.2%).

British Columbia posted the largest drop in ADR (-42.0% to CAD116.92).

Quebec registered the steepest decrease in RevPAR (-88.3% to CAD15.08).
This article, Can herd immunity help stop coronavirus? What we know now, originally appeared on CNET.com.

Six months into the COVID-19 crisis, the term "herd immunity" has been tossed around as one solution to the devastating virus ravaging countries all over the globe since December 2019.

The term explains the situation in which a high percentage of people in a given community (a city, state or entire country) is immune to a disease, either through vaccination or because those people have been exposed to the virus and their immune systems have built antibodies to protect them from it.

People who tout it as the best defense against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are correct in their thinking -- it's the best way to prevent contagious diseases from circulating throughout a population because it slows down or eliminates the spread of the virus from person to person.

The problem with herd immunity and the novel coronavirus is that the world is nowhere close to having widespread resistance to COVID-19, and is still a long way from developing it -- even after six months of battling out this pandemic. Experts estimate that from 60% to upwards of 90% of a population must have immunity to a disease for it to stop spreading.

Even as of July 2020, as cases have topped 15.3 million worldwide (and 4 million in the US), herd immunity isn't anywhere close. For reference, the US population is about 330 million -- 90% of that is 297 million. One factor standing in the way of reaching that 90% is that large-scale coronavirus research has suggested that people who have recovered from the virus aren't retaining their antibodies, which could mean that herd immunity is farther away than anyone thinks.

Let's explore what herd immunity looks like, what it means for COVID-19 and how the world can get there, explained by Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons; Dr. Joseph Vinetz, a Yale Medicine infectious disease specialist; and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What is herd immunity?

Orient tells CNET that herd immunity is what slows and eventually stops outbreaks and epidemics -- this occurs only "when the pathogenic organism runs out of susceptible victims because of isolation, quarantine or immunity of exposed persons."

Orient -- who says she really prefers the term "population immunity" because "we are not livestock" -- emphatically points out that "If it weren't for population immunity  we'd all die like the Martians in The War of the Worlds." In the movie, the Martians who travel to Earth all die from an Earth-borne bacteria that the Martians' immune systems couldn't handle.

Vinetz explains that a good example of herd immunity is the measles.

"The idea is that if we have herd immunity, it means that we reduce the transmission of a disease within a population," Vinetz says. "The best example to think about is measles. If 95% of everyone is vaccinated against measles, that means 95% is immune to measles, which means that the risk of measles spreading from person to person is very low."

The idea, Vinetz concludes, is to remove the possibility of sustained transmission.

While "active immunity," or immunity a person builds in response to actually contracting a disease, is most effective and long-lasting, experts beg people not to intentionally infect themselves with SARS-CoV-2 in an attempt to build immunity.

How vaccines promote herd immunity

The purpose of vaccines, Orient says, is "to expose people to something that induces immunity without making them very sick," explaining that vaccines are either tiny doses of a pathogen, a dead microorganism or one that is similar but weaker.

"You need upwards of 70% of protective immunity in a population to prevent large scale propagation," Vinetz explains, and that often requires immunization, particularly in regard to diseases that have been almost eradicated in the US.

Vinetz again points to measles as the best example. It's easily preventable with the highly effective vaccination, most commonly known as the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) shot. But, in 2019, the US saw the highest number of measles cases since 1992, and the majority of cases were among people who did not get vaccinated against measles.

The 1,282 measles cases in 2019 still pales in comparison to the estimated 3 million to 4 million yearly cases before the vaccine was introduced, proof that vaccines can eliminate diseases within a region.

"Disease rates are low in the United States today," the CDC explains on its website. "But if we let ourselves become vulnerable by not vaccinating, a case that could touch off an outbreak of some disease that is currently under control is just a plane ride away."

Only one disease -- variola virus, better known as smallpox -- has been completely eradicated. No cases of naturally occurring smallpox have happened since the declaration of eradication in 1980, and babies no longer need the vaccine for this virus, because the global vaccination program was so successful.

Vaccination development and approval requires careful analysis of the risk-to-benefit ratio, Orient says. "For extremely contagious lethal diseases like smallpox, the risk-to-benefit ratio for vaccines is very favorable," she says. "For milder diseases, not necessarily so."

Vaccines can have adverse effects for some people, too, and immunity wanes over time, so the importance of vaccination depends on a number of factors, including severity and prevalence of the disease, vaccine safety and individual patient factors, Orient explains. "Everything is a trade-off," she reminds us.

Orient urges people not to forget that vaccines, though crucial for some diseases, are not the only way to prevent disease: "Diseases are also prevented by hygiene, sanitation, vector control (e.g. mosquito control), or cure of the sick before disease can be transmitted."

Why we need herd immunity

If there is no herd immunity, people will continue to contract and spread diseases, and, unfortunately, people will continue to die from these diseases. The CDC defines herd immunity, or community immunity, as "a situation in which a sufficient proportion of a population is immune to an infectious disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness) to make its spread from person to person unlikely."

"Even individuals not vaccinated (such as newborns and those with chronic illnesses)," the CDC continues in its definition of herd immunity, "are offered some protection because the disease has little opportunity to spread within the community."

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is a hauntingly relevant example. This virus is new to humans, so no one has immunity, naturally or by vaccination. Because no one has immunity, and the virus is contagious, it spreads quickly and easily.

What will it take to have coronavirus herd immunity?

There are two ways to produce herd immunity against a disease: develop and administer a safe and effective vaccination, or wait for the disease to make it around through a population.

A vaccination for the SARS-CoV-2 is in the works, but it could be and will likely be, several months to more than a year until the vaccine becomes available to the public. Without a vaccine, shelter-in-place and social distancing orders -- or the polarizing issue of mask mandates -- are the only ways to slow the spread while we wait for a vaccine to be developed.

Vinetz figures that the US is nowhere near the point of herd immunity to the novel coronavirus: "If we have 330 million people in the States and 1% are infected, that's 3.3 million people and that still means that 99% of the US population remains susceptible."

If you take Vinetz's estimation that at least 70% of a population must be immune to a disease to produce herd immunity, that means at least 231 million people in the US must contract and recover from the disease.

The actual number of COVID-19 cases in the US had just barely surpassed 1% of the population as of July 22, 2020 (you can track the cases in the US on the CDC website, which is updated continuously). "It doesn't require Einstein to figure out that we are nowhere close to herd immunity," Vinetz says starkly.

However, too many important factors remain unknown to simply allow the virus to continue its rampage without intervention:

When will we have coronavirus herd immunity?

We've also now seen that striving for herd immunity doesn't work in practice: Sweden, one country that many people looked to as an example because of its leniency during the pandemic, is telling other countries not to follow in its footsteps because the death toll is "unnerving."

Whether we will see herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in the future depends heavily on a number of factors -- particularly, Orient says, "whether we allow people to move around."

"If we lock everybody into solitary confinement, they won't get immune, unless and until there is an effective vaccine," she explains. "For some diseases, like the common cold (coronaviruses are one cause) there isn't much herd immunity because the virus changes or the vaccine just doesn't work, like malaria."

When asked about localized herd immunity, or herd immunity within specific regions with high numbers of coronavirus cases (such as New York and California), Vinetz says the concept doesn't really matter if people are allowed to roam around.

"We're such a mobile society," he says, so if stay-at-home orders are relaxed or removed, "if people start getting on buses and planes and trains and visiting other areas," localized herd immunity means nothing.

Vinetz says he expects to see "continual rolling waves of [COVID-19] infection unless we intervene somehow," squashing the idea that there will be a "second wave" of SARS-CoV-2 in the fall of 2020 simply because it likely will not have died down or disappeared by that point.

As of July 2020, Vinetz's predictions are coming true, as coronavirus cases soar once again after lockdown restrictions started easing up earlier in the summer.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
President Moon Jae-in speaks during a weekly meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap



Germany opposes Trump's move to expand G7



By Do Je-hae



Doubts are rising over whether President Moon Jae-in will be able to take up an invitation to participate in the Group of Seven (G7) meeting slated for September.



Cheong Wa Dae has claimed that the invitation was a stepping stone for Korea to later become a member of an expanded version of the group, an idea floated by U.S. President Donald Trump.



However, Moon's participation is becoming increasingly unclear due to the negative reaction from the other G7 members.



During a phone call with Moon, June 1, Trump invited Moon to take part in the meeting of the leaders of the most developed economies, along with leaders from Australia, India and Russia, when the meeting is held in the U.S. in September. Moon accepted the invitation at the time.



But Germany has become the latest country to protest Trump's move to expand the G7.



"The G7 and G20 are two sensibly coordinated formats. We don't need a G11 or a G12," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Sunday.



His comment seemed to target Russia specifically, but the remarks about no need for a G11 or G12 could mean Korea's participation in the meeting would not be easily approved.



Germany's objection to Trump's idea comes after Japanese media reported that Tokyo was against Seoul's participation in the G7 summit. According to Kyodo News, Tokyo has already expressed this opposition to Washington, claiming that Seoul was "out of lockstep with G7 members on China and North Korea issues."



Cheong Wa Dae explained that the two most decisive factors in determining Moon's participation were the reaction from relevant countries and also the COVID-19 situation in the U.S.



The series of objections comes as a setback for the presidential office. At the time of the phone call, Cheong Wa Dae did not hide its excitement about the invitation and what it would mean for Korea's diplomatic standing in the international community.



"If the President's visit to the U.S. is realized, it will not be of a one-time nature, in the capacity of an observer," presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok told a briefing after the Moon-Trump phone talks. "It will mean that Korea will become one of the leaders heading the international order as a member of the newly-formed G11 or G12 system."



The presidential office saw the G7 invitation as an occasion to raise Korea's international stature further on the back of global accolades toward its much-praised response to the COVID-19 pandemic.



The latest National Security Council meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday, reviewed the G7 issue.



"The members examined the progress of this year's G7 summit and discussed the issue of our participation if the meeting is held," the presidential office said in a statement. "In addition, we have decided to respond actively to the issue of expanding the G7."



During the phone call with Moon, Trump said the G7 was outdated and did not reflect the current international situation, and proposed an expansion into the G11 or G12. The G7 is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.



This year's summit was originally scheduled for June at Camp David, Maryland, but has been postponed to September.


Boris to unveil obesity plan

Shops will not be allowed to display confectionery at checkouts and junk food adverts on TV will be banned before 9pm under Boris Johnsons drive to cut obesity.

The Prime Minister will outline the details of his Better Health campaign later today and measures will also include outlawing buy one, get one free promotions on fattening products.

Restaurants will have to display the calories for items on menus while the NHS weight loss services is to be expanded and GPs encouraged to prescribe bike rides.

The plan comes as a Public Health England study claimed that being classed as medically obese increased the risk of death from coronavirus by 40 per cent.

Up to 1.8m holidays may be affected by Spain quarantine rule

There are fears more European holidays could be thrown into disarray this summer after holidaymakers in Spain were told they must quarantine when they return home.

The Government has stood by its decision to strike Spain off the UKs list of safe destinations after it saw a spike in coronavirus cases.

The move is likely to have thrown almost 1.8 million holidays into chaos, according to analysis of trips booked to Spain from the UK by travel company The PC Agency.

According to The Times, trips to France, Italy and Greece have been cancelled in large numbers following the ruling on Spain.

Murder probe after woman hit by van

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 38-year-old woman was struck by a van in south London.

Stella Frew was pronounced dead after the incident in Sutton just before 6pm on Friday and police announced early on Monday it was now being treated as a murder investigation.

Detectives, who are appealing for witnesses, say they believe Ms Frew got into a white van on Friday afternoon and was later involved in a dispute with the driver.

US consultate in China shut down

The US says it has followed Chinas orders to shut its consulate in Chengdu, following last weeks closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston.

The tit-for-tat closings mark a significant escalation in the tensions between the two countries over a range of issues, including trade, technology, security and human rights.

The US ordered the Houston consultate closure over spying claims, which China dismissed as a malicious slander.

The US state department expressed disappointment at Chinas order to close Chengdu and said it would try to continue its outreach to the region through its other missions in the country.

Depp libel trial enters final days

After almost three weeks, the biggest English libel trial of the 21st century is drawing to a close.

Johnny Depps case against The Suns publisher News Group Newspapers and its executive editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article which labelled him a wife beater has gripped the global media.

Later today NGNs legal team will make closing submissions to Mr Justice Nicol, followed by Mr Depps lawyers on Tuesday.

Mr Justice Nicol has already said that his judgment will be reserved and released at a later date.

On this day

1694: The Bank of England was founded with government backing.

1866: The Great Eastern arrived at Hearts Content in Newfoundland, having successfully laid the transatlantic telegraph cable.

1890: Artist Vincent Van Gogh went to the spot where he had painted Cornfield With Flight Of Birds and shot himself. He died two days later, aged 37.

1921: The first insulin was isolated by Canadians Sir Frederick Banting and his assistant Charles Best, providing an effective treatment for diabetes.

1949: The de Havilland Comet, the worlds first jet airliner, made its maiden flight.

1953: The Korean Armistice was signed at Panmunjom.

1964: Sir Winston Churchill made his last appearance in the House of Commons.
An AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft flies over the sea off Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, July 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

China-developed AG600, the world's largest amphibious aircraft, succeeded in maiden flight from sea.

With long-range and long-haul capabilities, the AG600 is designed to operate in complex weather and environment conditions.

QINGDAO, July 26 (Xinhua) -- China's indigenously-developed AG600 large amphibious aircraft succeeded in its maiden flight over sea on Sunday morning in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, its developer announced.

The aircraft took off from the sea off Qingdao at 10:18 a.m. and completed the test flight after flying for about 31 minutes, said state-owned plane-maker Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

The successful maiden flight from the sea is a major step forward in the development of this large amphibious aircraft following its maiden flight in 2017 and first takeoff from a water reservoir in 2018, said the AVIC.

SPECIAL MISSIONS

The successful maiden flight paved the way for the aircraft to undergo the following phases of test flights over sea and verification of its performance as an amphibious aircraft.

The AG600, together with the Y-20 large transporter and C919 single-aisle passenger airplane, is part of China's key project of independently-developed "large aircraft family."

Codenamed Kunlong, the AG600 is a key aeronautical equipment in China's emergency rescue system, said the AVIC.

An AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft slides on the sea off Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, July 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

The AG600 is designed to meet the country's demands for forest firefighting, marine rescue and other critical emergency rescue missions.

It is also the first time that China's aviation industry has developed a special-mission large civil aircraft model.

To prepare for the maiden sea takeoff, the AVIC completed multiple test flights over sea so that crew members could become familiar with the air and marine environment, according to the developer.

The development team and test flight team have optimized the aircraft, trained test flight pilots and made preparations for test flights in a maritime environment.

GREAT POTENTIAL

Starting in 2009, the AG600 amphibious airplane project has been designed with the potential to have multiple variants, seeking to continuously meet various demands of customers, said the AVIC.

The multi-tasking amphibious plane can take off and land on both ground and water, thus packing more potential for various missions.

The crew disembark from an AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft after its maiden flight over sea, at Rizhao Shanzihe Airport in Rizhao, east China's Shandong Province, July 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

With long-range and long-haul capabilities, the AG600 can efficiently shuttle between the fire site and water source, each time carrying as much as 12 tonnes and dropping water over an area of 4,000 square meters.

The AG600 is designed to operate in complex weather and environment conditions. In rescue missions, it can conduct low altitude water surface search and anchor for water and maritime rescue missions. The aircraft is capable of rescuing up to 50 people on each mission.

Besides roles in firefighting and water rescue, the AG600 aircraft can be modified or fitted with more facilities to meet customers' special mission requirements, according to the AVIC.

The AVIC will facilitate further development of the AG600 project. The development team will focus on the firefighting-type of AG600 aircraft, which is expected to be completed by 2023, said the Chinese plane-maker.
(@FahadShabbir)

Algeria has decided to provide 266,113 employees of the health sector, who are currently facing a direct risk of contracting COVID-19, with specially-tailored medical insurance, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said

ALGIERS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th July, 2020) Algeria has decided to provide 266,113 employees of the health sector, who are currently facing a direct risk of contracting COVID-19, with specially-tailored medical insurance, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said.

"Private insurance is the least that the state can offer to express the nation's gratitude for what they experience being on the frontlines since the beginning of the pandemic," Tebboune said, according to a statement issued in the wake of a government meeting late on Sunday.

The insurance includes health and medical assistance, along with transportation and home treatment, the statement read.

The special proposal will also cover "a death caused by any reason," as well as those fatalities that happen "as the result of COVID-19 or any infection-related illnesses.

"

The government has also decided to provide narrow specialists with the financial aid of up to DZD 30,000 ($250) for a three-month period.

Earlier in the day, the Algerian authorities decided to extend the COVID-19 curfew and quarantine measures in 29 of the 48 Algerian provinces for 15 days.

The citizens are required to stay at home from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time (from 19:00 to 04:00 GMT). The restrictions also include a traffic ban, with the exception of passenger and cargo transports.

As of today, Algeria has confirmed a total of 27,357 cases of the coronavirus, with 1,155 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Now that eye-widening sale has turned into news Chicagoans can use. Exuberant, elemental and about 14 feet wide by 8 feet high, the painting is now hanging on a wall in the Modern Wing of the Art Institute, where it will be on view when the museum reopens Thursday after its more than four-month COVID-19 closure.
Their professions, experience and backgrounds may differ. But Carolyn J. C. Thompson, Stacie Johnson-Davis, Hethr Delgadillo Griego and Shanon Jaramillo  the four major award winners of the Journals 2020 Women in Business section  each set the stage for others to flourish.

Helping other people to fall in love with this incredible culture, is how Thompson describes her work. In 2013, after two decades as a strategist, Thompson became the owner, founder and president of Albuquerque-based Your Key to Burgundy, which offers personalized travel planning to central France.

Thompson, winner of this years Excellence Award, uses her life-long fondness for France and skills from her former career in change management consulting to design authentic travel adventures for others. She strives to delight her guests with unforgettable experiences such as truffle hunting, charity wine auctions or cooking lessons from the locals.

Johnson-Davis is driven by customer satisfaction as well. Now vice president of business development and government relations at HME Specialists, a durable medical goods supplier headquartered in Albuquerque, Johnson-Davis started her career in health care as a registered nurse. But keeping her customers happy, whether theyre patients, doctors or insurance companies, has always been her goal.

Johnson-Davis, recipient of the Journals Leadership Award, which honors women who inspire colleagues to achieve company and employee goals by leading by example, strives to exhibit a strong work ethic. She loves that in business development theres a relationship between the effort you put in and successful results.

You see a direct reward from your passion for your company, your passion for the patients, your hard work, she said.

Passion is what motivates Delgadillo Griegos newest business venture.

Located in Albuquerque, the serial entrepreneur launched Effortless Beauty

Cosmetics in February. After listening to her teenage daughter talk with friends, Delgadillo Griego saw a need for make-up that is not only kind to animals, but kind to the self-image of the women that use them. Her products are cruelty-free and come with affirming messages such as I am phenomenal and I chose to radiate love, joy and gratitude today.

Im telling these young girls to love yourself, said Delgadillo Griego, recipient of the Vision Award, for women who take risks and think outside the box to find pioneering ways to improve their businesses. Because youre all that you have in your life.

Helping others realize their dreams gives Jaramillo goosebumps. As founder and CEO of Cannabis NM Staffing, she provides training for medical cannabis workers. She also strives to eliminate the stigma surrounding her industry.

People dont get to talk about cannabis, let alone a cannabis job, said Jaramillo, recipient of this years Development Award, which honors women who use their experience to guide and mentor employees.

Jaramillo, who never thought shed be involved with politics or the legislature, is now known for her work in the state as a cannabis activist. In 2019, she sat on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams working group for legalization.

My heart is here, Jaramillo said of her connection to New Mexico. My feet are here.
Shehu Sani, a former Nigerian lawmaker, has dropped some words of advice to haters of popular reality show, Big Brother Naija. The 2...

Shehu Sani, a former Nigerian lawmaker, has dropped some words of advice to haters of popular reality show, Big Brother Naija.





The 2020 season of Big Brother Naija, themed BBNaija Lockdown which kicked off on July 19, has received a wide range of criticism.





Most recently, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, while urging political office holders and other stakeholders to discourage immoral activities, had particularly kicked against the ongoing reality show, describing it as evil.





CAN called on well-meaning Nigerians to join in the protest against the show.





It argued that the immorality being portrayed in the BBNaija show should be vehemently condemned because it breeds evil.





However, Sani, who represented Kaduna central senatorial district in the 8th Assembly advised that it was better to stay away from the channels showing the programme than to condemn and attack after watching.




July 27, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The Biden campaign held an online event on July 8 pitched as the former vice presidents vision for Venezuela and Venezuelans in the U.S. Spoiler alert: his vision for Venezuela barely differs from President Trumps.

This event, which didnt merit an appearance from Biden himself, was aimed at getting Venezuelan-Americans to volunteer for Uncle Joe, as Representative Darren Soto (D-Fl) called him. It was an hour and a half of shilling for votes and influence, and it demonstrated that, when it comes to Venezuela, policies of regime change, sanctions, and a refusal to engage in dialogue unite VenezolanosConBiden (the group hosting the event) with MAGAzuela (the term for Trump-supporting Venezuelans).

There are only two policy differences in the Biden and Trump approaches to Venezuela. One is about TPS, or temporary protected status, which is an immigration policy that allows people from 10 specific countries affected by disasters to live and work in the U.S. Biden supports TPS for Venezuelans, while Trump allies have blocked it in the Senate, and Trump himself ended the program and has refused to issue it for Venezuelans. According to one of Bidens surrogates, there are 150,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. who are either undocumented or are here on expired visas.

The other difference is the border wall, which is now being built in part using Venezuelan funds. The Trump administration has diverted $601 million in assets stolen from the Venezuelan people to build the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

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This money was previously held in the Treasury Departments forfeiture fund, which is typically used to finance law enforcement operations.

This $601 million is part of an estimated $24 billion that the U.S. and its allies have frozen and looted from Venezuela in their regime-change efforts. Juan Guaido, the self-proclaimed interim president, has yet to comment on how the Trump administration is using these Venezuelan funds, but his ambassador, Carlos Vecchio, admitted to working with the Justice Department to establish a formal agreement  to define the percentage of how much of the seized Venezuelan funds will go to the United States. According to Guaido and his associates, it is normal for the Trump administration to take a cut.

TPS and the wall are the only two points on which Biden and Trump differ. Bidens surrogates claim he will grant TPS to Venezuelans on day one of his administration, and Biden says he will stop financing the wall.

These differences are minor though, especially considering that Biden will continue the policies that have led millions of Venezuelans to flee in the first place, and he has given every indication that more funds will be frozen.

Bidens vision is more of the same magical thinking that the Trump administration has engaged in for years. His campaign says the sanctions will continue and actually intensify. A Biden administration would seek a huge increase in aid, not just for Venezuela but for Colombia and other countries with Venezuelan migrants. They would build an international coalition to rebuild Venezuela. They would persecute key supporters of the Venezuelan government, regardless of where they are in the world.

According to Juan Gonzalez, former deputy assistant secretary of state under Obama and current advisor to Biden on Latin America, they would give the government of President Nicolas Maduro one option: elections observed by a respected (and unnamed) multilateral institution and he must leave office.

Bidens surrogates warn that Venezuela is a national security issue for the U.S., that the country has been infiltrated by terrorist groups and everything must be done to end Russian, Chinese, and Cuban influence. They responded to a question about the impact of sanctions by blaming the humanitarian crisis on Chavismo. They say Biden will not negotiate with Maduro.

The Biden campaign even attacked Trump for suggesting he would meet with Maduro, forcing Trump to backtrack on the offer. The campaign has been running ads in Miami accusing Trump of being soft on Maduro.

Bidens policies are the same policies and reflect the exact rhetoric used by the Trump administration. Since 2017, the U.S. has imposed sanctions that have cost 100,000 Venezuelans their lives and led to economic losses of $130 billion. But according to Biden supporter Rep. Soto, there hasnt been enough of a crackdown on the Maduro government.

Trump has spent three years building an approximately 60-country anti-Maduro coalition, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has traveled the world seeking more aid allegedly for Venezuela, but that ends up in countries with Venezuelan migrants. They have sanctioned foreign companies doing business with Venezuela and sought to arrest Venezuelan businessmen overseas.

On the issue of military intervention, the Biden surrogates claimed Trumps threats of a military option were empty and insisted other options must be explored and all other avenues of pressure exhausted (except, of course, dialogue) before considering military action. They did not say whether U.S. intervention should be on the table, and framed the discussion around the U.S. publics alleged aversion to another war rather than on the catastrophic consequences this would have for the Venezuelan people, let alone the illegality of any sort of military intervention.

It is no secret that regime change in Venezuela is a bipartisan objective, and Trumps tactic of pandering to right-wing latino extremists in Florida has led the Democrats to do the same.

The Biden campaign strategy is clear: mimic the administrations Venezuela policy while offering TPS to draw votes away from Trump.

The surrogates also repeatedly insisted that Biden is not a socialist  apparently a common misconception among the MAGAzuela crowd.

It should be no surprise that this is all about Florida and the 2020 election. Trump not only won the state in 2016, but his allies took the governorship and a Senate seat in 2018, albeit by small margins. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and Senator Rick Scott both accused their opponents of being socialists who are soft on Venezuela. The Biden camp is doing its utmost to prevent those types of attacks from sticking against their candidate.

There is no reason to believe that Biden will change course on Venezuela if elected. There are too many votes in Florida at stake, as well as donations to be had from wealthy Venezuelan expats  who at this point are playing both sides and doing so very well.

A Biden presidency, just like another four more years of Trump, looks to be disastrous for the Venezuelan people.

Leonardo Flores is a Latin American policy expert and campaigner with CODEPINK. - " Source " -

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See also "Feel Good" Story Shows Failure of Joe Biden's America!

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
Now that the Covid-19 pandemic in Delhi is under control, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Union home minister Amit Shah are rushing to take credit for the successful handling of a grim situation.

While Mr Kejriwal is both visible and vocal in publicising his governments efforts, Mr Shah is equally active in ensuring that his contribution is not overlooked.

His publicity managers are quick to underline that this turnaround had happened only after Mr Shah stepped in and supervised the ramping up of the health facilities in the Capital. Mr Kejriwals publicity team is equally active.

Caught in the middle, media houses have to do a tightrope walk as they cannot afford to annoy either Mr Shah or Mr Kejriwal since the state and the central governments have big advertising budgets and both do not hesitate to blacklist newspapers they are unhappy with.

As it is, a favourable story on either leader means an immediate phone call from the other side to point out their version should get equal play.

The rivalry between its legal eagles Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi is no secret in Congress circles. The party has to constantly do a balancing act between the two so that their egos are not bruised.

This is exactly what happened when the matter of the show cause notices sent to former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and his supporters went to court. Mr Singhvi was asked to appear before the Rajasthan high court on behalf of Assembly Speaker C.P.Joshi when his notices were challenged by the rebel legislators.

Apparently this did not go down well with Mr Sibal who was unhappy at being overlooked. Consequently, the party rushed to placate him and asked Mr Sibal to draft the special leave petition on Mr Joshis behalf when it was decided to approach the Supreme Court.

As for Mr Pilot, he had first approached Mr Singhvi but the latter declined as he was appearing for the other side. In any case, Mr Singhvi is learnt to have told Mr Pilot that he would be ready to help him in any other matter but not this one since it pertained to the internal rift in the Congress. Mr Pilot then hired Mukul Rohtagi and Harish Salve.

At a time when Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot is battling to save his government, Mahendrajeet Malviya, MLA from Bagidora, is pressuring him for a ministerial berth. Mr Malviya believes he is justified in making this demand.

His name had figured prominently in rebel leader Sachin Pilots list of supporters. However, the Bagidora legislator Malviya lost no time in switching sides and was soon back with Mr Gehlot.

It turns out that Malviya was actually Mr Gehlots mole in the Pilot camp who kept the chief minister informed about his rivals activities. Now that he has delivered, Mr Malviya obviously wants to be rewarded for his efforts. Mr Gehlot has learned that there is nothing like a free lunch.

While Ashok Gehlot has managed to keep his flock of MLAs together, his colleague, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath is having problems in holding on to party legislators.

Even months after 22 MLAs owing allegiance to Jyotiraditya Scindia switched sides to the Bharatiya Janata Party, two more Congress legislators have resigned and joined the saffron party.

According to reports from Bhopal, the Congress camp is expected to witness further resignations from its ranks in the coming days as the BJP has set itself a target of 30 MLAs. The BJP is apparently not confident that all the 22 legislators from the Scindia camp can win their seats when by-elections are held.

Numbers are important for the BJP as it needs to improve its tally to enjoy a comfortable majority in the assembly. It has, therefore, decided to go on a poaching spree to include MLAs who represent safe seats which would enable them to win more seats.

Little wonder then that the common refrain among Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh these days is that they too need a Gehlot to save their party.

Faced with a worsening coronavirus situation, an ailing economy and a serious law and order problem, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumars popularity has hit an all-time low. Its impatient ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, believes this is the best time to go solo in the coming Assembly polls and return to power on its own.

However, the more pragmatic leaders in the saffron camp are counselling their restless Bihar colleagues that the party has little option but to continue with this partnership as it does not have a credible state who can be projected as Nitish Kumars alternative.

Similarly Nitish Kumar is equally dependent on the BJP. He needs the BJP, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modis charisma, to pull off another electoral victory. And the BJP needs Nitish Kumar as he is still their best bet despite his falling popularity ratings.
R onnie Scotts will become one of the first major music venues to reopen in London as it announced plans to start hosting gigs again from August 1.

The legendary jazz venue, which has been a Soho mainstay for more than 60 years, had been closed since lockdown began in March.

It will reopen this weekend with a reduced capacity of 50 per cent and strict social distancing measures. It will also host an outdoor space, selling champagne and burgers.

The decision to relaunch was taken after consideration by management, as well as a poll among the clubs members.

Its great to be back doing what we do, said Simon Cooke, managing director of Ronnie Scotts. We have been looking on enviously whilst restaurants have reopened, especially as the club is laid out like a restaurant.

We have been planning the relaunch for some time so as soon as we got the green light for live performance we moved into action. Our unique structure of seating lends itself to distancing, some may say the added space is an improvement!

Safety of our customers, staff and artists is of paramount importance so there will be protocols for the customers, the staff and the musicians.

The best albums of 2020 so far 1 /14 The best albums of 2020 so far Getty Images Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia Future Nostalgia arrived at the end of March, a ray of light to pierce the lockdown gloom. It was a shot at writing something timeless, taking strands of classic disco and Eighties synth-pop and putting them through a slick, modern filter. On standout tracks such as Dont Start Now and Cool, Dua Lipa hit her target. More than anything though, this was something defiantly fun, a heartening reminder that there are brighter times ahead. Getty Images Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher It would be easy to label Punisher as a sad album, because it is, with heartache and despondency always within an arms reach. But to simply call it that would be to grossly undersell it  the album, also out today, is cathartic, nostalgic, surreal, grounded, darkly comic and, more often than not, weepingly beautiful. The disarming vocals are morbidly quotable (The doctor put her hands over my liver /She told me my resentments getting smaller) and confirm the 25-year-old Bridgers as one of her generations deftest writers. Getty Images for Tibet House Tame Impala - The Slow Rush It took some time to fall in love with Kevin Parkers latest album as Tame Impala. Its layers were dense and meticulously produced, a product of the Australians dogged perfectionism, but when they did eventually unravel, the albums brilliance was revealed in vivid colour. There was squelchy hip-hop and tap-dancing piano on Borderline, alluring sophisto-funk on Breathe Deeper, and dizzying disco on One More Year. Parkers lyrics were typically conflicted, stuck between past and future, but musically, hed never sounded so assured. AFP via Getty Images Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters Fiona Apples fifth album was eight years in the making, and sounded as if it had been simmering for all that time. It was inescapably personal, rattling with homemade percussion, grinding against Apples visceral vocals as she retold traumas of sexual abuse and toxic relationships. But it all coalesced to give momentum to a magnificent release of tension, the sound of a furiously convinced artist. Kick me under the table all you want, she asserted, I wont shut up. Getty Images Run The Jewels - RTJ4 When Killer Mike, one half of Run The Jewels, wrote Walking In The Snow (You so numb, you watch the cops choke out a man like me) he was remembering the tragic death of Eric Garner in 2014. It should have been retrospective; instead, it was hideously prophetic, arriving on RTJ4 amid the George Floyd protests. But these were wide-lens raps  joined by partner El-P, they fired lyrical missiles at the racist police and ruling elite, interspersing it with cutting quips and dark humour. Painful, prescient, and hugely powerful. Getty Images for DIRECTV J Hus - Big Conspiracy Big Conspiracy was the sound of an artist taking his time. The eclectic beats, largely provided by chameleonic producer Jae5, avoided the usual bombast for something understated. The lyrical gaze was sharp, ranging from the legacy of slavery to the grind of everyday life, all of it recounted with clever wordplay. It wouldnt be a Hus album without tales of at least one sexual conquest  the song Cucumber provides it  but all in all, never has the east Londoner been so searingly composed. Getty Images for Nike Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways Bob Dylans 39th studio album, released today, might just be one of his greatest. Before this, eight years had passed without any new original music. Had the old master lulled himself into retirement? The surprise release of a 17-minute song about the JFK assassination did away with any doubts. Its a densely lyrical album, a poetic and historical tapestry, proving that, at 79, the Nobel Prize-winner is still at the peak of his songwriting powers. AFP via Getty Images Georgia - Seeking Thrills Georgias exhilarating second album landed back in January (oh, those halcyon days) and was the sound of an artist brimming with new-found conviction. Arriving five years after her debut, she had finally found her voice  quite literally, shunning the over-produced vocals of before  and a winning musical formula: retro-tinted dance pop, pairing the throbbing echoes of Chicago house with sharp modern melodies. Hollie Fernando Orlando Weeks - A Quickening Former Maccabees frontman Orlando Weeks took a mature step away from his indie-rock past on his debut solo album, supplanting it with soft, cloudy atmospheres. A Quickening covered his impending fatherhood, and all of the unknowingness that comes with it. It was minutely intimate  Ill be your blood sugar, he pledged to the unborn child  with his vocals at their most tender and innocent. Jackson Bowley Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter Another album to ease the pandemic blues, Laura Marling had initially planned an August release, but brought it forward to April. It had an effortlessly classic sound to it  the folky tones of Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake chimed throughout  but this album was undoubtedly Marlings own. Her vocals were soaring, sardonic and soothing, singing with all the wisdom of an artist who, still only 30, now has seven albums worth of experience behind her. Getty Images

Its been reported that social distancing measures could be financially ruinous for many other music venues to open, but it would be financially ruinous for us not to.

The Ronnie Scotts All Stars, the last act to play the venue before lockdown, will play the first gig back on August 1. James Pearson, Reuben James and Liane Carroll are among the other artists set to play across the first few days. The full line-up is below.

Indoor gigs in England will be allowed to return from August 1, after the Government eased restrictions on venues affected by the pandemic.
The Ukrainian Joint Forces continue preparing to the complete and comprehensive ceasefire, which is due to start at 00:01 a.m. on July 27, along the disengagement line between the opposing sides in Donbas, the press center for the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said on Sunday afternoon.

"Especially seconded Ukrainian servicemen, most of whom have an extensive combat experience and directly dealt with specific issues during peacekeeping missions under the auspices of the United Nations, begin arriving on our defense frontline in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This step will primarily make it possible not to distract the personnel of units of the Joint Forces from fulfilling combat tasks and prevent possible provocations. At the same time, this will not deprive Ukrainian troops of the possibility of self-defense, as is guaranteed under Article 51 of the UN Charter," the JFO press center said in a statement on Facebook.

"Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces stand ready to adequately rebuff the enemy if the latter violates the agreements, for this purpose the Joint Forces command set up specific additional reserve forces," the JFO press center said.

Correspondents and camera crews of domestic and foreign media outlets are also expected to work at various sections of the disengagement line in order to objectively brief the Ukrainian society and the international community on the current situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the statement said.

At the last Wednesday's meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas, the negotiating parties agreed on a host of additional measures supervising the ceasefire, which, among other clauses, implies the ban on the activity of subversive and reconnaissance groups, and the ban on opening fire, including the sniper fire.
As part of its commitment to providing accessible and innovative security solutions, Brivo, the global leader in cloud-based access control and smart apartment automation, launched today its Financing Program. The Brivo Financing Program allows customers to implement access control, multifamily, or video surveillance projects with little to no upfront investment and consistent, predictable payments over time.

Most organizations have access control systems that are three years or older but no plans to upgrade obsolete systems. Its reported that a barrier to install new technology is largely due to high costs. This, coupled with the heightened need for security in a post-COVID-19 environment, has created a gap for companies and multifamily buildings that need new systems but arent able to afford them. Brivos Financing Program addresses this void in the market with its manageable payment model.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a higher demand for the adoption of new security practices to keep both facilities and the people inside safe, says Steve Van Till, CEO of Brivo. The pandemic has also disrupted revenue streams, and many businesses in pursuit of better security are struggling to implement solutions due to high upfront costs. The launch of our new Financing Program eliminates this roadblock for companies and multifamily property owners, ensuring they can upgrade security to include the latest digital innovations while managing cash flow.

The Financing Program is distinct from Brivos subscription service, Brivo Complete, which also removes the barrier of high upfront costs, as the Financing Program provides 12 to 72 month-finance installments rather than a recurring subscription. Projects, including labor and parts, that cost more than $10,000 can apply for financing and can vary from first-time cloud-based upgrades to initiating multi-site projects to integrating existing systems and beyond. All products in the Brivo price book, along with many third party components, are eligible for the Financing Program.

Customers interested in the Financing Program use the project proposal and quote they receive from an authorized Brivo dealer to complete an easy, online credit application. Applicants can expect a same-day credit decision.

For more information or to speak with an expert, click here.

About Brivo

Brivo is the global leader in cloud-based access control and security platforms for commercial and multifamily properties. Our mission is to provide Simply Better Security solutions that improve user experiences for property managers, tenants, employees, and visitors. With over 20 million users and 1,500 authorized resellers, our SaaS platform has been unifying the security experience across access control, mobile credentials, video surveillance, identity federation, visitor management, intercoms, and elevator control since 2001. Hundreds of software partners and end-users use our APIs and SDKs to extend our solutions to unique vertical market offerings. More than ten years of SOC audits underscore our commitment to protecting customer privacy and data security. Brivo is privately held and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.


SAN DIEGO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fusion Financial Partners has expanded its suite of offerings for RIAs with the launch of its new Fusion Technology Solutions department, a joint venture partnership with Mirador, LLC, a leading provider of bespoke portfolio-performance reporting solutions. Prior to forming this partnership Fusion and Mirador worked together serving RIA advisor teams, Fortune 500 companies and large multi-family offices. The two firms are currently approaching their twelfth joint client engagement.

"Fusion is expanding rapidly due to client demand. Adding a technology component to our RIA launch and ongoing growth services was an obvious need," explains Kimberly Papedis, President, Fusion Financial Partners. "Over the last few years together with Mirador we have launched RIAs, built national RIA platforms and served the UNHW family office space. The launch of Fusion Technology Solutions answers a need for existing wealth management firms, breakaway teams and large national RIA platforms to solve for the complex architecture design and ongoing operations of the FinTech and office IT management."

The current partnership grew out of the efforts of Fusion and Mirador to combine Mirador's proprietary '15 tech decisions rubric' and Fusion's proprietary '15 launch decisions rubric' to create ScoreCard , a one-day workshop that serves to evaluate RIA launch and FinTech decision criteria. There are many complex considerations involved in launching a new firm and choosing the right technology to support it.

ScoreCard gives advisors objective criteria to evaluate the important decisions involved in launching or auditing an RIA. The full day of consultation is designed to facilitate decision making about 30 critical topics and result in a plan to complete the process. What used to take 6 months of investigation or multiple conversations with potential platforms now takes a single day.

After creating ScoreCard, the relationship between Fusion and Mirador evolved into a true partnership that brings together all the components needed to launch, grow, and run a wealth management firm of any size.

"Bringing Mirador and Fusion together provides a comprehensive solution under one umbrella bringing state of the art, institutional grade technology resources for firms of all sizes and marrying that to the launch and growth services Fusion provides," said Joseph Larizza, CEO and Founder, Mirador, LLC.. "While other firms offer outsourced CTO services, we have created an entire department to remove the execution risk from the IT Tech Stack and as well handle ongoing operations for a firm's entire technology suite. This isn't a platform where everything is bundled, whether you need it or not. Firms only pay for the bespoke solution put together for their unique needs."

In addition to support from the 40-person team at Mirador, Fusion has bolstered its commitment to the effort by adding two professionals to the Fusion Technology Solutions department. As National Director of Technology Solutions Brad Frey, a former financial advisor with extensive fintech background, is responsible for ensuring Fusion's launch services and technology solutions mesh seamlessly for RIA and corporate clients. Brad will coordinate and oversee discovery days for clients and continue to assess new tech solutions as they become available. Also joining the tech team is Maxwell Alles, Director of Expert IT Services and Procurement.

"Having the right technology can make the difference between a firm succeeding from day one or struggling to find its feet," added Brad Frey, National Director of Technology Solutions. "The partnership between Fusion and Mirador, the creation of tools like ScoreCard and the ability to create bespoke solutions for the wealth management community is very exciting and I'm proud to be a part of it."

The Fusion Technology Solution Department delivers unbiased, bespoke solutions to independent RIAs either via the one-day ScoreCard workshop, or through an ongoing engagement to solve for all of a firms' technology needs.

About Fusion Financial Partners

Fusion Financial Partners (www.fusionfinancialpartners.com) is a premier consulting firm specialized in the area of transformative business consulting for RIAs. Fusion acts as an advocate, educator, tactical guide and negotiator for advisor teams and national organizations looking to enter or expand in the independent wealth management industry.

About Mirador

Mirador, LLC, (www.miradorllc.com) the leading provider of bespoke portfolio-performance reporting solutions for high net-worth families & family offices, wealth management firms and endowments & foundations, combines powerful data science and deep financial expertise to provide best-of-breed financial reporting services for U/HNW investment portfolios. The firm has offices in Connecticut, New York, Salt Lake City, and Dublin, Ireland and supports the performance-reporting requirements of Family Offices, Wealth and Asset Managers, and Foundations throughout the United States, Western Europe, and Latin America.

CONTACT: Michaela Morales, [email protected]

SOURCE Fusion Financial Partners
West African leaders on Monday adopted a tough four-point plan in a bid to resolve Mali's political crisis, including calling for the resignations of 31 parliamentarians elected in disputed polls and for the swift creation of a unity government.



In a statement issued after an extraordinary video summit, heads of the 15-nation, West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, stood by Mali's embattled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. But the bloc also called for a unity government to be "established rapidly" and urged the opposition to join it.

Addressing demands by protestors that Keita quit, the bloc maintained Mali's democratic constitution had to be respected, and asked an ECOWAS commission "to consider sanctions against all those who act contrary to the normalisation process of the crisis."

The four-point plan included holding new elections for 31 parliamentary seats which were contested, sparking protests after the country's constitutional court ruled in favour of Keita's party.

Infuriated by corruption, disputed local election results and army losses to jihadists, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent weeks, sparking clashes with police in which the United Nations says at least 14 protesters have died this month.

The opposition, a group called M5-RFP whose figurehead is Saudi-trained Muslim cleric Mahmoud Dicko, has said it will not quit until Keita steps down, raising concerns in neighbouring countries of a protracted crisis.

ECOWAS leaders, however, did not agree with the oppositions call for Keita's resignation. Instead, they demanded the formation of a unity government and called on the opposition to be part of that unity government.

Hours later, Mali's presidential office announced that a stripped-down cabinet comprising Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and six ministers would work to form a unity government.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)
A pet cat has fallen ill with coronavirus in the UK after apparently catching Covid-19 from its owners.

The infection was confirmed following tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha) laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey, on July 22.

Downing Street said the pet had shown symptoms of a respiratory infection with a nasal discharge and some shortness of breath.

The cat and its owners have all made a full recovery.

Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England (PHE), said: This is the first case of a domestic cat testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK but should not be a cause for alarm.

The investigation into this case suggests that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round.

At this time, there is no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans.

In line with the general advice on fighting coronavirus, you should wash your hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals.

A private vet initially diagnosed the pet with feline herpes virus, a common cat respiratory infection, but the sample was also tested for Covid-19 part of a research programme.

The case has been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health in line with international agreements.

There have been a small number of confirmed cases in pets in other countries in Europe, North America and Asia.

The UKs chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, said: Tests conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency have confirmed that the virus responsible for Covid-19 has been detected in a pet cat in England.

This is a very rare event, with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within a few days.

There is no evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans.

We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will update our guidance to pet owners should the situation change.

Story continues

A team of scientists at the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research are behind the programme to screen hundreds of samples for Covid-19 infections in the UK cat population.

Researchers at the CVR have now completed a full genome sequencing of the virus found in the infected cat.

Professor Margaret Hosie, who works on the project, said: There have been sporadic reports of cats from Covid-19 households in Hong Kong, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the US that tested positive for (coronavirus) and were presumed to be infected from their owners, but this is the first report of an infected cat in the UK.

All available evidence suggests that the cat was infected from its owners, who had previously tested positive.

The cat and its owners have since made a full recovery and there was no transmission of the virus to other animals or people in the household.

Professor William Weir of the University of Glasgows School of Veterinary Medicine, said: The factors that govern why one species is susceptible to the Covid-19 virus while others are more resistant are currently unknown, but will likely reveal more about how this virus spreads and causes disease.

At present, there is no evidence that cats, dogs or other domestic animals play any role in the epidemiology of human infections with (Covid-19).

He said cats and dogs with reported infections usually recover and there has been no evidence of transmission occurring between cats or dogs.
PLEASANTON, Calif., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Net sales of $326.1 million increased 7.0% year-over-year

Strong gross margin of 45.9% improved 1.9% year-over-year

Income from operations of $72.2 million increased 34.6% year-over-year, operating margin of 22.1% increased 4.5% year-over-year

Diluted earnings per share of $1.22 increased 38.6% year-over-year

Providing full year 2020 financial guidance on improved demand outlook

Declared a $0.23 per share cash dividend

Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: SSD), an industry leader in engineered structural connectors and building solutions, today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2020. Refer to the "Segment and Product Group Information" table below for additional segment information (including information about the Company's Asia/Pacific segment and Administrative and All Other segment).

All comparisons below (which are generally indicated by words such as "increased," "decreased," "remained," or "compared to"), unless otherwise noted, are comparing the quarter ended June 30, 2020 with the quarter ended June 30, 2019.

2020 Second Quarter Financial Highlights

Consolidated net sales of $326.1 million increased 7.0% from $304.9 million .

increased 7.0% from . North America net sales of $286.8 million increased 10.7% from $259.1 million , primarily due to higher sales volumes from the return of a home center customer. Canada's net sales were adversely impacted by negative foreign currency translation. In local currency, Canada sales increased primarily due to higher sales volumes.

net sales of increased 10.7% from , primarily due to higher sales volumes from the return of a home center customer. net sales were adversely impacted by negative foreign currency translation. In local currency, sales increased primarily due to higher sales volumes.

Europe net sales of $37.4 million decreased 14.4% from $43.6 million , primarily due to lower sales volumes related to COVID-19 plant closures. Europe sales were impacted by approximately $1.2 million of negative foreign currency translations resulting from some Europe currencies weakening against the United States dollar. In local currency, Europe net sales decreased primarily due to lower sales volume.

net sales of decreased 14.4% from , primarily due to lower sales volumes related to COVID-19 plant closures. sales were impacted by approximately of negative foreign currency translations resulting from some currencies weakening against dollar. In local currency, net sales decreased primarily due to lower sales volume. Consolidated gross profit of $149.8 million increased 11.6% from $134.2 million . Gross margin increased to 45.9% from 44.0%.

increased 11.6% from . Gross margin increased to 45.9% from 44.0%. North America gross margin increased to 47.4% from 45.1%, primarily due to decreases in material cost, partly offset by higher labor, warehouse and shipping costs, each as a percentage of net sales.

gross margin increased to 47.4% from 45.1%, primarily due to decreases in material cost, partly offset by higher labor, warehouse and shipping costs, each as a percentage of net sales.

Europe gross margin decreased to 35.1% from 37.0%, primarily due to increased costs as a percentage of sales, which resulted from lower production volume.

gross margin decreased to 35.1% from 37.0%, primarily due to increased costs as a percentage of sales, which resulted from lower production volume. Consolidated income from operations of $72.2 million increased 34.6% from $53.7 million . The increase was primarily due to the increase in gross profit and lower operating expenses. Consolidated operating margin increased to 22.1% from 17.6%.

increased 34.6% from . The increase was primarily due to the increase in gross profit and lower operating expenses. Consolidated operating margin increased to 22.1% from 17.6%. North America income from operations of $72.2 million increased from $49.8 million , primarily due to the increase in gross profit and lower operating expenses.

income from operations of increased from , primarily due to the increase in gross profit and lower operating expenses.

Europe income from operations of $2.7 million decreased from $4.6 million , primarily due to lower net sales and slightly higher operating expenses.

income from operations of decreased from , primarily due to lower net sales and slightly higher operating expenses. The Company's effective income tax rate decreased to 25.8% from 26.4%.

Net income was $53.5 million , or $1.22 per diluted share of the Company's common stock, compared to net income of $39.6 million , or $0.88 per diluted share.

, or per diluted share of the Company's common stock, compared to net income of , or per diluted share. Cash flow provided by operating activities decreased approximately $10.8 million to $42.8 million from $53.6 million .

to from . Cash flow used in investing activities decreased approximately $2.8 million to $13.4 million from $16.3 million . Capital expenditures were approximately $14.1 million compared to $15.3 million . Given current circumstances, the Company is maintaining its focus on tightly managing all expenses and planned capital expenditures.

Management Commentary

"We executed a strong second quarter with sales of $326.1 million improving 7% year-over-year and 15% quarter-over-quarter on higher volume despite the significant level of macroeconomic challenges resulting from COVID-19," commented Karen Colonias, the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our sales volume improved primarily due to the addition of Lowe's, a returning home center customer, which resulted in considerably higher demand associated with the initial product rollout into stores. We also experienced improved sales in the repair and remodel market as a result of a shift in consumer behavior toward home renovations which we believe stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing shelter-in-place orders. Partially offsetting this strength were volume declines specific to Europe following government ordered shutdowns in the United Kingdom and France. As a result, we produced a strong gross margin of 45.9% due to a combination of sales mix and lower material costs on improved overhead absorption. This, when coupled with our effective expense management, resulted in a 35% year-over-year increase in our income from operations to $72.2 million and strong earnings of $1.22 per diluted share."

Mrs. Colonias concluded, "The health, safety and wellbeing of our employees is our top priority, and we have been extremely diligent in our efforts to ensure Simpson remains a safe place to work by enacting rigorous safety protocols in all of our facilities. These actions, in addition to being deemed an essential business, have enabled us to continue operating our business and serve our customers with minimal disruptions in a highly difficult environment. Looking ahead, we believe the solid demand trends we experienced in the second quarter of 2020 from the addition of Lowe's and improved repair and remodel market will continue, offsetting the expected weakness in the housing market. As a result, we expect our full year net sales and gross margin will improve year-over-year in 2020 subject to circumstances outside of our control related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to execute our model with an emphasis on enhancing our operating efficiencies and cost savings which will serve us well through this pandemic and longer-term. Our industry leadership position, geographic reach and diverse product offerings, combined with our strong balance sheet and liquidity position gives us confidence in our ability to support current and improving future demand trends."

Corporate Developments

On July 14, 2020 , the Company's Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share. The dividend will be payable on October 22, 2020 to the Company's stockholders of record as of October 1, 2020 .

Business Outlook

On April 27, 2020, the Company withdrew its 2020 full-year outlook originally provided on February 3, 2020. At the time, the Company was unable to forecast its full-year outlook with reasonable accuracy given the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the related impact on the Company's business. The Company believes that it is now in a better position to provide full year outlook, primarily reflecting an additional quarter of actual results, as well as improved visibility on the progression of pandemic-related restrictions and the impact of those restrictions on the Company's operations. Based on business trends and conditions as of today, July 27, the Company's outlook for the full fiscal year ending December 31, 2020 is as follows:

Net sales are estimated to increase in the range of 1.5% to 4.0% compared to the full year ended December 31, 2019 .

. Gross margin is estimated to be in the range of 43.0% to 45.0%.

Operating expenses, as a percentage of net sales, are estimated to be in the range of 27.0% to 29.0%.

The effective tax rate is estimated to be in the range of 24.0% to 26.0%, including both federal and state income tax rates.

While the magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on general economic conditions remains uncertain, the Company is continuing to monitor the impact of the outbreak on its operations and financial condition, which was not significantly adversely impacted in the second quarter of 2020. Please note that ongoing uncertainties surrounding the impact of COVID-19 on Simpson's business, which may include the economic impact on its operations, raw material costs, consumers, suppliers, vendors, and other factors outside of its control, may have a material adverse impact on the Company's financial outlook.

Conference Call Details

Investors, analysts and other interested parties are invited to join the Company's second quarter 2020 financial results conference call on Monday, July 27, 2020, at 5:00 pm Eastern Time (2:00 pm Pacific Time). To participate, callers may dial (877) 407-0792 (U.S. and Canada) or (201) 689-8263 (International) approximately 10 minutes prior to the start time. The call will be webcast simultaneously and can be accessed through http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=140353 or a link on the Company's website at www.simpsonmfg.com/financials/events.html. For those unable to participate during the live broadcast, a replay of the call will also be available beginning that same day at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, August 10, 2020, by dialing (844) 5122921 (U.S. and Canada) or (412) 3176671 (International) and entering the conference ID: 13705693. The webcast will remain posted on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website for 90 days.

A copy of this earnings release will be available prior to the call, accessible through the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.simpsonmfg.com.

About Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc.

Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc., headquartered in Pleasanton, California, through its subsidiary, Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc., designs, engineers and is a leading manufacturer of wood construction products, including connectors, truss plates, fastening systems, fasteners and shearwalls, and concrete construction products, including adhesives, specialty chemicals, mechanical anchors, powder actuated tools and reinforcing fiber materials. The Company's common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "SSD."

Copies of Simpson Manufacturing's Annual Report to Stockholders and its proxy statements and other SEC filings, including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, are made available free of charge on the company's Web site on the same day they are filed with the SEC. To view these filings, visit the Investor Relations section of the Company's Web site.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 2 IE of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "target," "continue," "predict," "project," "change," "result," "future," "will," "could," "can," "may," "likely," "potentially," or similar expressions that concern our strategy, plans, expectations or intentions. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives, business outlook, priorities, expectations and intentions, expectations for sales growth, comparable sales, earnings and performance, stockholder value, capital expenditures, cash flows, the housing market, the home improvement industry, demand for services, share repurchases, our strategic initiatives, including the impact of these initiatives on our strategic and operational plans and financial results, and any statement of an assumption underlying any of the foregoing and other statements that are not historical facts. Although we believe that the expectations, opinions, projections and comments reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and we can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent uncertainties, risk and other factors that are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results to vary in material respects from what we have expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include the impact of COVID-19 on our operations and supply chain, and the operations of our customers, suppliers and business partners and those discussed under Item 1A. Risk Factors and Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings with the SEC. To the extent that COVID-19 adversely affects our business and financial results, it may also have the effect of heightening many of such risk and other factors.

We caution that you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made in our reports filed with the SEC that advise of the risks and factors that may affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. and Subsidiaries UNAUDITED Consolidated Statements of Operations (In thousands, except per share data)

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30, (Amounts in thousands, except per share data) 2020

2019

2020

2019 Net sales $ 326,076



$ 304,853



$ 609,744



$ 564,097

Cost of sales 176,276



170,674



330,278



319,664

Gross profit 149,800



134,179



279,466



244,433

Research and development and engineering expense 12,191



11,055



25,573



23,316

Selling expense 26,834



28,687



55,361



56,799

General and administrative expense 38,636



41,345



77,107



80,893

Total operating expenses 77,661



81,087



158,041



161,008

Gain on disposal of assets (73)



(561)



(137)



(251)

Income from operations 72,212



53,653



121,562



83,676

Interest expense, net and other (151)



147



(2,684)



(616)

Income before taxes 72,061



53,800



118,878



83,060

Provision for income taxes 18,582



14,223



28,573



20,821

Net income $ 53,479



$ 39,577



$ 90,305



$ 62,239

Earnings per common share:













Basic $ 1.23



$ 0.89



$ 2.06



$ 1.39

Diluted $ 1.22



$ 0.88



$ 2.05



$ 1.38

Weighted average shares outstanding:













Basic 43,471



44,671



43,787



44,772

Diluted 43,663



44,972



43,980



45,089

Cash dividend declared per common share $ 0.23



$ 0.23



$ 0.46



$ 0.45

Other data:













Depreciation and amortization $ 10,006



$ 9,757



$ 19,739



$ 19,515

Pre-tax equity-based compensation expense $ 5,151



$ 2,494



$ 5,428



$ 6,600





















Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. and Subsidiaries UNAUDITED Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets (In thousands)



June 30,

December 31, (Amounts in thousands)

2020

2019

2019 Cash and cash equivalents

$ 315,448



$ 141,731



$ 230,210

Trade accounts receivable, net

233,867



191,282



139,364

Inventories

265,365



266,142



251,907

Other current assets

20,222



14,795



19,426

Total current assets

834,902



613,950



640,907

Property, plant and equipment, net

247,119



252,710



249,012

Operating lease right-of-use assets

36,930



35,111



35,436

Goodwill

132,335



132,312



131,879

Other noncurrent assets

33,217



35,835



38,132

Total assets

$ 1,284,503



$ 1,069,918



$ 1,095,366

Trade accounts payable

$ 49,149



$ 39,241



$ 33,351

Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities

144,265



118,000



125,556

Total current liabilities

193,414



157,241



158,907

Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion

28,893



28,164



27,930

Long-term debt, net of current portion

150,000









Deferred income tax and other long-term liabilities

17,984



16,092



16,572

Stockholders' equity

894,212



868,421



891,957

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$ 1,284,503



$ 1,069,918



$ 1,095,366



Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. and Subsidiaries UNAUDITED Segment and Product Group Information (In thousands)













Three Months Ended





Six Months Ended







June 30,

%

June 30,

% (Amounts in thousands) 2020

2019

change*

2020

2019

change* Net Sales by Reporting Segment























North America $ 286,807



$ 259,073



10.7%

$ 535,857



$ 480,504



11.5%

Percentage of total net sales 88.0%



85.0%







87.9%



85.2%







Europe 37,379



43,648



(14.4)%

70,111



79,428



(11.7)%

Percentage of total net sales 11.5%



14.3%







11.5%



14.1%







Asia/Pacific 1,890



2,132



(11.4)%

3,776



4,165



(9.3)%



$ 326,076



$ 304,853



7.0%

$ 609,744



$ 564,097



8.1% Net Sales by Product Group**























Wood Construction $ 280,724



$ 258,416



8.6%

$ 523,244



$ 476,029



9.9%

Percentage of total net sales 86%



84%







86%



84%







Concrete Construction 45,304



46,360



(2.3)%

86,316



87,936



(1.8)%

Percentage of total net sales 14%



16%







14%



16%







Other 48



77



N/M

184



132



N/M



$ 326,076



$ 304,853



7.0%

$ 609,744



$ 564,097



8.1% Gross Profit (Loss) by Reporting Segment























North America $ 136,024



$ 116,880



16.4%

$ 254,819



$ 215,277



18.4%

North America gross margin 47.4%



45.1%







47.6%



44.8%







Europe 13,106



16,132



(18.8)%

23,807



27,686



(14.0)%

Europe gross margin 35.1%



37.0%







34.0%



34.9%







Asia/Pacific 484



1,149



(57.9)%

651



1,469



(55.7)%

Administrative and all other 186



18



N/M

189



1



N/M



$ 149,800



$ 134,179



11.6%

$ 279,466



$ 244,433



14.3% Income (Loss) from Operations























North America $ 72,196



$ 49,838



44.9%

$ 125,757



$ 82,652



52.2%

North America operating margin 25.2%



19.2%







23.5%



17.2%







Europe 2,696



4,643



(41.9)%

1,026



4,259



(75.9)%

Europe operating margin 7.2%



10.6%







1.5%



5.4%







Asia/Pacific (75)



186



N/M

(679)



(355)



N/M

Administrative and all other (2,605)



(1,014)



N/M

(4,542)



(2,880)



N/M



$ 72,212



$ 53,653



34.6%

$ 121,562



$ 83,676



45.3%



* Unfavorable percentage changes are presented in parentheses, if any.

** The Company manages its business by geographic segment but is presenting sales by product group as additional information.

N/M Statistic is not material or not meaningful.

CONTACT:

Addo Investor Relations

[email protected]

(310) 829-5400

SOURCE Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc.

Related Links

http://www.simpsonmfg.com


G ermany is already experiencing its second wave of coronavirus, a senior ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel has said.

Christian Democrat Michael Kretschmer, who is the Premier of Saxony, warned that the second wave is "taking place every day".

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 340 to 205,609 on Monday, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.

The reported deaths remained unchanged at 9,118.

Travellers enter the new Corona Test Centre at Duesseldorf Airport / REUTERS

Mr Kretschmer told the Rheinische Post newspaper that there are new clusters every day that could become "very high numbers".

He said: "The second wave of coronavirus is already here.

"It is already taking place every day. We have new clusters of infections every day which could become very high numbers."

It comes as Ms Merkel's chief of staff said health ministers would discuss on Monday the possibility of obliging returning holidaymakers to take a coronavirus test as he expressed concern about a rise in infections in Germany.

"I think that we'll find a solution relatively quickly," Helge Braun told reporters, adding that it was necessary to act now to bring infection numbers down, since it would be harder to control the disease's spread in autumn and winter.

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On Friday, the country's health minister Jens Spahn and his regional counterparts from Germany's 16 federal states agreed that authorities would offer returning holidaymakers free voluntary tests that, if negative, would excuse returnees from going into mandatory quarantine.
Press Release

27 July 2020

SHANGHAI, China - Today, Hilton announced that the company has implemented a new program to deliver an industry-defining standard of cleanliness and disinfection, across all its properties worldwide. Hilton CleanStay, created in collaboration with Dettol maker RB and Mayo Clinic, includes new procedures to help Hilton guests enjoy an even cleaner and safer stay.

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Since the initial announcement of the partnership, RB has worked with Hilton to deploy plans for global execution of Hilton CleanStay, and is expanding this partnership with the trusted RB family of products such as the world's No.1 antiseptic - Dettol for use in multiple markets around the world, including Greater China.

"For more than a century, our top priority has been the safety and security of our guests and Team Members. As the hospitality industry evolves to address travelers' changing expectations - especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic - Hilton CleanStay is the latest evolution of our commitment to providing the peace of mind and confidence our guests need to travel freely, while protecting our Team Members," said Chris Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton.

"Special attention to personal health and safety is absolutely critical during this time. With the Hilton CleanStay program implemented across all our properties in Greater China, we are well-prepared to welcome guests with an elevated standard of hygiene, coupled with our exceptional, signature Hilton hospitality once again," said Qian Jin, President, Greater China and Mongolia, Hilton.

Hilton CleanStay from Check-in to Check-out

Online: Even before they travel, guests will find a new landing page at Hilton.com/cleanstay which will detail what they can expect during their stay. In addition, property websites will be updated to indicate that the new cleaning protocols and procedures have been implemented.

Even before they travel, guests will find a new landing page at Hilton.com/cleanstay which will detail what they can expect during their stay. In addition, property websites will be updated to indicate that the new cleaning protocols and procedures have been implemented. The Lobby: Physical distancing measures will be in place directing guests on how to move through the check-in and check-out process in a safe way.

Physical distancing measures will be in place directing guests on how to move through the check-in and check-out process in a safe way. The Guest Room: The first point of contact with the guest room will be with the Hilton CleanStay room seal, placed on the door to indicate that the room has been thoroughly cleaned. The room will have extra disinfection of the most frequently touched guests room areas - light switches, door handles, TV remotes, thermostats and more.

The first point of contact with the guest room will be with the Hilton CleanStay room seal, placed on the door to indicate that the room has been thoroughly cleaned. The room will have extra disinfection of the most frequently touched guests room areas - light switches, door handles, TV remotes, thermostats and more. The Public Spaces: There will be increased frequency of cleaning public areas. For instance, fitness centers may be closed for cleaning multiple times daily. Equipment will be properly adjusted and placed to enable physical distancing, and the number of guests in the center may be limited. Pool and pool areas will be cleaned frequently throughout the day, and physical distancing measures will be in place. Stations with hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes will be available throughout the property at primary entrances and in key high traffic areas.

There will be increased frequency of cleaning public areas. For instance, fitness centers may be closed for cleaning multiple times daily. Equipment will be properly adjusted and placed to enable physical distancing, and the number of guests in the center may be limited. Pool and pool areas will be cleaned frequently throughout the day, and physical distancing measures will be in place. Stations with hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes will be available throughout the property at primary entrances and in key high traffic areas. Food and Beverage: In hotel restaurants, tables and chairs will be spaced to ensure proper physical distancing. Biodegradable, disposable dishes/utensils will be available upon request. During breakfast, restaurants will offer a range of options that include buffets (where available), a la carte service as well as grab & go options. When ordering room service, guests will have the option of experiencing contactless delivery.

The scientific expertise of RB is second-to-none and the use of its products assures consumers around the world of a safer stay. According to recent findings of a study published by the American Journal of Infection Control, the active ingredients in Dettol are effective in breaking the chain of infection of COVID-19.

"Protecting people from illness is core to RB and our global germ prevention portfolio," said Rahul Kadyan, EVP, Global Business Solutions, RB. "Our brands are built on trust, scientific efficacy and our desire to educate consumers around the world to help break the chain of infection. This is an ideal partnership for RB to help drive the highest standards in hygiene and give consumers confidence to enjoy the Hilton experience."

Throughout the development of Hilton CleanStay, Mayo Clinic has offered their medical expertise to advise Hilton on training methods, cleaning protocols and quality assurance. Additionally, Mayo Clinic has advised on new technologies and methods from the healthcare industry that can benefit the cleanliness and disinfection programs at Hilton hotels.

"Personal safety is extremely critical as we re-open business and recreational activities around the globe," said Stacey Rizza, M.D., a Mayo Clinic infectious disease specialist. "We are proud to bring Mayo Clinic's expertise and knowledge to the COVID-19 response on a national and global scale. Mayo is honored to work with Hilton staff and to advise them on the program protocol and training."

Today, Hilton also introduces Hilton EventReady with CleanStay, a global, industry-leading cleanliness and customer service program specific to meetings and events which will address safe group travel practices and evolve today's event experience. Shaped by extensive research and feedback, each meeting and event experience will be backed by Hilton hospitality provided by dedicated Team Members who aim to overdeliver on client expectations ranging from event professionals to attendees, from booking to billing.

"Meeting and events are a big part of the day to day operations in our hotels across Asia Pacific and we know event planners are even more mindful now about the minute aspects that impact the health and safety of the attendees. It is absolutely imperative that we are ready to meet the needs of our partners and clients when they choose to hold their events at our hotels and Hilton EventReady with CleanStay is our commitment to them that they are in safe hands with us, regardless of the size or scale of their meetings. We are ready to welcome them with the same level of hospitality Hilton has been known for over the past century: with an elevated experience that gives them peace of mind and confidence throughout the process," said Alexandra Jaritz, Senior Vice President, Brand Management, Asia Pacific, Hilton.

The key tenets of the Hilton EventReady with CleanStay program include:

Cleanliness Protocols: The program expands on the elevated sanitation standards of the recently-announced Hilton CleanStay program, addressing every touch point of the meeting experience. This includes room seals for guest and meeting rooms, sanitizing stations in public areas and meeting spaces and an EventReady Room Checklist.

The program expands on the elevated sanitation standards of the recently-announced Hilton CleanStay program, addressing every touch point of the meeting experience. This includes room seals for guest and meeting rooms, sanitizing stations in public areas and meeting spaces and an EventReady Room Checklist. Book-to-Billing Flexibility: Understanding the importance of flexibility, Hilton Teams will work hand-in-hand with customers to align on shared objectives, providing: Flexible pricing, space options and contract terms; Responsive offers to meet the needs of customers, like simplified agreements for small meetings; Hilton EventReady Playbook, which delivers expert guidance and curated resources for solutions, such as Hybrid Meetings that seamlessly combine on-site attendees with those in remote locations, Room Sets and Creative Networking.

Understanding the importance of flexibility, Hilton Teams will work hand-in-hand with customers to align on shared objectives, providing: Safe and Socially Responsible Solutions: To responsibly host meetings and events, Hilton Team Members will partner with their clients to achieve the meeting's objectives while addressing both health and environmental concerns.

This includes presenting creative physical distancing meeting sets and meal service, developing inspiring food & beverage menus and sharing environmental impact solutions measured by LightStay, Hilton's award-winning corporate responsibility measurement platform.

Elements of Hilton CleanStay will greet guests from the moment they enter the hotel and will be present throughout every aspect of the experience, ensuring the well-being of guests and Team Members without compromising the hospitality Hilton is known for.

As a part of Hilton's new standard of hotel cleanliness and sanitization, training was designed to ensure all Team Members are aware of the steps they can take to keep themselves and others healthy while at work. During a stay, guests may encounter Team Members using creative ways to welcome them and demonstrate their hospitality while wearing protective equipment and staying respectful of physical distance.

For more information on Hilton EventReady with CleanStay visit www.meetings.hilton.com/eventready.

Photo: Hilton

Photo: Hilton

Photo: Hilton

About RB

RB* is driven by its purpose to protect, heal and nurture in a relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We fight to make access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment a right, not a privilege, for everyone. RB is proud to have a stable of trusted household brands found in households in more than 190 countries. These include Enfamil, Nutramigen, Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Clearasil, Lysol, Dettol, Veet, Harpic, Cillit Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Calgon, Woolite, Air Wick and more. 20 million RB products a day are bought by consumers globally.

RB's passion to put consumers and people first, to seek out new opportunities, to strive for excellence in all that we do, and to build shared success with all our partners, while doing the right thing, always is what guides the work of our 40,000+ diverse and talented colleagues worldwide. For more information visit www.rb.com.

*RB is the trading name of the Reckitt Benckiser group of companies

About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news and An Inside Look at Mayo Clinic for more information about Mayo.
Google has made several new announcements since the coronavirus outbreak in early March. Today, the company mentioned that it will be releasing 100 full-length movies on the YouTube Kids app. The new releases will begin today and will span until August 31.

The pandemic has resulted in many people, around the world, working from home. Its more difficult for parents who have to manage their time between work and their kids. As per Google, the new content will help in entertaining the kids.

YouTube Kids app to get 100 new movies

If you dont know, the YouTube Kids app includes human-curated kids content and strict parental controls. This new content will appear in the Shows category inside the YouTube Kids app as single videos or playlists. New content is said to be released every Monday for the next five weeks.

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The new movie collection includes Tayo the Little Bus, Baby Shark and Pinkfong, The Wiggles, Masha And The Bear, Oggy & the Cockroaches, and Paddington. Furthermore, the kids can also watch the Oscar-winning short film Hair Love alongside the educational specials like Sesame Streets Elmos World News and BBC Studios Hey Duggee.

The app will also premiere an exclusive movie

Additionally, the YouTube Kids app will also premiere an exclusive movie produced by Wildbrain in collaboration with South Korean studio Keyring Studios called Spookiz. All the kids aged six and up can also enjoy the special YouTube Original content including Disneys Shook and two Simons Cat.

Moreover, new content will be added to the YouTube Originals for Kids & Family Channel and YouTube Kids. The list includes SHERWOOD, Kings of Atlantis, Fruit Ninja Frenzy Force, and Lockdown. All this new content should surely keep the kids occupied during the working hours.

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With the age restrictions in place, not all these new movies will appear on the YouTube Kids app. Make sure to select the appropriate age to get the best selection of content. Recently, Google also made its YouTube Kids app available on Amazon Fire TV.

Just last month, Google also announced the Camp YouTube to help the parents in recreating the fun of summer camp at home. Apart from the new YouTube Kids content, Google also made several announcements like Google Meet to help its users overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company recently increased the limit of group video calls on Google Duo from 12 to 32 participants. It also made several changes to Search and YouTube results in order to tackle the fake information related to the coronavirus.
CHICAGO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GTCR, a leading private equity firm, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell Optimal Blue ("Optimal Blue" or the "Company") to Black Knight (NYSE:BKI) for an enterprise value of $1.8 billion, payable in cash.

Founded in 2002, Optimal Blue operates the residential mortgage industry's leading digital marketplace, connecting approximately 3,500 mortgage lenders and brokers with 185 mortgage investors through a digital network that facilitates approximately $2 trillion of transactions annually. Market participants use Optimal Blue's network to exchange pricing, eligibility terms, and other critical transaction data for a wide array of secondary mortgage market interactions. In addition to facilitating commerce between mortgage originators and investors, Optimal Blue also supports a broader ecosystem of secondary marketplace participants, including mortgage insurance firms, digital point-of-sale solutions, and other third-party vendors who leverage Optimal Blue's network and data assets to improve their own products and service offerings.

GTCR partnered with industry veteran Scott Happ, founder and former CEO of Mortgagebot, to acquire Optimal Blue in July 2016. Under Scott Happ's leadership, the Company executed a strategic transformation to an open, real-time, cloud-based marketplace operator positioned at the center of the secondary mortgage market. While executing this transformation, GTCR and Scott Happ assembled an industry-leading management team to refine operations, optimize sales execution, and invest in product development and innovation. The Company has added incremental capabilities and functionality to broaden its core product offerings and developed new offerings in compliance, data analytics, and mortgage insurance distribution. The Company also completed three acquisitions to add complementary capabilities and expand its client base to support its organic expansion efforts.

"GTCR is proud to have supported Optimal Blue's remarkable transformation and growth over the last few years," said GTCR Managing Director Collin Roche. "Optimal Blue has transformed into a true digital marketplace with significantly enhanced capabilities and broader reach and relevance to market participants. It has grown its client base, expanded its integrations with the mortgage technology ecosystem, and solidified its unique position at the nexus of commerce and transaction flows within the secondary mortgage market. We believe the Company is well-positioned to continue its growth as part of Black Knight."

Aaron Cohen, Managing Director at GTCR, added: "This transaction marks another successful example of GTCR's Leaders Strategy. Scott Happ and the entire Optimal Blue team have built a truly remarkable company by investing in people and technology, resulting in accelerated growth and a transformed role within the mortgage industry. On behalf of GTCR, we'd like to extend our thanks and best wishes to the entire management team and employees at Optimal Blue as they continue their journey with Black Knight."

"We'd like to thank GTCR for their commitment and support in transforming Optimal Blue over the past four years," said Scott Happ. "GTCR has been a great partner, and extremely supportive of the investments made to transform the business and drive long-term growth. We look forward to working with Black Knight to continue delivering innovative digital solutions to the ever-evolving mortgage industry."

The transaction is currently expected to close in the third quarter subject to regulatory approval and satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

BofA Securities and Morgan Stanley served as Optimal Blue's financial advisors. Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel.

About GTCR



Founded in 1980, GTCR is a leading private equity firm focused on investing in growth companies in the Financial Services & Technology, Healthcare, Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Growth Business Services industries. The Chicago-based firm pioneered The Leaders Strategy - finding and partnering with management leaders in core domains to identify, acquire and build market-leading companies through transformational acquisitions and organic growth. Since its inception, GTCR has invested more than $18 billion in over 200 companies. For more information, please visit www.gtcr.com.

About Optimal Blue

Optimal Blue is the leading SaaS mortgage marketplace supporting the industry's largest network of residential mortgage originators and investors. The Company serves more than 3,500 institutions in the secondary mortgage market, with a broad reach across commercial banks, mortgage banks, credit unions, and mortgage brokerage companies. Optimal Blue facilitates approximately $2 trillion of mortgage transactions annually and locks 35% of all mortgages completed nationwide.

Optimal Blue provides a broad set of market functions through its digital marketplace, including real-time price discovery, best execution, workflow automation, risk management, counterparty oversight, and data services. Its solutions suite includes its flagship product pricing engine, its integrated hedging & trading platform, compliance solutions, mortgage insurance distribution, data & analytics, and integrated services with third-party vendors. Optimal Blue focuses on developing innovative products and services across these categories to help mortgage market participants achieve organizational efficiency and success.

The Company recently released Optimal Blue Mortgage Market Indices (OBMMI), which provide the most comprehensive, accurate, timely, and interactive analysis of pricing ever conducted in the mortgage industry. These indices continue gaining adoption and widespread recognition as the most authoritative source of real-time insights into the mortgage market.

Founded in 2002, Optimal Blue is headquartered in Plano, TX with offices in Denver, CO, Appleton, WI, Mequon, WI, and Mission Viejo, CA. Its experienced management team is led by Scott Happ, founder and former CEO of Mortgagebot, a SaaS mortgage loan origination system. In 2016, Optimal Blue was acquired by GTCR, a leading private equity firm based in Chicago.



Media inquiries

Kellie Kennedy

312-933-4903

[email protected]

SOURCE GTCR

Related Links

http://www.gtcr.com


Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 18:12:00|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A Lebanese passenger was still scared while recalling what happened days ago when her flight was intercepted by U.S. warplanes.

Ferial El Ali, a young woman in her 20s, was on board the Iranian Mahan Air aircraft intercepted by U.S. military jets last Thursday evening.

She had planned with her husband, who studies medicine in Tehran, to visit her family in Lebanon, but not expected the trip to be so dangerous.

"I have never experienced such a scary trip in my life before; we used to experience regular turbulence but this time was totally different," El Ali told Xinhua.

Two warplanes belonging to the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition intercepted the Iranian passenger jet over the al-Tanf area in southeastern Syria, as the plane was flying from Iran to Lebanon.

The warplanes forced the pilot of the Iranian plane to take a steep dive, which led to injuries among the passengers. Fortunately, the plane managed to land in Beirut.

"I saw two airplanes to my right side as I was sitting at the window; it felt weird because there shouldn't be other airplanes flying at the same level of our aircraft. I did not give much importance while thinking that the pilot must know for sure about their existence," she said.

"But about three minutes later, the situation became too scary as our airplane suddenly went up, causing people to hit the ceiling as most of us were not wearing seat belts ... then the aircraft went down suddenly ... so people hit the floor and many got injured," she added.

El Ali was shocked at the sight of people wearing their life vests and using the aircraft's oxygen masks while others were on the floor screaming as a man lost consciousness.

She said that people were praying, fearing their lives to end with the airplane either exploding in the airspace or hitting the ground.

When the pilot managed to control the plane, he explained to passengers that there was "a problem with the aircraft" and more explanations about the incident will be given upon arrival, according to El Ali.

A video footage went viral online, showing people shouting inside the plane at the time of the incident.

The United States then admitted to have intercepted an Iranian passenger plane as it flew over Syria, after Iranian state television accused Israel of being behind the accident.

The Civil Aviation Organization of Iran announced last Friday that it will file a complaint to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over this "harassment".

In a statement, it urged the ICAO to immediately address the issue, which is "a clear violation of the international law and the aviation standards and regulations." Enditem
Employees are temperature scanned as they enter the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. With the right safety precautions, allowing hospital visits can promote patients' health by connecting them to their primary caretakers, write Amol S. Navathe and Joshua M. Liao. Read more

To limit close quarter contact, and reduce the spread of COVID-19 among patients and staff, hospitals in Philadelphia and around the country have heavily limited or completely barred visitors. Unfortunately, these well-intentioned policies could inadvertently harm more patients than the virus itself.

Preventing in-person visitors can pose obvious problems for patients who regularly rely on caregivers for their health needs, or who become confused while hospitalized (e.g., patients with Alzheimers disease). But these policies could also harm a much larger group of patients.

Even informal caregivers are important sources of patient support in the hospital. These family, friends, and loved ones can work with patients to help coordinate and collaborate on their care and well-being. As hospital-based physicians, our experiences reflect these dynamics: loved ones and informal caregivers often play critical roles in our patients care.

First, visitors can help promote patient safety. As clinicians, we often benefit from information provided by loved ones about patients prior state of health  information that helps us implement safe, effective care plans. Visitors also provide additional sets of eyes, sounding early alarms when patients conditions change and confirming when they are improving in response to treatment. Even with established policies and procedures, medicine is a fundamentally human endeavor, and loved ones promote optimal care by ensuring that medications are given on time, and tests are not missed.

 READ MORE: Fear of seeking care in hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus may have caused thousands of deaths

Second, loved ones can participate with patients on important medical decisions. For example, patients admitted for severe infections can become emotionally overwhelmed by their illness. This makes processing information related to medical decisions about antibiotics or procedures challenging. Loved ones often serve as trusted decision-making partners and advocates, helping patients make choices that are best aligned with their values and preferences.

Third, visitors can help hospitalized patients heal and recover. Far too frequently, isolation from loved ones can prevent our patients from recovering from their illnesses during their hospital stays like we would otherwise expect. Some patients are so lonely that they would rather risk harm and leave the hospital too soon to be with loved ones. Having visitors can make a major difference in patients ability to work toward recovery.

To be fair, aspects of these problems predate the pandemic. We have always had patients who, for one reason or another, lack the support of visitors in the hospital. When loved ones cannot physically visit, we can also obtain information from them via phone or video. Nonetheless, never in our careers has patients separation from loved ones been as widespread as it is now, affecting all patients across all conditions as a result of hospital policy. And as helpful as it is, technology cannot fully replace the benefits of in-person support.

To meet these unprecedented challenges, hospitals are empowered to make changes. They could tailor visitor policies based on medical illness, visitor type, and local COVID case burden. Along with those dependent on formal caregivers, patients with cognitive or development deficits should be allowed to register loved ones living in the same household. Visitors would still receive temperature and symptom checks upon entry, agree to remain in the patients room when on hospital premises, and have to wear a mask. Similar accommodations should be allowed for patients who are vulnerable by virtue of age (e.g., children, the elderly) or clinical status (e.g., confused or unconscious patients).

 READ MORE: Gritty visits HUP to thank health-care workers

Additionally, hospitals should implement policies based on local COVID transmission: hospitals in areas with surging cases should have more stringent visitor policies while those in areas with limited cases and community spread could relax restrictions. In either case, visitor policies could be augmented by additional measures, such as prescheduling, grouping, and rotating visitors throughout the day.

Some local hospitals have begun to incorporate these approaches into policy. For instance, hospitals within Penn Medicine have adopted different policies that reflect local circumstances, with some sites permitting visitors for all patients and others retaining restrictions alongside accommodations for high-need patients. At Jefferson Health, hospitals have transitioned to permitting one visitor per non-coronavirus patient, with exceptions for children and patients with developmental disabilities or cognitive impairments. Importantly, these revised policies still require adherence to safety measures (symptom screening upon entry, masking).

These measures are not meant to return hospitals to pre-COVID policies. Caution will be required for some time, as we continue to grapple with waves of viral transmission in the coming months and years. Hospitals should nonetheless ensure that in attempting to reduce COVID-related harm, visitor policies dont cause more harm through reduced safety, suboptimal decision-making, and poorer recovery in the hospital.

Amol S. Navathe is the codirector of the Healthcare Transformation Institute and an assistant professor of health policy and medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Joshua M. Liao is the director of the Value and Systems Science Lab and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington.
Pastor returns to preach first sermon after being hospitalized 100 days for COVID-19

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After 100 consecutive days of hospitalization due to the COVID-19 disease, a 69-year-old pastor in Ohio came back to his congregation on Sunday to preach a sermon.

Jonathan Mitchell, the pastor of Faith Fellowship Church of God in Youngstown who was put on a respirator for 30 days and kept in the ICU for another month while in hospital, was back in his church Sunday to preach his first sermon in a long time, WKBN reported.

This is my life, I cant [do] nothing else. This is my life and I honor God and thank Him for this opportunity and that the church still wants me, Mitchell said.

The pastor was discharged from the hospital on July 15. On his way back home, he was told they would stop by the church to pick up mail. But many members were waiting in the church to greet him, the newspaper reported earlier.

My goodness, my heart is overwhelmed. We love you, we love you. My heart is overwhelmed with joy, he was quoted as saying at the time. My church, look at em. I taught em to love for five years. Look at em. Theyre lovers.

He also joked, Im a different man. COVID gave me curly, wavy hair.

Recalling his time in the hospital, Mitchell said, A nurse come to me and said they lost me two times, said they called me the miracle man. He added that he lost hope at one point but God reminded him of the first commandment: Have you loved me today?

In April, a Virginia pastor, Kenny Baldwin of Crossroads Baptist Church in Fairfax County, shared with his congregation, after he was released from the hospital, that he had severe and horrific symptoms of COVID-19 and that he cried out to God for a chance.

The doctor basically said with this disease youre going to get worse fast or youre going to hold on and eventually get better, and we dont know which one it will be, he said at the time. I was begging, God, please just give me a chance. Please get me through this.

He said all he had was the Lord. I saw God and experienced Him in a way like never before and He reminded me that His promises are true and that His word stands and that He never leaves or forsakes us.
Decolonize this place! Decolonize the university! Decolonize the museum!

In the past few years, decolonization has gained new political currency  inside the borders of the old colonial powers. Indigenous movements have reclaimed the mantle of decolonization in protests like those at Standing Rock against the Dakota Access pipeline. Students from South Africa to Britain have marched under its banner to challenge Eurocentric curriculums. Museums such as the Natural History Museum in New York and the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Brussels have been compelled to confront their representation of colonized African and Indigenous peoples.

But what is decolonization? What the word means and what it requires have been contested for a century.

After World War I, European colonial administrators viewed decolonization as the process in which they would allow their imperial charges to graduate to independence by modeling themselves on European states. But in the mid-20th century, anticolonial activists and intellectuals demanded immediate independence and refused to model their societies on the terms set by imperialists. Between 1945 and 1975, as struggles for independence were won in Africa and Asia, United Nations membership grew from 51 to 144 countries. In that period, decolonization was primarily political and economic.

As more colonies gained independence, however, cultural decolonization became more significant. European political and economic domination coincided with a Eurocentrism that valorized European civilization as the apex of human achievement. Indigenous cultural traditions and systems of knowledge were denigrated as backward and uncivilized. The colonized were treated as people without history. The struggle against this has been especially central in settler colonies in which the displacement of Indigenous institutions was most violent.
A new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health (hat tip reader ma) gives more granular insight into the triggers of so-called deaths of despair, as in the AIDS-level rise of deaths of the middle aged with high-school-only educations. Weve embedded the study at the end of this post; the data supplement is here.

The article uses a large data set of United AutoWorkers at GM in Michigan, with workers hired as far back as 1938, including mortality information. The authors scrubbed the data to focus those who joined after 1970 in three plants, one in Detroit, one 50 miles west of Detroit, and one in a more rural area. All plants were downsizing prior to their closures in 2012, 2010, and 2014 respectively. Women were excluded because there were so few suicide and overdose deaths among them.

The authors describe the contract terms that suggest that job departures before the age of 55 were likely to be involuntary. They found that employees who stopped working were 16 times as likely to die of suicide or overdose as ones who stayed employed. The odds of death were highest among workers in rural areas, likely due to the difficulty of finding a new job:

Of the three study plants, Plant 2 had the highest incidence rate of suicide in this study. This plant was located at the site of Willow Run, a factory in southeastern Michigan renowned for the mass production of fighter planes during World War II.By 1970, it employed 10 000 workers making automatic transmissions. Plant 2 closed in 2010 as part of GMs bankruptcy proceedings. In 1970, the population of the surrounding township was 30 000; today it is 20 000.

Nearly all the drug deaths occurred at Plant 2 in runup to its closure. This would also have been during the financial crisis, which could have hit older workers with investments.1

The authors also push back mildly on the popular notion that deaths of despair are a white phenomenon. The plant in Detroit, which did have a lower suicide rate, was where nearly all the African Americans work. Angus Case and Anne Deaton speculated that the higher death rates among lesser educated whites was due to Hispanics and blacks having stronger family/informal social safety nets. That may be conflated by the fact that working class Hispanics and blacks are more concentrated in cities that rural areas, so the quiet impoverishment of rural America would hit older, not well educated whites, who by virtue of being in the most disadvantaged communities, would suffer the most. From the paper:

Case and Deaton were the first to note rising midlife mortality rates among Caucasian, non-Hispanic Americans aged from 35 to 54 with a high school education or less. They identified drug overdose, suicide and alcohol-related liver disease mortality as the causes of the increase and attributed these deaths of despair to reduced economic opportunity among less educated adults. Increases in these deaths of despair have since been identified across multiple race and ethnic groups and geographic contexts. Rising mortality rates have been reported for US African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Pacific Islanders, 2564 years of age, with drug overdoses the leading cause of the recent increases in all these subpopulations. Reversing decades of steady decline in all-cause mortality for African Americans and Caucasians, these disturbing shifts are particularly pronounced for midlife individuals without a bachelors degree. Suicide rates have also increased by 33% since 2000, with the steepest increase for Caucasian men. Though the rise has been less dramatic for suicide than for overdose, it emerged in 2016 as the fourth leading cause of death among adults, aged 3554. Rural counties had consistently higher suicide rates than metropolitan counties.

The authors take as a given that the China shock after its WTO entry in the early 2000s was a crippling blow to US manufacturers already in decline. And just as that policy (as well as NAFTA and successful anti-union efforts) decimated blue-collar workers, studies of variation in state policies suggests that higher minimum wages and earned income tax credits would reduce suicides (but not overdose deaths).

The Detroit Free Press spoke to the UAW about the study:

UAW President Rory Gamble has three words of advice for his family and his union brothers and sisters who are contemplating an early job exit: Dont do it. Gamble has been around long enough to see what happens when workers exit a job ahead of retirement age without a defined path for the future and the financial acumen to stay solvent. They get hit with major disappointment when that package money runs out, Gamble told the Free Press. Reality sets in and they lose their health care and that leads to declining health, declining mental health and then you combine that with the mental shock and here we are, we get high incidents of folks committing suicide and dying early. Gamble has a growing concern over the high rates of suicide and overdoses among union members. Thats why he said he will encourage his successor to push the Detroit Three automakers, in the 2023 contract negotiations, to provide for added services such as extended mental health and financial counseling benefits as part of any early incentive plans the companies offer union members to leave the job. We need to craft language that provides firm support going forward, that helps folks moving forward and helps their transitions, said Gamble, who has no plans to seek reelection after his term expires in 2022. I see us doing that, given the numbers.

The problem, as readers know all too well, on Americas present trajectory with Covid-19, a lot of people are or face the real risk of being out of work, with few ready prospects for re-employment. $1200 checks are better than nothing but they wont go far. With entire sectors of the economy facing auto-industry level downsizings, on a much more compressed timeframe, desperation will lead to high costs: more deaths, more divorces, more violence at home, more crime. And tellingly, the official fixation is on more policing rather than more jobs and social support.

_______

1 If you pooh pooh the idea, you are showing your class bias. Workers with good paying manufacturing jobs in areas with modest costs of living could accumulate a lot of savings; I know of paper mill workers with ~ $1 million in retirement and savings accounts.
Former President John Mahama has described his running-mate Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang as the best choice for Ghanaians.

According to him, the former Education Minister is more than competent to be the Vice President of the country.

With Prof Naana, we can say we have made the best choice for Ghana. I have in my partner a veep who will ensure that we present a winning ticket and an experienced ticket to the people of Ghana, Mr. Mahama said during an outdooring ceremony for his running mate in Accra Monday.

He said his running mate has already started her policy meeting in readiness for the job ahead of her.

Mahama selects running mate

Former President John Mahama on July 6, settled on former Education Minister Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang as his running mate for the 2020 elections.

The Council of Elders and Founder of the National Democratic Congress ( NDC) have approved the choice of the candidate.

She prevailed after stiff competition from former finance ministers and governor of the Central Bank Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, who is deemed to be favoured by the grassroots of the party.

This the first time any of the two major political parties is going into an election with a woman on the presidential ticket.

If the NDC emerges victorious in the polls, she will be the first female Vice President of Ghana.

Below is the profile of Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang

Born on 22 November 1951 in Cape Coast, Ghana, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang attended Anglican Girls Secondary School at Koforidua and Aburi Presby Girls School.

She then had her secondary education at the Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast from 1964 to 1971.

She completed B.Ed.(Hons) in English and French at the University of Cape Coast in 1977 and obtained her Masters and Doctorate degrees from York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1980 and 1986 respectively.

Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang taught and worked at the University of Cape Coast, starting in 1986.

She has held various academic positions including Head of the Department of English, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Warden of Adehye Hall, Valco Trust Fund Post-Graduate Hostel, and Dean of School of Graduate Studies and Research.

From 1997, she has held the position of Academic Director of the School for International Training in the History and Cultures of the African Diaspora.

From 2008-2012 she was the Universitys Vice-Chancellor.

In March, 2007, she was one of five scholars selected to deliver presentations during the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

In October 2009, she was elected Ghanas representative to the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Ahead of the 2012 general elections, Jane Opoku Agyemang moderated the debate with Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.

Between February 2013 and January 2017 she served as the Education Minister of Ghana.

On 26 October 2018, she became the Chancellor of the Womens University in Africa located in Zimbabwe.

She has served on many local and international boards and committees such as the Centre for Democratic Governance, (CDD-Ghana), the Editorial Board of The Harriet Tubman Series on the African Diaspora (Africa World Press Inc. USA), the Africa Initiative in Canada,and the College of Physicians and Surgeons as Eminent Citizen.

She was the first female Vice-Chancellor of a state University in Ghana.

She assumed duty on 1 October 2008, succeeding Emmanuel Addow-Obeng.

Prof. Jane is a former Minister for Education in Ghana.

She was appointed in 2013 by President John Mahama after the 2012 Ghanaian general election and served until January 2017 when the Nana Akuffo-Addo administration was elected to power.

Opoku-Agyemang has been honoured with honorary degrees from the University of West Indies and Winston-Salem University.

She has also received an award for Global leadership from the University of South Florida in Tampa.

She has also received the Officer of the Order of the Volta award for Academic Distinction and Ghana Women of Excellence Award in the Education category.

She has been acknowledged for Outstanding Performance in Advancing International Education, School for International Training, Vermont, USA on two occasions!

---starrfmonline
As the alleged fraud case against Ramon Abbas proceeds to Los Angeles in California, Gal Pissetzky, his attorney, will be supported by...





As the alleged fraud case against Ramon Abbas proceeds to Los Angeles in California, Gal Pissetzky, his attorney, will be supported by another top rated lawyer, Vicki Podberesky, Premiumtimes is reporting.





Mrs Podberesky of Andrues/Podberesky law firm based in Los Angeles, specialises in representing individuals in both state and federal criminal matters, as well as companies and individuals in administrative and in-house investigations.





Mr Abbas, popularly addressed as Hushpuppi, is a Dubai-based Nigerian Instagram celebrity facing wire fraud charges in the United States.





The Federal Bureau of Investigation accused him of being part of a network that made hundreds of millions of dollars from business email compromise frauds and other scams.





The 37-year-old was formerly held in the Metropolitan Correction Centre in Chicago, United States but now, has been transported to Los Angeles by the U.S. Marshals Service, following a court ruling in the Northern District of Illinois.





This newspaper gathered that Mr Pitsetssky, a top criminal defence lawyer, who is only licensed to practice in Chicago, has applied to appear Pro hac vice on behalf of the alleged fraudster in California.





Pro hac vice refers to apractice whereby a lawyer who has not been admitted to practice in a certain jurisdiction is allowed to participate in a particular case in that jurisdiction.





The out-of-jurisdiction attorney is required to provide the court with a statement from his local bar association indicating that he is a member in good standing.





In most jurisdictions, the attorney appearing pro hac vice must continue to associate with a locally licenced attorney, also referred to as local counsel. However, the degree to which the local counsel is required or expected to participate in the matter varies.





Documents obtained by this newspaper showed that Mr Pitsetssky applied for Pro hac vice on July 22 with an attestation letter from the Attorney Registration and the Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court in Illinois.





More so, Mrs Podberesky has been hired as the local counsel to work with Mr Pitsetssky.





The order for Mr Pissetzky to appear pro hac vice with Mrs Podberesky was granted by a judge, Pedro V Castillo, of the U.S court in California on Friday.





The notice of appearance was also filed on the same date.





Premiumtimes on Sunday evening, Mr Pitsetssky noted that the case is far from being set to go to trial as the U.S. government is yet to turn over all the evidence. Speaking withon Sunday evening, Mr Pitsetssky noted that the case is far from being set to go to trial as the U.S. government is yet to turn over all the evidence.





He said the date for the next appearance has not been released yet.




WA Police have charged a man from South Australia with breaching self-isolation rules after he went to a pub in Jurien Bay with a group of friends before allegedly wielding a knife at a nearby residence.

The 23-year-old is accused of attending a licensed venue in the coastal town on July 22 and consuming alcohol for several hours.

The maximum penalty for failing to comply with a directive under the State Emergency Act is a $50,000 fine or 12 months imprisonment. Credit:Getty

Later that evening police were called to an address on Doust Street over reports of a man armed with a knife acting aggressively.

Upon arrival the attending police officers forced entry to the residence and it will be alleged they were approached by a man armed with a knife, a WA Police spokesman said.
Energy company Electricite de France has denied reports that China General Nuclear Power's role at a UK nuclear site is increasing.

In a row that underlines growing tensions about China's involvement in critical infrastructure in the UK, the company has been accused of understating the number of Chinese personnel on site at Hinkley Point C in Somerset.

It has also leaned heavily on CGN's expertise in planning and construction, the 'Sunday Telegraph' reported, citing company documents and unidentified sources.

The newspaper also claimed Chinese engineers proposed a way to lift a concrete dome on to the reactor that would have involved dangling the heavy structure above workers, before it was ruled out as too dangerous.

The allegations in the story are untrue, EDF said in a statement.

It added: "The role of CGN is not increasing at Hinkley Point C and at no stage did anyone on the project suggest lifting a structure over workers, nor has there been any disagreement over the approach to be taken to the dome lift."

The company said there are about 30 CGN employees working on the project, out of a total 6,000.

The UK government this month banned Huawei gear from 5G mobile networks, signalling rising concern about Chinese investments.

EDF owns about two-thirds of the Hinkley Point programme, while CGN holds the rest. (Bloomberg)
In addition to Dr. Bradley's patients in Savannah, Ga., the vaccine will be trialed by participants at nearly 100 clinical research sites across the country. The study, called the COVE (Coronavirus Efficacy) study , is a collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

"I'm overwhelmingly impressed by the speed at which Moderna was able to develop a coronavirus trial vaccine. We administered the first dosage to a participant this morning with great hope that this clinical trial will bring us closer to an approved preventative treatment for COVID-19," said Paul Bradley, MD, Principal Investigator at Meridian Clinical Research and Chief Medical Officer, Scripta Insights. "Our team will be working tirelessly to ensure a thorough Phase 3 clinical trial in the coming weeks."

Dr. Bradley serves as Principal Investigator at the Meridian Clinical Research site in Savannah, Ga. Meridian partners with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to research new drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics that could improve human health and wellbeing.

Dr. Bradley is also leading the fight on prescription drug pricing as Chief Medical Officer of Scripta Insights, a healthcare IT and data analytics company he co-founded. Scripta was born out of Dr. Bradley's frustration with the difficulties of getting his patients their medications, and seeing a lack of adherence when patients could not afford them. As he discovered that physicians like himself were blind to the real costs of drugs, he pulled together more than 50 practicing physicians to find a solution for overspending on prescriptions to get patients The Right Meds at The Best Price.

Scripta continues to be a doctor-led organization with Dr. Bradley at the helm of the company's P&T Committee of doctors and pharmacists, which has mapped every drug on the market to every possible way to save in the company's proprietary Drug Savings Database. Scripta now offers pharmacy-saving solutions and insights to self-insured employers, consultants, TPAs, health plans and members. The company's proprietary Script.AI technology enables three key advances in pharmacy benefit cost containment: PBM optimization, data-driven plan design and member savings. Scripta has saved self-insured employers and their members millions of dollars on prescription drugs.

"We are so proud of the work Dr. Bradley does for us every day, relentlessly innovating strategies for lowering the cost of prescription drugs for self-insured employers and their members," said Eric Levin, CEO of Scripta Insights. "To see Dr. Bradley in this critical role of principal researcher for this historic Phase 3 trial only reinforces how fortunate we are to have him as part of team Scripta."

Dr. Bradley is a board-certified Internist and preeminent researcher. He has been practicing internal medicine at BCG Medical Group in Savannah for more than 29 years. Dr. Bradley is a frequent guest lecturer and author of numerous articles, as published in the nation's premier medical journals. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the Georgia Medical Society, and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a graduate of Tulane University and the Emory School of Medicine.

About Scripta Insights

Scripta Insights, a company founded by doctors, is using technology to create transparency, disrupt and improve the $300B self-funded pharmacy benefits marketplace.

Scripta is a cloud-based healthcare IT solution that delivers immediate, real savings on pharmacy benefit costs for self-insured employers, payers and their members. It empowers companies to take control of their pharmacy spend, while helping members get the medicine they need at the best possible price.

Scripta's proprietary software, Script.AI, was developed over a decade and is designed to analyze millions of pharmacy transactions in mere seconds to yield actionable insights. It uses data analytics, AI and expert insights from its P&T Committee to recognize savings opportunities that, until now, have been impossible to identify.

Scripta has saved employers and members millions of dollars on prescriptions.

For more information about Scripta, visit www.scriptainsights.com .

Media Contact:

Kristen Joerger, LKPR, Inc., [email protected], 603-494-3295

SOURCE Scripta Insights

Related Links

www.scriptainsights.com


The warning comes ahead of the Government's 300 million plan to reopen schools by the end of August, which will be launched later today.

Primary school students are set to be sectioned off into pods of between four and six children.

Strict cleaning regimes, investment in school buildings and more substitute teachers are also expected to be included in the plans.

President of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland, Deirdre McDonald, says the plan has to be safe:

We know that these are the things that we have sought, we have fought a valiant battle to make sure that our members and our students will be returning to a safe environment.

So we do hope that what is necessary will be put in place, if its not  well we wont be back, the students wont be back, because it would not be safe.

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Principal of Colaiste Eamann Ris in Cork, Aaron Wolfe, says the Governments plan needs to be realistic:

That its not kind of the work of fantasy, and that these things can happen within five weeks because were going back to school around the 25th of August.

I know principals up and down the country, and teachers as well, are extremely worried, and hope that all these things can be put in place for the return to school.
The United States and Russia are scheduled to start expert-level talks with one another on July 27. According to reports, the two countries will discuss wide-ranging topics such as space security, nuclear doctrine and potential, as well as transparency and verification. The meeting on the first day, July 27, will focus on Space.

Bilateral talks between US and Russia

As per reports, the United States has stated that it hopes the upcoming dialogue with Russia will help bilateral understanding of each others space policies, this is aimed at preventing any sort of potential conflict and escalation in the future. US Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Christopher Ford has stated that both countries could benefit from the talks.

At the same time, he has also criticized Russia for "hypocritical advocacy" of outer space arms after Russia tested an anti-satellite weapon recently. US Space command on July 22 revealed they had concrete evidence of Russia performing a "non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon" on July 15.

Read: UK Voters Strongly Believe Russia Interfered In Brexit Referendum: Reports

Read: Russia: Putin Joins Naval Parade, Promises Navy New Ships

Russia has hit back at the criticism by stating that its test was no illegal and did not violate international law, in addition, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the test did not endanger other space objects.

After discussions on space, the following three days will be dedicated to nuclear issues. Russia has proposed the extension of the New START treaty between the United States and Russia, the treaty expires in 2021. On the other hand, the United States has made it clear that they wish for a trilateral nuclear treaty with China, but China has a much smaller stockpile of nuclear weapons and has, therefore, declined to comment.

(Image/Input Credit AP)

Read: Russia's Railway Enthusiast Builds Own Mini-railway In Ten Years; See Pictures

Read: UK To Boost Its Defence For 'persistent Global Engagement' Amid Threats From Russia, China
Friends of Joshua House Foundation is eager to continue serving local children who have endured abuse or neglect.

Friends of Joshua House Foundation has successfully purchased the Joshua House property for $2.625M from Childrens Home Society of Florida (CHS). Friends of Joshua House Foundation will assure the longevity of the Joshua House program, providing life-enriching residential services that promote successful outcomes for traumatized children and teens in foster care.

CHS exited out of traditional group care with the closure of the Joshua House program on March 31, 2020. With the sale of the property, CHS will no longer be associated with Joshua House, and Friends of Joshua House Foundation will continue the Joshua House residential program.

Friends of Joshua House Foundation is eager to continue serving local children who have endured abuse or neglect. These traumatized children need the structure and stability of a residential program that encourages healing and personal development, says DeDe Grundel, Executive Director of Friends of Joshua House Foundation. We are thankful to be part of a compassionate community that has demonstrated faith in our organization and believes in improving the quality of life for all vulnerable children.

A much-loved program serving abused, abandoned, and neglected children since 1992, Joshua House was the dream of community leaders and founders, Bob Thomas, Olin Mott, Dottie Berger MacKinnon, Greg Johnson, Laurence Hall, Jim Zimmerman, and Albert de Alejos. Joshua House was created to provide a home for our Tampa Bay foster children. Located on 11 acres, with five homes set in a neighborhood type setting with a playground, learning center, and therapeutic clinic. With the overwhelming support of our community, our Joshua House Founders were able to create a vibrant, family like neighborhood of homes that has served the therapeutic and residential needs of vulnerable children for almost 30 years.

Friends of Joshua House Foundation (FOJH) was formed by the founders of Joshua House in 2004 in an effort to protect their investment. With continued support from our community, this non-profit organization has accepted the challenge of lifting Joshua House from an uncertain future and restoring these much-needed services to our community. Our mission to provide compassionate homes with therapeutic services and safe beds for vulnerable children will need an outpouring of love and support to achieve success.

About Friends of Joshua House Foundation

Friends of Joshua House Foundation Inc. is a 501(c) (3) organization of concerned individuals that have dedicated themselves to developing resources to improve the quality of life for the children of Joshua House. Friends of Joshua House Foundation raises resources, develops solutions and supports Hillsborough Countys most vulnerable citizens...its children.
The government will charge foreign coronavirus patients for the partial or entire cost of their treatment here.

"If the number of confirmed cases continues to increase among those coming from overseas, it could put a huge burden on our health system," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said. "For the sake of diplomatic relations, we will apply a principle of reciprocity," i.e. those from countries that offer free treatment to Korean citizens will get it free here too.

The first step will be charging foreigners who violated self-isolation regulations. However, the government will continue to bear the cost of testing because it is essential for the containment of the epidemic.

Until recently the government had insisted that covering the entire cost of treatment of foreigners whose infection was confirmed in Korea was the global standard. But as public opinion worsened after a spike in the number of infected foreigners such as sailors of a Russian ship docked in Busan, the government changed its mind.

A total of 78 sailors from Russian trawlers tested positive in the last month. According to the Busan Medical Center, the average cost of treating the 20 of them who have already been released was W8 million (US$1=W1,203). Now it is estimated that W620 million will be spent on all of them.

Out of 440 confirmed cases who arrived from abroad over the last two weeks since July 12, 249 or 57 percent were foreign nationals. Over the weekend, Korea saw 171 new cases, a triple-digit rise for the first time in about four months. Some 132 were from overseas, mostly Korean workers airlifted from Iraq, and 46 were foreign nationals.

Meanwhile, Korea reported 25 new coronavirus cases as of Monday morning, bringing the total to 14,175.
Two kids learned that its a fragile world after all when they accidentally smashed a $64,000 glass replica of a Disney castle at the Shanghai Museum of Glass.

In a statement on the Chinese social media site Weibo, a museum spokesperson wrote that the youngsters hit the exhibit counter when they were chasing each other. The tower was demolished, while other parts were damaged.

Glass Sculpture Of Disney Castle In Shanghai (Visual China Group via Getty Ima)

Spanish artisan Miguel Arribas spent approximately 500 hours perfecting The Fantasy Castle, which features 30,000 individual pieces and 24-carat gold.

But Miguel is taking it in stride, according to Rudy Arribas, president of Arribas Brothers, the company behind the shattered masterpiece.

Luckily its not destroyed. As soon as the coronavirus travel restrictions are lifted, Miguel will go to Shanghai and do the repair. He loves to travel, Rudy told TODAY Parents. Miguel just is glad people are looking at his beautiful work.

Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long.

Rudy added that Arribas Brothers, which specializes in Disney collectibles, has stores at Disney parks and resorts around the world.

We're used to kids and this kind of stuff happening, he explained. Glass breaks. Nothing is done on purpose.

Glass castle at museum in Shanghai in China (Courtesy Rudy Arribas)

This is the second time The Fantasy Castle will require repairs. The first time was due to vibrations caused by local trains going back and forth, Rudy said.

The Shanghai Museum of Glass apologized online for the temporarily imperfect castle and urged patrons to follow museum social courtesy.

Do not climb over barricades, do not touch the exhibits. No chasing, the museum's statement said. We have to do our duties together to protect the exhibits and the museum environment.

Related video:
London, July 27 : Wearing a face covering does not lead to a false sense of security or make people less cautious about good hand hygiene, say researchers.

The study, published in the journal BMJ Analysis, is based on examination of the scientific evidence available on mask-wearing, in the context of respiratory virus infections.

While it is not clear how much of an effect face-covering can have, scientists have urged policymakers to encourage wearing of face coverings because the risks are minimal while the potential impact is important in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, early in the pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that wearing face coverings could "create a false sense of security that can lead to neglecting other essential measures such as hand hygiene practices". This type of behaviour is known as 'risk compensation'. "The concept of 'risk compensation' itself is the greater threat to public health as it may discourage policymakers from implementing potentially effective measures, such as wearing face coverings," said the study authors from University of Cambridge and King's College London.

For the results, the research team examined the evidence of risk compensation to see whether concerns might be justified in the context of face coverings to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

The idea behind risk compensation is that people have a target level of risk they are comfortable with and they adjust their behaviour to maintain that risk level. At an individual level, risk compensation is commonplace: for example, people run for longer to offset an eagerly anticipated indulgent meal and a cyclist may wear a helmet to cycle at speed.

According to the study, at a population level, evidence for risk compensation is less clear. At least 22 systematic reviews have assessed the effect of wearing a mask on the transmission of respiratory virus infections. These include six experimental studies, involving over 2,000 households in total - conducted in community settings that also measured hand hygiene.

While none of the studies was designed to assess risk compensation or looked at social distancing, their results suggest that wearing masks does not reduce the frequency of handwashing or hand sanitising.

In fact, in two studies, self-reported rates of handwashing were higher in the groups allocated to wearing masks. The team also found three observational studies that showed people tended to move away from those wearing a mask, suggesting that face coverings do not adversely affect physical distancing at least by those surrounding the wearer.

However, they say that as none of these studies has been peer-reviewed, they should be treated with caution. "The concept of risk compensation, rather than risk compensation itself, seems the greater threat to public health through delaying potentially effective interventions that can help prevent the spread of the disease," the study authors wrote.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Representative image

Even though the upfront collection of margins reduces the risk to the investors & the markets, it will severely impact trading volumes. It is anticipated that the trading volumes in the cash segment may fall by 20-30 percent from the current level, Nilesh Sharma, Head of Broking Operations at Samco Securities said in an interview to Moneycontrol's Sunil Shankar Matkar.

Edited excerpt:

Q: SEBI released a framework to enable verification of upfront collection of margins from clients in the cash segment. What are key things to know by investor as well as broker, what is the exact process and what are your thoughts?

Due to the introduction of upfront collection of margin from clients & enabling its verification, the cash segment of stock markets in India will be affected in two major areas:

A) Delivery Trading

Before the introduction of SEBI Circular titled 'Collection and reporting of margins by Trading Member (TM) / Clearing Member (CM) in Cash Segment' dated November 19, 2019 which comes into effect from August 1, 2020, a large part of the Broking Industry, especially traditional brokers, used to follow the T+2 day system of billing & collection.

In the T+2 day system, brokers were required to keep margins upfront with the exchange, however collection from the Clients was left at the discretion of the Brokers.

Thus earlier, without having to put a single rupee as margin, a client could have entered into a trade in the Cash Segment for any amount, as allowed by the broker, and pay the amount to the broker till T+2 days. This is going to stop from August 1, 2020. Now, from August 1, investors will have to keep the exchange prescribed margin with the broker and only then they will be allowed to enter a trade, else margin penalty will be charged by the exchange to the Client.

B) Intraday Trading

For Intraday Trading the above-mentioned Circular proved ineffective as the Exchanges have been monitoring the margin collected by the broker on the net positions at the end of the day. This system was not adequate to ensure that the broker has collected margin on the intraday trades entered by the traders.

For eg: If one buys 1,000 Reliance & sells it during the same day, no margin was required to be paid as per the calculation on the end of the day. Due to this, the brokers were able to provide extra leverage for intraday trades to their clients.

With the introduction of framework to enable verification of upfront collection of margins from clients in the cash segment, the Clearing Corporations have been asked to provide the 'peak margin during the day' to the brokers which is required to be collected upfront from the traders / investors. And the above practice of levying margins only on the net positions at the end of the day will stop. However, this is going to be implemented in a phased manner and its impact will be felt from December 1, 2020 for intraday trades.

After full implementation of the Circular, leverage in intraday trading would still be prevalent as the trader will have to pay only a fraction of the total investment as margin (VAR + ELM) prescribed by the exchanges. However, the leverage would be far lesser and it would be regulated by the exchanges and the practice of giving virtually unlimited leverage by the brokers will stop.

Thus, with the above 2 changes, extra leverage being provided by the brokers for both delivery and intraday trades in the Cash Segment will be stopped.

Q: What is the major reason behind implementing upfront margin requirements in the cash segment as it was already in the derivative segment? Also is it a right step by Sebi?

The major reason for the introduction of upfront margin requirements is to curb the excessive leverage and funding being provided by the brokers to their clients. The brokers could have misused the non-collection of margins from clients by providing excessive leverage to only a few of their known clients. Also, the credit risk of one big customer can affect other clients of the broker thus preventing additional risk to the customers.

Besides, if the brokers wish they can continue to provide funding to the customers directly through the framework of Margin Trading Facility whereby exchange prescribed margin requirements are applicable.

Even though the upfront collection of margins reduces the risk to the investors & the markets, it will severely impact the trading volumes. It is anticipated that the trading volumes in the Cash Segment may fall by 20-30 percent of the current volumes. The reduction in trading volumes will also have an impact on the Market Depth, high volatility due to lesser participation by intraday speculators.

It will also not allow the optimum usage of money lying with the brokers whereby in 'intraday trades using stop losses' the risk is contained and thus blocking the full exchanged prescribed margins are not required.

Q: Do you see any impact of Sebi's upfront margin requirement in the cash segment, on new age investors (or retail investors) who joined the stock market during lockdown?

There will definitely be an impact on all sets of traders and investors. However, having said that, the impact of the upfront margin requirement will be a tad lower on the new age investors (or retail investors) as they are new to the markets and initially prefer to invest with the amount lying in their bank accounts. The retail traders who had come to the market on the hope of taking extra leverage and earning some quick bucks would be a bit disappointed.

Q: What is the impact on the broking industry in general or traditional brokers who allow traders to buy a stock and pay after, and online brokers?

The introduction of upfront collection of margins in the cash segment will impact the trading volumes for the whole broking industry and thus hit their topline.

However, the impact would be felt the highest by the traditional brokers. They used to charge brokerage to the customers based on a percent of turnover which is definitely very high as compared to the discount brokers who charge per order and generally have a fixed upper cap of say Rs 20. The traditional brokers were able to charge a higher brokerage rate mainly due to the option provided to their clients of paying the investment amount after 2 days without any interest. Thus, they used to provide this T+2 day payment system as an additional feature and charge higher brokerage to their clients in lieu of interest.

Also, as compared to the discount brokers the traditional brokers would be impacted more due to the direct relationship of their brokerage income (percent based system) with the turnover. Their revenue will be affected at the rate of decrease in turnover. However, since the discount brokers charge per order they won't be hit directly. For e.g. for a trader whose average trade size in intraday is say 10 lakh per order & post the implementation of the circular if it comes down to say 2 lakh per order. He would still be paying the fixed capped brokerage to the discount brokers.

Q: What could be the impact on intraday turnover and will it also impact arbitragers?

It will definitely have an impact on the intraday turnover of the whole market due to the reduced liquidity. The speculation activity will also reduce thus impacting the volumes, market depth and consequently the impact cost for trades. For arbitragers, the lower depth will reduce the chances and risk of arbitrage. Also, the margin requirement will drastically increase the capital requirement and thus impact their return on capital and may make it unviable for them to continue with the arbitrage business.

Q: Do you expect stringent rules from SEBI in coming days to protect investors?

We expect SEBI to introduce more stringent rules in the coming days to avoid fraud or credit risk to a few of the brokers and thus protecting the interest of the investors. However, they should also focus on the impact of the rules to the whole market & its participants. In general awareness and investor education should be key focus to increase the market penetration in India.

Q: The market rallied 48 percent from its March lows and majority of leading sectors participated in the run. Do you think it could continue further?

After the knee-jerk reaction due to the COVID situation and the corresponding lockdown impacting economies and life of numerous people all over the world, the market has given a pull back rally from the March lows.

The current rally in the markets is driven by liquidity due to the stimulus packages announced by various countries globally, a better-than-expected performance by stocks of a few companies and also to some extent by the increased local participation by the new age investors.

We expect that it is time to be extremely cautious and the investors who were able to invest during the March lows should start booking profits.

: The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on Moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
South-west Victorias main health service is braced for a surge of hospital admissions after authorities detected the first cases of community transmission of coronavirus in Colac.

The Colac Otway region has by far the greatest number of infections in regional Victoria, surpassing 50 cases.

Department of Health and Human Services figures indicate at least 47 cases are linked to the Australian Lamb Company, which is among the biggest employers in Colac.

The Australian Lamb Company in Colac. The abattoir has become regional Victoria's biggest coronavirus cluster. Credit:Jason South

Health authorities were testing about 700 workers from the abattoir on Monday. The Colac Otway cases are centred in Colac itself - a town of about 12,000 people.
CAIRO A new bout of violence in Sudans war-torn Darfur region has left more than 60 people dead, the United Nations said Sunday. The clashes threaten to derail a fragile transition to democracy more than a year after the militarys ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan said about 500 armed men on Saturday attacked the village of Masteri, located 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of Genena, the provincial capital of West Darfur province.

The clashes between the Masalit and other Arab tribes in the area started earlier Saturday and lasted until late Sunday, state-run SUNA news agency reported, citing unnamed sources. Local authorities asked for military reinforcements to halt the clashes, the report said.

The SUNA report did not provide a death toll, but said dozens of people were killed or wounded, and more than 60 wounded were taken by helicopter to Genena for treatment.

An unconfirmed number of houses were looted and burned in the village, along with half the local market, OCHA said. The village borders Chad.

The attack prompted around 500 people to start a protest camp in front of the Masalit Sultan House, a settlement hosting about 4,200 internally displaced persons in Masteri, the U.N. agency said. The protesters called for authorities to protect them from attacks.

Sudan is on a fragile path to democracy after a popular uprising led the military to overthrow al-Bashir in April 2019. A military-civilian government now rules the country until elections, possibly in late 2022.

Such clashes pose a challenge to government efforts to end decades-long rebellions in areas like Darfur, where most people live in camps for the displaced and refugees. Al-Bashir faces international charges of genocide and crimes against humanity over a scorched-earth campaign against rebels in Darfur in the 2000s.

Saturdays attack was the latest in a series of attacks in the area. OCHA documented at least seven from July 19-26 which left dozens dead or wounded.

Last week, local authorities in West Darfur declared a 24-hour curfew in Genena, compromising access to nutrition, water and sanitation, education, health and other critical services, OCHA said.

The clashes have come in the middle of the agricultural season, increasing humanitarian needs in the region. About 2.8 million people in the Darfur region are estimated to be severely food insecure from June to September, more than 545,000 of them in West Darfur alone, OCHA said.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Bhelpuri (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Delhi University is known for its small eating joints outside various colleges, where students gather after class, have political discussions over chai, blow off steam and even go on dates.

But many of these eateries were out of business due to the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown, when all educational institutions were shut to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

One such micro-business was of 48-year-old Mitlesh Jha, who has been selling bhelpuri outside Delhi Universitys Jesus and Mary College (JMC) since 1991.

Since the outbreak, Jha has been out of work and has been struggling to provide for his wife and three children.

Our family was completely dependent on the snack cart that I operated. I have seen generations pass out of this college. I still remember having served bhelpuri to Priyanka Gandhi, Neha Dhupia and other celebrities when they were students here. The college has given me so much love and respect since the last 30 years. But, then COVID came and I was forced to sit at home for months without work, an emotional Jha told Hindustan Times.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Little did he know what his patrons were ready to do to help their beloved Bhelpuri waale bhaiya. A former college student ran into Jha at Alaknanda Market, where he was trying to sell his bhelpuri in order to eke out a living.

When she learnt of Jhas situation, she put out a message on WhatsApp, which got forwarded multiple times before it landed in the inbox of 25-year-old Aishwarya Mehra, who had graduated from JMC in 2016.

Mehra, an entrepreneur, along with her former classmate Vedika Mehta, launched an online fund-raising campaign for Jha on July 22. Within 48 hours, the duo collected Rs 2,09,567 for Jha, with contributions pouring in from current and former students, including alumni living abroad.

We were really sad to know about him. He had been one of the most memorable parts of our college lives. We wanted to do something for him too, Mehra told the newspaper. She added that the entire amount will be transferred to Jhas account by Friday.

Meanwhile, overwhelmed by the love and support of his patrons, Jha said he wont have to struggle any more. My daughter is now in class 12 and she has to attend online classes. We were even struggling to get her a regular internet package. Now, with this support, I will be able to help her in her studies as well, he told the newspaper.
EUGENE  For the second time in a two-month span, peaceful weekend protests in Eugene were marred by a smaller subset of individuals causing property damage and throwing rocks at police, leading to eight arrests on Saturday night, including a 14-year-old female. At least four individuals pointed handguns at others over the weekend, with one firing a round into the air amid a crowd of several hundred protestors outside the federal courthouse on Saturday, leading to his arrest.

The weekends protests in Eugene were larger in number than recent weeks as many came out in solidarity with those in Portland protesting the presence of federal officers there.

Eugene Police chief Chris Skinner said two or three U.S. Marshals were deployed to the citys federal courthouse this weekend, but emphasized they have not exited the federal building and are not patrolling city streets.

The Eugene police department takes care of Eugene streets, Skinner said Monday. We work with our federal partners on a variety of things  When it comes to protecting the streets of Eugene, thats our job. Theres been no deployment strategy to have them exit that building.

Eugene Police made seven arrests Saturday night and early Sunday for rioting by individuals aged 21 to 40 and all from Eugene, with three also charged with disorderly conduct, two for resisting arrest and two for interfering.

Its unfortunate that yet again were having a conversation about a small group of individuals that after three-plus hours of being heard felt like what being heard meant to them was to damage local businesses and public property and to throw rocks at police officers, damaging police cars and hurting officers with rocks, Skinner said.

Several local businesses and the police auditors office were vandalized with graffiti and windows were broken at a Wells Fargo, Whole Foods and Elk Horn Brewery in downtown Eugene late Saturday night and early Sunday.

Robert Welch, 44, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and recklessly endangering another person after he allegedly fired a handgun in the air amid a crowd of protestors, which police estimated numbered at least 300 outside the federal courthouse.

While comparatively less destructive than the May 29 riot in downtown Eugene that saw several businesses ransacked and looted and led to three nights of citywide curfews, Saturday nights violence and an altercation Sunday night between protestors and an unidentified man who numerous protestors accused of pointing a gun at them before he was later taken into custody, this weekend still featured numerous intense incidents.

After almost two months of peaceful protest in support of Black Lives Matter, we are faced again with violence and destruction in our citys downtown core, Eugene mayor Lucy Vinis said. It is a credit to our Eugene Police Department and to the organizers of two months of protests that we have as a community been able to listen and begin to plan constructive steps forward. Im proud of our communitys ability to do this. It is not easy. The anger is real. The need for reform and action is real and we must keep this work front and center. 

We are not going back to where we were on May 29. We have made an enormous amount of progress as a community in terms of moving this conversation forward about the changes that we need to make. I consider this series of events on Saturday night  its an aberration, its not going to be the rule. Our work continues and it will continue.

The man taken into custody Sunday night for allegedly pointing a gun at protestors was wearing a black jacket, gas mask and helmet with press written on it. Skinner said the man was arrested, as pointing a gun at another person is criminal menacing in Oregon, but he was not booked into Lane County jail, according to online jail records. A police spokeswoman later clarified the man was detained and identified but was not arrested and is not a member of the press that we can tell.

Photos for several social media accounts from protestors outside the jail Sunday night showed the man wearing the gas mask and helmet, questioned the legitimacy of his purported press affiliation and claimed he was suspiciously taking video and photos focused on the protestors. Police say the man displayed a firearm on his hip, though several protestors claimed he pointed it at them and followed him for a few blocks on Olive Street before multiple EPD vehicles, with assistance from a drone, swarmed and arrested him at approx. 10:50 p.m. just South of Broadway.

Several members of the Proud Boys arrived at the scene and asked if the man could come with us, but were rebuffed by police.

Skinner couldnt say whether the man was affiliated with any political group or was an agent of the state or federal law enforcement, only that the man certainty is not affiliated with the Eugene Police Department.

Based on what Ive witnessed personally is there are dozens of people wearing what they believe to be press credentials, whether its a T-shirt that says press, a homemade identification card, Skinner said. On both the initial protestors and anybody that would be considered a counter protestor. Its concerning because its really hard to identify the legitimate members of our press when they do that. Luckily weve not had any conflict but weve seen that on both sides  a lot of people wearing uniform that identifies them as press.

On Saturday, a motorist in a pickup truck stopped amid the crowd of protestors on Coburg Road outside the federal courthouse and argued with several protestors, eventually pulling out a handgun and threatening at least one protestor. A protestor also brandished a handgun and pointed it at the motorist, who eventually left before police arrived.

Police and city officials emphasized the progress and actions taken over the last two months to build relationships with Black Unity and other community organizations to address police reform, racism and social inequality.

Yet after June saw the ground floor windows of EPD headquarters boarded up and fenced off amid vandalism, tensions had largely deescalated in July until this weekend, with Skinner and Vinis citing the ongoing protests in Portland.

Its unfortunate that what we see in Portland has a tendency to manifest itself here in local Eugene, Skinner said. There wasnt a better day for us when we able to take the boards and the fencing down at EPD. That was a milestone day for us and more than anything it was a statement to this community about our trust in the protestors with respect to them being able to continue to be heard without engaging in violence, especially at the PD. Its unfortunate  I dont have any plans on putting boards back up or fences back up. Im going to continue to extend that trust. But its not lost on me that what we see in Portland and some of the emotions that were seeing in Portland have a tendency to manifest themselves down here.
<! Kanye West >

By Taiwo Okanlawon

American rapper Kanye West has visited a hospital in Wyoming after publicly apologising to his wife Kim Kardashian for going public with their private matter.

Kanye West was on Saturday afternoon, July 25 pictured going into the Cody Regional Health to reportedly treat his anxiety, a few days after going on a Twitter rant.

According to TMZ, Kanye West stayed inside the hospital for about ten minutes but got uncomfortable by the crowd and left before he could get any treatment done.

After returning to his ranch in a private jet, an ambulance with EMTS later arrived at the property to check his vitals  heart rate and blood pressure and determined he was not in danger.

Kanye also invited four paparazzi inside his home after the ambulance left, TMZ reported, and he made them wait for two hours before coming to meet them for a few minutes.

The rapper reportedly told the photographers to let him control the narrative. After that, the press people were escorted out.

This is coming after West tweeted an apology to his wife Kim Kardashian on social media, he wrote;

I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter.

I did not cover her like she has covered https://t.co/A2FwdMu0YU Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me.  ye (@kanyewest) July 25, 2020

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By Trend

Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan has cold-bloodedly planned to provoke military incident with Azerbaijan, Founding Director of the International Foundation for Better Governance James Wilson said in his EURACTIV online media network article, Trend reports on July 27.

Focusing on the recent attack of the Armenian armed forces on July 12 in Azerbaijans Tovuz direction, Wilson noted that a rational analysis of the situation points to the likely motives that have pushed Armenia into triggering these clashes.

According to him, Pashinyan has cold-bloodedly planned to provoke the military incident diverting Armenian populations attention from his failure to handle the COVID-19 crisis and resultant economic problems, attempting to occupy new favourable positions in Azerbaijani territory, and dragging the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) into a conflict with Azerbaijan.

Armenia has been the post-Soviet nation hardest hit by the pandemic: with reportedly over 30,000 infection cases and more than 500 deaths, as of mid-July, Wilson said.

The country declared a state of emergency in March, and since then economic activity has collapsed, businesses have closed and unemployment has spiraled. There has been an estimated decline in GDP of between 2-3.5 percent, and the Armenian health system is now clearly at the limit of its capacity to deal with the crisis. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been severely criticised by the opposition for ineffective crisis management and failing to tackle the pandemic.

As Wilson further noted, the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and not the conflict zone of Nagorno-Karabakh, was chosen for starting the conflict.

From a military point of view, Azerbaijan`s north-western provinces might have also seemed an easy target to the Armenian military. Armenian side was hoping to advance into Azerbaijan`s territory and to occupy new territories. This new tactic is also in line with the Armenian Minister of Defence David Tonoyans publicly announced strategic doctrine of New war for new territories, he said.

Wilson pointed out another reason for choosing the specific region as a battleground is the key infrastructures passing in the vicinity.

Built and developed by Azerbaijan over the past two decades, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway form a critical energy and transport corridor between Europe and Asia. They bear geopolitical significance as critical transport and energy infrastructure as a country, which has been left out of such important projects due to its hostile policies toward Azerbaijan and Turkey, Armenia threatens to target this infrastructure in order to exert economic and political pressure.

These border skirmishes which have been initiated by Armenia may escalate into a full-scale war and could further develop into a major geopolitical confrontation.

As Wilson pointed out, the EU has called on both sides to stop the armed confrontation, refrain from action and rhetoric that provoke tension, and undertake immediate measures to prevent further escalation.

The EU has urged both sides to devote energy and resources to fighting the coronavirus pandemic and meaningfully re-engage in substantive negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Wilson also said.

It is important for the EU to step up its diplomacy in the Caucasus, broker a lasting peace and halt the carpetbagging opportunism of Pashinyan which threatens to plunge the region into a war that will benefit nobody, he added.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 00:21:34|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health on Sunday confirmed that the country's COVID-19 cases passed the 17,000 mark after 960 people tested positive in the last 24 hours.

Mutahi Kagwe, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Health, said in a statement issued in Nairobi that the national tally of COVID-19 positive cases stood at 17,603 after 8,261 samples were tested.

He said that 952 of those who tested positive are Kenyan nationals while eight are foreigners.

"Despite recording the highest number of positive numbers today, we are also delighted to inform you that 169 patients have been discharged. Out of this, 83 are from various hospitals and 86 are from home-based care, bringing the total number of recoveries to 7, 743," said Kagwe.

He said that two patients succumbed to the disease hence bringing the total number of fatalities to 280.

Kenya had tested a total of 276,415 samples since COVID-19 was reported in the country in mid-March. Enditem
Port Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - The Second High-Level Policy Dialogue on Climate Change between Mauritius and the EU opened on Monday in Port Louis, with the Mauritian Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano, highlighting that the island, due to its geographical position and topography, is among the most vulnerable countries in the Indian Ocean
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks on the Senate floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 21, 2020. (Senate Television via AP)

McConnell Unveils Senate Republican CCP Virus Relief Plan

Senate Republicans on Monday unveiled their proposal to stimulate the U.S. economy as it continues to reel from the COVID-19 pandemic, outlining its plan after some states stopped paying out the expanded $600-per-week unemployment insurance payments.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced the GOP bill will be called the HEALS Act, which stands for health, economic, assistance, liability protection, and schools.

The details of the plan, according to the Kentucky Republicans remarks on the Senate floor, include $1,200 direct payments similar to the CARES Act, a sequel to the Payment Protection Program (PPP) to help small businesses, more funding for schools, and a liability shield for hospitals, businesses, and other entities. Treatment, testing, and vaccines funding will also be included.

The CARES Act was passed several months ago in a bid to offset economic losses suffered during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Numerous people have lost their jobs and businesses were forced to shut down as governors implemented statewide stay-at-home orders to curb its spread.

Perhaps the most contentious issue is the expanded unemployment insurance. McConnell said there will be a federal unemployment insurance bonus but suggested it will be less than the $600 per week benefits that have been in effect since the CARES Act was signed into law in March. Democrats, in their HEROES Act, sought to push the extra benefits to January 2021.

A construction worker walks past a mural of Moishe Mana, left, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez wearing masks in Wynwood Art District in Miami, Fla., on June 29, 2020. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

Just like in March, with the CARES Act, Senate Republicans have authored another bold framework to help our nation  Health, Economic Assistance, Liability, and Schools. Another historic package for the next phase of this historic national fight, McConnell said on the floor.

Unconfirmed reports over the weekend indicated that Republicans would cut the unemployment benefits to $200 per week, while Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin previously said it would set the enhanced insurance at 70 percent of a workers previous wages.

GOP leaders previously said they wanted their proposal to serve as a starting point in discussions with Democrats that could pass both the House and the Senate.

Following McConnells remarks, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) described McConnells proposal as unworkable, adding that Senate Republicans have done little in the past three months. All members of the Senate went on a nearly three-week-long recess that ended on July 20.

The Senate majority was content to do almost nothing for three long months, said Schumer, adding that we are on the precipice of several cliffs, referring to federal unemployment insurance ending.

Schumer warned that if the unemployment measures are not extended, we could go into a depression.

The GOP plan will not include any money for state and local governments that have been impacted during the pandemic. That provision is a central pillar of the $3 trillion HEROES Act.

In his speech, McConnell described the HEROES Act as a socialist manifesto that wont pass both chambers of Congress.
A long time ago Governor Abubakar Sani Bello established a reputation for paying salaries promptly. Salaries were paid as early as 24th of the month to the praise of many. It was to dismiss this fit as minor that his critics like to argue that, paying salaries is not an achievement.

But there are those who might disagree with this assertion and argue that paying salaries is an achievement worthy of commendation, like the former state chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Yahaya Ndako Idris, who during the 2018 May Day Celebration, commended Governor Sani-Bello for prompt payment of salary in the state.

That is why the hullabaloo between the state government and the NLC over salary payment surprises many people. Seeing as Governor Bello always pays salaries in full and on time, Labour, more than most, should understand that circumstance must have forced the hands of the state government and influenced her decision to pay only 70 percent of the total of June and 100% of July salary.

Many observers are beginning to suspect that the Labour union has been infiltrated and compromised by politicians, or why else is Labour endangering the lives of the poor residents of our state by shutting down government institutions and barring our people away from hospitals in this time of health crisis even as health workers in the state have been fully paid?

Is Labour unmindful of the fact that that the poor masses cannot afford private hospitals? Are they so insensitive that they would let the poor die so as to hold the government to ransom over a matter that the government has little control over?

Labour must contemplate the legal and moral implications of her actions. For example, do they have the right to close ministries and keep our political appointees who are willing to work and to achieve the mandate of our people?

Let us be clear: Niger state is not peculiar on this matter of salary deduction. All over Nigeria states have had to cut back. Only recently Delta State Government with a monthly allocation of over N16 billion, after meeting with organized labor, agreed to slash salaries of state government workers for 6 months starting this July. Other states like Kaduna have done this before now. And the unions in these states with higher allocation and IGR have shown appreciation of the economic situation of the world. Why is Niger state Labour Union different?

It is true that Labours duty is to negotiate a better life for its workers, but one cannot ignore the fact that Labour is only concerned for the small percentage of the population of the state who make up the civil service. Niger State Government on the other hand is responsible for every person, including the persons Labour fight for. This why it is imperative to understand that it is not a reasonable request to ask the government to hand over her entire allocation for a month to the less than 10 percent of the population of the state and forgo other pressing matters like insecurity which the state is being faced and it is also a first line priority to government which if left unchecked may consume us all. The state has other issues like running of offices, ensuring that hospitals are powered to deal with.

What Niger State Government asked for was simple: accept 70 percent of the June salary and when things improve, the government will pay the remaining. And there are instances in the state and under this very political dispensation that this was done and the government kept her word. Let us not destroy our dear state because we seek to make political profit. Our people and posterity will judge us and judge us harshly.

.Ahmed Suleman Tanko write from Suleja
By Gina Lee

Investing.com  Asian stocks were mostly up on Monday morning, reversing some earlier losses despite the mounting tensions between the U.S. and China over their latest tit-for-tat souring investment sentiment.

China ordered the closure of the U.S. consulate in Chengdu on Friday, in a retaliatory move after the U.S. ordered the closure of Chinas consulate in Houston during the previous week. The U.S. mission was given a Monday deadline to close, while Chinas mission was given a Friday deadline.

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo suggested last week that Washington and its allies must use more creative and assertive ways to change Chinas ways. Disagreements over other issues such as Hong Kongs national security law, Xinjiang, and Chinese claims in the South China sea have also ratcheted tensions between the two countries.

U.S. President (Donald) Trump used to say Chinas President Xi Jinping is a great leader. But now Pompeos wording is becoming so aggressive that markets are starting to worry about further escalation, Norihiro Fujito, chief investment strategist at Mitsubishi Securities, told Reuters.

Chinas Shanghai Composite was up 0.13% by 10:26 PM ET (3:26 AM GMT) while the Shenzhen Component jumped 1.04%. Chinese industrial profit jumped 11.50% year-on-year in June, against Mays 6% increase.

Japans Nikkei 225 fell 0.51% as markets re-opened after the previous weeks holiday.

South Koreas KOSPI gained 1.04 % and Down Under, the ASX 200 rose 0.06%. Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index was up 0.27%.

Meanwhile, top aides to U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that they reportedly agreed in principal to a $1 trillion COVID-19 relief package proposed by Senate Republicans, cheering investor sentiment. But Democrats and Republicans have yet to come to an agreement over further stimulus measures before some previous measures expire at the end of the week, with investors monitoring the negotiations to gauge the prospects of economic recovery in the worlds largest economy.

Story continues

Although some U.S. COVID-19 hot spots such as Florida, Arizona, California, Texas and New York reported decreasing numbers of cases and deaths on Sunday, the global number of COVID-19 cases continues a relentless march upwards. There are over 16.1 million cases worldwide as of July 27, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

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CALGARY - Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank is joining a lengthening list of European lenders and insurance companies that say they won't back new oilsands projects.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/7/2020 (541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An oil sands extraction facility is reflected in a tailings pond near the city of Fort McMurray, Alta., on June 1, 2014. Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank is joining a lengthening list of European lenders and insurance companies that say they won't back new oilsands projects. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

CALGARY - Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank is joining a lengthening list of European lenders and insurance companies that say they won't back new oilsands projects.

The German bank said Monday its new fossil fuels policy will also prohibit investing in projects that use hydraulic fracturing or fracking in countries with scarce water supplies, and all new oil and gas projects in the Arctic region.

It says its ban on oilsands financing, effective immediately, will include exploration, production, transport or processing, seemingly including oilsands pipelines and upgraders or refineries.

The move was criticized by Ben Brunnen, vice-president of oilsands for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers in Calgary.

"Canadian oil and natural gas is sustainably developed in one of the most highly regulated jurisdictions in the world and the energy sector is the county's leading investor in environmental protection and innovation," he said in an emailed statement.

"Attempts to stifle Canadian production by restricting financing can have only one effect; countries with lower environmental standards  and in many cases lower social, human rights and governance standards  will fill the void."

He said an investment in Canadian energy is "a sustainable choice."

Two years ago, Europe's largest bank, HSBC Holdings plc, announced it would no longer offer financial services for new oilsands projects or pipelines, a move that led to producer Suncor Energy Inc. vowing to end all business with HSBC, including in its conventional oil operations in Europe.

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"Deutsche Bank's updated fossil fuel policy is the latest warning shot telling us that doubling down on coal, oil and gas will sink our economy while destabilizing the climate," said Greenpeace Canada campaigner Keith Stewart on Monday.

"We still have time to protect the workers, communities and regions currently dependent on oil as we navigate this shift and ensure that all Canadians prosper in the new low-carbon economy."

Deutsche Bank also said it will stop financing and capital markets transactions involving coal mining by 2025 after achieving a goal last year to reduce its loan exposure to coal-fired power plants by 20 per cent. It said it won't finance any new coal power plants.

The moves are part of a commitment to align its credit portfolios with the greenhouse gas reduction goals of the Paris Agreement, the bank said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SU)
Companies have spent years figuring out how they can protect their staff from hackers when they come to work. It's a tricky task and hackers are always coming up with new ways to penetrate defenses.

The job has only gotten harder as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which is forcing companies to adapt and come up with new security measures.

More staff are working from home than ever before. Some companies have told employees they won't be returning to the office until next year, while others like Twitter have told staff they can work from home forever if they want to. But WFH'ing presents a whole new set of challenges for businesses looking to keep their workforces and their company secrets safe.

"As people moved to working from home, many adopted insecure practices that will eventually be exploited," BlackBerry Chief Technology Officer Charles Eagan told CNBC.

Eagan said the "attack surface" increases dramatically when company activity moves into remote locations. He added that there are "many more eyes exposed to sensitive data" and the "controls available to companies are limited."

Some companies have already been caught out during the pandemic.

Last Week, hackers targeted the Twitter accounts of 130 high-profile people including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama, as well as the corporate accounts of Apple and Uber.

Meanwhile, budget European airline easyJet said in May that a "highly sophisticated cyber-attack" affected approximately 9 million customers.
At the last count, loans worth Rs 42 lakh have been released by Tamil Nadu (TN) Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) unit under various government loan schemes.

According to the website of state party unit (www.tnbjp.in), it has received 23,524 loan applications and has processed 57 of them amounting to the above mentioned loan figure. The party units action, and the message it has sent to other states, is damaging.

A political party has no business to get involved in the banking business that is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Public Sector Banks, PSBs, are not tools to win votes.

The TN BJP units apparent argument that it is only helping out people to get loans doesnt hold water. The counter question is this: if people want loans, they can anyway approach a bank and get it done; what's the need for a middleman?

There is no dearth of bank branches in TN unlike the North Eastern states. When a political outfit, that too a ruling party, approaches a bank soliciting a loan, logically the bank employee/ local branch manager comes under pressure to oblige the request.

One senior banking industry official told me this request often takes the form of veiled threats and the credit officer is left with no choice to sign the sanction letter. Such interference used to happen rampantly in Mudra loans.

Banks are supposed adjudge the veracity and the creditworthiness of a borrower through a rigorous process. Although this doesnt necessarily happen on many occasions, the involvement of a politician makes things even worse.

PTSS syndrome and a PSB employees

What reminds me is the post traumatic slave syndrome (PTSS). PTSS is a much debated mental traumatic disorder in the west. Loosely defined, this refers to a condition that exists when people, in many generations, experience trauma resulting from centuries of slavery and continues to suffer the trauma even today in a world where slavery no longer exists.

In some ways, Indias public sector banks, suffer from PTSS. Long years of nationalisation has taken the operational autonomy away from these banks and has instilled a deep sense of public sector culture.

Many would agree that they operate in a feudal set up, even today. There are bank chairmen in PSBs who act like feudal lords and the hierarchy below him follow the same approach to their junior officers.

How to please the boss (the government) is the dominant norm rather than focusing on quality and professionalism. Business decisions are often dictated by the government  the majority owner in these banks and the ultimate boss. Every babu in the North Block has a commanding power over the PSBs.

Informal missives and phone calls giving directives arent uncommon. The UPA was blamed for micromanaging PSBs and the situation hasn't changed much even in the NDA era.

MSME loan scheme

The latest instance of government muzzling PSBs against their will is the way the Rs 3 lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) is being pushed through government banks. The scheme, announced by Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman as part of the Rs 20 lakh crore COVID-19 package, has come as a big burden for PSBs.

In a poor demand scenario, it becomes tough to convince MSMEs to draw more loans and push them to the verge of over-indebtedness. Ever since the launch of the scheme, branch level employees have been under tremendous pressure to show maximum amount of sanctions. Im told that to show bigger numbers, some branches have been even asked to pre-sanction the loans to all eligible borrowers and push for disbursement.

A few banks, on the other hand, find this is as an easier way to settle old dues. The charm and lure of government guarantee is compelling.

But ultimately, is this money going to be used for the intended purpose or whether it suffices to handhold MSMEs to survive the crisis is a bigger question.

Ultimately, an existing borrower can draw only up to 20 percent of the outstanding credit as on February 29. As on July 23, banks have sanctioned Rs 1.3 lakh crore loans under the scheme and disbursed Rs 82,065 crore.

The point here is this:

The government must stop using PSBs as an extended division of the finance ministry and treat bank employees with dignity.

It wasn't long ago when the chairman of a very large government bank was scolded publicly by a union minister and the leaked video of this incident went viral.

Unless banks are given the freedom to decide and implement business decisions, banking sector NPA (non-performing assets) problems cant be addressed.

In a highly competitive industry, PSBs need to be given a level playing field. This is something former RBI governor Urjit Patel has said in his latest book, Overdraft: Saving the Indian Saver. Government must pay heed and leave banking to banks to do.
New embezzlement case against ex-Deputy Culture Minister to be considered in Moscow Region

 RAPSI

15:08 27/07/2020

MOSCOW, July 27 (RAPSI)  A court in Krasnogorsk town near Moscow will consider a new case against ex-Deputy Culture Minister Grigory Pirumov over the 800 million-ruble (over $11 million) organized embezzlement allocated for restoration of the Hermitage Museum, RAPSI reports from Russias Supreme Court.

On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered transfer of the case to the Moscow Region. The hearing was held behind closed doors due to the prosecutors demand to study a secret document.

In April, the Kuibyshevsky District Court of St. Petersburg, where investigators had initially sent the case, changed its jurisdiction and forwarded it to the Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow. However, the Prosecutor Generals Office petitioned to transfer the case to the Moscow Region.

Pirumov and head of Rospan company Nikita Kolesnikov are charged with creating an organized criminal group to steal budget funds on a large scale using their job position. The gang, according to the charges, included financial director and senior engineer of the company Horizont Yulia Begeza and Valery Rogov, chairman of the Oil Alliance banks board Oleg Grigor. They also face trial.

One more defendant, ex-director of the Culture Ministrys department of property management and investment policy Boris Mazo, fled abroad. He was put on the international wanted list and later arrested in Austria. A court in Vienne in February granted his extradition to Russia. However, Spain also seeks for his extradition.

According to case papers, in 2015, the Hermitage Museum and MechStroyTrans company controlled by the defendants signed a contract for construction amd reconstruction of the museums facilities.

During the execution of the contract, alleged accomplices stole more than 900 million rubles allocated from the budget for these works. Using various financial operations and transactions the defendants legalized 800 million rubles of the embezzled money, according to the courts press service.

The accused persons plead not guilty.

Other cases

The Moscow City Court has repeatedly extended house arrest of Pirumov for 3 months as part of a 450-million-ruble (about $7 million) embezzlement case.

Investigators believe that Pirumov, Kolesnikov, Mazo and their accomplices have stolen at least 450 million rubles (about $7 million) allocated for the construction of the Hermitage Museums buildings. The defendants have pleaded not guilty.

In the first case against Pirumov, the Dorogomilovsky District Court of Moscow found him guilty of stealing more than 100 million rubles and sentenced the former culture official to 1.5 years in a penal colony in October 2017. The court took into consideration the time Pirumov spent in detention and freed him in the courtroom. Prosecutors repeatedly appealed against the sentence. In December, the Moscow City Court imposed a 1-million-ruble (about $15,000) on ex-official and deprived him of the second-class medal of the Order of Merit for the Motherland. In January, his punishment was toughened up to 3 years behind bars.

Investigators claimed that between 2012 and 2016 Pirumov, currently wanted ex-director of the Culture Ministrys department of property management and investment policy Boris Mazo and several other defendants embezzled over 160 million rubles ($2.4 million) allocated on restoration of the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow, Ivanovsky Convent in Moscow and other objects across Russia.

On August 8, 2019, Moscows Preobrazhensky District Court granted parole to Pirumov as part of this case.
The pink conch, the common octopus, the orange roughy, and other species of fish and invertebrates that are popularly sold as seafood in fish markets are rapidly declining worldwide.



A Pioneering Study

According to a new study published in the journal Estuarine, Coastal & Shelf Science, there is a worldwide decline in many commonly consumed marine species, with some populations experiencing severe drops in population.

This is the first research of its kind. The study authors came from various institutions, namely the University of British Columbia Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries' through their Sea Around Us initiative, the University of Western Australia, and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel. The study assessed the populations' biomass, or the weight of populations, of over 1,300 species of invertebrates and fish.



According to lead author and Sea Around Us manager Maria Palomares, it is the first global research tackling long-term population biomass trends of various exploited fish and invertebrate species in all coastal regions on the planet. The researchers found that for the last six decades, the dominant marine species have had their biomass decrease below optimal catch levels.

READ: More and More Pesticide Mixtures From Waterways Are Being Discharged Into the Great Barrier Reef



Assessment Methods

The study collected the reconstructed Sea Around Us catch data from 1950 to 2014, and analyzed it through computer-intensive BSMY and CMSY stock assessment. These methods have the benefit of producing results for independently assessed stocks similar to officially assessed ones.

According to Sea Around Us' principal investigator and co-author Daniel Pauly, the assessment methods were applied to all saltwater ecosystems and ecoregions. He said they also grouped the populations according to climatic zones since the water temperature is a crucial variable in fish responses to pressure from exploitation.

READ: Researchers Find Ancient Native Americans Harvested and Managed Oyster Reefs



Findings

Among the animal populations analyzed, 82 percent were found to be unable to produce the maximum sustainable catch yields anymore because they are being caught at a higher rate compared to the replenishment of their stocks. This results in fewer and fewer catches over time despite harder and longer fishing efforts. Additionally, over 8 percent of these species, totaling 87 in number, now have less than 20 percent of their maximum sustainable catch levels.

The populations with the highest stock declines were located in the polar and southern temperate Indian Ocean as well as the polar southern Atlantic Ocean, whose populations decreased by more than 50 percent from their 1950 levels.

A few exceptions existed, however. One of them includes the Northern Pacific Ocean, where the biomass of populations rose by 800 percent in the subpolar and polar regions and increased around 150 percent in the temperate regions.

GEOMAR senior scientist and study co-author Rainer Froese says that climate change substantially increased populations of many commercial species, and extended their ranges into the polar regions. This affected such species as the North Pacific Alaska or walleye pollock and Barents Sea Atlantic cod.



What can we do?

According to study co-author and University of Western Australia Sea Around Us - Indian Ocean director Dirk Zeller, their study findings show widespread and systematic overfishing of continental shelf and coastal waters in most parts of the world for over 60 years.

He says we need to improve fisheries management by setting limits on allowable annual catches as well as enforcing fishing bans on adequately sized marine protected areas to let populations rebuild.

READ NEXT: Study on Crown-Of-Thorns' Evolutionary History May Help Mitigate Destruction of Coral Reefs
The Trump administration has invited Australia and all the countries of the free world to join a great campaign. Including, quite possibly, a war.

Top US officials have given a series of stern speeches on China, culminating in a battle cry for freedom by the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, late last week: "Today China is increasingly authoritarian at home, and more aggressive in its hostility to freedom everywhere else. And President Trump has said: enough."

US-China relations have plunged since Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met at the G20 in June last year. Credit:The New York Times

The speech was designed to be a historic one. Pompeo delivered it at the birthplace and library of Richard Nixon, the former president. It was Nixon who began the era of US engagement with China in 1972. The point of Pompeo's speech was to end it.

"If we want to have a free 21st century, and not the Chinese century of which Xi Jinping dreams, the old paradigm of blind engagement with China simply won't get it done. We must not continue it and we must not return to it."
Leading independent technology research and analyst house Bloor Research places Ontotext as champions among RDF graph providers in its latest update on the graph database market

SOFIA, Bulgaria, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloor Research's Graph Database Market Update 2020 places Ontotext in the 'champions' category, saying that Ontotext provides "the best implementation of RDF* that we have seen, while the scope of the Ontotext Platform is broader than anything else in the market." This is a huge recognition and moves GraphDB positioning from Innovator to Champion.

The 2020 Bloor Research market update, which analyzes more than a dozen companies developing graph solutions, discusses the latest trends in the development of graph products. Key among those trends are the wholesale adoption of RDF* and SPARQL* by RDF vendors such as Ontotext and the support of GraphQL as an API to make application and query development easier. Ontotext Platform now supports GraphQL, essentially lowering the barrier of entry to knowledge graph data, while still providing the full expressivity and power of SPARQL.

According to Bloor Research, knowledge graphs continue to gain traction and popularity and many RDF vendors target their construction. Bloor's researchers praised Ontotext for its focus on knowledge graphs, as both the analysts and the company see KGs as key enablers for general-purpose data management applications.

The research rated graph vendors using eight metrics (listed alphabetically): analytics, ease of use, features, integration, language, operations, performance and scalability. Bloor Research gave a nearly perfect top score to Ontotext's operations capabilities and high scores for ease of use, language and integration.

In an analysis discussing Ontotext's core products, Bloor Research highlighted the capabilities and advantages of GraphDB and Ontotext Platform and praised the extended capabilities of the Platform, its support for GraphQL to make development simpler, and the integration with open source technologies. GraphDB, which open-sourced front-end and engine plugins as of version 9.0., also supports backwards compatibility, which is not always the case with other vendors, Bloor said.

"Where we particularly like Ontotext is in the care it takes when implementing new features and capabilities. For example, it is the best implementation of RDF* that we have seen, while the scope of the Ontotext Platform is broader than anything else in the market," Bloor's researchers said.

Ontotext's latest products show that it has probably thought more deeply than other providers about what developers and users would need in graphs, the analysts said.

"We expect Ontotext to have significant success in the future, across a wider range of industry sectors than was previously the case. If you think that knowledge graphs might be for you, then you should certainly consider Ontotext," Bloor Research authors wrote.

About Sirma AI EAD, trading as Ontotext

Ontotext (www.ontotext.com) is a global leader in knowledge graph technology and semantic database engines. Ontotext crafts big knowledge graphs to enable unified data access and cognitive analytics via text mining and by linking data across multiple sources. Leveraging AI and cognitive technologies, Ontotext helps enterprises get a competitive advantage by connecting the dots in their proprietary knowledge and interpreting it using global intelligence as context. Ontotext GraphDBTM engine and Ontotext Platform power business critical systems in the biggest banks, media, market intelligence agencies, automotive and aerospace manufacturers.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1218824/Bloor_Logo.jpg
The plans of state-owned banks to raise capital from private sources will not be sufficient to mitigate anticipated risks unless supplemented with more capital support from the government, Fitch Ratings said on Monday. Several large state banks have recently announced plans to raise a total of USD 6 billion in fresh equity from the capital market.

Fitch said state banks already face significant execution risks in raising equity due to depressed stock market valuations and weak investor interest. "Indian state-owned banks' plans to raise capital from private sources will not be sufficient to mitigate anticipated risks unless supplemented with additional capital support from the state," Fitch Ratings said.

It said a reduction in the state's majority shareholding in some of its banks may dent depositor confidence and potentially lead to negative rating action as their long-term ratings are anchored to state support. It may also reduce investor appetite at a time when government capital support has stuttered, and an acceleration in new coronavirus cases is hampering a meaningful economic recovery and increasing risks for banks' balance sheets.

"We believe the proposed stake sales will be very challenging in the current economic climate and in light of the potential capital shortfalls we calculate at the state banks in our stress test. It could also require amendments to the banking company Acts, which currently prescribe a minimum government shareholding of 51 per cent for the state banks, thus adding to execution risk," Fitch said. The rating agency expects that state banks will remain reliant on fresh equity injections from the government as the proposed capital amounts, if raised fully, will likely add only around 100-150 basis points to state banks' existing common equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratios.

"We believe recapitalisation requirements will be substantially higher once pandemic-related asset quality deterioration starts manifesting on bank balance sheets when regulatory forbearance ends, in which case raising equity from the market will be more difficult," Fitch said.
It would have been hard to find any city in the 7th century that was more prosperous and cosmopolitan than Xian, the then capital of China. Sogdian merchants standing in front of stalls called out to passers-by to inspect their wares, which included Armenia jewels and velvet from Byzantium. Tocharian ladies danced at exotic taverns to attract customers, their blonde braids shimmering under the sunlight. Syriac priests forced their way through crowded streets with a combination of threats and pleas, chanting blessings in different languages. As the worlds largest and busiest city of the time, Xian teemed, swirled and reverberated with life.

Xi'an was the capital city of 13 dynasties. [Photo by Pixabay]

As the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, Xian, formerly known as Changan, was then home to two million inhabitants during the Tang dynasty (618-907), over 100,000 of whom were foreigners. Visitors were easily spellbound by the fusion of thriving international trade and vibrant culture, while a plethora of different ethnicities created an unprecedented connection between China and the world. It was the high point in Chinese civilization, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture.

1,300 years later, the ancient Silk Road has been reinvigorated and transformed into the new Belt and Road Initiative, restoring Xians dust-laden glories and injecting new charisma into the ancient capital of 13 dynasties. It is now the most important international commercial hub in Northwest China, with 1,667 Changan freight trains departing from Xian to Europe and Central Asia in the first half of 2020, carrying 1.3 million tons of merchandise. It is also a rising high-tech incubator, taking the lead in advanced technologies such as rocket design and pollutant purification.

Openness and respect for other cultures are core values imprinted in Xians history, which continue to thrive today. As international and mutual understanding between countries are highly desirable today, Xian will provide new opportunities to both China and the world, said Jing Yali, a history scholar at the Xian Forest of Stone Steles Museum.

Cradle of a unity China

The Xian City Walls are some of the oldest, largest and best preserved city walls in China. (Photo by Pixabay)

The Terracotta Army that watches over the mausoleum of Chinas first emperor Ying Zheng (259 BC 210 BC) in its sequestered underground palace has borne witness to the changes taking place in Xian over two millennia. Although the army may seem to be a group of insignificant clay figurines, the role they played in the formation of a united China means this couldnt be further from the truth.

Dating from approximately the late third century BCE, each terracotta figure has its own unique features, down to the face and toes. The Army includes warriors, chariots and horses, and has more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses. In order to run an empire great enough to create such a masterpiece, the emperor assembled talents across the land regardless of their backgrounds and social status. Some were even his enemies from other states.

Dubbed the worlds eighth ancient wonder, the Terracotta Army is a collection of life-sized sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shihuang, Chinas first emperor. (Photo by Liu Ning)

The Terracotta Army not only possesses unparalleled artistic value, but also demonstrates the integrity and strength of a united China. Hardworking, disciplined, respectful of talent and open to other civilizations - such virtues were revered by the Qin people and still form the core value of modern Chinese culture, said Jin Kai, a researcher from Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum.

According to Jin, by introducing a range of reforms, such as standardized currency, weights, measures and a unified system of writing, the Qin turned China into a great power. Its stable economy and military strength allowed ambitious projects to be undertaken, including the Great Wall of China and the Terracotta Army, while the name of the dynasty is thought to be the origin of the European name for China.

In light of what had begun under the Qin, even the striking changes made by later generations take on more of an evolutionary than a revolutionary character, said Jin.

The Nestorian Stele records ancient China's connection with the world.

As the cradle of a united China, Xian was also the worlds largest cosmopolitan city, attracting talents from the world over. The best evidence of this might be the Nestorian Stele located in the Xian Forest of Stones Stele Museum. With text in both Chinese and Syriac, the 279-cm limestone block documents 150 years of early Christianity in China. According to the Stele, a Christian missionary named Alopen and his fellow Syriac missionaries came to China from the Eastern Roman Empire through the ancient Silk Road in 635, bringing sacred books and images. While the Nestorian church was considered heretical by the West, the missionary and his fellows were able to find sanctuary in China.

Alopen is not the only foreigner who, after coming all the way to Xian, was stunned by its mighty power and tolerance for other cultures. Ethnicities from Persia, Central Asia, Japan, Korean, Vietnam, India and many other places lived in Xian, with different religions, such as Buddhism, Nestorian Christianity, Manichaeism, Judaism and Islam coexisting in harmony. According to statistics, Xian during the early Tang dynasty was home to 111 Buddhist monasteries, 41 Daoist abbeys, 38 family shrines, two official temples, and seven churches of foreign religions.

The craving for global cooperation and respect for different cultures are part of the reason for Chinas rise as an ancient superpower. We can find evidence for this in the Forest of Stones Stele Museum, said Jing, who noted that there were many similar steles in the museum recording the cultural and religious exchanges between China and countries like Japan, Nepal and India during the Tang dynasty.

The reverence for different cultures benefited both countries along the Silk Road and China itself. Thanks to this cultural fusion, Chinese people have learned to absorb the essence of other cultures and make it their own, making us even more culturally confident, added Jing.

Revival of the ancient capital

Xi'an is now a rising tech hub in China.

On May 7th, a freight train loaded with 49 cars full of fridges, tea and lamps headed for Uzbekistan from Xi'an, marking the 1,000th cargo train on the China-Europe route to depart from the city in 2020. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, it took only 129 days for Xi'an to run 1,000 China-Europe freight trains this year, 76 fewer than last year, and recent daily traffic has doubled compared with the same period last year.

As the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, Xian has once again led the charge in Chinas trade and economic cooperation with the world. Since 2013, Xi'an has opened 15 international freight train routes to Kazakhstan, Belgium, Germany, Poland and other European and Central Asian countries, building a "golden channel" connecting the ancient commercial hub with Eurasia.

Along the Belt and Road, Chinas modern culture has also entered the international arena. At the digital center of the China Western Film Group, graphic designers and movie producers are working on a digitalization project to showcase the beauty of Xian a thousand years ago. The application of advanced technologies such as 3D allows viewers around the globe to travel through time, enjoying the splendors of the Tang dynasty.

From Xi'an, Chinese movies enter the international arena.

Established in 1958, China Western Film Group is one of the four major national film production companies in the country. It has produced over 300 movies and documentaries, and more than 180 TV series. Its works have won accolades at multiple international movie festivals, winning more than 70 international awards such as the Golden Bear, with 76 of its movies being introduced to audiences in 36 nations and regions.

In 1988, the company produced Red Sorghum, which tells the story of an ordinary Chinese couples life in the 1930s. Upon its release, the movie garnered international claim, with Roger Ebert, the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, praising the movie for its strength in simplicity that Hollywood in its sophistication has lost. The movie won multiple international awards, sharing Chinas stories with the world.

As well as being home to booming cultural industries, Xian has also become a prominent tech hub. Established in 1965, the Sixth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has designed and developed over 50 varieties of liquid propellant rocket engines, which have been used in the launch of both Chinese and foreign satellite and spacecraft.

The aerospace industry can epitomize a nations capability in scientific research and technological development, and it is not only about rocket launches. Through the development of spacecraft, we have also made achievements in other scientific spheres, such as hazardous waste disposal technologies, which can benefit ordinary people, said Suo Xiaoqiang, the academys chief economic manager, who added that other products, including intelligent instrument, special pumps and valves, are also proving very popular in the international market.

According to Suo, as a city that has many prestigious universities and research centers, Xian has provided the academy with talents and innovative ideas. With the citys complete industrial chain and abundance of tech companies, interdisciplinary research and cooperation can further strengthen the development of Chinas aerospace industry.

Though China is a major power in aerospace technologies, we still have many technical problems that still need to be solved. We will continue to do our research, and more new technologies can be expected from us in the future, he added.





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Kamal Haasan, the veteran actor is making a comeback to the silver screen after a short hiatus, with the Shankar directorial Indian 2. The shooting of the movie, which was suspended after the unfortunate accident that happened on the sets in February 2020, is expected to be resumed once the lockdown comes to an end.

If the latest reports are to be true, Kamal Haasan is now planning to complete the project before the Tamil Nadu assembly elections. According to the rumour mills, the senior actor wants to complete the project before the campaigning begins, as his political party Makkal Needhi Maiam will be contesting in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections of 2021.

Kamal Haasan is reportedly planning to finish all his professional commitments before dedicating time for the campaign and elections. As the election is said to be in May 2021, the actor is trying to finish the shooting for Indian 2 at least by April 2021. Lyca Productions, the banner that bankrolls the Shankar movie, has reportedly agreed to the actor's decision.

The makers are now planning to get permission from the authorities to shoot amidst lockdown. If things go as planned, the cast and crew will soon resume the shooting of Indian 2, which is unarguably one of the most-awaited upcoming projects of the Tamil film industry.

Kamal Haasan will once again play the celebrated character Senapati in Indian 2, which is a sequel to the duo Kamal Haasan-Shankar's 1996-released blockbuster outing Indian. As per the reports, around 60 percent shooting of the project is already completed. Kajal Aggarwal appears as the female lead in the project, which features Siddharth in a pivotal role. Anirudh Ravichander has replaced AR Rahman who composed the music for the first installment, as the music director of Indian 2.

Also Read:

Dhanush's Karnan: The Title Look & Glimpse In To The Making To Be Revealed On July 28!

Thala Ajith's Viswasam Earns The Top Spot In TRP Charts During The Lockdown!
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his annual State of the Nation address before Congress in Manila, July 27, 2020.

President Rodrigo Duterte told Congress on Monday he had no power to enforce his countrys ownership of territories claimed by China in the South China Sea.

Duterte made the statement during the annual State of the Nation Address, just two weeks after his foreign and defense departments backed a position by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accusing China of bullying Southeast Asian countries.

Duterte said the nation could not afford to go to war over South China Sea territories.

I am powerless there. Im willing to admit it, he said, suggesting that the conflicts were better treated as diplomatic endeavors.

China is claiming it, we are claiming it. China has the arms, we do not have it. So, its simple as that. They are in possession of the property So what can we do? We have to go to war. And I cannot afford it. Maybe some other president can. But I cannot.

Duterte also cautioned against the United States returning to Subic Bay, a massive port north of Manila that was a U.S. military base before being shut down in 1992.

If you put a base there at this time, this will ensure that if war breaks out  because there would be atomic arsenals brought in  this would (lead to) the extinction of the Filipino race, he said.

It was not immediately clear why Duterte spoke of a military base. U.S. and Australian companies have mounted a joint effort to purchase and potentially set up a naval repair facility at Subic, following the bankruptcy of the South Korean shipbuilding company that ran the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

The U.S. embassy in Manila did not comment when contacted by BenarNews.

Duterte, who has been drifting toward strengthening relations with China since he assumed power in 2016, said Manila would continue to pursue an independent foreign policy.

Neither beholden nor a pawn to anyone, we broaden the boundaries of Philippine diplomacy, we develop productive ties with everyone willing to engage us on the basis of equality and mutual respect, he said.

A plea to President Xi

The statement came two weeks after Pompeo announced a tougher a stance against China, accusing Beijing of trying to build a maritime empire in the South China Sea.

We are making clear: Beijings claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them, Pompeo said in July 13 statement.

He spoke as the Philippines marked the fourth anniversary of the July 12, 2016, decision by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that junked Chinas claims to the South China Sea.

Duterte has not enforced the ruling and instead aligned himself with China despite his countrys defense treaty with the U.S., which once based its largest overseas military installations north of Manila.

Satellite imagery and vessel tracking data shows a China Coast Guard vessel has been patrolling Scarborough Shoal since July 20. The shoal is claimed by the Philippines and sits on the Philippine continental shelf. In addition, vessel tracking data shows a Chinese survey ship was within 200 nautical miles of the Philippine coast on July 21.

On Monday, Duterte said he spoke with his Chinese counterpart and asked to be among the first countries to have access to a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Beijing.

Four days ago, I made a plea to President Xi Jinping that if they have the vaccine, can they allow us to be one of the first, or if needed, we have to buy it, Duterte said.

He appealed to the public to cooperate in battling the coronavirus, saying it had wreaked havoc on the economy even as the country had appeared to withstand the headwinds of the virus.

Let me say that the strength of a nation rests in the hands of the people acting as one with government in the pursuit of common goals and objectives, Duterte said.

The Philippine health department reported 16 deaths and 1,657 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the totals 1,945 and 82,040. Globally, nearly 16.3 million have contracted the coronavirus and nearly 650,000 have died, according to disease experts at U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Protesters rally at the University of the Philippines in Manila to denounce policies by President Rodrigo Duterte, July 27, 2020. [Luis Liwanag/BenarNews]

Protests

Duterte spent a portion of his speech commenting on ABS-CBN Corp., the television network that his allies in Congress recently voted to shut down. The network has been critical in reporting on the government.

That happened after the [House] Committee on Franchises voted 70-11 to deny the grant of franchise to ABS-CBN, Duterte said. Great wealth enables economic elites and corporations to influence public policy to their advantage, he said.

Duterte said the family that owns ABS-CBN had used it in battles with political figures.

I am a casualty of the Lopezes during the 2016 elections, he said, referring to an incident when ABS-CBN apparently did not air his political ads during the presidential campaign.

He warned other business owners he would take over vital services if they did not shape up.

For the remaining two years of my term, all that is good that belongs to government, whether it be airwaves, lines or whatever that is good for the people, will belong to the government, Duterte said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of activists joined a protest in Manila ahead of Dutertes address. The fishermens group Pamalakaya criticized the president for his defeatist stand on the South China Sea, but said it was expected.

Asserting what is ours does not mean declaring war with the aggressor, said Fernando Hicap, a Pamalakaya leader. Mr. Duterte should be reminded over and over that we have all the legal, political and historical claim over our exclusive economic zone being robbed by China.

Other protesters carried signs and banners denouncing Dutertes policies including the new anti-terror law they warned could be used against critics denouncing his drugs war that has left thousands dead.

A protester posted an oust Duterte message on his face shield during a rally at the University of the Philippines in Manila, July 27, 2020. [Basilio Sepe/BenarNews]

Drake Long in Washington contributed to this report.
Bottom line: Googles decision to keep employees at home for another full year will no doubt impact what other major tech giants do. Will Apple, Microsoft and others follow suit or will they elect to bring employees back within the coming months? What transpires over the next few weeks will no doubt be interesting and have a lasting impact on society as we know it.

Google is playing it safe with regards to bringing employees back into the office amid the Covid-19 pandemic. While some communities are eager to get back to some semblance of normalcy, the search giant has extended its work-from-home policy out a full 12 months.

Up to this point, Google had told employees to prepare for a return in January. But now, employees will be working from home until at least next July.

Sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal that Google CEO Sundar Pichai made the call last week and started informing staffers later in the week. In a memo issued on Monday obtained by the publication, Pichai said he hoped the move would offer employees the flexibility to balance work with taking care of their families over the next 12 months.

As summer starts to wind down, kids would normally be gearing up for an imminent return to classrooms in the fall. But with Covid-19 still going strong, its anyones guess as to what the 2020-2021 school year will look like. Will children be held out of school for months to come? What will online learning look like following the spring semester?

For Googles roughly 200,000 employees, that wont be a concern this school year as theyll be able to manage whatever local government has in store.

Image credit: Benny Marty, JHVEPhoto
A Wall of Moms protester held arms in front of counter-protesters while one All Lives Matter protester raised his firearm. All Lives Matter protested against anti-racists outside the Federal Courthouse on Saturday, July 25, 2020, at 8 p.m. in Eugene, Oregon. The confrontation turned violent after physical altercations. The standoff ended two hours later when anti-racists marched the All Lives Matter group away. (Kevin Wang/Daily Emerald)
Mahesh M Goudar By

Express News Service

BAGALKOT/VIJAYAPURA: Despite stiff opposition from the elected members of Vijayapura and Bagalkot, serious efforts are going on between Karnataka and Maharashtra to break the deadlock since one year for water exchange between both the states.

In a recently convened meeting between Water Resources Ministers of both states held in Mumbai to constitute joint flood management and monitoring committee  Maharashtra Water Resources minister Jayant Patil asked his Karnataka counterpart Ramesh Jarkiholi to release 4 tmc water from the state during the monsoon to Sangli in exchange for the release of the agreed upon same quantum of water during summer.

Jarkiholi hinted that there is a possibility of breaking the ice between both the states as he had assured on looking into the proposal.

Speaking to The New Indian Express in Almatti, he said, "It is true that Maharashtra has demanded two to 3 tmc of water during monsoon in exchange of water that is released by them during summer to Karnataka. The decision will be made only after it is deliberated on by all the stakeholders and the experts. I will also discuss the same in the cabinet and Chief Minister before taking a final call."

Karnataka had paid a sum of nearly Rs 2 crore annually to get around 3 to 4 tmc of water from the neighbouring state for a decade from 2004. The Karnataka government had come up with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Maharashtra for water release to Krishna River during summer in order to address the water crisis in the Vijayapura and Bagalkot region.

The agreement continued till 2014, thereafter, it has released water only twice, that is, in 2016 and 2017 without taking any sum from Karnataka. Instead Maharashtra proposed the water for water MoU, which is strongly opposed by the elected members of Vijayapura and Bagalkot, since four years.

According to sources,"Maharashtra is urging the state government to release 4 tmc water from Tubachi-Bableshwar Lift Irrigation Project (T-B LIP), which has been implemented at the cost of Rs 3,700 crore, to Jath taluka, which is distanced at 30km from Tikota taluk of Vijayapura, of Sangli district."

At present the state government has allotted 6.5tmc water, which will irrigate around 52,000 hectares of land in Vijayapura and Bagalkot, to the Tubachi-Babaleshwar Lift Irrigation Project. This project itself a brainchild of Congress leader and legislator MB Patil, who had good rapport with the then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to get the sufficient funds for implementation of the scheme.

Opposition

Opposing the water for water exchange agreement former Water Resources Minister and MLA MB Patil, said, "It is impossible to release 4tmc of water from Tubach-Bableshwar to Jath taluka from the existing infrastructure. We had promised them of providing around 0.5 tmc water to fill the lakes or other small water bodies recently. If they are ready to come up with a separate infrastructure including installation of high capacity motors to pump water at their own expenses, we dont have any objections. But it is unfeasible to provide water from Tubachi-Bableshwar."

Even Bagalkot MP PC Gaddigoudar had strongly opposed the same agreement when then Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar convened a meeting with elected members and stakeholders of the Vijayapura and Bagalkot in Belagavi.

"In summer, we are highly dependent on water release from Maharashtra to Krishna River, however, there has been no water deficit for a couple of years. We will make an amicable settlement on water for water exchange. The state government is the policy maker and the final decision will be left with them," stated Gaddigoudar.

Jamkhandi MLA Anand Nyamgouda said, "We cannot allot the water only from Tubachi-Bableshwar instead we can supply water from other lift irrigation projects to release the agreed quantum of water. We are ready to release water if and only Maharashtra is ready to bear the expenses of the project."

Asking state government to be cautious before making inking the agreement, activist Ashok Chandargi, president of Belagavi District Kannada Organisations Action Committee reiterated, "At the cost of farmers of Vijayapura and Bagalkot the state government should not yield to the pressure of Maharashtra. When DK Shivakumar was Water Resources Minister in the alliance government, the move (water to water exchange) was strongly opposed tooth and nail by the elected members."

"However, the surplus amount of water can be released in monsoon if and only if Maharashtra bears the expenses of developing necessary infrastructure for the supply of water to Jath from Karnataka. The state government should sign the pact cautiously without affecting the water supply to Tubachi-Bableshwar project," stated activist Chandargi.
Myanmar: Over $720m earned from fishery export in over 9 months

by ZEYAR NYEIN

July 27,2020 | Source: Eleven Myanmar

More than US$720 million has been earned from export of fishery products over the past nine and a half months exceeding US$106 million compared to the same period of last year, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce. US$722.751 million was earned from fishery export from October 1 to July 10 in the current 2019-2020 financial year. In the same period of last fiscal year, US$616.275 million was earned, so this year saw an additional US$106.476 million.



Deputy Commerce Minister Aung Htoo said fishery export value would hit US$1 billion yearly if domestic farming capacity could improve. In the fourth year of the current governments term, over US$730 million was earned from export of fishery products such as fish and prawn. As freshwater and seawater fish farming improves, we could export fisher products worth about US$732 million in that year, the deputy minister said.



Myanmar needs to try hard to compete with her neighbouring countries in exporting fishery products, according to the Fisheries Department. During the 16th meeting between Vice President (1) and businesspersons held in May 2018, Htay Myint, president of Myanmar Fisheries Federation, said modern fish farms, fish feed factory and cold storage factories would be built in cooperation with experts from Indonesia, Taiwan and China to be able to earn about US$3 billion from fishery export.
National Chairman of the Progressive People's Party (PPP), Nana Ofori Owusu has cautioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to be wary in relaxing the COVID-19 restrictions.



The President, in his 14th update on COVID-19 on Sunday, announced a second phase of easing of restrictions on public gatherings in the country.



He noted that "after further extensive consultations, Government has taken the decision to embark upon the implementation of Phase Two of the easing of restrictions in the following sectors of our national life."



He lifted the limitations on churches and mosques saying ''in consultation with our Church leaders, from 1st August, 2020, the restrictions on the number of congregants worshipping at a time in Church will be lifted, with the length of worship extended from one (1) to two (2) hours per service. Church leaders, who are desirous of implementing this enhanced easing directive, must ensure that congregants wear face masks at all times, and the one (1) metre social distancing rule is scrupulously applied. These same guidelines apply to worship in our Mosques. With greater numbers of congregants likely to return for worship, I would, respectfully, ask the religious leaders to pay even greater attention to the fresh air ventilation of their premises, rather than relying on the use of air conditioners,"



President Akufo-Addo also announced that public transport workers can begin to operate in full capacity as public transport buses were earlier asked to reduce the number of passengers as a social distancing rule.



"In consultation with the Ministries of Transport and Aviation and the leadership of transport operators, Government has taken the decision to lift the restrictions in the transport sector, and allow for full capacity in our domestic airplanes, taxis, trotros and buses. The wearing of masks in vehicles and aircrafts, and the maintenance of enhanced hygiene protocols, remain mandatory."



The President also announced ''the reopening of our nations tourist sites and attractions, so they can begin to receive visitors. Open-air drinking spots can now function. The management of these facilities are tasked to enforce enhanced hygiene and social distancing protocols. Beaches, pubs, cinemas and nightclubs, however, remain closed until further notice," he said.



But Nana Ofori Owusu believes the President's phase two of easing the public restrictions is a wrong move.



Accordong to him, the charge that Ghanaians should learn to live with the disease, therefore easing the restrictions, will make them relax on the COVID-19 protocols.



''We need to be very focused as a people and find out how scientifically we will deal with this menace...The living with it makes people to relax...When you consistently say that and the leadership also echoes it, then you make the population relax in a way as if this thing, after all, is like malaria. We can live with it. We cannot live it and the way the disease is emerging, we need to do more," he said.



To him, the nation can overcome the disease only when there is an attitudinal change, hence calling on the President to reconsider his decisions.



''The attitudinal mindset of the people and of leadership is critical for us to deal with this particular solution. We're always focusing on the end that someone has been infected and so we're looking for a cure but we should change the way in which we live in society," he said on Peace FM's 'kokrokoo'.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh made a strong plea to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday, not to extend the moratorium beyond August because some borrowers, who otherwise have the ability to pay, are taking advantage of the relaxation. Refraining from responding to the call, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said there was much interest in Parekhs suggestions.

He added that while he had taken note of them, he would not comment immediately. The governor was interacting with members of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). In March 2020, the RBI extended the moratorium as ...
A member of the communication team of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Anim Piesie has condemned the murder of a 90-Year-Old woman accused to be witch.



He called on the Police to expand the net of culpability to include those who abetted the heinous crime.



According to him, the Police should hunt for those who stood to watch and did nothing while the late Madam Akua Denteh was being murdered.



Speaking on UTV's Adekye Nsroma, Anim Piesie expressed shock to see women championing the lynching of a fellow woman.



Spirituality and its beliefs have been in the country for a long time, the same scenario going on in our churches. All these are happening because Africans normally seek for quick solutions in resolving problems. We believe every problem is attached with a spiritual force, he stated.



People are taking undue advantage to steal from the vulnerable. There should be enough education on the matter which is so much on the rise. There should be a yardstick to clamp down such barbaric acts, he added.



Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mr. James Oppong-Boanuh has dispatched homicide experts from the National Police headquarters to the Savannah Region where the incident happened, to hunt down the murderers of the 90-old woman.



She was beaten to death at Kafaba near Salaga in the East Gonja District for allegedly being a witch.



The suspects are believed to have fled the town but their names have been given as one Sanjo, who is said to have hosted Hajia Filina, a Priestess who declared the deceased a witch.



Others are the Priestess Hajia Filina, a teacher called Aliu, Bumaye, Ashley and Manafo.



The IGP has announced a two thousand Ghana Cedis (GhC2,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspects.





Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ahead of his appointment with Mumbai Police at noon on Monday, July 27, Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has shared a cryptic post on his social media account. He is scheduled to record his statement at the Bandra Police station on Monday in connection with the mysterious death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Taking to Twitter hours before his interrogation, Bhatt has claimed that "pride dissolves in the presence of death" as he talked about "accepting mortality" and went onto write that "this too shall pass".

We are here for a blink of an eye. Pride dissolves in the presence of death. May we accept our mortality. This too shall pass. pic.twitter.com/wUqeG94l1I  Mahesh Bhatt (@MaheshNBhatt) July 27, 2020

Read | Mahesh Bhatt tweets "being kind is hard" a month after Sushant's death, gets trolled

Mahesh Bhatt is one of the four top and influential Bollywood personalities who were held accountable in causing mental turmoil to late actor Sushant Rajput by Queen actor Kangana Ranaut. In her tell-all conversation with Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami earlier this month, Kangana made sensational claims that Mahesh Bhatt and three others used their position of power in the film industry to "systematically sideline" Sushant Singh Rajput and ensure that is career is doomed.

Kangana also gave scarring personal accounts of her interaction with Mahesh Bhatt and revealed that the veteran director had announced her "miserable end" once and had done the same for Sushant. She also questioned Bhatt's involvement in Sushant's relationship with his girlfriend actor Rhea Chakraborty.

Read | Kangana Ranaut speaks to Arnab; talks about Mahesh Bhatt

She exposed dirty secrets of the film industry and added that the Mumbai Police investigation is "a complete sham" without testimonies from these "real powerful people". The police have interrogated Aditya Chopra and Rajeev Masand until now and are awaiting statements from Bhatt and filmmaker Karan Johar. While Mahesh Bhatt will reportedly testify on Monday, July 27, Karan Johar's manager, as well as Apoorva Mehta, the CEO of his production house, have been issued summon notices by the police.

Read | After Alia, father Mahesh Bhatt, Pooja shares cryptic posts amid Kangana Ranaut attack

Sushant Singh Rajput's death probe

Mumbai Police has, since the actor's alleged suicide on June 14, summoned about 37 people from the film industry including filmmakers Aditya Chopra, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rumi Jaffery, film critic Rajeev Masand, Sushant's last co-star Sanjana Sanghi and his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty. Supporting Kangana's claims of 'mafia culture' in Bollywood, former Union Cabinet Minister Dr Subramanian Swamy even wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking CBI investigation into Sushant Singh Rajput's death. The letter allegedly stated how 'big Bollywood names are trying to cover up the death'.

Read | Mahesh Bhatt to be summoned in Sushant Singh Rajput death probe: Maharashtra Home Minister
A group of Israeli settlers firebombed a mosque in the West Bank early this morning, according to multiple reports.

Settlers attacked the mosque in el-Bireh near the Palestinian capital Ramallah shortly after midnight on Monday, the Associated Press reported, citing a Palestinian Authority official. The attackers spray-painted anti-Palestinian slogans and threw firebombs that burned part of the mosque, according to the outlet.

Israeli police have not commented on the incident. Several attacks have taken place by ultranationalist Jewish settlers in the Palestinian territory in recent months, according to The Times of Israel.

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in 1967 following the Six-Day War. The population is mostly Palestinian, but there are also Israeli settlers living throughout the territory. Some of the settlers hold extremist Jewish beliefs and live in outposts not approved by the Israeli government.

Attacks from such groups against Palestinians are not new. An Israeli man from a West Bank outpost was found guilty by an Israeli court in May of killing a Palestinian family via an arson attack in 2015.

The recent attacks are happening as Israel attempts to start annexing Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank. Israels unity government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned to start the process on July 1.

There have been no moves toward annexation to date, however. The United States insists Netanyahu gain full support from his coalition partners in the Blue and White party before annexing. Defense Minister and alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz, who leads Blue and White, said annexation should not be rushed shortly before July. A high-ranking Israeli security official told Al-Monitor this month the chances of annexation are low to nonexistent.

UN Security Council resolutions consider the West Bank as Palestinian territory occupied by Israel. Annexation has also drawn criticism from Israels allies in Europe and Arab states in the Gulf who have grown closer to Israel in recent years.
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has finally taken up the challenge thrown at him by the National Assembly t...





Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has finally taken up the challenge thrown at him by the National Assembly to name lawmakers who got contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).





Akpabio had on Monday, while appearing before the House Committee on the NDDC during an investigative hearing on the alleged illegal spending and mismanagement of funds, alleged that members of the National Assembly were awarded 60 percent of contracts by the commission.





House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, however, gave Akpabio a 48-hour ultimatum to identify the lawmakers.





Akpabio initially recanted, denying he said National Assembly members were awarded 60 percent of NDDC contracts.









However, at the weekend, the minister responded to the threat, listing the contractor lawmakers in a document titled Some Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Contracts Allegedly Given to some Members of the National Assembly  Senate and House of Representatives.





The list, however, contained the names of four senators as receiving 74 contracts from the commission between 2017 to date.





Top of the list was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on NDDC, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi.





He was listed to have executed 53 NDDC projects from 2017 till date.





The contracts listed against Nwaoboshis name included Emergency Repairs of Asue Street, Owa Phase 2; Emergency Repairs of ldumuogbe Road via Ojemaye; Emergency Repairs of Otolokpo College Road, Otolokpo; and Emergency Repairs of Police lshu Ani Ukwu Road, Issele Uku in Delta State.





They also included Emergency Repairs of old Sapele Agbor Road, Obiaruku; Emergency Repairs of Ehwerhe Obada Road Agbarho Road; Emergency Repairs of Hon. Ifeanyi Eboigbe Street, Boji Boji Owa/Goodwill Street, Owa Alero; and Emergency Repairs of Ahiama Okwu to Obuocha Okwu among others, all in Delta State.





However, Nwaoboshi quickly reacted to the list by describing Akpabio as a confused individual.





Nwaoboshi challenged Akpabio to publish the names of the directors and shareholders of the companies that executed the said 53 NDDC contracts.





Akpabio also accused the Chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of inserting 19 contracts worth N9 billion into 2019 NDDC budget.





The minister revealed that in the 2019 budget, the Executive Director in charge of projects forwarded to me the attached list of 19 Nos. old contracts amounting to almost N9billion after tax, that the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on NDDC, Honourable Tunji-Ojo, insisted that the IMC of NDDC must pay before 2019 budget details could be released to the commission.





In the letter addressed to the House speaker routed through the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Akpabio further stated, inter alia: It has always been known that the two chairmen of the committees on NDDC in both chambers yearly exhibit unusual influence to the exclusion of committee members and even the management of the NDDC in appropriating funds to details embellished in the budget after the passage of line items at the plenaries.





To show you some typical examples, herewith attached are documents showing nature of contracts amount of such contracts (in some cases), date of awards and beneficiaries. Some were awarded to the two chairmen of both committees in the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively, serving at the period of the awards (Annexure B, C and D). However, due to the 48 hours notice, the forensic auditors could not sift through the thousands of files in their possession to provide more.





He stated: The investigating Committee on NDDC refused and/or neglected to give me the opportunity to explain that reference to most NDDC contracts yearly being awarded since 2001 from the records allegedly to members of the National Assembly in both Chambers were done without the knowledge of the alleged beneficiaries.





However, the two Chairmen of the Committees in both Chambers had adequate knowledge;

I never referred to members of the 9th National Assembly as beneficiaries of NDDC contracts as NDDC is yet to fully implement any NDDC budget since the commencement of the 9th National Assembly. In fact, the 2019 budget passed in February and harmonised between the 4th and 5th of March 2020 was received by the commission in the middle of April 2020, when same was designated to expire on the 31st of May, 2020.





However, it is pertinent to point out that the Clerk of the National Assembly forwarded a letter Ref. NASS/CNA/115/VOL.38/1175, dated March 20, 2020, without attaching the budget details indicating that the 2020 budget of the NDDC passed into Law was being forwarded (copy of the letter is attached as Annexure A). This anomaly was brought to the attention of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee investigating a purported financial recklessness by the management of the commission in July 2020, though the first outcry was on allegation of missing N40bn which was totally untrue.





Rising in his own defence, Tunji-Ojo described the Akpabios allegation as spurious and diversionary.





He insisted that the allegation made by NDDC was a ploy to divert the attention of Nigerians from the real issue, which has to do with the mismanagement of NDDC resources by the Interim Management Committee (IMC) from January to date.





The committee chairman denied padding the budget and even challenged the IMC to provide evidence to back the claims.





Akpabio also accused three other senators Matthew Urhoghide, James Manager, and Sam Anyanwu as NDDC contractors.





He stated that Urhoghide was awarded six projects, James was given six as well while Sam Anyanwu was awarded a total of 21 NDDC contracts during the period under review.





Other lawmakers that Akpabio listed projects against were simply identified as Ondo and Edo representatives while the project cost was not supplied by the minister.





Akpabio also listed one Mutus name against 74 projects which included various emergency road projects in Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and the Rivers States.
North Korea is seizing on the return of a defector from the South to point the finger at Seoul for the arrival of coronavirus in the country after months of denying it had any cases, analysts said Monday. Pyongyang imposed a lockdown on the border city of Kaesong, saying it had found a suspected COVID-19 infection in a defector who had returned across the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula, state media reported at the weekend. For months the North had denied having any cases of the virus that swept the world after first emerging in neighbouring China -- its main diplomatic backer and trade partner -- raising scepticism among observers. And Seoul officials said Monday that the man believed to be the re-defector has never been confirmed as a coronavirus patient in the South, nor a contact of a confirmed case. The South has carried out more than 1.5 million tests as part of an extensive "trace, test and treat" model that has largely brought the outbreak under control. Analysts said the North was likely to have already had virus cases, and Pyongyang was looking to blame Seoul for the outbreak, rather than its own longstanding ally Beijing. "North Korea may try to use the defector's return to deflect the blame for an outbreak that has already occurred, or for any future quarantine failures," said former US government North Korea analyst Rachel Lee. "It could take issue with South Korea's poor frontline security," she told AFP. "It could even claim that South Korea purposefully sent the defector back to North Korea to spread the virus there." Duyeon Kim, a Korea expert at the International Crisis Group, added that by blaming an imported case from the South, the North "can now legitimately and openly accept" aid from Seoul. The North could "further send a message about defectors painting them as enemies of the state", she added in a tweet. Pyongyang has repeatedly excoriated leaflet-sending defectors and the Seoul government in recent weeks, worsening already frozen inter-Korean ties and culminating in the North blowing up a liaison office on its side of the border. - Return visitor - It is extremely rare for North Korean defectors to return to their original country, where rights groups say they face severe punishment for leaving -- the South's Unification Ministry says only 11 are known to have done so in the last five years. It is even rarer for them to travel through the Demilitarized Zone, one of the world's most secure borders, replete with minefields and guard posts. But the South Korean military said a North Korean defector was believed to have returned to the North from Ganghwa island, on the Han river estuary northwest of Seoul. He was not officially identified but according to multiple media reports and defectors he is a 24-year-old who defected in 2017, also by swimming across a river. He is being investigated on rape allegations in the South, they added. Last month he appeared on a YouTube channel run by another defector, and said it took him more than seven hours to swim across the inter-Korean border when he went south. Afterwards, he "cried for 10 days, as I kept on thinking about my family" back home, he said in the interview. Seoul's health authorities said his name did not appear in the South's database of confirmed coronavirus cases, nor its list of their contacts. Two individuals who had contact with the suspected re-defector were tested on Sunday and both tested negative, added Yoon Tae-ho of the Central Disaster Management Headquarters. The North's medical infrastructure is seen as woefully inadequate to deal with any epidemic and Pyongyang closed its borders in late January -- the first country in the world to do so -- in an effort to protect itself against the coronavirus. The situation in Kaesong "may lead to a deadly and destructive disaster", official news agency KCNA reported at the weekend.
Most US Christians uncomfortable with returning to church: survey

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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.
SHARON HILL, PA  As Delaware County continues to battle the coronavirus, officials are offering three days of testing in Sharon Hill Borough.

The county is opening a public testing site in Sharon Hill where residents can get drive-thru and walk-up coronavirus tests.

Testing is available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., noon to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at Academy Park High School, 300 Calcon Hook Road in Sharon Hill.

Residents 12 and older can get tested.

Critical and essential workforce  including first responders, healthcare system employees, grocery workers  and those at higher risk, including residents over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions, will be given priority.



Testing will be conducted by trained medical staff utilizing a nasal swab (PCR) test kit. Testing is free of charge for residents without health insurance.

There are no out-of-pocket fees or co-pays for residents with private or public health insurance. Please bring your insurance card to the testing site.

Upon arrival, residents will need to complete a registration form and a consent form.

Test results will take up to five to seven business days and will be sent by mail. Residents who test positive will also receive a call from the Chester County Health Department.

Residents are asked to wear a mask/face covering.

Preregistration is available online here or by phone at -610-891-6129. Walk-up testing will also be available.

This article originally appeared on the Haverford-Havertown Patch
Seattle, July 27 : At least 45 people were arrested in the US city of Seattle after a Black Lives Matter protest turned violent, police said.

The protest held on Saturday night was one of the most tense of several rallies held across the country, the BBC reported.

Thousands of protesters had initially gathered in the city peacefully, carrying signs such as "Feds go home" and "We are living in a police state", and shouting chants of "No justice, no peace".

A group then set fire to the construction site for a youth detention facility before smashing windows of a courthouse and nearby businesses, police said.

Authorities said rocks, bottles, fireworks and mortars were thrown at officers, and one of them was taken to hospital with a leg injury.

Police declared the demonstrations a riot and said they were investigating whether an explosive device was used against a police station.

According to the Seattle Police Department, 21 officers were also injured in the clashes.

Besides Seattle, protests also took place on Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky; Aurora, Colorado; New York; Omaha, Nebraska; Oakland and Los Angeles in California; and Richmond in Virginia, reports the BBC.

The demonstrations have been given renewed energy by violent clashes in Portland city between protesters and federal agents deployed by President Donald Trump despite opposition from local and state leaders.

Trump said he would send federal troops to other cities including Chicago.

Demonstrations against police brutality and racism erupted across the US following the death of George Floyd, an African American who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Some of the demonstrations have triggered violent clashes with police, vandalism, arson and looting.
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt took their son Gunner, aged two, out for breakfast on Monday.

The 33-year-old blonde beauty and the 36-year-old reality TV veteran, who worked together on the set of The Hills, were dressed casually as they dined outdoors at the Pacific Palisades, California grocery store and cafe Erewhon.

At one point, Spencer took out his cell phone to take a selfie where he was holding up a white cup.

Morning meal: Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt took their son Gunner out for breakfast on Monday morning

Heidi had on a blue cap with a face mask on as she had on a white cardigan over a black shirt with skintight blue jeans as she wore light pink sneakers.

Spencer wore a collegiate looking cable cardigan in beige with blue stripes over a statement T-shirt and shorts with black sneakers.

His colorful mask that had yellow and red on it hung down from one ear.

And Gunner was seated at the outdoor table with a cap on, a light grey shirt and dark slacks with blue sneakers on before he got up to walk off.

Glam free gal: Heidi had on a blue cap with a face mask on as she had on a white cardigan over a black shirt with skintight blue jeans as she wore light pink sneakers

Heidi held onto an iced coffee with a straw as she walked to the table where Spencer and Gunther sat.

The table had coffee and muffins on it as well as a red apple.

There were bushes of white iceberg roses everywhere on the nicely manicured path that included a red walkway and a narrow lawn.

Heidi was meant to be filming the second season of The Hills: New Beginnings, but like many Hollywood productions, filming has been shelved for the foreseeable future.

Snapshot moment: Spencer wore a collegiate looking cable cardigan in beige with blue stripes over a statement T-shirt and shorts with black sneakers. His colorful mask that had yellow and red on it hung down from one ear

The mother-of-one has been passing the time with TikTok videos and Instagram posts.

Spencer meanwhile has been indulging his passion for hummingbirds, documenting the birds in the couple's backyard as well as promoting his Prat Daddy crystals and jewelry range.

In March it was revealed that Mischa Barton would not be returning for the second installment of the MTV reality show.

Three generations: Heidi has also spent time with her mother as they went for a hike with Gunner

A triangle family: Heidi and Spencer with Gunner by a river with a lush green background

The former OC actress was the only one not asked to return for season two, because producers thought her story line was 'a bit bland,' and her personality 'a little boring,' TMZ reported.

Her replacement is said to be socialite Caroline D'Amore who is heir to popular food chain D'Amore's Pizzeria.

The original series ran from 2006 to 2010.

Heidi has also spent time with her mother as they went for a hike with Gunner.
Dalian to conduct full-scale testing after new clustered infections

Global Times

By Wan Lin Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/26 11:07:31

Dalian in Northeast China's Liaoning Province on Sunday announced it will test its six million residents to identify patients and silent carriers to curb the spread of the new COVID-19 outbreak after the infection chain has spread to another six cities.

The city reported 12 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, and Tieling in the province reported one related infection, the Health Commission of Liaoning Province said Sunday. The infection has spread to seven cities in four provinces.

Ma Xiaowei, Director of National Health Commission, urged the city to achieve full nucleic acid testing for all residents within four days and make full use of medical resources in Dalian and nearby cities.

After a domestic case was detected on Wednesday, previous testing covered areas where infections concentrated. The comprehensive testing will prioritize residential communities that are densely populated, with all costs covered by the government, according to Dalian Health Commission.

Liu Xingyu, a resident from Dalian's Ganjingzi district where the latest infection cluster was first detected, told the Global Times on Sunday that community workers started sending group messages and knocking door to door in the morning to inform residents of the tests.

The 12 new cases are all related to a seafood company in the district, and the Tieling case is a close contact of a Dalian patient. The city has designated one high-risk area and four medium-risk areas.

Patients related to the chain were also reported in another city in Liaoning and five cities in three other provinces, Northeast China's Jilin and Heilongjiang, and East China's Fujian Province.

Wang Peiyu, a deputy head of Peking University's School of Public Health, noted that the spread of the virus beyond Dalian is understandable amid population flows after the resumption of most businesses.

As long as travel history and close contacts can be tracked, people should not be overly worried, Wang said.

Ma noted that the city's epidemic situation, with a lot of uncertainties, is at the early stage of development and at a critical point for the overall prevention and control work.

Dalian has been stepping up preventative and control measures since its fresh outbreak started on Wednesday when a 58-year-old man working at the seafood company tested positive, breaking the city's record of zero COVID-19 cases for 111 days.

The city entered "wartime mode" on Friday. On Saturday, it announced it would seal off all nursing homes, kindergartens and indoor public places in Dalian.

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(Newser)  Police in Portland, Ore., arrested two people after reports that a shot was fired Sunday night near where thousands of people have turned out nightly for protests in the city that has become the epicenter of national unrest over George Floyds death, the AP reports. Officers responded to the scene near Lownsdale Square Park about 7:24pm. A person believed to be the gunshot victim arrived later at a hospital via a private vehicle with non-life threatening injuries, authorities said. It wasn't clear if the incident was connected to the demonstrations. Later in the evening, police said a bag containing loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails had been found at the park. Police made multiple announcements telling people not to interfere with the ongoing investigation as protesters were again turning out Sunday night following a weekend of huge protests.

story continues below

Portland has seen protests nightly for two months since Floyd was killed in Minneapolis in May. President Trump said he sent federal agents to Portland to halt the unrest but state and local officials say they are making the situation worse. Authorities declared a riot early Sunday morning. Meanwhile, in Oakland, Calif., protesters set fire to a courthouse, vandalized a police station, and shot fireworks at officers, authorities said. In Richmond, Va., a dump truck was torched and police ultimately used tear gas to disperse protesters. In Aurora, Colo., a protester was shot and wounded after a car drove into the crowd. All of this came after an armed protester was killed Saturday in Austin, Texas. (More on the weekend of unrest across the nation here.)
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Venus, often known as Earth's twin, is considered to be an unusual planet for its circular orbit and its thick cloudy atmosphere. The presence of numerous volcanoes on the planet was a known fact but these were touted to have been dormant for ages.

But a recent study has revealed that some of these activities might be not as ancient as we thought. They could even be occurring in current times.

Researchers have identified 37 volcanic structures on Venus that appear to be recently active  and probably still are today  painting the picture of a geologically dynamic planet and not a dormant world as long thought.

Scientists are using crown-like structures found on Venus to determine whether it is, like Earth, a volcanically-active planet.

On Earth, the 'Ring of fire' is a region in the basin of Pacific Ocean that is known to be seismically active  the most earthquake-prone region anywhere on the planet. Early research suggests that the extremely hot planet might have its own 'ring of fire', but the factors contributing to its presence on Venus might be different from Earth.

According to the study, multiple structures called coronae can be seen on the surface of the hot planet, gaining its name from the "crown-like" shape they leave behind on the surface. These are somewhat formed like the volcanoes on Earth - with plumes of hot magma coming out from Venus' core up to the crust. However, these are huge in comparison to earthly volcanoes, with diameters larger than 299.3 kilometre.

A group of scientists from the Department of Earth Science, Institute of Geophysics, Switzerland and Department of Geology, University of Maryland, USA teamed up to create models of Venus' interior to see what led to the formation of these coronae. To their surprise, the scientists found 37 structures that showed signs of activity within the last few million years.

"For the first time, we were able to pinpoint specific structures and say, Look, this is not an ancient volcano but an active one," said the study's co-author Laurent Montesi.

By proving that Venus is geographically active, scientists are looking forward to understanding why two planets so similar in composition and size evolved so differently.

The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience recently.
The delegation with the family ofMadam Ekua Danteh

27.07.2020 LISTEN

First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has sent a delegation to commiserate with and present some items to the family of Madam Akua Denteh, who was tragically lynched at Kafaba in the Savannah region of Ghana.

The lynching of ninety-year-old Madam Akua Denteh, is simply abhorrent. It is tragic that in this day and age, Ghanaians especially women continue to suffer such barbaric and human right violations that undermine our quest for gender equality the First Lady lamented.

Mrs Akufo-Addo expressed her appreciation for the many statements of condemnation, saying I am encouraged by the various statements of condemnation by many well-meaning Ghanaians and groups. While the statements are commendable, we must take all necessary steps to bring justice to the family and completely abolish all such negative, abusive and violent practices against women in particular. I will continue to work with interest groups to empower women and girls in various ways, including education and skills acquisition, as a means of insulating them from such barbaric practices.

The family of Madam Denteh, expressed their appreciation to the First Lady and thanked the many Ghanaians, who have expressed their sympathy and support for the family.

Madam Denteh was allegedly beaten to death after she was accused by a soothsayer of being a witch.

Even though she reportedly with the soothsayer to spare, she was still allegedly killed.

Her death has spiked outrage across the country, especially among human rights groups who have been calling for justice to be served.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) has already dispatched homicide experts to the Savannah Region to commence investigation into the alleged killing.
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Artsakh Samvel Babayan released a statement over the new National Security Strategy of Armenia.

Armenias new National Security Strategy was adopted on July 10 at the session of the Security Council.

This new National Security Strategy of Armenia has a separate reference to Artsakh, titled ensuring the security of Artsakh, which is not accidentally combined with Armenias independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The global and regional fundamental transformations, which have been reflected in the National Security Strategy of Armenia, have not, however, changed Armenias view on the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict as a key threat to Armenia and also on the use of force by Azerbaijan as a main threat in the context of this conflict.

With this document the Republic of Armenia is reaffirming the fact of being the guarantor of Artsakhs security, outlining the following: committed to the OSCE Minsk Groups mediation mission we continue acting from the positions of peacefully settling the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict with the principle of mutual concession.

The principle of the peoples right to self-determination, enshrined in the UNs declarations, the international human rights agreements, will be on the basis of the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, as an exclusive right of the Artsakh-Armenians to determine their own fate. Atrsakh will be transformed from the conflict object to a subject, returning to the negotiation table, thus, exercising the subjectivity of the authorities elected by the Artsakh people. There is no alternative to the international recognition of the Republic of Artsakh.

The security of Artsakh cannot be put for an auction. The Security Council of Artsakh will develop a concept for the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict which will be put for a public debate with the participation of concerned sides, the statement says.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 36F. W winds shifting to NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 36F. W winds shifting to NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
A Muslim man proclaiming to be a devotee of Lord Ram has embarked on a long journey of 800kms, travelling from Chhattisgarhs Chandkhuri village all the way to Ayodhya, where Ram was born. He is doing so to attend the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony set to take place in Ayodhya next month on August 5.

Mohammad Faiz Khan, who hails from Lord Ram's mother Kaushalya's birthplace, has reached Madhya Pradesh so far, a report in ANI stated.

"I am a Muslim from my name and religion but I am a devotee of Lord Rama. If we find out about our ancestors, they were Hindus. Their names might be Ramlal or Shyamlal. We all have Hindu origin whether we go to church or mosque," Khan told ANI.

Khan considers Lord Ram as the "main ancestor" and his journey is further fueled by Pakistan's national poet Allama Iqbal, who had tried to explain that a person with a "perfect sight" would feel that Ram is, in fact, the lord of India, he stated.

Unfazed by all the criticism coming his way, Faiz said, "Some people in Pakistan have created fake IDs with Hindu and Muslim names and are abusing each other to show that all communities are fighting in India."

Meanwhile, priests in Ayodhya have prepared an elaborate plan for the ceremony with three-day Vedic rituals at the Ram Janmabhoomi site, beginning on August 3. This will be followed by Ramacharya 'puja' on August 4 and the 'bhoomi pujan' on August 5, which will be held around 12:15pm.

Five silver bricks will also be set inside the sanctum sanctorum during the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony. The first will be laid by PM Modi.

The five bricks are believed to symbolise the five planets as per the Hindu mythology.

The design and the architecture of the temple is the same as the one proposed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)  the design will follow Vishnu temple's Nagara style while the 'garbha griha' will be octagonal.

Amid the planning of this grand 'Bhoomi Pujan', some news websites claimed that Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan has said he will take jal samadhi in the Saryu river, or in other words, sacrifice his life, if not invited to the ceremony. It turned out to be fake news. The quote was from SPs Azam Khan but it was a namesake. This particular Azam Khan is the president of Sri Ram Mandir Nirman Muslim Kar Sewak Manch and claims to be a Ram devotee.
Indian employees walk inside Amazon's newly inaugurated largest campus building in Hyderabad on Aug. 21, 2019. In a lawsuit filed against the DHS July 21, the plaintiffs said, American innovation rests on having the best and brightest working here. Over the past century, the United States has benefited immensely from courageous individuals who have left their homes, accepting an invitation to travel to America for temporary work. Some of these individuals later make America their permanent home, often advancing to leadership positions in their companies, noting that 101 of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants, including several Indian Americans. (Noah Seelam/AFP via Getty Images)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and President Donald Trump approved an Emergency Declaration in Texas after Hurricane Hanna made landfall, Governor Greg Abbott announced Sunday.

This means emergency measures to Texas can be provided by the government. Measures that FEMA approved of include reimbursement for some of the state's funds that go into evacuation and shelter support, ABC 13 Eyewitness News reported.

FEMA can grant 75% federal funding for Hurricane Hanna response.

Hurricane Hanna adds to the struggles of Southern Texas today, along with COVID-19, drought and economic distress, Texas Public Radio reported.

First Atlantic Hurricane

Hanna made landfall on Saturday evening on Padre Island, an island north of Corpus Christi City, according to National Hurricane Center.

It kept going with winds that run at 90 miles per hour made it a Category 1 hurricane. But it later on grew weaker to a storm of 35 mph winds.

Hanna is the first Atlantic hurricane in 2020. It made two landfalls on Saturday evening and spent a weekend with strong winds, heavy rains and widespread flooding.

Abbott said the state will keep on working hand in hand with partners as the damage brought by the storm is being assessed. He added that Texas may look for more help as they try to work on ways to respond, recover, and rebuild.

Rescue teams are using helicopters and boats to handle any rescues along the coast. The local and state emergency crews are still on alert to come to areas with major damage and floods.

As Hanna moved inland during the night and grew weaker into a tropical storm, more than 155,000 people were out of power in South Texas Sunday morning.

The City of Mission said on Twitter that power crews will need to shelter in place because of the strong winds and rain. "You're asked to only report downed power lines or safety hazards. Crews will continue to respond to outages when it's safe to do so," they said.

Even if Hanna has toned down into a tropical storm, people still have to be on high alert for chance of heavy rains, strong winds, flash floods and tornadoes.

Hurricane Meets Pandemic

In a news conference, Abbott said there is a challenge to having the hurricane and how hard and more severe it is, "seeing that it is sweeping through an area that is the most challenged area in the state for COVID-19."

Abbott also said Texas was prepared for Hurricane Hanna. This is even if there is an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

But he still warned residents to keep the pandemic in mind amidst the storm, CNN reported. He said that as people come together to shelter in place, the virus has higher chances to move from one person to another.

More than a foot of rain was seen in some parts of Texas as the storm crossed over to the northeast part of Mexico.

Water rescues also took place, mainly from cars stuck in high flood waters. Parts of US Highway 83 can't be passed through by car due to the floods.

Meanwhile, there were also forecasts of another likely tropical system that could build up across the Atlantic Ocean over the next five days.

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Two Surat girls helped discover a near-Earth asteroid, which has been christened as HLV2514 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Both the girls, Vaidehi Vekariya Sanjaybhai and Radhika Lakhani Prafulbhai, are studying in PP Savani Chaitanya Vidya Sankul in Class 10 and discovered the asteroid as a part of an international campaign.

They had participated in a two-month science programme called the All India Asteroid Search Campaign 2020 which was conducted by SPACE India in collaboration with International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) and Hardin Simmons University in Texas. Space India announced on its social media page that the near-Earth object (NEO) is currently near the planet Mars, and will evolve into an Earth-crossing asteroid in the distant future.

We congratulate both the students and teachers for the tremendous discovery, said the institution.

Vaidehi and Radhika used the Pan Starrs telescope in Hawaii to discover the NEO and took images of the asteroid with its high-grade CCD cameras, and higher Field of View. Congratulatory messages poured in for the girls on social media with netizens calling it a proud moment for all of us.

Read: NASA Warns Of Huge Asteroid 2020 ND, 160 Metres In Diameter, To Approach Earth On July 24

'Mini-moon'

Recently, Kacper Wierzchos and Theodore Pruyne, astronomers at the Catalina Sky Survey, discovered a possible mini-moon about the size of a car orbiting the Earth. After locating the asteroid, it was named 2020 CD3 but was deemed a temporary one which, probably, would not last long.

Astronomers believe that the newly discovered mini-moon will be gone by Spring and what's even more surprising is the fact that it has been orbiting Earth for at least three years without being noticed. Astronomer Kacper Wierzchos tweeted a video showing the mini-moon. In another tweet he mentioned,

"The object has a diameter between 1.9 - 3.5 m assuming a C-type asteroid albedo. But it's a big deal as out of ~ 1 million known asteroids, this is just the second asteroid known to orbit Earth (after 2006 RH120, which was also discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey)."

Read: Arriving December This Year, Japan's Asteroid Probe Hayabusa2 To Open Knowledge Trove

Read: Comet, Asteroid & Meteoroid Flying By Earth In 2020; Know How They Differ From Each Other
Over the past couple of weeks, Canada has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases  and most of the new cases have been people under 40.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/7/2020 (541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Editorial

Over the past couple of weeks, Canada has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases  and most of the new cases have been people under 40.

This has led to much finger-wagging from experts and politicians, with various Canadian premiers addressing the members of that cohort as though they are disobedient children. "Knock it off," was Alberta Premier Jason Kenneys message to young adults socializing in large groups. "Guys, you have to rein it in," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said.

Experts appear to have two dominant theories as to why COVID-19 cases are on the rise among the younger demographic. The first is pandemic fatigue: at this stage in the pandemic, people are getting tired  and as with a physical activity such as lifting weights, good form tends to start to disappear as people become more fatigued.

Twenty seconds of handwashing becomes 10. Masks stay around chins or are not worn at all. Distancing becomes non-existent at the lake, barbecue, beach, park or patio. Many people are struggling with the mental-health effects of isolation.

The second theory involves what Canadas deputy chief public health officer, Dr. Howard Njoo, calls the "invincibility factor" of young people who, perhaps, drew what they believed to be a logical conclusion after repeatedly being told the group primarily at risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19 are the old and immunocompromised (the latter of which can also include young adults).

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But a third factor has to be a failure of messaging: when people see that bars and restaurants are reopening, it sends a signal that they can safely go to bars and restaurants. When indoor gathering sizes are increased, it sends the message that people can gather. The dissonance between public-health directives and various provincial economic-restart campaigns runs the risk of becoming baffling.

Its also important to remember that partying isnt the only thing that puts young adults at risk of contracting COVID-19 in a reopening economy. A particularly wry headline on the Canadian satirical website The Beaverton reads, "Doug Ford tells young people with COVID-19 to stop partying and start waiting tables indoors."

Indeed, its primarily young adults who work in the bars, restaurants and retail stores the world has been in such a hurry to reopen. Young adults were also among those who were shamed for being on CERB. Some young adults were forced to move back in with their parents when they got laid off from their jobs and couldnt get rent relief.

"Millennial" is not just shorthand for "young"; in fact, the eldest in that demographic are closing in on 40  the segment of the population that is trying to home-school while also working from home  two ideas that, for the vast majority of working parents, are not compatible.

In addition to being the cohort politicians are telling to "knock it off" because some of them have been flouting pandemic restrictions, the young people in question have also been told to get back to work, and to get out and stimulate the sputtering economy. The volume of mixed messages alone might be enough to make them want to blow off a bit of steam.

There have certainly been instances in which the people gathering in close quarters need to "rein it in"; the public-health requirement for caution, common sense and social distancing has not changed. But its worth noting that the scolding tends to come from elected older adults whose intense focus on economic recovery includes deciding the time is right for those bars and restaurants to safely open for business.
Protests over the arrest of the now-former governor of a Russian region almost as close to Hawaii as it is to Moscow persist, with a July 25 march apparently drawing the biggest crowd yet and the Kremlins handing of the matter only adding to the ire. Irina Lagunina, director of special projects at RFE/RLs Russian Service, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the situation in Khabarovsk.
Another restaurant in Sydney has been forced to closed along with two pubs after they were linked to separate cases of coronavirus.

NSW residents are being urged to remain on high alert and monitor their health with the state's total reaching 3,496 after 17 were recorded on Monday.

Late on Monday NSW Health put out an alert for The Apollo restaurant at Potts Point, urging anyone who visited from Thursday 23 to Saturday 25 July to get tested and quarantine for 14 days.

Late on Monday NSW Health put out an alert for The Apollo restaurant at Potts Point, urging anyone who visited from Thursday 23 to Saturday 25 July to get tested and quarantine for 14 days

Testing in Sydney will be ramped up with with residents of Harris Park and Middleton Grange in the city southwest told to get tested (registered Nurse Michelle Gibbons conducts a COVID-19 swab test as large crowds queue at a Bondi Beach drive-through testing clinic on July 22)

Mounties on Meadows Road and the Pritchard's Hotel, both in Mount Pritchard, have also had to close after a customer went to both venues while infected.

All staff and guests who attended Mounties on July 23 between midnight and 3am as well as July 24 between 11am-3pm and 8pm-midnight must isolate for two weeks.

Meanwhile, anyone who was at the bistro of the Pritchard's Hotel on July 23 between 7 and 7.45pm is being told to get tested if they have symptoms.

Pritchards Hotel released a statement on Monday confirming their closure.

'We have been notified today (27 July) that a guest in our venue has tested positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19),' the Facebook post said.

'As a licensed venue, we already have very high standards of cleaning and hygiene in place, and the venue has a detailed deep clean scheduled overnight tonight.

'If you visited Pritchards Hotel on Thursday 23 July between 7.00pm and 7.45pm and have since displayed symptoms, or do so in the next two weeks, we urge you to contact the Department of Health.'

All staff and guests who attended Mounties on July 23 between midnight and 3am as well as July 24 between 11am-3pm and 8pm-midnight must isolate for two weeks

Pritchards Hotel released a statement on Monday confirming their brief closure and that a patron tested positive for the virus

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the coming weeks were critical for managing the spread of the virus and urged the public to remain vigilant.

'NSW given the circumstances is holding the line and doing ok but we are still on high alert,' she said on Monday.

The premier said there had been an improvement in business safety practices since new virus measures were introduced on Friday but said police and compliance officers would continue to monitor the situation.

She also stressed the importance of maintaining physical distancing in public spaces.

'It is so important for all of us not to let down our guard because when you let down your guard the virus can take hold and spread.'

Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged residents to remain vigilant with social distancing to ensure we can 'continue to have this level of freedom'

Four of Monday's cases are linked to the funeral service cluster in Sydney's southwest, three are household contacts of cases associated with the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park, and two are under investigation.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement

Eight are returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

There are now two cases linked to the Thai Rock at Potts Point after a diner who visited the restaurant on July 17 tested positive last week.

A staff member has now also become a confirmed case and investigations to date have not identified links between cases at the two restaurants.

The staff member is not included in the three cases linked to Thai Rock Wetherill Park on Monday.

Anyone who attended the Potts Point restaurant for more than two hours between July 15 and July 25 should get tested and self-isolate for 14 days since they were last there, regardless of symptoms.

A couple who tested positive for COVID-19 following the Bankstown funeral attended Tan Viet Noodle House in Cabramatta, which is also known as Crispy Chicken Noodle House, between 1pm and 2pm on July 22 and An Restaurant in Bankstown between 9am and 11am on July 23.

Anyone who attended these venues is asked to watch for symptoms and get tested if symptoms appear.

A case linked to the funeral cluster is a student at Georges River Grammar School in Georges Hall in Sydney's southwest.

The school is closed for cleaning and close contacts are being directed to self-isolate.

The recent spike in cases in Sydney prompted a tightening of restrictions by the NSW Premier, especially on hospitality venues with hundreds of 'COVID army' officers conducting checks on the weekend (pictured)

A staff member from Potts Point Thai Rock restaurant (pictured) tested positive for COVID-19

NSW Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant told reporters there were 101 COVID-19 cases being treated by NSW Health.

Five people are in intensive care, with 90 per cent of cases in out-of-hospital care.

NSW Police have issued three $1000 infringement notices to residents who failed to self-isolate when returning from Victoria.

Ms Berejiklian implored people not take part in the Black Lives Matter protest planned for Tuesday.

'Conducting a protest at this time is highly irresponsible, we're in a pandemic, this is not usual circumstances.'

The Sydney protest was blocked by the NSW Supreme Court on Sunday due to concerns about COVID-19 community transmission.
U.S. and Russian officials are holding talks on space security after the United States and Britain last week accused Moscow of having launched an anti-satellite weapon.

The one-day dialogue, being held in Vienna on July 27, will focus on space security and had been planned months in advance. Those talks will be followed by three days of nuclear arms-control talks in the Austrian capital.

U.S. Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Christopher Ford said July 24 that "Moscow and Beijing have already turned space into a war-fighting domain."

The United States is proposing rules for responsible behavior in space, which would be modeled on existing rules of war that are based on the principles of proportionality and humanity.

"Our hope is that this meeting will allow us to explore ways to increase security and stability in outer space as well as to advance the cause of developing norms of responsible behavior," Ford told a press conference.

The last bilateral meeting between Russia and the United States on space security took place in 2013.

Russia and China have been backing a rival effort to ban weapons in outer space in an international treaty.

The United States and Britain accused Russia of having tested an anti-satellite weapon in space on July 15.

Moscow denied the accusation, describing the event as an inspection of one satellite by another.

"Russia has always been and remains a country that is committed to the aim of fully demilitarizing outer space and nondeployment of any kinds of arms in outer space," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on July 24 in comments carried by state news agency TASS.

The United States and Britain, however, said a Russian satellite fired a projectile that Ford described as the space equivalent of "a bullet."

Russia has now carried out such a test for the second time, Ford said. The first test took place in 2017.

With reporting by dpa and TASS
Tuteras Tiffany Springs Senior Living Community is among 30 construction projects selected by the Kansas City Business Journal to receive a prestigious 2020 Capstone Award. The prestigious Capstone Award recognizes Tutera's continued commitment to creating the most luxurious and enjoyable lifestyle for area seniors.

Tuteras Tiffany Springs Senior Living Community  a $55 million luxury senior living community in North Kansas City  is among 30 construction projects selected from more than 100 submissions by the Kansas City Business Journal to receive a prestigious Capstone Award, honoring the top real estate and development projects in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

The Kansas City Business Journal featured the 2020 Capstone winners in a special print publication, as well as a digital special section, on July 17, 2020. Tiffany Springs Senior Living Community is one of three recipients in the multifamily category recognized for enhancing and transforming the Kansas City area.

Honorees were chosen based on project size, community impact and innovation  and had to be move-in ready by the end of 2019.

Key players honored included NSPJ Architects, the project architect, and Marian Tutera, interior designer for Tiffany Springs, as well as general contractor Luke Draily Construction Co. and the following engineering firms  Olsson, Bob D. Campbell Co., Latimer Sommers & Associates, Hockenbergs and FP&C Consultants KC LLC.

Tiffany Springs  located at 9191 N. Ambassador Drive in Kansas City, Mo.  is Tutera Senior Living & Health Cares newest continuum-of-care community and extension to the Tiffany Springs Rehabilitation Center. The community offers upscale residential options with country club-style amenities. Tiffany Springs comprises 289,906 square feet on 4.6 beautifully landscaped acres.

We are proud to see the design of our Tiffany Springs Senior Living Community recognized among the most notable new developments in the Kansas City area, said Joe Tutera, chief executive officer of Tutera. The prestigious Capstone Award recognizes our continued commitment to creating the most luxurious and enjoyable lifestyle for area seniors.

The rental-based Tiffany Springs includes 37 memory care, 52 assisted living and 175 independent living residential apartment homes. Each one-bedroom, one-bedroom-plus-den and two-bedroom residence features high-end appliances, upscale finishes, high ceilings, balconies and large windows. The range of residential options are designed to meet the diverse lifestyle preferences of every senior who lives at Tiffany Springs.

About Tutera Senior Living & Health Care

Tutera Senior Living & Health Care is a locally owned, diversified post-acute senior health care provider operating 70 senior living communities in nine states throughout the country. As one of the nations premier senior care providers, Tutera Senior Living & Health Care offers its residents independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, post-surgery rehabilitation, memory care, home health and hospice care. In 1983, Dominic F. Tutera, M.D., founded Tutera to provide compassionate patient care with the uncompromising values of integrity, accountability and commitment. Tutera Senior Living & Health Care still embodies those values today. Tutera is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of its residents and their families through senior living and health care experts who inspire and promote individuality and personal happiness. For more information, visit http://www.Tutera.com.
Presidential Human Rights Council urges aid to persons facilitating fight against COVID-19

 Moskva city news agency, Sergey Kiselev

14:49 27/07/2020

MOSCOW, July 27 (RAPSI)  The Government needs to think over an extension of support measures to persons facilitating the combat doctors and medical establishments wage against the pandemic, according to members of Russias Presidential Human Rights Council.

An invaluable contribution of health workers and volunteers in saving lives and health of the people has been praised by Chair of the Moscow Red Cross Office Igor Trunov during the ceremony of honoring Moscow health workers and volunteers for their services and mercy held by the body. Council members Eva Merkacheva and Igor Borisov attended the event. Trunov venerated the memory of 489 health workers, who died combating the pandemic; Merkacheva and Borisov thanked doctors, nurses, volunteers and all of those who saved people risking their own lives.

In the course of the event rights activists brought up an important issue that families of persons facilitating the work of doctors and medical establishment and assisting them in this work, for instance, volunteers, drivers, guards at medical establishments, and other support staff, who died when helping to combat the disease, deserve financial aid similar to that provided to families of health workers, who fell victims to COVID-19.

The Council finds it necessary to back this initiative and to ask the Government to extend the group of those entitled for pandemic-related financial aid.
Sydneysiders will be banned from entering the Northern Territory for at least another four weeks.

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner confirmed the move on Monday, saying Sydney 'will present a threat for the foreseeable future' due to increasing community transmission.

'For anybody who does come, they know what's waiting for them, two weeks in a supervised facility and a bill for $2500,' he said.

Residents from Port Stephens, north of Sydney, and the Eurobodalla Shire Council area on the south coast are also blacklisted from the Top End.

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner said Sydney 'will present a threat for the foreseeable future' due to its community transmission

Residents from Port Stephens, north of Sydney, and the Eurobodalla Shire Council area on the south coast are also blacklisted from the Top End

The entire state of Victoria was also declared a hotspot prior to the NT reopening its borders on July 17.

Mr Gunner said Victorians likely won't be allowed entry into the NT for some months to come.

'In recent weeks I think the entire nation got a reality check,' he said.

'Any hopes that we'd be through the crisis in a few short months have been dashed. Right now we can't see the finish line.

'We are all in this for the long haul. Coronavirus is not going anywhere, which means our hard borders are not going anywhere.'

The NT Government announced it will spend $20 million to recruit extra police officers and support staff and to bolster the region's borders during the pandemic.

Mr Gunner said 66 frontline officers will join the force along with 30 Aboriginal liaison officers and 10 Aboriginal community officers.

An extra 25 support staff will also be employed to provide administrative and welfare assistance to officers.

'Our police do an incredible job and they are a big part of why the Territory has remained the safest place in Australia,' Mr Gunner said on Monday.

'From protecting our borders to quarantine supervision and compliance checks, COVID-19 has seen our police take on many additional tasks.

'Right now we have more police on the beat than ever before and that number is only going to increase, making our force as strong as possible.'

NSW saw 17 new cases were confirmed across the state from 22,032 tests. Pictured: testing clinic at Bondi

Mr Gunner said it remained unknown how long the pandemic would continue, but vowed the government would always do whatever necessary to keep Territorians safe.

The NT recorded no new cases of COVID-19 overnight and has just two active cases.

NSW saw 17 new cases were confirmed across the state from 22,032 tests.

Four cases are linked to the funeral service cluster in Sydney's southwest, three are household contacts of cases associated with the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park, and two are under investigation.

Eight are returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

There are now two cases linked to the Thai Rock at Potts Point after a diner who visited the restaurant on July 17 tested positive last week.
 Close Trump says he wont go and pay respects to John Lewis at Capitol

The nation's death toll from coronavirus surpassed 150,000 on Wednesday, reaching the highest such figure globally, as Covid-19 infections continue to rise across the US.

Donald Trump meanwhile spent the day travelling to a fundraiser in Texas to support oil drilling efforts, raging against Democrats in a campaign-style speech before signing a series of pipeline permits.

The president claimed in a new interview that he never discussed reports of Russian bounties on the heads of US troops in Afghanistan with Vladimir Putin, as the US announced it will be withdrawing troops from Germany.

Mr Trump claimed the issue of Russian bounties never reached his desk in an interview with Axios, despite reports indicating he received the intelligence in a daily briefing back in February.

This comes as the administration moves forward with plans to pull forces out of Germany after Mr Trump alleged the country was "delinquent in their payments" to the NATO security alliance.

Asked whether he reads his briefings, Mr Trump responded: I do. I read a lot. You know, I read a lot. They like to say I dont read. I read a lot. I comprehend extraordinarily well. Probably better than anybody youve interviewed in a long time. I read a lot.

Justice Department officials also announced that the administration will surge federal officers into three more American cities in electoral battleground states  Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee  as the president prioritises a "law and order" agenda in his 2020 campaign.

Oregon's governor also announced that federal agents in Portland will be withdrawn, per an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, though director Chad Wolf has said that their departure depends on whether the safety of federal properties can be assured amid Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

Follow The Independent's live coverage as it happened

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Kilkenny-based national organisation the Young Irish Filmakers (YIFM) have been invited to the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) to present at its prestigious annual summer school.

The summer school is being held in County Wicklow this year.

The NYCI  which represents organisations working with over 380,000 young people nationwide  is calling on artists and those working with young people from around Kilkenny to join in its annual summer school.

The theme for this years event is Conquer Your Fear: Creative Digital Technology and Youth Work, and it takes place from May to June 1 in Kippure, near Blessington.

Were delighted to have Young Irish Filmmakers at the summer school this year, says Anne O Gorman of the NYCI .

Their workshop Overcoming Obstacles in Digital Film is proving really popular, and is sure to provide a fascinating insight into the filmmaking process.

No previous experience is necessary.

At this year's youth arts summer school, we're bringing together youth workers, volunteers and youth arts practitioners to look at new skills for delivering creative activities using new technologies  and the confidence to use them, said Ms O Gorman.

If you think you need to know more about all things digital, and would like to bring technology-enhanced activities spanning electronics, robotics and digital filmmaking into your work with young people then we would encourage you to book your place and join us in Kippure.

For more information see youtharts.ie, contact anneog@nyci.ie or call 01-4784122.

Participants can choose from two areas to focus on over the three days and the subsided cost (including accommodation) for each is:

Overcoming Obstacles in Digital Film: 300 non-members/250 members;

Makers Gonna Make: 350.00 non-members/300.00 members (includes 'maker-kit' worth 250).
GARY  A wanted man who led Region police on a more than 120 mph vehicle chase into Illinois Monday fled into a wooded area after crashing, officials said.

Lake County police were still searching for the driver in that incident as of Monday afternoon, sheriff's department spokeswoman Pamela Jones said.

The pursuit began about 11 a.m. near Fifth Avenue and Burr Street in Gary. Officers were patrolling the area when they noticed a black Infiniti with a suspected stolen license plate, Jones said.

Officers tried to stop the driver, but he sped away, onto the Borman Expressway, Jones said.

Two police vehicles boxed in the Infiniti near the Bishop Ford Freeway at 159th Street, at which point the driver jumped out the passenger window and ran into nearby woods, Jones said.

Police located a female passenger inside the vehicle, Jones said.

Illinois State Police later notified Lake County police of a red Nissan spotted nearby, which they believed may have had the same suspect inside, Jones said.

That driver later crashed near 130th Street in Chicago, then fled on foot into an area neighborhood, Jones said.
President Donald Trump pauses during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, July 23, 2020.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

President Donald Trump began to acknowledge the growing threat and impact of the coronavirus pandemic during Tuesday's coronavirus task force press briefing.

However, his change of tone appears to stem from his concern over his ability to be re-elected in November.

According to CNN, Trump and his team discussed polls that showed him trailing behind presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden the morning of the briefing.

Despite that change, it's not clear how long this apparent acknowledgment of the pandemic will last and if it can reverse some of the damage of his response in the first six months.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump seemed on Tuesday to grasp the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic during his first coronavirus task force press briefing since April.

But while news outlets and pundits praised the president for his "somber tone," the switch from heavily focusing on reopening (despite the warning of public health experts) to a sudden urging of the public to don masks and avoid bars, Trump's change of tone appears to not be a reversal on his denial of the threat of the pandemic, but rather a realization that the denial could cause him to lose the upcoming presidential elections.

According to CNN, Trump and his team had discussed election polls that showed him trailing former Vice President Joe Biden prior to his briefing on Tuesday. People familiar with the conversation told CNN that some aides brought up the fact that taking a serious tone on the coronavirus has in the past been successful for Trump.

"This is a case when you line it all up, it's the last season of 'The Apprentice,' we've got 100 days left and the reality TV star just got mugged by reality," Rahm Emanuel, who served in Congress and as White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama told The New York Times.

Story continues

"I think he is finally starting to get it," one Trump adviser told CNN about the president's understanding of his reelection and the pandemic, "But can he do this for the next 100 days? I think if he does, he wins."

CNN reported that in an average of recent national polls, Biden is leading by an average of 12 percentage points. Biden is also leading in several key states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Minnesota, a series of Fox News polls from this week showed.

Medical workers use a nasal swab to test a person for the coronvavirus on July 22, 2020 in Florida.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Aides also showed Trump a series of polls that showed that more and more citizens are disapproving of his handling of the pandemic, CNN reported.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 60% of the 1,006 respondents disapproved of Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, as Business Insider's Sonam Sheth and John Haltiwanger pointed out, while Trump may have finally acknowledged that the coronavirus is a real threat, he hasn't taken any responsibility for how his policies and actions as president have impacted the course of the pandemic in the US, and he is also very likely to change his tune on the topic very quickly.

As of Friday, the US had over four million coronavirus cases with more than 145,000 deaths. The World Health Organization reported the largest single-day increase for cases worldwide with 284,196 cases, of which almost 70,000 came from the US alone.

While Trump may have canceled the Republican National Convention in Florida, he did so because aides told him the move would show leadership, CNN said, quoting two sources familiar with the matter. The New York Times later reported that the move may have been also motivated by finances.

"I thought I had an obligation not to have large numbers, massive numbers of people crowded into a room," Trump said during an interview on Fox News.

Michael Neel, funeral director of of All Veterans Funeral and Cremation, wearing full PPE, looks at the U.S. flag on the casket of George Trefren, a 90 year old Korean War veteran who died of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in a nursing home, in Denver, Colorado, April 23, 2020.

Rick Wilking/Reuters

Just last month, despite public health recommendation, Trump held a rally in Tulsa, and several members of his security detail were asked to quarantine after two Secret Service agents tested positive for the virus. Health experts have said the rally most likely contributed to surging cases in the country.

While largely sticking to a script during his coronavirus briefings this week (except when he wished Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell "well"), it's hard to tell how long it will last or if it could erase the past six months of largely denying the threat of the pandemic.

Trump has previously suggested people inject disinfectant, undermined medical experts on his own coronavirus task force, claimed the pandemic was a hoax perpetrated by the fake-news media, and touted unproven medical cures such as hydroxychloroquine.

The president up until this week had pushed for an economic reopening despite the risk it posed to the public. Last month, he told The Wall Street Journal that those wear masks do so as a political statement against him, before suddenly encouraging mask-wearing this week. And while experts have said it's probably not safe to reopen schools, Trump has continued to push for schools to reopen and previously threatened to withhold federal funding from schools that don't reopen in the fall.

And while Trump has encouraged public-health-expert-backed mitigation strategies like masks, and not going to bars, the administration still lacks a comprehensive national testing strategy and has largely abdicated federal responsibility beyond CDC guidelines, which has led to an uneven response by individual states.

Meanwhile, states across the country, especially in the South and the West, are struggling to get cases under control and some areas are facing shortages of hospital beds to treat severe cases.

The main model used to estimate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States now predicts close to 220,000 deaths by November 1. Experts have consistently said that proper protocols taken early on could have prevented hospital systems from being overburdened, which would have led to fewer deaths.

It's not clear how long Trump can keep this tune, or if it will help his re-election campaign, but the pandemic in the US isn't slowing down, and experts are still worried what that means when a likely second wave hits in the fall.

Read the original article on Business Insider
In Circular No.21/2019/TT-BXD released in this April, the Ministry of Construction has given permission to developers to build at least 25 per centof the apartment units in their projects with the area of 25-45 square metres.

Sky Oasis Ecopark located in Hung Yen province invested by Ecopark Group JSC is offering small scale units to the market

According to Le Hoang Chau, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association (HoREA), this is a good solution to meet the increasing demand for housing and reduce the shortage of affordable units in the market.

Almost three million immigrants in Vietnams largest city are in need of small apartments. In addition, smaller units will also attract foreign buyers living in Vietnam, Chau said.

Small units costing between VND750 million and VND1 billion ($32,600-43,480) are a suitable housing option for this group who require small but high-quality units.

These small apartments will also solve the housing needs of people with more modest finances, limit the prevalence of temporary housing, and activate the market by generating good consumption and exciting deals.

Before the new regulation was issued, to answer the high demand for small units, Ecopark Group JSC had begun building small units at the Ecopark project in Hung Yen province, 15 kilometres from Hanoi.

Sky Oasis Ecopark is selling units from 30 to 100 square metres with prices ranging from VND890 million to VND6 billion ($38,700-260,870) each.

However, there are also negative opinions about these types of properties. Tran Ngoc Chinh, chairman of the Vietnam Urban Development Planning Association, commented that the high density of small apartment units in a project could impact the neighbouring infrastructure system.

Aidan Wee, co-founder and executive director of PropNex Realty Vietnam, told VIR that the supply of small housing units often leads to speculation.

Speculators buy early and in bulk only to sub-sell the units for quick capital gains. The rampant exploitation of these speculative opportunities was made possible by the huge supply and demand imbalance. Homebuyers with real demand will have to pay a premium to such investors if they are unable to secure a unit from the developer, Wee said.

A vicious cycle is created when developers are tempted by the profit margin investors make by reselling their units and look to pocket some of this margin by increasing the selling price of subsequent units. This has driven the market price of affordable housing almost even with mid-end products.

As such, I personally think that the proposal  while it is a step in the right direction  will not be effective by itself. A more comprehensive framework must be developed by the Ministry of Construction to support mass-market housing along with the concept of subsidised public housing in Singapore. Further moves by the ministry could be to introduce policies to curb speculation in the affordable housing segment and also other incentives to encourage developers to build affordable housing, he added.

Meanwhile, Pham Lam, CEO of DKRA Vietnam, said that in order to limit the negative impacts of small unit speculation, the government must plan clearly in which locations can developers add small units to their projects. Priority should be given to areas near industrial zones, universities, and large-scale factories.

The proportion of permitted units should range from 10 to 25 per cent which should be decided based on location and the projects infrastructure system.

In general, small apartments are a solution based on real housing demand. However, in order for this policy to be complete and yield practical benefits, it is necessary to have strict and coordinated regulations from the government, the state, developers, organisations, and related bodies, Lam said.
American diplomatic staff have left their consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu, after a 72-hour deadline expired. China ordered the closure in response to the US closing the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas last week. Before Monday's deadline, staff were seen leaving the building, a plaque was removed, and a US flag was lowered. China's foreign ministry said Chinese staff entered the building after the deadline and "took over".

As BBC reports, a US state department spokesperson said: "The consulate has stood at the centre of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years. "We are disappointed by the Chinese Communist Party's decision and will strive to continue our outreach to the people in this important region through our other posts in China." As the US consulate closed, local residents gathered outside, with many waving Chinese flags and taking selfies.

Last Wednesday the US ordered the Chinese consulate in Houston to close, alleging that it had become a hub for spying and property theft. Tensions have been escalating between the two countries over a number of issues:

- US President Donald Trump's administration has clashed repeatedly with Beijing over trade and the coronavirus pandemic

- Washington has also condemned the imposition by China of a controversial new security law in Hong Kong

- Last week, a Singaporean man pleaded guilty in a US court to working as an agent of China

- Also last week, four Chinese nationals were charged in a separate case with US visa fraud for allegedly lying about serving in China's military

What happened in Chengdu?

Chinese state media showed pictures of lorries leaving the consulate and workers removing diplomatic insignia from the building. On Monday morning, state broadcaster CCTV posted a video of the US flag being taken down. Dozens of Chinese police were deployed outside the building, urging onlookers to move on. However, boos were heard when a bus with tinted windows left the building on Sunday, AFP news agency reports. When Chinese diplomats left their mission in Houston last week they were jeered by protesters.

Why did China choose to close the US consulate in Chengdu?

Last week the foreign ministry said the closure was a "legitimate and necessary response" to the actions taken by the US. Staff at the consulate were "engaged in activities outside of their capacity, interfered in China's internal affairs, and endangered China's security and interests", the statement said. The Chengdu consulate, established in 1985, represented US interests over a vast area of south-west China.

The consulate was seen as strategically important, because it allowed the US to gather information on Tibet, where there has been long-running pressure for independence. Rights groups have long accused China of religious repression and human rights abuses in Tibet, which Beijing denies. With its industry and growing services sector, Chengdu also is seen by the US as providing opportunities for exports of agricultural products, cars and machinery. The majority of the diplomatic mission's more than 200 employees were hired locally. The closure leaves the US with four consulates in mainland China and an embassy in the capital Beijing. It also has a consulate in Hong Kong.

What happened in Houston last week?

China lost its Houston mission last week, but still has four other consulates in the US and an embassy in Washington DC. After a 72-hour deadline for Chinese diplomats to leave the Houston consulate expired on Friday, reporters saw men who appeared to be US officials force open a door to enter the premises. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington had acted because Beijing was "stealing" intellectual property. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin responded that the US move was based on "a hodgepodge of anti-Chinese lies".

Why is there tension between China and the US?

There are a number of things at play. US officials have blamed China for the global spread of Covid-19. More specifically, President Trump has alleged, without evidence, that the virus originated from a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan. And, in unsubstantiated remarks, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said in March that the US military might have brought the virus to Wuhan. The US and China have also been locked in a tariff war since 2018.

Mr Trump has long accused China of unfair trading practices and intellectual property theft, but in Beijing there is a perception that the US is trying to curb its rise as a global economic power. The US has also imposed sanctions on Chinese politicians who it says are responsible for human rights violations against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. China is accused of mass detentions, religious persecution and forced sterilisation of Uighurs and others. Beijing denies the allegations and has accused the US of "gross interference" in its domestic affairs.
Chingari, Roposo, Khabri and Trell are seeing huge traction as people are looking at options to earn incentives from home. Music streaming app Gaana, which is strongly placed in the market with 150 million users, recently opened up its short video platform for subscribers.

The year was 2017. India had not experienced TikTok yet but Shanghai-headquartered Musical.ly was gaining popularity in the country.

Two friends from tier-II cities of Bhilai and Cuttack, Sumit Ghosh and Biswatma Nayak, who were working at IT consulting company Globussoft, got inspired by the video sharing app and started building something similar for India's smaller cities.

During the same time, ByteDance bought Musical.ly and merged it with its mega app TikTok.

It started spending millions of dollars, cannibalising the India small video content market.

However, Ghosh and Nayak did not lose faith in their application and Chingari was born in 2018.

We couldnt compete with it (Tiktok) but kept on adding features to the app and building it, says Ghosh, an alumnus of Bhilai Institute of Technology in Durg.

Ghosh, who is also the founder of cash-rich IT firm Globussoft, was putting in money in the app.

He knew that their time will come, sooner or later.

And then came the decision of the Indian government to ban 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok in June.

The fortunes of the Indian company have completely turned since then.

The app, which was almost non-existent till recently, is now being hailed as an alternative to TikTok and has witnessed over 17 million downloads in a month.

The company is today spending $3,000 per day in backend infrastructure to take load of the rising user base.

Its servers are overloaded after frequent download of the app post TikToks ban.

It is building Indias first machine learning-based personalisation and recommendation engine which can predict the content sensibilities of 200 million Indians.

Chingari has rolled out Indias first digital reality show Chingari Stars, doling out a prize money of Rs 1 crore that is expected to further swell the apps user base.

The lockdown has also added to the traction that video and audio apps such as Chingari, Roposo, Khabri and Trell are seeing as people are looking at options to earn incentives from home.

Now is the time for passion economy. With the lockdown, people are forced to look at their passion as a formidable way to generate money, says Pulkit Sharma, founder of Khabri.

Sharma is planning to fill the content gap by turning his app into a personalised radio for users.

Khabri is not a TikTok alternative but has suddenly started seeing huge surge in downloads by up to 80 per cent everyday as it is an audio streaming platform in Hindi.

It appeals perfectly to people in tier-II and tier-III cities who face bandwidth issues while downloading video content.

It provides podcast in 18 different categories including poetry, storytelling, motivational speeches and humour.

When Khabri was started in 2017, video was being touted as the future.

I came close to being funded at several instances but the investor would say we will fund you but promise us that you will do video eventually, remembers Sharma, who was rejected by over 40 investors in the early years.

A BIT Mesra graduate, he says the company has been approached by up to 10 investors for funding after the Chinese apps were red-flagged by India.

Music streaming app Gaana, which is strongly placed in the market with 150 million users, recently opened up its short video platform for subscribers.

It has already been going strong with music influencers making videos for fans.

The secret sauce of the app is the machine learning engine that Gaana has built over the last 6 years for offering personalised recommendation to users, explains its CEO Prashan Agarwal.

About 70-80 per cent of content on TikTok was music based.

"It was also a major promotion vehicle for promoting a song. Both these aspects are tightly aligned with Gaana, adds Agarwal, who aims to make Gaana a super app with music, short videos and podcasts being the three pillars of growth.

Pulkit Agrawal, founder of lifestyle social network Trell, has seen his app log 20 million downloads in a month and is going to close a funding round next month.

A coder since the age of eight, Agrawal has developed several apps in the past, including an advanced calculator and a monopoly board game during his IIT Bombay days.

His latest venture, Trell, is like a video Pinterest for Bharat where you can discover your interests such as movies, food, cooking, and gadgets.

The platform is now adding a reaction video maker and live talk show feature to enable content creators who lost the TikTok platform develop a sturdy base here.

Another TikTok alternative, Roposo, which was acquired by InMobi last year, is allowing content developers connect with brands and small business owners to showcase their ventures to earn incentives.

Founded by three IIT Delhi friends Mayank Bhangadia, Avinash Saxena and Kaushal Shubhank in 2014, it is present in 12 languages.

It has seen its user base swell to 80 million with an average user consuming 40 minutes of video content on the platform everyday.

We are working towards making users come together and collaborate to create interesting content, says Saxena.

Experts say in a bid to fill the artificial gap created by the ban, Indian apps should stick to being themselves, showcasing their plus points while taking TikToks users on their platforms.

Companies should not see their products from the lens of TikTok.

"It also had a deep cultural impact on India.

"These apps need to target the deeper parts of India where TikTok was really at the grassroots level and it made changes in the lives of these people, says digital marketing expert Karthik Srinivasan.
A pure evil former X-Factor contestant is facing years behind bars after launching "calm and calculated" sex attacks on nine women over a 22-year period.

Serial rapist Phillip Blackwell, whose X-Factor audition was broadcast in the 2008 series, admitted the offences at a previous hearing and is set to be sentenced on Monday.

He used a camcorder to film himself attacking young women after launching his first assault in 1997.

The 56-year-old carefully targeted five young vulnerable women who were walking alone in Birmingham, Coventry and Nuneaton, Warwick Crown Court was told.

He took steps to disguise himself by putting on a soft Irish accent and wearing a balaclava or mask while attacking his victims.

But the court heard how his fear of being caught did not match his desire for notoriety and fame.

Following on from his attacks in the late 1990s in the Midlands, Blackwell then carried out a string of sexual offences on another four women in the Launceston area of Cornwall between 2005 and 2019.

At previous court hearings, Blackwell pleaded guilty to 31 sex offences, including rape, attempted rape, indecent assault, assault by penetration, voyeurism and false imprisonment.

Describing Blackwells predatory instincts to the court, prosecutor Adrian Langdale QC said: Hes a serial rapist whose campaign of abuse has spanned over 22 years.

He identified young females dressed in a particular way that he found attractive, followed them in his car got in front of his victims and got into a place where he could carry out his attack.

It was cold, calculated behaviour.

Mr Langdale said some of Blackwells attacks were carried out on women who were unconscious, saying he plied victims with alcohol in order to get compliance.

The former X-Factor hopeful, from Launceston, often used delusional terms while attacking his victims, as one woman was told: If I met a girl like you, I would want to marry you. I want you to enjoy this.

Another woman was told: Im not going to hurt you, were just going to make love if thats OK?

Mr Langdale said Blackwell took steps to conceal his true identity, with his first victim being told to close her eyes and count to 100 after he had finished attacking her.

One victim managed to persuade Blackwell to remove his balaclava and not to rape her  as he said she should be a social worker for talking him out of it.

He also threatened his victims in order to prevent them from telling the police, with one woman being told: I know where you live. You have a beautiful body and I can do this over and over again because I know where you live.

Mr Langdale told the court how Blackwell often grabbed his victims from behind by their neck or head and rammed them to the floor before raping or sexually assaulting them.

Victim personal statements of some of the women were read to the court, with one woman describing him as pure evil.

The court was told how one woman was left feeling really horrible and dirty and how he had made her feel frightened and nervous.

Another victim said she had lived in fear for so long and one woman said the attack on her had had a devastating and long-lasting effect.

Additional reporting by PA Media
Delta lawmaker, Peter Nwaoboshi, has dared the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, on the list of lawmakers who allegedly got contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Mr Akpabio had, on Sunday, released the names of some federal lawmakers involved.

He listed Mr Nwaoboshi against 53 projects.

Some of the projects include emergency repairs of Asue Street, Owa Phase 2; ldumuogbe Road via Ojemaye; Otolokpo College Road, Otolokpo; and the Police lshu Ani Ukwu Road, Issele Uku.

Mr Akpabio also listed two other senators. He said Matthew Urhoghide got six projects, James Manager got six contracts while a former senator, Samuel Anyanwu, got 19 projects.

The former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC, Nicholas Mutu, was also named by the minister as receiving 74 contracts  the highest among the listed lawmakers.

Some of the projects are emergency roads in Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers states.

A few others were simply identified as Ondo and Edo Reps.

This was in response to the threat issued by the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, to sue the minister for alleged defamation of character.

Mr Akpabio in a hearing with the House panel alleged that the majority of the contracts in the NDDC were given out to members of the National Assembly but was challenged by Mr Gbajabiamila to name the lawmakers involved in the scandal within 48 hours.

The minister earlier retracted his claim saying his reference was not to current lawmakers of the ninth assembly.

But reacting to the list released by the minister, Mr Nwaoboshi, said the allegation has no bearing with the truth. He challenged Mr Akpabio to send the so-called list to anti-graft and other security agencies if he can substantiate the apparently baseless allegation.

Mr Nwaoboshi who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta, said he would not make further comments on the matter because it is currently before two competent courts of law.

READ ALSO:

However, suffice it to say that this unsubstantiated allegation is in line with Mr Akpabios well-known agenda to continuously blackmail me so as to keep diverting public attention away from the serious mismanagement of the NDDC by the Interim Management Committee (IMC) under his supervision and under the guise of a phantom forensic audit that has no operating timeline, part of his statement read.

Mr Nwaoboshi, who is already facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and money laundering instituted by the EFCC, further advised Mr Akpabio and the IMC to focus their energy on explaining to Nigerians how they spent a whopping N81.5b within five months.

Senator Peter Nwaoboshi

The revelations of reckless spending by the NDDC, he said, are just a tip of the mind-boggling and reckless payments running into billions of naira paid by the IMC members to themselves and expended with the approval of Mr Akpabio on mundane and useless projects that have no developmental impact on the life and livelihood of the Niger Delta people as envisioned by the founding fathers of the NDDC.

This is even as he asked Mr Akpabio and his IMC to apologise to the Niger Delta people in particular and Nigerians in general for this grand wastage arising from their crass incompetence.

As a realist, I am confident that a day will come when Mr. Akpabio and his IMC will have a date with the law, he said.

Manager demands proof

In a separate statement, Mr Manager said his tenure as chairman of Niger Delta committee in the Senate effectively ended in 2015 and that he has never visited NDDC headquarters in Portharcourt or any of its branches since then.

He said the NDDC never awarded any contract to any company owned by him.

I do not know of any company owned by me that has ever gone into bidding of government jobs anywhere in the world. (This may come to many as a surprise but this is the gospel truth).

Those who are alleging to defame me must be aware of the consequences, part of the statement read.

He, therefore, demanded that in the interest of the public, the NDDC provides a detailed description of the said jobs, names of companies, payments already made and to whom?, job performance and the directors as they appear in the Corporate Affairs Commission.

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When contacted, Sam Anyawu said he would hold a press briefing on Tuesday. Matthew Urhoghide and Nicholas Mutiu could not be reached via phone.

This controversy comes days after the Senate resolved to investigate allegations of corruption levelled by the NDDC against some lawmakers.

The Senate gave its committee on ethics, privileges and public petitions four weeks to probe the allegations made by the management of the NDDC and Mr Akpabio.

Both the House and the Senate have been investigating alleged misappropriation of funds and financial recklessness in the commission.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation discussed the law on a special procedure for local self-government in ORDLO and the law of decentralization, which amends the Constitution of Ukraine.

"The parties also discussed the Law on the Special Procedure for Local Self-Government in Certain Districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which is being considered by the TCG political subgroup, and the Law on Decentralization, which provides for amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine," the presidential press service said on Sunday.
Mothers form the front line of a protest in Portland, Oregon on July 20, 2020.

Nathan Howard/Getty Images

A 'wall of vets' joined the front lines of protests in Portland, Oregon Friday, the New York Times reported.

The military veterans joined the protests to support protester's rights to free speech one week after a navy veteran was struck by a federal officer after approaching them to ask a question, according to the report.

The veterans formed a line in front of a fence outside a federal courthouse and stayed there until tear gas broke up the crowd.

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A wall of veterans joined the front lines of protests in Portland, Oregon on Friday to support demonstrator's rights to free speech, Mike Baker of the New York Times reported.

The "Wall of Vets" joins other groups that have joined together to protect protesters, including "Wall of Moms" and "Wall of Dads."

The veterans lined up together in front of a fence outside the federal courthouse, the Times reported. They stayed there until tear gas broke up the crowd.

Screen Shot 2020 07 26 at 4.57.08 PM

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There have been ongoing protests in Portland for two months since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. In the last two weeks, protesters have clashed with federal agents deployed by President Donald Trump to quell the protests over police violence.

Local officials including Portland's Mayor Ted Wheeler and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown have called for the federal agents to leave the city, saying actions including use of tear gas, force, and pulling protesters into unmarked vans is making things worse.

In one incident, federal agents hit Christopher J. David, a navy veteran, with a baton and sprayed him with pepper spray after he asked them if they felt their actions violated the constitution, the Times reported.

The incident was one of the reasons the wall of veterans was motivated to form, Duston Obermeyer, a Marine Corps veteran, told the Times.

Early Sunday, the police declared a riot in downtown Portland after protesters toppled a fence surrounding the federal courthouse during a night of protests. Federal agents then "deployed multiple rounds of tear gas," The Oregonian reported.

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As the non-QM mortgage market returns, a popular program is coming back to the forefront. Bank statement loans are often a good option for borrowers who are self-employed or may not have a consistent income and a traditional way of proving their salary. It allows business owners, freelancers, contractors, and seasonal or gig workers the ability to secure a mortgage without the documentation that is usually required to verify income, such as W2 tax forms or pay stubs.

The bank statement products became a staple for the non-QM space because it allowed borrowers, often self-employed, access to capital, said Will Fisher, division vice president at Arc Home. When the non-QM products disappeared for that three- to four-month period, self-employed borrowers had to return to hard money or attempt the traditional style of qualification, with the added strain of a global pandemic.

In these situations, borrowers may have trouble qualifying for a conventional or FHA loan because the income on tax returns is not always an accurate representation of income earned. This may be the case because of adjustments for deductions or business write-offs. Thats where a bank statement loan can be a great option. Unlike hard or private money in nearly all cases, it wont require a short term with a balloon payment, prepayment penalty, or exorbitant fees and rates.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty

In the 2010s, as Instagram slowly became the preferred social media platform for fashion and lifestyle brands, along came those who managed to build enormous social media followings and make a living out of brand partnerships.

Influencer marketing became a core part of brands business strategies, and influencers were often paid an easy four to five figures per post. The influencer marketing industry is on track to be worth up to $15 billion by 2022. While the sector is fairly new, primarily targeting younger, more racially diverse millennials and members of Gen-Z, it still isnt lacking in racial disparities when it comes to pay.

Meghan Markles BFF Jessica Mulroney Fired From TV Gig After Threatening Black Influencer Sasha Exeter

Black and Latinx influencers have recently taken to their social media channels to discuss how they are paid less than their white counterparts, overlooked for certain ad campaigns, and are often targeted just for campaigns for the racial and ethnic group they belong to. A Google search shows that the majority of the highest paid influencers have a dearth of people of color.

Recently, a new Instagram account called @influencerpaygap began exposing the difference in pay influencers of color sometimes face. Brands may claim to stand for inclusivity and equality, yet some are yet to fullyand equallycompensate Black and Latinx influencers.

Claire Sulmers, CEO of Fashion Bomb Daily and an influencer with over 225,000 followers on Instagram, has been collaborating with brands for ambassadorships since 2014 when she was approached by Toyota for an influencer marketing campaign.

As a Black influencer, she often works with multicultural factions of companies and she is traditionally approached for campaigns geared toward the Black community. (Sulmers sister works in influencer marketing giving her more insight into the issues.)

Sulmers said that that Black influencers are often compensated lower than their white counterparts. Sulmers herself has been in situations where brands try to pay her in free product rather than actual monetary compensation.

Story continues

People often try to offer me stuff instead of payment, Sulmers said. The feeling is clear that Black influencers arent valued as much as our white counterparts. Ive had zero major fashion brands approach me for campaigns. Most of my partnerships for myself and Fashion Bomb Daily have come from small boutiques and independent designers. Ive had billion-dollar fashion brands, like Puma, tell me they dont have the budgets to offer monetary compensation.

Most of my brand ambassadorships have come from hair brands. If fashion brands want to do something strategic about being more diverse, I have a strong demographic, and they might not think Im the demographic they want, but I could be.

The Daily Beast reached out to Puma for comment on what, if any, efforts they are taking toward all influencers being compensated fairly. The company did not immediately respond for comment.

In the wake of the George Floyd protests, many brands were hopping on the social media bandwagon by posting black squares for #blackouttuesday.

When fashion retailer Revolve posted a black square, people began calling out the company for a lack of diversity, and how they needed to do more to elevate Black voices within their company. Sulmers thought this would be an excellent opportunity to partner with the brand, but nothing came from it.

When Revolve admitted they werent doing enough for diversity and wanted to do more, I emailed a direct contact the company to see about potentially partnering with them, Sulmers said. I didnt hear a word. I realized that waiting for the industry to change is like watching paint dry, so I decided to seek validation and success for myself outside of the traditional avenues of fashion.

The Daily Beast reached out Revolve for a statement on how they plan to ensure fair compensation for their influencer campaigns going forward. The company did not respond.

When @influencerpaygap launched their account six weeks ago, they shared the story of a white content creator with 30,000 Instagram followers who said they were hired for the same 2017 LOreal ad campaign that biracial transgender model Munroe Bergdorf was also hired for.

Bergdorf has 470,000 followers and made history as the first transgender model to front a LOreal campaign. The white content creator said they were hired at a fee of 5000 ($6,390) to replace a bigger name celebrity who had originally dropped out. The celebrity later showed up, so they didnt end up using the influencer but still paid her the full fee.

This post became a point of controversy as several commenters said Bergdorf was paid half of that for the campaign, and was later fired by LOreal due to remarks she made about issues of racial oppression and white supremacy.

When LOreal participated in #blackouttuesday in the wake of George Floyd protests Bergdorf took to social media to call them out for how she was fired and mistreated by them. To right their wrongs LOreal rehired Bergdorf and formed a Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board that she will be a part of.

The Daily Beast reached out to LOreal Paris regarding influencer pay and what the company will due to ensure all influencers are paid equally moving forward. The company did not respond.

The things you are afraid to approach are the things you need to learn to navigate.

Igee Okafor, a menswear influencer with a following of 95,000 Instagram followers, has worked for three different digital marketing agencies. This gave him unique insight into how influencers should be paid so he knew his worth as a Black influencer.

When influencers say they arent offered enough money, there isnt enough education to teach influencers how much they should be charging as a business, Okafor said. As influencers, we arent just charging brands to post. We are charging brands for the audience reach we bring them. We are charging them for our creative production including photography and photo editing.

Influencers often find themselves reluctant to try and negotiate for themselves too out of fear of looking too pushy and earning reputations for being difficult to work with.

When I started as an influencer, I didnt feel comfortable negotiating myself, because I was worried about leaving a bad impression on a client, Okafor said. I didnt want to lose future opportunities because I developed a reputation of being difficult to work with. My advice to other influencers would be the things you are afraid to approach are the things you need to learn to navigate.

As companies were being called out for their discriminatory practices during the beginning days of the George Floyd protests, Fohran influencer marketing platform offering services to influencers including subscription self-served, managed campaigns, and custom-built technology allowing members to book campaignsbecame a focus of criticism.

Several Black influencers came together to form the @openfohr account to reveal how the company engaged in allegedly discriminatory practices. Open Fohrs first Instagram post revealed that there was an almost $6,000 difference in pay between a Black influencer and a white passing influencer.

Fohr CEO James Nord would later address these issues in a video townhall, refuting allegations that his company was in any way racist. Nord pointed to figures saying white influencers earn $8.16 per 1,000 followers while Black influencers earn $8.14 per 1,000 followers.

In addition, of Fohrs influencers, 16 percent identify as Black. Of the companys total payouts, 23 percent went went to Black influencers. Fohr is currently reevaluating how they calculate rates to ensure more fair pricing going forward.

For Latinx influencers, navigating the influencer marketing industry is just as challenging.

Diego Leon, founder of Dandy in the Bronx, is an Ecuadorian American, and has over 42,000 Instagram influencers. Over the course of his career hes managed to secure brand partnerships with everything from hotels to dating apps. On several occasions hes been tapped for Latino-specific campaigns, but hes also been faced with brands treating Latinos like they are a monolithic group.

Ive been approached for campaigns for Latinx nationalities I dont belong to, Leon said. Im Ecuadorian, and there have been times when Ive been approached by brands targeting Dominicans, to which I respond, Keep going further south to find out where I am from.

Like many minority influencers Leon has also been left with the question of what counts as fair compensation.

There are brands that approach you with free product and act like that is compensation enough, Leon said. At the same time, they are still expecting deliverables like a certain amount of Instagram stories, posts, and written content. Its up to us influencers to explain what we are worth. We are often photographers, photo editors, and content creators. So many brands want cheap or free labor, but I cant pay the bills with free suits. I have to explain to them there is cost for my time and energy.

Leon said that in order for influencer marketing to become a more playing field, there has to be more accountability for brands and public relation firms.

Companies are often times just focused on getting numbers and impressions and dont actually research the people they are partnering with.

There has been a movement for influencers to unionize to hold marketing companies and the marketing division brands accountable and help further ensure equal pay and fair treatment of all influencers.

Leon keeps pushing on because he knows that representation matters, and more diverse voices need to be brought to the table.

The moment still needs to happen for Latino creators, he said. Brands also need to understand that there are different types of Latinos. Theres black Latinos, theres white Latinos. Companies need to do more than just say Heres a pretty person, lets send them a product. More Latinos need to come together, because as long as brands see us as numbers or stats, they will keep treating us like thats all we are.

Lissette Calveiro, CEO of Influence To Impact, teaches creators how to build their social media presence and become influencers.

As a Latina influencer with 49,000 Instagram followers and as a seasoned marketing professional, shes been on both sides of the industry.

She began noticing the pay disparity Latinx influencers face several years ago and worked to correct these injustices.

Back when I used to manage influencer marketing campaigns, I would actually pay minority influencers more, especially if they were the only onethat meant they were uniquely valuable, she said. The big problem with Latinx influencers is that they arent negotiating for themselves. That ties into a bigger problem of them not knowing their worth, or understanding their worth. Sometimes I would tell them, Well, if you can do this one extra thing for the brand, we can pay you a higher rate, as a way of trying to tell them they shouldnt be afraid to ask for more money.

Calveiro said that brands often want minority influencers to be part of campaigns without addressing how these campaigns speak to a particular influencers culture.

Often times, we are given campaigns for what are clearly white audiences and we wonder what story we are supposed to sell, she said. On the positive side, there are other brands that tell us to be really authentic because they want our diverse voice and opinion.

She herself has made it a personal point to partner with brands that allow her to tell her stories authentically, especially if its something she can connect to her Latina heritage.

Brands are starting to diversify themselves by asking more influencers to be part of general marketing campaigns. More Latinx influencers are looking for brands who want to partner with them to tell their cultural histories.

Calveiro also said that brands need to do better research and remember that not all Latinx people are one nation, and Latinx people come from a variety of countries.

More diverse influencers need to be invited to the conversations around influencer marketing year-round and build a network of Latinx influencers to pull from, she said. After that, brands need to allow non-white influencers the freedom to create content around their own cultural context.

It is important that we are allowed to bring our own stories to the table and make brand partnerships personal, because people can see right through the inauthenticity of just posting a product to buy.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Jerusalem, July 27 : Israel plans to gradually resume international flights following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approval for a plan to do so, Transport Minister Miri Regev announced.

"We will do this responsibly, in full coordination, with the approval of the Ministry of Health and the National Security Council, and subject to the morbidity data," Xinhua news agency quoted Regev as saying in a statement on Sunday night.

According to the plan, passengers arriving from countries defined as "green" with low COVID-19 morbidity rate will only be quarantined for five days instead of the current 14 days.

Passengers arriving from "red" countries with a high morbidity rate will be required to conduct a coronavirus test before boarding a flight to Israel.

In June, Netanyahu estimated that the reopening of Israeli skies to flights would be on August 1.

However, the number of new daily coronavirus cases has since jumped from a few dozen to more than 2,000, which has delayed the plan.

On July 20, Israel extended flight restrictions until at least September 1.

The restrictions ban the entry of foreigners into Israel, excluding exceptional cases approved by the Population and Immigration Authority under the 14-day quarantine obligation.
Photo: (Photo : unsplash/CDC)

A team from The University of Texas at Austin redesigned a key protein from the coronavirus successfully. The modified version could produce much faster and more stable COVID-19 vaccines worldwide.

Ten times the earlier version

Most vaccine candidates train the immunity to recognize the spike protein to fight illness. The spike protein is the SARS-CoV-2 virus key protein. The team designed a new protein version that could produce up to ten times than the first synthetic spike protein present in many COVID-19 vaccines.

Together with the National Institutes of Health colleagues, many UT research team members also designed the earlier version. It is found in at least two vaccine candidates in US clinical trials.

Senior author of the paper, Jason McLellan, explained how the improved version could speed up vaccine production. He said that based on the type of vaccine, the new version could reduce each dose's size. He said that it could allow more patients to have access to the vaccine.

More stable

The new protein, HexaPro, is more stable than the first version. It means that it is easier to store and transport. Since it keeps its shape under heat stress, through many freeze-thaw, and storage at room temperature, it could become a robust vaccine.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have donated to make the vaccines accessible to people with low income. Vaccine companies could test and further develop COVID-19 vaccines using HexaPro. McLellan also said that partners show interest in extending the access to technology for people in the world. He said that four billion people would need the vaccine.

In COVID antibody tests, HexaPro could act as a probe to detect the presence of antibodies. It could show whether a person was infected with the virus or not.

The new version uses smaller doses

The basis of vaccine candidates used in human clinical trials includes the original spike protein, Moderna's mRNA-1273, and Novavax's NVX-CoV2373.

With the nucleic acid-based vaccines like the mRNA-1273, patients use their cells to create viral proteins to trigger an immune response. The new version could allow the use of a smaller dose to produce the same response.

Subunit vaccines like NVX-CoV2373 contain an actual viral protein version as an antigen. Using the new version, researchers could produce many more vaccine doses in the same time frame.

Same as MERS-CoV

The team identified 100 varied modifications to the spike protein based on their experience before. Previously, they created stabilized proteins as vaccines against MERS-CoV and other viruses. They believe that they could produce a more stable and highly expressed version of vaccines for COVID too.

After adding each version's genetic blueprints into human cell culture, they created 100 varied versions of the protein. Twenty-six out of the 100 versions were more stable or had a higher expression.

The team took four from the 26 and two from their original spike protein then mixed them to create HexaPro. They injected the solution into human cell culture and found that the cells produced ten times more proteins.

See also:

Hand sanitizer recall: Reasons why you should not make your own

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The Supreme Court of India conducted a hearing over a clutch of pleas filed against University Grants Commission or UGC's circular that mandates all the educational institutions and universities across India to conduct semester/final year exams before the end of the month of September. The top court has asked UGC to reply on these by Wednesday and the final hearing will be held on Friday.

The Supreme Court heard a batch of petitions against UGCs circular today, which mandated all the universities across the country to conduct exams by September end. Supreme court has sought a reply from UGC on these pleas, seeking cancellation on semester/final exams. UGC has to file its reply by Wednesday in the court and final hearing will be conducted on Friday. A three-judge bench has assembled to conduct the hearing on 4 petitions that demand cancellation of exams during Covid-19.

Supreme court has asked UGC to adopt the CBSE model and cancel the final year exams. Following the CBSE model, UGC can allow students who are not satisfied with their scores to appear in the exams that can be held later. All 4 petitions that were heard today, challenged UGCs guidelines for holding exams before the end of the month of September. These petitions stated that conducting exams during the ongoing coronavirus crisis shall put the health of students at risk.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who appeared for UGC said that out of the total 818 universities, 209 have already conducted their final year exams using wither online or offline mode. He also informed that 394 other universities are also planning to hold exams. He said that UGC has instructed the universities to not make more than 10 students sit in a single classroom. Also, he said that UGC has allowed the universities to hold exams using online, offline, or a blend of both manners.

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The four petitions registered against the UGC were heard by the top court together. The first petition had been filed by 31 students from universities across India. One of these 31 students has also tested positive for Covid-19. The second petition was by a final year student, Yash Dubey. Another student Krushna Waghmare also filed a petition and the last petition was filed by the leader of Yuva Sena, Aaditya Thackeray. Yuva Sena is also the youth wing of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena.

Senior advocate, Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared before the top court for the law student, Yash Dubey. Also, a plea filed by the students from different states read that forcing students to appear in the final year University Examination on 30.09.2020, is flagrantly violative of their Right to Life, as enshrined within Article 21 of Constitution of India.

Yuva Sena has asked UGC to allow states to promote/pass students based on their past academic performance and scores. Also, advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava spoke about the enormity of the coronavirus situation in the country stating that India has reported over 50,000 cases in the past 24 hours.

Earlier UGC also warned the states against passing students without holding the exams. UGCs decision of mandating universities and institutions to hold exams was taken after consulting with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

Also read: 7th Pay Commission: Modi govt issues new rules for advance increments of employees

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Do you remember when the New York Times was the most prestigious publication in America? When a positive story from the Times would jump-start similar stories across the nation? Today, pushing back against the cancel culture in their own midst, editors from the Wall Street Journal wanted everyone to know that, We are not the New York Times. How the times have changed. (Or, should I say, How the Times has changed?).

In response to a letter signed by 280 Wall Street Journal employees, the editors wrote, It was probably inevitable that the wave of progressive cancel culture would arrive at the Journal, as it has at nearly every other cultural, business, academic and journalistic institution. But we are not the New York Times. Most Journal reporters attempt to cover the news fairly and down the middle, and our opinion pages offer an alternative to the uniform progressive views that dominate nearly all of todays media.

What a rebuke to the Times.

The editorial was titled, A Note to Readers. These pages wont wilt under cancel-culture pressure.

This stands in stark contrast with the Times, which has completely wilted and capitulated under pressure. (Or, perhaps, the Times has simply shown its true colors, not caving in as much as making its deepest convictions known?) And, rephrasing what the Journal editors stated, most New York Times reporters do not attempt to cover the news fairly and down the middle.

We not only have the much-publicized, deeply-concerning resignation letter of Bari Weiss.

We also have the resignation of James Bennett, the editor of the editorial page of the Times. His crime was allowing an editorial to be published by Sen. Tom Cotton, supporting President Trumps plan to bring in military troops to deal with the violent riots in our cities.

Oh, the horror! A conservative viewpoint penned by an elected senator supporting the presidents plans. Not on these hallowed pages!

As explained by the Times on June 7, At an all-staff virtual meeting on Friday, Mr. Bennet, 54, apologized for the Op-Ed, saying that it should not have been published and that it had not been edited carefully enough. An editors note posted late Friday noted factual inaccuracies and a needlessly harsh tone. The essay fell short of our standards and should not have been published, the note said.

But of course. This wasnt a matter of the cancel culture intimidating the Times. It was a matter of the needlessly harsh tone of the essay. It was the fact that the senator didnt produce an editorial that lived to the standards of the Times. Thats why there were such howls of protest. But of course.

I can imagine an interested Times reader saying, Oh my. Cottons op-ed really falls short of the Times normal literary standards. And his tone is so harsh. This is so different from the op-eds I normally read here, which are so balanced, fair, even-handed, and kind.

Right.

A more accurate assessment of the situation at the Times is that of an unnamed Times staffer who told the New York Post that the Times leaders are terrified of the young wokes.

In this case, the staffer was referring to young wokes who work at the Times. But the young wokes outside the Times are making their impact as well.

To give an extremely glaring example, after the tragic El Paso shooting last year, where a white supremacist murdered Hispanics in cold-blood, President Trump issued a strong statement. He said, in part, In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America. Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart, and devours the soul. We have asked the FBI to identify all further resources they need to investigate and disrupt hate crimes and domestic terrorism.

The statement, overall, was a powerful rebuke to racism and bigotry, and it called for a bipartisan stand against white supremacy. Accordingly, the Timesheadlined their front-page article on the statement, TRUMP URGES UNITY VS. RACISM.

But that fairly-worded headline only infuriated the woke mob, with Alexandria Ocasio Cortez writing, Let this front page serve as a reminder of how white supremacy is aided byand often relies uponthe cowardice of mainstream institutions.

Seriously? By rightly titling an article about the presidents renunciation of racism, bigotry, and white supremacy, the Times displayed cowardice and actually aided white supremacy? Really?

The real display of cowardice came when the Times second-print edition changed the headline to, ASSAILING HATE BUT NOT GUNS. (For the possible influence of Nate Silvers tweet, differing with the initial headline, see here.)

Talk about wilting under pressure from the cancel culture. Talk about bowing down to the politically correct spirit of the age. Talk about the left, once again, eating its own.

Its as if Animal Farm had its own newspaper.
The US has quietly reopened a nearly 15-year-old political asylum case against a convicted assassin of Bangladesh's "Father of the Nation" Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, according to media reports. The current government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been persuading the US to extradite former Bangladesh Army officer MA Rashed Chowdhury, who is hiding in the United States.

Prime Minister Hasina last year wrote to President Donald Trump seeking the repatriation of the fugitive, who along with other Army officers, was involved in the military coup that led to the assassination of her father in 1975. US attorney general William Barr reopened the case of the political asylum of Chowdhury, the Dhaka Tribune reported last week, citing US-based news portal Politico. Sheikh Mujib, as he is popularly called, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from April 1971 until his assassination on August 15, 1975.

He was assassinated along with all but two of his family members by a group of Bangladesh Army personnel. His daughters  Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana  survived the massacre as they were abroad. Twenty-three years after the assassination, Chowdhury, a former Bangladesh Army officer, and other fugitive convicts were sentenced to death by the High Court in 1998. The Supreme Court in 2009 upheld the lower court verdict, confirming the capital punishment of 12 people for killing Bangabandhu and most of his family members.

After Sheikh Mujib's assassination, Chowdhury was rehabilitated by previous governments in Dhaka led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He was posted abroad as a diplomat. He and his family fled to the US in 1996 from Brazil on visitor visas and later got political asylum in America, the Daily Star reported. According to the Politico report published on Friday, Barr "quietly reopened" the "sprawling case that spans four decades and two continents.

"For almost 15 years, the case was closed. But now, thanks to Barr, its back," the report said.

On June 17, Barr directed the Board of Immigration Appeals to send Rasheds case to him for review, making clear he would reopen the matter. It would seem the Trump administration wants to hand over Chowdhury to Bangladesh by reopening the case, the Dhaka Tribune noted.

The document in which the attorney general made this move does not include Rasheds name. It refers to the matter of A-M-R-C," using Rasheds full initials. And the details of the case described in Barrs announcement match Rasheds, it said. However, a lawyer for Rashed confirmed that the case is of his client, the Dhaka Tribune report said.

Rashed's lawyers said they suspect foul play, and that if the US deports him to Bangladesh, he is going to be executed. Barr's move is the first step in a process that could result in Rashed losing asylum and potentially facing deportation after more than a decade. Shortly after the coup in 1975, the then Bangladesh government amended the Constitution to grant immunity to the coup's participants.

For two decades after the coup, he worked as a diplomat, stationed in Bangladeshs embassies around the world. In 1996, Hasina was voted to power as the prime minister. The next year, her government revoked the coup plotters immunity. Hasina launched a campaign to punish those involved in the killing of her father, Sheikh Mujib.

When Hasina was elected, Chowdhury was the top diplomat at Bangladeshs embassy in Brazil  and was soon summoned home. Fearing reprisal, he fled to the US with his wife and son on visitor visas, according to bdnews24.com. Nearly 10 years after he arrived in the US, an immigration judge granted him political asylum, it said.

Of the 12 convicts in the assassination of Bangabandu, five -- Syed Farooq Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Mohiuddin Ahmed were executed on January 27, 2010. Another killer, Aziz Pasha, died in Zimbabwe in 2001, the Dhaka Times reported. Those who remain fugitives are: Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, Noor Chowdhury, Rashed Chowdhury, Abdul Majed, and Moslehuddin Khan.
After the country's success in containing the COVID-19 with no reported coronavirus death, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued a ban on the import of wildlife and sale of wildlife to reduce the possibility of the emergence of new pandemics.

Marketing of wildlife, as well as online sales, are covered in the ban.



The order, which was released on Thursday on the Vietnam Government website, stipulates that the trading of wildlife species, including animal products such as eggs, organs, or body parts, is banned. Tougher action against people who are into illegal hunting, killing, or advertising of wild animals is also covered in the directive.

All citizens, especially officials, were advised not to get involved in illegal poaching, buying, selling, and transporting of illegal trade is also ordered. Vietnam also plans to resolutely eliminate market and trading sites, which trade wildlife illegally.



A Welcome Move for Vietnam

The move was lauded by conservationists who have accused the government of inactions of stopping wildlife trade. The government has been accused of "turning a blind eye" on the trade, especially of species used for traditional medicine, such as pangolins and rhino horns, despite scientist's warning that wildlife trade can breed diseases.

Vietnam's wildlife trade industry, both legal and illegal, is believed to be a billion-dollar industry, and Vietnam is one of Asia's leading consumers of wildlife products.

Steven Galster, the chairman of the anti-trafficking group Freeland, said that Vietnam has to be applauded for recognizing that pandemics like COVID-19 are linked to wildlife trade.

However, Save Vietnam's Wildlife claimed that the ban did not go far enough. Nguyen Van Thai, the organization's director, said the ban in the directive is insufficient as some uses of the wildlife such as medicinal use or keeping wildlife animals as pets are not covered.

Enforcement of the directive across the country's borders may also be a challenge.

READ: Bear Bile Being Promoted by China as Treatment for COVID-19



All Eyes on Wildlife Trade

As the COVID-19 took its toll to thousands of lives and inflicted millions all over the globe and caused the lockdown of several nations, the wildlife trade has come under global scrutiny.

The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have originated from wildlife trade. Most experts believe that the coronavirus that has now inflicted millions worldwide and stopped countries into a lockdown originated in bats, moved to still unidentified wildlife possibly a pangolin, and transmitted finally to humans.

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, the United Nations' biodiversity chief, has urged countries to ban wildlife markets, which many believe triggers zoonotic diseases.

READ ALSO: UN Biodiversity Chief Calls for Ban on Wildlife Market to Prevent Pandemics



Ban on Wildlife Trade in China

Earlier this year, China issued an order that prohibits the sale of wild animals for consumption to prevent the emergence of pandemic diseases like COVID-19. The ban also covers hunting and breeding of wildlife except for pre-approved purposes. The exception of the ban includes scientific research, population regulation, and monitoring of epidemic diseases.

China also officially delisted pangolin scales from its 2020 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) pharmacopeia.

READ NEXT: China Removes Pangolin Scales from Traditional Medicine List
Chinese Students in Australia Victims of Virtual Kidnapping Scams, Millions Already Paid in Ransoms

Scammers are capitalising on the fear Chinese people have of the Chinese Communist Party and are trapping international students in New South Wales (NSW) while forcing them to act out fake kidnappings to extort their parents.

NSW Police say that in 2020 alone they have had at least eight virtual kidnappings reported to them and the scams have netted millions in ransom money.

Investigators have been told that fraudsters initially make contact with a victim via phone call. The fraudster speaks Mandarin and claims to represent a Chinese authority including personnel from the embassy, consulate, or police in China.

Pedestrians in the Chinatown district on March 04, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

The caller then convinces the victim that they have been implicated in a crime in China, or that their identity has been stolen, and that they must pay a fee to avoid legal action, arrest, or deportation.

Using technology to mask their physical locations, the scammers continue communication with the victim through encrypted applications such as WeChat and WhatsApp.

According to police, some victims claim they are then coerced into transferring money offshore, providing bank account information, giving away their identity details, and in some extreme cases the victims are convinced to fake their own kidnappings, also known as virtual kidnappings.

The scammers instruct victims to cease contact with family and friends, rent a hotel room, and take photographs or video recordings that depict them bound and blindfolded. These files are then shared with relatives overseas.

Chinese-speaking scammers are posing as Chinese authority figures (including police and consular officials) and forcing Chinese students in Australia to pretend they have been kidnapped to extort concerned family members for ransom. Families are then tricked into paying ransoms to ensure the safe release of the student, whom police say is never actually in physical danger (NSW Police).

Police said scammers have obtained $3.2 million in ransom payments this year alone. Such scams are effective due to the genuine fear Chinese people have of authority figures within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) system. For years, Chinese living in Australia and relatives based in China been the subject of threats, intimidation and oppression from the CCP.

On June 17, a father in China paid $2 million after receiving a video of his 22-year-old daughter in Sydney claiming to have been tied up. The father said the ransom caller pretended to be from the Chinese police. His daughter was later found safe in a hotel in Hurstville following an investigation.

On April 22, officers from Sydneys Ryde Police Station were contacted by a university concerned for the welfare of one of its students.

The students family from China allegedly told police that their daughter had been kidnapped. The family paid $300,000 in ransom demands from the scammer who had convinced the student they were from the Chinese police.

Other ransom payments have ranged between $20,000 and $500,000.

Chinese-speaking scammers are posing as Chinese authority figures (including police and consular officials) and forcing Chinese students in Australia to pretend they have been kidnapped to extort concerned family members for ransom (NSW Police).

Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett said virtual kidnappings by transnational organised crime syndicates had increased considerably in the last decade.

While these phone calls appear to be random in nature, these scammers seem to be targeting vulnerable members of the Chinese-Australian community, he said in a statement on July 27.

More than 212,000 international students are enrolled to study in NSW. With more students likely to return to the state after COVID-19 restrictions are re-assessed, police are urging the community to educate themselves on these elaborate phone scams. Targeted students can either hang up on such calls, contact their consulate, university, or report the matter to police.

On June 25, the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) warned that the local Chinese community was the target of Chinese authority scams (pdf)  involving fraudsters impersonating authority figures.

In 2019, losses to Chinese authority scams totalled $2 million across the country, an increase of 40 percent on the previous year.

The deputy chair of the ACCC, Delia Rickard, noted that a key mainstay in preventing these scams is word of mouth or telling others about the scam experiences.

Many people who avoided scams did so because their friends or family had told them about the scams, or that the approach or experience seemed suspicious, said Rickard.
US Tech University Makes Seven-figure Investment in Tokenized Fund

New York-based private tech university the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has made an undisclosed seven-figure investment in Cosimo Ventures, a tokenized venture fund operator that focuses on blockchain and tech companies.

Source: a screenshot, Instagram/rittigers

In a press release shared with Cryptonews.com, the fund claimed that the move marks the first time an American university has invested in a tokenized venture capital fund  and potentially paves the way more of the countrys higher education institutions to bolster their ties with the crypto and blockchain industry.

Cosimo Ventures has offices in Boston and Dublin, and said that RIT has decided to inject its capital into Cosimo X, its newly-established blockchain-focused tokenized fund.

According to the company, investors invest in the fund by purchasing COSIMO tokens, which are digitized securities that represent an indirect economic interest in COSIMO X.

"The COSIMO tokens potentially offer holders greater liquidity than traditional venture capital fund partnership interests and solve a number of the challenges that concern venture capitalists," the fund said, adding that their tokens may be tradeable and "allow control over capital deployment without being subject to capital calls and unexpected commitments."

However, the fund does not guarantee that a secondary trading market will ever develop for COSIMO tokens or that they will ever be listed on any exchange or trading platform.

Cosimo X said that some of the businesses in its portfolio include the likes of Gecko, provider of a blockchain regtech solution for compliance, blockchain business Oneiro, medical device cybersecurity company NovaLeah and Locatible, a provider of location tracking based solutions.

Cosimo Xs website is powered by technology provided by the security token platform Securitize, a strategic partner of the fund.

RIT was established in 1829 and has enrolled some 19,000 students in about 200 programs. The 2020 edition of the US News & World Reports Best Colleges Ranking ranks RIT as the 104th in its list of universities in the United States.

Universities elsewhere in the world are also strengthening their ties to the blockchain and crypto sector  particularly in Japan, where the University of Aizu is teaming up with Soramitsu, a Japanese company now working with the Cambodian nation bank on a digital fiat issuance. The parties are set to debut a token for use at the university and the surrounding area.

___

Learn more:

Family Offices Likely to Invest in Bitcoin; Don't Count on Banks - Coinbase Analyst

Harvard Goes Crypto

Yales "Warren Buffett" Gets the Cryptoverse Excited
The whole world knows how much Prince Harry loves Meghan Markle. However, it seems like that feeling let Meghan's controlling attitude rule over their relationship.

Meghan became a senior royal family member after she married Prince Harry in 2018. With that, she became a princess like she always wanted to be and earned the title of the Duchess of Sussex.

However, unlike the damsel in distress often seen in fairy tales, Meghan Markle is no pushover. As cliche as it may sound, she's a strong and independent woman -- an attitude that has led her to dominated her relationship with Prince Harry.

Mentioning that, we take a look at the three moments that show Meghan as the dominant one in their relationship.

Meghan Markle PUSHED Prince Harry

As part of the Megxit countdown, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the Endeavour Fund Awards at Mansion House in London in March 2020.

Everything happened smoothly, not until a video of the duchess allegedly pushing Harry to make way for herself emerged online.

In the video captured by Daily Mail reporter Rebecca English, the royal prince can be seen talking to a lady. However, Meghan interrupted the conversation by putting her hand on her husband's back and signaling him to move and allow her to shake hands with another guest.

The "rudeness" pushed netizens to call out Meghan, though several criticis mentioned they expected the Sussex matriarch to act bossy "because she has always been like that" to Harry.

One netizen said: "She's rude af!! I can't wait for the day when she gets confronted over her behavior! She's incredibly pushy and self entitled! Wake up HARRY!!"

"I never liked the way she was always hanging on to him. Or the way she always held her bump It is a very possessive action! It says they are mine keep away!" another one wrote.

Neither Prince Harry nor the former "Suits" actress ever addressed the incident, but people were convinced at the time that Meghan Markle's controlling attitude is one of the worse characteristic she has.

Making Prince Harry Leave The Firm

During an appearance in Sky News Australia, Australian Daily Telegraph reporter Jonathan Moran told host Rita Panahi that the "weak" Prince Harry allowed Meghan's controlling behavior dictate their decision to leave the royal family.

"I think he is weak. I blame them equally. But I think they are both weak," Moran said. "I think they are pathetic. And they need to harden up and just say 'hang on, there are millions of people starving out there.'"

The royal correspondent added that Harry could have done more good things from within the royal palace. However, he gave it all up for Meghan.

Furthermore, royal author Lady Colin Campbell told FUBAR Radio's Access All Areas that has Prince Harry married another woman, the royal rift between him and Prince William would never occur and he would still be in Kensington Palace with them.

Meghan Using Archie?

Celebrity psychologist Jo Hemmings penned an article for Daily Mail wherein she claimed that Meghan has taken control of Prince Harry since they first met. However, according to her, that control only grew when they welcomed their first child..

"He always seemed vulnerable, but rarely weak, but she has convinced him over a relatively short period of time, to relinquish his close relationships, his family ties and take a leap of faith into a new life with her," Hemmings said.

Hemmings pointed out that although Meghan's behavior now is not coercive, she said that the duchess has become more manipulative.

For instance, royal watchers are aware of how Prince Harry values Meghan's approval above his own.

It is also worth nothing that even the royal staff witnessed how the Duke of Sussex uttered "what Meghan wants, Meghan gets" in front of them.

"We also have to remember that other than her mother, Meghan has no family members she is close to - quite the reverse in fact - which would suggest that she is very driven by fulfilling her own needs and may be quite narcissistic in nature," she continued.

Meghan Markle's controlling nature may be one of the biggest problems Prince Harry is facing, and only time can tell whether the sixth heir to the British throne can keep up with her.

READ MORE: Emotional Royal: Shocking Times Meghan Markle Cried In Public
The administrators of Seafolly have chosen a preferred bidder for the iconic bikini brand - and it's the same private equity firm that owned it before coronavirus sparked its collapse.

The women's beachwear fashion brand has been operating since 1975 and had 44 stores across Australia with 120 staff plus 12 stores overseas.

It also ran a chain of Sunburn-branded stores.

Pictured: Model Jess Hart shows Seafolly designs on the catwalk in 2009, Melbourne

Seafolly went into administration in June, with Scott Langdon and Rahul Goyal from KordaMentha Restructuring appointed as administrators.

'Seafolly made the appointment because of the crippling financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,' KordaMentha said at the time.

KordaMentha said the company would trade 'business as usual' while prospective options were assessed.

However, they soon shut 15 Sunburn stores to slim it down for prospective buyers.

Twenty Seafolly stores remained open with 110 employees keeping their jobs.

More than 80 interested buyers submitted bids for the company, but in a stunning development on Monday, KordaMentha announced they had chosen private equity firm L Catterton as the preferred bidder.

Seafolly will keep 20 stores if the proposed sale to L Catterton goes ahead saving 100 jobs

L Catterton Asia is the same firm that originally bought a 70 per cent stake in the swimwear brand in December 2014 and two years ago acquired the remaining 30 per cent.

Filings by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission showed Seafolly sales rose to $131.5million in 2017 but dropped to $124.3million in 2018 - during the first full year under the firm's ownership.

Seafolly had global sales of $112million for the past 12 months, to the end of December, according to an information memorandum given to prospective buyers.

Mr Langdon said Seafolly would honour all reward points and gift cards after the sale.

Pictured: Model Elyse Knowles who became the face of Seafolly

The richest man in fashion, French billionaire Bernard Arnault (pictured) is the man behind French luxury goods giant Luis Vuitton Moet Hennessy group which owns the L Catterton, the preferred bidder for Seafolly

The fashion retailer is one of Australia's most iconic brands but collapsed due to coronavirus

'With an optimised retail, online and wholesale network, Seafolly will continue to be the iconic Australian beachwear brand that customers know and love,' Mr Langdon said.

Twenty stores in Australia will remain open if the proposed sale goes through, saving 100 jobs.

Private equity firm L Catterton is a subsidiary of French luxury goods giant Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy group which also owns RM Williams and a suite of 75 luxury brands across fashion, wine and spirits, cosmetics, perfumes and jewellery.

A model shows off an item from Seafolly's 2013 range

French billionaire and art collector Bernard Arnault, the richest man in fashion, is the company's major shareholder, chairman and chief executive.

KordaMentha said it chose L Catterton as the preferred bidder for Seafolly as it would provide the best return for creditors.

Seafolly owes L Catterton more than $25 million.

L Catterton is the fashion brand's largest creditor but has said it will forego any potential return in favour of other creditors.

Creditors will receive a Deed of Company Arrangement on Monday night and vote for the new owner when the group next meet on August 3.

The proposed sale deeds will be sent to creditors on Monday night and be voted on at the next creditor meeting on August 3.
The Supreme Court on Monday asked Tushar Mehta what can be done to expedite the trials against the foreign nationals, who attended the Markaz congregation in Nizamuddin in March this year.

A bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the blacklisting and cancellation of visas of foreign nationals who attended the congregation, which had reportedly become an epicentre for the spread of in the country.

Mehta, senior law officer representing the Central government, submitted that 23 foreign nationals, out of the total 34 petitioners, have been let off on fine after they accepted mild charges under the plea bargaining process.

He added that nine foreign nationals, however, have opted to face trial here, which will take place in various courts, to which the bench asked the Mehta what can be done to complete the trials expeditiously of these persons?

Responding to the bench, Mehta said that he can speak to the investigation officer, seek instructions, and figure out how the trial may be expedited.

Senior lawyer CU Singh, appearing for several petitioners, requested the bench that the return of these 23 petitioners must be facilitated at the earliest.

The apex court, which had earlier stated that these foreign nationals could individually move concerned authorities, fixed the matter for further hearing to July 31.

The petitions, filed by the foreign nationals from 35 countries, have sought directions to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to remove their names from the blacklist, reinstate their visas and facilitate their return to their respective countries.

The petitions sought to declare the decision of the MHA of blacklisting the foreign nationals who attended the congregation as "arbitrary".

These foreign nationals were blacklisted for a period of 10 years from travelling to India for their alleged involvement in activities.

(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.)
Alphabet Inc's Google will keep its employees home until at least next July, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai made the decision himself last week after debate among an internal group of top executives that he chairs, as per the report by the Wall Street Journal.

Google did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Google had earlier said it would begin reopening more offices globally as early as June this year, but most Google employees would likely work from home until the end of this year.
SAN ANTONIO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- After serving as the administrative support behind the Coalition for National Trauma Research (CNTR) since its founding in 2014, the National Trauma Institute (NTI) has officially reorganized as CNTR. The shift empowers the organization to grow a broader coalition and build momentum toward its sizable goals: funding for trauma research commensurate with the burden of disease and establishment of a National Institute of Trauma within the National Institutes of Health.

As one of the founding members of CNTR, NTI has been responsible for managing an annual Trauma Research Advocacy Day in Washington, preparing proposals and managing multi-center studies on behalf of the coalition, and establishing research infrastructure such as the National Trauma Research Repository to benefit all trauma investigators.

Building on NTI's accomplishmentswith a cumulative $90 million in federal and state funding secured for the trauma research community since 2006CNTR will continue as a national research coordinating center, prioritizing projects proposed by its Core and Stakeholder members.

"Considering CNTR's early successes in advocating for new trauma research program funding within the Department of Defense and securing grants for several large projects like the National Trauma Research Action Plan, we knew a broader coalition of trauma care stakeholders could help bring us to the next level," explained Rosemary Kozar, MD, Chair of the NTI Board. "Combining the firepower of societies that represent a wide variety of surgical disciplines and other care groups across the trauma continuum can help us secure a national home for trauma research."

With the investment of its member organizations, CNTR seeks to solve a problem more than 50 years in the making: the staggering public health burden of traumatic injury resulting from the lack of a coordinated and federally funded research effort.

"With a vision of eliminating preventable death and disability after injury, the ACS Committee on Trauma views research as the key to improving care for injured patients and enthusiastically supports the mission of CNTR," said Eileen M. Bulger, MD, Member of the CNTR Board, and Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT). "As traumatic injury is the leading cause of death and disability for our children, our uniformed service personnel, and all Americans up to age 45, the time is now to invest in a coordinated research strategy."

David A. Spain, MD, President of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST), said CNTR's focus on research is fundamental to the mission of all the organizations. "Over the last several years, NTI and CNTR have been integral partners, along with AAST and other founding members, in advancing research into the care of the injured patient. The restructuring of these efforts into a single entity will now allow CNTR to continue its success in advocating for and obtaining funding for injury-related research."

The engagement of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) in the coalition also dovetails with its own mission to provide leadership and development for young surgeons through interdisciplinary collaboration, scholarship and fellowship.

"As a Core member of CNTR, we support the investigation of trauma prevention, research and improved trauma systems design in efforts to enable and stimulate future generations of surgeons to meet the challenges in trauma care," said EAST President A. Britton Christmas, MD.

In addition to the initial founders of CNTRAAST, ACS-COT, EAST, and Western Trauma Association (WTA)the American Burn Association (ABA) has joined as a Core member. "ABA is proud to join forces with CNTR to further foster burn and trauma research," said Bill Hickerson, MD, ABA President. "Federal funding for burn and trauma research is severely lacking. These types of injuries often impact people in their prime, where research to improve outcomes can have a long-term impact on quality of life."

New Stakeholder members include the American Trauma Society (ATS), Orthopedic Trauma Association (OTA), Society of Trauma Nurses (STN), and the Military Health System Strategic Partnership at the American College of Surgeons (MHSSPACS). All bring unique strengths and a variety of invested groups to the CNTR mission. The inclusion of the trauma survivor perspective to CNTR's research and advocacy efforts is particularly meaningful. "The ATS is excited to be partnering with CNTR to ensure the inclusion of survivors in trauma research," said Anna Newcomb, PhD, LCSW, ATS President. "Our Trauma Survivors Network extends into 130 hospitals across the country, enabling us to engage survivors from a wide range of backgrounds."

The mission of the Coalition of National Trauma is to enhance trauma research by advocating for sustainable research funding commensurate with the burden of disease, coordinating research efforts across professional organizations spanning the continuum of injury care, and strengthening the infrastructure for multicenter investigation. Find CNTR at NatTrauma.org and @NatTrauma.

CONTACT: Pam Bixby, [email protected]

SOURCE Coalition for National Trauma Research

Related Links

https://www.nattrauma.org


Quota for COVID-19 vaccine: Here is what Poonawalla said

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

New Delhi, July 27: Serum Institute of India (SII) chief executive officer (CEO) Adar Poonawalla said 'more than enough" doses of coronavirus vaccine will be reserved for the Parsi community while in responding to Screwvala tweet on COVID-19 vaccine.

Popular entrepreneur and philanthropist, Rohinton Soli aka "Ronnie" Screwvala Yesterday tweeted asking to make quota for people when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine.

Screwvala wrote, Parsis should be given the vaccine before everyone else as the people in community are less in number today.

Phase-I human clinical trial of potential COVID-19 vaccine: Man given first dose at AIIMS

So government or the medical team of India should folllow quota system while delievering vaccine once it come out.

India bans 47 Chinese apps| More Chinese apps under fire | Oneindia News

"On a lighter note Smiling face with smiling eyes-since Parsi's are to be an Extinct race Smiling face with smiling eyes(though avg age of Parsi's show otherwise) there is a lobby that as vaccine does come in there will be a special Quota under saving from extinction RaceSmiling face with smiling eyes-&why not if a Parsi is at the forefront of it @adarpoonawalla", reads Screwvala's tweet.

To the reply of his tweet the CEO of Serum Institute of India told,

"Yes, @RonnieScrewvala

, we will keep more than enough for the community. Our production capacity of just one day will be enough to cover every Parsi on the planet...given the size of our community!"

Serum Institute of India (SII), which has partnered with AstraZeneca for manufacturing the Oxford vaccine candidate for COVID-19, has sought permission from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for conducting phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the potential vaccine, according to report.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, July 27, 2020, 13:45 [IST]
RICHMOND, Va. - City police arrested 23 people over the weekend after demonstrations for social justice turned violent on Saturday and Sunday nights, interrupting more than three weeks of largely peaceful protests.

Officials blamed outsiders for an escalation that saw some $100,000 in damage to windows at Virginia Commonwealth University, a city dump truck set ablaze and one man caught on video firing a gun into the ground in a confrontation with protesters.

"There were white supremacists marching under the banner of Black Lives Matter, attempting to undermine an otherwise overwhelmingly peaceful movement towards social justice," Mayor Levar Stoney said Sunday in a news conference.

He offered little direct evidence of outside influence, though officials said Monday that that was still under investigation. Police Chief Gerald M. Smith said that fliers promoting anti-police rallies for the weekend had been produced outside of Richmond, and several of the people arrested were from other parts of the state.

Demonstrations have been going on virtually every night in Richmond since May 31, triggered by the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer a few days before. The first night or two featured looting and broken windows, and police have used chemical agents several times to disperse crowds.

But for much of the past month, as city and state leaders began pulling down the city's grand Confederate statues and pledged to address racial inequities, the protests have had the air of civic-minded street festivals, with music, speeches and public art.

Late last week,the anti-police fliers began circulating on social media calling for rallies on Saturday in sympathy with protesters in Portland, Ore., where unbadged federal troops have been using tear gas and harsh tactics against demonstrators.

That night, several hundred protesters staged a confrontationoutside the heavily fortified headquarters of Richmond police. The cab of a city dump truck was set ablaze, along with two dumpsters.

Police later releaseda photo of batteries, rocks and bricks that they said protesters had thrown at them that night. Police Chief Gerald M. Smith said firefighters responding to the burning truck were also pelted with bricks.

Later that night, video posted to social media showed a white man jump out of a pickup truck and confront a small number of protesters while appearing to fire a handgun into the ground. No one was injured. Smith said Monday that that incident was still under investigation and no arrests had been made.

Six people were arrested Saturday night - five charged with unlawful assembly and the sixth with assault on a police officer.

On Sunday night, after a similar flier was distributed, police "took a proactive approach," Smith said Monday. Officers were waiting at Monroe Park, a gathering place for protesters that closed at 10 p.m. When people failed to disperse after closing, police moved in and made 17 arrests - including at least one reporter for the VCU campus newspaper who was covering the protests.

The charges ranged from trespassing to rioting, possessing a weapon with an extended magazine and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Officials supplied little direct evidence to back up claims that the weekend's violence was perpetrated by outsiders, though Smith said that was still under investigation. Nine of the 15 adults arrested were from Richmond or nearby Henrico County, and the rest were all from Virginia.

Stoney displayed a photo of a plywood sign painted with Black Lives Matter that he said a white supremacist had carried as a shield.

"The mission is simple," Stoney said on Sunday. "To undermine the months of peaceful, community-driven protests that this city has seen."
That Scott Morrison is a clever, canny politician is beyond dispute. The Prime Ministers singular achievement 14 months after winning the 2019 election has been to convey the impression that the third-term government he leads is a stripling first-term administration. A government on training wheels is more likely to be forgiven for its missteps. The last national government dispatched by voters as a "oncer" was Jim Scullins Depression-era Labor administration back in 1931.

Morrison has also been keen to portray his government as an ideology-free zone. This underpinned last years election campaign. Whereas his predecessor Malcolm Turnbull invoked flamboyant slogans of agility and innovation and boasted of the most exciting time to be alive, Morrison waged a relentlessly negative campaign to retain office. The Coalitions most substantial election policy was a reheated first home owners grant scheme that only hit the statute books a month ago.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Sydney on Monday. Credit:Peter Braig

Even Morrisons harshest critics admit that the Prime Minister has not been hamstrung by ideology in responding to COVID-19. Wage subsidies, increased dole payments and fiscal stimulus  albeit imperfect in reach  have plunged the Commonwealth budget into levels of debt not seen since the Second World War.

Tony Abbott and Joe Hockeys injudicious rhetoric of debt and deficits has been consigned to the ashtray of Liberal Party history. A cross-party national cabinet has eclipsed COAG, while Morrison and his Industrial Relations Minister, Christian Porter, have extended something of an olive branch to the union movement, touting their approach to workplace law as akin to Bob Hawkes 1980s Accord.
President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Getty

Germany has rejected President Trump's suggestion that Russia should be re-admitted to the "Group of Seven" meeting of leading economies.

Russia was expelled in 2014 after President Vladimir Putin annexed the Crimean Peninsula and backed a rebellion in eastern Ukraine.

Heiko Maas, Germany's foreign secretary, said there was no prospect of re-admitting Russia until it had resolved the situation in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

'As long as we do not have a solution there, I see no chance for this,' he said.

Trump told Fox News in June: "It's not a question of what he's done. It's a question of common sense."

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Germany has rejected President Trump's proposal for Russia to be re-admitted to the "Group of Seven" meeting of leading economies.

Russia had been a member of the intergovernmental group  which comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US  as an eighth member until its expulsion in 2014 after Putin annexed the Crimean Peninsula and backed a rebellion in eastern Ukraine.

Heiko Maas, Germany's foreign secretary, said there was no prospect of re-admitting Russia until it had resolved the situation in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

"The reason for Russia's exclusion was the annexation of Crimea and intervention in eastern Ukraine," he told the German-language Rheinische Post newspaper in comments reported by Reuters. "As long as we do not have a solution there, I see no chance for this."

Trump said in June it was "common sense" for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be invited to the G7.

"It's not a question of what he's done. It's a question of common sense," the president told Fox News on June 3.

"The problem is many of the things that we talk about are about Putin, so we're just sitting around wasting time because then you have to finish your meeting and somebody has to call Putin or deal with Putin on different things. And I say have him in the room," he said.

Story continues

Maas admitted that Russia remains an important part of the G7 summits.

"We also know that we need Russia in order solve conflicts in Syria, Libya, and Ukraine," he said.

But he said that adding Russia to the G7 format was not necessary, given that Russia remains part of the G20, a larger group of leading economies.

"The G7 and G20 are two sensibly coordinated formats," he said.

"We don't need G11 or G12."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 16:46:39|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The civilian casualties in Afghanistan decreased 13 percent in the first six months of the year in comparison with the same period in 2019, the United Nations (UN) mission in the country said Monday.

"While the civilian casualty figures represent a 13-percent decrease as compared to the first six months of 2019, Afghanistan remains one of the deadliest conflicts in the world for civilians," UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement.

The main reason for the lower number of civilian casualties was due to a reduction in operations by NATO and U.S.-led forces and a decline in attacks by the militants of Islamic State (IS), the statement added.

"But it must be noted that there has been no reduction in civilian casualties caused by the Taliban and Afghan national security forces," the statement said.

"At a time when the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban have a historic opportunity to come together at the negotiating table for peace talks, the tragic reality is that the fighting continues inflicting terrible harm to civilians every day," Deborah Lyons, special UN envoy and head of UN mission, was quoted in the statement as saying.

"I urge the parties to pause, to reflect on the chilling incidents and the harm that they are causing to the Afghan people as documented in this report, and to take decisive action to stop the carnage and get to the negotiating table," she said.

A total of 1,282 civilians were killed and 2,176 others wounded during the period, according to the statement.

"Ground engagements remained the leading cause of civilian casualties with the majority two-thirds caused by the use of indirect fire, particularly in civilian-populated areas. The use of improvised explosive devices (suicide and non-suicide) was the second leading cause of civilian casualties, followed by targeted killings," the statement noted.

The UNAMA has attributed 58 percent of civilian casualties to the Taliban and other insurgent groups, 23 percent to security forces over the period while the rest 19 percent were caused by other reasons.

The UNAMA also urged the government and anti-government elements to do more to protect civilians from harm. Enditem
To questions from the judges, he answers trembling. M.A. has been summoned by the court in Koblenz to talk about what he saw while working for the secret service in Syria: how cooling trucks dumped thousands of corpses into mass graves south of Damascus and how defendant Eyad Al-Gharib accompanied one of these deliveries. But a year after his interrogation with the German Federal Police (BKA), M.A. is not willing to repeat his accounts in court. Instead he gives vague, repetitive answers, retracting some of his earlier statements and clouding others to an extent that they become incomprehensible. Irritation grows inside the court room.

M.A. was the first insider witness to testify at Germanys historic Al-Khatib trial on state torture in Syria. Another former secret service employee appeared in court a few days later. Both testified in open court and with no protection of their identities [however, Justice Info has decided to preserve them by giving them two initials]. They were working for the general secret service in Damascus in 2011 and 2012 when the crimes against humanity were allegedly committed: 58 killings, 4,000 cases of torture and two cases of rape or sexual assault. Both insider witnesses have provided statements to the police that could potentially incriminate the two defendants Anwar Raslan and Eyad Al-Gharib.

The least you can do is support us (prosecutor)

The German proceedings are oral, and only the testimony before the court is authoritative. M.A., a 30-year-old Syrian used to work for a military branch located near Najha cemetery, south of Damascus. A year ago, he told the police that he used to register the delivery of dead bodies on a regular basis: 8,400 corpses between April 2011 and January 2012, according to a list he once had to compile. One early morning, he had been assigned to meet a delivery convoy: two armed pick-up trucks and a cooling truck, headed for the mass graves and accompanied by Al-Gharib, he said during the police interrogation. The vanishing information dangles in front of federal prosecutor Jasper Klinge in the form of two police interrogation reports. He keeps quoting them, but the witness refuses to confirm or repeat what he said back then. When Klinge finally intervenes, he reminds the witness that giving false testimony is a criminal offence and warns him: We are trying to clear up injustice that your family has fled from. As a witness who has come to a constitutional state it is the least you can do to support us.

This is a dilemma for the witness. A few months ago, when the federal police approached him again for a third interrogation, he told them he would not say any more. According to a police report quoted by the Koblenz judges in court, the witness explained to the police officers that his family and Al-Gharibs family were both living in the Turkish city of Urfa, near the Syrian border and that the defendants family members had threatened his. They were both from the same town in Syria and knew each other. When a judge mentioned this incident in court, the witness was again unwilling to confirm ever having said that. M.A. insists that there had been a misunderstanding and that the people who had threatened his family were unrelated to the defendant. Only after a prosecutors warning does he grudgingly confirm his earlier version of the events. It seems that the threats made him question his participation in the trial, but too late: according to the code of criminal procedures, witnesses are obliged to appear and testify in court, if summoned.

Recommended reading "For the first time, torture committed by the Assad regime will be discussed in a court"

Obligation to tell the truth (judge)

The danger can also be a concern for anyone whose family members still live in Syria, as the case of the second insider witness showed. M.I. had been assigned to Branch 251 during his military service, between 2010 and his defection in 2012. During his court hearing at the beginning of July, the 37-year-old civil engineer talked about the courtyard of the branch, where he was posted to guard the buildings, or passed through on his way to the dormitory and cafeteria. He witnessed prisoners arriving in buses and being beaten, sometimes for hours, until they were taken to the underground prison; he heard the screams of those incarcerated through tiny windows facing from the prison towards the courtyard. At the beginning of his testimony, the witness addressed the judges: I worry about my family in Syria. My mother and brother still live there and something could happen to them. But judge Anne Kerbers answer was curt: That does not absolve you of your obligation to tell the truth.

Two witnesses worried about their relatives but nonetheless obliged to testify  could such a situation have been avoided? Many witnesses were referred to the BKA due to what they said during their asylum hearings. They may have thought at the time that their cooperation with the police would have a positive influence on their asylum cases. They may also, after just arriving in Germany as refugees, not have grasped the full dimension of a potential trial and the attention it would receive. Witnesses are informed before giving their statement to the police that testimonies in a German court are generally public, BKA press officer Barbara Hubner told Justice Info. But the two insider witnesses did not seem to have been informed on what they were getting themselves and their families into when they first gave their statements to the BKA.

Sole possible protection: witness anonymity

Germanys criminal procedure code would however have allowed them to testify anonymously, if there is well-founded reason to fear that revealing the identity or the place of residence or whereabouts of the witness would endanger the witnesss or another persons life, limb or liberty. It also states that a witness shall be advised about this possibility if there are sufficient indications for such danger. When a life is at stake, the bar for what counts as a potential danger should not be set too high, says Markus Schmitt, press officer of the Chief Federal Prosecutor (GBA), who adds he doesnt want to comment on an ongoing procedure.

Still, there is probably not a single Syrian witness in this trial who does not have family members outside of Germany, many still in Syria. The only protection the German judiciary can offer their families is keeping the witnesses anonymous. However, in the upcoming months, several Syrians will testify without stating their name and address, some even concealing their faces, sources close to the court told Justice Info. Establishing the truth is the highest principle of judicial work, but it must not be established at any cost, says Schmitt of the GBAs office. The witnesss interests have to be taken into account.
Former President and flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress John Dramani Mahama has stated that President Akufo-Addo is bereft of ideas and has no real solutions to the problems of Ghanaians.

The former President addressing party members at the University of Professional Studies in Accra (ACCRA) to officially outdoor his runningmate, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman, Mr Mahama called on Ghanaians to come together and kick out the Akufo-Addo administration in the December elections.

Akufo-Addo is a president who has no real solutions for the people of Ghana, a president who is hell bent on staying in power, a president who is disenfranchising Ghanaians and replacing the same voter register that brought him into power.

According to Mr Mahama, the last four years under President Akufo-Addo has led to several job losses, deliberate collapse of indigenous companies and dehumanizing Ghanaians.

Mr Mahama added that a future NDC government will within one year pay all customers whose investment have been locked up as a result of the financial sector cleanup undertaken by government.

We will Within one year of being in office pay customers of the collapsed financial institutions all funds locked up. We shall not put together any long plan that will delay the payment, Mahama stated at the outdooring of his running mate Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang in Accra.

He described Prof. Opoku Agyemang as the best choice for Ghana adding that she is more than competent to be the vice president of Ghana and contribute to the development of the country.

With Prof Naana, we can say we have made the best choice for Ghana. I have in my partner a veep who will ensure that we present a winning ticket and an experienced ticket to the people of Ghana, Mr. Mahama said during an outdooring ceremony for his running mate in Accra Monday.

The former president also condemned misogynistic attacks on his running mate and promised that the NDC will run a campaign devoid of insults and vitriolic attacks.

--Starrfmonline
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Hindustan Media Ventures Ltd (HMVL) on Monday reported a 73.51 percent decline in its consolidated net profit to Rs 10.28 crore for the quarter ended on June 30, 2020, due to lower income.

The company had posted a profit of Rs 38.81 crore in the April-June quarter of the preceding fiscal, Hindustan Media Ventures Ltd (HMVL) said in a BSE filing.

Total income during the quarter under review stood at Rs 139.3 crore, down 41.73 percent, as compared to Rs 239.1 crore in the year-ago period.

The company publishes Hindi daily 'Hindustan' and magazines like Nandan and Kadambini.

Shares of HMVL settled 2.64 percent lower at Rs 48 apiece on the BSE.
New Delhi, July 27 : As India prepares to celebrate the first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, on August 5, a different kind of planning is going on across the border.

The Pakistan government, in close coordination with its infamous spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has planned a series of events in the run up to August 5 to portray India in poor light in front of the international media, while propagating itself as the 'messiah' of the Kashmiris.

Parts of the elaborate plans have already begun with the PR division organising "visit of foreign media to the Line of Control". The "objective", as stated by its own official document, is to portray that there is "no free movement/reporting in India occupied Kashmir".

On August 4, just a day before the D-day, ISI's PR division in Pakistan occupied Kashmir will organise a visit of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to highlight that free movement is supposedly allowed on the Pakistan side of Kashmir, while there are alleged "restrictions" on the indian side of the Valley.

Pakistan is planning to go full throttle on August 5, which it will observe as a "black day" -- a day when India ensured that Jammu and Kashmir joins the mainstream of development.

The day, according to the document, will start with a tweet by the Director General of ISPR (ISI's PR wing) expressing support for Kashmiris "in their just struggle to the very end".

The Imran Khan government's I&B Ministry has been tasked to bring out special supplements in all major Urdu and English dailies while the PR division has been asked to ensure that all Paksitani news channel logos turn black for the day.

All channels in Pakistan have been directed to air special programmes on what it calls "just struggle against illegal Indian occupation". Even a special song has been commissioned by the Production Division on the "resilience" of Kashmiris.

Kashmiri politicians, activists and international organisations critical of India will be given a royal treatment by Pakistan on August 5 this year.

Faced with the hard reality of Kashmiris in India choosing economic prosperity to violence, a rattled Imran Khan will head to Muzaffarabad on that day and will address the PoK legislative Assembly on the "solidarity with Kashmir's struggle of self-determination" which will be beamed live.

Also, pamphlets will be distributed on what it calls "justice delayed" regarding the UN resolution on J&K.

The Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ISI will also submit a "white paper" to the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, making a case for plebiscite.

Packages are also planned to be made of international media reports critical of India and so are flag rallies.

To give it an international colour, all the embassies of Pakistan have been told to hold functions and rallies across the globe. The diktat has come from Pakistan's Foreign Ministry and ISI together.

Pakistan is also pinning its hope on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to issue anti-India statements, and on the Turkish President, Malaysian PM and Chinese foreign office to tweet content that may add a pinch of legitimacy to Pakistan's stand.

The PR department is also reportedly planning to make a package of sound bytes and statements of Indian politicians criticising India. It is mentioned in the document as "Criticism of Indian Government by Indian political leaders".
Having driven this past month from my home in Kansas City, Missouri, to my summer digs in Chautauqua County, New York, to my annual family reunion in my home state of New Jersey, I can confirm that this is easily the stupidest period in American history and arguably the most oppressive. That said, I did see some glimmers of hope along the way, more on that in a minute.

As to stupid, on July 21, while I was in New Jersey, Missouri was added to that states travel advisory list. This means that individuals entering New Jersey from states with a significant spread of COVID-19 should quarantine for 14-days after leaving that state.

The specific formula is too convoluted to understand, let alone explain. What I do know is that I left a place where no one I know has had the disease and arrived at a place where most of the people I know have had it. I do not exaggerate. As of July 25, there have been 43 deaths in Kansas City, a city of roughly 500,000 people. Ocean County, New Jersey, where I was staying, has slightly more people576,000but 25 times more deaths, 1,014 to be precise. and I am supposed to quarantine?

Chautauqua County, on the western edge of New York State, has had only seven deaths but has had to labor under the same Draconian rules as New York City. Here, as everywhere, conservatives have instinctively rebelled against the imposition of these ever-changing, self-defeating mandates. One local restaurant posted a huge sign out front: We Support the U.S. Constitution. Open Up New York. I go there regularly.

In New York State, as everywhere, liberals take pride in their submissiveness and in their masks. As their yard signs insist, Science is real. But those same signs begin with the menacing Black lives matter and conclude with the delusional, Kindness is everything.

Neither in Chautauqua County nor in Kansas City have I heard a Covid story. In New Jersey, I heard tons of them. I found myself the odd man out in a group of ten people the other night, eight of whom have had the disease, and the ninth was married to a guy who did.

The victims ranged in ages from mid-30s to mid-70s. The symptoms ranged from a two-day headache to a two-week fever that topped out at 102. No one went to the hospital. No one wanted to, the consensus being that your chances of dying were greater in the hospital than out.

Although the death figures have been inflated, people have died. One of them was a first cousin of mine, 60 at the time of her death. She had two major points of vulnerability, one of which I will mention only as a public service, and that is obesity.

The front-line doctors with whom I have spoken cite morbid obesity as the dominant factor in high risk cases. The science here is real, but the media suppress it for fear of being accused of fat shaming. This deference to the PC canon has endangered millions of Americans, but it has spared reporters abuse from liberal Twitter mobs for whom kindness, apparently, is not everything.

The media have a secondary reason for their silence. To acknowledge obesity as a cause would make it harder to blame President Trump for any disparities between us and the rest of the world. If people have to die to keep the heat on Trump, so be it.

As to the president, I have seen large Trump signs wherever I traveled. Incredibly, on the ethnically diverse Seaside Heights boardwalk, there is a shop that sells only Trump merchandise. I saw no Biden signs anywhere and certainly no Biden shop.

I stay away from the prediction business, but I have talked to no Trump voters from 2016 who plan to vote for Biden (or whatever Democrat ends up on the ticket.) I have, however, talked to several people who did not vote for Trump in 2016 but will vote for him this time, a few enthusiastically.

In some cases, the support is based on an appreciation for Trump; in others on a growing disgust at the chaotic nonsense the Democratic Party has enabled, even encouraged. If there is a method to the lefts madness, the average voter doesnt know what it is. Some people who voted for Trump in 2016 only because he wasnt Hillary now have come to see him as our Charles Martel, the unlikely last defender of Western civilization.

The polls this time around -- on any question -- will be less reliable than usual. Most major employers, private as well as public, have made clear their ostensible support for Black Lives Matter. To question the agenda of this absurd Marxist organization, conceived in one fraud and nurtured in another, is to risk ones job.

As my nephew Alex explained, the silent majority has become the silenced majority. There is no denying the silenced. Here is hoping he is right about the majority.

All photos by author

@jackcashills forthcoming book, Unmasking Obama: The Fight to Tell the True Story of a Failed Presidency, is available for pre-order at https://amzn.to/2VHOnS8
SALT LAKE CITY - A Hawaii man accused of tormenting a Utah family for more than a year by using the internet to send more than 500 people to their house for unwanted services including food deliveries, repairs, tow trucks, locksmiths, plumbers and prostitutes pleaded guilty Monday to one count of cyberstalking.

Loren Okamura, 44, entered the pleas during a video conference hearing based out of U.S. District Court in Utah that capped off a case that prosecutors called an extreme example of the darker and seedier side of modern technology.

Okamuras online stalking in 2018-2019 targeted a father and his adult daughter who live in a quiet, middle-class suburb of Salt Lake City, prosecutors alleged. He sent the woman threatening messages and posted her picture and address online, authorities said.

The Gilmore family had to enhance security around the house and lived in fear of the next unwanted person who would arrive at the house, day or night, their attorney Nathan Crane said.

Utah police went to the North Salt Lake house more than 80 times over a four-month period from November 2018 to February 2019, leading the family to post a sign in the driveway that alerted anyone coming to provide services that it was a scam and to instead report it to police.

The Gilmores are relieved that Okamura accepted responsibility for his actions that took a major toll on them, Crane said.

Mr. Okamura was cowardly hiding behind his computer and just hounding these people, Crane said. Since Mr. Okamura was arrested, this family has finally had some peace, peace they didnt have for the 18 months when he was stalking them.

Crane said Okamura targeted the Gilmores because he felt slighted by a member of the family, though he declined to provide more specifics.

Prosecutors agreed to drop two additional charges  interstate threats and transporting people for prostitution  as part of an agreement that calls for him to get credit for the eight months hes spent in jail since his November arrest at a Honolulu supermarket. The deal calls for three years of supervised release and a return to Hawaii.

Okamura is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 5.

He didnt offer any apologies or explanations during Mondays hearing, but spoke up to request that language in the agreement that said he sent drug dealers to the house be removed. The judge and attorneys agreed.

Its not like drug dealers are advertising, Okamura said. It just occurred out of the other services that I had sent there, mainly the prostitutes. I never intentionally sent drug dealers.

Investigators began honing in on Okamura as the suspect in January 2019 when the Gilmores were granted a protective injunction from him in Utah, but it took investigators until October to gather enough evidence to charge Okamura because of his use of encryption and apps that made him appear anonymous, prosecutors said. He wasnt arrested until late November because police struggled to find him because he didnt have a permanent address or job and authorities said he was savvy with technology used to mask his phones location.

Prosecutors have said they have records from Okamuras cellphone and Apple ID to support the charges.

Vanessa Ramos, his federal public defender in Utah, declined to comment after the hearing.

Okamuras federal public defender in Hawaii, Sharron Rancourt, said in November at his initial appearance in Honolulu that he was mourning his wife but declined to elaborate.

Okamura also sent the woman extensive and repeated texts and voicemails, authorities said. One email told the woman she should sleep with one eye open and keep looking over her shoulder.
A Washington, D.C., National Guard major is set to testify before Congress on Tuesday that a June 1 U.S. Park Police clearing operation, which involved the use of tear gas and pepper balls against peaceful protesters, was "an unprovoked escalation and excessive use of force."

Maj. Adam DeMarco's account of the "attack on peaceful protesters at Lafayette Square," in testimony submitted to the House Committee on Natural Resources, contradicts White House officials who maintained that it was necessary to use force to clear crowds of non-compliant protesters from an area near the White House well before the city's 7 p.m. curfew.

Read Next: Air Force Veteran Shot and Killed in Austin Protest Remembered for Devotion to Fiancee, Racial Justice

The Washington Post first reported DeMarcos prepared testimony.

The night before, on May 31, crowds of demonstrators, protesting the death of George Floyd, turned violent inside Lafayette Square, pelting Guard members and police with projectiles as they threatened to push past barricades near the White House.

The protests continued June 1, but crowds were peaceful when Park Police began to aggressively clear them from the area ahead of President Donald Trump's speech at St. John's Episcopal Church, according to DeMarco, who was on the scene that evening to serve as a liaison between the D.C. National Guard and District of Columbia authorities.

"From my observation, those demonstrators -- our fellow American citizens -- were engaged in the peaceful expression of their First Amendment rights," DeMarco said in his statement. "Yet they were subjected to an unprovoked escalation and excessive use of force."

DeMarco's account runs counter to the way Attorney General William Barr described the protesters in a June 7 CBS News interview.

"The Park Police was facing what they considered to be a very rowdy and non-compliant crowd," he said during the interview. "And there were projectiles being hurled at the police."

Barr added, "I was there. They were thrown. I saw them thrown."

Shortly after arriving on the scene at 6 p.m., DeMarco was briefed that Guard troops would be in support of Park Police as they widened a security perimeter by clearing H Street, between Vermont Avenue to the east and Connecticut Avenue to the west, and then move north on Vermont Avenue, 16th Street and Connecticut Avenue to extend the security perimeter from H Street to I Street.

The Guard was not to be actively engaged in the clearing operation, DeMarco said.

"I asked my Park Police liaison if tear gas would be used because I had observed tear gas canisters affixed to Park Police officers' vests, and I knew that tear gas had been used against demonstrators the previous evening," he said in the statement. "The Park Police liaison told me that tear gas would not be employed."

A few minutes later, DeMarco saw Barr and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, walking across Lafayette Square from the direction of the White House.

Barr walked right up to the line of Park Police and D.C. National Guard, in front of the demonstrators, then headed toward the statue of President Andrew Jackson, where he appeared to confer with Park Police officers, DeMarco said.

Milley, dressed in his operational camouflage uniform, walked over to DeMarco and asked about the Guard mission and the current situation, the major said.

"General Milley asked for an estimate of the number of demonstrators, and I estimated 2,000," DeMarco said in the statement. "General Milley told me to ensure that National Guard personnel remained calm, adding that we were there to respect the demonstrators' First Amendment rights."

Milley, along with Defense Secretary Mark Esper, have been criticized for appearing in photos with Trump before the Park Police clearing operation.

At around 6:20 p.m, Park Police issued the first of three warning announcements to the demonstrators, directing them to disperse, according to DeMarco.

"I did not expect the announcements so early, as the curfew was not due to go into effect until 7:00 p.m, 40 minutes later," he said.

The warnings were conveyed using a megaphone near the statue of Jackson, approximately 50 yards from the demonstrators, DeMarco said in the statement. "From where I was standing, approximately 20 yards from the demonstrators, the announcements were barely audible, and I saw no indication that the demonstrators were cognizant of the warnings to disperse."

At approximately 6:30 p.m., Park Police, led by Civil Disturbance Units and horse-mounted officers, were joined by Secret Service and other law enforcement personnel as they began the clearing operation, DeMarco said.

"I heard explosions and saw smoke being used to disperse the protesters," he said in his statement. "The Park Police liaison officer told me that the explosions were 'stage smoke,' and that no tear gas was being deployed against the demonstrators.

"But I could feel irritation in my eyes and nose and, based on my previous exposure to tear gas in my training at West Point and later in my Army training, I recognized that irritation as effects consistent with CS or 'tear gas.'"

DeMarco added, "Later that evening, I found spent tear gas canisters on the street nearby."

No National Guard personnel participated in the push or engaged in any other use of force against the demonstrators, according to DeMarco.

"From my vantage point, I saw demonstrators scattering and fleeing as the Civil Disturbance Unit charged toward them; I observed people fall to the ground as some Civil Disturbance Unit members used their shields offensively as weapons," he said in the statement.

"As I walked behind the Civil Disturbance Units pushing westward on H Street, I also observed unidentified law enforcement personnel behind our National Guardsmen using 'paintball-like' weapons to discharge what I later learned to be 'pepper balls' into the crowd, as demonstrators continued to retreat."

About 10 minutes after the clearing operation began, the Park Police ordered the Guard members to move up behind the Park Police clearing elements pushing north on Vermont Avenue, 16th Street and Connecticut Avenue to reinforce and relieve the Park Police on the newly established northern perimeter, according to DeMarco.

At around 7:05 p.m, DeMarco said he saw Trump walking onto H Street from Lafayette Square, near St. John's Church, accompanied by his security detail.

"The president's arrival was a complete surprise, as we had not been briefed that he would enter our sector," DeMarco said in the statement. "As for the new security barrier, whose installation was the stated purpose of the clearing operation, the materials to erect it did not arrive on the scene until around 9:00 p.m, and it was not completed until later that night."

Before joining the Guard, DeMarco served five years on active duty in the 1st Cavalry and 1st Armored Divisions and has three overseas deployments, including a combat deployment to Iraq, according to the statement.

"Having served in a combat zone, and understanding how to assess threat environments, at no time did I feel threatened by the protesters or assess them to be violent," DeMarco said in the statement. "In addition, considering the principles of proportionality of force and the fundamental strategy of graduated responses specific to civil disturbance operations, it was my observation that the use of force against demonstrators in the clearing operation was an unnecessary escalation of the use of force."

DeMarco said he is testifying before Congress about the events of June 1 because he "swore as a military officer to support and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"It is the foundation of the trust safely placed in the Armed Forces by the American people," DeMarco said. "And it compels me to say something -- and do something -- about what I witnessed on June 1 at Lafayette Square."

-- Gina Harkins contributed to this story.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Related: Top Pentagon Leaders Summoned to Testify on Military's Response to Protests
Wilbur Ross, U.S. commerce secretary, wears a protective mask while arriving to a signing ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, July 8, 2020.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has left the hospital where he had been admitted for health reasons unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic, the Commerce Department said Monday.

Ross "is doing well and resting at home," the department said in a statement. "We continue to anticipate a quick recovery. He is engaged and involved, business as usual at the Department of Commerce."

A spokesperson for the department had revealed on July 18 that Ross had checked in for "minor, non-coronavirus related issues."

The 82-year-old Commerce secretary had been working from his home in Palm Beach, Florida, since at least late March. It is unclear what health complications required Ross to be hospitalized.

Days before his hospitalization was announced, Ross had been in Washington, D.C., where he joined a crowd of White House officials and reporters to hear President Donald Trump deliver remarks on cutting regulations. Ross had also apparently attended a small business showcase at the White House on July 2, when he received a shout-out from Trump.

Health officials warn the elderly face greater risks from the coronavirus pandemic, which has now infected more than 4.2 million people in the U.S. and killed at least 146,900, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Shoukry received his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud in Cairo during his one-day visit

Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held talks on regional and international developments with Saudi Arabias Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud in Cairo.

In a tweet, Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said Shoukry received his Saudi counterpart in Cairo during his one-day visit, where they discussed regional and international developments and challenges.

The two ministers also discussed bilateral ties between the two countries.

A joint press conference will be held later, according to state-run MENA news agency.

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EUGENE, Ore. - July 27, 2020 - Using known distances of 50 galaxies from Earth to refine calculations in Hubble's constant, a research team led by a University of Oregon astronomer estimates the age of the universe at 12.6 billion years.

Approaches to date the Big Bang, which gave birth to the universe, rely on mathematics and computational modeling, using distance estimates of the oldest stars, the behavior of galaxies and the rate of the universe's expansion. The idea is to compute how long it would take all objects to return to the beginning.

A key calculation for dating is the Hubble's constant, named after Edwin Hubble who first calculated the universe's expansion rate in 1929. Another recent technique uses observations of leftover radiation from the Big Bang. It maps bumps and wiggles in spacetime - the cosmic microwave background, or CMB - and reflects conditions in the early universe as set by Hubble's constant.

However, the methods reach different conclusions, said James Schombert, a professor of physics at the UO. In a paper published July 17 in the Astronomical Journal, he and colleagues unveil a new approach that recalibrates a distance-measuring tool known as the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation independently of Hubble's constant.

"The distance scale problem, as it is known, is incredibly difficult because the distances to galaxies are vast and the signposts for their distances are faint and hard to calibrate," Schombert said.

Schombert's team recalculated the Tully-Fisher approach, using accurately defined distances in a linear computation of the 50 galaxies as guides for measuring the distances of 95 other galaxies. The universe, he noted, is ruled by a series of mathematical patterns expressed in equations. The new approach more accurately accounts for the mass and rotational curves of galaxies to turn those equations into numbers like age and expansion rate.

His team's approach determines the Hubble's constant - the universe's expansion rate - at 75.1 kilometers per second per megaparsec, give or take 2.3. A megaparsec, a common unit of space-related measurements, is equal to one million parsecs. A parsec is about 3.3 light years.

All Hubble's constant values lower than 70, his team wrote, can be ruled out with 95 percent degree of confidence.

Traditionally used measuring techniques over the past 50 years, Schombert said, have set the value at 75, but CMB computes a rate of 67. The CMB technique, while using different assumptions and computer simulations, should still arrive at the same estimate, he said.

"The tension in the field occurs from the fact that it does not," Schombert said. "This difference is well outside the observational errors and produced a great deal of friction in the cosmological community."

Calculations drawn from observations of NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe in 2013 put the age of the universe at 13.77 billion years, which, for the moment, represents the standard model of Big Bang cosmology. The differing Hubble's constant values from the various techniques generally estimate the universe's age at between 12 billion and 14.5 billion years.

The new study, based in part on observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope, adds a new element to how calculations to reach Hubble's constant can be set, by introducing a purely empirical method, using direct observations, to determine the distance to galaxies, Schombert said.

"Our resulting value is on the high side of the different schools of cosmology, signaling that our understanding of the physics of the universe is incomplete with the hope of new physics in the future," he said.

###

Co-authors on the paper were Stacy McGaugh of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and Federico Lelli of Cardiff University in the United Kingdom.

The research was supported by NASA funds issued through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, and separate grant from NASA and the National Science Foundation.

Source: James Schombert, professor of physics, 541- 346-5214, jschombe@uoregon.edu

Links:

About James Schombert: http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/

UO Department of Physics: https://physics.uoregon.edu
More than a dozen colleges and universities in New York state are among those most likely to perish amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new analysis.

According to the Boston Business Journal, experts have predicted 10% to 20% of U.S. higher education institutions may be forced to close permanently within the next 12 months. Many colleges were struggling financially before Covid-19, and now many face a loss of revenue if fewer students are on campus to pay for room and board.

Scott Galloway, a New York University marketing professor, has published a blog post outlining which schools are expected to perish, struggle, survive or thrive due to Covid-19. He listed 437 colleges and universities, comparing their tuition, endowment, percentage of international students, and other data from the U.S. Department of Education, US News & World Report and Niche.coms Student Life Scores.

Galloway then divided schools into four quadrants based on their vulnerability score, warning those with low endowments and dependence on international students tuition and fees  especially if students decide to wait a semester or year before returning even if their schools reopen for in-person learning this fall.

Nearly 90 schools are in danger of perishing, according to Galloways analysis, including five in Upstate New York and 14 statewide:

Adelphi University

Bard College

Daemen College

Fordham University

Hofstra University

Long Island University

Pace University

Sarah Lawrence College

Skidmore College

St. Johns University

St. Lawrence University

The New School

The Sage Colleges

Yeshiva University

Note: Fordham University is listed in the survive quadrant on an infographic from Galloway, but the full list of schools says Fordham is expected to perish. Galloway has not responded to a request for comment.

Some schools like Cornell University, Hamilton College and SUNY-ESF are expected to thrive, while Syracuse University and the University of Rochester will survive, according to the analysis. Cornell, for example, sees an average endowment of $292,416 per full-time student and 10% of its students are international; SU has a higher vulnerability score due to an average endowment of $69,761 and a student body thats 14% international.

Galloway, whose data is not peer-reviewed, has criticized many schools reopening plans as coronavirus continues to rise in many states.

Small college towns across the country are being set up for disaster. Distancing, plexiglass, quaranteams, reconfigured dorms, A/B class shifts  all efforts taken in good faith, doubtlessly endorsed by medical advisors. But on-campus measures will only be effective with adherence to off-campus measures. Its delusional to think students will keep 6 feet apart, he wrote.

The bucolic, culturally rich college towns across America may pay a steep price. Many are not prepared for a surge of infections... Other at-risk cohorts include cafeteria workers, maintenance crews, security guards, librarians, bartenders, cab drivers, their spouses and family members, and anyone else unfortunate enough to have made the once perfectly reasonable decision to live in a college town. And if/when there is an outbreak, the healthcare infrastructure of these university towns could be overrun in a matter of weeks, if not days.

Others disputed Galloways analysis, including those at some of the schools on the perish list.

Turning those trend predictions into a ranking system is a perilous business and his prognostications are unsound, Christopher Ames, president of the Sage Colleges, told the Albany Business Review.

Elmore Alexander, dean emeritus of Bridgewater State Universitys Ricciardi College of Business, told the Business Journal that the schools most likely to struggle or perish had problems before Covid-19.

The cracks in the business models of the schools in the struggle and perish cells were already there and had been for the past several years. Coronavirus has just turned the cracks into chasms, Alexander said.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

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Syracuse University reopening: What happens when the countrys No. 1 party school reopens in a pandemic?

With 3,000 students facing quarantines, SU warns not to get coronavirus intentionally to avoid them

Cornell will bring back students to start the fall, says holding in-person classes will be safer than remote learning

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
Ralf Schumacher doubts Ferrari's organisational shakeup will fix the struggling Italian team's problems.

Last week, following the Maranello outfit's horror start to 2020, it was announced that a new Performance Development department had been created.

"It sounds to me like they are trying to demonstrate to the outside world that something is changing," Schumacher, whose brother Michael won five titles for Ferrari, told Sky Deutschland.

"I am not entirely sure that this is the solution."

Indeed, the former Williams and Toyota driver predicts that it will take a long time for Ferrari to get its performance levels back on track.

"These cars are so complex," said the German.

"If something goes wrong somewhere, you first need to know where the problem lies. It will be a task that will certainly last until the winter, so we can only hope that they will be stronger next year," Schumacher added.

He said he thinks the answer to Ferrari's organisational problem lies deeper than one key appointment.

"I would suggest a demolition, the digging of a huge hole and the laying of the foundation again - with a lot of steel," said Schumacher.

(GMM)
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Luxury beachside homes are teetering on the edge of a cliff face on the New South Wales central coast as wild weather batters the state.

As many as 66 homes at Wamberal, are 'at risk' from the erosion after savage weather created a huge swell on the shore.

Residents from up to 30 houses on one street, Ocean View Drive, were advised to evacuate after consulting with structural engineers.

Up to 66 homes at Wamberal, on the New South Wales central coast (pictured), are classified as 'at risk' after monster waves battered the coast creating erosion on the shore, which also forced the evacuation of homes last week

Residents of up to 30 houses on one street alone, Ocean View Drive, have been advised to evacuate as a precaution after consultation with structural engineers (damaging swell pictured battering the shore)

Chris Rogers, who lives on Ocean View Drive, said at least 40 homes have had their frontage completely destroyed and the State Emergency Service had cut off power, water and gas on the street.

'They're saying it's a safety precaution, a few of the owners refused to leave. I'm not going anywhere at the moment,' he told AAP.

'You can see inside, they'll lose their decks and maybe that might pull half a wall off but the house isn't going to topple in.'

'There's a lot more verandahs and balconies that have been toppling in and hanging over the edge. There's just cliff faces now. There's no stairs. There's no access. It's just a dead-set drop.'

While some residents nervously watched Central Coast council workers erecting sea walls made of concrete, stone and sandbags, a handful of surfers were seen taking advantage of the conditions.

Two men were pictured surfing at the entrance to the Wamberal Lagoon, which burst its banks on Monday morning due to the rain and swell, while another two were seen walking to the shore.

Meanwhile photos captured the trail of destruction and show walls of houses swept into the sea while concrete bollards stand exposed in the eroded shoreline.

While luxury homes teetered on the edge of falling into the ocean some surfers on the New South Wales central coast took advantage of the conditions (surfer pictured at the entrance to the Wamberal Lagoon on Monday)

The entrance to the Wamberal Lagoon (pictured), burst its banks on Monday morning due to large swell and consistent rainfall on the New South Wales central coast

One week after the evacuations of some properties locals continue to wake up to further destruction, with part of one home's wall coming away from the building due to the wild weather

In other photographs, balconies were seen hanging from homes and structural supports were left completely exposed because of the heavy rainfall this week.

Wamberal Protection Society vice-president Margaret Bryce says the damage is worse than in 2016 when another severe weather event caused significant erosion along the coastline.

'The anxiety and the stress of everybody here is palpable and it should be for the rest of Wamberal too,' Ms Bryce said.

'If this dune breaches, that lagoon behind us, all those lower-lying houses which have no meaningful foundations, will be breached too.'

However there is still more to come as Australia's east coast will continue to be lashed by the powerful weather system.

Heavy rainfall, flooding and winds 'strong enough to bring down power lines' have all been predicted for the coming days.

Extreme weather conditions will continue along the coast of New South Wales as the damaging system moves down the NSW South Coast towards Victoria

There is still more wild weather to come as a powerful weather system will continue to bring heavy rainfall, flooding and winds 'strong enough to bring down power lines'

The low pressure system already drenched the Gold Coast, Central Coast and Sydney on Sunday with some parts of the NSW capital copping more than 100mm of rain.

Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne continue to experience heavy rain as the system moves down the NSW South Coast towards Victoria.

On top of the wet weather, the NSW capital is also experiencing gale force winds of up to 60kmh.

BOM Meteorologist Grace Legge said there was still severe weather warnings in place for NSW, ACT and Victoria.

'From Monday we will likely see locally damaging winds strong enough to bring down trees and power lines with the main area of concern along the coast south of Taree and severe weather warnings are current,' Ms Legge said.

'The heavier rain fall is forecast to shift to the Illawarra and South Coast and possibly far east Gippsland and Victoria with a flood watch already out for some catchments and the potential for river rises along coastal parts,' Ms Legge continued.

The low pressure system already drenched the Gold Coast, Central Coast and Sydney on Sunday with fears more erosion will be created (rain and massive swell pictured smashing the NSW coast)

Dump trucks (pictured) have been seen lining the street on New South Wale's central coast as luxury homes continue to be 'at risk' of collapsing into the ocean as huge waves erode the shore

With the severe weather warnings in place from Newcastle to Eden in Victoria residents are being urged to avoid flood waters and stay indoors where possible (luxury homes at risk of collapsing into the ocean on the central coast)

'Thunder storms embedded in the system may produce locally heavy falls leading to flash flooding.'

With the severe weather warnings in place from Newcastle to Eden in Victoria residents are being urged to avoid flood waters and stay indoors where possible.

On Tuesday, up to 15mm more rain is expected with gusty southwesterly winds of up to 40kmh.

'Wind and rain are not the only concern with large and powerful waves forecast for Monday and Tuesday,' Ms Legge said.

'This may result in hazardous beach conditions with very heavy surf and coastal erosion especially for south facing surf zones.

'This included the vulnerable Central Coast which suffered significant erosion last week associated with the recent Tasman low.'
Camillus, N.Y.  It was a busy Friday night at the Green Gate Inn. This was in May, when the Camillus restaurant was still only open for takeout under the state regulations in place at the time.

It was also fried fish night, and some other local restaurants werent open.

It just started getting out of control, said Natalia Mayer, who owns the restaurant and pub at 2 Genesee St. in the village with her husband, Phillippe. We had customers coming in the door, people waiting for their orders, the phone ringing off the hook.

With her staff laid off, Meyer and her family struggled to keep up. Some customers got impatient while waiting. One or two cracked open the to-go only beverages they had purchased and started drinking them while they waited.

At some point, someone called the police.

It was our fault, Meyer said. We know the rules and we want to do whats right. We just lost control that night. You cant watch everyone all the time."

That night led to the Green Gate Inn making a list of the 443 bars and restaurants across the state that have been charged by the State Liquor Authority with violating Gov. Andrew Cuomos executive orders intended to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Ten of the locations are in Central New York.

Meyer has been in touch with an SLA lawyer and is hoping to negotiate a fine. Such fines can be as much as $10,000, but Meyer is hoping to settle for a lesser amount.

Well pay it and move past it, she said. Everybody makes mistakes.

In hindsight, Meyer wishes she would have locked the doors that night and shut down. After that night, and before the limited indoor reopening that came in June, the Green Gate enforced call-ahead orders for takeout and required customers to wait outside.

Now, shes busy enforcing the new rules: No more than 50% capacity inside, masks for servers and for customers unless they are seated, and the more recent alcohol-must-be-served-with-food order.

We know what to do now, Meyer said. If we ever find ourselves in that situation where were losing control well shut it down, lock the doors and take a breath. We dont want to be in that situation again."

Cuomo and the SLA have said the orders are meant to keep people from mingling for extended periods in bars and restaurants.

While some bar and restaurant operators have complained about the lack of clarity in some of the rules, Meyer says it more about enforcing them.

I dont have a policeman stationed at the door, she said. Im not a policeman. People are going to get up and walk around without their masks because they forget. Im running a restaurant and its hard to have to watch that all the time. Its stressful.

Meyer and her family have had to face the unpleasant task of asking long-time customers to obey the rules. That adds to the stress.

The good thing is that most people do understand, she said. Most people want to do the right thing. Unfortunately, mistakes are going to happen."

The Green Gate Inn is one of ten Central New York bars and restaurants that have been charged by the State Liquor Authority with violating Cuomos coronavirus-related executive orders.

Along with the Green Gate, four other businesses are accused of violating the orders before June 12, when the limited reopening began. The others are:

 Old Timers Inn, 2018 County Route 1 in Scriba, Oswego County. Cited on May 28. It has already had a hearing with the SLA, in which its license was suspended.

 The Gathering Lounge in Woodglen Shopping Center, 7871 Oswego Road in Clay. Cited on April 23.

 Rockys Pub, 209 Oswego St., Liverpool. Cited on March 26 and May 8.

 MJs Music Bar & Banquet Facility, 609 State Route 48, Fulton. Cited on April 3.

Five others are charged with violating the rules after the limited reopening began on June 12:

 Winds of Cold Spring Harbor, 3642 Hayes Road, Baldwinsville. Cited on June 19.

 Central City Bar & Grill, 17 Central Ave., Cortland. Cited on June 19.

 Dead End, 259 W. 7th St., Fulton. Cited on July 10.

 Oneida Lake Brew Haus, 6626 Lakeshore Road, Verona. Cited on June 26.

 Harpoon Eddies, 611 Park Ave., Sylvan Beach. Cited on June 26.

Each place is entitled to a hearing with the SLA. If found guilty, a business could have its liquor license suspended or pay a fine. So far, Old Timers Inn in Oswego County is the only Central New York location to have its license pulled.

Below is a searchable list released Friday of all the bars and restaurants cited for coronavirus violations since the initial pandemic order in March (Note: They are listed under their license name, which is not necessarily their publicly known trade name):

MORE ON FOOD AND DINING RULES

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Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
Christian author Bob Goff on how Christians can live out God-given ambition

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In a society rife with materialism, negativity, and distractions, Bob Goff is on a mission to help Christians rediscover and live out their God-given dreams and ambitions.

Were living in a very difficult time period, Goff, a New York Times bestselling author and popular Christian speaker, said in an interview with The Christian Post. Were thinking in terms of immediacy of some really urgent matters. While those things are important, its also a time to say, What are some ambitions I had? The urgency of the things that are happening right now shouldnt extinguish our ambition.

Many Christians have some beautiful, beautiful ambitions. But sometimes we get distracted by our insecurities, by what other people think about our visions, or were trying to get validation from others. Thats not a disqualifier, but I want us to put that under the microscope for a second and say, 'I wonder why we're looking for the approval of others before we move forward with something God already said He wanted us to do.'"

The 61-year-old thought leader knows a thing or two about pursuing ambition. A recognized lawyer for over 25 years, he left all that behind to become the Hon. Consul to Uganda. In 2001, he founded Love Does, an international nonprofit that pursues justice for children in high-conflict areas such as Uganda, Somalia, Afghanistan, Nepal, and India.

In the Christian community, we can sometimes be embarrassed of our ambition, as if it would be selfish to dream big, that we should be denying ourselves the opportunity to do that, Goff said. What I'm saying is, let's spread out all your ambitions on the table. Just look at them, and then just ask for each one: How come? Is this an ambition that's going to outlast me? And then, do something about it.

In his new book, Dream Big: Know What You Want, Why You Want It, and What You're Going to Do about It, Goff draws from personal experience to offer practical, biblically-minded ways Christians can live out their ambitions. According to the popular speaker and author, any ambitions outlined in Matthew 25 or James 1  helping the poor, sick, widowed, and hungry  are beautiful and lasting ambitions; things well talk about in Heaven.

But if you have ambitions that arent on that list, I would say, Lets go through them. If your ambition surrounds the idea of accumulation, such as accumulating more money, then that isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but just get real with it. Put it through the sieve and say, Why do I want more money? Is it because I need to make rent next week? Or is it because Im afraid Ill run out? Drill down on it a bit. Sort them into piles. You can have some small, medium and large ambitions, whether its learning how to pay to the bagpipes or traveling the world.

When it comes to uncovering the root of ones ambition, humility and self-awareness are key, Goff stressed. He cited Acts 5:4, which reads, in part: You have not lied just to human beings but to God."

Those are chilly words, he said. Without any judgment, ask yourself, What's my ambition and what are the things underneath my ambition?

Sometimes what you'll find is that there are things underneath your ambition that aren't the lasting things. That maybe you're actually just responding to some fear or trauma in your past, and you're really not responding to the beautiful work God's doing right now in your life. When we approach our ambition with mindfulness, humility, and self-awareness, Gods got somebody to work with.

These principles of being present and living mindfully can be applied to any social issue today, Goff said, from racism to the fear surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

Take any social issue today and then start blowing the foam off the top to say, How do you interact with that? he said. Once you uncover whats underneath that, dig a little deeper and check it with Scripture. Do your beliefs square with what God says?

You can go through that with any social issue and it will be really helpful. The goal isn't just self-awareness, it's action. I can't think of one time that Jesus just asked His friends to agree with Him. He said, Let's go do this thing. So once you understand what's going on, ask yourself: What am I going to do about it? Whats my piece in that?

The call to action for each Christian will be different, Goff argued, explaining that God is doing different things in different people's lives.

I want us to be patient with ourselves in the process, but not so patient that you never get around to something, he stressed. Make a move, whatever it is, but make a move that's courageous for you. God never compares what He creates. He's created something wonderfully different in you, with all the inputs you have, both good and bad, and the same for me. And so I'm just going to keep my eyes on my own paper.

Comparison is a punk that will rob you blind every time and destroy your ambitions, Goff cautioned, adding, Identify what your ambition is, figure out what the impediments are, and stop blaming other people for why you can't get your ambition. And then when you are that self-aware that humble before God, its catnip for opportunities.

This mindset, the bestselling author contended, isnt just positive, its productive.

Distractions are what get us off message, he said. Whether its our iPhones or social media, they can distract us from really being present. If we had a little bit more clarity about why we're doing what we're doing, then we would find ourselves in a position to take action.

Goff expressed dismay over the negativity prevalent on social media, noting, You're not going to find me saying anything cynical; I just don't want to add more noise to a really noisy room. I want to add peace to a really noisy room.

The way we do that is by bringing Jesus into the room. We need to be self-aware enough, settled down enough, to keep our eyes fixed on Him so that when another distraction comes along, it doesn't rip us off from our ambition."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged Friday to do more to protect farm workers, grocery clerks and other essential workers  many of whom are Latino from the health and economic harms of the coronavirus as the infection spreads through their communities.

Not enough focus, candidly, has been placed on essential workers in this state, Newsom said during his daily news conference.

Among Newsoms plans: Provide temporary housing for infected workers who need to isolate from their families; expand paid sick leave and workers compensation benefits; expand a state public awareness campaign around mask usage; give new guidance to employers and require them to report outbreaks of the virus to their local health departments.

But his immediate actions were limited. Rather than act through executive order, as Newsom has often done, he said hell work with state lawmakers to pass legislation. He signed executive orders in the spring aimed at halting evictions, expanding sick leave and workers compensation, but many have expired or will soon.

Latino lawmakers and nonprofits welcome the focus but called it first steps to address a pressing and grave problem.

This is something that has to be talked about every single day, said Christian Arana, policy director for the Latino Community Foundation. He said lawmakers needed to take swift action because of the rapid spread of the virus through the state and community.

Latinos make up 39% of Californias population but 55% of confirmed positive coronavirus cases, according to state data. They account for 45% of the deaths, more than any other group. The majority of farm workers, construction workers, cooks, food prep workers, truck drivers, cashiers and janitors are Latino, Newsom said.

Many farm workers still dont have access to appropriate masks and protective equipment, and many are afraid to get tested for the virus because it could force them to stop working, said Armando Valdez, who runs a nonprofit in Fresno and has been working with farm workers and other families in the area during the pandemic.

If you do it and become positive youre not going to have any food on your table, but if you continue you most likely can either die of this or infect other people, he said.

He said much of the state and federal virus relief money has been tied up in bureaucracy or run through organizations that arent the closest to the ground. Many workers are still getting evicted despite state policies designed to prevent it right now, and at some farms workers still arent getting enough protective equipment, he said. His organization made and distributed more than 4,000 masks.

Efforts in the Legislature attempt to tackle some of these problems. A bill by Democratic Assemblyman David Chiu and others, would prevent landlords from evicting tenants who cant pay their rent during the pandemic. It would give tenants up to one year to pay back that rent before a landlord could file a civil action, which would not include eviction. Another bill by state Sen. Jerry Hill would make a coronavirus infection eligible for workers compensation benefits. That bill has already cleared the Senate and is now in the state Assembly.

A third bill, by Democratic Sen. Anthony Portantino, would require expanded paid sick leave for food sector workers, including farm workers, so that people who are sick dont come to work. Democratic Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes has legislation that requires businesses to report virus outbreaks, something they arent currently mandated to do.

Our community is in grave need of government intervention. Requiring businesses to be transparent with their workers and the state about positive coronavirus cases in the workplace is a basic action we can take to protect Latino workers, members of the legislative Latino Caucus said in a statement.

Beyond legislation, Newsom highlighted a program called Housing for the Harvest aimed at providing hotel or motel rooms for agricultural or food processing workers that need to isolate from their families. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay for the bulk of the program.

Newsom urged Californians to consider the incredible contribution of farm workers who harvest the fruits and vegetables that line grocery stores all year round.

Dont forget the folks that make sure to make that abundance available to you. And we have to make sure that we have an abundance mindset in terms of helping support these workers and make sure that theyre safe, theyre healthy, he said.

He also announced plans to expand the states public awareness campaign around the importance of wearing masks and to give new handbooks to employers detailing how to comply with the states rules and regulations. Newsom said the state didnt do a good enough job explaining to industries how to reopen safely as officials loosened the stay-at-home order.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California Legislation Workers' Compensation Agribusiness
Medical experts are calling for a restart of the COVID lockdown as the United States hits 4 million cases, and as the big banks chime in with dire scenarios.

On Friday, a group of 150 prominent medical experts, medical workers, scientists and teachers signed a letter urging another nationwide shut down to contain the pandemic at a time when schools are wondering whether they can reopen at the 11th hour.

"Right now we are on a path to lose more than 200,000 American lives by November 1st. Yet, in many states people can drink in bars, get a haircut, eat inside a restaurant, get a tattoo, get a massage, and do myriad other normal, pleasant, but non-essential activities," the letter said, carried by CNN.

With Johns Hopkins University recording over 4 million cases and over 144,300 deaths, the big banks are also high on everyones list for COVID uncertainty barometers.

On Thursday, Morgan Stanleys biotechnology analyst, Matthew Harrison, warned that COVID could reach new heights in the fall with up to 150,000 new daily cases in the United States alone.

Our bull [most optimistic] case reflects similar virus control to Europe while our base [most likely] case assumes a near-term plateau followed by increased spread in the fall. [About] 150,000 daily new cases are possible without better control of the virus, Harrison said, as reported by CNBC.

Thats a starkly worse view than Harrison had earlier, and the more dire scenario was prompted by a huge uptick in cases in Arizona, Texas, Florida and California. Previously, Harrison had predicted 50,000 daily new cases for fall.

Floridas Department of Health on Friday confirmed 12,444 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the states known total to 402,312, with 135 new deaths.

Goldman Sachs is also purveying high-level uncertainty.

On Wednesday, Goldman CEO David Solomon said the U.S. economy would continue to be hit by high unemployment and a slow recovery as it stands.

The economic reality is that we are still facing a very, very uncertain economic environment, Solomon told a conference held by the Economic Club of New York, as reported by CNBC.

I think in the next couple of months youll see a tamping down of that acceleration, I think youll see poorer economic numbers, Solomon said. I think were in for a very, very bumpy ride.

Goldman Sachs is also prompting the government for a nationwide face mask mandate and a possible return to lockdown, which it says would slow the spread of COVID-19.



The economic benefit from a face mask mandate and increased face mask usage could be sizable, a Goldman Sachs research team wrote in a note to clients.

At the same time, Goldman has raised its ecommerce growth estimate in light of the COVID second wave, setting it to reach 22% by 2023, and expanding 19% each year until then, up from 16% earlier.

Everyone is now waiting to see what is in store for us in terms of stimulus, with Senate Republicans due to release their new coronavirus relief plan next week.

More Top Reads From Safehaven.com:
According to a release from the Indiana State Police, the Indiana State Police Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call of a car vs. deer crash at approximately 2:50 a.m. on I-65 northbound at the 246 mile-marker. A few minutes later, that car was struck by another northbound vehicle, the release said. As a result of that second crash, Sage N. Albert, 14, from Union, Ohio, was killed, police said.
Seven initiatives of Brahma Kumaris to be flagged off by PM Modi today

Due to 'right decisions taken at right time' India better placed in COVID-19 fight, says PM Modi

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, July 27: India is in a much better position than other countries in the fight against COVID-19 as a result of "right decisions taken at the right time", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, asserting that the country has expanded its health infrastructure at a rapid pace.

The three high throughput testing facilities have been set up strategically at ICMR institutions - National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research in Noida, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health in Mumbai and National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases in Kolkata.

A Raksha Bandhan gift for women of Manipur says PM Modi after inaugurating water project

Unlock 3: Centre mulling over opening cinema halls and gyms with some curbs | Oneindia News

Speaking after virtually launching COVID-19 testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata, Modi said that in the fight against coronavirus, India has come to a point where it does not lack in awareness, its scientific data is expanding and resources are also increasing.

Modi said,'' In the big fight against coronavirus, it was important that we establish corona specific health infrastructure. This is the reason why the Centre announced a Rs 15,000 crore package way back.''

Due to the "right decisions taken at the right time" in the country, India is in a much better position than other countries in the fight against the pandemic, he said. The deaths due to the coronavirus in India are much lower than many big countries, the Prime Minister said.

Modi also pointed to the rapid pace of health infrastructure development, from testing labs, personal protection equipment to COVID facilities.

"In January, where we had only one centre for COVID-19 testing, now there are about 1,300 labs operating in the country," he said. The new testing facilities will give West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh more strength to fight COVID-19, Modi said.

The three high-tech testing facilities have been set up strategically at ICMR institutions -- National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research in Noida, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health in Mumbai and National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases in Kolkata. These will be able to test over 10,000 samples in a day, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office had said.

These labs will also reduce turnaround time and exposure of lab personnel to infectious clinical materials. The labs are enabled to test diseases other than COVID-19 as well, and post the pandemic, will be able to test for Hepatitis B and C, HIV, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, cytomegalovirus, chlamydia, Neisseria and dengue.
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UK Travel giant TUI has cancelled all mainland Spanish holidays until August 9 following the UK government's decision to impose a 14-day quarantine on people arriving in to the country from Spain, said a report.

The firm said all those going to the Balearic and Canary Islands could still travel as planned from Monday, BBC reported.

The airline industry has reacted with dismay to the decision to impose the quarantine, calling it a big blow.

Quarantine measures apply to those returning from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, such as Majorca and Ibiza, the report said.

British Airways and easyJet have strongly criticised the UK governments decision, but have said they will continue to operate flights despite the quarantine rules.

The UK government's quaratine decision is a result of a spike in Spanish coronavirus cases, with more than 900 new cases reported on Friday, it said.

Spanish officials have also warned a second wave could be imminent as major cities have seen cases surge, the report said.
Technavio has been monitoring the global off-grid solar power systems market size and it is poised to grow by USD 2.97 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 11% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200727005261/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Off-grid Solar Power Systems Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request the Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

Frequently Asked Questions-

What was the value of the off-grid solar power systems market in 2019?

Technavio says that the value of the market was USD 4.53 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 7.50 billion by 2024.

Technavio says that the value of the market was USD 4.53 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 7.50 billion by 2024. At what rate is the market projected to grow during the forecast period 2020-2024?

Growing at a CAGR of almost 11%, the market growth will accelerate in the forecast period of 2020-2024.

Growing at a CAGR of almost 11%, the market growth will accelerate in the forecast period of 2020-2024. What is the key factor driving the market?

The high cost of grid expansion has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

The high cost of grid expansion has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Who are the top players in the market?

ABB Ltd., ENGIE SA, Gem Energy Australia Pty. Ltd., Greenlight Planet, M-KOPA Kenya Ltd., NantEnergy Inc., OutBack Power Inc., Schneider Electric SE, SMA Solar Technology AG, and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. are some of the major market participants.

ABB Ltd., ENGIE SA, Gem Energy Australia Pty. Ltd., Greenlight Planet, M-KOPA Kenya Ltd., NantEnergy Inc., OutBack Power Inc., Schneider Electric SE, SMA Solar Technology AG, and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. are some of the major market participants. Which region is expected to hold the highest market share in the market?

APAC region

APAC region What is a major trend in the off-grid solar power systems market?

The growing Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) model will be one of the key trends in the market.

The growing Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) model will be one of the key trends in the market. Based on segmentation by application, which segment is expected to witness the fastest growth in the global market?

The non-residential segment is expected to grow at a faster rate.

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. ABB Ltd., ENGIE SA, Gem Energy Australia Pty. Ltd., Greenlight Planet, M-KOPA Kenya Ltd., NantEnergy Inc., OutBack Power Inc., Schneider Electric SE, SMA Solar Technology AG, and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

The high cost of grid expansion has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, the high initial PV system cost might hamper the market growth.

Off-grid Solar Power Systems Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Off-grid Solar Power Systems Market is segmented as below:

Application Non-residential Residential

Geographic Landscape APAC Europe MEA North America South America



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43608

Off-grid Solar Power Systems Market 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our off-grid solar power systems market report covers the following areas:

Off-grid Solar Power Systems Market size

Off-grid Solar Power Systems Market trends

Off-grid Solar Power Systems Market industry analysis

This study identifies the growing Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) model as one of the prime reasons driving the off-grid solar power systems market growth during the next few years.

Off-grid Solar Power Systems Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the off-grid solar power systems market, including some of the vendors such as ABB Ltd., ENGIE SA, Gem Energy Australia Pty. Ltd., Greenlight Planet, M-KOPA Kenya Ltd., NantEnergy Inc., OutBack Power Inc., Schneider Electric SE, SMA Solar Technology AG, and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Off-grid Solar Power Systems Market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Off-grid Solar Power Systems Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist off-grid solar power systems market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the off-grid solar power systems market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the off-grid solar power systems market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of off-grid solar power systems market vendors

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2019

Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 2024

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Application

Market segments

Comparison by Application

Non-residential Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Residential Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Application

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024

North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

ABB Ltd.

ENGIE SA

Gem Energy Australia Pty. Ltd.

Greenlight Planet

M-KOPA Kenya Ltd.

NantEnergy Inc.

OutBack Power Inc.

Schneider Electric SE

SMA Solar Technology AG

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Accurately diagnosing the spread of cancer often involves painful and invasive biopsy procedures. The use of a liquid biopsy, which involves a simple blood draw, has been shown in a five-year clinical trial to accurately detect and monitor certain kinds of breast cancer.

The study involves circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTC), genetic and cellular material from tumors that find their way into the patients bloodstream. A paper on the clinical trials results is published in JAMA Oncology.

These CTC cells are extremely rare, said Cagri Savran, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University. In a blood sample of eight milliliters, there are billions of cells, but the cells were looking for, there may only be three or four.

Savran and his team at the Birck Nanotechnology Center in Purdues Discovery Park developed a liquid biopsy device to isolate these cells. They mix blood samples with magnetic particles, functionalized with antibodies to recognize the cells they are targeting. Then they run the samples through a microfluidic device, which has a magnetic field that attracts and captures only the magnetized CTC cells.

Once weve got them, we can do a number of things, Savran said. We can culture them, we can run tests on them and, most importantly for this trial, we can count them. The number of cells in a sample has a significant meaning.

The device drew the attention of Milan Radovich, an associate professor at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center in Indianapolis and a 2004 Purdue graduate in biochemistry.

I focus primarily on the use of genomics for precision medicine in oncology, Radovich said. We really focus on figuring out what makes cancers tick, by looking at their DNA blueprint.

Radovich wanted to test the effectiveness of CTC detection as part of a larger clinical trial of 196 patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

This is a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer, he said, and recurrence of the disease tends to be high. So after their chemotherapy, we took blood samples from the patients to see if presence of the cells was an accurate marker of disease relapse.

Because IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center doesnt have CTC technology, Radovich reached out to Purdue to test the samples. Our novel microfluidic platform makes CTC detection simple, rapid and scalable, Savran said. It takes longer to ship the samples than to complete the tests.

From 2014 to 2018, Radovich sent hundreds of blood samples to Savran, who isolated the CTC cells and reported their numbers back to Radovich.

Because this was a blinded study, neither of us could know the results until the trial was completed, Radovich said. It was a long five years to wait.

In the final analysis, their theory was proven right.

These circulating markers were more predictive of relapse than any other commonly used clinical marker on the planet, Radovich said. Its more predictive than tumor size, grade, stage or lymph node status.

This is the largest clinical study ever published on the use of circulating markers and minimal residual disease, Radovich said. This really puts it on the map.

A video describing this work is available on YouTube.

Both Radovich and Savran are now pursuing the future of non-invasive liquid biopsies. Savran patented the idea for his device through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization and created a company, Savran Technologies Inc., to make it commercially available.

Its very important to me and my team of engineers that the things we build are really useful, Savran said. This technology is being used on real patients and now has the power to make a real difference.

Radovich plans to continue to use the technology in future clinical trials.

Imagine youre a patient with this triple-negative breast cancer, Radovich said. Even if chemotherapy and surgery were successful, life can be a nightmare. Theyve told us that every headache or back pain incites fear that their cancer is coming back. With this technology, we can offer a more definitive answer for both physicians and patients.

Financial support for this study was provided by the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Research, Walther Cancer Foundation, Indiana University Grand Challenge Precision Health Initiative and Thomas Hurvis and McKinley Educational Foundation.

About Discovery Park

Discovery Park is a place where Purdue researchers move beyond traditional boundaries, collaborating across disciplines and with policymakers and business leaders to create solutions for a better world. Grand challenges of global health, global conflict and security, and those that lie at the nexus of sustainable energy, world food supply, water and the environment are the focus of researchers in Discovery Park. The translation of discovery to impact is integrated into the fabric of Discovery Park through entrepreneurship programs and partnerships.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

Media contact: Kayla Wiles, wiles5@purdue.edu (working remotely, but will provide immediate response)

Writer: Jared Pike

Source: Cagri Savran, savran@purdue.edu

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ABSTRACT

Association of Circulating Tumor DNA and Circulating Tumor Cells After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy With Disease Recurrence in Patients With Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.2295

Importance A significant proportion of patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Sequencing of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) after surgery, along with enumeration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), may be used to detect minimal residual disease and assess which patients may experience disease recurrence.

Objective To determine whether the presence of ctDNA and CTCs after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early-stage TNBC is independently associated with recurrence and clinical outcomes.

Design, Setting, and Participants A preplanned secondary analysis was conducted from March 26, 2014, to December 18, 2018, using data from 196 female patients in BRE12-158, a phase 2 multicenter randomized clinical trial that randomized patients with early-stage TNBC who had residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy to receive postneoadjuvant genomically directed therapy vs treatment of physician choice. Patients had blood samples collected for ctDNA and CTCs at time of treatment assignment; ctDNA analysis with survival was performed for 142 patients, and CTC analysis with survival was performed for 123 patients. Median clinical follow-up was 17.2 months (range, 0.3-58.3 months).

Interventions Circulating tumor DNA was sequenced using the FoundationACT or FoundationOneLiquid Assay, and CTCs were enumerated using an epithelial cell adhesion moleculebased, positive-selection microfluidic device.

Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcomes were distant diseasefree survival (DDFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS).

Results Among 196 female patients (mean [SD] age, 49.6 [11.1] years), detection of ctDNA was significantly associated with inferior DDFS (median DDFS, 32.5 months vs not reached; hazard ratio [HR], 2.99; 95% CI, 1.38-6.48; P = .006). At 24 months, DDFS probability was 56% for ctDNA-positive patients compared with 81% for ctDNA-negative patients. Detection of ctDNA was similarly associated with inferior DFS (HR, 2.67; 95% CI, 1.28-5.57; P = .009) and inferior OS (HR, 4.16; 95% CI,1.66-10.42; P = .002). The combination of ctDNA and CTCs provided additional information for increased sensitivity and discriminatory capacity. Patients who were ctDNA positive and CTC positive had significantly inferior DDFS compared with those who were ctDNA negative and CTC negative (median DDFS, 32.5 months vs not reached; HR, 5.29; 95% CI, 1.50-18.62; P = .009). At 24 months, DDFS probability was 52% for patients who were ctDNA positive and CTC positive compared with 89% for those who were ctDNA negative and CTC negative. Similar trends were observed for DFS (HR, 3.15; 95% CI, 1.07-9.27; P = .04) and OS (HR, 8.60; 95% CI, 1.78-41.47; P = .007).

Conclusions and Relevance In this preplanned secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial, detection of ctDNA and CTCs in patients with early-stage TNBC after neoadjuvant chemotherapy was independently associated with disease recurrence, which represents an important stratification factor for future postneoadjuvant trials.

Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02101385
Houston:

The asteroid that killed dinosaurs about 65 million years ago may have punctured the crust of the Earth, a new study has revealed. The study further said that after the Earths crust was punctured, it caused the surface of the planet to behave like a slow-moving fluid.

According to researchers, the new findings may throw light on the face of planets can have an impact that can even generate new habitats for life. Rings of rocky hills are sometimes found in the centres of the major craters and they are known as peak rings.

Extraterrestrial rocky bodies such as the Moon or Venus contain most of these peak rings. This makes it difficult to analyse these structures in detail and find their origins.

Scientists from University of Texas at Austin in the US studied the gargantuan Chicxulub crater in Mexico to learn in detail about the peak rings. The gargantuan Chicxulub crater measures more than 180 kilometres. It is the only creater to have an intact peak ring on Earth.



An epic crash of an object about 10 kilometre wide gave birth to crater, while the resulting impact is thought to have wiped out dinosaurs.



Peak ring samples were examined by the researchers from under 18 metres of water in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sean Gulick, a marine geophysicist at UT Austin, said that they discovered granite that likely once was deeply buried for about 500 million years.



These deeply buried rocks rose up to the surface of the Earth within the first few minutes of the impact, Gulick told the Live Science.



After the impact, the earth there would have temporarily behaved like a slow-moving fluid, Gulick said.



The stony asteroid would have opened up a hole probably almost the thickness of Earths crust, almost 30 km deep, and on the order of 80 to 100 km wide, he added.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Urging approval of the legislation, Lewis told a news conference last year that the original law was gutted because there are forces in this country that want to keep American citizens from having a rightful say in the future of our nation. . . . I am deeply and very concerned about the future of our democracy. It seems like the lights are about to go out.
The Rajasthan Board Secondary Education (RBSE) is expected to release the Rajasthan RBSE Class 10 results 2020 in the coming days on RBSE's official websites - rajresults.nic.in and rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in.

It may be recalled that the Rajasthan Class 10 exams were scheduled to be held from March 20 to 24 but the exams were postponed due to coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country. The exams were later conducted between June 29 and 30.

Here's how to check Rajasthan Board Class 10th results online:

1. The students should first visit the RBSE's official websites

2. Click on the link showing class 10 results option

3. Now enter your roll number and put the required details

4. You can now see your result is being displayed on the screen

5. Check your scorecard carefully and download the result copy for future reference

Students can also check the RBSE 10th result 2020 via SMS: Type  RESULT (space) RAJ10A (space) ROLL NUMBER  and send it to 56263.

The passing marks for RBSE 10th Exam students is 33 per cent in all six subject namely Science, Social Science, English, Hindi, Mathematics and either of Sanskrit/ Urdu/ Rajasthani/ Music/ others.

The RBSE Class 12th Science results 2020 were declared on July 8 and the overall passing percentage was recorded at 91.96. The RBSE Class 12th Commerce results 2020 were announced on July 13.
The Consumer Protection Act, which received Presidents assent last year in August, came into force on July 20, 2020.

While the Act promises to protect consumers from misleading advertisements and punish the celebrities endorsing them, critics say it lacks teeth and will only help celebrities earn more.

First, lets take a look at what this Act entails.

How will the Act help consumers?

It seeks to safeguard consumer rights from unfair trade

practices and misleading advertisements.

The Act fixes the liability on endorsers, given that there have been numerous instances in the recent past where consumers have fallen prey to unfair practices, being influenced by the star value of the brand ambassadors.

Now on, endorsers will have to verify the veracity of the ad claims before promoting it.

Any false or misleading advertisement will attract a minimum penalty of Rs 10 lakh and a one-year imprisonment and a maximum of Rs 50 lakh and up to five years imprisonment.

A celebrity who is part of any misleading advertisement may also be banned from endorsing any products/services up to one year, which can be extended to three years.

Has any celebrity landed in trouble?

Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta have landed in trouble in the past over misleading advertisements.

They were associated with Nestle's Maggi and many legal cases were filed against them after reports surfaced that the noodles contain Monosodium glutamate (MSG), an additive that enhances the flavour of food, and lead.

In 2012, an FIR was filed against actress Genelia D'Souza on charges of cheating customers through a real-estate venture called Anjaniputra. She was its brand ambassador. Many customers said they booked the flats as the actress was associated with the company.

In her defence, D'Souza said that she was not the company's brand ambassador but had only done a one-day shoot for the company.

In the Amrapali Group controversy, MS Dhoni had landed in trouble. Experts say that Dhoni, being the face of the brand, did attract many buyers. He was the company's brand ambassador for six years but stepped down after the controversy came to the fore.

So, what can celebrities do to stay out of trouble?

A celebrity will have to increase due diligence before he or she takes on an endorsement (product details/product quality/quality compliance).

Plus, they will need to make higher indemnity provisions in the endorsement contracts so as to mitigate any future liability. This may lead to increased endorsement fee.

High risk will mean higher cost

According to Sandeep Goyal, Chief Mentor, IIHB (Indian Institute of Human Brands), endorsements will now cost more. If risks have gone up for the celebrities, they will want to be compensated. Mere indemnities may not be enough.

While celebrities will have to be careful, Section 21 of the Consumer Protection Act, which deals with the use of an endorser in advertising, still has not been notified to be enforced.

While the provision is part of the Act, it is still not an enforceable law. So, for now, it gives a breather to clients, agencies and endorsers.

While many are supporting move to hold endorsers liable, Meet Malhotra, Senior Advocate, thinks otherwise.

While the government is attempting to hold endorsers accountable, the quantum of penalties proposed are meagre compared to what most high-profile endorsers would charge for endorsing a product and may not draw the desired result. Endorsers may insure themselves against such penalties or take indemnities from the product manufacturer or service provider. Further, an escape window of due diligence has been given," he said.

Malhotra may not be wrong about the penalties on endorsers being meagre. Celebrity endorsers like Virat Kohli reportedly charge between Rs 5 crore- Rs 5.5 crore a day for endorsements.
Syracuse, N.Y.  A night of gun violence in Syracuse has left at least two people dead and three injured, as Syracuse Police investigated multiple calls involving gunshots in a six-hour period between Sunday evening and early today.

In all, police reported five people were shot: Two men, ages 42 and 24, are dead, while a 27-year-old is in critical condition. Two others suffered gunshot wounds that police say are not life-threatening.

Police spokesman Sgt. Matt Malinowski said police went out on seven gunshot-related calls, including four for shots fired and three for shootings with injuries.

The latest homicide occurred sometime before 11:47 p.m. Sunday, when officers were called to Upstate University Hospital after a 42-year-old man was dropped off at the hospital from a private vehicle with a gunshot wound to the midsection. He later died.

Police information on the location of the shooting was limited, Malinowski said.

That was the evening's second fatal shooting.

Police already were investigating a shooting just after 6 p.m. Sunday near Washington Square Park on the North Side that left a 24-year-man dead. That incident also left a 55-year-old woman with a bullet wound to her leg as well. She is expected to survive, Malinowski said.

At about 9 p.m. Sunday, police responded to the 100 block of Martin Luther King West, on the citys South Side, where they found multiple shell casings. A short time later, a 30-year-old man arrived at Upstate University Hospital with a gunshot wound to the midsection. He is expected to survive, police said.

Two hours later, at 11:08 p.m., police were called to the 700 block of Oswego Street on the Southwest Side, where they discovered a 27-year-old man who had been shot in the head. He was taken to Upstate and was listed in critical condition, police said.

An hour later, police responded to the 100 block of Berger Avenue, near West Newell on the South Side, around 12:09 a.m. today after a report of shots being fired. Officers found evidence of shooting, and a home in the area was struck. There were no injuries reported in connection with that incident, police said.

There might be more.

Police were called to Pennsylvania Avenue, between LeMoyne Avenue and Wolf Street on the citys North Side, around 3:10 a.m. today for another reported shooting, according to the E-911 log.

Police havent released any of the victims names yet and all of the incidents remain under investigation. Police ask anyone with information to call the department at 315-442-5222 or use the Syracuse PD tips app for mobile phones.

Nolan Weidner is a reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and syracuse.com. Got a comment or idea for a story? He can be reached via email at nweidner@syracuse.com.
Ryanair had over 3.9bn cash at June 30

Ryanair has reported a loss of 185m for the three months to June 30 as passenger numbers fell by 99pc due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

This compares to a profit after tax of 243m for the same period last year.

Europes largest airline carried half a million passengers during the three months, compared to 41.9m people in the corresponding period in 2019, with over 99pc of its fleet grounded from mid-March to the end of June.

Revenue for the quarter was 125m, a fall of almost 95pc on the 2.3bn reported for the same period last year, according to a trading update.

Given the current uncertainty, Ryanair said it is unable to provide a profit after tax guidance for the year.

The airline said a second wave of Covid-19 cases across Europe in late autumn is its "biggest fear right now."

Ryanair had over 3.9bn cash at June 30, as the group moved quickly from mid-March to preserve cash, cut costs, cancel share buybacks and defer all non-essential capital expenditure.

The airline said the past quarter was the most challenging in its 35 year history.

From July 1 the group resumed flights across the majority of its route network.

It expects to operate approximately 40pc of its normal July schedule, rising to circa 60pc next month and, it said, hopefully 70pc in September.

Elsewhere, it expects over 90pc of customer cash refund requests will be cleared by the end of this month.

Meanwhile, Ryanair expects to take delivery of its first Boeing 737-MAX-200 aircraft before the end of this year.
London, July 27 : Britains Andy Murray will be apprehensive about travelling to New York for the US Open amid the COVID-19 pandemic but the former world number is mentally prepared for the Grand Slam. The US Open is due to start on August 31 behind closed doors at the Flushing Meadows.

"Four or five weeks ago, we were pretty sceptical about it," Murray was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

"But mentally at some stage you need to start preparing and planning for that.

"If it wasn't happening, my schedule for practising, my rehab, would all be a bit different. Mentally I'm planning for it to go ahead," he added.

The United States has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world.

"The issue for us is the travel, so we'll probably be a bit apprehensive getting over there," Murray continued.

"Hopefully the US Open can go ahead, and it's OK. But if not, I'm also OK with that. It's not like I'm saying it must go ahead. So long as it's safe for the players then we need to try to get back to competing when it's safe to do so." Meanwhile, Britain's leading women's player, Johanna Konta, has said the US Open will take place.

"Everything is pointing in the direction that it is going to go ahead," the world number 14 said.

"They have been quite vocal that they are pushing forwards. Just basing my opinion on all the information that is there, I think it probably will.

"As far as I understand, as professional athletes I think we can come back without quarantining as of now. But I don't know if that has changed in the last 12 hours," she added.
Several police cars were set on fire overnight in Philadelphia.

They were empty when the fires broke out early Monday, and no one was hurt, NBC 10 is reporting.

The first of the reports came in around 2:30 a.m. with a fire at 39th and Chestnut streets in University City, Action News 6 ABC is reporting.

Additional police-car fires were called out at 7th and Chestnuts streets, 11th and Vine streets and 40th Street and Lancaster Avenue, according to reports.

Reports indicate fires damaged at least five police vehicles.

These were small fires that were quickly extinguished. In one instance, investigators say it appears a device was placed under the wheel well of the car to ignite the blaze, and in another, a flammable liquid was poured into the vehicle, reports indicate.

There is no description of the suspect, but NBC 10 reports the areas where the fires occurred are heavily traveled, and many businesses there may have surveillance cameras.

Police did not release a possible motive for the fires.

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ATLANTA, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc. (Inhibikase), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for Parkinson's Disease and related disorders that arise inside and outside of the brain, announced today that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to the proposed initial public offering of shares of its common stock. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. Inhibikase has applied to list its common stock under the ticker symbol "IKT." The offering is subject to market conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.

ThinkEquity, a division of Fordham Financial Management, will act as the sole book-running manager for the offering. The offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. When available, copies of the preliminary prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from the offices of ThinkEquity, a division of Fordham Financial Management, Inc., 17 State Street, 22nd Floor, New York, New York 10004, by telephone at (877) 436-3673, or by email at [email protected]. These documents may also be obtained free of charge, when they are available, by visiting the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Any offers, solicitations or offers to buy, or any sales of securities will be made in accordance with the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

About Inhibikase (WWW.INHIBIKASE.COM)

Inhibikase is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for Parkinson's Disease and related disorders that arise inside and outside of the brain. Inhibikase is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts.



Contacts:

Investor Relations:

Milton H. Werner, PhD

President & CEO, Inhibikase

678-392-3419

[email protected]

Media:

Mary Moynihan

M2Friend Biocommunications

802-951-9600

[email protected]

SOURCE Inhibikase
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Wood Dale, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AAR (NYSE: AIR), a leading provider of aviation services to commercial airlines and governments worldwide, has been awarded a three-year contract by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) to perform maintenance, repair and overhaul on F-16 jet fuel starters.

AAR will service the jet fuel starters in its component repair facility in Amsterdam, where AAR has been supporting European Participating Air Forces (EPAF) for over 30 years as a prime provider or subcontractor for repair management, component maintenance, supply chain and depot services.

The RNLAF is pleased to have an MRO contract in place for its F-16 jet fuel starters, said Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Zoeteman, Program Manager F-16. The F-16 community is excited to have a trusted partner like AAR support the RNLAF to maintain and improve the availability of the F-16 fleet, and looks forward to continuing this valued relationship.

AAR has been a proud and trusted partner of the RNLAF on the F-16 platform for more than 30 years, said Maarten Willemsen, Government Program Manager of AAR Component Repair in Amsterdam. Since the 1980s, AAR Amsterdam has serviced over 3,500 jet fuel starters at our Amsterdam facility  including all RNLAF jet fuel starters. The award of this End-of-Life-of-Type contract reflects our strong relationship, dedication to exceeding customer expectations and shared core values with the RNLAF. We deliver tailored services and capabilities based on commercial best practices and our customers unique needs to produce high quality work and cost savings.

For more information about AAR Component Repair services, please click here.

# # #

About AAR

AAR is a global aerospace and defense aftermarket solutions company with operations in over 20 countries. Headquartered in the Chicago area, AAR supports commercial and government customers through two operating segments: Aviation Services and Expeditionary Services. AARs Aviation Services include Parts Supply; OEM Solutions; Integrated Solutions; and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Services. AARs Expeditionary Services include Mobility Systems and Composite Manufacturing operations. Additional information can be found at www.aarcorp.com.

About the Royal Netherlands Air Force

The Royal Netherlands Air Force is a modern, high-tech armed forces Service that is active on a global basis. The Air Force lends support in combating international unrest and provides disaster relief. At home in the Netherlands, the Air Force ensures security from the air. For these purposes, it has highly-qualified personnel, aircraft, helicopters and other weapon systems at its disposal.
An AG600 seaplane, China's second amphibious aircraft, prepares to take off during a test flight in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Sunday. YI QUAN/FOR CHINA DAILY

China's AG600 seaplane conducted its first sea-based test flight on Sunday morning, marking a new milestone in the program.

The AG600 prototype used for the test flight, operated by four crew members, took off at 9:28 am from Shanzihe Airport in Rizhao, Shandong province, and landed at 10:14 am on a designated area of the Yellow Sea off the neighboring city of Qingdao after a 46-minute flight.

The amphibious aircraft sailed on the waters and then took off at 10:18 am to fly back to Shanzihe Airport. It completed a number of test assignments during the operation, according to Aviation Industry Corp of China, the State-owned conglomerate that designed and built the seaplane.

The AG600 is China's second amphibious aircraft, after the SH-5, which was developed in the 1970s for military purposes and has been retired for a long time. With a length of 37 meters and a wingspan of 38.8 meters, the AG600 is roughly the size of a Boeing 737.

Powered by four domestically designed WJ-6 turboprop engines, it has a maximum takeoff weight of 53.5 metric tons. These specifications make it the world's biggest amphibious aircraft, surpassing Japan's ShinMaywa US-2 and Russia's Beriev Be-200.

Once in service, it will put an end to the absence of a large rescue aircraft in China and will be very useful in the national emergency rescue and disaster relief systems, said Chen Yuanxian, deputy general manager of AVIC.

The amphibious plane is one of three large-size aircraft to emerge from the nation's efforts to become a top-tier player in the global aviation sector, joining the Y-20 strategic transport planedelivery of which began in July 2016 to the Chinese Air Forceand the C919 narrow-body jetliner, which is being flight-tested.

Development of the AG600 was approved by the central government in June 2009 and began in September that year. Tens of thousands of researchers and engineers from more than 160 domestic institutes, enterprises and universities took part in the program. Construction of the first prototype began in March 2014 and was completed in July 2016.

The seaplane made its maiden flight in December 2017 in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, taking off and landing at a local airport. Ten months later, it carried out its first takeoff and landing on water at Zhanghe Reservoir in Jingmen, Hubei province.

President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said after the October 2018 water-based test that it was a major achievement in the innovation efforts of the country's aviation industry. He said the seaplane will help improve the emergency rescue and disaster response systems, and encouraged those involved in the AG600 program to continue striving for its success.

The AG600 will mainly be tasked with aerial firefighting and maritime search and rescue. It also can be refitted to conduct marine environmental inspections and marine resource surveys, as well as personnel and supply transportation, according to AVIC.

The aircraft is designed for land and water takeoffs and landings and has an operational range of more than 4,000 kilometers. It can rescue up to 50 people during a maritime search and rescue mission.

For forest fire-fighting, it can collect 12 tons of water from a lake or sea in 20 seconds and use it to douse blazes over an area of about 4,000 square meters, the company said.

Compared with other rescue platforms such as helicopters and ships, the AG600 is faster and has a longer range and greater flexibility. These advantages are very useful when it comes to rapid maritime search and rescue, said Chen from AVIC.

Currently, there are two AG600 prototypes under testingone in flight tests and the other in ground-based static tests. AVIC plans to manufacture four additional prototypes for testing, designers have said.
Federal agents face accusations of excessive force as they operate in Portland against the wishes of local authorities.

The mayors of six United States cities appealed on Monday to Congress to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy militarised federal agents to cities that do not want them, even as the administration of President Donald Trump is considering sending more of them to Portland, Oregon.

This administrations egregious use of federal force on cities over the objections of local authorities should never happen, the mayors of Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque and Washington, DC wrote to leaders of the US House of Representatives and Senate.

The Trump administration is sending at least 100 additional federal officers to Portland, Oregon, the Washington Post reported on Monday, as confrontations between anti-racism protesters and federal authorities have intensified.

US agents repeatedly fired what appeared to be tear gas, flash bangs and pepper balls at protesters outside the federal courthouse in downtown in Portland in the early hours of Monday.

Some protesters had climbed over the fence surrounding the courthouse, while others shot fireworks, banged on the fence and projected lights on the building.

Trump said Monday on Twitter that the federal properties in Portland wouldnt last a day without the presence of the federal agents.

Homeland Security or Federal Forces are little involved in Seattle, other than we have a large standby team in case of emergency. The media is calling that one wrong also. In Portland, we are protecting Federal property, including the Courthouse, which wouldnt last a day!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2020

The United States Marshals Service (USMS) decided last week to send 100 deputy marshals to fortify authorities guarding the federal courthouse in downtown Portland, the Post said, citing an internal email.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is considering sending 50 additional Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel to the city, the Washington Post and the Associated Press news agency reported.

The plan has not been finalised, and it is not clear whether the officers would be replacing the officers on the ground, the AP said.

The USMS, CBP and DHS were all not immediately available for comment to confirm the report.

Portland has seen protests nightly since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on May 25. Protesters want police reform, among other demands for change.

The demonstrations have focused on a federal courthouse, where agents have deployed tear gas to force thousands of demonstrators from crowding around the building.

The federal police response to the ongoing protests against racial inequality has been criticised by city and state elected officials [Nathan Howard/Getty Images/AFP]

The agents have also allegedly shot protesters with less-lethal rounds, gravely wounding one and whisking protesters away in unmarked vans.

Protests have largely been peaceful, though some have escalated to violence. Demonstrators have projected lasers on agents, allegedly blinding some, and attempted take down a security fence that had been reinforced to keep demonstrators at a distance from the courthouse.

Mayoral demands

The Trump administration says the forces are needed in Portland to protect the courthouse and other federal buildings.

But the mayors said the officers have patrolled areas distant from the federal properties and arrested citizens without cause.

The mayors said they support legislative efforts to require notice and consultation with and consent from local authorities before deployments; to require visible identification at all times on federal agents and vehicles unless they are on an undercover mission authorised by the local US Attorney; and to impose limitations on federal agents crowd control activities to protecting federal property.

Some protesters have accused Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler of hypocrisy because he has allowed Portland police to use tear gas and other riot-control weapons on protesters, including peaceful ones.

The government has faced at least four lawsuits demanding the agents be removed. Both local and state officials have also requested that the agents leave.

The agents have allegedly used excessive force, attacking mothers, disabled veterans and journalists.

A federal judge issued an order that agents could not arrest or use physical force against journalists and legal observers at protests in Portland on Friday.





The city has had nightly protests for two months since the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed when a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Trump said he sent federal agents to Portland to halt the unrest, but state and local officials said they are making the situation worse.

Protests have ebbed and flowed nationwide since May. The past week has seen an increase in intensity. Protesters set fire to an Oakland, California, courthouse; vehicles were set ablaze in Richmond, Virginia; and an armed protester was shot and killed in Austin, Texas.

Two people were shot and wounded in Aurora, Colorado after a car drove through a protest.
Technavio has been monitoring the fiber laser market and it is poised to grow by 8.33 bn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 11% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200727005339/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Fiber Laser Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Coherent Inc., FANUC Corp., IPG Photonics Corp., and TRUMPF GmbH Co. KG. are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Demand for additive manufacturing has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, the short supply of rare-earth elements will challenge the market growth.

Fiber Laser Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Fiber Laser Market is segmented as below:

Application Material Processing Advanced Application Healthcare Others

Geographic Landscape APAC Europe MEA North America South America



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR40230

Fiber Laser Market 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our fiber laser market report covers the following areas:

Fiber Laser Market size

Fiber Laser Market trends

Fiber Laser Market industry analysis

This study identifies technological advances as one of the prime reasons driving the fiber laser market growth during the next few years.

Fiber Laser Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the fiber laser market, including some of the vendors such as Coherent Inc., FANUC Corp., IPG Photonics Corp., and TRUMPF GmbH Co. KG. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the fiber laser market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports.

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Fiber Laser Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist fiber laser market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the fiber laser market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the fiber laser market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of fiber laser market vendors

Table Of Contents :

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

2.1 Preface

2.2 Preface

2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Value chain analysis

Market segmentation analysis

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

Market definition

Market sizing 2019

Market outlook

Market size and forecast 2019-2024

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION

Market segmentation by application

Comparison by application

Material processing Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Advanced application Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Healthcare Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Others Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by application

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024

South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Key leading countries

Market opportunity

PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK

PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 11: MARKET TRENDS

Technological advances in fiber lasers

Focus on sustainable manufacturing

Focus on inorganic growth

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Coherent Inc.

FANUC Corp.

IPG Photonics Corp.

TRUMPF GmbH Co. KG

PART 14: APPENDIX

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

Definition of market positioning of vendors

PART 15: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200727005339/en/

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Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

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Email: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/
Wellington: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's party has raced ahead of rivals in the latest opinion poll, putting the charismatic leader on track for a comfortable victory in the elections in September.

A Newshub-Reid Research Poll released late on Sunday showed the popularity of Ardern's Labour Party rose to 60.9 per cent, the highest it has been in the poll's history.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern poses for photos in Auckland on Friday. Credit:Getty Images

Ardern's own popularity as preferred prime minister was sky high at 62 per cent, while the National Party's newly elected 61-year-old leader Judith Collins stood at just 14.6 per cent.

Ardern has consistently polled ahead of her rivals and her popularity has risen further this year as she won global praise for her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. The country of 5 million people has had just 1206 COVID-19 cases so far, and 22 deaths.
Consumer sentiment continues to lag behind business confidence, fresh data from Bank of Ireland suggests.

Bank of Ireland's regular 'Economic Pulse' combines business and consumer elements to track sentiment in the economy month to month.

The index was up 5.5 on last month but down 21.0 compared with a year ago.

Business confidence has risen but the consumer pulse stood at 55.5 in July, down 2.5 on last month.

Concerns included worries about the weak economy amid an uptick in Covid-19 cases and a shaky start for the new Government. Despite the negativity, the share of households saying that they are holding out on spending eased to 55pc, from 61pc at the height of the coronavirus crisis.

In addition, one in three households said they are likely to spend a large sum of money on home improvements over the coming year.

This figure was higher than normal and may reflect savings due to a lack of foreign travel and the need to improve home-working set-ups.

Dr Loretta O'Sullivan, chief economist for Bank of Ireland, said: "Consumer sentiment for the US, the euro area and the UK show a similar pausing in July and clearly illustrate that the process of rebooting economies across the world will not be perfectly smooth."

The stimulus package just announced by the Government "should help", Dr O'Sullivan added.

Meanwhile, the business pulse rose for a third consecutive month in July to 63.4, as the economy began to reopen.

The increase suggests companies are more confident about the future, with firms in all four sectors surveyed reporting an improvement in trading conditions.

Firms operating in the construction sector were most positive but retailers and firms in industry and services were more downbeat about the prospects for business activity over the next three months.

On the back of this, businesses in the services sector - which includes a range of industries from bars and hotels to banking, and is the country's most important - are scaling back hiring plans for the time being.

Bank of Ireland's Economic Pulse survey is conducted in conjunction with the European Commission, with the data feeding into the commission's Joint Harmonised EU Programme of Business and Consumer Surveys. The surveys are conducted by Ipsos MRBI with 1,000 households and about 2,000 businesses.
Police officers in Bungoma County, Kenya are searching for a man who burnt his daughters thighs and private parts with a hot iron.

The man, who resides in Bukembe market, is said to have committed the cruel act on Saturday and then disappeared leaving her writhing in pain.

One of the suspects neighbours, Diana Shalyisa, told K24 Digital that they heard the loud wails of the 16-year-old girl and rushed to her aid.

The incident was confirmed by Bukembe Chief Martin Kwata who urged locals to help local authorities flush out the suspect from his hideout.



According to the police report, the suspect received information from some of his neighbours that his daughter was engaging in affairs with men in the area.

The incident was reported to the Nzoia Police Station by the Form Two students stepmother.

The teenager was treated at Mercal Healthcare in Bukembe. She was later transferred to Bungoma County Referral Hospital for further examination and treatment.

The Bukembe chief implored locals to find better ways to deal with their children instead of resorting to abusive and extreme measures to settle problems.

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CLIFTON PARK  Hundreds of parents are demanding that officials at Shenendehowa Central School District find a way to provide fully remote learning opportunities to students in the fall.

Shenendehowa Superintendent Oliver Robinson unveiled the district's reopening plans last week in a series of live-streamed events. Like many districts, Shenendehowa  which serves students in Clifton Park and Halfmoon among other southern Saratoga County municipalities  is offering a full-day schedule for K-6 students, while middle and high school students will have a hybrid of online and in-person classes.

Shenendehowa has not offered a fully remote option for students at any grade level and has not released a plan to educate students who are medically fragile and cannot safely be in school.

Parents concerned about returning their kids to the classroom while the COVID-19 threat still lurks were dismayed to learn that their only alternative was to homeschool their children.

Sharon Bragg, who has a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old in the district, started a Facebook group pushing for a remote options because she felt that parents weren't sufficiently involved in the planning process and there was a "conspicuous gap" between families' needs and what the district was offering.

"When I listened to the plan ... there was not an option in there that I felt could fit my family, " Bragg said. "It felt like the district was saying, 'send your kids to school or unenroll.'"

She notes that similarly situated suburban districts in the Capital Region, like North Colonie, Saratoga Springs and Guilderland, have indicated that they will be offering a fully online option to any family that is uncomfortable sending their children into school buildings.

Bragg said there is widespread concern among parents regarding both online and in-classroom offerings at Shenendehowa. Members of the group met with the school board of education over the weekend and were told that district officials will address some of the questions raised at a board meeting Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, hundreds have signed a Change.org petition lobbying the school district to consider offering a fully remote program to K-12 students.

"Shenendehowa is a diverse community and a one-size-fits-all approach will not work during a global pandemic with serious health risks ... An option takes nothing away from in-person learning. Instead it increases the safety of all students and educators by cutting down on the numbers in the classrooms each day as well as ensuring each student can continue to receive the high-quality education Shenendehowa offers," the petition states.

New York's more than 700 districts, which closed schools down in March to prevent the spread of COVID-19, are required to submit a reopening plan to the state for approval by the end of July.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Whether districts can reopen school buildings at all will depend on the regional rate of infection over a 14-day period in the first week of August, according to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's office.

The Shenendehowa Teacher's Association has also penned a letter supporting the creation of a fully remote option for students.

Heidi Stinebrickner, an 8th-grade math teacher and president of the Shenendehowa Teacher's Association, said faculty and staff learned of the district's plans at the same time that parents did. She noted that there are at least 35 vulnerable teachers who cannot return to the clasr0om who are available to be paired up with vulnerable students.

"You have a workforce that can work remotely," she said. "Shen teachers want to teach Shen students. We are dedicated professionals and there is no 0ne better suited to teach and accommodate the needs of Shen students than our teachers."

Since elementary classes will be split into smaller cohorts that will be based in makeshift classrooms throughout the school buildings, officials have floated the idea of broadcasting lessons into other classrooms so that students don't have to move around the building for instruction.

Parents and teachers question why the district would require students to be in school if the technology to broadcast classes on a wide scale is available. They also are requesting more detail about the health and safety measures in place during in-person instruction.

A spokeswoman for the school district did not respond to a request for comment.
Much to the dismay of naysayers, the Congress, including Gandhis, are busy doing some course correction.

Last week, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh praised P V Narasimha Rao's contribution to the country and Congress. The occasion was 29th anniversary of the first union budget presented by Rao regime on July 24, 1991 celebrated by Telangana Congress unit where former president Pranab Mukherjee, Jairam Ramesh and P Chidambaram virtually addressed the gathering. Clearly, Gandhis do not want either the BJP or ruling Telegana Rashtriya Samiti in Telengana to usurp Raos legacy.

Internally, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are now under pressure to come up with a new Ayodhya doctrine. Some leaders belonging to the grand old party want Rahul to team up with ally Udhav Thackeray to pay a visit to Ayodhya and keep Prime Minister Narendra Modi from walking away with all credit for construction of Ram temple. According to this school of thought, post Supreme Courts unanimous verdict on the Ram temple issue, Raos failure to protect Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992 was no longer a political liability.

Telengana Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy read out Sonias letter saying, P V Narasimha Rao was a much respected national and international figure. The Congress party takes pride in his many accomplishments and contributions. The birth centenary of Rao is an occasion to recall and pay tribute to a most scholarly and erudite personality who, after a long career in state and national politics, (became) the Prime Minister of the country at a time of grave economic crisis."

Had Rao lived on to see this day, the otherwise sombre politician would have allowed himself a hearty chuckle. In 2002, when he was alive and AICC session was held at Bangalore, both Rao and Manmohan Singh had almost lost their place in Congress history as architects of economic reforms. As if taking a cue from the party high command [read Sonia], the then Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh and Prithviraj Chavan moved an amendment in AICCs economic resolution, asserting that the economic reforms were a brainchild of the late Rajiv Gandhi and that the Rao-Singh combine simply nudged the process forward. Rao was made to suffer more humiliation when the then Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Sriprakash Jaiswal declared that whenever the reins of power went into the hands of a member not belonging to the Nehru-Gandhi family, communal forces had gained strength. Rao was present at the Bangalore AICC podium when Digvijay and Prithviraj Chavan traced the origin of the Congress' economic record to Rajiv Gandhi. What was more bizarre was that Manmohan was made to sum up the debate on AICC economic resolution and accept Digvijaya-Chavan amendment.

For about three decades now, Sonias ties with Narasimha Rao are mired in mystery. A section of Congressmen who were in the thick of things during Rao era feel midway into his 1991-96 tenure, the then prime minister was reluctant to felicitate return of a member of Nehru-Gandhi family in the Congress. Rao was also of the view that Sonia, lacking in experience, had become a "puppet" in the hands of some of his arch-rivals within the grand old party.

There are several reasons why Sonia and Rahul are contemplating a U-turn on Rao. The present day Congress is bereft of most notable Rao baiters like Arjun Singh, Madhavrao Scindia, N D Tiwari, Sitaram Kesri, M L Fotedar, Sheila Dikshit, C K Jaffer Sharief, Rajesh Pilot, K Karunakaran, Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, Ratnakar Pandey, Vijay Bhaskar Reddy [all dead].

It can be argued that Sonia, when she took over as AICC chief in 1998, went by a majority opinion within the Congress against Rao and now changing track as per prevailing pro-Rao sentiment in the party. Manmohan Singh and Jairam Ramesh, two vocal supporters of Rao, are currently Sonias close and trusted advisors.

The Congress charge sheet against Rao was lengthy going beyond his inept handling of the Ayodhya dispute. Tardy probe into the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, allegations of corruption and unearthing of Hawala scandal that had maligned many Congress leaders remains fresh in the minds of many old-timers. It was October 1995, and general elections were round the corner, when prime minister Rao had ordered the hawala probe that fixed the political careers of many stalwarts. In a nutshell, hawala scandal involved Jain brothers who had illegally transferred funds amounting to $33 million from all parts of the world to a range of Indian leaders across parties in return for favours.

The list of accused included L K Advani, Madhavrao Scindia, Kamal Nath, Arjun Singh, N.D. Tiwari, Buta Singh, Bhajan Lal, V.C. Shukla and Sharad Yadav. While each accused got acquitted, Advani did not contest the 1996 elections and perhaps missed the chance of becoming Prime Minister when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was chosen to head the 13-day BJP government. Vajpayee became Prime Minister again in 1998 and ruled for 13 months before winning the 1999 elections for a five-year term.

In his book, Ayodhya: 6 December 1992, published after his death in 2006, Rao has argued on a singular point  that the BJP scuppered a possible solution to the temple tangle to keep the pot boiling. It was me that they demolished, he had rued.
A leading Chinese disease-control expert has confirmed that Wuhan's officials did cover up the scale of the initial outbreak.

Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, who visited the former coronavirus epicentre in January to help diagnose cases, told BBC that local authorities destroyed physical evidence and provided 'slow' response to clinical findings.

'I do suspect that they have been doing some cover-up locally at Wuhan,' he said. 'The local officials who are supposed to immediately relay the information has not allowed this to be done as readily as it should.'

Professor Yuen Kwok-yung (pictured), who visited Wuhan in January to help diagnose cases, told BBC that local authorities destroyed physical evidence and provided 'slow' response to clinical findings. The expert inspected the former coronavirus epicentre with medical officials

A handout picture from Shenzhen Health Commission shows Prof Yuen (second to the left) discussing the novel coronavirus with Beijing's medical advisors Dr Zhong Nanshan (centre), Dr Li Lanjuan (second to the right) as well as George Gao (right), the head of the Chinese CDC

'I do suspect that they have been doing some cover-up locally at Wuhan,' Prof Yuen told BBC in an interview. Pictured, university graduates attend COVID-19 screening in Wuhan on June 11

China has faced widespread scepticism about the authenticity and transparency of its COVID-19 figures.

This is not the first time the Hong Kong expert has questioned the government's handling over the coronavirus.

The 63-year-old microbiologist said in June that the real COVID-19 infection number in the former virus ground zero Hubei could be 2.2million, or 32 times the government's official toll.

He and his team from the University of Hong Kong announced the finding after analysing samples from Hong Kong people returning from the province, of which Wuhan is the capital.

But their study was condemned by China's state media outlets, which questioned if Prof Yuen was helping the United States smear Beijing over the pandemic.

The renowned microbiologist said in June the real COVID-19 infection number in the former virus ground zero Hubei could be 2.2million, or 32 times the government's official toll. In this February 21, 2020, photo, patients rest at a temporary hospital at Tazihu Gymnasium in Wuhan

The Global Times report challenged the motives of Prof Yuen's study, citing a Facebook post written by Stanley Ng Chau-pei, a pro-Beijing politician in Hong Kong. Pictured, a medical worker takes care of a COVID-19 patient at the Union Hospital in Wuhan on April 24

Professor Yuen was involved in the early diagnoses and investigation of the deadly disease in Wuhan.

He visited the city of 11million on an exploratory mission on January 17 on behalf of China's National Health Commission.

He was accompanying Dr Zhong Nanshan, the leader of Beijing's coronavirus expert team, as well as George Gao, the head of the Chinese CDC, during the trip, reported Chinese news outlet Caixin.

It was this expert group that confirmed the human-to-human transmission of the virus, leading Wuhan to go into lockdown.

China recorded 61 new coronavirus cases on Monday - the highest daily figure since April - propelled by clusters in three separate regions that have sparked fears of a fresh wave. A health worker carries out a COVID-19 test at a makeshift testing centre in Dalian, Liaoning

For their study, Prof Yuen and his team collected the blood samples of 452 Hong Kong resident after they returned to the city from Hubei in early March, according to their university.

Their research discovered that 17 of them, or 3.8 per cent, carried antibodies against COVID-19.

After applying the antibody rate to the entire population of Hubei, which stands at 58.1million, the team found out that some 2.2million residents should have caught the bug by early March.

Prof Yuen and his team published their study earlier last month on The Lancet Microbe, an open-access journal.

The official infection figure of Hubei, however, is significantly lower.

Fourteen domestic cases were recorded in the northeastern province of Liaoning where a fresh cluster broke out in the city of Dalian last week. In this picture taken on Monday, people line up to undergo COVID-19 coronavirus tests at a makeshift testing centre in Dalian

The provincial government said a total of 67,802 had tested positive for the virus as of March 31 while the latest infection figure is 68,135.

This means Prof Yuen's finding is 32 times higher than the Hubei government's number either from March or today.

The researchers' scientific endeavour was criticised by China's state-run newspaper The Global Times.

The newspaper raised the question if Prof Yuen was 'the most powerful foreign aid' for the United States, suggesting that he conducted the study to assist Washington.

The Trump administration has accused Beijing of covering up the true scale of the coronavirus outbreak and the origins of the pathogen - allegations Beijing has firmly rejected.

The Global Times report challenged the motives of Prof Yuen's study, citing a Facebook post written by Stanley Ng Chau-pei, a pro-Beijing politician in Hong Kong.

Mr Ng accused Prof Yuen of blackmailing authorities by 'politicising science and public opinion'.

He slammed the scientist for using 400-odd samples to deduce the number of cases of the whole Hubei, instead of resorting to the official figure from the government.

But his study was condemned by China's state media outlets, which questioned if Prof Yuen was helping the United States smear Beijing over the pandemic. Pictured, a security guard wearing a face shield and mask stands outside a hospital in Beijing, China, on June 15

'If calculated like this, China has 1.4billion people, so shouldn't there be 53million infections? If the mainland people can still be so calm and carry on returning to work with such a shocking number, then it is not to demonise but deify the Communist Party,' Mr Ng wrote on his Facebook account last Friday.

On China's state-controlled social media platform Weibo, some users have even called Prof Yuen 'han jian', a derogatory term for a race traitor to the Han Chinese.

The COVID-19 pandemic was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

More than 648,900 people have died of the deadly disease worldwide, and over 16million have fallen ill.

The Chinese National Health Commission has reported a total of 83,891 coronavirus infections and 4,634 deaths as of today.
Netflix offered a few hits in the month of July, but your summer TV binge-watching fest can continue into the month of August.

Whether you need a break from your work duties or something to fill your hours while youre in the house, theres a slate of Netflix originals with multiple episodes awaiting your command.

Check out these new and returning series that are primed for non-stop viewing, including the illustrious Lucifer.

Selling Sunset | Lindy Lin/Netflix

Selling Sunset

In case youve yet to check out the drama and luxe real estate in this reality series, Selling Sunset has two seasons already available. Season 2 dropped in May 2020 and Netflix announced its season 3 premiere date of Aug. 7 in the spring.

Follow Davina, Chrishell, Christine, Heather, Mary, Maya, and Amanza as professionals in a top-tier real estate agency who dont always see eye-to-eye.

While seasoned fans want to know if Chrishell Stause will discuss her relationship with actor Justin Hartley in season 3, newbies will quickly choose their favorites out of this group of ladies.

And know that drama brews off camera too as exemplified by the tweet below.

I just learned Christine is giving press information about my divorce. Let me be VERY clear. She knows absolutely nothing about the situation and is obviously desperate to gain attention by doing so. Anything from her is either a complete lie or total conjecture on her part.  Chrishell (@Chrishell7) July 13, 2020

The Great Heist

If Money Heist crept into your thoughts upon reading this title, it makes sense. The Great Heist tells the story of a real-life bank heist that happened in Colombia at the Bank of the Republic. In 1994, thieves stole $30 million from a vault and nearly decimated the countrys economy.

This Netflix series will introduce the Spanish-language caper to screens on Aug. 14. If you miss Money Heist and like shows based on true crime, check out season 1 when it arrives on the platform.

Lucifer

Dance with the devil and his family when Lucifer returns to Netflix on Aug. 21. If youve heard of the show but arent sure what the fuss is about, Lucifer is based on a comic book series by Neil Gaiman.

The king of hell left his duties to pursue life on Earth, where hes a playboy, runs a nightclub, and helps solve crimes. He also struggles with who he is, deals with major family dysfunction, and realizes he wants love.

Netflix rescued the series after Fox canceled it, giving showrunners creative freedom with seasons 4, 5, and a future season 6. You can binge all five seasons on Aug. 21 or get a head start now.

The Rain

Love dystopian thrillers with teenage heroes? Binge on The Rain, which is about a virus that spreads through the rain and wipes out the Scandinavian population.

But the virus doesnt affect everyone the same way. Siblings Rasmus and Simone try to find a way to save a world thats completely fallen apart.

Theyre not alone and survival isnt guaranteed. Season 3 will be released on Aug. 6.

The Seven Deadly Sins

Anime fans wont have to wait any longer for season 4 of The Seven Deadly Sins.

Camelot is under Zeldris control, Meliodas is conflicted about his identity, and the demon clan wont stop trying to conquer Britannia. Elizabeth is loyal to Meliodas no matter what, but will he let his insecurities ruin everything?

Netflix will release season 4 on Aug. 6 and it is one of the streamers most beloved and highly-rated anime.

The Legend of Korra

Following the steps of her avatar predecessor, Aang, Korra will arrive on Netflix on Aug. 14. Binge on Avatar: The Last Airbender first and then follow up with the next incarnation through The Legend of Korra. Meet adult Katara, Toph, Zuko, and Sokka along with a host of new characters (and old spirits).

RELATED: Selling Sunset: Amanza Smith Says We Were All in Tears Over Chrishell Stause and Justin Hartleys Breakup
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday joined other sub-regional leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in an extra-ordinary virtual meeting to mitigate the political crisis in Mali.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was summoned in line with the outcome of Thursdays meeting of the ECOWAS leaders in Bamako, Mali.

The Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, President Mahamadou Issoufou, had, on Thursday, said the sub-regional organisation would do all it could to address the crisis in Mali.

Thursdays meeting was attended by President Buhari, Host President Ibrahim Keita and Presidents Machy Sall of Senegal, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Alassane Ouattara of Cote dIvoire.

A statement by Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Friday said the ECOWAS leaders listened to a brief by the ECOWAS Special Envoy, former President Goodluck Jonathan, and leader of the opposition, Imam Mahmoud Dicko.

The representatives of opposition alliance, M5 and Civil Society Organisations also briefed the leaders on their positions over the crisis.

NAN reliably learnt that Mondays meeting of the ECOWAS leaders with a single agenda, namely; Political crisis in Mali, may recommend drastic measures to address the crisis.

Background

A resistance group in Mali, M5, is insisting that the Constitutional Court must be dissolved, and the President resigns, before peace can return to the country.

Crisis erupted after the court nullified results of 31 parliamentary seats in the polls held recently, awarding victory to some other contenders, which the resistance group said was at the instigation of President Keita.

Riots on July 10 led to the killing of some protesters by security agents, causing the crisis to spiral out of control, hence the intervention by ECOWAS.

But the Special Envoy of ECOWAS to Mali, former President Goodluck Jonathan, who earlier paid a peace mission to Mali last two weeks, said: ECOWAS felt that the violent protest should not continue, so I should lead a special team to go again and engage them (protesters).

Mr Jonathan, who described the outcome of their mission to Mali as partially successful, expressed the hope that normalcy would soon be restored to the troubled country.

He disclosed that a government of national unity would soon be constituted in Mali as the countrys parliament and Constitutional Court would be put in place.

He called on the Malian opposition leaders to cooperate with the ECOWAS in bringing sanity and political stability to the country, saying that the mediation team had no mandate to ask the elected Malian president to resign from office.

(NAN)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 07:30:23|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on July 23, 2020 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"It's a very well rounded package," says Larry Kudlow. "It's a very well targeted package."



WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said Sunday that the next round of COVID-19 relief package will include 1,200-U.S.-dollar direct payments to Americans, as a resurgence of COVID-19 cases across the country poses major risk to the economic recovery.

"There's a 1,200 dollar check coming, that's going to be part of the new package," Kudlow said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," noting that he would have preferred a payroll tax cut but it doesn't work politically.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that Senate Republicans and the Trump administration have reached an agreement in principle on the next COVID-19 relief package, which will focus on kids, jobs and healthcare.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Fox News on Sunday that Republicans have now finalized the relief package, which is worth about 1 trillion dollars, and intend to introduce it Monday.

"It's a very well rounded package," Kudlow said. "It's a very well targeted package."

Kudlow also said the administration plans to lengthen the federal eviction moratorium, which has protected millions of renters from getting evicted in the past four months but ended on Saturday.

A screenshot taken from Larry Kudlow's Twitter account on July 26, 2020 shows his photo and the article the White House economic advisor re-tweeted on March 17, 2018. (Xinhua)

The White House economic advisor defends the Trump administration's plan to give Americans only 70 percent of their previous wages, instead of the extra weekly 600-dollar unemployment benefits, saying that the unemployment plan is "quite generous."

U.S. Congress passed the 2.2-trillion-U.S.-dollar CARES Act, or the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, in late March to provide fiscal aid for households, businesses and healthcare providers, but the 600-dollar unemployment benefits are set to expire at the end of this month.

While Democrats want to extend the extra 600-dollar unemployment benefits through January, the White House and Republicans want to reduce the figure, arguing that it has created a financial disincentive for people to return to work.

Meanwhile, the Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of initial jobless claims in the United States rose to 1.4 million in the week ending July 18 amid a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, reversing 15 weeks of consecutive declines in new applications, and indicating that re-imposed restrictions on businesses activity have taken a toll on employment.

Over 20 U.S. states have already paused or partially reversed reopening efforts amid an alarming resurgence of cases, raising uncertainty over the prospect of economic recovery.

As the total number of COVID-19 cases across the nation surpasses four million, more than 150 prominent U.S. medical experts and health professionals have signed an open letter, urging decision makers to shut down the country and contain the surging pandemic. 
Maharashtra Board has confirmed the date for declaration of SSC or class 10 board exam results 2020. Maharahstra SSC Result 2020 on July 29. The results will be out at 1 pm, said a press release that was issued by MSBHSE. Students will be able to check their results on these websites after they are declared: Maharashtraeducation.com, examresults.net/maharashtra, mahresult.nic.in

Read More: Maharashtra SSC Result 2020 on July 29

State Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad had earlier told HT that Maharashtra board SSC results will be declared by July 31. On July 10, minister Gaikwad said, For the SSC exams, the history papers are still being checked and we are working to complete the process to declare the results by July 31.

The Maharashtra SSC exam was initially scheduled from March 3 to March 23. The board had decided to cancel the geography exam, which was the last paper. The history paper was conducted on March 21 and the paper-checking process was delayed owing to the restrictions imposed due to the lockdown.

How to check Maharashtra SSC 10th Results 2020 on official website:

1) Visit the official website mahresult.nic.in.

2) On the homepage, click on the link that reads, SSC Examination Result 2020

3) Key in your credentials and login

4) The result will appear on the display screen

5) Take a print out of your results for future reference.

The author tweets @ NandiniJourno
State guidelines cant just be lists of options. If school districts are to effectively serve Massachusetts families, they must also provide direction and express preferences, said Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios.

Best practices from Finland, Denmark, South Korea, and Japan should inform Massachusetts reopening plans

With the fall semester fast approaching, Massachusetts should provide more specific COVID-19-related guidance for school districts about ramping up remote learning infrastructure; rotating in-person cohort schedules; diversifying methods of communication between students, parents, and teachers; and investigating physical distancing capabilities. Districts must determine whether to adopt in-person, remote, or hybrid schooling options, and they will not be ready for the fall unless the state provides clear direction, according to new analysis from Pioneer Institute.

The states approach to reopening the schools too closely resembles President Trumps often too hands-off COVID-19 response, said Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios. State guidelines cant just be lists of options. If school districts are to effectively serve Massachusetts families, they must also provide direction and express preferences.

In How Should Massachusetts Reopen Its K-12 Schools in the Fall? Lessons from Abroad and Other States, co-authors Max von Schroeter, Nina Weiss, and Thomas ORourke analyze measures taken by Finland, Denmark, South Korea, and Japan, which were ahead of the U.S. in their original shutdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and also experienced some reopening and other adaptations in their schools.

The countries were selected due to their success in addressing COVID-19-related schooling issues, as well as offering diverse learning models. Despite some variances in the governance of their education systems, these nations can provide examples and best practices for Massachusetts to consider in its own reopening strategy.

After the initial shutdown, Finlands students returned to in-person learning before the end of the spring semester. The nation also has a track record of successful online learning infrastructure, which allowed students to remain connected to their lessons during the shutdown.

Denmark and South Korea also experimented with allowing certain cohorts of the student population to return to in-person schooling in the spring, and Japan reopened schools for most students as well.

These case studies provide various examples of innovation in physical distancing and hygiene requirements for students and staff, including using more classrooms as homerooms to reduce the number of students reporting to an individual teacher, limited or no contact between students at lunch and break times, use of plexiglass barriers and larger separations between desks, as well as temperature monitoring and hand sanitizing rules.

These international examples highlight inadequacies in current Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidelines for returning to school in the fall.

The report also details successful U.S. online learning models, including the Florida Virtual School, and how Massachusetts should include such practices in its own guidance for school districts, whether they return to in-person learning or continue to operate remotely.

The present challenge is how to implement this much-needed return to school, optimally balancing the importance of in-person schooling with the countervailing importance against the virus, wrote David Clancy and John Flores in a foreword to the report. The entire Massachusetts school community must be accountable to ensure that all our students are achieving at their highest level of excellence.

About the Authors

Thomas O'Rourke is a Roger Perry intern with Pioneer Institute, and a student at Emory University.

Max von Schroeter is a Roger Perry intern with Pioneer Institute, and a student at University of Virginia

Nina Weiss is a Roger Perry intern with Pioneer Institute, and a student at Johns Hopkins University.

David S. Clancy, a resident of Concord, Massachusetts, is a partner in the law firm Clancy & Shine LLC, which focuses on civil disputes. Mr. Clancy was previously partner at an international law firm, from which he retired after a 20-year career, also practicing civil litigation. Among other professional activities, Mr. Clancy served three terms on the Board of Editors of the Boston Bar Journal, and has published multiple articles in that and other legal publications.

Dr. John G. Flores is CEO and executive director emeritus of the United States Distance Learning Association, and an authority in the field of education, technology, and telecommunications. Flores led a Global Association focused on the application of distance learning for varied constituencies using varied technologies. He has held leadership positions as a School Superintendent, University Executive Dean and Business CEO for Distance Learning companies. He received his M.A. from Boston University and his Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut focusing on educational technology, instructional design and leadership.

About Pioneer

Mission: Pioneer Institute develops and communicates dynamic ideas that advance prosperity and a vibrant civic life in Massachusetts and beyond.

Vision: Success for Pioneer is when the citizens of our state and nation prosper and our society thrives because we enjoy world-class options in education, healthcare, transportation and economic opportunity, and when our government is limited, accountable and transparent.

Values: Pioneer believes that America is at its best when our citizenry is well-educated, committed to liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise, and both willing and able to test their beliefs based on facts and the free exchange of ideas.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRT&H), has invited online applications from qualified and experienced candidates for filling Three (03) vacancies to the post of Chief General Manager (Technical) through Search-cum-Selection Committee to be posted anywhere in India on a fulltime basis. The online application process towards the started on July 25, 2020 and closes on August 24, 2020 by 6:00 pm. Applications must also be submitted through offline mode before September 7, 2020.

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Chief General Manager (Technical) Organisation National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Educational Qualification Degree in Civil Engineering Experience 17 years service as Group-A Skills Required Desirable Job Location India Salary Scale Rs.37,400 to Rs. 67,000 per month Industry Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Application Start Date July 25, 2020 Application End Date August 24, 2020

Age Criteria And Fees

Candidates interested in applying for Chief General Manager posts through NHAI Recruitment 2020 must not have exceeded 56 years of age, with relaxation (upper age limit) for reserved candidates as per the Govt. of India guidelines.

For details regarding fee towards application processing, refer to the official notification given at the end of the write-up.

NHAI Recruitment 2020 For Group A Posts, Apply Offline Before July 31

Educational Eligibility And Experience

Desirous candidates applying for Chief General Manager posts through NHAI Recruitment 2020 must possess a Degree in Civil Engineering from a recognized University/Institute with 17 years' service as Group-'A' as detailed in the advertisement.

Selection And Pay Scale

The selection of candidates as Chief General Manager through NHAI Recruitment 2020 will be done through Search-cum-Selection Committee.

Candidates selected as Chief General Manager through NHAI Recruitment 2020 will be paid emolument in the scale of Rs.37,400 to Rs. 67,000 per month.

UPSC Recruitment 2020 Notification For 121 Specialist, Scientific Officer And Medical Officer Posts

How To Apply

Candidates applying for Chief General Manager posts through NHAI Recruitment 2020 must register online on the official NHAI official website at https://nhai.gov.in/recruitment-in-nhai.htm and submit their applications on or before August 24, 2020 by 6:00 pm.

Candidates must also take a printout of their application, and submit the same along with relevant supporting documents to the "Deputy General Manager(HR)-I, National Highways Authority Of India (NHAI), Plot No: G - 5&6, Sector - 10, Dwarka, New Delhi - 110075" on or before September 7, 2020 by 6:00 pm.

Read the detailed advertisment about NHAI Recruitment 2020 for Chief General Manager posts here
Mary Trump, whose best-selling book calls her uncle President Donald Trump "the world's most dangerous man," said in an interview with The Washington Post that she plans to do "everything in my power" to elect Democrat Joe Biden as president but hasn't yet talked to his campaign.

Speaking Monday on the Post Live program with reporter Robert Costa, the president's niece acknowledged that she had not obtained permission to use a series of incendiary quotes from her aunt Maryanne Trump Barry. In the book, Mary Trump quotes Maryanne as saying that Donald Trump was a "clown" who would never get elected.

Asked whether Maryanne knew her quotes would be in the book, Mary Trump said that they came from conversations that took place before she planned to write a book. She said that she hadn't talked to Maryanne since the book was published and said she would not be surprised "if she never contacted me, and I think that's fair. I understand why she would not want to."

Maryanne Trump Barry could not immediately be reached for comment.

Mary Trump, 55, who was trained as a clinical psychologist, observed her uncle throughout her childhood and has watched him closely as president. She has concluded that he is unfit to serve in the White House.

The president has called the book untruthful and his family tried unsuccessfully to stop its publication. The book, "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man," was published July 14. Mary Trump has said she hopes it influences voters to turn her uncle out of office.

"I haven't spoken to anybody on the [Biden] campaign," Mary Trump said. "But I'll do everything in my power to make sure that Joe Biden gets elected, that I will do."

Simon & Schuster/handout

Mary Trump said that while she did not try to diagnose her uncle, she said her background as a clinical psychologist gave her confidence in her grim assessment of him.

"What I was trying to do early in the book was to give people a sense of things that might be going on, to give people a picture of some of the symptomatology that we're seeing," Mary Trump said.

"And also point out the idea that there really is probably no single diagnosis. There's so much overlap. His behaviors are often complex and often seem self-defeating that, you know, we need to dig a little deeper. And the way to do that, other than, you know, obviously looking at his behavior is to look at his family history, which is something I believe I had some insight into."

Mary Trump wrote in her book that a friend of Donald Trump named Joe Shapiro took an SAT test for him to enable Trump to gain admission to the University of Pennsylvania. She acknowledged in the interview that she doesn't know who the person is, but she said the point she sought to make is her belief that Donald Trump paid the person to take the test.

No proof has emerged to uphold the allegation. A friend of Donald Trump with the same name went to Penn with him, but that person is deceased, and his sister and widow both told The Post that he would have never taken a test for Trump.

Mary said it was a different Joe Shapiro who took the test. She said she got the information from a family source whom she did not identify.

"The name Joe Shapiro is not uncommon in New York City," Mary Trump said. "So the reason I'm confident is because I have been told this story by somebody who was there at the time and was well aware that this happened."

Asked whether Maryanne Trump Barry is the person who told her the anecdote, she said, "I prefer not to say who it is." She added, "It's somebody who would have had absolutely no reason to make it up."

While Mary Trump's book is an all-out attack on her uncle, much of it centers on the tragic story of her father, Fred Trump Jr., who died of an alcohol-related illness when she was 16 years old in 1981. In the book, she blames Donald Trump and his father, Fred Trump Sr., for mistreating her father, who gave up his dream to be an airline pilot in order to accede to demands to work in the family business.

Mary Trump said her first memory of her father, when she was about two and a half years old, was of him pointing a gun at her mother. "He was quite drunk," she said.

She said that while many people have fond memories of her father, she was born after he had already descended into alcoholism. Earlier in her life, she said, she bought into the Trump family idea that her father was a failure due to his own circumstances. Only later, after learning of his exploits as a pilot and other activities, did she realize that he was a gracious man with many friends who cared deeply about other people.

"I never met that man," she said. It is to her "shame," she said, that she believed the family rhetoric that her father "was basically the sum total of his disease of alcoholism."

Mary Trump was involved in a bitter fight over her inheritance of a portion of the estate from Fred Trump Sr. She and her brother had believed they would get something close to the amount that would have gone to their father, if he had lived. Instead, they were given a much lesser amount, and she agreed to a confidential settlement in 2001. She has not said how much she received in the settlement.

Donald Trump's younger brother, Robert, filed a complaint seeking to stop the book on grounds that it violated the confidential settlement in the inheritance case, but a New York court ruled that the book could be published.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 27)  Queuing will be a thing of the past in government services as data protection becomes its priority.

This is what President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday, highlighting data protection in his 2020 State of the Nation Address as he called for a paperless government.

The national government should lead the way in our transition to online systems. Panahon na para mawala na ang pila (it is time for queuing to be a thing of the past), he said.

Duterte directed the Department of Budget and Management, together with the Department of Interior and Local Government, to completely make government services available online.

Furthermore, he asked the Trade Department to ensure the empowerment of Filipinos on consumer rights.

We must patrol the countrys cyberspace and enforce online consumer and data protection and privacy laws. We must run after online scammers and those undermining the peoples trust in online transactions.
BOISE, ID - Revenue is generated from Idaho endowment lands in many ways, including through leasing agreements. So far, only one wind turbine in eastern Idaho is built on these lands. Now, the Idaho Department of Lands is looking to lease potentially thousands of acres in Idaho for an alternative energy project.

Multiple businesses have approached IDL with alternative energy plans after Idaho Power unveiled a goal to provide 100-percent clean energy by 2045. The first proposal for endowment land is in Elmore County. If a lease agreement is made, more than 6,000 acres could have either wind turbines or solar panels.

According to IDL, leasing endowment land is unique because a proposed use of the land is shared publicly to allow other interested parties to compete to use the land for the same purpose. This provides fair opportunity for endowment land leasing while also generating the best long-term financial return to the beneficiaries, which are primarily Idaho schools.

A print advertisement for an alternative energy lease will run in Elmore County starting this week. The lease advertisement can also be seen on the IDL website. The deadline for proposals for leasing the land is September 1, 2020. An alternative energy project could be built at the location in about three years.

Idaho Powers clean energy goal has really opened the floodgates for companies looking to Idaho as an option for wind and solar, said Josh Purkiss, IDL Real Estate Program Manager. Companies have pointed out multiple locations on endowment lands in southern Idaho that are ideal.

IDLs Energy Resource Leasing program is expected to expand with more proposals, meaning there will be more opportunities for businesses, as well as for more alternative ways to generate funding for Idaho schools and other beneficiaries.
The 74th season of live harness racing at Batavia Downs will kick off this Wednesday (July 29), and opening night will feature some of the best horses on the grounds, including open filly and mare pacers and open-class trotters.

The Wednesday program will kick off with its first post at 5 p.m.

Batavia will conduct a 43-day meet in 2020. For the first week, the track will race on Wednesday (July 29) and Friday (July 31) before changing to a Wednesday/Saturday schedule for the remainder of the meet. Post time for Wednesday is at 5 p.m. and Saturday is 6 p.m. Post time for Friday (July 31) is at 5 p.m.

There are two special Sunday matinee cards that will be held on August 2 and August 9 when the New York Sire Stakes come to town. Those cards will feature all-stakes races that will see the two and three-year old trotting fillies compete on Sunday (August 2) and the two and three-year-old pacing colts and geldings go to the gate on Sunday, August 9. Post time for both of these dates is 1:15 p.m.

The New York Sire Stakes will be the only stakes races at Batavia this year, as the track's signature race, the $50,000 Robert J. Kane Pace, will not be contested in 2020.

We look forward to another exciting race meet, said Henry Wojtaszek, the president and CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting, the owner of Batavia Downs. "During these difficult times, weve made a series of adjustments that we hope will lead to a successful season."

There will be no fans allowed to attend the races at this point due to ongoing concerns and New York State regulations surrounding the coronavirus. However, listed owners of horses in to go will be allowed on the track apron starting opening night as per New York State Gaming Commission regulations.

Listed owners must make a reservation to attend in advance and be put on a list that will allow them to enter. Reservations must be made 24 hours before race time by calling Mary Bucceri at 585-344-6144 or by emailing your request to [email protected]. Listed owners who register will receive an email confirmation. Security will only let in those who are on the list. There will be no food or beverage service available, however owners may bring food, water or soft drinks in until the gaming floor opens.

Upon arriving at Batavia, a temperature check and health status questionnaire must be completed by each listed owner in the lobby. Once that process is complete, you must then proceed through the Park Place Event Center hallway to the apron. No one is allowed to walk through the gaming floor to the apron. Also there is no access to the second floor unless you are a hotel guest.

Anyone coming to the track as a visiting owner on the apron or as a trainer, driver or groom in the barn area or paddock must wear a mask at all times and practice social distancing. This will be strictly enforced.

Listed owners only will be allowed in the winners circle for pictures if their horse wins while wearing a mask and practicing social distancing.

Also please be aware that any horseperson or owner coming from states that are on the New York State Coronavirus Quarantine List are not allowed to Batavia Downs attend at anytime.

Wagering will be available at all WROTB branch or EZ Bet locations, WROTB Dial-a-Bet System for account holders and online at bataviabets.com. Batavia's signal is also simulcast to a vast number of brick and mortar and ADW betting sites and may also be wagered on through them. Replays of Batavia races can be viewed the following day at bataviadownsgaming.com, where all Batavia racing information can also be found.

On the track, all the local horsepeople will be back, including 2019 driving champion Billy Davis Jr., Jim Morrill Jr., Dave McNeight III, Drew Monti, Shawn McDonough and Ray Fisher Jr. On the training side, last years conditioning champ Jim Clouser Jr. will bring his stable back, along with Maria Rice, Gerry Sarama, Mike Ohol and Ryan Swift.

This is definitely going to be a different year for us, said Todd Haight, the director/GM of live racing at Batavia. Without fans allowed in the stands, we wont have any promotions this year like our traditional dollar hot dog and draft days, Family Fun days including the wiener dog races, nightly giveaways and our Labour Day drivers bike race that goes back to 1978. Right now we are happy that the horsemen can continue to work and hope that with constantly improving COVID test numbers in the state, we may welcome back our guests at some point before the meet ends.

The 2020 meet runs through Saturday, December 12.

(Batavia Downs)
Parler: Twitter users flocking to alternative social media to 'engage without censorship'

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Parler, the social media app thats billed as a platform for free and open dialogue, said it would continue to counter technocronyism following Twitter's announcement that it would be cracking down on accounts and censoring content it deems as harmful.

After Twitter released a statement Tuesday saying it would be permanently banning accounts, a spokesperson for the social media giant told NBC News that some 150,000 accounts would be affected.

Weve been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm. In line with this approach ... we are taking further action on so-called QAnon activity across the service, Twitter said last week.

QAnon, which is followed by more than 3 million people on various social media platforms, has posited that deep state elites are entrenched in such things as the occult and sex trafficking. However, many on the left and right view QAnon as a source of conspiracy theories and misinformation.

Numerous complaints have been levied against Twitter over the years for its censorship of conservatives, Christians, and pro-life groups, including the banning of ads and effectively muting accounts by shadowbanning users' posts. Because of this, many Twitter users have opened accounts with Parler and are encouraging others to follow suit.

Parler, which has 2.7 million users, says it doesnt censor content based on politics or ideology, or mine or sell user data." And it will "continues to stand with the people and against technocronyism."

The app was co-founded by John Matze Jr. and Jared Thomson, both of whom studied computer science at the University of Denver, according to Fox Business. Matze is Parler's CEO and Thomson is the company's CTO.

On June 25, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced on Twitter that he'd joined Parler. He cited big techs shadowbanning and the silencing of those with whom they disagree as his reasons for jumping on board.

Im proud to join @parler_app  a platform that gets what free speech is all about  and Im excited to be a part of it. Lets speak. Lets speak freely. And lets end the Silicon Valley censorship. Follow me there, Cruz tweeted.

Jessica Scaggs, deputy press secretary for Cruz, told The Christian Post that social media companies are threatening the future of democracy.

Time and time again, big tech and their Silicon Valley billionaire overlords have failed the American people," she said. "They silence those with whom they disagree with, from conservative media organizations like The Federalist to the President of the United States and millions of Americans in between.

They (big tech companies) threaten the integrity of our elections and the future of our democracy. Thats why Sen. Cruz has joined Parler  an unbiased social media platform where he can engage with the American people without censorship. In the Senate, Sen. Cruz will continue working to hold big tech accountable to the American people.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who joined Parler in 2018 when it was launched, welcomed Cruz and Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., to the platform by posting a message on Twitter, saying: "Its about time yall joined me on @parler_app. Whats taking the rest of you so long?!"

Also on the platform is Lila Rose, president and founder of the pro-life group Live Action, who spoke at the White House summit on big tech and social media censorship last year.

At the summit, Rose said Live Action had not only been barred from doing any advertising on Twitter, but their accounts had been periodically shut down for espousing pro-life views.

"They told us that in order to reinstate our accounts we'd have to stop calling for the defunding of Planned Parenthood and stop sharing our pro-life content," Rose said at the time.

While President Donald Trump is not on Parler, the Trump 2020 Campaign, Eric Trump and his wife, Laura Trump, have accounts on the platform.

Free speech advocate and author of Dont Burn This Book, Dave Rubin, who's also on Parler, noted that Twitter frequently fails to remove hate speech and threats of violence from leftist groups and terrorist organizations. He replied directly to Twitter Safety last week with the quip, Antifa and Hamas totally cool though.

An example of violence-inciting speech that continues to be allowed on Twitter is the hashtag #killalljews that first trended in 2015 and can still be found today.

Additionally, many Twitter users said they were locked out of their accounts last week for using the Star of David as their profile photo. The users were subsequently notified that the symbol of Judaism has been deemed a symbol of hate by the social media giant, which announced Thursday that it now has 186 million daily users.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Campaign Against Antisemitism had been contacted by "several Twitter users ... to report that their accounts had been locked by the social media platform."

Users explained that they also received a message from Twitter that said: "We have determined that this account violated the Twitter Rules. Specifically for: Violating our rules against posting hateful imagery. You may not use hateful images or symbols in your profile image or profile header. As a result, we have locked your account."

The Star of David has been for almost two centuries a symbol of Judaism and Jewish identity for a people who were stateless, said Parler Strategic Investor Jeffrey Wernick in a statement shared with The Christian Post.

For me as a Jew, it symbolizes my love for Judaism, which does not conflict in any way with my love for my nation and my love for humanity," he added. "To designate it, if the allegations are true, as a hateful image, is not only an act of hate but also likely libelous and slanderous. The desire to remove a symbol of my Jewish identity as 'hateful imagery' is, to me, no different than the desire to remove me as hateful just because I am Jewish."

Even though Parler bills itself as a venue for free speech, it does stipulate that users must follow its rules against defamation, spam, blackmail and porn.

It also does not allow terrorist organizations or support thereof, unsolicited ads, fighting words or threats to harm, indecency, obscenity, impersonation or plagiarism, and bribery.

Some on the left have tested Parler's free speech limits by posting sexually explicit images and fecal matter to harass users. Those accounts were summarily banned from Parler, The Washington Post reported.

Twitter, meanwhile, does allow pornography. In an interview on the "Joe Rogan Podcast" in March 2019, Jack Dorsey, co-founder and CEO of Twitter, said porn will never be banned on the platform.

According to CNBC, Parler's prominence grew last month after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump campaign was looking for social media alternatives amid concerns that its messages and ads could be censored by Facebook and Twitter.

Two days after the WSJ report, "Parler was the top-ranked iPhone app in the news category, ahead of Twitter and Reddit, and 24th overall, just behind Venmo and WhatsApp, according to App Annie," CNBC reported.

Matze told CNBC that "user growth surged to 1.5 million from 1 million over the course of about a week" in June.

While some have called Parler the conservative alternative to Twitter, Matze said the app wasn't created to cater to Republicans; it just attracted Republicans who felt disenfranchised by other social media platforms. Matze told Forbes that he's aware the majority of the apps users are conservative, and he's working on drawing more liberals to the platform.

"Hes so intent on getting some liberals onto the platform that hes offering a $20,000 'progressive bounty' for an openly liberal pundit with 50,000 followers on Twitter or Facebook to start a Parler account," CNBC reported of Matze, who's not affiliated with any political party.

"The whole company was never intended to be a pro-Trump thing," Matze said. "A lot of the audience is pro-Trump. I don't care. I'm not judging them either way."

Melissa Barnhart contributed to this report
Clinician-scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore's (NTU Singapore) Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) have demonstrated a way to improve the speed, handling time and cost of COVID-19 laboratory tests.

The improved testing method yields results in 36 minutes - a quarter of the time required by existing gold-standard tests.

Their new approach could enable the wider adoption of COVID-19 testing for diagnosis in academic or research laboratories, and allow for screening and research especially in countries and regions with limited laboratory capabilities.

The test, which can be done with portable equipment, could also be deployed in the community as a screening tool.

Currently, the most sensitive method for testing for COVID-19 is through a laboratory technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in which a machine amplifies viral genetic material by copying it over and over again so any trace of the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be detected.

A big bottleneck in sample testing is RNA purification - separating RNA from other components in the patient sample - a laborious process that requires chemicals that are now in short supply worldwide. Its steps have to be performed by highly trained technical staff and can take a few hours.

Currently, automated equipment for sample preparation costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and requires specialised laboratory facilities.

The method developed by NTU LKCMedicine combines many of these steps and allows direct testing on the crude patient sample, cutting down the turnaround time from sample-to-result, and removing the need for RNA purification chemicals.

Details of the new approach were published in the scientific journal Genes in June.

While polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a venerable technology that has proven to be a workhorse for biological research, it has some drawbacks when used outside of the laboratory environment. The process is fiddly and time-consuming. Our rapid COVID-19 test involves a single-tube reaction that reduces hands-on time and biosafety risk for lab personnel, as well as the likelihood for carryover contamination during the processing of samples." Wee Soon Keong, PhD., Study First Author, LKCMedicine, Nanyang Technological University

Aside from testing for COVID-19, the same method developed by the NTU LKCMedicine team can also be used to detect other viruses and bacteria, including the dengue virus, which is set to plague Singapore as the country braces itself for one of the worst dengue outbreaks amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Leader of the research team, Associate Professor Eric Yap, who also heads the Microbial Genomics Laboratory, said: "We previously demonstrated that this method works for dengue virus as well. When used directly on a crude blood sample with dengue virus, the test yielded results in 28 minutes."

"As Singapore battles the dual outbreak of dengue and COVID-19, both with similar early symptoms, our test could help in differentiating between the two infectious diseases."

Professor James Best, Dean of NTU LKCMedicine, said: "As Singapore continues with proactive testing to detect, isolate, and contain the possible spread of the coronavirus, rapid portable screening tools like the one developed by Assoc Prof Yap and his team could come in handy at testing sites in the community, allowing for infected patients to be identified quickly, and swift action to be taken to prevent transmission."

From benchtop to portable testing

Typically, in PCR tests, the genetic material on a swab sample collected from a patient has to be extracted to remove any substances in the sample that prevent the PCR test from working. An example of an inhibitor in respiratory samples is mucin (a main component of mucus).

The test designed by the NTU LKC Medicine team, which includes senior research fellow Dr Sivalingam Paramalingam Suppiah, uses the 'direct PCR' method, removing the need for RNA purification, a time-consuming and costly step.

Instead, they added inhibitor-resistant enzymes and reagents targeting compounds that obstruct RNA amplification, such as mucin, a main component of mucus.

These enzymes and reagents, which are commercially available, have high resistance to such compounds that otherwise inhibit PCR, rendering the test inaccurate.

The biochemical mix of crude sample and inhibitor-resistant enzymes and reagents is placed into a single tube, which is inserted into a laboratory thermocycler, a machine used to amplify genetic material in PCR. After 36 minutes, results reveal whether there is any trace of COVID-19 with confidence.

"By skipping the RNA extraction step with our direct-PCR method, we see cost savings on nucleic acid extraction kits, and avoid the problem of reagents in short supply when lab testing is ramped up and the demand increases globally," said Dr Sivalingam.

The team also tested this method on a portable thermocycler, which can be deployed in low-resource settings and endemic areas, pointing to the possibility of having this test done in community healthcare settings by frontline healthcare workers.

Assoc Prof Yap said: "We are now trying to deploy such direct-PCR methods, developed by ourselves and others, for routine diagnostics."

"We need to determine the actual utility and benefits in a real-world setting, and to understand if there are any trade-offs. When one bottleneck is removed, other challenges may emerge - like ensuring quality control, or reducing manual errors."

The team is now looking to use this method for COVID-19 testing at the NTU Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory at LKCMedicine that Assoc Prof Yap heads.

"Our goal is to develop ultrafast and automated tests that yield results in minutes, and that can be performed by healthcare workers in the clinic with similar accuracy and sensitivity as in specialised laboratories."

"This will allow us to take PCR testing out of conventional laboratories nearer to the point-of-care, and into the low-resource settings that need them the most," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 04:23:21|Editor: huaxia

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TEGUCIGALPA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Seven people were killed on Sunday in northern Honduras when their vehicle skidded off the highway and crashed into a billboard pole before turning over.

Another person was injured in the accident, which occurred along a stretch of highway between the towns of Sambo Creek and Corozal, police said.

All the victims were members of Central America's Garifuna indigenous community who were returning home early Sunday after attending a party the night before in Sambo Creek, police said.

Five of the victims died on site. The other two died at a nearby hospital, where the injured person was also taken.

Police said the force of the impact indicated speeding was the likely cause of the accident.

Roadway crashes are the second cause of death in Honduras, after homicides, though this year has seen fewer accidents due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures. Enditem
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27

Trend:

Armenias military provocation in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district, a few months before the shipment of Azerbaijani gas to Europe isn't accidental, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Italy Mammad Ahmadzade said, Trend reports citing the Embassy of Azerbaijan to Italy.

It should be noted that by launching military provocation in the direction of Tovuz district of Azerbaijan, Armenia intended to target critical energy infrastructure implemented by Azerbaijan and its international partners, thereby jeopardizing the energy security of not only the neighboring region, but also of the greater European continent.

Ahmadzade made the speech at the "Eurasia: energy and culture" event held in a video meeting format as part of the current issue "Winners and losers in new balances in the Mediterranean" at the 17th conference dedicated to views on the world economy and geopolitics.

The conference is traditionally organized by the renowned Italian Nodo di Gordio think tank and the Vox Populi research center.

The Azerbaijani ambassador spoke about the most memorable moments of this year in Azerbaijani-Italian relations, Azerbaijan's joining international initiatives in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan, its latest military provocations and their threat to Europes energy security.

Ahmadzade highlighted the Armenias latest military provocations against Azerbaijan, stressing that for 30 years Armenia has been holding 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent regions under occupation, as a result of which more than one million Azerbaijanis have become refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The latest military provocation of Armenia against Azerbaijan is a continuation of the aggressive policy, and is arising from the impunity of Armenia for its crimes, said the ambassador. The provocations goal was to divert attention of Armenian population from the difficult internal situation in the country, to occupy new territories and to target strategic energy and transport infrastructure of Azerbaijan, as well as attract third parties to the issue.

"The Tovuz district targeted by Armenia is a strategic district where is located the infrastructure, supplying the energy resources of Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea to the west and world markets, as well as the railway and highways connecting the West and the East, and from there the Southern Gas Corridor, the final part of which is the Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline, which supplies gas to Europe, in particular to Italy," he said.

This military provocation of the Armenian leadership is the result of international communitys failure to distinguish between the aggressor country Armenia and the occupied Azerbaijan. As long as the international community does not exert strong pressure on Armenia to stop its aggressive policy, this country will continue its criminal acts, because impunity gives rise to new crimes, the ambassador stressed in conclusion.

Following continuous ceasefire violations of Armenia's armed forces, the country launched another military provocation against Azerbaijan on July 12. Grossly violating the ceasefire regime, Armenian armed forces opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district.

As a result of the appropriate measures, the Armenian armed forces were silenced. The tensions continued on the border, July 12 night. During the night battles, by using artillery, mortars and tanks, the Azerbaijani armed forces destroyed a stronghold, army vehicles.

As a result of the shelling, many houses in the Tovuz district's border villages were damaged.

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.
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  July 27, 2020  Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Legg Mason Inc. LM, Flagstar Bancorp Inc. FBC, Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. SFM, Brunswick Corp. BC and Patrick Industries Inc. PATK.

Here are highlights from Fridays Analyst Blog:

5 Must-Buy Mid-Cap Stocks Ahead of Q2 Earnings Results

Second-quarter earnings results so far are rather disappointing as expected. The pathetic performance can be blamed solely on the global outbreak of coronavirus and the consequent lockdowns.

Despite this gloomy scenario, several mid-cap (market capital > $1 billion < $6 billion) stocks are expected to beat earnings estimates. Notably, a few mid-cap stocks with top Zacks Rank are likely to beat earnings estimates next week.

Disappointing Expectations for Second-Quarter Earnings

As of Jul 22, 113 S&P 500 members reported second-quarter 2020 earnings results. Total earnings of these companies are down 45.4% from the same period last year on 5.5% lower revenues. Of the total, 71.7% surpassed EPS estimates and 66.4% outpaced revenue estimates.

Overall, second-quarter earnings for the S&P 500 Index are projected to be down 44.3% year over year on 10.3% lower revenues. Notably, first-quarter earnings of companies on the S&P 500 Index were down 13.5% on 1.4% higher revenues.

Mid-Cap Stocks in Q2

In the second quarter, economic activities were way below last year since lockdowns continued till the third week of May. Moreover, a second wave of COVID-19 in some states since the second half of June has forced them to delay reopening of the economy. Nevertheless, the mid-sized companies were benefitted by massive fiscal and monetary stimulus injected by the U.S. government and the Fed.

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Aside from three large-cap centric indexes, the S&P 400 Mid Cap Index (SP400) also rallied 23.5% in the second quarter on reopening of the U.S. economy. In fact, investment in mid-cap stocks is recognized as a good portfolio diversification strategy. These stocks combine attractive attributes of both small and large-cap stocks.

5 Top-Ranked Mid-Caps Set to Beat Earnings Estimates

We have narrowed down our search to five Zacks Rank #1 mid-cap stocks slated to release earrings results next week with a positive Earnings ESP. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Our research shows that for stocks with the combination of a Zacks Rank #3 or better and a positive Earnings ESP, the chance of an earnings beat is as high as 70%. These stocks are expected to soar after earnings release. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Legg Mason Inc. provides investment management and related services to company-sponsored mutual funds and other investment vehicles including pension funds, foundations, endowments, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, private banks, family offices and individuals. The company has an Earnings ESP of +1.18% for the first quarter of fiscal 2021 (ended June 2020).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Legg Mason's current-year earnings has improved 6.2% over the last 30 days. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 10.4%, on average. The company is set to release earnings results on Jul 27, before the opening bell.

Flagstar Bancorp Inc. operates as a savings and loan holding company for Flagstar Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking services to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company has an Earnings ESP of +12.74%.

The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 5.5% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 3.4% over the last 30 days. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 17.6%, on average. The company is set to release earnings results on Jul 28, before the opening bell.

Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. is a healthy grocery store that provides fresh, natural and organic food products in the United States. It has a unique model that features fresh produce at the center of the store, an expansive bulk food section and a vitamin department focused on overall wellness. The company has an Earnings ESP of +2.63%.

The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 35.2% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 1.2% over the last 30 days. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 37.2%, on average. The company is set to release earnings results on Jul 29, after the closing bell.

Brunswick Corp. designs, manufactures and markets recreation products worldwide. It primarily offers marine engine products. The company has an Earnings ESP of +20.93%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Brunswick's current-year earnings has improved 2.4% over the last 30 days. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8.4%, on average. The company is set to release earnings results on Jul 30, before the opening bell.

Patrick Industries Inc. manufactures and distributes building products and materials for the recreational vehicle, marine, manufactured housing, and industrial markets in the United States and Canada. The company has an Earnings ESP of +12.50%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hanesbrands' current-year earnings has improved 5.5% over the last 7 days. The company is set to release earnings results on Jul 30, before the opening bell.

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.



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Aughnacliffe native, Jim Curran, recently addressed a rally of 30,000 Black Lives Matter supporters in Londons Hyde Park. Mr Curran outlined the racism meted out to Ireland and the Irish.

Responding to comments on the Black Lives Matter campaign, Mr Curran pointed out that the Irish Famine holocaust was the first holocaust, described as such by Michael Davitt, Irish Land League Leader in 1903, and again in his book in 1904.

The former Sinn Fein Lord Mayor of Cork, Terence McSweeney, wrote a play in 1910 called The Holocaust, Mr Curran explained.

He went on to say that the worst of all the holocausts was the slavery holocaust, in which over 20 million black people died, and that it lasted for several hundred years.

The suffering that black people endured was the most horrible of all suffering, he said. He outlined other holocausts, including the Congo Holocaust, in which 10 million black people died between 1891 and 1911, and which was exposed by Irish Republican, Roger Casement.

He also mentioned the Armenian Holocaust and the Bengal Holocaust, in which four million people died, and from which he said Winston Churchill diverted away 100,000 tonnes of rice from a starving people, and also several other holocausts.

His statement that slavery was a holocaust went viral, securing international publicity.

Leading British historian, Dr David Starkey, in an interview with Tory, Darren Grimes, and broadcast on J-TV, when asked on Mr Currans Black Lives Matter statement, said, slavery was not genocide, otherwise there wouldnt be so many blacks in Africa or Britain, would there?

Responding to these comments, Mr Curran said, I could not believe that Starkey would make such a racist statement.

I did 34 interviews on international radio and TV stations about his remarks.

Mr Curran was one of the oldest participants in the rally and he appeared to all the young people attending the rally to campaign in a peaceful, lawful and democratic way and not to get engaged in any form of violence.

I appreciated the support from Longford people, said Mr Curran, who is a former London correspondent for this paper.

I received hundreds of messages of support from readers of the Longford Leader from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States of America, Ireland, the UK and even from Belgium, Spain and France.

It is wonderful to know that a small paper in a remote county in the middle of Ireland has such an international connection and interest.
A nurse was filmed brawling on the Chicago subway with a ranting passenger.

Witnesses say the man was shouting to the male nurse about the pandemic and blaming health care workers for the crisis.

The altercation was filmed by passenger Katrice Hardaway on her cellphone.

A nurse was filmed brawling on the Chicago subway with a ranting passenger, left and right

The footage starts with a man wearing a black shirt standing over the nurse, who is seated in a carriage while wearing a mask, and ranting at him. The man blamed health care workers and the nurse personally for the coronavirus pandemic, it has been claimed.

The man fails to leave the nurse alone and he eventually stands up from his seat and starts fighting with him as alarmed passengers look on.

'There's fighting on this train!' one woman can be heard shouting as the men struggle against each other.

Hardaway claimed the nurse asked several times for the man to leave him alone before the fight broke out.

She then hit the train's panic button.

Other passengers are seen trying to intervene to break up the fight.

As the train pulls into a station the perpetrator refuses to get off and the nurse departs the carriage instead, followed by Hardaway, who later handed the footage over to police.

The nurse is reportedly pressing charges against the man, who currently remains at large.
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh (Photo: VNA)



Participants agreed that it is time for regional governments and peoples to join hands in cooperation at all levels to soon control the disease and tackle its socio-economic impact.

Many of them stressed the importance of information transparency and experience exchange in supporting affected economies to overcome the hardship.

As heard at the function, in the coming time, APEC will prioritise comprehensive mobilisation of all resources needed to help its members address pandemic-related damage and recover their economies, while promoting its role as the leading forum on the regions economic integration and sustaining inner cooperation.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh said Vietnam has basically controlled the pandemic to focus on both economic recovery and disease prevention and control.

He urged regional economies to boost international solidarity, tackle COVID-19 impact, put forth plans for post-pandemic growth, support enterprises, and ensure social welfare for the people.

Sustaining supply chains and economic linkages in the region as well as ensuring a fair and free environment for trade and investment is also necessary, he added.

Khanh noted as the Chair of ASEAN 2020, Vietnam has hosted and engaged in various discussions in search of common voices and initiatives to fight the pandemic and support peoples and economies affected.

He affirmed that Vietnam believes APEC will continue capitalising on the strength of its members and the blocs international solidarity and collaboration to overcome the hardest challenge since it was founded and build a better future for the region./.
"If you believe the Confederate flag is and always was the symbol of slavery, show me," King wrote in a July 11 tweet. "Google 'slavery' & click 'images." I see Old Glory at the bottom of last page but not a glimpse of stars and bars.'" He linked to a page that showed up in his search, which showed dozens of black and white photos of black slaves from the 1800s.

In another tweet that same day, King wrote, "If you don't believe the Confederate flag is & has long been a symbol of Southern Pride, Google 'Southern Pride.' Once you get past the BBQ grills, almost all the rest are stars & bars. Makes me want to put some ribs on my grill."

On Thursday, the Democratic-controlled House voted to remove Confederate statues from the Capitol. It's not clear if the Senate will take up the measure.

Some removals have taken place nationwide. On July 1, the mayor of Richmond, Virginia, the onetime capital of the Confederacy, ordered the immediate removal of all Confederate statues on city property.

For King, such steps are misguided, as he has tweeted since mid-June that Black Lives Matter, with the shorthand of BLM, is off the mark with actions.
People upon entry will have to be quarantined and tested for SARS-CoV-2 at least twice.

Foreign visitors declare their medical condition at Noi Bai International Airport in early March. Photo: Ba Do

All people arriving in Hanoi will be checked and traced by the police to prevent new coronavirus infections, VnExpress quoted Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung as saying.

People on entry will have to be put under quarantine and taken sample for SARS-CoV-2 test at least twice. Upon the expiration of the quarantine period and with no detection of the Covid-19 disease, they should continue to be under observation in the community for at least another 14 days and tested once more. Special cases will be retested after one month.

Hanoi also requires all offices, agencies and enterprises in the city to implement measures to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic including washing hands with antiseptic solution, checking body temperature and wearing face masks in crowded places.

The Hanoi Department of Health is asked to coordinate with the Department of Tourism to monitor concentrated isolation centers, including hotels and accommodation facilities approved by the municipal People's Committee.

"The measures are aimed at minimizing cross-infection in mass quarantine centers and in the community," Chung said.

Hanoi has recorded 121 Covid-19 cases since the first patient was detected on March 6. The city has gone 100 days without local infection.

Vietnam has transited 99 days without community transmission. On July 25-26, two new Covid-19 patients were detected in Danang city but their sources of infection have remained unidentified. Hanoitimes

Anh Kiet
A hunt is underway for three vile thieves who vandalized and defecated in a 115-year-old church.

Police said they are looking for at least three culprits who stole nearly $8,000 of electrical equipment from the church in the Bronx.

One crook was even caught on CCTV defecating in the historic church's foyer.

Now, because of the raid, the Creston Avenue Baptist Church on East 188th has had to delay its long-awaited plans to reopen having been forced to close because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Thieves have vandalized and defecated in a 115-year-old church in New York

Footage shows the group breaking into the place of worship early on the morning of Tuesday, July 21, by kicking in a door in a back alleyway, gaining access to the church grounds

Footage shows the group breaking into the place of worship early on the morning of Tuesday, July 21, by kicking in a door in a back alleyway, gaining access to the church grounds.

They then spent hours ransacking the building with garbage bins in hand, taking microphones, wires and amplifiers from drum kits.

Surveillance footage even shows the thieves with iMacs in hand, which were donated to the church for an after-school program.

Pastor Marcia Stanley told CBS News: 'They messed up my office, broke up the safe, break up the doors, break up the kitchen. What could possess them to do things like that?'

'Can't they see this is the house of God?'

Church treasurer Emeka Oseafiana, told NBC New York: 'It feels like they broke into my house, my spiritual home.

They then spent hours ransacking the building with garbage bins in hand, taking microphones, wires and amplifiers from drum kits

'You would think a church is sacred, that is not something sacred to do in a church.'

In a GoFundMe page to cover costs for the damage, Oseafiana wrote: 'Recently due to COVID, Creston has started to live stream its Sunday service via Facebook in order to stay in touch with its members and the community.

'Creston was looking forward to reopening its doors the first Sunday in August but due to this unfortunate event, this may not be possible.'

Since its set up, the page has passed its goal of raising $10,000, with donations amounting to $12,058.

Police are now searching for the thieves who vandalized and stole from the church.
Teachers', childcare workers' and doctors' unions have reacted furiously to the 16,288 pay hike for 'super junior' ministers, while workers suffer salary "inequality" in the pandemic.

The top-up pay for super juniors, who already earn 134,000, has caused huge anger among thousands of workers who are on different salary scales to their colleagues following pay cuts introduced during the last recession.

Yesterday, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said he understands the "great annoyance and anger" over Cabinet's decision to sign off on the pay increase for three super junior ministers.

Stimulus

Mr Donohoe said that while he can "absolutely understand the anger that this is causing for some", the decision should be "placed in the context" of a number of measures announced under the Government's stimulus plan last week.

The minister's comments come after the Dail on Friday voted for legislation for the ministerial salary of three junior ministers that sit at Cabinet to increase by 16,288.

Fianna Fail's Jack Chambers and Fine Gael's Hildegarde Naughton will now receive 151,000 annually, while Green Party senator Pippa Hackett, a junior minister in the Department of Agriculture, will receive 123,186.

The Government has said the legislation was enacted to ensure all ministers of state who sit at Cabinet are paid equally.

Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) general secretary John MacGabhann said his members have fought for pay equality for years but the Government has refused to increase the pay for new teachers.

"We've been looking for pay equality for teachers, for those recruited since 2011 and it still hasn't been conceded," he said.

"It's remarkable how quickly the concession has been made for junior ministers when consecutive governments have been unable to, or have been unwilling to end pay inequality in other sectors."

Siptu's head of strategic organising and campaigns Darragh O'Connor said: "Childcare workers have been suffering pay cuts. They're incredibly disappointed that despite millions being spent by the Government, junior ministers are getting pay increases, yet they're below the living wage and facing pay cuts on top of that.

"Childcare workers feel incredibly let down. Frontline workers are struggling to make ends meet.

"I don't think it's a coincidence we have a sector that's 98pc female and the vast majority are under the living wage and struggling. Yet, those who make the big decisions are well able to reward themselves."

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said it strongly criticised the Government for passing legislation to facilitate pay increases for the three newly appointed ministers of state.
By Steve Scherer

OTTAWA, July 27 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will testify before a parliamentary committee on Thursday about his government's decision to ask a charity with ties to his family to administer a C$900 million ($674 million) student grant program.

Trudeau will appear before the House of Commons Finance Committee at 3 p.m. (1900 GMT), while his chief of staff, Katie Telford, will follow him at 4:15 p.m., the committee said on Monday.

It is rare for prime ministers to testify before parliamentary committees. It last happened in 2006 when then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper appeared at one to speak about Senate reform.

Trudeau's testimony comes after he was put under investigation for possible conflict-of-interest violations. It is the third ethics probe he has faced in three years.

The prime minister has already apologized publicly for participating in the Cabinet decision to pick WE Charity Canada to manage the grant program. The charity backed out shortly after the program was announced.

Canada's ethics commissioner launched the investigation after WE Charity disclosed that it had paid Trudeau's mother, Margaret, C$250,000 in speaking fees in recent years, while his brother Alexandre received about C$32,000.

Both the prime minister and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, have regularly participated in WE Charity events. Gregoire Trudeau also hosts a podcast on the organization's website for which she is not paid.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau has apologized for taking part in the same Cabinet vote because one of his daughters works at WE Charity.

In his own testimony before the committee last week, Morneau said he had repaid more than C$40,000 in travel expenses for private trips he and his family took to Kenya and Ecuador to visit WE Charity-run projects in 2017, sparking calls from the main opposition Conservative Party for him to resign. ($1 = 1.3357 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Peter Cooney)
BOSTON - (July 27, 2020) - Type 1 diabetes occurs when a person's own immune system destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. In recent years, scientists have learned how to grow large volumes of replacement beta cells, but the researchers are still trying out many options to protect these cells against the immune attack. Joslin Diabetes Center researchers now have found an unusual strategy that eventually may help to guard such transplanted beta cells or to slow the original onset of the disease.

Research in mouse models and in human cells has shown that targeting a protein called renalase may protect beta cells against autoimmune attack by strengthening them against stress, says Stephan Kissler, an investigator in Joslin's Section on Immunobiology, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and co-senior author on a paper describing the work in Nature Metabolism.

Kissler, co-senior author Peng Yi, PhD, and their colleagues also demonstrated that an existing FDA-approved drug inhibits renalase and increases the survival of beta cells in those lab models.

The Joslin study joins a growing set of evidence suggesting that functional problems with beta cells themselves may help to trigger the autoimmune attack in type 1 diabetes, say Kissler and Yi, who is an assistant investigator in the Islet Cell and Regenerative Biology Section. "You might have genes that make the beta cell a little bit dysfunctional and more prone to becoming a target of the immune system," Kissler explains.

The research began with a casual hallway conversation between Kissler and Yi about potential ways to protect beta cells from autoimmune attack. The two ended up launching a bold gamble to try inhibiting genes across the genome, one at a time, using a screening technique based on the CRISPR gene-editing method with a beta cell line from a "non-obese diabetic" (NOD) mouse that models type 1 diabetes. "Whole genome CRISPR screening is a powerful tool for new target discovery and we hoped that it would help us find any mutations that protect the beta cell," Yi says.

The CRISPR screen for surviving beta cells produced a dozen genes of interest. The most striking was the gene for renalase, which previous research had shown is associated with type 1 diabetes.

Next, the researchers created NOD mouse beta cells, some with the renalase gene functionally "knocked out" and some not. They transplanted these cells to NOD mice with autoimmune diabetes.

Intact beta cells died off--but the renalase knock-out cells survived. "This was a very black-and-white research model," Kissler comments. "If the cells aren't protected, they're gone."

The investigators then looked to see if the cells that lacked the renalase gene provoked a diminished response from T immune cells (which spearhead the autoimmune assault) in a dish. The scientists found that one type of T cell was less likely to attack these knockout cells than to attack normal beta cells.

But what was slowing this autoimmune assault?

In earlier work to analyze beta cell survival, Yi had analyzed how the cells respond to a condition called endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Now when the team tried three ways of introducing ER stress to mouse beta cells in a dish, the researchers saw that the renalase mutation was protecting against this condition.

In the next step, to see if the same mechanisms were at work in human cells, the team joined up with Douglas Melton of the Harvard department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology to create human beta cells for similar tests in a dish. "Again, we saw that the renalase knockout protected cells against ER stress," Kissler says.

The functions of renalase are not well understood, but Yi and Kissler knew that the protein is an enzyme (which often can be targeted by drug compounds) and that other scientists had produced a three-dimensional crystal structural map of the protein.

Wondering if this map would give clues to uncover a compound that could target renalase, the Joslin investigators began working with Celia Schiffer of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Structural biologists at the university's structure-based drug design core facility soon noticed that renalase is very similar to another enzyme that is inhibited by existing drugs--including one drug known as pargyline that was approved by the Food & Drug Administration almost 60 years ago to treat hypertension.

Testing pargyline in their mouse transplant model, the Joslin researchers found that the drug protected beta cells extremely well, says Kissler. Studying it in the mouse beta cells themselves, the scientists demonstrated that pargyline indeed was protecting against ER stress. In experiments with human cells, pargyline also displayed a protective effect.

Kissler and Yi hope to test pargyline in a pilot clinical trial to see if it slows the progress of new onset type 1 diabetes in a small number of patients. "Since it's FDA-approved and the drug is safe, this would be the best approach to test if the protection we observed in mice and human cells will hold true in people," Kissler remarks. If research results continue to be positive, their next goal will be to find industry backing to develop a small molecule drug that provides even better protection than pargyline.

###

Joslin's Erica Cai, Yuki Ishikawa and Wei Zhang are co-lead authors on the paper. Other Joslin contributors include Jian Li, Badr Kiaf and Jennifer Hollister-Lock. Nayara Leite and Douglas Melton of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute also are co-authors, as are Shurong Hou, Nese Kurt Yilmaz and Celia Schiffer of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The study was funded by Harvard Stem Cell Institute, JDRF and National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases).
The United States leads the world in Covid-19 deaths, nearing 150,000 lost lives. The unemployment figures brought on by the pandemic are mind-boggling. The Trump administrations slow and haphazard response has been widely criticized. But what does it look like to young people around the world, whose governments moved quickly and aggressively to contain the coronavirus?

We wanted to know, so we reached out to quite a few and showed them charts, facts, photos and videos illustrating the U.S. response. Spoiler: They were not impressed.

Many advanced economies, from Germany to Singapore, directly supplemented salaries to save jobs. Other nations with fewer resources started mass testing at the first sign of an outbreak. Many countries mandated universal lockdowns  and successfully flattened the curve. In some parts of Europe, you could be fined for straying too far from your home. And Vietnam, a nation of 95 million people, has not seen a single Covid-19 death.
A 20-year-old man was fatally shot Sunday night in front of an ice cream shop in Revere, according to police.

Authorities responded around 10:10 p.m. to a shooting in front of the Twist N Shake ice cream shop on 82 Revere Beach Blvd., according to a statement from Massachusetts State Police.

The victim was conscious when troopers arrived and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he later died, the statement said.

State police noted the shooting followed an altercation and that the suspected shooter ran away from the scene, according to authorities.

The investigation into the identity and whereabouts of the shooter is ongoing, state police said.

Police did not disclose the name of the victim early Monday morning, as authorities had yet to notify his next of kin.
(Newser)  After a school year disrupted by COVID-19, parents are more concerned than ever about their children's education. The coronavirus aside, how well public schools fare across America is often dictated by the funding they receive, which is one of the factors WalletHub took into account in its examination of school systems in each state and the District of Columbia. The site looked at nearly three dozen metrics in two main categories for K-12 education: quality (including graduation and dropout rates, test scores, and pupil-teacher ratios), and safety, which looked at everything from bullying and disciplinary rates to school security plans. Massachusetts earned the top spot in both categories, while New Mexico ranked last overall. Read on for the 10 states with the best school systems:

story continues below

Massachusetts (No. 1 in both "quality" and "safety" categories) Connecticut New Jersey Virginia Vermont New Hampshire Minnesota Wisconsin Delaware Maryland

Next, the school systems that aren't getting an A-plus.

Arkansas (last in "safety" category) South Carolina Alabama Nevada Mississippi Oklahoma Alaska Arizona Louisiana New Mexico (last in "quality" category)

See how the other states fared here . (Related? The 10 most, least educated states .)
We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Oxford Instruments plc (LON:OXIG).

What Is Insider Selling?

It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. 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 Oxford Instruments

Oxford Instruments Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Chairman of the Board Neil Andrew Carson for UK103k worth of shares, at about UK12.90 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is UK13.50. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. The good news for Oxford Instruments share holders is that an insider was buying at near the current price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Neil Andrew Carson.

You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Story continues

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insider Ownership of Oxford Instruments

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that Oxford Instruments insiders own 5.3% of the company, worth about UK41m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Do The Oxford Instruments Insider Transactions Indicate?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Oxford Instruments insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Oxford Instruments, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

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.
Stem Cell Therapy for Back Pain in Mexico (888) 988-0515 Chronic back pain dampens quality of life, with patients often not being able to work or play with their kids or grandkids. Stem cell treatment with R3 in Mexico is a fantastically effective option for those who want to eliminate pain without surgery or narcotics.

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With close to 9 out of 10 experiencing significant back pain at some point in life, there are millions of individuals who deal with back pain every day. It may be incapacitating, with traditional treatment options often not working exceptionally well. This may include risky narcotics or surgery.

According to R3 CEO David Greene, MD, MBA, "Chronic back pain dampens quality of life, with patients often not being able to work or play with their kids or grandkids. Stem cell treatment with R3 in Mexico is a fantastically effective option for those who want to eliminate pain without surgery or narcotics. It starts at only $2975 too!"

Stem cell therapy for back pain in Mexico at R3 International provides a safe, effective option for patients to alleviate back pain without surgery. Depending on the patient's reason for back pain, treatment may be provided IV, injection, intrathecal or with a combination. Each individual undergoes a free consultation with one of R3's licensed, experienced stem cell doctors who will review medical records and make the treatment suggestion.

Patient satisfaction at R3 Stem Cell International exceeds 87% overall, with treatments being offered for back pain, joint arthritis, Lyme disease, kidney failure, COPD, stroke, neuropathy, Alzheimers, diabetes, Crohns and more. Patients receive an escort from San Diego to the Tijuana clinic, which is only 20 minutes away along with an escort to the treatment and back.

To get set up for a free phone consultation, call (888) 988-0515 and visit https://stemcelltreatmentclinic.com for more information.
ISTANBUL  One thousand days after his arrest in November 2017, Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala remains behind bars on what human rights advocates protest are baseless and politically motivated charges.

Marking the milestone Monday, Amnesty International and several human rights associations posted with the hashtag #CrimeNotFound, calling for his immediate release over a lack of evidence to justify his ongoing imprisonment.

"We've had 1,000 days stolen from our life, Kavalas wife Ayse Bugra said during an online press event Saturday. My husband's mother is over the age of 90 and she doesn't know whether she will ever see her son again.

Kavala, the 62-year-old director of the Turkeys Anadolu Kultur civil society organization, was charged with plotting and supporting the anti-government Gezi protests in 2013. On Dec. 10, 2019, his prolonged pretrial dentation was determined to be a violation of human rights laws by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which called for his immediate release.

Kavala remained imprisoned until a Feb. 18 trial, when he was acquitted with eight other defendants over the Gezi protest charges, but he was quickly rearrested in connection to a new espionage case stemming from his alleged involvement in Turkeys 2016 coup attempt.

After the new charges invented at the last minute to continue my detention, we have reached such a point that it will no longer be possible to find a legal cover for the ongoing lawlessness, Kavala said in a statement Monday.

Human rights advocates say the latest charges lodged against Kavala lack substantive evidence and the case is emblematic of politicized court proceedings against civil society leaders and opposition figures in Turkey, such as the former co-chairs of the People's Democratic Party, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, who have been imprisoned since November 2016.

Hes truly become a symbol for all those who are suffering the same treatment in Turkey, who are being arbitrarily detained, who are being subjected to unfair prosecution, Milena Buyum, Turkey campaigner for Amnesty International, told Al-Monitor.

Buyum said the new espionage charges were brought to circumvent the ECHR ruling for his release, which came into force May 11 after the court rejected an appeal by Turkish officials.

To have committed an act of espionage you need to be in possession of state secrets, Buym told Al-Monitor. Osman Kavala is not a state employee.  What kind of espionage could he have engaged in? This is just so absurd.

Though the ECHR and members of international community have continued calls for Turkey to implement the ECHR ruling for his release, prosecutors maintain the decision does not apply to the espionage case brought after the decision was finalized.

The commissioner for human rights for the Council of Europe (CoE) refuted such claims in a report issued earlier this month, concluding the new criminal proceedings against Kavala represented a seamless extension and continuation of previous abuses by the Turkish legal system.

In September, the councils committee of ministers is expected to review Kavalas ongoing detention and reiterate appeals for Turkey to implement the Dec. 10 ECHR ruling as a signatory to the European Convention of Human Rights.

Kavala, a prominent funder of arts and culture institutions, has also received substantial support from creative communities, with the United Kingdom-based Opera Circus releasing an opera-themed film in June titled Osman Bey and the Snails.

Yet the international support and efforts to raise awareness of Kavalas ongoing detention have yet to produce results, said Merve Tahiroglu, Turkey program coordinator at Washington-based Project on Middle East Democracy.

These campaigns have failed to move the Turkish judiciary or to put any real pressure on the government, Tahiroglu told Al-Monitor. The CoE statements similarly fall on deaf ears. Turkeys blatant defiance of the ECHR ruling clearly shows that [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogans regime has no respect for international law or institutions.

She added, Turkeys friends in Europe and the United States must recognize, and many already do, what Kavalas detention shows about the rule of law in Turkey, and what it spells for Turkeys pro-democratic civil society under Erdogan.

Erdogan has likened Kavala to George Soros, a Hungarian-American philanthropist, indirectly accusing him of financing projects to undermine the Turkish government.

Responding to the milestone of Kavalas 1,000th day in prison, German Human Rights Commissioner Barbel Kofler said in a statement Sunday he could not comprehend why the philanthropist has not been released.

The fact that he remains in custody, though cleared in the Gezi Park trial and despite the decision by the European Court of Human Rights, raises serious doubts about the validity of ruleoflaw principles in Turkey, Kofler said. In its judgment, the court in Strasbourg stated that the detention was designed to keep Osman Kavala quiet.

He added, I look with increasing concern at the status of the rule of law and fundamental freedoms in Turkey. Osman Kavala and Turkeys civil society can count on my continued solidarity.
Senior ministers in France and Germany both warned of possible new lockdowns yesterday as they feared second waves of Covid-19.

As the UK government reimposed a two-week quarantine on anyone arriving from Spain after a surge in cases there, a 'Daily Telegraph' analysis shows France's rate has jumped 50pc in a week, from six to nine cases per 100,000 of the population.

There were 1,130 new cases on Saturday, double the previous week's rate.

Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Gibraltar, Italy, Monaco and Australia also saw incidence rates rise in the past week to post-lockdown peaks.

Two countries - the Bahamas and Luxembourg - have risen to higher rates per 100,000 than Spain.

Jean Castex, France's prime minister, raised the possibility of a second lockdown as the health minister warned bars may be closed if cases continue to rise.

Mr Castex said a national lockdown could not be ruled out, but said the government's priority was "prevention" and local lockdowns would be imposed in areas where infections surge.

Michael Kretschmer, premier in Germany's state of Saxony, said: "The second wave of coronavirus is already here. It is taking place every day."

Germany's reproduction rate, the key metric which determines how the virus is spreading through the community, rose above 1 to 1.08 on Saturday, up from 0.93 on Thursday.

Health authorities said the new cases could be traced to large celebrations and gatherings and returning travellers.

Meanwhile, North Korea has declared a state of emergency and imposed lockdown on the city of Kaesong on the border with the South after a person there showed Covid-19 symptoms.

Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, called it a "critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country", KCNA, the state news agency, reported yesterday.

If the patient, who is now under strict quarantine, is confirmed to have been infected with the virus, he or she would be North Korea's first official coronavirus case.

However, international medical experts remain sceptical about this claim due to the country's long and porous border with China, where the pandemic began.

According to the strictly controlled state media narrative, the suspected case is a "runaway who went to the South three years ago" and who returned illegally on July 19.

KCNA said respiratory secretion and blood tests had shown "uncertain" results and people who had been in contact with the suspected patient and those who had been to Kaesong in the past five days have also been quarantined.

The lockdown was imposed on Friday afternoon, and an emergency meeting of the politburo - a committee of North Korea's most senior leaders - was held on Saturday to tackle "the dangerous situation in Kaesong that may lead to a deadly and destructive disaster".

Elsewhere, Sweden's chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, architect of the country's unorthodox approach to coronavirus, has said his three children had been targeted in death threats he had received.

Dr Tegnell, whose children are grown up, said he had taken a philosophical approach to threats when he started to receive them soon after the pandemic first struck.

However, he said he had to call in the police once his family was mentioned. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Click here to read the full article.

The Neiman Marcus in Natick, Mass., could be next on the luxury chains growing list of store closings.

No one predicts a massive amount of store closings by the bankrupt Neiman Marcus Group, but its likely to be at least twice the number disclosed last week in court documents, according to real estate sources. Neimans, in bankruptcy proceedings since May 7, indicated in court documents that it will close its department stores in Hudson Yards in Manhattan; Palm Beach, Fla.; Bellevue, Wash., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The company is figuring out the next five or six to close, said one source familiar with Neimans real estate, adding that its expected that the retailer will shutter up to 10 of its 43 department stores, including the four disclosed last week.

At most risk, according to two real estate sources and one retail source, is the 103,000-square-foot Neimans in the Natick Mall in Natick, a suburb of Boston. Natick, Mass.  100 percent will close, said the source.

Other units said to be at risk at are those in downtown Dallas; St. Louis, and Westchester, N.Y.

In addition, Neimans has been working with A&G Real Estate Partners to market its department stores in Walnut Creek, Calif., and Mazza Gallerie in Washington, D.C., though there is no indication those two units are at risk to close. Better financial and lease terms with landlords could be worked out. A&G is also working with Neimans on the phaseout of the Palm Beach and Bellevue units, which should be completed this fall.

The vast majority of Neimans stores have been very productive over the years. Yet profitability of the corporation has been depleted by its large debt, which also hampered sufficient upgrades. Neimans blames its bankruptcy on COVID-19, which caused stores to temporarily close in mid-March forcing the company to default on the debt.

Story continues

Among the top-performing doors historically for the Neiman Marcus Group are Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan, and Neimans in Beverly Hills; NorthPark, Dallas; Houston; Chicago; San Francisco; Short Hills, N.J., and Bal Harbour, Fla. Denver is reportedly among the better doors as well.

Neimans current assessment of stores is comprehensive and said to concentrate on a list of 20. The strategy involves seeking ways to monetize locations and not necessarily close them. Some locations could be downsized or could receive more favorable lease terms, depending on negotiations with landlords and court approvals and Neimans outlook on each unit and its profitability. Sale lease-backs could be considered as well.

According to Neimans 2018 annual report, (the last one available to the public) most locations are leased. Two are owned completely; two are owned but have partial ground leases; four are owned but mortgaged to secure credit and debentures; 17 are owned buildings on leased land, and 18 are leased.

They are going to landlords asking for money to downsize, renovate, or cut the rent. They are trying for different things in different places, said another real estate executive.

Neimans officials have stated that there wont be a large number of department store closings.

The Hudson Yards store, opened in March 2019, is said to have generated around $100 million in sales in the first 12 months but was paying $9 million to $10 million in rent and losing money. About a third of the volume was generated by the leased Louis Vuitton and Chanel shops, leaving little margin. However, Neimans did receive significant capital from Related Companies, codeveloper of Hudson Yards, to build the store.

Neimans in St. Louis, according to one real estate executive familiar with the location, is a money-maker off a much lower level of volume and expense, but is perceived as not having much growth potential and possibly not worth keeping open. The Westchester store, sources said, has been experiencing declining volume.

While Neimans review has been focused on 20 doors, sources agreed that under half that are seen closing.

However, It only takes one key vendor to pull out in order to change the outlook on a store, said the source familiar with Neimans real estate. If a vendor doing $6 million pulls out, the store might quickly no longer be profitable.

Last week, Lana Todorovich, president and chief merchandising officer of Neiman Marcus, told vendors in a letter that beyond the four stores scheduled to close permanently, We have no other store closures to announce at this time, but we will continue to assess our store fleet throughout the restructuring process. We will communicate any additional decisions as they are made.

Todorovich also wrote, The closing of these select stores is a difficult action but it will optimize our market presence and ensure the long-term success of NMG. Final closing dates have not been determined yet, but we anticipate these stores closing in the fall We are purposefully focusing on the stores that maximize customer relationships and increase profitability.

As of last week, Neimans reopened 31 stores for customer traffic and 42 stores for customer appointments, after they were temporarily closed due to the pandemic.

Among the stores said to be on the list of 20 under consideration for various actions are units in Dallas, Willow Bend and Ft. Worth, Tex.; St. Louis; Topanga and Walnut Creek, Calif.; Roosevelt Field and Westchester, N.Y.; Oakbrook and Northbrook, Ill.: Natick; Chevy Chase, Md.; Charlotte, N.C.; Orlando and Tampa, Fla., as well as the four aforementioned units Neimans already determined will close.

Neimans officials had no comment on the Natick, Mass. store or the list of 20 under consideration for various actions, but a spokesman did say, We are always assessing our store footprint to ensure it is optimal to enhance revenues, overall profitability, and our integrated retail strategy. The spokesman said the four store closing disclosed last week will occur in the fall this year.

Two weeks ago, Amber Seikaly, vice president of corporate communications for the Neiman Marcus Group, said, This ongoing assessment may include marketing of leases for certain locations. This is not necessarily an indication that we are closing a particular store, but rather a way to monetize the value of the leases at these properties and allocate the proceeds toward investments that drive profitable and sustainable growth. Ongoing discussions with landlords are private and confidential.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The state announced Thursday that officials appointed another Staten Islander to sit on the New York Court of Claims.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo nominated and the state Senate confirmed Judge Charles Troia to the court that handles civil litigation seeking damages against the state or some of its related entities, according to a media release from the governors office.

The appointment is for a nine-year term.

Those entities include things like the City University of New York or the New York State Thruway Authority, according to the Court of Claims website.

Troia, who is a lifelong resident of Sunnyside, said he will continue to serve in his role as an acting Supreme Court Justice on Staten Island, in addition to his new responsibilities with the Court of Claims.

Im honored that Governor Cuomo nominated and the Senate confirmed me for the Court of Claims. Its a wonderful opportunity to continue serving -- in a more permanent position -- the residents of my community, he said.

Troia said he joins Staten Island judges Wayne Ozzi and Alex Jeong in their roles with the Court of Claims. A representative for the governors office also identified Stephen Rooney as a judge from Staten Island with a role on the court.

I think its great that the governor recognizes the wealth of judicial resources on Staten Island, and has taken advantage of that, Troia said.

Along with Troias appointment, the governor announced multiple nominations and appointments to its court system as it continues its own COVID-19 reopening process.

The COVID pandemic was a stress test on governments across the country, but New York showed what it means for government to perform for the people it serves, the governor said. The new additions to our team bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge that will be invaluable as we work to build back better from the COVID crisis and continue our record of delivering bold, progressive accomplishments for the people of New York State.
TORONTO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Golden Star Resources Ltd. (NYSE American: GSS) (TSX: GSC) (GSE: GSR) ("Golden Star" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding agreement (the "Agreement") for the sale of its 90% interest in the Bogoso-Prestea Gold Mine ("Bogoso-Prestea") in Ghana to Future Global Resources Limited ("FGR") for a purchase price of up to $95 million (the "Transaction"). All references herein to "$" are to United States dollars.

Highlights

Golden Star has signed a binding agreement for the sale of Bogoso-Prestea to FGR

Purchase price of $55 million with a further contingent component of up to $40 million

Staged payments to ensure FGR focuses investment capacity on the asset itself while providing Golden Star with exposure to its long-term growth potential

Operations are planned to continue at the Prestea underground operation, which includes the use of alimak mining on 24 Level and long hole open stoping mining activities on the newly developed 17 Level

Following the acquisition, FGR intends to review the entire Bogoso-Prestea project portfolio, which includes the significant refractory sulfide resource, and an extensive tenement package with exploration potential

The sale strengthens Golden Star's balance sheet and allows the Company to accelerate the growth and development of the large resource base at the Wassa mine, and increase exploration activities in the wider Wassa-HBB project area

Following the satisfaction of the closing conditions in the Agreement, including obtaining the required government approvals, the Transaction is expected to complete by no later than September 30, 2020 ("Closing")

Financial terms

FGR will acquire Bogoso-Prestea for $55 million on a cash free, debt free and working capital free basis, which will be paid as follows:

consideration of $30 million comprising of $5 million of cash and the assumption by FGR of approximately $25 million of negative working capital is payable at Closing;

comprising of of cash and the assumption by FGR of approximately of negative working capital is payable at Closing; $10m of cash is payable on July 31, 2021 ; and

of cash is payable on ; and $15m of cash is payable on July 31, 2023 .

FGR will assume Bogoso-Prestea's assets and liabilities. Blue International Holdings Limited (the major shareholder of FGR) will act as guarantor for the above payments.

In addition to the consideration payable at Closing and the deferred payments, a contingent payment of up to $40 million conditional upon the occurrence of the milestones described hereinafter in respect of the development of the Bogoso Sulfide Project (the "Contingent Payment") may become payable by FGR to Golden Star. The trigger point for the Contingent Payment is either (i) FGR's formal decision to proceed ("Decision to Proceed") with the Bogoso Sulfide Project, or (ii) the extraction of an aggregate of 5% of the sulfide resources as stated at the end of 2019, being 1.76 million ounces of measured and indicated resources and 0.07 million ounces of inferred resource. The quantum of the Contingent Payment is determined by reference to the average spot gold price for the 90 day period preceding the date of the Decision to Proceed:



US$20 million , if the average spot gold price is less than or equal to US$1,400 /oz;

, if the average spot gold price is less than or equal to /oz; US$30 million , if the average spot gold price is greater than US$1,400 /oz but less than or equal to US$1,700 /oz; or

, if the average spot gold price is greater than /oz but less than or equal to /oz; or US$40 million , if the average spot gold price is greater than US$1,700 /oz

The Contingent Payment is payable in two tranches:

50% at the time of (i) the Decision to Proceed, or (ii) declaration that 5% of the sulfide mineral resources have been extracted; and

50% at the time of the first anniversary of (i) achieving commercial production following the Decision to Proceed, or (ii) the first anniversary of the declaration that 5% of the sulfide mineral resources have been extracted.

Transaction schedule

The Transaction is anticipated to close by no later than September 30, 2020 upon satisfaction of the conditions precedent set forth in the Agreement. These include approval of the relevant Minister in Ghana and the restructuring of the Royal Gold Streaming Agreement and Macquarie loan facility.

Restructuring of RGLD Gold AG streaming agreement

Caystar Finance Co. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Golden Star) and RGLD Gold AG (an affiliate of Royal Gold, Inc.) are parties to a streaming agreement covering the Wassa and Bogoso-Prestea mines. Golden Star, FGR and RGLD Gold AG are in advanced discussions to amend the stream agreement that would see, subject to the completion of terms, negotiation of definitive agreements and receipt of board of directors' approvals, a separation of the obligations under the agreement as between the Wassa and Bogoso-Prestea mines.

Andrew Wray, President and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Star, commented:

"We are pleased to announce the sale agreement for Bogoso-Prestea as this brings fresh focus and investment capacity to the asset, while enabling us to concentrate our financial and technical resources on accelerating the delivery of value from Wassa as it continues to develop into a large-scale, long-life and cash generative underground mine.

The sale strengthens our balance sheet by providing a cash inflow of $30m by 2023 and Golden Star will be able to participate in the upside offered by the Bogoso Sulfide Project through the Contingent Payment mechanism which could deliver up to a further $40 million to the business. Given the resulting improvement in the financial position of the Company we expect to now be able to accelerate our investment at Wassa and within our existing exploration pipeline and look for other opportunities to further expand our business.

Bogoso-Prestea will also benefit from having an owner solely focused on delivering the turnaround of the underground operation and assessing the significant potential of the sulfide resources. As a result, we see this Transaction as positive for both FGR and Golden Star, our employees, Ghana, the host communities and all of our other stakeholders."

Glenn Baldwin, Chief Executive Officer of Future Global Resources, commented:

"FGR is delighted to acquire 90% of the Bogoso-Prestea Gold Mine as our first production asset. FGR is looking forward to engaging with the workforce, communities, and Government of Ghana, developing constructive and sustainable partnerships. We have confidence in the potential for additional discoveries and extensions to the underground mineral resources, through which we hope to generate real value by investing in the workforce and our relationships with local stakeholders."



About FGR

Future Global Resources (FGR) was established by its shareholders in 2020 to build a globally diversified mining company that invests in, develops, and operates long-life mineral resources, to stimulate economic development. Its initial focus is on Africa, leveraging the credentials of the board, executive and shareholders on that continent. FGR is committed to the principles of community and environmental sustainability. Its principal shareholder is Blue International Holdings Limited, a UK based private investment holding company and the largest investor in Joule Africa Limited, a developer, owner and operator of sustainable power projects in sub Saharan Africa.

About Bogoso-Prestea

The Bogoso-Prestea operations are located in south-western Ghana, approximately 40km from the Wassa gold mine. Recently, production was delivered from the Bogoso-Prestea open pits and the Prestea underground gold mine. In the second half of 2018, Prestea became an underground-focused operation and the open pit operations are now drawing to a close. The Bogoso refractory open pit operation was closed in 2015; it hosts 1.76 million ounces of measured and indicated mineral resources and 0.07 million ounces of inferred resource and could be restarted following a refurbishment of the refractory processing plant.

Advisors

Golden Star's financial advisor is Bacchus Capital Advisers and its Canadian legal advisor is Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. FGR's legal advisor is White & Case LLP.

Company Profile:

Golden Star is an established gold mining company that owns and operates the Wassa and Prestea underground mines in Ghana, West Africa. Listed on the NYSE American, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Ghanaian Stock Exchange, Golden Star is focused on delivering strong margins and free cash flow from its two underground mines. Gold production guidance for 2020 is 195,000-210,000 ounces at a cash operating cost per ounce (please refer to the Non-GAAP Financial Measures disclaimer) of US$790-US$850. As the winner of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada 2018 Environmental and Social Responsibility Award, Golden Star remains committed to leaving a positive and sustainable legacy in its areas of operation.

Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Some statements contained in this news release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and include but are not limited to, statements and information regarding gold production guidance for 2020 of 195,000 to 210,000 ounces; cash operating cost guidance for 2020 of US$790-US$850; the completion of the Transaction and the timing thereof; the receipt by Golden Star of the Contingent Payment and the potential amount thereof and other amounts to be received pursuant to the Transaction; the benefits to be received by Golden Star from the sale of Bogoso-Prestea, including the strengthening of its balance sheet, financial position, acceleration of the Company's investment at Wassa and within the Company's existing exploration pipeline, and the ability of Golden Star to diversify and grow its business; the ability to satisfy the conditions to Closing, including the approval of the relevant Minister in Ghana, the restructuring of the Royal Gold streaming agreement and Macquarie loan facility; the benefits to be realized by stakeholders from the Transaction; FGR's ability to deliver the turnaround of the Prestea underground operation and make additional discoveries; FGR's ability to deliver the Bogoso Sulfide Project. Generally, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases (including negative or grammatical variations) or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements and information are inherently uncertain and involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause facts to differ materially. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which Golden Star will operate in the future, including the price of gold, anticipated costs and ability to achieve goals. Forward-looking information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Golden Star to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information and statements, including but not limited to: gold price volatility; discrepancies between actual and estimated production; mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical recoveries; the ability to complete the sale transaction and realize the anticipated benefits therefrom; the ability to obtain all necessary consents and approvals for the sale transaction; mining operational and development risks; liquidity risks; suppliers suspending or denying delivery of products or services; regulatory restrictions (including environmental regulatory restrictions and liability); actions by governmental authorities; the speculative nature of gold exploration; ore type; the global economic climate; share price volatility; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; risks related to streaming agreements and joint venture operations; the availability of capital on reasonable terms or at all; risks related to international operations, including economic and political instability in foreign jurisdictions in which Golden Star operates; risks related to current global financial conditions including financial and other risks resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic; actual results of current exploration activities; environmental risks; future prices of gold; possible variations in mineral reserves and mineral resources, grade or recovery rates; mine development and operating risks; an inability to obtain power for operations on favourable terms or at all; mining plant or equipment breakdowns or failures; an inability to obtain products or services for operations or mine development from vendors and suppliers on reasonable terms, including pricing, or at all; public health pandemics such as COVID-19, including risks associated with reliance on suppliers, the cost, scheduling and timing of gold shipments, uncertainties relating to its ultimate spread, severity and duration, and related adverse effects on the global economy and financial markets; accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities; litigation risks; and risks related to indebtedness and the service of such indebtedness. Although Golden Star has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information and statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those anticipated by management. Please refer to the discussion of these and other factors in Management's Discussion and Analysis of financial conditions and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in our annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2019 as filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forecasts contained in this press release constitute management's current estimates, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered thereby. We expect that these estimates will change as new information is received. While we may elect to update these estimates at any time, we do not undertake any estimate at any particular time or in response to any particular event.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In this news release, we use the terms "cash operating cost per ounce".

"Cash operating cost" for a period is equal to "cost of sales excluding depreciation and amortization" for the period less royalties, the cash component of metals inventory net realizable value adjustments, materials and supplies write-off and severance charges and "cash operating cost per ounce" is that amount divided by the number of ounces of gold sold (excluding pre-commercial production ounces sold) during the period.

We use "cash operating cost per ounce" as a key operating metric. We monitor this measure monthly, comparing each month's values to prior periods' values to detect trends that may indicate increases or decreases in operating efficiencies. We provide this measure to investors to allow them to also monitor operational efficiencies of the Company's mines. We calculate this measure for both individual operating units and on a consolidated basis. Since cash operating costs do not incorporate revenues, changes in working capital or non-operating cash costs, they are not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flow from operations as determined under IFRS. Changes in numerous factors including, but not limited to, mining rates, milling rates, ore grade, gold recovery, costs of labour, consumables and mine site general and administrative activities can cause these measures to increase or decrease. We believe that these measures are similar to the measures of other gold mining companies but may not be comparable to similarly titled measures in every instance.

For additional information regarding the Non-GAAP financial measures used by the Company, please refer to the heading "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2019, which are available at www.sedar.com

Technical Information

Additional technical information regarding Bogoso-Prestea is available in the technical report for the property titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report on Resources and Reserves, Golden Star Resources, Bogoso/Prestea Gold Mine, Ghana" effective date December 31, 2017, available at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE Golden Star Resources Ltd.

Related Links

www.gsr.com


Frances Health Minister Olivier Veran recently announced signing a decree which will essentially make COVID-19 tests free for everyone in the country. According to reports, Veran also mentioned that anyone who takes a COVID-19 test is now entitled to a refund. The minister also expressed concern about the rising number of cases but added that it was still too early to talk about the possibility of a second wave.

Read: Latest News: From France' Tribute To Indian Army To Broad's six-wicket Haul; Top Stories

In regards to a possible second wave in France, ANI quoted Veran saying "We cannot talk about a second wave at this time. But one thing is for sure, within a few days, we saw the number of positive cases rise sharply after it had declined for thirteen weeks." The French Health Minister appealed to the youth to remain vigilant and not to take the COVID-19 virus lightly.

Read: Kargil Vijay Diwas: France Pays Tribute To Indian Army; Cites Indo-France Defence Ties

As per reports, the youth in France have been eager to return to large social gatherings after several weeks in lockdown. As a result, they have become the worst enemies of health experts and are reportedly a major cause for the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases in France.

As per John Hopkins coronavirus resource centre, France has recorded 217,801 positive virus cases since the beginning of the pandemic and has a death toll of 30,195. The COVID-19 pandemic has now infected over 16 million people around the world.

(With ANI inputs)

Read: France Condemns Far-right Protest Targeting Black Lawmaker

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BETHALTO  I teach tiny humans. Whats your superpower?

That statement is on the front of a shirt worn by Mollie Lavezzi, referring to her job as a preschool teacher at Zion Lutheran School in Bethalto. Joining her on the early childhood ministry team is her sister, Katie Ray.

I have the pleasure of working with these dedicated women every day, said Sarah Koch, Preschool and Summer Camp director. It is a joy to see them share the love of Jesus with children.

Katie and Mollie are a blessing to so many children because of the investment of teachers and staff at Zion and Metro-East Lutheran High School, Koch said. Lutheran School communities really do change lives one child at a time.

As preschoolers, the two daughers of Ken and Marla Ray of Bethalto attended Zions Preschool and continued at Zion through Grade 8.

I still remember the scavenger hunt on my first day at Zion, said Lavezzi.

One of the most important lessons I learned at Zion was how to care for others, she said. We learned how to get along with one another. I made lifelong friends during those days.

Ray said school was an extension of the girls home.

We learned the same values of faith and family wherever we were, she said. Our Zion teachers taught us how to deal with life from our early years.

Both girls said they value their teachers investment in their lives  academically, spiritually and socially. Because our classes were small, our teachers really knew us, Ray said. And our families were very involved in our school. Zion students still have these benefits today.

Strong relationships and important life lessons from Zion stayed with the girls as they went on to graduate from Metro-East Lutheran High School in Edwardsville. Ray began her higher education at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey and then graduated from Liberty University. Lavezzi graduated from Southeast Missouri State University.

Today, as Zion teachers, they said they value the opportunities they have to bring God into everything they do with their students.

We make faith in God more than Sunday sound bites, Lavezzi said. We live our faith, and we teach our students and their families how to live with Gods help.

Our Preschool lessons about love and hope go home with our students, she said. Parents are learning more about Gods kindness and compassion from their children. That helps everyone.

Children have so much uncertainty in their lives right now, Ray said. We cant fix that. But we can reassure them that God is always with them and always loves them. Thats what is certain in their lives.

For more information about Zion Lutheran School visit http://zlsbethalto.org, call 618-377-5507 or email schooloffice@zionbethalto.org.
The City of Niagara Falls is implementing a lawn sign road-safety campaign, providing another tool to confront speeding on residential streets.

The intent is to raise awareness of the issue and to remind motorists to drive safely and obey the speed limit.

Transportation staff have investigated lawn-sign programs in other municipalities and are moving ahead with a pilot campaign after councils recent approval.

The cost of a lawn sign is about $16.50. Staff said there are funds within the 2020 transportation budget to make about 100 signs.

Based on the success of the program, funding for additional signs could be included in 2021 budget deliberations.

The campaign was supported by local politicians earlier this month.

The idea came from Coun. Chris Dabrowski, who made a motion during the June 23 meeting for staff to prepare a report about a pilot campaign.

Historically, requests have been received from residents for additional road-safety measures to address concerns of speeding and aggressive driving on neighbourhood streets, said a staff report.

The proposed lawn signs are a cost-effective method to bring awareness and to educate motorists of their driving behaviours.

The use of lawn signs for promoting road safety is increasingly more common as municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area, and elsewhere in Niagara have implemented campaigns in recent years.

Staff said they receive numerous concerns annually from residents regarding excessive speeding on residential roadways.

To address these concerns, staff said they utilize programs such as traffic-calming measures, driver feedback signs, and promoting the use of a neighbourhood speed-watch program. Niagara Regional Police also assist staff with enforcement and monitoring activities.

Staff said the lawn signs will be printed double-sided and constructed with a durable material. The size of the signs will be about 48 centimetres wide by 40 centimetres tall. The design of the sign itself will be completed by city staff.

To ensure the success of the campaign and to ensure the placement of signs do not create a sight-line obstruction or a hazard for any roadway users, staff propose several guidelines.

The signs must be set back a minimum 0.6 metres from the curb or edge of the road; not obstruct the travelled portion of the road, median, traffic island, sidewalk, bicycle path, or multi-use trail; be inserted into the ground using the wire frame only; be placed where it will not obstruct sight lines for pedestrians, cyclists, or drivers; and be placed as supplied and without further illumination or the use of reflective tape.

Any lawn signs determined to be unsafe or require relocation for any reason may be removed or relocated by staff.

The city will offer one sign per household, on a first-come, first-served basis, free of charge to residents.

Transportation staff will work with other departments to establish a distribution method to be in place and communicated to the public by mid-August.

Staff will evaluate the uptake and public response to the program and report back to council before the end of the year to coincide with 2021 budget deliberations.

Mayor Jim Diodati said he thinks the campaign is great.

Those signs look terrific, and I think it will draw attention to people speeding through areas, especially residential areas, he said.

Sometimes they forget, and it will be a great reminder.
A Suitable Boy is an official adaptation of Vikram Seth's classic novel of the same name, and stars Tabu, Ishaan Khatter, Rasika Dugal, among others

Filmmaker Mira Nair says she always wanted to live in and witness the era of 1950s India, a wish that she is now fulfilling with her upcoming BBC series A Suitable Boy.

An official adaptation of acclaimed author Vikram Seth's classic novel of the same name, A Suitable Boy hits television screens in the UK on Sunday, with a diverse cast of over 100 actors from India and around the world.

Nair, who is known for critically-acclaimed films such as Salaam Bombay, Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake, is making her television debut with the six-part BBC drama which is set in post-Independence India.

The story centres around a 19-year-old university student Lata, portrayed by newcomer Tanya Maniktala, who struggles with her life being mapped out thanks to old traditions and an overbearing mother who wants to find her a suitable husband.

The elaborate cast and crew made up of worldwide artists based themselves in Uttar Pradesh for the duration of the shoot to capture the authenticity of the novel's milieu.

"A Suitable Boy is a modern classic about a time when a country is finding its feet after Independence. It is a massive yet intimate saga; an extraordinary tale of love and friendship across class and certainly across religion," Nair said.

"It has been one of my favourite novels since the day it was written. I read it repeatedly and felt as if it was my best friend. I felt a sense of great companionship and understanding and a sense of evoking a time in India in which I longed to have lived. I just vowed to direct the adaptation of it," she added.

The series has been adapted for the screen by Andrew Davies, known for his flair at adapting classics such as Pride and Prejudice and War and Peace for the BBC.

It comes with a vast canvas of 113 actors including prominent Bollywood names Tabu, Ishaan Khatter, Rasika Dugal, Randeep Hooda, Vinay Pathak, Ram Kapoor, Vijay Varma, Ranvir Shorey and others.

"What excited me about this role is that she lives in a world of her own, which does not merge with the outside world," said Tabu, who plays the courtesan Saeeda Bai and has previously worked with Mira Nair on The Namesake.

And Khatter, who essays the role of Maan Kapoor, reflects on how the story is about the journey of newly-independent India coming into its own, mirrored in the personal journey of the characters.

"The setting and the characters are very compelling. I think people all over the world will find it fascinating, especially people who are not privy to the lives of Indians, to discover the sights and sounds and how it was in that time period for them," said Khatter, who made his Bollywood debut with Dhadak.

Actor Namit Das recalls the elaborate preparations he had to go through in order to play his character of Haresh Khanna.

"The highlight for me was the preparation that went into this. I learnt how to make a shoe. Mira stressed on that.

"They actually sent me pants which were until my waist. And I used to sleep in them so that they don't look awkward on me. All of these are such special memories," he said.

Das believes comparisons with the iconic book will not impact the series, which is a celebration of all the characters created by the Vikram Seth, who backed the screen adaptation with inputs.

"Expect these characters to become part of your lives just the way they became your favourites when you read the book. Nothing ''unsuitable'' in ''A Suitable Boy''," he added.

The new series airs weekly on Sundays on the BBC and will be available around the world, including India, on Netflix.
Two things need to be considered about Columbus and any other historical figure we look to cancel. First of all, he was a product of his time. His treatment of the Indians was little different than the way alleged heretics were treated during the Inquisition. People at the time believed it was acceptable to persecute those with different beliefs. Secondly, we need to consider Lord Actons famous axiom  power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely; great men are almost always bad men. It is rare that those with power do not succumb to its temptations. Do we therefore erase most of history?
It features a Native American in a breechcloth and an early American settler holding a long rope with what appears to be a loop on its end, and for more than a century, it has served as the official seal of New York City  but perhaps not for much longer.

Like the rest of the country, New York is engaged in a heated discussion about race and societal bias, a discourse that has spilled onto the streets in the form of protests, graffiti and, for a while, an encampment next to City Hall.

Earlier this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio helped paint Black Lives Matter on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower. He has appointed a commission that will reconsider some of the citys statues. And last week, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York removed the name of Margaret Sanger, a founder of the national organization, from its Manhattan health clinic because of her connections to the eugenics movement.

Now the mayor said he would favor re-examining New York Citys seal.

Its the kind of thing a commission should look at carefully and decide if it still makes sense for the 21st century, Mr. de Blasio said on Monday.
Reports reaching Peacefmonline.com indicate that the 90-year-old Madam Akua Dente who was lynched over witchcraft accusations wasnt the only woman accused of being a witch in the Kasaba community and its environs.



According to UTV's Northern Regional reporter, Alhassan Washid, the 90-year-old woman was among a group of old women said to be impeding the progress of the community.



Akua was buried on Saturday after a mob lynched her on suspicion of witchcraft.



In a viral video, a group of women were seen mercilessly beating the elderly woman after a high priestess named Fatima Filina claimed she was a witch.



Other members of the community were also seen looking unconcerned while the woman was being lynched.



Her death sparked controversies with civil society and Human Right groups condemning the act.



Washid revealed that the high priestess who led the lynching parade also had a tall list of old women she claims are witches and was working to penalize them.



The reporter further disclosed on UTV's 'Adekye Nsroma' that the Chief of the town, Seidu Yahaya and the Assembly man have been invited by the Savannah Regional Police Command to assist in the investigations.











VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: Police hunt for Priestess, 6 others over the murder of the 90-year-old woman who was beaten to death at Kafaba for allegedly being a witch. #UTVNews

Posted by UTV Ghana on Monday, July 27, 2020



Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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It may not be long before spectators return to Formula 1 races.

Although the sport's three races on the American continent - Austin, Brazil and Mexico - have now been scrapped for 2020, another three races in Europe have just been announced.

They will take place at the Nurburgring, Portugal's Portimao circuit, and Imola.

"There will be spectators," Portugal's tourism secretary told TVI television.

"We are working on several scenarios, with more or less spectators depending on the evolution of the health situation."

The Nurburgring is also hoping to welcome fans, although circuit CEO Mirco Markfort admitted to RTL television that whether that happens is currently "in the stars".

"We do not promise that the race will be held with spectators, but we do not deny it either," he told Auto Bild. "It's too early to talk about it."

Quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel says the Nurburgring's October race date means that the weather forecast will be particularly interesting.

"It will definitely be a challenge for the teams and for us drivers," he said, referring to the fact that average temperatures in the Eifel region at that time are below 8 degrees C.

"I'm excited to see what the weather in the Eifel will be like in October," the German added.

(GMM)
Police officers are searching for citizen Roman Skrypnyk, who took two law enforcement officers hostage in Poltava on July 23, the press service of the Poltava regional police has told Ukrinform.

"All activities [on the search for Skrypnyk] continue every day. Police officers continue to raid fields, plantations and populated localities. Special equipment is also used. We continue the active search," the report said.

On July 23, on Ostapa Vyshni Street in Poltava, a man suspected of stealing a vehicle resisted police and threatened to detonate a grenade.

He took a criminal investigation officer hostage. After negotiations, the culprit exchanged the criminal investigation officer for the head of the criminal investigation department of the National Police's main directorate in the Poltava region, Colonel Vitaliy Shyian, with whom he drove away from the city in a car provided to him according to his demands. The man was driving on local roads towards Kyiv. The police officer was then released, whereas the culprit left the car and fled to the forest.

Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko said that the perpetrator was born on February 14, 1988. He was convicted in 2007 of petty theft, in 2008 of fraud, and in 2014 of drug production or possession and theft.

On July 23, police placed Skrypnyk on the wanted list.

op
Let us shed our hypocrisy in assessing the police encounter against Vikas Dubey

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

By Amar Bhushan

From the Supreme Court to civil rights activists, from a few serving and ex-police chiefs to lawyers and from liberal political commentators to opposition leaders Vikas Dubey's death in a police encounter near Kanpur has been the toast of discussion. Incidentally, Dubey was involved in 69 cases of heinous crimes of murder, attempted murder, robbery, kidnapping, loot, land grabbing, arson, rioting and letting loose a reign of terror for over 24 years. A judicial inquiry has since been ordered to quell the outrage over his extra judicial killing, an exercise that has become too boring to even take notice of.

Wish, a judicial inquiry had also been ordered to find out why there was spontaneous rejoicing and relief expressed by people and why those who killed Dube were being garlanded and fed sweets. The cheering crowd had obviously lost faith in receiving justice within a reasonable time. Those who had suffered at Dubey's hands were thankful because they would no longer have to depose against him without being abducted or murdered or have the mortification of seeing the dreaded gangster roaming around, taking advantage of innumerable weaknesses of a creaking judicial system.

Gangster Vikas Dubey died of 'haemorrhage, shock: Post-mortem report

Dubey's encounter has evoked some interesting reactions. Many accept that his killing was desirable but wonder why U.P. police could not script a better story to justify the encounter. We should understand that no script can ever be perfect. However, the end result of all such scripts will be the same, so why fuss over how the narrative has been woven. An incident of 1969 will be worth recalling, here. A dreaded criminal reigned supreme for over two decades because witnesses would not come to depose in any of the 89 cases that he was charges with. He would always come out of bail because policemen, prosecution lawyers and judges were either mortally afraid of him or were on his payroll. One day, I asked an ace investigator to legally fix him. After six months of trial, he was convicted for rape and murder by the sessions court which was later upheld by higher courts. The difference is that in Dubey's case, UP police did not wait to take advantage of the judicial absurdities which I did.

There are many who hold policemen responsible for the murder of 8 of their colleagues, saying that they worked as Dubey's sources and provided him advance intelligence of the impending police raid. There is nothing to be outrageous about it. They helped Dubey because he gave them protection and additional money to supplement their meagre allowances. Unlike them, the martyred policemen refused to oblige Dubey and had to pay the price by losing their lives. No senior police officer, judge, politician, bureaucrat and civil society activist was there to save their lives for doing their duty conscientiously.

Corruption, as Mr. Indira Gandhi had reportedly said, was an international reality. So, why crib when policemen accept illegitimate money from gangsters. Their earnings from corruption are in any case peanuts when you compare the sum with the unrelenting loot that goes on in this country by every section of the society. They have not come from heavens and it is self-deceiving to expect them to remain unaffected by the all-pervasive virus of corruption. The life of 91% policemen in India is of unprecedented misery. Their salary, their accommodation, their archaic weapons and their long and arduous duty hours are something to be seen to believe. The state governments allocate a measly 2% of its annual budget to maintain them. And, we still expect them to be paragon of virtues.

We often use a cliche - police-politician-criminal nexus - to describe why police indulges in reprehensible acts. In a country where you have only nexuses - politician-builder-bank-officers nexus, bureaucrat-politician-corporate houses nexus, banks-business houses-politician nexus, Bollywood-black money-managers-underworld nexus, politician-smuggler-business houses nexus, terrorist-politician nexus, journalist-politician-corporate houses nexus etc., singling out police nexus is hypocritical. If you can live with others merrily, why this extra sensitivity in the case of police. No one seems to have any magic wand to break these nexuses except for willowing over what is amply evident.

Have info on Vikas Dubey? You could share it with SIT

By law police is a slave to politicians in power and bureaucrats. Their transfers, postings, well-being and duties get defined by their masters. Their officers do have a say in their working but only until it does not conflict with interests of their masters. Free them from pernicious control of politicians, you will find the same policemen giving you a crime free environment to live. If you can design a police establishment on the model of Comptroller and Auditor General of India and make it accountable to judicial bodies or to an all-party legislative committee, you will see the difference in their efficiency and work culture. It is a different matter that hoping for such a transformative arrangement is like chasing a mirage. We keep complaining why police has become a 'caged parrot' but turn deaf when the same parrot yearns for operational freedom.

Think for a moment, of what we have done to the police. Its primary responsibility is to prevent and detect crime and maintain law and order. But his secondary duties - managing traffic, providing disaster relief, protecting innumerable VIPs, enforcing violation of Corona guidelines and prohibition etc.- keep him far more occupied. Chief ministers across all political parties brazenly misuse them to witch-hunt dissidents and subdue opponents to sustain themselves in power. In a new trend, they use policemen to guard MLAs in hotels and guest houses lest they bolt away to freedom. The situation is only going to get worse because no chief minister will ever let this instrument of repression go away from their hands. Similarly, no crime lord who has a strong bond with politicians and who pays them money and arrange for their votes will brook any interference in their criminal activities. Thus, a policeman's choice is either to act at their bidding or suffer.

Ironically, people also find policemen as cruel and insensitive when they see him beating men, women and children mercilessly, badgering petty businessmen to death in police lock ups and looking the other way when a crime is committed. By its very nature, they cannot be a good Samaritan. For that, Indians will have to follow rules, obey laws and forget about entitlements of all kinds which, of course, is an impossible call. This is one reason, why poor and hapless have to bear the brunt of his frustration. If he is shouted upon, abused, humiliated and made to behave like a spectator for days together, his reaction to a situation is bound to be exaggerated. Decades ago, a constable asked me while we were engaged in a dingdong battle against a riotous mob for 22 hours at a stretch, 'Sir can I open fire?' Surprised, I asked, why? 'Sir that's the only way I can have some sleep' he said and fired without waiting for my reply. This is where we have brought the policemen to. His failings truly mirror how we look like and behave in public life. The choice of having an effective and friendly policeman lies squarely with us.

(Amar Bhushan is a former Special Secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing)

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, July 27, 2020, 11:21 [IST]
OAKLAND (BCN)

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf chastised people who attended a protest over the weekend for vandalizing a police station and attempting to set the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse on fire.

The Oakland Police Department and Oakland Fire Department both confirmed Saturday night that agitators at the protest had started a fire at the courthouse that was quickly extinguished. The Alameda County Sheriffs Office said Monday on Twitter that the estimated damage to the courthouse is roughly $200,000.

Oakland police also alleged that some protest attendees hurled fireworks and rocks at officers and pointed lasers at officers and police helicopters.

We celebrate passionate protest but Oaklanders need to know that when they attend protests after dark they may be providing cover for agitators who are more intent on stoking civil unrest than advancing racial justice, Schaaf said in a statement Sunday.

The protest began as a show of support for protesters in Portland, Oregon, who continue to demonstrate against police brutality following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

The Portland protesters have clashed multiple times over the last two weeks with federal agents and law enforcement officers in unmarked uniforms.

President Donald Trump and Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf have used the Portland protests to justify sending federal agents into other large metropolitan cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City.

Schaaf argued agitators in Oakland make it easier for the Trump administration to vilify otherwise peaceful protesters.

Vandalizing our downtown gives Donald Trump the images he wants and the justification he seeks to send federal troops into American cities, she said. We cant be fooled and play into his twisted campaign strategy.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz intends to unveil a reform of the governments financial oversight, as the widening scandal over the collapse of Wirecard AG reaches the highest levels of Chancellor Angela Merkels government.

Scholzs 16-point action plan would install a streamlined system to pursue irregularities among banks, insurers and payment companies, according to draft reported by Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. The new rules would be put in place by spring of next year, the newspaper said.

The plan by Merkels finance minister is an attempt to assuage heavy criticism about why his ministry as well as the chancellery didnt take action when they learned of possible malfeasance. The latest fallout includes an investor lawsuit against Germanys financial regulator.

Merkels office confirmed that the chancellor made a pitch for Wirecard during a trip to China in September 2019, even though her office had been appraised of the allegations. The chancellery said she was unaware of any severe irregularities at the time.

The Finance Ministry didnt immediately confirm the details of Scholzs proposals.

Critics within Merkels government already raised questions, calling Scholzs plan a political move that was unnecessary for putting through reforms, Handelsblatt reported, citing unidentified government officials.

Opposition lawmakers are threatening to call for a parliamentary investigation as they press Merkels administration over how it pursued fraud allegations against Wirecard, a member of Germanys benchmark DAX index.

Underscoring the impact of the scandal, the finance committee in Germanys lower house of parliament plans to interrupt the summer recess to hold a special session on July 29 to discuss the payments company. Scholz and Economy Minister Peter Altmaier have been invited.

Altmaier said on Friday that he supports Scholzs reform efforts.

Regulator Sued

Financial watchdog BaFin, which reports to Scholzs ministry, was sued by Wirecard investors who say the regulator turned a blind eye to widespread evidence of an accounting scandal.

Lawyer Andreas Tilp, who filed the suit in Frankfurt, said the regulator should have been aware of the financial problems engulfing the payments processor early last year. The suit was filed late on Thursday in a Frankfurt court and is seeking a status akin to U.S.-style class actions, he said.

BaFin grossly neglected its duties and powers, Tilp said in a statement on Friday. If Bafin had properly investigated the matter, any wrongdoing would have come to light earlier, he added.

A BaFin spokeswoman said the regulator will comment on the suit later on Friday.

With assistance from Karin Matussek and Oliver Sachgau.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Lawsuits Carriers Legislation Germany
PRETORIA, South Africa, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Allied States (UAS) is holding an inaugural presidential election on July 30th in Pretoria, South Africa. The Congress of the UAS will select among final nominees to elect the new entity's first President and Chief Executive.

The nominees include:

United Allied States United Allied States

Mr. Arno Nilsen

Mr. Stephen McCullah

Mr. Raymond Richardson

Mr. Stephanus Hermanus Duminy

Under the UAS charter, the President performs strategic and day-to-day leadership responsibilities that promote and protect the civic and economic interests of citizens and businesses. He/She also serves as Head of State who carries out the vision of making the United Allied States the freest place on Earth.

Among the Chief Executive's duties are to implement goals and priorities; enforce laws passed by Congress, as well as rulings of the Supreme Court. The President also leads security personnel and all departments of the Executive Branch.

The Interim Congressmen are Joseph Marrello, Cory Cozad, and Wessel Sevenster. The election vote will be streamed on YouTube. For more information, visit https://uas.govt.agency and follow the UAS on social media for links to the broadcast.



Individual Rights and Liberties

The United Allied States is guided by the principles of preserving individual rights and liberty, respect for human rights and promoting free-market enterprise. Citizens and businesses pay 0% personal income tax and 0% corporate tax, respectively. The sovereign entity participates in treaties with countries that grant special economic zones in exchange for services.

For updates, visit UAS:

The mission of the United Allied States (UAS) is to establish a worldwide, sovereign nation of states that give residents unparalleled freedom and prosperity. It will utilize principles that foster economic growth and wealth creation. The UAS will also promote the values of individual freedom, respect for human life, and free enterprise. With a vision to positively impact the lives of citizens, allies, and partners on the African continent.

Website: uas.govt.agency

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/united-allied-states

Twitter: @UASgov

Facebook: @unitedalliedstates

Media contact:

Wessel Sevenster

[email protected]

(512) 360-0438

SOURCE United Allied States
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has assured that stamp duty will not be collected in arrears from tenants. It also said it should not be collected from tenants by landlords.

The Executive Chairman of the service, Muhammad Nami, disclosed this as part of the planned stamp duty palliatives for tenants.

Mr Nami during the disclosure on a morning show Your view on TVC said the Service is working towards the stamp duty palliative package in view of the current economic realities occasioned by COVID-19.

According to a statement by the service spokesperson, Abdullahi Ahmad, Mr Nami said there is never a time when taxation is convenient for everybody to pay.

He, however, urged Nigerians to embrace tax payment as a patriotic duty to our dear country, Nigeria.

He also said the FIRS was aware that many taxable Nigerians and businesses in the country were going through difficulties imposed on all by COVID-19. He said it was for that reason that the FIRS has consistently rolled out tax-related palliatives to relieve them of their tax liabilities since the pandemic shut down the Nigerian and global economy.

Mr Nami stressed that contrary to claims in certain quarters, stamp duty is not a creation of the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari or the current leadership of the FIRS.

READ ALSO:

Stamp Duty dates back to colonial times in Nigeria. It has been a form of tax in Nigeria as far back as 1939 when you and I were not yet born. It was codified in our laws in 1953, that is before independence. It was consolidated in 2002, published in 2006, and further reworked into the Stamp Duty Act 2004.

The Joint Tax Board (JTB) where states are represented consider it necessary to bring the stamp duty act to the attention of Nigerians following the recent launch of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Audit and Recovery of Back Years Stamp Duties where the new FIRS Adhesive Stamp Duty was unveiled. As chairman of the JTB, the FIRS was mandated to enlighten Nigerians on stamp duty. Thats why the FIRS published a clarification notice on the stamp duty and we shall continue to educate the public on it.

Again, for the purpose of clarity, the 6 per cent stamp duty rate is not chargeable across the board. It is only chargeable on rent or lease agreement of above 21 years. If your rent or lease is between 7 and 21 years, the stamp duty rate is 3percent. And if you pay your rent monthly or yearly, that is less than 7 years, your stamp duty rate is 0.78 per cent. The 0.78 per cent is the rate for most tenants like you and I who live in Suleja or Minna. If your rent is N100,000 as you said, you only pay 0.78 per cent, which is marginal. Of course, those who live in Maitama who pay N10 million as rent will pay more at the same 0.78% because their rent is higher than our own in other parts of Abuja. he was quoted as saying.

Stamp duty not increase in rent

Mr. Nami allayed the fear that stamp duty would lead to a rent increase.

Stamp duty should not make any landlord increase his or her rent because it is not paid by the landlord. Landlords are not our collecting agents. It is the responsibility of the tenant to pay stamp duty and you dont have to give it to your landlord. As a tenant, calculate 0.78 percent of your rent and pay that fraction at the FIRS office nearer to you or at your bank. You should then fix the stamp duty imprimatur on the tenancy agreement before you sign it with your landlord. It is as simple as that.

Earlier, the Coordinating Director, Tax Operations Group, FIRS, Femi Oluwaniyi, said that the FIRS stamp duty on rent or lease only applies to new agreements and not to renewals. If a new agreement is drawn up at renewal, that document should be stamped, just like the initial agreement. If, however, the renewal terms are already in the initial agreement such that no new document is prepared but just payment of the rent for renewal, then no stamping is required.
Volkswagen crossover and SUV comparisons The latest model comparisons to be added to the informative website have put the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas crossover SUV up against the 2020 Toyota Highlander and the 2020 Volkswagen Arteon luxury sedan versus the 2020 Audi A4.

Choosing the right new vehicle can be a difficult and time-consuming task, even for the savvy and knowledgeable shopper. One local dealer, Karen Radley Volkswagen is helping its local drivers choose the best vehicle for their specific driving needs by offering side-by-side comparisons of a variety of popular automotive vehicle segments. The latest model comparisons to be added to the informative website have put the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas crossover SUV up against the 2020 Toyota Highlander and the 2020 Volkswagen Arteon luxury sedan versus the 2020 Audi A4.

The recently added sedan comparison of the 2020 Volkswagen Arteon versus 2020 Audi A4 shows shoppers the difference between two of the top models in the luxury segment. Drivers can learn more about how the two vehicles stack up against each other in a variety of categories, including price, engine specifications, horsepower ratings and technology and comfort offerings.

The informative comparison that has the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas crossover SUV up against the 2020 Toyota Highlander offers shoppers valuable information about both vehicles and how they compare in many different areas. From cost and engine size to passenger and cargo space, drivers can find all the information they need to make a smart and informed buying decision when visiting the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas versus 2020 Toyota Highlander comparison page.

To view these model comparisons, shoppers can visit the dealerships website by going to http://www.karenradleyvw.com. Drivers may also contact the sales department at Karen Radley Volkswagen to ask questions and to learn more about current sales and incentives by calling 703-665-3275 or by driving to 14700 Jefferson Davis Highway.
Schiffs bill requires that if the president issues a pardon for a matter in which he or she is a subject, target or witness, the attorney general must give Congress all materials and evidence from that case within 30 days. In the weeks since Trump took action to save Stone from going to prison, Schiffs bill has been amended to also state that, if the president trades a promise of a pardon or commutation of a sentence for anything of value, that will be considered a violation of the federal bribery statute.
By Jul. 26, 2020





PADUCAH -Paducah Kindness COLOR Walk will be a little different this year - Saturday, August 1 for the 2020 Kindness Walk.Registration is $10 and includes t-shirt. (Please add $4 extra for t-shirt sizes 2XL and larger.) T-shirts will be available for all pre-registered attendees. T-shirts will be available for same day registrants while supplies last.The sixth annual Paducah Kindness Color Walk will look different this year.The pandemic makes it impossible for the 1200 people who attended the last year's walk to gather safely at Noble Park on August 1.But the Guess Anti-Bullying Foundation isn't cancelling the opportunity to celebrate and spread kindness. They are distributing walk shirts to registrants along with a color packet.Participants are encouraged to wear their shirts, to do kind acts, and to recreate the traditional color throw with their individual packets of color."Kindness has never been more important," said Morgan Guess. "I see fear and anger spreading on social media and in communities across our nation. Let's turn that negative energy into something positive. One person and one kind act makes a difference and real change comes when we multiply intentional acts of kindness."For those who pre-registered by July 15, shirts and color packets can be picked up from 3 to 6 pm on July 29 & 30 at Noble Park. Individuals are asked to drive up to Shelter 16 and volunteers will distribute packets directly to vehicles.There are also plans to lift up the kindness legacy of the late Dr. Clint Hill. Hill, who was killed in a plane crash last November, is this year's honorary Grand Marshal.The Guesses are encouraging the community to perform kind acts as a way to honor the late Orthopaedic Institute surgeon. They ask for those kind acts to be captured by posting them on individual social media pages with two hashtags - #BeKind4ClintHill and #bekindpaducah.Cards are also being collected to distribute to nursing homes and can be dropped off at Noble Park on either day.For more information and activities, tune in to the Guess Anti-Bullying Facebook page.
The plan has to get Ministerial go ahead and from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission before it is approved by the High Court.

In court on Monday , Mr Justice Michael Quinn was told Greencastle Acquisition Ltd , a newly incorporated Irish company whose sole shareholder is Linton Capital LLP is to make a combined investment in Maximum Media Network Ltd which is behind Joe.ie and its UK subsidiary totalling 10.5 million.

The deal includes a 300,000 investment in a shares subscription in Maximum Media Network the assumption of the companys secured liability through a loan agreement with the secured creditor and the availability of up to 2million in working capital facilities.

The UK subsidiary is subject to a separate insolvency procedure in England and Wales.

Ross Gorman BL for the court appointed examiner told the court ministerial approval will be required because it involves a media company.

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Mr Justice Quinn adjourned the matter to September 7th to allow the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Minister to sign off on the proposal.

Mr Justice Quinn had appointed Shane MCarthy KPMG as interim examiner to Maximum Media Network (MMN), which was incorporated as Joe Dotie Ltd but became MMN in February 2013.

It employs 48 people and ran into significant solvency/financial issues which led to BPC Lending Ireland, owed more than 6 million, seeking the appointment of an examiner.

The appointment of the examiner was by BPC Lending, of Molesworth Street, Dublin 2, as a creditor of MMN, which has its registered offices at Distillery Building, Fumbally Lane, Dublin 8

The court heard the 6 million debt to BPC Lending represents some two-thirds of the firm's entire debt.

Revenue, which is owed 460,000, and the landlord, BCP Fund Management (not connected with BPC Lending) which says it is owed 187,000 in rent arrears, did not oppose the examinership as long as current liabilities to them are paid during the term of the examinership.

The court heard one of the factors in the downturn in the fortunes of MMN, which had only become loss making in 2018 and enjoyed some 42 million "hits" a year on its platforms, was a controversy last year when it was revealed a company employee used a "click farm" to artificially inflate engagement numbers. Click farms involve a large group of low-paid workers being hired to click on paid advertising links.

The case will come back before the High Court on September 7th next.
A man is being hunted by police after he sexually assaulted a two-year-old girl in the storeroom of a play centre.

The toddler was found injured by emergency services at Lollipop's Playland on Mulgoa Road in Penrith in Sydney's west at about 12.20pm on Sunday.

The girl's worried mother desperately searched for her daughter after she went missing but was unable to find her for 20 minutes.

Eventually, another child heard her 'crying and distressed state' before discovering the injured girl in the storeroom and informing the mother.

The two-year-old was treated for a number of injuries at Westmead Children's Hospital and is now being cared for at home by her family.

A two-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and injured by a man at Lollipop's Playland and Cafe (pictured) on Mulgoa Road in Penrith in Sydney's west at about 12.20pm on Sunday

NSW Police set up a crime scene yesterday and detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad are now investigating.

'Initial inquiries suggest the girl was sexually assaulted by an unknown man,' a NSW Police spokesman said.

'Detectives are appealing for anyone with information to contact police, in particular those who were at the play centre yesterday and may have witnessed suspicious behaviour.'

Given the toddler was found alone without the perpetrator, descriptive details of the man are not yet known.

Lollipop's Playland and Cafe is a national play centre chain with 28 locations across the country in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, SA, and the ACT.

Lollipop's Penrith is currently closed but will reopen on Tuesday due to the ongoing investigation and crime scene.

NSW Police set up a crime scene at Lollipop's Playland (pictured) yesterday and detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad are now investigating the matter

'Our team is cooperating fully with the police investigation into this matter. Our thoughts and concerns are with everyone involved in this incident, especially the family,' Lollipop's Playland said in a statement.

'Penrith Lollipops is a franchise of Lollipops Playland. The safety of our customers and staff is always our highest priority. We thank everyone for their support and understanding as we look further into this matter.'

Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec, commander of the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad, said they are 'going through every skerrick of CCTV available'.

'The child was very distressed when she was found and we are taking it at its worst for now,' Mr Kelatec said.

Mr Keraltec said there were 'a number of functions for children's birthday parties' at the time of the assault but does not know the exact number of people in Lollipop's.

Mulgoa Road (pictured) in Penrith, where the Lollipop's Playland is located. On Facebook, the play centre said: 'Lollipops Penrith will be closed today and will reopen tomorrow at 9:30am.'

The detective said the child's 'injuries are sufficient enough to be very concerned'.

'We must keep an open mind, a child between two and three can only provide so much information,' he said.

'There is no suggestion at all (that staff) were involved. They've been fully cooperative, they are as concerned as we are.'

Mr Keraltec said they were even open to the possibility that another child may have assaulted the two year old as they are 'keeping an open mind'.

Lollipop's Playground had a register of customers due to COVID-19 contact-tracing requirements.

'Yes they do, there's a register due to COVID restrictions of everyone entering the centre. And that's been provided to us, we're currently searching through that, looking through that,' Mr Keraltec said.

'It's certainly a line of inquiry we'll investigate.'

Anyone with information about the assault should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the online reporting page at crimestoppers.com.au.
When JP Morgan's EMEA head of oil and gas research said last month that this crisis was fundamentally no different from previous crises, he was right - at least in a way. But in some ways, he was wrong, because it is not just out of a sense for the dramatic that most observers are calling the current crisis unprecedented.

This crisis will change the industry in ways no other crisis has done.

Oil sands on the path to diversification Canada's oil sands have been among the worst affected segments of the industry, as Wood Mackenzie noted in a June report. One of the reasons for the extent of the damage was that Canada's oil sands producers never got to recover fully from the previous crash before this one struck.

While elsewhere E&Ps picked up where they had left off while the price crisis of 2014 to 2016 unfolded, Canadian oil sands producers struggled amid regulations that made investors think twice about investing in oil sands and, most importantly, a shortage of offtake capacity complete with legal challenges from various groups who had taken it upon themselves to make sure no new pipelines would be built in Canada ever again.

This year alone, investment in the oil sands, according to Wood Mac, would be $8 billion lower than it was in 2019 and as much as 80 percent lower than it was in 2013. The industry has already seen an exodus of supermajors, and it seems new ones won't be coming any time soon, if all the forecasts for a slow and prolonged recovery in oil prices and oil demand materialize.

Meanwhile, more than 20 oil sands projects have been approved, but they've been delayed because of the current price situation. And they may never see the light of day. So the heavyweights in Alberta are turning to clean energy.

Related: Is Nuclear Energy Making A Pandemic Comeback?

The chief executive of Suncor and the CEO of Alberta Innovates last month co-authored a call to action focusing on a green recovery from the crisis, with oil and gas companies playing the lead role in that recovery as they were best positioned to drive the energy transformation forward.

"The oil and gas industry is one of the largest markets for, and potentially investors in, clean technology in Canada," Mark Little and Laura Kilcrease wrote. "The challenges faced by the sector, combined with an entrepreneurial culture and the motivation to thrive in tomorrow's low-carbon economy provides a wealth of opportunity for clean technology investment by the sector."

Some would say that oil sands are dead. Others would note that they will be alive until there is no demand for heavy oil. As this demand falls, however, the companies producing the heavy oil are indeed wise to look for other ways to supply energy to their consumers.

Offshore oil remains resilient for the most part

Offshore oil and gas projects may be costly and slow to come on stream, but they also have long lives and relatively low operating costs. And they appear to be among the most resilient segments of the oil industry in this unprecedented crisis that we are experiencing right now.

In the Gulf of Mexico, for instance, as much as 80 percent of producing projects have a marginal cost of just $10 per barrel, according to Wood Mac. But even outside the Gulf of Mexico, offshore oil production costs have been falling, helping the segment weather this storm like all the others before it. Some governments are helping, too.

The U.S. federal government has approved 12 requests for royalty reductions from offshore drillers to help them survive the worst. The Norwegian government is also helping its offshore oil industry: it recently approved a package of relief measures that could reduce breakeven levels for some projects by as much as 40 percent, if only temporarily.

Related: Renewable Energy Is Seizing Market Share During The Pandemic

And yet not everyone in the offshore business is as resilient as the companies that pump the oil. Offshore drillers are facing much tougher times as producers curb exploration investment. As many as six of the seven largest drilling companies have already applied for bankruptcy protection, begun to restructure, or engaged in talks with creditors, according to a recent Reuters report. Some of them might go under. Those that survive will likely operate in an environment that is very different from the one before the crisis, with a lot fewer rigsas many as 200 floating rigs may need to be scrappedand much closer ties to the large E&Ps players who will still be standing once the worst of the crisis passes.

A mixed picture for the rest of the world

U.S. shale has been the focus of a lot of recent forecasts and analyses. The reluctant consensus seems to point to a slower than hoped for recovery and an even leaner and meaner landscape after the crisis. Elsewhere in the world, what all oil companies have in common is the investment cuts and project delays that, according to some like JP Morgan's Chrystian Malek, will swing the oil market into a deficit and prices will soar to three-digit territory.

It is a definite possibility. Everyone is cutting capital expenditure, from the North Sea to the Caspian, and from Latin America to the Middle East. Perhaps a good example of just how bad the industry has been hurt is this snapshot of the upstream situation in Africa, as presented by Wood Mac: there were 22 projects to be granted a final investment decision over the next 18 months before the crisis; now there are just three. And, as Wood Mac's analysts note, "upstream value in Africa is down one-third (US$200 billion)."

Why is Africa a good case in point? Simple. Because it was, before the crisis, the hottest new spot for oil and gas investments with a particular focus on liquefied natural gas. It was the new frontier. Now, this frontier may never be passed as it was planned to be passed. If nothing else, diversification into alternative revenue streams may get in the way if the recovery takes too long.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Foreign Office is extending its advice against all non-essential travel to mainland Spain to include the Balearic and Canary Islands from July 27 'based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks in the country', it said. On Saturday, Britain announced a 14-day quarantine on travellers from Spain at the height of the summer vacation season.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Foreign Office is extending its advice against all non-essential travel to mainland Spain to include the Balearic and Canary Islands from July 27 "based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks in the country", it said.

On Saturday, Britain announced a 14-day quarantine on travellers from Spain at the height of the summer vacation season.

(Reporting by Liz Piper and Costas Pitas; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Social media plays an important role, especially in actors' lives as it helps them to communicate with their fans easily. While many popular actors are already on social media, Dilip Joshi, who plays the role of Jethalal in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, recently joined Instagram.

The actor made his debut on Instagram on July 25 and the actor has already gained lakhs of followers. Within 48 hours of creating the account, Dilip garnered a whopping 186k followers. He wrote in his bio, "Finally made my way to Instagram. Let's see how this goes."

In his first post, the actor shared a picture snapped with his mother and brother and called it his most favourite memory. He wrote, "Starting off with one of my most favourite memories with Baa and Bhai!"

On the other hand, Dilip thanked his fans for their love. He also warned his followers of the fake accounts that were created moments after he made his debut on Instagram.

Not just fans, even his co-actors Ambika Rajankar and Palak Sidhwani welcomed the actor on social media.

For the uninitiated, Dilip and other actors of the show have resumed work. The actor revealed that they are taking care of the safety measures and precautions to keep the virus at bay. In an interview, the actor revealed that they initially felt like they were shooting in a hospital and wondered how they would do comedy.

Also Read: Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah's Dilip On Resuming Shoot: We Felt Like We're Shooting In Hospital

Also Read: Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah's 1st Episode After Lockdown: Disappointed Fans Set Off Meme Fest
New Delhi:

India on Tuesday successfully test fired indigenously built nuclear-capable intermediate range Agni-I ballistic missile from Odisha coast.

The surface-to-surface missile, powered by solid propellants, was test-fired from a mobile launcher at 10.10 AM from launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island (Wheeler Island), defence officials said.

The trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and naval ships from its launch tillthe missile hit the target area with accuracy, they said.

Agni-I missile is equipped with sophisticated navigation system which ensures it reaches the target with a high degree of accuracy and precision. The missile, which has already been inducted intoarmed forces, has proved its excellent performance in terms ofrange, accuracy and lethality, they said.

According to reports, the test was very successful as the medium-range ballistic missile hit the target in time. The 1200-kg weight Agnin-I has the capacity to carry arms and nuclear arms ranging between 750 kt to 1,250 kg.





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The initial public offer (IPO) of Mindspace Business Parks REIT hit the capital market today. The IPO through which the firm plans to raise Rs 4,500 crore will close on July 29. Ahead of the public issue, Mindspace Business Parks REIT, which is owned by K Raheja group and Blackston, has raised Rs 2,644 crore from anchor and strategic investors.

The firm raised Rs 1,518.74 crore from anchor investors and Rs 1,125 crore from strategic investors. The price band for the ongoing public issue stands at Rs 274-275 per share. Mindspace Business Parks REIT plans to raise up to Rs 1,000 crore through issue of fresh units and up to Rs 3,500 crore through offer for sale.

In a regulatory filing late Friday, Mindspace said the REIT Offer Committee of he governing board of K Raheja Corp Investment Managers LLP finalised allocation of 5,52,27,200 units at Rs 275 per unit to anchor investors.

The total proceeds from anchor investors is Rs 1,518.74 crore. The Singapore government, Fidelity and Nomura Trust, HSBC Global, Capital Income Builder and Cohen & Steers are among major investors. The panel also finalised allocation of 4,09,09,000 units to strategic investors at Rs 275 per unit.

Mindspace has fixed the price band for its public issue at Rs 274-275 per unit. Mindspace filed the final offer document with market regulator SEBI last week. Shares in the IPO are available in a lot size of 200. Market cap of the firm is expected at Rs 23,675 crore post the IPO.

Rossari Biotech share closes 77% higher to IPO issue price, what experts say

As per the offer document, Mindspace Business Parks REIT aims to raise up to Rs 1,000 crore through issuance of fresh units and up to Rs 3,500 crore through offer for sale. Last year, Embassy Office Park REIT, the country's first REIT issue, raised nearly Rs 5,000 crore.

This will be the second public issue of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in India.

Last year, Embassy Office Park REIT, the country's first REIT issue, raised nearly Rs 5,000 crore. Choice Broking said, "At the higher price band of Rs 275 per share, MBP REIT's unit is valued at 87.1% of its net asset value (NAV), as compared to Embassy Office Parks (EOP) REIT, which is trading at 98.1% of its NAV." The brokerage assigned "Subscribe with Caution" rating for the IPO.

Yash Gupta, Equity Research Associate at Angel Broking said,"Current dividend yield works out to .5% for Mindspace REIT (M-REIT), which is projected to increase to 7.5% in FY22E. Though uncertainties due to Covid-19 related issues pose risks to earnings in the near term, we believe that in the long run, there will be a steady increase in earnings. Post the IPO, there will also be a debt reduction of Rs 3,000 crore for the company, which will bring down debt to equity ratio from 2.95 times at the end of FY20 to below 1.0 times, which is a key positive. Despite near-term uncertainties due to Covid-19, we believe that in the long run, the REIT will offer similar or better post tax yields as compared to fixed income. Steady and growing dividend stream along with capital appreciation of underlying assets makes it an attractive investment opportunity in the long run. We recommend 'Subscribe' to the issue from a long term investment perspective."

Grofers advances IPO plan to 2021-end as lockdown bolsters profits
A 6 million award will drive next-generation solar technology into new applications.

The grant brings together three world-renowned research groups from Swansea University, Imperial College London and Oxford University to advance organic and perovskite solar cells into applications that current solar technologies are not suitable for.

These next-generation photovoltaics show great promise: their performance competes with current technology, but they have the advantages of being flexible, lightweight, cheap to produce, and they can be printed directly onto products during manufacture.

These properties make them suitable for new applications that will be critical to advances such as:

5G, which requires ultra-lightweight sources of power for pseudo-satellites and high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

The Internet of Things, for which sensors and computing devices are increasingly embedded into everyday objects;

Zero-carbon buildings and vehicles, which could use their roofs, walls and windows to generate power.

The award is a Programme Grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. It will be used by the team to:

Deliver the fundamental science and engineering to underpin the development of these promising solar technologies;

Develop low-carbon, low-cost manufacturing methods that will enable them to be produced at scale;

Develop prototypes to show how they can provide solar power in new applications.

The research programme is called Application Targeted and Integrated Photovoltaics (ATIP).

It will be led by SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre at Swansea University in partnership with Swansea's new Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM), the Centre for Processable Electronics (CPE) at Imperial College London, and Oxford University's Department of Physics.

It also involves twelve key industry partners from different parts of the supply chain, who understand the technical and cost requirements to deliver new products to market.

The programme will be led by Professor James Durrant FRS from SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre.

Professor James Durrant said:

"The fact that the EPSRC has chosen to award this Programme Grant is testament both to the expertise of our team and to the UK's strength in this field. With these three leading centres working together, we will be able to advance the next generation of solar technologies from the lab to the real world more quickly, for the benefit of the UK and the rest of the world."

The project has also been backed by the UK's solar research community.

Professor Michael Walls of Loughborough University, Director of the EPSRC Supergen Solar Network, commented:

'The electricity generated by solar modules has become an important part of the global energy mix. Its continued growth is vital to the UK's commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. UK researchers have pioneered a new and super-efficient solar technology based on perovskite chemistry. The new EPSRC funded project on 'Application Targeted and Integrated Photovoltaics' will take this exciting technology closer to deployment'

EPSRC Executive Chair, Professor Dame Lynn Gladden, said:

"This exciting, multi-disciplinary project represents a step-change in the application of solar power and will help the UK to cut emissions and develop a climate-resilient, zero-carbon economy.

"The versatility and low cost of this emerging technology also demonstrates how innovative sustainable technologies will help us to improve the way we communicate through 5G and the Internet of Things."

UK Government Science Minister, Amanda Solloway, said:

"This funding will allow our brilliant researchers from some of our leading universities to make the next generation of solar technologies a reality.

"These ground-breaking technologies have the potential to power up zero emissions vehicles, bolster our telecommunications network and provide clean energy for many of the devices we rely on every day. All of this will be essential to building a greener future and achieving net zero by 2050."

Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart said:

"With this 6 million investment, the UK Government is backing some of south Wales' very best scientists and researchers, as they work to advance the next generation of solar technologies.

"The UK Government funding will accelerate the development of this new, lightweight solar technology, generating benefits for consumers across the world and helping us to reach our target of net-zero emissions by 2050."

###

Notes to editors:

Find out more about ATIP (Application Targeted and Integrated Photovoltaics)

SPECIFIC Innovation & Knowledge Centre aims to reduce carbon emissions from buildings by developing a range of technologies that work together to generate, store and release solar energy. The centre brings together world class academic and industrial expertise in the fields of functional coatings, solar energy capture, energy storage, building energy systems and technology integration. With unique pilot manufacturing facilities and business development expertise, the centre takes technologies from the laboratory to full scale demonstration and works with industry partners to bring them to market. SPECIFIC is led by Swansea University, with Strategic Partners Tata Steel, Akzo Nobel, NSG Pilkington Glass and Cardiff University. It is funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, Innovate UK and EPSRC.

Swansea University is a world-class, research-led, dual campus university offering a first-class student experience and has one of the best employability rates of graduates in the UK. The University has the highest possible rating for teaching - the Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in 2018 and was commended for its high proportions of students achieving consistently outstanding outcomes.

Swansea climbed 14 places to 31st in the Guardian University Guide 2019, making us Wales' top ranked university, with one of the best success rates of graduates gaining employment in the UK and the same overall satisfaction level as the Number 1 ranked university.

The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 results saw Swansea make the 'biggest leap among research-intensive institutions' in the UK (Times Higher Education, December 2014) and achieved its ambition to be a top 30 research University, soaring up the league table to 26th in the UK.

The University is in the top 300 best universities in the world, ranked in the 251-300 group in The Times Higher Education World University rankings 2018. Swansea University now has 23 main partners, awarding joint degrees and post-graduate qualifications.

The University was established in 1920 and was the first campus university in the UK. It currently offers around 350 undergraduate courses and 350 postgraduate courses to circa 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. The University has ambitious expansion plans as it moves towards its centenary in 2020 and aims to continue to extend its global reach and realise its domestic and international potential.

Swansea University is a registered charity. No.1138342. Visit http://www.swansea.ac.uk

For more information:

Kevin Sullivan, Swansea University Public Relations Office k.g.sullivan@swansea.ac.uk

Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SwanseaUni Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/swanseauniversity
All things considered with the Covid-19 induced economic turbulence, aero space major Boeing India plans to continue and maintain its systems and components sourcing activity in India.

The company sources components close to $1 billion a year from more than 200 suppliers in India.

"India will continue to be a key contributor to our global supply chain. Our sourcing from India stands at close to $1 billion a year from more than 200 suppliers who are manufacturing critical systems and components for some of Boeing's most advanced products," Boeing India president Salil Gupte told IANS.

"Our commitment to India remains strong and is for the long term. We want to contribute to the growth of India's aerospace industry; that's why we're investing in commercial aviation and defence...."

According to Gupte, the aerospace major supports the government's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiatives by developing Indian MSMEs through skilling and upskilling initiatives.

"Our growing installed platform base with commercial and defence customers in India and our expanding supplier base makes it imperative for us to invest, develop and nurture talent," he said.

"Through our skilling initiatives, we are training hundreds of pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, technicians, and frontline factory workers across India with our industry partners like Tata, Rossell Techsys, Jaivel and Lakshmi Machine Works. With these initiatives, among others, we are focused on creating a robust aerospace and defence ecosystem in India."

Speaking about the Covid-19's impact on commercial aviation, Gupte said the recovery will take longer because of the pandemic's depth and global nature.

He compares the impact and calls it more severe than either the 9/11 terrorist attacks or the global financial crisis.

"We anticipate it will take several years for travel to return to 2019 levels and a few years beyond that to return to long-term trend growth. Yet the fundamentals that have driven air travel for the past five decades remain intact," Gupte said.

"We've always seen the industry innovate, respond, and grow over time because of its close connection to the global economy - and of course the desire of people everywhere to fly, when they have the chance."

Besides, Gupte envisions a 'three-speed recovery' process for the industry over the next several years.

"Recovery will begin with domestic air travel, followed by regional international travel, followed by long-haul travel," he said.

"Our industry's recovery will be shaped by several factors, from public health to government policies to economic growth and consumer confidence."

Additionally, he pointed out that operators globally are assessing business needs, passenger demand and their fleets.

"Airlines have aggressively cut costs by parking thousands of airplanes. In addition, many are moving up retirements of older aircraft to simplify their fleet, improve operational efficiency and reduce maintenance costs," Gupte said.

"These aircraft retirements will pave the way for future deliveries as airlines seek greater versatility and efficiency in their operations. In many instances, operators are taking advantage of opportunities to grow cargo capabilities to meet demand, by utilizing dedicated cargo aircraft and at times re-purposing passenger aircraft to carry more goods."
VANCOUVER, BC, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Alexco Resource Corp. (NYSE American: AXU) (TSX: AXU) ("Alexco" or the "Company") today announced that it has received from the Yukon Water Board (the "Water Board") the final amended and renewed Water Use License (the "WUL") for the Keno Hill Silver District (the "District" or "Keno Hill"). The Company also provided an update on Keno Hill mining operations, exploration and other corporate matters.

Mining Operations Update

With the recent announcement of the Company's decision to move to production at Keno Hill, site activities have rapidly ramped up and are progressing according to plan. With the increasing activity, Alexco's primary focus continues to be the health and safety of our employees, contractors and the communities in which we operate and our COVID-19 management plan continues with strict prevention measures in place, consistent with the guidelines of the Yukon Government and health officials.

Underground activities are currently focused on rehab and services at the Bellekeno mine, which will be the first mine to deliver ore to the mill in Q4, 2020. Underground development at Flame & Moth will begin in August, and Bermingham in September once surface facilities including the water treatment plant are commissioned. Initial delivery of the new underground mining fleet including loaders, trucks, jumbos, and bolters has begun and all major underground equipment units are on schedule for delivery consistent with the underground development schedule. The current focus of surface construction activities is the completion of camp expansion facilities, administration complex and support facilities as well as mill upgrades and modifications. The secondary ball mill has been set and the concentrate regrind mills and tailings filter press have been delivered to site. All other long lead time equipment, both surface and underground, is either on order or in transit and delivery and construction timelines remain consistent with the overall development schedule.

The Company continues to advance with recruitment and onboarding of the Keno Hill operations team. The senior management team at Keno Hill is in place and key supervisors, operators, miners and certified maintenance trades continue to be recruited, with a current count of 65 employees on board at Keno Hill. In addition, approximately 25 contract personnel are providing services with the majority of the vendors having partnership or joint venture arrangements in place with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun Development Corporation.

Overall, the development and production plan continues to be on pace for mill commissioning and silver concentrate production in Q4 2020.

2020 Surface Exploration Update

Surface exploration drilling targeting the down plunge extensions of the high grade Bermingham deposit has begun. The initial 4,200 meters ("m") drilling campaign will test for extensions of the previously discovered silver mineralization approximately 200 m vertically below the NE Zone of the Bermingham deposit, which overall contains an Indicated Mineral Resource of 32.9 million ounces of silver at an average grade of 930 grams per tonne ("g/t") silver. The 2020 exploration drilling program will be focused at depth, approximately 250 m along strike northeast of the silver mineralization discovered in 2019, where best results returned 1,414 g/t silver over an estimated true width of 8.15 m in the Bermingham Footwall vein structure (see news release dated September 10, 2019 entitled "Alexco Intersects 8.1 Meters (true width) at Composite Grade of 1,414 Grams per Tonne (45.5 oz/t) Silver at "Bermingham Deep" Target)".

Receipt of WUL

On July 23, 2020 the Yukon Water Board issued the final WUL authorizing Alexco to source and use water as well as deposit designated waste streams into approved facilities in and around planned production centres at the Bellekeno, Flame & Moth, and Bermingham mines as well as the District's mill facility. The term of the License is 17 years and the conditions of the final WUL are substantially the same as the draft WUL previously announced on June 24, 2020 (see press release dated June 24, 2020 entitled "Alexco Moves Forward to Production at Keno Hill"). For complete details on the terms and conditions of the WUL, a copy can be found on the Water Board's website at https://apps.gov.yk.ca/waterline/f?p=127:LOGIN.

Clynt Nauman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "With the final WUL now issued, construction and development operations advancing, and other commercial arrangements advancing on schedule in a strengthening silver pricing environment, we are well on our way to become Canada's only primary silver producer. As scheduled, we look forward to commencing mine production and expect to be shipping concentrate in Q4 2020".

Changes to Board of Directors

Alexco also announced today that Mr. Michael Winn has resigned from Alexco's Board of Directors (the "Board") effective immediately in order to focus on his increasing responsibilities at other publicly listed companies. Mr. Winn was a founding Board member of Alexco and served as its Chairman from 2006 through 2010 and again in 2015 to 2016. Mr Winn will remain as a Strategic Advisor to Alexco's Board of Directors going forward.

Mr. Nauman added, "I would like to thank Michael for his dedication and extensive contributions to Alexco over the past 15 years. The Company has benefitted greatly from Michael's advice and Board leadership and we are privileged to have him continue on as a Strategic Advisor to Alexco, while also wishing him success in his other future endeavors".

2020 Second Quarter Results

Alexco will release its second quarter 2020 financial results after market close on Wednesday, August 12, 2020. Management will host an audio webcast conference call to review the results on Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 3:00 pm Eastern Time (Noon Pacific Time). To participate in the live call, please use one of the following methods:

Dial toll free from Canada or the US: 1-800-319-4610

Dial from outside Canada or the US: 1-604-638-5340

Confirmation Code#: Ask to join the Alexco conference call

Live audio webcast: http://services.choruscall.ca/links/alexco202000813.html

Participants should connect five to ten minutes before the call. The conference call will be recorded and an archived audio webcast will be available at www.alexcoresource.com after the call.

About Alexco

Alexco is a Canadian primary silver company that owns and operates the majority of the historic Keno Hill Silver District, in Canada's Yukon Territory, one of the highest-grade silver deposits in the world. Alexco is currently advancing Keno Hill to production and expects to start concentrate production and shipments in Q4 2020. As per Alexco's 2020 pre-feasibility study, Keno Hill is expected to produce an average of approximately 4 million ounces of silver per year contained in high quality lead/silver and zinc concentrates. Total production over an 8-year mine life is estimated at 1.18 million tonnes of ore at an average rate of 430 tonnes per day at an average grade of 805 grams per tonne. Keno Hill retains significant potential to grow and Alexco has a long history of expanding the operation's Mineral Resources through successful exploration.

Please visit the Alexco website at www.alexcoresource.com

Some statements ("forward-looking statements") in this news release contain forward-looking information plans related to Alexco's business and other matters that may occur in the future, made as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks related to risks and uncertainties relating to the COVID-19 pandemic including but not limited to business closures, quarantines and a general reduction in consumer activity; actual results and timing of exploration and development, mining, environmental services and remediation and reclamation activities; future prices of silver, gold, lead, zinc and other commodities; possible variations in mineral resources, grade or recovery rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; First Nation rights and title; continued capitalization and commercial viability; global economic conditions; competition; and delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the completion of development activities. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions that management believes are reasonable at the time they are made. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, Alexco has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, although evolving, will stabilize or at least not worsen; that the extent to which COVID-19 may impact the Company, including without limitation disruptions to the mobility of Company personnel, costs associated with implementation of health and safety protocols, increased labour and transportation costs, and other related impacts, will not change in a materially adverse manner; Alexco will be able to raise additional capital as necessary, that the proposed exploration and development activities will proceed as planned, and that market fundamentals will result in sustained silver, gold, lead and zinc demand and prices. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Alexco expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation.

SOURCE Alexco Resource Corp.

Related Links

www.alexcoresource.com


Sixteen years since a 60th wedding anniversary celebrated at Czestochowa, Poland (Part Two) By Mark Wegierski

We then continued towards Piotrkow Trybunalski, a historic town which was the seat of Polands Royal Tribunal for hundreds of years (before 1795). It was also an occasional point of assembly for the Polish Sejm (or Parliament), whose members were elected from and by the nobility. The traditions of the Sejm stretched back to the Renaissance period. Given that the noble class numbered around ten percent of the population in Old Poland  unlike in most other European countries, where it was only one or two percent -- this meant that historically a far larger proportion of the population had full political participation than in some other countries in Europe, such as the French monarchy, where meaningful politics in fact usually revolved around a fraction of a percentage of the population. After the death of the last Jagiellonian King in 1572, Old Poland also had the system where a King was elected for life by the electoral Sejm  rather than having a hereditary dynast -- hence it could be called a Royal Republic. Indeed, it was referred to in European diplomacy as Serenissima  which could be rendered in English as the Most Serene Republic  a term which had also been used in reference to Old Venice. In the U.S. Constitution of 1787, the office of the President of the United States (which, it may be remembered, was not originally subject to term limits), may have been partially inspired by the Polish elected monarchy. Turning towards the east, we whipped across 80 kilometers to reach Zarnow, a small town whose earliest building (the church) dates back to the tenth century. Zarnow is where her grandparents were living at that time, in a decidedly modest house of a few rooms. I was told that when her grandparents were digging a well, they encountered a very hard wall of rock  which might have been remnants of early medieval walls. Unfortunately, with a very overstretched government budget, in a country which is  outside of Warsaw and a few other large centers  subject to considerable, often grinding poverty  funds for exploratory archeological digs are very limited. We quickly loaded the grandparents into the car, which was a rather tight fit for four people and an increasingly nervy dog, and our problems became exacerbated when the grandmother began to suffer from motion sickness. Nevertheless, we persevered and finally reached Czestochowa by about 4 P.M. Her immediate family  including her mother, sister, and one brother, lives in a fairly large house with a large yard, on the outskirts of the city. Without stopping to rest or snack, and leaving the dog tied up in the yard, we had to rush by car to the famous Jasna Gora Pauline monastery complex, where a commemorative ceremony had been reserved at the main sanctuary, before the famous icon, the so-called Black Madonna. This was

actually the first time in my life that I would be at the shrine. We drove up around the monastery walls to the huge parking lot at the back, at which we were fortuitously able to find a parking spot, owing mainly to my relatives skill. I noted that various small shops selling devotional materials had been built right into what had once been the fortress walls of the monastery. Even in the short time we were there, we saw a fair number of large tour-buses going up the drive. We then walked along through a large gate-tower towards the main chapel where the Black Madonna resides. My relatives grandfather had put on his partisan fighter veterans uniform with its many medals. He had been severely wounded in the fighting during the war, and, in fact, his first wife had been killed by the German occupiers. One of my first impressions of the buildings was that they are in fact rather small and intimate, rather than ponderous and overwhelming  which is perhaps somewhat unexpected from such a world-famous site. Although one of the sharp steeples of the monastery complex can be seen from virtually anywhere in the town, the feeling of actually walking around in the monastery complex is rather human-scale. As we walked into the sanctuary proper, we noticed a marriage ceremony going on directly before the Black Madonna icon. Of course, the icon always has a jewel-encrusted robe for public viewing, so it looks rather different from the unadorned painting. The priest, his attendants, and the young couple were obscured and separated from the main crowd in the chapel by a huge ironwork grille that looked somewhat like an iconostasis in an Eastern Orthodox church. Pilgrimages were continually streaming into the sanctuary, and joining in the ongoing prayers and singing of the wedding service. Unfortunately, it turned out that we had missed our cue and arrived about fifteen minutes too late, whereas the wedding anniversary commemoration had been allotted little more than fifteen minutes. However, we participated in the prayers and singing. It was rather disappointing to have missed a 60th Wedding Anniversary commemoration. Being very tired, I ducked out to the church which sits directly beside the sanctuary-chapel, where I could admire the magnificence of the Baroque altar. Despite my near-exhaustion I appreciated the uplifting beauty of the holy site. (Partially based on the authors article that originally appeared in Chronicles (Rockford, IL) (December 2005), pp. 38-39.) To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Toronto-based writer and historical researcher.

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Aska Plata moved to Kilkenny five years ago to make it her home. She is a photographer, journalist and tutor, who studied for most of her life in her native Poland.

During her studies of Political Science and Social Communications, Aska travelled back and forth to Ireland a lot. She felt a strong connection with Ireland, so she decided to move here.

Two years ago, she established her own photography brand called Cottage Studio. Cottage Studio is a one-person business that offers photography services, teaching and web design. The idea of photography business materialised as the result of her education and experience in Media Production, Visual Arts, Multimedia, Film and TV.

Here is a glimpse into Askas world

While studying Political Science and Social Communication, you focused your studies on the history of the women of Ireland. Why?

I wanted to be an advocate for womens stories that were overlooked by the mainstream history of Ireland. Growing up in Catholic Poland I noticed that the major stories centered on male political and religious leaders. I missed womens representation.

Then I researched that it was also an Irish problem. My idea was to address those missing chapters. I was conferred with a Masters Degree in Political Science and Social Communication, with my university professors laying the foundation for the work that I do today.

What were your findings about these women?

Incredible stories of the first female activists such as Anna Parnell who was behind the Ladies Land League and who can be an inspiring character for the present housing crisis movement. I also discovered Irish republican revolutionaries, Irish suffragettes - amazing women who made a real social change.

So what do you believe Anna Parnell would have done with Irelands current housing crisis?

She would be on the streets campaigning for the right to housing as a basic human right, protesting against forced evictions, mobilising people to stand for a political change.

Your further studies and work experience have shifted to media. Why?

Media, including TV, film and photography, are a powerful game-changer. They shape the way we see ourselves. I realised that, for me, media was the place to be.

For three years, I worked as a journalist in a professional film and TV studio in Krakow city learning a craft and image from the best video editors and camerapersons. I was the author of the 12-episode cultural programme that introduced viewers to the music and art scene in Krakow. I enjoyed interviewing people and then cutting the raw material the most.

My journalist background helps me with photographing people. In each field, you need to be a bit of a psychologist for them to open.

You visited Ireland several times during your studies. Why settle in Kilkenny?

I wanted to continue studying in Poland while working and traveling during summer breaks in an English-speaking EU country. I chose Ireland.

When I came to Kilkenny for the first time, I knew it was a place for me - vibrant, compact and friendly with beautiful surrounding countryside.

I moved to Ireland in 2015 and studied Media Studies in the Ormonde College of Further Education here and decided to settle in Kilkenny and continue my media journey.

After receiving a certificate in Media Production, I had an opportunity to work on editing documentaries on gender and migration issues.

I upskilled myself in media field by finishing additional courses. Professional photography came very naturally to me.

Your business Cottage Studio offers vibrant portrait and product photography. You also teach photography. These days we all think we are photographers with our smartphones and selfie sticks! What can you teach us budding photographers?

Your photographs dont need to please every human being on Earth. Just dont be afraid to take pictures. Train your eye by taking images of your friends and family. See where the light is coming from. Explore new angels. Go for a photo walk. Find your theme. Show your vision and dont give up.

You seem to be fascinated with education.

Yes, education is the pillar of happy society. I had an opportunity to teach photography as part of the Community Education Service run by Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (ETB).

The Education and Training Board provides courses in association with a variety of groups such as womens groups, disability groups and community organisations. It was a fantastic collaboration which I hope to continue.

With so many businesses having to sell their products and services online, you can really help them with brand photographs. After all a picture can paint a thousand words.

Yes, definitely. With Covid-19 many businesses move their sales online and want to improve the online presence and sales experience.

Professional product or food photography helps to build the reputation of a brand or company and engage customers. Also a new, professional headshot can prove a great asset when seeking a job and updating your LinkedIn profile.

Businesses unfortunately have more time on their hands, so for many its a good time to get off the hamster wheel and take a clearer look at their brand. They need to question their messaging, in order to increase sales.

Look at their content on their social media and on line, question is it making them stand out from all the noise on line? This is where I want to help.

Kilkennys iconic business woman Kathleen Moran has being mentoring you on the Local Enterprise Office Mentor Programme. How has she helped you?

Covid-19 has directly affected some industries more than others, including the scholarship and photography industry. As a new, small local business, I sought support. I am already a member of Network Ireland, a progressive networking group with a branch in Kilkenny.

Kilkennys Local Enterprise Office (LEO) offered me the Mentor Programme that is open to both new and existing businesses located within the region.

The role of mentor is to listen, advise and provide direction. I was very excited to find out that my mentor would be Kathleen Moran! She understood my ambitions and goals very well and helped my business get through those first, most difficult stages of the lockdown.

Whats her greatest piece of advice?

Have a plan, trust your talents, and show them to the public.

Your portfolio is broad and your ethos is all about inclusivity, by photographing people of different cultures and communities, empowering women and LGBT+. What are you trying to define through your photography?

I want my work to be an expression of my appreciation of beauty, diversity and strength. I try to show that there is a personality behind the business. Being an advocate for inclusivity, I work with diverse clients.

Inclusion also means that everyone feels equally valued and respected.

But the most important mission of my business, Siobhan, is fun! I simply love what I do and always look forward to new projects.

I find it a great joy to discover the beauty of the world through the lens of a camera.

Aska specialises in vibrant colour portraits: people, family, fashion and headshots. Aska also offers product and food photography for websites & social media for businesses and trading individuals. www.cottagestudio.ie
In three years of President Nana Akufo-Addo's administration, Ghanaians have had so much to be thankful and appreciative of; Ghanaians have also had so much to be angry about. The anger and rage on social media against some Government appointees have been very telling. Seeing tweets and Facebook posts from some of my very apolitical friends on the conduct of some Government officials is now quite a common thing.

The Free SHS policy has been immense, Government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has been impressive, although it faced its own share of challenges. Countries all over the world faced similar challenges.

When Ghanaians woke up to the news of a member of parliament and deputy minister of state who tested positive walking to a registration centre despite testing positive for COVID-19 very few would've imagined that another appointee would drop the bar lower.

On Monday 20th July 2020 member of parliament for Awutu Senya East and Minister for Special Development initiative, Hawa Koomson, in the company of her boys pulled a gun and fired shots in an area where people had gathered to partake in the on-going voter registration exercise.

Hawa Koomson, Awutu Senya East, MP

The Minister in her defense explained that she did that to protect herself because she felt threatened and 'outsiders' had come to the constituency to register.

It is however rather unfortunate that actions like that of Hawa Koomson would take the shine off a government trying to do its best for the citizens.

Her decision to fire gunshots to protect herself in her constituency was inapt.

When I got the information that people were being bused from some places into my constituency, I couldn't sit down for people to come and register in my constituency and elect an MP for the people of KasoaI work with men because I can't work with women alone in this political enterprise. None of my men had guns on them when we got to the centre, I fired the shots myself. Yes, I gave those warning shots to protect myself, The minister said.

I rather wished our politicians would fire warning shots to end acts of corruption, unemployment, filth, our poor healthcare systems, flooding and not ordinary Ghanaians whose only crime is to take part in a civic exercise.

It's okay to protect yourself when you are threatened, but it's for this same reason that the public funds police protection for our ministers.

To be honest, between Carlos Ahenkorah and Hawa Koomson's irresponsible showing, I struggle to identify who had been more reckless considering how they both put the lives of Ghanaians at risk.

It's safe to say Hawa Koomson's actions however could've taken people to the grave earlier.

There are so many unanswered questions about her actions.

Why did she have to fire shots when people where gathered ?

Where was her police protection paid for by taxpayers to protect her ?

Hawa Koomson's irresponsible spectacle at the Steps to Christ registration center at the Awutu Senya East Constituency was an embarrassing scene.

Endangering the lives of the very people she pledged to serve is despicable, and shameful to say the least.

For a President who called on Ghanaians to be citizens and not spectators, one would have expected that when helpless citizens cried for help, he would've placed the interest of Ghanaians ahead of that of the NPP.

The Christian Council, security experts, civil society organizations, ordinary Ghanaians have all condemned this.

We expect her to resign, If she doesn't do that, the President must terminate her appointment As far as I am concerned, there is no justification for what she did, especially as a lawmaker breaking the law, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante the chairperson of the Peace Council said.

There is no reason why our election should be characterized by violence and the leaders must lead the way in terms of what they do and in terms of what they say. He added.

What is the President waiting for?

Speaking at Sankore in the Asunafo North District of the Ahafo Region as part of his 4-day tour of two new regions in that part of the country in April this year, President Akufo-Addo warned that the new vigilantism bill will not spare any individual regardless of his/her position in government.

The Bill, when passed, will ensure that not only the people who are inciting the violence will be punished, but also the powerful people behind them will face the full extent of the law. Once Parliament passes this bill, everyone involved in vigilantism will face the law  whether you are a Minister, Regional Minister, MP or not, once you are implicated, you will be prosecuted, he added.

Mr. President, it is now time to back your words with actions. Hawa Koomson's actions amount to political thuggery and vigilantism.

The violence around this whole voter registration process is unbecoming. It doesn't speak well of our democracy.

There have been about five or six instances of reported violence at the registration centres. It could be more.

Already, an individual in Banda lost his life during the registration process after gun violence erupted in the area.

It was pathetic seeing the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Freddie Blay and other leading members of the NPP defend one of their own, though not surprising. They are paid to do that.

My only problem with the NPP's defense of this is that it undermines institutions. With the President's silence on the situation and the comments of Freddie Blay, I find it difficult how the police will for instance act independently on this.

The President must act decisively on Hawa Koomson. He cannot sit on the fence on this matter. He must act as head of state and not the leader of the party.

Aside from the NPP, every other person that matters in a conversation such as this has condemned the actions of Hawa Koomson, I expect the President to do same.

It's unfortunate that energy would have to be directed at the presidency to take action on one of its appointees in the middle of a devastating pandemic, but it's safe to admit that is the right thing to do in reassuring Ghanaians that our interest, welfare and security remain paramount.

It's not enough for the police to interrogate Hawa Koomson, it's not enough for her gun used to be retrieved. While I believe it's a step in the right direction by the police, I believe the minister should be punished to act as a deterrent to all especially as we go into an election.

The police must act and act fast, they do not need the permission of anyone to do their job. If our institutions don't work, we don't have a future.

We cannot afford to undo the little progress we have made in our fight against political vigilantism.

Mr President, your silence is loud.
The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) has called on commercial transport operators to reduce their fares immediately as they return to their normal loading capacity.



The government recently approved a 15 percent increment in transport fares following fuel price hikes amid social distancing in vehicles.



In his 14th address on update on the national response to the pandemic Sunday night, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said life could not be put on hold indefinitely once it was clear that until treatment was found, the COVID-19 would remain a part of the life of the people.



He subsequently lifted the restrictions on transport operators for them to return to loading to their full capacity.



In a press statement signed and issued by the Executive Secretary of COPEC, Mr Duncan Amoah on Sunday said, COPEC said: We are, by this statement calling on some of our major stakeholders in the transport sector including the GPRTU, Concerned Drivers Association, Committed Drivers Association and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council to immediately without fail, ensure that transport fares are reversed by close of day tomorrow.



Mr Amoah explained that What this directive means is that every revenue that until the date has been losing per trip by the commercial transport operators before the announcement during the period and for which commuters have recently been forced to cough up additional 15-30% transport fare increases is now restored in favour of our commercial transport operators and thus the recent increases of between 15-30% must and should be reversed forthwith.



Read a copy of full statement below:



CHAMBER OF PETROLEUM CONSUMERS-GHANA



ACCRA



26/07/20



REDUCE TRANSPORT FARES IMMEDIATELY.



The President of the Republic in his 14th Covid-19 address to the nation on Sunday has among other things issued new directives for the commercial transport operators to forthwith pick the normal number of passengers as before the lockdown and the accompanying social distancing restrictions.



What this directive means is that every revenue that until the date has been losing per trip by the commercial transport operators before the announcement during the period and for which commuters have recently been forced to cough up additional 15-30% transport fare increases is now restored in favour of our commercial transport operators and thus the recent increases of between 15-30% must and should be reversed forthwith.



The Chamber takes cognisance of the fact that the period prior to the covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions had fuel prices trading at ghc5.650/litre but due to a global fall in demand and its attendant effects on pricing, fuel prices dropped by over 30% to below Ghc3.890/litre and has in recent times gone up marginally by a cumulative average of 16% to currently average 4.80/litre at the pumps.



The above thus renders any possible argument on the part of transport operators for a stay of current transport fares at this point, citing the marginal fuel price increases as an excuse ostensibly to deny Ghanaian commuters the deserved reductions in transport fares moot since the fuel price variance before and after the lockdown period remains a distant 10%+ positive to the commercial transport operators at this point.



We are, by this statement calling on some of our major stakeholders in the transport sector including the GPRTU, Concerned Drivers Association, Committed Drivers Association and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council to immediately without fail, ensure that transport fares are reversed by close of day tomorrow, not only to previous rates but a further 5% reduction possibly on the previous rates before these recent increases since fuel price variance as at this point remains positive by at least a further 12% from the pre-covid-19 lockdown period.



Signed.



Duncan Amoah

Executive Secretary.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Jayanta Roy Chowdhury By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Vinod and Rashmi Maheshwari have been looking around for a home in Europe for sometime and reckon the pandemic could now throw up opportunities both for second homes as well as investments which can be used for tourist rentals later. Added to that are the attraction of schemes which many European nations like Portugal are hawking, such as investor visas or citizenship which are issued if one makes an investment beyond a certain threshold.

Consultancy firm Oxford Economics estimates that property prices have fallen in all major European countries except outliers like Germany. Prices in Southern Europe-in countries like Greece, Spain and Italy-were among those most impacted, aver many sources. In the German market, prices in major cities rose by just 4 per cent compared to an average of 10-12 per cent in previous years.What makes western countries attractive buys are not just prices but also low interest loans. Loans are now available from global banks for such purchases at historically low rates for purchases in most western markets.

Malta and Portugal have proven to be popular destinations they offer easy residence and visa programs with investment. Cyprus and Greece provide residence and Shenzhen visas for investments in real estate worth 300,000 and 250,000 euro respectively. Others have similar programs with riders on investment in bonds or manufacturing. UK offers residence within two months on an investment of 2 million in the UK Investor Immigration Program.

Said Manish Arora, an international realty consultant, Buying a house anywhere, and especially in a western market, is a bet that things will improve in coming years, which we feel is correct. It is also an investment in the tourist rental market. So you get both property appreciation plus rentals. Many historic towns in Italy for instance have low property prices. Investors may, however, need to spend some money in cosmetic improvements, warns Arora.

Once tourism picks up after the Covid-19 pandemic subsides, profits from rentals are expected to go up. As are property prices. With work from home becoming a norm in many sectors, it makes sense for even upper middle class professionals to relocate and work from a country of their choice. Greeces Golden Visa program has proved to be popular with the Indian rich ever since it was announced in 2013, Arora added. Greece is a tourist nation and sub-letting is easy there, this adds to the attraction.
Sikkim records its first death, leaving only Mizoram as the only state without a COVID fatality

A medic collects a sample from a child for COVID-19 test in New Delhi. The situation in Delhi has started stabilising as the number of fresh cases continues to be on a decline. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: The coronavirus juggernaut easily overhauled the 14 lakh mark on Sunday night with a heave of 49,931 new cases in the previous 24 hours. India's caseload stands at 14,36,025 at 10.30 am on on Monday, with 32812 deaths. Recoveries surged to 9,18,737.

Just the bare figures in the past week shows the momentum of the juggernaut: The one million mark was overcome on July 16; the 11 lakh mark on July 19; 12 lakh on July 22; 13 lakh on July 24; and 14 lakh on July 26. Each day has seen an addition of at least 48,000 new cases. Such is the pace of new positives that Indias new case graph has been above the 7-day average for the past 19 days.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his Mann ki Baat radio address that India is in a much better position compared to other nations. Compared to only two other nations really, Brazil and USA.

On Sunday Sikkim reported its first death due to COVID-19, leaving Mizoram as the only state in India that has not had a single death due to the virus. Sikkim has witnessed a spurt in new cases, which prompted the state administration to extend its lockdown till August 1. Sikkim till date has 499 detected cases.

While experts have been predicting a peak soon in the three frontline states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi. But theres been no such sign in any of those states, with Maharashtra adding on more than 9000 new cases in each of the past five days.

Tamil Nadus tally mounted the 2 lakh mark on Sunday. Only Delhis corona vigour seems to have eased a bit. The situation in Delhi has started stabilising as the number of fresh cases continues to be on a decline and fatalities too have come down significantly.

However, Andhra Pradesh leapfrogged into the fourth place on Sunday, with an addition of 7500 cases on Snday. Numbers are burgeoning in Karnataka too while Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh are the new emerging hotspots in the country.

The Health Ministry of course told us the positive side of the story. India has also registered highest ever recoveries in a single day after more than 36,000 patients were discharged. Officials said recoveries have outnumbered active COVID-19 cases by more than 4 lakh and the recovery rate has touched a new high of nearly 63.92%. This has taken the total number of recovered cases to 8,85,576.

This means more patients are recovering, thus, maintaining the steadily widening difference between recovered and active COVID-19 patients. Recovered cases are 1.89 times the active cases (4,67,882), health ministry officials said.

They added that for the first time a record number of more than 4,40,000 tests have been conducted in a single day. For the first time, government labs have set a new record of testing 3,62,153 samples. Private labs have also scaled a new high of 79,878 samples tested in a single day.

With 4,42,263 samples tested in the last 24 hours, the number of tests per million (TPM) has further increased to 11,805 and cumulative testing to 1,62,91,331. Aggressive testing along with ramped up hospital infrastructure by combining public and private sector efforts has enabled early identification and prompt triaging of COVID-19 patients leading to lower fatalities. As a result, the case fatality rate is progressively falling and currently, it is 2.31%. India has one of the lowest fatality rates in the world, officials said.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday said he has spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inform about the behaviour of the state's Governor Kalraj Mishra.

"I spoke with Prime Minister yesterday (on Sunday) and told him about the behaviour of the Governor. I spoke with him regarding the letter I had written to him seven days back," Gehlot said while leaving the Fairmont Hotel.

Earlier in the day, Congress MLAs organised a prayer meeting in the hotel premises under the "Save Democracy-Save Constitution" programme, in which Gehlot and other party leaders had participated.

Congress MLAs have been staying at the hotel for nearly two weeks after the state plunged into a political crisis as the differences between Sachin Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot came out in the open.

Mishra has sought clarification from the state government regarding the proposal of convening the assembly session, said sources on Monday.

"Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has sought clarification from the state government over the proposal on the convening of the assembly session. Mishra has asked the government 'Do you want to move Motion of Confidence? It is not mentioned in the proposal but you have been speaking about it in media'," a source said.

According to sources, Mishra also said it will be difficult to call all the MLAs for the assembly session in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Can you consider giving a 21-day notice over the convening of Assembly Session?," the Governor asked the Rajasthan government, according to sources.

Earlier in the day, the sources have said no decision has been taken yet on the assembly session.

The power struggle in Rajasthan had taken a new turn when the Governor had not heeded the request of the Congress government to convene a session of the state Assembly urgently.

Earlier, Rajasthan Governor's Secretariat had said the state government had presented a proposal to convene the session of the Assembly at very short notice on the night of July 23. The paper was analysed and legal experts were consulted over it, it said.

It said 21-day notice is required for the session to be called according to the normal procedures.

The Congress has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of indulging in horse-trading to bring down the Gehlot government. The BJP has rejected the allegations.
Explosions Rock Military Compound in Southern Baghdad, Reports Say

gede

Sputnik News

16:20 GMT 26.07.2020(updated 18:21 GMT 26.07.2020)

The situation in Iraq has been worsening in recent months, with more attacks taking place every week. One of the last ones occurred on 19 July, when two rockets fell near the US Embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone, where diplomatic missions are located.

Explosions have hit Iraq's Al-Saqr military base, located some 10 miles south of Baghdad, a statement from the armed forces said. According to Reuters, citing security sources, the military base where the multiple explosions took place is used as an ammunition depot by the Iraqi police and military.

"The ammunition depot of the Iraqi federal police was hit by a blast. The blast was caused by the high air temperature and improper storage of weapons", the press service of the Iraqi security services said, as quoted by Iraq's INA news agency.

The daytime temperature in Baghdad has soared above 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) for several days.

The explosions took place days after four Katyusha rockets hit a military base used by US-led coalition troops south of Baghdad and caused some material damage, according to the Iraqi military.

Iraqi security forces killed six members of the Daesh* terrorist group during a military operation in the north-eastern province of Kirkuk

on 16 July, according to the country's Defence Ministry.

The situation in Iraq has been highly unstable for years due to the activities of Daesh, which lost all the territories it had previously seized in the country, but continues to stage attacks across the Arab nation.

*Daesh, also known as IS/ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State is a terrorist group, banned in Russia

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Around 9,000 homes are on the market across Northern Ireland as the post-lockdown demand from house buyers to relocate continues.

The vast majority are located in counties Antrim and Down, according to analysis by industry website Propertynews.com.

The Executive lifted restrictions to allow the property market to resume on June 15.

Prior to that, many estate agents in towns across Northern Ireland were working remotely with members of the public contacting agents via property portals such as Propertynews.com to express their desire for socially distanced viewings.

Since the property market reopened six weeks ago, estate agents have reported record numbers of prospective buyers looking to view homes alongside bumper sales from those wanting to trade up or down after a three-month shutdown.

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Thousands have been logging on to the PropertyNews website to view what is on the market across Northern Ireland, currently numbering some 8,866 sales.

A breakdown of the current sale offerings across all six counties is topped by 3,998 in Antrim (including Belfast), followed by Down (3,173), Londonderry (690), Armagh (595), Tyrone (323) and Fermanagh (87).

In the first 20 days of July, PropertyNews saw a 22% increase in new 'for sale' properties uploaded to the site compared to the same 20 days in July 2019.

Mark Reilly, commercial manager for Propertynews.com, told the Belfast Telegraph: "We are seeing extremely positive signs in the Northern Ireland property market and that July is continuing where June left off.

"We have seen a massive rise year-on-year in both traffic to the site and email enquiries on properties we have delivered to our estate agents.

"We have also seen a huge rise in new stock listed on site, with 22% more properties uploaded to date in July 2020 compared with the same month last year."

Despite being the county with the lowest number of properties on the market, Nick Finlay from Enniskillen-based Montgomery and Finlay & Co has seen a surge in interest from people looking to return to live in Fermanagh.

With remote working from home set to remain the norm for now, Nick says potential buyers are taking advantage of the new working arrangements which have come about since the Covid-19 lockdown.

"In recent weeks, even before the lockdown ended, we had a number of enquiries coming through from people working in Belfast, Dublin and England who are now planning to return home," Nick said.

"This is because their jobs now enable them to work from home and the new flexibility has opened the door for them to return to places like Fermanagh for that specific reason.

"We have completed sales on several properties in the past few weeks. The main criteria is good internet speeds and phone signals so the big demand has been for new housing developments in the Enniskillen area.

"As more people work two or three days a week from home and are happy to commute for the remainder, they are availing of the value for money in the local property market and general lifestyle benefits of living away from the main cities.

"There was a pent-up demand during the lockdown and we are now seeing that come to fruition with the level of interest and number of new properties going online."
Boston, MA -- A vaccine candidate for preventing COVID-19 is advancing to a 30,000-participant phase 3 trial that begins today, and Brigham and Women's Hospital will play two key roles in the trial's next phase. The phase 3 COVE study will evaluate mRNA-1273, a vaccine candidate against COVID-19 manufactured by Moderna, Inc., of Cambridge, Mass. The study will enroll participants at locations throughout the United States, with the Brigham serving as a clinical research site as part of the COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN), funded by the National Institutes of Health. In addition, Lindsey Baden, MD, an infectious diseases specialist at the Brigham and an expert in vaccine development for viral diseases, will serve as co-principal investigator for the study.

"This is the first phase 3 trial that will test the effectiveness of a vaccine against COVID-19, and we've been working diligently across industry, academia and government to pave a path for launching this trial rapidly and safely," said Baden. "Our goal has been to not only launch this important trial, but also to develop a rapid, high-quality process for vaccine trials that are to come."

Baden is an expert in the development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics for viral diseases that disproportionately affect high-risk patients. He is the director of the Center for Clinical Investigation at the Brigham and the director of Infectious Diseases at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In addition, he is the vaccine clinical research site leader at the Brigham of the NIAID-funded Harvard HIV Vaccine Clinical Trials Unit and the program director for the Hub and Network elements of Harvard Catalyst (CTSA Award) at Harvard Medical School.

For 20 years, the Brigham, under Baden's leadership, has been part of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded global network of sites conducting clinical studies related to HIV vaccine development. Earlier this year, the NIH determined that several NIH-funded clinical trials networks, including the HVTN, would come together to answer important infectious disease questions related to COVID-19 under the CoVPN. The Brigham, along with clinical research study sites across the United States, became part of this network. Sites for the vaccine studies were selected through an NIH mechanism and Baden was chosen by the leadership of the CoVPN to be co-principal investigator of the upcoming mRNA phase 3 vaccine trial based upon his clinical research experience and his knowledge of COVID-19. Additional phase 3 vaccine trials are being planned by the COVPN in conjunction with pharmaceutical companies.

The COVE study is part of Operation Warp Speed (OWS), which aims to deliver 300 million doses of a safe, effective vaccine for COVID-19 by early 2021. OWS represents a partnership among components of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the FDA, the NIH, BARDA, and the Department of Defense. The COVE study is largely funded by the U.S. government through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The COVE study is designed to primarily evaluate the effectiveness and safety of mRNA-1273 and its ability to prevent COVID-19 illness; participants will be followed for up to two years after the second dose of the vaccine. The trial is expected to enroll 30,000 participants who will be randomized to receive either two 100 microgram (mcg) injections of mRNA-1273 or two shots of a saline placebo. Trial volunteers will receive two intramuscular injections approximately 28 days apart. The trial is blinded, so the investigators and the participants will not know who is assigned to which group.

Volunteers must provide informed consent to participate in the trial. They will be asked to provide a nasopharyngeal swab and a blood sample at an initial screening visit and additional blood samples at specified time points after each vaccination and over the two years following the second vaccination. Scientists will examine blood samples in the laboratory to detect and quantify immune responses to SARS-CoV-2.

Investigators will closely monitor participant safety.

The target population for this study are adults whose locations or circumstances put them at appreciable risk of exposure to COVID-19. The primary endpoint will be the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19 disease. Key secondary endpoints include prevention of severe COVID-19 disease (as defined by the need for hospitalization) and prevention of infection by the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2. A preliminary report on data from the phase 1 trial of mRNA-1273 was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which found evidence that the vaccine induced an anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune response in all 45 participants.

###

For more information about participating in the COVID vaccine study, please visit this site. Please do not contact the Brigham media phone number or email to enroll in this trial.

Brigham Health, a global leader in creating a healthier world, consists of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, the Brigham and Women's Physicians Organization and many related facilities and programs. With more than 1,000 inpatient beds, approximately 60,000 inpatient stays and 1.7 million outpatient encounters annually, Brigham Health's 1,200 physicians provide expert care in virtually every medical and surgical specialty to patients locally, regionally and around the world. An international leader in basic, clinical and translational research, Brigham Health has nearly 5,000 scientists, including physician-investigators, renowned biomedical researchers and faculty supported by over $700 million in funding. The Brigham's medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and now, with 19,000 employees, that rich history is the foundation for its commitment to research, innovation, and community. Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital is a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and dedicated to educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. For more information, resources, and to follow us on social media, please visit brighamandwomens.org.
Google staff will work from home until at least July 2021.

The company is the first technology company to publicly commit to keeping its remote working policies in place into 2021, in an attempt to give staff more clarity on how long they would be working from home.

Other tech companies  including Facebook and Twitter  have committed to allow most employees to work remotely indefinitely, even after coronavirus-related shutdowns lift. But no other company of Google's scale has given such a long-term commitment that its offices would stay largely shut.

Google's decision will affect "nearly all" of the roughly 200,000 full-time, contracted Google employees, the WSJ said. Sundar Pichai, Google's chief executive, took the decision after a call with executives last week, the paper claimed.

Mr Pichai then made the announcement in an email sent to employees this morning, a Google spokesperson said.

"To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that dont need to be in the office," a statement read.

The company had started opening its offices from early July, it said in a blog post in May. But that was only to allow those staff who wanted or needed to come back, and was done on a "limited, rotating basis", it said.

It said in the same post that from September it would start to increase the number of people coming into the office, though stressed that coming back would be "voluntary through the end of the year, and we encourage you to continue to work from home if you can".

Now it has said that policy will run until July 2021, with only limited numbers of people coming into its offices until then.

The ruling is said to apply to all Alphabet companies, which includes Google as well as spin-off firms like its Waymo self-driving car business.

Mr Pichai wrote in that same May blog post that the company would be "looking to develop more overall flexibility in how we work", though he did not say explicitly what the company was planning for 2021 and beyond.
She can be a girl-next-door or set the temperature soaring high with her hotness quotient! She knows how to keep your eyes glued to the screen with her impressive acting chops. Within a short span of time, the actress has already sashayed her way into the audience's hearts. Yes, you guessed it right! We are talking about Kriti Sanon.

After dabbling with modelling, Kriti made her acting debut with Mahesh Babu's Telugu film 1: Nenokkadine in 2014. In the same year, the leggy lass stepped into Bollywood with Sabbir Khan's Heropanti alongside another newbie, Tiger Shroff. The film was a commercial success. Next, Kriti did another film Dohchay down south, and also starred in a couple of Bollywood films. And then, Ashwiny Iyer's Bareilly Ki Barfi happened! This time, the girl not only impressed the audience, but she also caught the critics' eye. The romantic-comedy proved to be a major game-changer for the actress.

Talking about it, Kriti was quoted as saying in an interview, "Bareilly Ki Barfi is a milestone because people started noticing me as an actor. The perception about me changed. Honestly, I don't blame anyone as I hadn't done much before that. The success gave me the confidence that I could take risks and step out of my comfort zone. People are now willing to rest a movie on my shoulders by offering me female-centric films."

Well, it's not just films! Kriti Sanon's social media pages are also all things love! From sharing gorgeous pictures from her photoshoot to giving fans a sneak-peek into her daily life, the actress knows how to keep fans hooked to her social media handles.

As Kriti Sanon turns 30 today, we bring you five of her most stunning pictures from her Instagram handle which stole our hearts as soon as our eyes fell on them.
In January 1995, a calf was found dead, apparently mauled to death, in a ranching area in Lemhi County. Days after, a wolf was found  by the rancher who had owned the calf  shot to death not far away, and he reported it. No one reported having made the kill or under what circumstances, however, and the wolfs death was presumed to be illegal.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service then obtained a search warrant, and three armed agents showed up to investigate. That set off a response chain. The Lemhi County sheriff complained. Then-Senator Larry Craig said that, wildlife agencies are trying to usurp local law enforcement, rather than simply managing natural resources, and proposed barring federal land management agents from carrying arms.

By May, newly-minted Representative Helen Chenoweth held a hearing in Boise about what she described as federal black helicopters in control of the New World Order. (The helicopters she apparently referenced were actually state Fish and Game choppers scouting for poachers.) Less noted but more significantly, she also proposed legislation that would have required federal agencies, before conducting any sort of law enforcement activity (including executing an already-obtained search warrant) to get an okay from county law enforcement before proceeding. She said flatly they should be unarmed unless they are deputized by the local sheriff. A large number of Republican House members from western states signed on.

One of the concerns just about everyone agreed on was that the kind of earlier conflicts at Ruby Ridge in Idaho, and in Waco, Texas, which did involve larger federal forces, should never be repeated.

Thats a slice from conservative Republicanism back during the Clinton Administration. Today in the Trump Administration  notably in the Northwest  it has a different flavor.

Urban Portland in recent weeks has seen many and persistent protests, largely over Black Lives Matter issues, in a city where police violence has been a hot topic for a generation. Protests arose through much of the city; nearly all were small in size, and saw no violence or destruction, except for those recurring nightly in several blocks in the downtown area. There, in addition to protesters, smaller groups of extremists  on both sides, maybe multiple sides  congregated. There, graffiti was sprayed and some small-scale property damage was reported. The tenor was more emotional than violent, but tense.

Over a period of weeks, as journalist Robert Evans wrote in an excellent and detailed description, police and protesters developed a kind of rhythm, a balance of actions that seemed to allow for a scale-down of riotous activity. The activity was shifting in the direction of a peaceful dissolution.

Then came the federal agents. They came dressed in camo, looking as if theyd stepped off the streets of Fallujah, but lacking any kind of agency identification. They acted as if they were in Iraq too, unleashing damaging force  upping the level of violence and hazard  grabbing people off the street and throwing them into black  no, not helicopters  vans, often without charge and for little apparent reason. When the Department of Homeland Security, from which the troops came (without any training in urban protest management), issued a press release on the event, it mentioned 72 times the presence of violent anarchists but backed up the specific need for paramilitary action by describing graffiti.

Within days, Evans wrote, State and Federal law enforcement are at war with the people of Portland.

The Oregon governor and Portland mayor demanded the federal troops removal. So did the areas congressional delegation, which said, These actions represent a complete abuse of power.

So. At the time a quarter-century ago when we heard the Chenoweth warnings, we saw armed federal agents in small numbers who identified themselves and their agency, and obtained a search warrant for a single specific investigation, and did not engage in violence. Then, with the memory of Waco and Ruby Ridge still recent, the warnings concerned what might happen if a large, heavily armed and randomly roaming federal paramilitary force was unleashed on the Northwest.

Now, we have armed federal agents in large numbers roaming the streets who do not offer any identification and no rationale, do engage in violence  including potentially lethal violence, indiscriminately against the violent and the peaceful.

What would Helen Chenoweth, or those who shared her perspective, think of Portland today? Or, is it okay to do this sort of thing in Portland but not in Lemhi County?

Randy Stapilus is a former Idaho newspaper reporter and editor and blogs at www.ridenbaugh.com. He can be reached at stapilus@ridenbaugh.com. His new book What Do You Mean by That? has just been released and can be found at http://www.ridenbaugh.com/whatdoyoumeanbythat and on Amazon.com.

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Edo Guber: PDP Campaign Condemn Attack At Oba of Benin PalaceCautions That Those Who Sow the Wind Will Reap The Whirlwind

The Chairman, PDP National Campaign Council on Edo Governorship Election, Governor Nyesom Wike, has condemned, in the strongest terms, the attack on PDP entourage, including state governors, at the Palace of Oba of Benin on Saturday by thugs alleged to have been sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governor Wike, who described the attack as despicable, said the Campaign has commenced investigation into the alleged roles played by certain individuals, including a businessman identified by the Party as Tony Kabaka, in the desecrating act.

The campaign is also looking into the roles played by one Kabaka in the attack against our entourage, Wike said.

In a statement signed by Kola Ologbondiyan

Secretary, PDP National Campaign Council for Edo Governorship Election on Sunday, PDP warned APCs candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, to understand clearly that there is a limit to intimidation and thuggery, particularly in this election.

PDP stressed that it is highly irresponsible for anybody to attempt to harass, intimidate or cause harm to an assemblage of governors and leaders of the PDP, let alone at the palace of the highly revered Oba of Benin.

The Party said an investigation into the attempt has already been launched, threatening strong action against said businessman, Tony Kabaka, if he was found to have been involved in the attack.

Kabaka, we will not hesitate to take a strong and very decisive action. Enough is Enough!, PDP said.

According to the statement,

The ancient seat of the Oba of Benin is respected and revered across the globe. As a mark of honor for the Oba of Benin, the governors and leaders of our party considered it imperative to pay a visit and honor the monarch.

It is therefore reprehensible that any true Bini son or daughter will choose such an occasion to demean the monarch and his chiefs.

While we leave this to the decision of the Oba and his council, we want to place on record that no motley group of political vagabonds will be allowed to embarrass us in this campaign.

We counsel the said businessman, the APC gubernatorial candidate and the said Kabaka to desist from further plans to cause mayhem as those who sow a wind should be ready to reap the whirlwind.
Speaking exclusively to Republic TV on Monday, General Officer Commanding 15 Corps Lieutenant General BS Raju elaborated on the anti-terror operations in Kashmir Valley after the abrogation of Article 370. He mentioned that the level of violence has reduced with nearly 130 terrorists being eliminated in the last few months. Adding that the infiltration had reduced on the border, he contended that a majority of the population looked forward to development in the Valley.

Lt. General BS Raju stated, "I think we have reached the stage where I can say with some satisfaction that we have been able to reduce the level of violence. In the last 6 months plus, close to around 130 terrorists have been neutralized and that has brought in some sense of normalcy in the entire Valley, specifically in South Kashmir. Even on the LC, we have been very successful in putting up a very strong grid which is ensuring that there is not too much infiltration."

"I see hope in the environment. There are some people who don't seem to be happy. But the majority of the population is looking forward to the change that is taking place and it will lead to development," he added.

Read: Kashmir: 138 Terrorists Eliminated So Far This Year, Informs IGP

Read: Violence Down In Kashmir, Ceasefire Violations By Pak Gone Up: J-K DGP

The situation in North & South Kashmir

Talking about the situation in South Kashmir, Lt. General BS Raju said, "The situation in South Kashmir is much better than what it was three years back. That was the post-Burhan Wani era. I think a lot of water has flown in the Jhelum". At the same time, he acknowledged that terror attacks were directed towards the police, CRPF, political workers, and informers because of desperation. According to him, terrorists wanted to remain relevant in the wake of the successful operations by the Army. Additionally, the GOC 15 Corps revealed that more operations would be conducted in North Kashmir soon.

"North Kashmir is well under control. There are pockets of terror activities in Sopore and Handwara. We have had some recent operations in which we have managed to neutralize some foreign terrorists also. As the IG Police has mentioned in one of his press conferences, our focus is definitely going to shift now. And it is a matter of time that we have more operations there," Lt. General BS Raju commented.

Highlighting Pakistan's attempt at spreading misinformation in the Valley, he observed, "I think there is no correlation between the anniversary and the Pakistani intent. Pakistani intent has been there for the last 30 years. But in the last 6-8 months, their focus has been on the Valley. Starting from their Prime Minister, Foreign Minister to the President of PoK, all these people have been making all the wrong noises about the Valley. They are spreading misinformation for consumption for people in the Valley and the rest of the world. The people in the Valley know how we value human rights. Pakistan is doing a very focused orchestration of an imaginary situation in the Valley talking about human rights violations. I am sure that the world will see through this lie".

Read: Apni Party Demands Restoration Of Statehood To Jammu Kashmir

Read: Omar Abdullah Won't Contest Any J&K Assembly Polls Till It Remains A Union Territory
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 22:49:57|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stressed here on Monday the importance of reaching a political settlement for the Libyan crisis.

In a joint televised press conference, Shoukry highlighted that "Egypt aims at reaching a ceasefire in Libya and seeks its stability."

"Some international sides target the Arab national security in Libya, Syria, and Iraq via sending extremists and terrorist elements," he said, adding that Egypt has experienced some terrorist operations after the transfer of militants through the borders.

The top diplomats reiterated the necessity of forming a presidential council with a government that could meet the demands of the Libyan people under the supervision of the Libyan parliament.

The Saudi foreign minister voiced his country's support of the Cairo Declaration, which was announced on June 6 and sought ceasefire between warring Libyan parties, and UN-supervised election of a Libyan presidential council, and drafting a constitutional declaration to regulate elections for the later stage.

Libya has been locked in a civil war since the ouster and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The situation escalated in 2014, splitting power between two rival governments with warring forces, namely the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) based in the capital Tripoli and another in the northeastern city of Tobruk allied with the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Haftar. Enditem
The Texas weather has finally given Midlanders a break from the 100-degree weather. Outdoor dining is also considered a moderate- to low-risk practice during the ongoing pandemic, according to the Texas Medical Association. Luckily, both Midland and Odessa have many patio dining options available.

--The Patio Drafthouse on Wadley Avenue has a wrap-around outdoor patio featuring a fountain. It might be the perfect place to cool down with a Tall City Brewing Co. beer because the brewery had to close down its patio.

--Venezia Restaurant is in the same block and has beautiful trees and umbrellas with plenty of shade to sit under.

--Mulberry Cafe, also on Wadley, is perfect for the breakfast and lunch hours. Enjoy an iced coffee or mimosa in the morning on their quaint patio.

--Grub Burger Bar. off Loop 250, celebrated National Tequila Day on Friday with Tequilatopia, which will be available for the next four weeks. The patio might be the perfect place for a burger and cocktails.

--Pi Social is back downtown and running with a patio that has an opening to their wrap-around bar. The restaurant has added Midland Meat Co. Wagyu beef sliders and pom fritts to its menu.

--Little Woodrows is open again after reclassifying as a restaurant and is serving food. The bar turned restaurant offers a nice patio with lawn games.

More Information For more information, visit the restaurants' Facebook pages. See More Collapse

--Frenchys, the food truck, has moved into a spot in Parks Legado Town Center. The restaurant offers gourmet tacos and pastas.

--Cork and Pig Tavern at Parks Legado Town Center has a wrap-around patio. The signage for the Midland location has gone up at Ally Village and the location is hiring.

--Taco DiVino has more patio seating than indoor seating. The restaurant recently added nachos to its menu.

--Press Cafe has long picnic tables to sit at by their outdoor pizza oven. The restaurant serves up classic homemade breakfast on the weekends.

Chick-fil-A gives back to health care workers

The new Chick-fil-A opened in Odessa on Faudree Road off of State Highway 191, according to a press release. The owners decided to do a different type of opening day. Instead of giving away 100 free meals for a year to the first 100 customers, they gave 75 meals for a year to health care workers at Medical Center Hospital.

The new location is open for carry out and drive-thru only.

The Chick-fil-A Foundation also will donate $25,000 to a local food bank to celebrate the opening. The foundation has partnered with Feeding America to donate $25,000 to a local food bank for every new Chick-fil-A restaurant opened in 2020.
According to Mr. Tudor, by early March, 23 of the 30 rooms at The Heathers were full of coronavirus patients. Within a week, nine were dead, he said. He and his colleagues were supplied only with disposable surgical masks. One colleague demanded more protective gear and was fired. He said during his last week at the facility, the manager placed a woman with dementia who did not have the virus in the same room as someone who did.

It was horrible, Mr. Tudor said. Its only about business. Its about money.

Reached by phone, a part-owner of The Heathers, Bipin Patel, declined to answer questions. Were not making any comments, he said.

Mr. Tudor soon came down with a fever and a cough, forcing him to stop going to work. He twice tested negative for the coronavirus, but has been unable to secure another job.

In recent years, Britain has sharply reduced government support programs for the jobless and those struggling to pay their bills, folding them into a lump sum scheme known as universal credit.

Mr. Flavius has traded his paycheck for a 1,000 ($1,280) monthly universal credit payment, cutting his income roughly in half. His eyeglasses have broken, but he cant afford to replace them. When the rent came due last month, he paid it only with the help of his mother, back in Romania.

The world doesnt know where its going, he said. No society can handle this situation.

Nic Wirtz contributed reporting from Antigua, Guatemala, Hari Kumar from New Delhi and Geneva Abdul contributed research from London.
Joe Rogan is moving to Texas in search of "a little bit more freedom."

Rogan announced the news of his relocation from Los Angeles to Texas Friday on his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience.

The move likely comes as little surprise to Rogan's fans, given that the popular comedian and commentator has previously hinted at relocating to the Lone Star State, according to The Hill.

JUST BUSINESS: This Texas biz owner will sell you a mask, but won't wear one

Rogan cited overpopulation, traffic, economic despair and his need for "a little bit more freedom" among the reasons for his decision.

The 52-year-old, who also is a UFC commentator, reportedly stands to save millions of dollars in taxes due to the move.

Rogan signed a deal in May with Spotify for more than $100 million to air his podcast exclusively on the streaming service beginning this September, according to The Wall Street Journal.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts election postponement leads to confusion

While the deal would be subject to a 13.3 percent income tax rate in California, Texas forgoes individual income taxes, resulting in $13 million in tax breaks, Newsweek reported.

Rogan retains ownership and editorial control of The Joe Rogan Experience, which reportedly brought in $30 million in revenue in 2019 on YouTube, according to Newsweek.

Rogan has not revealed where he will be based in Texas.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, a longtime U.N. economist, said a joint force from the military and police would be deployed to safeguard the agricultural season across the Darfur region, where about 2.8 million people are estimated to be severely food insecure from June to September, according to the OCHA. The attacks on Masteri came in the middle of the agricultural season, increasing humanitarian needs in the region.
NEW YORK - Lawyers for Jeffrey Epsteins former girlfriend asked a judge Monday to stop her accusers from using evidence in the criminal case to boost civil lawsuits by posting materials to the internet.

The lawyers say attorneys for women who claim Ghislaine Maxwell recruited and abused them should be subject to the same secrecy rules as prosecutors and Maxwells defence lawyers.

The lawyers, though, said it was one topic that prosecutors and defence lawyers for the British socialite could not agree on as they composed a proposed agreement to keep evidence secret prior to a trial scheduled in Manhattan federal court for July 2021.

The proposed order, submitted to a judge Monday, would prevent prosecutors and Maxwells lawyers from releasing any information to the internet or elsewhere, including nude, partially-nude, or otherwise sexualized images, videos, or other depictions of individuals.

The joint protective order is routine in sex abuse cases.

But the lawyers said in a letter to the judge that prosecutors have refused to agree that witnesses in the trial and their lawyers should be subject to the secrecy rules.

Maxwells lawyers cited current civil litigation between Maxwell and many of the governments potential witnesses, saying numerous potential witnesses and their lawyers have already publicly commented about the case.

There is a substantial concern that these individuals will seek to use discovery materials to support their civil cases and future public statements, the lawyers wrote.

Prosecutors said theyll respond Tuesday.

Maxwell, 58, who has been incarcerated without bail since her arrest several weeks ago, has pleaded not guilty to charges that she recruited and aided the abuse of three girls by Epstein in the 1990s.

Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan lockup last August as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges related to the abuse of women and girls in Manhattan and Florida in the early 2000s.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a speech Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the fifth annual meeting of the board of governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Monday.

The meeting will be held via video link, Hua said.
Wyoming Educators Participate in UW Art Museums Teacher Leader Institute

Robert Martinez, a Northern Arapaho artist and recent recipient of the Wyoming Governors Arts Award, gives an airbrush demonstration to the 2019-2020 Teacher Leader Institute summer intensive educator cohort in summer 2019. (UW Art Museum Photo)

Fifteen educators from across the state recently participated in a Teacher Leader Institute pilot program designed by the University of Wyoming Art Museum education team.

Formerly known as the Summer Teaching Institute, the Teacher Leader Institute is now a yearlong program that includes both in-person and online learning. The pilot program began in summer 2019 with an in-person intensive that offered a mix of hands-on art making and deep exploration of museum and arts learning. During the year, the cohort met monthly via Zoom to discuss and apply the theories and methods directly in the members classrooms. Students participated with in-depth discussions through practicing the inquiry model and deep-looking techniques used within the museum.

Like many programs across the country, the Teacher Leader Institute had to quickly change plans due to health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although another in-person intensive was scheduled for this summer, the group ultimately met via Zoom, over the course of a month, for biweekly lectures, updates and check-ins. The activities included an artist talk by Mark Ritchie, a UW professor of printmaking; a deep dive and discussion about William Kentridge, whose exhibition is currently rescheduled for spring 2021 in the UW Art Museum galleries; an advocacy and leadership panel with national, state and local experts; and artistic practice to hone participants skills.

The cohort completed a print exchange with the theme of transformation. One print from each participant, including works by the museum educators and Ritchie, will become part of the UW Art Museums teaching collection.

This was such a rewarding experience, says Laura Robison, a music educator in Laramie. There are so many benefits to stepping out of your comfort zone and engaging with art -- even in or maybe especially in -- these crazy times.

The UW Art Museum invites educators who are interested in using the arts in their classrooms or who want to develop leadership skills, alongside a network of like-minded colleagues, to look for the next cohort that will start in summer 2021.

The 2019-2020 Teacher Leader Institute participants, listed by their hometowns and schools, were:

Buffalo -- Steven Heil, Buffalo High School; and Adam Helzer, Buffalo High School and Clear Creek Middle School.

Casper -- Barbara Jones, Manor Heights Elementary School; and Amy McCormick, Summit Elementary School.

Cheyenne -- David Winsch, Sunrise Elementary School.

Chugwater/Glendo -- Margaret Jensen, Chugwater Schools and Glendo Schools.

Cody -- Paige Bacon, Pearson Online Learning.

Douglas -- Emily Jensen, Douglas Middle School.

Jackson -- Shannon Borrego, Jackson Hole High School.

Laramie -- Cassa Massine, Linford Elementary School; Sharon Mathieson*, UW Lab School; and Laura Robison, Linford Elementary School.

Pinedale -- Jennifer Smith, formerly of Pinedale High School, now at UW.

Rock Springs -- Shari Kumer*, Black Butte High School.

Sundance -- Tobi Miller*, Sundance Elementary School and Sundance High School.

(*participant completed 2019 only)

For more information, call Katie Christensen, curator of education and statewide engagement, at (307) 766-6622 or email katie.christensen@uwyo.edu; visit the UW Art Museum website at www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum; like the museum on Facebook; and follow on Instagram.

The UW Art Museum collects, exhibits and interprets art to inspire creativity and nurture lifelong learning for the people of Wyoming and beyond. The museum is located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 E. Willett Drive in Laramie, although it is temporarily closed. Normal hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday hours are extended to 7 p.m. Admission is free.
Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday paid tribute to former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on his death anniversary. He said that Kalam has left indelible marks on several fields ranging from science to politics.

Tributes to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, an epitome of intellect, wisdom and simplicity. A Peoples President, who left indelible marks on several fields ranging from science to politics, Shah tweeted.

Shah said that Kalams quest for knowledge continues to inspire and capture the idea of a self-reliant India.

BJP national president JP Nadda also put out a message saying that Kalam was a peoples President whose ideal life will keep on inspiring people in the country.

My heartfelt tribute to former President of India Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam ji on his death anniversary. He was a peoples President whose ideal life will keep on inspiring the people of the country, Nadda tweeted.

Known as the Missile Man of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam contributed not only to science but also served as the 11th President of India and was widely regarded as the Peoples President.

As an aerospace scientist, Kalam worked with Indias two major space research organisations--Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

His most significant works include the development of the Indian ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology. He played a central role in one of Indias most important nuclear tests, Pokhran-II. For his work in science and politics, the Peoples President was awarded Indias highest civilian honour or the Bharat Ratna.
The Indian government on Monday banned 47 more Chinese apps that were clones of the 59 apps banned last month. The list of these 47 banned apps will be released soon.

The decision to ban the 47 Chinese apps was taken after a security review by the Ministry of Telecom, as per various media reports.

Some of these include TikTok Lite, Helo Lite, ShareIt Lite, Bigo Lite and VFY Lite, all of which are reportedly unavailable on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. According to a Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology official, The apps were found to be operating despite the ban via these versions. They have been taken down from application stores," News18 reported.

Over 275 Chinese apps are under scrutiny for alleged violation of national security and citizens privacy. The latest list reportedly includes Tencent-backed gaming app PUBG, AliExpress, ByteDance's Resso and ULike, another gaming app Ludo World and Xiaomi's Zili, media reports suggested.

Also read: Government considering a ban on PUBG in India

Other apps from Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games, Yoozoo Global, among others are also under the scanner. The apps being reviewed are accused of sharing data with Chinese agencies

Previously, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) had issued a warning to the 59 banned Chinese apps to strictly comply with the government's order or face legal action.
Shocking footage shows the moment customers cram into a pub and sing from on top of the tables.

The Prince of Wales pub in Moseley will now bring in new admission rules barring anyone who is under 25 or wearing trainers.

The new policy will be implemented on Friday, following the incident with the noisy guests at 11.30pm on July 25, BirminghamLive reported.

In the video, the group can be seen standing on top of tables. Many of them are waving their arms around and singing

In the video, the group can be seen standing on top of tables. Many of them are waving their arms around and singing.

The group are crammed in together, flouting social distancing guidelines.

The policy also means customers will have their bags searched at the door and the time for last admissions has been brought forward to 10pm.

The group are crammed in together, flouting social distancing guidelines

The pub shared the new rules their customers would have to follow on Twitter.

It said: 'Firstly we would like to apologise to our customers and neighbours for the disturbance caused by a large group of selfish customers at 11.30pm on Saturday night.

'We are committed to no repeat of this incident.'

The Prince of Wales pub in Moseley tweeted the new admission rules on July 26

It listed the new rules, including that no one under 25 will be admitted and all customers must have a valid photo ID, there will be bag searches on the door, a zero tolerance policy of anti-social behaviour and last admittance at 10pm.

The post also advised there will be a smart casual dress code enforced, meaning customers are not permitted to wear trainers, tracksuits or hats.

It also said the pub 'have the right to refuse admission' and said anyone breaking the rules will be banned for life.

Regular customers have criticised the new policy as they can no longer go to The Prince of Wales

Manager Keith Marsden told BirminghamLive that it took 10 minutes for staff to get the group to stop singing as staff were trying to close the pub.

Regular customers have criticised the new policy as they can no longer go to The Prince of Wales.

Others said the new rules banned a 'huge section' of the pub's target customers.

The pub has four bars, a heated marquee and its own tiki bar and was awarded the British Institute of Innkeepers award.

It was named UKs Licensees of the Year in 2015 after taking the runners-up spot the year before.
San Mateo County officials stand firm in their opposition to a revised proposal by San Francisco and Santa Clara County outlining conditions to approve a possible November sales tax measure for Caltrain, the Peninsula rail line teetering on financial devastation.

In letters to San Francisco and Santa Clara County supervisors on Friday, San Mateo County officials reiterated their view the conditions set forth are illegal, probably confusing to voters and likely to jeopardize the commuter railroad that stretches 51 miles from San Francisco to the South Bay.

Under no circumstances will the San Mateo County Transit District consider authorizing a ballot measure that includes conditions that will leave voter-approved Caltrain funding vulnerable to legal challenge, Karyl Matsumoto, chair of the San Mateo County Transit District Board of Directors, said in a letter.

The move follows the proposal Tuesday by San Francisco and Santa Clara County related to the possible November tax measure, which must go through a complicated approval process before reaching the ballot. Their proposal states all proceeds from the potential tax (an increase of one-eighth of a cent) be directed into an escrow account controlled by the Joint Powers Board, a three-county (San Mateo, San Francisco and Santa Clara) board that manages the rail system. In the absence of the San Francisco and Santa Clara proposal, funds from the sales tax would go to Caltrain, which is run by the San Mateo County Transit District, known as SamTrans.

If the rail agency receives no federal stimulus funding, San Francisco and Santa Clara Countys proposal says the Joint Powers Board would commit $40 million to Caltrain, but if that happens, the two counties would then end their combined annual contributions of about $30 million. Before the Tuesday measure, the two counties had talked about a now-scrapped idea that sought funds from the potential tax to go back into counties it was collected in.

The governance structure of Caltrain, notably the fact that it is run by SamTrans, has frustrated San Francisco and Santa Clara County officials, who have chosen to refuse to vote to place the sales tax on the ballot unless the governance structure changes.

Caltrain is funded by contributions by all three counties transit agencies, though SamTrans bought the right-of-way many years ago.

The Tuesday update prompted pushback from San Mateo County officials.

Contrary to suggestions floated with the proposed conditions, (SamTrans) does not benefit financially from its role as managing agency, and does not have control over Caltrain operating or policy decisions, James Wagstaffe, SamTrans general counsel, said in a letter Friday to San Franciscos Board of Supervisors.

He said accusations against San Mateo County of controlling Caltrain decision making are misleading considering the nine-seat board has equal representation from all three counties.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

But San Francisco Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Shamann Walton counter that the board overseeing Caltrain doesnt hire the rail systems executive director or attorney. Peskin has previously accused San Mateo officials of steering some Caltrain revenues to run buses in San Mateo County.

Walton said the new proposal will guarantee steady revenue for Caltrain and addresses somegovernance issues.

I understand that San Mateo County would love for SamTrans to continue to maintain control of the railroad, but with approximately 80% of the generated revenue coming from San Francisco and Santa Clara counties, it would be irresponsible for us to put forth a measure that also doesnt allow for a path to equitable decision making, Walton said.

Chronicle staff writer Rachel Swan contributed to this story.

Shwanika Narayan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: shwanika.narayan@sfchronicle.com Twitter, Instagram: @shwanika
The coronavirus transmission rate in Connecticut has risen slightly above one, meaning that COVID-19 may have started to spread again in the state, albeit slowly, even as new case numbers remain low.

If that is greater than one, the number of cases is going to grow, Virginia Pitzer, an associate professor of the epidemiology of microbial disease at the Yale School of Public Health, explained about the transmission rate. If thats less than one, the number of cases is going to decline. There's some evidence that suggests that Connecticut cases are maybe growing a little bit right now.

The transmission rate is a calculated number designed to show how many people will be infected by each person with the illness, on average.

Three independent tracking sites all show the transmission rate in Connecticut, sometimes denoted as Rt, above the threshold. COVID ActNow, which partners with Georgetown and Stanford universities, indicates a transmission rate of 1.18.

Rt.live, built in part by Instagram founder Kevin Systrom, shows a transmission rate slightly lower, 1.03 in Connecticut, the 29th highest in the nation.

Covidestim, the transmission rate tracking tool built by Yale University researchers, Pitzer among them, shows a transmission rate of 1.12, the fourth highest in the United States.

Gov. Ned Lamonts office contends the increase is the result of a statistical calculation, as one testing lab reported nearly two months of results on Friday  with 440 new cases.

To punctuate that point, the administration released the its regular Monday report showing 207 positive COVID-19 cases since Saturday, out of 31,960 tests  a rate of 0.6 percent, among the nations lowest.

Weve now had a one percent or so positivity rate over the last month, so theres for now a fair amount of consistency there, Lamont said. Obviously the ability to maintain a low infection rate is key to everything we want to try and do a month from now when it comes to schools, et cetera.

The state had an additional five fatalities, bringing the total dead in the pandemic to 4,418. There was a net reduction of 12 hospitalizations, with the statewide total down to 59.

Experts treat the transmission rate  a calculation based on a complex algorithm  with caution, as its derived, rather than counted, like deaths or hospitalizations.

While it can be a leading indicator, and can be a useful indicator of whether or not we have become complacent in maintaining social distancing measures, as Pitzer said, a small rise does not mean the coronavirus is beginning to bloom again.

While an Rt slightly above one may indicate the transmission is starting to increase again, it is not really all that different from having an Rt of 0.99, Pizer said. Also, if you are starting from a relatively low number of infections, it does not mean that we are going to see another big wave of cases tomorrow.

On Friday, when the state released the updated coronavirus case counts, Lamont Spokesman Max Reiss sad, the release included a large set of data provided by an out-of-state lab on tests that were conducted on Connecticut residents between May 23 and July 20 and not reported to the state of Connecticut until today. This data set provided by the out-of-state lab includes approximately 12,000 tests, 440 of which were positive.

The numbers reported for the one day are skewing the transmission figure, Reiss said. Taken as one day, its an increase, but over the period the states numbers continue to be very low.

Pitzer, however, said Yale tracking tool, at least, takes those fluctuations into account, estimating transmission rates based on the inferred number of new infections, which corrects for the inherent delays and biases in the reporting process and the natural history of the disease.

In fact, Pitzer said she and her colleagues estimate that Connecticuts transmission rate has been slightly above one for over a month, although there is a lot of uncertainty in these estimates.

Pitzer said the Rt estimate jumps a little bit at the end (which may reflect Friday's data), but has been pretty consistent in estimating that Rt has been at or slightly above one since mid-June.

The method we are using does not really allow for big jumps in Rt (or reported infections), which should help to smooth over data dumps such as that, she said.

Lamont, for his part, continued to drive home the point about distancing. He praised out-of-state travelers who have filled out about 5,000 online forms, allowing the state to track them in case of an outbreak of the virus. Those from 31 states with high rates of infection, including Florida, where most visitors come from, are required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering the state.

That just tells us that fortunately people are voluntarily taking this quarantine very seriously, for which were most-appreciative, Lamont said.

Lamont said there have been 1,800 inquiries on the issue to state officials through the state Department of Public Health and the 211.

The governor said that parties of young people in Fairfield County have resulted in spreading COVID-19 in that part of the state, including a shared vaping pen.

We have to be very careful because that is where the flare-ups have come before, Lamont said.

Staff Writer Ken Dixon contributed to this story
Nokia announced it has partnered with Vivo to provide private wireless services for Vales Carajas mine in Brazil. The service will be part of an Industry 4.0 project by Vale to deploy autonomous drill platforms and trucks. The project will increase productivity at the mine and improve worker safety. The network will be also used for mine-wide communications between workers. Vale plans to expand the technology to other mines currently using older WiMax solutions.

Nokia is currently working with several mining operators worldwide to deploy private wireless networks based on LTE, with plans to migrate to 5G in the future. Autonomous ore trucks have been shown to increase productivity by 15% and reduce fuel and maintenance costs by 10%. Nokias LTE and 5G, being mobile technologies, provide more reliable support than WiMax or Wi-Fi for operating and controlling trucks and drills on the move. Nokias private industrial-grade wireless solutions are enabling many new applications in the mining field, including support for environmental monitoring, video-assisted remote operations and improved worker monitoring and safety. Nokia is partnering with key solution providers in the mining industry, including Komatsu and Sandvik.

Vale is also currently operating 13 autonomous trucks on a WiMax network at its Brucutu mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil, with the intention to also replace it with a private LTE network for improved performance and reliability. Other applications being considered include an IoT application connecting dam monitoring instruments using LTE. The advantage of LTE is its ability to adjust performance characteristics to each individual application and to provide a single mine-wide wireless platform that can support any kind of critical communication requirement.

Gustavo Vieira, CIO of Vale, said, This new generation of wireless technology  LTE and, eventually, 5G  is enabling us to explore many new applications and use cases for remote and autonomous operations. This will help to make our mining operations more efficient, sustainable and safe for our workers.

Alex Salgado, Vivos B2B Vice-President, said, The private wireless service we are implementing at Vales Carajas mine is one of many deployments that we expect to see in the next few years. Forward-thinking customers such as Vale are embracing Industry 4.0 technologies, fostering digital solutions at the heart of their businesses, whether in agriculture, transportation or mining. We are excited to be leading this transformation.

Luiz Tonisi, Head of Market Unit Brazil at Nokia, said, Nokia is making a lot of impact in the mining sector right now, and this project with Vale is a very important beginning here in Brazil. Our industrial-grade private LTE wireless solution is ideal for supporting the industrys embrace of autonomous technologies. It solves a lot of issues that past wireless technologies have struggled with and opens the way for many new and exciting use cases for mines of the future.
Australians have branded a photo of a mother's enormous laundry pile the most relatable post on social media this year.

Busy homeschooling her four young children, Kodie Quinlivan couldn't face folding clothes during coronavirus lockdown.

Instead, the mum from Perth, Western Australia, threw freshly washed laundry into a pile in her living room which steadily grew into a gargantuan mound she christened 'Mount Fold More'.

'Have you ever looked at your laundry pile and considered throwing it away? Asking for a friend,' she posted on Facebook alongside a photo of her lying on top of the mound.

The photo has gone viral since it was shared Sunday night, with hundreds praising Ms Quinlivan for showing the reality of motherhood and household management instead of the carefully curated images typically seen on social media.

Scroll down for video

Perth mum-of-four Kodie Quinlivan sits on her enormous pile of laundry which accumulated during lockdown

'More of this should be shown, we aren't all super woman. Reality is nice to see,' one woman said.

A second said she is currently dismantling her own 'Mount Fold More' and was glad to see she wasn't the only one who had let laundry stack up.

'Whoever says they've never had a Mount Fold More is a liar,' said a third.

Another said she showed her fiance the photo to prove she is not 'the only woman on the planet allergic to folding'.

'That's some serious washing, thank you for sharing  it does make me feel a bit better about mine!' she added.

Ms Quinlivan's re-washed, dried, ironed and folded clothes just returned from the dry cleaners

Others said Ms Quinlivan looked like she was reclining on a throne and encouraged her to share more relatable content.

'Here queen, you dropped this,' one woman wrote beside an emoji of a golden crown.

Once her kids returned to school, Ms Quinlivan said she took the clothes to the dry cleaners where they were re-washed, dried, ironed and folded.

'Now the mission of putting them all away.. Everyone will be doing their own!' she said.
Annual campaign urges Romans not to dump their dogs or cats during summer.

Rome has launched its annual campaign calling on residents of the capital not to abandon their pets as they head off on summer holidays.

Dog owners are invited to check the website of Rome's kennels for useful information such as dog fostering services, or to seek "responsible adoption" from the city's dog shelters at Muratella and Ponte Marconi.

To learn about the procedure involved in adopting a dog in Rome, see our guide.
WASHINGTON - Murtice Sherek is not excited about Joe Biden.

The Minnesota Democrat, a 79-year-old retired nurse, preferred another candidate in the presidential primary. She also worries about Bidens age, 77. But anxious about another four years of President Donald Trump, she says shes willing to go to any length to ensure Biden wins this fall.

I dont really give a damn what I have to do. If I have to carry signs on the streets, if I have to carry my old friends to the polls, Ill do it, Sherek said. This just cant be. Trump is a sick man.

Roughly three months before Election Day, a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that Bidens supporters are less enthusiastic than Trumps  both about the campaign itself and about their candidate  although the Democrats coalition may be equally motivated by anxiety.

Still, the poll reveals an American public at odds with Trump on wearing masks, on balancing restrictions to stop the virus with efforts to help the economy and on fully reopening schools. And voters give Biden higher marks on many positive traits that apply to leadership in the age of the coronavirus, including honesty, capability and caring for Americans.

Shereks assessment of the candidates highlights the nuanced motivations underlying the so-called enthusiasm gap, which has raised concerns among Bidens allies who worry the deficit could undermine his candidacy once voting begins.

While interest in the presidential campaign is high across the board, just 31% of Biden supporters say theyre excited, compared with 42% of Trump supporters. Bidens coalition is fueled by more negative emotions: 72% of Biden supporters, but 52% of Trump supporters, say they feel anxious about the 2020 campaign. The same disparity exists for frustration with the election, 65% for Biden supporters and 45% for Trumps.

Anya Kumar, an 18-year-old recent high school graduate from Columbia, Missouri, vowed to vote for Biden this fall but conceded many of her young friends who oppose Trump dont feel much passion for the former vice-president. Many arent even registered, she said.

For the most part, people I know really just dont want Trump, Kumar said, acknowledging that she is motivated more by anxiety about Trumps reelection than genuine excitement about his Democratic rival. If Biden doesnt win, that would suck.

Bidens team largely dismisses the idea of an enthusiasm gap. It says that with Trumps level of support shrinking, a greater share of energized supporters is left behind in the diminished pool. Indeed, Trumps job approval in the new poll sits at 38%, within the narrow range that has endured throughout his presidency but down from relative highs earlier this year.

Just 32% of voters approve of the way Trump is handling the pandemic, a low point that follows a steady decline from the outset of the crisis. While Trumps supporters almost unanimously approve of his performance overall, 2 in 10 disapprove of his response to the pandemic.

Stacey Rogus, 43, a Republican from Glendale, Arizona, who works in the medical industry, admitted some concerns about Trump. She says the president is narcissistic, doesnt act as presidential as shed like and doesnt think before he speaks. But Rogus is determined to vote for him a second time because of his economic policies and support for the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

She also suspects that Trumps political opponents are exaggerating the threat of the coronavirus pandemic to hurt his reelection. She finds the timing of the outbreak a little odd.

He didnt make the virus, Rogus said. If anything, maybe the Democrat party created it just to make him look bad. (The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has ruled out the virus being human-made and noted that is the scientific consensus as well.)

The poll also found that voters generally prefer Bidens character and values. About 6 in 10 registered voters say that values like cares about people like you, honest and strong leader do not describe Trump well. By comparison, roughly the same majority say those characteristics describe Biden at least somewhat well.

And in considering whether the two are capable  a question that likely reflects voters views of each mans mental acuity and ability to govern  fewer say that describes Trump than Biden at least somewhat well, 43% vs. 56%. Trump, whos 74, and his allies have made attacks against Bidens age and cognitive ability a centerpiece of their message.

Trump has an advantage on standing up for what he believes. Seventy per cent think this describes Trump at least somewhat well, including 54% who think it describes him very well. Sixty-three per cent think standing up for his beliefs describes Biden at least somewhat well, but just 36% think it describes him very well.

Trumps supporters are much stronger in their positive descriptions of Trump than Biden backers are of their candidate. For example, wide majorities of Trump supporters think stands up for what he believes (87%), strong leader (75%) and capable (76%) describe the president very well. Fewer Biden supporters think standing up for what he believes (63%), strong leader (50%) and capable (56%) describe Biden very well.

For Biden, a significant age gap within his coalition drives the lukewarm ratings. Older Biden supporters are much more likely than those under 45 to say such traits describe Biden very well.

Terrance Berinato, a 72-year-old Democrat from Front Royal, Virginia, who said hell definitely vote for Biden and describes Trump as the worst president weve ever had, period. He acknowledged that Trump supporters may be more excited about their candidate, but he predicted it wouldnt matter given that Trumps overall support is shrinking.

Im sure Trump supporters, the 30% or 40% of people who would follow him to hell, are very enthused, Berinato said.

___

Peoples reported from New York.

___

The AP-NORC poll of 1,057 adults, including 922 registered voters, was conducted July 16-20 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.

___

Online:

AP-NORC Center: http://www.apnorc.org/.
Malaysia has stepped up patrols around its maritime borders as Rohingya attempt to reach the country by boat.

Twenty-six Rohingya refugees, who had been feared drowned while trying to swim ashore close to the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi, have been found alive, hiding in the vegetation on a nearby islet, a senior coastguard official said on Monday.

Malaysia does not recognise refugee status, but the country is a common destination for the mostly Muslim Rohingya, hundreds of thousands of whom live in densely populated camps in Bangladesh after escaping a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.

Late on Saturday, one Rohingya man swam ashore from a small boat off Langkawis west coast. Officials had feared the rest of the group had drowned while trying to reach the beach, but they were later discovered on another small island just off the coast.

They were found hiding in the bushes, Mohd Zubil Mat Som, director-general of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said in a text message to Reuters news agency.

Authorities have detained the refugees.

Two Rohingya have also been arrested for suspected trafficking in connection with the people found, Mohd Zubil said.





The refugees were believed to have transferred to a small boat to sneak into Malaysia, having travelled on a motherboat carrying hundreds of Rohingya from Bangladesh, the coastguard official said.

Last month, Malaysia detained 269 Rohingya who arrived in Langkawi, the main island of an archipelago of some 100 islands in the Andaman Sea, on a damaged boat. Mohd Zubil had said at the time that dozens of people on the boat were believed to have died during a voyage that lasted four months.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said last month Malaysia was unable to take in any more Rohingya, citing a struggling economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the UNs refugee agency, there were about 177,940 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia at the end of June.

Most are from Myanmar, including 101,320 Rohingya. As Malaysia does not recognise the refugee convention, the government considers refugees illegal migrants, and they have no rights to work or send their children to school.
Trying to identify a wild bird while frantically leafing through a bird-spotters' guide is no easy task.

But modern technology has come to the rescue, with artificial intelligence trained to help out amateur twitchers.

Where people may be confused by two similar looking birds, or a juvenile which does not yet have its adult plumage, AI has been found to identify birds with up to around 90 per cent accuracy.

The technology was trained using pictures of wild great tits and sociable weavers, as well as captive zebra finches.

The technology was trained using pictures of wild great tits and sociable weavers (pictured), as well as captive zebra finches (file photo)

It works in a similar way to the face-recognition programmes used to identify people in crowds.

Dr Andre Ferreira, from the Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology (CEFE) in France, said: 'We show that computers can consistently recognise dozens of individual birds, even though we cannot ourselves tell these individuals apart.

'In doing so, our study provides the means of overcoming one of the greatest limitations in the study of wild birds - reliably recognising individuals.' A common solution to identifying birds is to attach coloured bands to their legs, but that is time-consuming and can cause them stress.

To try AI, researchers used a wild population of sociable weavers from South Africa and great tits from southern Germany, which were photographed while they used bird feeders filled with seeds.

Captive zebra finches were pictured on perches in their enclosures, with images capturing detail such as their backs and wing feathers.

The artificial intelligence was trained using thousands of labelled images of the birds, which were tagged to individually identify them, and then tested on its performance.

To try AI, researchers used a wild population of sociable weavers from South Africa and great tits (pictured) from southern Germany (file photo)

The study, published in the British Ecological Society journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution, showed AI achieved an accuracy of more than 90 per cent for the wild birds, and 87 per cent for the captive finches.

It is the first time technology has been used for bird-spotting in this way, and in some cases it required less than two hours of training to spot patterns in birds' appearance.

Being able to distinguish individual animals from each other is important for the long-term monitoring of populations and protecting species from threats like climate change.

However currently the AI can only identify birds it has seen before.

Dr Ferreira said: 'The model is able to identify birds from new pictures as long as the birds in those pictures are previously known to the models.

'This means that if new birds join the study population, the computer will not be able to identify them.' The appearance of individual birds can change over time, for instance through moulting, but experts say this potential hurdle could be overcome if AI was trained on enough images of birds.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks were mixed on Monday as investors weighed the possibility of additional fiscal stimulus from the United States against rising coronavirus cases around the world and escalating U.S.-China tensions, following the closures of consulates in Houston and Chengdu. The pan European Stoxx Europe 600 index was little changed at 367.35 after losing 1.7 percent to post its first weekly fall in four on Friday. The German DAX rose 0.3 percent after a survey showed German business confidence strengthened in July. The ifo institute's business confidence index rose more-than-expected to 90.5 from revised 86.3 in June. The reading was forecast to rise to 89.3. France's CAC 40 index and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 slipped around 0.1 percent each as global coronavirus cases exceeded 16 million over the weekend with over 644,000 deaths. Tour operator TUI slumped as much as 11 percent. TUI UK announced that it would cancel all holidays to mainland Spain up to and including Sunday 9th August 2020. Airline easyJet slumped around 11 percent and British Airways-owner IAG plunged 8.7 percent after Britain announced an unexpected 14-day quarantine on travelers coming from Spain because of a surge of coronavirus cases. Ryanair Holdings lost 5 percent. The company said it expected air travel to be depressed in Europe for the next two to three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. HSBC Holdings lost 2.8 percent. Responding to Chinese media reports over dealings with Huawei Technologies Co., the bank denied media reports that it had 'framed' the Chinese telecom giant and played a role in the arrest of the chief financial officer of Huawei. Software group SAP climbed 3 percent after it unveiled plans to spin off and float Qualtrics, the U.S. specialist in measuring online customer sentiment. 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.
Fianna Fail TD Willie ODea has criticised the Government for singling out a section of people by stopping their Pandemic Unemployment Payment, following checks carried out at airports.

On Sunday the Department of Social Protection confirmed that 104 cases of Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) have been stopped, as a result of checks carried out at airports.

The Department of Social Protection says if you go on holiday abroad you have to quarantine for two weeks when you return, which would affect your ability to look for work.

Mr ODea said: It was not right and proper that one category of people who dont take the Governments advice should be singled out for punishment.

Nobody should disobey the Government advice, but why should one category be penalised for it when others are getting away scot-free, he told RTE radio.

Mr ODea said he will call on the Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys and the Government to withdraw this campaign.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) questioned the legality of checks being carried out at airports to identify travellers in receipt of PUP.

Minister Simon Harris says he doesnt want to go down a rabbit hole regarding people on the pandemic unemployment payment having their payment stopped for going abroad.



I dont want to see anybody going to an airport, going on a foreign holiday. pic.twitter.com/zb8Cp7tzvU  Aine McMahon (@AineMcMahon) July 27, 2020

ICCL executive director, Liam Herrick, said the checks on passengers, to establish if they were in receipt of the PUP weekly payment of up to 350 euro, may be discriminatory.

Its just advice for one section of the population, but it actually has the force of law for another section  those that are dependent on social welfare payments, Mr Herrick told RTE radio.

He added: It has changed the definition of what is an allowable holiday.

Speaking in Dublin on Monday, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said no-one should be travelling abroad on holidays, whether they receive the payment or not.

I would say, as a former health minister, that my most important advice to people, whether youre on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment or not  you should not be going abroad right now.

I think that is a message that we cant say enough, we have made really good progress together in relation to Covid-19.

Rather than getting down the rabbit hole of whether you are on the PUP or not  I dont want to see anybody going to an airport and going on a foreign holiday this year.

It is far too important that we keep on top of this virus and get our kids back to school and get them back open at the end of August.

Meanwhile, Dublin Airport said on Monday that it does not collect data about any passengers.

It tweeted: For the avoidance of doubt, we can confirm that we are not sharing passenger data with any third party agencies. In fact, we have no access to such passenger data. We cannot comment on the actions of any third party agencies.
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. On July 27, at around 01:10, serviceman of the Armenian Armed Forces Ashot Mikayelyan received a fatal gunshot wound from the sniper shot fired by the Azerbaijani side in one of the military positions located in the northern-eastern direction of the Armenian border, the defense ministry told Armenpress.

The defense ministry extends its deepest condolences to the serviceman's family, relatives and co-servicemen.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
NASA is all set to launch its Mars rover Perseverance this week under a mission that is expected to last at least one Mars year or about 687 Earth days. The rover will seek signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples for possible return to Earth, the US space agency said.

Were going back to Mars! @NASAPersevere will be launching soon for its seven-month journey to the Red Planet. And its bringing along a friend: a helicopter named Ingenuity! NASA tweeted on Sunday.

The rover is expected to launch on July 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and is expected to land at Mars Jezero Crater in February 2021. The crater is a giant basin which is believed to have once contained water.

The rover will be landing in a place with high potential for finding signs of past microbial life. Perseverance will also be collecting important data about Mars geology and climate, NASA said in a press release.

Also read: NASAs summertime on Saturn image amazes people

Were going back to Mars! @NASAPersevere will be launching soon for its seven-month journey to the Red Planet. And its bringing along a friend: a helicopter named Ingenuity!



Join us in wishing them "bon voyage" on their #CountdownToMars! https://t.co/aBRNGfpyWB pic.twitter.com/BdoP1UlFMg  NASA (@NASA) July 26, 2020

The rover will be accompanied by a helicopter called Ingenuity which will help test the first powered flight on Mars which could assist future rovers on the Red Planet.

About Ingenuity - it is an experimental flight test and will be the first aircraft to attempt controlled flight on another planet. If Ingenuity succeeds, future Mars exploration could include an ambitious aerial dimension, the space agency stated.

NASA on March 5, 2020, announced the name of its next Mars rover - Perseverance. It will be the fifth exploratory vehicle on the Red Planet following in the tire tracks of the similarly augustly titled Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity.

Also read: China launches ambitious attempt to land rover on Mars

The name was announced at an event at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia, to congratulate the seventh-grade student who picked it, Alex Mather.

Like its forebears, Perseverance was named by school-age children in nationwide contests - starting from Sojourner in 1997 to the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, which landed on Mars in 2004, to Curiosity, which has been exploring Mars since 2012.

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A pet cat has tested positive for the coronavirus, in the first confirmed case in the UK of it infecting an animal.

The government said the cat is thought to have been infected by its owners, who had tested positive for COVID-19, though the animal and people have all fully recovered.

There was no transmission to other animals or people in the household, and no evidence to suggest the animal gave the disease to the owners, or that animals can pass COVID-19 on to people, the government added in a statement.

A pet cat has tested positive for the coronavirus, the government has said. (PA Images)

Public Health England has advised people to continue to wash their hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals.

The president of the British Veterinary Association has recommended not letting the cat out if an owner is infected with COVID but said this may not be possible.

Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: Tests conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency have confirmed that the virus responsible for COVID-19 has been detected in a pet cat in England.

This is a very rare event with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within in a few days.

Read more: Gyms and swimming pools reopen after lockdown

There is no evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will update our guidance to pet owners should the situation change.

The cat was diagnosed by a private vet with feline herpes, a common respiratory infection, but the sample was later tested for the coronavirus strain that causes COVID-19 as part of a research programme.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency laboratory in Weybridge confirmed the cat was co-infected with the coronavirus.

Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: This is the first case of a domestic cat testing positive for COVID-19 in the UK but should not be a cause for alarm.

The investigation into this case suggest that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round. At this time, there is no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans.

Story continues

Read more: The areas with the highest coronavirus death rates last month

In line with the general advice on fighting coronavirus, you should wash your hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals.

Daniella Dos Santos, the president of the British Veterinary Association, said: Our advice to pet owners who have Covid-19 or who are self-isolating with symptoms remains to restrict contact with their pets as a precautionary measure and to practise good hygiene, including regular hand washing.

We also recommend that owners who are confirmed or suspected to have Covid-19 should keep their cat indoors if possible, but only if the cat is happy to be kept indoors. Some cats cannot stay indoors due to stress-related medical reasons.

Government advice on caring for pets amid the pandemic is available.

The case has been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health and follows a small number of confirmed cases in pets in other countries in Europe, North America and Asia, the government said.

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Linkedin Dene-Hern Chen (Agence France-Presse) Bangkok, Thailand  Mon, July 27, 2020 09:10 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40669794f0 2 SE Asia Thailand,pro-democracy,Youth,protest Free

Sporting animal ears and stuffed hamster toys, hundreds of young protesters gathered Sunday at Bangkok's Democracy Monument to call for the government's dissolution, the latest subversive show of creativity from the kingdom's nascent pro-democracy movement.

As dozens of police watched, the protesters sang a parody of the theme song for Hamtaro -- a popular Japanese anime character that is a sparkly-eyed hamster -- replacing the lyrics with the refrain "dissolve the parliament".

The demonstrators brought a different mood from a week ago, when thousands of young, black-clad Thais shouted vitriolic anti-government rap songs at the monument.

But the message remains the same, as boom-box wielding Thais started to jog around the monument in an apparent symbolic attempt to show how the kingdom's politics falls into a cycle they wish to break.

"I want a future where people can fight for democracy," said Bowie, a 27-year-old lawyer who only provided his nickname.

"We need freedom to fight because this government attacks everyone that is not on their side," he said before running to join his fellow protesters.

The kingdom's rambunctious political scene has long been defined by coups and deadly street protests.

Stoked anger

The current government headed by former army general-turned-premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha is regarded as part of the pro-military royalist establishment.

But a freefalling economy due to the coronavirus epidemic, and the recent disappearance of a pro-democracy activist has stoked the anger of younger internet-savvy Thais who are well-versed in viral movements.

The Hamtaro theme was chosen for its viral potential in other countries, said Jessie, a 19-year-old university student.

Most notably, the jaunty chorus -- "The most delicious thing is sunflower seeds" -- have been changed to "The most delicious thing is the people's taxes".

"They should use our taxes to develop our country," Jessie said.

"We are scared but for us, it is important to start speaking up about it," she told AFP. "We need change right now."

Sunday's gathering was the latest in a string of rallies across the country, displaying a deep well of discontent among young Thais from all walks of life.

The day before, LGBT activists gathered at Democracy Monument to call for marriage equality and demand for Prayut's resignation.

The premier said last week he was "worried" for the parents of the young protesters, and defended keeping the emergency laws in place -- which critics say is a way to erode freedoms.

The kingdom's powerful army chief, General Apirat Kongsompong, called on Friday for all Thais to keep their minds "neutral", especially on social media.

"Although I am the army chief, I speak as a Thai citizen that whatever you do, you will regret it when looking back," he said.
Jim Mattress Mack McIngvale has expanded on his commitment to bringing meaningful employment to the people of Fort Bend County. In August, the Gallery Furniture will open Premier High School.

Premier High School (is) a mastery-based, blended-learning, college-preparatory program with an emphasis on technology and one-on-one teacher and student interactions, said McIngvale. In addition to Premier High School and in partnership with Houston Community College, WorkTexas and Gallery Furniture will also be offering trade classes for adults.

The trade school is a collaborative effort between Gallery Furniture and Fort Bend County leaders and nonprofits. Fort Bend County Judge KP George, one of the initiative leaders, has worked alongside McIngvale to promote the workforce.

Fort Bend County is proud to partner with Mattress Mack and Gallery Furniture to not only put Fort Bend residents back to work, but to teach 21st century job skills and trades, George said. We are very much looking forward to the trade school and the positive impact it will make on so many lives.

MORE BY CLAIRE GOODMAN: Suspect charged with murder in shooting outside sushi restaurant

The high school is free and open to high school students aged 14-18. Adult students ages 19-26 who have not graduated from high school may complete their education at Premier High School while learning trade skills.

Premier High School is designed for credit recovery and early graduation for students who thrive in smaller, independent learning environments who may feel underserved at traditional public high schools, McIngvale explained. The high school also will offer daily career-tech classes in several different fields giving students the additional opportunity to graduate with certified trade skills.

Adult trade school class options at Gallery Furniture include welding, electrical training, carpentry, home building and auto and diesel technology.

McIngvale also noted that the program can be tailored to individuals with existing school and work schedules or family obligations.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Saint Arnold reopens for dine-in after TABC reevaluates 51 percent rule

Premiere High School is the latest of McIngvales community initiative programs. Last month, McIngvale and George unveiled their WorkTexas Job Center, a three-fold approach to aiding the jobless in the community.

The school opens Aug. 3. Class times are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Gallery Furniture located at 6006 North Freeway. To enroll visit https://premierhighschools.com/galleryfurniturenorth or register in person at Gallery Furniture.

claire.goodman@chron.com
A far north Queensland mayor has flagged the possibility of a travel bubble with Japan and Korea, as the tourism industry grapples with the likelihood of another lockdown or border closures.

Addressing a Queensland parliamentary inquiry examining the state's economic response to the COVID-19 crisis, Cairns mayor Bob Manning said domestic flights into the city were running at about a quarter of normal capacity and international arrivals had halted completely.

About 8000 Cairns residents have lost their jobs since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I really can't see that anything will happen with international operations, outside maybe some bubble we start to exploit with New Zealand," he said.

"It may be possible somewhere in the future with Japan, although they are still having their trials and tribulations, and it may also be a case with Korea.
SEOUL, South Korea  The authorities in South Korea confirmed on Monday that a 24-year-old man who had defected from North Korea in 2017 had secretly returned to the North, crossing one of the worlds most heavily fortified borders during a pandemic and possibly bringing the coronavirus with him.

On Sunday, North Korea claimed that a man had crossed into the country from the South, and that he was likely infected with the virus. South Korean officials went in search of any defectors who had gone missing, and by Monday they had zeroed in on the 24-year-old man, identified only by his family name, Kim.

In 2017, he swam across the western inter-Korea border, which traces a path through a narrow sea strait, to defect to South Korea. On July 19, he swam back across the border into Kaesong, a city in the North, after crawling through a drain under barbed-wire fences, his family said.

It was not immediately clear why the defector had returned to the North. The South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that the man had been wanted by the South Korean police for questioning after a fellow North Korean defector accused him of raping her last month.
The Local Journalism Sustainability Act introduced July 16 would provide temporary tax credits to the three groups who are essential to local journalism  news consumers, news organizations and small businesses that advertise in local newspapers, TV and radio.

Subscribers to a local news publication such as The Press would get a tax credit of up to $250 annually, refunding through their tax returns up to 80% of the subscription cost the first year and 50% each of the next four years.

The act would give small businesses tax credits for advertising in local news media, up to $5,000 the first year and $2,000 for four more years. Local newspapers, radio and television stations would be eligible for tax credits of up to $25,000 for each of their qualified journalists, dropping to $15,000 for the following four years.

The act looks like a good approach to preventing more news outlets from disappearing, especially in small markets and rural areas across the country. It would get the job done by helping many who need it  readers, small businesses and news providers. It could also lead to other methods for restoring viability to local news and public communication.

Besides the Democratic and Republican cosponsors, the act already has 18 other bipartisan co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. We urge Rep. Jeff Van Drew and Rep. Andy Kim to join them. If one of them does so soon, they could be the first in New Jersey among supporters around the nation.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Copenhagen, Denmark  Mon, July 27, 2020 09:53 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406697d734 2 People Prince-Joachim,denmark Free

Denmark's Prince Joachim, youngest son of Queen Margrethe II, is in a stable condition following surgery on a brain clot in France, the palace said Sunday.

"Prince Joachim's situation is still stable. He is doing well in the circumstances," the Ritzau news agency quoted the palace as saying after the prince's surgery on Friday at Toulouse University Hospital.

Joachim, 51 and sixth in line to the Danish throne, was holidaying with his family at Cayx, a chateau the royal family owns in southwestern France, when he was taken ill.

Read also: Kuwait's ruler hospitalized, crown prince steps in

The palace added that Joachim, contrary to earlier Danish media reports saying he had been taken by helicopter, was driven by ambulance to the hospital, 130 kilometres (90 miles) away.

"It is too early to say right now," palace spokeswoman Lene Balleby said with regard to how long the prince would remain hospitalized.

He became ill shortly after an interview for a local paper with French reporters, who described a "relaxed" encounter.

Joachim, whose late father, Prince Consort Henrik was of French origin, is the younger brother of Crown Prince Frederik, who is in line to succeed their 80-year-old mother.

Twice-married Joachim, an army colonel of the reserve, is a father of four -- two sons Nikolai, 20, and Felix, 18 from his first marriage and two with second wife Princess Marie -- Henrik, 11), and Athena, eight.

Joachim is due to begin serving as military attache at the Danish embassy in Paris in September.
Ho Chi Minh City authorities will test those arriving from Da Nang, where three local COVID-19 infections were confirmed on the weekend, since July 1 for the novel coronavirus to stall transmission.

The municipal Peoples Committee said in a document issued on Sunday that citizens returning from Da Nang from that date onward will be subject to compulsory health declaration and coronavirus testing.

This move follows the detection of three COVID-19 cases in the community in the beach city on Saturday and Sunday, after Vietnam had gone 99 days without a single locally-transmitted infection. Their sources of infection are still unknown.

The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) is working on the health declaration procedures, epidemiological investigation, and sampling process in all 24 districts of the city to ensure safety.

Those having respiratory or COVID-19 symptoms are required to wear face masks and visit medical centers to declare their health status and have their samples taken for coronavirus testing, the HCDC said.

They should not use public transportation.

People should contact local health care providers or the HCDC for help if they have had contact with confirmed coronavirus patients or have visited any of Da Nang Hospital, Da Nang C Hospital, and Da Nang Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Hospital. The newly-detected patients had come to these hospitals.

Other people are asked to self-isolate at home and call the hotlines of district-level medical centers for assistance.

Dwellers who have stayed in Ho Chi Minh City for more than 14 days still have to self-quarantine at home until they have tested negative for the new coronavirus.

Those having not been tested should stay calm at home and wait for their turn.

The national government has decided to reinstate enhanced social distancing in Da Nang, a tourist hub, for at least 14 days from Tuesday, after such measures were enforced nationwide in April, when Vietnam was at the peak of the pandemic.

Authorities in the coastal city have banned crowded events and shuttered non-essential services to prevent the virus spread.

The city has stopped receiving inbound tourists as well.

Vietnam has reported 420 COVID-19 cases as of Monday afternoon, with 365 recoveries and zero deaths.

The Southeast Asian country documented four community-based infections on the weekend, three in Da Nang and one in Quang Ngai Province.

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Spain has been removed from the UKs list of safe destinations after it saw a spike in the number of coronavirus cases (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The Government has been urged to introduce smarter measures at the border after holidaymakers in Spain were told they must quarantine when they return home.

Labours shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said there are serious questions about the blanket self-isolation requirement.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: The first is why we are still employing the blunt tool of the 14-day quarantining rather than smarter measures, and secondly the chaotic nature of the decision-making which certainly hasnt bred confidence in the Governments approach.

Mr Thomas-Symonds added: I think you need a smarter set of quarantine measures at the airport. Ive suggested this test, trace and isolate regime but you can also have temperature checking and other things  you look at a range of measures.

Spain has been removed from the UKs list of safe destinations after it saw a spike in the number of coronavirus cases.

The decision was announced on Saturday night, less than five hours before it came into force.

Andrew Flintham, managing director of TUI UK and Ireland, called for a more nuanced policy to include rules based on regions as well as countries.

He noted that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not advising against non-essential travel to Spains Balearic Islands, but the quarantine requirement covers arrivals from both mainland Spain and its islands.

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Speaking to Sky News, Mr Flintham said: If the Balearics are still OK to go to  and clearly the travel advice says you can travel  should we have a different quarantine or no quarantine for those and not lump it all together, as in one big total Spain quarantine?

Were really after a little bit of a nuance because, being honest, going forward, with something like the United States, it could be theres a problem in Florida but not in California, and you wouldnt want to close the whole of the United States to tourists.

Tui has cancelled all holidays to mainland Spain up to and including August 9.

The Governments decision to reimpose restrictions on Spain left holidaymakers frustrated, with some saying they would not have travelled if they knew they would have to spend a fortnight self-isolating afterwards.

Expand Close A passenger arrives at Gatwick Airport, following the Governments quarantine ruling on Spain (Dominic Lipinski/PA) PA / Facebook

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Close to 1.8 million holidays were likely to have been thrown into chaos by the move, according to travel company The PC Agency, which analysed the number of seats booked on flights leaving the UK for Spain between July 26 and August 31.

There are fears more European holidays could be thrown into disarray.

The Telegraph reported that officials in both France and Germany have warned of possible new lockdowns as parts of Europe braced for a second wave of Covid-19 infections.

French health authorities said at the weekend that the countrys R-rate was up to 1.3 and that daily new infections on Friday had risen to 1,130  indicators resembling those seen in May, when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

Health minister Helen Whately said so-called air bridges to other countries are constantly under review.

She told Today: What we said throughout the time when weve put in place the policy on the travel corridors, the air bridges, is that we would need to keep those under review, that we would need to monitor the rates in other countries.

That is exactly what weve done in Spain, so we are enacting the policy that we committed to doing.

The rate was going up very rapidly in Spain and we had to take very rapid, decisive action.

Meanwhile, beauty salons and tattoo parlours are among the businesses which can reopen in Wales from Monday, but people are warned about the risks of offering eyebrow treatments and facials due to prolonged face-to-face contact.
Chhattisgarh extends lockdown till August 6

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

Raipur, July 27: The Chhattisgarh government on Monday decided to extend the ongoing lockdown in coronavirus- hit areas, including capital Raipur, Bilaspur and Durg, till August 6 to check the deadly infection's spread, an official said.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of cabinet ministers and senior officials chaired by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel at his official residence here, the public relations department official said.

Unlock 3: Centre mulling over opening cinema halls and gyms with some curbs | Oneindia News

Sikkim reports first Covid death, extends lockdown till August 1

Briefing the media after the meeting, Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey said, in view of the spurt in COVID-19 cases in several major cities like Raipur, Durg and Bilaspur, a decision has been taken to extend the week-long lockdown enforced in these areas last week, till August 6.

Instructions have been given to district collectors to ensure strict compliance with lockdown rules in coronavirus hotspots and take effective steps to check the spread of the infection, he said.

"We also took stock of availability of beds for patients in cities where most of the cases are concentrated during the meeting and directed officials concerned to make necessary arrangements," Choubey said.

Besides, a decision was also taken to release water from reservoirs from July 28 for irrigation of kharif crops, the minister said. Chhattisgarh, where the infection has spread in all the 28 districts, has reported 7,613 COVID-19 cases till Sunday night. Of them, 2,626 were active cases as 4,944 patients were discharged, while 43 others have died of the infection. The state has recorded over 5,000 cases in just last one month.

With 2,187 cases so far, Raipur district tops the tally in the state. In view of a sudden spike in cases in the state capital, the district administration had imposed strict lockdown in Raipur Municipal Corporation and Birgaon Municipal Corporation (BMC) areas from July 22 to July 28.

Similarly, lockdown was also imposed in several coronavirus-hit urban areas of various districts including Bilaspur, Korba, Ambikapur, Durg, Mungeli, Bemetara and Rajnandgaon, last week for different periods of time. During the extended lockdown, all government, semi- government and private offices will remain closed.

Also, public transport services including buses, taxis, and auto- rickshaws will not operate, the official said. Private vehicles engaged in essential services or transportation of essential commodities will be allowed to operate, he added. Selling of vegetables, fruits, eggs, mutton, chicken, fish will be allowed in the morning in different time slots during the lockdown, the official added.
Around 1,500 Twitter employees and contractors have oversight of user accounts, which includes the ability to reset them, review breaches and handle possible content violations. Those people have access to limited user personal data as well, including phone numbers, email addresses and IP addresses, Bloomberg reports.

According to the report, in 2017 and 2018, some contractors "made a kind of game out of creating bogus help-desk inquiries" so they could access the accounts of celebrities, including Beyonce. They allegedly accessed IP addresses to obtain approximate locations for those people, which raises some critical privacy concerns. It's also possible that a bad actor could reset an account password and gain full access to it.

Former security employees told Bloomberg that these intrusions happened so often that the company struggled to keep track of them. It caught some contractors and fired them. Others, the former employees said, would create false support tickets and then handle those reports themselves in an attempt to evade detection.

The issue of so many people having access to user data (which is more limited than the personal info other services collect) has been of concern to some employees for some time. The matter has been raised with CEO Jack Dorsey and the board several times over the last five years, according to the report. Former security employees suggested the company has prioritized consumer features and products, and that "management has often dragged its heels on upgrades to information security controls."

Twitter's security issues were thrust firmly into the spotlight earlier this month when hackers compromised 130 accounts and obtained data from eight of them  including an elected official in the Netherlands. The perpetrators seemed mostly concerned with running a Bitcoin scam through some of the platform's most prominent accounts.

The company claimed the hackers used social engineering techniques to dupe employees and gain access to internal user account management tools. Twitter is still investigating the hack, while federal investigations are underway. Following the breach, Twitter employees underwent a security training course that covered a range of phishing methods.

Engadget has contacted Twitter for comment. A spokeswoman told Bloomberg employees and contractors only have access to tools they require for their jobs, such as password reset permissions. They need extensive security training and managerial oversight for access, the spokeswoman noted. Twitter declined to answer the publications questions regarding access to Beyonces account.
Dubai, July 27 : A Dubai court has sentenced an Indian man to life in prison for stabbing his wife to death in broad daylight at a parking lot of the victims office, the media reported.

The court on Sunday heard that Vidhya Chandran, 40, a mother of two, was stabbed to death by her 44-year-old husband, Ugesh C.S., on September 9, 2019, reports Gulf News.

Hailing from Kerala, Vidhya was supposed to fly home with her children that night to celebrate Onam.

While the wife's family said the husband had been harassing her for several years, the defendant told police that he suspected she was cheating on him by having an affair with another man.

The Dubai Court of First Instance found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to life in jail, to be followed by deportation.

The verdict will be subject to appeal within 15 days.
He split up from Chloe Green in June 2019 following a two-year romance.

And Jeremy Meeks stepped out shirtless on Sunday with a gorgeous female companion in Los Angeles.

The 'Hot Felon', 36, cut a casual figure in hiking gear as he headed for a day out in Runyon Canyon.

Stepping out: Jeremy Meeks went on a hiking trip in Los Angeles with a glamorous female companion on Sunday

The model showed off his incredibly toned physique covered in tattoos for the outing.

He wore a pair of grey shorts, trainers and brought a backpack as the pair headed on the hike.

Meanwhile Jeremy's friend looked stunning in a matching sportswear set of grey crop top and leggings.

Star: The model showed off his incredibly toned physique covered in tattoos while his friend looked stylish in matching gymwear

It comes after the star recently unveiled his debut fashion line.

Meeks took to Instagram to tease the clothing, which is described as 'a high fashion luxury line inspired by art, edge, and culture.'

He posted a photo to Instagram of himself modelling a black and blue tie-dye t-shirt with a pair of leather pants.

Debut line: Meeks previously took to Instagram to tease his new clothing line, which is described as 'a high fashion luxury line inspired by art, edge, and culture'

Model life: The Trigger actor captioned the photo: 'Model life is different when youre Names on the Tag...'

The Trigger actor captioned the photo: 'Model life is different when youre Names on the Tag...'

WWD reported back in September that he signed a $15million deal with Germany-based fashion company Fashion Concept GmbH.

He broke out into modeling back in 2015, when he was signed to White Cross Management after his mugshot went viral.

The former Crip opened up last month about his negative experiences with police, amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests over the killing of George Floyd.

Meeks told Good Morning Britain: 'I have been a victim many times at the hands of the police and many times I had it coming but numerous times I didnt, and I was just extremely victimized.'
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump shared tweets Monday from Republican senators touting the benefits of a $740 billion defense authorization bill - legislation he has threatened to veto if it retains a provision instructing the Pentagon to rename military installations honoring Confederate generals.

His Twitter activity was the latest twist in Trump's efforts to simultaneously claim credit for legislation authorizing pay increases for troops and other investments in the military while waging a battle over what he has characterized as an effort to erase U.S. history.

Last week, the White House threatened to veto the bill after the House and Senate passed parallel versions of the legislation by veto-proof majorities. Both versions direct the Pentagon to come up with new names for military installations named after Confederate generals.

The House's version orders the Defense Department to make these changes within one year; the Senate's version gives the Pentagon three years.

By midmorning, Trump had retweeted tweets from 19 Republican senators making the case for passage of the bill, although none of them mentioned the renaming provision.

"Today the US Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act with my support, which will provide a much-needed pay raise for troops, improve military childcare services, and authorize hundreds of millions of dollars for Colorado military construction projects," Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said in one typical tweet shared by Trump.

Many of the senators touted benefits of the bill to their states.

On Friday, Trump claimed that the Republican leader of the Senate Armed Services Committee personally assured him that Congress would not force the Pentagon to change the names of bases honoring Confederate generals.

"I spoke to highly respected (Chairman) Senator @JimInhofe, who has informed me that he WILL NOT be changing the names of our great Military Bases and Forts, places from which we won two World Wars (and more!)," Trump tweeted. "Like me, Jim is not a believer in 'Cancel Culture.' "

Inhofe spokeswoman Leacy Burke confirmed that the Oklahoma Republican and the president did speak, but she declined to offer any more information about their conversation or Inhofe's plans.

"The tweet speaks for itself," she said.

The House and Senate defense bills must be reconciled in a conference process before a final compromise can be sent to Trump's desk.

It is unlikely that removing a provision that has been endorsed in some form by both chambers of Congress will be easy. The provisions were adopted in each chamber's Armed Services Committee with bipartisan support before the bills were passed on the floor.

---

The Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian and Colby Itkowitz contributed to this report.
A team of top Israeli defence scientists and health experts that has been working with Indian counterparts to develop rapid tests for Covid-19 capable of providing results in under a minute arrived in New Delhi on Monday for conducting tests that could lead to the approval of the technology.

The team, led by Israeli ambassador Ron Malka, reached the national capital in a special flight from Tel Aviv that also carried cutting-edge equipment contributed by Israels foreign ministry and private companies. The cargo included dozens of ventilators whose export is barred by Israel, and are being provided to India through an exceptional approval, Israeli officials said.

The Israeli team has been working with Indian scientists led by K Vijayraghavan, principal scientific advisor to the prime minister, and experts from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop the rapid tests, which Israeli officials have said are expected to provide results in 30 seconds.

Also read: India, Israel to deepen military cooperation amid border row

The delegation will complete a series of tests and carry out the final stages of research in India to determine the effectiveness of advanced technologies for the rapid diagnosis of Covid-19, a statement from the Israeli foreign ministry said.

The unique cooperation between Israel and India will enable the delegation to collect tens of thousands of samples in only ten days, and to analyse them using computer systems based on artificial intelligence, the statement said.

This massive sampling will shorten processes and advance the approval of effective technology. It should be noted that all the necessary Israeli and Indian approvals were acquired in preparation for this joint activity, it added.

The team includes 20 experts in different fields from the Directorate of Defense Research and Development, Israel Defense Forces, the health ministry and industries which partnered in the development of diagnostic solutions.

Israeli foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi spoke with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Sunday and updated him on the flight and equipment on board. The two ministers discussed further cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus.

Also read | Indian govt helped a lot: Israel praises India for evacuations

Israeli officials earlier described the cooperation with India on diagnostic solutions as unprecedented. The merger of Israeli technology with Indian production capabilities will allow the swift resumption of normal life alongside the coronavirus, they said. The Israeli technologies can also be mass produced at a lower cost in India and be jointly exported to third countries, they added.

Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken on phone three times and discussed cooperation in combating the Coronavirus through scientific collaboration between the two sides.

Gilad Cohen, deputy director general for Asia in the Israeli foreign ministry, said the two countries had successfully transformed this unprecedented global pandemic into an opportunity to assist one another and further enhance their relations.

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Anna Mayo, Garrett Foster's sister, embraces her husband Chase Mayo at a vigil for her brother in downtown Austin, Texas on July 26, 2020. (Sergio Flores/Getty Images)

Demonstrator May Have Pointed Gun at Driver Before Being Fatally Shot: Police

A demonstrator who was shot dead in Austin, Texas, on July 25 may have pointed a rifle he was carrying at the driver of a car before the driver fired a handgun.

The deceased was identified as Garrett Foster, 28.

The male driver told officers that after turning onto a street where protesters had gathered, his car was being blocked by demonstrators, who began beating on the vehicle while Foster pointed an AK-47-type assault rifle at him, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said.

His account is that Mr. Foster pointed the weapon directly at him, and he fired his handgun at Mr. Foster, Manley told reporters in a virtual briefing.

The driver then drove away from the scene, before pulling over, calling 911, and reporting what had occurred, he said.

Police and protesters gather around a demonstrator who was shot after several shots were fired during a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Austin, Texas, on July 25, 2020. (ImHiram/Hiram Gilberto/www.imhiram.com via Reuters)

The caller stated that he had shot someone who had approached the drivers window of their vehicle and pointed a rifle at them, Manley said.

Police officers monitoring the march moved through the crowd at 9:51 p.m., after hearing two separate volleys of gunfire. They located Foster, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and attempted to resuscitate him. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The second volley of gunfire came from another person in the crowd, police said.

That person reported hearing the gunshots and saw the driver fleeing, prompting them to pull out a concealed handgun and fire shots at the vehicle. That shooter and the cars driver were taken to a police station and interviewed by homicide detectives. They were both released, pending an investigation.

The guns carried by the driver, Foster, and the other person were seized as evidence, as was the drivers vehicle.

Detectives are reviewing witness statements, photographs, and video footage to determine exactly what happened. Police officials are coordinating with prosecutors. The Travis County Medical Examiners Office plans to conduct an autopsy to determine exactly how Foster died.

Anyone with photographs or video of the incident are urged to contact the police.

It is very important, if you have video, if you have pictures, if you have information, that you come forward and provide that to us, so that will be included in this ongoing investigation, Manley said.

An attendee holds a candle at a vigil for Garrett Foster in downtown Austin, Texas, on July 26, 2020. (Sergio Flores/Getty Images)

Fosters death was the 28th homicide in Austin this year, an increase of well over 70 percent from this point last year, police officials said. Robberies and aggravated assaults are also up. Police officers are finding it challenging to combat crime at current staffing levels. Demonstrators want to slash funding to the police department.

Fosters mother, Sheila Foster, provided a different account of what happened on July 25.

She said her son had attended dozens of demonstrations with his fiancee, Whitney Mitchell, a quadruple amputee. And she claimed to ABCs Good Morning America that Foster was pushing Mitchells wheelchair in the moments before the shooting.

And this gentleman got out of his car and started firing shots, and my son was shot three times, she said.

Foster was briefly interviewed by a journalist before the shooting.

Foster said he was carrying an AK-47 because they dont let us march in the streets anymore, so I gotta practice some of our rights.

He said he wouldnt use the weapon against the police because he would die if he did so.

I think all the people that hate us and wanna say [expletive] to us are too big of [expletive] to stop and actually do anything about it, he added.

Anna Mayo, Fosters sister, told the Austin-American Statesman that her brother would have never, ever pointed a gun at somebody.

He always carried his guns with him. He had a license to carry in Texaswere an open carry state. He always would exercise his right to carry, but he would never threaten somebody. He was one of the most kindhearted peoplethat was the whole reason he was out there, she said.

Demonstrators affiliated with Black Lives Matter gathered in Austin on July 25 and blocked traffic. At several points, they stopped and various people spoke.

One man said the group wasnt part of Antifa, a far-left, anarcho-communist group.

This is [expletive] Black Lives Matter, he said. I dont want to focus on defunding [the police]. I dont want to focus on gentrification. Its all about Black Lives Matter.
WATERLOO REGION  Education workers and parent groups plan protests at MPP offices to demand more funding for a full return to school in September.

We are asking parents to show up at their local MPPs office and the goal there is to bring their own personal message around demands for a fully funded safe return, said Jessica Lyons, a Toronto-based organizer with the Ontario Parent Action Network.

The network, which supported educators during teacher strikes earlier this year, is organizing demonstrations for Wednesday at noon, along with the grassroots groups Ontario Families for Public Education and Ontario Education Workers United.

Lyons said there are people signed up to attend nearly every MPP office in the province, including the offices of Amy Fee in Kitchener South-Hespeler and Laura Mae Lindo in Kitchener Centre.

Protesters are demanding a fully funded return to school in September with in-class learning five days a week and cohorts of 15 students or fewer. They want additional funding for more custodians, for personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies and building repairs.

They want more funding for before- and after-school child care reopenings, for a nurse for every school and free food programs.

Some of their other requests include additional funding for more student support workers such as educational assistants, more worker protections and to address racism.

What we need to be seeing is a real investment in our kids and safety for our kids, said Lyons.

The province has asked school boards to prepare for three scenarios for the fall: a full return to school, remote learning or a mix of the two. The province is expected to announce reopening plans this week.

Last week the board of trustees for the Waterloo Region District School Board wrote a letter to Education Minister Stephen Lecce, requesting additional funding to cover school reopening costs.

Our initial estimates of costs directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic are $7.9 million, states the letter signed by Jayne Herring, chair of the public board.

Those costs  for only the first three months of the school year  include $3.12 million for personal protective equipment for students and staff, $1 million for additional cleaning supplies and staff, and $600,000 for additional transportation costs.

These costs cannot be carried by our board beyond the first three months without incurring a deficit beyond one per cent of the boards annual budget or by making cuts to other areas of a budget that has barely kept pace with the evolving costs of student needs since 2018-19, the letter states.

The board also estimates a $2 million cost in the first three months to hire staff to replace workers who have to stay home if they are sick.
New Delhi, July 27(uni) Slamming the delay by Rajasthan Governor in calling a session of the Rajasthan Assembly to enable the Congress government to prove their majority in the house,senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P chidambaram on Monday said the Governor must immediately grant request of Council of Ministers and summon a session of Legislative Assembly.'



Addressing a press conference, through video conferencing, Chidambaram expressed the hope that President Ram Nath Kovind will intervene and instruct Rajasthan Guv to convene assembly session.



'It is a settled law that the Governor shall act on the aid and advice of the Cabinet. He has no discretion  let me repeat, no discretion at all  in the matter of summoning assembly. The questions that he had raised to stall the request were irrelevant and beyond his authority.His current stand that the law gives him a discretion to summon the Assembly or not is a complete distortion of the law declared by the Courts.



Placing obstacles in calling assembly session will undermine fundamental basis of Parliamentary Democracy. If a Chief Minister accused of not enjoying majority wants to prove his majority, he is entitled to call a session at the earliest. No one can stand in his way . We sincerely hope Rajasthan Governor will obey the law. He must remember that he has no other masters except the Constitution and law. He must immediately grant request of Council of Ministers and summon a session of Legislative Assembly.'



Chidambaram expressed the hope that President Ram Nath Kovind will intervene and instruct Rajasthan Guv to convene assembly session.



'Placing any obstacle in calling the session would undermine the fundamental basis of a parliamentary democracy. I hope the President can intervene, instruct Rajasthan Governor to convene assembly session,'Chidambaram said.

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The North Adams City Council will vote Tuesday whether to censure one of its members after he called Black Lives Matter a terrorist organization and said the loss of lives due to the coronavirus was limited to China and those places.

On Tuesday nights agenda for the North Adams City council, one item includes the censoring of Robert Mouton Jr.

Moulton appeared on a public access television program Lets Talk About It on July 21, and made the comments that let to the motion to censure.

On the program, Moulton referred to Black Lives Matter as moronic and this months flavor. He also referred to it as a terrorist organization that wants to get rid of the family, the agenda states.

Moulton said Black Lives Matter has hijacked the term of racism.

Were all the same race, Moulton said on the show.

Moulton minimized inequalities in education, home ownership, employment, wealth, and leadership, rooted in our countrys history of slavery and systemic racism, the resolution states.

Moulton blamed the economic recession on the movement for racial equality, rather than the COVID-19 pandemic, the agenda says. Moulton called the pandemic minuscule and overblown, while referring to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo as a killer.

Councilor Moulton in his comments mislead the people and set an example dangerous to the public safety by dismissing COVID testing, evidence-based use of personal protective equipment, mocking evidence-based social distancing practices, and encouraging the commingling of positive cases in his home and business, the agenda says.

The order calls on Moulton to correct his misrepresentations and apologize to the Black community as well as city officials.

The order looks to reprimand Moulton for acting in a way that was unbecoming the dignity of our honorable office and inconsistent with the collegial efforts of this bodys efforts in matters of diversity, equity and inclusion.

The order also calls his comments insensitive and dangerous to people.

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The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the Work From Home (WFH) lifestyle across the globe. If you are accustomed to collaborating on a team filled with extroverted, social people, the remote work transition could prove to be a challenge.

The United States held on from hearing narratives of the novel coronavirus in other countries to detecting the first cases at home to prevalent quarantine measures in the first half of 2020. Company leaders across the nation discussed their response to the coronavirus one week and then initiated emergency plans the following week.

For some people, earning money remotely is a dream job. You get to save yourself from Monday blues, having to deal with annoying co-workers, and no more working in a toxic office environment.

Travel limitations, border closures, and social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 have everyone rethinking work and travel, reported The National.

According to experts say, there are more remote workers these times than any time in history. The trend is anticipated to rise as companies adapt to physically-distanced set-ups.

A number of companies had to implement thorough changes after COVID-19 became prevalent in Singapore for the purpose of allowing staff to WFH, indicated "Inquirer." For example, curtains and blinds retailer mc.2 rapidly set up new product demo videos to allow its sales staff to establish client consultations through video calls instead of at the showroom.

It is at the circumspection of organizations to resolve whether a return will ensue or if there is no urgency to return to the office routine following months of the remote work transition, reported Deep Talk.

Also Read: Bringing Comfort During a Crisis: Perks of Camping Amid COVID-19

Some companies have already resolved to opt for remote work. These include Facebook, Shopify, Twitter, and Slack that are a few advocates of that work lifestyle.

You may think working remotely would be boring and make you less productive. Some people have thoroughly found more freedom with the set-up.

Some states are now lifting lockdown measures and permitting a number of businesses to resume operations again. The aforementioned household name companies are considering permanent WFH requirements following a successful transition brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a digital nomad, you may have all of the equipment you have in an office but without the office environment. The idea triggers the interest of numerous people. You could opt for a beach chair instead of a plain desk chair, your lap could be your desk instead of an office desk, and it goes without saying that you could have your phone and laptop.

A number of tourist destinations are seeking to underscore this "new normal" by allowing "work tourists" to visit then work remotely in the country for a prolonged duration and eventually stay.

If the idea of switching your Zoom beach background to be authentic seems favorable to you, then Barbados' 1-year might spark your interest.

Others with past experience of the remote work transition had to elevate their work routines.

According to Charlotte Thng, head of human resources for Singapore, Australia and the ASEAN and South Asia cluster markets, Standard Chartered Bank, which has around 10,000 employees in Singapore, bolstered its virtual private network capability by eleven times.

Related Article: Best Label Organizers on Amazon for Homeschooling and Office Work

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The U.S. provocations around the South China Sea are getting intensified in July. Right on the occasion of the 4th anniversary of the ad hoc tribunal ruling on the South China Sea Arbitration, on July 13, the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, issued the statement "U.S. Position on Maritime Claims in the South China Sea," saying that, "Beijing's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them." The statement denies China's lawful territorial or maritime claim to Mischief Reef or Second Thomas Shoal, and refuse to recognize James Shoal (roughly 20 meters below the surface) as a part of China. On the second day after Pompeo's statement, the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) arrived in the waters near the Nansha Islands to carry out the so-called"freedom of navigation" operation. This year, the U.S. Navy has carried out at least six such operations and conducted various other operations to demonstrate their military presence. The U.S. Air Force often sends bombers over the area. What's more, aircraft carriers USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan held an exercise in the South China Sea on July 17, the second time in a month. The two aircraft carrier battle groups carried out the same exercise on July 4. This was the first dual-carrier military exercise conducted by the U.S. Navy in the South China Sea since 2014. The series of actions fully exposed the U.S. intention to further contain China. Although the COVID-19 epidemic has left its deep scar in the country, the Trump administration has still escalated its military operations in the South China Sea, which are more aggressive and provocative than before. The U.S. militarization has become the biggest threat to peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Bullying from the U.S.

Historically, the U.S. has long adopted a neutral stance on disputes over the sovereignty and maritime rights of the South China Sea. Whether it was the conflict between China and Vietnam around the Johnson South Reef in 1988, or the Mischief Reef dispute between China and the Philippines in 1995, the U.S. government at that time basically remained neutral and hoped that the South China Sea dispute could be resolved peacefully. Fundamentally speaking, the bottom line of the U.S. on the South China Sea issue for a long time had been that any conflict in the South China Sea should not affect its freedom and safety of navigation. After President Obama took office in 2008, he made a series of adjustments to the U.S. global strategy. The South China Sea issue has gradually become an important starting point for his "Asia-Pacific rebalancing" strategy. The Obama administration then frequently intervened in the South China Sea issue, including the release of the U.S. policy on the South China Sea in 2014 and the launch of the "freedom of navigation" operations program in 2015. All this had changed the original geo-strategic situation and made the South China Sea issue increasingly one of the core aspects of Sino-U.S. relations. During the Trump administration, the contention between China and the U.S. around the South China Sea issue has become more intense. The U.S. regards the issue as the top priority of its Indo-Pacific strategy and has gradually escalated its militarization actions in the South China Sea, making the situation there more perilous. Pompeo's recent policy statement has completely overthrown the neutrality stance adopted by previous U.S. administrations on the issue, and has clearly taken sides and antagonized China. The statement runs counter to the international practice that in international disputes over sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, non-related parties should not be involved in. The recent statement fully demonstrates the U.S. bullying diplomacy. According to the Wall Street Journal, this statement marks the U.S.'s departure from the previous practice of "not taking sides on maritime disputes in the South China Sea," and may indicate that the U.S. will increase its efforts to challenge China's sovereignty claims through military, diplomatic or legal means.

On the one hand, the policy change reflects that in the face of the continuous spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., the Trump administration has continued to pass the buck to China for its failed anti-pandemic policy, divert attention from the mounting domestic problems, and take advantage of the issue to win over voters for re-election in the latter half of the year. On the other hand, the policy change also projects the administration's worry that the pandemic may expedite the change of the international landscape and alter the balance of power between China and the U.S. Out of all these considerations, the U.S. has strengthened its strategic competition with China. The changes in the South China Sea policy are in line with the Trump administration's strategic need to suppress and contain China in the political, diplomatic, and legal fields. At present, the long-term repercussion and impact of the hegemonic mentality held by the right-wing conservative forces of the U.S. Republican Party on Sino-U.S. relations, and the South China Sea issue, cannot be underestimated.

Peaceful waters

Chinese people have had activities in the South China Sea for more than 2,000 years. China was the first country to discover, name, develop and utilize islands and related waters in the South China Sea, and was the first country to continuously, peacefully, and effectively exercise sovereignty and jurisdiction over the islands and related waters. China's sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and its related rights and interests in the area have been established over a long historical process and have sufficient historical and legal basis. While firmly safeguarding national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, China has always been committed to resolving related disputes through consultation and negotiation with directly related sovereign countries, establishing rules and mechanisms to control differences, and achieving mutual benefit and win-win results through cooperative development. Meanwhile, China firmly safeguards the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea that all countries enjoy in accordance with international law, firmly maintains peace and stability in the South China Sea, and is committed to building the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.

In recent years, China has continued to push forward dialogue and cooperation with neighboring countries on the South China Sea issue with positive progress made. China-Vietnam and China-Philippines bilateral consultation mechanisms are advanced steadily, while China-Malaysia and China-Indonesia consultations have properly handled their differences through bilateral channels. The situation in the South China Sea has stabilized and improved. Meanwhile, China has continuously promoted cooperation with countries in the region in the fields of oil and gas, law enforcement, scientific research, environmental protection, and fisheries with positive results achieved. With the comprehensive and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), China and ASEAN countries have maintained close consultations on advancing pragmatic maritime cooperation and formulating the code of conduct in the South China Sea (COC), and have successfully trialed the China-ASEAN senior diplomats' hotline platform.

On October 31, 2017, for the first time, China and ASEAN countries carried out a joint large-scale maritime search and rescue exercise, and at the2017 China-ASEAN Summit adopted the Declaration for a Decade of Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection in the South China Sea (2017-2027). From the second half of 2018, to the first half of 2019, China and ASEAN countries held two naval military drills with the purpose to further enhance their capacity to respond to threats in non-traditional security fields and jointly deal with maritime emergencies. In 2019, Southeast Asian countries and China made landmark progress in the negotiation of the COC. The related parties completed the first review of the draft of the single consultation text of the COC earlier than expected. The second review is expected to start soon. This shows the determination of countries in the region to jointly formulate regional rules and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

The U.S. has been creating tension for its own benefit in the South China Sea in recent months, which will not buck the general trend of close cooperation among regional countries. According to the trade statistics from January to June 2020, released by China's General Administration of Customs, ASEAN has become China's largest trading partner for the first time, and China has closer industrial ties with ASEAN countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. The South China Sea issue will neither undermine the development of China-ASEAN relations, nor should it become the core of China-U.S. relations. As remarks on the U.S. South China Sea statement by the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in the U.S. go, "The United States is not a country directly involved in the disputes. However, it has kept interfering in the issue. We advise the U.S. side to earnestly honor its commitment of not taking sides on the issue of territorial sovereignty, respect regional countries' efforts for a peaceful and stable South China Sea and stop its attempts to disrupt and sabotage regional peace and stability."

Dialogue and cooperation critical

The contention on the South China Sea issue reflects the unprecedented complexity of China-U.S. relations. The current severe challenges facing the bilateral relationship are mainly posed by some people in the U.S., who, out of ideological prejudice, spare no effort to portray China as an adversary or even an enemy, and try every means to contain China's development, and do whatever it takes to hinder China-U.S. relations. China's U.S. policy has always maintained a high degree of stability and continuity. China is willing to build a China-U.S. relationship based on coordination, cooperation, and stability without conflict or confrontation, featuring mutual respect and win-win cooperation. Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized: China has many reasons to get China-U.S. relations right, and not one reason to spoil them. As long as both parties have the positive will to improve and develop China-U.S. relations, they can get the bilateral relationship through the current predicament and get back on track. On the South China Sea issue, the U.S. should build a more objective and calm understanding of China and formulate a more rational and pragmatic South China Sea policy.

Ren Yuanzhe is an associate professor at Department of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs Management, China Foreign Affairs University.
Haro Gandu (pictured), a lawyer with the Kaduna state ministry of justice, has been killed while his wife and son were abducted. The...

Haro Gandu (pictured), a lawyer with the Kaduna state ministry of justice, has been killed while his wife and son were abducted.





The incident occurred on Sunday night when his residence at Tollgate area, along Abuja Road, Kaduna, was invaded.





Timothy Gandu, a former commissioner of economic planning, who is the deceaseds brother confirmed the incident.





He said the attackers gained access to the house by breaking the window.

Gandu said the bandits shot his brother on the shoulder as he was attempting to escape.





It is the same narrative of criminality everywhere. Bandits invading communities and breaking into homes, killing and abducting people, he said.





They came to the house in the on Sunday night, pulled down the window and gain access. They first shot him on the shoulder, he wanted to escaped, they followed him and shot him on the back and he died. They abducted his wife and son.





Mohammed Jalige, spokesman of the Kaduna state police command, could not reached as his mobile phone was unavailable at the time this report was filed.





Kaduna is one of the states with a high rate of insecurity.





Last week, about 60 people were said to have been killed in various attacks on communities in Kaura, Kajuru, Kauru, Zangon Kataf and Jamaa local government areas in the southern part of the state.




The Congress on Monday expressed hope that President Ram Nath Kovind would intervene and instruct Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra to immediately convene a session of the state assembly to enable chief minister Ashok Gehlot to prove his majority on the floor of the House.

Addressing a virtual news conference, former Union finance minister P Chidambaram alleged that BJP-appointed governors have violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution and have in the process gravely impaired parliamentary democracy, its conventions and traditions.

Three former Union law ministers, all from the Congress, Kapil Sibal, Salman Khurshid and Ashwani Kumar , wrote to Mishra, asserting that the delay in calling an assembly session would create a constitutional crisis. The Congress also staged nationwide protests outside Raj Bhawans, except in Rajasthan where party legislators held a prayer meeting demanding that the House be convened immediately.

The comments and the letters came after Mishra sent back with queries, for the second time, a Cabinet note seeking an assembly session (this time from July 31).

I sincerely hope that the President will take note of what is happening  the erosion of parliamentary democracy, the erosion of the Constitution, the violation of the Constitution  and do what is right in the circumstances, Chidambaram told reporters.

He said if the chief minister, who is accused of not enjoying a majority, wants to prove it he is entitled to call a session at the earliest to do so.

No one can stand in his way. Placing any obstacle to calling the assembly session would undermine the fundamental basis of a parliamentary democracy, the senior Congress leader said, alleging that the Rajasthan issue has assumed dangerous and monstrous proportions.

In an interview with HT last week, Mishra said no was demanding that Gehlot prove his majority. However, given the ongoing court case concerning 19 Congress rebels led by Sachin Pilot, and the thin majority enjoyed by the government (101 in a house of 200, excluding the speaker and an indisposed lawmaker), the thinking within the Congress is that it is best if it proves its majority immediately -- a move that would also mean another vote of confidence cannot be asked for in the next six months.

Chidambaram added that a majority government cannot be pulled down and the Congress will continue to resist any such attempt.

He said the governor is bound by the Constitution to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers in calling the assembly session. It is settled law that the governor shall act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers. The governor has no discretion  let me repeat, no discretion at all  in the matter. The questions that the governor had raised to stall the request were irrelevant and beyond his authority. His current stand that the law gives him a discretion to summon the assembly or not is a complete distortion of the law declared by the courts, Chidambaram added.

Congress leaders have accused Mishra of acting at the behest of the BJP-led central government.

Asked if the Congress has lost all hope of bringing back Pilot and his supporters to the party fold, Chidambaram said: I spoke to him many, many days ago. I have not spoken to him in the last 10 days or so, he has not called me either. It seems to me that he is embracing the BJP. In fact, he should be the first to stand up and say, please call the assembly session and then we will know which party he belongs to and what he will do.

Pilot has earlier denied speculations of joining the BJP.

In their joint letter to the Rajasthan governor, the three senior Congress leaders and former law ministers said the governors office, as envisaged under the countrys constitutional scheme, is above and beyond the constraints and compulsions of partisan politics, so that its holder can act freely and fairly to uphold the Constitution.

Having served as Union Ministers of Law and Justice in different periods of time and as students of Constitutional law, we are of the clear view that established legal position obliges the Governor to call the assembly session in accordance with the advice of the state cabinet, they added.

Any deviation from established constitutional position in the present circumstances would be an avoidable negation of your oath of office and will create a constitutional crisis, the letter read.

The BJP, however, said the Congress is targeting the governor to deflect attention from its internal fight.

The internal fight within the Congress party is the reason behind the political crisis in Rajasthan. Congress is known for misusing democracy and power. If Ashok Gehlot cannot handle power, he should resign, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said, pointing to the number of state governments dismissed by Indira Gandhi when she was Prime Minister and head of the Congress.
The Indian government has banned 47 more applications with links to China. These apps were clones of the main apps and were active on app stores despite the ban.

India has imposed a ban on 47 more applications with links to China. These applications were from the same parent company whose main applications were banned last month.

According to ANI, these banned clones include Tiktok Lite, Helo Lite, Shareit Lite, Bigo Live Lite and VFY Lite. A complete list of the banned applications will be released soon. PTI in its report said that an order to this effect was issued on Friday.

According to an Economic Times report, as many as 275 China-linked apps are on the radar. The list included the popular game PUBG as well. Other apps on the list are Zili by Xiaomi, AliExpress, and Resso from ByteDance, the report added.

Last month, the government had banned as many as 59 applications linked to China on the grounds of national security. The government had said these apps were blocked in the emergent nature of threat as these apps are engaged in activities that are prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state, and public order.

Some of the top applications banned were TikTok, Shareit, Kwai, UC Browser, Baidu map, Bigo Live, and Vigo Video. Following the ban, these applications were taken down from the Google and Apple app stores.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology bans 47 apps which were variants and cloned copies of the 59 Chinese apps that were banned in June. These banned clones include Tiktok Lite, Helo Lite, SHAREit Lite, BIGO LIVE Lite and VFY Lite. pic.twitter.com/oWHmAmoWlr  ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2020

Since the ban, Indian applications such as Chingari, Mitron, Roposo and Trell have garnered huge traction with millions of downloads in just a few days.

Indian companies welcome the ban

This is a very good move by the Indian Government and Modi ji. As we've said before, we, the Indian citizens need to be very concerned of our data, and make sure it remains within India. We at Chingari have always been on top of this. Hence we decided to never take any funds from China nor use any of their technology in our app, said Sumit Ghosh, Chingari CEO & co-founder, Sumit Ghosh in a statement.

The Chinese apps were catering to a need and the ban creates a void that can be filled with alternative apps both Indian and others. By the sentiments favour Indian apps and therefore it is a good time to be an app owner in this space currently specifically owing to our population size. What needs to be seen is the monetisation aspect as the Chinese apps either had deep pockets or had created a monetisation model to cater to the costs. This is where new apps will struggle, added Ankit Chaudhari, Co-Founder, Aiisma, a hyper-local social platform.

Khabri co-founder and President Sandeep Singh pointed out that the move could have a slightly negative impact on the amateur content creator system but in the longer-run, it will help the local entrepreneurs.

Talent was never a challenge it's just that the investor community has to look inwards in order to unearth that. Goes without saying that all world-class platforms today have been built on the back of Indian tech prowess directly or indirectly. This step by the government will go a long way as we are the youngest nation in the world and scale was never a challenge, he added.
Iraqs new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has ordered the countrys security forces to investigate the deaths of two anti-government protesters killed in central Baghdad late Sunday.

Crowds at the Sunday demonstration, which started in the capitals Tahrir Square and continued to nearby Tayaran Square, protested ongoing electricity shortages, according to Reuters. A security force told the news agency that as security forces fired tear gas, protesters responded with stones and petrol bombs.

Iraqi security forces have "72 hours to reveal the results and outcomes of the investigations of the Sunday night incident," said Kadhimi on state television Monday, according to Rudaw.

Every bullet directed at our youth and our people while demanding their rights is a bullet directed at our dignity and principles, he said.

Kadhimi, who assumed the role of prime minister in April after five months of political deadlock, has vowed justice for those killed or wounded by security forces during the sweeping anti-government protests that erupted in October 2019.

Human rights groups accused security forces of using violent tactics to suppress the unrest, including firing live ammunition at peaceful protesters. The United Nations mission in Iraq documented the deaths of 490 protesters and the injury of 7,783 others at demonstrations between October and March.

In a Twitter statement, Iraq's military spokesman Yahya Rasool said an investigation into the two latest protester deaths is ongoing, adding that security forces were under orders not to use force unless absolutely necessary.

The protesters are our brothers and our sons, just as the security forces charged with protecting them, he said Sunday. Attacks on either side are something we will investigate.
Andre Miller and Danielle Andersons five-year-old son sobbed and backed away from his father when he returned home from the hospital Wednesday morning.

He kept looking at his dad and just crying and backing up, said Anderson, 35. He was scared, and he didnt know what was going on. He saw the blood all over his dads face and was confused.
The speed at which COVID-19 test results are being received by health departments is hindering the ability of case investigators and contact tracers to help slow the virus community spread in a timely and efficient manner.

Oakland County Medical Director Russell Faust said the time it takes for the county health department to receive a positive COVID-19 test result could take upwards of a week. Hes calling that a public health risk and a public health nightmare, one which has proven to be a significant barrier to the countys efforts in conducting case investigations and contact tracing.

Case investigations and contact tracings are being performed by hundreds of trained volunteers and paid public health officials at the state and local level.

Local public health workers perform the case investigations, which involves reaching out to recently-confirmed COVID-19 patients to gather information, including phone numbers for close contacts. The contact tracing, performed by trained volunteers, involves calling those close contacts to warn them that they may have been exposed to the virus while providing information about steps they should take to monitor their health.

Laboratories across the U.S. are buckling under a surge of coronavirus tests, creating long processing delays that experts say are actually undercutting the pandemic response. Some labs are taking weeks to return COVID-19 results, exacerbating fears that asymptomatic people could be spreading the virus if they dont isolate while they wait.

Test results that come back after two or three days are nearly worthless, many health experts say, because by then the window for tracing the persons contacts to prevent additional infections has essentially closed.

Faust said the painful problem nationally and locally is that labs conducting COVID-19 tests are taking on customers and accepting more samples beyond their capacity to be able to push results out to state and local health departments within 24 to 48 hours, or even a week in some cases.

Right now, the county health department is getting test results back from these outside labs, on average, within 5-7 days.

The delay in test results getting back to us has a great potential negative impact on the spread of COVID-19, he said. By the time (the county) contacts a confirmed case, they may have been walking around for a week or two. We still have tests with outstanding results that we tested over two weeks ago from some of the labs we work with. The labs are just overwhelmed. For those instances, I just throw my hands. Ive got to retest those people.

The testing delays in the U.S. come as the number of people confirmed to be infected globally passed a staggering 15 million on Wednesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. leads the world in cases as well as deaths, which stand at more than 142,000 nationwide. New York, once by far the U.S. leader in infections, has been surpassed by California, though that is partly due to robust testing in a state with more than twice the population of New York.

Faust said health departments need to receive positive COVID-19 test results in a timely manner so that case investigations and contact tracing can begin in order to truly keep people safe. Oakland County has over 200 county workers and volunteers trained to conduct contact tracing.

Ideally, youd like to be able to have a test result back within 24 hours and pull those positive people out of the general population so they dont continue to spread the disease, he said.

Statewide, there are 1,000 public health employees and trained volunteers deployed to conduct case investigations and contact tracing on any given day, according to Jonathan Warsh, chief of staff for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). There are more than 10,000 other trained volunteers on hand if contact tracing efforts need to be ramped up.

The vast majority of case investigations are done at the local health departments. There are more than 300 case investigators currently deployed while 100 state employees remain on standby to provide support for the departments if needed on case investigations.

In May, the state entered into contracts with Rock Connections, LLC, for volunteer management and Deloitte for technology integration in support of COVID-19 contact tracing statewide.

Christie Clement, an Oakland County public health nurse and chief of public health programs, oversees the countys case investigation and contact tracing teams.

She said the timeliness of receiving test results is really important for case investigations and contact tracing so confirmed cases can become aware of their diagnosis as soon as possible and close contacts can be reached in time without spreading the virus further.

Overall, the confirmed cases have been cooperating with public health officials when notified of their diagnosis, says Clement. Its the close contacts that tend to be less cooperative, another barrier to slowing the spread of COVID-19.

As public health departments continue to wait longer to receive test results, it becomes more difficult to conduct effective case investigations and contact tracing, Warsh said.

As of July 22, statewide tests totaled more than 1.6 million, or about 17% of the population. The positivity rate has declined from a high-point of 41.69% on April 4 to 3.53% on July 22.

The positivity rate is now hovering between 2% and 5% in Oakland and Macomb counties. As of July 22, 108,500 tests have been conducted in Macomb County (11,614 positive) while 160,087 tests have been conducted in Oakland County (13,185 positive).

Right now, the state is receiving test results from in-state labs in about two days while out-of-state labs are taking upwards of a week to input results into the states surveillance reporting system.

Those national labs are the bigger issue, he said. Once we reach the contact, they may have an incubated virus and may have been spreading it asymptomatically. Getting the time that it takes to return the test result back to the health departments down is critical to make sure that contact tracing can be as effective as possible.

The state is encouraging those people who are tested and symptomatic to be cautious, self-isolate, and to operate under the assumption that they have the virus.

For those who are asymptomatic, waiting on test results, and considered non-essential workers,the state is also encouraging those people to self-isolate if possible.

According to MDHHS data compiled from June 10 through July 17, case investigation interviews were successfully completed for 6,988 of the 9,435 attempted calls (74%) within 24 hours of receiving a positive test result. During that time period, 13,099 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed statewide.

In order to conduct contact tracing, the confirmed cases must provide valid phone numbers for their close contacts. From June 10 through July 17, MDHHS reports that 6,804 of the 13,099 confirmed cases had one or more close contacts with a valid phone number.

The total number of close contacts provided to case investigators statewide was 23,660. MDHHS says this number most likely includes duplicates with the same person named as a contact to multiple cases. Among that total number of close contacts, 10,561 of the 15,279 contacts (69%) attempted to be reached within 24 hours of receiving a positive test result were successfully reached.

Todd Wolney, lab manager for McLaren-Macomb, said the McLaren Health system is testing around 300 specimens per day, down from a high-point of over 700. Since March, McLaren-Macomb has tested over 12,000 specimens for COVID-19 with test results getting back to state and county health departments in about 72 hours.

He said the health system cannot run more tests without an increase in the supply of reagents, the chemical that reacts with the specimens to yield a result. As other states, particularly in the south, have seen more significant spikes in cases than Michigan in recent weeks, reagent manufacturers have been prioritizing distribution.

Nationwide, 700,000 Americans are being tested per day, up from less than 100,000 in March.

Trump administration officials point out that roughly half of U.S. tests are performed on rapid systems that give results in about 15 minutes, or in hospitals, which typically process tests in about 24 hours. But last month, that still left some 9 million tests going through laboratories, which have been plagued by limited chemicals, machines and kits to develop COVID-19 tests.

Faust points to the continued lack of supplies, specifically the reagents, as another major barrier in performing case investigations and contact tracing in a timely manner.

At the Macomb County Health Department, any delay in getting test results impacts the countys ability to quickly communicate with confirmed cases and to work to slow the community spread of COVID-19.

Kevin Lokar, the health departments medical director, said its critical to be able to quickly communicate with close contacts who need to get tested and self-isolate if symptomatic, or self-quarantine if not symptomatic to help stop further spread of the virus as quickly as possible.

If the test result takes a week or more to come back, the person has likely infected others before we even know they have the infection, he said. Delayed test results can also impact individuals who had symptoms that need a negative test to go back to work or school.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
Michigan reported 1,478 new cases of the novel coronavirus over the weekend, taking the total cases in the state to 78,019.

In other coronavirus news, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will soon consider a bill to move nursing home patients with COVID-19 to separate facilities, cases are on the rise in Jackson County and one high school graduated 100 students in a parking lot.

Heres the latest for Monday, July 27.

Michigan reports 1,041 coronavirus cases following weekend backlog

The state reported 1,041 new cases on Sunday, July 26, compared to 437 the day before.

That spike is likely attributable to delayed lab results from Friday evening and Saturday morning, moving some cases that might have been reported on Saturday into Sundays count.

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A bill to house nursing home coronavirus patients in separate facilities is on its way to Whitmers desk

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will soon take up a bill that would require the state to set up separate facilities to house patients with COVID-19, and ban transferring COVID-19-positive patients from other medical care facilities to nursing homes. The facilities would have to be inspected and designated by Sept. 1.

The bill, SB 956, was approved by the state House of Representatives this week, and comes as Whitmer has faced criticism for her handling of nursing homes early in the outbreak.

About a third of COVID-19 deaths in Michigan are linked to nursing homes, according to data released by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services last month.

Michigan reports spike in coronavirus deaths after records review finds missed cases

Fourteen COVID-19 deaths were reported on Saturday, up from three on Friday. None were reported on Sunday.

These fluctuating death counts came as missing cases were found during a review of the state data. Eight of Saturdays reported deaths were identified during a vital records review.

That same review also found a decrease of 16 cumulative deaths, due to errors in local case investigations.

Michigan reported 594 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, and 437 on Saturday.

COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Jackson County; health department urges compliance with guidelines

The Jackson County Health Department has said its case rate is on the rise, with 596 positive cases in the county as of Saturday, July 25 - up from 537 cases on July 15, and 484 cases at the end of June.

Five patients at Henry Ford Allegiance are hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, July 22, representing an increase from the week before.

The cases are linked to international and domestic travel; outdoor gatherings without masks; and family gatherings, parties, and sporting events, according to health officials.

Columbia Central graduates 100 in parking lot ceremony

Amidst that Jackson County increase, 100 seniors from Columbia Central High School graduated in a socially distanced ceremony held in the schools parking lot.

This class has always had a mature sense about them. They have handled this scenario with grace, said the schools principal, Christi ONeil.

COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued an executive order requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while inside enclosed, public spaces.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

For more data on COVID-19 in Michigan, visit https://www.mlive.com/coronavirus/data/.

Read more on MLive:

A bill to house nursing home coronavirus patients in separate facilities is on its way to Whitmers desk

Coronavirus changes plans for two high-profile Muskegon development projects

Moderate drought takes over 10 Michigan counties, numerous others abnormally dry
With borders closed and travel restricted, this years summer holidays are a unique opportunity to take a provincial staycation and explore some of the historic buildings and places in our own backyard. Most of Winnipegs important heritage structures are well known, but we sometimes overlook the provinces rich architectural history outside the city, where several National Historic Sites offer an only in Manitoba experience as unique as anything found on a vacation abroad.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/7/2020 (541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With borders closed and travel restricted, this years summer holidays are a unique opportunity to take a provincial "staycation" and explore some of the historic buildings and places in our own backyard. Most of Winnipegs important heritage structures are well known, but we sometimes overlook the provinces rich architectural history outside the city, where several National Historic Sites offer an "only in Manitoba" experience as unique as anything found on a vacation abroad.

If you grew up in Manitoba, the last time you visited Lower Fort Garry, just north of Winnipeg, was probably during a Grade 8 field trip. The stone fort rarely receives the appreciation it deserves, as the oldest intact fur-trading post in North America. There are many recreations and reconstructions across the West, but our old fort is a very rare, real thing.

BRENT BELLAMY PHOTO Most Manitobans havent visited Lower Fort Garry since that junior-high field trip. Its worth another look.

Built in 1830 as the Hudsons Bay Companys administrative centre for the vast territory of Ruperts Land, Lower Fort Garry is a monument of the fur trade, an era which played a foundational role in the development and exploration of Canada. The old stone walls witnessed the signing of Treaty One in 1871, and the pristine structures within are the oldest intact buildings in Western Canada, providing a connection to our countrys history as authentic as the cobbled streets of Old Montreal.

Wandering the manicured grounds, chatting with interpretive guides and absorbing the history of an original, perfectly preserved two-century-old trading fort is an experience that cannot be had anywhere else in the country.

When we think of tourism in Churchill, images of polar bears come to mind, but an amazing, often-overlooked building sits a short boat ride from town. Fort Prince of Wales is another piece of fur-trading history, but one that is much older. Construction began in 1731, making it the oldest building in Canada west of Montreal.

KEN GIGLIOTTI \ FREE PRESS FILES The former Hudsons Bay Company trading post is today a series of walls and stone fortifications laid out in the familiar star shape, typical of many ancient European defensive forts, including the famous citadels at Halifax and Quebec City.

Outside of Quebec, only a few small buildings in Annapolis Royal, N.S., are older. Because of the harsh conditions and small crews, the massive fort took almost 40 years to complete. The former Hudsons Bay Company trading post is today a series of walls and stone fortifications laid out in the familiar star shape, typical of many ancient European defensive forts, including the famous citadels at Halifax and Quebec City.

BILL REDEKOP / FREE PRESS FILES Despite having 42 cannons mounted on its huge walls, the fort, occupied by only 39 men, was captured in 1782 by three French warships carrying 400 soldiers.

Despite having 42 cannons mounted on its huge walls, the fort, occupied by only 39 men, was captured in 1782 by three French warships carrying 400 soldiers. After the French unsuccessfully tried to destroy it, the fort was returned a few years later. Surrounded by a breathtaking natural setting at the edge of Hudson Bay, Fort Prince of Wales is a little-known monument from almost three centuries ago that connects visitors to a time and place in our country that very few ever get to experience.

West of Riding Mountain National Park, near the Saskatchewan border, sits the idyllic prairie town of Inglis, where five towering grain elevators rise into the sky. The dramatic image represents the last remaining elevator row in Canada. This impressive grouping is the lone survivor of the long rows that once dominated Prairie towns.

At their peak, almost 6,000 grain elevators dotted the Canadian Prairies, sitting every 12 to 16 kilometres along the rail lines. Today, those iconic wooden towers are becoming an increasingly rare feature on the prairie horizon, with fewer than 10 per cent still standing, and only half of those remaining in operation.

IAN FROESE / THE BRANDON SUN FILES Five towering grain elevators rise into the sky at Inglis.

Despite their declining numbers, the iconic grain elevator remains a lasting part of Canadas identity, embedded deep within our national story. It has been argued that the characteristic design of the wooden grain elevator represents Canadas only distinct architectural style. The first elevator with the iconic angular silhouette that would come to be celebrated in Canadian art and literature, on currency and postage stamps was built in Gretna in 1881.

Once purely functional structures, they are today a symbolic part of the Prairie narrative, representing the transformation of Canada into a modern nation, connected to the world. The dramatic row of five elevators in Inglis, built between 1922 and 1941, now protected as a National Historic Site, offers a rare opportunity to personally experience an enduring symbol of the Canadian Prairies that largely exists only in our collective imagination.

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Just east of Altona, you can find the little village of Neubergthal, recognized as the best-preserved example of a Mennonite street village in Canada. The street village represents a unique and meticulously laid-out town plan with distinct buildings, developed from Mennonite tradition brought to Manitoba from eastern Europe in the late 19th century.

BRENT BELLAMY PHOTO The traditional Mennonite housebarn in the village of Neubergthal allowed farmers to protect and care for their animals during cold Manitoba winters.

In the plan, a single street called a Strassendorf runs down the centre of the village, lined with a straight row of large cottonwood trees. Long, narrow homesteads, each about 60 metres wide, are aligned side by side, perpendicular to the road. On each property, set back a precise 24 metres, sits a housebarn.

These distinct buildings were traditional Mennonite structures combining the family residence with the livestock barn, connected by a central hallway. This configuration allowed farmers to protect their animals and provide care if issues arose, particularly during cold winters. Neubergthal has several remaining examples of housebarns, including the Friesen Housebarn Interpretive Centre, restored in 2003 and open for visits. The village of Neubergthal is a little-known but fascinating chapter in Manitobas built history, well worth an afternoon visit.

These four National Historic Sites represent only a few of the unique historic places in Manitoba that can fill a summer staycation with lasting memories and bring a new appreciation for our provinces architectural history.

Brent Bellamy is creative director at Number Ten Architectural Group.
The US Supreme Court earlier rejected Trumps argument that he was immune from state criminal probes while in office.

US President Donald Trump on Monday filed a new challenge to the Manhattan District Attorneys subpoena for his tax returns, weeks after the United States Supreme Court said the president was not immune from state criminal probes.

In their new court papers, Trumps lawyers said the subpoena of his tax records was wildly overbroad and amounts to harassment of the President.

They said the subpoena seeks detailed information about all of Trumps assets in the US and abroad for a 10-year period.

Simply put, it asks for everything, the lawyers wrote.

Trumps lawsuit said the subpoena concerns entities in California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. It said other affected entities are located outside the U.S., including in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Dubai, India, Indonesia, Ireland, the Philippines, Scotland, and Turkey.

Trumps lawyers complaint alleges prosecutors are seeking information about every asset owned by the Trump organisation. [File: Eric Thayer/Reuters]

Taken together, the subpoena demands an accounting and analysis of every single asset and liability of the President, including each one of the listed entities, the lawyers wrote, calling the request an overreaching demand designed to pick apart the President.

Trump, who is seeking re-election on November 3, has fought to keep his tax returns secret.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance subpoenaed Trumps accounting firm for eight years of his business and personal returns and other documents as part of a criminal investigation involving Trump and the Trump Organization, his familys real estate business.

Carey Dunne, general counsel for Vance, on July 16 warned US District Court Judge Victor Marrero against allowing Trump to delay long enough to get beyond statutes of limitations.

Trump filed suit last year to block Vance from getting his records, arguing the subpoena was invalid. On July 9, the US Supreme Court in a 7-2 vote, rejected his argument that he was immune from state criminal probes while in the White House.

The high court said, however, that Trump could challenge the subpoena on other grounds.

JUST IN: President Trump's lawyers file AMENDED complaint in lawsuit against NY DA Cy Vance to stop a grand jury from obtaining the president's finances. POTUS claims the subpoena is overbroad + made in bad faith. SCOTUS already rejected his claims of "absolute immunity." pic.twitter.com/nSaFiC9OXb  Rob Legare (@RobLegare) July 27, 2020

Vances office noted in a filing this month that the judge had previously rejected Trumps claims that the subpoena was in bad faith, intended to harass or impair his presidential duties.

Vances investigation began after reports that Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen paid pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to buy her silence before the 2016 election about having sexual encounters with Trump, which he has denied.

Even if Vance prevails, grand jury secrecy rules make it unlikely Trumps financial records will become public soon. But that could change if charges are filed against other defendants.
Sarah Poe watched with rising alarm as coronavirus cases began to spiral last month in rural Malheur County, Ore., turning the remote region bright red on maps of hot spots. The county health director knew locals were ditching masks and isolation. But she also saw a threat directly across the Snake River: Idaho.

Half the workforce in Malheur, where the minimum wage is $4 higher than across the border, lives in Idaho. Other Idahoans come for Oregon's sales tax-free shopping and legal marijuana. But the intermingling looks more menacing to Poe and other Malheur officials these days - because unlike in Oregon, masks are not mandated across the border and the coronavirus metrics there are far bleaker. Now, the public health department in that Oregon county has traced cases to origins in Idaho.

"Part of our threat is being so close to Idaho," Poe said. "We are a border community up against a state that has much looser restrictions."

That concern simmers on other state lines where neighboring jurisdictions - just a bridge or short drive away - have different suppression measures and virus case numbers. To officials in these adjacent places, and to many experts, the tensions illustrate problems inherent with a highly fragmented national response to a virus that knows no boundaries.

"I've said from Day 1, it would have been a lot easier for the decision-makers if everyone would have been on the same page, and we'd have shut down this or that type of business in our county and state, and the bordering states would have done the same. That's the only sure way of doing it," said Herb Simmons, emergency management director in St. Clair County, Ill., which sits across the Mississippi River from Missouri, where restrictions are lower. "What we needed is a national-level plan."

Public health officials in Las Cruces, N.M., know from contact tracing and investigation that some cases had roots in El Paso, the Texas city about 45 miles south, said New Mexico health department spokesman David Morgan. As coronavirus weariness sets in, he said, it's hard to get people to refrain from crossing the border to engage in behavior allowed in Texas but not New Mexico. In May, New Mexico's human services secretary warned that such travel would "absolutely, unequivocally" lead to more covid-19 cases and hospitalizations.

"We ask, 'Did you travel recently?' They'll say, 'No, but I went to El Paso to have my hair cut.' Well, that's travel and that counts," Morgan said. Hair salons opened a month earlier in Texas.

"If they can't get the service they want in one state, it's just natural that they seek it in the state where they can," Morgan said. "But the consequences are greater than a lot of people appreciate."

Leaders in many places have adopted strategies aimed at thwarting the virus's roving, borderless nature. In the United States, states including Connecticut and New York now require many travelers entering the state to quarantine, and some regions, including Native American reservations, have set up checkpoints or turned away visitors. In Europe, where residents are accustomed to traveling without passports between countries, many nations closed their borders to outsiders. Nationally, cellphone data indicates trips across state lines have tripled since the shutdowns of March.

As reopening began this spring, blocs of states in the West, Midwest and Northeast banded together to coordinate plans. In an announcement about its formation, the five-state Western States Pact - which was joined by Oregon but not Idaho - noted the "virus has preyed upon our interconnectedness" and "doesn't follow state or national boundaries." States in the South, where cases are surging, discussed forming a compact, but it never materialized.

The Midwestern group includes seven states, but not Missouri, which lifted all statewide restrictions in early June and now has a far higher rate of positive virus cases than its neighbor, Illinois, which opened more cautiously. Missouri was singled out this month by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D, who pointed to alarming spread in counties of his state across the Mississippi River.

One Illinois county Pritzker mentioned was St. Clair, which Simmons said "is in full panic mode" after logging a daily record of 105 coronavirus cases July 18. St. Clair Public health officials say they haven't directly linked cases to Missouri, but Simmons said he did not doubt movement across the bridge was playing a role.

Missouri was "behind us in shutting down their bars and restaurants. It was nothing for people to get in their cars or get on mass transit and go to St. Louis and do their partying and come back here," Simmons said. St. Louis has strong restrictions, but other nearby counties in Missouri don't, he said.

Helena-West Helena, Ark., sits on the Mississippi River, a natural barrier to infection - except that a bridge connects the city to Mississippi, and Louisiana is close by. Both states have been virus hotbeds, and across the river from the Arkansas city are three counties labeled as red zones. Cases in Helena-West Helena are not rising at the alarming rate of those neighboring counties, but Mayor Kevin Smith said he sees the bridge as a "funnel" bringing the virus over.

"We have three state policies, and the president did not want a national strategy; he basically said, 'You're on your own' to the states and the cities. So we have a patchwork of things," Smith said. "All of us have been left to fend for ourselves."

Early in the pandemic, Smith unsuccessfully petitioned Gov. Asa Hutchinson, R, to allow screening of travelers crossing the bridge. He remembers when growing up that trucks carrying cotton across the bridge were inspected for boll weevils that could devastate crops. He called it "somewhat ridiculous" that the state would be "super vigilant about agricultural disease" but not "actually human diseases that could kill people."

Still, he credits Hutchinson with consistency compared with Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, R. Reeves has rolled back an aggressive reopening as cases rise. Arkansas now has a statewide mask mandate; Mississippi does not, although one is in place for the hardest-hit counties.

"We're doing better than most of the counties on the lower Mississippi River," Smith said. "But we are surrounded by it, and it's closing in."

Even as some states such as New Mexico trace cases to neighbors, the extent of cross-jurisdiction spread nationally remains unclear, because gleaning such trends depends on intense contact tracing that is not happening in most places, epidemiologists say. John Graves, a Vanderbilt University researcher who works on modeling for Tennessee, called it "a huge blind spot of a lot of modeling, which assumes a contained population. But given the amount of commuting that happens across state borders, it just stands to reason that we're not isolated in our own cocoon."

In the absence of clear evidence of viral creep across the state line, officials in Virginia say they're keeping a close watch on the border with Tennessee.

Bristol, Tenn., and Bristol, Va., share a historic downtown, with State Street running from one to the other and only plaques to mark state lines. But on the Virginia side, gatherings greater than 250 people are banned, and Gov. Ralph Northam, D, is again urging people to stay home. On the other side, NASCAR recently hosted one of the first major sporting events of the pandemic, with 20,000 spectators and the governor in attendance.

"I am concerned about that," Virginia Health Commissioner Norman Oliver said. "The important thing about the spread is that it's multifactorial. I would not say it's all because of porous borders, although that fact is one factor."

In eastern Oregon, officials see few ways to alleviate what they feel certain is a cross-border effect stoking a troubling caseload and positivity rate. As the poorest county in the state, Malheur depends on Idahoans who reside in the fast-growing greater Boise area. They shop at the busy Walmart. They fill 70% of the jobs at the 3,000-bed state prison. They drive regional marijuana sales that are quadruple the state average, according to the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.

"The parking lots are full, Idaho license plates are throughout the entire facility, and there's lines going around the buildings," at marijuana dispensaries, state Sen. Lynn Findley, R, said.

To cope, officials are stressing wearing masks and engaging in social distancing, and exhorting people to avoid large gatherings - which they know have been happening in Malheur, Poe said, but even more so in Idaho's Canyon County, which has the state's second-highest caseload. Packed Fourth of July events there drew many Oregonians, she said.

"People are going to Idaho to do restricted activities," said Poe, echoing a concern officials on the Washington-Idaho border have also expressed. Such gatherings "are very concerning, because it absolutely impacts our population, too."

This month, commissioners in deeply conservative Malheur passed a resolution urging even more mask-wearing and smaller get-togethers than Oregon requires. It was "a very bold move for that community," state Rep. Mark Owens, R, said.

Across the Snake River, Idaho Gov. Brad Little, R, has declined hospital leaders' pleas for a statewide mask mandate, telling NPR he worries about "mask fatigue," particularly in areas with few cases.

And in the cluster of southwest Idaho counties east of Malheur, public health officials have struggled to hold meetings to discuss masks. On July 16, a virtual meeting live-streamed from the district health department office in Canyon County was canceled after unmasked protesters - including Ammon Bundy, who led a 2016 occupation of a National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon - disrupted it, trying to enter the building, where masks were required. The department canceled a rescheduled meeting days later, citing safety concerns.

The health department did not respond to requests for comment. But on Thursday, its board of health managed to meet in the county courthouse, where face coverings were not obligatory. The board decided to recommend mask-wearing throughout the region, but not mandate it.
Bachelor In Paradise's Jamie Doran reportedly auditioned for a role on Neighbours after leaving The Bachelorette last year.

According to he So Dramatic! podcast, the 40-year-old was so focused on nabbing a role on the popular soap that he asked Channel 10 producers to 'put in a good word for him' prior to his audition.

Despite his striking good looks, extroverted personality and online fanbase, Jamie reportedly failed to impress Neighbours' casting agents.

From the Bachelorette mansion to Ramsay St? Bachelor In Paradise's Jamie Doran, 40, (pictured) reportedly auditioned for a role on Neighbours after leaving The Bachelorette last year

It's likely Jamie was hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow Bachelor star Tim Robards, who currently plays Pierce Greyson on Neighbours.

Former Bachelorette star Ivan Krslovic also enjoyed a fleeting appearance on Ramsay St in 2017, playing the role of a dancer.

Ivan appeared on Neighbours once again in 2019 for one episode, playing a stripper in a racy hens party scene.

Trying to be like Tim? It's likely Jamie was hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow Bachelor star Tim Robards (pictured) who currently plays Pierce Greyson on Neighbours

Former Bachelorette star Sam Frost has also turned to soap acting, having starred as Jasmine Delaney on Home And Away since 2017.

It comes after Jamie was forced to deny rumours he was a paid actor on The Bachelorette last year.

Speaking to OK! magazine at the time, Jamie declared: 'I'm no fake and I'm definitely not an actor.'

Hello ladies! Former Bachelorette star Ivan Krslovic also enjoyed a fleeting appearance on Neighbours in 2019, playing a stripper in a racy hens party scene (pictured left)

'I've always been open and emotional in all aspects of my life. I've found myself in a competitive situation with a bunch of younger guys and my emotions have become amplified,' he explained.

At the time, an insider who grew up with Jamie told NW magazine that the hunky firefighter was 'obsessed with acting' in high school.

'A couple of our mutual mates bumped into him in early 2018 in Sydney and he told them he was on his way to an acting class,' the source claimed.
Deep inside the Tower of London  over the moat, past thick stone walls and under a vast coat of arms  lives a small, tight-knit community made up of 45 families, almost as many pets, a doctor, a chaplain and 37 dashingly dressed yeoman warders, or Beefeaters.

They live in apartments in the Towers former hospital, high-ceilinged homes in what was once a school and lopsided rooms in some of the sites 13 towers.

They exercise their dogs in the (dry) moat, where they share tips for laundering their ceremonial garb and marvel at daft questions from tourists  a favourite is: Why would anyone build a castle under a flight path?

They even have their own private pub, the Yeoman Warders Club, for nights off, birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas Day (before the Queens speech, which no one ever misses) and whenever else they feel like a pint of Beefeater Bitter or Yeoman lager, or a slug of Beefeater Gin.

Female Beefeater Yeoman Amanda J Clark and Beefeater Pete McGowran the Chief Yeoman Warder are pictured at the Tower of London

Theres no Hendricks here, says Yeoman Warder AJ Clark, one of two female Beefeaters. They look after us very well. Everyone does.

Of course they do. Beefeaters have been part of the Tower of London since 1485, when they were established by Henry VII to guard the prisoners.

Ever since, and with the help of the famous ravens, they have protected the Tower (if not the prisoners), guarded the Crown Jewels and performed the ceremony of the keys every night. For a long time they also polished off vast daily rations of beef that may, or may not, have provided their nickname and, since Victorian times, acted as highly skilled tour guides.

But perhaps not for much longer.

Last week, the Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) charity announced that, for the first time in their 535-year history, redundancies are in the offing. These will be voluntary to start with but after that, the axe will (so to speak) start falling on the rest of them.

It has come as a terrible shock. Many Beefeaters assumed redundancy wasnt an option for them.

After all, they were at the Tower when Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536, when Guy Fawkes was tortured in 1605 and when Hitlers deputy Rudolf Hess became the final state prisoner to be held there in 1941.

Beefeaters have a visceral attachment to the Tower, to each other, to their beloved Queen and to their calling.

This is not just a job. This is a family. This is our way of life, says Yeoman Warder Clark, 44. To come here is like the icing on the cake after decades of service.

Yeoman Warder talking to a crowd inside the Tower of London in September last year

But since the Towers gates reopened on July 10, the sites capacity has been down from 13,000 visitors a day to just 1,000  and HRP is staring at a 98,000 black hole in its finances.

Even so, surely the Beefeaters are the Tower?

We bring it alive and were proud of that, says Chief Yeoman Warder Peter McGowran. They are also incredibly dedicated individuals who have been serving Queen and country almost all their lives.

To become a Beefeater, you must be a former warrant officer who has served in the Armed Forces for more than 22 years and has an unblemished service record.

AJ Clark joined the Army when she was 17, spent 24 years in the Royal Logistic Corps and her uniform  please, dont ever call it a costume  is festooned with medals from tours of Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Peter McGowran was in the Royal Air Force Regiment, serving all over the world.

There are dozens of applicants for each position and a rigorous interview process. Because it takes a particular sort of person to make a Beefeater.

For starters, they have to really love people. They must be tirelessly chatty and enthusiastic, even the 7,498th time they are asked where the loos are.

There are also the endless selfies. We are on so many Facebook accounts and a lot of American Christmas cards, says AJ Clark.

They have to tell historical stories for hours each day to groups of up to 150 people, while wearing their elaborate blue undress uniform of trousers, belted tunic and bonnet.

The state dress uniform, which they use for parades, official ceremonies and coronations, is on another level altogether and consists of woollen tights, knickerbockers, a tunic, velvet bonnet, white ruff, black patent shoes, a sword . . . the list goes on. It all weighs more than 22 lb and costs 3,500 to make.

Beefeaters have been part of the Tower of London since 1485, when they were established by Henry VII to guard the prisoners

Just getting it on sounds hellish but Beefeaters gleam with pride when they speak of wearing it.

When the Tower closed because of the pandemic in March  for the first time in as long as anyone could remember  they found it bizarre and exciting at first.

Suddenly it was ours! says Clark. Just us and our families. It was so quiet and peaceful.

But the novelty soon wore off.

Two weeks later, we started to feel like we were in our own prison, she says. Even the ravens started playing up, dive-bombing members of staff and attacking the governor every time he came and went from his home.

Were used to being busy and adapting, says McGowran. Were used to serving.

So some of the Beefeaters volunteered for the NHS at the Nightingale and Charing Cross hospitals. Others cleaned the loos and mowed the grass.

But they missed the tours, the public and revelling in all their five-star reviews on Tripadvisor.

(Beefeaters are obsessed with Tripadvisor, where the Tower is consistently the top-rated paid tourist attraction in the UK, and they continually check recent posts to make sure their service is up to scratch.)

The downside of having to live on site, even in subsidised accommodation in Londons most recognisable landmark, is cabin fever.

Jane Fryer meets with Beefeaters Pete McGowran the Chief Yeoman Warder and Female Beefeater Yeoman Amanda J Clark at the Tower of London

It can become quite claustrophobic, says Clark. Most people have another home somewhere. You have to get out.

McGowran moved to the Tower in 2008 with his 14-year-old youngest son and wife, after she suggested he should become a yeoman warder on the basis that he was good at telling stories and she had always fancied seeing him in a dress. I still pinch myself that this is my life, he says.

Like Clark, he started off in 7 Tower Green, the haunted ground-floor flat next to Queens House  the only timber-framed house thereabouts to survive the Great Fire of London, and which was prison to Henry VIIIs wife Anne Boleyn  where the bed moves about in the night.

For three years he was a member of the raven team. Care of the ravens is crucial. Legend has it that the day they disappear from the Tower, Crown and country will fail.

So he was up at 6am each day to let them out, feeding them 6oz of fresh meat from Smithfield market along with hard-boiled eggs, biscuits soaked in blood, chickens and the occasional rabbit to supplement the endless sausage rolls and crisps they steal from visitors picnics.

Last week, the Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) charity announced that, for the first time in their 535-year history, redundancies are in the offing

Since then, he has risen first to Yeoman Sergeant and then, in 2018, to Chief Warder.

Today he wears the golden embroidered keys on his tunic with a spring in his step.

Not that it has been all jokes and jolly pints of Yeoman lager. Over recent years, there have been a few ups and downs.

A sexual discrimination court case bought by the first female warder made headlines in 2009.

And early last year there were strikes when the Beefeaters pension provision was fiddled about with by HRP.

But Covid and the dearth of visitors (there isnt even a queue to see the Crown Jewels at the moment  this really is the time to go if youve never been) have put all that into perspective.

As McGowran puts it: Weve been through the Great Fire of London, the plague, the First World War and the Second World War. What a nightmare that must have been, doing the lock-up at night with the bombs coming down and being down to just one raven! But on we went and on well go, however much they cut our numbers.

Lets hope so. Because the Tower without the Beefeaters would be like Buckingham Palace without the Queen.
Maura McNally SC has been elected as Chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland, the representative bodys second-ever female head.

A native of Dromod, Maura was called to the Bar in 1992, and practised on Circuit until her appointment to the Inner Bar in 2017.

Following post-graduate studies in Warwick University (LLM), and UCG (BA & LLB), she completed her Bachelors of Law in Kings Inns and practices civil law; primarily in personal injury, chancery & non-jury.

Im honoured to have been elected as Chair by my Council colleagues. There are significant challenges on the horizon for the profession and the wider justice field, not least the fallout from Covid-19, as well as Brexit.

Im looking forward, with the energy and support of the new Council, to make an important contribution in relation to the administration of justice and our role within it.

Strengthening our relationships with external partners, here in Ireland, the UK and Europe will be an important part of finding solutions, identifying opportunities and ensuring a sustainable Bar, she said.

Maura follows in the footsteps of the late Honourable Ms. Justice Mella Carroll, who was first elected 41 years ago, to be the second female Chair of the Bar. She notes:

Over four decades to be following the footsteps of last female Chair, Ms. Justice Mella Carroll is personally significant for me.

A representative Bar benefits those whom we serve, those who practice and those who are interested in a career at the Bar.

To be elected at this time, and having actively pursued the issues of resilience, mental health and diversity while on the Council, I hope to add further to the reputation of the Bar as a true community of professionals, committed to the pursuit of justice, independence and fairness.

Maura McNally SC will Chair the Council from 1 August 2020  31 July 2021 and takes to the helm of the Bar following the Chairmanship of Micheal P. OHiggins SC.

Dromod people are immensely proud of Maura

Welcoming her appointment, Cllr Sean McGowan said that the people of Dromod were immensely proud of Maura and congratulated her on her latest achievement.

Maura was raised in Dromod, the daughter of Milly McNally and the late Jack McNally. She is one of four children and has always been very proud of her Leitrim roots, said Cllr McGowan.

He noted that Maura's parents ran a pub on the site of the current Brandywell bar for many years.

I would like to wish Maura every success and everyone is immensely proud of her. We are all thrilled to bits with this news and it is wonderful to see someone from Dromod doing so well in her chosen career, he said.
A PROPOSAL to transform Hart Street in Henley into a parade and pedestrianise Bell Street has been put forward to the town council.

Professor Ray Wild, who lives in Shiplake, is also proposing making New Street and Riverside two-way and making Hart Street one way.

He wants to remove as much traffic as possible from the town centre, create more pedestrian priority areas and places for eating and drinking outside and facilitate access to retail outlets.

Prof Wild, a retired mechanical engineer and former principal of the Henley Management College, now Henley Business School, says traffic would have the option of turning right at the traffic lights on Henley Bridge to head to Oxford, or left to go to Reading, as they do now.

He said: Traffic can come over the bridge, turn right and go onto Riverside, round the bend and up New Street and that, I suspect, is the controversial bit. That road does already take two streams of traffic.

I think that demonstrates that road is capable of taking two lanes of traffic, but I would remove some of the parking along the Kenton side.

That then frees up Hart Street. It doesnt need such a wide street to take one stream of traffic.

He is proposing widening the pavement to seven metres on the same side as the Catherine Wheel pub to create a parade saying this would benefit businesses with more space for eating and drinking.

He also wants to make access to the riverfront safer from the street for pedestrians. Rather than people using the steps near St Marys Church, before crossing in front on the Red Lion Hotel and across Riverside, he wants to see a street level pavement running past the church and a larger reconfigured Red Lion forecourt.

Access to Bell Street by car would be for residents only and there would no through traffic.

He explained: That is the busiest street in town, lots of people wandering around and the footpaths are very narrow. Its quite common, if not in this country, but in places like France, which is undifferentiated between road and pavement. There would still be the need for some access but the priority would be pedestrians.

It would be more attractive, it would be safer and at a time when the country is trying to resurrect the economy this would be a useful thing to do and it would benefit all of the businesses which are down there.

He came up with the proposal after reading a story in last months Henley Standard about a proposed trial closure of Market Place to support retailers.

Members of the councils town and committee agreed to consider shutting Market Place once a month despite criticism from some members and traders.

Prof Wild said he didnt feel closing this road would be necessary with more space for pedestrians in both Bell Street and Hart Street under his plan.

He has sent his proposal to Mayor Ken Arlett, Deputy Mayor David Eggleton and town and community manager Helen Barnett.

Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak, Henleys representative on Oxfordshire County Council who chairs the town councils transport strategy group, refused to comment.
New Delhi, July 27 : Consumers have been spared of any further hike in fuel prices with oil marketing companies deciding to keep the pump prices of both petrol and diesel unchanged on Monday.

For the last two days diesel prices had maintained an upswing rise by 15 paise per litre, each on Saturday and Sunday.

Petrol prices, however, were unchanged for the 27th consecutive day across the four metros. It is priced at Rs 80.43 a litre in the national capital.

In Delhi, diesel continues to be priced at Rs 81.94 a litre. Still it is now Rs 1.51 costlier than petrol in the city.

Similarly, diesel prices in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata continue to remain at Rs 80.11, Rs 78.86, Rs 77.04 a litre respectively.

Unexpected rise in diesel prices despite slower demand has put the transport sector at a big disadvantage as rising fuel cost has further shrunk its margins. The price of diesel in the capital has also put automobile companies concerned about the prospect of the sale of diesel-run cars in the country's largest car market.

The Oil companies resumed the dynamic pricing system for daily revision of the two auto fuels from June 7 after keeping the price unchanged for around 82 days during the lockdown. Since then, while petrol prices have risen by Rs 9.17 a litre, diesel prices have risen by Rs 12.55 a litre in the national capital.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
WORLDWIDE

The Netherlands contributed in the beginning of April the amount of 100 million euro to the WHO for the fight against COVID-19 in the more vulnerable countries. This support aims not only at preventing and at combatting COVID-19 but also focusses on mitigating socio-economic consequences.

In the beginning of July last, the Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade announced that some further 150 million Euro would be made available to help the more vulnerable countries in their fight against COVID-19. Even when the COVID-consequences come hard on the Netherlands itself, and indeed, they do, the Dutch still stand ready to help and support other countries to combat COVID and soften the socio-economic consequences.

GHANA

Since the beginning of the COVID-crisis in March, the Government of Ghana has done a commendable job to contain the COVID-crisis, said Dutch Ambassador to Ghana, Ron Strikker recently. Like their counterparts in the Netherlands, thousands of doctors, nurses and other medical staff are at the forefront to provide care and keep us safe. Like all Ghanaians, we as members of the international community are grateful for that. We as Dutch are proud that we can be of support and we intend to continue that support

Dutch support to efforts to combat COVID-19 amounts as per mid July 2020 to almost 4 million Ghana cedi. And an increase to some 5 million Ghana cedi is envisaged in the next couple of weeks.

Some of the most important interventions are stated underneath.

Healthcare (1) COVID Connect Centre (300.00 Euro - ca. 2 mln GHC)

In May, the COVID Connect Centre was launched within the University of Ghana Medical Centre. This is a virtual monitoring app with a back-end Care Coordination Centre at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) that gives subscribers access to needed clinical support from a team of medical experts and specialists. It is based on technology developed by the Dutch IT-company Luscii. The program is considered a game changer in the fight against COVID-19 and some 2500 plus patients are benefitting from it. COVID-Connect is now being rolled out to other parts of the country.

This initiative is a joint one of Ghanas Ministry of Health, University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) and the Ghana branch of the social enterprise PharmAccess Foundation, based in the Netherlands. The project is largely funded by ACHMEA, a Dutch insurance and pension company and FMO, the Dutch Development Bank, which has supported programs in Ghana for over four decades. The total support from the Netherlands amounts to some 300.00 euro.

In addition to this, with the help of Pharmaccess and the Ghana Health Service, a program is at present being developed to ensure better protection of healthcare workers in Ghana are protected against COVID so that they can continue providing care within the COVID-period and beyond and/or a program to enhance the capacity and efficiency of existing laboratories currently conducting Covid-19 tests. Dutch funding will amount to 200.000 Euro (1.350.000 GHC).

Healthcare (2) Computer Aided Detection of COVID-19 (122.600 Euro  ca. 820.00 GHC))

On the initiative of the Dutch company Delft Imaging, in July 20, hospitals in Ghana which were earlier assisted in getting digital X-ray equipment installed in their facilities as part of a large Dutch-funded 22 mln euro Infrastructure Program, will receive and install small computer boxes with Delft CAD4COVID-software. The software contains Artificial Intelligence, which helps to detect at an early stage lung conditions caused by COVID-19. Funding at the amount of 122.600 Euro comes from the Dutch Good Growth Fund, which is being managed by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). Some 55 medical facilities are envisaged to be equipped within this program.

Healthcare (3) - CORIP (65.000 GHC)

Within the framework of the longstanding Dutch funded Cocoa Rehabilitation and Intensification Project (CORIP), Personal Protective Equipment (overalls, goggles, facemask, and boots) will be donated to six Health Facilities within the project catchment area. Each Health Facility will benefit 1700 euros of PPEs. Total contribution will come to 10.000 euros, or some 67.000 GHC.

Healthcare (4) SWAPP (200.000 GHC)

The Sustainable West Africa Palm Oil Project (SWAPP) distributes some 20,000 branded facemasks to direct project beneficiaries over the current period. The total costs are estimated at 30,000 euros, or some 200.000 GHC.

(Healthcare (5) Tax revenue for Economic Enhancement Program (TREE) (10.000 GHC)

Within the framework of the Tax Revenue for Economic Enhancement Program (TREE), which focusses on the improvement on local taxation in Ghana, some 2000 nose masks have been distributed to 20 MMDAs, which take part in the program. Total costs at 10.000 GHC.

WASH (1) - Urban Sanitation Program

The Dutch-funded, UNICEF implemented Urban Sanitation Program (USP) , such in close cooperation with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and the municipalities of Ashaiman, Ho, Tamale and (soon) Elmina is perhaps one of the most successful WASH-programs in Ghana. WASH is central to managing the COVID crisis; hence, USP has over the last months focused on risk communication (radio, TV, market sensitizing events) disinfection, improvement of WASH-facilities in schools and health centers. Some 30.000 people benefitted from new household latrines and new hand washing facilities. In addition, some 3500 were handed out. Moreover, some 85 Environmental Health Officers at municipal assemblies received extensive training.

WASH (2) P2P Program

Within the WASH from Possible 2 Profitable project, loans from the 4 million euro Revolving Fund are given for COVID-related purchases of hygiene products such as handwashing buckets, production of hand sanitizer, detergents, soaps and Personal Protective Equipment like nose masks. This has stimulated more entrepreneurs to venture into WASH businesses as the demand for hygiene products has strongly escalated in the country.

WASH (3) - GHANA WASH WINDOW

Some water enterprises within the Dutch-funded Ghana WASH Window, i.e. Safe Water Network & Access Development rolled out an anti-COVID- 19 plan in the Western, Eastern and Volta regions. For three months, their water stations provided free access to free and made available soap and hand washing stands. In addition, mechanized boreholes are being built for new district isolation centers. District assemblies get help from GWW in warning communities about COVID-risks, including the production of information material. Some 130 communities and 24 health centers are supported.

WASH (4) - INT Water Management Institute (IWMI) - Ho w to Build Back Better from COVID-19

Apart from all direct and emergency measure needed to fights COVID, understanding the effects of the response of COVID-19 on water, wastewater and sanitation management in Ghana is crucial. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic teaches us that WASH is essential for our health, our safety and our prosperity. The IMWI study will help to sharpen current WASH-policies to improve water and sanitation in metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies and hence to build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic. Contribution estimated at 100.000 Euro (670.000 GHC).

Socio-economic measures (1)  Orange Corners Young Entrepreneurs Program (400.000 GHC)

The Dutch-funded Orange Corners Program started in 2019. Orange Corners Ghana, as an acceleration program, contributes to the vibrant entrepreneurship climate in Ghana by bringing young entrepreneurs with a proven track record to the next level, with training for better knowledge, better skills, better business plans, higher turn-over and hence more jobs. In addition: access to finance. In order to help the 30 participants sofar in the OC-Program to get their businesses through COVID-times, each participant got a grant of 2000 Euro (some 13.500 GHC) each, totaling up to ca. 400.000 GHC.
Nepal's Supreme Court on Sunday granted approval to review a division bench's decision to reduce former Armed Police Force deputy chief Ranjan Koirala's life imprisonment sentence in a murder case.

Kathmandu District Court and Lalitpur High Court sentenced Koirala to life imprisonment for killing his wife Gita Dhakal more than eight years ago. However, a division bench of Chief Justice Cholendra SJB Rana and Justice Tej Bahadur KC recently reversed the verdict, waiving 11 years of his prison term.

The Office of the Attorney General filed a review petition, amid mounting pressure from the public to impeach Chief Justice Rana and Justice KC.

During the review petition hearing on Sunday, a three-member apex court bench of justices Bam Kumar Shrestha, Prakash Kumar Dhungana and Kumar Regmi decided to review the apex court's decision.

The apex court in its earlier verdict stated that the objective to punish Koirala was already met and there was no need to keep him in jail.

However, the verdict passed by the division bench of Justices Rana and KC courted serious controversy.

Several organisations staged demonstrations against the chief justice in Kathmandu and the verdict also invited severe criticism of the apex court on social media.
Voters in the US admit anxiety rather than enthusiasm is motivating their engagement in this years presidential election, research suggests.

President Donald Trump is seeking a second term in the White House in Novembers vote but is currently trailing challenger Joe Biden in most polls.

Murtice Sherek says she is not excited about Mr Biden, the former vice president under Barack Obama, but admits she will do what she can to ensure the presidents defeat.

The Minnesota Democrat, a 79-year-old retired nurse, said: I dont really give a damn what I have to do.

If I have to carry signs on the streets, if I have to carry my old friends to the polls, Ill do it, Ms Sherek said.

This just cant be. Trump is a sick man.

Roughly three months before Election Day, a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research finds that Mr Bidens supporters are less enthusiastic than Mr Trumps, both about the campaign itself and about their candidate, although the Democrats coalition may be equally motivated by anxiety.

Still, the poll reveals an American public at odds with Mr Trump on wearing masks, on balancing restrictions to stop the virus with efforts to help the economy and on fully reopening schools.

And voters give Mr Biden higher marks on many positive traits that apply to leadership in the age of the coronavirus, including honesty, capability and caring for Americans.

In 100 days, were going to make Donald Trump a one-term president. pic.twitter.com/vTrPRrHhwm  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 26, 2020

Ms Shereks assessment of the candidates highlights the nuanced motivations underlying the so-called enthusiasm gap, which has raised concerns among Mr Bidens allies who worry the deficit could undermine his candidacy once voting begins.

Story continues

While interest in the presidential campaign is high across the board, just 31% of Biden supporters say they are excited, compared with 42% of Trump supporters.

Mr Bidens coalition is fuelled by more negative emotions: 72% of Biden supporters, but 52% of Trump supporters, say they feel anxious about the 2020 campaign.

The same disparity exists for frustration with the election, 65% for Biden supporters and 45% for Mr Trumps.

President Donald Trump arrives at the White House (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

Anya Kumar, an 18-year-old recent high school graduate from Columbia, Missouri, vowed to vote for Mr Biden this autumn but conceded many of her young friends who oppose Mr Trump do not feel much passion for the former vice president.

Many are not even registered, she said.

For the most part, people I know really just dont want Trump, Ms Kumar said, acknowledging that she is motivated more by anxiety about Mr Trumps reelection than genuine excitement about his Democratic rival.

If Biden doesnt win, that would suck.

Mr Bidens team largely dismisses the idea of an enthusiasm gap.

It says that with Mr Trumps level of support shrinking, a greater share of energised supporters is left behind in the diminished pool.

Indeed, Mr Trumps job approval in the new poll sits at 38%, within the narrow range that has endured throughout his presidency but down from relative highs earlier this year.

Just 32% of voters approve of the way Mr Trump is handling the pandemic, a low point that follows a steady decline from the outset of the crisis.

While Mr Trumps supporters almost unanimously approve of his performance overall, two in 10 disapprove of his response to the pandemic.

Stacey Rogus, 43, a Republican from Glendale, Arizona, who works in the medical industry, admitted some concerns about Mr Trump.

She says the president is narcissistic, does not act as presidential as she would like and does not think before he speaks.

But Ms Rogus is determined to vote for him a second time because of his economic policies and support for the US-Mexico border wall.

She also suspects that Mr Trumps political opponents are exaggerating the threat of the coronavirus pandemic to hurt his reelection.

She finds the timing of the outbreak a little odd.

He didnt make the virus, Ms Rogus said.

If anything, maybe the Democrat Party created it just to make him look bad.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has ruled out the virus being human-made and noted that is the scientific consensus as well.

The poll also found that voters generally prefer Mr Bidens character and values.

About six in 10 registered voters say that values like cares about people like you, honest and strong leader do not describe Mr Trump well.

By comparison, roughly the same majority say those characteristics describe Mr Biden at least somewhat well.

Democratic presumptive nominee and former vice president Joe Biden (Andrew Harnik/AP)

And in considering whether the two are capable, a question that likely reflects voters views of each mans mental acuity and ability to govern, fewer say that describes Mr Trump than Biden at least somewhat well, 43% vs. 56%.

Mr Trump, who is 74, and his allies have made attacks against Mr Bidens age and cognitive ability a centrepiece of their message.

Mr Trump has an advantage on standing up for what he believes.

Seventy percent think this describes Mr Trump at least somewhat well, including 54% who think it describes him very well.

Sixty-three percent think standing up for his beliefs describes Mr Biden at least somewhat well, but just 36% think it describes him very well.

Mr Trumps supporters are much stronger in their positive descriptions of Mr Trump than Biden backers are of their candidate.

For example, wide majorities of Trump supporters think stands up for what he believes (87%), strong leader (75%) and capable (76%) describe the president very well.

There is NO WAY a place like Pennsylvania can vote for the Radical Left and their puppet, Joe Biden, when they are against fracking, steel production, and just about everything else that Pennsylvania stands for. Likewise, Texas, and many other states!!!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2020

Fewer Biden supporters think standing up for what he believes (63%), strong leader (50%) and capable (56%) describe Mr Biden very well.

For Mr Biden, a significant age gap within his coalition drives the lukewarm ratings.

Older Biden supporters are much more likely than those under 45 to say such traits describe Mr Biden very well.

Terrance Berinato, a 72-year-old Democrat from Front Royal, Virginia, who said he will definitely vote for Mr Biden and describes Mr Trump as the worst president weve ever had, period.

He acknowledged that Trump supporters may be more excited about their candidate, but he predicted it would not matter given that Mr Trumps overall support is shrinking.

Im sure Trump supporters, the 30% or 40% of people who would follow him to hell, are very enthused, Mr Berinato said.
G R Gopinath

I rebel; therefore I exist, said Albert Camus. For Camus, validation and justification to exist went beyond Rene Descartes who posited I think, therefore I exist.

Thinking and breathing, living without questioning ones beliefs and actions, you are only flotsam. Rebellion against any authority, be it the State, the Monarchy, the Church or a political party and questioning its orthodoxy is a primeval human urge and the basis of evolution of civilisation.

That trait has marked all the great men of the world  Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr, Jacques Rousseau, Socrates, John Calvin, Buddha and Basavanna who distinguished themselves because they questioned and rebelled against dogmas, oppression, injustice and inequality.

In this context, you wonder what is it in the DNA of today's Congress members that no one is ready to rebel and challenge the Gandhi dynasty.

Even after Rahul Gandhi abruptly resigned and walked away from the presidentship of the party in 2019, owning responsibility for the partys abysmal showing in the parliamentary elections, notwithstanding his exhortations to his party members to elect a new leader, no one  neither the young, handsome rebels nor the old guard  came forward and demanded elections for a new leader.

The entire flock meekly waited for someone from the dynasty to lead and steer them, even if it meant following the messiah over the cliff.

The old obsequious coterie grovelled at the feet of Sonia Gandhi and anointed her back to the throne as an interim president  a ploy to deny Congress leaders from outside the dynasty to staking a claim.

Sonia, by a fateful default, inherited the mantle of the dynasty. Through a combination of courage, resilience, cunning and also an astute understanding of the psyche of her flock as well as Indian politics, she held them together and led the party to victory at the hustings and ruled India for 10 years, forming the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) over two terms.

She accomplished that incredible feat through proxy, surrounded by loyal henchmen and courtiers who wielded considerable clout even as her son, Rahul, was often an inscrutable loose cannon and a liability. A remarkable achievement by any political yardstick.

Now once again after Rahul's exit, the party is in the doldrums. With Sachin Pilot leading the dissidents in Rajasthan, the Congress is teetering on the brink and may collapse any time, ceding ground to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is raring to topple the wobbly Ashok Gehlot government.

After losing Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and now possibly Rajasthan, this may trigger a domino effect and create an existential crisis for the party.

There are multiple power centres within the dynasty. Rahul is floating in his own bubble, relentlessly attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is strutting around, mediating behind the scenes with Pilot, and there is Sonia, ailing and ageing, putting on a brave front but not visible and does not seem effective and in command in dealing with Pilot and his fellow MLAs. There's the invisible clique of her loyal old henchmen who are calling the shots and pulling the strings remotely and the boat is rudderless on stormy seas.

Still there is no one  neither the old guard (Digvijaya Singh, P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal or even Manmohan Singh, to name a few) nor the young brigade (Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, Jyotiraditya Scindia when he was still in the party)  openly demanding elections for the party leadership.

Not one man or woman is ready to stand up and is willing to contest an election against the member of the dynasty. Will such a party and its body politic that has mortgaged itself to a dynasty and has abjectly surrendered survive? Does it deserve to continue when its constituents are morbidly sick and do not wish to cure themselves and are unwilling to rid themselves of the yoke? What a fall for such a grand old party.

The Congress does not have to look elsewhere for lessons. It can learn from its own illustrious and vibrant history of more than 134 years. Many eminent people who were titans of their time, including foreigners, have been party presidents. Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Mahatma Gandhi Sarojini Naidu, Chittaranjan Das, Maulana Azad, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Lala Lajpat Rai, Annie Besant, Subhas Chandra Bose , Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel to name a few who led the party.

From its inception, the party believed in democracy, diversity and plurality of ideas and religions. That explains why it attracted so many luminaries and had such a huge mass following.

Bose contested and won the presidential elections in 1938 and 1939 when Mahatma Gandhi openly lobbied and worked hard to defeat Bose.

Yet again in 1950, Purushottam Das Tandon, backed by Sardar Patel, won the election to become the Congress President even as Nehru opposed his nomination. This was the time when Nehru, a towering figure, was Prime Minister and Patel Home Minister.

A party and the individuals composing it lend vigour when they question moribund ideas and rebel against authoritarian leadership. Individual dissent is necessary for the health of any party.

Bose is revered and he still captures our imagination because he rebelled and challenged Gandhi and Nehru and left the party on realisation that he must found a separate party to fight the British hegemony and occupation of India through means other than non-violence.

Those who challenge the status quo either change the organisation they are part of or venture out and blaze a new trail.

Indira Gandhi split the Congress against the old guard and branched out on her own and was even denied the Congress symbol, but rose like a colossus.

Indefatigable and fearless, Mamata Banerjee left the Congress and founded a new party and single-handedly demolished the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in West Bengal that had morphed into a party of goons who used violence to remain in power for three decades.

There are other examples too. Three decades ago, even Narendra Modi challenged the entrenched old timers and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh power-brokers in Gujarat and was banished from his state by a diktat of the BJP high command. He bided his time, challenged the old guard and ascended to power and fundamentally altered the character of party of the AB Vajpayee times.

It's a different matter that at times those who replace the corrupt and the old or overthrow despots turn out to be more venal or bigger tyrants than those they replaced.

The Gandhi family, ridiculed and accused of dynastic rule, which has presided over its decline and continue to hang on, cannot be expected to set its house in order.

There has to be a rebellion within the party to bring about leadership change and breathe new life into it and rejuvenate it for the party to survive.

There has to be a robust counter availing political force to question and check the leadership of a political outfit or the state that may run amok to prevent it from decline and disintegration.

A strong and responsible opposition party is the need of the hour. If the members of the Congress do not rebel when the party is drifting, headless and is splintering, then neither the members nor the Congress have a reason to exist. Hope better sense prevails and someone from within the party and outside the dynasty will rise and save it from extinction.
Thanks to the governments recent mechanisms on renewable energy, Vietnam is doing all it can to facilitate further attraction of the private sector.

Planning for an energy-rich future, illustration photo/ Shutterstock

How do you estimate the potential of Vietnams renewable energy and what is the proportion of renewable and new energy sources in the future?

Vietnam has good potential for developing renewable energy (RE). As per a study on wind energy potential research conducted by the German International Cooperation Agency in 2017, Vietnam has an onshore wind power potential of about 25-50 gigawatts. The potential for developing wind power in this country is much greater if taking into account offshore areas. In addition, many areas in Vietnam have an average solar potential ranging from 4.5-5.5 kilowatt hours per square metre.

Studies evaluating the potential of renewable energies show that Vietnam could develop about 8,000 megawatts of small hydroelectricity, 20,000MW of wind power, 3,000MW of biomass power, and 35,000MW of solar power by 2030.

The rate and structure of our countrys renewable energy source has been clearly determined. Up to now, the total capacity of renewable energy sources (biomass, wind, and solar power alone) accounts for 10 per cent of the total system capacity. However, electricity output only accounts for about 2 per cent of total electricity production.

Among that, there are nine wind power projects connected to the grid with total capacity of 440MW in operation; 91 large-scale solar power projects with a capacity of about 4,500MW; and about 20,000 rooftop solar power systems with total capacity of about 300MW in operation.

In order to promote maximum exploitation and use of domestic renewable energy sources, the government set targets for RE developments to also gradually increase the proportion of renewable energy in national energy production and consumption towards sustainable development.

The Politburos Resolution No.55 NQ/TW dated February 11 on the countrys development strategy for energy over the next 10 years and with a vision towards 2045 sets high priority on fast and sustainable energy development, aiming to increase share of renewable energy sources in total primary energy production to 15-20 per cent by 2030, and 25-30 per cent by 2045.

How is the current status of development and what will the MoIT do to promote private sector development in the power sector?

Encouraging and creating favourable conditions for all economic sectors, especially the private sector, to participate in the development of the energy sector is a huge policy of the Party and the state.

This sector has a significant contribution to make for the power sector. For example, build-operate-transfer projects are large and important ventures that have been invested in by non-state enterprises, contributing to reduce the burden on arranging capital for state-owned enterprises and ensuring power supply for socio-economic development.

In recent years, the development of renewable energy has also grown strongly, attracting large capital sources by the private sector.

In the coming time, the development of RE will grow even stronger. This means that it needs mechanisms and policies to encourage more private investment.

From experience of attracting investment capital from non-state economic sectors, the most important policy is the price signal to attract private funding. When an investor sees a guaranteed price that recovers costs and is profitable, they will invest.

Thus, the tax mechanism and policy to ensure the price signal is also a problem that the MoIT has recently studied and advised the government as well as proposed mechanisms and policies to develop renewable energy sources.

Vietnam has developed renewable energy, mainly solar and wind power, through FiTs and it is suitable for all newly-developed countries, when the renewable energy market still has untapped potential.

Currently, the price of renewable energy and technology changes quickly so the mechanism for fixed prices will only apply in the fixed period. As Vietnams RE market has matured, there will be appropriate mechanisms, such as bidding, to ensure competition, transparency, and fairness as well as efficiency for both the government, businesses, and residents.

What are challenges and tasks for Vietnams RE development to ensure power security and a green path?

Resolution 55 identified that the Vietnamese energy sector has developed quite strongly recently, but it still pointed out that it faces challenges to ensure energy security. One of the challenges is that Vietnam has become increasingly dependent on imported fuel.

This change is going to impact the security of energy supply but can be reduced through increased energy efficiency and by exploiting domestic sources. Additionally, Vietnams industrial infrastructure is still limited.

For example, in the current transmission grid, if we develop stronger renewable energy, it remains to be seen if Vietnams electricity transmission system can meet the requirements.

Recognising these challenges, the MoIT has identified and proposed many solutions to ensure energy security and power supply. These solutions focus on ensuring energy projects to meet schedules as planned and supplementing the planning as well as mechanisms and policies to develop renewable energy to reduce dependence on imported fuels and protect the environment.

In parallel with promoting renewable and clean energy sources, the MoIT has also implemented a series of solutions for efficient use of energy and promoting modern and reliable infrastructure for the energy industry.

The overall planning will also include the energy sector, the planning of infrastructure, the national petroleum supply reserve, and the development strategy of Vietnams coal industry as it is necessary to amend the laws on electricity and petroleum, develop a law on renewable energy development, and complete the legal framework as well as formulate a planning strategy.

Nguyen Van Binh - Head, Central Economic Commission After more than 30 years of innovation and success, we can be confident and assert that the local energy industry has greatly contributed to the nations rejuvenation. Vietnam is evolving with qualitative alterations, requiring the energy sector to attain fresh advances. Resolution 55 includes two meaningful points. The first is to assure firm national energy safety  the premise and the motivation of social-economic development. Giving priority to sustainably developing the energy sector plays an important role during the acceleration of industrialising and modernising Vietnam. The second is that flourishing national energy has to be in line with the institution of the market economy and the socialist direction and international integration trend. Moreover, it is necessary to quickly build up the energy market under the guidance of synchronous, competitive, and transparent methods through ownership and business. Furthermore, applying the market price to all types of energy is also important. The resolution encourages facilitation of various economic sectors, especially the private one, joining energy growth and also eliminating signs of subsidisation, monopoly, unequal competition, and lack of transparency in the sector. Federico Bestiani - Director, BEC Ltd. The greatest suggestion to the government that our company would give is to start now to prepare the next regulation and issue it before the current one expires. I personally witnessed 10 years ago many countries in Europe experience the solar feed-in tariff (FiT) with different policies and results. The countries that had a long-term vision and regulations were gifted with sustainable development of solar and grew a strong and skilfully-local industry. But other countries had countless and short-term FiT policies that destabilised the industry and privileged only short-term investors and speculators with, of course, a negative impact on the local industry. As a European company, we will continue to provide our suggestions through EuroCham and the Green Growth Sector Committee that is making great efforts to advocate the voices of the business in this industry. Liming Qiao - Asia director, Global Wind Energy Council In Vietnam, we have been thrilled to see non-stop good news for the industry over the past few weeks: the additional seven gigawatts of projects being approved by the government in the Power Development Plan VII; the passing of the direct power purchase agreement rules; and the ongoing process for the FiT post-2021. Despite the industrys anxiety, with the clock ticking and the window for projects qualifying for the current FiT closing, we do see that the governments confidence in renewables and wind in this country is stronger than ever. The industry has a big stake and concerns over the FiT2 process, which we are actively engaged in to ensure the industrys voice is heard clearly to secure sustainability of the wind industry over the next two years. Every time there is a major policy shift, such as at FiT level, it is a nerve-racking process. If done well, a suitable new tariff level can stimulate technology progression and achieve cost reduction effectively. If it is not done well, it can hinder the nascent industry and create a boom-bust cycle which wont benefit either the national government or the industry. While we are still fighting and hoping for the best for the industry, the FiT changes have given the industry an opportunity to further prove itself on cost competitiveness. Khun Somruedee - Chaimongkol CEO, Banpu Group As energy sustainability is the key, Banpu Group has prudently considered investment opportunities with the balanced energy proportion in our portfolio across Asia-Pacific. As for Vietnam, Banpu hopes to be a unit fulfilling the governments renewable targets. Being committed to conducting our business professionally and ethically, we embrace environmental, social, and governance principles. Currently, we are focusing on the wind power plant project to achieve the targeted commercial operation date, and in the long term we will contribute to the energy market growth in Vietnam in response to the government policies. Moreover, stakeholder relationship management and community development are our priorities to ensure that our investment and businesses follow the sustainable development policy. VIR

Phuong Thu

Renewable energy is answer to Vietnam's energy security Like other countries, Vietnam is striving to use more renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.
(Natural News) Rep. Iihan Omar has been much in the news for her extreme positions on defunding police departments and yesterday calling for the dismantling of not just the American economy but the political system. In declaring her support for sweeping legislation yesterday, Omar railed against the American economic and political systems as a system of oppression and insisted that we cannot allow people to prioritize profit without considering who is profiting. That question however is now being raised in growing ethical concerns over Omar giving her husbands company a massive amount of her campaign funds. This has been an issue that I have written about for over two decades as a legal but corrupt practice. The two stories show once again that the only defining element in Washington greater than irony is hypocrisy in both of our political parties.

(Article republished from JonathanTurley.org)

The ethical charges are being voiced by figures like George Bushs ethic adviser Richard Painter who has been one of the most vocal critics of President Donald Trump. Indeed, Painter previously criticized Omar after she declared that she believes former Vice President Joe Biden is a rapist who is continuing to lie about raping a Senate staffer. However, she is still supporting and advising Biden in his presidential election. Painter objected that Omar would publicly admit that she believed Biden raped his staffer because it could undermine his election.

Painter is now focused on what is clearly a legitimate ethical concern. He is quoted as saying payments like those of Omar should not be allowed . . . given the amount of money that goes into these campaigns from special interests.

Omar has previously been criticized for paying fees to Tim Mynetts consulting firm when they were rumored to be in a romantic relationship. Mynett and Omar would later divorce their respective spouses and marry. Omar has given Mynett a total of more than $878,000 since 2018. That includes $189,000 just weeks after the couple announced they were married, according to media reports citing data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

What should upset voters the most is that (so long as the payment reflect a very generous standard of market rates) this is all perfect legal under the laws designed by politicians for themselves.

I have long been a critic of such use of campaign funds for family members, but both parties have long engaged in the practice. I have been a vocal critic of such nepotism by members of Congress as well as nepotism in the Trump Administration. The Trump campaign also pays the Presidents family members or significant others ample salaries.

For decades I have railed against laws designed carefully to give the appearance of ethics while intentionally creating loopholes for politicians to enrich their families. The recent controversy over Hunter Biden is another example of one of those avenues for corruption in the form of influence peddling (contracts that both leading Democrats and the media have bizarrely defended). It is also lawful but an obvious corrupt practice. When faced with corrupt but legal practices by members of their own party, many continue to espouse the if it is legal it is alright claim. It is not all right. It exists because these politicians can count on their parties to deflect criticism or insist that there is nothing to see here. The anti-nepotism statute is an example of this fraud played on the American people by both parties. Congress carefully excluded campaign work to allow members to pour campaign money into the pocket of their own spouses and children.

Again, it is important to note that this type of payment to spouses continues in both parties. As someone who have objected to this loophole for over twenty years, I am astonished that Congress has been able to get away with this practice for so long. Voters continue to be chumps who allow both parties to play them on blue state/red state politics. When faced with ethical challenges, these politicians just ratchet up rhetoric against the other side. When it comes to ethics, politicians know that the outrage lasts only until the next short news cycle and political shiny object.

If you really want to stop politicians from prioritiz[ing] profit without considering who is profiting, you can start with the families of people like Rep. Omar.

Read more at: JonathanTurley.org
There has been an increase in staycation scams, including copycat websites, as criminals exploit the latest Government advice to holiday at home.

FraudSMART, the fraud awareness initiative led by Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI), said that criminals are zoning in on the increased demand for domestic holidays.

Failte Ireland has found that 60% of people are planning a holiday in Ireland over the next six months.

FraudSMART is urging consumers to be extra careful when booking their holiday.

BPFI head of financial crime and security, Keith Gross, says there has been a two-fold increase in the number of people looking for holiday homes this summer.

As a result of this pent-up demand, we are warning consumers of an increased risk in holiday purchase scams as fraudsters take advantage of this.

The types of scams include copycat websites that look almost identical to the legitimate holiday accommodation site.

Ms Gross says consumers should also be wary of fake emails and advertisements on social media offering bargain holiday deals.

A golden rule should be to never click through to a sellers website via an email link or social media advertisement.

Never forget that if an offer looks too good to be true, it usually is  so any offer should be thoroughly examined, said Mr Gross.

Consumers should check the website or web address to ensure it is genuine, and only make a purchase through an official website.

Avoid cheap online deals or super deals youll find on social media ads, said Mr Gross.

If the price of your holiday is considerably cheaper than the average cost elsewhere, you should be suspicious.

Consumers should also check whether the website offering the deal has been reviewed online across different trusted sources.

Another thing to avoid is paying a private individual by bank transfer, because it is difficult to get the money back if something goes wrong.

"Genuine suppliers or sellers usually have a merchant portal," says Mr Gross.
Dibrugarh (Assam) [India], July 26 (ANI): Even after the water level of the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries have receded in Assam, flood situation was still prevalent in 40 villages of the Moran Assembly constituency of Dibrugarh district because of the lack of a proper drainage system.



The agricultural activities and transportation in these areas are completely stalled. The residents are complaining about a shortage of fodder for cattle and the development of skin-related diseases because of being in the water for the past three months. They also allege that they haven't received any help from the government.

"Our area has been inundated for the past three months and our animals don't have fodder. We are yet to see any public representative in this area. About 15 days ago, the government had distributed a kilogram of rice per person," said a resident of the area.

He added that local MLA Chakradhar Gogoi had visited some time ago and promised that this situation would not happen from next year onwards. However, during the floods, he didn't come to the area to assess the situation.

The resident added, "Due to the water in the area, the villagers are getting skin diseases along with itching. The doctor has also not visited the area for a long time." (ANI)


Algeria Thursday re-imposed a partial lockdown in 29 governorates in a move to curtail a spike in covid-19 cases.

The North African country has witnessed in recent days a steady increase in number of cases.

An average of 500 cases have been reported daily since the beginning of this week. At least 585 cases were reported on Thursday July 16.

The overall toll of infections as of Thursday stood at 21,351 including 15,047 recoveries and 1,052 deaths.

The partial lockdown will be re-enforced in Adrar, Chlef, Laghouat, Oum El Bouaghi, Batna, Bejaia, Biskra, Bechar, Blida, Bouira, Algiers, Djelfa, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Annaba, Constantine, Medea, MSila, Mascara, Ouargla, Oran, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Boumerdes, Tissemsilt, El Oued, Khenchela, Souk Ahras, Tipaza et Relizane, all considered as spots containing most cases.

The Algerian government has banned traffic from and to the governorates. The emergency measure will last for 10 days.

Algeria in March closed it borders and imposed a lockdown as parts of efforts to stem the spread of the respiratory disease. The measure was partially lifted on June 29th  a move several observers believe caused the surge in numbers because people brought their guards down as beaches reopened, and people resumed family visits and holding weddings.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) thrice, announced on Saturday that he already tested negative for the virus.

Bolsonaro has been criticized for downplaying the infectious and deadly COVID-19. It can be remembered that he described the virus as a "little flu" despite the number of coronavirus cases in Brazil soaring past 2.4 million.

While most of the countries implement strict measures to control the spread of the coronavirus, the Brazilian president was even seen many times engaging with people without wearing a face mask.

Since the pandemic began, two health ministers in Brazil had resigned. The country's health ministry now is led by an army general. This is not surprising as Bolsonaro was once an army captain before he became the country's most powerful and influential person.

Bolsonaro was diagnosed and tested positive for COVID-19 three times since July 7. A week after he tested positive for the virus, he said he will continue to work and he will immediately go back to work once he tests negative.

A week after his first diagnosis, the Brazilian president claimed he did not have any symptoms and was feeling well. He also said he will be tested again for the virus. However, during his second and third tests, the results were still positive.

In a published report in Aljazeera, Bolsonaro on Saturday announced through his social media account that he already tested negative for the virus with a picture of him holding a box of the anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloroquine.

He admitted that he was taking the drug since he was first diagnosed with the virus. However, Hydroxychloroquine is not a proven drug to treat COVID-19.

Meanwhile, many are skeptical of Bolsonaro's new COVID-19 test result because he did not mention as to when he took the test. During his first diagnosis, he only spent 20 days self-isolation at his official residence in the country's capital, Brasilia.

Following this, Bolsonaro was seen going for a ride on his motorcycle and chatted without a mask to a team of groundskeepers outside the presidential palace. On the same day, he admitted, through a Facebook live, that he was feeling "a bit wretched at being imprisoned here."

In the official tally of Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, Brazil has recorded more than 2.4 million infections with a death toll of more than 87,000. Brazil is the second country with a high number of infections.

It is not clear if Bolsonaro will have another test to make sure that he's really COVID-19 free. Normally, there must be two negative COVID-19 test results to ensure that the person is already free from the virus.

There were instances that a person tested negative and then tested positive again. Researchers and scientists are still studying this phenomenon.

Check this out!
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 11:52:16|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Britain on Monday announced plans to tackle the "obesity time bomb," with a ban on adverts for junk food at specific times, the cancellation of "buy one get one free" deals on such foods and a decision to put calories on menus.

In addition to the ban on adverts before 9:00 p.m. (2000 GMT), on food deals and plans for calorie counts on menus, the government will arrange a consultation about displaying calories on alcohol.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has lost weight since he was in COVID-19 intensive care, wants to tackle obesity as studies show that obesity can increase the risk of coronavirus disease and related deaths.

The British are far fatter than any other nation in Europe except the Maltese, he said last month, adding that his government described "tackling the obesity time bomb" as a priority.

"Losing weight is hard but with some small changes we can all feel fitter and healthier," Johnson said in a statement.

"If we all do our bit, we can reduce our health risks and protect ourselves against coronavirus -- as well as taking pressure off the NHS (National Health Service)," he added. Enditem
Everybody waited for "The Kissing Booth" sequel after its trailer landed online, and it was totally worth it.

Premiering on July 24, "The Kissing Booth 2" revolved around the story of Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi) and Elle Evans (Joey King), who started a long-distance relationship after having a romantic summer together.

Soon after Netflix released the film on the platform, it swooned people's hearts and made them re-watch the first film.

As its popularity continues to rise, we bring you some interesting trivia about the Netflix sequel that will surely make you even more engaged with the film.

"The Kissing Booth 2" Main Stars Used To Be In A REAL Relationship

Yes, you read it right: Jacob and Joey turned their relationship as co-stars into something more romantic.

The story started when they met back in January 2017 while filming the first "The Kissing Booth."

In an interview with Bello magazine, King shared her first impression of Jacob and confirmed whether it was love at first sight.

"Well, I thought he was very cute when we first met, but it started as a friendship. Right away we were talking about gross things with each other," she explained. "But before long I started to realize, 'Hey, I think I kind of like this person!'"

According to the actress, having Elordi as her boyfriend on set was a positive thing for her since she could spend her time with him almost 17 hours per day. The time they shared while filming the first movie even made them closer than ever.

However, their relationship did not last that long, as they called it quits in 2018. Despite that, their fans applauded them for their professionalism.

It Was Filmed Elsewhere

Although the famous sequel was based in America, the team shot most of its clips in Cape Town, South Africa.

On July 23, King and her co-star, Joel Courtney, sat for an interview with Channel24 wherein they revealed how much they were missing Cape Town. This also explained why their high school in the film looked a lot like the University of Cape Town.

"Every time I've been able to go back, I've just loved it more and more every single time," Courtney said. "A local spot for me would have to be Lefty's. That's where we went and ate ribs. Joey, do you remember?"

"One of our favorite places to go was Royale Eatery. We would get the most delicious burgers and the most thick milkshakes in the world! Oh my god!"

Despite filming it in another country, the stars still found satisfaction in the city and even called South Africa "the most stunning wine country."

Unlike "The Kissing Booth," the cast members and production crew filmed "The Kissing Booth 2" during South Africa's coldest months.

The Film Is Taylor Zakhar Perez's Debut!

Aside from Elordi, Taylor Zahkar also turned heads and caught the hearts of viewers

The Chicago-based actor originally had no clue what movie franchise he was auditioning to. During the audition process, the script only had the title "Untitled Vince Marcello Project." In the end, Zakhar found out that it was for "The Kissing Booth 2."

He immediately got an instant "yes" from the creators due to the chemistry he shared with King. It then became his first project after traveling to Tanzania.

READ MORE: 5 Hollywood Stars Who Destroyed Their Careers With Alcohol, Drug Abuse
A fraud auditor has flagged a tax document indicating Easton Arts Academy paid $570,000 for internet services it never received.

The audit submitted July 2 by Fraud Forensic Investigations of Allentown blames a non-working school board for allowing administrators to spend without their permission, urges the school to hire qualified financial staff, urges the school to put procedures in place to prevent fraud and urges school officials to initiate a criminal investigation, particularly over the $570,000 expense.

The board of trustees cannot ignore this serious matter and must act on this issue. This certified fraud examiner strongly encourages the school to contact its solicitor as well as federal law enforcement, auditor Francis Skip Bedics says in his final report. You can read the full audit online or scroll to the end of this story.

The school CEO, solicitor and board president didnt return email messages or a voicemail seeking comment for this story.

According to the audit, a 1099-MISC form from 2018 indicates the school paid independent contractor PenTeleData $570,472.19 for internet and communication services.

PenTeleData, however, said it received only $19,376.19 in payment that year, according to the audit. The company did receive the faulty 1099 form, Bedics said. The schools accountant, Buckno Lisicky & Co., had no explanation for the discrepancy, the audit says. The director of sales at PenTeleData didnt respond to a voicemail or email message. Buckno Lisicky & Co. didnt respond to an email message.

Its unclear where the remaining $550,000 wound up, according to the audit. The form 1099-MISC is most likely fraudulent, the audit says. It urges the matter be turned over to the Internal Revenue Service.

Board questioned on the audit

When a member of the public questioned the audit during the Thursday, July 23, school board meeting, board President Mike Lieberman said the school addressed the audit in a letter sent out by CEO Chadwick Antonio.

Antonio took over as CEO in June. He sent the letter to staff, parents, families and residents on July 16. The letter never mentions the audit but it does refer to investigations by the school board of previous practices and administrations.

The board of trustees is acting diligently on all matters and coordinating with the Easton Arts Academy legal counsel and proper authorities, as needed, to move forward with urgency, Antonio wrote, although he didnt specify the matters on which the school is moving forward. You can read the full letter on the school website.

There were comments made from the public. We have responded to those, Lieberman said Thursday in response to the question during the board meeting. Dr. Antonio has gone on record. We have responded proactively. We have responded to our family and all our constituents relative to how we go forward.

Those letters stand on their own. There will be more communications from the board as needed, Lieberman said.

Former Easton Arts Academy school board member Trish Beegle believes the school takes the audit seriously.

If further investigation needs to be done, I believe it will be done, she said. She kept up to date with the progress of the audit until she left the school board in June. She said If theres $570,000 missing, the auditor should have found it.

Its still questionable whether there are any actual dollars missing, she said.

Dont question my report'

Bedics said his access to records was somewhat limited by COVID-19 because he wasnt allowed in the school. He said his investigation was limited to the records that could be provided by former school board member Sharon Jermany. She resigned from the board last week.

He said he took the investigation as far as he can as a civil auditor. Now its time to hand off to the Internal Revenue Service, which has subpoena power to access more records. According to Bedics, the board initially questioned his audit, saying it was full of allegations but not proof.

Dont question my report. My report is based on the records I was given and I made an informed decision on what I saw, Bedics said. They are allegations. I cant prove it. The only way it can get proved is in a court of law. Thats when these things get proven outright.

Bedics worked in the criminal investigation division of the IRS for more than 23 years. He became a self-employed certified fraud examiner after that. He conducted a fraud audit for the Allentown School District in 2016, according to an article in the Morning Call. Hes a part-time lecturer at Muhlenberg College.

So he knows how a fraud audit should be conducted, he said.

Theyre questioning my report. Im the expert in this stuff. Not you. Im thinking Why did they even hire me then? Bedics said, adding, What are they scared of? Thats whats puzzling.

Bedics said he received his $2,000 retainer payment and a follow-up $1,600 payment. Hes still owed $4,400 out of the $8,000 cost of the audit although that payment is being expedited, he said.

He doesnt understand why Buckno & Lisicky or others at the school failed to report the $570,000 discrepancy to authorities.

A $570,000 false document to the IRS is pretty significant, he said.

Charter schools were created to encourage innovative and creative approaches to education, and theyre not subject to the same regulations and oversight as traditional public schools. Theyre publicly funded but privately run. The schools tax subsidies are calculated based on the communities in which the students live. Easton Arts Academy had an enrollment of 420 kindergarten-through-fifth grade students in the 2019-20 school year.

The school CEO, its solicitors and Lieberman declined to hand over the audit to lehighvalleylive.com. Emails sent to six of the seven school board members seeking comment on the audit werent returned. Jermany declined to hand over the audit but did confirm its authenticity after lehighvalleylive.com obtained a copy.

Former Easton Arts Academy school board member Sharon Jermany at the Feb. 27, 2020, school board meeting.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com

Form raised suspicions

She said shes the one who found the suspicious 2018 1099-MISC form. Jermany was authorized to initiate the audit earlier this year. The board voted 4-0 in February to hire the auditor. Lieberman, the board president, was absent for the vote.

Jermany said pursuing the fraud audit is a job she took seriously.

I was asked to do these investigations, to ensure the school is transparent and the community can trust us. I wont do anything less, Jermany said. A fraud audit differs from a conventional audit in that its less comprehensive but zeroes in on areas of suspected fraud.

Allentown accountant Richard Gurniak said a fraud audit takes a deeper dive into smaller discrepancies on the books. A conventional audit provides reasonable assurance to a client that financial statements are presented fairly, but a fraud audit takes a closer look specifically for fraud, he said.

Bedics said he attempted to authenticate receipts and documents rather than just pair them with canceled checks. He also looks for waste and abuse. He recommends changes to prevent future fraud and compiles evidence that can later be turned over to authorities.

Jermany said her colleagues have been slow to act on the audits findings.

Theyre trying to hide and bury this, she said.

Jermany said she handed over the audit to the Northampton County District Attorneys office. A detective in that office, Robert Watts, said the district attorneys office didnt plan to investigate but he believed the Easton Police Department and Internal Revenue Service were made aware of the allegations.

Lehighvalleylive.com shared the audit with the Easton Police Department.

I received the info you sent; it will be reviewed and evaluated, said Easton police Inspector Daniel Reagan in an email.

Due to privacy laws, we are unable to comment on ongoing investigations, said Internal Revenue Service spokeswoman Robyn Walker.

The schools charter must be approved by its sending district, in this case by the Easton Area School District. Easton Area School District Superintendent David Piperato said hed defer comment to district solicitor John E. Freund III, who was unavailable to comment the week of July 20.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education also has authority to investigate complaints about charter schools. Spokespeople with that office didnt return messages seeking comment on the audit.

In 2018, Chief Administrative Officer Shawn Ferrara handled finances for the school. He was forced out in June 2019 as allegations swirled of a toxic work environment for teachers detailed in a special report by lehighvalleylive.com in April, 2019. Reached last Sunday, Ferrara said he was not aware of any audit or any financial problems at the school.

A lawsuit pending against the school says Ferrara and former Operations Manager Jacque Zupko rigged grades. The lawsuit filed by former principal Susan Bostian accuses Ferrara of rewriting Bostians employee evaluations.

The academys position on the allegations brought by Ms. Bostian have not changed and it will continue to vigorously defend itself in this matter, said Allentown attorney Ed Easterly, who represents Easton Arts Academy in the lawsuit.

Zupkos phone number isnt listed so she couldnt be reached for comment. She didnt respond to a direct message sent on Facebook. She was fired in January.

The school opened in 2017 at 30 N. Fourth St in Easton. The original CEO, Joanna Hughes, was fired in December 2019. Her number isnt listed and a Facebook profile couldnt be found for her, so she couldnt be reached for comment.

Audit details other problems

In addition to the $550,000 discrepancy, the audit cites multiple financial irregularities, including the use of a debit card to rack up more than $7,000 of unaccounted-for purchases at big-box retailers and grocery stores.

Taxpayer money should never be used for such items, the audit says.

School policy requires permission from the board to hand out debit cards to staff, but the board never approved the cards, Jermany said.

A system of tagging purchases to account for them was initiated by interim CEO William Wright, but the system was incorrectly implemented and had to be abandoned, the audit says. Wright didnt respond to an email seeking comment. Wright was hired to be the school principal and returned to that duty after Antonio took over as CEO.

Easton Arts Academy principal William Wright at the Feb. 27, 2020, school board meeting.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com

The school had a culture where the former administration felt they could do whatever they wanted without board input and approval, the audit says.

Some checks from public school districts were made out to Ferrara, the audit says. These checks were properly deposited, but the practice could have enabled Ferrara to pocket funds meant for the school, it says. Ferrara denied ever receiving a check made out to him. Some checks were made to his attention, but never made out for him as the recipient, he said.

The audit says financial consultant Charter Choices shouldnt reconcile bank accounts because it handles the finances. The school needs to hire a qualified financial staffer to check the work of Charter Choices. And when the school hires employees to handle finances, it should conduct a credit check before approving the hires. Ryan Schumm represents Charter Choices of Glenside, Pa., at school board meetings. He didnt respond to an email seeking comment.

The audit says established internal controls and the hiring of qualified individuals will greatly reduce the possibility of fraud and wasteful spending.

At the time of the audit, only four members were seated on the board. The audit recommends filling all the vacant seats and recommends board members take a more active oversight of the school administration.

If this cannot be done, it is the opinion of this fraud examiner the school will fail.

At least six of the nine seats are now filled on the board. The school still lacks a business manager.

At the July 23 school board meeting, the board approved a new procurement policy. It wasnt discussed, and details were not provided on the meeting agenda, but Lieberman said it strengthens the current policy and gives the CEO flexibility to acquire goods and services.

The board also approved the creation of a fiscal committee, a procurement committee, an academic data and curriculum committee and a personnel committee.

These are the start of what Dr. Antonio feels will be a transparent and effective board, Lieberman said July 23.

Read the audit online.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
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Downing Street risked causing more confusion among British holidaymakers and travel firms today, warning 'no travel is risk-free' amid fears of a wave of cancellations sparked by a shock U-turn on quarantine for arrivals from Spain.

No 10 was unable to provide reassurances that the decision to subject people travelling from the popular holiday destination to 14 days in isolation - having previously cleared them to bypass the health restriction - would not be expanded to other countries with a coronavirus spike.

It comes as Jet2 cancelled all holidays to mainland Spain and the Spanish islands from tomorrow until August 16, following the same move from TUI earlier today.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tonight cut short his own Spanish holiday and will arrive back in the UK on Wednesday to start his own quarantine period, admitting it 'doesn't feel right' to be relaxing while others are suffering.

The Spain decision, which gave holidaymakers five hours' notice on Saturday, is believed to have spooked many people who had booked trips in France, Italy and Greece with operators already reporting 'lots of cancellations'.

This morning the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'Decisions on border measures and travel advice can be changed rapidly if necessary to help stop the spread of the disease.

'Unfortunately no travel is risk-free during this pandemic and disruption is possible and so anyone travelling abroad should be aware that our travel advice and exemption list is under constant review as we monitor the international situation.'

The Government has stood by its decision to strike Spain off the UK's list of safe destinations but the timing of the shift has sparked widespread fury amid fears it will be the 'final nail in the coffin' for some tourism firms.

Industry figures warned reimposing quarantine on Spanish travellers had 'put fear into people' as they warned the 'rug has been pulled from under our feet'. An estimated 600,000 British holiday makers have been caught up in the Spanish quarantine chaos, either because they are in the country or had booked a holiday.

Other experts said the Government had effectively pushed the 'nuclear button', putting at risk the entire foreign summer holiday season.

Health Minister Helen Whately today risked adding to the growing uncertainty over whether people should book foreign holidays as she suggested that ultimately holidaymakers will have to make their own judgements on whether it is a good idea to travel.

She said people hoping to go abroad will have to 'look very carefully' at the official Government advice and then 'weigh up the risks'.

The Foreign Office is now advising against 'all non-essential travel to mainland Spain' but the Canary and Balearic islands are currently exempt from the ban.

However, the 'blanket' quarantine rules apply to the whole of Spain, including those islands, prompting suggestions that the current guidance is confused.

The row over quarantine came as:

Ryanair today revealed losses of 168million during the coronavirus pandemic but sparked a row over refunds by insisting it will continue flying to Spain after UK tourists were told not to travel there.

Labour has urged the Government to introduce 'smarter measures' at the border rather than a blanket quarantine for those returning from Spain.

Ms Whateley said the Spain decision has been taken because the 'rate was going up very rapidly in Spain and we had to take very rapid, decisive action'.

Holiday firm Tui has cancelled all holidays to mainland Spain up to and including August 9.

French health authorities said at the weekend that the country's R-rate was up to 1.3 and that daily new infections on Friday had risen to 1,130 - indicators resembling those seen in May, when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

Spain was put on the UK's quarantine list at just five hours notice - but cases are starting to rise in other European countries. France and Germany are the most at risk of another quarantine order, both popular holiday destinations for Britons

France's new coronavirus cases are also starting to rise - prompting fears that it will be the next country to be subject to a lockdown with no notice. Belgium and Germany are also starting to see a rise in new coronavirus cases

Holidaymakers returning from Spain to the UK will now have to self-isolate for 14 days when they get back. A beach in Mallorca is pictured on July 26

Passengers on a flight from Madrid arrive at Heathrow Airport yesterday after the Government announced Spain was being taken off the UK's safe travel list

The furious Brits losing out on two weeks of work: Spanish quarantine victims include charity worker who can't deliver PPE for two weeks Britons caught out by the last-minute addition of Spain to the UK's quarantine list are being left out of pocket after being forced to isolate for 14 days upon their return. Employers are under no obligation to pay staff while they are in quarantine, self-employed workers will be forced to give up jobs - and some people could even face the sack if they have to isolate when returning home. The shock decision to enforce a 14-day quarantine was imposed with five hours' notice and left tens of thousands of tourists unable to return home before it kicked in. Employment barrister Grahame Anderson said: 'If you come back from Spain today and your boss says you have got to be in work on Monday, there's not a great deal you can do if they say 'well if you don't come in, I'm not going to pay you'. And if you haven't been there for two years, you've got very little protection against being dismissed as well.' Among the victims is a British tourist in Spain who runs the UK charity Mask Our Heroes which provides personal protective equipment to frontline workers. Emily Woods told ITV's This Morning: 'We came out Thursday. We were checking government guidelines and there was no sign of restrictions being imposed. Advertisement

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said yesterday that the Government 'can't make apologies' for the decision it made on Saturday which was announced less than five hours before coming into force.

It means that all arrivals from Spain and its islands will now have to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return to the UK.

The quick reimposition of the restrictions meant that some holidaymakers only found out they faced quarantine when they got on board their flight from Spain back home.

It was not just the public who were caught out by the sudden announcement.

The quick turnaround meant Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who is currently in Spain for his summer break, will have to join thousands of others in being forced to isolate for two weeks on his return to Britain.

Paul Scully, minister for London, will also have to quarantine after declaring on social media that he was on holiday in Playa Dorada, Lanzarote.

The decision to reimpose quarantine has rocked the travel industry after months of international flight restrictions decimated the sector.

Paul Charles, founder of the PC Agency, the travel consultants, said the latest bad news could result in 'many more job losses' as holidaymakers cancel their plans.

He said: 'People are cancelling not just Spain but other short-haul bookings. We've heard of lots of cancellations for holidays to France, Italy and Greece. Dominic Raab said they wouldn't hesitate to introduce quarantine measures on other countries and that's simply put fear into people.

'The implications of not getting bookings throughout late summer means that there will be many more job losses in the travel industry and more businesses will go under. Many were on a cliff edge, this will push them over.'

He added: 'The loss of confidence is a real hammer blow and the nail in the coffin for so many businesses.'

Gemma Antrobus, from the Association of Independent Tour Operators, said: 'It feels like the rug has been pulled from under our feet. The fact such a drastic change can happen to Spain, the UK's most popular destination, will really worry people that it could happen to any destination.'

Ms Whately today defended the fact that the travel advice says people can still go to Spanish islands but that they would have to quarantine on their return.

Ryanair announces a 168m loss and says 'a second wave of coronavirus across Europe is our biggest fear' Ryanair today revealed losses of 168million during the coronavirus pandemic but insisted it will continue flying to Spain after UK tourists were told not to travel there. The low-cost airline, like its competitors, was forced to ground its fleet as Covid-19 wreaked havoc on timetables, with travel bans and lockdowns introduced worldwide. Ryanair said it suffered the 'most challenging' quarter in its 35-year history after carrying 500,000 passengers from April to June compared with 41.9million in the same period last year. Its share price fell eight per cent in early trading this morning. Meanwhile, revenue collapsed from 2.1billion to 113million, with the Dublin-based carrier saying said a second wave of the disease was now its 'biggest fear'. But chief financial officer Neil Sorahan told BBC Radio 4 today that it would not cut flights to Spain, saying: 'As things stand, the market remains open, the schedules remain in place and we continue to operate in and out of Spain as normal.' Advertisement

She said: 'What the Foreign Office is doing is looking at the risk to an individual traveller where indeed because the rates are lower in the islands at the moment the risk to an individual traveller going there is lower.

'But for the public health advice that is about protecting the United Kingdom.'

She also made clear that the Government could reimpose quarantine on other countries if there is a surge in coronavirus cases.

She told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme: 'What we are saying to people who are planning trips abroad is that you need to keep an eye on the Foreign Office guidance, that you need to be aware of your tour operator's policies and travel insurance and be mindful we are in a global pandemic.

'It is the right thing for us to do as a country to keep an eye on the rates in these countries.

'If we see something going on, like we are seeing in Spain, we would have to take action.'

Ms Whately suggested people will just have to make their own decisions on whether to book foreign trips amid the ongoing uncertainty.

She told BBC Breakfast: 'What I would say to people who are planning to go abroad is look very carefully at the situation.

'You have to weigh up the risks, look at the advice, look at your insurance and just be aware that the reality is we are in a global pandemic and we have to do what is the right thing for the health of the nation.'

Mr Raab, speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, refused to rule out the possibility of more countries being taken off the UK's safe travel list.

'As we've found with Spain, we can't give a guarantee,' he said, before adding that there was 'an element of uncertainty this summer if people go abroad'.

The Telegraph reported that officials in both France and Germany have warned of possible new lockdowns as parts of Europe prepared for potential second waves of Covid-19 infections.

French health authorities said at the weekend that the country's R-rate was up to 1.3 and that daily new infections on Friday had risen to 1,130 - indicators resembling those seen in May, when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

More than half of Britons back fast quarantine decision on Spain arrivals More than half of Britons believe the Government was right to reimpose quarantine on arrivals from Spain, a poll revealed today. Some 81 per cent of those polled by YouGov said the decision to reimpose 14-day isolation was correct and 51 per cent backed the speed at which the Government had acted. A third (33 per cent) said the Government should have given more warning and just 8 per cent opposed the reintroduction of quarantine. Advertisement

The decision to reimpose restrictions on Spain left holidaymakers frustrated, with some saying they would not have travelled if they knew they would have to spend a fortnight self-isolating afterwards.

Close to 1.8 million holidays were likely to have been thrown into chaos by the move, according to travel company The PC Agency, which analysed the number of seats booked on flights leaving the UK for Spain between July 26 and August 31.

Jet2 said announced it would scrap all flights to mainland Spain from tomorrow just 24 hours after saying it would be continue services as normal.

The budget airline had said its Spanish destinations - Costa de Almeria, Alicante, Malaga and Murcia - were all away from Covid-hit areas.

But today a statement said: 'Following the latest government advice regarding travel to Mainland Spain from the UK, we have taken the decision to suspend our flights and holidays programme to Costa de Almeria, Alicante, Malaga and Murcia from 28th July up to and including 16th August.'

Jet2 planes will still take passengers to Canary Islands and Balearic Islands despite the change and those who have lost their trips to the mainland will be offered a full refund.

Tour operator Tui said that, due to the change in the Government's travel advice, it was cancelling all holidays to mainland Spain up to and including August 9.

Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth criticised the Government's handling of the affair, labelling it 'frankly shambolic', and called for financial support for those now forced to shut themselves away after their arrival home.

Downing Street tells travellers hit by Spain quarantine chaos to claim Universal Credit Downing Street said holidaymakers who miss out on work because of quarantine may be eligible for Universal Credit or employment support allowance but not statutory sick pay. The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman reiterated that the Government expects employers to be 'flexible' in allowing staff to work from home while self-isolating if they have just returned from Spain. 'Where this isn't possible we would expect that many employers would have their own policies in place for quarantine and we know that some continue to offer full pay for all or some of the isolation period,' he added. 'But if there are people who need urgent support then they may be entitled to the new-style employment support allowance or Universal Credit.' Pressed on whether ministers would review statutory sick pay eligibility, the spokesman said: 'We always keep our response to the pandemic under review and we regularly assess the support available but there is support available for those in need.' Advertisement

He said: 'I can understand why the Government have made this decision and it's a reminder that we can't be complacent about this virus.

'One of the big blunders from Boris Johnson back in March was not quarantining those coming from France and Spain and Italy because that's how the virus was seeded.

'So, I understand why they've made the decision but the way in which this decision has been made in the last 24 hours is frankly shambolic.'

Labour is urging the Government to ditch the blanket ban and instead introduce a more targeted quarantine policy to crackdown on affected areas.

Spanish ministers are now in talks with the UK about exempting the Canary and Balearic islands, which include Ibiza and Majorca, from the requirement to self-isolate for two weeks due to lower infection rates in those regions than on the Spanish mainland.

The Foreign Office guidance advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain does not include the islands but ministers have opted to apply blanket quarantine arrangements across the Spanish territories.

Foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya argued Spain had coronavirus outbreaks 'perfectly controlled' after the European country recorded more than 900 fresh daily Covid-19 cases for two days running before Saturday's travel corridor suspension.

Ms Gonzalez Laya told reporters: 'Spain is a safe country for tourists and Spaniards.

'Like in any other European country we are seeing outbreaks - the outbreaks in Spain are perfectly controlled.'

The Government's decision on quarantine means thousands of British tourists currently in Spain will now have to self-isolate when they get back to the UK.

Many have told of their frustrations at having to quarantine, with some facing having to miss work two weeks' pay in order to stay at home.

Legal experts have warned some people could lose pay or even face the sack if they have to quarantine when returning home.

Employment barrister Grahame Anderson said: 'If you come back from Spain today and your boss says you have got to be in work on Monday, there's not a great deal you can do if they say 'well if you don't come in, I'm not going to pay you'. And if you haven't been there for two years, you've got very little protection against being dismissed as well.'

Among those caught up in the chaos is a British tourist in Spain who runs the UK charity Mask Our Heroes which provides personal protective equipment to frontline workers.

Emily Woods told ITV's This Morning: 'We came out Thursday. We were checking government guidelines and there was no sign of restrictions being imposed.

Self-employed IT technician Nick Madeley, 41, pictured with his wife wife Alison, 49, and five-year-old daughter Ellie. He is returning from Majorca to East Midlands Airport today, but is now having to pay contractors to take on his jobs because he can no longer complete them

'We travelled very safely and I know a lot about PPE - I run a PPE charity. We were picked up at the airport and we were taken to our friend's villa and we were faced with being in lockdown for two weeks. This will restrict the work I'm doing.'

Self-employed IT technician Nick Madeley, 41, who is returning from Majorca to East Midlands Airport today, said he was having to pay contractors to take on his jobs because he will no longer be able to complete them while in quarantine.

Mr Madeley, of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, has been on holiday with his wife Alison, 49, and five-year-old daughter Ellie.

He said: 'We've all had a great holiday and also stuck to the rules regarding face masks and sanitisation and we have felt very safe.

'But it's my daughter I feel sorry for. Having gone through lockdown stuck at home patiently abiding by the lockdown rules, then slowly getting back into school, this holiday was our little bit of normality that we've worked hard for.

'And now we all have to quarantine and lose out on another two weeks summer holidays where she can't go out and do things we were planning on doing.'

Why is the Foreign Office still telling tourists it's safe to travel to low-infection Spanish islands even though they will have to quarantine when they come home? Fury at contradictory government advice

The UK Government was today under fire for telling British tourists they can travel to the Spanish islands but must still go into quarantine when they return home.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised UK travellers against all non-essential travel including holidays to mainland Spain.

But this does not apply to the Canary Islands - Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa - and the Balearic Islands - Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.

However, people returning from anywhere in Spain  including the Canaries and Balearics - are now required to go into 14 day quarantine on return.

The Spanish government and Britain's travel industry trade body, the Association of British Travel Agents, argue it is not necessary for the Canaries and Balearics to be included in the quarantine, pointing out that infection rates on these islands are low.

Abta has told the Government to 'consider' changing the rules, while Spain's Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya is trying to convince Britain to exclude the Balearics and Canaries, saying: 'Spain is safe, it is safe for Spaniards, it is safe for tourists.'

But one British tourist tested positive for Covid-19 in Lanzarote last week, and the UK Government fears that if the islands were exempt this could allow a loophole in the system.

The Spanish government and Britain's travel industry trade body, the Association of British Travel Agents, argue it is not necessary for the Canaries and Balearics to be included in the quarantine, pointing out that infection rates on these islands are low.

Holidaymakers including British tourists on the beach in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza yesterday

In theory, someone on holiday in Spain could fly home via Majorca and avoid quarantine.

Ryanair, BA, easyJet, and Jet2 will continue to run their flights to Spanish airports. Travellers may be offered a voucher to the value of the ticket or a chance to re-book if they wish to cancel.

How many coronavirus cases have been recorded on the Canary and Balearic Islands? Mallorca 2,102

2,102 Ibiza 215

215 Menorca 98

98 Formentera 16

16 Tenerife 1,555

1,555 Fuerteventura 142

142 Gran Canaria 643

643 La Palma 107

107 Lanzarote 91

91 La Gomera 8

8 El Hierro 3 Advertisement

British holidaymaker Tom Beckett, with his daughter Elaina, recorded a video from Lanzarote yesterday showing how quiet it is and the safety measures put in place.

He told Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the video: 'I don't think you've looked at the map, because (Lanzarote) is 1,000km from Spain. It is like an infection in the Isle of Wight and isolating people in Iceland. It doesn't make any sense.

'It's four hours away from home, not an issue. Anyway I thought it would be handy to show the Government, because they have obviously been locked in Number 10 for quite some time, that this is a pretty safe place.'

Tourism leaders in Ibiza say hotels will be forced to close as a result of the UK government's quarantine decision.

The British market is number one for the island which had already been hit by the lack of bookings during the coronavirus crisis and the closure of all its big clubs due to health regulations imposed by the Balearic government.

Ibiza's tourist director, Juan Miguel Costa, said the need for Britons to quarantine on their return if they decided to holiday in Spain would make it 'unfeasible' for them to choose the island.

He told island newspaper Diario de Ibiza: 'With the dependence that we have on the British in different parts of the island, it is a blow to our entire waterline, it is a blow to the sector in full force.'

'The island is already registering cancellations of British tourists, which will cause many hotels dedicated to British tourism to end up closing. They cannot survive.'

Ibiza's tourist director said the need for Britons to quarantine on their return if they decided to holiday in Spain would make it 'unfeasible' for them to choose the island (pictured yesterday)

Ibiza is now pinning its hopes on the governments of Spain and the UK reaching an agreement to create a 'safe corridor' between the Balearics, as well as the Canaries, so that British tourists are exempt from the quarantine requirement.

Weekly Covid-19 figures for the Balearics and Canaries show cases have remained reasonably low Weekly Covid-19 case figures for the last four weeks show there have been reasonably low numbers in both the Balearics and Canaries, although more of an upward trend in the latter: New cases in previous seven days (week up to Friday, July 24): Balearic Islands: 40

Canary Islands: 95

Spain total: 10,990 Week to Friday, July 17: Balearics: 39

Canaries: 30

Spain total: 5,695 Week to Friday, July 10: Balearics: 17

Canaries: 13

Spain total: 2,944 Week to Friday, July 3: Balearics: 37

Canaries: 11

Spain total: 2,028 All-time cases (as of Friday, July 24) Balearics: 2,343

Canaries: 2,578

Spain total: 272,421 Advertisement

Mr Costa said he felt the Balearic Islands 'are being penalised' by the second wave of Covid-19 infections mainly on the Spanish mainland.

'In the end, state policy is made and everything is put in the same bag, but the incidence in the Balearic Islands is low,' he said.

A spokesman for Abta said: 'Abta has said consistently that protecting public health must be the priority at this time, and it is vital to base decisions about travel on the best health and scientific advice.

'We suggest the Government considers lifting the quarantine rules for flights to and from certain regions with lower infection rates, or to places such as the Balearic Islands or the Canaries - which are geographically distinct from mainland Spain - to avoid further damage to the UK inbound and outbound tourism industries.'

One tourist who is currently in Ibiza told MailOnline today that the UK's blanket approach 'fails UK holidaymakers who were advised and encouraged to travel'.

The tourist, who asked not to be named, said: 'UK authorities need to buck up their track and trace to be able to distinguish between mainland Spain travellers and the island travellers.

'Now we come back to sheer inconvenience because my government can't be asked to take a little bit of a harder look and allow us to prove our whereabouts.

'The Balearic Islands have a better rate in all [indicators] we monitor so if looked at logically they are telling us to come back to areas of the UK who are in a worse position that the islands, just does not make sense.

'They should listen and work with the island authorities to be able to mitigate people trying to use them as a gateway from mainland Spain to try and bypass the quarantine, a simple stamp in those travellers' passports can distinguish them from people who have been in the islands the entire time.

'The sheer fact that the islands are still okay to travel to shows the holes in their blanket approach.

'Just another example of poor planning being masked as 'swift action', not all action because 'swift' is correct. Instead of swift it should be labelled as 'hastily'.'

Air passengers heading to Manchester queue up at check-in at Lanzarote Airport yesterday

As this morning, more than 50,000 people had signed a petition addressed to Mr Johnson demanding that the islands be exempted.

'Holidaymakers returning from the islands have expressed that they felt safer during their stay on the islands than at home in the UK,' said petition organiser Lee Sparrow.

'They have also expressed how everybody is adhering to the rules of social distancing and mask wearing.'

One holidaymaker in Mallorca who signed the petition, Helen Locking, said the island was 'very safe' and urged the government to 'at least honour the people here to get home'.

'I came here because there was no quarantine and now my four-year-old is going to be stuck at home for two weeks unnecessarily,' she said.

Annette Dawson, who has been in Mallorca for ten days, said it was 'not fair' that the islands are treated the same as mainland Spain.

'We have been in Majorca for ten days and have no experience or contact with anyone with symptoms, hygiene has been stepped up and the wearing of masks policed,' she said.

The UK Government has introduced travel and quarantine controls for Spain following a spike in cases around Barcelona, Zaragoza and Madrid.

Some 1,904 new cases were reported last Friday, which was the highest since late April.

Meanwhile Catalonia regional leader Quim Torra said today that the area may take stricter measures to limit coronavirus contagion if the situation does not improve in the next ten days.

A British tourist waits to check in before departing for the UK at Tenerife Airport yesterday

Mr Torra warned that in many parts of Catalonia the data was similar to the situation before Spain declared a national lockdown in March. He added his administration's goal was to avoid taking as strict measures as the ones that were taken back then.

Catalan authorities on July 17 advised some four million people to remain home and leave only for essential trips, banned gatherings of more than ten people and limited the occupancy of bars and restaurants as the number of cases in the region is rising faster than in the rest of the country.

There are fears more European holidays could be thrown into disarray during 'uncertainty' this summer after holidaymakers in Spain were left fuming at being told they must quarantine when they return home.

The Government has stood by its decision to strike Spain off the UK's list of safe destinations after it saw a spike in the number of coronavirus cases.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the Government 'can't make apologies' for the decision made on Saturday - announced less than five hours before coming into force - that arrivals from Spain and its islands would have to self-isolate for 14 days.

Ibiza (pictured yesterday) is now pinning its hopes on the governments of Spain and the UK reaching an agreement to create a 'safe corridor' between the Balearics

Mr Raab, speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme yesterday, also refused to rule out rescinding further so-called travel corridors.

The Telegraph reported that officials in both France and Germany have warned of possible new lockdowns as parts of Europe braced for a second wave of Covid-19 infections.

French health authorities said at the weekend that the country's R-rate was up to 1.3 and that daily new infections on Friday had risen to 1,130 - indicators resembling those seen in May, when France was coming out of its strict two-month lockdown.

The decision to reimpose restrictions on Spain left holidaymakers frustrated, with some saying they would not have travelled if they knew they would have to spend a fortnight self-isolating afterwards.

Close to 1.8 million holidays were likely to have been thrown into chaos by the move, according to travel company The PC Agency, which analysed the number of seats booked on flights leaving the UK for Spain between July 26 and August 31.

Tourism leaders in Ibiza (pictured yesterday) say hotels will be forced to close as a result of the quarantine decision

According to The Times, trips to France, Italy and Greece were being cancelled in 'large numbers' following the ruling by ministers on Spain, a development likely to heap further pressure on an already under-strain travel sector.

Tour operator Tui said that, due to the change in the Government's travel advice, it was cancelling all holidays to mainland Spain up to and including August 9.

Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth criticised the Government's handling of the affair, labelling it 'frankly shambolic', and called for financial support for those now forced to shut themselves away after their arrival home.

Ryanair said today it would continue its flights in and out of Spain, with chief financial officer Neil Sorahan telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'As things stand, the market remains open, the schedules remain in place and we continue to operate in and out of Spain as normal.'

However he added that the airline's entire operation was 'under consideration' as it rebuilds the route network after lockdown restrictions were lifted.

** Are you now in quarantine in Britain after returning from Spain? Please email: mark.duell@mailonline.co.uk or tips@dailymail.com **

Summer 2020 is turning into a chilling one

COMMENTARY BY MARK PALMER, TRAVEL EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL

That's it for holidays abroad this summer.

The sorry truth is that the Government's decision to advise against all non-essential travel to mainland Spain  and re-impose a two-week quarantine  will have a dramatic knock-on effect, as millions of families rethink their travel plans. And all this just when it seemed like overseas travel was finally struggling back onto its feet.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab made clear yesterday that other countries could be next.

Refusing to apologise, he said he and his Cabinet colleagues 'must be able to take swift, decisive action'. Yet such swift action was sadly lacking back in April, when people were still pouring into Britain from all over the world, bringing the virus with them, without going into quarantine.

Since then, there's been hardly any 'action' at all on testing arrivals at airports.

Instead, we now have a blanket rule for Spain  the most popular destination for British tourists  which could affect up to two million people in the coming months. The decision was taken late on Saturday after ministers discussed rates of infection in Spain. But the data was available on Friday, meaning the announcement could have been made more than 24 hours earlier, before thousands had set off for the airport, and giving those in Spain time to change their plans.

True 'decisive action' surely would have made a clear distinction between mainland Spain, which has seen a surge in infections, and the Canary Islands, Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza, where there have been fewer cases.

Yes, the Foreign Office has said that we can visit the Canaries and Balearics. But we will still have to quarantine for 14 days on our return. It's increasingly difficult to track and trace the Government's thinking on travel, whether it's the 'air bridges' debacle, which cruises to avoid, the continued red-listing of Portugal and now a blanket ban on travel to mainland Spain with hardly any warning.

Thousands will now have to start the grim process of seeking refunds from holiday companies and airlines, or accept vouchers, while travel firms who had hoped to claw back some money in August will find themselves plunged back into crisis. The summer of 2020 is turning out to be a chilling one.
Photo: (Photo : Instagram/kenia714)

A 28-year-old woman shared the heartbreaking story of a 94-year-old street vendor. After the story had gone viral, she was able to raise more than $84,000. She said the man reminded her of her old parents, and she does not want to see them living the same life as his.

The old man broke into tears

While walking in Santa Ana, California, Kenia Barragan came upon an elderly man selling tamales. She decided to give him a few bucks and a Mexican sandwich after seeing the street vendor's tiresome look in his wheelchair. Apart from that, she also gave a compassionate ear to his heartbreaking story.

See also: Struggling mom anonymously donated money she won from lottery

After receiving simple gifts from Barragan, the man broke down in tears. Little did he know that there is more to come.

Reminded of old parents

The young woman said that she thought of her parents when she first saw Jose Villa Ochoa. She told KTTV News that she felt for the elderly man because her parents are both older. She explained that she would hate to see her dad selling tamales for somebody to make a living.

The street seller "Don Joel" explained that he wanted a job, but no one wants to hire him because of his old age. He started to sell tamales cooked by a local woman to earn money. The local woman would give him a cut of the earnings at the end of the day, allowing him to buy food. However, the money was not enough to buy his medications or even a phone.

See also: For a month, doctor cared for a baby whose parents are COVID-19 positive

Shared the story online

After happily listening to the old man's story, Barragan wanted to do more. She sought the help of her Instagram followers by sharing the tamales vendor's sad story. Within a week, she was able to raise more than $84,000.

Besides raising Don Joel's retirement fund, she bought a new wheelchair and shiny shoes for him. Ochoa said that he feels 40 now because the "life-changing" kindness has made him feel alive.

Barragan's goal in life

Barragan also feels the same way. She said that she has always been looking for a purpose to help others. The young woman shared that she has been living in line with those values in her current job while getting transportation for people with disabilities. She wants to establish a homeless shelter as a goal.

See also: Man drove 1,400 miles to play trombone to help brother heal

She is hoping that the story she shared could inspire other people to care for their communities, apart from donating money. Listening or talking to someone who needs to open up would be more meaningful. You might not know, but it could change their lives.
Lowville, N.Y.  Police have arrested a man accused of urinating in front of customers while they ate outside a restaurant.

WKTV reports 55-year-old Joseph Thomas, of Lowville, was charged with disorderly conduct after he allegedly relieved himself in a restaurant parking lot on North State Street in Lowville. The Lewis County Sheriffs Office said there were numerous customers eating in the business outdoor area at the time of the incident, around 9:40 p.m. Saturday.

Deputies said Thomas was publicly intoxicated.

According to The Rome Sentinel, Thomas was charged with one count of disorderly conduct. He was released and scheduled to appear in court at a later date.
The southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka breached the 100,000 case mark on Monday, logging 6,051 and 5,324 fresh coronavirus infections respectively. The total number of deaths mounted to 1,090 and 1,953, respectively, as the spread of virus continued unabated in the two states.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

Andhra Pradeshs cumulative number of cases stood at 102,349, while for Karnataka, the number was 101, 465 on Monday, according to state health bulletins.

Andhra stands at the fourth position in the country, next only to Maharashtra which has 375,799 cases, Tamil Nadu (213,723 cases) and Delhi (130,606 cases).

In terms of cumulative number of cases, East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh tops the list in the state with 14,696 cases, followed by 12,234 cases in Kurnool, 10,747 in Guntur, 10, 247 in Anantapur and 8820 in West Godavari, according to the state health bulletin.

As many as 49 deaths were reported in Andhra Pradesh on Monday, taking the overall death toll to 1,090. In terms of fatalities, the state is at the seventh position in the country with Maharashtra recording highest number of 13,656 deaths, followed by Delhi (3,827), Tamil Nadu (3,494), Gujarat (2,322), Karnataka (1,880), Uttar Pradesh (1,426).

On the other hand, the neighbouring Telangana recorded 1,473 positive cases on Monday, including 506 cases in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits alone, taking the cumulative tally of cases in the state to 55,532. The state reported eight fresh casualties taking the overall toll to 471. The death rate in the state is very low  0.85 per cent, as against the national average of 2.3 per cent, the official bulletin from the state medical and health department said.

Meanwhile, Karnatakas cumulative tally of 101,465 cases includes 37685 discharges and 1953 deaths, the health department said.

With this increase, Karnataka continues to harbour the second most number of active Covid cases in the country at 61,819 after Maharashtra which has 147, 592 active cases. State capital Bangalore, however, recorded 1,470 cases on Monday, which is significantly lower than two thousand plus cases a day it has been averaging over the last fortnight. However, with 33,816 active Covid cases, Bangalore accounts for nearly half of all the active cases in the state.

Chief minister B S Yediyurappa reiterated that there was no question of any further lockdown. We have to learn to live with the virus and take adequate precautions including social distancing, wearing masks and other measures. The focus should be on economic revival and progress, he said at an event to mark one year of his government in the state.

Andhra Pradesh s cumulative number of positive cases stood at 102,349, while for Karnataka, the number was 101, 465 on Monday
By Ayya Lmahamad

Over $106 billion were invested in Azerbaijans oil sector in the period between 1995 and 2019, Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov has said.

During the period, out of $140 billion of foreign investments in Azerbaijan, $85 billion were attracted to the oil sector, Shahbazov said addressing the seminar on "Energy policy of Azerbaijan and the role of renewable energy" held at ADA University recently.

Moreover, so far 514 million tons of oil, 127 billion cubic meters of gas and about 29 million tons of condensate have been produced from Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli blocks, as well as from Shah Deniz field.

Furthermore, it is expected that annual growth of gas production from Shah Deniz field will exceed 25 billion cubic meters in 2024. This will enable the country to supply 16 billion cubic meters of gas to customers from the Shah Deniz field once the Southern Gas Corridor is fully operational.

Additionally, the gas supply to Turkey via TANAP has already reached 6 billion cubic meters.

Earlier it was reported that the volume of Azerbaijans gas exports increased by 13.6 percent or 2 billion cubic meters year-on-year in the period between January and May, amounting to 16.4 billion cubic meters of gas.

Likewise, Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli produced 5.4 billion cubic meters of gas, Shah Deniz produced 8 billion cubic meters of gas and SOCAR production amounted to 3 billion cubic meters of gas.

During the reporting period, Azerbaijan produced 15.2 million tons of oil, including condensate, out of which, Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli accounted for 10.5 million tons of oil produced in the country for this period, Shah Deniz accounted for 1.6 million tons, and SOCAR- 3.1 million tons of oil.

The contract for the development of Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli fields was signed on September 20, 1994 and entered into force on December 12 of the same year. On September 14, 2017 in Baku was signed a new contract for the development of ACG block, designed until 2050.

The shareholders of the project are BP (operator, 30.37 percent), SOCAR (25 percent), American Chevron (9.57 percent), ExxonMobil (6.79 percent), Indian ONGC (2.31 percent), Japanese Inpex Corp. (9.31 percent), ITOCHU Oil (3.65 percent), Norwegian Statoil (7.27 percent) and Turkish TPAO (5.73 percent).

The contract on development of Shah Deniz field was signed in Baku on June 4, 1996 and ratified by Parliament on October 17 of the same year. Shareholders of Shah Deniz project are: BP (operator, 28.8 percent), TPAO (19 percent), SOCAR (16.7 percent), Petronas (15.5 percent), LUKOIL (10 percent) and NICO (10 percent).

TAP will transport natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz II field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. The pipeline will be 878km long and run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea bottom to southern Italy.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
On Tuesday July 21, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Gabriel Suswam, presented a report on Addressing Nigerias Power Sector Problems for debate at Plenary. As may be expected, the report recounted many of the well-known woes and inadequacies of the Nigerian Power Sector. At the same time, it tried to ascribe reasons to them.

In the course of that, the Senator dwelled on the Azura Power Generating Company and what the transaction was costing the Federal Government.

As may be expected, most papers reported it the next day, but of all of them, the approach taken by the Daily Sun stood out.

Here, we shall take a look at the key contents of the Daily Sun report and place them side by side with the facts on record.

1. In its screaming headlines, the newspaper proclaimed that Senate targets Osibanjo, Fashola, others over multimillion dollar power deal.

Fact: Senate has not said or implied that it was targeting anybody. None of the Senators present at the session mentioned anything suggestive of such targeting. One cannot but wonder where the Sun got its conspiracy theory from.

2. The Daily Sun reports that Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, Babatunde Fashola and others who were part of the team are believed to have erroneously signed an agreement that was not in favour of Nigeria.

Fact: Neither Vice President Osinbajo nor Mr. Fashola signed any such agreement. They were not even in office when the Azura agreements were signed. Records show that the Power Purchase Agreement or PPA for the transaction in question was signed on April 22, 2013, during the tenure of the then President Goodluck Jonathan (see below first page of agreement with date shown, as well as the signature page).

It must also be pointed out that the Take or Pay Clause in the Power Purchase Agreement, which obliges Government to pay for power declared available by the company, whether or not it is taken by the Government-owned Transmission Company, is fairly standard, especially where, as in this case, the plant is a huge one requiring enormous set up cost.

3. The Daily Sun went further to say, The Presidential Power Reform Transaction, which was headed by Osibanjo when the deal was struck obligated Nigeria to pay between $30 million and $33 million monthly to Azura for power for powers generated, even if not dispatched.

Fact: Again, this is completely false. Osinbajo was not even in office when the agreement was signed, as far back as in April 2013. The clause which talks about monthly pay is called a Take or Pay Clause, and in fairness to the government that signed it, that clause is quite typical in Power Purchase transactions. Nobody would build a power plant, which is a very costly and capital intensive venture, and no lender would put money in one, unless someone had committed to pay for the power. At any rate, much of that monthly payment goes straight to Nigeria Gas Company, Nigerian National Petroleum Company and other gas suppliers who make the power generation possible in the first place.

In Nigeria, the company that takes power from electricity Generating Companies is the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company or NBET for short, which happens to be 100% government owned, hence the commitment to pay for the power was made by the Nigerian Government. It is NBET that buys power from generating companies like Azura and sells to distribution companies. In 2013 when the deal was struck, it clearly appeared to be a good deal for Nigeria, which was desperate for power and feverishly seeking the establishment of power plants.

No one quite envisaged the current situation where electricity generating companies are kept idle because when power is produced, the Transmission Company may not be able to wheel the electricity fully for distribution to customers. It is no longer news that even when the electric power is made available for distribution, the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) at times reject it because they have failed to improve their networks and to meter their customers. The fear of the DISCOs is that they might be unable to deliver the power to customers or to collect tariff. On their part, Customers are reticent to pay because service is appalling and most of them feel cheated by estimated billing.

It should be noted also that payments made to Azura is by no means all for nothing. Azuras over 80% of Azuras power is currently being transmitted and distributed, while the rest is being used by the Transmission Company of Nigeria to stabilize the National grid.

4. Part of the deal the Federal Government had during the power sector reforms was that the investors will have the legitimacy to pull about $1.2 billion from the countrys foreign reserve.

Fact: No investor can just pull out $1.2 billion or any amount from Nigerias foreign reserve like that. There was a Put/Call Agreement signed with Azura as far back as October 22, 2014, whereby Nigeria reserved the option to buy over the assets or the company to give up the assets and seek payment, if Azura defaults (see below first page of agreement with date shown, as well as the signature page). However, the amount to be paid can only be determined when the option is exercised and nobody can simply pull out money from our foreign reserves just like that.

With the agreement having been signed before the inception of this administration, the questions one may ask are who profits from claiming that it was done by Osinbajo and Fashola? What is the motive behind this mischievous falsehood? And in their desperation to attack these gentlemen, why are they willing to rubbish a company that produces nearly a tenth of our nations power with such uncommon transparency and professionalism?
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 14:51:24|Editor: huaxia

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A media worker reads the open letter by Chinese Consul General in Houston Cai Wei in New York, the United States, July 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

"While pretending to be the embodiment of the international law, it only demands other countries to abide by the international law," said Zheng Yongnian, a professor of the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore.

SINGAPORE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The United States has never been a good example of upholding international law, with its demand for closing the Chinese Consulate General in Houston as another proof, Singaporean scholar Zheng Yongnian told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"While pretending to be the embodiment of the international law, it only demands other countries to abide by the international law," said Zheng, a professor of the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore.

For instance, the United States often cites the case of the so-called arbitration of the South China Sea against China, even though itself is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea yet, Zheng added.

Photo taken on July 21, 2020 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

On Tuesday, the United States abruptly demanded China close its Consulate General in Houston. Such a move is a "serious breach of international law and basic norms governing international relations as well as bilateral consular agreement," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular press conference.

The excuses behind the demand, such as the infringement of the property rights, don't have much to do with the foreign affairs between the two countries. Instead, they resemble those excuses the United States used to launch the trade war against China, which aims to "demonize China in an attempt to justify its hegemonic actions," Zheng said.

Commenting on a recent speech by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during which he maliciously attacked the Communist Party of China and China's social system, Zheng said this was a clear demonstration of a lack of basic knowledge about China and a sign of identity politics where people are divided according to their ideologies.

He pointed out that there are some politicians behind Pompeo in Washington who are engaged in ideological prejudice against China.

"Building a country's foreign policies upon the hatred of the few politicians is not sensible nor in accord with its national interests," Zheng said.

Besides the abrupt closure of the Chinese consulate general, some Chinese scholars and students in the United States are also unfairly treated.

The United States has largely revised its strategy towards China as it began to view the latter as the top competitor, and taken concrete steps to contain its rise.

However, aggression and invasion are not in the nature of the Chinese people, as manifested by the history of the Ming Dynasty hundreds of years ago, when China was the most powerful maritime nation in the world and forged friendly relations with other countries, Zheng added.

Unfortunately, this seems beyond understanding for the United States, he noted.

Photo taken on Sept. 24, 2015 shows the national flags of China (R) and the United States as well as the flag of Washington D.C. on the Constitution Avenue in Washington, capital of the United States. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan)

Considering that the United States is the world's largest developed nation while China is the largest developing one, maintaining a good relationship between the two big powers so as to prevent the world from falling into a bipolar scenario is beneficial not only to the citizens of both sides, but also to people worldwide, he concluded. 
Councils are renewing calls for the state government to remove rate pegging after a paper by the NSW Productivity Commission said the system acts as a financial brake on local governments accepting developments within their boundaries.

The peak body for NSW councils says the state's four-decades-old policy of rate pegging undermines their financial sustainability and has led to a shortage of paths, parks, drainage and other local infrastructure.

Local Government NSW has seized on the commission's issues paper, which raised concerns that rate pegging served as a financial disincentive for councils to allow development because their rates revenue did not rise as population and land values increased.

Councils argue the pegging of rates leaves them short of funding for local infrastructure such as cycleways. Credit:Peter Rae

"This contrasts with both the state and the Commonwealth, which are both able to expand their revenue with rising population and asset prices," the paper into a review of infrastructure contributions said.
July 27, 2020: The new, pro-military king does not want to become dependent on the military for his, and the monarchies, survival. The royal solution is seen as dangerous for the monarchy. The king is trying to restore the political and economic power the monarchy had in the 1930s, but surrendered back then as an act of self-preservation. The new king seems to thing history wont repeat itself. The new king has moved forcefully to assert long dormant royal powers. In mid-2018 he officially took personal control over the royal fortune. Currently this is estimated to be worth over $33 billion and consists mainly of real estate and shares of major corporations. In the past the royal assets were managed by the semi-independent Crown Property Bureau and not taxed. A law was passed, at the kings request, in 2017 to allow the change and with that came another change; the royal fortune was now subject to taxation. This is not a popular move but the king believes the monarch can ignore public opinion, up to a point.

The king has taken steps to reduce the criticism. He has eliminated most of the lese majeste (criticism of the monarchy) prosecutions although these laws remain on the books. The king has curbed corruption by family members and is always on the lookout for gestures he can perform to improve his public standing. All that helps, but so far the open criticism of the king who would be an old school king continues.

The Thai people disagree and after six years of military rule have resumed public protests, even though that sort of thing is now illegal. Then again, the military is much more disliked than feared compared to 2014. The military seems to feel that the king can handle demonstrations against monarchy himself. The king and the military appear to be feuding.

The king is taking advantage of that to curb the power of the military. He has established a military force separate from the military and ordered all non-royal combat units out of the capital. The new Royal Guard Command has only 5,000 troops, but they are in the capital and answer only to the king. There is also a new police command devoted just to royal protection and led by a commander approved by the king. The king is also demanding that all officers considered for senior positions in the military be approved by him.

The king is also conducting a purge of the palace staff along with a loyalty training program for thousands of officials serving the monarchy in one way or another. He fired dozens of palace officials for misconduct and dismissed and stripped of all official honors his recently appointed royal concubine. All this palace intrigue appears to have something to do with the kings fourth wife, who is the queen and does not want to become an ex-wife like her three predecessors. In Thailand, discussing such palace activity publicly is illegal. Nevertheless, the gossip describes a very truth is stranger than fiction situation.

The purge and loyalty training program is not unusual for the new king. He conducted a ceremony not seen since the 1930s as he officially recognized his mistress as a royal concubine (literally a royal noble consort). The new consort was an army nurse when she met the crown prince and later became part of his bodyguard. As is customary the queen (since a recent marriage) sat next to the king during the brief ceremony. The queen was also a long-time girlfriend. The king met her when she was a flight attendant. The 68-year-old king spent most of his life as a playboy crown prince. This was in sharp contrast to his father. The official concubine is now in jail but there are still more than a dozen unofficial concubines, most of them with the king and his wife in a German hotel.

Royalists fear the behavior of the new king will do permanent damage to the monarchy. This is just one more problem the military has created. Now there is the possibility that the next political opposition movement will call for elimination of the monarchy. This was not really possible until the current king took power and made it clear he was different, and not in a good way. Unlike his predecessor, the new king already had an unsavory reputation. To make matters worse the new king made a deal with the military government that would, in theory, benefit both of them in the long run. First, the former crown prince assured everyone that he would behave. In return the military government freed the monarchy from constitutional and parliamentary restrictions that were part of the 1930s deal that turned a threatened absolute monarchy into a more popular constitutional one. The military government was changing the constitution when the old king died in 2016 and that presented a rare opportunity for the new king to gain more power for the monarchy. The generals needed the backing of the king because they justified their 2014 coup by claiming they were doing it to protect the monarchy. The old king was not enthusiastic about that but had learned to stand back. In 2016 the military got their new constitution ratified in a referendum and the king approved it in early 2017.

The king is also restoring royal palaces and other properties that had long been used as tourist attractions. No more. The king is not only expanding the number of properties owned and operated by the monarchy, but is demanding absolute obedience. Those who disobey or otherwise annoy the king are dismissed or worse. He has ordered symbols of the 1932 revolution/coup/compromise, that created the constitutional monarchy, to be eliminated, often secretly without any acknowledgement of royal involvement. The king is also writing many of his three former wives and their children out of his official personal history. The flaw in these moves is that most Thais know what really happened in 1932 and are angry about a clueless new king trying to reverse and rewrite history.

The king has made his situation even worse by living in the German Alps, taking over hotel for himself and about a hundred staff and family members. This began after covid19 became a crisis last March. The king made one quick (24 hour) trip back to Thailand in April to take care of some royal business but has otherwise been ruling the country from a German hotel where he and his entourage are the only guests. Germans and Thais have protested this arrangement but the king has ignored that.

The majority of Thais are pro-democracy and are relentless in their efforts to restore their power without triggering a civil war. A major goal of the democrats is a return of local elections. These have not been held since the 2014 coup and resuming the local elections is one thing nearly all Thais can agree on. Those elections were supposed to be held in 2020 but the military dominated government is trying to use covid19 to push the vote into 2021. That is apparently not working. The military knows that the local elections will simply spotlight how unpopular the military has become. Local elections would also remove the many replacement local officials appointed while the military was in charge.

The elected military government is behaving much like the former unelected military government. For example, the new government is using compliant courts to terrorize journalists using jail terms for fabricated offenses and getting opposition political parties outlawed the same way. This ensures that the civil war between the military/royalist coalition and democrats continues. The more the military tries to suppress the democrats, the more anger they generate among the majority of Thais who do not want to be ruled by the military. The generals realized they were in trouble after the March 2019 elections showed the democrats winning more votes than expected. The pro-democracy parties attempted to form a coalition government but lost out to a slightly larger coalition assembled by the pro-military parties. This close call for the new military dominated government led to the current policy of terrorizing individual critics (real, suspected or imagined) and litigating suspect organizations out of existence. Methods include trying to arrest and prosecute key pro-democracy politicians on false charges and disrupt pro-democracy activity in parliament.

The opposition is not backing off. At the end of 2019 an opinion poll showed that opposition politician and political party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit was favored as a prime minister by 31.4 percent of Thais compared to 23.7 percent for the actual prime minister former general Prayut Chan Ocha. Juangroongruangkit is a billionaire businessman whose party was among the top three favorites. The military dominated government eventually had Juangroongruangkit banned from parliament and his party banned from politics. This only increased his popularity as his followers joined other parties that shared their goals. Large protests against Prayut Chan Ocha are more frequent, even though they are illegal.

Juangroongruangkit is much less popular with the new king, who is angry that the Juangroongruangkit parliamentary coalition were the only ones voting against the royal request that two army units be transferred to direct control of the king. It was unprecedented, but not illegal, to vote against a royal request. The king is not pleased but the king is not nearly as popular as his father and more

July 26, 2020: Thailand has gone more than 60 days without any new covid19 cases. A disciplined population and an effective national health system made the difference. Thailand so far had 3,300 confirmed cases of covid19 (coronavirus) which comes out to 47 cases per million population and 0.8 deaths per million. Those numbers hardly changed over the last month. Such was not the case with other nations in the region. Neighbor Malaysia had 276 cases per million population cases and four deaths per million.

The stark difference here was because Thailand had a public health system that extended to the lowest levels (villages and city neighbors) with volunteers making up most of the staff and obtaining directions and medical supplies from the government. That meant a strict quarantine was not necessary and compliance was monitored and enforced by locals. In Malaysia some Moslem clerics defied quarantine rules and continued holding prayer services in crowded mosques. Because more people in Malaysia were infected, some Thai Moslems working in Malaysia tried to return home infected with covid19.A screening and approval process was set up to catch most of these virus carriers before they got home and infected others.

Another potential source of infections was the large number of Chinese tourists and commercial visitors that are normally in the country. Foreigners were sent home as soon as possible. While still in Thailand foreigners were forced to self-quarantine for two weeks before they could move freely. Even then they were avoided by most Thais.

Thailand did not undertake widespread testing for covid19 but does know that few Chinese visitors were infected. While covid19 first appeared in Wuhan China in late 2019 the Chinese government tried to suppress the news but word-of-mouth did the job in Wuhan and a lot of tourists and business travelers cancelled their trips. Some infected travelers did get out of Wuhan but Thailand was one of the earliest nations to quarantine and then ban foreign visitors in general. This ban is just now beginning to lift.

Elsewhere in the region Bangladesh has 1,356 covid19 cases per million and 18 dead per million. In Burma its six cases per million people and 0.1 deaths. India has 1,041 cases per million and 24 dead per million while Pakistan has 1,240 cases per million and 26 deaths per million people. China, where the virus began, stopped releasing covid19 cases and deaths data as part of a government program to try and blame the U.S. for the virus. Few (Chinese or foreigners) believe that and it is taken for granted by neighbors of China that the Wuhan Virus, as it was first known, indeed came from China. A growing number of Chinese virus researchers who know too much are fleeing China and seeking asylum in the West.

By now it has also become known that covid19 is not much more dangerous than one of the deadlier annual influenza epidemics. The flu is taken for granted and it is unclear if covid19, which is genetically almost identical to the 2013 SARS virus, another Chinese corona (trans-species) virus, will be an annual event or disappear like SARS and similar diseases. Covid19 is unique in that it attacks the lungs and is often mistaken for pneumonia. As such it is particularly dangerous to the elderly or anyone with weakened immune system or other illnesses. Most healthy adults and children do not notice covid19 at all even if exposed to it.

July 25, 2020: Exports in June were down 23 percent compared to June 2019. This is not as bad as the damage covid19 has done to the tourism industry, which is expected to generate less than a third of the income it usually does. Tourism is about 20 percent of the Thai economy and added to other economic woes has got most Thais anxious about their financial futures. The government sees the unemployment rate peaking at over 25 percent and fears how long that will last. In late 2019 it was estimated that the economy (GDP) would grow nearly three percent in 2020. Now the prediction of for the GDP to lose nearly nine percent in 2020 and possibly more depending on how long it takes to get the tourists back. Exports of manufactured goods is already booming but that cannot make up for the tourism losses. All this is catastrophic for a country that has long had an unemployment rate of one percent or less. Particularly hard hit is the south, which depends a lot on tourism and where the less educated majority Moslem population always had a higher unemployment rate. The government has begun to ease economic restrictions and let people get back to work.

July 24, 2020: The army announced that it will not try to suppress popular protests against the government and the army, but will monitor them.

July 18, 2020: In the capital thousands of people protested against the government and a smaller group protested in front of the main military headquarters.

July 14, 2020: In the south (Pattani province) a soldier died when a remotely controlled bomb was detonated. The dead soldier was leading a six-man patrol through an area where separatists and Islamic terrorists often attacked school teachers on their way to work. The teachers are often Buddhists. Violence like this has declined considerably since covid19 showed up in March. The men responsible for the violence are still around and expected to become more active by the end of the year. So far this month there have been several attacks, all in Pattani province, that wounded about a dozen soldiers and civilians.
The National Youth Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Henry Nana Boakye (Nana B) together with the Member of Parliament for the Kwabre East constituency, Hon Fransisca Oteng Mensah have donated assorted items to some groups in Wonoo in the Kwabre East constituency.



Nana B was celebrating his birthday and the donations were done in memory of the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (Sir John).



The items included bags or rice, bags of sugar, boxes of cooking oil, boxes of canned fish, cartons of milk, assorted drinks and an undisclosed amount of money.



The groups were made up of widows, orphans, disabled and the needy.



Nana B who by his close association with the late CEO of the Forestry Commission, Lawyer Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (Sir Joh) had become a friend of Wonoo, told the groups of his closeness to Sir John and the many developmental projects Sir John was pursuing for the community.



Nana B again reminded them of the wish and desire of the late Sir John to see President Nana Addo win the 2020 elections and continue the bold developmental agenda he is pursuing for Ghana.



He mentioned the FSHS policy, Nabco, the efficiency of the NHIA, job creation in the Forestry Commission among others, and asked that they go out and register in their numbers and ensure that they vote for the NPP government come December 2020 elections to realize the dreams of Sir John.



Nana B was joined by the MCE, Mr. Osei Assibey Bonsu, the Regional Organizer of Ashanti Region Mr Adomako Francis, and NPP Constituency Chairman of Kwabre East, Mr Opoku Agyeman Bonsu and other leaders of the party in the constituency.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Women's Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the USA has condemned the lynching of a 90-year-old woman at Kafaba near Salaga in the Savannah Region.



According to a statement signed by Mrs Barbara Boafo, NPP-USA Women's Organizer stated that such a barbaric, irresponsible and inhumane behavior does not only have negative consequences for women and youth but also negatively impact communities and the country at large.



Describing the act as a grave and an unpardonable violation of human rights, they called for swift investigations into the issue.



They urged the Police Service to ensure the perpetrators are brought to book.



We vehemently condemned in no uncertain terms the action of the unscrupulous perpetrators for accusing the 90 year old woman of witchcraft, describing it as a grave and an unpardonable violation of human rights which must not be handled with kids gloves whatsoever.



"Violence against women has no place in todays day and age in Ghana in particular and the world in general. This irresponsible and inhuman behavior does not only have negative consequences for women and youth, but also their families, entire community, and the country at large. The subsequent effects includes but not limited to psychological health, and also altering of long-term trust by up and coming children, they stressed in a statement copied to Peacefmonline.com.



Read full statement below:



As Women's Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the United States of America (USA) and advocate for Ghanaian women, we call for a swift investigations and prosecution of perpetrators of the gruesome lynching and murder of an innocent ninety (90) year old woman which occurred at Kafaba in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region of Ghana.



We vehemently condemned in no uncertain terms the action of the unscrupulous perpetrators for accusing the 90 year old woman of witchcraft, describing it as a grave and an unpardonable violation of human rights which must not be handled with kids gloves whatsoever.



Violence against women has no place in todays day and age in Ghana in particular and the world in general. This irresponsible and inhuman behavior does not only have negative consequences for women and youth, but also their families, entire community, and the country at large. The subsequent effects includes but not limited to psychological health, and also altering of long-term trust by up and coming children.



It is unfortunate that , much has not been done or put in place to prevent and protect violence against women, of which perpetrators often go unpunished with impudence.



In a disturbing video that has gone viral and continue to be shared on social media, the old woman who was the victim could be heard clearly crying for help and mercy, and refuting allegations that she is a witch. She was pushed down by a fellow woman and beaten mercilessly. This a total display of wickedness by society.



It is unclear what prompted the supposed soothsayer or priestess to accuse the old woman of witchcraft and her subsequent lynching but scenes in the video can only be described as barbaric. The disturbing video has younger women, slapping, whipping and hitting the old womans head with a heavy object, while other community members cheering them on. This is unacceptable and must be condemned.



We therefore call on the Government, community leaders, Queen mothers and the ministry for social welfare to bring these individuals to book. And also to develop smaller women advocacy groups in our communities dedicated to strengthen and protect womens plight in Ghana.



The NPP- USA Womens wing wishes to extend our heart felt condolences to the bereaved family and wish them the Gods guidance during these difficult times.



Signed



Mrs Barbara Boafo



NPP-USA Women's Organizer.





Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A worker attempts to remove the wall insignia of the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, southwestern China's Sichuan province, on July 26, 2020.

China's Foreign Ministry said Monday the U.S. consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu was closed as of 10 a.m. local time.

Earlier Monday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said on its social media account that the American flag in the consulate premise was lowered at 6:18 a.m. A statement from the U.S. State Department confirmed that the consulate had eased operations, reported the Associated Press.

China revoked the license of the consulate on Friday in retaliation for a U.S. order to close the Chinese consulate in Houston days earlier. The U.S. had said that the directive to close the Chinese consulate was made to protect American intellectual property and the private information of its citizens  a decision that China condemned.

The U.S. consulate in Chengdu was established in 1985 and covered the autonomous region of Tibet, the municipality of Chongqing, and Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. In its statement, the U.S. State Department said the consulate "has stood at the center of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years," the AP reported.

With the closure of the Chengdu premise, the U.S. now has five remaining consulates in Greater China, in addition to its embassy in the Chinese capital of Beijing.
Follow our latest coverage of the Biden vs. Trump 2020 election here.

BOZEMAN, Mont.  In the deeply polarized election of 2016, every state that supported President Trump backed Republican senators  and each state that Hillary Clinton carried voted for a Democratic Senate candidate.

But four years later, Democratic hopes for gaining a clear Senate majority depend in part on winning in conservative-leaning states where Mr. Trump may also prevail, even as he sags in the polls. In states like Alaska, Iowa, Georgia and here in Montana, Democrats are hoping their Senate candidates can outperform Joseph R. Biden Jr., their presumptive nominee.

Thats the dynamic Gov. Steve Bullock is counting on in Montana, where ticket-splitting is as much a way of life as fly-fishing.

Montanans have supported Republican presidential candidates, with one exception, for over a half-century. In that same period, though, they have elected a series of Democratic governors and senators. Senator Steve Daines, whom Mr. Bullock is challenging, was the first Republican elected to the Senate seat that he holds in over a century.
Thousands of Petitioners Call on Chinese Government to Respond to Past Injustices

In recent years, Chinese people have repeatedly launched online petition campaigns calling the National Public Complaints and Proposals Administration to revisit all the complaints that have been made in the past. So far, thousands of people have signed the petition. However, petitioners indicated that their problems are still not addressed. A petitioner, Li Dao-Ying from Xian City, Shaanxi Province, said that more than 3,000 Chinese people have joined the campaign until now.
Libya's UN recognised government has recently disavowed a visit by French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy who championed the 2011 uprising that saw the removal of longtime dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi (or Moamer Kadhafi). The NATO-backed 2011 rebellion is no longer celebrated by Libyans and the country continues to witness governments and opposing militias in conflict.

Read: Egypt's Lawmakers To Vote On Deploying Troops To Libya

Government denies any links with French Philosopher

As per reports, France is widely resented in western Libya which is controlled by the UN-backed government for its continued support of Khalifa Haftar whose forces control the eastern side of the country.

Levy reportedly entered the country via private jet on July 25, According to reports, he was in Libya as a journalist and planned of writing an article for an international publication.

According to reports, during his trip Levy planned to visit Tarhuna, a city wherein government forces uncovered an allegedly mass graves of people, including children, that had been executed by forces loyal to Haftar. Reports indicated that pro-government forced attempted to prevent Levy from entering the city but a series of tweets shared by him show him visiting the killing field in Tarhuna.

Read: Libya's GNA Moves Fighters Closer To Sirte, A Gateway To Libya's Main Oil Terminals

#Tarhuna. Just after my reportage on the killing fields. These are the true Libyan police who protect free press. So different from the thugs who tried to block my convoy on my way back to #Misrata. The full reportage will be published soon. pic.twitter.com/JYW1Aa5Y2V  Bernard-Henri Levy (@BHL) July 25, 2020

Today, July 25. Killing field at Tarhuna. This city suffered martyrdom from #Khadafi. 47 cadavers, including children, hands tightened in the back, have been recently excavated : they suffered martyrdom from pro #Haftar proxies. My sorrow. My anger. Solidarity with #Tarhuna. pic.twitter.com/89cyWFRYKd  Bernard-Henri Levy (@BHL) July 25, 2020

The French philosopher will reportedly publish a full account of his visit at a later date. As per reports, Levy had also planned on meeting with Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha in Tripoli but his request was denied and the office of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj denied any connection to him. While the French Philosopher enjoys celebrity status at home, he is quite unpopular in the Arab world due to his support of Israel.

(With agency inputs; Image Credit Twitter/@BHL)

Read: Egypt President On Possible Intervention In Libya

Read: Egypt Announces Initiative To End War In Libya
Florida Rep Matt Gaetz has called for the Justice Department to investigate CEO Mark Zuckerberg for allegedly lying to Congress about political bias in the social media giant's content moderation practices.

The Republican congressman sent a letter to Attorney General Bill Barr on Monday accusing Zuckerberg of making 'materially false statements to Congress while under oath' during two hearings in April 2018.

'On both occasions, members of Congress asked Mr. Zuckerberg about allegations that Facebook censored and suppressed content supportive of President Donald Trump and other conservatives,' Gaetz wrote.

'In his responses, Mr. Zuckerberg repeatedly and categorically denied any bias against conservative speech, persons, policies, or politics. Mr. Zuckerberg also dismissed the suggestion that Facebook exercises any form of editorial manipulation.'

Gaetz cited a recent investigation from Project Veritas, a right-wing activist group, which found that the 'overwhelming majority' of content filtered by Facebook's artificial intelligence was in support of Trump and other Republicans and conservative ideals.

Florida Rep Matt Gaetz (left) penned a letter to Attorney General Bill Barr on Monday calling for the Justice Department to investigate Mark Zuckerberg (right) for allegedly lying to Congress about political bias in Facebook's content moderation practices

Project Veritas published hidden camera footage last month that appeared to show 'whistleblowers' who worked as Facebook content moderators claiming that they regularly delete posts with pro-right speech.

Gaetz argued that the Project Veritas report provided 'ample evidence of bias and manipulation' by Facebook.

'According to the Veritas report and undercover footage, the adjudicators were outspoken about their political bias against Republicans, and actively chose to eliminate otherwise-allowable content from the platform and from public view simply due to its political orientation,' he wrote.

AG Bill Barr (pictured) has not yet publicly responded to Gaetz' letter calling for an investigation into Zuckerberg

The congressman charged that Facebook's 'arbitrary and capricious behavior' violates Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives online platforms liability protections as long as they moderate content in 'good faith'.

He also noted part of the report which claimed that Facebook labeled 'a great deal of "political speech supporting the President' as hate speech, which 'speech promoting violence against the President and his supporters was labeled as merely "political," and was thus allowed to stay on the platform.'

'These facts are in direct contrast to Mr. Zuckerberg's testimony before Congress where he stated under oath that Facebook is a politically-neutral platform, and that he personally is working to root out any employees who are restricting speech based on Silicon Valley's overwhelmingly leftist culture,' Gaetz wrote.

He concluded the letter by asking the DOJ to investigate Zuckerberg for lying under oath, arguing that the CEO impeded a congressional investigation.

'Such misrepresentations are not only unfair, they are potentially illegal and fraudulent,' he wrote. 'I hope you will give this referral full and proper consideration.'

Barr has not yet publicly responded to Gaetz's letter.

Gaetz argued that Zuckerberg lied to under oath when he testified before Congress in April 2018 and 'repeatedly and categorically denied any bias against conservative speech'

Facebook has repeatedly been accused of anti-conservative bias by Trump and his allies who believe the website actively tries to censor pro-right content.

Trump issued an executive order back in May instructing the DOJ to enforce Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, emphasizing that the 'good faith' provision should not apply to practices that are 'deceptive' or are used to suppress certain viewpoints.

Meanwhile critics have also taken aim at Facebook from the other side, accusing the platform of allowing politicians to publish ads that contain misleading, accurate or harmful information.

Gaetz's letter came less than 48 before Zuckerberg is set to testify at a Big Tech antitrust hearing in front of the House Subcommittee for Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law - of which Gaetz is a member.

Zuckerberg postponed the release of Facebook quarterly earnings until after the virtual hearing, where he plans to argue that regulating US tech companies will only help China, according to Bloomberg.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai are also set to testify at the hearing.

Read Gaetz's letter in full below:
The 2006 Old Boys Association of Pope John Senior High Sch and Junior Seminary (POJOSS) paid a courtesy call on the Ashaiman branch of a pizza company, Daddy's Pizza, over the weekend. This was a bid to support the startup which is owned by a member of the group.

It has been a culture of the year group to support small businesses of their members. The interim president of the year group, POJOBA Philemon Adaamba, summarized, "This is not the first we are going to support and it won't be the last."

The old boys were full of praise for their colleague who had built his business from the ground and encouraged him to do more. They enjoyed his meals and ordered for friends as a way of supporting the company.

The elated POJOBA Henry Amanor, CEO of Daddy's Pizza, hinted to Scribe News, "This experience is beyond description. This indeed is love. I pray we all grow together."

Daddy's Pizza is a Ghanaian-owned pizza company based in Accra, Tema and Ashaiman. With a tagline of "Eat me hot", the startup has carved an enviable niche for itself over the past few years, serving its clients with tasty pizza.

Source: Scribe News
On July 25, actor John Saxon died of pneumonia. The man known to many through his appearances in horror films like Nightmare on Elm Street and opposite Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, is being remembered by friends, family, and fans. With over 200 credits to his name, what was Saxons estimated net worth at the time of his death?

A look at John Saxons career

John Saxon | Mathew Imaging/FilmMagic

RELATED: Black Christmas: Everything You Need to Know About the Upcoming Remake

John Saxons career spans multiple decades. The actors place in Western and horror genres left a lasting impression  particularly with fans of the late actor, Bruce Lee, and anyone who delighted in some of Wes Cravens creations.

The late actor, who died at age 83, had over 200 roles in film and TV. His first uncredited role came as Boy Watching Argument in Park in the 1954 film, It Should Happen to You.

According to IMDb, Saxon had other minor roles through the early years of his career after he was discovered by the same talent agent who represented Rock Hudson.

Born Carmine Orrico, the star changed his name to John Saxon after moving to Southern California at the age of 16. There he pursued acting full-time.

By 1958, Saxon had enough credits under his belt to garner slightly bigger roles such as This Happy Feeling, The Reluctant Debutante, and eventually The Unforgiven, and more. The latter helped surge Saxons career in Western films opposite Marlon Brando in The Appaloosa and Joe Kidd, with Clint Eastwood.

Fast forward to the 1970s when Saxon landed Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee in 1974 then a few horror films such as Black Christmas and A Nightmare on Elm Street to transition the star into the 1980s.

Before his death, Saxon was filming a sci-fi film, After the Thunderstorm, with Gary Wasniewski and Linda Blair.

The Nightmare on Elm Street actor had a few odd talents

In 3 Nightmare films John Saxon played the tough guy, the distant father and the hard nosed cop but I came to know him as the kindest, most encouraging and dignified gentleman, father and husband to Gloria. That shooting star you see tonight is him. pic.twitter.com/Tw31HNh88x  Heather Langenkamp (@LangenkampH) July 26, 2020

RELATED: A Nightmare on Elm Street: 5 Actors Who Could Convincingly Follow in Robert Englunds Footsteps as Freddy Krueger

Just before Lee died, he filmed his first American movie  Enter the Dragon  with Saxon. The two went head-to-head in a martial arts tournament. In a 2012 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Saxon said Lee took me seriously. I would tell him I would rather do it this way, and hed say, OK, try it that way.'

In real life, Saxon held a black belt in karate, giving his role a little added credibility. As for other miscellaneous talents, the actor had many. As the eldest of three children born to Italian immigrants, Saxon was fluent in the language.

While working at a Coney Island archery concession, he also became proficient in archery  something that, no doubt, translated into some of his roles.

Saxons estimated net worth

RIP John Saxon. My charming costar in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, DREAM WARRIORS and WES CRAVENS NEW NIGHTMARE. John was my link to Hollywoods Golden Age. Sharing stories of working with Jimmy Stewart, Marlon Brando, Clint Eastwood Audrey Hepburn, Robert Redford & Bruce Lee. pic.twitter.com/ALYCRB2idF  Robert B. Englund (@RobertBEnglund) July 26, 2020

RELATED: The Blacklist: Who Played Mr. Kaplan and What Is Her Net Worth?

Former co-stars are honoring the late actor on social media.

RIP John Saxon. I had the privilege of working with him once in 2006. Very good actor, very nice guy, Joe Dante tweeted. Godspeed, Johnny, Nancy Sinatra added. Many others shared the same sentiments.

Saxon was married three times and is survived by his wife, Gloria Martel, his son, Antonio (whom he had with former wife Mary Ann), and his sister, Delores.

At the time of his death, Celebrity Net Worth estimates Saxons net worth around $1.5 million.
Health official: Omicron cases 'just skyrocketing here in the community'

As of Jan. 18, McLaren Northern Michigan had 23 COVID-19 inpatients at the Petoskey-based hospital, which included 10 in critical care units and 13 in non-critical care units.
Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) is likely to release the Maharashtra SSC 10th Results 2020 in a few days. Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad recently informed the media that the Maharashtra SSC 10th Results 2020 will be released by MSBSHSE by July-end.

Maharashtra SSC 10th Results 2020 will be released on the board's official website - mahresult.nic.in, maharashtraeducation.com, and mahahsscboard.maharashtra.gov.in.

Here's how to check Maharashtra SSC 10th Results 2020 online:

-Visit the official website: mahresult.nic.in result 2020.

-Click on Maharashtra SSC result 2020 for Class 10 result.

-Enter the seat number and his/her mothers first name to check Maharashtra Board SSC 10th result 2020.

-Click on the View Result button.

-Your result will be displayed on the screen.

-Students are advised to download the result for future reference.

Students can also check their SSC10th class result by using SMS. All they need to do is type an SMS in the specified format: MH<exam name> <Seat No.> and send it to 57766. Your result will be received on the same number after some time.

Over 17 Lakh students appeared for Maharashtra SSC Class 10th exam in 2020. The exams were held from March 3-23.
A former Jesuit pastor at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Missoula has been permanently removed from ministry after officials in the churchs province found claims that he sexually abused a minor girl 40 years ago to be credible, according to a statement from the province.

The Rev. Rich Perry will remain at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in California and live under a safety plan, according to the statement provided to the Missoulian. The statement offers no additional information about the alleged abuse in Seattle. Perry's name and a timeline of his assignments have been added to a publicly available online list of Jesuits with credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult.

Perry was sent to the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos in October 2019 on a separate matter, after a woman came forward with a claim of inappropriate contact. St. Francis Xavier Rev. Joseph Carver said then that Perry had admitted to the misconduct. While the provinces investigation was underway, a woman leveled a second claim, alleging he had sexually abused her in the late 1970s/early 1980s while she was a student at Seattle Preparatory School.

The Rev. Craig Hightower, pastor at St. Francis Xavier in Missoula, said Monday he was not able to comment on matters regarding Perry, but directed the Missoulian to an additional letter from the Diocese of Helena. In the letter, which is also available online, Bishop Austin A. Vetter addressed the credible claim against Perry.

"Abuse of anyone is a horrific act and repugnant to the humble and holy service that Christ calls his priests to live out each day. My heart goes out to victims who suffer the pain and trauma of abuse, and certainly my prayers," Vetter said.

In the Missoulian's initial reporting on the "inappropriate contact" claim against Perry, Carver said Perry had told St. Francis Xavier officials the allegation was accurate. At the time, a spokeswoman from the Jesuits West province disputed the notion, saying Perry had not admitted guilt. Carver is no longer the pastor at St. Francis Xavier. The Missoulian was not able to find a phone number for Carver on Monday.

The allegation from Perry's time in Seattle was brought to the church in February, according to the statement from Tracey Primrose, a spokesperson for the Jesuits West province. The allegation touched off an investigation by "professionals" hired by the province, Primrose wrote, which is then presented to an independent Province Review board to make a recommendation to the Rev. Scott Santarosa, the provincial of the Jesuits West province. In Primrose's July 23 letter, she stated that within the last week, Santarosa found the claim from the Seattle woman against Perry to be credible.

As a result, Perry has been permanently removed from public ministry and will live under the safety plan at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, an infirmary and retirement facility where approximately 80 Jesuits live, Primrose wrote. Sacred Heart Jesuit Center also is the community where men who have credible claims of sexual abuse of minors or vulnerable adults are sent to live on safety plans, according to the letter. Safety plans are crafted to reduce risks and typically include intervention programs, restrictions from technology and travel, and other methods.

The province made its parishioners aware of the Seattle claim because it is a credible claim of abuse against a minor, but the Jesuits West will not be issuing any further information about the allegation from Missoula, Primrose wrote.

"The claim involving a boundary violation with an adult stemming from Fr. Perry's time at St. Francis Xavier in Missoula was investigated, reviewed and addressed," she wrote. "Because the case involves an adult and not a minor, Province privacy policies prevent additional release of information regarding that case.

"On behalf of the Jesuits West Province, Fr. Santarosa has apologized publicly to those 'who put their trust in a Jesuit, only to have that trust so profoundly betrayed,'" Primrose wrote.

Perry's name makes 12 Jesuits on the West province's list of those accused of sexual abuse  credibly, as deemed by a review board within the church  who have served in Missoula, at either St. Francis Xavier or Loyola High School.

Nine were accused of abuse at a parish outside Missoula, although five of those Jesuits served the parish here in the years after the alleged abuse. Two Jesuits were accused of abuse during the years they were assigned to parishes in Missoula. Joseph Balfe was with St. Francis Xavier Church from 1936 to 1937 while allegedly abusing a minor sometime between 1934 and 1940. Bernard Harris served at Loyola High School from 1953 through 1972 and was accused of sexually abusing a minors from 1958 to 1962, from 1962 to 1966, from 1965 to 1969 and again from 1971 to 1972.

Joseph Obersinner, who died in 2018, appears on the list and was assigned from St. Francis Xavier from 1990 to 1991, although the allegation against him is not listed, nor is the year of the alleged misconduct.

Anyone who may have been victimized by a Jesuit is asked to contact Jesuits West Advocacy Coordinator Mary Pat Panighetti at mppanighetti@jesuits.org or 408-893-8398, as well as the appropriate law enforcement and child-protective agencies.

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Laredo City Council will meet virtually Monday evening to discuss well over 100 matters of business, including the presentation of the 2020-2021 fiscal year budget and five-year capital improvement plan.

READ MORE: Gov. Abbott hasnt responded to Laredos orders on restaurants, social gatherings

This budget year for the City of Laredo, likewise for many other cities across the country, will be a difficult one as the coronavirus crisis ravages several of their revenue streams. Mayor Pete Saenz noted this week that the city already faces a $26 million shortfall for their current fiscal year, which will also need to be sorted out before Sept. 30.

Council had previously requested that city management present some options on what could be cut in order to balance the budget. Layoffs are a possibility, Saenz said, but circumstances such as federal aid will dictate their actions. Aid for revenue losses in particular would help them tremendously, the mayor said.

The city collects tolls on all south-bound traffic at their four bridges. More than half of this revenue is typically used to balance their general fund, which pays for police, fire, public works and other core services. However as tourist travel remains closed between the U.S. and Mexico, and commercial traffic has slowed too, bridge revenues have tanked this year.

This will prove a problem for the general fund budget. And as the Laredo Police Officers Association negotiates with the city over salaries and retirement, this revenue loss will likewise have to be taken into consideration.

Every two years these collective bargaining agreement negotiations, budget discussions and elections all coalesce around the same time.

Councilman George Altgelt has an item on Mondays agenda asking to modify the citys ethics code to make it a conflict of interest if a council member votes to approve the appointment of the police chief or fire chief if that applicant was a member of the unions board when a council member received a campaign contribution from the union.

Council will also discuss two ongoing lawsuits regarding the border wall in Laredo and in La Grulla, where the city owns around 800 acres in the Rio Grande Valley for its water rights. Councilman Roberto Balli is also asking to fund a mural supporting the No Border Wall Coalition for its efforts in fighting the wall in the Laredo area.

READ MORE: Laredo's Dr. Cigarroa back to work after intense bout of COVID-19

COVID-19 discussions continue too. Council is asked to extend the citys emergency order another month through Aug. 31. And Coucilman Alberto Torres has asked management to commence a vast acquisition of influenza vaccines to distribute to the community as soon as possible. This is to avoid compounding the effects of COVID-19 with the flu.

Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com
Hurricane Hanna, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, made landfall on Padre Island late Saturday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center. Weakening rapidly after it hit land, now Tropic Storm Hannah continues to batter southern Texas and northeast Mexico with high winds and heavy rain, regions already devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to Hannas landfall, the National Hurricane Center issued a storm surge warning for a section of the Texas coast ranging from Port Mansfield to Mesquite Bay. Widespread flooding was reported along the coast with an average of 4-6 inches of rainfall, but some areas have seen as much as a foot of rain. The energy provider in the region reported more than 90,000 homes were without power in the region at the time of this writing.

Areas across southern Texas expected an additional 5-10 inches of rainfall throughout Sunday morning, although some localized areas saw up to 18 inches of water. Meteorologists warned that the Rio Grande Valley was especially susceptible to severe flooding. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said flooding in the region was expected to be life-threatening. Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 32 counties directly in the path of Hanna and has requested federal aid.

Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon, Mexicos most northeastern states took a significant hit from the storm as well. Francisco Cabeza de Vaca, Tamaulipas governor, tweeted that the state had prepared shelters and implemented disinfecting measures to avoid spreading the coronavirus. Additionally, Mexicos civil protection department sent rescue boats and other equipment to Nuevo Leon in anticipation of heavy rains.

In Matamoros, Mexico, just across the border from Brownsville, Texas, immigrant advocates worried about the hurricanes impact on a makeshift migrant camp near the Rio Grande where approximately 1,300 asylum seekers lived. The migrants, including newborns and elderly, have been forced to wait in Mexico under the Trump administrations Remain in Mexico immigration policy.

Before Hurricane Hanna landed, Abbott reminded Texans of the dismal state of the COVID-19 outbreak. The situation could worsen in the face of a natural disaster displacing people from their homes.

Any hurricane is an enormous challenge, Abbott said in a Saturday news conference. This challenge is complicated and made even more severe seeing that it is sweeping through an area that is the most challenged area in the state for COVID-19.

Abbott mustered seventeen COVID-19 mobile response teams and 1,000 medical personnel from the Texas National Guard to send to the area. Emergency resources were dispatched to the Rio Grande Valley and Coastal Bend region. These two areas are among those most devastated by COVID-19.

South Texas has been of particular concern to medical officials. During the first two weeks of July, the area recorded more than 2,000 new coronavirus infections each week. In Nueces County, home to Corpus Christi, at least 2 percent of the population was infected prior to the storm. As people cramp into shelters to stay safe from flooding, experts expect a rise in cases in the region.

The virus did not always have such a staggering presence in the region. Before April 30, when Texas stay-at-home order was allowed to expire, Nueces County only reported fewer than 100 cases and three deaths. However, Memorial Day celebrations, encouraged by Donald Trump, saw droves of people gather in the popular beachfront communities on Texas coast. Now, the region is experiencing a spike in cases.

Just last Friday, an infant less than six months old tested positive for COVID-19 and died soon after. Earlier this week, an intubated COVID-19 patient had to be flown some 700 miles, from Harlingen to Amarillo, due to a severe lack of ICU beds in the area.

The South Texas Health System, already inundated with a surge of sick and dying patients, tried to send the patient to closer facilities but the Northwest Texas Healthcare System was the closest hospital system that had the capacity to take the patient. The fact that no other Texas facility within 700 miles could take the patient exposes the severity of the crisis throughout the state.

Sections of South Texas, particularly the Coastal Bend and the Rio Grande Valley, have seen infections spread so quickly that local hospitals have been pushed to the limit. Four counties near the southernmost tip of the state have a total of just 21 ICU beds available for a population of approximately 1.4 million people. Ambulance drivers have reported wait times of up to 10 hours to deliver patients to overwhelmed emergency rooms. Some hospitals have begun turning away patients with a predicted low survival rate.

Areas that were relatively unaffected in the first few months of the pandemic are slowly moving towards crisis. Experts say they are seeing increases in community spread in urban and rural areas, leading to dozens of hot spots that will be difficult to contain.

The northeastern region of Mexico houses one of the main concentrations of maquiladoras sweatshops run by transnational corporationsin the country. The region is a hotspot for infections and deaths in Mexico as thousands of workers are forced to work in unsafe conditions for the sake of profit.

The full impact of the storm on the regions COVID-19 outbreaks has yet to be seen. However, the natural disaster reveals the impotency of the ruling in elites in the United States and Mexico which have been proven entirely unwilling to take the necessary measures to suppress the spread of the coronavirus. In combination with the devastation wrought by a natural disaster, the pandemic will continue to ravage the population under the malign neglect of the bourgeoisie.
The boss of Bunnings has hit back at a woman who berated workers at one of their Melbourne stores after she was asked to wear a face mask.

In the viral video the woman filmed herself lecturing staff and telling them it is illegal to request customers follow the store's mask policy, even after they had offered her one to wear.

Rob Scott, CEO of Wesfarmers, which owns Bunnings, responded to the video on Twitter saying he stood behind his employees.

The woman was removed from handcuffs after presenting a medical exemption, but then began debating with officers (pictured) about how the arrest was 'unlawful'

The CEO of Wesfarmers, which owns Bunnings, Rob Scott has responded to the video on Twitter saying he stood behind his employees as did former first lady Lucy Turnbull

'Very proud of the Bunnings team for doing their best to keep people safe. Also great to see 99%+ of the public doing the right thing. Thank you,' Mr Scott said.

Mr Scott was responding to a tweet from former federal treasurer Chris Bowen who also commended the workers for calmly dealing with the aggressive woman.

'A big shout out to these Bunnings employees and all the others quietly and calmly doing their bit to protect public health in the face of selfish, aggressive and inappropriate behaviour by a very small number of people.' Mr Bowen said.

The hardware franchise introduced a rule last week that shoppers in the lockdown areas of Melbourne and Mitchell Shire would need to wear masks in their stores or be refused entry.

Bunnings staff have even been told to hand out the masks as a courtesy to customers who arrive at the store without the item.

The rule follows the Victorian government on Thursday introducing $200 fines for those people who refuse to wear masks in public in COVID-19 hotspots.

The bizarre outburst, which is believed to have occurred at a Bunnings in Melbourne, began after an employee (pictured) told the woman she was required to wear a mask in store

Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott said he stood behind the Bunnings workers in the video

Videos have since surfaced someone, believed to be the same woman, arguing with police in the carpark outside the store before being arrested.

Bunnings chief operating officer Deb Poole also spoke out saying the woman's behavior was unacceptable.

'The customer's behaviour towards our team was completely unacceptable and we're proud of the way our team calmly and professionally handled the situation,' she told 7 News.

'The vast majority of customers visiting our Melbourne stores are doing the right thing and wearing a mask, which is required under the law and our conditions of entry.'

The video also drew the attention of other officials with Australia's deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth who said wearing the masks was 'not an enormous ask'.

'I would like to commend the staff member and the staff in Bunnings and I'm sorry they had to deal with that,' he told the ABC.

'It is not a human rights issue to decide not to wear a mask. It is simple. We know it's effective.'

The video even drew the attention of former first lady Lucy Turnbull, wife of Malcolm Turnbull, who commended the workers 'grace under pressure'.

The outburst is believe to have occurred at the Narre Warren Bunnings store in Melbourne's south east on Friday, a day after the state government made face masks mandatory for residents in Melbourne and Mitchell Shire while out in public.

The video of the extraordinary rant was posted on Facebook on Sunday as Victoria recorded 459 new coronavirus cases and ten deaths, prompting Daniel Andrews to slam a disturbing wave of 'selfish' residents who are refusing to wear masks.

The footage began with the woman filming as she briskly walks through the store while an employee can be heard tailing behind her.

Another video posted on Facebook shows the woman later being arrested by two police officers outside in the Lauderdale Road car park (pictured)

'Excuse me,' the worker called out, trying to get her attention.

'Excuse me, you need a mask on.'

The woman turned around and stormed toward the Bunnings staff member.

'I beg your pardon?' she said in hostile manner, drawing the camera up towards the employee's face.

'It's alright,' the worker said calmly, trying to diffuse the situation.

'I was just asking if you have a mask.'

The woman retorted: 'Well it is clear I don't, and you are not authorised to ask me or question me about it.'

The worker asked the woman if she would like to discuss the issue with her manager, before guiding her to speak with her boss.

When the manager informed the woman she must have a medical certificate to be permitted in the store without a mask, the woman unleashed a tirade about how the store's policy is illegal and she is being discriminated against.

'Actually I don't need a medical certificate,' she said, as the manager politely requested she stops filming.

VICTORIA'S COVID-19 NUMBERS FOR JULY 26 * 459 new cases, and the 21st consecutive day of a triple-digit increase, taking active cases across the state to 4233. * Ten more deaths, bringing the state's toll to 71 and the national figure to 155. * Their ages range from a man in his 40s to men and women in their 80s. * Seven of the deaths have been linked to aged care outbreaks. * 560 active cases in aged care centres. * 381 active cases among health care workers. * 228 people in hospital and with 42 in intensive care. * 42,973 tests conducted on Saturday. Advertisement

'No. I am allowed to do this and your discriminating against me.'

'We are not discriminating against you, we are just all trying to be in this together,' the manager replied. 'And we all just need to wear a mask.'

'All in what together? You are not authorised by the Australian government to even question me about it,' she claimed.

A male member of staff chimed in to tell the woman it is a condition of entry to their store, prompting the woman to bizarrely claim the company's rule is sexist.

'Well then that is discrimination and I can have you sued personally for discriminating against me as a woman,' she said.

'We are not discriminating against anyone, it is a condition of entry to all Bunnings store, we require everyone to wear a mask,' he said.

'You are,' she continued, 'it is an unlawful condition of entry.'

'Therefore that exposes you personally and Bunnings to being sued for discrimination because it is in breach of the 1948 Charter of Human rights to discriminate men and women.'

The male employee then calmly asked her to stop filming multiple times, all of which she refuses, citing the necessity of the recording as vital evidence of the 'discrimination' against her.

The woman then told the man she will be proceed to shop in the store and there is nothing they could do to stop her because the regulation is 'illegal'.

Other videos posted on Facebook show the woman later being arrested by two police officers outside in the Lauderdale Road car park.

After being handcuffed, the woman handed over a medical certificate to show she has an exemption from wearing a face mask.

A male employee (pictured) chimed in to reiterate the regulation when the woman refused to listen to the manager's instructions, but the aggressive customer began accusing the staff of 'discrimination' against her as a woman and threatening to sue them and the hardware chain

When more officers arrived at the scene, the woman had her handcuffs taken off but launched into a debate with officers as to why her arrest was unlawful.

She claimed legislation in place allowing police to arrest her was not voted upon by Australians or approved by the monarch.

'You're talking about legislation that hasn't been presented to parliament three times, we the people haven't given our consent to act under it, and it hasn't been consented by the queen,' she said.

'That legislation is fraudulent. It doesn't apply to me.'

'Legislation and acts can't apply to living humans. They only apply to dead people.'

Growing impatient, the sergeant said he was not going to argue over her 'opinion' about the law.

'That's your personal belief, but that is not the law we work under,' he said.

'I am not going enter into an argument about what you believe the law is. That is a conversation between you and the judicial system.'

Police told the woman she is free to leave, and she asked for each officer's details before they departed.

Bunnings announced earlier in the week that face masks would be required for customers in the Melbourne and Mitchell Shire stores as Victoria battles to contain a horror second wave of COVID-19.

The regulation coincided with the state government's order that made masks mandatory for residents in those areas to wear while in a public places from Thursday.

Rick Sarre, the Adjunct Professor of Law and Criminal Justice at the University of South Australia, says Australian businesses have the right to require customers to wear face masks.

'Australian law, quite simply, says that private landowners or occupiers can take reasonable steps to protect themselves, their employees and people on their property,' he wrote in The Conversation.

'So it would be legal for businesses - including cafes and supermarkets - to make it a condition of entry that customers wear a mask and sanitise their hands.'

In a video posted to Facebook on Saturday, the officers told the irate woman she was committing a crime but she threatened to sue them for 'armed kidnapping' if they attempted to arrest her

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had a scathing message for residents wasting police resources by debating about face masks.

'If it was a genuine error, a sense of any confusion - police use good judgement,' he said.

'They are trying to be fair as they possibly can be, but if you are just making a selfish choice that your alleged personal liberty, quoting some, I don't know, something you've read on some website - this is not about human rights.

'There are 10 families that are going to be burying someone in the next few days. Wear a mask! It's not too much to ask.

'What's more, the nurse who will be treating you or a loved one, they will be wearing a mask, so you wear one to prevent that nurse from having to treat more patients.

'It can't get any more serious than that. 10 families are currently planning funerals. And the youngest among them, this he have' lost someone in their 40s.'

The incident joins a growing list of videos circulating online from around the globe of people rebelling against COVID-19 regulations.

On Saturday, a Melbourne woman filmed an encounter she had with police who requested her details after she was found in public without face protection. A later post on her Facebook page defending her freedom has attracted widespread criticism from the public

Eve Black, from Melbourne, shared footage on Thursday of herself driving past an officer at a COVID-19 police barricade

On Saturday, a Melbourne woman filmed an encounter she had with police who requested her details after she was found in public without face protection.

When she declined to hand over her identification, the officers told her she was under arrest and being taken back to the station.

'I do not consent to that and I will be suing you personally. Not your department. You will be personally sued for $60,000 each,' she said.

'If you do arrest us we will be suing you for armed kidnapping.'

The videos uploaded onto the woman's personal Facebook drew widespread criticism from the public.

In two other Melbourne altercations last week, a man filmed his incredible 22 minute argument with police after refusing to wear a face mask while a woman filmed herself driving past an officer at a police barricade.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Victoria Police for comment.
Classrooms should be open this fall for kids whose parents are comfortable sending them back to school. Theres nothing political about it. Its the conclusion of researchers and doctors, pediatricians and the Centers for Disease Control, the unmistakable direction offered by the science and the data.

The question that remains is whether Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will listen to the experts, put our kids first, and re-open school doors across the state come autumn. We hope she will.

We know re-opening decisions arent easy. Doctors and scientists are offering advice that might just startle decision-makers in Lansing, though  open school doors and do so confidently.

Parents neednt look far for insight from leading physicians. Late last month, the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics weighed in, pointing to medical science that says keeping school doors closed does more harm than good. The organization, which represents doctors who specialize in keeping kids healthy, published a formal statement, citing science and data, urging the governor to let kids back in the classroom.

Children... are at lower risk of contracting COVID-19 and are less likely to be primary vectors for the spread of COVID-19, the pediatricians concluded.

But it wasnt just the low risk of contracting or spreading the virus that has them calling for the morning bell.

Theyve also concluded that despite the disproportionately, small effect of (the virus) on children, school closures have put the mental and social health of children at risk, in addition to affecting their academic futures.

The absence of mental health supports, therapy services, instruction for English language learners, school-based health services and even meals is being felt acutely by our states kids.

The Centers for Disease Control agrees. Its director made national headlines just days ago when he argued that keeping schools closed in the coming school year is a greater risk to childrens health than reopening them.

I cannot overstate how important I think it is now to get our schools in this nation reopened (for the upcoming school year), he told reporters. The reason I push it is that I truly believe its for the public health benefit of these kids.

Michigan pediatricians and national health experts are hardly shooting blind. Their recommendations are based on an impressive and growing library of evidence that says students are at significantly lower risk of contracting, struggling to overcome, and even transmitting COVID-19.

A study by the medical faculty of the Technical University of Dresden looked at more than 2,000 schoolchildren and teachers tested for COVID-19 antibodies since their schools reopened in the spring.

An analysis of the study points to startling results. Rather than serving as super spreaders, the science says children act more like a break on infection.

Other researchers, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, sequenced the genome of the virus, allowing them to trace who spread it to who, and they found similar results. Children, scientists concluded, are less likely to contract the virus, to get seriously ill if they do contract it, or to spread it.

Even if children do get infected, they are less likely to transmit the disease to others... we have not found a single instance of a child infecting parents, the studys senior author concluded.

Infectious disease experts in the United Kingdom have similarly concluded children are not COVID-19 super spreaders: time to go back to school.

The list goes on and on.

School districts can embrace the science, and take additional steps to protect teachers. A safe working environment means distancing, masks, daily thorough cleaning of classrooms and other precautions that empower teachers to return comfortably to the classroom, or allow them to transition to an online setting.

We all want whats best for our students. We want them to be safe, and we want them to be healthy. We want them to get a world class education, too, and to experience the many other remarkable benefits of in-person learning.

Classroom learning might not be right for every student and every family, and parents deserve the right and the opportunity to make those calls. Having the option, though, requires open school doors for those healthy enough to walk through them.

Beth DeShone is the executive director of the Great Lakes Education Project.
Unions derail BHPs attempt to cut pay and conditions for thousands of workers

Statement via Australian Workers Union (AWU)

BHP has been dealt another blow in its attempts to bring in two new enterprise agreements for its in-house Operational Services labour hire companies which could have seen workers pay slashed by up to $30,000 per year.

Earlier this week, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) indicated it is inclined to disallow the BHP Operational Services agreements because they did not meet the better off overall requirement. The FWC also had concerns they were not genuinely agreed to by workers.

BHP now has just seven days to address the concerns raised by the FWC but the bench has indicated its likely to dismiss BHPs applications to approve the deals marking a huge win for the Australian Workers Union (AWU) and the CFMEUs Mining & Energy division.

The legal battle began two years ago when BHP set up its own labour hire companies and got just a handful of employees in Western Australia to vote for two proposed agreements that contained vastly inferior terms to those already enjoyed by BHP employees.

Daniel Walton, National Secretary of the AWU, said there was no doubt that BHP would have used the new EBAs to undercut the pay and conditions of its entire mining industry workforce  affecting thousands of workers.

Walton said: Taking on BHP with their army of lawyers was always going to be a time consuming and expensive process but we have shown that it pays to persevere and never give up. We could not have done this without the support of our members, and our partner union. This demonstrates whats possible when we come together.

The FWC process began in early 2019 when the CFMEUs mining division and the AWU, which are the partner unions of the Western Mine Workers Alliance (WMWA) opposed the two agreements.

While we won the appeal to quash an earlier approval of the agreements, the FWC decided the full bench would re-determine the application for approval of the agreements after receiving further submissions from BHP and the unions.

This week the FWC said it would prove difficult to identify any undertaking which would address our concerns, and that it would suggest that the appropriate course is to dismiss the approval applications on the basis that we are not satisfied that the requirement for genuine agreement in s186(2)(a) is satisfied in either matter.

Walton said: This is a great result but its not quite over yet. We will need your continuing support to ensure the pay and working conditions of BHP workers remain fully protected.
Australia ranks last for manufacturing self-sufficiency among its global peers, producing goods worth only about 70 per cent of the amount it consumes.

A report by think tank the Australia Institute found a third of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries used more than they made. Australia was the least self-sufficient, while Ireland and Germany topped the list.

AMWU boss Paul Bastian says the federal government should change procurement rules to boost domestic purchasing. Credit:James Brickwood

The report's author, Jim Stanford, said the data showed Australia was an outlier among its international peers.

"Decades of taking manufacturing for granted and assuming that resource extraction alone could support a prosperous economy forever have produced a shrunken, undersized industrial base," Dr Stanford wrote.
27.07.2020 LISTEN

The Peoples Democratic League (PDL) deeply condemns in no uncertain terms the eruption of violence and hostilities in the Sierra Leonean northern town of Makeni, and regrets the tragic loss of lives, the destruction of property, the disruption of services of vital public installations and services and installing fear and anxiety on the general public.

It is tragic that Sierra Leoneans should be killed by fellow Sierra Leoneans in such a ruthless manner. While we send our condolences to the bereaved families, we want to dissociate ourselves and our party, the Peoples Democratic League (PDL) from such barbaric and inhumane acts. The violence in the Makeni town city occurred on Sunday 19th July 2020.

During this period that the world is battling to save lives against the devastating effect of the COVID-19 virus pandemic, it is quite tragic and irresponsible that in this life-threatening atmosphere, Sierra Leone is gradually drifting to a state of anarchy. We, members and supporters of the Peoples Democratic League (PDL) cannot afford to remain comfortable and silent as other Sierra Leoneans perish in the manipulative mechanism of mischief-makers, whose stock in trade is to spread rumors, mislead people and incite ethnic hatreds in the country.

The PDL wants to warn all those behind the orgy of violence in Sierra Leone that nowhere in the world their actions have ever solved problems. We therefore urge Sierra Leoneans to remain calm and law-abiding. The destruction of lives and property is not in the very best interest of any communities in Sierra Leone.

The violence in Sierra Leone could be averted if our politicians placed national interests above immorality. The opposition should have a focus, not to spend all their resources to win the 2023 elections, but to work towards getting rid of the decadent system or status quo, which is so corrupt, violent, intolerance, predatory, tribalistic, rumor-mongering, mischievous, occultist, and character assassinations.

We have time and again condemned violence in its entirety. We stand by this approach and condemn any group, government or opposition involved in violence. We have maintained calm even when brutal injustice was meted on our registration process, to become a full-fledged political party for Sierra Leone. Foreign diplomats in the country and media personnel are witness to the spate of violence in Sierra Leone, whereby certain elements are hell-bent to wreck the countrys hard-won peace and democracy.

Incitement to violence is a crime and recipe for escalation of poverty, whether it is practice online or offline. We wonder what manner of insanity and sadism will make some people kill protesters. What is the offense of those protestors? Of what use is their death to their killers? It is just the height of evil and human callousness that must be condemned in its entirety by every sane society or person.

The Peoples Democratic League (PDL) is worried that like in other parts of the country where killings took place recently, the bloodbath in Makeni town was unnecessary as it marks a worrisome return of Sierra Leone to orgy of violence. We therefore urge all our people as good Sierra Leoneans to take up personal interest in promoting and maintaining peace in their neighbourhood. This is not a time to allow personal, regional or party interest to drive us to desperation. After all, Sierra Leone is bigger than any region, tribe or party.

We acknowledge the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio and his steadfast commitment to take resolute actions to end all unlawful attacks, allegedly perpetrated either by State security forces or violent groups that are linked to the killings of unarmed civilians in the country. While we urge President Bio to call the opposition on the mahogany table, listen to their legitimate concerns, if any, and find a lasting solution to their crisis, we commend the President and Commander-In-Chief for taking bold steps towards establishing an inclusive government and repelling outdated draconian laws that infringe upon the constitutional human rights and democratic freedoms of Sierra Leoneans. This we believe the President is doing, to rekindle the hope of Sierra Leoneans and keeps his words that his New Direction agenda is not a regional or ethnic based government, but a government of all Sierra Leoneans, and for the good and happiness of all Sierra Leoneans.

We believe in this time of the Covid-19 virus pandemic, the government of President Julius Maada Bio cannot do it alone, but needs all Sierra Leoneans on board as well as the international community to ensure a stable political atmosphere, for consolidation of the fragile peace and democracy in the country. The United Nations could play a leading role by establishing an independent body to investigate the violence in the country and take all necessary actions to put a stop to the violence in Sierra Leone.

The Peoples Democratic League (PDL) maintained that there is a legitimate government in Freetown, democratically-elected by the people of Sierra Leone. Retired General Julius Maada Bio is the constitutional President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Sierra Leone. There is a corrupt opposition force; there is an aggrieved opposition force; and there is a restive opposition force. This is the reality in Sierra Leone today, and the United Nations should engage with all stakeholders in the country to find a lasting solution to the current political crisis for supremacy.

The Peoples Democratic League (PDL) maintained that violence in whatever form or manifestation is a serious human rights violation and an affront to peace and democracy. Hate messages and incitement through the social media and widespread impunity not only encourage further abuses and suffering, they sent the signal that violence is an acceptable norm.

We therefore urge the United Nations to act immediately to help address the spate of violence in Sierra Leone, the proliferation of anti-Sierra Leones hate messages and incitements in the social media, and to ensure that aggressive rhetoric does not trigger ethnic tensions in the country. We further call on the United Nations to lead efforts aimed at preventing incitement to ethnic hatreds. The United Nations must ensure human rights abuses in Sierra Leone are investigated, and perpetrators held accountable.

Finally, we call on the United Nations to exert pressure to bear on stakeholders and their supporters to avoid all acts that are at variance with peace, political stability and development in Sierra Leone.

Long live Sierra Leone!

Peace with All!!

Sender:

Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh

Leader and National Chairman

Peoples Democratic League (PDL)

For and on behalf of members and supporters of the Peoples Democratic League (PDL)
T he global coronavirus pandemic "continues to accelerate", the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned, with the number of recorded infections around the world having doubled in the last six weeks.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said on Monday that almost 16 million cases had now been reported to the Geneva-based global health body.

In the past six weeks, the total number of cases has roughly doubled, he told a press briefing in the Swiss city.

Dr Tedros said 640,000 deaths linked to the virus have also been reported since the pandemic erupted in Wuhan, a city in China's Hubei province, in December last year.

Covid-19 has changed our world. It has brought people, communities and nations together, and driven them apart. It has shown what humans are capable of - both positively and negatively," he added.

We have learned an enormous amount, and were still learning.

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHOs technical lead for Covid-19, told the press briefing that our new normal includes physical distancing from others.

She said: What were going to have to figure out, and I think what were all going to have to figure out together, is what our new normal looks like.

Our new normal includes physical distancing from others, our new normal can include wearing masks where appropriate, our new normal includes us knowing where this virus is each and every day  where we live, where we work, where we want to travel.

And thats going to be part of how we move forward with this  finding the balance between keeping the virus transmission low and resuming normal activities.

World sees biggest one-day rise in coronavirus cases to date

WHO officials were also asked about the situation in Spain, where a recent spike in infections led to the UK imposing a quarantine on people arriving in the UK from the country.

Dr Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said Spanish officials are acting in an open and responsible way and praised the countrys aggressive surveillance strategy.

Meanwhile, Dr Tedros said that the road to hepatitis elimination has been made harder by Covid-19.

But he said that progress has been made with regard to hepatitis B - new research from WHO and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine shows that the prevalence of hepatitis B infections in children under five years of age has dropped to less than one per cent.

The WHO briefing came after the latest tally by Johns Hopkins University put the number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide above the 16 million mark.

The US leads the count with 4.1 million, followed by 2.3 million in Brazil and 1.3 million in India.

The US also has the highest number of deaths with 146,460, followed by 86,449 in Brazil and 45,823 in the UK.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 19:19:39|Editor: huaxia

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CHANGCHUN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- In the scorching summer heat, some 2,000 tourists swarm into a new village resort in northeast China's Jilin Province every day to enjoy the cool breeze, green landscape and rural-type accommodation.

Covering an area of 12 hectares, the Jiuyushanju resort, which opened in June, was built on unused construction land and where deserted houses once stood in Ma'anshan Village, Jiutai District, in the provincial capital Changchun.

Jiutai District is among the 33 county-level pilot areas for rural land reform in China. Initiated in 2015, the reform allows rural collective construction land to enter the market and the transfer of rural residential land, which has injected vitality into rural development.

"The reform has solved a major problem of securing a vast tract of land to develop rural tourism," said Wang Yaguang, chairman of an ecological agriculture development company in Jilin that runs the resort.

In China, urban land is owned by the state and rural land is normally under collective ownership. While gradual reforms saw the trading of urban land evolve into a vigorous property market, land in the countryside remains largely static.

To narrow the urban-rural gap and promote integrated development, the government has been taking gradual steps to build a fairer mechanism to allow market transactions of rural construction land, leading to reform in the pilot areas.

Wang Wenyuan, head of the natural resources bureau of Jiutai District, said the reform has broadened the land supply channel, and companies can bid for, lease, or purchase rural land, increasing the possibility for urban capital to flow into the countryside and contribute to rural vitalization.

The Jiuyushanju resort brings Ma'anshan Village over 2 million yuan (about 285,144 U.S. dollars) for the land transaction as well as nearly 300 jobs.

After the resort was built, local villager Zhou Jinxia, 28, decided to return home and now works in a cafe inside the resort.

Zhou and her husband, a construction worker in the expansion project of the resort, bring home some 10,000 yuan a month, almost the amount they earned as migrant workers in the past.

"I was tired of leaving my children back home and spending much of our salary on house rents in cities," she said.

Zhou's family also received more than 100,000 yuan for their farmland taken over to build the resort.

"I would rather work in the resort than toil in the field, considering a barista job earns me much more," she said, adding that she will have income even in winter, a low season for farming but a peak period for snow and ice tourism in northeast China.

To make up for the occupied farmland, the district will have to turn the same amount of construction land into farmland elsewhere to ensure that the minimum amount of arable land is maintained, said Wang with Jiutai's natural resources bureau, adding that all land transactions have to be approved by villagers.

Figures show 222 tracts of rural collective construction land totaling 101.5 hectares entered the market over the past five years in Jiutai District, with a total transaction value of 151.58 million yuan.

In Toudaogou Village of the district, a corn processing plant was built on the former site of the village committee. In addition to providing the land transaction fee of 130,000 yuan and 50 jobs, the plant also procures corn grown on 100 hectares from local villagers.

"We will offer them seeds and organic fertilizers for the farming, and the quality corn they plant will add about 5,000 yuan worth of yield to each hectare of farmland," said Li Xuesong, chairman of the plant.

By the end of 2018, more than 6,000 hectares of collective construction land was transacted and the deserted homesteads of 140,000 households were vacated in 33 pilot areas across China, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The latest Land Management Law, which took effect on Jan. 1 this year, has had related items revised, allowing transactions in rural collective construction land across the country.

Wang Dawei, a professor with the Jilin Agricultural University, said the reform that spreads from the pilot areas to other parts of the country will effectively lead to the use of idle properties in rural areas, which will bring more assets, talent and vitality to rural vitalization. Enditem
A heartbroken woman has paid tribute to her sister after she and three friends died in a car crash in the Gold Coast hinterland.

The four were in a car travelling along Nerang-Murwillumbah Road in Advancetown on Saturday at about 1pm.

Police said the driver of their car lost control and the car crashed into a ute.

Katrina McKeough, 21, (left) died in a car crash. She's pictured here with her sister Andrea (right). Source: Andrea McKeough

All four died while the ute driver was hospitalised with minor injuries. The crash remains under investigation.

One of the passengers has been identified as Katrina McKeough, 21.

Her sister Andrea wrote on Facebook, Ms McKeough was in the car with friends Lochlan Parker, Courtney Smith and Kirsten Van Gorp.

Kirsten Van Gorp was named as one of the other crash victims. Source: Facebook/ Kirsten Van Gorp

Andrea paid tribute to her sister adding shes completely and utterly at a loss for words.

I don't even know how to begin to process this, Andrea wrote.

I loved my sister so much and I feel wretched knowing that the last time we spoke, we fought. Badly.

We never made peace with the argument, and now we never will. All I can say is to keep your loved ones close and to cherish every moment. Don't let pride get in the way of love.

I would give anything to have seen her one last time to make it right.

Four people died in the crash on Nerang-Murwillumbah Road in Advancetown on Saturday. Source: Queensland Police

Ms McKeough urged people to drive safely. Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick described the crash as terrible.

"Any loss of life is a tragedy, particularly at a difficult time like this when we're all struggling in our own ways to fight back against COVID, so all of these losses are very significant, he told the ABC.

The sisters with Lochlan Parker (right). Source: Facebook/ Andrea McKeough

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.
SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hero Digital, a leading independent digital customer experience (CX) company, today announced Hank Summy will join the company as managing director of its Western region, reporting to Hero Digital President Patrick Frend.

Summy brings over 25 years of experience advising leading brands on their marketing and digital transformations including The United States Postal Service, Subway, Godiva, and Jose Cuervo. Summy joins Hero Digital from Capgemini where he most recently served as Executive Vice President of the Consumer Products, Retail, and Wholesale market unit for North America. Prior to Capgemini, Summy held leadership roles at Interpublic Group, including President of MRM//McCann and President of McCann North America. Prior to McCann, he was Managing Director of Sapient, and led the company's Eastern United States region.

"We have built a company that is indispensable to business leaders of today's most valuable brands," said David Kilimnik CEO of Hero Digital. "Hank's experience in bringing a full experience-driven growth proposition to the marketplace is second-to-none. We are thrilled to have Hank be our market leader in the West."

Patrick Frend, President of Hero Digital, added: "Creating impactful customer experiences that delight and serve customers while delivering business results requires a rare combination of business consulting, brand strategy, design thinking, and technology prowess. Hank brings deep experience across the entire spectrum which will both accelerate the progress of our agency and bring great value to our clients."

"Customer experience is core to today's leading brands and important to their performance as they define new ways to differentiate and grow," said Hank Summy, Managing Director of Hero Digital. "Hero Digital has been at the center of creating compelling digital experiences since it was formed, and I'm excited to join the company during this important time."

About Hero Digital

Hero Digital is a leading independent customer experience company founded in California at the intersection of business, design, and technology. Hero Digital works with the C-Suite of the Fortune 500 to drive transformational business growth through superior customer experiences that deliver brand and consumer value. A trusted advisor to the world's best brands like Comcast, U.S. Bank, Twitter, Salesforce, Sephora, and TD Ameritrade.

For more information, visit http://www.herodigital.com.

SOURCE Hero Digital, LLC

Related Links

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The federal initiative aims to fast-track development of drugs to combat COVID-19 in the United States.

As nations around the world race to develop a vaccine to fend off COVID-19, the United States is rushing to be at the forefront of the battle.

In early April 2020, the administration of President Donald Trump announced Operation Warp Speed, a flagship federal initiative to fast-track the development of drugs to combat the novel coronavirus. The US government has so far invested more than $5bn in more some 30 research projects for the development of vaccines, diagnostics and treatments.

At least 4.2 million Americans have been infected by the new coronavirus, and more than 146,000 have died from the disease, according to Johns Hopkins University.

What is Operation Warp Speed?

According to the US Health and Human Services, Operation Warp Speed aims to deliver 300 million doses of a safe and effective vaccine by January 2021.

Under the initiative, the government will speed development and buy vaccines  before they are deemed safe and effective  so that the medication can be in hand and quickly distributed once the FDA approves or authorises its emergency use after clinical trials.

Americans will receive the vaccine for free, the companies said.

Which companies have been funded so far to develop vaccines?

1. Moderna

Moderna announced on July 27 that it had started a late-stage trial to test the effectiveness of its vaccine candidate  the first such trial under Operation Warp Speed and that last hurdle before regulatory approval.

Modernas study will test the response to the vaccine in 30,000 adults who do not have the respiratory illness. The company, which has never brought a vaccine to market, has received nearly $1bn from the US government, which has chosen it as one of the first to enter large-scale human trials.

The late-stage trial is designed to evaluate the safety of Modernas mRNA-1273 and to determine if the vaccine can prevent symptomatic COVID-19 after two doses. The study also seeks to answer if the vaccine can prevent death caused by COVID-19, and if just one dose can prevent symptomatic COVID-19.

Moderna said it is on track to deliver about 500 million doses a year, and possibly up to one billion doses a year, beginning 2021.

More than 150 coronavirus vaccine candidates are in various stages of development, with 23 prospects in human trials across the globe and Modernas candidate among the farthest along in development [Brian Snyder/Reuters]

2. Pfizer/BioNTech SE

Pfizer Inc and German biotech BioNTech SE, have been awarded $1.95bn in US government funding to develop a vaccine that utilises the chemical messenger RNA to instruct cells to make proteins that mimic the surface of the coronavirus, which the immune system sees as a foreign invader and mounts an attack. Although the technology has been around for years, there has never been an approved messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine.

The company aims to make up to 100 million doses by the end of 2020 and potentially more than 1.2 billion doses by the end of 2021. The vaccine has already shown promise in early-stage small studies in humans, producing the type of neutralising antibodies needed to fight the virus. In those trials, subjects received two doses of the vaccine.

3. Novavax

On July 7, the US government awarded Novavax $1.6bn for its potential vaccine. The company aims to start mid-stage trials in August or September, with Phase III testing starting in October, with the aim of delivering 100 million doses by January. The Novavax vaccine works in conjunction with an adjuvant  a substance that boosts the immune response to help the body build a robust defence against the virus.

A person receiving a shot in a clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19 at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle [Ted S Warren/AP Photo]

4. AstraZeneca

Developed by the University of Oxford, AstraZeneca has received $1.2bn in US federal funding. The experimental vaccine is composed of a recombinant viral vector vaccine that uses a weakened version of a common-cold virus that encodes instructions for making proteins from the novel coronavirus to build immunity.

5. Johnson & Johnson

With a $456m investment from the US government, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is aiming to begin in September a late-stage study of its experimental vaccine, lagging other companies on this list.

J&Js candidate is developing what is known as a viral vector vaccine, which relies on a non-replicating virus to shuttle genetic instructions into the bodys cells. Those instructions tell the cell to make viral proteins that would train the immune system to fend off real infections in the future.

A medical worker holds a small bottle labelled with a Vaccine COVID-19 sticker [File: Dado Ruvic/Reuters]

6. Merck & Co

Merck & Co received $38m in US federal funding to develop a recombinant COVID-19 vaccine that is based on the same technology used in the companys Ebola vaccine. Human trials are expected sometime this year.

7. Sanofi SA

With some $30.7m in US government funding, Sanofi is developing a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Protein Vaccine, based on FDA-licensed seasonal influenza vaccine. The company plans to enrol thousands of subjects globally for early-stage testing.
In the first meeting of the newly appointed state executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that his party was not interested in bringing the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government (MVA) down, but in a jibe, also asked the ruling parties to run the state, instead of just crying foul.

BJP president J P Nadda, who addressed the meet, asked party workers to be committed to get power in the state on its own strength in the future. He also asked them to actively expose the failures of the state government. The BJP is not interested in bringing this government down. We are focussing on tackling Covid-19. The ruling government should stop crying and try to at least run the government, said Fadnavis, in his concluding virtual address.

He also taunted chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who in an interview to his party mouthpiece, Saamna, had said that his government may be a three-wheeler, but he held its steering wheel. An autorickshaw is driven as per the wishes of the passengers and not the driver. Thats the only way the autorickshaw driver will earn his daily income. This government is going in three different directions, at the cost of Maharashtra, said Fadnavis.

Nadda underscored the Modi governments efficiency in handling the pandemic, even as he slammed the states failure. The national BJP president said the timely decision to impose a lockdown in the country averted a major loss of life, unlike Europe and the US. Party workers must effectively reach out to common man and communicate the work done by the Centre and aggressively expose the failures of the state government, said Nadda.

State party president Chandrakant Patil also addressed party workers and reiterated the need to come out effectively as a party against the MVA governments failures, from handling the pandemic to farmers issues.
For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here.

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size A woman not wearing a mask approaches a staff member greeting customers at a suburban Bunnings. The staff member asks the woman if she has a mask, which she says she does not. She is asked to speak with a manager. She says the store is discriminating against her. She says she can personally sue the two staff members who are calmly stating the store's policy: you can't shop at Bunnings if you're not wearing a face mask. At the outset of the pandemic, the government declared a state of emergency. It invoked section 198 of the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and conferred on Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton emergency powers to make directions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as he or his delegates saw fit. The powers, still in effect, are broad and include restrictions on movement and, now, compulsory masks in public. Left, a Bunnings worker speaks with a woman who is refusing to wear a mask. Right, the woman confronts police. Credit:Facebook There is no doubt these directions are unprecedented and severe, a fact the Health Department does not shy away from  and they have rubbed some Victorians the wrong way. There have been suggestions the directions are impinging on peoples rights and that police have been unreasonably empowered to carry out the rules. Some of the same people have gone so far as to contest the validity of the laws directly with retail workers or law enforcement who are attempting to apply them. So where does the government draw its power from? Can police ask for identification and detain people for breaches of government directions? When did the government pass these laws that have such broad powers? And do Victorians have legally enforceable civil rights that are being compromised?

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Where does the authority come from to make these directions? Health Minister Jenny Mikakos and Premier Daniel Andrews declared a state of emergency in Victoria, starting at midday on March 16, to provide Sutton, and his authorised officers, with broad powers to enforce the 14-day isolation that was the initial response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Since then Victoria has been in a continuous state of emergency, with the emergency powers extended by Mikakos on an as-needed basis. The powers under the Act reflect measures health authorities purportedly needed to flatten the curve. The powers are broad. Under the Act, sections 200(1)(b) and (d) stipulate that health department officials can restrict movement or give any other direction that the authorised officer considers is reasonably necessary to protect public health  authorised officers being Sutton or his delegates. As such, under section 200, various health officials have enacted what they have termed Stay at Home Directions, the most recent of which was issued by Dr Finn Romanes on July 22 and which contained the requirement under subsection 5 to wear a mask when leaving the house for one of the four lawful reasons (that is, to go shopping for necessities, to exercise, for compassionate reasons and care or for essential work). Stay at Home Directions are legally enforceable under section 193 of the Public Health Act. If someone refuses to comply with a direction, without a reasonable excuse, they could be fined up to $1652 for individuals and $9913 for businesses. Failing to comply with the rules around face coverings may result in a fine of $200. In other words, if the health department thinks a particular direction is likely to lessen the spread of COVID-19, thereby protecting public health, they can mandate it, as long as it is reasonable. What counts as reasonable varies from person to person, and depends on your values. Its here that debates about human and civil rights come into play.

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Who has to wear a mask? Under the Stay at Home Directions issued by Romanes, a person may only leave their house if they are wearing a face covering at all times unless an exception applies. There are many exceptions that include strenuous exercise, being a child under 12, possessing a physical or mental illness that makes wearing a mask unsuitable and eating or drinking. A person can also be asked to remove their mask if they need to provide identification, if, say, they're buying alcohol. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth said he wasnt convinced by the argument that wearing a mask impinged on peoples "civil rights". The idea it [wearing a mask] is an imposition on someones freedom or individual rights, Im not sure I can be convinced of that," Coatsworth said. That sort of behaviour has to stop. I acknowledge wearing a mask can be difficult and it takes some time to get used to but, in all seriousness, it is just having a mask on.

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When and to whom does the mask direction not apply? The requirement to wear a mask does not apply: to infants or children under 12

to students onsite at a primary school in the restricted area or at a school they attend outside the restricted area

for a person with a physical or mental health illness or condition or disability that makes wearing a face covering unsuitable (eg. a serious skin condition, people who have obstructed breathing)

if a person is communicating with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing and visibility of the mouth is essential to communicate

if the nature of a person's work means a face covering will create a risk to their health and safety

or if the nature of a person's work means that clear enunciation or mouth visibility is essential (eg. teaching, broadcasting)

to professional sportspeople training or competing

if you are doing strenuous exercise (eg. jogging)

if you are in a car either by yourself or with other members of your household

if you are riding a bicycle or motorcycle

if you are eating or drinking or taking medicine

if you are having dental or medical care and the treatment requires that your face not be covered

if you are asked to remove your face covering to ascertain your identity (eg. buying alcohol, being asked to check ID at a bank or post office)

for emergency reasons

if you're authorised or required by law

if doing so isn't safe in all the circumstances. Donald Trump, who was reluctant to wear a mask, has been seen wearing them in public. Credit:AP What are police allowed to do? Under the Public Health Act, Sutton or one of his delegates has put in a request to the Chief Commissioner of Police for police help in enforcing the health directions. In normal circumstances, police can only ask you to provide your name and address if they believe you have committed an offence or are about to commit an offence. Under the Public Health Act, police can require a person to provide their name and address for the purpose of investigating, eliminating or reducing the risk to public health. Similarly, police can usually place you under arrest only if they believe you have committed an offence or are about to commit an offence. But under the Public Health Act, a person can be detained if they present a "serious risk to public health". The Public Health Act says that this is a high bar, and is only enacted when there is a "material risk that substantial injury or prejudice to the health of human beings has or may occur". The Public Health Act also states that before exercising an emergency power, unless it is not practicable to do so, a person must be warned that a refusal or failure to comply without a reasonable excuse, is an offence.

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As usual, people being interviewed by police still have the right to remain silent, as with any other criminal wrongdoing. Victoria Police released a statement on July 26 reaffirming their intention to fine those with blatant disregard for quarantine rules. Whilst police will use discretion in the first seven days since the [Chief Health Officer's] direction was issued, we will not hesitate to issue fines to people who are obviously and blatantly showing a disregard for community safety by failing to wear a mask, the statement said. It said people who did not wear a mask, and did not have a valid excuse would risk being fined. Police are working incredibly hard to keep the community safe and this type of behaviour is unacceptable and unnecessary. The mask has become a part of the premier's standard press conference attire. Credit:The Age Do you have a right not to wear a mask?

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Quang Tri Ancient Citadel is situated in the heart of Quang Tri town, which was once a military defence system and hosted the administration office of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945).

An aerial view of the ancient citadel site from Thach Han River. (Photo: VNA)

Quang Tri Ancient Citadel is situated in the heart of Quang Tri town, which was once a military defence system and hosted the administration office of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945).

The site was also used as the administration office of the French regime and the American-backed southern regime at one time.

According to historical documents, at the beginning of Gia Long Reign (1802-1820), Quang Tri Citadel was built in Tien Kien ward (Trieu Thanh  Trieu Phong). In 1809, King Gia Long moved the citadel to Thach Han town.

Visitors see the walls marked with holes by bombs and bullets. (Photo: VNS)

At first, the citadel was made of clay. In 1837, King Minh Mang (1820-1841) rebuilt it using bricks stuck with lime, sugarcane honey and some other materials.

The citadel has a square form with the circumference of more than 2,000m, 4m in height, and 12m thick at the foot of the walls. It is surrounded by a canal. Four fortresses were built at the four corners of the square citadel.

The citadel has four main gates in the east, west, south and north.

Between 1809 and 1945, the Nguyen Dynasty used the citadel as a military system and administrative office.

In 1929, the French built a jail at the site to keep people with an anti-French political point of view.

Then, the site was taken over by the American-backed southern regime. It witnessed fierce battles during the American War in 1968 and 1972 between the American-backed forces and the southern liberation force led by Ho Chi Minh's government.

After the fights between June 28 and September 16 in 1972, when thousands of soldiers of both sides died, the whole citadel was almost destroyed. There remained only the remnant of the east gate and some walls.

The site has been upgraded as a historical relic site with some rebuilt wall sections, four main gates and a monument commemorating 81 days and nights of fierce fighting in 1972.







NA monument commemorating martyrs of the Southern Liberation Army Force, who lost their lives at the site in fights with the American-backed forces in 1968 and 1972. (Photo: VNA)







The belongings of a soldier of the southern liberation force from the battle in 1972 displayed at the museum: a uniform, a hat, a pair of rubber sandals, a water bottle and a gun. (Photo: VNS)

A museum was built in the southwest corner of the old citadel, which hosts objects and images of the American War and historic fights at the site. The site is now the biggest historical park in Quang Tri town.

The site has been listed as a national relic site and is a must-see destination for both local and foreign tourists./.VNA
China's national observatory on Sunday renewed a blue alert for rainstorms in several provinces and regions, where incessant downpours have already wreaked havoc.

From Sunday morning to Monday morning, heavy rainfall and rainstorms are expected in parts of Chongqing, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu, the National Meteorological Center said, warning that some areas of Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan and Hebei will experience up to 180 mm of daily rainfall.

Some of the aforementioned regions will see more than 70 mm of hourly precipitation, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds, the center said.

The center advised local authorities to remain alert for possible flooding, landslides and mudslides, and recommended halting outdoor operations in hazardous areas.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather-warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.




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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam  Mon, July 27, 2020 15:18 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406699b2d5 1 National Bakamla,Vietnamese-fishermen,Vietnamese-vessels,Natuna,North-Natuna-Sea,illegal-fishing Free

The Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) has detained the crew of a Vietnamese fishing boat suspected of illegal fishing in the North Natuna Sea off Natuna Regency, Riau Islands, after the sailors reportedly tried hard to avoid arrest.

Bakamla public relations and protocol head Col. Wisnu Pramandita said the foreign vessel had been detected on Sunday by Indonesian patrol boat KN Pulau Dana-323, which had been keeping guard in the waters.

Wisnu said patrol officers tried to communicate with the foreign crew through VHF radio but received no response, before they maneuvered to approach them and warned them via semaphore signals.

Knowing they would be questioned, the Vietnamese crewmen sped away from the KN Pulau Dana-323. Not only that, they also discarded a black fishing net to eliminate evidence, Wisnu said in a statement on Sunday.

He said the foreign crew allegedly burned tires at the stern to escape vision. The crew increased their speed and did zig-zag maneuvers, endangering foreign commercial vessels that crossed the archipelagic sea lane, he added.

Read also: Illegal fishing still rife in North Natuna Sea: Ministry

Wisnu claimed that the fishing boat tried to crash into the MV AKIJ OCEAN vessel that passed nearby, but patrol officers immediately warned the vessel crew to avoid the attempt.

KN Pulau Dana-323 commander Lt. Col. Hananto Widhi then ordered a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team to intercept the vessel and later instructed the crew to turn off the engine.

The foreign fishing boat was not cooperative and continued to carry out dangerous maneuvers, until it tried to crash into the KN Pulau Dana-323, Wisnu said.

A warning shot was released into the air, but the fishing boat tried to escape the VBSS team, Wisnu added. The VBSS team eventually opened fire on the fishing boat platform, before the boat reduced its speed.

The fishing crew members have been arrested and taken to the Lampa Strait in Natuna for questioning, Wisnu said. An initial inspection showed the foreign boat had loaded two tons of fish. (syk)
Eliza Mineaux

COHOES  A 26-year-old woman from Troy died in the waters around Peebles Island State Park Sunday despite efforts to save her, State Police said Monday.

Two passing hikers spotted Kyle Reddington face down in the water at 3 p.m. and tried to save her, troopers said. A male who had come to the area to swim with Reddington assisted the hikers. Police did not identify person who was with Reddington or disclose his age.
John Lewiss office on Capitol Hill resembled a civil rights museum, with monochrome photos in neat white borders and black frames and a TV for visitors to watch a documentary. Prominent in the room was both a campaign poster and bust of Robert Kennedy, one of Lewiss closest friends and allies.

Related: John Lewis knew civil rights did not end with voting rights or Barack Obama | Peniel E Joseph

As America prepares to mourn the civil rights hero who died last week aged 80 with a series of events, Kennedys daughter, Kerry, has spoken of her familys deep sense of loss and joined calls for the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, to be renamed for Lewis.

I loved John, Kennedy, a member of one of Americas most prominent political dynasties, told the Guardian. Ill always miss him and so will my whole family. He means  he meant so much to all of us. The swirl of text messages and emails and phone calls with my whole family when he died was beautiful: Are you OK? Can I help you? Want to take a walk, be together? It was really like somebody in our family had died.

Kennedy, 60, is president of Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, an advocacy organisation Lewis served as a board member. She adds: He is my hero, not only in the history, but also his demeanour, his love, his style, his peacefulness, his humility. Just somebody who we all want to emulate in every way. Nobody that I know of in the civil rights movement took more knocks to the head and then got up and organised the next protest and did it all over and over and over and over again.

Lewis, who grew up on a farm in the Jim Crow south, and Robert Kennedy, born into east coast political aristocracy and white privilege-plus, were an unlikely pair. As attorney general under his brother, President John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy approved the wiretapping and surveillance of Martin Luther King. But in May 1963 he hosted a group of black artists and intellectuals, including James Baldwin, and received a humbling lesson in how the administration needed to more ambitious on civil rights.

Story continues

His commitment deepened as he proved willing to travel, engage and grow. That summer he listened to students who endured arrests and beatings in their efforts to desegregate Cambridge, Maryland. Lewis later recalled that during a break in the meetings, Robert Kennedy told him: John, now I understand. The young people, the students have educated me. You have changed me.

He formed a special bond with Lewis, a Freedom Rider (riding commercial interstate buses across the south to protest segregation), firebrand organiser of the March on Washington and apostle of nonviolent protest he famously called good trouble. In Selma in 1965, Lewis suffered a skull fracture when Alabama state troopers unleashed tear gas, whips and batons on marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, on what became known as Bloody Sunday.

Speaking from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where she is helping keep her 92-year-old mother, Ethel, isolated from the coronavirus, Kennedy reflects: I think the value my father admired most after love was courage and there was no group that he admired more during the civil rights era than the Freedom Riders. He was was awed by their courage and wanted to understand and Johns conversations with him were about getting to yes.

They werent about anger slogans or the outrage that, of course, John totally deserved to feel. It was about how do we get the Voting Rights Act passed and how do we resolve this crisis in Maryland and how do we find a bus driver to bring the Freedom Riders from Birmingham to Montgomery and protect them along the way?

I think the value my father admired most after love was courage Kerry Kennedy

When Robert Kennedy launched his own bid for the presidency in 1968, he requested that Lewis help organise the black community in Indiana, including a rally in the biggest black neighbourhood of Indianapolis. But when Robert Kennedy flew in, the citys white mayor, Richard Lugar, called him to say King had been assassinated in Memphis and the event would have to be cancelled.

Kennedy continues: Lugar said to him, Martin Luther King has been killed by a white man, there are cities burning, protests and looting in cities across the country, you cannot go to that rally. There is no way to provide your safety if you go. I will not allow the police to go with you.

Daddy called John Lewis, who said: Come, these are your people, theyve been waiting for hours. The people in the front of the crowd had, in fact, been waiting for hours and they hadnt heard the news but people in the back of the crowd had heard the news and a bunch of them came with bicycle chains and chair legs and molotov cocktails, and they were ready to riot.

My father said to Richard Lugar, You might want not to go there but I could go there tonight with my 10 children and my pregnant wife and sleep on the street and wed be perfectly safe. He said that not out of bravado but because he had worked for so long and so intimately with John Lewis and the other community organisers there, so he had credibility. This was not like walking into some foreign country for him. It was like walking home for him.

Robert Kennedy did attend the rally and, with rare eloquence that caught the mood of the nation, broke the news of Kings death to those who did not know. His daughter says: He could give that speech, and it had the impact it had, because of the depth of that relationship and trust and also because John Lewis had so much credibility.

The next day, at Kennedys request, Lewis went to Memphis to help organise for Kings body to be returned to Atlanta. Lewis also arranged for Kennedy to meet Kings widow, Coretta Scott King, the night before the funeral.

The election continued. In California, Lewis was in charge of organising the black vote while the labour leaders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta organised the Latinx vote. Chavez and Lewis would sometimes canvass together. Kennedy continues: Oh, my gosh, imagine opening your door and finding Cesar Chavez and John Lewis.

They went to the Ambassador hotel [in Los Angeles] that night and Daddy said to John: Im very disappointed in you because a higher Latinx vote came out than black. So they were joking around and he said: Ill see you in a few minutes. I just have to go give this speech.

Related: Civil rights activist and politician John Lewis  a life in pictures

Shortly after giving a victory speech in the hotel, Robert Kennedy made his way through the kitchen to avoid the surging crowd. Shot at close range, he died aged 42.

His daughter recalls: John was in the hotel room and he said that he just fell to the floor and cried. He cried the whole way back from LA to Atlanta. It was so moving hearing him say: We were flying over the hills and the mountains, and you could still see snow, even though it was June.

Half a century later, Lewis would later tell Kerry Kennedy in an interview for her book Ripples of Hope: If it hadnt been for Bobby, I wouldnt be involved in American politics  I truly believe something died in all of us. I know something died in me.

More than a mentor

If Robert Kennedy had won the White House instead of Richard Nixon, Lewiss career would surely have been different. Kennedy, the ex-wife of New Yorks governor, Andrew Cuomo, speculates: One hundred per cent John would have been involved with the administration. I dont know at what level he would have been.

John was always there for me personally. I know he was always there for many people

I think the first couple of weeks my father was in the justice department he said: Theres no black lawyers here, what are we doing? We have to recruit from traditionally black colleges and universities and we have to change this and we need more diversity. So that was certainly a priority, but who knows what would have happened in 1968.

Instead Lewis represented a Georgia district in the House of Representatives for 33 years, earning a reputation as the conscience of Congress, and continued his efforts for social and economic justice.

Kennedy says: I felt like he was always there for me personally. I know he was always there for many people personally but I just felt heres somebody whos on your side, who feels your pain when something goes wrong and just wants whatever youre doing to be good.

Its very loving: more than a mentor, really kind of a father figure in a lot of ways. I asked him to do things all the time. He never said no, whatever march we were asking to him get in or whatever letter we wanted him to sign or piece of legislation we asked him to co-sign or event we asked him to show up for. It was a drumbeat of yes.

Lewis also helped keep the memory of Robert Kennedy alive.

Related: John Lewis obituary

The thing that he also did is he talked to me and my brothers and sisters and my children and my nieces and nephews about my father in a very personal way. Theres a lot of history so you understand the actions but its different to have somebody like John Lewis say this is what he was like, these are our conversations, this is how he treated me.

After Lewis succumbed to pancreatic cancer, he received tributes from Barack Obama and people around the world. On Sunday his casket will make a final crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma before lying in state at the US Capitol in Washington. Kennedy endorses the movement to have the bridge renamed after him instead of Pettus, a lawyer and Confederate general who became a US senator and leader in the Ku Klux Klan.

I think it would be great because Edmund Pettus was a terrible white supremacist and there should not be anything named after him, she says.

It would be a symbol to Selma and to our country and to the world that we recognise the violence of the past and we are going to atone for it and we are on our way to becoming a more perfect union  one where all people are respected and where every person is treated with dignity.
As I came into work this morning the sun was shining, the birds were singing and I thought when the weather is good there is no better country in the world than Ireland.



It was only when I popped into the shop to buy a paper I realised that things are far from normal.

I was asked where was my face mask so I had to return to my car to retrieve it.



We are living in very strange and difficult times and in some cases businesses that were forced to close due to Covid 19 will be unable to reopen and the local mart, which has had to introduce many changes regarding numbers of people attending sales, will also be a different place to operate.



The many farmers who used this facility as a social place to meet and greet have been unable to attend due to the introduction of space limitation. It is hoped that normality will return in the months ahead but when it does it will be a very different scenario.



Cattle Sale

Last Thursdays cattle sale attracted bigger numbers with over 900 head. Trade was similar to the lively affair of the previous week.

Its possible that some plainer cattle were marginally reduced.

The best call for beef bullocks was for a 705 kilo Limousin which realised 1650 of 2.34 per kilo.

In the forward store bullock department a Charolaise bullock made 1300 or 2.39 per kilo for 545 kilo.

One of the best prices on the day was for 5 Friesian was 970 for 510 kilo or 1.90.

AA cattle were also in demand with the bulk ranging from 1.90 to 2.15 per kilo in both the bullock and heifer ring.

Going back to the bullock section one of the best prices here was for 3 limousin bullocks which weighed 375 kilo and realised 960 or 2.53 per kilo.

The top call for bullocks was close to 3.00 per kilo for fancy lighter types.

In the heifer ring the bulk ranged from 1.80 to 2.30 per kilo with 2 exceptional returns. 2 limousins 355 kilo made 1080 with a piedmontise heifer of 360 kilo realising 1200 or 3.33 per kilo.



Sheep Sale

Our sheep sale continues to been on par, size wise, compared to 2019 but trade is at least 6 to 10 per head of last years returns.

Lambs peaked at 120 with cull ewes to a top of 137 per head.

Our sheep sale takes place each Monday ( except bank holidays) at 10.15am.

Calf Sales

Our calf sales are winding down with only 50 on offer on Monday.

Trade remains very strong helped by farmer buyers, on line bidders, exporters and North of Ireland buyers.

This sale is held at 1pm every Monday until further notice.Our next suckler sale is Thursday, 13th August, with entries welcome.

So not only is the sun shining at the moment, which is welcome, but it also appears to have lit up the livestock trade.

Until next time Do Be Careful On The Farm & Good Buying, Good Selling & Good Luck.
For Jared Dixon, life felt like it was on a set path headed for prison.

With many of his whanau in and out of prison, as a young child he wanted to experience life behind bars for a day, just to see what it was like.

An upbringing surrounded by drugs, alcohol, gangs and violence soon led him to smoking weed every day from the age of 12.

A few years later, I tried meth for the first time, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. As soon as I took meth, I turned into a different person and I quickly became addicted. It led me down a very dark, destructive path which caused me to do many horrible things that today Im not proud of.

These horrible things landed Jared in prison for six years. When he finally got out, he was ready to turn his life around and do good. But being surrounded by the wrong people, doing the wrong things, made it difficult.

I got sucked right back into my destructive lifestyle of drugs and crime  it was all around me. I had no positive people in my life. I was lost and felt completely hopeless.

Jared was stuck in this lifestyle, with no hope of getting out. That is until his probation officer referred him to Live for More and he joined their Tai Watea surf therapy programme.

The programme provides intensive wrap-around support for young men who are disengaged and have fallen through the cracks.

For those entangled in the justice system, drugs and alcohol, and gang associations, typically due to traumatic upbringings and difficult home lives, the support is a shining light; empowering them to see that change is possible and that they are in control of their future.

Weekly surfing sessions, clinical psychology treatment, group work, goal setting, and motivational speakers help the young men find freedom from their past and step into their true potential.

Jared says the first time he went surfing with Live for More, all he felt was peace and freedom out in the water.

My life had always just been full of dramas, fighting and negativity, so peace was an incredible and new feeling for me.

The surfing was good for me, but it was everything else at Live for More that really helped me change. The counselling and guidance helped me to see a different way to do life.

I knew the staff at Live for More truly wanted the best for me, and I could feel the genuine love and aroha they had for me and all of the other boys. I had always known I had potential, but I had never known how to use it until Live for More showed me.

Now, Jared has been clean from drugs for over a year.

I am crime-free, I no longer sell drugs, I am working full-time, and Im no longer in the gang I was in. I am breaking the dysfunctional cycles that have been in my family for generations. I now have hope for my future and I am so excited for all life has in store for me.

Its a story familiar to Live for More Operations Manager Dave de Graaf. The programme has been running since 2016, and has seen 89 young men come through and change their lives.

Dave says surfing works due to its therapeutic nature.

When the boys are out in the water, they are getting back to basics; exercise, fresh air, ocean. But it is also teaching them a skill that gives them a lot of confidence.

What they say over and over again is that they feel free out on the water. Normally, they are in chaotic home environments. Surfing gives them peace to reflect on their lives, where theyve come from and where they want to go.

And surfing also offers a side door to build relationships.

For young men, it can be challenging to open up and talk about their struggles. Inviting them to a counselling session alone wont get a positive response. But with the surf programme they are keen.

Its about breaking down barriers. These young men are used to all clinical methods and are closed off to them. But surf therapy is almost like a side door. We build a relationship first and then start doing the counselling alongside it.

Live for More also provide ongoing support for past graduates through their weekly Reunion surf programme, Tai Tautoko, which serves as a support group for the young men to stay on track.

TECT Trustee Peter Blackwell says TECT is proud to have supported the programme for the past three years, with $100,000 going towards their operating costs.

Seeing how far these young men have come, from having no hope stuck in the justice system, to having a whole new lease on life  it is truly inspiring.

The Live for More surf therapy model is a unique one which we are so glad to get behind. It is truly having a transformational effect  reducing drug and alcohol use, removing these young men from gang life and helping them get on the path to a brighter future.
BISHKEK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th July, 2020) Russia has flown another humanitarian flight with ventilators, face masks and other counter-coronavirus supplies to the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek as the country is experiencing a surge in the new cases, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry told Sputnik on Sunday.

"Russia has sent another supply of humanitarian support, flown to Bishkek on a special flight of the Russian Ministry of Emergencies," the ministry's press service said.

According to the press officer, the humanitarian cargo consists of medical equipment, drugs and personal protective equipment (PPE), including five X-rays devices, 65 monitors for anesthesiology and intensive therapy with oximetric detectors, five monitors for anesthesiology and intensive therapy without oximetric detectors, 31 ventilators, as well as 100,000 face masks, 49,350 packages of enoxaparin sodium and 550 packages of olokizumab.

Russia's earlier humanitarian aid to Kyrgyzstan included a large supply of PCR tests and reagents for diagnosing COVID-19, PPE and other medical equipment. Additionally, earlier this past week, Moscow flew to Kyrgyzstan a team of 70 Russian medical workers, who have already begun treating COVID-19 patients in the cities of Bishkek and Osh.

As of Sunday, Kyrgyzstan has confirmed 32,124 coronavirus cases, including 1,249 deaths. Kyrgyz health authorities have described the epidemiological environment as highly complicated, saying that all of the country's medical workforce, including personnel on vacation and senior students of medical schools, have been mobilized to tackle the outbreak. Meanwhile, amid hospitals being packed beyond capacity, more than 10 temporary medical facilities have been arranged across the country to handle the growing influx of new patients.
HARRISBURG, Pa., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For reimagining its publication Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory into a scientific journal with a patient's perspective called PATIENT SAFETY, the Patient Safety Authority (PSA) has won a national Apex Award for excellence in communications. It received a 'grand' award in the 'most improved' category for shifting its quarterly, peer-reviewed journal geared towards healthcare workers into one designed for both clinicians and consumers. The redesign was completed in 15 months.

PATIENT SAFETY, a scientific journal with a patient's perspective, won a national Apex Award for excellence in communication.

PATIENT SAFETY is the only journal that highlights the intersection of patient safety science and real human experience. The mix of content includes first-person narratives, commentaries, interviews, original research, and a humanities section. Each article is custom-designed to fully immerse the reader, using carefully curated photography, brightly colored tables, artwork, and illustrations, as well as infographics and pull-out quotes. The goal is to connect providers and patients by humanizing the issue of medical error and presenting it in a highly visual, graphically appealing way.

No other healthcare journal takes this approach.

The final issue of the Advisory, published in March 2019, had an audience of 4,500 readers in 44 countries. The most recent issue of PATIENT SAFETY, published in June 2020, was read by more than 25,000 people spanning all 50 states and 147 countries.

"We asked how we could make a significant contribution to scientific publishing and create a tool that bridges the gap between theory and practiceone that brings the patient's perspective to the forefront," explained Regina Hoffman, executive director of the PSA and editor of PATIENT SAFETY. "At the same time, we saw an opportunity to help patients find their voice in academic publishing while elevating our research quality."

PATIENT SAFETY has been designated a Patients Included publication, which requires at least two patient members on the editorial board; regular publication of editorials, reviews, or research articles authored by patients; and peer review by patients.

Established under the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCARE) Act of 2002, the PSA, an independent state agency, collects and analyzes patient safety data to improve safety outcomes and help prevent patient harm. http://patientsafety.pa.gov/

SOURCE Patient Safety Authority
More Chinese owned apps seem to be under the scanner in India at a time when the geopolitical tensions between India and China are at an all-time high. Reports suggest that authorities are scanning as many as 275 more apps for potential user privacy violations and national security threats. This follows the ban on 59 Chinese-owned apps last month, a list that included the very popular social media app TikTok. It is believed that the latest list of apps under the scanner include the incredibly popular game PUBG Mobile, ecommerce platform AliExpress and another popular game Ludo World.

The new list of 275 Chinese-owned apps which are under the scanner are being reviewed for any possible security threats or violations. The data that these apps collect, as well as what they potentially share with the Chinese government, is being potentially looked at. In China, the National Intelligence Law of 2017 governs all tech companies that are based in China or are under Chinese ownership. The law mandates all businesses to share any and all information that the Chinese Government may ask for. This is something that is worrying governments around the world, including India.

PUBG sees a partial stake by Chinese tech giant Tencent, AliExpress is owned by AliBaba, Zili is an app by popular phone maker Xiaomi, Resso is a music streaming app from Bytedance who also own TikTok, to name a few. This list not only includes apps by Chinese tech giants including Xiaomi, Tencent, Alibaba and Bytedance, but also developers and companies Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games and Yoozoo Global.
Persecution of Christians in Nigeria continues to increase rapidly and doesn't seem to be easing up. According to A Killing Field Of Defenseless Christians, the available statistics have shown that between 11,500 and 12,000 Christian deaths recorded in the past 57 months or since June 2015 when the present central government of Nigeria came on board.

With 50% of Christians in Nigeria, these Christians are being subjected to ruthless persecution targeting the Christians are both the Islamic militant group Boko Haram and Muslim Fulani herdsmen. According to Samuel Smith's Christian Post reporter's record from Nigeria, civil society organizations claims that no fewer than 350 Christians have been killed across the West African country since the start of 2020 and estimates that about 11,500 Christians have been killed since 2015.

"Nigeria has been marred by violence in the last decade-plus due to the rise of extremist organizations in the northeast like Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State's West Africa Province."

"Additionally, bandit gangs have been responsible for carrying out kidnappings along some major highways."

"In the past two months, Intersociety reports that radical Fulani militants have carried out attacks in Nasarawa, Adamawa, and Edo in addition to some other locations throughout the country."

"Last year, Intersociety reported that no fewer than 2,400 Christians were killed by Fulani radicals in 2018. In 2019, according to the group, between 1,000 to 1,200 Christians were killed by Fulani attackers."

The report basically explains that Boko Haram was responsible for killing at least 1,000 citizens in 2019. Boko Haram attacks increased in deadly numbers beginning in December which claimed between 50-70 Christians lives and the loss of churches.





Christian Persecution must come to an end.








SHELTON  Proposed charter changes only serve to further consolidate Mayor Mark Laurettis power while eroding any checks on his authority, opponents of the changes told the Board of Aldermen last week.

More than a dozen residents spoke during a public hearing on the revisions prepared by the Charter Revision Commission  with most criticizing elimination of the Board of Apportionment and Taxation and increasing party maximums for elected positions.

The same criticisms have been made by critics at each step of the process.

The administration is seeking to consolidate power, said A&T member Michelle Laubin, a Democrat and vocal critic of the charter revisions. In my view, this is not an improvement in the process, it is a tremendous loss. The slogan that you have assigned to this, that this proposal is an improvement in voter choice, is an insult to the intelligence of the voters of Shelton. As the old saying goes, you can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig.

Lauretti called the claims untrue, saying the opponents are trying to mislead the public. In his ly 30 years in office, the charter has been worded to provide a strong mayoral form of government, he said.

No one understands the charter better than me. ... Ive been living by it for 30 years, Lauretti said. To these people, I ask, What qualifies them to say these things? How do they substantiate these claims? This is just the same group of malcontents who are complaining all the time. If people in Shelton dont like the direction, they have the right to make a change every two years.

Elimination of the Board of Apportionment and Taxation would transfer all financial responsibilities to the aldermen, the citys fiscal authority.

The Lauretti administration has orchestrated that (A&T) not do its job since June 2019, said Democrat A&T member Joe Knapik. Now the Lauretti administration seeks to legitimize its actions by proposing the elimination of A&T.

Knapik called the Charter Revision Commission a puppet board, pushing Laurettis blatant power grab, with changes that would allow for a veto-resistent split on the Board of Education  a board that has for years feuded with the city administration.

The commission also recommended increased majority party maximums  highlighted with a Board of Education shift from a near-even political split  5 to 4  to a heavily weighted 6 to 3. The Planning and Zoning Commission would also be expanded from six to seven members.

The commission also proposes increasing the level of bonding the Board of Aldermen can do without a referendum from 2 percent to 3 percent.

Charter Revision Commission Chair Dan Debicella has stated that the revisions are designed to give more power to voters and has denied claims Lauretti orchestrated the revisions to further consolidate his power.

The current mayor is a Republican. The entire Board of Aldermen are Republicans. The political makeup of the charter change commission was four Republicans, two unaffiliateds and one Democrat.

Mark Holden, former Board of Education chairman, said the revisions as proposed systematically increases the power of the mayor while removing checks and balances and reduces voter choice for the Board of Education.

Holden also said, if approved, the revisions would allow the mayor to decide who to hire for many more city positions, greatly increasing his power.

The proposed change to the Board of Education will reduce the number of people who can run with party endorsement, Holden said.

In six elections from 2009 to 2019, Holden said, the city had an average of 12.5 people on the ballot for nine seats. Both parties have usually run more people than could be elected under majority limitation, Holden said.

The proposed charter will reduce voter choice in the general election and increase the odds well need to hold primaries, Holden said. The only thing thats been transparent about this charter revision is the determination to put together a proposal maximizing the power of the mayor with as little public scrutiny as possible.

Student Mary Pavliouk, representing SHS Students Fight for Change, told the aldermen partisan politics have no place in education.

Three members of the minority party is not enough to serve as a check, Pavliouk said. Decisions about our education should not be a partisan charade, but rather a bipartisan effort to do whats best for all our students, parents and teachers. A 6-3 board will only encourage the majority of members to work together and shut out the remaining three members of the board, as their votes to pass policy changes will no longer be needed. This sets a dangerous precedent.

James Orazietti, Republican Board of Education vice chair who stated he was speaking as a private citizen, said the change to a 6-to-3 split would help create a more decisive and more productive school board. Orazietti said he agrees with this revision now, same as he did 10 years ago as a Democrat.

Knapik said a dictatorship will not help enhance Sheltons image.

Lets encourage diversity in government, not one-man rule, Knapik said.

Now that a public hearing has been held, the aldermen have three options: approve the charter revisions as proposed; amend the list and send them back to the commission for approval; or reject them altogether.

The aldermen have until Sept. 3 to approve the revisions for them to be on the November ballot.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
Officials around the world reintroduced a raft of restrictions Monday -- from beach closures to quarantine measures -- to try to tamp down coronavirus hotspots as the official global death toll passed 650,000. European countries trying to repair the economic damage caused by the earlier lockdowns struggled to balance keeping the lifeline of tourism open while guarding against new flare-ups of infection. Spain's tourism industry faced fresh misery after British travelers -- and one major tour operator -- cancelled flights there following London's decision to reintroduce quarantine for travellers returning from the country. Hong Kong mandated wearing masks in public in response to a new wave of infections. Belgium tightened its social distancing measures to try to halt what one expert called a "worrying" surge in cases. In Washington, meanwhile, the White House announced that another senior administration figure, national security advisor Robert O'Brien, had contracted the virus. As of Monday evening, the US, the worst-hit nation in the world, had added another 57,000 cases of infection and its recorded death toll stood at 147,588, said Johns Hopkins University. Until Sunday, the number of US daily infections had exceeded 60,000 for 12 straight days, with some days notching more than 70,000 new cases. But as the grim figures kept rolling in, the World Health Organization argued against a wholesale closing of borders. This was "not necessarily a sustainable strategy for the world's economy, for the world's poor, or for anybody else," said WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan. A "global one-size-fits-all policy" was impossible because outbreaks were developing differently in different countries, he added. - Hong Kong situation 'remarkably severe' - The WHO said its emergency committee would meet later this week to discuss the crisis, six months after the organization declared the pandemic an international public health emergency. The global death toll from the pandemic passed 650,000 Monday, nearly a third of that number in Europe, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources at 1600 GMT. Since emerging in China late last year, the virus has killed a total of 650,011 people -- but more than 100,000 deaths have been recorded since July 9, and the global toll has doubled in just over two months. China reported its highest number of coronavirus cases in three months, part of a worrying swell of infections hitting Asia and Europe. Indonesia confirmed its 100,000th coronavirus case Monday, as the Red Cross warned that the crisis in the world's fourth most-populous country risked "spiralling out of control." New infections have also surged in Hong Kong, which for weeks appeared to have infection rates under control. Now, however, everyone in the densely populated territory must wear masks in public from this week. "The epidemic situation in Hong Kong is remarkably severe," Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said as he announced the measure, as well as a ban on more than two people gathering in public and restaurants restricted to serving takeaway meals. - Tourism hit hard - Spain, which has already paid a high cost in human lives and economic losses during the pandemic, suffered a further blow after tour operator TUI cancelled all British holidays to the Spanish mainland from Monday until August 9. They were reacting to Britain's decision late Saturday to require travelers returning from Spain to quarantine for two weeks. "There have already been cancellations and more are expected," said Emilio Gallego, secretary general of Spain's hotels association. "Nobody is going to come here for a week's holiday and then spend 14 days shut away when they get back home." Irish no-frills airline Ryanair said Monday that it had nosedived into the red in the first quarter, noting that the pandemic had grounded its fleet for nearly four months. "The past quarter was the most challenging in Ryanair's 35-year history," said a company statement. - Fresh preventive measures - Other countries took a different approach to fears over rising infections. Germany will make coronavirus tests mandatory for travelers returning from risk areas, Health Minister Jens Spahn said Monday. "We must prevent returning travellers from infecting others unnoticed and thus triggering new chains of infection," Spahn wrote on Twitter. Belgium announced that from Wednesday, people there would be allowed to see five people at most outside their family circle, reducing the permitted "social bubble" from 15. The measures came after the country recorded 1,952 new cases over the past week, more than 70 percent up on the previous week. France ordered night-time curfews for beaches in the Brittany resort of Quiberon on the Atlantic coast, after a fast-spreading COVID-19 cluster emerged there last week. Tehran warned Iranians against wedding and funeral gatherings as the coronavirus outbreak showed no signs of abating in the Middle East's hardest-hit country. And Britain launched a campaign against obesity, days after a Public Health England report found that the condition increased the risk of death from coronavirus by 40 percent. US biotech company Moderna began a final phase of clinical trials for a potential COVID-19 vaccine on Monday -- the same day it emerged President Trump's national security advisor Robert O'Brien had contracted the virus. O'Brien, the most senior US figure so far to come down with the virus, "has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site," said a White House statement.
Air Force One on the tarmac at Prestwick airport in Ayrshire(Andrew Milligan/PA)

Voters in the US admit anxiety rather than enthusiasm is motivating their engagement in this years presidential election, research suggests.

President Donald Trump is seeking a second term in the White House in Novembers vote but is currently trailing challenger Joe Biden in most polls.

Murtice Sherek says she is not excited about Mr Biden, the former vice president under Barack Obama, but admits she will do what she can to ensure the presidents defeat.

The Minnesota Democrat, a 79-year-old retired nurse, said: I dont really give a damn what I have to do.

If I have to carry signs on the streets, if I have to carry my old friends to the polls, Ill do it, Ms Sherek said.

This just cant be. Trump is a sick man.

Roughly three months before Election Day, a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research finds that Mr Bidens supporters are less enthusiastic than Mr Trumps, both about the campaign itself and about their candidate, although the Democrats coalition may be equally motivated by anxiety.

Still, the poll reveals an American public at odds with Mr Trump on wearing masks, on balancing restrictions to stop the virus with efforts to help the economy and on fully reopening schools.

And voters give Mr Biden higher marks on many positive traits that apply to leadership in the age of the coronavirus, including honesty, capability and caring for Americans.

In 100 days, were going to make Donald Trump a one-term president. pic.twitter.com/vTrPRrHhwm  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 26, 2020

Ms Shereks assessment of the candidates highlights the nuanced motivations underlying the so-called enthusiasm gap, which has raised concerns among Mr Bidens allies who worry the deficit could undermine his candidacy once voting begins.

While interest in the presidential campaign is high across the board, just 31% of Biden supporters say they are excited, compared with 42% of Trump supporters.

Mr Bidens coalition is fuelled by more negative emotions: 72% of Biden supporters, but 52% of Trump supporters, say they feel anxious about the 2020 campaign.

The same disparity exists for frustration with the election, 65% for Biden supporters and 45% for Mr Trumps.

Expand Close President Donald Trump arrives at the White House (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp President Donald Trump arrives at the White House (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

Anya Kumar, an 18-year-old recent high school graduate from Columbia, Missouri, vowed to vote for Mr Biden this autumn but conceded many of her young friends who oppose Mr Trump do not feel much passion for the former vice president.

Many are not even registered, she said.

For the most part, people I know really just dont want Trump, Ms Kumar said, acknowledging that she is motivated more by anxiety about Mr Trumps reelection than genuine excitement about his Democratic rival.

If Biden doesnt win, that would suck.

Mr Bidens team largely dismisses the idea of an enthusiasm gap.

It says that with Mr Trumps level of support shrinking, a greater share of energised supporters is left behind in the diminished pool.

Indeed, Mr Trumps job approval in the new poll sits at 38%, within the narrow range that has endured throughout his presidency but down from relative highs earlier this year.

Just 32% of voters approve of the way Mr Trump is handling the pandemic, a low point that follows a steady decline from the outset of the crisis.

While Mr Trumps supporters almost unanimously approve of his performance overall, two in 10 disapprove of his response to the pandemic.

Stacey Rogus, 43, a Republican from Glendale, Arizona, who works in the medical industry, admitted some concerns about Mr Trump.

She says the president is narcissistic, does not act as presidential as she would like and does not think before he speaks.

He (Donald Trump) didnt make the virus Stacey Rogus, Republican

But Ms Rogus is determined to vote for him a second time because of his economic policies and support for the US-Mexico border wall.

She also suspects that Mr Trumps political opponents are exaggerating the threat of the coronavirus pandemic to hurt his reelection.

The worst president (Donald Trump) we've ever had, period Terrance Berinato, Democrat

She finds the timing of the outbreak a little odd.

He didnt make the virus, Ms Rogus said.

If anything, maybe the Democrat Party created it just to make him look bad.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has ruled out the virus being human-made and noted that is the scientific consensus as well.

The poll also found that voters generally prefer Mr Bidens character and values.

About six in 10 registered voters say that values like cares about people like you, honest and strong leader do not describe Mr Trump well.

By comparison, roughly the same majority say those characteristics describe Mr Biden at least somewhat well.

Expand Close Democratic presumptive nominee and former vice president Joe Biden (Andrew Harnik/AP) / Facebook

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And in considering whether the two are capable, a question that likely reflects voters views of each mans mental acuity and ability to govern, fewer say that describes Mr Trump than Biden at least somewhat well, 43% vs. 56%.

Mr Trump, who is 74, and his allies have made attacks against Mr Bidens age and cognitive ability a centrepiece of their message.

Mr Trump has an advantage on standing up for what he believes.

Seventy percent think this describes Mr Trump at least somewhat well, including 54% who think it describes him very well.

Sixty-three percent think standing up for his beliefs describes Mr Biden at least somewhat well, but just 36% think it describes him very well.

Mr Trumps supporters are much stronger in their positive descriptions of Mr Trump than Biden backers are of their candidate.

For example, wide majorities of Trump supporters think stands up for what he believes (87%), strong leader (75%) and capable (76%) describe the president very well.

Fewer Biden supporters think standing up for what he believes (63%), strong leader (50%) and capable (56%) describe Mr Biden very well.

For Mr Biden, a significant age gap within his coalition drives the lukewarm ratings.

Older Biden supporters are much more likely than those under 45 to say such traits describe Mr Biden very well.

Terrance Berinato, a 72-year-old Democrat from Front Royal, Virginia, who said he will definitely vote for Mr Biden and describes Mr Trump as the worst president weve ever had, period.

He acknowledged that Trump supporters may be more excited about their candidate, but he predicted it would not matter given that Mr Trumps overall support is shrinking.

Im sure Trump supporters, the 30% or 40% of people who would follow him to hell, are very enthused, Mr Berinato said.
When did the school lunch lady become an essential worker?

Some have asked this question because of the overwhelming recognition that school meal providers have received since schools closed in March.

I would answer that school nutrition staff have always been essential in our communities. Its only now that many are becoming aware of the critical connection between food security in children and our schools.

School meal programs need Congress and USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to extend our ability to use all program flexibility offered during the spring school closure, including feeding all children without increased administrative burdens. This will allow schools to increase food access and decrease food insecurity during this unprecedented time.

North East Independent School District has served 2.3 million meals since the COVID-19 crisis struck Texas in mid-March. Dedicated cafeteria staff members have provided breakfast, lunch and supper to children across our large school district and beyond. We also served meals to charter school, home-school, private school and preschool children who visited our feeding sites. Two million meals would normally be a cause for celebration; however, our program would have served more than 3 million meals during this same time period if schools hadnt closed.

Why does this matter? It matters tremendously because school meal programs are not funded based on the number of students enrolled. We are funded based on the number of meals served. To date, there has been no legislation passed to assist school meal programs in recouping the lost meal revenue.

To worsen the situation, we saw expenses rise drastically during the same time period. Employees continued to be paid even with the decreased meal output.

Food and supply costs rose as food service providers transitioned to a grab and go model of service. Traditional cafeteria-style menu options were not feasible when serving at the curb or from a bus. More expensive prepackaged items were needed, and food items already purchased are still waiting to be used.

North East ISD estimates that our school meal program lost $2.6 million from March to June due to decreased meal participation and sales coupled with increased costs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has told schools we can no longer provide meals for all children once the traditional school year begins. This will have a direct impact on our ability to feed the families who are relying on our programs.

Another consequence of this decision is that funding for our programs will plummet. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are being felt by families across the nation, and increasing childrens access to meals should be a priority.

Sharon Glosson is the executive director of school nutrition for North East Independent School District.
How SFs Laguna Honda averted coronavirus disaster State, feds stepped in with training, protocols and action plan for largest nursing home in California

How SFs Laguna Honda averted coronavirus disaster State, feds stepped in with training, protocols and action plan for largest nursing home in California

In the early days of the pandemic, the prospect of a deadly coronavirus surge at Laguna Honda nursing home in San Francisco seemed terrifying  and inevitable.

The public health department that ran Laguna Honda, the largest nursing home in the state, wasnt equipped to handle a surge of cases at the facility. Residents felt scared. Workers, with little access to testing and protective gear, were frightened, too. City supervisors begged for help from the state and federal government to avoid a looming disaster. And Sen. Dianne Feinstein sent a letter to the nations secretary for Health and Human Services in March, saying help was critical to avoid a catastrophic loss of life at the home for more than 700 frail and mostly elderly people.

Concerns from public officials echoed those of advocates for the elderly who have criticized Californias nursing home industry as ill-equipped to deal with the virus.

Now, four months into the pandemic, not one Laguna Honda resident or worker has died of COVID-19, public health officials say. Of the 721 people living there, 19 have become infected. And of more than 1,800 employees, 50 have tested positive.

Nursing home advocates say that with the right response and safety protocols, nursing homes can protect residents and workers from the coronavirus  Laguna Honda proves that. With help from the state and federal governments, San Francisco city leaders were able to create a response around the virus that prevented tragedy: creating COVID wards to keep people separate, training in proper infection controls for workers and enlisting a contact-tracing team to track how far the virus may have spread from person to person. Laguna Honda achieved what it did despite the fact that for several months, it couldnt meet federal testing recommendations due to nationwide shortages.

Its amazing. Laguna Honda shows, yeah, you can do something. You can stop it, said Patricia McGinnis, the director of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform. You cant stop the infection completely, obviously, but you can prevent deaths. You can prevent it from spreading.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who requested state and federal help for Laguna Honda in March, not only had a public duty to try and prevent disaster there, but a personal reason as well.

My grandmother was a resident at Laguna Honda for years before she passed away, so I know how important a place it is for our residents and families, Breed told The Chronicle.

We had to act swiftly to control the spread of the virus and ensure the health of residents and staff  especially as we saw what was happening at similar facilities across the country, the mayor added. While were still in the midst of this pandemic and must remain vigilant, we can recognize that the outbreak at Laguna Honda could have been tragic for residents, staff, and their families.

What many people feared would happen at Laguna Honda has tragically come true elsewhere. Nursing homes and assisted-living facilities remain the main drivers of Californias COVID-19 fatalities, accounting for 46% of all deaths. The numbers are similar across the country. And although these elderly residents typically have health problems that make them more susceptible to the coronavirus and more likely to die from it, their vulnerability means they need a lot of extra protection from caretakers. Yet, the data show that doesnt always happen.

Before Laguna Honda had its first COVID case, an outbreak that would become the nations deadliest was unfolding at another nursing home: The Life Care Center in Washington state, in early March. Employees in San Francisco watched in horror at reports that more than two-thirds of Life Cares 114 residents and staff became infected with the coronavirus, and 37 people died.

Could it happen at Laguna Honda?

We were worried, said Troy Williams, an administrator at San Francisco General Hospital until the citys health department created a COVID command center at Laguna Honda and put him in charge.

By the third week of March, three workers had contracted the virus.

Health officials knew more people would test positive and without a plan, the outbreak would be impossible to control. On March 27, Breed and Public Health Director Grant Colfax sent a formal request to the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, asking for help at Laguna Honda.

The next day, the state sent two infection control experts who stayed for a week. A day later, six nurses and epidemiologists arrived from the CDC.

They arrived at a place where many staff members felt helpless in the face of the unseen virus. Several had complained about being short-handed and lacking equipment. They said no one was listening.

But now the CDC team was there  to listen and help  for three weeks. Six workers had already tested positive. And by March 26, so had a resident.

With no isolation unit for infected residents, the CDC team helped the nursing home create a COVID unit around each sick patients room. That allowed up to 15 infected patients to be kept safely apart from other residents.

Its not that Laguna Honda hadnt quarantined patients before. But, as The Chronicle reported, social distancing rules and quarantine requirements were not always enforced before state and federal help arrived.

The nursing home began making a practice of transferring residents with the virus to the COVID unit for 28 days  two weeks longer than the usual quarantine time recommended by the CDC.

The additional 14 days is to make sure that there are no additional cases that come up. Its sort of a double quarantine, said Irin Blanco, a nurse manager at Laguna Honda.

The CDCs health team also taught nursing home workers  health aides and nurses  how to use personal protective equipment properly: sanitizing their hands before putting on gowns and wearing only gowns that fit. Infection-control staff also taught nurses when to wear a surgical mask and when it was necessary to upgrade to a more protective respirator mask.

Surgical masks and gloves were fine for just being near residents and other staff. But if anyone had to touch a resident  help them bathe, for example  then workers learned to switch to a respirator mask.

Handwashing was also key, said Jennifer Yu, an infection-control nurse at Laguna Honda, who normally works to prevent flu outbreaks.

But not just any handwashing. Nurses and aides learned to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and rub it thoroughly over both hands. At the sink, they had to scrub their hands for 20 seconds, making sure they lathered the soap over each finger and knuckle, and washed under their nails.

Its not some magical machine, its really just washing your hands and using the right PPE, Yu said, referring to personal protective equipment.

The CDC team also showed nurses and aides how to remove the protective gear to avoid contaminating hands, face and clothes.

Laguna Honda administrators now know that people going in and out of nursing homes, most often staff, are the main sources of coronavirus transmission.

Since March, every time employees enter the nursing home, they have had to sanitize their hands and take a new face mask. Someone checks their temperature and asks about symptoms that could signal COVID-19. Workers who pass receive a sticker to wear signaling their clearance.

Although the CDC team recommended that administrators test all 721 residents and 1,750 employees every two weeks, it wasnt until May that the administrators had enough tests to achieve that. Testing shortages were reported nationwide.

One employee who became infected was Namuna Thapa, a nurse who got the coronavirus from a coworker in early April. Thapas initial test was negative. But when she lost her sense of smell a few days later, a manager sent her home.

Back then, a lot more was unknown, Thapa said. That kept me anxious. She took her temperature three times a day and monitored her breathing. I was ready to call my doctor if anything happened, she said.

Michael, a 38-year-old resident with cancer who asked that his last name be withheld to protect his privacy, tested positive for the coronavirus on May 9. Michael said he didnt know how he got sick. The Chronicle agreed not to publish his full name in accordance with its anonymous sources policy.

Nursing home staff immediately moved him to the facilitys COVID-19 unit, where he stayed in isolation for more than two weeks.

In the beginning, there was some fear and just some anxiety, he said. But I had a very good support system. I am a spiritual person as well. When I made a mental resolve to turn isolation into solitude, and start focusing on the inner me, thats what actually helped me to cope through that time of being isolated much better.

The staff at Laguna Honda also learned to do contact tracing from the CDC.

When anyone tested positive, health officials at Laguna Honda deployed a team of contact tracers to open an investigation and interview everyone who had come into contact with that person. The tracers warned those people to get tested for the coronavirus.

Managers sent exposed workers home to quarantine for at least 14 days. They have sent more than 35 employees home so far, or about 20 workers per patient.

The contact tracers interviewed Thapa while she was at home. Was she wearing a mask when she talked to others? Was she keeping at least 6 feet away from them? How long did their conversations last?

Because of sick workers, staffing shortages have become a challenge at Laguna Honda. So employees work overtime, said Blanco, who directs contact tracing and testing at the nursing home.

We are saving lives by the things that we do every day, said Williams, head of COVID incidents at the home. The protocols that we put in place, we continue to use those every day. We have a really excellent set play when we have positive cases.

In June, San Francisco public health officials began offering those protocols to other nursing homes in the city.

Im hopeful that what we learned as a community at Laguna Honda can be applied elsewhere to protect some of the most vulnerable to COVID-19, said Colfax, the citys public health director. We are going to be living with this virus for awhile.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
On Saturday 25th July, 2020, the Nigerian Army said 601 ex-Boko Haram members would be re-integrated into the society. According to the Nigerian Army, the 601 have undergone six months of de-radicalisation, rehabilitation, and reintegration. According to Bamidele Shafa, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor (OSC), the ex-Boko Haram members have denounced their membership of Boko Haram and the Islamic States West Africa Province, confessed their deeds, and took an oath of allegiance to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The fact that the Federal Government could agree to do a thing like this makes light the evil embedded in terrorism. Perhaps the Federal Government thought this as a form of amnesty for the terrorists who the Nigerian military have been trying hard to contain. But in the real sense, it is more of an act of cowardice and a slap on the wrist for those who decided to take up arms against their country for no reason.

When Niger Delta militants were vandalising pipelines and causing insurrection, it was because they were marginalised in the sharing of the countrys wealth. Since that time, there have been the formation of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and many Niger Deltans were given amnesty and the derivation formula have been reconstructed to make sure the Niger Delta states gets more revenue than they used to get. Unlike Boko Haram, Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, MEND, Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, and other militant group were not responsible for the death of innocent citizens on a large scale level. They were violent but not in the same mode as Boko Haram. While militancy in the Niger Delta was because of how the region was treated by the government, Boko Haram insurgency on the other hand is not related to anything the government did wrong against the people living in the North East. Thus, for me, why the members of such a terrorist organization should be released upon apprehension is devoid of good military intelligence. As a matter of fact, it is a roundabout way of the government saying to the terrorists we know we cant defeat you as a nation, therefore surrender your arms and go home in peace because your sins are forgiven and no man will ever charge you for terrorism.

When this talk about re-integrating ex-Boko Haram soldiers into the society started, one Senator had hinted that one of them could one day become the president of Nigeria. Besides, some are allowed to join the Nigerian military. This shows that the Nigerian Government has high hopes for these people who have committed a crime against the country. Apart from that been a disturbing fact, I am worried about the mental condition of Nigerian soldiers when they see that the men that had killed some of them are now allowed to walk freely. It ridicules the fight against insurgency and could dampen anyones morale. I wonder how easy it would be for a soldier to stand shoulder to shoulder with a man that has killed someone he knew.

Sometimes, when Nigerian soldiers were killed, it was not only because they had a bad day, but also because they have no weaponry that could match those of the insurgents. Now, the same government that did not provide enough arms for the soldiers to fight insurgency is now the same one forgiving those that have killed many men in the Nigerian Army and several other civilians. This move is ridiculous and it is obvious this government is not serious about the fight against insurgency just yet. After all, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant Tukur Yusuf Buratai had said Nigerians were not ready to see terrorism and insurgency end yet. How sad!

With the decision to allow these 601 ex-Boko Haram members, one could ask how sure the government is that they have changed and ready to bring peace. These are people that had been fighting to take it away peace from the country. For all it worth, they could have feigned all the actions that the Nigerian Army sees as repentance. After all, they are not in the minds of these people to see if they have truly changed. For me, someone that could take up arms against his country for no reason could not be trusted to be a penitent simply because he had undergone a rehabilitation process. We have seen people suffer relapse after rehabilitation and there is no guarantee that none of these 601 would not go back to his old ways. As they say, old habits die hard.

Now that it was said that the 601 ex-Boko Haram members have acquired different skills and would be provided funds and starter packs to enable start a living and start new lives get back to the society they have terrorised, how did they expect the people to receive them? Should the people be happy that they have changed and ready to be part of them and suffer from terrorism that they have been suffering from for over a decade? I doubt that. I wonder how people would feel having people that have killed members of their family live as next door neighbours and watch them walk freely on the street as if they have done nothing wrong. The implication of that is that people who have suffered from terrorism are now being forced to live with those used to terrorise them. That is a hard fact to deal with by anyone.

Another bad side of this move by the Federal Government is that terrorists are now given a soft landing for all they have done. They would now evade justice because they renounced Boko Haram and merely confess their allegiance to the Nigerian state. These are some of the people that killed innocent citizens and soldiers alike, kidnapped and raped women and had forced thousands of people out of their homes thereby living in fear on a daily lives.

The way I see it, people could now take up arms against the country in the hope of getting economic empowerment when they show remorse. Then that would ridicule the intent of the government. People would forward and claim they are Boko Haram members, renounce the membership of a group they never belong to and then go back home with goodies from the government. What a way to fight insurgency!

If this is the best the Federal Government could to fight insurgency at this period, then it is very saddening. That the military now had to rely on terrorists to lay down their arms and have them re-integrated into the society before they could be wiped out shows how much the country is failing in the fight against terrorism. How many terrorists do the government hope to take in for de-radicalisation, rehabilitation, and reintegration before the terrorism would be completely wiped out? This is an act of cowardice from the military.

I dont expect the government to think all the terrorists would lay down their arms, embrace peace and join the rehabilitation programme. If they are expecting it, it would never happen. Hence, the Nigerian Army needs to tighten its belt and not wait for the enemies to lay down their arms before conquering them. They have dealt with the people severely and should be given a dose of their own medicine. Taking up arms against ones country should not be condoned in the name of de-radicalisation, rehabilitation, and reintegration. The worst thing the government could do for people living in the North East at this time is to allow ex-Boko Haram members live in their midst because their sins had been forgiven. It is a not wise decision and will never be.

Terrorists will always be terrorists and they should be treated as one. If the Nigerian military lacks tactics, it should say it instead of re-integrating terrorists back to the society they once terrorised. I dont suppose they want both the terrorists and the people they would be living it henceforth would do so in peace and cordiality with one another. The people would never grow over the suspicions that they could be attacked when the chips are down.

Nigeria needs to do more than forcing its citizens to live with decisions that are not palatable and not leave us under the impression that the war could not be won without making peace with the terrorists as a matter of supreme urgency. Letting the terrorists go without been punished is a not a good was to go and it should be stopped before we have a society full of repentant terrorists.

The Nigerian military should for no reason appear as culprits in this matter. Why the Niger Delta militants were given amnesty was because the government knew it had been unfair to the people of that region although militancy is not something that should be excused. But at least we all knew what their fight was about. That is not the case with Boko Haram. If the government agrees to let ex-member walk away freely without facing justice, it is because it has conceded guilt in why they took up arms against the country. But we all know that is not the case. The military is supposed to be courageous than all of us. And it should act as such. When people erred, they should be punished.
The suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has denied more accusations levelled against him of corruption in his capacity as the anti-graft boss.

Mr Magu, who spoke through his lawyer, Wahab Shittu, via a statement Sunday, refuted reports of him misappropriating N329 billion recovered funds for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC).

He explained that he remitted the reported N329 billion from indebted oil marketers into the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation accounts  which the receipt of such payments was confirmed by the NNPC.

The truth of the matter is that well over N329 billion recovered by EFCC under our clients watch was remitted directly into NNPC dedicated accounts via Remita under a special arrangement endorsed by NNPC, EFCC, and the affected NNPCs indebted marketers.

By virtue of the said special arrangement, NNPC had requested formally the EFCC to recover the said amount from the affected NNPCs marketers who were expected to pay such funds directly to NNPC while NNPC, in turn, confirmed receipt of such payments to EFCC, the statement partly reads.

Therefore, EFCC never took custody of any of the recovered funds and so, the question of misappropriation of such funds by EFCC or our client could not have arisen as falsely published, he said.

Mr Magu is currently being investigated by a panel headed by a former president of the appeal court, Ayo Salami, over allegations of corruption and insubordination levelled against him by the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami. He was detained for about 10 days before his release.

Abubakar Malami [Source  The Guardian, Nigeria]

After his arrest, allegations that Mr Magu diverted billions of naira from recovered funds, as well as the interests accruing from the funds, have since circulated and published on various media platforms.

In Mr Magus response, he described the reports as gross misrepresentation and blatant falsehood, saying such allegations never featured in the ongoing proceedings probing him.

Also in the statement, he vowed to henceforth respond to all false allegations orchestrated against him on a daily basis, as well as presenting evidence for his defence.

Take notice that our client can no longer fold his hands in the face of these sustained malicious attacks to prejudge him in the public space. Our client will henceforth, point by point reply to all false allegations orchestrated against him in the public space on a daily basis as well as present his comprehensive defence for the world to see, he said through his lawyer.

This is without prejudice to the willingness of our client to defend himself in the ongoing proceedings at the Presidential Investigation Panel.

We appreciate your commissions professional and diligent handling of the recovery of debts from the marketers throughout the period and we look forward to furthering collaboration in further areas.

The issue of NNPC recovered funds has never featured in the proceedings of the panel and our client has never been confronted with such wild allegations. He said.

Also responding to allegations that he was shielding corrupt persons in the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) from prosecution, Mr Magu said it is falsehood from the pit of hell.

Investigations were painstakingly conducted by EFCC under our clients watch. The matter has since been referred for prosecution. Charges have been prepared ahead of arraignment in court, he said.

Our client has no interest in shielding anyone found culpable from the long arms of the law. At any rate, time does not run against the state in criminal prosecutions. It is tendentiously wicked to suggest that our client excluded major approving authorities from the criminal process.

As a matter of fact, one Peter Hena, head of the FIRS coordinator support services group, who allegedly authorised the illegal payment is one of those listed to be arraigned. The case was properly investigated and professionally vetted with our client deploying no influence whatsoever on the outcome.
Limited progress has been made since a 1,350-mile-long rail network stretching across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries was announced more than 15 years ago.

Repeatedly delayed, the megaproject is now expected to be partially completed in 2023, linking Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman, Saudi newspaper Al-Jazirah reported. Although the report specified Bahrain and Kuwait would be added to the network two years later, Qatar, part of the original proposal, is not mentioned.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a blockade on Qatar in June 2017, accusing the emirate of backing Islamist radicals and Iran. Doha denies the charges.

The prospect of one single railway network that integrates all six of the GCC states seems uncertain, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston, told Al-Monitor. Once a symbol of unity, the ambitious project could pay the price of a political crisis that has weakened regional cohesion.

In an interview with the president of Al-Monitor, Andrew Parasiliti, in late June, Qatar's Ambassador to the United States Meshal Al-Thani said some countries are trying to undermine the work of the GCC. The Secretariat General of the GCC did not respond to requests for comment sent by Al-Monitor.

Economic uncertainties

Since 2014, low crude prices have destabilized Gulf economies and delayed investments in megaprojects. The $15 billion railway project, which connects domestic rail infrastructures built separately by each country, is highly vulnerable to cuts in capital expenditures.

The COVID-19-induced economic downturn is adding further pressure, as the debt of GCC governments is expected to soar by a record-high this year, S&P Global Ratings said.

According to Ulrichsen, portions of the railway could still see the light of day based on economic interests  the UAE completed a domestic line in 2015 to carry sulfur from the Al Dhafra region to the port of Ruwais. Yet even the construction of limited links may still be vulnerable to regional tensions and the ongoing economic uncertainties, he added.

Talking to Al-Monitor, Olivier Le Ber, Middle East and North Africa Transport Manager at the World Bank, pointed out the close interrelation between each portion of the GCC railway. For example, The rail segment in Qatar is not meaningful unless connected to the Saudi network, he said in reference to technical aspects.

Until December 2016, the World Bank was mandated by the Secretariat General of the GCC to help in designing the project. We provided advice mainly on technical harmonization toward the adoption of common guidelines for all six countries  for example, selecting the same signaling system to avoid changing locomotives at the border," Le Ber said.

During its advisory mission, the World Bank also recommended establishing a single rail operator to centralize the exploitation of the network, rather than six independent entities. So far, and to our knowledge, they dont seem to be working on this option, he said.

Etihad Rail and the Saudi Railway Company did not respond to requests for comment.

Facilitate trade

Yet the prospect of a railway running from the Gulfs northernmost state of Kuwait all the way to Oman remains a source of enthusiasm. In 2018, the former GCC Secretariat General said it could have a far-reaching impact in terms of socio-economic development.

Many Gulf citizens view the project as a positive development. All the region will be united, cooperating together to be one GCC, which is very helpful, beneficial and productive to all, Omar Haitham BuAisha, a Saudi communication specialist, told Al-Monitor.

It would also reduce the GCCs carbon footprint, Le Ber added. Etihad Rail estimated rail transportation cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 70 to 80% compared to trucking.

Indeed, besides easing the mobility of millions of passengers, the GCC railway could carry up to 29 million tons of freight, boost regional trade and reduce transportation costs.

Although trade barriers are low, intra-GCC non-oil trade remains weak. Established in 1981, the GCC lacks uniform economic policies, highlighted by Saudi Arabias recent decision to triple its value-added tax while Oman, Qatar and Kuwait have yet to implement it.

In the long term, GCC countries could also take advantage of a rail network to facilitate trade with the wider Middle East. According to Le Ber, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is currently exploring opportunities to connect its rail tracks to neighboring Iraq and Jordan.

A promotional video released by Israels Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 2019 also said the Jewish state intends to revive the Hejaz railway and connect it with Saudi Arabia.

Disrupt the supply chain

By easing freight movements, the GCC railway would strengthen alternative hubs from where imported commodities and hydrocarbons shipments could enter/exit the region while avoiding security risks faced by tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran regularly threatens to close the strategic chokepoint that serves as a transit for most crude exported by GCC countries. In this context, ports located out of the Hormuz corridor, such as Omans Duqm or terminals on the Red Sea coasts, could emerge as cost-effective gateways.

However, such a scenario would disrupt the current GCC supply chain and challenge the role played by the UAE's Jebel Ali port as a major re-export hub for the Gulf region. Re-exports between Dubai and other Gulf countries account for about half of the total intra-GCC trade in 2017.

Surely more than any other megaproject, the GCC railway requires regional interests to be placed above national ones and for Gulf policymakers to look in the same direction.

Earlier this month, Kings College London assistant professor Andreas Krieg told Al-Monitor, Multilateralism in the Gulf has been replaced with unilateralism and bilateralism.

Although the coronavirus crisis threatens the GCCs hydrocarbon-centered model of development and urges the region to diversify its economy earlier than expected, attempts for further economic integration are likely to remain dictated by political fault lines.
Pressure is growing for the government to reveal the data behind its sudden decision to impose quarantine on travellers returning from Spain.

A spokesperson for Abta, the travel association, said: No specific information has been shared by the government as to the precise criteria or infection rates being used to determine policy positions.

Abta said the move was making it impossible for travel businesses to make more effective business decisions and warned that stop-start decisions were proving expensive.

The spokesperson said: The announcements by the government relating to travel to and from Spain have major financial implications for travel businesses that are already under significant pressure.

The costs associated with stopping and starting operations are considerable, and businesses need to be able to plan ahead with more conviction.

Abta has also urged the government to adopt a more nuanced approach to its quarantine policy, rather than labelling all of Spain as high-risk even though infection rates in the Balearics and Canary Islands are low.

Chris Rowles, chair of Aito, the specialist travel association, said: We know only too well from our many attempted communications with the five ministries to which the travel industry reports that the government certainly doesnt engage with us.

He accused the government of constantly hiding behind sweeping statements about following the science, without supplying travel industry experts, amongst others, with a firm rationale.

Scotlands justice secretary, Humza Yousaf, has written to the government in London urging the release of the data on which the quarantine decision was based.

He tweeted: I see a few Tories have messaged me asking me to release the data behind quarantine decisions. Id love to, it is UK Govt data so I cant release it.

The Department for Transport (DfT), which administers the quarantine arrangements for England, said the Spain decision was taken following a significant change over the last week in both the level and pace of change in confirmed cases.

A government spokesperson said: The Joint Biosecurity Centre together with Public Health England have updated their coronavirus assessments of Spain based on the latest data.

Protecting public health is our absolute priority and we have taken this decision to limit any potential spread to the UK.

Weve always been clear that we would act immediately to remove a country where necessary.

The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) called the move the latest government quarantine U-turn, and has demanded compensation for both holidaymakers and airlines affected by it.

The pilots union says that ruling entire countries such as Spain as high risk, when parts of them have areas of very low risk, fails to provide the best protection against coronavirus transmission.

Balpa calls the policy hugely detrimental to the UK economy.

The general secretary, Brian Strutton, said: We are asking the government to sharpen the blunt tool approach and look at the tried and tested way the Foreign Office looks at safety and security at regional and city level rather than blacklisting entire countries.

Senior politicians are letting people down, and putting the travel industry and UK economy in a choke hold.

The governments decision will have cost holidaymakers and airlines a fortune  where is the compensation for that?

The DfT has urged employers to be understanding of those returning from Spain who now will need to self-isolate.
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The Bidens, both wearing black face masks, placed their right hands on Lewiss casket, then Joe Biden made the sign of the cross and the two walked down the hall to Pelosis office. The former vice president did not join a meeting underway in the office between Democratic leaders and Trump administration officials on the latest coronavirus relief effort.
Pranab Mondal By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: BJP leader Mukul Roy, who skipped meetings with the national leadership after rubbishing partys claim that it would pick up at least 190 of the total 294 assembly seats in Bengal, has been asked by the party high command to visit Delhi again on Friday. According to sources in the party, Union Home Minister Amit Shah may meet Roy who had returned to Kolkata after rejecting the projections about the 2021 elections.

Roy, however, said he was not sure about his visit to the national capital as he would undergo treatment for his eyes from Monday. The doctor will examine my eyes on Monday. My schedule will depend on what the doctor will prescribe me, said Roy.

Roy, BJPs state chief Dilip Ghosh and other functionaries of the Bengal unit had left for Delhi on July 22 to attend a series of meetings with the national leadership to ascertain the strategy for the crucial assembly elections.

During a meeting with national general secretary Kailash Vjayvargiya on Thursday, Ghosh had tabled projections claiming BJP would pick up as many as 190 seats out of 294 seats in next years election.

According to sources, Roy rubbished the projections saying they were not grounded in reality. However, the other Bengal functionaries present in the meetings did not accept Roys observation. It was learnt that an unhappy Roy returned to Kolkata without attending the subsequent meetings.

Roy, however, said that he had to return to Kolkata due to medical reasons. His sudden return to Kolkata became the talk of the states political circles as he was once portrayed as the main architect behind BJPs meteoric rise in 2019 Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal.

According to sources in the state BJP, Roy has expressed his disgruntlement over Ghoshs dominance in the day-to-day affairs of the party on several occasions and he had gone to Delhi last month to vent out his feelings to the high command. Roy has dismissed these stories about his dissatisfaction calling them mere speculation and rumours. He said, All these are stories cooked by a section of media. I am very much with the BJP and I will be with the party.
Hussein Bazzi is well known around Dearborn, where hes spent most of his life.

Hes spent almost his entire working life with Comcast, where thanks to his leadership, he was recently awarded with the Hero of the Week award from Cablefax magazine for his role in keeping the Michigan business community running during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bazzi, as he is known throughout the community, has been with Comcast for 32 years, starting in Detroit in installation and repair, moving up to maintenance, engineering and then supervision and management. He worked in Royal Oak, Southfield, Taylor, Ann Arbor and more before moving into business services about a decade ago.

His region is Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky, where he is responsible for installation and repair for all small- to medium-sized businesses that Comcast services.

Bazzis official title is director of commercial field operations for the Heartland region.

The recent honor was for his ability to get his team on task and fast tracking installs during the early part of the pandemic.

He coordinated with city managers and health directors in southeast and mid-Michigan to get several COVID-19 testing and government emergency sites installed with Comcast Business internet and video products. Bazzi also facilitated Metro E speed upgrades for a major Southeast Michigan health system and the regional power companies.

Some of the services we got up and going might normally take a few weeks or a month, he said. We have been able to get things done in under a week for most of our clients.

Bazzi was nominated by his co-workers for the honor after the magazine put out the call for extraordinary people, but he insists he is just the conductor and not the sole reason for the exemplary service.

We had a lot of large companies reach out for internet and speed upgrades, he said. We were able to take an order and fast track it to get these done in a day or two. My team in the field did a great job making sure we got all of these installed properly.

Bazzi said there were many folks who worked hard for months to make sure everything went smoothly.

According to Bazzi, some of the coronavirus testing sites that were set up across the region were made possible by their installs.

Its been a great career, he said. Comcast is a great company to work for. They go above and beyond for us, especially through this pandemic.

Bazzi said the company provided personal protective equipment and other things needed to keep the employees safe.

We work very hard for the communities we serve, he said.

A Fordson High School graduate, Bazzi said the education and opportunities he gained there helped to lead him into the man he has become over the last 32 years with Comcast.
Highlights Indian goverement could ban 275 other apps in the country.

The list includes PUBG which is backed by Tencent, Zili by Xiaomi and AliExpress, an online shopping portal by AliBaba group.

Last month, 59 Chinese apps including TikTok and UC Browser were banned in India.

After banning 59 Chinese apps, the Indian government could ban over 200 other apps in the country. As per reports, the government will scrutinize around 275 apps for national security violations and users' privacy and if any security breach is found in any of the apps, it will most likely be banned by the government.

Last month, 59 Chinese apps including TikTok and UC Browser were banned in India. The government had alleged that the 59 banned apps were engaged in activities that were "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state and public order."

As per an ET report, the new list consists of 275 apps that can face the wrath of the government. So here are 5 things you need to know about the 275 apps:-

The list includes PUBG which is backed by Tencent, Zili by Xiaomi and AliExpress, an online shopping portal by AliBaba group. Apps including Resso and ByteDance's ULike could also be examined by the government for security violations."Some of these apps have been red-flagged due to security reasons while others have been listed for violation of data sharing and privacy concerns," ET quoted a spokesperson from the union home ministry as saying.

There are fourteen apps by Xiaomi and some lesser-known apps including Capcut, FaceU, Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games and Yoozoo Global. The list also includes Helsinki-based Supercell, that have investments by Chinese tech companies. Tencent, which backs PUBG, bought a major stake in the gaming company.

A senior government official has also told ET that the government has formed a process for such bans and the ministry in concern has been asked to frame a law for the constant examination of the apps in India."A set of rules or defined procedures may take time but is the correct process to go about it in the future," the source told ET.

 The report also reveals that the government will follow a process before banning any of the apps. An official from the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) had told the publication, "There is a process involved, there is a committee in place for such ban orders. If there is such an order, then it will act."

When India banned the 59 Chinese apps, there were speculations that the popular gaming app, PUBG will be banned too but it didn't happen at that time. There are quite of a lot of PUBG users in India and as per Sensor Tower, PUBG has its largest user base in India with around 175 million downloads.
Google said Monday that it will extend its coronavirus work-from-home order to through June 2021.

"To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that don't need to be in the office," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in an email to employees. Google, a unit of Alphabet, had originally said employees should expect to return to the office in January 2021.

The change will affect "nearly all" of Google's 200,000 employees, including contractors and full-time workers, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news.

Most tech companies have announced that the bulk of employees can work from home until the end of 2020, or haven't finalized a timeline. Amazon and Apple have asked that workers return in January. Twitter has allowed employees to work from home "forever" if they wish.
She's been playing 'auntie Paris' more and more, and this weekend brought a shopping extravaganza with her sister and two nieces.

Paris Hilton was seen with sister Nicky Hilton and Nicky's two daughters Lily-Grace and Teddy on Sunday, for a sunny shopping spree in Malibu, California.

The Hilton ladies were elegant and stylish in their summer attire, with Nicky, 36, Paris, 39, and Nicky's eldest daughter Lily-Grace, 4, all sporting CDC-recommended face masks.

Out in pink: Paris Hilton was seen with sister Nicky Hilton and Nicky's two daughters Lily-Grace and Teddy on Sunday, for a sunny shopping spree in Malibu

Paris was elegant in an off-the-shoulder floral dress in hues of white, pink and green.

The silky dress ended just below The Simple Life's knees.

She carried a white bucket purse, along with her super-adorable husky pup.

Her blond hair was in long pigtails, and she wore simple light-colored pumps.

Out on the town: The Hilton ladies were elegant and stylish in their pink summer attire, with Nicky, Paris, and Nicky's eldest daughter Lily-Grace all sporting face masks

She clasped hands with Lily-Grace, who sported a sleeveless pink patterned dress, white sandals and a cute animal-nose face mask.

Nicky, meanwhile, donned a flowy pink and paisley summer dress, which ended at her mid-thigh.

She sported gladiator-style brown sandals.

The younger Hilton sister held her two-year-old daughter Teddy in her arms, who wore a dress that matched Lilly-Grace's.

Close: Nicky and Paris are famously close sisters; seen here on Instagram

Nicky toted a knit purse with fringe.

The group also spent some time on the beach on Sunday, with Paris' boyfriend Carter Reum in tow.

In her Instagram Story, Paris filmed Carter, 39, holding hands in the surf with one of Nicky's girls.

'Uncle Carter,' she said endearingly in the video, adding a shooting heart arrows filter.

She also added video of her nieces blissfully playing with toys outside, adding a butterfly filter.

'Uncle Carter': The group also spent some time on the beach on Sunday, with Paris's boyfriend Carter Reum in tow

Adoring aunt: Paris also added video of her nieces blissfully playing with toys outside, adding a butterfly filter

Paris has been dating Carter for some 15 months.

She tweeted a throwback snap of the pair on Thursday and wrote: 'For the two of us, home isnt a place. Its a person. And were finally home.'

The photo she she shared was taken during a getaway to the Yellowstone Club, an exclusive resort community located in the Rockies in Montana.

The hotel heiress is seen posing in an animal print swimsuit with Carter, who sits up to his shoulders in a swimming pool, against a scenic snowy backdrop.
We know just how much many of you were looking forward to being on campus this fall, and we understand that this news is disappointing, the officials said in an email to the campus. However, we must always make the decisions that best support the health, safety and care of our community while fulfilling our core academic mission.
Downing Street today dismissed reports that the Government is planning to force all over-40s to pay more tax to fund their social care.

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said it was 'not true that we are considering this policy'.

Boris Johnson pledged in the Conservative Party's 2019 manifesto to bring forward a strategy for reforming the creaking social care sector.

But the spokesman said the PM would 'take the time' to ensure the proposed overhaul is both 'fair' and 'sustainable' before setting out his proposals in public.

Downing Street today dismissed reports it is planning to force over-40s to pay more towards funding social care (stock image)

The Guardian reported last night the Government was looking at asking over-40s to pay more tax to help fund the cost of their care in later life.

The radical plans were said to be part of a string of proposals for tackling Britain's social care crisis.

The Prime Minister is under pressure to come forward with a solution to the issue he first pledged to fix once and for all more than a year ago.

He wants to end the injustice in which thousands of older people are forced to sell their homes to cover the cost of their care because they are deemed too wealthy to qualify for council-funded care.

The PM was said to have asked officials to devise a scheme that shared out the costs which fall on those who need expensive care, which can exceed 1,400 a week, with the wider population.

Under one proposal, everyone over 40 could be asked to pay an additional levy, either through tax, national insurance or a private scheme in which they were compelled to insure themselves against the cost of care.

The Guardian said Health Secretary Matt Hancock was promoting the idea which is modelled on schemes in Japan and Germany but sources close to the Cabinet minister rejected the suggestion.

In Japan, people start paying an additional tax for social care at the age of 40.

In Germany people pay 1.5 per cent of their salary into a ring-fenced fund when they start work, with employers making matching contributions.

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman was asked this afternoon if the Government was planning to ask the over-40s to pay more tax to fund social care.

The spokesman replied: No. It is not true that we are considering this policy.

Asked when the Government will set out its social care plan, the spokesman said: This is one of the most complex issues which we face and we need to take the time to ensure that we come forward with a solution that is fair and which is also sustainable.

Boris Johnson has previously promised to 'fix once and for all' the country's social care crisis

The Tories pledged in their 2019 manifesto to 'urgently seek a cross-party consensus' on social care 'in order to bring forward the necessary proposal and legislation for longterm reform'.

It comes after councils, charities and health organisations called for a complete reset of the social care system.

In a joint intervention, the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England, together with more than 30 organisations including the Alzheimers Society and NHS Confederation, urged major changes.

They said the Government needs to publish a timetable for a reformed social care system before Parliament returns from its summer recess in September.
Ankara and Kyiv are discussing the issue of joint development and even production of Bayraktar drones in Ukraine, provided that appropriate conditions are provided, Turkish Ambassador to Ukraine Yagmur Ahmet Guldere has said.

"The systems of unmanned aerial vehicles Bayraktar have already been purchased by Ukraine. We had discussions on various topics, and this issue was also discussed by the two countries. Joint development of even more powerful systems, and even the production of Bayraktar drones in Ukraine, has also been discussed, when appropriate conditions are provided. I think that the defense industry can become a new symbol in Turkish-Ukrainian cooperation, including this particular element," the ambassador said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

According to him, this year both countries had two important meetings in the field of the defense industry.

"Recently, this month, the Turkish Defense Minister visited Ukraine and there was also a meeting of our defense industries, including representatives of the Defense Ministries, earlier this year. During these meetings, we discussed very important projects that will make Turkey and Ukraine stronger together. This will help us improve our national security, jointly develop certain systems. We are working very intensively in this area," he said.

The ambassador also said the agreement on military financial cooperation is an element that helps to simplify and speed up procurement work.

"Through these contacts, we have already developed a number of special projects, and with the help of several more mutual visits, we will be able to determine which sectors will be involved in this program and which side will move in which direction. Again, this is another element that makes Turkish-Ukrainian cooperation in the field of the defense industry stronger," he emphasized.
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The worldwide automated guided vehicle market is anticipated to reach USD 3,977.8 million by 2026 according to a new study published by Polaris Market Research. In 2017, the automotive sector dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. Europe is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period.

Growing need for automation and increasing labor costs fuel the market for adoption of AGV. Use of these automated vehicles increases productivity, and efficiency, while saving time and costs. The increasing demand from industries including healthcare, defense, aerospace, agriculture, and food and beverage is expected to provide growth opportunities in the coming years. Emerging and untapped markets of developing economies further provide growing opportunities to key players in the market. Increasing investments, research and development further boosts the growth of the market.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/automated-guided-vehicle-market/request-for-sample

There has been a high demand for automation in the global market. Companies are automating processes to reduce cost, save time and deliver better quality products. With stiff competition existing in the global market, companies are automating their processes for better quality and increased productivity. These vehicles automate internal processes and reduce the workload of employees, by working in collaboration with workers for better efficiency. Due to stringent safety regulations, companies are forced to employ Automated Guided Vehicles for dangerous and hazardous environment conditions. Automation of manufacturing processes was earlier restricted to only automotive sector. Now, industries such as healthcare, aerospace, food and beverage are also adopting the automated vehicles solutions. Increasing need of automation in various industries is a key factor driving the growth of the market.

With ever-increasing labor costs existing in most of the countries, companies are turning towards AGVs to save costs and time. Their usage increases efficiency while reducing wastage. They also eliminate chances of faults occurring due to human errors. These vehicles can be operated with the help of software, thereby saving the expense spent in training and management of labor. Unavailability of skilled labor to manage the processes along with high labor costs pushes companies towards automation and supplements the growth of this market.

Europe generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Rapid industrialization and increasing automation in the region drives the market growth. Introduction of new advanced technologies and increasing applications in automotive, aerospace, electronics and healthcare sectors is expected to support market growth. Growing demand from automotive industry for high quality products, along with increasing labor costs encourages companies to invest in automation, thereby augmenting growth.

Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/automated-guided-vehicle-market

The various end-users of AGVs include automotive, aerospace, healthcare, food and beverage, and others. In 2017, automotive accounted for the largest share in the global market, and is estimated to grow at a substantial rate during the forecast period. Companies use these vehicles in the automotive sector to save cost and increase their production. The key factors driving this market include increasing labor costs, new safety regulations, and need for increased efficiency. Use of AGVs in the automotive industry enables manufacturers to achieve high quality, reliability, economic efficiency and less product life cycle cost.

The well-known companies profiled in the report include Toyota Industries Corporation, KUKA AG, Daifuku Co. Ltd., Bastian Solutions, Inc., JBT Corporation, Swisslog Holding AG, Seegrid Corporation, Baylo, Inc., EK Automation GmbH, Kion Group AG among others. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers.

Automated Guided Vehicle Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Product

 Pallet Trucks

Forklift Trucks Unit Load Carriers Tow Vehicles Assembly Line Vehicles Others

Automated Guided Vehicle Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Guidance Technology Vision Guidance Inductive Guidance Laser Guidance Magnetic Guidance Laser Guidance

Automated Guided Vehicle Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Industry Automotive Aerospace Healthcare Food and Beverage Others

Automated Guided Vehicle Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Application Assembly Storage Distribution Transportation Packaging Others

Automated Guided Vehicle Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Region North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe Germany UK France Italy Rest of Europe Asia-Pacific China India Japan Rest of Asia-Pacific Latin America Brazil Middle East & Africa



Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/automated-guided-vehicle-market/request-for-discount-pricing

About Polaris Market Research

Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities.

Contact us-

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Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com
The aircraft flew out from the Merignac airbase in French port city of Bordeaux and will cover a distance of nearly 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates before arriving at Ambala airbase on Wednesday.

The first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft on Monday took off from France for India, nearly four years after the two countries inked an inter-governmental agreement to supply 36 of the multi-role jets to the Indian Air Force under a Rs 59,000-crore deal.

The aircraft flew out from the Merignac airbase in French port city of Bordeaux and will cover a distance of nearly 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates before arriving at Ambala airbase on Wednesday, officials said.

"You can call them (Rafale) both beauty and the beast," said Indian Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf after interacting with the IAF pilots at the airbase before they set off for India.

In the evening, officials said all five Rafales landed safely in Al Dhafra airbase in the UAE after a sortie in excess of seven hours.

The fleet, comprising three single seater and two twin seater aircraft, is scheduled to arrive at Ambala airbase on Wednesday when they will be officially inducted into the Indian Air Force as part of its No 17 Squadron, also known as the Golden Arrows, said an IAF official.

"Delivery of 10 aircraft has been completed on schedule. Five will stay back in France for training mission. The delivery of all 36 aircraft will be completed on schedule by the end of 2021," the Indian embassy in Paris said in a statement.

SEE: First batch of Rafale fighter jets take off from France to join IAF

The IAF official said the air-to-air refuelling of the aircraft will be undertaken with dedicated tanker support from the French Air Force.

"The aircraft are likely to arrive at Air Force Station, Ambala, on July 29 subject to weather (condition)," the IAF said in a statement.

The aircraft are expected to significantly boost the Indian Air Force's combat capabilities at a time India is locked in a tense border row with China in eastern Ladakh.

The first Rafale jet was handed over to the IAF in October last year during a visit to France by defence minister Rajnath Singh.

"Our air force pilots tell us that these are extremely swift, nimble, versatile and very deadly aircraft," said Ashraf while congratulating the IAF pilots on becoming the first ones to fly one of the world's most advanced fighter aircraft.

The envoy thanked Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of the aircraft, for delivering the fleet on time, the French government and the French Air Force for extending all required support.

"This (the fleet) is going to add a great deal of air power to our defence preparedness. This is also a powerful symbol of the strategic partnership between India and France," he added.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Aviation Eric Trappier said the "new milestone" illustrated once again the "exemplary" cooperation between his company and the Indian Air Force that started in 1953.

He said it testifies that the programme is running smoothly and that deliveries are on time notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am strongly impressed by the amazing efficiency and determination of the IAF and Indian Ministry of Defence, despite this unprecedented world health crisis, to master rapidly all aspects of the Rafale for comforting Indian sovereignty and contributing to the protection and security of Indian people," the Dassault Aviation quoted him in a statement.

The first squadron of the Rafale jets will be stationed in Ambala air base.

In a statement, the Indian embassy said IAF pilots and supporting personnel have been provided full training on the aircraft and weapon systems by Dassault. Further batches of IAF personnel will continue the training over the next nine months.

"India and France have a long history of cooperation in fighter aircraft, which includes India's acquisition of French Toofanis in 1953, then Mystere, Jaguars and the Mirages," it said.

Official sources said the Rafale jets are likely to be deployed in the Ladakh sector as part of IAF's efforts to enhance its operational capabilities along Line of Actual Control with China in view of the border row with the country.

The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons.

European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets

Meteor is the next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat.

The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden.

The Meteor is powered by a unique rocket-ramjet motor that gives it far more engine power for much longer than any other missile, said an official.

Besides the missile systems, the Rafale jets will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low-band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems among others

The IAF has already completed preparations, including readying required infrastructure and training of pilots, to welcome the fighter aircraft.

The second squadron of Rafale will be stationed at Hasimara base in West Bengal.

The IAF spent around Rs 400 crore to develop required infrastructure like shelters, hangars and maintenance facilities at the two bases

Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers.

The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets.

India began the process to buy a fleet of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) in 2007 after the defence ministry, headed then by Congress leader AK Antony, cleared the proposal from the IAF.

The contenders for the mega deal were Lockheed Martin's F-16s, Eurofighter Typhoon, Russia's MiG-35, Sweden's Gripen, Boeing's F/A-18s and Dassault Aviation's Rafale.

After a long-drawn process, bids were opened in December 2012 and Dassault Aviation emerged as L-1 (lowest bidder).

There were lengthy negotiations between the then UPA government and Dassault on prices and transfer of technology.

The final negotiations continued till early 2014 but the deal could not go through.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris in April 2015, both sides announced that they agreed to conclude an inter-governmental agreement for supply of 36 Rafale jets to India.

India and France signed an Euro 7.87-billion (Rs 59,000 crore approximately) deal on September 23, 2016 for 36 Rafale jets.

The Ambala base is considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF as the Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from it.

Currently, the base has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MiG-21 Bison.

Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh was the first commander of the Ambala base in independent India.
(CNN)  Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have a special reason to celebrate this week: they're both officially Greek citizens.

In a picture posted on social media by the country's prime minister, the two proudly hold up their brand new passports.

The couple and their children became honorary Greek citizens last year -- after officials highlighted Hanks' role in helping raise awareness about the 2018 fires that devastated areas near Athens and claimed the lives of more than 100 people.

"Tom Hanks is a person who showed real interest in the people who suffered from the fire in Mati and promoted this issue in the global media," Greek Interior Minister Takis Theodorikakos told CNN in a statement in December.

Wilson, who is part Greek, and Hanks, a Greek Orthodox convert, have often been spotted spending their vacations in Greece, where they also own property on the island of Antiparos.

The two have produced several films based on the Greek community and never shy away from sharing their admiration for the country and its people.

"I've been Hellenic now for the better part of 32 years," Hanks told reporters at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards earlier this year. "Greece is a haven... I've been around the world, I've been to the most beautiful places in the world, none of them tops Greece."

"The land, the sky, the water, it's good for the soul, it's a healing place," Hanks said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are officially Greek citizens."
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Plaintiffs policy does not contain any exclusion which would apply to allow defendants to completely deny coverage for losses caused by COVID-19 and related actions of civil authorities taken in response to COVID-19, argues the theaters camp in the 33-page court document seen by Insurance Business.

Accordingly, because the policy is an all-risk policy and does not specifically exclude the losses that plaintiff has suffered, those losses are covered.

The class action complaint is demanding a trial by jury.

Podhurst Orsecks Steven Marks, in a statement sent to Insurance Business, declared: Failure to cover a claim under an all-risk policy is a blatant breach of an insurers contractual obligations. If insurers continue failing to uphold their commitments, then the impacts on our economy will become even more dire.
Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas are new parents. (Jordan Strauss / Associated Press)

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas are new parents.

The "Game of Thrones" star gave birth to her first child with the Jonas Brothers pop musician last Wednesday at a hospital in Los Angeles, according to multiple reports out Monday. The couple has reportedly named their new daughter Willa, per TMZ and Just Jared.

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas are delighted to announce the birth of their baby," a representative for Turner confirmed to The Times on Monday. Neither parent has commented publicly on social media yet.

Turner, 24, and Jonas, 30, got married in Las Vegas in May 2019, having a second bigger ceremony in France later that summer. News of Turner's pregnancy broke in February.

Us Weekly reported from a separate source that the couple had always planned to have children. Even though Turner had been private about her pregnancy, she showed off her baby bump several times in her quarantine outings.

In March, Turner told TV host Conan O'Brien how she and Jonas have been faring during the pandemic.

"Im an introvert; Im a homebody. If I could stay at home all day, I would," Turner said. "Everything seems to be working in my favor here, because Joes a real social butterfly, so I struggle to kind of lock him down and have him just spend time with me. So its like prison for him, but its great for me."
Thousands of after-school programs closed their doors months agoand a majority now fear they may never reopen.

Nearly 9 in 10 programs have long-term funding concerns because of school closures caused by COVID-19and 6 in 10 are concerned that they may have to permanently shut their doors, a survey commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization, reveals.

Despite the bleak outlook, the survey of 914 after-school providers may not capture the full extent of the trouble programs face. Survey respondents were contacted in May and June, before a wave of school districts, including nine of the nations 15 largest, announced this month that they plan to begin the fall semester online.

Theres great uncertainty about economics, Jodi Grant, the executive director of the Afterschool Alliance, said in an online meeting announcing the survey results. Programs are losing resources and funding and really struggling to survive. Were really concerned with what is happening in the field.

The survey, the first in a series from the Afterschool Alliance, aims to gauge the health of an industry that served an estimated 10 million children before the pandemic struck. Now, heading into the fall, providers are bracing to serve only a fraction of that number.

Overall, the survey found that more than half of providers are unsure if the worst is over or yet to come. Among the programs surveyed, more than 75 percent have laid off or furloughed staff members or cut their hours. The programs that participated in the survey represent more than 6,000 after-school sites across 47 states and the District of Columbia.

It is really concerning for us, said Ayana Melvan, senior project manager for education initiatives at the United Way of Rhode Island, who leads the Rhode Island Afterschool Network. Unfortunately, we heard that programs had to lay off staff, especially as they went virtual in the springtime.

Switching Gears Quickly

As part of their efforts to remain connected with families, about 70 percent of programs were serving students in some capacity during the shutdown.

While some programs will remain sidelined during virtual learning, others may be forced to adapt.

Programs that do reopen for in-person services this fall likely will need more money to pay for cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment for staff and more space to maintain social distancing requirementspotential cost overruns that no program could have anticipated even six months ago.

In school systems that settle on hybrid learning modelsa combination of in-person and virtual learningfor the fall, programs may have to hire more staff to serve extra students during a redesigned school day, one that calls for out-of-school programs to open during hours usually reserved for the traditional school bell schedule.

For weeks, Miguel Garcia, the director of Fort Worth After School, planned for an in-person, mid-August start for the district-led program that serves 7,000 students per day across 76 sites. Those plans were abandoned last week when Tarrant County, Texas, health authorities announced that all districts in the county, including Fort Worth, would only offer online classes for the first six weeks of the school year because of a surge in coronavirus cases.

Now, hes trying to develop a program where staff are live online for seven hours a day to meet with students.

Weve had to switch gears pretty quickly, Garcia said. My gut feeling that its going to be all of fall so Im going to prepare my team as though were going to go all fall with virtual programming.

Programs Hit the Hardest

Federally and state-funded programs, and those that rely on philanthropic funding, are more likely to have pivoted to offer virtual services , such as academic support or online meetups, or are doing what they can to deliver meals and other aid to families struggling with food insecurity and unemployment.

Programs that rely almost entirely on parent fees have been hit especially hard during the pandemic. When compared to all after-school offerings, the fee-based programs are almost twice as likely to have remained completely closed since spring and are less than three times as likely to have offered virtual programming.

At the time of the survey, about 1 in 5 programs reported that they were serving the children of essential workers, a service that would likely continue even if school buildings do not reopen soon.

After-school programs have been a lifeline for our kids, for our families and our communities during these desperate times, Grant said.
On Tuesday, July 28, at 10.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference entitled "Towards Hepatitis Free Future," dedicated to World Hepatitis Day. Participants include Ukraine's Deputy Health Minister, Chief Health Officer Viktor Liashko; Acting Director General of the Public Health Centre of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Ihor Kuzin; President of the All-Ukrainian Council for the Protection of Patients' Rights and Safety Viktor Serdyuk; patient with hepatitis C with renal failure Oksana Nahornichevska (8/5a Reitarska Street). The press conference will be broadcast on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot.
WASHINGTON  One Los Angeles business owner allegedly went to Las Vegas and gambled away some of the $9 million he received in emergency government loans earmarked for his employees.

A Texas man is accused of using his $1.5 million Paycheck Protection Program funds to pay off a mortgage, while another loan recipient in Georgia is charged with using his $2 million loan to buy a car, jewelry and to pay child support.

A Washington, D.C., applicant fabricated Social Security numbers in an attempt to collect money for employees he didnt really have, federal prosecutors say.

Ever since the public backlash last April against some large, well-off or nationwide companies that helped themselves to emergency government funds intended to rescue small businesses during the pandemic, federal officials have vowed to crack down on any abuses of the popular program, also known as PPP.

That effort is now underway with more than a dozen criminal cases filed in 11 states in recent weeks. All involve allegations of blatant fraud, such as lying on applications, falsifying tax or business records and misappropriating money. And most involve relatively small businesses or individual owners.

Federal officials call it the start of what they promise will be a rigorous vetting of the PPP to ensure government dollars were not misused. The program has doled out 4.9 million loans worth $518 billion to businesses nationwide and is accepting applications through Aug. 8.

But legal experts and former federal prosecutors note that these first cases appear to represent mostly the low-hanging fruit. The real test, they say, will be how aggressively the government brings charges against larger, publicly traded companies over allegations that they didnt really need the money, or against other recipients who qualified under the original rules but were later deemed ineligible under updated ones.

The storm is in the making, said attorney Nick Oberheiden, who specializes in defending companies under government investigation, particularly Medicare fraud. He predicted more cases will be filed. We are deep in those investigations, for very sure.

But those cases could be much harder to prove in court, he and others warned.

For starters, ever since Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin announced the government may go after businesses that unfairly took advantage of the PPPs forgivable loans, companies have been preparing to defend themselves.

Some opted to avoid the legal hassle and negative publicity  President Donald Trump publicly shamed several recipients  and simply returned the money, including Ruths Chris Steak House, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Shake Shack hamburger chain. About $30 billion was returned, Mnuchin recently told House members.

But others balked, insisting they had faithfully followed the programs rules and essentially daring the government to come after them.

Some insurance companies are now even offering policies specifically to protect companies if the government tries to claw back the money, covering legal fees, penalties and even the cost of repaying the loan if the federal government determines the company isnt eligible for forgiveness. Hub Internationals Peter de Boisblanc said there is tremendous interest in the policies, which cost 4% or 5% of the value of the loan plus $30,000 in fees.

The Small Business Administration, which runs the PPP, says it will review all loans of more than $2 million when and if those recipients seek loan forgiveness. A key attraction to the PPP loans was that as long as recipients conformed to certain rules about maintaining workers, the loans would be forgiven.

As of June 30, loans valued at $2 million or more represented about 0.6% of the total number, or nearly 30,000 loans. But they account for 21% of all money lent.

Were going to have a very robust process to review loans before loans are forgiven, Mnuchin told representatives recently.

To review and prosecute the cases, the Justice Department pulled in investigators from the IRS, Federal Housing Finance Authority and Postal Service. Congress has also threatened subpoenas and aggressive oversight.

But proving criminal wrongdoing beyond a reasonable doubt could be difficult in some cases.

The Paycheck Protection Program was quickly cobbled together when the economy was suddenly ground to a halt in mid-March. In an effort to get as much money out the door to prop up small businesses, commercial banks were tasked with accepting and reviewing the four-page applications on which companies had to self-certify that they needed the money.

It was a chaotic launch. The bulk of the loans went out within three weeks of the loan programs creation. But the rules governing who should apply, the limits on using the money and the conditions for forgiveness continued to change, at times even daily.

Much of the public backlash focused on large companies who might not have needed the government help as much as the small businesses the PPP was trying to reach.

A lot of those cases are going to be difficult for the government to bring given that there was a lot of confusion around the program. There were a lot of moving goal posts, said former federal prosecutor Derek Cohen. It may be hard for the government to show bad faith.

In early May, SBA issued an FAQ stating that it would presume businesses that received less than $2 million acted in good faith when certifying they needed the loan. And if SBA determines that a recipient of more than $2 million cant adequately prove the money was necessary, theyll be given a chance to return the money, with 1% interest but without penalty.

Cohen said its unclear how many loans will ultimately be examined closely.

Its probably somewhat akin to folks getting speeding tickets on the highway, he said. There are going to be a lot of people speeding and few people that get caught and made examples of.

Though the forgiveness process hasnt been set in stone yet, the federal government will likely seek payroll and financial records, proof of advice from attorneys or auditors and evidence that businesses weighed other sources of liquidity to stay open. What they find could trigger more aggressive investigation, former federal prosecutor Daniel Grooms said.

The most important thing that businesses can do now and should have been doing all along  is keeping good solid records of their reasoning, Grooms said. When the government investigates, what theyre looking (for) is what people were saying to each other in real time.

Even just to review the thousands of loans worth more than $2 million could take years, former federal prosecutors said. Borrowers were told they must keep relevant documentation for up to six years, and make it available to SBA when requested.

(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)

Laura Zander, chief financial officer of the Exploratorium in San Francisco, said the museum compiled 150 documents even before it applied for a nearly $6 million loan in April, including payroll records, benefits costs, retirement contribution information, utility bills and rent payments. The money has allowed it to continue paying nearly 400 employees, she said.

As the rules governing the loans shifted, she frequently spoke with the museums auditor, labor lawyers and colleagues in the industry to make sure they only used the money for forgivable purposes.

We wanted to ensure that we were going to receive as much forgiveness as possible, but we were doing it as clean as possible, Zander said.

The changing rules mean Childrens Bureau, a Los Angeles nonprofit focused on adoption, foster care and mental health services, might end up having to repay some of the $5.3 million it was loaned in April to continue paying nearly all of its 465 employees. In June, SBA issued new guidance that the loan cannot be used to cover work done under a federal contract. The nonprofit, like many others, is funded by a mix of federal contracts and private philanthropy.

Were all just scratching our heads and basically waiting for guidance to come out (about) just how the heck were going to document this, said Gayle Whittemore, the groups chief financial officer. Its just going to be a documentation hell for us.

___

(c)2020 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

_____

PHOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194): Mnuchin
<! Meek Mill and Millano Harris >

By Taiwo Okanlawon

American Rapper, Meek Mill has announced that he and his girlfriend, Milan Harris, have gone their separate ways two months after they welcomed their first child together.

The rapper, 33, who confirmed their break up on social media, also said that he and Harris are still on good terms and will continue to co-parent their son.

He said I and Milano decided to remain friends and build our child as separate parents.

We still have mad love for each other, but we both came to an understanding.

No fallout either just moving forward! Still love!

This for protection so social media wont think we moving wrong.

We me and Milano decided to remain friends and build our child as separate parents  we still have mad love for eachother but we both came to a understanding! -meek-  Meek Mill (@MeekMill) July 26, 2020

This is coming after Kanye West, during his social media outburst, claimed that he had been trying to divorce his wife Kim Kardashian after she met with Meek Mill at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in L.A. for prison reform.

The rapper also added that the reality star was out of line for meeting up with Meek, seemingly alleging that Kardashian cheated on him.

Related
Police offices wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the new coronavirus wait to cross a road in front of the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Saturday, July 25, 2020. AP



The South Korean government on Sunday decided to push to revise the law to require foreign coronavirus patients to cover the costs of their treatment amid a spike in the number of new infections among foreigners arriving from abroad.



The decision was reached at a pan-governmental COVID-19 meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun.



Under the current law, in-hospital care and treatment costs for confirmed patients are covered by the government regardless of nationality.



The health ministry will be in charge of revising regulations to demand treatment costs from foreigners who know they are infected with COVID-19 yet travel to Korea and those who end up confirmed with the coronavirus during their two-week quarantine period upon arrival.



The government intends to apply the envisioned new rule initially only to those caught violating quarantine rules. The government will review expanding the scope depending on the virus situation.



The government will also review possible provision of financial support to overseas South Korean nationals who become infected with COVID-19 and need treatment.



The decision came one day after South Korea's new virus cases surged to an almost four-month high of 113, of which 34 were reported from sailors on a Russia-flagged fishing vessel docked in the southeastern port city of Busan. Two more Russians were confirmed with the virus Sunday.



Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said at a press briefing that charging foreigners for the costs of treatment will take into consideration the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations.



"For countries that demand treatment fees from infected South Koreans, if we demand the cost of treatment for their nationals within our borders, I think our people overseas might have much more opportunities to receive (COVID-19) treatments for free," Park said.



Park also explained that the government plans to charge coronavirus-infected inbound travelers for hospitalization and medical costs but not testing. Park stressed that tests will remain free for all nationalities.



"Tests are carried out as a part of safety measures for our country. I think will be very difficult to charge for testing costs, too," the minister said.



On Sunday, South Korea reported 58 additional cases of the new virus, bringing the total caseload to 14,150. (Yonhap)


French English

First ferry of Indian Air Force Rafale to Ambala Air Force Station to integrate N17 Squadron Golden Arrows

Five Indian Air Force Rafale to ferry to India

from Dassault Aviation Merignac facility on July 27, 2020

In the presence of Eric Trappier,

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Aviation,

and under the high patronage of His Excellency Shri Jawed Ashraf, Ambassador of the Republic of India in France

(Saint-Cloud, France, July 27th 2020)  Today, five Indian Air Force Rafale operated by Indian Air Force pilots took off from Dassault Aviation Merignac facility to ferry to Ambala Air Force Station for entering service in N17 Squadron Golden Arrows.

After a complete training of Indian pilots and technicians by Dassault Aviation, with the French Air Force participation, the Indian Air Force will fully perform this first ferry, including an air-to-air refueling, with the dedicated support of the French Air Force.

Together with His Excellency Shri Jawed Ashraf, Ambassador of the Republic of India in France, Eric Trappier, Dassault Aviation Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, congratulated the Indian Air Force team present in France since almost 3 years, for successful management of the program.

He also complimented the trainees who joined for more than a year on their outstanding ability to master the aircraft.

The whole attendance then saluted the departure of the Rafale.

I am strongly impressed by the amazing efficiency and determination of the Indian Air Force and Indian Ministry of Defense, despite this unprecedented world health crisis, to master rapidly all aspects of the Rafale for comforting Indian sovereignty and contributing to the protection and security of Indian people, stated Eric Trappier. This new milestone illustrates once again the exemplary cooperation between Dassault Aviation and the Indian Air Force, started in 1953, and reasserts our total commitment to fulfill Indian Air Force requirements for the decades to come, and to be part of Indias ambitious vision for the future.

This first ferry testifies that the program is running smoothly and that deliveries are on time in spite of COVID-19 pandemic.

It initiates the induction of the Rafale in the Indian Air Force, in the frame of the contract of 36 aircraft, and paves the way to fulfill the present and future needs and requirements of the Government of India.

ABOUT DASSAULT AVIATION AND INDIA:

Dassault Aviation aircraft have been an integral part of Indian defence forces for over six decades. The first Dassault Aviation aircraft, Toofani was supplied to India in 1953, followed by the Mystere IV, the naval Alize, the Jaguar (manufactured under license by HAL), and the Mirage 2000. These aircraft have contributed to Indian sovereignty all along and the Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft continues to be the IAFs cutting edge till date. 36 Rafales fighter aircraft has been acquired on September 23rd 2016 to equip the Indian Air Force.

ABOUT DASSAULT AVIATION:

With over 10,000 military and civil aircraft delivered in more than 90 countries over the last century, Dassault Aviation has built up expertise recognized worldwide in the design, development, sale and support of all types of aircraft, ranging from the Rafale fighter, to the high-end Falcon family of business jets, military drones and space systems. In 2019, Dassault Aviation reported revenues of 7,3 billion. The company has 12,750 employees.

dassault-aviation.com

PRESS CONTACTS:

Corporate Communications

Stephane Fort - Tel +33 (0)1 47 11 86 90 - stephane.fort@dassault-aviation.com

Mathieu Durand - Tel +33 (0)1 47 11 85 88 - mathieu.durand@dassault-aviation.com

Defense Communications

Nathalie Bakhos - Tel +33 (0)1 47 11 92 75 - nathalie-beatrice.bakhos@dassault-aviation.com

Photos HD : mediaprophoto.dassault-aviation.com

Videos HD : mediaprovideo.dassault-aviation.com

Attachment
The workers compensation line is unlikely to generate a profit this year and may not recover in 2021, an insurance industry economist said during a webcast Thursday.

Steven N. Weisbart, senior vice president and chief economist for the Insurance Information Institute, said carriers did not factor in the cost of COVID-19 claims when they filed this years rates because the disease did not exist. The National Council on Compensation Insurance said the first full quarters data on COVID claims costs wont be available until the end of September, and workers compensation rates in many states will be set before then.

We are talking about a really difficult year, Weisbart said. We are working with rates that were essentially generated a year ago or the year before. The rates may not be sufficient.

Weisbart gave his grim prognosis during a panel discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on workers compensation along with NCCI Senior Actuary Sean Cooper and Senior Division Executive Jeff Eddinger. Insurance Information Institute communications director Mark Friedlander moderated.

Cooper said at this point, NCCI has data on COVID-19 claim costs only for the month of March. That claims data is being excluded when employers experience modifications are calculated, so insurers wont be able to recover any increased costs.

NCCI said it started this month filing next years loss cost rates and experience ratings. Those rates will take effect beginning late this year and into mid-2021.

NCCI said in a July 16 memorandum that next years rates will not be adjusted to include the impact of COVID-19 claims. Whats more, the organization said it has no plans to submit updated law-only rate filings if state legislatures change workers compensation laws to make more virus claims compensable.

As the COVID-19 pandemic is still in its early stages, projections of key assumptions for current and future time periods (e.g., infection/report/fatal rates) are wide ranging or not available, the memo says.

During the webinar, Eddinger noted that several states have issued executive executive orders or passed legislation that creates a presumption that COVID-19 claims are compensable for employees who worked away from home. California, Illinois and Michigan have expanded coverage for the disease. Vermont became the latest to create a COVID-19 presumption when Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill into law on July 13.

Weisbart said the rush by lawmakers to ensure benefits are paid for workers who contract COVID-19 reminds him of their approach to business-interruption claims. Attorneys are pressuring policymakers to expand coverage for a risk that was not contemplated when the insurance contracts were signed.

On the other hand, there are offsetting factors. telecommuting has become the new normal, Weisbart said. Eddinger said employees who telecommute are less injury prone than workers in offices. Weibart said the pandemic is also hastening automation, which will reduce worker injuries.

Still, Weisbart said uncertainty about claims costs combined with dismal investment returns because of the economic contraction caused by the pandemic will challenge workers compensation carriers for the time being.

It looks like it will be challenging for this line to break even for this year or even in future years, especially in light of the fact that for the past six years this has been a profitable line of insurance, he said.

Eddinger said until the novel coronavirus arrived, workers compensation insurers would never expect to suffer a catastrophic loss from a pandemic. But since 2003, the world has seen the emergence of the SARS, H1N1, Ebola, and Zika viruses.

Eddinger said the time may have come for NCCI to develop a pandemic catastrophe risk factor that can be added to rates, similar to how a terrorism risk factor was added after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He said NCCI has hired a catastrophe risk modeling firm to develop the risk factor.

*This story ran previously in our sister publication Insurance Journal.
Citing concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the University of Notre Dame on Monday pulled out as host of the first 2020 U.S. presidential debate, which will instead be held in Cleveland on Sept. 29, the Commission on Presidential Debates said on Monday.

The first debate between President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, will now be co-hosted by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic, the commission said in a statement.

Rev. John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, said in a statement that the health precautions necessary to stage the debate 'would have greatly diminished the educational value of hosting the debate on our campus.'

Change of venue: The first clash between Donald Trump and Joe Biden will now be in Cleveland, Ohio, where the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University will be co-hosts

Student attendance would be restricted and volunteer opportunities minimized, Jenkins said.

'I am grateful to the many members of the University community who have devoted countless hours planning this event, and to the Commission on Presidential Debates leadership for their professionalism and understanding,' he said.

'But in the end, the constraints the coronavirus pandemic put on the event - as understandable and necessary as they are - have led us to withdraw.'

The re-location marks the second time a debate site has been moved due to the pandemic. In June, the University of Michigan bowed out of the third debate on Oct. 15, and the event was shifted to Miami.

Two other debates are scheduled in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Oct. 7 and in Nashville on Oct. 22.
A PAIR of competition organisers who raffled a tractor on social media were left red-faced after bungling the draw in spectacular fashion.

Barry Conlon and Owen Patrick Mullan, both from Armagh, run the Agri Competitions page on Facebook and attempted to raffle a Fiat 100-90 tractor, worth up to 18,000, on the social media platform on June 26.

During a farcical live-stream the pair used a laptop and an iPad to conduct a prize-draw as eager punters watched on, only for two winning numbers to be announced.

Chaos and calamity ensued when the number 164 was called out despite number 185 being visible on screen.

During the footage, the narrator goes on to congratulate the holder of ticket 185, a Josh Wainwright, before saying they had been contacted to say a different number had appeared during the draw.

Only the number 185 is visible on screen up to that point and, once the error is realised, gasps and whispering can be heard, with one voice exclaiming, "Cancel and do it again".

Expand Close Agri Comp Facebook / Facebook

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The Facebook post of the disastrous draw attracted over 70,000 views and over 1,300 comments with a mixture of opinions on the debacle.

Following the farce, Barry Conlon and Owen Patrick Mullan denied "in the strongest terms" any impropriety and said they had contacted Mr Wainwright to offer him 200 by way of compensation for the mistake.

In a statement on their Facebook page Mr Conlon and Mr Mullan said they they had received threats to themselves and members of their families when some people jumped to wrong conclusions about the draw mix-up.

In a statement from their solicitors in London, Mr Conlon and Mr Mullan said the mix-up was an honest mistake and Mr Wainwright had been contacted and compensated.

They added: "As is standard practice, the draw took place live on Facebook using a number generator operated by Google.

"The broadcast on Facebook was screened via an iPad. This was linked to a laptop operated by Mr Mullan.

"He ran the Google number generator and read out the number displayed on the laptop. Unfortunately, he then realised that the iPad showed a different number, indicating a computer malfunction, which meant the draw needed to be called off.

"Minutes later, the draw was re-run successfully with another number picked at random.

"Our clients are investigating how this technical error occurred.

"Almost immediately after it was realised that the wrong number had been called out, Mr Mullan contacted the person who believed he had won, explained the situation and offered him 200 as a goodwill gesture.

"The proceeds of the draw have gone to charity, as originally intended, and no monies have been retained by our clients. The tractor will be sent to the correct winner of the second draw."

The winner of the second draw was announced as a Mr Paul Holland, from Co Galway, on the Agri Competitions Facebook page on June 26.

Following inquiries made by Sunday Life, Mr Conlon and Mr Mullan provided, through their legal representatives, a photo of Mr Holland with his prize and receipts which they said proved they had donated 12,500 to charity after the draw. The picture was also post on the Agri-competitions website.

They also provided detailed explanation as to the issue with the software, which they said had been issued by a US developer. This information was later published on their Facebook page alongside an explanation of the events in a post entitled "putting the record straight".

Mr Conlon and Mr Mullan said: "Paul (Holland) was presented with the tractor and was delighted with its condition and is already putting it to good use."
New Delhi, July 27 : Seeking an urgent meeting with Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Air India pilots have alleged a conspiracy to sabotage the national carrier and derail the process of privatisation.

In a letter to Puri, Indian Commercial Pilots Association and Indian Pilots Guild said, "It is evident from the Press Conference dated 16th July 2020 that the officials briefing you have Grossly Misinformed you about the Current state of affairs at Air India. The pay cut is NOT across the board and you are being misled".

"This deliberate and unethical agenda of creating Industrial Disharmony reeks of a vested interest and a conspiracy to sabotage the National Carrier and derail the process of privatization", the pilots have told Puri.

Pilots have pointed out that basic pay, HRA and DA constitutes 80 per cent of gross pay for general category employees while the same constitutes 20 per cent of gross pay for pilots. Allowances form 80 per cent of pilots' gross pay in Air India.

"The current industry standard in India is a cut of 15-23 per cent on gross salary i.e cost to company. However, the Air India management is trying to show cost cutting by slashing cherry picked allowances instead of a fair cut on gross wages (the true cost to company of an employee). They have safeguarded their perks, privileges and entitlements while shifting extreme financial burden on the pilots", the letter said.

"We request you to kindly grant us an Urgent Meeting so we may brief you on the ground reality and prevent this travesty. Rest assured we have the best interests of Air India at heart", the pilots told Puri.
CAMBRIDGE  Firefighters in Cambridge contended with major fires at two locations in the city on Monday.

Shortly after 6 p.m., the Cambridge Fire Department tweeted that firefighters were dealing with two house fires on Rouse Avenue, in the Avenue Road and Elgin Street area. Both are significant fires and we are operating in a defensive strategy, the tweet said.

Two firefighters were taken to Cambridge Memorial Hospital with heat exhaustion but no other injuries were reported.

Just a few hours earlier, crews were called to a townhouse blaze that involved three units on Linden Drive. There, one firefighter suffered heat exhaustion and was taken to hospital. There were no civilian injuries in that blaze, in the Shantz Hill Road and Highway 401 area.

Firefighters from all six Cambridge stations were called to the Linden Drive fire. People were being asked to avoid both areas. No cause has been determined yet for the Linden Drive or Rouse Avenue fires.

Major fires at townhouse complexes in Richmond Hill on Sunday and near Stoney Creek early Monday morning destroyed multiple units at each location.
Chandigarh:

Several members of AAP and SAD on Tuesday joined Congress in the presence of state unit president Amarinder Singh.

SAD leader Balbir Sidhu and Soni Ghalib, son of former MP late Gurcharan Singh Ghalib, as well as Olympian and AAP member Surinder Singh Sodhi joined the Congress. Amarinder Singh welcomed them, saying Sodhi's decision to leave AAP and join the Congress showed that not only party leaders but also eminent people who had joined Arvind Kejriwal's party with massive hope were now becoming "disenchanted" and moving towards the Congress.

A large number of Akali and AAP councillors and workers also became part of the Congress on the occasion. "There is clearly a huge wave in favour of the Congress ahead of the Punjab Assembly election," Amarinder said. Sodhi had joined AAP only five months ago after taking premature retirement from the post of inspector general of police.
London: In a discreet Soho club, in the summer of 2016, a couple on a blind date spoke for three hours "in their own little world", foregoing food in their excitement to discuss their "passion for wanting to make change for good".

He knew they were destined for one another. She was "spellbound".

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the time of their engagement. Credit:AP

If fans were hoping to hear of a fairytale romance, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - at least according to a new biography - will not disappoint.

The couple declared their love after three months, their friends have disclosed, and planned their long-term future together not long afterwards.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un was shown Monday surrounded by generals posing like gangsters holding commemorative pistols awarded to them to mark the anniversary of the Korean War armistice.

Meanwhile in the South, masked veterans marked the occasion with a socially distanced ceremony as the two sides separately held memorials for the armistice that ended hostilities in 1953.

The contrasting events marked 67 years since the ceasefire that left the peninsula divided and millions of families split by the Demilitarized Zone.

In the North's capital, Kim handed out commemorative pistols to dozens of generals and senior officers, who pledged their loyalty to him, state media reported.

'The participants held high the pistols and made firm pledges to fight for Kim Jong Un at the cost of their lives,' Korean Central News Agency reported.

Over the weekend, The North reported its first suspected case of novel coronavirus infection - after insisting for months it had kept itself free of the disease that has swept the world - but pictures showed the generals all gathered close together for a group photo, none of them wearing masks.

On the 67th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in 1953, North Korea released the above image showing the nation's leader - Kim Jong Un - surrounded by gun-toting army generals and senior officers. The guns were awarded to them to mark the occasion

KCNA reported that Kim also visited a cemetery on the outskirts of Pyongyang where Korean War dead are buried.

He laid a single rose and bowed before a big monument at the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery, according to KCNA. It didn't say exactly when Kim went there.

In Seoul, scores of veterans - in facial coverings and socially distanced seats - attended a ceremony paying tribute to their efforts, themed 'Days of Glory'.

On screen, dramatic reconstructions of the war were interspersed with interviews with foreign veterans, and messages of support from current leaders of the countries that sent troops to support the South, among them US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

Millions of people were killed during the three-year conflict - which began 70 years ago in 1950 when the Communist North invaded the US-backed South as leader Kim Il Sung - grandfather of the incumbent - sought to reunify by force the peninsula Moscow and Washington had divided at the end of World War II.

The Chinese and Soviet-backed North fought to a standstill against the South and a US-led United Nations coalition.

Despite the North reporting its first case of the coronavirus, the generals, pictured above with Kim Jong Un, were seen standing close together and in close proximity with the country's supreme leader

Kim Jong Un has made a limited number of public appearance in 2020. Speculation regarding the dictator's health was rife earlier in the year, while some have suggested Covid-19 has spread widely in the country, and that he is doing what he can to avoid catching it. Above, generals to the left of Kim Jong Un avoid pointing their handguns at him

Despite the first reported case in the country, Kim Jong Un and his generals did not wear face masks in the photos provided by the country's state news agency. Above, Kim Jong Un visits the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery in Pyongyang to mark the 67th anniversary of the 'Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War', as it is known in The North

Hostilities ended on July 27, 1953 with a ceasefire that has never been replaced by a peace treaty.

The North has subsequently built up a nuclear arsenal that it says it needs to protect itself against a US invasion, and has been subjected to multiple international sanctions as a result.

Pyongyang regards the conflict - which it calls the Glorious Fatherland Liberation War - as a victory and the official news agency KCNA reported that Kim presented his generals at the weekend with 'commemorative pistols bearing his august name in token of his trust'.

Meanwhile in South Korea, at a ceremony in Seoul on Monday, Korean War veterans attended a ceremony to mark the 67th anniversary of the armistice, and were seen socially distancing from one-another while wearing masks

Pictured: Members of a military honour guard hold the flags of participating nations during a ceremony of UN Forces Participation Day on July 27, 2020 in Seoul

Seoul's futuristic Zaha Hadid-designed Dongdaemun Design Plaza (pictured) saw dramatic reconstructions of the war interspersed with interviews with foreign veterans, and messages of support from current leaders of the countries that sent troops to support the South

The weapons were named after Mount Paektu, the dormant volcano on the Chinese-Korean border that is regarded as the spiritual birthplace of the Korean people.

In the pictures, the chief of the general staff Vice Marshal Pak Jong Chon, who was sitting to Kim's right, carefully pointed his pistol upwards rather than towards the leader.

In Seoul's futuristic Zaha Hadid-designed Dongdaemun Design Plaza, General Robert Abrams, the commander of UN Command and US Forces Korea, said the war was 'a great tragedy in human history' that 'left the Korean peninsula in rubble' and 'caused immense suffering for the Korean people'.

The US stations 28,500 troops in the South and he added: 'Freedom is not free and neither is peace.'

Kim Jong Un has been seen in public only a handful of times this year amid speculation of poor health, or that he is trying to avoid catching coronavirus, which observers believe has been spreading widely in North Korea for some time despite official denials.

North Korea has reportedly received thousands of coronavirus testing kits from Russia and other countries, and imposed strict border closures, with the country being almost totally closed off since January 30.

Thousands of people in North Korea were quarantined, but restrictions had recently eased, however on Wednesday, it emerged that North Koreans will reportedly be subjected to three months of hard labour for not wearing Covid-19 face masks under tough new rules.

In July, Kim Jong Un ended a month-long absence from public view as he appeared at a meeting of the country's political bureau, during which he praised North Korea's 'shining success' in fighting coronavirus.
Indian equity indices opened in red on Monday with BSE Sensex slipping over 100 points and the broader Nifty giving up the 11,190-level in early trade in line with global peers amid US-China tensions and coronavirus recovery concerns .

At 9:31am, the 30-share-index was down 122.19 points or 0.32% to trade at 38,006.71 while the NSE Nifty dropped 43.10 points or 0.39% to 11,151.05.

HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank were among top losers on Sensex while Yes Bank slumped 10%.

In the previous session on Friday, Sensex closed 11.57 points or 0.03% lower at 38,128.90 and Nifty was down 21.30 points or 0.19% to 11,194.15.

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The Queen will be the person 'most upset' by the new bombshell book on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, a source has claimed.

Finding Freedom is a biography written by journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, who are supporters of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and have set out to 'correct the record' and shift the spotlight on to their charitable ventures.

It makes new claims about tensions between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Royal Family - but a source has claimed it will 'open old wounds at a time when everyone wanted to move on.'

'It's going to open old wounds at a time when everyone wanted to move on,' the family source claimed, speaking to Vanity Fair. 'I think the person who will be most upset about it all is the Queen.'

The Queen will be the person 'most upset' by the new book on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, a source has claimed. Pictured, arriving to present Captain Sir Thomas Moore with the insignia of Knight Bachelor during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on July 17, 2020 in Windsor

The biography makes new claims about tensions between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Royal Family. Pictured, attending the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 9, 2020 in London

The Sussexes say they did not contribute to the book, but Scobie and Durand's account is based on extensive insight from friends of the couple.

The explosive biography has claimed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'hurt' the Queen by unilaterally mapping out their future royal roles without her approval.

Her Majesty is said to have been 'blindsided' by the launch of the SussexRoyal website which accompanied their Megxit announcement in January.

Royal aides told the authors of Finding Freedom, which is being serialised in the Times and Sunday Times, that sussexroyal.com fleshed out details for a 'half-in-half-out model' which had not been rubber-stamped by the Queen.

The Duchess of Cambridge snubbed Meghan Markle during the Sussex's final royal engagement on Commonwealth Day, the authors of an explosive new book has claimed. Pictured, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Commonwealth Day Service, Westminster Abbey, London on 9 March 2020

Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, has been written by royal watchers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, described as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's 'cheerleaders'

A senior member of the household was quoted in the book as saying: 'The element of surprise, the blindsiding of the Queen, for the other principals who are all very mindful of this, rightfully, it was deeply unsettling.

'The family is very private and bringing it into the public domain, when they were told not to, hurt the Queen.

'It was laying out what the Sussexes wanted in a statement without consulting with Her Majesty first - and she's the head of the institution.'

Meanwhile, The Sun previously reported that royal aides fear the new book could 'paint Prince William as the bad guy' and cause a fresh rift within the Royal Family, as well as result in potential repercussions for the future monarch.

Writing for Vanity Fair, royal expert Katie Nicholl added: 'There have been claims that the book will further deepen the rift between William and Harry, who fell out around the time Harry and Meghan got engaged when William voiced concerns that the relationship was moving too quickly.

'At one point things were so dire between the brothers that they werent speaking. While it is not known if the brothers have discussed the book and its findings, William will be understandably nervous about airing their grievances in public.'
This is Up and Down, where we give a brief thumbs up or thumbs down on the issues from the past week.

Up

A recent report commissioned by the Western Dakota Energy Association recommends that counties, state officials and others work together to develop a uniform permitting process for radioactive waste disposal facilities. The report recommending a collaborative approach is a good step. Counties have different zoning rules as it relates to siting landfills and other waste facilities. Counties also have expressed a desire to have more weight given to their concerns related to oilfield waste disposal. The report should help counties and the state move forward with sensible regulations. All radioactive oil field waste generated in the state is trucked to disposal facilities in other states. If North Dakota doesnt find a solution to dispose of it safely here, theres a risk that illegal dumping could occur.

Down

North Dakota hit several records last week as the coronavirus pandemic continues. The number of active cases surpassed 1,000 on Sunday, according to figures from the North Dakota Department of Health. Hospitalizations hit a record of 57 on Thursday. The number of new daily diagnoses hit a high of 160 on Wednesday. However, Gov. Doug Burgum said a problem at the state lab on Tuesday contributed to that figure being artificially high. Burleigh County, which previously had no coronavirus deaths, reported three deaths last week. The county is now the states hot spot with the highest number of active cases.

Up

The Mandan City Commission is right to consider tightening up the citys fireworks regulations. City Administrator Jim Neubauer recommended that fireworks be limited to July 3-4, rather than the current July 2-4. The proposal also would cut off July 4 fireworks at midnight rather than at 2 the next morning, in consideration of people who have to work the next day. Neubauer told the Tribune the commission gets complaints about residents who light fireworks outside of the approved hours. Its good to see the commission responding to public complaints and exploring an alternative. Reducing fireworks to two days rather than three is a compromise that could reduce the nuisance for some while still allowing people to celebrate. The public can weigh in on the matter on Aug. 4.

Down

AARP North Dakota warned people last week that con artists are using the coronavirus pandemic to scam grandparents. Its a new twist on an old scam. The caller pretends to be a grandchild who is sick and in need of money. The calls often come late at night when potential victims might be less clear-headed. AARP recommends people who get such calls ask a question only their grandchild would know, such as the name of a first pet. People also are advised to check the privacy settings on social media accounts to protect themselves against scammers.

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Akhmad Kadyrov was a well-known resistance figure fighting for Chechen independence from Russia during the first Chechen war from 1994 to 1996. But during the second Chechen war, which President Vladimir Putin launched in 1999 as he prepared to take over the Kremlin, the elder Kadyrov switched sides and backed Moscow, seeing elements of Islamist extremism in the insurgency. He became Moscows chosen Chechen leader.
Iten eventually found her niche in Staunton, where she spent the next half a century raising her family, leading a Girl Scout troop, volunteering for a mental-health awareness group and being a member of the Unitarian Universalist congregation in nearby Waynesboro. She made close friends who offered support in her final years there as she nursed her ailing husband at home. Some came to visit her at her retirement community in Maryland, where she moved as a widow in 2012 to be near Bostrom.
President Donald Trump's national security advisor, Robert O'Brien, has tested positive for the coronavirus.

O'Brien has "mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site," the White House said in a statement Monday.

"There is no risk of exposure to the President or the Vice President. The work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted," the White House said.

O'Brien, 54, is among the highest-ranking members in Trump's orbit reported to have come down with the coronavirus.

But other administration officials have previously been diagnosed with the virus. Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary, Katie Miller, tested positive for Covid-19 in May. That same month, a personal valet for Trump, who among other tasks served meals to the president, also tested positive.

Kimberly Guilfoyle, an official on Trump's reelection campaign and the girlfriend of the president's oldest son, tested positive in July.

On Monday afternoon, Trump told reporters at the White House that he did not know when O'Brien first tested positive, adding, "I haven't seen him lately."

The White House has said Trump is regularly tested, as are all officials who come into close contact with the president and vice president.

O'Brien earlier this month had traveled to Europe to meet with officials from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy. He was photographed on that trip in close proximity with his European counterparts, none of whom appeared to be wearing masks during meetings, photos from the NSC's official Twitter account show.

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More than 4.2 million people in the U.S. have tested positive for Covid-19 and at least 146,900 have died, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Bloomberg first reported O'Brien's diagnosis, citing people familiar with the matter. CNN and Politico followed with reports of their own.

-- CNBC's Amanda Macias contributed reporting.
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, July 27, 2020, delivered his State of the Nation Address (Sona) with a warning to telecommunication companies that they will be shut down if they do not improve their services to support government efforts in strengthening digital learning platforms.

Dutertes frustration with the current telecommunications services in the country led to the entry of a third telecommunications company, Dito Telecommunity Corp. (formerly known as Mislatel).

Dito, a joint venture between Davao businessman Dennis Uys Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp. and China Telecommunications Corp., had targeted to start operations in mid-2020. The completion of its infrastructure facilities, however, has been delayed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Uy was one of the businessmen who donated millions to the Duterte presidential campaign in 2016.

The President also took back the approval he gave for limited face-to-face learning starting January 2021.

In his fifth Sona attended by select legislators and empty gallery, Duterte reverted to his earlier statement that he will not allow face-to-face learning until a vaccine against Covid-19 becomes available.

I cannot and will not put at risk the health and lives of our students and teachers, he said.

When he approved the Department of Education (DepEd) program to allow face-to-face learning in areas with few to zero Covid-19 cases, Duterte said he was thinking that a vaccine would be available by September 2020.

He said he asked China President Xi Jinping four days ago to grant the Philippines credit for the acquisition of the vaccine as soon as this becomes available.

In lieu of face-to-face learning, DepEd is implementing multiple learning delivery modalities, including online distance learning platforms which are possible only with efficient telecommunications services.

Targeting telcos

Duterte expressed frustation again over the current state of telecommunications in the country.

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He mentioned Smart Telecommunications, the mobile phone unit of the Pangilinan-led Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), and the Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc.

Smart, pati itong Globe, ilang taon na ito? Ang sagot palagi sa akin, the party cannot be reached. Eh, saan pala pumunta yung y..a na yon? (How many years have Smart and Globe been operating? The answer that I usually get is the party cannot be reached. So where did that damn thing go?) Duterte said.

He said telecommunications companies should boost their capitalization and improve their services, or government will be forced to take drastic steps.

Alam mo, itong mga nagbibigay ng (these companies involve in giving) public services, you better improve. Huwag na man ninyo kaming pahintayin ng sampung taon bago kami makakamit ng mga (Do not let us wait for ten years before we can enjoy the) services that the other countries are enjoying, he said.

The President added: It is just a question of added capitalization, or the infusion of money. Go and look for it. Maghanap kayo because if you are not ready to improve, I might just as well close all of you and revert back to the line telephone. At kukunin ko yan (frequencies), i-expropriate ko, sa gobyerno.

Thanking PDut

Rep. Emmarie Ouano-Dizon (Cebu, 6th district) thanked the President for putting emphasis on shaping up the telecommunication sector of the Philippines.

Just like Dizon, Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa (Cebu City, south district) supported the Presidents call to discipline the countrys telecommunications firms.

For Dizon, she said internet connection is also one of the basic needs of the current generation.

On the other hand, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes agreed with the President, who said cooperation is key to the nations success.

Reverted frequencies

Duterte also said television frequencies reverted back to the government for whatever reason shall now be used to provide uninterrupted quality education to the children.

He directed Cabinet members to craft a program to ensure that government gets first option to use television and broadband frequencies.

He mentioned Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Pena, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan, Education Secretary Leonor Briones, Budget Secretary Wendell Avisado and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III.

Duterte also vowed to implement the proposed Public Education Network (PEN) under the Public Schools of the Future Digital Rise Program.

By 2022, before I step down, the PEN shall be realized. Im referring to the program. I will, I will do it, he said.

Under the program, the DepEd is rolling out the DepEd Commons, an online platform containing learning materials to support the continuous delivery of basic education.

The DepEd Commons was conceptualized in response to the 2012 Paris Open Educational Resources Declaration, but it is now being used to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic which has shut down schools in the country since mid-March.

Briones earlier said the DepEd Commons, which went live in March 2020, now has more than four million users, mostly learners from public and private schools, including those under the Alternative Learning System.

Since late April 2020, Briones said, access to DepEd Commons has been free for Globe and TouchMobile subscribers as well as for Smart, Sun, and TalkNText subscribers.

Bayanihan 2

The President also urged the Senate and the House of Representatives to approve the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2), revive the death penalty via lethal injection, and facilitate economic recovery by passing another tax reform bill that will benefit the corporate sector.

Duterte listed his legislative agenda for the year. He thanked Congress for quickly passing the first Bayanihan measurethe Bayanihan to Heal as One Act which expired on June 25, 2020.

Before Duterte gave his Sona, Senate President Vicente Sotto III had said the Senate will prioritize the second Bayanihan measure in its session Tuesday, July 28.

The Senate passed its version of the bill, Senate Bill 1564, on second reading before its sine die adjournment in June. The House, on the other hand, has yet to tackle the measure.

The Senate bill aims to extend the powers granted to President Duterte under Republic Act 11469 to carry out national policies in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It seeks to repeal a provision of the first Bayanihan law which granted the President the power to take over hospitals and other private facilities amid the Covid-19 crisis.

It will also remove the power of law enforcers to arrest or penalize individuals who violate quarantine policies.

Cebu business groups

The Filipino-Cebuano Business Club (FilCeb), which is composed of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), said the President failed to give a detailed explanation on how the government would help small businesses.

So far, we heard of P1 billion allocation for MSMEs through SB (Small Business) Corp. with zero interest. But, I think, this is quite small for the whole 99.6 percent MSME sector. We have not heard the President said anything about stimulus package except those that has already been approved in the Bayanihan Act which already expired, Filceb president Rey Calooy said.

Duterte, in his Sona, mandated the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to provide regulatory relief for MSMEs and allow loan payment extension without incurring penalties and charges.

He also instructed the Department of Agriculture and Department of Trade and Industry to come up with agri-business and entrepreneurship to help the displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). He also tasked Landbank and other government financial institutions to provide low interest loans to them as well.

Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president Felix Taguiam said Duterte touched all the salient points of their thrust for the recovery of the economy.

For Mandaue of Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Steven Yu, he said Mandaue City is at the forefront of the entrepreneurship spirit in Cebu in terms of hiring manpower to provide jobs to OFWs.

However, new businesses cannot yet compensate for the number of businesses that closed. Its a continuing work in progress and we would like to push it towards IT (information technology) and other creative industries, Yu said. (MVI, TPM, JOB, KFD, JJL)
SPRINGFIELD  Requests for food assistance during the ongoing pandemic continue to put pressure on Illinois food banks.

Elizabeth Gartman is a communications manager for the Northern Illinois Food Bank, which serves a 13-county area including most of the Chicago suburbs. In June, the agency distributed more than 300,000 meals each day.

We actually have had a record month each month for the past several months, Gartman said. We just distributed over 9 million meals last month, and thats a 50% increase over June of last year.

She said the only recent parallel to the demand experience now occurred around the recession of 2008 and 2009.

There was a huge increase for us in terms of the need in our community, Gartman said. It was very dramatic then and its been very dramatic once again over the past few months and its still continuing.

Molly Delaney is vice president of development with the Eastern Illinois Foodbank, which serves 18 counties, including the Champaign and Urbana areas. She said the agency saw a huge increase in demand during the first weeks of the states stay-at-home order.

That peaked in mid-to-late April, Delaney said. At that time, our service numbers were nearly double and 51 percent of those were new households. Weve heard from partners in the area that people really are new to this, not even knowing what to do or how to get access to food.

Since the initial spike, the Eastern Illinois Foodbank has seen numbers fall, though it is still assisting about 10 percent more families than before the COVID outbreak.

However, officials expect that to change.

We know thats whats happening right now, Delaney said. People have access to food and have funds to be able to purchase food for now. We anticipate another surge in the coming weeks when stimulus dollars are gone and the unemployment benefits, related to the CARES Act, expire at the end of July.

Both organizations report the community response in their areas has been tremendous, with both donations and volunteer numbers rising to support the effort.

Delaney said each community in the agencys area is experiencing different hunger needs her organization still is preparing to help.

We know that this isnt going to end tomorrow, Delaney said. And even though things have calmed down now, everything that we look at in terms of projections tells us that this is going to get worse before it gets better.

Weve been astounded by the generosity of our community, from just individuals to corporations and foundations and other organizations, Gartman said. As were seeing record amount of need, to have also a record amount of support is obviously just all the we could possibly ask for and then some.
Details added: first version posted on 16:43

BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27

Trend:

Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has been summoned to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 27, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani MFAs press service.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov met with Jordanian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Sami Abdullah Ghosheh.

During the meeting, the issue of the sale of weapons to Armenia by Jordan was discussed.

While the consequences of the occupation policy of Armenia against Azerbaijan have not been eliminated, one-fifth of the Azerbaijani territories are still occupied, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis remain IDPs, the latest military provocation of Armenia on the international border of the two states once again clearly showed that this country did not refuse from its occupying intentions. In this context the news spread about the sale of arms by Jordan to Armenia caused concern among the wide Azerbaijani public, the deputy FM said to the ambassador.

The Ambassador of Jordan expressed his understanding over the concern of the Azerbaijani side, promising to make every effort to eliminate it, given the strategic nature of his country's ties with Azerbaijan.
Bishops of the Central African Republic call for collaborative leadership and structural change in the country marked by long-running socio-political unrest.

By Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ

The bishops of the Central African Republic have called on citizens and on the government to work towards socio-political change amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis and preparations for the countrys presidential elections, set for 27 December 2020.

As pastors, we share the joys and hopes, the grief and anxieties of the Central African people, the bishops affirmed.

'We have taken the time to deliberate on the complex situation of our country which has almost always lived on the brink of the abyss, without really knowing peace, the Bishops said in a 26-point message released on Sunday at the end of their Second Ordinary Assembly which took place from 20 to 26 July in Bangui, the capital city.

We feel deeply concerned by two major challenges: coronavirus and the electoral process, the bishops said. How are we handling the coronavirus pandemic? What can we do to ensure a credible and acceptable electoral process? the bishops asked.

Long-running socio-political crisis

The bishops noted that since the Central African Republics independence in 1960, the country has only seen three democratic transfers of power: in 1981, 1993 and 2016. All other accessions to power have been through coups detat (1966, 1979, 1981, 2003 and 2013) that have destabilized the country.

As a consequence, according to the Bishops, over the past twenty years, the country has become a laboratory for peace initiatives. It was even given the unwanted title of world champion of the United Nations missions in 2014 due to its long-running socio-political unrest.

The need for collaborative leadership

Using the example of Moses in the Bible, the bishops said that leaders are called to hear the cries of their people and lead them to the Promised Land. However, Moses could not do it alone. He acknowledged his limitations and asked God for help (Num 11:14). God answered his prayer by assigning seventy men chosen from among the elders of Israel to help him (Numbers 11: 16  17).

Moses represents every inspired leader who listens to his people, shares their sufferings, and agrees to truly collaborate with others to bring his people out of misery, the Bishops pointed out.

Like Moses and his collaborators, can we work today for our social, economic, political and religious liberation to build our country, the Central African Republic, in truth, justice, reparation and reconciliation?

Coronavirus crisis

As in many other countries, the Covid-19 crisis has led the Central African Republic to implement restrictive measures.

The bishops noted that the Church, for its part, has reduced the maximum number of participants at each Mass to fifteen people and has suspended all the activities of various groups in the Church. It has also engaged in Covid-19 sensitization campaigns through community radio stations.

The Bishops saluted the multiple acts of solidarity among the people in these trying times and encouraged them to keep on supporting coronavirus victims and other particularly vulnerable people. They also expressed their gratitude to all the countries that have assisted the Central African Republic in its fight against Covid-19.

However, they voiced their concern about those taking advantage of the pandemic to enrich themselves by sowing fear among the people. They also lamented the lack of adequate structures for the care of those infected by the Covid-19 virus, as well as the lack of proper protective equipment for healthcare personnel.

At the same time, the prelates said that the focus on Covid-19 should not make us forget those suffering from other diseases. such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, diabetes, tuberculosis and measles.

Election concerns

The bishops commended the governments efforts in recruiting, training and dispatching electoral agents to the field in preparation for the upcoming elections in December. However, they also raise a number of concerns.

First, the Bishops highlight the real problem of the free circulation of arms of all calibers and call for an end to illegal weapons possession in the country.

In order for the Central African population to live in peace, the bishops said, disarmament and all the suppression of armed groups should be a priority at all levels.

The bishops also pointed out that the suspicion of forged documents weighs heavily on the current voter registration process, adding that these allegations have to be cleared up as the confidence of the population in the process depends on it.

Besides, they asked, how can the lack of mobilization, the demotivation of the population to register on the electoral roll and the low participation of women be explained?"

The mission of the Church

Highlighting the Churchs role as an agent of peace, the Bishops said that it has the responsibility to accompany the electoral process.

In the light of the Gospel, the Catholic Church simply wants to enlighten consciences by giving elements for discernment and peace-building, the bishops stated.

In this vein, the bishops appealed to all parties to avoid all actions that are detrimental to the electoral process and embrace peace.

Concluding their message, they enjoined everyone to work together for structural changes and for social, economic, political and religious liberation to build a new Central African Republic willed by God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was shown surrounded by pistol-toting generals while in the South masked veterans were socially distanced as the two sides on Monday separately marked the armistice that ended Korean War hostilities. The contrasting events marked 67 years since the ceasefire that left the peninsula divided and millions of families split by the Demilitarized Zone. In the North's capital, Kim handed out commemorative pistols to dozens of generals and senior officers, who pledged their loyalty to him, state media reported. The North reported its first suspected case of novel coronavirus infection at the weekend -- after insisting for months it had kept itself free of the disease that has swept the world -- but pictures showed the generals all gathered close together for a group photo, none of them wearing masks. In Seoul, scores of veterans -- in facial coverings and socially distanced seats -- attended a ceremony paying tribute to their efforts, themed "Days of Glory". On screen, dramatic reconstructions of the war were interspersed with interviews with foreign veterans, and messages of support from current leaders of the countries that sent troops to support the South, among them US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. Millions of people were killed during the three-year conflict, which began when the Communist North invaded the US-backed South as leader Kim Il Sung -- grandfather of the incumbent -- sought to reunify by force the peninsula Moscow and Washington had divided at the end of World War II. The Chinese- and Soviet-backed North fought to a standstill against the South and a US-led United Nations coalition. Hostilities ended on July 27, 1953 with a ceasefire that has never been replaced by a peace treaty. The North has subsequently built up a nuclear arsenal that it says it needs to protect itself against a US invasion, and has been subjected to multiple international sanctions as a result. - 'Air of uncertainty' - Pyongyang regards the conflict -- which it calls the Glorious Fatherland Liberation War -- as a victory, and the anniversary is a public holiday. The official news agency KCNA reported that Kim presented his generals at the weekend with "commemorative pistols bearing his august name in token of his trust". The weapons were named after Mount Paektu, the dormant volcano on the Chinese-Korean border that is regarded as the spiritual birthplace of the Korean people. In the pictures, the chief of the general staff Vice Marshal Pak Jong Chon, who was sitting to Kim's right, carefully pointed his pistol upwards rather than towards the leader. At another Southern ceremony in Panmunjom, the truce village in the Demilitarised Zone, General Robert Abrams, the commander of UN Command and US Forces Korea, noted the stark deterioration in conditions on the peninsula. Nuclear discussions between Washington and Pyongyang have been largely at a standstill since the Hanoi summit collapsed over sanctions relief and what the North would be willing to give up in return. Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang have steadily worsened and last month the North blew up a liaison office on its side of the border. Previously, "there was an air of cautious optimism as the world witnessed a significant and palpable reduction of tensions between North and South Korea", Abrams told a handful of uniformed officers and diplomats in masks. In sight of the emblematic sky-blue huts that straddle the border, Abrams went on: "Today, this cautious optimism has shifted somewhat to an air of uncertainty." The US stations 28,500 troops in the South to defend its interests and protect it from its neighbour. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presented his generals with commemorative pistols, KCNA said, as the country marked the 67th anniversary of the armistice at the end of the Korean War Korean War veterans wore face masks at an event in Seoul marking the anniversary of the Korean War armistice agreement South Korea and a US-led UN coalition fought against the Chinese- and Soviet-backed North during the three year conflict that left millions dead
President Donald Trump is visiting Texas this week, to raise money for the Republican Party and discuss the countrys energy-dominance agenda with the local oil industry.

Trumps energy agenda was one of the cornerstones of his campaign and, according to observers, secured him many votes from the oil and gasand coalindustry. Initially defined as an energy security agenda, during Trumps term, it became an energy dominance agenda as the second shale boom pushed U.S. crude oil production to the highest ever, turning the country into the largest producer of the worlds most traded commodity.

However, the second shale boom turned out to be a double-edged sword when the oil market swung into an oversupply yet again, with the coronavirus outbreak decimating demand. The federal administration had worked to achieve energy dominance by cutting regulations, simplifying permitting and encouraging private investment in energy infrastructure, according to a White House statement cited by the AP. This approach was maintained during the crisis, with Washington refusing to mandate production cuts for private producers as OPEC+ had asked.

As President Trump said at the time, the market would take care of itself. Indeed, while no official cuts were made, Washington undertook to shoulder some of the production cut burden OPEC+ had negotiated with Mexico after an agreement of historical proportions was reached among all the big oil producers in the world this spring. And then U.S. producers started cutting back on production simply because oil prices were too low to break even. At one point, WTI and several other U.S. benchmarks swung deep below zero as traders rushed to offload their positions.

Right now, the energy dominance agenda may be a little compromised because of the unprecedented change in demand for oil and gas resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed, the pandemic will continue to threaten Trumps agenda, according to experts, just as it threatens the global economy, with uncertainty marring any outlook for even the short term.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis and the Stormont Executive have been urged to end the shameful delay in the delivery of a victims pension.

MPs passed legislation last year to establish the payment scheme for people injured in the Troubles but it has been stalled over disputes.

There is disagreement over whether Westminster or Stormont should fund it, a failure to designate a department to administer it and a lack of consensus over who should receive the payments.

Expand Close The Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Louise Haigh MP (centre) with Jennifer McNern (left) and Alan McBride (right) during a meeting at the Wave Centre in Belfast, who have run a long-standing campaign for a pension for victims. PA Photo. Picture date: Monday July 27, 2020. See PA story ULSTER Victims. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Louise Haigh MP (centre) with Jennifer McNern (left) and Alan McBride (right) during a meeting at the Wave Centre in Belfast, who have run a long-standing campaign for a pension for victims. PA Photo. Picture date: Monday July 27, 2020. See PA story ULSTER Victims. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

The Northern Ireland Executive is facing a number of legal challenges over the delay to the scheme which had been due to open in May.

Shadow secretary of state Louise Haigh met victims at the Wave Trauma Centre in Belfast on Monday during her first visit to Northern Ireland in her role.

There is simply no excuse for this scheme not to be in operation, she said.

Victims have had to wait decades and another insulting delay in their long, brave battle for support is completely unacceptable.

To help end the shameful delay, the Secretary of State must step up and commit to fund the initial cost of the scheme Louise Haigh

This is about leadership, and the Secretary of State cannot allow the issue to be kicked into the long grass any longer.

To help end the shameful delay, the Secretary of State must step up and commit to fund the initial cost of the scheme.

And we urgently need to see a department designated by the Executive to begin administering this scheme.

Its time to deliver the commitment all of us, Westminster and Stormont, made to victims.

Chief executive of the Wave Trauma Centre, Sandra Peake said the scheme must be implemented without any further delay.

The recent death of Paddy Cassidy who was part of the campaign for years is a tragic reminder that time is not on the side of the severely injured Sandra Peake

It is scandalous one of the group, a woman who lost both her legs in a terrorist atrocity nearly 50 years ago has had to take legal action to force the Executive Office to fulfil its moral and legal obligations to implement the Victims Payment Scheme, she said.

The Secretary of State cannot stand on the sidelines while the legislation that was passed by his government is wilfully ignored.

The recent death of Paddy Cassidy who was part of the campaign for years is a tragic reminder that time is not on the side of the severely injured.

The scheme was designed to provide payments ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 to those seriously injured in the Troubles every year for the rest of their lives.

Expand Close The Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Louise Haigh MP (right, centre with red hair) meeting meeting L-R Paul Gallagher with Sandra Peake. Chief Executive Officer at WAVE Trauma Centre, Alex Bunting, Jennifer McNern, Louise Haigh MP, and Alan McBride, during a meeting at the Wave Centre in Belfast, who have run a long-standing campaign for a pension for victims. PA Photo. Picture date: Monday July 27, 2020. See PA story ULSTER Victims. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Louise Haigh MP (right, centre with red hair) meeting meeting L-R Paul Gallagher with Sandra Peake. Chief Executive Officer at WAVE Trauma Centre, Alex Bunting, Jennifer McNern, Louise Haigh MP, and Alan McBride, during a meeting at the Wave Centre in Belfast, who have run a long-standing campaign for a pension for victims. PA Photo. Picture date: Monday July 27, 2020. See PA story ULSTER Victims. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

A UK Government spokesperson responded to Ms Haighs comments.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is working tirelessly to see a resolution on departmental designation by the Executive Office, which is the next vital step towards this scheme opening, they said.

It is imperative that Sinn Fein enable the scheme to move forward by agreeing with all the other parties and designating a department to administer it.

This is a devolved matter and funding must therefore come from the Executives block grant.

Discussions about funding are not preventing the Executive from being able to take crucial steps to unlock implementation of the scheme, which it must do urgently.

Victims have waited far too long for these payments and the Government remains extremely disappointed by the lack of progress.

Ms Haigh also met with Victims Commissioner Judith Thompson.

Ms Thompson voiced her frustration with the delays to the pension scheme, as well as concerns about future mechanisms for dealing with the past.

We know that there is no perfect solution that will meet all expectations but we cannot simply throw away the work of all those stakeholders who have brought us to the point where legacy institutions and a victims payment are now within reach, she said.

Support and pressure, in equal measure, must be brought by all of Westminster to the Governments in London and Belfast to deliver at last for those who have suffered the most.

We will not falter in our efforts to make that final leap and we would ask our politicians to recognise that this is the last step in finally delivering tangible and meaningful truth, acknowledgement, justice and reparations for victims and survivors, allowing us to move forward to build a better future.
Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Volodymyr Yelchenko does not rule out that the visit of President of Ukraine to the US may take place before the presidential election in November.

It's hard to say. This may happen before the election. [We organize] a full-fledged visit, with trips to two or more states, Yelchenko said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine online media outlet when asked whether Zelenskys visit might take place only after the US presidential election.

According to Yelchenko, preparations are underway to open Ukraines consulate general in Houston, Texas, and it would be a good idea for the President of Ukraine to open it.

The ambassador also noted that a trip to California could be made as no Ukrainian president had been there so far.

A trip to Seattle, Washington state, where the fastest growing [Ukrainian] diaspora in the United States live, could also be made. According to our data, about 70,000 Ukrainians already work in and around Seattle. This community has formed over the past ten years, this is a new diaspora. Ukrainians work there in different sectors: from fishing to various IT giants. We hope that President Zelensky will be able to visit Seattle, Yelchenko said.

No visit will be effective if serious documents are not signed and these documents should be prepared, the ambassador stressed and noted that several serious projects are currently being prepared for implementation.

As Yelchenko noted, the United States traditionally goes on so-called foreign policy vacations a few months before the presidential election which means that U.S. president usually does not leave the country and foreign leaders make much less visits to the United States. This year, such vacations coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukrainian ambassador stressed.

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Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 20:47 541 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406698ab9e 1 World diplomacy,health,COVID-19,vaccine-alliance,public-private-partnership Free

Indonesian policymakers are not putting the nations healthcare eggs in one basket. The country has chosen to partner with multiple producers to develop potential COVID-19 vaccines, while leveraging its role as one of Southeast Asias leading medical manufacturers.

The continuing rise of COVID-19 infections has sent the international community into a vaccine procurement frenzy as the death toll creeps towards 650,000 globally.

Instead of competing with other countries to corner the market, Indonesia has thrown itself into multiple collective endeavors to find  and then manufacture  a viable vaccine.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Thursday that Indonesia had both short- and long-term plans for vaccine development.

The short-term strategy is to collaborate with several countries and other partners to secure access to [potential] vaccines already being developed, while the long-term strategy is to be self-sufficient by getting involved in vaccine development under the national consortium, she told reporters in Jakarta.

To achieve these short-term goals, Indonesian diplomats have been seeking out opportunities for cooperation with producers such as Sinovac Biotech of China, Genexine Inc. of South Korea and the Bill Gates-backed Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

State-owned pharmaceutical company PT Bio Farma has partnered with Sinovac on an inactivated virus vaccine and is discussing cooperation with the CEPI, while homegrown health giant Kalbe Farma is cooperating with Genexine on a DNA vaccine.

Inactivated vaccines are made from microorganisms such as viruses that have been neutralized through physical or chemical processes.

Such vaccines may not always induce a long-lasting immune response  or any response at all  meaning people may need multiple doses over time.

DNA vaccines, on the other hand, are a relatively recent invention. They tend to be more stable and provide longer-term immunity, while remaining easy and inexpensive to produce.

We have all these collaborations running in parallel so that we can get the fastest possible access to the [potential] vaccines, Retno said.

Sinovac is one of five manufacturers leading the global drive for vaccine development. A possible vaccine produced by the company is entering its third phase of human clinical trials. It was one of 166 vaccine candidates under consideration.

Retno said that Indonesias Ambassador in Beijing, Djauhari Oratmangun, had been in conversation with Sinovac since late May and had visited the companys development facility to meet CEO Weidong Yin  the first foreign ambassador in China to do so since the pandemic swept the globe.

That meeting paved the way for cooperation between Biofarma and Sinovac, both of which are set to conduct phase 3 trials of the potential vaccine in Bandung, West Java, later this month.

The vaccine will be trialed by Padjadjaran University and the Health Ministry's research and development agency and will involve nearly 1,600 volunteers.

The preliminary results of this trial may be submitted for emergency use authorization to the Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) by the first quarter of 2021, according to Bio Farma.

Retno said there had been close coordination between the Health Ministry, Biofarma, the Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) and the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology to ensure that Indonesia was prepared to mass-produce vaccines.

The Foreign Ministry will continue to support and oversee this process, including the delivery of bulk vaccines needed for vaccine technology transfer and production in Indonesia, which we aim to begin in the first quarter of 2021, she said.

The hunt for a vaccine has created a world of dueling potential vaccines and geopolitical battles over who will get supplies. The United States, western Europe and China have all ramped up research and set up supply chains for the production of COVID-19 vaccine candidates, while other countries, such as India or Russia, claim to be just months away from a working product.

Indonesia is teaming up with other countries to circumvent some of this competition.

Commenting on the Biofarma-Sinovac endeavor, Retno said the collaboration was equal and mutual. As the largest vaccine producer in Southeast Asia, Biofarma currently has an annual production capacity of 100 million doses of the potential vaccine.

We are currently ramping up vaccine production to 250 million vaccine doses per year so that when we have fulfilled domestic demand, Indonesia will also be able to supply the vaccine to the world, she said.

The ministry will fast-track and facilitate the arrival of European experts in Indonesia to assist in reaching the production target, she added.

In addition to the Biofarma-Sinovac initiative, Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea Umar Hadi is facilitating cooperation between Kalbe Farma and Genexine.

Under this partnership, phase two clinical trials for a possible vaccine will begin in Indonesia in September or October, continuing from the phase one trials underway in South Korea until August.

The parties are still discussing the number of samples to be brought to phase two trials, among other arrangements, Retno said.

Indonesias Ambassador to Norway, Todung Mulya Lubis, helped Biofarma submit a cooperation proposal in April to become one of the CEPIs vaccine production partners.

At present, Biofarma has been included on the shortlist of potential manufacturers for the CEPI COVID-19 vaccine, the minister said.

For the longer term, Indonesia is developing a potential recombinant protein subunit vaccine using local coronavirus strains through the national consortium for COVID-19 vaccine development.

This method seeks to anticipate potential mutations of the virus, which may render vaccines developed in other countries using different strains useless  a concern that epidemiologists have raised in previous months.

Retno said the government had appointed the Eijkman Institute to lead the vaccine development program through the consortium, which includes the Health Ministry's Research and Development Agency (Balitbangkes), Bio Farma and several universities.
This article was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

Military prosecutors struggling to restart war crimes tribunals at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in the midst of the pandemic are proposing to transform the crude court compound of tents and trailers into a quarantine zone.

The plan would airlift about 100 people from across the United States to Guantanamo on Sept. 5  everyone bound for the courtroom, except the defendants  and then isolate them for two weeks at the makeshift site called Camp Justice. Then the men accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks would be brought from the prison to the courtroom to begin six weeks of hearings in the case, from Sept. 21 to Nov. 3, the height of hurricane season.

Efforts to get the hearings going again face several obstacles. Guantanamo has no capacity for widespread coronavirus testing and must send any samples to labs in the United States to get results. The naval base that houses the courtroom and the prison has limited health care facilities. And the case currently lacks a full-time judge.

A prosecutor, Clayton G. Trivett, notified defense lawyers last week of the planning, which he said would consolidate court hearings and personnel to prevent posing unnecessary risk to the resident base population of 6,000 people.
President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the U.S. government has awarded Fujifilm a $265 million contract to expand the country's coronavirus vaccine manufacturing capacity.

The Department of Health and Human Services awarded the contract to the Fujifilm Texas A&M Innovation Center in College Station, Texas, Trump said. He made the announcement at the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Morrisville, North Carolina, where the company is manufacturing "bulk drug substance" for a coronavirus vaccine by Novavax, which was awarded $1.6 billion by the federal government to help develop the vaccine.

"These same manufacturing processes are being conducted on an even larger scale in College Station, Texas," Trump said. "Today, I'm proud to announce that HHS has just signed a $265 million contract with the Fujifilm Texas A&M Innovation Center, which is quite the place, to dramatically expand their vaccine manufacturing capacity."

Health officials have repeatedly warned that even once a vaccine is found to be safe and effective in humans, manufacturing and distributing doses will prove to be another hurdle. Vaccine manufacturers have been ramping up manufacturing of doses before they know that the vaccine is safe and effective in order to cut the time it will take to vaccinate people.

The Texas site will support Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration's effort to accelerate the development, manufacturing and distribution of vaccines and treatments to fight the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. The task order from HHS reserves manufacturing capacity in the facility through the end of 2021, the company said in a release.

"Our leading scientists and engineers in College Station are honored to support COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing with the goal of delivering a safe and effective vaccine to the U.S. population," Dr. Gerry Farrell, chief operating officer of Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, Texas, said in a statement. "We will allocate the reserved capacity based on direction provided by the U.S. government, and similar to our North Carolina site, we expect a portion of the reserved capacity to be allocated to Novavax, Inc. for its NVX-CoV2373 COVID-19 vaccine candidate."

The site, which is a part of the Centers for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing, was established at Texas A&M University in 2009 with support from the state, according to the school's website. Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies is a subcontractor of the university, the company said.

The company's site says it has decades of experience in the development and manufacturing of biologics, viral vaccines and gene therapies.

"To ensure we have the needed capacity, we are engaging domestic centers for advanced manufacturing that HHS has helped build in recent years," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. "Securing more manufacturing capacity here in America will help get a vaccine to Americans without a day wasted and prepare our nation for future emergencies."
It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU).

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 don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'.

View our latest analysis for Prudential Financial

Prudential Financial Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The insider, Nicholas Silitch, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$723k worth of shares at a price of US$88.17 each. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. The good news is that this large sale was at well above current price of US$64.91. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 14.08k shares worth US$1.2m. But insiders sold 10.22k shares worth US$912k. In total, Prudential Financial insiders bought more than they sold over the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Story continues

Prudential Financial is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Prudential Financial insiders own about US$55m worth of shares. That equates to 0.2% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

So What Do The Prudential Financial Insider Transactions Indicate?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Prudential Financial insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. At Simply Wall St, we found 1 warning sign for Prudential Financial that deserve your attention before buying any shares.

Of course Prudential Financial 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.
The restaurant industry has felt the impact of the national lockdown, including a significant change in how people are buying their food.

South African restaurants were forced to shut down when the national lockdown started, and they were only allowed to reopen for deliveries on 1 May.

Sit-down meals were allowed from 29 June, but according to restaurants, takeaways and deliveries remain the preferred choice for customers.

Restaurants across South Africa have been protesting the continued ban on alcohol sales, which they claim is killing the industry.

According to Restaurant Association of South Africa CEO Wendy Alberts, the current restrictions on liquor sales make it impossible for restaurants to make ends meet.

Restaurants are also hamstrung by the national curfew, which is also putting many customers off visiting restaurants for a sit-down meal.

MyBroadband asked Nandos and KFC how their business models have had to change as a result of the national lockdown.

Nandos

Nandos said it already had a healthy off-premise building before the national lockdown, with 70% of its meals being bought through takeaway, call and collect, and delivery.

It said that it has noticed a spike in delivery orders since the lockdown began, and this was further accelerated by its new Kerbside channel.

We launched a new channel in the form of Kerbside  which we like to call Zwakala Sokhuletela (you come to us and we bring it to you). This has shifted our ratio of orders further into off-premise channels overall, said Nandos.

Nandos noted that customers are cautious of returning to dine-in eating at restaurants.

We dont expect our dine-in levels to return to where they were for some time to come despite the stringent measures weve put in place to keep our staff and guests safe, said Nandos.

People are still craving peri-peri, and whilst there are significant short term economic headwinds as a result of the trading restrictions were confident well rebound effectively as we emerge out of this pandemic.

KFC

KFC said that there has been a decline in the industry at large over the past few months.

However, thanks to our established e-commerce portfolio through the likes of our Click and Collect function on our website and app, our strategic partnerships with delivery aggregators, as well as the introduction of curbside collection, we have ensured a solid business continuity plan, said KFC.

It said that the pandemic has seen it fast-track its journey to driving e-commerce to its customers.

Each person has their own preferences when it comes to food retail and so, it was crucially important for us that we mapped to each of these and were able to provide customers with a service that suits them best.

KFC said that the future is uncertain, and the long-term impact of the lockdown on the industry remains unclear.

However, KFC said it has become clear that innovations and processes put into place during the lockdown will very much set the tone for how the quick service restaurant sector will run post-COVID-19.
We issue out this solidarity statement today, July 26, 2020 to throw our heavy support behind the nomination of the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade, for this years Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba has taken an active role in extending international solidarity to countries that are hard-hit by the deadly virus. Cuba has sent members of its Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade to more than 30 countries to assist in the fight against the Corona virus.

Thousands of organizations in every corner of the world have showed appreciation to Cuba and supporting the nomination of the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade for the Norwegian Peace Prize award, for its international solidarity work in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and other life-threatening diseases. But the Trump administration and the neo-cons in Washington are doing everything to undermine this selfless service to humanity. President Trump has even sent a threatening message to countries that accept the help of the highly respected Cuban medics.

What is this Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade? This is a group of Cuban doctors created in September 2005, by Cuban leader, the late Fidel Castro Ruz in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, which stroke the United States on 29 August 2005. At the time, the United States was the first country to have benefitted from the programme, but the unconditional offer of 1, 586 medical professionals from Cuba was rejected by the then Bush administration in Washington, despite the well-documented need of such support for post-Katrina relief efforts.

This was what Fidel Castro had to say a month later after US rejection of Cubas offer of humanitarian assistance: Our country was closest to the area hit by the hurricane and was in the position to send over human and material aid in a matter of hours. It was as if a big American cruise ship with thousands of passengers aboard were sinking in waters close to our coast. We could not remain indifferent. But the US didnt respond to the offer of assistance. It didnt even acknowledge it. We prepared more than 1,500 doctors with all the necessary knowledge, equipment and supplies, who were ready to start work as soon as we entered the country. The US government didnt accept them, and many people died who could have been saved. That was a sad day for medicine, and for American society.

Named in honor of a Brooklyn-born US hero who rose to the rank of Brigadier General during Cubas struggle for national independent self-rule from Spain, the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade has since its inception worked in a number of countries worldwide. The work of the Brigade is possible through the Biogenetic Engineering and Research Center in Havana-a scientific project initiated by the late Cuban leader, Fidel Castro with the sole aim of helping to alleviate human suffering in the world. This rich innovative idea led to the establishment of the Latin America School of Medicine (ELAM). This was achieved in the midst of a destructive blockade imposed on the Island by the US government. Since its establishment in 2005, ELAM has trained over 40 thousand students from 79 countries, who later returned home to provide noble services to poor and vulnerable communities.

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, in January 2010 the Cuban doctors had, had to work alongside US and other foreign medics in an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation. In some of the most remote and neglected parts of the world, where foreign powers have brain drained away most of the medical expertise, Cuban personnel become visible to help fill a desperate humanitarian need. For more than half a century since the imposition of the barbaric, inhumane, unjust and diabolic US blockade in 1962, some 150,000 Cuban professionals have provided selfless services overseas, and today, 45,000 of them are trained doctors, the rest nurses and other specialists are spread across more than 70 countries. Now Elam is training many more from foreign countries, under Cuban international humanitarian solidarity with the worlds poor.

Since I am an optimist, I think this world can be saved, in spite of the mistakes made, in spite of the immense, hegemonic powers that have been created, because I believe ideas prevail over force.

Our country does not drop bombs on other peoples, nor does it send thousands of planes to bomb cities; our country does not possess nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, or biological weapons. Our country's tens of thousands of scientists and doctors have been educated in the idea of saving lives. It would absolutely contradict this concept to put a scientist or a doctor to work to produce substances, bacteria or viruses to kill other human beings.

Allegations that Cuba is doing research on biological weapons have even been made. In our country, research is conducted to cure diseases as severe as meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis, to produce vaccines with genetic engineering techniques, or, something of great importance, to discover vaccines or therapeutic formulas through molecular immunology; some of which can prevent and others cure. We are moving forward along this path. This is the pride of our doctors and our research centers.

Tens of thousands of Cuban doctors have provided internationalist services in the most remote and inhospitable places. I once said that we could not and would never carry out preventive or surprise attacks against any dark corner of the world; but rather that our country could send needed doctors to the darkest corners of the world. Doctors, not bombs. Doctors, not smart weapons. Excerpts from Fidel Castros historic speech in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2003!

In the last 15 years, over 45, 000 of members of the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade have volunteered to provide their international humanitarian health service delivery system in all regions of the world, including North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle-east, Europe and Asia.

The heroic performance of the Brigade in 2014 in the West African countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia that were badly hit by the devastating Ebola pandemic was only a reminder to all and sundry that Cuba is a force to reckon with when it comes to saving human lives. On the appeal made by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Cuba was the first country to respond to control the spread of Ebola and save lives in the West African sub-region. In January 2014 former Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, summed up this contribution accurately: They are always the first to arrive and the last to leave- and they always remain after the crisis. Cuba has a lot to show the entire world 

In recognition of this, the main Norwegian Labor Union Federation once nominated the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade for the award of the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize in 2015. However, the prize was given to two other very worthy candidates who were outstanding in their fight for the rights of children : Pakistans Malala Yousafzai and Indias Kailash Satyarthi.

Cubas contribution to saving lives cannot be underestimated; for a small and poor Island to share it resources with others, deploying thousands of Cuban medical personnel to provide assistance across the world, places the Caribbean nation top among others. This is made possible only because Cuba has built up its own high quality health-care system, and its supply of highly trained doctors and other health professionals, to the point that it has far more doctors relative to its population than what others like the United States has. The Cuban medical system has adopted a preventive public health approach, which has allowed Cuba to surpass many more wealthy countries on numerous measures of quality of health and health care. Doctors and health-care workers in Cuba receive absolutely free training, and patients receive absolutely free services as well.

Not bothered by the malicious campaign against its international humanitarian service, Cubas solidarity is continuing in the midst of the current health crisis-Corona virus pandemic. By means of a strong quarantine regime and intensive community outreach, infections and deaths in Cuba as of July 25th have been 2, 469 cases, 87 deaths and 2, 341 recovered, compared to the United States, which has reported 4,248,492 cases, 148,492 deaths and 2,028,361recovered.

It comes as no surprise that Cuba has mobilized its international health solidarity resources to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic in many countries of the world; it is because they are internationally recognized. Cuban researchers are also currently working with their Chinese counterparts to develop a treatment for Covid-19, called Interferon Alpha-2b Recombinant (which has been used in Cuba for several years against other diseases). Several French overseas departments geographically close to Cuba have already agreed to receive medical aid from Havana, as have various other countries in the region such as Jamaica, Barbados, Venezuela, Suriname, Grenada and Nicaragua, as well as Africa.

Covid-19 virus pandemic is a dangerous, devastating and unprecedented crisis for many people across the global village, but Cubans are used to living with violent upheavals, whether caused by the ravages of a hurricane or the financial and political blockade imposed by the United States, which has been further strengthened since Donald Trump assumed the mantle of leadership in the US. And of course, there is no risk of seeing Cubans fighting in supermarkets for a few rolls of toilet paper, as they have been living for decades of shortages of essential goods due to US illegal blockade and extraterritorial laws.

Of late, the Trump administration in Washington is employing derogatory claims in its futile attempts to mislead international opinion about the humanitarian service Cuban health workers provide to the people of the world. It erroneously claims that Cuban health workers are being exploited to generate income for the government in Havana, and that therefore countries which host them are engaged in human trafficking. Again, Washington has threatened punitive action against any country which contracts with Cuba for professional health-care service delivery. This is why, we asking if the kidnapping of the two Cuban doctors, Landy Rodriguez (a surgeon) and Assel Herrera (an internist) in Kenya, on 12 April, 2019 was not related to President Trumps aggressive rhetoric towards the selfless service of the Cuban medical workers.

These accusations levied against the Cuban medics are not only false and ridiculous, but project as a heinous crime and crime against humanity. Members of the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade are willing volunteers, ready to give their selfless service anywhere it is needed to help save lives. Second, the Cuban medics services are provided free to the worlds poorest countries, something the US cannot afford to do. And thirdly, and as pointed out by one foreign diplomat: Cuba has also helped train doctors for the Caribbean nations, and that the United States is offering these countries absolutely no help during the current Covid-19 virus pandemic. As for the threat on countries that contract with the Cuban medical workers is nothing but an attempt to meddle in the internal matters of other countries.

From the above, it has become common knowledge that demonizing Cuba is another Trumps expression of hatred for humanity. Only sane-thinking people will follow this madness, after all, the Trump administration has no proper healthcare system for the American people and therefore, its jealous of Cuba can be seen clear in the picture.

After years of official neglect, the time has finally arrived to honor the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade. There is now a big opportunity to speak out in support of nomination of the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade for award of this years Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize.

A cynic would question why this step was not taken earlier, and would also question the timing as too convenient and expedient during this time of the Corona virus pandemic. What is at stake is symbolism and that is important now.

It is important to note that over 200 Organisations worldwide have taken a symbolic step to nominate the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade for the 2020 Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize. Earlier, the Hugo Chavez International Foundation for Peace, Friendship and Solidarity (HCIF-PFS) had rejuvenated this idea, but at a single small voice. Now there is a bigger and louder voice drumming from all corners of the world sounding the call for the Nobel Peace Prize this year be awarded to the Cuban medics. This is a clarion call, and should be supported by all good people.

To the Hugo Chavez International Foundation for Peace, Friendship and Solidarity (HCIF-PFS), the nomination of the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade for the 2020 Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize is not a campaign for ideological supremacy. But a recognition of the 15 years of noble service of the Cuban, to save human lives in the world.

These are but a selection of the distinctive contributions that the Cuban medics have made to save human lives, and to promote the cherished ideals in the Charter of the Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel Peace Prize for the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade is one of the just and moral path the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize committee can do to reward the efforts of individuals and states in saving human lives.

Concluding, through this public release statement, the Hugo Chavez International Foundation for Peace, Friendship and Solidarity (HCIF-PFS) wants to add its support and voice for nomination of the Cuban medics to get the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. We are convinced that awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade would have a significant impact in supporting peace; promoting human rights and justice.

We pray that the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize committee will consider recognizing the role of the Cuban health workers in the fight against the deadly Corona virus pandemic, signaling the hope that this decision carries for the future.

Sender:

Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh

Consular-General and President of the Governing Council

The Hugo Chavez International Foundation for Peace, Friendship and Solidarity (HCIF-PFS)

For and on behalf of the Hugo Chavez International Foundation for Peace, Friendship and Solidarity (HCIF-PFS)
Vietnam has postponed its hosting of Asia's largest security forum, which includes North Korea, and an annual meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers by a month to September due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Two Southeast Asian diplomats said Monday that Vietnam, which leads the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year, hopes to hold face to face meetings in mid-September instead of doing them by online video due to travel restrictions if the annual gatherings were to be held as originally scheduled later this week.

For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here

The 10-nation bloc hosts the ASEAN Regional Forum, which brings together its top diplomats with counterparts from the United States, China, Japan, Russia, India, the two Koreas and other Asia Pacific countries to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and other security issues.

Most of about 1,300 ASEAN meetings this year have so far been shifted online due to the coronavirus pandemic, including an annual summit of ASEAN leaders last month.

More sensitive talks, including secretive negotiations between China and ASEAN member states for a so-called code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea, have been delayed indefinitely, said the two diplomats, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss the matter publicly.
The situation along the contact line is stable and under control.

Ukrainian Joint Forces Commander, General Volodymyr Kravchenko has said Russian-led forces have already violated the newly-agreed truce in Donbas.

"The situation along the contact line is stable and under control. Unfortunately, at 00:20-00:45 Kyiv time, the enemy shelled a unit of the 36th separate marine infantry brigade, using riles, hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers, and heavy machine guns. The Joint Forces had no casualties. Our units did not fire back. The shelling that took place at night caused no harm to the life and health of the personnel," he said at a briefing in Donetsk region, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

Read alsoUkraine's JFO HQ updates on ongoing truce in Donbas

In addition, according to Kravchenko, at about 09:00 Kyiv time, the invaders opened fire from hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers three times in the zone of responsibility of the 79th separate airborne assault brigade.

As UNIAN reported earlier, participants in the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine, Russia, OSCE) on the peace settlement in Donbas on July 22 agreed on a complete and comprehensive ceasefire on the contact line from 00:01 on Monday, July 27.

The new ceasefire regime began to operate in Donbas at 00:01 Kyiv time on July 27.

Before the new agreements came into force, President Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Senior military officers and President Zelensky say the new truce does not mean that the Ukrainian military will not be able to return fire in response to enemy attacks.
NDC Member of Parliament (NDC) for Builsa South, Clement Apaak has asked the government not to blame its failed promises on the implementation of the free Senior High School policy.



He is also asking the government to render account for the money used in the implementation of the policy.



The free Senior High School education policy pursued currently is supposed to cover the full cost of education.



An amount of $100 million (GH 400 million) by the government was to absorb the cost of Senior High School education and make it entirely free for the 2017/2018 academic year.



Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that out of the 5.2 billion Ghana cedis that was earmarked by the government for the policy, only 3.2 billion Ghana cedis has been expensed by the government,

ss such government needs to account for the remaining 2 billion Ghana cedis.



"I think Ghanaians who pay taxes and their taxes are been used to fund the free Senior High School policy of the government deserve to know how and what their monies have been used for," he said, adding that this is a clear indication that the NPP government has failed.



Auditor-General must audit Free SHS Policy



He has also tasked the Auditor-General to perform a special audit on the free Senior High School policy of the NPP government.



"As a minority, we have asked that a special audit be performed on the free SHS policy of the government but all to no avail, but we are still asking that a special audit be done," he added.



Free SHS



In September 2017, the government of Ghana introduced another ambitious education sector reform policy, the implementation of a Free Senior High School Programme.



Under the new policy, all newly enrolled students in public Senior High Schools from the beginning of the 2017/18 academic year did not require to make payments as a condition or their admission and the government will pay.



The objective of the policy, according to the President, is to redefine basic education by ensuring that every Ghanaian child attends school from kindergarten to Senior High School, which will now be the basic education that every child is required to receive.



Watch video below





Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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NEW DELHI - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a groundbreaking ceremony next week for a Hindu temple on a disputed site in northern India where a 16th century mosque was torn down by Hindu hard-liners in 1992, according to the trust overseeing the temple construction.

The ceremony is set for Aug. 5, a date organizers said was astrologically auspicious for Hindus but that also marks a year since the Indian Parliament revoked the semi-autonomous status of its only Muslim-majority state, Jammu and Kashmir.

The symbolism was impossible to miss for both supporters and opponents of Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, whose manifesto had for decades included pledges to strip restive Kashmirs autonomy and to build a temple to the Hindu god Ram where the Mughal-era mosque once stood, a site in the city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh state that devotees believe to be Rams birthplace.

Because the coronavirus is still rampaging across India, which has reported the worlds third-highest caseload, the ceremony will be broadcast live on state television and the number of participants and spectators will be limited, according to Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or the World Hindu Organization, a Hindu nationalist group allied with the BJP.

The temple will serve as an enduring and immortal beaming centre of social harmony, national unity and integration and awakening of the feeling of Hindutva, or Hindu way of life, the organizations spokesperson Vinod Bansal said in a news release Saturday.

A century-long dispute over the site was resolved last year following the BJPs landslide election victory. In November, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the temple trust, saying that Muslim petitions would be given five acres at an alternative site.

Hindus hard-liners have long contended Mughal Muslim invaders built a mosque on top of an existing temple in the ancient city of Ayodya.

A December 1992 riot following the destruction of the mosque sparked communal violence in which about 2,000 people were killed, mostly Muslims.

Meanwhile, the trial in the demolition court case continues to be heard in a special court.

An architect from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Modis home state, has proposed a towering sandstone structure 161 feet (49 metres) high with five domes.

Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradeshs chief minister and a Hindu monk, requested that Ayodhya hold a special cleaning and purification ceremony and for all of the citys temples to light oil lamps ahead of Modis visit, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

Adityanath said the occasion marked the end of a 500-year struggle, PTI reported.
Torontonians who have COVID-19 and risk infecting others at home could soon self-isolate in a free room with food, laundry and Wi-Fi for up to two weeks.

Dr. Eileen de Villa, Torontos senior public health official, is asking city council this week to authorize her to enter into an agreement with the federal government to fund a 140-room, city-run isolation site.

The program, modelled on that of New York City and other cities, is aimed at lower-income people who get infected but, because of crowded living conditions and other factors, cant ensure they wont spread the virus to others.

The city estimates it would cost $12.7 million to operate a 140-room facility for one year. Potential residents would be identified by Toronto public health staff and would self-isolate there only while considered infectious  typically about 14 days.

Coun. Joe Cressy, chair of the Toronto Public Health, said Toronto is very close to getting federal funding. He called the project an excellent investment in preventing a major second wave of COVID-19.

No site has been confirmed. De Villa has suggested it might be in the northwest corner of Toronto, a mostly working class area that has seen some of the highest rates of infection.

But city-provided transport to the site and later back home means it could be in another part of the city, Cressy said. People who are not infected but live in close quarters with somebody who is would also be eligible for a stay.

Were at a turnkey moment  as soon as funds are finalized, and if council gives authorization, staff can accept them and turn the key and open up the facility, Cressy said.

De Villas report quotes a study that found COVID-19 spreads more rapidly through households than other viruses, including SARS. Other research found that people who go into institutional isolation infect far fewer people than those who try to isolate at home.

Public health estimates that when new infections were peaking in Toronto in April, 10 to 15 people per day would have been eligible to use a self-isolation site.

Cressy acknowledged the site, if it gets approval, could have rooms sitting empty in a city that has many homeless people. But the city needs to have rooms for surge capacity, he said, noting Toronto has facilities to self-isolate sick homeless people.

David Rider is the Stars City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Mostly clear skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Snow may mix in late. Low 34F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Mostly clear skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Snow may mix in late. Low 34F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Jack Ma poses for the media at the Alibaba booth during the opening day of the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover, central Germany, on March 16, 2015. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images)

Alibaba, Jack Ma Summoned by Indian Court Over Ex-Employees Lawsuit

NEW DELHIAn Indian court has summoned Alibaba and its founder Jack Ma in a case where a former employee in India alleges he was wrongfully fired after objecting to what he saw as censorship and fake news on company apps, documents seen by Reuters showed.

The case comes weeks after India, citing security concerns, banned Alibabas UC News, UC Browser, and 59 other apps, mostly Chinese-developed, after a border clash between the two countries forces.

Following the ban, which China has criticized, India has sought written answers from all affected companies, including whether they censored content or acted for any foreign government.

In court filings dated July 20 but not previously reported, the former employee of Alibabas UC Web, Pushpandra Singh Parmar, alleges the company had censored content seen as unfavorable to China, and its apps UC Browser and UC News showcased false news to cause social and political turmoil.

Civil Judge Sonia Sheokand of a district court in Gurugram, a satellite city of Indias capital New Delhi, has issued a summons for Alibaba, Jack Ma, and about a dozen other individuals or company units, asking them to appear in court in person or through a lawyer on July 29, court documents showed.

The judge has also sought written responses from the company and its executives within 30 days, according to the summons.

UC India said in a statement it had been unwavering in its commitment to the India market and the welfare of its local employees, and its policies are in compliance with local laws. We are unable to comment on ongoing litigation.

Alibaba representatives didnt respond to requests for comment from the Chinese company or on behalf of Jack Ma, who recently stepped down from his CEO position.

Parmar, who worked as an associate director at the UC Web office in Gurugram until October 2017 and is seeking $268,000 in damages, referred Reuters queries to his lawyer, Atul Ahlawat, who declined to comment.

The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement that the Chinese government has always requested Chinese companies to carry out overseas cooperation on the basis of abiding by international rules and local laws.

The Indian side should also provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies normal operations in India, the statement said.

Indias IT ministry in New Delhi didnt respond to requests for comment.

The court case is the latest hurdle for Alibaba in India after the Indian governments app ban, following which UC Web has started laying off some staff in India.

Before the apps were banned, the UC Browser had been downloaded at least 689 million times in India, while UC News had 79.8 million downloads, most during 2017 and 2018, data from analytics firm Sensor Tower showed.

India has said it banned the 59 apps after it received credible inputs that such apps posed a threat to Indias sovereignty. Its IT minister said the decision was taken to safeguard citizens data and public order.

In more than 200 pages of court filings reviewed by Reuters, former employee Parmar included clippings of some posts showcased on the UC News app that he alleged were false.

One post from 2017 was headlined in Hindi: 2,000-rupee notes to be banned from midnight today. Another headline on a 2018 post said: Just now: War broke out between India and Pakistan, and contained a description of firing across the disputed border between the countries.

Reuters could not independently verify the veracity of the claims in the filing. India did not ban its 2,000-rupee currency note, no war occurred between India and Pakistan in 2018, and there were no reported gun firings during the recent border clash.

The lawsuit also contains a sensitive words list with keywords in Hindi and English such as India-China border and Sino-India war, that the court filing alleges were used by UC Web to censor content on its platforms in India.

In order to [exert] control, any news-related content to be published against China was automatically/manually rejected by an audit system evolved for this purpose, the filing said.

By Aditya Kalra. The Epoch Times contributed to this report.
In a statement on Saturday, the Department said that Khalilzad left on Friday for Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Norway, Pakistan and Qatar, reports TOLO News.

Kabul/Washington, July 26 (IANS) US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has embarked on a new five-nation trip to press for intra-Afghan talks, the State Department said.

In Doha and Kabul, Khalilzad will press for resolution of the remaining issues ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations, specifically final prisoner exchanges and reduced violence, according to the statement.

In Islamabad, he will seek Pakistani support in the effort to advance intra-Afghan negotiations.

In Oslo and Sofia, Khalilzad will update NATO Allies on the Afghan peace process, it said.

"The parties are closer than ever to the start of Intra-Afghan Negotiations, the key next step to ending Afghanistan's 40-year long war," TOLO News quoted the statement as saying, adding that "although significant progress has been made on prisoner exchanges, the issue requires additional effort to fully resolve".

Under the US-Taliban peace deal that was signed in Doha, the Taliban demanded the release of 5,000 inmates, and the Afghan government has so far released 4,245.

In exchange, the Taliban has released over 860 government hostages, out of 1,000 total mentioned in the agreement.

--IANS

ksk/
HK seeks coronavirus aid from central government

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/26 11:33:40

A number of Hong Kong pro-establishment camp representatives have sought help from the central government to aid them in battling the coronavirus at a time when the number of infected in the city is surging.

According to a report from chinanews.com, the chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, Starry Lee Wai King, and the head of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, Stanley Ng Chau-pei, met He Jing, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), on Saturday and sought coronavirus help from the central government.

They made a request to the central government to send a medical team to Hong Kong, support Hong Kong to conduct virus tests for all its citizens and help Hong Kong to build makeshift hospitals, the report noted.

They also hoped that mainland medical institutions could cooperate with Hong Kong institutions and that the mainland could help Hong Kong establish community epidemic prevention and quarantine centers.

In a press conference on Saturday, Starry Lee Wai King and Stanley Ng Chau-pei told the media that Hong Kong is experiencing a new wave in the coronavirus threat and they are worried that the epidemic can't be brought under control in a short period of time if the HKSAR government is left alone to face the situation.

Hong Kong reported 133 new cases of coronavirus infections on Saturday, setting a record for single-day infections. Hong Kong has seen a daily surge of more than 100 cases of coronavirus for four consecutive days.

Starry Lee Wai King also cited He Jing as saying that the central government will fully support the HKSAR roll out of coronavirus-fighting measures and provide all necessary aid.

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Washington, July 27 : Larry Kudlow, US President Donald Trump's economic adviser, has said that the next round of COVID-19 relief package will include $1,200 direct payments to Americans, as a resurgence of coronavirus cases across the country has posed a major risk to the recovery of the economy.

"There's a $1,200 check coming, that's going to be part of the new package," Xinhua news agency quoted Kudlow as saying said in a CNN interview on Sunday, noting that he would have preferred a payroll tax cut but it doesn't work politically.

"It's a very well rounded package," Kudlow said. "It's a very well targeted package." The adviser also said the administration plans to lengthen the federal eviction moratorium, which has protected millions of renters from getting evicted in the past four months but ended on Saturday.

He defended the administration's plan to give Americans only 70 per cent of their previous wages, instead of the extra weekly $600 unemployment benefits, saying that the unemployment plan is "quite generous".

Congress passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, or the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, in March to provide fiscal aid for households, businesses and healthcare providers, but the $600 unemployment benefits are set to expire at the end of this month.

While Democrats want to extend the extra $600 unemployment benefits through January, the White House and Republicans want to reduce the figure, arguing that it has created a financial disincentive for people to return to work.

Kudlow's remarks came after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on July 23 that Senate Republicans and the Trump administration have reached an agreement in principle on the next COVID-19 relief package, which will focus on kids, jobs and healthcare.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Fox News on Sunday that Republicans have now finalized the relief package, which is worth about $1 trillion, and intend to introduce it Monday.

Due to the recent spike in the number of cases, over 20 US states have already paused or partially reversed reopening efforts, raising uncertainty over the prospect of economic recovery.

The US currently accounts for the world's highest number of COVID-19 case and deaths at 4,233,764 and 146,934, respectively, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has submitted an amicus curiae to support Diananta Putra Sumedi, former chief editor of local online media Banjarhits.id. The IFJ and its affiliate the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia call on authorities to drop all charges against Diananta.

Diananta Putra Sumedi went on trial. Credit: The Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Press Freedom

Diananta was charged for the allegation of breaching the Electronic and Information Transactions which carries a punishment of 6 months in prison. Diananta was arrested on May 4 following the publication of an article on a land conflict entitled Johnlin seizes land, Dayak complains to the South Kalimantan Police on November 9, 2019. The article was published in Banjarhits.id, a partner of national news media Kumparan.

Despite the issue being taken to the Press Council who make recommendations and solve media conflicts, the court case is ongoing. The trial begun in Kotabaru District Court, South Kalimantan on June 8. Prosecutors alleged the published article caused hatred or hostility against individuals and groups. Today, Diananta is scheduled to have his defense submission.

IFJ, AJI, and other media freedom organisations are continuing to monitor the complaint against Diananta Putra Semedi before the Kotabaru District Court and the Press Council.

The IFJ wishes to express its strong support for the handling of this matter by the Indonesian Press Council and its corresponding opposition to the treatment of this matter as a criminal matter.

AJI said: Charges against Diananta and the criminalisation have shown that the authorities ignore the fact that the Press Council has handled this matter and produced recommendations. The trial and charges can be used as intimidation tools for journalists who had reported critically.

The IFJ said: The IFJ calls on authorities to dismiss the charges against Diananta and allow the Press Council to adjudicate on the matter.
NEW YORK, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Select Express & Logistics ("Select") provides notice of an incident that may affect the security of some information relating to certain individuals and businesses associated with Select, including current and former employees and business partners.

What Happened? On May 3, 2020, Select learned of suspicious activity impacting the operability of certain Select systems. Select immediately launched an investigation to determine the nature and scope of this activity. Working with third-party forensic investigators, Select determined that an unknown actor encrypted certain systems using malware, and also used malware to acquire a small number of files from Select's server. In addition, the investigation produced evidence of unauthorized access to a limited number of Select employee email accounts from February 7, 2020 to May 5, 2020. For some of these accounts, the investigation was unable to determine if any specific email or attachment was actually viewed. Select, therefore, undertook a review of the contents of the email accounts and acquired files that could have been impacted. Through this review, which was completed on July 8, 2020, it was determined personal and business information was present in the affected email accounts or the files that may have been acquired by the malware.

What Information Was Involved? The investigation determined that the following types of information may have been accessible within the impacted accounts or files that may have been acquired by the malware: name, Social Security number, driver's license / state identification number, bank / financial account information, credit / debit card information, date of birth, medical information, health insurance information, passport number, employer tax identification number, biometric data, billing / claims information, and electronic signature.

What is Select Doing? Select takes this incident and the security of personal information in its care seriously. Upon learning of this incident, Select moved quickly to investigate and respond, assess the security of relevant Select systems, and identify potentially affected individuals. As part of Select's ongoing commitment to the security of information, Select is also reviewing existing policies, procedures, and security measures. Select notified law enforcement of this event and is reporting this event to relevant state regulators.

Additionally, Select is providing potentially impacted individuals with complimentary access to identity monitoring, fraud consultation, and identity theft restoration services.

What Can Impacted Individuals Do? Select encourages individuals to monitor their accounts and activate the complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services being offered. Please see the Privacy Safeguards section below for more information. Additional information can also be found on Select's website, https://www.selectexp.com. Individuals may call Select's call center at 1-844-954-2388 (toll free), Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time (excluding U.S. holidays) or write to Select at: 55 W 39th St, 15th floor, New York, NY 10018. Potentially affected individuals may also consider the information and resources outlined below.

Select encourages potentially impacted individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud and to review account statements, credit reports, and explanation of benefits forms for suspicious activity. Under U.S. law, individuals with credit reports are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Individuals may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of their credit report. The credit reporting agencies may be contacted as follows:

Experian TransUnion Equifax PO Box 9554 P.O. Box 160 PO Box 105788 Allen, TX 75013 Woodlyn, PA 19094 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 1-888-397-3742 1-888-909-8872 1-800-685-1111 www.experian.com www.transunion.com www.equifax.com

You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself, by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General.

The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov ; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202, 1-410-528-8662, www.oag.state.md.us.

For New Mexico residents, you have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in your credit file has been used against you, the right to know what is in your credit file, the right to ask for your credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting agencies must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you may limit "prescreened" offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report; and you may seek damages from violator. You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage you to review your rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf , or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001, 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000, www.ncdoj.gov. You can obtain information from the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission about preventing identity theft.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General can be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903; www.riag.ri.gov, 1-401-274-4400. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident. There are 6 Rhode Island residents impacted by this incident.

For New York residents, the Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; https://ag.ny.gov/.

SOURCE Select Express

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by Nirmala Carvalho

The Syro-Malankara Church protests against the Turkish governments decision. Conversion destroys the very message of tolerance that Hagia Sophia represented. The sacred place should continue to be a symbol of peace and coexistence.

Mavelikara (AsiaNews)  Indias Eastern Churches responded with a day of mourning to the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, marked yesterday by the first Friday prayer.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is a sacred place of great importance for the Orthodox Church, in particular for the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The Byzantine-era building was a Christian basilica for 916 years. It became a mosque in 1453 until a 1934 decree turned it into a museum, which is what it was for the past 86 years.

The Syro-Malankara Orthodox Church joins the world to protest against the Turkish government's decision to turn one of Christianity's most historic masterpieces into an Islamic place of worship.

The benevolence of the Turkish government has ensured this sacred place to be preserved as a museum for all generations, irrespective of faith to enjoy, reads a statement issued by the Syro-Malankara Orthodox Church.

The recent decision to convert Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque destroys the very message of tolerance which it stood for.

The diocesan clergy and the Indian Orthodox believers oppose what they consider an act of religious aggression, and hope that clear minds will prevail.

Our Church requests President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reconsider his painful decision, and return to the status quo so that Hagia Sophia remains as a museum.

This is a place to celebrate religious pluralism in Turkey, and as a wonderful example to the world. The Malankara Church prays that this symbol of peace and co-existence will be permitted to continue, so all people can celebrate the rich history of Hagia Sophia.
Travelers are required to contact the Royal Thai Embassy or consulate to get an entry visa and a certificate of entry, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the urgency, said CCSA in a statement.

Applications for inbound travelers must include travel details, health insurance with a coverage of at least US$100,000, as well as booking at an alternative state quarantine site.

Once the inbound traveler lands in Thai soil, he or she will need to demonstrate to airport and health authorities a certificate of a COVID-19 test taken within a 72-hour period with a negative result and a fit-to-fly certificate.

However, to ensure that the traveler carries no symptom of COVID-19, he or she will need to undergo another COVID-19 test at a Thai airport, and then be transferred to an alternative state quarantine site that should have been booked in advance.

The CCSA said that the groups of foreigners allowed into Thailand may include spouses, parents or children of Thai nationals; non-Thais with rightful papers to work in Thailand, or on student visa, and tourists who had already made appointments with Thai hospital for medical treatments.

The CCSA reiterated that all inbound travelers must go through 14-day mandatory quarantine under their own expenses.

For those on very short trips to Thailand including filmmakers and business people participating in trade fairs, they will have to stick to their itineraries and will not be allowed to wander to public venues or take public transport.

These people are exempt from the 14-day mandatory quarantine procedures.

The CCSA said that every application to enter into Thailand, will be reviewed case by case.

It said Thailand had already entered into a two-month period free of COVID-19 local transmission and will do anything to avoid a second wave of COVID-19 infections.
Camillus, N.Y. -- Parents in the West Genesee School District will be able to choose between a hybrid option or completely online option for their children for the fall.

Superintendent David Bills told parents of Camillus Middle School students this evening that he was hopeful students would get as much in-person learning as possible in the hybrid model the district was planning. The details, he said, were still being worked out.

I have to be honest, nothing is as good as what we started the school year with last year or the years before, Bills said.

Bills said the hybrid options will be different for students, giving younger students more in-person learning time than older students. Parents will receive more details next week and be asked to make their choices.

Bills shared some other details about the plan, which is still in the works. Parents will have to do temperature checks at home, using an app. Students will be required to wear masks. Parents will be asked to provide them; if a child shows up without one, the district will provide it.

The district is encouraging parents to drive their kids to school and to send packed lunches for the days when learning is in-person. More than 80 percent of parents who filled out a district survey said they would be willing to pack lunches so their children could eat in the classroom. Many also said they would be willing to drive to reduce the demand for buses.

The district serves 4,442 students.

The district has more meetings with parents this week and a school board meeting Thursday. They have until Friday to complete the plan and send it to the state.

The Syracuse City School District and Liverpool School District also released details of their plans today. Fayetteville-Manlius school board members discussed the districts plan today.

Marnie Eisenstadt is a reporter who writes about people and public affairs in Central New York. Have an idea or question? Contact her anytime: email | twitter | Facebook | 315-470-2246
Burma NLD Selects 20% Female Candidates for Myanmars November Election

Female lawmakers in the Union Parliament. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

Yangon  The National League for Democracy (NLD) will be fielding more female candidates in Novembers poll than in previous elections.

Women candidates account for 20 percent of the total  up from about 13 percent in 2015, said director Daw Khin Lay Nge of Phan Tee Eain, an advocacy group for gender equality in Myanmar.

We should welcome that the NLD is fielding more women candidates. I hope that not only the NLD but also other ethnic parties will be fielding more women candidates, she said.

She said she is happy that more parties have adopted policies to favor female candidates over their male counterparts. Women have the capacity and what they only lacked in the past was self-confidence, she added.

[The increase] is partly because men are giving a greater place for women. But at the same time, women have to take an interest in politics. We find women have greater confidence. Women have grown more self-assured and applied for candidacies, said Daw Khin Lay Nge.

The NLD last week unveiled its candidate list for the general election. The lineup consists largely of the partys sitting lawmakers and current chief ministers. Of the more than 1,000 candidates listed by the party, 80 percent are sitting lawmakers who won parliamentary seats in 2015.

If other qualifications are similar, the party looks first at ethnicity, then for younger candidates and thirdly for women.

I am happy that the party leaders have selected me. In the NLD, not only lawmakers but also government officials and party members have to work, said vice chairwoman of the NLD work committee for Mandalay Region Daw Win Mya Mya, who will contest a Lower House seat in Sintgaing Township in Mandalay Region.

Daw Aye Mya Mya Myo, a Lower House lawmaker for Yangons Kyauktan Township and member of Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, said she is satisfied with her performance but there have been constraints.

Womens participation was low in the past. There were a lot of difficulties. They want to join politics but there are constraints, she said.

The NLD will be fielding 43 women candidates in Yangon Region, seven in Mandalay Region, three in Kachin, five in Karen, three in Chin and five in Kayah states.

The NLD has announced that it will contest 1,132 seats  319 in the Lower House, 162 in the Upper House, 622 seats in regional and state parliaments and 29 ethnic affairs minister positions  in the November election.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27

By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:

Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) terrorist organization poses a worldwide threat, Thomas Goltz, journalist, professor at the University of Montana (US), Honorary Doctor of ADA University, told Trend.

ASALA's activities go beyond Europe but also include the United States and elsewhere--virtually all countries with an Armenian Diaspora still focused on revenge of the so-called Armenian genocide of 1915, he said.

Goltz pointed out that sadly, ASALA is a 'nearly-native' extremist group embedded in local Diaspora Armenian communities all around the world that draw (often forced) support from those local communities, whether they truly support ASALA actions or not.

It is difficult to prevent its terror acts due to the secretive/cult nature of ASALA/AJC 'sleeper' cells, noted Goltz.

---

Follow the author on Twitter:@Lyaman_Zeyn
Anti-Government Protests In Bulgaria Continue Despite Cabinet Reshuffle

By RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service July 26, 2020

Several hundred people protested the government in the Bulgarian capital on July 25 despite a cabinet reshuffle meant to appease them.

Protesters shouted "Resign!" and "Mafia" as some threw tomatoes and rolls of toilet paper at the Council of Ministers building in central Sofia.

The protests, now in their 17th straight day, continued despite Prime Minister Boyko Borisov replacing four ministers this week in a reshuffle meant to end calls for his resignation.

Protesters say that only the resignation of the entire government would satisfy them.

Borisov dismissed the finance, economy, and interior ministers to curb speculation that the three were serving the interests of powerful businessman and media mogul Delyan Peevski, who is an opposition deputy with the Movement for Rights and Freedom (DPS). The tourism minister was also replaced.

The replacement of the four ministers came after Borisov's center-right coalition government survived a no-confidence vote on July 21.

It was initiated by the opposition Socialists who accuse his government led by the GERB party of failing to fight endemic corruption.

Thousands of mostly young people have demonstrated in Sofia and other towns against the government's perceived favoritism of powerful behind-the-scenes oligarchs.

The protests were sparked by a raid on July 9 by the Prosecutor-General's Office on the presidential headquarters.

The demonstrators condemned the raids as an attack by the government and prosecutor-general against President Rumen Radev.

Radev has backed the protesters, urging them to drive the "mafia" out of government.

The searches at the presidential headquarters came after Radev said the National Protection Service (NSO) -- which is responsible for guarding the president, prime minister, and other high-ranking officials -- should stop protecting Ahmed Dogan, the honorary chairman of the DPS party.

Dogan is one of the most powerful people in Bulgaria. Many people consider his DPS, a largely ethnic minority Turkish party, to have control over the nation's judiciary, including the prosecutor's office.

Protesters were also angered when NSO members prevented people from going to a public beach located near Dogan's summer residence on the Black Sea.

Borisov has vowed to carry out in full his third four-year mandate, which expires in March.

Bulgaria, the poorest European Union state, is the most corrupt of the bloc's 27 members, according to Transparency International.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/bulgaria- protests-despite-borisov-cabinet -reshuffle/30747479.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.

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Everything you need to know about skiing the Northeast this winter

Whether you want to stay close to home or head north, here's everything you need to know about skiing or snowboarding in the Northeast and New York this season.
Oh, what a sickening sense of deja vu.

Reading the revelations about Harry and Meghan in Finding Freedom over recent days has reminded me all too eerily of Andrew Mortons book, Diana: Her True Story. It was just as explosive as this book  and proved deeply damaging.

Almost 28 years on, the parallels between Diana and now the Sussexes are unsettlingly close.

Yesterday, in the latest tranche of jaw-dropping details, we learned that Meghan, when filming her legal TV drama Suits in Toronto, would occasionally set up a paparazzi photo here and there or let info slip out to the Press.

So much for jealously guarding ones privacy! Diana did exactly the same.

Penny Junor warns 'the parallels between Diana and now the Sussexes (above) are unsettlingly close'

She frequently passed stories  often seeking to cast her husband Charles in a bad light  to favoured journalists.

But if you sup with the devil, you need a very long spoon, and there were times when this cosy relationship with the Fourth Estate backfired on her spectacularly  when the Press wrote unflattering things about her.

Diana, like Meghan, delighted in reading her own positive coverage  but found any criticism extremely hard to swallow.

The first instalment of Diana: Her True Story appeared in a Sunday newspaper, and I remember the headline well: Diana driven to five suicide bids by uncaring Charles.

Morton described, in uncanny detail, the Princesss disillusioned and desperately unhappy life within the Royal Family.

He wrote about her childhood, how she met the Prince of Wales, the lead-up to the couples engagement and marriage, her struggles with bulimia, her self-harming, the lack of support she felt, Charless later indifference towards her, his obsession with his mistress Camilla Parker Bowles and what Diana saw as his shortcomings as a father.

Prince Harry, pictured as a child with his mother Princess Diana in 1987, is the subject of a new book, Finding Freedom, along with his wife, Meghan Markle

Their courtship had been alarmingly brief  like another more recent royal romance. Once the media found out about it, they besieged Dianas London flat and followed her wherever she went.

Small wonder, therefore, that William should have told his brother to take as much time as he needed to get to know Meghan.

He and Kate had taken eight years before they became engaged: Harry had not known Meghan for anything like as long.

The Morton book caused untold damage to the monarchy, the Queen and other members of the family, and ultimately led to the end of Dianas and Charless marriage.

But, arguably, the people who were most hurt by that book were William and Harry, whose young lives had already been affected by witnessing their parents unhappy union, and who then had to live through the very public humiliation of their break-up and eventual divorce.

Mortons book had the ring of authority. He had on-the-record quotes from some of Dianas closest friends, such as James Gilbey, of the Squidgygate tape fame, and Dianas former flatmate Caroline Bartholomew.

Sir Robert Fellowes, then on tricky ground as both the Queens Private Secretary and Dianas brother-in-law, asked the Princess if she had had anything to do with the book. She swore she hadnt. The Duke of Edinburgh put the same question to her, and again she denied it.

On the strength of her word  though we now know she was not telling the truth  the chairman of the then Press Complaints Commission condemned the serialisation as an odious exhibition of journalists dabbling their fingers in the stuff of other peoples souls.

So much for dabbling. The PCC chairman and others who had spoken in a similar vein, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, were soon looking very silly when Diana was photographed going to Caroline Bartholomews house (having alerted the newspapers) and endorsing the book by giving her old friend a big hug on the doorstep.

It was only after her death five years later that Morton revealed just how involved the Princess had been.

She had spoken into a tape recorder, and the tapes had been passed to Morton via an intermediary.

In all, there were 18,000 words  many of which appeared in the book almost verbatim. Where does that leave us today?

Finding Freedom is already Amazon UK's number one best seller

And who are the sources for Finding Freedom, similarly generous in supplying long, detailed and emotional quotes to its authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand?

There are said to be more than 100 such sources, including, we are told, close friends of Harry and Meghans, royal aides and palace staff.

Last weekend, Mr Scobie denied that any on- or off-the-record briefings from the Duke or Duchess had taken place.

For their part, the Sussexes have said it is not an authorised or endorsed book. We must take these claims at face value; though it is notable that even The Sunday Times, which published extracts over the weekend, also reported that the intimate personal details and some of the language may lead people to question the claim that Mr Scobie and Ms Durand did not interview the Duke and Duchess.

My point is that Diana found a way to put out her true story in the most flattering way possible.

Finding Freedom does much the same thing for Harry and Meghan. Yet in the breakdown of any relationship, there are always two  if not more  sides to the story.

Then, Diana was angry, setting out to damage the Prince of Wales and the family: and now, a generation later, Harry and Meghan all too clearly feel just as aggrieved at how badly their own relationship with the Royal Family has soured.

They felt forced, we have read, to take a back seat to senior royals, they believed they had taken the institution of the monarchy to new heights and were convinced that vipers in the Palace were working against them.

They even suggested they were being held back so as not to eclipse higher-ranking members of the family.

Sure enough, just as in 1992, along comes a scoresettling tome, in which unnamed friends of the couple advance Harry and Meghans case  and lay out their grievances  for all the world to see.

If one thing seemed certain watching William and Harry grow up, it was that they had learned from their parents mistakes.

The media and their audiences had gorged on Charless and Dianas disastrously messy lives  perhaps too much.

Diana had used the media to forward her cause, and discovered  all too late  that she could not control it.

Only her tragic death brought an end to the worst of the coverage about her. When they reached adulthood, perhaps scarred by some of these experiences, William and Harry seemed determined to keep their private and public lives separate, to the extent that any royal can.

They seemed ready to pounce on any publication that overstepped the mark and were unafraid to instruct lawyers, something the Royal Family had rarely done in the past.

They appeared to be setting new boundaries to protect their friends and families  and, after all they had been through, who could blame them?

But on the evidence of this misguided new book, Harry seems to have learned nothing.

He is impetuous, like his mother, and doesnt always think things through.

Meghan, it seems, did herself not shy from feeding stories to the media and using the paparazzi when it suited her.

No wonder so many people maintain that this book has all the hallmarks of their collusion  tacit or not.

Either way, for a couple who claim to want a private life, this book has given the world a greater insight into their personal situation and their relationship with Harrys family than anyone could have known otherwise.

Just like Diana did all those years ago. History appears to be repeating itself.

Having seen it all the first time around, I am filled with nothing but sadness.

Penny Junor is the author of Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son, Husband.
Policies to create jobs will take priority over calls for faster tax cuts in the next phase of the Morrison government's economic stimulus amid a political fight over the cost of bringing forward $48 billion in personal tax relief.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared "nothing else" mattered to his policy plan as much as measures to create new jobs or keep people in work, sending a warning signal to Liberals who want faster tax cuts.

PM Scott Morrison emphasised programs to create jobs on Monday. Credit:Peter Braig

While government MPs have stepped up calls for personal income tax cuts in the next phase of the economic response to the recession, some acknowledged on Monday that Mr Morrison wanted other policies to take priority.

Mr Morrison emphasised programs to create jobs on Monday when announcing changes to a policy advisory group chaired by business executive Nev Power, which will be folded into the Prime Minister's department.
The Supreme Court will on Monday hear Rajasthan assembly Speaker CP Joshis petition challenging a July 21 order of the high court directing him to defer disqualification proceedings against 18 Congress legislators led by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.

A three-judge bench will hear Joshis special leave petition (SLP) at 11am related to whether courts can interfere with disqualification proceedings initiated by an assembly speaker against lawmakers even before a decision has been taken.

Pilot and 18 Congress MLAs moved the Rajasthan HC on July 16, challenging the disqualification notices issued to them by Joshi. The high court had on July 24 ordered status quo on the matter, admitted the writ petition by the Pilot camp and deferred its final verdict on the matter.

Before that, on July 22, the speaker had filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court.

Monday hearing will be Joshis second attempt to get the high courts stay order cancelled.

Joshi had moved the top court complaining the high court had no jurisdiction to ask him to defer the disqualification proceedings. In his petition, Joshi called the court order illegal, perverse and in derogation of the powers of the speaker.

The top court had last week refused to accept Joshis initial request to cancel the high courts stay order, pointing that the two high court judges had already reserved their order to be pronounced on Friday.

The high court, however, did not deliver its ruling on the case. It formally admitted Pilots petition against the disqualification notices on Friday, accepting the request to make the central government a party in the case and identified the legal points that it will take up during the hearings.

The Speakers lawyers will be making arguments before the Supreme Court on Monday though the possibility of withdrawing the petition has not been ruled out, a Congress functionary had said earlier.

Prateek Kasliwal, the speakers lawyer in Jaipur, said the decision regarding withdrawing the SLP will be taken by the legal team in Delhi.

Pilot has also moved a caveat in the Supreme Court to ensure that no orders are passed on Joshis petition without hearing him and his supporting MLAs.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who has represented the speaker in the high court, said his party wanted a floor test in the Rajasthan assembly and was begging for it, but the governor was not convening the House and delaying the trust vote allegedly at the behest of the Centre.

The fresh proposal sent to the governor did not have any mention of floor test though.

Since no party has demanded a floor test, there is no need to mention that the House has to be convened for holding it. As already stated by the chief minister, the House will discuss Covid-19 situation and also conduct some important legislative business, he said.

On Monday, Governor Kalraj Mishra returned the file related to the convening of the assembly session to the states parliamentary affairs department and sought additional details from the government.

Mishra has not taken any decision yet on calling the assembly session, people aware of the development added.
Ghanaian highlife musician Brenya has captured the local airwaves and social media with Forgete, a crafty new take on the ideas of patriotism and self-confidence.

"The goal of 'Forgete' is to teach self-esteem, to preach that we need to be self-confident as a people, Brenya, born Kwasi Brenya Baah, said in an interview with Music In Africa. I feel like that is what we lack as a people  most of us  and its become a subconscious thing. The more you believe in whats yours, the more confident you become as a person.

The song is produced by Liquidbeatz and packaged as classic highlife. To make it infectious, Brenya employs local slang, which discourages pomposity, for a hook. He also employs sarcasm and humour to deliver his message, which involves comparing homegrown heroes with international stars, arguing in favour of the former in an interesting lecture on the value of loving the things that are at home.

On the choice of style for this offering, which takes inspiration from the theme song of Concert Party, a popular Ghanaian series form the '90s, Brenya says, I needed the song to feel very authentic. In terms of the music I know and the type of music I do, there isnt a more authentic feel than old-school highlife."

Since its release recently, 'Forgete' has been getting a lot of attention. On Twitter, the songs title is a regular trending hashtag. Hitz FM, a local radio station, has even adopted the tune for a segment on its morning show, with host Andy Dosty rewarding the best punchlines with mobile airtime. Brenyas media appointments have also increased as a result of the song.

For Brenya, the songs growing success arrives as relief, considering the challenges he faces as a highlife musician working in todays pop-dominated scene.

Mainstream media doesnt seem to pay much attention to live, authentic highlife. These days you cant even tell the difference between Afropop, Afrobeats and highlife. This is understandable because music is evolving. If you check the type of songs that have been getting nominations as Highlife Song of the Year, they sound quite different from songs that used to get nominated in the same category."

Brenya notes that compared to most other genres, recording highlife music comes at a higher cost. You would want your songs to have a lot of live elements in there. That automatically makes it more difficult and expensive to record, he says.

Brenya, who leads the Crispy Nerds band, is hopeful that 'Forgete' will get the positive response it deserves beyond Ghana's borders.

Watch video below:
The National Law Forum LLC dba the National Law Review, one of the highest volume business law websites in the United States, is proud to announce national certification as a Womens Business Enterprise (WBE) and a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) by the Womens Business Development Center Midwest (WBDC).

Jennifer Schaller, Managing Director and Co-founder of the National Law Review (NLR): This certification is recognition of the National Law Review's founding as a women-owned business. Were honored and well strive to uphold the high standards we provide our clients and readers and to continue the trend of always punching above our weigh in the legal publishing industry.

Schaller continues As a company, weve worked to balance the long hours and demands of a daily news service while also meeting the needs for flexibility of our professional staff. Were especially proud of being a launching point for the careers of many legal professionals, especially many female attorneys of color.

E. Eilene Spear, Operations and Projects Manager of the National Law Review says, In my six-plus years working with Jennifer at the National Law Review, I have seen a woman-owned company in action, providing high-quality service to clients while maintaining an internal standard of compassion and understanding to the largely female staff, all while consistently growing our website traffic to unprecedented levels.

The Womens Business Enterprise National Councils (WBENC) national standard of certification implemented by the WBDC Midwest is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and site inspection to confirm the business is at least 51% woman-owned and operated.

By including women-owned businesses among their suppliers, businesses and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier diversity programs.

The NLR partners with law firms and other legal and business organizations to publish and promote well-researched legal analysis and breaking legal news on emerging and on-going business issues ranging from business immigration to the regulatory and business challenges of COVID-19. The National Law Reviews Coronavirus coverage was so well received, over 4.3 million readers visited http://www.NatLawReview.com in both March and April of this year.

The National Law Review publishes around the clock and optimizes legal thought leadership for search engine visibility, and for distribution via our news syndication partners. The NLR also promotes our published content through an extensive social media network, and to our over 130,000 daily newsletter subscribers.

About the National Law Review: The National Law Review is a daily legal news website with a mission to provide objective, reliable and practical litigation, legislative and administrative legal news and analysis. The NLRs online platform was developed by corporate attorneys and is the online descendant of a legal publication tracing its roots back to 1888. With the talents of our own writers and contributing authors, the National Law Review has grown in one of the highest volume business law publications in the U.S. Visit us at http://www.NatLawReview.com

About WBENC: Founded in 1997, WBENC is the nations leader in womens business development and the leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with more than 13,000 certified Womens Business Enterprises, 14 national Regional Partner Organizations, and over 300 Corporate Members. More than 1,000 corporations representing Americas most prestigious brands as well as many states, cities, and other entities accept WBENC Certification. For more information, visit http://www.wbenc.org.
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Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 27, 2020 08:37 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066972178 2 National climate-change-Indonesia,omnibus-bill,omnibus-bill-on-job-creation,environmental-crimes,environmental-damage,natural-resources Free

Amid rampant corruption in the natural resources sector, the government is proposing centralized licensing and environmental management in the omnibus bill on job creation, in a move that would be a step back for regional autonomy.

The bill, which consists of 1,028 pages, aims to revise 79 prevailing laws, including the Spatial Planning Law, Environmental Management Law and Forestry Law.

Under the bill, local administrations would be stripped of their power to manage natural resources and the environment and the central government would be the only authority on spatial planning and land, forest and coastal area management.

It would cut layers of licensing processes, including the requirement for businesses to obtain an Environmental Impact Analysis (Amdal) document, which is currently issued by local administrations. If the bill is passed into law, the process will be supervised by the central government.

Businesses would still be obliged to prevent environmental damages, but they would have to report to the central government, which would hold all supervising duties.

Waste-dumping permits are currently acquired through governors, mayors or regents. Under the omnibus bill, the central government would hand out the permits.

Environmental restoration funds that companies are required to prepare would have to be deposited at banks selected by the central government. Currently, regional leaders select the banks.

Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) executive director Nur Hidayati said Amdal had been ineffective in preventing environmental damages because of rampant corruption, but it did not mean that it had to be eliminated.

If it is found to be ineffective, it should be fixed instead. The reason it is ineffective in the first place is because there is no political will to save the environment, Hidayati said.

She said it was critical to protect the environment since Indonesia was prone to natural disasters.

The Corruption Eradication Corruption (KPK), through its National Movement to Save Natural Resources (GNP-SDA), has conducted annual research to eradicate graft in the natural resources sector since 2009.

One of its recent studies revealed that there was possible corruption during the issuance of Amdal and other environmental permits. In 2018, it was reported that at least 40,000 environmental studies may have been tainted by bribery.

The antigraft body estimated that, within a year, Rp 51 trillion had been lost to bribery. In the forestry sector, it costs a company or a group an estimated Rp 688 million to Rp 22 billion a year to obtain a license.

The KPK has also investigated 27 corruption cases in the natural resources sector since 2009.

KPK spokesperson Ali Fikri said the cases were usually related to kickbacks or other forms of gratuities that local administrations received to process business permits.

The modus operandi of the cases was similar, namely the abuse of authority to grant permits, which leads to cash transfer [bribes], Fikri said, adding that he was skeptical that the omnibus bill would put a stop to the illicit practice.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has investigated 27 corruption cases in the natural resources sector since 2009. (JP/Hengky Wijaya)

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) estimated that graft in the natural resources sector caused Rp 6 trillion in state losses last year, the highest of any sector.

Like Fikri, ICW researcher Egi Primayogha expressed doubt over corruption ending with the central government in charge.

A transfer of authority will not end corruption as long as bureaucracy is still nontransparent, incompetent and slow, Egi said.

For two decades, Indonesia has run under a system in which authorities and budgeting are decentralized, giving regional autonomy to local administrations. The move to decentralize power was aimed to end the development gap between Java and other islands as the result of the highly centralized government under Soeharto.

Think tank Regional Autonomy Watch executive director Robert Endi Jaweng said removing licensing powers from local administrations would be against Law No. 23/2014 on regional administrations. The law lists the environment as an area that should be managed under local governments.

Robert said that, to end corruption, the central government could issue business permits, while local administrations could remain in charge of issuing environmental, spatial and building permits.

"The one that understands the environmental situation in each region is the local administration. Does the central government even have the capacity to supervise all 514 cities and regencies?" he said.

Robert said that while the proposed centralized licensing provisions in the omnibus bill should be looked at as an opportunity to eradicate corruption, they should be subject to review.

"The other option is the central government improves its ability to supervise the regions. This is important because [corruption cases] might be caused by a lack of guidance and supervision from the central government," he said.

Indonesia Regents Association chairman Abdullah Azwar Anas said the association supported the bill since it aimed to woo investors.

But environmental oversight should be our collective responsibility, said Anas, who is also the regent of Banyuwangi, East Java.

--Ardila Syakriah contributed to this report.
Reservations will be available for each hour from noon to 3 p.m., with visits limited to 45 minutes each to give staff time to clean before the next visitors arrive, according to officials. The museum gallery will be limited to six visitors during each 45-minute time slot.
A civilian was injured on Monday after he was attacked by suspected unknown terrorists in Karimabad village of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir. The man, identified Sahil Ahmad Tramboo, was beaten and critically injured with a knife, said a top police official.

The incident took place in an orchard of Karimabad area, added the official.

Speaking on the incident, a top police official said, "A youth identified as Sahil Ahmad Tramboo, son of Muhammad Ashan Tramboo of Murran Pulwama was beaten by unknown persons, seems terrorists, and injured critically with a knife.

The injured man was later shifted to the nearest hospital in Pulwama for treatment from where he was shifted to the state hospital in Srinagar.

The police have registered a case and started an investigation into the matter. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the youth was working with the security forces and that could be the reason that the alleged terrorists attacked him.
Published on 2020/07/27 | Source

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Israels military says it has exchanged fire with gunmen linked to Lebanons Hezbollah militant group.

The incident on Monday afternoon represents an escalation of tension along the border shared by the two countries.

According to the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), a "terror squad" crossed the UN administered Blue Line on Israel's northern border with Lebanon on Monday afternoon.

A spokesman for the IDF said that Israeli soldiers had "successfully thwarted an infiltration attempt... a group of terrorists crossed Blue Line. [We] monitored and tracked them."

The spokesman said Israeli forces "engaged... with small arms and tank fire". Artillery was also used to create a smokescreen by the IDF.

Israeli civilians living in the area were ordered indoors for an hour after the clash took place.

The Israeli Army said that the militants had crossed back across the border after the exchange of fire and that there had been no Israeli casualties.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah rejected the Israeli account of the clash, insisting that none of its operatives had been involved in any incident.

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Today, a Hezbollah cell infiltrated into Israeli territory. Thanks to the successful operational deployment of forces on the ground by its commanders, the IDF thwarted this attempt.

"We view the effort to infiltrate into our territory with utmost gravity. Hezbollah and Lebanon bear full responsibility for this incident and for any attack against the State of Israel emanating from Lebanese territory.

"Hezbollah needs to understand that it is playing with fire. Any attack against us will be met with great strength.

"Nasrallah (Hezbollah's leader) already made a major mistake in underestimating Israel's determination to defend itself and Lebanon paid a heavy price for this. I suggest that he not repeat this mistake."

The pro-Hezbollah Al-Mayadeen media outlet claimed that no Hezbollah fighters had been killed during any incident.

Story continues

Tension along Israel's northern border with Lebanon - which is supposed to be monitored by a UN peacekeeping force - have been heightened after the death last Monday of a Hezbollah fighter Ali Mohsen.

Mr Mohsen was killed in an air strike in the Syrian capital Damascus. Israel was blamed for the attack.

Over several years, Israel has conducted numerous covert strikes on Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups in Syria - an attempt by Israel to counter a perceived threat by Iran and its regional proxies.

Israeli intelligence assessments have repeatedly concluded that Iran is trying to supply its allies in the region with precision guided missiles to be used to attack Israel.

Hezbollah has always vowed to avenge the killing of any of its fighters by Israel.

The area of the latest clashes is a disputed zone along the border known in Lebanon as the Shabba Farms and in Israel as Mount Dov.

Hezbollah and Israel fought a 34-day war in 2006. Neither side could claim victory and since then, sporadic clashes in the Shabba Farms area have been tolerated.

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Both countries are now dealing with worsening coronavirus outbreaks. Lebanon is also experiencing a severe economic crash . It is therefore in neither side's interest to escalate the tension now.

But both sides still need to be seen to be retaliating to aggression by the other.

Last September, after two Hezbollah fighters were killed in Damascus, a barrage of anti-tank missiles were fired from southern Lebanon into Israel, narrowly missing an Israeli military vehicle.

At the time, a major escalation was seen to have been narrowly avoided by good fortune because the Hezbollah missile missed its target.

Israel has repeatedly complained that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) along the border is not fulfilling the UN resolution which put it there. The UNIFIL mandate is up for renewal by the UN Security Council at the end of August.

IDF commanders also accuse the official Lebanese Armed Forces of being influenced by Hezbollah militants.

Within hours of this latest clash, pro-Hezbollah politicians and media in the Lebanese capital Beirut were variously suggesting the incident was not a Hezbollah operation or a reconnaissance mission.

Whether or not this is spin or bluff to detract from a thwarted mission, the suggestion from Beirut is that Israel should still expect a retaliation for the killing of the Hezbollah militant.
The son of a barrister was jailed for seven years today for killing a university student in a high speed police chase.

Mercedes driver Quincy Anyiam, 27, ploughed into philosophy and Spanish undergraduate Anisha Vidal-Garner, 20, as she made her way to a concert with her boyfriend.

Ms Vidal-Garner had stepped off the pavement and tried to avoid Anyiam's black Mercedes Benz C215 as it careered towards her on Brixton Hill, in south London.

Police officers in an unmarked van had spotted Anyiam speeding at 56mph in a 30mph zone at 4.45pm and pursued him, activating their blue lights.

But he refused to stop and instead swerved between two lanes of traffic and raced through a red light before hitting the student at 62mph.

Mercedes driver Quincy Anyiam, 27, ploughed into philosophy and Spanish undergraduate Anisha Vidal-Garner, 20, after a police chase

Ms Vidal-Garner (pictured) had stepped off the pavement and tried to avoid Anyiam's black Mercedes Benz C215 as it careered towards her on Brixton Hill, in south London

Ms Vidal-Garner was thrown into the air 'like a ragdoll' and suffered horrific injuries. She was pronounced dead at 10.20pm.

Judge Wendy Joseph QC told Anyiam: 'Over the course of four tenths of a mile before the accident, this defendant drove at excessive - at times grossly excessive - speeds through areas where there were likely to be many pedestrians and other road users.

'I cannot accept this description to police as an 'error of judgement'.

'Nor his description in a letter to me as an 'unfortunate incident'.

'In my view it amounts to a deliberate decision to ignore (or a flagrant disregard for) the rules of the road and an apparent disregard for the great dangers being caused to others.

Anyiam, who had passengers with him, fled the scene and dumped the damaged car in the nearby Arlingford Road where it was found by officers later.

Police officers are the scene on February 19 after Quincy Anyiam, 27, ploughed into philosophy and Spanish undergraduate Anisha Vidal-Garner

On 21 February he gave himself up to police and was remanded in custody at HMP Highdown in Surrey.

Anyiam did not attend court today for 'psychological reasons' according to his barrister.

Jide Lanlehin, defending, said: 'This defendant has never sought to blame the victim.

'It's regrettable that that impression was made to the family.

'If anything he sought to take full responsibility and hasn't apportioned any blame to anyone except himself.

'He didn't set out that day to hurt anyone, unfortunately the incident which took place, took place.

'No one has told me why he was driving as he was in the beginning, when he undertook what he didn't know was a police car.

'Why was he driving that way?

'My instructions are that there didn't seem to be any sensible reason, it's just pure bad driving.

Brixton, London, February 20: Police signalled for a car to stop and it failed to do so

'He thought he might get away from police at that time, at the traffic lights he took a wrong turn.

'That momentary action which was the wrong one, trying to get away from police.'

Anyiam, of Wolfs Wood, Oxted, Surrey, admitted causing death by dangerous driving, dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident.

He was jailed for seven years and handed an 11 year driving disqualification.

Ms Vidal-Garner's heartbroken family had said their loved one had a 'constant sweet smile and happy nature' in a note attached to flowers left at the scene.

Louise Attrill, from the CPS, said: 'Quincy Anyiam's flagrant disregard for the law of the road has devastated a family and cost a tragic loss of life.

'Anisha Vidal-Garner was young and vibrant, and had her whole life ahead of her. It is heartbreaking that she died in front of her boyfriend, and that Anyiam evaded police for 48 hours before handing himself in.

'The prosecution case included strong witness testimony, CCTV footage and an account from a forensic collision investigator which left Anyiam little choice but to own up to his actions.

'Although nothing can bring Anisha back, I hope this conviction will provide some comfort to her family and friends. My thoughts are with them at this difficult time.'
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27

Trend:

Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov sent letters of condolences to Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar and Chief of the General Staff General of Turkish Army Yashar Guler in connection with the death and injury of Turkish soldiers in the bus accident, Trend reports on July 27 referring to the press office of Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

I am deeply saddened with the news of the death and injury of soldiers of the Armed Forces of fraternal Turkey as a result of the accident of a bus carrying soldiers in the Mut district of Mersin province. I share the grief and bitterness of my relatives, and I express my deepest condolences to their families. I wish a speedy recovery to all the wounded. Your grief is our grief. May Allah Almighty rest the souls of the soldiers," Hasanov said in the letter.
A beach in Spain as UK travellers face new quarantine rules. Photo: Xurxo Lobato/Getty Images

Holidaymakers and airlines are reeling from the UK governments sudden imposition of strict coronavirus quarantine rules on travellers returning from Spain.

The new measures have thrown many holiday plans into disarray, leaving large numbers of customers unable to travel and others fearful similar curbs could hit more countries this summer.

Here is how leading travel and airline firms have reacted to Saturdays (25 July) announcement, and how far they have resumed flights since lockdown restrictions began to ease.

TUI

Tui UK has cancelled all holidays to mainland Spain until 9 August, promising customers either full refunds or the chance to rebook with a booking incentive.

But flights to the Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, and the Canary Islands, which include Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote, will continue.

Andrew Flintham, managing director of TUI UK and Ireland, spoke out over the quarantine requirement for the islands despite official guidance against non-essential travel only applying to the mainland. Were really after a little bit more nuance.

Tui UK (TUI.L) also said customers would be contacted about their options, and anyone currently in Spain should continue with their holiday.

The company had only resumed holidays on 10 July for the first time since March. The wider Tui company had said before the latest cancellations that it only expected to operate about 30% of its global capacity for this summer.

Ryanair

Budget airline Ryanair is operating flights to Spain as normal despite the UK governments warnings against travel.

The companys chief financial officer Neil Sorahan told the BBC on Monday: "As things stand, the market remains open, the schedules remain in place and we continue to operate in and out of Spain as normal."

READ MORE: Ryanair warns autumn second wave is its 'biggest fear'

He told Reuters Ryanair (RYA.L) had no plans to cut capacity on its UK-Spain flights in the medium-term. But he said all of Ryanairs operation was under consideration, and criticised the quarantine rules as a disappointing announcement.

Story continues

Ryanair have not announced any refund offer to customers unable or unwilling to travel on flights that go ahead as planned. But it had already waived fees for changing flights for July, August, and September to later this year.

Ryanair is also reconsidering plans to close bases at three Germany airports after pilots dropped their opposition to a deal that will cut pay and change working conditions to reduce layoffs.

EasyJet

EasyJet (EZJ.L) also said it was disappointed by the quarantine announcement, and said it planned to operate a full schedule in the coming days.

"We are disappointed that the government has decided to impose a quarantine requirement for those travelling from the whole of Spain since the increased occurrence of coronavirus is regional rather than nationwide, it said in a statement.

But it said it would offer customers a voucher for the value of their booking or waive fees for changing flights if they no longer wished to travel.

The company started resuming mainly domestic flights from mid-June. It had said before the quarantine news that it hoped to able to serve around 75% of routes worldwide by the end of August with reduced frequency flights.

British Airways

Arrivals at Gatwick as the UK government changed its policy on quarantine for arrivals from Spain. Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty Images

British Airways has said its flights will continue to operate as normal, but anyone who no longer wishes to travel to and from Spain can claim a voucher for future travel.

READ MORE: Germany considers compulsory tests for returning holidaymakers

But the company, owned by International Airlines Group (IAG.L) said in a statement it was disappointed by the new government guidance. "This is sadly yet another blow for British holidaymakers and cannot fail to have an impact on an already troubled aviation industry.

Jet2

Jet2 has also said it will maintain flights and holidays to both mainland Spain and the Balearic and Canary Islands.

Normal terms and conditions will apply for flights to the islands, but it said it was in the process of reviewing options for customers due to travel to the mainland.

The company, owned by Dart Group (DTG.L), also urged customers to buy appropriate travel insurance.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Sydney, Australia  Mon, July 27, 2020 09:57 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406697e18a 2 Business Australia,GDP-growth,economic-contraction,COVID-19,stimulus-package Free

Australia warned on Thursday that its economy will shrink at its fastest pace in history during the second quarter, while the budget deficit will be the biggest since the Second World War as the country battles to contain the impact of the coronavirus.

The government has stumped up tens of billions of dollars to fight the pandemic, which has ravaged global trade and forced the shutdown of much of the country earlier in the year, crippling the economy.

The reimposition of a six-week lockdown on five million people in Melbourne, the second-biggest city, has added to the struggles for a country already reeling from a prolonged drought and massive bushfires before the disease struck.

Officials said gross domestic product would contract 7 percent in April-June, pushing the economy into recession for the first time in nearly three decades.

A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction and the economy shrank 0.3 percent in the previous three months.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg also said the budget deficit would blow out to Aus$185 (US$132) billion  almost a tenth of GDP  in the year to June 30, 2021, having hit Aus$86 billion in the previous 12 months.

"These harsh numbers reflect the harsh reality we face," Frydenberg said. "The economic outlook remains very uncertain."

Much of the forecast deficit comes from massive stimulus spending designed to keep the economy afloat and prevent a full-blown economic depression.

The government has rolled out around Aus$289 billion in economic stimulus to cushion the country from the virus fallout, Frydenberg said, including support for workers, businesses and retirees.

Unemployment  currently at a two-decade high of 7.4 percent  is expected to peak at 9.3 percent in December.

The Australian dollar dipped 0.3 percent Thursday, while shares on the S&P/ASX 200 were flat.

However, the government is predicting a quick recovery with the economy returning to growth in the third quarter as easing virus restrictions bring increased activity.

Frydenberg also predicted GDP would grow 2.5 percent in 2021, partially based on the assumption that international borders would open from January 1.

Australia has recorded more than 13,000 cases of COVID-19 and 133 deaths from the virus.

The government is expected to deliver its budget in full in October, while economic growth figures are released in September.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 28

Trend:

Azerbaijani embassy in Kuwait issued a statement as a sign of protest against the gross violation of the ceasefire by the Armenian armed forces during the COVID-19 pandemic and the military provocation that resulted in human casualties, Trend reports on July 27.

"Armenia committed a provocation since July 12, 2020, grossly violating the ceasefire regime and the norms of international law. Armenia treacherously attacked Azerbaijan in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district and thereby again demonstrated its aggressive policy," said the message.

"As a result of the adequate steps of the Azerbaijani army, the attacks were repelled. While suffering losses, the Armenian servicemen were forced to retreat," the message noted.

"On July 13 and 14, the Armenian armed forces continued shelling in the direction of the Tovuz district from artillery, tanks and mortars. Grossly violating the ceasefire in Azerbaijans Nakhchivan Autonomous Republics Shahbuz and Julfa districts direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, they shelled the defensive positions of Azerbaijan from various weapons.

As a result of artillery shelling by the Armenian armed forces, a resident of Aghdam village, Tovuz district, 76-years-old civilian Izzat Azizov was killed. The Armenian side earlier also purposefully targeted and committed acts of crime against Azerbaijani civilians. In the city of Khojaly, Nagorno-Karabakh region occupied by Armenia, on February 26, 1992, 613 civilians were killed with particular cruelty. The civilian population, including young children living in the border zone, are targeted: in April 2016 six civilians were killed and 33 ones were wounded. All these people are innocent victims of the Armenian aggression.

The responsibility for the ongoing events rests entirely with the military-political leadership of Armenia, and its representatives will surely receive an adequate response for their bloody crimes in the future.

The recent provocation, deliberately committed by Armenia during the COVID-19 crisis, is aimed at involving third countries in the conflict and is an attempt to divert the attention of the Armenian population from the internal problems. It is no coincidence that Armenia, immediately taking advantage of the situation, appealed to the Collective Security Treaty Organization [CSTO] to ask for help. This shows that Armenia carefully planned this provocation.

As for Armenias accusations that the ceasefire regime was violated by the Azerbaijani side, we would like to state that the deployment of the Border Service troops by the decision of Azerbaijans president on the state border outside the line of contact with Nagorno-Karabakh occupied by Armenia and seven surrounding districts testifies to the absence of aggressive intentions of Azerbaijan, said the statement.

At the same time, the assertion that Azerbaijan, 20 percent territory of which is occupied, tried to violate the borders of the CSTO member Armenia, is beyond any logic, and Azerbaijan would never take such a step. Azerbaijan is still committed to the peace negotiations mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group, but the patience of the Azerbaijani people is not endless. Azerbaijan retains the right for self-defense envisioned by Article 51 of the UN Charter, and if the peace negotiations do not give the expected result, it will use this right to restore its territorial integrity.

We believe that the aggressor and the country subjected to aggression should not be equalized. Azerbaijan has over a million refugees and internally displaced persons. They were deprived of the internationally recognized rights and freedoms. Through its own resources, the state tries to improve their living conditions every year, said the embassy's message.

At the same time, taking this opportunity, we would like to express our gratitude to Kuwait for the assistance provided to the Azerbaijani refugees in the early years of the conflict. However, unfortunately, Azerbaijan does not see proper support of the international community in the direction of restoring the rights of Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs expelled from the historical land of their ancestors.

We inform that by its aggressive actions Armenia continues grossly violating the UN Charter, the norms of international humanitarian law established by the 1949 Geneva Convention, UN Security Council resolutions Nos. 822, 853, 874, 884, numerous resolutions of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as well as decisions and principles of such regional organizations like the OSCE and the EU. We believe that the international community is not putting proper pressure on Armenia. Therefore, this country does not retreat from its aggressive actions and provocations, and also increases the probability of the continuation of such local clashes.

The fact that brotherly Kuwait was occupied in 1990 allows it to feel vividly our problem. At that time, the international community, having urgently organized a coalition on the basis of a UN resolution, liberated Kuwait from occupation. However, unfortunately, for over 30 years now, 20 percent of the territory of Azerbaijan is still under occupation, and the recent events again show that Armenia has not abandoned its aggressive policy.

In conclusion, we once again express our deep gratitude to friendly and fraternal countries, in particular Kuwait, to all international organizations, including the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for direct and indirect assistance provided to our country," the message said.
Several developments in recent months show the PA may be edging closer to its own end.

Dr Adnan Abu Amer is the head of the Political Science Department at the University of the Ummah in Gaza.

Amid the anticipation of Israeli annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank, there have been significant developments on the Palestinian political scene. It seems that there is an increasing likelihood that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will be dissolved, or at the very least, its powers greatly reduced.

In late May, Palestinian officials announced that they are ceasing security coordination with Israel in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus annexation threats. Shortly after, PA security forces withdrew from areas jointly monitored with Israeli forces in north and east Jerusalem, including from the towns of Abu Dis, Bedou, Qatana and Beit Iksa.

Around the same time, the PA also announced that it will no longer accept transfers of funds from taxes Israel collects on its behalf which go towards paying for salaries and services in the West Bank and Gaza. It also stopped issuing permits for Palestinians living in the West Bank to cross into Israel.

This created confusion and led to chaotic scenes in front of Israeli liaison offices in the West Bank, particularly in Al-Khalil (Hebron), where thousands of Palestinians gathered to apply for permits. The PA stood by and did not intervene.

It has done little to stop the flow of workers, businesspeople and sick individuals crossing into Israeli territory every day, despite the emergency situation surrounding the spread of the coronavirus. In the past, the movement of Palestinians was always coordinated between Israel and the PA to ensure security and order. This development seems to indicate that the Israeli authorities are gradually establishing a direct line of communication and relations with the Palestinian population, sidelining the PAs mediatory role.

The authority was established in 1994 on the tail of the Oslo Accords and was supposed to be an interim body during the transition to an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. Israels aggressive encroachment on Palestinian rights and path towards statehood over the past few years, as the Trump administration gave it full backing, have severely undermined the PAs political powers and seem to be reducing it to a service provider  something Ramallah would not accept.

The PA has feared this scenario for a while  Israel weakening its power by establishing direct relations with the Palestinian public and eventually eliminating its political role. Recently, PA officials have voiced such fears and have warned that the PA will not be reduced to a local council or a charity.

At the same time, the PA has taken a number of security measures in preparation for the annexation. According to reports in the Israeli media, in June it removed illegal weapons from its offices, fearing members of Hamas may try to take them and launch an armed assault on Israeli forces if tensions escalate in the West Bank.

These weapons have been collected from the civilian population during disarming operations since the end of the second intifada in 2005.

The PA is also in possession of 26,000 Kalashnikovs and pistols and dozens of armoured vehicles under licence from the Israeli authorities, which control the armament of the Palestinian forces as per the Oslo Accords.

According to Israeli TV channel Kan, the PA has made plans to hand over these weapons to Israel, in the event of an escalation in the West Bank following the annexation. It plans to send them in trucks to the Israeli military base at the Beit El Israeli settlement north of Ramallah and leave the Israeli army to assume full responsibility for the security of the West Bank.

Meanwhile, there have also been reports that the Palestinian intelligence has received instructions to remove secret security documents from its offices.

Given that Israel has full knowledge of the PAs security operations  either because it hands over such information directly to the Israelis, or because the latter have their spies in its ranks  this move is likely intended to prevent the Palestinian people from laying their hands on such files, which could potentially implicate PA figures in collaboration with Israel. The last time the PA issued such orders was at the beginning of the second intifada in 2000.

The sidelining of the PA is not only a problem for Ramallah, it will soon be a problem for Israel as well. If the PA proceeds with dissolving its security apparatus, the onus of providing security in the West Bank will fall on the Israeli authorities, which hides many risks for them.

Israeli scholars have already warned of the consequences of sidelining the PA. In an op-ed for Israeli media outlet Ynet, Michael Milstein, the head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University, wrote that the present situation can turn into a nightmare for Israel.

According to Milstein, as the Palestinians establish direct relations with Israel, they will start seeking an improvement of living standards and services from the Israeli authorities and eventually demand citizenship, which would be another step towards a one-state solution.

Indeed, this realisation may be one of the factors, along with Western pressure, which has caused the Israeli government to delay the announcement of the annexation. Wiser heads in Israels conservative leadership may have prevailed, having recognised that their aggressive expansionism in recent years may have accelerated Israels advance towards the dreaded but inevitable outcome of their desire to colonise all of Palestine  the establishment of one Israeli-Palestinian state with equal citizenship for all inhabitants.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
A Chinese farmer has had a live leech removed from his nose after suffering from repeated nosebleeds, according to a hospital.

The blood-sucking worm had lived inside the 57-year-old for about two weeks when a medic pulled out the wiggling creature from him with tweezers, a report said.

The patient allegedly felt underwhelmed and complained that the leech was 'too small' after it had been yanked out.

Footage released by Pear Video shows the leech, measuring three centimetres (1.1 inches) long, squirming around when a doctor plucked it out of the unidentified farmer in China

The man's doctor believed the parasite had got into his nose after he drank contaminated water in the mountains.

Leeches can suck up to five times their body weight in blood, but they don't grow very quickly in size.

The operation took place at a hospital in Pu'er in southern China's Yunnan province on Friday, according to Chinese video news outlet Pear.

Footage shows the leech, measuring three centimetres (1.1 inches) long, squirming around when a doctor plucked it out of the unidentified farmer.

The patient appeared to be unfazed by the bloodsucker and even said 'it is too small' to the medic.

He also claimed that he had seen many leeches which were 'much bigger' than the one extracted from him.

The 57-year-old man went to the hospital after suffering from repeated nosebleeds. 'After we examined him, we discovered there was a live leech living in his nasal cavity,' the doctor said

The man's doctor noted the man had consumed filthy water while farming in the wild about two weeks earlier. He then started to experience recurrent nosebleeds.

'After we examined him, we discovered there was a live leech living in his nasal cavity,' the doctor said.

Leeches can attach themselves to a person's skin or even inside their nose or mouth. When this happens, the person suffers from a condition called hirudiniasis, according to Mark Siddall, an expert on the parasites.

Mr Siddall is a researcher at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In an interview with Live Science, Mr Siddall said a leech could suck as much blood as about five times its unfed body weight. However, its size wouldn't expand fast.

Leeches can attach themselves to a person's skin or inside their nose or mouth (file photo)

In 2014, a Scottish backpacker had a three-inch-long leech removed from her nose after suffered from persistent nosebleeds. Doctors said the leech had been living in her nose for a month before being found.

Commenting on the incident, Mr Siddall said the leech might have got into the patient's nose while she was swimming during a trip in south-east Asia.

It was also suggested that the creature had got into the traveller's nose through her mouth when she was drinking water.

Last month, surgeons in Cambodia reportedly removed a leech from inside an elderly man's bladder after the creature crawled inside his penis while he was swimming.

The man, who has not been named, went to a hospital in the capital Phnom Penh on June 22 after suffering pain while trying to urinate.

Doctors inserted a camera through the man's urethra to find the source of the pain and were shocked when they discovered a leech inside him.
Families with relatives at St Basil's Homes for the Aged have called for the facility to be shut down and residents evacuated to hospitals, saying they have been forced to peer through windows to check on their loved ones.

Tony Papantoniou is concerned about his mother's welfare at her Fawkner aged care home, St Basil's. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

A number of private hospitals in Melbourne were called on to help manage the St Basil's cluster at the weekend, taking in about 20 residents from the Fawkner care home, while families say they fear for the welfare of loved ones remaining.

The shutdown call came as the federal governments aged care regulator also threatened to revoke the license of the aged care facility.

On Monday, Victoria recorded its highest daily case number during the COVID-19 pandemic so far, with 532 new cases and six deaths. Five of the deaths were connected to aged care homes, where there are now almost 400 residents and 300 staff with the virus across 61 facilities.
BAGHDAD - Iraqs prime minister said Monday he had ordered an investigation into the killing of two anti-government protesters, saying security forces were not authorized to fire a single bullet toward the demonstrators. Twenty-one protesters were also wounded in the overnight clashes.

Separately, four katyusha rockets landed in Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, which houses U.S.-led coalition troops, according to three Iraqi security officials. One official said the rockets targeted a runway used by Iraqi helicopters, close to where American forces are present. One helicopter was damaged. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The violence comes after months of quiet in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and were an embarrassment to Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who has vowed to meet protester demands by holding early elections and investigating the death of hundreds of protesters at the hands of security forces in recent months.

Tensions between the security forces and the demonstrators soared late Sunday when dozens of protesters cut the road connecting two main intersections  Tayaran Square and Tahrir Square  in the capital Baghdad. Some burned tires while others chanted slogans about power cuts in the scorching summer months.

Iraq is facing electricity shortages amid searing summer temperatures that can top 50 degrees Celsius, or about 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

A senior Electricity Ministry official said the power supply fell short by 10,000 megawatts this summer, down 1,000 megawatts compared to last year, due to lack of maintenance in several power plants because of lack of of funds in state coffers. This has also slowed investment projects to add more power to Iraqs grid, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Every bullet directed our youth and our people while demanding their rights is a bullet directed at our dignity and principles, al-Kadhimi said in a televised speech Monday evening. He said he had ordered a probe and requested to have the facts before him within 72 hours.

Al-Kadhimi said there is no magic solution for Iraqs electricity problem, which is a result of decades of corruption and mismanagement and cannot be resolved overnight. He said his government was working on a solution, and reiterated his intention to pave the way for early elections in line with protesters demands.

In October, mass anti-government protests erupted in Baghdad and across Iraqs predominately Shiite south as tens of thousands of angry Iraqi youth took to the streets to decry rampant government corruption, unemployment and poor services, including electricity. Pressure from protests lead to the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi.

Since October, over 600 demonstrators have been killed during protests due to live fire and tear gas used by security forces. But al-Kadhimi, who was sworn in as prime minister in May, also has to cope with an unprecedented economic crisis spurred by falling oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic.

Iraqs Health Ministry has reported 110,032 cases, including 4,362 deaths.

The spread of the coronavirus had halted mass rallies and prompted most protesters to leave, with only a few remaining at the tent sit-in at Tahrir Square, once the epicenter of the protest movement.

Ali al-Bayati, a spokesman for the semi-official Independent High Commission for Human Rights, also said two protesters had been killed. The commission said their reports indicate live fire and pellet rifles were used to disperse protesters.

Earlier, Iraqi security officials said demonstrators had hurled firebombs and stones at the riot police, while rights monitors said security forces set fire to demonstrator tents at Tahrir Square.

A statement from the military spokesman Yahya Rasool said security forces had been given strict instructions not to use violence against peaceful protesters except in the event of extreme necessity.

He said the events in Baghdad squares were unfortunate and that a probe was underway into what happened.

We are aware of the difficulties that our people are going through, Rasool said. This government, with its short life, is trying to address (them) under exceptional economic and health conditions, he said.

___

Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Murtada Faraj in Baghdad contributed to this report.
File photo of a domestic cat. A cat in the UK has become the first animal in the country to test positive for COVID-19, the UK government announced on July 27, 2020. (doanme/Pixabay.com)

Pet Cat First UK Animal to Test Positive for CCP Virus

A pet cat has been diagnosed with COVID-19, the first confirmed case of animal infection in the UK, the British government said on Monday.

The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as the novel coronavirus, is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cat and its owners have since made a full recovery and there was no transmission to other animals or people in the household, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said in a statement.

The cat probably contracted the CCP virus from its owners, who had previously tested positive for COVID-19, DEFRA said.

A pug called Winston was reported in April to be the first dog in America to contract the CCP virus, but made a full recovery. (Courtesy of Heather McLean)

This is a very rare event with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within in a few days, Christine Middlemiss, the UKs Chief Veterinary Officer, said.

Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said the case should not be a cause for alarm.

The investigation into this case suggest that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round, she said. At this time, there is no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans.

Pet owners are advised to follow the general advice on fighting the CCP virus and wash their hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals.

An ambulance arrives at a parking lot at the Bronx Zoo in New York City on April 23, 2020. Seven more big cats tested positive for the CCP virus (COVID-19) after a tiger tested positive earlier in the month. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

The pet cat was initially diagnosed by a private vet with feline herpes virus, a common cat respiratory infection, but the sample was also tested for the CCP virus as part of a research program.

After testing the samples, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge confirmed on July 22 that the cat had contracted COVID-19.

Around the world, there have been a small number of confirmed cases in animals.

There have been several cases of cat infections in Belgium and in the United States.

A study published in April found cats are highly susceptible to the virus and can infect each other via respiratory droplets.

Dogs are also known to have been infected, according to reports from the United States and Hong Kong.

In April, several tigers and lions at the Bronx Zoo in New York also tested positive for the CCP virus.

Earlier this month, health authorities in Spain ordered the culling of all 93,000 mink at a farm after discovering that most of the animals there had been infected with the CCP virus.


Ride-sharing company Uber has been quietly sharing information about its drivers and passengers with health officials for months. Now, the company is promoting this free service around the world to help in COVID-19 contact tracing efforts.

Company officials say Uber designed a website where government health agencies can easily search its records. Contact tracers can use the information to try to find people who may have come in contact with an infected individual.

The site is open to health officials in all the countries where Uber operates. The company says contact tracers can get information within a few hours by searching a passengers name or trip receipts. The site also prompts public health officials to advise Uber on actions it might take based on their findings.

Health officials and experts say ride-sharing information can find people outside the social contacts reported by infected persons. Though Uber has provided such data for months now, it has not been put to use in many COVID-19 hotspots in the United States.

Reuters news agency examined coronavirus contact tracing policies in 32 state and local health departments. It found that most of them did not request data from ride-sharing companies.

Unlike many other countries, the United States has no national program to identify the contacts of people with coronavirus infections. The World Health Organization has called such an effort critical in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. governments Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not answer Reuters requests for comment.

Uber has long provided data to U.S. law enforcement officials in emergencies and criminal investigations, companies officials said. Then in 2019, U.S. health departments began seeking company data in an effort to control the disease measles.

In the first half of 2020, Uber said it received around 560 data requests linked to COVID-19, from public health departments in 29 countries. It reported that each request took about two hours for the company to process. About 30 percent of the requests came from the United States.

Im Alice Bryant.

Reuters news agency reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

promote - v. o make people aware of something, such as a new product, through advertising

contact tracing - n. the process of identification of persons who may have come into contact with an infected person

receipt - n. a paper or electronic note on which the things or services that you pay for are listed with the total amount paid and the prices

prompt - v. to cause someone to do something

data - n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something

hotspot - n. and area of higher incidence of something, such as disease
A senior ally of Angela Merkel has said that a second wave of coronavirus has already hit Germany and that they are seeing new clusters of infections every day.

Politician Michael Kretschmer, premier of the eastern German state of Saxony, gave the warning this weekend as daily infections rose to 800 on Friday and Saturday.

The country's R rate, which measures the number of infections caused by an individual, also rose above 1 to 1.08 on Saturday, up from 0.93 on Thursday.

A member of a medical team wearing protective clothes walks inside a farming compound in Mamming, southern Germany. At least 174 seasonal workers have tested positive for the virus at the farm

Kretschmer - a member of Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats - told the Rheinische Post newspaper: 'The second wave of coronavirus is already here.

'It is already taking place every day. We have new clusters of infections every day which could become very high numbers.'

The number of cases fell to 300 on Sunday but weekend figures are often lower than those during the week due to delays in reporting.

Health authorities have said the new cases have been caused by large celebrations or gatherings as well as returning travellers.

In addition, some 500 workers were sent into quarantine on a large Bavarian farm at the weekend in order to contain a mass coronavirus outbreak.

At least 174 seasonal workers have tested positive for the virus on the farm in the municipality of Mamming. Pictured: a woman in protective clothing stands outside the farm today

At least 174 seasonal workers have tested positive for the virus on the farm in the municipality of Mamming, most of them from Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

It comes as anyone coming back into Germany will be offered a free coronavirus test as they pass through the airport. The measure was introduced on Friday.

Berlin's health minister Dilek Kalayci said that those coming back from high-risk countries should be tested and those returning from non-risk countries will also have the option.

A person in protective clothes stand at the entrance to a test station for coronavirus at Cologne Bonn Airport in Cologne, Germany

She said the tests would initially be non-mandatory and the cost would be covered by the state in all cases in the new measure that was agreed by the health ministers of Germany's 16 states.

A spokeswoman from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), told the German Press Agency the institute was concerned with the increase in the country's R-rate.

She said: 'This development is very worrying and will continue to be monitored very closely by the RKI.'

'A further exacerbation of the situation must be avoided.'

Despite the rise in cases, Germany has seen a relatively low mortality rate compared with its European neighbours, recording a total of 9,118 deaths so far. They have recorded a total of 205,609 infections.

However, the economy has still been battered, with 640,000 becoming unemployed due to the pandemic.

The country has also been hit by repeated coronavirus outbreaks at slaughterhouses, keeping authorities on high alert.
President Trump told reporters on Monday that he would not be visiting the Capitol Rotunda to pay his respects to the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, but did not offer an explanation for why.

Why it matters: Lewis, one of the organizers and speakers for the historic 1963 March on Washington, is the first Black lawmaker to lie in state at the Rotunda.

Between the lines: Lewis was a prominent critic of the president and boycotted his inauguration after questioning whether Trump's election was legitimate.

Trump tweeted at the time: "Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!"

Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to attend the Rotunda to pay his respects, as is presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other lawmakers from both sides of the aisle were also scheduled to give speeches at the ceremony.

Go deeper: Trump orders flags to half-staff in honor of John Lewis after hours of silence
ADELAIDE, Australia, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayne Pharma Group Limited (ASX: MYX) is pleased to announce that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval of its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for chlorzoxazone tablet, 375 mg, 500 mg and 750 mg, in the United States. Mayne Pharma has commenced commercial launch activities to customers in the US.

Chlorzoxazone in tablet form is a fast-acting muscle relaxant that is indicated, along with rest, physical therapy and other measures, for painful acute musculoskeletal conditions. According to IQVIA, US sales of chlorzoxazone were approximately US$25 million for the 12 months ending 31 May 2020.

Mayne Pharma's CEO Scott Richards said, "This launch reinforces Mayne Pharma's commitment to expanding our on-market portfolio with high-quality generic products and delivering affordable medicines to our patients. Chlorzoxazone was developed internally and will be manufactured at our Greenville, North Carolina manufacturing facility."

Mayne Pharma directly markets more than 60 generic and specialty branded pharmaceuticals in the United States.

About Mayne Pharma

Mayne Pharma is an ASX-listed specialty pharmaceutical company focused on applying its drug delivery expertise to commercialise branded and generic pharmaceuticals, offering patients better and more accessible medicines. Mayne Pharma also provides contract development and manufacturing services to more than 100 clients worldwide.

Mayne Pharma has a 40-year track record of innovation and success in developing new oral drug delivery systems and these technologies have been successfully commercialised in numerous products that continue to be marketed around the world.

Mayne Pharma has two facilities based in Salisbury, Australia and Greenville, USA with expertise in the formulation of complex oral and topical dose forms including potent compounds, modified-release products and poorly soluble compounds.

Safety information

Chlorzoxazone-containing products are usually well tolerated. Drowsiness, dizziness, light-headedness, malaise, or overstimulation may be noted by an occasional patient. The concomitant use of alcohol or other central nervous system depressants may have an additive effect.

Chlorzoxazone is contraindicated in patients with known intolerance to the drug. Chlorzoxazone should be used with caution in patients with known allergies or with a history of allergic reactions to drugs. If any symptoms suggestive of liver dysfunction are observed, the drug should be discontinued.

For complete prescribing information and important safety information please visit here

To report a suspected adverse reaction from one of our products, please contact Mayne Pharma at 1-844-825-8500 or [email protected], or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

SOURCE Mayne Pharma

Related Links

www.maynepharma.com


Shares of the European travel sector sank Monday morning as investors grew anxious over a rise in coronavirus cases in the region. The sixteen top travel and leisure stocks in Europe fell more than 3% in the first hour of trading, with Tui, easyJet and International Airlines Group  the owner of Iberia and British Airways  all down by around 10%. Investors are worried about a recent jump in infections in certain European regions and the subsequent implications for travel. Spain, for instance, has seen a spike in new cases since July 15. According to Reuters, which cited health ministry data, new infections have come in above 900 in recent days, a level not seen since the country reopened its economy in late May. The U.K. government surprised many tourists over the weekend with the decision to remove Spain from the list of countries exempted from quarantine upon arrival in England. This came after the regions of Catalonia, Aragon, Madrid and Pais Vasco saw a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. The Spanish government has said the regional outbreaks are under control and the country is safe for Spaniards and visiting tourists.

A second wave of Covid-19 cases across Europe in late autumn...is our biggest fear right now. Ryanair

Tui decided to cancel all holidays in mainland Spain until August 9. Ryanair has said it will not reduce its flights to Spain and said the U.K. government's decision was "regrettable." France has also advised its citizens to avoid traveling to the most affected regions of Spain. Luxembourg, Romania, Bulgaria, Sweden and Spain have registered the highest number of cumulative infections (per 100,000 people) over the last 14 days across the region, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. This has led, for instance, the Greek government to request a negative test result for those traveling to the country from Bulgaria and Romania. "I don't think this is of immediate major economic consequence (relative to what we already have) but if this is happening at the height of summer it begs the question of where we'll be in say November," Deutsche Bank analysts said in a note Monday regarding the recent cases in Europe. Some analysts were expecting the summer months in Europe to be much quieter in terms of new cases, associating the winter period, when people tend to get colds and flus, as the most likely period for a second wave in the region. Disease specialists have argued that a recent rise in cases may actually just be a continuation of the first wave, and some suggest the number of infections would have to reach low single digits in a country for the first wave to be classed as over. "We think the sudden change in (the U.K.) government policy could negatively impact customer booking confidence," analysts at Jefferies said in a note Monday, suggesting that tourists might opt for stay-cations or simply not take a vacation at all this summer.

Ryanair staff member in protective face masks is seen presenting a security flight information at Krakow Balice Airport. NurPhoto | NurPhoto | Getty Images

Though this might boost domestic tourism industries, it poses challenges for airlines and the wider sector in Europe. Ryanair said Monday morning that it expects a "very challenging year" on the back of coronavirus' related uncertainty. "It is impossible to predict how long the Covid-19 pandemic will persist, and a second wave of Covid-19 cases across Europe in late autumn (when the annual flu season commences) is our biggest fear right now," the Irish carrier said.
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA)  Cameroonian armed forces have attacked a health facility in the North-West region and arbitrarily arrested seven health workers in the South-West, while armed separatists have killed at least six civilians, including a humanitarian worker and a teacher, since May 2020, a human rights watchdog said on Monday
As the world seeks a path to recovery from COVID-19, trust looms large as a critical enabler of success. If I am an employer, can I assure my employees and customers are safe? Did our supplier ship the right product? Is that new vendor legitimate? If I am a consumer, can I trust that this medicine will do what it promises? Am I spending my money in the right place?

While this new imperative for trust is being felt across boundariesby corporations, governments, charities, non-governmental organizations and individual consumersmany organizations are struggling to build the conditions that earn trust. At a time when business models and value chains are being reconfigured on the fly, theyre seeing legacy processes and systems aimed at creating trust coming up shorttoo manual, too time-consuming, insufficiently scalable. For many employers these problems have been compounded by the shift to having many employees work from home, where they must connect remotely with the systems from a wide array of external parties, including customers, suppliers, regulators, healthcare providers, state and local authorities, and others.

Technology offers a solution. Using tools many organizations are already deploying as part of their digital transformation initiativesblockchain, cloud, data analytics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity software, the Internet of Things, and moreorganizations can automate their value chain processes and eliminate the guesswork that undermines trust. In short, they can create a digital trust infrastructure, or DTI, that injects security, auditability, immutability, and rigorous governance into the processes and transactions that flow through their value chains.

Potential use cases aboundwithin and outside the scope of COVID-19. Government agencies could use DTIs to better inform and monitor the dispensation of loans and grants to businesses impacted by the pandemic. A maker of ethically sourced sportswear could use a DTI to build a verifiably green supply chain and assure customers they can trust that the companys products align with their values. An organization charged with securing a COVID-19 vaccine, verifying its provenance, and distributing it in the appropriate quantities to the right locations could use a DTI to base decisions on accurate, real-time dataand automate and authoritatively document the many processes involved in that undertaking. At the same time, it could prevent counterfeit products, or vaccines from grey markets or other illegitimate sources, from entering its supply chain.

Blockchain, of course, is the foundational linchpin of a digital trust infrastructure. A distributed ledger shared by many users over a peer-to-peer computer network, a blockchain is made up of blocks of data, each of which is assigned a unique digital identifier. Every block is built on the one that proceeded it and must be validated by a consensus of users before it is posted, after which it cannot be altered. This creates a highly transparent and auditable trail that allows all users to trust the record it creates. In short, it delivers the elusive single view of the truth long prized by organizations, and eliminates the need to continually revisit and re-verify information.

But blockchain alone cannot create a digital trust infrastructure sufficient to deliver the speed, insight and flexibility organizations need. Sensors and readers associated with Internet of Things technology are necessary to identify and track physical goods and componentslike tracking and tracing a serialized medication at the unit or pallet level from the point of commissioning to the point of dispensation. Sophisticated data analytics, buttressed by machine learning and other forms of artificial intelligence, are required to draw faster and better insights from the data recorded on a blockchainto provide an aggregated view of all inventory available in the market, for example, in order to plan supply and manufacturing and prevent shortages. And operating in a cloud computing environment can make it easier for all of the participants in a value chain, including suppliers, vendors and in some cases end users, to participate in a digital trust infrastructure designed as an open, brand-agnostic ecosystem.

Because most organizations are already using many of the enabling technologies, building a digital trust infrastructure not only makes sense now, it can be done now. In many cases, it should be possible to stand up a pilot program and begin scaling it within a matter of months.

It also fits the times. While COVID-19 has forced many organizations to rethink their operating models, it has merely accelerated in some instances changes that were already being contemplated. Concerns about disruptive developments, for example, and the ability of corporate ecosystems to rapidly respond to those changes, were already on corporate agendas.

To a very real extent, the current pandemic and its economic fallout have merely reinforced the hard truth that yesterdays legacy infrastructures, as presently configured, do not readily lend themselves to the level of agility demanded in uncertain times. A digital trust infrastructure can orchestrate the various components of that infrastructure and give organizations the ability to connect with their stakeholders in a trusted environment, and quickly respond to any new disruptions that might arise. More holistically, it can protect, support and even accelerate the digital transformations many organizations see as critical to their long-term success.

To learn more, please click here.

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The KPMG name and logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of KPMG International.

Some or all of the services described herein may not be permissible for KPMG audit clients and their affiliates or related entities.

The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act upon such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation.




President Moon Jae-in appointed Lee In-young, a four-term ruling party lawmaker, Monday as new unification minister in charge of inter-Korean relations, Cheong Wa Dae announced.







Accordingly, Lee's tenure has begun as of the day, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok wrote in a text message to reporters.







Lee, who served as floor leader of the Democratic Party, was nominated early this month to lead the Ministry of Unification. Moon hopes Lee will play a role in efforts to produce a breakthrough in Seoul-Pyongyang ties, which are at a low ebb. Lee has long engaged in peace-related activities.







He went through the National Assembly's confirmation hearing and then its committee on foreign affairs and unification adopted his hearing report amid a boycott by the main opposition United Future Party (UFP). The UFP cited Lee's refusal to submit certain reference materials for the hearing requested by its members. (Yonhap)


New York

Second-quarter sales at Unilever fell much less than expected as a strong performance in North America helped to offset the hit from coronavirus lockdowns. The Anglo-Dutch maker of Dove soaps and Knorr soups said on Thursday underlying sales fell 0.3% in the three months ended June 30, compared with analysts mean forecast for a 4.3% drop.

That was still the first decline in quarterly sales since the third quarter of 2004, according to Jefferies analysts, Reuters reported. We have demonstrated the resilience of the business, Chief Executive Alan Jope said in a statement.

Unilever also said that after exploring options for its 3 billion euro ($3.5 billion) a year tea business, it had decided to keep its operations in India and Indonesia and partnership interests in ready-to-drink tea joint ventures.

The rest of the tea business will be separated into an independent entity, the consumer goods group added. While shoppers have been buying more groceries in coronavirus lockdowns, that has been offset by a plunge in demand for products sold at restaurants, schools, cinemas and outdoor venues, many of which have been closed.

Unilever relies in particular on impulse purchases of ice cream brands such as Magnum and Ben & Jerrys during May and June, which typically account for 50% of its out-of-home sales in the second quarter, according to Societe Generale analysts.

In the first half of the year, Unilever said food service sales declined by nearly 40% and out of home ice cream by nearly 30%. But e-commerce sales leapt 49%. North America also stood out, with growth of 7.3%.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 09:22:53|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The central government will provide all necessary support for Hong Kong's fight against COVID-19 at the request of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR said.

A spokesperson of the office said in a statement on Sunday night that the central government attaches great importance to the recent coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong.

As long as the HKSAR has the need, the central government will provide great assistance in medical materials, facilities and equipment at any time, the spokesperson said, adding that the central government will also support Hong Kong in improving its virus test capability and assist in the construction of makeshift hospitals.

Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection reported 128 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the fifth straight day when the daily additional cases surpassed 100. Enditem
With corn tassels emerging across the state, there are more questions about foliar fungicide use in corn. Foliar fungicides are valuable tools for management of some important diseases of corn. For over a decade, fungicide use in corn has become increasingly popular for many farmers for a number of reasons, including physiological effects they may provide. But, it becomes a more difficult decision when corn prices are low and some producers are looking for ways to reduce input costs when profit margins are narrow. Here are some considerations to keep in mind and more resources.

Dr. Kiersten Wise, Plant Pathologist at the University of Kentucky led team members to analyze and summarize the results of fungicide trials conducted on dent corn by University plant pathologists across 13 U.S. states (including ours in Nebraska) and Ontario, Canada. This was a daunting task considering the diversity of conditions across all of the locations and testing years. They used contemporary statistical analyses to synthesize and understand trends in the data set of yield results from fungicides applied at various crop stages during 2014-2015 as predictors of whether applications may be profitable. Disease levels in the non-treated controls were reported as <5% or 5%. The results were recently published in an open access, peer-reviewed journal article, Meta-analysis of yield response of foliar fungicide-treated hybrid corn in the United States and Ontario, Canada.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 07/27/2020



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ELIZABETH AND ANDREI

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PAUL AND KARINE

Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

: Happily Ever After? featured Larissa Dos Santos Lima moving in with her boyfriend Eric Nichols only to discover he had allegedly trashed her after their split, Jess Caroline and Colt Johnson 's mother Debbie clashing, Asuelu Pulaa apologizing to Kalani Faagata Andrei Castravet being secretive about his past, and Paul Staehle finding a home for Karine Martins during Sunday night's Season 5 episode on TLC.: Happily Ever After?'s fifth season also features Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchester Happily Ever After? documents couples -- engaged, married or divorced -- navigating life, hardships, family, children and unexpected obstacles.The new season has already featured cultural differences, in-law arguments, scandals, confrontations and tears, and there is much more to come.Below is the latest on each couple or cast members, according to the seventh episode of : Happily Ever After?'s fifth season.Elizabeth and Andrei went to the airport to pick up Elizabeth's father Chuck and brother Charlie, and Elizabeth said she was "so excited" about their arrival but Andrei was not.Andrei figured Elizabeth's family was going to experience "culture shock" and he had been worried Elizabeth's loved ones would offend his parents with their outspoken, blunt and outgoing personalities.Chuck and Charlie got off to a bad start because their bags were missing and Charlie said Moldova seemed "dark and dreary" outside, certainly not like Tampa, FL.But Chuck said he looked forward to learning more about Andrei and his family, past, culture and how he grew up. The guys still had "a lot of question marks" about who Andrei is, and they were interested to watch him thrive in his comfort zone and environment.Andrei pointed out the language barrier was actually going to be a positive because "the stupid stuff" Elizabeth's family would probably say wouldn't register in his parents' minds.Charlie discovered Amazon didn't deliver to Moldova, and Andrei revealed you can bride police officers in his native country if in the situation of getting a speeding ticket or something like that.Andrei shared he once worked as a detective in Moldova. Before he left for Ireland -- where he met Elizabeth -- he was working as a policeman but apparently found the job "hard and stressful."Andrei said the work conditions were not up to his standards and the force apparently treated people poorly so he came a bouncer in Ireland.Elizabeth's family asked Andrei why he would leave his home country and family to live somewhere like Ireland, and Andrei replied by saying he had gotten into a little trouble once -- without revealing what he did or what happened."Maybe it's me being an overprotective dad, but what I found a little strange was why he would leave his career and move to a foreign country. There are a lot of red flags there," Chuck told the cameras.Elizabeth said Andrei had told her that he moved to Ireland because his cousin had a job for him there."I don't know why he's being so evasive about it, but they really need to ease up on a lot of their questions because this isn't a good way to start the night," Elizabeth said.Chuck found it strange Andrei avoided his questions and gave vague replies, so he was starting to think there was more to Andrei's story than just quitting his job as "a detective" and moving to Ireland just to move.Andrei then welcomed Elizabeth's dad and brother into his home, and Elizabeth's relatives met Andrei's parents and brother for the first time. Elizabeth just hoped everyone was going to get along, especially since the car ride over was rocky and tense.Chuck set out to learn more about Andrei's alleged job as a detective, but he was blown away by the welcome feast Andrei's parents had prepared for them with effort, love and time. Chuck couldn't believe the amount of food Andrei's mother had cooked in her tiny kitchen.Andrei's parents also had homemade wine for Elizabeth's loved ones, and the meal got off to a great start.However, Charlie brought up Andrei being a detective at the dinner table. Andrei said his salary had been 200 Euros a month, but he laughed off subsequent questions when Chuck and Charlie wanted specific answers."Whatever happened in my past is my business, and Chuck and Charlie should leave it alone," Andrei noted in a confessional. "I told Elizabeth that I left for Ireland to get a better job. That's what everyone should know, and that's the end of the conversation."Andrei's brother said he didn't think it was normal for the man to stay at home with the children and the wife to work. Chuck had apparently offered Andrei several jobs but Andrei turned them down so he wouldn't be under Chuck's control."It was his pride," Chuck told Andrei's family.Andrei said it was strange that Libby was working when Andrei first considered America to be the land of opportunities. Elizabeth also noted that she wanted Andrei to get a job and his stay-at-home father position was only supposed to be temporary.Andrei told Elizabeth that they had agreed on their situation and she was okay with it up until now, but Elizabeth pointed out she's allowed to change her mind and Andrei was ignoring everyone at the table."He's like, 'If you're not happy, then why are you married to me?' And that's just not fair," Elizabeth said.Elizabeth was clearly upset and told Andrei that she didn't even want a second wedding. Andrei subsequently called Elizabeth "unstable" and suggested her behavior was "dumb." At this point, he didn't know what their future held.Jess brought Colt and Debbie to her family barbecue, and Colt hoped all of her relatives were going to like him.Colt was also worried how Debbie was going to act although he acknowledged his mother seemed to be in a better mood. Colt felt the need to impress and win the approval of Jess' father above all else, and the pressure made him pretty nervous.Jess wanted her family to like Colt and think he's a good guy, but she feared Debbie was going to fight with her or one of her family members.Colt said he liked Jess' family right off the bat, but if Jess' father didn't like him, Colt noted his relationship was going to be over. Colt doesn't speak Portuguese, so he and Jess' dad had trouble communicating when they met.Jess' father Silvio told the cameras Jess had never dated an American man before and if Colt wanted to be with her, he needed to step up to the plate, be a man, and marry Jess. Silvio apparently didn't want Colt to "fool around."Debbie said she was excited to learn about Jess' past and future goals, and the family gathering appeared to be easy and fun at first. Debbie, however, thought Silvio was "very weird" from the get-go.Debbie didn't love the food, but she was polite and ate whatever was served to her.When Silvio found out Colt had been married to a Brazilian woman before, he asked what went wrong and how long they were together. Colt said he was married for six months and began dating Jess six months after his divorce.Silvio didn't seem pleased and questioned if Colt was ready for another relationship or was just messing around. Silvio didn't want to see a man deceive or hurt his daughter, and he put Colt on the spot."What do you want with me?" Jess asked her boyfriend at the table in front of everyone."I want a family with you. I want a family with your daughter. I didn't plan on meeting her, but I did, and I fell in love with her immediately. I wasn't looking for a relationship," Colt shared. "I think your daughter is the best person I've ever met."Silvio hoped Colt was being a sincere man, but he decided to approve of his daughter's relationship and support Jess and Colt.Jess' relatives then suggested Colt and Jess should get married right away in their house, which rubbed Debbie the wrong way.Debbie announced that she thought Jess and Colt were "moving too fast" -- especially because they were talking about marriage and kids already -- but Jess became very defensive and thought she and Colt were moving at a good speed."I don't want him divorced in six months," Debbie said."I'm different," Jess snapped back. "You compare me and Larissa."Debbie said she just wanted to know, "Why the rush," and then she called Jess "so defensive." Jess insisted she loved Colt and depended on Colt for nothing, and she claimed she wasn't trying to get a Green Card.Jess and Debbie then began speaking over each other at the dinner table and Debbie felt insulted and disrespected. Debbie told Colt that she was ready to leave and was "done" with the conversation as Jess kept shouting over her.At one point, Jess waved her hand near Debbie's face to quiet her, and Debbie couldn't believe it. Jess then vented, "Son of a b-tch, f-ck you." Colt announced that was quite enough, and Debbie called Jess' behavior "out of line" and "aggressive."Debbie said the situation reminded her of the past and being around Larissa, and Debbie decided she needed to go back to her hotel.Colt wanted to put Debbie in a cab and make her return to the hotel by herself, which really upset Debbie. Colt said he felt bad about separating from his mother but the night was about Jess and himself and he needed to spend more time with Jess and her family.Colt didn't see Jess and Debbie's relationship improving, but he acknowledged at the same time, "Jess is not Larissa."The next day, Colt said he had a great night with Jess and her family and didn't feel bad about sending her mother back to the hotel in a taxi. Colt apparently got drunk at the party, and Debbie was upset her son had decided to leave her alone."Jess, she was out of control," Debbie told the cameras, before telling her son, "I'm a little concerned about a few things... like when Jess got very defensive. She put her hand up in my face and all I did was ask why she wants to get married next week."Debbie added that she didn't appreciate Jess' behavior and it reminded her of "someone else." Debbie called the gesture "very disrespectful" and told Colt that he should have defended her and stood up for her.Colt apologized and claimed he didn't understand the situation fully, and Debbie told Colt to pay attention to the "signs" and red flags, such as the way Jess acted while drinking."I think that he's caught up in a situation where she's taking advantage of him," Debbie said of Jess. "I think Colt is making exactly the same mistake that he made before, and I think she's trying to get a Green Card."Debbie told Colt that he barely knew Jess and things could go sour if Jess decided to move to the U.S. permanently. Colt explained he was trying to spend as much time with Jess as possible, but Debbie pointed out she was already talking about marriage."Do you want to get married that quick?" Debbie asked."I don't know," Colt replied.Debbie was afraid to leave Colt alone because he and Jess might run off to get married. Debbie planned to confront Jess about her concerns again, but Colt thought his mother was "overreacting."Colt felt "caught in the middle" between the two women he loved, and he wasn't sure how to navigate the situation going forward.Later on, Jess took Colt to a Brazilian beach so they could enjoy the day together alone, and Colt wore a Speedo to the beach. Jess called him sexy and laughed about wanting to have sex on the beach.Colt told Jess that he loved her family but she seemed to get a little angry when drunk. Colt felt the need to talk to Jess about putting her hand in front of Debbie's face, but the conversation was a little awkward.Jess said Debbie talked about them moving too fast too often and she didn't like Colt's mother comparing her to Larissa. Jess called Colt "a baby boy," but Colt insisted he's a man who was married, pays his own bills and does his own thing.Colt thought it was "demoralizing" for Jess to call him "a baby boy," and then he called her "a Daddy's girl." Colt told Jess that if her father was sick, she'd probably live with him and take care of him and that's exactly what he was doing with Debbie.Colt asked Jess to be supportive and patient with his mother, and he wanted them to prove to everyone that Jess was not using him and they sincerely loved each other. The couple hashed out their issues and Colt felt good about where his relationship was headed.Angela and Michael were going to have a dinner at their apartment with Michael's mother, and Angela said they were going to follow her American rules in their own home.Angela therefore told Michael that he was going to help her set the table, cook and clean, but Michael wanted to see Angela run their home like a traditional Nigerian woman.The couple got into an argument in the car with Angela saying their apartment was her place -- with Michael countering that it was "our place." Angela said it would be Michael's place if he paid for it, and then Michael argued, "Your money is my money."Angela disagreed and said in a confessional, "It's time for Michael to learn what I expect from him, and if he's not okay with it, then maybe we shouldn't get married."Michael brought Angela to a market in Lagos to buy groceries for their dinner, and Angela was immediately uncomfortable and griped, "I can't do this." Angela didn't like what she saw given the food was not canned or kept cool.Michael wanted to buy goat meat but Angela was totally against the idea. Angela even blocked her nose while walking through the market because of the smells, and when she saw goat heads, she booked it out of there as fast as possible."I can't live like this," Angela said, before gagging and throwing up outside of Michael's car. "I'm not Nigerian. I'm not. And you can't make me be."At Angela and Michael's apartment, Michael was cooking the food and Angela was very proud of him. She ordered an American-style pizza and asked Michael to cook everything else.Angela wanted to show Michael's mother that Michael was not going to live like the traditional Nigerian man, and she couldn't wait to see the look on Michael's mother's face.Michael fried some plantains when his mom, Aduke, walked in, and she was admittedly surprised to see her son cooking.Angela told Aduke and Michael's aunt that she just didn't have time to cook, and Michael explained to his loved ones Angela was going to work in America and so he'd have to stay home, clean and cook.Michael's aunt and mother didn't like the food Angela was serving at first, but once they tried the pizza, they liked it.Aduke blessed Michael's union and said she hoped for children in the near future. Michael promised his mother that Angela would try to have a baby, but Angela had yet to break the news to Michael she could possibly have cancer in her uterus.Carmen kicked Larissa out of her house because of her revived romance with Eric Nichols, and Eric was shocked upon hearing this news. Larissa said it was "difficult" to pick between the two people in her life but she chose Eric.Larissa told Eric that she was "homeless," and after a moment of awkward hesitation, Eric said, "There is space here if you want to come here. You are welcome to come here."Eric seemed to have reservations about Larissa living with him, but he offered to come pick her up.Larissa said she was a little afraid of the future and what might happen with Eric but she was following her heart and still loved him. Eric was not going to be welcome in Carmen's house and so she needed to pack up her belongings herself."Maybe I'm making the best mistake of my life," Larissa told Eric once he picked her up.Larissa was excited to hang out with Eric and spend as much time with him as she wanted. Eric looked forward to working on their relationship and acknowledged they'd have separate rooms in his house if they needed some time apart."Eric has a roommate. I would rather just live with Eric, but at least he doesn't live with his mother," Larissa said in a confessional, taking a shot at her ex, Colt.Larissa said although people view her as being "super sexy," she's just "a nerd inside" and would probably get along great with Eric's roommate David.Larissa was excited to have her own room she could decorate, and she was excited about being a queen in the castle. There was a little ceramic porcupine in Larissa's room and she joked with Eric they should call him Colt because it's "fat and white."Eric told Larissa that she could sleep in his bed until they got her a bed of her own, and Larissa was a little nervous about their future together because he had hurt her before and she needed to regain trust in him. However, both Larissa and Eric had a positive outlook on rebuilding their relationship.Larissa then met up with her friend Hannah to share the news about her new romance with Eric, but she acknowledged Hannah didn't like Eric because Larissa had apparently trashed him following their breakup and made everyone hate him.Hannah called Eric "a loser" and was totally shocked and upset to hear he and Larissa had gotten back together. Hannah told the cameras she wanted Larissa to be happy but she "definitely was not in his corner."Larissa told Hannah that Eric was starting to pay for everything and she had decided to live with him.Larissa admitted she still loved Eric and wasn't dating him again because she couldn't find another man to accept her past and current court case. Hannah wasn't happy and couldn't support the relationship, but she promised to have Larissa's back going forward.Hannah wished Larissa had gotten a place of her own, but she was at least happy to hear she and Eric were sleeping in separate rooms.Larissa compared Hannah and herself to Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian , gushing about how they're the best of friends despite moving in different directions."At the end of the day, I just want love. So I'm not [worried] what people think if Eric and I get back together because my love for him is above it all. I feel that Eric and I grew up a lot after the breakup and he could be the love of my life," Larissa shared with the cameras.Later on, TLC aired an onscreen graphic that read the following: "A few days after moving in, Larissa looked through Eric's phone without him knowing. She found old texts from a woman he was talking to after they broke up."Eric apparently told this woman that Larissa is "a bad mother" who doesn't take showers. Larissa was disappointed and upset, and so she decided to call the woman -- Nathalie -- in search of some answers.Larissa asked Nathalie if Eric had talked about her, and Nathalie replied, "Listen, I don't know you, but all I can tell you is that guy is the worst man, and calling him a man is an insult to real men."Nathalie said she met Eric in Colorado Springs where his family lives, they hung out one night, and he had "bashed" Larissa "entirely." Natalie also said Eric bashed Larissa in front of his parents."He talked horrible things about you and about your character, and his dad did too," Nathalie claimed."And I'm sorry I'm going to tell you this, but he also talked about, like, intimacy between you and him and between you and Colt. He said that in front of his parents, Larissa."Larissa called Eric "a b-tch," saying he's like "your best friend that [turns] against you." Larissa called him "a woman," and Nathalie agreed that Eric was "a snake."Based on what Eric had said about Larissa, Nathalie admitted she's shocked the pair got back together. In that moment, Larissa's whole world came crashing down on her.Larissa couldn't believe Eric was being "so mean" behind her back. She understood that Eric was mad over their breakup, but she couldn't believe he had spoken badly of her to his family and to a stranger, who was Natalie at the time. Larissa determined Eric had "no respect" for her.Nathalie added that Eric had called Larissa "crazy" and "super aggressive," and Eric apparently bonded with Colt once at Colt's house following Larissa and Colt's split. It appears Eric and Colt discussed intimacy with Larissa and made fun of her.Larissa felt betrayed by the man she thought she loved."I forgave Eric because I believed that he has a good heart, but now I know that Eric [ran] to Colt and [said] all my secrets. So now I don't believe that I can trust Eric again," Larissa said.Eric then arrived home and Larissa ended her conversation with Nathalie."[Eric] told about my sexuality -- the way that I like to make sex and the way I don't like to make sex -- but in a very pejorative way. And I feel destroyed now and I feel very sad," Larissa said in a confessional."I want to change my hair; I want to change my face. I feel as a woman destroyed. This woman told me, 'He [hates] you.' I'm just sad."Larissa planned to confront Eric and talk to him about this.Kalani said she and Asuelu hadn't reached a resolution since their trip to California and they were barely talking. Kalani admitted she felt like she was dealing with "a teenager."While on a playground with their children, Asuelu told his wife that he wanted to talk about California and how his decision to walk away from her with a bag was wrong and "not a smart idea.""And I was so wrong in saying that a woman in Samoa is better than you, and I'm so sorry," Asuelu told Kalani, who cracked a smile.Kalani said it meant a lot to her that Asuelu said that and they had made progress but he needed to change his actions -- and not just say the right thing.Kalani didn't want Asuelu to repeat his bad behavior, but Asuelu insisted he had learned from the past and just wanted to move forward. Kalani smiled and the couple hugged and kissed."I feel very happy and excited because Kalani accepted my apologies, but I am still sad. I miss my family in Samoa," Asuelu said in a confessional. "I am homesick here."Asuelu, however, has two half-sisters who live in the United States, and so he told Kalani he'd like to visit them in Washington. He and the girls have the same mother but a different father.Asuelu's mother apparently has a Green Card so she can go back and forth between America and Samoa, and he said he'd love to visit his mother as well.Kalani agreed to join him for the trip but made him promise he would stand by her and help her with the kids. She didn't want Asuelu to potentially fight with her and walk away, and Asuelu swore he wouldn't.Asuelu promised Kalani a "smooth" and "fine" trip, and Kalani just hoped Asuelu meant what he said because things had been very hard between them. Kalani thought traveling could maybe reset their relationship.In order to make Asuelu happy, Kalani planned to fly to Washington State to visit his mother and sister, and Kalani hoped his sister from Salt Lake City, UT, could meet them there as well.Kalani admitted she didn't have the best relationship with Asuelu's relatives because they didn't attend their wedding, but Kalani was thinking more long-term -- that if Asuelu saw his family maybe he'd be happier in his marriage.Kalani met Asuelu's mother once in Samoa, and she said they got along fine because Asuelu's mother sent her home once with coconuts. However, Kalani admitted Asuelu's mother was "a little kooky."Asuelu and Kalani then videochatted with Asuelu's mother, who was thrilled to hear her son and daughter-in-law planned to visit her.But then Asuelu's mom said, "I need money." Kalani said she'd never let Asuelu send his family the money they asked for and that made things tense between Asuelu's relatives and herself.Asuelu's mother asked for $1,000 during the videochat, but Asuelu said he only had $500 to give. Kalani understood it's Samoan culture for a man to take care of his family even if he leaves the home, but Kalani wasn't okay with how often they asked and how much.Asuelu tried to blame Kalani for not being able to give $1,000, and Kalani hated being the bad guy. She didn't appreciate Asuelu throwing her under the bus like that.Karine didn't like any of the options in the trailer park, so Paul found his wife a tiny home on the same lot as the trailer park. The house was a one-room studio place with a little front porch.Paul had to clean the refrigerator and put an air conditioner in a window, and he got the place ready for his family.Paul hoped Karine would like the place and it would meet her needs and expectations or else she'd want to return to Brazil.When Karine saw her new home in America for the first time, she said, "It's good. I like it here." All she wanted was a house with walls, a bathroom and enough space for her family."Paul is really trying to make me happy. This house is the first step for me to feel comfortable here in the U.S. And right now, it makes me happy," Karine said.Paul felt "so relieved" Karine liked the place, but they could only live there temporarily. Paul hoped to secure a job next so he could make money for his family and they could feel settled in America together.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
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Linkedin Leo Ramirez and Noel Celis (Agence France-Presse) Chengdu, China  Mon, July 27, 2020 09:00 542 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066978ae9 2 World US-China,US-Consulate,US-China-tension,US-China-tension-COVID-19,US-China-Hong-Kong-tension,US-China-Uighur,US-China-trade-war,bilateral-spat,bilateral-tension Free

Taking selfies and waving Chinese flags curious locals flocked to the US consulate in Chengdu Sunday as officials prepared to remove its official plaque just days after Washington and Beijing ordered each other to close one of their diplomatic missions.

Tensions between the two countries over trade and the coronavirus rose another notch on Tuesday when the US ordered Chinas consulate in Texas closed, saying it was a hub of espionage and intellectual property theft.

On Sunday a constant stream of onlookers in the city of 16.5 million people flowed past the consulate, many taking photos.

Large numbers of police kept them from getting too close and put a quick stop to any provocative gestures or obvious signs of joy as the Americans left.

One passerby launched into a nationalist chant and was quickly silenced, according to a video posted on social media.

AFP journalists saw security confiscate a banner. The measures however didnt stop a local draping a huge Chinese flag from his balcony and shouting "China" into the street.

Boos also went up when a bus with tinted windows left the building on Sunday.

An attempt to pry the main plaque from the wall of the shuttered consulate with a crowbar, hammer and chisel failed.

Beijing hadnt given a date for the consulates closure, but on Saturday most of the insignia were stripped from the building.

Necessary response

The US has an embassy in Beijing as well as five consulates in mainland China -- including the one in Chengdu -- plus one in Hong Kong.

The Chengdu consulate covered the countrys southwest, including -- notably -- Tibet. Many Tibetans accuse the central government of religious repression and eroding their culture.

Shutting down the consulate, the foreign ministry said Friday, was a "legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States".

"Some personnel at the US consulate in Chengdu were engaged in activities outside of their capacity, interfered in China's internal affairs, and endangered China's security and interests," spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

In 2013, China demanded the US provide an explanation for a spying program after news reports said a top-secret map leaked by fugitive intelligence analyst Edward Snowden showed surveillance facilities at US embassies and consulates worldwide -- with the Chengdu consulate among them.

Chinese nationalists had called for a more strident response from the authorities however -- the closure of the US consulate in Hong Kong, a move that would have further hiked tensions.

The semi-autonomous city saw large, rolling pro-democracy protests last year and Beijing has frequently said it suspects the US of being behind the unrest.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday the Chinese consulate in Houston was a "hub of spying and intellectual property theft".

The fourth largest city in the United States, Houston is a major global center for medical and biological research.

Washington officials said attempts to steal secrets in those fields had grown too numerous to ignore.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 22:26:43|Editor: huaxia

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WINDHOEK, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Namibians have started to use face masks as a new frontier for retailers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Face masks have been turned as the newest garment to improve brands' recognition and boost sales.

Face masks have become essential items amid the pandemic as the government encourages people to wear face coverings when they go out in public as a safety measure to help curb the coronavirus.

Nowadays, branded face masks have hit the market.

Jacob Amagulu from Kiano Kiddies, a children's event company, said face masks are his newest method of advertising. Amagulu said face masks advertising is easy for a businesses as they are simply placing their brand names or logos directly on new masks and selling them.

"A branded mask is a walking billboard for any business. Customers and employees will be wearing their face masks everywhere, promoting your brand. Every one's eyes are nowadays on face masks. It is a great marketing tool," Amagulu said.

Amagulu added creating face masks is also a wonderful platform for companies to get creative.

"Many companies have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has caused many to become depressed and lost their creative thinking. I do enjoy seeing how companies are challenging each other to bring out the most attractive branded masks," he said.

Local artist Ben Kamati said many big brands are jumping on the face mask bandwagon to boast their sales, adding that his branded face masks are selling like hot cakes.

"During these challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are using face masks to tell our beautiful stories. I find this inspiring during such a sad time worldwide," Kamati said.

Kamati said he only produces reusable masks which are good for the environment and cost effective, as they can be washed after each use.

The artist said his masks are made from polyester with a layer of cotton in between and are machine washable.

One client Mike Angula who brought a branded mask Monday said he found face masks advertising exciting.

Angula said the demand for branded face masks has risen and no company wants to be lacking behind.

"Branded masks look much more appealing than the plain ones. This is a great way of making the wearing of face masks more fashionable and fun. It is so nice to have your favorite brands on your masks. This is also a great way to support your favorite brands. Businesses and clients are both happy about branded face masks," Angula said.

Angula said many business owners in Namibia are also encouraging their clients to wear their face masks in a correct and safe manner. Enditem
A gun store that opened in 1911. An Irish pub that had drawn crowds since the Reagan administration. A coffee shop that sheltered frightened Brooklyn residents during the 2001 terrorist attacks.

These small businesses  John Jovino Gun Shop in Little Italy, Coogans in Washington Heights and Cranberrys in Brooklyn Heights  are among the mom-and-pop shops and restaurants in New York that have withstood decades of economic downturns, wars and natural disasters, helping to anchor their neighborhoods and define the city.

But they could not survive the coronavirus pandemic, which has ravaged not just fragile small businesses but stalwarts that had lasted for generations. Many were especially reliant on repeat customers and foot traffic, and their income dried up almost overnight when the state shut down to stop the spread of the virus.

Their losses have not only left troubling holes in their neighborhoods but could signal even deeper trouble for other small ventures.
Photos of tear gas canisters exploding, yellow umbrellas unfurled as a sign of protest, and flag-waving independence seekers being arrested by police in riot gear have been daily fare in Western news media for over a year. This initially came as a shock, since for so long Hong Kong had been considered a safe and peaceful place amid the often-tumultuous events elsewhere in Asia.

Known as the Pearl of the Orient, Hong Kong long attracted shipping companies, tourists, and investors with its expansive harbor, beautiful scenery, and hard-working population, supervised by an efficient British colonial administration. In the course of a century, Hong Kong grew from an insignificant fishing village to Asias second most prosperous city, after Tokyo. Per capita incomes were actually higher than those in the mother country.

So, when Great Britain and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) began to negotiate Hong Kongs return to China, there was great apprehension. The Sino-British Declaration of 1984 promised a high degree of self-government for the former colony. Under a one country, two systems formula, Hong Kong would be a Special Autonomous Region (SAR) of China. Property rights and contracts would continue to be honored, and the judicial system, based on British models, would be maintained for at least 50 years. As an international treaty, the declaration was duly registered with the United Nations.

June Teufel Dreyer

Certainly, there were grounds for concern. At Beijings insistence, the people of Hong Kong were excluded from the negotiations. And the political system it insisted on was anything but democratic; elections would be held but based on a formula that virtually guaranteed Beijings preferred candidates would be chosen. The first governor was the head of a major shipping empire with a good reason to be loyal to the PRCits government had bailed out the company during a financial downturn. Even this could be considered hopeful as a portent of good relations between communist China and capitalist Hong Kong. Hong Kong was valuable to the PRC as a gateway to investment in the then-burgeoning Chinese market. Surely Beijing would not want to kill the goose that laid golden eggs. And in the early 1980s, hopes were high that an economically more prosperous China would evolve into a liberal democratic state. Beijing promised that in 2017 a new political system would allow one person, one vote.

At first things seemed to be going well, but there were a few problems. A gangster who was a legal Hong Kong resident was apprehended and sentenced in China rather than, as he should have been, in Hong Kong. But his guilt was not in question, and the case aroused little sympathy. When the PRCs National Peoples Congress overruled Hong Kongs Court of Final appeal on whether the mainland-born children of Hong Kong residents had the right of abode in Hong Kong, there was a good deal of grumbling that the latter was now the Court of Not Quite Final Appeal. But these were fairly minor matters. Not until 2003, when Beijing tried to impose a national security law on Hong Kong, did serious but peaceful protests begin. The law was withdrawn. Likewise, in 2012 an attempt to impose the teaching of patriotic education in the school system, which critics decried as brainwashing, was stymied by peaceful protests.

Then, in 2013-2014, it became clear that Beijings idea of universal suffrage differed significantly from that of many Hong Kong residents. The chief executive would be chosen from a slate of candidates chosen by at least 50 percent of the members of a nominating committee, and no candidate could work against the state or be open to foreign influence. In the words of one pro-democracy activist, the choice would be between two slightly different shades of Beijing-chosen vanilla. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in a three-month long Occupy Central movement, with pro-Beijing supporters arguing that Hong Kongs economy was being destroyed and that, given the central governments intransigence, the choice was between accepting the governments half a loaf or continuing the present system. The demonstrators surrendered, with a 17-year-old firebrand, Joshua Wong, emerging as a leader who was willing to go to jail, and did, on behalf of his principles.

The current situation derives from an extradition bill, under which Hong Kong permanent residents could be extradited to China, thereby exposing them to incarceration under the PRCs draconian and corrupt legal system and infringing on the civil liberties that had been promised to Hong Kong. Chief executive Carrie Lam refused to withdraw the bill, leading to escalating protests and attacks on the protestors by gangs believed to have been instigated by pro-PRC forces. The heretofore peaceful protestors fought back, with numerous injuries, several deaths, and great property damage. As many as two million people out of a total population of seven million took part. By the time Lam withdrew the bill, the protestors had new demands, including the appointment of an independent commission to investigate rights abuses and genuine implementation of one person, one vote in the election of the chief executive and legislative council.

An uneasy calm induced by the coronavirus pandemic ensued. This appears to have convinced Beijing that the time for the next move had arrivedin the words of a traditional saying, after the harvest, settle accounts. In direct contravention of Hong Kongs Basic Law, stipulating that such laws are to be enacted by the Hong Kong government, Beijing passed a national security law providing punishments up to life sentences for vaguely defined crimes like secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forceswith itself as judge. Pro-democracy groups disbanded, and numerous books, including those of the now-23-year-old Joshua Wong were either withdrawn from libraries or listed as under review. The outcome of elections scheduled for September is no longer in doubt, since Beijing will be able to declare candidates who do not love the motherland unacceptable.

Beijing has also pressured numerous foreign corporationsincluding the London-based banking giants Standard Chartered and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporationto declare support for the law, which, they dutifully declare, will make Hong Kong safer. So, too, have Chinese diaspora communities. Some businesses have vowed to leave the SAR; others, more constrained in their ability to move, have decided on a policy of watchful waiting. Beijing appears to have achieved complete victory. Asked whether the protests were in vain and the Pearl of the Orient was facing its end, a long-time democracy advocate replied that the Hong Kong people know that the road to freedom is long and hard, adding, It is not that we see hope and therefore we persist; it is that through our persistence, hope is created.

June Teufel Dreyer is a professor of political science in the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences. An internationally renowned authority on China, she teaches courses on U.S. defense policy and international relations and is a senior fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and a member of International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Drilling rig towers may soon break the horizon of Lake Somerville, a popular reservoir 90 miles northwest of Houston that has drawn outdoor enthusiasts to boat, fish and swim for more than five decades.

The Bureau of Land Management hopes to lease some 384 acres for drilling and hydraulic fracturing along the southern rim of Lake Somerville.

The lease offerings are a small piece of President Donald Trumps efforts to expand drilling on federal lands, off the nations coasts and along Alaskas Arctic coastline. The administration has called for opening 90 percent of U.S. waters for drilling, even as the world faced a glut of crude. The efforts, meanwhile, have run into opposition from lawmakers, federal judges who have canceled some leases and environmental groups trying to protect areas like Lake Somerville.

Created in 1967 by damming the Yegua Creek, the 11,160-acre reservoir straddles Burleson, Lee and Washington counties. Thousands of people each year visit the area, which includes eight public parks, 11 boat ramps and several private campgrounds and marinas.

But the lake also is located on the eastern end of the Eagle Ford Shale and Austin Chalk, two geologic formations rich in oil and gas deposits that have attracted drillers to the area for decades. The Land Management Bureaus six proposed leases would allow horizontal drilling and fracking thousands of feet under the reservoir and Yegua Creek Park in Washington County and a part of Lake Somerville State Park in Lee County.

Environmentalists oppose the leases citing safety and pollution concerns. Tucson, Ariz., environmental group Center for Biological Diversity has criticized the Trump administration for reducing the time during which the public can comment on the Lake Somerville leases to 10 days from the usual 30.

With starting bids as low as $2 per acre, the leases are scheduled to be offered for sale Aug. 26.

Theyre poorly publicized, theyre short-cutting public notice, theyre short-cutting environmental review and there are some real risks here, said Taylor McKinnon, the centers senior public lands campaigner. It seems like the Bureau of Land Management is putting out leases and hoping that everyone is paying attention in the middle of the pandemic.

Oil &Gas: Trump administration plans to open national forests in Texas to more oil drilling

Biological Diversity leaders say the lake and surrounding area are under the flight path for the endangered whooping crane, a 6-foot-tall bird that breeds in Canada and spends winters along the Texas Gulf Coast near Corpus Christi. Experts fear that drilling could prevent the birds from resting in the area.

The organization also plans to argue that vibrations from drilling and underground explosions from fracking could harm the integrity of the dam and bring earthquakes to the region.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency that built the Lake Somerville dam, requires that drilling taking place more than 3,000 feet, or just slightly more than a half-mile, from the dam. The nearest proposed lease in the Bureau of Land Managements new sale is more than double that distance.

An earthquake has never hit the Lake Somerville area, U.S. Geological Survey data shows.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which manages Lake Somerville State Park, said it was not asked for input about the leases, and was not immediately aware of negative effects facing the park.

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Federal lands make up less than 2 percent of the states 171.8 million acres of land. In Texas at the beginning of 2019, the Bureau of Land Management had 582 oil and gas leases on 346,000 acres.

Most of those federal leases are inside four national forests in East Texas and two national grasslands in North Texas. Others are scattered around and under reservoirs built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, such as Choke Canyon Reservoir south of San Antonio, Lake Corpus Christi and Falcon Lake, along the Rio Grande south of Laredo.

With the proposed leases for Lake Somerville, the bureau had hoped to offer a 71-acre oil lease along the Hickory Creek arm of Lake Lewisville near Dallas. The bureau, however, withdrew the proposed lease months after officials with the Upper Trinity Regional Water District raised concerns that drilling could pollute drinking water for 27 communities in Denton and Collin counties.

The Brazos River Authority, which stores water in Lake Somerville for drinking, industrial, agricultural and mining uses, is neutral regarding the new oil leases.

Any oil and gas drilling in the area would have to meet the very stringent standards set by the Bureau of Land Management, Brazos River Authority spokeswoman Judi Pierce said.

Downturn: Texas oil & gas industry cut record 26,300 jobs in April

Oil and gas wells drilled on the proposed leases at Lake Somerville would require drilling permits from the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates the oil and gas industry in the state.

Adams Resources, a Houston oil company founded in 1947 by K.S. Bud Adams, late owner of the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans, drilled dozens of horizontal wells around and under the lake over the decades, Railroad Commission records show.

In a January 2018 sale, the Bureau of Land Management sold six parcels around the lake with a combined 1,408 acres of oil leases to private mineral lease holder Philip L. White and Corpus Christi oil company Magnum Producing for roughly $170,300.

Houston-based Magnolia Oil & Gas, Oklahoma-based Chesapeake Energy and Dallas-based WCS Oil & Gas are among the biggest horizontal drillers around the lake today, records show.

The industry points to the record of drilling in the area and criticizes efforts to prevent new operations.

Its frustrating to see an Arizona-based organization like the Center for Biological Diversity step in to try to regulate Texas affairs, said Elizabeth Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the industry-funded group Texans For Natural Gas. There has been absolutely no evidence that any of the existing oil and gas activity around the lakes has presented a threat to the groundwater or increased seismic activity, and to claim that new activity would do so is a baseless accusation.

sergio.chapa@chron.com

http://twitter.com/SergioChapa
Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-27 03:28:02|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is set to launch next Thursday, July 30, on a journey designed to search for astrobiological evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars, according to NASA.

The launch of Perseverance is targeting 7:50 a.m. Eastern Time Thursday, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The rover mission cleared the Flight Readiness Review for Perseverance on Wednesday, and is scheduled to have the Launch Readiness Review on Monday, the last significant checkup before the mission receives final approval to proceed with launch.

Perseverance is car-sized, about 3 meters long, 2.7 meters wide, and 2.2 meters tall, at 1,025 kilograms. Following a seven-month journey, the rover will land at Jezero Crater on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. There, Perseverance will gather rock and soil samples for future return to Earth.

It also will characterize the planet's climate and geology and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

Perseverance will be the ninth NASA spacecraft visiting the Red Planet's surface, and the first that includes gathering Mars samples for future return to Earth.

Perseverance will have a special passenger along its journey to Mars - Ingenuity, the first helicopter ever to fly on another world. Ingenuity could pave the way for extensive exploration of the Martian skies.

The mission is part of NASA's larger program that includes missions to the moon as a way to prepare for the human exploration of the Red Planet.

Charged with returning astronauts to the moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the moon by 2028 through its Artemis lunar exploration plans. Enditem
27.07.2020 LISTEN

Strategic Thinkers Network-Africa (STRANEK-Africa) has petitioned the Auditor-General to conduct a special audit into the GH54.3 million spent on providing cooked and uncooked food for the vulnerable in Accra and Kumasi during the three-week Coronavirus induced lockdown period.

The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta during the mid-year budget review in Parliament last Thursday, July 23, 2020, disclosed that government spent GH54.3 million to provide food for the needy.

Government through the Gender Ministry and NADMO provided 1,827,581 and 917,142 cooked food packs to vulnerable persons within Accra and Kumasi respectively. In collaboration with Faith-Based Organizations, the government also distributed dry food packages to about 470,000 families.

Mr. Speaker, the support to households, in terms of supply of dry food packs and hot cooked meals cost government GH54.3 million to enable them to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, he added.

The Policy think tank subsequently petitioned the Auditor-General to audit how the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection expended the said amount.

We write with regards to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection spending a colossal amount of GH 54.3 million on dry food packs and cooked meals shared in Accra and Kumasi during the three-week lockdown period.

We humbly request you to specially audit the amount spent on the COVID-19 food by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection since the country has been thrown into a state of shock, to ascertain in detail what actually went into that amount.

---citinewsroom